Rogue's lips twitched almost imperceptibly downward. The mere mention of that woman's name made her blood boil.
It was because of that woman that Johnny Silverhand had stormed Arasaka Tower twice, and because of her that he had died. Many of her old friends had also lost their lives in Arasaka Tower during those events.
Even she had been forced to wander the wastelands for years because of it.
She still held some lingering feelings for Johnny Silverhand, or perhaps she had never truly let go of him at all. So, the thought of Alt's name only fueled her anger.
Rogue's tone was sharp as she said, "Then you really shouldn't have come to me. What does Alt's business have to do with me?"
How stubborn this woman was.
Mercer shook his head slightly and then spoke bluntly, "You want me to save him now? I don't have the ability, nor the time.
To be honest, rescuing him is nothing more than a side quest for me. What good would it do me personally if I actually managed to save him?
Alt did promise me some rewards... but let's be real, she probably doesn't care if Johnny suffers in some server or storage chip for a few more years.
I'd rather wait until I'm absolutely certain and completely secure before taking action. If necessary, I'm fine with abandoning this mission altogether."
His words made Rogue frown deeply. Then, Mercer added, With a Little Help from My Friends, "Sure, I could help Alt, but would that really be good news for you?"
"Alt gave me a few options: rescue Johnny Silverhand and set him free, help him find peace, or... hand him over to her."
Mercer stared at Rogue, his tone calm as he said, "Do you want to see Silverhand die for good, or do you want to watch him fly off into Cyberspace with Alt, living happily ever after?"
"Enough!" Rogue glared at Mercer, her expression dark. "You seem to know a lot... Did Alt tell you? Even as an AI, she's still so unpleasant."
"No, no, no. I learned about your tangled web of love and hate on my own... out of personal interest.
You were all big shots in Night City back in the day. A quick search turns up plenty of gossip and scandals."
Mercer chuckled. "So, I was thinking, instead of letting Johnny Silverhand become an AI with Alt, who's grown emotionally distant, or just killing him outright...
Maybe you'd be more interested in a proposal to bring Johnny Silverhand back to life?"
"Back to life? What kind of joke is that?" Rogue stared intently at Mercer.
But Mercer spoke lightly, "I'm not joking. Someone as well-connected as the Queen of Fixers, Rogue, must have heard of Arasaka's 'Secure Your Soul' project, right?
The Relic chip.
Johnny Silverhand's consciousness is probably stored on some Relic chip hidden in Arasaka Tower. Of course, it's also possible Arasaka has already uploaded it to one of their servers.
But no matter what, as long as we transfer his consciousness to a Relic chip...
Then, insert it into a living body... Boom, that rocker boy is back."
Mercer gestured with his hands as if mimicking an explosion, smiling at Rogue. "When that happens, you'll be his savior, and Alt in Cyberspace will have nothing to do with a resurrected man." Alt's mouth is even sharper than yours. When she hired me, she put on that cold, ruthless AI act, you two are really alike in that regard.
Anyway, she definitely won't give Johnny Silverhand a warm welcome.
And Johnny, waking up after decades, the only familiar face he can rely on is you.
Reuniting with an old flame after life and death parted you for decades. Wow, how touching.
Rogue just stared at Mercer, silent for a moment before speaking with clear irritation: "I'm starting to dislike you. You remind me of an asshole I dealt with decades ago."
This kid's tone was so infuriating... it made her think of that bastard Bartmoss.
"Hahaha!" Mercer burst out laughing, then quickly turned serious: "So, are you interested or not?"
He spoke calmly and deliberately: "If you have no interest in saving Johnny Silverhand, if you don't care whether he's suffering in that chip or server, then I'm even less in a hurry to rescue him.
Three to five years? Or ten, twenty years?
After all, I'm not going to risk my life or pay a high price to save someone who has no connection to me.
The reason I came to you is that I thought this might mean something to you, and I could get a decent reward out of it.
If you're not willing, that's fine too. Let Johnny Silverhand lie there for now. I'll save him when I have time."
Mercer's words made Rogue narrow her eyes: "I feel like you're threatening me."
"I'm just stating facts. If even the woman he loved in life isn't willing to lift a finger, then why should I, an outsider, be in any rush to save him?
Of course, even if you don't help, when the time is right, I'll still pull him out, I'd be happy to have another damn terrorist causing trouble for the corps.
Not to mention, I can achieve some of my own goals through this."
Mercer slumped back into the couch, looking completely relaxed, and asked one last time: "So, can we talk about the details of the job now?"
Rogue irritably pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
After a long pause, she spoke through gritted teeth: "Talk! I'm in. We'll save that bastard together. Now, what do you want?"
"Let's not talk about payment first. I have two plans. Each one only has three steps... very straightforward."
Mercer sat up straight, a bright smile on his face:
"Plan one: Step one, we find a way to make Arasaka transfer Silverhand's consciousness to Night City.
Step two, hire a top-tier merc team to break into Mikoshi and download Silverhand's consciousness back onto a Relic chip.
Step three, find a suitable body or, well, a corpse, and slot the chip in."
Rogue shook her head firmly: "Impossible. If it's stored at their Japan headquarters, it means Saburo Arasaka is definitely keeping a tight watch.
Besides, Mikoshi servers aren't interconnected. Saburo isn't stupid enough to let enemies take down the whole system at once."
"Alright, plan two."
Mercer then laid out what he thought was the most feasible approach: "Fine. Step one: Rogue, you go deal with Yorinobu Arasaka."
"...I'll deal with you first!" Rogue was completely exasperated. Is this asshole even speaking human language?
"Yorinobu Arasaka? You want me to handle him? How, by kidnapping?" Rogue was so exasperated she almost told him to get lost.
Mercer nodded: "Kidnap? No, I just need you to get his private contact info so I can talk to him."
"This failure of Saburo Arasaka's life, born into Arasaka, yet a staunch anti-corporate fighter, is the key to us getting the chip."
"Though I think he's pretty stupid, I have to admit, if we're looking for someone qualified to get Johnny Silverhand's consciousness and bring it to Night City, Yorinobu Arasaka is undoubtedly the best choice."
"Don't be fooled by how he bawled his eyes out at his brother's grave after the Arasaka Tower nuke, that was all an act for his father, just to survive."
"He never gave up on the idea of destroying corporations and has always hated Saburo Arasaka to the bone."
"It's just that this poor guy is as afraid of his father as he hates him."
"Tch, just a dying old man. If I were Yorinobu Arasaka..."
"I would've killed that old geezer a hundred times over."
Mercer's words made Rogue look at him in a new light, while it might seem like everyone hates corps, ask any ten Afterlife mercs about Saburo Arasaka, and nine would feel sheer terror.
People don't usually boast like that.
The disdain in Mercer's tone was hard to fake; he genuinely looked down on Arasaka, on Saburo Arasaka.
Disdain, huh? Can someone really have that kind of attitude toward Arasaka?
After a few more contemptuous remarks, Mercer continued: "But that doesn't change the fact that he's very likely to help us."
"You sure? You said it yourself, to survive, he obediently bowed his head and apologized before Saburo allowed him back into Arasaka."
Rogue studied him thoughtfully.
Mercer simply said calmly: "Then give him an offer he can't refuse, Saburo Arasaka's life."
"As long as he brings the chip with Johnny Silverhand's consciousness, I'll help him completely finish off Saburo Arasaka."
Rogue leaned back in her seat: "Are you fucking kidding me?"
She'd heard more bullshit tonight than in the past year.
"Kidding? Is it that hard?"
Mercer sneered: "A hundred-plus-year-old fossil whose bones have turned brittle, even I could strangle him to death with my bare hands."
"Do you have any idea how strong Arasaka's security is? And you clearly don't know what it feels like to be hunted by Arasaka!" Rogue said seriously.
Mercer just replied lightly: "Oh? But what if it's not me who wants to kill him... what if it's Yorinobu Arasaka?"
Rogue looked at Mercer with something like horror, while he simply gazed back calmly: "He's wanted to kill Saburo Arasaka for a long time; he just lacks some courage, a good opportunity."
"As long as we can make contact with Yorinobu Arasaka, I'll handle the rest with him."
"So, in short: Step one, establish contact with Yorinobu Arasaka."
"Step two, secure cooperation with Yorinobu Arasaka."
"Step three, Yorinobu Arasaka brings the chip to Night City, I take Johnny Silverhand's consciousness chip, then help him utterly destroy Saburo Arasaka." "With Arasaka's new leadership being one of our own, what is there to fear? Who would cause trouble for us over a dead old man?"
"Yorinobu Arasaka will surely come up with a perfect excuse, that's not our concern. He won't let anyone know he killed his own father."
"In short, as long as we can reach an agreement with him..."
"Then Silverhand will be free again, and the world will gain a formidable anti-corporate fighter, who also happens to be the fucking head of Arasaka."
"And I get my reward, while you get your old flame back."
"Mission accomplished, smooth and easy."
Mercer's words drew a laugh from Rogue. "So, what's your purpose in coming to me? To convince Yorinobu Arasaka to act immediately? You overestimate me."
"I told you, I need someone to help me connect with Yorinobu Arasaka."
Mercer stared straight at her. "I know you have extensive connections. The fact that you were able to return to Night City means you must have struck some deal with Arasaka. You definitely have a way to reach Yorinobu."
"I don't need you to negotiate, I'll handle the talking. I'll give Yorinobu the courage to act, give him a little push from behind."
"All you need to do is get me a chance to speak with him. That's it, simple as that."
Rogue's breathing grew heavier. She took deep drags from her cigarette until only the butt remained, stubbing it out in the ashtray before asking further questions.
"Are you sure that Relic can bring Silverhand back?" Rogue eyed Mercer, probing his credibility. "How do you know so much? How did you meet Alt? Why did you come to Night City?"
Mercer's heart settled. Success.
If Rogue wasn't interested, she wouldn't be asking so many questions.
Her digging into the details now precisely indicated that his proposal had struck a chord.
"First, very few people in the world truly understand the Relic. Most think it's just a Soulkiller program or a container for consciousness data."
As he spoke, Mercer pulled a chip from the side of his head, waving it briefly in front of Rogue, causing her pupils to sharply contract.
"But as it happens, I'm one of the few who understands it deeply."
Mercer reinserted the chip into his head, speaking casually:
"After years of development, the chip is essentially a miraculous device that can modify neural pathways. Once inserted into the brain, it reprograms your neurons according to its coding."
"Using it for resurrection means implanting the chip into a deceased person's brain. The chip then continuously rewires the dead person's neural pathways until they match the consciousness stored within."
"The modified body first rejects the original consciousness, then destroys it. Finally, the consciousness from the chip takes over the body, completing the resurrection."
"And this one in my possession, after I erased its original program, the Soulkiller inside, has become an incredible neural repair device."
"As long as no program or consciousness data is loaded into it, it simply detects neural damage and repairs my own brain automatically."
"Where did you get this?!" Rogue stared at him in disbelief. He had actually gotten his hands on the Relic chip!?
Mercer shrugged. "From Arasaka, of course. Don't be so tense, Rogue. It's not like this is your first time dealing with an Arasaka fugitive."
"Damn it." Rogue's anxiety was palpable, but after a moment, she just cursed under her breath and said, "Go on."
"I got this chip thanks to those idiots at Arasaka, they wanted to use Soulkiller to capture AIs from the Old Net."
"But to explain all this clearly, I first need to tell you who I am and what led up to this."
As he spoke, Mercer slowly reached up and removed his mask, revealing a surprisingly youthful face that left Rogue stunned.
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Bonus chapter @1200 power stones.