The Controller (The Securus Trilogy Book 2)

by Anthony Maldonado

  I shake my head. Even now with the threat of certain death looming over him, Hadwin is still a clown. The minutes drag on. Surprisingly, his hands soon release from their spasms. His infection shows no signs of progression. Hadwin should be getting a lot worse by now, but somehow he looks better than before. A thought comes to mind, giving me hope. The spasms could have been from him hyperventilating.

  “If I don’t make it, will you watch over my parents for me?” Hadwin asks.

  “Anything you need.” I answer.

  “And make sure Sayda doesn’t go off to attack Caelum by herself.” Hadwin pulls his hands against his abdomen. “My stomach’s churning. Is that a sign of infection?”

  “I think it’s a sign that you’re hungry.” I watch him even closer than before. He is not developing any more signs of infection, but that does not stop him from thinking every random sensation is the harbinger of his death. Every five seconds he asks about another symptom. I do my best to reassure him the sweat and random itches are nothing to worry about.

  “How long has it been?” I ask the controllers while changing my position to ease the stiffness. It has to be getting close to the containment protocol’s isolation time soon.

  “You have a couple more minutes left. Then you both have some explaining to do,” Sayda’s voice calls out through the speaker. Her words send a massive wave of relief through me. He’s gonna make it! I shout in my mind. If the isolation is nearly over, then he definitely would have succumbed to The Agent by now if he were infected.

  “Maybe we should stay here overnight,” Hadwin says to me after hearing Sayda. We both laugh, not knowing if she will be more upset by what happened or because we did not include her at the beginning. Her voice reminds me of what she was doing before we came into this room. I turn back to Hadwin.

  “You’re gonna be okay. You don’t have any signs of an infection now, and we’re past the worry period. There’s extra time built into the protocol for safety. But there’s one thing I want you to think about when we get out of here.” I pause, searching for the right words.

  “What? How could I be so stupid?” he says, being upset with himself.

  “No, that’s not it at all. What if you were infected and this was the end? Would there be anything you would regret? Anything you put off until it was too late?” I say and stop there. If any more words were spoken, I would have to answer to Sayda. She has already asked me not to interfere, and if I go too far, she is liable to break the contamination protocol to shut me up. With how this day is going already, that would be too much to handle. He looks at me a little confused, but then turns away to think about it. I do not know how someone can be both so insightful and clueless at the same time, but Hadwin manages to pull it off.

  Soon, another voice calls from the other room. “The containment period is over. You both need to proceed to the decontamination chamber.”

  The door sweeps open, along with a rush of air from the pressurized system. It brings new life and a wave of relief to us along with the incoming air. Since the decontamination chamber is not attached to the room, two workers dressed in biohazard suits bring in isolation suits for us to wear. This would normally be an annoyance, but now it feels like a wondrous gift. They drop them on the floor and then back away from us, fearing contamination. Hadwin thanks them profusely before rushing over to put the suit on.

  Once inside the chamber, we go through the two step decontamination, similar to when I would come in from the Solar Panel detail. The first cycle cleans the outer surface of our protective suits. The second is a standard decontamination. Even with the relief, Hadwin is obviously shaken from the experience. He stands motionless during the decontamination, not at all reacting to the process like most people do.

  Our next stop is to the second isolation room for the medical testing. We sit on a gurney, waiting patiently for a Healer to arrive. Hadwin remains nervous about his exposure, but as time passes he calms down. When the door opens, Galen, cranky as ever, walks through, clearly upset he was forced to come all this way.

  “Can’t you two stay out of trouble for one day?” Galen asks as he prepares to collect blood samples. He keeps trying to stretch out in the constricting protective suit he is forced to wear because of the protocol. It irritates him even further.

  “We are men of adventure, danger comes with the territory,” Hadwin counters.

  Galen grumbles something to himself before turning to me. “Any progress with the Pellagra cases?”

  “Not really, but with more cases it’s only a matter of time before I find some connection,” I tell him.

  “Then you’ll be pleased to hear we just had another case come in,” he says without any sarcasm or humor in his voice.

  “I wouldn’t say I’m pleased. Let me guess, another research worker?” He does not have any sensitivity at all, but he is attempting to be cordial. That is more effort than he usually gives.

  “No, she’s from the General Maintenance Department.” Galen finishes collecting the samples as he answers.

  His response stuns me. I fully expected a few more research workers to come in, but not anyone else. The threat of this disease just increased significantly. It was bad enough when people exposed to new environments and food were becoming ill. Now that someone who is limited to the main colony is sick, the possibilities have grown exponentially. Even worse, the duties of a General Maintenance worker would put her in contact with the entire facility. That is alarming. We are barely able to produce enough of the infusions for the patients we already have. If more of the general population becomes afflicted, we cannot treat them all.

  I stand up to leave. “I gotta go see that patient.”

  “Not until you’re cleared. Don’t forget you’re the one who wanted to wait with your friend, so now that’s exactly what you must do,” he answers harshly. “It’s going to take a while for these samples to be analyzed.”

  I shove the gurney out of frustration, nearly knocking Hadwin over. Despite my anger, I know Galen is right. I cannot go now. No matter how unlikely, we cannot risk exposing the entire colony to something as devastating as The Agent. I sit back down, retreating into my mind to figure out my next step.

  *

  A few hours pass. I pace the length of the room, more than ready to be released. Even with Hadwin here to keep me company, I might go crazy if we do not get out of here soon.

  “Hey guys, are you done with your quality time yet?” Talia’s voice calls out from the speakers. Talia and Sayda stand in the control room, both of them wearing bright smiles. Apparently they are enjoying our captivity.

  “Can we get out of here now?” I ask.

  “Yeah, you’re both cleared,” Talia says.

  As he hears Talia’s words, Hadwin grows the biggest smile I have ever seen. We both head out the door and walk around to the observation room.

  “What have you two been doing while we were imprisoned?” Hadwin asks suspiciously.

  “None of your business,” Sayda says with a sly smile.

  “I don’t even want to know,” I say, frightened by the possibilities. “I’ll catch up with you guys later. I need to go to the infirmary to check on a new patient.”

  “Can you have Rana get started for you? We all need to talk,” Talia says in a more serious tone.

  Talia would not stop me without a good reason, so I agree. Besides, her detour will give us a chance to get some food to quiet my growling stomach. We head to our dinner hall. The waiting food is not as appetizing as I hoped. Instead of food from the pools, we only get some plain gruel.

  Having Hadwin and Sayda with us magnifies the usual stares Talia and I get when we are together in the Leadership diner hall. We have been doing things certain ways for many decades, now the people are struggling to adjust to the drastic changes in our routine. Though we all know the changes are for the better, acclimating to them takes time.

  The more I think about the effects of our change, the more obvious it becomes that
a slower transition away from Caelum would be better for us. I can only imagine the chaos it would have created if our complete liberation was sought before we were prepared for it. Rushing too fast could play into the hands of those who would rather see us fail. Talia always knew this and has been slowly getting the others to understand it as well.

  After finishing our food, we leave the hall and walk up to the upper level. It always feels weird bringing our friends up to the private hallway outside the offices and our quarters. Mainly because the finish of the space is so different from their quarters and that makes me feel self-conscious. The colors, paintings, and soft flooring feel even more opulent when we have guests. Instead of going to our quarters, we go to the main office where Talia does the morning announcements. She sits behind the desk while the rest of us take chairs on the other side.

  “So, what’s going on?” Sayda asks, no longer able to contain her curiosity.

  “I wanted to let you all know Braeden’s people contacted me today. He’ll be here in two days,” Talia says.

  A heavy silence follows her words, as if our minds refuse to acknowledge the message. Knowing the date stops us from ignoring the danger to come.

  “Are the others prepared?” I ask her, barely able to command my voice.

  “I hope so. That’s what I’ve been spending most of my time on lately. I’ve met with the majority of Leadership, getting them ready,” Talia says. Contrary to her stoic façade, I sense the doubt eating at her.

  “Is there anything we can do?” Hadwin asks. Judging by the look in his eyes, his feelings mimic my own sudden sense of being defenseless. For once, Sayda is not full of fire. She and Talia share the same stony expressions.

  “Not right now,” Talia replies.

  “Do we have any details for his intended schedule?” I ask.

  “All I know is you and I are to meet him when he arrives. After that, we’ll have to find out as we go,” she says.

  Braeden insisting on my presence bothers me. I hoped with the time passed, they would no longer feel the need to address the protocol I broke by interrupting their meeting with Talia before.

  “Not that I’m complaining, but why did you decide to tell us now?” Hadwin asks.

  “I cannot announce this to everyone for obvious reasons. Only a small portion of Leadership will be told. But I figured you both deserved to know. Kagen and I will likely be too busy to keep you guys updated. This was the only definite chance we had to talk,” Talia explains.

  “I’m kinda glad it’s gonna be done soon so we won’t have it hanging over us anymore,” Sayda says.

  “You’re right about that. It’s really hard to have no control over what happens. One way or the other, it needs to end,” Hadwin adds.

  “I agree, but things are getting more complicated,” I say. “Galen told me there was another case of Pellagra brought into the infirmary while Hadwin and I were occupied. Even worse, the patient works in General Maintenance. I haven’t had a chance to speak with her yet, but we need to keep this quiet and hide the patients from Braeden.”

  With the weighty sigh and contemplative look on her face, it is clear Talia immediately understands. If this affliction has anything to do with the surface or Caelum, Braeden must not discover them. If he recognizes the illness, that would be the end of all of us.

  “Kagen, I need you to make the new patient your only priority until Braeden arrives. I was already planning on having some of the Detention Center occupants hidden in case Braeden wants to talk with them. We’ll do the same for the pellagra patients,” Talia says.

  After Hadwin and Sayda leave, I spend the rest of the night helping Talia with the arrangements for the Pellagra patients. We do not know how long Braeden will be here, so not only do we have to hide them, we have to make sure they continue to get their treatments.

  *

  The next morning when I am awakened by the alert, Talia comes over from her work area. She leans over and gives me a kiss.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” she says, knowing both of us will likely be too busy to see each other before then.

  When she leaves, I sit for a while, mentally preparing for the day. By the time I am about to leave, the chime for the morning announcements sounds. The announcements feel very different than they used to simply because of Talia’s presence on the screen. The biggest difference between her and Mr. Vaden is instead of just authority, Talia’s spirit always shows through. It becomes infectious to those watching her. That is why she is so important to us. No one else in Securus has her way with people. We need those qualities to keep our people together, now more than ever.

  “Good Morning, I am Talia Vaden. Once again, I am pleased to announce our food and water levels are at sufficient levels. Energy generation remains sufficient. Our life support system diagnostic showed the system remains in satisfactory condition.

  I know things have been difficult lately, but I assure you Leadership is taking all steps to improve our conditions and will soon complete our review,” Talia says.

  Her choice of words is clever. She subtly implies the real review is coming closer to completion while being careful not to reveal too much, in case Caelum has access to this video feed. I doubt they ever wasted their time watching our announcements before, but with their review, it would be surprising if they are not monitoring them now.

  “The Caves are being reopened for free time permits. However, the overall access will be limited. The upper tunnels and unmarked systems will remain closed. Anyone breaking this restriction will receive an invitation to the Detention Center. There are some significant safety risks we’re working to stabilize. When it’s deemed safe, this restriction will also be lifted.

  “That’s all for today’s morning announcements. Thank you for your time,” Talia says.

  Up until now, The Caves have only been open to researchers and the workers harvesting the pools’ resources. Talia is making a point of reopening them for the people, with two notable exceptions. During our recent trip, we secured the veiled entrance to Merrick’s Cavern. The other another unsafe passage remains sealed within the upper tunnels. It turns out there was a collapse in the upper tunnels the day Mr. Vaden closed them. The resulting hole opened a path to the rail tracks which is why those tunnels have remained closed since then. Until that portal is repaired, the tunnels will remain off limits.

  The screen turns dark. I exit our quarters, heading down to the breakfast hall. Because of the hidden message in the announcement this morning, the stares from the workers are more intent than usual as I go down the stairs. They all turn silent when seeing me. One of them watches me so closely he runs into the doorway as I pass.

  With the added pressure of the spreading Pellagra, and the imminent presence of Braeden Karun, it is harder than normal to pretend things are going well. Still, that is exactly what I must do. Everyone I pass shows signs of anxiety. All it would take is one false step by me to send them over the edge and into a panic that would ruin us all.

  Chapter 15

  Once inside the breakfast hall, my burden suddenly feels lighter. In here, the support of my family and friends strengthens me. It also helps that since everyone here is used to my presence, the stares are much less intense. I go to the food dispersal area to get my usual, mostly artificial, morning meal. My mother and Arluin are already halfway through eating when I get to the table. With my erratic schedule they do not always know if I am coming or not, so they no longer wait for me. In a way, that saddens me. This seemingly innocuous detail has no reason to bother me, it just does.

  “Nice of you to grace us with your presence,” Arluin teases when I arrive.

  “I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I reply with an overly wounded expression.

  “Did this morning’s announcement mean what I think it did?” my mother asks. The question throws me off for a second. It is weird for her to be so direct. She has been letting me avoid the subject for the most part, but this is not like the other times. With thi
s we are all in immediate danger.

  “Yeah, he’ll be here in a day or two,” I whisper to them while being careful to cover my mouth so no one else can read my lips. “Talia’s making the final preparations. We’re as ready as possible.”

  “Be careful, Kagen,” my mother says before returning to her food, letting me drop the subject. Arluin, on the other hand, waits impatiently for more information.

  “Not now, Arluin,” I warn before he has a chance to speak.

  “If not now, when? It’s not like you have a lot of spare time,” he says.

  “Everything’s riding on this. I know you can handle it but not everyone can. We need to keep this private.” With my words and forceful stare, Arluin gets the message. He does sit up a bit straighter before returning to his food, buoyed by my implicating he is strong enough to handle what is coming. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, I change the subject. “So, how’s the training coming?”

  His eyes open wide, as if he just remembered something. “It’s going better than I expected. I’ve made a lot of progress.”

  He is clearly not talking about his general instruction. Instead, he is referring to the special task I assigned him. This ought to be interesting. “Really? You must be a fast learner. Can you show me what you learned?”

  “If you give me an excuse for being late to my training, I’ll show you after breakfast.”

  Now he really has my attention as well as our mother’s. By her reaction, he obviously did not mention this to her. Whatever Arluin discovered, he has been keeping it quiet, so the information must be significant. Either that or he is making an excuse to get me in private so he can find out more about the review. Knowing him, that is probably his real intention. He is a tricky one, I think to myself. My mother looks at both of us sternly, reminding us to be careful.