Darkness isn’t your average city – there’s nanotech, and ports in the back of some people’s necks to allow them to plug into CORTEX, the main computer system of the city.  These people are known as ‘techborne’ – as thier answers are often borne out of thier connection to thier tech, and are the primary route for tracking and bringing clones in to answer for thier various crimes or problems in the police force.  Outside the police force they are either highly valued or treated like the scum of the earth – it’s unclear most of the time whether they are drug addicted or connected, so many people are guarded around them.

The Nano virus
Released by the Naiere cult, the nanovirus is an oddity – it creates ‘creatures’ out of fairytales out of people- with four major strains .  Elliot’s team aren’t heavily involved in that at the beginning of the universe setting, but as the books progress…..

VR – virtual reality – outlawed tech.
If you use it while jacked in, it could, theoretically infect CORTEX, so Virtual reality of all kinds was outlawed years ago.  Theoretically, everyone complied, but at least two officers in the police force have VR machines, one being Elliot….