Chapter 106 - Unknown Identity

My vision was slightly blurry so I couldn't make out exactly how my surroundings looked.

"Don't worry about that," she said as she placed me on a chair, "Apparently I was able to catch up to her. But I wasn't able to reach you." 

"Oh…" 

"Anyway, how are you really?" she asked me.

"Well, a little pain in the legs and a slight numbness all over the body," I said in a low voice, "What time is it?" 

"It's pretty late," she didn't mention the accurate time. 

"How late…?" I insisted on telling her. 

At times like this, I really wish I own a wristwatch. I wouldn't need to ask around like that. 

"It's past 12 pm," she said. 

"Huh? What? Past 12? Are you kidding me…?" I asked her. 

Really? That late? I need to call at home and let them know about my whereabouts. 

"Don't worry about your parents," she said as if she knew exactly what I was thinking, "I personally went to them and told them about some excuse. So, for the time being, you don't have to worry about them worrying about you."

"Are you reading my mind?" I asked. 

"At your age, you only have a handful of problems so guessing them was pretty simple plus it's too easy to read your face," she said. 

"Is that so…?" 

Ouch. 

The legs were still in pain. 

What did they do? Also, why did they do it in the first place? 

That man himself said he wants me for something then harming me, isn't he contradicting himself. 

"Allen, tell me what happened?" she asked as she sat across from me while handing me a warm cup of tea.

"Well, I was kidnapped," I said. 

"Allen, it's not helping. You need to tell me everything. This isn't a small matter." She said, "If you were to get kidnapped from that would have been some other case but you were attacked while you were close to the school and kidnapped not from there. I am wholly responsible for that." 

She said that she is going to keep surveillance around the school area and I was ambushed. If not wholly, partially she is to blame. If she hadn't said that I could have at least thought of some counterattack in case I was ambushed. 

Even if I can't perfectly predict the outcome, I could have at least increased my chances of escape rather than increasing their chances of catching me. 

"If you were taking responsibility did you catch any of them? Who was pursuing me earlier?" I asked.

"No," she said. 

"See that's the problem here," I said, "I don't know what you are doing. You aren't able to uncover things, catch them nor are you able to protect me from getting ambushed. How am I supposed to trust you?" 

After these consecutive incidents, it's making it hard to believe her. At this point, I even think she is collaborating with the HYDRAs.

"What? Are you kidding me?" she snorted. 

"Think about it from my perspective," I said, "What would you do if you were in my case? I don't you, who you work for, what kind of work you do and above all, you are too suspicious at this point." 

I don't care if she decides not to help me out, it's still better to work alone rather than work with some unknown entity. I have been only asking for her help because she was supporting me while in school and that one time when some of the HYDRAs infiltrated the school. 

I am not saying she is evil or a bad person but it has been too long not knowing her. Although she told me what she does, at the end of the day it could be fake. I haven't seen her legit identity yet and what else, I don't even know her real name. 

"So you want to know more about me…?" she asked me in a low yet serious tone.

"No, don't make it sound out like I am forcing you. I am asking you to open up to me so that I can do the same, otherwise, I doubt we can work together," I said. 

This is a crucial time for me as well as for her. 

I might know something she might not be knowing and she might be knowing some inside information. 

For those things to come upfront, we need to sort out our things. If not, then I don't think this is going to end up well. 

"Alright then," she said, "You want to know me. Here it is." 

"..." I stared back at her. 

"I was born in the Philippines. It was around the age of 9 that my parents were killed right in front of me in an Alley," she said, "We were coming back from a movie. We had this great dinner and all but fate had entirely different plans for them."

"..." I stayed silent and let her continue. 

"Initially before I was born they both worked with the HYDRAs and were working on something Top Secret. I don't particularly know the details but the only paper they had at home was Named- Higher Evolution of the Human Brain. Since I was a child I didn't care about that but soon enough the day we were returning from the movie was the day HYDRAs found them," she continued, "They didn't leave the job on good terms. They fled from there. Maybe not to let the information leak, the HYDRAs made sure they didn't happen. I was left all alone in that alley. Soon an investigation took place but it was abruptly stopped. Even though I wasn't someone with a 200 IQ I could still make out that something is wrong."

"What did you find…?" I asked. 

"While I was standing in front of my parent's dead body at the hospital I overheard some of the detectives talking about something that made me even more furious." 

<What happened to the investigation?> 

<Apparently someone forced the higher-ups to not continue this matter any further and just disclose it as a drunk killing person.>

<Huh? Isn't this absurd?> 

<Hey, don't talk about this to anyone. Rumors are that HYDRAs are involved in it.> 

"What!? HYDRAs? Why them? And if they are in any way involved in it we should investigate much further. That way we can at least do something about them. We could get a promotion!> 

<Idiot! Don't shout. What if that little girl hears it…?> 

<There is a reason no one is able to catch them. They have already infiltrated the police, the government. Don't talk about this to anyone if you love your life.>

"Even though I didn't have any concrete information… I still felt like they were involved in this," she said.

"..." I don't have the correct words for the situation. 

An awkwardness spread across the room. 

While I was sitting there I even forgot to take a sip from the tea and now it's cold. 

Also, if what she is saying is true then I guess she harbors hatred from deep inside her. At first, I thought it was just for justice but now I think it's much more and much greater than just justice. 

It's like revenge. 

But why tell me this?

"Here it is," she broke the awkward silence, "Is that what you wanted to know?" 

"Well technically I wanted to know what kind of work you do and some proof would have been great… but this is…" 

"Huh?" she had this dumbfounded face. 

"I got the idea that you hold some kind of grudge against them and I should comply with you in the process," I said. 

"You little sly brat," she said in embarrassment. 

"Don't tell me you haven't told this to anyone yet?" I asked. 

"That's right…! Do you know how hard it was for me to recall all those memories…?" she said as she yelled at me, "And you are saying you don't need that?" 

"Hey, don't blame me. I wasn't the one to tell your story. I just wanted some legit information so that I can make myself believe you. I never asked about your personal life, now did I?" I asked. 

"Oh… so it's my fault here then? I tell you my story and you blame me for telling it?" she exclaimed. 

"Don't twist the facts here. We both were partially at fault here," I said, "I should have made myself more clearer and you should have analyzed the question in a better way. So. let's just move on." 

"... Yes, you are right." She said, "Now, it's your turn. Tell me what happened?" 

"Alright then," I said, "I was wrapped around a chair with a rope. I don't know who roped it wound me but it was certainly strong to hold a grown-up man. I couldn't see the person's face but he called himself MR. X." 

"Mr. X?!" She was taken back. 

"Yes, is something wrong?" I asked her as I saw her startled look. 

"He is the only person we don't have any information on," she said, "We don't how but no after how close we get he always slips away. We haven't even seen his face. The only thing that we know that he exists is that the people we have captured received a mail and an attachment sent from MR. X."

"Mail?" 

TO BE CONTINUED…