Across Borders beyond fate

A thick tension hung in the air as Joaquin sat in the dormitory and consumed all that he had gathered on Wei Zhang. Together with his small crew of allies-Lianhua, Marco, and Daniel-he was also running mostly on adrenaline, and little more sleep than that. Almost within reach after weeks of undercover work, and yet the pressure intensified. Every shadow that moved past their window, every knock that sounded heavy from the outer world, seemed suspicious. They knew he was well connected, and they did not have time on their hands to work.

This was the moment in the whirlwind, then, when Joaquin's phone buzzed to life, illuminating the screen in the dark now with an unknown international number. Frowning, he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Joaquin?" The voice was shaky but unmistakably his mother. "Anak, I need you to come home. Something... something has happened."

He jumped in his heart away from it. "What is it, Ma? Are you okay?"

"It's your father," she said, breathless. "He... he's been arrested. They're accusing him of corruption and embezzlement. I don't know what to do."

The floor fell from under Joaquin's feet. His father had always been honest and hard-working; he held a small position as a municipal officer in the Philippines. To believe that he might be caught doing any illegal act was unimaginable. I'll be on the next flight home, he said, already full of possibilities pacing inside his mind.

 Lianhua, who had been going through documents beside him, looked up sharply. "What's going on?"

"It's my dad," Joaquin said, running a hand through his hair. "He's been arrested for corruption. I need to go home."

Mario, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his laptop, frowned. "Do you think it's connected to Wei Zhang?"

Joaquin hesitated. The thought had crossed his mind, but he had no evidence to support it. "I don't know. But I can't ignore this."

Lianhua placed her hand on his arm. "Be careful. If this is related, it could be a trap."

"I know," said Joaquin. "But I really have to go."

The flight to the Philippines was a blur. He spent the entire stretch of the trip recreating everything he knew of Wei Zhang's operations in a bid to draw a line straighter to the arrest of his father. By the time the plane touched the ground in Manila, he was already tired but surrounded by a sheer determination.

He rode a bus to his hometown, a small coastal village in Leyte. It was exactly what the name implied: lush green rice fields, salt in the air, and children shouting at play from the streets. There was no time for being nostalgic, however.

When he finally reached the humble dwelling of his family, his mother was directly at the threshold, pale and drawn. "Anak," she said, pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank God you're here."

"Where's Dad?" he inquired, stepping inside.

"He's at the provincial jail," she said, choking on her tears. "They say he misused government funds, but that's not true. You know your father. He'd never do something like that."

"I know," said Joaquin, jaw tightening. "I will find out what really happened."

The next day, Joaquin visited his father in jail. Seeing his father figure draped in an orange jumpsuit behind a glass partition was almost too much to bear. "Dad," Joaquin said after taking up the phone. "What happened?"

His father's exhaustion was evident in the calmness in his voice. "They say I approved fake projects and channeled the money into private accounts. But that's all lies. Somebody's trying to set me up."

Joaquin nodded, thoughts already running wild. "Have any idea who?"

There was hesitation in the voice of his father. "A businessman tried making me approve land development. When I said no he wasn't happy. His name is Victor Tan."

Joaquin's stomach dropped. The name was way too familiar; he remembered it from some documents dealing with Wei Zhang. There was no way this was chance.

The following days saw Joaquin digging further into Victor Tan's dealings. Tan turned out to be one of the prominent figures in Wei Zhang's network who superintended operations across Southeast Asia. Everything was falling into place: Tan had framed his father to sweep an obstacle aside and pocket his land development project for himself.

There was no way that Joaquin could deal with Tan alone. He dubbed Lianhua, Marco, and Daniel to bring them up to speed. "I need your help," he told them over a video call. "This is bigger than I thought. Tan is directly connected to Zhang."

Lianhua's expression turned serious. "We will help you, Joaquin, but you must be cautious. Zhang's men will not hesitate to hunt you down."

With that evidence piling up, Joaquin started collecting evidence to clear his father from blame with their support. He worked with local journalists to sway public opinion against Tan. Meanwhile, Marco used his expertise and hacked into Tan's e-mail accounts, bringing to projection Zhang's conversations that could condemn him.

As evidence piled up, Tan was sweating bullets. Anxious calls from the family started coming in with threats ordering them to back off. But these threats would only add to the determination of the cold.

"We're very close now," Lianhua said in another call. "But you have to be ready to face the music. Tan's not going to go down without one."

The last confrontation knocked suddenly at the door. A black SUV pulled up alongside Joaquin as he heads to meet some local bureaucrat; alarming his presence were the two men who got out. Without hiding their motives; "Get in," one said, pointing a gun at him.

Joaquin mentally processed each of those choices. All he could do was comply. The scenarios ran through his head as the SUV sped away.

They ferried him outside of town to an empty cursed warehouse. Waiting there were none other than Victor Tan and his men. "You, sir Joaquin, have been a thorn in my side," said Tan, his voice dripping with scorn.

 "You made the mistake," said Joaquin through gritted teeth. The adrenaline rush washed away fear. "I've got all the evidence I need to bring you and Zhang down."

Tan's demeanor turned frosty. "You play a very dangerous game. Those who cross Zhang don't live to tell the tale."

"Maybe," Joaquin muttered, "but I am ready for it." Before Tan could respond, sirens filled the air. Joaquin's men had alerted the authorities in time to have Tan and his men arrested. Relief came over Joaquin as he watched them being handcuffed and led away.

Back in his apartment, he was holding his mother tightly. His father was out and free now that he had cleared his name. The fight against Wei Zhang is still far from over; Joaquin won a minor but essential victory for now.

While packing for university, he understood fully well this was going towards an even tougher fight. But standing with his friends and brimming with iron will, he really did not care for what lay ahead.