As I emerged from my Unit onto the walkways of lower Sector 115329b, a single sunbeam pierced through the hundreds of identical concrete homes above. My surroundings, monochrome and seemingly endless, gave off a hostile and somewhat oppressive aura. The air, cold and thin, was a stern reminder of how inhospitable my environment was. My boots clicked against the hard concrete as I began my walk. The only thing to break up the dull scenery were the occasional signs of deterioration. A crumbling corner, a pile of rubble, a crack in a wall, all signs of the ceaseless march of time. I enjoyed my walks, as The Complex was always rearranging itself, so I never saw the same place twice. The feeling of exploration almost made up for the monotony of my world.
I usually didn’t wander far for fear of getting lost in my ever-shifting surroundings, but on that day I was feeling brave. I wanted to see what was out there. As I approached the edge of my sector, I double checked my pack to make sure I had everything I needed: A flashlight and batteries, food and water, a rope, pencil and pad, warm clothes, a small camping stove, and a first-aid kit. It was all there. I was ready. With no idea of where I was going or what I might find out there, I stepped across the tiny seam into the new Sector.
Markings on some of the surfaces indicated that this was Sector 114035a. My Sector tended to stay within a few miles of the surface, so it was rare to see any numbered below 90000. As I continued to search around, I soon discovered a hole hidden behind a pillar where some of the concrete had crumbled away. The uneven edges of the hole provided enough of a handhold to lower myself down to the floor below.
I traveled for what must have been hours, through countless Sectors, similar yet not the same. Always concrete, always those hard angles and imposing walls, lacking in form and purpose. Whenever I could, I moved downwards. As I did, the Sectors grew more coherent, as if they were trying to be something.
I was exhausted from my trek as I lowered myself through yet another hole. I would need to rest soon. As I touched the ground it was immediately apparent that this Sector was significantly older, as it had a form that made more sense. The wall markings had long since weathered away, so I had no real way of knowing exactly how old it was. The fine concrete dust from eons of grinding against neighboring Sectors was piled in the corners. Set into one wall was a small opening that looked just barely big enough to squeeze through. The dark on the other side was calling to me.
My pack went first. I pushed it as far into the gap as my arm could reach, which was only a few feet. Suppressing thoughts of what would happen if things started shifting while I was in the middle, I squeezed my torso into the hole. It was tighter than it had looked on the outside, and I felt my sides compressed between the walls. I took a deep breath and pushed further in. Inch by inch, I gradually progressed through the claustrophobic opening. My backpack completely blocked my view ahead, so I saw nothing but inky darkness around me. Heart pounding, I continued to push forward with my feet. I longed to be able to move my limbs. It must have been only a few minutes, but it felt like hours. My pack fell out from in front of me, hitting the ground with a thud. After a few seconds of forward movement, my head was free to move. A few more, and I was free. Lying down on the cold concrete floor, I stretched out, glad to put that ordeal behind me.
Fumbling around in the pitch darkness, my hand managed to find my backpack. After some rifling around, I extracted and turned on my flashlight. I was on a high ledge in a large space with almost no features. It was incomprehensibly huge. The chamber was so vast that I couldn’t see the other side. My flashlight beam disappeared into the endless void. Far above and ahead of me, a grinding, scraping cacophony of noise was droning.
I stood there for several minutes, stunned by the scale of the Sector I was in. Something told me that this one didn’t move. It seemed to have purpose, and looked like it was meant to be traversed by a human. I began to move along the ledge, wanting to find the source of the noise. After around an hour, I took a quick break, enjoying a long drink of water and a granola bar. My view was still the same. Another 30 minutes later, I saw a monolithic wall ahead. Before long, I reached the first corner. Again I traveled along the wall until I reached the next corner. The sound was much closer now. Only a few minutes of walking later, it was almost unbearable. Looking to my right, away from the wall, a large platform projected over the massive abyss. As I made my way to the edge, questions filled my mind. What is this place? How did it come to be? On the edge, looking down, I got my answer. Huge buckets, grinders, belts, and other machinery too complex to describe were processing one thing: Raw stone. Hauled up from somewhere far below, it was ground, mixed, and poured to create new Sectors. I understood. Humanity did this. An experiment to create more living space must have taken on a mind of its own, destroying everything we loved in pursuit of infinite expansion. I didn’t want to die in this lifeless maze. I jumped.