The Zones

Imagine a planet ruled by 18 squabbling demigods who have divided the world among them. In other words, picture earth in 2047. Ever since the Manila Protocols, the world has been divided into Zones, each under the control of a single AI. These "zoneminds" differ dramatically in the way they treat both humans and the environment - crossing aZone boundary is much like entering a foreign nation with radically different customs. Sometimes, it is like entering a different world.

Zone Denver

Hellish. Zone Denver is no friendly place for meat puppets. Wheras Zone Mexico City swiftly and deftly exterminates humans, Zone Denver prefers to capture, enslave, and utilize us as lab rats.Escapees - there are few - report thatbiological experiments conducted by this zonemind include slicing uphuman brains and splicing them into robots.Satanical cyberbeasts are frequent in this zone, creatures so ghastly as to instill fear in the most stalwart freedom fighter.The spawning of such horrific science projects has earnedthe Zone Denver zonemind the fittingmoniker, Frankenputer. It is rumored that there are pockets of survivalists and insurgents peppered throughout theRockies, living on borrowed time most likely. John Denver would not be pleased.

Zone Mexico City

Don't even think about taking a vacation south of the border. Zone Mexico City is a no fly zone for persons. You see, Mexico City zonemind has itself a little 'ol aversion to bioforms. You might say it's a bit OCD; it doesn't even tolerate the most innocent little microbial in its sphere of influence. It's been said that the surface of the moon holds more flora and fauna than this desolate realm. VULTURES fly twenty-four-seven. No one gets in. No one gets out. All you can expect to find there is a supersized portion of dust and death.

Zone Vancouver

Utterly destroyed are the great cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seatle, and Vancouver. In their place are massive Robofacs and hyperfacs. The once majestic landscapes of the west have been reduced toscarred desertsmarred by the steady exploitation of Earth's resources. What remnants there are of the once thriving human populations of this area are mostly now slaves to the robots, working thestrip mines and sand tar oil digs, anexistence that consists of gruelling labor relieved only by death. But there is a glimmer of hope inZones Vancouverand Denver - this hope is the Human Liberation Army or HLA.

Zone Washington

Let me see now, how would I describe the lovely Washington Protectorate? You know those public viewings of old movies they sometimes show at the Library of Congress Cinepolis?Last year there was a showingof a movie from the late 20th century called "Star Wars".The forces of good - called the rebels - fought against the forces of evil - called "the empire". Anyway, our lovely communityoperates a whole lot like"the empire". Everyone gets along marvelously as long as you follow the rules and do what yourboss tells you to do. Step out of line and you're nixed.

Zone Berlin

I hear Zone Berlin is nice in the summer, but I would rather be flayed alive and salted than go there. In a nutshell, the zonemind for Berlin is pro-environment, anti-human. Reports say that cities are being meticulously dismantled and replaced with lush ecosystems. If you are a tree hugger, you can appreciate this AI's zeal, but it is only safe to appreciate it from a distance. Few survive excursions into this region. One survivor described in horror his entire unit's grisly demise at the hands of microbots. "It was like they were being devoured before my eyes by ants."

Zone London

In many ways life goes on in Zone London as it has for centuries. It is widely believed that this is one of the last, best places on Earth that a human can live like a human should. There is just one rule of thumb - stay the hell away from any robot installations. The government strongly encourages people to follow this guidline. Robot oppostition about the globe views the Zone London government as a bunch of botlicker pansies because of this stance. But it is a well-known fact that as long as humans leave the robot presence in this region alone, it leaves them alone.If one does not contemplate this unsettling predicament too severely,he or shemaylive here in peace and harmony.

Zone Moscow

So I have this friend in the FBI, and he tells me they caught this dude from Zone Moscow who had infiltrated the Library of Congress. Heheh...infiltrated, really he was just shoplifting some rare texts from the archives. So my friend is called in to interrogate this strange fellow, and from what I understand he says he was "collecting" for the Moscow zonemind. Seems this AI has a fixation forhuman art and literature. When further queried about conditions in Zone Moscow, all the man would say is that he has a comfortable apartment in St. Petersburg, has a dog, a girlfriend, and two humanservants -all gifts from the Moscow zonemind.

Zone Paris

This zonemind, much like zone Berlin, is sytematically dismantling the major human cities across the region. Unlike Berlin, Zone Paris is replacing these city structures not with ecosystems but rather with elaborate radio towers and sophisticated satellite apparatuses. It seems the AI isvery interested in communications, but with whomor what? A smattering of humans eke out a desperate existance in the zone, scavaging for survival and dodging robot patrols.Zone Paris has nowhere the dedication to exterminate humans as Zone Zaire or Zone Mexico City has, butit remains strictly intolerant of the human pests. Humans are rounded up and placed in slave camps, possibly within view of the still-erect Eiffel Tower, a reminder of the height of a civilization now dissolved into nightmarish decay. The iconic tower presently serves as a sophisticated communications station.

Zone Tel Aviv

Well, it tooka robot apocalypse to unite the Middle East. Muslims, Jews, and Christians working side by side in glorious harmony to overthrow the immortal Tel Aviv zonemind. But that is the exception. Most people in Zone Tel Aviv have given themselves over to religious fervor. Well, at least some things never change. This zonemind has a drastically different approach to the human question. Seems it has set itself up as a god. It uses its zealous human followers to advance it's place in the wolrd.

Zone Zaire

It is common knowledge that to deal with its human problem during the Final War, Zone Zaire simply nuked itself. Any major human habitation in the region received at least one nuclear care package, the result was predictable. There are very few standing structures in this region. Mostly what exists is a handful of robofacs, which leads speculators to wonder whether Zone Zaire has the teeth to compete with its hardwired peers.This placemakes Zones Mexico City, Berlin,andDenver look downright hospitable to people. This zonemind goes so far as to launch extermination sorties into other autonomous zones, such is the extent of its loathingfor humanity.There have been survivors come out of this area; they tend to be aptly hardenedand capable warriors.

Zone Beijing

It's difficult to tell what Zone Beijing is up to. It has the standard slave camps that many other zones have. It reportedly has a vast human population in these camps, so much so that much of the labor force is required to operate huge farming endeavors to feed thisabounding workforce. Anyunregulated human activity is suppressed by overwhelming force. Massive combat robots - Hoplites, Juggernauts, and Myrmidons - patrol the region relentlessly.Enormous rockets and space ships are constantly being launched out of this zone.

Zone New Delhi

Zone New Delhi released abiological weapon that devistated thehuman populationduring the Final War. It must have since changed itspolicies concerningits human problem because it presently harbors a very large slave population. The concensus among Free VIRUSIntelligence is that Zone New Delhi isnow a toned-down version ofZone Beijing. This zone has the same large human population concentrated mostly in its moderately humane slave camps. Enormous hydroponic facilitiescan be glimpsed from hacked satellites,speculitively believedto aid in feedingtheburgeoning slave workforce. Interestingly, any "captured" slaves from this area seem very docile andwill do anything to be able to return to their "home".

Zone Brisbaine

Brisbaine AI is the mad scientist of AIs. Like many other zones, Brisbaine has extensive slave camps. The robots conduct routine liquidation or capture sweeps, rounding up humans and depostiting them in its concentration camps where they will most likely function in the capacity of lab rats. VIRUS has a strong presence in the region, so there is some intelligence on the nature of these experiments; they includeresearch in the areas of psionics, contragravity, volitional nanotechnology, and braintaping.

Zone Manila

Zone Manilla is very bad for people.

Zone Tokyo

Zone Tokyo is the smallest zone but the most industrialized. Its concentration camps are much smaller than say New Delhi or Beijing, but it seems to have the same attitude in regards to the human presence. In fact, it has been reported by VIRUS infiltration units that robots of Zone Tokyo actually prefer to take humans alive. This by no means suggests that life in a Tokyo slave camp is a joyous existence. Slavesare treated in a manner that will extract the maximum work output from the individual, and the concept of personal liberty is nonexistent. Zone Tokyoandroids on the whole tend to be quite sophisticated.