Eight years ago, Las Vegas wasn't a bad place. It had its problems, to be sure. But those problems were all part of its history, part of its charm. Those problems were part of the appeal.
But today, it is 2005. Almost eight years since N-Day. And today, Las Vegas has new problems. Problems more appropriate to a Capital, a major metropolis, a global city.
The victories in Colombia and Mexico shattered the Cartels, leaving behind gangs. Their membership is less vicious these days, more opportunistic. Driving through the suburbs or the north side of the Valley, it's not hard to find them at street corners, looking for an easy buck. Over a year on, they're coyotes now, moving South and Central Americans into the land of plenty and collecting their payments in sweat and blood. Doing anything too big or obvious draws down the vengeance of angry Quantum Gods, especially in Las Vegas. But there's still a bit of drug-dealing and vengeance now and again.
Which is exactly why the police have every man with darker than average skin in for questioning. Some prejudices are more lasting than others.
---
The problem today is a young man. White, child of a middle class suburban family, UNLV student and a real nova fan. Today, he's dead, strung up from a tree in a park, his earrings and body modifications -- the very symbols of his desire to be a nova himself -- cut out or otherwise defaced. The note around his neck is short and to the point:
"A GOOD START"
Ever the politician, Raoul Orzaiz got wind of the crime, and such was his curiosity that he deigned to leave his club to look into the matter. Since the young man was a regular outside the Archon, Raoul does what he can to answer questions. As a small courtesy, he persuades the lead investigator that there may be some inherent racism to holding people found near the park on the basis of their skin color.
But this isn't the first of such killings. And the number of potential suspects is rising. The gangs, the Michaelists, American nationalists afraid of cultural shift, even other novas. There's stories of bogeymen in helmets peering out of the shadows, always watching, and there's the ever present eyes of the paparazzi and Project Utopia. And some messages are more personal than others. Certainly, the bad things aren't the rule. In 2005, life is pretty good, especially for those with money and power. But the cracks in the foundation are starting to show.
-- Dr. Zero's band is in high demand, and a few resort-casinos on the strip are trying to secure him for a regular show before he decides there's more money in touring again. Easy income, they say. With more time for side projects. The Cult of Zero grows, however, and it's hard to get around the city without seeing some young punk wearing a gas mask or other imitation of the Doctor's eccentric wardrobe.
-- Out of the blue, N! offers Flare a new OpNet show. Being younger -- and though they don't say it, 'safer' than Phantasm while appealing to the same demographic -- they think there's money in it for everyone. The US Army also wants to talk to her about a job offer and some PR. Dillon's been trying to scrounge up some money for a hospital, too, and thought Flare might be interested.
-- Gale, at her new condo, has a package waiting for her. Inside are twenty birds, all with their wings broken. And even just walking around town, she seems to pick up followers. Some are adoring. Some carry insults on their lips. It makes building something resembling a normal life a little more stressful than it ought to be.
-- Gravitas has an enormous lab at the Nevada facility. And applicants from across the world trying to beg him to take them on as lab assistants. The language barrier gets easier to manage every day. Other novas, like Malaysian Industrialist Parameswara, endlessly badger him to turn his attentions away from space exploration and Terat philosophy and back to the task of using science to transform the planet and make a profit. Genius is a commodity, and a highly demanded one it seems. But all these demands on his time threaten to insulate him completely.
-- Impetus, now scarred, generates even more sympathy and adoration. And even more love letters. He can't put in an appearance without changing the way people think and feel. He also can't seem to put in an appearance without Michaelists reading bible verses and tracts, trying to drown out his words. As the most obvious face of Utopia, he's the most obvious target of all. Every day is a PR war, an opportunity to reshape image and identity.
-- The Amargosa Charitable Foundation gets brick thrown through its windows. And Comstock's doing his best to avoid being a public figure for awhile, focusing on public works and charity. He's even grown his black stubble out into a short haircut. It's just that his schedule gets awfully busy on short notice, sometimes, and he doesn't really talk about why.
-- Phantasm's devoted following of trendy teens floods her with letters, professing love, admiration, and respect. At the same time, recordings of her in action have become part of the Michaelist propaganda, proof that novas are demons who wear false forms, bind stolen souls to their wicked ends and glorify the supernatural.
-- Solitaire's House of Cards remains hidden, but it sees and hears more unrest every day. Lists and names are being traded back and forth so Cards can look out for themselves in an increasingly antagonistic world. On its own, it's evolving and changing, though it hasn't yet lost sight of its guiding philosophy.
-- Suzukaze has a new job, and new duties. Logan has made contact in the last year. It's time to get busy.
-- Wilhelm Förster cannot deny that Kraken Heavy Industries could use a presence in Las Vegas. With Utopia holding a veritable monopoly over nova boom technologies, it's either New York or Las Vegas, and New York hasn't had the luxury of building from scratch or access to charitable nova labor. Furthermore, it's the hotbed of Teragen activity in the US. Might as well conquer the energy market along the way.
Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
This is a thread for plot and for a theme. Post vignettes related to growing tensions, related to interacting with the City and the people therein, vigilantism and conspiracy, and exploring the central problem of coexistence between novas and baselines. I'm going to make a concerted effort to give people scenes and ongoing action, and there is a plot underway in Las Vegas to be uncovered or ignored.
If any of the little blurbs I supplied up there doesn't spark the imagination, Raoul will probably want to get his friends together for a quick talk about what can be done to keep Las Vegas 'safe' for novas. Since he lives in Spain more than half the time, he'd like input.
Best of all, Las Vegas' airport is being expanded. In less than a year, they hope to accommodate the new sub-orbital Concorde II, the result of nova-superscience in the US Military Industry trickling down to consumers. It will offer transit directly to Shanghai, Mumbai, Moscow, Addis Ababa, Paris and New York, connecting one side of the planet to the other in twelve hours or less. Almost as fast as taking a portal. Just don't ask about the cost.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:11, Fri 30 Aug 2013.