Piezochem

Piezochem is a multinational corporation established after The Collapse, which controls the global biomod market and has a significant stake in the robotics market by 2072. It's not directly present in Deus Ex: Invisible War, but plays a role in the story.
==Background==
Formed in the wake of the Collapse, which obliterated industry giants like Page Industries, Chiang and Matsu-Gravas, Piezochem became a major WTO-backed corporation after developing a new nanotechnological augmentation architecture, which made the technology much more widely available: One in twenty humans was compatible with Piezochem biomods, which had the added advantage of being largely indistinguishable. With WTO's backing and oversight, Piezochem biomods became the standard for human augmentation and the only ones available for purchase. As a result of this monopoly, Piezochem is effectively synonymous with biomods,The Blood of the ChampionPiezochem Biomods and next generation biomod architectures bearing its mark are a coveted item among enthusiasts of human augmentation.The Harvester: "I am interested in the security chief in the unmarked suite on level 108 in the arcology. His tissues are heavy with biotech. Beta biocules? The next rev of the Piezochem architecture? Who knows, maybe something beyond. I have a client who will pay handsomely to study one of his biomods."
The greatest threat to Piezochem's monopoly came from ApostleCorp, which developed an universal biomodification technology that was far more efficient than Piezochem'sLeila Nassif: "Well done. Enjoy. Even though they run on normal energy cells, your systems are far more efficient than the standard Piezochem architecture. Now get down to the street. The elevator on this level uses the lab's general access code -- 3445." and could be applied to anyone, as it restructured the host's DNA to tolerate biomodification, making them compatible with every human being. The WTO became interested, officially to protect "competition" and maintain biomod prices,Alex D: "What's the WTO's stake in ApostleCorp?"
Donna Morgan: "ApostleCorp made your biomods. I'm not blaming you, but the technology diverges wildly from Piezochem biomods, the only ones approved for sale."
Alex D: "You're investigating this ApostleCorp for patent infringement?"
Donna Morgan: "Market disruption. The genius of the ApostleCorp product is that it restructures any host's DNA to tolerate biomodification, whereas the standard infusions work for only one in twenty patients. ApostleCorp could go commercial and devastate biomod prices."
Alex D: "In other words, you want modified people to hold their value, like real estate."
Donna Morgan: "We simply want to avoid a price shock. So far, our most promising intel on your former employer points to a possible smuggling operation with Seattle's Minister of Culture, who lives in an Emerald Suites penthouse." as was The Order, which saw this degree of genetic recombination and rewriting as a mortal sin against humans,Lin-May Chen: "Your rescue, yes. You and the other trainees were being used as testbeds for recombinant tissue experiments. The Order doesn't tolerate deception of that magnitude. It's a sin."Alex D: "Biomods are part of the training. We knew what they'd do to our tissues."Lin-May Chen: "Your biomod architecture is no Piezochem knockoff. It's something quite new."Alex D: "They said I'd be compatible with Piezochem infusions."Lin-May Chen: "Compatible, perhaps. Equivalent, no. The trainees' DNA has been completely rewritten. We're pretty certain that the one called Leo would have been completely ineligible for biomodification without extensive homologous replacement." leading to a standardization of the human organism, turning ability and talent into simple biomod modules, and thus completely upend the social order. In reality, the power brokers behind both became concerned that such a technology would make mankind truly equal and impossible to manipulate for the Illuminati ends - echoing the concerns from half a century prior, when mechanical augmentation raised the same problems for the old council.Her Holiness: "Your biomod architecture is no Piezochem clone. The trainees' DNA has been completely rewritten. We're certain that the one called Leo would have been ineligible for biomodification without extensive gene replacement."Alex D: "Sounds like typical R and D -- an innovation that would expand the biomod market."Her Holiness: "The technology's uses exceed what you might expect. It could standardize the human organism, make all ability and talent into software modules, radically disrupt the social order..."
The Omar also competed with Piezochem, though in a different way. Their independently produced, black market biomods mimicked the corporation's architecture to maintain genetic compatibility, but their foreign infusion signatures rendered them incompatible with Piezochem mods.Analysis of Illegal Biomods This was deliberate, as the Omar offered abilities and augmentations Piezochem refused to consider.Omar Protector: "Scan complete. You biomods are quite new, but we offer technology you cannot find in Piezochem's labs."Omar Trader: "I have a black-market biomod canister, which enables non-Piezochem functionality. "
Beyond biomods, Piezochem also manufactured medkits, respirators, and medical bots, among other things, and was one of the most significant players in the biomedical market.Public terminal: "Piezochem.... Medkits. Respirators. Bots for recovery and medical assistence. Providing necessary products as we stand beside you in a difficult time." The WTO backing made it possible for the corporation to establish a monopoly and dictate prices as it saw fit, typically out of reach of the less fortunate and usually more in need of its technologies.Merc 1: "Mean sons-a-bitches, that's for sure."Merc 2: "I never bet. I just like to see 'em fight."Merc 1: "You shoulda seen the first match. There was blood and acid slime hangin' from the rafters..."Merc 2: "One of these gob things got in my brother's house one night. Damn near killed his wife. Now she walks with a cane and can't see five feet in front of her face."Merc 1: "My sister-in-law, she's saving up for a bionic eye. But I guess Piezochem has a monopoly on the surgery, thanks to the WTO, so it's kind of a pipe dream, if you ask me. The price is set in stone."Merc 2: "A lotta misery in this world. Doesn't take a philosopher to see that."Merc 1: "I remember when this town was full of seagulls. Now it's a wasteland. Rubble, vacant buildings, mutants everywhere. They eat each other, they eat people's pets, they eat bums that fall asleep by the wrong sewer drain -- and I brought children into this world."Merc 2: "Whatever they say, this ain't cruelty. This right here, starvin' these gobs and makin' 'em go at it, this is justice."
==Products==
* Biomods
* Medkits
===Bots===
*Piezochem A-V810 Medical bot
*Piezochem W31V Repair bot
*It likely created big cleaner bot, light spider bot and nanoformer but it is not clarified.
==Behind the scenes==
* The name, "Piezo Chem", literally translates to The Chemistry of Pressure or Stress. It likely comes from Piezoelectricity, or the minute amounts of power that are generated when mechanical stress occurs in certain materials. Although this form of generation is notably weak, Piezoelectric implants can build enough power through basic human activities, such as walking, to power simple machines such as flashlights or even the nanites of the 2070s.
==Gallery==
Piezochem scientists concept.jpg|Concept art of Piezochem scientists
piezochem_scientist2.jpg|Additional concept art
==References==
Category:Deus Ex: Invisible War organizations
Category:Companies
Category:Factions