Second Wind

Chapter 1: Detroit, Advanced...yet Regressed

The year is 2055...much of the world has changed. What was once considered modern 34 years ago is nothing more than primitive work now, in this new world of technology and neon light. Much of the planet has vastly changed in terms of their infrastructure, and the Earth, as we know it, has greatly changed, with its current existence a far cry from society nearly more than three decades ago. However, no one really knows if it was for better or for worse. Automatons now make up most of the world, with much of human society degrading as machinery advanced more than it could possisbly imagine. Artificial intelligence, once a fringe aspect of robotics, now play an integral role in the upholding of society, maintaining the fragile balance of the world. Humankind has lost faith in their governments, and in so doing, anarchy reigns supreme in much of the land, especially in the United States of America.

Only a few states have some sort of control from government officials...if one could even call it that. As for the rest of the country, it has been plunged into a state of semi-chaos. Crime has essentially become the way of life for many people who have taken to the streets in hopes of gaining their individuality, refusing to feign any sort of weakness to the superiors who once kept them in their place. The asphalt streets and the stone pathways are soaked with blood, and the sounds of screams and cries are almost music to everyone's ears as they keep ringing into the neon-lit skies.

Michigan was one of those crime-ridden grounds - in fact, Michigan along with the anarchial states are essentially part of one giant turf war, where various clans are out for blood, and more importantly, out for unified domination to take over the states that weren't controlled by the White House and the Senate. As much as they are tempted to attack those states, they are known to be intensely guarded with the perimeters heavily armed, so clan leaders choose to not get themselves involved with them.

Detroit was considered to be Michigan's coveted territory, and for years, it has always been controlled by one of the most powerful crime gangs of the United States, known as the Pathfinder. They essentially rule over Detroit with an iron fist, and those who live within it are virtually condemned to a life full of paranoia and fear, for one may never know if one of the Pathfinder's members choose to wreak havoc on Detroit's streets or not. They run with great secrecy shrouding them, rendering their motives and the reasoning behind their actions unclear - the only thing that the people of Detroit know is that if they see the Pathfinder's symbol on someone, they are on the run, hoping that they are not on the gang's sights.

This lawless way of life has essentially become the norm, and while human society has always had sadistic tendencies since the beginning of modern times, their savagery seems to have intensified even, making them almost akin to the animals from which they came many, many eons ago.

Sure, while the government-controlled states provide much more security due to the unending protection against the madmen that lie beyond their borders...capitalism, corporatization and privatization runs deep in their upbringing, and thus, it is immensely expensive for one to live there, and thus, only the rich or well-off are able to buy a living there, essentially forming a class divide within the nation. The rich hiding out within the confines of the government states, and the others living a 'dog-eat-dog' world everywhere else.

While those nightmarish, lawless states are continually locked in a state of conflict, these states are ultimately...predictable. You know what will happen there. Death, destruction, violence, crime...it has been rampant ever since the introduction of mass anarchy within the nation and the rioting of the people against the government. But within those government states...while it is safe there...very few people know about what lies within. In a way, they too are shrouded by a sense of secrecy, much like the Pathfinder of Detroit...one can only imagine just what they hide there.

Our story begins with someone who lurks within the streets of Detroit, hiding in the shadows...