Life on Mars (Kill deck + Short story)

MightyToenail 17

Presenting my first Netrunner Short Story: Life on Mars (This is meant to be a more literary approach on Netrunner fanfic. It is also an elaborate troll on @chill84. If you like this, give it a heart. The deck actually isn't all that bad. The goal is to overwhelm the runner by forcing them to take meat damage from Argus, then spring the surprise tag from Snare! in HQ. Put the Ravens in front of HQ and R&D.)

       David left the Beanstalk behind, and began to make his way through the narrow streets of New Angeles, jacketed against the pouring rain. The streets of New Angeles were a most frightening place to be walking at night, and the ancient neon lights alongside the newest holo-signs of the neighboring buildings lit the street with an eerie glow, lighting up the drenched street with colors that chilled the very bone.
        He was not afraid though. He had seen worse.
        In the alley that lay next to the street, a man lay huddled up against the side of a building, motionless with sleep. He felt a pity for the man. Ten years before now, that was him.
       David struggled to remember the directions Elizabeth had given him. How is it that you can't recall these directions, he thought to himself, when you could memorize even the most detailed battle plan, and could always remember the general's orders? No, don't think of that, Dr. Modohiro said to not think about that. 
       David looked up into the sky, and searched a moment.  His Ocular implants compensated for the light of the surrounding city. His eyes focused on a small point in the night sky. There it is, he thought, as he stared at the red dot, slowing making its endless journey through the sky. The planet that made me who I am today, that helped me to rise up from the depths of civilization. The reason I am here tonight, wandering the streets of New Angeles. All because of my deeds. He stared for a few more minutes, until the red planet wandered behind a building, and out of sight.
        An involuntary shudder shook the man as he continued traversing the streets of the great megacity. He had to keep his composure. This was going to be the most important moment of his life, and he did not need an attack right now. He had to impress those execs, or else all his, and everyone else's, suffering was for naught.
        The sound of footsteps caused him to start with fear. A young boy, no more than ten, ran down the narrow, abandoned lane, his feet splashing through the puddles that lined the pockmarked street. David then noticed the boy's face. It bore the characteristics of the Martian people. And that's when it all came flooding back to him in a flash. 
        The stern face of the general, the civil war, the arguing, the guilt, and the trigger. The horrible trigger. The trigger he pulled against hundreds of Martians, honest people who just wanted their freedom. Dead. Then he saw himself at the ceremony, and the general's face was filled with pride, as the medal was placed around his neck. And then the meeting on Luna, the meeting with Elizabeth in the heart, the power room, of the most powerful corporation in all of the world, and beyond it. She promised him riches, glory, and power for what he had done on Mars. All because of murder.
         He turned a corner, and beheld the colossus of steel and glass. His future. A holo-sign proclaimed this as the headquarters of Argus Security. He walked towards the doors of the building, straightening his coat, trying in vain to brush the water out of his hair. 
         He had just stepped up to the front doorway, when he remembered Elizabeth's words: Don't use the front door. Come around the side. He shuddered as he thought of what sort of business the security giant wanted him for.
         David walked into the alley next to the building, the darkened lane filled with trash, and empty stim vials. He was in the middle of taking a step when it happened. The breath was knocked out of him, and he fell to the ground. He felt a body step on top of him, and something cold and metallic pressed against his head. His soldier instincts knew what it was. "Nighty night," said a voice. The boy.

          In the alley that lay next to the street, a man huddled up against the side of a building, motionless with sleep.
3 comments
8 Mar 2016 MightyToenail

Why is it doing the thing with the weird writing?

9 Mar 2016 CowboyTintin

Actually, the 'weird writing' is kinda brilliant... I uploaded a MaxX deck (the deck I had been playing for about 6 months at the time) with a short story as well, and it took me for ever to figure out that you 'can't' get a paragraph indent in Markdown... Well, not really.

So... how'd you do it? :)

9 Mar 2016 MightyToenail

I, umm, pasted it in. Not really much there.