Spider Murphy

Arabella, going by the name of Spider Murphy, is a known Netrunner from the game setting, also appeared briefly in  assisting Johnny Silverhand, Shaitan and Rogue in the bombing of Arasaka Tower in 2023.

2000s
Spider Murphy first began Netrunning in 2004, at the age of nine. Her first Cyberdeck was a Hitachi-Radio Shack 95, which she used to hack into a Zetatech sales office and falsified an order data to have Zetatech send her a new Parraline 5750A deck.

Spider Murphy met Rache Bartmoss for the first time after overhearing her Corporate father had wiped his SIN from the system. Having heard of Bartmoss' reputation on the street, she tracked him down and warned him. From that moment on, she got training from Bartmoss and they became close friends.

2010s
Spider Murphy, along with Rache Bartmoss, Dog, and Edger, would run the Net for fun, lynch NetWatch hacks without profit, because they could and it was the right thing to do, and do things others thought impossible. She was generally accepted as being one of the best Netrunners in Night City. Her quotes and stories were often shared with the same reverence as those from other legendary Netrunners like Rache Bartmoss, Frack and Edger.

Spider Murphy was much more skilled than other top-level corporate or mercenary Netrunners. She used a completely custom cyberdeck that was faster and more secure than decks used by other top-level runners. She tended to use utilitarian and non-lethal software, in contrast to Bartmoss who liked to use flamboyant and deadly programs.

Spider Murphy was fond of quoting famous and well-known philosophers and public figures. She was also known to use a super realistic rendition of a well-endowed, good-looking redheaded anime girl in very tight clothing as her Net ICON.

2020s
In 2020, Spider Murphy received a predetermined 'thought you might be interested' code from Rache Bartmoss, informing her of his physical death, and the fact that he was still alive inside the Net. During this time, Bartmoss told her his life memories and they finished compiling Rache Bartmoss' Guide to the Net and wrote the Rache Bartmoss Brainware Blowout alongside Dog, and Edger.

In 2021, during the Fourth Corporate War, Spider Murphy helped Rache Bartmoss when he was contacted by Militech to locate Soulkiller 2.0.

In 2022, Spider Murphy received the 'Foxbat 1' code, the highest of the predetermined codes that Bartmoss never used before, which invited her to a chat room, where she crashed in with great anxiety, only to be welcomed by an uncharacteristically calm Bartmoss. He confessed his love for her and invited her on a date, where he released the R.A.B.I.D.S. to the Net and caused the DataKrash right before his death. Though she was happy with this move at first, believeing this would end the corporation rule, Spider later realized that this only gave more power to them through localized, more strictly ruled CitiNet, and felt their entire rebellion was futile.

Pained by Bartmoss' death and wanting revenge, Spider Murphy ended up in the Militech camp and insisted on joining Johnny Silverhand's team, who were hired to destroy the new version of the Soulkiller program that was being developed by Arasaka in Night City. Without Spider and her team knowing, however, they were being used as a diversion to allow Morgan Blackhand's team to destroy the Arasaka Tower and its database alongside it. In the meantime, not believing destroying the Soulkiller program to be possible, Spider's team was aiming to free Alt Cunningham's digital ghost, who was recently captured by Arasaka to assist in the development of the new version of Soulkiller.

Knowing that they were discovered and about to enter combat, Spider Murphy hastily bypassed the lab doors with physical help from Shaitan, where she jacked into the console to contact Alt, and dumped her into the memory core before releasing a virus to destroy every trace of Soulkiller from the system. Before leaving, she downloaded critical information about the people who wrote the program and received a piece of the Soulkiller from Alt to use if needed.

Right as they were leaving, however, Adam Smasher and two squads of Arasaka Troopers cut their way, prompting Spider to scatter Alt into the Net, with hopes of retrieving her someday. As she exit the Net and prepared to enter the fight, she saw Silverhand challenge Smasher and die in seconds. Using the opportunity from his sacrifice, she killed a bunch of Arasaka Troopers, telling herself all this is "Just a game" to cope, as Shaitan attacked Smasher. Even though Shaitan told the rest of the team to retreat, and Rogue confirmed to Spider that Silverhand was dead, Spider pulled a data slug that was downloaded to her by Alt and inserted it into Silverhand's head to create an engram of him.

As they were on the roof, about to leave on an AV, Smasher, in a new Arasaka "DaiOni" body, appeared with Shaitan's biopod in his hand, taunting Blackhand for a duel. Blackhand then jumped off the AV, ensuring its departure, before engaging Smasher with unknown result.

A day later, she, alongside a restored Shaitan and Rogue Amendiares, went to the Sea Viper, Kei Arasaka's ship. She took down all of his guards and emptied Kei's hidden pistol while he was asleep before starting to wait for him in the special tea ceremony room. After his arrival, Spider presented him with a piece of computer equipment that contained a Soulkiller system and convinced him to plug in as a form of "seppuku" for ruining his company and dishonoring himself and his family. They drank sake together after Kei obliged, and Spider destroyed the last of the Soulkiller program after confirming his death. She went outside to bid Silverhand, Blackhand, and Bartmoss farewell and watched the night sky in silence while struggling with the feeling of emptiness inside.

2070s
Her book on Rache Bartmoss and Netrunning guide remained popular throughout the decades and is still being sold in 2077.

Associated Shards (2077)

 * Spellbook

Trivia

 * Spider Murphy's character was created by Mike Pondsmith's wife, Lisa. Her first appearance was in the corebook.
 * When asked about which real actor would be best fit to interpret Murphy, Mike Pondsmith answered: "My wife, who created Spider Murphy, says whoever it is would have to be very short, stocky, possibly Latina, with black hair down to her butt."