The Tale of the Ascendants

CHAPTER 12: Saving grace (2)

"Take me to where your Boss is," I said confidently.

Tumalima ito at naunang naglakad patungo sa second floor. Walang anumang bahid ng pagka-alarma ang paligid. It seemed like they were still oblivious of my presence. It was a good thing for me; my mom and the rest could escape easily.

After walking by a very long corridor, we reached a big room. He knocked twice before turning the door knob. Hindi gaya ng mga naunang silid sa baba, hindi gaano kahigpit ang security dito.

"Someone's here to see you, Boss," he announced as soon as we entered. Automatically, the men in black aimed their guns at me. Sa dami nila, hindi na ako nagtaka kung bakit hindi na kailangan ng biometrics para sa security.

With the number of armed men here, siguradong swerte na kung makakalabas ka ng galos lang ang matatamo.

The Boss he was pertaining to was standing near the floor-to-ceiling glass window, his back facing us. I composed myself as I waited for him to turn and face us. I ignored those guns and stepped closer. After what I went through just to be here,  I was not afraid anymore.

The Boss faced us and gave me a dead smile. I almost held my breath when I recognized that familiar face. He—he's...How could he be involved in this chaos?

"I'm sorry for the cold welcome, Lieutenant Everdale," he said as he took his way towards me. Na-estatwa ako sa kinatatayuan. Hindi pa rin makapaniwala na nakikitang lalaking papalapit sa akin.

"You..." Hindi ko masabi ang gusto kong sabihin. Hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala. Though it had been ages, I could still remember some vivid images of him—Aeon Aguirre, Pierre's older brother, and the one I had  saved once from my previous operation involving this organization. Despite my memory loss, those nightmares managed to make me see fragments of what I couldn't remember. They couldn't just leave the shit out of me in my sleep.

"Surprise!" He acted as if he was in front of a kid who was awed with his trick. As I looked at him, I could see how his features became more matured. Gone was his pretty boy image, and here was his darker aura. By the looks of it, he had gone to the gym to have that toned muscles.

"Aeon, why are you doing this?" Of all people, I didn't think that he would be involved in this. As far as I could remember, he was the most logical and most righteous person I'd known. What had happened to him?

"I'm doing this for a greater cause. You will see it for yourself once we completed our plan."

I tried so hard to remember how he looked before—the nerdy geek I used to tease before. Laging nakabaon sa libro at walang masyadong kaibigan. Looking at him now, I couldn't see that person in him anymore. He looked matured now. His deep eyes conveyed authority and power. He seemed hungry for those. Time, indeed, had changed him.

"I didn't imagine you're into this kind of stuff now. Where's the righteous Aeon I knew?" I said accusingly, still trying not to believe what I was seeing in front of me.

"People do change, Lieutenant."

"I should've known that," I said mockingly. This person in front of me now was no longer the person I used to know. He'd changed, and so had I.

"I'll cut the crap now. It's good that you're here now. Let's proceed to the main show." My eyes wandered in confusion. What did he mean by that? He beckoned to the men in black.

Lumapit sila sa isa pang pinto at binuksan ito. Isa sa kanila ang pumasok doon and muling lumabas bitbit ang isang lalaking halos sugatan na.

My jaw literally dropped when I recognized the person they were dragging. Despite not seeing him for a long time, I knew it was Pierre! He looked beaten up. His face and body were heavily bruised, and he looked wasted. For Pete's sake, how could Aeon do this to his own brother?