Seeing my struggle, Radek pulls out a knife. I involuntarily flinch before catching myself and grabbing the handle of the knife from his extended hand. The blade stretches nearly six inches long but was somehow hidden within his belt. It is useful for digging but makes me uncomfortable to discover a hidden weapon besides his holstered pistol. Apparently he has more at his disposal than just the tools in his pack.
When the entire object is exposed, Radek helps me slowly lift it from its shallow grave so we can take a closer look. It is about as long as my forearm and about half as high. There are two protruding spouts coming from the top and bottom of the box. The bottom one was pointing directly into the stream of water coming from the fissure, while the top spout was angled toward the air above the pool itself. There is also a side compartment I dare not take the risk of opening now.
Even if we do not what this object is, I do know it should not be here. It was clearly not placed here during Caelum’s investigation, but that does not mean it is not their design. After all, it was placed in a perfect location to contaminate these pools if those spouts are meant to release some kind of poison. More troubling to me is if that piece of rock had not come off to reveal the edge, I would have never found it in the first place.
Radek turns the box in his hands, looking for any clue to its contents. Not wanting him to accidentally expose us to anything that could be inside, I take it from him and carry it to the tunnel. We need to put it in a safe place to retrieve later.
Getting back through the tunnel with this box is even harder than it was coming in. I have to push it in front of me while inching forward in small increments at a time. When finally emerging from the tight passage, I carefully stand up on the small platform and call Hadwin over to get the box. Radek patiently waits in the passage, not showing any annoyance at having to stay in the constricting tunnel.
I reach down to pick up the box, but the edge of the platform gives. The box goes over the edge, spinning as it falls to the ground. One thought immediately flashes through my mind, if that box contains the poison I think it does, we are all in serious trouble.
Chapter 7
“Look out!” I shout to the others as my heart sinks along with the falling box.
This is bad, and there is no way to stop it. My eyes close before the box hits the ground, not wanting to see what happens when it breaks open. After what feels like an eternity, I hear only a soft thud instead of a loud crash. I open my eyes to find Nyree prone on the ground with the box in her hands, barely an inch above the ground.
“If this is just a sample container you better start running right now,” Nyree says, glaring at me as she gets up. “What’s inside?”
“Wish I knew,” I reply, climbing down from my perch, grateful we now have more time to figure out if the contents of the box are as poisonous as I fear.
The others come over to look at the discovery. Eager to get rid of the box, Nyree passes it to Hadwin as soon as he gets close. He examines it with intense curiosity. Before we can stop him, he opens the side compartment. Instinctively, Nyree and I shield ourselves from whatever is inside, but nothing happens. No explosions or poisonous fumes come from the box. Only a high pitched squeal comes as the rusted cover opens.
With no obvious threat, I look over Hadwin’s shoulder. The compartment holds a keypad with a slow flashing light above it, flanked by two complex gauges. It has to be some kind of control panel, but what does it control?
“I think it has a remote receiver,” Hadwin mumbles while looking at the controls. “The keypad probably manually activates whatever this thing does. Where was it?”
“It was buried in the dirt beside the upper pool. Those spouts were pointing toward the water. An earthquake must’ve shaken its covering loose. That’s the only reason I found it,” I tell them.
“I think we should leave it here until we’re on our way back,” Nyree says.
She has always been practical, and leaving the box here sounds like a good idea to me. Nothing else seems unusual or out of place around the main pools, so we place the device and our samples near the chamber entrance before moving on. Nyree goes in front of me and, like before, Radek stays stuck to my side. A little ways behind us, Sayda and Hadwin walk slowly while talking.
“Haddie, you have to be more careful. You know that box has to be from Caelum. What if there was some trap in it?” Even with the admonishment, there is no anger behind Sayda’s words, only protective worry.
“Yeah, I know,” Hadwin says. “The last thing I would want is to put you in danger.”
His words stop her in place. Unlike his usual jovial demeanor, this time there was real emotion behind them. I quicken my pace to give them some privacy, but after a brief moment they both start walking again, not saying another word.
We continue through the tunnels and reach a familiar passage. The steep incline combined with loose rocks make the path difficult to transverse. Up ahead, Nyree does not seem to be affected or slowed by the rough terrain. Her relentless strides continue on at a steady pace. When we reach the top of the incline, Hadwin stops the group.
“I need a break before Nyree runs me into the ground,” Hadwin says, stopping to catch his breath.
“I could use a break too,” I admit while searching for a good place to sit down.
Nyree looks irritated by the proposed delay, but says nothing. Radek appears like he has merely been taking a leisurely stroll, showing no signs of wear at all. The rest of us sit to regain our strength and wind.
Looking around, I notice for once, I do not have Radek’s attention. My eyes follow his distracted gaze to see what was able to break his concentration. Hadwin’s not gonna like this, I think to myself when realizing what it was. Radek has proven to be a disciplined man so far, and I do not think his concentration is easily broken, but there are some things capable of breaking any man’s attention. Apparently, Sayda has stolen his. He watches her from the corner of his eye as she stretches her arms upward before leaning back against the wall.
Nyree never sits down. Instead, she waits for us on her feet, slowly inching further along our path. After a brief rest, Nyree urges the group to continue. I again move to the front with her, making sure Radek will not be distracted by Sayda. This development complicates things, though it should not be a surprise. Because she is like a sister to me, it is easy to forget Sayda is an attractive woman.
We come to passage that is more like a narrow gouge in the rocks. To get through, we are forced to walk sideways. The path is cramped and uncomfortable to traverse. The claustrophobic feeling is intensified by the jagged walls swallowing the light from our illuminators, making it impossible to see very far ahead. Despite my efforts to push the thought away, a voice in the back of my mind reminds me what could happen if there were an earthquake while we are in this crevice. I almost feel the tremor in the rocks beneath my hands and the weight of the debris crushing me. My mounting anxiety is broken by a high pitched yelp behind me.
“What was that?” I call out to the others.
“That was the courageous Hadwin,” Sayda laughs.
“Let’s see how you guys react when a gigantic spider attacks you,” he shouts back. “That thing was huge!”
Even Nyree and Radek burst out in laughter. As soon as we make it out of the constricted section, I go back to check on him. He was bit on the side of his neck, evident by the small puncture barely visible there. The spider is already gone, so Hadwin turns to continue walking.
When he does, I instinctively jump, seeing the spider clutching to his back. He was not kidding about the size of it. The spider spans from the edge of his shoulder to the center of his spine. Its legs are at least three times the length of its thick body. The front ones stretch out much further than the others, becoming thin enough at the tips to look more like a loose strand of hair. In front of these creepy legs are two hooked pincers, angled to appear more like spiked jaws.
“Hadwin, don’t move,” I tell him with a calm voice,
carefully getting in position.
“What? Is it still on me?” he says, his eyes wide in panic.
I swiftly swipe it off, using all of my weight to crush the monstrous spider under my boot, cringing from the crunch and splatter of its guts. “Not anymore.”
“Did you see the size of that thing?” Hadwin shouts, looking at the spiked pincers next to the splattered remains.
“Is it poisonous?” Sayda asks, already starting to worry.
“I’m pretty sure it isn’t,” I tell her. There are a few different large spider species out here and only one of them is poisonous. If I remember correctly, this one is not it.
We move on, eager to get away in case there are any more of those things around. Soon we reach the small circular dead end hiding the entrance to Merrick’s Chamber. Talia made that the chamber’s official name to serve as a memorial. I point out the obscured passage to Radek, who positions himself to help everyone up. Nyree refuses his assistance and climbs up into the tunnel on her own. Radek gives Sayda a subtle smile as he helps her up and to my surprise, she returns it. I am not sure if she is interested in him, but Hadwin needs to stop procrastinating before it is too late. Like Nyree, I climb up on my own, following the others.
We all enter the impressive chamber and look about. I do not get the same feeling as the last time we were here. The space had a sense of sadness and felt tarnished. Now some of the original awe creeps back in. I think discovering the truth behind Merrick’s death and setting up this place as a memorial has helped it regain some of its original purity in my mind.
I turn to my side and see the surprised look on Nyree’s face. She was never comfortable enough on the surface to enjoy the brilliant colors cast on the sky by the changing Sun or the majestic green canopy of the tree tops. Down here she allows herself to take the view in. The magnificent sight of Merrick’s chamber topped with the flowing waterfall fills her eyes, bringing a rare smile to her face. The expansive chamber holds many intricate formations reaching out from its vaulted ceiling and spreading across the rolling floors. Many of them look a lot like pieces of abstract art skillfully crafted by a master sculptor. My wonder is broken when I notice Hadwin, who keeps scratching the side of his neck. He stumbles forward, too distracted to see the large rock that tripped him.
Sayda also notices the unusual behavior and stops him. “What’s wrong Haddie?”
“The bite really hurts. It’s getting swollen,” he says, scratching at it furiously.
“Let me take a look,” I tell him, pulling his hands away.
The side of his neck has a faint redness now surrounding the puncture from the spider’s bite. It is already becoming swollen with a sizeable knot protruding. Normally this would not be a significant concern but since the bite is on his neck, it could be a serious problem. If the swelling continues to grow, it could put enough pressure on his airway to compromise his breathing.
“Here take these, they’ll help,” I tell him, pulling some pills out of the small first aid kit Talia insisted I carry. It fits easily in my pocket, yet has some essential emergency medications and medical tools inside. I am glad she made me bring it, because if she did not we would have to return to Securus. “If the swelling gets bigger, or if you feel short of breath, tell me. Don’t tough it out, okay?”
“I’m fine, stop worrying,” Hadwin says, turning away from me.
“Haddie, listen to him,” Sayda scolds him.
“Okay, okay,” he says. “I promise.”
Trying to deflect our concern for him, Hadwin goes forward, heading toward the waterfall. While following, I am careful to keep an eye out for any more of the hidden metal boxes on the way. The stream created by the waterfall flows though the crack in the side wall with no hints of a metallic glare on its borders. Draping mineral leaves and stone flowers line the floors and walls of the cavern, but no unnatural interruptions are visible.
When we reach the base of the waterfall, I stop to survey the wall before we climb. The course we used before remains intact. With Nyree’s leg and Sayda’s slightly weakened hand from the gunshot she suffered before, they are not ideal candidates for climbing, but that will not stop them. Hadwin insisted on a tethered harness for Sayda, which he carried out here himself. Since Nyree’s presence was a surprise, we do not have one for her.
“Are you both sure you’re ready for this?” As soon as my words come out, I want to take them back. The combined annoyed look from Nyree and Sayda makes me want to crawl under one of these rocks to hide from them.
I lead the way up the wall with a deliberate pace, making sure the path is secure for the others. Despite her weakened hand, Sayda’s determination is more than enough for her to make the climb without much difficulty. We move slowly, taking brief rests when needed, not wanting to risk any injuries or to be overly fatigued by the time we get to the top. When everyone reaches the upper platform, I stop the group to make sure we are clear on our task. During the check, Hadwin is more out of breath than expected.
“You okay, Hadwin?” I ask, rushing over to check on him.
“Just… a little… out of breath,” he answers with a raspy voice.
This is not good. Hadwin’s reaction is getting worse. His neck has swollen even more and his breathing has become labored. I pull out the first aid kit, quickly rifling through it for the epinephrine syringe. When seeing the needle, Hadwin stops me.
“What…that for?” he manages to ask through his stridulous breathing.
“If I don’t give you this your airway’s gonna close. It’s either this or I cut a hole in your neck so you don’t suffocate,” I tell him bluntly, not wanting to waste any more time.
Before he says another word Sayda grabs and holds him still while I inject the medication. Afterward, we all stand by, too anxious to sit while waiting for it to take effect. I really do not want to have to use Radek’s knife, but mentally prepare myself just in case. We watch him closely, looking for a response. Irritated by the unwanted attention, Hadwin tries to turn away but Sayda stops him. After a few minutes, which feel more like hours, the stridor softens. Soon after, his breathing eases and his voice returns.
“Do you think you can go on or should we head back?” I ask him, feeling conflicted. My eyes dart back and forth from Hadwin to the tunnel leading to our destination. It would be better to take him back, but we are so close to the storage room and tracks.
“I feel much better, let’s keep going,” he says.
Sayda tilts her head, appearing skeptical, though she does not argue. She knows this trip has more meaning to us than a simple scouting expedition should. At any time Hadwin could take a turn for the worse, but knowing my friends, they would not forgive me if I made us turn back now. So I take a step forward, not wanting to waste any more time while Hadwin feels better.
“Okay, Radek and I are going in first. The Soldier Guards have increased their patrols, so we need to be careful. When we’re sure it’s safe, we’ll let you know. If we do see them, hopefully my new title in Leadership will protect Radek and me.” I pull out the last injector from my medical kit and hand it to Sayda. “Watch him. If he gets bad again, stab him with this.”
The others are not happy with waiting but they know this was part of the plan. Radek follows me through the twisting path, headed to the wall of rubble. I had been steadily gaining confidence as we progressed to this point, but getting so close to this spot quickly destroys that. It is a struggle to stay focused. I keep seeing things in the corner of my eye that disappear as soon as I turn my head. The further we go, the weaker my legs feel from the drain of my rising emotions. Before we get to the collapse, I stop Radek and explain my plan for what to do in case we do not go unnoticed. He looks at me puzzled, but agrees to cooperate.
We keep going until reaching the wall of fallen rocks that once blocked off the end of this tunnel. It has an opening on the side, exactly as we left it. There are no signs the wall of debris has been tampered with and no attempts have been made to clo
se the opening in the barrier. Stepping through the hole, into the closed chamber ahead, we find it unaltered as well.
Other than numerous footprints in the dirt, the area looks like an innocuous dead end. Only I know better than that. Off to the side is a protruding rocky lever, meant to open the supply room. Further back, deep within a shadowed crack in the wall, lays a hidden button used to open the way to the tracks. Fighting against my shaky steps, I walk over the back wall. Flashbacks of the Soldier Guards’ massive rifles run through my mind as my hand reaches into the crack, finding the button. I step back, feeling the vibrating hum of the mechanics retracting the wall in front of me. The doorway slowly opens, exposing the inner tunnel and rail tracks. Radek and I turn off our illuminators, letting our eyes adjust to see any lights in the distance. When satisfied there are none, we turn our illuminators back on to the lowest setting.
“Go get the others,” I tell him.
Radek plants his feet into the ground, showing no intent to comply. “I’m supposed to stay with you at all times.”
“I don’t care what they told you to do. Someone needs to make sure the Soldier Guards don’t arrive as soon as we walk away. They have a habit of doing just that. One of us has to go back and we both know a Leadership member has the best chance of not getting shot on sight.” Hearing my own argument nearly makes me change my mind about staying here alone. Conflict swirls in Radek’s eyes as they move from me to the tunnel and back again. He does not want to disobey his orders, but knows I am right.
“Okay, but if you’re in trouble, signal me.”
I nod my head to reply. Radek turns and sprints toward the others, appearing intent on returning as soon as possible. Now I am alone in the tunnel, right next to where Merrick was murdered, with no one to help if the Soldier Guards show up. I really hope my plan works, I think to myself.
The Controller (The Securus Trilogy Book 2) Page 7