IC: Guns, Germs, and Steel Options

[mallet]

Prologue


In the summer of 2064 the worst heat wave in the history of the Northwest descended upon the city of Seattle. The Emerald City, famed for its rain and cool, damp climate, reeled under record high temperatures, drought and rolling brown-outs as the already taxed power stations struggled to keep up with the city's demand for electricity. As the privileged few hid in climate controlled buildings pulling every erg of power available to stay cool, the faceless masses below toiled and struggled in sweltering shadows of the Megacorporate high-rises, living lives that could have been ripped right from Dante's version of hell.

Thick, sweltering smog, usually blown out to sea by cool winds, hung in the still, dead air of the city, raising the temperature and humidity and choking any of the inhabitants brave, stupid or unlucky enough to venture outside. The death rate amongst the elderly and infirm skyrocketed.

To make matters worse the heat, smog and lack of clean water acted like a giant incubator and it wasn't long before a new and brutal flu virus arose in the Puyallup Barrens and began spreading out of the poorer areas and into the rest of the city, causing hundreds of deaths and it kept spreading with no cure in sight.

As the days turned into weeks, without any end or relief in sight, tempers began to flare. The unending heat brought out the worst in the city's citizens. Act's of violence rose sharply, in a city already known for its violence. Road rage, domestic abuse, gang wars, random violence and racial tensions rocked the city. Lonestar, already taxed beyond its means, struggled to keep a lid on a city ready to boil over.

The Governor, fearing a full-scale collapse, issued a state of emergency and called for the help of UCAS government and the National Guard, but the President, already involved in struggles across the nation, declined to send troops or aid to the drought stricken area.

And so the city of Seattle began to spiral out of control in a sea of violence, heat and sweat.

And still the summer kept slowly moving on…