PHOENIX SERIES 1: The Underworld Goddess

CHAPTER 2

Inspector

"The corpses are not our agents inspector," pagbabalita sa akin ni Agent Razor.

Razor Omori, class A agent that has served the Investigatory Agency for two years already but he's now focus in the top secret case of the invincible Underworld Realm.

Kakaalis lang ni Fallen Angel, as expected from her, hindi niya ginalaw ang mga agents ko at sa halip ang mga pinatay lang niya ay ang mga mga sakop na mga reaper ng Mercenaries Society, ang kalaban ng Slaughter Community, na nandoon din at nagpapanggap na mga pulis.

"The Slaughter Community are on the move. I wonder what they're up to inspector." Agent Razor sat beside me and handed me a cup of coffee.

"Thanks, isang buwan silang tahimik at ngayon biglang kikilos sila. I wonder what's in their mind at parang may pinaghahandaan sila." saad ko habang nakatanaw sa SOCO na nag iimbistiga sa crime scene. Yumimura was a government leech. Walang nagtangkang magsampa sa kaniya ng kaso kahit may mga matibay silang ibedensya laban dito dahil sa kapit nito sa Mercenaries Society at ng mga tiwaling opisyal ng gobyerno. Pero mukhang may pakay sa kaniya ang Slaughter Community, ang tanging organisasyon na may kakayahang sumalungat sa Mercenaries Society. Nasa Slaughter Community kasi ang tanyag na grupo na Phoenix, the most wanted group of United Nation Organization. Mas kinakatakutan ang leader ng Phoenix na si Fallen Angel o mas kilala bilang Underworld Goddess. At mukhang may nabangga si Yumimura sa Slaughter Community.

It's a big threat, ang Slaughter Community. Lumitaw ang samahang ito ilang siglo na rin ang nakakaraan, hindi lang sa mga taga Pilipinas pero pati ng buong mundo. Kasangga   ng Slaughter Community  ang Russia at North Korea. Gan’yan katibay ang ka alyansa nito kaya malakas ang loob ng mga ito na ismolin ang gobyerno. Pero dahil kay Fallen Angel, ang kanang kamay ni Seiryo, napapanatili ang kontrol ng Slaughter Community hindi tulad ng sa Mercenaries Society .

Si Fallen Angel ang batas kapag gabi kaya hindi kami masyadong pokus sa paghuli sa kanila minsan kasi mas nakakatulong sila sa'min. Alam naman namin na hindi pagtulong sa gobyerno ang nais ng Slaughter Community, talagang may plano sila laban sa Mercenaries Society.

Alam ng gobyerno ang tungkol sa Underworld Realm City na nasa ilalim ng lamang ng  Metro Manila. Pero wala ng kakayahan ang gobyerno na pasukin 'yon. Sa katunayan ay may isang doktrinang nilagdaan ang pangulo ng Pilipinas at ang mga leader ng dalawang pamilya.

Respetadong mandirigma si Fallen Angel, isang anghel na makasalanan. Tanyag bilang may pusong bato na hindi kilala ang salitang 'makatao'. Siya rin ang leader ng Phoenix, grupo ng mga mandirigma na kilala sa buong mundo at patuloy na tinutugis ng FBI at CIA.

Luciana

Naalimpangutan ako sa pagtulog ko rito sa headquarters ng Slaughter Community dahil sa ingay ng mga sandata nila. Abala ang mga reapers o mga miyembro ng Slaughter Community sa paghahanda para sa misyon namin ngayon. Mga kalansing ng mga sandata, sigaw ng pagsasanay at mga pag-uusap na animo'y sabik na sabik sila at ito ang unang pagkakataong lumaban sila.

Ang pag-atake sa buong angkan ng mga Loong, an gaming kaaway, ang misyon namin ngayong gabi. Nasa gawing kaliwa ko ang mga kasamahan ko sa Phoenix.

With their known masks on and weapons within their grasp. Kanya-kanya sila ng ginagawa. May naghaharutan, may natutulog, may nakikinig sa musika at may nagtetext.

Pero 'wag na 'wag silang maliitin, hindi sila magiging miyembro ng Phoenix para sa wala lamang. Naghanda na rin ako, nagbihis ako ng itim na uniporme ng Phoenix na hapit sa katawan kaya mapapansin ang aking mga kurba. Itinali ko rin  ang alun-alon kong buhok na kulay rosas. Tinakpan ko na ang aking mukha ng itim na tela na tanging mga pares ng mata ko lang ang makikita. At inilagay ko na sa likod ng paekis ang  Enraiha na nasa unang anyo.

Sa paglabas ko ay nag bow ang lahat ng aking dinadaanan pero parang walang nakikita at nagpatuloy lang ako sa paglalakad. Nasa likuran ko naman nakasunod ang mga miyembro ng Phoenix. Walang hindi namangha sa mga taong nadaanan namin. Huminto kami sa harap ni Tandang Seiryo at nagbigay galang. Tinapik lang niya ako sa balikat.

"Ngayon ang eksaktong petsa ng pangyayaring ayaw na balikan ng ating mga isipan. Ang araw na pinagtaksilan tayo na naging dahilan kung bakit muntikan ng maubos ang angkan ng mga Shiranui!"

 Sa pagbanggit niya ng trahedya dalawang taon na ang nakakaraan ay nakita ko ang sabay-sabay na pag talim ng mata ng mga reapers sa paligid, ramdam ko ang matinding hinagpis at galit ng mga ito. Galit na ramdam kahit sinuman hanggang ngayon.

"Naghintay tayo at nagkubli sa dilim sa loob ng sampung taon at ngayon na ang araw ng paniningil!" sigaw ni Tandang Seiryu bago tumalikod, hudyat na rin ito ng pag-alis namin subalit nagsalita ako. Nakatingin lamang ako sa likuran niya hanggang sa nawala ito sa kadiliman. Matanda man ang pinuno ng Sluaghter Community ay mababakas sa hangin na nakapaligid dito kung gaano ito kadilikado. Idagdag pa ang mga mata na tila nanggaling na ito sa impyerno.

"Hunt them down. Kill them all. Feed in their fears," mapanindig balahibong pahayag ko na ikinangisi ng lahat.

“Tenzegen!” sa pag-agaw ng dilim sa liwanag ng paligid ay isang sigaw ng pagkakaisa na uhaw sa paghihiganti ang namumukod tangi sa araw na ‘yon.

I will make sure that the sun that always sets at the Loong's grand mansion will surely set in hell today. 

Handa na ang lahat. Nasa labas na kami ng headquarters at sabay-sabay na naglaho ang lahat sa kadiliman. Pero bago umalis ay napatitig ako sa araw na papalubog na at biglang bumaha ang ala-ala ng kahapon.

Paris, France

Thick curtains covered the entire glass wall window preventing the city lights to illuminate inside our private room. Every nook and cranny of this room screamed 'luxury'. From the diamond chandelier to the fiber tiled floor. But I, a child of the Shiranui Household, didn't care. Silence engulfed me and my companion as we were focused to end the game immediately.

I am with my older brother, Yue Shiranui. He's a year older than me. We’re currently playing chess at our private room like we always do before lunchtime. Lunchtime, our most awaited part of the day. We would eat together with our parents who always made it possible just to spend their afternoon with us. We're from a Japanese family but we somehow knew how to speak Tagalog and English.

"Time check," I said as I moved the queen of red pieces. Yes, red pieces. I didn't use black nor white. Red perfectly suits my taste.

"Excited eh? Quarter to 12 noon Lulu." he replied as he sipped his tea.

"You looked like dad when you do that, Yue."

"I will be like dad someday, Lulu." I answered him with a shrugged as I pretended I am not slightly offended. He just reminded me where I stand in this Household.

What he said was true, when the time that Yue was born everything around him was a must to the road of being our family's next head while I lived in his shadow. My brother was a polymath, he’s good at everything so he effortlessly got the attention of the family while me?

I am the nobody of the White Family. I am not like my mother who could kill hundreds of people for one night. Nor my father who could bring an entire army with his strategy. I just  preferred the solitude of the darkness.

I couldn't do anything but hid in the silence and masked my presence with utter pretension.

"When that time comes that you'll sit at the throne, I will be in your side as a pawn."

"I will look forward for that future then Lulu." he said dreamily.

We continued the game like any other game when the butler of our family suddenly came rushing in. We turned to him in unison with a face full of wonder.

"Young master, young lady. Follow me," he was still catching his breath as he guided us to stand up and led us to the door. Without further questions we let him lead the way for us.

He’s about to open the huge door when a gunshot triggered my brother's ability to remain calm. Instead of opening the door our butler raised his silencer gun defensively. He pushed me and my brother away from the door.

"Young master, young lady to the bunker, now!"

Bunker, a place in the house which was the same as the bunker at the White House of the America. It was a room designed to be safe from any nuclear weapons to protect the White Family.

I grabbed my brother's hands to run. I could feel my brother's hand trembling. We head to the room's chimney which has not been used since Christmas eve. For all I know there was a secret passage here towards my brother's room where the bunker's passage was hidden.

Ever wonder why it was in the room of my brother? Simple, his life is more important than mine. But I didn't hold any grudges against my brother what I hate was my existence.

We were practically running and crawling like tomorrow didn't exist but my brother suddenly halted.

"Yue, let's go!" I grabbed his right hand again but he just slapped my right hand off.

"Go first, Lulu!" his frail body might be trembling but his voice weren't.

"Yada! Yue come with me !" I stomped my right foot on the floor. A habit of mine that I only do if I wanted something badly.

I knew Yue has something stupid in his mind again. We reached his room and gunshots echoed around the manor.  Screams of despair echoed like an alarm. I didn't know why but I still remained calm unlike my brother.

We lifted the table and there lies the passage to the bunker. He entered the passcode and he let me in first. A loud thug interrupted us, someone was trying to infiltrate our room!

"Yue! Hurry!" I reached my small hands to him but what he responded was the sight I dreaded to see yet I somehow saw coming. He never reached for my hand. Instead, he looked at me with those glassy pair of eyes.

"I love you, little sis." he painfully said with a smile.

Before I could react he closed the bunker already. I was too astounded to freak out, to cry and to move. The bunker was designed not to be soundproof so I heard the conversation I wish I didn't hear.

He lied that he's the only one in the room. He lied to protect me.

Then I heard a gunshot, a gunshot that turned my fate upside down.