Chapter 44: Dead Man's Switch IV (Another Angle)

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A/N: The fourth day of the second wave of updates! 

A/N: The fourth day of the second wave of updates! 

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LORELEI

"MAYBE WE'RE looking at this case from a wrong angle."

This is what I had to say when we resumed discussing about Augustus' switch. Inulit ko ang mga sinabi ni Luthor nang ma-share ko sa kanya na we hit a deadend yesterday.

Speaking of Luthor, he didn't answer my question on whether or not he'd be succeeding Stein just in case the latter falls. If that's the case, he may be aware that the title of "Moriarty" can be passed from one person to another. He already acted like Moriarty, kaya doon siguro niya nakuha ang idea.

When his dull eyes regarded me coldly, nanumbalik ang hinala ko sa kanya. Loki said that his brother is the manipulative bastard of the highest order. He might have manipulated me to believe and support him. That's a possibility that I do not want to entertain. Nang magkausap kami sa island, he sounded so sincerely concerned about his brother, about how he wanted to protect him.

I have no idea what he's planning to do or what game he's playing at. That's why I'm clueless. When I thought repeatedly about what his plan might be, two angles presented themselves. Una, he might want to succeed Stein para he can take down the organization from the inside. Pangalawa—and I hope this isn't the case—he might have been converted to the dark side and he wanted total control of the organization for himself.

Still I am inclined to trust him. The Luthor that I know protects his brother. The Luthor that I know wouldn't turn into a monster that Loki would have to slay in the end. That would be tragic.

If I doubt every person around me, how could I enjoy my life?

Back to the execom office, nag-meeting kaming anim — me, Loki, Jamie, Alistair, Maggie and Rye — pagsapit ng lunch time para muling pag-usapan ang search namin. We only have twenty-one hours left before the secrets get leaked in the campus. We have to hurry.

"What angle should we be looking at?" Maggie asked, folding her arms.

"We've started our investigation thinking that Augustus entrusted his box sa pinagkakatiwalaan niya," I recalled. "We immediately assumed na posibleng kapwa campus journalist niya ito sa Clarion o classmate niya. We also assumed that the switch might be around his age, probably a student."

"Pero so far, wala tayong napala sa kakatanong sa kanila," dismasyadong sabi ni Jamie. She twirled her braided hair out of boredom. "I already used my charms to extract information from his acquaintances, kaso wala talaga. Imposibleng hindi sila tablan no'n!"

That, she did. May pa-puppy eyes, pahawak- pa ng kamay, pa-lambing ng boses pa siyang ginawa habang kausap ang mga interviewee namin. Loki and Alistair also observed back there to look for any hint that they might be lying. But they noticed nothing.

"So the switch might not be a student or within the same age bracket as Augustus," Alistair deduced, touching his chin. "They must be an adult already."

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