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Rich corporations trying to be even richer; greed politicians trying to get more power; technology advancements providing a more comfortable life; the terrorist threat spreads fear around the western world...
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Donald Trump won the election and is sworn in as President of the United States of America.
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Billionaire investors alliance from Dubai merge three huge pharmaceutical companies to create Egnaver: a massive bio-company devoted to the cause of finding the ultimate solution against cancer.
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A gigantic Chinese corporation (eXangai) acquires Disney and becomes the world largest entertainment group.
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Tesla Motors takes the lead in the automobile market; electrical and solar cars sell twice as fuel cars.
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Series of coordinated terrorist attacks in several different countries, leading to the foundation of the Coalition Anti-Terror, aggregating more than 50 countries with the sole purpose to eradicated ISIS and the fear of terror.
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Tesla Motors starts to absorb great automobile companies (Nissan, Ford, Fiat, Porsche, etc.).
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Egnaver’s stocks skyrocket with the announcement of the cure for cancer: an absurdly expensive medication that fulfill its promise.
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Project “Prime Factor” (a top secret experiment within the coalition) starts experimentation in a pilot group of subjects.
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Trump gets re-elected with the promise to set America free from cancer; a few months later he breaks the patent and all pharmaceutical companies start to sell the drug for lower prices; Egnaver’s stocks plummet.
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“The Executive Team” performs its real first mission (completely unnoticeable), achieving a significant success.
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Production of Hollywood class movies with Chinese actors speaking Mandarin reaches its climax with the pre-production of the blockbuster: “A Newer Hope from China: A Star Wars Story".
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The USA PATRIOTIC Act 2 is proposed and approved, connecting daily regular transactions within retail and commercial’s systems direct to government intelligence; “informal” small business start to flourish in the slams.
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The state of New York begins the movement “Brothers WithOut Arms” enforcing very restrictive “no guns” laws, keeping firearms only for the government agents; be caught with a gun and you will spend at least 1 year in jail; other states start to follow the model.
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The Exec Team continues to succeed in vital missions; coalition’s fame and popularity increases.
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First human crew lands in Mars with the expectation to set up an artificial settlement to live there until they die.
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G20 meeting in London is the target of the worst terrorist attack of all times; almost all the most influential leaders of the world got killed; The Exec Team failed miserable; suspicions of betrayal and corruption get the news.
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The coalition is dismissed; project “Prime Factor” is completely shut down; people involved got under severe investigation and judgment; at the end, captain gets perpetual prison and the other get the “Exile Agreement”.
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Following the end of the coalition, terrorist attacks start to be more frequent and successful; countries failing in stop the attacks (and the fear of terror) by their individual efforts.
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CIA, FBI, and NSA are merged under a single agency director with most of the resources focused on fighting the terror; a couple of months later, the situation does not get any better.
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Dr. Roger Stevens, military scientist, who once was a key person within the coalition is nominated Special Security Advisor reporting directly to the USA’s President.
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Former members of the Exec Team were informally recruited by Dr. Stevens to stop a upcoming terrorist threat in US. After succeeding, their Exile Agreement was revoked and they were accepted as US citizens.
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Then Calamity, the bright red star, rose up into the sky and hundreds of people start to develop super abilities (it was revealed later that project Prime Factor was all based in a little sample of Calamity itself).
The awed public started calling them Epics. Epics are no friends of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man, you must crush his will.
A particular powerful and cruel High Epic called Steelheart turns Chicago in a metal city, becaming the ruler of Newcago. -
The Epics turned completely to evil. Existing government proved absolutely incapable of controlling them, the most powerful of which replaced government authority and enslaved the rest of humanity.
Nobody fights back . . . nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, the Reckoners spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them. -
Steelhart kills David Charleston's father. David survives and pledges vengeance after seeing the High Epic bleeds.
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David joins the Reckoners and they kill Steelheart in Newcago. Later, they go to Babylon Restored, kill Regalia and are able to rescue Limelight from the darkness that was driving him mad/evil.
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The Reckoners' successes (on top of the realization that no new Epics are being "born") inspire and bring hope to humankind who starts to fight back. People in all the world keep helping and supporting the Reckoners (who shift their strategy to focus on High Epics only) and small resistance groups start to hunt and kill Minor Epics.
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The conflict against Epics come to an end with a kind of truce between humankind and the remaining Epics who are still in power, but ruling in a less enslavery way. Great cities start to be rebuilt, infrastructure recovered in main urban centres and even communication is back online again, although it is not global anymore. Basically, in each territory ruled by a High Epic there is internet, phone & radio networks available for the public, but they are all subject to censorship and monitoring.