Three days later, the warehouse courtyard looked nothing like its usual patched-up self. A row of battered plastic chairs had been set out under a canvas awning. A banner hung crookedly on the wall:
"AquaPure Community Demo – Clean Water, Anywhere."
Maria paced nervously, flipping through her clipboard. "Reporters from ABS-CBN are here. Plus that NGO from Cebu, and the mayor from San Mateo. Boss, if this thing fails—"
Rafael's voice cut her off, calm and steady. "It won't."
Jericho muttered, adjusting the straps of the prototype unit. "You sound awfully sure for someone who hasn't tested this with an audience before."
Rosa clucked her tongue as she set out cups. "Shh, hijo. Let the boy have his confidence. We need it more than your jokes."
The recruits, their clothes freshly laundered but still wrinkled, stood in a nervous huddle. Lea's fingers tapped against her thigh. Carlo whispered, "What if it breaks? What if—"
Nanay Pilar silenced him with a gentle smack on the arm. "It will not. We built it with our own hands. That means something."
The guests arrived in a flurry of noise and curiosity. Cameras flashed as reporters whispered about the scrappy company that had beaten HydraCorp. The San Mateo mayor, a stout man with sweat soaking his barong, shook Rafael's hand firmly. "If this works, hijo, my people will bless your name."
Rafael only nodded, his face calm. Inside, the Codex flickered with silent assurance:
"Probability of successful demonstration: 96%. Recommendation: control the narrative. Emphasize transparency."
The prototype stood in the center of the courtyard: a bamboo-framed drum connected to layers of improvised filters, topped with a salvaged solar panel. It looked fragile, almost laughably simple—until it was tested.
Maria cleared her throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, AquaPure presents a portable water station. Built from local materials, powered by the sun, able to provide clean water for families in disaster areas."
Reporters leaned forward. Cameras rolled.
Rafael stepped up, holding a bucket of foul, brown canal water. Without a word, he poured it into the drum. The audience winced at the smell. The liquid trickled through the filters, under the faint glow of the UV strip, and out into a waiting cup.
He picked it up, held it to the light—clear, transparent—and drank.
For a heartbeat, silence hung heavy. Then the mayor demanded, "Let me try."
Rafael handed him a cup. The man sipped cautiously, then blinked. "Clean. Absolutely clean."
Gasps spread through the audience. Reporters surged forward. Cameras clicked furiously. The NGO representative stepped up next, then another, until half the row of guests had tasted the water themselves. Each reaction was the same: disbelief melting into awe.
Jericho whispered to Rosa, "We might actually pull this off."
Rosa smirked. "Not 'might.' We did."
By the end of the demo, the courtyard rang with applause and shouted questions. "How much does it cost?" "When will it be available for relief centers?" "Can it be scaled?"
Maria fielded questions like a seasoned pro, while the recruits stood dazed, overwhelmed by the rush of attention. Lea whispered to Carlo, "We built that. We did." He grinned, pride radiating from him.
Rafael stepped back, letting them bask. To the public, it looked like genius, grit, and community had birthed this machine. No one saw the pale-blue Codex pulsing quietly in his vision, feeding him probabilities and next steps.
"Milestone achieved: Public trust expanded. NGO partnership probability +41%. Rival surveillance probability +62%."
As the crowd dispersed and the reporters packed up, Rafael caught sight of two men in suits lingering by the gate, whispering and watching too closely. Not HydraCorp—different. Their badges bore the name of another multinational water firm.
Maria noticed them too. "New vultures?" she murmured.
Rafael's eyes hardened. "Of course. Giants don't like losing ground."
He turned back to his team, who were still laughing, slapping each other's backs, their joy untainted by politics. For now, he let them have their victory.
But in his mind, the Codex's whisper carried like a shadow:
"New adversaries detected. Expansion has drawn attention. Prepare for the next war."
Rafael raised his gaze to the Manila skyline, neon lights flickering in the dusk. HydraCorp had been only the first.
And AquaPure was just getting started.