“We’re in,” Sayda answers for the both of them.
Hadwin nervously adjusts his empty plate. “What are we gonna do if we fail the review?”
“We have a team checking Securus for any signs of a self-destruct device. If that doesn’t work, our only chance will be to flee.” The last words are a struggle to even say, knowing full well the calamity that would surely follow. We do not yet have the resources to maintain our people, so fleeing would only delay our demise.
As we talk, I feel the piercing stares of the people around us. For the first time in one hundred years, they know the surface air is no longer toxic because of The Agent. Now they want to know when we will be liberated of our prison so they can experience true freedom and fresh air for the first time. Our hushed words are not giving them the answers they seek. Our people’s growing impatience only adds to my own. We need to show them we are making progress, but that is nearly impossible with the review hanging over us.
My friends and I talk for a few more minutes about how to best to approach our trip to The Caves. Afterward, we get up to leave. I stop Sayda in the corridor outside after Hadwin heads off in the opposite direction.
“We haven’t made any progress with Taig’s analysis,” she answers, anticipating my question.
“That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”
She gives me an annoyed look. “I know. I was trying to distract you.”
“You know he cares for you. Why don’t you say something?” Sayda does a double take. My bluntness catches her off guard.
Chapter 6
Sayda quickly recovers from the surprise caused by my question and retreats behind an angry glare. “There’s too much going on right now that’s so much more important. Any feelings I may or may not have can wait.”
“No it can’t,” I say, ignoring the look she gives me. “The whole point of what we are doing is to give us real freedom in our lives. What’s the point if we don’t pursue what makes us happy? We don’t know how things are going to turn out and you don’t want to regret wasted time.”
“You’re one to talk; how many years did it take you?” Even with her hash words, I know Sayda is not really mad at me. She simply wants to deflect my attention. Her feelings make her vulnerable, and that is a hard thing for Sayda to allow.
“My point exactly. I wish I said something sooner. Just look at how things have been going. Life is delicate and unpredictable. One day everything was normal and the next our whole world was turned upside down. We all almost died to find out the truth about Caelum, now who knows what will happen with their review. We can’t take anything for granted. We’ve had too many of those lessons lately, and something tells me the reminders aren’t yet coming to an end.” I pause for a second, hoping she will at least consider my advice. “I could always talk to him if you want.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Sayda warns as she pokes me in the chest.
Since I value my life, I stop prying. Sayda is very stubborn. When she gets like this, changing her mind is impossible. Maybe she will reconsider when she has some time to think about my words later. Sayda heads to work and I bravely turn to go to the stairs, hoping she does not attack as soon as my back is exposed.
*
To my frustration, the next few days pass without much progress. Taig has been slowly improving, but my search for answers remains at a standstill until he regains consciousness. The night healer recovered from her surgery and Rana has returning to her regular shifts in the infirmary. This has left me with more time to work on Taig’s illness. I have had the research team checking and rechecking everything from his supplies to surface, air, and soil samples, yet everything comes up negative. That burden constantly follows me and when there is time alone, my thoughts often return to what lies ahead of us. There is no escape from Caelum’s review, Braeden’s visit, the trials, and my inevitable trip to the Detention Center.
From what Talia has gathered, Caelum’s investigatory team has finished their examination of The Caves. Even with this part of Caelum’s inquisition complete, they have not yet divulged when they plan to visit Securus. It feels like they are intentionally making us wait, attempting to make us nervous enough to expose some weakness. Or maybe they are merely toying with their prey. Either way, the delay gives us the opportunity to make our planned trip to The Caves to see what we find.
*
I get up to start my usual routine except today my Healer uniform will not be needed. For where this day will lead me, it is much safer to wear the identifying colors of a Leadership member. My Leadership uniform has the same Healer’s cobalt blue trim, but the body of the uniform is unmistakably darker, clearly highlighting the symbol on my chest. It feels even more unnatural today because this one is not the new insignia, but the old tainted version. If the Soldier Guards appear in The Caves, this symbol could be the one thing that saves me.
I plan to skip breakfast with my family knowing when Arluin finds out where I am going, he will undoubtedly plead to come along. He was not told about my trip, but my mother knows, and it is only a matter of time before Arluin pries the information from her.
“Kagen, be careful. If anything happens, make sure to have them contact me immediately,” Talia warns as I leave. Her concern is endearing but also worrisome because of Wakil’s warning about how Caelum manipulated her father. The thought of Caelum using my life as leverage to taint her judgment would be more than I could bear.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. It’s just a short scouting trip,” I tell her, doing my best to sound comforting. “Plus, I won’t be alone. We have a full team.”
She does not look pacified, so I leave before she mounts any further protest. This is something I need to do. For me today is more than just a scouting trip, even if that is how I rationalized it to myself and to Talia. This will be my first time returning to The Caves since we discovered the truth. With what happened, I was in no condition to go with the team that returned to stage the Soldier Guards’ bodies. The physical injuries were not the only thing holding me back though. The thought of going back there stirs a fear inside me. I have avoided The Caves long enough. It is time to face my fear and get over it.
I continue down the stairs at a measured pace. Even without any real exertion, my breathing accelerates as I near the entrance of The Caves. I walk through the door and briefly pause in the short hallway. After slowing by breath, I pass the bend leading to the lounge area. Once in the open, Hadwin’s voice greets me.
“Hey, Kagen. Let’s do this.” For once, he did not find some way to embarrass me. That is unusual for Hadwin, but this is not an ordinary trip for him either.
I look around the rest of the room. Seeing the area restored feels weird. The bullet holes are gone, and the tragedy has been erased from sight. The only sign that anything happened at all is the shine from the freshly buffed metal contrasting against the other walls, which have dulled with time. There are still a line of small offices behind closed doors along one wall, and a lounge area with comfortable seating in the center.
Out near the enormous, steel outer door stands the Guard station. More people are there than expected. The regular stationed Guard is joined by the one assigned to accompany us on this trip. Both of them are being cornered by Cale. His presence is definitely unexpected since we did not announce the schedule of this trip. He must have some loyal followers in the Guards’ ranks.
I turn back to my friends and from the corner of my eye catch another surprise.
“Interesting,” I say, seeing Nyree casually leaning against the side wall. She looks nothing like she did when we had to go to the surface. Her calmness must be because The Caves feel a lot like the Deep Vents, and she is much more at ease in these familiar surroundings.
“Talia sent word to me as a courtesy,” she replies. “I wasn’t able to go last time, so now I can see for myself what’s out there.”
“Well, at least I’ll have someone besides Sayda I can count on,” I say, giv
ing Hadwin a wide-eyed stare.
“Very funny. Don’t make me tell Talia you were being reckless down here,” he counters.
“Talia has better things to do than listen to you two go on like little kids,” Sayda says with a stern look meant to tell us to behave.
“I’ll go say hello to our Guard over there so we can get started,” I say while maneuvering around the chairs toward the other men.
It is doubtful that Cale has failed to notice my arrival even though he pretends to be oblivious. As I approach, he continues talking with the two men in front of him. I do not know either of the Guards, but the one meant to accompany us is easily identified by the hefty pack of equipment strapped to his back. I stand immediately behind Cale, and since he is a few inches shorter than me, look past him to the Guards. When their eyes focus on me, Cale finally turns around.
“Oh, Kagen, I hadn’t realized you were here,” he says casually. “I was just discussing a few details with our Guards here. May I have a brief word with you in private?”
He motions to the nearest door, inviting me inside. Cale tries to make his decision of where to speak seem random, but I know it is deliberate. This is the Guard’s control room, where they monitor the outer door and security cameras. Inside is a small cluster of screens and a control panel with the largest knob activating the outer security door. It is also the very room where Arluin, Reed, and Varian had kept the Guard before he escaped. This is where Varian died, and Cale knows it.
“Kagen, what’s your purpose with this trip?” he asks.
“Like Talia said, it’s a fact finding expedition to prepare for the review. As far as my involvement, we figured it would be of greater use if we sent out people who have seen the area before.” I look him in the eye, making sure to stay calm and formal.
He stares back at me intently, as if trying to read my mind. “Fair enough, just make sure you don’t do anything to bring any further scrutiny upon us. We wouldn’t want our plans interfered with. Securus cannot handle another tragedy.”
I cross my arms, concealing the whitened knuckles of my clenched fists, and fight to maintain composure. The fiery vision of Cale condemning me from my dream flashes before my eyes. I am barely able to control my voice. “Of course not.”
Cale is seriously testing my self-control by bringing up Varian’s death at the very site of it. On top of that, his reference to our plans felt like it had even more meaning behind it than he intended to convey. More than ever, I get the sense he has some ulterior motive. Apparently, whatever Talia did to keep him passive in the meetings only holds so much sway over him.
Since we are already behind schedule, and with me being an instant away from breaking his nose, I excuse myself to return to the team. The Guard comes with me while Cale’s eyes follow us the entire way. His behavior gives me the same agitation Aamon did when he was scheming against me. I only hope that Cale’s hidden plan is not as treacherous. Seeing the look on my face, my friends turn silent. Sayda’s petrifying stare follows Cale until he exits the room.
“What was that about?” Nyree asks.
“Not sure,” I respond tersely, not wanting to say too much in front of the Guard. Even though he was handpicked by Wakil for this, it is hard to trust him blindly.
Nyree takes the hint and turns to him. “What’s your name?”
“Radek, ma’am,” he responds stiffly. The first thing that comes to mind seeing the young, solidly built man with an exaggeratedly perfect posture respond is that he looks like he would make an ideal soldier.
“Do you know what to expect out there?” Hadwin asks.
“No, sir. I only know what you have previously encountered.”
Good answer. Despite his obvious strength, he lacks the absent-minded stare many men like him have. He does not appear to be a man who solely relies on his physical prowess.
“Well then, shall we get going?” I ask.
As we walk under the outer door a strange tingling weakens me. The sense that I should not be doing this slows my movements as we enter the main chamber. It is too late to turn back now, so I make my legs trudge forward. We walk past the towering spires of stalagmites, down the winding path around the outer pools, toward the far end of the chamber. This place used to seem so open and limitless to me, but after seeing the surface, the constricting walls are much more apparent than ever before. The Caves used to be an open escape from the tight corridors of Securus for me and many of our people. Now it only feels like a slightly larger cage.
The beginning of our path is well lit from the flood lights attached to the outer structure of Securus. The lights dim as we get further away, even more so when we enter the shadow of the massive natural formations lining the way. Off to the side, the barrier covering the upper tunnels remains in place, so we move forward. They would get us to the tracks faster, but that is not our only objective.
Once we reach the entrance to the lower tunnel system, I affix my illuminator and turn it on high. The markers on the tunnel wall become visible, helping to guide us. The first part of the expedition is a detour to the chambers with the main pools. We need to make sure this invaluable resource has not been contaminated in any way during Caelum’s investigation. Until they are cleared, we will be limited to the pools closer to Securus for water and fishing. Those pools can only last so long before overuse takes its toll.
This passage has been used for many years and has been heavily reinforced, making it easy to traverse. Soon, the light from our illuminators disperses as we exit the small tunnel and enter the cavern holding the pools. The ceiling in here is not nearly as high as the main chamber, but the length of the area is much wider. My attention is first drawn to the stream trickling in from the upper wall, continuously filling the interconnected pools. When our lights hit the water in the main pool, it glows with crystal blue fluorescence.
A stark white spear darts through the cold waters, breaking the tranquil surface near the edge of the pool. It was one of the ghostlike fish that have clouded beads for eyes, which have been rendered useless over the years in this lightless environment. Not all the creatures have evolved the same, however. Faint dancing lights from the Glow-runts become visible deeper in the pool.
The pools do not hold the only life in The Caves though. There are also small spiders and other insects lurking within many of the crevices. Life thrives everywhere. Well, everywhere except where man has come to destroy it, I think to myself.
“You guys take a look around here and get some samples. I’m gonna go up to the upper pools,” I tell the others.
To get to the upper pools I have to climb an eight foot, vertical rock wall to reach the cramped tunnel on the platform above. My ascent is not difficult, especially with the ladder-like steps carved into the rocks. Radek takes sample containers from his pack, giving them to the others before pursuing me. He stays right behind me as I enter to tunnel on the platform. The entire way he has been intentionally keeping close to me. I am not sure if that was an order from Talia or Cale. Either way, his presence makes me uneasy. He sets his pack on the ledge before following.
Crawling in the tight passage, it is difficult to avoid getting stuck. With Radek behind me it feels even more urgent to get through. Using my legs to push forward and my arms to guide me, I manage to wiggle my way through. The chamber on the other side is much smaller than the others. I stand on the thin rim of foot space surrounding the water, having to slightly hunch over to avoid hitting my head on the curved ceiling.
My eyes follow the edges of the deep pool, while being careful keep Radek in sight. I feel a pinch in my back and quickly turn to defend myself from Radek, thinking he was taking the chance to attack now that we are alone. Only he is not close enough to reach me. Looking back, the pinch came from a protruding rock on the jagged wall.
Biting the inside of my cheek from the embarrassment of my overreaction, I turn my attention back to the chamber. Along the back wall are two fissures, with water seeping through, continuously rep
lenishing the pool. The color of the water is much darker here when I shine my light on it because of its immense depth.
While changing the settings on my illuminator, something draws my attention to the nearest fissure. I slide along the wall, careful to avoid the edge of the water while angling to get a closer look. At first I was not sure if it was real or not, but now a metallic shimmer becomes clearly visible. My attention focuses on the reflected light, trying to make sense of it. Nothing out here should reflect like that.
While sliding toward the source of the reflection, my hip bumps into a protruding rock, throwing me off balance. The fall feels like it moves in slow motion with the frigid water steadily pulling me closer. Just before colliding with the surface of the water, my motion is abruptly stopped. My head jerks forward as my shirt strains against my weight. Radek caught me and has a firm grip on my uniform. Small ripples of water emanate from the force of my breath against the still surface as he slowly pulls me back upright.
“Talia warned me that you get a little accident prone when you’re distracted,” he says with an entertained look on his face.
“Thanks, I really wasn’t looking forward to a swim right now.” The fact he mentions Talia’s warning is encouraging, even if it is embarrassing to have proved her right. It at least gives me hope he is not acting under Cale’s orders.
Moving closer to the metallic shimmer reveals that it comes from the tip of a bulge in the earth. Whatever the object is, the bulk of it lies buried in the ground, and looks to have been there for some time. My illuminator’s light reflected off a small protruding corner. A rock fragment must have broken off from the rest of the earth covering the object. I carefully dig around the edges to expose the rest of it. Most of the dirt is compacted, making it tedious to remove with my bare hands. There is no doubt this object was intentionally buried and was not meant to be found.
The Controller (The Securus Trilogy Book 2) Page 6