Countdown to the Dark Future

Countdown to the Dark Future (countdowntothedarkfuture) was a viral advertising campaign created by R. Talsorian Games, posting one Cyberpunk 2020 fact (among other facts and trivia) per day throughout all of 2019, counting down to the real life year of 2020.

Countdown to the Dark Future #1
The famous band Samurai was discovered in 2003 by Jack Masters, an executive at Universal Music.

Jack signed the band after seing them play at the Rainbow Cadenza, a backstreet bar in Night City.

The members were:

Johny Silverhand (vocals and lead/rhythm guitar) Kerry Eurodyne (vocals and lead/rhythm guitar) Denny (drummer) Nancy/Bes Isis (keyboardist) Henry (bass)

Their first single, Blistering Love, was number one on the EuroCharts.

Countdown to the Dark Future #2
Samurai split up in 2008. Nancy went to jail for seven months for throwing her abusing husband out of their 83rd story apartment (through the window). The band firmly supported Nancy but the seven month lull proved they were each going a different creative directions.

Henry went to work on a human interface prototype. An accident fried his brain and he's had to rebuild his mind.

Denny joined a band called Mastermind.

Nancy took the name Bes Isis and became a major media presence on Network 54.

Johnny Silverhand and Kerry Eurodyne went onto successful solo careers, often touring together as a double ticket.

Countdown to the Dark Future #3
After Samurai split up, the DMS music label attempted to sign Johnny Silverhand by any means they could, including threats, violence, and ultimately blackmail. They discovered Johnny was a deserter who left the USMC while serving in the wars in Central and South America. Instead of giving into the blackmail. Johnny signed with Universal Music and went public with the information.

His first solo album, SINS of Your Brothers, was released in 2009. The songs on it explained his own actions, the reality of the wars, the government lies, and the experimental cybernetics program many soldiers and marines were forced to go through. The popularity of the album and the message it conveyed led to increased awareness and support for veterans of the Central and South American wars.

Countdown to the Dark Future #4
While Cyberpunk 2020 is the most famous edition of the game, it isn't the first. Cyberpunk: The Roleplaying Game of the Dark Future was first published as a box set in 1988, which means 2018 marked the game's 30th anniversary. The original version of Cyberpunk was set in 2013, which is why many fans refer to it by the nickname Cyberpunk 2013.

The Cyberpunk 2013 boxed set included three booklets. View from the Edge: The Cyberpunk Handbook contained character generation and non-combat rules. Friday Night Firefight laid out the combat rules. Welcome to Night City: A Sourcebook for 2013 introduced Night City and the Cyberpunk universe to the world. The boxed set also included a d6, a d10, and four player reference sheets.

Countdown to the Dark Future #5
Cyberpunk 2013 marks the first appearance of several iconic characters. Five of them first appeared in Never Fade Away, an adventure/story written by Mike Pondsmith as an introduction to the Dark Future.

Johnny Silverhand, the iconic rockerboy. Alt Cunningham, netrunner turned ghost in the machine. Thompson, a reporter who hates Arasaka. Rogue, a solo with only one weakness (her ex, Johnny). And Santiago, Rogue's partner and future leader of the Aldecaldo nomad clan.

Famous media Bes Isis, who was a keyboardist for Samurai in a former life, also appeared in 2013 as a byline in an article about gang violence in Night City.

Countdown to the Dark Future #6
Among the playtesters for Cyberpunk 2013 were Lisa Pondsmith and Walter Jon Williams.

Ms. Pondsmith is the business manager of R. Talsorian Games as well as an excellent RPG writer. Among her contributions to Cyberpunk lore are the Bozos, a gang of insane clowns who terrorize Night City. She's also the co-writer of The Witcher Tabletop Roleplaying Game.

Walter Jon Williams is one of the founders of the cyberpunk genre thanks to his Hardwired series. That series was adapted by Mr. Williams and R. Talsorian Games into an official alternate setting for Cyberpunk with the Hardwired sourcebook for Cyberpunk 2013. Mr. Williams is also a game designer in his own right, having created Privateers and Gentlemen, a swashbuckling "Age of Sail" roleplaying game.

Countdown to the Dark Future #7
Cyberpunk 2013 established the core three concepts to achieve the essence of the Cyberpunk universe:

Style Over Substance It doesn't matter how well you do something, as long as you look good doing it. If you're going to blow it, make sure you look like you planned it that way. Attitude is Everything Think dangerous; be dangerous. Think weak; be weak. Never walk when you can stride. Don't sit around waiting for the next job, Be there when the party starts. Live on the Edge The Edge is where risk-takers and high-riders go. On the Edge, you'll risk cash, your rep, even your life on something as nebulous as a principle or a score. Edgerunners aren't just in on the action. They are the action.

Countdown to the Dark Future #8
Sam Liu helped define the Cyberpunk universe with his iconic art in Cyberpunk 2013 (much of which was so good it was reused in Cyberpunk 2020!) including the razorgrrl, the chromed up rocker couple making out, the man inspecting his opened cyberarm, the woman with the branded cybereyes and the full 'borg with the breathing tube.

He has also worked in comics and animation and won an Emmy for his work on The Batman animated series in 2006. These days, Mr. Liu spends most of his time directing films for DC Animation, including the upcoming Death of Superman adaptation.

Countdown to the Dark Future #9
According to Fax on File, a dataterm program available to the general public, when visiting Night City you should wear medium weight clothing, with a light armor jacket or ballistic-cloth overcoat optional.

A filter mask and supplemental oxygen are highly recommended due to acid rain and inversion smogs.

Acid-proof slickers, umbrellas, and masks are readily available from sidewalk vendors for 20 to 35eb.

Temperatures normally range from the low 50s to the high 80s. Rainfall is 21 inches per year, 35% of which is considered acidic/toxic by government standards. Clothing and vehicles should be rated above SP12 to avoid adverse effects such as staining and ablation.

Countdown to the Dark Future #10
Jets and aerodynes regularly arrive and leave from Night City Metropolitan Airport. Traveling to the Johnson Space Platform requires transferring to Los Angeles International for a connection to the Mojave Orbital Air Facility. Security on all flights are at the passenger's own risk. Low-velocity rounds are suggested, so as to not penetrate the outer wall of the cabins.

Airlines operating out of Night City Metro include Atlas, TransContinental, and Western Pacific.

Pan-Pacific Phoenix-class aero-zeps, the luxury cruise-ships of the sky, dock at Night City Metro. Security is tight and there will be a full weapon and cyberware lockdown for all passengers. Flights leave once a week for Hawaii, Tokyo, Washington, and New York.

Countdown to the Dark Future #11
Due to the Free Access/Handicapped Self Sufficiency Act of 2018, holders of legitimate Free State of Northern California issued Disabled Holoplacards may use weapons to clear illegally parked vehicles from blue zones, which are designated for their use.

Red zones indicate no parking. Yellow zones are reserved for corporate-owned vehicles and may only be parked in for one half of an hour. Green zones indicate a ten minute limit for all vehicles except police.

Red and black zones designate a no parking zone except for Free Fire Emergencies. Night City PD and other offices are not responsible for damage taken by or the destruction of vehicles illegally parked in these zones.

Countdown to the Dark Future #12
Fax on File recommends two different child care agencies in Night City.

Child Creche officers care at an affordable price of 50eb per day, with cryotanks inspected weekly by licensed members of Trauma Team. Children under Child Creche care are pleasantly plugged into the parent's choice of braindance chips for pacification purposes.

Safe Child is more expensive, at 350eb per day, but has nannies trained in Europe and child psychologists on staff. Trained 24 hour Arasaka guards with on-call Tactical Squad support means parents can rest easy, knowing their child won't be extracted by agents of a rival corp or caught in the crossfire of a nearby gang war.

Countdown to the Dark Future #13
The "Night City" is a mixture of tequila, raw wood alcohol, and several drops of turpentine, all garnished with a dead worm. It is only served in the rougher bars in the city and often used by gang members as a way to prove how tough they are. The average cost is 6eb.

The "Euro" is a recipe imported from France and is popular with rich corpos. Its blend of fruit juices and bourbon, served over cubes of pure, frozen gin. The bar needs a special freezer unit to store the gin cubes. Average cost is 15eb.

The "Blade Runner" is a CHOOH2 and champagne mixer, served in a cocktail glass with mealworms in the bottom. Average cost is 6eb.

Countdown to the Dark Future #14
Places to shop in Night City include:

Everything and More. A middle-class department store with good security to keep the gangs at bay.

Long Last Books. A store which only sells indie titles and rare books. Their resistance to corporate pressure has earned the store respect from the local gangs.

Weird Stuff. A techie haven selling all sorts of wires, gadgets, doodads, and pieces. You can buy just about any diode or chip here, assuming you can find it in the mess.

Golden State Pawn. Clothes. Jewelry. Books. Programs. Cyberware. Its all here. One guess how they got it.

Countdown to the Dark Future #15
In his article, The Conapting of America (2020 Edition), James M. Weiss, Jr. divided the people of Night City into the following categories:

Powerdealers. The elite. CEOs, world-famous celebrities, and internationally influencial politicos. Corpzoners. Execs at the top of the corporate game. Movers. Ambitious young corps looking to scale the ladder and claim that corner office. Edgerunners. Cyberpunks who find success in unorthodox and dangerous ways. Mallplexers. The struggling middle class who make up the majority of the faceless hoards. Beavers. Low-level corp managers and high-level techs who live in Corp-controlled suburbs. Streetscum. The urban poor and a demographic which grows bigger every day.

Countdown to the Dark Future #16
Trauma Team™ is an international corporation which operates in North America and Europe. They specialize in paramedical services and take pride in their promise to reach a client, once summoned, in seven minutes or less. They are headquartered in Los Angeles and have nearly 17,000 employees worldwide.

A standard Trauma Team™ crew consists of a driver, a senior MedTech, an assistant MedTech, and two security officers.

Most crews travel in a heavily armed and armored McDonnell-Douglas AV-4 Tactical Urban Assault aerodyne loaded with advanced medical technology, including a mobile cryotank.

Countdown to the Dark Future #17
Trauma Team™ Tower in Night City is located near the NC Convention Center. It houses the Night City branch's corporate offices as well as local operations including dispatch, armory, maintenance, and launch pads for the company's AV-4s. NCPD gives Trauma Team™ Tower a security rating of 3, which means highly sophisticated locks and alarms, incapacitating security measures, constantly monitored security feeds, military/SWAT level guards patrolling in groups of 5 to 10, and black IC to counteract intruding netrunners.

There are at least a dozen active Trauma Team™ units on call in Night City at any one time and their employees are always the best of the best. A Trauma Team™ pilot can land an AV-4 on top of a parked car and the senior MedTech in any squad has a Medical Tech Skill rating of 8 or higher (out of a maximum possible rating of 10).

Countdown to the Dark Future #18
Thanks to cybernetics, cryotanks, biotechnology, and drugs, medical science is so advanced by 2020 that Trauma Team™ and other medics bring people back "from the dead" with some regularity. It is so common in fact, that Trauma Team™ has established a scale of dead they call "Death State". It runs from DEAD 1 (just flatlined. Resuscitation almost certain) to DEAD 10 (no resuscitation possible). As a general rule of thumb, a patient slides up the Death State scale once every minute, although circumstances such as environmental conditions, cybernetics, drugs, and administered CPR can slow down the rate of progression.

The Lifeline Act of 1994 allows citizens to register as a parts donor. Anyone who delivers the body of a registered citizen to a donor center earns a bounty based on the condition of harvestable limbs and organs.

Countdown to the Dark Future #19
Although medical coverage, charged on sliding scale, is guaranteed for all citizens of the European Commonwealth, trauma services such as those provided by Trauma Team™ must be paid for by the patient or another responsible party. Trauma Team™ is not the only trauma service operating on the continent and EC law requires a trauma service to pay a rival's expenses should they pick up a subscribing patient first.

All EC countries have regularly placed SOSBooths, nearly indestructible shelters which can house up to six people. Anyone can enter an SOSBooth but if a trauma service subscription card or credit card is not slotted and validated within ten seconds, the booth will flood with anesthetic gas. Once subscription or payment is verified, a dispatcher will arrange for police and trauma services to respond.

Countdown to the Dark Future #20
Trauma Team™ charges quite heavily for their services, at a rate of 100eb per minute from the time a call for aid is received to the time the patient is delivered to a hospital or other facility. The patient is also responsible for reimbursement for the cost of any ammunition fired during the rescue, among other fees.

The cost can be mitigated through the purchase of a service plan. Corporations often offer Trauma Team™ coverage as a perk for higher level employees and Edgerunners sometimes negotiate for a one-use Trauma Team™ service plan as part of their payment for a job.

For those paying their own way, plans run from 500eb plus expenses up to the mid-five figures per month depending upon the level of coverage.

Countdown to the Dark Future #21
Trauma Team™ values its employees and provides even their MedTechs with armor for use in the field. The company has contracted with Bodyweight Systems to create and supply the MedicGear Combat Medical Armor. MedicGear is a hard-shell armor with a protection ranking equal to a standard military grade flak vest. Standard features include a built-in drug analyzer, techscanner, drug injector, sprayskin applicator, and palm mounted shock panels.

For more intense situations, Trauma Team™ has worked with Militech to create the Tb/O Lifeline, a powered armor suit designed specifically to allow emergency responders to operate in any situation, no matter how dire. This light but tough armor has a chassis weight of 158kg and comes standard with a full suite of medical equipment, heavy tools, climber claws, and a power saw.

Countdown to the Dark Future #22
CityMed is a not-for-profit which offers medical services to those who can't afford it. They function thanks to donations and receive quiet support from several corporations who realize having a base level of care available to the destitute can help prevent a pandemic, something which can harm even their bottom line.

CityMed is run out of Miami but has chapters in most major cities. The majority of staff work on a volunteer basis, including some Trauma Team™ MedTechs. Trauma Team™ recognizes the publicity value of their employees volunteering for CityMed and encourages them to do so. CityMed offers emergency surgery, medicine, vaccinations, and examinations to those who need it but have a policy of not offering such services to wanted criminals, Edgerunners with a bad reputation, or members of particularly vicious gangs.

Countdown to the Dark Future #23
The foundations for the body enhancement technology commonly known as cyberware were laid in 1991, when the first artificial muscle fibers were developed in the United States and in 1993, when the first biological interface chips were developed in Germany. Early cyberware was field tested by implanting it into soldiers serving in the Central and South American Wars, usually without warning the test subjects of the potential side effects.

By 2020, cyberware is pervasive in society for utilitarian reasons but also as a fashion statement. Its hip to have high tech grafted into your body somewhere and the trendsetters who walk the red carpet are as likely to boast about who designed their new arm or eyes as they are to talk about who made their outfit.

Countdown to the Dark Future #24
Cyberware is usually divided into 10 categories, 5 of which are presented here. Some begin with a basic unit, i.e. a cybereye, which can be upgraded with options.

Fashionware: Cosmetic enhancements made to body. Examples: Biomonitor, Light Tattoo, Techhair. Neuralware: Processors plugged into the nervous system in order to modify or enhance it. Examples: Neural Processor, Smartgun Link. Implants: Devices adding specific functions to the body. Examples: Gill Implant, Chemical Analyzer. Bioware: Enhancements built along biological instead of mechanical lines. Examples: Grafted Muscle, Nanosurgeons. Cyberweapons: Mostly illegal weapons implanted directly into cyberlimbs or the body. Examples: Vampires, Wolvers, ChainRipp.

Countdown to the Dark Future #25
Cyberware is usually divided into 10 categories, 5 of which are presented here. Some begin with a basic unit, i.e. a cybereye, which can be upgraded with options.

Cyberoptics: Cameras which replace biological eyes. Option Examples: Color Shift Irises, Image Enhancer. Cyberaudio: Devices plugged into the auditory nerves to enhance hearing. Option Examples: Radio Link, Amplified Hearing. Cyberlimbs: In any color and style you want. Option Examples: Reinforced Joints, Tool Hand. Linear Frames: Exoskeletons grafted onto the body. Examples: Linear Σ (low STR boost), Linear β (moderate STR boost), Linear Ω (high STR boost). Body Plating: Plastic/metal plating which covers part of the body as protection or as a mounting surface. Examples: Front Optic Mount, Torso Armor Plate.

Countdown to the Dark Future #26
Interface plugs are one of the most common forms of cyberware in the world of Cyberpunk 2020. They're the starting point which allow people to stud into vehicles, firearms, and computers and control them, providing the user has the right neuralware. Information and skill chips can also be slotted into interface plugs, allowing direct mental access to them.

Interface plugs are usually installed directly into bone and tap into major nerve trunks. Most people mount interface plugs into their wrists but others like to show them off. 'Plugheads' mount them at the temple. 'Frankensteins' mount them just behind the ears. 'Puppetheads' prefer the back of the skull. It isn't uncommon to see an interface plug inlaid with precious metals or decorated with custom caps.

Countdown to the Dark Future #27
Humans aren't the only biologicals who can be fitted with cyberware. Upgraded animals are usually purchased by the wealthy or organizations looking to fill a specific need. Most are cloned as fully mature, then fitted with cyberware and trained via chip for specific behaviors. Buyers looking for animals with a naturally developed personality must pay extra. Animals from the wild cost 50x the base price due to both their rarity and the difficulty in overriding their natural instincts.

Dogs are the most common type of cyberpet but cats, horses, primates, rodents, birds of prey, sharks, dolphins, and even bats can be purchased. Common cyberware for a cyberpet includes sensory boosts, berserk chips which activate a frenzy mode, cyberlimbs, cyberweapons, and harnesses to transform larger animals into mobile weapon platforms.

Countdown to the Dark Future #28
Full Body Replacement is, perhaps, the ultimate expression of cyberware. The process of turning someone into a borg, as they are commonly known, replaces almost all biological material with cybernetics. This includes the skeleton, organs, and skin. Borgs retain their original brain, though it is intensely modified.

Borgs do not need to eat, drink, or breathe. Instead biological components receive nutrients via cybernetics. Borgs do sleep for psychological reasons.

A number of companies offer Full Body Replacement models. The IEC Alpha Classis an all purpose model. The Dynalar Aquarius is designed for underwater use while the Cybermatrix Inc Copernicus functions best in space. At 8 feet tall and 620 pounds, the IEC Dragoon offers the ultimate in battlefield performance.

Countdown to the Dark Future #29
The Bioexotics™ line allows clients to become something other than 'human' through intensive transformation using a variety of techniques. As the tagline says, "Why bother to be one of the beautiful people when you don't have to be 'people' at all?"

Most exotic packages involve forms resembling an anthropomorphized animal. Various mammalian forms are most common. Fantasy race forms such as elves, dwarves, and orks are also available. Among the most extreme options are aquatic, dragon, and insect forms.

While initially intended for the wealthy, it has become increasingly common for gangs, cults, and "secret" societies to offer their valued members the Bioexotics™ process as a reward. In such cases, the forms selected always match the organization's theme.

Countdown to the Dark Future #30
In Cyberpunk 2020, the figurative "war on drugs" of the 1970s and '80s turned into real wars in the 1990s when the actions of drug cartels were used as excuses for the United States to send military forces to Central and South America. By 2020 those wars are over, but the trafficking of drugs remains illegal in many American states and cities. The problem has been made worse by a wave of potent synthetic drugs entering the market.

Most law enforcement agencies which still care classify illicit substances as Type A, B, or C, with Type A being the highest priority for enforcement and Type C being the lowest. Trafficking in a Type C substance carries a sentence of 1 to 10 years in medium security. Trafficking in a Type A substance carries a sentence of 15 to 20 years in maximum security plus mandatory Braindance reform therapy.

Countdown to the Dark Future #31
In 1992, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency released several bio-engineered floral plagues across the world. These plagues were custom tailored to target coca and opium plants and were incredibly effective, destroying 98% of the world's crop. Several governments propped up by the drug economy collapsed virtually overnight.

A second set of bioweapons was released in 2004, wiping out plantations run by the Golden Triangle in China, which had been growing strains of opium and coca resistant to the previous plagues. Since then, the Golden Triangle have specialized in creating synthetic versions of old drugs in addition to new variants. So long as the Golden Triangle focuses their efforts on exporting product to America and Europe, Chinese authorities are content to turn a blind eye to their activities.

Countdown to the Dark Future #32
Illegal drugs (and many legal ones) in Cyberpunk 2020 are lab designed to be addictive in order to create a captive market. While the wealthy can afford designer drugs, tailored to their specific physiologies in order to get a high without side effects, everyone else has to make due with generic, synthetic drugs sold by criminal organizations or from the even more dangerous experimental drugs dumped onto the black market by Corps looking to recoup the loss of a failed project or field test a potential new product.

This is all made worse by the large number of underground chemists working as either individuals or in groups. These black market entrepreneurs sell both copies of legal medicines they've cracked the patents on and new mixtures of illegal drugs they've spiced up to make more interesting.

Countdown to the Dark Future #33
The illegal drug market is constantly evolving, which means it can be difficult to keep up with what's new on the streets. However, here's a few with staying power:

SynthCoke: A synthetic variant of cocaine, made more potent in the lab. Boost: A common "study drug". Addicts gain a tolerance quickly. 'Dorph: A pain negator which can damage the nervous system. Mr. Ex: Will keep you awake for days. Char: A mood dampener which installs an inhuman sense of calm. Smash: Technically not illegal, Smash is drinkable drug similar to alcohol but with a harsher downside. Think a foamy energy drink laced with uppers. Starlight: A powerful and addictive euphoric.

Countdown to the Dark Future #34
In general, the European Commonwealth maintains a harsh stance towards street drugs of all kinds. The EC takes pride in its reputation as a civilized zone in a mad world and has implemented intense measures to maintain it. Non-citizens arrested for a crime, no matter how minor, are usually deported or jailed. Custom agents are especially diligent in their duties when searching for contraband.

The one major exception to this is the Scandinavian Bloc. They maintain a "neutral market" which includes the common availability of "soft" drugs in most bars and "harder" drugs from specialized and licensed salons. Combat drugs are completely illegal and not tolerated. While the Scandinavian governments allow, and even encourage, recreational excess they do not tolerate violence against their citizens.

Countdown to the Dark Future #35
Combat Drugs are used regularly by militaries and Corporations to enhance the capabilities of their forces. The higher ups are generally more concerned about results than they are about troop health, while soldiers and mercs generally take an expedient viewpoint. Surviving and dealing with the consequences of whatever chems are being pumped into their system later is a better outcome to combat than being dead.

Examples of Combat Drugs include: Prime: Narrows the subject's focus and imbues a sense of ultimate calm, increasing battlefield awareness and reducing incidents of panic. Timewarp: Sharpens reflexes but at the cost of real damage as muscles are overextended in the process. Berserker: Used by commanders who want to turn soldiers into suicidal killing machines.

Countdown to the Dark Future #36
Legal drugs are big business for Corporations. Biotechnica is one of the most obvious pharmaceutical firms in 2020 but they are the only ones. Arasaka and Militech both produce combat drugs, for example. Trauma Team International initially developed a suite of drugs for in-house use, but has found them to be in high demand and now sells the full line to hospitals, clinics, and even rival trauma services. Rumor has it the drugs they sell to their rivals are less potent than the versions they keep for themselves.

Products in the Trauma Drug line include: Stim: Increases responsiveness and reduces pain. Surge: An intense stimulant and appetite suppressor which reduces the need for food or sleep. Trauma I: A last ditch method of slowing down the slide down the DEATH STATE scale.

Countdown to the Dark Future #37
The Forlorn Hope (Night City, Free State of NorCal)

Founded by John "The Professor" Freeman and his wife, Marianne, the Forlorn Hope began life as a home away from home for veterans of the CentAm War. Many of those former soldiers turned to running freelance jobs to pay the bills so, over time, the bar became a watering hole of choice not just for vets but for edgerunners of all kinds. The Forlorn Hope doesn't advertise. You only hear about it if someone in the know tells you it exists.

The Hope is a bar and club, complete with a house band: The Slaughtered Lambs. There are also bunks to rent and rooms where edgerunners can meet with clients, a ripperdoc clinic, and a weapon repair shop. The Professor also runs a safehouse for veterans and solos on the edge who need to get their head together.

Countdown to the Dark Future #38
The Triple Moon Clan Encampment (Uffington, Mercia, United Kingdom)

A neo-pagan nomad group, the Triple Moon Clan are generally peaceable and friendly and usually happy to play host to visitors in their semi-permanent encampment in Uffington. The clan offers vegetarian fare, made from actual vegetables, at decent prices and is only mildly insistent about hawking their hand-crafted clothing and jewelry. At night, they dance, sing, and play drums and pipes and visitors are encouraged to join in.

Edgerunners have other reasons to visit the encampment. Hecate, one of the clan elders, is a fixer of considerable reputation and capable of supplying anything a freelancer in the United Kingdom might have need of.

Countdown to the Dark Future #39
Club Atlantis (Night City, Free State of NorCal)

Club Atlantis occupies the top three floors of the Piper Memorial Sports Arena, which hosts a number of different blood sport events. The Atlantic itself is favored by both up and coming corpzoners and Edgerunners who have made a name for themselves.

The club's interior is intentionally designed to disorient. Cleverly placed cantilevered stairs, angled mirrors, animatronics, and specific lighting effects combine to give the illusion of defying the laws of physics as customers move about.

The Atlantis is high end and most customers know the score. When trouble breaks out, it's between the warring parties. Everyone else stays out of the way.

Countdown to the Dark Future #40
The Blowtorch (Melbourne, Australia)

Located at the corner of King and Little Lonsdale, the Blowtorch is the very definition of "dive bar". Fights there are common but generally don't involve firearms. The two heavily cybered bouncers who keep order won't step in for fists or blades but if they see a gun clear a holster they'll gladly take it, unload it, and force feed the bullets to the owner, one by one.

Despite romantic notions, there's no real loyalty among thieves at the Blowtorch. The bartenders will gladly sell information on any patron and will even slip a little something into someone's drink if they're paid enough.

Still, if you're looking to break into the Melbourne edgeruner scene, this is the place to start.

Countdown to the Dark Future #41
The Black Hole (Crystal Palace, Earth Orbit)

Everything about the Crystal Palace orbital habitat speaks of influence and wealth. The public areas sparkle and the residents (as opposed to the workers) have the best looks money can buy. There are even real trees!

So, of course, the Black Hole club is a marvel to behold. Holographic tech is used to create the illusion of stellar gasses slowly swirling around the room until they vanish into a disorientingly realistic "black hole" on the floor.

Gravity in the Black Hole, as with most of the Palace, is .8 Earth normal and drinks are up to 100 times more expensive. The patrons of the bar dress in the trendiest fashions or in custom body paint and fashionware schemes which both scandalize and inspire awe.

Countdown to the Dark Future #42
The Jaded Flower (Brussels, Belgium)

Popular with the goldenkids, students, and artists, the Jaded Flower has been decorated to convey the impression of an outdoor bar in the middle of a tropical jungle. When the band isn't playing, recorded jungle sounds play on speakers with extremely high fidelity.

The club's entertainment is always a highlight, with amazing bands on the edge of international fame rocking the house. The food is good enough to satisfy the rich kids who play here. Drugs flow freely and trafficking is ignored by authorities so long as it stays inside the club. Men are required to wear jacket and tie and weapons larger than pistols must be checked at the door. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Countdown to the Dark Future #43
The Afterlife (Night City, Free State of NorCal)

Appropriately converted from a mortuary, this solo bar is partitioned into three different areas: the Antechamber, the Crypt, and Hades. The regulars who frequent the Afterlife self-divide themselves by ability. Each chamber is darker and more dangerous, with the Antechamber being for newer solos with potential while Hades is nothing but the most storied combat vets.

The solos who frequent the Afterlife follow a strict code while inside. When they brawl, its for fun. They hit hard but they don't strike to maim or kill. No one in the Afterlife needs to prove themselves. Fixers looking for professionals rarely visit the bar directly. Instead, they leave a message which is circulated around. Interested solos can then contact the Fixer for further details.

Countdown to the Dark Future #44
Night City has three particularly popular taxi services.

Red Cab, Inc is the largest and keeps a fleet of armored, well-maintained ground cars. Their fleet is big enough that a Red Cab usually arrived within five minutes once summoned by dataterm, phone, or email.

Aerocab prefers the skies to the streets, and maintains a fleet of reconditioned AV-4s, aerogyros, and a few new AV-7s. More expensive than a ground cab, Aerocabs provide pad to pad service for customers looking to avoid the danger of the Night City ground level entirely.

Combat Cabb is not the largest service but it is the best armed. Combat Cabb has the most skilled battledrivers in the business and is the only service which will take a customer anywhere, guaranteed, no matter the risk.

Countdown to the Dark Future #45
Combat Cabb is famous not just because of their "go anywhere" attitude but because of a long running dramedy series produced by Diverse Media Systems (DMS) focused on a fictional version of the company. The series extends the fame of Combat Cabb across North America and the world and, as a result, one of the most popular activities for tourists visiting Night City is to hail a Combat Cabb and take a ride into the Combat Zone just to say they've done it.

The Combat Cabb vidscreen series airs on Thursday nights and follows the adventures of Harrick, his partner and lover Emmanuelle Moore, and the rest of their tough and battle ready but lovable cast.

The real Harrick founded Combat Cabb in 2011 and still runs the operation.

Countdown to the Dark Future #46
Red Cab was founded in 2012, when Russian immigrant Alec Belavitz bought out the yellow cab company he was senior driver for and revamped it. He painted the cabs red in honor of his beloved homeland and made sure they were well armored. Alec had been a cabbie in Night City for almost a decade and he knew the score.

Red Cab operates 75 cabs in the Night City area. They will drive anywhere in the city and suburbs and up to five miles into the Combat Zone. Drivers earn 35% of the fares they pull in on a shift and keep their tips.

The company gets along well with both Aerocab and Combat Cabb but has become a target for gangs to hit. As a result, it isn't uncommon for the company to hire solos to ride shotgun (while carrying actual shotguns).

Countdown to the Dark Future #47
A typical Red Cab weighs 1,600 pounds and has a cargo capacity of 530 pounds. They have a cruising speed of 80 mph and can carry up to 6 passengers, not counting the driver. The front and back compartments are separated by a plexglass plate and are airtight.

Most Red Cabs are well armored and armed with a 7.62 light machine gun on a stabilized mount. A "shocker" security system protects the cab externally. Internally, the driver can activate jets which will flood the rear compartment with sleepgas.

The fare during the day is 3.25eb/mile, lowered to 2.75eb/mile after the first 5 miles. The price rises to 4.25eb/mile at night, lowered to 3.75eb/mile after the first 5 miles. Passengers are responsible for reimbursement on any ammo expended during the ride.

Countdown to the Dark Future #48
Aerocab's taxi force consists of 10 reconditioned AV-4 aerodynes, 3 aerogyros, and three new AV-7 aerodynes.

The company broke into the market by purchasing used and older aerodynes from government and corporate aution and then by subsidizing AV-landing platforms across the city. Landlords are happy to let Aerocab vehicles land on their buildings in exchange for the company paying a share of the landing pad's costs.

Aerocabs aren't cheap. They cost 10eb per mile and there's a 25eb pick-up fee. However, they're generally safer than ground taxis, as there aren't many gangs capable of ambushing a flying vehicle. As a result, it's a popular service for up and coming Corps who have money but not enough sway to rate their own company vehicle.

Countdown to the Dark Future #49
Taxi services are popular in Night City but some visitors prefer to drive themselves. Honda-Avis rents out their own brand of electric Metrocars at a flat rate of 100eb per day. These small cars are unarmored and can hold up to two people, making them ideal for zipping through traffic.

Renta-Robo is fully AI operated and has grey and white stations located throughout the city. Renters must interface with a terminal and insert a debit or credit chip. Once the card is verified, an AI controlled vehicle travels from the garage to the customer. When the customer is done with the vehicle, they press a button on the dash. Their account is charged based on mileage and other fees and the onboard AI drives the vehicle back to the garage.

Countdown to the Dark Future #50
Mass transit in Night City is maintained by NCTC: The Night City Transit Corporation. This includes all bus lines, which are considered to be one of the most modern in North America.

NCTC owns and operates over thirty Mercedes Urban Transporters, which have wide seats, holographic advertising display boards, and AI-controlled ticket processing units.

Each Mercedes Urban Transporter is heavily armored and is equipped with a driver operated anti-personnel fragmentation belt around the suspension line, and cabin mounted sleepgas sprayers for passgenger protection.

Tickets are 1eb.

Countdown to the Dark Future #51
The megacorps of 2020 are nearly nations unto themselves, with their own laws, infrastructure, and militaries. They are almost fully autonomous, paying heed to local law only in the most public of ways so as to avoid a PR disaster. In actuality, megacorps are powerful enough to buy any politician, bury any unfavorable law, and avoid and penalties for bad behavior.

Megacorp offices hold a status roughly equivalent to a national embassy. Employees carry corp-issued passports and identity cards. If an employee is charged with a crime by a civil authority, it is common practice to ship the accused to the home office. This prevents civil police from attempting to execute warrants on corporate grounds while a possible extradition is negotiated. Most local cops are happy to go along with it. Corp security is almost better armed and armored.

Countdown to the Dark Future #52
Conditions in 2020 favor the employer, not the employee. Unions are a thing of the past, either so weak they are ineffective or outlawed altogether. Lax labor laws mean Employment Contracts can dictate terms ranging from minimum length of employment (up to, and including, "lifetime") to debilitating penalties for even minor infractions.

Headhunting in such an environment can be deadly. Corporations often have a team which specializes in extraction of key personnel from rival companies, whether they want to defect or not.

On the flip side, most Corporations would rather see an employee dead than working for the enemy and sharing company secrets.

Countdown to the Dark Future #53
Mediacorps are conglomerates of music, video, news, and publishing subdivisions with a power that spans continents. It is perfectly possible for an individual to go their entire life and consume only media from one specific mediacorp. The largest mediacorps are Network News 54 which, despite its name, controls more than just the news, World News Service (WNS), the most respected (and underhanded) news service in the world, and Diverse Media Systems, with a reputation for eating its own employees alive.

Because only a handful of corps control the majority of the world's media, they hold an unprecedented amount of influence over public opinion. Politicians, celebrities, and high level corp executives all know getting on a mediacorp's bad side is a great way to destroy a career.

Countdown to the Dark Future #54
When corps act like countries, war is an inevitability.

The First Corporate War was between Eurobusiness Machine Corporation & Orbital Air, both of whom wanted to purchase Transworld Airlines. In the end, EBM lost. This war marked the beginning of corps using military might to obtain a desired outcome in their deals.

The Second Corp War was between energy giants PetroChem and SovOil. In the end, SovOil won. The war dumped billions of barrels of crude oil into the Pacific and ruined the economies of several small nations.

The Third Corp War was fought almost entirely in the NET between financial firms and represented the first large scale virtual conflict. The war ended with one of the participating corps utterly destroyed.

Countdown to the Dark Future #55
The Fourth Corporate War began as a conflict between two aquatech companies: OTEC and CINO. Each brought in major muscle to fight for them. OTEC hired Miitech. CINO hired Arasaka. What should have been impersonal quickly became personal, as the long-standing rivalry between Militech and Arasaka overshadowed the small conflict they were fighting and became a war of its own. By 2022, the war had become an all-out brawl between the two largest security forces on the planet.

The Fourth Corporate War was devastating. Governments, and even other megacorps, were dragged into the conflict just to protect themselves, though some chose sides. It ended only when both the United States and Japanese governments stepped up and forced a resolution at the executive level. By then, it was too late. The world had already changed.

Countdown to the Dark Future #56
The following is a brief summary of seven of the most prominent and powerful megacorps.

Eurobusiness Machines Corporation: World's largest manufacturer of computer technology. Zetatech: A new megacorp, specializing in software and hardware technology. Network News 54: An American broadcasting and media company. Orbital Air: Cargo and passenger transport. Maintains several orbital facilities. Microtech: Mainframe and workstation designer. A small fish fighting off sharks. BioTechnica: Generic engineering and biotechnology. Owns the CHOOH2 patent but licenses it out. Infocomp: Data firm. If knowledge exists, chances are Infocomp has it recorded somewhere.

Countdown to the Dark Future #57
The following is a brief summary of seven of the most prominent and powerful megacorps.

Merrill, Asukaga & Finch: Investment bank and financial counseling firm. WorldSat Communications Network: Monopoly controlling satellite communications. Arasaka: Corporate security and private intelligence services. Militech: Arms manufacturing and private army. Closely allied with US military. World News Service: World's most trusted (and dangerous) source for news. PetroChem: Producer of petroleum products and world's largest supplier of CHOOH2. Trauma Team International: Global ambulance and paramedic service.

Countdown to the Dark Future #58
A Combat Zone refers to any urban area which has been mostly abandoned by the local government and law enforcement agencies. Combat Zones essentially represent an unspoken treaty, where municipal and corporate forces won't bother gangs and criminal groups so long as most of the violence and bad behavior stays within the designated area.

Most Combat Zones are born from poor communities where policing became too expensive or dangerous. Cities first ramped down law enforcement activities in those areas, then ceased them altogether as municipal budgets tightened and ran to deficit. Those unfortunate enough to live in such areas found themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty and violence from which few can escape.

Countdown to the Dark Future #59
The Combat Zone of Night City began in the late 1990s. After Richard Night's death in 1998, Corporations and organized crime carved up the city's resources and, as a result, the NCPD became completely ineffective. Gangs, backed by Corporate and Mob sponsors, established themselves in the suburbs south of the city center. In time, the gangs became so entrenched the only way to remove them would be to demolish the entire area and start from scratch.

Today, the Combat Zone is a few miles of somewhat habitable tract housing interspaced with small businesses which eventually give way to burnt out wasteland as desolate as any European city targeted by the bombing runs in the final days of WW2. Worse yet, the Combat Zone is slowly growing, swallowing up territory around it inch by inch.

Countdown to the Dark Future #60
Many gangs have a presence in the Night City Combat Zone. New ones spring up all the time, only to be slaughtered and absorbed by the others. Here are a few of note.

The Blood Razors are a nasty booster gang full of violent psychopaths responsible for an average of forty murders in Night City per week. They are perhaps the largest of the gangs centered in the Zone. Warrior Heart, a combat gang constantly seeking to improve their fighting skills. The Piranhas want to party and have fun but their idea of "fun" can be something of a sadistic mystery. Blood & Tears, whose trademark is the removal of a victim's eyes (cyber or natural). Death in the Afternoon, more a nihilist cult than a gang.

Countdown to the Dark Future #61
No one goes into the Night City Combat Zone unless they absolutely have to. Even the hardest Solos know getting in and out can be a roll of the dice. Entire security teams have gone in and vanished. Only two organizations, Combat Cabb and Trauma Team, will enter the Combat Zone willingly and that's only in well armed and armored vehicles and with backup.

Because no one goes into the Combat Zone, information on the geography and demographics are hard to come by. Old maps from before the Zone went to hell are outdated and anyone who actually enters and leaves does so as quickly as possible. They aren't stopping to record map coordinated. Urban legends abound of pre-Collapse caches of weapons, money, drugs, and tech hidden even from the gangs in the Combat Zone but good luck surviving long enough to find them!

Countdown to the Dark Future #62
In 2020, the Hong Kong Combat Zone was known as "The Hell of the Death of a Thousand Cuts" due to the local gang preference for blades over guns.

Using a gun in the Hong Kong Combat Zone is a quick way to be branded as a member of the Triad, a Corporate spy, or worse, a weak target incapable of defending one's self. After all, a gun will eventually run out of bullets but, in a Combat Zone, it is always possible to find a sharp piece of jagged metal.

By the end of the 4th Corporate War, "The Hell of the Death of a Thousand Cuts" is as empty as the rest of the city thanks to a potent and highly contagious bioweapon which was unleashed within Hong Kong's city limits.

Countdown to the Dark Future #63
Technically speaking, London does not have a Combat Zone. What is has is the East End, which was mostly flooded when a bomb destroyed the Thames Flood Barrier. Officially, no one lives in the East End. In truth, thousands call it home.

The majority of residents in the East End earn their meager living either from smuggling or supporting the smugglers who live there. Goods smuggled in from Europe and beyond are sold in the few remaining Underground stations and tunnels in the region which aren't filled with polluted water.

Those in the know say anything can be had at these dangerous markets, from drugs to slaves to secrets. All it takes is cold, hard cash and a willingness to put up with the stench.

Countdown to the Dark Future #64
The most infamous Combat Zone in the world may well be the one in Detroit. There, the Zone was so bad the city government decided to wall the whole thing off. It took years but, in the end, the city completed the task, after which they declared the zone a minimum security prison. Anyone born there is essentially guilty of the crime of being alive and anyone trying to escape on the city side can expect to be intercepted and dumped back or shot.

Oddly enough, walls have become a fashion of sorts in Detroit. Wealthier neighborhoods have put up guarded walls of their own while poorer ones have constructed razor wire barricades. The Detroit of 2020 has become less a single city and more a collection of vaguely affiliated townships all afraid of what lies outside their borders.

Countdown to the Dark Future #65
The Rockerboy movement began in the early 1990s, when James "Rockerboy" Manson's second album, Bum's Rush, released with an overtly political message. He continued to defy authority and release songs centered on change and rebellion until 1997 when he was clubbed to death, in front of an audience, by British police at an Amnesty International concert. His death inspired the Rockerboy movement, which is named in his honor.

People continue to argue about the impact of Manson's legacy. Many point out his musical talents were rather mediocre and some believe his message of protest was a ploy to generate sales. Others say it doesn't matter. In the end, no matter his motivations, he started a cultural movement which has lasted over twenty years.

Countdown to the Dark Future #66
Most of the music available to the public is prepackaged noise, algorithmically generated to sell the most tracks and albums while pushing a pro-Corporate message. Rockerboys of all genders work to get their message out to the public anyway they can. Some, like Johnny Silverhand, are famous enough to push their songs out through the traditional channels unchanged.

Smaller, independent Rockerboys, who sometimes call themselves sonic terrorists, work through underground distributors, independent networks, and the darker corners of the NET to get their music heard.

A few underground labels exist but most independent bands release their own music, often for free, hoping their words of protest are heard.

Countdown to the Dark Future #67
A list of the top ten songs of 2020 as picked by the critics of Rockerboy Magazine:

1. Never Fade Away by Johnny Silverhand 2. Holdin' On by Kerry Eurodyne 3. Back from Nowhere by Lost Boys 4. Kalakari by Cutthroat 5. Hand of Fate by Artificial Kids 6. Blast Off by Blackheart 7. Little Sister by Brutus Backlash 8. Loving at the Speed of Light by Sarah O'Conner 9. You Said You'd Never Leave by Pipin' Hot 10. Song for John (50 Years) by Destiny

Countdown to the Dark Future #68
Much like the rest of the world, Rockerboys love their cyberware. Popular options include:

Neural Processor w/Machine Link: There are few things more magical than studding directly into your instrument to play it with both body and mind. Romanova Cyberlegs: Elegant and the height of fashion, with gyroscopic balance and built in heels which add up to 6 inches to height. NewThroat: Extensive vocal replacement which can package together other implants, including a Voice Synthesizer or Forked Tongue Ultrasonic Manipulation System.

Any and all fashionware, including full Exotic packages. After all, getting people to listen to your words is easier if you look great on stage.

Countdown to the Dark Future #69
While James "Rockerboy" Manson started the movement and Johnny Silverhand is the most famous Rockerboy in 2020, there are other notables, including:

Destiny has been called "one of the most provoking bands of our time". They started off as a pop band but grew a heavy political edge thanks to the influence of bandleader Jessie Moore. More than one concert has ended with the band and their crew fighting off corporate assassins backstage.

The Silver Slash's first single, released in 2017, was Stand For Your Word, a call to action with lyrics in English, French, Swahili, and Japanese. The band has inspired many around the world to enact "positive change" in society, including the Night City guardian gang of the same name.

Countdown to the Dark Future #70
Not all Rockerboys are musicians. As the movement has grown, others have claimed the label for themselves, including...

Street poets, often part of a local performance gang, try to get their message through using words but not music. Some critics claim they're frustrated singers who can't afford a voice box upgrade.

Performance artists stage visual presentations in public situations, trying to use movement and style to express their rebellion. Many performance artists rely on shock value, which is hard to do in 2020 society.

Civic organizers and activists have always been Rockerboys, leading crowds to march, chant, protest, and occasionally riot in support of a cause.

Countdown to the Dark Future #71
Some believe James "Rockerboy" Manson knew he was going to die on August 3, 1997. Just hours before he was beaten to death on stage, an act that triggered a riot in which over 500 people died, he said the following to his audience:

''"To live in ignorance of the political state around you is no excuse. It is your responsibility, as well as mine, to spread the word. One great nation is dead; will your's be next? If you have something to say then don't keep quiet; tell them how you feel. Don't let their oppression silence you!" ''

Those words have become a talisman to the Rockerboy movement.

Countdown to the Dark Future #72
In the Cyberpunk world, lack of regulation in the United States and other regions resulted in an increasingly changing and unpredictable climate which made agriculture nearly impossible. By 1998, the Midwest United State was little more than a dustbowl while acid rain, drought, wildfires, and toxic waste had destroyed the orchards of California, Texas, and Florida.

In 2020, much of what once was the breadbasket of the world is now a polluted wasteland, so less food is being produced and it is being produced in new places. Due to rising temperatures, areas which were once too severe and cold for large scale agriculture now offer new farming opportunities. Northern Canada has become one of the world's leading suppliers of real food and Alaska is one of the few parts of the United States where farming can still occur on an industrial level.

Countdown to the Dark Future #73
Most Americans eat manufactured, processed foods in 2020. The most commonly eaten food is kibble: dry, grainy nuggets laced with vitamins, minerals, and a small amount of actual protein.

Like potato chips, they are offered in a variety of flavors, textures, and brands to the general public. Kibble makes up 70% of the average American diet.

SCOP, a vat grown protein genetically tailored to mimic the textures and tastes of various foods makes up 20% of the average American diet.

Because SCOP looks and tastes vaguely like real food, it is more expensive.

Countdown to the Dark Future #74
Little farmland is left in the United States and most of that is dedicated to growing the genetically modified grain used to make the fuel CHOOH2. Some Agricorps grow food crops in hydroponic farms but the majority of fresh food in the United States is imported from Canada, Europe, or the USSR. Fresh food makes up as little as 2% of the average American diet.

The wealthy, of course, eat differently than the average American. Powerdealers eat real food prepared by real people every meal. Corpzoners manage fresh food an average of four meals a week, never eat kibble, and rarely eat SCOP. Movers mostly live on SCOP but occasionally spring for fresh food to impress.

Everyone else? They eat what they can.

Countdown to the Dark Future #75
Most meals in America are eaten outside of the home. Few living spaces come equipped with food preparation units and only the more expensive apartments and houses have actual kitchen areas.

Unless an area is Corporate-controlled or specially patrolled, there are almost always a variety of food vendors available on any city street. Those vendors do their best to dress up kibble, SCOP, and whatever else they can find to be as attractive and appetizing as possible. Soups and stews are offered when enough fresh water can be found.

There are still a number of fast food chains in the world, such as MacDonvan's. Each has their own secret recipes and methods for dressing SCOP as something people want to eat.

Countdown to the Dark Future #76
There are still a number of real restaurants in the Night City of 2020. Cheaper establishments dress up SCOP, prepared with varying degrees of success to mimic real dishes.

More expensive eateries offer a mixture of soy, SCOP, and fresh food. It might be best not to ask where the fresh food comes from, however. Just enjoy the fact that you're eating actual meat.

The most exclusive restaurants offer fresh food made by top chefs and cost more eddies per meal than many Night City residents make in a year.

Some restaurants offer memberships to Corporations, who give free meals to select employees a reward or a job perk.

Countdown to the Dark Future #77
Many restaurants in Night City put their own unique twist on the dining experience.

Gueverra's is a Mexican restaurant which smuggles weapons in the back alley. It is popular with old spies and government agents.

Beppo's Trattoria ensures a steady clientele by being a neutral zone where mob business can be conducted. It also serves a killer meatball sandwish.

The Network 54 Cafeteria is popular because network stars can occasionally be spotted eating there.

Manfred's, a German restaurant that serves Japanese Kobe veal. It is set in the CalBank building, which is well protected with APEX machinegun turrets.

Countdown to the Dark Future #78
In the European Community, food is, in theory, controlled by the Food Commission. They ensure the yeast farmers kibble manufacturers produce enough food to feed the masses of Europe. They also oversee the laws governing farming, fishing, livestock, and water processing. The Food Commission plays a constant game of catchup, trying to navigate the thorny politics of local agribusiness while imposing quotas and subsidies in an effort to stabilize a constantly changing market.

Few people in Europe go hungry. The Food Commission supplies everyone with basic (and it is basic) meals and even real food is fairly cheap. Most citizens with employment can purchase and enjoy vegetables daily and actual meat once a week. The goldenkids and new nobility, of course, eat real food every meal.

Countdown to the Dark Future #79
Two companies, BudgetArms and Dai Lung, have made a name for themselves for creating firearms at a cost the average street punk can afford.

The BudgetArms C-13, a light pistol, costs half as much as the Federated Arms X-22, which is the industry standard for plastic "fire and throw away" weaponry.

The Dai Lung Cybermag 15 is even cheaper, and comparable to the X-22 in every way but accuracy.

More recently, BudgetArms has attempted to enter the higher end firearms market with the Laser-Niner 9mm. It comes standard with an integral lasersight and a full auto mode. Snail drum magazines are optional.

Countdown to the Dark Future #80
Militech's firearms are a standard of the industry, worldwide. Their Ronin model is a durable and accurate light assault rifle which uses 5.56 ammunition while the Militech Crusher SSG is popular with solos due to its compact nature and power. A pistol-sized shotgun, the Crusher works extremely well for close combat and roomsweeping duties but conceals nicely in a bag or under a jacket.

The standard weapon for Arasaka Security, the Minami 10 SMG, is popular around the world for both its durability and affordability. When the situation calls for heavy firepower, Arasaka Security prefers the Rapid Assault Shot 12, a high powered auto-shotgun that can spit out 10 shells in less than 4 seconds.

Countdown to the Dark Future #81
Malorian Firearms, Incorporated, is a bespoke weapons designer and manufacturer based out of Night City. Their motto is distinctive firearms for distinctive people and it shows in the care they put into the creation of each weapon they produce. The firm was founded by famed gunsmith Eran Malour, who has designed weapons for, among others, Solo Morgan Blackhand.

The most famous weapon designed by Eran Malour is the Malorian Arms 3516, which was custom made for famous Rockerboy Johnny Silverhand. This one of a kind 14mm heavy pistol's titanium frame was manufactured in space, allowing for an almost zero chance of imperfection in the casing. An integral cyberinterlink means only someone with a cyberarm and smartgun link can take full advantage of the pistol's features.

Countdown to the Dark Future #82
In 2018, the US Government held a competition to develop the next generation of advanced infantry firearms. Forces within the government, content with the weapons the military already had, sabotaged the project by putting in place seemingly impossible design standards. Of course, Militech rose to the occasion.

The M-31a1 marries at 4.5mm assault rifle using an advanced liquid propellant firing system with a pump-action 25mm grenade launcher. The liquid propellant system was designed by famed gunsmith Eran Malour and licensed to Militech while the revolutionarily small mini-grenaded were the design of Militech weapon techs.

Paired together, the two form one of the most high-tech combat weapons available.

Countdown to the Dark Future #83
Integration of firearms and chrome has been one of the goals of cyberware design pretty much since their invention.

Smartguns are modified versions of normal firearms which use various scanning systems to continually paint targets and feed the data to either the brain or a set of goggles. This allows for more accurate aiming, as combatants no longer have to rely on anything so crude as the organic human eye to guide their shots.

Over the years, various companies have also created weapon mount options for cyberlimbs. Popup pistols and SMGs are common but flamethrowers, grenade launchers, and micro-missile launchers are also possibilities for those with enough cash to pay their ripperdoc.

Countdown to the Dark Future #84
Energy-based weapons are usually only found in the hands of military personnel or specialist corporate agents. Such weapons are rarely found on the street, both for legal reasons and due to the cost and technical skill required to operate and repair them.

Laser weapons, like the Militech LaserCannon, are rifles powered by batteries and have a dial allowing for variable input. This means the laser can be set from a lower power setting which does no more damage than a light pistol to a powerful shot which hits as hard as an assault rifle but drains half the rifle's battery power.

The Techtronica Model 009 Volt Pistol, meanwhile, is a taser with a twist. It uses a low-intensity laser to ionize the air along its path, then discharges electricity to form an artificial lighting bolt to strike the target.

Countdown to the Dark Future #85
The unique threat of cyberpsychos and full borgs have led to a number of unusual developments in weapon technology. Microwave-based weapons can cause cybernetics to perform poorly or malfunction. However, the exact effects can be hard to predict, giving microwavers a poor reputation with cyberpsycho squads.

More reliable (and expensive!) is the Rhinemetall EMG-85 Kinetic Energy Railgun which delivers a 15-gram, Mylar-coated slug at hypersonic velocity, meaning it can punch through all but the heaviest of armors. The irony is, the extreme weight and recoil of the EMG-85 means it is often used on full borgs by full borgs, as few other people can properly wield the weapon without mounting it to a vehicle first.

Countdown to the Dark Future #86
Susan Forrest

NorCal State Executioner

Justice has changed in the Dark Future. Criminals sentenced to death rarely come peacefully and are usually not content to simply await execution. Because of this, most states now have an official, combat ready State Executioner. In Northern California, that office is held by Susan Forrest, a former NCPD Max-Tac officer.

Executioner Forrest is empowered to hunt down and execute fugitives sentenced to death but also supervises the security of prisoners on Death Row. Because of her job, Executioner Forrest has access to the best weaponry and armor available and has the skills to use it to her advantage. This makes her one of the deadliest people alive.

Countdown to the Dark Future #87
Maz Despair

Rockerboy Comedian

Maz Despair is a satirist who has modeled herself after pre-Collapse comedians who used sharp humor to deliver social commentary to the public. Maz is also wanted by the police after being framed for the murder of Jennifer Diaz, a Houston politician who she lampooned and who was in the pocket of Arasaka.

Maz came to performing after watching the assassination of comedian Kate Clinton and Senator Gerald Matthews during the 2002 Washington DC Gay Pride Parade. A lesbian herself, Maz Despair saw the murders as a call to arms and now uses hard, biting comedy as a way to wake others and draw attention to corruption and oppression.

Countdown to the Dark Future #88
Father Kevin

Faithful Priest in a Faithless World

The man now known as Father Kevin spent much of his adult life as a Solo and saw combat in over a dozen countries. In time, he rejected the violence and returned to his roots, rejoining the Church and taking up vows as a priest. He now runs the Holy Angels Church in Night City, along with Father Paul and Father Paul's wife, Lucy.

Father Kevin believes with all his heart than only mercy, charity, and divine grace can save humanity. While he won't allow people to carry weapons into the church, he will provide sanctuary to any who ask and has been known to face down Corp agents and NCPD on behalf of those he has sheltered. He also works to resolve both local gang and Corporate conflicts peacefully.

Countdown to the Dark Future #89
China Dahl

Renegade Photojournalist

Like so many people in the world, China Dahl grew up in a nice, safe Corporate enclave as the child of a low level wageslave. Unlike most who grow up in that situation, though, China saw past the brainwashing and realized the death grip Corporations had on both information and their employees.

A gifted photographer, China used her parents' employer to get an education then struck out on her own, feeding stories to pirate media stations. An expert in disguise and carousing, China combines hedonism with her job by infiltrating the clubs and parties favored by Corp employees and charming information from them in what they believe to be a safe environment.

Countdown to the Dark Future #90
Pixie

Daemon Programmer

As a child prodigy in France, Pixie's parents had high hopes of her climbing the local Corporate ladder. Pixie instead found herself attracted to the thrill of the NET and buckled expectations. She spend two years running freelance in cyberspace before creating a compilation routine to assist others in the programming of Daemons, a combination of low-level AI and virus which assist Netrunners in infiltrating systems.

Pixie has made a fortune selling her program but still enjoys doing illegal netrunning for the thrill of it. These days, she picks and chooses the jobs she wants and trusts the protection of her physical body to her guard and girlfriend, a Solo named Mahoney.

Countdown to the Dark Future #91
Jakob Mojave

Father, partner, son, healer

Jakob Mojave is a member of the Ghost Dancers, a Nomad pack which works construction and salvage and is affiliated with the Snake Nation. As a child, he lived in Portland. When the Collapse came and a plague struck the city, he and his father fled east, eventually joining up with the burgeoning Nomad movement there.

Though no medical school will agree, Jakob is a doctor. He learned his trade from his father and is, in turn, teaching and apprentice. As a doctor and an educated man, his counsel is valued by other Nomads. Some might call him a Shaman. Jakob calls himself a person who still has much to learn, especially from his partner Sarah, and their son Rik.

Countdown to the Dark Future #92
Marianne Freeman

Co-owner of the Forlorn Hope

Born biologically male, Marianne Freeman lived two decades struggling with her identity before finally accepting herself and transitioning during her twenties. Afterwards, she married John Freeman, aka the Professor, and helped him found the Forlorn Hope, a bar which caters to military veterans and edgerunners.

Marianne handles the day to day operations of the Forlorn Hope, including bookkeeping, payroll, supplies, and other business matters but still finds time to tend the bar on occasion. She is known both for her shocking pink hair and her wicked barbs. Marianne's husband likes to claim "she has to have twice the sense of humor of most people because I don't have one, myself".

Countdown to the Dark Future #93
Most gangs in Night City are built around a central theme, often taken to cultish levels of obsession. In the Dark Future, where there's little to hope for, people are so desperate to feel purpose and belonging they will build their identity on any scrap they can cling to.

Boosters. Gangs obsessed with replacing meat with metal. Cyberware addicts who see the future where flesh is dead and chrome lives forever.

Chromers. Gangs inspired by the Rockerboy movement, often building their theme around a specific musician, band, or even one single song.

Combat. Most gangs fight at times, but combat gangs are obsessed with battle. They range from those who consider themselves noble warriors, striving to perfect their art, to all out brawlers, who just want to beat the tar out of anyone they can.

Countdown to the Dark Future #94
Most gangs in Night City are built around a central theme, often taken to cultish levels of obsession. In the Dark Future, where there's little to hope for, people are so desperate to feel purpose and belonging they will build their identity on any scrap they can cling to.

Cultists. Gangs organized along religious lines, often following one leader's spiritual guidance. Many cultgangs are nihilist in nature, believing the world is beyond redemption and needs to die in a blaze of glory.

Dorphers. Gangs focused on the acquisition and use of drugs. They can range from blissed out junkies to amped up monsters, depending on their vice of choice.

Guardians. Often cops can't be trusted to do their job, so some citizens band together to guard their homes. Despite good intentions, some guardian gangs collect 'insurance" and rob/ kill "outsiders" to pay their bills.

Countdown to the Dark Future #95
Most gangs in Night City are built around a central theme, often taken to cultish levels of obsession. In the Dark Future, where there's little to hope for, people are so desperate to feel purpose and belonging they will build their identity on any scrap they can cling to.

Juvies. Juvie gangs, also known as Youth Gangs or YoGangs, have many themes but all have one thing in common: most members are early teens or preteens.

Posers. Cosplayers to the extreme, posers adopt themes from popculture and base lifestyle and looks on them, often with the help of surgery and cyberware.

Pranksters. While they may sound fun, gangs dedicated to practical jokes can have a dark side. Pranks range from "smash every red car's back passenger window" to "add psychoactive drugs to the local community center swimming pool" to even nastier tricks.

Countdown to the Dark Future #96
Most gangs in Night City are built around a central theme, often taken to cultish levels of obsession. In the Dark Future, where there's little to hope for, people are so desperate to feel purpose and belonging they will build their identity on any scrap they can cling to.

Party. Party gangers only want to have a good time. Hedonists, their tastes often grow jaded and the idea of "good time" becomes dark as they seek bigger highs.

Professionals. Some groups blur the line between guild and gang, coming together for protection in a world where an individual freelancer or performer is vulnerable to harassment, threats, and death.

Puppets. Corporations, organized crime groups, and even governments have been known to sponsor or form gangs, using them as weapons to point at enemies while maintaining plausible deniability.

Countdown to the Dark Future #97
The Brainiacs

The thinking man's boostergang, Brainiacs prefer skill chips and neuralware over less elegant, clunkier cybernetics. Not directly violent, the Brainiacs prefer to outthink rather than outfight. In one incident, they nearly wiped out a chapter of the Blood Razors by manipulating events to bring the booster gangers into contact with an Arasaka security force.

Each Brainiac wears a small silver coin around their neck to identify them as a member of the gang.

Countdown to the Dark Future #98
Maelstrom

Part boostergang, part combat gang, Maelstrom was born from the shattered remains of several other gangs with one thing in common: a grudge against the mysterious Inquisitors.

Members prefer black leather and chrome, making a point to visibly display their cyberware for the world to see. At least half the members have succumbed to cyberpsychosis or are dancing on the edge.

Countdown to the Dark Future #99
The Silver Slash

Both Guardian and Chromer gang, the Silver Slash patterned themselves off of the band of the same name. Gang leaders Marion and Jake Maxwell were inspired by the band's hit single, Stand for Your World, after their son was shot and killed in a gang scuffle near the Children's Hospital.

Now, the hospital serves as the gang's headquarters and they work hard to keep the local neighborhood safe.

Countdown to the Dark Future #100
The Wild Things

Dorpher gangs usually burn out when their leadership dies in a hail of gunfire or due to an overdose. The Wild Things are different. No one joins without first surviving for at least a year as a member of another Dorpher gang. As a result, the Wild Things are predatory, cynical, and can hold their own in any fight.

The Wild Things don't have gang colors. Each member knows the others on sight. Their tag is a red circle with a white dot.

Countdown to the Dark Future #101
The Voodoo Boys

The Voodoo Boys are as much about organized crime as they are about gang activities. They make their eddies by selling drugs to the students of Night City University. They are also a cultgang, using drugs and practices taken from Afro-Caribbean religions to enact sadistic rituals.

True members of those religions disavow the Voodoo Boys as nothing more than twisted pretenders who have stolen elements of a spirituality they can't possibly understand.

Countdown to the Dark Future #102
The DJs

Some gangs succeed despite their sheer lack of talent or combat ability. A good example are the DJs, a chromer gang who are better at selling bootleg music chips and fake collectables than they are at making music.

Their one saving grace is a firm understanding of the music scene in Night City If you can stand a DJ's "music" you can probably pump them for information on where the best parties and underground concerts are.

Countdown to the Dark Future #103
The Slaughterhouse

Like all boostergangs, the Slaughterhouse believe in packing as much cyberware into their body as possible. The twist is, the Slaughterhouse wants as much of that chrome to have sharp points or edges as possible.

Rippers, vampires, bigripps, slashers, wolvers. If it can cut or pierce, chances are its implanted into the body of a Slaughterhouser.

Members of the Slaughterhouse prefer black and red leather.

Countdown to the Dark Future #104
Among the smaller gangs of Night City are:

All members of the Tyger's Claw are of Japanese descent and have been known to protect citizens of Japantown from outsiders, even if they are also known for shaking them down for protection money.

The Western Stars are a posergang, modeling themselves after the cowboys of the silver screen, and a combat gang, taking pride in their skills as marksman.

The Willow Sisterhood are a group of women who have biosculpted themselves to resemble famous beauties of the past and present. Each member undergoes extensive training in the combat arts and it is considered fashionable for the rich and powerful of Night City to keep a Sister as a bodyguard/ mistress.

Countdown to the Dark Future #105
The Bozos

The Bozos began life as just another prankster gang, organized around a clown theme. Everything changed, however, when the Great Bozo took over the gang.

It is whispered the Great Bozo is actually an insane, former Arasaka engineer who now uses the clown gang for experiments in cyberware and surgical techniques considered too extreme and sadistic even by corporate standards.

Pity anyone targeted by the Bozos.

Countdown to the Dark Future #106
The Bozos

One might wonder, what sort of person would willingly join the Bozos and allow themselves to be sculpted and altered into the twisted image of a clown? Those ain't floppy shoes, people. Their feet really are that big...

The truth is, Bozos take twisted pride in their recruiting. Once they've settled on someone as a new member, they stalk and prank and harass that person until they've been driven to the edge of insanity.

Then the real torture begins. It is unknown how many Bozos were once mallplexers, corporate executives, or even genuinely decent people who had their sanity peeled away layer by layer until they embraced their new identity as "one of us".

Countdown to the Dark Future #107
Scratchers replace a person's fingernails with metal or carbo-glass.

Small compared to other cyberweapons, scratchers are still dangerous, as the incredibly sharpness of the material used to make them as deadly as any razor blade across the throat.

To prevent accidents, scratchers are designed to slice crossways and not downwards, meaning they have to be used in a specific way to do damage.

They are often decorated to make them indistinguishable from normal nails and are one of the few cyberweapons that are generally legal and available at any local clinic.

Countdown to the Dark Future #108
Vampires are exactly what one might expect from the name: implanted fangs.

A full set, completely replacing all teeth, are commonly known as a Sharkgrin Special. Vampires are considered decorative and not generally illegal, unless augmented with poison injectors.

Rippers, a deadlier version of scratchers, are three inch blades which pop out from the fingertips.

Fake fingernails are often worn to hide rippers, as they are illegal to possess in most locations. Rippers are usually extended by curling the hand into a clawlike shape.

Countdown to the Dark Future #109
Wolvers represent the next step in bladed cyberweapons. When someone with this cyberweapon forms a fist, thin, triangular blades telescope out from the wrist along channels build into the back of the hand.

The blades are a full foot in length and quite sharp.

With BigKnucks, the knuckles of a hand are reinforced for weight and hitting power.

For brawlers who like punching their problems away, BigKnucks are an absolute necessity.

The weapon commonly known as a Slice N' Dice is a monofilament wire spooled into a single finger, which can be extended to use as a whip, garrote, or cutter.

Countdown to the Dark Future #110
The Cybersnake is a directable, flexible weapon which is usually implanted in the throat but can be installed in any body orifice more than 1 inch long.

Upon command, the cybersnake will extend up to three feet from the orifice and attack. When attacking from the outside of an opponent's body, the cybersnake attacks much like a cobra, darting to jab, or like a whip to make a slashing attack.

When attacking from inside an opponent's body it stabs and twists repeatedly, causing as much internal trauma as possible.

Cybersnakes are a favored means of defense for those engaged in professional sex work, from joyboys and girls on the street to high class escorts.

Countdown to the Dark Future #111
A number of interesting cyberweapon options have been developed for edgerunners with cyberarms.

The Whip option produces a six foot long length of metal cord which can be used to slash, strangle, or grapple an opponent.

The Mace Hand, meanwhile, allows a heavily reinforced fist to be spooled out on a three foot long, thick cable for ranged attacks. The extended reach comes at a price, though, as the reinforcement interferes with articulation and reduced flexibility of the fingers.

Edgerunners needing a distraction instead of a weapon can add a 20,000 candlepower Flashbulb to the palm of their cyberhand to help blind and disorient enemies.

Countdown to the Dark Future #112
The BigRipp implants a blade of up to fourteen inches in length in your forearm. Simply flex the right muscles and the sharpness pops out. The standard option essentially transforms the arm into a long blade, allowing martial artists who specialize in archaic combat to operate even without an external weapon. Because of the way they are mounted, BigRipps aren't as effective at parrying other weapons as a normal blade would be.

Another option allows the BigRipp to be installed so it extends along the length of the forearm, which allows for brutal slashing attacks when using combat styles which favor punches and elbow checks.

Simply hit the target, then follow up by dragging the forearm along the target's body for maximum damage.

Countdown to the Dark Future #113
Edgerunners seeking a subtle cyberweapon often look at the Bonespike. A vat grown seven inch length of bone, reinforced with polymer, is installed into the forearm.

A Bonespike extends much like wolvers, though it does so from the palm and not the top of the hand.

Favored by assassins, the Bonespike is the perfect weapon for killing close up. On the other end of the subtly spectrum is the ChainRipp. It must be installed in a cyberarm and takes up two option slots instead of once.

A ChainRipp is exactly what it sounds like. Upon command, a chainsaw blade pops out from the forearm, above the hand, and whirs to life, ready to rip apart enemies.

Countdown to the Dark Future #114
Night City differs from many American cities in that its police services are staffed by municipal employees and not a privately contracted organization.

The Night City Police Department (NCPD) maintains multiple precinct offices while deputized corporate forces patrol the Corporate City Center.

NCPD keeps order in Night City through the use of regular street and investigative units, a closed-circuit camera and monitor system, and aerial patrol forces.

Roughly forty percent of street corners in Night City are home to a callbox which allow citizens and visitors alike to summon an NCPD presence for the cost of only one eddie! Some even work!

Countdown to the Dark Future #115
NCPD officers assigned to Traffic Patrol have pulled the shortest straw possible.

Its all the danger and none of the respect, as they suffer not only the dangers posed by gangs looking to have a little fun and corporate strike forces unconcerned about collateral damage but also the abuse heaped upon them by potentially armed Night City citizens irate about getting a ticket or being caught in the latest traffic snarl.

They say the worst thing a superior officer can tell a subordinate is "You've been transferred to Traffic". If a cop has been assigned to Traffic Patrol, it means they've pissed off someone with the power to make their life miserable.

Countdown to the Dark Future #116
Airborne Patrol uses aerodynes and gyros for surveillance and support purposes. A standard Airborne Patrol crew consists of one pilot, one command officer, two troopers, and a medic. A position in Airborne is sought after by many in the NCPD. Not only do they get to play with some of the latest technology but it is harder for gangs to lay traps for airborne vehicles the way they do for patrol cars.

A standard vehicle in the Airborne Patrol is the AV-3 aka "the Aerocop". Replaced on the civilian market by the more popular AV-4, the AV-3 was retooled and sold as a specialty vehicle to police forces around the world. The AV-3 now come standard with good armor, ground wheels for surface maneuvering when needed, and a top mounted turret.

Countdown to the Dark Future #117
In 2020, the Homicide Division of the NCPD is busier than ever. The population is growing every year and Corps, crime syndicates, and gangs are all fighting for control of the city's streets.

Mass murders take place disturbingly often and not every cyberpsycho is an obvious rampaging metal monster. Some look like ordinary serial killers until it is too late to call in MAX-TAC.

Anyone who works Homicide develops some way to cope with the depressing crush of too many cases, many of which they know will go unsolved. A Homicidie detective can see up to fifty bodies a day and anyone who doesn't find an outlet to help them deal with that stress instead finds the psych ward or the grave.

Countdown to the Dark Future #118
The Net Security Section, otherwise known as NETSEC, focuses on Night City's digital streets instead of its concrete ones. Computer crimes and illegal netrunning fall under their jurisdiction to investigate. In addition, NET SEC provides intelligence and research for other investigative divisions of the NCPD.

NET SEC officers tend to be high strung and many did not receive normal police training before joining the force.

A rare few join out of a sense of civic duty. Most join because NCPD promises them access to military grade netrunning hardware and software and it is better to have a regular paycheck than money from the occasional random hacking score and the constant potential of black IC fry your brain.

Countdown to the Dark Future #119
The Cyborg Suppression Unit is shorthanded both as C-SWAT and, more recently, as MAX-TAC.

This division was originally a part of the Special Weapons and Tactics section (SWAT) but spun off when it became clear the frequency with which they carried out their duties merited their own command.

MAX-TAC is a rapid response team of the most combat capable officers NCPD has to officer and outfitted with the best in military armor, weaponry, and vehicles.

They have one mission: monitor highly augmented individuals and be prepared to arrive fast, hit hard, and shoot to kill if their quarry goes over the edge into cyberpsychosis.

Countdown to the Dark Future #120
MAX-TAC work in SPAR (Special Purpose Assault Rescue) teams of six troopers and one officer. By necessity, many members are chromed to the point they are on the watch list themselves. The occasional MAX-TAC officer is a full borg.

MAX-TAC weapons are universally designed to take down heavily cybered individuals. This can include non-lethal and experimental weaponry but usually means high caliber rounds capable of penetrating any armor. EMP weapons are rare, since they'll do as much damage to the SPAR team as the cyberpsycho they're trying to take down.

Common weapons include the Constitution Arms Cyclone Squad Support Weapon and the Remington Gyro Sniper Rifle.

Countdown to the Dark #128
No single event contributed to the Dark Future of Cyberpunk 2020 than the Collapse, an implosion which devastated the US and rocked the world economy.

''"We all knew that the market couldn't get much worse. I was working in Municipals. People were just looking for the quick rake. Commissions were real high for a while. Buy, sell, buy, sell; I hardly slept for weeks. We were confident that the market would stabilize. We were hiring like mad, getting ready for the rally. Then, at about three o'clock one day, I was eating something and it came on the feed. Embargo. Everyone was in on it. The whole EEC; Switzerland even froze all American assets. Something about currency manipulations by hackers. I walked out on to the sales floor and there was no sound. People were just staring. Japan had abandoned us, then Mexico, even Australia. I threw up into a trashcan just as the first guy jumped." ''

Joe Siegel, Shearson/ AMEX, 1994

Countdown to the Dark #129
By the early 90s, the Gang of Four (the FBI, CIA NSA and DEA ) had been covertly working together to manipulate United States politics and legislation for years. Driven by ideology and lust for power, the Gang of Four took advantage of the covert nature of their various agencies and their control over much of the information the government received about the world to steer policy.

In 1993, worried about the rise of the European Economic Commonwealth as a world power, the Gang of Four began the "Quiet War", a series of covert actions to diminish EC power and ensure US dominance.

This culminated in hacking by US agencies into European and Asian stock markets to bolster US corporations and currency on the world market.

Countdown to the Dark #130
United States hacking-based manipulations of European and Asian stock markets were discovered by European agents in 1994. Rather than take direct action against a nominal ally, the EC instead leaked the information to the world press. The resulting outrage resulted in the Crash of '94 The American stock market was devastated as shares plummeted and countries which were once friends called for embargos.

The ripple, of course, spread across the world. Without the United States as a driving force, many international institutions collapsed. As other countries dealt with the fallout of the American stock market crash, no single government, or block of governments, could or were willing to step up to become the new world financial superpower.

Countdown to the Dark #131
By itself, the Crash of '94 wouldn't have caused the Collapse but other factors combined with the crash to make it possible. The Gang of Four had already been pushing covert and overt wars in Central and South America as part of a public relations campaign: a way of distracting US citizens from noticing an increasingly unstable domestic situation.

After the US hacking attacks on European stock markets was discovered, EEC countries began backing anti-American guerilla groups in the western hemisphere. This created a quagmire in South America and resulted in daring terrorist operations carried out in US soil. As a result, resources had to be pumped into military and security operations, leaving little left for rebuilding a shattered economy or a crumbling infrastructure.

Countdown to the Dark #132
Another factor which contributed to the Collapse was environmental. Pollution and environmental damage resulted in the despoiling of US farmlands. The once fertile fields of the American Midwest had once more become dustbowls. This, combined with damage to American waters from industrial accidents and pollutants meant the United States was unable able to feed itself, much less the rest of the world.

Things reached a tipping point on August 17, 1996, when the President and Vice President were both assassinated. The Speaker of the House was undergoing bypass surgery, and the President Pro Tem of the Senate refused to undertake the oath of office.

That afternoon John Seward, the Secretary of Defense addressed the nation and declared Martial Law.

Countdown to the Dark #133
The time of the Collapse was perhaps the darkest the United States has ever known. Acting President Seward and his cabinet actively fought against the Gang of Four for control of the government. At the same time, Seward had to deal with riots across the country, rebuilding shattered global alliances, further environmental disasters, and a devastating plague.

Seward was assassinated in 2000.

Eventually, Seward's successor, General William Newell was able to convince important members of the Gang of Four to testify against their masters. It took four more years, and several assassinations, to end the power of the Gang of Four. Those members who weren't jailed or imprisoned saw the writing on the wall and found new masters to protect them: the rising Megacorps.

Countdown to the Dark #134
Most historians mark November 7, 2008 as the end of the Collapse and the beginning of the rebuilding of the United States On that day, twelve years after martial law was declared, free elections were held. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. As of 2020, the US government is still weak. Washington's masters aren't the Gang of Four but the Corporations which prop up the economy.

According to census reports, nearly half the population of the United States died during the twelve years of the Collapse. Another 25 to 50 million citizens became Nomads, disenfranchised wanderers. Combine this with environmental disasters and the United States has become a country of concentrated urban centers with thousands of towns and cities now little more than empty, rusting shells.