Eden & Echo - A Gritty Cyberpunk Noir Thriller

Someone had spray painted white lines on the textured concrete floor to separate out the individual shooting lanes, which went back about two hundred meters.

The benches were actually concrete tables with short backless four legged wooden stools to sit on. Each person had their weapons set out on their bench, muzzles forward, magazines out, and chambers open showing empty.

André was setup the same as Simon except instead of the black bar on the back of his plate carrier he had a compact olive green tripod and the magazines for his weapon were significantly larger so he had fewer of them.

From the bench next to him Gigot was looking over the younger, larger hund with an expression that bordered on contempt. Instead of his usual tailored three piece black suit he was wearing a pair of borrowed gray combat pants and a sandy blue undershirt. He wore no armor and had a padded plastic holster under his left armpit with a spare magazine. On his feet were black athletic shoes with rubber soles.

GG had on some kind of matte black full body suit made out of woven synthetic material with armor along the front and back. What spare magazines she had were hidden under flaps of fabric and the suit had Integrated soft knee and elbow pads to cut down on unwanted noise. She had her compact smart dart launcher on the bench but no pistol.

Our gear was waiting for us on the last two benches. I found a gray plate carrier already setup with a knife, radio, medical gear, and ten black plastic tubes sixteen centimeters long oriented vertically along the front. I assumed those were the spare magazines for the shotgun.

There was also a battle belt with a holster and multi tool on the right side. On the left side were two pistol mags, a flashlight, and a mini first aid kit.

My cousin helped me awkwardly get all my gear on as everyone watched and waited. There was hearing protection and a pair of simple clear ballistic glasses to protect my eyes but I didn't see any kind of optical interface for my smart weapon.

"Dad, where is my HUD?" I asked, ready to begin except for that one crucial piece of equipment.

GG laughed. "You're hilarious."

"No, really. Where's the heads up display for my weapon?" I looked over to Simon who was wearing a look of confusion and concern.

"Why would you need an external HUD?" He asked. "Can't you just interface directly?"

That was when I realized that none of them were wearing augmented reality goggles like I had used in the academy. In fact I didn't see any HUDs on anyone's bench. "No. Can you?" I asked.

"Of course he can!" GG said, frustration rising in her voice as if my question was offensive to her. "We all can! Did they not teach you how to properly use a weapon in that police academy?"

The question hung in the air until Vika finally broke the silence. "Most cops don't have wetware capable of direct interfacing so they probably only use externals."

"That's ridiculous!" GG rubbed her temples as if she was trying to relieve a migraine. She turned to face Simon and pointed at him accusingly. "This is your fault. You never trained her."

"Back off." Simon growled. "I didn't teach her to shoot because she didn't need to learn and she didn't ask me. There are more important things in this world than learning how to kill people."

"You fucking softie!" GG swore, becoming increasingly agitated as she paced back and forth. "This is about survival, it's not some game! You can't just keep her sheltered and safe forever like a bird in a golden cage!"

I felt my blood begin to boil as aunt GG berated Simon. "That's enough!" I shouted, finally losing my cool completely. "Simon didn't teach me because I didn't ask. If you've got a problem with how he raised me you can fuck off back to Coven."

GG closed her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out again. "Fine, I'm over it. But we're here and we've got the equipment so you need to learn. You won't always have access to a HUD. I'm going to get some fresh air and clear my head. Gigot, you used to be an instructor. Will you please teach her for me?"

The tall Dansk nodded. "Of course. I would be happy to teach the basics to Eden if she wishes to learn."

I felt my hackles rise slightly at the idea that direct interfacing with a weapon was basic. But Gigot was extending an olive branch by at least asking me if I wanted to learn so I fought back the instinct to snap at him and just nodded instead.

"Good." Gigot looked over at André. "The rest of you may go but I would like to borrow André if I might."

"Sure, whatever." Simon said as he followed Vika and GG to what I assumed was a break room.

The muscle bound Döbian let out a bark of laughter once they were gone. "Are you going to teach me how to shoot as well?"

"No, I'm going to use you as an example of what not to do." Gigot pointed down range. "Put two targets each at fifty, one hundred, and two hundred meters. I'll have you shoot, then I'll critique your technique."

"Set up your own targets. I don't work for you." André replied menacingly. I didn't know why the two bodyguards were suddenly at each other's throats but I recognized a fight was brewing.

"No, and you never will because I have standards." Gigot said calmly as he walked forward, getting in the larger hund's personal space. "I already asked your boss if he had any particular attachment to you. He said no. So go setup those targets like I told you to before I-"

The headbutt came out of the blue and without warning. André violently smashed his wide forehead into Gigot's face, or at least tried to. Instead Gigot shoved André back, causing him to miss. Then before André could recover Gigot spread his hands wide and brought them back together with great speed and force over his attacker's ears.

Blood vessels burst in the corners of André's eyes and a thin trickle of blood came out his nose as he collapsed boneless to the floor. His legs kicked sporadically but he seemed to be incapable of voluntary movement.

It had all happened so fast that I didn't know what to do. All I could do was stand there and watch as André writhed on the floor.

"When André was in Coven a month ago he assaulted a female katzen. Apparently she wasn't the first." Gigot explained, his voice still calm and steady. "The police came to us a few days ago with proof and asked where he was. We told them that we didn't know but would help bring him to justice."

"What?" I sputtered, trying to make sense of the situation. André was gasping, his jaw working like he was trying to speak but no sound was coming out, his eyes were wide and full of fear.

"Don't waste your sympathy. He has combat grade wetware so there will be no permanent damage." Gigot assured me as he began to remove André's gear and pile it next to him. “He's filth. If it were up to me we would put a bullet in his head right now."

Simon came out of the break room holding a clear glass bottle of sparkling water with a white label. "Nice work." He said, tossing over a pair of reinforced handcuffs."I've got a plane ready on the runway and a very happy detective from Coven upstairs waiting for our friend here."

"You knew?" I asked, not believing what I was seeing. Gigot handcuffed André's hands behind his back and waited patiently.

"GG didn't tell me until this morning." Simon shook his head. "Of course she decided to bring you here to witness the takedown and blindsided me. That was why I was mad at her earlier."

"So all of this?" I waved at the benches full of weapons. "This was just a distraction?"

"André is armed at all times because he's my bodyguard. We needed to disarm and contain him before the take down." Simon explained. "Mr. Knight the armorer was kind enough to disable André's pistol during inspection."

I looked at the weapons on André's bench. "So what are these for?"

"For show, mostly." GG said as she seemingly appeared out of nowhere behind me. I jumped at the unexpected presence. She kneeled down next to André. "So, you like hurting katzen?" She asked.

The big hund blinked, trying to form a sentence. Already his wetware was repairing the damage to his skull and brain. Before long he would be back at full function. "Bitch…" he whispered. "I'll get you for this…."

"No." GG said as she leaned in close, her yellow eyes filled with malice and hate. She was close enough for him to see the tattoos under her eyes. They marked her as a survivor of the katzen genocide. Now I understood why she chose today to reveal them to me.

"You are going to go back to Coven, you are going to confess, and then you are going to sit in your jail cell and pray that I forget you exist. Because if I get so much as one threatening phone call, or even the slightest hint that you are planning something…"

Long cruel claws extended from GG's fingertips as she spoke. They were hooked at the ends and made of silver metal. "Well, you know what happens then. Nod if you understand."

Andre nodded, not taking his eyes off of GG's claws. He understood.

"Good." GG said as she stood up. "Gigot, take this garbage away, he has a plane to catch. Feel free to hurt him if he doesn't comply."

The tall Dansk reached down and pulled André to his feet. "Happily."

"I'll come along too." Vika said, falling into place behind Gigot. "Having a second body in case of trouble is just good tactics."

"Wonderful!" GG clapped her hands together and turned to face me. "Now, I believe we have a friendly wager."

"I think not, GG." Simon said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You've had enough fun for one day. Have Gigot take you home once he is done with André. I'm sure my daughter has questions for me and she deserves answers. Isn't that right, Hase?"

It felt strange hearing my childhood nickname after seeing such casual violence. It seemed wrong somehow, like a funeral on a sunny day. I nodded. "Yes, that would be good."

GG knew not to push her luck. "Well then, I suppose I will be on my way. It was nice to see you, Eden. Good luck tomorrow with your new job."

"Thank you." I said, my head still spinning.