“People of Securus, before you stands Talia Vaden, Arluin Meldon, and Sayda White. You’ve all heard what she has to say. What is your answer?”
With her question, the crowd erupts. The force of the cheers nearly nocks us over. There are no angry scowls or demands for change. The only thing we see is pure joy. After the initial burst, the representative activates the remote control, showing Kagen’s image on the screen. When seeing him, the thundering cheers grow even louder. The tribute overwhelms me.
For the rest of the night, the three of us stay in the same place as person after person comes to thank us and to express their trust in my Leadership. Our celebration contains a mix of joy and sadness as many mourn the loss of Kagen as well as the others who were unable to escape The Agent. So many of the people come to tell me personal stories about Kagen, or speak of the hope he brought to them. Knowing he was appreciated and will be remembered gives me strength.
I may not know what the future holds, but I will always strive to be the person he saw me as. He may be gone, but the legacy of his heroism will continue on.
*
I sit next to the driver of my transport, staring into the tunnel ahead. It has been one week since my return to Securus. In that time, a lot of progress has been made. We sanitized the lower levels of Securus, removing all traces of The Agent inside the facility once and for all. Our researchers have been monitoring the winds and testing for any signs of The Agent spreading. Despite the winds blowing away from us, the deadly bio-weapon has nearly reached our area. Unfortunately, that means we will be stuck in Securus for one more year until The Agent self-destructs. When that day comes, we will be ready to build on the surface.
Manav and his family were well received, but not all of the laborers were welcomed. Our people have not forgotten their history of supporting Caelum’s rule. Some of them were left to the forest to survive on their own. Considering their entitled and pampered past, I doubt any of them will survive out there. Even if they manage to outrun The Agent, they will likely succumb to hunger, dehydration, or the viscous predators stalking the woods.
The cure for the poison-induced Pellagra has been reproduced and distributed. So far, no ill effects have been noticed. Rana and Cordella have both taken Kagen’s loss hard, but helping with our expansion planning and sharing with each other has helped them tremendously.
Arluin has a lot of Kagen’s determination in him, even though that does not make him feel any better right now. He has thrown himself head first into his work with salvaging everything we can from Caelum. I decided we will take what we can from that place and leave the rest to rot. Caelum’s wretched history will always cast a shadow over its architectural beauty.
Sayda no longer works in the Research Department. Instead, she has agreed to become one of my top advisors, along with Cyrina. She does not talk much, but the fierce will she has always possessed remains present beneath her somber exterior. What we are about to do may go a long way to bringing her fire to the surface, especially judging by the way she demanded to come along on this trip.
Today we will fulfil Kagen’s last request. I look back to Sayda. She stands in front of a large contingency of our Guards who are all dressed in salvaged Soldier Guard armor. Sayda appears too anxious to sit down, even if there is little room in this cramped transport.
As we near Munitus, I move to the back to join her. When the transport door opens, we both step out, leaving the Guards inside. We are the only two not covered in armor, partly because the ones we found do not fit us well, but also because it simply feels more appropriate this way. Two people wait for us in the loading station, both of whom are now known to me.
“Nice to finally meet you in person,” I say while moving forward to greet Rylan and Bynah. They ignore my extended hand, giving me enthusiastic hugs instead.
“I hope you brought some help because Tauren will be here soon,” Bynah warns.
“He won’t be a problem,” Sayda answers.
As if he were listening and waiting for the moment, Tauren bursts through the outer door with a sinister grin directed toward Bynah and Rylan. “I knew you two were up to something. Now you’re mine.”
A handful of his Guards pile in the room and get in formation behind him. Tauren thinks he is in control, but like that bastard Braeden, he will not like the surprise to come.
“Your masters in Caelum are dead. I’m here to liberate the people of Munitus. You have one chance to give up now without being harmed,” I tell him in an intentionally condescending tone.
“Really?” he asks with amusement. “I’d love to see how you think you’re gonna accomplish that.”
“You should be careful what you ask for,” Sayda says before turning to shout. “Take the room!”
On her signal, our Guards march out of the transport and aim their assault rifles. Even without the superior armor and weaponry, we easily outnumber Tauren’s men. They freeze in place from disbelief. Knowing they have no chance to overpower us and no backup from any Soldier Guards, his men immediately surrender, much to his displeasure.
“You’re coming with us,” I tell him as Rylan and Bynah lead us into Munitus.
“Not a chance,” Tauren says, firming his stance to resist.
With his refusal, Sayda signals the Guards to convince him. Two of them advance on Tauren. As soon as they get close, he attacks. Our Guards were not expecting him to actually resist and are not quick enough to defend themselves. The first one is dropped to the floor by a viscous blow to the head. The second follows from a kick that takes out his legs.
Sayda gets Tauren’s attention by bashing the side of his head with a rifle our Guard dropped. The blow does not hurt the oversized Guard, but it distracts him long enough for me to move in and punch Tauren in the flank. Electricity from the glowing metallic glove on my hand courses through him, instantly collapsing the brute. The weapon I took from the Patron works perfectly. With the massive man convulsing on the ground, our Guards pile on to restrain him.
“You were saying,” Sayda mocks Tauren as he lays unconscious on the ground.
A pair of my Guards carries him while we march into the heart of Munitus. As soon as their people see us, they run away. Once we reach the Leadership floor, we encounter only weak resistance. With a simple display of power from our Guards, their men disperse.
We enter a hallway eerily similar to my own, down to the colors, cushioned floor, and artwork lining the path. Mr. Breck waits inside. He attempts to conceal his concern, but the twitch in the corner of his eye gives him away.
“We need to have a little discussion,” I tell him while motioning for the Guards to put Tauren in Mr. Breck’s office.
“So this is why Caelum has been unreachable for the last week? Has the Controller sent you to punish us for not catching that intruder?” he asks while following me and Sayda into the office.
“You misunderstand,” I say, now sitting in his chair.
On the wall behind me hangs the old Leadership symbol. It does not last long because as soon as Sayda gets close enough, she tears it down. As we settle in, Tauren begins to awaken. He struggles against his restraints.
“Unless you want to go to sleep again, I suggest you sit still,” I snap at him before turning my icy stare back to Mr. Breck. “My name is Talia Vaden.”
His jaw drops. He knows who I am.
“Why are you here?” he asks nervously. “If the Controller finds out, he’ll kill us all.”
“Do you remember that intruder you spoke of?” I ask. Before he can reply, I continue. “His name was Kagen Meldon. He wanted me to say hello before I remove you from power.”
“You’ve gone mad,” Mr. Breck says with his eyes darting all around, searching in vain for a way out of this.
Rylan and Bynah join us in the room with Auden following closely behind. “The Guards have secured the floor. No one can interfere,” Rylan announces.
“Good,” I reply and then lean over the desk toward Mr. Breck. “And yo
u don’t have to worry about the Controller, or even the Patron of Leadership for that matter. They’re both dead, along with the rest of Caelum.”
“You lie!” Tauren shouts.
Mr. Breck only slumps in his chair. I suspect he can see the sincerity in my eyes and knows this will not end well for him.
“We’ll give you the same chance we gave the few survivors of Caelum,” Sayda tells him with a foreboding tone in her voice. “For your sake, I hope you and the oaf here are fast enough to outrun the wolves.”
Their only response is to stare at us blankly, unable to fully process what has happened. I stand up and turn to Rylan. “I believe you have an announcement to make.”
“We don’t know how to thank you,” he says.
“You don’t have to. This is the start of a new life for all of us,” I tell him. “Just make sure to remember the sacrifices made to give us this opportunity. Let’s not waste it.”
We leave Rylan, Bynah, and Auden to tell their people the truth. I figure hearing the message from one of their own would be better than from an outsider. Otherwise they may worry we intend to take over. In time, they will be useful allies, especially with their food generating capabilities.
We leave a few of our Guards in Munitus to assist while we return to Securus. There was something about dethroning Mr. Breck in Kagen’s name that somehow begins to ease the pain in my broken heart. Still, the void left by what Caelum has taken from me is too large to ever be fully healed. Even so, I will move on. That is what Kagen would have wanted. That is the choice my father was so proud of in his last moments. We will all move forward and make them both proud.
*
It has been a little over a year since Caelum was destroyed. After Castellum was liberated, we formed a new council made up of the Leaders from all three colonies. They have each adopted Kagen’s symbol as our new insignia. The council agreed with my initial decision on Caelum. Even though it was luxurious, none of us ever want to colonize the city left behind in Caelum. So instead, we have torn it down, piece by piece. Our people now interact frequently without any regulation or control by Leadership. We are only here to help lead our people to where they want to go, not to decide where that is for them.
Arluin has been working with the other colonies, updating and connecting our communication systems. Now that we have finally started building on the surface, he has returned to help. Sayda has also spent more of her time in the other colonies. Despite her best efforts to keep her heart closed, I sometimes see a glimmer of love returning to Sayda. I know Hadwin would like that. Both Kagen and Hadwin would want us both to be happy, no matter what that means. When Sayda is ready, there is already someone in Munitus waiting for her.
Despite the time passed, I miss Kagen terribly. The worst part of each day is waking up without him beside me. But even though he is gone, when I close my eyes, it feels as if he were here with me. I feel the love we had. That is enough to help me continue on.
Our people have not forgotten Kagen or what he did for us. Our future may be uncertain, but the exciting possibilities are all part of what he created. We are no longer slaves to egotistical and immoral overlords. Kagen often spoke of how we needed hope for our future. Now, more than ever, our people have reason to believe. That is because of him. He always believed I was the hope of Securus, but he was wrong. Kagen’s determination and sacrifice are what has filled our people with hope and wonder. The promise our new lives hold will be his legacy. Just like Securus, his legend will endure. Knowing that warms my heart.
Caelum once used deceit and tyranny to enforce their enduring power. What they never understood is the human spirit can never truly be enslaved. Kagen’s legacy and the memory of his love are the true enduring power that will give me the strength to lead our people through whatever path our new lives will follow.
The End
About The Author
Anthony Maldonado was born in southern California on August 18, 1979. He earned a degree in biomedical sciences from University of California, Riverside in 2001 as well as a MD from UCLA's school of medicine in 2004. He then went on to complete his internship and residency in Emergency Medicine, in which he currently practices. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife, Bernice.
Aside from writing, Anthony enjoys running, hiking, and dabbles in a bit of woodworking in his garage. He is fully in touch with his inner (really outer) nerd and enjoys video/computer games as well a range of entertaining movies and cartoons.
The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3) Page 33