SMART SUITS, DUMB GADGETS, AND 2050s SURVIVAL
How to stay frosty in New York's lethal environment š
More a summer outfit, here Alice combines a tough fabric overall with inserted armor panels and additional equipment straps. Every time I draw Alice her clothing is different! Stops me getting bored I guess ...
In the last page we discussed the heating and inner layers of Alice's uniform (akin to a combination of wet-suit and spacesuit.) This page I'm looking at the outer layers and additional gear. Over the tough, warm inner layers can be worn an optional selection of body armor. This looks similar to current clothing worn by motocross riders and tactical weapons teams, being designed for maximum flexibility and protection. (Alice only wears extra center-torso armor though, preferring to keep her arms and legs free of the added weight.)
The 'EVS G6 Ballistic Jersey'
This is the armor that got me thinking about Alice's gear. Once I had drawn her once (see below) I started to do more research and found the EVS G6. This is a lightweight, breathable ballistic jersey designed for upper body protection and comfort. Hard plastic panels cover chest, back, arms and shoulders while the built in kidney belt supports the lower back.
'ALICE IN THE FOURTH WARD'
This is the first drawing showing Alice's winter gear. It is an early scene from 'The Paradise Factory' where Alice realizes she has to break the law and lose her job (with the inevitable dire consequences) to save her partner. You can see the combination of wetsuit and body armor aesthetics in the uniform.
The final piece of the uniform is the jacketās mechanical mind. In The Paradise Factory, Aliceās jacket has a Type 3 Mind. That means it is a smart-system able to mimic consciousness, while not actually being sentient. However, Type 3ās are powerful enough to be convincing and Alice often forgets that sheās talking to a replica of intelligence, not the real thing.
The primary purposes of the jacketās intelligence (other than fulfilling a variety of support roles) is to learn the wearerās personality, and then design a counter one. At the start of the day the jackets are nice to their owners, but as the wearer get tired and starts to make mistakes, it aggravates and annoys them, helping to keep them alert and aware of their surroundings. This is one reason why they have such a low approval rating amongst NYPD officers...
In the summer the inner heating layer is removed, and they can also discard other parts of the outer jacket, temperature depending as in the first drawing of this email.
In some of these drawings Alice carries grenades, however in the books I donāt use them too often, as they end conversations too quickly! A lot of 2050s NYPD work is riot control and crowd suppression, so the grenades would be for tear gas, smoke, and other nonlethal contents. I have an idea for a āsmartā grenade which would be pretty cool, so Iām looking for an action scene in the third book for itā¦
The standard NYPD backpack carries supplies for the day, such as ammunition, additional weapons, and water. It also has a satellite uplink to keep her in contact with the NYPDās supervising Mechanical Intelligenceāmobile phones donāt work so well at ground level as most of the cell towers have been trashed and sold off. Finally, thereās her gun, but as that gets complicated I will save that for another page šš«
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