Mandalas
Gedunas
Geduna, the main base of the Mandala underground in Trikad, was crowded with oversized white robes. The headquarters has 6 floors that stack in the form of a hexagon prism with a round area in the middle. The round area is filled with projections of artificial waterfalls that flow from the top to the bottom floor. The sound of the turbulent volume of water and its thump on the rocks sounded very real. Geduna looks very clean and bright with soft bony white projection walls and ceilings when stared at. Each floor has spaces that fill the six corners with different areas. The association is only in the worship room with the same area on each floor in the corner of 6’.
Geduna looks lonely, only a few Mandalas are seen running around there. All teaching and learning activities are closed since Trikad is declared in Alert II status. News of the FIGHTR attack has reached the central building and Geduna. Maha has handed over her sister to the Emergency Unit for stabilization and sterilization due to the Lentipede attack last night. All Mandala units are activated. Each Trikad gate is currently guarded by 2 troops with complete equipment. Only one unit is available in 2 days.
Ayu wore a knee-length light brown dress with tight black cloth pants. His white robe was left open and moved following his swift pace. This time her curly brown hair was draped over a shoulder, her face plain without any projection of beauty. Bon walked following Ayu beside him. Bon looks small for the size of a man, his body thin and slender, but his height is 5cm above Ayu. He was wearing a black shirt and brown denim under his white robe. They walked down the floor - 4 (minus 4) towards the room at the corner of 5’. Frian was waiting for them at the door. The bald woman was wearing the exact same suit that Bon was wearing. Frian took off her robe.
“Sorry a little late,” Ayu said when they got to that doorstep. The door was more like a one-way giant glass that spanned almost as high as the ceiling and was 3 meters wide. There is a red ‘RUANG GARDNELLA’ that runs from right to left of the top door.
Frian nodded briefly. Ayu and Bon took off their robes. At the same time, they knocked on the door twice with their index finger. Three round-shaped devices appeared in front of their faces. The tool began to scan from the head, cornea, facial contour, to the feet. A few seconds later, the red writing that was walking over, turned green. The glass door retreated back in part, separating the 2 small sections in the middle which formed 3 holes as high as the three of them. Frian stepped in first while Ayu stared at the door hesitating.
“What's up?” ask Bon to worry. Ayu shook her head slowly. “I.. only remembered how it felt to lose a sister,” Ayu blinked her eyes quickly, holding back her tears that wanted to come back to burst out. “Maha is quite lucky. His sister can still be saved,” Bon said slowly. “He needs you, Yu. He needs us.” Bon patted Ayu on the shoulder. Ayu managed to control herself. He smiled briefly and wiped his eyelids. Then, they entered through that door at the same time.
The room consists of smaller spaces with automatic white doors. There are 12 rooms
facing each other, they have numbers 1-12 in sequence. Frian looked at Ayu and Bon who had just entered. “What room?” ask Frian
Bon rubbed the surface of his dT9 bracelet. A projection of the conversation page appeared, Bon read it for a while. “Room 2.”
They hung each other's robes on a white hook attached to the left side of the glass door. Frian led them to a room with a white door bearing the missing number two embossed on it. Frian raised her right hand and touched the white door just below the number 2. The white door slid to the left, Maha was sitting in a long chair facing into the space covered by a large glass filled the room, where Mia lay with her life support tools. In the corner of the room where Maha sat, there were several bottles of sweet drinks and a glass of coffee.
He turned his head towards the door. 3 of his friends had come. He lifted his back and smiled. “Hai.”
The three of them entered the waiting room. Frian and Ayu sat flanking Maha. Bon floated on the glass that separated them from Mia.
“You've done it, Yu?” ask Maha. His wise and stern face now displayed the sadness he was trying to hide. Black lines coloring both eyelids Maha.
“Already,” said Ayu as she rubbed her eyes. “Maha, you have to rest.” Frian clasped Maha's shoulders. He patted Frian's hand. “Iya, relax. Tomorrow we have to work again.”
“Maybe..” Bon opened his voice. “You don't need to be active first,” Bon said as he looked at his friend.
“You and Joke. You better not take hours until you recover,” said Bon again.
“I'm fine.” The mahah stood up. He picked up a drinking bottle that was on the table next to the waiting room chair. “Mia is also fine. Kay must have called me if she needed anything.”
“We can be divided to other units. So you can rest first,” said Frian.
Gulp down the contents of the drinking bottle. He rubbed his head without hair. “Sleep a day will not overwhelm us kok,” said Ayu smiling. “You just go home this time. Me and Bon are standing guard on this floor.”
Maha has not yet given an answer. His eyes stared at the floor. “Maha.”
Bon called his friend. “Joke said you guys fought the giant 5 Lentipede alone. Where were the other units last night?”
The two female friends turned to Maha. “Communication died. I don't know why. But before that I had a hard time contacting Mia at school. Though he said he also tried to contact me but it didn't work.”
“But, in the end I was able to call him when I got into the gate of FIGHTR.”
“So they didn't initially know the creature was headed for the library?” ask Ayu.
“No, I saw him with Joke. Joke tried to call Kay while I called Mia. But the bratty son, he's still in the library at 9 p.m.”
Bon rubbed his chin a sign of thinking. “Bad communication in FIGHTR. Lentipede to FIGHTR. Lentipede attack child FIGHTR.”
“There is a strange here,” says Bon again.
“They are not creatures, Bon. Lentipede cannot think. They will attack any organic creature that attracts them.” Frian scowling. “What has happened is a disaster that cannot
predicted.”
Bon seemed dissatisfied, but he did not speak anymore. Ayu cleared her throat, trying to divert the conversation, “What about the other child?”
I remember Leno again. “She's her friend Mia. He is now in the recovery room in Vibrio. Last I saw, he was fine.”
“Thank God he's okay,” Ayu said. Then the room became quiet. The only sound came from the monitor Mia's vital signs installed in the room.
“You're great, Chief. How did you and Joke survive against that thing?” said Bon. Frian nodded small. “With the Bada you used?” ask Frian.
Maha nodded. He folded his hands in front of his chest. “We were lucky to arrive on time. Joke wears her machete which she had kept for a long time. Larger weapons I think can be more effective.”
“But we finished off the five creatures yesterday! You two but against five?!” Bon asked in wonder.
“Ya, i.“ He seemed hesitant to answer. “I don't know how. I just swung the Gada to finish them off before the creature hit Mia. Joke also does
same thing with 2 Lentipede.”
“But, Leno helped us.” Maha recalled how Leno forward took the two spears owned by Joke and slashed Lentipede who had attacked part of Mia's arm.
“Leno?” ask Bon. “Those kids in that isolation room?”
“Iya, she. I also don't know how she did it. He took Joke's spear and finished off the creature,” Maha said.
Ayu looked surprised. Frian looked at Maha sharply. “He did it himself?”
“Ya.” Allowing. “Where did the boy learn how to beat him?” ask Ayu.
“To save his friend. Just like you did to save your sister,” Frian said flatly.
Maha nodded in agreement. “Maybe I'll see him after this.”
“You must rest, Chairman,” Ayu said. “Don't forget yourself.”
“Ya, right. Go home and sleep after this. We will be on guard here, alternating with unit assignments,” Bon said.
His three friends took a serious look at Maha. You know it's the right thing to do. The city would need them more if they could fight in conditions
the good.
“Good, I gave up. You guys get out first. I clean up for a while,” said Maha finally.
Ayu and Frian got up from the chair and headed for the exit. Bon approached Maha. “Spirit, friend.” Bon half squeezed both of Maha's shoulders which were very stocky. “Bon, there are things I want to talk about,” said Maha slowly. He saw Ayu holding the door shut so as not to close, waiting for Bon. Bon also took a glance at Ayu.
“I help Maha tidying up her stuff first. Don't look, you guys throw up later,” Bon said. Ayu snorted in annoyance and left the door closed. He looked at Bon seriously.
“I'm afraid this isn't a coincidence, Bon. As you said, this attack is very strange,” said Maha to open her voice.
Bon rubbed his chin again. “Lentipede as big and as much as that can come to a place that communication has been difficult to reach since the day before.”
“Kok can be a coincidence?” said Bon.
“I also think the same thing. And you know they're not as strong as I imagined. They are big. but fragile.” Maha looked at Mia from behind the glass. “Should Mia not survive.”
Bon stopped rubbing his chin. He stood beside Maha, looking at his friend's sister who was unconscious.
“Can anyone plan? We have enemies?” said Bon.
“We have no enemies, Bon.”
“Trikad who has,” said Maha again.
Bon looked towards his friend. “Political enemies from other cities? Mikrad for example?”
“Can be.” Maha swallowed his saliva. “But this is just a guess.”
“I don't understand the politics of the city.” Bon shifted his gaze for a moment. “I remember the plague, when we were in school.”
Also remember that incident. Maha and Bon are best friends when in FIGHTR. It was a difficult year for them and became more difficult in the years after because of the death of Maha's parents. Only a very small Mia remained who became the Maha family. Bon also lost his father.
“If it all repeats itself, I'm not sure Trikad will be ready,” Bon said. “With the larger size of Lentipede, let alone the suspicion of the element of deliberate will make the situation even more difficult. We're not just fighting evolutionary creatures, we're going to have to fight this attack brain.”
Maha sighed. Bon could be right. Things could get worse at any time. But he won't give up.
“Sometimes could improve, Bon. You know why? Because now Trikad have what they do not have before,” said Maha.
“Hmm..technology?” bon said guess.
“Not.” Maha smiled. “I.”
Bon laughed when he heard it. He knows it's true. Maha is no ordinary Mandala. You always have a way to keep fighting for things that you believe are right, or for things you love, Bon thought.
“Your charisma can defeat that creature once a blink. They were instantly insecure,” Bon said. He knew his best friend was just entertaining himself.
“I spoke to Mn. Sito before heading to FIGHTR,” said Maha.
“He who told you should go there?”
“No,” replied Maha.
“I asked.” He looked back at Bon. “They did not put a single unit to protect FIGHTR, Bon.”
Bon looked at Maha in surprise. “Not at all?”
“Not at all.” Stop for a moment. “Mn. Sito said Kay can take care of FIGHTERR from the main gate.”
“But, it's a long way away! there's no way Kay's unit could cover such an area.”
“That's what I said,” said Maha, her tone slightly hardened.
Bon took a long breath. He looked down, like he was staring at the floor. The room was quiet again. “Why did you just tell me this?”
It looks like a moment. Then said, “I don't know who to trust.”
“Not rule out your girlfriend and other friends too,” says Maha again. “I don't know who to trust for this matter yet. Our theories and suspicions have not been proven.”
Bon understands and appreciates Maha's decision. It also means that he cannot discuss with just anyone. “I'll find out,” Bon said, he picked up Maha's bag that hasn't been touched since their arrival.
“Ya, I also.”
