The moon was far more vast and empty than Mercer had imagined.
After leaving Orbital Air's lunar base, the scenery outside the vehicle quickly became nothing but a stretch of grayish-black soil and the specks of light in the pitch-black universe.
The rover drove straight ahead on the uneven road. Inside the cabin, the only sound was the noise of the vehicle itself.
V sat in the passenger seat. Because of the oxygen backpack on her back, she lay sideways on the seat, looking at the metal window that simulated the view outside. It was all real-time footage from cameras, but the scenery seemed more or less the same.
"I heard you and Lucy often play that Moon BD? Is it like this in there?"
V couldn't help but start a conversation.
She couldn't sleep. The twenty-plus-hour rocket trip had drained her of all sleepiness.
Mercer had also taken his hands off the steering wheel. He was leaning his head on one hand against the window, watching the vehicle advance in a straight line toward the Arasaka Base under the guidance of the satellite GPS. Hearing her, he turned his head in some surprise. "How did you know?"
"Kyoko, of course. She said you two go on dates in BDs whenever you're free... I'm surprised a scumbag like you can pull it off. Hasn't Rebecca ever gotten jealous?"
V seemed purely curious.
"Why does Kyoko tell everyone everything... Yes, we often play BDs together. As for Rebecca, I play with her too."
Mercer turned to look at V, a smile in his voice. "How about it? We could find a BD to play together in the future, too?"
"Hah, what's so fun about something kids play with?" V said, but then her thoughts began to wander. "BDs are only interesting if they're like movies. If it's just a game simulation, what's the difference from a VR headset?"
"There is a difference. The BD experience is more immersive, and the sensory input is more complete. Today's braindance technology is much more advanced than you think," Mercer said.
V suddenly turned her head to look at him. "You still haven't told me. You mess around between Lucy and Rebecca like this, and they don't get mad at you?"
Mercer looked at her and couldn't help but smile as he opened his helmet, revealing a mischievous expression. "They do get mad. But I can coax them."
"I wouldn't have guessed. You've really got a way with these young women... But what about the future? Don't give me any of that nonsense. I mean, you can't just not think about the future at all, right? Like... starting a family or something?"
V turned her head away, not wanting to see his smug smile.
Mercer, however, chuckled. "We'll get married if we get married, have kids if we have kids. I say, V, have you forgotten that I'm the one who sets the rules in Dogtown?"
He raised an eyebrow at V, smiling. "I can even bend the laws of Night City... When the time comes, as long as they're both willing, I'll marry them both and take them home as my wives. What's not to like?"
"...Would they agree to that? It sounds unreliable." Although V said this, she couldn't help but shift her position to lie on her side, facing Mercer.
"I'm telling you, V, think about it carefully. Is it really impossible?" Mercer asked in return. This time, it was V's turn to be at a loss for words.
She tried hard to find fault, finally bringing up Kiwi. "Then what's the deal with you and Kiwi?"
"We're good friends... You know what she's like. Expecting her to start a family? She probably doesn't even think she's capable of it herself."
Mercer sighed, then simply said, "Anyway, she's quite happy with her current situation. If she's not happy someday, we'll talk about it then. She's a smart girl."
"That's not a given. Let me tell you, even the smartest girl can turn into an idiot if she loses her head..."
At this, V suddenly stopped talking.
She glanced at Mercer, her eyes flickering, and let out a sigh.
"What's with the sigh?" Mercer asked.
"It's nothing." V also opened her helmet, revealing a face so delicate and beautiful it didn't seem to belong to a street kid.
Mercer turned his head to the side, meeting her gaze for a moment before they both looked away at the same time.
V took the initiative to change the subject. "Mercer, there's something I've always been a little curious about..."
"Ask away," Mercer said frankly. "I've never hidden anything from you. After all, that beastly intuition of yours is pretty sharp."
"Screw you, you're the beast... I want to ask you, why did you seek me out in the first place?"
V asked the question that had been nagging at her, and before Mercer could reply, she quickly added an emphasis, "Don't try to fob me off with some bullshit about netrunning skills or analysis. Don't think I don't know. You didn't have Morning Star or the Skynet system back then."
Mercer looked at V, his tone profound. "Do you really want to know?"
Before, V might have laughed it off and not pressed the issue, but now, after a moment of silence, she turned to look at Mercer. "Yeah, I really want to know."
"If I said I could see the future, would you believe me?"
After Mercer finished, V stared at him suspiciously. "Keep talking."
"Before I came to Night City, I saw you, Maine, Jackie, Rebecca, Kiwi... the fates of many, many people. So, of course, I knew you were the best merc in Night City. Of course, I had to recruit you to my side right away."
After Mercer finished, V said smugly, "Ha, you've got good taste."
"Like I said, it's because I have the ability to see the future," Mercer said with a smile.
V suddenly stared at Mercer. After a long moment, she sucked in a cold breath. "You're being serious? Then... then tell me, what future did you see?"
"Hmm..."
Mercer leaned back in his seat, his expression somewhat dazed.
"I saw Rebecca get crushed from the sky by Adam Smasher and turned into Rebecca paste. I saw Kiwi die alone in a dilapidated, empty alley. I saw Maine die at the hands of MAX-TAC after succumbing to Cyberpsychosis. I also saw Pilar get his head blown off by a cyberpsycho. I saw Sasha jump from the Biotechnica building, and Dorio die in front of Maine. I saw Jackie die by your side, still dreaming of becoming a legend until the very end. I saw Vik become taciturn many years later, and I saw Songbird fly to the moon alone..."
V suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at Mercer, goosebumps rising all over her body. "Then, what about me?"
"You became a legend, V." Mercer smiled as he looked at her, but his eyes held a complicated emotion. "No matter which ending, whether you live or die... you are a legend, V."
"...Ha, that's not too bad, I guess?" V said uncertainly. Then, she looked at Mercer again and asked, "What about you? What's your future like?"
"I don't know." Mercer shrugged, then, under V's gaze, he broke into a smile. "I'm already living in the best possible future, one that's outside of that story."
V looked at the smile on his face and, for some reason, found herself unconsciously looking away. The smile on his face was a little too brilliant...
"So that's why you planned to go to the moon alone? If I hadn't insisted... you were going to change this so-called future all by yourself?"
As V said this, she couldn't help but add, "Is it worth it? I mean... if I were the one who foresaw all this, I'd probably just try to live my own life well. But you're not fighting for yourself at all right now... I think even if it were The Armageddon, as long as you wanted to live, you could definitely live well. Why risk your life like this?"
"V, do you know when I've been happiest since coming to this world?"
Without waiting for V's answer, Mercer continued on his own, "It was in our Kindling Squad's first underground base... Each of our rooms was tiny, and we even had to squeeze into the small basement room to work out every day... But I felt very happy, everyone was together, everyone was striving for a better tomorrow, like a real family... So, I am fighting for myself. Because to me, without our home, this world is worthless, and I can't even find any meaning in my own existence."
Mercer thought of the day he parted ways with Spider Murphy and said with a sigh, "Before that, I even felt like my life was a game... I didn't care when my story would stop. I just moved forward, and forward again, stepping on the gas. Even if I died, as long as I could become a great legend, I thought that would be fine. But at a certain moment... I realized I didn't want to die, and I didn't want to see you all die. It was probably from that moment on that this world was no longer just an interesting game and adventure for me. More than becoming a legend or experiencing interesting things... I want to be with everyone for a long, long time."
There was a look of longing in his eyes, as if he were seeing a beautiful picture. V just watched his side profile in silence. After a long while, she sighed.
"What's with the sigh?" Mercer asked.
V just looked at him. "This isn't good for you."
"What's not good?" Mercer asked back.
V just pursed her lips. After a long moment, she said in a low voice, "Then in your future... or rather, right now, what am I? A choom who goes through thick and thin with you?"
"...You don't really think I'd treat a beautiful, gentle girl who's willing to go to her death with me as just a choom, do you?"
His sudden confession made her fingers stiffen in an instant.
Her heart began to race uncontrollably, her breathing became a little unsteady, and a rush of heat instantly made V feel like her head was burning, making her a little dizzy.
She forced herself to remain Cool, not a trace of anything unusual showing on her face. "Then what do you see me as?"
"..." Mercer didn't speak. He just shifted his position, also lying on his side on the seat.
The two lay facing each other, separated only by the distance of the car's center console.
"I'm asking you!" She unconsciously raised her voice a little.
Mercer met her gaze. "Do you really want me to say it?"
"...Damn it, don't say it! You're grossing me out, don't look at me like that!" She whipped her head away, only to find a hand had quietly reached out and gently clasped her own metal-covered one.
Through the nanorhenium, she could almost feel the warmth of his palm. V thought she must really have something wrong with her brain.
"Then how do you see me?" Now it was Mercer's turn to ask. He held V's hand, not letting her pull it away no matter how hard she tried.
V turned her head and glared at him, annoyed. "A scumbag who's good at everything. That's how."
"Come on, we might both die here... Let's talk for real." Mercer's smiling face looked a little detestable.
V gritted her teeth, glaring at him. After a long moment, she deflated like a popped balloon. "About the same as you, alright? But I really can't..."
She looked frustrated and a little sad. "Be like Rebecca... I'm not that magnanimous!"
"Why are you bringing someone else into our business?" Mercer said righteously. "We can have our own thing, wouldn't that be nice?"
"Nice my ass!" V seemed to be getting genuinely worked up, her eyes wide as she looked at him. "You're so annoying! Really! I don't even know why I'm so messed up in the head..."
Before she could finish, Mercer suddenly leaned forward, his face almost touching hers.
V froze, her mind going completely blank for a moment, which Mercer took as tacit permission. He didn't hesitate to lean in and kiss her lips forcefully.
V subconsciously reciprocated for a moment, then scrambled to push him away.
"You, you motherfucker..."
"Don't mess around." Mercer, however, just climbed over from his seat, pushing his luck.
V was pinned to the seat by him, her head still spinning, as he shamelessly kissed her again.
With the helmet's faceplate open, only her face was exposed, but that was enough for Mercer to feel the warmth of her lips and cheeks.
V struggled instinctively, but Mercer just wrapped his arms tightly around her. V's considerable strength was now like that of a little girl; she pushed several times but failed to make Mercer's body budge an inch.
By the time she came to her senses, her face was already bright red from the kissing.
"You bastard!" she cursed, but wrapped her arms around his back as if giving up, no longer resisting.
Mercer just looked at her, a smile in his eyes, watching her surrender. "V, you're... kinda cute when you're obedient."
"Fuck you!" The moment the words left her mouth, Mercer kissed her again. "No swearing."
Now, V was completely at a loss. Her face was so red she knew she was done for. Resigned, she said as if giving up, "Do whatever you want. We might die here anyway. If I get to have some fun with you, Rebecca and Lucy are the ones losing out..."
At that thought, she surprisingly felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
That's right!
Isn't it me who's having fun with someone else's man right now?
With this thought, V subconsciously glanced at the window, which was composed of camera footage. Outside, there was only a monotonous, deathly silent expanse of grayish-black lunar soil, stretching on endlessly.
Anyway, no one will know... Shit!
She steeled herself, looked at Mercer's smile, which in her eyes now seemed a little smug, and without another word, used all her strength to flip him over.
"Huh?" Now it was Mercer's turn to be stunned, he was pinned to the seat in an instant.
Wait, after my cyberware modification, my body's stats are clearly...
But when he saw V, panting heavily, her eyes seeming to glow faintly red, he understood.
"Ha, you look pretty cute when you're this weak!" Her flushed cheeks broke into a triumphant smile, and then, she unceremoniously lowered her head.
This time, the roles of offense and defense had been reversed.
An unknown amount of time passed before V lifted her head, panting, and looked at Mercer, who was also panting from her kisses. She flashed a victorious smile, brilliant and tinged with her unique roguish charm.
"Hah... You're done for, Mercer. Don't think I'll just pretend this never happened when we get back to Earth!"
She stared straight at Mercer.
"What can you do?" Mercer looked at her, amused.
"You!" V glared at him fiercely. Then, she just pressed his face hard, biting his lips like a wild animal, and said indistinctly, "So, we have to get home safely... you hear me?"
Mercer's response was gentle.
He hugged V tightly.
"Alright... You can talk it over with Rebecca when the time comes. You can even be the boss..."
"Who, who the hell wants that... I'm taking it, not negotiating with anyone... I'm telling you, if Rebecca and Lucy get angry and unhappy, I don't care, you understand? If you can't handle it, you'd better beg for mercy now!"
Her face was red, but her tone was incredibly firm.
Mercer met her gaze. After a long moment, he grinned. "Fine, but you don't actually have to take anything..."
He pressed his cheek against hers, feeling the warmth of each other's skin. "I'm right here."
"...Should I go see Vik about my brain when we get back? Did you secretly use some kind of Night Corp tech to brainwash me?"
Even though her heart was beating like crazy, V was still being stubborn.
Mercer just chuckled softly. "Then I should go get checked out too... How could anyone fall for a violent maniac who's strong as hell and bites your lip when you kiss?"
"Hmm?" V glared at him menacingly.
Mercer just smiled and licked his lips, swallowing the faint, rust-flavored specks of blood. "Kiss a little longer? V, be gentle."
V didn't speak. She just pursed her lips, and after a long moment, she took the initiative to lower her head again.
—--
The rover drove on, stopping and starting, changing the oxygen tanks twice and refilling the fuel from the canisters prepared in the back seat. Finally, after cresting a small hill on the lunar surface, they saw a magnificent lunar base shimmering with a metallic luster.
And on the wall of that base, the Arasaka logo shone brightly under the seemingly eternal light of the lunar surface.