Humanity has risen!
Arcane
You end up realizing that it is not so surprising that Lester's mother reacted with such apprehension to merely hearing about the group again, even if you had good intentions. Maybe she will end up calming down. You hope for it and decide to leave a note explaining your plan with your phone number, so she can contact you if she changes her mind.
Afterwards, seeing you have nothing else to do, you send a message to James asking if he found out anything that you could help out with. Then you decide to have lunch with Mylene.
Over the course of lunch...
"Say Mylene... what job does your father do? Does he work for the RCMP?"
(The RCMP is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Federal police force, that provides the vast majority of police manpower all over the country. Some cities have their own police force, and Quebec instead has its own provincial police force called the Sûreté du Québec).
"Oh not at all. He's a teacher at University of Ottawa. He's in the department of chemistry, and is also involved in the research.
My mother works for the federal government. Lots of people on both sides of the Ottawa River do. It's a civil servant's town, really.
I think you'll like living there. We can take walks in front of the Parliament, and easily cross into Gatineau by walking through a bridge. We can even skate on the Rideau Canal in the winter! And there are plenty of museums and other attractions to see."
(Ottawa and Gatineau are both on opposite sides of the Ottawa River, which in that area delineates the frontier between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Ottawa is in Ontario, while Gatineau is in Quebec. While separate, even though Ottawa is the capital of Canada, both cities are considered part of the national capital region. Commuting from one to another for work or other purposes is very common. As such, they are often considered one and the same.)
"Well, I look forward to it then. Is there anything to do in Gatineau?"
"Not much. It's basically a giant sleeping room for Ottawa. Many people stay there for the cheaper housing, but work in Ottawa during the day. It's a bunch of residential neighborhoods in a very long line. Although at the West end, there is a part of it called Aylmer that is both elegant and quiet.
There are a lot of green spaces, if you're into that kind of thing. I look forward to hiking there with you."
"Oh, and do people speak English there?"
"Some do, but they primarily speak French. Although, since it has lots of civil servants from Ottawa, and since many people from Ottawa go there, most people are bilingual and can speak it fairly well."
"Good to know. Well... your father said he wanted to help me, but I really have no idea what kind of help he had in mind. Since he's not in the RCMP, I don't know."
"I don't know either. But my father is a serious and dependable man. He wouldn't say that to you if it wasn't real."
"I guess we'll see..."
After having eaten, you still don't know what to do. So you contact someone you haven't heard of in a long while: George Godfrey.
He says he's been really busy and hasn't really found anything new. You tell him about what happened so far. How you've dodged another assassination attempt, are now on the trail of David Janssen who is part of the Vagrants cult, and are working with former members to try to dismantle it.
"Ha, I can't believe that his name was spelled differently. No wonder I couldn't find anything. Still, I don't doubt that he was only a very minor member.
I do remember the Vagrants, there was an article about them long ago, about parents looking for their children who'd been bedazzled by the cult and had then left everything behind.
Sounds like an intriguing project, actually. You always have the coolest stories. Let me know if you have enough material to make a good article about it.
I like the sound of a big showdown between they and former members.
That Pious guy sounds totally crazy. Usually, cult leaders are always trying to get other members to give them some sort of advantage. He, however, really doesn't appear to have gained anything from it. They're all living a nomadic lifestyle with the absolute bare minimum. Even eating off garbage cans sometimes."
You tell him that you will see if you get anything for him. That most members are good people who have just been misled and do not deserve to be smeared unfairly.
Afterwards, you realize that you haven't told anything of substance to your friends back in Winnipeg. They don't have the faintest clue that you're on the verge of exposing a cult, and that you're now a married man. You ask Mylene if she would be interested to meet your friends. She is very shy, but ultimately is excited about it.
You start a video call through the encrypted app, with Julian, Steven, Sonia, and Rachel.
Once the whole gang is there, you tell them what you're doing. You infiltrated one of the most secretive cults on the continent, where the man you've been looking for has taken refuge, and are working with other members to dismantle it, so that all the young people who have been cut off from their families can finally rejoin them.
They ask a few questions about it and tell you to keep safe.
Then, nervously, you tell them that in the process, you fell in love with a woman captive from the cult, and through the process of escaping it, she fell in love with you and you both decided to marry.
... You see everyone's jaws dropping to the floor. They're looking at you blankly, completely stupefied.
Sonia says:
"You've WHAT????"
Then Steven chuckles and says:
"Haha wow man, you're not wasting any time, that's the least that can be said!"
Julian: "Well whatever, it's your decision. It's very good news, in fact. Let me be the first to congratulate you. Very happy for you, Bruno!"
Rachel: "Can we see her? Can we?" (she's so enthusiastic, she can barely contain herself)
Bruno : yes in fact, she's right here. She's a little shy. Come and say hi, Mylene!
Mylene is red like a tomato again. She steps in front of the phone.
Everyone greets her and she spends an hour telling her story. Who she was, what life was like in the cult, what the members were like, memorable anecdotes, then how she met you, how you two eloped from the group, and how you decided to marry... and help others escape.
Afterwards, they introduce themselves to her.
All in all, they're all proud of both of you and wish you the best. You tell them that later, you will pass by Winnipeg so they can all meet for real.
Rachel: "Awww, you two just look so cute together. I'm so jealous! What a sweet story!"
Once the meeting is done, Mylene appears very satisfied:
"You have really nice friends, Bruno. I can understand why they like you so much. You take care of them.
Sonia is a nice girl too. I assumed she was just a loose woman and an unreliable drug addict. Now I deeply regret it. I shouldn't have judged her so harshly, without knowing her. She's been through so much, but she already is positive. I still have a lot to learn about how to be more Christ-like."
You smile upon hearing this. Then she looks at you with slight worry.
"She's... pretty, isn't she? Did you like her? Was there anything between the two of you?"
Mylene is obviously being torn by her insecurities.
"Sweetheart, what's with the inquisition?"
"Sorry..."
"I have eyes to see. And I can't deny that I did feel affection for her at some point. After what we've been through, it would have been hard not to on some level. But I chose not to pursue it.
It's you that I chose. You're my favorite woman in the whole world. Please don't doubt me.
Anyway, last I heard, Steven was trying to get with her, according to Rachel. I don't know what's going on now, but let's hope that it will work for the both of them if there indeed is something going on."
Mylene appears comforted by what you are saying.
"Bruno, what should we do now? What if Lester's mom doesn't want to talk to us? Should we just leave and go to either Calgary or Edmonton?"
"Let's give her a little more time. Maybe if it was me, I wouldn't want to hear about the group in any way, shape or form, even from people purported to have good intentions."
You would like to just spend quiet time with your new wife. But, you are left with the feeling that things are being left undone.
After you've had supper, you get a call from James:
"We did talk to some ex-members today who agreed to help us. How's it going for you?"
"We went to Lester's parents house and his mom answered the door, but she just asked us to leave. We left her my number along with a letter in case she changed her mind."
"Well while you're still in Red Deer, I have another lead for you. There are two former members living there who like you two, decided to elope and marry. My hunch is that they have a good story to tell. Larry and Monica Scott. (He gives you Larry's phone number)."
"Sounds good James, thank you. Keep us posted. I'll call them."
You ask Mylene if she knew Larry or Monica
"Yes of course I remember them! I didn't know that they got married! I was just told they had left at some point, but not the reason."
"In this case, you're better to be the one doing the talking. They will have more trust in someone that they already know."
Mylene dials Larry's number...
Afterwards, seeing you have nothing else to do, you send a message to James asking if he found out anything that you could help out with. Then you decide to have lunch with Mylene.
Over the course of lunch...
"Say Mylene... what job does your father do? Does he work for the RCMP?"
(The RCMP is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Federal police force, that provides the vast majority of police manpower all over the country. Some cities have their own police force, and Quebec instead has its own provincial police force called the Sûreté du Québec).
"Oh not at all. He's a teacher at University of Ottawa. He's in the department of chemistry, and is also involved in the research.
My mother works for the federal government. Lots of people on both sides of the Ottawa River do. It's a civil servant's town, really.
I think you'll like living there. We can take walks in front of the Parliament, and easily cross into Gatineau by walking through a bridge. We can even skate on the Rideau Canal in the winter! And there are plenty of museums and other attractions to see."
(Ottawa and Gatineau are both on opposite sides of the Ottawa River, which in that area delineates the frontier between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Ottawa is in Ontario, while Gatineau is in Quebec. While separate, even though Ottawa is the capital of Canada, both cities are considered part of the national capital region. Commuting from one to another for work or other purposes is very common. As such, they are often considered one and the same.)
"Well, I look forward to it then. Is there anything to do in Gatineau?"
"Not much. It's basically a giant sleeping room for Ottawa. Many people stay there for the cheaper housing, but work in Ottawa during the day. It's a bunch of residential neighborhoods in a very long line. Although at the West end, there is a part of it called Aylmer that is both elegant and quiet.
There are a lot of green spaces, if you're into that kind of thing. I look forward to hiking there with you."
"Oh, and do people speak English there?"
"Some do, but they primarily speak French. Although, since it has lots of civil servants from Ottawa, and since many people from Ottawa go there, most people are bilingual and can speak it fairly well."
"Good to know. Well... your father said he wanted to help me, but I really have no idea what kind of help he had in mind. Since he's not in the RCMP, I don't know."
"I don't know either. But my father is a serious and dependable man. He wouldn't say that to you if it wasn't real."
"I guess we'll see..."
After having eaten, you still don't know what to do. So you contact someone you haven't heard of in a long while: George Godfrey.
He says he's been really busy and hasn't really found anything new. You tell him about what happened so far. How you've dodged another assassination attempt, are now on the trail of David Janssen who is part of the Vagrants cult, and are working with former members to try to dismantle it.
"Ha, I can't believe that his name was spelled differently. No wonder I couldn't find anything. Still, I don't doubt that he was only a very minor member.
I do remember the Vagrants, there was an article about them long ago, about parents looking for their children who'd been bedazzled by the cult and had then left everything behind.
Sounds like an intriguing project, actually. You always have the coolest stories. Let me know if you have enough material to make a good article about it.
I like the sound of a big showdown between they and former members.
That Pious guy sounds totally crazy. Usually, cult leaders are always trying to get other members to give them some sort of advantage. He, however, really doesn't appear to have gained anything from it. They're all living a nomadic lifestyle with the absolute bare minimum. Even eating off garbage cans sometimes."
You tell him that you will see if you get anything for him. That most members are good people who have just been misled and do not deserve to be smeared unfairly.
Afterwards, you realize that you haven't told anything of substance to your friends back in Winnipeg. They don't have the faintest clue that you're on the verge of exposing a cult, and that you're now a married man. You ask Mylene if she would be interested to meet your friends. She is very shy, but ultimately is excited about it.
You start a video call through the encrypted app, with Julian, Steven, Sonia, and Rachel.
Once the whole gang is there, you tell them what you're doing. You infiltrated one of the most secretive cults on the continent, where the man you've been looking for has taken refuge, and are working with other members to dismantle it, so that all the young people who have been cut off from their families can finally rejoin them.
They ask a few questions about it and tell you to keep safe.
Then, nervously, you tell them that in the process, you fell in love with a woman captive from the cult, and through the process of escaping it, she fell in love with you and you both decided to marry.
... You see everyone's jaws dropping to the floor. They're looking at you blankly, completely stupefied.
Sonia says:
"You've WHAT????"
Then Steven chuckles and says:
"Haha wow man, you're not wasting any time, that's the least that can be said!"
Julian: "Well whatever, it's your decision. It's very good news, in fact. Let me be the first to congratulate you. Very happy for you, Bruno!"
Rachel: "Can we see her? Can we?" (she's so enthusiastic, she can barely contain herself)
Bruno : yes in fact, she's right here. She's a little shy. Come and say hi, Mylene!
Mylene is red like a tomato again. She steps in front of the phone.
Everyone greets her and she spends an hour telling her story. Who she was, what life was like in the cult, what the members were like, memorable anecdotes, then how she met you, how you two eloped from the group, and how you decided to marry... and help others escape.
Afterwards, they introduce themselves to her.
All in all, they're all proud of both of you and wish you the best. You tell them that later, you will pass by Winnipeg so they can all meet for real.
Rachel: "Awww, you two just look so cute together. I'm so jealous! What a sweet story!"
Once the meeting is done, Mylene appears very satisfied:
"You have really nice friends, Bruno. I can understand why they like you so much. You take care of them.
Sonia is a nice girl too. I assumed she was just a loose woman and an unreliable drug addict. Now I deeply regret it. I shouldn't have judged her so harshly, without knowing her. She's been through so much, but she already is positive. I still have a lot to learn about how to be more Christ-like."
You smile upon hearing this. Then she looks at you with slight worry.
"She's... pretty, isn't she? Did you like her? Was there anything between the two of you?"
Mylene is obviously being torn by her insecurities.
"Sweetheart, what's with the inquisition?"
"Sorry..."
"I have eyes to see. And I can't deny that I did feel affection for her at some point. After what we've been through, it would have been hard not to on some level. But I chose not to pursue it.
It's you that I chose. You're my favorite woman in the whole world. Please don't doubt me.
Anyway, last I heard, Steven was trying to get with her, according to Rachel. I don't know what's going on now, but let's hope that it will work for the both of them if there indeed is something going on."
Mylene appears comforted by what you are saying.
"Bruno, what should we do now? What if Lester's mom doesn't want to talk to us? Should we just leave and go to either Calgary or Edmonton?"
"Let's give her a little more time. Maybe if it was me, I wouldn't want to hear about the group in any way, shape or form, even from people purported to have good intentions."
You would like to just spend quiet time with your new wife. But, you are left with the feeling that things are being left undone.
After you've had supper, you get a call from James:
"We did talk to some ex-members today who agreed to help us. How's it going for you?"
"We went to Lester's parents house and his mom answered the door, but she just asked us to leave. We left her my number along with a letter in case she changed her mind."
"Well while you're still in Red Deer, I have another lead for you. There are two former members living there who like you two, decided to elope and marry. My hunch is that they have a good story to tell. Larry and Monica Scott. (He gives you Larry's phone number)."
"Sounds good James, thank you. Keep us posted. I'll call them."
You ask Mylene if she knew Larry or Monica
"Yes of course I remember them! I didn't know that they got married! I was just told they had left at some point, but not the reason."
"In this case, you're better to be the one doing the talking. They will have more trust in someone that they already know."
Mylene dials Larry's number...