The team gathered in the dim glow of the office, faces strained and breaths heavy, each member wrestling with a mix of triumph and a grim reality settling in. They had prevented an unthinkable tragedy at Mangga Dua, but now, that accomplishment felt hollow, overshadowed by a weight that hung heavily in the air.
Handoko had barely allowed himself a moment to savor their hard-won victory, a slight release of his tense shoulders, when the monitors flickered and went black, filling the room with a familiar, ominous silence. The screen blinked, and the Punisher's voice filled the room—smooth, dark, and faintly bitter.
"Congratulations, Handoko," the voice said. "Your team saved lives tonight… but only at Mangga Dua." The words rang out, hollow and chilling, casting a shiver through the team. They exchanged anxious glances, feeling that this was only the beginning of the message.
Without warning, the screens shifted, displaying scenes of destruction from Depok and Bogor. Twisted metal, shattered glass, and distant sirens filled the screens. Survivors staggered in shock, first responders carried those who hadn't made it, and faces full of horror flickered before their eyes.
A dark realization spread through the team. They had been given a code, but they had decoded only one location out of three. Mangga Dua was saved, but Depok and Bogor—the rest of the coordinates—had fallen through their fingers.
The Punisher's voice returned, quieter, almost as if speaking with regret. "Tonight, in Depok and Bogor, nearly one hundred souls lost. Handoko… I know you tried."
The screens blinked off, leaving the room in an oppressive silence. Handoko slumped into his chair, the weight of guilt tightening like a vice around his heart. The team felt it too—defeat, horror, and anger crashing down on them in waves.
Joko, usually a source of boundless energy, sat heavily on the floor, muttering a silent prayer. Yenny clutched her hands over her mouth, eyes brimming with tears, haunted by the faces of those they couldn't save. Rano's fists tightened, his face darkened by frustration, anguish, and a rising fury.
Handoko clenched his jaw, each word a sharp reminder of the devastation they hadn't stopped. They had given everything, yet it hadn't been enough.
The team lay on the cold floor, eyes on the ceiling, as the weight of the night pressed down. They were few, overworked, and under-equipped. It was clear: this fight demanded more. More intelligence, more officers, more vigilance. They needed to stay ahead, outthink and outmaneuver the mastermind who, tonight, had left them in the dust.
This was only the beginning.
The room fell silent under an unspoken vow—a promise to remember the lives they couldn't reach tonight and to never allow this again.
"This isn't over," Handoko murmured, his voice steady but dark. The team sat up slowly, faces etched with exhaustion, but a new resolve glinted in their eyes. They would not rest. Not until they'd built a force ready to meet this challenge, no matter the cost.
No one spoke as they turned back to their workstations, driven by the chilling reality of what they faced. They needed to be better, sharper, unbreakable. They needed to be ready.
They would not fail again.
-----------------------End of Chapter 16. End of Episode 1-----------------------
To be continued to Episode 2