Chapter 2// Noli Me Tangere
Six months ago
“Diwa, will you be a dear and help me out with these?” He ran his hands across his unbuttoned trousers and hovering just above its zipper. He was sitting on his chair by his desk, legs spread open.
She walked towards her employer while keeping her head down.
“Look at me.”
Her eyes slowly looked up to the man in front of her, slightly allowing her vision to catch the reflection of what seems to be a small lens against one of the shelves behind him. There was a brief pause between the two of them before she finally reached out for the bulge in his pants. She maintained eye contact while her hands move back and forth against it.
He moaned with every pump. Diwa studied his face as it distorts in anticipation of his release.
“There you go. Almost there.” She said to herself as she felt his knees shiver until he came against her hands. He didn’t expect her to catch them with her mouth, but she did anyway. The more favors, the better for her.
A few moments after they were done, he zipped his pants up and resumed the work he left on his desk.
Diwa got up and walked silently out of the office. As soon as she was a good eight feet away from the door, she ran towards the toilet and forced herself to vomit on the ceramic bowl. The glistening cleanliness of the bathroom contrasted the aftermath of the toilet bowl. Her body was slumped on the tiled floor as her left arm reached for the handle of the flush.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Her lungs heaved as she tried to calm herself down.
I think I got them all. Time to finish the layout then. And then, onto phase 2.
She has been working her ass off for the past 12 months at this Maharlika’s house and has been creating a mental layout of the place, trying to locate the security cameras that were hidden in plain sight. A Maharlika, and a security officer as well. She needed to get around each and every room of the house and the only way she could think of was to be a submissive servant towards her employer and to do some ‘extra’ work if needed. The other women in the household just keep things for themselves as most of them do not want unnecessary attention. But not for Diwa. Lust may have been always symbolized as a slutty woman throughout time immemorial, but in the end, it is one of the most powerful effects that women have over men. They just could not keep it in their pants.
They may have robbed them of their abilities, they may have controlled their roles in society, but they still cannot resist their sexual urges towards women.
She washed her face and gargled a mouthful of mouthwash before leaving the toilet. She passed by the office door again, maintaining her calm disposition for the security cameras around her. She knocked on the door, despite it being slightly ajar just like how she left it a while ago.
“Sir? Diwa would like to ask if there is anything else she could do for you? She would like to resume her chores around the house.”
“There is nothing else, Diwa. Just make sure you lock my office when I leave tonight.”
Her heart skipped a beat.
He’s leaving today. This might be my chance.
“Diwa would also like to ask when will you be coming back? She would like to prepare everything for your arrival.”
There was a pause. Was it a hint of suspicion? She wasn’t sure.
“I’ll be back tomorrow evening. I expect that you will be available when I arrive.”
“Yes, sir. Diwa wishes you well on your travel.”
Nothing. She did not expect him to say thank you, of course. And with that, she walked away and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Tonight then.
Diwa was sitting still on her bed. It was a quarter past two in the morning. Everything was quiet and the rest of the Alipin women were sleeping soundly around her. Her breathing was heavy but controlled. She would need to calm herself a little bit more. There is no security camera in her room as far as her scavenger hunt was concerned. This finding surprised her because this Maharlika still believes in a little bit of privacy, apparently. But once she stepped out of the door, there will be one already waiting for her along the corridor, against the photo frame, as she remembered vividly that night when she was held against the wall while being fucked from behind.
The major flaw about these security cameras was that since they were small enough to be hidden, they also have a limited range of view. With her small frame and body, this might go smoothly as planned. She held her messy hair up in a ponytail before she walked towards the door as inaudible and noiseless as she could. She reached for the knob and turned.
It was dark along the corridor, but lights were peeking through from the window at the end of it. The light post was conveniently standing outside that very specific window.
“The camera should start getting my figure past that planter in the middle. So…” She looked for the shadows against the walls around that area.
“I might go for that one the-”
Suddenly, all of the lights went out.
“What the hell??” She whispered to herself in the dark. “Well, no time to lose then!”
She sprinted across the corridor with consistent lightness on her steps, up to the stairs, and turned to the right, going past the bathroom door and into the office room. Her hands flew across the shelves behind the desk and ran her fingers on the spines of the books until she arrived at a book entitled, “Noli Me Tangere”.
“I think this is it.”
She opened the book and revealed a rather large syringe with a long needle at the end and two unlabeled vials. She quickly inserted one of the vials into the syringe, lifted the hair on the back of her neck, and aimed it against her spinal puncture.
“Whatever this is, it’s better than nothing.”
With a deep breath, she injected the syringe into her puncture. She felt her brain froze and burned at the same time. Her vision blurred, while her body struggled to regain balance. She blindly felt for her surroundings as she managed to grab the chair and she sat there until the sensations subsided.
Her thoughts were suddenly flooded with numbers, logical equations, and symbols.
“I think I just got something perfect for me. Time to leave this place for real.”
With no second thoughts, she tucked the book inside her overalls and went straight for the front door. Her lungs took in the gritty air around her before heading to the back of the lot. She picked up her pace as she ran towards the high wall surrounding the house.
I can make it I can make it I can make it!
She recited her mantra in her head as she came closer and closer to the wall in front of her. Suddenly, she found herself too close for comfort, but her legs were quick enough to step against the wall and launch her light body up to the edge.
“Unghhh!” Her hands safely grabbed the edge and pulled herself up. Just then, the lights flickered back to life.
“Oh shit!” She jumped down on the other side of the fence just at the moment before the electricity came back to the wall itself. She glanced up the wall again as she saw an electric arc run across the area where she just held on to.
“I think I have been away from the base for too long.” She slipped her way into the back alleys until her shadow disappeared.
The Gilid is a much bigger, more complicated maze than the back alleys of Genesis Manila. But for Diwa, it’s just like the back of her hand. After leaving Tanggulan district and making her way around the streets and corners for a good 30 minutes, she finally arrived in front of an unknowing seam metal roof against a wall with a strange symbol on it. She knocked against the metal following a certain pattern while looking up and winking at something over her head. The metal moved by itself and showed a passageway down. Her eyes roamed around for one last look at her environment before going inside.
She stepped into a huge floor full of Alipins moving about and getting busy with a lot of things. At most, there were 50 women there on headcount. Some were propped up on worn out desks with their fingers flying off the keyboards like automatons. Some were drawing maps and schematics on used newspapers. Some were doing some physical exercises and combat training.
“Okay so did anyone of you had something to do with the blackout awhile ago? Because that timing was just perfect.”
“Well, look who’s back underground. To answer your question, that would be a Third World country’s undoing.” An old woman wearing a mustard yellow dress with a stitched label saying, ‘Ditse’ on it approached her with her arms open and waiting.
“Carmen, I’m not in the mood for emotional reunions. But thanks.” She remained unmoving but Carmen still gave her a quick hug.
“So, successful claiming your syngen I presume?”
Diwa nodded. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t successful, would I?”
“Ah, I missed that attitude. Your lucky roulette landed you what exactly?”
“Information. A lot of them. I’ll be with those guys now, right?” She asked as she pointed at the women on the desks.
“That will be too easy for you. I’m assigning you your own little party instead, for more mobile pursuits.” Carmen searched the floor for specific faces. “Sinag? Cielo? Are they around?” She called out to the lot in front of her.
“What do you mean my own party? I’m not yet ready for this, Carmen. Besides, I work better alone.” She tried to reason with her.
“You work better alone, but it will be best to have someone that has your back at all times,” Carmen replied.
“Looking for me, Carmen?” A woman wearing a flimsy magenta nightgown with her auburn hair up on rollers came up to them.
Diwa carefully eyed the woman who was standing in front of her. Judging from head to toe, she must be a Marilag.
“Diwa, this is Sinag. She will be your main girl for information extraction. We were able to get her some athletics and stealth syngen abilities and she has been handling them well. She is a famous Marilag at the Tanghalan district and a lot of her customers are of high-ranking positions. She is perfect for your party.”
She smiled curtly at Sinag.
“Nice to meet you, Diwa. And congratulations on your recent mission.” Sinag suddenly moved close to her face and gave her a peck on the cheeks.
Diwa froze on her feet momentarily before regaining her composure.
“Sure. Uh, thanks, Sinag.”
“It will be my pleasure working with you from now on.” Sinag’s lips curved into a smile as she reached for Diwa’s right hand and shook it.
A short-haired woman who was wearing the same overalls as hers and has a belt bag around her waist approached them shortly.
“I’m Cielo. Glad to meet both of you!”
With her extra cheerful facade, Diwa immediately knew that it was all a front. And that goes for everyone else, even for her.
“Cielo will be your medic, in case of untoward incidents and emergencies. She will also be your chameleon if needed to be. She can be anything you need. She was granted the artist syngen.”
“To be, or not to be. That is the question. ” Cielo graced them with a few lines from a play.
“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer,” Sinag responded.
“The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” Diwa followed through as well.
“Yes! Great job you two! Oh, I’m so excited about our party!”
“I guess, that will be it. I’m looking forward to your missions together. Enjoy each other’s company and good luck!” Carmen gave them a final nod before leaving the three of them on the floor.
Diwa looked from Sinag to Cielo and back to Sinag again as she tried to assess her current predicament. Sinag glanced at her with a certain glint in her eyes before slipping an arm around her and pulled her close.
“Let’s get to know each better over some alcohol, shall we?”
“N-no, I don’t drink.”
“Well, we can get you started, right Cielo?”
“I don’t mind some wine. Did you know that drinking alcohol makes you more in tune with your creative side?” Cielo grabbed Diwa’s other arm as well.
I think I’m off to a bad start with this bunch. God help me.
2184 words
Writing Under the Influence
A monthly writing prompt project with Jeff
