Cyberpunk:The Lone Wolf

A Date

You wake up the next morning, with a feeling of relaxation and vigor. The previous night's bonfire and talk with friends has left you feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Your bunkmate, Sarah, is still asleep, but you slowly sit up to get a sense of your surroundings. You take in the sounds and sensations of Camp and remember the memories of the night before. 

You sit next to Sarah and talk about how she got into netrunning. Sarah tells you how she was a bit of a techie growing up, but was always fascinated by the idea of "the net" beyond the blackwall. When she was older, she was intrigued by the stories she heard about netrunners who could hack into the biggest corporations and gain access to information that no one else could. After getting kicked out of a few schools for hacking attempts, Sarah decided to make netrunning her life. Now what?

Hey Sarah, I wanted to ask you your first netrunner job. I know you started hacking from an early age and it probably got you into some trouble, so how did you get into netrunning?

Well, it's kind of a long story. After getting thrown out of school for hacking, I needed a way to make money, and a friend introduced me to a fixer who needed a netrunner to help find a missing person. The pay was good, so I agreed, and from then on, I was hooked.

The job was intense. I had to hack my way through some pretty advanced security systems, and then search through a ton of data I wasn't meant to see, but I made it through. Once I found the information they were looking for, I got paid and it was a cool feeling. It makes you feel like you can achieve anything... at least until you run into something you can't hack, like some of the Blackwall's security systems.

Blackwall security system? - he asks

Yeah, the Blackwall's security is crazy. Only the best netrunners even think about attempting it. Apparently, there are all sorts of dangerous security systems beyond the Blackwall. I mean, that's the whole point of the Blackwall in the first place, right? To keep out the dangers of the net.

Yup, I guess it is. You know, I used to be a netrunner once - he says

Oh really?  - Sarah's eyes light up at the mention of your past.  - You used to be a netrunner too? - Sarah asks.

Yup. and I used to the best at it - he replies

Sarah is intrigued. "An accident? What happened?"

An accident.

Well, we were on a Job like usual when suddenly we encountered Adam Smasher. Only I survived out of the crew. - he replies

Sarah is horrified. You went up against Adam Smasher?? He's a legendary merc with a reputation for violence and carnage. It's amazing that you survived. And the rest of your crew..? - she asks being more curious about his past.

Dead, 6 feet underground - he replies

Sarah is stunned into silence.  - I'm so sorry. -  Sarah says after a moment, -The city's a dangerous place these days. And running against Adam Smasher, man... - Sarah trails off, unsure of what to say. 

Nah, you shouldn't be. I barely knew them. - he replies

The gravity of the situation hits Sarah after a moment.  -Even so, that's a tough way to go. Getting taken out by Adam Smasher... the guy's a legend. I'm just surprised you made it out alive. - Sarah says with a slight shudder - Just goes to show it's not all glory out there as a merc.