The Human Inside

Chapter 9

Los Angeles "Underground"

    "The Los Angeles Underground. I'll be honest with you David. I really did set up a base under the city just so I could say cool stuff like, 'welcome to the underground.' Heh he."

    117 sat across from his grandfather and didn't move. They had settled deep under the city in a massive tunnel which must have been constructed and abandoned decades ago. Now it seemed to be home to a group that had completely managed to be hidden off the radar from the amborgs. 117's grandfather sat on a comfy lawn chair and waved a hand at the ceiling.

    "This place is one of many all over the world," he said, "Built during the third world war in case of nuclear fallout. At first it was only for VIPs but then it became the right thing to make it suitable in case we had to make long term arrangements. The population could stay here and flourish for decades while all the destruction and turmoil all raged far above. But obviously, that wasn't the case. The war ended. Everyone celebrated and then eventually, the only ones who knew about these secret caches were the street rats that worked up the courage to wander this deep underground into this man-made labyrinth. So I've been doing the same thing just like Dr. Kendrick has been doing. Taking all the poor bastards of the world and enjoying my itsy bitsy nations of control to maintain security around the world."

    117 stared silently. Although he was listening, he had made the decision to only listen. The instant he had set foot into this hidden fortress, he had lost contact with Mandy. 5 had also experienced the same thing. The signal back to A.I. Industries was faint but impossible to transmit back to the surface. Not paying attention to 117's silence, the old man continued with his story.

    "Your dad didn't like what I was getting into but believe me, I didn't have a choice," he said with a sigh. "The police and the military weren't doing well enough. At the time, after the end of the war, so many bad doors opened to terrible things for everyone. I had my fair share of fighting with my brethren in politics and on the street so I felt obligated to take matters into my own hands and try to make things better by putting more of myself into it. But obviously, it involved skirting around rules and corners so it made us look like black market dealers. When you and Serina were children, your dad told me to stay away to keep you kids away from what we did. I still think it's ironic how he disapproved but he still supported me. Err... indirectly that is... He convinced Dr. Kendrick to provide us with experimental equipment. So that's why you can communicate with us without a nearby bracelet. I have a device similar to parts in your CPU that can link and relay messages. This thing in my ear that looks like a hearing aid? It's actually what locks onto your signal and plays what you're saying at the back of your mind when you want to speak to me. It's probably all old stuff to you kids but we've been able to hold our own at everything we've faced. And... well... God, now that I think about it... I miss him. Very much. Your dad was, a great man... I loved him. I just never got the chance to say it that often to him. The thing is, we weren't against each other. Our whole family was just passionate and devoted to doing what we all thought was right for the world we lived in. Your dad and I just... we didn't have the same ideologies and we just worked on completely different methods for achieving peace."

    117 blinked and looked down at the floor. He had never expected to hear this sort of story about his father. Then again, he was beginning to realize how much he could barely remember. He immediately began to feel ashamed for not trying to figure this out sooner. After some quick thinking, he then sent a signal to his grandfather's equipment.

    "Well, my number of questions have now minimized," he said, "But there is the issue of familial trust."

    His grandfather stared and then began to chuckle. After a few moments, he stopped, looked at 117 in the eye and grinned.