December 29, 2071, 22:54, streets near City Hall.
V sat excitedly in her car, checking every now and then the chip tucked in her coat pocket. If Mercer hadn't repeatedly warned her not to plug it in recklessly, she'd have shoved it straight into her head for safekeeping.
By now, most of the lights at Night City's City Hall had dimmed, with only a few windows still lit. Occasionally, NCPD patrol cars could be seen driving past on the street.
Nervously, she licked her lips for what felt like the hundredth time, replaying in her mind the route and precautions Mercer had drilled into her.
[Mercer: Can you hear me?]
"Yes!" V whispered in reply.
[Mercer: Prepare to move. As planned, reach the back entrance in five minutes.]
"Copy that!" After a deep breath, V pushed the car door open and strode toward the City Hall building.
Entering City Hall through the main entrance would mean tight security, but from the building's rear, a metal door with automatic identity recognition led directly into the maintenance crew's workshop.
From there, another unlocked door provided access deep into the building's interior.
As V approached the door, before she could even whisper an update to Mercer, it slid open with a soft swish.
Without hesitation, she slipped inside, and the metal door closed automatically behind her.
[Mercer: Hold on, wait ten seconds. Let security move further away, gives you the maximum window. After exiting, turn left. Don't worry about the cameras; they're all under my control.
At the second corridor intersection, turn right. The first elevator you see is your target.
You'll pass only one occupied office. Keep quiet, you know how sensitive people still working past eleven can be.]
V counted down ten seconds, then stepped out decisively. Though she'd never done anything like this before, her natural nerve allowed her to perform beyond her usual capabilities despite the tension.
Moving lightly, she kept her head up. Every corner of City Hall's corridors was packed with surveillance cameras, and even at night, the interior was warmly lit.
V hardly dared to breathe, her footsteps growing even softer. As she passed the office Mercer had mentioned, she practically glided past without a sound.
Her exceptional body control allowed her to move with near silence, even on her first attempt at stealth.
[Mercer: You're almost there. Relax, everything's going according to plan, your heart rate's spiked to 120.]
V held her tongue, not daring to speak, until she reached the elevator. The doors suddenly slid open, startling her so much she nearly drew her gun. Fortunately, the elevator was empty.
[Mercer: Hah… ever thought about entering a speed-shooting competition? I almost thought you were going to pick a fight with the elevator.]
"Shut up, A." Once inside the elevator, V finally let out a sigh of relief and couldn't resist snapping back.
[Mercer: Fine, I'll stop talking. Don't get scared now.]
"Never mind, keep talking..." After a moment's thought, V decided she'd rather he didn't shut up. The elevator quickly arrived at the third basement level. V nervously glanced around for a moment before finally pushing the door open and stepping out.
The elevator opened directly into a large server area divided by glass doors.
"Damn, it's huge. Which one am I supposed to deal with?"
V was momentarily unsure, but Mercer quickly responded.
[Mercer: To your right, look for the signs on the glass doors. Any server labeled with an "N" series will work. Didn't you memorize the plan?]
V muttered, "I just suddenly couldn't remember if it was N or S."
As she spoke, she walked into the server room but noticed the glass door required a password. "Mercer! Something wrong?"
[Mercer: I was afraid of startling you again, so I didn't open it right away.]
As soon as he finished speaking, the glass door clicked open.
She hurried into the server racks, searched for a while before finding the port, and inserted the virus-loaded chip she'd been carrying in her pocket.
"Shit, did it work?"
V whispered.
[Mercer: Wait a moment.]
V waited anxiously.
[Mercer: Done. Got the access. His LAN is wide open to me now. Pull the chip and retreat.]
V immediately yanked out the chip and turned to leave, muttering, "That's it? Just plug in a chip and the server's yours?"
[Mercer: To be precise, the chip helped me bypass the ICE, allowing me to modify its data directly from the inside. You wouldn't understand the details anyway, so, yes, the server is mine.
Get back to the elevator. You have two minutes and thirty seconds of safe time. Still, watch out for office staff. If anything goes wrong, retreat toward the elevator and wait for the next safe window.]
"Don't get it, don't care. It's not like I make a living off that stuff."
It was only then that V realized, chatting with Mercer had made her tension completely fade.
[Mercer: Even if you wanted to learn, it'd be tough. I'd guess your intelligence isn't above an eight.]
"Bullshit. People have always said I'm smart since I was a kid." V wasn't having it.
[Mercer: Hmm, I'll find out later.]
V pursed her lips and walked briskly out of the elevator, retracing her steps carefully but quickly.
Only after she exited the maintenance room through the back door and walked several dozen meters away from the building did she stop and look back.
"That's… it? How'd City Hall get infiltrated so easily?"
V said in disbelief.
[Mercer: Because this is just the database storing Night City's resident records, not the servers with the councilors' secrets.
Of course, the main reason is that I'm damn good and had everything prepared in advance.]
"Fuck." V was speechless. She glanced at the gun in her hand, suddenly feeling a bit lost, she'd spent the whole afternoon preparing, mentally ready for a shootout with the NCPD.
And it turned out to be like taking a stroll.
[Mercer: Five thousand eurodollars. Minus the advance already paid, the rest has been transferred.]
"This job's… done?" V murmured.
[Mercer: Yeah, this one's wrapped up. Go get some good sleep, V. You've got new work tomorrow.]
"What kind of job?" Instantly, she was wide awake. "The ninety-thousand eddie one?"
[Mercer: Of course not. That job isn't urgent. I'll verify the intel first, not that I don't trust Wakako, but I have bigger ambitions.
It's rare to get a shot at Biotechnica. Just taking what the client asked for would be a waste. I plan to prepare thoroughly and strip Biotechnica clean of all their treasures.]
"Bro, don't get too greedy. That's Biotechnica! A top-tier corp!" V felt like she'd truly boarded some kind of notorious pirate ship.
[Mercer: Really top-tier? I don't buy it.]
V's heart raced again. "Damn, you've got some serious guts."
[Mercer: Forget your old street life, V. If you want to be somebody, you have to get used to going against the corps.
If one day you choose to compromise with them out of fear, or worse, become one of them,
then you'll never be yourself again.
Just another piece of rotten meat controlled by the corps.]
V grew curious. "Why does it sound like you hate the corps so much? Have you dealt with them before? You can't be much older than me, right?"
[Mercer: I don't hate the corps, V. I despise this unfair world, and every person who stands above others, trying to enslave them.
The corps are just vessels for those people. So, one day, I'll burn their rotten flesh and erase their filthy souls.]
V fell silent for a moment. "Isn't that just how the world is? You have to adapt, Mercer. Otherwise, life will be hard."
Street life might not have taught V much so-called "knowledge," but it did make one thing clear to her: the survival of the fittest is the most fundamental rule of this world.
Anyone who tries to defy that rule will be punished by this merciless world.
[Mercer: The weak adapt to the world; the strong change it.]
V sighed deeply. "You think you're strong because you haven't seen how terrifying the corps really are."
[Mercer: That's because you haven't seen how I fuck those corporate dogs to death, V.]
Half-convinced, half-skeptical, V replied, "Really? So you really are on the run from something, aren't you?"
[Mercer: Exactly. So, having second thoughts? V, I don't want to lie to you, but I'm probably on some big corp's most-wanted list.
If my identity gets exposed, high-level agents will come after me by any means necessary.
And I won't run or hide. I'm staying right here, in Night City, to face them head-on.]
V's expression grew much more serious. Unlike Rebecca, who was literally starving, or Kiwi, who had nowhere else to go, she still had choices.
The "somebody" V dreamed of becoming could be like Adam Smasher or Morgan Blackhand.
But honestly, Adam Smasher was Arasaka's dog, and Morgan Blackhand was Militech's go-to merc. Weren't both of them backed by corps?
From the sound of it, Mercer seemed completely unwilling to cooperate with any corp, a true Solo through and through.
If Mercer really was a dangerous fugitive wanted by the corps, aligning with him would mean being marked by the corps from the start. Even if he made a name for himself, Mercer would never accept being co-opted by the corporations. In the end, they'd just resort to the most brutal means to try and take him out.
The corporations, huh.
V thought for a long moment before giving Mercer a vague reply:
"I don't sell out friends, A, but I…
How do I put it? Stealing a little, snatching some corporate goods is one thing, but if you're really the kind of person they've got on their list…
I don't know.
I… I need to think, A.
I didn't realize you were tangled up in something this big."
V was already prepared for him to kick her out of the conversation.
After all, he'd laid his cards on the table, clearly, Mercer really wanted to bring her in. But she wasn't exactly playing along.
Street smarts told her not to pledge loyalty too easily, if she were that kind of fool, she'd have joined the Valentinos long ago. Would Mercer even have had a chance to try and recruit her then?
Right now, all she wanted was to make money, big money, become a boss. But going head-to-head with the corps? Damn, what kind of street punk even dares to dream about that?
[Mercer: Alright, V, I understand.
Just so we're clear, I'm planning something big with that Biotechnica job. If we get caught, we'll probably end up on their radar too, so think it over before you decide.
Don't worry about us, even if you don't join the crew directly, we're still friends, V.
Get up early tomorrow; I've got work lined up for you, nothing too scary, just regular gigs. You're not afraid of those, are you?
So, good night, V.]
Mercer ended the call, his tone sounding perfectly normal.
For some reason, V felt restless, as if something was slipping away from her, or like she'd forgotten something she just couldn't recall.
With these thoughts weighing on her, V drove aimlessly through the city for a long time before finally pulling up at a bar in Heywood.
El Coyote Cojo.
She just wanted a couple of drinks.
Inside, the bar wasn't too crowded. It wasn't the kind of place that got rowdy at night, just soft music playing, people drinking, chatting, and enjoying some tasty snacks.
V walked up to the bar and raised a hand to signal the bartender. "Tequila, one shot, with ice. Got anything to eat?"
"The fries here are great. Topped with fried synth-bacon bits, sautéed onions, and black pepper gravy. Customers love 'em, whether they're hungry or not."
The bartender smiled slightly. "We stop cooking after midnight, so if you want food, better order soon. Oh, and we close at two."
"Just the fries, then," V said. The bartender nodded, his cybereye flashing as he sent the order to the kitchen.
V propped her cheek on her hand, looking troubled.
With nothing else to do, the bartender poured her a drink and asked, "Rough night, chica?"
"Yeah… don't really know how to explain it. Just feeling kinda annoyed."
V took a big gulp, then let out a long sigh, feeling the burn of the alcohol slide down her throat. "It's nothing."
The bartender could tell she didn't want to talk more about it, so he nodded and didn't press further.
V kept drinking, one glass after another, nibbling on fries, but the restlessness in her heart only grew.
Until a burly figure slid onto the stool next to her.
"Hey, chica, take it easy with the drinks."
V turned to look, a muscular man with a man-bun. "The hell are you? Since when do you care how much I drink?"
"Jackie. Jackie Welles. This bar belongs to my mom." Jackie wasn't offended, just speaking gently, "Seen you around the streets before? Local from Heywood?"
"V," V replied succinctly.
"Heywood girls don't often drink alone and sulk. What's up? Someone break your heart?" Jackie probed.
"Let me tell you upfront, you're not my type. Don't waste your effort on me, and don't expect me to get drunk so you can take me home. I've got a gun on my hip," V glanced at him.
Jackie burst out laughing, "Look, V, you're pretty, but I've got a girlfriend. Don't worry, I'm usually here at night helping my mom watch the shop, keeping an eye out for any idiots causing trouble. Sometimes I chat with friends who've got stuff on their minds."
V relaxed a bit, stayed silent for a moment, sizing him up, then asked, "Valentinos?"
"Yeah, doing some work for the gang now," Jackie didn't hide it. "What else can a guy from Heywood do to make it big? And you? You don't seem like the type to settle down either."
"...Edgerunner."
V usually just said she was a merc, but for some reason, she thought of Rebecca's eyes lighting up when she mentioned "Edgerunner" and unconsciously used the term.
"A merc, huh? That's cool. I used to think about it, either join the Valentinos or become a merc. Morgan Blackhand, Adam Smasher... I even bought Morgan Blackhand's merc handbook! Read it every day as a kid. Gotta say, it's been useful, saved my ass a few times over the years in the gang," Jackie said cheerfully, his natural warmth and optimism always shining through.
"...Do you know Johnny Silverhand?" V suddenly asked.
Jackie nodded, "Of course! He's one of Night City's baddest legends. That band he was in, Samurai, still has a ton of die-hard fans even now."
"You think becoming a merc like him, did he live a good life or a bad one?"
V didn't know much about Johnny Silverhand, but she knew he was the guy who nuked Arasaka Tower, going down with the corporate skyscraper. Though not really, buildings can be rebuilt, but when you're dead, you're dead.
"Hmm... I'd say he lived a full life," Jackie answered without hesitation. "Come on, girl, what else can street rats like us chase after? Money, sure, we all love money. But besides that?" His face lit up with aspiration, "It's gotta be becoming a big shot like Johnny Silverhand. Look, even now, almost fifty years after he died, people like me still know him. Fans are still getting surgery to look like him. His legends are still on the streets. There's even a drink named after him at Afterlife! Let me think—"
"Tequila Old Fashioned, with beer, and a chili pepper," V couldn't help murmuring softly.
"Oh? You know it?" Jackie sounded surprised. V suddenly laughed and nodded, "Some asshole told me that while drinking at Afterlife. He even tried to trick me into having a drink, just hearing the recipe made me think it'd taste awful. I didn't fall for it.
Sometimes I really feel like he sees me as an idiot, but if you ask me, he's the real fool!"
Jackie caught on, "So you're drinking because of him?"
"Huh?" V seemed surprised.
"You were all gloomy a second ago, but the moment you started talking about him, you lit up. What's the deal between you two?" Jackie's curiosity was piqued.
V touched her face, "No relationship? Boss and employee? Big shot and underling?"
"Really?" Jackie pressed eagerly, "You were drinking at Afterlife? Damn, you're already hanging out at Afterlife at your age?"
"He took me there. No way I could've gotten in on my own."
As she spoke, V couldn't help but feel a little boastful, shaking her head proudly:
"But your girl's no slouch either. That night, some dumb merc named Fenrir had a Cyberpsychosis episode. My buddy and I took him down with one shot each, sent that guy loaded with cyberware straight to hell.
He had a Sandevistan installed. Holy shit, he was fast. If I hadn't reacted quick enough, things would've gotten real dangerous.
From five or six meters away, he was in my face in less than a second."
"No way! Fenrir? I've heard of him! Wolf Squad, they call him the Wolf King!
I've heard stories about how badass he is. Took out twenty-three Scavengers solo, cleared a Scavenger den in five minutes flat.
Who's your buddy? Which big shot from Afterlife? How'd you manage to take him down?"
Jackie fired off questions excitedly, he loved stories like this, loved digging for details. Sometimes he'd even dream about having his own legendary moment one day.
"His name's A. A pretty damn skilled netrunner. After we took Fenrir out, even Rogue came out and treated him with respect, told him to lay low, didn't say another word.
He's new, probably not well-known yet. Why's your face look like that?"
V suddenly noticed Jackie's odd expression.
"His real name… is it Alex Mercer?" Jackie asked.
V frowned, "Uh, yeah, it's Mercer, but I usually call him A. You know him?"
"…" Jackie thought back to the kid he'd seen outside Vik's clinic.
Wait…
The Mercer in his memory didn't quite match the image V was describing.
He turned and sized V up, imagining her being ordered around by Mercer yet still calling him a brother. Well, given his skills, maybe it wasn't so far-fetched.
"Met him once, you could say. He gave me his contact info, told me to hit him up if I ever wanted to switch careers."
Jackie told the truth, then asked curiously, "So you're with him now?"
"…" This time, it was V's turn to fall silent.
Hesitating, she suddenly turned to Jackie, "Jackie, if a path opened up—the kind that leads to becoming the big shot you've always imagined—right in front of you, what would you choose?
If you say yes, you might piss off the corps, make enemies with some terrifying people. Might not even live to see thirty.
If you say no… maybe there's another way. Become a living legend? Like Adam Smasher."
"Of course we charge ahead! Chica!" Jackie said without hesitation.
He gazed intently into V's eyes and spoke with profound sincerity: "V, you're still young. You might think you'll have plenty of opportunities later, but let me be honest with you—
Sometimes, the chance to change your life comes just once, in a single moment. If you miss it, you'll never get a second shot in this lifetime."
"As for all that talk about messing with corporations and not living past thirty, I say, V, what did you used to do before?"
V paused. "Just... took odd jobs here and there on the streets."
"Ever been shot before?" Jackie pressed.
"Of course. I shot someone when I was thirteen. By now, I've taken seven or eight bullets myself. There were times I really thought it was over," V said with a sigh.
"Then why stick with this line of work?" Jackie countered. "When you got shot, didn't you ever think about finding a straight job? Why keep running around with a gun as a merc?"
V fell silent, caught off guard.
Seeing this, Jackie shook his head and chuckled. "Go ask the kids on the street how long they think they'll live.
Just the other day, the Valentinos lost a kid, nineteen years old.
You know how he died?
Some idiot was messing around with a grenade in his room, accidentally pulled the pin, and let go.
The dumbass panicked, grabbed it, and instinctively chucked it out the window into the alley.
That kid was just turning into the alley, completely innocent, and got blown to bits.
His mom wanted to grab a gun and go after the guy that same day. Guess what happened?
The one who threw the grenade killed himself. The kid was his recruit. He couldn't live with the guilt, thought he was a total idiot, so he offed himself.
Two lives, gone, just because of one accident, a chain of stupid coincidences."
Jackie spoke earnestly. "The guy who killed himself was only twenty-eight, V.
Out of ten people in a gang, five die before twenty-five. Four more don't make it to forty.
And you? The merc life, from what I see, you'll probably check out even faster than gangbangers."
V had already figured it out.
She gave a complicated smile, shook her head, and downed the rest of her drink. "Thanks, Jackie. I really am an idiot."
"Chica, glad I could help. That guy A... uh, mano—I mean, he seems legit.
I think if you roll with him, it's a solid move.
I talked to Vik, you might not know him, Viktor Vektor. He's one hell of a ripperdoc.
Said the guy's got style and is definitely hardcore.
Vik's a good judge of character. If he says someone's reliable, they are."
After Jackie finished, V nodded firmly and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're not so bad yourself, Jackie. If you ever want out, A's got a spot for you. So do I.
Anyway, hit me up if you need anything. And tonight... thanks."
"Hey, no big deal, V. You good to drive?" Jackie asked with concern.
V laughed. "Don't worry, doing just fine. Gotta go, I should catch him before he turns in and give him my answer."
"Solid. Come by the Coyote Cojo sometime. Get here early, let me know, I'll have my mom whip up some Mexican, it's incredible."
Jackie smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. Later, Jackie."
V waved and hurried off to pay, then headed to her car. She even forgot to ask how he knew Mercer.
Quickening her pace, she slid into the driver's seat and dialed Mercer.
"Mercer, I've made my decision."
"Hm?" Mercer sounded surprised. V said with utmost seriousness, "I'm giving you my damn life. I'm gonna roll with you! Screw the corps, screw all those assholes, I'm gonna live like a goddamn legend before I die, no matter what!"
"Yeah, alright. Welcome to the team, V."
Mercer's tone was clearly amused. "But I'm curious, why'd you chicken out earlier?"
V felt a little awkward. I've built up all this momentum, and now you're bringing up old shit?
"Fine. Because I'm a fucking idiot."
"Seeing that rolling with you could actually make me some eddies, watching my wallet fatten up, I started fantasizing about making it big, retiring comfortably with a huge pile of cash."
"You kept telling me how skilled I am, how much potential I've got—and I actually believed it. Really thought I had a bright future ahead of me."
"Goddammit, if I were really that capable, would I be struggling to pay rent?"
"But then someone pointed it out to me—or maybe I just finally figured it out myself."
"Right now, I'm just a street kid. If I pass up this chance, when will I ever get another shot at fame, fortune, and doing something that matters? Who else is gonna see my worth like you do?"
"Why the hell should I waste time worrying about corps or whether I'll live or die?"
"If I were scared of dying, I should've just gone back, found a straight job, married some reliable guy. What kind of merc would I be then?"
V spoke to Mercer with grave sincerity. "A, as long as you don't lie to me, as long as you really treat me like your sister, I'll throw my life on the line for you from now on! Let's do big things together! Get filthy rich!"
"And those corps? Hell yeah, we're robbing them! How else are we gonna make real money?"
"Go big or go home, right? Make our mark all over again?" Mercer's voice was laced with laughter. "Alright then, let's turn this whole damn Night City upside down together!"
"Let's fucking do it!" V smacked the steering wheel triumphantly, and the horn blared, startling a couple outside the bar into bumping lips mid-kiss.
Before they could start cursing, V ended the call and slammed on the gas, speeding off.
Damn.
Who gives a shit about the corps!
I'm gonna be a legend!
Meanwhile, Lucy was giving Mercer a strange look as he sat chuckling to himself in his netrunner station.
"What's going on with you? Win the lottery or something?"
"Something like that," Mercer replied, still grinning ear to ear.
Haha!
It's finally settled, V is mine now!!
Who in Night City can stop me now?
Mercer felt like Dark Vador finally winning over Luke, that sense of fulfillment, that satisfaction, was even better than watching ten kinky BDs.
Hell yeah, with my general V by my side
I'm fucking unstoppable!