Chapter 26: 24 Hours with Victoria (Part 1)

~RYU~

Ilang beses kong tinapik ang kamay ko sa mesa habang hinihintay ang taong iyon. I've been here for almost thirteen minutes and normally, ten minutes is a long wait for me. Muli akong humigop ng kape at tinanaw ang labas ng coffeeshop. It's past 8 pm and I started getting annoyed with the one I'm meeting.

Ilang saglit lamang ay pumasok na ang taong iyon sa pinto. She looked around as if searching for someone and walked towards me when she caught my eyes. Her hair dangles on her shoulders like a wonderful art. I never appreciated curls in my entire life until today. Fvck! What am I saying?

I never bothered to pull her a seat at hindi na rin siya naghintay na humila pa ako ng upuan. She sat in front of me.

"Anong gusto mong pag-usapan natin?" tanong niya. She looked weary for the day's work but it doesn't makes her less beautiful. Fvck again! Ano ba ang nangyayari sa akin? Fine. Let's just say I appreciate beauty without the thick layers of makeup and other stuff.

"Coffee?" I asked but she shook her head.

"Sabihin mo na hacker at nang makaalis na ako," wika niya. Victoria is the most impatient woman but with a lot of patience. Mahirap bang intindihin? Yes, that's her. At one point you will see her with burning eyes and then seconds later she has the colder stare. She always wear the mask that is very hard to decipher what she really thinks.

"Hackers are supposed to be unknown so stop calling me hacker. I have a name. By the way it's Ryu," wika ko. My eyes didn't leave her face.

She nodded her head slowly. "Anong kailangan mo R-ryu?"

Inilapag ko sa harap niya ang isang larawan. "Tell me more about her."

She picked up the photo and examined it closely. I cannot see any hint of recognition in her face. Yes, she's wearing the mask again.

"Hindi ko sasabihin sa iyo ang mga tungkol sa kanya," mahinahon niyang wika. Sa ibang pagkakataon ay baka nainis na ako, and probably I was already throwing her threats but I couldn't bring myself to do so.

"Why not? This is for the team."

"Hacker—"

Pinutol ko ang sasabihin niya. "I told you, it's Ryu. Do you know Trojan?"

"Ano?"

"Kilala mo ba si Trojan?" tanong ko.

Bahagyang napakunot ang noo niya, nagtataka sa tanong ko. "Hindi."

"Exactly. Hackers like me and him— two of the world's greatest hackers should remain unknown. So you need to stop calling me hacker and call me by my name instead."

I saw her face crumpled but only for a while. She refused to comment about my Trojan reference.  "Alam kong para iyon sa team."

"Yeah, so why don't you tell me—" Sa pagkakataong ito ay ang sinabi ko na naman ang pinutol niya.

"Bakit hindi na lamang ikaw mismo ang umalam ng mga bagay tungkol sa kanya at mula sa kanya mismo?" she asked.

"You mean..."

Isang tango ang isinagot niya sa akin.

~MIMO~

I never thought V could still accomplish the mission despite being busted. Napakaraming nangyari sa operasyon na iyon ngunit nagawa pa rin ni V ang talagang pakay namin.

It was very unexpected. Hindi lamang maliit na isipin si Margaret. She thinks like the four of us think. But that's the least of my concern now. Sa ngayon ay iniisip ko ang mga kagrupo ko.

I know that I tainted the trust that they established for me. Marahil ay iniisip nila kung totoo ba ang sinabi ko. Truth is that I really don't know who's above us. I was the one who sent them an incognito email  and I also sent myself one just in case they want to see. Ngunit sa kung sino mang nasa likod nito ay hindi ko alam. I only accepted it because of the underlying objectives.

We only steal stolen items. We steal from someone who do not deserve it. We steal to steal items to return it to the original owners. It was enough for me at hindi na importante kung sino ang nasa likod.

Binuksan ko ang planner ko at binasa ang mga naitalaga ko nitong mga huling araw. I have done a research about Black Diamond and I was this close to their identity. Gusto ko rin namang makatulong sa team at sa pamamagitan ng research at mas mapapadali namin iyon. I obtained information about Black Diamond mula sa mga naitalagang police cases few years ago, written accounts, articles and blogs.

Few articles and blogs call Black Diamond as the modern day Robinhood. They distribute to the needy although they retain portions for them to divide. But the biggest treasure could be close. At tama si Margaret, we need the human linchpin ngunit sa kasamaang palad ay hindi pala iyon si V. It occurred to me that she could be the one that we need, to find the greatest treasure of all.

But now we're back to square one. It isn't Victoria ngunit maaring iyon ay ang batang kasama niyang lumaki. With V along with us, we're close to unveiling this greatest mission.

~RYU~

"Fvck! Fvck! Fvck!"

Kasabay ng pagsigaw ko ay ang walang humpay na paghampas ko sa manibela. The car honked few times but it only added to the noise pollution brought by the cars around dahil sa matinding traffic. From my peripheral view, I saw V glanced at me with her head pressed at the car's window.

I waited for a while bago iniatras ang sasakyan at iniliko iyon sa isang madilim na eskinita at nagpatuloy sa pagmamaneho kahit na lubak-lubak ang daan.

Nanatili kaming tahimik sa loob ng sasakyan but I didn't bother to turn on the stereo. Sinulyapan ko ang oras sa loob ng sasakyan and it shows five past nine.

"You sure we're going tonight? Gabi na. You said you're from a family of thief, paano kung wala sila dahil may ginagawa sila ngayon?" I asked. My question was supposed to be 'what if they gone stealing tonight kaya wala sila' but I paraphrased it into something na hindi naman magtutunog offensive.

"Nandoon sila."

"How could you be so sure? Thieves mostly steal at night."

"Nagkakamali ka. Kung ayaw mong mahuli, magnakaw ka sa pagkakataong hindi iisipin ng mga tao," she replied. It got me thinking that she's somehow right. Most people think that nighttime is the best time to steal but it isn't true all the time. It should be when people's guard are down and they will not expect it. Most security methods are active at night so wise thieves steal at the broad daylight.

Hindi na ako nagkomento pa at nagpatuloy lamang sa pagmamaneho.

"Fvck! Goddammit!" bulalas ko.

She removed her head from the window and looked at me. "Kanina ka pa nagmumura."

I let out a heavy sigh. I can't help but cussed dahil hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon ay nakakapagmura ako. I have this someone who is directly below me but acting high and almighty whenever he is with me and I cuss.

"I think we got a problem."

"Anong problema?" She asked and her brow raised. Marahil ay napansin na niyang nakatigil na ang sasakyan. Sinubukan kong paandarin ulit ang sasakyan but it wouldn't budge.

Sa inis ko ay napasabunot ako sa sariling buhok habang tinitingnan ang paligid na ang tanging ilaw ay ang headlights ng sasakyan. "I think we got lost."

I really have a bad sense of direction. I messed up a large mafia transaction before when I lost my way. Mula noon ay palagi nang nakabuntot sa akin ang reaper the si Mnemosyne, a pathfinder reaper. I also got lost with Amber before and now I got lost with V. Hindi ko alam bakit ngunit bigla akong naging asiwa sa isiping iyon. It's fine to lost my way on my own; better to lost way with Amber (yes, better because it definitely pissed the hell out if her) but I'm not comfortable to lost my way with V. Hindi pa yata kami nag-uusap ng napakahaba.

Wala man lamang kahit konting pagkabahala sa mukha niya. "Bumalik tayo sa daan na tinahak mo."

"We've got another problem... The car won't start," sagot ko at nag-iwas ng tingin.

Narinig ko ang mahinang pagsinghap niya at napapikit ako ng mariin. Hell, why do I suddenly fear her mood? Hindi naman siguro siya katulad ni Amber na bigla na lamang sisiksik sa tabi ko at magsasalita ng kung anu-anong tungkol sa wrong turn at genetic mutation hindi ba?

But to my surprise, she got off the car and opened the car's hood. Bigla iyong umusok kaya napababa na rin ako at tiningnan iyon.

Overheat. Again. My greatest enemy is this fucking overheat. Walang imik na tinitigan ko ang umuusok na makina at gayundin si V. Nakapameywang na inilibot ko ang paningin sa paligid. Kahit madilim at medyo tahimik ay may mga kabahayan naman sa gilid.

"I'll ask for water around," wika ko at bumalik sa loob ng sasakyan upang kumuha ng pera. Nagulat na lamang ako nang pagbukas ko ng pinto ay may tatlong lalaki sa loob ng sasakyan.

I smelled alcohol all over the car. The guys with bulky bodies are probably from a drinking session. One was on the backseat, going over my wallet. The other was at the passenger seat, scanning through my glove compartment. Inilabas niya roon ang baril na tinatago ko roon at ngumisi.

Then the other one was in front of me, sitting on the driver's seat and handing me a bottle of a local gin.

"Shot pare," wika ng lalaki at nakakalokong ngumisi. Narinig ko ang pagtawag ni V sa akin ngunit hindi ko iyon pinansin kahit pa hacker ang sinabi niya sa halip na ang pangalan ko.

I heard her footsteps towards me and few moments later, V was standing on my side. "Hack—"

Hindi na niya natuloy ang sasabihin at parehas kaming napanganga nang makita ang tatlo sa loob.

"I think we got another problem," I finally said.

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