When you cage the beast,
ensure it has no fangs.
ensure it has no fangs.
The year is 2103, and the world you thought you knew is dust in the wind. In 2021, a company in North America developed technology that could put previous technology to shame. A blend of Engineering, Neuroscience and physics were put to physical use to form a division of science called Verology. This technology could be used to alter the human body and the very DNA that makes it. It began with experimenting on small creatures such as rats or large insets such as Mantises. It only took a few hours to change a helpless rodent into one that could outrun a cat, or a small mantis into an apex predator among insects. Verologists took it a step further and used this discovery to treat birth deformities or war disablements. Changing amputated stumps into working, seemingly flawless limbs. From this golden opportunity for greatness spawned a company known as Vernex, a company in which Verologists let their ambitions run wild, treating small things such as disablements and altering them into perfect limbs to incredible things such as treating cancer patients doomed to die. As one could imagine however, this was not as simple as it seemed.
Verology was expensive, in the thousands, very few people could afford treatment of even fixing limbs, it seemed to only be the rich who even dared schedule an appointment to see a Verologist. Some of the rich didn't even need to see a doctor but were to happy keeping their options instead of giving it to those who were in desperate need. By 2022, the full public was aware of the situation: A new division of science could repair the most fatal of injuries or diseases but few could pay for it and even less were in need or willing to help. The people were furious, uprising sprung up soon after with messages to spread. "We need it more than you!", "You're no better than us!" or "Why should you be allowed help and not us?!" were only a few of the many messages the people spoke about. These uprisings were no more than simply groups of three, maybe four people at a time rambling about the outrageous manner, though this strengthened when some people agreed that the rich should be the only ones able to afford Verology, leading to fights on the streets, clashing opinions and even the occasional riot.
All of this lasted for about 50 years, up until 2072 when a few of the rich decided to show humility and give some of their money to the people who weren't so lucky, the public was joyful and thankful for this but some got cocky, thinking luck was on their side, a few groups enlarged and stole some technology due to the fact that most of it simply had to be plugged into a wall, when word reached the government of these actions, panic ensued, security was put in place, police were sent out to disperse the crowds. And back home, people made the attempts to use the technology they stole to help either themselves or their loved ones, thinking "How hard can it be?". This was where the real problems began.
Very few people knew how to operate the things they had taken, surely there were a few Verologists who sided with the people but they weren't trusted, this led to several problems such as failure to operate the machines properly, mistakes in using them and distrust. Verology handled the practice of rearranging and altering a person's DNA into a desirable manner, this was not easily done for someone who was an expert Verologist, nevermind someone who had little if any experience with Verology if even any knowledge of it. This meant that if anyone could get the machines to operate, they would likely never succeed in fixing DNA right, very few people survived this, most died of illness, mutation issues or misplaced cell structures, the few that did survive were changed forever. Their minds were warped and twisted, they were monstrous and hostile, most of them were reduced to frail, feral states. Granting them the nickname "Feral". While they were a rare thing to find, they were also a deadly sign. As the riots grew greater in size, so to did thefts and therefore more failed attempts to run Verology equipment. A tenth of America's population was reduced to ferals.
After 12 years in 2084, a law was passed saying anyone caught with any form of Verology technology outside of Vernex would be punished, ranging from being beaten down to life-long imprisonment, this didn't stop anything anymore that it did increase it. The people were enraged to hear this. It didn't matter if it was just some old piece of broken equipment found on the streets by a boy, he would be punished, people began meeting the authorities with violence, more was stolen, more were killed, more ferals were set loose. Eventually the ferals were noticed by the government and tested on, they discovered that their state was a result of failed Verology, the people's doings. Thinking the people couldn't deal with their own problems, police were sent out to shoot down ferals, confiscate technology and show people the error in their ways, it was one thing for the government to respond, but for them to harm the people was another. Eventually, society gave in and collapsed all together, the people were taken over by iron fisted ruling governments, the idea of democracy is that the people decide who governs, on the day November 8th, 2084, democracy was a vehement ideal. The world had fallen.
Almost 20 years have passed since the old world had fell, the rich and ruling have enslaved the people, Vernex has become a tyrant power that has come from a simple idea that DNA can be altered. The people are forced to work where most are to good to set foot. A large city has been walled off by Vernex to "protect" it's people, ferals have become a common threat outside the walls after breeding for years. People are forced into rundown facilities that have been adapted to assist Vernex, in these rundown areas, referred to as ruins by the people, are dangerous and as the name implies, in ruins, ranging from schools to malls or god forbid storm shelters, the floors could cave in at any given moment, the roof could collapse, or if you're really unfortunate, a few ferals in hiding may not go hungry.
And to the present day of 2103, another day in the new world, life hasn't changed. But someday, someone is going to stand up yet again. Someone is going to say "Enough", are you prepared for such a day?
Neither am I...
