| Natick
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| Joined:
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October 26, 2005
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| Character Details:
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Urban Dead profile
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| Group:
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Yagoton Revivification Clinic
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| Character Class:
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Scientist
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| Experience Points:
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Over 9000
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| Favorite Equipment:
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Revivification Syringe
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| Favorite Weapon:
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Shotgun
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| Backup Weapon:
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Pistol
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| Other Backup Weapon:
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Axe
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| Current Status:
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Alive
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| Location:
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Yagoton
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| Current Level:
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41
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Bandwagon
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This user has jumped on
the template bandwagon.
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Drama Llama
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| The Llama is watching you.
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Urban Dead
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| This user plays Urban Dead. Wow, what are the odds?
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Fire is Pretty
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| This user thinks that fire is pretty.
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This User > Jesus
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| This user claims to be better than Jesus
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Umbrella Employee
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| Our Business Is Life Itself!
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It's a Joke, OK?
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| This user supports the use of humor, even when other people don't get it.
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I'm Smarter
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| This user is smarter than you.
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Violence is quicker
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| Both diplomacy and violence solve problems. But violence is quicker.
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Piebtration
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| This user believes that pie duels can solve most problems in life.
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Friend of the Octopope
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| We stand by the Octopope. May his dark and holy ink blind our foes.
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Ban Stupidity
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| This user or group does not tolerate stupid people.
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Escape
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| On June 1, we're going to break out of Malton. What will they do, shoot us?
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Grammar
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| This user or group supports the use of proper grammar and spelling on the Wiki.
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Atheist
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| This user is an Atheist.
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Don't ask why my username is X1M43. It's an alphanumeric sequence I use in a lot of places, so it's easy for me to remember and it's not likely to be in use by anyone else. It doesn't stand for anything and it's not some kind of 1337-speak.
I started playing UD back in October 2005. I only play a single character, Natick, and I spend most of my time as a survivor. I keep a journal which more or less follows the adventures of Natick fairly accurately. I also make some minor attempts to explain game mechanics from an in-universe perspective. The journal starts long before I started playing. It's called retconning.
Natick
Natick is a 30-something biologist of multiple specialties. After getting his several degrees, he became a researcher for the United States government. When he got a chance to take a more exciting and higher-paying job with NecroTech, he jumped at it. He moved to London in June to work at their head office. When the outbreak occurred in Malton, he was happily oblivious. Eventually, he was transferred into Malton, by helicopter, in the dead of night, and quickly shuffled into one of the local laboratories. Natick was kept in the dark until his bosses put him to work dissecting zombies. That's about where his journal starts.
Brain Rot Clinic
The YRC is now running a brain rot clinic at the Serrell Building (49,18) in Yagoton. I'm full-timing there. If anyone wants to help, the best thing to do is stop by and remove any barricades in place there. After that, we're most in need of generators and fuel (for some reason, I'm finding way more generators than fuel). Syringes usually take care of themselves.
If you are a zombie with brain rot and you want to live again, feel free to stop by and claw through any barricades you happen to find there. (Yeah, we're having problems with people barricading.) You are also encouraged to post your character name and a link to your profile below.
Lexicon
I write for the Lexicon as one Liam Preston of England's Royal College of Surgeons. Liam doesn't have much of a background, but he's got friends in high and low places, and he used to work for NecroTech. These are his articles so far:
Outbreak:
Infection:
History
A few people have suggested that someone try to put together a history of the outbreak according to the Lexicon. Here is my attempt, which will be a work in progress until further notice.
Timeline
- 43AD: Roman soldiers destroy a Celtic fort standing on what would someday be known as Ridleybank at the site of the future Moggridge Place Police Department. The fort's chief, Ridlaighe, is crucified, and supposedly curses the area.
- 10th century: Adalbert "the Twitching Monk" forms a leper colony in what would be Ridleybank. He performs primitive medical experiments on his patients, who revolted and killed him.
- 14th century: The future site of Ridleybank is used as a burial site for plague victims.
- 15th and 16th centuries: A slaughterhouse is built where Ridleybank would someday stand.
- 1838: The Malton Police Department is founded. The department incorporates revolutionary practices such as enforcing a training regimen on its officers.
- 1910: Archaeologists discover evidence of the battle between Ridlaighe and the Romans.
- World War I: The Malton Police Department, facing a shortage of manpower, admits women to its ranks. After the war, the women are allowed to keep their jobs even as male officers return home.
- 1922: The suburb of Ridleybank is officially founded.
- 1966: The "Ridlaighe Cult Massacres" occur in Ridleybank.
- 1994: Abigail Batey becomes Chief Researcher at Rateger Inc. Defense Research Corp commissions both Rateger and NecroTech to work on its theoretical Soldier Survivability System.
- 1994: General Aaron orders several hundred assault rifles and flamethrowers through Fort Creedy and ships them to the Project Sunrise research site in Africa. A personal note to Yvonne Johnson is included with at least one shipment. Shortly thereafter, an audit reveals irregularities in Creedy's training budget. General Aaron attributes the irregularities to an accounting error. He later arranges to have weapon expenditures placed in a special "black budget," free from public scrutiny.
- 1996: Yvonne Johnson is publicly dismissed from NecroTech. However, she remains with the company as a "consultant" for six months and is quietly re-hired thereafter.
- 1996: Rateger, Inc. overextends its budget by over $5 million, nearly falling into bankruptcy. They are forced to sell Project Jasmine, their portion of the Soldier Survivability System, to NecroTech in order to stay afloat. Chief researcher Abigail Batey is blamed for exceeding the project's budget.
- 1997: Abigail Batey is dismissed for gross incompetence, and joins NecroTech as a low-level researcher; George Franklin is named to NecroTech's board of directors.
- Several years ago: Kevgretor Pegason works for NecroTech, and is fired. Becomes a college professor of ethics and begins a campaign against NecroTech. Runs for mayor of Malton against the incumbent Joseph Kline. Loses.
- Several years ago: Saint Patrick's Hospital in Dartside is renovated by NecroTech. Rumors swirl about body bags being taken from the facility by NecroTech personnel.
- Several years ago: The Lex Scientific Freedom is enacted, freeing NecroTech, Rateger Inc. and other groups from ethical oversight.
- February 21, 2005: NecroTech issues an internal memo recognizing that some employees have moral misgivings about their work. The memo reassures staff that NecroTech's work is in the public good.
- March 2005: A Hotshot concert is held in Titley Park. The concert is sponsored by NecroTech; a rumor holds that NT took DNA samples from the audience.
- April 2005: A number of small projects appear on NecroTech's budget. In reality, all of these projects were subsets of the Delta Project.
- June 13, 2005: A meteor shower occurs over Malton. Officially, no samples were recovered; however, NecroTech managed to recover some samples, which were processed into Zeta extract, a component of Agent 51. Some scientists speculated that the meteors were part of an alien plan to colonize Earth.
- Shortly prior to the outbreak: DNR attempts to assassinate either some of NecroTech's board members, Yvonne Johnson, or both. They are apparently unsuccessful, and at least one member is captured.
- Late June: The outbreak. Omega Squadron personnel are undergoing Delta Alpha Omega field tests in Titley Park as part of the Soldier Survivability System. The soldiers receive an aerosolized dose of Agent 50. At approximately the same time, An explosion at the Blackmore Building in Ridleybank releases large amounts of Agent 51 or, possibly, Agent 50.
- Shortly after the outbreak: Quarantine is officially declared at a school board meeting in Dunell Hills. General Aaron signs an order enforcing the quarantine.
- July 1, 2006: Under General Aaron's orders, an "evacuation" commences. Over 200 city officials, military personnel, and high-level NecroTech employees gather at the Pitman Mansion to be evacuated by helicopter. Many of the military personnel were members of Delta Alpha Omega. In reality, while some people were evacuated, many individuals on the evacuation list were targeted for liquidation by NecroTech to ensure that its secrets were kept.
- July 3, 2006: Malton bookstore owner Mortimer Albright sneaks inside the Pitman Mansion. While searching the pantry, he discovers a secret entrance to NecroTech's Yankee Lab. In doing so, he prematurely triggers a device (most likely planted by Walter Kasey, a NecroTech agent charged with eliminating evidence) which causes an explosion. The explosion causes the evac helicopter to crash in the suburb of Havercroft. Kasey survives for mere minutes after the crash.
- July 9, 2005: The zombies killed in the MPD's sweep rise again, prompting further sweeps.
- Shortly after the outbreak: Wyke Hills used as an evacuation staging point. However, after an unfortunate incident, the entire suburb is declared a No-Man's-Land.
- Shortly after the outbreak: Zombies smash through police barricades, attacking Floyde Stadium in Barrville. The entire suburb is declared a No-Man's-Land shortly thereafter.
- Shortly after the outbreak: General Aaron designates Forts Perryn and Creedy as forward supply points. Both forts are quickly overtaken by zombies.
- Shortly after the outbreak: James November leads a group of survivors to the Reginaldus Plaza Fire Station. Most are later evacuated. November is believed to perish approximately one month later.
- Shortly after the outbreak: Police and emergency services are called to the Cater Building shortly before the communications blackout. This may be in response to actions by DNR. Two unmarked buses are seen moving east.
- July 30, 2005: MPD sweeps end.
- Several weeks after the outbreak: Keith Gallagher escapes Malton through the sewers with several other survivors. Gallagher eventually submitted letters to several newspapers describing events in Malton, then went into hiding for fear of reprisal.
Key players
Individuals
- General Aaron: Apparently, the top military official in charge of both of Malton's forts. He signed the orders to quarantine the city and he did help smooth over an illegal arms trading scandal, but there is little evidence that he exists at all.
- Abigail Batey: The head of Project Jasmine, Rateger Inc's version of Project Soma, from 1994 to 1997. Dismissed for incompetence when she exceeded her project budget by $5 million; subsequently took a job at NecroTech. After the outbreak, she disseminated information about the disease to the public, under the guise of an innocent scientist conducting research on the disease after the fact.
- Robert Batey: Director of Defense Research Corp and husband of Abigail Batey. When Rateger Inc. nearly collapsed, Batey awarded all further contracts relating to the Soldier Survivability System to NecroTech. Rateger Inc. sold NecroTech their existing contracts as well. In the wake of Rateger's failure, Batey pushed NecroTech much harder for results, possibliy leading to unsafe working conditions and to the outbreak itself.
- James November: Led 7 firefighters and approximately 10 civilians to safety at the Reginaldus Plaza Fire Station. Most of the civilians were evacuated by helicopter; November and the firefighters remained behind. By all accounts, they held up for just under a month before succumbing to zombie attacks. Believed to be the director of the Weapons Division, and involved with Defense Research Corp, NecroTech's Zulu Lab, and Rateger Inc's Project Jasmine. Described as unusually competent and a natural leader. An ex-MI5 or MI6 agent who collects exotic weapons.
- Joseph Kline: The Mayor of Malton at the time of the outbreak. Most notable for his complete lack of accomplishment, his apparent refusal to solve the cemetery overcrowding problem, his controversial pardon of Yvonne Johnson, and his apparent ties to NecroTech. Missing and presumed dead after the evac helicopter crash of July 3.
- Keith Gallagher: A member of the Emerald Guard. Several months after the outbreak, Gallagher led several survivors to safety through underground tunnels leading outside the barricades. Many of these survivors were instrumental in putting together this account.
- Kevgretor Pegason: An obscure Malton college professor of ethics. Briefly worked for NecroTech, but was fired for unknown reasons. Ran for mayor against Joseph Kline in the last election on a platform based mostly on removing NecroTech from Malton. He is suspected to be the leader of DNR. He is known to have escaped the outbreak and now lives in London.
- Marshall Bradwell: An investigative journalist who uncovered a great deal of material on NecroTech, Mayor Kline, and the military's various scandals. Captured by General Aaron and members of Omega Squadron at Ackland Mall. Accused of being paid off by VERT.
- Trenchcoater: A mysterious individual in a trenchcoat who wanders between survivor encampments, bragging about his exploits and showing off his katana.
- Yvonne Johnson: CFO of NecroTech from 1980 to the time of the outbreak. Used her family wealth to found "The Cure for Africa," a charity dedicated to fighting hunger and HIV, in 1990. Between 1994 and 1996, she was investigated for illegally transferring funds from this charity to NecroTech; specifically to Project Sunrise. It appears that her intention was always to help end hunger, and she viewed Sunrise as a means to that end.
Groups
- Defense Research Corp: A top contractor in military and bio-weapons research. Known to work closely with NecroTech and Rateger Inc. on a number of projects. DRC manufactured the unmarked buses used by most of the key organizations after the outbreak. Directed by Robert Batey husband ofAbigail Batey. DRC commissioned both NecroTech and Rateger Inc. to research its Soldier Survivability System. Ultimately, NecroTech proved more capable than Rateger Inc. and took over their rival's half of the project.
- DNR: A shadowy terrorist group targeting NecroTech, Rateger Inc., and other groups. They initiated a terrorist attempt against NecroTech's board members and/or CFO shortly before the outbreak, and it is alleged that they were responsible for several incidents afterward which undermined the efforts of survivors and rescue personnel.
- DHPD: The Dunell Hills Police Department, a citizen's militia made up of former police officers and civilians.
- The Emerald Guard: A survivor group whose members claim Irish descent. Led by Yves Koch. They rescued one Keith Gallagher from zombification. Gallagher joined the Guard and, in that capacity, led a number of civilians to freedom.
- Ex Mortis: A shadowy group seen attacking survivors in the aftermath of the outbreak. There are rumors that General Aaron is their leader.
- Gentlemen: Supposedly a conspiracy formed to keep England safe from other conspiracies. They may have involvement in both NecroTech and Defense Research Corp.
- Hotshot: A popular European rock band with a penchant for unusual album and song titles. NecroTech apparently sponsored a free concert in Titley Park in Malton in March of 2005. There are rumors that NecroTech collected DNA from each patron.
- MFD: The Malton Fire Department. After the outbreak, they were called in to assist the Malton Police Department in keeping order and fighting the undead. MFD maintains its current structure and organization.
- MPD: The Malton Police Department, recognized for progressive policies from its founding. After the outbreak, they set up a number of barricades and No-Man's-Lands. These measures fell swiftly; poor training has been blamed.
- NecroTech: Founded in 1949 by Willum J. Kersley, NecroTech is today the world's largest biotechnology provider. In addition to developing and distributing new pharmaceutical drugs, NecroTech is also involved in several secret projects and has ties to the military of both the United States and England. NecroTech is the key organization behind Project Soma, Project Sunrise, and the Delta Project, all of which played a role in the outbreak. Early in its existence, NecroTech employed scientists from Nazi concentration camps and Japan's [Unit 731], a military research unit dedicated to bizarre medical experiments and research on biological and chemical weapons. According to some reports, NecroTech also had a hand in designing the quarantine plans effected after the fall of Malton.
- Omega Squadron: A highly-decorated special operations force based at Fort Creedy. They participated in many conflicts throughout the 20th century and aided in maintaining the quarantine after the Malton outbreak. Omega Squadron was also the testbed for the Soldier Survivability System, a project to create a retrovirus which would render a soldier more resistant to physical damage. The system was tested on Omega Squadron at Titley Park, ultimately leading to the Outbreak.
- Rateger Inc.: Rateger Inc. was one of two companies contracted by Defense Research Corp to research its Soldier Survivability System. Rateger pursued the project under the designation "Project Jasmine." However, when Rateger Inc. overextended its budget and nearly went into bankruptcy in 1996, they were forced to sell the Jasmine contracts and data to NecroTech. Rateger Inc. employed Abigail Batey as chief researcher from 1994 to 1997, when she was fired for incompetence.
- VERT: An evil conspiracy. Not much is known about them.
- Weapons Division: Headed up by James November, or at least it appears so. Apparently an independent research and development firm with ties to Rateger, NecroTech, and Defense Research Corp. It may in fact be a joint body owned and operated by all three organizations simultaneously. It may also be a governing body controlling all three. Personally, I suspect it's run by the Gentlemen.
Projects
- Project Soma: NecroTech's designation for their role in designing the Soldier Survivability System. Using the highly secret yet presumably humanitarian Project Sunrise as a cover, NecroTech designed a retrovirus capable of increasing a soldier's resistance to injury. This retrovirus, called Agent 50, was to be tested on Fort Creedy's Omega Squadron at Titley Park. This test may have been the cause of the Malton outbreak. Project Soma was housed in the Topleaf Building.
- Project Sunrise: A project undertaken by NecroTech to produce an aerosolized retrovirus capable of reducing human metabolism, allowing people to eat less and thus reducing the effects of famine in the third world. Project Sunrise was tested heavily in Africa and in NecroTech's Zulu lab beneath the Blackmore Building. It resulted in heavy fatalities among test populations, and large amounts of weapons were shipped from Fort Creedy to contain the subsequent zombie uprising. NecroTech CEO George Franklin and CFO Yvonne Johnson were its chief proponents. Sunrise was probably a cover for Project Soma. While Franklin probably knew this as CEO, it is unlikely that Johnson knew.
- The Delta Project: In April of 2005, a number of small projects appeared on NecroTech's budget. According to some sources, they were actually subsets of the Delta Project, a €10 million project with an unknown purpose. Its most important component, Xi, was housed in the Cater Building.
- Project Jasmine: Rateger Inc. was contracted by Defense Research Corp to work on an aspect of their Soldier Survivability System—namely, a delivery system for Agents 50 and 51. When Chief Researcher Abigail Batey exceeded her budget by over $5 million, Rateger was forced to cancel the project and sell the contracts to NecroTech.
- Soldier Survivability System: A joint project between NecroTech, Defense Research Corp, and the military, the Soldier Survivability System was an attempt to create a retrovirus capable of enhancing a soldier's resistance to physical damage. It included both Project Soma on NecroTech's side and Delta Alpha Omega on the military's side. It culminated in Agent 50, the virus responsible for the zombie outbreak in Malton. Initially, DRC awarded contracts to both NecroTech and Rateger Inc.; however, NecroTech ultimately took over Rateger's half of the project.
- The Cure for Africa: A charity started by the independently wealthy Yvonne Johnson, CFO of NecroTech. Founded in 1990, it came under federal scrutiny in 1994 when accusations of embezzlement arose. The funds were allegedly diverted to NecroTech. All charges were dropped by 1996.
Conclusion
In 1994, Defence Research Corp awards dual contracts to both NecroTech and Rateger Inc. to develop its Soldier Survivability System—a plan to develop a retrovirus which would endow a soldier with remarkable resistance to injury. Rateger Inc. works on a delivery system for the agent and its cure, among other things; its half of the project is designated "Project Jasmine" and is assigned to head researcher Abigail Batey (who also happens to be the wife of DRC head Robert Batey). NecroTech is tasked with developing and testing the virus. Its half of the project is designated "Project Soma" and is assigned to George Franklin, then head researcher at Zulu Lab.
George Franklin almost finds himself exceeding his budget. In 1994, he shrewdly initiates Project Sunrise, a humanitarian plan to end starvation in Africa by creating a virus which reduces the metabolism of its hosts. Of course, the actual research for the two projects would be indistinguishable. Preying on the sensibilities of NecroTech's CFO Yvonne Johnson, Franklin and NecroTech founder Willum Kersley convince Johnson to illegally transfer some of the funds from her pet charity, "The Cure for Africa," to Project Sunrise.
Project Jasmine quickly finds itself short of cash to complete its project. In 1996, Abigail Batey exceeds her budget; she is fired and the project is sold to NecroTech. From that point on, all further components of the Soldier Survivability System are awarded to NecroTech.
Project Sunrise undergoes testing in Africa. The results are uniformly grim, and and NecroTech personnel there are forced to buy illegal arms from General Aaron to dispose of their "patients." Nonetheless, both Franklin and Johnson visit the site frequently.
In 2005, Project Soma is tested on the Omega Squadron at Titley Park; the operation is codenamed "Delta Alpha Omega." Symbolically, the delta is the symbol of change; alpha is the symbol of life; and Omega is the symbol of death. Ergo, the project is fittingly described as a change between life and death.
As expected, things do not go according to plan. Robert Batey had been pushing NecroTech hard for results, forcing them to cut certain safety measures and control tests. The soldiers, zombified by exposure to Agent 50, are taken to Zulu Lab, the primary site of Sunrise research in Malton, for emergency treatment. However, in the chaos, a few get loose and overrun the facility. A decision is made to aggressively sterilize the facility, but human error causes a massive explosion. The result is a catastrophic release of Agent 50 into Ridleybank in the heart of Malton.
The outbreak begins.
George Franklin and General Aaron conspire to evacuate important personnel and destroy all other evidence, including witnesses and possibly Malton itself. This plan goes awry when Franklin's agent, Walter Kasey, is killed in a helicopter crash. For unknown reasons, General Aaron does not utilize the nuclear option available to him.
Eventually, the truth of what happens to Malton reaches the world, in no small part due to escapees like Keith Gallagher. The Commission is formed to investigate the cause of the Malton Incident.
Theories
- George Franklin is General Aaron.
- Willum J. Kersley is a member of the Gentlemen.
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