Chapter Five – The Development Unit
After a brief explanation from Ibrahim about the world, Ibrahim and Unknown headed toward a place Ibrahim called the "Development Unit." The so-called Development Unit was a very large building consisting of six floors.
They entered through a door that opened automatically for them after what seemed like a flash of light reflected on their faces.
They were greeted by a receptionist in the lobby who said to Ibrahim,
"How can I assist you, sir?"
Ibrahim replied,
"I want to register this child in my family record and adopt him, but there is a problem, and that is why I came."
Ibrahim approached the receptionist and whispered so that only they could hear,
"He is one of the Forgotten and suffers from memory loss. I want to register him in the Public Security system, and I want him to be taught what he missed, then enrolled in a school for people of his age."
The receptionist looked at the child, then recalled what his boss had told him moments ago.
He then smiled at Ibrahim, looked at Unknown, and said,
"So it turns out that you are Ibrahim and Unknown. An appointment has already been scheduled for you. Go to the third floor, room 14, and you will find someone who will assist you."
Ibrahim was initially surprised but then remembered how advanced information technology is today. He sighed and led Unknown to that place.
Knock knock (the sound of knocking on the door).
"Come in," a deep and rough voice said from inside.
Ibrahim opened the door and saw a large man with slightly tanned skin, sitting at his desk looking at a computer screen. Then he turned his gaze to them.
He said,
"Please, have a seat."
Ibrahim and Unknown entered and sat down on the chairs.
The man said to them,
"I don't like to talk much. The matter has been investigated, and the child has been registered in the Public Security system. After reviewing and investigating your background, Ibrahim, it turned out you have no criminal record or anything indicating otherwise. Thus, your adoption of the child was approved."
"And since we know the importance of education in our era and because this child has memory loss, his educational level will be below that of his peers. Therefore, a specialized curriculum has been prepared which, if studied seriously, even the least capable person can catch up with others of the same age."
"And because it seems you have an interesting history of teaching others when you were young, we decided that you will teach and educate him. Since the curriculum is simple, you can easily manage it. Yes, we know you'll say you won't have time, so after a brief meeting, we decided to grant you a full paid leave from work for one year. During this year, you have to raise this child, help him adapt to our environment, and bring him to the educational level of his peers."
Ibrahim looked at the man with surprise. This man summarized the entire matter in the most practical way.
"Well, some might see this as a happy thing and a paid vacation, but in reality, this is how the current society works—stopping someone from working for a year but adding another person to work for another 55 years. If we look at this from a long-term perspective, it is an exploitation system."
Ibrahim nodded in understanding. Naturally, he was not ignorant of what was happening, but what could he do?
The large man said,
"The rest of the details, like the school he will attend, will be determined after we test him in a year. As for the books and other materials, they will be delivered directly to your home. Your company has already been informed about the paid leave and has approved it."
"Alright, that's all. You may leave now."
The large man said this and returned his gaze to his computer screen.
When Ibrahim saw this, he said to Unknown,
"Come with me."
They left the room, then exited the Development Unit. The receptionist saw them off and said,
"Goodbye."
Ibrahim replied,
"Goodbye."
Then they headed to Ibrahim's house.
When Ibrahim saw the sun had set, he looked at Unknown, then recalled everything that had happened that day, and said to himself with a slight sigh,
"It's been a tiring day."
Ibrahim and Unknown entered the house, unaware that wide eyes filled with curiosity were watching them from afar.