Simon kept looking.
"-hung out by sector 06 on level 93 sometimes. There's a hidden grate that leads to some disconnected rooms-"
'Did I ever look to find this? To see if it's real? I don't remember the blackguard locking down the area... sure it's like basically abandoned and barely anyone goes there, but there is only one way into that sector and someone would notice a bunch of people going down it.'
Simon frowned. 'So the board just... ignored it? No, they wouldn't ignore an unknown in the Hive... so it must be known to them already?'
He lifted his arm and flipped open the panel for the screen, pressing a button next to it to turn it on as he went to the "Map" tab.
'Let's see... sector 06 of level 93...'
Simon paused.
Flipped up to sector 06 of level 92, as every level was split into 9 sectors in a 3x3 square, with a 1 replacing the 0 for any attached modules to any level. The generators and electricity factories of levels 85-90 took up more space, so the extra sector attached to sector 04 is sector 14, while the extra module attached to 01 that is right next to 14 is sector 11.
'Yeah... there's something here!'
The map seemed consistent, each passage made sense, and it went as far as the level above and below, so it all matched up nice and neat.
But both level 92 and level 94 had a sector 16 coming off sector 06, and level 93 just... didn't?
'Are the rooms she talked about meant to be an entire hidden sector?!'
Simon turned off the screen of his bracer, looking back at the terminal.
'Did she say anything else?'
"The colors of the surface spoke to me and chose me."
'Right...' Simon went past that part as her just read it before.
"Why doesn't anyone Change in the Hive? Why only the surface?"
"Hehe! Silly, that's cause there's no webs of metal up there, just free land under the red sky! Free and free and free... free to starve and free to die, free to fight and rape and kill to survive! It's a beautiful colorful painting of blood and death Simon! It's so pretty!"
Simon smiled as he remembered how back then he had run away in panic at that moment, how that had been enough to terrify him.
'I mean, I was sitting in a room with absolutely no light listening to an insane person giggle while walking about the world being a painting of blood and death. Anyone would react badly in pure darkness and hearing that!'
Simon shook his head. "The scariest things are the unknown, and in the dark, all is unknown for it is unseen..." he muttered to himself quietly, before looking back up.
'So in order... she got to the surface using her change. Before she went to the surface she used to hangout in some abandoned sector or some small module attached to level 06 of level 93. And people can't change without being on the surface because there aren't... "webs of metal"?'
Simon paused, yet again, and his eyes narrowed.
Got to the surface by her change... nobody can change without reaching the surface...
'That... makes no damn sense.'
Simon stood up, pacing.
'Why would she say conflicting things? No one of those is a solid FACT, so that means that she lied? She lied about how she got to the surface... why?'
Simon got a chill. 'Wait... how DID she get to the surface then?!'
'The only way would be the elevators, all the way up to "ground level". But without the proper clearance, they won't take you high enough, and she's be caught on camera if she tried hacking the elevators. The cameras are checked regularly to make sure they function at important places, including the elevators, otherwise...'
Simon's mind trailed off, unable to remember or think of what he'd been about to say, stuck looping in the same train of thought for a few seconds before his mind found a new way forward for the train of thought.
'So is there some other way to the surface?'
'In sector 06 of level 93?!'
Simon stopped pacing. 'No, I have to check!'
"I have to see for myself!" He said, and left the room.
The terminal was still on, as he knew it would shut off without interaction.
Yet a few minutes after he left, the cursor began to move on its own, as if the terminal was being accessed from somewhere else, and began opening each report one by one.
~ ~ ~
After taking an elevator back down to 35, Simon moved down the halls, leaving the restricted and guarded areas through the security check, and taking the elevator down back to the residential levels, 50-79, 91-110.
'Wait... I should check on Matt. He just got married after all.'
'But... there could be a way to the surface!'
Simon massaged his temples once again.
The surface was dangerous, with Changed having strange abilities, people killing to survive, and an absolute lack of basic resources.
But at the same time...
Something instinctive in Simon recognized that the Hive was a prison.
That black room... that black room WAS the Hive. A place where the occupants knew nothing of the outside, and were blind, trapped.
Helpless if anyone came in who could see.
And a part of him... wanted to see it.
To see the world he was a part of.
Because... that was the world that all humanity lived off for centuries until the extinction forever changed it. How bad was the surface, really?
How could he not burn with curiosity after hearing so much about the fabled surface?
'...it's not like it will be gone in a few hours, right?'
He hesitated, raised his hand, hesitated again, and finally pressed the button for level 77.
Simon let out a breath of relief now that the decision was made, and quickly shoved aside thoughts of Changed, insanity, and the surface.
'I wonder who Matt got married to? A part of me kinda wants her to be older than him just to see him panic.'
Simon grinned maliciously as he wished his brother the "best" of luck!