Chapter 24: phantom Wolff

Nang umalis si Dr. Lee at ang kanyang sandamakmak na sundalo ay walang nagsalita sa amin. But we were suspicious of everything, and I knew neither of us trusted anything.

We were not brought back to the Cube, sa halip, inilabas kami sa pasilidad. It was another long walk around the white walls, while our hands were cuffed and chained. Magkasunod kami ni Bean habang naglalakad, at naramdaman kong bahagyang lumapit sa amin si Kruger at bumulong.

"Observe everything, even if it's just white walls. Baka may mapansin kayong kahit ano na makakatulong sa atin." He walked faster to the front matapos iyong sabihin sa amin. Nagkatinginan naman kami ni Bean.

"Should we trust him?" mahinang tanong ko.

Bean shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. "I don't know, but to be safe, do not trust anyone."

"Not even you?"

Bahagya siyang natahimik habang nakatingin sa akin at tumango. "Not even me."

I wish someone had told me that earlier, bago ako nagtiwala kay Wolff. All's been done, at ang magagawa ko na lamang ay iligtas ang sarili. When I get out of here, I'm coming for Wolff's throat.

"Right, I should have known better," mahinang bulong ko sa sarili, bago muling bumaling kay Bean. "Do you know Kruger before? Dr. Lee sort of knew him, so maybe he's someone big bago nakulong."

Bean looked at me with disbelief in his eyes. "You don't know the Krugers?"

I shook my head, ashamed of myself. Hindi ko obligasyong kilalanin si Kruger, it's none of my business, I know. But learning they were one of the biggest political families of Sanip, I should have at least heard of the name. Now I know what Kruger meant when he called me meek and silent. My passiveness and silence on things have now taken their toll on me. I should have educated myself on politics and things that influence my future.

"The Krugers are the head of the military of Sanip. Mula sa pagdisenyo ng Zone Z hanggang sa paraan ng pagpapanatili ng kaayusan sa bansa, the Krugers take credit for that."

I can't wrap my head around the fact that the Krugers are the head of the military, and yet there's a Kruger here in Zone Z.

"Anong nangyari?"

"His family disowned him," Bean said.

My mouth gaped open. "W-why?"

"He led a mutiny coup against his own family and the Glass. He exposed corruption in the military and the Glass' abuse of power. But apparently, it was a guise to mask his true intention of taking over the military. Kinuha niya ang simpatiya ng madla by disguising his mutiny as pro-people when it was actually all about his personal interest. Long story short, he failed to rally support from the public, got arrested, and convicted. At least that's what the news says," wika ni Bean.

But the news was regulated by the Glass. Everything was about the Glass. What if totoo ang pinaglalaban ni Kruger, but then it was turned against him?

"And his family allowed that to happen?" tanong ko.

"Hope, blood is no longer thicker than water. People nowadays are more focused on themselves, even at the expense of family,"Bean replied with a sigh.

Right. My mother hated me so much, so I can understand what Bean is saying. Hindi ko kailanman maintindihan kung bakit may mga taong sarili lamang ang iniisip. The human mind is so complicated.

Hindi na ako nakapagsalita dahil binuksan ng mga gwardiya ang malaking pinto at halos malaglag ang panga ko sa nakita. It was called Prism for a reason. It was a massive place, with transparent panels that cast light throughout the area. Napatingala ako sa mga solar simulators na nasa taas; they were what lit the place. The beams of light from the solar simulators made prism-shaped shadows and rainbows, filling the place with a distorted glow.

Nakahilera ang mga puno sa paligid ng lugar. There were also fruits and vegetables around, like the place was a paradise, but something about this just made my stomach turn.

Ang mga naglalakihang puno, ang mga nagtatabaang halaman, and the shiny fruits and vegetables just scared me. When I took a closer look, the leaves, as beautiful as they seemed from afar, were actually filled with microsolar panels to absorb the simulated sunlight.

The fruits and vegetables were engineered to perfection!

"Surprised?" Kruger popped up beside me. "I told you already, welcome to modernity."

"I... I already expected this, pero nagulat pa rin ako..." sagot ko.

"This is what happens when people of the past were too greedy and converted agricultural lands into commercial ones," dagdag ni Kruger. "This is what it means when the world is too scarce to sustain life."

"Can you picture the past when people actually planted fruits and vegetables? The land wasn't so barren back then, and the world wasn't a wasteland," Bean said, massaging his wrist na katatanggal lang ng posas.

The Prism doors closed after the guards left. Ngayon ay kami na lang tatlo ang naiwan sa loob. Kruger immediately checked the place, as if looking for something, samantalang hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin ako makahuma sa teknolohiya sa harap ko.

"What are you looking for?" tanong ni Bean kay Kruger.

The latter didn't answer at nagpatuloy sa ginagawa. It took him some time before he returned to give Bean a sort of answer.

"Everything's clear. We can plan here without fear of being watched," wika niya.

My forehead creased. "A place this high-tech is free from surveillance?"

"Tama si Hope," pagsang-ayon ni Bean. "I don't think we're stationed here because of the lockdown. Tiyak kong may rason."

"I know," Kruger said. "Pero mas mabuting dito nila tayo nilagay, more than anywhere in Zone Z. This is the only place where there's no surveillance."

Nagkatinginan kami ni Bean, not convinced by what he said.

"Look, I know it's hard to believe at alam kong pakiramdam ninyo ay nakikita pa rin nila ang bawat galaw natin. Zone Z is a huge prison, but the Prism inside Zone Z is a trap. Everything here is artificial. The plants, the sun, even the entire ecosystem. What I'm pointing out is, hindi nila kailangan ng kahit anong surveillance device sa dito loob, because this whole place adapts to its inhabitants," paliwanag ni Kruger.

He noticed that neither of us understood what he was getting at, kaya napakamot siya sa batok.

"Ibig sabihin, this place doesn't need surveillance because this place itself is a trap sa pamamagitan ng pag-aadjust ayon sa comfort ng mga nandito, until we feel like this place is what we need, an ultimate utopia! And no surveillance means maaari tayong mag-usap tungkol sa plano nating pagtakas. We can also discuss how to get rid of this shitty system, or at least what's going on outside this place that they're concealing as a lockdown."

Napabuntong-hininga ako, knowing damn well I would feel guilty kung totoong nag-lockdown nga dahil sa epidemyang kinalat ko. But I need to be vigilant and not too trusting. Who knows if Kruger is just playing nice for his own interest.

We explored the Prism at pinamilyar muna ang lugar. I figured out I was the only stupid person here dahil kailangan pa nilang ipaliwanag sa akin ang teknolohiyang nasa harap ko.

They also taught me how to interpret the data, gaya ng soil moisture, and how the produce was genetically modified for larger and faster harvests. We also have pods inside the place. The pods were like our rooms habang nandito kami. It wasn't much, except for a mirror and a bed, pero hindi kagaya ng sa Cube. Still, hindi ko pa rin mapagkakatiwalaan ang lahat ng bagay na nakikita ko.

Napahawak ako sa sentido kung saan nakadikit ang mga electrode sa panaginip ko. Parang totoo ang panaginip na iyon, but at the same time, it didn't feel real.

"Ayos ka lang?" Kruger popped out of nowhere.

Bahagya akong nagulat at sinamaan siya ng tingin bago tumango.

He slightly giggled. "You hate me? Alam kong hindi maganda ang una nating pagkikita, but that reminds me na tama ang deduction ko sa'yo. And how did you even know Seven to make him vouch for you like that?"

Right, nakalimutan ko na ang tungkol kay Seven. Wherever he is right now, sana ay ayos lamang siya. Kailangan ko pang alamin kung sino talaga siya. Although they look exactly alike, magkaiba sila ni Wolff.

Seven helped me escape this place, while Wolff made me come back here to rot.

"I knew Seven dahil siya ang una kong nakilala rito sa Zone Z," sabi ko. "Ikaw, how do you know Seven?"

Kruger crossed his arms with a frown. "Well, Seven and I... We're like two minds in opposition. Aaminin kong matalinong tao si Seven, but our intellect differs in the moral ends. We once played twelve-layer mind chess at natalo niya ako."

Okay, first of all, mind chess is ugh. Maybe it's a stupid game, or I'm too stupid to understand it.

"He's too smart, to the point that I think he's a threat and a menace to the society," dagdag pa niya.

"Is there a chance you knew Wolff Glass?" hindi ko mapigilang tanong.

Napakunot ang noo ni Kruger at napatingin siya sa akin. Kahit si Bean na nasa hindi kalayuan ay napatingin din.

"Uhm, just c-curious..." Nauutal na sagot ko. "D-dati kasi akong nagtatrabaho sa Bane Lab."

Kruger laughed, shaking his head. "Ah, Phantom Wolff Glass. Is he even real?"

Right?

These two are from top families, pero hindi rin nila kilala si Wolff? Halos mababaliw na ako sa kaiisip. What if he's really not real and he's just in my head?

Bumaling ako kay Bean. "Ikaw, do you know him?"

Bean shook his head. "I haven't met him, and everything I know about him doesn't make sense. If he's really that smart, why isn't the Glass family flaunting him like a prized possession?"

Nag-thumbs up sa kanya si Kruger. "Excellent point, Beanie! I can think of various reasons why. Una, Wolff Glass is actually an experiment gone wrong. I mean, a kid so smart that he built his own lab and businesses at a young age? Sounds like a hoax to me, unless may mga procedures silang ginawa, but then showing him to the world would be a shame. Two, his unpredictability would put the Glass name in a tight spot. What if Wolff Glass, due to his unpredictable nature, ends up bringing chaos to the family? Remember what happened to that one Glass back then? Just because he loved a man, the family stripped him of everything and disowned him. Three, hindi katulad ng ibang Glass, Wolff Glass has rejected their pursuit of power and influence. He sees their legacy as built on manipulation and control, and he's rebelled by living in exile. Wala siyang interes sa dinastiya ng kanyang pamilya and instead works in secret on projects that challenge the established order. And lastly, he does not exist at all."

Well, number three was what Wolff Glass made me believe he was, but look what happened? Hindi ko na alam kung kailan ako sisikatan ng araw-literally and figuratively.

Bumaling ako kay Bean. "Sa tingin mo totoo si Wolff Glass?"

Bean looked at us like he was hesitating. Huminga siya nang malalim bago sumagot. "I... I haven't met Wolff Bane... but..."

"But what?" Naiinip na tanong ni Kruger.

Bean looked down with a sigh. "He was the reason why I'm here."

Tila paulit-ulit na nag-echo sa tainga ko ang sinabi ni Bean. If Wolff is the reason why he's here, why did Wolff make me believe I would be saving Bean?

My head hurts from all this thinking. Hindi ko na alam kung ano ang iisipin. Whatever it is that Wolff wanted to play, it is a very dangerous game.

"What did he do?" agad kong tanong.

He shook his head at akmang iiwas, ngunit mahigpit na hinawakan ko ang braso niya.

"What did he do, Bean?!"

Nagulat silang dalawa sa pagbugso ng galit ko. My heart was beating so fast with anger and confusion. I have to at least know some details, connect the dots, and think of rational reasons why I'm in this mess.

Bakit ako? Wolff could pick so many people to do the job, why did he choose me? This time, I have to be more careful than just content with his answer that picking me somehow gives me light.

"I made a prototype device that decodes thoughts... into audible and readable language," mahinang sagot niya.

There was a long pause of silence. Hindi ko alam kung magugulat ba ako, mabibilib, o kung ano ang dapat kong isipin. That was amazing, but at the same time, it doesn't feel right.

Si Kruger ang bumasag sa katahimikan. "Dude, that is so fucked up. Cool, but what the fuck?"

Bean nodded slowly. "I know. It was the reason that the Glass thinks I am a threat to Sanip."

Pinoproseso ko pa sa utak ang implikasyon ng imbensiyon niya. That device, when completed, could be something that dismantles privacy.

But if Bean, a Marave, created such a prototype, how did Wolff, a Glass, know? Kunot-noong napatingin ako kay Bean. "Paano nalaman ni Wolff ang tungkol doon?"

He shrugged, sighing heavily. "Hindi ko alam."

Kruger sat on the nearest bench. "That means they have a way to find out, so privacy is not the issue. The Glass family already has control over Sanip, so your prototype would disrupt the order and power that they established. Itinapon ka rito sa Zone Z, so their political control on everything will stay intact."

I was scared of the reality. Napaisip ako sa buhay ko, and looking at these people with me, I realized my grandmother coddled me so much. This is what the world is.

Evil deeds are discovering things that threaten the world, hindi ang pagtanggal ko ng label sa mga canned goods.

Evil deeds are suppressing one's potential, hindi ang hindi ko pagharap sa mga bisita ni Lola to show my rebellion.

I have so much to learn from this world, but with all the knowledge and experience I have, will I survive?

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