Lev remembered how Jaka Hardiman's eye wide opened when he told him about how her mother tore the check that given by Russian Embassy, "Didn't she realized how much it worth? One hundred millions in Rupiah, man!"
"We ain't rich. But I agreed with her. Vianka's life can't be replaced with money."
"Yeah…sure…but still….it's ten grand and you know…insurance company won't pay a thing for the victims because the Sukhoi's flight was not a regular flight, wasn't it?"
"Yup, we knew!"
"So, it means that check was something to compensate it."
"She's worth more than that."
Jaka sighed, "Well, I guess I'm gonna shoot myself if I did something like that. You should put that story in the program."
"Should I?"
"Sure do…to shows the audience that no matter how big the compensation is; it can't replace the presence of the victim in the middle of their family. Just wrote it down, I'm sure the audience will sobbed."
"I'll think about it..." Lev sighed.
It was not because he disagrees with Jaka, he didn't like that idea because that matter was personal, not just for his mother but also the Russian representative, which surely didn't want something like that spread widely on TV as a screen scene that would seen by many people. It certainly will be humiliating for the Russian, while on the other hand that would probably hurt his mother's heart again and again if she watched what the man had did to their family. Lucky for Lev the idea had just comes at that time, so they can't change the story line that already approved just like that, despite the fact that was something didn't have correlation either.
The place where they had rest now was on the higher with the hardest ground than the one on the edge of the mountain. It was rockier so not many trees could grew on there. The inhabitant of big trees replaced by the small plant such as shrubs, grass, or small plants like lavender which smelled strongly in the darkness night. The black sky over their head was filled with the faint glow of hundred stars and semicircular pale moon. The light of the heavenly bodies seemed not strong enough to show the path which had to be taken so each of them must used the flashlight to help the sight.
The wind blew as the noise from the leaves gets choir with the sound of night creature which seemed showing off their elegance, too bad Lev was lack of knowledge to recognize each one of it. Therefore he can only describes the sound of a frog and crickets but the rest of it maybe only God as their creator who lnew what's the sound was. As one of God's creation Lev choose to enjoy the fancy atmosphere that delivered by the nature.
The route was getting more hard than the path which had through already at the forest, though Sam had told that it was the normal route than the one he had taken with the Basarnas team on previously, considering they have to race the time, still Lev felt the path ain't easy. But he realized why this path was chosen as the route for lament as seen by the scenery. It's still beautiful indeed though the view of the city no longer seen from here since the site was laid between pair of peaks, where the north peak covered Bogor and the south blocked Ciwidey.
"We're getting close…" Sam said flatly. "Be careful! There's a lot of cliff."
The fatigue instantly disappeared when members of the team hear that, especially Lev as he paid more attention to surrounding area just to get the feel of Vianka's final resting place in order to make good narative in the script. Even thougj the route was a common used still it's hard to reach if they're not guided by expert climbers. Ten minutes later Sam stop the convoy after came out of the path. There was a field up a head, which about four hundred meters square and surrounded by small hill on side on the right and left.
"We're here ...."
"Where's is the wrecks?" asked Jaka with little doubt as there's no remains of the plane everywhere on there. Basarnas might did marvelous job to evacuate the deceases but, still, it seemed impossible to clean up the plane mashes without leaving any traces.
"Not here..." Sam shook his head, he walked across the field to the edge of the cliff, he turned to them and pointing his fnger downward "Down there!"
Jaka and Lev gazed at each other, "How far is it?"
"Approximately, 1,200 meters…"
"Damn!" Ridwan cursed. "That's the hell of depth, man!"
"Wait until morning then we go down..." said Samsudin.
He's right. They could see nothing but the darkness; it will be suicide if they forced to continue to go there at that time, so they decided to setup the tent. Two green tents of tarpaulin stood up towards each other in less than ten minutes. To make it more comfy, that sounds cynical compares to the situation they had face, a pair of bedroll was set on the inside. Jaka make the bed arrangement, Sam slept with Ridwan while he took the other tent with Lev. Seemed like he wanted to have further discussions with Lev tonight, maybe the topic was some kind of subjects that to be discussed for the scenes later, so that's why he needs some privacy. And Lev was relieved for the arranged, somehow he didn't quite pleased to sleep with Samsudin. Though the man didn't do strange thing but he got some uncomfortabe feeling of him.
It was 02.00 in the morning but Lev couldn't sleep as he thought about what they would do tomorrow...well, maybe it's not quite tomorrow considering they're just about couple of hours more to see the sunrise. The guy just turned his laptop on when Jaka Hardiman entered the tent. The man adjusted his glasses as he said, "Oh, you're still awake?"
Lev shrugged, "Guess I'm too tense about tomorrow."
"I guess we all are," Jaka nodded. "What are you looking for?"
"Some information to add the punctuation line...do you know many plane had crashed at this mountain?"
"About five accidents, right?"
"Six actually, on 29 October 2003, Twinpac Sikorsky S-58 crashed and killed seven peoples. On 20 June 2004, Cessna 185 Skywagon crashed and killed one man. On 26 June 2008, Cassa A212-200 crash and killed eighteen peoples. On 30 April 2009, a Sundowner was crash and the pilot dies in his way to the hospital. On 12 June 2009, a puma helicopter crashed and killed two mechanics. The latest, 9 May 2012…"
"The crashed of Sukhoi," Jaka said as continuing Lev's word. "And it took much more victims from one accident to another."
"I wondered! Why's so many?"
"Pilots who inadvertently I guess…careless…"
"They're trained perfectly. Just look at this face, couldn't a man like these acts rashly?"
Jaka approached to give himself some space so he can see the photo on the screen from behind. Lev enlarged the image, it was a picture of a man who had firm jaw, sharps eyes, little nose and lips, dark skinned, and a hair of an army's cut.
"Nicholas Burung, died on 30 April 2009…" Lev commented. He skipped the picture to the next photo and Jaka saw the picture of a young man who strapped in army clothes, smiles confidently, curly hair with a big nose. "Edy Christiono, died on 20 June 2004..."
"You've got picture of them too?" asked Jaka with amazed.
"Not all of them but mostly yeah! Their death makes me curious to find out what really happened on this place."
"Then what was happened actually?" Jaka asked.
"Some says the wind changing that goes wildly. Some says the mountain is haunted. I don't know what the cause really are but we're going to find out about it after we go down there to see the crash site, aren't we?"
"I'm sure I heard someone says something about haunted?"
Lev turned to see the man who just spoke, and turned out that was Ridwan who just entered their tent, along with Samsudin who last to come. Lev's face change in a sudden, he thought that Jaka want to talk about something private but the fact was it's just his assumption. Jaka smiled, "I told them to get here so we could discuss the plan for tomorrow."
"As you pleased...."
"Okay...now we had the parts on crash site..." said Jaka as he opened the discussion when they've gathered on the insides. He straightened his legs to expedite the blood circulation flow and lit a cigarette."…here, I want to get the emotion more deeply. First thing in the morning, we'll take your picture here, Lev…and you will say something that we've already discuss before on Jakarta."
"I've done with the manuscript. It only takes detail location to add," Lev said.
"Good! For you, Ridwan, keep on the camera. I don't wanna missed even a second of small pan on the location, every spot must be taken...right from the time when we climbed down and back on the way up to the cliff."
"Okay! The batteries full charge already. I'll take another one for backup also," Ridwan turned to Sam then."Is the sling rope strong enough for me to carry the camera?"
"If you can climb with one hand then it's not a problem…" Sam answered as though he took no interest in listening to the conversation.
"Don't forget communication radios. Do you want to bring laptop?" asked Jaka to Lev
"Not quite, I think I'll remember everything here…" said Lev tapping his brow with his point finger. "After seeing the situation down there, it's easy for me to describe it on paper."
"But I need you to talk on the spot."
"What? I thought we use VO?"
"On second thought I guess it'll be much emotional if you read the script on the site."
Lev surprised to hear that, "What? That's not what actually we had already plan."
"I know, but I need your presence here as a representative of other families who look directly at the scene. I know that's what they need when the see our program. They want to feel what you feel, and see what you see..." Jaka said excitedly. "...and they will be catch their breath as seeing you're looking for her, though."
"But I don't know where to look for…" Lev cut Jaka's word in a sudden.
"Who are you looking for?" Sam asked curiously.
Jaka, Ridwan, and Lev spontaneously turned to each other awkwardly. They never told the man about it, even when they met him on the first place. What he knew was just to help Lev to see the wreckage as one of the family's member but Sam ain't a green horn who can fooled easily. He realized that these three guests of him got a hidden agend when they came to this place, and he said strike to the point, "So you all think there's survivor and now waiting to be rescue down there?"
Jaka Hardiman sighed, "We don't know for sure but Lev had a hunch of that."
Although that was what the reality was but Lev felt Jaka had put him into bad situation, it sounds like it was Lev's fault, especially if something wrong happened, Not to mention that he might saw that ugly expression once more on Sam's face, the same that seen on Jaka Hardiman when Lev told the guy about his hunch, which saying that Vianka still alive repeatedly.
***
Several days after the funeral, Lev felt like he heard Vianka's voice couple of times. It drives him crazy but his belief that Vianka survive from the crash had increased eventually. Truth was, he's uneasy about the feeling as realizing that no body would believe him, everyone might say something like this, "It's impossible for her to be alive! I think you're going nuts from the loss."
No! He's not crazy. Not entirely…
The thing is…he needs to share about this or he'll be insane for sure.
He tried to share to Melly. He invited her once on date after Vianka's funeral. All things went nice at first time, until he told her about the possibility of Vianka managed to survive from the accident at dinner. Melly stared at him with the look he hate most, just like when she heard that he's riding an UFO, and said something common, "I'm sorry for what happened. I always ready to help you...whenever you need... until you could accept this bitter to reality."
Her answer was so cliché, and that's confirming Lev not to continue this relationship into something serious, even though Melly always call or send an SMS to ask about his situation for the next days. But the different attitude had shown by Vianka's supervisor. Jaka Hardiman straightened his glasses several times while listening to Lev's stories. The man lit on his third cigarette and respond after Lev finished the story, "Men, I don't know what to say..."
Lev was ready to receive cynical response like the one he accepted from Melly or his parent but Jaka commented in different perspectives, "All evidence definitely says the opposite but I felt there's always a possibility. So, for your concern…your hunch could be something..."
Jaka may not see the relieved in Lev's mind when he spoke such thing but one thing for sure Lev's opinion on Vianka's supervisor changed drastically, "Although there's no evidence?"
"Not yet. Evidence can be found. "
"How?" asked Lev.
Jake shrugged, "It's you who supposed to propose it for me. It's you who believes that she still alive. I thought you've came up some ways to find your sister when you come to me."
"I'm working on it…" Lev responded quickly.
Obviously he was lying. He never climbed any mountain or being a member of hiking club in all his life. So how the hell he knows what's supposed to do to find someone on the top of the mountain? How can he select capable personnel to become his companion? And how supposed he funded the journey that would spend large amount of cost?
"When you're team ready, just gave me call so I can help to cover about the expedition story of your team."
Lev thought Jaka just messing around with his words, that he said something like that for an excuse to avoid him politely, but three days later Jaka called him back. His voice was loud and clear as Lev remembered on the day they first met, "Hello, I'm Jaka! Still remember me?"
Lev replied, "Of course! What's up, man? Is there something new?"
"Well, coincidentally I proposed a new program and management accept it this morning. Guess what, I want to make some exclusive investigation over Sukhoi's accident."
"Is that a lot of it on the television nowadays?"
"Indeed, mostly in exclusive interview format which done by professional reporter. On my program, I want the reportage hosted by one of the victim's family, and it's only you that fit for it. You're the main star because no one else is more appropriate to describes Vianka besides her twin brother," Jaka said.
"You want me to perform in front of the camera?"
"Yup. Waddaya think, bro?"
"Forget it!"
"Why?"
"I don't want to...don't ask me why....the reason as same as Vianka who couldn't explain why she's afraid to fly."
Jaka silent for a moment, "Is that true? She's afraid to fly?"
"True! She's got some trauma called flight-phobia."
The supervisor's tones change in unease before turns normally, "No wonder she always picked a covering in Jakarta and West Java area. But you'd still want to join with my team, didn't you? I'm sure there's a lot of thing that can be written."
Lev laughed, "I'm a script writer for movies, not a novelist or journalist."
"That's why you're suits for this project. If you can write a movie scenario, I'm sure you're also good making a news script."
"Okay, I'll try."
"Good! And would you consider my offer to became a host also?" he started to push Lev once again to the brink of his goal, "For the sake of Vianka?"
Lev paused in order to think for a while, "Allright, if Vianka finally dare to fly, I also have to challenge my fear, even though there'll be many who would laugh at me."
"They don't have time to do that. We'll make audience cry when they've seen the program…I promise you…."
"Sure. You're an expert for that…"Lev laughed.
"Then we have a deal?"
"Okay, deal!"
"Good! So I need you to prepare…we're going to Mount Salak in two days."
"No problem. O, yeah….may I ask you one thing?"
"What's that?"
"Why do you believe me finally?"
"I still don't. But I'd read there's a possibility for twins having telepathy. Well, I'm sure that thing happened to you."
"Telepathy, eh? I never tought something like that," Lev commented. "So, what do you want to say is Vianka could be alive and she's send a signal for me to found her?"
"Probably, but I can't be too sure..."
"I hate mystical thing but I like your notion."
"Hey, man. Telepathy is not mystical. It's scientific. Beside, despite evidences that said no survivors in Salak Mountain...it doesn't mean there's no possibility at all, right? "
"Correct!"