***************
Lumipat si Clyde sa tabi niya at ipinahilig ang ulo niya sa balikat nito. She rested on his shoulder for few minutes silently sobbing before she realized she somehow overreacted.
Clyde's lips were pursed when she looked up at him. Nang makitang nakatingala siya rito ay ngumiti ito ng tipid. She didn't know if it was sincere because she could sense pain in it.
"I'm sorry for my outburst," sambit niya saka umayos ng upo. Clyde didn't react. It took a minute before he went back to his seat in front of her.
"How much do you know Klein Rich?" tanong nito nang matapos ang ilang segundo. He had that distant look on his face.
She inhaled deeply contemplating whether to tell the man everything or not. It took three seconds before she spoke.
"Everything," she uttered matter-of-factly. Clyde stared seriously at her.
"Do you know that he's the head of an elite clandestine force in the country?" he asked looking at her eyes. Napalunok siya. So, Clyde knew about Klein's work?
"Paano mo nalaman?"
"I already told you who I was and what I am capable of doing. I investigated him myself," he answered.
She inhaled deeply.
"I also work for IF," she admitted. Clyde stared at her. Then, he smirked.
"Sabi ko na nga ba," he murmured. Tumawa ito ng nakakainsulto.
"Your calmness during those times were remarkable. Bakit ba hindi ako nagduda?" he said sarcastically. His eyes looked hurt.
Pakiramdam niya ay na-guilty siya sa nakikitang reaction ng binata.
"Noong naging tutor ka ng mga bata parte ba iyon ng trabaho mo?" tanong nito.
She slowly nodded. Clyde looked betrayed and she felt like he's not faking it.
"Klein Rich is my boyfriend," she confessed. Then, she later shook her head.
"No, scratch it. He's my fiancé," she added. Nakita niya ang pagguhit ng sakit sa mga mata nito.
Hindi ito nagsalita. Magpapaliwanag sana siya pero dumating na ang mga waiters at nagserve.
Both of them only stared at the food. Ayaw sana niyang galawin ang pagkain dahil ang seryoso ng sitwasyon pero naglaway ang bagang niya pagkakita sa mga pagkain.
"L-let's eat," bulong niya. She almost choked.
When she can't wait for an answer, she took some on her plate, and as soon as she tasted the food, she felt like eating everything on the table.
Clyde stared at her. Nahihiya pa niyang ibaba ang kutsara na nasa bibig.
It fook few seconds before his aura changed. He looked at her amusedly.
"Gutom ka na talaga?" he chuckled softly.
"A little," nahihiya niyang pag-amin.
Tumawa ang binata ng mahina. For a brief moment, she felt like seeing the old Clyde. 'Yong maamo ang mukha, magaan ang awra at parang walang dinadalang problema.
She smiled at him. Unti-unti naman itong tumigil sa pagtawa.
"Puwede bang umorder ka ulit nang para sa 'yo?" request niya rito.
"Akin na lang lahat 'to," she added.
"Are you serious?" he asked amused. Nang tumango siya ay bumunghalit ito ng tawa. Nag-blush pa siya pero kalaunan ay nakitawa na lang. His laugh is contagious. Pakiramdam niya ay walang mabigat na usapan ang nagdaan kani-kanina lang.
When he stopped laughing, he called the waiter and ordered another set.
They both savored the food, her eating two servings while Clyde once in a while smiles at her, nodding in disbelief.
Clyde seriously stared at her during their dessert.
"Do you love Klein Rich?" he asked straight in her eyes.
She doesn't want to lie again so she nodded with a yes.
"Do you have any idea how much that hurts?" Clyde asked. She could sense pain in his voice. Hindi siya nakapagsalita. What is she supposed to say?
Huminga ito ng malalim ng ilang beses. She remained silent.
"Now that you knew everything. Puwede mo na akong hindi bantayan," mahina niyang hayag.
Clyde stared at her. Her heart ached seeing pain in his eyes. Pakiramdam niya kapag nalaglag ang nagbabadya nitong luha ay maiiyak rin siya. Good thing, he didn't weep.
"Do you want me to help you find him?" he asked instead.
"Hindi na. I don't want to drag you into this." She can't be so insensitive of his feelings. Kung talagang mahal siya nito, mas lalo lang niya itong masasaktan kapag tinulungan pa siyang hanapin si Cloud. 'Tis like rubbing salt on his wound.
"Alam mo naman kung ano ang nararamdaman ko sa 'yo di ba?" Ngumiti ito ng tipid pero hindi nawala ang sakit sa mga mata nito.
She nodded.
"It's the least I could do for you," he mumbled. Napatitig siya sa binata.
"To make sure you are happy before I leave you with him," he told her. His sincerity made her eyes welled-up. Pinunas niya ang luha sa gilid ng mata. Parang hindi siya makapaniwala.
Sa kabila ng kaguluhan at kasinungalingang nakapalibot sa uri ng trabaho niya, ngayon siya naniwala na may mga tao talagang mabubuti pa rin ang loob.
*****
"Gusto ko siyang tulungan pero tumanggi siya. I need to find him and the other agents," paliwanag niya habang paakyat sila ni Clyde sa third floor ng bahay nila. She converted one of the guest rooms in their house as her working area. Walang nakapapasok roon maliban sa kanya.
Napag-usapan na kasi nila ni Clyde na tutulungan siya nitong i-trace ang binata.
Clyde even gasped when he saw her work area. May iba't-ibang klase ng baril na nakasabit sa mga pader. She pushed a pin on the wall revealing her tracking devices and 50 computer monitors. Nakakonekta ang mga iyon sa mga CCTV's sa iba't-ibang lugar sa iba't-ibang bansa. She just need to key in the combination code for the country and city, and presto, the monitors will shift to the live feed of the place.
"I didn't really expect that you are expert on these things," he told her honestly. Nakuwento na kasi nito na noong nangyari ang shooting incident ay inimbestigahan na niya si Klein at nalamang head ito ng IF, isang sikretong organisasyon na pinapatakbo ng mga lider ng iba't-ibang nasyon. A legit force that would work covertly to protect allied countries.
Hindi na raw ito nag-aksayang mag-imbestiga tungkol sa mga kasamahan ni Cloud. Hindi rin naman daw ito nagduda sa kanya kaya hindi nito alam na kasali siya.
Pinasadahan nito ng tingin ang mga pins niya na naka-hilera sa isang clear box sa pader.
"So, ikaw ang nang-hack sa mga CCTV's dati sa bahay ng matanda at sa warehouse ko?" tanong nito. She only nodded.
Hindi naman din nagsalita ang binata at muling iginala ang paningin.
"Klein called me up this morning but I can not trace his location." Ikinabit niya ang phone sa tracking device pero wala pa ring siyang makitang lokasyon.
"Pwede kong galawin?" paalam ni Clyde nang makitang sumuko na siya.
He went in front of the wall and started punching in different codes.
"He's interfering your tracking system," sambit nito. She almost clenched her jaw. Pinigilan niya ang sariling tuluyang mainis.
She saw Clyde punching more codes random numbers and letters before pages after pages of lined up signal tracks flashed. Her eyes widened.
"Wait! Are you hacking the locator of the world?" tanong niya nang mag-log in ang system na pinindot nito.
He only nodded and swiped in more codes.
She swallowed hard. She and Cristina had a hunch that there is such a thing, but it remained a myth up until now that she actually saw it with her naked eyes. Hinala lang nila noon ni Mars at iniisip na may access si Mother Uni sa ganoong sistema dahil sa pagkarehistro ng kasal nila ni Klein Rich. Pero dahil si Cloud ang totoong nang-hack ng registry ng mundo, sigurado siyang alam din itong i-hack ni Cloud kaya siguro nito nalaman noong nasa US siya at tinangkang pasukin ang FBI.
"Holy hell!" Clyde glanced at her as the codes stopped flashing on the screen. Tumigil ito sa isang particular na code. It seemed like he's familiar with it.
Clyde entered another code and a location popped in.
"He's inside NoKor armies' camp outside Metro Manila," he told her. Napalunok siya at pinakatitigan ang lokasyon. It's about three hours away from the Metro.
"Seems like they got hold of him," sambit nito. Her mind panicked at his statement. She heard gunshots this morning before the line went dead. It may be possible that they have captured Klein. Her heartbeats raced.
"Pupuntahan ko siya," agad niyang saad. Cloud needs her. She has to help him by hook or by crook.
She went near the wall and pushed the button. She gathered all her pins. Mabilis siyang pumasok sa walk-in closet kung nasaan ang mga ilang damit niyang pang-giyera. She change her shoes into boots. The one that doesn't create any noise when she walks. Kumuha siya ng jacket. She wore a mask that would be familiar to Cloud.
Nakaupo sa sofa si Clyde paglabas niya.
"Are you sure with that? You are going to get inside a monster's den," he asked not minding even if she wore a different face. He stood up.
"I am," she said fixing her hair in a bun. She put her pins around her pony tail.
"Don't you think you have to roll out a plan? Kailangan mo ng mga kasama. I can help you with the planning. I am familiar with the place," suhestiyon nito.
She inhaled deeply. Her heart hasn't stop beating fast thinking that Cloud is in danger and was held captive.
"Give me the blueprint of the place. I can do it alone," saad niya rito. She must not waste a minute.
He stared at her for a moment before taking his phone from his pocket. Wala pang isang segundo, tumunog na ang cellphone niya. It was the blue print of the place and where CCTV's and bombs are situated.
Akmang kukuha siya ng armas nang magsalita si Clyde.
"Huwag kang magdadala ng baril kung ayaw mong ma-detect ka nila agad," paalala nito. Kumunot ang noo niya at napatitig rito. Inisip niya kung talagang may concern ito o pinapaikot siya para mapahamak.
What if the guy hasn't been sincere all along? Paano kung mali ang interpretasyon niya sa sinserong pagtulong nito?
"Sasamahan na lang kita," saad nito nang hindi siya gumalaw sa kinatatayuan. That statement erased a bit of her suspicion. As soon as she nodded, they both went out of the room.
*****
It was a typical private house but fully guarded. Itinuro sa kanya ni Clyde kung paano niya idi-disable ang alarm at kung saan-saang parte siya dapat umapak para maiwasan ang mga land mines sa paligid.
Hindi siya nag-aksaya ng panahon na pasukin ang lugar. They discreetly climb the fence on the side. Clyde disabled the alarm on that part so they won't be detected. May mga punong-kahoy sa paligid kung saan sila puwedeng magtago pero sinabihan siya ng binata na aapak lang sa nakausling ugat ng puno kapag magtatago para hindi masabugan ng landmine.
Nakita niya kung paano walang ingay na pinatumba ni Clyde ang mga guwardiya sa pamamagitan lang ng pagpilipit sa leeg ng mga ito habang umaabante sila patago sa mga puno.
It only took them 3 minutes to get inside the house. Clyde was able to tear down 15 men. Walang ingay at kahirap-hirap. His fighting skills were really impeccable.
He asked her to go down the basement while he go upstairs to disable the chopper at the helipad. Baka raw kasi itakas si Klein gamit 'yon. He knew better about the place and the Koreans, so she obliged.
Umabante siya para idisable ang security system at live footages ng buong bahay bago tinunton ang hagdang pababa na itinuro ni Clyde.
Maingat niyang nilapitan sa likod ang lalaking nasa baba ng hagdan at pinatulog ito gamit ang pin. Hinila niya ito papunta sa gilid para hindi kita sa living area. May hallway at apat na magkakaharap na pintuan ang lalagpasan bago ang natatanaw niyang living room.
She saw someone passed by that area kaya nagtago siya agad sa pader. Unti-unti siyang sumilip. The doors along the hallway were closed. She looked at her phone to see if there were footages inside each room but there was no camera connected to it.
Umabante na lamang siya nang walang pag-aalinlangan. Sumilip siya mula sa hallway. Her eyes widened when she saw a hall as large as a casino area. The couch she saw from the hallway serves as lounge area and there are more around. May mga lalaking nakaupo sa ilang couches sa paligid. Saan ba siya tutungo mula roon? Clyde didn't tell her, it was this large and open. Nagtago siya nang makitang may lalaking papunta sa direksyon niya. She waited for a chance to smack him down.
Nakalikha siya ng komosyon nang aksidenteng matabig ng lalaking napatumba niya ang vase sa gilid. Seconds later gunshots rained on her direction.
Her heart raced. Sa dami ng bala na pinakawalan ng mga ito, sigurado siyang hindi na siya makalalabas ng buhay.
She retreated and made her way back when one of the doors opened. May singkit na lalaking humila sa kanya papasok sa silid.
"Star! What the f*ck?" he hissed as soon as the door closed. Napatingin ang tatlo pang lalaki sa silid na puro mga singkit at mukhang koreano.
"That's what I'm telling! Do not underestimate the Star. Hindi 'yan uupo lang at maghihintay."
Nabosesan niya agad ang isa sa mga mukhang lalaking koreano. It was Cristina.
"Ipahiram mo 'yang disguise mo bilis, ilalabas namin siya," utos ni Cloud sa dalaga.
Agad naman siyang hinila ni Cristina papunta sa loob ng CR.
In a flash, she was able to change her disguise. Hinila siya ulit nito palabas nang naayos ang disguise niya. Agent Mars shoved her towards Cloud. Para siyang manikang pinagpasahan. Cloud held her hand.
"Sumama ka," utos nito. He walked towards the door. Binitawan nito ang kamay niya nang mabuksan ang pinto. May sinabi si Cloud sa mga lalaking nagsisitakbuhan papunta sa hagdan sa lenguwaheng Korean bago sila nakihabol sa mga ito pataas. Nakasunod sa kanila ang dalawa pang lalaki kanina sa silid.
Nang makarating sila sa groundfloor, may mga lalaki ring mabilis na bumababa mula sa second floor. Tiningnan niya kung nahuli ng mga ito si Clyde pero wala naman ang binata.
Muling nagsalita si Cloud ng Korean bago siya inayang sumakay sa kotse at mabilis na lumabas ng gate. Maybe he volunteered to run after the culprit.
"You are jeopardizing our mission, Vanna!" he shouted.
"'Di ba sabi ko mag-antay ka lang doon? Be safe." His jaw clenched. Nakasakay na sila sa loob ng kotse na mabilis nitong iniatras.
She wasn't able to react.
Cloud gritted his teeth as he drove fast out of the place. Nakita niya ang malalalim nitong paghinga.
"Paano mo nalamang nandoon kami?" singhal ulit nito.
Hindi na naman siya nakapagsalita. She didn't like how he raised his voice on her. Pakiramdam niya ay maluluha siya ano mang oras dahil doon.
"God damn it, Vanna. Answer me!" Cloud asked sternly.
"Nag-alala ako para sa 'yo noong narinig kong nagkakabarilan ang paligid mo kaninang umaga kaya pinilit kitang hanapin." She wasn't able to control her tears. Sumakit ang dibdib niya sa inaasal ni Cloud sa kanya. She felt like a futile and an outcast in their agency.
Bumagal ang takbo ng sasakyan. Cloud glanced at her. Natigilan ito nang makita siyang umiiyak.
"Hinanap kita para tulungan hindi para sigawan mo lang," puno ng hinanakit niyang saad.
"Stop the car or I'll jump out," she told him after a second.
"I am not kidding," she said seriously when he glanced. Kilala siya ng binata kaya wala pang isang segundo, itinigil na nito ang sasakyan.
Her heart sank as she opened the car door.
She was about to get out of the car when Cloud held her arm to stop her. Nang lumingon siya rito ay mabilis nitong tinanggal ang suot na mask. He went on unmasking her, too.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he whispered before crossing their distance and kissed her hard on the lips. Her heart leaped at the taste of him.