Silo 42, Level 34, Server Room
The most challenging part of his job as the Head of IT has always been the deception. Ahotay remembered his initial resistance to accept the schizophrenic reality when his father first disclosed it to him at the age of 15. As a Shadow training under his father, it was clear that continuing the deception would eventually be his responsibility. But he had no idea what would be required to hide the truth. Looking back, it was obvious there was nothing that could have properly prepared him for the role other than trial by fire.
Ahotay remembered his father sharing with him about his introduction to the role of Head of IT when he was a Shadow under his father. Keeping a lie of this magnitude going for generations, was only part of the challenge. The task of offering guidance to the Silo population in how best to follow the ancestral goals to follow the Seventh Generation Philosophy was just as demanding.
Ahotay’s grandfather who was 100 percent Iroquois, and the very first Head of IT when the Silo was new, had taught him at an early age that telling the truth and acting with future generations in mind was always the best course of action. However, it was important to remember that selecting which truths to share was much more an art than a science. Sometimes, it was hard to believe that this was not the way humans were supposed to live – enclosed in a massive underground building -- rather than on the surface with access to sunshine and fresh air. Yet their Silo valued the individual and strived to make life as harmonious and sustainable as possible for the almost 10,000 souls who call Silo 42 home.
His native ancestors told him his people had lived on this land for a thousand years before the arrival of the white man. He knew that someday he would return to the surface. is grandfather, a direct descendent of the Six Nations known as the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy, always emphasized the importance of respect for the land and making decisions via consensus, the model they follow in Silo meetings.
It was difficult to believe that other Silo residents were not allowed to know the truth. To hold back knowledge made no sense. How can they be expected to provide leadership and guidance if the first thing the Founders do is lie to the Silo residents about their history and why they were living in this huge concrete structure in the first place? Even given that, it felt gratifying to share at least some of the truth with the residents of Silo 42.
Ahotay sat on the chair behind the server tower as it hummed along with his long silver braid draped over his shoulder. The rows of blinking lights caught his attention as he waited for the call. This section of the large room had been maintained as expected by Silo 1 with lights at 70 percent to match the illumination on the security camera. The paint on the wall behind him had been worn off years ago from thousands of hours of his ancestors’ backs had sat against this very wall. Directly behind the stool, the dull grey cement of the Silo wall had been exposed. Unlike other places in the Silo which residents continued to improve, here they maintained the deception of wear and tear.
He checked his watch as the secondhand swept past the 11 on its enviable march to 12. The predictability of the hands on the ancient watch was a relief compared to the surprises he faced when talking with the machine-like voices from Silo 1. These regular calls were like waiting for a train one knew was coming, but never knowing what it would deliver. The light began to flash just as the beeping started. He took a deep breath and exhaled completely readying himself for another “performance.” He took the aged plug and kissed the end as his ancestors had instructed. Showing the proper respect to the ones with ultimate control was one of the tenants from the original Pact. The logic was obvious when you thought about it. Respect leads to compliance which leads to stability.
He inserted the plug into its mate beneath the label marked number 1 and waited for the connection to be made. Several clicks were followed by the familiar synthesized voice on the other end. “Ahotay?”
“Yes, this is Ahotay.” He breathed slowly to keep his heart rate steady as he had been trained. He knew they were monitoring his vital signs through the headset sensors. Besides the monitoring sensors, the communication was primarily auditory. There was no video feed in this location.
“What is the status of selecting your shadow?” asked the voice.
“I have whittled down the qualified pool of candidates to two. I am passing along their histories now.”
He withdrew a small computer drive from his pocket and inserted it into the slot under the row of plugs. A yellow light blinked rapidly as the files were passed through the intra-Silo network to the main servers in Silo 1. He knew Silo 1 sat at the center of the huge Silo field and had life and death control over all the other Silos. His mind wandered as he awaited confirmation.
It was hard for him to imagine he had lived here for all of his 55 years. But watching the children of friends grow old before his eyes was irrefutable evidence that time was passing. Since he and his wife Meredith had chosen to not have children of their own, the time had come to select a shadow to follow in his footsteps. In most instances, selecting a Shadow was typically a straightforward proposition. Young folks tended to show their aptitudes early, and it was easy enough to test them out as interns before deciding who should be seriously considered a Shadow candidate. Other professionals in agriculture, manufacturing, education, electronics, and the hundreds of other occupations required to run the Silo were much less demanding compared to what was required by his position.
As the defacto head of the Silo, his role was much more extensive. His responsibility included that their Silo survived so the occupants could eventually return to the outside when the air once again became safe for humans. Unlike other Silos, he also had a deception to maintain, to ensure that Silo 1 never suspected they had taken a path different than that prescribed in the founding documents. Their discovery could mean the end of the Silo and their way of life.
“We have received the files. Keep us informed of your decision as soon as it has been made.”
“Of course,” he responded.
Without ceremony the voice moved on to other topics. “How are you dealing with the energy depletion issue?”
He had anticipated this topic and was prepared. “I have put the best people in mechanical on it.” He hesitated a moment before asking. “Have any of the other Silos had this issue?” The silence on the other end of the line told him all he needed to know. Their Silo was definitely not the only one. After almost a century of pumping oil and natural gas from beneath the Silos, it was of little surprise that the rate of energy production was eventually going to peak and then start declining.
The computer-disguised voice came back onto the line. “We will take your question under consideration and get back to you.”
Just as he suspected. But it really didn’t matter what they said. Fortunately, Silo 42 had solved this energy problem. The challenge was keeping that information from their overlords in Silo 1. He considered it just another part of the deception.
Ahotay checked his watch and hoped the call would be over soon. The voice returned in its flat and lifeless tone. “We see that you have scheduled another cleaning.”
“Yes, it was most unfortunate as this person was once a very respected member of our community.”
“We understand, but even the most patriotic among us sometimes go astray. We are sorry for your loss and respect your commitment to maintaining Silo stability.”
The irony was almost too much. Ahotay was able to keep his heart rate steady to show the appropriate response before saying. “Thank you for your condolences. We will be better for the cleaning.”
“Have you been able to repair the external airlock video camera?” the voice asked.
“I am sorry sir — assuming it was a male voice despite the computer-generated masking — we have not due to a part shortage we previously mentioned. However, the internal airlock view should be working perfectly.”
He hoped that answer would suffice as they had no intention to show any more camera views to Silo 1 than they needed to. Unlike other Silo cleanings, Silo 42 no longer used the deadly gas that killed the cleaner before they could see the truth.
These Silo 1 calls were getting more and more stressful. He kept his breaths deep so his nervous system remained calm and any changes would not be detectable. Like all the Heads of IT, he had always known of the termination option. The bright red “X” drawn through Silo 12, and the older X’s over Silo 40, 49 and 17, were a constant reminder. He prayed to the Great Spirit that they would never have to be concerned about such a fate.
The Pact or set of rules and regulations which every Silo agreed to abide by, contained many taboos. At the top of its exhaustive list was to never speak about the “outside.” Even thinking about life outside the Silo was considered a grave sin and cause for immediate “cleaning.” He knew their alternative course of action contained risk, but it had proved a solid solution since his grandfather established the practice almost a century ago. Regular cleanings allowed them to monitor the outside conditions without ever raising questions from their overseers. His ancestors were convinced it was critical to know when they could safely leave the Silo and were committed to help future generations plan for that moment. If they could not accurately monitor the exterior atmosphere, they would never know what was truly happening outside. Using the cleanings was the easiest way to secretly gather this information.
It had been almost six months since their last cleaning and the Silo was in full preparation. He was anxious to finish the call and get on with his other responsibilities. “Will there be anything more?” Ahotay asked to get off the line as quickly as possible.
“No, that is all for now. We will review your file and let you know if we have any concerns.”
“Thank you for your eternal guidance and patience. Goodbye.”
He pulled the plug out and released a sigh he was sure could be heard all the way up to Level 1 where the preparations for the cleaning were being made. Another call, another month of relative peace. He seriously needed to shift his attention to picking a Shadow, a challenging process that needed to be done soon. But, for now, it was time to travel to the Up Top and meet with the other residents preparing for the upcoming cleaning celebration.
