Level 4

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Venatus Vinco
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Level 4

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LEVEL FOUR
Level 4 is a study in contrasts. The projection of power and stability are key propaganda messages for the Coalition States. Thus, the first impression when leaving gate security is overwhelming. The Highway of Heroes - a long, well lit, perfectly maintained, boulevard with wide walkways and an overhead monorail - proceeds directly from the gate to the gleaming Central Spire. The highway is adorned with CS banners and giant video screens projecting images of prosperity and strength. High end shops, restaurants, and hotels line the highway and are easily accessible by walkway and monorail. The monorail route is designed to show the best view of the city. The overall message is clear, live here and the best humanity has to offer is yours.

However, as soon as you step behind the facade of the highway of heroes the seedy underbelly of Level Four begins to become apparent. The entire rest of the level is a jammed packed sea of humanity. The narrow streets are crammed with shops and store fronts with overcrowded state issued apartments above them. Unlike the grand boulevard and central spire, where the the ceiling is open all the way up to level six (328', 100m), the ceilings are lower (164', 50m) and the full of exposed piping and conduits that service the level above. This is the home of City Rats, cyber-clinics, bargain stores, pawnshops, and the Black Market. The area is as corrupt and dangerous as the 'Burbs. This is a place of shattered dreams.

Level Size: 1.2 square miles (3.14 square kilometres)
Population: 260,000
  • 160,000 Registered Citizens
  • 16,000 Registered Psychics, Mutants, and other undesirables
  • 80,000 transients (out of state visitors, off-duty military, traders, etc.)
  • 4,000 Undocumented illegals
Below Poverty Level: 80%
Education: Minimal
Hospitals and Clinics:
  • 1 State Hospital
  • 10 District Medical Centres
  • Unknown number of illegal chop-shops
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Re: Level 4

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GETTING INTO THE MEGACITY
Level Four is the primary public entry into Chi-Town, all ground visitors doing business in the fortress city must pass through the Level Four Main Gate. Reaching the gate requires using the exterior access road, called the Joseph Prosek I Memorial Highway, which starts at the base of the fortress city and winds around the inside of the outer wall of levels one through three. The Joseph Prosek I Memorial Highway is wide and can handle significant vehicle traffic including most CS military vehicles. The right two lanes move up, while the inner two lanes move down. The exits for the outer lanes cross over the inner lanes, though most exits are for specially certified haulers or military vehicles. There are four exits leading into the main gate of Level Four, mostly to facilitate the movement of the volume of traffic. It also has separate pedestrian walkways and elevators for visitors arriving on foot. Security is extremely heavy with cameras and military manned “murder holes” watching over the entire route.

Non-military Coalition Citizens can use the Hyperloop rapid transit system built into the wall to wind up the access road extremely quickly. Citizens returning by Hyperloop are deposited at the L4 Transit Terminal and benefit from an express security check before transferring to internal transportation.
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Re: Level 4

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LEVEL FOUR DISTRICTS
The level has 12 districts. The Gate District, The Central Core, and 10 districts surrounding the central core.

Gate District

Core Core

District 1 - L4 Free Market District
This large open air market district is full of one off shops, fly-by-night merchants, and larger collectives of permanent and transient shops. It is adjacent to the Red-Light District and which side of the District line you are on determines a lot about how nice the hotels, motels, and boarding houses are. The older pre established businesses tend to have their families living over them, but otherwise few “live” on Level Four outside of the slums. The name is a play on the level and its original name, the Chi-Town Free Market.

District 2 - Emperor's Square
Another densely packed housing district. Emperor's Square does boast some of the oldest residences, and long standing families, on Level 4. The area is known for its loyalty to the Coalition and staunch military support. Many families have children serving in the military and retired veterans living in the neighbourhood. Concerned Veterans Groups often patrol the streets and usually know someone from their past service they can call to either bring in the ISS quickly, or settle the score the old fashioned way.

District 3

District 4

District 5 - Garment District
One of the main industries on level four is the production of clothing for consumption by the CS military and citizens. Huge garment factories and warehouses populate the area producing uniforms for the military. Smaller factories and facilities produce everything from basic utility clothes to designer fashions that are all the rage on level twenty-two.

This district can be accessed from Level One via high security elevators. The elevators are used to move raw goods for the garment factories coming from other CS States, mainly CS Iowa. It also moves non-citizen day laborers from the 'Burbs to work in the factories. Those riding the are usually subjected to intensive body scans and random strip search. Ironically, the rigorous security also helps keep the workers in good health, since the gate guards will use IRMSS and RMKs to treat any illnesses or disease so they don't spread into the city.

While the uniform factories are modern and clean, employing only human CS citizens, other manufactures do what it takes to increase profit margins. Some will employ non-citizens and d-bees for minuscule wages in order to pocket a few extra credits on each piece of merchandise. Ironically, many of the most expensive fashions worn in the CS are made in these d-bee staffed sweat-shops.

District 6 - Waste Management
Level Four is home to one of the most important functions of the fortress city: waste management. Refuse, garbage and sewage from all other levels pass through various waste management facilities on this level. Everything consumed in the city is picked over for recycling or reuse. Thus, large plants are dedicated to organic composting, sewage treatment and chemical recovery, recycling and incineration.

The plants themselves provide a myriad of well-paying technical jobs, but also have their share of scrub work such as sorting, transportation, and collection. Although not very glamorous the function is important to the smooth operation of the city and thus it is frequently inspected by CS officials and the facilities are patrolled and protected by the ISS.

Of course, despite the best efforts of the air scrubbers, these facilities produce a pervasive stench that hangs in the air throughout level four. Additionally, accidents, broken pipes, and backlogs often create pile-ups of garbage and puddles of sewage in the streets that could go days without being fixed. Rumour has it that the organic recycling facility is also a good place to dispose of a body.

District 7 - Clover Heights
One of the densely packed housing districts, Clover Heights features many densely packed multi-unit apartment buildings. The units are built fully floor to ceiling making the area dark and dimly lit.

Clover Heights is a slum, even by Rifts standards, residents live in apartments that are state-owned. However, maintenance, upkeep, on the low-levels is farmed out to corporations and individuals. Thus, some apartments are luxurious while others are downright disgusting. These corporations and landlords are known as soups in local slang.

Although most people on Level 4 are technically CS citizens and are thus assigned a residence many people need to find housing on the down-low. Disreputable soups are more then willing to charge a fee to these people. Non-citizens face a stiff fee which increases as a person becomes increasingly undesirable, mutants, non-registered psychics, d-bees, etc.

The housing situation also lends itself to a very big protection racket. Organized crime will often attempt to earn a superintendent contract. Citizens stay in their residence, as is their right, and maintenance is performed to exacting CS standards in order to avoid suspicion from the ISS and other governmental agencies. However, level 4 is a dangerous place and once a gang or organized crime syndicate takes over a rash of petty and destructive crimes will begin. The ISS cares little for level four and as a result many citizens find themselves paying for ‘protection’.

Despite the lack of upkeep almost every building and apartment has electricity and running water provided by the fortress city. Although some industrious soups will jury-rig an on/off system for these services and only activate them for a fee.

District 8

District 9 - Concrete City
A large region of quickly constructed "temporary" housing made with pre-built concrete slabs and drop in building components (such as bathrooms and kitchens) made to be replaced every decade or so. Each unit is five stories tall and has the bare minimum of amenities, but they are sturdy, fairly warm once heated, as well as cool when cooled. They tend to have vinyl floors and wall coverings to help keep the concrete from leeching all heat out of the building. While actual snow is not an issue generally, ice from condensation is common enough.

District 10 - Red Light District
While not its official name, district two is known for serving the hedonistic pleasures of soldiers and citizens alike. Visitors to the city, off duty military personnel, and even those "slumming" from the higher levels all can name their favorite place in District Ten.
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