Not wanting to give those things enough time to find a way down here, I keep moving as fast as the limited space and my tiring muscles allow. When the narrow passage finally enlarges into a walkable tunnel, Radek’s light appears. He stands facing me with the box on the ground in front of him. A shadowed object sits in his hand, obscured by the glare of his illuminator. When he turns the focus of his light to the side, I see a streak of bright red blood oozing from the sickly, ashen creature skewered on his knife.
“I was gonna ask if you saw them, but I guess that answers my question,” I tell him, motioning at the dead animal.
Radek looks back at the oversized mole with a disgusted frown. “It tried to bite me.”
“Yeah, there was a hoard of them up there chasing me. It was creepy,” I say. “Sorry about that one. My aim was a little off when I kicked it.”
“Thanks,” he says. “What should we do with it?”
“Let’s bring it back. I want the researchers to see if they can figure out why it was so aggressive.”
Radek extends his arm, giving the animal to me. “Well, here you go. I already have something to carry.”
Suddenly bringing this thing back with us does not seem like such a good idea anymore. I grab the dead animal by its tail and adjust the knife so it will not fall off. Just touching the rough skinned tail makes me nauseous. With the animal so close, I notice two unusual pits on each side of its face below where its eyes should be. Judging by how well the blind creatures where able to track my movements, the pits could be used for some alternative type of sensory perception.
Either way, I hold the knife as far away from me as possible while we head back to Securus. The nausea induced by the presence of the carcass stays with me the whole way back. Radek remains quiet, which is helpful because I am able to focus on keeping the thing from touching me. When we finally get back to the main chamber outside of Securus, I drop the dead animal on the ground along our trail.
“What are you doing?” Radek asks.
“I don’t want to bring that thing in without a containment unit. It could have some kind of disease. And speaking of disease exposure, we both need to go through a decontamination chamber,” I answer.
“Great. I should’ve known better than to come out here with you,” he half-heartedly complains.
Before we go to the decontamination chamber, the Guard alerts one of the research workers to carry out the preliminary decontamination. We stand with our arms raised above our heads while she sprays us with a thick, stinging foam. Now we are cleared go into the standard decontamination chamber located in the first office inside. Because of the need for mobility and security in this area, putting a standard chamber near the outer door was not feasible. So we make do with a slightly altered protocol. I never like going through this process, but after holding that abhorrent creature for so long, the decontamination helps get the tainted aura off of me.
The constant nausea on the trip back has robbed me of my hunger, so it does not bother me our longer-than-expected trip has caused us to miss lunch. Before we are ready to move on to finding the next box, my communicator’s alert sounds.
“I gotta go. They’re calling for me upstairs,” I tell Radek on my way to the stairwell. “We’ll have to pick up from here later. Next time, we’re staying inside Securus.”
I head up to the Research Department. The whole way, my mind keeps flashing back to the animals we saw in The Caves. Both the fish and moles were way more aggressive than anything we have encountered out there before. The eerie thing was they both had similar physical abnormalities. Neither of them had even rudimentary eyes, while both of their heads were lined with those strange pits. It is possible they both could have adapted to the environment in similar ways, but that seems a little too coincidental. I have a nagging feeling they must be connected to Caelum in some way. Even as the suspicion crosses my mind, it is shrouded in doubt. After all, I have been prone to paranoia lately. Besides that, of what use could blind fish and moles be to Caelum? Nothing about those things makes any sense.
Once inside the Research Department, an unexpected group of people disturbs my line of thought. Several high ranking members of Leadership, including Talia, are all gathered around Tailyn. She appears to be explaining something to them. I head over to see what is going on.
“So, you can all see, in the initial test group the antidote remains active while the new poison protein has been rendered unable to bind to the vitamin molecules. In the coming days we’ll see if there are any side effects. If all goes well, we can add this to our artificial nutrient mixes,” Tailyn tells them.
“I don’t see any reason to wait,” says Eyra, one of the Leadership members gathered here. “We’re already exposed to this stuff all the time. The small alteration Tailyn made couldn’t possibly have any significant effects.”
Eyra stands with her arms crossed, impatiently waiting for Tailyn to agree with her. Tailyn does not meet her stare. Instead, her eyes turn to Talia for help. I do not blame Tailyn for being intimidated. Eyra outranks her by far, and is nearly six inches taller. Not to mention how Eyra’s short, dark hair accentuates her physically imposing stance.
Eyra’s forceful demeanor and impatient words are unsurprising. She used to be one of Cale’s loyal followers. Our investigations have turned up nothing to suggest her or any of her allies were involved with Cale’s betrayal. More importantly, they were nowhere near Braeden while he was touring Securus, so they are unlikely to be Agents of Guidance. Since Cale’s death, his remaining supporters have taken a radically different approach. Like Janae, they are pushing for our immediate liberation. Despite their impatience, none of Eyra’s allies have volunteered for any of the more dangerous tasks needed to achieve our goal.
“This process should not be taken lightly. We need to be certain the altered poison is safe before we expose the entire colony,” Talia says, pulling Eyra’s focus from Tailyn.
“I think we should have a vote,” Eyra says.
Talia lets out a rare irritated sigh, knowing she has no choice but to concede to a vote. Before she became head of Leadership, this would not have been the case. Mr. Vaden would have simply overruled the objection if he desired. Now, with the changes Talia has enacted, her power is not as absolute. If the Leadership vote is high enough in favor of something, Talia would be unable to oppose it.
In the end, Eyra’s suggestion is nothing more than political posturing. To those of us with even a little medical training, it is obvious the most prudent step would be to wait. On the other hand, even if Eyra’s motives are suspect, her logic is hard to argue against given her lack of medical knowledge. I watch as Tailyn finishes answering questions about the details of her manipulation and the capacity for mass production. When everyone is satisfied, the group breaks off, and of course, the inevitable meeting for tomorrow is scheduled.
*
Later that night, Talia and I return to our quarters after dinner. The day has been exhausting up to this point, so instead of going to her office to do more work, Talia stays with me.
“Sometimes I wish I didn’t give the Leadership council so much power,” she says while lying down on our bed.
I go over to join her. “Yeah, I swear it feels like they are competing with each other to see who can make the worst decisions possible.”
“At least their intentions seem to be in the right place. We do need to show the people we are moving forward. The problem is, with the new files Arluin and Seonah found, we can’t assume the settlement site is safe. We need something else to keep our people from losing hope,” Talia says.
“There’s one big way to do that,” I remind her.
“You’re not ready yet,” Talia says, already objecting before I say it aloud.
I softly brush her hair off her cheek and behind her ear. “Yes I am. You’re just too worried to admit it. I need to go. Every day we stay under Caelum’s control drives me crazy. I even went hunting for the poison boxes with Radek earlier
just to feel like I was doing something.”
Talia’s eyes narrow. “You forgot to mention that earlier.”
“I didn’t want to bother you, especially since there’s so much for you to deal with. Besides, we never went near the Soldier Guards’ patrol route. Although, there were some weird moles out by one of the boxes,” I say, shuddering from the reminder of the ugly beasts.
“I’ll get a team together with the proper clearance to finish collecting the boxes,” Talia says and then hesitates.
I kiss her on the forehead and drop my voice to a whisper. “And?”
“And, you can assemble your team tomorrow,” she finally says, giving in to my demand. “Make sure you bring extra supplies and weapons. I don’t want anyone injured this time.”
I pull Talia into a firm embrace. We both know returning to Munitus will not be easy. Even so, this is something that needs to be done for more reasons than spreading the truth. Personally, the trip will give me a defined goal and purpose. Even with my Leadership duties and being involved in the coordination of our efforts to expand to the surface, sometimes it feels as if I am not helping at all. We know we need to get away from Caelum, just not how to accomplish that goal. The expedition gives me something tangible to work on. The people of Munitus could have some information to help us, or at the very least they could help us search for the path to freedom.
My frustration from the uncertain effects of my actions was never an issue for me when I was a full time Healer. Then, I always knew my efforts were effective because the patient’s progress was always perceptible. Now, nothing is so clear cut.
I lay on the bed with Talia in my arms and my eyes fixed to the ceiling. Talia closes her eyes, but for once she has trouble falling asleep. After a while, the quiet in our quarters is disturbed by a loud knock on the door. This is not the first time someone has come to our quarters at night, but the disturbance is annoying none-the-less. I get up to see what new emergency has arisen now.
As soon as the door opens, Arluin barges in. “I found something else. We gathered some other transmissions. Since they’re easier to decode, I was working on them in my quarters. This one you both need to see.”
Talia grabs the Coden from his hand. Her eyes dart back and forth across the screen. When they stop, she puts the Coden down and turns to me. “This was sent during Braeden’s visit to Securus. Ulan sent a message back to Caelum saying they activated Methods of Guidance protocol numbers five and six.”
This is bad. Even though Caelum’s review went in our favor, we are not as safe as we thought. If they decided to advance the protocol, they know more than they revealed. The urgency for us to act has just been dramatically increased.
“We really need to figure out what the Methods of Guidance entails,” I tell Arluin.
Unfortunately, finding out what they are up to is only one part of the problem. A much bigger issue has been plaguing me lately. The more we learn about Caelum, the clearer it becomes that only something drastic will be capable of freeing us from their control. The methods they wield from the control panel in their Seat of Power are too great for us to overcome with subtle means. I fear we cannot ever hope to end this without significant bloodshed. In the end, I am not sure if that toll is something Talia will be able to accept.
Before leaving, Arluin promises to keep working on the other files. He did not need to bother with promises. I have no doubt in his commitment and determination. He will get us more information soon. With him gone, Talia and I try to sleep, but even with the bad news, my mind goes back to The Caves. Could those aggressive fish and moles be connected to Caelum’s Methods of Guidance? It seems weird to use something so small. Then again, the ecosystem in The Caves is not capable of supporting large predators.
After a while, my thoughts turn to the coming day. The trip to Munitus will be good for Securus and for me personally. Even though the majority of our people support our efforts, the malcontented voices have been getting to me. It will be nice to escape that irritation along with the feeling of helplessness that has been following me lately. When I do fall asleep, no relief comes. Tonight, my nightmares return.
I am in the forest alone. Even with the sparse tree canopy above, no light illuminates my path. Dark clouds blanket the sky, swallowing all sunlight. The trees around me wilt away, showing the effects of rotting from their roots. The stench of death fills the air.
I move forward, looking for any signs of life. The path I follow leads me down into a pit. Once inside, I am suddenly surrounded by all sorts of small creatures. Somehow, the very presence of these things feels unnatural. Insects, small reptiles, and scattered animals all circle around. The creatures watch me, but I do not know if they really see me. There are no pupils or any color at all breaking up the colorless orbs of their eyes. This makes no sense. Why would surface animals look like this?
One by one, the creatures dart in at me, biting, stinging, and ripping at my flesh. I try to run, but a swarm of flying insects blocks my retreat. There is nowhere to go. The buzzing wings combine with the growls of the other animals, morphing into a single vile whisper.
“Did you really think you could essscape usss?” the whisper taunts me. The blob of attacking animals slowly gains a new form. The grotesque moles and other small animals come together to form a body. Snakes and lizards combine to form a tail and legs that end with fanged claws. The insects swarm into swirling eyes and teeth that seem to be flowing from the new creature’s mouth.
The collective beast looks like a deformed version of the mountain lions, rearing up to attack. Instead of a deafening roar, everything goes silent as the animal leaps into the air. My heart stops. No air is left in my lungs. No matter how hard I try to scream, the silence is unbreakable. Nothing can be done except to accept my fate.
“Kagen, wake up,” Talia’s voice breaks me from the nightmare.
My body springs up from the bed. My hands clutch at my neck, trying to remove the invisible animals squeezing the life from me. Talia shakes me and turns my head toward her. I nearly faint from the deep burning within me. Somehow her eyes lock onto mine and keep me from falling. I’m in my quarters with Talia, I tell myself. With the realization, my lungs finally expand, allowing in a deep breath of air. Now that the terror is broken, my panting breaths work to expel the burn and return oxygen to my system.
“That must’ve been a bad one,” Talia says, still holding me steady with her eyes.
The dream fades as Talia’s presence soothes me. I am able to force a weak smile. “I’m better now. Nightmares don’t bother me when I’m awakened by an angel.”
Talia gives me a kiss before retreating to her office to prepare for the announcements. Since my alarm was about to sound anyway, I get dressed early and leave my quarters. Going down the hallway, the artwork lining the wall that so often grabs my attention seems meaningless. I am tired of analyzing their essence, just as I am done attempting to understand the motives of Caelum or those who conspire against us. If we are to ever succeed, these distractions must be avoided. Outside our personal hallway, the bare, steel surroundings offer no such distraction. There is only the path ahead. Right now, that path is the stairs. Today, I prepare to return to Munitus. Unfortunately, that also means I will need to go to a place I have vowed to never return to.
Chapter 7
I follow the stairs down to my family’s breakfast hall. Avoiding Arluin would spare me the challenge of keeping him from demanding to join my mission, but I need to see if he decrypted any more files. For once, I am one of the first people to enter the hall. That means today I will not be relegated to enduring burnt scraps. When seeing the food at the dispersal station, an involuntary grunt escapes me. Apparently, even the small victory of a good meal eludes me. Our breakfast is completely artificial, full of the poison tethering us to this place. That’s something that may actually change if Tailyn’s manipulation proves safe, I remind myself.
I take my gruel to a table on the side of the room. Soon
after, the rest of the morning flow comes to fill the hall. Though I try to keep to myself, people keep greeting me as they walk past. Actually feeling their support is a nice change of pace. As the crowd settles in, behind me, two men near my age start talking loud enough for me to hear.
“I heard Leadership is trying to find a way to make us stay down here forever,” one of the men says.
“Yeah, I bet the settlement site they found is a trap. You watch, whoever goes there will end up dead. After that, they’ll play dumb some more until they find another way to mess things up,” the other says.
My skin feels ready to boil off of me. My hands plant on the table, pushing me upward. Before I am fully upright, a gentle nudge on my shoulder urges me to sit back down. Arluin sits next to me while our mother moves to sit across from us both.
“Don’t pay attention to them,” Arluin says.
“And remember, the people who support you far outnumber those who do not,” our mother adds.
They are right. More than that, the last thing I need is to jeopardize my status for the upcoming mission by creating another incident. “Yeah, I know,” I tell them. “Did you and Seonah decrypt any more documents?”
“Not yet, it takes a while to do each one.” Arluin flashes a half-smile. “And you say I’m impatient.”
The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3) Page 7