CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter may contain content that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to, depictions of and references to death, self-harm and suicide, graphic violence, sexual assault, strong language and more.

Please be mindful of these sensitive themes and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.

LORELEI

MY GOODNESS! I forgot the stun pen in my bag! Kung kailan ko siya kailangang-kailangan, doon ko pa talaga siya nakalimutan? Hindi ko rin kasi in-expect na may mangyayaring ganito sa gymnasium. If I had known that our lives would be in danger, I would not have taken it out of my skirt pocket.

"Is something wrong?" tanong ni Luthor habang sinusuri ang gulat kong mukha.

"I have a pen capable of tranquilizing anyone who comes in contact with it," paliwanag ko bago bumuntonghininga. "Loki's tech savvy acquaintance developed it. Unfortunately, I forgot it in the clubroom. If I only brought it with me, I could take down one of those men."

"What a shame." Ibinalik niya ang kaniyang tingin sa mga armadong lalaki. Despite the danger, nagawa niyang manatiling kalmado na parang normal na sitwasyon ito. "We have to rely on other methods then."

"Ibigay n'yo sa amin ang mga phone n'yo kung ayaw n'yong masaktan!" utos ng matangkad na lalaki sabay tutok ng baril bilang panakot. Walang angal na sumunod ang mga kasama namin—maging kami ni Luthor—sa pangambang baka isa sa amin ang sunod na barilin.

If Loki and Alistair were here, they could have thought of an ingenious plan to turn the tables. Ngayong wala na kaming gadget para makapag-communicate sa mga taong nasa labas, mahihirapan kaming humingi ng tulong mula sa kanila.

The only way to survive this situation was to let these hostage-takers get what they want . . . or stop them from achieving their objective. The former option would be the safer choice while the latter would be daring.

Wait a minute. May pag-asa pa! Luthor was with me. Loki spoke highly and despicably of his methods when it came to manipulating people and events. Kung magagamit namin ang talino niya, baka mabaligtad namin ang sitwasyon. He's the Luthor Mendez after all.

"Good morning, Mr. Emerson!" masiglang bati ng hostage-taker sa kausap niya sa phone. Hindi inialis ng kaniyang kasama ang mapagbantang tingin sa amin. "Meron kaming surprise para sa 'yo!"

Itinapat niya ang phone sa harap ni Emeraude. The student council was shaking in fear as she spoke in a trembling voice. "P-Papa!"

"Kung kilala mo ang boses na 'yon, alam mo na siguro na hawak namin ang anak mo pati na ang ilang estudyante rito sa Clark High. Huwag kang mag-alala. Wala kaming sasaktan sa kanila basta walang magbibida-bida rito . . . at kung ibibigay mo ang gusto namin."

So these wretched scums were really after the money. If only I had my stun pen with me, I would have stabbed them multiple times until they writhed in agony.

"Gusto naming i-transfer mo ang limang milyon sa bank account na ibibigay namin. Barya lang 'yon para sa 'yo, 'di ba? Bibigyan ka namin ng isang oras. Kapag hindi ka sumunod, babarilin ko ang anak mo. O, teka! May nabaril na pala akong isang estudyante kanina. Nauubusan na siya ng dugo kaya bilisan mo."

"Kailangan n'yo na siyang dalhin sa ospital!" sigaw ng isang babaeng pinatitigil ang pagdurugo ng sugatang lalaki. She was applying pressure on the wound to stop it from bleeding. "Kapag hindi siya agad nabigyan ng medical att—"

Tinutukan siya ng baril. "Sinabi ko bang magsalita ka, ha? Mr. Emerson, narinig mo ba ang sinabi niya? Nakasalalay sa 'yo ang buhay ng anak mo at ng isang estudyante rito. Hindi na kita babalaang huwag tawagan ang mga pulis, pero kapag pinuwersa nilang pumasok dito, hindi kami magdadalawang-isip na pagbabarilin ang mga hostage namin."

"Kailangan nating patumbahin ang dalawang 'yan sa lalong madaling panahon," bulong ko nang ibinaba ng hostage-taker ang tawag. Maghintay kayong dalawa. Kapag nakakita kami ng pagkakataon, patutumbahin namin kayo.

"Perhaps you can use your cat." Napasulyap si Luthor sa pusang katabi ko. Gusto ba niyang ihagis ko si Freya sa mga hostage-taker para pagkakalmutin at pagkakagatin niya?

No, that was not what he meant. I could make use of Freya's sneakiness para makahingi ng tulong sa mga nasa labas, lalo na kay Loki.

Inilabas ko ang aking maliit na notebook at pumunit ng isang page nito. While one of the hostage-takers was making rounds on the other side, I took the opportunity to write the following words on the piece of paper.

Send
Over
Stunner

I rolled the torn paper and tied it around Freya's neck like a choker. Siniguro kong hindi siya masasakal at hindi niya basta-basta matatanggal ito. Cats were not supposed to act as messengers, but I trusted that our feline friend would deliver the message to Loki. Sana nga lang ay hindi siya mag-detour sa ibang lugar sa campus.

"I'm counting on you, Freya!" I whispered before letting her run to the girl's comfort room. Doon siguro siya lumusot kanina kaya roon din siya lalabas. Thankfully, the bad guys were too busy with their human hostages that they failed to notice the white ball of fur crossing the maple floor.

Now, what should we do while waiting for any response?

"We need to disarm the hostage-takers," sabi ni Luthor. Nakatuon pa rin ang kaniyang tingin sa mga armadong lalaki. He must be making calculations in his mind on how to knock down our enemies. "Once the threat of being shot is removed from the equation, we can take care of them easily. Do you recognize the type of gun that they are holding?"

Umiling ako. Mukhang revolver ang gamit ng mga hostake-taker, base sa nakikita kong chamber ng baril. But I was unsure. Hindi ako expert pagdating doon.

"Smith & Wesson. Six rounds."

Biglang napaangat ang mga balikat ako. Lumingon sa aking kaliwa at napansin ang isang lalaki na halos natatakpan ng bangs ang kaliwang mata. Napahawak ako sa aking dibdib. Bakit basta-basta siya sumusulpot? In fairness, his stealth was remarkable. Ni hindi ko man naramdaman ang paglapit niya sa akin.

"What are your plans, Mr. Vice President? Since the president isn't able to issue orders, you're the one in charge right now," tanong ni Rye. Nakamasid ang kanang mata niya kay Emeraude na hindi komportable sa kinauupuan. "Hihintayin ba nating ma-complete ang kanilang transaction?"

"We have no assurance that they will let everyone go unscathed once the transaction is completed. We cannot simply trust their words," tugon ni Luthor. "Also, the wounded student needs to be brought to the hospital as soon as possible. The longer we wait for Mr. Emerson to make the transfer, the more blood the student loses. Time is not on our side."

"So let's deal with them as quickly as possible. The only problem is the gun."

"Assuming that the chamber is fully loaded, each of them can fire six shots at most. They have already fired one bullet at a student. We have to make them shoot the remaining bullets without hurting or killing anyone."

"At hindi sila dapat makapag-reload." Napatingin si Rye sa lalaking nagbabantay sa student council president. "The fewer bullets they have in the chamber, the fewer casualties there can be."

"Basta maipadala ni Loki ang stun pen sa pamamagitan ni Freya, kaya na nating i-knockout ang isa sa kanila." Napasulyap ako sa comfort room kung saan dumaan ang pusa namin. "It can only tranquilize one person at a time. If we want to take down the other man, we have to do it the usual way."

"I have no problem dealing with one of them." Tunog confident si Rye sa kaniyang close combat skills. "Matapang ang dalawang 'yan dahil may hawak silang baril. Kapag mano-mano na ang labanan, baka wala silang binatbat."

Why did it feel as if I had a substitute Loki and Alistair on my side? Someone who was good at planning and someone who might be good at hand-to-hand combat. A perfect combination.

"Puwede rin akong makipag-coordinate sa CAT officers para may back-up." Lumingon si Rye sa likuran kung saan nakapuwesto at tahimik na nakaabang ang mga lalaking naka-sky blue na uniform. "Sasabihin ko kay Margarette ang plano natin para aware din sila."

Dahan-dahan siyang umalis sa tabi ko habang hindi nakatingin sa direksiyon namin ang mga hostage-taker. Nakabantay ang isa sa kanila kay Emeraude habang patuloy na nag-iikot sa paligid ang kasama nito. Karamihan sa mga estudyante'y nakayuko at nanginginig sa takot.

"The one guarding Emeraude has five bullets while the other one making rounds has six." Luthor kept an eye on those two. "Once you receive your stun pen, you will target the man whose gun is yet to be fired while we will make the other one fire his five remaining bullets."

"Paano natin mapauubos ang bala n'ong isa?" tanong ko. His proposal was okay, but the question was how.

"First, we need to isolate the two men from each other. This way, we can trick the man with five bullets into emptying his chamber."

"How exactly do you plan to make him shoot?"

Itinuro niya ang tatlong CCTV camera sa paligid namin. "We will trick him into shooting at those devices so he would lose three more bullets. We can tell him that their faces are being recorded and the police can use the footage for the manhunt operation."

"Who's going to tell them about the cameras?"

"Perhaps you can let them know. As much as I did not want to take advantage of your gender, these hostage-taker seem to be slightly less harsher to girls than boys. If I stand up and speak to them, they might threaten to shoot me before I can finish my sentence. Worse, they will shoot me without any warning."

"Wait! You want me to tell them to destroy school property?"

"Those cameras can be replaced by the student council, if that is your primary concern."

Napabuga ako ng hangin at napapikit ang mga mata ko. Naiintindihan ko ang ipinupunto ni Luthor, pero sa tingin ko'y ayaw niyang siya mismo ang gumawa n'on. He got his own way of making people do stuff that he did not want to do.

"Fine, I will tell them," I agreed half-heartedly.

"But we have to wait for our window of opportunity." Lumingon siya sa likuran kung saan kausap ni Rye si Margarette. Coordinating with every piece on the chessboard was crucial for his plan to succeed. "I trust that Maggie is considering the same strategy."

"But we need to wait for our window of opportunity." His lifeless eyes were fixated on Rye who's talking to Margarette. Coordinating with every piece on the chessboard was crucial for his plan to succeed. "I trust that Maggie is thinking the same strategy."

"Excuse me?" Itinaas ni Margarette ang kamay niya, agad na nakuha ang tensiyon ng mga hostage-taker. Tumango si Rye sa amin, hudyat ng simula ang aming plano.

"Ano 'yon?" tanong ng matangkad na lalaking kanina pa nag-iikot. Itinutok niya ang kaniyang baril sa chairwoman ng execom.

"Sorry to bother you, but I really, really need to go to the comfort room. Please?"

Nagtinginan ang dalawang hostage-taker. Tumango ang lalaking nagbabantay kay Emeraude sa kaniyang kasama. "Ako muna ang magbabantay sa kanila. Samahan mo na siya sa CR. Baka may gawin ang babaeng 'yan para makahingi ng tulong sa labas."

"T-Thank you!" Itinago ni Margarette ng ngiti niya habang ine-escort ng matangkad na hostage-taker sa banyo.

It would be risky to attack the armed man in front of us lalo na't nandiyan pa ang kasama niya na puwedeng bumaril sa amin. But this might be the window of opportunity that Luthor spoke of.

I raised my hand next, quickly getting the attention of the remaining hostage-taker in front. "Excuse me?"

He pointed his gun at me kahit medyo malayo siya. Why was he so aggressive? "Ano? Gusto mo ring pumunta sa CR? Maghintay ka riyan hanggang sa bumalik ang isa sa inyo."

Huminga ako nang malalim bago tumugon. "Medyo concerned ako dahil namo-monitor ng mga taga-Office of Campus Security ang nangyayari dito sa loob ng gymnasium."

"Namo-monitor?" Halos nagdugtong ang kilay niya, bahagyang ibinaba ang hawak na baril. He was so alarmed, he frantically panned his head. "Paanong namo-monitor?"

Itinuro ko ang mga CCTV camera sa likuran niya na naka-disguise bilang sprinkler at lalagyan ng bombilya. "Nagta-transmit kasi ng live footage ang mga 'yan sa security office. Kapag nahagilap nila ang mga mukha n'yo sa camera, makapaglalabas sila ng sketch na puwedeng—"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Without any warning, the hostage shot the three cameras with such precision. Kung tama ang math namin, may dalawang bala na lang sa chamber ng revolver niya.

"Bakit mo sinabi sa kanila?" bulong ng mga estudyanteng katabi namin. Some shot piercing glares at me. If only they could, they would have strangled me to death. Pasensiya na. Kinailangan kong gawin 'yon alinsunod sa plano ni Luthor.

"Salamat sa pag-inform sa 'kin, miss," nakangising sabi ng matabang lalaki. Ang hindi niya alam, parte 'yon ng plano namin para mautakan sila. If he thought that I helped them, he was gravely mistaken.

Saktong bumalik si Margarette at ang matangkad na hostage-taker mula sa comfort room. Thanks to her, we made the first move in turning the tables.

"What's next?" tanong ko. "The other man's now down to two bullets."

"We shall wait until your cat returns," sagot ng aking katabi. "Once you retrieve your stun pen, that is the time to make our next move."

Mukhang kay Freya nga nakasalalay ang kaligtasan namin. I hoped that she successfully delivered my message to Loki and she could return safely here.

The waiting game was killing me. Lalo akong nabagot dahil hindi nagsasalita ang katabi ko. He was silently observing the movements of the armed men. Should I engage him in a conversation? Was there any topic that we might be both interested in? Wala naman yata.

Teka, merong isa.

My head turned to the vice president. "Can I ask you a question? To pass the time?"

Nagtagpo ang mga mata namin. "I can entertain one from you."

"It's not entirely related to this case." Hininaan ko ang aking boses dahil baka marinig ako ng lalaking dumaan sa gilid namin. "Nagtataka kasi ako kung bakit kontrabida ang turing sa 'yo ni Loki. He always describes you as someone who reeks of evil. To me, you don't seem that way. I hope it has nothing to do with naming your dog."

Bumalik sa harap ang kaniyang tingin. "You may call it a sibling rivalry of some sort for our parents' affection. Back in the day, Loki detested the way that I outsmarted him in every turn—through pragmatic strategies and underhanded tactics. He claimed that he was playing fair and square while I was taking the shortcut."

I would have guessed as much. But I could hardly imagine Loki being a seven or eight-year-old child throwing tantrums and complaining how his brother was playing not by the rules.

"The end justifies the means, I have always told him. Years went by, he began to adapt my methods. He started applying them in detective work. Perhaps he dislikes me because I, the brother that he loathes so much, have influenced him in a surprising way. Perhaps he thinks that I have corrupted him."

"So he hates the thought of turning out to be just like you?" tanong ko. "He hates to follow in your footsteps?"

Napakibit-balikat siya. "That is one way of interpreting it. My brother is not your average person. He refuses to conform to any mold. He hates conformity in general. He dislikes stuff that most people like. He looks down on stuff that most people look up to."

Having shared the unit with his brother for four months, Luthor's statements rang true. Mas gugustuhin ni Loki ang sumalungat kaysa sumabay sa agos. Mas gugustuhin niyang gumamit ng paraan na hindi basta-basta sasang-ayunan ng ibang tao.

"Perhaps Rhiannon's death is the biggest factor why he considers me as an antagonist," dugtong ni Luthor. "He would not have despised me so much if that incident did not happen."

"What about it? What did you—"

My question was cut short when I felt the furry body of our feline friend. Sa wakas! Freya returned from her mission to the clubroom. Wala na ang papel sa kaniyang leeg, pero may tali sa katawan niya kung saan nakalagay ang fountain pen.

Now we could end this case.

"Puwede na nating ituloy ang plano," sabi ko kay Luthor sabay pakita ng stun pen sa kaniya. Ito yata ang unang pagkakataon na nakita niya ang imbensiyon ni Herschel.

Sinundan ng tingin ni Luthor ang matangkad na hostage-taker na patuloy sa paglalakad. "You have to isolate him, similar to what Maggie did moments ago."

"Kapag nasa comfort room na kami, ita-tranquilize ko siya gamit ang stun pen. Tama?"

"Yes. Rye will take care of the other one. We must be well coordinated so our plan will not fail. Remember, the man guarding Emeraude has two remaining bullets. There can be two casualties if we are not careful enough. And we cannot allow him to reload."

"Ano naman ang gagawin mo?"

"I shall observe from here to see if everything will go exactly as planned. Once you are done with your target, let out a scream. That will serve as our cue."

"Since you will be staying here, look after Freya while I'm away."

"Fine."

Kumbaga sa isang pelikula, parang siya ang direktor habang kami ang mga artista. When the instructions were clear to me, I raised my left hand to get the attention of our targets. Here we go again.

"May I go to the comfort room?" tanong ko sabay hawak sa stun pen na nasa bulsa ko. Pumuwesto na sa bandang harapan si Rye pati ang ibang CAT cadets. Gaya ng inaasahan, ang lalaking sumama kay Margarette kanina ay siya ring naghatid sa akin sa comfort room.

I went inside one of the cubicles while the tall hostage-taker stood guard near the entrance. May anim na bala pa ang kaniyang revolver kaya kung magkakamali ako ng galaw rito, malalagay ako sa peligro. Sa akin din nakasalalay kung magiging tagumpay ang mission namin.

"Ehem!" I forced a cough to get his attention. Nagdalawang isip pa ako kung susundan ko ang naisip kong script, but I got no time to waste. Bahala na. "Excuse me? Puwede mo ba akong tulungan?"

Binuksan ko ang pinto ng cubicle at hinintay siyang magpakita sa harapan ko. Wala siyang maboboso sa akin kaya hindi ako nabahala.

"Ano 'yon?" tanong niya. "Ayaw bang mag-flush ng toilet?"

"Do you mind lending me a hand?" Ayaw kong banggitin ang mga susunod na salita, pero tanging ito ang naisip kong paraan para ibaba niya ang kaniyang depensa. I channeled a bit of Jamie in myself. "Hindi ko kasi maibaba itong palda ko."

"Talaga? Hayaan mong tulungan kita." Lumapit siya sa akin at hinawakan ang aking baywang. Agad na tumindig ang mga balahibo ko. Mabilis kong inilabas ang stun pen at itinarak ito sa leeg niya sabay pindot sa button.

Bzzz!

Parang halaman siyang nalanta nang mag-collapse siya sa malamig na sahig. Ilang beses ko siyang sinampal nang marahan sa pisngi, pero wala siyang tugon. Siniguro ko munang wala na talaga siyang malay bago ako tumili.

KYAAAH!

"Hoy, anong ginagawa n'yo riyan?" narinig kong bulyaw ng kasama niya sa labas. The rest was up to Rye and the CAT cadets. Hopefully, they could end this hostage drama in the next few minutes.

BANG! BANG!

Umalingawngaw ang dalawang putok ng baril. Napatakip pa ako ng mga tainga dahil sa sobrang lakas n'on. Sinabayan pa ng paghiyaw ng mga estudyanteng nagulat sa takbo ng mga pangyayari.

Matapos ang putukan, lumabas na ako ng comfort room at sinilip ang sitwasyon sa labas. Nakayuko ang mga estudyante at pinoprotektahan ang kanilang mga ulo. Was it over already? Did we win?

Rye was wrestling with the man whose gun was pointing at the ceiling. Sinikmura ng taga-execom ang hostage-taker gamit ang kaniyang tuhod kaya nabitiwan nito ang hawak na baril. Tumulong na rin ang CAT corps commander at sinipa ang baril palayo.

"Madam President!" I ran toward Emeraude and guided her out of harm's reach. The gunshots terrified her so much, apart from the threat caused by being held at gunpoint. Malamang nasorpresa rin siya sa bilis ng mga eksena.

When we thought that it was over, the last remaining hostage-taker took out something from his pocket and threw it on the floor. Ang unang akala nami'y granada, pero imbes na lumikha ng malakas na pagsabog, naglabas 'yon ng puting usok. Because of the white smoke, nahirapan kaming kumilos. Almost everyone was shouting and running around. Balak ng hostage-taker na tumakas gamit ang smokescreen para hindi siya makita ng mga pulis.

I then heard a metallic clicking noise behind me. If that was the hostage-taker, he must be reloading his revolver! Hindi namin siya puwedeng hayaan na—

Oh, shoot.

"Huwag kayong lalapit sa akin! Kundi papasabugin ko ang ulo ng babaeng ito!" sigaw niya. He wrapped his arm around my neck and pointed the gun at my head.

q.e.d.