"Three years ago, Arasaka initiated a covert project called the "Star Project" at a secret base in Canada.
The goal of the project was to use a group of netrunners to infiltrate the Old Net through a Canadian net surveillance gateway and directly mine data from it.
The netrunners they selected were all young kids like me, easy to deceive, easy to control, and since most of us were orphans, there were no loose ends to worry about.
So, a group of children, the youngest ten and the oldest only twelve, became their mining GPUs for extracting Old Net data.
And I was one of them."
Mercer's words, paired with his somewhat youthful face, left Rogue silent.
She watched his face quietly, her emotions complex, her earlier agitation seeming to vanish all at once.
Mercer continued calmly:
"The project officially began a year ago, and in just over a year, half of our batch of netrunners were killed by attacks from rogue AIs constantly emerging in the Old Net.
I am one of the survivors.
And a month ago, we encountered a very powerful AI in the Old Net, Alt Cunningham."
Mercer spoke half-truths, not revealing everything about Bartmoss and Spider Murphy.
"It was Alt Cunningham's appearance that gave me the chance to escape from there.
Alt's emergence caused Arasaka's servers to initiate overload, drawing attention. The higher-ups decided the "Star Project's" costs outweighed its returns, so they dismissed the original project director.
The new project director was ambitious. She set her sights on the rogue AIs, hoping to use the Relic to capture Arasaka's old enemy, Alt Cunningham.
But the result was obvious... They wanted to use Soulkiller to capture the creator of Soulkiller? It was a joke.
I made a deal with Alt, and with her help, I took control of Arasaka's base servers, killed all the guards, and escaped the base.
While looting the data and valuable Relic chips inside, I also learned the truth of it all from Alt."
Rogue fell silent at Mercer's words, finally speaking with complex emotions, "Alt actually started using a child? Really..."
"Ha, I wouldn't call it using, more like mutual help."
Mercer chuckled, then continued, "So now you should understand that this whole thing isn't just me talking nonsense.
If you don't believe me, use your connections to check for yourself, find out what really happened at the Arasaka base in the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada.
A lot of people died that day. I imagine it caused quite a stir. If your contacts are reliable, they should be able to verify at least some of what I've said."
"...Aren't you afraid I'll just turn around and sell you out to Arasaka?"
Rogue stared at Mercer.
Mercer simply shrugged,
"That would mean I misjudged you, but honestly, I think that woman who once stormed Arasaka with Johnny Silverhand isn't so fragile that she'd turn into a spineless corporate bootlicker just because she's gotten older.
Aren't you curious why I came to Night City?
I can tell you right now, clearly, the reason I'm here is to finish what you all started back then!"
His eyes shone with unwavering determination as he met the gaze of Night City's legendary queen, his tone grave,
"I'm going to burn this filthy city to ashes! I'm going to set this city ablaze and bring new hope to this world...
Hope for freedom!"
Rogue rubbed her temples irritably and wearily, watching the fire in Mercer's eyes. For a moment, it felt like she was young again.
Back then, she was just a young woman standing in the crowd, watching Johnny Silverhand on stage, clutching his guitar and roaring at the top of his lungs.
He roared hoarsely, even if it meant setting the whole city on fire, he wouldn't let the corporations turn this place into a hopeless, freedomless wasteland.
He was such an idiot.
And back then, she was the same kind of idiot.
"Ha... So Johnny Silverhand isn't dead after all, and now there's another underage terrorist in the city... Goddammit, that's enough."
Rogue lit another cigarette, but this time the cold hardness in her eyes was gone. Instead, there was an indescribable softness in the way she looked at Mercer.
His demeanor reminded her, for the first time in a long while, of her own child.
"I'll see what I can do. Yorinobu Arasaka's private contact isn't easy to get... I'll reach out if I manage it.
Now, aside from that, you mentioned you had another job for me?"
Mercer nodded, putting his mask back on before speaking. "I need a new identity. A perfect fake one that Arasaka won't be able to trace, at least not for a while.
I need someone to infiltrate Night City's municipal server room for me and plug a virus chip into the server to help me bypass its ICE.
After that, I'll modify Night City's household registration records myself online and start operating openly as a local."
The reason Mercer didn't dare hack in directly was his deep concern about the hidden powers behind Night City, Night Corp.
He'd done his research: Night City's entire household registration system and public servers were built by Night Corp and Ziggurat, both of which were major red flags.
The former, Night Corp, was highly likely already a puppet controlled by one rogue AI, or even a group of them.
The latter, Ziggurat, was tied to a certain troublemaker, yes, Bartmoss.
Rumors said Bartmoss founded Ziggurat, and aside from him, the company's actual management consisted entirely of AIs he created.
And now that Bartmoss was dead too, that meant the whole damn Ziggurat company might be run entirely by AIs.
Mercer really didn't want to deal with AIs anytime soon. The same went for Bartmoss, though their interactions were brief, Mercer could tell the guy was a bit unhinged too.
Just like him.
So it was best to avoid getting involved if possible. This was precisely why Mercer chose to operate offline. He would load the virus program onto a chip, then wait for the chip to be inserted into the server. Once that happened, the virus would grant him direct access to the server's permissions.
From there, he could safely and remotely modify the household registration records.
Uploading the program directly from within the server was equivalent to bypassing all network security measures; it was like spreading a virus locally. Even if there was an AI guarding the system, as long as it failed to prevent the chip from being inserted, it could only watch helplessly as the server was compromised.
If a standard program wasn't enough, Mercer believed that, when necessary, he could directly deploy Deathwish.
If he didn't take this approach and instead attempted a deep dive himself, even with Deathwish, his brain's processing power would likely be no match for an AI backed by a large-scale server.
No matter how powerful the Deathwish program was, it still required computational power to run and crack encryption.
Rogue pondered for a moment before saying, "Two options. First, I get you the city hall shift schedule and floor plan. You arrange your own people to handle the rest.
Second, hand the chip over to me. You won't have to worry about anything else, I'll have my most reliable people take care of it.
For the first option, I won't charge you. Consider it payment for telling me Johnny's still alive.
For the second, I'll waive my commission on this job. You just need to pay the mercenary's fee, around... 50,000 eddies."
Curious, Mercer asked, "If it were the standard rate, how much would a job like this usually cost?"
"20,000 for someone I don't know well, 15,000 for a regular." The prices Rogue quoted made Mercer whistle in surprise.
So fixers really make that much, huh?
"What? Think I'm charging too much?"
Rogue chuckled, reading his thoughts, and explained,
"That's because you don't understand the process.
First, as a fixer, I have to gather intel and clear the path; I need to make sure the client doesn't have any hidden agendas and confirm whether the job has risks beyond what's been disclosed.
Then, I have to prepare mission intelligence and assess the difficulty.
Next, I have to coordinate personnel and find the most suitable merc for the job. Most of these mercs nowadays are complete idiots who only know how to shoot first and ask questions never.
So, to keep them from screwing things up, I sometimes have to provide detailed operation plans, match the difficulty level appropriately, and even consider whether a merc's personality is suited for certain tasks.
Planning an entire operation from start to finish, including extraction, is a hell of a lot harder than just charging in guns blazing."
Finally, Rogue paused and said, "Connections, resources, intel, planning, that's why I get paid so much."
Mercer nodded, then grinned at Rogue. "Looks like you're pretty reliable, huh?"
Definitely better than some fixers who don't even know what they're stealing.
Rogue scoffed, not bothering to entertain him. "So, which one?"
"Option one. If that doesn't work, I'll come back to you for option two."
Mercer made his decision.
He was going to assign this job to his own people to test their mettle, V, you're up!
Give her 5,000 eddies, and she'd probably be thrilled, thinking she hit the jackpot.
"Alright, I'll send you the intel once it's ready," Rogue said without hesitation. "Anything else?"
"Will putting my name on your roster count? You can come to me with suitable gigs later. I won't be cheap, but I'll definitely get the job done right."
Mercer's attitude suddenly turned enthusiastic, almost like a salesman pitching his wares,
"I offer services including netrunning, real-time net support, software development and design, ICE development and cracking. To be honest, ninety-nine percent of the netrunners in Night City are trash in my eyes.
You can think of me as a combination of Bartmoss and Alt from 2070, don't look at me like that, I'm not bullshitting, man's a genuine genius!
Believe it or not, I could hack your bar's server right now with my eyes closed?"
Mercer boasted without even batting an eye.
Rogue was amused, "Ho, a combination of Bartmoss and Alt? So you're the rogue AI they created, huh?
Alright, I get it. I'll contact you if there's a suitable job, but the first one won't be too hard. We'll take it step by step and see what you're made of."
Do youngsters these days even know how powerful Bartmoss and Alt really were?
Mercer nodded and continued rambling, "No problem! And, man's not fighting alone either.
I've got an excellent driver from the Aldecaldos, a promising combat merc with a bright future.
Plus a netrunner backing me up who's not quite as good as me but still better than most netrunners you know.
Add in my genius hacking skills... honestly, you're lucky to know me now, getting in on the ground floor."
"Enough with the boasting," Rogue chuckled and shook her head. "Got it. I'll consider prioritizing your 'team' when we need a 'genius netrunner' in the future.
But remember, next time you talk about how amazing your team is, make sure you actually bring your team along.
In Night City, nobody wants to invest in an empty promise."
Mercer just laughed, completely unashamed, "Then we'll let our skills do the talking."
After saying that, he shoved his hands in his pockets and prepared to leave, waving at Rogue, "I'll wait for your message."
"Mm." Rogue watched his retreating back, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly called out, "Hey, kid."
Mercer stopped and turned to look back.
"In this city, there's no shortage of people who want to burn the whole world to ashes, but very few actually leave their mark.
You seem way too green for your dreams.
Consider this a piece of advice, before thinking about how to set this city on fire, you need to see it clearly, feel it.
Live in this city for real first, then think about whether to burn it or not."
After speaking, Rogue gazed at him calmly: "Don't lightly say words whose weight you don't understand, or wade into rivers whose depth you don't know.
Some words can't be taken back once spoken, some things can't be undone once done."
Mercer just nodded, then tapped his mask, "I know. That's why I'm still wearing a mask for now. But... thanks, Rogue."
Rogue nodded, quietly watching him leave before slowly closing her eyes.
Those past memories she thought she'd forgotten now churned relentlessly in her mind.
—--
Upon returning to the bar's main hall, Mercer's first sight was of a striking woman with a shock of white hair on one side, standing foolishly by the entrance, asking around for someone, or perhaps picking a fight?
"Do you know where A is?"
"Do you know A?"
"Hey man, aren't you 'Bonecrusher'? Damn, bro, I heard you once crushed the bones of everyone in a Maelstrom hideout all by yourself. True or not?"
"I'm V! Remember that name, it's gonna be famous someday."
"Little girl? You looking to die? Don't start trouble, watch your mouth!"
"Bitch? You're the fucking idiot! See a woman and lose your mind, huh?"
"Wanna throw down? Don't think those big arms scare me, useless! I could rip your head off with one hand, dumbass!"
Hesitating, Mercer suddenly felt a bit reluctant to approach.
But V, sharp-eyed as ever, spotted Mercer's short stature instantly amid the crowded bar.
"A? Yeah, that's you with the A on your face, who else could it be? But our business can wait. Let me handle this mess first."
Watching V shout and then roll up her sleeves, ready to brawl with a few mercs, Mercer covered the mask on his face and let out a deep sigh.
Goddammit.
Why does V seem so recklessly bold?
--------
Bonus chapter @1200 power stones.......