Be Enlightened Bebang, Abandon No Gale

Bebang(5) - The Dearth

BERNARDINA (BEBANG)

''All you have is yourself. In a death trap disposition, the doom of your existence depends on you. Survival does not require friends, fame, companion. Survival requires only you alone.''

Four massive transport aircrafts landed on the open field. The two fixed-wing aircraft is ordained for the T.S Participants while the other two fixed-wing aircrafts is intended for the S.S Participants. The two commanders on the access door of the aircraft are assigned to secure the area. There are two doctors sitting on the table before the access door, they are responsible for injecting the antidote. 

Alex had made a researched about the assessment a week ago. The Modus Institute has a hidden underground website where classified data's and reports are collected and organized. The annual assessment had countless reports of death and countless record of names who are departured to the mental asylum. Last year, a number of The Oddities killed a girl named Alice Petrifier during their assessment week in the Burnham City. According to the news, Alice was being attacked by a man who was holding a large knife. Alice tried to protect herself, she even tried to survive, but it was too late. The man who was holding a large knife already slit her two limbs, leaving Alice a huge damage and uncontrolled excessive bleeding. The Emergency Force responded late; Alice died of hemorrhage. The Modus Institute had never allowed this kind of news to spread in the whole community. They are a bunch of pro's, at its best in ingratiation and hiding.

Years of struggle had crafted my bravery. Everyone must learn from their mistakes. Yung isang beses na pagkakamali, hindi na dapat maulit. As long as you can still do something to prevent the same mistakes, don't hesitate to do it. One wrong move is enough to teach a lesson. I don't need another blast, we don't need another blast. Natatakot ako para kay Alex at Max. Natatakot ako na kapag dumating yung araw na kailangan nila ng tulong, baka hindi ko sila matulungan. I know how to survive. I don't know how to make them survive. The future is too daunting.

The biggest fear I have now is losing anyone of them. If fear signifies weakness, then they are my downfalls.

''Bernardina, you okay?'' Alex sits beside me. The aircraft is almost full. 10 seats at the right side are already full. Alex and I are sitting on the left side. The blonde girl wearing a yellow hairband in front me is crying, I suppose it was because of the injection. Jimmy tries to pacify the girl, he was sitting beside her. The girl looks like the same as our age. I was never informed of the new report; The Modus Institute started to allow unstable teens in the assessment.

Unstable teenagers. As far as I know, The Modus Institute had never made any move without a purpose. 

''I can still manage. How was the injection?'' Alex looks more troubled than me. Hindi ko alam kung meron pa ba siyang ibang alam o natuklasan tungkol sa Modus Institute. Alex is incredibly good at reasearching. Analytics is definitely her own field.

The Modus Institute is composed of four divisions: The Intellect Division, The Scholar Division, The Techno Division, and The Golden Rationalists Division. Alex, Max, and I are just a portion of The Scholar Division.

The Scholar Division has two parts. SSC (Social Science Cooperation) and TSC (Techno Sci Cooperation), the former is comprised of scholars assigned in the area of Soc-Sci, the latter is comprised of gifted scholars in the field of advance techno studies. Alex and I were assigned in the SSC. Si Max, bilang gifted scholar, nasa TSC.

Year 4000 is a year of uprising The Modus Institute. Burado na sa recorded history ang panahon nila Beethoven, Mozart, Da Vinci, Santi, Michaelangelo. Ala-ala nalang ang Renaissance, Prehistoric, at ang lahat ng documented remarkable centuries. Wala nang humans ang nakakaalala pa ng Old World (Old History) except sa mga humans na nabuhay nung kasagsagan ng 20th century. I belong to the 20th century. My biological parents gave birth to me in year 1997. At kung bakit at paano ako nabuhay ng ganitong katagal na panahon, that is a long, different story.

Year 2050 is my early 30's.''Proffesor B.V Emmanuel Ph.D., Head Proffesor, College of History and Social Sciences, University of the Philippines''  Mabilis ang pacing. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ang bilis ng mga pangyayari. Parang gumagawa lang ako ng konting pag-aaral para ipagpatuloy yung dating rejected doctoral dissertation ko. Isang gabi noong year 2050, biglang may kumatok sa gate passed 9:00. Tulog na yung dalawang maids pati yung butler. I was busy interpreting the data Alice had mailed, bagong update tungkol sa pinag-aaralan kong conspiracy theory, ang New World Order. Alice is one of my colleagues, siya din yung nag-encourage na ituloy ko yung research, nung minsang na-reject, pero hindi ko na pinasa at gumawa nalang ako ng bago. Hinayaan ko munang magload yung data tapos binuksan ko yung pinto.''Saint Peter, open the door when somebody knocks in -- behind the door is an opportunity, as God had said to him. Peter had opened the door, there he saw five Roman soldiers showed up.''  Biglang nagbago ang lahat nang dahil lang sa pagbukas ng pinto.

The Modus Institute had successfully removed the Old World. Na-perfect nila ang calculations, experiment, theories at maayos nilang nai-deploy ang buong project, perfect na perfect ang nagawa nilang strategy. Effectively, they have reformatted the whole history, our whole history. I suppose they have successfully nurtured the finest, the top greatest intellectuals of this century. Hats off, ang talino nung nakaisip ng malaking kalokohan na ito.

 Inexplain ko lahat kay Alex, as in lahat. Yung theories, maski yung pinakamaliit na detail malinaw kong inexplain. I trust her. Kahit na magkaiba yung dinaanan ng existence naming dalawa, may instinct ako na pwede ko siyang pagkatiwalaan. Ginawa kong basehan ang 7 years of friendship namin para sa trust agreement. Kung may biglaang tauhan ng Modus na kumidnap sa akin unexpectedly, at least I know who to blame. Si Alex lang ang nakakaalam ng lahat. Except The Research, hindi alam ni Alex na miyembro ako The Research. There are secrets you must keep yourself. At least, you must know how to keep secrets yourself.

My research is worth dying for. I must not fear death. I must fear failure more than my death. I must fear failure of recovering the abandoned history. I must recover the abandoned history. The Modus Institute is a pure evil. It must be terminated.

''No further big thing. The injection is just a pure relief antidote. Siguro to calm down everyone, masyado lang siguro tayong distressed at unstable. At least, may konting tender caring and loving factor ang Modus Ins. para sa atin. Maybe they are not evil.''

Maybe. Maybe not. Hindi pa happy ending ang lahat at imposibleng mangyari yun sa Modus. The damage has already done. The last resort is to fix things. Hindi pwedeng dahil ginusto lang ng Modus Institute na gawing science foundation ang buong mundo, yun na yung magiging succession ng next generations. Nawala na ang religion, faith, values, binura ng Modus ang lahat ng magagandang bagay at katangian sa buong humanity. Tinatak niya sa utak ng humans ang science. Puro science. Pinipilit nila ang prinsipyo ng science. Pinapakita nila ang science as the master of all things. They have forsakened the Gods, unconciously they have no idea that the Gods had already forsakened the humans, na matagal na silang pinabayaan. The Gods had given us the power of freewill. Science nalang ang napapatakbo sa buhay ng milyon-milyong humans. Nabura na sa existence ang miracles, divine power, at eternality.

In order to accomplish impossible things, you must be impossible. Kailangang mabura ang The Modus Institute para sa kapakanan ng abandoned humanity. The Research is responsible for that impossibility. Kung hindi ako gagawa ng paraan, sino ang gagawa? Kung hindi ko uumpisahan ngayon, kailan? 

''The motive of The Modus Institute is clear and pure. Clear evil, and pure evil.'' Alex was startled. I smiled at her. Naalala ko yung sinabi ni Alex, let us not tolerate procrastination and start to rescue the bloodshot, time.

''Come on, Bernardina. You are kidding. Nakita mo yang mga doctors sa side ng access door? Yung dalawang armadong commanders sa gilid? I suppose na ayaw mong mamatay na may title na pilibustero, tama? Martyrdom, Bernardina. There is a 'doom' at the end.'' Two S.S.C participants left, the aircraft is almost ready to take its flight. Safety belts, gears, other safety devices, medical kit, fire starters, leatherman, life vest and rafts, personal locator beacon, tracking device, rescue lights, disposable bags, everything is ready. Survival instinct is really an effective stimulant. 

Survival requires me, all alone.