Chapter 17

"Hello, Miss Iota. It's nice to meet you. I'm Gilliam Park, the Scout from Ad Maiora," he said after taking off his mask, his sharp eyes staring straight at mine. The eyes were as black as the night.

I gasped and waited.

In my mind, I counted the seconds. Beep. Beep. Beep. As if there was a digital clock measuring the length of time passing in my head.

Almost a minute went by, and this mysterious guy was still standing. No sign of struggle with the toxic air. His complexion was healthy.

"Y-you...!!! B-but, how? I mean, shouldn't you... don't we... um, isn't the air, like, toxic? Are you having difficulty breathing?" I stumbled on my words, trying to find the right thing to ask. I craned my neck to see around his body and, after not finding what I was looking for, asked, "Do you hide an oxygen tank somewhere? Is there a super advanced mask that is invisible to the naked eye?"

Thousands of entangled webs crowded my mind. I wanted him to straighten them up, but my tongue was tied.

Park chuckled at my flustered state, then said, "No, Miss Iota. I don't have any hidden tanks or advanced masks."

I opened my mouth but closed it again.

"I see that you are confused. Don't worry, you're not the only one. Everyone was the same when they first encountered this revelation." There was a hint of gentleness in his tone. I didn't know whether it was imagined or real.

"W-what? What do you mean?" I asked, perplexed.

"I mean that the air in Genesis isn't toxic," he replied, his voice calm and measured.

"So the government..."

When I paused for a long time, Park nodded, "You're right. The government has been lying to you."

"But why?"

Park lifted his mask and stared at it while saying in a cryptic manner, "If you want to see what's behind the mask, you have to remove the mask."

"What are you even saying?"

Park threw the mask and clasped his hands behind his back once again. "Miss Iota, the answer is closer to you than you imagine. Have you, by any chance, heard about HRD-21?"

'Noi said that!!' I screamed inside but chose to display a calmer look in front of this stranger. "Yes, I have. What of it?"

I listed the people close to me who might have enough information about that code. Noi and Reuben, for sure. Could it be that Nadia also knew something? She might hide it from us for fear that it would drive Aidan even more to leave Genesis.

But the answer was unexpected.

"HRD stands for Human Rectification Drug. Your parents created the drug."

"Don't be ridiculous! My parents were just researchers. They didn't create anything. Do you even have solid proof for your nonsense?"

Park sighed and said, "Proof, you say? That'll be hard since your parents passed away already."

"My parents passed away? Wait a minute, but my mother is—"

My words of protest were interrupted by the sudden noise from nearby. Park and I stealthily moved behind a pile of ruins.

This was the Copper Zone, and even though this water source was pretty isolated from the rest of Zone E, it was still possible for a group of mobsters to raid this place as this was a good location to hide rations.

However, the uninvited guests were not the ones I anticipated.

They were NSS soldiers.

"What are they doing here?" I muttered under my breath.

"They are looking for me. You should go if you want to leave this place unscathed. Anyway, here." He rummaged through his pocket and drew out a silver brooch with the same symbol that was on the clothing that Aidan received from Aubin. "This brooch is your golden ticket to Ad Maiora."

I shoved it to him. "I don't need it."

He pushed it back to me. "You will. The second phase has already begun. Don't hesitate to look for us. We have advanced technology, medicine, and answers for you."

"Why would I—"

Before I could finish my question, Park rose and approached the fully armed NSS soldiers. Was he out of his mind?!?!

"Park!! What are you doing??" I shouted under my breath.

He mouthed to me, "Run!"

So I did. As I ran, I looked back and saw the soldiers apprehend him. They didn't shoot him immediately, as they would do to any intruders.

***

"They captured him," Aidan repeated the last bit of information I just shared with the twins. "Why would they take him alive?"

One piece of clothing and a silver brooch with the Ad Maiora symbol sat on the table, further fueling our confusion.

"That's exactly my question! Isn't it protocol for NSS to shoot their target immediately? They are guys who know no compromise."

Aidan brushed his lips with his finger, deep in thought. "No, they wouldn't kill him if the order is to bring him in alive."

"Do you think the President gave the order? Why? Is it because he's part of Ad Maiora, or is the government afraid he will expose something?"

"We shouldn't easily believe him," Nadia said.

"I believe what I saw, Nad. He took off his mask, and nothing happened. He's definitely right about the toxic air."

"But he also said that your PARENTS are dead when we all saw Mrs. Rho in a flesh. Are we seeing a ghost all this time?" she retorted, leaving me with nothing to say.

That's another thing I needed to sort out.

"Did you ask your mom about that?" Aidan asked.

I shook my head weakly, my fingers intertwined.

He let out a long breath, then pressed his back against the wall. "What a bummer. Why do we have to have family problems at the same time?"

"They said they'll be back soon," Nadia replied with a hopeful tone but her eyes quivered.

"It's been a week, Nad. They said they'd only be gone for a few days." Aidan was clearly agitated.

"It's only been seven days. Let's wait a little longer."

Aidan clicked his tongue in frustration and stood up. He grabbed his jacket and said, "This won't do. I'll find them and give them an earful. How could they leave their children for so long without any contact?!"

"You're just worried," Nadia said. "I am too. But they're adults. And you know how hard Mom is working to get back to her previous position in Parliament?"

"Yeah? Does that justify parents ignoring their children? They didn't give us any food or oxygen supplies, and we're running out of them. We can't keep free-riding on Tesla's back, can we?"

"I don't mind," I said.

But Aidan immediately raised his hand, "Tes, shut up! You're the one being riled up when the government cut your free rations. Do you expect me to believe that you're okay with us using your valuable rations? You're now sharing your supplies with four people, and I'm huge. Look at me! This damn lung could take half of your oxygen."

Ugh, I couldn't say anything back because he was right. I was indeed concerned about the supply. Not because I didn't want to share it with the twins, but because I was afraid that it wouldn't be enough.

"Aid..."

"I'll find my parents and make them pay you. I'm sorry, Tes, I couldn't help much with that Park guy incident with this matter still hanging in the air." Aidan stormed out of the house.

Nadia hurried after him.

It took me several minutes, but in the end, I went out to catch up with them. Once I reached my automobile, Aidan's automobile was no longer there. He had left.

I jumped in my automobile and headed toward Zone A. That's where I intended to go. But I was stopped midway.

Varg was running toward me. He was panting and dropped to the ground from exhaustion. I killed the engine and checked on him.

"Varg?"

He stretched out his hand, eyes closed, and gasped for breath. "You should... see this."

I took the piece of clothing from his hand. It was a perfect replica of the one Aidan received. My eyes widened. "How did you get this?"

"I ran... here... to give you... this." The glass on his crappy gas mask was foggy from his breath. "I found it under... Sana's bed."

To be continued...