Horizon City: Episode 1

<h1> Horizon City </h1> >[[Start Game]] >[[Load Game]] >[[How to Read]]

It takes a moment for it to sink in, as you’re watching the newsfeeds with wide eyes. You know that man, running for his life, as he’s gunned down in broad daylight, hands reaching out, face dirty and desperate. You watch him die as the newsfeeds cut away, claiming he was a dangerous criminal that had to be stopped for the good of the public. It’s strange because that man, Jonas Law, had called you a few days ago about organizing a job that he wouldn’t be specific about. He was data runner, the type of fixer that gave out all the important information about jobs, like who was going go gunning for you if you took the case on. You had worked with him for years, and while all the jobs weren't always legal, you could hardly say they were bad. But he had never refused to tell you about the work the two of you would do before. A few days later, and you’re still thinking about his death and that mysterious job of his. And as you’re going about your day, or night, you get a message on your private comm-link. >[[The meeting’s still on.]]

Load: >[[Part 1]] >[[Part 2]] >[[{Part 3?}]] >[[{Begin Part 3?}]] >[[{Play Epilogue?}]] >[[{Play Epilogue}]]

You are Justina Jones, a car mechanic by day and a [[Data-runner]] by night. You live directly above your garage in a small unit, occasionally shared with a cat that comes and goes at it pleases. Inside your home, it's clear that you've made a comfortable living working on repairing and modding cars. All your furniture is only second hand and your bed has an actual mattress instead of the usual foam pad. There's even real food, none of those nasty nutrient paste bars, in your kitchen. You have a kitchen. With old dishes and pans with loose handles, but they're yours and you cook and eat with them. It's always the simple things that make life enjoyable. >[[Explore your home more]] >Begin [[Part 1]]

Data is everything. Contact information, preferences for shopping, ID's are all information the megacorps want. Data-runners, well, either gathered data or scrubbed it. For the right price, of course. Most data-runners were in the business of gathering data, usually hired by Corpos to gather information on other Corpos. It is, of course. dangerous work as most Corpos had bodyguards or private Peacekeepers or drones. Jonas however had been training you in the ways of gathering data to sell it to the people who wanted or would want their data scrubbed from any part of the 'Net. He hated the megacorps, and the Corpos that worked there.

Your home is comfortable, certainly. Decently soft sheets. Pillows. Books. Real food. But your garage also has its own perks. Besides the various machinery and surplus that went into modding cars or fixing them, you had a hidden room. Inside was your rig, your outfit as it were. Gunracks for dealing with dangerous individuals, or dealing out the danger depending on the job. Body armor, the type modeled after the Peacekeeper uniforms, except subtle and could actually take a bullet or two. Then there was your personal computer. It wasn't anything a Netrunner would be excited over, but you could navigate your way around the darker parts of the 'Net without attention on it. >Begin [[Part 1]]

[[The Last Stop]] is a bar. It doesn’t have class, high or otherwise, by any stretch of the imagination. But the beer is cheap and the food cheaper, provided that one doesn’t look too hard at what’s in it. There are dim lights and blacked out windows allowing for privacy, most of the patrons dead drunk or the ones that aren’t sit in their own corners and mind their own business. There are also rumors surrounding the owner of the bar, about being connected to some of the more prominent crime syndicates in the city, making it unwise to cause trouble within its doors. [[You...]]

Jonas had taken you here after your first mission together. The two of you had managed some pretty big explosions and made some sweet sweet credits. The sip of the drink he had bought you was almost as good as the thrill that was still pounding in your blood. He had said: "Good job, kid. You always run like that and we'll be rich." It was the beginning of many things. Friendship, firefights, and fast getaways. Shame Law wasn't fast enough in the end. [[You...]]

You are not alone at the table you and Jonas used to sit at after each mission. Other bodies surround you, and only a few faces you know. The ones you do know worked with Jonas, with you, and the ones you don't know seem to be in the same boat. The man had his fingers in a lot of pies and was a [[Law unto himself.]] At the table sits: - [[a Netrunner]] - [[a Street Fighter]] - [[a Face]] - [[You]] [[The bartender approaches.]]

You knew Jonas alright. But you didn't really know him. You knew he was a fixer for years before you got into the business. He was sardonic, always unable to resist a quip. And while everyone everywhere seemed to know the man, they always dismissed his dark jokes as him being himself. Worst of all, and you recall this with clarity only adrenaline can provide, Jonas couldn't help backtalk anyone who got in your way. It made firefights so much more interesting, and that much more dangerous. Jonas, well as far as you knew he didn't have a family. Leastways not anymore and with given his familiarity with how the Peacekeepers, the Corpos, and the Underworld worked, well it didn't paint the prettiest of pictures. And did he ever hate Corpos. "Soulless husks" and "Braindead" were the kinder phrases he had for anyone that worked in Upper Management at a megacorporation. >[[You...]]

Naomi Sato, or rather Vixen, was a face you knew. Peroxide blond hair that was pulled back into pigtails, gene modded purple eyes hidden behind long dark lashes, and coral lipstick that filled her lips perfectly. She was one of the better hackers that Jonas and you managed to work with over the years. Jonas almost wanted to hate her, for being a Corpo. Apparently she had been hired as a Personal Assistant to Anton Valik, the heir to the Horizon Technologies Corporation back in the day and worked for the company still. Of course that never did quite stop her from doing a bit of insider trading. Vixen was the name she used for running amok on the Netscape, hacking into Corpo accounts and Peacekeeper files alike. Her call signature she always left behind was a fox's tail in bright neon purple over the stolen data. "Jonas and I started out around the same time," Naomi admits, looking down at the table where her datapad is open and running some program you don't recognize. Her perfectly manicured fingers tap at the table beside it. "I remember that," Will laughs. "He used to come home swearing about this hacker who was always one step ahead of him." >[[You...]]

Frost almost doesn't look like much at first glance. He's a black suited figure, shorter than Vixen and his hair cascades down his back like a waterfall. It's his eyes though. You understand why he's called Frost, because one look from those steely eyes would freeze a body. That and Frost has one to many knives on him to not be considered dangerous. There's a certain precision in how he moves that screams that he knows not just how to fight, but how to end one. Frost says him and Law ran a few cons back in the day and his ice blue eyes dare you to say otherwise. "He has also pretended to be my bodyguard," Naomi reassures, leaning close to you. Frost and Will both snort at the same time. "There was no pretending about, Vixen. You get into enough trouble as it is," Frost retorts, his voice deep and dry. >[[You...]]

To say you recognize Will Locke is a misnomer and a half. Or rather recognize their voice. When they don't have the synthesizer on, Locke's voice is one that airs over the radio waves after dark. Their midnight show, Dark Hours, is one you've listened to while on late night jobs. The music isn't half bad, but Locke's talking is hypnotic in the best of ways. Will Locke isn't their real name, just something for the stage and something that would keep them unconnected from their brother that they hadn't heard from in years. "Jonas is- was the best brother a body could ask for. He always supported my radio channel- always was sending money or people. Heck, I don't think I would've gotten so far if it hadn't been for him," Will confesses, playing with their drink. Even with the synthesizer on, their voice ensnares you and the rest of the table. All of you lean forwards as they speak. "Pretty sure that's been the way its been for all of us. Jonas sweeping in and changing our lives," Frost offers. He places a hand on Will's shoulder in comfort. >[[You...]]

Viktor Nivens is a man of a nervous disposistion. A thining brown patch of hair on the top his head and sheen of sweat soaking through his faded clothes is proof of that alone. His hands shake, clutching and twisting as he stands the head of the table. You know this man. He had served too many drinks and in the back of too many memories for him not to be considered a nearly peranent fixture of The Last Stop. He, of course, used to slide information on the bar napkins with your drinks to Jonas. "I don't know much about Jonas's last job for you all was, but I think it killed him," the nervous man says. "And I think you all are the only ones who can find out what happened." End of Part I. >Begin [[Part 2]]?

"Jonas was my partner," you tell the group. If there's something raw and broken to your voice, nobody is unkind enough to point it out. "He brought me into this life, and it was the best thing to ever happen to me." "He was training you to do his job," Naomi informs you. "Yeah, he was planning on retiring- at least, that's what he said last time we talked. Told me you were one heck of a firecracker, and a darn good shot," Frost adds, cracking a grin. "I heard the same thing too. Jonas told me that this was his last job and he needed my help. That he had this partner he needed to setup to take over his business before coming home," Will says quietly. >[[You...]]

Victor explains very little to all of you over the course of an hour. He sits in a chair at the table, leaning in close. "We all saw that they killed him, over the vidcast. Jonas- yanno Jonas, he's- he was a good guy. Morally flexible, but a good guy. But it ain't right that they killed him in broad daylight," Victor pauses, eyes darting up and down the bar. "Corpos don't kill anyone in the daytime, not if they can help it. Or if they're making an example of somebody. And Jonas told me, you see, he told me about this little job he was planning on running with you all. And it seems to me that those two things are linked, yanno?" He downs a shot, and you can see his throat convulses as he takes a deep breath. "I wanna know why. He's got a place out in the Incursion Zone, where he keeps a Blackbox. Leastways I reckon, its got everything he had on it. Jobs, contacts, secrets, anything and everything the Corpos would want buried." "I'll pay you 200 creds each to go get it." You... >[[Ask Questions]] >[[Prepare to headout]] >[[Leave]]

Peacekeepers. Keepers of the Peace. Yeah, right. They all work for the megacorps in Horizon City. Dark grey uniforms, all armor with full helmets, with no skin showing. You can't touch a Peacekeeper because the Peacekeepers make themselves themselves untouchable. There's always a badge, all shining gold with PK surrounded by a city horizon outline.

Horizon City. There's approximately twelve districts within its walls. Neighborhoods upon neighborhoods stacked atop one another. And the lights, dear gods, the lights. They never go off, always blinking or shining or flashing. And then there's the noise. Loud, almost too loud and never silent. Civilization isn't it great? Only if you ignore the Incursion Zone. Massive sections of the city that never got rebuilt after the war. Instead, the megacorps just built the wall taller and wider around those areas where the city lays in ruins. It's the most dangerous part of Horizon City. Neither magic or tech works well inside the Incursion zone. Monsters room the remains and the crime syndicates like to do business down there since the megacorps can't or won't touch the place.

There are, of course, questions that everyone at the table seems to have. You can see Naomi biting her lips and Frost begins to fiddle with a knife from his belt. Will, on the other hand, looks confused and unsure of themself as you once did when you began this career. Jonas taught you everything you know about being a Datarunner, and data is everything. You take a deep breath and steel your gaze on Victor. You ask: >[[Why us?]] >[[Why can't you do it?]] >[[What exactly do we have to do?]] >[[How are we supposed to get into the Incursion Zone?]] >[[What types of threats might we expect?]]

There's a few ways you know to get into the Incursion Zone. But the safest is Sweetwater, like Viktor had said. Jonas had taken you out a few times, and always you two had gone down to the debtor's neighborhood. Most of the other entrances had different crime syndicates claiming them for their own use, but Sweetwater only occasionally had a gang. "Jones, why don't you take the lead on this," Frost offers as you all get up and begin to leave the bar. Your eyes snap towards him and a question lingers on your lips. Naomi nods in agreement. "It's probably for the best that you do. After all, I think you're the only one that's been to the hideout before." "I agree, I mean, you were Jonas's partner. And you're a [[fixer]], like he was," Will adds. Taking the lead, >You enter [[Sweetwater]]

You leave. Law is dead. Any answers you could find won't change that fact. And risking death, the same sort of death that Jonas Law met, isn't worth a data disc. Or whatever hidden information that Law found. Instead, you get from the table at the Last Stop and you exit the building and the life you once knew. You leave and don't turn back to your past. Ending 1. {Return to [[Horizon City]]?}

"You’re all people Law’s worked with before and thought had a solid rep. Besides he wanted you all for the big job for a reason. And I want to know that reason. [[Ask Questions]] [[Prepare to headout]] [[Leave]]

Victor says: The Peacekeepers have been watching me, ever since I tried to go claim Law’s body to give the poor fella a decent funeral. [[Ask Questions]] [[Prepare to headout]] [[Leave]]

Victor says: Y'all will have to somehow make your way into the Incursion Zone of Horizon, find Law’s hideout, bypass whatever security measures he had in place and find his disc drive that has all his contact and data information. [[Ask Questions]] [[Prepare to headout]]

Victor says: Well, there are a few ways to go about it, but the safest bet is to sneak through Sweetwater. [[Ask Questions]] [[Prepare to headout]] [[Leave]]

Victor says: Well, inside the Incursion Zone is always a mess. I heard the Red Serpents have been running in that area of late, and Law had to up security at his place. Something about a drone? And the [[Peacekeepers.]] , the corporate private security, might be sniffing around for his place, now that I think about it. I mean, if he really was planning something about megacorps, wouldn’t they be involved? [[Ask Questions]] [[Prepare to headout]] [[Leave]]

Sweetwater is a debtor’s neighborhood. It’s cramped, dirty, and dusty, all rusted metal sheets and splintering wooden boards nailed together to make houses stacked lurching and leaning on top of one another. But the people, despite their shabby clothes and broken houses, have wide smiles. And vacant eyes. It’s an open secret that Sweetwater’s water supply is drugged with Bliss, courtesy of the megacorps that own the neighborhood. Bliss makes the residents happy and compliant, and any behavior outside of that is reported immediately to the [[Peacekeepers.]] You also know a fascinating little fact about Sweetwater. The neighborhood buts directly agains the wall separating Horizon City from the Incursion Zone. And there's a little storm drain that leads directly in. >[[You look around]]

At first glance, the setup of the neighborhood seems to be fairly simple. Sweetwater is a collection of three streets that intersect in a V-shape to a fourth street along the wall blocking out the Incursion Zone. In the point of Sweetwater is the well, and beside it is the largest storm drain the neighborhood has. Along the streets, you see small storm drains with bars attached. Despite it being midday, while it's not bustling, there's still a few people walking about. And as you watch, strolling along Sweetwater, you see there are three Peacekeepers patrolling the neighborhood. "I've got an idea." The words are said almost at the same time by the rest of your little group surveying the neighborhood. "I could cause a malfunction big enough to distract everyone," Naomi suggests, wiggling her personal computer tool at the rest of the group. "Won't take but a few minutes of hacking someone's fire alarm." "We could just make a run for it," Frost retorts. "The PK's aren't patrolling in force. Watch their movements, can't you see it?" "Or we could just ask someone, I mean, it's not like it could hurt, right," Will's voice is soft as they offer their opinion. You: >[[Cause a distraction]] >[[Make a run for it]] >[[Talk to a Sweetwater Resident]]

Jonas and you have caused plenty of distractions back in the day. A little electronic malfunction here and there and suddenly everyone's attention is elsewhere. "Go for it," you tell Naomi. She offers a grin and begins typing away on her device. Fingers fly as she logs onto the local Netscape network to see whose left their house unsecured, which is basically an invitation for a Netrunner like Naomi. Down the street, a blaring klaxon sounds at the local community center. People stream out of the building, and the Peacekeepers run towards. The whole neighborhood begins to become a mess of sound and confusion. In the chaos, you and your team sneak over to the [[storm drain]] and crawl through.

There's a pattern in the Peacekeeper's route in their patrol of Sweetwater that Frost points to. A few minutes of time where their eyes don't see you or the rest of your party. All of you sidle up to the Sweetwater well, talking calmly of sweet nothings. The first Peacekeeper passes, and the conversation turns towards the weather. The second and third one go forth, and one of you slips through the storm drain. Keeping calm and eyes on the Peacekeepers, your group's descent into the storm drain becomes part of the pattern until you are the only one left. Enter the [[storm drain]].

Grabbing one of the residents isn't hard. They're all Blissed out their minds and happy to talk. Especially once they realize Will Locke is there. A high pitched squeal of excitement is all it takes for your Face to be mobbed by fans. Even the Peacekeepers amble over to investigate as Locke starts handing out autographs and taking pictures. While everyone else is distracted, you [[enter the storm drain.]]

[[The Incursion Zone.]] Magic hums against your skin, vibrating oddly and almost violently. Your comms fall silent and any other bits of tech you have short out. As you enter, the ruins and rubble of the oldest part of the city stand stark against the horizon dotted with the towering glass buildings and new rail-lines. Regardless, your attention is drawn less to the crumbling foundation of the Incursion Zone or its heavy ozone smell, and more to the guns pointed right at you. The Red Serpents, a lawless gang in red jackets and snake tattoos, stand before you at the entrance leading out from the storm drain. You’re in their neighborhood now and they’d like their due of blood or money. The Red Serpents surround the entrance, leaving enough room that the party is capable of entering the Incursion Zone. They have two vehicles set up, a pickup truck with two Serpents at the ready in the back of it, and a van with a driver inside it. The van can hold up to five passengers, and the Red Serpents will use it as a getaway vehicle if the situation goes south. Four additional Serpents are scattered around the vehicles, giving the impression that the way forward has been blocked. They give you a few moments with the rest of your group to pony up the cash, which gives you and the team time to whisper your options. "We can take them," Frost says immediately. His hands rest on his guns, ready to go. "I've got a few creds saved up, just for a special occasion like this," Naomi offers. The way she smiles suggests that they're just not creds. "They could be totally reasonable, guys. Give me a chance to explain, and I'll smooth everything over," Will tells you. You >[[Fight]] >[[Pay Up]] >[[Talk your way out]]

[[The Incursion Zone.]] Magic hums against your skin, vibrating oddly and almost violently. Your comms fall silent and any other bits of tech you have short out. As you enter, the ruins and rubble of the oldest part of the city stand stark against the horizon dotted with the towering glass buildings and new rail-lines. Regardless, your attention is drawn less to the crumbling foundation of the Incursion Zone or its heavy ozone smell, and more to the guns pointed right at you. The Red Serpents, a lawless gang in red jackets and snake tattoos, stand before you at the entrance leading out from the storm drain. You’re in their neighborhood now and they’d like their due of blood or money. The Red Serpents surround the entrance, leaving enough room that the party is capable of entering the Incursion Zone. They have two vehicles set up, a pickup truck with two Serpents at the ready in the back of it, and a van with a driver inside it. The van can hold up to five passengers, and the Red Serpents will use it as a getaway vehicle if the situation goes south. Four additional Serpents are scattered around the vehicles, giving the impression that the way forward has been blocked. They give you a few moments with the rest of your group to pony up the cash, which gives you and the team time to whisper your options. "We can take them," Frost says immediately. His hands rest on his guns, ready to go. "I've got a few creds saved up, just for a special occasion like this," Naomi offers. The way she smiles suggests that they're just not creds. You >[[Attempt to talk]] >[[Attempt to Fight]] >[[Pay]]

You share a quick glance with Frost before the two of you pull your weapons. Naomi dives back towards the storm drain tunnel, and Locke starts muttering under his breath, hands twisting at his sides. The Red Serpents see this and start open-firing. There's not much cover to be had, but what little there is you and Frost take advantage of it. Bullets rain where you were standing and returning fire is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. None of the Serpents thought to take cover or expect serious resistance. A thought they must regret the moment Frost pulls out a grenade from his pocket like some sort of mad man and tosses it at their car. It goes up in flames and Locke manages to pull up a shield made of magical energy just in time. The remaining Serpents try firing again, but you see Naomi on her personal computer tool from inside the tunnel, and the Serpents' curse as their guns get fried. "That's why I stick to an ol'slugthrower," you hear Frost mumble from beside you. "They're fleeing," Locke reports as he pops out from his bit of cover, lobbing sheer magical energy in their general direction. You all continue [[forward.]]

You share a quick glance with Naomi, before agreeing to the Red Serpents' demands. Naomi slides up to you and the Red Serpent in charge of taking your money. He has a sneer on his face, and the other snakes you can hear jeering. You could [[Fight]], But 15000 cash is nothing to sniff at, but money can always be remade. Losing your life can't. Naomi takes over paying up. She pulls out a few different credit chips that handles the cover charge in different denominations and make it harder for the megacorps to take note of large amounts of cash being moved around. As she hands them over, you notice one of the credit chips has a purple tail emblem on it. Internally, you stiffle a mean snicker. Naomi's done this trick before, handing over a bunch of creds with barely a flinch. The marked with her callsign carries a virus, one that hacks the account the credit chip gets connected with the moment it's spent. At the end of it, you and the rest of the group move [[forward.]] And the Red Serpents move aside.

You share a quick glance with Locke, before you attempt to charm the Red Serpents into letting all of you forward without money or bloodshed. The radio star moves forward to assist as you talk to the Red Serpent's little leader. Will Locke has a voice of silver tongued rock star and a reputation to match. Anyone listening to them can't help but be charmed or flattered. The Red Serpent's leader starts grinning like a fool half-way Locke's third sentence, and you know he's now another one of Locke's fans. The Red Serpents are delighted to have met such "august" company and would be fine with letting Locke and their friends' through. You, and the rest of Will's friends, are allowed to move [[forward.]]

The Incursion Zone is dangerous no doubt, but you've been here before. Jonas Law had taken you out to his hideout and shown you the ropes in case of emergency. Of course, neither of you had imagined that emergency being him dead. You lead the rest of the party to the hideout, bypassing weird terrain and ducking out of sight from the various gangs and monsters that traverse the ruins of the old city. As dusk approaches, the rundown corner-mart with its torn down sign and broken glass boarded-up windows is finally in sight. End of Part 2. [[{Begin Part 3?}]]

Law’s hideout is in what used to be a corner mart grocery as you recall. Half the building is down, but there is plenty of rubble to use as cover. Inside Law’s hideout are rows of empty racks. The doors for the cooler section are long gone and the counter is in the far back of the room. Behind the counter is a large metal door, covered in wires and locked like a vault. You recall from your last visit that door leads to the Backroom, the only other room in the building. Inside is Law's complete setup, a computer system that he had somehow kicked into living inside the Incursion Zone, his good weapons, and his safe. You [[enter?]]

The grocery racks provide excellent cover as you move slowly through the place. While Law is dead and the place doesn't looked tossed by the Peacekeepers, there any number of traps or safety measures left in place. Locke stays one step behind you as Frost and Naomi head towards the back, following along what once was a refriderated section. You hear muffled yelp from where Frost and Naomi are right as you turn a rack and see the Door. And its sercurity. The Door is exactly as you remember it, all covered in wires and made of too thick steel to blast your way through. There's also a new measure, a white metal drone the size of you. In place of arms, the darn thing has multi-barrel guns and unknowable amounts of ammo. Its face is a camera and motion sensor. You and Locke scuttle instead towards where Naomi and Frost are at, arguing in whispers in front of a cooler. As you approach, the two turn to you. Naomi and Frost have found a console inside the cooler. The wiring for where it goes, Frost can't find without tearing up the wall. "Hacking it shouldn't be that hard. I've spent plenty of time studying Jonas's coding. Heck, I've written up code for him," Naomi says, already pulling out her personal computer tool. "Let's not get too hasty here. Jonas probably left this out in the open like this as a trap for Netrunner like you. We can take one little drone in a fight, just give me some time to prep," Frost argues. You >side with [[Naomi]] >side with [[Frost]]

Naomi is a professional, and you trust her to get the job done. Besides, even if it does go poorly, Frost and you can still have a go at the drone. Naomi pops open her personal computer tool again, and slides a wire from her tool to the console, directly plugged in. She's clearly a genius at her craft, fingers and eyes flying at the speed of light as she reads through the coding of the console. Different emblems and icons spit out onto her screen, none of which you recognize. She finally starts inserting her own commands into the thing, and for a moment nothing happens and the grocery mart is as silent as the grave, save for your breathing and the sound of your heartbeat in your ears. You watch as she frowns, then taps at the screen some more, removing swathes of coding and dumping it into another program on her device. It scrambles the text, lighting it up in purple. She places it back into the mainframe and you watch as an icon glitches out. It changes into a purple fox. Then, a hum starts up and the lights flicker on one by one. All harsh and yellowed. Beneath your feet, you can feel the slight vibration of the power generator and you wonder again how Jonas managed to pull this whole place together. The drone powers on, and before Frost can pull his gun, Naomi stops him. It's now her new toy, added under her systems to control, she's just trying to add everyone to its ally recognition programs so it won't ever shoot them if you all need to return here. Or in fight. Under the deft fingers of Naomi, she even manages to use the console to open the door to the Backroom. >[[You enter the Backroom.]]

Frost is a professional, and you trust him to get the job done. Besides, even if it does go poorly, Naomi can still have a go at the console. Frost ducks and weaves around the corner mart, leaving trip mines and other timed presents around the place. He's clearly a genius at his craft, plotting out the course of the drone when he wakes it. He finally directs the rest of the party to other positions around the mart, leaving Naomi by the console. Locke is placed behind the counter and told to prepare to start tossing spells the moment the drone is active. Frost places himself a wheelable stand, one foot on the floor and ready to move to start shooting. You go back towards the Door, and this time the drone spots you. You hightail it out there, as it begins to give chase and its gun barrels begin to spin. Frost opens fire, a hail of cover and drawing its attention towards him as he wheels down the aisle. You dive into another aisle and pop up over the side to start your own barrage of violence. It lumbers forward, giving chase to Frost and steps on the trip mine. The corner mart is filled sound and light for a solid minute before the smoke clears. In the middle of it all, the drone is a pile of scrap metal and messy computer parts. Frost then pulls out another bomb from his pocket, and places on the wall next to the door. In a shower of fire and rubble, Frost creates a new door into the Backroom. You [[head inside.]]

In the Backroom. The Backroom is dark, lit only by the massive sprawling computer along the back wall of Law’s hideout. There is a rack with two shotguns off to the left of the door, ammo stored on the top of the rack. To the right of the door is unmade cot with a wooden crate, roughly the size of the drone, standing next to it with various papers written in code atop it. The computer is massive, spanning the length of the back half of the room, with wires and papers spread along the floor and a Blackbox by the center monitor. The Blackbox is the data disc Victor had asked you to find and its still plugged into Law's system. Naomi wanders over to the computer system and begins to disengage the Blackbox from the system. Strange glyphs scroll across the monitor and Naomi informs you all that the information is heavily decrypted and unreadable at the moment. Frost wanders over to the gun rack, looking at the shotguns and contemplating his own. He explains as you ask that he had helped Jonas pick these out back in the day before Jonas was as fluent in fighting. Locke wanders over to the papers scattered about and begins to organize them. They recognizes the code that Law had written them in, but they'd have to sit down and transcribe to even begin to understand what Law had hidden. The two of you agree that they should take the papers anyways, any amount of information is more than any of you had beforehand. You wander over to Law's bed, and find a journal underneath the pillow. As you pick it up, a photo falls out between its pages. It's one of the two of you, standing side by side and grinning at the camera. Somewhere deep in your heart aches at the sight of you and him, all young and carefree. As you stare at it, you hear a noise from inside the corner mart approaching the Backroom. Everyone turns, weapons drawn, as a Lone Peacekeeper stands at the door. She's the strangest Peacekeeper you've ever since. The right armor, but the color is pure white and her badge is silver. In her hands is a gun, and as she stands in the doorway, she demands you surrender your weapons and the Blackbox. >[[You fight her]] >[[You take her prisoner]]

The fight is almost laughably easy. Frost already had one of the shotguns in hand, loaded and ready to commit violence. And you, well, you've always been a quick draw and this day has already had too many incidents nearing your demise. Naomi however is the laziest, and merely pressing a button. Behind the Lone Peacekeeper, the drone powers up and turns. The machine gun arms it has tears through her body like a knife through butter. Her body falls limp, jerking like a puppet whose strings were just cut. As you investigate, you see the Lone Peacekeeper isn't human. Instead of a puddle of red, oil leaks from the bullet wounds. And through the torn areas of her body, you see metal wiring and gears instead of flesh. You briefly consider the Blackbox and the coded papers, and wonder exactly what was the secret Law had been killed over. End of Part 3. [[{Play Epilogue?}]]

The fight is almost laughably easy. Frost already had one of the shotguns in hand, loaded and ready to commit violence. And you, well, you've always been a quick draw and this day has already had too many incidents nearing your demise. Naomi however is the laziest, and merely pressing a button. Behind the Lone Peacekeeper, the drone powers up and turns towards her. The Lone Peacekeeper looks between her two options, but before you can give her the command to stand down, she places her gun under her chin and pulls. As you investigate, you see the Lone Peacekeeper isn't human. Instead of a puddle of red, oil leaks from the bullet wound. And through the spattered area of her head, you see metal wiring and gears instead of flesh. You briefly consider the Blackbox and the coded papers, and wonder exactly what was the secret Law had been killed over. End of Part 3. [[{Play Epilogue?}]]

Returning to Horizon City is done in silence as you and the rest of your companions consider what exactly you have found. Much later, at the Last Stop, Viktor Nivens congradulates you on your sucess and takes possession of the items you all found so that your low profiles remain intact. In a few weeks, he'll contact you all to start investigating and decrypting all the information within Law's Blackbox. True Ending. {Return to [[Horizon City]]?}

The fight you thought would be laughably easy. After all, Frost has a shotgun in hand, loaded and ready for violence. And you are a quick draw, especially after the events of the day. Bullets and magic rain down at her in a flood of offense. But the Lone Peacekeeper just soaks up the damage without flinching and perhaps that's the first sign that something is wrong. Time slows in your eyes. Her pistol fires, hitting the computer screens and towers. Naomi screams as the raining sparks hits her and burns. Her pistol fires, hitting Frost directly as he reloads. A strangled gasping breath exhales as he falls back against the weapon rack. Ammo falls from the top of it, showering him with shells. Her pistol fires, and Locke has already dived behind the crate. It blasts through it, and you see a splatter of blood hit the wall. Her pistol fires at you. And you: >[[Fire back]] >[[Dodge]]

Your heartbeat sounds in your ears and you can see the bullet flying toward you. But, what's worth dying? Is it friends? Is it morals? Is it finding out what had killed your friend to begin with? Is it recognizes the woman aiming at you is the same one that took aim at him? Is it taking vengance for a person whose no longer here to feel it? How can you keep the Peace but kill the Law? These thoughts muddle your mind in a millisecond, and the bullet hits, tearing through your chest. But you still have clarity of purpose and the weapon in your hand is easy to empty into her face as you fall back. Her body jerks finally, falling to the ground the way a cast off toy is flung aside. You can see oil instead of blood splatter. The wounds you had caused her reveal metal underneath her armor, not flesh. And as you lay on the floor, you begin to get an inkling of what secret Jonas had discovered. Naomi is shouting at you and Frost to hang on as she tries to stem the bloodflow between the two of you. You manage a quiet grin and tell her make sure to nail the bastards that did this as you fade. Ending 3. {Return to [[Horizon City]]?}

Your heartbeat sounds in your ears, and you can see the bullet approaching. You could imagine many different ways this fight could wind up, but the one you decide is your own. Sidestepping your death is no mean feat, and one you've always tried accomplish. And now, it isn't just Law reling on you. Instead you've got Naomi and Frost who are still alive. You hit the floor before the bullet can floor you, and the Lone Peacekeeper turns to deal with only you. Frost buys you time by letting loose his last two shot and this time she jerks as they hit. You roll, and bring up your weapon, only to empty it where she's already been hit. It's enough to kill her, and the Lone Peacekeeper topples over. Instead of blood, oil pools around her and machinery is underneath her armor instead of flesh. You run to Frost's side, and begin try to stem the blood flow. Naomi and you share a look and begin binding him up the best you two know how. The three of you head towards the nearest exit and you contemplate finding a doctor for the rest of the team's investigation. End of Part 3. [[{Play Epilogue}]]?

Returning to Horizon City is done in labored silence as you and the rest of your companions hustle back. Naomi and you manage to find a street doctor, in one of the back alley clinics. The two of you take turns keeping on eye on Frost as he recovers. Much later, at the Last Stop, Viktor Nivens congradulates you on your sucess and takes possession of the items you all found so that everyone can recover from their injuries. In a few weeks, he'll contact you all to start investigating and decrypting all the information within Law's Blackbox. Ending 4 >Return to [[Horizon City]]?

You start off with a grin and attempt to figure out what combination of words would convince the Red Serpents to back off or at least not shot any of you. Frost keeps his hands on his weapons, waiting for one wrong move to start shooting, and you almost concerned that its him that going to cause the whole deal to go down to the gutter. It's not. But even with Frost backing you up, Naomi is the only other person there that's got your back. Locke never made it through the other side of Sweetwater. Unfortunately, neither are enough to convince the Red Serpents from seeing you as easy pickings. And corspes are so much easier to get money from. Ending 2. {Return to [[Horizon City]]?}

You share a quick glance with Frost before the two of you pull your weapons. Naomi dives back towards the storm drain tunnel; The Red Serpents see this and start open-firing. There's not much cover to be had, but what little there is you and Frost take advantage of it. Bullets rain where you were standing and returning fire is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. None of the Serpents thought to take cover or expect serious resistance. A thought they must regret the moment Frost pulls out a grenade from his pocket like some sort of mad man and tosses it at their car. It goes up in flames and luckily your cover holds. The remaining Serpents try firing again, but you see Naomi on her personal computer tool from inside the tunnel, and the Serpents' curse as their guns get fried. "That's why I stick to an ol'slugthrower," you hear Frost mumble from beside you. "They're getting away," Naomi shouts from inside the tunnel. By the time you and Frost get up and sight them, their red jackets are all but specks on the horizon. You three continue [[onwards]]

The grocery racks provide excellent cover as you move slowly through the place. While Law is dead and the place doesn't look tossed by the Peacekeepers, there any number of traps or safety measures left in place. You move cautiously as Frost and Naomi head towards the back, following along what once was a refrigerated section. You hear muffled yelp from where Frost and Naomi are right as you turn a rack and see the Door. And its security. The Door is exactly as you remember it, all covered in wires and made of thick steel to blast your way through. There's also a new measure, a white metal drone the size of you. In place of arms, the darn thing has multi-barrel guns and unknowable amounts of ammo. Its face is a camera and motion sensor. You scuttle instead towards where Naomi and Frost are at, arguing in whispers in front of a cooler. As you approach, the two turn to you. Naomi and Frost have found a console inside the cooler. The wiring for where it goes, Frost can't find without tearing up the wall. "Hacking it shouldn't be that hard. I've spent plenty of time studying Jonas's coding. Heck, I've written up code for him," Naomi says, already pulling out her personal computer tool. "Let's not get too hasty here. Jonas probably left this out in the open like this as a trap for Netrunner like you. We can take one little drone in a fight, just give me some time to prep," Frost argues. You >[[Side with Naomi]] >[[Side with Frost]]

Frost is a professional, and you trust him to get the job done. Besides, even if it does go poorly, Naomi can still have a go at the console. Frost ducks and weaves around the corner mart, leaving trip mines and other timed presents around the place. He's clearly a genius at his craft, plotting out the course of the drone when he wakes it. He finally directs the rest of the party to other positions around the mart, leaving Naomi by the console. Frost places himself a wheelable stand, one foot on the floor and ready to move to start shooting. You go back towards the Door, and this time the drone spots you. You hightail it out there, as it begins to give chase and its gun barrels begin to spin. Frost opens fire, a hail of cover and drawing its attention towards him as he wheels down the aisle. You dive into another aisle and pop up over the side to start your own barrage of violence. It lumbers forward, giving chase to Frost and steps on the trip mine. The corner mart is filled sound and light for a solid minute before the smoke clears. In the middle of it all, the drone is a pile of scrap metal and messy computer parts. Frost then pulls out another bomb from his pocket, and places on the wall next to the door. In a shower of fire and rubble, Frost creates a new door into the Backroom. You three enter the [[Backroom]]

Returning to Horizon City is done in silence as you and the rest of your companions consider what exactly you have found. When you return, you hear news that Will Locke has been arrested and the Peacekeepers are looking for the three companions that had been with them- suspected of "Disrupting the Peace." Much later, at the Last Stop, Viktor Nivens congradulates you on your sucess and takes possession of the items you all found so that you keep a low profile as the Peacekeepers begin to hunt. In a few weeks, he'll contact you all to start investigating and decrypting all the information within Law's Blackbox. Ending 3. Return to [[Horizon City]]?

In the Backroom. The Backroom is dark, lit only by the massive sprawling computer along the back wall of Law’s hideout. There is a rack with two shotguns off to the left of the door, ammo stored on the top of the rack. To the right of the door is unmade cot with a wooden crate, roughly the size of the drone, standing next to it with various papers written in code atop it. The computer is massive, spanning the length of the back half of the room, with wires and papers spread along the floor and a Blackbox by the center monitor. The Blackbox is the data disc Victor had asked you to find and its still plugged into Law's system. Naomi wanders over to the computer system and begins to disengage the Blackbox from the system. Strange glyphs scroll across the monitor and Naomi informs you all that the information is heavily decrypted and unreadable at the moment. Frost wanders over to the gun rack, looking at the shotguns and contemplating his own. He explains as you ask that he had helped Jonas pick these out back in the day before Jonas was as fluent in fighting. You wander over to Law's bed, and find a journal underneath the pillow. As you pick it up, a photo falls out between its pages. It's one of the two of you, standing side by side and grinning at the camera. Somewhere deep in your heart aches at the sight of you and him, all young and carefree. As you stare at it, you hear a noise from inside the corner mart approaching the Backroom. Everyone turns, weapons drawn, as a Lone Peacekeeper stands at the door. She's the strangest Peacekeeper you've ever since. The right armor, but the color is pure white and her badge is silver. In her hands is a gun, and as she stands in the doorway, she demands you surrender your weapons and the Blackbox. You.. >[[Fight Her]] >[[Capture Her]]

The fight is almost laughably easy. Frost already had one of the shotguns in hand, loaded and ready to commit violence. And you, well, you've always been a quick draw and this day has already had too many incidents nearing your demise. Naomi however is the laziest, and merely pressing a button. Behind the Lone Peacekeeper, the drone powers up and turns towards her. The Lone Peacekeeper looks between her two options, but before you can give her the command to stand down, she places her gun under her chin and pulls. As you investigate, you see the Lone Peacekeeper isn't human. Instead of a puddle of red, oil leaks from the bullet wound. And through the spattered area of her head, you see metal wiring and gears instead of flesh. You briefly consider the Blackbox and the coded papers, and wonder exactly what was the secret Law had been killed over. End of Part 3. Play [[Epilogue 3]]

In the Backroom. The Backroom is dark, lit only by the massive sprawling computer along the back wall of Law’s hideout. There is a rack with two shotguns off to the left of the door, ammo stored on the top of the rack. To the right of the door is unmade cot with a wooden crate, roughly the size of the drone, standing next to it with various papers written in code atop it. The computer is massive, spanning the length of the back half of the room, with wires and papers spread along the floor and a Blackbox by the center monitor. The Blackbox is the data disc Victor had asked you to find and its still plugged into Law's system. Naomi wanders over to the computer system and begins to disengage the Blackbox from the system. Strange glyphs scroll across the monitor and Naomi informs you all that the information is heavily decrypted and unreadable at the moment. Frost wanders over to the gun rack, looking at the shotguns and contemplating his own. He explains as you ask that he had helped Jonas pick these out back in the day before Jonas was as fluent in fighting. You wander over to Law's bed, and find a journal underneath the pillow. As you pick it up, a photo falls out between its pages. It's one of the two of you, standing side by side and grinning at the camera. Somewhere deep in your heart aches at the sight of you and him, all young and carefree. As you stare at it, you hear a noise from inside the corner mart approaching the Backroom. Everyone turns, weapons drawn, as a Lone Peacekeeper stands at the door. She's the strangest Peacekeeper you've ever since. The right armor, but the color is pure white and her badge is silver. In her hands is a gun, and as she stands in the doorway, she demands you surrender your weapons and the Blackbox. >[[Surrender isn't an option]]

The fight you thought would be laughably easy. After all, Frost has a shotgun in hand, loaded and ready for violence. And you are a quick draw, especially after the events of the day. Bullets rain down at her in a flood of offense. But the Lone Peacekeeper just soaks up the damage without flinching and perhaps that's the first sign that something is wrong. Time slows in your eyes. Her pistol fires, hitting the computer screens and towers. Naomi screams as the raining sparks hits her and burns. Her pistol fires, hitting Frost directly as he reloads. A strangled gasping breath exhales as he falls back against the weapon rack. Ammo falls from the top of it, showering him with shells. Her pistol fires at you. And you: >[[Fire back]] >[[Dodge]]

Horizon City: Episode One is a multi-linear adventure story. Readers are encouraged to explore the different routes that the story can progress through, while playing the character, Justina Jones. Horizon City: Episode One is based within the cyberpunk genre, and loosely inspired by tabletop role-playing games, such as Cyberpunk 2020 and Shadowrun.

A Fixer is a type of Datarunner. Most 'runners are specialists, have a certain philosophy in how to solve problems while on jobs. Naomi is what most call a Netrunner, the type of person who will always use tech first, usually by hacking into places on the Netscape. A Street Fighter, well its all in the job description. Frost will always prefer a fight. Faces like Will Locke are all about talking their way out of situations, making friends and using them. Fixers, however, are the type of 'runner that puts all the data, all the philosophies together to come up with a solution on the job. Of course, they're also the type of 'runner that finds the jobs in the first place. You're more the former than the latter, typically troubleshooting team conflict in the middle of the mission to make things run smooth.