Philippines: Year 2300 (1st Published Filipino Sci-Fi from Wattpad)

Chapter 21: The Great Rebellion (Ang Malaking Pag-aalsa)

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."

-H. L. Mencken

Kapansin-pansin ang panghihina ni Maria habang kapit-kapit siya ng dalaga. Halos mapayuko na siya at masubsob sa kinatatayuan.

Hindi malaman ni Helena ang kanyang gagawin kung tatanggapin nga ba nito ang alok na tulong ni General Vash Linford, ang babaeng heneral at Secretary of Defense ng European Union.

"I know how it feels to doubt everyone. Johan left you, wounded and with a broken spirit. Your father created you because he wants you to live. He disobeyed orders from the European Union because he loves you so much; not knowing that he has a hidden agenda on it. But at this point, you should trust me," wika ng heneral.

"How come you know so much about me?!" tanong ng dalaga. Nakatitig pa rin siya nang matalim sa nakatayong heneral. Kapansin-pansin namang hindi naglabasan ang ibang mga sundalong sakay ng heli ship na iyon.

"It's because...I'm one of the CEOs of MEMO. I know your father. He was a good man," sagot ng babaeng heneral.

"If he is a good man to you, why didn't you let him finish his work?" tanong ng dalaga.

"It's because of you. He created you to destroy MEMO. To destroy the world," sagot muli ng heneral.

"So now you're saying that the whole world is in the hands of MEMO. You lied to billions of people who want to live for the good. You made us believe that we will live with our freedom, with our free will, and now look at what you did to this world, to the people who use the memory gene. You showed everyone that we are living in a large prison," wika ni Helena.

Saglit namang napaubo si Maria. Inangat naman ni Helena ang katawan niya at dahan-dahang umupo sa sira-sirang kalsada.

"It's not important anymore. What's important now is that you fight for the lives of these people, for the lives of your own countrymen and for the whole world. I know that you don't want this to happen. You still want to save these people in spite of what they did to you," sagot naman ng heneral.

"I don't want to save them. I just want to change the world and destroy MEMO. That's what I want," tugon ng dalaga.

"Then why did you leave Johan?"

"Because we fight in a different way. He wants to change the world in his own way. I want to change it for the sake of my promise, for the sake of the bids that I cared for," tugon ng dalaga habang napapayuko at tila nalulungkot. Saglit namang napatigil ang heneral sa pagsasalita matapos ang ilang segundo.

"Let me tell you something Helena, if you want to erase MEMO in this world, I can help you. Since Johan had that program, everything changed. People fought for their freedom. We realized that we could be devoured by our own inventions. We could die trying to find ways to live longer; not realizing that we live to serve others, to be happy, to live a decent and productive life...and to die. Nothing can stop us from dying. What's important is how we live it," sagot naman ng babaeng heneral. Napatigil naman sa pagsasalita si Helena at napatitig na lamang sa kanya.

"So what would it be? I will help you, so you could help me," dagdag niya.

Binuhat namang muli ni Helena ang kasama at inakay siya sa kanyang balikat. Kinapitan niya ang sugat ni Maria kung saan nakatusok pa rin ang malaking bakal sa kanyang tagiliran.

Agad namang nagpalabas ng stretcher ang heneral na iyon at tinulungang ihiga ang sugatang dalaga dito.

Tahimik lamang na sumakay ng heli ship ang dalaga. Habang inaalalayan si Maria.