The four explorers came out of the forest since an hour ago. They passed through the grass field with its unexpected contours, someplace were falls sharply then turned sloping profusely. But this terrain wasn't easier than the one before, now they had to be careful for the abysses that wait on the either side of the path they've been traveled. They also had to be careful of thick bushes which might hide the dangerous cliffs beneath otherwise they could throw back to the down-side of the mountain. The air which turns colder than he expected, it seems like it already reached fifteen degrees Celsius, maybe less. Lev could see his exhale turns into funny vapor, and adding flannel shirt under the jacket seemed not helping to reduce the coldness in the month of June.
"The cold is really crazy....I thought it's December now..." Jaka moaned at behind.
Sam laughed, "It will be much worse in December. Not only the air but we had to face the slippery terrain and the unpredictable time of rain fall."
"Only one thing made me pleased, we don't need a bath," Ridwan chuckled.
Lev couldn't agrees more, the consequence was he's busy to screwed many mosquitoes surrounds him, even though the disruption seemed not to be a big problem for Ridwan. The man surely had a ton of blood supplies that surely made hundred of mosquito in satiated before he even realized what's going on. Despite the mosquitoes, this miserable cold air seemed not a big deal for him either, his thick-fat-body kept him warm in one way or another. There's only one situation that threatened Ridwan, when there's no food left to eat… and that's when real danger appeared…
He hopes he could hear Vianka's voice while they took this long walk though he knows that sounds idiot. At least there's some hope...even though it's a sight of ridiculous hope...which he really need to know whether he's in the right place at that time. Actually he didn't have to be worried because the guide surely knows what he's doing. Sam leads them towards the Northeast, as he said previously for location of crash site which lays between the first and second peaks of Mount Salak.
The path was indeed heavy, sheer rocks and slippery cliffs were obstacles which could harm the beginners if they dare to go alone, even for the expert though, so there are only few climbers who dare to go there to lead this kind of amateur climber to the hard route towards the crash site and one of them was Samsudin. According to the man the route they've been taking from south, precisely at the back of the second peak, was much safer than any other direction.
At first Lev doubted the man, which actually not only him but also by the other member of the crew because the man actually was not selected as their guide at first place. Jaka got info from Basarnas Team that Bambang Sarwito, a senior local guide, was the man who guided them on evac so he contacted Bambang in order to take them to the crash site. The local guide seem delighted to help when Jaka Hardiman contacts him by the phone, but when they met the man personally he change his mind and turned the deal down, especially when Jaka told him that that this journey was for the purpose of exclusive cover of the tragedy.
Jaka didn't know the reason exactly, maybe the money they offered was not high enough, or maybe the man was getting a little bit cocky as realizing himself to be famous after the succeed of the rescue mission but whatever that was he recommended other name, and that was Samsudin, who he said as the man that also the member of his crew in the first mission. So he certainly knows where to take them as well. Therefore they went to meet the person at his house afterwards.
Unlike Bambang Sarwito, Samsudin or Sam was cold like fish. He stared at them with sneered and asked after they discuss their purpose, "What will you guys do there anyway? I thought the media already had a lot of news about it, don't they?"
"True! But none exclusively...none makes the cover directly on the spot…"
"What makes you guys think that the viewer want to see the crash site directly on their TV?" Sam asked with frown. "I guess no one seem to care, it brought the wounds back, and people are on their way to forget the tragedy right now, especially the victim's families."
"Because people had the right to know the truth," Jaka answered him quickly. "Besides we bring one of those family. Lev here, his twain died on the crash, and he's willing to help us to made sort coverage for the program."
Sam expression changed, "Twain you said? Is there a twin on the plane?"
Lev answered him, "That's me! And my twin sister who's dead on that plane is Vianka."
Jaka added, "It's not by chance we'll make story of his twin sister. She's a co-worker in our TV station and we want to strip her life personally. All materials will be written by Lev as the man who knows a lot about the deceased."
"Tell me, why do you want to go up there? You know she's dead, don't you?" Sam asked.
Lev gazed at the man, Samsudin was their last source, the one and only perhaps, to get to the place where they want to go so he better answered the question wisely, otherwise they all loose opportunity to get there, "I know she's dead for sure. But the thing is I screwed. I screwed the hell thing up before she died."
"What do you mean?"
"Back then she send me many texts and I didn't had a chance to text her back just to say goodbye. I was so busy with myself, doing the writings which actually nothing as compared to what happened to her then. If only I was not so selfish and take a look to my phone...for once..."
"Regret is always comes last. But it change nothing," said Sam.
"Indeed. The fact is my ignorance haunted me most. You might not believe this but as a twin, I had strong bonds with her, which something I still felt after she passed away. I heard her voice many times...everywhere...and somehow I realized that maybe I had to come to that place to say goodbye for her for the last time."
Sam paused, the stiffness in his face melted, finally he nodded, "Very well. I think I can't forbid the family to do the trail. Especially for the twins, I'll accompany you there."
Jaka Hardiman nodded with a reliece, "How much we had to pay you?"
Sam said his price that apparently made Jaka a little bit shocked, maybe it's beyond his expectation, but he knows he must prepared for any possibilities so he finally agreed without further ado. Moreover, he could bill the guide fee as reimbursement to the company when the program finished. Apparently the number that been asked by Sam was worthy, the man was able to demonstrate his prowess to dismiss the untrust from them. He knows what to do in the field as they're going through right now. In fact he looks so relaxed to makes the tension atmosphere faded. They followed this trip like they were in some holiday, rather than investigation journey.
Just take a look at him. Walking with his chin held high, as he's been challenging the mountains to give him more obstacle than they had now, as like he was saying that he's able to conquered them as many as he like, even in a bad condition. The guy maybe in the mid forty but his shape looked flawless, very well-trained, something that could embarrassed them all who was younger but in condition of catching out of breath. He's not even panting as he walked down slowly at the rugged terrain and the remote such this. And the man looks more amazing in Lev's eye because he done that with the cigarette on his mouth, smoke frequently, and seemed never stopped even for a while. He reminds Lev of a cowboy that looks cool as been riding a horse with cigarette on his hand on some old ads stuff.
Sam reached into his pocket to retrieve the cigarettes for the umpteenth time, discard the remaining cigarette out of his mouth, slipped the new one before lit it on. Lev realized that was just now he saw Sam lit the smoke, things ain't seen from that man when they've been crossing the path. The lighter that he used pop up the fire twice larger than its normally on other lighter, so the flames can withstand the wind blows. The long and huge dancing flame burned the tip of cigarette which reminds him of flame that used to shield the sides of metal casket that contained the remains of Vianka...
***
All family of Sukhoi's victims finally gets the announcement from CMC to pick what was found by Basarnas team from the field, as told by Melly to Anggodo family to pick up Vianka's coffin at Halim Perdanakusuma. Lev had told his parent not to expect much, from some source he knows no one survived from the crash, the situation at the crash site was horrible because the SAR team found nothing but human remains, none left in fully attached, including the remains that identified as Vianka.
The Halim Perdanakusuma airport was fulled with families that gathered since morning. As informed by CMC, the families could received the relative who becomes the victims, but before that Basarnas allowed the family to see the coffin shielded. Approximately fifty caskets that ordered by Russian Embassy arrived at the airport on several days before, those were needed to put the deceases before the authority handed them to the relatives because from what he heard, the victim were brought back to Jakarta in the body bag.
Therefore when Hercules, the plane that carries the corpses, landed around ten they need more time to bring those bags down from the plane to the small hangar that changed as a temporary place for the handover. The representative of Indonesia government and Russian Embassy – as the party whose taken responsibility of the plane tragedy that coincidentally had done by their national airlines – accompany the families on the handover procession in order to give the condolences and sympathy. An hour later families were called alphabetically, according to victim's name, Lev's heart filled with grief as to hear the the hysterical cries that heard insides the hangar...he didn't dare to imagine what would be seen inside there.
Finally, the time for the Anggodo's came. The lady in suits who carried the file board called the name of Listvyanka Anggodo. Mrs. Anggodo tightened the grip on her husband arm as they entered the building and saw dozens coffin that lined up neatly at the centre of the hall. Most caskets were closed already. Those might them who were in early list of the alphabeth. From the light reflection on top of the crates Lev realized that the boxes were different from normal coffins because it made of steel.
Near the entrance gate a woman and pair of men dressed in white were stood beside a tall man with a thin stature and corn hair on a formal black suit that looked uncomfortable in the tropics area, his expression looked like a guy who's being torture in the heat but he should wear it under special obligation on this event, especially as the representative of Russian Embassy.
"Relatives of Listvyanka Anggodo?" asked man in a nurse uniform.
"Yes ..." Mr. Anggodo replied as been awakes from sleep.
"Could you please sign here, sir?" the man in white thrusted the clipboard which was an official statement of handedover has been done to Vianka's family. Some of bureaucracy thing…
"Can I see her first?" asked Mr. Anggodo pointing the coffin.
"I hope you can you stand, sir," the female nurse who stand at behind said.
"I've been waiting for two weeks so I want to see her..." replied Mr.Anggodo.
The female nurse nodded, as a sign for both of the male nurses to open the crate. When they held the crate and lifted it up altogether Mrs. Anggodo moved slightly backward. The old woman had told Lev that she won't look into it...he has no nerve to see what's left on Vianka... the truth was Lev didn't have the guts either but somebody in the family should do that, and he prepared himself for that if Mr. Anggodo didn't want to do the honor...Thank God, he choose the turn...
With a trained move the male nurses opened the body bag, they moves aside to give Mr. Anggodo some space to come closer. Within less than a minute after he stood at one of the side of the crate and take a look inside for a while the old man suddenly fell to the back. Out of his conciousness and fainted. Mrs. Anggodo yelled in shock, she coincidentallt stood behind the old man so Mr.Anggodo's body fall upon her. The female nurse and Lev moves altogether in fast to help the old woman. It was Lev who finally grabbed his mother up and gets it right on her feet again while the female nurse crouched and checksed on Mr.Anggodo condition that laid on the floor at present.
"Levvv ...."
The chilling arose his neck. Lev looked around to see who had just called him. No one in the room knew his name, except his parents of course, and the female voice that just called him was absolutely not the voice of his mother. That old woman been busy woke his husband up after she got in control of herself. Lev turned to found that the male nurses and the foreigner stare each other with awry.
"Leevvv...help me..."
The voice heard as clear as crystal...that obviously not came from those men...the sound seem coming from....his heart was beating very fast...the hell no....he approached the crate and slowly stared into it, right at the body bag that was in half-open on the inside. His heart sunk, no wonder his dad fainted. Who could stand to see a pair of charred legs with missing part from the knees down, arm pieces that broke in some scattered spot, and the blackened skull which seem got burned. Physically those can't be recognized as Vianka. The accident apparently not only destroyed but also burned entire body of his twin sister. No wonder the forensic team had some difficulties to identify the pieces through DNA testing with minimum equipment.
"That was not me Lev."
He yanked. He seems to see the skull jaw twitched as if it's try to tell him something. He looked at the skull which also staring back at him in fool.
"Help me, Lev! I'm still alive..." he drew back few steps from the coffin and blinked his eye several times to wish he was mistaken. He thought he's been dreaming before the voice of his dad heard. "That's OK! I'm alright now,"
Apparently the old man had waking up, his sook his head couple of times before he sat down on the floor. The female nurse who kneel near the old man turned to Lev and handed the young guy the documents which haven't been signed by his father due to his condition. Lev makes the signed without remembering how he did that. The female nurse nodded with thankful face, "Thank you, sir! The name of your family will be put on our complementary data soon. After this, we'll be delivered your sister's casket to your house."
Both of male nurses shut the coffin up, Lev was a bit relieved because he didn't have to see the terrible sight of the skull no more. A strange and dirty looking man who came out of nowhere approached and lit at the tip of the weld gun. The weld gun goes swooshed when the red crazy fire pop up and changed into a blue flame as the man turning the button to arrange the heat. After that, he shields the periphery to make vacuum insides.
While the welded man doing his job, the nurses welcoming other family because their business with Anggodo had finished, especially when Mr.Anggodo was back on his feet again. The three of them could only gazed at Vianka's casket with gloomy looks. Mrs.Anggodo even can't stop the sobbed. The foreigner guy that been waiting for the right time finally came closer and greet them gently, explained that he's here as a representative of Russian Embassy who's ordered to meet the family of Sukhoi's victim personally and gave them the sympathy from hiis country.
"What kind of sympathy are you talking about?" Lev asked.
The man took out a brown envelope from the folder he's been carried the whole time and gave that to the old woman. Mrs.Anggodo opened the envelope and reach out a small paper, a yellow square paper, with a number that list on it. Lev took a peek and realized that's a check… with the unbelievable ammount had wrote on it... it says 10,000 US Dollar
"On behalf of Russian Ambassador...we would like to say sorry about the tragedy and here's our deepest sympathy for your family."
The old woman stared at the check with glared, her body's shaken and her sobbed got loud even more, "I don't want your money…just give me back my baby…" and with hysterically she tore the check apart.
The eyes of that representative of Russian Embassy widened in amazed as seeing the check been tore into pieces, maybe he didn't expected to see someone doing such thing...but he can say nothing...he just stood there in silent…