The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3)

by Anthony Maldonado

  Like when Braeden was here, not once did the author of the document ever refer to us as people. Their resolve is absolute. Our lives are truly insignificant to them. Though I already suspected as much, this reminder is even more harrowing with Talia firmly in their grasp.

  I fall back on the bunk, staring up at the plain ceiling. The worst part is they seem to be close to adding methods we would have no hope of ever subverting. The more I think about it, the clearer the inevitable truth becomes. Something needs to be done soon. The plan stirring in the back of my mind needs to be acted upon. I have been hesitant to ask my friends to put their lives in danger again, but really, we are already in danger. If we do nothing, we have no chance at all. We will all die from Pellagra, hemolytic anemia, or this new genetic manipulation created by Caelum. Even if their methods do not kill us all, the growing discord and anger of our people will consume the survivors.

  The last shreds of hesitation have been erased from my mind. I will go to Caelum and make them pay for their inhumanity. I will do whatever is necessary to save Talia and my loved ones. If those actions somehow lead to the freedom of Securus, it would merely be an added bonus. Realistically, freedom seems a luxury we will never possess.

  None of the other files on Arluin’s Coden have been decrypted. I am a little disappointed this is taking so long, but what else could be expected with Caelum being involved. After this long day, my mind and body have grown tired. I do not want to walk through the halls again tonight, so I turn off the lights and rest my eyes. Even with the swirling emotions inside, this room comforts me. It feels like I am returning to where I belong. I do not want to be the leader of this place, only a regular worker. My mind slowly calms as I drift off to sleep, fading into another nightmare.

  I run through the halls of Securus as fast as my legs will carry me. The effort is not enough to escape the mob chasing me. They scream my name, lusting for my blood. Countless bodies line the floors, all as pale as the colorless fish swimming in our pools. These people have died from the effects of the altered poison. The survivors hunt me in pursuit of vengeance. I approach a dead end. The mob slows and spreads out, blocking any escape for their prey.

  I pull out a Persuader and throw it into the angry crowd. In the resulting chaos from the explosion, a door opens behind me. I fall through it. Just as fast as the door appeared, it closes, leaving me in darkness. A sinister laugh drowns out the cries of the injured people in the hallway. All other sounds fade away.

  The haunting laugh intensifies. As it does, a faint light appears from above. The light trickles down like a soft rain until it reveals the source of the laugh as Ulan, the assistant to the Controller. In his hand rests a syringe. The needle pierces the neck of a woman cloaked in a black mask. Even with her face concealed, I know she is Talia. I pounce to my feet, but Braeden trips me from behind. He stands over me with his boot planted onto my throat. I cannot breathe.

  “You should’ve listened. Now you get to watch Talia die. After that, you’ll die along with everyone else in Securus,” Braeden says in a tone that sounds as if he were scolding a small child. “For the life of me, I don’t understand why you’d ever risk so much for the very people who just a moment ago were ready to kill you.”

  He puts his full weight down on my neck. I struggle for air, but the pressure is too much. My face flushes and stars explode before me. After the brilliant light recedes, I am left in utter darkness. Ulan’s giddy laugh repeats over and over.

  The laugh gives way to the shriek of my morning alert.

  For a moment I remain paralyzed. As soon as my body finally responds to my commands, I jump out of bed and take in a gulping breath. Even on my feet, darkness veils my vision. My weakened muscles fail, sending me crashing to the floor. It takes nearly a minute to fight off the threat of falling unconscious from the hypoxia caused by holding my breath.

  Slowly, my breath and vision settles, allowing me to get off of the cold, hard floor. The confusion brought on by the nightmare has passed, leaving only one thought in my mind. I must make Caelum suffer for everything they have done. My body screams to go there right now, but the plan forming in my mind is not yet ready. If I am to do anything other than annoy the Controller, I must be patient and meticulous.

  After a few deep breaths to calm my anger, I reach over for my Coden. I open a hidden file and activate an application labeled Munitus. It has been long enough. If things went well, Rylan, Bynah, and Auden should have installed the program by now. After a couple minutes of waiting, a message flashes across my screen.

  Good to see you made it back, Kagen, Rylan writes to me.

  The direct link is working. We spend some time catching each other up on what happened immediately after we parted ways. As it turns out, Mr. Breck is even more suspicious and forceful than I imagined. I am sure that has a lot to do with the Controller. Mr. Breck will undoubtedly do anything necessary to reassure Braeden that Munitus has not been compromised.

  Thankfully, Auden was able to check-in his identification before anyone noticed, so the system shows no one was left unaccounted for. Even with no direct evidence I was ever there, Mr. Breck will not relent. They are searching the entire facility one floor at a time while everyone remains on lockdown. Rylan and Bynah were repeatedly interrogated and are now under constant surveillance. Apparently, I left just in time.

  The news is not all bad though. Bynah overheard some whispers from workers wanting to organize against the increasing forceful demands of Leadership. Their people are getting closer to being ready for the truth. That may prove useful in helping me get Talia back from Caelum.

  While getting dressed, the chime signaling the morning announcements surprises me. I stay long enough to see that Cyrina has stepped in to cover this necessary task. As she begins, I leave the quarters. After getting my food in the Leadership hall, I go directly to the infirmary.

  Inside, the scene is the same as the day before with piles of sick people being tended to by exhausted Healers. Some of the faces are the same, meaning they have probably been here on the floor all this time. While looking at the numerous ill people, something comes to mind. The Methods of Guidance said they would know if this happened. There are only two ways Caelum could find out without us telling them. We have already limited their access to our video feeds, so the only remaining way is if their sensors pick up a significant change in the population numbers. We are going to have to come up with an excuse for any deaths and report it before they notice.

  I spend the morning helping out where ever possible so the other Healers can have momentary breaks. The only good news so far is that not many new patients arrive. Even so, that does not help us treat the ones who are already here. Really, time is the most important thing needed to heal them. Unfortunately, that is something we have very little of. Even less so if Caelum discovers what is happening in Securus now.

  By the time lunch comes around, I feel as exhausted as the other Healers look. Most of the drain comes from the mental challenge of knowing we cannot fix this problem, only wait it out. More than that, in the eyes of every sick and frightened person, I see Talia. They remind me of how she must feel being held in Caelum with no contact from us. Now, sitting at my desk, I find it nearly impossible to gather the energy needed to get up. Instead, my head rests against the desktop for a moment. Rana appears in the doorway, adjusting her oversized glasses while waiting for my attention.

  “Rough times,” she says.

  “Couldn’t get much worse,” I shrug in reply.

  “If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that things can always get worse,” she says, now close enough to whisper so the others in the room cannot overhear us. “But we can’t get caught up in the misery of our circumstance, or the outcome will become inevitable. Just like when we care for our patients, we do what we can no matter what, even when things seem hopeless.”

  This seems to be the theme of my conversations with people lately, them reminding me not to give up. It is so m
uch easier for them to say that when their heart was not ripped out by Malin and locked away in Caelum. None of them have to face that while constantly working to overcome the inept actions of our Leadership council. Still, Rana is right. If I do not keep fighting, Talia does not stand a chance.

  “There’s something I need to do,” I tell her, getting up from my chair. “Will you be okay here without me for a while?”

  “We’ll manage,” she says. “Kagen, Talia means a lot to all of us. We want her back too. Don’t forget that. You don’t have to do this alone.”

  Rana leaves me and returns to work. As always, she is right. But this is one thing I do have to do alone. Enough time has passed. I need to contact the Controller.

  Chapter 19

  Inside Talia’s main office, I use her Coden to activate the special communicator. A screen rises from a hidden compartment within the desktop. The room that appears on the screen is similar to this one, except for the different Leadership insignia burning on the back wall. Caelum’s symbol has much brighter colors and lacks the dark biohazard symbol. Their version supposedly represents the purity of their sanctuary as well as their enduring power.

  After a few minutes of waiting, a familiar face shows up on the screen. His appearance is so unassuming. If it were not for our past meeting, I would be inclined to trust him. But as soon I hear his affected accent and cheery voice, a chill crawls down my spine.

  “Ah, Kagen, how nice to hear from you,” Ulan says with an apathetic smile. “Our scheduled meeting is a while off, what can we do for you today?”

  “You can start off by letting me speak with Talia,” I demand, knowing he will not likely comply.

  “I assure you she is being treated appropriately,” Ulan says, ignoring my request.

  “Then what’s the harm of letting me see her?” I ask.

  “That decision can only be made by the Controller himself, and currently Braeden has issued no such order,” Ulan replies.

  “I think we should bring her in,” a cold voice says from off screen.

  The subtle amusement in the inflection irritates me. Braeden was watching me as if my pain was nothing more than a game for his entertainment, just like when he paraded through Securus. He moves into view and looks me in the eyes.

  “Talia will be here momentarily,” Braeden says. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised it took you this long to ask for her. I thought you would’ve done so that very day. There wasn’t something preventing you from doing so, was there?”

  “No. From your instructions, I inferred you would make contact when you were ready. When you didn’t, I waited only long enough to make sure this would be a rational conversation,” I reply.

  “So you haven’t been on any adventures?” he asks.

  “No. I’ve been occupied with some issues we’re having,” I tell him.

  He shifts his position and leans forward to listen to my explanation. “Really? What kind of issues?”

  “A strain of the flu has resurfaced. It has already infected a significant number of people and claimed a few lives,” I tell him.

  “I understand this has happened before. Didn’t your research team develop a vaccination to prevent a recurrence,” Braeden asks, looking at me suspiciously.

  “Yes we did,” I answer. “But this is a new strain. The vaccine will need to be updated.”

  “Interesting timing,” he says, tilting his head slightly while maintaining eye contact with me.

  I do my best to hide behind the same stoic façade Talia employs in times like these. Unfortunately, my unemotional front does not last long. As soon as Talia appears on screen I nearly fall to pieces. She appears calm, but dried tears stain her cheeks. To make his message clear, Braeden wraps one arm around Talia’s shoulder with his other hand holding a gun to her temple.

  “Is that really necessary?” I ask him, clenching my fists out of his view.

  “Actually, it’s very necessary,” he says with narrowed eyes. “For some reason you believe you can lie to me. I think it’s important for you to learn the consequences of your actions. Someone attempted to contact Munitus. Given your history, we both know that person must have been you.”

  “They’re mistaken. We’ve made no such contact,” I say. Hearing the Controller confirm Talia’s abduction was because of my expedition makes me feel dead inside. Talia is in imminent danger because of me. Even worse, Braeden seems to be enjoying his new game with me.

  “The only reason you’re alive is because Mr. Breck confirmed the breach was immediately contained. They have found no evidence that your presence was noticed by the workers,” Braeden says while grinding his gun into Talia’s temple.

  “What makes you think he’s telling the truth? Mr. Breck could be covering up something he’s up to,” I say, searching for a way out of this deadly game.

  “Mr. Breck has always been very compliant with our regulations. Besides, his only son is currently visiting with me as well,” Braeden says. The corner of his lip twitches, nearly cracking a smile.

  For the first time, he almost shows some emotion. His malevolent amusement is downright terrifying. My only option is to keep calm and hope he spares Talia.

  “I also have every intention of being compliant with your regulations. If you don’t believe me, I would be more than happy to exchange places with Talia so you may see my sincerity for yourself,” I offer in a monotone voice.

  Braeden raises a single eyebrow at me before answering. “Did you really think that would work?”

  “I’m well aware that nothing I say will sway your decisions,” I admit without acknowledging anything else. Braeden’s amusement fades. Before he cuts me off to end his game, I turn to Talia. “Talia, I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back safe. I love you.”

  As she opens her mouth to reply, the screen goes dark. My fists pound the desk top out of frustration. The Controller intentionally did not allow me to hear her voice one more time. The guilt from seeing Talia with Braeden batters me. This whole situation was my fault. If only I did not insist on going to Munitus.

  Despite my pain, at least I know Talia is still alive. Seeing her strengthens my resolve for what I must do. Even though the Controller did not reveal anything of significance, our conversation served its purpose. Talia is alive and I have given him an explanation for people in Securus dying. On top of that, he knows I am in Securus, so hopefully he will not apply any further pressure or undue burden upon Munitus. Hopefully this will buy me enough time to act and prevent the Controller from being suspicious enough to accelerate his plan.

  “Hey, Kagen,” a voice calls to me from the door.

  I turn to see a pair of sympathetic eyes staring at me from behind strands disheveled hair. Sayda is barely recognizable.

  “Hey, Sayda. How’s Hadwin holding up?” I ask.

  “I haven’t seen him since we got back,” she says. “His parents are sick, so he’s been busy caring for them.”

  “Then let’s go check on them.” I grab a medical kit from the bottom drawer of Talia’s desk before leaving. Talia likes to be prepared, so she has me keep extra supplies handy.

  Sayda appears relieved by my suggestion. I have no doubt she was here to convince me to go. As we walk out the door, Sayda hesitates for a moment.

  “Have you spoken with them yet?” she asks timidly.

  Even without her saying their names, I know she is referring to Talia and the Controller. My stride stutters momentarily before regaining control and continuing down the hallway.

  “Briefly,” I say in a near whisper. “Long enough to know it’s my fault.”

  Sayda does not push for more information, and I offer none. Knowing I am responsible for Talia’s predicament is bad enough without having to admit it aloud. We travel all the way down to Hadwin’s quarters without saying another word. When we get there, I knock on the door. Hadwin appears with no hint of cheer in his eyes.

  “How are they doing?” I ask as soon as we enter their quarters. The room
contains two bunks and little else. Hadwin’s parents are both on the same bunk.

  “You tell me,” he says with irritation. “What’s going on?”

  “Leadership’s falling apart without Talia.”

  I examine his parents. They both are extremely weak and pale. His mother’s breathing is shallow. She does not even seem to notice me. Sayda stands next to Hadwin, putting her hand on his shoulder. He keeps his attention on me, but rests his own hand on hers.

  “Why didn’t you take them to the infirmary?” I ask while checking their vital signs.

  “I tried,” he says, throwing up his hand with frustration. “There was no space for them. The Healers said they’re only taking in the sickest patients right now.”

  His father is worn down, but his vital signs are normal. Unfortunately, his mother’s are not. Her heart rate is dangerously high and her blood pressure low. She must be severely anemic. I stand up Hadwin’s mother to take her to the infirmary, but she nearly passes out when getting upright.

  “She needs to go now,” I tell him. “We’re gonna have to carry her.”

  Sayda opens the door while Hadwin and I lift his mother. Usually, carrying someone through the halls of Securus would attract a lot of attention, but with so many people being sick, no one pays any attention to us. We bring her into central elevator and take it up to the infirmary’s level. When we move past the crowd of ill people outside, a couple of them shout at us. They do not want to be bypassed by someone else simply because I know her son. Only, I know that is not the real reason. Her being in much worse shape than most of them justifies our actions.