Breakthrough

Prologue

It is the year 2179. Scientists have warned of the consequences of global warming for decades but governments have largely ignored the threat. Things came to a head in the late 2080s, when the surface of the Earth was scorched. Tropical countries turned into deserts, while deserts became fiery pits of hell. Temperate countries turned into their tropical cousins, and the North and South Poles were the only places where one could continue to live comfortably, without fear of radiation from the sun. In the early 2090s, rich governments finally got their act together and began building extensive underground cities which affluent citizens and powerful personalities could migrate to. Politicians, business tycoons and celebrities alike jostled for the right to live and work underground. Less privileged citizens and people from poorer countries continue to live on the Surface, where they battle heat, floods and disease on a daily basis. The only bright spot (pun fully intended) was that hum