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To be fair, you <span class="mu-i">have</span> been on other Levels before, but only as a kid. You had to do some medical tests and stuff on Level 3, some randomized control group thing. Bad memories of white-walled clinics where they made you eat raw milk and drink warm milk and run on a treadmill and stuff like that. But you barely remember anything from what you saw up there; and especially not as an adult, you've never visited. You've always kinda wanted to see what it's like. Secretly, you wonder if it's as rich and fancy and nice as everyone on Level 5 says it says, but you have a feeling that isn't the case. Cheryl seems to think Level 4 is as bad as Level 5, just in different ways. Now you'll have to be the judge of that.
But how to get between the levels? That's where your research has finally paid off. While the government checkpoints are basically fullproof; there are some large elements of infrastructure that span between levels. The most promising of these are the <span class="mu-s">washes</span>; massive water canals that let the waste water from higher levels flow down from each level, getting more polluted each time until they reach Level 5, where its reclaimed, sieved, and processed. You know from basic hydrophonics the water can't just fall straight down; it would make too much noise or cause a splashdown effect and throw up an unacceptable amount of irritants into the air; so the canals have to be at a gradual slope. You also know like most things in the city, it's built to last with as little human maintence required as possible, so there are unlikely to be any grates or floodgates within. The main problem? The washes are not on a set schedule, and fill with rushing water very quickly, which would be deadly to attempt on foot. But vehicles on every level of the city only operate on approved roads and pathways; drawing directly from the hidden LeyLine power system built into every city street. So that thwarts that attempt too.
Except you have a <span class="mu-i">motorcycle</span>.
With a reliable supply of biodiesel from the owner of the restruant you saved from the Viking, you can finally keep your, or Cheryl's Dad's you suppose, motorbike fully gassed up and ready to go. And you can take it anywhere you want! City roads be damned!
You'll admit, it's a bit of a risky plan. But you've studied the blueprints and distances; and you think you can make it. With an average body of water passing thru the washes every 30 seconds, you'll have just enough time at full speed and acceleration to make it up the waste-water channel into the next level of the city. You've practiced gunning it on your bike out in the vacant parking lots at the edge of the city, and timing your progress, and improved your skill at driving the bike. You can make it.
