After going back up the stairs, I take the laborer path leading toward the Leadership Palace, wanting to avoid as many of these sickening people as possible. My walk back feels easier than before. The more of the boxes and Persuaders we get in place, the more of a fighting chance we have. My optimism steadily builds as I near the Palace and Seat of Leadership. Maybe we really can pull this off.
As soon as the constricting path opens up, a flash of movement on the edge of the park destroys my fragile hope. For an instant, my vision blurs as my eyes refuse to believe what they see. Two guys are running from a third in a panic. Even if Manav and Arluin are able to outrun Malin, where could they go? Now that he is after them, he will never give up his search, no matter where they hide.
Arluin splits off from Manav, running toward the glass towers. Manav keeps going straight toward his living area, clutching some sort of vial in his hand. I can only watch, hoping Malin chooses to chase Manav. I do not want either of them caught, but since he knows this place, Manav is the only one with any chance of escaping. My breath is knocked from me when Malin instead chooses to chase after Arluin.
Despite his size, Malin is faster than Arluin. As they run through the park, he closes in on my brother. Just like when the mountain lions hunted down Nyree, the scene before me seems to move in slow motion. My own brother is about to be captured by another vicious predator. His death will be completely my fault. Since they are too far away for me to catch them, there is only one other thing I can do. This will put my entire plan in jeopardy, but I refuse to watch Arluin die.
“Malin!” I shout at the top of my lungs while running out into the park after him.
He does not hear me, or ignores me if he does. Getting his attention is the only way Arluin will ever get to safety. My bag has been emptied of all the modified Persuaders, but one of the normal ones remains. That is all I need. After activating it, I throw the cylinder as far into the park as my arm will allow. This one was meant to be a backup for self-defense, so there is no danger of them discovering we have brought The Agent into their city.
The explosion does not stop Malin, but it does get his attention. He looks over his shoulder while continuing his chase of Arluin. The moment our eyes meet, Malin’s feet stop and his determined scowl turns to surprise. He may not know who he was chasing, but he definitely recognizes me. Now that he sees me, running away would be pointless. Everyone in Caelum would soon know my face, leaving me no chance for escape or anonymity.
Malin charges me, yelling for the natives around to block my escape. With the blast of my Persuader combined with Malin’s instructions, none of them go after Arluin. Instead of helping, they all stay in place, watching to see what happens next. When I sprint forward to meet Malin’s challenge, the revolting people of Caelum cheer in anticipation of the coming fight.
As we bear down on each other, I realize too late that accepting his challenge was a bad idea. Malin is considerably larger than me, and when we collide, I feel the crushing effect of his size. My vision immediately goes dark and my body collapses to the ground. I see nothing. The cheers from the natives grow when a vicious kick to my abdomen robs me of my breath. My head bounces off the ground from his follow up kick. When he stops kicking me, a pair of malevolent eyes pierces the shroud blurring my sight. Malin now hovers over me, waiting for me to recover.
“Oh, this is my lucky day, Kagen.” Malin sounds so excited he nearly sings his words. “I finally get to kill you. Right after we make you tell us how you got here and what you’re up to.”
“I’m just sightseeing,” I manage to say through a pained grunt. “Since I was here, I thought it would be fun to say hello.”
“You wouldn’t have anything to do with those kids running from the Research Department, would you?” he asks, already making the connection.
“What kids?” I reply.
“Oh, play dumb all you like,” Malin growls before leaning down to whisper in my ear. “But we have ways to make you talk. There’s nowhere for them to hide. We’ll catch them both. I’ll make sure you watch them die before you do.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but only if Braeden and the Patron of Leadership are present.” I make sure to look him in the eye so he can see my sincerity.
As Malin pulls me to my feet, a group of Soldier Guards emerge from the Leadership Palace and break into two groups to go after Arluin and Manav. Thankfully, those two have a good head start. With that and the lack of internal security, hopefully they will be able to evade the Soldier Guards long enough for me to finish what needs to be done.
Malin places me in handcuffs and then grabs the back of my neck. He jerks me around, making me watch the Soldier Guards.
“You might want to see this,” he tells me.
The group going after Manav has already disappeared from view, while the ones going after Arluin near the glass towers. After only a couple of minutes, they reemerge on the other side, chasing Arluin. I struggle to turn away, but Malin keeps his grip firm.
“Why do I care what your bored teenagers are up to?” I say, pretending to be uninterested in the outcome.
He only squeezes tighter in response. Arluin cannot keep up his pace for long. My breaths become rapid and shallow from panic. They are going to catch him. Suddenly, another person shoves her way past the gawking natives, running past Arluin toward the Soldiers. Seeing her as no threat, they ignore the relatively smaller blonde woman, and continue after Arluin. They do not realize their mistake until the Persuader Sayda throws lands at their feet.
The explosion sends the group of Soldier Guards flailing in different directions. Only one of the Soldiers was fast enough to escape the blast radius. He picks himself from the ground and chases after both Arluin and Sayda. Seeing another bomb activated makes the curious natives lose their nerve. They scatter, seeking refuge in their glass towers. Their hurried movement creates a chaotic mix of people.
Malin’s breathing increases with the last Soldier’s chase, as if he were the one running. The Soldier is fast. He quickly closes in on Sayda. Just as he is about to tackle her, Hadwin appears with a pistol in hand. With Sayda in danger, Hadwin does not hesitate. Since he was not wearing a helmet, the Soldier had no chance. Now that they are no longer being chased, my friends pause long enough to see Malin holding me across the park. They are close enough to see me, but far enough that Malin would never be able to run them down himself.
“They’re not getting away,” Malin says as he throws me to the ground.
More Soldier Guards have arrived to assist. One of them plants his foot onto the back of my neck, restricting my blood flow so much, my head feels ready to explode. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my brother and friends turn to run away. Somehow, Manav has found a way back to them. He waves the group over, leading them to safety.
Malin steps forward, taking one of the Soldier’s assault rifles. He drops to one knee, taking careful aim as my friends run to safety. Before they reach cover, he fires. The deadly beam bolts across the park. From under the boot of the heavy Soldier, I see the shot hit its mark.
“No!” I hear myself yell out as Hadwin falls to the ground.
Seeing him fall, Sayda stops. When she tries to go back for Hadwin, Arluin and Manav rip her away. There is only one reason Arluin would do that, and only one reason Sayda would allow it. I close my eyes, not wanting to see the truth. Hadwin must be dead.
“Oh, so you knew him after all,” Malin says, taunting me after he hears my scream.
A burning rage forces my eyes open. They lock onto Malin, who watches me with amusement. “His name was Hadwin. Before this is done, I’ll brand his name onto your corpse,” I snarl at him.
I need to make him pay. Since Hadwin and Sayda returned, they should have already set up the poison boxes and Persuaders. This may be my only chance to activate them. Malin will undoubtedly search me and take away my remote control. Even worse, Hadwin was the only one with a spare. Even if Malin survives, a
t least I will get to see his reaction as his city dies around him. Even my rage does not stop me from thinking of Talia. Since we did not put any of the devices in the air filtration systems feeding the Detention Center, she should be safe. I may have failed Hadwin by letting this happen, but I can still get revenge for him.
I strain to reach the detonator in my pocket. Malin spouts orders to the Soldiers, setting up their search parameters to go after the rest of my friends, keeping him from seeing my struggle. My fingertips brush against the top of the detonator, but every time I clamp down, it slips. In a desperate effort to reach further, I twist and contort my upper body. The movement works, allowing me to inch the detonator out of my pocket.
My thumb reaches for the button. Wanting to watch Malin’s face when he realizes Caelum’s fate, I look back up, only to see a fist flying straight at me. The force of the punch again makes my head bounce off the ground. I cling to consciousness as the remote tumbles from my grip. My arms flail around behind me, searching for the detonator. I cannot let him get his hands on it. When my hands reach out, they only grasp more and more grass.
“What’s this?” Malin asks, holding the detonator in front of me.
My eyes close tightly. I waited too long. Now Malin holds the only bit of leverage we had. We are completely at their mercy, and that is the one thing Caelum has a short supply of. My failure has doomed all of my friends. They have been led into the darkness, following my futile attempt at freedom. All of Securus will soon follow.
I’m sorry Talia, the regret plays in my mind before another blow from Malin turns my world dark.
Chapter 27
My eyes open. The only thing visible is a blank steel wall in front of me and the warm lights above. My head feels groggy from the repeated blows, making me question what really happened. For a second, I almost believe this is Securus, until a voice calls out to me, reminding of where I really am.
“Welcome back, princess,” Malin says.
This could be their Detention Center, though the lack of interrogation tools leaves me uncertain. Malin grabs me by the chin, forcefully turning my head toward him. He holds up the detonator in front of me.
“What is this?” he demands. “Some kind of weapon?”
“Push the button and find out, unless you’re as big a coward as the other Soldier Guards I’ve killed,” I say, wanting to anger him enough that he might actually do it.
“The men you killed. You mean like that little fella I shot in the park?” he says, shoving my head to the side as he gets up. “You give yourself too much credit. You aren’t clever enough to trick me into doing something I haven’t already decided to do.”
Malin turns away. He walks over to the wall holding his hand to his ear, listening to something. He must have one of the communicators Ulan was wearing when he came to Securus. While he has his back turned, my mind and eyes race about, searching for any way out of this situation. At the moment, Sayda and Arluin are most likely safe. If they were captured, Malin would have already taunted me with that as well. Even if they are safe, Hadwin is not. The reminder halts my racing thoughts. Of all those we have lost, his death hurts me the most. He was my best friend. His jokes and inner strength always helped me through difficult times. I will never again hear him embarrass me in the dinner halls or be able to repay the caring friend who always put others first. Hadwin died saving my brother and Sayda. He is truly a hero. Only, no one will be left to remember his sacrifice.
Ever since I began this foolish quest, we have been surrounded by nothing but death and suffering. At first, I refused to even consider the possibility that Wakil and Mr. Vaden were right. Now I finally understand there was never any real hope of escape. My pride and stubborn determination kept me from recognizing the truth. Because of that, the last moments of my life are to be spent here mourning the death of yet another friend along with the inevitable loss of everyone else I care for. This overwhelming guilt makes me feel as if my death cannot come soon enough. At least then I will pay for my mistakes.
Along with my guilt comes a new wave of anger. I am not the only one worthy of blame. If my hand had not been continuingly forced by Aamon, Eyra, and all those so willing to be slaves, maybe this would have turned out differently. They are equally responsible for the tragic deaths I have been forced to witness. My heart no longer has the strength nor will to mourn for the rest of Securus. I have bled so much, there is nothing left to spill.
“Yes sir, a lockdown would be the most prudent course,” Malin says, obviously speaking to someone who outranks him. “No, he hasn’t given any useful information, but we haven’t fully motivated him yet.”
As he listens, Malin’s hand forms a tightly clenched fist. When the voice in his ear stops, he turns and glares at me. Judging by the anger in his eyes, he clearly wants to kill me now. That is fine with me. We might as well get it over with.
“Your presence is requested in the Leadership Palace,” Malin informs me, obviously upset he cannot continue with motivating me to talk.
“That’s right, do what your masters command of you,” I sneer at him. “You know, you’re every bit a slave as the people in Securus.”
“Maybe you’re right,” he responds with a wicked smile. “Then again, they’ll soon be dead, while I’ll continue keeping the others in line. Now get up.”
He puts the detonator in his pocket and grabs me by the arm, pushing me out the door. In the hallway stands another man, barely held upright by another Soldier Guard. His white hair and whiskers have turned red from his own blood while his eyes are barely visible through the swelling. Apparently Dehan has had a dose of Malin’s motivation.
There are only two possibilities on how he was captured. Either he was discovered while placing the poison box or someone recognized Manav as his grandson. He looks at me with sorrow in his eyes. I want to tell him Manav is safe, but my assurances would be pointless. The only thing with the power to save the others is neatly tucked away in Malin’s pocket.
We are led down a narrow, poorly lit hallway. The walkway feels even more constricting than the ones I am used to. At the end of the corridor waits an elevator. We are shoved inside and forced against the wall as the door closes behind us. The elevator moves upward with much more speed than the ones at home. Only a couple seconds pass before we stop. The short trip is weird, especially since we are supposed to be going to the Leadership Palace. From the records Arluin and Seonah found, the main Detention Center is deep within their old subterranean facility. Even with a faster elevator, we could not have made it from the bottom level to the top that fast. Maybe Malin has other plans.
The elevator doors opens, revealing completely unexpected surroundings. Instead of more dark hallways, we walk into a bright, open room. We were underneath the Palace. The schematics of this place did not show this addition. Realizing this makes me thankful I did not set off the detonator, because if Talia is being held down there instead of the Detention Center, I would have killed her myself. In a way, knowing I was directly responsible for her death would be even worse than what has happened.
Off to the far left, sunlight shines in from between the massive columns lining the entrance of this place. To the right stands a single man basking in the light while waiting for us at the entrance of a hallway. He wears a sinister smile that is completely hollow, just like the man behind it. With an average height and build combined with overly dark hair and eyes, he looks nothing like the majority of the people in Caelum. Despite that, Ulan has managed to gain some level of power. Seeing how brutal the people of Caelum can be makes me even more wary of him than before. He is obviously here to escort me to the Controller.
Not wanting to look at the revolting man, my eyes go upward to the multicolored skylight composing a third of the ceiling. The vibrant combinations look more like a painting than a window. As the sunlight comes through the skylight, the colors break up and permeate the room, making it feel like we are being bathed in the art. Malin shoves his gun in my back,
pushing me forward through the shifting tones of light. If my plan had worked, this light would be the last thing to purify me on my way to end the tyranny of this place. Instead, Caelum itself taunts me with its beauty. The walls of this place promise life, though they are also the source of power keeping us hidden away as slaves in the colonies.
“Kagen,” Ulan says in his usual, overly cheerful and accented voice. “I was so hoping you would’ve taken our message seriously when we visited you in Securus. It’s quite an inconvenience to have you here in Caelum.”
“Then give me Talia, and I’ll be on my way,” I tell him, putting on a show of defiance even though I am broken inside.
“And, Dehan, we’re even more disappointed in you,” he says. “After everything we’ve given you, this is how you repay us?”
Dehan does not answer. I am not even sure he could if he wanted to since his jaw appears as broken as the rest of his face.
“You do know Manav got away, right?” I whisper to him, offering one last shred of hope before they kill us both. He deserves at least that much.
We are marched down the hallway, following Ulan. He has no fear in turning his back to us. If my hands were not bound, I would pounce on him now, but unfortunately Malin has too tight a grip on me. Facing my imminent death leaves only one more objective. If they refuse to spare Talia, I intend to find a way to kill at least one more of them before they silence me forever.
After passing many oversized doors, we finally reach a secure entrance with a Soldier Guard stationed on each side. The high-arching double doors are carved out of wood with an intricate mural in the center of each of them. One has a map showing the locations of the colonies and of course, Caelum itself. The other has a few chiseled faces up top along with Caelum’s Leadership symbol beneath it.
The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3) Page 28