Anakdatu - Chapter 9：Finally Home, and the Magic Speaking Glasses.

After a few hours of sleeping, crazy splinter cell guys and more pavements, finally, we arrived at our destination. We went to the expressway exit, turned into the roundabout and we went to the Batangas City proper.

Batangas city, it is a lot different than Manila, like so much different, there are no high-rise buildings, no billboards of silly artists and their endorsements, no trains, no overlapping highways on top that is kind of scary that it might drop and squish you like a bug, no traffic and lots of differences more. It’s like a new world if never on your whole life you went to a province.

“Welcome to Batangas city Datu Puti.” Said my driver with a smile.

“Uh, thanks.” I replied.

The people here always have a smile on their faces, and they are like ants. Have you watched ants on a line? One goes the other way and the other goes to the other right? And when they are about to meet some other ants, they go close and greet, these are the people here in Batangas, rather than on Manila, people go on with their lives, never cared for others, with their placid blank faces. Batangas is like the Marvel universe and Manila is the DC universe. (Greatest analogy ever.)

After a few minutes, we arrived to a small villa in the center of the town, parked and I went down with my baggage. My driver escorted me inside, gave me a tour and simply, it is like The Hut jr., on the outside, it seems old and insignificant but inside, well damn, it has this mini gym like in The Hut, a nice kitchen where my driver said, all the foods are in the fridge, and he meant all kinds of foods and it just needs to be microwaved to be eaten, awesome! And then I went upstairs to my room, well, simply it is like my suite at The Hut but now, there is this table with lots of things in it like an umbrella, a necktie, a belt, a sniper pistol, a clear Clubmaster glasses, a watch, a pair of shoes and a black Jansport bag. Above the table are uniforms, I guess for my undercover mission as a student.

“These are all my gear Mr. Driver?” I asked my escort.

“Yes sir, and sir, always and always, glasses on please.” He told me and smiled.

I put on my glasses and suddenly, I felt like Iron Man in his suit.

With the heads up display that was displayed in the glasses such as my heart rate, health, a mini map and radar, the glasses spoke to my mind, “Hello Datu Puti, this is your smart glasses modified and programmed to assist you in all things in relation to your mission. Also I am your first smart glasses assistant and I have no name yet, what would you like to name me?” She asked me in a Siri like voice.

“What the-, did you just heard that?” I asked the staff guy.

“No sir and it’s for your eyes and mind only. If you need any assistance or anything, just call me sir, I’m downstairs in the staff room.” He went downstairs.

“Are you sure to name me ‘What the did you just heard that?’ sir?” My glasses asked me.

“What? No! Uh can you select your own random name?” I asked my glasses.

“Sure sir, searching for random name… Sir, whatabout Eve?” My glasses asked.

“Oh Eve, that’s cool. Hello Eve,” and I undid my shoes and laid down in my bed. “Can you give me some sort of introduction on how to use these glasses?”

“Sure sir, this is the standard issue smart glasses made by Datu Sumakwel. This glasses can do anything at request. It provides the display of your location, radar, your heart rate and health status as the stem of the glasses is connected via electrical waves with the brain stem. Also no one can hear the things I tell you sir as all this information goes straight to the processing part of the brain. This can make calls internationally, access the internet, can synchronize with your weapon in combat and lots more. This sir is where announcements and also mission data is distributed, this too can hack to anything. On public, the glasses can give complete information of a person on sight with courtesy of the Intel organization of Anakdatu.” Eve said.

“Awesome!” I said, “Mind if we walk to the balcony and give me a simple tour of Batangas?”

“My pleasure sir.”

I walked and opened the glass windows and into the balcony, I was like wow, what infront of me is a blue sparkling lake, and on the lake are boats zipping back and forth whom I assumed as fisherman, with the sun slightly in the corner of the sky and a cute tiny volcano in the middle.

“What the beauty is this Eve? It’s so nice! I wish I’ve got a phone so I can post it on Instagram or something.” I said in awe.

“That sir, is the Taal Lake, and the Taal volcano in the middle. I can post it in Instagram sir if you like?” She said.

“Awesome, I was just kidding about the Instagram posting thing.” I told her.

I suddenly remembered my parents, “Hey Eve, can you make a call to my parents?” I asked her, or it.

“Sure sir, should I contact Hernan and Valerie Liwayway?” Eve asked.

“Pretty please.” I said.

Their portraits appeared on my HUD, with a rotating circle and a word “Ringing” present above it.

I am really excited to see or at least talk to them, at least cheer me up on things, make me feel not this alone or something, I miss them to be honest. My mother’s sense of humor, and the way she can wave sadness into happiness immediately and my father’s paternal guidance.

After a few rings, they answered but sadly, I cannot see them but I can hear them.

“Hello?” I said.

“Ramil? Ramil! My boy, how are you? Are you okay? Where are you now? ” My dad rapidly asked me questions.

“My sweetheart! We received your message from Macabulos. Be careful always okay? How are you?” My mom then asked.

I told them how was I, how we left at peace and after a few hours is we are attacked by those weird guys and their weird tech and how they reacted to the sun and also to my Kampilan.

When my dad heard that my enemies are the ones that pursued him too, he got quite worried.

“Son, we, your mom and I want you to be careful and safe at all times okay? Keep in mind all my reminders to you for it will serve you good sometime. Those guys are on a level of their own and fighting them is no joke. Be alert and also remember your training okay?” My dad told me.

“Yes dad, you and mom? How are you guys?” I asked them.

“We are okay son, do not worry about us okay?” My dad told me, “The Hut at these moments, well, it is kind of deserted. Since the day that you were dispatched, the other agents with their own staff went on their way too, living the life they were destined for. Only Macabulos and Sumakwel were left here, I don’t know about Sikatuna, who knows where he is?” My father kidded.

“Ha ha, just always stay safe there okay? And I promise you guys I will do the same and I will also keep in touch with you guys, this smart glasses is awesome!” I told them.

“Oh well, Sumakwel’s smart glasses, it can do anything you know?” I heard some back ground noise on our connection, like blaring of the overhead speakers. “Uh son, we got to go, time to work! Our reminders okay? We love you Ramil!” My father told me.

“And we are so proud of you.” My mother finally said and their connection ended.

“Sir, the call has been finished. Anything that I can do for you sir?” Eve asked me.

“Oh Eve, I don’t know yet.” Tears rimmed my eyes, I really missed them. “Maybe you can suggest me what to do eve?” I asked her.

“Oh sir, I can tell you the mission data if you like?” She told me promptly.

“Oh yeah sure, disseminate the mission data please.” I ordered Eve.

“Mission Data : Protect Ms. Emanuelle Elise Ver-, uh sir, an incoming call from Datu Macabulos, should we answer sir?” She was cut short and asked me.

“Answer please,” it shifted to a video conference call on the HUD except, I guess he can’t see me, he seem like the normal Macabulos, I wonder why. “Good Afternoon Datu Puti, good thing you got there safe. I received a notification from your smart glasses that you are asking for the mission data. Even if I want you to read that, I want you to not stress about it too much okay? Tomorrow is a large amount of time yet so we will just wait for tomorrow soldier, understood?” He asked.

“Yes sir, thank you sir.” I replied.

“Good, now rest for some time, you’ll be back to school tomorrow.” He reminded me.

“Ugh, don’t mention about school.”

He laughed, “Well, just be safe out there and focus on your mission okay? Tomorrow is going to be fun.” And the video conference just shut out.

Oh well, it’s me again, alone and alone. I am bored but in the same time, I am so tired and I don’t know what to do.

Night time fell quickly as if time was sped up with one feeling so boring and tired. I laid down my bed for the whole afternoon and just thought of what will happen tomorrow. I keep on having negative thoughts about me failing my mission and Ms Vertucio may be killed and I don’t know. No, I am not going to fail.

And after some time of thinking, I fell asleep. (Yes, with my glasses on.)