The Death Detail (The Securus Trilogy Book 1)

by Anthony Maldonado

  Chapter 23

  After breakfast, we make our way back into the changing room. Switching bio-suits again is easier than expected since everyone else remains preoccupied with their own preparations. When we are nearly ready, Aamon reappears.

  “It’s time for today’s assignments. Your main task will be maintenance and repair of the underground electric transmission lines. We’ll keep the same teams and field sections as yesterday. When you’re out there, we’ll help guide you to the locations of the specific lines requiring service. Kagen and Nyree, you have the added task of fixing the security fence. I suggest you work efficiently because you all have a lot of work to do today. Are there any questions? No? Then get to work,” Aamon instructs.

  “What? You’re not gonna tell us to be safe and productive today?” I ask, mocking his speech from yesterday.

  He does not respond to my comment but does give me what he seems to think is a menacing stare. I have decided to do everything possible to keep him off balance. He does not think as clearly when agitated, plus seeing him flustered amuses me. Aamon stomps out of the room while we turn toward the exit to start the day.

  Before reaching the decontamination chamber, my movement is interrupted by an unexpected tug on my arm. I instinctively jerk back and swing around to get in a position to defend myself from the attacker. Talia nearly falls down from the force of my harsh turn.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Talia. I didn’t know it was you. I’ve been a little jumpy up here,” I explain, checking to make sure she is okay.

  “It’s no big deal, at least I know you’re being watchful,” she reassures me.

  “What’re you doing in here?” I ask.

  “It’s my only chance to see you. My father took what happened even worse than I thought he would. He’s getting ready for the morning announcements right now, that’s the only way I was able to sneak past him. I wanted to let you know why I can’t be in the substation,” she says, resting a gentle hand on the side of my helmet where my cheek would be.

  “Yeah, I figured that part out when I asked about you yesterday and your father replied,” I tell her while checking to make sure my communicator is turned off. “There’s something else you can do to help though. Find Rana and keep an open mind to what she has to say. It’ll be shocking. You’ll understand everything then. The only others you can trust with what you find are Hadwin and Sayda. Remember, this isn’t just for me. It’s for all of Securus. I’m sorry I can’t say more, but it’s not safe.”

  She gets a wrinkle in her nose out of confusion, but understands we cannot discuss this further without privacy. Hadwin and Sayda may not be convinced, but I am confident Talia will do the right thing. I take her hand, holding it with both of mine. I yearn to feel the softness of her hand against mine and the comfort of her embrace, but in this bio-suit that is not possible. Despite our separation, even being able to look into her eyes gives me all the strength I need.

  “Thank you for coming to see me. It means more than you know. I have to get to work now so I can hurry up and come back to you,” I say, recalling her words after the kiss.

  Talia manages a warm smile. “I’m gonna hold you to that.” She glides gracefully out of the room. Even with everything going on you would never be able to tell she was troubled if not for the concern in her eyes. I turn back to the exit. Nyree has waited for me, watching from the other side of the decontamination chamber. She is kind enough to spare me meaningless encouragement or questions about Talia. Instead, we climb through the exit hatch, ready to focus on the task ahead.

  The detail started earlier today, and the Sun just begins to peer over the tree tops. The indirect light casts a subtle glow on everything around us. The others have already opened the bunker, so we enter and organize our equipment. We will again use the Grinders today, but this time the teams will each share one of them to carry the various tools needed for the day. Though I am as comfortable as Nyree with operating the Grinder, she prefers to drive the machine herself. I suspect being in command of something gives her some comfort up here where so much is out of our control. She maneuvers the Grinder back to the defect in the outer fence. Once there, she backs the vehicle up to the fence line for easier unloading of our tools as well as a faster escape if needed.

  I get out of the Grinder to study the fence. Up close, its structure is more complex than anticipated. There are three separate layers. The inner layer consists of a grid of thick interlocking metal links that forms a barrier to anything larger than the width of a few fingers. Behind the grid is the middle layer, composed of multiple electrical wires running horizontally in parallel to a height above the reach of my outstretched arms. The outer layer has a coiled wire spread across the base and top of the electric components. The wire has many razor sharp edges and small hooks, making it particularly perilous to even attempt to go over or under the fence.

  I move close to the edge of the defect in the fence and listen. No electrified hum emanates from the wires. The only sounds I hear are the songs of birds and insects in the forest beyond. To initiate the repair, our instructions are to first secure another support post in the middle of the open area. Then we can weld the edges of the fence to the post, after reconnecting the electric wires.

  “Let’s get the hole dug out. Then we can work on the other components,” I suggest to Nyree.

  She nods and gets out our tools. We each grab one of the two handles of our electric hole-digger, and turn on the drill. Nyree and I constantly watch for any signs of danger, as we make the hole and place the post. We secure it with a quick hardening synthetic substance similar to the hardener in our medical splints. The missing chunks of the outer layer are much larger than the other sections so we cannot connect the edges. This is good news since neither of us was looking forward to handling the sharp edges and risk puncturing our bio-suits. Now we can move on to reconnecting the electric components.

  “Substation, this is Nyree, can you confirm the power for the fence is off so we can continue repair?” she asks through her communicator.

  “The power is off, you may continue,” Aamon replies. Somehow, hearing his voice is less than comforting.

  I get the wire connecting tool from the Grinder. The upper wires are too high to reach on foot, so we stand on the back of the Grinder to get to them. Nyree is skilled at welding, so I use the clamp-like edges of my tool to pull the wires together while she connects them. Even with my eyes focused on our task, I continue to listen diligently for any new sounds from the forest.

  When we are halfway through connecting the electric wires, a rustle comes from the woods. We both stop working and look outward. No movement catches our eyes. We stay frozen in place, positioned to make a quick turn to get to the Grinder. After nearly a minute of nothing, the shuffling of leaves on the ground returns. This time I recognize the rhythmic pattern of slow footsteps. They are headed directly toward us. The same fear from when the soldiers nearly found me returns to the pit of my stomach. We carefully inch backward, not wanting to make any noise.

  “What are you two doing?” Aamon demands through the communicators. We do not answer. “What are you two doing?” his voice loudly calls out to us from the Grinder’s built in communication system.

  Aamon’s voice makes me wince because whatever is out there must have heard him. I turn back to the forest. The footsteps have stopped. For a few seconds the silence returns. Then suddenly, something moves. I see what looks to be a large animal, racing through the trees. The creature flashes in front of us and then vanishes back into the forest just as fast as it appeared. Nyree is already inside the Grinder, but I remain in place, having recognized the animal from some of my internet searches. It moved gracefully on four hooved legs and was covered in light brown fur topped with a crown of jagged spikes. The animal was a deer. From what I read, they are skittish creatures and typically not a threat to people.

  “We were being still because we heard something in the forest. Thanks for drawing attention to us,�
�� I scold Aamon. “Luckily, it was only a deer.”

  Aamon does not reply. I imagine him in the substation fuming from my insubordinate tone. Smiling from the thought, I coax Nyree out of the Grinder so we can continue working. I almost feel a little embarrassed from being so excitable and looking for a creature that probably does not even exist. Even so, I want to hurry up and finish. The constant uneasiness caused by knowing we have no form of self-protection from any predators in the forest is becoming emotionally draining.

  We quickly finish connecting the electric wires. Now we need to attach the inner fence to the new post and hook it to the electric wires. Then we can move on to a safer location, deeper in the Solar Panel fields. I pull the edges of the fence to the post but they are over one foot away from closing. The wire connector tool has another attachment that hooks the edges of the mangled fence for us to repair it. Only, the defect is too large, so we need to inset a patch into the fence to connect the free edges.

  With Nyree and I working together, the fence quickly takes form. Before we fully connect the inner layer, we need to reconnect the outer electric wires to it. I slide through the remaining opening, being careful to avoid the exposed rough edges Nyree holds away from me. To tie the two fences together, I use a flexible conducting wire that will allow the flow of electricity to secure both layers. As I am making the last connection, more footsteps come from the forest. They sound similar to the ones we heard before. It must be another deer, I think to myself while continuing to work. The connection is nearly complete when I see movement out of the corner of my eye.

  I turn, expecting to see another deer. But instead, find a massive beast stalking me through the trees. The animal is down on four legs but stands taller than I. Its black, beady eyes are fixed on me. From here, it is hard to see where the animal ends and the forest begins because its dirty, deep brown fur coat blends in with the soil and bark of the trees. One thing not obscured is its bulky claws. They look about as wide as the size of the defect in the fence. I have to force myself to breath because the very sight of the animal paralyzes my entire body. This creature vaguely resembles some of the bears I have read about, but is significantly larger than any of them. I recall an entry that said running away could trigger a predator’s natural instinct to chase and attack. Running may not be a good idea, but staying out here near this colossal wild animal sounds even worse to me right now.

  “Nyree, slowly back into the Grinder. Do not make a sudden move and do not turn away,” I say, doing my best to keep my voice calm and steady.

  Nyree was watching me and has not yet noticed the beast. She gasps when she looks into the forest and sees it. I move to back out of the fence, but with Nyree no longer holding it open, the sharp edges grab at my bio-suit. I am stuck in place, held between two monsters, feeling absolutely helpless. Either I stay to face the animal or pull away from the sharp edges of the fence and risk being exposed to The Agent. I continue facing in the direction of the monstrous bear, but divert my eyes down. The animal watches me. Suddenly, a sharp crack and feral growl rings out through the trees, grabbing the beast’s attention. It turns from me, more intrigued by the sounds coming from deeper in the forest. I let out an exhausted sigh as the bear stomps off to investigate the more interesting noise.

  “Nyree, it’s gone. I only have one more connection to finish. Then we can close this fence,” I tell her.

  She comes back out of the Grinder and waits for me to finish. My hands shake from the lingering fear while I fumble my way through connecting the wire. The task takes longer than before, but eventually I complete the connection. With that done, Nyree uses a tool with large hooks to pull the fence open again, so I can come back inside the protective barrier. While sliding through the fence, an eerie tingling races through my extremities, radiating inward. The small hairs on my arms and neck stand up against my bio-suit. Is this still the effects of an adrenaline rush from the bear encounter or is something wrong? I ask myself.

  My heart jumps when I hear the unmistakable hum of electricity surging through the fence. I spring backward, but the initial shock causes Nyree to let go of the hooks, collapsing the fence onto the arm of my bio-suit. I struggle to pull my arm free as energy permeates the fence. Sparks shoot out from my bio-suit’s control panel as the electricity jumps into me. All of my muscles spasm, locking into a rigid contraction as the electricity assaults my body and nervous system. The force of my spasm rips me free of the fence, collapsing me to the ground. My muscles burn and continue fasciculating from the electrocution, but surprisingly, my mind remains clear.

  “Kagen, are you okay,” Nyree shouts as she comes to my aid.

  “Not really,” I answer back. I tell my body to get up, but my muscles and coordination resist. “A second more and the shock would’ve stunned my diaphragm as well as interfered with the electrical conduction within my heart. Thankfully, I wasn’t holding on to anything so when my muscles forcefully contracted, it pulled me free of the fence and limited the damage.”

  “I think your brain was fried because I have no idea what you just said,” she says with a smile, relieved that I am alive.

  “Sorry, being analytical is one of my defense mechanisms,” I tell her before changing the channel on my communicator. “Substation, would you care to explain what the hell happened,” I demand.

  “It was an accident,” Aamon explains. “Something must have tripped the systems automatic defense mechanism. When the system senses a potential threat, it automatically activates the electricity.”

  “Don’t you think it would’ve been a good idea to deactivate that function while we were working on it? Or is that too complicated a procedure for you to handle, Aamon?” I respond, becoming more agitated by his lame excuse.

  “You still have a job to do. Can you continue or shall I call the Healer for an evaluation?” Aamon says, ignoring my comment.

  I check my bio-suit’s control panel. The readout on the screen is unintelligible, so I try resetting it. While controller reboots, Nyree assists me to my feet. Every bit of me feels sore, but I have enough strength to support myself. Fortunately the reset works. The control panel for my bio-suit turns back on. Apparently most of the electricity jumped straight to me and did not damage the circuits significantly. Somehow, with my aching muscles, that does not necessarily feel like a lucky break. Then again, at least I do not have to be at the mercy of Trent. I am beginning to wonder if that is precisely what Aamon is trying to arrange. After all, he has been very quick to repeatedly offer Trent’s services.

  “I just need a short break. Then I can continue,” I reassure Aamon before switching off my communicator.

  “Why don’t you let the Healer check you?” Nyree asks.

  “Because I trust Trent about as much as Aamon,” I reply.

  Nyree nods in understanding and turns to the fence. The hum has ceased since the electricity has again been deactivated. She seals the remaining defect while I continue to recover. When the repair is complete, we do not waste any time moving further into the field where we will have to work on some of the transmission lines.

  I activate my hydration attachment and continually sip water. With the damaging jolt, staying well hydrated is even more important so my kidneys do not become overwhelmed and shut down from a clogging buildup of enzymes released by the injured muscles. As we drive into the field, Nyree tells me it is time for a lunch break. Instead of returning to the bunker, we rest under one of the Solar Panels. Even though she says very little, I think Nyree is getting a little more comfortable with being on the surface, especially since she agreed to stay here with me for lunch. After a short rest, I feel less shaky and ready to resume work.

  Nyree has left her communicator on for the people in the control room to guide us to the transmission lines requiring maintenance. Most of the lines in our sector are in good shape, but some need to have the insulation reinforced to protect the energy flow. They give us the general location, but cannot pinpoint them for us. So we use
another portable locator that uses ultrasound waves to accurately define their exact location.

  Despite all of our sophisticated tools and equipment, we are only given manual shovels for digging around the transmission lines. This is in part because they do not want workers unfamiliar with dangerous tools compromising the lines because of poor technique. Digging up the lines makes for the most physically difficult task so far on the detail. Combined with my fatigue from the shock I received earlier, the afternoon is quite painful. My only consolation is that for now, aching muscles and a sore ankle are my only injuries. Considering what we faced, things could have been much worse.

  By the time we finish recoating the affected lines with new insulation, the Sun is nearly setting again. Today I have no interest in staying for the view. I just want to get back inside Securus and get some rest, though that is not likely to happen. Even in my sleep I am only feet away from Eldin and Balum. On top of that, I have some stops to make. Hopefully Rana was able to get the vaccination guns to Talia.

  Chapter 24

  Today, Nyree and I are the last ones to make it back into Securus from the detail. By the time we pass through the decontamination chamber the others have already finished shedding their bio-suits. I slowly take mine off, having to constantly stop because of the soreness in my muscles. Afterward, I search through our standard first aid kit and take a mild pain relieving medication. It is not much, but should help some. Even though my fatigued body needs the rest, I cannot lay down yet. There is a promise I have to keep, especially after not being able to go down to visit everyone yesterday.

  Instead of waiting in our temporary quarters for Rupert to clear us for free time, I head down toward my usual dinner hall. Waiting for their approval seems unnecessary. At this point, I doubt anything could get me into more trouble with him or Aamon. I do my best to walk normally when entering the hall, not wanting to make the others concerned. My ankle is not as sore as yesterday, but my muscles resist every move I make. They are all sitting at a large table waiting for me, already having finished their food long ago. On one side are my mother, Arluin, and his friend Varian. On the other side sits Sayda, Hadwin, and Abira. I cannot help but notice the irritated look on Sayda’s face and the strategic position Hadwin has taken to keep Abira safe. Abira is the first to see me coming. She greets me with a relieved smile.