Saving Humanity

Chapter Thirty-Five: Complicated

Chapter Thirty-Five: Complicated

Holly

Jared told me everything about that night. How we were abducted by the extra-terrestrial beings, how we woke up with strange numbers tattooed on our bodies, and how we escaped... With the help of two other extra-terrestrial beings.

"Are you certain?" I ask him after he's done talking. "Tinulungan tayong makatakas ng mga extra-terrestrial beings?"

He nods, once.

My jaw drops. Hindi ako makapaniwala sa mga narinig ko. All this time, we thought that all of them are evil. That they won't stop for nothing, until they annihilate all of the human beings on earth. But clearly we thought wrong. They are more complicated than we thought.

"They look like humans--like us. Except that they look too perfect. Their skin was flawless, their features unnervingly stunning. They told us that their bodies weren't their real bodies, that they were just vessels for them to occupy temporarily.

"They told us everything that they know--including where they came from and why they decided to invade our planet. Rather than creating an all-out war, they decided to preserve our resources by inventing a virus that would render us useless."

Hindi ako nagsasalita. Nakatitig lang ako sa kanya habang pilit na ipinapasok sa utak ko ang mga impormasyon na ibinibigay niya.

"They came from an unnamed planet from a different galaxy. They have the capability to create advanced technologies--more advanced than they could ever imagine. But because of their greed, their desire to create more, something happened to their planet. It began to deteriorate.

"Then they discovered our planet. They've been observing us for a really long time now. They saw our resources, saw how we waste them. We are slowly turning our planet into a wasteland, and pretty soon Earth will suffer the same fate as their planet. So they decided to take matters into their own hands.

"They created a fool-proof plan, one that humanity won't be able to escape. But they were deceived by one of their members. One of them came down on Earth to warn humans of their arrival."

So, what we've discovered while reading the documents is correct. One of them actually came down here to inform us that they're coming. But they didn't visit the President to negotiate, they visited to warn him, and to make sure that he'll be prepared.

But the President is too greedy. He wanted something more, something that humanity couldn't give him.

Power.

He's basically controlling the entire country now. All of us are under his thumb, and he can crush us if he chooses to. All under the supervision of the extra-terrestrial beings.

I revert my attention back to Jared, who continues to speak.

"That's their plan. To rid the earth of humans, so that they can live here and use our resources."

I swallow the lump in my throat, forcing myself to speak. "If they're so powerful, why don't they annihilate us all at once? Formulate a stronger virus that would put us to sleep permanently?"

"I don't know for certain," Jared admits. "Iyon lang ang sinabi ng mga extra-terrestrials na tumulong sa atin."

Nag-isip ako. "Do they have names?"

He nods. "Yes, but it's too complicated for the human tongue to pronounce. They've given me permission to call them whatever I want, so I decided to call them Gerald and Bea."

I almost laugh at that. Typical Jared.

"Bakit ikaw lang ang nakakaalala ng lahat? Bakit kahit anong gawin ko, wala akong maalala noong mga panahon na iyon?" It feels so good to get this question out in the open. This has been bugging me since Jared first started remembering snippets of that night.

"That's because Gerald and Bea erased your memories," sagot ni Jared. "They kept mine intact, to give humanity the fighting chance to survive. But for some reasons I forgot everything when I first woke up. Ngayon ko lang naalala ang lahat."

That explains everything. Out of all of us, they must have thought that Jared is the most trustworthy. I mean, I can't blame them. Jared may look like a typical teenager, but once you start talking to him, you'll figure out how amazing he is.

Binanggit ko na rin kay Jared ang tungkol sa secret basement sa ilalim ng lumang classroom, at kung paano ko ito natuklasan. Sinabi ko rin sa kanya ang tungkol sa lalaking prisoner na nakausap ko, at kung paanong posible na siya ang ama na hinahanap ni Pauline. I also mentioned Raf's involvement.

"Can we trust him?" he asks me warily.

"Hindi ko alam," ang pag-amin ko. "Wala naman siyang alam na iba bukod sa secret basement."

Jared nods in relief. "Good."

We spend the rest of the day talking, mostly him telling me about how wonderful it is to have his Mom back. It feels good to see him happy. He's like a ray of sunshine, casting warm light on my sad, empty town.

I hope he'll stay this way. He needs as much happiness that he could get, considering the darker moments we will have in the future. The battle with the extra-terrestrial beings is far from over. Even with the newly-discovered information, we are still pretty-much threading blindly across dark waters. Marami pa rin kaming hindi alam.

By dinner time, Kenji arrives with three heaping plates of food. Sinabayan niya kaming kumain ni Jared, at nagkuwento rin siya tungkol sa buhay niya bago nangyari ang lahat ng ito.

I like Kenji. He seems like a really nice guy. But his undying devotion for the President makes me wary of him. I wonder, how much does he know about the President? Is he aware about his alliance with the extra-terrestrial beings?

Iniwan kami ni Kenji pagkatapos naming maghapunan. Nagkuwentuhan pa kami ni Jared, bago kami nagpasya na matulog.

Nagising kami kinabukasan dahil sa biglang pagdating ni Kenji. He's panting so hard, like he just participated in a marathon. Basang-basa ng pawis ang t-shirt na suot nitya.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Jared. Something's wrong.

"Kenji?" His name comes out as a question. "Anong nangyari?"

He looks up at us, and that's when I notice the tears running down his cheeks. His eyes are wide--full of sadness and anger and fear.

"Tell us what happened, Kenji," Jared coaxes.

Kenji takes a deep, shaky breath, like he's trying to collect his thoughts while simultaneously preventing himself from breaking down.

"Kenneth... I don't know where he is. I think someone took him."