"Me?"
Lucy pointed at her own face, stunned. Then she glanced at Rebecca, who looked a little annoyed but only scoffed, and at V, who was pretending to be nonchalant, drinking a beer and watching TV, but whose ears were already perked up high.
Hmm, and there was also Kiwi, who seemed to have been out of the conversation from the start, yawning and looking like she wanted to go home and sleep early...
Mercer nodded. "When the time comes, V will appear as a bodyguard in combat armor. The rest of the Kindling Squad will be responsible for on-site security, and Kiwi and the others will be in the security room handling surveillance and server safety... So, let's have Lucy do it."
Lucy looked at Mercer, momentarily at a loss. She truly hadn't expected Mercer to choose her without hesitation, not even giving anyone else a chance to compete.
Rebecca muttered meaningfully, "Ah~ Who asked you to be a bit taller and look a bit more elegant? Unlike me, I don't look presentable enough."
Mercer reached out and tapped her on the head, saying in all seriousness, "Don't forget, this is our first public appearance. The people from Arasaka will one hundred percent not miss this opportunity. You have to be careful for me, don't mess up! I'm entrusting my life to you all."
Rebecca huffed and slumped onto the table, still muttering with a hint of jealousy, "Yeah, yeah, I'll be the one wearing armor and standing guard for you... Getting cucked, right? Don't think I haven't seen that kind of braindance..."
Mercer was a bit speechless. He patted her head and said with a smile, "That's enough, it's just a banquet! Also, what kind of braindances have you been watching! Stop learning from Pilar!"
Hearing this, Pilar rolled his eyes. "Bro, I only buy braindances from places with physical experience stores, like Lizzie's braindances! I don't even watch the kind Rebecca is talking about!"
Rebecca retorted righteously, "Bullshit, the braindances I watch are all from your stash!"
"Nonsense, I never buy ones with a plot! It's a waste of time!" Pilar immediately shot back.
Rebecca scoffed, "Then whose was I watching!?"
The siblings argued, and soon the flames of battle spread to the others. The whole group began to debate whose braindance it was, and soon, a beet-red V slammed her hand on the table, forcefully changing the subject.
Only Lucy was left, sitting at the side of the table with a vaguely awkward and bewildered expression on her face. Her mind was currently filled with the thought of attending the banquet as Mercer's date tomorrow.
Mercer, however, just lowered his voice, gave her a smiling wink, and said, "Remember to put on some nice makeup tomorrow and dress up beautifully. In a bit, you should go online and pick out some clothes. You can use a VR device to connect to their store's fitting website and take a look. Pick a dress you like, and the shop will deliver it tomorrow morning. These rich people really know how to live. Turns out you can even try on clothes in VR or even a braindance before buying them online. How convenient."
"...Oh!" Lucy looked inexplicably dazed, her thoughts wandering.
—--
Today was Christmas. The whole gang was gathered together, and the room was even decorated with a Christmas tree, looking festive and cheerful.
Although many matters were pressing, on a day like this, everyone had a tacit understanding not to discuss work. So after Mercer briefly mentioned it and made the necessary arrangements, the group cheerfully went back to drinking and chatting.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill for a while, Pilar excitedly turned on the sound system and started playing music. He then turned off the ceiling light, switched on the neon lights he'd bought online, pushed the living room table to the side, and turned the living room into a nightclub.
Even V showed off her 'shaky' dance moves, thoroughly enjoying the Christmas Eve atmosphere. The group drank, sang, and danced, and several of them had already passed out before midnight.
The task of cleaning up the drunks usually didn't fall to Mercer. So, after having a symbolic glass of red wine and watching the chaotic dancing for a while, he quietly followed Lucy's footsteps out of the living room after she left first.
Kiwi did cast a suggestive glance Mercer's way, but he shook his head, declining her proactive invitation.
Instead, he brazenly tailed Lucy until she stopped at her bedroom door, turning to look back at Mercer with a somewhat bewildered expression.
"What is it?"
It was Christmas. What did he want, following her like this?
All sorts of strange thoughts popped into Lucy's head. Even as she tried to keep a straight face, her hands unconsciously clasped behind her back.
Mercer, however, said with a grin, "Help you pick out some clothes? I need to buy my formal wear too. Instead of picking them out separately, why don't we browse together in VR?"
"Don't you just need to wear a suit? Or you could go in a Barghest uniform. Hansen would definitely be happy about that." Although Lucy said this, she still opened her door and walked in, leaving it ajar.
Mercer followed her in, unceremoniously plopped down on her bed, and lay back lazily. "You go get the VR gear. There are VR headsets in Rebecca's room. Grab me a can of NiCola while you're at it, I'm thirsty."
"This is my room!" Lucy shot him a dissatisfied look, but she still obediently went to Rebecca's room and brought everything back. Mercer took a sip of NiCola, then turned on the VR glasses and started connecting to the net.
After finding the formal wear shop's official website, he could directly download the VR program and enter a virtual store that was a one-to-one replica of the physical one for some cyber-shopping.
Lucy connected as well. Once linked to the local network, they could see each other's avatars in the shop.
"Hmm, these clothes..." Mercer found them hard to judge.
Each piece of formal wear had an exaggerated, conceptual design with a cyberpunk flair. They were either a riot of colors, or they were bling-bling, sparkling with all sorts of sequins. There were even clothes with neon LED strips added.
Many also featured dyed fur. From Mercer's aesthetic point of view, they were all a bit 'too trendy.'
Lucy, however, had the complete opposite reaction. She usually wore a plain netrunning suit or a similar bodysuit and rarely bought herself any actual pretty clothes.
Not to mention these formal gowns, which looked expensive at a glance. Lucy didn't find them gaudy at all. Before Mercer could comment, she began to browse on her own with great enthusiasm.
"How about this one?" With just a point of her finger, a white evening gown replaced the clothes she was wearing.
How should he put it? The white gown was actually quite beautiful. Not only did it accentuate her now well-defined curves, but the large, open-back design also revealed her fair, smooth back.
The skirt also put her two long, straight legs on full display.
But Mercer shook his head decisively. "No~ It's too revealing."
A small smile played on Lucy's lips. She then changed into a tight-fitting black dress.
"What about this one, then?"
"The dress itself looks nice, but why add a bunch of red fur..." Mercer continued to shake his head.
But Lucy muttered, "This is what makes it look expensive."
"How about this one?"
"Too sparkly."
"And this one?"
"Still too revealing."
"This one?"
"Too loose. I can't see your great figure."
"Then this..."
It was only then that Mercer finally realized the benefit of online shopping; when browsing a store in VR, you could change outfits with just a point of your finger. If they were in a physical store, just trying on clothes would have probably taken an hour or two.
After trying on more than a dozen outfits, Lucy puffed up her cheeks in frustration and glared at him. "Then what do you think looks good! You say no to this and no to that."
She thought many of the outfits were perfectly fine!
Mercer casually pointed to one he thought was nice.
Lucy's face immediately scrunched up. "That kind of princess dress? Ha... Are you my dad? That's probably something only some rich girl would wear to her coming-of-age ceremony, right?"
"It's so cute," Mercer said, having his own opinion. Looking at Lucy's newly matured appearance, he nodded with feigned gratification. "My Lucy's all grown up. This kind of dress is just right for you."
"Mercer!" Lucy shot him an annoyed glare before directly choosing a tight-fitting blue evening gown. The dress had a blue base covered in shimmering silver sequins and was paired with a small blue fur bolero.
It was very much in line with the cyberpunk aesthetic, using a high-end material like fur to show off its class, while the blue and glittering sequins shone brilliantly under the light. Her figure was sculpted into an hourglass shape.
Her fair collarbones, arms, and half her back were clearly visible, and a slit on one side of the skirt revealed her leg from roughly the knee down.
She huffed, looked at herself in the mirror for a couple of turns, and examined herself from a 360-degree view adjusted through the VR perspective. Finally, without asking for his opinion again, she declared, "I'm wearing this one."
"The back is half-exposed, though the front is okay..."
Mercer muttered, but Lucy just rolled her eyes. "What kind of old fossil are you?"
"Fine, as long as you like it." Mercer raised his hands in surrender. His mindset at that moment was actually quite simple; if you asked him what he liked, of course, the more revealing the better. It was a treat for his eyes.
But if she was going to wear it out for others to see, that was a different matter. It was beautiful, sure... but why get all dressed up so beautifully for others to look at?
Lucy saw his eyes circling her, sizing her up, and felt a little smug. Looking in the mirror at her exquisitely made-up face, enhanced by the VR software's beautifying system, she rejoiced inwardly.
See? I'm not that short, small little girl anymore.
"I'll just wear this black suit," Mercer said, casually making a selection. But Lucy was not pleased. "It's so old and stuffy, pick another one!"
"This one? I think it looks pretty good. The cut is so classy," Mercer said, pointing to another.
Lucy shot him a helpless glare. "Forget it! I'll pick!"
She finally understood why Mercer had come along. On one hand, it was to look at her; she was sure of it. When that guy picked out clothes for her, he often chose revealing ones, and once he'd had his fill of looking, he'd make her change... That bastard didn't even try to hide it.
On the other hand, he was probably just too lazy to pick his own clothes and had dragged her along to do the hard work.
Mercer stood there with a chuckle, letting Lucy cycle through various suits and formal wear for him in the program. All it took was a tap of a finger for the clothes to change on their own, completely unlike the torture of shopping at a physical store.
Advanced technology is great! This is just fantastic!
More than ten minutes passed. Lucy had made Mercer try on almost every outfit in the store before finally settling on a very standard, perfectly proper, black English three-piece suit.
A black suit jacket with notched lapels, a matching single-breasted vest, a white shirt, and a black tie.
"What's the difference between this black suit and the one I picked at the beginning?" Mercer muttered.
"This is slate blue! Not black! And it has a herringbone pattern. It won't look so dark under the lights!" Lucy retorted, turning up the brightness in the VR shop to let him get a good look at his suit's color.
Mercer just spun around in front of the mirror and nodded. "I look good in anything, anyway. Fine, this'll do."
"Oh, please. You look like a mob boss no matter what you wear," Lucy said, but her eyes remained fixed on him for a long time.
He really... did look good. Very imposing.
Her gaze shifted to Mercer's hair. "You need to get a haircut tomorrow."
"Sure, you can cut it for me," Mercer replied, not having much of an opinion on the matter. As long as she didn't give him one of those trendy undercuts, he was fine.
After choosing the clothes and providing basic measurements like waist and shoulder width, Mercer closed the VR. It was now past midnight, and the world outside the window was pitch black.
Dogtown's basic electricity only ran until ten at night. In other words, after ten, there were no streetlights or anything of the sort.
Mercer's base was in a relatively remote location, and as their reputation grew, the Barghest patrolled the area more frequently, causing even the vagrants to disappear.
So now, the dorm room could have a window made of bulletproof glass to look at the scenery outside.
Mercer turned his head to look out the window. After taking off her VR headset, Lucy turned to look at Mercer. Lying on her side, she stared at his profile and finally said what had been weighing on her mind. "I thought you would ask V or Rebecca... or Kiwi to go with you."
"What? Not confident in yourself?" Mercer pulled his gaze back, drew the curtains, and looked at her with a smile.
Lucy didn't look away. She met his gaze and said softly, "No, it's just... a little surprising."
She teased, "After all, it's a 'grown-up occasion.' Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you for hitting on a minor if you take me?"
"You look much older than Rebecca now," Mercer teased, then chuckled softly. "What's wrong? Unhappy?"
"Happy... I guess I'm happy."
She admitted it reluctantly, but her eyes were sparkling. Lying on the bed, the two of them met each other's gaze for the first time in a long while. She hesitated for a moment, then moved closer, burying her face in his chest.
"Let's get this straight first, I have no idea how to be the partner of a big shot. If I embarrass you, don't blame me."
Mercer took in her scent, smiling as he reached out to embrace her. Lucy's body trembled slightly, but then she simply reached out and wrapped her arms around him too.
"All you have to do is be by my side and smile. Anyway, I figure Hansen just wants to use me as a golden goose.
You know, he wants to sell his armor for a good price to shore up his recent financial losses, and for that, he needs me, the design expert of the Kindling Squad, to make a public appearance.
After that, there are some things I want to discuss with a city councilor and a few corporate heads. You'll be in charge of keeping their partners, assistants, or whoever they bring with them busy with small talk, just so I can talk to them alone for a few minutes.
As for the rest... just watch the show, listen to the music, and soak in the atmosphere of so-called high society.
I don't need to be personally involved in business deals in Dogtown anymore. We can just do our own thing."
After Mercer finished, Lucy couldn't help but hug him a little tighter. "What if Arasaka tries to cause trouble for you? There will be so many people. What if there's an assassination attempt or something..."
"That's why I have V acting as my bodyguard in her armor," Mercer comforted her. "The place will be crawling with Night City's social elites. Who would dare launch an armed attack there? Even Arasaka would have to worry about the fallout.
My guess is, at most, someone might try a covert assassination. The greater possibility is that someone will take the opportunity to sneak into Dogtown to do some preliminary reconnaissance..."
Lucy sighed. "It's not like I can be of any help anyway... I just hope I don't hold you back."
"How can you not be of help? Just by being by my side, you're already a huge help."
Mercer lowered his head, pressing his face against hers and nuzzling her affectionately, their eyes meeting. "If you hadn't been supporting me all this time, I would've quit long ago. All this damn trouble... it's annoying just thinking about it..."
"..." The warmth on Lucy's face rose slightly. Above her orange-red eyeshadow, her gentle, iridescent eyes gazed at Mercer. After a long moment, she suddenly tilted her head up and kissed him.
The kiss was so sudden that Mercer barely had time to savor it.
She pulled back, burying her face in the crook of his neck and whispering, "Honestly, don't say things like that at a time like this... If I can't hold back and you push me away again, I'll be heartbroken."
It was Christmas Eve, a man and a woman alone in a room, and he had just invited her to be his hostess for the banquet tomorrow. For Lucy, all of this had already set her heart pounding, and now he just had to say such seductive words.
How was a person supposed to resist?
Mercer simply pursed his lips, then chuckled softly as he held her, patting her back gently. "Don't you think time flies?"
"...Sigh," Lucy sighed. "And the year..."
"Hmm, your birthday's at the end of the year, so you'll have to wait until the end of '74..." Mercer had just finished speaking when Lucy, her face darkening, reached out and pinched his cheek. "No! My ID says when I come of age! Next year! I'll be an adult next year!"
"Ha~ Wouldn't that make you a bit older than Rebecca, then? She still has to wait until mid-'74..." Mercer teased, but Lucy retorted stubbornly, "Then how did you get to be nineteen this year?"
"I'm not actually nineteen, I'm eighteen." Mercer grinned and pinched her waist in return, making her laugh from the tickle and struggle to get free. "Forever eighteen? So shameless!"
"What's wrong with that? I can change my public records whenever I want anyway."
Mercer said, and the two of them began to roughhouse on the bed until she, panting, surrendered by wrapping her arms around his neck. "I give up! Seriously, why don't you bully Rebecca like this? Stop tickling me!"
"She's too strong," Mercer said helplessly, complaining, "There was a time I even thought about swapping out my Monowire for Gorilla Arms."
Lucy huffed softly. "So you can only bully me, is that it?"
She actually regretted bringing up Rebecca. It was rare for them to have time alone, and she didn't want to talk about other girls at all.
But Mercer just held her tightly, blowing softly against her ear. "I've never bullied you... We've barely even started~"
"Alright! Stop!" Lucy shrank back, unable to take it, but a blissful smile remained on her face. "If you keep this up, I won't let you leave tonight..."
"Hm? I wasn't planning on leaving anyway," Mercer said, looking at her with some surprise.
Lucy huffed softly and turned her back to him, refusing to look at him. "Is that so? I think I saw Kiwi giving you a look earlier..."
"You're quite observant... but did you not see me shake my head?" Mercer chuckled, pulling her closer and lifting the blanket to wrap them both up inside.
Slightly surprised, Lucy turned her head a little. "Are you really not leaving?"
"Mhm." Mercer smiled as he gathered her into his arms. "It's Christmas today... I'll spend it with you."
Lucy was silent, her back to him. After a long moment, she said in a low voice, "Time really does fly. Last Christmas, we were still with the Aldecaldos."
"But whether it was with the Aldecaldos or here, haven't I always been by your side?" Mercer also recalled that day last Christmas. Everyone at the camp had gotten drunk, and Rebecca had nearly pinned him down by the bonfire and had her way with him...
Damn, it still felt a little weird to think about.
However, Mercer remembered very clearly that last Christmas, he had held Lucy just like this, wished her a Merry Christmas, and they had fallen asleep in each other's arms. It might be a bit unfair to Rebecca, but Mercer had actually made up his mind back then.
From that day forward, he wanted to spend every Christmas with Lucy.
This girl who had no sense of security, who seemed strong but was actually fragile.
Don't be fooled by her stubborn words. If he left her alone in her room on Christmas, she would probably cry her little heart out from loneliness.
Lucy didn't speak. After a long moment, just like last Christmas, she said to him softly, "...Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," Mercer said with a smile, closing his eyes. He pressed his face against her neck, inhaling her scent, and almost fell asleep in an instant.
As for Lucy, it was a good while before she carefully turned her head. Seeing him sleeping so soundly, looking so carefree, she couldn't help but let out a helpless sigh.
Last Christmas was with the Aldecaldos, this Christmas is in Dogtown. Where will everyone be next Christmas?
Lucy let her mind wander, and after an unknown amount of time, she fell into a deep sleep. By the time she woke up, the space beside her was already empty.
Her formal dress had been received and placed on the table in her room at some point, and it was already noon.
She rubbed her eyes, and after washing up, she started by checking Mercer's location, just as she always did.
The lab... empty. The workshop... empty. The living room... not there either. She took the elevator downstairs and finally found him in the server room. She pretended she was just going about her usual work and opened her laptop.
"What are you busy with? You've rarely come down here recently."
Without looking up, Mercer replied with a slight frown, "It's nothing... Morning Star said it detected some anomalies but couldn't confirm them..."
"ctOS can't find it either?" Lucy was a little surprised.
Mercer just shook his head, looking at the screen grimly. "The specific situation can't be confirmed... The other party might have realized we have the ability to comprehensively monitor Night City and is deliberately taking precautions. Morning Star only caught a few traces."
He frowned deeply, frequently switching between screens and discussing the situation with Morning Star in his head, but he was unable to figure things out.
A situation like this was rare. The current ctOS had infiltrated nearly every nook and cranny of Night City. The cameras in roadside shops, even the cybereyes of some individuals, the surveillance footage from vehicles, countless email inboxes and chat groups, all this data was strictly monitored by Morning Star.
Generally speaking, if Mercer wanted to know something, not even the current mayor of Night City could keep a secret from him.
Yet, all of this seemed to be completely ineffective against Goro Takemura, a high-level Arasaka agent, and his subordinates.
Morning Star had been closely monitoring these targets for a long time, but to this day, it had only spotted these individuals at a few Japanese restaurants and on their way to and from the company.
Today, it hadn't even seen them on their way to work. It was as if this group of high-level agents had never come out again after returning to Konpeki Plaza to rest.
The reason Morning Star had sent him an alert was because, starting last night, the cameras and security systems of Arasaka and Night City's City Hall had suddenly initiated an emergency update and repair.
This update was extensive, covering city cameras, the traffic system, Arasaka's internal servers, and even City Hall's servers, which were taken down for a rare maintenance update.
In an instant, a large portion of the ctOS surveillance went dark.
For something like this to happen at a time like this...
It forced Mercer to prepare for the worst.
The update notice posted on the official website made his heart skip a beat, because the maintenance update for Arasaka's servers was Arasaka's own decision.
But the announcement from City Hall clearly stated that Night Corp would be conducting a comprehensive update of the city's service systems, with an estimated update time of six hours.
Why would Night Corp get involved in these matters at this time?
A coincidence?
On the very day he was attending the award ceremony?
Alarm bells blared in Mercer's mind, and he even considered canceling his attendance at the dinner party. But it was obvious that Hansen, who had invited nearly every celebrity in the city, built up hype in advance, and even brought in television reporters, would never agree to such a thing.
"I have to deep dive in and get the ctOS's emergency update online immediately. We can't go into a fight unprepared," Mercer said, lying down directly on the netrunner station.
But before he could jack in, Lucy grabbed his hand, her expression grave. "What if it's a trap? This is too strange, Mercer. Don't go!"
Mercer fell silent for a moment, then frowned and clicked his tongue. "Morning Star, you do it."
"Understood," Morning Star's voice was gentle. "You don't need to worry. Just leave it to me."
The servers in the machine room began to hum, and after the cooling systems kicked in, Morning Star quickly entered its working state.
But only a few minutes later, Morning Star suddenly jumped its IP and fled back, even switching the server to a local area network mode and activating the firewall and ICE. The entire machine room even began flashing with red warning lights. "It's a trap!"
"You couldn't handle it!?" Mercer asked, shocked and uncertain.
Morning Star's voice grew uncharacteristically solemn. "I saw traces of my own kind."
"Traces of your own kind!?" Kyoko, who had been watching their exchange with a worried expression, cried out in alarm. "You mean... a Rogue AI!?"
------------
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