The celebration continued as the night grew darker, the three of them sharing drinks and conversation in the small kitchen. The gin and pomelo mix had already been topped up several times, and laughter filled the room, mingling with the occasional clink of glasses.
Jerry glanced at Zark, who seemed a little more relaxed now.
"So, Zark," he began, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity,
"I've been wondering… how did you end up getting involved in a hacking group? I mean, it's not exactly something you stumble into by accident."
Zark hesitated, his fingers tightening around the glass in his hand.
"It's… complicated," he replied cautiously, his eyes shifting toward the window as if checking for unseen dangers.
Jerry noticed the sudden change in Zark's demeanor and leaned forward slightly.
"Hey, don't worry," he said, his tone gentle but reassuring.
"You're safe here. No one's going to find you, and Thadz and I certainly won't judge. We're just curious, that's all."
Zark took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
"I guess it's alright," he said, meeting Jerry's gaze.
"It started a few years back… back when things were still normal, or at least as normal as they could be."
With that, Zark began telling his story. He spoke of his childhood fascination with computers, his passion for coding, and how his life seemed to be on track when he was accepted into the Lumenis Institute of Technology. But then, his voice grew heavier as he recounted the tragedies that befell him—the death of his mother from illness, followed shortly by his father's murder over unpaid debts. The pain in his voice was evident as he explained how those losses tore his life apart, forcing him to drop out of school and fend for himself.
"I ended up taking whatever tech jobs I could find, fixing computers, doing some freelance coding… just to get by," Zark continued, his expression hardening.
"Then, one day, I made a mistake. I hacked into a cryptocurrency wallet out of desperation, thinking it would solve my problems. But it turns out, the wallet belonged to a dangerous man named Jason Cheng. His men found me, and I was given a choice—hack into a rival's system for them or… well, die."
Jerry's face darkened with concern as he listened, and Rommel, who had been quiet until now, leaned in closer.
"So that's how you got pulled into all this," Rommel said, shaking his head.
"Man, that's rough."
Zark nodded, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"After I managed to do the job, I escaped. But Cheng's men didn't stop looking for me. I ended up crossing paths with a group of hackers who operate out of a squatter area. They had this goal of helping the poor and taking down the corrupt, and for the first time, I felt like I had a purpose again."
Jerry took a deep sip of his drink, his brow furrowing.
"So that's how you ended up with your current group," he said, piecing it together.
"Yeah," Zark confirmed.
"We're all different, but we have our reasons for doing what we do. Our boss is… well, he's a mysterious figure. I've never met him in person. He reaches out through Samantha, the only one who knows his face."
Jerry and Rommel exchanged a glance, and Zark noticed it.
"What?" he asked, looking between the two men.
Jerry took a moment before responding.
"That's… interesting," he began, his voice thoughtful.
"You see, last year, we got an offer from a mysterious man. He wanted us to join his group because he recognized our skills in hardware. We were surprised at how much he knew about us."
Zark's eyes widened slightly.
"A mysterious man?" he asked, more to himself than to Jerry.
"I mean… how did he find you?"
"Well," Jerry said, leaning back in his chair, "he didn't approach us directly. It was through a woman named Samantha. She came by and left letters—handwritten ones. I guess you could say it was done the old-fashioned way. She told us the boss wanted to keep things discreet."
Zark's mind raced as he pieced the puzzle together. It was becoming clearer that the mysterious leader of ZeroCrypt had connections reaching further than he had imagined.
"I didn't realize he was reaching out to others like that," Zark said quietly.
"So, why didn't you join?"
Jerry sighed.
"I considered it," he admitted.
"But I wanted a quiet life. I'm not against using our skills to help out in the right circumstances, but joining a hacker group seemed like diving into dangerous territory. Plus, with Thadz here, I wasn't going to put him in harm's way."
Rommel, who had been silently listening, nodded in agreement.
"I don't blame you, boss," he said softly.
"I've already been through enough. Losing my parents was hard enough. I wouldn't want to risk it all."
Zark turned his gaze toward Rommel, curious about the story behind his calm demeanor.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your parents?"
Rommel's expression turned somber.
"They died in a car accident," he said quietly.
"A bunch of teens were drag racing on Marcos Highway. My dad tried to avoid them, but he lost control, and they crashed into a truck."
He shook his head as if trying to dispel the memory.
"Jerry's been like a father to me ever since. He took me in and raised me."
"I'm really sorry to hear that," Zark said, his voice sincere.
Jerry placed a hand on Rommel's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"We've managed to get by," he said.
"We weren't able to do much about what happened, though. There wasn't any justice for them. The kids involved were connected to powerful families, so they got off easy."
Zark's jaw tightened as he listened. He understood all too well the feeling of helplessness when it came to justice.
"That's terrible," he said, his voice edged with empathy.
"It was," Jerry said, his tone resigned.
"But we keep going. We find ways to make things work." He took another sip of his drink before continuing.
"So yeah, when we got that offer from your boss, I didn't exactly jump at the opportunity. It wasn't worth risking our lives."
Zark nodded, understanding Jerry's reasoning.
"I get it," he said.
"But it's strange to think that the same man who reached out to you is our boss."
"Small world, huh?" Rommel remarked, raising his glass.
"To strange connections and the paths they lead us on."
"To strange connections," Jerry and Zark echoed, clinking their glasses together once more.
As the conversation flowed, Jerry shared a bit more about their background.
"You know, back in the day, Jojo and I co-owned a repair shop," he said.
"But Jojo was working as a construction worker at the time, so we agreed that I would manage the shop myself."
"So what happened?" Zark asked, intrigued by their story.
"After a few years, Jojo decided he'd had enough of construction work and wanted to do something different," Jerry explained.
"He loved gaming, so he opened up a computer shop near Chinatown in Manila. Meanwhile, I stayed here, keeping the repair shop running."
"I see," Zark said, nodding as he took another sip of his drink.
"Sounds like you both found your own ways to make it work."
"Yeah, we did," Jerry agreed.
"But managing everything on my own was tough at times, especially after Thadz came into the picture."
The three of them continued to talk, sharing stories that spanned from their happiest memories to their deepest regrets. For the first time in a while, Zark felt a sense of comfort in sharing his past. There was something about the openness of Jerry and Rommel that made him feel safe, as though he could trust them with the parts of his life he rarely spoke about.
As the night drew on, their conversation gradually shifted from the heavy topics of the past to lighter subjects—old hobbies, funny anecdotes, and hopes for the future. It was a welcome change, allowing them all to end the evening on a positive note.
"Well," Jerry said as he got up to clear the table, "it's been a long day, and we could all use some sleep."
"Agreed," Zark said, standing up and stretching.
"Thanks for the company. I didn't expect to share so much tonight, but… it felt good."
"You're always welcome here, Zark," Rommel said, giving him a nod.
"Consider us friends."
Zark offered a grateful smile.
"Thanks, both of you. Goodnight."
With that, the three of them dispersed, each heading off to their rooms. As Zark lay in bed, his thoughts drifted to the stories shared that night. He had found something in Jerry and Rommel that he didn't realize he was missing—companionship, perhaps even a bit of guidance. And as he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but wonder what the mysterious leader of ZeroCrypt had planned next.