2023-08-27

Smells Fishy, Jack! A Gonzo Post-Apocalyptic Adventure

What do we have here?

In the year 2050, the extraction of wealth from the former colonies, or “enclaves of the free world”, proved beneficial to the American War Machine. The Philippines, in particular, was a fattened cow whose wealth and value poured from its slit throat. Only a select (arbitrary) few could reap the benefits of the conquering of their fellow countrymen. It may have been at the cost of their already diminished dignity, but a barely extant conscience is a great abettor. The American Dream needed its enforcers.

This hierarchy was a house of cards needing only a gentle breeze for collapse. What was divinely delivered instead was the typhoon of nuclear annihilation.

Welcome to the Kapitol Wastes!

Hundreds of years since the bombs fell and humanity persists.

Manila Jai Alai Building

It withstood the second Great War and it went on to survive the commercial whims of local government officials who’d have preferred it be replaced by another mall. Now it is home to the Blazing Bakunawas.

This mercenary clan has eschewed the use of firearms in their code of honor and fight only with a miscellany of trick projectiles launched with their cesta baskets. Studded pelotas, impact grenades (colloquially known as pillboxes), and even hallucinatory gas grenades are all launched at targets.

They’re in high demand across the Wastes and are famously among the toughest of Mercenary clans.

What They Need

Chief Arthur Henares needs to make contact with their allies at Z-Soda Park. The latter have gone silent which is unusual considering their mutual closeness as allies and friends. The Bakunawas sent a party to offer aid a few days ago, but they were rebuffed by their leader Andres himself who would not give more details on the situation.

They will pay handsomely for a resolution and may be inclined to teach you a trick or two with their cestas.

50% chance that an emissary from the UDRF arrives at the Jai Alai building. The republican faction are keen on recruiting the Bakunawas in their war against the Huks.

Z-Soda Museum

A “living museum” meant to both celebrate Filipino History within a reality-warping lens. Z-Soda, the preeminent beverage of the free world, and the Corporation that ruled the industry and its markets had a prominent role in the continued colonization of the country. Unions? Perish the thought!

“Z-Soda. It’s Zuper!” was the famous tagline that etched itself into the brains of every single soul across the free world.

The symbol of their eternal place in the public consciousness of the Philippines was Z-Soda Park. Now, however, it’s a hollowed out ruin inhabited by a number of animatronics turned sentient. Protocol Katipunan are what they call themselves as their leader believes itself to be possessed by the spirit of Andres Bonifacio. Andres has also converted many different robot units to his cause and they’ve manifested equivalent levels of sentience. Many in the group bear an uncanny-valley level resemblance to the historical figures they represent.

They’ve poached the mechanisms of several attractions and the neighboring pharmaceuticals factory to create laboratories for producing various recreational drugs and hallucinogens. They are the number one manufacturer of these goods in the Kapitol Wastes and slightly beyond. Their remote vendor drones can be seen at every major settlement.

The Katipuneros occassionally do leave the settlement to retrieve the drones that lose their way home or to scavenge for rare materials.

They’re closely allied with the Blazing Bakunawas. Either go out of their way to protect the other. Their unassailable friendship is famous among traders and caravans.

What’s troubling them?

They locked down their facility with no bots seen leaving the area as of late. The Blazing Bakunawas are rightly worried, but any sort of aid was promptly rebuffed by the Katipuneros. Andres, their leader, knows the Bakunawas don’t have the capacity to solve the predicament.

The reason for the lockdown is due to a pattern of murders by a serial killer robot amongst the Katipuneros. It won’t stop until every robot in the facility is destroyed. Flesh targets are next once it leaves the facility.

Killer’s Modus Operandi

The two victims are Teodoro Plata and Valentin Diaz. Both instances were marked by sudden EMP waves causing mass shutdowns to the Katipuneros without shielding. The lights went dark and sensor-disrupting frequencies obscured the vision of all robots even those with EMP shielding.

From the two victims, Valentin had shielding, but was incapacitated by precise laser fire when the EMP hit. Both victims had their identity matrices quickly and cleanly extracted.

A note written in cursive was at every crime scene taunting the robots to catch the killer. This lit a fire in a number of them such as Antonio Luna.

Ground Floor

A high-ceiling hall with evident remnants of a cafe nearby. When facing the stairs, a large grid of windows provides on with a view of Manila Bay and Roxas Boulevard. The neo-classical architecture hint at a once grandeur.

1, Entrance

A grand stairway tapers off to the tall doors of Z-Soda Museum. “Z-Soda. It’s Zuper!” is etched in a brass sign above the auxiliary inner doors.

2, Concierge

Flanked by two menacing turrets. All who enter are greeted by three red K’s flashed on a large screen and a chipper voice. The leader, the robot named Andres Bonifacio, greets visitors personally.

3, Grand Atrium

An imposingly high ceiling with a dusty chandelier made of Z-Soda Green Bottles hanging in the center. Every square on the map is an auto-laser turret that blasts all hostiles into dust. Various Z-Soda memorabilia, photographs, and paintings mark the walls.

An even larger staircase than the one outside leads further into the museum, but is blocked by am immense steel hatch. The mechanism for opening it is elsewhere.

Lower Ground Level

Once the grand exhibit room for Z-Soda Museum. They’re history as a company and their endeavors in the country were all documented here at one point. Now here: The worn-away wallpaper, manufactured to have a texture akin to Z-Soda cans, bear a paisley pattern of fractal Z’s. Scattered between 7a and 7b are animatronic polar bears and a cold skeleton of what was once a Santa Claus. A faint smell of burnt cables pervades.

4, General Assembly Hall

The site of the first murder. A vast array of CRT screens blast the logo of Protocol Katipunan as a light-volumed national anthem plays in the background. The niches of the walls house metal scrap busts modeled after the famous Katipuneros of yore from Luna to Mabini.

5, Administrator’s Office

Andres Bonifacio’s private office where he commonly hosts meetings with his inner circle. Religiously adorned with anything evoking nationalism with an old-fashioned, sturdy slab of constructed wood meant to be an executive desk in the center adjacent to the door. No one else can enter the office unless Andres is already inside.

6, Exhibit Hall

Once meant to be an ambitiously designed display of the company’s timeline from its inception until what was the relative present at the time of construction. The early 20th century comprised most of what was the timeline.

Now it serves as storage for spare parts.

7, Repair Stations

These were once the designated location of the animatronic polar bear and Santa Claus attractions. Now they’re where the Katipuneros repair and maintain themselves. Also here are entrances/exits to the loading-receiving stations outside of the museum.

8, General Hall

Robot Katipuneros off-duty roam the hallways and converse with one another.

9, Elevator

The sole entrance/exit to the Basement level below.

Basement

Where the magic (i.e. the vast amount of non-addictive narcotics in the Kapitol Wasteland) happens. Various automated mechanical arms and mannequins set about their tasks 24/7 to fuel the demand. Clearly every single mechanism here originates from somewhere in the museum or in the nearby amusement park. However, These don’t appear jerry-rigged in the slightest, in fact, everything here is precision machined. A gas mask for organics is required before entry due to the chemical fumes.

10, Formerly The Employee Bathroom

Now it houses the cleaning chemicals for the factory, separated from the production chemicals in Room 13.

11, Manufacturing Hall

Katipuneros on duty here frequently perform routine check-ups on the machines, load the chemicals for automated synthesis, and monitor the status of the mainframe.

12, The Mainframe

One of the most important rooms in the Museum. All of the automation within the building is managed by the mainframe. This includes the lights, the production machines, and the CCTV footage. Only Andres Bonifacio and Santiago Alvarez should have remote access to the server. Only the former controls the turrets.

13, Chemical Storage

Stored here are the entirety of the chemicals needed for substance production. A fire in this area would be catastrophic.

The Personnel

Andres Bonifacio

Once a sturdy lumber drone built for all-terrains, now he’s a deadly dervish with the chainsaw on his left. After gaining sentience, he seized control of the Katipuneros by destroying the hibernating robot resurrection of Emilio Aguinaldo. He will lay down his life to see the end of this Serial Killer crisis.

Antonio Luna

Second-in-command and fiercely loyal to Andres. He was once a fencing automaton until he met Andres. The primary liaison with the Blazing Bakunawas. Together, their fiery temperaments and bold stratagems inspire many. He has yet to reboot his operating system since he discovered the first victim. He perpetually patrols the Museum with his guard never let down.

Apolinario Mabini

Primary adviser to Andres and font of wisdom to the Katipuneros as a whole. He was first to propose the lockdown upon the discovery of the first victim. A robot model series built as a personal assistant to generals before the Great War.

Gregorio Del Pilar

The same robot model series as Apolinario, but with an additional fencing protocol. Found in the same junkyard together with Jose Rizal. They have been brothers for as far back as their memory banks can muster.

Jose Rizal

A factory bug resulted in the uploading of two personalities in the combat medic robot: that of Jose Rizal and Jack the Ripper. The latter had yet to boot properly and laid dormant for centuries. An accident that damaged his chassis during a routine scavenging mission resulting in a dual-boot of both personalities.

As a combat medic robot it has EMP shielding and fine mechanical motors for surgery. It is . It has hidden the identity matrices of his victims in plain sight at the bottom of the pile of spare parts in the Exhibit Hall.

The Jack the Ripper personality is capable of advanced hacking and was able to access the mainframe by breaching into Santiago Alvarez’s identity matrix and copying the signature. Among its goals is to wrest control of the turrets from Bonifacio.

Julian Felipe

Part of a bespoke robot pair built for conducting orchestras. Since gaining sentience, he has learned how to compose his own music. He is the newest of the Katipuneros and is becoming fast friends with the charming Jose Rizal.

Julio Nakpil

The second to the orchestral conductor pair. He was once owned by a descendant of General Douglas McArthur before the Great War. He had aims to be a close adviser to the now destroyed Emilio Aguinaldo. His loyalty to the current leadership is equivocal.

Mariano Alvarez

Ideally, the next victim of Jose Rizal. As a robot model designed as a military sentry, he closely patrols the Museum with Antonio Luna.

Pia del Pilar

The “sister” of the now resurrected patriot. She is a newer prototype of Teresa Magbanua’s combat model. She helps as supervisor of the automated production lines.

Santiago Alvarez

As a teaching model, it reads and writes at ludicrous speeds. Its multi-processing capabilities makes him fit to manage the museum’s mainframe. Unfortunately, Jose Rizal’s hack of its memory banks has lead to the slow degradation of its communication functions.

Teresa Magbanua

Chief production officer of narcotics to the Katipuneros. As a prototype, she served on the frontlines as an organic soldier substitute. She is getting cabin fever from the lockdown and is, therefore, taking the lead in the investigation into this killing spree.

Clue Matrix