Back to top 26th Nov. 2005

Chapter 8

Ryan had stood by silently as events had unfolded. Well, mostly silently. He tried to convince himself Cogil and Vincent knew what they were doing. After all, it had been him that had volunteered to come along on this little trip. Was it really that big a deal that anonymous source had such direct control over elements in his and every other citizen's life? Could Vincent, Cogil or anyone else imagine a scenario in which this was not the case? Some how he doubted it.

Ryan started to wonder why he contemplated such things so often, especially at such inopportune times as walking through a tunnel to a secret under ground society of "flawed" citizens. Of course the whole scenario seemed rather bland to him in any case. How many stories had something like this anyway? Tons, he thought. Though like all plot devices when used correctly this too could effect move a story along.

How long had they been walking through this tunnel? It seemed like an incredibly long time to him. Miles at least. Yet still they walked, in silence, behind a former paid protestor and two hapless individuals who just happen to ask a lot of questions. But then, he thought, he did seem to ask a lot of questions as well. Like why were they trusting Adrian? How did they know where he was really taking them? And how did he seemingly know where the group of them would be and when? All relevant questions he knew he would probably never learn the answer to.

After hours of walking he started to wonder if Adrian was actually lost. Ryan was about to say something to this effect when the rock tunnel suddenly opened up into a much larger cavern.

"We have arrived", Adrian was saying, "our little community here is dedicated to living peacefully but separately from the main city of Towz."

"Where is this place?" Ryan asked.

"We are several hundred feet below the government district actually. To tell you the truth we don't really have to hide from the Towzians, posing a threat simply isn't in their nature. But we like to get away from those drab individuals sometimes so we come here." Adrian explained.

This made no sense to Ryan. No logical sense anyway. To someone somewhere this made sense, as did the paying protestors to protest. But a job is a job, as well as a hide out is a hide out.

"Adrian, are you related to those Towzians some how? I mean what happened to you anyway?" Ryan couldn't let this go.

"In some ways we are related. After all we were all present for the great transformation. And in that way we will always have a few things in common with each other." Adrian said.

Adrian offered to show Vincent, Cogil, and Ryan around the encampment. The camp mostly consisted of a few strangely shaped tents main clustered near a natural spring and a few other structures used as a hall for discussions and a hospital were it ever to be necessary. In all there was only about 200 people living in this little camp, each one more of an individual than any Towzian could hope to be. The strange force that seemed to affect the Towzians on the surface seemed to have little to no influence on these people. Self-esteem, Adrian explained, came from accomplishment. Smiling was not obsolete down here; you could do so as much as you wanted, if you wanted. But no everyone was happy, and that was all right too.
In this community, Adrian went on further, life was what you made it; nothing more, nothing less. Vincent, Cogil, and Ryan were not sure how long it had been since last they had slept. Adrian had some one show them to a tent so they could get some rest.

Ryan awoke several hours later to loud noise coming from outside. He managed to stagger out to find everyone running past him with panicked look on their face. Suddenly he wondered where Cogil and Ryan were. He looked back in the tent but they were gone. Ryan tried to ask someone running by what was going on but no one would stop and explain. So he started to follow behind the crowd. The crowd seemed to be headed towards an opening on opposite side of the cave. He didn't know where they were going or why but judging by the pace they were moving figured it would be a good idea to follow.

As Ryan came to the opening in the wall something seemed out of place to him but he didn't seem to have time to stop and examine this further. The passage way was long and seemed to be slanting upwards back toward the surface. The crowd all seemed to be moving a long at a similar pace, like all of them had done this many times before.

Suddenly there was a new large cavern in front of him. The crowd was growing now, the whole encampment must have been there. Then he saw Vincent and Cogil, wondered why they had left him.

"Hey guys, what's going on here? Where's Adrian?" Ryan asked.

"Oh, there you are Ryan. We figured you follow when you woke up, and we got swept away here in the crowd. We're still not sure what's going on here but it seems our friend Adrian is about to make speech." Cogil explained.

At the far end of the cavern was an elevated platform. Adrian was approaching the platform; he had a rather serious look on his face. Once he started speaking the crowd, already silent, some how got even quieter.

"Hello fellow citizens", Adrian began, "as you know I have a brought a few guests with me back down to our camp. These are unfrozen Northern Towzians and will help us much in our purpose."

This was a surprise to Vincent, Cogil, and Ryan as it was the first any of them had heard of any declared purpose.

"It seems the time draws near for us. The day is coming, and coming soon. It won't be long, the flawed Towzians will be able to leave if they choose. I know there are many more of us living on the surface who choose not to be one of us, or simply are unaware we exist. But we do exist for a purpose after all: the betterment of all Towz." Adrian continued.

"Well, he's certainly not as good a speaker as McGee, is he?" Cogil commented.

"No, I think not." Vincent agreed.

"McGee? Who is that?" Ryan was asking.

"Later Ryan." Cogil said.

"Soon I will leave with the three guests, we will go to the surface, find the force powering the city, and reveal it to all of Towz. This will set of a chain reaction forever altering the city." Adrian continued.

At this statement the crowd started to cheer and clap, though part of it seemed less than enthusiastic. Suddenly a lone figure started charging his way through the crowd. As the man came toward the platform Adrian started to take notice..

"Ah, I see we have someone who would like to speak. Well please, come up here and speak." he said.

The new figure appeared to be an older man, and he didn't look happy. The man came to the podium, looked at the crowd and seemed to ponder a moment. Finally he started to speak.

"I may be just an old guy here but I think the way we are now is fine. The Towzians have their existence, we have ours, such as it is, and it seems to be working perfectly fine. Is it really necessary to change the way it all is?" The man seemed to be expressing almost as much sadness as frustration with the prospect of change.

Adrian stepped toward the platform again. "Yes, Tom, I think it is necessary. And if you knew what I knew you would agree it is necessary. Besides, this will result in more freedom for us and an improved existence for the Towzians. At least, the Towzians will be able to decide what they will do with the information." Adrian seemed enthusiastic with the prospect.

"If it's all the same to you, Adrian, I would prefer to stay out of it. A single group of people deciding what's best for the rest of us sounds entirely too Towzian to me." Tom again seemed to have some hidden emotion behind the words he spoke.

"That's fine Tom. But we're leaving, as soon as possible. As for everyone else, please go back to your tents. When you receive the signal, and you will know the signal, come up to the surface." Adrian seemed to be done speaking. What he was referring to with his reference to Vincent, Cogil, and Ryan all leaving with him none of them knew, but it sounded better than staying in this place.

Adrian finally left the platform and started shuffling through the crowd. When he got to Vincent, Cogil, and Ryan he just gestured the three of them to follow.

"Adrian, what was that about? What's going on and where are we going?" He asked.

"We're leaving. We are headed towards Northern Towz, the source of the power." Adrian said.

"Ok Towzians are telling us there is no source, Jerome said it was down in some tunnel, and you're telling us it's somewhere near Northern Towz? Seems like everybody has a different idea." Cogil said.

"Well I have my sources. Besides, I'm part Towzian remember? I have a better source for this kind of information. Now head back to your tent. There should be a change of clothes and pack prepared for you with some food and other provisions. We're taking the long way round and it may not be easy." Adrian made as little sense as ever.

Vincent, Cogil, Ryan and Adrian headed back down the tunnel toward the encampment. There was indeed a change of clothes and a pack for each of them waiting. Where it came from and how anyone in the encampment knew the sizes for each of them Ryan was not sure. He couldn't remember the last time he had changed clothes so he did so quickly and thankfully.

After a small meal Vincent, Cogil, Ryan and Adrian were headed toward a third tunnel exit, this one on the northern end of the cavern. The tunnel lead on an upward slope and the terrain seemed to quickly get rougher and harder to navigate. This all seemed really strange to Ryan, what did the rest of this groupthink of all this anyway? He didn't know and wasn't sure he wanted to.

After hours of climbing Adrian finally called a halt and suggested everyone eat. After the meal Adrian mentioned he had heard something about a book Ryan had been writing. Ryan was unsure where Adrian had heard such thing since he had kept it so secret back in the days of the protesting, but decided it was time to further explain his book.

"Well it starts out it's about a group of spoiled child-minded kids in their early twenties deciding to explore some forbidden woods of mystery. Being spoiled rich kids who have never had to do anything on their own in their whole life it takes about ten minutes to be completely lost. This presents the first opportunity to present my metaphor for life and technology in modern society, for we all nothing more than babes wandering aimlessly through the forbidden woods of life. Also there's good reason for whining and lots of opportunity to open the floor to wild accusations as to who is blame for getting them lost in the first place. As the book progresses several personality types become quite apparent. First there's a character whose short-term memory is only about 10 minutes so the other characters are always explaining simple concepts to him and doing so repeatedly. Then, one night, the camp the main characters have all created to stay in for the night seems to get attacked. This further opens the floor up to random accusations and well deserved whining about life and how no one has yet shown up to rescue them as should be required by law because the world so owes them a living. The next day one of them wanders out into the woods for no apparent reason and mysteriously disappears. One of the remaining characters thinks she hears his screaming off in the distance but it turns out she's an idiot just looking for further opportunity to bitch moan because that's all she's ever learned how to do. This sets the stage for the climax of the book..."

"Ryan?" Cogil interrupted.

"Yes, Cogil? What is it? I'm on a roll here summarizing my book." Ryan said.

"You're really boring, I don't want to hear about your book any more."

"I don't care. Adrian asked and I'm going to continue summarizing. Now then where was I? ah yes. The climax. At this point the group spoiled, whinny rich kids start discovering conveniently placed oddly shaped wooden doll-looking things around their camp, further convincing them there is some sort of psychopathic ghost-like figure somewhere in the woods following and mocking them openly. Or one of them has had a psychotic break and is now annoying them all by freaking them out more, further reason to bitch complain how hard life is. This serves to further the metaphor started earlier about a society being an entity hurling out of control through space. And that rich kids should be left to their devices in the woods. Only lostness and whining could result.
At this time the expected happens: they encounter a creak, full of running water. Even though this would clearly lead them to larger bodies of water such as rivers, lakes or oceans they don't follow it down stream to at the very least prevent themselves from going in circles. Instead they find out one of the characters had purposefully lost the map they been using unsuccessfully to get through woods. This further gives the other characters a well deserved opportunity to act morally superior and call someone idiot while standing over the creek could very well have lead them out of the woods. This is I inserted just as a comedic element to lighten the mood. What kind of idiots would talk out their asses like that anyway?" Ryan seemed happy with his long explanation. It was like explaining things out like this gave him some sort of pleasure. Of course, it was mroe than Adrian wanted to know and he stopped caring several minutes earlier but didn't feel like stopping such a long winded and enthusiastic description of a really bad book.

"Perhaps we should move on, Ryan. You can tell me the rest later." Adrian suggested.

"That's a good idea. Needs more work, anyway." Ryan said.

With that Vincent, Cogil, Ryan and Adrian started to move on. Further through the tunnel the four went, up hill and in a generally northern direction.

Ryan was happy having told someone a summary of his book thus far. He had been working on it on off for quite a while when no one was looking and didn't think anyone would ask about it.

Of course the book would have to take a back seat now. This journey through caves was just kind of weird. According to Adrian the Towzians knew who they were and acknowledged these indipendent thinkers as necessary for the further existance of the city. So why did they all live deep under the city? There was something wrong this. And where was the ventelatin system anyway? This was starting to make less and less sense the more he thought about it. In fact they'd been following Adrian through these stupid caves for so long it was about time he asked what was going on.

"Adrian, I.." Ryan began.

"Hey Adrian, hold up a sec, will ya? What the hell are we doing again? None of this makes sense? Isn't there a faster way of getting to the surface, I mean what is going on?" Cogil interrupted.

"What, you wanted to get to the surface fast? I'm kidding, I'm kidding. This is the back door to the power that maintains the city. We discovered a number of years ago the Towzians are rather benign and incapable of violent behavior or thought, except where the very thing that holds together the very fabric of their existence is concerned. In that case the security is rather tight. So this long, overly convoluted route is what we have started to use. It is only a little bit further, don't worry. We can stop here for the night and rest if you would like." Adrian said.

"Yes, I would like that." Cogil said. "We really need a game plan here Adrian. Or at least fill us in on what we have missed while we were frozen. I think the three of us a still a bit lost here."

"Ok, fine then. Have some food and get settled and I'll try to go over and fill in some blanks for ya." Adrian said.

Vincent, Cogil, Ryan and Adrian all started setting up camp for the night. Their respective were conveniently quite filled up with an adaquate amount of food and other provisions for the trip.

Who had packed the pack for them and when none of them knew at this time, but whomever it was seemed to have done a pretty good job. After a finishing the meal Vincent, Cogil, and Ryan continued to insist Adrian fill in some holes left conveniently open and unanswered since the last time they had met at the apartment with the group of protesters.

Adrian had also grown up in West Towz, a mostly humble beginning like the rest of them. Eventually he got the job leading the protestors. This wasn't that easy of a job. It was almost like running a small country as a despotic dictator. Sometimes examples had to made out of some the citizens to further establish control and who was in charge. This was the case for many of the protestors, and quite necessary. Cogil and Vincent were simply the latest of the bunch.

After Cogil and Vincent had left the protestor group the protestors had continued for several more days before the agency in charge of "paid protesting in the public interest" told them all it was time to stop and that paid protesting was no longer needed. This almost produced an actual protest to get that job back but as it turns out paid protesting doesn't necessarily teach you how to  ¶ 9:40 AM