The image of a factory belching out smoke is such a common image that it’s practically a cliché in showing a productive company. And things haven’t changed much nowadays. There's hundreds of companies spewing out toxic fumes spread out over the landscape, some so poisonous that they're practically threatening the very quality of life.
For the longest time, people were constantly getting sick whenever they got outside, and no one could figure out why. The smog was so bad that a clean facial mask could become sooty at the end of the day. That detail alone should’ve been their first clue, but it hardly entered their radar.
After much time and effort, the source was eventually found, coming from the massive threatening towering structure in plain view for all to see. This discovery should’ve been considered obvious, but when this was pointed out, people were surprised.
“Oh yeah. That large building spewing smoke over there? Huh. I never noticed it before. It’s always been there.”
Part of this selective ignorance could’ve been that the smoke made the very surroundings extremely foggy, making it harder for the populace to see disturbing sights in the far-off distance too clearly. For the most part, there was a general lack of curiosity that made it easier for certain atrocities to slip by unnoticed.
The Factories belch out a proportionate amount of smoke daily, even though their workline is manned by assembly line people. Given that these Factories don’t need to pump out smoke to produce their products, it begs the question of why they do this in the first place.
There was a clean air campaign some years back, where a small group of people concerned about the Planet were actively encouraged to resist a certain company’s output. They protested by not buying any of their products until they stopped spewing out smoke, even if it meant having to buy inferior material from the competition. This was a fruitless attempt, since both the main company and the competing company were owned by the same man.
Tying themselves to the machinery didn’t work - the company just went over their bodies, not caring how many lives they had to mow through to make sure their products got into people’s hands. The company didn’t care about their image - ruthlessness was their main credo. Pouring blood sweat and tears into their product was something to take pride in.
A lot of the customers didn’t care either - as long as they got what they wanted, what was a few lives, more or less? Given the chance, they’d willingly let these companies onto their properties if it meant they could get more of the stuff.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, so some of the Planet Protectors decided to infiltrate these companies and find out what the main cause of all this smoke was.
They went on tours, which caused many of them to become violently ill after seeing the actual production methods behind their once beloved products.
They implanted spies who indulged in swapping corporate secrets that both sides already knew.
They temporarily took over the factories and tried to shut them down in the process, before either going mad with power, or being tempted to join the corporation they once loathed.
But they were no closer to finding out where the smoke was coming from. What was their main energy source? More daring attempts were needed.
Finally, they decided to go for the straightest route, and go down the chimney. This was a dangerous endeavor, fraught with risk, but then, humans have never shied away from risk, no matter how infantile.
Previous attempts had been made to plumb the depths of these chimneys, to see just where all this smoke was coming from. The Factory was supposed to have a blueprint of their working conditions, but had never gotten around to mapping the corridors of their smokestacks, which was quite frankly overdue.
Researchers were decked out in protective outfits capable of resisting extreme temperatures ranging from minus kelvin to inside a planet’s core. Theoretically, one could stand on a sun and not be affected, but no one was willing to go that far.
Yet.
I mean, it’s possible someone did it on a dare, and succeeded, but all evidence of the attempt was burned upon entry. Anyways, they had that protective suit, and damn if they weren’t going to make good use of it!
On that day, the Intrepid Explorer was going to be lowered down the chimney via an anchor chained to a flying airship stationed above the fiery hole. This might have seem like overkill, but what else were they going to use all that grant money for?
The Intrepid Explorer was all decked out in the overly bulky protective outfit, and anything unusual experienced were to be noted via a voice receiver. Bright lights and visual equipment were firmly latched on to capture anything of interest.
“I’m going down... down... the walled surfaces are solid, yet show no signs of decay. Whoever made this certainly knew what they were doing.”
Upon the Intrepid Explorer’s descent, nothing much could be seen for the first hour.
“This hole is a lot deeper than I expected it to be.”
It was the last communication they got in a long time, since so much of the earlier reports that had been full of flowery purple descriptions of exploring uncharted territory grew to redundant repeats of the same unchanging hostile surroundings, and they were beginning to grow dull. How many times could the same bland walls be described?
“Yup... this is a good wall... solid... firm... same as all the others before... still pretty dark down here...”
Then, an hour later, an ambiguous message came through.
“There seem to be scratchings embedded into the walls.”
The anchor chain stopped so the Intrepid Explorer could take a closer look. The markings were captured on video to the crew stationed above. Then, upon closer investigation, there were soot-based dwellings with holes that had been previously unnoticed.
“There’s an entire civilization built here! How can anything live under these conditions?”
While the Intrepid Explorer’s words were laughable, nothing could be further from the truth. Life can survive anywhere, no matter how inhospitable to other life forms. It’s folly to think we’re the only lives worth living.
Think about it - we’re composed of mostly water. Using that ratio, you’d think anything made of water would be slime-based life forms. Instead, our organs are a complex mechanism of tubing that cycles on a perpetual basis. Who’s to say something similar couldn’t happen to creatures made of smoke or fire?
“Hold on, it’s just residue grime from the smoke.”
Oh. Never mind then.
Anyways, the Intrepid Explorer continued going down. The descent had been going on for quite some time now, and the crew aboard the airship were beginning to grow concerned.
The length of chain unspooled was already going beyond all expected expectations and was now exceeding the circumference of the planet twice over.
“It must be pooling up somewhere at the bottom there. It’s impossible for anything to go that far.”
“Is there a chain eater down there?”
Hours later, communications was beginning to break up, and scant information was barely coming through. “I’m in the vicinity of a huge cavern.”
Then the Intrepid Explorer was right in front of the Factory’s power source emanating all the smoke.
“I’m in the presence of something I can barely see. The lights aren’t working very well here. It wasn’t designed for larger areas. Let me just raise the output and AAAAAH!!”
It was a shame the visual recordings failed around this moment, since we’re only left with audio clues, which don’t help to shed much light onto just what happened.
“It’s a... it’s a...” then the voice faltered. “I have no idea what I’m looking at here.”
“Describe it.”
“Impossible. It’s extremely abstract to the extreme. Every time I look at it, it keeps changing shape. You should’ve sent somebody good with words.”
“Don’t you write poetry?”
“Dealing with intangible feelings! This is more of... a smoke belching creature. Or farting. Either or.”
There was tangible silence on the other end, before the Intrepid Explorer continued:
“I’m not good at coming up with stuff spontaneously! I’d like to see you do better! I - hold on, there’s more. There’s a fissure beneath that... thing there. Lower me.”
“You’re already pretty far down. Don’t you want to come back up first?”
“Turn around just as I’ve come this far? No way. Keep going.”
The crew reluctantly lowered the Intrepid Explorer down.
Twenty minutes later, disaster struck. The anchor which had been going at a steady pace this whole time suddenly started wheeling down the chimney faster than usual. They called out for a response, but nobody answered.
“Hit the brakes!”
“The brakes ARE on!”
The chains were going down so fast, the friction of the anchor turnwheel caught fire. The next row of chain links that were the default state of grey suddenly changed from black links to blue. Then yellow links came next.
“We’re in the danger zone! I’ve never even SEEN the yellow chains before! Cut it off right now!”
The billowing smoke made seeing the current surroundings extremely difficult, even with goggles on. Then the red chain links briefly appeared, and the remainder of the chains went disappearing down into the smoky darkness below, a brief flash of red flickering in the distance. It was a good thing the anchor had been severed at the end instead of attached. Disaster had been averted, but the fate of the Intrepid Explorer was left unknown.
In the end, the Factory decided to mark the chimney dimensions as “inconclusive”. Anybody wanting to test those claims were welcome to take up the challenge themselves.
Despite these dangers, the Planet Protesters were ready and willing to brave elements hither unknown, even though the way was fraught with risk and death was surely imminent. That was until one of them asked an innocent question:
“Why don’t we just block the chimney?”
After smacking their heads so hard they lost consciousness, they set about figuring a way to cover the openings without burning themselves.
And then they found it - a small breed of bird known as a Smoke-eater that could easily devour the fumes pouring out of the chimneys and expel sweet-smelling air. Such an obvious answer seemed too easy, and was frowned upon since if this knowledge became widely known, it would only encourage more toxic chimneys to pop up, knowing that there was a way to counter the smoke.
Furthermore, despite its beneficial qualities, it was restricted anywhere there was a factory, which was all the affected smoky areas. So there was the challenge of getting past the ban.
They found help from an unlikely source - an Old Courier who was an old hand in smuggling contraband past customs. She understood the urgency of the mission and was willing to help... for a price. She laid out her instructions and how she expected them to be obeyed.
The Planet Protectors paid careful attention to the details and how it would play out. Apparently, she would meet up with other clients with similar needs, and they would all converge together in one agreed location, upon which payment would be expected upon delivery. It would be expensive, but if it all worked out, it would be well worth it.
The Old Courier left to do her business, while the Planet Protectors waited nervously, anxious for her eventual return as she sought out the elusive bird.
They waited, looking for any sign of a signal that she’d arrived safely, and also looked with loathing at the smokestacks churning smoke towards the unclear expanse of cloudy sky.
When the wares came, the investigators did their customary investigative checkup, but due to the vast amount of incomers and pressure to ease people through while also paying constant vigilance to troublemakers. Her unassuming appearance cast no suspicious glances in her direction.
When she arrived safely at the meeting site, she revealed her unorthodox method by first removing her false teeth and unhinging her jaw before centering herself. Then, with elasticity believed impossible, a huge orange-striped oval object slowly made its way out of her throat and fell on the floor.
The deed done, she was left gasping, regaining her breath. The pumpkin-like egg that was larger than the Old Courier slowly cracked from the inside, revealing... a mare. Then the horse made an uncomfortable coughing noise before throwing up another egg - this one rainbow-coloured - which hatched into a bunny rabbit. And then the bunny hacked up a blue egg containing the Smoke-eating bird.
The security system was intensive, but it wasn’t flawless. They couldn’t penetrate through so many layers of flesh. The Old Courier’s natural stiffness from carrying so much inside didn’t hurt either.
Then the bird threw up a checkered egg, containing a rare bug, which was something one of the protesters wanted upon personal request. As long as she was hiding contraband animals inside each other, why not go all the way? Otherwise, it’s just wasted space.
They paid almost all their life savings to the Old Courier, who was grateful, and sent them off with a warning, “Be careful out there. I’m not doing this again.”
Having gotten their animal, the Planet Protectors made their way back to the Factory. There was a warning not to let it eat too much smoke, otherwise “something unfortunate might occur.” That “something unfortunate ” was exactly what they were banking on.
While getting to the Factory wasn’t much of a problem, reaching the roof was going to be the hard part. The fastest way to the roof was via one of those dreaded tours of the Factory grounds.
However, as chance would have it, they’d neglected to mention their plans to the rest of their fractured organization. One of their ex-members who’d managed a hostile takeover of the Factory (and wasn’t going to leave anytime soon) told them so:
“There’s been a change in Management. There’s been too many complaints about the tours. So, as of now, all tours of the Factory are hereby cancelled. No more tours, no more complaints!”
“Is there still mistreatment going on back there?”
“What did I say about too many questions? Get these guys out of here!”
Security led them out the gate, until one of the guards, who happened to be a spy, slipped them a key that would help them get to the roof via the employee back door. “It’ll only take you halfway. You’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”
As an added bonus, he would distract the rest of Security while the group made their way to the abandoned tour route. But they weren’t dressed up the same as the staff, so they got awkward looks in their general direction along the way. Especially with a weird-looking rounded bird on a shoulder, when no animals were allowed.
Fortunately, none of the workers bothered them. Calling out attention to themselves would only attract trouble. And stopping intruders wasn’t part of their job. The last time they tried to help prevent sabotage, they were chastized for not paying attention to their tasks. If they’d stayed put and informed the higher-ups AFTER the damage was done, then it would fit into their schedule nicely. This was why Security was needed in the first place.
The Planet Protectors managed to reach the rooftop with no trouble. The next obstacle was climbing up to the top of the chimneystack. In addition to its impressive height, stretching into the sky, it was also wide around the brin, resembling a smoky volcano.
The only people who bothered to be around these sparse areas were repairmen and chimney cleaners, both of whom had a notoriously high youth rate and death rate, so their chances at being caught was pretty low.
What nobody knew was that just a few days ago, there was a loud noise that went entirely unnoticed. The anchored chain that had been lost so long ago had finally hit bottom.
The report was still being processed and awaiting verification. It would only be a matter of time before new Management got word of this, and start another investigation now that they had a better idea of the depths of the chimney, and continue sacrificing small children down its unsatiable hole, so the Planet Protectors had better hurry.
However, in the fairness of producing artificial drama, it should be pointed out that this explosive report was sandwiched in the middle of a very intimidating pile of forms, and the power-hungry Manager was more concerned with his lunch order than going through the technicalities, so there was really no reason to worry. They could take all the time they needed.
In order to reach the top, they needed to climb a series of ladders embedded onto the chimney wall, which were notoriously hot, and could only be grasped with protection. They had to be careful not to get too close to the burning wall, even as the whipping foul winds threatened to knock them off their fragile perch.
When they finally made it to the platform above, very few of them had managed to make it unscathed. To further complications, keeping the Smoke-eater calm was proving difficult. To ensure its safety, its beak had been clasped shut. Being close to so much second-hand smoke and not being able to eat any was driving it crazy.
“How long has it been since it ate?”
“Did anyone think to feed it?”
“Better leave it hungry a little longer. It can afford to wait.”
“At this rate, it may not stay still for long. Let’s give it a little something to tide over before the main course.”
There was grumblings, but it was eventually agreed that some smoke should be given. “Just a little at a time, and no more.”
After having a taste, the bird calmed down somewhat, and they were able to continue their way without much hassle. They kept the bird occupied by blowing the occasional puff of smoke in its direction to keep it happy. Despite climbing for hours, they still weren’t anywhere close to the top. So far, they’d only made it to the first lift, and still had more to go.
Upon getting out the 49th lift, tensions were rising with every step took. The catwalk was extremely rickety the higher up they went. They had to stop every 10th floor to catch their breath, which wasn’t easy, given the polluted air. During these lulls, they started breaking protocol and fed Smoke-eater and breathed in the sweet-smelling air of its gas bursts.
They reveled in its fragrance, their continuous headaches and nausea abating somewhat. Someone remarked, “If we could bottle this up and sell it, we’d make a fortune.”
“No! That’s the kind of thinking that got us all into this mess in the first place! This way will provide free clean air for everybody!”
Then, one of them noticed, “Hey, the bird’s getting a little big.”
They turned and saw the Smoke-eater was indeed swelling up, and thrashing against being held. It wanted to eat more of the delicious smoke that was all around them, and pried its way loose out of the holder’s grasp.
One of the Planet Protectors reached out to capture the bird, lost balance and fell off into the ground below.
Fortunately, one of them had the foresight to tie a string around the bird’s feet just in case something like this happened. The Smoke-eater screeched in frustration at having its flight to freedom stopped. They had to hurry up the remainder of the chimney path as the bird continued to grow even larger, becoming rounder and puffier.
Upon reaching the top, the Leader switched from the left foot to the right due to an old superstition for good luck. It must’ve worked, because the bird seemed drawn towards the chimneytop.
The Smoke-eater dove inside with great relish, unable to suppress its appetite any longer. It didn’t take long for it to round out and fill the wide contours of the chimney, blocking it entirely. Soon, the bird was angled face down, desperate to get the source of the smoke faster, farting out pure air straight upwards where the foul stagnant cloud of smog lingered, and the Planet Protectors could finally see the sky above them.
Shortly after, Security finally went up to the roof with overhead protectors to take care of the intruders. They punched a hole in the banned Smoke-eater, who deflated like a balloon and fell into the dank chimney hole. The Planet Protectors didn’t protest, because they were all left in a gibbering state. Subduing them wasn’t too difficult, since all of them were incaptivated by the sight overhead.
Apparently, there was a hidden side benefit to the smog. The excess exhaust billowed up in the air where it settled into the atmosphere, creating a dense layer of protection against the vast sights above that would otherwise harm us if were were ever aware of their presence.
So what we're seeing in the sky is actually only the barest FRACTION of what is REALLY up there. I'm guessing that if we were privy to the full effects of the outside, we would be driven to a state of mindnumbing paralysis to the extent that we wouldn't be able to manage our basic body functions.
Believe it or not, the overhead sights were Much more disturbing than they are now.
The question of the excess smoke answered, we're faced with two choices. The choice being - die mentally now, or die slower later?
No comments:
Post a Comment