Chapter 10

A Chapter by Gracie_Girl429

Chapter 10
          Camille
     Colin's truck finally slows at the end of my street. After he gave me the last hint, there was little conversation, other than me giving him directions. Pipes, I think to myself, over and over, repeating the word in my head. Water pipes? Pipes lead out of the city? I have know knowledge of the city's underground layout. If only I had a map. The only maps that anyone is certified to have are street maps, for navigation. I have never seen a map of what's under the city. I push open the heavy door, but before I hop into the street, I say, "Thank you. For everything."
"You're welcome" is all he says in return, but it sounds sincere. I slip out of the seat and onto the the pavement. I begin walking home wrapped in my own thoughts. Pipes. What does that mean? I try to synthesize all the information Colin gave me, but it's like it all leads up to nothing. I need information somehow. I turn around and begin walking the other direction.
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The sign in the door says closed. Come back tomorrow, a voice in my head says. I don't have the time to wait that long, I say back. I try to pull open the door, but it was locked. I had to try. For a moment, I stand there. Breaking and entering is illegal. Forsaken-illegal. I pace around the building. Luckily street lights and other dim sources give enough light for me to see. I see a small window. I almost keep walking, until I see the small crack in between the window and its frame. It's open. I couldn't believe my luck. If I can push it up more, then I can slip in through the window. It is higher up, but I think I can pull myself through. I shove upwards using my palms. Now the gap is almost a foot wide. "Okay," I mutter aloud. I place my palms face-down in the window's frame and hoist myself up. I squirm a little as I try to wiggle through the window. I eventually slide through, and I realize how I will land:face-first. I quickly turn at the waist and my shoulder slams into the thin carpet that covers concrete, undoubtedly. I grit my teeth and groan. I roll over and my legs finally slide through and land in a heap with the rest of my body. Ignoring the ache in my right shoulder, I stand up and evaluate my surroundings. An abundance of books rest on the shelves with there spines exposed. The room is completely dark, which makes me wish I had thought to bring a flashlight. I wander in the darkness running my hand along the wall until I find what I was looking for. I flip the tiny lever and the room immediately brightens. I knew the Athenaeum would be the best place to get information. I have been here before to study for school with my brother and friends many times. The Athenaeum is a colossal collection of books to offer knowledge to every citizen, (excluding the Forsaken, of course). It doesn't have immense security because the man whom began the Athenaeum believed that "knowledge should be free and accessible". His quotes are printed on posters that are pasted over every inch of the walls. There is security of course because these books are valuable; however, it isn't excessive. The majority of the building is one massive room with rows and rows of shelves that house the most books I have ever seen in one place. The shelves tower over my head as I begin lacing through them, unsure of where to start. Pipes. There is a section specifically set aside for the history of our society, and what came before. I decide to begin there. Perhaps it will have something on the construction of our city, and more importantly, what is underneath it. I have briefly studied history for school, but I can't recall much about what I had learned. I knew there was a nation called the United States of America. I think they had originally come from another country, and then immigrants filled it throughout time. they had lasted a while and won many wars, but it was designed to fail. As America endured many years, it became unstable to its leaders' mistakes. The economy depended upon production in other countries and the community was corrupted with hatred. Eventually it fell apart, and the pieces were picked up by Judas Adfair. He was a beacon of hope to the people of the time period, known as the Integration Era. After the United States ceased to function, Judas Adfair formed Advexitus. I don't know what it means. It is suspected that it is a linguistical combination of Adfair's parters' names. That would make sense, I suppose. Unfortunately, the people rebelled against Judas Adfair and his system. Proof had been exposed that he had been trying to sell Advexitus to China. No one knows why. Before any questions could be asked, he shot himself in the head once he knew he had been exposed. No note, no explanation. Just the dead body of a guilty man. After the failed attempt of a new nation, poverty, starvation, and sickness flooded the people that remained. Other countries saw us a vulnerable. At first, they began attacking, trying to conquer what was left. We fought as hard as we could, enough to hold them off again and again. But our numbers were rapidly decreasing and sickness was spreading. When they brought their troops over to our land, the sickness infected them, too. Their numbers began dwindling as well. Eventually, what was left of their armies retreated. it can't be proven, but it is said that a general shot and killed everyone who was sick and brought back only those who were not infected, in fear of infecting his own people. Once the other countries had left us to die out, a new savior rose through the remnants of a broken nation. Horace Woodfelt was a scientist who created a cure for the sickness known simply as the Plague. He saved thousands with his cure. Eventually he was elected as the new leader. With the help of politicians and economists, together they created the city and society I live in. It isn't perfect or flawless, but we live in sweet peace. We have food rations, health care, technology, and homes for all who are accepted. Those who are not find their way on their own. We have a government that treats us fairly. In the center of the city, they have their research labs, businesses and companies, housing for the wealthy, schools, hospitals, and other facilities. On the outside, the middle class live comfortably. the poor live on the brink of the Forsaken land. The Forsaken manage in the poorest portion of the city. Then there lies the massive Fence. Outside the Fence, the dreaded Dead Mile. I scan the shelves for books about our city. I see biographies and books about the Plague, but nothing about the city. Finally, i see a book labeled Imperial Peace. I pull it out and scan through the table of contents. It looks like it is mostly about our society and how we persevered, but I see a chapter labeled 'The City We Built'. I flip to the correlated page and begin skimming through the chapter. It says the city was built with ruins of what was left. Everything was remodeled and reconstructed on the surface, but remains nearly untouched underground.
"Constructors did not want to interfere with the underground sewage systems. They feared that construction would effect the ancient function of the system.The sewage network was mapped out long ago inside the earth, just beneath the surface. It is used to rid the city of waste from inside homes and premises. All waste is collected at a waste facility, the heart of the network, then flushed our of the city through sewage pipes. This method is vital to keeping our city sanitary and safe.See passage from Elliot Vetten's What Lies Beneath Us to learn more about sewage pipes on page 684." I flipped to page 684 and read about what Elliot Vetten knew about sewage pipes. Where I had expected to see page 684, all that remained was a jagged edge of paper in between pages 683 and 685. Page 684 had been torn out. Was it because it revealed information about the pipes that lead out of the city, or just a coincidence? When Colin told me 'pipes' was this what he meant? Sewage pipes that lead out of the city underground? It has to be my way out. What about Elliot Vetten's book? Would it be here? If not, then where? All the books in the city are here, other than the few rented out for schools or by residents. I continue scanning the shelves, but I can't find anything. Maybe it isn't in the history section, I think to myself. At the Athenaeum, the books are sorted into categories, and then into alphabetical order. What section would it be in? I wander aimlessly, until I remember there are computers you can use to find books. I sit in a padded char at a desk and wake up the computer. I'm surprised they don't shut them down after hours. It immediately takes me to the Athenaeum data base where I can type in the desired book into a search bar. I type in the title and click search. No Results Found. That doesn't make sense. I know it exists. It has to be here. Even if it was already checked out, it would show me a result. Elliot Vetten I type in. A few book titles pop up on the screen, but they don't seem to relate to what I'm looking for at all. What are all the categories here? It is so huge, it's hard to remember. I click on a tab above the search bar and it shows me a list of categories. There is a category specifically for geography and maps.I click on the category and begin scrolling through the titles. After about ten minutes, I see a book titled Geography of Our City. I click on it and it shows me where the book is in the Athenaeum. I stand and make my way to the geography section. I scan the titles on the spines until I finally see it. I pull it out and repeat the process. I couldn't find anything that related to sewage pipes. I flipped through the pages scanning through the words vaguely. There was a chapter about the Athenaeum with a map of its layout. I almost flipped past it, until I noticed something. The Athenaeum is a large rectangle that is more wide that tall. I have seen another map of the Athenaeum before. In fact, there is one pasted on the wall by the entrance. It shows you the layout system of the categorized books and where important things such as the lavatories, assistance counter, and checkout counter is. It has a pretty basic arrangement, but in this map, there seems to be an extension to the building that is practically invisible from the outside. I look up from the map trying to locate where it is in the building. Just next to the shelf nearest the back of the building. I nervously approach the suspected room. There is a large poster in a wooden frame hanging on the wall. The poster itself is bigger than me. The map insists that there is a small rectangular room somewhere back here. I felt foolish knocking on the walls, until I heard a hollow sound right the the left of the poster. I grab the frame on both sides and shift up to get it off its hook. It is heavier than I expected. I wobble a little until I finally set it down against a desk. A metal plate about half the size of the poster blocks the alleged entrance with a combination lock looped through the latch. I can't walk away from this. It has to be important if it is secret. I hold the combination lock in my left hand and begin turning the lock pad trying random numbers. There are thousands of possibilities. I just stood there and kept creating four-digit combinations and turning the little knob. After each attempt, I yanked on the two metal pegs. they refused to come out of the pad. I tried a random combination for what felt like the millionth time, and yanked. This time, it unlocked. I couldn't even believe it. That was pure luck! How did I get so fortunate with that guess? I opened the latch and nervously opened the metal door. Inside the dark room, were stacks and piles of books. Why are they in here? I crawl in through the small hole and begin searching through the books in the dim light.

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