Story

**POD**, also known as "**Planet of Death**", is racing game set on the doomed world of Io. Despite the only story present in the game itself being that of the opening cutscene, other sourcers outside of it provide a deeper look into the lore of the world.

## History

Io was a colony that was made rich by the IMC, or Io Mining Corporation. The IMC eventually gained a sort of control over the planet, and their mines became the colony's prime source of both money and employment. The main city on the planet was named New Columbus, and there are several other areas that were colonized, some of which were later abandoned as the IMC gained power.

An accident in one of the IMC's mines, Plant 21, uncovered some sort of dangerous substance called pod. POD began to rapidly degrade both the mine and the surrounding area, to the point where the triage center for the mine collapsed, and many miners died trying to escape.

The IMC's first reaction was a cover-up, which resulted in a sort of mass confusion, as well as various other things, such as hysteria regarding the substance apparently behind the media block. After it became apparent to the IMC that POD was unstoppable, they ordered a mass evacuation of the planet.

## Current Day

The game takes place in the final weeks of Io's existence, as POD begins to resume its activity for the last time. Some people are still on Io, either because they chose to stay, or because they were somehow left behind. Many have taken to racing to pass the time, as a way to stave off the inevitable doom. That is, until they locate a single-seat vehicle with enough power to get to the nearest human settlement. Through popular consent, it is agreed that the winner of a racing tournament will win this ship, and thus, a new lease on life.

## POD

The exact classification of POD is unknown, as it has been called a virus, a fungus, a type of pollution, and a "green foam", all in various parts of the official documentation. All that is known about this substance is that it eats away at and corrodes anything it can touch. It has been proven to destroy anything man has made or used, be it stone, glass, wood, metal, or plastic. It has also been proven to kill plants, and is rumored to kill animals, people included. All the while, it continues growing and spreading.

It would also appear that POD is active in cycles, quoted as being related to the position of Io and Jupiter in their orbits. It is apparent that between cycles, POD remains inert, and that life can go on as normal. However, during a cycle, POD is destructive and dangerous, and must be avoided at all costs.

## Game Introduction

This information has been transcribed from the introduction video, which is voiced by one of the racers remaining on Io. (Possibly Manzano or police captain Derek Stealth)

`It's too bad really, because the whole thing started out so well. Io is—I mean, was—one of the most successful new planets. It was colonized rapidly, industries developed, and people came from everywhere to take advantage of the work opportunities here.`
`For years, we all prospered. It was like living on a new frontier. And then...it all came to a halt. An accident in one of the mines exposed some sort of virus.`
`The press called it..."POD". It's practically destroyed everything here.`
`Everyone has left Io now—or at least, almost everyone. A few of us stayed behind, some by choice, others because they had no choice. Our days are numbered now. We're all doomed, all except for one person. There is one ship left, one of us will get away to safety. POD is in the final stages of its destructive cycle. Planet Io and everyone left on it will die.`
`To kill time, we've been using parts from abandoned factories and forgotten equipment to transform cars into super-powered vehicles and race them around the empty streets of Io. Today's races aren't like the others, though. Today each driver is racing for his life. The winner will take that one remaining place in the last ship. The others? Well...`

## Archive

Archive of stories in the world of POD.

* Archives
* POD: Alternatives
* IO Gazette

  **Database**