Page 10 of The Outcast
When Val and I returned to the headquarters, Indiana and Aubri were waiting for us with Victor, who had already informed me in a message that he knew of my trip to the Northlands.
Indiana and Aubri had somber expressions on their faces and I got the sense that they had argued with Victor before Val and I arrived.
With my bag across my shoulder, I walked into the hangar and raised my chin to greet them.
Victor waited until I put down my bag before he spoke. “How was your trip?”
I didn’t answer him but crossed my arms and faced him with a scowl. “I’m not in the mood for pleasantries. All I want to know is what my punishment will be.”
Like the rest of our country, I used to idolize Victor because of his genius and the incredible things he did for our nation. That was before I got to know him personally and realized what an arrogant prick he was. That man had too much fame and power for his own good. He wasn’t a member of our parliament, but he was a close advisor to our prime minister, and it was commonly known that Victor had enormous influence.
Arching an eyebrow, Victor looked down his nose at me. “Indiana and Aubri have convinced me not to report your criminal behavior. Instead, I’m about to convince our prime minister to send you on an assignment that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”
My fists tightened as I waited for him to explain.
“At the summit, the Northlanders negotiated that they were willing to recruit and sponsor up to sixty-seven Explorers.”
“That’s impossible. We can’t even fill out current teams,” I exclaimed.
“You’re right. Except we’re talking about Northlanders.” With a nod in Indiana and Aubri’s direction, Victor said, “They think they can find people who will be excited about this type of work.”
Silence filled the hangar but in my mind a comment from Val popped in through the brain implant.
“That clown wouldn’t last a day in our job. Tell him to go fuck himself.”
I didn’t share Val’s opinion aloud but listened as Victor continued.
“Obviously, the Explorers will need training and that’s where you come in.”
I stuffed my hands in my pockets and gave him my full attention when he continued.
“I’m sure Aubri can train the recruits in the technical aspects of the job, but we’re not allowing sixty-seven Northlanders to move here unless they’ve received substantial correctional behavior training. You might have noticed that they have no emotional self-control and that they have immature dreams of romance.”
“You mean that whole thing about monogamy?” I asked with a quick glance in Aubri and Indiana’s direction.
“Mm-hmm. Your job will be to train these men and women to control themselves and to assess whether you think they’re capable of adapting to our rules. If any of the recruits seems the least bit unstable to you, cut them from the program. We don’t want them.”
“All right.” I had a thousand questions but before I could ask any of them, Victor pressed on.
“Moreau will accept the gift from the Northlands, I’m sure. Your punishment for sneaking off is that you will move to the Northlands and work there until we tell you otherwise. I can’t say how long it will take to train all those people, but I’m sure even a week or two will make you regret ever sneaking off in the first place.”
With my forehead wrinkled, I stared at him. “You want me to move to the Northlands?”
“It’s not a request, Banni. It’s an order. You will do it, or I will report you for leaving the country. Trust me, I understand if you don’t want to move, but you have Aubri to thank for it since she’s the one who requested you specifically.”
“Stop making it sound like the Northlands is a terrible place. It’s a lot better than France. At least we have gorgeous nature to roam in,” Indiana protested.
Victor narrowed his eyes. “You are the strangest people in the world. You are painfully inhibited because you sexualize everything in the most bizarre way.”
“We do not,” Indiana defended himself.
“And the worst part is that most of you don’t even have a sex life except with robots. It’s not just odd, it’s pathetic.”
Indiana looked back at me. “How much trouble will I get into if I beat Victor’s ass?”
Victor ignored Indiana’s outburst and shifted his balance, looking to me as well. “I assume Moreau will still want Aubri to stay and serve her time until the full year is up, but when she and Indiana go back in December, we’re sending you with them.”
“But what about…”
