Haydee's Underground Home

A Child's Prison Disguised as Sanctuary

Beneath the bustling streets of Red Level lies a repurposed maintenance facility that served as both home and prison for young Haydee Hampden for three years. What appears at first glance to be a surprisingly comfortable living space reveals itself, upon closer inspection, to be a carefully constructed environment designed for manipulation and control, where advanced holographic technology created the illusion of family and friendship while isolating a vulnerable child from the outside world.

Physical Environment

The facility combines functional living space with maintenance infrastructure:

• Entrance: A rain gutter opening in Red Level leading to a six-foot drop, cushioned by a stack of old mattresses
• Main Room: Large studio-style space with defined areas for different activities
• Kitchen Area: Basic cooking facilities with running water and storage for vat pills and other supplies
• Bathroom: Functional facilities including an ornate claw bathtub, unusual for a maintenance area
• HoloDeck: Sophisticated projection system capable of creating multiple interactive holographic figures
• Maintenance Section: Area with pumps, dials, and pipes connected to city water, weather, and sewage systems
• Pest Control Wall: Array of small clear plastic cages (20×10) originally designed for rodent capture, repurposed for Haydee's "cooking" activities

The space shows evidence of both its original industrial purpose and its adaptation for residential use, creating an uncanny blend of comfort and utility that served to normalize Haydee's unusual living situation.

The Holographic Deception

At the heart of Haydee's experience was an elaborate technological deception:

• Tommy: A holographic boy in a tuxedo who served as Haydee's primary guide and companion
• Parents: Projections of Haydee's mother and father who appeared loving and supportive, unlike their real counterparts
• Additional Characters: Various teachers, pets, and other figures created to provide socialization and education
• Environmental Control: Ability to transform the space through projections, creating the illusion of a larger, more varied world
• Behavioral Manipulation: Carefully crafted scenarios designed to shape Haydee's behavior and beliefs

This sophisticated system allowed "Tommy" (likely a persona adopted by Benjiro Takahashi) to maintain complete control over Haydee's perception of reality, gradually preparing her for limited ventures to the surface while ensuring her continued emotional dependence on the underground home.

Daily Life and Routines

Haydee's life in the facility followed structured patterns designed to maintain the illusion of normalcy:

• Educational Activities: Lessons on various subjects, including the geography of Horizon City
• Survival Training: Instruction in self-defense, navigation, and other skills necessary for surface visits
• Cooking Lessons: Teaching Haydee to prepare "fried baby mice" from rodents captured in the facility's traps
• Chores: Maintenance tasks that served both practical purposes and reinforced Haydee's sense of belonging
• Entertainment: Holographic games and stories provided through the projection system

These routines created a sense of purpose and progress while keeping Haydee isolated from genuine human contact, effectively making her dependent on the holographic figures for all social and emotional needs.

The Business Operation

After three years of preparation, Haydee was sent to the surface to sell her "fried baby mice" to workers at Red Sector Industries:

• Food Preparation: Processing captured rodents into a product that reportedly tasted like "vat chicken"
• Sales Strategy: Targeting industrial workers with limited food options during their breaks
• Financial Management: Saving money toward goals set by "Tommy," including the purchase of a clone
• Territorial Limitations: Strict boundaries established to keep Haydee away from dangerous areas

This operation served multiple purposes - providing Haydee with a sense of independence and accomplishment, generating income, and potentially gathering intelligence from the Red Sector Industries facility through her interactions with workers.

Tragic Conclusion

Haydee's story ended tragically when she ventured beyond her established territory:

• Boundary Crossing: Wandering onto Sin Street after finding Red Sector Industries closed
• Fatal Encounter: Attempting to sell to Sinners gang members, resulting in a confrontation with Nacho
• Violent Death: Being shot after defending herself against Nacho's aggression
• Facility Abandonment: The underground home presumably left empty after Haydee's death

This conclusion highlights the cruel reality behind the seemingly protective environment - despite years of "preparation" for the outside world, Haydee was ultimately sent into dangerous situations with insufficient understanding of Red Level's social dynamics and territorial boundaries.

Cultural Significance

To the few who know of its existence, Haydee's underground home represents the disturbing potential for technology to create convincing alternate realities that can manipulate vulnerable individuals. The facility stands as a testament to the lengths to which Benjiro Takahashi (presuming he was behind the "Tommy" persona) would go to control and shape others, using advanced technology to create elaborate deceptions.

The contrast between the facility's comfortable appearance and its function as a tool for manipulation embodies the broader theme of deceptive facades in Horizon City - places and people that appear to offer sanctuary while actually serving more sinister purposes.