shadowrun 40 The Burning Time

by Stephen Kenson

  "You have the item?" Gabriel asked.

  Boom produced a bulging backpack and held it up, causing Gabriel to raise one pale eyebrow above the edge of his shades. The pack was vibrant purple and was covered with pictures of cartoon characters. Tied all around with colorful ribbon, it was clearly intended for a young girl. When Boom had first shown it to Talon, he explained that nobody would suspect that such a silly container could hold a vital corporate secret. Talon had to agree, and the look on Gabriel’s face was priceless.

  "You have the payment we agreed upon?" Boom asked.

  Gabriel reached slowly into the breast pocket of his coat and produced a slim plastic wand. He held it out in one hand and reached out to take the bag with the other. After the items changed hands, Boom scanned the contents of the credstick while Gabriel unzipped the pack to look inside. He seemed satisfied with the contents and zipped it back up. When Boom also indicated satisfaction with the payment, Gabriel picked up the pack and hung it over one shoulder. Talon did his best to keep from chuckling at the sight.

  "I hope we don’t meet again," Gabriel said coolly as he turned back toward the car.

  "Pleasure doing business with you," Boom replied cheerily. "Merry Christmas!"

  They watched as Gabriel placed the pack in the trunk of the car and then got back into the limo. The driver backed the car out of the alley, then drove off into the moonlit night.

  Talon and Boom returned to Boom’s office, where Roy Kilaro was waiting.

  "We could have cut a deal to get you back in with the corp, you know," Talon said. "Recovering the virus and all the data probably would have earned you some serious brownie points, maybe even gotten you a promotion or a chance to work for the Seraphim."

  Kilaro shook his head. "I don’t think so. I’ve had a taste of how the corp really works, and I don’t think I want to go back to that. Besides, they’d never trust me again. They’d be much better off making sure I never get the chance to do anything with what I know. Right now, that information will keep me safe, since Cross would rather just forget all about me. I think it’s best for Roy Kilaro to remain among the missing." He smiled a bit. "Kilroy, on the other hand. . ."

  Trouble was leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. "I like how he thinks. He’s got potential," she said. "He handled most of it himself when we went into the Cross system to delete his records and other information. And I thought it was a nice touch to have the company set aside that offshore trust fund to take care of rehab for Dan Otabi and anyone else in the company with a simsense problem. The press release that went out to the newsnets means Cross isn’t likely to renege. You know, with some practice and a real cyberdeck, this boy could kick some real butt in the Matrix."

  "If Trouble thinks you’ve got what it takes, that’s good enough for me," Talon said. "We could use another decker from time to time—if you’d be interested, that is."

  Kilroy smiled. "I’d be honored."

  "An’ I know lotsa folks looking for good Matrix talent," Boom said, "so I can keep you busy for as long as you want. You’re gonna need the cred to start building your new toys. Trouble’s got expensive tastes. Better start making out next year’s Christmas list right now!"

  They celebrated quietly that night, though things were still plenty interesting that Christmas of the year 2061—the spectral dragon appearing through the rift in DeeCee and the wave of changes spreading across the world like ripples from a pond. The science-types were calling it SURGE, "Sudden Recessive Genetic Expression." To most people it was another wave of "goblinization," though different from the day nearly forty years before when people began transforming into orks and trolls. Some of the newly changed people developed strange physical traits, and some were affected in other ways.

  Val was one of those. Though physically unchanged, Doc still declared her affected by the SURGE.

  "I had to remove her cybernetic optical implants," he explained. "It was the most amazing thing. Her biological eyes were actually regenerating somehow. The only explanation I can come up with is magic. Physically, she’s in perfect heath, so I’m releasing her."

  Val’s eyes were moist with tears as she greeted her friends. The cool blue of her old cybernetic eyes had reverted to the warm brown of the ones she was born with.

  "I’ve got part of it back," she said to Talon in an awed tone.

  "Back?" he asked.

  "My magic. I’ve got part of it back, at least a little."

  Talon’s eyes widened in wonder. She’d lost her magical gifts years before through the abuse of sims and the implantation of cyberware. She laughed and nodded at his look of surprise. "It’s true," she said. "I can see again, I mean really see."

  Talon hugged her and congratulated her. He promised to start immediately to teach her how to control her newfound sight and to understand what she saw. Val wasn’t afraid of it any longer, just as the guidance of a wonderful and kind man had taught Talon not to fear his abilities.

  These days, the memory of Jase brought a flood of warmth instead of their old stab of pain. In many ways, Talon too was able to see again. Meeting with Jase one last time had given him a chance to do what had been impossible before, to really say good-bye.

  He’d let go of the past. Now he could begin to create the future.

  Timeline

  How We Got Here

  Pay attention. There’s not enough time to cover everything. But if you want to have any chance of understanding the world you’d better know something about how we got here. These are the key events that have made the 21st Century what it is.

  1999: The Seretech Decision. During food riots in Manhattan, a Seretech delivery truck was attacked, and security killed 200 rioters. The Supreme Court of the old United States ruled that the security guards were justified in their actions.

  2001: The Shiawase Decision. After an attack on a privately-owned nuclear power plant, the Shiawase Corporation argues that they have the right to defend their holdings. The Supreme Court agrees, giving large corporations extraterritoriality, making them sovereign over their own property.

  2010: VITAS 1. A new virus emerges and spreads throughout humanity. A quarter of the world’s population dies in the outbreak.

  2011: The Year of Chaos and the Awakening. The year begins with a portion of the infants born across the world looking like elves and dwarfs of legend in a phenomenon known as the Unexplained Genetic Expression. Later, magic long absent from the world returns in an event known as the Awakening. Ley lines, ghosts, dragons, and more appear.

  2012: The Continuing Awakening. Magic continues to spread, and more dragons appear, including the great dragons Dunkelzahn and Lofwyr. Lofwyr goes on to helm corporate giant Saeder-Krupp.

  2014: The Native American Nations. Detention camp escapee Daniel Howling Coyote announces the formation of the Native American Nations. Later, in 2017, he helps perform the Great Ghost Dance that unleashes chaos on the world and forces North American governments to accede to his demands.

  2015: Aztlan. The nation of Mexico, backed by the company that eventually becomes Aztechnology, changes its name to Aztlan. This becomes the base of one of the most powerful corporations in the world.

  2021: Goblinization. Ten percent of the world’s population take on the traits of mythical orks and trolls, and these races become a significant presence in the world.

  2022: VITAS 2. A second strain of VITAS strikes the world. Another ten percent of the population dies.

  2029: Crash 1.0. A computer virus like the world has never seen brings down the entire worldwide Matrix.

  2030: UCAS. After losing much of their territory to the Native American Nations, the remainders of the United States and Canada merge to form the United Canadian and American States (UCAS).

  2033: The Nanosecond Buyout. A financier named Damien Knight executes a flurry of transactions that, in under a minute, give him ownership of the massive Ares Macrotechnology corporation.

  2034: New Nations Emerge.
As geopolitical boundaries continue to shift, southern UCAS states secede to form the Confederation of American States (CAS); the large nation of Amazonia is founded in South America; and the elven nation of Tír na nÓg in what was once Ireland.

  2035: Tír Tairngire. Following the emergence of Tír na nÓg, a second elven nation, Tír Tairngire, is founded in what used to be the northwestern United States.

  2039: The Night of Rage. Anti-metahuman bigotry, which had been brewing since the UGE and Goblinization, explodes in global riots that kill thousands.

  2048: Operation Reciprocity. In retaliation for the nationalization of all Aztlan businesses, the largest corporations in the world engage in a joint assault on Aztechnology holdings, causing severe damage but stopping short of destroying the company.

  2057: Dunkelzahn’s Triumph and Tragedy. In a single year, the great dragon Dunkelzahn announces his candidacy for president of the UCAS, wins the election, then, on the day of his inauguration, is killed.

  2061: Year of the Comet. The passage of Halley’s Comet wreaks great changes on the world, including mana storms, a UGE-like phenomenon known as the SURGE, the eruption of the volcanoes in the Ring of Fire and other locations, the emergence of a new dragon known as Ghostwalker (who goes on to rule the Free City of Denver), and sightings of the undead-like creatures known as shedim.

  2064: Crash 2.0. A combination of attacks from the cult known as Winternight and the initial public stock offering of the Novatech megacorporation brings down the Matrix, paving the way for the construction of a new wireless Matrix.

  2070: Emergence. Technomancers, who can interact with the wireless Matrix with only their mind, cause a worldwide outbreak of paranoia and fear.

  2071: Ghost Cartels. A new drug called tempo sweeps the world, plunging millions into addiction and setting off a massive underworld war.

  Shadowrun terminology

  If you’re going to walk the walk, better know how to talk the talk. Here are the essential terms you need to know so you can talk without having people stare at you.

  astral plane: The dimension of all things alive and magical. Everything living has an aspect on the astral plane, and magic lights up this plane like fireworks.

  Augmented Reality (AR): The primary way of interacting with the Matrix, Augmented Reality is a digital overlay on reality that allows individuals to access information and customize the appearance of certain areas. Individual pieces of AR are called AROs (Augmented Reality Objects).

  Awakening: Term used to describe the return of magic to the world. Magical individuals and beasts are referred to as the Awakened.

  bio-ware: Augmentations to the body that act as new organs.

  BTLs: Better-Than-Life chips, chips that provide a sensory experience more intense than reality. BTLs (pronounced "beetles") are tremendously addictive.

  commlink: A device used by almost everyone in the Sixth World, it combines elements of a handheld computer, telephone, camera, and other functions.

  Corporate Court: A body made up of representatives of the ten most powerful corporations in the world that regulates high-level corporate activities.

  critters: Animals that, affected by the changes that have shaken the world, have taken on new aspects and various powers.

  cyberware: Augmentations that build machinery into the body to enhance and extend its natural abilities.

  face: A member of a shadowrunning team who specializes in interacting with various contacts.

  fixer: An individual who arranges contacts and meetings between shadowrunners and Johnsons.

  hacker: Someone with a special expertise in accessing and manipulating nodes and the data they contain.

  HMVV: Human-metahuman vampiric virus, a virus that causes vampirism in metahumans. Certain strains of the virus have the effect of transforming metahumans so that they resemble mythological creatures such as ghouls and goblins.

  JackPoint: A private network of experienced shadowrunners, organized by legendary hacker Fastjack, who gather on the Matrix to share information and tips.

  mana: The magical energy in all living things that makes spellcasting and other magical activities possible.

  manaline/ley line: A concentration of magical energy; these lines form cris-crossing patterns across the globe.

  Matrix: The global electronic network formed by the multitudinous wireless nodes across the world.

  medkit: A medical kit, assembled goods for delivering first aid to victims and repairing wounds as rapidly as possible.

  megacorporation: A tremendously large multinational corporation that acts as a sovereign power, complete with its own army and internal form of currency. In the Sixth World, the power of the megacorporations outstrips that of national governments.

  metahumanity: Term used to describe all humanoid races, including humans, dwarfs, elves, orks, trolls, and others.

  Mr. Johnson: The code name used by most representatives who arrange jobs with shadowrunners.

  nanotech: Technology that uses microbiology and enhancements at the cellular level to carry out certain tasks. These tasks can include enhancements to human abilities.

  PAN: Personal Area Network, the network formed by an individual’s collection of wireless devices.

  RFID tags: Radio frequency identification tags; common to almost all electronic devices, they broadcast information that facilitates communication between devices.

  rigger: Term used to describe a specialist in controlling vehicles and drones.

  sarariman: Term for the core backbone of any corporation—the salaried workers whose daily work makes a corporation go. Also known as "corporate drones."

  shadowrunners: Independent criminals and deniable assets; people who stay out of the glare of the world and try to make a living in the gray areas.

  SIN: System Identification Number. The basic form of identification used worldwide. If you don’t have one, whether real or fake, things like opening a bank account or crossing a border will be damn tough.

  skillsoft: A program that adds abilities or knowledge to bodies capable of using them.

  street samurai: A warrior of the streets, a specialist in various kinds of weapons, and someone you want on your side in a fight.

  technomancers: Individuals who can access the Matrix with no equipment, using simply their mind.

  trideo: The three-dimensional media in which most entertainment is presented.

  What You May Have Missed

  The Shadowrun universe has evolved throughout its twenty-year history, and the arrival of the Fourth Edition of the game brought some of the most significant changes yet. If you haven’t caught up with Shadowrun recently, here are some things you should know about:

  • The Wireless World: Crash 2.0, the Matrix disaster of 2064, paved the way for the creation of a wireless Matrix. The Matrix is all around everyone now; rather than having to log into it through a cyberdeck, the inhabitants of the Sixth World can interact with it wherever they go. Augmented Reality (AR) overlays much of the world, making the locations’ appearance customizable and providing cascades of information. This means data is everywhere, so shadowrunners have multiple opportunities to dig up information they can use to make a buck.

  • A New Horizon: In the aftermath of Crash 2.0, one megacorporation, Cross Applied Technology, is torn apart and loses its AAA status. Its seat on the Corporate Court is taken by the upstart entertainment/public relations giant Horizon, whose employee-friendly policies and generous outlook seem too good to be true. In other Big Ten changes, Novatech merged with Transys-Erika and renamed itself NeoNET, and Yamatetsu restructured itself into the Evo Corporation.

  • Shifting Borders: The same strain that changed the corporations affected many nations. The Ute Nation caved to external pressures and became part of the Pueblo Corporate Council; the Salish-Shidhe Council made Tsimshian a protectorate; and earthquakes and floods devastated the California Free State.

  • Emerging technomancers: Recent times saw the emergence of peop
le who can interact with the Matrix without equipment, using only the power of their minds. These strange and inexplicable abilities set off a worldwide panic.

  • Underworld explosion: A powerful, extremely addictive bio-engineered drug named tempo shook the world, and the potential profits from it set organized crime groups against each other in an explosive conflict.