~Chapter 3~

Cori would have liked to take her time walking home, maybe climb a tree, but she wasn't sure how long the oxygen things lasted. She did pause however when she noticed that the trees seemed to have a strange texture. She reached out and touched the trunk of one. It was fake. She fingered the leaves. They were fake as well. The whole tree was made of plastic. In fact, once she started paying attention, she only saw one sickly looking real tree the whole way home. Something about that really creeped her out.

The next day, Cori spent all of her free time in the library trying to find a copy of the laws of wherever she'd landed. She found the heavy volume buried in the tiny fiction section and stole it.

At home, she flipped through the pages. The laws were identical to those of her world. There was nothing written on paper denying basic human rights. She began to have a sneaking suspicion that a few in power had slowly started implementing new "traditions" until the common people no longer saw the cage they'd built for themselves.

"Well at least I have something to use in the event that I get arrested again." She sighed. ~I need to know more about who's in charge.~ She flipped on the TV for the first time. There was only one channel and it was playing TV Evangelists 24/7. Cori groaned. "I'm in hell!" (Not for the first or the last time.)

Over the next six weeks, Cori got arrested two more times, but after making a rather dramatic show in her own defense in the court room, she was acquitted both times. She got a new job in a flower shop. Cass visited regularly and helped fill in the culture gaps. Kat and her mate Mike became regular visitors as well and slowly, Cori began to help them think for themselves.

She found an old set of instruments in a pawnshop and remembered her punk band glory days back home fondly. When Mike informed her he could play guitar moderately well and Cass said she'd played drums, Cori sparked the "brilliant" idea of forming a band with the four of them and taught Kat how to play rhythm guitar while Cori played bass. It took her a few days to convince them to play punk the way it was supposed to be though. They were still bound by society's imposed inhibitions, but after a few weeks of practice, they sounded pretty good together.

Cori was taking an evening stroll when she passed a high chain link fence with the words "Danger Keep Out" plastered all over it. In her experience, those signs always led to somewhere interesting and she quickly climbed the fence and followed the crumbling walk way down into a dark tunnel.

Cori heard movement as she descended and she stopped. She could feel someone very nearby. "Hello?" She called into the echoing darkness. Her peripheral vision caught two hands on either side of her head, but she was too late to dodge. A thin piece of rope was being wound around her neck. She slammed her foot down on her attacker's and punched him in the face with the back of her fist. His hold loosened and she freed herself and spun to face him. Two more hands grabbed for her arms and she jerked herself free and kicked the other attacker in the groin. "The least you can do is tell me WHY you're attacking me." She grumbled.

"You're one of them. They don't come down here for any good reasons." A third attacker hissed.

Cori chuckled. "You should really learn not to judge people on appearances. I may look like one of them, but I most certainly am NOT one of them. I just saw all the Danger signs and my curiosity tugged me down here."

"Curiosity? None of them are curious. Just cruel. Most of them have never even heard the word much less used it."

"Maybe we should take her to the council."

"Yeah. They can decide what to do."

With that, Cori was dragged through the dark to a round, well-lit cave where a group of people sat conversing. She got the first glimpse of her attackers as well. Two appeared to be Native American and one was African American.

"Finally some diversity!" She said brightly.

"You do not fear us child?" A wise looking old black man asked.

*** A/N I don't care if I'm not exactly PC here. African American is too long to type continuously so DEAL. ***

"Why would I fear you? Already you have proven to have more humanity in you than those above who wrap themselves in ignorance and pride." Cori shrugged. "Plus. I'm not really from here. Where I'm from, white people were becoming a minority in the US and everyone had more personal freedoms and the pollution wasn't so dreadful. It wasn't perfect, but it's definitely better than this place."

"It sounds perfect to me." A young redheaded woman sighed. "I was sent down here as a baby because of my hair. I would be content with a land where I could walk above ground with my head high."

Cori smiled. "For awhile maybe. It's the human condition to try to make things better, to improve. Eventually, you would find the issues you wanted to fight for." Cori shrugged.

"What is it you are fighting for?" The old man asked.

"Well until I figure out a way to get home, I've been trying to wake up some of the younger generation. They're the most impressionable. A few are coming around, but it's a slow process."

"Why bother?" The black guy who had tried to choke her scoffed.

"Quite honestly I wasn't going to until I was asked what love was. I realized then that most of the problem was that the average person up there is more ignorant than cruel and like one of my teachers used to say, 'Ignorance is curable, and stupidity is chronic.'" She smiled her best smile at those assembled. ~Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me.~ Many of the younger people chuckled and the older ones smiled indulgently so Cori breathed a little freer. "My name is Cori and I'm sorry if I disturbed any of you, but I can assure you, that unless you want to be known, your secret is safe with me."

"I see no harm in this girl. I move to let her return to the surface and visit when she wishes." The old man said. Cori beamed at him.

"I second." The redhead giggled.

"All in favor?" Most said aye. "All opposed?" There were a few nays, but the vote was definitely in her favor.

"Hopefully this will be a step towards freedom." The old man said quietly to her.

"I hope so too grandfather." Cori said respectfully.

"Tian. Kindly lead her back out." A young Asian man walked up to her and bowed slightly and smiled when she returned the gesture.

He turned and they silently faded back into the dark.

"Am I right in assuming your heritage is Japanese?" Cori asked as they walked.

"My grandmother came here. We have tried to maintain some of the traditions of our homeland." Tian replied.

Cori nodded. They talked of little things until they neared the entrance. Cori liked Tian. He was soothing. He did not judge but merely stated what he observed and he didn't ramble or babble about nothing. ~Steady.~ She decided and started formulating plans on how to fuse the two cultures slowly. If she got enough younger people fired up, there might be a possiblility.