Minerva
South of the Border, West of the Sun
Chapter 1: Ivory Towers
"They believed that prediction was just a function of keeping track of things. If you knew enough, you could predict anything. That's been cherished scientific belief since Newton."
--Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park
“Chaos was the law of Nature, Order was the dream of man.”
– Henry Adams
Order. Humanity has always craved order. That's why Artemisia was built. The Eighth Wonder of the World, an artificial island in the Pacific Ocean free from the chaos of countries and governed by several corporations who would maintain order. No one would go without, everyone would be provided for, so long as they did their proper work. The city was cared for by robots and drones.
It was the closest thing we had to a utopia.
The Pandora System was introduced to unify humanity. A system that centralized data going in and out, stored information and connected citizens of Artemisia. An implant into the central nervous system, it would collect your thoughts and tailor everything to you.
Then it all went haywire.
Within seconds, once normal functioning people went berserk. They attacked those who did not have the Pandora System installed and those who didn't fought back, coming to blows and tearing the city apart. Soon, people were too scared to leave their homes and those with the Pandora System wandered the streets, attacking those who dared come out of hiding.
The utopia had collapsed.
Three days later, 6:25 AM
Dionysus District Station
"Dionysus District is known around the world as Artemisia's nightlife center. It has many world-class restaurants, nightclubs, and bars along its roads and back alleys and hosts many festivals around the year."
– Artemisia Tourism Guide
The train rushed through the tunnel. The sound of the wind flying past it as it flew through. A soft three-note chime played and a calm female voice came on the intercom. "Next station: Dionysus District" It spoke. The train would begin slowing and stop with a soft thud.
That was all it took to wake you up. Your head was pounding, your mouth dry, and your heart racing. As you struggled to sit up, you noticed the train car was empty, save for several corpses and blood stains in it. A bloody hand print covered a window, a corpse was leaning against an advertisement written in Chinese with a smiling girl holding a drink. Several briefcases lay open with papers scattered everywhere.
The light buzzed above you, painting the room in its artificial fluorescent white, the white walls and black windows creating an artificial sterility despite the horrors of the train car. The voice came on again as you pulled into an empty station. "Dionysus District"
The doors would hiss open. The station was eerily empty, with only a humanoid robot cleaning the floor. It waved as you walked past towards the stairs. The train hissed, and then powered up, leaving the station.
@Jeremi
Hestia District, Central Avenue
"Hestia is the primary residential district of Artemisia. Consisting of many high rise apartment buildings with interconnected shopping centers in the bottom floors. The primary feature is the Hearth arcology, which is under construction in the center of the district."
– Artemisia Atlas, 2034 Edition
Police barricades and several cars blocked the street, which was lined with broken bottles, paper, and broken glass. Down the street, the Hearth stood, looming over the line of steel and glass that was to the left and right. The sky was grey and clouds were covering the sky, layered over each other.
Large advertisements covered windows and glass, with videos several stories tall advertising various products and occasionally changing to a white and orange “State of Emergency” alert. A corpse sat against a column, its arms wrapped around its legs, with its head buried between them. An orange light on its wrist indicated a deactivated Pandora System.
The wind blew down the valleys between buildings towards the Hearth. The occasional scream or gunshot could be heard coming from around you and echoing through the canyon.
@Loki Laufeyson
Persephone District, Artemisia Botanical Gardens
"Persephone District is where most of the food on Artemisia comes from. Consisting of greenhouses, barns, and a botanical gardens, it produces enough food and greenery to feed Artemisia, and the botanical gardens provide a quiet, green place to walk through."
– Artemisia Atlas, 2034 Edition
You awoke to the sound of birdsong and light streaming through the windows of the artificial dome. The waterfall continued to flow behind you and an artificial breeze would blow through the leaves and stack of bamboo that surrounded you. Your head hurt and back felt stiff because of the bench you had fallen asleep on.
You bowed your head and started crossing the bridge, then you heard a voice behind you. An artificial voice with a soothing tone. "Please leave. It is past closing." As you turned around, you would see a blue and white robot, its featureless face turned towards you and its hand stretched in the stop position. It stood on the entrance to the bridge.
It would repeat its command.
"Please leave. It is past closing."
@Alex Azure
Poseidon District, Harbor
“Most entrance into Artemisia occurs through Poseidon. Raw materials arrive through the harbor before being sent for processing in Hephaestus and people through Janus, the airport. It also contains several fisheries.“
– Artemisia Tourism Guide
The first thing to be closed in the immediate aftermath was Poseidon. It was an attempt to keep the chaos contained to Artemisia and prevent the outside world from learning what was happening. It was also the site of some of the fiercest rioting and chaos.
You stood on the harbor after dealing with the last body from the chaos. A steady sea breeze blew in, seagulls cawed, the waves lapped against the ships and dock, and the ringing of buoys softly dinged behind and beside you. In the distance, the skyscrapers of Artemisia towered, like Olympus, reaching into the heavens.
Ahead of you were several warehouses with labels belonging to companies on the island such as "Hermes Logistics," "Asclepius Healthcare," and the most prominent, "AthenaGen." Several robots drove a forklift down the docks before driving into a warehouse, following their programming.
Beyond that lay the city in its rising form, leading to the Juno Complex at the center, the heart of the city.
@ShadowCoyote0
Apollo District, Euterpe Subdistrict
“Apollo is the arts district of Artemisia, consisting of theaters, museums, and fancy restaurants, it is split into regions named for the Nine Muses each with specific focuses. There are also theaters specializing in various types from around the world, be it Kabuki, Noh, Broadway Musical, or Beijing Opera, there's always an event going on.“
– Artemisia Tourism Guide
Neon Lights started to die down as the day became brighter. Several automated shutters opened as you passed, showing empty restaurants. Music played from speakers on the outside of several of them. Posters for films and plays were on walls, and a look in an art gallery showed several corpses and blood smeared on the walls next to paintings. A Pandora System user stood in the room not facing the window.
A noise in an alley clattered, a shout, a trash can clattering, and then the sound of feet running.
A look down the alley was a small restaurant with a neon sign with Kanji and Hiragana written on it. A trash can was knocked over, and there was nothing else to be seen.
@Lucky
No matter where you were, you would all receive a notification on the device you carried.
A female voice came through, a professional sounding one. “Hello, uh, this is Medical Director Ji Yoo Song. If anyone is still out there, I’ve gathered several survivors in the Juno Complex. If anyone who hears this message and can understand it, please, make your way there. Please respond so that I know to expect you." There was a slight panic in her voice. The communication would disconnect.
The light buzzed above you, painting the room in its artificial fluorescent white, the white walls and black windows creating an artificial sterility despite the horrors of the train car. The voice came on again as you pulled into an empty station. "Dionysus District"
The doors would hiss open. The station was eerily empty, with only a humanoid robot cleaning the floor. It waved as you walked past towards the stairs. The train hissed, and then powered up, leaving the station.
@Jeremi
Hestia District, Central Avenue
"Hestia is the primary residential district of Artemisia. Consisting of many high rise apartment buildings with interconnected shopping centers in the bottom floors. The primary feature is the Hearth arcology, which is under construction in the center of the district."
– Artemisia Atlas, 2034 Edition
Police barricades and several cars blocked the street, which was lined with broken bottles, paper, and broken glass. Down the street, the Hearth stood, looming over the line of steel and glass that was to the left and right. The sky was grey and clouds were covering the sky, layered over each other.
Large advertisements covered windows and glass, with videos several stories tall advertising various products and occasionally changing to a white and orange “State of Emergency” alert. A corpse sat against a column, its arms wrapped around its legs, with its head buried between them. An orange light on its wrist indicated a deactivated Pandora System.
The wind blew down the valleys between buildings towards the Hearth. The occasional scream or gunshot could be heard coming from around you and echoing through the canyon.
@Loki Laufeyson
Persephone District, Artemisia Botanical Gardens
"Persephone District is where most of the food on Artemisia comes from. Consisting of greenhouses, barns, and a botanical gardens, it produces enough food and greenery to feed Artemisia, and the botanical gardens provide a quiet, green place to walk through."
– Artemisia Atlas, 2034 Edition
You awoke to the sound of birdsong and light streaming through the windows of the artificial dome. The waterfall continued to flow behind you and an artificial breeze would blow through the leaves and stack of bamboo that surrounded you. Your head hurt and back felt stiff because of the bench you had fallen asleep on.
You bowed your head and started crossing the bridge, then you heard a voice behind you. An artificial voice with a soothing tone. "Please leave. It is past closing." As you turned around, you would see a blue and white robot, its featureless face turned towards you and its hand stretched in the stop position. It stood on the entrance to the bridge.
It would repeat its command.
"Please leave. It is past closing."
@Alex Azure
Poseidon District, Harbor
“Most entrance into Artemisia occurs through Poseidon. Raw materials arrive through the harbor before being sent for processing in Hephaestus and people through Janus, the airport. It also contains several fisheries.“
– Artemisia Tourism Guide
The first thing to be closed in the immediate aftermath was Poseidon. It was an attempt to keep the chaos contained to Artemisia and prevent the outside world from learning what was happening. It was also the site of some of the fiercest rioting and chaos.
You stood on the harbor after dealing with the last body from the chaos. A steady sea breeze blew in, seagulls cawed, the waves lapped against the ships and dock, and the ringing of buoys softly dinged behind and beside you. In the distance, the skyscrapers of Artemisia towered, like Olympus, reaching into the heavens.
Ahead of you were several warehouses with labels belonging to companies on the island such as "Hermes Logistics," "Asclepius Healthcare," and the most prominent, "AthenaGen." Several robots drove a forklift down the docks before driving into a warehouse, following their programming.
Beyond that lay the city in its rising form, leading to the Juno Complex at the center, the heart of the city.
@ShadowCoyote0
Apollo District, Euterpe Subdistrict
“Apollo is the arts district of Artemisia, consisting of theaters, museums, and fancy restaurants, it is split into regions named for the Nine Muses each with specific focuses. There are also theaters specializing in various types from around the world, be it Kabuki, Noh, Broadway Musical, or Beijing Opera, there's always an event going on.“
– Artemisia Tourism Guide
Neon Lights started to die down as the day became brighter. Several automated shutters opened as you passed, showing empty restaurants. Music played from speakers on the outside of several of them. Posters for films and plays were on walls, and a look in an art gallery showed several corpses and blood smeared on the walls next to paintings. A Pandora System user stood in the room not facing the window.
A noise in an alley clattered, a shout, a trash can clattering, and then the sound of feet running.
A look down the alley was a small restaurant with a neon sign with Kanji and Hiragana written on it. A trash can was knocked over, and there was nothing else to be seen.
@Lucky
No matter where you were, you would all receive a notification on the device you carried.
A female voice came through, a professional sounding one. “Hello, uh, this is Medical Director Ji Yoo Song. If anyone is still out there, I’ve gathered several survivors in the Juno Complex. If anyone who hears this message and can understand it, please, make your way there. Please respond so that I know to expect you." There was a slight panic in her voice. The communication would disconnect.
