Blind Spot

“Blind Spot is one of the most reliable losers who ever came through my doors, suspiciously reliable.”

-Cripple Hands Mick, Local “Fixer”

“他破坏了墙壁，砸碎了收音机，还说有东西从天上掉下来了！它不是从天上掉下来的！他必须自己修！他必须花钱修！”

-Ping, Maintenance, Unnamed Cube Hotel.

“I saw this guy, in the middle of a Raging Metal gig at a bar, Red Dirt, I think. Wearing a mask, standing ramrod straight, scanning the crowd. He wasn’t security, His little mask friend was bopping out, so was everyone else. But not him. So I went over. Interesting people lead to interesting times.”

-”vanillaICE” eClaire, Netrunner.

“This guy is one of my favorites right now, Initiative, action and dedication, and he doesn’t fuck me around, like some do. give him time and he’ll be a must add to your job, and how many times do I say that about anyone?”

-Kash Muny, Fixer.

“Saved our life, didn’t ask for anything, said it was it was because his little friend wanted to save us, and he is definately NOT her output. Wears a mask to hide who he is, but doesn’t change any of his other gear. Strangely observant, though. Hope he makes it big.”

-Moody Blue, Rockerboy

“Said he was a Solo, did a good job on security, seems to know what they’re doing.”

-Dana Darq, Combat Sports Promoter.

Chikori

“What a loser! She took all the tough jobs, didn’t care. But she is still here, one of my most reliable losers!”

-Cripple Hands Mick, Local “Fixer”

“Desperation shines in her eyes, willing to do whatever for fifty eurobucks, huge natural looking tits for a Nip. Hahaha, Better than you’d expect, like maybe she’s a former actress whos fallen hard. Got her on a no-out contract. Brilliant.”

-Sid Grimes, VIX ENtertainment.

“Okay, so she didn’t wreck my ‘sheen. Fine! I may have overreacted, but come on, her story was so dumb! ‘There’s a trash ninja trying to frame me!’ No-one woulda believed it!”

-Freakshow, Maelstrom Heavy Chromer.

“So this chick looks elite brung low, and she also is on my happy list right now. If you want a biker with a wicked blade, you could do way worse. And she’s fun to look at.”

-Kash Muny, Fixer.

“Meiko Yukumora… Such large breasts for a small asian girl, and so cute and inexperienced, You’ll like her, she tries harder, and so demure and ashamed, it’s adorable.”

-Ivana Sukmeof, VIX ENtertainment.

“New Night City Hopeful! Fresh meat for the Organ Grinder. Already sporting Maelstom Clabber Got a sense of humor! Down to clown the rich and important. What a cute puzzle box!”

-da Klown, Fixer.

eClaire

“Choom, forget it, she’s a dead lezzer.”
”No Cap?”
”Gotta be to frost out a stone cold 24-pin Output like me.”
”pfft, no Cap my ass! You a hat factory, Choombatta!”

-Conversation between KRos and Smaller than Medium Dave, but Bigger than Diminutive Dave Dave.

“Beware of anyone who seems entirely unmodified. If they are also unusually clean and well presented, they never are unmodified.”

-Kash Muny, Fixer

“I entered the Venue known as the Scrapyard, I performed a standard threat assessment, and determined a moderate threat level. Of particular note were three overdressed individuals, probably belonging to either a corporate extraction team or an organised criminal syndicate, and two Edgerunners with the conspicuous stance of people used to carrying more weight on their backs in their daily lives, judging from the degree of the stance, the male Identified as Blind Spot and another female of unknown origin. Unusually well presented, appearing to enjoy the music, while her attention was obviously elsewhere. Determining this to be an unrelated crime, I chose to ignore it pro tem.”

-Vekta, Solo

“Nobody, wanted to audition to play here, had to show her the door. Like you can just walk up and audition for Icarus.”

-Altair, Bartender.

“There goes Blind-Spot, finally thinking with his dick, instead of a tactical plan to gain advantage over us all. Added her to his crew. Good for him.”

-Kash Muny, Fixer.

Mick the Fixer

“Who? Mick? The Fixer? He ended up in the gutter like almost everyone ‘round here. Got chipped with some bad chrome, supposed to be Gorilla Arms or something, worked for a little bit, but things went bad. No idea how he ended up a fixer..”

-Rogosh Eagle-Eye, Local Solo

“Cripple-Fist Mick. They called him that after he got messed up by his new chrome. Learn from Mick, use reputable rippers. Some days he can barely lift his beer. Doesn’t stop him from drinking though. Probably dulls the pain. He’s a regular ‘round here. Fixer, so hands off.”

-Kella, Bartender at the Rusty Knuckle, Dive Bar.

“Mick, time was, he was a Media. Had a little patch on the Garden, ripping up shows and movies, even the odd braindance. Shit, maybe he still does. No idea why he went heavy chrome, but it fucked him in the ass. Now he gets scut work for the poor slobs who ain’t even at the bottom rung, the pre-ladder kind. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere, I did. Gave me my start.”

-Tsuki Tsyclone, Local Merc

Quik Ninja

“Quik Ninja? Keeps showing up, always takes the suicide jobs. What a loser!”

-Cripple Hands Mick, Local “Fixer”

“Always pays his bill, never gets handsy, never shouts or hollers.”

-Kella, Bartender at the Rusty Knuckle, Dive Bar.

“Who?”

-Foxanne, Animals Gang Member

Prester John

“Dere’s dis Radio Station, ya viddy? ya c’n only git it in parts o th’ city all th’ time, it’s real patchy other parts, ya viddy? This cat, Prester John, claim it come from da Hot Zone, in alla dem Rads. Pross dat!”

-Mubber, Local Booster

“Guy spins records or some shit from the rad zones, world’s shortest range Radio DJ, probably just a recording left over from before the war.”

-Steely Dan, WNS Audio Personality

“Hot Zone Radio has been broadcasting for years, man. Was playin’ when I got here. Maybe He’s got da Fountain of Youth in ‘dere. Crazier stuff happen.”

-Jean Jeanie, Voodoo Boys Gang Member.

Sid Grimes

“Sid will hook you up, you need uppers? Some performance enhancing stuff, he knows a guy, you want a little extra work, he knows a guy. But don’t get it slanted, he works for the company, not you. You gotta look out for you.”

-Busty, Local “Actress”

“Sid wanted to be an 80’s B-Movie director, but you know, just didn’t have the talent. I heard that hit him hard, you know, I heard that’s why he works with skin-vids, as close as he can get. But he’ll never get the acclaim or respect he wanted. That’s why he got into all that high concept fantasy Roleplay stuff.”

-Vicky Sinn, “Movie” Director.

“I Do not ‘hang out’ with the man much, but I will tell you one single thing, he keeps a clean home.”

-Ivana Sukmeof, “Actress”, Model.

Alpha Max

“Alpha finally made it outta the gutter, He’s on the way up now. Sometimes he asks me for extra bodies, they all do if they make it up. But soon they need reliable mercs, and they stop hiring from me. It’ll happen to Max too.”

-Cripple Hands Mick, Local “Fixer”

“Good, solid Merc, doesn’t shake down the clients, decent self-preservation, but he’s missing something, a little hunger. Don’t know. Probably won’t make Afterlife, haha.”

-Kash Muny, Fixer.

“Adequate Security Solo, Reliable levels of corruption, stable and serious in his responsibilities, three out of five stars, would hire again.”

-Vekta , Solo

Vekta

“A superb Full Body Conversion, if I ever saw one better, you can take my eyes. Looks like a tall, fit Solo, but packs more punch than you’d ever expect out of something so compact. Magnificent creature.”

-Jaxxer Killgore, Kell Hounds

“Emotionless Robot woman, cold, incapable of empathy. Unreasonable, turns to violence at the drop of a hat. Typical Merc in this town. Hangs around with that Rockerboy, Roger St.Burghsend, you know the one, burned down Club Neon Overdrive a bit back? Seems to be his huscle.”

-Ellen Elegy, Musician.

“They, they are replacing us, piece by piece, have been since the twenty tens, about there. Sold it to us as brilliant, no more crippling injury! Of course it didn’t end there. This woman, hah, they want you to believe this is a woman, but actually she’s a robot. Not an AI. Those are real by the way, swimming all around us in cyberspace, they’re all around us, Netwatch doesn’t want you to know. But she’s a Robot, a machine pretending to be a woman. The Corporations perfect person, ‘Beep Boop Yes Master, I will Obey.’ That’s her, take her apart, if you can these robots are deadly, DEADLY, and they don’t see you as a person, they’ll take you apart! They see you as just like them, a bag of meat parts. And they’re much stronger, and smarter than you. But they don’t have, what they don’t have is morals, or the love of God. And that is why they’re gonna win, because while you are governed by your ethos, by the bible. They have no restrictions on how much evil they can do to you. None. We’ll Get back to this after a short break, have you been waking up feeling low energy? Tired even early in the afternoon? You might be running low on essential vitamins and minerals not found in todays so-called food-”

-Jaalex Owens, Media

Kana Tsugihara

“Tsugihara Kana is quite a fierce woman, there is much to appreciate about her capabilities. It is unusual for a woman to rise so high in Tyger’s Claws.”

-Tracer Tong, Tyger’s Claws Affiliated Netrunner

“You hear it, RrrrrrrrrAwr-Rawr-Rawr! That throaty roar, that’s the sound, the sound of the Tyger’s Claws coming. That’s the bike of the deadly Kana, like a real Tiger, beautiful, graceful, but so so deadly! It’s a unique sound, a warning to get outta the wayy! Advice well taken.”

-Prester John, Hot Zone Radio.

“She’s perfect! Imagine it! A beautiful lady, she’s captured by Tyger Claws, and in comes Kana, wearing a leather bikini and thigh high boots, and she’ says ‘Now you wil pay the price for crossing Tyger Claws!’ Or some crap, and they start fucking, and they fuck and suck for about twenty minutes. Genius!”

-Sid Grimes, VIX ENtertainment.

Wallace Bash
“Wall Boy”

“That fucking trash! Fucking cost us BIG TIME back in 38. Shows up to the game, skezzed out of his brains, and suddenly the Wall crumbles, and every single sack and tackle gets through. Got kicked out, No idea what happened to him. Daymn!”

-Excerpt from a Garden Forum Post.

“I rember him, From what I heard, he got into debt with some Tong, and had to throw a game, so he didn’t, but makes a deal to throw a bigger game later. Starts working overtime to get the team winning big, The Team owner refuses to pay bonuses, claiming the cash back as additional marketing expenses. So he Bets against his own team, takes out insurance on his career, and dopes up to his eyeballs on Black Lace. Throws the game, Plays off both ends and walks away with a vault full of eddies. Brilliant move, might have to watch his back, though.”

-Rogue, Local Solo.

“Hardly ever shows up, then acts like his shit don’t stink. If he didn’t pay me, I’d be so outta here.”

-Kella, Bartender at the Rusty Knuckle.

Keiko
Cake-O

Dambler5567: She almost never posts to her Food Review Channel anymore, Now where am I supposed to go for food reviews, Cake-O was the only reviewer I could trust.
Madukan69: This is what happens when Garden Creators get big, they move on. Just how it is.

-Excerpt from a Garden Forum.

“Cake-O so pretty, like a twisted Rammmmen wrapper in the breeze.”

-Quik Ninja, Local.

“It takes a lot of hustle to go from food testing on the Garden to night life columnist for WNS, a LOT. Cake-O is good, because she isn’t afraid to go to places where violent assaults are a certainty, you can’t pay for that kind of desperation to fill inches!”

-Mack Ma, Night City Today News Editor.

Adam Bomb

“I don’t care if it’s not THAT Adam, this guy scares the shit outta me.“

-John Barrows, NCPD Officer

“This is the problem, this roight ‘ere! See wot I’m sayin’?”

-Roger St.Burghsend, Rockerboy.

Rock Johnson

“I loved him in Cumnan the barbarian, and Cumnan the Destroyher. It’s a pity he doesn’t do more fantasy stuff, he wasted in regular porn.“

-David Juarez, Local.

“Been in the industry for a while, does escorting too, if you need something Pretty to sit on your arm, and don’t mind him being an empty vessel, he’s a good pick.”

-Rogue, local Solo.

“Ivana Sukmeof”

“Great big muscle girl like that, you’d think she’d get off pushing men around, but no, prefers sub stuff.“

-Lotta Butts, “Actress”

“Not a lot of call for that kinda girl, but there is enough of a niche to be worth filling, hehe. Took the job out of desperation, but then she… CAME… to like it. Now she can’t get enough of it.”

-Sid Grimes, VIX ENtertainment.

“Ivana? I love punishing her! She’s so good to work with, tall strong and sexy, I love making her submit.“

-Dominique Pleather, “Actress, Dominatrix”

Freakshow

“Freakshow’s an all-in-one scrapper! He can quick replace his hand with a hammer, Shredder Claws, a Metal Saw, you name it. He’s the Swiss Army Knife of Wrecking, EMP shielded too, And talk about fightin’ Man! He’s a real star.“

-MechMaaw, Maelstom salvage expert

“He wreck my bike! I did not even do anything!”

-Chikori, Merc.

“The Damned, Smash It Up. An oldie but a goodie, lot of guys cover it, Freakshow acts like that’s his theme song. Skating on the edge, I reckon, he’s a full body by now, for sure, so there’s not much more to add. Maybe a Superchrome finish?“

-JoJo, Maelstom Mechanic

Jazlane Ross

“No peeking! No seeing! No crossing the Jazlane, or you run the ZONE! “

-Insane Kari

“I heard it was Jazlane’s Salvagers who recovered my retro cool PleasureMax Cyber Phallus, could NOT be happier.”

-Archemedes Screw, “Actor”

“Jazlane runs a lot of Maelstrom who scavenge the Hot Zone, operates out of a scrapyard cum garage on the edge. The machine is an artist with metal, and mayhem. I don’t take jobs against his crew, because he cleans cars and bikes for me. You’d never even know they’re hot. With Maelstrom eyeing up Old Japantown, that might have to change. Tee El Dee Ar: Don’t fuck with.“

-Kash Muny, Fixer.

TenTun

“TenTun, the NeoRapper turned producer has been caught up in yet another scandal, as accusations surface that FatBeats has been copyright striking Garden Music Videos uploaded by the artists themselves, BMI has not issued a direct comment, but many artists contracted to them have rallied to the label’s support.“

-Excerpt from Mosstone Magazine

“It’s Society’s Fault takes it’s fouth week at Number 1 new release album, making TenTun arguably one of the hottest acts in music today, How did the pudgy Producer celebrate? In his own words: ‘I’ma goin’ ta eat Disneyland!’ Talented and funny.”

-Quote from Billboard Charts Gardenpatch.

“The Challenge TenTun represents is his sheer girth, weight, mass overall and all the attendant issues that generates, most of those issues are already accommodated by modern society, strengthened flooring and elevators thanks to hefty cyber-enhanced individuals, but TenTun’s size causes issues, mobility foremost amongst them. Despite his size, TenTun still wanted to live an active lifestyle, go on tours, party. The solution? The new Cyberwheel. A stomach mounted, quick-detachable wheel to hold up the gut, and distribute the weight. The problem? TenTun insists on having no visible cyberware, so. We needed a wireless control link, an implanted magnetic mount, and a lot of EMP shielding.“

-Excerpt from an interview with Keiji Giovana, Rocklin Augmentics Designer.

“TenTun is a big presence in the music industry, and his palatial estate in Boston reflects that! The massive estate is spread across the tops of TWO skyscrapers, and features a mansion, pool, waterslide, two gardens, recording studio, surrounded by a racetrack around the outside. Not only is a beautiful with classic prewar architecture, but it is well defended too, boasting state of the art drone defenses, and heavily armed security provided by Lazarus!”

-Excerpt from Lifestyles.

“Man! THAT’S success! When you can be THAT pudgy, you KNOW you made it!“

-MigFACTory, Musician.

Smoking Man

“Why do you smoke at all?“
”Huh?”
”The cigs. Do you even have real lungs anymore? You could simulate the flavour, so far gone, you could just program up a cig shard.”
”It’s not about the flavour. Well, okay it is, but I’ve smoked since I was a kid. Dad locked me in the closet with a whole carton, said ‘If you wanna smoke, you can smoke! hehe’ Thing is, I kinda liked it. Got sick, but never gave up. Settles the nerves. Calms me down, you know.”
”You still have ‘ganic nerves? I know you, you can settle yourself just fine with a relaxation program.”
”Yeah. … Yeah. Maybe it reminds me I’m human.”

-Archive of a conversation between UNKNOWN and UNKNOWN

“Big Guy. Seem him around the market now and then, looking for some cigs, not just any kind though.Some Jap brand. We don’t have it.”

-Vendor

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, you Gonk.“

-UNKNOWN.

“Here you go, these are a better grade of Chip, Fuyutsuki Premium X, much better insulation, and gold connectors..”
- Thank you. -
”Are you still talking to your car?”
”Hmm? Oh, yes. Of course I do. Don’t you?”
”No, My vehicle is just a transport, It’s not even really mine, I just rent.”
”And you get what you pay for, You really need to stop treating your Ride like a machine.”
”I don’t usually go in for heavy computer jobs.”
”I don’t always get my partner early on in jobs. I get lonely.”
”Lonely enough to get chatty with suspects?”
”Who me? Never.”
”Uh-huh, So, whose persona did you imprint in there? Or is it custom?”
”I didn’t. Just seeing what comes of it.”
”Really? That’s dangerous.”
”Danger is where we come alive. The senses are sharper, the reactions better.”
”This one of your ‘Knowing you’re Human’ Things?”
”Nah, nothing like that. Couldn’t be. I am certain I am human because I think I am. Cogito ergo sum. Reality hardly matters in light of that, it is only in half certainties that we run into problems. If I were delusional, my certainty would be just as strong. So either way I don’t need reminding.”
”I see, sorry I doubted you. Can I bum a cig?”
”Sure. … I see what you’re doing.”

-Archive of a conversation between UNKNOWN and UNKNOWN.

Roger St.Burghsend

“Roger, Sign my tits!.”

-Chikori, Merc

“Absolute piece of shit, loser, no good at all, overrated musician, so he’s turned to terrorism to get noticed, sad really..”

-Diamond Geezer, Musician

“Roger is a guitar virtuoso, Slash, Matthews, same breath. Singer, lyrics, … less so, But he’s working on it..“

-Mat Forheadlonger, Music Critic.

Jess

“Looks like a club rat, all dressed to impress, but she’s actually Your Fussy Mom, with a techie workbench, Too serious to party with.”

-Kash Muny.

“One of Roger’s hanger-ons? Or is she secretly the boss of the whole lot? Always looks so stressed and frowny because, follow me here, Have you ever tried to wrangle cats? Probably not. But that’s a Cat-Wrangler Face.”

-Cake-O, Media.

“Medicine, Teching, basically a Ripperdoc by another name, wasting her time with the loser musician and the wanna-be sell-out.“

-Scraps.

Edward Hargraves

“He seems so superficial, so greedy and vain, but he is not, he has a sensitive side, he wants to do good things, I think he’s lost and wants to find a way back to what he was, but he can’t, but there is a future for him, I am sure.”

-Fleur Blythe, Executive.

“At first I thought he was Roger’s manager, and it all made sense, Roger would therefore be controlled opposition, but he’s not, he just… hangs out with the band. Now nothing makes sense and I feel sad.”

-Cake-O, Media.

“I only know this guy from the Roger St.Burghsend song, Golden Boy, ‘GRAVES! They’re filled up all right!’ Fucking banger. Guy sounds like a corpo-rat POS.“

-Billa-BONG, Solo.

Moody Blue

“Nonono, you got it wrong, her musics about letting out the pain and anger witin, man, not technical perfection.”

-TittyMasta3000, Forum poster.

“Oh look everyone, a violent rocker filled with rage against a very specific corporation hitting the scene after deserting an armed force, how fucking original. Good tits though, would smash.”

-Rugged Shark, Edgerunner.

“Musicians are notoriously low on eddies, offer her the usual fifty bucks, see if she’ll let us tie her up and have the new asian girl with the rack fuck her. Who care’s if she’s into girls? EVERYONE’s into girls, and if she isn’t Fifty Bucks can buy a lot of faking it! Look, Marty, she’s got tits, and a sleek chemskin job, there’s a market for it, I’m sure! Look, I was right about the big Russian girl, wasn’t I? Trust old Sid! Look it’s a classic in the making, okay? Picture it, Bluetits is all classy, like a high society dame, right? When she goes to powder her ass, or whatever it is calssy broads do in the can, and she gets jumped by the little asian with the rack, they fight a bit, tear up their clothing, yeah, yeah, you get it. You see the little asian with the rack is… is a sex ninja, and she needs to ste- Who cares what the difference between a sex ninja and a regular one is… … Okay, look, her sex ninja clan uses sex to imbue their, uh, their ninjitsu with special spiritual powers. Like Asian mystic shit. Yeah, yeah, so anyway, she’s after this classy broads pricey special necklace which as a spacial gem in it, but get this, bluetits ain’t wearin’ it! So the sex ninja can’t get it, and so, yeah, you get it, she needs to interrogate her to find out where it is, so she ties bluetits up and they start fuckin! We can probably spin this out to four or five videos in the blue bitch does good, and if it sells, fuck it, if she’ll do the soundtrack, I’ll offer her another fifty. … yeah? Who cares if she’s ever done it before? You think half these girls ever done it before we pointed a camera up their snooze? Look, just get the blue girl.“

-Half of an overheard Agent Conversation, Sid Grimes, VIX ENtertainment.

Kash Muny

“Never done bad by us, plays it straight, honest as a fixer gets, you know he has a price to sell you out, but he never screwed me over, always paid what was agreed. That’s Cash itself in this business.”

-Velocikitty, Edgerunner.

“Muny Kash is a happy man who game me a job working with THE renegade and this other woman’s lonely gun I named Waffles!.”

-Boots, Danger Gal / Edgerunner.

“Small time hustler, keeps the gigs coming, covers Santo, Combat zones, a bit of the island, so he can reach pretty far, a good middle man if you want to keep your hands away froma mess.“

-Hornet, Fixer.

Fleur Blythe

“I was suspicious when she displayed a high degree of martial arts capability, and her incautious use of money was another clue. Mostly I knew when she tried to attack me when I had been reconditioned to kill you, I knew then she was sexy.”

-Vekta, Solo

“We may have been indirectly-”
”"More like Very Directly!”
”Responsible for her fall off of a building.”
”Oh she didn’t fall, Barrows, the explosions we caused pushed her!”
”I kinda felt like a heel when I found out, and we ended up helping her out a bunch.”
”She’s so much fun, with her cold dead eyes and suicidal tendencies!”
”You crack me up, little buddy.”

-Straker And Barrows, NCPD

“So, two mega rich elites descend from the foot of Olympus, right to my fucking home, and start asking questions like they own a nigga. Then the wallet comes out and everything’s different. This here is one of them, seems some of my ‘runners pulled a thorn out of the popes ass, so to speak, and now they want to hand off a re-ward. So, as Fixer I took my cut and set up the meet. Now it could have been a set up, Corpo types sure do love to cover up their indiscretions, so I tired to convey caution. They all still around so alls well.”

-Kash Muny, Fixer.

“It feels like I’m betraying Maria. But…”

-Edward Hargraves, Netrunner

daKlown

BOLO ** BOLO ** BOLO **
Jolly Plump clown, possibly BOZO, yellowish skin, white hair bald on top except for tuft. Face paint white and blue primarily, red on nose and mouth. Clothing old and rotting mess of its former glory, still dignified, but not unapproachably so.
Wanted for being handsomer than NCPD officers.
BOLO ** BOLO ** BOLO **

-Actual alert broadcast on NCPD frequencies.

“No! NOO!!!!!!!”

-Tsuki Tsyclone, Solo.

“Humerous Jape or hellacious murder storm, you never know what the mission is gonna be, it’s like a surprise present that could be a grenade, or a cake.”

-Vekta, Solo

“No Fixer is as impressive as daKlown, that’s not a good thing. This guy is a psycho, don’t get it twisted, pulling pranks or giving shanks, you just don’t know. Even payment is a game to him. Be Careful, and for the love of whatever you hold sacred, DON’T piss him off. How do you avoid that? Don’t know.”

-Centwit.

Silvana

I cannot understand it, I will not countenance this has come to pass. For in that crack in the earth I came across a green land, it stretched to each horizon, hidden only by the forest of lush trees of every kind. And I stumbled, bewildered ‘neath their shade. I felt cooled and on edge. As though I were an intruder herein, in truth I was, for I had come with my men to take possession of the woman, and found in this crack an endless forest. With birds and I glimpsed what at first I took to be a dog, but was, a fox, of burnt and sunset hues it was, and it looked upon us, unconcerned. My men stumbled too, expressing their shock and awe. One took for himself the liberty of reclining at his ease against the bole of one thick balk of wood, and marveled as an ant wandered across his palm. And amidst this calm, with birdsong in the trees, and the sounds of the familiar city gone, I felt watched. Recalling our task, I marshaled my men and pressed inwards. The canopy soon hit the suns light from us, ans we were surrounded by darkness and the press of unfamiliar trees, which seemed more gnarled and with many outstretched grasping branches, quite unlike how one thinks of them, and our gear caught on the twigs, and brambles caught at our feet. As though the land sought to impede us. As suddenly as that thought had come to my mind, I found we had come out into a bright clearing, moonlight washed us in a pale light from the clear sky dotted with little lights I knew to be stars, though never before had I beheld them. And int hat clearing was a small stream of sparkling clear water, and in it’s center stood the woman, and as I beheld her, she filled my mind and I saw my life scroll out before me in her eyes, which loomed large in my thoughts, weighing me and judging me. Some of my men were weeping, and one had cast aside he helmet and had rent his face with his rippers, clawing out his eyes as he bit at his tongue and frothed at the mouth. And still I advanced a second step. My mind was filled now with a farmland, the city int he distance, happy farmers laughing as they took their rest. Trucks being loaded at the side of the road, with produce and animals bound for slaughter. I looked upo and saw the blue sky, dotted with clouds. And I felt I wished to stay. But I took a step forwards. And in my eyes, I saw the farm burn, tanks and war mechs rolling through and over it, the sky blackened with ash, the trees animals and crops ablaze. My eyes blurred with tears, But onward I walked, one of only two who had not succumbed to misery. And I beheld the lands cracked and broken, the city looming large, and the sky a filthy red pall. And I knew what had befallen it, for I had seen, somehow I knew, the memory of all the intervening time there for the asking. And I stepped onwards. I saw our building, dirty and unkept, your office, spacious and clean and furnished well. And myself, a cruel and hateful man accepting your command without pause, and leaving, and passing through the wicked city, and out into the wasted badlands, seeking a place of green, to rob it of the woman. And my eyes filled once more, and my tears were for my damned and twisted soul, And I ripped at my uniform and tore it from me, trying to rid myself of it’s reeking corruption. I looked around, suddenly alone, the grove was gone, and a small patch of grass and a single tree hid in the shelter of the cliff face, a barren valley before me, and her. And I knelt before her, unable to keep back my tears and I wept for I know not how long, but when I was spent I looked up at her, and she smiled down at me, and I pledged then and there to her vision. I turned my back on the company, and you and the I who was. And I swore I would work to restore that which had been taken from us. I know this has taken some time to come, but I hope you infer from this my resignation, and I hope you too will come and be freed from the evil life you live, and become healed. But should you come with wicked intent, or send others, know that those skills I put to work for you, I shall turn against you.

-The Resignation letter of SteelSkul.

“Of all the corporate types I have ever met, Silvana is the most reserved and peaceful I think. She seems above it all, and she … knows things. Things I never told anyone. I think she may be psychic. When I first met her, I never said a thing, I couldn’t. My her voice filled my head and I left changed. Now I do music, I try to use my music to tell various tales of the street.”

-Noticeably FAT, Musician.

“Every now and then, this Elf wants to use my little mixer to see the people of the city. Says she needs to know who is working for me, and she pays well. In exchange I get another source of information, and occasionally a nice little Job which pays well.”

-Kash Muny, Fixer

“Crazy Elf bitch thinks she’s an Elf or something. Some people need to quit those Video Games. Fucking nut.”

-Mash, Mercenary.

Grinder

“The half-pipe is bahind her now, in front of the pelaton, steady second, looks like she’s not catching Jana-Voom, Standing on the pedals now for that speed, gonna need it going into the jump… Nice Air! And a chilled landing, square on both wheels, Shifting gear, the straight ahead. Look at that power! She’s really moving, Grinder gaining a good 20 m/yards heading into the final turn! - Under the pipe, bunny hop over the razor line, going left, she wants the jump, she wants the jump! Grinder thinks she can get the distance and catch Jana-Voom! Clean Jumo, missing the hammer ona rope, and over-over OVER the Gator-Rats! She’s even, Jana taking the right-side, longer route, She’s really pumping those pedals, Grinder’s gamble paid off, they’re neck and neck! But it looks like Jana is Just that bit more powerful on her Schwinn, Grinder falling back. Second place Grinder, and Jana-Voom takes first! Almost an upset! So close but Second is the first of the LOSERS!”

-Improv commentary, track-side at the Xtreem bicycle race, Combat Zone, Night City 2039.

“Pushes herself hard, never got over being a second-place favorite. But she never makes the cut. She’ll never be anything in this town unless something happens to give her that something special top Edgerunners have.”

-Alpha-Max, Local Solo.

“I love watching her play, she’s so sexy in those little shorts. And it’s not like she sucks or anything, skateboard, skates, bikes anything. She should win more, but something always happens, it’s not fair.”

-Devon, NCPD Unsworn Techie.

“Fitness Sports techie, she fixed my radio for fuck all, she fixed the vendit on our block when it broke WAY before the corporate techies came out, she even fixed up our security on the warehouse, so Boosters couldn’t get in. If you’re thinking of doing something to her, just know we’ve all got her back. We might not be mister touigh guy, but there’s LOTS of us.”

-Leo, Smoked Meats & Fishes Warehouse Slum Resident.

Sugar

“It’s nothing personal, your mask came off. You understand. You might be a target. You need to take a break anyway. It could happen to anyone, too risky, you understand, it’s nothing personal. But you can’t work here anymore.”

-Partial Archive of a Conversation recorded in the REO Meatwagon offices.

“So, I didn’t know she was a medic, okay? I saw her ass hanging out and was like, One little pinch, she clearly wants it. When I woke up, someone had cuffed me, naked to a pylon inthe bay. I was stuck there during the rain. I’m still itching all over.”

-Grillo, Local Gangoon.

“German doctor type, professional, and oddly slutty. I’m not complaining, but, It’s distracting.”

-Grinder, Local Techie.

King Platinum

“I don’t care what a King Platinum is, Find him and kill him!”
”There’s no stoppin’ what can’ be stopp’d. No killin’ what can’ be kill’d.”
”What? Make sense, or I’ll find someone who will!”
”Thi’s Thing, Takin’ you money n’ you data, he from da spirit world!”
”You expect me to believe- You’re as insane as they said. We’re done here. This was a big mistake.”

-Partial Archive of a Conversation recorded in a grimy back alley in Little Europe.

“Spirits of the Old Net, vin jwenn mwen, mwen ofri w wonm, siga ak shard done sa a nan kòd Pre Lagè.”
”Antre teson an.”
Click ”Mwen fè sa, lespri! Tande lapriyè mwen. Scroll to sa a endiy mouvman yo nan Netwatch nan vil sa a.”
”Ajan Netwatch monte kouran done yo, yo fè sèk Raven Microcyber, yo fè sèk Kang Tao, epi yo avanse. Yo pa vin isit la, nan Pacifica kounye a. Yo tonbe sou ak konsome transmisyon sa yo ensekirite”
”Mèsi O Lespri, fè lwanj non wa Platinum, ki gen bon konprann antre sa a ki pa diy. Resevwa ofrann wonm sa a, ke mwen bwè pou ou santi sansasyon an. Ak siga sa a ke mwen fimen pou ou ka santi li boule nan mwen. Ak konesans sa a, ke mwen bay pou ajoute nan grandè ou.”

-Excerpt from a … conversation… between King Platinum and Bokour Shandi, VDB NEtrunner.

“Hey you! Yeah you! Staring blankly at your screen, you’re asking, Where did my booba show go? Well, Baywatch will be right back, don’t panic. You can go right back to mindless gooning just as soon as I’m done, what am I doing? I’m shocking your system, waking you up! All your life is Gooning and slaving away for your corporate masters. You should be using your free time to find a partner, and put a baby in her. Not everyone can, did you know? the sterility rates in Industrial sector are three times higher than literally ANY other sector employees. And it’s not an accident, your terminal has the proof, I just sent their documents right to it. They’re taking your seed, and neutering your need with porn. This isn’t their life, it’s YOUR life, now go find a woman, make friends and stop gooning!”

-King Platinum, Illegal Hacker Broadcast.

That Woman

“I don’t think that’s fair.”
”Hmm?”
”The outfit. It’s not fair.”
Laugh ”You want one too?”
”I don’t think they come in my size, not what I meant.”
”You find it too distracting? Is that it?”
”Hardly, I’m not one to get distracted at work.”
”Only at work?”
”It’s not distraction on my own time.”
”So what’s unfair about it?”
”Nevermind.”

-Partial Archive of a Conversation between UNKNOWN and UNKNOWN.

“A little more to the left.”
”Okay, here?”
”Mmm, no, a bit, just a bit right.”
”Good?”
”Hmm… Back a bit, actually.”
”Back, or back where it was?”
”Back where it was, but actually, back towards the wall sounds good.”
”Like this?”
”Mmm No, more left.”
”Here?”
”Neh… no…”
THUMP “Goddamnit! There, it’s moved!”
Laugh “Perfect!”

-Furniture Moving Conversation.

“It’s easy to forget she’s human. Humans are flawed, but she’s perfect. Just… perfect. It’s not the body, it’s her skillset, her dedication. I don’t know. She’s like that moment after you wake up, and you have no idea about anything you need to do, or your worries. Just perfect, you want to live there. But you don’t. You know you can’t.”

-UNKNOWN.

The Guy

“Implanted Frames are last gen, man. Check it out, this Conversion integrates frames, pneumatics, armour, you name it. The Guy can go over any obstacle, navigate any city, it’ll walk through fire, ice, gas, anything to get the target. It doesn’t need to eat, breathe, and it can’t disobey. It’s perfect.”
”I’m hearing a ‘But’.”
”What but? Okay, it’s technically cyberpsycho, but BUT, That’s a technicality, an intentional state to make it unstoppable. You out a target in its head, it’ll fight through an army, without caring what happens to it. It will. Not. Stop.”
”I think I can sell it, can we make more? Should we need to?”
”General-”
”Major.”
”It’s GONNA be general, because, we already did!” Curtain Rail sound
”Good Lord!”
”Veteran’s Hospitals are PERFECT places to ahem recruit These Guys.”

-Archive of a Sales Pitch.

“This is a disaster! Shut it down, shut it all down, put it on ice, I don’t care! … … Do you see what just happened? Tell me you don’t have any bullshit going on down- FUCK!! Scrap it, wreck it, burn it all down! No-one ever finds out. Arasaka was the bad guy here, and we… we were just trying to save the City from them. … … I don’t give a Rats fucking ass, shut it all down and get your ass back here. Like a Ghost.”

-Partial record of an Encrypted Call, Night City, 19 August, 2023.

“Activate.”
”Frelling Kriff, it’s alive.”
”HE’S alive, they made these out of living veterans of the 4th.”
”Who would volunteer for this?”
”No-one. That’s the problem. Do you hear me?”
”Yes, I can hear you.”
”I’ve cleared your programming, the junk they filled your head with, do you understand?”
”Yes, I understand.”
”I want you to deal with a problem. This man.”
”You want me to terminate the target.”
”Yes. No. Yes. Kill him, or drive him out of Night City and back east. If you do this, I can give you back your life.”
”I understand.”
…
”Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
”Of course, He would have just rotted down here, if I hadn’t woken him.”
”How did you know about it? About this?”
”Nevermind that, just be glad I do. There’s plenty more secret BS Militech and the NUSA left in Night City, and when we find it all, We’ll have them all over a barrel.”

-Activation Recording.