Chapter one

Somewhere in the industrial ruins of Los Angeles there is a hideout. It is tucked away beneath pillars of concrete and colored with graffiti. Finding the hideout is easy but getting in requires firepower and a lot of patience. It is protected by several exits unknown to strangers and one large blast door. If an unwelcomed guest did manage to enter the hideout then it was a short lived victory. The Mexican in charge would command dozens of armed men to pull their triggers and in a hot flash they would disappear forever.

The Mexican had a limp and often used a cane for support. His curly black hair bounced with each step and his barks were colored with Mexican slang and curses. He used his image as a symbol of power against oppressive systems, systems that had long abused the people of Los Angeles. He was the hideout's ruthless leader but he was also intelligent. He understood how speak the language of technology which gave him the privilege to use, and abuse, that power. The hideout was filled with large monitors and humming machines. Cables ran in every direction like the nerves in a human body. It was a living organism that ran on sweat and electricity and it did not stop, not under the Mexican's command.

Unfortunately, the machine did stop. The Mexican participated in an event that changed the future of his people, or more specifically the people of Los Angeles. His responsibility moved out of the hideout and into the world. His electronic battle against oppressive systems was going to continue elsewhere. The power was turned off and the living organism died.

For years the machines remained lifeless and untouched.

One drizzling night a teenage girl was sent as a scout to look for shelter. She slid into a ravine, through a broken sewer pipe, and landed in an underground duct. The muddy water was up to her knees and that was when she saw an exit door that was partially opened. With all of her strength she slid the door back and rain water immediately rushed in. The girl used her flashlight to discover the strange place for herself and once she was satisfied with its protection she left. She returned the next day with two dozen children of various ages. The children observed the dark hideout with flashlights and curious eyes. One of their lights revealed a large graffiti of a spider on the ceiling.

"What is this place?" A small boy with reddish hair asked

The teenage girl wandered farther than the rest and replied, "it's our house for now."

"Where are you going?" The boy asked tensely.

The girl's flashlight bobbed up and down until it finally disappeared around a corner. Her voice echoed, "to find the on switch to this house."