The Controller (The Securus Trilogy Book 2)

by Anthony Maldonado

  The Controller

  Part two of The Securus Trilogy

  By Anthony Maldonado

  Copyright © 2014 Anthony Maldonado

  All rights reserved.

  DEDICATION

  For my Grandparents, Evelyn Maldonado, Raymond Maldonado, Ray Widener, and Angela Widener

  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

  Staring into the darkness, my mind continuously wanders, keeping me from sleep. Weeks have passed since my life was irrevocably changed by the discovery of Caelum’s furtive control over the people of Securus. We were not prepared for this. The Agent no longer poisons the atmosphere, but it is a lie we must pretend to believe. At times it feels as if this were all a bad dream, and truth be told, I wish it was. That would be better than knowing we are slaves imprisoned deep underground, tasked with supplying the energy and raw electronics needed to support Caelum’s perverted idea of a utopian society.

  My troubles with sleeping have been all too common lately, especially with the nightmares that plague me. Memories of Merrick and Varian visit me at night, a constant reminder of my failure to save them. Logic tells me their deaths were not my fault, but that does not stop the guilt. Those feelings have kept me up many nights, though they are not the sole cause of my unrest now.

  Once we discovered the truth, I thought the next steps would be clear. All we had to do is avoid Caelum’s scrutiny until we found a way to liberate ourselves from the confines of Securus. Unfortunately, just as Mr. Vaden warned, obtaining freedom is not so simple. We have not even managed to complete the first step, which is to inform Caelum of Mr. Vaden’s death and Talia taking over as head of Leadership. According to the book Talia’s father left her, Caelum has scheduled times to contact us to discuss any potential barriers to production. They have missed every appointment so far. We do not know if this is a common occurrence or if there is a more ominous reason behind their lack of communication. Either way, their prolonged silence makes me increasingly nervous.

  A faint rustle brings my wandering thoughts back into focus. Talia has shifted her position in bed, but remains asleep. Even with our troubles, she looks so peaceful when at rest. Seeing her always reminds me that, despite everything that has gone wrong, there is hope for us to make it right. After a while, the mounting exhaustion takes over. I finally drift off to sleep, only to be startled by the blare of the morning alert in what feels like a second later.

  By the time I stumble out of bed, Talia is already gone to prepare for the morning announcements. Even with the warm, earthy-brown tone on the wall and plush floor covering, this room always feels lifeless and empty without her here. I am not used to these relatively opulent quarters after a lifetime of being stuffed into a tiny steel box of a room with the rest of my family.

  I drag myself over to the clothing cabinet and stare at the two different uniforms inside. There is one here for each of my duties. Before picking, I get my Coden from the shelf to recheck the schedule, making sure no one has made a last second change. Like some of our other equipment, this portable computer has a flexible touch screen that rolls up into a compact cylindrical case. After opening it, the words that appear on the translucent screen bring a smile to my face.

  Kagen Meldon: Healer on duty in the infirmary. First shift.

  Thankfully, my new Leadership attire will not be needed. Today’s schedule has me working a full day in the infirmary. This is a welcome change. My days are too often filled with Leadership meetings mostly consisting of bickering and political positioning. Being promoted into Leadership as Talia’s personal advisor has its perks, but the endless meetings are definitely not one of them. I would have never even considered taking the position at all if she did not have such a special talent for getting her way.

  As I reach for the traditional smoke white Healer’s uniform, a searing pain in my shoulder halts the movement. The pain is a lingering effect of Aamon’s bullet, and an irritating reminder of a person I would rather forget. In a way, the injury mirrors the people of Securus. It has been difficult for them to come to terms with our situation and the wounds it created. Like me, they need more time to recover.

  Not long after I finish dressing, the announcement chime sounds. My heart still flutters when seeing Talia on the screen embedded into the wall with her flowing black hair and deep brown eyes. Her stunning features are highlighted by the mineral grey uniform with royal blue trim she now wears as the official leader of Securus. Hidden beneath her beauty is a subtle agitation, though I doubt anyone else sees it. As far as I know, there is nothing unusual about today’s announcements. This is a worrisome development.

  “Good Morning, I am Talia Vaden.” She has made a habit of starting the announcements with a similar greeting to the one her father used, except her tone is much warmer than his ever was. “Today, I am pleased to announce our food and water levels are once again reaching satisfactory levels now that we are using some of The Caves’ resources. Energy generation remains sufficient. Our life support system diagnostic shows the system remains in satisfactory condition.

  “I have been made aware of the frustration regarding the perceived lack of a definite direction for our future progress. I understand and share your feelings, but urge more patience. We cannot be impetuous in our actions.

  “We are continuing to gather information and plan to focus on the further realignment of Leadership. If we are to move forward, this is the necessary first step. I urge everyone to focus on the task at hand and make sure Securus continues to run smoothly. That is all for today’s morning announcements. Thank you for your time.”

  Before the screen goes dark the camera focuses on the Leadership insignia draped on the wall behind her. It has been altered from its prior form. No longer is the sharp black biological hazard symbol surrounding the sun. Now the glowing, orange and yellow, eight pointed star has outshined the hazard, swallowing the dark symbol into its center. It is a symbolic change portraying how the light of Securus has overcome The Agent and eventually its true captors in Caelum.

  I absently stare at the blank screen for a couple of seconds. The announcement seemed routine, yet has left me confused. As planned, Talia focused on the ongoing changes we are enacting in Leadership, intentionally being vague with the other information. After revealing Caelum’s existence to all of Securus, we decided further direct information should be distributed personally through the halls in special sessions. Though all of that was expected, the bothersome part was the conspicuous absence of any hint at the reason for her concern.

  Intent on discovering what is bothering her before starting my day, I exit our quarters and walk down the private hallway to her office. Inside, only an empty desk awaits me inside. Each of the other rooms nearby is just as deserted. No one is up here except for me. There mus
t have been something requiring her attention. Since I am already running behind schedule, my curiosity will have to wait, although this will bother me the entire day.

  When entering the main Leadership corridor, the ground hardens beneath my feet while the walls are drained of color. Even if the plain steel walls are not as visually interesting, they are comforting in their own way. With all of the drastic changes we have had to deal with lately, I have grown to appreciate some of the things many of us take for granted.

  Down in my old breakfast hall, I go straight to food dispersal counters. As usual, most of the food is already gone. What is left is overcooked and sticks to the serving trays. I frown while scraping the browned porridge and burnt bread onto my plate. Waking up earlier would help me to avoid this, especially with my quarters being so far away from this hall. But for me that is easier said than done. I take my tray and move through the tables toward my family.

  Despite the tasteless food and predictable badgering from my younger brother, Arluin, it is worthwhile to come down here. Being around family helps get my mind off of worries from the long night. By the time breakfast is over I almost feel normal.

  My steps have extra bounce in them on the way to the infirmary. It has been a while since I had a full day there. Returning to my old routine already feels refreshing. The waiting room outside the infirmary is empty, so there should be more than enough time to prepare for the day. Instead of heading to my exam room, I check in with Rana first to get my assignment. This change has become necessary since my new Leadership duties call me away so often that she no longer keeps me on the regular schedule. After turning the corner in the main hallway running the length of the infirmary, a pair of familiar faces greets me.

  “Who is that stranger wandering our halls?” Rana asks her understudy, Jace, acting like I cannot hear her. With everything that has changed, she remains one of the few constants for me. Her perceptive eyes see everything from behind those oversized glasses, keeping us all on our toes.

  “I dunno, but he looks lost and confused. Maybe we should quarantine him,” Jace playfully responds. He has gained confidence, which shows in his performance if not in his awkward outer appearance. Despite his growth as a Healer, he has not lost the knack for making jokes that hit a little too close to home. After all, not long ago I was held in quarantine after Aamon and Balum tried to kill me.

  “At this point I would almost welcome that. Then they couldn’t keep pulling me into those tedious meetings,” I lament while trying to think of something other than being strapped down to a gurney.

  “Well, then you really won’t want to read this.” Rana points to a Leadership memo on her computer screen.

  “Really? You’ve got to be kidding,” I mutter while reading the message. It says there is another emergent meeting all upper level Leadership members must attend. So much for my normal day, I think to myself. My mood sours even further when getting to the end of the message. It was sent by Talia herself. Something must have happened this morning. Knowing how much I was looking forward to today, she would not have pulled me out of the infirmary unless it was urgent.

  “Duty calls,” I say in a mocking tone, attempting to conceal my worry while heading back to the upper levels.

  There are a few minutes before the meeting starts. If I hurry, there may be a chance to speak with Talia alone before everyone arrives. I go back into our private hallway, heading for her office. The door is closed, but an unusual voice with an unfamiliar accent can be heard from inside.

  Sometimes Talia has me pretend to accidentally interrupt her when she needs an excuse to end a meeting early. Judging by the tone of her muffled voice, now is one of those times. I open the door and poke my head inside. No one else is inside with Talia. Instead, she is speaking with someone on the screen in front of her. Realizing my mistake, I stay motionless, hoping to have gone unnoticed by the person she is talking to. Talia puts her hand up, away from the view of the camera, motioning for me to back away.

  “Who entered the room?” the man asks in a cheery tone.

  His voice is clear, but the words sound different than they should. My head falls against the door out of frustration. I want to kick myself for not realizing this sooner. There is only one likely explanation. He must be a messenger from Caelum. Talia hesitates but eventually answers. “That’s my advisor, Kagen Meldon.”

  “We’ve never had one of these meetings interrupted before. The Controller will not be pleased to hear of the irregularity,” the cheery voice replies. “Have him come forward.”

  Talia looks in my direction, but does not ask me to come forward. She looks conflicted. Instead of waiting for her to respond, I step in front of the screen. On it is a smiling man with plain features. He glances at me for an instant before turning back to Talia. “Kagen should be present when we arrive. Be sure to keep things running smoothly until then Ms. Vaden.”

  He ends the transmission. My hands start to tingle from clasping together too tightly. I force them apart and look at Talia. Her frown grows as she turns. Our first contact with Caelum since Mr. Vaden’s death should have been as uneventful as possible. Instead, I had to undermine Talia by barging in. I try to apologize but no words come out. There is no defense for my mistake.

  “Stop giving me that sad look,” Talia says with her frown already fading. “And yes, he was from Caelum. He’s the second person I spoke to from there this morning. The meeting is about to start, so you’ll have to wait to hear the rest.”

  Not wanting to make her more upset with me, I remain silent while following her out the door and into the meeting room. The space is arranged like a classroom, with rows of seats facing the front podium where Talia now stands, waiting for the others. The only decoration interrupting the monotone room is the old Leadership insignia boldly displayed on the wall behind her. We have not yet been able to change all of these intrusive reminders of our past.

  Talia manages a fleeting smile when greeting the others as they fill the room. This does not look good, I think to myself. I have never seen her appear this preoccupied before. Whatever the messenger said rattled her. While waiting for her to start the meeting, I adjust my position in the chair, too anxious to stay still.

  From the vantage point of my usual spot in the back row, I survey the rest of the room to shift my attention. It is full of the usual Leadership members, half of whom were recently appointed when Talia took over. Off to one side, surrounded by a small group, stands a middle aged man with greyed temples breaking up his dark brown hair. His name is Cale Lorit. He is one of the highest ranking members left from the old Leadership caste. Of all the annoyances in these meetings, Cale is the worst. Most of the time it seems like he enjoys being contradictory. In addition to being a constant nuisance, Cale is the most outspoken member of a faction of Leadership pushing for transparency with Caelum. They argue that our best chance for survival is to accept our role as Caelum’s energy supplier, and that our servitude is the lesser of two evils.

  On the other end of the room is another cluster of people gathered around Wakil Nason. From this angle his face remains hidden from me, but he is easily identified by his thinned hair which over the years has been drained of all color. He turns and greets me with a half-smile behind his white beard. I am always glad to see him in these meetings because he has the unique ability to inject sound reasoning into otherwise emotional subjects.

  Unlike me, most of the men and women in the room seem to enjoy the endless debates of these meetings, but I am not the only one who is frustrated by the process. Without looking, I know who sits next to me by the irritated sigh that escapes her.

  “Tell me again how I let Talia talk me into accepting this position?” Nyree asks.

  “The same way I did,” I answer as Talia raises her hand to signal for the meeting to begin.

  Nyree was my partner on the Death Detail and a big part of how I was able to survive. Now we try to keep each other sane in these meetings. Before she asks why the meetin
g was called, Talia starts. “Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here. Please forgive the informality of this meeting, but there are some new developments that need to be shared.”

  “So you’re not going to go on another escapade and inform us only when it’s over? What a novel idea,” snorts Cale. As usual, he uses his shrewd tongue to oppose Talia. I involuntarily squeeze the arm rest of my chair when he speaks, suppressing my desire to hold him down and stitch his mouth shut.

  “We do not have time for childish insults today. Either be constructive or refrain from speaking,” Talia snaps.

  Her sharp words surprise everyone because she is normally more patient with Cale. Apparently after what happened this morning, Talia is in no mood for his combative behavior. Even though I am concerned about the ramifications of my misstep, it is amusing to see Cale struggling to maintain an even façade. Despite his effort, the slight twitch at the corner of his beady eyes makes it obvious he is infuriated by her admonishment.

  “Now, I have urgent news for the council. As we expected would happen eventually, Caelum made contact with me this morning. I spoke with a man named Braeden Karun and later with his assistant. Mr. Karun is the Controller in charge of settlement resources. He has complete authority over the colonies and is second in command of Caelum, behind only the Patron of Leadership.”

  With Talia’s words, the entire room falls quiet from the shock of the message. Even Nyree sits up straight and leans forward in her chair, waiting to learn what happened.

  After a few seconds of overwhelming silence, Talia continues. “As planned, I informed the Controller of my father’s passing, and of my taking his place. He seemed uninterested in the details, so I kept it short.

  “His bigger concern was finding the Soldier Guards in The Caves. As we hoped, their initial impression was that the men died from the cave-in. However, they remain suspicious of the event. Because of this, I was informed they will be conducting a full investigation into the occurrence, along with a review of Securus’ continued viability. He was not subtle in making it known that if he isn’t satisfied with the results, Securus would be liquidated. Those were his exact words.”