Chapter 2: Assuming the Gradient

Now that you have escaped the pit that was dug for you, you see the horizon, in the distance, the mountains. As you set out towards these mountains, you want to be prepared. You want to map out your way. You don't want to fall into any of the crevasses that litter the landscape. This kind of trip requires a plan; you need to be prepared for unforeseen events.
But first, let's deal with your captors. You don't have the strength to fight them right now. They will easily overpower you and throw you right back down where you came from. Your senses are still distorted from the pool of excrement in your hole. You need to make some distance between them and you as fast as possible. These people are just cogs in the machine. They're not going to go on a manhunt to force you back into your hole. They will, however, if you fuck with them and and put their livelihood at risk. So start making some ground.
Some variables that affect power are money, skills, time, reproduction, integrity, character, strength, courage, beauty, confidence, humility, manipulation, lies, and honesty. All of these variables interact with each other in complicated ways. You may come across a variable that, in a unique location within the domain, the relationship with power looks asymptotic. You might think it's easy to focus on maximizing this one variable and brave the sheer cliffs of the singularity. This is an unwise decision. Many people have tried to develop climbing routes along these cliffs. A large percentage of them shortly fall to their death. Those that do succeed in surmounting these cliffs immediately realize that they're on a precipice with nobody around them and the mountains in the distance are actually much, much higher.
Have some patience. Keep making small steps in the right direction. Remember the tortoise. Assume the gradient.

Chapter 3: The Wind That Shakes the Oligarchy