86 CHAPTER 85 REUNION CON

Just the sound of the engine and the rotating blade of the Air Tripler. Nobody spoke. The beeping on the dashboard also continued to sing its melodious song as the people on the Plane brood over Ham's words, lost in their own thought. It was difficult to comprehend what had transpired. The pain that the boy had gone through. The dread. His life was a miracle, a testimony of someone who had seen the face of death and had lived to tell the tale.

Pinna shifted her weight on the chair. It was beginning to sting despite the soft edges of the foams that were used to paddle them. She studies the disfigured face of Ham, though, finding it hard to solve the puzzle. Why would anyone want to do this to him? There must be a reason. Even though he hadn't mentioned it, she could tell from the way he avoided eye contact that there must be a reason behind the attack. Like the book had said. The damned army does not attack a random individual. Their targets are always precise. They know what and when to attack. There has to be a reason.

"A boy in the first grade had found me where the creatures had left me to die. He was the one that had informed me about the ongoing procedure that was helping people with disabilities by attaching machine part. He signed the form for me and had enrolled me in the program. I am among the first Hubot to be tested. I owe my life to that boy. Too bad I didn't get to know his name, except for the fact that he was from the Gray linage. He ascent said much on that respect."

Matt grunted but stood up as if the chair he was sitting on had pinched him on his buttocks. He paced the same cockpit, biting his index finger. That blonde shaggy hair of his was already standing on his head. He clearly was not in a good mood. None of them were. Ham deserved better than to be treated like garbage.

"Something is amiss here. There must be a connection in all of this. What did they want, Ham? They must have mentioned it, yes?" Matt asked the question that had engulfed Pinna's head for the past few minutes. "Or was this some random attack?"

"I can't say, but I can only make my guess. I think they were looking for something."

"Or someone." Matt stroked his brow and returned to his seat. He supported his upper body by relaxing the weight on his knees, using his elbow. "They might be after you directly, or after someone or something you know about."

Ham tightened his lips as if it was the first time the thought was crossing his mind. 

"Perhaps. I heard the girl that had attacked me, saying something about the key to some kind of prison."

"Keys, hmm" Matt rubbed his eyebrow but hissed with frustration when it became obvious that his mind could not think up the right thoughts.

"Must have been the same reason they had attacked Ema, back then in the academy," Pinna said, looking from one person to the other.

"Yeah, I guess so. But what Key could it be? The books and the scrolls said nothing about Keys��� It was Matt who spoke. The crease on his face was turning to a mask. Pinna could not say for sure, but she thinks something else was also troubling the boy. The expression on his face went beyond the trouble Ham had faced.

"I don't know Matt, I don't know," Ham muttered and stood up gently. He returned the sunglass to his eyes and tried to smile. The smile only appeared on the corner of his lips, and that was the farther it could go. 

"There must be a missing piece here. First, it was that fluid, and now this." Matt heaved. He tapped the hands of the chair with his finger but stood up again after some time. "Something is missing in all of this," He said 

"What troubles you, Matt," Ham asked

"This was personal, Ham. Someone had done this to you in other to send a message to his target."

"Oh," Pinna's brow elevated to her forehead, "I see," She said, "you think this has to do with you, isn't it? You think you are the primary target." 

"I never said I was," Matt defended.

"Then stop acting like it, child."

"I am not a child," Matt groaned.

"Hey, guys," Ham called, breaking the tension that was trying to surface. "The argument will not help anyone, will it?"

Pinna rubbed her eyes and averted her gaze away from Matt. She was looking at the world outside, through the glass window where the dark world still trends. Nothing stood for miles, just nothing and nothing alone. Matt should know that they were in this together. He should stop taking responsibilities and blaming himself over something that had affected all of them. Perhaps this has to do with the death of Sandra, or worse.

She hissed, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hands. The problem of the Keepers and the HT—happy tech—were already shredding their skin for them to start worrying about some mystical creature that was believed to come from another world. 

"I think we would discuss this another time, please, before we rip our throats out." Ham finished. 

Pinna could see his gaze from the corner of her eyes, jumping from her body to Matt. He hissed however and returned to his seat when he was sure that they would not devour each other.

"Destination in five minutes." The voice of Joci echoed through the speakers. Pinna lifted her head at the voice, noting the white light that was beginning to brighten up the night.

"By the way, where are you taking us?" She asked. They had been so engrossed with the presence of Ham and his story to have asked the most important question of all.

"Wait until you see," Ham said and walked back to the cockpit. He was whistling an unknown song with his mouth, another behavior which was strange as long as Pinna was concerned. The plane hummed when Ham pulled down another lever, but changed its course and started plummeting down in a gentle and careful fashion.

"Welcome home, Master Hamzold" Joci voice said in the speaker. 

The plane had landed inside some kind of room that was covered with white bright light. Tiled gray walls contrasted the brightness of the light and the black marbles that covered the floor.

"Welcome to my humble home." Ham smiled. The door of the Air Tripler shifted upwards from its position and slide into the wall of the vessel. Cold suddenly rushed into the plane too, making Pinna hug herself, despite the jumpsuit she wore.

"Feel at home," Ham gestured and took the lead.

Pinna held her breath as she walked down from the Air Tripler. The place was a flaunting of wealth and power. Everywhere from the wall to the ceiling and the marble floor was well polished. Even the bodies of the Keepers that guarded the place. It was tidy too and arranged in an orderly fashion.

"Ham, you mean you own this house?" She asked.

"Surprised?" Came the sweet reply.

Pinna shook her head with disbelief. They were in front of a white door now, and Ham was typing some password into the keyboard on the wall.

"Don't jump out of your skin, Pe. It belongs to my parent" Ham chuckled as the door on parted, revealing another room that bore color almost like a rainbow. "They are dead in case you are wondering." Ham said as he walked toward the counter, "Wine?"

Pinna nodded but remained on her feet. Matt on the other hand had already taken one of the yellow couch. His face was still masked with those worries and in pained Pinna that she must have been too hard on him.

"Do you know Ham was this rich, Matt?" she asked, trying to stir up a conversation that might just remove the tension between them.

"I hid it from everybody," Ham answered instead. He handed them the glass of red wine and took the seat that was opposite to Matt's. "Ema suspected it once, but she was not so sure, so her suspicious waxed."

"I see," Pinna bit her upper lips. The chandelier that hung on the ceiling showered yellow lights on them. It looked like one of those chandeliers they advertised on the TV.

"If you were born with a silver spoon, why bother racing?"

A small smile covered Pinna's upper lips from Matt's question. It shows at the least that he would not jump into depression anytime soon.

"Oh, about that," The glass cup clattered in Ham's teeth as he took the first sip, "Boredom, I think. What did you expect from a child whose parents died and left with all these?" he waved his hands.