INKWORLD

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

June 26, 2091

As we walked downstairs, I turned to Tobi. "What search team?"

"We've been planning a raid against RICCO CORP for weeks. We want to save Victoria's father and as many as we can. There's a company here in Lagos and that's where Erik is keeping them. We have the outline of the facility from one of his former employees who wasn't comfortable with the kidnapping and left. So we sent out search parties to collaborate the outline we have and check out the security of the facility."

We stepped into the living room and were met with noise. The people seemed to be quarreling with each other.

"What's going on here?" Tobi asked.

One of the ladies stepped forward. "Some of us think we should forget this rescue project and just go to Inkwell. We aren't even sure if it would be a successful raid or if Mr. Badmus is still alive."

"Hey!" Victoria stepped towards the lady, her eyes blazing. "That's my father we are talking about. How would you feel if you were trapped by Erik and we forgot about you?"

Another guy stepped forward. "But Eniola is right. We have a chance to leave this godforsaken earth and go to the new world. What are we waiting for? Why are we wasting time? Is it until more of us are trapped or die before we finally leave?"

"What is wrong with all of you?" Victoria snapped. "My father is the reason you all are still alive. If he hadn't gotten that leaf or shared it with y'all, how would you have survived?"

Even though I wasn't a fan of hers, I could feel her pain. The people didn't seem to care about what her father had done for them, they were ready to leave him alone and save themselves. It reminded me of how the people on Inkwell had reacted when we found out Angela was infected.

"The leaf is no cure. This people from Inkwell have the real cure. I don't think we should waste any more time."

"That's enough!" Tobi said, stopping Victoria in her movement towards the others. It looked like she was ready to attack anyone who opposed rescuing her father. "Victoria is right. Her father has done a lot for us and it's selfish that at the first opportunity we have, we are ready to leave him to die. What kind of people are we then? Aren't we as evil as Erik and his men? Sure, we are doing different things but it still boils down to the same selfishness."

The others bowed down their heads in shame.

"We've worked hard on this rescue mission for weeks. Some of the search teams have risked their lives, others have died doing their job. We are not going to waste all those efforts. We are going to raid that facility and that decision is final." Tobi seemed to realize it wasn't only his decision, so he turned to us. "If you don't mind. We can't just leave earth without trying to rescue him."

I nodded. "I agree."

"But-" Prof. Thomas trailed off when everyone turned to look at him. I could tell he didn't want to spend too much time on earth but I also understood the need to rescue Victoria's father.

"What?" Victoria asked in a threatening tone.

Prof. Thomas hesitated before squaring his shoulders. "We can't stay too long here. We all have to go back to our families too."

"We won't stay long," Tobi said before Victoria could respond. "We will raid the facility tomorrow and after we have rescued the others, we can leave." He turned to the search team. "What's your report?"

As they gave their report, talking of the security details, my mind wandered away. I hoped it would be a simple raid. A feeling of dread was rising in me. Things didn't usually go so easy.