Eindeloos

If I tell the story with what I found out later in mind, the perspective changes drastically. Since it was over seventy years ago, I am sure my memories have gotten a bit warped, but then again, that’s what memories do. I’ll try to tell it the way I experienced it, however.
There were only two people in the guest quarters, although there was room for at least a hundred.
We shared meals and a common room, and since there wasn’t a whole lot to do I got to know them quite well. I met Kira first.
After I had checked out my room – which consisted only of a, quite luxurious, sleeping cylinder and a bathroom – I went on to explore my golden cage.
In the main hall, were I had first entered these quarters, I found a terminal and simply decided to call up a floor plan, so as not to wander around aimlessly. What immediately caught my eye was the ‘VR-complex’. Besides the boring educational programs at school, I had never really used VR.

When I entered the small entry door, I saw 5 other doors, each with a console next to it. Four of them had a green light on top, one of them a red light. Curious as I am, I walked to the console with the red light above it and read it.

training program: ‘City Shootout’

difficulty: hard

participants: 1/4

spectators: allowed

Below that were two buttons: ‘observe’ and ‘join’.
I pressed the ‘observe’ button and a video feed appeared. A rather small woman, I took her to be about 25, was crouching behind a car. She quickly and skilfully switched the batteries in her two pistols with the ones in her belt-charger before getting up and shooting at a group of seven Church members. Four had fallen by the time she knelt again.
“Why don’t you join me?”
Startled I took a step backwards.
“I…”
“Come on, the more the merrier.”
Since she wasn’t looking at me, I gathered that she simply knew that someone was watching.
“I don’t think I’ll…”
“Just a second.” she interrupted and got out from behind her cover to shoot the remaining three. “You were saying?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to handle this.”
“Then I’ll teach you.”

The moment my vision came into focus, she grabbed my arm and dragged me into an alley. I was thrown against the wall and she peeked around the corner.
“Two more groups are on their way. Quickly now, take your gun. All you’ve got to do is point and shoot.”
I was now wearing a black, pin-striped suit, like her, although unlike her, I didn’t have a skirt on. I could feel a rifle holstered on my back. I took it in my hands – with a little trouble since it was so long – and quickly inspected the weapon. It was a shiny barrel with a grip in the middle and a curved butt at the end.
“The black button on the side changes the firing mode, automatic, burst, single shot or spree. The display also shows the amount of shots left in your battery. The red button reveals the scope.”
I nodded. “How far are they?”
“Still quite far, about seven hundred meters and they don’t know where we are yet. Want to pick a few off?”
“I can but try.”
I peeked around the corner and quickly found a suitable target; a group leader who was shouting something to his men, who were exploring another alley. I twisted the grip with my left hand to zoom in, until my crosshair was centred on his temple. A short squeeze and the red laser beam created a tunnel through his head.
“Not bad for a rookie. But now they know where you are and they will be a lot more careful. See if you can do that again.”
I came out of cover again, looking for another victim. This time it was a girl who sat crouched behind a trashcan. Her lower leg was still visible, however.
“What’s the rate of fire of this rifle?” I asked, watching the girl through the scope.
“Point four seconds on single shot.”
I pressed the trigger, blasting her kneecap. As I had hoped, she fell sideways, into full view. A second shot finished her.
“I thought you had never done anything like this before.”
“I haven’t, but I’ve read about it.”
Contrary to what I had assumed, I felt neither rage nor sorrow. It wasn’t real and I sensed it, somehow. It even felt more like entertainment than training.
“I suggest we go to the abandoned building across the street, to even the odds. You go first, I’ll cover you.”
She smiled and nodded. I put my rifle on burst.
“Ready?”
“Just a second.” she said. She reloaded her guns and, before I had fully realized it, kissed me on my mouth. Her ‘Go!’ didn’t allow me a lot of time to think, however, and I started firing concentrated light bursts; blindly at first, but then more focused at possible threats. From the corner of my eye I could see her running. She fired at the ancient tumbler lock of the main doors and opened it by crashing her shoulder against the wood, all in a single, fluid motion. The Church soldiers had been too stunned to act, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case anymore.
“Your turn!” she yelled, taking up position at the open door.
I started running and she started firing. There were a lot more shots flying around this time, and when the ground in front of me suddenly flared up for a moment, I had to urge myself to run quicker instead of slower. When I was only a meter away from the door, a searing pain shot up through my right leg. I fell, but managed to go into a roll, landing painfully inside with the rifle pushing in my back.
“Are you alright?”
I checked my leg. “Fine, it just grazed my calf.”
Outside everything was quiet, which could only mean that they were advancing towards us.
“Let’s go.” she said, pulling me to my feet.


***


“You don’t think it relevant, do you?”
Janes smiled. “Indeed, but I can’t be certain, so I hold my tongue. It’s entertaining enough.”
“No, perhaps you’re correct. The story is probably just that anyway, a story. It been running through my brain for so long I’ve forgotten how distinguish fact from fantasy.”
He took another cigarette from his pocket and was again offered a light by the doctor.
“Do you smoke?”
Janes smiled again, but it was a sad smile this time. “No, but my wife did. It’s a memorandum of sorts.”
“I’m sorry. How did she die?”
“She had lung cancer. After a three week therapy, the last remains of the tumour had finally been removed. On her way home she died a car accident. The irony of life, I guess.”
He shrugged. “The world didn’t stop spinning, I continued.”
“Then I will as well.”

***

Suffice to say that we ended up in her room; she made love with a passion that I never saw afterwards with any other woman.
When we arrived at the dining room, the doctor was already present. His dislike of her wasn’t all that obvious, but I could see it in the short, spiteful glance he shot in her direction