Epilogue

Upon reminiscing, I touched the niche in my left shoulder, something Grandfather's statue and I held in common. Then I glanced to the boy on my right, who was no longer a boy, but as old as I had been that night.

″…And that is how you became one of the most legendary duos in history.”

“Yes, we were dynamic.”

“Before he met you, he and his family used to rule with disregard to life--the boy not knowing what ‘friendship’ was.”

“Yes. Myself, being the son of the police chief, knew I wouldn’t be harmed even though I had an affiliation with him. My father trust me.”

"And who came up with the new plan?"

"My father and I. We had anticipated stragglers but upon finding the Understory it was apparent that compromise was in order. Warfare would have left us too vulnerable."

"What were the terms of compromise?"

"Our terms were that the Colony would serve us as arms and laborers, in turn, we would provide them with healthcare, education, and necessities."

"Were they amenable?"

"Yes. They trust the boy as he had been born among them. Furthermore, his generation held us no strife as they had no recollection of the days of uprising. If they had known of the Outside, it had not concerned them."

"In the end, did you find your Grandfather?"

"My father did. It turned out I had not known Grandfather well enough. My father had only to glance at the statue. Concealed in its lapel was an SD card containing the City's Constitution and its archives. We believe that Grandfather intended to remove any means of restoring order to the City and to use the information to reestablish the Outside."