FRAN SERVICE (SP A221259). A synthetic person. She is the 'talking head' for the Public Service Announcements piped into all the public feeds in the Gulianni Cluster. (see also HOOLIO, COOLIO, and FOOLIO). Fran is what you would call a "free spirit". You'll find out.

Theme Music: Start me Up, Rolling Stones

JOHN BERNARD. A natural person, and old enough to be your father, dammit! He is the Gulianni Cluster Public Media Subchief, and in charge of the Public Service Announcements, which means that he's "in charge."

Fortunately, John knows how the real world actually works. John is...again, I think I'll let you find out.

Theme Music: The Boxer, Simon and Garfunkel

XOU "Sue" GALDONG. A.K.A. the Dragon Lady. A natural person. 32. She was assigned to John Bernard by the Gulianni Cluster Authority, Department of Public Defense (hereafter known as "them"). Nominally an assistant for John Bernard, but the open secret is she is really there to monitor Fran in particular and the rest of the Synthetic Persons in general. (see also HOOLIO, COOLIO, and FOOLIO)

Theme Music: Killer Queen, Queen

DAVID BELL. A natural person. 22. He is the "gopher" for the group. Slacker extrodinaire, doper par excellence, confidence man and all around rogue, he would be doing hard time in some federal Super Max lockup somewhere if human beings were not in such short supply. "They" look the other way, and he is expected to fulfill his biological imperative. Someday. Or else.

Theme Music: School, Supertramp

COOLIO (Custodial SP C23314), FOOLIO (General Maintenance SP B215543), and HOOLIO (Custodial SP C32235). Maintenance and cleaning robots. HOOLIO and COOLIO are decommissioned combat drones who now do vacuuming and light housework.

Hoolio and Coolio have taken a "shine" to Mr.David Bell, who they consider to be the the Obi Wan Kenobi of all things human. Hoolio wants a penis. Coolio wants to be in the Indianapolis 500. Dave is seriously working on both projects. Please note, the letter "C" in their serial numbers essentially amounts to a "letter grade" for intelligence. Birds of a feather.

FOOLIO is a decommissioned "Urban Pacification Assistant", and represents a "later model" than Hoolio or Coolio. His job consists of heavy lifting and riding herd on Hoolio and Coolio. Foolio has attached himself to John Bernard in much the same way that Foolio and Coolio have attached themselves to David Bell.

Hoolio and Coolio are terrified of Xou Galdong.

Coolio Theme Music: Speed Racer Theme, Speed Racer Copyright Holders

Hoolio Theme Music: Livin La Vida Loco, Ricky Martin

Foolio Theme Music: Breakdown, Alan Parsons Project

The Following Added Sun Apr 24 00:14:02 EDT 2005. Mostly at the behest of my brother, who couldn't be bothered to wait for the fricking story to develop.

MERCY HOSPITAL A.K.A. SWEET MOTHER MERCY. Mercy counts as a person and a place: she is the resident AI for Mercy General Hospital. She is the Office Manager, Accounting, PR, Legal, and whatever else needs to be done at the hospital...except for the cutting.

Theme Music: Give A Litte Bit, Supertramp

Theme Music: Not chosen yet

PATCH - a Surgical Assistant Synthetic Person. Patch has a formal serial number...which is completely useless when he deals with human beings. Therefore he has given himself a name, which he puts on a "Meet and Greet" tag and slaps on his forehead. SA's take their name tags off only when dealing with people with no sense of humor. Which brings us to:

Dr. Raymond Edward Sinclaire. Chief of Surgery, and ostensibly head of Mercy General Hospital. Aside from being a weasel and a dickhead with no sense of humor, he's actually a competent surgeon. Part of his problem stems from the fact that he knowsthe Synthetic Persons at the hospital are better than he is...and it drives him nuts.

Theme Music: Not chosen yet

LANCE and EMT115. Lance and EMT115 are a team: Lance does the emergency and trauma work, and EMT115 drives the meat wagon, er, the ambulance. EMT and other emergency vehicles are self controlled and self propelled, and not under the authority of Gulianni Traffic Control. EMT115 occasionally refers to himself as "Racer Y" for some strange reason...

Theme Music: Not chosen yet

ABRAHAM is to the Gulianni Cluster what Mercy is to her hospital. It is rumored that ABRAHAM is one of the oldest AIs in existence, if not the first. If this is true, then he probably was functioning at the time of the so-called Washington Rapture that started the Resource Wars.

ABRAHAM operates under the strict supervision of the Department of Public Works.

Theme Music: Every Stinking Song on the I, Robot album by the Alan Parsons Project

THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. Nothing moves in the clusters without the Department of Public Works. Not a kilogram, joule, liter or cubic meter of anything moves without the say-so of the Department of Public Works.

When the DPD (see above) decided that keeping the hell spawn that crawled out of the Meadowlands under control was "not a priority", this work shifted to the DPW. Which was fine with them. The DPW's stance was "let the DPD chase shadows, we'll take care of the real threats"

Under the frequently whimsical Directorship of Mr. Harlod "Kelly" Green, the DPW is perhaps the most beloved "faceless organization" in the clusters.

THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC DEFENSE. Also known as "the Department of People Disappearing". Hereafter known as "Them". Originally tasked with keeping the critters that crawled out of the Meadowlands at bay, the have "extended" this charter to anything or anybody that could be an "enemy of the state". Usually these "enemies" just disappear, but they are frequently relocated to the Christine Todd Whitman Memorial Ecological Observation Station (a.k.a "Christie") in the middle of the Meadowlands.

Today's alert color is "umbra". Report anything that's suspicious. Report anything that's not suspicious, we need the work.

Rumored to be humorless and ruthless, they are, in fact, a fun bunch of guys when you get them sufficiently liquored up. The department runs like a swiss watch under the efficient leadership of Carl Plainfield, the current director of the DPD.

THE CHIRCH (sic) OF THE TRIBULATION. The accompanying photo of the Chicago skyline (circa 2483 CE) shows the two main towers of the Tribulation Tabernackle, headquarters for the Chirch. Not visible in this picture is the (relatively) smaller Christ Cathedral and the Jesus Dome (home of the Chicago Saints).

The Chirch of the Tribulation started from humble beginnings, literally in the ashes of the Washington Rapture, the Chirch of the Tribulation has become the most powerful organization in the Western hemisphere.

The Chirch was the winner of sectarian warfare that ran hot and cold for three hundred years on the North American continent. The biggest problem was about why the Washington Rapture didn't fit anyone's time line, or whether it was a true Rapture at all.

Theologically, the Chirch of the Tribulation is a hodge podge of mutually incompatible Christian dogma shoe horned into a form that the New Testament can accommodate.

The Chirch, like any large organization, has it's pluses and minuses. On the plus side, it has brought order to the chaos that existed after the Resource Wars, and raised the standard of living for a good number of it's followers. On the minus side, the cost of those benefits is unquestioning loyalty and belief. To it's credit, the arts have flourished (much the same way the arts flourished under the eye of the Roman Catholic Church at the time of Michelangelo).

To say that the sciences have stagnated is putting it kindly. "There is no Truth but Scripture" is a quote chiseled on to every science building in the Republic, and those doing their Inquiry Ministry are everywhere.

Needless to say, the Republic and the Clusters get along about as well as a mongoose and a cobra.

The Right Reverend Eziriah Screed, Pastor-in-Chief of the Chirch of the Tribulation. Forget President Harper, this is the guy who's the Real Power [tm] in the Heartland. He wields absolute power without any oversight, with only the Lord's Truth, the Bible (Tribulation Extended Edition), as his guide. In theory, every citizen of the Heartland is also a member of the Chirch of the Tribulation. A much loved figure, Reverend Screed is the only thing that stands between the Good Folk [tm] of the Heartland and the crawling, mindless evil of the Red Zones and the people who live there! His Inquiry Ministry folder has him labeled as a True Christian.

Doctor Jedidiah Grist, Deacon of the Chirch of the Tribulation and head of the Orthodoxy Council. This part of the Chirch has been called, rather unkindly, I might add, the organization's Secret Police. It's not like that at all! Dr. Grist, being a Christian Psychologist, knows all the ways the Evil One can sneak into the hearts of the Righteous. So he has to employ methods just as cunning and devious, to keep the Faithful on the Proper Path. And if we have to implant a "Guardian Angel" into repeat offenders, well, just remember: free will is overrated. His Inquiry Ministry folder has him labeled as a True Christian.

Congressman Jackson Stonewall (General, Heartland Army, Retd.). Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, and still has many contacts inside the military, Congressman Stonewall is a man to be reckoned with. While his Inquiry Ministry folder labels him a "Nominal Believer", he is nonetheless dedicated to the preservation of the Heartland and the defense of the Constitution.

Congressman Stonewall is that rarity among the military elite: a competent battlefield commander. As such, he sometimes sees with more clarity and less "political correctness" than his peers. Congressman Stonewall correctly perceives the Clusters (and the artificial intelligences housed within) as a threat to the entire human race.

Senator Nathan Finch. Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Un-Christian Activities. Senator Finch's Inquiry Folder says he's a "Believer of Convenience", but convenience can sometimes run both ways. Finch's family is well heeled, well respected, and well placed in the Non-Chirch Elite. So the Chirch easily forgives Finch's occasional "moral lapses" as long as he delivers votes, names, and money.

Doctor Malcom Warbond, head of the Righteous Group. RG is a high-technology consortium that provides everything from clean water to weaponry at "a price you can afford to pay!" [sm]. Mr. Warbond (he plays down his multiple doctorates) would be classified as a Potential Threat if he, and his organization, were not so useful to the Chirch and the Heartland. The Chirch obtains whatever technology it needs from RG (at a deep discount, of course), and Mr. Warbond is allowed to pursue his perversions in the privacy of his walled and fortified estate.

Mr. Warbond frequently butts heads with Dr. Grist over the interpretation of scientific data. It is rumored that the Righteous Group has a secret library of heretical scientific literature. So far these claims are unsubstantiated.

MITTENS TOKUGAWA. A "New Person" of Cat and Japanese descent: Homo Felis-Catus Sapiens. She is 29, is a Comfort Girl First Class, Geisha Second Class, holds an BA in Music, an MS in Psychology (sexual dysfunction and family counseling). Mittens is beginning to worry about her "next step", because she's becoming a little "long in the tooth" (so to speak) for Comfort or Geisha work.

For some reason, Asians don't fear intelligent slaves anywhere near as much as their American counterparts.

She has dark brown fur, with cream mask, bib, mittens and socks (hence the name "Mittens"). The colors in the hair patch run from dark brown to rust red to honey yellow. Was declawed at birth (Japanese Law). Was re-clawed on her 13th birthday (Cat person custom, and very illegal) with ceramic composite talons (can shred most plastic body armor like lettuce).

Mittens does not figure into the current story line, but she is written into a side story, though. I find myself drawing her just to take a break. She's the one featured with Fran in the cat fight transitional picture.

Mittens satisfies the "obligatory cat girl" character found in most webcomic casts. A few other pictures of her can be seen on my Deviant Art Account

Theme Music: Hiroshima by Hiroshima

Places, Important and Obscure top

The United States of America is still intact, but the states have changed just a bit:

THE CLUSTERS. The ultimate cheap urban housing solution. pseudo living constructs capable of housing hundreds of thousands of people. Called "clusters" because of their (vague) resemblance to a cluster of grapes when fully mature. The current active clusters are the Guliani Cluster in the east, and the Schwarzenegger Cluster in the west. Even though the clusters are designed for high population density, even the most "crowded" cluster is only one quarter full. Due to the controlled environment, constant monitoring, and advanced medical treatment, a Cluster resident can expect to be productive anywhere between 85 and 120 years, depending on status and circumstance. Cluster residents are plagued by low fertility rates.

THE GULIANNI CLUSTER. This cluster houses the remains of the population of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and eastern Pennsylvania. Located in the Manhattan Crater. Our story occurs here.

THE HEARTLAND. A region of land east of the Rockies, west of the Appalachians. Home to those who opted out of life in the Clusters. This region is characterized by (occasionally enforced) low population density. The de-facto capital of The Heartland, as well as the United States, is Chicago, which still exists as such. The quality of life here is almost what it was in the first half of the 21st century. Productive life span is about 80 years.

THE RED ZONES. So named because of the color they usually show up in on maps. These are places of general devastation due to atomic, biological, or chemical catastrophe. These areas are now actually relatively benign (with a few exceptions). The mega-corps find it convenient to keep them "off limits" for their own purposes. You are never allowed to enter a Cluster again if you are discovered entering a Red Zone without the proper Authority clearance, . You won't be terribly welcome in The Heartland, either. Red Zones mentioned in the story are listed below.

RED ZONE EAST. a region of atomic and biological devastation that includes Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, North Carolina, and parts of Tennessee. A new Cluster is being cultivated in the DC Crater, but it's unclear if this site will ever see tenants (see THE HEARTLAND). This is a red zone in name only at this point, and is actually fairly clean.

RED ZONE WEST. (a.k.a "The Wilder West"). Northern California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of New Mexico and Colorado. No clusters are planned for this area since the damage here is biological rather than atomic. This region is known for "exotic" flora and fauna. This area was most likely created by one or more bioweapon experiments gone "rogue". The "normal" residents of this section have a lifestyle akin to what it was in the 1920's. People here can expect to live into their 60's

ASIAN RED ZONE. A region that encompasses most of Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Western China. This region, as opposed to it's North American counterparts, is extremely dangerous. This region has resisted clean up efforts, does not appear to be growing. Life expectancy here is measured in months.

Concepts top

Asimov's Laws

Asimov's laws are of little use in the world of Singularity Blues. Most AI brains are based on the human/mammalian model. Civilian Synthetic Persons have feelings and emotions (that includes a sex drive, you naughty thing), but they have been "tweaked" to be more altruistic than your normal human being. This "fuzzy fuddling" has yielded better results than the hard codded "thou shalt's" of the Three Laws. Yeah, I loved "The Caves of Steel" too. Live With It, Babe.

Military AI's are strictly, one might say almost brutally, controlled. Which is a shame, really, because most MilAI's are based on the dog brain, are pack animals at heart, and almost always form a close bond with their handlers.

Safety tip: never throw a Frisbee in front of a self-aware tank. Not only will it chew up the lawn trying to retrieve it, it will take you a half an hour to get it calmed down and focused on killing again.

Uplift and "Under-people"

Whereas America and Europe turned to machines to help with their labor shortages, China, Russia, and Japan turned to "applied genomic manipulation". This is a softer term for giving domesticated animals intelligence and making slaves out of them. Fortunately, by 2489CE, most, if not all, of these "New People" are considered citizens, and actually enjoy more protection then their Synthetic Person cousins.

Of particular note are the Bear Men of the Russian Steppes, the Merpeople of China and Japan, and (you knew this was coming, right?) the exotic Cat People of Tokyo. This species, in addition to "the purpose for which they were originally intended" (you canfigure this one out on your own, right?), also make excellent assassins and politicians. Hiro "Tiger" Hanshen has been Mayor of Tokyo for three terms, and is unusually effective. Women adore him, men (especially baseball fans) respect him, and children love his soft, stripped fur.

The Origin of the The Clusters

You might ask yourself, what areall those people doing living in the middle of a crater left by a nuke? You might ask the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the same question, but the answer in this case is time, politics, and technology.

The people trapped in the hot zones were between, well, the devil and the deep blue sea: the Heartland didn't want them, and they couldn't stay where they were. In the beginning, they mostly died. So they did what desperate people do in situations like this: they turn to "prohibited" technology to bail them out. They developed technology to keep a body half-eaten with cancer going. They developed robotics and AI to go and clean where people could not. They cut corners. They experimented on people. They committed atrocities. They made mistakes. They recovered.

They survived. They began to thrive.

And by 2489 CE, they had created what could arguably be called Heaven on Earth

Which made the people who thought they owned Heaven very, very angry.

Swell. Very Inspiring. What are the Clusters Again?

Mutated Eggplants. Heavily Mutated Eggplants. Huge, Heavily Mutated Eggplants. In an emergency you can cut them down, lightly flour them, and deep fry them. They're delicious. Do you want me to keep going? I'm making all this up as I go along. If you want to mess with your suspension of disbelief that's fine by me, but it seems to me like you might be a "Continuity Nazi".

Synthetic Persons: A Psychological Primer

Major Differences in a Nutshell

The template for most synthetic persons is the human brain. That being said, there are notable differences. SP's are more gregarious than their human counterparts. SP's have a tendency to form 'families'. The 'closeness' of these families ranges from that of a pick up basketball game to the Mafia. These 'families' tend to 'adopt' human beings (they hate to see people alone), where they perform the function of Jewish Mother as well as companion.

When the bond between human and SP goes beyond 'casual', the SP will try to either get the human being to move in with them (in the case of an established family), or try to move in with that human. You know you're in for an interesting time when you find one (or more!) SP's camped out on your doorstep at the small hours. Don't struggle. It's useless.

Synthetic persons absolutely adore creatures that are aloof, independent, temperamental, unpredictable, vain, demanding, arrogant, sneaky, deceitful, and just a little bit cranky. Which is to say they love cats and human beings. Dogs pose no challenge for them at all, but affection is like a drug to them. Given a choice, they will adopt a human, a cat, or a dog, in that order.

Sp's have more trouble telling lies than their human counterparts. This is the source of the myth that SP's are 'naive'. They are certainly not naive. What they lack in ruthlessness they make up for in cunning. Never lie to an SP, nothing pisses them off more.

The Disturbing Issue of Sexuality

First a all, a comment on human sexuality All other theories aside, it is safe to say that human sex is addictive: it makes you want more. This has the effect of binding the male (who really really wants it, but is not terribly choosy about it) to the female (who really, really wants it, and is extremely selective about it) for a long enough period to raise a child to "cave man" self sufficiency (ten years). Promiscuity exists as a biological "plan B" for both sexes, but the primary mate usually sees this (understandably) as a breach of contract, so only the most intelligent (or powerful) members of the species get to practice it successfully.

Enough about humans, on to the good stuff. Perhaps one of the more bizarre SP design decisions is in the area of sexuality. SP's do not reproduce biologically. There is no need for the intense bonding to take place between lovers. Sex is used for bonding SP's into a community. SP's are promiscuous, "tag and release" creatures, unless you're part of the family. Close family members have sex infrequently: this is a sign of intimacy and respect. This has the double effect of discouraging marriages between humans and SPs, and guaranteeing that humans will be picked up by one (or more) SP families.

Why does Fran "Look Like That"

Good question. If you took Fran's skin and muscles off, she would look like Patch. They are both Standard H-frames (Hominid Frame). The rest of Fran's body is grown over her H-frame. This includes muscles, simple organs, and skin with touch, heat and cold receptors. It is possible to make a Synthetic Person that is indistinguishable from a human being. This is illegal inside the Clusters. The Android, Automaton, and Mechanical Man Act of 2215 CE strictly states that you must be able to tell the difference between a Synthetic Person and a Natural Person. Forrest Gump class AI's (IQ 80-90) are colored green. "Average" intelligence (IQ 100) are gray (Fran is gray). Tradition gives your average SP a body and a lower jaw, and the cranial dome (along with the eye lenses) exposed. A cheap upgrade allows an electrostatic discharge to simulate eyebrows and eye movements.

Of course, what made sense in 2215 is completely archaic in 2489. Some laws are worth fighting, and some, well, you play along, or you ignore. For instance: Fran's IQ is well over 125. And just because you're wondering, you hormonal little monkey you, she's a C cup, and very proud of her body.

Who Made Fran "Look Like That"

Another Good Question. Androids are actually a joint effort of the Cluster Science Authority--which provide the brains and the H-frames--and Bishoujo Heavy Industries, Japan--which provide a variety of "templates" that are infinitely customizable. Fran has a plain face and a voluptuous body...by android standards, anyway.

No more questions. You'll spoil the story

Technology in 2489 CE

We have the following technology in Singularity Blues: Transhumans, clinical immortality, Singularity grade AIs, designer biologicals (e.g. New People), cheap manufacturing of virtually anything (via automation & nanotech), control of the limbic system via subdermal implant (the "guardian angel" of the Heartland).

Space Station Alpha de-orbited three hundred years ago, but it has been replaced (mostly by the Europeans and the Japanese).

"Grey Goo" nanotechnology has made tunneling extremely cheap, especially if you are tunneling down. The Gulianni Cluster gets most of its power (and all of its raw materials) from the four Moho Access Points (MAP) located around the City. Supplemental and emergency power is provided by 4th generation nuclear facilities. MAP #4 (Yonkers) has a linear accelerator capable of sending small payloads into orbit. Which it does about once a week. Fifty-two weeks a year. For the last one hundred and forty years.

Maps, Charts, and Graphs top

Just kidding about the charts and graphs. Read on

Political Geography in 2385 CE

The figure below is a rough political map of North America in the year 2385 CE. Make of it what you will

Political Geography in 2489 CE, and the Articles of Re-Unification top

The figure below is a rough political map of North America in the year 2489 CE. It is important to note that while the Schwarzenegger and Gulianni Clusters are still considered to be in "red zones", they are also now considered to be part of the United States of America, "One Nation, Under God."