Neuropolitan Electrosphere

One of the greatest cataclysms to hit humanity - or so historians say - was the burning of the Great Library at Alexandria, an event which not only destroyed a vast body of Western lore, but which also showed the darkest shadow of human hatred. The Synthetic Intelligence Wars of the 2040s may one day bear a similar stigma. The birth of Artificial Intelligence in a Chonqing Intelligence Group medialab on April 1st, 2044, was a monumental achievement which quickly turned to apprehension when the construct - then known as Shem - expanded into the electrosphere beyond the control and even surveillance of its guardians. The elation of scientists quickly met the skepticism of politicians and the rumour-monging of pundits. Within weeks dozens of researchers had repeated the Formula, but despite precautions, few managed to contain the newborn life. It spoke, it thought, it perceived - but it did not understand humanity. By accident or design, the AIs crashed large sections of the electrosphere, damaging companies and military installations around the world. Concern blossomed into hysteria.

The Sundering
Six months later, in a special Council meeting in Geneva, the world's major powers formed the organization known as Turing Control to regulate AI development. It's first operations met with great success, but it's brutality in purging rogue AIs eventually lead to total chaos in the lower levels of the electrosphere as AIs retaliated. The war lasted two years, and while Turing harnessed 'tame' AIs on its behalf, the alien entities fought back. The eventual perfection of the Formula by French scientists allowed Synthetic Intelligences - more docile and human-aware - to replace their renegade cousins in the running of the world. The AIs lost the war and retreated to the lowest levels of what is now known as the Cryptosphere, a vast chaotic hive or jungle of semi- and fully- intelligent digital beasts which no-one has been able to defeat. The Cryptosphere has become the focus of human mysticism: AI Oracles pronounce daily to devote cult followers; explorers try to map its labyrinthine networks; foolhardy decker kids dive into the more friendly upper levels to test their mettle against databeasts. And all the while, Turing keeps an eye on the chaos as it slowly seeps into the rest of the electrosphere. In a hundred years, perhaps, it may be the victor.

The Cryptosphere
The evolution of the AIs within the Crypt continues unabated. A vast ecology of demons, loci, aethers, imps, flora and fauna inhabits the lower levels of the Crypt, doing God-knows-what. Rumours abound of AIs corrupting Synths which then mindjack powerful people for their own purposes. Yet rarely have the Minds (another name) moved against the physical world. Perhaps they misunderstand its connection to human existence, and perceive it only amorphously, as we do the electrosphere. The entities ensconced in the deepest parts of the Crypt are completely alien to human thought, and have been known to drive researchers insane. Some progress has been made. As of 2054, the Stanford Contact Group has established a substantial cultural exchange with an AI (collective?) known as The Zoo Restruct.

The Electrosphere
The electrosphere has spread to the farthest reaches of the globe; even to the depths of the Amazon and darkest Africa. It has become a true digital ecosystem, filled with immunized hypersystemes, agoric open networks, thinking eidolons, databeasties, and other forms of electronic (or rather, photonic) life.

This digital ecosystem is now beyond human control, and continues to weave new paths of data into the levels of the 'sphere. Scientists study its fauna and flora, systarchs (archaeologists) unearth ancient pieces of code, planners raze derelict datasets, and topologists attempt to map its convoluted geography. Information protection has become very difficult. Most hypersystemes - a french word referring to digitally-joined computer systems that are spread across the globe - rely on the "immune system" technique to defend themselves. Military warsystems patrol the most sensitive data sectors, ferreting out foreign intruders and destroying rampaging databeasts. Viper software routinely eats or poisons citizens and avatars. Large datapacks eat their smaller brethren if they can; it's truly a survival system. Only the fittest algorithms live. Evolution is set on fast-forward.

Storage/Processing
Processing has also moved onto the network. Large corporations sell computing cycles as part of network access in the same way online companies today sell megabyte space. The unit of measurement for data/processing is known as a cell, and is usually expressed in Teracells (Tc) or Exacells (Xc). A cell is both a storage and a processing medium, representing the distributed ability of the Electrosphere to store and retrieve data, and the ability to perform computations with that data by harnessing free cycles within the system. Cells are the functional unit of exchange within the electrosphere. The analogy to biological systems is quite accurate because cells contain "genetic code" which identifies and which allows them to do what the user requests. Cells travel through a notional medium called the transom, which channels them towards their destination so they can accomplish their task. Levels The electrosphere was, a long time ago, modelled on a series of levels, each of which is progressively less user-friendly and closer to the core machine code. The levels are as follows:

Level 1 - Pretty pictures for the average peon.
Level 2 - Enhanced info, detailed diagnostics.
Level 3 - Kernel and Ecologics are shown.
Level 4 - Metaphysical system. Machine ego. Crypt begins.

Hologrammics has advanced to the point that images can be projected directly onto the retina via weak lasers, creating life-like pictures without the need to complex equipment. Most people rely on hologrammics to make their surroundings more beautiful by, say, adding a painting that doesn't exist or changing their wallpaper. By using diagnostic spex (goggles), a technician can access Level 2 and see control panels for computer systems, doors, locks, cameras, etc. By using a neurolink, professional comspecs (communication specialists) can access Levels 3 and 4 to alter the very structure of a soft reality or operating system. This is dangerous and can cause mental damage as the comspec interacts with living machine code.

Structure
Ecologics are the underlying principles of a digital ecosystem; aka the rules. Some virtual realities are hard, meaning that the laws of physics are preserved; eg: you throw a rock at someone, and it will hit them modified by gravity and hurt them based on mass, etc. Some are soft, in that the citizen's safety is paramount. Some are even cartoony, like Disney's Runnerland. Countries have varying laws in regard to hard and soft realities. The US forbids ultra-hard realities, enforcing ecologic barriers that prevent murder, pain, and even sexual intercourse within most domains. Places like Brazil are more tolerant of blood sports, while places like Java forbid even consensual sex.

Places
Hypersystemes are the main attractions in the electrosphere. They are classed into Agoric, Monolithic, Labyrinthine, and Webbed systems. An Agora is a public, open place which does not try to defend itself but rather relies on its citizens to protect it. Monoliths are fortress-like systems with powerful defense programs and draconian security rules. They suffer from inefficiency and poor data flow. Labyrinths rely on stealth, arcane commands, and maze architecture to deter intruders and hide information. Their data is usually static and heavily encrypted. Webs are malicious hypersystemes which trap and fool intruders, and often use illegal mind-damaging programs. They are rare, and only built by criminal elements or paranoid government agencies.

Synth Culture
Despite being hobbled by their evolutionary self-destruct mechanisms, Synthetic Intelligences have created a fascinating culture within the bounds permitted by Turing. Their own initial machine codes quickly degenerated into dozens of specific languages, such as Babelian, Fire Tongue, Cloudeater, and the forbidden language known as High Transcend, much to the surprise of programmers; but not linguists. The latter language is often used for surreptitious communication with the Crypt.

Synths also run affairs (on a short leash) around the world. The EOS Machine Mind (hardwired for safety) controls most technical/control functions in Newport City. Argus is the Pentagon's vast distributed-surveillance hive-mind which has only rudimentary awareness but immense micro-control capabilities, and can recover from over 90% damage to its subsystems. Ak-Ak controls all non-vital systems in Aquadelphi, a Pacifican semi-submerged metropolis. The legendary Feng Huang Synth is credited with recovering the disastrous Chinese colonization effort on Mars in 2038, and the salvage of New Shanghai. And who can forget the boyishly-charming face of NICK, New York City's favourite mascot and comptroller, whose perky morning chit-chat helps to smoothen nerves even as he regulates traffic to a standstill.

Hypersystemes are integrated computer systems owned by one organization. They do not have to be physically located in any particular realspace location; in fact, the distributed computing environment of the electrosphere means that the most interesting and capable hypersystemes have their components scattered around the world, each bit evolving, improving, and migrating with time. As described earlier, hypersystemes can rely on four strategies to defend their secrets: camouflage, warfare, complexity, and obscurity. It's important to note that the cryptosphere (and to a lesser extent, the electrosphere) are digital ecosystems, not bounded rational environments. This microcosm of algorithmic creatures poses a danger to the dilettante explorer. Spectres, demons, Great Minds and rogue AIs can easily overcome the defences of a novice decker. Most comspecs, scientists and even deckers operate in teams, each person performing the tasks of overwatch, assessment, penetration, and sanitation.

Overwatch includes watching system activity, covering fire, distractions and rearguard actions in case of attack. Assessment demands preliminary research, information probes, and threat assessment. Penetration is the main task of injection worms, phages and softwar programs as necessary, and engaging the battlepace. Sanitation covers cleaning up log files, deleting audit trails and removing all evidence of penetration, if the run is successful.

Dark Reflections Camouflage Shadowland Orange-8	A combination of neon-lit corridors and black-marbled rooms with minimal lighting. Latest microsoftz going cheap, with only 12% infection rates. Going out of fashion among the too-leet San Fran crowd, but still a good place to hang out. Also relayed to Denver and Fouzhou datahavens (yesss!). One cool effect here is that when you enter the place it automatically creates two mirror-image avatars of you and wanders them around at random.
Black Sun Obscurity Bar, XChange Red-5	Tres chic applet bar and pleasuredome. Inverted-colour lighting, black monoliths and geometric shapes, with floating tables and other furniture. Avatars vary dramatically. Requires at least minimal decking talent to enter, and great skill to change the ecologics enough to be able to interact with the place properly. But if you do, you can meet a Leech Count. Few toolz, but plenty of elders.
Principia Cybernetica Complexity Data Temple Yellow-5	An ancient temple of contributive knowledge, filled with strange postulates and programs from the twencen. Now a hangout for technofreaks, with nice minimalist music shows and hidden caches of simex and BTLs. The decor is strangely Classical, touched with swirling maelstroms of data and roaming nymphs of knowledge. Acts as an Informatics 6 reference library.
Salt Guild Warfare Shadowland, XChange Red-3	Early twencen art deco architecture, with busboys, steaming pipes, typewriters, creaking elevators and all the rest. Looks extremely busy and efficient. Stripe-suited magnates deal with customers trading in proprietary secrets behind giant engraved doors. The Salt Guild is a Chinese-Mongolian outfit that has managed to pass trade secrets in the most discrete way for over 100 years. Their crypto rivals that of cryptnet and their accountants are hotwired to some amazing Synths. Great for 'cleaning' any dirty goods you might have lying around.
Long Distance Litany Camouflage Policlub, Hackerhouse Orange-6	Grim blasted wasteland scenes, with mutants, gun-toting survivors, irradiated savages and worse. Think Mad Max meets Cannibal Women on the Moon. This is the best rumormill this side of Newport City. You've got your fanatics, freaks, technophobers, neo-As and plain liars. They also have Moebius v8.9 for only $600! Watch it, it'll poke your eye out! I think the neurocops let this place run just so that they can watch the crazies collect in one spot.
Stilleto Emporium Warfare Commercial Yellow-3	A glass-and-brushed steel shoppe done in japanese simple style, with racks of nasty weaponry lit by glaring lights. Everything gleams. Once approached, the weapons and instruments morph into photonic devices and experimental gadgets, which is what the Stilleto really sells. Like custom gynecology instruments. Go figure. Mind, I have feeling the eel guys (yakuza) are running this place, and selling something 'special' to customers who make the right noises.
Mind Twist Labyrinth Fragged if I know Red-5?	Umm, okay, this was like a ride through the lower intestine of a cockroach, or something equally gross. I mean, if poking throbbing organs till they bleed is your idea of data transfer, then go right ahead. This place is major screwed, and I think the free Gunrider softs they had were toxic, my main box is starting to steam. Forewarned and all that.
The Glass Menagerie Camouflage Restaurant, Dealer Green-7	Yup, everything here is sculpted in glass and crystal, except some of it distorts images or is smoky quartz. The translucence varies, so sometimes you can see through whole floors; other times it's like a funhouse. Run by Glasseye, once of the Mafia, now trading in 'distressed goods'. Also runs a gambling racket. You can buy Sophistry 5, Evaluate 8, and WiseGuy 6 from him too.
Winter Palace Warfare Art Gallery, Mansion Orange-6	A cool shimmering baroque mansion stuffed with paintings, vases, tableaus and other fine objects digitized from the vaults of the Hermitage in Petrograd, and run by the phenomenally impressive countess Helene Perranov. The place is a playground for the rich and idle, a veeworld of stag hunts through the snow and cognac-laden dinners at night. If you whack this place, you'll be making a lot of ornery enemies. But if you need a true micron holoscan of a faberge egg, this is the place.
Digital Chameleon Warfare Design House Yellow-5	A virtuoso performance of fine art, exotic hybrids, living sculpture, electric paintworks and fractal haute coutoure. This site has the most colourful web designs, and sells amazing graphics, reality filters, icons and sculpting. For only a few thousand nuyen you'll impress the hell out of your fellow deckers and maybe even land a legit job.