CHARON'S COIN

Universe Overview (Fully Original Setting) Earth, 2089. Scientists tried to scrub CO₂ out of the atmosphere using fungal spores—but they couldn’t control how the spores spread. Now the planet’s entire air supply is contaminated. In humans, the spores cause total destruction of the lungs and skin. Nation-states collapsed, and the world is made up of corporate city-states (closed joint-stock companies). This episode takes place in the corporate city-state CJSC “Moscow.” There’s also a megacorp that handles shipping between city-states—the Logists—and it has political leverage over all of them. The corporation doesn’t belong to any city; its hubs and bases sit out in infected, brutal territories, where employees have to survive in hellish conditions. In this world there are two currencies: Air inside the cities A substance called ADRENOCHROME. In moderate doses it boosts muscle strength (used by security forces to capture high-threat criminals and crush riots). But an overdose sends your consciousness into another dimension where everything feels good—a shared paradise. People who end up there are called CHRONO-JUNKIES. The main character goes by “CHARON.” He has a rare ability: he can enter that shared paradise and come back whenever he wants. He’s also well-trained in fighting and killing. Charon was raised among the Logists.