Shadowrun is set in the 2070s, long after magic has returned to the world. Corporations dominate the landscape, and countries have sundered. The technology has advanced at a believable rate, ignoring cybernetics for now. Players are human, though there are now human subspecies, such as trolls and elves. The player characters are freelance deniable expendable assets; think Mission: Impossible, except without the benefits.
To get a firm idea of the characters, I took a small snippet I wrote in the form of a transcript from a 60 Minutes-style news program and let my main characters provide running commentary. This let me work out the characters' personality, which helped greatly when writing non-stop. Just imagine that the characters are watching the same piece over the Matrix (Shadowrun's wireless Internet) in different locations.
The piece is a tad longer than the average blog post, so I've added a jump cut. Enjoy!
A NewsNet Exclusive! Interview
With a Shadowrunner!
You've experienced them in simsense!
You've heard about them on the news. You might even have seen one on
the street or even at your job without realizing it. But who are
they, these nebulous shadowrunners? Why do they work outside the
law? Where do they come from? NewsNet's own Amanda Pierce goes deep
into the world of the shadowrunner to find out what makes them tick.
Find out what she discovered after these messages.
Numbers, is this the interview you
and Charles did? - Treehugger
Yeah. I don't think the reporter
realized we work together. - Numbers
She never mentioned anyone else she
was talking to, unless she wanted us to comment. - Charles
Wait. I want a couple of beers for
this. - Oswald
Choose maturity level: [Family
Friendly]
Family friendly? Really? -
Treehugger
Free download. Some kid broke the
DRM off his family's copy somehow. - Numbers
[commercial break]
At least the ads are out. - Charles
I don't know. I like the new
ChocoFlavor SugaBombs ad. - Treehugger
You would. - Oswald
NewsNet NewsBreak: Are you paying too
much in tolls? The hidden costs of GridGuide, coming up at eleven.
TH, when was the last time you paid
for GridGuide? - Oswald
Um, I think I made a payment three
years ago. Or was that a speeding ticket? - Treehugger
Amanda Pierce: Shadowrunners. The
mere mention of them sends corporate security into a tizzy. In
today's world, are they heroes of the common people [insert Nikki
Saito footage] or scum living on the outskirts of civilized
society [insert Tales of the Red Samurai footage]. The answer
may surprise you. In the next hour, I will provide you with
interviews with shadowrunners, the people who hire them, and the
people whose job it is to stop them. But first, these messages.
Anyone think we should get sponsors?
Get paid to have logos on our clothes? - Charles
That works only if we show up on
camera. - Numbers
Do security cameras count? -
Treehugger
No. - Oswald
[commercial break]
NewsNet NewsBreak: Can your pet be
responsible for lost data? Tune in tonight at eleven to find out.
Is this for real? - Charles
Technomantic cats, yes. - Numbers
Great. I can has datafiles? -
Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Corporate security.
RFID scanners. Checkpoints. Knight Errant. Extraterritoriality.
All meant to keep you safe at your work. But shadowrunners, nebulous
people living on the edge of society, not only find ways past all the
levels of security you count on, they do it for pay. I caught up
with several shadowrunners and asked them about their work.
Numbers, as she prefers to be called,
responded early to my enquiries. She's been an active shadowrunner
for almost five years, hacking her way into computer systems many
people would have called impenetrable. Numbers, how did you become a
shadowrunner?
Numbers: Necessity.
Hey, look at you! All proper
business. Love the pink streak in your hair. - Oswald.
I haven't seen that look on you
before. - Treehugger
Something new. - Numbers
I hope you saved the look. People
are going to expect it. - Charles
Amanda Pierce: You look like an
ambitious woman. You could have a position in any of the major
corporations.
Numbers: *laughs* I did.
However, there was a, um, falling out, that left me in a position
where I had to either hide in a remote mountain or disappear into the
shadows. I'm not sure if I made the right decision.
Amanda Pierce: Numbers represents one
end of spectrum. But her story echoed throughout the interviews. I
asked the same question to Jane Zero, a mage who has been running the
shadows for three years.
Jane Zero: Beats grubbing for a small
piece of turf in the Barrens.
Anyone heard of her before? - Oswald
I think I ran into her once. -
Treehugger
What's she like? - Numbers
Angry. But that might be from me
hitting her in traffic. - Treehugger
Amanda Pierce: You're a mage. You have
skills and abilities in high demand.
Jane Zero: If I was in a [bleep]ing
arcology, things might have been different. But you don't get the
same chances on the streets.
Amanda Pierce: What about the
corporate outreach programs?
Jane Zero: Yeah, give up my freedom
for a corp controlled life. No thanks. The streets were tough, but
I could count on me and the people around me.
Amanda Pierce: Do all shadowrunners
have an anti-corporate streak? I approached Charles, a troll
specializing in bodyguard work. How did he get started in this life?
Hey! I do not have an anti-corp
streak! - Numbers
No, one just had an anti-Numbers
streak. - Oswald
Charles: I got involved running
numbers as a kid. Even then, I was strong for my age. And, well,
who's going to hire a troll built like a brick [bleep]house for
anything other than carrying crap around? So I started hiring myself
out as a bodyguard. Simple stuff at first, just standing around and
looking mean for the guys collecting protection, then got better
paying jobs.
And now you run with Numbers. -
Treehugger
You're no longer allowed to comment.
- Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Have you done any work
for a corporate client?
Charles: Sure. Corp. Mob.
Celebrities, even. Cred's cred, right?
Looking good, Charles. - Treehugger.
She wanted me to have that three-day
growth look. - Charles
Scruffy means dangerous. - Oswald.
That makes you the most dangerous
man in Seattle. - Numbers
Amanda Pierce: So, are shadowrunners a
pressure valve for a society that's become more and more regimented?
I caught up with Tart, another mage working at the edge of society.
Why be a shadowrunner?
Tart: I have to be me.
Anyone know her? - Numbers
She looks familiar. - Charles
Never saw her before. - Treehugger
Yeah, I think I've seen her. -
Oswald
Where? I've never heard of her. -
Numbers
It was at Tickler's. A special
feature. - Oswald
Men. - Treehugger
Amanda Pierce: What does that mean?
Tart: I can't be tied down. Well, I
can, but I have to know you better. But I tried the corporate rat
race and discovered that I don't like being a rat. Not my totem.
Wait, she's a mage? - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: So far, all the runners
I've spoken to have a independent streak. I brought this up with
Two-Bit, a dwarf rigger.
I've met him. Intense. Loves to
race. I lost a month's worth of coffee to him. - Treehugger
Two-Bit: You need to be a bit of a
rebel in the biz. You break any number of laws, from gun felonies
down to speeding, on the job. I could be working for any corp or
even the government, keeping my head down, not getting shot at. If I
really needed an adrenaline fix, I could be in the military - they
always need people like me in their jets and T-birds. But, in a
corp, in the army, you always answer to someone, always have limits.
In the shadows, I answer to me.
Amanda Pierce: Coming up, the
corporate side of the argument. Later, what motivates a runner?
More after these messages.
I'm motivated for another beer. -
Charles
[commercial break]
NewsNet NewsBreak: The latest on the
breaking soy controversy, coming up at eleven tonight.
What soy controversy? - Treehugger
The one that says it actually has
flavour. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: The world of the
shadowrunner. Dirty deeds, done at a price. Their targets,
corporate safe holds, like where fifty-nine per cent of Seattlites
work. But, there are people whose job is to stop the shadowrunners
in their tracks. I contacted a number of corporations for their
input for this story. Peter Tarkov, Security Manager at Federated
Boeing, spoke about the shadowrunner problem.
Tarkov: They're a problem. With the
number of research projects we have across all of our campuses, we
have our hands full. Espionage, corporate and otherwise, costs.
Oh, please. He'd have a job even
without us. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Akira Matsura,
spokesperson for all security matters for Mitsuhama Computer
Technologies, agreed.
Matsura: Shadowrunners present the
most pressing challenge for Mitsuhama's security teams. The security
added to all our buildings and facilities comes at a price, one
passed on to consumers for no added gain.
Maybe if their guards didn't use
full-auto all the time, it might not be so expensive. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: I brought this up with
the runners I interviewed. How do they feel about being the cause of
increasing prices for consumers.
Jane Zero: [bleep] them. I need to
eat, too.
Amanda Pierce: Pinstripe, an ork
shadowrunner, has another perspective.
Not a bad guy at all. I see him
sometimes at the Big Rhino. - Charles
Pinstripe: Not my fault. I'm a
contractor. If my services weren't in demand, I'd have to find a new
career. I get hired by one corp to hit another.
Numbers: The costs of increased
security is far less than that of the marketing campaigns to promote
products. Security amounts to maybe one per cent of the cost to
distributors.
That's all she left in? I had
charts breaking down the costs. - Numbers
Did you animate them? - Treehugger
The percentages spoke for
themselves. - Numbers
I hate talking pie charts. - Oswald
*glare* - Numbers
Amanda Pierce: I mentioned these
concerns to my corporate contacts.
Tarkov: I have to protect
multi-billion nuyen contracts. The loss of a prototype or even data
falls on me. I need more resources, and the costs of those resources
has to come out of someone's budget. FedBoeing is only a Double-A
company relying mainly on government contracts; we don't have the
flexibility that a Triple-A corporation has. Our clients make loud
noises if the cost overrun goes stratospheric, and that gets into the
news.
His department doesn't get a
corporate discount? - Oswald
Matsura: Corporations will use any
asset available. The existence of shadowrunners means they will be
used.
Amanda Pierce: If all the runners
disappeared overnight, would the threat of intrusion disappear?
Matsura: Be reduced, yes. Disappear
entirely, no, sadly.
Two-Bit: Considering that MCT provides
my team steady work, Matsura-san is right. Corporations will still
use dirty tricks against each other. They just couldn't outsource
it.
Amanda Pierce: Lorena Young, a
security consultant working for Knight Errant, had another
perspective.
Young: Even if runners disappeared,
the void would be filled, quickly. Maybe not by independent
freelancers, though. There are plenty of small companies working on
the sunnier side of the edge who could step into the gap.
Amanda Pierce: Omar Shadow co-owns
such a company, ShadowWorx Limited in Denver. I asked him how he got
into the business.
Shadow: I wanted benefits. I was once
a shadowrunner working in Denver, around the time Ghostwalker
appeared.
How does he get from sector to
sector there? - Charles
He probably has subsidiaries to get
past the borders. - Numbers
Might not be a problem in a few
years the way the city's owners keep disappearing. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: So your company
provides legal runners?
Shadow: Not in those words.
ShadowWorx provides trained personnel who are capable of using their
judgement and minimize the collateral damage to facilities.
I can do that. I should send him my
resume. - Treehugger
Don't forget your driving record. -
Oswald
Shut up. - Treehugger
Amanda Pierce: Is this legal?
Shadow: I have a business license and
an exclusive clientèle. My paperwork is above board.
Two-Bit: Above board? Shadow? I
started running around the time he got out of the biz. He's just
found a new angle, that's all.
Legal and moral are two different
things. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Coming up next, the
people who hire shadowrunners. Also, what is the government's
response to shadowrunners?
[commercial break]
NewsNet NewsBreak: Nerps, what can it
do for you? Nerps, at eleven.
Amanda Pierce: Shadowrunner, scourge
and menace? Or another corporate asset? Could these people exist
without the megacorporations' approval?
Tarkov: Quite frankly, I don't see a
need for them.
He must be a joy to work for. -
Numbers
Amanda Pierce: But other corporate
insiders disagree. Mr. Johnson, the nameless, faceless employer of
almost every runner in existence, works at every corporation, from
triple-A companies like Ares and Mitsuhama down to unranked local
firms. I talked to several, all of whom insisted on keeping their
identities private. Mr. Johnson A, who would only go on record as
saying that he's from one of the triple-A megacorporations, answered
my question, "Why hire shadowrunners?"
Mr. Johnson A: Simple. Deniability.
Shadowrunners are untraceable, short-term assets who specialize in
corporate espionage. I might have several teams of them working at
different angles of the same against the same target. With no
defining traits, none can be traced back to me and my employer.
I think we've worked for this guy
before. - Charles
They're all like that. - Oswald
I promise that, if I ever get back
in a corp job, to not treat you like that. - Numbers
Amanda Pierce: And the costs?
Mr. Johnson A: I keep well within the
allowable budget. All factors are accounted for. Sometimes, a team
will cost more than expected. I then have to decide whether the team
has abilities worth the expense.
Shadowrunners, you get what you pay
for. - Charles
Amanda Pierce: Mr. Johnson B has been
in the Seattle scene for several years and had this to say.
Mr. Johnson B: Shadowrunners are
expendable. The company doesn't have to worry about training costs
or benefits for them.
I feel oh so loved right now. -
Treehugger
Jane Zero: No [bleep] we're
expendable. Johnsons are good at backstabbing us when it's
convenient, or when the moon is full, or when they have indigestion.
Pinstripe: The better you are, the
less likely Johnson is to throw you to the wolves. Some skill sets
are too in demand to just toss away.
Ooh, burn. - Treehugger
Amanda Pierce: How does Mr. Johnson
hire a shadowrunning team? Typically, he goes through a middleman
known as a fixer, who handles the recruiting. I caught up to one
such woman, Ms Baba Ganoush, a Seattle fixer for ten years.
Ganoush: Yes, I am what's known as a
fixer. I arrange meetings between people, for a price.
Amanda Pierce: Ms Ganoush, can you
walk me through a typical call from a Mr. Johnson.
Ganoush: There's no typical call. But
I can give you a hypothetical situation. Let's say you, Ms Pierce,
needed a piece of evidence to back a story that was being held in a
corporate vault somewhere. Let's call this company Example Inc, to
keep your sponsors from getting angry calls.
Amanda Pierce: Lets, thanks.
Ganoush: You, or, more likely, a
designated associate will call me to hire some runners. After some
negotiation on costs, I get the details of the job. I then make a
list of potential teams and make calls. Depending on availability
and speed, I will make a deal with a team, give them the full job
details as given to me, and give them the time line. Once the job is
done, the runners report in to me and I send confirmation and, in
this case, the evidence to your Johnson.
Amanda Pierce: And if there's a
problem? What happens if the first team doesn't report back?
Ganoush: I send out feelers, see if
any have surfaced. Emails, calls, if the job's important enough I'll
send my own people to take a look at the runners' usual haunts.
Let's say Example Inc is a subsidiary of Sample Corp, whose security
department has a reputation for being ruthless against intruders. I
might hear at some point that the team was caught in the act. At
that point, I report back.
Yeah, and there's times she does
jack-shit. It depends on what's in it for her. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Are there many
corporations that kill shadowrunners?
Ganoush: There's a few with the
reputation. Mitsuhama has its zero-zones - zero intrusions, zero
survivors. Aztechnology also has a rep on the street for
ruthlessness. Keep in mind, though, that if the target is important,
even a mom-and-pop store will shoot first and interrogate the bodies
later. Most of the time, though, killing runners out of hand is bad
for business. The only people who would want to work for you are the
rejects.
Numbers: I've done a few jobs for Ms
Ganoush. Most of the them, she handled Johnson. A few times,
though, she made the introductions then faded. This happened only
when Mr. Johnson didn't want to risk leaking information.
You really didn't just say that, did
you? - Oswald
What? - Numbers
You let Ganoush handle the Johnson?
- Charles
Oh, God. *blush* - Numbers
Two-Bit: Ganoush's example is bang-on.
The thing to remember is that Ganoush, like all fixers out there, is
in it for herself. She's going to play both sides to take them for
as much as possible.
Tart: A fixer is good to know. Not
only will he help in getting jobs, he knows people who can supply all
sorts of goods, legal, illegal, and grey.
Amanda Pierce: Bottled Klein, former
medic who now patches up and augments shadowrunners, had this to add.
Bottled Klein: Fixers have a lot of
power in the shadows. They have connections with corps, organized
crime, runners, dealers, even governments. It's never good to get on
their wrong side. One gangster who fancied himself a mover and
shaker crossed Baba Ganoush, skimming off the top. Once she
discovered it, the cops found his body hanging from a lamppost in
Redmond.
From what I heard, he was missing
parts. Cyber and organs. - Charles
Amanda Pierce: With shadowrunners
facing off against corporations on the streets of our city, what does
the government think about the situation? I talked to Madison Smith,
spokesperson from the UCAS Department of Industry. Ms Smith, how
does the government feel about shadowrunners?
Smith: The same way the government
feels about any other sort of spy.
Amanda Pierce: Are you saying that
shadowrunners are working for foreign countries?
Smith: Not in the way that you're
thinking, no. Shadowrunners are no more or no less loyal than anyone
else in this nation. However, in the past, various intelligence
agencies used cut-outs - local experts and middlemen - to perform
tasks best not tied to the agency or its nation. With corporations
gaining extraterritoriality through the Shiawase decision, the use of
shadowrunners should not be surprising to a student of twentieth
century history.
Amanda Pierce: Does the UCAS use
shadowrunners against other nations or even corporations?
Smith: I cannot confirm nor deny that.
However, we have seen other countries doing so. Aztlan, for one,
has been caught using runners in CAS territory. The various Native
American Nations aren't above the occasional misdirection using
shadowrunners, either.
They do. I ran into them back when
I was an investigator in Manhattan. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: What is the
government's policies on shadowrunning?
Smith: As long as they're working
against one corporation or another, it is out of the government's
hands. Extraterritoriality comes with a price.
In layman's terms, fuck you,
megacorps. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Next, how do
shadowrunners do their jobs? And, what can you do to stay safe if
you discover a shadowrun in progress? Stay tuned.
[commercial break]
NewsNet NewsBreak: Gang warfare in
Bellevue. We have highlights of the running gun battle between the
Nova Rich and the Leather Devils. Only on NewsNet, only at eleven.
Amanda Pierce: Shadowrunners. Unlike
popular depictions of them, they're not antisocial criminals bent on
violence. Still, over the past forty years, there have been
countless reports of running gun battles in the cities of the UCAS,
CAS, and NAN states as police and corporate security chase
shadowrunners. Why does this happen? I asked Peter Tarkov, security
manager at Federated Boeing, and Akira Matsura, security spokesperson
for Mitsuhama Computer Technologies how such chases can start.
Um, we run, they follow, I stomp on
the gas, they crash into barriers. - Treehugger
Who crashes into barriers? - Oswald
Once! Just once! - Treehugger
Tarkov: Shadowrunners will run once
security discovers them. It takes time to determine if they have
crucial data or physical corporate assets. Letting them go to
discover that they do is not optional; security must pursue until
data integrity is known.
Matsura: MCT's policies is to prevent
the problem from leaving corporate property. If the intruders have
made it past corporate demarcation, local police are called in.
Escalation is only done for extreme threat to MCT's employee and
corporate well-being.
Yeah, it's not because once we leave
MCT property, we're no longer in their jurisdiction. - Oswald
Pinstripe: Mitsuhama can say that -
they have their zero-zones. Nothing in or out. In Seattle, it's the
Ares runs that can be a problem now that Knight Errant are the cops.
Must be nice having an in with the
cops. - Numbers
I bet it's a one-way street, though.
- Oswald
Two-Bit: Of course we run from
security. It's a question of numbers. Corporate security forces
have more personnel. As a runner, I have a job to do. Taking on
several platoons worth of guards isn't usually part of the contract.
Amanda Pierce: How do shadowrunners do
their jobs, given that corporate security is waiting for them?
Jane Zero: Hit and fade, chummer. We
have to get in and out so fast that security doesn't know what hit
them. [bleep], arranging for a gang war outside corp turf works, and
if you can blame things on gangs who've given you [bleep] before,
even better.
I'm getting the feeling that she
wasn't really angry that I hit her bike. - Treehugger
No, she was angry about that. -
Charles
Numbers: Deception, mainly. Most
corporate locations still need to get their employees in and out.
Even if people are living on corporate property, supplies need to be
brought in and garbage taken out. Anytime an exception is needed to
get people in and out of a building, you get weak points. Validation
of ID can be spoofed, whether it's electronic or the human touch.
Two-Bit: As much as I love the
adrenaline rush that comes from being rigged to a high performance
car, quiet's always better. Detection means the run's blown. The
longer you're in a corp facility, the higher the chance of discovery.
My hacker can give the team some extra time, spoofing radio chatter,
jamming signals, even taking over drones. Once a security grunt
arrives, it's time to leave.
Tart: Ugh, drones. Hate those things.
I prefer dealing with the guards. They're more, um, appreciative of
my spells.
When you were off ogling her, did
you know she was a mage? - Numbers
I didn't know she was a runner. -
Oswald
What sort of spells can't affect
drones? I've seen mine pop after a wagemage hit it with magic. -
Treehugger
Illusions. And I'm not going to
speculate on what type. - Oswald
Charles: Not all runs involve breaking
into a corp. Courier runs, bodyguarding, these are usually quiet and
don't get the cops involved.
Pinstripe: Controlling the battlefield
is key. Corp holdings are under corp control. Your team's hacker
and rigger should be doing everything they can to change that fact.
Amanda Pierce: How much planning goes
into a shadowrun?
Numbers: It depends on how much time
we're given. If my team has a few days, we'll scope out the
locations, get an idea of traffic and security response, then
possibly do a dry run. If it's a last minute job, we improvise,
using knowledge from previous runs as needed.
Do you have any idea how boring it
is doing this background work? Why didn't you tell her that? -
Treehugger
She didn't use my graphs. She
didn't want "boring". - Numbers
Two-Bit: You just can't waltz into
Aztech without a plan. That's a good way to get cut down and used as
a sacrifice.
Tart: A little bit of chaos never
hurts. Security can't know what you're up to if you veer from your
own plan.
So, security doesn't know what
you're doing if you don't? - Treehugger
It's Zen. Or insane. - Oswald
Pinstripe: Let your team's experts
have a say in the plan. The ex-corp drone knows more about how a
corp works than the go-ganger.
Jane Zero: Know when the plan is
[bleep]ed. Cut losses, leave, return at another time when better
prepared.
Charles: The old motto is still true -
"Watch your back, conserve ammo, and never, ever, deal with a
dragon."
Is that why we avoid jobs for and
against Saeder-Krupp? - Treehugger
No. - Numbers
Amanda Pierce: Coming up, what to do
when you discover a shadowrun. And, later, can you be a
shadowrunner? The answer will surprise you.
[commercial break]
NewsNet NewsBreak: Toxic particulates
in the air you breathe can kill you in seconds. The full story at
eleven.
Amanda Pierce: Shadowruns. Illicit
intrusions into corporate property. They could happen at any time,
anywhere. What should you do if you find yourself in the middle of
one? I asked Federated Boeing security manager Peter Tarkov this
very questions.
Tarkov: Keep your head down. Don't
try to stop the runners. They are dangerous and well-armed. Let
your security department handle matters. Do try to see what the
intruders look like so you can give security an accurate description.
Because that works well with
Numbers. - Charles
My counter-argument is Treehugger –
Numbers
People tell me my ears are cute.
Brings out my elfiness. - Treehugger
We can only hope that people are too
scared to noticed you're not an elf. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: I asked the same
question to shadowrunners.
Jane Zero: Don't be a [bleep]ing hero.
That's a good way to get dead. I'm the one with the gun, not you.
Don't get my attention.
Two-Bit: Get down, stay down, don't
interfere. Bullets don't have anyone's name on them, just
"Occupant". As much as corp propaganda likes to paint us
runners as villains, we don't all like collateral damage. We're not
going to spray automatic weapons fire or toss several grenades into
the secretarial pool for no reason. That tends to get runners who do
dumb [bleep] like that get the attention of corpsec, the local cops,
even the Feds. And, in the biz, attention is never good.
Is it me, or is Jane there being
portrayed as violent and dangerous? - Oswald
She is violent and dangerous. -
Treehugger
You ran over her. I think she has a
right to be pissed at you. - Charles
She might be playing up to the role,
too. She's just too over the top street trash in this. - Numbers
Numbers: I've been on both sides of
shadowruns. Best thing, stay down, make notes. Get a photo if it's
safe. Cover your ass. Security will be looking for insiders
helping. If the runners force you to do something, make sure there
are witness beyond just the security cameras. Protect yourself.
Speaking from experience? -
Treehugger
Yes. - Numbers
Someday, you'll have to tell us what
happened. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: All good information
for when you're inside a corporate facility. But what about on our
nation's highways and on our city streets? What can we do there if
something happens? Akira Matsura, security spokesperson for
Mitsuhama, explains.
Matsura: A car chase is unpredictable.
The pursued wants to escape. The pursuers do not know where the
pursued is going. This is a situation best left to the local police.
They have the training, for the most part. Corporate security
usually doesn't have the equipment or personnel to maintain a
pursuit. However, there are cases where security must give chase.
The best way to avoid injury is to not be in the way. Keep a channel
tuned to traffic updates or have updates sent direct to your commlink
when you're driving. Keep alternate routes in mind. If you hear
sirens, pull over and let the emergency vehicles through.
Two-Bit: Ah, the car chase. Gets your
blood pumping. Yeah, just avoid areas where there's a high speed
chase. Cars travelling over a hundred klicks don't have huge margins
of error. Someone not paying attention steps out in front of me or a
cop car, that causes a mess. I hate cleaning up messes.
Not one word about the barrier. -
Treehugger
Can I mention the tree? - Oswald
Charles: Public gunfights are a pain.
A stray bullet will hit something. If it hits someone, that's felony
murder, and it gets a lot of attention from the media. Like I tell
my clients, just keep your head down and wait for the loud noises to
stop.
The voice of wisdom. - Numbers
Amanda Pierce: In the course of my
investigation, I discovered that shadowrunners specialize in specific
types of jobs. They either start in the specialization or later
drift into one or two. I asked my contacts what sort of job they
prefer.
Charles: Bodyguard work. Sometimes
courier work. Extractions can be fun, even if they're difficult.
Fun? - Oswald
I get to cut loose a little. I
don't use the revolver much otherwise. - Charles
Two-Bit: Anything involving being on
the road. Smuggling, courier, being the getaway driver.
Numbers: Infiltrations. The quieter,
the better. Ideally, I'm gone long before anyone discovers I was
even there.
Pinstripe: B&Es, that's break and
enter, extractions. I've even done wetwork, paid killing, but it
depends on the target.
Tart: Anything that lets me interact
with the target. Cons, seductions, sweet talking guards, even.
Seductions, huh? - Oswald
MEN. - Treehugger
Jane Zero: Anything to get people to
notice the Barrens. You think I'm a criminal? Take a look at the
sheer hell people living out there go through. That's the real
crime.
How did her editor leave that in? -
Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Coming up next - what
does it take to be a shadowrunner? And how do shadowrunners get
their street names? All after these messages.
[commercial break]
NewsNet NewsBreak: Desert Wars: How
does your favourite team stack up against challengers. Details at
eleven.
Damn, I forgot the season was
starting. I need to go put a few bets down. - Charles
Who do you like? - Oswald
I think UniOil will win overall, at
least on points. Renraku will take the company level, though. -
Charles
Should I put a bet down on that? -
Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Welcome back. So far
tonight, we've looked at how shadowrunners work, why they do it, and
even how they got into that line of work. I asked them if anyone
could become a shadowrunner. Here's what they had to say.
Two-Bit: Joe Corporate Worker?
Doubtful. The average suit is blissfully unaware of what happens
outside his bubble.
Jane Zero: [bleep] no. You need to be
ruthless. A cubicle farm isn't the same as the streets.
No. You never have to worry about
people backstabbing you over a petty squabble and watch as people
less qualified than you get promoted because they know how to
brown-nose. - Numbers
Whoa, chill. - Charles
That little bitch has no idea of
what it's like in the cube farms. We might not be on the edge of
starvation, but that doesn't mean it's all sunshine and unicorns
farting rainbows. - Numbers
Tart: You have to be ready to give up
a lot of comfort until you get successful. Running the shadows is as
hard, maybe harder, than working in a cube.
But pole dancing apparently isn't. -
Numbers
You haven't seen her on stage. -
Oswald
Pinstripe: Maybe, possibly, but you
need good contacts, people you can trust to keep you out of serious
trouble while you adjust to the life.
Charles: I used to not think so, but a
teammate is ex-corp. Anything's possible. You just have to put your
mind to it.
Thank you, Charles. - Numbers
Numbers: It's possible. Helps to be
desperate, at least at the start. It's amazing what you can do when
you don't have a choice.
Amanda Pierce: Shadowrunners in
popular media are known for their handles. I asked Professor Edwin
Newberg, a member and researcher in the Department of Psychology at
the University of Washington and noted author, about the use of code
names by shadowrunners.
Prof. Newberg: Street handles have
multiple purposes. The first is to anonymize the bearer. He or she
is no longer part of society; rejecting a given name symbolizes that
break. Many societies have similar rites as a person gets older,
going from a child's name to an adult's. With magic back, names have
gained power. Working under an assumed name makes it difficult to be
targeted by ritual magic.
Is that accurate? - Treehugger
Good enough for the mundane. I
can't ritually target John Smith just by knowing his name, but
neither can I if I have a blood sample without a name attached. But,
and there's always a but, if you tend to think of yourself as
Treehugger more than your given name, then your handle becomes
powerful. The good thing about that is no one really expects you to
place your identity on your nickname.. - Oswald
What if someone's self-identity
isn't strong? - Numbers
Let's hope I never have to use a
ritual to find you. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Go on, Professor.
Prof. Newberg: Second, the street
handle enforces a camaraderie amongst shadowrunners. It's a similar
phenomenon seen in Air Force fighter pilot call-signs around the
world. The new name reinforces the idea of being part of a select
few. The estimated number of shadowrunners in Seattle is in the low
thousands. Maybe at most thirty percent will continue past the first
year.
Amanda Pierce: What causes such a
sharp drop off in numbers?
Prof. Newberg: Various factors, mainly
death, injury, and arrest. Those who make it through the first year
usually get enough experience to avoid the problems that plague
rookie shadowrunners.
Vague, much? - Treehugger
Would you be happier with violent
death? - Numbers
Yes. - Treehugger
I'll remind you of that comment, TH.
- Oswald
Amanda Pierce: How long can a
shadowrunner last in their chosen profession?
Prof. Newberg: There isn't enough data
yet. The first shadowrunner as we know it appeared in the 2040s.
That's only thirty years.
Amanda Pierce: Weren't there similar
people before 2040?
Prof. Newberg: Indeed there were, but
the concept of hiring professional expendables as opposed to random
mischief makers only developed in the middle of this century. The
industry, for a lack of a better term, is still in its infancy.
And it needs its diaper changed. -
Oswald
Amanda Pierce: Can you estimate the
longevity of a runner for my viewers, Professor?
Prof. Newberg: Hackers who survived
Crash 2.0 should be active until they decide to retire or run into a
version of black intrusion countermeasures, known as black IC, that
breaks past their firewall. Physical abilities aren't as important
for a hacker as his or her knowledge of programming and software
security holes. On the other hand, the archetypal street samurai,
even with modern cybernetics, will start having physical problems by
the age of 40. These problems will be due to age and to body stress
and overstress caused by implants. And I haven't even started to
break things down by metatype. An elf could conceivably have a
longer career as street muscle than a troll, despite the trolls
physical advantages.
Street sams also tend to see more
bullets coming at them. - Charles
You put yourself between bullets and
clients, Charles. - Oswald
I also put most of my pay back into
armour. I'm not dumb. - Charles
Amanda Pierce: I showed my interview
with Professor Newberg to the shadowrunners for their feedback.
Tart: He missed the obvious reason why
we have street names. You can't find "Tart, the mage" in
any of the public databases. Pity.
I think you can find her under
Escort Services. - Numbers
Meow. - Oswald
Pinstripe: The comparison to fighter
pilots is one I hadn't thought of. I wouldn't call shadowrunning as
elite as becoming a pilot, but the comparison works.
Two-Bit: The way we runners give each
other names is similar to how the fighter pilots do it. Few of us
can choose a name. The rest, well, if you're lucky, you get one that
isn't insulting. The name usually comes from something you've done
or how you look. It's like a nickname. One smuggler I know, she's
managed to wrap her car around a tree on her first run. Between that
and believing elves are nature's caretakers, she got called
Treehugger after that.
I can't believe he told the world
about that! - Treehugger
It's not exactly a secret, TH. -
Charles
Who will want to hire a driver who
crashes? - Treehugger
Maybe they'll ignore it for your
inner elf. - Oswald.
*glare* - Treehugger
Amanda Pierce: What do you feel about
the professor's estimates of how long your career will last?
Jane Zero: Career? [bleep], this is a
way of life. I don't expect to reach retirement.
Numbers: No idea. Nice to know that I
could continue as long as I kept with the tech curve, but I have a
retirement plan in mind. I'm not staying in this life longer than
needed.
I'll miss you when you retire,
Numbers - Treehugger
Charles: I've seen some of the older
guys, trying to keep up with the young ones. The good ones work
around and through aches and pains.
And the bad ones? - Treehugger
Push too hard and burn out hard. -
Charles
Pinstripe: We orks don't have that
long a lifespan anyway. I won't have that much longer to live
naturally at forty. But, I have seen a veteran. Skater, this old
elf that helps the Ork Underground from time to time, she's been
around since the fifties. She survived Crash 2.0 and adapted to the
new wireless networks. She even got a vehicle rig. But, yeah, she's
an elf. You can't tell how old she is by looking at her.
Oh, man, I was wondering why he
wasn't at the Big Rhino this week. He must be avoiding Skater. You
just don't call her old. - Charles
You know her? - Numbers
I've met her a couple of times. She
hangs around the Ork Underground. - Charles
Wait, an elf goes to the Big Rhino?
- Treehugger
She's been there since the Night of
Rage. She helps out behind the scenes. - Charles
Odd. I think I was supposed to
arrest her once. Massive data theft from the Humanis Policlub's
systems prior to the Crash. I treated it with the appropriate
priority. - Oswald
Amanda Pierce: One last question. How
did you get your street names?
Numbers: I was an accountant, working
with numbers. Came natural.
Charles: Someone called me that while
I was working and it stuck.
What is your real name? - Oswald
Mike. - Charles
And they called you Charles? How
boring. - Treehugger
Yeah, not all of us can get a name
after crashing a car around a tree. - Oswald
Shut up. - Treehugger
Bottled Klein: I showed a Klein bottle
to a young hacker.
What's a Klein bottle? - Treehugger
Are you serious? Go research it. -
Oswald.
Pinstripe: A guy in the old gang
called me that the first time I wore a suit.
Two-Bit: Someone thought it was a
crack at my height. It stuck.
Jane Zero: My mom called me Jane.
Zero is the amount of tolerance I have for bull[bleep].
Tart: I like to [bleep]. A lot.
*winks*
She can't be for real. - Numbers
More real than your implants. -
Oswald
*glare* - Numbers
[commercial break]
NewsNet NewsBreak: Seattle Timber
Wolves highlights, live at eleven.
Amanda Pierce: Shadowrunners. Far
more complex than portrayed in the media. A key component in today's
corporate world. Expendable, useful assets who also watch out for
your interests. Violent, dangerous people with motives as varied as
they are. Copies of this program are available at NewsNet; ¥9, ¥14
with full sensorium interviews. Please join me next month as I take
a look at corporate-street romances. Are they like Romeo and Juliet,
or will it become tragic? Thanks for watching.
I can't believe she made that
comparison. - Numbers
What? Seems reasonable to me. -
Treehugger
Go read the play. - Oswald
NewsNet NewsBreak: Are advertisements
for news broadcasts helpful? Our panel discusses this tonight, at
eleven.
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