Chapter
3 – Deeper Depths
I didn’t know much about the sewers
of Solis. All I knew was that, just like the rest of the city, it was more
advanced than most places in the world. These dark and barely lit, expansive
tunnels are primarily worked on by robots and a few human workers. Parts of the
sewers are under construction for repairs and upgrades to further enhance them
by installing machines that clean the waste before it is recycled into a body
of water somewhere. Some heroes patrol these sewers for homeless people who
refuse to be taken in by shelters and villains who use them as a base of
operations.
Speaking of the homeless, we find
them here and ask them if they’ve seen the girl we’re after. At first, they’re
hesitant to talk to us since they don’t want to be taken to the surface and be
forced to work and build a life for themselves there, but after convincing them
that we’re not here for that, they tell us the direction where the girl was
taken and head off there. I’ve heard about the poor down here, either being
druggies or lazy bums, but didn’t really believe it until now. Sure, the
homeless are taken to shelters to work to keep up Solis’ image, but they are
given proper food, shelter, a simple job that fits their skills, and sometimes
education so they can live on their own. Those who are sick are given care
until they can work effectively, and the workers are given reasonable wages, so
it’s not like the poor are pseudo slave labor, given low wages for hard work.
Further into the sewers, we’re
ambushed by villains left and right. They either blow up tunnels or attack us
from one or all angles, all of which I handle the same by punching through the
obstacle and moving on. Idelle thinks I’m being too reckless, while Mark agrees
with her and tries to make flirtatious small talk with her, which she ignores
and barely responds to. As we continue, we hear the sounds of fighting. Upon
arriving, we find a group of heroes dressed in police-like gear, along with a
black robot with a jagged appearance, fighting a group of criminals. We aid
them and find that my friend Titus is among them, and Luke is using the robot.
Firstly, talking to Luke, I shake
his hand with a smile and say, “Luke! It’s a surprise to see you down here. I
assume you and your other ex-police heroes are doing well during this attack on
the city?” I ask.
“Yes, we are, but that’s not why
we’re down here,” Titus says.
“It’s the same reason I’m here.
It’s because of the girl you’re after,” Luke says through the robot.
“Oh? Are you going to help me save
her?”
“Yes, in a way,” Luke says. “He
told me that one of his higher-ups told him to investigate the criminal
dealings down here, and it involves the girl you’re after, so after hearing
about it from Titus when I was talking to him about what you were doing, I
volunteered my latest robot, so I can help both you and him.”
“We’ve been investigating what’s
been going down here with the police, and it’s something that needs to be
handled internally, so that public trust in the government and Solis isn’t
severely damaged,” Titus adds.
“If that’s the case, then people
have to know about it,” Mark interjects. “The government can’t just keep all
its secrets from people. It’s why there are people who distrust them.”
“They’ll distrust them more, even
if they knew that there are good people in the government who are trying to
stop those who abuse their power and wealth. Trust me when I say that it’s
better this way,” Titus says.
Idelle says, “You should trust your
friends, John. Titus’ higher-ups are probably influenced by or allied with the
general.”
“I’m assuming you’re his sister
that he’s always talking about? I’m sorry we couldn’t be there for him the last
time he needed help, but we’re here now.”
“Not being there for him the first
time irked me so much that I made this robot because of the example he set, so
I can help out on the field,” Luke adds.
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t
expect either of you to help him anyway,” Idelle says with an aggressive tone.
Her face shows a hint of surprise
and disgust, as if she's just now realizing that her help could have prevented
some of the pain I endured in my fight with the Seventeen-Seventy-Six group.
“I’m glad you’re here to help,” I
interject. “I assume you have a better lead on our mutual target?”
“We do and have the tools to track
them better. We’ll take the lead from here,” Titus says.
With the help of Titus’ tools,
we’re able to find traces of the exhaust left by the robots, the villain whom
we’re chasing. They also reference the maps of the sewers they got from the
city that show hidden and blocked off passageways.
“This is what I was investigating
during your big fight,” Titus says to me. “I was led onto it by what you would
call Divine Providence, since the criminals I was chasing just so happened to
lead me down here and reveal the hideout and operations they had.”
Luke’s robot makes a soft pinging
noise as he informs us about an incoming ambush. I run ahead and bust down the
false walls where they’re hiding and take the brunt of the attack so the rest
of my allies can take care of the rest.
“I’ve also been helping Titus in
his investigation, and the police have been lending me tools and permissions so
I can build and test my robots,” Luke says. “Now, they’re just as good, if not
better than the generic ones that protect the city.”
“And you’ve been introduced to the
wonderful world of paperwork and getting permission that I deal with, both with
the hero associations and police.”
“Heroes may have to worry about
less paperwork than the police, but it’s still irritating to get these
permissions so the higher-ups can approve use of them. Heads up. We’re getting
close to another hidden area.”
“Are your scans picking up another
ambush? These maps don’t show any hidden rooms or tunnels this way.”
“Your maps don’t account for new
tunnels made by its secret inhabitants, but my robot’s scans do. I think we’ve
reached our target’s destination.”
We burst through both digital
illusions and real walls to reach what appears to be the villain's home and
base of operations. Dozens of robots activate as soon as we enter, but they’re
not too hard to handle. The rush of nearly saving the girl pushes me to destroy
the robots faster than ever, and I don’t stop to catch my breath, even as
reinforcements arrive and try to erase the base’s evidence. What especially
gets me fighting aggressively is the presence of prisoners, both young and old,
who are either in cages or hooked up to machines.
By the end of it, Idelle grabs my
shoulder and says, “John, stop acting so recklessly! You aren’t going to save
anyone if you seriously hurt yourself or get yourself killed!”
I catch my breath, let the rush
wear off, and say, “No attack has ever seriously hurt me, but I understand.
I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Idelle looks at me as if she
doesn’t believe me, and I don’t blame her. I don’t really believe me either,
despite my not lying. I don’t mean to be so reckless, and I know that
continuing to be so won’t help me in saving anyone, especially since I’m more cut
up, burned, and bruised than I ever have been. Titus and his ex-officer heroes
sweep, secure the room, and help the prisoners, while Luke’s robot’s wires
enter the many machines around the base one after the other, seeming to suck
the electricity out of the machines before they break. Meanwhile, Idelle tends
to my wounds with medicine found around the base, even though I don’t need it.
As for Mark, he keeps talking to Luke and Titus about the base, trying to get
whatever information he can about it, and is given very little or told to wait.
Eventually, Luke’s robot approaches
Titus, Idelle, and me and says, “I managed to find what we needed, even as they
were trying to remotely destroy this data center.”
“And?” Titus says.
The robot looks at me and at Mark,
who’s bothering the ex-officers on the other side of the room.
“Let’s just say that the least bad
thing these people are guilty of is experimenting and kidnapping those of all
ages.”
“That’s the least bad thing?” I
ask.
“The rest is for Titus and me to
worry about.”
“What can you tell me then?”
Luke goes quiet for a few seconds.
“That certain factions within the
government were allying themselves with these villains, so they can use these
people for experimentation and make them into superhumans they can use. Other
factions then found out about them and tried to bring them to justice behind
the scenes. One particular group is led by an anonymous army general, who I
assume may be the one you keep talking about.”
Idelle nods her head and says,
“Yes, it is. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s not as bad as he seems,
especially since he’s trying to make up for what he’s done.”
“What made him change?” I ask.
“We did, John.”
I want to ask more questions, but
stop myself because I know I won’t get many more answers, remember my primary
goal, and instead ask, “What about the girl I’m trying to rescue? I haven’t
seen her around here. Where else could they be hiding her?”
“There’s a secondary base around
here that they use around here as a shipping and receiving area, which could
also be used for an escape. It’s just straight down that way,” Luke says,
pointing down a tunnel.
“Then there’s no time to waste.”
“Luke and I will get the criminals,
villains, and civilians to the surface then,” Titus says.
“What about me? I’m going with John
and his sister,” Mark says, who was eavesdropping on us.
“You’re coming with us. We need your
strength and flying to bring everyone to the surface.”
“What? Why?”
“Don’t be stupid, you know why.
Besides, you and your group will get credit for helping us.”
“Won’t I get credit regardless?”
“If you help John, you’ll only get
credit for helping the girl, so it’s more beneficial for you to help us.”
Mark grunts as if being bribed and
agrees with Titus. After thanking my friends for their help, Idelle and I rush
down the tunnel back on a sure trail of the girl. This will all come to an end
soon, and she’ll finally be safe.
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