Alt Cunningham

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

Overview
Altiera Cunningham, or Alt, was 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.

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

Early History
Alt became a highly skilled netrunner, famed for her skills at seeing software development on a different level. At some point she was poached by the ITS corporation and during her employment she began 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 met Johnny Silverhand and the two entered into a relationship.

2013
Fascinated by the development of artificial intelligence Alt made a breakthrough in the transfer and containment of intelligence - both AI and the human mind. The unnamed program was able to transfer the users mind into the net and explore independent of their existing body. Her employer ITS capitalized on the breakthrough and developed it further into a weapon known as the Soulkiller - Instead of transferring personalities, it imprisoned them.

On April 15th 2013, whilst leaving a concert with her boyfriend, she was kidnapped by gangers and Johnny was left for dead. Toshiro, the then head of the corporation in Night City, kidnapped Alt to force her to recreate the program for Arasaka. While captive she rebuilt the software from memory and though watched closely she feared that Arasaka would test it on her, to prevent this she built a fail-safe to ensure that she could make her escape.

Having survived his injuries, a team led by Johnny Silverhand started a riot at the Arasaka complex, with his legion of fans. Fearing the worst, Toshiro used the software on Alt, but before he was successful she managed to fend off the attack, killing the Arasaka netrunner team and incapacitating Toshiro's bodyguard, Akira, from within the Arasaka mainframe. Johnny detonated an explosive charge which gave Toshiro the chance to disconnect Alt from her body. Johnny killed Toshiro and left with Alt's lifeless body, unknowingly leaving her digital form behind.

2022
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 held her yet again in the Arasaka Tower in Night City. A strike team lead once again by Johnny Silverhand led an 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 released Alt back onto the Net to ensure she escaped the clutches of Arasaka.

2045
In the years following the Fourth corporate war, Alt set up a digital haven for the other victims of Soulkiller. It was rumored to be hidden on a server somewhere in Night City or in the great white north of Canada, but after the bioplague wiped out the population, Ghost Town was established in the ruins of Hong Kong.

2077
By 2077, a memorial to Alt Cunningham could be found at the Columbarium in Night City.

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.