Date: November 21, 2400

United Nations of Earth Sphere

New Mexico City, Pueblo de Zapata

Plaza Mirador

Unktehi Asp savored the sights and sounds around him. This community on the outskirts of New Mexico City, Pueblo de Zapata, was a place he had frequented many times for business. You could easily mistake it for a 20th-century Mexican city, but the remnants of 25th-century living were everywhere. Cathedrals made of adobe adorned with intricate holograms depicting Catholic iconography, colorful street stalls offering traditional foods and crafts, jailbroken cybernetic enhancements at affordable prices, and even cobblestone streets shared by animal-drawn carriages and ground cars.

The Plaza Mirador provided a breathtaking view of the sprawling metropolis of New Mexico City below. It resembled most Earth cities, with towering skyscrapers dominating the skyline. The remnants of old Mexico City lay far below, concealed by the sea of steel and concrete. Much of old Mexico City had to be abandoned due to centuries of aquifer abuse, causing the city to sink deeper into the Earth by the 23rd century. Record rainfall and flooding had resurrected Lake Texaco, which the Spanish conquistadors had drained. Anything left behind was now submerged beneath the waters of Texaco.

Of course, no good tragedy could go unexploited by corporate interests and the Tenochtitlan Island Complex, or TIC, loomed just beyond New Mexico City as a testament to that. You could enter into its various arcologies and spend days or even weeks without setting foot outside as you engaged in activities both illicit and extravagant. The only place the sun shone on the island was at the site of the Templo Mayor, the ancient temple that was the center of Aztec civilization in old Tenochtitlan.

Asp preferred the tranquility of traditional life in the outskirts of New Mexico City. In a world where rural communities were becoming increasingly scarce, places like Zapata offered refuge from high-tech urban life and provided genuine, quality meals with real meat and vegetables, not the synthetic fare served in city kitchens. Sadly, that was becoming much rarer as fewer farms seemed able to compete against the big food companies shilling artificial slop.

His first stop was the street stall run by Sr. Rafael Alvarez, widely acknowledged as the best street chef in all of New Mexico City. Asp approached the stand, and without a word, the rotund proprietor began preparing his usual order. Moments later, Asp received a plate featuring a tostada generously loaded with real carne asada, refried beans, tomatoes, and queso fresco. Sr. Alvarez also handed him an ice-cold bottle of Jarritos, a staple of street cuisine.

"Every time you venture into our neighborhood, you order the same thing, hombre," remarked Director of MéxRx, Francisco De La Paz, in a half-joking, half-critical tone.

Asp, chewing on his tostada, responded, "What can I say? I'm a creature of habit."

De La Paz chuckled. "Ni modo, nothing changes with you unless it has to do with outer space."

The elderly, visor-wearing pharma director sat down and began eating his order, three tacos with most of the same toppings as Asp's tostada. While squeezing fresh lime juice onto his tacos, De La Paz inquired about the situation in the Great Sioux Nation. Such a report was then matched by inquiries about De La Paz’s plethora of grandchildren and their accomplishments that no doubt warmed the heart of a wistful old man. Before long though, the true nature of their meeting took shape.

"So, I heard about a break-in at Canaveral," De La Paz inquired.

"It was a professional job, a five-member mercenary team with a rogue element. They targeted various research projects, including the collaboration between Asp Aerospace and MéxRx."

"¿Por qué?"

"That's what I've got Hector and Terry working on. For now, I'm focused on ensuring the individual projects are proceeding as planned."

De La Paz crossed his arms and frowned. "Couldn't you have just given me a call?"

Asp shook his head. "It's too risky if I'm under surveillance. I even left Ling Yi at my hotel. I don't want any more ears than ours hearing our conversation."

"And the outfit?" De La Paz gestured to Asp's attire, which included sneakers, blue jeans, a slightly stained white shirt, a denim jacket, and a faded Cruz Azul soccer cap.

"It's good enough to keep me off the radar of those looking for a news story tomorrow," Asp shrugged.

De La Paz seemed to accept the explanation. "Fair enough, but it's still a significant risk coming out this way."

"Why? Have you become too wary of your local community since moving to that posh office space in the TIC?"

"Too many open spaces, hombre. While us 'gone legit' corporations now settle most of our disputes through lawyers, the old methods still work effectively."

It wasn't a well-kept secret that many major Mexican corporations had their origins in the cartels that once terrorized the country. The societal collapse during the Great Quarantine had given criminal enterprises the opportunity to establish even greater control in their territories as governments struggled to maintain order. Only a more ruthless power managed to seize complete control and bring even the bloodiest cartels to heel: corporate giants.

The choice was clear for the cartels: adapt their criminal empires to cooperate with corporate interests or be eliminated. Unlike corrupt governments that readily accepted bribes to protect themselves, corporate overlords had no such fear. With the backing of the surviving governments they essentially funded, and powerful private military companies providing muscle, most cartels chose to "go legit" rather than resist.

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However, some old habits died hard. Convoys of supplies could still be raided, scientists kidnapped for ransom, and products stolen—old tricks of the trade adapted to modern corporate life. In truth, many non-cartel-affiliated corporations worldwide engaged in similar behaviors, as corporate life often fostered a dog-eat-dog mentality.

Asp glanced around the bustling plaza and remarked, "Am I to believe you came here without any backup?"

"No, ese, they're keeping a low profile. Let someone else from the pharma-narco world make a move and end up floating in Texaco. What about you?"

"I'm playing a few cards close to my chest. Sorry, Fran."

De La Paz reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a flask, taking a swig. He simply replied, "Smart."

The two men continued discussing the details of the Asp Aerospace heist. Asp provided information about the mercenary team hired for the job, the IT staff member who had been incapacitated by a Netbound, and how all the relevant data for various projects had been erased. By the time this was all conveyed, nightfall began to descend on the plaza.

"So," Asp concluded, "That's just a long way of me asking if LIGHTSWITCH is still operational."

De La Paz fell silent for a moment before sighing deeply. "I've been meaning to discuss that with you, Asp."

Asp had known Francisco for a long time, and the only time he addressed him by his last name was when something was amiss. Before Asp could respond, De La Paz continued, "I've been under immense pressure to shut down LIGHTSWITCH from various angles over the last few months."

"You've mentioned problems before, but you've never gone into detail. What's going on?"

Just as De La Paz was about to answer, the sound of coughing children nearby interrupted their conversation. The children had been playing soccer and were now administering small cylindrical devices that hung from their necks, which injected something into their stomachs. After a few moments, they resumed playing.

De La Paz pointed to the children to emphasize his point. "It's getting worse year by year. Nearly every child I know has a prescription for suppressants."

"I've seen the same phenomenon all over Earth. CIGP is a terrible condition."

Cybernetic-Induced Genetic Poisoning, or CIGP, was the inevitable consequence of humanity's rush to adopt cybernetics over 300 years ago. The early neural interface, which allowed humans to connect with their machines in more personal ways, paved the way for advanced prosthetics, implants, and cosmetic enhancements. Ultimately, 98% of Earth's population became cybernetically augmented in one way or another. However, this widespread adoption took a toll on the health of those who had "mechanized" due to the presence of heavy metals, radioactive components, and other dangers that had been overlooked until it was too late.

Later generations of cybertech were safer, but the early adopters suffered genetic damage and passed on their illnesses to their offspring. Some had called for a ban on cybernetic augmentation, but it had become so deeply ingrained in work and society that such pleas fell on deaf ears. Only in the last 50 years had suppressants been developed to alleviate most CIGP symptoms.

"That's an understatement, Asp, but this is the reality my workers and my community face. While my scientists are working on your pet project, I am constantly questioned about why we're focusing on space exploration when issues like CIGP persist."

"We've had this discussion, Francisco. Everything you, I, and our other collaborators are working on..."

De La Paz interrupted Asp with a raised hand. "Amigo, my workers and their families don't care about extra-solar exploration. Their concerns revolve around the scarcity of real food, clean water, and their children being poisoned by the very cybernetics they need to thrive in society."

"But..."

"And LIGHTSWITCH isn't going anywhere until you solve the Tin Man Problem, as I've been saying for months. Work has come to a standstill, and the people working on it are frustrated that they're stuck sitting on their asses on a dead-end project instead of something practical."

The dreaded "Tin Man Problem" surfaced once more in Asp's thoughts. LIGHTSWITCH was a pharmaceutical cocktail and cryogenic therapy designed to induce deep sleep in users during long space journeys. Before the use of starstream gates, space travelers often chose to enter hibernation for the duration of their voyages. However, the methods used for this hibernation were crude, involving intravenous lines and constant monitoring. The chemicals used to induce hibernation had side effects, including physical weakness, amnesia, cognitive difficulties, and vivid nightmares and hallucinations.

Ideally, LIGHTSWITCH would create a stress-free hibernation state without the health drawbacks of previous methods. Cryogenic suspension would then slow down vital signs, making long-term sleep more efficient. However, the Tin Man Problem, as De La Paz's staff had labeled it, was a major obstacle. Cryogenic suspension didn't work for individuals with cybernetic enhancements, as these relied on the body's internal temperature for operation. Lowering the body temperature could cause malfunctions and, at worst, lead to system failures resulting in the user's death.

The sound of safeties being disengaged jolted Asp from his thoughts. Over a dozen individuals in various garbs of dress had turned to face them, their weapons drawn. Presumably, these were De La Paz's concealed guards, although De La Paz himself appeared perplexed by their actions.

"Well said, boss. But we know you're in Asp's pocket and could have disposed of this waste of time long ago," declared a burly man dressed in nondescript clothing, aiming a heavy-caliber hand cannon at De La Paz. He had cybernetic arms projecting holographic tattoos, with the MexRx company logo prominently displayed: a majestic eagle atop a red, green, and white pill.

"What do you think you're doing, Rodrigo?" De La Paz hissed.

"I'm making the choice many of us at MéxRx have wanted to make for a long time. The only thing that kept us from acting was our respect for you. Yet here you are, engaging in small talk with a man who only complicates our lives," Rodrigo replied, his tone hinting at his discomfort with the situation.

"If you still have any respect for me, tell me this: did this hit come from someone else within the company?"

"Yeah. Word of this meeting leaked out, and we were ordered to eliminate both you and Asp if possible. We hoped you were here to tell him that you couldn't continue LIGHTSWITCH, but you had no intention of quitting, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

"I've got kids on suppressants, boss. It's painful to hear them wake up coughing and struggling to breathe. Many of the big brains back at the labs believe they could develop treatments if it weren't for the time and effort wasted on Asp's space endeavors."

Asp kept his composure as De La Paz and Rodrigo exchanged words. He scanned the plaza and observed the crowd dispersing as more MexRx mercenaries encircled them. Without cybernetic enhancements, he could only estimate their true numbers.

One thing was clear: blood would be shed on this night.