CONTENTS Medical Science ..................................................................................

- 31 -
Planes, Trains and Automobiles ..................................................... - 32 -
Contents ..................................................................................................... - 2 - Exoframes, Linear Frames, Landmates & Power Armour .......- 33 -
The New Future ......................................................................................... - 3 - One Night in the Mission District......................................................... - 34 -
North America 2070 .................................................................................- 7 - A Day in Almost the Life ........................................................................ - 45 -
The United States of America ............................................................- 7 -
The Free States .................................................................................... - 8 -
Free West .............................................................................................. - 8 -
Central States ...................................................................................... - 9 -
Southern States................................................................................... - 9 -
Original States .................................................................................... - 10 -
Canada ....................................................................................................... - 10 -
Mexico ......................................................................................................... - 11 -
Sanfrancisco ............................................................................................ - 12 -
We are a Gray Nation.............................................................................. - 13 -
Locations ................................................................................................... - 14 -
Clubs and Pubs .................................................................................... - 14 -
Who’s Who of the Night........................................................................... - 15 -
Gangs & Organised Crime ..................................................................... - 19 -
Organised Crime................................................................................ - 20 -
San Francisco Metropolitan Police ..................................................... - 23 -
Megacorporations of 2070................................................................... - 24 -
Corporate Nations.................................................................................. - 28 -
ARASAKA .............................................................................................. - 28 -
BIOTECHNICA....................................................................................... - 28 -
ARES TECHNOLOGIES ......................................................................... - 28 -
RAVEN MICROCYBERNETICS ............................................................. - 28 -
MEGATECH............................................................................................ - 28 -
INTELLIGENCIA..................................................................................... - 28 -
AXON ..................................................................................................... - 28 -
TOYOCHEV ............................................................................................ - 28 -
PANASONY ........................................................................................... - 28 -
Modern Technology ................................................................................ - 29 -
Computers and the Internet ........................................................... - 29 -
Cyberware........................................................................................... - 29 -
NEXUS ...................................................................................................- 30 -
MODS ....................................................................................................- 30 -
Bioroids ...............................................................................................- 30 -
-2-
 2017 The first beginnings of the expansion of the orbital
space stations begins. Corporate money creates a massive
influx of technology.
Solid state memory becomes industry standard,
memory levels excel the terabyte level for the home
machine.

2070 2020 The first fully functioning cybereye is installed,

now installed inside the skull and with full colour
By the year 2070 the world has been through a function in four mega pixel. The first mass driver space
nigh apocalypse and a technical renaissance, both at the launcher goes online near Alice Springs, central Australia.
same time. Both were due to a single revolution in
technology. This double edged innovation was BINT, the 2022 The second launcher goes online in Russia.
Bio Interface Nanotechnology. With this development of Neuralware processors are developed to aid in brain
Bio Interface Circuitry, and the ability to program Nanites damaged people.
to perform all manner of surgical procedures, the world
seemed on the edge of the next great medical age. 2024 The Orbital Platform is now a fully functioning
With this technology came Cyberware, the cheap virtually self sufficient space station. The Population
alternative to therapy, and reaches 5000. Nano Science
for the neon youth, a great successfully grafts damaged
fashion statement. Soon nerves.
came combat cyberware,
and then the nano
2025 Cyberisation starts
military applications.
to expand medical science
Also, the space
for all manner of disabilities,
race became corporate, the
millions of people are
technology to save the
helped.
food supplies on Earth
Nano Surgeons are
was used to create
used for the first time, and
colonies on Mars and
are successful in removing a
Corporations began to
variety of Cancer tumors
buy up the worlds
with 100% accuracy and
governments and use
efficiency.
them as they would any
Fashion cyberware becomes available.
other resource.
After launching in the first orbital constructed
The history unfolded as follows.
space craft, Mars Colony 01 lands on the surface of Mars,
robots and nanites start manufacturing a biodome for the
THE NEW FUTURE first colony.

2006 The first muscle controlled prosthetic arm 2026 The Children of Purity, a Christian fundamentalist
functions with a significant degree of control. Solid state group from Asia start to protest the use of cyberware as a
memory becomes the new direction for mass data storage. desecration of God’s creation.

2015 The first BINT is created. The first cybereye is
attached to the side of a blind man’s head in Australia, he
is able to see in half a mega-pixel, in 256 colour. The first
cyberleg is created, in the US it is bolted to the hip and
allows an amputee to walk again.
The iRobot is released by Apple, and is sold as a
house servant. SONY sues for breach of copyright. The
First Corporate war is fought in the net as hackers attack
each company en masse. Apple is destroyed by their own
robots, proving that they were developed by SONY and
Sony knew more about how to program them.
2027 The first vat cloned arm is created, and sewn on
with Nanites. Stem Cell research is accelerated. Religious
uprising is quelled when the Pope receives a Stem Cell
heart.
The Cyberfashion market has exploded world
wide. Religious movements attack the over cyberization of
people. Cyberware technology expands in the military
and the workplace. Low Earth Orbit reaches a population
of 10,000
2028 The Children of Purity bomb a Bangkok Cyber
Clinic.

-3-
 The first AI like mainframe goes online, using a
combination of solid state memory and bio neural
circuitry. It works for nine days and then “dies” as the
workload burns out the synapses.
2029 Massive drought and world wide global warming
disrupt world food supplies.
2030 The first Full Cyberized human is created. A
young boy, known only as Newman, is given a new body,
in the form of a basic vehicle after a bullet severs his spine
in his neck after a school yard gunfight.
The first cases of what becomes known as
Cyberpsychosis start to appear. The Children of Purity
hail this as the beginning of the end of mankind.
New police teams are developed to deal with the
new age cyber criminals. In the US, C-Swat, UK CI-C,
Japan Section 9, Australia C-Star.
Mars Colony 02 arrives, there are now people
living on Mars.
2031 The first EBM Cybermodem is
created. Soon after the Vehicle link, Tech
link and Smartgun are also created. The
US massdriver for Low Earth Orbit goes
online. LEO population reaches 100,000.
2032 The Children of Purity bomb
Raven Microcybernetics facility in Perth
Australia. The corporation hires Arasaka
and the terrorist cell is eliminated within
three weeks, the leader of that group of
cells within six, and all cells within
Australia within eight weeks.
2033 The World Stock Market
Crashes. Cyberware corporations upset
the market and the economies of smaller
countries are swelled, while the Middle
East drowns as oil runs out. Countries
grapple to maintain their technology
stocks and keep industry going. The
United States breaks up as California and
Silicon Valley stop listening to the US
government and start trading on the
world stage under their own power.
They Pass the Ross Bill, a bill allowing
them to ignore or accept US government law as they see
fit. The California Free State is created. Texas also
resentful of the high taxation of oil that has taken place as
the Texan oil fields become vital to US supplies and the
passing of gun laws follows California’s lead and passes
an independence law. The US begins to respond with
military force, there are a couple of skirmishes, no major
battle, but the government are unable to go to war without
oil, technology or food supplied by these countries.
-4-
In an attempt to find work, people travel to LEO
and Mars. LEO reaches 200,000
2034 Nanotechnology is created to help rebuild
farmlands after drought and ecological change. The
technology for desalinization, green power generation,
biofuels, and waste management in grey water and the
like help rebuild the dying arable lands of the world.
Mars Colony 03 Arrives on the surface, this brings
the same technology and begins to terraform sections of
Mars. The second Biodome is started.
2035 The US invades South America, to secure the
Panama Canal for US trade. They cite “local government
instability” and a need for security for world trade as the
reasons then start a massive taxation for the use of the
canal for non US ships. This they explain is to cover the
expense of world trade in a time when the world is broke.
2036 The leader of the Children of
Purity is assassinated by an unknown
force in Tai Wan. There are a series of
bombings of governments and cyber
clinics around the world.
2037 Corporations either directly or
through pressuring governments force an
attack on the home countries of the
Children of Purity, in Malaysia and
Indonesia.
The Children respond by
launching a series of Nano Bombs around
the world. These bombs attack and destroy
the nervous system of any person using
cyberware. These bombs are dropped in
Los Angeles, Tokyo, Sydney, London and
Berlin. Over the next month over 112,000
deaths are attributed to the bombings.
The world responds and in a fit of
vengeance and rage the Indonesian
government is overthrown. Any country
harboring Children of Purity or any
similar organizations is sanctioned and
embargoed then effectively invaded and
all members or suspected members are
arrested and many are executed.
The Children are not done yet,
they release bioweapons to wipe out food
supplies in Europe, the US and Canada. Massive food
shortages arise and the west starts to spend millions
feeding its population.
2038 In the wake of the US led assaults on Panama and
Asia, the UN is politically attacked, and effectively
disbanded after most member countries leave when the
leaders refuse to hold a vote to remove the membership of
the US. In response, and using their power as a food
supplier Kansas and Nebraska become the next states to LEO reaches One Million.
declare independence and become free states.
Rolls Royce develops the HydroFire Jet engine. 2045 After almost four years of fighting, the US led
LEO reaches 500,000 forces have control over most of the food supplies in
China. The Chinese Independence National Association,
2039 The US economy is in disarray. The US never fully assassinate the military leaders, and the leaders of
recovered from the crash of 2033, and then tried and failed government, and surrender the war. The world sees this
to create a boom with the various military actions, instead as an admission of guilt for the bombings by the dead
threw precious millions away on other countries, and after leaders, and the truth is never really discovered.
the biological attacks on their food, national debt scales Mexico launches into a bloody coup that sparks a
out control. China, having now civil war. Military
used technology built for Mars has commanders seek to create
become mostly arable land and is a power state and take over.
supplying food to the world. By the end of the year, they
The Nexus Neural Interface, are in power.
built in cyber modems are developed,
they quickly replace all other tech for 2047 Africa Erupts in
accessing the net. People’s minds are massive conflicts over the
now online. arable land, most of the
fighting is within the
2041 On July 4th three nuclear devices are population, supported by
detonated in the US, and a fourth is the rest of the world.
discovered. New York, Los Angeles and Agricorps start to buy up
Chicago are vaporized, millions die. The fourth and rebuild the US food
bomb is found in Washington DC, between the belts using nanites and
White house and the Pentagon. The bombings are counter bioweapon
claimed by the Soldiers of Purity, a splinter faction programs.
of the Children. However the three operatives
captured in Washington are found to be Ex-Chinese 2050 The occupying US
military. The US blames the attacks on China, and forces and installed “Legitimate Government” fight a civil
prepares for an invasion “to bring stability to the region”. war in Panama. Drug money funds the freedom fighters.
China threatens true nuclear reprisal. The US launches This sparks the Second Mexican Civil War, as
one multi warhead ICBM, Beijing is erased from the earth drug lords supply Mexican mercenaries to fight with
in a 70km multi detonation blast. The US states that any them, who in turn take the equipment to restore
reprisal will result in the annihilation of population democratic government. The US, a long time proponent of
centers and the enslavement of rural sectors. Russia and democracy also supplies the Mexican Liberation Army.
the Middle East side with China, the ECU and Austral- LEO reaches two million.
Asia side with the US. December 19th with many US Mars reaches two million.
citizens going hungry, the Great Rice War is declared.
2055 Mars Colony, now five million people, forms the
2042 The first Vectored Thrust vehicle is created for the Mars Republics. The resources on Mars are too valuable
war in China. The Technology is quickly adapted by the and needed on Earth to go without, and Mars is too far
corporations for the civilian market. away to attack successfully, so the independence
movement is unopposed, the corporations open trade
negotiations.

2057 Second Corporate War erupts between Sovoil and

Petrochem over the oil deposits in the South China Sea.

2058 As all resources vanish from the Middle East, the

governments turn on each other to fight over what is left.
Religious tension there erupts in a new wave of violence.
The first Clone Soldiers are used.

2044 Bowing to EU pressure and economic sanctions 2060 The United States collapses under its own weight.
Russia removes support from China, and adds to the EU It divides into four areas that while considered part of the
Forces. US rule themselves, and set up their own laws. Travel
-5-
between these “areas” becomes restricted and smuggling covered by the laws of human rights. Many governments
and contraband become prolific. The great nomad clans follow. The California Free States is one.
created by the loss of farmland and takeover by the
Agricorps wage border wars as they travel. Corporations 2070 The PRESENT.
respond with clone soldiers.

2062 The Middle East destroys itself in a mutually

assured destruction with bio weapons, nuclear strikes and
nano bombs. The entire area has now become
uninhabitable.
The Third Mexican Civil war begins. The MLA
tries once again to restore the government. They go
against the drug fueled military dictatorship. The US
government is unable to supply any help, and now the
Panamanian government is supplying money to the
Mexican Military Government.
It is now confirmed that there are clone soldiers
and genetically engineered super soldiers being used.
The Children of Purity and the public retaliate
with protest over the use of clones.

2065 The Third Corporate War Erupts. Militech and

Arasaka get involved in a Hotwar over defending two
other corporations involved in a hostile takeover. Outright
war erupts and eventually the Japanese and American
Governments step in. It is later revealed that the EU
precipitated the war, and all three governments start
arguing. The Panama Uprising occurs as the local rebels
retaliate against US occupying forces. The second Central
American war breaks out. The Mexican Civil War is
swallowed in this larger conflict.
Clones, now called Bioroids are becoming more
and more used. Many parts of this war are about taking
out clone facilities.

2066 The EU and Japanese governments responding to

threats made by the US invade both coasts
simultaneously. New York and San Francisco are used as
staging points. The conflict lasts seven months and when
the invaders retreat after Osaka and Vienna are wiped out
as Beijing was. Chinese rebels attack US occupying forces
in the cities with new Bioroids. The Chinese Independence
War starts.

2069 The Baltic war erupts as eastern European

countries fight over land and resources. Old religious
conflicts erupt.
Thousands of Bioroids left over from the war are
captured after their parent companies or countries end
conflicts. Bioroids are seen as fully fledged people, with
full personalities. The Children of Purity order them all
killed in the press, but other groups, many just wanting to
oppose the children, petition for them to be given rights as
humans. A petition is put before the UN and as human
rights activists riot with Bioroid right activists against
racial purists in the streets, the UN declares Bioroids to be

-6-
NORTH AMERICA 2070
The continent of North America, is now considered to be
six countries. Although the United States are still a single
country, their economy has vanished and the Eurodollar is
the currency, the laws are now regulated at a level below
national government, taxes rarely go up from the free
states, and the military has no jurisdiction in some parts of
the country.
So now you have Canada, Mexico, and the Free
West, The Central States, The South and the US.
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
What remains of the US is made up of the few
states that have allied themselves with the old empire.
Luckily this is a large area of arable land, and the major
industrial centers of Detroit and Cleveland. It also
contains the wrecked cities of Chicago and New York.
The Borders to the US are as tight as ever, and
now the borders to the old US states are guarded as well.
The current US has massive sanctions on the rest of the
world, the importation of weapons and drugs are strictly
controlled or prohibited. Illegal immigration is also a
major concern for the government.
-7-
The police and military still have a massive
amount of authority in the US. The government has been
defiant of the assertion of their control since the Arasaka-
Militech hot war. To this end, crimes and criminals are
pursued with greater efficiency and efficacy here.
Edgerunners stay away from the US because of this, but
that means those that do come, get better pay.
There are many wastelands in the US. Bio
weapons, nuclear war and the battles of recent times have
made empty wastelands of many small towns in the US.
New York is a haunted lawless place, where gangs rule
and there is no government. Scavengers and treasure
hunters will often brave the radiation, toxins and
inhabitants in search of something valuable. Manhattan
Island is flattened and a radioactive slag. Nothing can go
there.
Chicago is similar, except that around the blast
site there are shanty towns and settlements. These have
trade areas and a form of local police. Recently the
military moved in and used this area as a launch against
the corporations in the Hot war. Now they too police the
area.
THE FREE STATES
During the financial collapse of the US during the
Rice war and since, the states looked to find a way out.
In order to maintain an independence the states
passed laws that separated themselves from the US. This
process started in California and then spread to Texas,
then to an alliance formed by Kansas and Nebraska.
Eventually, unhappy with the leadership and policies of
the US government, these three starter states built small
allied empires of independence. While not truly
independent countries, a great deal about them is.
As with all things political, it starts with money.
Immediately after the Crash of 33 the US government tries
to counter the losses by taxing the new cybertech industry,
this begins a series of moves from an income tax system to
a goods tax system. The Government implemented a
series of taxes while advertising the benefits of the
reduction of income tax.
This taxation hit the industries in
and around Silicon Valley and the
many bridging industries of cyber
tech in LA and California. The
corporations involved saw a
downturn in sales, and a pinch
in the profits. So they acted
through their duly elected
officials, and if that official
would not help, then they
would meet a nasty
accident and the
corporations would ensure
that an appropriately
sympathetic official was duly
elected.
This process eventually
resulted in the creation of the
Ross bill. Arthur Ross, state
governor at the time,
and friend to industry
and corporations
everywhere,
championed the
creation of a bill that
would allow the State of
California to adjudicate each
federal law and statute and implement
it of its own free will. The federal government
responded by threatening police actions, California
responded by withholding access to the various Net hubs
within California to any company operating out of the
east, and charging extra to lift the process. The
Corporations that needed the trade and access responded
by pressuring their local senators.
Texas equally suffered on the prices of oil and
petrol, with alternative fuels cutting into the market, this
was unacceptable. So they too passed a version of the Ross
bill, and then the food belt passed their own, Nebraska
-8-
leading the way. The Federal Government was unable to
resist three fronts, and was forced to acquiesce.
Soon various states allied themselves with the
leader rogue states. This created the western technological
states, the southern oil states, the central food states and
the eastern original states. Later these areas became the
Free West, Central, Southern and Original states.
FREE WEST
The Free West, so called because it led the charge
of separation of the economies from the Federal
Government, is made up of Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Most of those
states avoided the major damage from the biobombs that
attacked the food supplies of the US. The attacks instead
drove a great many of the people into Nomad Packs that
travelled west to find work in the cities and in the
growing cybertech industry. Unfortunately with the
cybertech industry, automation was already quite
advanced for its implementation, so there were no jobs for
labour, and not enough for the few that were educated.
This meant that the first great slums were created in the
west. LA and San Diego are basically one massive urban
sprawl, and with them are a number of rough areas. South
Central LA is currently considered the first Combat Zone.
Capitol
Los Angeles, even though this is not traditionally the
capitol of California, the fact that it is so big and has
merged with San Diego, makes it the cultural and effective
hub, so much so, that the governor has moved his offices
and residence to Beverly Hills.
Borders
The borders of California are better patrolled by
the Central States and Mexico. Apparently more people
are trying to get out of the west, and transport illegal
goods out that in.
Outlying Areas
Travel around the wasteland of the West is done
by three ways, flying, driving and rail. There are massive
tracts of open space in the west, and these are covered in
nomad packs that act as pirates for the convoys that feed
the local towns and outlying cities. Flying is the best, but
more expensive, and generally the safest, very few of the
wasteland gangs have anti aircraft weaponry.
These gangs are the great danger of the
wilderness of the west. Mobile Nomad packs turned road
pirates. These gangs can be fairly benevolent, but are more
likely to be a group of raiders who attack violently to grab
whatever they can, and whoever they can and take it for
themselves. Isolated towns of the west are usually minor
forts, who protect themselves with armed response.
Trade in these areas is a vital resource, and the
towns must risk opening their gates to the gangs, and
traders and the corporate convoys. Depending on who
attends, these moots can be dangerous and even if those
trading are on a peace footing, raiders will take this
opportunity to launch a major offensive.
CENTRAL STATES
The Central States have asserted their
independence against the federal government, however of
the three free state areas, the Central States are the most
compliant with the Original States, and there is
negotiations underway to reaffirm their membership to
the union. This is both helped and countered by the
Centrals culture of holding onto old values and feeling
they are the victims of world politics. The Central States
have a control over the biggest food production areas in
the US, however as Mars Terraforming technology
restores the bio weapon damaged areas, this hold
weakens, and without the technological advantages of the
West and Original States, they will quickly find
themselves with closed borders and no customers.
Capitol
The capitol of the Central States is considered to
be Lincoln Nebraska. This is where the Free State
movement started
for the Central
States,
and
since then the Central State Council has resided there. Fort
Jameson is the home of the Central State Guard, a
paramilitary interstate police force.
Borders
The borders of the Central States are well
defended. The Centrals see themselves as the great food
belt, and are the ones being victimized by the world and
the troubles that are abound. The Centrals are becoming
quite isolationist.
-9-
Outlying Areas
Many of the other areas of the US believe the
Central States are one big outlying area. Their lack of
technological advancement and the adherence to old
traditional religious doctrine, (something some associate
with the children of Purity) has caused many to view the
Centrals as simple and backward.
The urban centers of the Central States are as state
of the art as any. They buy all their technology, with the
food they produce. But their cities are not the great
sprawls of the other states, and their pace is a little less
intense. However they have all the crime and grit of those
other cities, and the wilderness is the origin of the great
Nomad Packs. It was the Agricorps that bought up and
ousted small town America and they did it in the Central
States. There are less wild gangs in the Centrals, but the
Nomads are there, and they can be dangerous.
SOUTHERN STATES
The South, led by the great state of Texas did
indeed rise again, at least in opposition. Following the
path of the other Free States, The South banded with
Texas, Texan oil and beef, and Texan industry. They
followed with food and other much needed agricultural
resources, which the corporations bought, leveraged
government and took over with. The result is the Texan
Billionaire was replaced by the mega conglomerate
corporation, and now the Southern States have the
weakest government, the greatest unemployment, and the
a great deal of wealth for the top 2% of the population.
The South still has a great deal of history, and as
part of it sees this economic and slight legal
separation from the old US as a vindication of the
Civil war movement, a strange breed of
national pride has overcome the people, though
it is waning as the local economy becomes
more and more top heavy.
The draining of the Oil in Texas, and the drop
in the worlds dependence on oil forces
Petrochem to turn to the production of
artificial fuels. This has creates whole new
tracts of polluted land. Petrochem bought up
large areas of the Everglades and uses them to
farm algae and other biological components for the carbon
fuels and CHOO2 that they produce.
In the South, everyone walks around armed. It is
like the old west, and the law is similar. The local
government cannot afford a full and proper police force,
so most of the law is kept by the Rangers, then there is a
metro force, grossly underfunded, under manned and
over compensating with weaponry. With the entire
population exercising their right to bare arms, the police
are carrying bigger and more dangerous firepower.
Capitol
The Capitol of The Southern States is Dallas Texas
the Home of Petrochem, the home of US oil and home to
one of the biggest production facilities for Militech, now
called Ares Macrotechnology.
Borders
The borders of the south are not overly protected,
it is dangerous enough once you enter, and if you are not
a citizen, and cannot prove legitimacy within the borders,
then the authorities will make sure you have an
unpleasant if not brief stay. The Mexican border is still
tight, but in the other direction. Mexico does not want any
third world criminals or itinerants sneaking in from the
US.
Outlying Areas
The outlying areas of the South are not travelled
lightly. All the ancient legends from Texan Indians and
their reservations to the characters from Deliverance are to
be feared. Road Pirates, Indians fighting for lands, and
locals so disconnected from the modern world they seem
from the dark ages.
ORIGINAL STATES
The Original States, or The Old States, are the
bastion of the founding fathers. Here at least in
appearance if not occasionally in truth, the government
maintains some control over the corporations. Here the
great government of the US, including representatives
from the Free states gathers and fights the mass entropy
that has befallen the great American empire.
Here those that can fight to restore the pride of the
Union, but many fall to the sways of money and power,
particularly when that money comes from those who want
to buy power.
The pop culture of the US is
based in the west as it always has, but
the Old States have held onto the
American style. In the west Japanese
and Eurostyle are top of the line, in
the East, the Levi and stars and
stripes are the fashions. It is a retro
approach to the new chrome and
machine. In the West, the street bike,
in the East, the chopper, in the West
the Japanese Turbo Car, in the East
the American Muscle Car. In each
culture you will find both, but on
opposite sides of the country,
different tastes are the height of
fashion.
Capitol
Of course the capitol is Washington D.C. Here the
government is located, the President of the not so United
States and all of the US cultural history. (see below for
more detail on DC.)
- 10 -
Borders
The Old states have tried to deny there are any
borders. It continues to fight against any kind of fracturing
of the US. It is not oblivious that they exist; it merely
continues to try and negate them.
Outlying Areas
The outlying areas of the Old States are some of
the most heavily populated. However these populations
are gathered into tight communities. The wilderness
around these communities have all the dangers of gangs
and nomads as the rest of the country.
One way to deal with this is the high speed monorail
tunnels that were built. In an attempt to find work and
unify the country, the US decided to upgrade a lot of the
rail system with high speed monorail tunnels. Hoping the
unity of the ancient railway founding could be recaptured
and give the citizens some purpose. The whole thing blew
massively out of budget, and because it was started in DC
and not in the other states where it should have, it had an
opposite effect. These 400kph monorails do link some of
the cities of the Old States, they are a fast way to travel.
Though of late, the wild gangs have been attacking them.
There have been 2 bombings in the last year, hundreds
dead, and all the train looted and pillaged before the
authorities could get there.
CANADA
Canada has suffered along with the US. The
cultural and social boundaries took a long time, but
eventually they vanished. The areas of French Canada are
still rigid traditionalists, but fifty years in a global society
and economy have brought two generations of global
children who have sought the future, and expended the
past.
Global warming did a great deal to aid the
economy of Canada, more farming, better agriculture and
a slight change in the diversity of tourism. Then the
Children of Purity burned them all with a vicious the Guard will affect your admittance.
bioplague that was, while less effective in the cooler
climate, able to lay dormant during winter, under snow, MEXICO
and continued to have out breaks for many years, Mexico is a war torn environmental disaster, filled
destroying subsequent crops for almost a decade. with dust and desert.
A great deal of the native life was killed off during There have been no less than three civil wars. The
this process, and with it entire ecosystems failed. Slowly first was a long and bloody Military Coup by Carlos
this vast damage has been countered, but without the Diego Rodriguez, the Mexican military high commander.
animal life, it is unlikely to return to original. The next two were by a group of loyalist soldiers and
Canadians have always been clear about their freedom fighters from the people who wanted a return to
separation from the US, and as the US became more and democracy. These freedom fighters were led by Benicio
more belligerent towards the world, Canada became more Dela Venta (AKA Benicio Diablo, the Benevolent Devil),
and more conservative. Unfortunately with the world in they called themselves the Mexican Liberation Army, the
crisis, Canada was forced to ally with the US in order to MLA.
secure food for the nation. This created a concept of For years these factions were caught in a constant
sameness and servitude. Canada continued to suffer struggle. They would occasionally resort to small raids but
under the terrorism that was directed at the US. on two occasions, the MLA launched full blown attacks.
Now Canada has regained a great deal of its Finally in the middle of the second conflict the third
independence, and with that has closed its borders with Corporate War broke out. Mexico had many facilities for
the US. The Canadian Guard consider immigration from all the concerned parties, and so became a battle ground
the US to sovereign soil a capital crime, and illegal for the Hotwar. Because of this war, unknown parties
immigrants are held in detention centers and eventually were able to blow up the Mexican Capitol Building, and
shipped home. If they are unable to afford the journey kill the bulk of the cabinet, including Presidente
home, then they are set to work in criminal work camps Rodriquez and his closest advisors. In the Aftermath, the
for a period of 2 years per family member unable to work, MLA shut down the military in the capitol, and reinstated
plus themselves, then sent home. a democracy, the rest of the military was without
Canadian Work Camps are hailed as leadership and soon capitulated.
concentration camps. They are bleak work prisons that
tend crops, do light manufacturing and utilize the skills of Mexico has escaped one great disaster. Because
the inhabitants to increase the economy of Canada. It is Mexico has small areas of arable land, and the main
slave labour, called Incarcerated Service. The conditions industries of the country are not cyber but heavy industry,
are equal to medium security prison, which in Canada is the Children of Purity never made any major attacks on
better than low security in the hellish prisons of the US. them. This and the corporate backing of the industrial
Canada has national service. Every citizen serves in the sector, which used the Military Dictatorship to get
military for a period of 3 years between the ages of 18 to government contracts and supply both sides with
21, starting Feb 1st after their 18th birthday. A person may hardware, meant that Mexico built a solid industrial base.
attain a degree or a trade in the service, for this they serve
the duration of the
education, plus
that time again,
plus a year. (A
three year
education will
have you in
service seven
years total). It is
this national
guard that
defends the US
border. Full
military service
can then be
obtained after, or
if you only served
your 3 years, you
can go to college,
where your
performance in
- 11 -
Plus, after the Hotwar, Mexico had access and control over
some of the best algae and kelp farming in North America.
SANFRANCISCO
Cyberpunk 2070 is set in the sprawling metropolis of the
greater San Francisco area.
Ever since the crash of 33, the US has been on a
steady spiral to economic ruin. Only recently after decades
at the bottom has it begun to claw its way back up the
chain. The economy is still in ruins, but at least it is no
longer hemorrhaging money. The currency is the
Eurodollar, and among the public, pure English is a rarity,
but it is still the US, and national pride has not waned.
The government maintains an appearance of
control and independence from the corporations, though
many disbelieve the illusion. The government took back a
great deal of its power when it shut down the corporate
hotwar between Arasaka and Militech, and with that took
a great deal of technology. In effect the police of SF are
true government law enforcers, and have one of the
biggest budgets per capita. The military has a powerful
presence in the capitol, as they guard against any and all
threats from without and within. To aid in this, and
counter the growing crime rate of the last decades, the San
Francisco Metro Police, the SFMP, have some of the most
liberal of codes of conduct. The mission statements
include terms like “with any means necessary” and
“appropriate response as determined by the officer at
hand” which is more often than not a terminal response.
SF cops have the highest rate of perpetrator fatalities in
- 12 -
the country. Guilty or innocent, if you threaten a SF cop,
you are more likely than not to be shot on the spot.
The SF police fights with one of the best budgets
in the US, but is still well underfunded. This breeds
corruption, and the force has to deal with conflicts within
as well as without. However the police are unified in their
purpose, and the thin blue line, can become the silent blue
wall very quickly. More than one media representative
who dug too deep has been the victim of “random street
violence”. All in all the police are a force, they maintain
their own breed of order and take a cut of what is fair.
Even the corrupt ones may have standards, and the
straight ones might not. Bribery has its risks and benefits.
Though if they are in a group of more than two, don’t risk
it.
Over the past five decades, through wars, famines
and the agricultural collapse of the US, the populations
have moved to the cities in search of work. The quiet
skyline of SF has exploded upwards to deal with this mass
centralization of the population. Central SF never really
crossed the million level population until thirty years ago,
now it has a population of over three million, and the
greater area holds over twenty three million.
This has created a boost in services, and to some
degree an increase in job opportunities as corporations
and franchises seek to gain the custom of this population.
However the population will never be able to employ
itself for itself sake. San Francisco has a staggering 40%
unemployment. Social Services have collapsed, the
prisons are overcrowded as drugs and crime become
major trades in some parts of the sprawl and gang fighters, terrorists, and somewhere you have to pick a
violence is the norm. Gangs and organized crime are side, and hope that you mix with the right part of that
prolific, and the social order is on the edge of self side, and not the version you are opposed to.
annihilation. There are many who live the elite
In the middle of this is the lifestyle, four percent of millions is still a
Edgerunner community. These criminals
WE ARE A GRAY NATION big number. These economic and political
and mercenaries live and work in the gaps elite are housed in glass castles that rise
We are a Gray Nation people
between the government, corporations, high above the commoner, and like the
criminals and the innocent. Edgerunners aristocracy of old, live unaware of the day
Long dead are the barriers
will do what they do for many reasons. to day degradation of the society on which
that define our race
Mostly for the money, some because these their wealth and power in founded.
Gone are the notions of the
are the only skills they have, the only trade Corporate CEOs, Senators, the educated
blacks, the whites, the reds,
they can ply. Others will be activists, and cultural aficionados, all rule and have
browns and yellows
pushing to find a way to make the world no idea of the storm brewing beneath
He married her, and their
better. Some of these activists go as far as them.
child married the blend of two
industrial espionage, and even terrorism. Still the wealthy live a great life.
others,
Idealists or anarchists, they are working There are museums, galleries, performing
We are the gray children, the
the spaces in between, the forgotten realm arts. They hold parties and glamorous
colours have all run together.
and they are for hire. events with people they would otherwise
Edgerunning in San Francisco is a disdain, if only they weren’t so famous.
We are a Gray Nation
dangerous business. Not only are the But not all are so famous. There are
opposition better armed, funded and often many places in San Francisco where
Vanished has the line between
better trained than the runners, the police groups as old as the founding fathers
right and wrong
have a zero tolerance policy on their gather. From oak paneled rooms these
Lost are the notions of good
activities. Anyone engaged in illegal figures gather and quietly navigate the
and evil
activities and is considered to be future of America, and the world. Quietly
He killed him, but was
edgerunning is more likely to be shot on they manipulate the ostentatious figures,
righteous, she was not, but is
sight. The police have learned that most and change both political and corporate
redeemed
runners don’t know enough about their policy. They are taking control of the
We are the gray children, our
employer to be useful, and letting them go country, and the power they seek will rule
sins forgiven or excused,
only means they will do it again next for a very long time. For while an elected
while the truly sinful buy
week. Most Edgerunners trade in lethal official may come and go, these
light.
force so the police are more than happy to organizations choose who comes next.
oblige. They have taken away free will, and given
We are a Gray Nation
Opposite to this are the shadow the illusion of choice. They wish for a great
Long dead is the natural
cops. Small bands of loyal police that work empire to rule, and America will once
world
in and with the Edgerunner community. again be that empire.
The forests are cultivated, the
These cops feed information and San Francisco has long had a
gardens have run wild.
occasionally supplies to Edgerunners in reputation as the homicide capitol of the
Gray buildings, gray factories
order to get the bigger job done. Vigilante US. This is true even today. While other
puking gray vomit into a gray
cops who are sick of being tied up with red cities may actually have the statistics to
sky making gray rain.
tape and hamstrung by due process, these claim this title, the high level of violence in
We are the gray children who
officers are dirty in the best way. Their SF is an everyday hazard. Gross poverty,
base our clothes on their
biggest problems are the officers that are drug related crime, cut throat politics and
hazmat value.
truly dirty, or the dry cleaned cops. Dry corporate business, social apathy opposed
clean cops are the ones that are absolutely by social unrest and an overwhelming
We are a Gray Nation.
by the book, provided that book is written sense of disempowerment and oppression
by the corporation sponsoring them. of the general population have led to a
Unknown Author
There are so many factions on the degree of tension that is just about ready to
street. Most of them don’t care about the collapse in on itself. The Government is
others, and most factions aren’t allied at all, they are unable to inspire, the corporations have unlimited
simply people of the same mind set. There are some basic advertising power and passive acceptance is the easiest
rivalries, cops vs. criminals, but so many criminals are route to take; conflict is too much risk for an unknown
trying to help society, and so many cops are more bent reward.
than the Golden Gate that it is impossible to discern who People live day to day at varying levels of
are the good guys and the bad guys. survival. For some it is open combat, for others it is
Government, police, corporations, thugs, gangers, keeping a low profile so as to avoid attention. In a city
mafia, yakuza, edgerunner, civilian, nomads, freedom where doing nothing can get you killed as easily as doing
- 13 -
something, you find your niche, and hope that your life is at the fenced-off stage, set a little higher than usual.
worth more to someone than the entertainment value of
your death. Forever Night
LOCATIONS Originally named and set up as a techno club, the
Forever Night became a haven for the goth and emo
CLUBS AND PUBS crowd, and now is a mecca for SF’s considerable gothic
Where ever the tribes of man gather, they and vamp crowd.
congregate to make music and to forget the world exists. Goth rock and psycho trance are the order of the
In 2070 this is no different. The nighclub is a generic term night here. The motif is half Escher half Geiger, all shades
for a myriad of locations. Fundamentally, you go to a Bar of gray black. Dark shades of neon backlight the areas.
for the booze, a Club for the music. Bars tend to be The booth areas have sound cancelling tech, and
basically the same, maybe a tacky thematic variance, but it individual juke boxes, that can be switched to the DJ or
is a place with quiet music and booze. Clubs are defined band.
by their style, and the music they play. This in turn The club is towards the high end for entry, but
defines the locals found inside. drinks are cheap, and can be ordered with or without
hallucinogens. Forever Night opens from sundown to
sunup, and is open seven nights. Early week is quiet, and
The Rock ‘N Hard Place more like an opium den, Friday night is DJ, Saturday
The Rock ‘N Hard Place is a flat chat full metal
usually has a band or two.
punk club. Sitting in one of the roughest neighbourhoods
in SF, the Hard Place, is not for the feint hearted, nor for
the mundane. It is the home of chromers, dorphs, Decade Dance
shredders, rippers and boosters. Some of the most cutting Club Decade is all about the latest dance beats. A
edge (mostly literally) internal technology is either mix of the dance Hot 50 and the cutting edge DJs and
inspired by the artists who create for this clientele or is alternative dance. This is the club for the high fashion
found in the clientele. Chromers and boosters, Zoomers and the Arco Gangs.
The music is 100% hard core metal. High Beat, Inside is a flood of colour, usually ultra violet and
thunder base or industrial chaos, whatever the crowd fluro neon. The bar is clear Perspex filled with hologram
want, they get. projections, the walls are covered in projections. Club
Entry is cheap, the booze is average price and the fashion and neo culture to burn your retinas out.
extras for partying are available, at street prices. The club Entry is pricy, so are the drinks, but not so much
opens about 7pm but rarely kicks off before 9, the close as to break you. Club opens about 9 and stays open till 9.
about 8am, usually by tasering the last of the speedsters Open Wednesday through Saturday. Every night is
and tossing their twitching carcasses out into the alley. flooded by DJs, with the hot imports getting the key sets
The place is open Wednesday through Sunday. Friday and Saturday nights. Midnight Saturday is the
Inside everything is welded grid plate and equivalent of top billing.
corrugated iron. For effect there are gutters in the floor, for
the blood to be hosed into, they get some practical use. Cybernights
The bar is elevated, and a short person can barely see over
it, it is also behind bars, Cybernights is a
the staff will tell you the club that runs a little
bars were recycled from a more mainstream. For the
max security prison that techno crowd, and the
used to be in the city, fashionable. An air of
they certainly look the imminent violence is the
part, and no one has ever draw card here. In the
proved otherwise. upper level is the hangout
There are tables, for the Edgerunner
but most seating is crowd. Those who work
around the edge, on the street, and only them
rubber covered steel are found in this dark
frames. The back area is area. The bar manager
in three levels above works this bar, and only
ground, creating an the good staff.
amphitheatre effect with Downstairs is all
soft lounges and laminate wanabees and public
tables. These look down access. To get upstairs
over the floor and across you simply walk, to stay
up there you had better
- 14 -
be worth it. NAME:
The club is in violet and red neon, black décor and Jean St Claude
full colour psychologically tuned lights on the dance floor. HANDLE:
The walls are the speakers, and the music thumps hard. PINSTRIPE
The crowd is friendly, but many are there to prove
something.
ROLE:
CORP FIXER
The key element to Cybernights, is the
Equilibrium System. Cybernights is the home of AFFILIATION:
Equilibrium and Dead Right There. These full immersion Corporate
VR systems pit warriors and wannabees against each SPECIALTIES:
other in a non lethal arena. There your skills are matched, Corporate Street
scored and listed. The Fixers are watching. interface
Entry is high priced, the drinks aren’t, but getting LOCATION:
in is all about being seen, so the admission is worth it, and San Francisco
if you’re not someone, be prepared to grease the bouncers STREET CRED:
a little. +6
FAME:
+4
WHO’S WHO OF THE NIGHT
The streets at night are not some distant fear that lurks far PROFILE:
away. The Streets are there, and they are populated by all Pinstripe is known to work for the corporations.
manner of person. Below are but some of the more known However he is an independent contractor or
and enduring. consultant. He provides one more layer of safety
between the street and corporate deniability. Corps
come to him, he goes to the street, usually via a fixer
and then he takes the new crew to the job.
NAME:
Pinstripe pays well, has a good rep but always
Unknown
maintains he is an agent of the corps, so if they want
HANDLE: a double cross, he will deliver.
GEISHA
ROLE:
SOLO/FIXER
NAME:
ROY HAMSTEIN
AFFILIATION:
Herself
HANDLE:
HAMMERSTEIN
SPECIALTIES:
Crew and
ROLE:
Solo/Bouncer
Equipment
AFFILIATION:
LOCATION:
Cybernights
San Francisco
SPECIALTIES:
STREET CRED:
Hand to Hand
+7
LOCATION:
FAME: San Francisco
+5
STREET CRED:
PROFILE: +4
Geisha was a covert operative that came to SF from
another US city. Her cover was blown and her image FAME:
plastered all over the Edgerunner community. Unable +2
to continue to operate she was dumped by her PROFILE:
sponsors, so she went solo and from there built up a Hammerstein was a construction worker who was
personal organization. well connected in the old unions. After an industrial
accident was proved to be negligence on the part of
the contractor, Hammerstein won a full borg rebuild
in compensation. Then the unions were shut down
and Hammerstein found himself without a job. Now
he plies his trade as a bouncer at Cybernights. He is
loyal to Richard Wolf, but only ever considers
himself and employee.

- 15 -
 NAME:
NAME: Ryuchi Nagahiri
Unknown HANDLE:
HANDLE: Road Naga
The Mechanic ROLE:
ROLE: Ganger
Gunsmith AFFILIATION:
Techie Yakuza
AFFILIATION: SPECIALTIES:
Freelance Street Enforcer
SPECIALTIES: LOCATION:
Custom San Francisco
weapons STREET CRED:
LOCATION: +6
San Francisco FAME:
STREET CRED: +2
+6
PROFILE:
FAME: Road Naga was born and bred on the streets of Osaka.
+1
He was Yakuza all the way. Until his father committed
a great dishonor and Road Naga was forced to flee to
PROFILE: the US. Here he placed himself at the disposal of his
The Mechanic is one of the best underground gunsmiths
uncle, who found a place for him running the enforcer
in the US, if not the world. He is expensive and very
gang for his uncle’s clan.
hard to find. For the right price he will custom design a
personal weapon for you. The Mechanic also does
modifications to standard weapons and is able to NAME:
rebuild most weapons so they increase their reliability. Claire Stewart
The Mechanic will work on any firearm from the HANDLE:
smallest purse pistol to the heaviest man portable .50 Stillwater
caliber SMG. ROLE:
Netrunner
NAME: AFFILIATION:
Unknown Independent
HANDLE: SPECIALTIES:
Black Fox Overwatch.
ROLE: LOCATION:
Street Samurai San Francisco
AFFILIATION: STREET CRED:
Freelance +8
SPECIALTIES: FAME:
Close Quarters +2
LOCATION:
PROFILE:
San Francisco
A corporate runaway. Stillwater came to the Edgerunner
STREET CRED: community after her father posted a reward for her
+3 recovery. She offered the team a high payoff to help her
FAME: disappear and sold secret corp documents lifted from
+3 her father’s department in exchange for her setup. Her
PROFILE: father was then disowned by the company. He lost
Black fox is a highly cyberised Fox Exotic Package. His everything, including Stillwater and committed suicide.
is heavily augmented and is a strange aficionado of The Stillwater rarely deals face to face, but she has coded
Art of War. He is a bit showy for most, but has been back doors to many places in the net, giving her deep
seen as capable. and instant access to many data sources.

- 16 -
 NAME:
NAME: John Robers
Jenny Hendri HANDLE:
HANDLE: TACTICAL
GYRO ROLE:
ROLE: SOLO
Aerojock AFFILIATION:
AFFILIATION: American
Freelance Syndiacate
SPECIALTIES: SPECIALTIES:
Hot Insertion Hit Man
/Extraction LOCATION:
LOCATION: San Francisco
San Francisco STREET CRED:
STREET CRED: +5
+5 FAME:
FAME: +4
+2
PROFILE:
PROFILE: Tactical, so named during his soldier days, works for the
Gyro is a corporate pilot that fought in the South
American Syndicate as a button man and enforcer.
American Conflict. She now operates a for hire for
Ostensibly he works as a security guard at the docks. His
the corporate as a professional AV pilot. She can be
favoured weapons are a custom built .50 revolver and an
hired by the street, but never crosses her current corp
old pump shotgun. He occasionally will pick up street
contract. Discretion assured. Also, she is good for a
work, is cold and methodical, trusts no one. After a
cross country run without any border worries. Her
rocket took out his hummer in the field, he has had
fee is high, reflecting her abilities.
major reconstructive enhancements to his legs, at least
It is rumored she is a Bioroid.
one arm and his is nigh on bullet proof.

NAME: NAME:
Tom Ryan
Tina
HANDLE: HANDLE:
CLASH
Tina Trick
ROLE: ROLE:
Fixer
Ganger
AFFILIATION: AFFILIATION:
American
Sisters of Sin
Syndiacate
SPECIALTIES:
SPECIALTIES: Gang Leader
Street Work,
and Enforcer
Drugs.
LOCATION:
LOCATION: San Francisco
San Francisco
STREET CRED:
STREET CRED: +5
+5
FAME:
FAME: +1
+1

PROFILE:
Tommy Clash, named for his love of revamped classic
music, is a street fixer. He is a drug peddling ratbag, but
if he offers work it is on the up. The opening money is PROFILE:
always low, but if you can haggle, he will come up to Tina Trick and her girls run a private prostitution ring in
barely enough to make it your while. the Mission District. They pay tribute here and there, but
they run their own show.

- 17 -
 NAME: PROFILE:
Helene Switchblade was a rockerboy bodyguard when a hit
HANDLE: team from a rival record label tried to take out her
Player client. She was the only surviving member of the
ROLE: security team after the initial hit. She managed to get
Fixer the singer out of the building and away safe. Taking out
three assailants with nothing but a switchblade.
AFFILIATION:
Cybernights
SPECIALTIES:
Party Drugs NAME:
Unknown
LOCATION:
San Francisco HANDLE:
Base
STREET CRED:
+5 ROLE:
Solo
FAME:
+3 AFFILIATION:
Independent
PROFILE: SPECIALTIES:
Player has two jobs. She is the Event Manager for Bounty Hunter
Cybernights. She books the bands, DJs and hosts any
LOCATION:
events around Equilibrium. She is also a purveyor of all
San Francisco
kinds of illicit drugs and bliss chips. She only deals in
recreational activities, some synthcoke but no combat or STREET CRED:
+5
heavy narcotics.
Player is bubbly and friendly. She is a real party girl. FAME:
She speaks like an airhead and this is part of her charm, +3
because it is all an act to cause people to under estimate
her.
PROFILE:
Base is a Solo that hires out for any kind of job. He is
NAME: heavily augmented and is known to be cold and
Unknown extremely violent. When he is not on contract he picks
HANDLE: up the odd bounty run, tending to settle for dead rather
Switchblade than alive. Base is from Africa.
ROLE:
So9lo
AFFILIATION:
Independent
SPECIALTIES:
Exec Protect,
Music industry
LOCATION:
San Francisco
STREET CRED:
+5
FAME:
+1

- 18 -
GANGS & ORGANISED CRIME The Silverhands
The America of 2070 has descended into a diverse The Boba Fetts
society of the haves and have nots. Once a culture is lost The Marvels. (X-Men)
and disempowered by the upper class the lower class The Twilights
forms groups and gangs. There are many types of gangs The Blades
in the urban jungles of the dark future, from a basic group Jimmy Deans
of punks in colours hanging out on street corners,
peddling whatever illegal goods they might have, to full Shredder Gangs
blown corporate and organized crime sponsored gangs Shredder gangs are Chromers gone wrong. Hard
with top of the line equipment and violent objectives. core metal punks, the true Cyberpunks. Shredder gangs
are the violent outcastes or the poor and lost. Shredder
Street Gangs gangs are the pirate packs of the inner city. They go in for
With all that has changed in the world, one thing all the combat cyberware, blades, nerve boosts, skeletal
stays the same. Street gangs. The basic street gang is the enhancements and the more spikes and leather the better.
entry level gang. Usually these gangs evolve into one of These gangs battle for turf, the rights to sell whatever they
the more modern counterparts. Occasionally to stay want in areas agound the city. Shredder gangs are the
unique, they don’t. Street gangers usually have chrome or reason for the creation of the Gang Violence Index.
boost, but this is not the focus of the gang. Examples:
Examples: Razorhands
The Golden Lions. Led by Danny Yankee, Volcanoes
Hispanic hip hop gang. Gold lions embroidered on left Iron Sights
thigh. Steel Invasion
Arm the Insane
Booster Gangs
Booster Gangs, or Chromer Gangs are gangs that Zoomer Gangs
identify themselves through cyber style. They have all the Zoomer Gangs are the modern motor society.
chrome and gear that they can get, mostly fashion gear, They are the street racers, black market car and bike
built in tech, phones and chip players and the like. They gangs. Not to be confused with the classic biker gangs,
have tech hair and eyes of the most bizarre designs. who are more like nomad packs, the Zoomer is an urban
Usually boosters are not about anything but style, racer. It is about speed and recognition for being the
so tend to come out of the richer areas. They exist where fastest and who has the most courage at 200kph. These
there is tech and modern society. They are the mallrats, people drink ethanol, breath nitrous oxide and eat rubber.
the night club set and the skater/X-sport gangs. These The groups can be based around racing, or using those
gangs tend to rate lower on the violence index. skills for more nefarious purposes. They are hoons or
Examples: smugglers, and depending on that depends on where they
Neon Mirrors fall on the violence index.
Cybervision Clowns (Poser Booster Zoomers)
End Zone Team Akira
Fatality (poser Zoomer)
Mercury
Knights (vigilante)
19th St Kings
Poser Gangs Knife Riders
Considered a
Steel Silence
variant of the Booster
gang, but of a distinctly
different conceptual LowTeks
premise, the Poser gang, LowTeks are
are posers, or imposters. the gangs of the poor,
They make themselves who won’t sell
into one kind of idol or another, themselves out for the
vampires, rock stars, movie stars, cult characters. These cyberware. LowTeks
gangers live and love their idols, some get minor changes, take pride in the fact
some go for full identical rebuilds and get behavioural that they do everything with
modification chips so they walk talk and act like their basic tech and cobbled together gear. Originally born out
heroes. These gangs can be harmless or rate very highly of Nomad packs, or inspired by them, the lowtek prides
on the violence index. themselves on not having all the chrome and gear of their
Examples rivals. In stead they fight against the corporations and
industries that attack and undermine society. The LowTek
- 19 -
is the ultimate in counter culture. Many see them as
terrorists of the same ilk as the Children of Purity,
however they do not use fear to make their point, all their
raids are done through the net, using the weapons of the
enemy, and the occasional direct attack against a
corporate criminal. LowTeks will murder and steal to
reach their goals, and have in the past blown up facilities.
Their enemies are the Corporations, so the Corporations
have made sure that the LowTeks are high on the violence
index, but to the average person, they are not a threat.
The Lowteks (Founder Gang)
Urban Shadow
Street Art
Orphans (Children of Purity)
The Orphans are the remnant of the Children of
Purity. These small cult gangs are not the original major
organization of the Children, but small groups who share
the methods and ideology of the Terrorist cult. These
gangs are often confused as LowTeks, and vice versa,
however they will attack anyone, and use any means
necessary, including fear tactics to stop cyberisation and
people who have cyberware. They enjoy attacking Poser
and Shredder gangs, and anywhere that cyberware is the
source of industry or commercial profit. Not all the gangs
call or consider themselves orphans of the Children, and
some will deny affiliation but they concept is
fundamentally the same. The Orphans rate very high on
the violence index.
Arco Gang
Arco Gangs are rich kids gone wrong. Through
boredom, arrogance and blatant superiority, youths of
upper class corporate living, gear up and roam the streets
looking for trouble. Protected by high level corporate
families, and their government contacts, these gangs leave
their high glass fortresses and play gangster on Friday
nights. They can be chromer, zoomer, or poser gangs, but
they lack the true street cred, and those of the street know
it. They are often too well dressed, their chrome is more
pretty than street edge, and their wardrobe is often worth
more than a poor gangers annual income. So they are
separate to the other gangs. This is not to say they are
weak or pointless. They are well equipped, and well
financed. This means their guns are all amped, as are they,
their armour the thickest and best quality. Mostly they
walk around picking fights to be superior, and prove they
are dangerous. They can rate low or high on the violence
index, though their contacts can keep them off it all
together.
Next Presidents
Diners Club
Team Lamborghini
ORGANISED CRIME
In the dark future of 2070 the oldest organisations
still thrive. Sooner or later, someone wants something
they can’t have, this creates a market, a market attracts
- 20 -
sellers. For things you can’t have, this is a black market.
These markets eventually attract major suppliers and
distributors. Enter organised crime. In San Francisco there
are five major organised crime syndicates. Their activities
may be similar or distinctly different. They have over time
carved up the city and operated in different areas or at
different levels in the same area. These groups are:
 The American Syndicate
 The Japanese Yakuza
 The Italian Mafia
 The Russian Mafia
 The Asian Syndicates
American Syndicate
The American Syndicate was founded by
primarily members of the African American population
and their affiliates. Over time, the Hispanic gangs and
then other groups who did not meet the cultural or racial
ties for the other groups came together to oppose the
Italians and the Asians and created a unified group of
Americans, for America. Hiding behind the banner of
national pride, they see themselves as the betters of the
others, because they consider themselves keystones to the
American way. At higher levels they are connected to all
manner of Corporate America, at the street level they are
nomads and street gangers.
Major Organisations
Name:
The Black Panthers
History:
Born in the turmoil of the 1960s the Black Panthers have
strengthened and waned, and risen again.
Current Leader:
Samuel X
Major Activities:
Racketeering, Drugs, Prostitution, Gambling.
Areas of Influence:
Downtown, south west.
YAKUZA
Very few words strike fear into the average street
dweller. One of them is Yakuza. Like all organised crime
groups, the yakuza was born out of freedom fighters and
warriors defending the unfortunate. Eventually it became
powerful, and then it became corrupt. Now its corruption
has spread, the yakuza rule the streets, and they are
involved with corporations, or own them. In San Francisco
there are three families operating. They are currently at
peace, but tensions are high, and conflict is always the
result. The yakuza are fond of allying themselves with
their Japanese bushido heritage.
Name:
Yoshida Clan
History:
The Yoshida Clan is the oldest surviving clan in SF. There
were other clans who came before them, but Yoshida is
the oldest remaining.
Current Leader:
Yoshida Kitoro
Major Activities:
The Yoshida Clan controls a little piece of every type of
vice and illegal activity available. They are also connected
with Yoshida Production Industries which has ties with
Renraku, Raven Micro and Ebisu.
Areas of Influence:
East Side, North East
Name:
Okumoto Clan
History:
The Okumoto Clan came to SF late last century. In that
time they have worked hard to break into the area. The
Okumoto started their campaign for dominance by
attacking the already established Matsuda Clan. It is
believed that due to ties in Japan, the Yoshida Clan either
helped this or at least let it happen. After 12 months of
bloody street fighting, eventually the Yoshida stepped in
and awarded the Okumoto Oyabun territory in the city.
To help keep the peace, they were given part of the
Yoshida territory too. Okumoto now control the South
east and the Mission District, that which they can
influence.
Current Leader:
Okumoto Yuji
Major Activities:
- 21 -
The Okumoto Clan are violent and aggressive
organization. They control drugs, prostitution, guns,
illegal tech, gambling and many other small businesses.
They also control a massive auto theft chop shop and
resale business.
Areas of Influence:
South East, south of 24th st.
Name:
Matsuda Clan
History:
Long time rivals of the Yoshida Clan, they were operating
under a peace treaty until the Okumoto clan invaded and
started to aggressively seize territory. The Matsuda Clan
have long held the belief that the Yoshida organised this
attack and from Japan supported it so as to appear
neutral.
Current Leader:
Matsuda Torudai
Major Activities:
Drugs, prostitution, guns, gambling and racketeering.
Areas of Influence:
North West.
CHINATOWN
The Chinese drug smuggling industry began with
the first immigrants to the Americas. Now they are
smuggling people, drugs, guns, money, and sources for
every kind of vice available. In DC they have lost the turf
war with the Hispanics and the Yakuza. But Chinatown is
their own. In Chinatown there is only one boss, and he has
enemies who desire his throne, but the Triads have no real
power outside of Chinatown.
Name:
SF Triads, or Black Turtle Society
History:
Dating back as far as the early 1800s the Chinese triads
have had an interest in the trade and vice available in the
American market. The Black Turtle Society, who takes
their name from one of the more powerful ancient gods,
are all that is left after a brutal battle for territory in SF
over the last hundred years.
Current Leader:
Chin Yun Chou.
Major Activities:
Opium Dens, People Smuggling and Sweat Shops, New
Heroin Derivatives, Gambling, Prostitution.
Areas of Influence: international organised crime movement simply known as
Chinatown, Corner of 7th & H St NW. Hotel Moscow.
Affiliated Gang: Name:
The Triple8s, Chinese Zoomer/Poser Gang, they all dress Hotel Moskow
like they are from the boxer rebellion era, or pose as Current Leader:
famous Chinese Hong Kong Cinema Characters. Shaska (meaning Sabre) Nobody knows her real name.
Major Activities:
Italian Mafia Drugs, prostitution, guns, smuggling, sweatshops.
The old school mafia is a long dead animal. Now Areas of Influence:
the Italian Mafia has grown to be one of the more South West.
powerful multinational organized crime syndicates. One
of the first to diversify into legitimate business the Mafia
was able to survive the times of the past. The long lasting
European syndicate, they were largely unchallenged until
the fall of the ancient Soviet block, but even now, they
survive at war with the Russian black market.
In SF they operate mostly in the areas of guns,
gambling and prostitution. They do enter other areas, like
fencing and similar, however they long ago bowed out of
the drug war, mostly. The SF Mafia is controlled by three
families, the Gargano Family and the Roccisano Family
are secondary to the leading family, the Sanguedoico
Family.

Russian Mafia
Since the collapse of the ancient Soviet Block, those that
operated the black markets vital for the survival of most
people have traveled the world to break new markets.
Their primary industry has been variations on slavery and
smuggling of whatever is needed. To this they have added
drugs, guns and other vice. Currently there is only one
group operating in SF and they are part of a larger
- 22 -
SFMP  Organized Crime Task Force
 Gang Task Force, which is sub divided
THE SAN FRANCISCO METROPOLITAN POLICE.
according to race or cultural group of the gangs.
In San Francisco the head offices of the
 Narcotics and Vice
California Government, and all its agencies
 Special Victims
reside. The Dept of Sheriffs, FBI, NSA,
 Major Crime
HSA, CIA, National Guard, Army,
 S.W.A.T. incorporating C.S.W.A.T.
Navy, Air Force and the Marines all have
 Auto Theft
administration here. The protection of these
 Internal Affairs.
facilities usually defaults to the marines or
the relevant agencies. However the law of
The modern metro officer is a marvel
these agencies stops at the front door of
of technology. All police officers are equipped
these buildings. Beyond that, there is the
with neural interfaces, smart gun and vehicle link.
Metropolitan Police Dept or SFPD
Added to this most have at least one cybereye and
This group of officers are among the best
skinweave. In patrol uniform, which is a full body
equipped and trained police in the nation. That is not to
polymer ceramic armored suit, an officer carries a direct
say they are sufficiently equipped, but they are less under
link Blackbook micro comp, with built in vidphone and
equipped than most. To combat this lack of funding, those
data uplink, high tech weaponry, full combat HUD
with their hands on the strings have written certain
helmet, with video streaming, stun baton, and a
phrases into the mandate of the modern Metro. Terms
hypospray with chemical restraints. At full tech level, an
like, “Secure the safety of the people by any means
officer can be an Enforcer Class full cyborg conversion,
necessary,” and “Minimum violence required, as
series one or two.
determined by the officer at the time.” This added to the
Corruption is a major problem in the MPDC. Not
rather broad scope of abilities of law enforcement that
since the 1980s has it been this bad. The cops are
came out of terrorist activity since the start of the
organised into three hidden groups, the honest, the dirty
century have allowed police to operate with less
and the dry cleaned. Honest cops
and less red tape to slow them
are still in strong enough
down. The SFMP has one of
numbers that good gets done. The
the highest rates of perpetrator
dirty cops hide themselves by
fatalities in the world, and
doing their jobs well, but either
almost no officer is formally
inform, work or allow activities of
charged over the use of force.
specific individuals or
San Francisco is not a
organisations. They help granny
place for a feint hearted law
cross the road, or will catch
keeper. The inherent
murderers as long as it does not
corruption, lawlessness and
interfere with the activities of
sheer magnitude of firepower
their sponsors. Some cops are
aligned against them makes
unlucky enough that they are
any person willing to stand in
only dirty out of self
its way a brave soul. In
preservation. Somewhere
response to the liberal
somehow someone has gotten
allowances given to the
their hooks into an officer, and
MPDC, the violent criminal
now they are bought. The dry
now thinks twice about
cleaned cops are the least
shooting at a cop, but if they do, they
predictable. These are cops that
tend to do it with a bazooka. The end
take their mandate of “any means
result of which is one of the highest
necessary” to the extreme. Essentially they are
levels of officer deaths in the
good cops, who will not let policy, or even the
country. A follow on from that, is one
law, get in the way of the greater good. If a gang
of the highest rates of officer cyberisation
is causing too much trouble, and won’t negotiate a
in the world.
peace with the cops, then dry cleaned cops will
The city is divided into 7
supply and finance another group who will
districts, and each of those is sub divided
negotiate, and send them to wipe out the
according to needs and population. Each
greater of two, and then be unable to solve the
district has the resources to operate as a complete police
crime of the massacre.
force. However certain departments have been created in
In 2070, just pray that the cop in front of you
the idea that while they are divided into seven groups
considers you worth more alive than dead.
they can operate all over the city. These groups are:

- 23 -
MEGACORPORATIONS OF 2070
The concept of the corporation is centuries old. From the
corporation grew the need for these to work together. This
is what the Japanese call a Zaibatsu. Eventually the
zaibatsu would unite and the megacorporation would
form. Once these massive financial megaliths formed,
there was no court in the world that could not be bought
to stop them. So once one megacorp was allowed to
operate, the others soon formed under precedence.
Now every facet of modern life is ruled by the
megacorporations. Information technology and the media
have absolute control over everything you see and do. The
music you listen to, the buildings you see, everything is
used to make you consume and contribute to the
corporate universe.
Below are some of the main Megacorporations in
the world of 2070.
Agricorp
Arasaka
Primary Industry: Arasaka has a long history as the
primary Japanese weapons manufacturer. Over time
Arasaka has absorbed or destroyed any other company,
and now are the biggest corporate army in the world.
Unlike Militech, Arasaka was not disassembled by its
parent country after the hot war, though many of its
regional offices were destroyed, particularly in the US.
Headquarters: Osaka Japan, this is a new HQ after the
reorganization after the hot War.
Regional Offices: Despite the horrors of the hot
war, Arasaka is still the major world contract holder for
security for many companies. To this end it still has the
resources to operate world wide. Recently it has started
construction of a new national office in Washington DC.
There are also offices in London, Perth Australia, Beijing,
New Delhi, Rio, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Jakarta,
Johannesburg and Sydney.

AOL Time Warner

Primary Industry: Agricorp is one of two major food
and agricultural corporations. They run what is left of the
food production in the central and old states, and has
control in many other countries. Agricorp also is one of
the worlds biggest producers of manned and automated
farming equipment.
Headquarters: Washington DC, USA.
Regional Offices: Dallas Texas, Montreal, Sydney,
Primary Industry: The largest entertainment group
Berlin, London.
in the western world, and arguably the biggest in the
world, it is only rivaled by Sony Entertainment. Owner
Amatil International and producer of movies, cinema, television, music, artists
and creators for all entertainment media.
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Regional Offices: Brisbane Australia, Paris, New
York.

ARES Macrotechnology

Primary Industry: Amatil runs under many names,

but is at the heart of the modern soft drink and sports
drink industry. Coca Cola, Gatorade, Red Bull, Prime,
Pump bottled water and many other household drinks are
owned and operated by Amatil.
Headquarters: New York
Regional Offices: Amatil has a factory in nearly
every major city in the world. To run this there is a
national headquarters in nearly every country.
Continental HQs are in LA, Melbourne, Quebec, Rio,
Korea, Jakarta, Paris, Moscow London, Cape Town, Cairo

- 24 -
Primary Industry: Ares are the weapons Docwagon
manufacture division of the old Militech. They also
produce some armour and defense technology.
Headquarters: Washington DC.
Regional Offices: Dallas, San Francisco, Leningrad
Bohn.

Artemis Industries

Primary Industry: Emergency Services. Hospitals

Primary Industry: This is the security forces section and Healthcare.
of the old Militech. They are an army for hire. They Headquarters: Atlanta.
operated all over the Americas and are relatively common Regional Offices: DocWagon operates in every
in Africa. major population in the Americas and Australasia and has
Headquarters: New York most major cities in Europe.
Regional Offices: San Francisco, Cape Town, ,
Freetown (Sierra Leone), Hamburg. Dynalar Technologies

Biotechnica

Primary Industry: Biotechnica are a bio engineering

and biocyberware company. They invented and refined
EcoGas. They also produce a number of biogenetic and
bioengineered body replacements and upgrades.
Headquarters: Rome
Regional Offices: Biotechnica are a massive global
company with heavy political ties in almost every country.
They have offices in nearly every major city, but their
main offices are in London, Bonn, Paris, La Jolla – Primary Industry: Dynalar are a cyber limb and
California. myomar company. They make a great deal of cyberware
from prosthetics to full combat upgrades.
Daimler Headquarters: Silicon Valley
Regional Offices: World Wide.

Mitsuzuki

Primary Industry: Automotive. Daimler are the

biggest producer of cars and automotive accessories in
Europe and therefore the world. The US equivalents are
only closely behind. Daimler own or operate almost every
car manufacturer in Europe and even if their name does
not appear in the title, they will be involved somewhere.
Headquarters: Stuttgart.
Regional Offices: London, Spain, Netherlands,
Japan, Italy, France, Belgium.

Primary Industry: Motorcycle and Automobile

manufacture. Mitsuzuki was one of the first great

- 25 -
automobile conglomerates of Japan. Since the late 1900s armies in the world. IN the US they are equal rivals to
many car companies were owned and operated by other Militech and Arasaka.
larger companies. Mitsuzuki was one of the first to openly Headquarters: Osaka
announce a merger and to become a single company. Regional Offices: Worldwide. Raven have several
Headquarters: Tokyo. small cyber clinics in every major city. They have central
Regional Offices: Sydney, Detroit, LA, Hong Kong, Arcologies in Washington, San Francisco, Beijing, Berlin,
Cairo. London, Brisbane, Rio and Moscow.

Petrochem Renraku Computer Systems

Primary Industry: Petrochem are the worlds largest

producer of EcoGas. Petrochem have vast farming tracts Primary Industry:` Computer mainframes, IT and
and ocean going algae farms dedicated to the creation of network systems. Pioneer of bio-circuitry. Renraku build
this methanol. Part of this is also the hydrogen processing many components for other companies, and are at the
for HFC vehicles. They are also leading producers of the leading edge of the human-cyber memory interface
worlds synthetics and plastics. technology.
Headquarters: Dallas Texas, USA Headquarters: Chiba Japan
Regional Offices: New York, Washington, Miami, Regional Offices: New York, Sydney, Sudan,
Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, London, Hamburg, Hong Munich.
Kong, Paris, Rome, with major agricultural areas in
California, Mid West and Mongolia. SovOil

Raven Microcybernetics

Primary Industry: Petrochemicals, Mining, Power,

Primary Industry: Cyberware, Cyberlimbs and Industrial Chemistry, Plastics. SovOil represents a
cyberoptics. Raven produce everything from the smallest conglomerate of the flagging oil companies in a war
dyslexia prosthesis to full body replacements. A major sub ravaged part of the world. Over the last forty years SovOil
division of Raven is RavenSec, since the Hot War, has built up from a loose association to a world leading
RavenSec has become one of the biggest private corporate megacorporation. Piece by piece it has swallowed up as

- 26 -
many European and Asian suppliers of oil and chemicals WCNS
and become one of the great players on the world stage.
Headquarters: Moscow
Regional Offices: St Petersburg, Tashkent,
Vladivosktok, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Manilla, Washington,
and most cities in the EU.

Superfoods International

Primary Industry: The World Cable News Service is

a multinational interlinked world news network. They
own the news, from the data on your home page and
Primary Industry: Food supplies and shopping
scream sheet, to the satellites that orbit above.
centers. Superfoods owns every part of the consumer food
Headquarters: Washington DC
market. They grow the food, ship the food, process it,
Regional Offices: There are offices in Vienna,
package and own the store in which it sells. In a
London, San Francisco, Tokyo, Penang, Moscow and
Superfoods arcology, it is said you will eat the same food
Melbourne Australia. However they have operatives on
several times, as in the arcology, waste is used to regrow
every corner of the world, correspondents both staff and
crops in greenhouses within the same complex.
freelance everywhere. As a source of information, they
Headquarters: New York
exist almost entirely online.
Regional Offices: Superfoods has offices and
locations in nearly every neighbourhood in the western
world. Zeus Military Vehicles

Trauma Team

Primary Industry: Medical Rescue and Emergency

Services, Hospitals and health care.
Headquarters: Los Angeles.
Regional Offices: Like DocWagon, Trauma team
operate in every major population centre in the world.

VerdantCorp Primary Industry: Jeeps, Trucks, Tanks, Farm

Equipment, and other various heavy vehicles. Zeus was
Militech’s vehicle production company. They share their
heritage with the oldest tanks that ever served in the
American armed forces. They produce a lot of civilian
vehicles and lead the way in developing more efficient jet
turbine heavy land vehicles.
Headquarters: Detroit
Primary Industry: Farming.
Regional Offices: Melbourne, Cairo, Osaka,
Headquarters: Montana
Munich, Edinborough Scotland.
Regional Offices: Verdant corp operates all over the
world.

- 27 -
CORPORATE NATIONS organizations they also build aircraft and ACPA or
Out of the ashes of the wars and devastation have military Landmates.
risen Corporate Nations. These organizations are simply
multinational corporations that have been able to organize RAVEN MICROCYBERNETICS
the world charter of laws to allow them to be free and Raven Microcybernetics is a Japanese company
independent states. This means that these corporations are that produces large amounts of the world’s cybernetics.
free to develop whatever sciences, products and business Most Cybertech started as proprietary tech of Raven,
strategies they want, because they are beholden to no including the first full borg conversions. Raven also has
countries legal restrictions. For example, when the AFPN one of the world’s biggest security forces for a non
wanted to ban all genetic human replication, the security company. Ravensec is considered to rival Arasaka
Corporations sponsoring it simply moved their Australian in skill and ability. Most Ravensec are trained and
laboratories off shore, taking with them lucrative equipped by Arasaka. It is not surprising to see that then
corporate contracts that severely damaged the AFPN most Arasaka are equipped with Raven Cyberware.
economy. Interestingly it was AFPN that was first to
recognize the full human rights of any person who was MEGATECH
the result of a genetic Megatech took the
program and not natural military concept of the
conception. Landmate or Powered
It is important to Armour and adapted it to
note, that not all commercial use. Megatech
corporations share this produce most of the
status, in fact there are only world’s industrial or
nine such corporations. commercial robots and
Power Frames. Megatech
ARASAKA also produce a limited
Arasaka Military number of industrial or
Applications is a world commercial specific full
operating corporate army body cyborg conversions.
and security force. Based in
Japan they own the island INTELLIGENCIA
of Awaji. They have offices While not quite a
all over the world and distinct Corporate Nation,
handle security for many other countries and some INT INC is notable as it holds all the independence of the
governments. They also have a weapons and military other Corp Nats, but only acts as a research and
vehicles production arm. They do make Power Armour, development department for other companies. Companies
but from Poseidon components mixed with Japanese tech INT INC owns. Intelligencia either owns controlling or
and weapons. major percentage of stock in most IT tech companies,
including EBM, Apple, Zetatech and others.
BIOTECHNICA
BIOTechnica is the current evolution of a small AXON
group of companies that created and developed the Axon developed the first Mods. Created from a
genetic technology behind the Bioroid and other genetic small conglomerate, their propriety technology has
advances, including the military grade super soldiers, blasted them onto the world stage and made them one of
known as “Genies” (short for Genetic Engineered) or the the biggest companies.
derogatory “Franks” (short for Frankensteins). Biotechnica
also produces top of the line genetically enhanced organs, TOYOCHEV
replacement body parts and prosthetics. The world’s number one manufacturer of
automobiles. They produce over 40% of the worlds cars
ARES TECHNOLOGIES directly and own controlling shares in another 25% of the
Ares Technologies has two divisions. Ares industry. Only Daimler – Ford comes close but they are
Weapons Technology and Ares Macrotechnology. Ares part of the EU economy and do not have Corporate
Weapons manufactures small arms and person mounted Nation Status.
heavy weapons, everything from a small handgun to a
shoulder mounted missile launcher or rail gun. Ares PANASONY
Macrotech produces military vehicles. Mostly they build PanaSony manufacture or own the manufacturers
tanks and cars, but with cooperation with other of most of the worlds consumer electronics, white goods,
video and audio equipment.
- 28 -
MODERN TECHNOLOGY retailed as the Nexus. The Nexus brings together personal
computing and communications directly into the mind of
the wielder.
COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET
By the year 2070 all
telecommunications are done via the Internet.
Cellular and satellite phones, television, radio,
local telnets and in house communications are
all via network communications. More often
than not, these are video communications. The
US mail service has become almost extinct, and
exists as a competitor to other parcel delivery
services. Very few documents are mailed
around.
The modern computer is an intrinsic
part of modern life. There is not a single
function of a house that is not wired into the
house central computer, and all of this is
connected to the Net. A personal computer can
be as small as a mobile phone, but ergonomics has them
The Nexus is composed of three parts. A neural
still at desk top scale.
chip interface plug, where a person inserts a their SIM
The old concepts of memory and processor have
Card. A personal PC system mounted on the Neuralware
been eliminated, solid state hard drive memory has
Processor and the Neural Mods that alter the connections
compacted and compacted by several orders of magnitude
in the brain to function alongside this data system. The
and what was once inconceivable is now old hat. Program
rest exists on the web.
complexity has stacked upon itself, but essentially
While some processing is still done in the head,
plateaued.
mostly the person acts as a network terminal accessing a
There are still three main parts to a PC, Processor
worldwide server, the Web.
Speed, Onboard Memory, Storage Space. A computer
This means that with the right network protocols,
measures all of these in MU, Memory Units. A program
every day actions can be done at a thought.
size is measured in MU.
You network with your car, you home, your
Processors are represented in how many MU per
friends, everything. When doing this, it is important to
nanosecond they can process. The industry standard is
note the difference between a Net link and a Tech
about 12hz. This could be one MU twelve times, or 12 MU
Interface like a smartgun, smartcar or similar. A Net link
once.
usually allows you to access menu commands for the
On board Memory, (old Ram) is how many MU
house or car, meaning you can do things as if you had a
the machine can process at once. A standard is 10. A
remote control, ie, access headlight menu, activate
computer gets a bonus of MU used divided by the CPU.
headlights. Access appliance menu, activate coffee making
On board memory is storage. Most PCs hold one
routine. A Techlink is tied to reflexive thought routine, I
to 200 MU.
am the car, I go fast and car goes fast.
Most telecommunications are now done in a real
The Cybermodem time visual conversation, with a person appearing in a
The Next step up is the Cybermodem. The visual window in your vision.
internet is still accessible via any PC, but this device
allows a person to direct interface with the web via a tech
link and their Neuralware Processor. This technology was
CYBERWARE
the primary form of accessing the web for decades. From
By 2144 the use of Cyberware has become commonplace.
this tech the visual web was created. A living breathing
The young still use it as fashion and rebellion against the
digital landscape that has replaced the webpage with a
social norm, the old use it as prosthesis.
virtual world where travelers move through a new
The Nexus has become almost universally
universe of knowledge and information.
ubiquitous, with nearly everyone being online from their
heads.
The Nexus Overall the image of cyberware is still cutting
This Visual web was inevitably going to draw the edge as far as fashion statements and youth expression.
producers of the Cybermodem to create better and better There are those that push the boundaries of good taste,
cybermodem. and those that seek to make the modified parts as human
Raven Cybernetics joined with Axon and as possible.
Intelligencia to create the Neuralmodem, originally

- 29 -
NEXUS waiver each time you buy.

The Nexus is a cyberware install on your BIOROIDS

Neuralware Processor that acts as Bioroids, or Franks as they are
a cybermodem to access the Net. commonly known, are a
When you install this device, you Genetically engineered
also get a special interface plug, human, who through the
usually mounted behind the ear, application of specifically designed
to accept a special SIM mods are born at the age of 18 and
card like your phone. with a basic education, equivalent
This card holds about 1Tb of to high school. Many Bioroids
data, but you can get extra memory have the same production, so
installed on your Nexus or access know the same things, it is then
memory on your Neuralware up to personal experience to
Processor. The Nexus requires a version shape and mold the person.
of Times Square Plus. This can either While not exactly clones,
be installed either in a cybereye, Bioroids tend to descend
smart goggles, Opti Shields or for the from a single genetic
double the price, images can be pumped template, that has random
straight into your visual field. factors installed to make sure
they all don’t look identical. The
MODS only other common factor is,
Bioroids cannot reproduce, both
Nanomachine Install Cerebral male and female Bioroids are incapable of
Task Neural Modification Software producing reproductive cells, (sperm or eggs)
Applications, or MODS are the latest that can germinate. Added to this, just prior to
innovation in the boundaries between human and becoming conscious, they are also medically sterilized,
machine. (not castrated).
A person walks into a shop, selects the software Bioroids come in two basic types, standard and
application they wish to install and then they are given enhanced. The former were the first versions created, and
what looks like a small sinus pump. Inside this pump are in some places are still created, as they are relatively easier
millions of nanobots, wrapped in myelin sheaths, like to make. They are physically at the high end of normal,
virus cells, that can pass the blood brain barrier. These with solid mental capacity, depending on subsequent
nanites then map the use of neurons in the brain and add education. With the mass fighting of the Genowars,
in or re-task neural links to perform the application as part Bioroids were an important part of maintaining society.
of the person’s mind. Enhanced Bioroids, the true Franks, are a
These mods can be used as computer software, to dangerous mix of human and animal DNA that creates a
modify behavior, repair neural damage, or to cure some stronger, faster and more powerful supersoldier. They
mental illness by correcting brain function. Originally this heal faster, have naturally better senses and have naturally
tech came out of a cure for Alzheimer’s. more dense muscle and bone structures. Their intellect is
You have no limit to the somewhat tweaked, but again it depends
number of mods you have installed, but on subsequent education. Frank
they do use up neurons, so depending production is currently illegal, but since
on your doctor’s recommendation you all Gengineered people have their rights
should only use a few. (GP protected by law, who can tell who is a
recommendations are INTx2 or have a new frank, and who is an old one.
25% chance to lose 1 INT.) MODS take There are rumours of a third type
1D6+6 Hours per INT Slot they take up of Bioroid. These are commonly called
to install. Moreaus, in reference to the old story.
There is significant paranoia These are Bioroids who’s DNA is so
around Mods. There are stories that infused with animal qualities, they
MODS can brainwash people, erase actually look like bipedal animals, Tigers,
memories, make you crazy or if they are Wolves and other combat beasts. It is
a bad install, simply melt your cortex. well known that these experiments were
The AXON corporation denies all such tried by nations who could not afford the
rumors, citing several national medical research into Frank Production, but their
approvals and stating that the products success is widely described as failure.
are safe. Then they ask you to sign a
- 30 -
MEDICAL SCIENCE
Modern Science has entered the nano age, and with it has
come a whole new breed of medicine and fear.
Nanotechnology has revolutionized the modern
world. It has created the possibility for cyberware, cured
most cancers, developed weapons, new materials and
made the smallest of technology even smaller.
Medicine was the primary destination for
nanotech. The ability to cure most surgical procedures
with an injection was a dream long held by doctors.
The first real successful nano operation was the
successful binding of severed nerves in a
damaged arm. Soon came a nanite that
was able to seek out, detect and
destroy cancer growth cells. The
malignant tumor was doomed. Next
came a treatment for Alzheimer’s
disease, and with that, the ability for
the neural interface.
Now the human brain could
interface directly with technology.
Blindness, deafness, learning problems
and acquired brain injuries were
treated instantly with the instillation of
artificial eyes ears and mental
cognitive processor modules.
The splinter technologies were
immediate, no sooner did medicine
develop the cyber limb replacement,
that cyber fashion was born, high
chrome, intricate designs and
eventually elective cyber surgery.
Modern Genetics was also a
boon. Early in the 21st Century doctors
were investigating the possibilities of
stem cell research. This was opposed
by a great deal of religious opposition because of the
moral implications. Cloning technology was equally
opposed. However the Use of Adult Stem Cells was
allowed, and finally in 2027 when the Pope received a
Stem Cell heart, all opposition virtually vanished. Now
stem cells can be created and cloned from a blank
template. These cells can then be converted into an exact
copy of a donor genetic code, and from that fully
functioning limbs can be grown in about six to twelve
months. A human organ can be reproduced in as little as
six weeks. The most successful use of this technology was
a man injured in a car accident was so severely crushed he
has one operational lung, and one kidney, a damaged
liver, and only half his lower intestine. Life support kept
him alive for a year until piece by piece the doctors
replaced every organ, his torso, left arm, both legs and
finally rebuilt his spine. Thirteen months and thirteen
days after the accident the patient walked out of the
hospital in perfect health. This patient is kept confidential
for his security and is referred to as Sean 13:13.
Parallel to this technology is the artificial organ
industry. Cyberlimbs, artificial hearts, eyes, and other
- 31 -
parts and pieces can all be replaced. The benefits of this
tech are the lack of down time, the price and the
enhanceability. A replacement organ takes time, a cyber
variant can be taken off the shelf, this and the lack of
hospital time makes them cheaper. But the single greatest
reason for people going for cyber replacement is the fact
that a cyber version can be much better than the original.
Revolution Genetics supplies a liver that is six
times as efficient at processing alcohol and other
“recreational” toxins, with an on off mode if
you have a neural processor control module.
This means you can drink all night long, then
an hour before you want to go home,
activate your organs and be perfectly
sober by the time you get in your car.
Cyberlimbs can be fitted as
standard, but even these are inherently
more effective, they don’t get tired, and
have enough built in strength to equate
to about 200 kilo lift weight. This doesn’t
make you that strong, because if the rest
of you can’t lift the weight, then the limb
will tear itself from the socket. A full
strength cyber body, fully reinforced
and boosted will allow a person to lift
over 2500 kilograms.
The third option is the
transplant option. Second hand parts
recycled from people who may or may
not have volunteered them. Modern
drugs and surgical techniques minimize
organ rejection, so donor compatibility
is no longer an issue. Transplants are as
quick as cyber, and cheaper than any
other option. However you don’t get a
guarantee with the parts, and more than
one recipient has received an organ
addicted to drugs. There is a significant black market in
body parts, a complete body is worth about eight
thousand euro on the street.
For the Year 2070 if you live long enough to get to
hospital, and if your finances check out, you have a 95%
chance of survival. However the bills are likely to
bankrupt you, so make sure your insurance is up to date
and that you are ready for that burden.
Or there is the alternative. You could end up on a
Ripperdoc’s operation chair. These black market surgeons
of dubious qualification and mental state, are around, if
you can find them. They have second rate, and often
second hand gear, parts, and may be sober. But they do
not ask questions, and have interesting payment plans, so
if you want discretion, you go there.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
Internal Combustion
There are two main
types of the modern car,
Internal Combustion and
Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC).
Since the collapse of the oil
industry, as the worlds
supplies have dwindled beyond
supply, the great petrol companies have
finally sought alternative fuels. The result is
EcoGas.
EcoGas is a biofuel made from a hydrogen
enriched methanol that is far more environmentally
friendly than normal petrol and provides 93% the
performance of regular petrol. This combined with state of
the art engines has modern cars faster, more efficient and
more economical than ever. Approximately 40% of all
cars, 70% of commercial vehicles and 60% of motorcycles
are run off EcoGas.
All other non heavy ground vehicles run off
Hydrogen-electricity. Hydrogen fuel cells convert refined
Hydrogen through a catalyst to create a current, the
exhaust is in the form of water. HFCs are better suited to
smaller vehicles, so tends to be in city cars, hatches,
motorbikes and scooters. Larger cars, vans and the like are
better off with a hybrid or full EcoGas system.
Heavy Vehicles, such as trucks, bulldozers and
the like use gas turbine hybrid systems. Jet engines that
turn generators, that supply electric engines on each
wheel give massive power to fuel ratios. These engines
were originally developed for tanks, and with
the development of the Vectored
Thrust Car have become a more
viable engine as the high yield
AvGas has become more
available.
Aircraft
Modern aircraft
come in three distinct
types, Fixed Wing, Rotor,
Vectored Thrust.
In 2038 Rolls
Royce, in association with
many of the worlds jet turbine
manufacturers developed the HydroFire
Jet Turbine Engine. This massive innovation in
jet technology was developed with the new AvGas
developed in the wake of dwindling world oil reserves.
AvGas is a high octane version of EcoGas that uses a
mixture of water and nitrous oxide to act as a catalyst to
burn hot enough to melt steel.
HydroFire Turbine Engines use ceramic parts
nano-reinforced by tungsten and titanium to operate at
much higher pressures and temperatures. This creates a
massive fuel to power ratio, allowing a normal sedan a
- 32 -
flight time of five hours with an operational range of
about 600 kilometers.
This technology was then applied to all aircraft.
The Airbus D270 has a seating capacity of 800 and can
circumnavigate the globe at over 800kph, two thirds the
speed of sound. High altitude high speed planes can
travel further and faster than ever.
Most fixed wing aircraft use the
HydroFire engine, even the small single
engine aircraft, which have been
made obsolete and almost extinct
by the Vectored Thrust car, use
them as turbo prop engines.
The light aircraft is only really
used for regular small load
flights for long distance return trips to
remote areas where they have superior
flight times.
Helicopters, or Rotorcraft, of which there are some
different modern variations, now use the HydroFire
engine to turn the props. Twin rotor, contra rotor or plain
single rotor helicopters have become faster and more
efficient with the new jet design.
The hybrid craft, the Tilt Rotor, or Osprey class
aircraft have had a resurgence in recent years. Their
superior load capacity and longer distance mixed with
VTOL capability have made them a bit of a corporate
showpiece. They are bigger and more impressive than
standard helicopters and vectored thrust cars.
Vectored Thrust vehicles are the realization of a
century of dreams. The HydroFire jet finally made the
possibility of the Flying Car. Based on tech developed by
the Harrier Jump jet, 60 years earlier, the Vectored Thrust
Air Vehicle, or AV for short, is a twin jet, car that uses
adjustable jet nozzles to lift a car off the ground
and propel it at high speeds.
Trains
Modern trains use gas
turbine electric hybrid engines
to roll. These electric trains are
capable of over 500 kilometers
per hour, though most tracks
severely limit their speed. In
Europe, which has had high
speed tracks for decades, these
speeds are common.
Ships
Small boats use EcoGas on
boards or outboards, or solar electric
engines. Larger ships use Gas turbine electric
engines or commercial nuclear engines.
EXOFRAMES, LINEAR FRAMES, LANDMATES & POWER ARMOUR
With the development of the myomar cyber
muscle came a revolution in personal prosthetics.
Following this was the inevitable adaptation to create
servo assist exo frames to help jobs where heavy lifting
was needed. Eventually the Landmate was developed and
not long after that combat models arrived as new polymer
ceramic materials made them light enough to be usable.
Today there are four variants of this “Giant
Robot” technology, Exoframes, Linear Frames, Landmates
and Assisted Combat Personal Armour or ACPA.
Exoframes
Exoframes are small frames that a person stands
in. Originally developed for the medical and aged care
industries, it allows a person to safely lift a heavy load,
usually up to about three hundred kilos. Exo Frames can
be cybernetically controlled or simply worn like a strange
shell with feedback controls. These frames are designed to
fit around a standard human body and can have extras for
whatever job they are needed for, such as Medical
Readouts for doctors, tools for mechanics etc.
Linear Frame
Linear frames are similar to Exo Frames except
that they are cybernetically attached to the person’s
skeleton. These frames are a strange and bulky alternative
to full cyberisation, but most models actually can be
- 33 -
detatched leaving large connector lugs on the body.
Originally developed to assist paraplegics, there is a small
part of the population that opt for these over giving up
vast proportions of their body to machinery. Linear
Frames are also able to be made stronger than most
commercial cyborgs.
Landmates
Landmates are the commercial and industrial
power armours. These heavy machinery robots have an on
board pilot that operates the device to work in hazardous
areas, in heavy construction, demolition, mining and
many other industries. These machines range from two
up to four meters in height and are often stolen by gangs
and modified to be cheap power armour. They are
generally very tough and very strong.
ACPA
Power Armour is the most effective way to make
a single soldier the ultimate infantry weapon. ACPA are
far more maneuverable and far more flexible in
deployment than tanks. They are also better than heavy
full body conversions as they don’t damage the
psychology of the soldier so much they have to be sedated
to obey orders. More and more military forces are moving
away from the heavy combat cyborg, (though lighter
models are still in prevalent use) and using ACPA for
heavy infantry.
ONE NIGHT IN THE MISSION DISTRICT.
Tolo pulled himself out of the back of the old
people mover. He slowly unraveled the his old blanket
and pulled out the recharge wires from his shoulder
socket. He checked his arm, fully charged and operational.
He stretched the worst of the kinks out of his back and
legs. With a nasty crack he was able to straighten out his
neck. His mouth felt like it was full of sand and his skin
crawled with a need for a shower.
Rubbing his face he activated his internals and
brought his OS online. His beard was short and scratchy.
Slowly feeling came back to his feet.
:> SYSTEMS NOMINAL:
Flashed on his retinal display.
Tolo threw the old blanket among the food
wrappers that covered
the old mattress, then
moving around he
unhooked the charge
lead from the parking
meter, pulled his cred
stick from the receiver
and confirmed with a
thumb print, the display
showed he had only
twelve euro left.
“Shit.”
Tolo looked
around. It was early
evening, the sun was set,
but left a sick orange
glow in the smog. The tall canyons of the towers of San
Francisco buried any hope of seeing the horizon. The
Mission District was awash in Neon and holographic
displays trying to draw in all manner of customers to all
manner of vice. His systems stated it was just after 6pm,
he still had 3 hours before the meet, and meet or not, Tolo
needed that shower. His ride was fully charged, so he
could waste the last of his roll on some carbs and maybe a
shower in a can.
Coming to the back, Tolo shut the dented door of
the Chrysler Voyager and reached under the bumper and
flipped a switch, deactivating the security. It was home
done, but the engine capacitors were wired to the door
handles, lethal anti theft.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, Tolo activated the
hydro engine, engaged the fly wheel and pulled out into
traffic. He headed up Van Ness to Sixteenth he was going
to the Soup Kitchen. Maybe his street cred was intact
enough to get what he needed.
The old hospital was a rotten shell. It had been
firebombed in some corporate war, a loose missile had hit
the emergency room and the whole place went up from
there. It was too far inside the conflict zone to save, and
- 34 -
was now too far behind the barriers delineating the
Combat Zone to bother repairing. It was silent and dark.
Tolo pulled into the carpark underneath. The
nomad riders at the ramp to the next level stopped him.
Their modified bikes and heavy leathers only added to the
menace of their big bore rifles. A tall negro with a bright
red Mohawk waved him down. Tolo stopped and wound
down the window.
“Hello Bastion”
“Tolo.” Was the stern reply.
“After a scrub and grub. Down to the last of my
ass.” He held up the credstick. Bastion checked the level
and looked at Tolo with disappointment. Tolo pointed to
the back of his van. “Never did get your brother’s blood
stains out of the back. How is he recovering?”
Bastion frowned. “Okay okay, no need to get all
up about that. He lived, so you can go in.”
Tolo dropped another two levels and parked. Not
a lot of cars around.
On the entire south
side of the parking level,
there were a couple of
dozen freighter containers,
all organized around an
“open” area, from there
music and light poured
out. Tolo could smell
cooking. He staggered over
to the gate, more nomads
greeted him, their radios
barked info from Bastion
and he was let in.
Tina, a short, fat,
and ruddy woman
intercepted him as he
cleared the gap between the containers. “What you need
Tolo.”
“Scrub and Grub, nothing fancy, I came in cheap.”
Tina handed him two Shower in a Cans and
pointed to a blue container. The tins looked like large soda
cans. “You stink like a nomad’s saddle crack. You should
burn those clothes.”
“Can’t, all I have and the only armour I got, and I
am meeting with one of Wolf’s men tonight, maybe for
some work.”
“Okay, head in to the shower. Leave your shit
outside and I will get it cleaned up. I will leave a change
for in between.”
“Tina, I…..”
“Frag it Tolo, you can pay me back when you get
paid.”
“Cool.”
Inside the container was an area fenced off with
old hospital curtains. Tolo stripped, more like peeled, his
clothes off. Dumped them at the door and pulled the
curtain round. Tolo shook up the shower can and pulled
the ring tab. A white foam poured out and Tolo let it fall
on his head and ooze down his body. With one can done
he opened the other and made sure the foam got into
every grimy crevasse. He then waited a minute and
started to wipe it off. It wasn’t proper water, but the foam
pulled away a week of dirt, sweat, gunsmoke and the
triage of his life. Finishing with the stero wipes in the
bottom of the can he was able to rub himself half way to
human.
Looking outside the curtain in place of his clothes
was a pair of hospital scrubs and slippers. Not high
fashion but clean.
Tolo walked over in bright blue, grabbed a plastic
tray and stood in the short line to the food. He was given a
series of brown food like substances, a mix of vegetable
stock and kibble that made a hearty gruel that kept the
body going. He even managed a decent coffee. The first in
a week.
Tolo found a table near the central tower of Vid
screens that played out the world via satellite. There was a
firefight in progress in Nob hill, looked like corps and
gangers, some crew fragged something there.
Tolo ate in peace.
As Tolo finished the last of his food and dropped
the last sip of coffee after it, Tina appeared and topped
him up. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“You smell better.”
“Hmm.” He nodded.
“What’s this job?”
“Dunno, it’s with Wolf’s guys, so should be solid.
But I don’t care, I am begging for tomorrow’s meal.”
“I am surprised Wolf is even talking to you after
that other thing.”
“He’s not, Mr. Bones is. But that last thing was
bad intel, and Wolf knows that. He won’t give me high
end until I prove myself again, but I have skills and he has
clients. Besides, after the initial blow up, I managed to
keep things under control, the client and Wolf were kept
out of it.”
“You keep your wits about you. Make sure this
job isn’t about you getting some short stick as payback.”
“I will.”
Bang on nine, Tina had his worn out clothes back
to him, with some fresh underwear. Tolo guessed Tina
had followed through on her threat to burn things. He
dressed by his van.
New socks and briefs. A pair of Kevlar lined steel
capped military boots. Black Kevlar lined cargo pants.
Tolo had armoured plates in the pockets for a little extra.
Armoured sports box, Tolo was paranoid about that.
Armoured long sleeve T shirt, a faded print of a heavy
metal band on the front, tour dates from twelve years ago
on the back. Holsters under each shoulder. A tool belt,
nothing at the front, but at the back, spare clips, strip
binders, duct tape, a small torch, swiss army knife and
100m of tensile rappelling wire and the ring to use it. Then
over the whole lot, a full length black leather Armoured
jacket, visible plates on the back, patched bullet holes all
- 35 -
over, one size too big, to hide the bulk. This plus the
Kevlar nanoweaved into his skin kept him relatively bullet
resistant.
From a hidey hole under the passenger seat he
pulled his weapons. There used to be more, but now he
was back to basics. A standard combat knife into his
sleeve, a Ruger 10mm auto into the right holster as a
backup and a 11mm H&K 2102 SMG as his party piece
slipped into the holster on his left. He pre wired in the
smart link in the back of his neck. After a few seconds, he
saw the weapon icon in his vision.
Pulling out of the parking lot Tolo nodded to
Bastion and drove off down Dolores, following the twenty
foot high concrete barriers that walled off the part of the
city that had succumbed to the gangs and the psychos. He
was on the wrong side of them, but this was safe enough.
Most houses on this line still had water and power.
Reaching a gap known as Disaster’s Crater, he
moved back towards civilization. The hot lights of the
Mission District called him forth. Nearly nine thirty
according to the system display. Good timing.
Right on the half hour, Tolo pulled into the car
park behind Cybernights, one of the hottest clubs in SF,
and the hangout of most of the independent Edgerunners
in SF. Not a huge crowd, Tuesday nights is quiet,
particularly this early. His piece of shit Voyager was not
welcome in this carpark, it was not class enough. But Tolo
wanted to make a statement. One blown job was not
enough to kill all his cred. As he stepped out of the van he
could see Reggae Jack heading over, Shotgun in hand, to
persuade him to move. Reggae was average height but
built like a tank. He wore a dinner suit and had a thick
mane of fine dreds.
:>COMBAT SYSTEMS ONLINE:
Tolo activated his combat software, activated his
cyber arm for max effect and stared down Reggae Jack. He
gently pulled open his coat to show the weapons. Not to
intimidate, but to be open.
“Hey Jack. I got business with Mr. Bones.”
Reggae’s thick rasta accent came down the
polished steel of the shotgun as he held it to his shoulder.
“What kind of bis-niss”
“The I was invited kind.”
“You still can’ park that piece of shit ‘ere.”
“I am on the job. Mr. Bones has called me in. I am
an employee of Damage Control tonight. I can park here.”
This was it. Either he was gonna get away with this, or his
fall from grace was a lot further than he thought.
“You t’ink yo cred still that good ‘ere, afta last
time?” And Jack took another step forward, pushing the
barrel closer.
Tolo could see Jack was unsure. He had an in. Jack
was fully enhanced and was paid to throw much more
power cyborgs out of the club. But he was not the
brightest, and when angry, made mistakes. Tolo lifted his
hands defensively, and put one foot back, to look like he
was backing off. Jack took the bait and stepped in again.
Tolo activated his boosters and moved. He brought his
flesh left arm up and gently pushed the barrel of the gun
aside, stepped in with all the speed modern tech can
produce, gently placed his hand, held like a pistol, against
Jacks forehead. Once Jack realized what had happened,
Tolo leaned in and quietly said, “Yes.”
Jack backed off. He did not like being beaten, but
he knew his place. “Ok Tolo, in you go.”
Standing at the rear entrance to the club was Mr.
Bones. His tall lean frame was exquisitely wrapped in a
fine Italian suit worth enough to keep Tolo going for a six
months. His hair was perfect, his smile warm.
“So. You can still move Tolo.”
“Mr. Bones, I appreciate this opportunity to meet
with you. But I think these sorts of games are below both
of us, don’t you?”
“Indeed.” Mr. Bones led Tolo indoors and to a
table, on the lower level under the stairs.
Tolo knew this meant he was not yet allowed back
upstairs, his fall had been far. It galled him to think lesser
operators were upstairs with the elite, but he also knew
that one good chance was all he needed.
Once seated Mr. Bones ordered drinks and sat
back. He activated a sound canceller on the table that
emitted counter sound to the din of the nightclub. The
background of the high end electro tech that kept the
dance floor thumping faded into the background and Mr.
Bones was able to talk.
“I must apologize, the job I wanted to discuss
with you has gone to another. Mr. Wolf felt you were still
not up to something of that delicacy. Pity, it was a nice
exec protect, something to let you shine.”
“Then why did you still let me in?”
“Because I think you were screwed on the last job,
and you have always done good work otherwise. Frankly,
if there had not been a six figure bill to go along with the
failed job, I doubt even Wolf would have minded. But
there was and he did.”
“Six Figures, what the Fuck?”
“I don’t want to go into the particulars, but
because of things you did not know about, Wolf was out
of pocket a very large sum of money, and not in lost
earnings, but he had to pay a bill.”
“No wonder I have been disavowed.”
“Yes. No wonder.”
“So, now what?”
“Now you have two options. Either you enjoy
your drink, I give you a hundred for your time and that is
that. Or you take up this other errand that has come up. It
is shit work and frankly under paid for the risk. But it is
there and you can have it fifteen minutes before anyone
else will be told.”
“What kind of bullshit is this? You lure me in
here, knowing my name is shit, with some crap about real
work, then throw me an advance lead on some other shit
fight?”
- 36 -
“I honestly had a proper job for you, but this other
job is bullshit, and you will be against the clock of
whoever Wolf sends. I am giving you a heads up because
you pulled me out of that spot during the Hot War. This is
my payback and it is all you will get.”
Tolo did not know if Bones was on the up and up,
but he felt like Bones was using his tight situation for
some bullshit personal agenda. Tolo thought about eating
tomorrow and decided to play ball. “Okay, let me have
it.”
“Earlier tonight, a team hit a biotech corp to do a
data lift from a standalone system. Apparently they
communicated that they got out with the data. However
they were intercepted en route to their regroup and the
team was hit by corporate security. They did not do well.
Next thing you know a group of Razorboys from the Zone
pour into the area to do a body loot, and there is a whole
other fight. The corp types, I believe they are RavenSec
contracted security, have taken equipment and headed
home.”
“So it is all over, RavenSec have it back, and I am
sure as shit not going to take it from them.”
“Not necessarily. The Netrunner on the job is one
of mine, a kid by the name of Satchel. He couriers for me
too. He would not have the data on his equipment. He has
a small storage unit hidden in his cyber ear, connected to a
memory unit on his Neuralware Processor. More than big
enough to hold what they took. Satchel was in the first
group. Get me his head, or if not, his internals, with the
data, and I will get you paid the full sum Wolf had
promised the original team, and it was enough to hire six
operatives.”
“How come I get the lead, why wait at all?”
“Wolf is getting info from the street, once he has
that, he will pass it to whomever he feels can handle the
job, and he will need to brief them. Take this phone, it has
the profiles of the runners on the job and I will email you
Wolf’s info, you will already be on your way.”
“Fine, you know I starve if I don’t. Fuck it, I’m in.”
“Good. Here is the phone, get onto it.” Mr. Bones
stood to leave.
Tolo stopped for a second. “Uh…..”
Bones gave Tolo a puzzled look. Then smiled.
“Right, you have nothing.” He reached into his pocket and
pulled a cred stick out, gimme your stick. Tolo handed
over his credstick. “Here’s a grand to get you going. But it
is a loan, you owe me out of your pocket, win or lose.”
“No favours right?”
“You got some work didn’t you?”
Tolo nodded and pocketed the creds. He followed
Mr. Bones out from the table and headed to the back door.
Outside the night was gearing up. The feel of the
city as the night life started to move about was changing.
Tolo saw activity over near his van, a shadow moved.
:>COMBAT SYSTEMS ONLINE:
 Tolo cut low and fast around the polished black
sedans that were the mainstay of cars at Cybernights.
Switching vision mode to lowlight, Tolo could see there
were two of them, and they were trying to get under his
car. One was on guard, the other trying to fit in the space
under the low van.
Putting on a burst of speed Tolo rushed out and
charged the rams in his cyberarm. He had barely started
to move when the one standing turned and in one fluid
motion drew a pistol. He was also a solo, only the elite
moved like that.
Tolo dropped low and twisted sideways. The shot
rang out, but with his reflexes boosted, Tolo was almost
able to count the time between seeing the flash and
hearing the bullet zip past his ear. The standing one
adjusted for a second shot, but Tolo was too close, he
snatched out his hand and in what would have been a
lethal punch grabbed the gun and crushed it, along with
the fingers wrapped around it. The owner screamed.
It was at this point that the one on the ground
finally got involved. He pulled a huge snub barreled
revolver out and aimed up at Tolo from the ground. Tolo
stabbed out his knee and hit the butt of the revolver, the
shot went wild, up into the arm of the standing one.
The one on the ground looked stunned. Without
letting go of the crushed hand, Tolo dropped, put his knee
into the belly of the ground guy and pulled the standing
one down on top of him. There was a mixture of pained
yells and groans as Tolo stood, spun away and finished
with his SMG aimed squarely at the two on the ground.
To one side he could hear Reggae Jack heading over,
swearing.
As he got there, the two were slowly standing.
The standing one had been a Solo named Tears, so named
because a flash bang had burned out his tear ducts. The
one under the van had been a Tech called Plaster, so
named for his penchant for blowing things up with
plastique explosives.
Reggae started the conversation, “Whot de Fuk is
dis?”
Tears answered, “Personal stuff Reggae. Just a
little payback.”
“Payback for who?”
Tolo never moved his gun from the two, or his
eyes. “Delta was on that last job of mine. She was Plaster’s
squeeze and Tears’ sister.”
Reggae just nodded. Tears started to sway. Shock
was setting in, whatever the gun Plaster was using had
put a big hole in Tears’ bicep and he was bleeding. Tolo
looked at Plaster.
“Get back under there and pull out what ever
little surprise you were leaving for me. Move slow and
careful, you twitch, you get to see Delta real soon.”
Plaster gently kneeled down and felt around
under the van. He pulled out a half kilo block with a
remote trigger on it.
“Fuk me,” said Reggae.
- 37 -
“Toss it here,” said Tolo, “Along with the trigger,
your guns and any other weapons you have.”
Plaster sent over the bomb, the trigger, his pistol,
his backup, Tear’s backup and another SMG.
“Now you two fuck off. Take Tears to a doc.
Remember, you could have ended up a lot worse. As for
Delta, nobody wants their team killed, and nobody goes
on a run without knowing the risks. We all lost important
people that night, Delta was a friend.”
Plastic grabbed Tears and helped him stagger off
to another black van in the street where they took off at
speed. Tolo picked up the weapons. The Revolver was a
.454 Ruger Blackhawk. A nice gun but no smartware. He
hefted it, nice balance, then he tossed it to Reggae. “No
hard feelings.”
Reggae nodded and walked off with his new
prize. The backups were a pair of Beretta 9mm. Good
reliable standbys. The SMG was a Sternmeyer 21, a good
gun, versatile, slightly smaller caliber than Tolo’s H&K.
Tolo stuffed the spares into his hidey hole, and
headed to Nob Hill where the firefight had been.
Long ago, this area had been a nice side suburb to
the central business area. Now it was a series of high rise
egg carton apartments buildings where the population
was crammed around little park areas that were no longer
safe to go into at night.
Tolo came up Taylor street to Sacramento, the
fight had taken place near Huntington Park. There was a
cleaning crew hosing down the street. Tolo parked in front
of the old cathedral and walked over. He stopped at an
ATM, converted some of his cred to cash, then walked up
to the guys in grey clean suits as they packed up their
gear.
“Bit of a bloodbath, hey.”
The old cleaner looked at him. “Yeah, nineteen
bleeders, at least.”
“At least?” Tolo questioned.
“Bunch of Chinese Razorboys, Red Fangs by their
colours, came in and started looting bodies. They got a
couple away before the corp guys came back. Then more
shooting. We scraped up street guys, locals, gangers. The
corps took care of their own.
Tolo opened up the files on the phone, showed
the picture of Satchel to the cleaner. “You see him?”
“Now that’s specific info, the kind of thing that’s
worth money.” Tolo held up a fifty. “No.”
Tolo flicked through the other photos. “What
about these guys?”
“Yeah, he was here, and so was the Asian dude,
and that woman.” Tolo handed over the money.
“Did the Corps take any bodies?”
“More privileged information.”
Tolo Coughed up.
“Not that I know of. They took a lot of electronics
gear from the dead.”
“Where did the surviving Red Fangs go?”
 “I am afraid your credit has run out. Please
deposit more funds to continue.”
Tolo lost his temper. He pulled his H&K, “What
are your kneecaps worth? And if you fuck me, I will find
you.”
“Allright, no need to get testy. Skid marks over
there show a high powered car heading that way, back to
Chinatown.”
“Thanks,” and Tolo walked away. Back at his van
he sat there thinking.
Red Fangs and China Town. The Chinese had
come here in droves for over two centuries. With them
came the Triads, and they ruled that part of SF. Red Fangs
were punks, but they had the backing of the Triads. They
were street thugs and operators in a complex network of
drugs and prostitution. However, Satchel’s corps and any
others they nabbed were only a money making idea. Body
parts and second hand chrome were worth a pretty penny
if you found someone willing to buy them. Three or four
enhanced humans, at the right place could fetch close to
thirty grand.
That was a lot of money to be getting
in one hit.
Tolo headed into Chinatown.
San Francisco was a place of two
halves. It had been a place of acceptance, of
celebrating different cultures, races, sexual
preferences and a place of art, and all of this
had been paid for by a writhing morass of
crime and corruption. It seemed that
everything was a gold embossed turd, pretty
to look at, but scratch the surface, and it was
rank.
Chinatown is this even more. It
thrived on being one of the oldest cultural
centers of the city and the tourist dollars that
followed. But prostitution, opium and vice
had come with the Chinese, and since then
this silk wrapped weeping sore has become
more and more pathetic as it sells the same
shit with violence and greed to drive it on.
Tolo turned off the main strip and
into the alleys. He wanted to find whoever it
was that bought the bodies. Once far enough
away, he parked out the back of a club,
activated his security and started walking.
These back alleys were full of gambling
houses, drug dens, or their high tech
equivalent where broken and debauched VR
was for sale, wired in Bliss and all manner of cyber
pleasure. Prostitution that was closer to slavery was for
sale behind metal doors with cameras mounted on them,
and littered between were the refuse, people the city had
chewed up and spat out. As Tolo made his way down the
alley, he stepped over an old man wrapped in rags and a
bin liner, nearly falling as he slipped in the bum’s vomit.
In some nameless alley off Washington, Tolo
found the door he was looking for. The old door had a
- 38 -
wood veneer and the tattered remains of an awning. The
sign said Chang’s, in Cantonese, but this and the door
were now covered in innumerable layers of graffiti.
Reaching into a small case on his belt, Tolo pulled out a
small chip marked Cantonese & Mandarin and inserted it
into a socket at the base of his left ear. The display in his
eye showed a loading bar, and soon flashed:
:> LANGUAGE: MANDARIN – LOADED:
:> LANGUAGE: CANTONESE – LOADED:
Tolo knocked. A face covered in some kind of
cybernetic eye cover appeared on the screen next to it. In
Cantonese he asked for a password.
“There is no password.” Tolo replied in
chiploaded Cantonese.
“What you want Gweilo”
“A drink, a fuck and to get out of the rain.” The
door slid open. The guy behind the door was three
different types of junkie, he was obviously on steroids,
obviously into speed and covered in piercings, he had
rows of metal scales dug into his massive
biceps and pectorals. His whole head was
covered in an armoured cowl that showed
multiple neural interface mods. His eyes
were replaced by a single vision wide
angle mono lens, a black slit in a polished
red mask. What parts of his arms and
chest that weren’t perforated, were
tattooed.
Tolo walked in. The place was
mostly Asians, a few others, but few
enough that he stood out. At least he was
sure he did not stick out because of the
hardware he was carrying. If you could
take out the flesh, there was enough
hardware in here to supply a Mexican
revolution.
Sitting at the bar Tolo ordered a
drink, looked around, making sure to be
too obtrusive. He could not see what he
was looking for, all he saw was a lot of
guns, hookers, drugs and men buying and
selling it all. He downed the drink, and
called the bartender over. Putting a fifty
next to his glass, keeping his fingers on
the bill.
“You seen anyone come in here
with lots to spend? Someone who
normally does not have cash.”
The bartender’s accent was thick. “Fuck off if you
go cause tlouble.”
“No trouble, going to buy info” came out in
Cantonese. Tolo rubbed the fifty for emphasis. “I am
trying to make friends, not enemies.”
“Bunch of Red Fangs came in about an hour ago.
Paid some debts, bought some shit and some guns and
headed back to base for a party. “
 “Where is home base?”
The bartender gave Tolo a look, “If you suicidal
head to the Alley off Stone, going to James St. Find the
parking garage.”
“Thanks.” Tolo turned to leave. He was met with
three young guns in matching glow panel black jackets.
The panels were showing some old kung fu flick. None
had shirts on underneath, but they did have holsters.
“Hey Gweilo. This Triad Bar. You a long way
from Redwood Shores white boy.” Said the middle one
with purple hair.
Tolo saw that this was a pissing contest for these
up and comers. The tattoos on their chest were small and
starting out, these were guys trying to prove something.
In Cantonese he spoke quietly and calmly. “Do
not fight a battle if you do not know the strength of your
enemy. Attacking with numbers does not give you
strength, for if you are large and powerful, your enemy is
small and swift. Know your terrain before engaging in
battle, and remember, a cornered enemy needs a way to
escape.”
“What the fuck white boy? You reckon you can
talk like a fortune cookie and we will accept you?” Said
the left one, blood red hair.
“I was hoping to avoid the fight you are trying to
start. Now back off, or I will again use the wisdom of Sun
Tzu to school you in the Art of War.”
“Fuck you Gweilo.” Said Purple.
“Yeah! Fuck you Gweilo.” Chimed Blonde on the
right.
Tolo turned to the bartender, he was trying to
signal the cyborg at the door. As Tolo turned back to the
young guns, one threw half a glass of beer in his face.
“Hey man,” it was Red, “You spilled my drink.
You owe me.”
Tolo sighed. The cyborg was not coming.
:>COMBAT SYSTEMS ONLINE:
A fully charged right cyberarm flung out in a
knife hand strike. It hit Blonde square in the throat, Tolo
felt the cartilage crunch. Blonde had four minutes to get
help or he would suffocate.
The other two were running off boosterware too
and went for their guns.
Just as his hand hit Blonde, Tolo’s leg shot out and
smashed Red’s right knee so hard he spun away, flinging
his weapon across the bar. Purple got his weapon out and
took the time to put into Tolo’s face for a threat. Time Tolo
used to bring his cyberarm back and shatter the punk’s
wrist, turning the barrel sideways across his face. The
smart gun went off. Tolo’s flash compensation blacked out
his vision, protecting his retina. Still, Tolo used the
moment of panic to grab the wrist with his cyberarm and
turn, pulling purple with him, twisting his arm and using
his left hand push his head into the bar. There was a loud
crack as skull met steel.
- 39 -
Hearing a noise behind him, Tolo grabbed the
barrel of Purple’s gun as the broken hand slid limply
through his grip, he turned again in time to see Red
raising his gun. The combat software checked the
projected trajectory, and it was nowhere near him. Tolo
stepped forward, on the damaged knee, and in one swift
move used his left to smack away the gun and the right to
slam the butt of Purples gun into the side of Red’s head. A
deep and abiding unconsciousness replaced any yell of
pain.
Wild west style Tolo spun the stolen weapon on
his finger and dropped it into Red’s lap. It might have
been worth taking, but right now Tolo was more
concerned about getting out. He looked around, checked
that no one was hurt by the gunfire, saw that the
bartender was hiding and headed toward the door.
Tall dark and stapled was waiting for him, juiced
up muscles flexing.
In Cantonese. “I took out three with their guns.”
He opened his coat. “Imagine what I can do with my
own?”
The bouncer looked at the bartender who was
waving off furiously, and stepped aside.
“What nice service you have here. I might come
back.” and as slowly as he dared, Tolo walked out. Once
in the street, his step was a little more lively until he hit
the street. Once there he said a small prayer and wished
he’d had time for that second drink.
The alleyway ran between tall buildings, mostly
housing. About half way down Tolo could see firelight
coming from an area wider than the rest of the filth strewn
byway. He checked his weapons and started walking
down. Preemptively he pulled the roll of cash out. If that
was the first thing they saw, these gangers may not fight.
Rounding a rusted out trash skip that had spilled
its fetid contents out into the alley, Tolo could see that
these guys were living in some car garages that belonged
to a derelict building lost in the squash of high rise. There
were about ten gangers, male and female in colours and
half a dozen hangers on, all in various stages of
intoxication, from unconscious to raging thrash dancing to
the high industrial black tech coming from a cobbled
together audio unit. The light was coming from a couple
of barrels full of trash on fire.
Tolo held up the cash and waited to be seen.
Soon enough one of the hangers on saw, and
tapped the guy gnawing at her neck. He stood, he was tall
and lean. His skull was completely covered with a spiked
armored plate, that had glowing red nanowire smart hair
growing out in a tall Mohawk. He wore a swat team
armored vest and an armored jacket, biker leathers and
boots. On his right hip was a .44 revolver and on his left a
massive knife as long as his forearm.
He spoke English “You’ve got three fuck’n’
seconds to fuck off asshole or we are gonna skin you and
nail what is fuck’n’ left of you to the wall and use it as
fuck’n’ target practice.”
 “I walk, I take my cash with me.” Tolo held up the
roll.
“What the fuck do you want, fucker?”
“You guys blew away some mercs tonight and
some corps. You scored and took the proceeds to a chop
shop where a ripperdoc paid you. One of the mercs was a
friend. All I want is to know who you sold them to, and
where they are?”
“You wanna fuck us over your friend, you
fucking crazy.” And the leader pulled his gun. A move
copied by those salient enough to do so.
“Nope. Your kill, fair and square, I am just
looking for my friend, and I am willing to pay for the
info.”
“Fine, pay up.”
At this point Tolo sensed movement to his left.
Down at the opposite end of the alley to which he came he
saw a black SUV pull up and four get out. Using lowlight
and zoom Tolo could see that they were edgerunners, he
even recognized two from Cybernights earlier a tall asian
guy and an athletic woman. Wolf’s team. Now he was on
a time limit.
“Info first.”
The ganger thought for a moment. “Ok fucker.
You go se Blind Charlie at the eye place on Kearny. Knock
on the back door.”
Tolo chucked the roll. “Here is some free advice.
There are five fuckers coming, which means they have a
driver and probably a sniper up high. They will ask for
the same information, and whether or not you give it to
them, they are gonna kill you.”
The ganger looked down the alley. “Tough guys
huh?”
“The toughest. I will try and fend them off, but if I
fail, you’re on your own.”
Tolo walked towards the Edgerunners.
:>COMBAT SYSTEMS ONLINE:
“Good evening guys.” Tolo said friendly to the
group. “I am afraid this gang is not going to be helpful.”
“Who the fuck are you?” said the middle one. He
was obviously ex corp, the suit and the haircut were nice,
but a little worn.
“His name is Tolo,” said the woman, “He was
behind that huge fuckup at Biotechnica a couple of
months back. He even made the scream sheets front page.
Careful Tango, he survived that shit.”
“Yes I did. As for this,” Tolo gestured down the
alley, “I am the other team. I am the one sent to keep you
on your toes. And now I am ahead of you.”
“What do you mean “Other team”?”
“Wolf always sends a backup, especially with
newbies. Your after the Netrunner’s data from Nob Hill,
yes?”
“Who told you that? Who leaked it?”
“You just did. Anyway, these gangers aren’t
saying shit, they won’t be bought and I am not enough to
- 40 -
make them talk. So I am gonna try other things. You go
right ahead.”
“Fuck you has-been.” And Tango took his crew
and moved down the alleyway.
Tolo moved towards the SUV, waving to whoever
was in the driver’s seat. He walked around to the driver’s
window and watched Tango’s group skulk towards the
firelight. Tapping on the window resulted in it lowering,
revealing a young woman with wires plugged into several
units, a Cyberdeck, a remote drone control and the SUV
itself. She looked at Tango with one eye as the other stared
off into space, no doubt following the drone’s image.
“Yes?”
“Hang on” said Tolo.
A second later automatic fire rang out in the alley.
Tolo could see tracer fire running in both directions and
already one of Tango’s crew was full of holes on the
ground. The Netrunner swore and focused on her job.
Tolo coiled back and gave her one solid punch on the
head, not lethal, but solid. He reached in and opened the
door. Unplugged the girl, folded the seat back and pushed
her into the rear. Then he straightened the chair, got in,
started the SUV and drove off leaving the firefight behind.
Once away Tolo stopped opened the back and
made the girl comfortable and tied her up with his
binders, taped her mouth shut before wrapping a seat belt
around her.
Some might have called that soft, but she was an
amateur, and maybe this would teach her to be careful or
scare her out of the business. Either way she would live
longer than if he had left an unconscious girl in the gutter
in Chinatown.
Arriving at the cybereye clinic on Kearny Street,
Tolo pulled around the back. Opening the back of the SUV
showed some real finds. A couple of heavy machine guns,
a box of grenades, and some boxes of ammo. Not to
mention sundries like shower-in-a-cans, a sleeping bag.
Food packets and some tech tools for guns and cyberware.
They were amateurs, but well equipped. Tolo took a
grenade and then grabbed all the deck and drone
equipment from the front seat before checking the girl was
still out and knocking on the back door.
A camera moved above the door and a small
yellow light came on. A cultured Chinese accent came
over the old speaker. “Yes.”
“Special delivery for Blind Charlie.”
A fat little Chinese opened the door, his eyes were
pure white, but he looked directly at Tolo. Obviously a
cosmetic mod to high end eyes. He looked at the tech.
“I don’t buy tech.”
“I know, but I want to trade for what you do
buy.”
“Come in.”
Inside was a very clean cyber surgery. There were
small theaters off to each side of the carpeted and
decorated hallway. Blind Charlie led Tolo into a back
room that was locked with a retinal scanner. Inside was a
stack of medical freezers and cryo units, as well as a full
stock of medical supplies. Tolo noted that in order to blow
the door, you would have to level the building.
Charlie was direct. “What do you want.”
“A few hours ago, some Red Fangs brought you
some merchandise, inside of this guy,” Tolo showed the
picture, “was a high end neuralware processor with
expanded memory. I will trade you all this to get it,” he
pushed the deck etc towards Charlie. Tolo did not know
much about such tech, but he was offering over five times
the value of what he was asking for.
Charlie looked at Tolo with blank eyes. “What is
on the chip?”
“None of your business if you want to live.”
Charlie took a step back and seemed to note the weapons
Tolo was carrying.
“I don’t want trouble.”
“Neither do I, just give me the processor and I
walk away.”
“I, I don’t have it.”
“I know a guy who has a standing order for such
things. He left here about an hour ago. He said he would
be able to crack the encryption.”
“Who?” Charlie Hesitated, his white eyes
quivering.
“Who?!”
“Zapp. Zapp took it. He works out of
Cybernoodle, selling high end neuralware to the Net Kids
there.”
“Right.” Tolo gathered up the hardware. Charlie
reached out, just a little.
“But?”
“The deal was for the processor. No processor, no
hardware. But I will give you some info. There is another
group looking for this. Edgerunners working for a corp
called Tango. They are making sure everyone who comes
into contact with that data is kept permanently quiet. If you
see him, deny everything, better yet shoot first. And
another thing, if Zapp suddenly goes missing before i get
to him, then I’ll know it was you who warned him. I don’t
like that kind of thing.”
“O, Ok.”
“If you live through tonight, I may be able to
bring you some profit later on. I will keep you in mind.”
Before Blind Charlie could answer, Tolo was out the door,
down the hall, in the alley, the SUV and gone.
Looking over his shoulder, Tolo could see an
angry young woman staring at him with dangerous blue
eyes.
“Hi there. Comfortable?”
She frowned.
“Listen, you fucked up. You got beat, and now
you are alive and I am well armed. I don’t want to kill
you, but if it is a choice between that and you starting any
kind of shit, then it is not hard for me to go back to the
guy buying body parts to make a profit. I don’t need you.
You are alive because I am not that cold, yet. If you want, I
will drop you at a street corner and you can try and catch
- 41 -
a cab home this time of night with no money and no
gear.” Tolo patted the stack on the seat next to him.”
The girl beat her head against the seat in
frustration and tried to speak through the duct tape.
“That won’t work. Try this. Nodding. Yes and no.
One, do you want to live?”
Yes
“Two, if I cut you in, will you work for me, or will
you stab me in the back? Yes for working, no for
stabbing.”
The girl thought, then nodded yes.
“The offer is twenty five percent of whatever I
make. Still interested?”
The girl nodded UP.
“You don’t really have much choice.” She
shrugged.
“Ok, because you had the balls to ask, thirty.”
Yes.
“Ok.” Tolo pulled over in a dark carpark to an
electronics store. Got out and opened the back
door. “Now, I am going to pull off the gag, then your
hands. Then we are going to talk, if you start some shit, I
crack your skull before you can blink and sell you for
parts. Ok?”
Yes.
Tolo started with the gag and cut her hands free.
“I’m Tolo, what’s your name?”
“Copper.”
“As in Police?”
“As in wire, cos I run radio like hardwire. I’m new
to the street, but I have skills.”
“Ok Copper, last chance. Take what you have
here in the back seat, grab a cab, go home and live at least
till dawn. Or help me with one little meet and you get
thirty percent of my take. I have had a long night and all I
want is to make this short. If you so much as look at me
funny….”
“I know, body bank, right?”
“Yes.”
“What is the meet?”
“I am driving to a Cybercafe over west, there I
hope to convince someone to trade me the item both
Tango and I are hunting for. Once that is done, I take it to
my employer and we split the cash.” I am not a tech kid,
and your face might buy me an in to talk to this kid, plus
if he gets into techno babble I will need a translator. Low
risk meet.”
“Which Cybercafe?”
“Nice try, but that is need to know, and you
don’t.”
“Ok, I’m in.”
“Good, get in the front.” Tolo cut her feet free and
stepped back in case she tried something. She simply
scooted through to the front between the chairs and
started checking her gear. “No jacking in, and you know I
already took the SIM from your skull phone.”
“Where is the trust?”
 “I have hit you, killed your team, stolen their car
and kidnapped you. Why would I trust you?”
A tear formed in her eye. “Their dead? All of
them?”
Tolo winced. “No, I left them in a fire fight. The
black guy in the leathers was not too well.”
“What about Dom, the sniper?”
“Never saw him, so maybe he lived. I didn’t shoot
any of them.” She fell silent. Tolo cut south and headed to
the Mission District. It wasn’t until he drove past
Cybernights that she came out of her daze.
“You said we were heading out west, this is east.”
“Just keeping you out of the know. Remember,
any info is worth something to someone. Here we are.” A
few blocks down Mission Street, they arrived at
Cybernoodle.
Tolo stopped in the shadow between two
streetlights and turned to Copper. “Do you know a guy
called Zapp?”
“Sure, tech dealer.” A look of realization crossed
her face. “Of course he would be peddling it.”
“I need to convince him to come to the SUV so I
can trade the shit in the back of the SUV for the unit, and I
need you to help me do that and verify that we get the
right tech. To help, you can tell him that the data has
gotten the original team killed, the gangers killed, the
body bank guys is most likely dead by now and he is next
if the corporate team catches up with him.”
“What corporate team.”
“If you think I was a surprise, wait till you see
them.”
“Shiny, I got your fix. Lets go.”
“One last time. If you want out, there is the street,
just walk away. If you want to check on Dom, go ahead,
but Tango is at least an hour behind me and I am ten
minutes from the money. If you want to get paid, follow
me.”
“I’m cool. Either way, hurt or safe, Dom and I
need the money.”
Tolo nodded, checked weapons and led Copper
by the arm into the Café.
Even in the small hours of the morning, this café
cum noodle stand was a hive of Netrunner activity.
Gamers, Edgerunners, wannabees and everything in
between hung here. The noise was deafening as the hard
circuit techno blasted from wall speakers. Tolo had to
activate his audio damp and sound filter. He yelled
Zapp’s name into Copper’s ear.
Copper pointed to a skinny young black guy with
a short afro with white lightening bolt design tech altered
into it. He was showing bits of tech from a large battered
steel case. He was dressed in a white track suit that did
not look armoured. She headed over to him and tapped
him on the shoulder, pointing at Tolo. Zapp looked
worried. Tolo held up his hand and rubbed his thumb and
finger together. Zapp looked at Copper, who nodded.
They both walked out with Tolo.
Tolo led the young pair to the back of the SUV.
- 42 -
:>COMBAT SYSTEMS ONLINE:
He opened the back of the truck, and his coat to
show his guns.
“Zapp. I have in my hand enough strength to
crush your skull. I have under my coat an SMG that will
take your little track suit and turn it into a shredded
bloody rag, even with you in it. And there is enough
weaponry in this boot to invade a small country.” Zapp
looked frightened and his hand twitched towards the
opening in his track suit. “Earlier tonight you bought a top
end neuralware processor with a large expanded memory
from Blind Charlie. On this memory stick you found
encrypted data. No doubt you have brought it here to find
someone to crack it. If you give it to me, you may take
whatever weapons from this SUV you want, but no
ammunition. If you do not, I am going to kill you, and use
that machine gun to kill everyone in there until I get it. Do
we have a deal?”
Zapp was genuinely afraid. “I gave it to a girl in
there man, she is the hottest shit dude. But she has it.”
“Is she still in there?”
“Yeah man, she is.”
“Then put down your case, go in there and get it
off her. And don’t even think of running out the back,
because there are two of my associates waiting for you,
and if they see you, they will not be happy.”
Copper stared at Tolo. Zapp stared at Tolo, then
Copper then Cybernoodle. Tolo bored holes into Zapp
with his stare. Zapp put down his case and walked inside.
“There is nobody out back, what if he runs?”
“He won’t. Lesson number two, misinformation is
a weapon.”
“Misinformation like heading west, a dead team
and a corporate hit squad?”
“Yes, though your team was in a firefight last I
saw them.” Copper stared again at Tolo, but stayed quiet.
Soon after Zapp appeared carrying a small case.
“H, here man. The processor.” Tolo handed it to
Copper who opened it and checked it out in the
streetlight.
“This looks good. Large memory, top of the line
Raven model.” Tolo reached in and pulled the ammo belts
off the machine guns then cleared the breach.
“Pick one.”
“Um….” Was all Zapp could muster.
“A deal is a deal, pick one.”
“Umm, do they break down, to fit in me case?”
“Sure, pick one.” Zapp appeared to point at
random,
Tolo broke the weapon down with professional
precision and laid it in the case. The other he reloaded and
once it was ready to go, turned to Zapp. “Go, and tell no
one.” Then cocked the weapon with a loud click clack.
Zapp was off down the street at as fast a walk as
he could manage. Tolo turned the gun on Copper. “Bring
the processor here.”
 Copper froze in fear. “I thought we had a deal.”
“We do, just bring it here and we go get the
money.”
Copper moved slowly forward and gave Tolo the
case. He threw the MG in the boot, opened the case and
saw the gold circuit board. He closed the case and
pocketed it, closed the boot and headed for the driver’s
door. “Get in, good work.”
Heading back to Cybernights was a couple of
minutes drive. Half way there an automated JohnnyCab
swerved and blocked the street. Tolo hit the brakes and
skidded sideways to a stop.
Out of the cab got Tango, the woman with him
earlier and at on the far side a young guy with baseball
cap and a long rifle on his back. The woman was limping
and all were filthy. All were carrying guns out and ready.
Dom had an SMG, Tango an assault rifle and the woman
two handguns.
“Dom!” said Copper.
Not wanting to risk Copper’s allegiance, Tolo
clocked her one in the head, knocking her out.
:>COMBAT SYSTEMS ONLINE:
Tolo slid the box under the seat and checked the
SUV. It did not appear armoured, nor had it felt that
heavy on the way over. He slowly opened the door and
stepped out, still using for whatever cover he can.
Tango spoke. “You fucking asshole. What the fuck
did you say to everyone? It wasn’t bad enough that those
junkie boosters opened up on us, but when we were
ambushed by that blind fucker I damn near shit myself in
surprise.”
“Just keeping it interesting. I like to see people
dance, Tango.”
The woman raised her guns. “That’s what you do,
isn’t it Tolo? You get others to do your dirty work. That is
how you fucked it last time. You thought you had been so
smart, but you walked your team into a trap. Fucker, now
tonight you’re gonna get fucked. We are gonna shoot you
to bits and keep you alive doing it.”
“Listen to me you slimy dyke slag. You can suck
my dick till Tuesday for all your threats are worth. The
fact is you and Tango here couldn’t organize a fuck in a
brothel if you were on your back and he had a hard on.
You and he are perfect fuckups for each other, why do
you think I was brought in the first place. Because Wolf
knew you were amateurs.” Tolo could see he had both of
them enraged right now. They were pissed at him before,
now they were ready to chew his head off, and that is
where he wanted them. “Wolf is sitting back there in
Cybernights….” Tango and the woman did not notice in
all this that Tolo had slipped his SMG into his hand, and
he was now gesturing with it. Instead they took half a split
second to turn and look down the street towards the Club.
Neither fully moved, but they both flinched. Dom turned
all the way around and put his back to Tolo.
- 43 -
Time stopped.
The combat systems surged adrenaline. The targeting
software leveled out the SMG and the Smartgun activated
it dead on target. A short burst of fire cut the night and lit
up the street. Two out of three rounds hit Tango in the
face. One came out the back of his head and painted the
JohnnyCab red. Tolo Spun low as the woman fired both
guns. Both hit dead centre in his chest but between the
door and the armoured jacked and his skinweave, they
did not penetrate, instead it was like two hot kicks in the
chest.
Tolo hit the ground and grunted as the combat
software overrode the winded reflex. The smartgun
targeted in and fired, full auto. This woman was good
enough for one hit, he was not risking another. The
woman started the dance macabre as thirty rounds
riddled her body. Eventually she flopped against the
JohnnyCab and crumpled to the ground.
Tolo rolled under the SUV while he reloaded, the
smartgun ejecting the clip just ahead of him sliding a new
one home. Dom was pulling his rifle off his back and
kneeling behind the bonnet of the JohnnyCab. He was
aiming a British Walther 3200 precision sniper rifle. The
moment he had a bead on Tolo, Tolo was likely dead. Tolo
called out.
“Dom, I have Copper in the car. If you shoot me,
she dies. If you put up your weapon, everybody lives.
Please note, I have also killed the more experienced
members of your team.”
Tolo heard the engine of the JohnnyCab arc up,
but could still see Dom kneeling. Tolo smiled and started
a countdown as he slowly moved to come out from under
cover.
The JohnnyCab revved and then it’s self
preservation software kicked in as it realized it was near
gunfire. It reversed back, its front wheel rolling over both
Tango and the woman. This left Dom falling forward as
his cover backed away. As the JohnnyCab squealed off
down the street, Dom looked back under the SUV for
Tolo. Tolo cocked his SMG in Dom’s ear.
“Get up real slow, and you and Copper get to live
another day.” Dom did as he was told, even raised his
arms.
“Dom, you are hereby out of work. Walk away.
Copper will call you in an hour or so.” Dom looked at his
rifle. It was rare and powerful. “Copper will bring you
that later, now piss off or you both die.”
Dom loped off.
Tolo swore to himself. He was quite over all this,
and his chest hurt like hell.
Pulling into the carpark in a shiny black SUV had
a better reaction from Reggae Jack. Though he was
puzzled that it happened at all, and doubly so when
Copper followed after.
“Wot you bin doin’ mon?”
 “Working Jack. Can you get Mr. Bones please.”
And with that Tolo handed the keys for them to park the
SUV and led Copper inside and ordered three drinks, two
for him, one for her and put them on Bones’ tab.
Bones appeared shortly after they sat down. The
music was pumping but the crowd was past its, peak.
“Buy you a drink Tolo?”
“You already have. Do you know Copper?”
“Yes, we met briefly.” He sat down.” So. How did
it go?”
Tolo checked the box and slid it over to Bones, he
checked it and smiled. “Good work. I’ll be right back.”
Tolo watched Bones head upstairs, and downed
both his drinks. Copper nursed hers, then she tapped him
on the shoulder.
“Did you kill him?”
“No. Once you have your money, you can collect
your gear from the SUV and call Dom. His rifle is on the
floor in the back, take it to him.” Copper smiled in relief.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Bones returned. “Mr. Wolf would like a word.
Upstairs.”
Tolo led Copper up behind Bones. They walked
past those left up there. Has beens and wannabees, and a
couple just on down time. The Edgrunner crowd were all
kinds. At the back was the private glassed off booth of Mr.
Richard Wolf, the most powerful Fixer in San Francisco,
and the master puppeteer of the Edgerunner world. Wolf
was not a tall man, but severe in his slim build, he was
from South London, and his accent was thick. Bones made
the introductions.
“Mr. Wolf, you know Tolo, and I believe you met
Copper briefly earlier tonight.”
Wolf eyed Copper. “Did I not send you out wiv a
whole uvver crew, including your boyfriend?”
“Uhh…. Yes Mr. Wolf. Fortunes of war I guess.”
Wolf Nodded.
“And Tolo, did I not tell you to Fuck off as far as
possible and never darken my door again?”
“Blame Mr. Bones for that.” Tolo pointed at his
polished employer. “The fact is, that the team you hired
has been playing catchup with me the whole night. I had
to take this little snip alive or suffer the embarrassment of
having to kill her, her and her boyfriend are alive because
I chose to keep them that way. But I delivered.”
“And wot about Tango and company.”
“He will never dance again.”
“I see. Well then. I guess that about makes us
even.” Said Wolf. “I get the chip, you get in my good
graces, the rest get to live. Job Done.”
“What about our money? What about my thirty
percent.” exclaimed Copper.
“I see wot you mean Tolo.” Wolf turned to the
girl. “You fucked the job, changed teams and your team
brought me nuffin. Your team gets nuffin. ‘e promised
you thirty percent, well ‘e got my respect back. You get
- 44 -
thirty percent of the respect I have given ‘im. Respect that
you lost w’en you opened your mouth just then. Bones
you stay, you two fuck off.”
Once out of the booth. Tolo clipped Copper under
the ear. “Rule three. Mind your manners.” Then he
headed over the upstairs bar where Stage, the manager of
Cybernights served the elite customers.
“You back among the favoured Tolo?”
“At least tonight. Hit me Stage, hit me hard and
bill Bones.” She poured a tall glass of real scotch which he
downed in one hit as Copper sat down next to him.
“Now what?”
“Wait and see.”
Bones came out, smiling as always. “Well, I can
see why they call you the “Total Solo” not only do you
totally fuck things when they go wrong, but you totally
get it right when you do. You are the Total Professional.”
“Tolo is fine Bones. Did his Majesty forgive you?
Am I gonna get paid?”
“Yes, we are square. But I have to pay you out of
my account, which means we both got left out of the big
cut. Anyway, here is a clean credstick, seven grand, less
the one you owe me. And here copper is your three
grand.” Bones handed each a credstick.
“Right. Now that that deal is done, I have another.
Copper go get your gear, go meet Dom. Reggae has the
key. “ Copper left.
“What you got Tolo?”
“Fully equipped SUV...” Tolo went on to list all
the stuff he had managed to haul over the nights work. He
asked Bones to fence it all, for a small commission and left
it with him. Tolo drank some more before stumbling
outside and grabbing a JohnnyCab. Just as the sun started
to rise, Tolo drove his battered van back into the Soup
Kitchen past a yawning Bastion.
Once downstairs he plugged it in for charge,
climbed in the back, plugged in his arm for charging and
activated a sleep protocol.
:> SYSTEMS OFFLINE:
:> SLEEP MODE: ACTIVATED:
Tolo slept the day away.
G
2011
A DAY IN ALMOST THE LIFE “accidentally” drop it. I hits the cabinet and shatters over
his groin. He looks at me in pure rage.
EDGERUNNING IN SF 2070 “You Fucking Ass…..”
“Silence dickhead.” I flash my fake police ID. “I’m
Is this the life, is it a life at all? I mean, the city
Sorry, here is my badge number, file a complaint with the
spends all day trying to ruin you, with the smog, the
Office and they will bill me. Now fuck off before I get
gangs, the other gun toting cyber
upset at your lack of respect.”
stealing crack headed psychopaths,
The suit snatches the card
traffic, crime, disease and plain old
and storms out of the shop. I smile,
entropy. I live in a burned out husk of
cos I got the card from a cop now
a dilapidated apartment block, the
dead.
roof leaks and the windows are all
Turk stares at me.
broken. The winter here is enough to
“You owe me 20 for the
freeze the enamel off your teeth. I am
aftershave”
sure a life is supposed to be a much
“Add it to your cut.
better thing.
Assuming there is still a job?”
My line of work, problem
“Yeah. Go to the train
solver. Pays well on the rare occasion
station, on the 16:00 from Seattle will
that it pays, if the overheads don’t get
be a man going by the name of
you.
William Detroit. Wear a suit, hold a
Most of the time someone
sign, get him to the Western Tower
drops my name, I get a call, someone
Hotel, sit on him for a night, put him
tells me their problem, I quote a price
on a 06:00 flight. Pays 1000”
they haggle me down to about half, I
“Meat shielding is not my
solve the problem and maybe get
kind of gig. I work as a solver of
paid. Last guy I solved for, got
problems, not a target. And does the
arrested for what he asked to me to
thousand include your cut?”
do. Lucky for me, he couldn’t face
“This man has a problem
prison, not many people can, and he
with assassins, you will stand
hung himself in the cell.
between him and them and solve his
So this guy, we call him The
problem.” Turk and a cheesy grin the
Turk, calls me. He says he has
whole time. “And no, you will owe
something on the line. I roll over and
me my 15%.”
see that it is only just gone noon.
“It’s a shit job, not my gig
“Turk, do you have any idea
and pay is crap. You drop your end
what time it is. Why don’t you call
to ten and lend me a vest and a piece.
back at a reasonable hour?”
I will do what is asked, but I will
“First of all Taylor, my name
take no responsibilities.”
is Abdul Zafeidi, and I am not a Turk,
“Fine. You pay for ammo.”
second of all noon is more than reasonable, even for
“Done, gimme 200 now with the gear, I will go get
someone who keeps your night hours.”
cleaned up.” Turk gave me what I asked for, I could have
“What do you want?”
taken half up front, but that was a waste, and it showed
“I have some work for you. Come to the shop, and
Turk good faith that I bequeathed anything I did not come
I will give you the details.”
back for to him, and not the guy who would search my
“Fine, if you insist, but you buy breakfast.”
pockets.
Abdul, Turk, lives works and cheats all life out of
After a meal, shit, shower and shave at the train
a small shop in the centre of a small busy shopping
station I was on the platform as the clock digitally chimed
precinct in the Mission District. He sells cigarettes and all
four. I stood there holding my stupid sign.
manner of paraphernalia that accompanies that habit, and
A tall solid man walked up to me. He was
some other that are part of similar habits, like drug pipes,
augmented, probably better than me, certainly did not
injection kits, chip ejectors used to bust out bliss chips
look like someone who needed me. I waited until he
after a certain amount of time. He deals in that which
spoke, in case he was a nanny from the train.
surrounds addiction, but not the hard drugs themselves.
“I’m Detroit. Are you my guide?”
He has staff to do that out the back.
“Err. Yes, that wasn’t the play I was given, but
I arrive, barely assembled, sooner or later. I
looking at you, the guide gig is what I would be better
pretend to browse while Turk serves some guy whose suit
suited as.”
is worth a month’s pay for most people. I pick up a bottle
“Fine, you got a car?”
of knock off aftershave, look it over, and as the guy passes
“No, wasn’t told to bring one.”
- 45 -
 “Go get one, meet me by the stairs.” He pointed to
the stairs up to the street.
“If you want a legit one, you have to pay.”
“Get a receipt.” He handed me a wad of
hundreds.
I rented a car, I met him by the stairs and we
headed for the parking garage. I couldn’t have helped
notice, the group of cops storming across the lobby to the
platforms. I should have taken more care. The car was a
basic sedan, nothing special, dark blue, little green tree
hanging from the sun visor.
We found the car and headed out. Detroit took a
back seat. Typical. As we approached the main gate, I
noticed two guys hanging around the stairs back out to
the street. They looked wrong. I started to get ready for
action, when all of a sudden Detroit tells me to stop near
them. All the hairs on the back of the neck stood up. I did
as instructed, untucked the gun from my belt and put it
under my leg. I watched everyone carefully.
Detroit slipped over behind me, there was no
mirror, cars have cameras, so I could not see him. One of
the new men bent down at my window. He kept his
hands in view and smiled at me. Then I blacked out.
I woke up, wet and in the rain. I was upside
down. I looked “up” at the ground. I was three stories up,
I looked “down” at my feet. I was hanging by zip ties.
Near my feet, holding a knife, was Detroit.
Though by now I figured, there was never going to be a
Detroit.
“Is this about me?” I looked at him.
“No, we just need to ask you one or two things.”
Excellent, if they don’t care about me, I may yet
live. “Shoot.”
“Who hired you and what were you hired to do,
exactly.”
“I was hired by a man who deals with people
anonymously, so he is of no use to you. I was hired to pick
up Detroit, take him to the Western Tower Hotel, sit on
him and take him to the airport first thing tomorrow.”
“What room number?”
“No idea.”
“What plane flight?”
“Six am, no idea where or what airline. I am
guessing here, but if he ran by train, he was avoiding
flights, so if he was catching a flight, I guess he was going
over seas. He went South to SF, so I am guessing south of
the border or Asia. But that is all guessing mind you.”
“Who is your contact?”
“No point in telling you. He won’t know shit, and
he will know who told you, so my life won’t be worth spit
in this rain. At least if you drop me it will be quick.” I had
one chance here. This guy was cold, deliberate and
methodical. Killing me was a waste of his time and effort,
keeping me alive was a possible future asset. If I held out
here, I might earn the right to live.
“What if I chose a slow way to extract my
information?”
- 46 -
“No good. My guy is a spawn of hell, I will only
endure both lots of torture and end up dead.”
“What if I offer you the choice of a quick death
and a slow one?”
“Then I tell you, you figure you won’t trust me
because I have no reason to tell you the truth, then you
torture me, eventually I will tell you a convincing lie, you
will kill me and be no better off.”
He stood there passively. Frowning.
“On the other hand, I was employed for a service
of a Mr Detroit, you came to me, identified yourself to me
as Detroit, I am more than willing to fulfill that contract
and work until 6am. You can be assured that I will apply
the same confidentiality to your work as I apply to all my
clients, and my contacts.”
He stood there passively. Frowning harder.
Then he nodded. One handed he lifted me up off
the hook he had me baited on, and dropped me to the
rooftop.
“I noticed you carry a fake police ID. Will it hold
against civilian scrutiny?”
“Should do.”
“Fine, you will go to the airport, you will ask
around and find out which flight Detroit was booked on,
and then you will tell me.”
“Done, assuming the real Detroit will not ever be
attending?”
“Correct.”
An hour later we were at the airport. The other
two were nowhere to be seen. Detroit drove, I acted as a
guide.
I told him to park, and got out. I looked at the
guard there, and flashed my badge. “Won’t be long.”
I moved from one counter to the next. I flashed
my badge, did my best old cop impression, polite with
just a touch of frustrated and tired. Elicited service with
discipline and sympathy. God I’m good.
But good as I am, there was no Detroit booked on
any flight.
I stood in the middle of the terminal. I looked at
my new employer.
He stood there passive. Frowning.
I looked at the exits, security booth, inner
terminal. I could run, he may find me. He had all my IDs
by now. I could try something hard with the airline
people. I could try and steal the information. I could talk
to the security guy, lift his gun, go kill the hunter. Who
had enough boosterware to lift me one handed.
“Fuckit!”
I went back to each of the airline clerks. I worked
my stuff. Played the beaten cop line. Talked about
escaping rapists, no time for paperwork, help me save the
world.
I would like to thank the Academy, mum, dad,
and god.
I climbed back into the car. Detroit climbed back
into the driver’s seat. “What did you get?”
 “Nothing specific, there were no bookings under
Detroit. Here is a list of all bookings on all flights between
five thirty and eight tomorrow morning. That is more than
I had authority to get, so that is it.”
He sat there passively. Frowning.
He started the car and headed out of the airport.
We drove in silence, he asked me to guide him to a suburb
where he could make a decent drug buy. At midnight we
hit a dirty street in a dirty suburb, littered with drug
induced detritus. He pulled into an abandoned driveway.
Straight through the “Police line, do not cross,” tape.
“Stay.” I did.
He went around to the trunk and pulled out one
of the men, the smiling one from the car park. He sat him
in the driver’s seat. He was smiling, like an idiot. He
smiled at me, at the car, at the night. It was then I saw the
small smiley face in his chip socket. He was in a digitally
induced fantasy from a Bliss Chip.
“Fuck me. Is that my guy?”
“Yes.” Said my captor, as he strapped in the real
Detroit and then moved around to my side of the car. He
tapped the window. I pushed the button and it scrolled
down. He handed me my gun, there was no clip in it, I
checked the breach, one shot.
Next my captor moved his hand, and from his
wrist popped out a heavy barreled gun, from between his
fingers a laser sight. High end and high precision. Enough
to waste me all over the interior of the car.
“Kill him,” he said passively. Frowning.
I shrugged. Picked up my gun, put it to the
smiling fools temple and blew his brains out. The window
on the driver’s side blew out as the round passed clean
out the other side.
“Well done.” The cyber gun vanished, my heart
started beating again, he walked around to the dead
Detroit. Pulled the Bliss Chip and walked away. The
second goon pulled up in a duplicate rented sedan. Little
green tree hanging from the visor.
My captor turned as he opened the door. “This
concludes your contract. Here is a bonus for your efforts.
Pray I never have to come back and question your
confidentiality.” He threw a small envelope onto the
ground, along with my gun clip and my IDs. Got in his car
and drove away.
The envelope had 500 in it. There were a lot of
unanswered questions about tonight. Do I care? Not one
zak.
I visited Turk, collected the rest of my pay, less his
cut and one bottle of overpriced after shave. Went home to
a soaked flop. Went to a bar and got drunk. They kicked
me out at dawn. I collapsed on a whore’s bed and slept till
night. Got up to a ringing phone………

- 47 -