Glossary of terms
Alpha: a leader of a group or pack of infected. It is believed that some infected persons retain vestiges of rational thought, and there seems to be a continuum of cognition from complete human de-evolution to those that have what appears to be basic cognitive traits, with the alphas tending towards the latter end of the scale. The infected seem to have no regard for gender, so while alphas are both male and female, the former being stronger and bigger tend to be more prevalent. The infected also tend to cluster in social groups, as a primal behavioural driver; and though the size of the pack varies, most groups seem to have an alpha.
AURA: Army of the United Republic of Australia
Austeyr F92: AURA standard-issue 360-compatible field rifle, the Austeyr is the Australian-designed variant on the Austrian Steyr rifle. Integrated with BACC suit telemetry, the 2048 version is a 64-round, 5.56mm assault rifle with progressive trigger mechanism, digital ammunition countback display, active-find laser sighting, undercarriage Grenade Launcher Assembly and bayonet housing.
Avalon Wallcom: located 49 kilometers west of the Melbourne CBD, Avalon was constructed in 2039-41 on land that was previously an international airport and, as such, was the only wallcom to have its own airstrip. One of four Victorian wallcoms to survive the Fall.
BACC suit (pron. ‘back’): Bio-Armour Combat Chassis – lightweight carbon-fibre full-body bio-armour with IT systems integrated into Commlink and 360 and built-in medical platforms. Designed for the military and emergency services teams, BACCs encompass the entire body from the neck down, are bullet-resistant to most small calibre weapons, flexible at the joints, fire-retardant, internally temperature regulated, with extensive autonomous, system-directed medi-response technology. Come with two configurations of combat helmet: an open-faced setting and a retractable, drop-down faceguard setting (colloq. the ‘vader’) that encloses the head completely.
Barrow: a six-wheeled driverless vehicle used for transporting heavy goods from point to point. Originally designed for industrial and commercial use, Barrows became commonly used in post-Fall Melbourne as wasteland pickup vehicles for recovered items.
Black Hand: the largest and thought to be most savage of the gangs occupying the Melbourne Infected Zone (IZ). The leaders of the Black Hand are Brynjar Jackslayer and Valkyrja Fifty-Storms.
Blue Rock Wallcom: located 135 kilometers east-north-east of the Melbourne CBD and opened in 2039, Blue Rock was the first wallcom completed in Australia, and was the site of much of the anti-compound protests that accompanied the first wave of wallcom construction. One of four Victorian wallcoms to survive the Fall.
Brick (aka, 'slab', 'brown', 'booya'): a highly addictive drug, coming into wide-spread use in the early 2030s. Named for its reddish-brown colour and brick-shaped slabs, the synthetic opiate derivative is most commonly smoked in a pipe, though can also be injected. It delivers a very intense initial high users call the ‘slide’, followed by a softening come-down tailend called the ‘cloud’, length of periods depending on quantity and purity of drug ingested and user biology. Slide symptoms include pinprick irises, hyper-state, energy and perceived intense clarity, while the cloud is characterised by sleepiness, lack of concentration, irritation, pupil dilation and itchy skin. The Pacifica song written by Harley Kruse, Fast Ride on a Short Slide, is thought to be an ode to the drug.
Brickhead (n. colloq. derog.): a brick addict.
Brickie (n. colloq.): a brick dealer.
Bushmaster: Protected Mobility Vehicle (PMV) – a military ‘people-mover’, the Bushmaster is a wheeled armoured vehicle with roof-mounted, remote-operated, primary and secondary armament capability. Has a capacity of up to 12 persons – a driver and nine-eleven passengers. (See Pics)
Chiphead (n. colloq. derog.): wasteland slang term for a wallcom resident, so called as wallcom residency carries a compulsory microchip implant requirement (also Chippie, Chipnut).
Cleanskin (n. colloq.): an uninfected person.
Commlink system: open public access comms integrated with the 360ICS and 180ICS systems, enabling the two systems to talk to each other or to any computer or Smart device. Commlink is designed primarily as a cloud-based intranet system for local users to interface with each other, but has capability external to the designated zone of communications. This capability was severely diminished in post-Fall Melbourne due to affected infra- and extra-structure, thereby compromising the ability of surviving wallcoms to communicate with each other.
e-coin: international electronic currency accepted as the unitary global currency in 2038, exchange pegged at $1USD in 2034 then free-floated to full international exchange in 2038.
EMP grenade: electromagnetic pulse bio-disruption grenade – proximity-burst electro-pulse ordnance disrupts the nervous system and immobilises living beings within a set radial range of detonation. Depending on settings, the pulse can temporarily or permanently disrupt nervous system functioning.
(the) Exclusion Zone (aka EZ): strip of cleared land surrounding Kulin wallcom. It is a kill-zone.
Exoframe (or Ripley frame/ Ripley suit): 360-integrated step-in framework industrial exosuit consisting of arm, leg and spinal steel and carbon-mesh overfits. Powered pincer grips and leg hydraulics allow wearers to lift and move weights up to one metric tonne. Largely used in warehouse and storage facilities, also used by military engineers and transport corps.
(the) Fall: the period in Australian/Global history when the lethal highly contagious Jackson Virus spread with a 91% mortality rate, killing, it is thought, most of the world’s population and turning 8-9% of the remainder into infected ultra-aggressive beings.
Feral 1. (n. colloq. derog.): non-wallcom resident, wasteland inhabitant.
Feral 2. (n. colloq. derog.): wild wasteland dog.
4GC: 4th Global Conflict 2035-40 – a series of ongoing conflicts fought primarily in and around the Arab Gulf states and South East Asia between the US/South Africa/European Union Coalition (incl. Russian Federation) and the Sino/Gulf States/Indonesian Alliance, and respective allies – results in significant loss of life worldwide. 4GC is the fourth in a series of four major global conflicts of the period, the others being World War 1 or Great War, 1914-18; World War 2, 1939-45; and the Third Global Conflict (3GC), 2026-28.
Flash (n.): a thrown or typed text received in the visual field of the 360, the VWAS. Thrown texts are simple abbreviated form texts employing neural-active technology meaning that the text can be thought then thrown with no manual typing interface with the program. (also v. to flash)
IP: Infected Person – medical/military designation for a person infected with the Jackson Virus.
J (n. colloq. pron. ‘jay’): slang term for infected, derived from ‘jack’.
Jack 1. (n. colloq. derog.): an infected male; a female is referred to as a ‘jill’. Named after the doctor credited with identifying the virus, Dr Riley Jackson (See Jackson Virus).
jack 2. (var. colloq. vulgar): a taboo term used in a variety of ways; e.g. “I’ll be jacked.” “Get jacked!” “Jack you!”
Jackson Scale: biometric measurement app indicating likelihood of infection. Measures breathing and resting heart rates, cellular activity, pupil dilation, Serotonin levels, body temperature and perspiration rate, combining these into a score out of 100. Scores over 90 indicate definite infection presence; 70-90 results in high-probability lock-down; 50-70 in an observation cell under armed guard; under 50 is safe.
Jackson Virus: (also JV, J-Virus) initially termed Unidentified Highly Contagious Virus (UHCV), subsequently named after the doctor credited with its identification, Dr Riley Jackson. JV is thought to be a highly contagious and lethal cross-over variant of rabies, recorded as originating in the Mallee region of north-western Victoria, 550 kilometers from Melbourne (800km to Canberra, 1000km to Sydney) late April, 2050.
Jill (n. colloq. derog): an infected female; a male is referred to as a ‘jack’.
Kulin Wallcom: located 45.5 kilometers southeast of the Melbourne CBD, Kulin was constructed in 2045-46. One of four Victorian wallcoms to survive the Fall. (click for image)
M134 Minigun: an electric powered, six-barrelled, 7.62mm rotary machine gun with variable rates of fire of between 2,000 and 6,000 rpm. The "Mini" designation is in contrast with large calibre rotary barrel designs.
M4 Carbine: along with the Austeyr, the M4 is the AURA standard-issue 360-compatible field rifle. It is preferred by Special Forces operators due to its flexible modular design and its useability in wet environments. The 5.56 calibre M4 comes with a range of add-ons including grenade launcher and SmartSite™ laser scope. (See Pics)
Mach 4: Japanese rock group stranded in Australia at the time of the Fall. Rikako 'Riko' Kawase (rhthym guitar, vocals), Keiko ‘Yama ‘ Yamaguchi (bass, vocals), Mikiko ‘Kiki K’ Kawase (lead guitar, vocals) and Sayuri Fuji (drums).
Maximi machine gun: a fully automatic, gas operated, 7.62mm portable machine gun, fed by a disintegrating link belt. The ‘Max’ has a rate of effective fire of 700 rpm.
Mecha: AURA mechanized heavy-armoured infantry units, mecha are single-pilot, bi-pedal, mobile robotic platforms. Pace rating peak of 28kph; standing height of 2.8 meters combat stance (2.1m at ease); 2.4 metric tonnes weight with full weapons payload. Armed with AWS shoulder-mounted 30mm ‘Tank-Killer’ cannon; twin point-and-fire 7.62mm arm-based machine guns; dual M204 & EMP grenade launchers; AWS SpitFyre flamethrower.
Melbourne Infected Zone (IZ, colloq): the Melbourne CBD area. Post-Fall, it is overrun by infected and wasteland gangs.
Mildura Base Hospital: the hospital where infected Mackenzie Traynor was taken to and where Dr Riley Jcskon was working. Traynor escaped observation and injected staff who infected others. It is the site accepted as Ground Zero for the Jackson Virus.
MRE: Meal, Ready-to-Eat – a plastic vacuum packed self-contained, individual field ration for use in combat or field situations, eaten as is or self-heated with a pull-cord.
Mob 1. (n. colloq.): a pack or group of infected.
Mob 2. (n. colloq. Aust indig.): designates a group of Aboriginal people connected to a specific place or country, identifying who an Indigenous Australian person is and where they are from. It can represent a family, clan or broader Aboriginal community group.
Oakridge Wallcom: located 138 kilometers north of the Melbourne CBD. One of four Victorian wallcoms to survive the Fall.
180ICS (n. colloq.) officially ‘Wrist ICS’ or WICS: Individual Communications System – a personal communications system linked to the Commlink system. Developed as a non-invasive, more affordable variant on the 360ICS, the 180* system is worn as a removable wristband. Though not as powerful or as wide ranging in apps as the 360, it is favoured by non-wallcom residents as it requires no chip bio-implants, is not locked to the individual and also activates a VWAS system, but one which wraps around the hand.
* So called as the 180 system was “disparaged as being only half the 360” (Trott, 2048, p. 26).
Pacifica: Australian progressive/hard rock group, global headline act up to the Fall. Skylar Kruse (rhythm guitar, vocals), Harley Kruse (lead guitar, vocals), Katie Anh (bass, dec. in the Fall) and Tommy Carver (drums, dec. in the Fall).
R&R: Recon and Recov / Reconnaissance and Recovery) – two/three-person civilian teams that go out on foot from a wallcom into the wasteland with a standing two-pronged mission: 1) to identify and salvage useable resources for the wallcom (primary); and 2) to surveil infected and non-wallcom residents in post-Fall surrounds (secondary, non-intervention).
Res (n. abbrev.): short form for a 'resident' of a wallcom.
Ripley frame / Ripley suit: see Exoframe.
SD units: Search and Destroy units –military or militia squads of generally three to five-persons, that go out mostly on foot into the areas around a wallcom with a standing two-pronged mission: 1) to seek, engage and destroy infected personnel (primary); and 2) to surveil non-wallcom residents existent in post-Fall surrounds (secondary, active intervention). SD squads tend to be mostly, but not always, made up of Special Forces troops.
Seraph: a seraphium addict
Seraphium (aka 'Angel', 'spark'): almost-mythical, highly addictive synthetic drug developed in the 2040s, thought to have originated in Bendel Corp R&D labs as a creative stimulant. An enabling drug, Seraphium produces highs of intense clarity which expand cognitive boundaries with neural pathway stimulators allowing the user to operate a higher plane of consciousness. Users are said to be able to view reality and non-reality as a synthesis* leading to incredible discoveries, creations, ideas and conceptual understandings.
* "Angel has a body of LSD and wings of speed." Juan Morales, Chilean poet, 2012-2048
Special Forces: soldiers, units or sections within AFURA designated as elite forces trained for unconventional or specialised warfare. Prior to 3GC, in Australia, this largely consisted of the Special Air Service (SAS), Special Operations and Commando units. As a result of 3GC and 4GC these were greatly expanded under the overall operational title of Special Forces, AFURA. The Special Forces referred to in The Fall are not individualised into their more specific service designations as many of those fell out of use in favour of the more generic ‘Special Forces’ appellation post-Fall.
Southstone Supermall: an enormous shopping precinct located 58 kilometers northeast of the Melbourne CBD, the Bendel Corporation-owned Southstone was the largest shopping precinct in Australia at the time of the Fall and advertised as being one of the largest in the world. Thought to be overrun with infected.
Three-pat: Three Person Patrol – a military patrol system for keeping constant wall-top perimeter watch at wallcoms that survived the Fall. Their brief is to keep vigilance on the wasteland, maintain defensive integrity of the wall and to monitor incoming and outgoing wallcom traffic. Three-pat teams tend to be made up of regular AURA troops while SD squads are mostly Special Forces, though due to personnel limitations, double shifts across duties are normal.
360ICS (colloq. 360): 360 degree Individual Communications System – a head-surround applications-based personal communications system. Powered through subcutaneous nanochip implants in the base of the neck and the fingertips, 360 units are each integrated with an individual based on a unique, locked five-point biometric profile consisting of the user’s heartbeat, voice, facial profile, ear shape and gait signatures. 360s are required of every wallcom resident over the age of five.
Encompassing the head in a variety of possible configurations, depending on personal preference, the activated 360 unit is identifiable by a soft electric-blue glow visible around the head; field-set 360s mute the glow to almost unnoticeable levels. With a visual interface provided by ear-mounted projection ports, the 360 heads-up display technology is activated and controlled by a swipe of the hand. Apps are displayed in the Virtual Wrap-Around Screen, or VWAS, directly in front of the user’s face, with the SeeTrue™ system enabling full vision through the unit, while haptic TouchlessFeel™ technology enables tactile interaction with virtual objects. (See More)
UHCV: Unidentified Highly Contagious Virus - the initial, official designation of the Jackson Virus.
URA: United Republic of Australia. Formerly the Commonwealth of Australia tied historically to Britain, the URA (First Republic) came into being on the 1st of January, 2040.
URAAF: United Republic of Australia Air Force
URAN: United Republic of Australia Navy
Vader (colloq. n.): the retractable face-guard component of the BACC suit helmet.
VWAS: (pron. ‘veewoss’, n.) the heads-up display, Virtual Wrap-Around Screen activated by the 360 unit situated directly in front of the user’s face. The virtual screen is based on the See-2rue™ system enabling users to interact with the screen display while maintaining full external vision.
Wallcom: compound noun formed from Walled Communities. Wallcoms are restricted-access civilian residential communities built in all major and secondary cities in Australia in response to threats to public safety engendered by the increased security threats posed by global conflicts, terrorism, and increasing social unrest. All wallcom residents must be 360-chipped.
(the) Wasteland (n. colloq. also Outland): the name given to the devastated areas of post-Fall Melbourne outside of the wallcoms.
Wastelanders (n. colloq.): what wallcom residents call non-wallcom residents; also referred to as ‘outlanders’.
Wasteland Riders: one of the gangs in the Melbourne Infected Zone (IZ). The gang leaders are Ironheart and Shadow.
Westgate Wallcom: located 4 kilometers west of the Melbourne CBD, Westgate was constructed 2042-43 on reclaimed industrial land. Westgate was the only city-located wallcom and was the first overrun in the Fall.
White Person (n. colloq. derog.): also WP, derogatory term for an infected person
Whitey (n. colloq. derog.): slang term for infected
The Fall is a work of fiction by S.T. Campitelli ©2023, all rights reserved.
AURA: Army of the United Republic of Australia
Austeyr F92: AURA standard-issue 360-compatible field rifle, the Austeyr is the Australian-designed variant on the Austrian Steyr rifle. Integrated with BACC suit telemetry, the 2048 version is a 64-round, 5.56mm assault rifle with progressive trigger mechanism, digital ammunition countback display, active-find laser sighting, undercarriage Grenade Launcher Assembly and bayonet housing.
Avalon Wallcom: located 49 kilometers west of the Melbourne CBD, Avalon was constructed in 2039-41 on land that was previously an international airport and, as such, was the only wallcom to have its own airstrip. One of four Victorian wallcoms to survive the Fall.
BACC suit (pron. ‘back’): Bio-Armour Combat Chassis – lightweight carbon-fibre full-body bio-armour with IT systems integrated into Commlink and 360 and built-in medical platforms. Designed for the military and emergency services teams, BACCs encompass the entire body from the neck down, are bullet-resistant to most small calibre weapons, flexible at the joints, fire-retardant, internally temperature regulated, with extensive autonomous, system-directed medi-response technology. Come with two configurations of combat helmet: an open-faced setting and a retractable, drop-down faceguard setting (colloq. the ‘vader’) that encloses the head completely.
Barrow: a six-wheeled driverless vehicle used for transporting heavy goods from point to point. Originally designed for industrial and commercial use, Barrows became commonly used in post-Fall Melbourne as wasteland pickup vehicles for recovered items.
Black Hand: the largest and thought to be most savage of the gangs occupying the Melbourne Infected Zone (IZ). The leaders of the Black Hand are Brynjar Jackslayer and Valkyrja Fifty-Storms.
Blue Rock Wallcom: located 135 kilometers east-north-east of the Melbourne CBD and opened in 2039, Blue Rock was the first wallcom completed in Australia, and was the site of much of the anti-compound protests that accompanied the first wave of wallcom construction. One of four Victorian wallcoms to survive the Fall.
Brick (aka, 'slab', 'brown', 'booya'): a highly addictive drug, coming into wide-spread use in the early 2030s. Named for its reddish-brown colour and brick-shaped slabs, the synthetic opiate derivative is most commonly smoked in a pipe, though can also be injected. It delivers a very intense initial high users call the ‘slide’, followed by a softening come-down tailend called the ‘cloud’, length of periods depending on quantity and purity of drug ingested and user biology. Slide symptoms include pinprick irises, hyper-state, energy and perceived intense clarity, while the cloud is characterised by sleepiness, lack of concentration, irritation, pupil dilation and itchy skin. The Pacifica song written by Harley Kruse, Fast Ride on a Short Slide, is thought to be an ode to the drug.
Brickhead (n. colloq. derog.): a brick addict.
Brickie (n. colloq.): a brick dealer.
Bushmaster: Protected Mobility Vehicle (PMV) – a military ‘people-mover’, the Bushmaster is a wheeled armoured vehicle with roof-mounted, remote-operated, primary and secondary armament capability. Has a capacity of up to 12 persons – a driver and nine-eleven passengers. (See Pics)
Chiphead (n. colloq. derog.): wasteland slang term for a wallcom resident, so called as wallcom residency carries a compulsory microchip implant requirement (also Chippie, Chipnut).
Cleanskin (n. colloq.): an uninfected person.
Commlink system: open public access comms integrated with the 360ICS and 180ICS systems, enabling the two systems to talk to each other or to any computer or Smart device. Commlink is designed primarily as a cloud-based intranet system for local users to interface with each other, but has capability external to the designated zone of communications. This capability was severely diminished in post-Fall Melbourne due to affected infra- and extra-structure, thereby compromising the ability of surviving wallcoms to communicate with each other.
e-coin: international electronic currency accepted as the unitary global currency in 2038, exchange pegged at $1USD in 2034 then free-floated to full international exchange in 2038.
EMP grenade: electromagnetic pulse bio-disruption grenade – proximity-burst electro-pulse ordnance disrupts the nervous system and immobilises living beings within a set radial range of detonation. Depending on settings, the pulse can temporarily or permanently disrupt nervous system functioning.
(the) Exclusion Zone (aka EZ): strip of cleared land surrounding Kulin wallcom. It is a kill-zone.
Exoframe (or Ripley frame/ Ripley suit): 360-integrated step-in framework industrial exosuit consisting of arm, leg and spinal steel and carbon-mesh overfits. Powered pincer grips and leg hydraulics allow wearers to lift and move weights up to one metric tonne. Largely used in warehouse and storage facilities, also used by military engineers and transport corps.
(the) Fall: the period in Australian/Global history when the lethal highly contagious Jackson Virus spread with a 91% mortality rate, killing, it is thought, most of the world’s population and turning 8-9% of the remainder into infected ultra-aggressive beings.
Feral 1. (n. colloq. derog.): non-wallcom resident, wasteland inhabitant.
Feral 2. (n. colloq. derog.): wild wasteland dog.
4GC: 4th Global Conflict 2035-40 – a series of ongoing conflicts fought primarily in and around the Arab Gulf states and South East Asia between the US/South Africa/European Union Coalition (incl. Russian Federation) and the Sino/Gulf States/Indonesian Alliance, and respective allies – results in significant loss of life worldwide. 4GC is the fourth in a series of four major global conflicts of the period, the others being World War 1 or Great War, 1914-18; World War 2, 1939-45; and the Third Global Conflict (3GC), 2026-28.
Flash (n.): a thrown or typed text received in the visual field of the 360, the VWAS. Thrown texts are simple abbreviated form texts employing neural-active technology meaning that the text can be thought then thrown with no manual typing interface with the program. (also v. to flash)
IP: Infected Person – medical/military designation for a person infected with the Jackson Virus.
J (n. colloq. pron. ‘jay’): slang term for infected, derived from ‘jack’.
Jack 1. (n. colloq. derog.): an infected male; a female is referred to as a ‘jill’. Named after the doctor credited with identifying the virus, Dr Riley Jackson (See Jackson Virus).
jack 2. (var. colloq. vulgar): a taboo term used in a variety of ways; e.g. “I’ll be jacked.” “Get jacked!” “Jack you!”
Jackson Scale: biometric measurement app indicating likelihood of infection. Measures breathing and resting heart rates, cellular activity, pupil dilation, Serotonin levels, body temperature and perspiration rate, combining these into a score out of 100. Scores over 90 indicate definite infection presence; 70-90 results in high-probability lock-down; 50-70 in an observation cell under armed guard; under 50 is safe.
Jackson Virus: (also JV, J-Virus) initially termed Unidentified Highly Contagious Virus (UHCV), subsequently named after the doctor credited with its identification, Dr Riley Jackson. JV is thought to be a highly contagious and lethal cross-over variant of rabies, recorded as originating in the Mallee region of north-western Victoria, 550 kilometers from Melbourne (800km to Canberra, 1000km to Sydney) late April, 2050.
Jill (n. colloq. derog): an infected female; a male is referred to as a ‘jack’.
Kulin Wallcom: located 45.5 kilometers southeast of the Melbourne CBD, Kulin was constructed in 2045-46. One of four Victorian wallcoms to survive the Fall. (click for image)
M134 Minigun: an electric powered, six-barrelled, 7.62mm rotary machine gun with variable rates of fire of between 2,000 and 6,000 rpm. The "Mini" designation is in contrast with large calibre rotary barrel designs.
M4 Carbine: along with the Austeyr, the M4 is the AURA standard-issue 360-compatible field rifle. It is preferred by Special Forces operators due to its flexible modular design and its useability in wet environments. The 5.56 calibre M4 comes with a range of add-ons including grenade launcher and SmartSite™ laser scope. (See Pics)
Mach 4: Japanese rock group stranded in Australia at the time of the Fall. Rikako 'Riko' Kawase (rhthym guitar, vocals), Keiko ‘Yama ‘ Yamaguchi (bass, vocals), Mikiko ‘Kiki K’ Kawase (lead guitar, vocals) and Sayuri Fuji (drums).
Maximi machine gun: a fully automatic, gas operated, 7.62mm portable machine gun, fed by a disintegrating link belt. The ‘Max’ has a rate of effective fire of 700 rpm.
Mecha: AURA mechanized heavy-armoured infantry units, mecha are single-pilot, bi-pedal, mobile robotic platforms. Pace rating peak of 28kph; standing height of 2.8 meters combat stance (2.1m at ease); 2.4 metric tonnes weight with full weapons payload. Armed with AWS shoulder-mounted 30mm ‘Tank-Killer’ cannon; twin point-and-fire 7.62mm arm-based machine guns; dual M204 & EMP grenade launchers; AWS SpitFyre flamethrower.
Melbourne Infected Zone (IZ, colloq): the Melbourne CBD area. Post-Fall, it is overrun by infected and wasteland gangs.
Mildura Base Hospital: the hospital where infected Mackenzie Traynor was taken to and where Dr Riley Jcskon was working. Traynor escaped observation and injected staff who infected others. It is the site accepted as Ground Zero for the Jackson Virus.
MRE: Meal, Ready-to-Eat – a plastic vacuum packed self-contained, individual field ration for use in combat or field situations, eaten as is or self-heated with a pull-cord.
Mob 1. (n. colloq.): a pack or group of infected.
Mob 2. (n. colloq. Aust indig.): designates a group of Aboriginal people connected to a specific place or country, identifying who an Indigenous Australian person is and where they are from. It can represent a family, clan or broader Aboriginal community group.
Oakridge Wallcom: located 138 kilometers north of the Melbourne CBD. One of four Victorian wallcoms to survive the Fall.
180ICS (n. colloq.) officially ‘Wrist ICS’ or WICS: Individual Communications System – a personal communications system linked to the Commlink system. Developed as a non-invasive, more affordable variant on the 360ICS, the 180* system is worn as a removable wristband. Though not as powerful or as wide ranging in apps as the 360, it is favoured by non-wallcom residents as it requires no chip bio-implants, is not locked to the individual and also activates a VWAS system, but one which wraps around the hand.
* So called as the 180 system was “disparaged as being only half the 360” (Trott, 2048, p. 26).
Pacifica: Australian progressive/hard rock group, global headline act up to the Fall. Skylar Kruse (rhythm guitar, vocals), Harley Kruse (lead guitar, vocals), Katie Anh (bass, dec. in the Fall) and Tommy Carver (drums, dec. in the Fall).
R&R: Recon and Recov / Reconnaissance and Recovery) – two/three-person civilian teams that go out on foot from a wallcom into the wasteland with a standing two-pronged mission: 1) to identify and salvage useable resources for the wallcom (primary); and 2) to surveil infected and non-wallcom residents in post-Fall surrounds (secondary, non-intervention).
Res (n. abbrev.): short form for a 'resident' of a wallcom.
Ripley frame / Ripley suit: see Exoframe.
SD units: Search and Destroy units –military or militia squads of generally three to five-persons, that go out mostly on foot into the areas around a wallcom with a standing two-pronged mission: 1) to seek, engage and destroy infected personnel (primary); and 2) to surveil non-wallcom residents existent in post-Fall surrounds (secondary, active intervention). SD squads tend to be mostly, but not always, made up of Special Forces troops.
Seraph: a seraphium addict
Seraphium (aka 'Angel', 'spark'): almost-mythical, highly addictive synthetic drug developed in the 2040s, thought to have originated in Bendel Corp R&D labs as a creative stimulant. An enabling drug, Seraphium produces highs of intense clarity which expand cognitive boundaries with neural pathway stimulators allowing the user to operate a higher plane of consciousness. Users are said to be able to view reality and non-reality as a synthesis* leading to incredible discoveries, creations, ideas and conceptual understandings.
* "Angel has a body of LSD and wings of speed." Juan Morales, Chilean poet, 2012-2048
Special Forces: soldiers, units or sections within AFURA designated as elite forces trained for unconventional or specialised warfare. Prior to 3GC, in Australia, this largely consisted of the Special Air Service (SAS), Special Operations and Commando units. As a result of 3GC and 4GC these were greatly expanded under the overall operational title of Special Forces, AFURA. The Special Forces referred to in The Fall are not individualised into their more specific service designations as many of those fell out of use in favour of the more generic ‘Special Forces’ appellation post-Fall.
Southstone Supermall: an enormous shopping precinct located 58 kilometers northeast of the Melbourne CBD, the Bendel Corporation-owned Southstone was the largest shopping precinct in Australia at the time of the Fall and advertised as being one of the largest in the world. Thought to be overrun with infected.
Three-pat: Three Person Patrol – a military patrol system for keeping constant wall-top perimeter watch at wallcoms that survived the Fall. Their brief is to keep vigilance on the wasteland, maintain defensive integrity of the wall and to monitor incoming and outgoing wallcom traffic. Three-pat teams tend to be made up of regular AURA troops while SD squads are mostly Special Forces, though due to personnel limitations, double shifts across duties are normal.
360ICS (colloq. 360): 360 degree Individual Communications System – a head-surround applications-based personal communications system. Powered through subcutaneous nanochip implants in the base of the neck and the fingertips, 360 units are each integrated with an individual based on a unique, locked five-point biometric profile consisting of the user’s heartbeat, voice, facial profile, ear shape and gait signatures. 360s are required of every wallcom resident over the age of five.
Encompassing the head in a variety of possible configurations, depending on personal preference, the activated 360 unit is identifiable by a soft electric-blue glow visible around the head; field-set 360s mute the glow to almost unnoticeable levels. With a visual interface provided by ear-mounted projection ports, the 360 heads-up display technology is activated and controlled by a swipe of the hand. Apps are displayed in the Virtual Wrap-Around Screen, or VWAS, directly in front of the user’s face, with the SeeTrue™ system enabling full vision through the unit, while haptic TouchlessFeel™ technology enables tactile interaction with virtual objects. (See More)
UHCV: Unidentified Highly Contagious Virus - the initial, official designation of the Jackson Virus.
URA: United Republic of Australia. Formerly the Commonwealth of Australia tied historically to Britain, the URA (First Republic) came into being on the 1st of January, 2040.
URAAF: United Republic of Australia Air Force
URAN: United Republic of Australia Navy
Vader (colloq. n.): the retractable face-guard component of the BACC suit helmet.
VWAS: (pron. ‘veewoss’, n.) the heads-up display, Virtual Wrap-Around Screen activated by the 360 unit situated directly in front of the user’s face. The virtual screen is based on the See-2rue™ system enabling users to interact with the screen display while maintaining full external vision.
Wallcom: compound noun formed from Walled Communities. Wallcoms are restricted-access civilian residential communities built in all major and secondary cities in Australia in response to threats to public safety engendered by the increased security threats posed by global conflicts, terrorism, and increasing social unrest. All wallcom residents must be 360-chipped.
(the) Wasteland (n. colloq. also Outland): the name given to the devastated areas of post-Fall Melbourne outside of the wallcoms.
Wastelanders (n. colloq.): what wallcom residents call non-wallcom residents; also referred to as ‘outlanders’.
Wasteland Riders: one of the gangs in the Melbourne Infected Zone (IZ). The gang leaders are Ironheart and Shadow.
Westgate Wallcom: located 4 kilometers west of the Melbourne CBD, Westgate was constructed 2042-43 on reclaimed industrial land. Westgate was the only city-located wallcom and was the first overrun in the Fall.
White Person (n. colloq. derog.): also WP, derogatory term for an infected person
Whitey (n. colloq. derog.): slang term for infected
The Fall is a work of fiction by S.T. Campitelli ©2023, all rights reserved.