THE "RECOVERY" ERA: 2033-2040
What They Call It: "The Recovery" - rebuilding civilization after the Collapse
What It Really Was: Consolidation of corporate power and elimination of resistance
2033: THE AUTHORITY FORMS
The five corporations responsible for Operation SCORCHED EARTH formally merged into "The Authority" - claiming they were "stepping in to restore order" after the chaos they deliberately created.
Key Events:
- January 2033: Corporate consolidation complete, Authority officially established
- March 2033: "Protected zones" designated (corporate-controlled population centers)
- May 2033: "Belt" regions declared uninhabitable (forcing population into controlled zones)
- August 2033: Travel restrictions implemented (checkpoint system begins)
2034-2036: ELIMINATING RESISTANCE
As survivors organized resistance networks, the Authority responded with systematic suppression:
- 2034: "Extremist elimination" operations - killing resistance leaders
- 2035: Information control implemented - independent media shut down
- 2036: Checkpoint system fully operational - 47 facilities controlling all travel
Estimated deaths during "pacification": 50,000-80,000 people
2037-2040: THE NEW NORMAL
By 2040, the Authority had established complete control:
- Protected zones = total population control
- Checkpoint system = movement restrictions
- Information monopoly = no independent journalism
- Belt mythology = preventing population dispersal
The "Recovery" wasn't about helping survivors. It was about ensuring survivors could never challenge corporate power again.