The Death Detail (The Securus Trilogy Book 1)

by Anthony Maldonado

  “Thanks, I appreciate that. And I know if your father finds out I broke his restriction order, I’ll pay severely. But this was something I had to do.” I leave it at that, hoping my explanation would be enough for her to understand and keep my secret.

  The compassionate look in her eyes vanishes, being replaced by a vexed annoyance. “Restriction order? When did that happen?”

  “Your father came to see my in the infirmary the morning after we were in The Caves. I appreciated you covering for us, but I told him it was my responsibility to get everyone back on time. After that he gave me the restriction.”

  Talia puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Kagen. I know how much you enjoy time in The Caves. I’ll see if I can get him to remove your restriction.”

  “That may make it worse. I think he was more upset because we endangered you.” I cringe from a spasm in my chest wall.

  Talia notices my discomfort. She turns up her illuminator and gasps when seeing my ragged, blood stained shirt.

  “Kagen, what happened?” Talia hastily looks over me for any more injuries.

  “I’m okay,” I force a smile, wanting to alleviate her worry. “You know me. I’ve always had a special talent for hurting myself. A loose rock fell on me. It may have cracked a rib, but I’ll be fine. It’ll just be sore for a while.”

  My reassurance eases her concern. She even starts laughing. “I remember that,” she says, still giggling. “You used to suffer from vicious sneak attacks by random doors and tables. You always said they had it in for you.”

  The radiance of her smile makes me forget my pain. I cannot help but to laugh with her. Though I would rather stay to continue talking with Talia, I need to get back to the infirmary before my absence is noticed. Cautiously, I rise to my feet.

  “I have to get back soon before anyone starts to wonder where I am. I hate to ask you this, but can we keep my little excursion between us?” I ask sheepishly.

  “You shouldn’t ask something like that, of course I have to report you,” Talia says with an incredulous stare.

  My heart sinks. I already feel the walls of the Detention Center closing around me. Then, when she can no longer hold it, Talia smiles again. How could I have forgotten how mischievous she could be?

  “You had me for a second there,” I say with a playful nudge on her shoulder.

  “It’s time I should go back as well. Take this.” She hands me a small box. The container is a larger version of the ones she used for her samples before, except the clear walls have been covered with a firm black lining. Talia notices me inspecting the curious box.

  “The lining is to keep the light out so I can see if that’s really the cause of the problem,” she explains. “Hold the box up in front of you when we get back. Make sure to stay behind me. That way, no one will see your shirt.”

  “Thanks Talia, I owe you twice now,” I say as we begin our trek to Securus. Her help makes me much more confident in my return now than when I first entered The Caves.

  We emerge from the tunnel system into the main chamber. The secondary Guard has resumed watch. He turns toward us when our motion catches his attention. Talia walks with confident strides and her head held high. I stay behind her, my head angled to the ground, trying to be inconspicuous. The Guard shows no interest in me but does wave at Talia as we pass. She waves back and continues toward the main entrance.

  The primary Guard has changed from when I entered The Caves. This one appears to be even more alert than the previous man. His eyes follow us closely as we near the outer door. Inside, the lounge is now filled with people. There are research workers and additional patrolling Guards scurrying about, all preoccupied with their own tasks.

  “Hello, Talia,” the primary Guard says with a smile as he meets us at the entrance. “Who’s this with you?” He points in my direction but does not bother to look at me.

  “Just another assistant.” Talia looks back at me. “Go put the sample in my lab. If you take too long and ruin another sample I’m going to have you reassigned.”

  My scolding amuses the Guard. After flashing me a satisfied sneer, he returns to his station. Talia gives me a subtle grin. She is also enjoying the ruse at my expense. No one else stops us as we pass through the lounge and enter the stairway. When we are alone, I give Talia back her sample box.

  “Here you go, boss.” I cannot help but to be impressed by her clever improvisation.

  “You go take care of yourself, Kagen,” she replies, pointing to my blood stained shirt.

  We part ways. I am anxious to get back to the infirmary, but it would be better to stop by my quarters first to change back into my work uniform. Since most of the people I pass are busy with their daily duties, no one disturbs me on the way to my quarters. Once inside, a wave of relief overcomes me.

  Even now, while changing in the safety of my own bathroom, I am not sure if I ever really expected to be able to make it to The Caves and back without being caught. Deep down, I think part of my purpose was as a form of penance for failing to save Merrick. Being this close to a safe return gives me new hope. If I can pull this off, maybe there is a legitimate chance for me to actually bring the truth to light. My intentions are beginning to feel more like purpose than punishment.

  Tempering my relief, I leave my quarters and return to the infirmary. The entrance appears exactly as it did this morning. There are no warning signs and no one in the waiting room. I continue in and find Rana in her usual exam room. She looks to be in the middle of one of her appointments. My movement catches her attention. She briefly tilts her head to acknowledge me before returning her attention to her patient. I continue on to my normal exam room.

  Now I can finally evaluate my injury. With little else to distract my thoughts from it, the pain spikes. I remove my shirt to get a better look at my chest wall. The bleeding has nearly stopped. A single, small laceration is the culprit. A quick suturing and that will be done with for good.

  All around the cut is a deep red welt mixed with some dark purple bruising. The discoloration traces an outline of the rock that hit me. My next step is to get an X-ray and an electrocardiogram to make sure there are no internal complications from the injury. Even if the initial signs look good, these types of blows can collapse a lung, either fully or partially, as well as cause bruising to the heart itself. With the degree of pain in my chest, anything is possible.

  I set up our portable X-ray machine. It has a fully maneuverable chair for me to sit on, along with a mechanical X-ray arm capable of finely adjusting its position for any angle needed. When the position is correct, I activate the machine. An automated lead barrier rises, sealing me inside until the X-ray is taken. This function typically protects the Healers from the radiation when we are caring for others. Now the barrier only annoys me because it moves too slowly. When the X-ray image comes up on my computer, the result pleases me. There is only a small crack in the rib and no other visible damage. Adding to my good fortune was a normal electrocardiogram.

  Satisfied no significant damage has been done, I tend to my laceration. After applying a numbing salve, I clean the wound thoroughly. Lying on the ground rubbed dirt into the wound. Every bit needs to be removed to prevent an infection. The position of the cut is awkward for me to manually repair, so I use the automated suture device. The spider legs of the device grip the skin of my chest and squeeze the wound together. From the body of the machine another arm appears with delicate articulations for suturing. The movements look like the device is spinning a web as it quickly repairs my wound. I secure a bandage over the laceration and redress in my uniform.

  “Rougher trip than you planned?” Rana’s voice startles me.

  “Yeah, a falling rock fractured a rib and gave me a small lac. How did you hold up without me? I hope the place didn’t fall apart.” I give her a reassuring smile.

  “Oh, it was horrible, but somehow I managed,” she says sarcastically.

  “Did anyone notice my absence?” I ask.

/>   “No, it was a rather slow day. We had a few urgent cases, but no unexpected visitors. I did notice a Leadership member lingering outside of the waiting room though.” Rana walks toward me and sits down to look me in the eye. “Did you find the answers you were looking for?”

  “I found answers, but not to all of my questions,” I reply honestly. “Don’t worry though, I’ll be very careful from here on out. Sorry I involved you in this. I promise not to do that again.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about,” she counters.

  She gets up and heads for the door. There will likely be another scheduled patient already waiting for her. When she reaches the doorway, I call out to tell her, “Oh, by the way, I was saved again by a friend that I recently reconnected with.”

  Rana’s smile tells me she knows exactly who I meant. After she leaves, my worry returns. No one came in, but why was a Leadership member hanging out in the waiting room?

  Chapter 10

  The physical and mental exhaustion from the excursion hits me. Alone in my exam room, I lean back in my chair, struggling to keep my eyes open. The task is even more difficult since it has been an unusually quiet day in the infirmary. The weight of my eyes is too much. I abandon my resistance and drift off to sleep.

  I am back in The Caves, following Merrick through a long twisted passage. He runs too fast for me to keep up. I yell out for him to stop, but he does not hear me. The light from my illuminator fades, obscuring the path ahead. Determined, I push ahead, sprinting toward the disappearing shadow of my friend. The ground shakes, but my legs keep moving, unable to stop until catching Merrick. The intensity of the earthquake increases. I ignore it and sprint even faster. Suddenly, the ground comes alive with the rocks reaching out to stop me. My foot gets caught, knocking me over. I struggle to get up but the ground is too unstable. My feet sink into the fluid rocks below, becoming anchored within them. My light rapidly fades until it is extinguished, leaving me in utter darkness. Panic grips me.

  In the distance, there is a break in the darkness. A single light moves toward me. I hear Merrick’s voice calling out to me from behind the light, urging me forward. A sparkling glow peaks through cracks of the moving floor. Just as Merrick is in sight, a cage of solid rock erupts from the floor and surrounds me. I look back for Merrick, but he is gone. In his place stands a massive soldier with his weapon trained on me, taunting me to try to escape. The sound of his voice morphs from a low growl to a distinctively familiar tone. He removes his visor to reveal his face.

  The soldier is Mr. Vaden.

  “Kagen!” an unseen voice shouts to me, “Kagen!” The cage disappears. Bright lights wash out the dream as I awaken in my exam room. I shake myself from the fog of my dream, focusing on the figure in front of me. Judging by the look on his face, he is amused.

  “Nice to see you’re keeping yourself busy, Kagen,” Aamon laughs.

  “It’s been a really slow day,” I tell him while straightening myself in my chair. Interestingly, Aamon did not trigger the patient chime to warn me he was coming as Mr. Vaden had. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and notice the new trim on his uniform. The burnt orange has been changed to a dark gold, signifying a higher ranking. I wonder if the change is related to whatever happened in The Caves. “I see you’re doing well with Leadership.”

  “It’s a well-earned promotion,” he says, dusting a small piece of lint from his uniform.

  “I’m glad you stopped by, Aamon. I wanted to thank you for volunteering to lead the search party back to Merrick.” I am careful to be kind, hoping to get further by appealing to his ego than by challenging it.

  “I only wish we could have gotten there in time,” he replies with a shrug.

  “What did happen when you found him?” I ask.

  “Nothing eventful. By the time we reached the collapse, the aftershocks had already stopped. At that point, it was simply a matter of getting enough manpower to move the boulders that had fallen on him and bring his body back. We made it out there and back rather quickly, considering the task. I assure you we did everything we could, but it was too late.” As he replies, Aamon takes a seat next to me.

  “Well, thanks for trying. That means a lot to me,” I tell him. Aamon is being unusually kind. The uncharacteristic behavior is unsettling. He must be up to something. His lies combined with the timely new promotion tell me he is definitely involved in the cover up. “I’m sure a busy man like you did not come all the way to the infirmary without a purpose. What can I do for you, Aamon?”

  “Ah, straight to the point then.” As he leans back in his chair, the overly kind appearance he had shifts into a foreboding confidence. “As you know, the events of that night in The Caves have caught the attention of Mr. Vaden as well as others in Leadership. There has been much discussion about the leniency we have showed in enforcing certain policies. The rash of tardiness in The Caves was noted as a particular focal point. We feel for the safety of our people that leniency must end. Especially since Mr. Vaden specifically warned the workers of the dangers in The Caves that very morning during the announcements. We decided the best way to show the sincerity of our intentions is to make an example of someone. Unfortunately, you are that someone.”

  “I’m sure you’re devastated by having to bring me that news. I guess we can’t have the terrible rebel who dared to try to have some fun with his friends go unpunished. That would make Leadership look bad. Don’t you agree, Aamon,” I sarcastically sympathize with him, no longer seeing any point in playing nice.

  “I understand you’ve been through a lot, so I’ll let that one slide, Kagen. But the fact remains, your punishment will not be limited to the restriction from The Caves. I’ve been sent to inform you that you’ll be serving on the Solar Panel maintenance detail for the next two maintenance cycles. Failure to comply with either the restriction from The Caves or your Solar Panel duties will result in an indefinite invitation to the Detention Center.” I get the feeling from the smug look on Aamon’s face as he speaks that he enjoys this.

  “I accept that. But tell me, why does Leadership feel so strongly about this? Seems like a simple general warning would have been sufficient.” I struggle to conceal my surprise at the unusually harsh punishment. I do not want Aamon to get any more pleasure out of my responses.

  “It’s merely an accumulation of many things combined with patterns of behavior.” Aamon gets up to leave, but before he does he asks, “Oh, by the way, am I mistaken or did I see you headed to the lower levels in a much different uniform than the one you’re wearing now?”

  “I had to go to my quarters to change because of a chemical spill on my uniform. Would you like to examine my dirty clothes as well, Aamon?” I offer him.

  “That will not be necessary. I’m sure you’ll be very mindful of the rules as well as Mr. Vaden’s concern for Talia. I advise you to take special care not to cause any further hardship to Leadership. It would be a shame if we had to extend your punishment to your friends as well,” he says while walking out the door, leaving me no chance to respond.

  Leadership may be suspicious of what I know or have seen, but they do not yet know about my most recent activity. However, they are clearly perturbed by the events in The Caves. The Solar Panel maintenance detail assignment is a worrisome and drastic change. The assignment is an exceedingly dangerous task, so much so that as kids we used to refer to it as the Death Detail. Being hand-picked for the detail is quite rare. Even worse, I have never heard of anyone being assigned to two cycles. Still, I prefer to take my chances in the poisonous atmosphere than spend a single minute in the Detention Center.

  Aside from the added punishment, I find his concern for Talia humorous, and can only imagine her annoyance with his attention. The thing bothering me the most about all of this is the mention of my friends. I do not want anyone else to suffer because of my actions. I need to be mindful of that while planning what to do next.

  *

  When my shift is over, I rush out the door and d
own the stairs. I have wanted to tell Hadwin and Sayda the truth since Merrick was killed, but they were not ready to hear me out. Now that they are being threatened by Aamon, it cannot wait any longer. Hadwin, Sayda, and I all have different assigned halls for dinner, so there is only enough time to find one of them before my absence would be noticed in my own hall. Considering the two options, I decide to speak with Hadwin. Getting through to him is much more likely than with Sayda. She is way too angry now to really hear what I have to say.

  There are no security checks to enter the hall, only to get to the food, so I maneuver through the maze of people in search of Hadwin. Unfamiliar faces fill the room. Despite being such a small population, our segmented facility often leads to groups of people being relatively isolated from one another. I find Hadwin walking back from the food dispersal area, on his way to meet his family for dinner.

  “Hadwin, I need to speak with you,” I call out to him. The sound of my voice startles him. He turns toward me, obviously surprised.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here, Kagen,” he says. Absent are any signs of the cheerful friend that usually greets me.

  “I need a couple minutes of your time, but we need to be alone. It’s really important,” I plead.

  His eyebrows rise with a trace of curiosity breaking up his hesitation. “Okay, let me set my food down first.”

  I watch as Hadwin makes his way to his family’s table, where his parents patiently wait for him. He sets his tray down and tells them something while pointing in my direction. His father waves him off, and he comes back to meet me. As he walks, his exterior shifts back to the serious demeanor he had when he first noticed me.

  “Okay, Kagen, let’s go.” Hadwin heads to the hallway without stopping to check if I am following.

  A tense silence fills the air between us as we walk. We exit the hall and turn the corner. There are less people out here, but the area is not private enough. Hadwin sees my hesitation and continues further down the hallway to a small maintenance room. After he keys in his entry code the locks release, allowing us inside. I sweep the room to make sure there are no cameras or other potentially intrusive devices of Leadership. It appears to be safe, so I turn to Hadwin, who watches me expectantly. I am not sure where to start. How can I really put into words everything that has happened?