Ellie’s POV
Tumingin ako sa bintana ng kwarto ko. Papasikat na ang araw, nanatili parin akong mulat. I haven’t slept properly in days. Every time I close my eyes, I can see Hugo’s face. I can see the look of quiet disbelief when he found out who my father is. His words echo endlessly in my head.
“Your father killed who I used to be.”
Parang may malamig na kamay na palaging nakahawak sa dibdib ko, pinipigilan akong huminga. The guilt doesn’t fade, it grows heavier with every passing hour. I tried going back to the park where we used to meet, but he’s gone. Hindi na s'ya bumalik and hurt me so much. I think that he hates me because I'm the daughter of the person who did cruel things to him.
And in his absence, everything around me feels lifeless. I miss having a conversation with me. 
The park where we used to talk now feels colder. The bench at the park, the one under the flickering lamp, looks abandoned. I sit there alone sometimes, clutching the same kind of coffee cup he used to buy for me, hoping maybe he’d appear out of the mist again. And I have a chance to apologize but he never does.
The morning light barely entered my room. I sat on the floor, my back against the wall, staring blankly at my phone. My hands were trembling. I couldn’t stop thinking about Hugo. I need to know how I can help him. I am my father's daughter. In all I might stop him from chasing Hugo but I need to know what my father plans and there is one person who I can talk to in the company. It is Anna, my father's secretary. 
I pressed her number. It rang once, twice, until finally she answered.
“Hello?”
“Anna, it’s me, Ellie.” My voice cracked.
“Miss Magtibay,” she said quickly, polite as ever. “Good morning. Do you need something from the office?” Tanong n'ya.
I swallowed hard. “Yes. I need you to tell me what’s happening inside Ciano right now.”
There was a long silence on the other end. Then a soft, hesitant sigh. “May I ask why, Ellie? Your father didn’t mention anything about—”
“Please,” I interrupted, my tone shaking. “Just tell me. Something’s wrong, isn’t it? I can feel it.”
Her voice dropped. “Ellie, I shouldn’t be talking about this over the phone.”
“Anna, please.” Napahawak ako sa cellphone ko ng mahigpit. “You’ve always been honest with me. I need the truth. Whatever Dad’s doing I have to know.”
She hesitated again before whispering, “Your father caught the subject he’s been searching for.”
The words hit me like a blow to the chest. Nanlambot ang tuhod ko at napaupo ako sa kinakatayuan ko, habang ang cellphone ko ay nanatiling nakadigit sa tenga ko. “Caught?” Bulong ko. “What do you mean caught?” 
“They brought him in last night,” she said quietly. “He’s in containment at the west wing. Your father called it a major breakthrough.”
My throat tightened. “Who… who is he?”
“I don’t have the full file,” Anna replied, and I could hear papers rustling in the background. “But from what I gathered, he’s one of the previous subjects. The one who escaped two years ago. The one your father has been tracking since then.”
I froze. The air around me disappeared. Previous subject. Escaped.
It couldn’t be. It's Hugo. Bumalik sa alaala ko ang mga oras na kasama ko si Hugo. Kasabay nito ang walang awat na pagtibok ng aking dibdib.
“No…” I breathed. “No, no, no, it can’t be him.”
“Ellie? Do you know something?” tanong n'ya.
I shut my eyes, gripping the edge of my desk. “No. I just—” My voice broke. “I just didn’t think Dad would go this far.”
“Your father’s focused,” she said cautiously. “He believes this subject holds the missing link to stabilize the serum to achieve immortality. He’s even staying in the facility himself. Extra guards, full lockdown. No one gets in or out.”
My pulse raced faster. “What happens to him now?”
“Who?”
“To the subject you talk about!”
“Sorry I don't know.”
Ibinababa ko ang tawag, This time I know I can help him. I'm my father's daughter. I can convince him to give up the project that he experimented. Or I can help Hugo escape again, for the second time. We can't risk it, can we? 
Luck isn't on our side. I can't risk my independence either if babalik ako kay Dad na parang walang nangyari. But what should I do? What should I do to help him? Ayokong pagsisihan ko 'to sa huli. Inabot ako ng hapon sa pag-iisip. I even forgot to feed my cat kung hindi siya lumapit sa'kin at nag-meow ng tatlong beses.
"I'm sorry, Coco," mabilis akong tumayo sa sofa at pumunta sa kusina. Kumuha ng wet food sa top shelf. Binuksan ito at inilagay sa pakainan ni Coco. Dinurog ko muna bago ilapag sa sahig. Pinagmasdan ko si Coco habang kumakain. "I think mawawala muna ako saglit, Coco. Ipapaalaga muna kita sa co-teacher ko, ok?"
"Meow." Ang cute sobra.
I was hesitant kanina, pero ngayon buo na ang loob ko. It's now or never. I need to help him escape. Mabilis akong nag-impake ng gamit. After kumain ni Coco, I dropped him off kay Ma’am Fe, my co-intern, may kasamang wet foods na tingin ko magtatagal ng dalawang linggo. I don’t have my own car, kaya I asked Anna to tell my dad na magpadala ng susundo sa’kin. Nagulat si Anna pero mabilis din siyang kumilos, at pinadalhan ako ng magsusundo.
After three hours, nandito na ako sa harap ng facility sa harap ng Ciano Research Facility.
Matagal ko nang hindi nakikita ang lugar na ‘to, pero kabisado ko pa rin ang bawat sulok ng harapan. The tall glass façade gleamed under the afternoon light, the same one I used to stare at from the backseat of Dad’s car whenever he brought me here as a child. The water fountain near the main gate was still there, still dancing with that rhythmic pattern I memorized years ago. Even the scent of sterilized air and steel from the automatic doors brought back memories of running through the hallways, holding Dad’s hand, too young to understand what kind of place this really was.
Sa kabilang subdivision lang ang bahay namin, pero iba ang pakiramdam ngayon. Noon, parang ordinaryong building lang ito now, it feels like a fortress. 
I took a deep breath before walking in.
Pagpasok ko sa building, hindi na ako pinacheck ng security. Automatic na bumukas ang gate nang makita nila ang pangalan ko sa monitor. Ellie Ciano Magtibay. Authorized. For a moment, I hated seeing my name there.
Sinalubong ako ni Anna sa lobby. She’s still as poised and professional as ever, with her signature smile and warm demeanor. Simple lang ang pagkakapuyod ng buhok n’ya, matching with her white crisp blouse and pencil skirt. Her heels clicked softly on the marble floor as she approached.
“Miss Ellie,” she greeted, offering that same kind of gentle nod she used to give me whenever Dad asked her to keep an eye on me years ago.
“Hi, Anna,” I managed to say, trying to steady my voice.
“Your father’s waiting upstairs,” she said, though her tone carried something else of concern, maybe. Or guilt.
We walked toward the elevator. Along the way, I glanced at the hallways. The white walls were lined with framed photographs of past achievements, scientific milestones, awards, smiling researchers. I recognized a few of the faces. Some of them used to greet me with candies when I was little. Now, most were replaced by new staff. The place had changed, but it also hadn’t.
As the elevator doors closed, my reflection stared back at me in the mirrored surface, older, steadier, but uncertain.
“I haven’t been here in years,” I murmured.
Anna smiled faintly. “Your father has made a lot of changes since then. New wings, more security, more people under him. He’s been busy.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “He always is.”
When I heard the elevator click and the doors opened to the fifth floor, my heart beat uneasily. The corridor looked the same as I remembered dim lights, that faint hum of machinery, the faint smell of alcohol and metal. The same marble flooring I used to slide across when I was ten.
And at the far end, I saw the frosted glass door with the silver plate that read Dr. Ciano – Director.
I froze for a moment. I haven’t talked to my dad since I left home, since the day I told him I wanted to live independently. Now, I’m standing at his doorstep again.
What am I going to say? What reason should I give for coming back? What if he sees through me? He’s intelligent enough to read people, to know when they’re lying. That’s why no one has ever outsmarted him.
His motto was always trust no one.
And yet, here I am his daughter about to betray him.
I found myself walking into hallway papunta sa kanyang office with Anna behind me. Pinaalalahanan niya rin ako na don't interrupt my dad if he's in a call with someone. I simply agreed.
My dad's office was dimly lit, his table was near the window where various files were stacked. There was also a jar with water and a brain floating inside on the right side of the desk. I hope that's just a display, I said into myself. I found my dad on the other side of the room, facing a bookshelf, his sleeve rolled up and sounding like he was on a call. We simply waited for a minute until the phone call ended. He immediately returned to sit in his swivel chair. He didn't look surprised when he saw me.
"Dad, I'm back," said ko. Wala siyang sinabi, ni-hindi nagbago ang expression niya nang makita ako. I knew it, he's still disappointed in me. The silence was deafening, colder than any words. He turned away, spoke briefly to Anna, and dismissed us both with a simple flick of his hand as if I was nothing but a shadow returning to haunt him.
Kinabukasan bumalik ulit ako sa facility, trying to talk to my dad again but obviously he didn't want to talk to me. He only gave me limited access to his facility. The problem is, how can I find Mr. Hugo if pagbabawalan niya akong makapasok sa iba't ibang area ng research facility?
It took me weeks bago makakuha ng information about Hugo at sa experimentation na isinasagawa sa kanya. Dinala ako ng pang-iimbestiga ko kay Dr. Claire Delos Santos, a neurosurgeon. Madali ko siyang nakita dahil may suot siyang explosive collar sa leeg. Balita sa facility na inilagay ito para hindi na siya makatakas.
Pinag-aralan ko kung saan siya dadaan and I ambushed her. Hila ko siya papunta sa isang room na walang tao. Mabilis niyang inalis ang kamay ko na nakahawak sa braso niya.
"What do you want?" tanong n'ya bakas ko ang pagkairetable sa boses n'ya.
"Tell me more about Hugo. Where is he? What experimentation did my father do to him?"
"That was Classified. I can't tell you that even if you're the CEO's daughter," sabi niya.
"Claire, I'm here to help Hugo. I'm not here as a CEO's daughter but as a concerned friend.. Please, tell me where he is." Sabi ko, trying to convince her as best I could.
Bakas ko ang pag aalala sa mukha n'ya. Napalitan ito ng takot once na makita niya ang sarili niya sa salamin ng binta, nang makita n'ya ang itim na collar na nakasuot sa leeg. How it flickering light changes from red to green. Hinawakan niya ito, trying to take it off pero hindi niya magawa. All I felt was her dismay. Fear that any wrong move could blow her head into pieces.
"Dr. Santos for clarification, not Claire." She said while looking at her reflection in the window. "I'm a Neurosurgeon. I'm a woman of science, that I am. I've dedicated my life to breakthroughs, to progress, to the greater good of science. Pero kahit ganoon, I'm also a fragile human being. I bleed. I fear. And every second this collar sits on my neck, I know my brilliance could vanish in a flash of red light. I can't risk my life, can't throw away everything I've worked for, my achievements, my name, this project. You can ask me to choose between humanity and Hugo's survival but tell me, who will carry my research if I die here? Who will remember my name? My life is depends on this bomb in my neck and I'm fucking terrified."
Lumapit ako sa kanya at sinubukan siyang pakalmahin pero itinulak n'ya ako. Pagkatapos pinunasan n'ya ang mga luha sa mata n'ya at kinompose ang sarili.
"I can't help you. I can't risk the chances of my head being blown," she whispered. "But I'll give you a clue, it's on your father's desk. 'Yun lang ang masasabi ko. The rest is up to you. Goodbye."
Mabilis siyang umalis, samantalang ako naiwang mag-isa. Trying to process what she said. The clue that Claire gave, it’s in my father’s desk. What is it? A key, perhaps, or a file related to Hugo. My pulse quickened at the thought. If that clue was real, then it could be the only link I have to find Hugo and help him escape. Whatever lies inside that desk might change everything. I need to search for it without getting caught by my father. Kinakabahan ako thinking about it now but there is no turning back. It is now or never.