Nathan accepted my request and took us around the main building of the College of Business Administration.
"How many floors does this building have?" complained the professor as we climbed to the fourth floor. "Don't you even have an elevator?"
"You're already tired after walking for 10 minutes?" I asked him. "That's why I told you to exercise more often."
"I spend my life behind a desk, what do you expect?" Prof. Antonio answered back sourly.
"Sorry, Tito, but the elevators here are only for the handicapped and for members of faculty," replied Nathan.
I left the two bickering by the stairwell and looked at the classrooms along the hall instead, slightly touching the door knobs as I pass them by. The professor walked up to me as I returned to the end of the hall.
"So, have you found him yet?" he asked with a smirk.
"Not yet. Let's go to the last floor."
"This floor has personal office spaces where professors can stay," said Nathan as we reached the 5th floor, "Students aren't actually allowed to litter here," Please finish whatever you're doing before someone notices us.
"Got it." I touched the doorknobs one by one. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Ready for what?" Nathan asked.
"Nothing, let's go."
We proceeded to go down the stairs, and as we reached the 3rd floor, we heard someone call our attention.
"Mr. del Mirasol! Why aren't you in class?"
Nathan seemed to have frozen.
"Mr. del Mirasol?" the voice called again.
"Do you have a class right now?" Prof. Antonio asked his nephew with a frown. "Why didn't you tell us?"
I turned around and saw a tall man walking towards us. His long hair almost reached his shoulder and partly covered a geeky pair of glasses that obscured his eyes. He stopped on his tracks when he saw us.
"Professor V?" the man gasped when he saw the professor. "W-what are you doing here?"
"Found him," I grinned. "I knew I could flush him out." I proudly said as I came forward and held my hand out. "I am Dr. Aahmes Abdel, it is a pleasure to meet you!"
The man looked puzzled. He turned to the professor and frowned.
"Are you conducting an experiment?" he asked Prof. Antonio in a whisper.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am," I replied. "And now I have found you."
"Don't tell me..." the professor covered his face with his palms. "Did you leave a mark or something on the doorknobs?"
"Exactly."
"What mark?" asked Nathan.
"Why don't we return to the library first?" I invited them.
"I'm sorry, but I'm in the middle of a class..." the man said with a confused look on his face.
"That's right, Sir Go, why did you have to leave the class?" Nathan asked him, looking irritated.
"There... there was this weird scent emanating in the halls..."
"I will explain everything..." I told him.
"Just wait a minute!" the professor raised a hand. "Nathan, you still have a class to go to, right?" His nephew looked guiltily at him. "Both of you, go back to class! Meet us later at the library," he sighed. "And make it quick!"
We waited patiently in the library while the professor glared at me.
"I told you I could find him," I smiled smugly at him.
"No fair. You cheated!"
"I never said I wouldn't use something," I replied, "So, now that I found him, could you tell me his name?"
The professor glared some more, then turned to look away.
"Reubert," he mumbled. "Reubert de Leon. But it seems ho goes by the name 'Go' now."
"So, he really is your DOME?"
"Shh. Not here," he warned me.
"It is good that you met each other again," I said instead. "You should take your time to catch up."
"What do you mean 'Catch up'? We're not even supposed to meet!"
We got a message from Nathan ten minutes later asking us to go to the 5th floor. Reubert Go brought us to his office where we sat around a low coffee table.
"Would you like some coffee or iced tea?" he asked.
"Coffee. Black." The professor sat beside me on a long sofa.
"So, about that mark..." said Reubert as he gave us our drinks.
"It is a special scent I have developed to search for... special omegas," I told him. "I see it worked on you."
"Just what kind of scent is it?" asked Nathan. "I didn't smell anything weird."
"It is the pheromone of a dominant alpha, concentrated and diluted several times so that only unique omegas can smell them," I explained. "I placed a small amount on certain parts of the building to smoke him out."
"And why would you do that?" asked Reubert who had a fake smile on his lips.
"Because I wanted to meet you," I replied, "But Prof. Antonio wouldn't tell me who you were."
"And he has good reason not to."
"Exactly," said the professor. "Wait a minute, is it safe to talk here?" he asked.
"Yes, professor," Reubert replied with a sigh.
"Then I ask for your pardon for this whim of mine," I piped in, "I merely wanted to meet someone just like –"
"Well, anyway, we're all here already," interrupted the professor, "Reubert said he wants to remain anonymous, and we need to respect that. Can we leave now?"
"But, I merely wanted to talk to him..."
"I'm sure Mr. Go still has a lot of important work to do," insisted the professor.
"Yes, I am quite busy..." Reubert admitted.
"We won't be wasting your time, then." The professor stood up and tapped Reubert on the shoulder as he did.
"Just what possessed you to return to the Philippines? Haven't you settled in New York?"
"There was just something I had to do..." said Reubert who looked at the professor longingly. "It's been so long, professor..."
"And now you're a professor yourself."
"And I hear you're the head of the Omega Research Center in Universal Labs Philippines now. I always knew you would keep helping other omegas, Professor..."
"Haa... if you only knew..." sighed the professor. "I've still got a long way to go."
"Prof. Antonio," I called their attention, "are we really leaving or not?"
"You're still a professor, Prof. Antonio?" asked Reubert before we could go on our way.
"It's too much trouble to return to university and get a doctorate. I prefer to work and study things that mean more to me."
"As expected of Prof. Antonio!" Reubert praised the professor, looking at him with such adoration that I somehow felt irritated.
"Well, that's it for now," the professor took a sip from his coffee and grimaced. "Sorry for bothering you. I had no idea my Habibi would actually find you," he tapped me on the shoulder. "Thank you for looking after this little bastard. He's not giving you a hard time in class, is he?"
"Tito..." Nathan's face turned crimson.
"Not much," Reubert laughed as he said this. I frowned at them both.
"Well, it was nice seeing you again. We better be going now." The professor took my hand and pulled me out of the room.
"Let me walk you out!" Reubert called after us.
He accompanied us down to the main lobby and out the building, all the while grinning like a fool at my professor. He even waved us goodbye as we made our way to the parking lot.
"Wow, Tito Eric, I had no idea my professor looked up to you that much!" said Nathan.
"Yeah, I used to treat him like a younger brother back in the past," replied the professor. "You see, His manifestation was somewhat similar to your Papa Jonas'."
"Really Tito?" Nathan looked interested. "How exactly did it happen?"
"Well, you know the usual... his friends attacked him when he suddenly manifested while they were in the men's locker room."
"His teammates ganged up on him?!" Nathan asked, wide-eyed.
"Nope," replied his uncle. "It was a good thing his dominant trait kicked in early. The teachers found them all unconscious around him."
"I knew it." The two looked at me. "An alpha could never subdue a dominant omega," I added.
"Right after that incident, Reubert's father sent him to my mentor in the Universal Labs for 'rehabilitation', and that's where I met him. He's the first DOME in the country, and so far, no other new DOME's have been recorded."
"Dominant omegas are considered national treasures, you know?" I told Nathan.
"You should also mention that they are constantly in danger due to alpha extremists who want to eradicate them," the professor cut in, frowning at me. "That's why their information should be kept confidential, and approaching them is prohibited!"
"But... I merely wanted to talk to him..." I pouted, "And you refused to tell me additional information about him."
Prof. Antonio sighed.
"Let's talk when we get home, okay?" he held my hand. "You can ask me anything you want."
"You promise?"
"You've already met him. What more can I do?"
I couldn't help but smile at my professor.
"Yeah, what ever. Why don't you two lovebirds just go home?" Nathan said flatly.
"And you!" the professor faced him. "What's this I hear that you've been cutting classes lately? Your sister told me you've been staying out late everyday, too, and that you don't go home for days?! Are you planning to lose your scholarship?! Do you really want me to ship you off to military school?!"
"Geez, Tito Eric!" Nathan frowned, covering his ears. "I get it, I'll go straight home after this! It's just that... Sir Go is just..."
"Just what?"
"Nothing..." he mumbled. "I'll try to be good from now on..."
"Don't just try, make sure that you do!" he snapped at his nephew. "Stop trying to waste your life away!"
"Yes, Tito Eric." Nathan rolled his eyes as soon as the professor turned around. "Take care on your way home."