ELISE'S POV
"I THINK THEY'RE waiting for you to decrypt the file," ani Stan. At iyon lang din ang tangi kong naiisip na pwedeng mangyari.
"There's a bigger picture out of this. I don't think it ends with just Carson being the mastermind." Napabuntonghininga si Stan at naupo sa gilid ng kama. May unti-unti rin akong nare-realize sa sinasabi niya.
"If they won't get their hands with the original file, they will still work with the trial-and-error method. The body count would keep coming. If pumayag akong kumuha sila ng sample from my bone marrow to get the exact DNA sequence at na-decrypt ang file, hindi natin alam kung kailan nila iyon makukuha sa akin agad. Right now, I don't even know who to trust anymore. I thought we were suppose to protect humans not take advantage of them. We don't decide to put their life on the line for the sake of ours, I don't get it," ani ko.
"Someone's mind can be dark and twisted. They thought they're doing us a favor by deciding what's best for us. Pakiramdam nila, porke't mas nakatataas sila sa isang normal na tao ay may karapatan na silang magdesisyon who will get the privilege of living a longer life, who can contribute to the society, and thus, someone who's irrelevant will have to sacrifice." Napalingon si Stan sa akin.
"In order to slow down someone's aging process, one must donate a vital part of their body. That's the missing part of the procedure the Neolutions are trying to know."
"That's what Alena tried to keep from them, so they're still trying the trial-and-error method," I said.
"And they have created Walkers out of it. They're in the middle of cell preservation of dead bodies, but they want to achieve Alena's research. Slowing down the aging process to extend their mortality. Carson wants to use the research for his own benefit."
"Ang pagkakaalam ko, some part of his right limb is artificial, thus making him a cyborg."
"Siguro, may paraan ang research ni Alena for cell reconstruction. But I know it's not just him who's after the research. This is getting dangerous, Elise. What if they'll get impatient of you? Hindi natin alam kung ano ang mangyayari."
Hinawakan niya ang kamay ko at kitang-kita ang stress sa kanya.
"There must be someone else who knows more than we do," ani Stan. "Can we open a portal to the institute? Then from there, we will cross the borders through the mortal realm. I'll take you to him."
"What? Don't you think it's too risky? Who is this guy anyway?" tanong ko. Ang hirap nang magtiwala ngayon lalo na sa mga bagay na nalaman namin.
"Don't worry. He's a guy you can trust."
**
WE HUNG OUT with the squad for a while, playing card games and chess just to show them that everything is still normal like how things were supposed to be. When I said I was going to leave Lia's room because I'm tired and exhausted, Stan second the motion and told everybody that we needed to go to get some rest.
Stan slipped his black hoodie and baseball cap to me, along with a pocket knife. His hoodie smelled like fabric softener and his lemongrass perfume. Smells like Stan.
"Hindi ba natin sasabihin kina Zion ito?" tanong ko habang pinanonood siyang isuot ang kanyang leather jacket.
"For now, it's just us. Magulo pa e." Inilahad niya ang kamay niya. "Ready ka na?"
BINABASA MO ANG
Project X (published via Sanctum Press)
Science-fiction[TAG-LISH] "hiddens" are species who have an altered genome in their DNA and is considered a genetic failure that has evolved during conception and is considered higher than the average human in terms of intelligence and capabilities. Elise is an...
