Saving Humanity

Chapter Nineteen: The Scientist's Daughter

Chapter Nineteen: The Scientist's Daughter

Pauline

"You're impossible." Napairap ako nang marinig ang galit na boses ni Felicity. Pababa ako ng hagdan nang bigla siyang sumalubong sa akin. Hindi niya ako pinansin at nagpatuloy lang sa pag-akyat.

When I reach the living room and see Andre lounging on the couch, I figured out the cause of Felicity's anger.

Of course, it's Andre. The foul-mouthed, full-of-himself, insufferable guy. A sorry excuse for a human being. I don't know why we keep on tolerating his presence. Ilang beses na niyang nilagay sa panganib ang mga buhay namin dahil sa kaduwagan niya.

"Oh, hello, Pauline," the coward looks up when he sees me. "Want to join me? Come on, let's hang out."

"No, thank you," diretso kong sagot sa kanya. Hindi ko na inintindi pa ang iba niyang mga sinabi. Dire-diretso akong naglakad palabas ng living room at papunta sa garden. Dito, nakita ko si Ian na nagmumuni-muni. Hinayaan ko na lamang siya at dumiretso palabas ng bahay.

The street is quiet, as usual. Sanay na sanay na ako sa katahimikan ng paligid. Mahigit tatlong buwan na rin ang nakalilipas simula nang patulugin ng mga extra-terrestrial beings ang halos lahat ng tao sa buong mundo.

I was one of the lucky ones who got the vaccine before the extra-terrestrial beings unleashed their virus. So is my Dad, and three hundred other people. A hundred of them are soldiers, and the rest are the scientists with their families and friends. Right now, they are in a safe place somewhere in Antipolo.

Ngayon, plano kong dalhin ang mga kasama ko doon.

I don't trust them enough to reveal the location of the Sanctuary, though. Hindi pa rin ako nakasisiguro kung totoong nakaligtas sila sa syndrome o mga espiya sila ng mga extra-terrestrial beings.

Based on what Jared can remember, they were abducted by them and brought inside their spaceship. They were marked using numbers. Malaki ang posibilidad na pinag-eksperimentuhan sila ng mga ito at muling ibinalik dito para hanapin at patayin ang mga natitirang gising.

I'll figure out what to do with them during the journey. But, for now, I'll keep them close. If Jared's memories are true, then they are vital to solve the mystery of the extra-terrestrial beings, and their real purpose of invading our planet.

Kung hindi lang sana naiwan 'yung mga documents kay Jared. Malaki ang kutob ko na nandoon ang sagot sa mga katanungan namin.

Iginala ko ang paningin ko sa paligid. Wala na ang mga katawan ng mga tulog na tao na nagkalat noong unang buwan pagkatapos tumama ng syndrome. I went out of the Sanctuary, hoping to find my Dad among the pile of bodies, but they were gone. Kailangan kong malaman kung saan dinala ng mga extra-terrestrial beings ang mga natutulog na tao. Malamang ay doon ko rin mahahanap si Dad.

Dead or alive, I will find him. No matter what.

He's the only family that I have, and I can't lose him, too. Kung hindi siya pinalad na makaligtas, kailangan ko pa rin siyang makita. I will give him the proper burial that he deserves.

Still, I'm hoping that he's alive.

Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit kailangan niyang umalis ng Sanctuary para hanapin si Mom. She left us long before the extra-terrestrial beings invaded us. She was not able to bear the duties of being a scientist's wife. So she left.

Just like that.

Sa loob ng mahabang panahon, ako lang ang naging kasama ni Dad sa lahat. Minsan, nagkakaroon siya ng trigger moments dahil sa depression niya. Being a scientist comes with a price. Sometimes the brain can't take too much thinking and it finds a way to unload. It takes a toll on Dad's emotions, especially after Mom left. I endured all of Dad's trigger moments. I had so many chances to escape and leave him alone, but I can't bear to do it. Alam ko na hindi kakayanin ni Dad kung pati ako ay mawala sa kanya.

I sigh. Lagi kong pinakikita sa lahat ng tao sa paligid ko na malakas ako. Kahit malagay ako sa isang napakahirap na sitwasyon, hindi ako sumusuko. Iyon ang tinuro sa kin ni Dad. Every problem has their own solution. All we have to do is look towards the right way.

But right now, I have absolutely no idea where to look.

Sana nandito na lang siya sa tabi ko ngayon. He'll surely know what to do.

Muli akong tumingin sa paligid. Napansin ko ang isang poster ng Oblivion, ang night club na pagmamay-ari namin. Iyon ang lugar kung saan ko ibinabaling ang atensyon ko sa tuwing nahihirapan na ko kay Dad. Working as a performer in our own night club takes me away from reality, even if it's just for a moment. This might sound strange, but singing in front of a crowd keeps me sane.

Damn these extra-terrestrial beings. Kung hindi sila dumating, malamang ay maayos pa rin ang buong mundo ngayon.

But on the contrary, maybe their arrival isn't a bad thing. Maybe, just maybe, if we managed to defeat them, humanity can have a second chance in life. Maybe we'll do everything right this time. We are divided by race, religion and other absurd things. Perhaps getting invaded by extra-terrestrial beings might finally unite us, once and for all.

But how can we defeat the invaders if we don't even know what they're planning to do with our planet?

We got so busy fighting each other that we forgot to defend ourselves from other species. In a snap, humanity fell down at the hand of its first invader.

But I still got hope for us, though. Despite our blind sides, we still managed to establish our civilization, improve our technologies and made our lives easier by developing various things that we can use. Surely, we can concoct something that we can use to defeat the extra-terrestrial beings.

I don't know. Maybe my brain's just creating fantasies when it fully knows that our situation with our invaders is hopeless. But a certain scientist believes that everything in this world can be explained and sorted out. Luckily, I am the daughter of that scientist.

Maybe with the help of the other scientists at the Sanctuary, we can find a way to defeat those sons of bitches. Sana lang ay hindi pa huli ang lahat.

Muli na sana akong papasok ng bahay nang bigla akong makarinig ng kung ano. If the world is still normal, I wouldn't have notice the vibrations on the ground. But more than half of the civilization is asleep, and it is quite impossible for me to hear the unmistakeable rumble of an engine because of the electromagnetic pulse.

Pero hindi ako pwedeng magkamali. Tunog nga ng isang sasakyan ang naririnig ko.

Tumingin ako sa magkabilang dulo ng kalsada. Anytime, a vehicle would pop out and spot me. Pero anong klaseng sasakyan?

Bigla kong naalala ang mga military tanks na sinakyan ng mga sundalo upang makarating sila sa Malacanan. In a split-second for me to realize what's happening, a large tank rounds the corner of the left side of the road.

Hindi na ako nag-aksaya pa ng panahon. I run inside the house as fast as I can. I need to warn the others.

Natunton nila kami.

A/N:

I have successfully re-introduced all of the characters! Let's start with the action now, shall we? I'll post another chapter in a bit!

-Dave