Stunned, I lay on the ground for a moment before recognizing the source of the burst. In my hurry, I tripped one of the traps Hadwin and Sayda set up. But why have they not finished packing them up yet? Two hands drag me forward and pull me to my feet. Hadwin pushes me behind them while Sayda points the rifle back toward the arch.
“The mountain lions came back last night,” Hadwin whispers. “We killed one of them but the other one keeps running by the archway. Sayda nearly shot you when you activated the deterrent. Good thing you fell down or she wouldn’t have missed.”
I have never been happier to have tripped over something. We wait for a few more minutes to make sure the mountain lion does not reappear. When we feel safe again, I fill Hadwin and Sayda in on what happened during my time in Munitus.
“So you’re saying we actually have it better in Securus than they do here?” Sayda asks with surprise.
“What do you expect? They don’t have me around to brighten their day!” Hadwin says.
His boast is somewhat forced, but it makes me grin for the first time in a while. It does me good to see them both doing well.
“So what were you guys up to out here?” I ask.
“Nothing,” Sayda snaps with a slight blush.
Her tone is unexpected and makes me suspicious. That is exactly how she usually reacts when she wants to hide something. I have a strong suspicion of what that is. Hadwin, oblivious to the reaction as usual, tells me all about how they secured the camp and kept safe from the predators.
Despite the relief of seeing my friends doing well, my dark mood persists. The nightmare from last night continues to cast a shadow over my thoughts. The only thing capable of changing how I feel would be getting back to Talia.
Now that we have finished packing the deterrents, we are ready to climb up the towering cliff behind us. I tug on the rope we used to rappel down. It remains firmly in place. Next I ready the electric ascender to assist the climb. Only, when attaching the device, I notice the battery power level has dropped even lower than before. That means we do not have enough power to use the machine for all of our ascents.
“I’m gonna use the mechanical ascender, you both keep watch here. When I get to the top, you guys come up with the electronic ascender,” I tell them.
“That’s a bad idea,” Sayda argues, looking up the rock wall. “That’s too high to climb with just the mechanical aid.”
“I don’t care,” I tell her firmly. “The battery’s almost dead, and I’m not gonna waste a couple days to walk around this.”
Without waiting for her to agree, I strap on my harness and attach the mechanical ascenders. The attachments connect to the rope and slide upward easily. When downward pressure is applied, they lock in place. The ascenders almost functions like a ladder, using my leg to push my weight up before locking and repositioning them for the next step. Even with this to help, I have to rest often. Making my way up the wall takes a long time and considerable effort. For once, my frustration helps. It feeds my stubborn determination, keeping me moving. All the while, Hadwin and Sayda scurry around below me. After what feels like an entire day, I finally reach the top.
The muscles in my arms and legs are beyond burning. From my knees, I yell out for Sayda and Hadwin to start their ascent before rolling away from the edge. My muscles are way too weak to stand up. After that climb, I might not be physically able to hike anytime soon. Hadwin and Sayda have a much easier time coming up the rope with the electronic ascender. The device has an attachment that locks a portion of the rope inside. When activated, the ascender pulls the rope through it. Since their harness will be fixed to the ascender, this propels them upward. The only effort they have to expend is to keep their bodies from flailing around. Sayda comes up first without any problems. Hadwin is not as lucky. Three-quarters of the way up, the ascender runs out of power.
He is forced to climb the rock wall the rest of the way. By the time he makes it to the top, he looks as tired as me. We rest for a while, waiting to regain some strength before marching onward. When we do begin our trek, my waning stores of energy are drained even further as we pass the cliff Radek went over. An overwhelming hollowness grows inside me, as if I am weightless, falling over the edge with him. The reminder of our fallen friend hurts us all.
Now that we know they are there, we avoid the snake pit and the field of poisonous plants on our return. After a while, Hadwin starts yapping on about nothing, attempting to fill the uncomfortable quiet with some humor. Despite his effort, my mood continues to sour. Before, I was distracted by the hope of something good coming from the meeting with Munitus. Now with that behind me, the only thing I can think about is the loss of another friend and the betrayal that caused it.
Because of the detour, it is not until the next day that we finally see the Solar Panels in the distance. My legs involuntarily slow down when we reach the outer fence because getting inside means we have to tell everyone about what Baran did to Korin and Radek. The only thing keeping me moving is the thought of finally seeing Talia again. When she finds out we are back, she will be in the exit chamber waiting for us.
Once we are in the Solar Panel fields, Sayda uses her communicator to inform the workers in the control room of our arrival. As we round the path near the bunker, the open exit chamber hatch comes into view. A team of Guards accompanied by Cyrina waits for us. The absence of Talia drops me to my knees. The last time I was greeted by Cyrina instead of Talia when returning from Munitus, something bad happened. I cannot bear to move any farther.
Cyrina walks forward to greet us. The sullen look on her face pummels me. Something is very wrong.
Chapter 16
To my surprise, no one even asks why only half of our group has returned. Either they were expecting some casualties or something else occupies their minds. Judging by the way Cyrina avoids making eye contact with me, it must be the latter.
“Where’s Talia, I need to talk to her,” I demand, becoming increasingly worried.
“We need to talk about that,” Cyrina answers.
An intense wave of heat flows through me as Cyrina’s words sink in. Maybe she’s busy with some new development and Cyrina’s here to fill me in, I tell myself. Even as I try to convince myself, the explanation only feels like wishful thinking. Cyrina does not elaborate. She simply says we need to return to Talia’s office. We follow her inside and shed our equipment. I give both Hadwin and Sayda a hug before leaving.
“Let’s go,” I tell Cyrina, already heading to Talia’s office.
“They should come with us,” she says meekly.
“They have their own families to check on,” I say.
“I’m sorry, but I must insist,” Cyrina says with a much firmer tone. “Their presence is pertinent.”
Her demand confuses and worries me even more than before. Surely Talia would rather see me alone. If not, there must be a reason.
Hadwin and Sayda follow us to Talia’s office. The entire time, worry festers inside of me. It starts with a flutter in my stomach, and then crawls into my chest. This time my heart does not race. Instead it threatens to stop altogether. My agitation is mirrored in my friends who both appear suspicious of Cyrina’s unusual demand.
When we exit the stairs on the Leadership level, I push my way past the others, running to my private hallway. Cyrina tries to slow me down, but I rip my arm away. Standing at the doorway to Talia’s office, the darkness inside perplexes me. Where is Talia? I look back to find Cyrina nearly in tears. In this moment, the reason she wanted Hadwin and Sayda here becomes clear. Talia did not need to speak with them at all. They are here to keep me calm.
“Where is she?” I demand with fists held so tight my fingers tingle from the lack of blood flow.
Cyrina looks down at the floor. She knows the answer but does not want to say it aloud.
“Tell me, now!” I growl at her.
“It’s better if I show you,” Cyrina says as she enters Talia’s office.
After turn
ing on the surveillance feeds, she pleads for me to sit down before playing the video. The longer she makes me wait, the more agitated I become. There is no way I could sit down right now, especially if something happened to Talia.
“I swear, if I have to ask again, I’ll beat the answer from you,” I yell at her.
Hadwin and Sayda stand on either side of me. Instead of joining me in demanding answers, they try to calm me down. When they realize that will not happen, Sayda motions for Cyrina to play the video.
The array of screens goes dark. After she pushes another button, the center one turns back on. The video shows the storage area at the end of the train tracks. A single Guard stands in the background alone. Just as I am about to turn to Cyrina for an explanation, Talia walks onto the screen flanked by four more Guards. She appears calm except for the fingers of her left hand unconsciously rubbing together. Talia stands in the same spot she did when we were expecting the Controller.
“Did Caelum send for her again?” I ask, desperately wanting her to tell me no.
“No, they didn’t,” Cyrina responds in a near whisper.
“Then what’s the point…” my words trail off when a light appears on the screen.
It is the same transport that carried Braeden and Ulan here. The vehicle comes to a stop at the end of the tracks. Talia remains still as the door to the transport opens. No, he couldn’t have, I shout in my mind when seeing the first man emerge from the open door. On the Soldier Guard’s shoulder is the same black, red, and gold wolf that I had hoped to never see again. The man beneath the armor could only be Malin. He is the leader of the Soldier Guards, and the very man who wants nothing more than to make me suffer for the deaths of his men. The air in my lungs turns to lead when the aiming lights of his massive hand gun focus on Talia.
His mouth moves, but we do not have an audio component to this video. Even without being able to read his lips, the content of his words soon become clear. He turns toward our Guards and shoots. The repeated intense blasts of light obscure the image on the screen for a few seconds. When its focus returns, all of our Guards have fallen motionless on the floor. Next to them, Malin drags Talia to the transport by her arm.
Another Soldier Guard yanks Talia inside. The relief of seeing her taken alive awakens my paralyzed lungs, allowing a shallow breath. Before leaving, Malin takes off his helmet and smiles at the camera, making sure I know who did this. The door closes and the transport disappears back into the tunnel. The only thing left on the screen is the dead bodies of our Guards.
This has to be my fault. The Controller must have believed I was in Munitus despite not catching me. Because of what I did, they have taken from me the one thing that matters above all else. I slump over in my chair, too weak and too stunned to move. This time no anger or determination builds to fuel me. I am overcome by overwhelming despair.
My head falls into my hands. Tears stream from my eyes. If I had only listened to Talia and took her with us to Munitus she would still be here with me. How am I supposed to help her now? She could already be dead. The Controller will not hesitate to kill her instantly if the whim strikes. I would do anything to get Talia back, but we do not have any way to get to Caelum. Like Mr. Vaden and Wakil warned, they have won. Caelum has broken me. I am completely under their control.
My body falls from the chair, and I do not care enough to stop it. Before I hit the ground, Hadwin grabs me. He stops my physical fall and steadies me in the chair.
“We’re gonna get her back,” Sayda says with her hand on my shoulder, offering her support.
“We are with you no matter what,” Hadwin adds.
I hear their words but cannot respond. My mind is stuck replaying the image of Talia’s abduction. After a while, the video in my mind pauses, becoming stuck on Malin’s taunting smile. Seeing the vile gesture brings another realization. Talia’s life may be in imminent danger, but she is not the one they are really after. Everything Caelum does is about control. Taking her and Malin playing to the camera were specifically designed as a message for me.
If they are truly after me, there is only one way to get Talia out of this. I need to convince them everything that has happened since that fateful day in The Caves has been my doing. I am the one pushing to escape Caelum. Talia is only interested in keeping her people alive. With Malin whispering in the Controller’s ear, that may actually work. If he believes me, maybe Braeden Karun will accept an exchange of my life for Talia’s. I need to contact him now.
“Everyone, get out,” I tell them through my cracking voice, with my head still buried in my hands.
“That isn’t the only thing I have to show you.” The pain in Cyrina’s voice frightens me even more than before. If they already killed Talia, I cannot bear to watch.
“I can’t,” I say while looking up into her eyes.
“You have to,” she replies while pulling up another video.
This time there is no empty room on the screen. The background holds a room I have never seen before but instantly recognize from the schematics Arluin showed me. In the center of the screen, two hollow eyes stare through me. Everything he does has a reason, so I know the Controller deliberately chose to deliver his message to me directly from the Seat of Power. If he decides to destroy Securus, this is the place he would do it from.
“I understand you’ve been quite busy, Kagen,” Braeden says in his affected accent. His piercing, steel blue eyes seem to lock onto me even though this is a recorded message. “As you may have noticed, I’ve asked Malin to escort Ms. Vaden to Caelum so we can sort out a few things. In case you’re wondering, yes, this is a direct result of your refusal to comply with the rules we so generously allow you to live by.
“Despite your insufferable stubbornness, I wish to speak with you face to face. In two weeks’ time, I shall send a transport to get you. That should give you plenty of time to calm yourself and contemplate the sincerity of my intentions. If you are unprepared or are unavailable for any reason, Talia will die.” Braeden leans forward and lowers his voice. “Let me assure you of one thing, if you do anything else I find distasteful, she will suffer greatly. Before she dies, Malin will lead a team to lock down Securus for elimination. You will not be allowed to die with the other occupants. I will make sure you are allowed to watch Talia’s final agonizing moments. After that, you’ll be handed over to Malin. As you are undoubtedly aware, that’s something he eagerly anticipates. So, if you wish to avoid Caelum’s wrath, I suggest you be on your best behavior until then.”
Cyrina turns off the video. The first thing that comes to mind is elation from learning Talia is alive. I do not care what becomes of me when Braeden brings me to Caelum as long as Talia returns to Securus. I decide against contacting the Controller now. If he has any doubts of me being in Munitus, the timing of my contact would erase them. Instead, I will use his message as an excuse to wait. That will give me enough time to ensure my emotions will not cause me to accidentally reveal too much or fall into one of his traps.
Sayda and Hadwin both try to comfort me, though nothing they could do or say would make any difference right now. Instead of leaving, Cyrina stands against the wall, watching us. She is waiting for something.
“Who else knows about this?” I demand from her.
“Only those I thought would be best suited to help you through this along with some of the Leadership council,” she answers.
Great. Not only do we have to worry about Talia, now Eyra and her followers will undoubtedly use this as an opportunity to gain power, I think to myself. My first instinct is to show this to the entire colony so they can see the peril we really face. But having them see this with their own eyes would only create panic and probably make things worse, especially knowing how Eyra would spin the abduction to her advantage. Thinking of Eyra reminds me I need to have our Guards watch her and take a good look for any evidence she is working for Caelum. When I look back up, Cyrina has not budged. Evidently, she has something else on her mind.
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br /> “There can’t be more, can there?” I ask.
“That’s all the information we have with regards to Talia, but unfortunately there’s another problem you need to be aware of,” Cyrina says.
“I don’t care. It can wait,” I say, waving her off.
Another woman walks in from the hallway. “No, it can’t.”
The older woman appears disheveled, like she has been deprived of sleep for days. Despite the obvious fatigue, an empathetic pain shows in her eyes. I am sure Rana already knows about Talia, but that has not stopped her from coming here to tell me about whatever new plight has surfaced.
“I don’t care,” I snap at Rana. “You take care of it. I’m done. No matter what I do, nothing helps.”
“I know you have a lot to deal with, especially with Talia,” Rana says, undaunted by my words. “But if she were here, she would want you to help stop this new plague.”
‘This new plague,’ the words repeat in my mind before sinking in. “What has Caelum done to us now?” I ask, not really wanting to know the answer.
“We’re overwhelmed in the infirmary. We need all the help we can get,” Rana says, already backing out the door.
Her intention is clear. With or without me, she is going back to the infirmary. I do not want to follow her. My body refuses to move until Talia’s voice calls to me from the back of my mind, urging me to help. She tells me the best way to help her is to tend to our people. If our people are overwhelmed by a new plague, we will never survive whatever the Controller has planned for us. Cyrina follows Rana out the door, leaving me alone with Sayda and Hadwin.
The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3) Page 17