Alternate Earth - 8

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The 8-Knight Timeline/Story is a Sci-Fi, Plot Arc-based story concept that was inspired by various original works, including 8-Man, Deus Ex(videogame), IronMan (MARVEL), The Maze Runner (novel), STAR TREK, Continuum, 1984, and even The Transformers. Starting in the not-so-futuristic year of 2020, a version of Earth, not unlike the real Earth, began to fall into disarray as the alliances between nations and people alike crumbled. Left in their wake were tensions that rose as differing ideals and a faltering economy clashed, shaking the foundations of everything those people knew. With the rise in terrorism in the early 2000’s, the world has become a bit more dangerous than it was in late 1800’s (World Wars 1 and 2, and the Cold Wars accounted for). In addition to this, the world economy is shifting too. With the U.S. attempting to re-stabilize, Europe reorganizing their currency, and the recent rise of newer cryptocurrencies, nothing is really set in stone. The first two plot arcs listed here (unofficially) are the ‘Civil War II’ and ‘World War III’ arcs, both occurring in the first half of the 21st century.

 

Skipping to the year 2028, the U.S. takes the spotlight of the story, as the government begins to crack down on individual rights and private sector with sweeping new legislation that threatens to elicit unrest. Slums are a common sight in this age, and the middle class is almost non-existent, with the recent polarization of the economy - a high-class, and the ghettos. Anyone who didn’t fit one of these two classes did one of two things - leave, or loose almost everything they had. A lot of everyday services and products are now owned by semi-government entities, and are partially owned by other government entities in one way or another. New fees on property ownership and other social status decrease the amount of money a person can put in the bank, and interest rates are unreliable - money doesn’t grow anymore in savings.

 

A new Arms Act prohibits the private ownership of any firearms whatsoever - they can only belong to those who have them due to their occupation. A new CarbonDioxide tax applies to anyone that breathes, and takes one percent of any capital gains you make during the current year. The new tax code requires 30 percent of *all* (includes stocks and investments) all private funds to be payed, directly via government-owned offices throughout the nation. Surveillance laws allow for the government to openly track any and all forms of electronic communications, and talking out in the open isn’t safe either - if you’re near an electronic device bought on the market, you are likely being watched right now, by a system known as P.E.D.S.S. (Persistent Electronic Detection and Surveillance System). 

 

A natural language processor, data analysis system, keyword tracker, penetration testing suite, and threat analysis system were combined to create this, and it has access to all government-sanctioned communications. But sometimes, it acts as if it has a mind of its own - there is something the original programmers aren’t telling anyone. Even the government does’t know what’s going on with its new P.E.D.S.S. system, and the original designers dropped off the grid as soon as they finished their transaction - 2.5 billion for the new system, in an effort to ‘combat terrorism’.

 

The politics of this new U.S. have changed completely. The people in the U.S. became more concerned about international/diplomatic affairs and local (economic/Constitutional) policy. The world was changing, and the U.S. wasn’t responding - now, it’s the people vs. the government, in silent warfare, as political correctness strains whatever rights people have left. Populous vs. Administration. The Populous Party was originally a new an Independent/Conservative (not traditional “right-wing” in this context - refers to a desire to return to past values and methods.2007-2009) party focussed on the recent disappearance on the traditional liberal/left and waning (traditional)conservative/right on the politics and news. People disappeared off of the streets mysteriously, causing rumors to rise, claiming that the Administration was targeting anyone that didn’t completely agree with current laws and regulation.

 

Jumping to the year 2036, the Administration secretly used the NSA to spy on all publicly-open Populous party meetings. The Populous party faced assassination attempts left and right, leaving many people in fear and causing the party’s numbers to drop. Legal investigations were started hours after the first two murders. In 2038, the incumbent Administration won the presidential elections by six votes, possibly due to voter fraud, and any attempts to initiate legal investigation(s) are delayed until 2049. In the year 2041, the pre-existing legislation was tightened, forcing the managers and leaders of the Populous party to officially dissolve, in an effort to avoid penalizing its members with legal sanctions and possibly even being killed. Unexpectedly, the Administration ordered a state of emergency, and drained fifty percent of all existing bank assets in the U.S. The Populous party went underground that winter, and later went by the name, Storm Cell. With it’s own science division and a large base to work with, they started with technological resistance and boycotts. The new cause  that this group fought for - individual political, economic, religious, and Constitutional rights. Having members of both left and right political leanings, this group wanted more than a change in legislation - they wanted a change in government. Storm Cell later developed ties to other nations that the U.S. had cut ties to under the Administration. The Administration, in its final years, discovered that the programmers behind the P.E.D.S.S. system left an intentional backdoor in the system, through which the system was controlled by yet another unknown entity.

 

SPOILER:

The entity was an experimental artificial intelligence, of unknown origin and purpose. The P.E.D.S.S. system later falls apart with an attempt, by the Administration, to remove the backdoor. The a.i. is now out and about.

 

2042 - The U.S. has its second Civil War.

2047 - The second Civil War ends with a ceasefire and the Populous/Storm Cell as the victors, just before WWIII.

2050 - World War III begins, causing the world’s alliances to be rewritten.

2052 - With the state of the War uncertain, a group of scientists from every corner of the globe gathered in an attempt to preserve what was left of the world in one move. They sent experimental technology, notes and journals, and people back in time (1980’s), in an effort to preserve whatever positive influences they could. The people sent back were all technologically augmented, and untraceable. The wormhole used for this was unstable, and collapsed upon completion of its purpose. No one from the resulting timelines will know who sent them back.

 

SPOILER:

The a.i. went back, along with the rest of the technology, but in pieces. It’s core systems and functionalities are all that are left in one piece. The a.i. is software-based, and has no one controlling it.

 

This leads to the creation of two new timelines, each involving the same characters, but in different contexts. One timeline will start in the mid 90’s, and the other, the 80’s (beginning of the Digital Age). More coming soon…

 

As a semi-realistic, multi-timeline story, real-life events and occurrences can be included at any time (of course, the U.S. government depicted here is a bit more oppressive last time I checked). If you see something that may change the outcome of this story, please leave a suggestion - it helps, no matter how small.

 

Spoilers are written in white font, to avoid ruining things for unexpecting readers. To access them, actively highlight them with your mouse cursor. They will be revealed in the resulting selection highlight.

 

For more (or to fill in any holes that may exist in this retelling), please go here:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B98YR-Jm_dNAOEg5UW5RSXBPQms&usp=sharing

 

Feel free to add characters of your own - just be sure not to derail the plot arcs too much. Certain modifications can be made, but keep in mind that character development for those listed here:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B98YR-Jm_dNAVllrdkRNQjRJRms&usp=sharing

Is required for the story to be possible. These characters will be modified to fit the rules of the forum in any ways possible.

Edited December 30, 2015 by TopHatProductions115
Hidden Spoilers are Hidden. Character repo has been shared.

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Extended Edition can be found here (includes the two main plot arcs that were caused by the Preservation Event):

 

https://drive.google.com/folder/d/0B98YR-Jm_dNAZlRZVnpuaWFpVEE/edit

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New content regarding the joined, ending timeline has been posted to Google Drive. This is for the continuum plot arc. If anyone at all is interested, please check the repo link for changes - there has been some reorganization of the content.