Alt Cunningham

Altiera "Alt" Cunningham is a central character introduced in the pen & paper RPG Cyberpunk 2013.

Overview
Alt Cunningham is first introduced in the Cyberpunk 2013 mini adventure Never Fade Away as the girlfriend of famous Rockerboy Johnny Silverhand. She is described as a beautiful and talented netrunner; having developed the Soulkiller program for the ITS corporation before being kidnapped by Arasaka. She is the first victim of Soulkiller and her consciousness exists only as a digital ghost on the Net. After the Fourth Corporate War, she set up a haven for the victims of Soulkiller known as Ghost Town.

She is considered a central character and features prominently in the Cyberpunk Story.

Early History
Not much is known about her early life, but based on the illustrations present, it can be assumed she is in her 20s or 30s, being born in the latter half of the 20th century. Eventually Alt becomes a highly demanded netrunner, famed for her skills at seeing software development on a different level. At some point she is poached by the ITS corporation and during her employment she begins development on a revolutionary human/AI transfer program. Alt invested heavily in neural processing cyberware to augment her netrunning, spending large amounts on European biosculpting to enhance her beauty as well as having a golden cyberarm installed. During this time she meets Johnny Silverhand and the two enter into a relationship.

Soulkiller
Fascinated by the development of artificial intelligence Alt makes a breakthrough in the transfer and containment of intelligence - both AI and the human mind. The unnamed program is able to transfer the users mind into the net and explore independent of their existing body. Her employer ITS capitalizes on the breakthrough and develops it further into a weapon known as Soulkiller - Instead of transferring personalities, it imprisons them.

On April 15th 2013, whilst leaving a concert with her boyfriend, she is kidnapped and Johnny left for dead. It is revealed the Toshiro Arasaka, the head of the corporation in Night City, kidnapped Alt to force her to recreate the program for Arasaka. She rebuilds the software from memory and though watched closely she fears that Arasaka will test it on her so she builds a fail-safe to ensure that she can make an escape.

Having survived his injuries, a team led by Johnny Silverhand assault the Arasaka complex, inciting a massive riot with his legion of fans. Fearing the worst, Toshiro uses the software on Alt, but before he is successful she manages to fend off the attack, killing the Arasaka netrunner team and incapacitating Toshiro's bodyguard from within the Arasaka mainframe. Johnny detonates an explosive charge which gives Toshiro the chance to disconnect Alt from her body. Johnny kills Toshiro and leaves with Alt's lifeless body, unknowingly leaving her digital form behind.

Fourth Corporate War
At some point after her death in 2013, her digital form managed to escape to the Net. By 2022, Arasaka have recaptured her during the Fourth Corporate War, and hold her in the Arasaka Tower in Night City. A Strike team lead once again by Johnny Silverhand assault the tower, in hopes of rescuing Alt, wiping the new Soulkiller and putting an end to the war. During a surprise ambush, Spider Murphy releases Alt back onto the Net to ensure she escapes the clutches of Arasaka.

Ghost Town
In the years following the Fourth corporate war, Alt sets up a digital haven for the other victims of Soulkiller. It is rumored to be hidden on a server somewhere in Night City or in the great white north of Canada, but by 2023, after a bioplague wipes out the population, Ghost Town is established in the ruins of Hong Kong.

Trivia

 * The date of Alt's death was revealed via twitter, during the #CountdowntotheDarkFuture campaign by R.Talsorian Games.
 * The illustration of Alt is re-used in the Night City Sourcebook as an advertisement for the Virtual Vicky Escorts.
 * An updated version of the same illustration can be seen in the Cyberpunk 2077 reveal trailer.
 * The illustrations of Alt from Cyberpunk 2020 Japan Editions are among only images of Alt Cunningham in the flesh and not in lingerie.