Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're really plunging into the core themes of the as Above, so Below series.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we got these sources and we're going to try and unpack this whole web of loyalty tech crime.
Speaker 1:And betrayal too. We're aiming to pull out the key insights, not just, you know, retell the story.
Speaker 2:Exactly, we want to connect the dots. Find those aha moments Should be interesting.
Speaker 1:So it kicks off with Cain Davenport getting out of prison. A fresh start, supposedly.
Speaker 2:Right, he meets up with his best friend Mike.
Speaker 1:First, stop Renzo's Waffles Pretty normal, almost too normal, because that's where things immediately go sideways, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely. The idea of a fresh start just evaporates. Mike vanishes from the restroom.
Speaker 1:Vanishes or taken.
Speaker 2:Taken Abducted by Rico Simmons, who works for the Lou Group TLG.
Speaker 1:And this connects back to Mike's past.
Speaker 2:Yeah, apparently there was an old debt. It shows how inescapable that world can be.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That past just grabs you right back.
Speaker 1:And TLG. That brings us to the big player behind it all, Lucas Flackwell.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, described as a notorious and diabolical genius. Quite the intro.
Speaker 1:And his big reveal is the Nwero band. Looks like some kind of advanced wristband tech.
Speaker 2:It looks like it, yeah, but it's much more sinister. It's not just hardware.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:It's powered by something called NeuroPowder, designed to chemically alter your brain.
Speaker 1:Alter how.
Speaker 2:Well, initially it boosts creativity, makes you feel amazing, probably, but then the crash. Worse than a crash. It leads to psychotic behavior and emotionless daydreaming. Basically, mind control through chemistry.
Speaker 1:Wow, so it's a tool for manipulation on a massive scale.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and they've even got Officer Harlem, a corrupt cop, running their security, taking law enforcement away.
Speaker 1:Keeps the whole operation insulated. It shows how deep the corruption runs. And then Lucas, or rather his daughter Lucy, throws this huge launch party at the mansion.
Speaker 2:Huge is an understatement. Like over 20,000 people, Gangs are there the Red Skulls, the MMKS.
Speaker 1:Sits brazen, and Mike and Ezekiel are there too.
Speaker 2:Forced to work surveillance, caught right in the middle of this chaos. It's less a party, more a demonstration of power, really. But, that kind of open display attracts attention, right it does Officer Lee and the Royal Investigation Unit, the RIU. They raid the mansion and they find Secret rooms stuffed with the Nuerobans and this underground bunker. The whole hidden infrastructure laid bare.
Speaker 1:So a major blow to TLG.
Speaker 2:You'd think so.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But Lucas manages to flee, escapes to Dreadmoor Island.
Speaker 1:He gets away.
Speaker 2:For a moment. But then comes the betrayal from Rico Simmons.
Speaker 1:His own guy, the one who abducted Mike.
Speaker 2:The very same. His supposed loyal partner, rico, strangles Lucas. Yeah, his own guy, the one who abducted. Mike the very same, his supposed loyal partner Rico, strangles Lucas yeah, just like that and leaves the body. Leaves it for the devourer tribe, then declares himself King Rico. Power corrupts and ambition eats itself, I suppose.
Speaker 1:It's incredibly brutal. What about the dirty cop Harlem?
Speaker 2:Ah, Officer Harlem. He tries to make a run for it too. Takes off a stolen debt payment meant for Lucas heading for Nigeria. Does he make it? Nope, he gets intercepted. Cujo and the Black Vipers catch him. They beat him up, fly him out somewhere and basically declare TLG's debt paid. Another consequence delivered no loose ends.
Speaker 1:So it seems like everyone involved faces some kind of reckoning. What about Mike and Kane?
Speaker 2:Well, Officer Lee's investigation actually uncovers evidence that helps clear Mike and Ezekiel.
Speaker 1:Ow.
Speaker 2:They get a witness. Someone named Eldren, from the Devourer tribe confirms Rico's betrayal of Lucas.
Speaker 1:So that helps them break free.
Speaker 2:It points them towards a different path.
Speaker 1:yeah, they end up finding some refuge, maybe redemption at Pastor Ezekiel's church, A new beginning, maybe for real this time.
Speaker 2:It looks that way, but the sources hint it's not quite over. There's this mention of a new figure, Draco.
Speaker 1:Draco.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a mysterious character who starts seeking out Cain. It's just the shadows of the past are still lingering. The fight isn't finished.
Speaker 1:It really hammers home that theme, doesn't it? That quote what a person sows this, he will also reap. Every single action echoes.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Consequences are unavoidable, whether they're legal, criminal or even spiritual. Perhaps it makes you think. Think what Well about our own world, with all the tech, all the influences swirling around, what hidden substances, what unseen forces might be shaping our reality without us even noticing?
Speaker 1:That's a heavy thought. What hidden controls or influences are we maybe missing? What stands out most to you from all this?