The heavy pattering of rain beats the windows of a pitch black house... the only light being that of the dim street lights outside bleeding in through the closed curtains. The rolling thunder and lightning continues into the night as the empty house lay untouched. A bright light bleeds through the bottom crack of a door leading down into the basement.
Hours have gone by... deep into the night... the warmth of the basement bakes with the comforting heat of all the hardware running on all cylinders contrasting the cold just upstairs and outside. Netty's re-watching his interaction with the white avatar via his scraper program over and over again from various angles. As his red eyes flow with code he uses another interface to conduct code stylometry in an attempt to identify the avatar. However, his father was unable to thoroughly teach him the practice making his understanding of the process fairly weak. Results are uncovered but without the ability to understand and fully trace the origins. Frustrated, he hits a wall in his research.
He's next seen in his father's runner chair... jacked into the net. As he lay motionless, he returns to the communication domain he originally met the avatar in.
As he slowly walks around the red hued domain, overlooking the pacific ocean during sunset, countless thoughts begin to race through his mind. Since originally meeting Brian and Zaunya his life has changed significantly. Whether it be the violence, the recognition of his rep, who he is and some of his exploits, nearly having to execute that merc begging for his life... the killing... the romance. Its a lot to carry for such a young man. Not much younger than the young lady who faded away in Brian's arms. Not to mention... this cryptic ghost of a runner who seems to know everything about him. His blackwall disruption... the death of his friends... who is father is.
As these various thoughts race through his mind raising his anxiety, he pictures himself silently dancing with BugBear in his living room... this memory calms his mind in the moment and puts him at ease.. just long enough for him to realize a presence in the domain has re-entered. This causes him to reluctantly let go of one of the only thoughts he's found that comfort him. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and shakes his head.
"Knew you'd show." He says with his back turned toward the white avatar who's revealed themself. He continues.
"Just so you know... Runner to Runner... There's better ways of communicating with someone you've just met than this."
"I'm surprised you'd return here." The avatar says in a distorted cyber voice
"Wouldn't expect you to know or understand the significance of this place. Its been long buried in mind... place like this... carries memories i'd rather forget."
The avatar pauses briefly. "Makes you wonder why we take the time to create places like this. A place to go when the worst has happened... when all hope is lost."
"How do you know my father." Netty abruptly changes subject... finally turning to face the avatar.
The avatar doesn't respond... continuing to stare out into the sunset at Netty's side. He breaks the silence.
"Come on choom... What are we even doing here at this point. Gotta be a reason you went through all this." He puts forth in a tired tone.
After a long pause... the avatar finally speaks.
"Back in the early 2000s were... they were some of the fondest memories of my life... It was such a simpler time... we were young and reckless but... We were... free.. Truly free... In control."
Netty focuses in, listening attentively. The avatar continues.
"Running at the time was done for a bunch of different reasons... It was an art... a culture... It instilled a sense of true autonomy in a world quickly losing it to the corporate capitalist structures eating it alive. Corporations at the time were running rampant... corrupt personal data accumulation, spying on the local innocent, blackmail exploits on the working class unions and small upstart businesses... we crushed em all at the leisure of our own will. Your father was close with a good friend of mine once upon a time... We'd bring Nathan in on some of our... exploits whenever we'd hit a dead end or needed someone who could think outside the box. He didn't always agree with the shit we were doing.. said most of it was quite dramatic and unnecessary... but he always ran with us... no matter what we asked. He was there. Never really asked him why to be honest. Kinda how things were back then. Loyalty and reputation was through your actions. While the rest of us were being reckless.. moving fast and breaking things; Nathan was a surgeon... precise and absolute with his methods and programs." The Avatar pauses briefly and takes a deep breath. "We were such a small group who knew each other... made us close."
"The 2000s..? He never really talked much about those days with me. Not as much as some of my friend's dads at least. Usually kept me in the dark about his younger days. What uhm... what friend are you talking about?" Netty asks as the tension in his body rises.
"You may have heard of him... although i'd guess not. We normally called him dog." The avatar says in a dead, distorted tone.
Netty's heart sinks as he gasps with his eyes wide open. He takes a few steps back from the avatar, looking directly at it.
"Impossible..." He whispers under his breath as the avatar finally turns to face him.
"Sp-... Spider Murphy..?" He guesses in an uneasy tone.
The bright white neon glow of the avatar dissipates as her true person is revealed. She sports red, long braided, Rapunzel like hair with jet black round eye shades. Her Night City street clothes are presented in a retro fashion that compliments her beautiful aging features... the face of a veteran... of countless exploits. She wore a white trench coat with a high collar and short sleeves. Shorter than Netty, she approaches him face to face and removes her shades.
Spider Murphy.. a legendary netrunner whom was closest to one of, if not the most well known netrunner of all time: Rache Bartmoss. Growing up, Netty idolized this woman. As his interest in running grew, so did his fascination with her particular reputation and exploits. Part of the reason behind Netty's principled, non-destructive philosophy that he carries himself with was due to the way she ran back in her day. Having read 'Guide To The Net' and 'Brainware Blowout' back to front countless times, Netty, as a result of his (to put it bluntly): Obsession with old school netrunning, is well aware of Spider's life and involvement with Rache Bartmoss from back in the day.
"I do miss your father." She says in a sincere tone. "Had no idea you were his son when I saw you at the wall."
"The Black wall... you... you were there during the datakrash- Weren't you. When Bartmoss released the rabids program?" He asks with angst.
She doesn't respond.
"Heard its a crazier story than the public ever got to know... Deets i dug up definitely suggest so." He says.
"Fond of playing cyber archeologist? Wouldn't imagine you'd be taking the time to dig into ancient history. That something you and your chooms liked to do between data runs?"
Netty looks away offended at the mention of his friends. His short tempered, impulsive nature that really comes out when it pertains to netrunning gets the better of him as he responds.
"You wanna bring up old obits? How bout this. Rache Bartmoss. Flatlined sometime during the 4th corpo war under YOUR watch. Crashed and splintered the net as a result." He confronts.
Spider pauses briefly as his words cut deep. His surface level understanding of the subject agitates her... however due to the numbed, jaded years of times passed, she hardly reacts.
"Mm. You don't like him huh." She says in a flat tone. Interested in what this kid, so far removed from the events of back then could possibly have to say on a subject so significant and close to her personally. Netty continues.
"Bartmoss was a psycho. Regardless of his intent... after he realized he was at a dead end with no way out. He got desperate... emotional... sloppy. A just cause maybe. But completely moot when you realize-"
"-Was a different time kid." She says cutting him off. "Being a runner during a corpo war meant accepting truths few could bare."
Netty checks his tone. "I always figured he'd... did it thinking it'd empower runners. Ended up doing the exact opposite... splintered the net and took away OUR power. He left us open... vulnerable. Relegated to subnets controlled by some of the worst types of people you could imagine."
He pauses briefly, thinking deeply... back to conversations him and his friends would have on a regular basis about this. He speaks up in a serious tone.
"I can't even begin to think how many... some of the best runners that've ever lived got caught on the other side... Those were OUR fuckin' people... and for WHAT in the end!!?" He shouts causing Spider to close her eyes tight and look away in discomfort... being confronted on some of the very thoughts she struggles to face herself.
Netty pauses as Spider slowly turns to walk away and face the sunset. She speaks.
"Wise beyond your years i see." She confirms in a flat tone as Netty struggles to maintain focus in the presence of his idol. He shifts his tone.
"Listen, I... I hate to ask, but... these are pretty crazy times for me these days and spoofing has gotten uh... alot easier these days so... trust can be pretty waning. Can uh.." he clears his throat "Can... can you show me?" He asks timidly
Netty's eyes begin to flicker blue as Spider looks back at him over her shoulder and does the same. She shows him her private key signature... a signature that he's all too familiar with and never thought he'd see with his own eyes, confirming her identity.
"Holy shit!!" Netty shouts with eyes wide open in exhale, taking a step back. "I-... I wasn't even sure if you were still alive! Is it true you were in strike team Beta with THE Morgan Blackhand? The Saka tower raid!? Shit! I even heard you're the one who zeroed Kei Arasa-"
"-Keep digging kid... The black & whites of history often turn out to be grey."
"I've... i've always wanted to meet you. I mean its... its hard to be believe this is actually happening. I have so many questions that I-"
"-Your father was one of the most consistent, disciplined men that I ever knew. He changed so much... after he had his son... you." She insists.
Netty looks down and away. She continues.
"We didn't really see or hear from him much after that. Rumor was he settled down and took a backseat. Doing anonymous freelance work for various major corps until..." She pauses... her mouth open with no words to follow as she looks away from Netty. This catches his eye... raising his attention.
"Until what?..." He asks.
She doesn't respond.
"Until What??" He demands.
She pauses before changing subject and turning to face him.
"The Black wall. What do you know-... At least, what do you think you know about it."
"Spider.." He exhales... knowing shes withholding information.
"I need you to explain your involvement with it. I've got my own theories but-"
"-Too much to know... too much to understand."
"Telling me you think you understand the Black Wall?"
"I know its not just some absolute barrier put up by NetWatch- i know that." He says matter of factly... voicing personal speculation he hasn't done in a long time. He continues.
"Overtime, rogue a.i's have been findin' a way through one way or another... fallout of some of the events that've occurred are just insane. Random curious anons all over the place have been fuckin' around with it. Trying crazy shit... learnin' things I guess might even be worth diggin' deeper on. No structure or consistency in that endeavor though... its all over the place... just... chaos. Some even say Netwatch has already completely lost their grip on it..."
"And what do you say?-"
"-I say who gives a fuck. Whether its NetWatch or Bartmoss' mom's ass. It doesn't matter. We were fucked long before that thing went up... Its too late now."
Netty's words hit hard. Forcing spider to take a pause... see things in a way shes refused to for so long. He continues.
"I mean.. you have to have known that yourself by now... right?"
Spider doesn't respond.
He continues after a long pause.
"That why you saw me at the wall that night? ... You there often? ... Tryin' to reconcile for your choom's mistakes of the past?-"
"-Rache's mistakes were his own." She snap responds sternly... cracking her voice with heavy emotion. "What he did... what he caused to be created is serious... relentless... rabid viciousness that shouldn't exist. The people and entities involved with the wall now are beyond even my level of understanding. I couldn't... there was... only so much i could-"
"Then why Spider... Why are we here." Netty asks genuinely.
"There are net structures that have long since been abandoned due to the 4th corpo war. Some responsible for keeping the old net alive... places like this are why the Black Wall was even created."
"Abandoned net structures..? What are you talking about? What does that have to do with-"
"-It'll be explained in time... for the time being, I need you to trust me. For now... i've gotta go... I'll be in touch."
Netty looks at her with uncertainty, searching for a thought.
"W-Wait!" He shouts as Spider ignores him... disconnecting and vanishing from the communication domain.