Nang matapos nina Gwen at Vladimir ang pinagawa sa kanila, nagtinginan silang dalawa at tahimik na dumiretso sa hagdan para bumaba na mula sa platform.
Pero bago pa man sila tuluyang makababa, isang babae na nakasuot ng laboratory gown ang nakakita sa kanila at pinigilan silang bumaba. She gave them a suspicious look, causing both Gwen and Vladimir to feel nervous and hesitant.
Pinagmasdan ni Vladimir ang babae nang maigi, at naalala niyang nakita niya na ang mukha nito sa Paramount Yearbook. Kaharap nila ang isang babaeng dating miyembro ng Paramount Class, at katulad nila ay isa ring metahuman, kaya hindi niya mapigilang kabahan.
"Saan kayo pupunta?" tanong sa kanila ng babae.
"We need to... To get some more test tubes," agad na tugon ni Gwen, habang pilit na ikinukubli ang pag-aalala kahit pa natatakpan ang mga mukha nila dahil sa suot na hazmat suits.
Napatigil nang saglit ang babae, na para bang may iniisip habang pinagmamasdan silang dalawa. Halos marinig na ni Gwen ang tibok ng puso niya dahil sa tensyon at kaba na nararamdaman habang naghihintay sa magiging tugon sa kanila ng kaharap. Gwen suddenly replied, trying her best to look confident and unsuspicious.
"If you're going to get some supplies, then just get me some glass slides as well," the female scientist suddenly told them calmly.
Mabilis na tumugon sina Gwen at Vladimir, bago tuluyang nakahinga nang malalim pagkatapos silang lampasan ng scientist nakaharap. Sabay silang nakaramdam ng pansamantalang ginhawa, baog muling itinuon ang pansin sa paglabas sa warehouse na iyon.
The two then rapidly went down the stairs and went through the backdoor of the warehouse which will lead them to a blue tent where the supplies are kept. It is also the same place where they hid the two workers from whom they stole the suits from.
Ginamit ni Gwen ang kakayahan sa dalawang lalaking ninakawan nila ng suit, at inutusan ang mga ito na magtago hangga't hindi sila nakakabalik. Pinapwesto niya rin ang dalawa sa isang espasyo sa likod ng warehouse na hindi naman nadadaanan ng mga tao. Puno ng mga lumang kagamitan, mga malalaking drum, at mga malalaking piraso ng bakal ang masukal na bahaging iyon ng lote, kaya talagang walang makakapansin sa dalawang lalaking nakakubli roon. Hindi rin naman nagtagal sina Gwen at Vladimir sa loob, kaya mabilis din nilang nabalikan ang dalawa.
After placing the suits back on the two men, Vladimir then used his ability to control the cameras as they passed through the narrow path on the side of the warehouse. They walked quietly and discreetly, until they reached the back gate. It is smaller, but is equally guarded.
"Dito ka lang at ihanda mo ang sarili mo..." ani Gwen bago nagsimulang mag-focus, "I'll do the same thing I did a while ago, then I'll just tell you if it's your turn, do you understand me?"
Iyon nga lang, hindi nakatanggap ng kahit anong tugon si Gwen mula kay Vladimir, kaya binalingan niya ito ng isang nagtatakang tingin. Pero sa halip na tuluyang magalit, nagulat si Gwen nang makitang nanigas na si Vladimir sa pwesto niya, at blangko ang mga mata nito.
"Vladimir... Anong problema?"
"There's nothing wrong with him. I just went into his head and controlled him. You see, you're not the only telepath here, Gwen."
Nang lingunin ni Gwen ang pinagmulan ng tinig, halos magdikit na ang mga kilay niya nang makita si Dr. Janus Roth na nakatayo ilang metro ang layo mula sa kanya.
"Anong ginagawa mo dito?"
"Sa sitwasyon nating dalawa, parang ako ata ang dapat na nagtatanong niyan, hindi ba? Anong ginagawa ninyong dalawa dito? As far as I know, this is a protected facility, and unauthorized people like you are not allowed to go here. To say that you lost your way and randomly found yourselves here is pretty far-fetched, don't you think?"
Gwen started to feel threatened and clenched her fists in fury, causing the pebbles and rocks on the ground to start floating, much to Janus' amusement.
"Relax... I'm not here to put you in danger. I just needed to make your good-looking companion that way so that I can talk to you..."
Nanatiling alerto si Gwen, pero pinili niyang pakinggan ang mga sasabihin ng kaduda-dudang siyentipiko. "Sino ka ba talaga?"
"I'm Dr. Janus Roth, and I'm a metahuman like you. I work in the Paramount Laboratories as a –"
"Who the fuck are you?" Gwen said, her tone stern and imposing.
"Hmm... Temper, temper."
"Hindi ako nakikipagbiruan sa'yo."
"Ah, I'm sorry..." Janus then said as he chuckled, "You mean... If I'm a friend or a foe? Well... I'm neither of the two. At hindi ako nagsisinungaling... You can check my mind if you want to."
"I'm not a fool. Telepaths' abilities won't work with other telepaths," Gwen said as she eyed him with suspicion, "Ano ba talaga ang kailangan mo?"
Napakibit-balikat si Janus habang nakangiti sa kanya. "Nothing. I'm just here to watch everything unfold, that's all."
Binigyan siya ni Gwen ng isang matalim na titig. "Hindi ako naniniwala sa'yo..."
"You're not supposed to, and you don't have to. But don't mind me. I'm just... a watcher. I just love watching people, and how stuff happen," naglakad siya papalapit kay Gwen, "And you, my dear... You play a crucial role in this chronicle –"
"Move closer and I'll kill you..." Gwen suddenly threatened him, being able to lift pieces of metal from the ground and pointing it towards the man.
"You can control it when you're mad... Interesting."
"It's not a threat. It's a promise. I'm seriously going to kill you."
Janus just chuckled at her while shaking her head. "But you're not going to kill me, because I have no plans of hurting you. In fact, I'll help the two of you escape."
Nagsalubong ang mga kilay ni Gwen dahil sa pagtataka. "A-ano?"
The man just nodded, and then moved his eyes towards the guards standing by the gates. All of a sudden, the men suddenly stood in place and ceased moving. After that, he let go of Vladimir, and the latter is finally able to perceive everything that is happening around him. When the latter saw Janus with them, he was about to rush to hurt him, but Gwen immediately stopped him.
"Pwede na kayong umalis.... They won't see you, because I manipulated their minds into thinking you're invisible..." ani Janus sa kanila, "Pero gumagana pa ang mga camera sa paligid at wala akong kakayahan para manipulahin ang mga iyon. But I think Mr. Garcia could do it, right?"
Gwen did not respond to him, but just gave him a stern glare before walking away. Vladimir followed her immediately, who instantaneously controlled the cameras around so that they can pass freely. He also used the same ability to open the gates, which finally allowed the two of them to escape the facility.
Naglakad si Janus palapit sa gate, at sinundan ng tingin ang dalawang estudyante na tumakbo palayo sa lugar na iyon. When they are already far enough from the warehouse, he snapped his fingers to wake up the guards he manipulated.
Habang dinadaanan ni Janus ang mga guwardiyang tila nalilito pa sa mga nangyari, bahagya siyang tumawa. Umiling-iling na lamang siya, bago tuluyang bumalik sa loob ng pasilidad.
********
"Magmula ngayon, magkakasama na sina Dr. Janus, Dr. Lara, at ang Sir Daniel ninyo para sa evaluations at trainings na pagdadaanan ninyo bago ang quarterly assessment sa katapusan ng semester na ito. On that day, some people from the higher positions in the Paramount Laboratories, as well as former students from the Paramount Class will be in attendance to watch the showcase of your abilities," ani Benjamin sa mga estudyante ng Paramount Class na kasama nila sa supplemental class ng mga ito na ginaganap sa bagong-gawang gymnasium ng school.
"We know that you have been spending your time learning about your abilities, but through the series of simulation tests you are going to undergo through me," ani Janus sa mga kabataan, "Malalaman natin ang extent at limits ng mga kakayahan ninyo. If possible, we're also going to try pinpointing your weakness that might become relevant in developing your abilities even more. You see, real strength comes from knowing one's weaknesses. If you can't remove them, then at least you have to learn how to handle them, right?"
Tumango si Lara bilang pagsang-ayon. "In the following weeks, we will be keeping track of your health, even checking your diets and your intake of vitamins and supplements. We will make sure that all of you are in your best shapes, in order to prepare you for the quarterly assessment."
Habang nakikinig sa dalawang nagsasalita sa harap, ramdam ni Jacob ang isang pares ng mga mata na nakatuon sa kanya. Nang mapatingin siya sa pinanggalingan nito, doon niya napagtanto na nakatingin pala sa kanya ang school director nila. The moment their eyes met, the school director gave him a soft yet meaningful smile, to which Jacob responded with a nod.
Alam ni Jacob ang rason kung bakit ganoon na lamang ang tingin sa kanya ng school director, at kung hindi pa dahil sa mga sinabi nina Daniel ay hindi niya pa malalaman iyon.
Napabuntong-hininga ang binata, at saglit na pinasadahan ng tingin si Daniel. The school adviser just gave him a calm look, before moving his eyes towards the two doctors who are still explaining in front of the students.
The young man then recalled a part of the conversation he had with the class adviser that day when he was taken away secretly.
"Sigurado ka bang tutulong ka sa amin?" inalala ni Jacob ang mga sinabi ni Daniel, "Tandaan mo, Jacob. Delikado 'to. Hindi madaling kaaway si Benjamin."
"Alam ko naman 'yun... Pero kung totoong marami ang napapahamak dahil sa mga eksperimentong ginagawa niya, at siya rin ang dahilan kung bakit namatay ang tatay ko, mas may dahilan ako para lumaban, hindi ba? You just told me that my body has the hormone he needs for his plans to succeed, but I'd rather fight than let them use me... I need to fight for my safety. I need to learn from you on how I could protect myself from them," pagkatapos ay tumingin si Jacob nang direkta sa mga mata ng guro, "Anong gagawin ko?'
"Sa ngayon, manahimik ka muna. Magpanggap kang walang nalalaman. Nalagyan ka naman ni Gwen ng psi blocks, kaya hindi basta mapapasok ni Janus ang isipan mo. We need to wait before we can execute everything, before we can reveal everything. We need to gather information. We need evidence about them doing experiments on both metahumans and normal people. If possible, we should get someone that could attest to it..."
Upon hearing the class adviser's words, he remembered something, "Kung kailan pa ng impormasyon, pwede ninyong kunin ang mga gamit ng tatay ko... Nandoon pa iyon sa bahay namin sa probinsiya. May mga pictures doon... Mga notes at researches."
Bahagyang nanlaki ang mga mata ni Daniel dahil sa sinabi ng binata. "Nakatago iyon doon?"
Tumango si Jacob. "Opo. Nandoon lang iyon sa secret room ni Papa."
"Pero... Pero akala namin nasunog na iyon lahat sa laboratoryo niya."
Helga then nodded as she smirked. "Looks like Anthony knew something wrong is going to happen, so he kept important files and took it with him. I'll be the one to take it from there... Gustaf, you're coming with me."
Tumango si Gustaf. "Sige. Sasama ako."
"Siya nga pala..." dagdag pa ni Jacob, "Si Vladimir..."
"What about him?"
"Ang sabi niya sa 'kin noong nakaraan, shareholder daw sa Paramount Laboratories ang tatay niya. May mga nakita raw siya, pero hindi niya iyon sinabi sa 'kin lahat. Sa tingin ko nagsasabi naman siya nang totoo, pero may mga tinanggal lang siyang impormasyon dahil hindi pa siya gaanong nagtitiwala sa 'kin. Pero kung kakampi siya sa 'tin, makakatulong din siya."
Daniel then nodded as he stood up from his seat. "Then we have to get Vladimir on our side as well... Pero ang tanong, papayag ba siya? If he chooses to help us, which would mean that he has to go against his own father. But we'll see about that. After all, we will need all the help we can get in order to destroy Benjamin's plans."
Natahimik si Jacob, bago muling ibinaling ang tingin kay Daniel. "At kapag nailabas na natin ang totoo, ano nang mangyayari?"
"People will finally know that metahumans like us exist... It will create a ruckus, but that is already inevitable from the very beginning. In the end, they still need to know that humans like us are here, living with them, seeking for acceptance and trying to find their place in the society. Iyon naman ang gusto ng Sanctum, ang gusto ng lahat... Ang tanggapin tayo ng mga tao sa halip na pangilagan...
"But the more important thing... is that the Paramount Program will definitely crumble after that. The moment Benjamin loses control on the situation, we win..."
"At pagkatapos noon... Papatayin mo ba siya?"
Bahagyang nagulat si Daniel sa tanong ng binata, bago siya napahinga nang malalim. "He took my brother away from me... And you only pay a lost life with another life, right?"
Matapos maalala ang pag-uusap na iyon, nagpalipat-lipat ang mga mata ni Jacob kay Janus at Lara, sa school director, at sa class adviser nilang si Daniel. Pagkatapos noon ay itinuon niya naman ang tingin kay Gwen at Vladimir na magkatabing nakaupo.
He then looked around, and glanced at the faces of the other Paramount Class members, before finally focusing his gaze in front of the room.
Hindi niya maintindihan kung nakakaramdam ba siya ng galit, pero alam ni Jacob na mali ang ginagawa ni Benjamin at ng Paramount Program. Hindi siya makapaniwala na sa likod ng prestihiyoso nitong imahe ay ang karumal-dumal na mga eksperimentong ginagawa nila sa mga normal na tao at sa mga metahumans na kagaya nila.
Jacob is both terrified and motivated to do something, and while he knows that joining their class adviser's scheme is dangerous, he would not back down.
He isn't just fighting for his fellow metahumans, because he is also fighting for his own safety... and his own life.