Transmission Year: 2081 Transmission Recipient: All Agents, Historical Briefing Destroy After Viewing
Great society could never sustain itself. The Macedons, the Romans, the Mongols, the greatest of empires all crumbled once their best leaders perished, and bad men took the throne for themselves. The power-hungry always shoot themselves in the feet.
But in all these cases, from the ashes rose new kingdoms. But not this time.
Anarchic revolutions began in 2049, large mobs rising up against the armies of the world. Of course, the government had these mobs eliminated with ease, thanks to their superior technology. That would change once the corporations decided to switch teams. Withdrawing all support from the government and putting tech in the hands of the people, world governments collapsed one by one. By 2052, 90% of the world's governments had collapsed entirely.
The corporations, now with popular support of the people thanks to their aid in the Great Uprising, declared themselves the inheritors of the globe. Meeting in Switzerland (still absolutely neutral), the corporations split up the globe. Pinnacle situated themselves in Europe and Oceania, Automatons in North America, Uteti in Asia, and F&O in South America and Africa. Relations were at first peaceful, but the corporations realized that their was, in fact, a major threat to their power- each other. Opposing harsh authoritarian laws and funneling funds out of the economy into their weapons development program, the corporations cracked down on dissidence and created an arms race.
Each of the corporations was armed to the teeth, and an attack on each other would lead to disastrous ruin. None of the people in charge wanted that. They needed a third party, somebody that could air out their dirty laundry unattached, unaffiliated.
Enter Agency X.
A private intelligence corporation, funded by a mysterious man named the Director. The corporations have tabs on every man, woman, and child in the world, but somehow the Director's real identity has managed to escape them. A scientist working in Antarctica, the only place left where free speech is even an option? A disgruntled corporate employee? An alien? An android? Nobody knows. All the corporations know is that the Director runs the small Agency X, a crack team of hand-picked specialists from across the world. They also know that the Director's men are superhuman- somehow, the Director got his hands on an Augmentor, a device that allows for the modification of the human body for increased functioning. And the last thing they know is that if a mission file and some cash is wired his way, good things will happen for the corporation.
What they don't know is that the Director doesn't want to be a pawn in the corporation's game. Soon, it will become time for Agency X to strike back. Set up a new world order. Hopefully, this time, one that will last forever.
If we succeed? Maybe the craphole the world has become might change.
If we fail? That's why we give you those pills. You don't want to see the insides of the corporate re-education chambers.
I won't see the inside of another.
The odds are stacked against us, but the Director and I have faith in you.
Good luck, agents.
end transmission. self-destruct commencing in 1 minute. please throw manual tape into nearest ocean.
Agency Archives I've taken the liberty of compiling some information about the world around us. Every piece of data, every fact, could be useful in the field, so read carefully and memorize.
Pinnacle
Headquarters: Munich, Germany CEO: Heinrich Nimitz
With control of all of Europe (sans Russia) as well as Oceania, Pinnacle Corporation were the pioneers of augmentation and are the leaders in that field. Possessing several expensive Augmentors in their possession at their facilities, Pinnacle uses their tech to try and sculpt the perfect human. Outside of pricy Augments, Pinnacle also specializes in plastic modifications (indeed, their CEO, Heinrich Nimitz, has had so much plastic surgery he resembles a large toy doll) and experimental neuroscience. Of all the corporations, Pinnacle is the most paranoid of threats- and thus Agency X finds itself being contracted by Pinnacle for various tasks.
Automatons
Headquarters: New York City, USA CEO: James Rhodes III
Automatons controls all of North America, and since being appointed to that position, they have become the most urbanized location on the Earth. The entire East and West coasts of the continent have become lengths of urban sprawl, with the middle cleared out for transportation. Automatons specializes in machinery and vehicular development, and thus is layered with factories and smog. Recently, their CEO, James Rhodes III, has moved Automatons' focus from developing transport craft to military machines to counter the growing threat of F&O.
Uteti
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan CEO: ?
Uteti are the pioneers in unmanned drone technology, with the entirety of Asia filled with them. Much of their security forces have been replaced with drones, which serve as a cheaper and more effective alternative to manpower. Little is known about Uteti- they keep their secrets bottled up.
F&O
Headquarters: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (South America) Lagos, Nigeria (Africa) Chairmen: Thubh Fokazi (Africa), Francisco Ortega (South America)
F&O faced many challenges. Controlling large expanses of land already riddled with civil war, the two leaders employed a massive army of mercenaries - combined with the earliest incarnation of Agency X - to wipe out all resistance. Building massive drills across the continents, the corporation dried both continents free of oil before moving on to nuclear power. F&O currently controls the most nuclear weapons out of any other corporation, and has thus grown in size- taking in Hawaii and Cuba from Automatons amd Iran and Iraq from Uteti.
Free Antarctica
Headquarters: n/a President: Gaspard Montgomery The only bastion of actual government left, Antarctica. With a population of approximately 20,000, Antarctica is small, but it survives outside the world of corporate influence. Antarctica was founded by scientists soon after the Great Uprising as a safe haven for free thought. Antarctica was previously believed to be a wasteland, but now corporations are moving to capture the land and scientists within it.
Massive urbanization has been in progress since early times, but when the corporations took over, urban cities rapidly spread across the continents in order to suit the population of 12 billion. Approximately 85% of the world’s population has moved into cities.
The corporations rule with an iron fist, suppressing any dissident thought violently and quickly. Privacy has been all but liquidated by the corporate camera system (CamWeb), intrusive monitoring of all personal information, and the particularly nefarious SafeSearch, a preemptive algorithm that analyzes and predicts which individuals will be a nuisance to corporate aims based off a treasure trove of their personal information. SafeSearch can easily be manipulated by those working in the Corps, and without any trial by jury or judge, it easily can be (and has been) construed into a witch-hunting formula to incriminate and imprison those that Corporate handlers dislike. Those accused of crimes are often either incarcerated in detention centers indefinitely, executed and disposed of, or used as guinea pigs for some new experiment the Corps have designed.
Employment is at a high of nearly 20%, with 1 in 5 people experiencing unemployment thanks in part to an unchecked move to automation. Welfare is limited, and many people without a job turn to crime to make ends meet.
In terms of entertainment, the rising HoloVid industry has overtaken the traditional cinema. Those with sufficient credits can watch a HoloVid on a large projector at their local theater, or don a HoloHelm to watch it in their own home. The HoloVid industry is heavily controlled by the Corporations to make sure no dissenting information comes out. Music consists of entirely electrical, mundane tunes on synthesizers, with lyrics being banned by the Corporations in fear of revolutionary ideals being conveyed. Sports in the corporate age include bot fights (if rock-em-sock-em robots became even more extreme), floatball (if hockey involved laser staffs and a giant floating ball), and the Augletic Games (where Pinnacle handpicks several athletes to receive experimental augments and then compete in high-stakes events, where Augletes tend to die either from injuries or the nature of the augments in a matter of years).
Agency X has a distinctly love-hate relationship with the corps, leaning more towards hate. The corporations as such give them no benefits in life. Almost all of Agency X’s equipment, therefore, is obtained from off the grid.
Agency X’s HQ is located in northern Norway, built into a small mountain there. A state-of-the-art bunker obtained from the funds after a particularly nasty mission in Bangladesh in 2071, the HQ has housing space for the Agents, as well as a massive conference room, an armory loaded to the brink with illegal weapons, and even a gym. Agency X’s augmentation chamber (more on it below) is also located in the Norway base.
Agency X is split into several different divisions to facilitate their operations- INTEL is a small group that works under Number Two to perform reconnaissance of the globe and scout out potential contracts, MEDICAL is comprised of a group of surgeons that work with Augments and keeping agents alive, and SUPPORT is a small strike team that engages in minor operations and protects Agency X assets. FIELD is the most important branch- a group of Augmented agents that rake in the credits for the whole organization.
Agency X’s transportation is provided by the twin stealth planes, Thunderbolt and Force of Nature, each capable of travelling at Mach 3 (this is the future) and equipped with a 24-hour rechargeable stealth rig.
Besides their main HQ, Agency X has managed to obtain an alternate and significantly smaller HQ in Antarctica, and the Director reportedly has property in each of the 4 corporative zones, in case of an emergency.
Human augmentation is a rare and expensive process, but one that can have fantastic implications. A development made after an experimental surgery, augmentation allows for the modification of humans to better suit certain tasks. However, augmentation is still in the developmental phases. As of right now, augments are a very precise (and thus expensive) as well as painful process, and is estimated to take approximately 10 years off the augmented individual’s life. Also, due to biological limits, humans can only receive one major augment, and this one augment cannot be removed (normally, some exceptions).
Augmentations, due to their cost and the fact that they can only be performed by a team of human doctors and not with aid from lasers or drones, are not popular with the corps. While Pinnacle is known for having teams of Augmented guards, the other corps shy away from them.
Agency X, on the other hand, has recruited a crack team of surgeons and scientists and encourages all field agents to get augments.
Augments, once the pain has faded, are highly useful upgrades. From modifying bodily functions (i.e. increasing the power of adrenaline, iron skin) to implanting new ideas (i dunno, human torch?), augments can be more useful than any number of gadgets and gizmos.
The corps have heavily restricted access to any weapons or items that can even be remotely conceived as usable in the field of war. All weapons are individually coded to the guard that they’re given to. On top of that, “old-school weapons” that use gunpowder are ineffective against modern corporate armor and leave an easily-traceable trail back to the Agency. As such, Agency X has to pull some strings in the black market to get their hands on usable tech. Below listed are a few more common examples of available weaponry in the Agency arsenal.
Shock Disruptor- A handheld taser-like device, the shock disruptor channels electricity into the individual’s brain, replacing their thoughts with twinkly lights for a brief period of time. An essential for any infiltration. Will NOT pierce heavy armor, but proper placement will get it through basic corporate defenses.
Plasma Cannon- This weapon’s name is highly exaggerated. A handheld weapon similar to a pistol, the Plasma Cannon fires a burst of plasma that burns through basic corporate defenses. It holds 3 rounds in each magazine.
Nuke Gun- A highly expensive piece of tech, the Nuke Gun is centered around a very small nuclear core. It fires a rain of nuke-powered plasma shots that can burn through almost anything, but afterwards the nuclear core is cooled to prevent a big boom boom. As such, the Nuke Gun can only be used once in the field. It can be reset back at HQ, where the necessary tools are available.
Balance Rifle- A weapon homemade by illegal arms dealers, this rifle’s plasma shots are boosted by a negative magnetic charge, allowing it to pierce several layers of armor. However, it only has 1 shot per mag, and its reload time is long enough to attract unwarranted attention.
DART Series Handguns- DART is a subdivision of Automatons that creates and sells non-lethal weapons. Their handguns fire darts loaded with toxins that knock a guard out. Highly useful and capable of penetrating light armor.
Magno-Rail Gun- Constructed with spare parts by the Agency itself, this heavy weapon (titled the MRG) fires magnetic pulses that crush enemies without heavy armor, but is very heavy and cumbersome to use.
X-Ray Lancer- An experimental weapon, the Lancer fires a single bolt of plasma that can track targets through walls. Dangerous for anybody on the receiving end, but still has some manufacturing chinks that need to be sorted out before field use.
Other than weapons, a wide variety of other tools and gadgets are made available. Such include, but are not limited to-
EMP- A small pack that releases a burst of electricity that scrambles all nearby devices. Typically found as safety devices in factories, they’ve found a different purpose for Agency X.
Smoke and Flash Grenades- Antique weapons that have found some use in Agency X. Oldies but goodies, as one might say.
Cloaking Rig- A device that bends light around a certain area, making the holder invisible for a brief period of time. Not nearly as effective as invisibility-based augments, but works in a pinch.
MEDGEL-A syringe of gel that rapidly heals wounds. Highly effective in the field, but ridiculously expensive to obtain, as the only known producers of MEDGEL are Pinnacle, who are not exactly willing to give out the product to intelligence agencies.
Ammanil Pills- A pill composed of a new opiate compound that causes painless death in 2.1 seconds. If there's nothing left to do, pop one in and wait. You die, but it's better than the alternative.
Thanks for reading all the way through! If you're interested, just leave a response below! Please ask questions if you'd like about anything, and I'll try and answer them in a timely manner.
