II. PLOT

[TESLA]

HOW THE WORLD FELL UNDER DARKNESS

ACT I: THE BEGINNING

In the year 20XX, two great men formed a partnership with the goal of bettering mankind: Scientists Doctor Joseph "Jo" Markus and William "Will" Adrian Karture. Joseph, who had come from a nuclear family where his father perished working in the mines, wished to take his scientific prowess to the next step. Neither man had ever dabbled in the world of robotics, but when Joseph approached William with his idea the man was ecstatic. Inventing robots with the purpose of assisting the common man... It was a glorious dream. The two men were already well known for assisting in advancing the world into the Technological Era, so of course the United States government was willing to fund this. Once the transmitter that controlled the robots was made, William began to grow a sinister idea in his mind. The two men were clearly above the rest of the world, evidenced by the large control tower they had built together, so why share the lap of luxury with the common man? Man was not built for such a height, after all. After the first robot was made, Joseph explained his anxiousness to his partner and claimed that they had no right to play God. With his silver tongue, William convinced Joseph that it was the right idea and reluctantly Joseph flipped the switch. The city, for the first time in history, was vibrant and alive...

ACT II: CLOAK & DAGGER

Head still full of worry, Joseph opted to take a walk back to his home rather than driving. This would prove to be a fatal mistake. Musing over what they had done and having a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, Joseph could have sworn he saw a familiar car pass by him as he walked down the street. The car contained William and the robot the twin pair had invented. Rebecca Lawrence was a woman who worked her fingers to the bone day in and day out as a legal secretary. She had been madly in love with Joseph since the day they met, so she hadn't expected it to be William who came into the home instead of Joseph. William, alongside the robot, claimed that Joseph had no place in his new world and implored Rebecca to come with him. Rebecca spurned his advances, claiming Joseph to be twice the man he was. Angered, William slid his finger across his throat and the robot utilized a knife attachment to it's hand to slash the woman's throat. Joseph arrived too late, only seeing a glint of green color from the robot as it escaped out the window. When police arrived, all they could decipher was Joseph's babbling about robots and secret plans, and opened fire on the man who held his lover's murder weapon. Joseph leaped out the window and plummeted to the street below, breaking his back on a taxi cab. Stumbling off, Joseph silently swore to get revenge on the one who did this...

ACT III: THE STATE VS DR. MARKUS

Adjusting his tie, William prepared silently to give a speech to the city on a large TV screen he had installed upon the tower. Oh how easy everything had been... He would incite the masses into a riot and shove the knife even deeper into his former friend's back. Ambition had twisted the man's brain and turned him toward darker pleasures, which was what were on his mind as he flipped the switch to begin the broadcast. William demonized Joseph's actions and labeled him as the killer, swearing that he would find the man himself and make sure he paid. It wasn't long after the lengthy broadcast that Joseph was found, having showed up at Rebecca's funeral which had only included himself, Rebecca's father and a pastor. In the courtroom, Joseph silently blamed himself for Rebecca's murder and was shocked to discover the courtroom find him Not Guilty. The evidence hadn't been substantial. As he left the courtroom, chants asking for the doctor's head and a noose to hang him with were the final sounds he could hear. Joseph would leave the city, and that would be the end of things. Meanwhile, as many years passed, William's grip grew tighter but at the same time the world had no complaints. After all, he was making things much easier on them was he not? For the first time ever, a dictator rose above the United States government...

ACT IV: THE PRODIGAL SON

Thomas Markus never knew his father. He grew up in the city poisoned by William's silent rule, the elderly man having made sure to allow the boy to live a better life. Anything was better than the inevitable fate that would befall him. As he grew older, the boy became a man fed up with the way William was ruining the city. Sure, things were better for the rest of the populace but this iron grip was closing itself around the city and no one else seemed to notice it. Hopping on his motorcycle, Thomas decided to drive until the road ended... and came face to face with the very same demented robot that had killed Rebecca, his mother. The robot's arm was changed into a brand new attachment: a cannon. Just as Thomas narrowly dodged the cannon, a loud shout from a gray haired man gave him the distraction he needed to grab the robot's cannon and point it at his own face. Thomas gained vengeance for his mother and for the first time came across his father: Joseph Markus. He claimed to have made a terrible mistake abandoning him, and the two hatched a plan to destroy the transceiver at the top of Karture Tower. While the plan seemed to be successful, explosives Thomas brought with him detonated prematurely and blasted him out of the tower and to the street below where Joseph waited. It turned out there had been a second receiver and declaring the city to be under martial law, William revealed the robots he had been waiting to unleash upon the masses. Resigned to his fate, the one thing keeping Joseph from surrendering and dying to the robot hoards was a letter Rebecca left him he hadn't had the strength to read until now. Closing his son's eyes, Joseph left the scene claiming he still had a job to do...

ACT V: THE REVOLUTION

In the rubble of a city, Joseph Markus began his plans. He created a cyborg, half-man and half-machine, out of his own son... Matthew Markus. The younger brother of Thomas wished to avenge his brother and fight in his place. Meanwhile, William's grip only grew tighter and the city grew as a result. The US government's power was not enough to stop him, and they were forced to simply ignore the state formerly known as New York. As Joseph's son was sent on missions to help people escape from Karture, The Resistance began growing and growing. A mighty war broke out between The Resistance as it's numbers grew and the local Razorteeth Gang, which continues to be waged in Norath to this day. Catching wind of Joseph's survival and his plans, William created an entire division of special, murderous combat robots that were more militaristic than his peace keeping robots. These robots were made under William's "Special Forces" division and were sent out on missions to kill any Resistance members they could find. Catching wind of this, Joseph began working on his own division of robots... These robots were technological marvels, breaking free of the Laws of Robotics, but this came at a price. Many of the robots split off from The Resistance and started their own group. Calling themselves The Shaa, these robots wished to do nothing more than stay out of the conflict between the factions and live as independent, free men and women, though they took up residence on the outskirts of Norath. This is where the forum begins, The Resistance's numbers dwindling and William's control only growing larger. Will you stop this Orwellian dictator, or will you rise up against him? The choice is yours.