The Inquisitives were escorted out of the Enforcer Headquarters. Vulay joined them. ‘Good news. You are free to go for now. Bad news. Your homes are in a bit of a mess,’ she said in an apologetic voice.
Several of the Inquisitives began to groan.
‘I have arranged temporary accommodation for all of you for the next week,’ Vulay explained.
‘What about the family members living in our homes?’ inquired one of the Inquisitives.
‘They are already at the temporary accommodation,’ replied Vulay. ‘First thing tomorrow morning, a food truck will arrive. You’ll be covered for a week,’ she added.
‘There are some things I need to pick up from my home. Would it be alright to collect them tomorrow?’ asked Morgan.
‘Yeah, that’s fine. Some contractors will be there clearing up the mess,’ said Vulay. ‘You can report anything missing to them.’
‘How about the tokens? Any chance we can keep some?’ asked Victor.
‘Sorry, they are illegal. We probably should have confiscated them a long time ago,’ replied Vulay. She glanced up at the sky. ‘It’s almost light. You all must be exhausted. Follow me. The accommodation is just a five-minute walk from here,’ she said as she walked ahead of them.
As they reached the temporary accommodation, Jacob came running towards them. ‘Is everything okay?’ he asked Darius.
‘It’s been a crazy night; I’m not quite sure what just happened. A lot to take in, but I’m fine,’ responded Darius.
‘Best get some sleep. We’ll talk about it over a late breakfast,’ said Jacob as he rubbed his tummy. ‘Apparently, some good food is on its way.’
The temporary accommodation looked just like a regular housing complex. Instead of apartments, it was just ensuite rooms with basic cooking facilities. There were enough rooms for couples to share and for everyone else to have their own room.
Once Darius got inside his room, he took a quick shower. He then wanted to go to sleep, but the sun was already up. The room didn’t have curtains. He pulled the blankets over his head to try to sleep. He still could not sleep, even though he was exhausted. He had too much on his mind, and he had too many unanswered questions running through his head.
Denise was in the next room. She could not sleep either. The experience had left her feeling traumatised as well as confused. She wanted to talk to Darius, but she knew he knew even less. She knew Orcille had betrayed the group, but she did not know why. She believed Victor had the answers, but she was not sure if she could trust him either. She decided to talk to Darius. Maybe they could figure something out together.
She climbed out of bed, exited her room, and knocked on Darius’ door. ‘Could you let me in?’ Denise called out gently.
Darius opened the door. ‘Hey, shouldn’t you be sleeping?’ he asked.
‘Shouldn’t you be too,’ she responded as she walked in. ‘It’s way too light to sleep in here. Why didn’t you tint the windows?’ she asked with a half-smile on her face. She walked over to the wall next to the window and pressed a button. The windows darkened sufficiently to block out the light.
‘Oh wow, that’s way better,’ responded Darius.
‘This whole thing is crazy,’ said Denise assertively. ‘It looks like Orcille has falsely accused Victor and some of the other Inquisitives of being involved in the disappearance of the children. He could be trying to sabotage us all, or he might be involved in their disappearance somehow.’
She paused and looked at Darius; he was laid out on the bed, asleep. She thought about waking him but decided to let him sleep. She sat in the chair for a while before falling asleep herself.
Victor had a ground-floor room. He was lying in bed, but he was not alone. Lying next to him was Vulay. They had a secret relationship. Neither the Inquisitives nor the enforcers knew of this relationship.
‘It’s been so long,’ said Vulay while breathing heavily.
‘Too long, but that’s the way things have to be for now,’ replied Victor. ‘The events of today have made things even more complicated.’
‘It’s all going to be fine,’ said Vulay in a confident voice. ‘You just need to lie low for a bit longer. I will be the new Head Enforcer soon.’
‘You have done so much for us. If it wasn’t for you, our operations would have been shut down a long time ago,’ said Victor as he gazed lovingly into Vulay’s eyes.
‘I did it for us,’ she responded with extra emphasis on the word ‘us.’ Her concept of ‘us’ was just her and Victor. While Victor used the word in reference to the Inquisitives. ‘When I want something, I go for it. Right now, I want you,’ she said as she climbed on top of him. ‘Ready for round two, baby.’ After they had their fun, Vulay slipped out of Victor’s room and headed back to the Enforcer Headquarters.
Victor and Vulay had a long history. They were childhood sweethearts. They wanted to be married and have children, but their paths were going in different directions. Victor was dissatisfied with the lack of freedom in his life and that of society as a whole. Vulay believed the sacrifice of some freedom was worth it for maintaining a good quality of life. She wanted to be a protector of this way of life. The job of enforcer strongly appealed to her. Victor disapproved of her desire to become an enforcer. Vulay acknowledged Victor’s criticism, but this did not stop her from pursuing her goals. Victor could not accept her decision. Vulay knew Victor’s opinions could come into conflict with her work. Mutually, they agreed to end their relationship. Neither of them was able to move on fully from the other.
As time passed, Vulay realised there were many problems with the way the Enforcer Department operated. She believed they were overly aggressive. She was not comfortable with the way the Head Enforcer wielded his power. She was dissatisfied with the rehabilitation programs. However, she still supported the system. She believed it needed to be run by better Sapiens. She believed that by rising through the organisation, she could ensure that the enforcers were truly acting in the best interest of all.
Victor established the Inquisitives. Vulay was sympathetic to many of the principles of the Inquisitives. However, she did not support their approach. She made an effort to protect the Inquisitives by not pursuing any of their alleged illegal activities. This ensured they would not face any action by the enforcers, but this also reduced the exposure of their cause.
After a few years apart, both Victor and Vulay realised they still loved each other. At this point, it was impossible for them to get back together. Instead, they had a secret relationship. Having a secret relationship in a highly monitored region was incredibly difficult. They needed to avoid both enforcers and Inquisitives as well as the network of cameras.
Their interactions were infrequent but also very passionate. Vulay believed this would not be forever. She believed that once she rose to a position of more significant authority, such as Head Enforcer, they could be a real couple. She believed Victor’s ideology could be incorporated into the system instead of being in opposition to it.
For the past few years, she had used her tokens to decorate her apartment. She had a room dedicated for their future children.
Victor was not aware of the extent of her commitment to him. He knew she loved him, but he was unsure if she would ever love him more than her career. He deeply wanted her to quit the enforcers and become an Inquisitive. Then, they would no longer need to hide their love. He did not push her to leave, as he would have done when he was younger. He knew it would only work if that decision came entirely from her. He was also scared that their love would eventually be revealed. If Vulay was forced to choose between him and her career, he feared it would likely be her career once again.
