Dialogue: Shot by Both Sides

Mr Hands Holo

There is a job, V. A journalist, Bree Whitney, has fled into Dogtown. I need you to look after her.

V

1AShe fled? Means I gotta keep 'er tucked away?

Mr Hands Holo

1ANo. Bree has a lead. You're to help her complete her investigation.

1AThere is a corp on her tail, as she put it. That is all she said.

1AMs. Whitney seems to have some minor trust issues.

V

2ARight. So where'm I meetin' this mystery-insistin' woman?

2BHuh. Think she actually dug somethin' up, or… is it just garden-variety paranoia?

Mr Hands Holo

2BMm, one doesn't exclude the other. Besides, I wouldn't call discretion paranoia. It's a safety measure.

2BThe reason, I would contend, why the client has yet to provide a rendezvous point.

1AYou'll go to her apartment first, on Skyline West. You're to collect an electronic access card.

1AAnd no, do not say "This card – what's it open?" I simply don't know.

1AContact me once this is sorted. You'll learn more details then.

V

1BAskin' me to babysit?

1CLittle too busy at the moment.

Mr Hands Holo

1CI see. I'll send you the details nonetheless. Tend to it as soon as you can.

Dante

Hey, you're not Bree...

V

I'm not.

Dante

What're you doin' here?

V

Bree asked me to drop in, pick somethin' up. On my way to see 'er now.

Dante

Ah, sure, sorry.

I, uh, heard some noise, I thought maybe Bree was back. Been a while since I've seen her.

I'm next door, thought I should come take a look. Got some dodgy chooms hanging around the buildin' lately.

V

Well neighbor, guess I'll be on my way.

Dante

Just tell Bree to take care of herself, y'hear?

V

What sorta chooms?

Dante

Dunno, definitely don't live in the building. Looked kinda like small town gangoons. Not even – just thugs.

V

Look, got my biz to tend to, suggest you tend to yours.

Dante

All right, all right, just askin'.

V

Waterin' the bamboos. You?

Dante

Standin' in the doorway. Why the sass, kid?

Johnny

3AFuck, scan that? Militech logo, 2010s. Card's gotta be at least sixty years old.

3ADidn't find that in a Kabuki bargain bin. Makes me think – what's this Bree chick up to?

Johnny

6AReally, dickweed? That look like a bamboo to you?

Pretty swanky pad for a media's pocket. Back in my day, the press lived in fuckin' roach closets – walk-ups both ways.

Bree

Unbelievable. There's even files from the Third Corporate War here.

Johnny

Yeah. Militech was tap-dancin' on its tits, tryin' to keep 'Saka from pushing 'em off the stage.

Bree

Shit. The oldest ones are encrypted. But wait ...

There's some newer footage… Dated twenty sixty-eight.

Must be when they came back. C'mere, take a look.

Bree

1AThe bastards were tryin' to reopen the project.

1BHear that? They wanted to breach the Blackwall!

1CWere they running from the war? Or NetWatch...?

Go on, take a look.

Really helped me out, V. You go ahead, I'll grab the rest of the files myself.

Bettin' he had loads of people like me on his conscience.

But hey, I survived. And I'm gonna milk this chance for all it's worth.

V

3AWhat's the plan now?

Bree

3AI publish, then I take a long vacation. Far, far away from anyone wantin' to find me, killer corporats especially.

V

3BCan't wait to read the article.

Bree

3BMhm – you'll be the first to know when it's ready.

3BAnd then I'll take a long vacation. Far, far away from anyone wantin' to find me, killer corporats especially.

V

3CKnow how you feel. Also left the corp behind, wasn't easy. But it gets better, I promise.

Bree

3CYeah, countin' on it. Anyway, I'll finally be workin' for number one.

3CThink I'll take a long vacation first, though. Y'know, in case some suit decides to trail me again.

Told you the megacorps wanted to bury this story. No surprise they sent one of their own.

V

4AWhat he was sayin'... any truth to it?

Bree

4AReally? The man who just tried to kill us – you give a damn what he thinks?

4AYeah, I wrote some pulp garbage, sponsored articles. Rent doesn't pay itself.

4AThing is, at some point you wake up and you realize you live in a dump and your life's a waste.

4AAnd, well, I did it. Changed my life. Didn't know I had it in me, but here I am.

V

4BYou and Dante – know each other well?

Bree

4BNah, he was just another Militech wetworker. Cowboy who reined in anyone wantin' off the corpo leash.

V

Ran into the guy at your unit – who the fuck was he?

V

5AWas supposed to be your huscle, so I was. Don't care to talk detes.

Bree

5AGood, 'cause there aren't any. The guy was just another corpo gun out to get me.

V

6BMilitech, special agent. Guess you really did step on some corp toes.

V

7ACome on out.

Bree

7AThanks, V. I mean it.

Thanks, V. I mean it.

Johnny

Max Jones, Bree Whitney... Dunno who hurt you, but you clearly got somethin' against the free press.

V

What the...

Dante

Stand back, merc.

It was her. She's the one who gave 'em Mijares.

Meanin', see for yourself.

V

8AWhat'm I lookin' at?

Dante

8AA log of all her convos with NetWatch. Bree planned to sell the lab data, grab the eddies and run. Like I said.

8AStill feelin' sorry for her?

V

9AFuckin' hazed me. Can't believe she was only in it for the scratch.

Dante

9AWhy'd you take your gig? Charity? Come on.

V

9BFuck. Really thought she was tryin' to do somethin' good.

Dante

9BRoad to hell wouldn't be paved without good intentions, kid. Important thing's to head in the right direction once you see it.

8ADownloadin' loadin' loadin', get that data roamin', hm-hm, hm-hm, hm-hm, roamin'… hm-hm, hm-hm, hm-hm, mhm. Hm-hm, hm-hm, hm-hm, mhm. Hmmm, hm-hm, hm-hm, mhm.

V

10ASo, that's that?

Dante

10AOne more thing. Did me a solid, kid, deserve your cut.

10ALi'l piece of advice, too. Believe in people, sure – but don't ever trust 'em.

10ANow, gotta wait for all the data to wander home. Happy trails, kid.

V

10BSo, don't you owe me somethin'? For my trouble?

Dante

10BEhh, fine. Grab your cut.

10BNow get lost, kid. Gotta wait for all the data to wander home.

V

10CSo, the data – what's your plan? Saw the tapes, Militech was tryin' its damndest to breach the Blackwall...

Dante

10CListen to a little voice of reason – forget, move on, live on.

10CYou find yourself losin' sleep over it some day, well... just turn over onto your other side.

V

10DGuessin' Militech aims to secure the project, resume research?

Dante

10DMaybe someday, sure. Not today, not tomorrow – makin' it not our problem.

10DTruth be told, hope I'm dead 'n' gone before they do.

Bree

Shit, this is bigger than I thought. Militech using some rogue AI to augment their old weaponry… This is huge!

Johnny

Yeah, Militech an' some secret weapon, street's been sayin' it for ages... usually between "world's ending on Tuesday" and "Bartmoss is hibernatin' in a fridge."

V

11ASo, we got it? Grab what you need, let's delta.

Bree

11ADante?!

Dante

11AHowdy, Bree.

V

13AHazed me once, won't do it again. Who the hell are you, really?

Dante

13ADante Caruso, Militech Special Agent. Stand down, I'm here for Bree. Couldn't give half a shit about you.

13AKnew she was hiding somewhere in the area, knew you were looking for her. Just had to watch 'n' wait. Thanks, kid.

13AHope you're not about to start defendin' her. Must've filled your head with all sorts of horseshit.

V

14ABree can talk. Ask her yourself.

Dante

14AAnd what'll I hear? More lies. Spinnin' tall tales is her specialty.

14AShe tell you how she wrote articles for us, muckin' up the competition?

V

14BSaid people like you were after her, were gonna kill her. Hired me to keep that from happenin'.

Dante

14BOh, pilgrim. She told you she was a media, right?

14BYeah. Only journalism she's ever done was to write articles rakin' muck at our competition.

13AAh, can see those gears churnin' now. Yeah, Bree worked for Militech.

V

15AThat true?

Bree

15AYes. Took the gigs, 'cause that meant I got access to their archives.

V

15BShit, mighta guessed. Instead of fuckin' around with corp secrets, cobwebs an' dark corners, could've just said it was a corporat tiffle.

15BHe steal your promotion or you klep his coffee mug?

Bree

15BNo, no, it wasn't like that. I wrote for Militech just to get access to their archives.

13AYou gotta believe me. He knows I'm close, he wants to stop me.

Dante

13AAnother failure to communicate. You don't know my mind, but I sure as hell know yours, Bree.

13AA flag in the wind's whatcha are. Whose pocket're you in right now? Arasaka, NetWatch?

13AThat quant you were pulling intel from, Caesar Mijares. Y'know they zeroed him, right?

V

16AWhat's he talkin' about?

Bree

16ACan't you see he's threatening me? Militech murdered the scientist, now they're trying to murder me.

16AI gotta get this story out, or they'll kill everyone on the project, one by one.

Dante

16AWrong. It's 'cause of you Mijares got wiped. And what for, huh? The eddies?

16ASorry, Bree. Lab ain't big enough for the both of us.

Bree

16AStop him, V!

16AC'mon, just zero him!

Dante

16AThink! You really wanna stick your neck out for her?

V

17ABree! Cover, now!

Dante

16AStand back, merc.

16AMade the right choice.

16AIf Bree printed this data, it'd set off a modern-day witch hunt. Who knows how many'd hang.

V

18AHow's it feel, cowboy, pullin' triggers for a corp?

Dante

18AHeard a lotta insults in my day – try again if you wanna surprise me.

18ANot lookin' for gratitude. Just an easy night's sleep.

V

19AWhat're you talkin' about?

Dante

19ABree's just in it for the cred. Thing is, 'cause of her, they'll wipe anyone who touched the project.

19AIncluding you. Y'want that?

Bree

19AHe's just trying to scare us, V. You know that.

V

12AWait, who the hell is this guy?

Bree

12ADante Caruso, Militech Special Agent. Second class, mind you.

Dante

12AGive it a rest, Bree.

V

12AHow's it you're here?

Dante

12AKnew Bree was hidin' in the area, knew you had somethin' to do with it. Just had to watch 'n' wait. Thanks, kid.

V

11BBunker the guy mentioned… Guessin' this lab was a Project Cynosure facility. One of many, most likely.

Bree

11BFor sure. We're talking a huge investment, gargantuan. Who knows how much tech's collecting rust in Dogtown's depths?

V

11CLook, if it mattered, would've been old news years ago.

Bree

11CKiddin' me? You hear about Soulkiller? Now imagine a similar project, only Militech's pushin' the buttons.

11CThese things change the world. And not for the better – least not for people like us.

V

11DLike other peeps haven't tried to contact Blackwall AIs. Failin' to see the big break there.

Bree

11DLook, Voodoo Boys pokin' at the Blackwall is one thing. But one of the world's most powerful megacorps weaponizing a wild AI? Infinitely worse.

11DWhen people learn NetWatch is busy hunting ordinary Joes while giving the megacorps free reign? Imagine the outcry.

You're lying.

I was undercover – took the gigs to get access to their archives.

Unlike you, I'm tellin' the truth. How many lies did you have to spin to even get in here?

Dante

The truth? Heh… Mean the kind in those articles of yours muckin' up our competition?

V

Come on out.

Scientist

Yeah? OK, it's recording. Senior research specialist Evan McRay. This is day... three ...of our expedition.

We've moved some equipment to the bunker. The old rail system remains largely functional.

They might've used it to transport heat exchangers from the lab, once upon a time.

There is a mountain of old research here. I'll see if we can find a use for any of it.

Well, Caesar managed to breach one of the dataforts. He found fragments of some outdated code. Command controls for a weapon, perhaps?

All we need now is an AI to merge his findings. Lisa will probe the Blackwall for any potential gateways.

Huh? R-right, uh, day thirty-nine. Th-thanks, Lisa!

Day fifty, five-oh. We received orders from HQ to shut down and return home. Pff. They say we're not safe here anymore...

Caesar has packed us, we await Lisa's return. Poor thing's been in the bunker for two days, jacked in… Or is it three? She… she just won't come out.

She's trying to download the data from the fortresses. But, we can't hope to take it with us if she does.

That's it. I'm going to get her, Caesar.

Bree

Hold it!

V

Hey, chill! You hired me, said to meet here!

Bree

You get the card?

V

2AThis what you wanted?

Bree

2AAh, yes.

2ANot another step!

V

2BSure did, but I'm not about to talk to the bad end of a barrel. Did ya even think to flip the safety?

2BRight, clearly don't know how to use it. So stash your pop-gun, please.

Bree

2BEh, shoot. Point for you.

Sorry, but uh, you know. I can't trust anyone.

Wait, don't I know you...? Ah! Merc at the border.

Small zone, huh? If not for Hands vouching for you, would've thought you were stalking me, hehe.

Great, gimme the card, we'll go inside. Shouldn't remain in plain sight.

V

3ANot overdoin' it with the caution?

3BHere. Might've mentioned this was about Militech from the get-go.

Bree

S'posed to come after dark.

V

Bree, right? Hands sent me.

Bree

S'posed to come after dark.

Bree

Not another step!

V

6AYou even listenin' to me?

Bree

6AYeah, yeah. Let's go.

6AOK, let's see if this does the trick.

6AFar as I know, nobody's been here in the last decade, and the systems date back to twenty-thirteen.

Fingers crossed.

V

7AHope you're not tossing me into a minefield.

7BNope. Not goin' anywhere till you explain a few things.

Bree

7BOh? Didn't think I was payin' you to ask questions, but OK. Whaddaya wanna know so badly?

V

8AStart with the card. Where'd you get it?

Bree

8ABorrowed it from the Militech archives. Pity for it to just keep gathering dust.

8AMilitech's not in the habit of sharing, so I'm gonna grab some of its secrets myself.

V

8BWhaddaya plan to find down here, exactly?

Bree

8BWell, if the files I "borrowed" from Militech are up-to-date, the lab inside's teeming with secrets.

8BI plan to learn them.

V

9ARight, let's get this over with.

Bree

9ACheck if it's safe in there. Please.

V

9BAnd you want to learn them because...?

Bree

9BAren't we curious... Militech, like any corp, has skeletons in closets. This here's one such closet.

9BNetWatch's been hunting for these skeletons for ages. And I'm trying to hunt down this story.

9BSo here we all are, chasin' each other's tails.

9BNow, inside. Scan if it's safe.

V

9CKnew a media once. He liked to dig up megacorp dirt, too.

9CTried to expose some veteran's aid scam, a glorified corp PR campaign. Max Jones, WNS. Any buzzers buzzin'?

Bree

9CWNS buzzer is. Don't know the man, but I envy him his job.

V

9CThink his position's vacant now.

Bree

9CWhat, report didn't generate waves?

V

9CMax dropped it. I forced 'im to. Corp woulda zeroed 'im for it.

Bree

9CI see. Truly motivating tale, that. Thanks for sharing.

9CNow go in, see if it's safe.

V

9CReport was never made. Poking around the material cost Max his life.

Got turrets, but they're offline. C'mon in!

Bree

Shit. Card's not working.

Hang on, lemme see if there's another route.

This way, let's go.

We've been lucky so far, but watch out. Can't know what these old systems'll do.

V

10APlease, I got this.

10BActually, turrets like these operate in sequential circuits. Hacking one triggers a feedback loop that boots up others.

Bree

10BSo don't hack any of 'em. Go in.

Keep it moving, let's go.

C'mon, we don't have time.

V

All clear now.

Bree

Heh. Well, at least we know the security's still up and running.

Mercs first.

V

Hm, comp looks brand new, just this one.

Bree

Told you, a Militech research expedition came here a few years back. Probably left it behind.

V

11AThese're… huh, some kinda old heat exchangers? Yeah. Highly flammable.

Bree

11AMhm, very nice, but can we deal with that later?

V

11AGot some old tech in here... cores or batteries. What for, though...?

Bree

C'mon, we don't have time.

Keep it moving, let's go.

Doin' great, keep it up!

C'mon, we don't have time.

V

Can't have bad luck all the time.

Bree

We made it. The mainframe, the host.

Phew, we're almost there.

Take 'em out!

Holy shit!

They'll hit us!

Your face! Scanner didn't recognize you!

Take 'em out!

Holy shit!

They'll hit us!

Your face! Scanner didn't recognize you!

C'mon, we don't have time.

Keep it moving, let's go.

Heh. We're in!

Some of the security measures might still be active, so... you go first.

C'mon, we don't have time.

Keep it moving, let's go.

Mr Hands Holo

Briefly, V. NetWatch has dispatched a... hunter. As the quarry, exercise caution.

V

Say what?

Mr Hands Holo

Bree Whitney sold them Militech's data, then disappeared. NetWatch is now out to wipe anyone who came close to it.

Occupational hazard. Take care of yourself, V.

V

Chick fuckin' hazed me...

Johnny

Stopped Bree from selling the corp data, now you're sellin' it yourself. 'Atta girl.

V

Chill, just sellin' it to Hands.

Johnny

Think he's gonna donate it to charity or science? Fuck, don't make me laugh.

Mr Hands Holo

V. I need an explanation. Our client has made no payment, and I can't contact her – why?

V

1ALook – sitch got complicated, fast. Had to make a quick decision, sorry.

Mr Hands Holo

1AI see. Well, I am sorry you had such a difficult day.

1ABut in the future, please remember a) who your client is, and b) that corpses don't pay.

1ADon't let me down again.

V

1BTurned out your client was lyin' out her ass. Had me an unpleasant little encounter with a Militech agent.

1CBad news, indeed. Good news is, I have what Bree was looking for. Militech docs, top secret, every one.

Mr Hands Holo

1CAh. Well, if that's the situation… I believe there's a market for that.

1CLeave them at the dead-drop. I'll read, assess the value, you'll get your cut.

Netwatch Soldier

It's one off Bree Whitney's list. Get her!