CHAPTER 2 : BREAKING NEWS
Those four men were stepping down the hiking track of Mount. Salak in a silence from two hours ago, since the path turned to go upwards and leads them into a large crowd of an old pine trees which shaping a green roof that curb the sunlight from going through the ground. Even though the area looked grim but it appeared to be traversed frequently by people.
A strapping dark-skinned man with ponytail and age of early forty walked on the forefront as the leader of the group. He walked with high-confident, maybe it's because he travelled this road so often so the guy knew the route perfectly well, and he surely looks very enjoyed this moment than the rest of them. His named Samsudin, but he let his friend called him Sam.
The second man behind him was also well-built but not as tall as nor as big as the leader. His face was handsome with a spike hair to keep up newest model on present day, no matter where he was, especially on a land as high as 1,000 meters from the sea level either. He's the youngest member of the team with the age in mid-twenties. His named Lev-Yashin Anggodo, his friend called him Lev.
The third man wearing glasses, with a little gray on the left and right side of his thinned hair. His on mid-forties and no doubt that he's the oldest member. His eyes were sighted several times as if he were studying the circumstances carefully. Searching for details was one of his habits, it's important to support his job as a professional reporter from years ago, and still now as one of the leader at news division. His named Jaka Hardiman, his friend called him Jaka or Chief, because he's the leader of the mountain project.
The fourth man wearing a Yankees cap, his stocky body made him struggles to keep the pace and so everyone would understood why he becomes the tail of the line. That stocky man also carried many stuff like cameras, not just an ordinary camera but the one that compatible to standard equipment for TV's Station cameramen. His named Ridwan.
All four were dressed casually in T-shirt and faded jeans, carrying large bag that contain of equipments for couple of days. Though the long walks they've been doing for the last six hours ago were quite heavy but that didn't make them drenched in sweat due to the cold-damp air. Instead, they should be ready to wear their jacket very soon, especially when the sun goes down in just a minute later, because the tempreatures could dropped wildly. The air can be colder than now...
In Lev's opinion, six hours of walked from the feet of the mountain to the level they had reach now was surely stupid things man can do, he barely can't understand the reason why climbers or hikers were willing to take such long walk on the hard track like these just to enjoy the view at the top of the mountain in eventually. Couldn't that something that actually can be done with other way without hurting our body, like watched it on TV...just picked National Geographic's program or went to the city park that combines beauty scenery from the flora and the pretty girls.
But even though the young man hates the hiking, he's here for a mission....
He took his phone out of the pouch of his waist bag. Signal pointer indicates very weak, apparently the signal can't penetrates the thick of the forest in mountain's belly. He opened messages from Vianka and started to read, things that he already done twice this day…
○ It's time! Sukhoi, here I come...wish me luck...
It was the first message that appeared on screen. Message that brought him here now, on these woods, and Lev's mind moving backward to the day he received it…
***
Lev was staring blankly to his computer for almost half an hour. He stared at the title that already types on the centre of the screen…ROOM OF DARKNESS…and still didn't get an idea at all. He gets the briefs from the producer this morning to make this scenario more complicated, so that the hero can't simply find a cause of death with only one or two clues but that's the problem...Lev was not able to think of a better clue than he already wrote on previous script.
What a waste…for half an hour he types none...so far all he can do was just eating the snack, sipping the hot coffee, or got distracted by Facebook or Twiters, not to mention hearing the soft melodious song from the radio which unable to catch his fully attention unless for the faint strains of Lionel Ritchie's voice that singing, "Stuck on you....got this feeling down deep in my heart that I just can't lose..."
Stuck on you….
The lyrics seem mocked him…but it's quite right, actually...
At that time he's in a position of being stuck, restrained by a title that makes his brain fizzled out like cake that's been warming too long inside the oven. Where's the idea that usually came like a leaky faucet inside his head? Bad things for him, this script was awaited for tonight. The entire crew, including the actors, had been told to get ready on shooting time so he has to fix it as soon as possible.
He's not the kind of guy who gave up easily but somehow his mind blanked at that time. There's no improvement came in mind, there's no improvement can be done except the one that was called as a ridiculous hint by producer who turned it down right away. On the situation like this, he usually got depressed. The tense crept slowly and would grip him like a monster grab its prey, for that he hopes nobody bothered him for the rest of this day. He certainly didn't wanted to look like a psychopath at the Bates Motel who killed everyone who entered his room.
Unfortunately that ain't happened, Ms. Resti, the Senior Script Writer, entered the room of creative division with hasted and turned on the television. Lev chided, "Hey, what the hell are you doing? I'm writing right now… "
But the woman urged Lev to draw, "You've got to see these, Lev..."
Lev looked up to the TV without interest, his head put the rejection filter as it always did when the disruption occured but it tooks not quite long when he heard the announcer mentioned the name of Sukhoi on the Breaking News. He remembered that's the plane that Vianka had covered today, what the hell's happened?
"…twenty-five minutes after took-off, Sukhoi had not returned to Halim Perdanakusuma base yet. The aircraft that was doing demo-flight found out missing, apparently. From the latest information that giving by the air traffic control, the plane was above Mount. Salak when they gave their last called for help…"
"The crash plane…it could be good ending to kill the antagonist in Room of Darkness, don't you think so?" said Ms. Resti. "We should change the location a bit and…"
"That's the worse idea I ever heard!" he stood of the chair and left the room.
Rasti looked at him in awkward and shouted, "Did I say something wrong?"
But Lev paid no attention to her no more. His mind goes to Vianka, his opposite-gender twins, and quickly opened a text message section on his phone. There were many came from her, messages that hadn't read yet, she always did such thing though she knew he never read any messages or took any phone when he'd been busy with the writings.
At Vianka's profile picture he saw her latest upload. That's a picture of her, standing in front of the plane that inscribed with large title of Sukhoi's on its bilge. His heart fluttered instantly…no…don't…it can't be…he's finger were shaken when he opened all of the messages to read it one to another…
○ I'm on Halim right now. Would like to tell you that the plane is very cool bro…
○ I bet you and Daddy will be crazy to get on this plane
○ I will sent you the picture…ASAP
That's send on 09.30...
○ There…you can see it on my profile pic…
That's send on 09.45…
○ May oh may, I've got a schedule on after lunch flight
○ To be honest, I still don't want to fly, only if I could
○ So, I don't have to be scared to death with this anxiety, he he he
That's send on 10:15...
○ You will pick me up this afternoon, rite?
○ You've promise to buy a birthday present for Lucy
That's send on 10:20...
○ LEEEVVV...where have you've been? Have you received my message?
That's send on10:55...
○ Hell yeah...you must be busy on your script again
That's send on 11:10...
○ The times get close...my God...why do I have to fly?
That's send on 12:15...
○ It's time! Sukhoi, here I come...wish me luck...
That's send on 12.20... and that's the last message Vianka send to him...
Anxious about his twin's condition, Lev pressed Vianka's phone number, paused a moment, and it appeared to be a long and bored dial tone. There's no answered, nor sound of the picked up phone, even though he waited and still got the hopes that she'll picked it up. Maybe she's busy doing something else, maybe she's sleep…anything…at least she didn't ride that damn plane…anything…at least she answered his call.
When there's no answered on the fourth call, his suspicion went wild. Seemed that she's on the fucking plane, therefore she can't answers the phone because she…God…just don't… please don't make that happened…that's the cruelest thing he ever got in his life. He'd rather to lose his job for not finishing the damn script than losing her. Therefore Lev send a message via the text. His hands were shaken when he types the notes on the tab…
"I've seen the news about Sukhoi crashed. Please tell me you're not up there."
After sending it, he hopes to get her replied instantly. Apparently that didn't happen. On the left side of the message remained a cross symbol to be appeared, as a sign that his message could not be delivered to the intended contact number. He resends the message once more. Waiting. Then sended twice more but still…only cross symbols emerged without any replied. Confusion washed over Lev…
He's still in the unbridled stupidity, didn't know for sure what to do, when his cell rang. Someone from his house was calling, either was mom or dad, but whoever that was he's quite sure this call was about Vianka so he quickly answered it. His heart sank when he heard that old woman sob, "Lev…Vianka…Vianka…she's…"
"Dead!" something inside his mind whispered in hollow.