[IC] 2073: Red Dawn Rising, Tenochtitlan Options

[Chrysalis]

December 31, 2072

Zurich Orbital: The Headquarters of the Corporate Court. Its oval table framed by a large image of the world spread out across the wall. Perhaps it was real or computer generated. Nonetheless it shone with an inner perfection.

The head of the corporate Court smiled from the TriD, surrounding him was the other corps representatives all equally smiling. Ares next to Aztechnology; Evo with Horizon and Wuxing; Mitsuhama, Renraku, and NeoNET together in a row. The Head of Shiawase, Korin Yaman, who was also the chair of the Corporate Court smiled at the world.

"Good day, dear corporate citizens. Corporate sales have been up and it looks like it will be a glorious year for 2073..."

The image distorted and went dead. The corporate Court room swam back into focus. A woman in a green shift with stylised swirls along its border walked into frame. She had long curling brown hair, her skin was brown from the sun. She smiled with pearly white teeth.

"Hello World. My name is Pandora. Too long have we walked under the shadows of the corporate world. Too long have power been amassed by the few. I seek to give back some of the gifts to the world."

She walked over to the portal with bare feet, bells on her foot jingled lightly and looked at the sight of the world. A small blossom could be seen between the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans. "My first gift to you is fire. May it lance a boil."

She smiles and brushes her hair from her face. "I have seeded the Earth with many such kinds of gifts."

She holds out a box, peeking under the lid for a second before adressing the TriD, "Although, I have decided though to keep one gift for myself." The camera panned to her face as she winked. "I will be seeing you."

January 8, 2073, Soi 6 Seattle

The front of the bar was filled with girls in neon coloured outfits, with bright smiles and groping fingers. The bar patrons especially liked the plexiglass dancefloor above the bar. There were even mirrors on the bar.

In the back of the bar, were rooms one could take the bargirls. The music's ambient bass could be heard beyond the sounds of sex.

The room was uncomfortably hot, its rouge walls, with bright bedsheets and too many stuffed pillows. Mr Johnson sat in the only workable wicker chair in the room next to an and table. He sipped his vodka martini.

The TriD went dead, the newscast had gone on before it could be cut off and had been broadcast around the world. A week later, everyone from Horizon talking heads to Shadowland clueless argued about who she was and if she was real. Tales and rumors heaped on top of each other created a global spectacle promised to blow over in a few months - if it was not for one fact.

Mr Johnson coughed politely and spoke up, "For those of you who do not know, a 10.4 Mt hydrogen bomb was detonated above Tenochtitlan, Aztlan 8 days ago. Out of 30,000,000 in the metropolitan area only 1% of its population survived."

Aztechnology's stock was in free-fall, Aztlan had imploded.

"What is not known is this." He showed news raw footage from a Horizon aerial long range drone after the blast. In the unmoving desolation a girl was sitting on the steps of what may have once been an office building, nothing had survived that was 3 feet above the blast. The camera zoomed in on the girl, the undeniable facial image of Pandora appeared.

Mr. Johnson looked at the assembled runners. "My client is very interested in the apprehension of this woman, preferably alive or if not in small sized pieces. With successful completion of this run we would be willing to pay you 15 million nuyen a piece and have you transported to any location on earth with the proper documentation."

Mr. Johnson picked out the olive from the glass and started to chew it. He chewed it as if his mouth needed something to do. He swallowed.

"The sum is non-negotiable. A forward of the sum is non-negotiable. You are not the only team looking for Pandora. The less connections between myself and you the better."

He wiped his mouth on the complimentary napkin.

"Any questions?"