Chapter 48
A/N: Don't read if you know that you'll get triggered. Health first!
tw // anxiety attack
Everyone was at the meeting room as Kaizo was discussing something with them. He was discussing information about Andres. He projected pictures of the attack on GogoBugi then pointed out Andres' presence.
"He was there when the Tengkotak Gang attacked our planet. Our dad, his brother, was surprised to see that he was helping them. Our dad is a governor on our home planet. Initially, it was supposed to be given to Andres but their dad didn't see how committed he was so it ended up in our dad, which caused a lot."
"It all started with some sibling jealousy huh? Did he have to go that far?" Leizel asked, crossing her arms. "Well, for him it meant a lot. That's not all... Andres isn't his real name." Kaizo said, turning to all of them.
"His real name is Yoshi," The rest, especially Lia, was shocked at the sudden revelation. "He used Sitan when he formed Orangpina Jahat so that we won't be able to track him down. Then he used Andres when he went to Earth to cool himself down from everything that's happening. Eventually, he met your mom." Kaizo turned to Lia.
"Well, no wonder he didn't have any surname. Half of my life I thought de Vera belongs to him." She then turned to Tarung and KokoCi, who was also with them in the meeting room. "Admiral, we talked about Sitan before... Did you know he's Andres?"
Tarung shook his head, "That's negative, lance corporal. We didn't figure out if those two are the same person until now." Kaizo cleared his throat making Lia turn back to him, "I knew your father is Sitan. But I didn't want to break it to you that easily. Besides, before he became Sitan, he was still Yoshi when he attacked GogoBugi with the Tengkotak gang."
The sound heroine nodded, taking everything in. "I mean, I already started having suspicions before I went back here, then... this happened. Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I should've connected the dots earlier."
"It's not your fault," Gopal assured her, patting her shoulder. "You didn't know, that's better than knowing it than hiding it from us." He earned a glare from Leizel, then he realized what he just said.
"Sorry." Gopal apologized, doing a peace sign. Boboiboy nudged Gopal, sighing at him. Then he spoke up, "Anyways... Do you have an idea of what he's on about? Why did he collect power spheres in exchange for money?"
"And why did he give Sonobot to Lia? Why did he allow her to give her powers?" Gopal asked. "Well, that's for Sonobot to answer. Where is she?" Lia turned to Fang and Kaizo, eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"At the power sphere vault. We'll ask her later, let's listen to captain first." Fang answered in which Lia nodded for approval. "Captain, did you know that Sonobot is actually OnseBot?"
Kaizo shook his head, "Negative. We've been looking for that power sphere for years because we knew Andres has it. Little did we know it has been under our roof for the whole time."
KokoCi went to the monitor then typed something, then a holographic blueprint was displayed. "The money garnered from the exchange is used for the construction of this... a quantum generator. It can warp the fabric of space-time and command a great power of a black hole."
The gang was all shocked, Andres' plan can destroy all of them. Lia observed the blueprint, then she realized. "I-I saw that blueprint... Before I came here, I was looking through my dad's stuff... I didn't realize it was that thing. Ugh!"
She then widened her eyes as she remembered seeing the fingerless glove and red fabric back in the Philippines, "No, no, no... I can't believe this...The chemical reagent... I was hallucinating him, the red masked guy, right? I think I know where it came from."
"Where?" Ying asked her. "When we went to the Philippines for my mom's birthday, I saw a fingerless glove and red fabric in his closet. I took a close look at it and I accidentally inhaled dust..."
"The dust must have been the chemical reagent that affected your central nervous system," Kaizo replied. "Yeah, I know... I'm so stupid. It has been in front of me the whole time! And..." Lia trailed off, pacing around the room, grabbing her hair.
"Babe, hey..." Boboiboy went to her and stopped her, "It's okay, it already happened. It's not your fault. We can't blame you for not pointing fingers immediately, he's your dad and with him doing this, it really does look absurd for you."
Lia slowly nodded, "I want him down, he needs to be stopped. Or else our very existence is doomed." Yaya softly smiled, "And we will stop him, we're with you, Lia. Always have and always will be."
"Yeah, no doubt we'll team up for this. It's what we always do." Leizel added on with a grin. Ying cleared her throat, "The question is... how are we going to stop him?"
Kaizo sighed, "We don't know yet, but we'll start formulating a plan now. We have to be prepared; we have to keep our guard up." Everyone else agreed with him. After more minutes of talking, the meeting was adjourned. They were all advised to head back to their rooms to take some rest.
Lia glanced at Fang who was obviously bothered by everything that happened. "Fang," She walked to him with a concerned look. "I'm sorry about what happened. I really didn't know that-" He halted her by raising his palm. He turned to the rest who stopped walking to look at the two of them.
"Can you guys give us some privacy? I want to have a talk with Lia here." Fang asked calmly. Yaya, Ying, and Gopal nodded then went ahead to their rooms, while Boboiboy and Leizel looked at their respective partners with a concerned look.
Lia heaved a sigh, noticing their looks, "It will be alright. We just need to talk." Fang motioned the two to leave who then obeyed his instruction.
As soon as the two disappear from their sight, Fang initiated the conversation. "You said you had suspicions before returning here. I'm assuming you used the device I gave you."
Lia nodded, "Yeah. I also happen to stumble upon his workplace back in the house. He had this device that projected these pictures... Fang, my dad knows Boboiboy's dad."
"Boboiboy's dad? You mean Amato?" Fang asked in disbelief. "Yeah, I saw pictures of them and it looks way back. I feel that the reason dad is doing this has to do something with Amato." Lia replied with softened eyes.
Fang sighed in frustration, "Boboiboy told me that you had suspicions on Sonobot ever since. Ever since when?" Lia pondered on the question, trying to remember the exact moment she started to suspect on the power sphere.
"2019," Lia said, putting her hands on her hips. "I know it has been a long time but-" Fang scoffed, cutting her off, "Let me put this straight. Four years? It took you four years to realize that you were right? That we were right?"
"Fang, I'm-" He cut her off once again, "Why didn't you say anything back then? Lia, not only your safety is on the line but also the rest of us. Especially me and captain, your cousins! I'm disappointed."
Lia lowered her head, feeling guilt arising in her, "I was too scared, I guess." But really, she doesn't even know the exact reason why didn't she speak up about it.
Fang shook his head with a look of dismay on his face, "Anyway, for sure Sonobot has more answers to our questions. We need to talk to that power sphere of yours."
At the same time, they encountered the power spheres - Ochobot and Sonobot.
Lia rushed to Sonobot and grabbed her, surprising the rest. "I already know about it and I want you to explain everything to me." Sonobot was speechless, her eyes went to Fang who has his arms crossed.
The next thing that happened, they were all in Lia's room. Fang called the others to join them in the interrogation. Sonobot was explaining to the gang how it all started. "The first thing I remembered was being activated years before Lia migrated to Malaysia. I was commanded to grant them my powers, for they have an agenda to do. Andres told me you guys were the enemy so I gave them, Andres and Aisha, my powers."
"Months before Lia went to Malaysia, Andres discussed his plan. Give Lia the power of sound manipulation, make her utilize it until the time of the revelation comes. He's planning to turn her against the rest of you guys, and TAPOPS too. He knows that being Lia's father be easy in controlling her, especially given the fact that she's already with you guys."
Yaya sighed, "People who are manipulative are one of the worst. Does he think he can do that to her, especially when she has the right way of thinking?" Lia shook her head, "He won't. He already caused a lot."
She turned to her power sphere, "Please continue." Sonobot nodded, "He wanted every update on you. The moment I gave you the power watch, I immediately told him. When you joined TAPOPS, I told him. Everything related to it, I told him."
Gopal facepalmed, sighing. "Great job, Sonobot. Now you endangered all of us." Sonobot scoffed, "It's not that I wanted this to happen! You think I don't have a conscience too?"
"You're a power sphere, Sonobot. As a power sphere, you should know what's right and wrong. You knew Andres was up to something wrong yet you tolerated him!" Boboiboy snapped.
Lia held Boboiboy's hand, calming him down. She also softly pats his back as she turned to Sonobot, "Why did you agree with his plan? Do you know about the quantum generator? Not only planet Earth will be gone but everything in this galaxy can go."
"Yes, I do," Sonobot confirmed. "He told me I'll be safe from it. He's planning to take you, me, and your mom away from it then he will initiate his plan." Leizel groaned, "And so what will happen to the rest of us? Die? Damn. He's no good. We have to act quickly now, who knows if he has that machine ready."
"Dey, why are you telling these to us? You were a spy for him." Gopal furrowed his eyebrows. Sonobot sighed, "Because I had enough of him hurting Lia. The plan was to help her in utilizing her powers, this means constant training. I didn't know about his plan in sending Aisha and Reverse to her until it happened. The time he asked me about your agendas was for him to monitor all of you, I guess he had other plans that he didn't tell me."
"What about Iris? Why did he capture Iris and tell us she was dead?" Lia questioned. "Well, that's something your father never explained to me. He just said that Aisha, or Iris, is your long-lost sister." Sonobot replied.
"Sorry to tell you this, but I don't trust you anymore, Sonobot. We don't trust you anymore." Ying told the power sphere, crossing her arms. Yaya nodded, "That's right. With you being silent about it, it caused all of this. We don't know if I should believe your statements or not."
"We don't even know if we should still be calling Sonobot. That's not your name." Fang firmly said. "Andres wanted me to change my name and he replaced something in me to prevent them in getting my coordinates." The power sphere answered.
Lia nodded, "Well, captain Kaizo did mention trying to track down you, OnseBot. Guess you did a great job in avoiding getting tracked." She rolled her eyes. "But that doesn't mean that we believe you totally," Boboiboy added on, glaring at the power sphere.
Sonobot didn't reply to that, she understood how everyone else is having a hard time trusting him. Lia stood up and walked to her, "Thanks for your help. We'll take care of it from here."
"Will you shut me off again?" Sonobot asked. Lia exhaled deeply, looking away from the power sphere. It took her around 20 seconds for her to nod as a reply to her question.
Sonobot nodded, then she hugged Lia all of a sudden. "I'm really sorry for this, Lia. Please forgive me." The tone of the voice was sad as if she was going to cry. The heroine felt a pang in her chest, but she didn't look at her.
"Time to go." Then she turned her off. She was sad doing this to her; the power sphere isn't just some kind of robotic assistance to her, she was also a friend. But Sonobot betrayed all of them which caused this mess, she knew they couldn't afford to give more leads to Andres.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked to see Leizel looking at her in sorrow. She just smiled and handed Sonobot to her, "Take her to the vault. I guess we should all rest now. It was a tiring day."
Later on, the gang went back to their respective rooms. Leizel was already lying on the bed, she saw Lia just by the window, staring outside. "You won't sleep yet? It's almost 11 PM."
"In a while. I just need to think." Lia replied, still eyes on the outside. Leizel nodded, understanding her situation, "Well don't think too much. You'll have a hard time sleeping. You'll be okay. Goodnight buddy."
Leizel dozed off immediately as Lia answered, "Goodnight."
She exhaled deeply as she started thinking. The signs of Andres being Sitan was there all along, ever since from the time she migrated to Malaysia. That explains his sudden disappearance, his knowledge of power spheres, the way he dodges the questions related to Sonobot and Iris, and Sonobot not explaining where did she exactly come from.
She felt bad about being oblivious to it before. She was already oblivious when it came to Boboiboy's feelings, and she knew it frustrated him. Now that this happened, she felt guilty because it was her fault.
"Why didn't you say anything back then?" Not even her, herself, can answer that question.
"The clues were already there," Lia told herself, making herself even more guilty. "Boboiboy and Fang used to suspect him... yet I didn't do anything."
Overwhelmed by her thoughts, she dashed out of the room. She started walking along the corridor. Then she passed by Yaya and Ying's room in which she heard voices.
"I understand how you feel, Yaya. I accept it already." It was Gopal speaking which surprised her. She didn't want to eavesdrop on their conversation so she went on.
Continuing the walk, she started having chest pains in which she held it She felt her body shaking, as she also felt sweat coming out from her. Tears started coming out of her eyes as her pace slowed down.
She dropped down to the ground, breathing heavily. What surprised her was the feeling of numbness in her body. She lets out short cries as her chest was heaving from all the feeling in her body.
"Lia," A voice called out to her. She couldn't turn around, but she felt some footsteps heading to her. Someone helped her up, it was Fang. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"
She couldn't reply; she felt the tightness in her throat as if she was choking. Fang got her arm and wrapped it around his neck, he uses his left arm to support it as he uses his right arm to support her torso. "It's okay, I'm here."
He started walking her back to her room, but Lia wasn't getting any better. She was feeling dizzy and her eyes started to become blurry, "Fang..." He turned to her, and the moment she closed her eyes, he suddenly used his hand to catch her head from hitting the ground.
It was as if the world stopped. Fang didn't know what else to do- his cousin just fainted in front of him. He started to panic, "Someone help!"
Minutes later, Boboiboy went out of their room, rubbing his eyes. "Goodness, Fang. You woke me up! Why did you screa-" The moment he saw what's happening, he widened his eyes then rushed to them.
"Love?!" Once he arrived at them, he gasped upon seeing that his girlfriend fainted. "What happened to her?!" Fang sighed, "I saw her there on the ground so I helped her up. She said she was feeling numb in her body. When I was walking her back to the room, she fainted."
Boboiboy nodded, overwhelmed at what just happened. He immediately took Lia from him, carrying her bridal style. "Let's go to the infirmary, call someone to help us as well." The elemental hero dashed to the MedBay while Fang went in another direction.
At the Orangpina Jahat station, Andres was still in his outfit but without the mask. He was with a group of his minions, reporting the progress of their construction. "It's still a long way to go since we just started building it last month. The earliest time we can finish it is around 2 months from now."
Andres nodded, "That's okay, take your time. It would be better that way; to ensure the success of the machine, rather than having it rushed then it will miserably fail." The group of his minions nodded.
"Thank you, boss." They all exited the room, and when they did, Aisha went inside. She did a bow first before speaking up, "Why did we escape earlier? We should have finished them on the spot. You have the replication of their powers, especially that Boboiboy's. He has 7 elements!"
"My plan was to finish them without Lia. If I strike an attack that will destroy them and their station, Lia would've been affected. I should've known she'll be following afterward." Andres replied. "Besides, I have another scheme planned out which will take place later on."
Aisha furrowed her eyebrows, "Why do you care for her anyway?! As if she'll go to our side. I don't understand why are we after this pesky girl!" Andres stood up, glaring at Aisha. "What else?! She's going to be the heir of this position I'm holding right now. She has great potential, unlike you."
"What are you talking about?! I literally did everything for you and you're telling me she's going to be next in line?" Aisha gritted her teeth. "What else? That's the whole reason why I'm doing this. Take note of this, Lia is my daughter."
Then, he walked to her to directly look at her menacingly, "Don't you forget why I brought you here, brat. If you want a place to stay, do your job properly. Do you think I forgot about you revealing yourself right away to her? Think again."
As he went to the exit of the room, the doors were suddenly opened. "As what I always tell you, the more you try to impress, the less impressive you become, Aisha." Andres walked out of the room, leaving her upset.
---
A/N: Yay another one ^__^ Hope y'all enjoyed it! The next update will be next week :> Keep safe always!
- Ana