RISING PHOENIX ACT SELECT

CHAPTER 20: R-NAUGHT

The next day, Marco woke up early once more, eagerly waiting for his mom to leave once more. Soon, she took the car and left for her conference, prompting Marco to spring into action. The night before, he planned a route that should've led to the address on the file, but Marco knew he still had to be careful. He had never been to this area before, and one misstep could lead to the worst case scenario - his mom coming back home before he did. For a few minutes, he was in familiar territory - until he hopped on the public bus.

He had only ridden one a couple times before, so this was a relatively new experience for him. He paid the driver and sat down, waiting for it to start moving. No one sat beside him, which was a slight relief to Marco. He rode the bus for an hour without any issues before leaving and going on the MRT. He had ridden it a few times before with his dad, so this was more familiar to him. This time it was more cramped, so he had to stand up and hold the railing. He took the train for a while, his legs nearly giving in from the amount of time he spent standing up. Soon, the train made it to his stop and he got off, collapsing at a nearby seating area.

After a few minutes, he regained his energy and began the final step of the journey - walking to the address. Unfortunately, it began to rain. The sky turned a sickly gray, which only served to increase Marco's worries. It would only take a few minutes, but he was still on high alert being so far away from home. He took out his umbrella and stayed on the sidewalk, making sure to be aware of his surroundings while checking how close he was on his phone at the same time. After what seemed like an eternity, he made it. The street number matched, the house number matched - this was it.

This was Ramone's house.

Marco took a deep breath and walked up to the front door, resting his finger on the doorbell. He looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary, aside from a yellow sign he couldn’t make out from where he was standing. After a bit of hesitation, mainly out of fear, he pressed his finger down. A typical doorbell jingle played as Marco put his finger away, still holding the umbrella as the rain continued to pour.

"Ramone! Pabuksan yung pinto!" he heard a muffled voice shout from inside, which confirmed to him that he was in the right place. All he could do now was wait for them to get the door. He didn't have to wait a while, because a few seconds later, the door in front of him clicked - then opened. It was them.

"Sino ka...?" they asked as soon as they saw Marco. They spoke in a monotone voice with a face that didn’t express a readable emotion, which put off Marco slightly.
"Are you Ramone Villanueva?" Marco asked them back. Ramone opted to remain silent - they felt Marco looked familiar, but didn't know why. Suddenly, it hit them.
"Are you from Pisay...?" they asked, maintaining their tone from earlier.
"Yes..." Marco replied, "...I'm here for the drive."
As soon as they heard this, Ramone quickly tried to shut the door, fearing that the Rising Phoenix finally found them. Marco quickly held his hand out and stopped the door.

"Wait...!" Marco exclaimed, "I'm trying to stop the Rising Phoenix, I'm not part of them!"
"And why should I believe you...?" Ramone asked with a hint of anger in their voice.
"Because I've poured my blood, sweat, and tears into taking them down and I'm not failing when I'm this close," he replied, still using his strength to keep the door open.
"They beat me to a pulp, multiple times...they framed me for destroying school property. They've ruined me. And they're about to ruin all of Pisay too. You're the only one that can help me stop them," he continued.

Ramone let go of the door when they heard this.
"...Ikaw ba yung nagwasak ng go-kart...?" they asked.
"I wasn't the one who crashed it, but yeah. That was me," he replied.
"You were chasing them, weren't you...?" Ramone asked, referring to the Rising Phoenix, to which Marco nodded.
"You're Marco Madlangbayan then..." they said.
"Yup, that's me..."
"I heard about that incident last week...I called off the exchange because I didn't want to do business in...chaotic conditions."
"So that's why..."
"Aren't you the one that won a Physics competition for us?"
"Mhm."
"So you're the great Marco. I didn't know you of all people were after them..."

With this, Ramone finally realized that Marco was on their side.
"So you heard about the drive..." Ramone continued.
"Yeah...I snuck into one of their meetings. That's how I know," Marco replied, which deeply impressed Ramone.
"What do you know about it?" they pressed on.
"All I know is that the Rising Phoenix needs it...and that it's the only way to stop this thing called the S.P.E.C.T.R.E. program. Do you know anything about that...?"
Ramone chuckled lightly.
"So that's all you know..." they said condescendingly as they looked at the ground.
"Am I missing something...?" Marco asked worriedly.

"Yes…a lot of it. Allow me to enlighten you..." Ramone told him. They paused for a few seconds, staring at the ground. Marco waited patiently for what they were about to say. Soon, they began their spiel.
"S.P.E.C.T.R.E. stands for 'Specially Programmed Extensive Code To Ravage Everything'..." Ramone explained.
"It's a virus I helped program with Overclock and Voltage while I was still part of the Rising Phoenix. We designed it to infect every single computer it could reach - all while staying completely undetectable...hence, the acronym. It was some of my finest code. I would've put it on my resumé if it wasn't illegal."

Marco was taken aback. He couldn’t have possibly imagined this was what S.P.E.C.T.R.E. truly was.
"And what happens after it infects a computer...?" Marco asked, curious but concerned at the same time.
"It just stays there, dormant. Connected to other infected computers...until it receives the signal to wipe everything on it. Everything. Every computer...all at once," they explained further. At that moment, Marco could only think of the sheer destruction this program could cause.
"Overclock's one of only a handful of people on the world that even know the exploit that makes it work. It's gone under the nose of every chip manufacturer in the world. Voltage even found a way to get it to short the device it's on. Makes it even more dangerous than it already is," Ramone said as they finished their explanation of S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

After Ramone finished, they both fell silent. Only the sound of the rain permeated the space around them. Marco stood still, staring at the ground. He was still struggling to process what he’d learned - the magnitude of the situation was crashing down on him, all at once. Soon, Ramone began to grow tired as the silence turned awkward.
“Marco…?” they asked.
“Oh, sorry…” he replied as he suddenly snapped out of it. The thoughts of what could happen if the program went off still raced around his mind.
“So…what’s in the drive…?” Marco asked. Ramone took a deep breath and began to explain.
“The drive is one of two authenticator keys. The other is most likely still with the Rising Phoenix.”

“Without getting too technical, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. can only be modified on a specific type of computer with the drive plugged in. It will reject any attempts otherwise. We programmed it that way,” they told Marco, who was intrigued by the mention of a special type of computer.
“Is it a computer that comes in a metal case, by any chance…?” he asked, partially joking.
“You’re right…how do you know that?” Ramone asked, surprised by what Marco said.
“Oh…one of the people I’m working with has a computer like that. It’s military-grade.”
“What brand?”
“Um…there’s a small logo with three stars and a V under the screen. Not sure what model though.”
Ramone was pleasantly surprised. Right then, they knew they found what they were looking for.

“That’s the exact kind Overclock uses. You’re lucky…” they told Marco, “...but you need to be careful.”
“Why?” Marco asked.
“Overclock always looked over my shoulder when I worked on S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Right before I left, he asked me to find paths to the servers of the other Pisay campuses. I found it, put it in one of the drives, then he sealed it. He always used some sort of program to make the drive completely unmodifiable when he wasn’t around. Can’t wipe it, can’t add any files - nothing. I still haven’t cracked it. So if it ends up in their hands…”
“...the other campuses go down too,” Marco finished.
“I kept that drive and left that life behind as soon as my LOA was processed. I’ve been holding onto it in the hopes someone can use it to stop them…even though I know what else is in it,“ they continued.

The rain continued to pour as they discussed this highly sensitive topic. They once again fell silent, allowing the sound of the rain to seep back in.
“Why did you leave…?” Marco asked out of curiosity. Ramone stood in silence for a while before answering the question.
“They wanted too much from me…and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was breaking my back for them everyday, and I got nothing in return. Not even a thank you,” they told him.
“I was just a pawn in their game.”
“...so when will S.P.E.C.T.R.E. activate…?” Marco asked Ramone.
“Based on my estimates from when I was still there…around next week,” they replied, which took Marco aback.
“Alright, we still have time. I need that drive and the identities of the Rising Phoenix, now,” Marco said gladly as he held his hand out to Ramone.

“You really think I’m just going to give it to you…?” they said.

The slight smile on Marco’s face faded instantly.
“...what do you mean?” Marco asked sternly.
“The Rising Phoenix wants it…now you. It’s only fair I name a price. Consider it…reparations…for everything I went through,” they replied. Hearing this angered Marco greatly - he couldn’t afford to deal with this right now.
“How much?” Marco asked reluctantly.
“100,000 pesos, as always - and a slot in prom night. Pisay wouldn’t let me go.”
“WHAT?!”
“That is my final offer.”
Marco began to fill up with rage and impatience. He couldn’t believe that with everything at stake, they would still try to exploit the situation for their own benefit.
“Listen to me, Ramone…” he told them sternly, “...this is beyond money, or prom slots, or whatever you want for yourself. If you don’t give me this drive now, you’re risking the future of Pisay itself…!” Marco explained while holding back anger so as not to cause a scene.

“We can negotiate if you want. How’s 90,000…?” Ramone proposed.
“I didn’t come here to negotiate,” Marco told them firmly, which they weren’t expecting.
“Oh well…if you’re not gonna take it, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
“I’m not leaving until you give it to me.”
“You’ve got some guts, you know? Especially since I’m the one…holding all the cards,” Ramone remarked as they pulled out a few playing cards from their pocket, all of which had their edges sharpened. Marco was not amused and stood there in silence.
“Regardless, I’m not giving it until I have my money and my slot,” they continued.

“Is it in your house…?” Marco asked as he looked inside, contemplating whether he should rush in. Ramone noticed this and knew exactly what to say.
“You see that sign over there?” they asked Marco as they pointed to a yellow sign posted on a nearby fence. Marco looked in that direction and saw what it said - “Beware of dogs”.
“A few months ago, someone tried to break in…he got up over the fence. Got inside. It was then that our guard dogs woke up. They found him…and they tore him apart. Just a few feet from where we’re standing,” Ramone explained menacingly.
“So unless you want me to open that gate, wake them up, and let them see you…I would suggest you either leave or we come to an agreement,” Ramone proposed.

Marco weighed his options. He looked at the gate where the dogs were being kept, then back at Ramone, then to the inside of the house. This continued a few more times before he came to a decision.
“Alright…” he relented. “I’ll find a way to get you into prom. As soon as we’re there, you give me the drive,” he told them. Ramone nodded in agreement, delighted that they got exactly what they asked for.
“Before you go, you’re going to need this…” Ramone told him. They then spouted off a long string of numbers and letters, which Marco scrambled to note down on his phone.

“What was that…?” Marco asked, confused.
“That’s the address of my crypto wallet. Send my money there,” they told Marco before giving detailed instructions on what site to use.
“That’s all. See you at prom,” Ramone told Marco, almost taunting him.
“This isn’t over,” he told them. He slowly turned around and reopened his umbrella, as the rain was still pouring. He walked off and began the long trek back home. Ramone shut the door as soon as he was far enough and quickly sat down.

“Papa!” they called out.
“Ano…?” their dad asked.


“Ihanda mo na yung isusuot ko sa prom...pupunta ako.”