The Meeting at The Ayodale Oasis - Part 2

#The Meeting

The committee included the military, police, the mayor of Ayodale City, and Dr. Juli Emerson, the supervising doctor for the rescued child.

As the mayor took his seat at the head of the table, he politely gestured for everyone else to do the same. He drew his chair closer to the table. To set a serious mood, he leaned forward and, with a grave tone, said, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!"

"Frankly speaking, things are not looking very bright. I'm very sorry to bring you all here from your busy schedule. Please bear with me."

He continued, "I, too, want the situation to be resolved as quickly as possible. For that, we need your cooperation." The mayor, Mr. Benjamin Lord, said it in a serious voice.

The mayor was very young compared to the position he occupied in his forties, well-built, around six feet tall, and had a pale complexion.

He nimbly carried his weight around like a cheetah. Sharp blue eyes under neatly groomed, beautiful blonde hair and eyebrows made him quite an attractive figure.

He had an elegance that humbled the people around him. Wherever you put the mayor, Mr. Benjamin Lord, he would automatically bring all the attention toward him.

"I had to bring all of you together so that we could keep ourselves abreast of the situation. I was called by the defense minister to discuss this extremely sensitive issue."

"Rescuing a little girl is not much of a big deal. The only problem is that she is the sole survivor of the incident at Darussufi. Only she could have witnessed what happened there," he said, carefully watching the faces of the members.

"The shockwave and the fire—everyone is suspicious of the government. They think it was a secret military project. Even our neighboring countries are pressuring us to reveal the details of the situation." The mayor stopped a bit to breathe some air.

"Suspicious people who were just doing nothing in their lives suddenly started to show movements. At this rate, if we don't cooperate, we may lose the girl. She could be the only witness to what happened there in Darussufi," he continued.

"We need answers, but she is just a little girl. She may not be able to tell us what she saw. It could be beyond her capacity."

"So, we will have to work together to help her help us. If we fail to keep this little girl's secret safe, she may lose her life at the hands of others who don't have the obligation to consider her as a human." He knew he had been talking for a long time, but it was necessary.

"We are responsible for her safety and security," he said, looking around. His eyes fell on Dr. Juli. "First, we would like to know about the health of the kid. Dr. Juli, what do you think?"

"Ahm!" Dr. Juli cleared her throat. "Well, there isn't much to say at the moment. She is weak and exhausted physically. However, the psychological trauma from the incident has weakened her even more. I believe she must have experienced something so shocking that she couldn't withstand it. Her subconscious mind is blocking the memories of her past."

Juli continued, "She either can't remember anything or is not ready to talk. As her psychiatrist, I can assure you that it won't bring any results, even if anyone wants to question her."

The doctor suddenly became a bit more serious. "Besides, I won't allow it. Unless the girl has a good health recovery and is settled with her family or relatives or placed in safe custody, I won't allow any police or anyone else near her."

Her stern words hurt the members of the military and police a little; however, considering the gravity of the situation, they had to accept them.

"What does the military think about the situation?" Mr. Benjamin looked at the officer who came as the representative of the military, Colonel Jabari Evans.

"We've been telling y'all from the very beginning. We have intel that unknown forces have started to show movements, and the police aren't enough to handle the situation. We still demand the release of the suspect into our custody."

He did not care what the lady doctor felt. "We have military hospitals, and they will be under constant watch by professionals prepared to repel highly skilled foreign operatives. You guys aren't ready for what's coming! We'll take custody."

He continued to berate the girl, "The suspect is a serious threat to our national security!" Mr. Evans stopped to see the reactions of the audience. He was a very tall man with a very strong personality.

He was also light and agile. With the stars and badges on his uniform, he was not just exuding confidence but also stern authority. While he spoke, his piercing and intelligent gray eyes were fixated on the doctor.

"I hope the doctor here understands the situation! She is harboring a potential threat to our national security. Her patient is a suspect!" Mr. Jabari Evans sternly looked at Juli.

Dr. Juli was not of that character that got angry so quickly, but those words hurt her way too much to keep her mouth shut. "Look here, Mr. Jabari! Perhaps you forgot we're talking about a little girl! What do you mean, suspect? Do you perhaps not understand how ridiculous you sound?"

"The way you're handling the suspect is ridiculous! You're not well-equipped if her people, or people who are already after her, attack the hospital! Can't you see that?" His eyes did not move from her even a bit.

"I get it! But why are you calling the child a suspect? And what do you mean by 'her people'? How on earth did you come to that conclusion?" Dr. Juli was agitated beyond control. She slammed her documents on the table. "I can't bear sitting in front of this impossible person anymore!"

"Perhaps our young miss is not well versed in the history of liberation wars around the world! Little girls like her would bind explosives on their bodies and jump in front of enemy vehicles to blow up bridges. We know how some terrorist organizations train child soldiers! She is a suspect until she is cleared of all suspicions! We cannot go easy on her just because she is a little girl. She is a terrorist, and she will remain as such until proven otherwise."

The Colonel's words brought pin-drop silence to the room.

All eyes went immediately to Dr. Juli. They eagerly waited for a reaction.