1. The Genesis of Catastrophe

“Have you activated the backup system?”

A pilot rushed into the cockpit, his steps hurried as he returned from the restroom. He shot an impatient glance at his colleague, who appeared overwhelmed in his seat.

“Captain, the backup system isn’t responding properly,” his colleague replied, his tone still tinged with panic. “I-I’m also having trouble reaching the control center. It seems our signals are interfering with others. And to add to it, there’s a thunderstorm raging outside.”

“Interference with our signals?” The captain swiftly took his seat. “Perhaps someone is using the same or a nearby frequency. Conditions on the ground must be stormy.”

“But it’s odd,” remarked his younger companion, tilting his head in confusion. “Would someone be using satellite frequencies at a time like this just for laughs? All I’ve heard are shouts and growls since earlier.”

“Maybe someone’s watching a horror movie or some specific broadcast while using the frequency,” the captain replied, undeterred. He was about to refocus on addressing the troubled main control issues of the aircraft when suddenly an unfamiliar voice intruded once more into their signal network.

“Phantom here. What’s happening there?” A disjointed voice crackled through their aircraft’s communication radio. “X1… is something happening there?”

Silence hung heavy for a moment until another voice suddenly broke through.

“Uh, one of them… got loose,” another man said, his voice barely a whisper, as if choked in his throat. “One of them…”

The voice abruptly ceased for a few seconds before being replaced by a chilling, piercing scream. Startled, the captain reflexively lowered the volume of their communication radio with wide eyes.

“Captain, you heard that, right?” his companion said, sounding puzzled.

The captain fell silent for a moment before letting out a snort. “Like I said, it’s probably just someone watching a movie or something. We have more pressing emergencies to deal with right now than listening to strange noises. We should be arriving in Batam in a few hours.”

“This might get complicated. The Covid numbers in Indonesia are still alarmingly high. I don’t understand why these Japanese university students are daring to come to Indonesia during a pandemic like this. How did they even get permission for this?” his companion muttered, refocusing on their work.

“They’re rich kids from Southeast Asia; they can do whatever they want,” the captain replied dismissively. “Some of them are supposedly Indonesians, planning to secretly visit the remote Natuna Island.”

“They’re probably just tired after months of only online campus activities and being isolated from their luxurious worlds,” he continued. “That’s why they’ve chartered this jet and hired our services to fly them from Japan. Let’s hope the condition of the aircraft improves and we don’t have to face any lawsuits from them later on.”

His companion tilted his head in bewilderment once again. “I’m pretty sure the technicians checked this jet beforehand and found no issues. Why are we suddenly experiencing problems with the main control center and signals?”

The captain could only sigh deeply. “If we can’t reach the air traffic control in half an hour, we might have to consider an emergency landing to prevent any potential dangers. For now, let’s try to rely on the backup system and contact the control center.”

Just a few meters behind the troubled cockpit door, a group of people seemed occupied with their leisurely activities. Some were dozing off in their seats, some were playing cards while sipping on alcoholic drinks, others were watching movies, and a few were engrossed in their own conversations.

“Excuse me, please return to your seats. The pilot has announced that you must sit down and fasten your seat belts,” a flight attendant pleaded with a pleading expression toward some people who were standing and giggling.

The tipsy individuals only glanced briefly at the flight attendant before erupting into laughter again as they watched one of their friends being dragged to the end of the cabin due to the aircraft’s turbulence.

“I urge you, please return to your respective seats,” the flight attendant repeated, undeterred. “The weather outside is severe, and we may experience a lot of turbulence at the moment. It would be very dangerous if—”

“Excuse me, do you have any air sickness bags?” A long-haired girl suddenly interrupted from her seat, staring at the flight attendant standing nearby. “My friend there seems very nauseous and could vomit anytime. It would disturb me if she were to vomit here.”

The flight attendant then turned to another girl whose appearance stood out among everyone there, and then walked directly toward the nauseous girl while gripping the seats as he passed.

“Miss, are you feeling nauseous?” the flight attendant asked the girl. “If you need any specific medicine or an air sickness bag, I’ll—”

“Hey, Scholarship Girl, you still not used to flying?!” One of the tipsy guys shouted, interrupting the flight attendant. “I mean, after all those rides you’ve taken back to Indonesia with Bayu’s plane, I thought you’d be over puking on planes by now.”

“Is that girl Indonesian?” asked another of his friends from beside the man.

“Don’t you know? She, Bayu, and Gina are all from Indonesia,” the first person replied with a chuckle. “She’s kinda different from us. Bayu calls her ‘scholarship girl’ ’cause she’s the only one among us studying on a scholarship in our university.”

“Since Bayu often flies back to Indonesia with his family’s jet,” the person continued, “she often hitches rides back with Bayu and Gina. That’s why she’s always been Bayu’s go-to for stuff. You haven’t noticed her doing everything for him?”

“Who said I’m Indonesian? I’m Malaysian,” interjected a girl named Gina Lee, who had previously asked for assistance from the flight attendant from her seat. “I just often hitch a ride back with Bayu because Malaysia is close to Indonesia. Kevin does the same because he’s from Singapore.”

Kiyati Maheswara, who had been referred to as the ‘Scholarship Girl’ all this time, didn’t react at all. Even when the mocking man was also jostled by the aircraft’s turbulence, she remained silent in her seat with a pale face.

It was only when the flight attendant spoke to her again with a sympathetic expression that the girl began to react. She gave a faint smile to the flight attendant and then slowly stood up from her seat.

“I’ll just go to the restroom,” said the girl, who was now in her final year of university, while holding onto the seat back to steady herself as she walked.

“Miss, the rear lavatory is occupied. If you’d like, I can help you to the front lavatory?”

Kiya shook her head. She then took careful steps toward the front cabin without looking back at the mischievous guys who were still smiling and staring at her. However, upon reaching the front lavatory and opening its door, the girl, who was feeling extremely nauseous, was instantly shocked.

Before her eyes, she saw someone she had known for four years, Bayu Wiyasa, engaging in sexual activity with one of the flight attendants of the chartered jet. Upon realizing that Kiya had caught them, the flight attendant quickly got up from Bayu’s lap, hurriedly covering her partially exposed body with her fallen uniform.

In contrast to the flight attendant, Bayu leaned back in the toilet seat with casual indifference. The man was clearly intoxicated. His face was flushed red, and his eyes were bloodshot and dull.

Basically, the man didn’t come from the wealthiest family in Indonesia as all their friends presumed. However, all the luxuries in his life thus far had come from his mother in Japan, who had divorced his father and was an heiress to a conglomerate there. Nevertheless, for some reason, he didn’t live with his mother in Tokyo and often returned to Indonesia during winter break or summer break.

“Scholarship girl…?” the man muttered with an odd tone as he finally noticed Kiya’s presence there. “What are you doing here?”

Kiya, feeling uncomfortable seeing Bayu’s condition, just took a deep breath upon hearing the question from the intoxicated man.

“Pull your pants up before you talk to me! What’re you trying to show off there?” she retorted in a sarcastic tone in Indonesian.

The girl then quickly turned around after saying that and immediately opened another toilet door before falling to the floor with teary eyes. Her hands quickly opened the toilet seat cover to vomit the overflowing contents of her stomach.

There was a mix of sadness and frustration within Kiya as she witnessed the unpleasant scene earlier. However, she knew all too well that she had no right to be angry with Bayu.

She had been harboring feelings for him for the past few years. Initially, she only took advantage of Bayu’s wealth to travel between Japan and Indonesia for free because he often used his family’s private jet. That’s why she never minded being a lackey for Bayu in Japan all this time, knowing that she, who didn’t have much money, acted as Bayu’s servant during their time there.

In truth, Bayu wasn’t the kind of character Kiya imagined herself easily liking. He was exceptionally mischievous and always acted on his whims. Moreover, he often underestimated any situation. He never even bothered to pronounce Kiya’s name correctly and always referred to her as ‘Scholarship Girl’.

Perhaps due to their shared nationality, the longer Kiya stayed in Japan, the more comfortable she felt with Bayu. Besides, he never failed to invite her back to Indonesia every time they had a break. He also never neglected Kiya in Japan, even though they had very different social circles and friendships.

Nevertheless, Kiya knew she was one-sided in her feelings. He never looked at her in a special way and only saw her as a fellow Indonesian studying in Tokyo, Japan.

Now, Kiya reached for a tissue box from the sink and wiped her wet eyes and mouth. She remained silent on the toilet floor for a while to calm the lingering nausea in her throat, until suddenly a faint announcement was heard from outside the toilet.

She still remained rooted in her spot when suddenly she heard commotion in the area outside the toilet after the announcement. However, a loud knock on the toilet door immediately shattered the silence within her head.

“Miss Kiyati? Miss?” said the flight attendant who had previously spoken to her. “Miss, please return to your seat right away!”

Kiya took a few seconds to gather herself before opening the toilet door with a mixture of discomfort and frustration evident on her face. However, as she took one step out of the toilet and saw the chaotic situation from the rear cabin, she was immediately hit with a sense of foreboding.

“What’s going on?” Kiya asked the flight attendant in front of her, her expression starting to show a hint of worry.

“T—there’s an issue with the jet’s engine. Miss, you need to return to your seat immediately because… we’re about to perform an emergency landing in the South China Sea.”