Welcome to Gaia! ::

The city of Heaven's Gate is far from the utopia that it was named for; crime, corruption, and poverty are what can be found here in abundance, as well as the few elite that hold all the cards and all the power. Situated on the western coastline, it is the largest city in The Free World; yet, far from Gaia and the mix of peoples and cultures that have flocked there, it is not home to any metas, nonhumans, or otherworlders.

Just like the rest of The Free World, there is no real government involvement in Heaven's Gate; the city operates under a blend of mob rule and military occupation. Those with the power make the rules, and those without have no rights. Order is kept by militaristic police forces under the authority of whatever local organization or individual holds the most power in that area. Street gangs run neighborhoods, corporations patrol the streets and protect their vendors, and vigilantie justice is the only kind that is had. Despite all of this, it is still one of the most 'lawful' cities in The Free World, outside of communities that are controlled by just one organization or individual.

The two largest forces in the city, controlling about 1/3 of it each, are Creation Industries and the Reclaimation Forces.

The Free World: The Free World, so aptly named, is a region about the size of Mexico that has abolished state government altogether. Having formerly been a part of the Federation of Democratic Republics, the society grew so corrupt and so engrossed in capitolist ideals that the goverment was little more than a commodity to be bought and sold to the highest bidder.

In an effort to save what little credibility remained, the region was deemed 'lost ground', and those who were still loyal to the governing nations packed up and left; moving into areas where the governments still had considerable influence. Now there is no government in this area, and the rich and powerful rule as far and as wide as they extend their influence without repercussions from another power. Lawlessness rules, gangs and private armies run the countryside and the cities.

For a while The Free World was used as a dumping ground for the undesirable parts of society; criminals were exiled into it, waste was dumped in large quantities without regard for the environment, even surpluss weaponry was sold to the highest bidder; a practice which the Reclaimation Forces are now clearly seeing the folly of.

Description: The city of Heaven's Gate is divided into four districts; none of which are truly distinct or defined, except for the Green District. However, the city is not divided up like a pie, giving an equal slice to each area... they are simply slang names that describe the area based upon the average economic level.

• Yellow District - The Yellow District takes up roughly 40% of the city, and holds around 50% of the population. The yellow district largely consists of low-income neighborhoods, slums, and gang territories. Mostly residential areas and small businesses are present in this area, though as they have few to no exports except for cheap labor, the economic situation in the Yellow District has steadily worsened over the years to the point that many of the residents can barely scrounge a living for themselves and their families.
  
  The Yellow District is home to those trying to make their way, gang members, and small business owners.
  
  
• Blue District - Taking up rougly 35% of the city, the Blue District is where those with money come to spend it, win it, and lose it. Individuals and families that have enough money to move out of the crime-ridden neighborhoods in the Yellow District often come here to the more stable and better taken care of parts of the city. Rougly 30% of the population reside here, and have a much better standard of living than those in the Yellow District. Factories, small businesses, and large businesses, alike, can all be found here. The Blue District ranges from suburban areas to the downtown, and the red-light district. While gang policed and protected areas of the Blue District aren't necessarilly any larger than those in the Yellow District, they are much better enforced. Because of this, street violence, store robberies, and various other crimes occur much less frequently; though the ones that do are often much better organized.
  
  The Blue District is home to the middle class, organized crime, and large businesses.
  
  
• Purple District - The home to the elite, the Purple District, takes up around 10% of the city. Only around 5% of the city's population lives there, though, due to the average size of the landholdings for those wealthy few. Most of those that live in the purple district are really just servants or thugs for the rich and the powerful, and there are very few who own more than their position in the hierarchy grants them. These few own large estates in the Purple District for themselves, as well as many other buildings and properties in and out of the city. Common crime and vandalism here is virtually nonexistant, as such a tight leash is kept on security by the goon squads, and nearly the only times that a crime is committed is at the hands of a criminal leader's goon squad, or when two crime families go to war with each other.
  
  The Purple District is home to the wealthy elite, the heads of crime organizations, and the headquarters of corporations.
  
  
• Green District - Taking up 15% of the area of the city, the Green District encompasses a large section of what used to be the Yellow District and a chunk of what used to be in the Blue District, as well. This district is controlled by the Reclaimation Forces, and it is parolled tightly. About 15% of the population reside here, under the umbrella of the military. Civilians need a special pass to even pass the checkpoints into the area, unless they manage to find a way to sneak into the district through some other means. At the edge of the city, near the heart of the Green District, the military officials live in luxury. Crime here is nearly nonexistant, thanks to the armed patrols that roam the streets regularly. Other than this, the area closely resembles the economic and business situations of the Yellow and Blue districts; though trade between the Green District and any of the others is taxed.
  
  The Green District is home to the Reclaimation Forces, and lower and middle-class citizens.
  
  
• White Tower - Thirty seven stories high, and standing proudly at the north end of the city, White Tower is a symbol of Creation Industries' influence. It houses the offices of CI executives, city officials, and even foreign embassies. The underground laboratory beneath the tower, which extends into the face and the heart of the mountain behind it that it is partially built into, are under lock and key to anyone without the proper clearence. The CI R&D labs are here, as well as the munitions and heavy robotics factories.
  
  The top few floors of the tower hold the offices of the highest executives in the company, with the private offices of Vincent White on the top floor.

Creation Industries: Creation Industries, the corporate superpower in Heaven's Gate for the past five years, has recently been expanding its influence into other regions. Most of The Free World uses a large amount of products shipped by Creation Industries or its subsidiaries, and they have recently begun shipping products overseas, as well.

Originally VerTech Pharmasuticals, a business based out of the Blue District and owned by local-born businessman Henry Dillan, in the past ten years the business has grown incredibly; innitially aquiring ownership of many local distributors and exclusively selling their products through them, profits quickly increased. With the aquisition of a local factory, the company became independant of suppliers, and was able control its own product quality and availability. There were no magic tricks or secrets to how VerTech became so large so quickly; the products spoke for themselves with the low cost and wide distribution that soon made VerTech the exclusive supplier of medical goods in Heaven's Gate.

The company renamed itself six years ago, after three major landmarks: the buying out of InterPower, one of the leading distributors of robotics in the city, the completion of White Tower, the newfounded Creation Industries headquarters building, and the transfer of ownership from Henry Dillan to his long-time protege Vincent White. The previous lack of media attention directed at young Vincent (only 13 years old at the time) was completely shattered by this new development, and rumors quickly arose as to the reasons for this bold move by the aging Dillan; one of which involved the corrolation between Dillan's adoption of the boy five years earlier, and the recent rise to success of the company over the last four.

Creation Industries, while seeking to monopolize distribution and sales of goods in the Heaven's Gate area, has always maintined the same low prices and product quality that made them number one in the first place. Their police forces patrol the streets regularly, keeping down crime in the Blue District, as well as responding to emergency calls from all over the city. While some may complain that with the way CI is headed, Vincent White will soon rule the city like a dictator, not a soul in the city can deny the good that has from the myriad charities, medicare programs, policing actions, and low-income housing options that Creation Industries has made publicly available.

Creation Industries is a main supplier of the following items in Heaven's Gate and the surrounding area: Medical supplies and medicines, medical machinery, prosthetics, factory robotics, automotive parts, chemical substances of all types, and basic human services. CI owns the power company, the city water supply, and one of the local news networks. They provide courier services throughout the city, as well as arranging for similar services with out of town shipments, have established local fire houses throughout the city, and in addition to owning a half dozen hospitals, donates supplies to all others throughout the city, as well as offering medical training for doctors and staff. The CI Learning Institute in the Blue District also provides all the services of a community college to the public. All in all, Creation Industries performs the tasks that one would normally expect of city officials; even going so far as to collect taxes and perform roadwork.

Two years ago, in an attempted coup, the Reclaimation Forces attacked White Tower openly. While losses were suffered on both sides, the Reclaimation Forces were eventually driven back. After this, Vincent White filed a complaint with the FDR, and petitioned for The Free World to be recognized as a nation. The petition has been held up by heated debate in the Federation Congress for the past two years, and the issue has still not yet been resolved; though if The Free World was to be recognized as such, it would make any further attacks by the Reclaimation Forces an act of open war.

The Reclaimation Forces: The Reclaimation Forces are a military organization dispatched by the FDR in order to reintroduce government rule into The Free World. Bit by bit they expand their influence, recapturing lost ground in the name of the nations that lost it. Their methods are often brutal, and they are prepared for conflict if it arises with the local authorities in an area that they have set their sights upon.

Currently, however, they are confined to the Green District by a joint effort of the local organized crime families defending the city interior, and the blockade errected between the Green District and the rest of the city by Creation Industries. Both through firepower and diplomatic relations started up between the FDR Congress and the unofficial leader of Heaven's Gate, Vincent White, the advancement of the Reclaimation Forces into the city has been stopped for the time being.

The current commander of the occupying forces is Colonol Frank Edwards, who was appointed after the court martial of the previous commander, General Seth Grathael; the whereabouts of whom are currently unknown.

Location: Situated on the western coastline in The Free World, Heaven's Gate is separated from Gaia by the Federation of Democratic Republics to the east and south until the end of the land, and then by hundreds of miles of the Justenian Sea. To reach Durem by plane, it would take about a six hour flight.

The surrounding area is mostly flat, with rolling hills moving inland. To the north and northeast there is a forested mountian range. To the south, the beginnings of the badlands.

People: The people of Heaven's Gate, while living in a region without law, are not without order. Though there is no government to dictate rules to them, there are still the morals and ideals that bind society together. Communities pull together tightly and operate under their own rules. Anarchy is hardly a reason for people to commit crimes anymore, as there is no government to rebel against, so for the most part even the criminals are interested in the common good. A local street gang might charge protection money from a neighborhood in exchange for defending their homes and businesses from rival gangs, or a crime lord might sell off the merchandise from a recent warehouse raid at a very low cost, so that all the merchandise is moved and a profit is still turned.

Aside from some of the lowlifes that you could hardly call human, that is what the majority, nearly all, in fact, of the population is. Only recently has CI begun trade relations with Gaia and started attracting attention to itself. A few nonhumans may migrate into the city, but for the most part the population is 100% mundane.

Climate: The weather ranges from hot and humid in the summers to mild snowfall in the winters, with the occasional blizzard. However, for the most part the climate can be described as damp. Warm durring the days, cool durring the nights, and seeming to rain on and off nearly every day. The city is always filled with a fog that rolls in from the coast and mixes with the dirty atmosphere of the city, where the wind can't take it away. Because of that, the city is almost always cloudy and grey.

Outside of the city, however, the wind sweeps away the fog, leaving partly cloudy skies with frequent rainfall, but a generally warm temperature.

Production/Trade: Creation Industries produces nearly all of the exports that the city has. With the surrounding farmland providing the city with food and CI covering many of the consumable needs of the population, Heaven's Gate does not import a great deal of products, other than materials that are refined and then turned into exportable goods.

Resources: There is an abundance of open land outside of the city which has been rationed out to farmers and sharecroppers to ensure that the city population is provided for. As it is on the coastline, fishing vessels set out from the port on a daily basis. And the mountains to the north provide both lumber and stores of minerals just waiting to be mined.

[ Reserved post for something. ]


Okay, it's a room on the thirty-fifth floor of White Tower. Beside the express elevator. There's a divided sex bathroom across the hall. And a water cooler. And desks. If you want I can draw a map, but I don't think it's that necessary unless a fight breaks out in the room or something. St. Andrew has his own office, cuz he's cool, and everyone else shares a big room. The office 'structure' takes up about 1/3 of the 35th floor of the tower.

((How about a layout of the SODs headquarters for that empty reserved post. 3nodding ))

"Why in the hell can't I see him?"

The brunette looked at the blond barring her way into the office with a glare that bordered on absolute hatred, despite having only walked into the foyer ten seconds previously and having exchanged only a single sentence. Her voice was quickly becoming a screech, much like an owl with constipation.

The blond merely sighed and crossed her arms over one another, the visible grip upon her sleeve telling that she was already aggitatied but wasn't about to show it in any more manner then this. "Because, Miss Sayaka. Mr. St. Andrew is busy." Using the leader's name formally to get it through to the showy woman that not everyone would get caught up in the drama.

The glare that Sayaka shot at the blond would have been enough to kill lesser men, but Rosalind said nothing more, just waited for her coworker to leave, her eyesight moving over the small office that the CI S.O.D.s were based out of. It was in between 'grand' missions that Sayaka got cranky and then usually it was left to Rosalind to deal with her since she was 'female' and thus understood her. Like anyone could understand the over the top brunette.

"You know, Miss Rosalind, for coming from the blue district, you sure are uppity when it comes to St. Andrew." Smiling as she spoke, so there was no chance of it being considered insubordination or even harassment, though that was in fact what it was. Everyone knew the two didn't exactly get along but they worked together well enough on the team, it was only when it go personal that it got nasty. And it only got personal in between big missions. It was a danger after all to send Sayaka on a normal one. She liked showing off far too much for that.

From the tips of their perfectly polished boots to the tip of their perfectly coifed heads, they were both professional and perfect. The boots glimmered in light, their clothing pressed. It was only the small things that set apart their personality differences within. The loose cuffs upon Sayaka?s sleeve. The precise and perfect posture of Roasalind. The little things that no matter how elite they both were within their ranks, they were worlds apart otherwise.

"I may be a guttersnipe, Miss Sayaka, but at least I know when to leave St. Andrew alone and deal with my own small and petty problems that don?t concern him. His job is his. 'I' don?t tell him how to assign anyone, let alone myself." Her head cocking to the side and she simply smiled blandly at the other woman, who silently fumed. Rosalind had obviously known exactly what she had wanted to talk to St. Andrew about.

The brunette threw up her hands dramatically and loudly sighed, allowing any of the other members of the S.O.D.s in the outer office to hear. A faintly whispered, ?Here she goes again? could be heard before the full tirade began. "We've been assigned to home base for how many weeks now? How many Rosa, how many? We haven't done anything vaguely interesting in all that time. I've given up hunting, spending time with my family, just to sit in this office all day, awaiting the word from the almighty St. Andrew that the bossman has given us an assignment that is actually something worthy of our skills. Why shouldn't I complain."

Rosalind waited until the little 'Diva' was finished before she calmly explained, her arms uncrossing and standing at her sides. Peering down at the other woman from behind her glasses she began and ended simply. "Because you simply won?t accept any assignment unless it's big enough or grandeous enough to fit in the drama that you think your life deserves is not a reason to ...complain."

Though it was obvious she wanted to use another word, like whine, or b***h. "... to St. Andrew. He has tried giving you other assignments but none of them are worthy of your time. So the rest of us go out and do them. We are paid to do a job and we do it well. " She looked over at the others and nodded formally, acknowledging their existence.

"But we don't always get to pick our assignment. Now go back to your desk, and if he has another one that might fit you, I'm sure he will call you back to his office." Leaving the other woman to fume and stomp back to her desk. They had this same conversation every day and every day, it ended the same way.

The scenery went by fast. Too fast.

Gloved hands revved the handles up a bit further, increasing the already insane speeds he was cruising at. His eyes never veered from the stretch of highway, the black helmet making sure to protect his eyes, and head of course, from the windshear; even if it did clash with the black suit he wore.

A steady beeping sounded off in his right ear, causing him to move one of his hands up to the earpeice there. The amount of balance he maintained on the bike was admirable to say the least.

A crash at these speeds would leave him into an unindetifiable paste, splattered all over. But of course, he didn't seem to mind.

"Hey." His right hand resumed it's place on the right handle, and he moved into the right lane. "Gotcha. Hook me up with the rest of the crew, I'll let 'em know, yo."

The biker continued speeding along, zooming and manuevering through a few other cars and trucks. Ahead, in the distance, a large White Tower slowly came into view.

At this point, the same steady beeping would be heard on every other SOD's PDA (dunno what loadout they have in terms of staying in contact with one another, so feel free to put cell, walktie talkie, magical bean, whatever).

The silver bike zoomed along, getting a helluva lot closer.

Down the block, word soon got to the home of the Urban wolverine's. There was a scramble of men, as they grabbed weapons here or there, leaving a few men behind just in case, and setting out.

Though many did stay in there homes, several gang members prepared, setting some bottles with rags hanging out the top on the tables near the windos, and waiting for the jeeps and such to get close. Three in all, two on the left of the convoy, and one on the right, yet they were a bit ahead of them.

"Surrender now, and face trial!" the man with the loudspeaker continued to shout from down the street. They weren't ready to move into firing range just yet. A sniper could get them from here, or vice versa... though the range was pretty far for conventional close-range firearms, and the angle was bad for the turret to fire on the building from.

The two jeeps revved up their engines, two men jumping off from the backs of them to join the men in the street and the remaining spare man jumping up to man the mounted chaingun in the back, and the man waved his hand in cue, even without giving an order to the men. The eight soldiers in front and the two jeeps moved forewards, the men keeping to the side of the street that the building was on, while the jeeps drove up onto the curb on the opposite side to give the chainguns a better firing radius.

"Resistance will only result in injury or death! Surrender now, criminals!"

It seemed convenient for the Reclaimation forces to forget that the 'criminals' were the only thing keeping this neighborhood safe from real crime.


(( PHS... *cough* ...I mean... cell phone. And GPS locator for the CI satelite, but that doesn't really get in contact with them, just lets HQ know where they are if they're less than 10 feet below ground. ))

"Hut! Hut! Ha-HUT!" Every shout of exertion was accompanied by a dull thud as a fist, an elbow, or a foot struck one of the many punching bags in an otherwise nearly empty room on the 30th floor.

Two strikes. Rafe slammed an elbow into one of the bags, causing it to swing back slightly and rattle the chains which suspended it from the ceiling; with a twist of his body and a step to the side he threw a backhand into the side of the same bag an instant later.

Four strikes. He pivoted on one foot and spun around to face it full on again, letting his back foot touch the ground for only a split second before he pushed off of it again and twisted his entire body to throw the heel of his left hand into the center of the 100 lb bag, which swung back about eighteen inches. Both his hands pulled in towards his chest, and he rolled back onto the heel of his back foot as his knee bent. Then he straightened out and threw his arms forwards with a strike as the bag swung back, using the heels of both hands this time.

"Excuse me, Rafe, si-"

Click.

"...si~r..." the receptionist for the fitness area on the 30th floor nervously took a step back towards the outer room; her knees shaking.

"...yes?" Rafe uncocked the weapon, sliding it back into the back of his pants, with the handle against the small of his back. The punching bag was still swinging back and forth, rattling the chains which held it up. Watching the woman, he crossed the room to a small bench against the wall, where he picked up a towel and began wiping the sweat from his shoulders.

"You... have a call, sir."

"I'll be right out." He picked up his shirt from the bench and pulled it quickly over his head, padding over the tatami mats on the floor towards the light of the doorway in the otherwise dark rom.

"This is your last warning! Surrender peacefully, criminals!" The man hopped down from where he was sitting, getting onto the far side of the tank and using it for cover as he walked along beside it, but into the open yet. The tank hadn't advanced, it still was down the block from the building.

The twelve soldiers, now, that were moving in towards the building did so in teams of four; passing each ally in incriments and keeping their rifles trained on the building, watching for enemy fire and waiting for a signal. The jeeps pulled up in front of the building across the street, and the two mounted chainguns on the back swiveled up to face the buildling.

The man with the loudspeaker waved his hand, and one of the chainguns opened fire; tracing a line of bulletholes along the building between the first and second floor. Warning shots... so far.

"Lack of responce will be taken as a declination of surrender!"

Two figures approached the might Shin--- I mean White, Tower. One, a man, wore a long dark grey overcoat over a white dress shirt, black and grey striped button-up vest, and black suit jacket. Accompanying these items were a pair of black suit pants to go with the jacket, two sturdy, but well polished, black shoes, a pair of leather glothes, and a blood red tie tucked under the vest. He was obviously getting on in years. Rough skin hid behind a grey moustache, and thick, pointy beard running up his jawline and meeting his short grey hair.

And to finish the package?
A very dark grey trilby pulled down and to the right over his head.

This was Durman.

The other, a woman, was considerably under dressed in comparison to her companion. In fact, if they were standing but a few inches farther apart, one would think them two separate parties, with different destinations entirely. Shoulder-length blond hair was tied up loosely behind baby blue eyes. A dark green t-shirt pulled over average breasts, a thin silver necklace, worn blue jeans and a pair of black sneakers was everything else worth noting about her.

Oh, and she had a small gold hoop earring in either ear.

That was Cyr.

~

Their two cell phones then decided to ring in unison. One came out of a coat pocket, the other a pants one, and both were flipped open and pressed to their respective ears. With the same unnerving symmetry they were closed and returned to their pockets. Coincidentally, they'd reached the doors of the place they were meant told to go to almost immediately after the short phone conversation finished.

"Well, after you good lady." Durman stepped over a tad and motioned politely to Cyr.

"Oh shut up." But she entered through the doors nonetheless.