AST
PHASE 9 . SECRET MISSION

Jo came out of a room with a warm cup of coffee. He leaned both arms on the guardrail of the multi-storey building where he currently resides. His eyes circulated a glance, sweeping across the entire side of the huge spot that had saved them a few days ago. He's stunned. It feels like a dream. His memory a few days ago returned. He, Jun, and Adara, stepped up to find a spot to save themselves from the hell out there. Sweat, hunger, thirst, may have fused and made him forget the sorrow felt because of the loss of his parents.

The young man was still lucky to have Jun. Little girl who doesn't know how to feel the pain of the loss

keep cheerful, as if there were no burdens in his life. He is not like Jo who sometimes can not resist emotions, and is often pessimistic about the efforts he makes.

Occasionally Jo gulps down coffee, feeling the warmth that slowly soaks into his esophageal space. The young man's netra was still looking away at some semi-permanent buildings near the multi-storey building he was walking in. A lot of people are busy with their jobs. This area is arguably safe from outside danger for a while, until the authorities are able to contact the headquarters and evacuate residents there.

“What do you think?” ask someone half to surprise the young man.

Jo looked at the man who had just arrived and had never changed his uniform since the first time they met. He mafhum the identity of the man who was the real one, and now really feel awkward dealing with the man whose hair always looks messy.

“Anu ... Lieutenant ...”

“Call Jason only,” cut the man up instantly. “I'm just a regular soldier now.”

Jo flinched for a moment, before finally returning to his original position. “Sorry,” omitted.

“For what?” jason asked, leaning both arms against a nearby fence.

“I didn't know that you ...”

“Have resigned my post,” interrupted Jason back. He stared fixedly at the young man beside him for a moment.

“Although it's only been a few months, but I think it's been a long time,” he said, “I prefer to fight with other warriors rather than having to stand idly by behind the wheel. War then ... was my first war to become an ordinary soldier.”

Jo looked at Jason. The firm face of the man signifies that he has risked many lives in hell there.

“Then ... what did you do outside the spot when saving us yesterday?” ask Jo.

“Suicide ... possible,” replied the man lightly. The uphill curve on both of his lips formed for a moment, like he was rubbing himself. “Egoist. It seems I'm like that. Even during the war I prefer to save myself than my colleagues.”

Jason grumbled for a moment. Highlight his eyes cheered, looking far towards the twilight sky where the silhouette of the birds began to move towards his contest.

Meanwhile, Jo swallowed his saliva. Traces of black liquid that he had just swallowed were still felt in the oral cavity. His eyes too

looking at the mega ball in the western horizon.

“If you're selfish, you couldn't have saved us yesterday,” he said later.

The man nodded weakly. He fell silent, embracing silence for a moment, before a few seconds and then turned around.

“Sleep well tonight,” he said.

“Anu .. can I ask?” Jo gulps the body while draining the last liquid of coffee.

“What?”

“Attack western alliance,” says the young man, “does it still continue?”

Jason glanced for a moment. “As long as you are in this spot, everything will be safe,” he said.

“Do we not do any counterattack at all?” ask Jo again.

The man fell silent again and looked at Jo for a few seconds. “We don't have many weapons here, except ...”

Jo's forehead is tied to each other. “Except what?”

“Unless you can use Paladin.”

Jason looked back at Jo until both of their eyes were rubbed. Pretty long.

“Paladin?” mummy Jo curious.

“Paladins. The Clibanarii were stored for a long time even before the great disaster when it happened. The protector, and only certain people can use it. Five years ago someone drove it. But ...”

Jason was shaking, ruffling his mane. He looked back at Jo who was thinking hard.

“Already, don't think,” said, “again, as far as I'm concerned, Paladin is now at the headquarters and if you're destined to use it, you can't touch it now.”

He patted Jo's shoulder. His thinly veined smile was clear, before finally turning around and moving away from the place.

Jo still thought about Jason's words. Paladins. Clibanari. The two words now intertwine in a big question mark on his brain.

***

“You've successfully contacted your parents?” jason asked a few seconds after he returned to the room.

Adara who was still looking fixedly at the equipment in front of her shook her head chiming in. Meanwhile, some people around him still seem to sit in the work chair with their respective busyness.

Jason gave a long sigh as he approached the girl. “The disaster cut off almost all the communication channels of the world. We could have contacted some big spots to deliver a message to the headquarters. But we also have to be patient because the conversation will definitely be disjointed. And ...,” he said hanging his last sentence.

“And what?” Adara looked seriously at the man who was now standing nearby.

“And the data from the number of large spots that still survive, only a few that we managed to collect,” continued Jason.

The man's fingers turned on something before him, moving agilely pressing a few buttons until

bring up a picture of the world map on the big screen in front of it. There were several pulsating red dots on the screen. Jason pressed one of the buttons when the cursor on the screen pointed to one of the red dots to bring up a data.

“It is the number of residents who live in the spot. But this is the last data we've collected one

months ago. From then on, until this second, our side never received official confirmation from there. Be it about the spot conditions, and also the life that is there. We also keep contacting the headquarters to send help here. But, you've proven it yourself, ‘kan? The communication network is not so smooth right now, and we have to be patient about that,” Jason said.

Adara exhaled a long breath for a moment. He was pensive, looking at some buttons in front of him. Meanwhile, Jason was still staring at the girl. His eyes looked at the jelly every look of Adara to make him remember someone.

“May I ask, why don't you stay with your parents at headquarters?” tanyakanya.

The black-blinded girl thought for a moment. “After my father died in a military operation five years ago, my mother started working hard and the headquarters glanced at him to work as a researcher there. Mother asked me to come with her to the headquarters and attend school there. But I don't want that. Military ... made me remember Dad, and I haven't been able to forget him,”.

“Yusagi Richard,” replied Adara while looking straight at Jason. “Captain Yusagi Richard.”

***

The clattering of steps sounded echoed in one of the corridors of the western alliance headquarters. Erick suddenly riled up with something that had been done by the headquarters authorities. The current mission seems to have failed as the soldiers have not returned after a full day of being sent out.

Erick sped up his steps towards one side of the base where he used to see transport vehicles

parked there.

“Hey! Where are you going!” screeched one of the officers.

The young man ignored the officers who were trying to prevent him from using one of the transport vehicles.

“Whispering!” hardship to the officer. “Tell the control center to recount the number of soldiers running the current mission!” he said, before finally spurting the iron vehicle out of the base.

“How could Adnan's radar just vanish? Did something happen to him?” the inner youth

riled.

***

“Anu ..” Megan hanging up the greeting. The bead of his eyes looked at the back of a young man who was walking on

ahead of him. “What if we return to the starting point, Captain?” tanyanya.

Adnan stopped his steps, looking for a moment at the crumbling wall of the building near his feet. “If just going back to the starting point can make it easier for us to seek help, that's fine,” he said as he turned to face Megan.

“The problem is, all the transmitter equipment we carry is useless now. So, if you want to go back

to the starting point please. Unless, if you really want to be preyed upon by the occupants of the building,” he continued, then turn around and walk back—followed Megan.

“But, wouldn't it be out here ..”

“Erick will pick us up. You take it easy,” between Adnan spryly. “If we are constantly in the building. Then

that'll make it harder for him to find us.”

Megan frowning. “Erick? Isn't he ..” he said while remembering something. “Ah, he's Commander Add's son, ‘right? Frederick Add, that's his name, ‘kan?”

For a moment, Adnan scratched his head which was not itchy at all. “Add is Erick's real nickname and not the commander's name,” his timpal, “commander himself named Frederick Hubert.”

The girl nodded in understanding. “Frederick Hubert, yes,” murmured.

Every now and then, Adnan looks around. The barren land with the ruins of that building is like hell on this planet. The whirlwind accompanies dust flakes and sand crystals in between. The afternoon began to approach. The young man was stunned. His heart permeated every trace he made in the barren land and wondered about the foolish mission he was currently on.

“If only I could read the chances of success of this mission, then I choose not to follow the plan

the boy,” thought he was, “mission to search the eastern alliance inhabitants in this arid land? Hmh! There is no way anyone can last long in this hell.”

“Anu ... actually, if I may know, for what purpose were we sent here?” megan asked half muttered.

“Reduce the number of possible inhabitants of the base,” replied Adnan accordingly.

“Hah? That's not true, ‘kan?” whisper the girl with his stupid mimic. “I've worked hard all this time, and ended up in a place like this. What you just said is not true, ‘kan?”

Adnan's move suddenly stopped. His eyeballs were fixed towards the sky where several iron birds appeared

maneuvering not far from their current position. The focus of his gaze sharpened instantly, looking at the look of the plane with the pointy muzzle.

“Eastern alliance?” muttered.

“What's up? Why stop?”

Adnan turned around, swiftly pulling Megan's hand and taking with him the girl hiding in one of the ruins

buildings around them. It was ridiculous for a captain-ranked soldier like him to hide from the enemy forces.

No. gabe.

He could not say if the eastern alliance was his current enemy. The eastern alliance is a group

originally. But this time the situation was different. Adnan really did not want his home group to find him in a state of wearing the western alliance warrior uniform.

Meanwhile, Megan netra looked in the same direction as the young man nearby. “Aircraft

eastern alliance,” he said half whispered. “I think they've been extinct since that disaster.”

Adnan turned around and tried to calm himself down. A long breath burst out of the nose and

mouth for a moment.

“Maybe it was from the headquarters,” he said.

“The center of the eastern alliance?” ask Megan. The young man nodded.

“They must have a lot of time and strategies to launch a counterattack when compared to those of us who are just sitting on our hands with the existing technology and also the mastery of Cosmo. Are we too rash to take action until they can send guards and maneuver as low as that? But, wouldn't with that height, they get caught by our side?” cerocos the girl with eyes still looking into

sky direction. “Cosmo can't even keep the peace of the world and is controlled by us. It's really complicated.”

Adnan is still flinching. His brain was complicated a few seconds ago, thinking about how they could escape from this place and what the three pointy-hued planes were really after.

Until finally, something broke his daydream. Decak bullet streak occurred some distance from

their positions. Adnan quickly got up, threw a glance at something that was being shot by the planes. His eyeballs widened agile after knowing the target object of the three iron birds that are now even approaching its position. Meanwhile, his hand moved about to pull back the arm of the girl in

beside him. However, something happened to the girl, right in front of Adnan's eyes now.

“MEGAN!!”

***