“You can show it to me later,” she cries.
“Please remember, I always loved you. You were my reason for life. I have always been proud of you, my little angel,” his voice trails off.
“I love you too,” she sobs as the life slowly drains from him.
We burst into the infirmary. Rana follows us into the surgical room. We frantically attempt to resuscitate him, but we are too late. He has lost too much blood, and our efforts are in vain. Mr. Vaden, Talia’s father, has died.
Chapter 31
Talia retreats into herself, mourning for her lost father. She sits next to him and asks to be alone. We leave the room, letting her deal with the loss in her own way.
So much has happened, and so much has changed. I am finally able to tell the others the truth of what happened and what we still face. Only, the truth has not set me free like I believed it would. The truth has devastated everything I have ever known. Everyone has or will suffer from this in one way or another. The price is difficult to bear.
I turn to Rana. “How’s Sayda?”
“She did well. The artery was intact enough to repair. She’s angry, but she’ll recover,” Rana answers.
“Do you know what happened to Nyree or Eldin?” I ask.
“Nyree was beaten severely. She’s in the ICU now. It’ll take some time, but she should recover. Eldin was taken to the Detention Center immediately after I splinted his broken leg,” she answers.
“We need to get back to Mr. Vaden’s office,” I tell Hadwin.
Talia appears at the door, her eyes swollen from the tears. “I’ll go with you, there’s still much to do,” she says.
Rana stays behind to tend to the infirmary. She will also need to make the final arrangements for Mr. Vaden and Varian. The rest of us return to the upper level. When we arrive, Arluin has Aamon and Ardal sitting side by side in a corner. He stands Guard, with my rifle trained on them.
Talia summons the Leadership Guard and has the two traitors taken to the Detention Center. They will also round up everyone else involved in this cover up, including Kesia and Trent. Before they do that, the Guards are given instructions to immediately release Eldin. I watch as Talia sits at her father’s desk, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath. When she is ready, she opens her eyes and activates the announcement system.
“Hello, I am Talia Vaden. I bring to you, the people of Securus, sad news. My Father, Mr. Vaden, has died. He was murdered by a viscous sect of Leadership who conspired to deceive us all. Today, Kagen Meldon has led us to discover that we are not alone. Securus is not the only colony left on this planet. We have learned of at least two more facilities, and one of them is responsible for corrupting our people. That colony, Caelum, has been secretly imprisoning us while using our people as slave labor to supply their energy needs.
“The continued danger of The Agent is a lie. They have been poisoning us to make us believe that The Agent remained active. It is not. I know this is a startling discovery and one that is difficult to believe. But this is the truth.
“Even without The Agent, a very real threat to our existence remains. Caelum has weapons beyond anything we possess. If they find out we have discovered their treachery, they would destroy every member of Securus rather than risk us liberating ourselves or another colony.
“Our situation may seem dire, but this is not something we cannot overcome. Before he died, my father entrusted me with his role as head of Leadership. He has given me all the information we need to continue our survival. If you, the people of Securus wish it, I will embrace this challenge.
“While we shall not concede our lives to our oppressors, we do need to be careful in our coming actions. As a people, we have survived the original onslaught of The Agent. We have lived in this unnatural setting and thrived for many years. We have shown our strength and ingenuity countless times. I ask you to do this once more. With your trust and cooperation, we will rise above our subterranean prison and finally emerge onto the surface to live a life we could only dream of before. This change will not be immediate, but when we reach the brilliant light at the end of our journey, it will be transformative. I ask for everyone to convene in their dinner halls if you have not already done so. Please have one representative from each hall bring me your answer.
"No matter what you decide, I want you to know who has sacrificed so much to uncover this reprehensible deception. Kagen Meldon has risked his own life numerous times in search of the truth. He would have never been able to survive without the help of Hadwin Chon, Sayda White, Rana McPheeters, Nyree Imelda, Eldin Rankyn, Arluin Meldon, Varian Barand, Reed Barand, and Cyrina Brown,” she says bringing Hadwin, Sayda and I in front of the camera.
“I think you left one very important name off that list, Talia,” I interrupt, to her surprise. “Without your strength, courage, and leadership, I would not be here right now. Your father sacrificed himself because he knew you are the one person who can free us from our bonds.”
“Thank you, Kagen,” she says. “I await your response, Securus.”
Talia ends the announcement. The hopeless despair that has been building since we learned the truth starts to fade. Listening to the elegance and poise in her words reminds me of what we are capable of. With Talia leading us, we can overcome this. It is encouraging to learn I am not the only one who feels this way. One by one, the representatives come and pledge their support for Talia. When the stream of representatives ends, the two figures waiting in the hallway burst into the room. My mother and Arluin nearly knock me over when they come to hug me. My mother demands I return to the infirmary immediately to have Rana tend to my injuries. I have no strength left to resist.
*
Over the next couple of days, Securus settles back into its previous routine. The Caves have been reopened and its resources restored to the people. We are slowly rebuilding our health from the drought of resources looming over us since The Caves were closed.
Kerad tried to escape when our Guards came to his supply room, and was killed in the struggle. The bodies of the two soldiers were redressed in their armor and meticulously staged to appear as if they were killed in an accidental collapse.
Talia has begun reorganizing Leadership, with some of the prior members now occupying the Detention Center, and new members called up from the ranks of the workers. Leadership will no longer be a birthright. Our members will have to earn their positions.
Like me, Securus needs time for recovery before anything else. While we plan how to free our people from Caelum, our workers continue to supply their energy and manufactured electronic pieces as if nothing ever happened. We will be patient and deliberate, knowing our time will come soon.
*
I lay in bed with my eyes wide open, too anxious to sleep. The extensive safety testing of the surface air and soil is finally complete. Tomorrow, we get to walk on the surface without the bio-suits for the first time. Next to me, Talia rests peacefully. I gently stroke her hair until my mind finally calms enough to allow me to fall asleep as well.
My eyes open before my morning alert sounds. I am too excited to oversleep today. Talia will already be dressed, having been awake long before me. I cannot hear her now, but know where she will be. I sit up and look to the attached office in our private quarters. Inside, a light exposes Talia’s moving shadow, confirming her presence. Talia prefers to rise early, and often does work in the early hours while everyone else sleeps. When she hears me shifting in bed, she comes to the doorway.
“Are you ready for your big day?” Talia asks as she walks over to give me a loving kiss.
“Almost.” I pull her back for another kiss, using her own mischievous smile against her. “Okay, now I am.”
After I get dressed, we go to the exit chamber where we are met by Hadwin, Sayda, Arluin, my mother, and Rana. Nyree and Eldin are not with us now because they have not yet fully healed from their injuries. Even if they were healthy, I doubt Nyree would have accepted the invitation anyway.
> “Are you sure it’s safe?” Hadwin asks.
“Don’t worry, Haddie, I helped with the testing myself. It’s safe,” Sayda reassures him.
“Maybe Hadwin should wear the bottom half of the bio-suit in case he has an accident,” Arluin teases.
“Ha, Ha,” Hadwin responds sarcastically.
“Let’s go,” I say, pulling Talia with me to the Ladder.
I step into the cool air of the early morning above. The wind softly passes, giving me bumps on my arms from the chill. Talia climbs up next and when reaching the surface, she looks out toward the rising Sun. The rays of the Sun gently caress her soft skin while the breeze lightly stirs her hair. Seeing her in this moment, there is no denying that her father was right. She is an angel.
I turn to the others and smile at their stunned expressions, just like Merrick did when he brought us to his chamber. After a brief moment, Hadwin rubs his nose. Soon after, his eyes dart all around as he becomes increasingly agitated.
“Something’s wrong!” he shouts. “My nose is getting clogged, my eyes are burning, and my head is starting to throb. I think I’m dying!”
The others look at him, then at one another, trying to figure out if we were wrong and have all exposed ourselves to The Agent. As they help Hadwin back toward the ladder, I laugh uncontrollably. Confused by the mixture of my laughter and Hadwin’s concern, everyone stops. Their collective stares lock onto me, waiting for an explanation.
“Why are you laughing?” Arluin demands.
“Because, nothing’s wrong,” I say, catching my breath. “You wouldn’t get any of those symptoms from The Agent. I‘ve read all about this, it’s called allergies. You’ll be fine Hadwin.”
“Thanks for warning me, jerk!” he says, now laughing at his own reaction.
For the first time I can remember, my heart is filed with excitement and hope. We have a chance to renew our lives, and I have someone to share that new life with. From the truth of Merrick’s death, a rebirth of Securus can begin.
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.
If you enjoyed this book, please watch out for the second installment of The Securus Trilogy, The Controller. For more details, visit www.TheSecurusTrilogy.com
The Death Detail (The Securus Trilogy Book 1) Page 30