Ocean City

Ocean City Quarantine Zone

Official Designation: QZ‑017: “Ocean Lock”
Declared by: Nova Prime Crisis Council & Daemos Industries
Effective Date: 14 Days Post‑IceBay Incident

Overview

Once a jewel of Nova Prime's coastline, Ocean City now stands as the planet’s first fully cordoned “Ascension Containment Zone.” The city was sealed off within 36 hours of the first Burnout outbreak.

What began as isolated symptoms at Seawatch Medical quickly escalated into mass neurological failure at the Wavefront Festival, where hundreds were infected following the appearance of an unidentified Tier III Ascendant mid-performance.

What the public calls an outbreak, Victor Daemos calls a crucible.

🧠 Epidemiological Snapshot

Patient Zero (Ocean City):

  • Name: Felix Renn

  • Occupation: Festival DJ

  • Status: Ascendant Tier III (confirmed technokinetic)

  • Incident: Midway through a live DJ set, Felix collapsed, then reawakened — hacking into the festival’s lightshow with his mind and unleashing an audio-viral resonance wave that force-triggered Limitless expression in over 2,000 attendees.

  • Outcome: Felix disappeared into the upper city minutes later. Presumed alive.

Infection Rates in Ocean City (Post-Day 3):

  • Burnouts: 71%

  • Latent Hosts: 14%

  • Igniters: 10%

  • Ascendants: 4%

  • Fatalities: Rising. Reinfection rate unknown.

🧬 Daemos Industries Field Report – Classified

Access Level: Crimson Omega
Prepared By: Dr. Yulene Kashtar, Chief Field Virologist

“Ocean City is no longer a tourist zone — it’s an evolutionary forge.
We are not watching a viral outbreak. We are watching the birth of a new species.
The virus is learning. Adapting.
We detected a Tier IV in the outer marina. It disappeared into the flooded pier tunnels before we could track it.
This is no longer about containment.
It’s about survival of the worthy.”

🧱 Quarantine Infrastructure

Barriers:

  • 60ft kinetic-dampening walls erected around perimeter

  • Ocean access mined and patrolled by AI-controlled hydro-drones

  • Entry/Exit permitted only via Daemos Gate (secured maglift tunnels)

Inside the City:

  • Burnout Zones: Red-lit sectors crawling with husks

  • Safe Zones: Maintained by Igniter-level survivors forming early militias

  • Ascendant Pockets: Hostile or neutral — unstable alliances forming

  • Rumored “Apex Zone” near Skyport: Reports of Tina Warren sightings

🔥 Story Hooks for Your Comic

Here are 6 story threads to explore now that Ocean City is a quarantine zone:

1. The Spark Underground

Latent Hosts (“Sparks”) form secret societies under the city, hacking Daemos satellites and broadcasting coded messages across Nova Prime. They believe Ascension should be shared — not controlled.

2. The Red Pier Reapers

A faction of Burnouts in the dockyards have begun coordinated movement. Impossible. Husks aren’t supposed to think. Unless... something is guiding them.

3. The Return of Tina Warren

Cryokinetic Apex Host and one of the first survivors has vanished from public record. Last seen near Ocean City’s iced-over yacht district. Her powers may be evolving beyond Tier IV.

4. The Paragon Protocol

Daemos Industries initiates “Project Paragon” — forcibly extracting potential Ascendants from the city, with or without consent. Public outcry grows. Is it science... or genocide?

5. Krakos Awakens

A winged shadow is spotted above the city during a lightning storm. Survivors say it speaks in a voice like stone and thunder. He doesn’t know language — but he knows battle. Krakos is hunting.

6. The Choir of the Burned

A bizarre harmonic hum begins echoing through the husks in unison. Researchers fear the Burnouts are merging into a single consciousness. One voice. Many bodies.

🎨 Visuals & Aesthetic Notes

  • During the Day: Ocean City glows eerily — colorful pastels clashing with scorched vehicles, cracked piers, and pulsing barrier lights.

  • At Night: The city sings. Bioelectric discharges arc from rooftop to rooftop. Husks shimmer faintly with viral residue. The sky over the ocean flickers like auroras — but artificial.