God's Rise | WOTG #2

Fifty-Two

C A D E

THE GENERAL HAD NOT bothered us for the two following days. She stood beside Deo, her hands clasped at her back, her two guards—why did she need them anyway?—positioned behind, and watched us as we trained. I caught her nodding her head as Deo gave us important points about dealing with our own abilities. He focused more on Ezerina's progress, his eyes glued to the workpad he carried, following the numbers and lines as they fluctuated. He would yell at her to limit executing her abilities as the numbers grew dangerously up.

"Do you think this is the right time not to run away from Havierre but instead run towards him?" Kato had asked as he fixed the gloves with holes to expose the fingers. We watched Ezerina punch and kick and create destruction at the training grounds.

Deo's words back at the meeting slammed my mind.

If we succeed, we might not need to run anymore.

My eyes had remained to Ezerina—to her fists—as she landed blow after blow to the holographic dummies running towards her. They disintegrated as her assault touched them into cubes, littering the ground before they disappear like nothing.

"We're still weak," sagot ko. "Kung ikukumpara tayo sa pwersa ngayon ni Goldberg, mahina pa rin tayo. Hindi natin kailangang salubungin siya. Ang kailangan natin ay maging maingat sa lahat ng aksyon na gagawin natin." I looked at him and saw his right eyebrow was raised as if he wasn't believing me.

"Pero sa tingin mo ba magkakaroon tayo ng tiyansa?"

"Siguro."

Ngayon, habang nakatayo kami sa loob ng hangar at may isang reconnaissance plane ay binagabag na naman ako ng tanong niyang 'yon. Its body was as black as the night sky and I was sure it would fly unseen southward to the Asterisk Farm. Not that it would be seen in daylight though.

Magkakaroon nga ba kami ng tiyansa? Magtatagumpay kaya ang misyon naming 'to?

Huminga ako nang malalim at inalis lahat ng mga pag-aalinlangan sa isip ko. Isa lang naman ang paraan para masagot ang mga tanong na 'yon.

Pagkatapos na pagkatapos ng training namin kahapon ay mukhang may masamang balita si Deo para kay Ezerina. Nag-usap silang dalawa na silang dalawa lang at nakita ko sa pagkalukot ng mukha ni Ezerina na hindi siya natutuwa sa kung ano man ang naririnig niya. Umirap na lang siya at nagdabog papaalis at nilampasan kaming tatlo nila Bea at Kato.

Nang makita ni Deo na nakatingin kaming tatlo sa kanila ay agad kaming nagkunwaring may kanai-kaniyang ginagawa. Bigla na lang akong napayuko habang si Kato naman ay biglang lumuhod at inalis ang sintas ng sapatos niya para itali ulit. Si Bea naman ay nag-unat ng kaniyang braso.

Lumapit siya sa amin. "Hindi siya makakasama sa misyon bukas," sabi niya sa amin kahapon.

"Bakit naman?" tanong ni Bea nag-uunat pa rin.

"Stop it," sabi niya sa aming lahat. "Kala niyo namang hindi ko kayo nahuli. Anyways, hindi siya makakasama sa atin bukas dahil sa resulta ng assessment niya. Kailangan niya mung magpahinga at palipasin 'to."

"Tungkol ba ito sa epekto ng ability niya?" tanong ko.

"Yes."

Kaya ngayon ay kaming apat lang ang lilipad. Si Bea and Kato ang mauuna para i-clear ang buong base para sa amin gamit ang kanilang ability. Kayang-kaya ni Bea na pasunurin lahat ng taong may isip sa kaniya at nand'yan naman si Kato para buwagin lahat ng technological barriers. Everything should go smoothly according to the plan.

Lahat kami ay nakasuot ng kulay itim na jumpsuit. Niyakap nito ang hugis ng katawan namin. Magaan ito sa pakiramdam kaya naman makakakilos kami nang maayos at komportable. Walang ibinigay na armas sa amin kundi tag-iisang earpiece lang at isang maliit na workpad na kasyang-kasya. Except for Bea, they gave her a pistol which now holstered on her hip.

"What's up, my fellow skeleton crewmates!" someone yelled behind us and we all turned around. Deo, his head bowed as if in defeat, walked towards us and behind him, the black jumpsuit made her bright red hair scream, was a smiling Ezerina all shiny and beaming.

Hindi napigilang ngumiti ni Bea. "Akala ko ako lang babae sa grupong 'to."

"Buti na lang dalawa na tayong magbabantay sa mga kumag na 'to," sabi niya sabay tingin sa 'ming dalawa ni Kato. Nagkatinginan lang kaming dalawa at sabay din kaming napatingin kay Deo.

"Nakipag-usap siya sa heneral," sambit agad ni Deo kahit wala pa kaming tinatanong. "And I guess she pursuaded her well.

"'No need to be gloomy, Mr. Twin Goldberg," she cooed, her nickname for him stuck. And he tried to hide his flinch when she called him like that. It was a reminder that the man responsible for spilling so many bloods was not just his brother but his twin brother. They didn't only share the same mother, father, and childhood. They also shared the same womb.

Bumukas na ang makina ng eruplano at bumukas na rin ang hatch doors sa likod. Talong sundalo ang naghihintay sa amin sa loob na may tag-iisang hawak-hawak na malalaking workpad. May mga nakalagay din sa kanilang mga ulo na parang mga salamin pero hologram ang lumabas. It covered their right ears and right eyes. Sila siguro ang tech support.

And finally, Lieutenant General Loyola, wearing her uniform and all the badges that came with it, flashing it to us to remind us who was in charge. She carried nothing but her air of authority and wore it like a scarf.

"Bilis," sabi niya. "May hinahabol tayong oras." Pumasok na agad siya sa loob ng eruplano at agad naman kaming sumunod sa kaniya na parang mga tuta.

Umupo na kami sa kani-kaniya naming upuan at katabi ko si Kato sa kanan at si Deo naman sa kaliwa habang si Bea at Ezerina naman ay nakaupo sa tapat namin katabi ang tatlong sundalo. Tahimik silang lahat at abalang-abala sa pagtype ng kung anu-ano sa kanilang mga workpad. Kato looked at the device on their head and smiled. I knew what was going on his mind.

Lieutenant General Loyola entered the cockpit and the engines roared. The hangar opened, revealing a stark black sky dotted with blinking stars. The moon was full and bathed the mountain forest with a river of silver light. 

The pilot launched us into the night sky, piercing the clouds with its needle-like nose.

"How are you?" tanong ni Bea kay Ezerina. "Sinabi sa amin lahat ni Deo tungkol sa ability mo."

"The cognition, perception, and the thing?" sagot ni Ezerina.

Tumango na lang si Bea.

"Wow. What a friendship we have," she said, the words slick with sarcasm. "Sinabi mo Deo sa kanila nang hindi ko alam?"

"Oo," sagot niya. "As a warning."

"Warning my ass."

"It is only appropriate for all of you to know the limitations of your own powers," sagot ni Deo. "Para maiwasan ang permanent alteration ng inyong mga personality. And loyalties."

"Why are you taking all these seriously?" Ezerina asked. "The theory about the role of cognitive and perceptive function of the brain in projecting our abilities through consciousness is far more believable. Pero 'yong it can alter the personality? I doubt it. May mali lang d'yan siguro sa files na nakuha mo."

"These files have undergone several experimentations," sagot ni Deo. "At sigurado ako na tama lahat ng nakasulat dito lalong-lalo na ang sinasabi ko tungkol sa 'yo."

"Paano ka naman nakakasiguro?"

Nagkakatinginan nalang kaming tatlo nila Bea at Kato. Nararamdaman naming umiinit na ang tensyon sa pagitan ng dalawa or at least, sa parte ni Ezerina. Sa kabila ng lahat ay nanatili pa ring kalmado si Deo. 

"Ezerina," tawag ni Bea. "Sa tingin ko alam naman siguro ni Deo ang sinasabi—"

"Yes," sabat niya. "Alam ko lahat na totoo 'to. Our abilities can alter our personality." Huminga muna siya nang malalim bago niya sinabi ang bagay na nakapagpagulat sa amin. "And my twin brother is the best example for that. And I don't want you becoming like him."