Project LOKI ③

Chapter 44: Dead Man's Switch VIII (The D-Day)

I heaved a long sigh. There's something much worse in the box that I don't wanna be exposed. It's not my own secret, but the consequences of that secret being revealed to many scare me.

"Wait a minute..." Alistair muttered, squinting his eyes. "Kung talagang kasama ang audio clip sa box ni Augustus, why haven't you received a threat email from the mysterious Tiberius Roman? It's safe to assume na lahat ng mga tao rito sa Clark High na may sikreto roon ay nakatanggap ng email."

"'Yan din ang tanong ko sa sarili ko," pagtango ko. "I should have received an email from the switch, but I haven't. Malapit nang mag-48 hours pero wala pa rin akong natatanggap. How can I be given a chance to come clean kung walang heads up sa akin, 'di ba? Maybe Augustus forgot to save that clip? I mean, everything happened so fast, baka wala na siyang time na i-transfer sa box niya."

"Let's hope that's the case," Alistair commented. "Mas mababawasan ang iisipin natin kung gano'n nga ang nangyari."

Still, I couldn't be at ease knowing that Luthor's secret might be exposed. Mas importante 'yon para sa 'kin. The damage that his secret would cause was much greater than mine.

"Excuse me, Lori?"

Sabay na nagawi kay Rosetta ang tingin namin ni Alistair. Kakalabas pa lang niya ng classroom. Iniangat niya ang kanyang tingin sa amin mula sa kanyang phone.

"Oh, am I interrupting you two?" tanong niya, sandaling huminto sa paglapit sa amin.

"Not at all," sagot ko. "May kailangan ka bang sabihin?"

"May itatanong sana ako," tugon niya. Ipinakita niya sa akin ang school app na naka-flash sa kanyang phone screen. "I can't recall myself replying to Tiberius Roman. I also didn't tell him na willing akong magbayad in exchange sa secret na hawak niya sa akin. I was wondering kung kayo 'to o may nang-hack sa account ko?"

"Sorry! Hindi ko pala nasabi sa 'yo," paumanhin ko. "Ngayong umaga na kasi niya nakatakdang i-expose ang mga secret dito sa Clark High. I tried to think of a way on how to delay him habang hinahanap namin kung nasaan siya."

"I see! Ang akala ko, may nang-hack na sa school email ko," Rosetta nodded, looking relieved. "Pero dapat ba talaga akong magbayad ng P10,000 kapalit ng kung anumang pam-blackmail niya sa akin? I don't really have that much money. You know, kaka-start pa lang kasi ng perfume business ko."

"Hindi naman kailangan," sagot ko na may pag-iling. "What we need to know is the mode of payment. 'Yon kasi ang last conversation namin using your account. Hinihintay kong ibigay niya kung paano ita-transfer ang pera sa kanya. Once he replies, we can try to track him down."

"Teka lang." Naningkit ang mga mata ni Rosetta. "You mentioned na hinahanap n'yo kung nasaan siya. Does that mean na kilala n'yo na kung sino siya?"

Nagkapalitan kami ng tingin ni Alistair. Should we tell her? Or should we not?

"Yes," Alistair answered. "We already have a person of interest. But we can't tell anyone yet hanggang sa ma-confirm namin na siya nga ang gumagamit sa account ni Tiberius Roman."

"I understand! Under investigation pa kasi siya, 'di ba?"

"Just keep us informed kapag nag-reply siya kung paano mo maibibigay ang pera sa kanya," request ko sa kanya. Depending on the switch's answer, magkakaroon kami ng way para ma-track siya.

"Sure!" Rosetta gave us a thumbs up. "I'm always happy to help you, guys!"

Three minutes before the expose...

Pagkatapos ng unang dalawang subjects para sa aming morning period, bumaba na kami ni Alistair sa execom office. The final countdown has begun. The clock is still ticking and we don't know if the bomb is going to explode. We hope not.