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- Feb 8, 2022
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- #1
One year ago, Geneva's urban centre had fallen victim to a vicious attack. Antlions East stormed towards the city, ravaging whatever and whoever they could find. The thumpers just beyond the walls were quick to fail after anti-civil tampering, allowing the Antlions an easier way into the city. Citizens flocked to apartment buildings and places of interest, being an unintended meat shield for the Combine's main force in the process. Most collaborators were confined to the administration area of the city, continuing to spew propaganda in an attempt to reassure the populace, but obviously to no avail.
It wasn't long before even the Combine were forced acknowledged the incoming threat. Overwatch soldiers and civil protection squads were dispatched to be proactive against the threat, attempting to mitigate it while they could. As their attempts were met with heavy resistance, they decided to initiate an evacuation order. Most citizens were shuffled onto filled and cramped trains, all with hopes of a better, and safer future.
As most of City 24's populace were relocated away and to various cities, a cleansing order was given by the Overwatch AI. Any remaining synths within City 24 were to be activated and sent East to become a much more aggressive counter to the antlions. It was a few weeks before citizens were either relocated or escaped into the metro system below, finally leaving the city desolate at last. As the city echoed a deep and ominous hum, the synths came to life, marching east to quell the Antlions threat.
As the months went by, the antlions numbers began to dwindle, the synths barely having so much as a scratch on their forces. Nests were exterminated with ease, cremators setting them ablaze with their powerful immolator tool, striders irradiating swarms of antlions, and gunships shredding through mobs with ease. It was a quick few months for the synths, and with most of the threat being irradiated, a return order for all City 24 citizens was announced. Unbeknownst to the City 24 populace, most of their city was in ruin, destroyed, and turned to ash due to the previous war.
As more citizens were shuffled back into urban centre life, it became apparent that they were not there to return home, but instead to be a large workforce to repair the civilian districts. Blood, sweat, and tears, is what some collaborators say went into the rebuilding of the City 24; to citizens, they say a whole lot of re-education and punishment went into it.
The rebuilding project went on for years to come, finally turning the civilian districts into an operable and habitable location once again. Though the core of City 24 was repaired, and civilians were ushered in, beyond the walls still remained a wasteland, littered with debris, disease, and scavengers alike, all ready to be claimed for those who wished to seek it.
