TEST DRIVE MEME #1

[neosapienmods]

JANUARY TEST DRIVE

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1: SPRAWLING WASTELAND, GLOWING IN THE DARK

No sunlight reaches the Underground, but there is rain: grey, oily droplets that slowly trickle down from the city above, seeping through layers of concrete until they drip from broken light fixtures onto the aptly named black markets below. The glow of neon signs keeps the shadows at bay, just barely. What was once a system of utility tunnels and basement bunkers is now a warren of tiny shops offering reprogrammed ID chips and back-alley cybernetic upgrades, where hitmen and slave traders operate with lawless impunity. But someone is always watching... the eyes of Yakashbah, graffitied in bioluminescent paint, stare unblinking from the walls.

People come to this place for only two reasons: they're either looking for something, or they're trying not to be found. Whatever your reason, the Underground welcomes you.

2: A MIND OF DARKNESS, A HEART OF LIGHT

Outside of manicured parks and glass-enclosed vertical farms, green space is rare in New Gate City, so the elites flaunt their wealth in private rooftop gardens. Fragrant, exotic flowers bloom amidst strings of lanterns, and real grass - an extravagant luxury - carpets the ground beneath partygoers' feet as they sip champagne and admire the dark cityscape below. Tonight, one of the Douman Zaibatsu's myriad charity organizations hosts its annual fundraising gala... but this year, the special guests attract even more attention than the celebrities and fashionistas in attendance. Representatives from the Neo Sapien Organization have been invited to speak on the topic of Human/Meta-human relations, and to raise money on behalf of job placement programs for impoverished Metas in the Last Ward. Of course, most within the Douman Zaibatsu would prefer that these "job placement programs" send Metas to the farms far outside New Gate City (or better yet, to the lunar strip mines), but at least for tonight, members of both factions hide behind false smiles and false words.

3: AS FEAR'S REPLICATING, YOUR WORDS RESONATING

Someone gasps, and everyone looks up. Arcadia's central shopping district goes silent, save for the distant sound of pop tunes played over tinny speakers, as a massive black banner unfurls down the side of a building. A crudely drawn eye fills the banner, bisected by a line of white paint... the unofficial symbol of the Meta rights movement. People start to whisper, and somewhere, there's a cheer. Police drones buzz through the air above.

Meta rights protests aren't uncommon in this part of New Gate City, even though they're soon dispersed by local security forces. This banner, too, will be quickly taken down and destroyed, but the photos and videos of the event will be harder to suppress. Already, the bystanders are murmuring to each other, some in support and some in fear. Others keep their heads down, wary of expressing their true feelings about the rising numbers of Meta-humans. And as security forces move to block off the area, others are frantically trying to disappear.

4: A NEW HOPE GLISTENS OFF THE STREETS

The blocks surrounding the Neo Sapien Organization's headquarters in the Middle Ward are like an oasis at the center of an otherwise inhospitable city. Old buildings have been renovated into bright and cheerful apartments that accommodate a variety of Meta-human physiologies, Meta schools and Meta-owned businesses are flourishing, and Meta-friendly shops and cafes line the streets.

The best coffee in the Middle Ward can be found at The Mean Bean, just across from the NSO building, where the shop's fire-breathing Meta owner personally roasts every batch. NSO employees and and other patrons of the popular cafe congregate to discuss local news and gossip: a proposed Meta registration and identification law, rumors of vigilante gangs near the border with the Last Ward, and rivalries between NSO university sports teams. Arguments occasionally grow heated (especially when it comes to sports), but overall the atmosphere is friendly and congenial.

5: WITHIN THE CHAOS, I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE

The Last Ward's electrical grid is reliably unreliable, but blackouts on this scale are rare. Half the ward has been dark for the past three days, save for a few emergency generators and dwindling battery backups. As winter winds batter old, drafty concrete apartment blocks, the residents grow restless and frustrated. Police have already put down several riots, but there's no stopping the spike in looting and other petty crimes.

In the Parish, many people have opted to barricade themselves inside their homes until the blackout ends, but others are taking advantage of the chaos. Most, though, have chosen to band together to protect each other throughout the long nights. The people of the Parish may not have much, but at least they have a sense of community.

Comments

[burndownforwhat]

Mm, yeah, but it's really bad this time. I won't be surprised if it was on purpose.

[ because she knows the kind of people that live down here. not all by choice, either. with all the other tensions rising in the world "above" it wouldn't be much of a conspiracy to assume there was something bigger happening to knock out the grid on such a wide scale.

Yang ponders on that as she steps in line beside Jotako. ]

[crusaderess]

[ The church that was the central building of The Parish, the source of its name, was completely dark, but several barrel fires were lit with volunteers guiding homeless within. There was one there to meet Jotako, exchanging no words at all aside from a grateful expression to the stoic woman, taking the satchel and passing it down the line. Jotako stepped back once it was out of her hands, letting her cigarette just burn between her lips as she watched them work. ]

What do you intend to do about it if you're right?

[burndownforwhat]

[ Yang watches on silently. sadly. she's always been fortunate enough to have a roof over her head even when her life was turned on its head, but knows others haven't been so lucky for any number of reasons unrelated to whats in their blood.

she also feels kind of cheap, trading a light for some water, now that she knew what sort of place it was meant for. she'll just vow to make up for it. ]

Guess that depends on who did it, and how...

[ speaking of doing something, Yang steps up to the volunteer and shifts the toolbox to the front of her, gripping the handle in both hands. ] Got anything that needs fixin'? Generator, boiler, stuff like that.

[crusaderess]

[ Jotako kept close behind Yang as she offered her services, the volunteer gratefully accepting them, mentioning a generator in the basement that needs to be start up again to get heat going through the building. It's not power restoration, but it will at least warm the beds.

Jotako gives a nod ]. We'll take care of it. Don't worry about pay for this, either. NSO policy.

[burndownforwhat]

Yeah, this much is easy. Just leave it to me! [ Yang beamed confidently. she's all too happy to have a way to contribute, no matter how small that difference may be in the long run. a warm night's sleep can do wonders for morale, and health besides.

she started off toward the building but paused to turn to Jotako. ] Are you headed back?

[crusaderess]

And leave you unsupervised? [ Jotako dashed some ashes away from her cigarette before tossing it to barrel fire nearby, not wanting to bring it inside with her. ]

I've got work to do here, too, you know.

[burndownforwhat]

Does that mean you won't help hold my flashlight? [ Yang quips casually while backing up toward the building, before turning and going in properly. she's swapped out her water bottle for said flashlight on the off chance she needs it, to make sure there's nothing she can trip over or bang against on the way downstairs.

Yang gives a little shudder once she's at the bottom of the steps, flashing the light around to get her bearings and spot the generator. she also takes a moment to listen for any dripping water. it's not so far into winter that pipes could burst but it also depends on how fragile and old the building's system was.

her focus, right now, is moving over to the generator and leaving a faint trail of warm air shedding off in her wake. can't do this kind of work with a stiff hand. ]

Good thing I got that boost after all.