NIGHT SCENE
The city was quiet, a little too quiet for Jay's liking.
It was 1:47 AM.
Jay walked through the backstreets with her hood up, steps silent, eyes scanning every shadow like they were old enemies. For the past few nights, she'd been sneaking out—gathering any scrap of information she could find about Subject 08… Sebastian… the ghost that refused to stay buried.
Her phone buzzed.
Alex: Found someone. Has info. MJ, meet him NOW.
Her heart didn't spike. Didn't panic.
It just… dropped.
She immediately forwarded her location.
Jay → Kuya Angelo: Bar 27. Back entrance. If I'm not out in 10 mins—enter.
No reply. Good. That meant he was already moving.
Jay pushed open the creaking back door of the dim-lit underground bar. Neon red lights cast an eerie glow across the empty space. The place smelled like cheap whiskey and trouble.
Her hand hovered near her gun as she walked in.
Then she heard it.
That voice.
Calm. Sharp. A cold smirk wrapped in sound.
"On time as always, MJ."
Jay froze for a fraction of a second.
Only one person had ever called her that with that tone.
She didn't want to look.
But she did.
And there he was.
A man in his 20s, back turned to her, sitting casually at the corner table. Broad shoulders. Dark hair. Lean frame. One leg crossed over the other like he owned the world. He didn't even bother to turn around fully—just angled his head a little, letting her see part of his face in the neon reflection.
Sebastian.
Subject 08. Her childhood. Her past. Her nightmare.
He let out a low laugh—soft, mocking, familiar enough to make her stomach twist.
"Took you long enough," he murmured. "I was starting to think you forgot about me again."
Jay's jaw tightened.
Her hand curled into a fist.
She stepped closer, steady, controlled.
"Funny," she said, voice cold. "Didn't realize trash could talk."
He chuckled—slow, delighted, dangerous.
"Oh Jay…" He finally turned enough for her to see the full smirk on his lips, eyes unforgivingly locked on hers.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear your voice again."
Her pulse didn't speed up.
But her anger did.
And for the first time in years… MJ and Subject 08 were face to face.
And the night grew darker.---
THE NIGHT ONLY GOT DARKER —
Jay didn't blink.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't move.
Sebastian, though—he reveled in the silence.
He leaned back in his chair, long fingers tapping rhythmically against the glass in front of him.
"Relax," he drawled. "If I wanted to kill you tonight, MJ… I wouldn't be sitting down."
Jay scoffed, stepping closer but keeping the counter between them.
"If you could kill me," she said, "you would've done it at twelve."
His smirk twitched—annoyance flickering for half a heartbeat.
Interesting.
He lifted the glass, swirling the whiskey lazily.
"Careful," he murmured. "You're talking to the boy who covered for you every single time you snuck out of the dorms."
Jay's jaw clenched.
"And the same boy," she said quietly, "who left me to die."
That hit.
It was fast—barely visible—but she saw it:
A shadow crossing his eyes.
A tightness in his grip.
A crack in the façade.
But then—he smiled again.
Except this one… this one was colder.
"You ran," Sebastian said. "You left me."
Jay inhaled sharply, but silently.
He wasn't wrong.
But he wasn't right either.
Her hand slid toward the gun holster under her jacket slowly—naturally.
Sebastian's eyes flicked to the movement.
He laughed.
"MJ."
He lifted both his hands in a lazy surrender.
"Put the toy away. I told you—tonight isn't about killing you."
Jay didn't budge.
"Then what is it about?"
Sebastian leaned in, finally giving her a full view of his face—sharper, older, twisted by something that wasn't there when he was twelve.
"Information," he whispered.
"And warning."
Jay stiffened.
But she didn't interrupt.
She didn't give him that satisfaction.
Sebastian lowered his voice, gaze pinning her like a needle through flesh.
"Do you know what they call you now?" he asked.
Jay stayed silent.
He smirked.
"Subject 09—the Ghost that survived."
He tilted his head.
"And do you know what they call me?"
She didn't respond.
He didn't wait.
"The Reaper who wants his Ghost back."
Jay's breath stopped for a split second.
Sebastian's eyes glittered with something dark.
Possessive.
Obsessive.
Something that had nothing to do with missions or training.
"You stole my peace when you left," he said, voice dropping.
"Now I'm here to steal yours."
Jay's finger brushed her gun.
Sebastian didn't even look scared.
Instead…
He smiled.
Slow.
Soft.
Deadly.
"Also tell your dear Kuya Angelo to stop trying to track me," he murmured.
"He's too slow. And honestly—he's starting to embarrass you."
Jay's eyes widened just slightly.
He knew.
He wasn't finished.
Jay didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't move.
Sebastian leaned back in his chair, arms draping over the sides like he was welcoming death with open arms.
Or worse—welcoming her.
"So," he said casually, tapping his fingers on the table. "Here for info, baby?"
Jay's eyes flicked, silently scanning the room, counting exits, shadows, reflections. His posture. His breathing. His tells.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
He tilted his head, smirk sharpening.
"Relax, MJ. Your little informant? Dead. Killed him moments before you walked in."
Her hand moved toward her gun so fast the air shifted.
Sebastian didn't flinch.
Didn't lean back.
Didn't react.
He simply raised his hands a little, in mock surrender.
"For tonight," he said softly, "I come in peace."
Jay's fingers tightened on the grip.
"Your version of peace," she said, voice like broken glass, "usually means a body count."
He laughed under his breath.
Dark.
Bitter.
Like someone who'd forgotten what real laughter sounded like.
"You wound me," he said.
"But you're not wrong."
Her jaw clenched.
Sebastian finally turned his whole body to face her—slow, deliberate, predatory. His eyes dragged up to hers, studying her like she was a puzzle he'd solved years ago and was now excited to break again.
"You got stronger," he said.
"You hide your steps better. Breathe quieter. Your aim's cleaner."
His eyes glossed with something strange—pride? Possessiveness? Madness?
"But you still carry your anger here—" he tapped his chest "—instead of here." He tapped his head.
Jay didn't let it get to her.
"I didn't come here for your analysis."
"No," he said, leaning forward, elbows on his knees.
"You came here for answers."
He was right.
And he knew it.
But Jay refused to play his game.
She stepped even closer, gun now openly drawn, angled perfectly at the center of his forehead.
"Talk."
Sebastian looked at the gun… then at her… and smiled slow enough to feel like a threat.
"MJ," he murmured, "If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."
Jay's eyes didn't even twitch.
"If I wanted to kill you," she said quietly, "you'd never see it coming."
That wiped the smirk off his face—
Not fully.
But enough.
For the first time, something else flickered in his eyes.
Respect.
And a hint of something darker.
He leaned back again.
"Good," he whispered.
"Keep that fire. You're going to need it."
Jay hated the way he said it.
Like he knew something she didn't.
Like he'd already planned the next ten moves in a game she didn't know she was playing.
"Subject 09," he said, voice lowering.
"You're being hunted. And not by me."
Jay's breathing stilled.
Sebastian's eyes gleamed.
"Someone else wants you," he murmured.
"Someone who thinks you're unfinished business."
Jay's grip tightened.
"Who?"
Sebastian's smile returned—slow, cruel, twisted.
"Oh MJ…"
He stood up, stepping close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek.
"You're looking at him."
Before she could pull the trigger—
Before she could stab—
Before she could even blink—
He ghosted past her, slipping through the shadows like he'd been born from them.
"Next time," he said, voice echoing lightly,
"I won't come in peace."
And then—
He was gone.Leaving silence.Leaving tension.
Leaving Jay standing alone in the neon red light, gun still warm in her hand, heart colder than ever.
And outside, in the alley, hidden behind the wall—
Kuya Angelo arrived.
Weapon drawn.
Breathing heavy.
"Jay?!" he called out.
Jay finally exhaled.
"He's back," she whispered.
And for the first time…Her voice shook.
Angelo froze.
For a second, he didn't breathe.
Then his jaw clenched so tightly she heard the grind.
"Sebastian," he said—not as a question.
As a curse.
Jay nodded.
Angelo looked away, running a hand through his hair, muttering something in under his breath. Something sharp. Something furious.
"Fuck it … Jay—why didn't you call me in? I told you, kapag si 08 na—"
"Kuya."
Jay's tone shut him up instantly.
She finally put the gun away, but her body was stiff.
"I couldn't call you in," she murmured.
"He knew you were already coming."
Angelo's eyes snapped to hers.
"What?"
"He said you're embarrassing me with your attempts to track him."
Angelo's nostrils flared. He looked like he wanted to punch walls. Or follow Sebastian and snap his neck.
Jay caught his arm before he could move.
"No," she said. "You go after him now… he'll kill you."
Angelo looked like that offended him personally.
But he listened.
Because Jay had never said something like that before—not with fear, not with that quiet urgency in her voice.
He swallowed hard.
"What did he say to you?" he asked.
Jay looked away, her throat tightening.
"He said…"Her voice cracked."…someone is hunting me."
Angelo closed his eyes slowly, the weight of that hitting him.
"And then?" he asked quietly.
Jay looked up at him, her expression hollow.
Empty.
"He said it was him."
Angelo felt his world tilt.
His fists trembled.
Not from fear.
From rage.
"Jay," he said softly, "this—this isn't like the others. 08 isn't Kaizer, or River, or Dylan. He's… he's you."
Jay didn't respond.
She didn't have to.
Angelo saw the truth in her eyes.
Sebastian wasn't just a threat.
He wasn't just an enemy.
He was her equal.
Her mirror.
Her unfinished past.
And now… her hunter.
Angelo cupped the side of her face, forcing her to look at him.
"Listen to me," he said, voice low but firm. "We will handle this. Together. You are not fourteen anymore. And you're not alone."
Jay swallowed hard.
Her eyes burned, but no tears fell.
"Kuya…" she whispered. "He killed the informant. He slipped past all our surveillance. He was watching me for days. I didn't even sense him."
Angelo's hands tightened on her shoulders.
"That's not your failure," he said. "That's how he was trained. Same as you."
Jay exhaled shakily.
For a moment, she leaned into Angelo's steady presence—the one person who knew exactly how deep this ran, how far back it went, how dangerous it truly was.
Angelo pulled away first, scanning the area.
"We need to go," he said. "You're being watched. And if he finds out about Section E, or Keifer—"
Jay's entire body went rigid.
And Angelo noticed.
"Jay," he said slowly, "he doesn't know about them… right?"
Jay didn't answer.
And that silence was enough.
Angelo dragged a hand over his face.
"Shit."
Jay's voice was barely audible.
"He can't know about Keifer."
Angelo's eyes softened.
Then hardened into steel.
"Then we protect him," he said.
"No matter what."
Jay nodded weakly.
They walked together into the street.
But before they reached the car, Jay stopped.
Her hand pressed lightly over her chest, as if trying to calm something raging underneath.
Angelo turned.
"Jay?"
She looked up at him.
And for the first time since she became MJ again…
She whispered something fragile.
"I'm scared, Kuya."
Angelo stepped forward, wrapping her in a rare, tight embrace.
"I know," he whispered into her hair.
"But that's exactly why we're going to win."
Jay closed her eyes.
For a second… she let herself breathe.
But deep in the shadows behind them—
A figure watched.
A familiar smirk hidden by darkness.
And a whisper left his lips.
"Good," Sebastian murmured.
"Be scared, MJ. Fear makes the hunt so much sweeter."