Managed paranoia book on.., p.26
Managed Paranoia--Book One, page 26
“Only if you’re looking to turn him on. No. You push your thumbs into his eyes. Or if that doesn’t work, dig at an eye with your fingers.”
Bella visualized the scene and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“If you hesitate to destroy the attackers’ will to hurt you, you will be dead or worse. This is the best way to accomplish your goals. The eye is sensitive, even in tough guys. If you can cause intense pain and blind them at the same time, you have a better chance of getting away.”
“What about carrying pepper spray?”
“Yep, that’s a possibility. Now I want you to attack me with your pepper spray.”
“I get your point. My nails—I mean my claws—are always on hand.”
“Very good. The pun was pretty lame though.” Gina smiled and said, “I’ll send you some training videos and exercises to get you prepared to gouge your attacker’s eyes. The idea is to keep pushing into the eye socket until you hit gray matter.
“Those nails of yours… next time we meet, I expect them to be less farm girl and more evil porn star. The second easy bod-mod is cutting off that beautiful mane of yours. What you’ve got there is a ready-made handle to gain control of your head. If you’re serious about self-defense, you’ll keep your hair short enough that if they grasp it, you can pull out of the hold with just your neck muscles.”
Gina walked over to a shelf and removed a small box the size of a deck of cards. She handed it to Bella.
“These are old-school, but for the bod-mod that will get you out of trouble faster than anything else, this is the ticket.”
She opened the box which indeed looked like playing cards, but each had a bodyweight exercise with a corresponding number of reps. “This is how you stay conditioned and make your body agile. Move fast, move strong, and move often. Each card is easy by themselves but start stacking the exercises and shuffle the deck to keep your body on edge as you train. It’s the best personal trainer money can buy.”
“Janice tells me you’re going to stay with your father on an aquafarm. What do you do for aerobic conditioning out there?”
“We have a treadmill, but mostly I swim a lot.”
“I guess that makes sense. I’m not really a water person. The idea of swimming in the open ocean would scare the shit out of me.”
“Here, I thought you were a badass,” Bella said.
Gina laughed. “Well, it’s good to know your limitations.”
“Are there many people out there?”
“No, just my dad and his friend, Ferdinand.”
“Sounds like a floating prison. They could make a reality show with me and my dad in a confined space like that and there would be blood,” Gina said, laughing. “Where to after that?”
“I don’t have any plans, but I can help him out. Now that I don’t have a proper job, I’ll focus on my consulting work. When I was a kid, I dreamed of being a nomad when I grew up. Maybe it’s time.”
“Janice obviously still thinks you’re in danger. Why?”
“Turns out my ex-boyfriend is a terrible guy. She thinks this failed kidnapping attempt won’t be his last.”
“I see. Does your aquafarm have any security?”
“Actually, you’d be surprised. It’s improved since I lived there as a kid. Did you know there are still pirates sailing the high seas? They attack a farm, subdue the occupants, and pull in with a factory ship and steal all they can. Most of the time, they leave the farmers unharmed but there have been plenty of killings in the last few years. The producers came together and decided they needed to fight back. There is a lot of money in fish and bivalve protein and even sea vegetables. A cooperative was formed, and a security company hired. Mostly, they advise and monitor. But you should see the gun pods.”
“I’ll bite. What’s a gun pod?”
“When I was growing up on the farm, we’d occasionally have a sailboat or cruiser come across our operation and get curious. It was fun as a child to get visitors. I met a lot of interesting people. But when the pirates smelled profits, we had to put an end to casual visitors. Now they are met with a radio warning and told to correct course. If they keep coming closer, they get a burst of 308 tracer rounds across the bow. The gun pod is a floating machine gun. AI handles the initial encounter, which alerts the security company, and they take over. The AI cannot use lethal force, but the remote operators have killed pirates. It’s never happened on our farm, but we have four gun pods around the perimeter.
“The last time I was visiting, some guys from the security company were there. They have to maintain the gun pods quarterly and one of the guys showed me how to do a manual override. It was fun. They set out a floating target and let me put a hundred rounds into it. I think the guy was sweet on me.”
“No doubt. That would be the way to win me over,” Gina said.
“It sounds like you’ll be safe out there with your dad, but you cannot hide there for the rest of your life. The next defensive tactics aren’t as good as gouging the bastard’s eyes out, but you should add them to your toolbox. Go for the fingers. You’ve got a grip that can break a finger. Present your finger.”
Bella reluctantly held up her index finger.
“Show me how it moves. That’s right. Fingers flex… period. You get a grip on one finger and one finger only, then crank it to the side or you can extend it backward, but you have to do it fast and decisively. Once he realizes what you’re trying to do, it will be too late. After that, go for the throat. If you have a pen or keys or anything you can use as a weapon, this is the time to use it. Your fist can do the job, but you have to hope the attacker keeps his chin from blocking. Let’s review and get perspective. Why do we fight dirty?”
“If you don’t, you might end up dead or worse,” Bella said.
“Not bad but you need to own it. Personalize it.”
“I’m going to gouge the bastard’s eyes out because there is no way in hell I’m going to end up dead or worse,” Bella growled out the words.
“You just moved to the head of the class,” Gina said with a smile. “Now, why do you think you’re working on pull-ups?”
“So, I can have arms that will look as striking as yours in a sleeveless top?”
“That will never happen—sorry. Let’s think it through. Remember, for our warm-up we did high knee running in place? We were working out but there is a reason for each exercise.” She positioned herself in front of Bella and said, “Standing right there, show me what a pull-up looks like.”
Bella raised her hands above her head and pulled down.
“Now grab the back of my head and do a pull-up.”
Bella pulled Gina’s head down and toward her and let go when her head was against her.
“Do a high knee run in place.”
Bella began a vigorous jog.
“What would happen if you grabbed the back of my head, did a pull-up, and then ran in place at the same time?”
“You’d get a bloody nose.”
“That’s right and when you get very strong and you practice a lot, you will break the bones in your attacker’s face and live to talk about it.”
“I see where you’re going with this. Every exercise has a real-world fighting application.”
“Yep. Look, Bella, you are a sweet girl and I want you to be safe as you move out of this hard time in your life. I hope I offered some direction and look forward to seeing you in person again soon. But in the meantime, I’m going to check in with you once a week and make sure you’re making the progress you need.” Gina shot a smile at the viewing window and waved. “It looks like your aunt is waiting for you.”
Bella went to shake Gina’s hand.
“I know I don’t look it, but I’m a hugger,” Gina said, and the two women embraced.
Seastead, Tahiti
“Did Gina take good care of you?”
“That really wasn’t what I expected,” Bella said.
“Really? Why?” Janice asked.
“I guess I figured it would be like where we practiced moves for different scenarios. You know if someone grabs me from behind. Then you do this or that.”
“Oh, I see. That’s not how Gina operates. What did she say was the most important thing to remember?”
“My takeaway was get strong, fast, and decisive… and go for the eyes,” Bella said, making claw hands and holding them up for Janice to see.
“Then I’d say your first lesson went well. Are you still sure you want to leave tomorrow? A month here training with Gina and working on weapons with me would go a long way.”
“Janice, I know you think it’s safer for me here. But I can’t live my life in fear. I won’t.”
“Okay, I had to give it one last try. I trust you have some homework to do while you’re away.”
Bella held up the set of bodyweight exercise cards and said, “This will keep me busy. And Gina says she’s having something shipped to me that will help. But she won’t even give me a clue what it is. I think she has a penchant for drama.”
Janice laughed and said, “You could say that.”
Bella had not paid attention to where they were going. Suddenly, she realized they were close to the corridor that led to the tennis courts. Close to where she had been escorted off and out of the arena. Shivers ran through her, and the curved wall and lights of the open hallway made her feel queasy. “I’m not feeling good. Do we have to get there this way?”
“It’s alright, Bella. You’re safe.” Janice patted the bag slung over her shoulder and said, “I’ve got enough firepower here to deal with a couple of stormtroopers and you’ve got your claw hands. We’ll be fine.”
“Humor? Nice try.” Bella stopped and leaned against the wall and took in some deep breaths, like she was recovering from a sprint. “This is so weird. I’ve had nothing like this before.”
“It’s okay, Bella. It’s anxiety. That’s expected. Take a minute to regain your composure. The range is that entrance you can see right up there.” Janice placed her hand on Bella’s arm and pointed in the direction they were heading.
A minute later, Bella was feeling better. She stood straight up and began walking with purpose toward the door. When she looked back and Janice was lagging, she said, “Are you coming?”
She had never been to a gun range before. Janice had reserved a private area to shoot from. They had put safety glasses and earmuffs on for protection before entering the range. Janice pulled a pistol out of her case and used it in her safety demonstration.
“Safety is the priority. Number one, treat all guns as if they are loaded. Number two, never let the muzzle point at anything that you are not willing to destroy. Number three, keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made the decision to shoot. Number four, be sure of your target and what’s behind it.” She laid the black pistol down with the muzzle pointing at the backstop thirty yards away. “Can you repeat that back to me?”
“Sure, those are simple and make sense.” Bella had no problem repeating the four safety rules.
Janice showed Bella how to choose a new target and select the distance through a series of options on a monitor set at eye level, just to the left of the firing line. Without delay, a target dropped in place from the ceiling five yards away. “We are going to start with the basics of squeezing the trigger. There are ten rounds in this weapon. I’m going to shoot the first two and then you can finish.”
She watched as Janice showed her how to hold the pistol with two hands and how to lean a little forward from the waist.
“Keep both eyes open at all times and when you’re sighted into your target, put your finger on the trigger and give it a steady pull straight back.”
Pifht! Pifht!
Janice eased the gun onto the booth’s counter, turned, and smiled. “You were expecting a loud gunshot, weren’t you?”
Bella laughed as she realized she had been holding her breath. “Oh, my, yes!”
“This is how I start out newbies. It’s a pellet gun and runs on CO2 cartridges. The worst thing new shooters do is to expect the bang. It causes a person nothing but bad habits.” Janice retrieved the target and looked. “Not the most accurate gun, but it’s cheap to practice with. Here you take over.” She backed out of the booth and stood at Bella’s left shoulder.
When Bella’s groupings were about as accurate as her mentor’s, Janice returned the pellet gun to its place in the bag and retrieved a black plastic box. She opened it and pulled out a gun that looked like it was from a sci-fi movie. When Janice screwed on the silencer, it looked even more futuristic.
“This is the gun I take when I need to assassinate someone at close range.” She reached out with one hand and fired four rounds into the new target. “It’s a Ruger 22/45 with red dot sight and a suppressor, making it barely louder than my pellet gun. But it has a substantial lethality to it, especially if you make a headshot.” She retrieved the target from seven yards, set the gun down, and traded places with Bella.
“I thought you said you weren’t a good shot without a laser,” Bella said as she admired the tiny tears in the paper target-all within a quarter inch of the center.
“You’ll see. Try it.”
She liked this gun even before she raised it into firing position. It had a nice feel to it and even with the suppressor, it felt well-balanced. She peered into the red dot optic and saw the target with a pinpoint light moving around and understood what Janice was alluding to. She lined up the red dot over the target and pull the trigger. “It won’t fire.”
“That’s because you still have the safety on. The working of this pistol is very similar to the Kimber Micro 9 that I’m giving you. You need to understand how it all works. It’s called a thumb safety.”
It took no more coaching. Bella pulled the safety downward with the thumb of her right hand, aimed and fired.
An hour later, Janice said, “It’s time for a lunch break. You are a perfect student. You follow the safety rules like a pro, and you’ve become an excellent marksman, but that is easy with my assassin gun. After intermission you’ll get an hour of range time with the baby 1911.”
Bella didn’t know what she meant by baby 1911, but she would not let the assassin thing pass for a second time. “Thank you for instructing me. This is more fun than I expected. But what’s this about your assassin gun?”
“Oh, it’s an old joke. Don’t give it a second thought. Besides, do you really think I’d bring it up if it were true?” Janice hefted the gun bag over her shoulder and headed for the door.
Seastead, Tahiti
“Here is your new weapon.” Janice laid the gun down on the counter. “Let’s see what you’ve learned.”
Bella picked it up and pushed the mag release and caught it as it dropped. Then she thumbed down the safety and racked the slide back and locked it into position. The round that had been chambered dropped out. “I didn’t expect that,” she said.
“That’s how you will carry this gun, cocked and locked. The belly band holster I had you put on in the ladies’ room has a very secure retaining mechanism and you won’t be disengaging the thumb safety until you’re on target. This gun, in that condition, will allow you to shoot with one hand, if you’re preoccupied with the other. Now, put it back together like I showed you. It’s mostly just like the Ruger, but this time I want you to tell me exactly what you’re doing and why.”
“I’m putting the magazine back into the pistol and releasing the slide which chambers a round. Now, I’m engaging the safety because it would be ready to fire without the safety on. And now, I’m pushing the release to drop the mag and fill it again.” She picked up the round that had ejected from the chamber and forced it into the magazine. “Wow, these 9mm rounds are so much bigger than the twenty-two. Next, I’m returning the mag into the mag well”—she shot a smile back at Janice—“with purpose. Finally, I’m inspecting that the weapon is cocked and locked. And done.”
“Very good. Here’s something new. You need to holster your weapon. Lift your shirt and fully expose the holster at four o’clock and slide it in. You’ll want to twist enough to see what you are doing for now, but after a thousand practice draws, you won’t need to look.” Janice checked to make sure the fit was secure. “How does that feel?”
“Not bad at all. It actually feels nice here in the air conditioning. But I bet it could get uncomfortable in the heat,” Bella said.
“Carrying concealed is always a compromise. Do your own research. You might have to play with different holster options, but never leave your gun at home because of style or comfort. Commit to always carry and then you’ll figure out how to make it work.
“Here’s two hundred rounds and two extra magazines. And my gift to your hands—a speed loader. Your job is to repeat the reloading process and re-holster between each mag and practice your draw. Smooth as it comes out and even smoother as you re-holster. Oh, and I have the laser covered with tape for now. As much as I love aiming with a laser, there are times, like broad daylight, that you’ll need to rely on iron sights.”
The targets were not like the traditional circular ones with the bullseye in the middle that they had used before lunch. These were life size silhouettes of a head and torso. There were intense emotions and a bit of nausea as she came to understand she was training to kill a person.
“Two into the torso, one into the head.” Janice said, as if overriding Bella’s thoughts.
Bang! The gun fired with a dreadful noise and strong recoil. Nothing from the morning prepared her for the effect of pulling the trigger on this weapon. Not only was it a much larger caliber, but the gun had no noise suppressor. It was clear to Bella that the receiving end of her bullets would be destroyed. The round struck within a quarter inch of the center-of-mass hash mark. She smiled, turned, and looked at Janice.
After receiving a slight nod, she returned to the practice that might, one day, save her life. The next shot was not as accurate yet still struck into the torso, but her first attempt at a headshot missed entirely. The seriousness of what she was doing took the fun out of target shooting, but once she came to grips with this new power and its responsibility, she improved her accuracy and increased her speed and efficiency. During the entire two hundred rounds, Janice stayed silent with her arms crossed and a satisfied look on her face. When all the ammo was fired, Bella put the gun down and said, “Done.”
