Synopsis
A first night shift and a simple assignment: provide security for a major local public event in Santo Domingo. What could possibly go wrong? One month after the events of Cyberpunk 2078: On Patrol.
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Poets of the Fall — “Carnival of Rust”.
19:00–20:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Nine Inch Nails — “Every Day Is Exactly The Same”.
The main screen displayed a map of Santo Domingo: Rancho Coronado was almost entirely green, while several blocks in Arroyo were highlighted in yellow. Service alerts slowly scrolled beside it. Green entered the room and took an empty chair. Several officers were already seated, but Phillips’s chair remained empty. The desk sergeant came in last.
Desk Sergeant: Before we start. Officer Phillips’s wife died this afternoon. He’ll be out for a few days. If anyone was planning to call him about work — don’t. If you want to offer your condolences, do it later. For now, leave the man alone.
The sergeant brought up the next screen.
Desk Sergeant: Now, the shift. Arroyo is quiet, as far as that word applies to Arroyo. Three vehicle thefts in Rancho Coronado over the last two hours. One car’s already been found. No wheels.
A list of patrol units appeared on the screen.
Desk Sergeant: Nine-Adam-Four — west Arroyo. Nine-Adam-Two — Rancho Coronado. Nine-Adam-Sixteen… Green, you’re working solo.
Green: Sir, this is only my second month on patrol. Under regulations, I’m not allowed to go out without a training officer.
Desk Sergeant: I know. For this shift, that’s my decision and my responsibility.
Green: But the training regulations specifically prohibit…
Desk Sergeant: Phillips isn’t here. One training officer is out sick. Another took a bullet in the leg last week. In a month, you haven’t lost your weapon and you haven’t been written up. By this precinct’s standards, you’re practically officer of the month. Not counting the thing with the car.
Several people laughed.
Officer: Where is it, anyway?
Green: In the shop.
Another Officer: After they pulled it out of the water. And we’re in Santo Domingo.
Green: We were pursuing car thieves and lost control near the bridge in the Glen.
The sergeant switched the screen.
Desk Sergeant: You’ve got the easiest assignment tonight. Until twenty-two hundred, you work your normal patrol route. No chasing armed gangs on your own. No checking suspicious warehouses. You see anything serious, call another unit and wait.
Green: Understood.
Desk Sergeant: At twenty-two hundred, report to Red Dirt. Eliz Winters is holding a charity concert there tonight. She’s from Arroyo, so she decided to raise money for local aid programs. Starting at twenty-two hundred, you’ll assist with security. Local security will handle the inside, and we’ll have two units outside. Your primary responsibility is Winters herself. Check the entrances, the service exit, and the route to the car. After the concert, escort her wherever the event coordinator tells you.
Green: A more experienced officer is usually assigned to protect a public figure.
Desk Sergeant: It’s a charity concert at Red Dirt, not a corporate summit. You’ll stand near the stage and make sure nobody gets to the singer. Even you should be able to handle that.
Green: Any known threats?
Desk Sergeant: None at this time.
The sergeant closed the assignment list, and the officers began filing out. Green got up and approached him.
Green: Sir.
Desk Sergeant: I already told you…
Green: Not about that. I don’t have a car.
Desk Sergeant: Go talk to the techs.
Green: They said they’re not giving me another one. Sir, their exact words were, “Until that idiot learns the difference between a road and a body of water, he can walk.” Phillips usually dealt with them.
Desk Sergeant: Ray isn’t here tonight. Learn to deal with them yourself.
Green headed down to the garage. His familiar Hella stood near the repair bays with its front end taken apart. Both front doors had been removed, the interior was partially stripped, and bundles of wiring stuck up through the floor. A technician appeared from behind the raised hood of the car beside it.
Green: When will it be ready?
Technician: When it dries out.
Green: I’m required to go on patrol. Under internal regulations, if an assigned vehicle is unavailable due to a technical malfunction, the unit must be provided with a reserve vehicle if one is available.
Senior Technician: Fine. Come on.
He waved toward the far corner of the garage. An old patrol Hella stood there: the paint on the hood had faded, the front bumper had been replaced with one in a different shade, and a shallow dent was still visible on the right side of the rear bodywork, never completely repaired even after decades. At least the light bar looked intact. Green walked closer.
Green: What’s wrong with it?
Senior Technician: Nothing serious. Survived a nuclear blast and fifty years of service. The left rear tire-pressure sensor gives false readings, and the suspension sags. You sure you want this car?
Green: Yes.
Senior Technician: Then that’s it. One condition.
Green: What condition?
Senior Technician: Stay away from water.
Green: I’m not planning to…
Laughter came from beneath a nearby car.
Senior Technician: And if you drown this one too, I’ll find you a MaiMai.
Green: Thank you.
Green took a heavy bag from his locker and put it in the trunk, looked at the two radiation-protection kits that were still drying, and left them in the locker. Then he got behind the wheel and switched on the ignition. The engine started on the second try. He checked the lights, brakes, and police radio, then buckled his seat belt and picked up the microphone.
Green: Dispatch, Nine-Adam-Sixteen. One officer. Heading out on patrol.
Dispatch: Nine-Adam-Sixteen, copy.
20:00–21:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Iron Maiden — “Blood Brothers”.
The patrol car moved slowly through Rancho Coronado. The old Hella scraped its undercarriage on every bump, while the left rear tire-pressure sensor had already reported a critical fault three times—and returned to normal on its own just as many.
===== [INCOMING CALL: UNKNOWN NUMBER] =====
Green: Officer Green.
Unknown Caller: Kid, where are you?
Green: Excuse me?
Edwards: Edwards. Phillips’s former partner.
Green: Sir. How did you get my personal number?
Edwards: Stop by the store, pick up my groceries, and bring them to my house.
Green: Sir, I’m currently on patrol.
Edwards: I know.
Green: How?
Edwards: Kid, I spent over forty years in the police. You think everyone suddenly stopped talking to me when I retired?
Green: No, sir.
Edwards: Then stop asking stupid questions. The order’s already packed. You just need to pick it up and bring it over.
Green: Why didn’t you order delivery?
Edwards: Ray’s busy today, so you’re doing it.
Green: Sir, that isn’t part of my official duties.
Edwards: I’m seventy-three, and I’m not dragging myself halfway across the neighborhood every two weeks for groceries.
Green: All right, sir.
Edwards: That’s better.
With no new calls coming in, ten minutes later the Hella stopped outside a twenty-four-hour store. Green picked up the bags and loaded them into the trunk, and before long he was pulling up outside the familiar small house. Edwards was waiting by the door. Green opened the trunk, while Edwards walked closer and silently stared at the Hella for several seconds.
Green: Something wrong, sir?
Edwards: No.
Edwards ran a hand along the edge of the hood and rested it against the glass.
Edwards: Where’d you find her?
Green: In the far corner of the garage. You know this car?
Edwards: I do. Drove it back in 2023. Still radioactive?
Green: Radioactive?
Edwards: Got hit with radiation.
Green: Bastards …
Edwards: Shouldn’t have sunk your car.
Green: You know about that too?
Edwards: The whole neighborhood knows how you tried a PIT maneuver and ended up in the water.
Green took out two more bags and a case of beer. They carried the groceries inside, and Green set the last bag on the kitchen table.
Edwards: Hey, kid. First night out alone?
Green: Yes, sir.
Edwards: If anything happens, call me.
Green: Understood.
Edwards: And if you get a Code 5, call our guys right away!
Green: Code 5?
Edwards: Did Phillips teach you anything at all? Cyberpsycho.
Green: Thank you, sir. We use a different designation now.
A signal sounded from the police radio.
Dispatch: Nine-Adam-Sixteen, new call. Complaint of loud music and noise at a residence. Multiple repeat calls from neighbors.
Green: Dispatch, Nine-Adam-Sixteen. Copy. En route.
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Avril Lavigne — “What The Hell”.
A few minutes later, Green stopped outside a two-story house. The music was audible even through the Hella’s closed windows. Empty bottles were scattered near the entrance, while women’s laughter and shouting came from inside.
Green: NCPD! Open the door!
The music got quieter. Whispering came from behind the door.
Female Voice: Are they here already?
Another Voice: I think so.
Third Voice: That was fast.
The door suddenly swung open. A young woman in a short glittering dress and a plastic tiara that read BRIDE stood in front of Green. She studied his uniform for several seconds.
Bride: O-o-oh. Come in, officer.
Green: Good evening, ma’am. We’ve received complaints about loud music and noise.
A girl holding a glass peeked out from the room.
Bride: I’m Laura. That’s Amy, Kate, and Sandra.
Amy: Girls, he looks so real!
Laura reached toward his armored vest, but Green caught her wrist.
Green: Please don’t touch me. And turn the music down.
Bride: Even the armor’s real.
Two more girls came out of the room.
Kate: Is that him?
Sandra: Where are the others?
Green: What others?
Amy: We ordered four.
Green: I’m here because the neighbors filed a complaint.
Sandra: So this is part of the act?
Bride: I like it.
Green closed his eyes for a second.
Green: Once again. I’m an NCPD officer. Turn the volume down and keep the noise inside. This is your first warning.
Kate stepped closer and reached for the fastener on his armored vest. Green moved her hand away.
Green: Don’t touch my equipment.
Bride: Girls, he’s giving orders!
The music came back on at full volume. Green went inside, stepped around the girl trying to stop him, and switched the system off. The room went quiet.
Green: Now you stay inside, and you don’t turn the music back up to that volume. One more complaint and you’ll be cited.
The bride picked up a bottle from the table.
Bride: Have a drink with us.
Green: I’m on duty.
Sandra grabbed his belt from behind.
Sandra: Are the handcuffs real?
Green: Let go.
He removed her hand. At the same moment, Amy reached toward the holster holding his Taser. Green caught her wrist.
Green: Don’t touch the weapons. That’s it. Party’s over.
Sandra: What a killjoy.
Green backed up against the wall so he could keep all four of them in view.
Green: You have repeatedly ignored lawful orders and attempted to access police weapons. Everyone stay where you are.
He pressed the radio button.
Green: Dispatch, Nine-Adam-Sixteen. Requesting an additional unit. Four individuals, heavily intoxicated, refusing to comply.
Dispatch: Nine-Adam-Sixteen, copy. Nine-Adam-Two will be there in five minutes.
Kate opened the front door.
Green: Where are you going?
Kate: To smoke.
Green: Stay inside.
She gave him the middle finger and stepped onto the porch. Green followed her.
Green: Ma’am, go back inside.
Kate turned and shoved him in the chest with both hands. Green took a step back.
Green: Don’t do that again.
She stepped toward him and raised the bottle. Green drew his Taser.
Green: Drop the bottle!
Laura ran out of the house.
Bride: Don’t shoot her!
Green: Stay inside!
Kate took another step without lowering the bottle. Green fired. The probes struck her dress, and she screamed as she collapsed onto the lawn. The bottle shattered beside her.
Green: Everyone stay where you are.
Laura stared at him for several seconds.
Bride: You’re actually a cop.
Green: Yes, ma’am.
Red and blue lights appeared at the end of the street. A second patrol car stopped outside the house, and two officers got out. One looked from the woman lying on the lawn to the other three standing by the door, then to the bride’s plastic tiara and the shattered bottle.
Officer: What happened?
Green: Repeated disorderly conduct. Failure to comply with lawful orders. Attempted access to police weapons. Assault on a police officer.
Amy: We thought it was part of the act.
The officer slowly turned toward Green. The second one looked away, trying to hide his laughter.
Officer: I see.
Kate: I hate bachelorette parties.
Green: Ma’am, don’t move. Medical will check you over.
Bride: Are you arresting us too?
Green: Yes, ma’am.
Officer: First night shift?
Green: Yes.
Officer: Not a bad start.
21:00–22:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Motörhead — “Life’s a Bitch”.
The four women were split between two patrol cars. One kept complaining about the pain from the Taser, the bride was trying to find out whether the wedding could be moved straight to the precinct, and the two responding officers kept glancing at Green, barely holding back smiles.
===== [INCOMING CALL: UNKNOWN NUMBER] =====
Green: Officer Green.
Unknown Caller: About time we met.
Green: Excuse me?
Unknown Caller: Muamar Reyes. But you can call me El Capitan. Ray never told you about me?
Green: He did.
Green stepped a little farther away from the two officers.
Green: Did Officer Phillips give you my number?
El Capitan: Maybe.
Green: Why?
El Capitan: For now, just to introduce myself.
Green: Sir…
El Capitan: Don’t call me “sir.” Makes me feel old.
Green: All right.
El Capitan: If you need help, call me.
The call ended. Almost immediately, a signal came through the police radio.
Dispatch: All nearby units. Armed robbery at Captain Caliente. Possible hostages. Suspect is inside the building.
Green: Dispatch, Nine-Adam-Sixteen. I’m clear and a few minutes away. Taking the call.
Dispatch: Nine-Adam-Sixteen, copy. Nine-Adam-Two is already on scene. Suspect is armed. Use caution.
A few minutes later, the familiar Captain Caliente café came into view. A patrol car was already parked near the entrance, with two officers taking cover behind its open doors. The old Hella scraped its undercarriage over another bump. Green stopped beside them and got out.
Officer: Green?
Green: Yeah. What’s going on?
Officer: We thought it was a robbery at first. Doesn’t look like it.
Green: Then what is it?
Officer: Guy ordered some food. Then decided the staff were trying to poison him. Now he wants us to arrest the cook.
Green: For what?
Officer: Attempted murder.
Green: Any reason to believe the food was actually poisoned?
Officer: He ate half the plate and he’s been sitting in there for forty minutes.
Green: Understood. How are we handling this?
Officer: Why are you covered in glitter?
Green: No comment.
A shout came from inside the café.
Man: Stay back!
Green looked through the window. A man in a long coat stood near the counter with a compact smart pistol in his right hand. Three café employees were sitting on the floor near the kitchen, while the waitress Green recognized had her hands on her head.
Man: One cop! Just one! The rest stay back!
Officer: Want to try?
Green: Why me?
Officer: I’ve been talking to him for twenty minutes. He’s stopped listening to me. Maybe he’ll respond to you.
Green: What about the tactical team?
Officer: Twenty minutes away at best. If he keeps getting more agitated, we may not have twenty minutes.
Green: Cover me.
He slowly approached the door.
Green: NCPD! I’m alone! I’m not drawing my weapon!
The man looked out from behind the counter.
Man: Stay right there!
Green: All right.
He stopped several meters from the entrance.
Man: The others stay back!
Green: They’ll stay outside.
Man: They want to kill me!
Green: Nobody wants to kill you.
Man: They poisoned my food!
Green looked at the café staff.
Green: Sir, what’s your name? I’m Officer Green.
Man: I don’t care what your name is.
Green: You said someone tried to poison you. What exactly happened?
Man: The food was wrong.
Green: What do you mean?
Man: It tasted strange.
Green: How about you put the gun away, and we talk this through calmly?
The man pointed the pistol at Green. He froze. One of the officers behind the patrol car quietly cursed.
Green: Let’s work this out. If you believe the food was poisoned, we can send what’s left for testing.
Man: They’ll switch it.
Green: Then we’ll seal it in front of you.
Man: The cops are in on it too.
Green: Then why did you ask for a police officer to negotiate with you? You do want to solve this problem, don’t you?
Man: I want them to confess.
Green: All right. But for that to happen, everyone needs to stay alive.
Man: I’m not going to kill anyone.
Green: Then lower the weapon.
Man: No.
Green: At least point it at the floor.
Man: No!
Pistol: Under the terms of the user agreement, targeting NCPD personnel is restricted.
Green: Is that Skippy? I’ve seen the ads.
Skippy: Officer, the serial number and owner information are available in the settings menu.
Green: Sir, put the pistol on the counter.
Man: You think I’m afraid of you?
He raised the weapon higher.
Green: Don’t.
Skippy: Warning. Selected target belongs to a protected category.
Man: Disable protection!
Skippy: Command unavailable.
The man pulled the trigger. A shot rang out. Green flinched, but the bullet veered away. A second later, the man screamed, dropped the weapon, and grabbed his buttock.
Man: A-A-AH! What the hell?!
Skippy: Safe rerouting mode activated. Threat to law enforcement officer neutralized.
Green: Did you just shoot yourself?
Skippy: Negative. Automatic trajectory adjustment performed.
Man: It shot me in the ass!
The officer outside doubled over behind the patrol car door, while the second one was already laughing openly. Green moved in quickly and kicked the pistol farther away. The man was lying on his side. The two officers entered behind him: one handcuffed the suspect, while the other helped the café staff to their feet. The waitress looked at Green.
Waitress: Ray’s not working tonight?
Green: No, ma’am.
One of the officers carefully picked up Skippy.
Skippy: New user not recognized.
The officer immediately placed the pistol in an evidence bag. Green approached the detainee.
Green: Medical is already on the way.
Man: I’m suing. You. The café. The manufacturer of this piece of crap.
The dispatcher’s voice came through the radio by the door.
Dispatch: Nine-Adam-Two, status?
Officer: Dispatch, suspect is in custody. Hostages are unharmed. One injured.
Dispatch: Advise nature of injury.
Officer: Gunshot wound. Suspect shot himself.
Dispatch: Copy.
Green: I need to be at Red Dirt by twenty-two hundred.
Officer: Go. We’ll finish up here.
Green: I need to give my statement.
Officer: File the report after the concert. Go protect the singer.
Skippy: Attention. Software update available.
A few minutes later, the old Hella was driving through Arroyo again.
22:00–23:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on THE HELLFREAKS — “Weeping Willow”.
The old Hella stopped outside Red Dirt. A line had already formed in front of the club, cars were parked along both sides of the street, and several people in unmarked armored vests were stationed by the entrance. Two NCPD patrol cars were parked a little farther down. Green got out. The soundcheck could be heard even through the club walls, and a poster advertising Eliz Winters’s charity concert hung above the entrance. One of the men by the door noticed the uniform and immediately touched his radio mic. A few seconds later, a man in his sixties came out of the club.
Club Owner: Officer.
Green: Good evening, sir. Officer Green. I’ve been assigned to assist with event security.
Club Owner: We’ve got all the permits. We’re complying with the noise limits. The alcohol’s licensed.
Green: I’m not here to inspect the place.
Club Owner: Then why are there so many cops outside?
Green: Concert security. You had trouble with the NCPD before?
Club Owner: Your people used to show up every other concert. Music, crowds—someone at the precinct decided rockers were always one step away from starting a revolution.
Green: I know one like that. Retired now.
Club Owner: Edwards?
Green: Yes, sir.
Club Owner: Tell him I still remember getting my license checked three times in one month.
Green: Understood.
Inside Red Dirt, it was considerably louder. Techs were checking the stage, the bar was already open even though the concert hadn’t started yet, and two security guards near the service entrance were inspecting boxes of equipment. Green followed the owner to a small room backstage. The man knocked.
Female Voice: Yeah.
He opened the door. Eliz was sitting in front of a mirror, with a bottle of water and a compact smart pistol on the table in front of her.
Skippy: Attention. Software update available.
Green: Not again.
Eliz: What?
Green: Sorry, ma’am. Someone shot at me with one of those about twenty minutes ago.
Eliz: Are you okay?
Green: The shooter took a bullet to the buttock.
Eliz looked at Skippy.
Eliz: Seriously?
Skippy: Automatic trajectory redirection is enabled when the owner’s life or NCPD personnel are under threat.
Eliz: Where’s Ray?
Green: Officer Phillips is out today, ma’am. Family circumstances.
Eliz: Got it. And who are you?
Green: Officer Green, ma’am.
Eliz: I got that. Do you have a first name?
Green: Thomas.
Eliz: Good. “Officer Green” makes it sound like you’re about to write me a citation.
Green: I’m still going to ask you to put the weapon away.
Eliz: No. Why did they send you specifically?
Green: Phillips is my training officer. I assume that’s why.
Eliz: How long have you been working with him?
Green: Second month.
Eliz rested a hand on Skippy’s grip. Green noticed the movement and tensed for a second, but she immediately took her hand away.
Eliz: I’m not drawing it.
Green: Then at least keep it holstered.
Eliz: Fine.
She put Skippy into a holster under her jacket.
Skippy: Device position changed. Quick-draw accessibility reduced by twelve percent.
Eliz: Thank you, Skippy.
Skippy: Always happy to help.
Eliz: And stop calling me “ma’am.”
Green: Sorry, ma’am… Habit.
Eliz: I noticed.
Green: I need to check the service exits, the route to the car, and the backstage area. Do you know where you’ll be going after the concert?
Eliz: The coordinator will give us the address before we leave.
Green: Understood.
Eliz: Thomas, turn around.
Green: Why?
Eliz: There’s something all over your back… Is that glitter?
Green: Bachelorette-party call…
Eliz: Let me help.
Green: Thanks.
Eliz helped Green brush off the remaining glitter and picked up her water bottle, but her eyes lingered on the open door for a moment. Two techs walked past in the hallway, and she waited until they disappeared from view.
Green: Everything all right?
Eliz: Yeah.
Green: Are you expecting someone?
Eliz: No.
Green continued his inspection of the club, checking the service and fire exits, the cameras, and the organizers’ vehicle. Two local security guards were stationed by the technical corridor. When he finished, Eliz walked over to him.
Green: The service exit is clear. It’d be better to bring the car right up to the door after the concert.
Eliz: Okay.
Green: Who’s responsible for your personal security?
Eliz: Tonight? Apparently you are.
The sound of a guitar check came from inside the club. Eliz snapped her head toward it, and Green looked in the same direction.
Eliz: Everything’s fine.
She said it before he had a chance to ask.
Eliz: They sent you here because they figured this place would be safe?
Green: Possibly.
Eliz: That bothers you.
Green: No, Miss Winters.
Eliz: You’re bad at lying.
Green: Apparently, they assigned me to concert security because this is supposed to be safe. I’m capable of doing my job on my own.
Eliz: Then tell them that.
Green: I did. Didn’t help.
Eliz: Familiar.
Green: You know our precinct well?
Eliz: A little too well… Ray used to work security at some of my shows.
Green: He never mentioned that.
Eliz: Ray doesn’t mention a lot of things.
A tech leaned out from behind the stage.
Technician: Eliz! Twenty minutes!
Eliz: Got it!
The tech disappeared.
Eliz: Can I ask you something?
Green: Of course, ma’am.
Eliz: Is there anyone around here who needs help? The concert’s for charity. Some of the money’s already been allocated, but I want to set some aside for specific cases.
Green: There’s one man—Luis. He has old implants in both arms, and they malfunction from time to time. His insurance refused to replace them. People have mistaken him for a cyberpsycho several times and called us about him.
Eliz: I’ll be staying here with a family friend for a couple of days. Find him tomorrow, please. I want to talk to him first. No reporters and no charity photo op.
Green: Understood. Thank you.
Eliz: I haven’t done anything yet.
She headed backstage. A few seconds later, one of the local security guards appeared beside Green.
Security Guard: She carries that thing everywhere now.
Green: Why?
Security Guard: After last month, she barely goes anywhere without it.
Green: What happened?
Security Guard: She won’t say. All I know is her concert got shut down. And her boyfriend died.
He headed back toward the entrance. Green looked at the closed backstage door. The lights in the club gradually dimmed, and the crowd began to cheer. He took up position beside the stage, and a few seconds later Eliz stepped up to the microphone.
23:00–00:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Poppy, Amy Lee, Courtney LaPlante — “End of You”.
Green stood watch by the service passage, shifting his attention between Eliz onstage and the side door. The crowd in front of the stage moved almost like a single organism. A few minutes later, he stepped out through the main entrance. The street had gotten noticeably more crowded. Across the road, two NCPD officers sat on the hood of a patrol car drinking coffee, while 6th Street members checked people at the entrance. At that moment, the club door flew open and two of them dragged a man outside.
Man: I paid for a ticket!
6th Street Member: And then you started a fight.
Man: He started it!
Green walked over to the officers across the street. One of them calmly took a sip of coffee.
Green: You saw that?
Officer: Yeah.
Green: They’re not licensed security.
The man outside the club straightened up and walked away.
Officer: See? Conflict resolved.
Green looked back toward the entrance and noticed two familiar men standing near a car. Bobby was holding a plastic cup, while Stanley stood beside him with a small shoulder bag. Green headed over.
Green: Good evening.
Stanley: Officer.
Bobby: Hey, Green.
Green: What are you doing here?
Bobby: Listening to the music.
Green: From the street?
Stanley: Tickets are expensive.
Green: Finish the repairs on the house?
Stanley: Yeah. The neighbor’s too. Paid all the fines.
Bobby: We already ordered a new…
Stanley jabbed Bobby with his elbow.
Bobby: …new fire-suppression system.
Green: And nothing else illegal?
Stanley: No, officer.
Green noticed that both men were standing as if they were trying to block something from view, while Stanley kept one hand on the partially open trunk.
Green: What’s in the trunk?
Stanley: Nothing.
Green: Step aside.
Stanley moved away, and the trunk opened. Six cases of alcohol were stacked inside, with another six on the back seat.
Green: What is this?
Bobby: Old stock.
Green: Selling it?
Stanley: Of course not. That would be illegal.
Bobby: It’s for charity. Want some?
At the word “charity,” Stanley jabbed Bobby in the ribs again.
Green: No, thank you. If I see you selling it, I’ll arrest you.
Stanley: Maybe take some anyway? Might come in handy after that thing with the car.
Green: You know about that too?
Bobby: Everyone knows already.
Near a parked van, a man was selling T-shirts and jackets out of the open cargo area. One had a Samurai logo, another had Kerry Eurodyne’s face on it, and beside them hung a Lizzy Wizzy shirt that, for some reason, gave her six fingers.
Vendor: Officer. Discount for you.
Green: Is this official merchandise?
Vendor: Absolutely.
Green: I can tell… Where’s your license?
Vendor: I’m just selling clothes.
Green looked around the street. Near a motorcycle, a man handed a small package to a woman. Two young men were eyeing the pockets of a drunk concertgoer. Three Valentinos were talking by a wall, two Tyger Claws stood across the street, and 6th Street members were making another visitor leave a knife at the entrance. Someone else was shoved out of the club. Green walked back to the two officers by the patrol car.
Green: And you’re okay with this?
Officer: No.
Green: Then why aren’t we doing anything?
Officer: Because right now we’ve got 6th Street, Valentinos, a few Claws, a crowd of drunk fans, and probably another twenty armed people we haven’t even spotted yet. We physically can’t respond to everything.
Green: That’s not how this is supposed to work.
Officer: No. But we can make sure nobody starts a gang war. Personally, I don’t want to pull another twenty-four-hour shift.
Green returned to the service passage. Eliz had just stepped toward the edge of the stage.
Eliz: Thank you!
The crowd answered with cheers.
Eliz: We’ve got a few more songs left.
Green checked the service exit. Outside, the gangs kept a close eye on one another, while 6th Street maintained order using methods no NCPD training manual would ever describe as public-order policing.
===== [INCOMING CALL: MUAMAR “EL CAPITAN” REYES] =====
Green: Yes?
El Capitan: Green, small favor.
Green: What kind?
El Capitan: See the van across the street?
Green: The one selling counterfeit T-shirts?
El Capitan: That’s the one. Get him out of there.
Green: No.
El Capitan: I’m simply reporting a violation of the law as a concerned citizen.
Green: It sounds more like you’re asking me to use police authority to get rid of your competition.
El Capitan: Fine.
The call ended.
00:00–01:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Evanescence — “Lost in Paradise”.
Green stood by the service passage, watching the floor. The concert was nearing its end, the crowd in front of the stage had grown even denser, and several security guards were keeping people away from the technical area. When another song ended, the crowd erupted. Eliz stepped away from the microphone, took a drink of water, and spent a few seconds looking out at the people in front of the stage before returning to the mic.
Eliz: Thank you. The last song tonight is a little special.
Green looked toward the stage. Eliz was silent for several seconds.
Eliz: Some of the music for my songs was written by someone we lost a month ago.
The room grew noticeably quieter.
Eliz: His name was Joe… he died in an accident.
Green noticed Eliz tightening her grip on the microphone.
Eliz: I want to play this one for him.
She stepped back, and the first chords drowned out the noise of the room. Green remained by the passage. A few meters away, one of the techs lowered his head, while another kept watching the stage with his arms folded. Eliz sang almost without moving, without her usual pacing across the stage or calling out to the crowd. Her voice broke once, but she kept going. Green looked at the audience—several women near the stage were crying. When the final note faded, the club fell silent for a few seconds before the room exploded with cheers. Eliz closed her eyes and quickly wiped her face with one hand.
Eliz: Thank you, Santo Domingo.
She left the stage, and Green met her near the technical passage.
Green: Miss Winters.
Eliz: Tommy, if you’re about to ask if I’m okay…
Green: I wasn’t going to.
Eliz: Good.
The crowd was still chanting her name. The coordinator walked over to them.
Coordinator: Autograph session.
Green: How many people?
Coordinator: About fifty.
Green: Do we have barriers?
Coordinator: We have security.
Green: How many?
Coordinator: You and four of ours.
A few minutes later, a small table was set up near the stage. People were let through in small groups; Eliz signed whatever they handed her while Green watched the line. One of the security guards walked over to him.
Security Guard: Relax.
Green: I am relaxed.
Security Guard: You’ve spent the last five minutes looking at everyone like they’re about to pull a gun.
Green: Someone already shot at me once tonight.
The line moved slowly, but twenty minutes later the crowd had thinned considerably.
Coordinator: That’s it. We’re done.
Someone among the remaining people shouted in protest, and the security guards began directing the crowd toward the main entrance. Eliz got up from behind the table and put on her jacket.
Green: Car ready?
Coordinator: Already outside.
Green: In the alley?
Coordinator: Yes.
Green: Stay behind me. Don’t stop near the exit.
Eliz: Okay.
Two local security guards went ahead, with two more bringing up the rear. At the side exit, Green stopped and looked outside. A car was already waiting in the alley. One of the guards in front headed toward it and opened the rear door, while the other checked the area around the exit. Green stepped outside first. Eliz followed.
Man: Eliz!
She turned. The man quickly closed the remaining distance. The nearest guard moved toward him but was too late—the man grabbed Eliz by the left arm. Eliz jerked away. A shot rang out. The man cried out, released her, and collapsed onto the pavement. Green hadn’t even seen her draw—Skippy was already in her hands, muzzle lowered. Eliz was breathing hard. Eliz was breathing hard, still holding the pistol with both hands.
Green: Miss Winters.
Eliz didn't respond.
Green: Ma'am. Lower your weapon.
01:00–02:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Ice Nine Kills — “A Grave Mistake”.
The man lay on the pavement, pressing both hands against the back of his pants.
Man: F**k! She shot me!
Green: Put the gun down.
Eliz was still staring at the man, her hands trembling slightly.
Green: Ma’am.
Eliz slowly lowered the pistol.
Skippy: Non-lethal hit confirmed. Left gluteal muscle damaged. Thirty-one days have passed since the subscription expired. To activate “Cold-Blooded Killer” mode, please renew your subscription.
Eliz looked at the weapon.
Green: Miss Winters, hand me the pistol.
She looked at him for a few seconds, then turned Skippy around and offered him grip-first. Green took the pistol. He kept Skippy pointed down in his left hand.
Skippy: Attention. New user not recognized.
Green: Sir, don’t move. We’ll get medical here.
Man: She shot me in the ass!
Green: I know. Modern technology…
People started peeking out through the service exit, and one of the security guards tried to push them back inside.
Security Guard: Everybody inside! Nothing to see here!
Quick footsteps came from the street. Three men entered the alley, two of them with clearly visible Valentinos tattoos on their necks and arms. The first spotted the man lying on the pavement.
Valentino: Mateo!
Green immediately stepped between them and Eliz.
Green: Stop.
All three stopped.
Valentino: What happened to him?
Mateo: That bitch shot me!
Eliz: You grabbed me!
Green rested a hand on his holster.
Green: Everybody stay where you are.
Valentino: Take your hand off the gun, cop.
Green: Don’t come any closer.
One of the local security guards stepped up beside him, while another appeared in the doorway.
Valentino: She shot one of ours.
Green: The NCPD is handling this.
Valentino: Right now, you’re the only cop here.
Green glanced toward the street. Both patrol units were stationed at the main entrance on the other side of the building.
Eliz (quietly): We need to leave.
Green (quietly): I need to call medical.
Eliz (quietly): Call them from the car.
The Valentino reached inside his jacket. Green quickly set Skippy on the hood of a nearby car and drew his service pistol.
Green: Hands!
Green pressed the radio button.
Green: Dispatch, Nine-Adam-Sixteen. Need medical at the Red Dirt service entrance. One person with a gunshot wound. Also requesting the nearest unit.
Valentino: She’s not going anywhere.
Dispatch: Nine-Adam-Sixteen, copy. Nearest unit is at the main entrance. Passing it along.
All three men began backing away.
Mateo: Hey!
Green holstered his weapon. Voices were already coming from around the building, and the street was getting louder—someone had managed to tell the crowd about the shooting.
Security Guard: Half the club and the press are gonna be back here any second.
Green looked first at Eliz, then at Mateo, and picked up Skippy.
Green: Can you wait for medical?
Mateo: I’ve got a bullet in my ass!
Green: Then you can wait.
Green turned to the security guard.
Green: Don’t let him leave. Medical will be here in a few minutes.
Security Guard: What about her?
Green: She’s coming with me.
Green opened the Hella’s rear door.
Eliz: I’m not sitting in the back.
Green: Fine. Not yet.
Eliz: What do you mean, “not yet”?
Green: Get in the front.
They got into the car. Green put Skippy into an evidence bag and placed it in the compartment between the seats.
Skippy: Device position does not comply with manufacturer recommendations.
Green: You’ll survive.
The Hella pulled out of the alley. People were already gathering near the main entrance, while two patrol officers were making their way along the side of the building toward the service exit. One noticed Green’s car and gave him a brief nod. Green kept driving.
Eliz: Are they going to follow us?
Green: I don’t know. Miss Winters, why did you fire?
Eliz: I don’t want to talk about it.
Green: All right.
Eliz: Where are we going?
Green: First, away from the club.
Eliz: And then?
Green didn’t answer. He picked up the radio microphone.
Green: Dispatch, Nine-Adam-Sixteen. Protected person is with me. We left Red Dirt due to a confrontation at the service exit.
Dispatch: Nine-Adam-Sixteen, copy. Status of the protected person?
Green: Uninjured.
He released the button, turned onto a side street, and stopped the car.
Eliz: Why are we stopping?
Green: Miss Winters, step out of the vehicle.
Eliz: What are you doing?
Green took out his handcuffs, and Eliz stared at them.
Eliz: No.
Green: Miss Winters, you discharged a firearm in a public place and injured someone. You’re being detained.
Eliz: He attacked me.
Green: That will be determined. I have to detain you.
Eliz: After you just got me away from three Valentinos?
Green: That’s exactly why I got you away first.
Green handcuffed her, opened the rear door, and seated her inside. Then he closed the door, returned to the driver’s seat, and picked up the radio microphone.
Green: Dispatch, Nine-Adam-Sixteen. Requesting the desk sergeant.
Dispatch: Nine-Adam-Sixteen, advise reason.
Green: Detention of a protected person following discharge of a firearm.
Dispatch: Nine-Adam-Sixteen, switch to the backup channel.
Sergeant: Green.
Green: Sir.
Sergeant: I gave you one simple assignment. How the hell did you manage to screw it up?
Green: She shot someone.
Sergeant: Is he alive?
Green: Yes, sir.
Sergeant: Where’d the bullet hit him?
Green: In the buttock.
Sergeant: Again? Why is everyone shooting people in the ass tonight?
Green: That’s a complicated question, sir.
Sergeant: Don’t bring her to the precinct. And don’t put anything in the system yet.
Green: Sir, a firearm was discharged.
Sergeant: I know.
Green: Then where am I supposed to go?
Sergeant: Go to Edwards’s place. I’ll be there soon.
Green: Sir, he hates rockers.
Sergeant: I know. Go.
The connection cut out. The old Hella stopped outside Edwards’s house. Green got out and opened the rear door. Eliz climbed out. The front door opened, and Edwards appeared on the porch in an old T-shirt and sweatpants. He looked first at Green, then at Eliz, and only then at her hands.
Edwards: Rookie, have you lost your damn mind? Why is she in handcuffs?
Green: She shot someone.
Edwards: You okay?
Eliz: Yeah.
Edwards: Take the cuffs off.
Green: Sir, she’s being detained.
Edwards: Kid, don’t make me find the key on your belt myself.
Green: She’s both a protected person and a detainee.
Edwards: She’s like a granddaughter to me.
Green looked at Eliz, and she shrugged as much as the handcuffs allowed.
Eliz: Long story.
Edwards: Her parents served with us. Get inside.
Green: Sir…
Edwards: Inside, rookie. Before the neighbors decide you came here to arrest me.
Edwards turned on the living-room light. Green stayed by the door while Eliz sat down on the couch. Edwards held out his hand again.
Edwards: Key.
Green: The sergeant told me to come here. He didn’t tell me to release her.
Edwards: Jesus.
Edwards pulled an old universal police handcuff key from a desk drawer.
Green: Sir, you’re not authorized to…
The first lock clicked open, then the second. Eliz rubbed her wrists.
Eliz: Thank you.
Edwards: What happened?
Eliz: Some guy grabbed me outside the club. I shot him.
Edwards: He alive?
Eliz: Yeah.
Green: I was standing right there and didn’t even have time to react.
Edwards: Why didn’t you take her weapon when you saw her carrying one?
Green: Because I had no grounds to at the time.
Eliz: I wouldn’t have given it to you.
Green: Who is she to you?
Edwards: Her parents served with me, and later with Ray during the Unification War.
Eliz looked away.
Edwards: Good cops. Both of them. Killed in the line of duty during the war. And her great-grandfather trained me.
Green: He was your training officer?
Edwards: Yeah. So, rookie, when I say she’s like a granddaughter to me, I’m not speaking figuratively.
The sound of a car pulling up came from outside.
02:00–03:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Bad Omens — “The Grey”.
The door opened. The desk sergeant stood on the porch, while the patrol car that had brought him was already pulling away from the house. He looked first at Edwards, then at Green and Eliz in the living room.
Desk Sergeant: Where are the handcuffs?
Green: Edwards took them off.
Desk Sergeant: Green, I gave you the simplest assignment I could find. Go to the club. Stand near the singer. After the concert, put her in a car and take her to the address. And somehow we now have a man with a bullet in his ass, angry Valentinos, and a protected person you first rescued, then detained, then brought to a retiree’s house.
Green: The last part was on your orders, sir.
Edwards: He did the right thing.
Desk Sergeant: I’m not talking to you right now. Did she fire immediately after he grabbed her?
Green: Yes, sir.
Desk Sergeant: Any warning?
Green: I didn’t hear one.
Desk Sergeant: Miss Winters, right now I’m trying to figure out how to make sure nobody dies before morning. Including you. The Valentinos are already asking around Red Dirt about who drove off with the woman after the shooting.
Green: Do they know it was her?
Desk Sergeant: Not yet. Those three only saw her for a couple of minutes in a dark alley. They might not have recognized her. Right now they’re looking for the woman a patrol officer drove away in an old Hella.
Edwards: Then we need to get rid of the car.
Desk Sergeant: The wounded man is at a clinic on painkillers right now. Maybe in an hour he tells his friends everything. Maybe sooner.
Eliz: Then I can’t stay here.
Edwards: The guy’s alive. The shot was accidental. Nobody else got hurt. Case closed.
Green: She deliberately pulled the trigger.
Eliz: We could say Skippy malfunctioned.
Skippy: Current diagnostics have detected no critical software errors.
Edwards: Damn technology.
Desk Sergeant: I’m not going to pretend nothing happened. I’m deciding which is worse: putting her name into the system now, or leaving the case open until morning with no identified shooter.
Edwards: Leave it open.
Desk Sergeant: Nobody asked you.
Edwards: And yet you still came here.
Desk Sergeant: Because if I brought her to the precinct, half the city would know about it in ten minutes, including the press.
Eliz: There’s another option. I need to leave Night City.
Edwards: Not while the Valentinos are looking for you. You’re not going anywhere alone.
Eliz: I’m not staying here waiting for them to find out who fired the shot.
Desk Sergeant: All right. Where exactly are you planning to go?
Eliz: There’s someone outside the city who can help. He’s not from Night City.
Desk Sergeant: Do you have security? A manager? A label?
Eliz: No. No permanent security either. The people at the club were local.
Edwards: Because you fell out with everyone over your rocker. I’ll drive you.
Eliz: No. I’m going with Green.
Green: Ma’am?
Eliz: If a patrol stops us, with you there it’ll at least be easier to explain why we’re driving through the Badlands in the middle of the night. You don’t want this in the system. You don’t want to take me to the precinct. You don’t want to leave me here. So let me leave.
Edwards: You’re not going anywhere alone with him.
Green: Sir…
Edwards: Quiet, rookie.
Desk Sergeant: Fine. Let’s say I’m actually considering this idiocy. Where exactly are you going?
Eliz: What matters is that I’ll be out of the city by morning.
Edwards: Then I’m going too.
Desk Sergeant: You’re seventy-three and you have no authority. Fine, Green, you have food poisoning and you’re out sick. I’ll mark you off patrol for medical reasons for the rest of the shift.
Green: But I…
Desk Sergeant: Don’t argue. Turn in your equipment and the car. If anyone asks, you started feeling sick after the incident at Red Dirt. I pulled you off patrol and sent you home.
Green: What about Miss Winters?
Desk Sergeant: For now, her name doesn’t appear anywhere.
Green: And the shooting?
Desk Sergeant: It stays an investigation involving an unidentified shooter. Until morning.
Green: Sir, that’s…
Desk Sergeant: I know what it is. If you haven’t solved this problem by morning, I’ll have to process everything properly. And then there’ll be nothing I can do.
Eliz: Understood.
Desk Sergeant: Anything of yours still in the car?
Green: Yes, sir. Personal belongings.
Desk Sergeant: Get them.
They went outside. Green opened the old Hella’s trunk and took out a heavy dark bag. Then he removed his police radio and handed it to the sergeant along with the keys.
Desk Sergeant: You’re off patrol. From here on, you’re going as a private citizen. If shooting starts, you leave.
Green: Understood, sir.
The sergeant got behind the wheel of the Hella and drove out of the yard. Green remained standing there with the bag in his hands.
Edwards: Congratulations. Your first night shift ended early. Come on.
Green: Where?
Edwards: Basement.
They went down a narrow staircase. Edwards switched on the light, and Green stopped. Metal cabinets lined the wall, with assault rifles and shotguns resting on racks. Shelves were packed with magazines and boxes of ammunition; nearby hung armored vests and several old radiation-protection kits—sealed suits, full-face masks with filters, and personal dosimeters. Two sealed military crates stood in the corner. Green slowly looked around the room.
Green: Sir… I’m guessing I shouldn’t ask about registration?
Edwards: Better not.
Eliz came down after them.
Eliz: So that’s why you always told me not to go into the basement…
Green put the bag on the table, and Edwards unzipped it. Inside were two assault rifles and several grenades. He looked first at the contents, then at Green.
Edwards: I even know where these came from… The radiation kits still in the car?
Green: Back at the precinct. Still drying out after the last car.
Edwards: Fine. I’ll give you some others later.
Eliz: Why do you have grenades and guns in your trunk?
Green: I asked Phillips pretty much the same question.
Edwards opened another cabinet and took out armored vests.
Green: We’re leaving the city, not assaulting a stronghold.
Edwards: Fine. Then these are just in case. Garage.
Edwards raised the door. Inside stood a large dark Chevillon Emperor which, unlike the old patrol Hella, looked almost new.
Green: Is that yours?
Edwards: Bought it a few years ago. Load everything into the trunk.
Green put Phillips’s bag inside. Edwards brought another long case and three armored vests up from the basement.
Eliz: Can I have my pistol back?
Green: No. You already shot someone once tonight.
Edwards: I’ll give you a proper pistol… or an assault rifle.
Green: No!
Edwards: Green, you’re driving. And try not to sink this one.
Green looked at him, and Eliz laughed quietly.
Green: Am I going to hear about this until I retire?
Edwards: Only Ray and I know about your previous embarrassment.
Eliz: What happened last time?
Green: No comment.
Eliz: He’s already starting to sound like Ray.
Edwards: Their car got stolen. I found it.
Green got behind the wheel of the Chevillon Emperor and started the engine. Edwards took the passenger seat, with Eliz in the back. The Emperor pulled out of the yard and headed toward the outskirts of Santo Domingo.
03:00–04:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Metallica — “All Nightmare Long”.
The Chevillon Emperor had gone only two blocks when Edwards glanced at the rearview camera.
Edwards: Kid, we’ve got a tail.
A dark Villefort was following behind them. It had stayed with them through two turns and was now slowly closing the distance.
Green: Maybe it’s just going the same way.
Edwards: At three in the morning?
Green pressed harder on the accelerator, and the Villefort sped up with them. At the next intersection, another car appeared from the right: it shot out of a side street and fell in behind the first.
Green: Buckle up.
Eliz: I am.
Edwards: I’m not.
Green: Sir.
Edwards: Don’t start.
The first car pulled almost bumper-to-bumper with them. Green moved into the left lane, and the Villefort followed. A man leaned out of the pursuing car’s window.
Green: Gun!
Several shots rang out, and one of the bullets struck the rear of the Emperor.
Edwards: F**k.
Green swerved hard to the right. The heavy Emperor rocked but stayed on the road.
Edwards: Careful!
Green: They’re shooting at us!
Edwards: Doesn’t mean you have to kill the car before they do!
Eliz: Maybe now isn’t the best time to argue about the car?
Green reached for the spot where his radio would normally be mounted, but it wasn’t there.
===== [OUTGOING CALL: MUAMAR “EL CAPITAN” REYES] =====
Green: You said to call if I needed help.
El Capitan: What’s going on?
Green: Two Valentinos cars are following us. We’re heading east.
El Capitan: “We”?
Green: Doesn’t matter.
El Capitan: What are you driving?
Green: Chevillon Emperor. Can you help?
El Capitan: You’ll owe me.
The call ended. The first Villefort closed in again, trying to pull alongside the Emperor.
Edwards: Don’t let them get beside us.
Green accelerated.
Eliz: So where’s the help?
Green: I don’t know.
A few minutes later, two SUVs appeared ahead, blocking the road.
Edwards: Don’t stop.
Green: They’re blocking the road.
One of the SUVs had the 6th Street emblem painted on its hood, and armed men stood near the vehicles. As the Emperor approached, one SUV slowly backed aside, opening a narrow gap. Green guided the Emperor between them. The SUVs immediately moved back into position, forcing the first Villefort to brake hard; the second nearly slammed into it from behind. Green kept going, only easing off the speed slightly.
Eliz: What’s happening?
Edwards: Territorial diplomacy.
In the rearview camera, Green saw several 6th Street members step into the road. The Valentinos got out of their cars as well. From their gestures, it was obvious the conversation was becoming less friendly by the second. One of them pointed after the Emperor, but the 6th Street member shook his head and held his ground.
Green: Are they going to start shooting?
Edwards: If we’re lucky, no.
Several shots rang out behind them. Edwards looked back.
Edwards: Into the air.
They drove another block. The pursuers didn’t reappear. Green slowed down a little. The lights of Night City gradually fell behind them; dense city blocks gave way to empty lots and abandoned buildings, and streetlights became fewer and farther between.
Green: Where to now?
Eliz: You know where Sunset is?
Green: In the Badlands?
Eliz: Yeah.
The Emperor turned onto a long road leading away from the city.
04:00–05:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Poppy — “Unravel”.
The road through the Badlands was nearly empty, and the lights of Night City were far behind them.
Green: We can get something to eat while we’re here.
Edwards: You have food poisoning.
Green: Not funny. I haven’t eaten since the start of my shift.
A few minutes later, the lights of a motel appeared ahead. Several trucks, an old Thorton, and two motorcycles were parked near the road. Green parked the Emperor and shut off the engine, while Eliz was already opening her door.
Green: Wait.
She looked at him. Green got out first, checked the parking lot, and only then opened the rear door. They went inside.
Eliz: I need to make a call.
Edwards: To who?
Eliz: The person we’re going to see. Give me a minute.
She walked over to the window near a vending machine. Green sat across from Edwards. Eliz spoke quietly.
Eliz: Yeah. We’re already on the road.
Pause.
Eliz: I can’t explain right now. Two people are with me. Yeah, I’m sure.
She looked at Green and Edwards.
Eliz: All right. At the border.
The call ended. Eliz remained by the window for a few more seconds, then returned to the table.
Eliz: Someone will meet us at the border.
Edwards: Who?
Eliz: Doesn’t matter.
A waitress approached them.
Waitress: You ordering?
Green: Coffee and something quick.
Eliz: Same.
The waitress brought their coffee soon after. Green took a sip and looked at Eliz.
Green: A security guard at the club said you had some trouble a month ago. That your concert was disrupted. And that your boyfriend died.
Eliz: I was kidnapped before the concert.
Edwards: By who?
Eliz: People who wanted something. They kept me locked up for several hours, and I had no idea where I was.
The waitress brought their food. For several minutes, they ate in silence.
Green: Was your boyfriend there?
Eliz: They got me out. He didn’t make it out. It ended very badly.
Green: At the concert, you said he died in an accident.
Eliz: I’m not allowed to talk about what really happened…
Green looked at Edwards.
Green: Did you know?
Edwards: No.
Eliz lowered her eyes.
Eliz: Skippy… is the only thing I have left from him.
Skippy: Eliz Winters, current owner. Previous owner: Joe Ingram. Thirty-one days have passed since the previous owner’s subscription expired. To activate “Cold-Blooded Killer” mode, please renew your subscription.
Eliz: Skippy, shut up…
She was quiet for several seconds.
Eliz: Did I ever tell you Joe and I crossed paths seven years before we actually met?
Edwards: No.
Eliz: Remember when Ray drove me to that audition while I was staying with you?
Edwards: In 2070?
Eliz: Yeah. On the way, he pulled over a black Columbus. Ray had been chasing one just like it the night before, and this one even had a bullet hole in the door. Joe was behind the wheel.
Green: Seriously?
Eliz: Joe told me later that he’d gotten really drunk with some friends before that, and they drove around Santo Domingo in his car while he slept in the back.
Green: I think I even know who they might’ve gone to see.
Edwards: Those two idiots, Bobby and Stanley?
Green: Yeah.
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Five Finger Death Punch — “Welcome To The Circus”.
Two men got up from a nearby table; their clothes and patches made it obvious they were nomads. One headed for the exit, while the other stopped by the counter. Edwards watched both of them go.
Edwards: Desert parasites.
Eliz: What?
Edwards: Nomads.
The man by the counter turned around.
Nomad: What’d you say, old man?
Edwards: Wasn’t talking to you.
Nomad: Then keep your mouth shut.
Eliz: James, don’t.
Edwards: I was talking to her.
Nomad: Well, I heard you. Got a problem?
Edwards: Not yet.
Nomad: Then shut your mouth.
Edwards slowly set down his fork.
Edwards: Now I do.
Green: Sir.
Nomad: What did you say?
Edwards: I said you’re parasites.
Nomad: Who’s “you”?
Edwards: Trash who live out of their cars and think everyone owes them something.
Green closed his eyes for a second.
Eliz: James!
Green: F**k…
The second nomad walked over to the table as well.
Nomad: Are you f**king stupid?
Edwards stood up, and Green got to his feet too.
Nomad: And who are you?
Green: Doesn’t matter.
Nomad: Then sit down.
Edwards: Don’t talk to the kid like that.
Nomad: Or what?
The waitress behind the counter looked over at them.
Waitress: Just don’t break the furniture.
Green: Nobody’s breaking anything.
The man shoved Edwards in the shoulder. Green only managed one step before Edwards grabbed the nomad by his jacket and forced him out through the door. The second man immediately rushed after them.
Green: Stop!
Neither of them listened. Edwards went outside, and Green and Eliz ran after him. Edwards kneed the first nomad in the groin and shoved him down the steps. The second swung at him, but Edwards struck him in the throat, dropping him beside the railing. The first tried to get back up and immediately took a kick to the face.
Green: Sir.
Edwards: What?
Green: You’re seventy-three.
Edwards: And?
Eliz: James, you just knocked a man out.
Edwards: He started it.
The first nomad pushed himself up onto all fours.
Nomad: Crazy old bastard…
Edwards took a step toward the stairs.
Green: No. We’re leaving.
Edwards: I wasn’t finished eating.
Green: We’ll take it with us.
Eliz: First time tonight I completely agree with Tommy.
The first nomad helped the second sit up. The man was holding his face and looked disoriented. Green watched them for a few seconds.
Green: Do you need medical attention?
Nomad: F**k you.
Edwards: See? He’s fine.
Green: No, sir. Nothing about this is fine.
Two minutes later, they came back out. Edwards carried a cup of coffee and a container with the rest of his food, while Green headed quickly toward the Emperor. Several people in the parking lot were watching them. The first nomad sat near the stairs wiping blood from under his nose, while the second was already back on his feet.
Eliz: They’ll remember the car.
Edwards: So what?
Green: You just beat up two people outside a motel while we’re trying to get to the border without drawing attention. I’m starting to understand why the owner of Red Dirt remembers you.
Edwards: Get behind the wheel.
Green opened the driver’s door. Eliz got into the back, while Edwards settled into the passenger seat and put his coffee in the cup holder. Green started the engine and looked once more at the two nomads by the stairs. The first one was still watching them leave.
Green: I think we just picked up another problem.
Edwards: You two are doing a great job of that tonight.
05:00–06:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Apocalyptica — “Path Vol. II”.
The Emperor had been traveling along the old highway through the Badlands for several minutes. Green was driving above the speed limit.
Edwards: They’re still there.
Green: I see them.
Two motorcycles were following behind. They weren’t getting any closer, but they weren’t falling back either.
Eliz: Those two from Sunset?
Edwards: Looks like it.
Green: About forty minutes to the border if we go straight.
One of the motorcycles started closing the distance. Green pressed harder on the accelerator and looked at the map. A few kilometers ahead, an old road branched off the highway toward a small settlement.
Green: If we stay on this road, they’ll tail us all the way to the border.
Edwards: And?
Green: We’ll cut through that abandoned town. I’ll drop you two off there and lead them away.
Edwards: I don’t like your plan.
Green turned off the highway. Both motorcycles followed. A few minutes later, abandoned buildings appeared ahead. Green slowed down. The first motorcycle was already closing in from behind. Up ahead, the road was blocked by a collapsed structure.
Edwards: Back up.
Green shifted into reverse, but the first motorcycle was already entering the alley. The second stopped behind it, blocking the way out.
Edwards: Now I really don’t like your plan.
Green: Neither do I.
The first to dismount was the nomad with the broken nose—the same one Edwards had beaten outside the motel. The second stopped near the rear of the Emperor. Both drew weapons.
First Nomad: Out of the car.
Green shut off the engine. Edwards got out first, then Green, with Eliz last. The nomad with the broken nose immediately aimed his pistol at Edwards.
First Nomad: Hands up, old man.
Edwards: Should’ve hit you harder.
First Nomad: Shut your mouth.
Green: We can just go our separate ways.
The second nomad kept them at gunpoint, then opened the rear door and the trunk.
Second Nomad: Holy shit.
First Nomad: What is it?
Second Nomad: Guns.
Edwards: Don’t touch them.
The second nomad pulled out an armored vest, then unzipped the heavy bag. Inside were assault rifles, grenades, and Skippy.
Second Nomad: This is worth a fortune.
He picked up Skippy.
Skippy: New user not recognized.
Second Nomad: It talks?
Eliz: Put it back.
He looked at her.
Second Nomad: Yours?
Eliz said nothing.
Skippy: Device owner detected.
Second Nomad: Guess it is.
He walked over to Eliz, grabbed her by the shoulder, and pulled her against him. Skippy pressed into her side.
Green: Let her go.
First Nomad: Stay where you are.
Green shifted his gaze from the man’s pistol to Skippy.
Second Nomad: The car and the guns are ours. She’s coming with us so you don’t do anything stupid.
Edwards: That’s my car.
Green: Not the time.
Green slowly raised his hands.
Green: You’re going to have to shoot me. I’m not letting you leave with her. My job won’t let me. I’m an active NCPD officer.
First Nomad: You think anyone cares?
Green: Put the weapons down and walk away.
He took a step forward. The first nomad immediately aimed his pistol at him.
First Nomad: One more step and I shoot.
Edwards slowly shifted to the side.
First Nomad: Stay put, old man!
The gun swung back toward Edwards. Green looked at him, then back at Skippy.
Green: I’m not letting you take her.
Edwards: Kid.
Green: Sir, stay out of this.
Skippy: Attention. Threat level to owner increased.
Second Nomad: Stop!
Skippy: Warning. Selected target belongs to a protected category.
Green took another step. The nomad pulled the trigger. A short burst rang out. Green flinched, but none of the rounds hit him. The man holding Eliz screamed and doubled over, grabbing his buttock. Eliz tore herself free and jumped aside. Almost at the same moment, the first nomad cried out and dropped to one knee, clutching the back of his thigh.
Skippy: Threat to owner neutralized. Two non-lethal hits confirmed.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Edwards: Holy shit.
Skippy lay on the ground. Edwards picked it up.
Skippy: New user not recognized.
Edwards: Shut up.
Skippy: Command unavailable.
Edwards held the weapon out to Eliz.
Green: Seriously?
Edwards: Let her keep it.
Green: Fine. It stays in the holster.
Eliz holstered Skippy.
Edwards: We’re leaving.
Green: Wait.
He looked at the two wounded nomads.
Green: You have a signal?
First Nomad: What?
Green: Call for help.
Edwards: Kid.
Green: We can’t leave two wounded men in the middle of the Badlands.
Edwards: They just took Eliz hostage.
Green: Which is why they’re not coming with us.
Green tossed the bag of weapons onto the floor behind the front seats and got behind the wheel. Eliz settled into the back, Edwards beside him.
Eliz: You knew that was going to happen?
Green: More or less.
Eliz: More or less?
Green: Before the concert, someone already tried to shoot me with Skippy.
Eliz: So you decided to test it again?
Green: It worked last time.
Edwards: Kid, never do that again.
Green: …said the man who started this whole thing.
Edwards: Don’t get smart with me.
Eliz laughed. The Emperor pulled back onto the highway, leaving behind two motorcycles and two nomads with the same reason to avoid sitting down for the next few weeks.
06:00–07:00
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Powerwolf — “Amen & Attack”.
The Emperor pulled back onto the old highway. Behind them, the town quickly disappeared into the darkness. A minute later, headlights appeared in the distance. Green kept watching: the car was closing fast, and soon a second one appeared behind it. Edwards looked back as well.
Green: Don’t tell me it’s them again.
Edwards looked at Green.
Green: What?
Edwards: You asked if they had a signal. So they called for help.
The first car quickly closed the distance. A shot rang out, and a bullet hit the rear window, leaving a web of cracks across the glass.
Edwards: Now get the bag.
Green: I’m driving.
Eliz leaned down, opened the bag at her feet, pulled out an assault rifle, and handed it to Edwards. More shots rang out. Edwards lowered the window.
Green: Sir, what are you doing?
Edwards: Convincing them to back off.
He stuck the rifle out the window and fired a short burst. The pursuing car swerved sharply aside, Eliz ducked down, and Green accelerated.
===== [INCOMING CALL: OFFICER RAY PHILLIPS] =====
Phillips: What the f**k did you do? Where are you?
Green: In the Badlands.
Phillips: Green, what the hell are you doing out there?
More shots came from behind.
Phillips: Were those gunshots?
Green: Yes, sir.
Edwards: Kid, keep it straight!
Phillips: Is that Edwards?!
Green: Yes.
Phillips: Are you in a patrol car?
Green: No. I’m out sick.
More bullets struck behind them.
Phillips: GREEN!
Green: That’s the official version.
Phillips: I leave you alone for one shift.
Eliz called from the back seat.
Eliz: Maybe you two can talk when people stop shooting at us?
Phillips: Is that Eliz? Why is she with you?
Green: Long story.
Phillips: You’re in the Badlands, with Edwards, with Eliz, people are shooting at you, and you’re heading for the border?
Green: Yes, sir.
Green changed lanes sharply. A bullet passed behind the rear fender.
Phillips: Green, where exactly are you?
Green: I don’t know the exact kilometer marker. Southwest of Sunset.
Phillips: Why are they chasing you?
Green: Nomads… thanks to Edwards.
Phillips: Got it… I’ll call you back.
The call ended. A couple of minutes later, two Villefort Cortes V6000 border-patrol cars came toward them along the highway with their light bars on. Green slowed down. Both patrol cars raced past them, then turned sideways across the road. The nomads slammed on the brakes. Edwards lowered the rifle.
Green: They stopped them.
Edwards: Looks like it.
Eliz: Where did they even come from?
The officers were already getting out of their cars, and one raised a hand, ordering the pursuers to stop. The nomads stayed where they were. Green kept driving.
===== [INCOMING CALL: OFFICER RAY PHILLIPS] =====
Phillips: Lose them?
Green: How did you…
Phillips: Called some people I know in border patrol. Two of their cars happened to be nearby. Eliz’s mother saved their sergeant once.
Green: Understood. Thank you.
Phillips: Thank Muamar. He’s the one who told me. Let me know when you get back, and make sure that old idiot doesn’t get you killed.
Green: I’ll try.
The call ended.
Author’s Note: For maximum immersion, put on Poets of the Fall — “Carnival of Rust”.
Green: Twelve minutes to the checkpoint.
Edwards: We’re not going there in this car.
Green: Why?
Edwards: Because border patrol just saw the plates, and the body’s full of bullet holes. They’ll start asking questions at the checkpoint. Turn off.
Green: Why?
Edwards: We’re changing cars.
Green: How?.. No.
Edwards: I haven’t even said anything yet.
Green: We are not stealing a car.
Edwards: There’s an old Thorton over there. We leave mine here, take that one. You bring it back later.
Green: You talk about car theft like it’s a rental.
Edwards: If you bring it back, it practically is.
Green: I hate you.
They parked the Emperor, and Green locked it. Then checked the doors a second time.
Edwards: At least you learned something this month.
Edwards had already opened the other car’s door, and Green stared at him. Edwards got behind the wheel and removed the plastic panel beneath the steering column.
Green: You know how to steal cars?
Edwards: I spent forty years catching people who know how to steal cars. Get in.
Eliz: I’ll send them the plate number so they let us through.
A few minutes later, the old Thorton pulled up to the border checkpoint. Four cars were ahead of them. Green sat beside Edwards, while Eliz pulled her hood up in the back seat.
Edwards: Check the papers in the glove box.
Green opened it, and there really were documents inside. Eliz pointed ahead. Beyond the checkpoint, beside a parked Thorton Merrimac MSL3, stood a tall Black man in a long coat with an implant on his neck.
Green: You’re sure they’ll let us through?
Eliz: He said the checkpoint shift’s been notified.
Their turn came. The border guard looked at the car.
Border Guard: Go ahead.
Edwards: See? Nothing complicated.
They stopped near the man, and Eliz got out first.
Man: I’m not obligated to babysit you every time you get yourself into trouble.
Eliz: I know. But you made Joe a promise.
Man: Who are they?
Eliz: People I trust.
Man: What do they know?
Eliz: Nothing.
Eliz returned to the car.
Eliz: Head back to the city.
Green: Try not to shoot anyone else.
Eliz: No promises.
Skippy: Reminder. “Cold-Blooded Killer” mode subscription is not active.
Edwards: Does that thing ever shut up?
Eliz: I’m almost used to it.
Edwards: Call when it’s over.
Eliz: I will.
Edwards: And don’t disappear.
Eliz: Okay. Green, I remember Luis. I’ll figure out a way to get him the money.
The man opened the door of his car for her. Before getting in, Eliz looked back at Green one more time. A few seconds later, the car drove away, leaving Green and Edwards beside the stolen Thorton.
Green: Who was that?
Edwards: Definitely not a civilian.
Green: You don’t know him?
Edwards: No. Let’s go home.
They passed back through the checkpoint without any trouble. Twenty minutes later, the Thorton was parked almost exactly where they had found it. Green shut off the engine.
Edwards: Congratulations. Your first successful car theft.
Green: Not funny.
They walked back to the Emperor. The car was still behind the building. Green looked it over: cracks remained across the rear window, and several bullet impacts marked the bodywork. Edwards stood beside him.
Green: I’m sorry.
Edwards: For what?
Green: Your car got shot up tonight.
Edwards: I’m driving now. You’ve had enough for one night.
Edwards got behind the wheel, and Green took the passenger seat. The Emperor turned toward Night City. They drove in silence for several minutes while Green looked out the window.
Green: That was the worst first night shift ever.
Edwards: Could’ve been worse. There was a nuclear explosion on my first night shift.
Green: What?
Edwards: Night of August twentieth into the twenty-first, 2023. I turned nineteen that day.
Green: Arasaka Tower?
Edwards: Yeah.
Green: You were on duty when it happened?
Edwards: Yeah. So your shift was normal.
Green: We have very different definitions of a normal shift.
Edwards: You’ll get used to it.
A few minutes later, Edwards smirked.
Edwards: Ray ever tell you about the time someone almost stole our patrol car?
Green: No. He refused to talk about it.
Edwards: On his first night shift, we were dealing with a very drunk group. While we were busy with them, two more climbed out a window and got into our car. Ray hadn’t locked it. One of them threw up all over the interior.
Green: And Officer Phillips had to clean it afterward?
Edwards: Yeah.
Green: And what does that have to do with his habit of warning me not to throw up at crime scenes?
Edwards: That’s another part of the same night. He threw up right on a body. I thought forensics was going to bury him there with it.
Green: Now I understand why he kept warning me for my first two weeks.
Edwards: Experienced training officer.
The lights of Night City gradually appeared ahead. The Emperor continued back toward Santo Domingo as the time on the dashboard changed to 07:00.
Characters
Ray Phillips | 35 — Has served with the NCPD since 2063. Served in the NCPD during the Unification War (2069–2070), after which he eventually settled in Santo Domingo for good. Spent a significant part of his career working alone. His previous rookie died right in front of him. Widower.
Thomas Green | 20 — Originally from Watson, H10. Joined the police after seeing a news report about the capture of Anthony Harris (Peter Pan). Worked five shifts at a precinct in City Center before being transferred to Santo Domingo. Officially, the transfer was due to a staffing shortage. In reality, he caught his mentor in corrupt dealings with Arasaka that led to witnesses in a traffic accident case disappearing. His first day on the job in Santo Domingo became a clash between his own ideas of police work and a reality where the first thing he has to do is figure out what is actually happening.
James Edwards | 73 — Served with the NCPD from 2023 to 2065. The Arasaka Tower bombing happened on his nineteenth birthday and during his first night shift, ultimately shaping his outlook on life and his attitude toward rock culture. He knows the Winters family well. Eliz’s great-grandfather was his training officer, and Edwards later served alongside her parents. Ray Phillips was his last rookie and partner before retirement.
Eliz Winters | 30 — Lost her parents in 2070. Built her music career from the ground up, eventually joining Lizzy Wizzy and working with her. But Eliz wants to grow and move into heavier styles of music rather than become an artificially perfect doll at risk of cyberpsychosis. A newcomer named Joe Ingram begins helping her develop this new direction. She feels trapped within the perfect boundaries of Lizzy’s musical style. She and Joe eventually begin a relationship, and after another conflict, they reach out to Kerry and plan to work with him. Everything falls apart when Eliz is kidnapped before a concert, leading to the truth about Joe’s past coming to light.
Additional Notes
- General
- To create the artwork for this story, I used vehicles appropriate to each scene. Every piece was made at the actual location where the scene takes place, with Photo Mode set to the corresponding time of day.
- The NCPD story cycle was inspired by the TV series The Rookie. The one-chapter-per-hour format, meanwhile, was borrowed from The Pitt and 24.
- Eliz Winters is a character from Cyberpunk 2078: The Magician.
- Cyberpunk 2078: Night Shift is a direct sequel to Cyberpunk 2078: On Patrol.
- For 22:00–01:00, tracks with female vocals were chosen deliberately. As with every track in each story, I looked at the meaning of the song and how well it fit the specific scene.
- 19:00–20:00
- In Cyberpunk 2078: On Patrol, Phillips and Green had an extremely unpleasant conflict over medication for Phillips’s wife.
- Eliz Winters is a major character in Cyberpunk 2070: 24 Hours and Cyberpunk 2078: The Magician.
- 20:00–21:00
- Code 5 comes from Cyberpunk 2020: Protect & Serve.
- The car is one of the early hints at Cyberpunk 2023: Harvest of Sorrow.
- 21:00–22:00
- The idea of a mass-produced Skippy and its functionality originated in Cyberpunk 2078: The Magician.
- 22:00–23:00
- For this hour and the next one, I had to find a save from the quest A Like Supreme to get the club into the appropriate state.
- For the first time, Green hears the official version of the events of Cyberpunk 2078: The Magician.
- Green recalls the story of Luis from his first shift in Santo Domingo in Cyberpunk 2078: On Patrol.
- 23:00–00:00
- Bobby and Stanley also appear in Cyberpunk 2070: 24 Hours, Cyberpunk 2078: On Patrol, and the epilogue of Cyberpunk 2023: Harvest of Sorrow.
- 00:00–01:00
- Here, Eliz herself tells the version of the events of Cyberpunk 2078: The Magician that she is allowed to talk about.
- 01:00–02:00
- Skippy is literally reminding Eliz how many days have passed since Joe’s death.
- Henry Winters and James Edwards are major characters in Cyberpunk 2023: Harvest of Sorrow.
- 02:00–03:00
- Edwards references fragments of the events of Cyberpunk 2078: The Magician that he knows about and remains openly hostile toward the rock scene, even when Eliz or someone close to her is involved.
- The origin of Edwards and Phillips’s arsenal is revealed in Cyberpunk 2070: 24 Hours.
- 04:00–05:00
- Eliz finally tells a heavily simplified version of the events of Cyberpunk 2078: The Magician.
- 05:00–06:00
- Green unconsciously repeats Phillips’s behavior from Cyberpunk 2078: On Patrol. Back then, Phillips drew the cyberpsycho’s attention away from Green when she was about to finish him off.
- 06:00–07:00
- Eliz meets the same canon character who took her away after Joe’s death in The Magician.
- Edwards reveals several stories that were first set up back in Cyberpunk 2078: On Patrol.
- Edwards’s line, “There was a nuclear explosion on my first night shift” is literally a teaser for his own first night shift in Cyberpunk 2023: Harvest of Sorrow.
