18: easier said than done

In this moment, I wish the receptor hadn't broken just to confirm that Wolff and Seven are indeed different people.

Nagsukatan sila ng tingin, and I thought it was my chance to slip away and escape. But no, neither of them was giving me that opportunity. Seven grabbed me just as the man named Kruger spoke.

"Let's get to the current matter at hand. Sino ka at anong ginagawa mo rito?" tanong ni Kruger sa akin. I almost shook in fear, and the potential consequences of this madness flashed in my mind.

Will I make it out alive?

Hardly.

Will I become a permanent detainee?

Possible.

There are so many possibilities. And if I get caught, I'll face all the consequences alone. Meanwhile, si Wolff? 

Free and relieved from whatever the outcome is. Walang maniniwala sa akin kung sasabihin ko ang katotohanan tungkol sa dahilan kung bakit ako nandito. The best thing I can do is hold on to my claims and trust myself, dahil kung hindi ko iyon gagawin, sino pa bang ibang pagkakatiwalaan ko?

Bigla akong natigilan nang matawa si Seven. "It's refreshing to know na kahit mataas ang tiwala mo sa iyong hinuha, you're actually wrong. Sorry, phony detective, but your deduction about this woman being an intruder is going down the drain."

Seven tapped my head, and I didn't know what it meant. It could be an assurance or a warning about my stupidity in coming back to this place despite his previous effort to help me escape. Kung ako rin naman ang nasa sitwasyon ni Seven, I would be mad too.

Mukhang mahirap yatang kumbinsihin si Kruger. "On what grounds are you invalidating my claims?"

Seven smirked. "One, it doesn't make sense. Two, that's ridiculous. And three, you're definitely wrong."

Halata sa mukha ni Kruger ang inis. "Questioning my methods when you cannot even tell me why I was wrong, huh?"

Can they just throw punches at each other and let me flee? The situation isn't getting any better. I'm caught early on, there's a fire, and now these two are arguing.

I mustered all my remaining courage and spoke. "Pwede ba, can you two just brawl or kill each other or whatever you want to do?" I faced Kruger. "Hindi ako intruder, espiya or anything you think. I'm a new detainee here to rethink the poor choices I made in life!"

Partly true—dahil kaya ako umiiyak ay dahil hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit pinasok ko 'tong sitwasyon na ito. A lie—because I am not a detainee, and referring to myself as one doesn't make me feel any better.

This time, I faced Seven. "At ikaw naman, stop grabbing me whenever you want. I appreciate you defending me from this Kruger guy, but being stuck in between your issues is too much!"

Parehas silang natahimik. I knew my acting was believable because I wasn't even acting in the first place. Naalala ko ang impormasyong sinabi sa akin ni Kruger kanina, kaya ginamit ko iyon just to back up my statement.

"I arrived last week, Friday, and you probably didn't see me because I was assigned to the Household!" I was glad I could recall that new detainees arrived every third week on Monday or Friday. And oh, Wolff's orientation on how this place works came in handy too. Kung titingnan si Kruger, malabong sa Household siya naka-assign, so I took that chance to suggest the least likely faction he belongs to. He's probably in mining or, who knows, Health and Wellness but never Household.

Nag-isip saglit si Kruger pero alam kong hindi siya lubusang kumbinsido. "Alright, let's say I concede to your reason for today, but I'm telling you, you cannot get past me if I find out you're lying." He stepped away at sinadyang banggain ang balikat ni Seven. "So long, Seven. Good day."

Nang makalayo na siya, saka lamang ako nakahinga nang maluwag. It was hard maintaining a brave facade, lalo na't halos mabuwal na ako sa labis na kaba.

Saka ko lamang napansin na matamang nakatitig sa akin si Seven. His eyes narrowed into tiny slits as if demanding an explanation. I knew he was probably thinking it wasn't that long since he went through all the trouble to help me escape, and tada! Here I am again.

"Save the words or whatever for later, Seven. Pagod ako, not to mention that dealing with that Kruger guy is draining!" sabi ko sa kanya bago pa man siya magsimulang sermonan ako.

But no, mukhang walang narinig si Seven. "What are you doing here? Are you seriously a new detainee or what?"

"I am," sagot ko, just to keep the conversation as brief as possible.

"Don't give me that bullshit. I worked at the main office, and I know everyone who enters and leaves this place, and you're not one of them," walang pakundangan niyang sagot.

Uh-uh. Just when I thought the problem with the inquisitive Kruger was settled, here comes Seven! Not that I can blame him, though. Wala pang dalawang buwan mula nang pinalabas niya ako rito, yet here I am now.

"Of course, I'm new here, okay?!" I tried my best not to show any signs of deception, as Kruger had pointed out earlier. "And why are you at the main office? Bawal roon ang mga detainee ha?! Only military and police officers are allowed."

I knew this because Wolff told me how things worked inside, but it seems he didn't know about Seven. How would he feel if he knew that a man who looked exactly like him had access to areas reserved for military personnel? I set aside the resemblance issue for now. Looking at Seven, there's no doubt he looks exactly like Wolff, only a lot darker.

"I handle their taxes," sagot niya. "Now tell me, did you really arrive last Friday?"

I don't exactly know what he meant when he said he does their taxes. Wala na rin akong panahon para ipaliwanag sa kanya ang sinabi. Napalunok ako ng ilang beses. Lying is futile, I know, pero ano pa ba ang magagawa ko?

"Of course, maybe I arrived when... when you were inside the solitary confinement," kinakabahang sagot ko. Seven looked back at the burning building na unti-unti nang naaapula ng mga bombero. He looked confused, puzzled, or whatever that look in his face was. Surprisingly, he accepted my words and just moved on.

He looked back at the burning building. Napansin ko ang bahagyang panginginig niya but I guess that was normal considering he came from inside the burning building, and not to mention the air right now is chilly.

Huminga siya nang malalim bago napatingin sa akin. "Alright, let's say you did."

Thank goodness.

"Pero seriously, it wasn't that long since I helped you out at ngayon?!" Napahawak siya sa buhok—an annoyed gesture, but he chose not to say more.

I looked around to see if there's anyone who could hear us at saka lamang nagsalita nang makitang walang makakarinig sa amin.

"Look, I appreciate the fact that you made me use your escape route but can you just pretend that you don't know me at all? Sana wag mo na ring kwestyunin ang pagbalik ko rito, gaya ng hindi ko pagkwestiyon sa desisyon mong manatili dito. Seven, the first time we met, you offered me your escape route, a nearly perfect route, but you didn't take yourself. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang motibo mo sa pananatili rito so please, do not question my motive in coming here too. I'm telling you, hindi nasayang ang pagtulong mo sa akin noon, halos dalawang buwan na ang nakalilipas. It's just that I'm stupid enough to be here again."

Confusion dawned in his face. "Anong sabi mo?"

"Do I have to repeat—"

He cut me off. "Dalawang buwan?" Mas lalong rumehistro ang pagtataka sa kanyang mukha. He wiped his face with his palm at ipinilig ang ulo. "I think I inhaled too much smoke at the burning building."

He was shaking at tila hindi mapalagay kaya sinubukan ko siyang hawakan ngunit agad akong napapiksi nang maramdaman ang init ng kanyang balat.

What?

"Ayos ka lang ba?" I asked calmly. "You're burning—"

Mabilis siyang tumango. "Siguro normal lang 'yan, since I had a close contact with fire." Tila mabigat ang kanyang paghinga at pilit niyang kinalma ang sarili habang pinapahiran ang kanyang pawis.

Unti-unti nang lumiliwanag ang paligid dahil sa unti-unting pagsikat ng araw. It reminded me of what I came here for. Ilang minuto na lamang ay sisikat na ang araw at itataas na ang watawat ng Sanip, and that commences the second part of Wolff's plan— at iyon ay ang mahanap si Bean at umalis roon.

The plan was easier said than done, I know. Sa mga sandaling ito ay wala akong ideya kung saan hahanapin si Bean so I took a shortcut by asking Seven.

"Alam mo ba kung nasaan si Bean?" biglang tanong ko sa kanya. I cannot waste any time so if he might become suspicious of me, so be it.

Napakunot ang kanyang noo. "Bean?"

"Beanie, awkward kid?" I tried my best to describe him but that's all I could think of. "The one who asked to escape with me."

There was recognition in Seven's face and it rose hope in me, but then he shrugged his head. "Nope, I haven't seen that kid."

Though he sounded unsure, malakas ang paniniwala ko na nasa paligid lang si Bean. I tried to look around, trying to find that strawhat ngunit wala akong makita. Maglilibot pa sana ako sa paligid nang napatingin ako kay Seven.

He looked like he was in great pain and before I could step away, he suddenly fell unconscious on the ground.

***

Helping the unconscious Seven was not part of Wolff's plan, but I thought that if I helped, I might bump into Bean dahil baka sa Health and Wellness siya naka-assign.

The sun wasn't fully up when the medics picked up Seven. Sakay ng stretcher, mabilis siyang dinala sa building kung saan pwede siyang magamot.

I silently followed them to the building. Seven was delirious at tila nagkaroon siya ng masamang panaginip. Sanip's healthcare is superb—as long as you have the right amount of money. Nakakamangha na kompleto rin sa pasilidad ang Zone Z at mukhang promising naman ang mga health workers. Well, considering that the doctors here are detainees who used to be doctors by profession back when they were free, I think it's not that surprising. Mabilis kong hinanap si Bean sa loob, but he's not around.

Narinig ko ang tila marcha ng mga tao kaya agad akong nagpunta sa field kung saan itataas ang watawat ng Sanip.

Now I do get it kung bakit kailangan ko ang kakarampot na 4.19 seconds para makihalo sa mga detainee. There were many guards around and I needed some time to keep them distracted. They had to pay respect to Sanip's flag while I had to slip into the lines, pero dahil sa nangyaring sunog kanina na nagpalabas sa ibang mga detainee, I think blending naturally is no longer a problem.

Pumainlang ang malakas na tunog, a signal of the flag being raised, habang halos mapugto ang hininga ko. I leaped towards the line. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ang linyang iyon ang pinili ko. I could have chosen a different line gaya ng household or the health one, pero malakas ang kutob ko na nasa mining si Bean.

Habang nagmamartsa kami papunta sa bus na maghahatid sa amin sa mining site, naririnig ko ang malakas na kabog ng dibdib ko. I looked around the place ngunit napakaraming tao at malabong makita ko agad si Bean sa isang lingon lamang.

I gripped the thing in my pocket. The cold vials of the new strain of virus and its antidote.

Do I really have to use this? Tama bang magsimula ng epidemic sa loob?

If I trust Wolff's word, the antidote is readily available around Sanip kaya hindi magiging malaking problema kung ikakalat ko iyon sa loob.

And he assured me it's not fatal—pero hindi ko pa rin maiwasang mangamba. Muli akong napabuntong-hininga habang umaakyat sa bus. The trip was short and silent. Lahat ng papunta roon ay tila matamlay.

I cannot blame them though. It's not like this is something they look forward to.

Huminto ang bus sa isang run-down na lugar. From a distance, what seemed like an old cave awaited. Sa labas ay nagkalat ang napakaraming sundalo, probably deployed to maintain peace around the mining site.

Sinundan ko ang pila ng mga tao na pumasok sa tila pintong naroon. My eyes widened as I realized it was a scan machine at habang ini-scan ang identity ng bawat isa, lumalabas sa malaking holographic display ang mga impormasyon tungkol sa detainee. Bigla akong inatake ng kaba. Wait, Wolff didn't tell me about it!

Tila nanlambot ang mga tuhod ko habang papalapit ako sa makinang nagrerehistro sa mga pumapasok. It's too late to run away dahil sa dami ng sundalo sa paligid.

I was barely breathing and there were around 6 people in line before me nang biglang may tumunog na warning alarm. The armies were ready to shoot whoever made an unnecessary movement.

"Walang magtatangkang gumalaw nang masama!" sigaw ng sundalo at lumapit sa operator ng makina. "Anong nangyari?"

The holographic image of the scanned detainees turned blurry before it totally shut off.

"Nagloloko na naman yata ang makina," sagot ng technician. "Kailangan na siguro natin 'tong papalitan. I'll draft the supplemental procurement plan for this, Sir."

Hindi ko alam kung blessing ba ang pagloloko ng makina o isa iyon sa mga plano ni Wolff. Either way is possible, but if Wolff planned it all along, it is scary. Iba talaga ang nagagawa ng isang Wolff Bane.

"Do it right away!" sagot ng sundalo at sinenyasan ang ibang nakabantay. "Ipagtrabaho na 'yang mga 'yan but make sure you keep an eye on everyone!"

"Sir, yes sir!" sigaw ng mga sundalo.

They kept their arms ready in case of the detainees' insubordination at dahan-dahan na pinapasok kaming mga naka-pila. Halos hindi ako huminga nang nilagpasan ko ang sundalong naka-abang sa bunganga ng kweba.

I almost screamed when the army suddenly held me.

"Sandali!" pigil niya sa akin.

Gusto ko ng umiyak nang mga sandaling iyon at halos bumigay na ang mga tuhod ko. I slowly turned my head to the army who approached me.

"Hindi ba ikaw ang nagreport kanina sa nangyari kay Seven?" tanong nito.

"Y-yes, sir."

"Kumusta na s'ya?" tanong nito.

"W-wala akong ideya, sir. Umalis ako nang nilapatan siya ng unang lunas," sagot ko. The more I tensed, the more they will sense my false identity. Kailangan kong makalabas dito, iyon ang tanging iisipin ko.

"Ganun ba? Sige." He made a gesture that said to continue walking inside. Bago ako tuluyang nakalayo ay narinig ko siyang sinabi na hindi pa natatapos ni Seven ang pinapagawa niya. I can only think that it's what Seven does kapag nasa office siya. Maybe it's like what he says that he does their taxes.

Matapos isuot ang mga safety gears at hard hat, dahan-dahan akong pumasok sa loob. I entered the dim and smelly place with no idea what to do. Nagsilbing tanglaw ang mga tila box ng ilaw sa loob. At least they didn't use the traditional torches. The inside was rocky but there were a few man-made shafts. A railway ran across the ground and there was also an elevator shaft that probably leads to the other parts of the mining facility.

My heart ache at the thought. Sanip was in advance technology and all, ngunit tila napag-iiwanan ng panahon ang Zone Z. Nang makitang napakalawak sa loob, I instantly knew coming here was a bad idea. People started doing their jobs and none of them looked like they loved what they did. I walked towards the deeper part of the cave kung saan may ilang tao.

Pinulot ko ang isang tool at nagkunwaring may ginagawa. Panay ang tingin ko sa paligid habang unti-unting gumagalaw. Looking for Bean in Zone Z is like finding a needle in a haystack. Sana lang ay walang makapansin sa ginagawa ko.

I'm not even sure what we're looking for here. Dala ko lang ang tools at sa tuwing may sundalong dadaan, ibinaba ko ang hard hat na suot at nagkukunwaring abala sa ginagawa.

Bigla akong napatigil nang nagkagulo ang mga tao sa loob. An old man suddenly screamed as he struggled to breathe. Halos manigas ako sa kinatatayuan nang makita ang matandang hawak-hawak ang dibdib.

Mabilis na pinalibutan siya ng mga tao. Nilapitan siya ng isa at tila tiningnan ang nakasulat sa bulsa ng suot niyang uniporme.

"10012!" tawag sa kanya ng lalaki. "Humingi kayo ng tulong—"

Bigla siyang hinawakan ng matanda. "Maawa ka, huwag mo akong isumbong sa mga sundalo. Maawa ka!" Muli itong napahawak sa kanyang bibig at umubo. When he stopped coughing, something was in his hand. Dahan-dahan niyang binuksan ang palad, revealing a sticky liquid in his palm.

At first, I thought it was blood but it wasn't. It was something black.

At bakit ayaw niyang humingi ng tulong sa mga sundalo? Zone Z has a healthcare facility; doon ay mapagagamot siya nang maayos.

Umiyak ang matanda. "Mamamatay ako rito sa minahan, pero maghihirap ako bago mamatay kapag inilabas n'yo ako rito. Maawa kayo."

His weeping caused us all to freeze on our tracks. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang ibig niyang sabihin, ngunit ang ibang nandun ay tila naiintindihan kung bakit ganun ang kanyang hiling.

I stepped closer but someone just walked past me at agad na dinaluhan ang matanda.

"Naiintindihan ko po kayo pero sa ngayon ay kailangan n'yo muna ng sariwang hangin," sabi nito at inalalayan ang matanda. He got something from the pocket of his Zone Z uniform. It was a handkerchief—at walang pag-aatubiling ginamit niya iyon upang punasan ang kamay ng matanda. Tiningnan niya ang bagay na nasa panyo. "It's a black-pigmented sputum. I suspect you acquired a black lung disease due to working here for a long time. I don't think I can offer you the fresh air you need pero hayaan n'yong dalhin ko kayo sa dulo ng tunnel. That way, you can at least breathe more than inside this cramped space."

Naiiyak na ngumiti ang matanda na tila ba anghel ang tumulong sa kanya. My chest suddenly felt like it was about to be ripped off from my ribcage. Agad na lumiwanag ang pag-asang makakalabas na ako rito.

The angel turned to me. "Will you help me bring this old man to the end of the tunnel?"

It was Bean.

#

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