"Yeah, Aldecaldos. I came all the way from New America. No particular reason, just couldn't stay with my old clan anymore, wanted a change of scenery. Haven't figured out where to go yet, though. Just wandering, stopping here and there. Take on some delivery jobs when I run out of cash, save up enough, then keep moving. Looking for a place to belong."
After Cassidy finished speaking, he noticed Mercer sizing him up. After a moment, a look of realization dawned on Mercer's face.
"I get it. Anything else to add?"
Mercer had already decided to let him off.
Because he recognized this guy.
In the game, players could take on a side job called "With a Little Help from My Friends," and one of the characters that appeared was this Cassidy.
An old cowboy who seemed to have lived a full life, in short, a good man.
In the game, he was part of the Aldecaldos clan, the same group Panam, one of the female protagonists, belonged to, just outside Night City.
And Mercer had quite a soft spot for those Aldecaldos, a bunch of loyal, solid folks.
If you triggered the Star ending in the game, these guys were even willing to follow you and help storm Arasaka Tower.
A lot of people died along the way, but in the end, no one blamed you, all because you'd helped them a few times.
But out of caution, Mercer decided to intimidate the guy first, then find a way to talk this old cowboy into leaving.
Although he'd looked up a lot of info online, book knowledge could only take you so far.
If they were really going to travel thousands of kilometers to Night City, having an experienced Nomad to help would make the journey a lot easier.
"...I don't have much money. All my savings add up to just four thousand eddies. If you want it, I can transfer it to you! If you're willing to let me keep my car, I can try reaching out to some old friends, scrape together a small ransom. But it won't be much, you know how it is, I'm just a Nomad."
Cassidy paused, then added:
"I figure you probably don't care much about an old american's past. I've been wandering the wilds since I was a kid. If you want stories, I could tell 'em for nights on end. If there's anything else you want to know... Kid, I promise you, me being here is just a coincidence. If you let me walk out that door, I'll have selective amnesia. Then I'll drive far away from here, keep on wandering."
Mercer studied him for a moment, then said, "What if I don't plan to let you go?"
"Even better. Means you need me for something. I can tell you're not a bad sort, the kids around you trust you. And you look... pretty young. Maybe this old-timer's life experience could be of some use to you."
Cassidy spoke calmly:
"You all seem like you're from somewhere important. Those netrunning suits you're wearing probably cost more than everything I own. So... kid, trust me, I'm nothing like those scumbags you took out. An Aldecaldo nomad always pays his debts!"
"...Alright, then. It's settled." Mercer stood up briskly, casually grabbing a table knife and handing it to Cassidy. "Need a hand?"
"Nah, I actually got loose a while ago."
Cassidy grinned, clenched his wrists, and gave a sharp tug, the ropes binding him fell to the ground. "I was just worried you'd get jumpy and open fire. That girl's hand was shaking a bit when she pointed her gun at me."
Lucy averted her gaze uncomfortably. "I was just deciding where to aim."
"Right, well, next time remember the "Golden Finger" rule, keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot."
Cassidy chuckled lightly, then pointed toward a dead Raffen Shiv member by the dining table. "Mind if I get my revolver back? It's an old piece, the oldest partner I've got."
"Go ahead. Loot what you can. We should get moving. There's probably more of them in this town, and we don't want to run into any Raffen Shiv heading back home."
Mercer gave the order, then safetied his gun and tucked it into his coat.
"You're not taking their money?"
The old cowboy noticed the group only searched the bodies without transferring funds from their neural links, assuming they didn't know better. "Usually, folks like us don't keep all our money in banks, transaction fees add up. So we stash it directly in the CredChip on our neural links."
Mercer shook his head and spoke plainly. "Our previous accounts will be frozen soon, and the CredChip on this interface has already been deactivated. To reopen a CredChip, we'd need to activate a new bank account first. But our current IDs won't cut it, we'll have to wait until we get new identities."
"Ah, got it."
The old cowboy understood immediately and cautiously probed further. "I've heard Arasaka loves pulling that kind of stunt."
"From what I know, all the corps do. The Arasaka logo on our netrunning suits is pretty noticeable, so no worries about guessing wrong. But we're not with Arasaka anymore, to be precise, we're on very bad terms. Understood?"
After Mercer finished, the old cowboy sighed and shook his head. "Look what Arasaka's done… driving kids like you out into the wilds. I get it. I'll hold onto the money for you now, and once we reach a big city and open an account with a Eurobank, I'll give it back."
He activated his neural link. "You can keep an eye on me."
"Not necessary. If I trust someone, I trust them fully, I've got a good sense for people."
Mercer smiled, then stripped a shoulder-holster tactical harness from one of the bodies, the kind that could hold a gun and maybe a grenade or two.
"In that case, I'll hang onto it. I suggest you take their clothes too, at least grab a coat."
Cassidy continued advising.
Mercer nodded. "Alright. I was just put off by the dirt… but you're right, we can't exactly stroll into a store dressed like this to buy new ones. Kyoko, which one do you want?"
[Kyoko: They're all so ugly… just grab any one for me.]
Mercer took a plain black coat for himself, then pulled the wind chime he'd tucked inside his jacket and transferred it to the new pocket. He also stripped a somewhat grimy brown coat from a female Raffen Shiv member for Kyoko.
"What about the guns?" Cassidy pointed to the scattered guns on the ground. "No time to strip the cyberware, but these guns are worth something too. Find the right channel to sell 'em off, could fetch three or four thousand eurodollars."
"Not sure if there's enough space in the vehicles, and I don't plan on making too many stops to rest. Cassidy, you'll need to lend a hand later, we've got plenty to haul."
Mercer finished speaking and turned to Daichi Tetsuya. "Daichi, take Cassidy and drive his truck to load up my gear. Toss anything non-essential into the pickup later. We'll take three vehicles total."
Daichi Tetsuya nodded and glanced over at Cassidy.
Cassidy found his silver revolver, tucked it into his holster, and adjusted his hat. "Looks like you need me to ride along?"
"Mhmm, we could use an old cowboy as a guide." Mercer curled the corner of his mouth. "Lucky you're already drifting and can take us to Night City. Payment'll be whatever we scavenge along the way, plus ten thousand eurodollars, though that ten k won't come 'til I sell the goods after we reach Night City."
Cassidy shrugged casually. "Don't think I can say no anyway. Heard there's a group of Aldecaldos out near Night City, might be a good new family for me. As for payment, no need. Let's just call it drifting together. You did save my life, after all."
"Good. I've heard Aldecaldos look out for each other, decent, loyal folk. I like to pay my debts too, so let's skip the cash. If you run into trouble later, I'll lend a hand. Maybe you can even help us find a temporary place to stay out there. Pleasure working with you. Name's Mercer, but the new alias I plan to use is Alex Mercer." Mercer extended his hand.
"Just call me Cassidy. So, should I call you Alex, or Mercer?" Cassidy reached out with his rough, large hand and gave a firm shake.
"Eh, the latter. Got used to it," Mercer said, returning the firm handshake.
"Pleasure working together?" Cassidy smiled.
"Pleasure working together." Mercer met his eyes and gave a slight nod.
And so, the netrunner who fled Arasaka connected with the Aldecaldo he'd originally planned to partner with.