MC5: Gunhazard ===Earth=== -Nations- Earth in 2102 is much like it was in 2062. Or now, even. Most countries aren't so terribly different from now. There are a few exceptions, however. Europe, which saw a brief revival in Catholic enthusiasm, has returned towards a more agnostic sense. HESO, the Holy European Supernatural Organization, dropped the "Holy" and became ESO. It remains Europe's primary supernatural control unit. The Byzantine Empire, once tiny little country that occupies what used to be the section of Turkey in Europe, has recently expanded eastward, taking (or "reclaiming", as they like to put it) much of the land controlled by Turkey. The Middle East is furious over the expansion of the Byzantine Empire and the Western World's inability or unwillingness to do anything about it. Hong Kong is still its own territory, having broken from China in 2035. For a long time it was an anarchy, though in reality controlled by the Triads. Now it is a republic. The streets are still occasionally violent, as the Triads war against each other, but there is a mutual agreement not to use heavy arms or harm bystanders. Guns are strictly controlled in Hong Kong, and so most warfare happens with traditional weapons. The Phillippines are mostly behind the rest of the world, technology-wise, but its known for its black market and almost lawless areas. Piracy is heavy in this area. Zakanar is an African country with a little more than twenty years of history. It has three tribes that all despise each other. They are the N'mba, the Batu and the Tchwanda. Each has their own language, but English is the official language of the country. While no conflicts large enough to be called a war have broken out for a few years, murders among the tribes are not uncommon. Zakanar is located between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. Granbia now occupies the area where Bulgaria used to be. This is a volatile area where a newly created government faces rebel uprisings constantly. Despite this, the capitol, Granbia-Solda, is a rich and modern city that bills itself as a tourist destination for foreigners. Tanigia now occupies the area that was Boznia/Hertzgowina and Montenegro. They are currently at war with Serbia. -Technology- -> Gunfire sensors: Inexpensive devices that can be attached to telephone poles and streetlights. They transmit a silent alarm to the police when they register a sound matching that of gunfire. This allows the police to respond very quickly. However, they're surprisingly unpopular in most parts of the world. Ireland, Hong Kong and some other small cities in North and South America are the only places to openly embrace them. -> Cybernetics: Created by Zukunft, Inc., Cybernetics were originally bulky mechanical limbs, though they still functioned better than prosthetics. Over the past half century, they've been refined, and thanks to skin grafts it's impossible to tell the difference between cybernetics and real human body parts, with the exception of eyes, which retain a red glow. -> Holograms: Holograms and holocommunication also exist, although traditional phones tend to be used more due to high costs. Holograms are more stable now then they were in 2062, and now come in full color! But they remain transparant. Holograms are generally used more by organizations than individuals, although the wealthy are likely to have private version. -> Holocomputers: Compact computers that possess all integral hardware in one unit. Instead of a mouse and keyboard, it uses motion sensing technology with a hologram display, hence the name. -> Bots: What AI technology there is has been combined with robotics to create semi- intelligent mobile weapon platforms, known as bots. Bots are armored, armed constructions ranging from security grade to military. Through their AI they can be programmed with limited orders. Bots are somewhat expensive to construct and maintain, and thus are not widely circulated. -> Vending Machines: They cook burgers now. Yeah, you can get a whole cooked burger out of a vending machine now. Is that cool or what? -> Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology has been around for four decades, but for a long time was restricted to medical use only. However, it's now starting to be used for other purposes, most notably genetic engineering. -> Genetic Engineering: Officially invented by Zukunft, Inc., in 2080, Genetic engineering was for years an exclusive service provided by that company, and available only in Germany (and the black market). The technology caused Germany's economy to soar, but brought much political strife to the country, as well as frequent terrorist attacks. Today, the technology is more widespread, available in most first world countries, though it's very expensive.