7: Code Black

My first day at work wasn't tiring. All I did was rearrange things that weren't even a mess. Nakakahiya lang tumunganga, lalo na't nakikita ko si Sage na abala sa ginagawa niya. Ilang beses ko siyang tinitingnan habang nagtatrabaho. He looked different—malayong-malayo sa mahiyaing Sage na halos hindi nagsasalita.

Whenever he's deep in thought, he taps his pen on the table, fixes his glasses, and then ruffles his hair.

Most of the time, he's out, probably busy in another part of the laboratory. Hindi ko rin nakita si Wolff ngayong araw—thankfully, dahil malamang masisira lang ang araw ko kapag nakita ko siya.

Since wala naman akong ginagawa at wala rin si Sage, I decided to browse through some publications na naka-display sa shelf ni Sage.

I ran my fingers over the embossed words on the cover. Ravago and Bane, An Exploration on the Correlation of Human Behavior and Genetics.

Muntik ko na itong mabitawan nang bumukas ang pinto at may nagsalita.

"That's our thesis when we were fourteen," narinig kong sabi ni Sage. Pumasok siya sa loob at ngumiti nang nahihiya. "We were really young then, but it was published and won Best Thesis."

Fourteen?!

Wow, they're really geniuses. Mabilis ko iyong binalik sa shelf. That was ten years ago. They published their work at that age, samantalang ako, nagrerebelde pa lang kay Lola noon by putting too much sugar in her coffee. She hates sweets, so sinasadya kong tamisan ang kape niya. I was so evil back then.

"So, magkaedad lang kayo ni Wolff?" tanong ko. Don't get me wrong. I'm not interested in Wolff—malabo. Baka kay Sage, oo, pero kay Wolff? No. Definitely not.

"We practically grew up together," sagot niya at napayuko. "My grandmother is a servant of the Glass, at ang lolo ko naman, messenger nila. That means I spent most of my life in the Glass Palace." Napakamot siya ng ulo at nahihiyang ngumiti. "Sorry, I... I got carried away, kung anu-ano tuloy ang nakukuwento ko."

"No, it's okay. Ang lola ko rin naman, governess ng mga Glass," sabi ko sa kanya. It's amazing to know that he made it this far. Imagine, katulong at messenger lang ang lola't lolo niya, but here he is, the boss of Bane Laboratories, next to Wolff.

"I knew Miss Emily," sabi niya. "In fact, she's the reason why I was granted a scholarship."

That sounded just like my grandmother. Palagi niyang sinasabi sa akin noon na magtino ako sa pag-aaral para maipag-request niya ako ng scholarship sa mga Glass. At natulungan pa niya si Sage.

"Wolff and I became friends when we were four. His lizard pet died that day, and he asked me for a shovel. Tinulungan ko siyang maghukay para ilibing si Lizzy, and I witnessed him cry over the loss of his pet..."

Pinigilan kong huwag matawa. A lizard is a weird pet, but who am I to judge? I used to catch dragonflies and tie them with threads so I could walk them around. That's a weird pet too, right?

"Mula noon, naging magkaibigan na kami. He would teach me things he learned from his private tutors. Interesado rin naman akong matuto, until Wolff decided na dapat akong mag-sit-in sa mga klase niya." Bahagya siyang napayuko, curling his fingers on his lab gown. "Every time na magsisimula ang lessons niya, I would hide under his bed at nakikinig sa mga tinuturo ng tutor ni Wolff. Of course, governess Emily was always there, kaya kabadong-kabado ako baka mahuli. Wolff's mother doesn't want him to have friends, lalo na kung apo lang ng isang katulong, right? But then I was surprised when governess Emily found out about me hiding under the bed. Akala ko palalabasin niya ako. Takot na takot ako noon dahil tiyak na hindi lang ako ang malalagot, kundi pati sina lolo at lola. But... to my surprise, Governess Emily handed me a notebook and pen. Sabi niya, mahirap daw matandaan lahat ng lessons kung makikinig lang, kaya kailangan kong isulat para mareview ko."

Now, I feel guilty. Namatay si Lola na may samaan kami ng loob. I never apologized for all the times I talked back, acted like a brat, and disrespected her.

Napansin ni Sage ang paglungkot ko kaya bahagya siyang nataranta. "M-may nasabi ba akong masama?"

"No," sagot ko.

"But you're crying," sabi niya.

Napakurap ako ng ilang beses. Ah, that explains why my vision was cloudy. Ngumiti ako at pinahid ang luha. "Nami-miss ko lang ang lola ko."

Nagulat ako nang humakbang siya palapit at nagtanong, "C-can I hug you?"

Bahagya akong napaatras sa gulat. Who would ask permission to hug someone? Ah, si Sage.

Bigla siyang namula. "P-please don't get it wrong. I'm not taking advantage of the moment, I... I just feel like it's my fault for bringing up something that made you cry. I was told hugging provides comfort."

Napangiti ako at pinahid ang natitirang luha. Why is this guy so cute? So manly and adorable in his own way.

"Sure."

Mabilis siyang napatingin sa akin, bahagyang napaawang ang labi. "H-ha?"

"Sure, you can hug me," ulit ko.

He moved cautiously towards me and hugged me for what felt like a blink of an eye. Mabilis siyang lumayo, tila mas lalong nahiya.

Ah, this guy!

"That's not how you provide comfort," reklamo ko. That was so fast. Ni hindi ko man lang naramdaman ang yakap. What's the sense of hugging kung ganoon naman kabilis? Honestly, I was a bit disappointed.

He fixed his glasses with his forefinger. "No?"

Tumango ako at lumapit sa kanya para yakapin siya. I felt him flinch a bit nang iniakap ko ang mga braso ko sa katawan niya. I rested my head on his chest, and I literally felt him stop breathing! He let out a sigh before his arms slowly moved to hug me back, but with caution—parang mapapaso siya kung hahigpitan niya ang yakap.

I smiled as I pulled away. He was slightly panicking, hindi niya alam kung anong gagawin, kaya nagkunwari na lang siyang inaayos ang lab gown kahit hindi naman gusot.

"That's how you're supposed to do it," sabi ko, nakalabing.

He nodded, avoiding my eyes. "I... I w-will take note of that."

Hindi ko napigilan ang pagtawa. "You're so pure and innocent," biro ko.

He forced a smile, pero hindi nakaligtas sa akin ang bahagyang paglungkot ng mga mata niya. "I wish I am."

"Anong ibig mong sabihin?" tanong ko.

"You are," I argued.

Mapait siyang ngumiti. "I got stains on my hands."

He sounded so sad about it. Ayaw kong maging chismosa, kaya hindi ko na inalam kung anong ibig sabihin ng sinabi niya.

"We all do," sagot ko na may kibit-balikat. "Do you want to know my stains?"

Nag-blink siya sa akin, so I'll take that as a yes.

"I used to rip off paper labels from canned goods sa supermarket," proud kong sabi. Iyon ang madalas kong ginagawa noon kapag masama ang loob ko.

He looked confused.

"Imagine the buyer's dilemma! Hindi nila alam kung anong de lata ang bibilhin nila!" dagdag ko.

Napakamot si Sage sa gilid ng ulo niya. "But canned goods nowadays have serial numbers. If it ends with a certain combination, you'll know what it is," paliwanag niya.

Well, hindi ko naisip 'yan noon! Akala ko pa naman ang sama-sama ko na dahil doon!

"Way back in high school, I cut short my night class by cutting electric wires from the power source."

Napangiti nang bahagya si Sage. "I hope you know your efforts were wasted. It takes less than a minute before the advanced generators automatically start."

"I know, but that's just a front," nakangising sagot ko. "The power outage is only meant to distract the school admin from finding out that I actually tampered with the internet connection. No Internet access means no classes."

Muli siyang natawa. "They will sooner find that one out."

"Alam ko, but the school head is sort of impatient," sabi ko, taas-noo. "By the time they find out about the tampering, pinauwi na kaming lahat ng school head dahil maingay kami sa hallway."

Sage suppressed his laughter as he fixed his glasses. "That's evil but less evil."

Hindi ko na napigilan ang pagtawa ko. Sage also looked down to hide his tiny giggles. He's too pure and innocent, kahit ano pang sabihin niya. I think choosing Bane Laboratories isn't really a bad choice. At least I'm having genuine fun with Sage. May magandang naidulot din naman pala ang kayabangan ni Wolff.

And speaking of him, I'll just act like he's nonexistent. Hindi ko hahayaang ma-stress ako sa presensya niya. And I'll try not to get too worked up upon the thought of him and Seven.

"Having fun, huh?"

Damn, speaking of the devil. Wolff Bane stood by the door, his dark, piercing eyes directed at me.

"Wolff," tawag sa kanya ni Sage sabay tayo.

Lumapit sa amin si Wolff na hindi pa rin inaalis ang masamang tingin sa akin. "Are your papers ready?" tanong niya kay Sage. "We're leaving tonight."

"Aayusin ko pa lang," natatarantang sagot ni Sage. "Sorry, I've d-done some tests again on my experiment kaya hindi ko agad na-process ang mga kailangan."

Gusto ko sanang umalis na roon upang hindi mapakinggan ang usapan nila, pero muli akong tiningnan nang masama ni Wolff. "Aren't your secretary supposed to do those things?" tanong niya.

Napatigil ako. "What?"

"You're supposed to prepare his travel documents, produce hard copies of his dissertations, and make sure everything is in place so there will be no delay in his travel. Hindi ba iyon ang trabaho ng sekretarya?" Wolff said coldly.

Pinigilan ko ang sarili ko. Seriously, I'm holding myself back from landing a punch on his face. He didn't even bother to hide his hatred. But I won't stoop to his level. I'll try to suppress my hatred as much as I can—he's my employer after all, and the house is at stake.

"Wolff, I... I forgot to tell her about it," nakayukong sabi ni Sage, clearly uncomfortable.

"You know this is important. We both don't want a delay," Wolff pressed, his tone sharp.

"Sorry..." bulong ni Sage, looking defeated.

"I'll have it ready now!" mabilis kong sabi, tumayo ako agad at umalis. Ayaw kong makitang pagalitan niya si Sage! That man didn't do anything wrong. Okay, maybe it was partly my fault. I'm supposed to know his schedules, but instead, I spent my time organizing his office kahit hindi naman talaga kailangan. I should've been more proactive. At least I'll learn from this.

It took me hours to produce hard copies of the necessary documents, thanks to some lab staff who helped me figure things out. Medyo nangangapa pa ako sa paggamit ng mga machine at ibang gamit sa loob ng Bane Lab, but I made it through.

I learned that they have a meeting abroad, isa iyong presentation sa ginagawa nilang vaccine. I have no idea what exactly the details of that meeting ngunit tiyak kong importante iyon dahil kasama niya si Woff.

Can you believe it? That's rude and evil! I shook my head, pushing the thought away as I headed back to Sage's office.

Sumakay ako sa elevator, pinindot ang 12th floor. I told myself, starting now, I'll be a more responsible secretary. I was humming a tune, feeling a bit lighter, until the elevator stopped at the mezzanine. Bumukas ang pinto, at nawala ang ngiti ko nang makita ko si Wolff na nakatayo sa labas.

He didn't expect to see me either. Please don't get in! We stared at each other, and I silently chanted a mantra in my head: Don't get in! Don't get in!

Wait, that's mean. He's still my employer, so I need to act professional. I pressed the hold button, hoping I can endure a few seconds with him. These elevators are as fast as bullet trains, after all, so how bad can it be?

Siguro gaya ko ay ayaw rin niya akong makasama sa loob. "Go ahe—" he started, but the ringing of emergency buzzers cut him off. My eyes darted to the flashing red lights as panic set in. The buzzing grew louder, followed by a voice over the broadcast system.

Attention! All personnel, please stay calm. No one should leave the facility. An unidentified person has been detected inside the laboratory. Report any suspicious activity immediately.

Another warning buzz echoed through the building.

Code Black! Code Black! Warning! High energy detonation detected in Lab-52. Code Black! Code Black!

"Damn it," Wolff muttered, stepping into the elevator quickly and hitting the button to close the doors. He stayed on the far corner with his fist formed into a ball. Ramdam ko ang galit niya kaya nanatiling tahimik lang din ako at nagmasid.

Just a few more seconds...

The red lights flickered again, and the emergency buzzer sounded once more.

Warning! Unauthorized biological forms have breached the power supply room. All power sources will be deactivated in 3... 2... 1.

The elevator jolted to a stop, and the lights went out, plunging us into darkness. Wolff cursed under his breath before slamming a fist into the metal wall. The loud bang made me flinch.

"Damn it!"

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