Also known as “the Honeycomb” after one of its most important sections, this flat is located in the northern part of the Merkadome and occupies several levels of the Merkadome. It is accessed through a crack in the outer wall, half collapsed by the passage of time, which interconnects several floors, and a rudimentary lift has been added inside, leading to the doors of the Orangery.
Description
Once a sort of cultural center, it was discovered by a group of scruffy individuals wandering around the unexplored areas of Merkadome. Inside, they found piles of burned, tattered, and moldy books that, although almost indecipherable, seemed to talk about medicine, agriculture, livestock, and so on.
Days passed, and most decided to leave empty-handed; a few, however, decided to stay. They settled in the old center, fortified it, and named it “Moron Fort” (“Mermao Fort”) in honor of the group that must have once occupied the site (although some letters were missing from the sign, and the name is certainly not entirely accurate).
Because of their appearance (most of them wear big glasses and white coats), people started calling them “Freaks”. A nickname they gladly adopted and upgraded to “The Apocalypse Freaks”.
Los Frikis tienen una obsesión: La Flatulencia.
Being a Geek isn’t well regarded. People laugh at your glasses and think you speak funny. This causes a certain resentment among Geeks toward “normal” people (well, what could be understood as normal in the Wasteland). Because of all this, when they read in a worn and moldy book that automatic fans could be attached to vehicles and that you could soar through the air like a bird, jubilation spread throughout the department.
As a result, the department’s corridors are now dominated by enthusiasm and everyone (or almost everyone) is working towards this common goal.
Masca
Meret
«Someone is asking for a boot tattoo on their nether regions»
The leader of the Freaks and one of the first to explore The Hive, she was the one who organized the tribe to trade bee products in the Merkadome and establish the experiments. She is a woman of medium height and with long curly red hair, she is almost forty (although she looks younger) and she is a bit of a mouthy (she says she is sincere) but without being foul-mouthed. With very fair skin (like almost all the Freaks), she always wears an old trench coat with many pockets, a partially unbuttoned plaid shirt, jeans, black leather boots, an old cowboy hat and ski goggles that she has never taken off in public.
Other personalities
Nightshade
«Mrrrreeeeeaaauuu… Sssssss…»
Meret’s cat. She looks like a normal tortoiseshell cat except that a) she’s four times bigger and b) when she gets angry she nervously moves her tail (like any cat, really) but it has scales and makes a bell noise.
Pucciolo
«This doesn’t touch»
Formerly Meret’s right-hand man, this scholar of the “Books of Yesteryear” and owner of an experiment, created the drug D-spacito.
He is a small old man, who constantly clears his throat, bald and with bulging eyes that blink repeatedly. He is very talkative and leads a sub-tribe of the Apocalypse Freaks, called «Concurrence», which he himself created to control the trade of his drugs.
Aurelius
«I’m not a laughing Mutard»
One of the few mutards among the Geeks, he is one of Meret’s lieutenants, her right-hand man. He is also a muscular but intelligent mutard, with few but accurate words.
His skin has a grayish-greenish coloring and his height is a couple of heads taller than a tall man (and that’s in his natural position: slightly hunched over). He is completely bald, wears glasses and an aviator helmet (with a microphone) on his head and shorts above his knees with worn military boots.
Wasteland Nerd
«Mm-hm…»
Also known as “The Wasteland Geek”, he/she is the weirdest member of the tribe. No one knows his/her name, age, or gender.
He/she is almost never in the Merkadome. He/she wanders the Wasteland looking for who knows what, returning every now and then with some artifact, rare animal, or plant.
Otger «The Kaganer» Kataló
«Good book hit!»
Otger (pronounced Utché) “The Kaganer” Kataló is (although it may not seem like it) the founder of the Apocalyptic Frikis, when the tribe was nothing more than a group of nameless and starving ragged people.
Little is known about his origins, although the truth is that Otger is a character between venerated and ridiculed by the Frikis tribe.
Main locations
Localities
Rous B&B
Publicly accessible establishment with guest rooms, located on the first floor of the fort. They serve the famous Merkadome Omelette, made by old Rous according to the recipe with the secret ingredient.
Flatulence Museum
Publicly accessible venue located on the second floor of the Fort. Formerly a souvenir shop, it has been converted into the Flatulence Museum. Geeks gather here everything related to this journey of liberation.
It is run by the hermit scholar Charles Puydumont, who buys almost anything that appears to have something to do with the subject…
L-38Living area on the upper floor of Moron Fort, where, for some reason, the beekeepers don’t like to go. The CDR meets here. Meret also has his quarters here, overlooking the airport to the north.
Places of interest
El Fosar
Plantas derrumbadas de los niveles de aparcamiento del departamento formando una especie de foso.
Zone 1-O (Uno-o)
Also known as “Fri Sait”. These are the first and second floors of Moron Fort. Public access except for the Frikis’ rooms on the second floor.
The Ossuary
Third floor where the Geeks found the Cultural Center. Its name comes from the large number of skeletons found next to the shelves, which the Geeks don’t mind with almost religious respect.
The Vic-vada-vum
Fourth floor where the Geeks set up their experiments, just below the Honeycomb. The name comes from the explosions that occur regularly. Luckily, the walls are sturdy…
The Honeycomb
Upper floor in the Moront Fort area where the bee-eaters nest. Between the passage of time and the collapses, little remains here.
All entrances to this area are guarded by the Maulos, the best fighters of the Frikis.
Resources
Bee-eaters
Animal native to the Honeycomb. It is a species of insect with stings, the size of a large dog. It has enormous red fly eyes and a very mean face.
- Beehive Eggs: The fattest and most delicious eggs this side of the Waste. Used to make the famous “Merkadome Omelet.”
- Beehive honey: A viscous substance with a sweet taste that is used to create the famous alcoholic beverage “Friki’s mead.”
Glow Mushrooms
Bioluminescent fungi found in few locations in the Honeycomb and are very rare. They are considered a delicacy by the Geeks and are rarely traded with other departments.
“D-spacito”
Hallucinogenic drug also known as “Honeycomb Air.” It makes you perceive time much slower than it actually is. The most addicted are colloquially known as “Zrileros.”
Freak MeadA high-alcohol, sweet-tasting beverage made from the fermentation of bee-eater honey. It causes a hangover known as Freak Head.
Trinaranjus
Energy drink that geeks use as a fertilizer for plants because they believe it has all the electrolytes necessary for a healthy diet.
