7 – Plan

Monas, Saturday.

Bunga walked down the stairs to the bustling underground museum. Too many pairs of excited faces at all the content in the museum, delaying the time for her to be able to order an entrance ticket. She herself did not understand what made Monas so interesting, apart from its important business today.

And the Sima detector gate used at the entrance of the museum-also at the entrance of Monas. After paying Rp10,000 for the entrance ticket, she wondered how Revan would get through the gate and the Sima Hunters standing guard with their equipment.

Then inside the museum, which was crowded. Kindergartners were doing a study tour. A father explaining the history of the country from miniature dioramas to his son. A group of teenagers took a video on one of the miniature dioramas, recording a couple who were alone together there. And Bunga, waiting at one of the vending machines.

There are four vending machines here. Revan didn't explain which vending machine she should wait for. So Bunga chose randomly.

She also brought a plastic packet full of bakwan. Enough that there were some that she could eat while waiting.

It's been a few minutes since she arrived here. Revan did not arrive.

Looking around. Examining those who were looking. Then drowsiness struck. A huge burst of sleepiness, broken from all the tiredness of the waiting, interrogation, and waiting for tomorrow. Her eyes stayed awake all night. So she ordered coffee from the vending machine to continue watching the passage of time between people's steps. Words swirled around in his mind.

"Is this what you really want, if Revan's plan really happened?"

The knitting of those words, along with the overwhelming drowsiness, created an entity called Vika who stood beside her. They both looked at the vending machine.

Bunga did not answer Vika's questions.

"She's not coming." Vika bought something from the vending machine.

Bunga did not reply. She saw the woman beside her take out a can of coke that she had just ordered.

"He's not coming." Vika opened the lid of the coke can.

"Why?"

Vika chugged the coke. She exhaled afterwards. "Just a feeling."

"Why?"

"Just think about it."

Bunga turned to Vika.

"Why wait to be killed by Sima? Of all the options for suicide."

Bunga scratched her head. "I don't know, probably just to have a valid reason to get out of work and that lucky curse."

Vika laughed. "What a pathetic life being."

Her figure disappeared.

Now replaced by Bunga's tired limbs. Finally decided to sit on the floor. Near the herd of old people who were eating lunch.

Half an hour crawling behind.

Then one hour just disappeared from sight.

Until two hours stepped in front of him.

Revan really doesn't come.

Bunga sighed. Not a form of relief. Instead, it would be troublesome because after this, she would have to face the Sima Investigator who had been watching her from a distance since she arrived here.

*****

Bunga still called the Sima Eradication authority-the official state association of Sima Hunters and Sima Butchers-to inform them of Revan's crazy plan in Monas. Her request was denied. Setting up a company of Sima Butchers to be on standby for an alleged attempted massacre by a Sima gang, which had already been suppressed, was an absolute no-brainer. Or at least that's what the SESC officer - Sima Eradication Service Center - said.

"The Poros Gang has been destroyed and it is impossible to carry out such a large operation," said the SESC officer.

The Poros Gang is the name of Revan's gang. Their extermination had started since the LRT tragedy and it took a while for them to be completely destroyed. Bunga felt stupid not knowing that. Though it has been reported everywhere.

It was Friday afternoon at the district-level Sima Eradication office in the Gambir district. Bunga regretted that she had wasted her nice workday. Although on the other hand she was relieved to at least know there would not be another major tragedy.

"But we can consider surveillance."

Bunga was quiet.

The officer explained that there was now a major investigation into the remaining members of the gang. Revan was one of their most important fugitives. Although Bunga's report was lacking in evidence, they could consider it because she was positionally a victim of Revan, a Sima with the ability to create bone spears from his palms, during the last LRT tragedy. In addition, the lack of other clues, evidence, or witnesses in this investigation made them want to consider Bunga's report, as the only clue available.

After a variety of fast and tiring process, Bunga report is accepted.

*****

Sucipto, the investigator's name. As his name implies, his job as a Sima Investigator is to investigate until he tracks down Sima's whereabouts. Bunga met him for the first time last night when the SESC officer followed up on her report, calling the investigator in charge of Revan's search. And now she was wondering when she saw the man's masculine face that was not disappointed in the surveillance results. The bold curves of that face were just silent, not surprised.

"Sorry, he didn't come."

"That's okay. I'm just glad you're okay. After all, there are still many ways to catch the Sima."

A Sima Hunter approached them. He reported that there were no signs of Revan's arrival in all parts of Monas. Then it was confirmed that the situation was completely safe. "We will report later if Revan appears around," said the Sima Hunter.

The Sima Hunters went back to protecting the museum, as was their duty, while the Bunga surveillance officially ended. Everything was finished. Bunga and Sucipto intended to leave the museum.

"Sorry, it all went to waste," said Bunga.

"No, really. I still fully believe in you. I understand the anxiety you feel. Thank you in advance for working with me."

"You're welcome ....

"But, why do you think he didn't come?"

Sucipto stopped walking. Folded his arms across his chest. "Actually, it's not surprising if you want to know."

Bunga was silent. Trying to listen.

"First, this is too obvious a trap for him. I don't know what motivated him to set a trap... for himself. Secondly, the security here is pretty high-grade for a Sima to break through. Every public facility like this must have several Sima Hunters on guard. Not to mention having to pass through the detector gate. I don't mean to be hopeful. But I'm honestly curious if he got away, just like before, during the LRT tragedy. Sima with his level might be able to get through this facility, but then the question is: What for?"

They arrived at the outer door of the museum. The blazing sun at midday burned their heads.

"What are you going to do after this?"

Bunga gazed at the park outside. "Go home and sleep."

Like that, they parted ways a few moments later.

Sucipto's existence seemed to immediately disappear. Making Bunga as if alone along the Monas park until the outer gate. Cross the pelican crossing.

Near the floating bus lane, waiting for the pedestrian bridge - connected to the water stop - which was originally conical, automatically widened when all the floating buses that crowded the bus stop sailed.

Then waiting at the bus stop, alone with no guard. The deal to keep an eye on her at the museum had come to an end. At least there was no human or Sima who intended to do something nasty to her. So she just sat back on the bench. Then an old man next to her engaged her in conversation.

"I still can't believe we live in this advancement."

Bunga didn't know how to reply.

"10 years ago... no, 20 years ago. I didn't think floating buses would be the main mode of transportation, as well as the solution to Jakarta's flooding," he chuckled, "funny, huh?"

Bunga agreed.

"But, in between those advances, humans have gotten further and further away from that life. They are walking in a dying civilization," the old man continued. He turned his face to a floating bus that had just docked at the bus stop. He stood up, preparing to board it. Bunga just stared at him.

"And you know what? I myself have not had that taste of death for a long time."

Bunga stood up. They boarded the same bus. She led him to the priority seat, while she sat next to him.

In the groping silence, Bunga reconstructed his words in her mind. "A dead civilization, huh," she muttered. Perhaps she hadn't intended to get to the stage of deconstructing reality, but then they had intrigued her enough as a wisdom saying.

The old man didn't spark any more conversation. So Bunga chose to let music accompany her the rest of the way. Not fully immersed in the lyrics as she looked around at all the forms around her. A man smiling at something on his cell phone. And a group of teenagers engrossed in a joke.

Is this the dying civilization?

Then, the old man wrote something down on a piece of paper. This part was the same as before. However, it became interesting after he handed it to Bunga.

"I don't know if believing in rebirth will turn my grandchildren around. But Revan is the only one who can be trusted."

Bunga chose not to react hastily and preferred to pay attention to the contents of the grandfather's note:

              End all the sobbing and wailing

              Rebirth will come from the explosion of jokes

              At every feast of life's triumph

              And an era of the Poros will arrive once again

"I don't know what made Revan ask for everything to be delivered in poetry-not even he understands the aesthetics," the old man grumbled.

Bunga swallowed. Her grip on his notes hardened until the paper became scuffed. Her right foot was also constantly stomping on the floor of the bus.

"But honestly, it's even more surprising that this first poem should be delivered to you... please, tell this old man exactly how special you are to Revan?" The old man looked at Bunga calmly. It was as if the whole situation had been orchestrated by him.

"I'm ...." Bunga shook her head with anxiety surrounding every breath out of her nose.

Why is it like this?!

"Yes? "The old man was getting curious.

However, something made Bunga attempt to calm down. As if trying to control herself over this unexpected situation. Not entirely certain, indeed. And in the absence of that partial conviction, she exhaled, saying: "I want to die.

"By his hand." Bunga covered her face tightly with her palms. She had mixed feelings after saying that.

The old man just nodded in satisfaction with Bunga's answer.

"Is there anything else important?" Bunga asked.

The old man shook his head. "No, I don't. You can see by yourself soon."

"I see, then." Bunga thought for a moment. It wasn't long before she raised her hands high. "Sorry, Grandpa."

The old man was instantly alerted by Bunga's sudden movement - he realized it could be a warning signal. He took a moment to prepare for anything that might happen, before realizing Sucipto had swiftly appeared and used a Sima anesthetic device on the old man's heart. However, the old man reacted quickly by kicking Sucipto so hard that he bounced far away, crashing into several people until he shattered both glass doors when he landed there. Creating a lot of blood spilling from the mouth as well as a blurring of consciousness at the end of both eyes.

Luckily the old man managed to lose consciousness.

Even so the passengers of the floating bus panicked, immediately moving away from the center of the bus, where the execution took place, including Bunga who walked backwards to the back. The driver of the floating bus also braked suddenly. All this tension in silence was getting stabbed in the back. Even worse, before Sucipto could get up and declare the situation safer, the old man's body glowed! The skin from every part of his body peeled off, giving off a reddish hue of light. The eyes. Ears. Every strand of hair fell off. Then his body expanded like a balloon. Enlarged, waiting to explode.

From this confusion and fear, a man appeared from behind Bunga. Deftly he transported the red body of the old man who no second expanded, without further ado through a large hole in the broken glass door he threw it out on the river. Not finished just like that, he also gave instructions to the floating bus driver to move on. Everything went as expected.

Including after a short distance away from where the man had dropped the body, an explosion occurred. The boom catapulted cubic feet of water into the air. Disrupting the calm current into waves that ruffled the entire floating bus. It also spread its water wings to rain down on anyone who was there including those driving on the main road.

The explosion wasn't as violent as Bunga thought it would be, but it was more than enough to tear things into a catastrophic mess.

Moreover, in this chaos, Bunga must now question how Erik can play the role of the one who saves the day. From an existence that Bunga was never even noticed.

Right now, the man was on the phone with the Sima Eradication officer. In that phone call, his eyes met Bunga's.

There were so many questions to answer.