In the not so distant future, World Wars employing the use of unimaginably destructive weaponry will bring mankind to the brink of annihilation and deplete the atmosphere so radically that what's left of a decimated population must congregate in crowded climate-controlled communities covered with protective shields.
At birth, infant brains will be implanted with microchip technology called Sliders which allow access to all the knowledge, information, and resources needed for a lifetime, via a S.O.U.R.C.E. link. To learn anything, to find anything, all one must do is 'think' of what you want. All communication, entertainment, media, information, even interpersonal contact and memory is facilitated via SOURCE.
As a result, we can and may know 'everything' (that SOURCE allows), creating a content, peaceful, and controlled citizenry. Any deviant behavior is deemed criminal and punishment is swift and ruthless. One strike and you're out. Disconnected from SOURCE, your Slider deactivated and your memory erased you are banished outside the city's protective bubble into the outland to fend for yourself.
In the outland your only protection from the elements is a thin radiation cloak and your only chance at survival is to retreat to the underground tunnels where mutants and predators roam. Chances at living more than a few brief moments are on the desperate side of nil. Exiled and defenseless to face the perils of the outland without even a memory of who you are or where you came from to guide you, there is no less hopeless fate than to be ... Outcast.
