Dodger is the street name and Matrix moniker of an elven decker whose romantic attachment to the AI Morgan/Megaera provided the spark for her sentience. He is associated with Sam Verner (also known as Twist), and was one of the many “spike baby” elves under the tutelage of Sean Laverty at the Xavier Foundation. He eventually broke off his ties from Laverty’s inner circle and went to the shadows. He is known as one of the best deckers in the Seattle shadows, with a flair for the dramatic and a penchant for flowery language (he uses words such as “avaunt” and “forsooth”) in a Charles Dickens-esque English accent (which contributed to his name). He prefers using an ebony-colored boy with a cloak of swirling stars as his icon.
Dodger’s escapades in the Renraku hosts brought him in contact with the entity that would eventually become the AI Morgan. They began a romantic relationship, with Morgan fascinated by his capacity for compassion and self-sacrifice, and he being unable to draw himself away from her. His health deteriorated as he spent dangerously long times in the Matrix, and eventually he was forced to end their relationship, although they remained in contact. Morgan was later captured by Renraku, and her code was ripped apart for upgrading the Arcology Expert Program (which would later become the AI Deus). Dodger rescued Morgan, but not before she was shattered by what Renraku had done to her. She took the new name Megaera, and followed Dodger everywhere she could. Dodger dedicated himself toward trying to restore her to her former self, and thus became involved with several organizations that targeted both Renraku and eventually the AI Deus. It is not known whether or not he survived the ensuing events that followed the Matrix Crash 2.0.
References
- Brainscan, pp. 133-135
- Secrets of Power trilogy—Sam Verner’s constant companion
- System Failure, p. 49, 52-54