Novels

Friday, 25 August 2017

clonopolis



CLONOPOLIS

__________


the technical word for 

A COLONY OF CLONES
(as urban environment) 


is clonopolis
 
__________


CLONOPOLIS RPG

inspired by:



RPG's: Paranoia, Confrontation / Necromunda, SLA Industries, KULT,

Literature: 1984 (George Orwell), Brave New World (Aldous Huxley), Overworld (Michael Vyse),

Movies: Metropolis, Salute of the Jugger, Logans Run, THX-1138, Escape from LA, Warriors, Mad Max, Cloud Atlas, 

__________


001.1 : awakening

You awaken in a military-grey panel walled room which has spray-stencilled above its door in renfrew typeface the same digit code as is tattooed on the inside of your forearm between your elbow and wrist.

The room is simple:
To the left of the door is your plastic covered mattress (also military-grey). You are sitting on it. The room is the length of the mattress. One edge of the mattress touches the left wall. Beneath the mattress is a paneled front approximately two feet high.
To the right of the door is a large white rectangular plastic display screen taking up most of the wall space. It glows gently, this is the main source of light for the room.
Opposite the closed door is an doorway which leads into a square cubicle with a grill on the floor. Either side of this doorway, set into the walls and with the same depth as the cubicle, are empty shelves. Two on the wall next to the bed, five on the opposite side.
There is a light panel overhead, this is currently off. Above the cubicle door is a little black rubber triangle with a little red dot of light glowing in its center, a mini-LED. It is identical to one in the palm of your left hand except that it is active; the one in your palm is inert (not glowing).
You are wearing military-grey coveralls. There is nobody else in the room.
You run your right hand over your head. Your hair is very short (number one shave). You discover a small rectangular port in the back of your head (USB). There does not appear to be anything to plug into it.
After a moment in which you assimilate all of the above information, the display screen flickers to life and in the same typeface it states the following message:

“welcome (your serial code). 
please report to a booth for evaluation and assignment debriefing.” 


You have no memory whatsoever of any event leading up to this present moment, although you vaguely recall dreaming about an Eiffel Tower perched above a gaping, monstrous, saalak-like mouth.

The question you should be asking, is: “What do I do now?” 


__________


001.2 : booth



A privacy Booth is a discrete interface with Computer. It is a military-grey tube with an auto-sliding door on one side. The interior consists of a military-grey plastic seat which faces a softly glowing white panel display screen on which is displayed the words “you may request information”. Below this is a paper-thin slot the width of your hand. Above it is a black rubber triangle with a glowing red light in its center. Overhead is a deadly looking metal nozzle. There is also a black rubber cable dangling down at the back of the seat which has a USB plug on the end of it. Somebody has blocked the end of this with musty-tangy scented, hardened grey gum; the same hardened grey gum which has been pressed all over the interior of the booth in little thumb-print sized lumps causing the booth interior to smell of the same musty-tangy scent. It makes you feel slightly nauseous.

You step into the booth. 
The screen display says: 


“welcome (your serial code). respond to following mandatory data input.”


Psyche Evaluation Form
001 - Persona

Multiple Option:
There is no right or wrong answer.
You will not be penalised.
This form is to ensure proper assignment of duties.
It is for your own good.
Be honest.

Choose between the following polarities:

FOCUS = introvert / extrovert
SERVICE = selfish / altruistic
ATTITUDE = controlling / permissive
ENERGETIC = lazy / pro-active
COMPLEXITY = primitive / advanced


If you cannot decide appropriate polarity (one or the other), choose alternate options;
flexible (switch variably between both polarities)
balanced (equally positioned as static, non-variable between the polarities)



“congratulations for input of data regarding (your serial code).

relevant assignment will follow shortly.
make way to debriefing room.”  


As you leave the booth your stomach rumbles; you realise that your body is hungry.

Next to the booth is a wall-mounted military-grey vending machine with the word GUM stencil-sprayed on it in white letters. It has a little black rubber triangle and glowing red mini-LED in its center and a letterbox sized slot at the bottom large enough to fit your hand into.

On the back of the booth is a poster advertising a thing called CAP. It shows a picture of a black triangle with a red mini-LED in its center. Strangely the little black triangle in the poster is pointing upward; all the ones you have seen so far have been pointing down and are more cheaply mass-produced than the pretty poster version. The picture shows a touch-operated interactive holographic display emitted from the mini-LED on the palm of someone’s hand. The one on your hand is currently not glowing nor is it emitting holograms. It is inert.  




__________


TBC


©2017 Ordo Octopia




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