The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3)

by Anthony Maldonado

  “I couldn’t make out the words. What were they saying?” I ask him.

  “The song speaks of a time when we will rise from our crypt and dance amongst the trees.” Auden stares absently at the ceiling for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking me in the eye as he continues. “The song always felt like a fairy tale we all knew would never come true. Even so, some believe it will happen. I never did. Not until you showed up.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Escaping Caelum will not be easy for any of us. For all of the years we’ve been stuck down here, they’ve been perfecting their methods of control to keep it that way,” I tell him.

  Auden simply shrugs his shoulders. His unspoken message is clear. Now that he knows the truth, there is no going back. Every day will be a search for freedom until that goal is achieved, or until Caelum ends the search permanently. Before anything else is said, a knock at the door interrupts us. Auden’s eyes open wide, telling me he was not expecting company. I hide in the connected bathroom while he opens the door.

  “Where is he?” an agitated female voice demands.

  “He’s in there,” Auden says, much to my surprise.

  I get in position to defend myself. Was he really acting this whole time? I completely bought into his sincerity. Now he is giving me up without any coercion.

  “Kagen, come out here,” the woman demands.

  This time, I recognize the voice. He has not betrayed me. I step out of the bathroom to find out what has Bynah in a panic. I may have been wrong about Leadership coming for me, but the concern on her face does not look good. Her agitation passes to me, causing my muscles to tense.

  “What happened?” I ask.

  “They suspect something,” Bynah says with regret in her eyes. “Before he noticed me, I overheard Mr. Breck talking with his advisor about someone named Braeden Karun and alerting our Guards to look for unusual activity. I think the meeting was planned to get us out of our quarters so they could search it. I’m so glad you went with Auden.”

  For a moment I cannot find my voice. I mentioned the Controller to them earlier but not by name. If he is involved, for the sake of both of our colonies, I need to get out of Munitus. “Braeden Karun is the Controller from Caelum,” I manage to tell them.

  Auden shuffles his feet as if he were ready to start running. From what I told him earlier about the Controller, he immediately understands the urgency of our situation. “Then we need to get him out of Munitus now. They could be headed here next.”

  “We have a small chance, but it’s risky,” Bynah says hesitantly, looking to me for approval.

  “That’s my specialty,” I say, flashing an assuring grin.

  My confidence is mostly fabricated, but I want to calm her concern. Bynah already shakes from nervousness. Her agitation could attract unwanted scrutiny. Bynah has me change into Auden’s spare uniform before we leave. His uniform may be a little big for me, but it fits a lot better than Rylan’s.

  “Okay, let’s go,” I say, motioning to the door.

  We quickly march down the corridor and nearly run up the stairs. I force the others to move slower, not wanting to be out of breath when we get to the top. For Bynah’s plan to work, Auden cannot come to the surface with us, so before we exit the stairs, I pause to tell him goodbye.

  “Hopefully this won’t be our last meeting,” I say, reaching out to shake his hand. When he grabs my hand, I slip him two memory drives and lean toward him to whisper. “Connect that to your Coden, it’ll set up a link to Securus. The second one is for Rylan and Bynah when it’s safe.”

  The memory drives contain a program Arluin and Seonah made specifically for this trip. I would give one to Bynah now, but if she were caught with it, the results would be disastrous. With Leadership suspicious, we cannot risk her having any evidence of my presence. We must make Mr. Breck and the Controller believe no one was actually here. Of course, my caution will be useless if they catch me before I get out of here.

  Chapter 15

  Bynah and I quietly ascend the stairs, soon reaching the exit chamber. Rylan is already inside, engaged in a heated discussion with the stationed Guard. Bynah points me to Auden’s bio-suit before going to investigate. If I am to get out of here, we need to move fast. Otherwise, my pretending to be Auden will be noticed as soon as anyone looks too closely. While changing, I overhear the Guard and Rylan arguing.

  “What do you mean my access is restricted?” Rylan demands. “I have top-level clearance.”

  “Not anymore you don’t,” the Guard says, sounding amused. “Your rank doesn’t matter. My orders come straight from Mr. Breck.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Bynah chimes in. “You were obviously misinformed.”

  They continue back and forth while I sneak toward the exit. When the Guard notices me, I hold up an identification card before swiping it on the reader. No alarm sounds. The Guard only glances at me briefly before turning his attention back to Rylan and Bynah. By the tone in his voice, he must be enjoying being able to tell them what to do. It is rare under any circumstances that a general worker or Guard has authority over anyone in Leadership, especially in Munitus. Thankfully, the Guard’s focus and enjoyment of his current task keeps him from noticing me slip the identification to Rylan as I walk by. After that, I head through the decontamination chamber and up the stairs to the outer bunker’s exit.

  As soon as my feet are planted in the soil outside of Munitus, my legs are strengthened by it. Even though I am far from being out of danger, being on the surface will prevent Leadership from tying me to the others if they catch me. The sun has already set, though it is hard to tell by looking at the gardens. The area has been shielded from the night’s darkness by intense lights pointed toward the outer fence. Out there, workers furiously labor to shore up their only line of defense from the mountain lions. According to Bynah, Leadership has made completing the fence its highest priority. They will work around the clock until the task is completed.

  I march over to the edge of the work detail, pretending to start a patrol. My goal is to stay unnoticed long enough to slip into the forest. I move along the fence, looking for any opening in the barrier to serve as my portal into the woods. None appear. Their workers have been patching up the holes all day, denying my easiest chance for escape. The only exit point around is the coded gate Auden initially brought me through. Unfortunately, a couple of Guards are standing near it. Their presence may be problematic, but I need to make this work. Halfway over to the exit, a voice in my helmet startles me. I forgot about the internal communicator.

  “Auden, we need you to patrol the active work site, there are already enough guards on the periphery,” the voice commands.

  “Yes, sir,” I reply hesitantly. So much for my fast escape, I think to myself while turning back to the cluster of workers.

  When I reach the work site, the workers glance in my direction only long enough to make sure I am not some wild animal. After that, their attention focuses on their task and the forest beyond the fence. Given how scared they appear, these workers should be easy to slip past later. The leadership overseers, on the other hand, are not nearly as distracted. Their lack of concern probably comes from knowing they have the workers in front of them to act as a human shield if any animals attack. I pace the border of the work detail, all too aware that if the mountain lions do show up, I have no protection. Auden kept his pistol, knowing I would have no way of returning the weapon to him.

  As time passes, being trapped inside the bio-suit without the life support systems activated becomes more and more uncomfortable. The air has become hot and sticky. It even feels heavy. I want to crack open my helmet, but under the bright lights of Munitus, someone would notice. I need to escape soon.

  “Everyone stop working and stay in place. Mr. Breck is coming up for an inspection,” a voice calls out through my communicator.

  A surge of fear halts my steps. I do not want to be here when he comes out, but my current location is in t
he direct line of sight of the overseers. It looks like I am going to have to wait this interruption out. At least Mr. Breck will likely have no clue to what Auden looks like, so my cover should hold up to his scrutiny.

  Four men emerge from the outer doors of Munitus. When seeing the bulky man near the center, my blood drains from me. Tauren stomps out with a short man next to him and two more Guards on their flanks. Tauren’s presence changes everything. He will definitely recognize me the instant he gets close enough.

  The short man in the middle of the Guards seems to be directing them. From the looks of his behavior, he must be Mr. Breck. His relatively small size seems amplified by the presence of Tauren next to him. Despite his physical appearance, Mr. Breck has confidence in his stance and movements.

  “Spread out. Check everyone against their identification and work orders.” As the voice gives orders through the communicator, Mr. Breck points toward us.

  He is intentionally letting us hear what he intends to do. The tactic seems intended to make me nervous enough to give myself away. Unfortunately, it is working. The closer the Guards get to me, the more anxious I get. They are going to spot me soon. The workers are doing their best to remain in place, but every small noise coming from the forest causes them to flinch. Having to stand with their backs turned to the very danger they are attempting to protect against obviously makes them nervous.

  One of Mr. Breck’s Guards checks the men patrolling the far edge, where I initially intended to make my escape. The other inspects the main group of workers. Tauren stands in the middle of the field, his eyes locking onto each of us, one at a time.

  “Are you sure you can identify him?” Mr. Breck asks Tauren, still broadcasting his communicator on all channels.

  “Absolutely, I had a real good look at him,” Tauren responds eagerly.

  My body tingles from the fear and anticipation. If they find me, all of Securus will be doomed. As I look around for a way out, a loud snap emanates from the forest. The workers flinch so hard, one of them even falls down. This is my only chance.

  “It’s a mountain lion!” I shout while spinning toward the forest. When the others look in my direction, I ball up on the ground as if cringing from an impending attack.

  No one even bothers looking into the forest. The previously orderly workers instantly morph into a wild mob as they scramble for the safety of Munitus. Mr. Breck commands Tauren and the other Guards to block them. Only a few people are able to slip through before they secure the entrance. Mr. Breck intends to make sure no one else gets inside before they are checked. That plan works for me since I have no intention of going back. By now, Auden should be inside the exit chamber. Rylan will have already given back his identification badge so he can check in. We did not intend for this distraction, but it should look like he got inside before they could stop him. Hopefully, he will not be punished too harshly for getting frightened.

  With everyone gathered near the entrance, I stay close to the ground and crawl toward the fence. The section where the work detail was concentrating on has an opening large enough for me to slip through. Thankfully, the plants in the garden give me some cover from the revealing lights shining on this area. Halfway to the fence, my muscles burn from the effort of dragging myself, slowing me down. Even worse, scattered rocks constantly dig into my knees and forearms. Soon, the inner visor of my helmet becomes covered with drops of moisture because of the heat building up inside my bio-suit.

  The commands of the Guards continue through my communicator as I pass through the broken fence and reach the tree line. Being this far out, I do not care what they are saying and do not want them to be able to track me, so I deactivate the communicator. Even when reaching the forest, I do not dare stop my crawl until I am deep enough that no one could see me.

  Using a tree trunk as a support, I pull myself upright. The weakened muscles in my legs wobble for a moment before regaining their stability. My hand hesitantly reaches up to unlock my helmet. I want to get this thing off, but remembering what happened to Rylan in The Caves gives me pause. Even with that worry, I cannot stay in this bio-suit. It has become unbearable without the life support system. Turning the system on would be a fatal mistake because it would not last until I got back to Securus. These things were specifically engineered with a time limit for efficiency.

  I close my eyes and open the helmet. A wave of cool air rushes in. I timidly take in a small breath, waiting to see if the air suffocates me like Rylan. The only sensation that comes is the relief of cool air trickling into my lungs. I sit down for a couple of minutes to rest my weary muscles and cool my body off.

  From behind the cover of an old tree, I peak back at Munitus. The outer lights obscure the entrance, but no one has returned to the gardens or fence. We knew this meeting would be dangerous, but hopefully their lives will not end because of it. As long as they do not find the drives I gave to Auden, Mr. Breck and the Controller will have nothing to confirm I was ever here. I turn away and let my eyes adjust to the darkness of the forest. Even though the first part of the plan was not easy, this part is far more dangerous.

  I go deeper into the woods before taking out my communicator. “Hadwin? Sayda? Are you guys there?”

  “Kagen!” Sayda shouts back to me. Even through the device, the concern in her voice is evident. “Did something go wrong? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine for now. Are you both at the camp?” I ask, intentionally withholding my current situation.

  “Yeah, we’re here. Are you on your way, or should we come to you?” Hadwin asks.

  “I’m gonna come back at first daylight,” I tell them. Hiking to camp in the darkness without a weapon would be foolish. “You guys keep safe.”

  Before they have a chance to question my plan, I turn off the communicator. I do not want them to risk their lives by leaving the safety of our camp in the dark. They have already faced more than enough danger because of me. Even if hearing their voices does not change my current predicament, it does make me feel a little better.

  My thoughts turn away from my friends and back to the forest around me. I need to find someplace to hide. Using the lights from the bio-suit, I scan around for a good spot in the trees. The mountain lions are capable of jumping as high as I can climb, but somehow the thought of being off the ground makes me feel less exposed.

  Not too far away stands a tree with thick, intersecting branches easily capable of supporting my weight. I carefully climb the tree and settle onto the natural platform. With my back leaning against the trunk of the tree, I stare out into the woods. My eyelids become heavy, but sleep eludes me. Every noise coming from below reminds me of the predators stalking the trees. If that was not enough, the chill of the night drains my warmth, making me shiver constantly. The relief I felt from escaping Munitus has now faded. Along with the temperature of the night, my mood plummets.

  Even as I sit high up in this tree, hiding away from the vicious predators, my mind keeps wandering back to Securus. I miss Talia and wonder what she is doing right now. Knowing her, she is probably sitting in her office, setting up future improvements for our people. Our people, the same ones who have taken to openly insulting me, a voice whispers from the back of my mind. Here I am, cold, lonely, and afraid while trying to help us move forward. It is enraging that they have the audacity to question me from the safety of Securus. What danger do they really face? How many of their friends have they watched die? The hard night fuels the oppressive thoughts pummeling me. I try to focus on our ultimate goal and the people who appreciate our efforts, but being this tired and agitated makes the others impossible to ignore.

  Eventually, fatigue overwhelms my inner conflict, allowing me to fall asleep. Even then, the demoralizing thoughts persist.

  I walk through a lifeless forest. No creatures scurry about. Leaves wilt from the dying trees. Even the sunlight feels infected by an internal rot. My arms and legs are held by weighty shackles, slowing my movement as I trudge pass the decaying carcass
of a mountain lion. Even the ferocious predator could not survive in this diseased place.

  Suddenly, my legs are swept from under me. A rope connected to my shackles pulls me across the rocky floor. Facing the gloomy skies, a tree skeleton forming an archway passes above before my movement is halted. When I sit up, human skeletons surround me. Two men dressed in worker uniforms from the Deep Vents pound spikes through my chains, anchoring me to the ground. They are condemning me, leaving me to rot with the skeletal remains of my friends. I am no longer angry and do not scream or fight. An overwhelming indifference fills my heart. For the first time, I do not want to help them anymore. Let them stay slaves forever.

  A shriek from below shakes me from the nightmare, almost knocking me from my perch. It sounded like a combination of a woman’s scream mixed with a mechanical grumble. Above me, orange light from the morning sun peaks through the treetops. Below me, light footsteps move along the ground. Instead of one of the large predators we have seen before, the sound comes from a nimble animal with a spotted coat and pointed ears. The creature looks to be about two feet tall. Even with its relatively smaller size, I would rather let the animal pass than to test its aggression.

  The animal crouches down with its eyes fixed on something out of my sight. Suddenly, the creature lunges forward, running off through the trees. I do not know whether it is chasing something or being chased. Either way, I do not need any more encouragement to get out of here.

  I climb down from the tree and check my compass. Before finding Hadwin and Sayda, I return to where Auden stored the bio-suit, leaving the protective suit in its hiding spot. Afterward, I pull out my communicator to have my friends pack up camp so we can leave soon.

  I run through the still forest, determined to get to the others as fast as possible. This trip has been costly, but if everything went well last night with Auden and the others, our goal has been accomplished. The memory drives I gave to Auden will serve as proof to help spread the truth to more of their people and add their numbers to our cause. Then again, if we don’t make it back, Talia will not find that much of a consolation. By the time I reach the tree archway leading to their camp, my labored breathing has slowed me. When I pass the arch, my leg catches on something, sending me tumbling to the ground as a deafening sound erupts from behind me.