Deadly Buda – partial synopsis (no spoilers)
Deadly Buda is a rave DJ in the near-future: where DJs spin holograms and electronic music at massive festivals called “spectivals” to unemployed city youth, called “Searchers”, high on an illegal drug called Triple Love. Animated glowing tattoos, flying cars and hoverboards are finally the norm, in fact, old news.
The City, formerly a bustling hub of hover-car manufacturing now gone-to-seed, suffers from massive class tension somewhat softened by The Church of Peace, a new-age composite religion focused on meditation, headed by Monsignor Resa Norn. What tensions are not relieved by the populace “visualizing peace” are tended to by a police force of militarized robots.
Vince Schaumberg, an engineer from the City’s only viable employer, Aeroflower Industries (a maker of off-world munitions) visits Deadly Buda and his crew, the Soul Rig, at their squat and shows them a new holographic DJ mixer he’s developed, the EMO-RIG. It reads a crowd’s collective mind and then generates massive holograms and sound based on their thoughts. He bribes them to use it at their next big spectival: “Souls Tomorrow” taking place at the same time as the City’s biggest holiday festival and parade, “The Parade of Peace.”
Amazingly, the City Council authorizes the Souls Tomorrow spectival –hoping to stimulate the economy of its poorest area, Core Gardens, in complete disregard of its councilwoman’s protests. Thus, a massive party will unfold, bringing together the City’s various youth, crews, styles, and fashion. Meanwhile, the Parade of Peace will showcase Mayor Aeroflower (also head of Aeroflower Industries) introducing Aeroflower Industry’s latest innovation to jump-start the city’s economy: The Dominator X-1, a massive military robot to be deployed for off-world combat.
Ina Aeroflower, a stunning local news reporter (and the mayor’s daughter) decides to cover the spectival because it will feature an epic holographic DJ battle between Deadly Buda and the Make Believe Crew, the city’s primary source for the illegal drug, Triple Love.
As the various DJ crews set-up the morning of Souls Tomorrow, we find out Deadly Buda and the Soul Rig have been running “the scene” for some time. The other crews want to knock them out of first place and resent that Deadly Buda never plays their music and hologram programs (referred to as “holos”).
The spectival commences. During the DJ battle, Deadly Buda and Ina develop a fondness for one another. Amplified by the Emo-Rig’s effects, their growing love for one another resonates with the Searchers to such an extent Deadly Buda wins the DJ Battle–with the curious side-effect of nullifying the effects of the Triple Love drug AND producing a stronger, ecstatic love in the Searcher crowd.
It doesn’t last for long. Deadly Buda and Ina’s subconscious emotional scars are also amplified by the Emo-Rig to such an extent it produces a nightmarish cacophony of noise and terrifying imagery force-multiplied by the crowd’s thoughts. A riot ensues! Police robots descend on the spectival. Ina flies away to the Cathedral of Peace. Deadly Buda runs into a sewer entrance. The rest of the Soul Rig escapes with the Searcher riot headed towards the City’s focal point: The Cathedral of Peace, its park and opulent hi-rises that surround it. Meanwhile, the Dominator X-1 is deployed to quell the riot.
To be continued…
