Sandkings

Sandkings Brainstorm

Overview: High-tech area with tribal test subjects.
They have big brains, but due to some kind of reason, the big brains are pitted against each other, possibly to keep their ambitions off the wasteland.
Alien Presence: Alien tech has been salvaged here, perhaps even a somewhat intact alien ship wreckage. Also, one of the people with empty heads is controlled by an alien, probably stuck there.
Could be aliens trying to learn about humans, just trying to work it out.
Trash Recycling Plant/Cuckoo's Nest: The original function of the facility was to recycle the waste the experiments inevitably produce. However, it has become a hive for the Cyber Test Subjects, not necessarily drawn to it but often unintentionally finding themselves brought here during the automated collection.
Sandkings: The powers that rule over this area, humans, AI, advanced technology, for some reason are locked in a pointless war with each other over the small area.
Unhindered Science: No experiment is off limits. This leads to horrific abominations of man, machine, and animal. They only see test subjects, no friends or foe.
One of the Sandkings knew their former friends could turn the world into a scientific hellscape, and so, to keep them contained, messed with their minds and put them in an infinite loop of fighting each other.

Test Subjects

Cyber Test Subject: Men and women captured and subjected to cybernetic experimentation. While they have some enhancements, most are tossed aside and left to roam a technological landscape. They use the high tech around them with some finesse. Perhaps some are linked to a hivemind of sorts and are able to coordinate, fighting others linked to different hiveminds.
They often have their cybernetic enhancements layered over whatever they were wearing, or the clothing is surgically cut away to access the flesh and attach cybernetics. A common cybernetic is a large eyepiece, covering almost half of one's face. This eyepiece allows for scanning, recording, and other things. Often they have cybernetic armor, which doubles as interface, layered over their clothes as well.
Despite their high-tech surroundings, they are nearly primal, instinctual. As such, they wander in groups, easy pickings for the machine overlords. Some have remained 'independent', but most one time or another end up being drafted into one of the overlord's armies.
Lunatic's Helm: A helmet often worn by Cyber Test Subjects. The helmet has at least one large jutting antenna on top of it. The full helmet covers the head. Where the ears are can be more sci-fi gizmos or more simply 2 other antennae like on top. The user sees through one circle, essentially becoming a cyclops. Quality of the helmets vary from all gizmos attached to barely having the cyclops eyepiece.
Layered Armor: Crudely layered armor from an armor printer. It is simply layered on top of the test subject's clothing. It is light to medium armor.

Technology

Stun Blade: A machete or sword with an integrated electrical current. It both does shock damage and vibrates the blade intensely, amplifying its cutting power.
Heat Knife: Made with metal alloys that can withstand repeated extreme heating and potentially rapid cooling, it heats up to both burn and cut targets.
Taser Knife: A combat knife with an integrated taser. While it doesn't have the vibrating blade capabilities of its larger Stun Blade cousin, it can be used as a close range taser, using the metal blade to direct its current or electrocute a victim that's been stabbed, either automatically or with a command.
Holorifle: It uses the specialized holographic technology widespread and developed... as a weapon. The metal particles are fired out like a coil gun, but upon impact, the holographic particles spread out around the target, sapping its energy and instilling a sort of burning effect. Strangely or not, using holographic armor or another sort of holographic tech is one of the best counters to this. It is often used against shielded infiltrators, disrupting their active camouflage and devastating their relatively unarmored combatants.
Holographic technology was developed at the facility, though someone sooner or later it was jury rigged into a weapon at least. Maybe its only hard-light tech in a sense.
Stealth Suit: A full suit of form fitting armor that when active, renders the user practically invisible. Uses holographic technology to power a light-deflection field which makes viewing difficult, but can be subverted with either a power drain or a form of stealth viewing glasses that can see through the disguise. It also makes a light shimmering, but is far less visible in general.
Possibly developed on its own, but also could have started from a captured Stealth Suit from an advanced army.
Scientist Uniform: A uniform used by the scientists here. It can come with heavy duty gloves and all kinds of gizmos.

Creatures

Overview: Non-human test subjects. Some of them are wild, but most are partially cybernetic and 'recruited' into one of the Sandkings factions.
Cyberdog: A dog enhanced with cybernetics. Military dogs have machine guns, while police dogs are walking tasers.