After I back out of the cell, Ardal walks inside without a struggle. He puts his hands through the opening for his restraints to be removed. Thankfully does not speak at all, sparing me further aggravation. With him secured, we continue further down the hall to get Aamon.
“Those are the normal cells. The ones around the corner are reserved for the worst offenders. Aamon’s the only one in there now,” Ettor explains while we walk.
As we turn the corner, the already dim lights become completely extinguished. Ettor turns on his illuminator while leading me to the last door at the end of the hall. It looks identical to Ardal’s door except it is completely dark inside. Ettor touches a pad near the door to activate the lights before announcing our arrival.
“Aamon, you have a visitor.”
Two pale hands emerge from the opening in the door. Ettor places shackles on them. When they retreat back into the cell, he opens the door. Aamon steps into the hallway casually, like he was going for an afternoon stroll. The instant he steps into Ettor’s light, my fists ball up, begging me to strike him. The impulse is nearly impossible to suppress.
Aamon’s face is pale and dirty, but otherwise he appears to be in better shape than he was before. He must be spending all the time he can using the exercise equipment. I almost laugh when noticing that even in the solitude of the Detention Center he has done everything possible to maintain his carefully styled hair. When seeing me standing next to Ettor, he does not flinch or show any hint of surprise.
“Hello, Kagen, did you miss me?” Aamon asks with a defiant stare.
He almost looks like he was expecting me. Aamon has not lost any of his overconfidence and unfortunately, is nowhere near as downtrodden as Ardal.
“Actually, until Talia reminded me, I had almost forgotten you were here,” I say while turning my back to him to return to our makeshift interview room.
While we are walking, flashbacks of his treachery stream into my mind. I see a fence followed by a spark and feel the paralyzing spasms return from when he tried to electrocute me. With the small movement, a searing pain in my shoulder erupts, once again reminding me of the continued effects from his gun shot. Shaking my head to expel the visions, I tell myself his failed attempts on my life are all in the past. Aamon is now completely at our mercy. I need to make sure he pays for what he did, not only to me, but to all of Securus.
Nearing the interview room, I make an extra effort to focus all of my attention on Aamon. I do not want to be distracted by memories of my father and allow him to see any weakness. Janae looks disappointed when we walk in. I think she was expecting a monster to be following me instead of this smug, useless, waste of a man. Ettor chains him to the table and leaves the room.
“To what do I owe the annoyance of this visit?” Aamon asks, oozing arrogance.
“We’re conducting interviews with all of the occupants to be used at their reviews. Yours will be the last,” Janae informs him.
I watch his dark eyes as he listens to her explanation. Even with this news, no surprise comes to them. He looks exactly like he did when he was planning my demise on the Death Detail. I force the thought from my mind. There is no way he could have known we were coming or about the Detention Center reviews. A twinge of anger strikes me along with the realization that Aamon is playing a role to get a response out of me, just like he used to.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” I say, being careful to keep my tone detached so he does not succeed in flustering me. “You were obviously involved with the cover up in The Caves the night Merrick was murdered. Did you know of Caelum before then, or was that night the first you became involved?”
“Merrick?” Aamon says, tilting his head and looking to the side, pretending to be trying to remember. “Oh, are you talking about the night you let your friend die?”
I do not respond to his taunt. My hands grip the table tightly, waiting for him to continue, but he does not. All he does is watch me with a silly smile that I desperately want to physically remove.
“Answer the question, Aamon,” Janae demands, clearly irritated with him. Her response makes his smile even wider.
“I see you both have a new symbol on your uniform, clever change,” he says, continuing to avoid our question.
“Well, since we improved Leadership by getting rid of you, I figured we may as well upgrade our uniforms to match,” I tell him while adjusting the insignia. “I must say, your new uniform fits your stature much better than the old one did.”
Aamon has always paid special attention to his appearance so I know his tattered, dirty, plain uniform must bother him constantly. Even more so since the Leadership insignia and trim used to display his rank have been removed. With my words, he shifts his position, attempting to hide his irritation. He was never good at that. My smile at his response flusters him even more. Aamon is doing his better job than normal to fight his anger and keep calm, but I can change that with my special talent for aggravating him.
“We can play this game all day, or you can answer our questions,” I tell him while flashing a self-satisfied smile and leaning back in my chair, pretending to enjoy the conversation.
“Your questions are pointless. You want to find a way to make me look like the bad guy when we both know who the real criminal is.” Aamon pulls back against his shackles and glares at me. “I’m the one who was doing what needed to be done to save the entire colony, and you’re the one who’s intent on destroying it.”
Janae appears ready to scream at him, so I cut her off before she falls into his trap. “I think you’re mixing your vocabulary up again. Don’t feel bad though, it’s not your fault. You’re just not very intelligent.”
“I will not sit here and listen to your insolence,” Aamon fumes. “Do what you wish, but I won’t play your little game. I’m not your prize to be paraded in front of the rest of the workers!”
“So, you’re not going to defend yourself?” Janae asks.
“With him here, the truth doesn’t matter,” he says, now refusing to even look at me. “He’ll twist it as he needs to achieve Securus’ destruction. Don’t come to me when you realize what he’s done. It’ll already be too late.”
Seeing his anger amuses me, just as it always has. It was easier than I expected to get a rise out of him today. However, his overall attitude troubles me. Aamon is not acting like a beaten man. Instead, he behaves as he always did when he had a plan. Whatever he thinks he can do, I will make sure he fails, like all of his designs for me did.
“Fine, we’ll prepare for the review using my input alone. It’ll be easier that way. Then I won’t have to bother with you again until your sentencing,” I say, motioning for Janae to get Ettor.
“Do you know what they used this room for?” Aamon asks.
I ignore him and prepare to leave, having already spent more time in this place than I can tolerate.
“I’m sure your father found out first hand,” he continues. “Some of the Guards took great pleasure in making the occupants’ stay here as painful as possible. Do you think he pleaded with them when they strapped him into the harness?”
The thought of my father being tortured in this room nearly overwhelms me. A wave of darkness swells within me, screaming for Aamon’s head. With rage in my eyes I move toward him. Who would really fault me for beating the life from him? The dark voice in the back of my mind asks. The only thing that stops me is seeing the sneer on his face at the sight of my reaction. I cannot let him get to me like this. Forcing my fists open, I continue walking past Aamon as Ettor disconnects his shackles from the table.
“Return this occupant, he’s useless to us,” I say as I exit the room. Before they follow, I walk into the adjacent office and sit in Ettor’s chair. I leaning over to rest my face on my hands with my eyes clamped shut while gathering myself. Normally, Aamon’s clumsy insults have no effect on me, but in here he has too much emotion to draw on. When Aamon and Ettor’s footsteps disappear down the hall, Janae joins me in the
control room.
We do not wait for Ettor to return before taking the stairs to the upper level, eager to leave the Detention Center. The initial Guard looks up from his game long enough to make sure we are alone before opening the outer door. We remain silent as we walk back down the dark hallway. When we finally enter the main stairwell, its bright lights work to wash away the infecting darkness that surrounded us in the Detention Center. Even if it is not what it used to be, the aura of that place remains sinister. I feel tainted by its touch.
“I can’t believe the arrogance of that man,” she says, breaking the prolonged silence.
“Imagine how bad it was when he actually had a position of power in Leadership,” I say.
“That must’ve been horrible. I’m not sure what to make of Ardal though. I know he’s not as naïve as he tries to appear, but his story does make a lot of sense.” Janae looks at me apologetically, knowing how I fell about him.
“Don’t be fooled, he was fully aware of the truth. You need to hear my side of the story, without him distorting the events. After that, you decide who you believe.”
The further we get from the lower levels, the better I feel. When we return to the upper levels I bring her into the office where Talia does the morning announcements. In here, the last bits of the shroud of darkness from the Detention Center are gone and for the first time, I actually want to tell my story. Janae listens intently as I reveal the depth of their scheming and the true intent revealed in their eyes as they carried their plans out. I show her where we stood when Aamon shot both of us without objection from Ardal. By the time I am done, her willingness to believe Ardal’s ploy has changed. She looks at me with astonishment before speaking.
“I can’t believe you made it out alive.”
“I was very lucky and had a lot of help. No one could’ve made it through all that alone,” I tell her.
Janae gets up to leave. “Well, we need to tell as much of your story as possible so Ardal can’t hide behind his lies. He was rather convincing.”
I nod and remain seated while she exits the office. I do agree with her, but the problem is how much can we divulge without exposing Mr. Vaden’s involvement? Learning the complicated truth could lead the people to question Talia’s motives simply because she is his daughter. Hopefully it never comes to that.
*
That night, after another dinner alone, I return to my quarters to wait for Talia. When she finally arrives, she greets me with a warm smile. Even with her days being so busy, she somehow maintains her grace and composure.
“Hi, Kagen. How’d it go today?” With her softly spoken words I can tell she still feels bad for having asked me to go to the Detention Center.
“As well as can be expected, I guess,” I say not wanting to think about it. “Aamon wouldn’t cooperate at all. I think he’s planning something.”
“He can plan all he wants. There’s no way he’s getting out of this,” Talia says sternly. She pauses before continuing. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What is it?” I ask.
She looks down to the bed as she answers meekly. “We can’t tell anyone in Leadership about this. Her timid demeanor worries me since she is usually so confident.
I lift her chin and look into her eyes. “Whatever it is, I’m here for you, Talia.”
“With the review and Braeden’s visit, I knew we had to do something about Cale. He’s too outspoken and we had no way to ensure his cooperation. So, I came up with a way to keep him quiet.” Talia has regret in her eyes. I feel her silently pleading for forgiveness.
“Talia, what happened?” My hand holds hers, offering my support.
She takes a deep breath before continuing. “The morning before I announced Braeden’s visit, I met with Cale. I wanted to see what his reaction would be privately, so I could handle it better. He was adamant we should tell the truth to Braeden.”
Cale’s response is not unexpected. He always was the biggest proponent for accepting our shackles. The confusing part is, whatever Talia did seems to be working, so the reason for her hesitation eludes me. I keep quiet, letting her continue at her own pace.
“I’ve always known deep down he worries about his own safety first, not about Securus. So, I appealed to his egocentric desires.” Talia carefully watches for my reaction. “I told him in exchange for his cooperation, he’d be placed at the top of the Leadership advancement list, making him first in line to be transferred to Caelum.”
My eyes widen from the shock of her decision. “Are you really gonna let Cale go to Caelum? The second he gets there he’s gonna tell them everything!”
Chapter 13
Talia looks down as she explains her plan. “I know. That’s why I’ll make sure he never really gets transferred. He’ll never actually be put on the advancement list. I’m just going to let him think he is. Then he’ll be calm and cooperative for the review. I made it clear if he does anything I don’t like during the review, him and his entire family will be removed from the list forever. Cale knows he needs my permission to be transferred, so dangling Caelum as a reward should keep him in line for as long as we need.”
Talia’s explanation erases my concerns. That was a cunning way to gain Cale’s cooperation. I wish I had thought of it. What better way to appeal to his self-serving interests than to offer him passage to Caelum? It will get a little tricky when he finds out the truth, but by then his reaction will not really matter. The dangerous part will have passed.
“Why are you so upset? That was a brilliant idea,” I say, leaning over to put my arm around her.
“Because, that’s not how I want to lead Securus. I don’t mind having to upset some people when they don’t get their way, but I don’t want to have to resort to outright deception. It feels wrong.”
Even if Talia is struggling with this, I do not feel the same way. Still, seeing her internal struggle pains me. She may not want to deceive Cale, but we are only doing what is needed to keep Securus safe. As the thought crosses my mind, another explodes to the forefront. That is exactly how Mr. Vaden rationalized keeping us as Caelum’s slaves. Maybe that is how the corruption of a leader starts, with one small compromise. I understand how heading down such a path could lead to a slippery slope, but Talia is incapable of falling off the edge. Her strength and will are both too great to allow it.
“Okay, I get it. You don’t want to lead yourself to a place where you would abuse your position or become some kind of tyrant in the eyes of the people. But, Talia, that’s not you.” I hold her cheeks in my hand while looking deep into her eyes. “You care too much to ever allow that to happen. You’re not capable of becoming that kind of person. There’s too much good in you.
“Remember when we were doing our general studies and they had to close the pools for a couple months because the researchers spilled some chemicals in it? We all had a hard time with the food restriction, but you still gave away most of your food to the younger kids every day at lunch. After a while you were barely making it through the day. You could have used your father’s position to get more food for yourself, but you didn’t because they needed it more. That is who you are Talia. You are nothing like Cale or anyone from Caelum.
“Why do you think everyone so willingly accepted you as our new leader? Because they see the same thing I do when I look into your eyes. You are the hope of Securus.”
Talia is nearly in tears by the time I finish. I am not sure if her tears are from my words or remorse for her actions. I involuntarily hold my breath, waiting for her to respond. To my relief, she reaches out and pulls me close. I lean back only long enough to give her a gentle kiss.
“Don’t worry. It’s just a small setback. We can handle it.” I use her own words when she was trying to calm my concerns about the food supply.
Talia manages a small smile before we go to bed. As usual, she quickly falls asleep. I am left staring into the darkness, with only our mounting problems left to occupy my thoug
hts. That night is a bad one. The nightmares are unrelenting.
I stand alone in an unfamiliar chamber within The Caves. The walls have been stripped bare of all the natural formations. Only one small portal in the far wall breaks up the continuity of my rocky tomb. The light from my illuminator flickers, threatening to extinguish.
A faint sound comes from the distance. I instinctively move toward the portal to find its source. The opening is low and cramped, forcing me to lay flat in order to crawl through. As I do, the sound becomes louder, turning into agonizing screams. I propel myself faster through the tunnel, rushing toward the anguished cries. A hand grabs my foot, holding me in place. I kick violently, freeing myself and again surging forward. Suddenly, more hands reach out from the tunnel walls to stop me. They latch onto me, but I fight to keep moving. The screams are deafening.
After escaping the tunnel, my path becomes blocked by a deep pit carved into the floor. Another chilling cry permeates the chamber. This time the direction of the sound is different; it comes from the darkness within the pit. My flickering light becomes smothered by the shadows. To my surprise, even without the light, I am not in darkness. A glow emanates from the pit itself. The shimmer of a metal ladder close by catches my eye. Without thought, I follow the steps down. When reaching the bottom, I look around at the disturbingly familiar surroundings. This is the interview room of the Detention Center.
Two men are in the center of the room but have not yet noticed my presence. I move to the side for a better view. One man is held in the harness while the other stands free, taunting him. The man in the harness is my father! Though the face of the other man is obscured, somehow I know he is Braeden Karun. He pushes a button. My father again cries out in pain. I try to help him, but my body does not move. A needle pierces my arm. Aamon has snuck behind me and injected a paralyzing medication into my veins. All of my muscles go limp as I fall prey to their trap. How could this have happened?
The Controller (The Securus Trilogy Book 2) Page 12