THE BORDER'S CRUSADERS [Part 1]

006 THE FOUNDERS

006
THE FOUNDERS

The head of the founders of TBC, Mike, recruited the likes of his sister, Jo. He found her sister interesting. Starting with an amazing intuition, he drew her as the next person to handle the missions his and his friends started. Mike begun to train Jo's mind secretly. Physically, he enrolled her to a taekwondo and arnis club. Which she smoothly finished before they even knew it.

Jo was a vulnerable teenager, this was one of the results Mike wrote in his journal after years of observing his sister. She needed a proper training with a suitable equipments to use.

When Jo reached her 16 years of age, unti-unting pinakilala ni Mike ang mundong kaniyang ginagalawan. Detective duties, he said.

The crime scenes, pa-sikretong dinadala ni Mike ang kaniyang kapatid at binibigyan ng misyon na sabi niya ay katuwaan lamang pero behind all that was a hidden agenda.

Subalit, walang ideya si Mike sa katotohanang alam ni Jo ang tungkol sa pakay niya. She only pretended na wala siyang alam sa mga misyong ipinapagawa ng kaniyang Kuya sa kaniya.

It all started from that one stormy weather na late nang nakauwi si Mike galing trabaho. Inihatid ito ng isang lalakeng nagmamaneho ng sedan-typed na kotseng midnight black ang kulay. Mike wasn't only soaking wet from the heavy rain that night but also from the blood. Nagkagulo ang buong bahay nila sa pangyayari. The next thing that Jo knew, fortunately, it wasn't her Kuya's blood that was dripping from his body but of his colleague na namatay sa isang engkuwentro. Wala itong nabanggit ni isang bagay tungkol sa nangyari.

At a young age, Jo's hobbies are answering crosswords puzzles, memorizing all kinds of things na pupuwede niyang magamit in any situations. That kinds of hobby helped her solves the mystery behind that encounter her brother has been to.

Isang gabi, when half of the world was sleeping, she managed to sneak out of her room para sundan ang kaniyang Kuya. Nagtataka man kung bakit huminto ito sa bahay ng kaniyang kaibigang si Kim ay ipinagpatuloy pa rin niya ang pagsunod dito. Dumiretso ang Kuya niya sa likurang parte ng bahay. There, Jo saw a backdoor. Pumasok doon ang Kuya niya without noticing that he left the door ajar. Nandoon na rin naman siya kaya pumasok na rin siya after heaving a deep sigh. Jo wasn't a troublemaker type of a teenager pero baka mangyari iyon after that night.

'It's now or never' she thought.

She closed the door nang makapasok siya. A faint light from a flicker of a flourescent bulb that hanging above her head after the door was giving her a loud thump in her chest. She never once expected that in her friend house's backyard, a secret door can be found at sa likod ng pintong iyon ay may isang konkretong hagdan pababa. An underground world, she was certain.

Jo made her way down the stairs without any idea of what she was about to unravel. When she was about to reach the end of the stairs, napuna niya ulit ang isang pintong bahagyang nakabukas, kaya alam niya agad na doon ang direksiyong tinahak ng Kuya niya. Muli siyang nagpakawala ng isang malalim na hininga at ipinagpatuloy ang lakad.

When she stepped inside, she began shaking. There, she witnessed a hall full of powerful people, at lahat ay pamilyar sa kaniya. Nakaupo ang mga ito sa isang u-shaped table, nakatitig sa kaniya. Their expressions were mixed. Hinanap niya kaagad ang bulto ng Kuya niya. And to her surprised, Mike was already walking towards her, smiling.

"You have found us. You've reached the final mission. Congratulations, Jo! I present you, The Border's Crusaders." Sambit ng Kuya niya.

Hindi siya makapaniwala sa nangyari. Her brother told the plan he excuted for her to accomplish the last mission of TBC for her.

Isa-isa siyang kinamayan ng labing-isang kilalang mga tao ng kanilang bayan.

An attorney, a respected doctor, an engineer, a photographer, a scientist, and a volleyball player. Naroon din ang school supervisor na role model niya. Ang mayor, congressman, governor, ay naroroon din. Ang isang sikat na business tycoon ay nakipag-kamay rin sa kaniya. The unexpected turn of events was too much for her to take in.

Pagkatapos ng mga pagpapakilala, inilibot siya ng kuya niya sa loob ng headquarter. Dinala siya nito hanggang sa kasulok-sulukan ng lugar. He even told her about the secret passages, to get in and out, in but never out, and out but never in. Hindi niya na alam kung paano sila nakauwi ng Kuya niya nang gabing iyon.

The flashbacks were giving Jo a slight headache. Napansin iyon ni Cherry kaya inutusan nito si Edrian na kunin ang dalawang director-typed chairs na kinauupuan nila kanina. Tumalima naman agad ang lalake. Dinaluhan siya ni Cherry na umupo.

At nang kaya na niyang magsalita, hinarap niyang muli ang crusaders.

"Okay. This emergency meeting is held because the unfinished case of our founders is resurfacing. This is an alarming situation. Kailangan may magawa na tayo bago pa man maging cold case ulit ito." Panimula niya. "The Scorpions are back at it again. Kumakalat na naman ang kanilang mga kamandag. At kung hindi pa rin natin matutunton ang kanilang lungga, then expect that the worse will come to worst. This case is the very reason of our founders' deactivation of this group. Huwag na tayong tumulad sa kanila. At alam kong alam na rin ninyo na ang grupong iyon rin ang dahilan nito." She immediately rolled up the left side of her loose pants, at tumambad sa lahat ang artificial left leg niya. The members gasped with the sight. At sabay-sabay na napatungo. "Dahil din sa Scorpions na iyon kaya I am the only survivor of our family as well as some of you here."

Nagkatinginan sina Myca at Princess. Maging si Glen ay nahinto sa pagtipa sa keyboard. They were the survivors Jo was referring to.

Myca's grandfather was the famous volleyball player that time. Isa ito sa mga nakamayan ni Jo nang gabing natapos ang kaniyang misyon under her Kuya Mike supervision. Lola naman ni Princess ang supervisor na naging role model ni Jo. Samantala, grandfather-in-law naman ni Glen ang scientist. They have been held captives and killed by The Scorpions all at once. Pero they are still unidentified. The most suspicious part in that legendary history was that no reports were made. Ang tanging pinagbasehan ng pangalan ng grupo ay ang testimonya ng mga survivor. Ayon sa kanila, a scorpion tattoo was marked at the back of their right earlobes.

Iyon lang at mga watak-watak na journals, notes, at mga punit na papel na nakapaskil sa cork board na noo'y pinakatitigan ng lahat.

Kuyom ang kamao, hinakbang ni Glen ang distansya patungo roon, kumuha ng tatlong mini-arrow sa open shelf na nasa itaas na bahaging katabi ng cork board, saka pumuwesto upang maitarak ng mabuti sa target na nasa katabi ng cork board. He aimed the arrow to the center, focused, then he released them one by one.

All three made it to the center of the target, a painted black scorpion.