In ancient Sapey, Tiberius’ enforcers had just destroyed Carrington and Cellrebrum districts. Amidst the chaos, an attempt was made on Tiberius’ life. The Alset mansion, the building Tiberius was in, was destroyed by an attack from his own enforcers. Tiberius luckily escaped death by falling into an underground tunnel. Unfortunately, the tunnel caved in on top of him. He was assumed dead as no trace of him was found. However, Tiberius was actually trapped underground. At this point, he knew he could no longer return safely to the surface and that the Alset survivors who were also underground would want him dead.

Hamish Alset was caught in the same cave-in as Tiberius, but he did not survive. Hamish had been selected to be frozen in a cryogenic pod located in one of the ancient chambers. Tiberius found the details of the location of the chamber inside the vehicle Hamish was going to use to reach it. It was marked as Location 6. Tiberius decided that freezing himself would be his best option. Therefore, he climbed into Hamish’s vehicle and headed off towards the chamber.

On arriving, Tiberius climbed out of the vehicle. There was a ladder leading up to a hatch above the tunnel. Tiberius made his way up the ladder. He pushed the hatch open from underneath. This enabled him to enter the chamber. Tiberius looked around the chamber. He saw the cryogenic freezing pod. A broad smile came over his face.

‘So, this is how you planned to escape me,’ chuckled Tiberius. ‘This plan seems crazy. Then again, you lot are geniuses, so it’ll probably work.’

Tiberius glanced at the control panel. Then he noticed a document on the side table. He picked it up and started to flick through.

‘Parelic!’ chuckled Tiberius. ‘It’s like they forgot Locum tutored my father.’

He soon reached an instructions page on how to use the pod.

‘Great!’ said Tiberius. ‘Just press a button and turn a knob.’

The pod door slowly opened. Tiberius climbed inside and tried to make himself comfortable as he rested against the supports. A minute later, the pod door began to close.

Tiberius began to feel drowsy. Just as he lost consciousness, he began to freeze.

About a day earlier. Hadrian Alset had frozen Noosa, also known as the Hat Lady, in the pod inside the chamber at Location 1. After that, he made his way to an underground city to find his wife. His son, Demadrian, had marked the exact location on a map for him. After several hours of driving, he reached the location. There was a gap in the tunnel wall. Hadrian entered the gap. To his left was a passage that led to steps that descended further underground.

Once he reached the bottom of the steps, there was a short passage. At the end of it, he could see light. He walked into the light. To his awe, there was a large underground city.

A technician saw him enter. He rushed over to greet him.

‘Hadrian Alset, sir, you made it,’ said the technician in a joyful tone.

‘This place is amazing,’ said Hadrian as he looked around. ‘You have all worked wonders.’

‘Your family knew this day would come,’ replied the technician as he energetically pumped his fist. ‘We just played our part to make it work.’

‘Well done!’ said Hadrian as he patted the technician on the shoulder.

‘Let me take you to your family members,’ said the technician. ‘Your wife and younger sister are here.’

The technician took Hadrian to the main building in the city. Lynna, Hadrian’s wife, and Portia, Hadrian’s sister, were briefing a group of technicians. Lynna looked over at Hadrian as he entered the building. She could not believe her eyes. It had been over twenty years since she had seen him. Hadrian had been imprisoned at undisclosed locations for crimes that had been committed by Tiberius. Lynna immediately ran over and threw her arms around him.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked as she rubbed her hands down his arms. ‘You were supposed to be frozen in a pod.’

‘There’s only one place for me, and that’s with you,’ said Hadrian as he looked into her bulging eyes. ‘The thought of returning to you one day kept me going. I couldn’t just abandon that.’

Altogether, twelve underground cities had been discovered. At first, only four of them were used. Portia was the leader of the eastern underground city. Portia’s older sister, Phallia, was the leader of the southern underground city. Portia’s older brother Hershel was the leader of the northern underground city. Phallia’s older daughter, Camilla, was the leader of the western underground city.

The underground cities were mostly self-sufficient. They obtained all their energy from the incredibly powerful Alset generators that were located in the secret chambers. These generators pulled energy directly from the atmosphere using the antennae that protruded out of the rocks above them.

The surface dwellers did not notice the antennae, as they were located far from any surface settlements. In later years, these locations were even more isolated, as they were in the wastelands. This gave them even more protection from the surface world.

The underground dwellers had access to vast amounts of underground water. The glow rock passages and their own artificial lighting made it easy for them to grow certain types of food. They disposed of their waste using the existing ancient sewer systems. They buried or ejected other waste into the wastelands, where it blended into the surface dwellers waste. However, waste was kept to a minimum as the underground dwellers went to great effort to recycle as much of their resources as possible.

When shortages of anything occurred. The underground dwellers would use the tunnels to trade with each other. These tunnels also gave them access to underground mineral deposits. All underground activity remained undetected as it occurred under the wastelands.

Hadrian Alset lived out the remainder of his life with his wife, Lynna, and sister, Portia. When Portia died, Jackson, the youngest son of Phallia, took over leadership of the eastern underground city. A few years later, Grezelle, the youngest daughter of Hershel, took over the leadership of the southern underground city. Hershel Jr, the oldest son of Hershel, had taken over the leadership of the northern underground city several years earlier when Hershel died.

Camilla, Jackson, Hershel Jr, and Grazelle were the four leaders of the underground cities and the only remaining Alset family members who had previously lived above ground. Of the four, Jackson was the only Alset family member to have children. His four eldest children became the next leaders of the underground cities.

Many generations passed, and many Alset children were born. Not all of them could become leaders. This was even the case when the number of underground cities had expanded to six. This created some tension among them. Robert, the oldest grandson of Jackson’s eldest daughter, decided that the children of the Alset family members who were not directly in line to become leaders would be stripped of the Alset family name. This created even more tension among the family members. Jenny, the second granddaughter of Jackson’s fifth eldest son, strongly opposed Robert’s declaration. She decided to start her own family line, which she called Turbo.

In some cities, the descendants of technicians had become displeased that all leaders were direct descendants from the Alset family. They wanted to elect their own leaders. The two southern underground cities held elections. Jenny Turbo won one of the elections, and Cedric, a senior technician, won the other election. The other Alset leaders refused to allow elections. This caused many residents of these underground cities to flee to the south or begin afresh in uninhabited cities.

Soon, all twelve underground cities had residents. The residents of each underground city were called a tribe. The Alset family only controlled four tribes, two in the east and two in the west. This arrangement lasted for around a century. This changed when Pedro Alset decided that he wanted the Alset family to control all the tribes and underground cities again. He and the other Alset leaders decided to create militaries. They were called guards. The guards were not used to invade the other underground cities. Instead, they were used to control the tunnels. Many tunnels were blocked through intentional cave-ins. This made it easier for the guards to patrol the remaining tunnels. This greatly reduced other tribes’ ability to trade with each other as well as mine for resources deep below them.

The two remaining tribes in the east and west elected Alset family members as their leaders, after which no further elections were held. The three tribes in the north retained their leaders but became subservient to Alset leadership. The three tribes in the south did not comply with the Alset family’s demands. Two of the tribes continued to determine leadership through elections. The Turbo family members often won these elections, and even when they did not, they remained incredibly influential. The other southern tribe had disconnected themselves from all other tribes. They had become a religious cult, who wanted to establish a new religious order.

The Alset family leaders targeted the two underground cities influenced by the Turbo family. They infiltrated the underground cities with secret agents. The agents spread propaganda to promote the success of the northern tribes, who aligned with the Alset family, and they spread false information that the Turbo family members were corrupt. The Alset family were unsuccessful at destabilising these tribes for decades, but eventually a leader they liked was elected. From this point onwards, these tribes were under indirect control of the Alset family.

The Turbo family members fled to the cult tribe, the only tribe that was not controlled by the Alset family. They were accepted as new members. For generations they were treated as lower members, but the superior intelligence of some of the Turbo family members eventually led to one of them becoming the new High Philosopher of the cult.

The underground city run by the cult tribe was the furthest west of the southern underground cities. It was located not far away from the West District/Region.

Around a hundred and fifty years before the collapse of Sapey, a temple outside of the West Region collapsed into a tunnel beneath it. The temple was flooded with manure. The Head Philosopher, who was inside the temple, fell into the tunnel and was buried in the manure. Members of the cult discovered the buried body of the Head Philosopher. He was surprisingly intact. He was taken back to the cult’s underground city. Cornelius Turbo, the High Philosopher at the time, was intrigued by the discovery of the Head Philosopher. He saw it as a message from the higher power. To honour the higher power, he decided to preserve the Head Philosopher’s body.

For generations, the cult remained intrigued by the Head Philosopher’s body. Many began to worship the body. The case that the body was preserved in was put on display in the underground city’s high temple.

Around a hundred twenty years after discovering the body, a cult scientist discovered a method of cloning. The scientist successfully managed to clone several of his own family members. Julio Turbo, the High Philosopher at the time, decided that a clone of the Head Philosopher must be made.

A year later, the clone of the Head Philosopher was born. The clone was named Angelo. Angelo, having the genetics of the new Linap, was very sickly as a child. A special glass room was constructed to protect him from the elements of the city and to remove him from direct contact with others.

Julio Turbo taught Angelo everything he knew. This included knowledge from the House of Divine Knowledge as well as the many stories the ancients displayed on the walls of tunnels and the cities themselves. By the time Angelo was a teenager, he had extensive knowledge of the history of Sapia and all the previous loops. Angelo also had another strange gift. He was somewhat able to access some of the knowledge and memories of the Head Philosopher he was cloned from. This was the first time knowledge from above had been passed down below.

When Angelo reached his early twenties, Julio decided to renounce his position of High Philosopher. He passed the title onto Angelo. Since Angelo was confined to his glass room and some rooms that had glass partitions, Julio would be responsible for delivering Angelo’s instructions to the rest of the cult. The rest of the cult did not challenge Angelo’s leadership, as they considered him a divine being.

The Alset family continued to expand their authority by centralising leadership. The west tribes were united under one leader, and so were the east tribes. The more senior of the leaders was considered the overall leader. The most senior leader was Miro Alset, the leader of the east tribes. His distant cousin, Shamia Alset, was the leader of west tribes. Shamia was the only remaining Alset in the west. Miro wanted his side of the Alset family to take over completely. When his younger brother Flint came of age, he would be sent over to the west tribes to support and eventually replace Shamia.

Miro wanted Flint to gain more exposure to other tribes. Therefore, he took Flint with him on his trip to the southern tribes. He wanted to show his younger brother how to do business with them.

Miro and Flint, who were accompanied by two dozen guards, entered the first southern underground city. They were greeted by Dolce, the leader of the tribe. She led Miro and Flint to the meeting room in the town hall. The guards remained outside the meeting room.

‘Please, take a seat,’ said Dolce as she pointed at two chairs on the opposite side of the table to her.

‘Your city looks simply beautiful,’ remarked Miro as both he and his brother sat down opposite Dolce.

‘Oh, thank you,’ replied Dolce. ‘I’d like to think we make a great team effort.’

‘No doubt,’ said Miro as he smiled slightly. ‘I’m almost envious of your success.’

‘Well, much of it is thanks to your generosity,’ replied Dolce as she happily nodded.

‘I’m glad you raised that point,’ said Miro in a slightly more abrupt tone. ‘It looks like we’re on the same page.’

‘I’m sorry, I’m not sure what that means,’ replied Dolce, sounding a little confused.

‘Our terms of trade, of course,’ chuckled Miro. ‘As you said, we are generous. I agree we are too generous.’

‘Oh yes, I know,’ replied Dolce. ‘How about we take less clothing in exchange for the food we give you?’

‘Great start,’ said Miro. ‘I like where this negotiation is heading.’

‘Shall we say we’ll give you the same amount of food for 10% fewer garments?’ proposed Dolce.

‘The situation is a little more complicated than that,’ said Miro firmly. ‘We don’t just supply you with garments. We supply you with security. I’m deeply troubled to tell you that the cult tribe has become more active in the tunnels. We strongly fear that your city could be attacked.’

‘Oh, that’s terrible; we had no idea,’ replied Dolce.

‘Of course you didn’t,’ said Miro confidently. ‘Our security has found this out for you. Just another generous service we offer you to keep the peace.’

‘Yes, we are grateful,’ said Dolce. ‘The cult tribe has never disturbed us. It must be to do with your guards.’

‘It absolutely is,’ said Miro. ‘However, our current presence may not be able to ensure your security. Therefore, we must double our presence. That’ll surely keep you safe.’

‘You would do that for us,’ said Dolce.

‘Of course, but we need more than just a small discount,’ said Miro. ‘Our population has grown. We need more food and can spare fewer garments. I feel it would be fair if you doubled the food you sent us and took half the number of garments.’

‘Oh my gosh!’ gasped Dolce. ‘That’s four times the currently agreed terms.’

‘The alternative is to be invaded by the cult tribe,’ said Miro, shrugging his shoulders. ‘Who knows what horrible things they would do?’

‘Yes, that’s a scary thought,’ said Dolce.

‘Do you accept our most generous offer?’ asked Miro, nodding slightly.

‘How about we take half the number of garments plus your extra security in exchange for a 50% increase in food supplied to you?’ said Dolce.

‘You’re an incredibly skilled negotiator,’ replied Miro. ‘You’ve rightly sensed my weaknesses.’

Miro turned and smiled at his brother and then turned back to face Dolce and said, ‘I accept your counteroffer.’

Dolce sighed in relief, got to her feet, and held her hand out. Miro also got up and happily shook her hand.

Dolce invited Miro, Flint, and the guards to a grand feast to celebrate their new trade deal. After the meal, Dolce and the tribe’s technicians performed an extended version of their nightly dance routine for them.

The next day, before they set off, Miro and Flint were given a hearty breakfast.

Miro and Flint climbed into the back of the third vehicle of the convoy.

‘Did you learn anything from yesterday?’ asked Miro as he glanced at his brother.

‘You tricked her into giving you a good deal,’ said Flint in a flat tone.

‘Dolce is sweet, kind and genuinely cares about her tribe,’ chuckled Miro. ‘She was never going to walk away from the table. We just needed to give her something she can feel happy about.’

‘The threat from the cult tribe was a lie,’ said Flint.

‘The cult tribe will always be a threat,’ replied Miro sternly. ‘That’s what makes them useful.’

‘That sounds like an odd way of thinking,’ said Flint.

‘That’s why I’m bringing you along,’ said Miro, shaking his head slightly. ‘There’s much for you to learn. Your biggest lesson will be tomorrow, when you meet the High Philosopher himself.’

‘What’s he like?’ asked Flint.

‘It’s the first time he has agreed to meet,’ replied Miro. ‘I expect it to be a unique experience.’

End of Part One. Continue this story in Part Two.

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Images were created with the help of Bing Image Creator

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Sapien Loop Short Stories

Sapien Loop short stories explore the adventures of some of the characters from the Sapien Loop series. These stories are intended to reveal more about individual characters and the events that have helped shape them.

Currently, two books from the series have been published on Amazon; see links below:

• Sapien Loop: End of an Era
• Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time

All individual chapters can be found on my @captainhive account.

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