“We’re gonna talk it over a bit. I’ll be with you in a minute on that,” I say, now backing onto the steps.
The staircase is too narrow for us to stand together, so I push Hadwin behind me and motion for him to get the others into the passage. If I cannot make it, at least I can hold the Guards long enough so the others can. I take a deep breath, preparing to rush them. Before I make a move, Nyree does. She charges them without saying a word. Her unexpected attack startles them long enough for her to crash into the lead Guard.
“Go, Kagen, go!” she shouts as the other Guards pile on top of her. I try to move but cannot. I am torn between helping Nyree and returning to The Caves. The sight of her being beaten by the Guards sickens me. I want to fight back. But logically, I know the only way to help her now is to finish what we have started.
Reluctantly, I turn to race up the stairs and circle around, out of view of the Guards. Even this close the passage would be hidden from me if I did not see Hadwin poking out of the entrance, waiting for us to follow. I climb onto the outer edge of the stairs and leap into the passage. While I am in the air, a gunshot rings out. Not again, the words roar in my mind. As soon as my feet touch ground, I turn to jump back to the stairs. Before I can, two hands pull me back into the tunnel and force me to the ground with surprising strength. Hadwin stops me from going back. He could not have seen what happened, but the sound of the gunshot told him everything he needed to know.
“We need to keep moving. We can’t help Nyree unless we keep moving,” he says while pulling me further in the tunnel.
After stumbling backwards through the tunnel, I finally around, knowing Hadwin is right. Against so many Guards, I would be powerless to help Nyree. She could have been shot, or they might have been shooting at me. Either way, the only real option we have is to continue. I follow him through the darkness of the tunnel as we go to catch up with the others.
“Did you see what happened?” he asks as we crawl.
“She bought us some time. We both had the same plan, but she acted first,” I say remorsefully. “I didn’t see the shot though.”
Hadwin does not ask any more questions now. This far in, it should be safe to turn on our lights without giving away our position. He turns on his illuminator, and I activate the external lights of my bio-suit. The tunnel gets bigger, allowing us to stand. Soon, we are faced with a choice of four paths. Each of the tunnels looks the same. There are no distinguishing features to tell us which way to go.
“Should we split up?” Hadwin asks.
“No, look there,” I tell him pointing to the ground. Only one path has footprints in the dirt leading into it. Someone has been through here before. “They went this way.”
We continue to climb and crawl our way upward. I do not say my worry out loud, but if those tracks were not made by Sayda and Talia, we could be lost. I take the lead since the bio-suit gives me more protection and its lights are even brighter than Hadwin’s illuminator. Soon, we reach another divergence. We stop to look for more tracks.
“Where’s Nyree?” Talia asks, emerging from the shadows.
My heart jumps into my throat when I hear her voice. Hadwin’s frightened reaction almost runs him into the sidewall. We did not notice either of them hiding in here.
“She attacked the Guards before I could stop her,” I say, unable to look Talia in the eye.
“Well, then we must make sure her sacrifice isn’t wasted,” Talia says resolutely. She understands even more than the rest of us what Nyree’s actions mean. Attacking the Leadership Guard is an action that will be punished severely, if she is even alive to be punished.
“Okay, let’s keep moving,” Sayda says.
She leads us to the next path, following more tracks in the dirt. With our quick pace, we soon hear running water ahead. We dim our lights as we enter a large cavern containing one of the fishing pools.
“I know this area. We’re close to the main chamber outside of Securus. It’s still closed down because of the quarantine,” Talia whispers.
“Good, I need to stop for a minute to get this bio-suit off. It’s too bulky for the narrow tunnels we have left, and I probably couldn’t climb the last rock wall in it, either,” I say.
No one objects. They all look as though they need a brief rest as much as I do. We drink some fresh water from the pools, and I share the stored nutrient mix from my bio-suit before we continue on. This path is becoming familiar to me, making it easier to navigate the way with only dim lights. Even though The Caves are closed, some of the Leadership Guards could be in here, so we all remain on guard.
We do not come across anyone else by the time we reach the entrance to Merrick’s cavern. After fastening the tools we acquired from the Deep Vents in preparation, we go straight to the rock wall. With the experience of my other two climbs I have found a good, safe path for us to follow.
“Ready to try again?” I ask Sayda, and instantly regret my poor choice of words.
“I’ll be fine,” she says, shooting me an annoyed look because of the mention of her previous incident.
“Talia, you wait here and keep watch. We’ll go up and get what we can,” I tell her. I sense her formulating an argument for why she needs to go, but before she starts, we are both interrupted.
“Kagen, stop being overprotective,” Sayda scolds me. “She has every right to see for herself what’s going on.”
Hadwin stands with Sayda and though he does not speak, he obviously agrees with her. I search for a reason why it would be better for Talia to wait, but can think of no excuse they would accept. I reluctantly agree, and we prepare for the climb.
I go first to lead them to the safest path. Talia goes next, followed by Sayda and Hadwin. I move deliberately, making sure each hand and foothold is secure enough for the others. Talia eyes open wide, and she remains silent while climbing. Soon, I reach the ledge and turn to help the others climb up. Talia looks to be in a trance-like state as she moves. Apparently, she really is afraid of heights. When Sayda and Hadwin get safely up, we stop to catch our breath.
“We have to be careful in there. Keep the lights low. If you hear any sounds, turn the illuminators off and hide,” I instruct before we continue.
I make Talia and Sayda stay behind Hadwin and me, despite their vigorous protests. At least Hadwin supports me with this demand. We slowly make our way through the winding passage until we come to the wall of fallen rocks. I show them the smaller rocks stacked by Leadership, solidifying the edge of the wall, as well as the locations of the hidden doors.
“That’s where we can get through. But once we open a path, there’s nothing to keep those soldiers away from us,” I warn them.
Hadwin takes the pry bar he has been carrying and positions it to wedge the rocks loose. I give Sayda and Talia some hammer-like tools to hold. The tools will not help move the rocks, but can be used as weapons if needed. With Hadwin and me pulling on the lever, the boulder begins to move. We move it back and forth until we build up enough momentum to finally jar the rock loose. The displaced boulder was supporting a larger piece of the wall than we realized. With it removed, an entire section collapses. The rocks fall to the ground with an exploding cannonade that reverberates through the tunnels.
“If the soldiers are anywhere close, they had to have heard that,” Hadwin laments.
We retreat outward through the tunnel, waiting to see if they appear. After an eternity in the cold, dark silence, we decide it is safe to go back in. The dust has settled, making it easier to climb through the hole in the barrier into the opposite chamber. I look for the hidden lever the soldiers used to open the door to the tracks, but cannot find it. Everything on the wall looks like normal rocks and mineral deposits. Not wanting to waste time, I move to the storage room. This lever is easy to find since I saw them activate it before. I reach up to push on the protruding rock. A muted, mechanical hum fills the alcove as the door opens.
The others are stunned by the sight of the cave wall opening i
nto a doorway. When it fully opens, the internal lights activate. The inside appears nearly identical to the storage room in Securus Talia brought us to, with piles of various pieces of Hadwin’s electronics. The one big difference is the armored gear for the soldiers. Near the entrance, I notice an activation switch that must be another mechanism to control the door. I am drawn to the table with the soldier’s gear and shuffle through the equipment. My hands find an assault rifle that is a duplicate of the ones the soldiers carry.
“This is what they used,” I say, showing the gun to the others.
Hadwin grabs the gun and hold it up to get a better look. “It looks like it needs to be manually activated. There’s a slot here for some kind of key,” he says to my disappointment.
He takes the weapon out to the rubble and tries to shoot it. As he suspected, the gun does not work. Even if we cannot use the weapon, it may work as a deterrent and will be useful to show the people what is hidden out here. The contents of the supply room will be helpful, but do not give me the answer I was looking for. We still have no idea what they are doing out here. While we walk back toward the supply room, a faint vibration comes from the ground. I brace myself, expecting another earthquake until I notice a part of the wall moving.
“Get inside, they’re coming,” I warn the others while darting onto the supply room.
I activate the internal control, closing the door, and encasing us inside. We all find separate hiding areas to wait out the soldiers. After a period of silence, the muffled blast of a rifle comes through the walls. They had to have found the opening in the rubble. Hopefully they will decide the rocky collapse was a natural occurrence. After a few more minutes, as expected, the door to the supply room opens. We only need to hide long enough to convince them no one has been here. Two men enter the room. I hold my breath as one of the soldiers walks past me. He scans the area looks around before walking over toward the stored gear.
“Did you leave the rifle out,” the soldier growls to the other. My muscles tense at the sound of his voice. He is the same man as before, the one that killed Merrick. This time, no wall separates us. If we are found, these men will do the same to us. A mixture of fear and rage surges within me. Despite the danger, I have to fight against the overwhelming urge to attack them.
“No, I put it in its case,” the mechanical man responds.
He comes over to investigate. From my hiding spot, I see both of the men examining the gear. They raise their rifles and search the room. Stay calm and quiet, I tell myself while mentally projecting the thought to the others.
“I can see you behind that table. Come out or I will shoot,” the mechanical man demands.
To my horror, Talia stands up and faces the man with her arms raised in surrender, just as Merrick did that night. His murder replays in my mind as I see the men train their guns on Talia. I get the same helpless feeling as before, except this time there is no rock wall blocking me. Without a plan, I spring out of my hidden position behind the men and charge them. Any attack seems futile, but I have to try to save her. I could not bear to watch her die as I did Merrick.
The soldiers are focused on Talia and do not see me coming soon enough to get out of the way. The force of my collision knocks the soldier on the left into the wall head first. He bounces back and crumbles to the floor with his rifle lodged under him. I turn toward the other soldier to attack, but he has already steadied himself and aims his weapon at me. Talia shouts out for the soldier to stop. He ignores her plea and pulls the trigger.
I see a shadow behind the rifle followed by an intense blast of light. The next thing I know, I am on the ground, stunned from the impact. A wave a pain swells through me. While I am on the floor, loud yells and grunts surround me in the room. I shake the haze of confusion and force myself to get up. There is no time to look at my wound. Even if I am to die, there is a chance to save the others first. Hadwin is already on top of the soldier who shot me, rabidly flailing at him. Sayda flies past me to help Hadwin. She reaches down to wrestle the rifle from the soldier’s hands. I turn back to the other soldier. Talia is trying to pry the rifle lose from under him, but he is regaining consciousness.
I jump on top of the soldier before he can get up, and repeatedly smash the back of his helmet with the first solid object my hands find. Stunned by the blows, his handle on the gun weakens, allowing Talia to pry the weapon from his grips. She passes the rifle to me.
I turn to the others. Hadwin fights to keep the soldier on the ground, but he is nearly upright. The soldier lands an elbow to Hadwin’s midsection. The blow is enough to free the soldier from Hadwin’s grasp, and gives him enough leverage to pull the rifle back from Sayda. He turns toward Hadwin and raises his weapon.
“Stop,” I yell as he stands over Hadwin, poised to shoot.
The soldier ignores me. His finger reaches for the trigger. My heart momentarily stops as another blast from the rifle lights up the room. The soldier falls to the floor, limp and lifeless. My gun fired before his could. I could not let him take another life. I turn to the remaining soldier and motion for Talia to stand clear.
“Get up!” I shout at the man as he struggles to gain his balance.
“Okay, I surrender,” the mechanical man says when he sees the rifle pointed at his head.
While I focus on this soldier, Hadwin checks the fallen one. He confirms the shot was indeed lethal. I step back to a safe distance while keeping aim on the man with the mechanical voice.
“Are any of you injured?” I ask.
“We’re all okay, some bumps and bruises, but nothing significant,” Hadwin assures me while catching his breath.
“Grab the gun, I need to see where I was shot,” I tell him.
“Umm, Kagen, you weren’t shot,” Hadwin laughs.
“I saw the blast and was knocked to the floor. How else did that happen?” I argue while searching for my wound.
“That was the work of our little spider monkey,” he says, still chuckling. “When you attacked, Sayda and I came out of hiding to help. I tried to get his gun, but wasn’t fast enough. Sayda tackled you just in time.”
Mistaking the jolt from Sayda’s tackle as a gunshot is more than a little embarrassing. The pain must have been made worse from my already sore body absorbing the impact of the fall. But, I would rather be embarrassed than shot. I go over to look at the dead soldier with my hands are shaking. The nervous rush from the adrenaline has not yet worn off. The soldier is much less intimidating now than what I remember. With the other soldier captured, it is about time we found out what they are doing out here.
Chapter 29
“What’s your name?” I ask the soldier.
For the first time, the image on the chest plate of his armor is clearly visible. The symbol has an eight pointed sun, but is different than our Leadership insignia. His does not have a biohazard symbol surrounding it. Even the color of the glowing sun seems more intense. I am not sure what to make of the image.
“Kerad,” he answers.
“What are you doing out here?” Talia demands.
“We were guarding the tracks,” he says.
“You’re going to have to tell us more than that,” I say.
“You don’t know what you’re dealing with,” he replies.
“Try us,” Sayda hisses.
“Do you really think you’re alone here?” he says, mocking us. “We protect the tracks to Munitus. We can’t have your groups interacting, so we monitor the tracks.”
“What is Munitus?” Talia asks.
“Another facility, just like Securus,” he answers.
His words twirl through my mind, making me feel dizzy. We are not alone. There is another facility. That is why his insignia looks different than ours. When I thought of the potential reasons for the tracks, this never felt like a real possibility. I suspected that Leadership was building its own secret lair or was stockpiling precious resources for their own use.
“If there are others, then why are they being k
ept a secret? And why are we being kept separate?” I ask.
“I’ve told you all I can. You can threaten my life all you want, but they will kill my entire family. You have no power over me. So do what you must, but I’m done talking,” he says with a conviction I do not doubt.
“That’s not good enough,” Talia tells him.
“You can ask your father the rest, Talia Vaden,” Kerad snorts.
His recognition of her leaves Talia speechless. She can no longer deny her father’s involvement. Of all of the surprises I have had, this one is the most difficult to comprehend. There is another facility, and Mr. Vaden knows about it. By the way Kerad was speaking, there could even be more. He did say ‘we can’t have the groups interacting.’
Kerad stops speaking, so we decide to return to Securus. We bind Kerad and leave him in the supply room, intending to come back for him later. Before leaving, we strip away both of the soldiers’ weapons and armor for Hadwin and me to use. They could help us on our return and I do not want to chance him getting free to use them against us. I look at him for the first time without his intimidating helmet and mask. I do not know what I expected, but it feels surprising to me that he looks like an ordinary man. He stands taller than the rest of us, but is not built much differently. In a way, he looks a lot like many of our workers, with a tired brow and face that has seen more years in the past than he has left in the future.
I turn away from the soldiers, and we leave the supply room. Closing the door behind us effectively entombs Kerad in the room with his fallen partner. One of us will return for them later. If we cannot, the punishment for his treachery will be to forever remain in this room. Now that we know where they lead to, following the tracks is no longer necessary. We can explore them another time if we are successful in our return. Right now, we need to get back into Securus and finish what we started.
No one knows what to say as we travel back toward the fishing pools. This discovery is more significant than any of us could have anticipated. I still do not completely understand it. I am excited to learn we are not alone, but frightened by the possibilities of how this forced isolation came to be. Whatever the ultimate reason for the deception, Mr. Vaden is the only one who can reveal the truth to us now.
The Death Detail (The Securus Trilogy Book 1) Page 27
