First Steps: Rattle-Rattle-Rattle-Rattle
Enoch floored the accelerator, feeling the bulked-up thickness of his coat with a satisfied grin. He'd packed every necessary item, and that put his mind at ease. Soo, however, wore a very different expression. It had taken forever, and he'd stuffed in way too much. How the hell did all that fit into one coat? It was downright creepy. Enoch had treated the process like some sacred ritual, but to Soo, he just looked like a walking sweat-stain.
Mercenaries in this world traveled light. The tools needed for gigs were already built into their implants. Sure, they carried one or two main weapons, but in cyberpunk life, even those were fashion statements. And that went for run-of-the-mill mercs, not just the big names.
Two pistols and three throwing knives. A flashlight, small explosives. Five painkillers and ten stims. Three anesthetic injectors. Five calorie bars and an emergency nano-amp heal. Then cheap body armor, a sketchy shotgun, a gas mask, and holsters piled on top. You almost never saw mercs lugging all that.
Guys who called themselves mercs lived and died by style. They'd prioritize flashy gear over a home or hot meals. The empty-headed ones even took out high-interest loans for it—no need to explain further.
But Enoch was different. No loans at all, just minimal gear and his own skills to survive.
"A merc confident in his skills doesn't rely on gear."
"Enoch's lamer than Karchas."
"...But overwhelming gear makes even brilliant skills fade."
At least he had strong self-reliance. If you only looked at his survival instincts. His home, though... that crossed a line. Hell, it wasn't even a home.
A yellowed, discolored tent. Holes in the ceiling dripped water, and Enoch had patched them with a bucket to use as drinking water.
"Gotta get a car later. House first."
Rattle-rattle-rattle—Soo's mutter slipped through the crappy engine noise.
"That place was nightmare fuel."
Enoch's eyebrow twitched, but he kept his mouth shut. Soo had saved his life and handed him a huge opportunity. A little griping was just cute whining.
"No flies would touch a dump like that." Cute whining he... had to let slide.
"A Hod owner living like that? Pride's taking a hit."
Screech—Enoch downshifted at the light, his lip quivering. She stuck that implant in me on a whim, and now she's bitching at me? Sure, I'm grateful she did it and saved me. But that doesn't mean I have to shut up.
"...Wasn't the Hod something you slapped on me? Why bitch at me...? And it's my house—why're you complaining...?"
"Can't sleep in Enoch's house."
"What kinda crazy talk—"
"Gotta rent an office with the payout. One with a shower in the bathroom. Wanna live together? You'll catch something in that shithole."
"No thanks."
The light changed. Enoch shifted gears roughly, frustration boiling over. Not enough—he stomped the accelerator with pure rage. The speed crawled infuriatingly slow, and the pathetic rattle-rattle-rattle did nothing to vent it. At least it wouldn't build more...
Soo's chosen gig put them at odds with Lü Chen. Hack their info net, overlay dummy data, and hand it to Zailek to pin the Chrome Psycho incident on Lü Chen. That was the main job.
Hacking a megacorp like Lü Chen sounded tough, but infiltration was the hard part—hacking wasn't. Find the lab server, plug in the shard from Irina, done.
Of course, Irina might've handed them a dud to sell them out. A mid-tier connector like her having a shard for a megacorp net? Suspicious as hell.
But no choice. Suspicion stayed suspicion—you couldn't question every detail and merc in Eden. That didn't mean swallow the connector's words whole, though. Know when to turn your back.
Connectors and mercs played tit-for-tat. Cooperate if they cooperate. Betray if they betray. If they come back cooperative, cooperate again. That simple, silly strategy kept the symbiosis going.
So if Irina was cooperating now, Enoch and Soo should too. If she betrayed? Deal with it then. At least they wouldn't die mid-job.
"Southpeak Branch 2. Here we are."
"Whoa..."
Soo stopped before the Lü Chen lab, eyes sparkling as she looked around.
"Bigger than I thought."
Gold and red trim made it look less like a lab and more like a fancy Chinese restaurant. So tall you had to crane your neck forever to see the top. Giant screens on the walls doubled as ads for Lü Chen pharma.
The skyscrapers you pictured in cyberpunk? Even Lü Chen's lowest-tier lab shone like one.
And out front: six hulking guards, easy 2 meters tall, manning the main gate. Gray Eastern dragon emblem on their chests marked them as bottom-rung Lü Chen security.
Didn't mean ignore them. The weight of "Lü Chen" outweighed anything in Eden.
"Hmm..."
While Soo gawked, Enoch sized up the six.
"Tough."
Short and to the point. No details on strengths or implants—Enoch had no nano-hack tool or scanner. He just eyed them. Same for Soo.
But her take differed.
"When do we go in?"
"Sun's dipping—few hours should do. Already scouted a route?"
"Yeah."
Enoch's eyes widened. While pretending to sightsee? That innocent face all an act? Magic again? Questions swirled, but he nodded coolly.
"...Back door, huh."
"Back door?"
Soo tilted her head innocently. Adorably cute—but anyone who knew her wouldn't buy it.
"Wait."
Doubts vanished from Enoch's mind, replaced by deep unease.
"You don't mean."
"Can infiltrate right through the front."
"...First time hearing 'front gate' and 'infiltrate' in the same sentence."
"If they don't spot you, it's infiltration."
Enoch's gaze swept the guards and dozens of cameras, then back to Soo.
"No way."
"Without trying?"
"Gotta eat shit to know it's shit?"
"I don't eat shit. You do?"
"What the—look, what I mean is—"
"I distract, you slip in."
"How the hell...?"
Enoch trailed off, hand brushing his back. Soo raised a thumb: correct.
"Hod dodges their eyes."
The neural accelerator implant—not just cognition, it boosted physicals too. Max it out, and guards plus dense cameras miss him. Internal sensors? Knock out a researcher, snag their badge, fool 'em easy.
"Damn..."
Enoch couldn't argue. Not impossible. Hell, better odds than Soo's "infiltration."
"Can you pull it?"
"Not about can or can't."
Enoch bumped his fist toward Soo's... then eyed her suspiciously.
"How do you distract? Gotta time it for the door opening."
"This face is cute and pretty."
Cute and pretty? True. Maybe even... beautiful. But Enoch hated admitting it. Just a gut feeling.
Still, relief hit. Better than her insane "infiltration"—drawing eyes with her looks was safer.
"Fine, a normal plan for—"
"Open the door from afar."
Open from afar. No more explanation needed. Enoch got it instantly.
"Fuck, you... Didn't you just say you're cute and pretty? So why smash the door from range like a psycho...?"
"Cute and pretty means hide my face. And not smashing—opening."
Yup. This lunatic never planned stealth.
"Door opens, you dash in."
"...No. Please, for fuck's sake, don't."
Soo balanced a rock on her finger, beaming.
"This lab's fine. Trust me."
"Ha, haha..."
Shoot her now? Would slugs even work on this psycho? How to stop her? Body-block? She'd blast through, and he'd die like a dog. Flop down sobbing? No way to halt her?
Regrets and worries flooded Enoch's mind. Still, he fitted a suppressor to his Moonlight and prepped Hod. Lunatic or not, she was an ally now. Had to trust and adapt.
"On three."
Trust was trust... but Enoch didn't take her word. She'd say three, then smash on "three." Tension high, nerves sharp. Ignore stray thoughts. Door shatters—sprint.
Body leaned max forward.
"Oh?"
Someone leaped from the roof, landing lightly between them. Sleek as a cat. But no cat had those gravity-defying orbs—viciously huge.
"Soo!"
"Angela."
Blonde waves rippled. Warm sunlight scent enveloped Soo. Gentle jade eyes... hidden at first.
"What're you doing here?!"
Soo lifted her head from the pillowy chest engulfing her face. Met those signature gentle jade eyes. Soo smiled easy.
"Angela, hey."