Chapter 35

“Headline news”

-The french Canadian corporation, Carbine enterprises have secured a foothold in the Philippines. CAMDev CEO. Unilateral Carbine has given a statement in regards of expanding their influence within the Southeast Asian countries, in his recent product presentation with their new ARMA CORE CPU.

“We have been planning for some time now to expand our reach in the southeast asian countries but we couldn’t get a technological foothold as most of the countries were developing and in turn, weren’t really in need of advanced technology. But with recent riots and security threats in these countries, our securities sector received countless requests for upgrades and to get to the point, just to make things efficient for us we decided to just set up shop so we can deliver to our customers directly.”

-In other news. The Raid Law.

The first casualties of this new law have caused serious implications when it comes to our citizens' moral compass. The new law was passed after the Raids have happened in the Aseana City area where armed terrorists stormed the buildings and various other homes in a massive terror attack across the megacity of the metro. Offcials have already stated their findings and points the blame on muslim terrorist groups aligned with the Islamic state. As of today the Islamic state has remained quiet about these accusations.

The new law states that if a person or persons have video proof of an armed crime in progress. The said person can interfere using the same force to stop the crime provided they themselves have their own weapon for protection. Thus encouraging what some people have said: Vigilantism.

Just last week a High school student was shot near a prominent makati school campus after the manager from a nearby convenience store broke up a street fight. The man said in his defence that the student pulled out a gun to threaten him so he decided to fight back to defend himself.

Video evidence have indeed been captured of the incident and the student has indeed intended to fire, prompting the manager to shoot. Thankfully the man had the sense to aim non lethally, but it does bother to ask the question.

Is it worth entrusting the law to our citizens? What if a different person had pulled the trigger that night? What kind of country does our government want to shape us into?

This is Lorena Mortiz PNE news.-

‘Fuckin law enforcement… Fucking Lazy assholes…’

An old man grumbles on his chair as he grabs the remote to switch the channel on his television. It was a sunday morning and things were quiet around his house.

The way he was always used to.

He just can’t believe that for a few weeks, he had a noisy kid running around the house like he owned the place. Sadly due to the events that had taken place in the past months, things had to go quiet again, and once more he was living in his solitude.

The way he always used to.

Annoyed that the television wasn’t giving him any good show to watch. He decided to call it quits and have a beer, even though it was still early in the morning.

‘Trusty breakfast.’ He said to himself, and just as he opens the bottle cap, the doorbell rings.

'Good morning Sir Elvin.'

'Uhh… hello?.' Uncle Thor responds, confused at why a police officer is standing on his doorstep this early in the morning.

'Sorry to bother you sir but we received an alarm for trespassers around your area. We'll just conduct a quick inspection of…'

The old man held his hand up towards the officer seemingly shushing him to let him speak. 'Pardon my manners but what kind o' bullshit are you blabbering about?' He said annoyed. 'I don't have alarms? It's my home I should know what I put and not put in here and I am goddamed sure there ain't no alarms in here so what the hell are you talking about?!'

The officer gave him a stern look as he sighs his reply.

'It's your brace sir. It has a built-in alarm for trespassers. It's the reason we asked if you were living with anyone inside your house. So we can calibrate it.'

'Lemme guess, it's for my safety isn't it? To catch any trespassers?'

'Yes.'

'Any unwanted visitors.'

'Correct.'

'Monitor any secret meetings I might have.'

'Yes… uhh no not like that sir.'

'Bullshit.'

He gave the officer a seering stare as the man in uniform began sweating beads while standing at his doorstep. Trying his best to keep a poker face in front of him.

'Sir I'm gonna have to ask you to step aside so I can conduct my investigation.' The officer sternly responds. As Uncle Thor kept his eyes glued at the officer's face. Trying to burn it into a crisp as he pretends to have laser eyes that can do so.

…

'Alright fine. It's your job to do so…' He said as he stepped aside to let the officer in. 'If I find any wiretaps, you do know I have every right to rip it off? Yes?' He said smirking as the police officer continued to roam around the house to check for any unwanted persons. He could only stand by in silence as he watched the police officer open all doors inside the house, eyeing the man in subdued rage. His mind focused on the officer’s shoes as he walked around carelessly on his floors, spreading the dirt and dust and other bacteria all over his house as he had just mopped the floor that weekend and now had to do it all over again.

‘Do you even have to go there?’ He asked, breaking his silence as he saw the man go straight up the stairs without even acknowledging his question, leaving him no choice but to follow him for his own peace of mind.

‘You don’t need to follow me around every inch of the house sir. I’m just conducting a standard inspection. No need to worry.’ The officer said as the old man arrives atop the steps and stays there. Intentionally blocking his exit.

‘No-no. Just do your job and I’ll do mine…’ Uncle Thor declared as he kept his wide stance at the top of the steps. He stared intently at the roaming police officer as he went through the hallway and opened all the doors to peek inside of it, and every time the officer showed signs of stepping inside one of the rooms he would make sure he heard him clearing his throat, just to put him off from further exploring.

A few more irritating minutes pass by and finally, the officer leaves.

The moment the door closes Uncle Thor quickly did a sweep of the rooms to check for bugs using a signal checker that he got back from his military service. Thankfully there were no blips on the radar, except for one.

The room that Denzo stayed in.

He climbed up the stairs and angrily made his way towards the end of the hallway. Intensely keen on ripping out whatever device they had installed in his house. He slams the door open and as he does so, he hears a loud thud and a grunt followed by furniture getting furiously pushed out of their places.

‘What in the fuckin hell?!’ He shouts as he reaches for his side arm but quickly remembers he had left it in his room after taking a shower, forcing him to brace himself for a fist fight.

It was a horrifying sight as the old man witnessed the chairs and drawers move on their own and the bed deforming as if weight was being applied to it, coupled with the fact that footsteps were being detected by his ears just made his skin crawl while sending chills up his spine.

‘Fuck first I got a break in and now I’m being haunted?! -the fuck is happening with this house?!’ He shouts as his battle ready face slowly turns white as he sees a pencil float up from the table and slowly turn and point towards his face with his knees already trembling, unable to take action.

Then out of nowhere, he hears laughing.

He makes a break for it. But before he could even get two steps out of the room, the entity pulls him back in.

‘Oh no you dont!’

‘What?’ He said. As if for some reason he knew the voice that he’d just heard.

But before any realization had been made, the force of the pull coming from the entity was strong enough to sweep him off his feet, choking him for a moment as he felt the tug from his shirt collar.

And as he looks up at the ceiling lying flat on the hallway floor, a face suddenly appears out of thin air.

A familiar sight.

‘Miles?’

‘Long time no see, eagle eye.’ She said with a cheeky smile on her face.

…

…

Nica Robbie was now the most popular girl in school.

It has now been a week and school had resumed. There was a lot of buzz in social media about the incident at St Rita’s and Nica’s reaction to the hidden camera had gone viral.

Since most of the students had nothing to do during the one week break, everyone took to their phones for any news or entertainment and for some strange reason an anonymous person had leaked the hidden cam video of Nica Robbie smashing the camera into pieces making her an instant star.

The only person who had not known of this was Nica herself.

Afraid of what she might see because of the scandal in school, she kept her phone off and at a distance. So she felt a little weird seeing everyone greeting her when she had arrived within the campus.

All the boys melt at her presence and the girls fawn over her whenever she’s around. Granted her popularity with the boys in the school was already a slightly “unpleasant” thing she has but what was surprising to her was her sudden popularity with the girls. Apparently her video had garnered acclaim from most of the female students who admired her courage in facing her fear as most had openly admitted to her that they would just crumble in fear upon realizing that their whole room was rigged with cameras.

It was a weird and sudden surprise that all the girls were now clamoring for her attention in the same way K-pop stars would if they ever walked in on their campus. Just to compare, even the boys did not go as far as forming groups around her wherever she went, which was the case of her current state of affairs. She had made it through half the day before finally feeling desperate enough to actively find an escape. Thankfully Aida’s eyes had met hers just as they were about to go for lunch and acted as her shield by clearing out the crowd of girls waiting outside their classroom door.

One loud bellowing shout telling them to scram was all it took to clear the way as Aida instructed her to run for Little Edgars and never stop until safe inside its doors. It was a mission straight out of a stealth espionage game as she and Aida navigate the halls, sneaking and running to avoid being trapped by her newfound admirers. Finally after ten minutes of snaking around, Aida shuts the door of little edgars behind her with a triumphant sigh.

‘What the heck are you two doing here?’ Tisha said after scrambling out of one of the conference rooms inside the office.

‘Well breaking news, Nica here found herself some new admirers and frankly it’s become suffocating, even for me! So we’re seeking sanctuary here, at least until lunch is over.’ Aida replied as she gathered her breath. Tisha just looks confused as she stands still in front of the two of them, seemingly unsure what to do and as she does so, Aida begins noticing minute little details about her features.

‘Why is your hair so messy? And where’s your bow?’ She asked. Her brow curling in suspicion as Tisha pats her head to check if her bow was really gone.

‘Oh… what the fuck? Where’d I left it?’ Tisha responds as she scrambles around her immediate area to look. ‘Anyways feel free to use this place to hide from those people. There’s food in the bar pantry and drinks in the fridge, although they’re mostly alcohol. Nica, is it okay for you to take alcohol in the middle of the day? I mean we don’t usually drink water here it’s either soda or some kind of booze so--’

‘Well I see a cooler there at the back…’ Nica responds, interrupting Tisha’s fast talking as Aida had her eyes squinting in sure suspicion, darting her gaze at Tisha.

‘What are you hiding?’ Aida asked as Tisha gasps with her eyes wide open.

It was at this moment where the two ladies facing her heard the door slam behind them.

‘Nothing…’

…

‘-You…

-Disgusting

-Slut!’ Aida shouts at her as she storms off toward the room that Tisha came out of. ‘I’m gonna confirm it!’

‘NO!’

Nica had never seen a person sprint that quick before.

From an idle standstill to a full blown sprint at the snap of a moment Tisha was able to launch herself in front of the conference room door to slam it shut before Aida could get through. It was the most graceful lunge she had ever seen, like a cat who had seen its prey, an eagle reaching in with its death claws. She made light work of keeping Aida out of the room from where she had stood. But Aida persisted and succeeded in getting her face inside the door long enough to get a clear picture.

‘Ewwwww there are tissues everywhere! Disgusting! Yuck! And your bow! Even more yuck!’

‘It’s not my fault! It’s not! He just likes the texture so I use it cuz… cuzz!’

‘Fucking ewwww! T.M.I Tisha! T.M.I!!’

Their loud shouting bickering echoed throughout little edgars as their voices faded into the backrooms of the building. Leaving Nica alone inside the office. It didn’t occur to her until this moment that this is actually the first time she had been inside the student council’s establishment. She always thought that their offices were somewhere inside the campus but she was pleasantly surprised when Aida pulled her into this place. A place that, at first sight, felt like a hidden sanctuary, away from everyone and only welcome to those in the know. A private place for exclusive people.

And she likes it.

Though she can’t help but think that these things are the ones causing political problems with the country, seeing how detached the student council office was from the rest of the campus. She appreciates the peace and quiet of such a place which makes her feel she could focus on whatever activity she has in mind to do here. In short, it is the perfect place to work.

Whilst she was deep in her thought as her eyes wander around to look at the decour, her stomach grumbles. She hasn’t eaten lunch yet. She explores the bar near the entrance of the office and checks the pantry for anything edible. It was another pleasant surprise for her to see it fully stocked with different herbs, spices and condiments, as well as little snack trinkets one might munch on during an all nighter. Further back she sees a cabinet freezer with microwaveable meals packed nicely inside of it. There are a plethora of options for her to choose, from chicken adobo to roast beef and mash, all of anyone’s food preferences were there for her to choose.

She settled for the japanese beef curry and placed it on the microwave to reheat it. In the meantime she thought it would be a good idea to get herself some drinks.

Tisha was not kidding when she said they have nothing other than alcohol and soda inside their fridge as it was the only items she could see inside, although with a little snooping around, Nica found something that made her eyes sparkle. Ground coffee beans.

She checks the container to see if any names were written on it but to her delight there was none. She fills up the percolator and boils a cup of water while she scours the pantry for some sugar and cream.

The whole week's suspension was rough for her, trying to keep what was happening in school a secret from her parents whilst fighting the paranoia of constantly feeling eyes watching her. She was also worried about what would happen that morning when she came to school. She did a good job keeping her feelings to herself during the drive there but her knees almost gave out during those first steps after alighting the car her mother drove, nervous on how people would think about her. She had already envisioned the scenario in her mind: the boys casting her lewd looks feeling their killing intent oozing from their eyes, feeling the fear that she could be taken by force at any moment inside the campus. The girls, turning their backs away when she passed by, giving her the cold shoulder. Hearing the words -Bitch- and -Slut- being whispered whenever she was around. Her now new found friends, losing their respect for her and looking at her in disdain and disgust.

All of her fears of what might happen was brewing inside her mind during that short three minute walk. She was ready to hear persecution that day so one can imagine the surprise she felt when, upon entering the gates, a group of girls had run towards her telling her how brave and awesome she was for standing up for herself when she was being stalked. It was a huge shock from what she had expected that made her speechless and confused but since it was not a negative reaction like she thought it would, had made her accept it in grace.

‘But goodness that was suffocating…’ She whispered to herself, though she admits it feels good to be chased around like a star. So far her experiences of it had exhausted her and was now making her overthink once again. ‘Is this gonna be my life from now on?’ ‘Am I gonna have to deal with this everyday?’ ‘Can I live like this?’ ‘How can I focus on my studies?’ Thoughts that are starting to form inside her mind while she digests everything that has happened so far as she notices that despite finding a place to finally ease her mind, her mind torments her back with all the things that could happen.

Thankfully the coffee was ready.

She takes a sip and for a moment her own thoughts disappear, but only for a moment. It seems that the potion that she brewed was not enough to calm her mind. And in the midst of it all another person appears from the door. Their eyes meet and for a moment the person looked surprised but unamused at her presence but nonetheless, he still greets her.

‘Oh hey Nica didn’t know you ate lunch here.’

‘Hi Neil… I don't, I'm just… invited here… I guess.’

He storms forward like had not heard her and shouts around the rooms calling for Tisha. Nica was suddenly alarmed when he headed straight for the room where Tisha had forbidden Aida earlier. There was a sudden silence followed by a gasp as she could only watch the things unfold in front of her.

She was most definitely not as fast as Tisha was.

‘Tishaaaa!!! Is this cum on your bow?!!!’

‘NOOoOOOOOooOOOoOOoOoOOO!!!!.’

The scream of despair and humiliation echoed once again.

…

…

‘So you’re telling me we’ve got Carnivorous Carbine on our tails, setting a ticking time bomb on this city and we’re willingly paying for it?’

‘Pretty much…’

Both Uncle Thor and Miles were sat down by the kitchen counter sharing a beer as the afternoon drifts away into the night, whilst listening to the old man’s old vinyl records playing. They had been catching up with each other the whole time, being former comrades in various wars fought both internationally and domestically, she felt it was just right to get in touch with him, especially after knowing he was one of the victims of the Carbine lead raids.

‘Geez…’ Uncle Thor responds. ‘And It took you this long for you to tell me?’

‘Well I can’t just walk in the front door can I?’ Miles said. ‘They’re watching you closely Thor… You AND your surroundings.’

‘I know… That cop just confirmed everything. I guessing you purposefully triggered them to check their response, since this was the first time they actively barged in like they owned the place.’ He said, chugging down his bottle.

‘You’re right about that… I wanna see how jumpy they are, and oh boy you’re a lucky old man Thorasis! Your caretakers act quick.’

‘Well apparently I need it… I guess that's cheers to my health.’ He replied as he raised his bottle towards Miles as she reciprocated his gesture.

‘So anyways I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here just for catch up and bedtime stories. I’m sensing we’re at the time of the night where people aren’t listening anymore to my bad music. If you catch my drift?’

‘So you do admit you have bad taste in music.’ She said while pointing to his theater setup.

‘Oh shut up.’ He responds.

Miles just smiles meekly and sets aside her bottle. She taps her suit by the forearm and pulls out a slender tube that she rolls out flat on the table. She presses the four corners of the plastic sheet and it lights up revealing a start up screen. A portable computer.

‘Check this out.’ She said, sliding over the sheet towards Uncle Thor’s side of the table. On the screen is a picture of a pink Nissan Skyline.

‘What’s this about?’ He asks.

‘A repo job. The real owner wants it back and I was just recently hired to carry out an op. I already have a partial team and you’re the final piece.’

Uncle Thor sat back on his chair as contemplates Miles' request. He fell silent for a moment, letting the music play in the background before finally breaking his silence.

‘You know… I honestly thought you were just gonna ask me for some intel on things. You know… passive stuff…’

‘Thor… I know you think so, but you’re not too old for these kinds of things.’

‘I am…’

‘You’re not, trust me you’re not eagle eye for nothing…’ She said as she takes a swig from her bottle. ‘What are you 60 plus? And your not wearing any glasses, contacts?’

‘None, but Miles…’

‘You’ll be fine. Perfect to say the least.’

Uncle Thor hunches back over to the table with his hands crossed over the bridge of his nose, deep in thought.

‘I am way past killing anyone.’

‘Who said anything about killing?’ She taunts, eyebrow raised like she was making fun of his statement. ‘You still haven’t let go of things haven’t you?’

He pursed his lips like he was holding back a sharp jab of words from being fired, but he kept himself under control and slid the sheet back to her side of the table.

‘No one who’s sane can, Miles. I can only try to forget.’

‘So you’re saying I’m crazy?’

‘Well you ARE!’ He shouts as Miles visibly recoils after his sudden outburst. She takes the computer sheet and rolls it back up in her suit. Taking her leave from the kitchen table.

‘I’ll leave you to think about it. You have a month to decide. You know where to call.’ Miles said as she disappeared right in front of him without a trace.

He waits a few minutes before slamming his fists on the counter in frustration.

‘Goddamn that woman!’ He shouts furiously. ‘You left me for dead on a fucking deal and you expect me to trust you?! Stupid fucking moron!’

‘Im still here…’ A dismembered voice suddenly spoke. As Uncle THor’s face turns beet red.

‘GET OUT OF MY PROPERTY!’

He shouts and as he does so the police break down his door.

‘Freeze!’ They shout as they draw their guns against the old man, quickly raising his arms in surrender.

‘No! No you got it all wrong there’s just… arrgh!’

…

Meanwhile Miles is just looking down from the tree outside Denzo’s room, having a good chuckle as she swipes an option on her suit labeled “signal wipe” back on. As she watched the old man deal with the inconvenience ‘he’ caused.

At least that’s what she thinks.

…

…

‘Why’d you call for me anyways?!’ Tisha asked as she threw a used towel into the trash bin. After Neil had barged in she had kicked everyone out of the forbidden room so she could tidy up in private, leaving Neil and Nica alone in the common area. Knowing that Aida was also in the office made Nica feel anxious about her and Neil being in the same building but so far Aida had not made her presence known to him thinking that she was keeping her silence in the back rooms waiting for Neil to leave.

‘It’s about the investigation on the “incident” Neil said as the two girls perk up their ears upon hearing what he was to say. ‘It’s a good thing Nica’s here, it makes things convenient for me.’ He continued as he took a seat in one of the sofas in the middle of the common area. Gesturing the two girls to join him.

‘What’s the news?’ Tisha asked.

‘Well the teacher’s and the council will withhold the public announcement until things have been confirmed but they already have a primary suspect in the incident.’

‘Who?!’ Nica quickly darts.

‘He’s someone you might know.’ Neil states as he brings up his phone to show her the name and picture of the suspect.

‘Are you sure?’ Nica responds.

‘About 85 percent. But we have reason to believe Casper Solas is the culprit.’

‘But how? Both him and Julian are new students here. How could Casper do such thing?’ Nica reacts in despair as she clutches her skirt in frustration. ‘And Pai… He’s gonna be devastated after knowing all this!’

‘Shit…’ Tisha sighs. ‘Though it doesn’t make sense. I thought the suspect was gonna be from our batch since the first incident happened during my reign, when we were all freshies.’ Tisha adds.

‘Yeah we’re also looking into Pete, if that’s what you're asking.’

Tisha’s eyes flared with a burning glow after hearing what Neil had to say. It is partly because of his audacity in accusing his own friend but also because she can’t help but think that it might be true, as she remembers the way he looked back at Nica during the assembly. It was a look that he used to give her when they were starting as a couple. It was a thing that she never told anyone, even Pete, but after that day all she could do was cry alone in her room because of jealousy and also because of how stupid she feels for actually thinking Pete would just blatantly leave her for such a shallow reason. And even though she told herself she would be strong enough to douse her own suspicions she still had the impulse to seek some sort of confirmation, which led to the incident in the conference room.

Neil senses her fury coming over and decides to back off but Tisha holds her emotions back and sighs. ‘No, you’re just being fair. After all, he was part of Omega Epsilon.’

Nica gasps upon hearing the words. She never knew that the school had connections with the fraternity.

‘You know them Nica?’ Neil, noticing her reaction, asks.

‘Yeah… my father persecuted one of them a few years ago.’

‘Oh the mall CEO?’ Neil responds.

‘Yes… He’s the reason why we keep moving residences…’ She replies as tears start to flow once again. In her mind, if indeed the culprit of this case was a member of Omega Epsilon then it would ultimately lead to them leaving the country altogether, ripping all of the relationships that she had made these past few months. The conversation paused for a moment as Nica started to sob upon her realization that she might part ways with friends once again. Both Tisha and Neil didn’t know what to say to comfort her until Aida came to her rescue to escort her into the back rooms, keeping her attention solely on Nica as she swoops in to take her away and giving Tisha a reassuring nod before the two of them disappear in the back.

Neil kept his silence throughout all this.

…

....

It was an awkward few moments but after the dust had settled inside the office it was Neil who had first spoken.

‘I’m not being biased but I also don’t think it was Pete. I was with him most of the time. I don’t think he’d even have the time in between basketball practice and school to do anything--’

‘Wait!’ Tisha interjects. ‘Basketball practice…’

‘No… Tisha, don’t’

‘Sorry… I have to know…’

‘Tisha If he did then somebody would have caught him--’

‘Pete’s not that dumb Neil, and if he ever has a window it would be during that!’ She said as she takes a deep breath and atoms off the room, leaving Neil alone.

‘Fuck!’ He shouts. ‘I need to find more evidence…’

Neil whispered to himself as he left the office as well.

Meanwhile Aida and Nica were in the back as Nica huddled close to her; she can’t help but feel sorry for Nica’s situation as she herself had been through something similar in her past. The lonely feeling of not belonging anywhere, the feeling of not having anyone to hold on to. A cold feeling, an empty feeling. She was lucky enough to find stability in her life so she could rise from that shadowy pit of doom. But Nica only had her family, and that family is also suffering in the same darkness that she was in, and to find her light, Nica would have to swim harder than she ever did. She had friends to help, but if Nica goes away she wouldn’t have that luxury and based on how hard she is crying in her arms, Aida doesn’t think Nica still has enough strength to keep her head afloat.

There was a solution that she thought of, although temporary, Aida was sure that it would work but there was a catch. She feels that it is selfish of her to do such a thing, to do something as manipulative as what she was thinking but she felt that it was all too convenient for her to let it pass.

The catch was her own heart. Because when she and Tisha and her were exchanging banter earlier, the both of them heard a noise coming from Little Edgar's basement. It was lunchtime and only a few students would ever dare come uninvited into that part of the office.

They just dismissed it since by this time it had already been a regular occurrence but now that the situation had turned into this, she couldn’t just ignore this moment.

In the past few weeks after their girls night out in Yukino’s place, Aida had set an ultimatum to herself. That she would stop dilly dallying with her feelings and just pursue what needed to be pursued but as usual her pursuit had become even more difficult for her to catch. To make it even worse, when she tried to connect with him during the suspension the majority of topics focused around the girl who was now crying in her arms.

She needed to know.

Nica had given her consent, but it doesn’t mean anything if the other side was not willing.

And though she feels like a criminal for planning what she was about to do, It had to be done.

‘Do I even have a chance or not?’ She asked herself as she escorted Nica down the stairs.

Through the hallway.

And into the spare room in the basement.