Chapter 31: failed test

It was hard to look at Sage without wanting to smack him for being a big, fat liar. Hindi ko na alam kung alin ang totoo. Sage—whom I thought was too pure for this world—is actually lying.

Bawat salitang lumalabas sa bibig niya ay hindi ko mapapaniwalaan. How much of it was true? How much of it was a lie? What is he trying to achieve?

Sa umpisa ay imposible ang naisip ko na si Seven at si Wolff ay iisa, but then nothing in this world tells a fact more than evidence. Sage showed me a fake hologram of Wolff, para mapaniwala ako. He brushed off the fact that Seven and Wolff looked the same, even when I was almost losing my head thinking about it the first time. Kahit pa sabihing hindi malabo ang cloning, surgery, at kung ano pang mga proseso. Yes, that's true, but everything doesn't add up.

I have to give credit to Kruger, who made me aware of the little details. Wolff didn't trust me; he trusted himself, believing that choosing me would get the job done.

But I have to keep my guard up. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang kahihinatnan ko, so as much as possible, I have to pretend I trust Sage dahil nangako siyang ilalabas ako rito.

"D-Dani?"

Nag-angat ako ng tingin kay Sage na kababalik lang galing sa pakikipag-usap kay Dr. Lee.

Isa pa si Dr. Lee. Wolff told me that he doesn't trust him because he has sworn loyalty to the Glass family. See? Kahit sariling pamilya niya ay hindi niya pinagkakatiwalaan—so that fake Wolff telling me I'm wrong for trusting him only reveals their deceptiveness.

Tiningnan ko siya bilang sagot. I have to make sure my face does not show anything suspicious. I have to beat them in lying and deception as well.

And speaking of Kruger, wala akong ideya kung nasaan na siya. I hope he's safe from the incapacitation gas inside Prism. Sana lang din ay hindi niya sapitin ang sasapitin ni Seven.

"Are you r-ready for the tests?" Sage asked. "I'm sorry. I know y-you're hesitant, but it's their protocol."

Is that really it?

I forced a smile and nodded. "You will be there the whole time?"

He fixed his glasses before giving me a nod. "I promised."

The naive me would have believed that and held on to that promise. Sumunod ako sa kanya palapit sa mga doktor na naghihintay. They guided me towards a solitary room made of glass walls. I was the only one inside, pero mula sa loob ay dinig ko ang bawat tipa nila sa keyboard. They made me lie down in what looked like an MRI Scanner, but I knew it did something more than that. The whirring sound it made, made me want to run away, ngunit pinaalala ko sa sarili ko na kahit anong takbo ko ay wala akong kawala sa lugar na ito.

I endured the whirring noise close to my head hanggang sa natapos ang ilang minuto. I heard a voice saying the first test was done, so I could step out of the room. Pagkalabas ko ay naroon nga si Sage, his face not showing anything out of the ordinary.

The next test, I was instructed to sit with my arm strapped to a chair. The doctor attending to me wore a mask that covered half his face, kaya hindi ko makita ang reaksyon ng kanyang mukha. Naglabas siya ng syringe, sinipat ang tulis niyon, at kumuha ng asul na likido mula sa vial. He emptied the vial and shook the syringe after checking the amount of the blue liquid.

My chest tightened, natatakot ako kung ano ang likidong iyon. Pilit kong kinalma ang sarili at ilang beses na napabuga ng hangin. The doctor positioned himself to inject the liquid into my arm, so I tried to talk him out of it.

"Excuse me, para saan ang gamot na 'yan?" tanong ko.

Tila walang narinig ang doktor. Instead, I watched him shake the excess liquid and toss the vial into the biohazard bin beside him.

"Can you at least tell me kung ano iyan?" I was starting to get hysterical, ngunit mabilis na lumapit si Sage at kinausap ako.

"It's s-safe, D-dani," he assured me. "It's a product of Bane Lab. It's a d-drug that will calm you d-down and help us identify anything foreign inside your b-body gaya ng microplastics, chip, or nanomaterials used f-for augmentation."

Hindi ko alam kung maniniwala ba ako, but let's just say I believe that. "Is it really safe?"

He nodded, just as the doctor injected the liquid. "It's j-just very painful, but p-please endure it."

Painful was an understatement because it felt like fire was burning inside my veins. I shivered, and my reflex was to pull my arm, but my efforts were futile. I groaned as the pain intensified. Maliban sa tila sinusunog ang loob ng balat ko, my skin felt like it was being ripped off my body.

I wailed in pain ngunit tila walang boses na lumalabas sa lalamunan ko. The pain slowly made its way to my neck, making me feel like I was being choked. I struggled to breathe, but then my whole body paralyzed when the pain reached my head.

My vision turned black, ngunit bukas ang isipan ko. I couldn't see a thing, but it seemed like my hearing was heightened.

I felt someone speak, but their voices came out as muffled whispers. One voice was familiar—it was Sage, so I figured I was hearing his muffled conversation with the attending doctor.

But then, I heard a voice from the dark, like it was calling my name.

Dani?

Dani?

Who was it?

The voice was familiar, yet so unfamiliar at the same time.

Dani, anak?

That's it. It was familiar because it was my mom's voice, but at the same time, unfamiliar because my mom never really called me. She's barely home, she doesn't even look at me. She hates me... So why is she calling me right now?

Dani?

Hindi ko napigilang sumagot, ngunit hindi ko magawang ibuka ang bibig.

Mama? It came out as a thought.

Like the times I called her, hindi siya nagpakita. Noong bata pa ako, I used to call out "Mama" whenever I cried like all the other kids. But unlike the other kids, my mother never magically popped out of nowhere to shush me from crying.

No mother came to tell me bedtime stories and chase away the monsters under the bed.

The voice once again called me.

Dani?

Dani.

"Mama?"

There was a sleek shadow. I tried finding the person who owned it, ngunit puro kadiliman ang nakikita ko. I tried moving my feet, ngunit bawat hakbang ay tila mas dumidilim ang paligid.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder. Napabalikwas ako at binuksan ang mga mata. The first thing I saw was Sage's worried face.

"Dani, are y-you okay?" Tanong niya. Hindi na siya naghintay pa na magsabi ang doktor. He immediately removed the strap restraining my shoulder and helped me stand.

I shook my head and glanced at my heavy, aching arm. "I heard something...weird."

Napatingin ako sa makina sa harap ko. It was making lines calmly, ngunit napansin ko ang magulong mga linya, like a chaotic doodling. Naapansin niya ang tingin ko roon kaya agad siyang nagpaliwanag.

"T-that's to monitor your emotions, blood pressure, and others while the drug was scanning inside your b-body. By the looks of it, your emotions were..." Muli niyang tiningnan ang imahe. "Extreme. W-what happened?"

If that's them trying to get answers from me for their benefit, I need to watch out. Natatakot ako sa maaring mangyari, but what choice do I have?

Napahawak ako sa namamanhid na balikat. "I... I heard..." My mom. "I heard Wolff calling me."

It wasn't that obvious, pero napansin kong agad na napatingin ang mga doktor sa gawi ng glass tube ni Seven. One of them walked towards the monitor, as if observing something, ngunit hindi ko pinahalataang pasimpleng pinapanood ko rin sila.

Sage pulled a chair and sat in front of me. "W-wolff?"

I nodded, acting scared. "I'm so angry right now. Siya ang dahilan kung bakit ako nandito, why is he not taking responsibility?"

"Calm down, Dani. What did he say to you... ?" tanong pa niya.

I shook my head, taking note of what Kruger told me about the little details. The fidgeting, the mumbling—it would have given me away had I not been careful. "H-he... He's grinning at me... like... like he's mocking me."

I held my palms up to my face and tried sobbing. Hindi mahirap ang umiyak, because of everything I've been through, I can go on crying for hours. Pero kailangan kong mag-isip nang mabuti. I can't let them make me a guinea pig or something sa kung anuman ang binabalak nila.

"S-sorry," mahinang bulong ni Sage.

"I want to go home," usal ko, almost pleading.

"I know." Hinawakan niya ang kamay ko at pinisil iyon. I rejected the urge to pull away and hit him; it would surely get me nowhere. "C-can you endure a l-little more? Kailangan nating makatiyak na okay ka lang."

That just translates to "you need to undergo more tests—until we figure out what we want."

I feel so helpless. Anong kailangan nila sa akin? Bakit ako? Napakaraming tanong sa isipan ko, but the answers are not easy to get.

"Tell me everything about this place, Sage, dahil mababaliw na ako," I sniffled. Don't overdo it; they won't buy it. Paulit-ulit kong pinaalala iyon sa sarili.

"I'm s-sorry, D-dani. Alam kong hindi mo makasundo si Wolff, but please, trust him on this."

Pilit kong inaarok kung paano niya nakukuhang magsinungaling. He spoke of him highly as if he's not inside the tube being observed like a specimen.

"H-he told me to get you out of here, but Zone Z has protocols that w-we must follow," paliwanag niya sa akin. "M-may isa pang test bago ka tuluyang makakalis dito."

He was dodging what I was trying to discuss. Good strategy, pero I need to know more about Zone Z!

"I thought Zone Z is a prison?"

Napayuko siya at tumango. "It is."

"Then ano ang lugar na 'to?"

Tiningnan niya ako nang matagal, and I wish I know what he was thinking right now. Ways to deceive me? More lies? Or did he see me through?

"D-dani..."

Hindi ko mapigilan ang bugso ng damdamin. I clenched my hand into a fist, slamming it on the table with a loud thud. Muling napalingon ang mga naroon sa direksyon namin. With Sage's awkward nature, it seemed like I was bullying him. Sa isip ko, napatanong ako kung alin sa mga pinapakita niya ang totoo. Is he really an awkward, fidgety guy, or is that the role he chose to play?

Bumaba ang tingin niya at tila natatakot sa inasal ko. The old me would have felt guilty, admired his cuteness, and I don't know, maybe protected him from this world? Pero lahat ng iyon ay nawala.

"Sage, this place is not a prison. This is hell."

He looked up, and I thought I saw something in his eyes, like a glint of disagreement. "Dani, hell is not a place. Hell is sometimes a person."

Sabay kaming napalingon nang may kumatok sa salamin. Dr. Lee stood there with the same suspicious smile. "Am I interrupting something?"

Agad na tumayo si Sage at yumuko. "I... I was just telling D-dani about Zone Z, Dr. Lee."

Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin niya sa amin at hindi inaalis ang nakakainis na ngisi sa labi. "You want to know, Miss Lopez? Why don't we talk at my office?"

Hindi pa man ako nakasasagot, tumalikod na siya at naglakad. I turned to Sage, who nodded at me bago humakbang at sumunod na lamang kami kay Dr. Lee. We walked the same long white corridor hanggang sa marating namin ang puting pinto. Nang pumasok kami, binati kami ng puting paligid at mga salamin. There was a long table at the side and cases of brains and other human parts na hindi ko alam kung totoo o artipisyal.

The room was sterile, with bright lights coming from the huge glass tubes na may kung anu-anong laman. I don't feel safe in here, pero tinatagan ko ang sarili. On the side was a small pathway towards a huge door na may malaking warning sign sa labas. It was so huge that I could read the sign from a distance.

"That's my laboratory," wika ni Dr. Lee nang mapansin ang tingin ko roon. "It's a biohazard lab, so I'm afraid I can't take you on a tour if that's what you want."

I felt nauseous just thinking about a laboratory, ngunit may bahagi rin naman sa akin na gustong makita iyon. What if the answers to my questions were inside?

Hinubad niya ang suot na lab gown at sinabit iyon sa coat hanger na nasa gilid. It was weird to call it a coat hanger because it looked more like a DNA strand than anything.

"Please, take a seat." He gestured to the glass chairs that were placed in front.

Sage pulled out a chair for me before sitting. I sat quietly at pinanuod ang bawat galaw ni Dr. Lee. He walked towards his desk before sitting, his palms pressed together at pinatong iyon sa kanyang mesa.

"So, how are you feeling, Miss Lopez?"

"Never better," sagot ko. I wanted him to get straight to the point and spill the prefabricated lies they prepared beforehand, but a little greeting out of courtesy is a must.

He picked up his pen and played with it on his fingers. "Alam kong marami kang katanungan—"

I cut him off. "What is this place?"

He smiled and tapped his pen on his desk once. "A prison and a lab. Miss Lopez, with the economy hitting rock bottom, do you think the taxes are enough for public use? No. So policymakers decided to make Zone Z a laboratory for NEW."

Napatingin ako kay Sage, but his face was blank at wala akong mabasang kahit ano roon.

"NEW?"

"It's the term we use for the prisoners who underwent the procedure to become of use to Sanip. I'll make it simple for you, Miss Lopez. Those who were picked, we process to gain control over their minds." He used the pen he was holding to tap on his temple.

It was wicked and so inhuman. Paano nila nakukuhang kontrolin ang tao as if they don't have lives at all?

"Kahit... Kahit ayaw nila? What if they don't consent to the process?"

"The moment they become prisoners, they are stripped of their basic rights, so what's this consent that you're talking about, Miss Lopez?"

Ah, right, the rotten system not only starts here at Zone Z. It was embedded in the constitution as well. But then it doesn't sit right with me; none of what he said fits everything.

I opened my mouth to say something ngunit walang lumabas sa bibig ko. I turned to Sage only to see him nodding, as if backing what Dr. Lee said.

They are in cahoots; I knew it.

Muling tinapik ni Dr. Lee ang pluma sa mesa. "What I mean is that when we initiated the neural control, there were no legal boundaries to worry about."

It deviates from what Bean told me, who said that gaining command is a form of revolt against the rotten system. Bakit parang gustong ipalabas ni Dr. Lee na bahagi ito ng sistema? It's either he's lying or Bean is lying.

Either way, parehas ko silang hindi mapagkakatiwalaan.

But why would a Marave be working on a system established by the Glass?

And why is Wolff Glass inside their tube?

See? Napakaraming bagay na hindi tumutugma. They must think I am stupid not to notice. Kailangan kong panindigan iyon, so as not to blow my cover.

"Then, si Bean..."

Dr. Lee nodded kahit hindi ko pa man natatapos ang sasabihin ko. "Bean is part of us, who pretended to be an inmate and blended in with other prisoners to personally handpick the prospects to become NEW."

"Kung gayon ay nasaan si Bean ngayon?" tanong ko. I hate him, but deep inside, I worry about him as well.

Dr. Lee sighed and tapped his pen again. The tapping sound was starting to get under my skin, at kung hindi ko lang napigilan ang sarili ko, baka hinablot ko na iyon at itinapon. "Unfortunately, he's being treated after inhaling the incapacitation gas that he activated when he issued Protocol One."

Sa madaling salita, there was no way I can talk to him about the inconsistencies that he and Dr. Lee said. Pero mas mabuti na rin iyon; at least Dr. Lee has no way of knowing what Bean told me about as well. I also wonder if they knew about me being a Marave, like what Bean said.

Another tapping of his pen. My face contorted, an obvious display of my annoyance. "H-how about Kruger? Nasaan si Kruger?"

Dr. Lee's expression flickered, just for a second, before he regained his composure. He forced a smile, though his eyes remained cold. He tapped his pen and dropped it, bago kunot-noong napatingin sa akin. "Kruger?"

"Did he survive the gas as well?"

Napansin ko ang pagtapik ng kanyang daliri, making a faint tapping sound unlike the one made by the pen he just dropped.

"Who's Kruger?" tanong niya.

What the hell is he pulling now, huh?

"Kruger!" sigaw ko sa kanya kasabay ng pag-amba ko sa kanyang mesa. If Sage wasn't fast enough to hold me, baka tinawid ko na ang pwesto ni Dr. Lee.

Dr. Lee stood up and paused, his expression softening into something almost sympathetic. He tilted his head, as if he were looking at a child who had just said something absurd. He let out a faint sigh. "Miss Lopez, there is no Kruger."

Gusto kong sumabog sa galit. "Stop lying! Anong ginawa ninyo kay Kruger?"

Hinaplos ni Sage ang balikat ko, trying to soothe me from my sudden fit. "D-dani, please c-calm down."

I can't calm down when they're playing tricks with my mind that makes me question my sanity!

Dr. Lee stepped closer, his tone gentle yet insistent. "Miss Lopez, you've been through an immense amount of stress lately. Hindi nakakapagtakang iyan ang magiging reaksyon mo. The strain of being here, of everything you've seen... it's taken a toll."

I clenched my fist. "No! Kruger... Kruger is real! Siya ang tumulong sa akin! Sila ni Seven—"

Dr. Lee shook his head, looking at me with pity. "Sometimes, in situations like these, the mind creates figures—figures that provide comfort, protection, someone to help you feel less alone. It's a coping mechanism, a way to survive under such... extreme pressure. This 'Kruger' na sinasabi mo, is just that—a part of your mind, a construct to help you manage after what you've been through."

Naninikip ang dibdib ko dahil sa nangyari, but I never second-guessed that I was making up Kruger. It's them, they are the ones playing tricks with my mind. They were the ones manipulating me into questioning where my imagination and reality blur.

Fighting it was futile, kaya nanghihinang napaupo ulit ako. There was no winning—I know, ngunit hindi ko pa rin mapigilang mapaiyak. I should take Wolff's words: trust no one but myself.

So I have to trust myself that I was not making up Kruger.

Bumaling si Dr. Lee kay Sage at napailing. "I'm sorry, Dr. Ravago, but Miss Lopez failed this last test," sabi niya na biglang nagpaangat sa akin ng tingin. "That means she cannot leave the facility until we ascertain she's fit to leave."

Sage sighed and kept his hands in the pocket of his coat at nag-aalalang napatingin sa akin.

"I... I understand, Dr. Lee." Bumaling siya sa akin. "I'm s-sorry, D-Dani."

Hindi ko mapigilan ang mapahagulhol. I felt so helpless, alone, and miserable. My mind was a battlefield of conflicting thoughts.

I know they were trying to break me. They were trying to make me stay—for more tests? Who knows?

The only thing I can do is to go with the flow. Whatever they plan about, I would not let them win this game.

#

A/N:

So...what's your theory?

ShinichiLaaaabs