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Places
to Go
in and around the
Washington-Baltimore metropolitan axis
Citydeep
Washington, D.C.
Now occupying many of the tunnels which formerly comprised D.C.'s subway system,
Citydeep is the colloquial name given to this subterranean community of mutants.
Although no one is certain when Citydeep was "founded," it is presumed
that its inhabitants began to appropriate the tunnels in the summer of 2040.
Citydeep is not an officially recognized neighborhood by the Washington city
council and as such is not protected by the city's police department, contracted
law enforcement agencies, fire department, or any other emergency or municipal
services.
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>>>>>["Citydeep"?
Sounds to me like some bad sci-fi novel gone totally awry. Or come true.
Either way -- what's all this about mutants living underground?]<<<<< >>>>>[Rumor
ctrl is as follows: Citydeep is PRIMARILY inhabitated by mutants but not
exclusively. As s/ of you may already know, Washington-Baltimore has some
mutagen issues. The '29 Crash caused a few serious disasters w/r/t/ sewage
dumps, some radioactive leakage (from medical waste primarily, though
there are unsubstantiated rumors abt fall-out drift fr/ the Calvert Cliffs
site), and other nasty pollutant shockers. Anyway, most of this resulted
in your standard issue cancer-causing or birth-defect mutation. But the
Awakening shook things up a little and we wound up w/ a whole host of
other mutations (assumably) related to the pollutant dumps. Getting to
the point though- Come 2040(ish) a cadre of melanin-deficient individuals
("mutants" to the insensitive) broke into the old Metro tunnels
and started to est. themselves there. Next thing they knew they were being
joined by an assortment of other disillusioned and disenfranchised individuals.]<<<<< >>>>>[OK,
I'll bite. Going on your word that Citydeep is the real thing and not
just some urban fairy tale, what are its relations w/ the city actually
like?]<<<<< >>>>>[Predictably
shaky. Although it's difficult to estimate the proportions w/ any level
of precision, I'd say that about 75% of Citydeep's residents are legitimate
(or close enough) and the other quarter are there to hide. Understandably,
the city council isn't likely to grant recognition to a neighborhood it
can't patrol and control. Of course, Citydeep residents aren't exactly
looking for recognition fr/ the city. They'd just like to be left alone.]<<<<< >>>>>[I
take it fr/ that statement then that Citydeep isn't being left alone.
What's the story behind that?]<<<<< >>>>>[Citydeep's
inhabitants essentially BROKE IN to the old Metro and took over the tunnels.
They didn't ask for permission or petition for squatter's rights, they
just shoved themselves in and set up shop. The city council may have been
willing to grant them full neighborhood status had they played by the
rules, but they didn't. And consequently (purposefully or not) they ostensibly
created a haven for criminals.]<<<<< >>>>>[I
have 2 pts of contention w/ the above. 1st, Citydeep residents are just
as upset that their home gets exploited by a criminal element as the city
council members are -- it's a problem that they're dealing w/ -- they
simply prefer to deal w/ it on their own terms. 2nd, the original residents
of Citydeep moved in out of necessity -- they didn't have time to wait
around for city council members to get their act together and maybe consider
to perhaps schedule a hearing to weigh the consequences of making a formal
decision about this "Citydeep" project proposed by a bunch of
eccentric melanin-deficient individuals. Besides, the old Metro tunnels
were scheduled to be destroyed. If the founders hadn't moved in when they
had, Citydeep might never have happened.]<<<<< |