What once was known as Vancouver Island had long been known as Rock City. In reality, naming the entire island after the city was overkill, Rock City only took up about half the span of the island, leaving the entire northern part untouched, virgin forest and wilderness, untouched by the greedy hand of man. Ready to be taken and used viciously, then hung up wet by the first young buck to turn an interested eye her way...<br/><br/>The power plants and large majority of the city’s infrastructure was buried deep in the mountains that spanned the middle of the island, amidst the series of tunnels and monorails that ultimately provided the city with a clean source of energy, without the mess of the plant being a central part of the grid. Hydroelectric power from the plant being free for the use of local residential buildings with businesses paying slightly higher rates than normal to cover costs. The whole power system being run as a socialized benefit for the island’s society as a whole rather than for profit.<br/><br/>The island had been renamed not for the city so much as to separate itself. For all purposes, Rock City was an independent city-state, neither part of Canada nor America, and boasting a quality of life higher than either nation’s average.<br/><br/>Frank Lloyd Rock was a successful businessman in the early eighteen hundreds, made his money in rubber, molasses and by the use of cheap sweatshop immigrant labour to build up an impressive fortune. During the Pig War he saw an opportunity to claim a piece of land as an independent state and took it. Managing to broker a peace for both sides while drawing the new agreed upon lines of demarcation between the two countries to exclude the part of the island he was to claim for himself. A few greased palms and Rock had his island. A tax haven, it became very successful, especially during prohibition, where you could obtain whatever you wanted at knockdown prices.<br/><br/>In the modern day it remains an independent state and a tax haven. Immigration is strictly controlled and its hard to become a resident without having been born there. However the lack of income taxes, the city raises revenue through business, land and goods taxes alone, and the generally very permissive and libertarian attitude that manages to still pervade there makes it a huge tourist attraction to both Americans and Canadians alike.<br/><br/>November was creeping up on Rock City, as it had it’s way of doing. The cold winter air was wet with impending rain, clouds forming over the skyscrapers.  With the early onset of evening the sun began to set before most even left their day jobs. Rock City Rock was just beginning their usual show. For most of the citizens of Rock City, it was just another boring night. For most of them...