“What’s happening?” Arluin asks, handing me the kit.
“He has a tension pneumothorax,” I tell him. Auden’s eyes widen when seeing the large needle I take out of the kit. “Don’t move. This’ll pinch, but it’s the only thing that can help.”
I feel for his collar bone and ribs. As soon as the landmarks lead me to the right spot, my needle plunges into Auden’s chest. Once inserted, I take the needle out, leaving the plastic tube inside his chest. With the needle out, a sudden rush of air comes from the catheter. As soon as the pressure releases, Auden improves. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary fix. The procedure only buys a limited amount of time for a proper tube to be placed.
“We need to get him to an infirmary,” I say as Sayda and Manav come to join us.
“My mom can help,” Manav says. “She knows some Healers.”
“We need to do something about him first,” Hadwin reminds us, pointing to the dead Soldier Guard.
Manav cringes when seeing the hole in the Soldier’s chest. His jittery feet carry him behind Sayda, avoiding the gory sight. I am sure he has never seen anything like this before living in Caelum. Hadwin and I position ourselves to move the body while Sayda helps Auden to his feet. With our limited time and lack of resources, we cannot make this look like an accident. Our only choice is to hide him. He will be found eventually, but hopefully by then it will be too late.
We remove the Soldier’s communicator and carry him down the tunnel, following Manav. Auden does not have much strength, making Sayda and Arluin struggle to help him move. Once we hide the body, we can help them. The bigger problem is Auden’s injury will draw attention to us while we sneak our way into the main city of Caelum.
Farther in, we come across a small side passage that looks more like a low hole in the wall. To make it through, we will have to get on our hands and knees. After the others go in, I crawl into the tunnel, dragging the Soldier behind me. Pulling the heavy body is tedious and hurts because the effort makes my knees grind into the rocky floor. Eventually, the tunnel widens out enough for Hadwin to help me.
After another ten yards in, the Soldier’s bulky armor catches on the low ceiling. We pull harder, but he is stuck. Since we are far enough from the main tunnel, we leave him there. I hope we do not have to come back through here or this will be a problem. Right now, our exit plan is the least of my concerns. We cannot afford any delay if we want to help Auden.
After a while, I am glad we left the Soldier in place because the passage narrows again. In here, Arluin has to pull Auden forward while Hadwin pushes him. The constant scraping of our elbows and knees against the ground take its toll on us. On top of that, the stale air conspires with the pain to further drain our strength.
Just when I begin to think this tunnel will never end, a rush of fresh air runs by us. We must finally be getting close. Soon, a faint glow appears up ahead. The exit to the tunnel runs vertically, with the view out of the exit obstructed by green leaves. One by one, we climb into the moonlit night. Our trip has lasted an entire day, but we are getting close to the inner walls of Caelum.
The passage has brought us to a steep hill, covered with trees, bushes, and a jutting wall of exposed rock. Above us, the rock wall seems to blend into a barrier of concrete and metal, perched on top of this hill. My eyes follow the wall to the corners, where towering spires are topped with turrets. The gigantic guns point outward, protecting Caelum’s borders. This location is the perfect place for a fortress. Like the castles of the distant past, they have a clear view of anything approaching. Arluin was right about their defensive capabilities. We would never even get close to breaching these walls if we attacked them from the outside.
“So how do we get in?” I ask Manav, unable to find any defect in the impenetrable barrier.
“There’s a secret passage ahead. It leads to a private area inside,” he answers. “Leadership doesn’t know about it.”
It is hard to imagine them not noticing something like this. Then again, there are so many tunnels and passages around here, finding all of them would be nearly impossible. They probably decided the effort was not justified since no enemy would ever be foolish enough to come here. They have been right for a hundred years.
My distracted attention is drawn back to Auden. His breaths have again become labored and shallow. The temporary needle thoracostomy will not keep him alive much longer. I signal Manav to keep going.
He leads us up and around a large boulder before we enter another veiled passage. This tunnel is barely wider than the last. Hadwin, Auden, and I have an extremely difficult time squeezing through. I would never even attempt to go through such a constricting passage under any other circumstances. That may be why it has gone unnoticed for so long.
This tunnel is much longer than the last one. Moving Auden along drains all of my strength. Even though I have been through so many tunnels, this one feels different. The rocks reach out to clamp me in place. It is like Caelum feels us intruding and wants to stop us. Still, I drag myself onward.
When we finally get near the end of the tunnel, the last stretch goes straight up for about eight feet. Manav climbs out first while the rest of us wait to make sure no one is around. When he signals us, we slowly snake our way up.
The tunnel entrance lies at the base of an old tree. We are forced to wriggle around its roots to get out. Hadwin goes up first. After briefly looking around, he calls for Auden. Sayda, Arluin, and I lift him until he is high enough for Hadwin to pull him through. I go up next, wanting to see the area before letting Arluin expose himself.
The cool breeze bites at my skin. A half-moon hangs in the sky, providing just enough light to see. We appear to be in some sort of park with symmetrically arranged trees, grass fields, and flowers all around. Just beyond the edges of the manicured area are multiple buildings lined with frosted glass walls. Lights are on inside, but we cannot see through the opaque glass. That is good, because they probably cannot see us either.
I cannot believe where we are standing. We have made it. This is the inner sanctum of Caelum.
Chapter 24
Satisfied no people are around, I signal for Arluin and Sayda to come out of the tunnel. With everyone on the surface, I turn to Manav. “Where to next?”
“Our quarters are this way.” Manav points away from the tall buildings, to a dark corner near the outer wall.
We hurry across a grassy field. Even with an open and level surface to travel on, Auden struggles. When we reach the end of the field, another wall takes shape through the darkness. This one appears to be a scaled down version of the outer walls, down to the turrets set on top. This barrier seems to isolate this section from the rest of Caelum.
A steel double door marks the entrance within the dividing wall. We stay out of sight while Manav walks to the doors and waves. The entrance cracks open just enough to let an old man out. Manav says something before pointing toward us. The man looks in our direction and motions for us to come over. This must be Wakil’s friend, Dehan. He greets me with a strong handshake along with a subtle grin. Dehan’s white hair and strength in his eyes reminds me a lot of Wakil.
“We must get inside before you’re seen,” he says.
“Auden’s severely injured. If he doesn’t get to an infirmary, he’ll die,” I whisper in Dehan’s ear, not wanting Auden to hear.
Dehan glances over at Auden and then back at me. “That’s not going to be easy.”
“Mom can do it,” Manav says confidently.
“There’s one possibility,” Dehan says, looking over his shoulder to the buildings behind him. “Follow me.”
Except for the open sky above, the walkway has a constricting feel. On this level, there are many glass doors that only reveal darkness inside. Dehan tells us these are the stores and work areas for many of their people. We soon reach a staircase. Like the buildings around, these stairs are made of concrete. We go up three levels before turning onto another walkway overlooking the central path. Even
though the building materials are different, the compact and calculated arrangement is unmistakably similar to Securus’ living quarter arrangements.
Dehan opens the door and rushes us all inside. Manav’s Mother greets us as we pile in. Her hopeful smile turns sour when seeing Auden’s blood-soaked shirt.
“Can you get him to the infirmary?” Manav asks in an optimistic tone.
She narrows her eyes while grasping the end of her long, braided, dark hair. Her head tilts as she studies Auden. “He does look like one of the other former occupants. Give me a few minutes.”
She races out the door. Now that he can rest, Auden’s labored breathing slows down some. In the light, I notice the veins on his neck are once again bulging. He will not survive the night unless he gets a thoracostomy tube soon. Either Manav’s mother finds a way, or we will be forced to watch him die. While we wait, Dehan goes to get a blanket to calm Auden’s shivering. Only I know the trembling does not come from the room’s temperature. It is a response to the blood loss, hypoxia, and pain from his injury.
While waiting for Manav’s mother to return, I scan our surroundings. We need to be prepared if anything unexpected happens. Not much furniture fills the space. They have a dinner table, kitchen, and a separate area containing a couch next to a chair. I walk down the hallway to find the sleeping rooms. Their beds are bigger than ours, but the walls are just as bare. Apparently being promoted to Caelum does not grant as many amenities as we were led to believe.
When the front door opens, I go back to the main room. Manav’s mother has returned with a man who looks like he could be Auden’s older brother.
“Let’s go,” she tells Auden.
Hadwin and I go to help him walk, but she stops us.
“You two can’t go with him,” she explains. “We have to tell them that Auden is Maylen. We need his identification to get in. This won’t work if anything makes them suspicious.”
“What makes you think they won’t notice he isn’t who you say he is?” I ask, worried by the shaky plan. Auden and Maylen could be relatives, but it is not hard to tell they are not the same person.
“They don’t pay much attention to the former occupants unless we cause trouble,” she explains. “Other than that, they only notice us when they need something. Besides, the natives would never believe any occupant could be clever enough to make it into Caelum undetected. Who else could he be?”
Her explanation makes sense in a sad way. Braeden always behaved as though he were better than us, so it is not surprising the rest of Caelum would think the same way.
“Make sure to take that out just before they see him,” I tell her, pointing to the needle thoracostomy sticking out of Auden’s upper chest. “Unless you have a way of explaining it to them.”
She nods her head and helps Auden out the door. Her assistance relieves one problem, but now we must move on to the next. We gather around Dehan to discuss our plan.
“So how are we gonna get the containers we brought?” I ask.
“Tomorrow you three will come with me dressed as laborers,” he says. “Everything has already been taken to a storage room, so retrieving the package should not be much of an issue. Arluin will have to stay here. He’s too young to pass as a laborer.”
Dehan gives us tips on how to blend in with the other laborers. Apparently, the people brought here were never meant to be anything more than maintenance workers for Caelum. In exchange, they are given larger quarters than the ones in the outer colonies and are allowed access to the park we came through during their free time. Other than that, most of their time is dedicated to work. No one complains because these conditions are better than the colonies, and more importantly, those who do complain have a habit of disappearing. Apparently, the only thing accomplished by a transfer to Caelum is exchanging our steel prison for a concrete one with a slightly better view.
As long as we look like we are working, no one should really notice us. The plan sounds easy enough, but we all know how deceiving that could be. Of course, blending in was never the hardest part. Getting to Talia is the real problem. She will be locked away inside their Detention Center. Considering how well they enclose the general laborers from the rest of their population, their Detention Center will undoubtedly be extremely fortified. Then again, despite what I have told the others, my plan was never to go to the Detention Center at all. They would not have gone along with my plan if they knew what it really was. No one needs to know until the time comes. Until then, we will continue with the rest of our preparations.
*
The next morning, I am awakened by music played on a violin. This is quite different from the wretched alert that normally disturbs my sleep. The somber melody somehow mirrors the sadness in my heart. I find the tune oddly fitting to our circumstance. Even if things go well, the ending cannot be happy for everyone.
I watch my brother, who remains asleep next to me. Beside him, Hadwin holds Sayda, keeping her warm. My vision blurs. I should have found another way to do this. They are all innocent in this, and yet here they are, following me into danger when the burden should be my own. The melancholy violin hits a higher tone, waking them up. I turn away and wipe my eyes, not wanting them to see the tears.
While they struggle against the fatigue from our restless night, I walk into the other room and stop at the door. Manav sits in the center of the room playing the violin with his mother and grandfather next to him, listening with their eyes closed. When Dehan realizes I am watching, he waves me over.
Before we move forward, there is something I need to know. “Dehan, why did you agree to help us?”
“It makes you feel, doesn’t it,” he says, pointing to Manav’s instrument. “His music is one of the few perks of being in Caelum. Things like this were never available to us in Securus. Then again, Manav is only allowed to cultivate this skill because the people of Caelum enjoy the music. None of them want to bother with the extensive practice needed to master an instrument, so they have our young learn how to play for their entertainment. Every freedom we are given is carefully chosen to suit Caelum’s needs. In the end, we are not free at all. I have dealt with that inescapable fact my entire life. It is something I do not wish for my daughter and grandson. Masked slavery is still slavery none-the-less.”
A fierce determination underscores his words. He knows the consequences of what we are doing. Like me, he is willing to accept the risk. While we talk, another idea comes to mind. Manav may be able to help Arluin. After hearing my idea, Dehan looks over to Manav’s mother who nods her consent.
By the time the others come to join us, Manav has stopped playing. We are given what little food they can spare. Unfortunately, the only thing they have in abundance is the same bland nutrient mix we depend on in Securus. Even here, Caelum exerts multiple levels of control.
“So what am I supposed to do while you guys are gone?” Arluin asks, annoyed that he cannot come along.
“You and Manav have an assignment of your own,” Dehan says. “That is, unless you’d rather depend on this flavorful delicacy your entire life.”
Arluin perks up for a second, then slumps over. “But I haven’t been able to locate the detoxification protocol. I think it’s on a separate, secured server.”
“Manav will take you through Caelum. He should be able to get you to an area where you have access to their internal computer system,” Dehan says. “Will that help your search?”
“Absolutely!” Arluin stands up, already wanting to go. His over eagerness makes me a little nervous. I hope he tempers his enthusiasm while they are out in Caelum.
After breakfast, we dress in dull black uniforms with no identifying markers or insignias adorning them. The utterly bland uniform must have been deliberately designed. They wanted to make sure the laborers would remain inconspicuous and not intrude on anyone’s attention in Caelum. After dressing as equally bland students, Arluin and Manav leave first. Arluin carries the violin case to hide his Coden. Hopefully no one a
sks him to play the instrument.
Dehan leads us out the door and back down to the main pathway. The walls are as plain and uninteresting as they were in the dark, but at least now there is a blue sky above. Having no ceiling above us actually does make this place feel a lot less oppressive than our underground facilities. When we pass the main door separating the laborer’s quarters from the rest of Caelum, our view changes significantly. My eyes are drawn to the stunningly manicured park with rows of flowers, trees, and other unique plants scattered about. The daylight brings its brilliant colors and patterns to life. They enjoy such frivolous splendor while the best we can hope for in Securus is a few moments within the darkness of The Caves.
We walk through the park, past a central pond, towards an area on the other side that looks a lot like the bunker above Securus. The only difference is, instead of protruding from a grassy hill, the two colossal steel doors are melded with the surrounding concrete.
As we walk, my attention is inevitably drawn back to the main city of Caelum. Over where the park ends, their towering spires begin. The glass buildings all take different shapes, with each one becoming its own individual piece of art. They are magnificent, but they also obstruct the heart of the city from my view. If they allow the laborers to have such a beautiful area, I am more than curious what their living space looks like. What other opulent amenities do they enjoy at our expense?
A group of workers push past us, jarring my concentration back to where we are going. At the base of the large doors, stands a regular sized entry with a Soldier Guard stationed outside. He carefully checks everyone as they enter. His concentration makes my feet a little jittery as we approach. Although this Soldier does not wear the normal masked helmet we are used to seeing, his gun and armor are every bit as intimidating as the others.
The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3) Page 25