“When they found the above-ground city our ancestors had built, the scientists clearly knew we weren’t ordinary rats,” said Juniper. “Lucky for us that they were the ones who found us. As we all know, the Topsiders’ world is full of those who hate rats.” “It seems the scientists were driven out of Trillium by the city’s founders,” said Virden. “According to this journal entry, they had gone to the then new government and tried to tell Trillium’s leaders of our uniqueness, but politicians knew most humans would never want to live in a city of baffling, super-intelligent rats, so they forced the scientists out, denouncing them and threatening their lives.” “So the scientists fled,” said Cole, setting down the last page of the journal, “taking cages full of Trillium rats with them. They say they stopped many places, but it was not until they got to the swamp that the rats seemed at ease again. Back in Trillium, the rest of the rats took to hiding, driven underground to save their own lives.”
