Plague Year Series: Difference between revisions

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Though the nanotech isn't instantaneous (taking several hours to kill a human) it ''is'' airborne, and it spreads rapidly. Mass panic happens all over the world as pretty much the entire population of Earth attempts to flee to higher elevations to escape. Anyone not able to reach high ground fast enough succumbs to the plague. In the space of days, five billion are dead. [[It Gets Worse]] when the survivors who managed to make it to altitude [[No Party Like a Donner Party|find themselves without any food or supplies]]; many more people die of starvation and in-fighting on isolated mountain peaks around the world.

''Plague Year'' primarly follows two character. The first is [[Younger Than They Look|Cam]] [[Badass Spaniard|Najarro]], a young ski rat who happens to be at the local resort when the plague strikes. Cam and the other survivors at the resort quickly find their fortune turn to a bitter struggle for survival as food runs out, with starvation [[I Did What I Had to Do|eventually leading to cannibalism]]. When a man [[Only Known By Their Nickname|named Hollywood]] arrives, [[Almost Dead Guy|half-dead from the plague]] but promising better supplies and food if he's followed back to his peak, Cam jumps at the chance to leave the [[My God, What Have I Done?|hell of the ski resort]]. [[The Atoner|Along with Sawyer]], a fellow survivor who seems to be [[Mad Scientist|suspiciously knowledgeable]] about the plague, Cam begins a dangerous journey into the nano-infested lower altitudes, with the hope of reaching Hollywood's camp before their insides are liquified by the plague.

''Plague Year'' primarly follows two character. The first is [[Younger Than They Look|Cam]] [[Badass Spaniard|Najarro]], a young ski rat who happens to be at the local resort when the plague strikes. Cam and the other survivors at the resort quickly find their fortune turn to a bitter struggle for survival as food runs out, with starvation [[I Did What I Had to Do|eventually leading to cannibalism]]. When a man [[Only Known By Their Nickname|named Hollywood]] arrives, [[Almost-Dead Guy|half-dead from the plague]] but promising better supplies and food if he's followed back to his peak, Cam jumps at the chance to leave the [[My God, What Have I Done?|hell of the ski resort]]. [[The Atoner|Along with Sawyer]], a fellow survivor who seems to be [[Mad Scientist|suspiciously knowledgeable]] about the plague, Cam begins a dangerous journey into the nano-infested lower altitudes, with the hope of reaching Hollywood's camp before their insides are liquified by the plague.

The second main character is a [[Hot Scientist|brilliant nanotech researcher]] named Ruth who was put aboard the International Space Station by the U.S. Government at the first sign of the nanotech plague. Ruth is one of the only remaining scientist with advanced enough knowledge to possibly create a vaccine to the plague, and the ISS is perfect sactuary from the plague. The tattered remains of the government (now set up in Leadville, CO) has [[New World Order|alternate plans]] for how the vaccine [[President Evil|will be used, though...]]

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* [[Divided States of America]]: {{spoiler|After a vaccinne to the plague is created}} a new American civil war starts between the oppressive new goverment in Leadville, CO ({{spoiler|who wants to keep the vaccine for themselves and use it to rule the world}}) and [[La Résistance|The Rebels]] ({{spoiler|who want to spread it to everyone}}).

* [[Freak Lab Accident]]: The nanotech was originally meant to be a cure for cancer. By the time they realized what it ''actually'' did, it had spread beyond anyone's ability to contain it.

* [[~~Gaias~~ Lament]]: Earth's ecosytem is absolutely ruined by the plague; with the absence of any warm-blooded animals, the surviving reptile and insect populations ''explode''. This causes a massive plant die-off as [[The Swarm|the insects feed on anything they can find]]. Without the plants to hold the soil together, [[~~Gaias~~ Vengeance|massive erosion from rainstorms changes the landscape, destroying towns and roads]].

* [[Gaia's Lament]]: Earth's ecosytem is absolutely ruined by the plague; with the absence of any warm-blooded animals, the surviving reptile and insect populations ''explode''. This causes a massive plant die-off as [[The Swarm|the insects feed on anything they can find]]. Without the plants to hold the soil together, [[Gaia's Vengeance|massive erosion from rainstorms changes the landscape, destroying towns and roads]].

* [[Grey Goo]]: Subverted, in the nanotech only destroys warm-blooded creatures (it only functions because it's powered by body heat).

** A variation occurs later on with the development of weaponized nanotech called "The Snowflake", which disolves creatures in a matter of ''seconds'' but rapidly burns out (so it can be localized and won't spread).

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* [[No Party Like a Donner Party]]: Cam's group on the ski resort. Also implied what happens to most the other survivors of the plague, when they run out of food on whatever mountaintop they managed to get to.

* [[Phlebotinum Dependence]]: Since the nanotech will never go away (it only become inert), the ''vaccine'' to the nanotech becomes this.

* {{spoiler|[[Phlebotinum Induced Stupidity]]}}: In ''Plague Zone'', where {{spoiler|a new nanotech called "The Mind Plague" attacks its victims higher brain functions, leaving them mindless}}.

* {{spoiler|[[Phlebotinum-Induced Stupidity]]}}: In ''Plague Zone'', where {{spoiler|a new nanotech called "The Mind Plague" attacks its victims higher brain functions, leaving them mindless}}.

* [[Scavenger World]]: Surivors manage to eke out a living by briefly dipping below the altitude barrier to scavenge nearby cities for supplies.

* [[The Swarm]]: Insects are largely unaffected by the plague. With the death of all warm-blooded animals below 10,000 feet, the insect population explodes. This leads to countless dramatic moments where our heroes have to avoid, lead enemies into, and/or run away from horrific swarms of ants, yellow jackets, etc.