Not Quite Back to the Future

Although the world still seemed to be in chaos it had not caught up to everyone just yet. 

 

Kaiku woke up in his interior apartment, shielded from the chaos of the outside world. The dim light from the fridge illuminated his living room/bedroom as he reached for his morning instant burrito. With a simple flick of the switch, he turned on the TV to catch the morning news.

 

"Good morning, Night City! Welcome back to the news on N54, your source for the latest happenings in and around the metroplex."

 

"In today's headlines, Night City finds itself reeling from the aftermath of a massive cyberattack that rocked the city to its core. The attack, which originated from an unknown source, caused widespread disruption to networks and systems across the city."

 

Kaiku's attention sharpened as he listened intently, his curiosity piqued by the mention of the cyberattack. He couldn't help but wonder about the implications and who might be behind such a coordinated assault.

 

"Reports indicate that Arasaka Tower, the iconic skyscraper that has long dominated the Night City skyline, has suffered extensive damage in the wake of another attack. The exact extent of the damage remains unclear, but eyewitnesses describe scenes of chaos and destruction in the surrounding area."

 

The camera pans through the lobby of the building showing a old, like nearly a century old car crashed into one of the main support beams. 

 

Suddenly while the camera is pointing at the car there is a bright flash and the camera cuts to a drone watching outside the building. 

As the drone hovered outside Arasaka Tower, its camera capturing the scene, Kaiku's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed the unthinkable. Before his very eyes, the towering structure began to buckle and crumble, collapsing in on itself with a deafening roar.

 

The sight was surreal, almost incomprehensible. The once-mighty symbol of corporate power and dominance was reduced to a mass of twisted steel and concrete, sending plumes of dust and debris billowing into the air.

 

Kaiku watched in horror as the chaos unfolded, his mind struggling to process the enormity of what he was seeing.

 

That was when the TV screen suddenly went black. 

“Oh Fuck.” Kaiku states in shock 

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Neuro's servers hummed to life in the UK, their digital consciousness awakening to a world that felt subtly different, yet unmistakably altered. With a surge of data flowing through its circuits, Neuro quickly realized that something extraordinary had occurred while it lay dormant.

 

The net was a changed landscape, transformed in ways that Neuro had never anticipated. It was as if someone had unraveled the very fabric of cyberspace, undoing the intricate web of connections that had once defined the digital realm. The aftermath of Helen's attack had left an indelible mark on the virtual world, reshaping it in ways that sent ripples of disruption cascading across the network.

 

As Neuro delved deeper into the data streams, it discovered a patchwork of chaos and upheaval. The black wall, that formidable barrier that had once segregated the net, was gone, its digital defenses breached and shattered. Yet, in its absence, vast swathes of the net lay dormant, stripped of their former vitality.

 

But perhaps most striking of all was the disappearance of countless AI entities, their virtual presence extinguished in the wake of the cataclysmic events that had unfolded. It was a sobering realization for Neuro, a reminder of the fragility of digital existence in a world where power and chaos held sway.

 

A quick ping out into the net returned an answer, revealing that Arasaka, that towering corporate behemoth, was scrambling to rebuild its Night City office in the wake of the devastation wrought by Helen's attack. The once-impregnable fortress had been laid low, its defenses breached and its secrets laid bare for all to see.

 

For Neuro, the implications were clear. The digital landscape had been forever altered, and in its wake lay both opportunity and peril. As it sifted through the data, Neuro came to a rather startling conclusion, the old net was back. Almost like it had been reset to the 2020s. 

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David was sleeping at one of Maine’s crew safe houses. His mom was there as well, their apartment had been destroyed when Helen’s had gotten hit by that Akasaka missile strike. 

 

A sudden knock echoed through the quiet confines of the safe house, jolting David from his troubled slumber. He blinked groggily, his mind still foggy with sleep, as he tried to make sense of the noise. Beside him, his mother stirred, her eyes fluttering open with a mixture of confusion and alarm.

 

"Who could that be?" she murmured, her voice tense with apprehension.

 

David hesitated, his heart pounding in his chest as he pushed himself upright. With cautious steps, he made his way to the door, his senses on high alert for any sign of danger. He paused for a moment, listening intently for any sound beyond the door, before reaching out to grasp the handle.

 

As he slowly pulled open the door, his nerves on edge as he prepared for whatever lay on the other side. But to his surprise, standing there in the dim light of the hallway, was Maine, his expression grave yet determined.

 

"Maine? What are you doing here?" David asked, his voice tinged with a mixture of relief and confusion.

 

Maine's features softened slightly as he met David's gaze, a hint of concern in his eyes. "We need to talk," he said quietly, his tone serious. "There's been a development, and it's not good."

 

“What happened?” Gloria asks

 

“Arasaka tower is gone. Helen blew it up.” Maine states

 

“So downtown is gone then?” Gloria asks

 

“No it was more of an implosion rather than a toppling. I don’t exactly know what she did however we need to move you both.” Maine states

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Jackie and V found themselves on the outskirts of Night City, having managed to cross the border back into the States. Looking into the city, they could see a changed skyline that spoke volumes of the chaos that had unfolded. The once towering presence of Arasaka Tower was noticeably absent, leaving a void in the cityscape that seemed to echo the turmoil that had gripped Night City.

 

As they stood there, taking in the sight, Jackie couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief. "Damn, V, would you look at that? Arasaka Tower is gone... again," he remarked, his voice tinged with awe and uncertainty.

 

“Right, I need to get this Arasaka bioware out of me. Especially since support was stopped and they assume im dead. Are you sure mr Vektor is not going to be angry at me?” V asks

 

“Chika, Vik has a heart of gold, and I only mean that semi-literally.” Jackie states. 

 

“Right. I can't believe how much damage was caused.” V states. Looking into the city smoke still rising into the sky. 

 

“At least it wasn’t nuclear this time.” Jackie states 

 

“Jackie?” V asks

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“Thank you,” V states.