"What are you thinking about?"
Lucy asked softly, nudging him to move further into the van.
A few children and a pile of boxes packed the van to the brim, forcing everyone to squeeze together, pressed against one another.
"I'm thinking about what to do next," Mercer replied honestly. "Planning out the details of our next steps."
"Haven't you been thinking about it the whole way?" Lucy leaned against him naturally, resting her head on his shoulder and making a bit more comfortable space for Kyoko beside her.
"I only had a rough idea before, but now that we're moving into action, I need to consider the specifics."
As Mercer spoke, he heard the van's engine start.
Norman, who had taken the driver's seat, reminded them:
"Since we don't want to be noticed, stay quiet when I slow down later. I'm raising the partition now, no one will be able to see you from my side.
Once it's safe, I'll lower the partition first, then stop and open the door for you.
Don't worry, no one will try to open your door. If they do, something's wrong."
"Understood."
Mercer responded, watching as a retractable partition inside the van rose, completely sealing off the cabin from the driver's seat.
The cabin plunged into darkness, with not a sliver of light, leaving only the sound of the moving vehicle.
The cramped, pitch-black space made Lucy instinctively press closer to Mercer, almost half-curling into him. After confirming his position, she whispered:
"Once we pass the checkpoint, does that mean we've reached Night City?"
"Yeah, if I remember correctly, the area around the checkpoint is full of Biotechnica farms. Following the road straight will take us into the city."
Mercer replied softly, "But we won't be wandering around the city right away. Once I've sorted out the fake IDs, I'll take all of you to explore properly."
"I can't wait to see Night City, I wonder what it's really like."
Kyoko was growing impatient.
Mercer had talked about Night City throughout the journey, building up their anticipation.
The city of freedom where dreams are pursued, that was how Mercer described Night City.
Daichi, however, was less optimistic. He sighed and said:
"I looked it up online earlier. People talk it up pretty well, but let me put it this way... Night City airs a show called the Body Lottery every day.
As the name suggests, they take bets on the number of people who die in the city each day.
This city is dangerous, Kyoko. Don't let your guard down."
"I know."
Though her excitement dampened, Kyoko still spoke with trust:
"Other places aren't much better, right? And didn't Mercer say only here can we truly say goodbye to Arasaka?"
"...Actually, being a nomad wouldn't be so bad."
Leon suddenly spoke up.
The van fell silent. Lucy's voice turned cold as she asked, "You plan on staying outside? After Mercer helps you get a new identity?"
"No, I was just saying." Leon caught the chill in Lucy's tone and shrank back, his voice growing noticeably quieter.
"Don't be like that, Lucy."
Mercer's gentle voice broke the suddenly tense atmosphere. He chuckled softly and said,
"Being a nomad isn't so bad. You've seen for yourselves along the way, Cassidy is pretty reliable. Staying with the Aldecaldos is actually quite safe. In this world, enjoying freedom out in the wilderness might really be a good path forward."
"And what about you? You worked so hard to bring us all this way, and we just get to stay somewhere safe and enjoy our freedom? While you go into Night City alone to face gangs and corporations as an underage Solo?"
Lucy sounded angry. Even in the pitch-black compartment, Mercer could vaguely make out her eyes fixed intently on him.
"Or do you think you're enough on your own? That it doesn't matter whether we help or not?"
As soon as Lucy finished, Kyoko quickly reached for her hand in the dark. "Lucy! Mercer, she-she didn't mean it like that!"
The car fell silent.
The vehicle began to slow down abruptly. Norman, in the driver's seat, coughed and spoke through the partition, "Sorry to interrupt, but we're almost there. You can continue this after we're past the checkpoint."
"Copy that. Staying quiet."
Mercer responded, then added softly, "Let's talk about this when we're safe. We can discuss going our separate ways once we're at the camp."
"Mhm," Leon replied uneasily.
Mercer closed his eyes and waited quietly to pass through the checkpoint. After just a short while, he felt Lucy trembling slightly beside him.
He said nothing, hesitating for a moment before reaching out and gently wiping her cheek with the back of his hand. Sure enough, he felt tears.
Lucy turned her head away from his hand without a word, but after a moment, she leaned back against him, burying her face in his shoulder and crying silently.
Mercer could only wait in silence, doing nothing, until Norman got out and then back into the driver's seat, restarting the car.
About five or six minutes later, the van creaked as the partition was lowered, and light flooded back into the compartment.
"Cleared the border. We'll drive a bit further, turn off onto a side road, and you can move your things back to your own car and head to the clan's camp."
The sudden sunlight made everyone squint slightly, but their cybereyes quickly adjusted the exposure, allowing them to adapt to the brightness almost instantly.
No one spoke. After getting out, the group quietly began moving their belongings and returning to their own vehicles.
"Panam will guide you from here. Head straight from Santo Domingo onto the highway east, and you'll reach our territory," Norman instructed, then added, "I need to take Scorpion and the others back to retrieve our car. Leaving it there too long risks someone stealing it."
"No problem. Panam can lead the way for us," Mercer agreed with a nod.
Cassidy, noticing the unusual tension among the kids, said nothing but reminded them to stay focused and follow behind the car. Driving in the city wasn't like the wilderness; this group of unlicensed minors still had to be cautious. If caught by NCPD, they'd have to start a high-speed chase.
—--
Mercer started the car, and Lucy habitually took her seat in the passenger side.
The car began moving forward along the highway.
Mercer turned on the radio and, for the first time, clearly picked up the city's broadcast signals. Relying on memory, he quickly found the station he knew so well from the games, 98.7, Body Heat Radio.
None of the songs matched what he remembered, but the currently playing, somewhat lyrical tune made him pause his hand from changing the station. Might as well listen.
"...Sorry."
Lucy spoke up suddenly.
"Huh? Don't be. I know you meant no harm."
Mercer truly didn't mind. He could tell Lucy's intention was just to feel indignant on his behalf.
"...I'm just a bit angry. You brought us out alone, went through so much, and we finally made it here, yet they want to run off now. After all the discussions we had on the road, when it really came time for them to contribute... It feels like being betrayed by someone close again."
Lucy seemed genuinely upset, but then she just lowered her head:
"You always say we should do whatever we want... Don't you feel wronged? You've been so good to them, yet they don't appreciate it at all!"
"But you do, don't you?"
Mercer laughed easily, turning to look at her with a gentle tone:
"Aren't you standing in my shoes right now, thinking for me? That means everything I've done isn't meaningless. Leon wanting to stay there isn't something to blame him for.
Lucy, I saved you all and brought you here not so you could repay me or die for me. Fighting against corporations, scraping by in Night City, it's nowhere near as rosy as I made it sound before.
People die here every day. Just like Daichi said, they even publicly gamble on death tolls and turn it into TV shows.
I'm not afraid, but that doesn't mean I should demand others not be afraid too.
Lucy, aren't you scared? Maybe while we're driving, a bullet could fly through the window, going from my temple to yours... That kind of thing isn't impossible in Night City."
The car sped along the highway, the towering neon city looming close in the distance. Yet Panam didn't lead the group into it; that wasn't the way to the wilderness.
Just after entering the city, they turned into the somewhat dilapidated and old Santo Domingo district.
Most households here flew the flag of the New United States; this was 6th Street's turf.
Groups of distinctly "all-American" looking folks could be seen everywhere, armed and gathered near their homes, eyeing unfamiliar passing vehicles.
"You need to think carefully too, Lucy. I know you're kind and value loyalty deeply, but don't blindly follow me into hell because of that."
Mercer saw his own future clearly:
"To be a nobody, or to become a legend? That's the question everyone who comes to Night City should ask themselves. I've chosen the latter, and in Night City, nine out of ten so-called legends end up dead, while the last one is just counting down the days."
Lucy fell silent, but not for long. She turned her head resolutely to look at Mercer:
"Just tell me one thing, whatever you plan to do next, can I actually be of help?"
"If it's you, I think you can."
Mercer spoke earnestly: "Sometimes I charge in too recklessly, without any restraint. Even if just one person could pull me back at times like that, it might let me live a few more years."
"Then I'll go with you."
Lucy took a deep breath and said:
"But you have to promise me, don't fight a hopeless battle. Don't drag me into a meaningless death. That's it."
"Deal." Mercer agreed without hesitation.
Seeing his response, Lucy frowned and glared at him with a stern look:
"And you're not allowed to charge headlong toward death yourself.
No matter what you do, the dead can't change anything.
Look at Bartmoss, such a legendary netrunner, and even he ended up making a mess of things in the end?
No one can control what happens after death, so..."
"I know, I'll stay alive too.
At least, I'll do my best to stay alive. Don't worry, I haven't had my fill of living yet.
Strictly speaking, I'd love to achieve greatness, then live for centuries with a fortune and enjoy life to the fullest."
Mercer laughed: "What kind of image do you even have of me in your head?"
"...Someone who brings hope." Lucy turned her face away. "So... don't die. Otherwise, hope will be gone."
Mercer fell silent.
He gazed out the window at the 6th Street gang members, visible on the streets and rooftops everywhere. After a long moment, he nodded and finally asked that question:
"If it were just up to you to choose? A nobody, or a legend?"
Lucy also looked out the window. After a pause, she suddenly chuckled:
"If it were the old me, I'd say any life is better than a brave death.
But you've corrupted me. Now I sometimes think, since everyone dies anyway, it's not bad to do something big before that happens."
"But... a legend? More than becoming a legend myself, I'd rather see you achieve it." She smiled as she turned to look at Mercer. "Let me see the day you become a legend, with both of us still alive."
"A living legend?
That won't be easy... but luckily, I love taking on tough challenges.
Well then, you'd better mentally prepare yourself and get used to it, because..."
—--
He laughed loudly, then without a second thought, rolled down the car window and flipped off a drunken, bleary-eyed 6th Street member who was urinating on the street as if painting the pavement:
"Showing off something that small? Idiot!"
The gang member froze, then furiously tried to raise his handgun. But before he could lift it, a "System Breached" alert flashing across his cybereye startled him: "Shit, a netrunner!"
Then, to his horror, his cybereye was suddenly flooded with bouncing smiley emojis.
In the end, he could only angrily shut down his cybereye: "Dammit, which bastard's little brat... Quick, someone help me kill this virus! I can't open my eyes!"
Lucy couldn't help but burst into laughter alongside Mercer at the sight, but before the man could find help, the next moment he convulsed and collapsed to the ground, lying in a puddle of his own urine.
"Your breach speed has improved quite a bit, huh?"
Mercer praised, letting Night City's slightly foul-smelling wind brush against his face.
"You taught me well."
Lucy flashed a bright smile, leaning out of the car window to wave at the confused 6th Street members rushing toward them in the distance. "Bye~ bye~! Try not to be so foul-mouthed next time!"
"Damn it, pull yourself back in! I sure as hell didn't teach you that!"
Mercer quickly yanked her back inside, raised the bulletproof window, and slammed on the gas, speeding off.
Unsurprisingly, the provoked 6th Street members raised their guns and fired, not caring whether they hit anything. The bulletproof body of the car occasionally rang with a couple of dings, but Lucy just kept laughing, completely unfazed.
Mercer wasn't bothered either, after all, he'd started it.
"Woo-hoo!"
She couldn't help but cheer at the thrill of the high-speed drive, while Mercer, still laughing, held her back from moving around too much. "Seatbelt, seatbelt!"
Panam's voice crackled over the intercom: "What the hell are you two kids up to?"
Mercer just pressed the intercom button and laughed loudly. "Panam, let's see your driving skills! Race you!"
"You little brat, you're on! Don't cry if you lose!"
As if Panam would back down from a challenge.
The only one suffering was Cassidy. The old cowboy sighed deeply over the intercom. "Please, I'm getting old. Next time you pull something like this, give me a heads-up, will you?"
"Aha! Let the race begin! First one out of this street wins!"
Mercer had the gas pedal floored, he couldn't care less about anything else.
A nobody?
Ha!
I came into this world to make a name for myself!
--------
Bonus chapter @1100 power stones...