By: Balderic
Nagkaroon muli ng pagpupulong ang WAN, at sa pagpupulong na ito ay naging panauhin nila ang CEO ng Draco na si Melody Ecklson. Ipinakita nito ang mga makabagong teknolohiya at makinarya. Ibinida ang WASP, at ang iba pang mga kagamitang pandigma at pang kaayusan.
Taimtim na nakinig ang karamihan dahil alam nilang ito ang pinaka mataas na antas ng teknolohiya sa mundo. Maraming bansa ang nangangarap na maka kuha ng kagamitan mula sa Draco subalit limitado lamang ang may kapasidad.
“And now ladies and gentlemen of the World Allied Nations, I represent to you our latest technological marvel. This is only a draft of what is to come. But on the December weapons expo, we will present this advanced warfare automaton. We call this A-LAWS. The Alpha, Locked Automated Weapons System. Imagine an unmanned robotic weapon going into war with its advanced targeting system, unparalleled maneuverability and reinforced armor that can withstand a direct hit from an anti tank cannon.” Lumabas sa malaking screen ang isang semi humanoid na armored automaton. Ipinaliwanag pa ni Melody na kontrolado ito ng bansang pagmamay-ari nito at imposible din itong ma hacked ng makabagong hacking devices. Low maintenance din ito at mabilis ma mass produce.
Marami ang bumilib at nagpalakpakan. Isa itong malaking hakbang para sa mga tao. Ang isang unmanned warfare ay tila makikita mo lamang sa mga pelikula at pangarap pero ngayon ay nakikita na nila.
Sa kabila ng malaking suporta ng karamihan, tumayo si Verbeski, ang pinuno ng Northern Ukrainian border. Nagsalita ito na ikinagulat ng lahat.
“Representatives of the World Allied Nations, as good as this presentation sounds, I cannot help but be concerned on our own safety. It is unclear if this new weapons tech can be vulnerable to outside manipulation, it is however a fact that some automatons produced by Draco has been proven vulnerable to outside manipulation. I have clear evidence that I want to share with you all. An evidence that will prove that Draco is not to be trusted as their products and technology are neither safe nor worthy of the price.”
Naglabas ng isang mahabang video clip si Verbeski at ito ay ang video feed ng nawawalang cargo ship na kung saan umatake ang WASP drones at pinagpapatay ang mga crew ng barko. Nagulat ang lahat at hinde makapaniwala sa matindeng masaker na naganap. Agad tumayo si Cifer Black.
“Representatives of WAN, this unfortunate incident is already being investigated. And our most recent datas showed that these drones are still not government locked and therefore vulnerable to hacking. Draco did not say that its automatons are impenetrable but I can assure you they are safe. A sword is designed to protect the user but it can also wound its user if it is flawed and the user does not know how to wield it.” Paliwanag pa ni Cifer at pagtatanggol sa Draco.
“Mr Black has been gracious enough to inform us about this incident and we too conducted our own investigations on the matter. Government locked drones are almost impossible to hack because they are connected in our Control tower and are licensed to function according to its owner’s orders.” Dagdag naman ng CEO ng Draco.
Tumayo ang chairman ng Wan na si Margaret Herald. Nagkaroon na ng usap-usapan sa mga representatives ng mga bansa.
“This isolated incident is already being investigated, therefore I must ask everyone to remain calm. This shows us two things. One, that anything even the most advanced technology can be vulnerable to attacks, and two, that this will measure our resolve to step up and face the future. Ladies and gentlemen, the last war has given us a glimpse of the power of the advanced automatons, it changed conventional war for good. And now the future is here and we should not be afraid of it. We must embrace it because change is absolute and we must adjust to it to survive. Draco’s weapons expo is still a go and I must ask everyone to have an open mind to this. Any more concerns, you can tell it to me directly. That is all and this meeting is adjourned.”
“Remember this day Wan! Remember this day!” galit na naunang lumabas ng session hall si Verbeski. Napatingin lang sa kanya ang lahat at kabilang na dito si Cifer na tila matalas ang tingin at malalim ang iniisip.
———-
By: Balderic
Nagkita si Ashari at Ben sa isang tagong lugar sa loob ng Nest base. Aminado si Ben na malaking problema para sa kanya ang binibigay ng alternate personality nya mula sa pag gamit ng Samsara. Kinunsulta nito si Ashari.
Sa loob ng isang maliit na silid, nagusap ang dalawa at parehong naka upo sa sahig.
“What do you know about the Lotus?” tanong ni Ben.
“Not much. I had only heard of it from stories. But my Astral abilities is very familiar with it.”
“Astral abilities?”
“Our plane of existence has energy to keep things in order Ben. That energy is surrounding us everyday and it goes beyond our world and is connected with the universe. I can manipulate a very small piece of that energy. We call that energy the Astra. The Lotus is training to manipulate one’s own energy that they call the Karma. It helps the users unlock special abilities and strengthen them in battle or give them strong health. The Niraya that you unlocked by harnessing karma from Samsara is like a cancer Ben. It sticks inside you, growing as you grow your abilities. And in the end, it will consume you.”
“So how do I stop it?”
“Just like cancer, you must remove it entirely. Removing a part of yourself is harder than you think. Which is why most Lotus users I heard of thought it is permanent. But they’re only thinking inside the box. Unlocking your ability to harness Astral energy can help you in overcoming the Niraya. In order for you to do astral manipulation, you must first open your Astral gates. There are three gates in your body, the Cephali Feli- the Head gate, the Cardia Feli- the Heart gate and the Colona Feli or the Body gate. Each one connects you to the Astral plane. And by that, you can free your mind.”
Pinitik ni Ashari ang daliri at naglabas ito ng apoy na kulay violet. Isa itong enerhiya na nagmumula sa Astral plane.
“How do I open my astral gates?”
“It takes training Ben. But you can start by meditating and embrace your past sins and make peace with your inner self.”
“So, can you train me to do that?”
“Not here Ben. But I can make you a deal. If you can get the Eye of Morpheus and help me escape this place, then I will help train you.”
“Okay we have a deal. But what is this eye of Morpheus?”
“Morpheus is the name of the AI system used by Nest and its eye contains secrets of Samael that Malcolm Benedict stored.”
“And what do you need it for?”
“I have a purpose as to why I am here Ben.”
“So, you planned to be captured by Nest?”
“You could say that. Anyway, that is it for now. We already wasted too much time. We must not allow them to discover our plans.”
Lumabas ng silid ang dalawa at naghiwalay. Sinalubong si Ben ni Mindy at Delta.
“So what’s the plan?” tanong ni Delta.
“First we must get the eye of Morpheus. It is located in the Morpheus mainframe. I will give you a distraction and you can take it from there.”
“Wait wait, we’re gonna do this now?” pag aalangan ni Delta.
“Why? You got something else to do?” tanong ni Mindy.
“I’m saying we must bide our time. The tournament is still on going. I think this plan can only work if we have more people helping us.”
“You gonna make friends with the rest of the fighters Delta?” Tanong ulit ni Mindy.
“Haha sweetheart, that’s what I’m good at. Come on. Let me introduce you to the rest of the gang.”
“Gang? Since when did you made a gang?” sumunod si Mindy at Ben kay Delta.
Dumiretso sila sa isang maluwag na locker room at naghihintay ang apat na tao. Lumapit si Sandra Minh, ang vietnamese fighter at special forces. May dalawa itong kasama at si Athena naman ang huli na nakatambay sa corner.
“So we have an accord?” tanong ni Sandra at naka ngiti ito kay Delta at kay Ben. Tumango si Delta at nakipagkamay ito kay Sandra.
“Guys, I want to introduce you to Wu Long.” Tinuro ni Sandra ang isang Chinese martial artist. Naka brush up ang buhok nito, matalas ang tingin at kitang kita ang kompyansa sa sarili. May hawak itong isang chinese bo.
“Wu Long is a master of the Serpent Style. The deadliest warrior of the Northern chinese mountains.” Pagmamalaki ni Sandra.
“yeah I saw him fight. He’s fast and his hits are way too accurate.” Wika pa ni Delta.
“That’s not all. My style goes beyond punches and kicks. I’m not called the Black Dragon for nothing.” Sabat ni Wu Long at naka ngiti itong may kompyansa. Napa iling lang si Ben at napansin naman ito ni Wu Long.
“You got something to tell me Ben Sandobal?”
“if you’re that good then what the hell are you doing here?”
Napa tingin kay Wu Long ang grupo na may bahid ng ngiti.
“I was drunk in a town tavern and they suddenly attacked me using tranquilizer agents. My biggest regret is not to be able to fight their mindless buffoons in a fair fight. But now that I am here, I will show them the full extent of my fighting capabilities.”
“Wow, that’s nice.” Sabat ng isang south american na lalake. Kulot ang buhok nito at kayumanggi ang kulay ng balat.
“This one is Emilio Delgado. A Brazilian assassin with a penchant for exploding things.” Wika ni Sandra.
“You use bombs for assassinations?” tanong ni Ben.
“I make them go boom honey.” Sabay bigay ng flying kiss kay Ben. Isang lgbt na military assassin si Emilio at hinde ito isang conventional bomb expert.
“The seven of us will device a plan to escape. And Ben, I want you to lead us.” Wika ni Sandra.
“Why me?”
“You have leadership experience and you’re one of the best fighters who fought the strongest opponents sir.” Wika ni Athena at naka ngiti ito.
Lumapit si Wu Long kay Ben. Bumulong ito sa binata.
“Let’s fight.”
“haha! Not not Wu Long. Maybe next time okay.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise Ben.”
———-
By: Balderic
Pinatawag si Shinzo sa main room ng Triumvirate. Hugis tatsulok ang kanilang silid at may kalakihan. May tatlong upuan sa tatlong sulok ng silid. Sa gitna nakatayo si Shinzo at nakaharap ito kay Deina.
“You may ask yourself why you are here Mr Onitsuki. We know who you are Mr. Onitsuki. We know your secrets. Which is why we wanted you to tell us the secrets of the first Ashura. We wanted to know the power that lies in Samsara.” Wika ni Deina.
“The remnants of SAMAEL. How pity. You’re like children asking for a candy. The secrets of Samsara died with your former master. No one knows about it. Even I in the hundreds of years that I walked this planet, have no idea of what it is.”
“Lies!” sigaw ni Frida at napatayo ito.
“You are wasting our ti…