ORIGIN OF REACTOR MOTORS
If this is your first time joining the Reactor community, and you are curious about what madness has kept a diamond-handed community of racing, sci-fi and comic fans together while so many other NFT projects fell through the cracks – Welcome.
However, the odds are good that this is not your first time reading about Reactor Motors, as you are more than likely a holder of one of the storied 8888 Series X Reactors. If you are an OG, the original rag tag team of dreamers who have come along on this journey, my heartfelt thank you goes to you for your faith, passion and willingness to see this crazy story develop from a seed sized shard of Reykium and grow into the Ultimate Multiplayer Web3 Racing Game that is currently in Beta.
It is a story that has been born as much out of the fever dreams that keep me up at night as it has from the feedback, criticism and creativity that is shared daily by the community on Discord.
No matter what brought you here, I’m thrilled that you’ve chosen to take the time to read this little corner of the Metaverse and hope that like those before you, this story that is unfolding day by day, being transformed and adapted into comic, film and game formats, will resonate as strongly with you as it has with me and my team of other hardcore nut jobs that have dedicated our waking hours to bring it all to life for you. Take a few minutes and dive in.
Welcome to the Reactorverse.
————— WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
THE COMIC (Present Day) – The Comic which was announced at Stan Lee’s 100th Birthday event follows the contemporary storyline of eco-geologist Eva Mason as she discovers and harnesses a new form of renewable energy which she calls Reykium. The incredible value of such a power source put her and her team of close friends square into the sights of a powerful energy company, Anaco, which her father founded, that will stop at nothing to get it. Her only option – make her findings available to the world and prove its potential before Anaco and their security team can stop her.
THE GAME (2042) – The Multiplayer Web 3 Racing Game is set in a near future Reykjavik. Transformed by the discovery of the most valuable energy source on the planet, the once modest town has exploded into a futuristic multi-national tech city with a culture focused heavily on racing. Speed is revered. The Top Racers are also the Top Celebrities. Players are able to learn how to control their Reactor cars, explore the city and race against friends and strangers. The massive advances in energy science have also allowed for the Reactor cars to be instantly transported via jump portals. Players can work their way up the leaderboard and increase their standing in the community. Those that explore deeper will start to unlock clues left by Eva, now older and in hiding, that will help them discover that not everything is what it seems.
ALL CONTENT COPYRIGHT 2023 POETS GAMING, A DIVISION OF POETS ROAD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
STORY SEGMENTS WILL BE UPDATED ON MONDAY EVERY WEEK
05/15/23
When Eva Mason heard that another massive volcano had erupted in Iceland near Reykjavik, she knew it was time to pack up and race there to explore the possibility of testing one of her new geo-thermal converters. Her father, Charles Stanton III, never would have approved the trip. Geo-thermal was a waste of time for him, a distraction from his never-ending hunt for the liquid black gold on which he had founded his company. Not that Eva ever needed his approval before following her gut and leaping into the next adventure but the thought of him chafing at her spending her inheritance on new energy research helped give her a sense of purpose and a connection to the utopian fairytales her mom used to tell her as a child. Sometimes it felt like the only thing she and her father had in common was how much they missed Lucy, her mom, and the love of his life. He had never forgiven Eva for taking her mom’s maiden name instead of his before he passed, but even if she wanted to change it back, the Stanton name was blasphemy in her eco-circles.
Scrambling to pack up the converter and its related tech, her friend Enzo “Tweak” Diaz, raced to get everything into its proper case and locked up before Jaxson could grab the heavy gear and load it onto their small plane. Tweak knew that once Eva set her mind on a target, every second counted. They tried to travel as light as possible but the converter case still strained Jaxson’s tattooed arms causing the inked M1 Abrams Tank on his bicep to move, earning him his nickname. Eva shouted out to Tank and Tweak that they had to hurry as the airspace would be closed soon. If they didn’t leave now, they may not even be allowed to land.
The three buckled up and took off, aiming for the large cloud already forming on the horizon as millions of pounds of molten ash were jettisoned into the sky.
In London, Dixon Montgomery, head of Anaco’s first response unit got the word that it was time to gear up. He called up his team and told them to move out. Destination… Reykjavik.
05/22/23
Eva looked out at the impressive sight – the billowing steam and ash piercing through the lower cloud layer that hid the massive lava flow pouring from Fagradalsfjall far below. Her two companions were concerned about their destination, understandably not wanting to go anywhere near a live, spewing volcano. She assured them that their target was not the angry explosion before them but instead an inactive range about 200 miles to the east. As the plane banked to the right, she brought up the thermal map that she had charted which inspired their journey. The fissures running beneath the island ran in a broken diagonal path like red claw marks that connected Fagradalsfjall with their actual destination – Grimsvotn.
While Tank commented on how peaceful the lake-filled crater looked, the news did little to calm Tweak who reminded him of Grimsvotn’s massive eruption ten years earlier that had followed over 60,000 earthquakes and downed aircraft worldwide. Eva, like many other scientists had thought the island had gone cold, having expended its energy, but the new round of activity near Reykjavik proved that Iceland still had plenty of secrets left in it.
The plane landed in Höfn, about two hours from the base of their destination. Even that far east, they could see the mushroom cloud rising from just outside Reykjavik. Outside the luxury of the private hangar, a grizzled elderly man in a fur-lined jacket stood waiting for them next to a dirty single prop Cessna. Aron introduced himself as their guide as they loaded up, carrying only what he allowed them to bring – turning away the heavier equipment. Flying near the tallest peak in Iceland, the expanse of snow was blinding. Aron’s radio blasted AC/DC as he pointed out key features of the landscape. Grimsvotn’s caldera laid beneath a massive ice glacier that made for a bumpy landing, knocking around the Iron Man bobblehead that Aron kept on the dash.
The ice strip they landed on was still a good distance from the main crater. Tweak joked about whether they would be taking a dogsled the rest of the way as they approached a small barn at the edge of the strip. To his delight, Aron instead opened the frozen door and pulled back a tarp to reveal a Land Rover Cuthbertson fitted with snow treads. Making quick work of the snowy climb, they approached the crater’s edge, looking down to the center lake – steaming in the sunlight – never frozen due to the intense thermal heat.
Eva pointed to a crack in the crater’s edge, large enough to descend into, so that Aron and Tank could begin lowering down gear tethered to the Rover’s winch. Peering down into the crevice, Tweak cracked a light stick and threw it down ahead of the first case. When he had first met Eva, clotheslined by her while he bolted from the FBI raid on his studio apartment, he never thought he’d be joining her down into the mouth of volcano. Seems like the fortune cookie from Grandma Chow’s that day was correct.
05/29/23
Four ropes descended from the winch, anchored by the weight of beastly Rover. Normally Eva would have preferred to keep one person up top and the idea of having an elderly man descend the six stories to the bottom of the crevice would have given her pause but the sheer size of the cavern they found under the icy mantle meant that she needed all hands on deck. Aron’s lifelong knowledge of the stirring of the volcano and lava flows would be invaluable, so down went the whole team. Surprisingly, Aron made quick work of the descent making it far easier than it was for Tweak who took three times longer to stumble to the dark icy floor.
After Tank set up the lights, the four marveled at how expansive the space was. Nothing like this had been seen before with this space only having opened up with the many earthquakes following the eruption. Most crevices were narrow icy cracks that dead-ended quickly. This was like finding a new world. Drips of water from the melting ice above tapped rhythmically, echoing through the stony walls. As their eyes adjusted, Aron pointed to a cavern opening farther to the back and asked for the lights to be turned down. Tweak complied, sliding his finger on his phone, dimming the permitter lights. Imperceptible when they first descended, the team began to see red and white glowing lights illuminating the distant walls. They switched to soft lights, just enough to see their way but not enough to dim their target, and headed along, Tank carrying the thermal converter on his back took the rear.
As they neared the back cavern, Eva couldn’t help but take off her jacket. The temperature had risen dramatically even on the short walk and the heat emanating from the rocky walls belied the molten river hidden behind them. The higher temp also meant more melting and a steady stream of water ran beneath their feet, splashing quietly as they walked. Between their heavy breathing, the splashing and their depth beneath the surface, they had no way of hearing the Turbojet helicopter landing about seventy feet above them on the icy crater bed.
Dixon stepped out first, surveying the landscape. It was unearthly, even for someone as well traveled as himself. He understood why NASA had used the crater to run Mars rover tests. With a two finger wave, he motioned for three others from his recon team, fully equipped and armed, to jump out and secure the Rover. They confirmed no one was inside. Larson, a bald and heavily tattooed former SAS member, asked Dixon if he wanted them to “clean up the site” as he pointed with his knife to the four ropes attached to the winch. Dixon waved him off and asked them to set up sonar beacons in a large square perimeter. Why not wait and see what the others bring back up for them. In the meantime, Dixon needed to run some tests of his own. He pulled out his iPad, which scanned his face, but not before it revealed a Lock Screen from years earlier – a photo of a much more carefree version of himself, and a smiling Eva, in each others arms. A flash of regret on his face quickly transitioned to focus as the sensor app came up displaying the 3D sonar map being charted as the beacons started to come online. He was going to learn what was down there, one way or another.