Ztunnels



Tunnels Earth had become a completely commercial and industrial society. So much so, in fact that, all of the land masses had been completely consumed by factories, waste, and other things that come with excessive production of 'necessary' luxuries and other frivolous things. Over the years, humans were finding it harder and harder to navigate through their world. The things and stuff and junk were overpowering them. They were dying off. Therefore, construction began on a subterranean complex known as 'The Hostel'. This was ordered by The Leader, a staunch, rigid man of approximately 50 years. He had assumed authority whilst civilization was in chaos. The Hostel was divided into 12 Units. Each Unit had 8 sections called Compartments. Each Compartment could hold 16 families. The Units were connected by massive shelved walkways called Corridors. On the walls of each Corridor were those Units' food supplies. The thought was that by the time it was necessary, alternative methods of farming would be discovered. Before the humans retreated to their underground hide-out, they created The Event. When triggered, it would wipe out every man-made thing created within the last century. The past would be the present. Just after everyone made it safely underground, all 1,536 families were glued to their new televisions as they watched The Leader press the button. Everything was going splendidly for the first 19 years. In the middle of their 20th buried year, food shortages in Unit 7 caused civil and political unrest. The 7's began stealing from the other Units' Corridors. Unfortunately, the sunless farming research was not going as planned. Synthetic plants and other food sources were futile efforts. The Leader blocked off the Corridors connected to 7 in an attempt to quell the riots between Units. This, however, meant that Unit 7 no longer had access to food. Consequently, the 7's either starved to death, were killed to be eaten, or became cannibals. Only one family, 843, escaped. The tragedy in Unit 7 came to light 16 months later when the anti-quarantine protesters moved The Leader to re-open the Corridors and subsequently the Unit. The tragedy in 7 became known as the The Feast. Such short-sightedness on The Leader's part caused the families in The Hostel to rethink their choice in their ruler. The Hostel became a minefield of political instability. Units 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12 had majorities in favor of overthrowing The Leader, whereas Units 3, 5, and 10 only had a few reform supporters. The shell that was Unit 7 became known as 'The Courthouse' because conservatives in the anti-rebellion Units were tried and typically hanged there by the rebellion's leaders. By the 26th subterrestrial year, the majority of all of the Units were in agreement: The Leader had to go. The few followers of The Leader, about 206 families, formed a militia in order to "keep the peace". A bloody battle of guerilla warfare ensued. However, "might is right", so the rebellion pulled through 4 years later, with only 1,607 casualties. Democracy was brought back; parliaments were set up. People began to regain an element of normality in their lives. Just as there was a lull in the action, a group of people dubbed The Upps sprang up. These were people determined to get back above ground. After all, they had been underground for over 30 years. The government quickly sent The Upps to Unit 12 and had all 12's sent to other Units. "Upstairs" was far too dangerous for humans kept sequestered for so long. The Upps protested for their rights to go above, and eventually got the democracy to allow a probe up. The probe showed a whole new world: Buildings made of wood, trees, grass, empty fields... No one had seen such things in ages. The government quickly called The Upps to Unit 1, 'It's safe to go now,' they said. So The Upps were the first to reenter the world after The Event. They resurfaced through a tube that connected the uppermost tier or Corridor 1 to Earth. The tube was located right outside the old Church, Eternal Father of the Sea. The rest of humanity followed; the tube remains.