The Controller (The Securus Trilogy Book 2)

by Anthony Maldonado

  Nyree and I get back into our position, waiting for the others. It has been a while since Wakil arrived. The others should be here any time. We do not know if they have access to the room or if they need to be let in, so I listen for a knock or any other signal while clutching the remote control for the door in my hand.

  While we continue to wait, my mind keeps going back to Wakil. To me his actions are even worse than Mr. Vaden’s were. At least Mr. Vaden was dealing with the loss of his wife and trying desperately to save his only daughter. Wakil, on the other hand, has not been under any external pressure other than the review itself. The Controller has not been directly manipulating him. Despite that, he willingly works to keep us under the control of Caelum. There is no justification for that.

  I force the thoughts out of my mind because in this moment, none of that matters. This ends now, I think to myself while crouching in position next to Nyree. We intently watch the entrance, straining to hear signs anyone coming. An unexpected thumping breaks my focus. The sound did not come from our group or from the entrance. I turn my head toward the source, deep within the tunnel. For a moment I almost think the sound was my imagination, but the others have all turned toward the tunnel as well. The thumping returns. As it gets louder, the pattern of footsteps become recognizable. I feel exposed. Our cover only shields us from the main entrance. We are plainly visible from the tunnel.

  Who could be coming from the tunnels? The Soldiers would never come this close to Securus unless they were under direct orders from Braeden. If he has them coming here, it would be to kill us all. The only other possibility I can think of would be Ardal, but how would he get to the tunnel when Nyree has blocked the only secret passage to The Caves?

  “Are you sure that passage is blocked?” I whisper to her.

  “Yes, I even stationed one of the workers there,” she replies.

  The footsteps grow louder until a faint light penetrates the darkness of the tunnel. With the glow of the light I almost make out a figure moving toward us. The figure seems too small to be one of the Soldiers, but there is no way to be sure. I motion for Hadwin and Sayda to move to the other side of the equipment so we will not be seen. We are too late. The footsteps stop and the light disappears. For nearly a minute, I hear nothing except the increasing sound of my breath. Then the agonizing silence is broken by the footsteps again, except this time the pace is much faster.

  Whoever lurks in the shadows is running away.

  Instinctively, I spring from my hiding spot, chasing after the shadowed figure. The others immediately follow. We are all in full vision now, unable to hide our numbers or intent. As soon as the figure ran, the possibility of the person being a Soldier was erased from my mind. I cannot imagine what would happen to one of them if Braeden or even Malin found out they ran from us. That is, unless Malin has found a way to lure me out far enough so he will not be faulted for killing me.

  Despite the risk, we continue chasing after the shadow. Soon I feel Radek catch up to me while the others lag behind. The further in we go, the darker it becomes. I was not prepared for this and do not have my illuminator.

  “Radek, wait,” I whisper to him. “I think they stopped.”

  He does not reply but does slow down. If we did not stop, we could run past the person if they are hiding. Our sprint turns to a trot and then stops altogether. The others bump into Radek as they catch up to us, almost knocking him over. We listen for the footsteps, but they have stopped. We may have missed our best chance to catch them in the act. If they get away we may not be able to stop them from eventually getting a message to Braeden.

  The frustration swells up inside me. We have to find him! I shout in my own mind. A low light appears next to me. Radek has an illuminator, but his light does not reveal the person we were chasing.

  As we search, a loud creaking echoes through the tunnel. Before I place the sound, a brilliant light fills the tunnel. The light hurts my eyes. Seeing anything past the intense glare is impossible. My mind flashes back to when I first went to the surface. With the memory comes the realization of what is happening. My eyes adjust enough to see three men clinging to a ladder farther in the tunnel. They are climbing out of an exit hatch. The glare of the light prevents me from identifying the men, but they are not wearing armor and are definitely not Soldiers.

  “They’re going to the surface!” I shout to the others.

  We all rush to converge on the ladder. Radek gets there first and jumps onto it. As he climbs, the hatch slams closed. We cannot let them get away. Otherwise they may be able to sneak back in. They undeniably have another hidden passage from Securus to The Caves, otherwise they would have never made it this far. If they get past us and back in through another hatch, they could find another way to contact Caelum before we stop them. Radek tries to open the hatch but it resists his effort.

  “Move to the side so I can help,” I tell Radek, climbing beside him.

  “Ready? One, two, three,” he says. We both pull on the lever.

  As it pries loose, I lose my balance and tilt away from the ladder. A weightless sensation overcomes me as my arms flail out, reaching for anything to stop my fall. Feeling my movement, Nyree grabs my shirt, pulling me back to the ladder just before it is too late.

  The Sun’s light again floods the tunnel. We climb out of the hatch, onto a small open area outside the gates of the Solar Panel fields. I shield my eyes from the Sun and look around in time to see Ardal following two other men into the forest. The others are already obscured by the woods, leaving me unable to distinguish who they are. The rest of the group, led by Radek and Edric, sprints toward the men while I stop to get my communicator.

  “Talia, they surprised us from inside the tunnel and managed to get out through an exit hatch. We’re on the surface now, and we’re going after them,” I say.

  “Be careful,” she replies as I put the communicator in my pocket, rushing to follow the others.

  The field has a rough surface and is covered with low growing plants. Sprinting here is much more difficult than on the well-worn trails in the Solar Fields. Even so, it is infinitely easier than in the confines of The Caves. Out here the fresh oxygen lends more strength and there are no shadowed crevices to squeeze through. The hardest part is adjusting to the light that shines so brightly, it nearly washes out my sight.

  In front of me, Nyree trails behind the rest of the group. She normally walks so fast, but the residual limp from her prior injuries definitely hampers her running. We head into a thick cluster of trees at the edge of the forest.

  As I run, the gentle push of the wind against my back propels me forward even faster. The glare and heat of the Sun dampens as I reach the shade of the tree line. The rough terrain slows the others. Soon after entering the forest, I pass Nyree. We cannot see far ahead of us in the thick growth, so I follow the others. Hopefully they see the men we are chasing.

  Now, deep in the forest, the air burns in my throat. The pain is a lot like the sensation I get in the decontamination chamber, only more localized. Something must be irritating my airway. The burning makes it increasingly more difficult to breath. Just when I can no longer take it, Radek and Edric come to a stop ahead. They stand in an area where fallen trees have opened a portal to the sky, waiting for our group to gather.

  “Where did they go?” I ask Radek through my panting breaths. My hands rest on my hips while the burning slowly recedes.

  “I don’t know, I lost them,” he says through a clenched jaw. Radek stands tall, with his eyes darting all around us, searching in vain for the traitors. Standing right behind him, Edric continuously shuffles his feet, anxious to keep moving, but with no direction to follow.

  “Should we split up?” Hadwin asks.

  “No, that’s a bad idea,” Radek snaps. “We need to stay together.” His tone was stronger than needed. I suspect there is another reason for that beside his frustration with losing our prey. He knows how close Hadwin is to Sayda, and I am sure he does not like
it.

  I look around and notice a low branch with an unusual angle in it. It triggers a memory from survival guides we showed to the scout team. When I get closer, my suspicion is confirmed. “They went this way. Look, the branch is broken. Someone had to have gone through here.”

  “Okay, let’s go,” Radek says.

  “I’ll cover our back,” Edric volunteers, motioning for us to move forward.

  Only he and Radek have guns, so his idea is good to protect the group. I move up front with Radek to help guide us. As we move ahead of him, Edric looks up in awe at the openness of the sky. Most people in Securus have never seen the sky before, only the ever present metal and rocky ceilings underground.

  Past the broken branch there are no further clues to their direction. So instead, we choose the path we would take if we were the ones trying to get away fast. Despite the wild growth of plants and trees all around us, the path a natural flow. Judging by the smoothness of the ground in this section, it may be a trail used by some of the larger animals. That worries me, but we do not have a choice. We need to catch them.

  Behind me, both Hadwin and Sayda keep up the pace well. Nyree has adjusted to her altered run and stays with the group better than before. After almost tripping, I return my focus back to the path in front of me.

  We continue on for what seems like forever. The light shining through the trees no longer overpowers my vision, but still hurts my eyes. A lifetime in the darkness of The Caves makes it hard to adjust without the visors of our bio-suit helmets. Other than our ragged breathing and determined footsteps, the only thing we hear are the warning cries of birds overhead.

  Eventually, the towering trees and thick bush thins, making it easier to navigate the trail. Soon, the Sun peaks through the canopy. Ahead of us is another clearing in the trees. We slow down as we approach. When it looks safe, we gather to choose our direction.

  “Why didn’t we wait for them in the tunnel?” Edric asks. “They have to come back eventually.”

  “Because, that wasn’t the only exit hatch,” I tell him. “I saw one deeper in the tunnel before, near an area the Soldier Guards patrol frequently. If they make it to that hatch, they could find the Soldiers and get word to Caelum or even make it back inside of Securus. We can’t risk that.”

  Edric understands but does not look happy. The extended run is obviously wearing on him. The others are look as tired as I feel, except for Nyree and Radek. Nyree may not be able to move quite as fast, but she seems absolutely tireless. Radek looks even better than she does. If it was not for the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, there would be no way to tell he had exerted himself at all. Still, even they cannot keep this pace up forever. But if we are having trouble, the ones we are chasing must be as well.

  We continue, again blindly setting out after the three men. This time the forest stays thick with no breaks in the canopy above for quite some time. The vegetation bristles with small animals retreating from our path. Hadwin keeps veering off to the side, fearing every noise is an animal about to attack. We roam through the forest at a measured pace, following the natural flow, hoping it is the right way. Now that my breathing has settled into rhythm, the damp earth and fresh vegetation combine to infuse the air with an aroma unlike anything I have ever experienced. It feels like we are breathing real air for the first time.

  As we move forward, deeper and deeper into the forest, all the trees begin to look alike. We take short breaks in the form of walking when needed, but always continue moving. Our tired feet will not stop our chase. Every now and then we hear a voice in the distance, giving us reason to continue forward. Eventually, we emerge onto another clearing. It feels like we have been running for an entire day. Yet we have not caught up to the three men we are chasing.

  Hadwin looks around for any indication of the direction they went, but there are no more broken plants or obvious tracks to guide us. Sayda stands in the center of the clearing, looking as though her eyes were weapons, searching for their target. Radek stands beside her and places a comforting hand on her shoulder. The rest of us continue to search for any cue to give us our next direction. We need to catch them soon. Especially since they are not the only thing we need to be hunting down right now. The poison boxes in Securus need to be removed before Caelum renders its verdict, and the only tracker is out here with us.

  “Do you hear that?” Hadwin says. “It sounds like water.”

  I hold my breath and listen to the forest. There is the sound of birds chirping high above in the tree tops, insects signaling from the ground below, and in the distance a faint trickle that does sound a lot like the running streams in The Caves.

  “I hear it. It’s coming from that way,” I say, pointing farther into the forest. “That would be a good place to look. They’ll need water soon if they keep running.”

  “Let’s go quietly,” Nyree adds.

  “Yeah, I don’t want that bastard to hear us and get away.” Sayda fumes.

  We get back in formation with Radek in front and Edric covering from behind. Taking measured steps, we advance deeper in the forest, looking and listening for the others. Many old leaves and crumbled rocks line the way. The decaying foliage makes the ground almost feel spongy, yet it recoils as we pass, masking any footprints. Young trees fill in the gaps between the many giants, stretching up to find their way to the light.

  As the water gets louder, the semi-formed trail we have been following merges onto a worn and obvious path. We follow around the bend, through a collection of rocks that rise to just over my head. They are lined up next to each in a way that constricts the path. The rocks almost look like they were the teeth of an enormous earthy monster waiting to devour us. Radek stops to marvel at the curious view for a second, before catching himself and moving on.

  As we round the corner, the stream comes into view, drawing an awed gasp from Sayda. It is only about fifteen feet wide and not very deep, but is beautiful nonetheless. The running water sparkles under the scattered rays of light penetrating the cover above. The brilliance of the shimmering water far surpasses anything we have in The Caves. I would be ecstatic with such a find if it were not for the circumstances. Right now, we do not have time to enjoy the scenery.

  A downward slant in the trail leads directly to the water. As we get to the edge of the stream, the ground becomes soft and the dirt quickly morphs into mud. There are numerous tracks stamped into each other at this junction. The newest ones are distinctive.

  “Look, there are footprints,” I show them to the others. “They went through here.”

  “They had to have gone up there.” Radek points to a ragged wall of dirt and tree roots blocking the way, thirty yards past the opposite bank. “There looks like a way up on the side over there.”

  On top of the dirt cliff in front of us are a few boulders and fallen trees, making it impossible to see much past the jagged terrain. A slim trail similar to the one we are on runs up the side of the cliff. The trail has a steep incline but looks more passable than the vertical wall in front of us. Rocks protrude from the water slightly upstream, so we head toward them to cross. That way we will not alert the other men by splashing. Radek again leads and I follow immediately behind him.

  When I am almost across the stream, a thunderous blast echoes out amongst the trees. We all freeze in place. I know what that sounded like, but my mind refuses to believe it. Another blast explodes in our ears. A hallow thud comes from the mud next to the stream as something collides with it.

  “They’re shooting at us!” Nyree shouts, already turning back to find cover.

  We are completely exposed here. I turn and hastily jump back to the muddy bank. As I do, my feet sink into the water and mud short of my target, sending me crashing to my knees. I yank my feet loose and force myself out of the mud, crawling onto dry land. Edric reaches out to pull me up. Another gunshot fills the air. This time the bullet finds a target. A look of confusion and terror fills his eyes as the force of the bullet knocks him b
ack, collapsing Edric onto the slippery bank.

  Time feels like it slows down as I frantically scramble to escape the muddy bank. Up ahead, Nyree has already reached the cover of the trees while Radek and Hadwin force Sayda to safety as well. She fights to come back to help, but they are determined to protect her.

  I continue to crawl, finally managing to break free of the clinging mud. Now that my feet have some traction, I grab Edric’s arm to pull him from the shore. Another gunshot strikes the tree in front of me. I pause only long enough to realize I am not hit before pulling Edric even harder, straining to reach the cover of the tree line.

  With Sayda safe, Radek and Hadwin come back to help me move Edric the rest of the way up the bank. Another bullet hits the ground near my feet as we reach the tree line. As soon as we are no longer in the direct line of fire, my panic evaporates. I revert to my learned impulse as a Healer, checking Edric. The bullet left a gaping hole in the center of his chest. Blood pulsates from the wound.

  “Put pressure here,” I tell Radek, placing his hand over the wound to slow the bleeding. It will take more than that to save him, but we have no equipment with us. I do not even have the small medical kit Talia had me carry before. I look around in vain for something that could be used.

  “Can you stop the bleeding?” Sayda asks me.

  As I look Edric in the eye, his strength fades. The last moments of his life are spent silently pleading for me to save him. I desperately want to do something, but with the wound location, the bullet had to have gone straight through his heart. Without a full surgical setup, I am powerless to stop it. The blood at his lip stops flowing as his irregular breath comes to a halt. They have killed him.