Lucy nervously touched Mercer's forehead, watching the flashing red light on the netrunner station.
The whirring of the cooling fan made her forehead break out in a cold sweat. Her hand hesitated near the back of Mercer's ear as the messages she'd sent remained unanswered.
Ten seconds ago, the netrunner station had issued a warning alert. Something had happened to Mercer, triggering his instinctive activation of Overclock. Once Overclock was engaged, Lucy's attempts to contact him went unanswered, like stones sinking into the sea.
She considered performing an emergency disconnect, but the numbers displayed on the netrunner station indicated that although Mercer was in an Overclock state, he hadn't reached his limit yet.
Lucy hesitated, afraid of disrupting Mercer's operation. Fortunately, it only lasted ten seconds before the safety indicators on the netrunner station began to decline.
Mercer took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. "Why did you send so many messages? Aren't you asleep yet?"
"Why didn't you reply?" Lucy retorted. "With your mental capacity, sending back an emoji would've been easy, right?"
"Ran into NetWatch. They used a lockdown program to seal off that part of the network, data couldn't get in or out. Clever move, learned something new today. I dealt with NetWatch, wiped my traces, and came back to talk to you right away. So don't be mad. I know you were worried. Let's just say I got too excited today. I'll be more careful from now on and try not to make you worry."
Mercer spoke casually, rubbing his head. "Not bad, feels like only 39 degrees."
"You..." Lucy didn't know what to say to him.
She'd never seen someone so intent on finding trouble.
She sat back on the mattress, staring at him. "What exactly were you doing tonight? You Overclocked multiple times and even provoked NetWatch? The Overclock half an hour ago felt okay, a bit hotter than usual for most netrunners, but normal for you. But just now, with NetWatch... your netrunner station triggered an alarm!"
"Did a good deed, saved a poor girl, killed a bunch of scum, human traffickers forcing girls into being joytoys to make money for them. Turns out one of the clients I killed was a corporate dog, and not a low-level one either. Probably his company's monitoring program detected his biometrics disappearing and triggered an automatic alert based on his last IP address. Next thing I knew, NCPD and NetWatch were both on the scene. NetWatch's skills were decent, those two had a large server, felt about on par with your current level. I wanted to jump out right away, but they were chasing too closely. To avoid information leakage, I had to teach them a lesson."
Mercer said it all lightly. "Anyway, it's all handled now. If NetWatch doesn't want to die, they'll have to tread carefully and be polite if they ever contact me again."
"What if they consider you an extremely dangerous criminal and send out their top agents?" Lucy frowned with worry. "Mercer, we just fled Arasaka to Night City. Where else can we run now? It's NetWatch! And we're still wanted by Arasaka!"
"Don't be afraid," Mercer said gently, sitting up from his netrunner station and looking at Lucy, who was seated on a mattress on the floor.
He smiled, exuding confidence and a tenderness that surprised Lucy. "Even if something goes wrong, I promise I'll make sure you survive."
"If even you die, where could I possibly run? Arasaka agents might just be a Quickhack away for you, but for me..."
Lucy met his gaze. "You're not alone anymore, Mercer. You said I could follow you, so you have to take responsibility. You can't keep acting so recklessly!
I asked Panam, you almost died at Afterlife today!
I knew you wouldn't behave yourself in the net, either, which is why I came here to watch you. But even then..."
She lowered her head, burying her face in her knees. "Even if you don't think about me, think about Kyoko. She's only turning twelve next year. If something happens, she won't have anyone to rely on.
You have the nerve to save some doll, but can't you spare a thought for how we feel? Be a little selfish, Mercer. You're only human, too."
Mercer rubbed his head in frustration before finally getting up from his netrunner station, crouching down, and patting her head. "Alright, fine. Honestly, I'm pretty confident though..."
"Bartmoss was confident too, and look what happened to him, blown to bits by Arasaka.
Alt Cunningham was confident, and now she's a rogue AI.
What about those legends you're always talking about, like Johnny Silverhand? Where are they now? Weren't they all brimming with confidence back in the day?
Mercer, I know you're a real genius, but I'm begging you, even if it's just for me, rein it in a little, okay? Let's take things one step at a time."
Tears welled in Lucy's beautiful iridescent cybereyes as she pleaded.
Mercer was always weak to this, especially when Lucy looked like a little girl. It got to him even more.
He could only nod earnestly and say, "I understand. Safety first.
Unless it's for work, I'll keep a low profile whenever I can. Even if it's just for you, alright?"
Lucy stared into his eyes, and seeing his serious expression, she knew he wasn't just saying it to placate her.
"...Okay, it's a promise." She held out her hand. Mercer paused for a moment before smiling and linking his pinky with hers.
"Whoever breaks this promise has to swallow a thousand needles."
Lucy's adorable face delivered the terrifying words.
"Uh... alright. But you have to understand, making it in Night City without taking any risks is impossible."
As Mercer spoke, Lucy simply watched him, wiping her tears away herself. "And fighting NetWatch agents is a risk you just have to take? Don't tell me you really couldn't have gotten away safely."
"...Alright, fine. I just wanted to test my skills against a real master," Mercer admitted honestly. He sighed and said, "The netrunners I've encountered lately all feel like small fry. Forget about giving me a real challenge, even NetWatch agents backed by their servers are basically trash I can take down in ten seconds.
Either their code is a pile of garbage, with vulnerabilities I can spot at a glance, or they just try to brute-force overwhelm me with raw processing power. I haven't met a single true master, you know, the kind who's actually still alive.
I just want an evenly matched fight, to see how real geniuses handle cyber offense and defense. Not this.
Using these losers as opponents, I can't even test whether my own programs are any good."
Mercer simply sat down on the mattress on the floor, next to Lucy, and turned to look at her. "Do you get it? I want to see what level I'm really at now, and how far I can go.
I just took a stroll through Night City's network, and it felt like my own playground. I know that might sound exaggerated.
But aside from the corporate servers, I can't even find a worthwhile target to practice on.
I've been holding back, I was tempted to take a look inside Arasaka's servers earlier and had to restrain myself from trying to hack in."
"...Mercer." Lucy gave him a disapproving look.
Mercer shook his head helplessly. "I know it's hard for you to relate, but I want you to understand, I'm really strong. So strong I don't even know my own limits. I need real practice to test and improve my skills.
And my skills aren't something you can learn from books.
The path I'm on, no one's walked it before. My way of programming, my way of seeing data, it's all my own unique talent.
If I just hole up in my LAN writing code, I'll only ever be a great programmer. But I want to be a top-tier netrunner, and netrunners need targets and real-world experience.
Those moments of instant cyber combat, spotting vulnerabilities in milliseconds, applying targeted programs, even improvising code on the fly...
I thrive on those intense moments. They spark my inspiration."
Lucy pressed her lips together, and Mercer turned to her, speaking earnestly, "I'll do my best to stay safe, but you'll have to get used to it, Lucy. I really do know what I'm doing, I won't carelessly leave you behind.
And don't worry about NetWatch. As a new netrunner making a name in Night City, it's only a matter of time before they take notice.
Here in Night City, they're not as powerful as you might think. Don't be afraid."
Seeing that this was as far as he'd concede, Lucy reluctantly turned away. "Well, you pinky-promised me."
"I know."
Mercer relaxed onto the mattress. "I'll lay low for a while, no causing trouble, no reckless exploring. I'll just focus on writing code, alright?
Maybe take on some gigs, build our rep, earn some cash.
I've been wanting to research AI anyway, so I'll put my energy into that for now."
Lucy suddenly felt it might be better if he just went back online.
Mercer patted her head and stood up again. "Alright, stop worrying about everything. I'm the one in charge here, just leave things to me."
"I just wish big bro could be a bit more reliable," Lucy muttered, rubbing her face wearily. "Not going online anymore?"
"Mhm, I'm heading to bed too. You should rest early. I'm just going to let my AI program run some data in the background, don't worry, no trouble. I'll use my own computer, netrunner station, and CPU for it."
As he spoke, Mercer lay back in his chair and plugged in. "No need to worry, I'm just setting a learning scope for the AI program. I'll sleep soon. You go ahead and rest."
Lucy pursed her lips, not buying that he would actually go to sleep properly. Still, she tucked herself back under the covers and watched him for a while. Seeing him unplug not long after and drape a blanket over himself to sleep, she finally closed her eyes, reassured.
True to his word, Mercer didn't pull any tricks. He sent a message to V and Kiwi to let them know he was safe, then yawned and actually went to sleep.
Before dozing off, he curated a set of learning materials for his Morning Star AI, manually filtering the content before feeding it to the AI in batches. It would take some time to nurture an AI with basic common sense and intelligence.
Mainly, Mercer was worried it might learn the wrong things, so he preferred to take it slow rather than give it the chance to grow autonomously during its formative phase.
It felt a bit like raising a child.
No, since it was cloned from the core of Deathwish, did that even count as his own offspring?
He mulled over these random thoughts for a long time before his active mind finally settled down, and he drifted off to sleep.
When he opened his eyes the next day, it was a refreshed, brand-new morning.
By the time Mercer got up, Lucy had already gone out, though he had no idea what she was up to. He shuffled over to wash his face, then picked a bag of synthetic food from the snacks he'd bought earlier, strictly speaking, this could be considered a staple for the lower classes in Night City.
A vitamin supplement produced by the All Foods Corporation, branded Vita-Mine.
He squeezed the toothpaste-like substance into his mouth. The texture was akin to meat jelly, and the flavor, Mercer had bought the strawberry variety, was a mix of sweet and tart when he squeezed out the "jam" on top. Not great, but passable.
Once he'd eaten, Mercer returned to his computer. He first checked on the AI, planning out another set of online learning materials for it to process, then opened his emails.
Among them, a message from Rogue stood out the most.
[Rogue: I got the intel you asked for. Source is a friend at City Hall, should be reliable, but you might want to verify it yourself.
Also, don't worry about Fenrir. The ones still alive won't be coming after you.
A few mercs have been asking me about you, probably hoping you can provide net support for their ops when needed.
If you're open to freelance work, I can pass your contact info along and let them reach out.
As for the VIP thing, gotta say, it'll take time. A lot of time to arrange.
Given what you want to discuss with the VIP, I have to bypass everyone as much as possible to get you in touch. You know how it is, gotta find a new angle, maybe engineer a coincidence.
Anyway, safety first. Better for both of us.
(Click to download attachment)]
Mercer replied immediately.
[Mercer: Thanks, Rogue. I'll take on temporary gigs too, but for people I don't know, I only offer remote services, no field work. And it's expensive. If they can't accept that, don't bother sending them my way.
Also, I know you've got a good eye for people, so do me a favor and don't push any trash my way. I don't work with scum.]
Then, Mercer noticed a message from El Capitán.
[El Capitán: Buddy, all the vehicle systems I need hacked are in the attachment. Get them to me ASAP, pay is good!
But I'm curious, in Santo Domingo, don't people usually go to Faraday for fixer work?
I do similar jobs, uh, but honestly, most still see me as just a car dealer.
(Click to download attachment).]
Mercer had a good impression of El Capitán. He was one of the few fixers who could still be considered a decent guy, reliable, and he genuinely cared about his friends and subordinates.
He was also the type who stayed humble and kept things friendly, making dealings with him hassle-free.
[Mercer: Because I think Faraday's an idiot, a fool who doesn't know his place. The corps toss him a bone, and he'd wag his tail and lick their boots without hesitation.
A corporate dog has no business making deals with me.
I prefer working with reliable people. You're alright.
I'll send you the program by today.]
There was also one from Mr. Hands in Dogtown.
[Mr. Hands: Hm, was that you causing a stir at Afterlife last night? Seems you weren't lying, a newcomer making trouble at Afterlife and walking away unscathed. You might actually have some skills.
Contact me before you come to Dogtown. I'll arrange a pass for you and have a few gigs that've been giving me headaches.
Each one will be worth your while.
Looking forward to your call, A.]
Mercer didn't reply to Mr. Hands' message. This old fox could wait until he decided to set up in Dogtown, might even save on rent that way.
It didn't matter if he found out where Mercer lived. Dogtown was small; Mercer planned to stay at most two years before moving his base elsewhere in Night City.
But he decided to keep some distance from this old fox, Mr. Hands was the type who lived and breathed profit. He seemed friendly, but he was really the kind of fixer who liked to have everything under his control.
Mercer had no intention of letting him have that "control," so maintaining a careful working distance was key.
After handling his work emails, Mercer immediately checked the materials Rogue had sent.
Blueprints of City Hall's structure, security layouts, shift schedules, pretty much every detail needed for an infiltration operation was there.
As expected of Night City's top fixer. Just this intel alone showed how capable she was.
With the materials in hand, Mercer didn't waste time. He quickly emailed V to let her know a gig had come up, they were working tonight.
He thought V might still be asleep, but shortly after sending the email, his agent rang. It was V.
"A, what's the job?"
Her voice was brimming with eagerness.
Mercer thought for a moment and said, "Let's meet up somewhere and talk."
He needed to get things ready for V.
Including keycards for infiltration, chips for virus implantation, and the server virus itself.
"No problem. By the way, what about Kiwi?" V said, sounding a bit frustrated.
"I'll transfer her a thousand eurodollars in a bit, give her some startup funds. After that, she can find her own gigs. With her netrunning skills, she should be able to pull in around ten thousand eurodollars a month."
After Mercer finished, V seemed surprised. "I thought you were planning to recruit her."
"V, I don't just take anyone. I told you, you're special. You've got that potential. As for Kiwi... it's up to her. If she genuinely wants to work with me, we can talk about it later."
Mercer wasn't worried about having too many people to manage. When you're aiming big, you naturally want as many allies as possible. As for loyalty, that's something time reveals, through hardship and true character.
V replied a bit sheepishly, "I feel like your opinion of me might be a little too high... Anyway, let's meet at noon. It's not even eight yet, how about we meet at nine-thirty? We can grab a late breakfast. I heard there's a good spot in Japantown with a pretty waitress. Want to go there?"
"Sure, that works." Mercer mused silently, pretty waitress? Why are you telling me this?, feeling like he was being stereotyped somehow.
"Should I bring Kiwi? She's curious about you too. I think she wants to meet you in person."
After V said this, Mercer thought for a moment. "Whatever, she can come if she wants."
"Alright then, I'll send you the location in a bit."
V hung up with a chuckle.
Soon after, a message from Kiwi came through.
[Kiwi: Thanks for what you did yesterday. I've been thinking, could meeting up be dangerous? V says you're new in town, and NetWatch definitely has you flagged after yesterday. What if they track me to you...]
[Mercer: Avoiding you won't clear my name. Night City will soon know there's a new skilled netrunner around. NetWatch will keep a close eye on someone like me, whether I've done anything or not. But let them know. I just took out some scum. The Voodoo Boys cause way more trouble, and NetWatch hasn't done squat about them. In this city, if you haven't got dozens, even hundreds of kills to your name, you can't really call yourself a merc. Don't overestimate them. This is Night City, they're not that many. They're weak on the net, and in the real world, I don't fear them either.]
Besides, NetWatch's stance is different from NUSA's or Arasaka's. Mercer wasn't too worried they'd side with Arasaka or NUSA. Given his skills and position, he might even end up collaborating with NetWatch someday.
[Kiwi: Alright then, see you soon. I'll thank you in person.]
Mercer ended the call, got himself together, and got straight to work.
First, he spent ten minutes studying the vehicle system El Capitán had provided, then took five minutes to write a universal bypass program. It included unlocking and vehicle ID verification, as long as the target system wasn't updated or the vulnerability patched, the program would remain effective.
Next, Mercer spent another ten minutes coding a remote vehicle hijacking software. It could automatically lock onto a target vehicle's network from a distance, upload the program, and forcibly alter the vehicle ID verification.
The reason it took a bit longer was that Mercer also threw in a complimentary hardware design schematic for El Capitán.
[Mercer: All set, with a bonus design schematic. Get the hardware and assemble it yourself, then install the hijacking software. Even a fool could use this device to hijack vehicles.
The intrusion efficiency depends on your hardware's computing power, make sure to use a decent CPU. Don't come complaining later that my program's no good.]
[El Capitán: Holy shit, man, you're for real? This fast?! Bro, A, I'll go test it right away. If it works, the money's coming your way ASAP!]
Mercer sent Cassidy's bank account details without another word, immediately picking up another memory chip to start working on something for V.
Soon, a custom virus program was ready. Its function was to help Mercer connect his network to the server's subnet without alerting the local ICE after being uploaded.
The actual netrunning would still need to be done by him personally, just to be safer.
Just as Mercer was busy at the computer, Lucy walked over. "Mercer, I've collected all the Relic chips."
She and Daichi were each carrying two large insulated containers.
Mercer nodded. "Store them safely for now. Once we have some official members, these might be developed for other uses to strengthen the team. Of course, they'll only be provided to those who've passed the probation period and are truly one of us."
He paused, then turned to Daichi with a teasing tone. "Was the game I brought back for you fun? If it's good, let me have a go sometime."
"It's pretty interesting. By the way, Kyoko's been pestering me since early morning about watching a BD with you. She said she wants to buy a BD wreath for two so she doesn't have to watch it alone."
Daichi held back a laugh.
Mercer rolled his eyes in exasperation but after a moment said, "I'll get one for her. What about you guys? Need anything?"
"Not really. Leon and I have started taking jobs around the camp, updating vehicle systems and writing some ICE programs.
They even said they could help us transport our goods to sell in Night City. With our skills, the chips we write could fetch a high price."
Daichi's eyes shone with hope. "I'm planning to save up for an RV first, then convert it into my home and workstation. Maybe later, Leon and I could open a shop together in the camp.
The Aldecaldos could help us distribute in the city. Mercer, are you interested? I think this could be really profitable.
I checked the prices, over in Japantown, even the lowest-tier quickhack chips sell for at least 3,000 eurodollars. If the program's solid, it can go for over ten thousand."
Mercer looked pleased; these kids weren't helpless without him.
"That's a great idea, and a partnership is a smart move. I was actually planning to start similar work in Dogtown later.
Do you know where the chips in Japantown come from? They're produced by that new Voodoo Boys group that just moved to Dogtown.
They handle network work for Colonel Hansen, and also deal in cyberware, refurbishing scrap and reselling it by reprogramming implants for Dogtown."
After hearing this, Daichi understood his meaning and grew concerned. "You're saying the Voodoo Boys might come after us if we cut into their business?"
"They definitely will. In Night City, every profitable venture has an owner. Taking someone's market share isn't just about product quality.
Right now, the Voodoo Boys dominate the market. Any ordinary netrunner who tries to step in will be hunted down by their mad dogs."
But then Mercer reassured him, "Don't worry too much, though. The Aldecaldos aren't easy to push around. The Voodoo Boys in Dogtown aren't as crazy as the ones in Pacifica.
I mean, you just focus on business here for now. I'll head to Dogtown and have a chat with Slider, the boss of the Voodoo Boys there. After that, we'll make money together.
By then, I'll need to find jobs for Lucy and Kyoko too. Starting with programming should work, they probably don't feel like deep diving lately anyway."
Daichi nodded and grinned, "Got it. I'll wait for your update, A."
"Ah, screw it, never mind. Panam really can't keep her mouth shut." Mercer immediately knew the nickname "A" had to have come from Panam.
He waved a hand dismissively, tucking the chip into his pocket, then remembered he still hadn't settled yesterday's car fare with Panam. He promptly sent her a thousand eddies.
Mercer wasn't stingy about money like that.
For him, taking on just one job could easily net him at least 100k eddies.
But for people like Panam or V, scraping by at the bottom of society, one or two thousand eddies could last them a whole month if they budgeted carefully.
"I'm heading out now to get everyone new IDs, oh, by the way, send me a proper photo, a serious one. I'll get your new identities sorted.
Also, think about what new names you all want and send those to me too. If you have any specific ideas about age or birthdays, let me know."
Daichi paused, having nearly forgotten that new identities meant changing names. "Understood."
Lucy also fell into thought, mulling over the details of her new name.
Mercer waved for them to figure it out themselves as he got ready to leave. After putting on his mask, he decided to drive out alone today.
Yesterday had been packed with errands and complications, surely a simple meetup over a meal couldn't go wrong too, right?
Then Mercer found his Galena parked just outside the camp.
After salvaging this piece of junk from the Raffen Shiv, he'd patched it up again and again, turning it from scrap into... slightly better scrap.
It was low-key yet sturdy enough for defense, capable of weathering gunfire to make a quick escape when needed. Plus, the Aldecaldos markings on the car would deter plenty of troublemakers.
Mercer started the car and drove toward the address V had given him. With navigation guiding the way, the drive wasn't much hassle.
Smooth sailing all the way, no gang shootouts, no road racers firing guns on the highway. Mercer hummed a tune; post-rush hour traffic in Night City was fairly clear.
Still, driving from the Badlands into the city and then to Japantown took over an hour. By the time he arrived, it was already 9:40.
As soon as Mercer stepped out of the car, he spotted V squatting by the restaurant like some street loiterer, while Kiwi leaned against her car, smoking a slender cigarette.
Seeing Mercer get out, V stood up, clutching her stomach. "Hey A, what took you so long? We've been waiting half an hour."
"The drive's pretty far. Getting here from the Badlands in just over an hour means I was pushing it. You're lucky there was no traffic."
Still, Mercer conceded apologetically, "But being late is being late, so... my treat."
"Sweet!" V's expression instantly brightened as she beamed enthusiastically. "A, you're the best! So what if you're a little late? No big deal!"
Kiwi had been studying Mercer intently the whole time. When she noticed him looking back, she gave a slight nod, hesitated for a moment, then put down her cigarette and bowed her head earnestly. "Thank you, A."
"Don't mention it. Even without me, with your skills, you'd have found a way out soon enough."
Mercer didn't have much else to say to her and simply waved a hand. "Let's head inside. V looks like she's about to starve to death. Any longer and I'm afraid she might start biting people."
Saving Kiwi had been nothing more than a convenient thing for him. His plans afterward were just about seeing things through to the end, but truth be told, he didn't have any particular expectations of her. Whether she wanted to go off and be a Solo netrunner or stick with him, Mercer wasn't going to force it.
After all, Kiwi had promised to pay up, 50,000 eddies. That was enough for V to tear through that black-market doll shop ten times over on her own.
"Screw you. The only reason I'm this hungry is because you had me working in the middle of the night," V grumbled, pushing the door open and stepping inside.
The moment she entered, she froze mid-step.
Then, she turned her head back. "Holy hell, there's a whole group of Animals in here. They don't usually show up around these parts."
Mercer leaned over her shoulder to take a look. Sure enough, the fairly small diner had one large booth completely packed with burly men.
These guys showed little to no signs of cyberware, each one bulging with muscles, their veins popping in a way that clearly wasn't from honest training.
There were only four of them, but each looked like trouble, carrying rifles and shotguns as if they were here for a fight, not a meal.
"What's the plan? They look like they're just passing through for a bite. Probably no trouble," V said.
Mercer shot her a glance. "Next time, don't jinx it like that."
He considered just finding another place to eat, these big guys were the kind netrunners hated most. They generally had little cyberware, relying purely on drugs to pump themselves up with that "strength." At most, they might have Subdermal Armor or metal bones, or even just iron-plated skin hacked straight into their bodies. Trying to Initiate Overload on their cyberware was pointless, there was hardly anything to overload.
When they encountered netrunners, these bruisers would often just disconnect their neural links, then charge forward roaring. You could say they were the natural counters to netrunners.
But as his gaze drifted, a young girl's pretty face suddenly came into view.
Mercer stopped in his tracks.
Green twin tails, pale skin, hints of pink tattoos, and on that defiant little face, cybereyes modified with a striking red, pink, and yellow color scheme stood out brilliantly.
Sitting across from her was a tall, lanky young boy, well, though the boy wore sunglasses, sported an exaggerated mohawk, and had a full beard.
Rebecca! Pilar!
No mistake, it had to be them!
"Well, we're already here... Let's go eat."
Without another word, Mercer walked right in.
Truth be told, he was a true die-hard fan of Rebecca-chan, the kind who'd specifically gone searching for her urn at the grave multiple times in the game!
Since they were already here...
His collector's itch was starting to act up.
--------
5000words.
Bonus chapter @600 power stones.
I also recommend reading HxH: Dying Makes Me Stronger it's a true hidden gem.
Advanced chapters on p-atreon.com/AstartesTL