Chapter 22: False Heroes
All the major media teams had gathered outside the front of the Enforcer Headquarters. The enforcers had constructed a small stage. In the centre of the stage was a podium. The Head Enforcer, Arville, and the families of the two girls walked onto the stage. The two girls were sitting in the front row, eating ice cream.
Almost all the sapiens in Adoy were watching their television screens. The Bramley family gathered in their lounge. ‘Finally, we are going to find out what’s going on,’ remarked Janice.
‘The girls are there and look fine. They just need to admit they made a big mistake,’ said Demarcus.
‘These scumbags never admit they are wrong. They will cover it up with some stupid excuse for their actions,’ said Darius in an annoyed tone. ‘Still, in the end, the most important thing is that they release Denise and all the other Inquisitives.’
Janice frowned in disagreement. Demarcus patted his brother on the leg in support.
The Head Enforcer stood behind the podium. ‘Welcome all,’ he announced. ‘This past week has been one of the most tumultuous weeks we’ve had in a long time,’ he said in a calm tone. ‘I’m glad to tell you that this shocking episode in our town’s history has come to an end,’ he added.
He paused for a few seconds in hope of receiving some applause but got none. ‘A week ago, the Inquisitives put their heinous plan into action,’ he said in a more firm tone.
Darius began to clench his fists as he stared at the television screen.
‘The young Inquisitive, Orcille, made outrageous claims in his speech at the House of Divine Knowledge’ said the Head Enforcer in a very serious tone. ‘His intentions were to spread fear, dissension, and distrust. He did a good job. Many of our citizens panicked. That was not the worst of it. The leader of the Inquisitives used his speech as part of a far more evil scheme. The chaos that was caused was just a screen for his real intentions.’ He paused for a moment to gauge a reaction from the media.
‘The lies, the lies, the damn lies,’ said Darius to the screen.
‘He wanted our children, but he couldn’t get to them,’ said the Head Enforcer in a raised voice. ‘Our security and surveillance kept us safe. Your compliance kept us safe.’
He turned directly into the camera and continued. ‘When you allowed yourself to believe their lies, you put everything at risk. Our attention shifted to you. It shifted to maintaining order. It created a weakness. A weakness that Victor exploited immediately. He used two of his loyal followers to trap two sweet children.’
The Head Enforcer paused as the cameras panned to the two girls, who were now hugging each other. The camera panned back to the Head Enforcer.
‘Those babies are so brave,’ said Janice in a sad tone. Darius rubbed his hand across his face.
‘This was the first chance they had to hurt our children,’ said the Head Enforcer. ‘It would not have been the last. Victor had a plan, and he had an insider to enable his plan.’
There was a loud murmur from the media.
‘Our own Commander Vulay tried to cover his tracks. She hid evidence. She prematurely released the suspects. She tried to coerce statements from witnesses. She even wanted to trick these beautiful girls into lying in order to protect Victor. Her plan was thwarted. She went to Victor in a last-gasp attempt to save him. Guess how Victor rewarded her loyalty to him?’ he said, while looking around at the media and then back to the camera. ‘He tried to kill her.’
The media gasped. Darius was sitting red-faced, staring at the screen.
‘Then a hero stepped up,’ said the Head Enforcer as he turned to Arville. ‘He shot Victor dead, saving the life of our very undeserving commander.’
‘He’s no hero. He’s a sick bastard,’ shouted Darius at the television as tears began to well up in his eyes.
‘Calm down, son,’ said Jacob in a concerned tone.
‘We currently have three Inquisitives in custody,’ said the Head Enforcer. ‘Morgan and Denise are the two followers who caught these sweet girls. We have a signed and recorded confession from Morgan. We have video footage of them committing the deed. We have testimony from the girls identifying them,’ said the Head Enforcer as he turned to gesture to another enforcer.
‘Listen to this vile creature confess his terrible deeds,’ he said as he nodded to the enforcer to play part of Morgan’s confession over the speakers.
Darius sat in disbelief as he heard Morgan’s voice admitting his guilt as well as that of Denise. The other members of his family hung their heads. They all remained silent.
‘The other Inquisitive in custody is Orcille,’ said the Head Enforcer. ‘He had no direct part to play in the kidnapping, but he caused the chaos that enabled Victor’s plot. He has partially redeemed himself by informing us of Victor’s plan. This has been factored into our assessment of what we shall do with him,’ said the Head Enforcer in a calmer tone.
He turned to the media and asked, ‘Any questions?’
Several journalists raised their hands. The Head Enforcer pointed to one of them.
‘What harm did Victor do to the girls? They seem fine now,’ the journalist asked.
‘They have bruises on their bodies,’ replied the Head Enforcer. ‘From the nature of these marks, we believe they have been sexually assaulted. They were unable to articulate the full details of the encounter. We do not wish to pursue any further interrogation given the stressful nature of these events.’
He pointed to another journalist.
‘How did you find the girls?’ the journalist asked.
‘These brave children escaped,’ responded the Head Enforcer. ‘They ran deep into the Agriculture Zone, but they couldn’t find their way out. Denise pursued them. I can only assume she had the intention to abuse them further. The girls bravely called out. One of our enforcers heard their cry. Then they were safe. Sadly, the emotional scars are likely to last a lifetime.’
He pointed to another journalist.
‘What is going to happen to the suspects?’ asked the journalist.
‘They are not suspects anymore. They are guilty,’ replied the Head Enforcer. ‘I have submitted all the evidence to a panel of Head Enforcers from other regions. They tentatively agree that no further evidence is required. We are still waiting on official confirmation. When that arrives, Vulay and Morgan will be transferred to a maximum-security facility in one of the larger regions. There, they will undergo a preliminary assessment for up to two years. At this point, it will be determined if they can be rehabilitated. If they can, the recommended rehabilitation will proceed. If not, they will be terminated. Orcille will remain in Adoy for rehabilitation, and so will Denise for now. What she did was horrendous, but we need to consider the negative influence that has been forced upon her by her father and Victor.’
‘I’ll take one more question,’ he said while pointing to a journalist.
‘There are many other Inquisitives not under arrest. What will happen to them?’ the journalist asked.
‘Well, we could send them all for rehabilitation, but the grounds to do so have not changed,’ replied the Head Enforcer. ‘They weren’t involved in the kidnapping. We also can’t do nothing. I have decided that the Inquisitives should be banned from meeting ever again. Each Inquisitive will be fitted with a bracelet. When a bracelet is in close proximity to another bracelet for more than 30 seconds, it will inform the Enforcer Department. The offending Inquisitives will be charged immediately. The ban also includes the internet and telecommunications, which can be easily monitored. Orcille was kind enough to provide us with a full list of Inquisitives.’
The Head Enforcer stood back from the podium. The media teams began to applaud him and the others on stage. He walked back up to the podium.
‘I know many of you are shocked about the events of the past week and possibly even more shocked about what I conveyed to you today. I want you to remember that society is built on compassion. We are here to help each other. Sometimes, some will lose their way. When they do, we must help them find it again. Our system works. It works well. It maintains harmony and, when necessary, restores it. Thank you for coming, and thank you for watching at home.’ The media applauded even louder as the Head Enforcer, followed by the others, walked off stage.
The Bramley family was sitting in silence. Demarcus looked over to his brother. It looked like the life had been forced out of him. Darius felt conflicted. He could not imagine that anything that the Head Enforcer had said was true, but all the evidence indicated that it was. He thought back on the time he spent with Denise. She was so amazing to him, but was it all a lie? Were the Inquisitives a lie? Did they just feed off his insecurities and his frustration with the system? Could his beliefs have been built on fantasy? Were the motives of the Inquisitives evil all along?
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