The Death Detail (The Securus Trilogy Book 1)

by Anthony Maldonado

  The Death Detail

  Part one of The Securus Trilogy

  By Anthony Maldonado

  Copyright © 2013 Anthony Maldonado

  All rights reserved.

  DEDICATION

  For my wife, Bernice. You are my strength and inspiration.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  About The Author

  Chapter 1

  For the first time I can remember, I wake up before the blare of my morning alert. Sleeping is usually an escape from my bland world, bringing dreams filled with vivid colors and exciting landscapes to explore. Tearing my mind away from those dreams to face my stark reality is normally difficult, but today is not going to be a normal day. For the first time in months, I have been given a permit to go into The Caves with my friends. Leadership has been much more restrictive with access lately, especially with groups, so this evening’s excursion will be a rare escape for us.

  My eyes are open, but the room remains veiled in darkness. With all of Securus being deep underground, there are no windows or light except for the barely perceivable shimmer penetrating the seals of the entry door. By the time I sit on the edge of the bed, the main power is activated. The lights inside my quarters turn on, emitting their familiar warm glow. Years ago they were altered to provide a substitute for the Sun’s rays after we discovered the lack of natural sunlight was causing depression and vitamin deficiencies. The bland walls of my quarters are not much more stimulating in the light than they were in the darkness.

  The bunk above mine is empty. I hear my brother, Arluin, already dressing in the bathroom. As usual, he was the first to rise. Despite our ten year age difference, people often mention how alike we are. We do share the same olive skin tone and short cropped hair, but this early in the morning, the similarities end there. Even when I was a teenager like him, I was never such a morning person. Sitting on my bed, I wait for Arluin and my mother to get dressed before taking my turn. By the time I finish dressing, they are both already sitting in front of the television monitor embedded into the far wall, waiting for me to join them.

  Arluin looks back at me with a hint of jealously in his deep green eyes. “You got up fast today.” He knows exactly why. Since Arluin is two years away from the mandatory minimum age requirement, he cannot go with me.

  “You’ll be able to go soon enough.” I pat him on the shoulder while sitting down, not wanting to make him feel too bad. Being constantly surrounded by the same bland, steel walls is hard on all of us. Going into The Caves is the only time we temporarily escape them.

  “Yeah, yeah.” Arluin turns to look me in the eye, revealing his mischievous smile. “So, Kagen, when are you gonna trick some girl into marrying you so you can finally get assigned you your own quarters and give me some space?”

  “You and mom would be lost without me,” I tell him.

  “We would manage just fine. It wouldn’t hurt for you to give some of those nice girls a chance,” my mother says from her chair next to Arluin.

  Before I respond, a short high-pitched tone indicates the announcements are about to begin, mercifully cutting our conversation short. We divert our attention to the television in time to see the image of Mr. Vaden appear. For a moment, he remains silent while looking through the screen, as if waiting for our full attention. As always, he wears the official uniform of Leadership, which has clean lines on a mineral grey base. Differing accents on the sleeves and collar indicate the individual’s rank and occupation. The accents on Mr. Vaden’s uniform are royal blue, indicating his rank as the official leader of Securus.

  Like all of those in Leadership, he also bears the distinctive insignia on the left breast of his uniform. It has an eight pointed Sun with a yellow center that melds into orange tips. The sun is surrounded by its glowing light and is nestled within the center of a sharp black biological hazard symbol. It is a reminder of the terrible biological weapon, known as The Agent, which has driven our people underground. The inspiration for the emblem was taken from the unique biohazard marker stamped into the massive steel outer doors that once served as the lone entrance to Securus. At first, the stamp was meant to keep others away by making them think the facility was already infected. Now, the Leadership insignia is meant to symbolize the light and strength that has come from the tyranny of The Agent’s devastation.

  Seeing Mr. Vaden stare into the camera, waiting to speak, often makes me feel uneasy. He possesses an air of authority augmented by the streaks of silver interspersed in his hair. Even on the artificial screen, his calculating eyes seem to stare directly into you.

  “Good morning, I am Mr. Vaden,” he starts as always, even though he needs no introduction. “I am pleased to announce our food and water levels remain above minimum levels. Energy generation remains sufficient. No defects were identified in the air filtration system diagnostic.

  “However, not all news is good today. There has been some minor seismic activity, and I advise increased caution if venturing into The Caves. Not all areas have been reinforced and there’s always the danger of a collapse in the more remote chambers. Because of this, we will be closing off the upper tunnels to the public and limiting permits for access until everyone’s safety can be assured. Any infractions of our policies while in The Caves will not be tolerated.

  “I also regret to inform you this week’s surface air test shows The Agent remains present and active. That is all for the morning announcements, may you all have a safe and productive day.”

  The screen turns off, but I remain in my seat. Mr. Vaden’s warning during the announcements is completely unexpected. I have been in the upper tunnels many times before. They are heavily reinforced and never seemed to be unstable or dangerous. We have not had any people injured while in The Caves lately, so this closure makes me wonder why he is so concerned with that area. There has to be something more behind his decision. Since I am headed out there today, this is a troublesome change.

  Arluin taps my shoulder, reminding me it is time to go. We all head down the hallway to our designated breakfast hall. There are many of these halls spread throughout Securus, and they all look the same. Once inside, we are again surrounded by more plain steel walls. At least in here the uniformity is broken up by a mobile food service area as well as built-in partitions. This designed flexibility allows the area to be used for multiple purposes throughout the day. With limited resources, we must always be creative and flexible with what we do have.

  Today, our breakfast consists of the usual mix of a synthetic nutrient drink, small piece of bread, and a porridge-like substance. This is not our best meal of the day, but the food is always enough to get me through the morning. After some idle talk amongst our neighbors, I leave the hall and make my way to work. Securus has numerous levels and with the infirmary being six flights up, I use one of the many stairwa
ys to get there. There are some elevator platforms centrally located for our use, but I prefer the exercise of the stairs. When I reach the infirmary, the warm smile of our senior Healer, Rana McPheeters, greets me.

  “We have a busy morning ahead of us with a full schedule of appointments. Can you take care of them for me?” she asks with a faint wink from behind large eye glasses that do nothing to conceal the keen perception behind them.

  “Of course, to what do I owe the honor of filling in on your favorite duty?” I reply with a suspicious stare. Once assigned to the infirmary from the general aptitude testing, our training circulates us through all the jobs in the infirmary, but we typically settle on the particular function that suits us best. Rana has always greatly preferred the appointments over the walk in visits, so I cannot help but wonder what surprise she has waiting for me.

  “Oh, I just wanted a change of pace for the day,” she says, nonchalantly turning to walk inside.

  We both enter the main door into the infirmary, then turn down the central hallway connecting the various exam and treatment rooms. Like most other areas in Securus, the walls in here are undecorated except for labels to the individual rooms and sections. After passing the sterile surgical room, I turn into the appointment exam room. It has been a while since I worked in here, but the setup is ingrained into my mind. The small gurney for examinations sits adjacent to a row of cabinets filled with medicines and other essential equipment on the far wall. I check the schedule for the day before turning to prepare the equipment needed.

  Before I get started, a crash comes from the hallway. I run out to find a man with a crazed look in his eyes, crawling on the floor toward Rana. She looks at the man before turning to me with confusion. We have both seen people like this before, except he is somehow covered with dirt. The only possible explanation for the dirt is if he came from The Caves. That does not make any sense though. Only research workers are allowed out there this early, and his uniform clearly shows he is not from the Research Department.

  I go to help him up so we can get him into the treatment room. The reason for the rest of his weak and disheveled appearance is not so elusive. His frazzled, rusty brown hair has matted blood clots in it. Dried crimson stains trace down to his back. Aside from the wound, he also has cracked lips and sunken eyes signaling dehydration. My guess is he was injured out there and ended up stuck in The Caves all night. But if he was, then why did none of the Guards help him get here?

  As soon as I get the injured man to his feet, he stagers and nearly falls before leaning heavily on me. He lifts his head from my shoulder, whispering to me. “They didn’t see me, but I saw them. They shouldn’t be out there. You have to stop them.”

  His words seem like the product of his weakened physical state. Even so, they grab my attention. “Stop who?”

  “The shadow-men in The Caves. They’ll be the end of Securus,” he says before his voice trails off.

  Inside the exam room, I help him onto the gurney. I want to ask him more, except there will be scheduled patients waiting for me soon. On top of that, Rana raises a single eyebrow at me while she steps in to work on the ill man. Her look is meant to remind me that she is more than capable of handling this herself. Taking the hint along with a deep breath, I make my way back to the appointment room.

  The patient’s odd presentation and message have piqued my interest, but in this profession, one must be able to mentally move on from whatever we encounter in order to best care for the next person. This time, doing so is harder than normal because his words mark the second unusual warning centering on The Caves. The coincidence is hard to ignore, especially on the very day I am scheduled to go out there.

  Despite that, my job now is to focus on the scheduled appointments. Today, they largely consist of yearly blood screens for health maintenance and outbreak protection. The screens are not my favorite task, though they are necessary for the health of Securus.

  There are multiple groups of collection tubes for me to separate. Each one reminds me of a disaster from the past. Our sophisticated biological filters protect us from the poisonous surface atmosphere, but The Caves are directly connected to the lower levels of Securus, bypassing their protection. Along with new resources, The Caves brought new microbes that when mixed with the old, created deadly strains of disease that nearly devastated our entire population.

  The first set of tubes is intended to screen for continued immunity from vaccinations to a severe flu that wiped out one fifth of our population in a matter of months. The second set is to screen for any signs of a deadly hemorrhagic fever previously spread by tiny mites that invaded Securus. The screening for this one is geared at identifying any cases before the patient develops the full disease, with profuse bleeding from every possible orifice, both internally and externally. Since the mites have been eradicated and there has not been a case in years, I always felt like the testing was overkill. But, because the outbreak was so visually terrifying, our Research Department insists on it. The third set of tubes is for the general health maintenance. This is probably the only truly useful part of the screening.

  All of the testing equipment is in order, and the vaccines are ready. I again fight to push aside my curiosity to Rana’s intentions and the weird coincidences with The Caves while gearing up for the day. Even so, I am not looking forward to covering in this area because the visits will all be the same. Extract enough blood for analysis; listen to the sounds of their heart and lungs, then move on to the next person. We already have so much routine in Securus, so adding more to my day is not the best change.

  I already want to go back to my usual station where there are infinitely more possibilities. Random injuries, which for some reason always seem to be occurring to our younger men, and acutely ill people trickle in throughout the day. Each patient is always unique. It can be stimulating work, not to mention there is also another added benefit. In between these visits, I occasionally have the time to access the internet interface. This is a rare privilege, since there are so few access points, with most of them being restricted to Leadership personnel. The Healers are granted an exception to look for information to improve our effectiveness in treating patients, so they do not typically monitor our use. Now with the regimented schedule of the appointments, there will be no time for me to search the internet for the images that so often fill my dreams.

  Even so, I would never decline Rana’s request. Instead, I need to figure out what she has in store for me today. She has a reason for nearly everything she does, and part of my continuing training is to decipher her lessons.

  The morning moves faster than expected, and as the end of the scheduled appointments nears, I begin to appreciate why Rana enjoys these visits. Instead of focusing on the repetitive actions of the task, she relishes the opportunity to simply enjoy the company of those she sees. I wonder if that was the purpose of the switch all along. To give me more chances to connect with our people. While considering this and waiting for my next appointment, Rana appears in the doorway.

  “I’m so forgetful today! I neglected to add one more name to the morning list,” she says while entering the room. There are many ways to describe Rana, but forgetful is not one of them. She may be older, with a head now full of long grey hair to prove it, but she remembers every word we have spoken to each other since I began as an understudy with her eight years ago. This seemingly incidental comment worries me. I make a mental note to speak with her later to make sure she is not feeling ill. Rana adds the name to the appointment list on the computer before leaving the room. I try not to stare, though she is clearly watching me out of the corner of her eye as she leaves. My curiosity compels me across the room to the list. I scan it to find the name she added. My heart momentarily flutters when seeing the name. The additional patient is Talia Vaden.

  Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to speak with Talia for years, ever since we finished our primary education courses. Seeing her name brings back a flood of memories. I re
member the last time she filled in for her father, Mr. Vaden, during the announcements. The screen beamed her long flowing black hair, deep brown eyes, and naturally tanned skin that completed the image of this stunningly beautiful woman. Her elegant confidence while speaking commands attention.

  I shake my head, attempting to refocus my attention. Needing something to do while waiting for Talia’s appointment, I wander over to the cabinets and shuffle the phlebotomy supplies into a more logical order. There is not much to fix since this was already done as part of the morning check, but the mindless activity helps keep me on track. My attention is diverted back to the door by the sound of footsteps drawing near. I turn just as Talia enters the room. When seeing her, my knees almost give. She is radiant as ever.

  Chapter 2

  “Hi Kagen, I didn’t know I was going to see you today! It’s been so long,” Talia says with a warm smile.

  “I-I’m filling in for Rana. She wanted to change things up for the day.” I stutter for a moment before regaining my composure. “So, how are things in Leadership, you whipping everyone into shape?”

  “It’s been great. With my growing responsibilities, I can better influence and organize Leadership. I have so many ideas to try to improve our life in Securus.” Talia speaks without any trace of insincerity, unlike many other members of Leadership who focus on their political ambition. Listening to her speak makes me grin. She has always had a way of sounding so proper and formal, only to surprise you with an offbeat or playful joke when you least expect it.

  “You always did love a challenge,” I reply while carefully fumbling my way through the testing. “Are there any special projects you’re working on?”

  “Well, I’ve been studying The Caves. I think there’s a lot more potential out there we have not yet harnessed,” she explains. “But, I don’t want to get too excited about it until I’m sure. I need to find some time to get back out there to collect more samples.”