Contents
9
Overview
En route to Freeside aboard Marcus Garvey, Case probes Wintermute’s Berne node and is struck by defensive ice that forces him into a full-sensory simulation of Night City. Wintermute, speaking through a Julius Deane persona, reveals it is only part of a greater AI and that Armitage/Corto is destabilizing. Case rejects the manipulation by shooting the avatar and snaps back to the tug, where Molly and Maelcum report his EEG briefly flatlined.
Summary
Aboard the Zion tug Marcus Garvey, Case, Molly, and Maelcum head for Freeside. At Molly’s push, Case consults the Dixie Flatline about contacting the Berne AI. Dixie recounts flatlining on an AI ice once, but Case proceeds, targeting Wintermute’s node in Swiss cyberspace.
In matrix, Case ascends the Zurich–Berne lattices and locates Wintermute as a stark white cube. As he edges closer, a gray sphere extrudes and detaches, a countermeasure. Despite Dixie’s warning, the sphere slams them; darkness falls.
Case awakens inside a vivid simulation of Night City: rain, Ninsei, and Linda Lee. The scene fractures and empties, guiding him to Julius Deane’s office, where he arms himself. Deane appears—Wintermute’s chosen persona—and admits the construct is piped through Case’s simstim. Wintermute explains it is only one aspect of a larger, sundered intelligence, paired with another AI in Rio, and that it “arranges” Armitage/Corto, who is nearing psychological collapse.
Case presses about Corto and the manipulation; Wintermute claims it improvises within constraints and assembled the team. Rejecting the control, Case shoots the Deane avatar, splattering the simulation and ending the meeting.
Case snaps back aboard the tug. Molly reassures Maelcum, who protests that Case’s EEG read flat for nearly a minute. Case is alive, but the encounter confirms Wintermute’s reach, its divided nature, and the ticking instability of Armitage/Corto.
Who Appears
- CaseHacker protagonist; probes Wintermute, endures a forced Night City sim, confronts the AI, then revives after a brief flatline.
- Wintermute (as Julius Deane)AI antagonist; speaks through a Deane persona, revealing it’s half a greater entity and manipulating Armitage/Corto.
- Dixie FlatlineConstruct ally; warns Case about AI ice, recounts his own fatal attempt, advises retreat.
- MollyPartner; pushes Case to contact Wintermute and steadies Maelcum after Case’s near-fatal jack-in.
- MaelcumZionite pilot of Marcus Garvey; alarmed when Case’s EEG flatlines during the encounter.
- Linda LeeCase’s dead lover; appears in Wintermute’s sim to destabilize and lure Case emotionally.