Week Nineteen

Tuesday May 23rd, 2043, 2300 hours

At Drake's apartment, while the celebration continued, Eve announced that Baal had completed the necessary datafort- everything was set! The plan was to hit Ryutech and free Eve on Saturday night (May 27th)...Eve would scramble Ryutech's security payroll, to foster unrest, and also rearrange the schedule so that only newer and more inexperienced guards would be on duty.

The team spent the next few days preparing for the run: studying the building's blueprints, talking with Eve about possible contingencies, procuring necessary weapons and gear, etcetera. During this time Drake received a phone call from a young boy, presumably a contact of Ishegawa's, who told her that Ishegawa had been released by NERCC and was well. (She was relieved to hear this).

Sunday May 28th, 2043, 0200 hours

The team arrived at Ryutech, under the guise of corporate soldiers escorting a prisoner to be interrogated. Eve (or Kayuni, the AI's actual name) got the team past all security checkpoints and guard stations, until they arrived by elevator to the guard post just outside Kayuni's room.

The two guards here were quickly neutralized, and the door to Kayuni hastily blown open. The team ran a fiber optic patch from the AI to the net terminal at the guard station console, and Kayuni began the download.

Just before the transfer was complete more Ryutech soldiers arrived. The party fended them off until Kayuni was finished, then made their way back into the elevator. Instead of bringing them up, however, Kayuni sent the elevator even deeper, to a sublevel used for conferences by upper management execs. There were a few more guards, and a large security robot, but the party managed to overcome all obstacles and make it to where Kayuni was leading them- emergency executive escape pods. Everyone piled in and made their escape.

The pods rocketed through underground tunnels, eventually depositing the team three miles away just outside the Ryutech Meteorological Research Center, still in Seattle. They had done it! For better or for worse, Kayuni was free!

Every video and computer terminal in the city suddenly came to life, with bright images of Gipetto and Eve, of Jesus and Buddha, of Damballa and Legba dancing across them. Kayuni thanked the team, each of them, over and over again, and then offered them whatever they wanted as a reward. Drake, Rook, Bug, and Alex each chose to remain together, to fight against ProGov with Kayuni as their ally. Only Derek chose to leave, with enough nuyen to live in luxury for the rest of his days.

The team had accomplished their goal. Kayuni had achieved its freedom. And ProGov was about to become very, very busy...

THE END (at least until the Sequel!)