ESCAPE FROM GARUDA

GLACIER THE WORLD IS DIFFERENT NOW

Syifa always knew that the Garuda mission was dangerous, but she never imagined that it was a suicide mission. Her mother called it that - sending a group of teenagers to charge through a snowstorm in the forest was like forcing them to commit suicide.

But Syifa was not the only one thinking about it. Outside the Garage center, dozens of parents from various sectors gathered, their cries echoing from the steel walls surrounding the central hall. They were furious with the seven Garage council members standing beside the Guards.

Parents were not allowed to enter the central hall because they had been demonstrating since morning. While Syifa's mother called the Garuda mission a suicide mission, she did not join the other parents in the demonstration because she stood among the council members.

Yes, Syifa's mother was one of the Garage executives.

As Syifa walked out of the Garage center, she could not shake off the feeling that something was wrong. She had been selected for the Garuda mission along with six other teenagers, but she did not know what awaited them in the snowy forest.

The mission was supposed to be a test of survival skills, but Syifa now wondered if there was more to it. Why else would her mother and other Garage executives let teenagers risk their lives in the wilderness?

When Syifa arrived at her home, she found a note from her mother, instructing her to pack her bags and be ready to leave early the next morning. She would meet the other Garuda candidates at the Garage center and start the mission.

But Syifa had a different plan. She was determined to find out the truth about the Garuda mission and why her mother was involved. She began researching the Garage organization and soon discovered that they were working on a secret project involving advanced technology.

As she dug deeper, Syifa realized that the Garuda mission was not just a test of survival skills, but a test of the candidates' ability to handle the advanced technology developed by Garage. Those who passed the test would be recruited as operators for Garage's clandestine operations.

Syifa knew she could not let her mother and the Garage executives get away with using teenagers as pawns in their dangerous game. She asked for help from her fellow Garuda candidates, and together they devised a plan to expose Garage's true intentions to the world.

Their mission was not just to survive in the snowy forest, but to bring down the corrupt Garage organization and end their evil plans. It was a dangerous mission, but Syifa and her fellow Garuda candidates were determined to succeed, no matter what the cost.

"That's weird," said the man behind Syifa, his tenor voice familiar. "I'm glad I passed the GARUDA mission. At least I can get out of this iron cave."

"Anggara, we're going to die of hypothermia or get caught in a snowstorm," Syifa replied.

"I can't be happy."

The girl next to Syifa grinned, puffy cheeks pressing her eyes until they narrowed. "Come on! Get excited a little!" he shouted. "We will be the first humans to step on a green field after two hundred years!"

"Yes, if there were green fields."

Syifa doesn't believe in green fields. In History class, he heard that 200 years ago, a blizzard swept the entire surface of the earth, including Indonesia. Storms freeze water sources, tear down buildings and wipe out life on the planet. Since then until now, there has been only one season in this world, which is winter.

Only those who had entered the Garage survived. Garage is a city inside an iron fortress built by the government to deal with extreme circumstances.

Garage consists of eight iron-walled buildings with a total area of nearly two hundred hectares. Each building represents one sector. There are eight sectors: Government, Defense, Agriculture, Medical, Education, Manufacturing, Machinery and the Arts. Residents of each sector work according to their duties to support life at Garage.

The central hall is suitable in the middle of the Government sector. This spacious room with white tile floors is usually used as a meeting place or for extensive deliberation. It's always crowded, especially at the moment of the announcement of the GARUDA mission members like now. Unconsciously, Syifa drifted off to a screen containing a row of names in front of her. "Kalista, we're not even on the same plane."

"Hey, you said we were the constellation Orion's Belt yourself." Callista embraces

Syifa and Anggara. "Three stars who are always together! Being on different planes will not separate us."

Syifa smiled. Since childhood, he was indeed the worst among the three of them. He was about to reply but heard the sound of broken glass. One of the parents was beating the glass door of the centre hall with an iron club. He must be from the factory sector. A lot of iron there.

Two Guards seemed to be asking the councillors to step back a bit. Meanwhile, the other Guardians took out their stun batons and asked the parents to calm down.

Among the dozen Guards in all black, Syifa saw her father. A tall man with grey hair dominates his hair. His father did not threaten the parents with a stunning bat. He just raised both hands and asked them to calm down.

Syifa's eyes shifted to the woman not far from the glass door. She was whispering to Director Argus. The woman's back hair contrasts with her white coat and jeans. He turned to Syifa and arched a smile. There was more fear than happiness behind that smile, but Syifa still replied with her best smile. He didn't want to make the principal advisor of Garage and his mother even dizzier.

"We will send the members of this mission well-prepared. Two of the best planes for the blizzard and provisions for a three-day journey." Director Argus' loud voice filled the centre hall.

"They most likely won't touch the snow and land directly on green fields. After looking for signs of green fields using drones for a long time, their existence is now quite convincing. Our children just need to land and study it. If the expedition is not found green fields for more than three days, they will return to the Garage."

From afar, Syifa could see Director Argus' hair was dominated by silvery grey, even though the head of the Garage was not even fifty years old. He seems highly dizzy taking care of Garage and its citizens.

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The crowd of old people was noisy again. The vanguard even pounded on the glass of the centre hall with their hands. They forced their way in and attacked Director Argus.

One of the parents pointed to his mother, Syifa. "Mrs Lasya, advise these stupid councils not to send our child to freeze to death out there!" The other parents shouted in agreement.

Lasia smiled faintly. "As the main advisor of Garage, I declare the GARUDA mission is the only way out for all of us," said the soft voice. "Garage was built to survive in the snow for 180 years, and we've lived here for 200 years. Sooner or later, Garage's entire support system will age, and we can't live here anymore. We have to find some livable land."

Syifa shuddered. In a year, the temperature at Garage has indeed fallen by five degrees Celsius since three months ago due to the damaged heating machine age. Even the main heating engines in the public and education sectors were entirely off for two hours. Making dozens of people infected with hypothermia until the medical industry is overcrowded.

It's not just the heating machines. The solar panels belonging to the agricultural sector are finicky too. Out of a total of twenty, now only eight remained. The agricultural industry relies on these panels to store as much sunlight as possible. Understandably, in a day, the sun only shines for three hours, and then clouds and fog come in the way. Due to a lack of sunlight, dozens of indoor gardens in Garage failed to harvest this month.

Thanks to Anggara, Syifa knows all the latest news at Garage. The machine sector boy always vented every dinner. The amount of damage at the Garage keeps him and the other mechanics busy.

"How did they survive out there?!" shouted a man. "They're just teenagers! The oldest is twenty-two!"

"The councils choose those who are physically strong, have special skills and have passed the Land Skills class," Director Argus replied with a smile. "Now I beg you, everyone steps back so the kids can get out and prepare for tomorrow's departure."

The Guards opened the door brandishing stun batons. The parents backed away, letting the children out of the centre hall. Syifa's father was seen escorting Director Argus out of the aisle against dozens of demonstrators. While Lasya turned and ran to hug Syifa.

"I'm sorry." He smiled, but his eyes filled with tears. "I told the examiners you have severe asthma, but they still passed you. They said you were too good not to die. You are particular, DDimas. You are intelligent, robust, quick-thinking and alert.

"Mom." Syifa held her mother's hand. He was worried about tomorrow's departure, but he couldn't add to his mother's burden. "I'm 19. I'll be fine. It's only a three-day trip. I'll find that green field. I promise I'll take you there, and we'll build a cute tree house."

His mother chuckled. "You're always in good spirits, Eaglet. Just like your father."

"And always strong like my mother," Syifa smirked. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm stronger than asthma."

"Yes, Eaglet," she replied, her lips trembling with tears. "Go to the dining room. All-you-can-eat dinner, I'll pay for it."

Lasya tugged at the sleeves of her robes. You can see the Point Bank as an iron plate wrapped around your hand with the number 50 printed on the screen. He pressed the button on the edge, and the number 30 appeared. He took Syifa's hand and stuck his point bank with Syifa's. It's called the point transfer system.

Syifa groaned. Thirty points he used to eat a day and take a warm bath once. This is going to be a great final dinner.

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Syifa looked down at her spoon. Daydream. He could see his jet-black hair was already past his shoulders, but he didn't intend to cut it. Not bad for covering her pale-skinned chubby face. Then he looked into his own eyes. He always liked those two light brown eyes because every time he looked at them, it was as if he was looking at his mother.

Clack! Someone snapped a finger in front of his nose.

"DDimas, you're getting married, aren't you?" Anggara lifted the jumbo nut bar in his hand. "Tumen treat."

Kalista pinched Anggara's stomach and laughed. "Careful, Eaglet, we hate the word married."

"Shut up, you guys," Syifa smirked as she scooped the cold cream soup into her mouth.

"Enjoy the nut bar. Starting tomorrow, we have snow."

The dining room was filled with young people, especially members of the GARUDA mission. They bought a lot of cream soup and fruit. Fruit is one of the most expensive items at Garage. It seemed that Syifa wasn't the only one enjoying her last dinner here.

Syifa was silent for a moment, looking at the vast iron wall surrounding her. Neon lights stuck to several patches of the wall lit up weakly and flashed occasionally.

Then he looked up to see a five-story apartment building above the dining room. The five floors surround the top of the dining room. Each floor is fenced with an iron fence for security. There are also doors lined up on the walls of each floor, one door representing one apartment space.

Above the dining room is a government sector apartment. About fifty heads of families live there, including the Syifa family. He was also relaxed, daydreaming of Garage residents passing by on every floor.

Suddenly he heard something. Singing voices, dozens of voices blending into one, create harmony. So melodious and echoed throughout the dining room. Syifa knows this song. The title is Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman. One of my favourite classic songs at Garage.

Syifa saw them-Garage Chorus standing in the corner, usually called the entertainment spot. They are all from the arts sector. Living in the middle of the snow does mean no art. In the arts sector, anyone can channel their talents, such as singing, music and painting, even though the costs are expensive.

Garage Chorus is the most famous. Their voices are believed to help relieve hypothermia and heartbreak. Syifa knew someone there, but she turned when she saw him.

"Hey, Eaglet, how about we get going before you throw a tantrum and blow up the dining room?" asked Anggara.

Kalista pulled Anggara, who was about to get up. "Don't listen to Anggara. You're strong, DDimas, too strong to break your heart," he said. "Besides, starting tomorrow, you won't see Aksa again because Garage Chorus isn't on the mission."

"But Aksa is on the same team as me at GARUDA." Syifa gripped her spoon. "Give me one reason not to kick him off the plane."

Syifa ignored Kalista's answer. His eyes had already seen Aksa. He could focus on the man without turning the corner of his eye. In the distance, Aksa stood facing the dozens of melodious singers. He gave the signal, swinging his arms gracefully.

"How long are you going to swing your arms against the wall?" asked Syifa. He had been sitting on Aksa's bed for half an hour, watching him practice. "I think the iron wall is tired of looking at you."

Akash stopped and turned around. He smiled shyly, his lips curled perfectly and warmly. Then he sat down next to Syifa, brushing the hair that covered one eye.

"Are you tired of looking at me?"

Aksa is crazy. Syifa's favourite things at Garage are warm water and Aksa. She loved everything about him—his scent, eyes, and friendly voice when he spoke. What Syifa likes the most is... Aksa can see the good in her.

He knows Syifa has asthma, but he still thinks Syifa is strong because she is one of seven people with asthma still living in Garage. He even supports Syifa in becoming a Guardian someday.

"I could stare at you all day and still want to do it again tomorrow," Syifa replied. "Even when there's green grass, I'll still love looking at you."

He's serious. There is something special about Aksa's face. Her face was fresh even in the cold, and... her brown eyes were as clear as quartz.

Aksa stepped forward and kissed Syifa's cheek. His lips felt so warm, like the touch of sunlight on the eastern horizon after a night of snowstorms. Then he grasped Syifa's hands as if grasping his whole self too.

"Music school starts tomorrow," whispered Aksa. "I'm going to live in a dorm, and we can't see each other."

Syifa chuckled. "Hey, music school is only two years old. We can see you when you're off," he replied. "Cheer up! You will be the coolest conductor in Garage."

Aksa gripped Syifa's hand tighter. "Yes, two years. After that, I will return to you."

Kalista nudged Syifa's cheek with a nut bar. He came back to reality. He blinked and quickly finished his cream soup before it froze. However, he couldn't get Aksa out of his mind. He remembers when Aksa came home from music school with her fiancé.

Yes, many are engaged and married young at Garage. Unlike hundreds of years ago when men and women preferred to work for a career. Everyone works just to survive at Garage, so there's plenty of time for romance.

Suddenly... Dug! Someone got punched. Everyone turned to the crowd of men behind Syifa. They are following something. Syifa also stood up. He saw two men pushing each other and one coming forward to punch.

"Shut your mouth, or I'll make you speechless!" The man threatened in a deep voice so manly it made Syifa's ears and mind tremble.

His opponent stepped forward to punch him, but he dodged quickly and calmly. As she turned to the crowd, Syifa felt she knew her.

Her eyes locked on the boy. He was tall, shouldered well, and had muscular arms hidden under his short-sleeved shirt. His face was cheekbones, which framed his light brown eyes perfectly.

Syifa remembers it.

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