But the war never really ended. It never does. Everyone with eyes to see knows that there’s a new war coming, and that only gives the revels more urgency. The maras — mechanical automata that were developed to fight in the war but now are put to peacetime use as taxi drivers, servants and darker, more frightening purposes — are everywhere, and with them, the chimeras, genetically engineered monstrosities that emerged from military contractors' laboratories and now are snarling, exotic pets. The nachtvogel, a legendary and rarely seen secret police force, are still on the prowl, and even if you don’t know anyone who’s been taken by them, you certainly know better than to ask after someone who has.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 11, 2019 19:07 UTC