With steadfast determination, Zein fixed his gaze upon the robot and said, "Angelique, I shall perfect you one day, until you truly resemble a human being!"
"I will craft skin to cloak your metal form!" He added.
"I shall wait for you then, O' Habibi..." The robot replied.
With a hint of hesitation, Zein deactivated the robot once more and carefully returned it to the wooden box.
"Now, I must keep this robot somewhere safe," He murmured. "But… where?"
After a prolonged moment of contemplation, Zein shook his head, feeling utterly at a loss.
"Never mind… I shall consider it later!" He said, stepping from the shed.
He closed the dusty door behind him, then moved to the sink to wash his hands.
As he turned the tap, an idea struck him suddenly, as if summoned by fate itself.
"It seems… if I were to construct a private research laboratory, with its entrance hidden behind this tap…" Zein paused, a spark of excitement lighting his eyes.
"Yups!!!" He exclaimed. "In that case, I shall build an underground laboratory, and it shall be located…" His gaze swept the room, settling on the bathroom with a gleam of cunning.
"Beneath the bathroom!" Zein's smile broadened, stretching across his face in sheer delight.
"No one shall ever discover it, surely?" he added, chuckling softly to himself.
Without hesitation, Zein dialled the number of his most trusted friend.
Gunawan, a building contractor and a former patient who had since become a steadfast companion, answered almost immediately.
"Zein!" came the warm, familiar voice, brimming with enthusiasm. "Haven't heard from you in ages! What's the occasion, mate?" He added with a chuckle.
Zein let out a quiet laugh, "Haha, nothing much, mate. Tell me, you're still working as a contractor, right?!"
"Of course! If I wasn't, what would my missus and kids eat?!" Gunawan replied jokingly, though his tone shifted to a more serious note. "Don't tell me… you're planning to build a house, or need repairs?"
"Exactly, mate! But it's not an ordinary building. I want to construct a private laboratory. The location I have in mind… is rather unusual!" Zein explained.
"A laboratory? Unusual location? What do you mean? Eh, mate, you're a doctor… why on earth would you need a laboratory?" Gunawan asked, puzzled but intrigued.
"That's my concern. The question is, can you help?"
"Always ready for you, mate. Just give me the time and the place!" Gunawan replied, confidence threading his words.
"Shall we meet tomorrow? I'll explain everything in detail then!"
"Right, boss!" Gunawan answered with enthusiasm.
They settled on a time and place, ending the call with light laughter.
"Huff… all sorted!" Zein muttered, exhaling in relief.
He glanced at his phone, 3:45 pm.
"Seems I ought to visit my parents. It's been far too long since I last saw them!" He reflected inwardly.
After a brief pause to perform the Asr prayer, Zein set off for his parents' house.
His car sped away, oblivious to the presence of a mysterious figure lurking behind a large tree at the front of his home, clad entirely in black and wearing a mask.
As the vehicle departed, the figure murmured softly, "It's been so long, my husband…"
With breathtaking swiftness, the figure leapt onto the roof and vanished in an instant, leaving no trace and remaining unseen by any witness.
*****
Far away, in the outskirts of Subang, West Java.
[BANG! CRACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!]
"Huff… huff…" A man, a senior karate practitioner, panted heavily, sweat streaming down his brow.
He was among the senior members of Dojo Taring Macan Subang, a revered karate school in the region.
At this moment, he faced off against a female karateka clad in a hijab.
"As a woman, your karate technique surpasses that of men!" He gasped, fighting to steady his breath.
The hijab-clad woman, Zara Aleefa, twenty-five, regarded him with a serene, confident smile.
"Surprised?!" Zara replied, her tone light yet cutting, as though mocking his astonishment.
The senior karateka, Dadan Wirajaya, thirty-four, felt a flash of fury at her dismissive words.
"Show some respect to your senior! Take this!" Dadan bellowed, launching into his next strike with renewed determination.
With a lightning-fast mae-geri, Dadan surged towards Zara.
Yet Zara, calm and poised, twisted aside, parrying the kick with a gedan-barai, and Dadan's foot skidded harmlessly past its mark.
Dadan did not relent. He launched a gyaku-zuki, a sharp cross punch aimed squarely at Zara's face.
But Zara lowered herself, pivoting gracefully backwards, delivering a retaliatory ushiro-geri that skimmed perilously close to Dadan's abdomen.
His body jolted, pushed slightly off balance.
He snorted, resetting himself into zenkutsu dachi.
"Good…" Dadan muttered under his breath. "But I'm not finished."
A rapid succession of oi-zuki strikes followed, driving towards Zara's chest, intent on forcing her back.
Zara, nimble as ever, sidestepped left, countering with a swift mawashi-geri that caught Dadan's shoulder.
"Arghh!!!" Dadan staggered but rose immediately, refusing to yield.
"Your technique is strong… But how about this!" He cried, launching himself into a tobi-mae-geri.
Zara bent low, evading the airborne kick, then spun with precision, sweeping Dadan's legs with an ashi-barai.
Dadan toppled to the dojo floor, stunned and disbelieving.
Zara straightened, breathing measuredly, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on him.
A tense silence descended upon Dojo Taring Macan Subang.
Only the rhythm of laboured breaths and whispered astonishments from the observing karateka punctuated the stillness.
Zara fixed Dadan with a piercing gaze, exhaling slowly as if to steady herself.
After a brief pause, she said, "How on earth did you lose to me?"
She extended her hand, and Dadan took it in return.
"Well, naturally… you're a remarkably talented woman!" Dadan replied with a wry smile.
Zara and Dadan received applause from the other karateka, who were clearly impressed by the clash between senior and junior.
Though Dadan held seniority, Zara had bested him with striking ease.
The afternoon bout had been electrifying, inspiring the others to push their limits.
If even a junior like Zara could defeat her senior, then it seemed entirely possible that others could follow her example.
The match had not gone unnoticed by their master, Eman Suhendar, now aged sixty.
Eman Suhendar was a legendary figure in West Java, founder and head instructor of Dojo Taring Macan Subang.
It was said that in his youth he had faced a Japanese samurai in combat and had prevailed.
Eman approached Zara and Dadan, clapping warmly.
He patted their shoulders in turn.
"I am proud of both of you!" He said.
"You truly deserve to be my successors!"