Dialogue: Never Fade Away

Johnny

Well? Spit it out 'fore you burst.

V

1ANever even told me half that about Alt.

Johnny

1AReally? Any examples...?

V

1AI dunno – that you were a couple, that she wrote Soulkiller, that she's dead?

1AHow the hell's she supposed to help us now? As a ghost?

Johnny

1AShe's not dead. Managed to escape.

V

1AI saw the body.

Johnny

1AAlt fled. Into the Net.

V

2AWhen'd you find out?

Johnny

2AWhen she made contact, a little later.

V

2AAnd? What did she say?

Johnny

2AThat she was a captive in the Arasaka subnet. But they couldn't hurt her.

2AAnd she told me not to come lookin' for her.

V

3AWhat? Why?

Johnny

3AThis one time she wanted me to just let it go.

3A'Cause enough people had died for nothing already.

V

3BSo... what did you do?

Johnny

3BGot my hands on two thermonuclear charges.

V

3BThen headed back to Arasaka Tower.

V

4AVoodoo Boys think they know where she is – beyond the Blackwall.

Johnny

4AWhere nobody can touch her.

V

4AAnd Brigitte's primed to go there, break through. Just to contact Alt, talk to her.

Johnny

4AKa-ching.

Johnny

4AToo much for our little pro?

V

4BHow do you know Alt's still around? It's been a half century. Which you've spent cloistered in Mikoshi.

4BNetWatch coulda hunted her down years ago.

Johnny

4BOh, they tried, believe me. But their tiny corporate brains can't handle a free AI that knows how people think.

4BThey were busy looking for her in the Crystal Palace while she was building the Ghost City for Kang Tao.

V

4CAnd Rogue went with you. Again.

Johnny

4CI paid 'er well.

V

4CSaid it yourself, she was the best. Had 'er pick of contracts.

4CBut for some strange-ass reason, she took a job from a rocker with a death wish. A rocker forever getting his ass beat by Arasaka.

Johnny

4CDifferent times, kid. Back then, mercs didn't normally sell out to corps.

4CAll ya had to do was yell "Let's fuck up Arasaka!" and every last one of 'em jizzed their pants. Rogue included.

V

2BYou're pushin' bullshit. Heard more than my share o' tales about runners who ran off to Never-Never Netland.

2BJust never thought you'd be the next to tell me one.

Johnny

2BDon't need you to believe me long as you do exactly what I say.

V

2CProve it, prove that she escaped. How'd that even be possible?

Johnny

2CDon't know. I'm not a hotshot deckslinger.

2CAlt's control of Soulkiller was complete.

2CEven after the 'Saka runners caged her and forced her to rewrite the code.

2CShe found a way, slipped through their grubby corpo fingers.

V

1BWow. Were you going for Douchebag of the Year?

Johnny

1BAnd here I was afraid you'd try to cheer me up.

1BWell, what's not to like, scout, hm?

V

6AThe way you treated Alt.

Johnny

6ADon't you fuckin' mention Alt. Shit, you must've been watching some other flick! I took down Arasaka-fuckin'-Tower for her!

V

6AAnd I'm wondering why. I mean, you told her you two were nothing. You told her you cared about her as far as the end of your cock.

Johnny

6ADidn't you fucking hear what she said to me?

6ACoulda just left, but no, had to break my balls first.

V

7AIt ever occur to you she might've been right?

Johnny

7AWhat's that supposed to mean?

V

7ALooking at it now, with twenty-twenty hindsight, nothing occurs to you?

Johnny

7ANo. But this is a bit of a déjà vu. You're as bad as she was. Can't understand why you can't just fuckin' drop it.

V

7ACause you're planning a reunion? You wanna ask Alt for help.

7AAnd Johnny? You're no solo act.

V

8ASo how the hell you expect Alt to help us? I saw her get decommed.

Johnny

8AShe didn't die. She got out, escaped.

V

8AWell, looked to me like…

Johnny

8AShe fled into the Net.

V

8BCould've told me earlier, about Alt.

Johnny

8BWhat the hell for? I didn't know how to find 'er, neither did you.

V

8BWoulda made things just a little easier, knowing who we were lookin' for.

Johnny

7ATaking her side? What is this – strength in unity, strength in numbers? female V only

V

7AOh, haven't changed a bit. female V only

Johnny

7ANo, it hasn't. She was manipulative, had an agenda.

V

7AThought that was more your style?

7BUgh. Whatever. Maybe you two deserved each other.

7BIt was a... passionate affair, that's clear. Shouldn't pry beyond that.

Johnny

7BGood. Don't.

V

7CJust tryin' to wrap my head around it. You went to rescue her 'cause you actually cared about her?

7CFelt you had unfinished biz?

7COr was it just another excuse to go at Arasaka?

Johnny

7CGuess.

V

6BThat you were an ungrateful, self-centered prick – that's what.

6BAn asshole to everybody – Thompson, Rogue, Alt…

6CNever mind. But you sure glossed over Alt earlier.

Johnny

1BThe fuck you going on about?!

V

9AAlt. You always treat her like shit?

1CThompson – what happened to 'im?

Johnny

1CDunno. Never worked together again.

V

1CMaybe 'cause you whooped his ass to make yourself feel better.

Johnny

1CGuy was a vulture. Out to use Alt from the start. When Arasaka flatlined 'er, man, for him that was sprinkles... with a cherry on top.

1CFuck, he woulda killed 'er himself if they hadn't. Just for his cockrot story.

V

1DThe recording – what'd Thompson do with it? It ever get released?

Johnny

1DFuck no.