Cyberpunk 2021

Chapter 6

April 14, 2021. 20:40. Vancouver.

"The hell is 'Autumn Blade'?" I stop reading the document and turn to Wissen, confusion clear on my face. "Never heard of these guys before." Everyone knows the big corporations like Arasaka, Militech, and Kang Tao. They practically control everything related to weapons, but even the most advanced publicly announced weapons are just improved versions of older models. The mention of a railgun is something you'd only find in fictional media like movies or games. I stop crossing my legs and lean forward toward Wissen. "Are they legit?"

Wissen gives a brief, confident nod. I know better than to doubt his intelligence or his methods of acquiring information.

"I assure you, they're very real," Wissen says, pointing at the folder in my lap. "The pages you're holding contain everything I currently know. Take a closer look." Following his instruction, I move aside the page I'm on and turn to the next one. Each page was crisp, suggesting recent printing. A few coloured pictures of various news articles and videos detail a mysterious organization. Boogeyman? Internet horror story? Just a myth? The headlines dismiss the concept of Autumn Blade as if it were an urban legend. I put the page aside and look back.

"Okay, so a mysterious organization that people think is just a fun name to say around a campfire. Give me the short version—I'll read the rest in my spare time." I close the folder; I'm not one for reading long mission debriefings unless absolutely necessary. Thankfully, Wissen knows me well.

"Autumn Blade, for the past few years, has been a niche internet horror story. An organization that exists only on the darkest parts of the internet. They're a service that offers its skills to the highest-paying clients for either protection or assassination."

"Big deal, bunch'a organizations already do that. They lend out elite bodyguards or small armies all the time." I shrug skeptically but keep my focus on him. "What makes these guys special?"

"What if I told you they also manufacture weapons, equipment, vehicles, and even implants on the same level as other major corporations?" I blink twice in rapid succession. "And the earliest mention of their existence was five years ago."

"Wait, how is that even possible? You're telling me a ghost company—that can compete with the big corpos—has only been around for five years?"

"That's the first mention of them based on my sources; it doesn't necessarily mean they've only been around for five years."

"Okay, but still—where are they getting their buyers or recruits? How the hell are they funding this operation and accessing such high-end technology?"

"As of right now, I'm in the dark on that too. I'm not sure how Autumn Blade recruits or makes contact, but I'd imagine it's an invitation-only network, maybe something on the dark web or through specific brokers who act as intermediaries." Wissen taps the side of his glass in contemplation. "Even my best agents have struggled to dig up any data on them."

"So even your best netrunners and local fixers have come up with nothing? No leads on the internet or on the ground?"

"Nothing. My netrunners have been trying to trace their presence online, but so far, they've had no luck. Any contacts I have across the globe know as much as we do. People who ask too many questions either hit a dead end or... go missing."

I shudder at the thought. I've had my fair share of missions go sideways, but it's never fun to track down missing people. "Alright, hard to track, and they're good at staying hidden. So, how did they even get discovered?"

"I suspect it to be intentional. They first surfaced in the East Asian black market, with local gangs getting their hands on Autumn Blade gear. Whenever we tried to trace a common vendor, that person would disappear."