Chapter 27: defiance

"Yikes, dude! Ganoon na lang ba ang pagnanais mong pasukin ang pod ni Hope?" nakangiwing tanong ni Kruger habang sinisipat ang basag na bahagi ng pod na inuokupa ko. "You pig, ganoon ka ba katigang?"

Seven made no remarks, ngunit seryosong-seryoso ang kanyang mukha. He looked at me as if silently asking so many questions, ngunit nanatiling tahimik ang tinginan naming dalawa.

I don't know what happened. I just woke up with a shattered pod and a passed-out Seven beside me. Basag rin ang ilang mga gamit sa loob ng pod ko—just like what happened in my dream. Ang pinagkaiba nga lamang ay walang makina, walang mga tube na nakakonekta sa katawan ko, and no floating words right before me.

But how did Seven get a busted hand?

"This should do it," mahinang sabi ni Bean matapos gamutin ang mga sugat ni Seven. "Just make sure na hindi maiimpeksyon ang sugat mo. They're pretty deep, pero masama ba ako kung hilingin kong sana magkaimpeksyon ka nga at mamatay dahil sa pagtatangka mo kay Hope?"

Agad akong napatingin kay Bean. Pagtatangka sa akin? "What do you mean?"

Si Kruger ang sumagot sa tanong ko. "This dude tried to sneak inside your pod, marahil ay may masamang balak sa'yo. Seriously, I know you're tired and all, pero mantika ka ba talaga matulog? You didn't even notice?" Bumaling naman siya kay Seven na hanggang ngayon ay seryoso ang mukha at magkatagpo ang mga kilay. "At ikaw naman, I know you're lonely and whatever, but can't you just ask Hope if she's okay with it? Consent matters—"

Hindi makapaniwalang napatingin ako kay Seven. "You... what?" My mind was empty— na tila ba hindi ko alam kung ano ang mga nangyari.

Lumapit sa akin si Seven, ngunit may kung anong sinasabi ang paraan ng kanyang mga tingin.

"Sorry." Bumaling siya kay Bean at Kruger. "I wanted to apologize. Can you two leave us alone?"

Napasimangot si Kruger. "Seriously? After what you did, sa tingin mo hahayaan ka naming makausap o makalapit kay Hope?"

Bean was looking at me as if silently asking kung hahayaan namin si Seven. I'm so confused right now, and I don't know what exactly is happening.

Kruger tried to grab Seven away from me, ngunit tinapik siya ni Bean sa balikat bago bumaling sa akin. "Are you sure you'll be okay with him, Hope?"

Kahit naguguluhan, tumango ako. "Y-yes, I'll be fine."

Mahinang siniko ni Bean si Kruger at lumayo. Kahit may pag-aalangan, iniwan nila kami, but they maintained a distance where they could still see us.

"Anong nangyayari?" nagtatakang tanong ko.

Seven ran his eyes around the place where we stood bago hininaan ang boses. "Hindi mo ba naaalala ang mga nangyari?"

I tried to recall everything. If it's about my weird dream... then... Wala. Wala na akong maalala.

"It... it was real?" bulalas ko.

He made a gesture to keep my voice low. Itinaas niya ang nakabendang kamay at ipinakita iyon sa akin. "You think you're dreaming?"

Hindi ko rin alam kung ano ang iisipin. It was all so confusing. Mahinang tumango ako sa kanya bilang sagot.

"It was never a dream. Totoo iyon, but they're making you think it wasn't real."

Mas lalo lamang akong naguluhan sa mga sinabi niya. It was never a dream? But then, how do I stay in the same place when I woke up from it? Napakaraming katanungan sa isip ko tungkol sa totoong nangyari, pero hindi ko alam kung magtitiwala ako kay Seven.

"H-hindi ko maintindihan..."

"Alam kong mahirap paniwalaan, pero totoo ang lahat. You were subjected to tests, to figure out why you keep resisting command," paliwanag ni Seven. "Kung sino man ang nasa likod nito, hindi ko alam. Habang hindi pa natin alam, keep resisting."

Napahawak ako sa ulo dahil sa labis ng pagkagulo. "I don't know... what to think."

Iginala ni Seven ang paningin sa paligid bago bahagyang inangat ang nakabendang kamay. "This place... this is worse than Zone Z. No cameras, no surveillance, no anything—but as good as that sounds, the worst part is this, this is a trap."

Hindi ko alam kung mamamangha ba ako o matatakot. That was exactly what Kruger said about this place.

"The glass panels and all, mahalaga iyon to keep your mind in check. Kaya namamanipula ng kung sinuman ang isipan mo na isipin mong panaginip lamang ang nangyari, when in fact, you undergo a series of neural tests in their attempt to access your memory and gain control over it," dagdag ni Seven. "This place, we're not really growing plants here—they are controlling minds."

Every word he said brings shivers to my spine, ngunit mas lalo lamang iyong nagpapagulo sa kung sino ba talaga si Seven.

Is he really Wolff, or is he just as smart as he is? Ano ang koneksyon nila? And how did Seven know all of these? I'm gonna lose my mind just thinking about all of these!

Itinaas ko ang kamay at sinubukang himay-himayin ang mga sinabi niya. "C-controlling m-minds?"

Mariin siyang tumango. "Those dreams? Those are not your dreams."

Ipinahid ko ang mga palad sa mukha, in an attempt to clear my mind. "A-at paano mo nalaman ang lahat ng iyan?"

Bumagsak ang ekspresyon ng kanyang mukha. He looked away, as if wala siyang balak na sagutin ang tanong ko.

"Who are you, Seven?"

Huminga siya nang malalim at napailing. "H-hindi ko rin alam."

Hindi ko maintindihan ang sagot niyang iyon. He looked so lost and helpless, pero pinaalala ko sa sarili ko na huwag magpadala sa anuman.

He raised his head and looked at me with eyes full of determination. "But when I get to know who I am..." He let out a heavy sigh. "Ikaw ang unang sasabihan ko."

I know I shouldn't trust him, but what he just revealed makes sense to me. Lahat ng nangyari sa panaginip ko, it was real. And I am a victim. Kung sino man ang nasa likod nito, that person is accessing all that's left in me here in Zone Z. At hindi ako papayag na gawin nila iyon.

"Anong gagawin natin?" Hindi ko mapigilang tanong. I silently hope he doesn't get the idea that I was teaming with him, because I am not. Hindi ako aasa kahit kanino; I already learned my lesson.

Bumaling si Seven sa halaman na nasa gilid na may maliliit at itim na bunga. "I'll figure it out by picking fruits."

I raised a brow, unsure if I heard him right. "Fruits?"

Nilingon niya sina Kruger at Bean na halatang panay masid sa amin. "Talk to them. Tell them we already patched things up."

Akmang aalis siya, ngunit agad ko siyang pinigilan. "Anong ibig mong sabihin? At saan ka pupunta?"

"The less you know, the better."

"That's bull, Seven."

Ngumiti si Seven na parang napakadali lamang ng bagay na sinasabi niya. "You should not trust anyone, but just this once, trust me on this."

My trusting nature would probably be my cause of death. Kahit binalaan na ako, I still trusted Seven—but maybe it wasn't him that I trusted. Maybe I trust my instinct and curiosity to unravel everything. Bumalik ako sa trabaho at agad na nilapitan sina Bean at Kruger.

"May ginawa ba si Seven? Were you threatened?" Agad na tanong ni Kruger.

I shook my head at itinuon na lamang ang atensiyon sa halamang inaanalisa ko. "We're good. No harm done."

"Are you sure, Hope?" paninigurado ni Bean. He was worried about me, but he was calm, unlike Kruger, who looked like he's ready to fight Seven anytime.

Binigyan ko sila ng malawak na ngiti. "Positive."

Our day ended like nothing happened, pero alam kong parehas na binabantayan nina Bean at Kruger si Seven matapos ang nangyari. Hindi ko maiwasang magtaka kung bakit wala man lamang sundalo ang pumunta sa amin at inimbestigahan ang paninira ni Seven sa pod. No one reprimanded us about it, kaya mas lalo lamang akong naghinala.

Hanggang sa natapos ang araw, walang sundalo. I wasn't overthinking it dahil maging si Kruger ay napansin iyon.

"It's oddly quiet today," komento niya. "Walang sundalo, except when they brought us food, ngunit nakapagtatakang wala man lamang pumuna sa paninira mo sa pod, Seven."

Agad kaming napatingin kay Seven na komportableng naupo habang sinisipat ang nakabendang kamay. "You're the detective, try to figure it out."

Madali lamang iprovoke si Kruger kaya matapos iyong sabihin ni Seven, agad siyang tumayo at naglakad-lakad sa paligid.

"Well, sa totoo lamang ay napakarami ko nang napansin—but it doesn't make sense," Kruger said with a sigh.

I raised my brows. "Anong ibig mong sabihin, Kruger?"

Seven crossed his arms. "Spill it."

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa ni Bean. Kruger and Seven probably noticed something, pero wala kaming ideya roon.

Saglit na namayani ang katahimikan bago muling nagsalita si Kruger.

"Siguro ay masyado ko lamang kinukimplika ang iniisip ko, but there were so many red flags. Una, this place doesn't need surveillance, ngunit nakapagtatakang napakaraming sundalo rito noong mga nakaraan. What's even more suspicious is when there is damage to property, ay saka nawala lahat ng sundalo."

He made sure na tapunan ng tingin si Seven nang sinabi niya ang tungkol sa damaged property, ngunit tumango lamang sa kanya ang huli.

Bean tried to make sense of what he said. "Well, base sa sinabi nila nang nilipat ako rito, we were high-profile criminals. We're supposedly dangerous."

Iyon nga ang sinabi ni Doctor Lee, but now thinking about it, it's a lame reason.

"Hindi lamang iyon," pagpapatuloy ni Kruger. "This place is perfect and managed by artificial intelligence. Having us here would only disrupt the system, kaya malamang hindi tayo nandito para mag-alaga ng puno at halaman."

My mouth gaped open at napalingon ako sa direksyon ni Seven. It was the same observation he told me.

"...T-they said it will be temporary," nauutal na sagot ko. "Babalik rin tayo sa quarters kapag natapos na ang lockdown."

"And that's another red flag," natatawang sabi ni Kruger. "That reasoning is very stupid. They let Bean, the virus's Patient Zero, join us here sa halip na i-isolate siya, but then issue lockdown in our Quarters. What nonsense."

Bean looked down. "Sorry, it all started because of me."

Inabot ko ang kanyang palad at mahinang pinisil iyon. "I'm sorry, Bean. Wala kang kasalanan. It's all my fault."

Ako ang nagsabi sa kanya ng plano ni Wolff. I'm supposed to be Patient Zero, but he took the blame for me.

Kruger crossed his arms at hinarap kami. "Walang mababago kahit na parehas niyong akuin ang lahat ng nangyari. So are you two ready to tell me what you did back then? Alam kong hindi aksidente ang nangyari; it was a careless laid-out plan."

Ayaw kong mas sisihin pa ni Bean ang sarili, and what's the worst that could happen if I confess? Isa pa, this could be my opportunity to confront Kruger about the antidote na malamang ay kinuha niya.

I stepped forward and let out a sigh bago inamin ang katotohanan. "It's my fault. S-spreading the virus was my idea—"

"Hope—" Sinubukan akong pigilan ni Bean, ngunit handa akong harapin ang parusa na kaakibat ng ginawa ko. When will I take responsibility for it? Hindi iyon fair kay Bean.

"It's okay, Bean. I need to get it off my chest," wika ko at matapang na hinarap sina Seven at Kruger. "I had a vial of virus with me. It was supposed to be my ticket out of here, pero hindi umayon sa akin ang pagkakataon." Mas lumapit ako kay Kruger. "At kung hindi mo kinuha ang cure—"

"What cure?" Kruger asked, blinking his eyes.

"Huwag ka nang magmaang-maangan pa, Kruger. Alam mo ang ginawa mo!"

Rumehistro ang pagtataka sa mukha niya, like he didn't really know about it. He was a good actor because his expression almost got me.

"Hope, I told you wala akong kinuha!"

Nagsukatan kami ng tingin—whether he's lying or not, who knows? He slapped his forehead at tila naliwanagan sa mga bagay. "So there was an cure? And it's missing and you think... Ako ang kumuha?"

I crossed my arms. All this talk is hurting my head. "Sino pa ba?"

Tila lumiwanag ang ekspresyon ng mukha ni Kruger. His lips twisted into a smile as if he just figured something out. Bumaling siya kay Seven na gaya niya ay nakangiti rin. It's as if the two of them figured out something important samantalang naguguluhan naman kami ni Bean sa mga nangyayari.

Seven cleared his throat and stood up. "May alam akong paraan para malaman kung sino ba talaga ang may pakana ng lahat. Despite this place being free from surveillance, it's undeniable na may paraan sila na tingnan ang bawat galaw at marinig ang bawat pag-uusap natin."

Iginala niya ang paningin sa paligid, and I did the same. The glass panels were really suspicious, but then everything inside that was controlled by artificial intelligence cannot be trusted as well.

"Naririnig nila tayo?" tanong ni Bean. "Paano?"

May kinuha si Seven sa kanyang bulsa bago sumagot. "There's one way to find out." Inilabas niya ang bagay mula sa bulsa at inilapag iyon sa harap namin. Four round black berries settled on the table in front of us.

Napanganga ako at bumaling kay Seven. Hindi ko kabisado ang lahat ng prutas, but when something is forbidden, the more curious we became about it.

"That berries..."

"Belladonna," wika ni Kruger.

"The deadly Belladonna," Seven said. "This is our defiance."

I turned to Seven with disbelief. He's not suggesting what I'm thinking, right?

"...Huwag mong sabihin..." I can't wrap my head around the thought. The Belladonna is the deadliest berry here!

Sumilay ang ngisi sa labi ni Kruger at kinuha ang Belladona. He examined it closely with a smirk. "Our defiance, huh? Clever, Seven. Very clever."

I took a step back. "Nababaliw na kayong dalawa!"

"Belladona may be deadly—but thanks to Science, it can exist here. With us." Kruger toyed with the berry in his hand. "With the right amount of variables that it needed gaya ng soil nutrients, water supply, temperature level, at iba pa, then it's not as deadly as it is. It will only cause our body to be paralyzed for 12 hours."

Gaya ko, hindi makapaniwala si Bean sa sinasabi ng dalawa. "But what defiance is there?"

"Three of these berries met the required conditions it needed to only cause paralysis and not death," sagot ni Seven. "But one may be the deadliest Belladonna ever. I messed up with its system by tampering with the amount of soil phosphorus. With its growth lacking such, kusang ia-activate ng Belladonna ang kanyang neurotoxins. And these neurotoxins can induce hallucinations at extreme levels."

Hindi ko alam kung mamamangha o matatakot ba ako kay Seven. He's so smart that I'm scared to the bones.

"You're sick," bulalas ni Bean. "If you knew that much, then alam mo rin kung gaano kadelikado ang epekto ng Belladonna!"

"Of course. Hindi lamang iyon, with imbalance in temperature, lighting, and depletion of oxygen, the Belladonna also triggers its toxic properties that can cause extreme paralysis and eventually death," dagdag ni Seven na nagpatahimik sa aming lahat.

Kruger crossed his arms, his face full of curiosity. "Get straight to the point, Seven. What exactly are you trying to say?"

Seven smirked. "Let's show our defiance by playing a game. Tayong apat, let's pick a belladonna—one of which is the deadly one."

"Ano?!" Halos magkapanabay naming bulalas.

"We will all experience paralysis for 12 hours, but after that, tatlo na lamang ang buhay."

Bean grabbed me at inilayo ako sa kanila. "You're seriously sick. Hope, let's go—"

I pulled away from Bean at bumaling kay Seven. "And what does this defiance mean?"

"Hope!" Bean tried to talk me out of it. Siguro nga ay nababaliw na ako, dapat ay makinig ako kay Bean at lumayo kina Seven. Kahit saang anggulo tingnan, his plan is crazy!

"You three were kept here, ibig sabihin lahat kayo o isa sa inyo ay importante sa kung anuman ang binabalak nila. And death of either of you would mean a failure to their plan. We just need a sacrificial lamb."

Now it's starting to get clear. If one of us eats the belladonna and dies, it means that their plan is a failure. However, if it will be Seven who will take it, it will be beneficial to them.

The plan is so flawed, but tama si Seven.

This will be our defiance.

Humakbang ako palapit at kumuha ng isang belladonna.

"Let's do it."

#

A/N:

The plants and botanical elements mentioned in this book are fictional and have been exaggerated for storytelling purposes (i.e. the Lily of Hope, Belladonna, and more). While some names and descriptions may be inspired by real plants, they do not represent actual species or their properties.

I'm so excited papunta na tayo sa exciting part 🤯

Thankyou labyuuu.

ShinichiLaaaabs