| Zero-point Energy | |
| Faction |  Mediterranean Syndicate
|
| Function | Non-lethal weaponry |
| Brief | Non-lethal energy weapons the Syndicate use to hold threats in place |
A Problem Arises[]
It might come as a surprise to some people for an organization as vile and amoral as the Mediterranean Syndicate to place such a high value in non-lethal weaponry over weapons with the killing potential of railguns and gyrojets. The truth is quite the contrary, with their dubious background and role in the society of sin called the underworld, having or better yet, inventing nonlethal weapons helps keep them under the water and maintain the (relative) peace of the Sprawls.
After the debacle at Wilderness Solutions Co., many Sprawl dwellers demanded a better means of protection than the Legionnaires could provide. The situation was so bad that Romulus himself was forced to step in and hire someone to create this defence. To do so, he turned to Robert "Bobby" Pine, a brilliant, if not completely sane weapons specialist and together they discovered a form of energy that could literally stop a tank utilizing a source the size of a pistol. Considering the non-lethal property of this energy, it was named 'Zero-point Energy'.
Zero-Point Energy did have a significant problem, however; this problem was in the form of Isacc Newton.
Zero-Point Energy's effectivness revolves around the quick transfer of momentum when Zero-Point Energy stops an object; the momentum of the system is, within the laws of physics, conserved, and thus, as one object does not move, the source of the Zero-Point Energy receives virtually all of the total momentum. While this was not a problem in tests where the object was stationary initially, when further tests were tried with moving targets, trapping a moving enemy would knock the user back, causing them to stumble. Even worse, with the attempt to stop a tank, the scientist involved was quite literally launched into the air, causing him significant injuries.
Tests to attach the system to a base defense also failed; the prototype of such a 'Zero-Point Tower' uprooted itself in its first test and launched into the testing scientists, killing three. The failure of this project is thought to be behind the development of the 'Hacker Towers' seen today. As well as this, there was the problem of power. Generating enough power to keep a Zero-Point Energy generator working required a generator too heavy to be carried by any normal human, and too large to fit into any normal battlesuit. Unless the Syndicate wanted someone to walk around with a generator on wheels, this problem would have to be overcome.
It seemed that, despite Pine's success in concept, Zero-Point Energy seemed destined to be nothing more than a scientific curiosity, until luck struck; at around this time, Tiberius was first created. It is not known who did so, but what is thought to be the first assignment given to Tiberius was the simple request "Make Zero-Point Energy work".
The Solution[]
Three weeks later, Tiberius stopped midway through a routine assignment and began printing out blueprints, to the surprise of his operators. His investigation was finished. The results showed some remarkably straightforward solutions to the problems with Zero-Point energy, with a clear outline of some of its limits. Tiberius had found a purely Zero-Point Tower to be a near-impossible concept without the material of twenty Rail Turrets. With heavy hearts, the scientists scrapped investigations into this application. However, the other findings showed incredible promise.
For vehicles, the solution was simple; make them heavy. The more mass they had, the lower the change in their velocity when they had momentum transferred to them. Even tanks would only cause a slight recoil if the vehicle was massive enough. Of course, no vehicle large enough could exist within the Syndicate's ranks.
For infantry, the solution was slightly more complex. The addition of a generator to infantry would make them heavy enough to resist being knocked back when trapping infantry, but it would break the subject's legs or even spine. Tiberius suggested that the legs of soldiers be modified and their spine reinforced with heavy-duty cybernetics to allow them the strength to carry such a generator. However, the problem of tanks still existed. Even with the heavy generator and cybernetics, a soldier could not be massive enough.
But they don't have to be, reasoned Tiberius. To 'stop' a tank, all you needed was to stop the weapons systems, and stop the means of locomotion. And if you did that, the previously modified soldier would be more than heavy enough to work. After a month of developing a new AI to allow the system to do just that, the trials of the Helios Security were a resounding sucess.
Tiberius had succeeded.
Behind the Scenes[]
It is totally true that Open Sketchbook got the idea from Syndrome's weapon from the Incredibles.
This weaponry is not to be confused with Zero-point Energy in real life (or Vacuum Energy).
