CHAPTER 6 : 1,200 METERS DOWN BELOW

"I went down there and make sure everything evacuated perfectly. There are no place had passed, so if your sister alive I'm sure she's not down there," Sam protesting.

"Yes, I know…but it's just ..." commented Lev.

"... besides, even if she's alive and left there, do you think she can survive without food or drink for more than three weeks since the end of evacuation's days?"

Lev smiled and shrugged, "I know it's impossible and I admitted, my hunch is way far from logic but I just want to make sure."

"How the heck she gives you hunch?"

"I kept hearing her voice since accident..."

"Hearing his voice? And from that you've made everyone back in here?"

Jaka helps Lev to stand the chance, "Nothing's impossible. We all know how twins can send message in an unusual way….way beyond logical thinking…"

"Whatever...a metropolitan people always think they're smart…for me it sounds crazy."

Jaka was unhappy to hear that, "Our arrival here was to make Sukhoi's crash reportage, nothing else. If Lev wants to prove his hunch, I won't mind at all but just don't think these as a hidden agenda from us, coz it's not! We invited him in this program as a family's member."

"If I knew this wasn't just a flashback program I wouldn't accept the job," Sam murmured before the man rose from his seat and left the place. "That purpose will bring danger to us."

The three paused, looked at each other after Sam left, no one understands what he meant. This journey might dangerous because of the field situation but Lev felt that he was talk about something different…perhaps it was something that related to the awesomeness of this place…

The thing goes awkwardly after that but Jaka forced to discuss the detail of preparation to make a great day for tomorrow. Eventually the conversation ends after Ridwan and Lev gathers in yawn race to each other. The clock showed 04.00 am...

"The plan's set up...hopefully Sam doesn't get cranky and refuse to go down tomorrow. If it happens, our plan is useless. We're depending on him to reach the bottom. "

Ridwan grinned, "Don't worry. I can handle people like that. I assured you, he'll smile like horse tomorrow morning."

"I handed him to you," Jaka nodded. Ridwan raise his thumb and returned to his tent.

***

"Mayday...mayday...this is Super-Jet 115...mayday...mayday..."

Both of them pull the handle, as strong as they can, backward. In the midst of despair, plane muzzle shakes when it forced to bounce up, once again, and that's affect the cabin situation, every monitoring needle runs madly, and Captain Ashimov sees how the cockpit window in front of him trembles. The iron bird was pressed heavily but slowly starts to following direction of its controller. Meanwhile the range to the mountain is narrowed. The Super-Jet almost flew back into the sky when he, and his co-pilot, sees the creature…

Odd creature that's not supposed to be there….a tiger…it emerge from behind of one of those cliff, and it's ran through the air…heading towards to the plane

"WHAT THE FUCK'S THAT?" cried the co-pilot in a sudden.

The tiger's mouth opens wide, roaring loudly to overcome the noisy sound of the Super Jet. He burst forward, no matter there is a plane in front of him and hit the cockpit window. Captain Ashimov and his co-pilot whose stupefied are late to react...a hard thud followed by violent quiver and blinding lights start to attack…it's getting hot suddenly and the flame around them echoes the whipping scream, the burning plane went fall…

Lev woke up in a sudden…gasping…

He was more than relieved to found out that's only his nightmare, he looked aside to see Jaka sleep tightly on his bed. Little bit snoring but slept like a baby. Lev felt of shortness breath and need fresh air right away, so he got up and opened the tent door. The cold breeze dashed to his face, filled his lungs with fresh air he needs, and he inhale it as much as he wanted.

"Lev…" he suddenly heard the whispering voice.

"Vianka?" he answered.

A hand gripped him from behind. He shrieked and turned around with clenched hand, ready to hit, and surprised to see Jaka stood there with sleepy eyes. He asked, "What the hell are you doing outsides here, man? I thought you're asleep."

"I woke up by some horrible nightmare…" Lev answered.

"Get in. You don't want to get cold, do you?"

Lev just about to enter the tent when suddenly the wind blowing bunch of trees on right sides, made a rustle sound that similar to whispering he heard before. He turned but saw no one there…

***

Three hours of sleep was enough to restore all the fatigue, includes Lev although his sleep was disrupted. The sun shine, which probably indicates time on seven o'clock, was not too bright or hot, so it's quite convenient for the team to do their activities. Solar rays casted out the cold and it makes Jaka, Lev, Ridwan, also Samsudin who was climbing down the cliff could wears thin shirt and short, altogether to warm their body which wracked by low temperature since last night.

The guide was on lower position because he had to establish the track to be passed by team. Sometimes they have to stop or waiting for a couple of minutes to give him chance putting a pegs on the sling rope as a point for climbing up later but the situation was fine by far.

Lev enjoying the journey even more because he could see so many plant and flora that he'd never seen before…or mostly can only be seen in National Geographic on the screen…like forest orchids, pine, rasamala, or a row of trees that verdant like green velvet carpet, and if he's lucky he will find a rare plant like Rafflesia Rochussenii that grows so many on the top of Salak Mountain, according to what Jaka said.

He was pleased not to bring along his laptop. It's not easy to get down this cliff, even in both hands, that's why he feels so pity for Ridwan and giggles to hear the fat guy mumbling to himself in order to stay from falling, especially he's been instructed by Jaka to keep the camera on to record their journey down the cliff.

Ridwan didn't worry if the camera slipped from his grips and fall apart because it was insured by company, the problem was they can't do recordings without it…and one thing for sure…that's the only camera they had left. If he lost the device, the entire journey would be wasted because they can do records no more.

If the way to go down and up was this hard, Lev can feel the difficulties of Rescue's team during the evacuation. He just can't imagine how they raise all of the corpses which surely becoming a heavy burden to lift up, especially the range ain't close either...1,200 meters on high…as had said by Samsudin last night.

At that time the guide's act normally. Lev didn't know how or what Ridwan talks to the guy but is working. He didn't refuse cigarettes that offered by Jaka though still refusing to speak closely to him, just answered the question with short sentence. Despite that he prepared all equipment and put it to the members of the team carefully, perhaps it's because professionalism should be maintained. Even though, he pushed Jaka not to hide any motives or agenda as long as they're here.

"He said it's necessary. Although I'm in charge on this team but he's the one who should keep us all here. I don't understand the point…"said Jaka to Lev, when the two of them get inside the tent, and he changed his clothes. "…I said okay to him, just to make the conversation ends."

"What to say? He's odd…" Lev frowned.

Imperceptible they've been a thousand meters down below from the ravine where they left their tent. Trees that seen as a green pedestal now formed firmly after they climbs down for almost two and a half hour, the fragrance from leaves and dews also can be smelled. The unseen sight from atop was very clear from his place right now. From some trees that were destroyed on eleven o'clock of their position there's conical iron tucked across the twigs, the size was not large, and by reflection of the sunlight they realized it was a wing of plane. Lev's heart bit faster than Lars Ulrich kicking the drum's pedal as playing Master of Puppets...

Closer to the bottom, the pungent smell has replacing moisture fragrance and foliage in the morning, it's the same odor that he smells insides Vianka's coffin at Halim airport. Soil in this ravine has a lot of compost from Castapnosis foliage, either decays or still fresh because it had wilted a day before. From the messy compost…same as the camped area which had a lot of broken weeds…seemed that many people had stood on this area. It might be trampled accidentally by men whose busy doing things to evacuated the remains.

Different from the top side, so many trees were destroyed when he saw from down side, some parts were crushed by lacing from above or burned by fire so the green nuance no longer dominate, same as the atmosphere when they passed through the forest yesterday, only it was darker and adding the gloominess perfectly.

His heart sank when he sees dozens of scattered iron remains steady as the face of the crash site…laying there...left as it was by rescue teams who decide to hand it over to time...time which company by rust and rot surely will be pleased to consume such a big mess. Media reported Sukhoi's body split in two when the plane hits the cliff but when he see the nose, at a fraction of the cockpit, and fuselage he realized the plane probably exploded and catches a great fire on its tail before landing.

"Trees over here seem denser," Ridwan make comment after Samsudin finished to unstrap his sling's ropes.

"Too bad we don't bring flashlight," said Jaka Hardiman.

"It's okay. I'm still managed to use the cam's light."

"The lights will scattered to every direction, not a pleasant tool…" Samsudin waves his arms around. "…can you imagine they work like these? Moreover, it's hard to make identification before they'd connect remains that scattered all over this place…parts by parts… and it's not fully complete either."

Lev tongue-tied. A view that lies in front of him is way beyond his imagination. It's much more terrible and he doesn't know exactly how to describe situation of this crash site on his script. It's more dramatic when he entered the place directly, like what he felt when he entered the fuselage which became the large remains of the ruins.

The fuselage was a front side section, compartment for business class passengers from wings to the rear cockpit. The window left an empty hole on each side of wall because the glass had broke. Fire also burned inner side of the plane, especially destroyed the rows of seat that's should be luxurious once. He imagines how the poor passengers ducked at their seat, tightened in their safety belt, terrified, panicking, didn't know what to do when the plane crashed and fire start to burned them alive…just like what he saw in his nightmare…

"My God ..." hissed Lev, force the picture away immediately.

Why did this happen to you Vianka?

If he could trade places so she wouldn't experience such a terrible thing, he will do that!

"Are you ready, Lev?" Jaka asked from the distance.

He lifted his wrist to wipe tears that started to burst out on the corner of his eyes then came out from the wreckage that being observed, "Okay. Where's to start?"

Jaka pointing at the head of the wreck, "Try's over there ..."

Lev stood at that point and received microphone that given by Jaka. Performing in front of the camera was not too bad actually. He tried several times when they taken the spot in his house and Vianka's office. So far, there's no problem for him to speak about Vianka's life as an anchor or family member. He knows her well as he knows himself. What can he say? They're twin, aren't they?

"Take a break for a moment. Remember what you write and just say it."

Lev closed his eyes…

Suddenly, he didn't remember anything. His mind was blank, totally, as white as a clean sheet. But the countdown from Jaka had been start and the lights of camera panned at him already. It means he can't back-off…he had to say something…

"Four...three...two...one...and roll tape..."

Lev opens his eye; saw a light with a silhouette of four people standing in front of him. His eyebrow raises, four people?

"Lev..." hissed Jaka reminded him.

He still didn't remember anything...he sighed...his brain runs faster…

"This place should be beautiful if wreckage wasn't here. The situation's more horrible than I thought. Scenery behind me is something you'll be found if you put your feet on the place where Sukhoi hit the ground for a last time. Falling down 1,200 meter's to the bottom of this cliff and burns like hell was a situation that makes anyone, including you and me, terrified. Same as I did before...terrified because some inexperienced climber like me had to hang in the sling to go down to this ravine..."

"Being in this place isn't easy. In time like these, in our house, Vianka should've been doing something she likes; listening to her favorite K-pop boyband, Shinee, and singing their song that I hate most. Or probably lying on her bed and reading romantic novel of her favorite author, Sandra Brown, probably read it until she fall asleep. And many personal things they would do, if they weren't victim of this horrified tragedy."

"But she's not on her bed reading novel…she's rest in peace in this place…right at this moment. I couldn't see her anymore in our sweet home, and for that I've come here to make sure she had her peace. This place maybe not Listvyanka city, the most beautiful town in Russia that inspired her name, but this place where fits in her. The beauty of my twin sister, Vianka, unified with the beauty of the nature, eternally…"

He opened his backpack to take the bouquet of roses out of it, the flowers almost dried because he bought it yesterday in Bogor. He put it near the wreckage,"….rest in peace my sister…rest in peace with the others."

Lev's tears flown…

Jaka gave Ridwan a sign in order to record the touching moment which came unexpectedly right away.