Project LOKI ③

Chapter 43: The Last of Augustus XIII (The Trump Card)

"Realistic how?" kunot-noo kong tanong. "Dapat bang sigawan ni Loki sa harap ng maraming estudyante si Luthor?"

"That's not compelling enough," pag-iling niya. "Tell me, sakaling malaman ni Loki ang katotohanan, do you think na sisigaw-sigawan lang niya si Luthor?"

Napalunok ako ng laway. That question has been on my mind since I found out Luthor's secret. The truth is, I don't know exactly how Loki would react. It's a mystery to me.

"He won't settle for a shouting match with his brother," may pag-iling kong sagot. When was the last time na nagpuyos siya sa galit? Ah, noong makaharap namin si Stein matapos niyang magpakilala bilang Moriarty! "There's a chance that he might get physical. Violence is not out of the question."

"Then he needs to get physical," tugon ni Alistair. "He needs to show an appropriate amount of rage para maging kapani-paniwala ang galit niya."

"S-Seryoso ka ba?" my eyebrows knitted. "You want Loki to punch Luthor? As in, real punch?"

"Augustus wants to see drama," tugon ni Alistair. "We will give him a drama for him to enjoy. With popcorn pa kung gusto niya."

Yumuko ako sabay tingin sa ibang direksyon. The more I think about it, the more na posible ngang mauwi sa sakitan ang galit ni Loki. Siguradong hindi lang niya isang beses na susuntukin si Luthor. When he kicked Stein during our confrontation, he kicked the poor boy many times.

"We also need to build up the tension," Alistair added. Napatingin siya sa mga dumaan na estudyante. "Augustus needs to know that something's going on, that everything is going according to his plan."

May naalala ako. Kung pagpaparinig lang kay Augustus ang kailangan, I know exactly how. "The Clarion has a circulations station sa may entrance lobby. Maybe we can meet there tomorrow and talk about Loki in front of his staffers. They'd surely report it to him."

"Perfect!" napapalakpak siya. "Kailangan din natin ng audience para sa matinding eksena. Loki needs to show his rage in front of many students. Doon lang tayo makakasiguro na aabot kay Augustus ang gulo."

"We'll figure that one out, after kong makausap ang mga dapat kausapin," sagot ko.

"By playing this drama, we're gonna distract Augustus too," sabi ni Alistair. "He'd be eating popcorn while waiting for the updates in the Loki-Luthor drama. Ang hindi niya alam, kumikilos na tayo behind the scenes para ma-corner siya."

"So basically, we're gonna use his own layout against him," I nodded, smiling.

"We're gonna make some adjustments to fit our agenda." Alistair smiled back. "Now we need to arrange the pieces on the board."

"But," I heaved a long sigh, "what should I tell Loki, if not the truth?"

"Can you make Loki do something without him asking too many questions about it?" tanong ni Alistair. "If no, kailangan mong umisip ng palusot na sa tingin mo, kakagatin niya."

I remembered what Loki told me last Saturday. "He said he trusts me. Kung may itinatago ako sa kanya, maiintindihan daw niya dahil alam niyang para sa ikabubuti namin 'yon. If he's true to his word, maybe I can ask him to cooperate with no questions asked."

"Then we have to rely on his words," sagot ni Alistair na may pagtango. "Loki won't tell you something along those lines if his trust on you isn't genuine. You will take advantage of his trust and make him follow our plan without ruining it."

I hope na gano'n lang kadali. "Aside from Loki, who else should we tell about our plan?"

"We also need to inform Luthor as well. Kakausapin mo siya mamaya, 'di ba?"