Rift - Prototype

He was back home. After almost ten years of searching, who would ever thought it would lead him back to his country. Pearl of the orient seas indeed. There are still great mysteries to be unraveled in these uncharted isles. The river rushed angrily against the makeshift boat and the murky water seeped in little by little, making it heavier and more difficult to navigate. Terrence Kim steadied himself with great difficulty as he tried his best to study the map. His native Filipino blood muddled with Korean heritage surged with the thirst for adventure. He and his new friend Michael Strahdt came here tracing the source of an old treasure map dating way back during the Spanish colonization. They met in the United States, when Terrence was on his first journey to find the meaning of life. Michael, in his mid-forties, is about fifteen years ahead in experience and he's been to the Philippine shores before, back when the Americans still held a military base in this country. He seemed to share the same thrills as Terrence and was kind enough to provide funds for this expedition.

"She should be joining up with us right about now!" Terrence almost shouted. The rushing waters drowning his voice. "Look for a white flag. She's never late."

'She' is Sophia Will. An Amerasian native to this isle. Sophia's father was a missionary in this region and got married to a native woman who died giving birth to her. As she grew to be a young lady, Sophia went to the United States with her father to get decent schooling, but after graduating medical school, her homeland's call urged her to return and serve her people as a doctor.

"I see it." Michael said in his usual cold, hoarse tone. "You really trust this woman?"

"Yes, she is pretty smart." Terrence replied. "We had a chance to work together in a US med lab a few years back when I had to carbon date a mummy. She will be our interpreter and guide."