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| Earth 2050, citys stretch miles into the country- side and public transport is tunneled deep underground. Goverment is carryed out by central computer which has full powers over food, health and enforcement. Only 10% of the population work as most tasks are carryed out by cloned migrant labour from the third world. Synthetic food is plentiful but meat and fish is expensive as is transport, housing and education. Using holophones it is possible to be in direct contact with anyone else on earth, the floating space citys that orbit it or the colonys on the moon. Travel is done on earth by hovertrain, jetcruiser or searail. Global warming has turned parts of souther europe into desert ans causes regular flooding to norther areas as the glaciars melt. All private transport that produces polution is baned except for the very rich who also have access to genetic drugs and replacement surgery and so live longer than the average person. There is overcrowding and few occupations and a great deal of crime making the streets of every major city a virtual no go area after dark. All citys have a curfew in force which is ignored by the people who live on the streets and the gangs who roam on jetcycles looking foe kicks or any highriser stupid enough to venture outside ay night. The police force is small, low payed and overworked so a termination order 001 was passed on all violent crimes making them punishable by death. The most popular digital shows offer huge amounts of vertual creadits or even emigration to the orbiting citys. During a secret meeting of the city heads termination order 002 was agreed. This order was for the mass elimination of all street people and criminals in each city by leathal air borne vapour to be carryed out by the army. All government officials, emergency personel and highrisers were to be evacuated to holding areas in the countryside on the pretence of a food and water health scare a week befor the programme was to be implemented. Because of the outcry order 002 would cause from minority groups it was also decided to put it on hold to see whether a new executive which had just been formed would work. Special North Atlantic Patrol would be sent into areas to deal with gangs, criminals and street dwellers. They were to be given special training in unarmed combat, fitness and the use in all the latest weapons, stun rods, plasma guns and atom disruptors. Obviously the members of the force could have no ties to the people of the citys and so it was decided to recruit from the desendents of the colonists on the moon who worked in huge underground mines. As there lives were short and they were uneducated and poor it was thought they would be easy to control, prefering not to be sent back to the mines if they steped out of line. To protect the identity of the members of snap it was decided to give them a number and a code reference, the first batch being coded Alfa and to save money all subsequent batchs would be farmed out to private contractors. |