"...The money is as agreed, no negotiation, not a cent more will be given."
"Alright then, you can take my tools and fix it yourself."
"No problem, then move aside."
"...That way, the compressor will keep running, and the car might lose control."
"Did I ask for your opinion?"
The sound of a man and woman arguing woke Berry, who was lying in the back seat.
Berry rubbed her eyes for a while. Although her head felt heavy, she still forced herself to sit up. As she got up, the blanket slipped off her, having been placed over her by someone at some point.
"Hey, Berry (Berry), sorry, did I wake you?"
In her blurry vision, Berry saw a woman walk over and squat beside her, asking softly.
Shaking her head, Berry gradually cleared her mind, and her vision returned to normal.
The woman squatting in front of her had short sky-blue hair, revealing small ears, with two tiny blue studs hanging from her right earlobe.
"Berry?"
The other party spoke gently again, and Berry finally snapped back, meeting the woman's earnest eyes. Those eyes were the same color as her hair, a deep ocean blue.
"I'm fine, Sister V."
What came out was a pleasant female voice, but because she had just woken up, her throat wasn't open, making it sound muffled.
"That's good." The woman named V smiled and smoothed Berry's messy hair from her forehead, then stood up. "Sit and rest for a bit, collect yourself. We'll be leaving soon."
"Is it human trafficking, or do you Nomads have a tradition of eloping with lovers?"
The mechanic hadn't expected someone else in the back seat and was somewhat surprised. Even more surprising was how the Nomad, who was like a fierce leopard in front of him, was so affectionate with the Girl in the back. This contrast made the mechanic curious.
"That's my partner, and also, shut your stinking mouth, thank you."
V raised an eyebrow, returning to her rebellious self, as if her demeanor in front of the Girl earlier had been an illusion.
Clutching the blanket in the back seat, Berry gradually recalled everything.
That's right, she had transmigrated into this damned cyber world, becoming a member of the Aldecaldos, always looked after by the Nomad V, becoming her partner. And after the Aldecaldos decided to collectively join the Snake Gang, only she was willing to leave the family with V, who refused to collude with the Snake Gang, and embark on the road to Night City.
Through the rearview mirror in the front seat, Berry saw her familiar appearance in this life: seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in a black jacket and vest, her exposed arms and skin not covered by fabric were as soft as water, her black hair styled into a short cut similar to V's, and the other half of V's earring could be found in her left ear.
In the mirror, her dark brown eyes were watery, still carrying a hint of sleepiness.
Sighing, Berry couldn't believe that she, a grown man, had become a woman in this life, and was even so submissive, like a young wife following V around.
Despite deliberately imitating V and dressing herself like a cool Tomboy, it was useless; she still appeared soft and adorable, not like a Tomboy at all, but more like an innocent Girl who could pretend to be bad, not cool in the slightest.
No wonder the mechanic instinctively thought she had been abducted by V.
With one ignition, the car rattled a few times and then stalled.
Trying again, with the second ignition, with a rumble, the engine of the old red car finally roared to life again.
"Heh, you really do have some skills, but the question is, how long will it last?" The mechanic raised an eyebrow, surprised that V actually got it started, but didn't say anything more, coming over to close the hood.
"It just needs to make it to Night City. I'll figure something else out then." V shrugged, unconcerned. She was in a hurry to complete a deal and had no time for delays.
"Berry, are you feeling better?" Through the rearview mirror, V looked at Berry.
"No problem, Sister V, I'm awake now." Berry sat up straight and obediently buckled her seatbelt.
"Alright then, we'll go see the client first, alright?"
"Jackie Welles." Berry murmured the client's name.
"Yeah, sounds silly just by the name. Probably another naive unlucky guy who wants to get into smuggling." V casually said, straightening the cat ornament on the dashboard.
Seeing V like this, Berry instinctively wanted to laugh. Seriously, after escaping Konpeki Plaza, you didn't say that in Delamain's taxi. Who was it that said with a sob, "Jackie, you're the real big shot"?
Jackie Welles.
Berry thought of the scene of life and death separation in the game again.
That scene had truly shocked her at the time, but this time, as the variable, she would not let such a tragedy happen again, she promised.
After all, now she was V's partner, a good 'sister', who had been through life and death together. Her fighting skills were not as soft and cute as her appearance; she had full confidence to reverse the original tragedy.
V was fiddling with the radio pager, trying to contact their client, but after several adjustments, there was only static, indicating a bad signal.
"Clatter~"
The half-closed roller shutter door of the workshop was pulled open by a pair of strong hands, and a sheriff-like figure, wearing a cowboy hat and uniform, walked in.
"Hey, Mike, I didn't know you had guests here." Although he said that, his eyes never left V's red SUV, and his actions betrayed him: he had come specifically for V, the Nomad.
In front of the sheriff, the mechanic became reserved, raising his hands to indicate he had nothing to do with it. "They just arrived a few hours ago. I... I thought they had already greeted you."
"They? Interesting."
"Don't panic, Mike, we can discuss things."
Saying that, the sheriff put his hands on his hips and walked straight towards V, looking arrogant.
Trouble has arrived.
Seeing this, V figured the other party had probably come specifically to make things difficult for her.
"Pah." The sheriff spat a gob of phlegm at the base of the wall, looking at V in the driver's seat with utter disgust.
"Don't you know you're supposed to greet the sheriff when you come to town? Tell him... what you're doing here, even if it's just for a cup of coffee."
Just like in the story, trouble had arrived.
Berry instinctively reached for her side, where her revolver was holstered. She might look young, but her skills were never timid.
With just her pistol, in the blink of an eye, she could shoot off his arrogant hat, and even if the opponent looked like a good shot, that fact wouldn't change.
"And what about the Girl behind you? Is she with you?"
Looking past V, the sheriff saw Berry in the back seat, fair-skinned and without cyberware. This was not how a wilderness Nomad should look. Thinking this, he frowned, an unpleasant suspicion forming in his mind.
"We're not looking for trouble, we'll leave now."
V spoke, drawing the sheriff's attention back.
"That's not what I asked, is it?" the sheriff interrupted. "You'd better explain the Girl's situation, or I'll hang you from a telephone pole."
It could be human trafficking, or illegal immigration. Thinking this, the sheriff's hand slowly moved towards his gun; he was getting serious.
"Hey, I'm her partner! We're together!" Seeing the situation diverge from the plot because of her, Berry quickly spoke up. "Companions, you know? The kind who've been through life and death together."
"Together, huh." Hearing Berry explain, the sheriff hesitated for a few seconds, but at least he didn't draw his gun, because he noticed no forced tension on Berry's face; she didn't seem to be coerced.
"What the hell is wrong with the world these days? Half-grown kids hanging out with stray dogs, and together, pah."
Stared at by the sheriff with a look of disappointment, Berry finally realized what was happening.
It seemed her appearance was too deceptive; this sheriff probably thought she was an ignorant Girl who had been lured away by a few sweet words from a 'hooligan' like V.
"Forget it." The sheriff leaned his hand on the car roof, looking back at V. "My name is Andrew Jones, you might have heard of me. I was in the special forces during the last war, Silver Shotgun, heard of it?"
The sheriff's arrogant demeanor was very punchable, and V really wanted to retort, but remembering Berry in the back, she held back, just gripping the steering wheel without speaking.
"You're not very talkative, are you?"
The sheriff nodded, walked a few steps around the car, turned, and stepped onto the hood.
"Is this a Nomad's car? Heh! I thought..."
"I'll leave as soon as the car is fixed. I don't plan to stay here long." V gritted her teeth, compromising despite her annoyance.
"That's right, you'd better not stay long, because I get furious every time I see a stray dog." The sheriff waved his hand, as if shooing flies. "You, where's your family's camp?"
"No family, no camp, just the two of us."
"I don't believe it. Nomads always travel in groups." The sheriff shook his head, his eyes full of suspicion towards V.
"My family all scattered, that's why we're going to Night City."
Of course, that wasn't the real reason.
In reality, they were going to transport smuggled goods to Night City with their client, Jackie Welles.
After a series of barbed exchanges, the sheriff lost patience and told them to hurry up and leave. He didn't want these two Nomads to stay in his town for too long.
"...By the way, take my advice, little Girl, get off at a suitable place and don't stay with such rotten people. Night City is not some paradise, be careful your companion sells you to a nightclub for money."
The sheriff's final advice to Berry was shattered and dispersed by the roaring engine, leaving only a faint echo reverberating in the small car.
Outside the car window, the sun was dazzling, and the wasteland stretched endlessly. Berry's mood brightened, the oppressive feeling from the workshop earlier swept away. However, V, who was driving, had a tense face and seemed off.
"...Berry, maybe I shouldn't have brought you out."
See? The sheriff's words weren't entirely useless. At least now, V in the driver's seat felt heavy-hearted, wondering if it was too irresponsible of her to bring Berry out like this.
"Sister V..." Berry turned her head, but V's gaze in the rearview mirror was avoiding her.
"What are you saying? When have we not been together on an operation... And ever since I was little, Sister V has been taking care of me. More than family, I'd rather follow Sister V."
"So Sister V, don't mind what others say. I always believe in you."
Her hand rested on V's shoulder, allowing V to feel Berry's warmth and the sincerity of her words.
Her expression was sincere, but Berry was thinking, 'Are you kidding? If I don't follow you, how can I continue to cling to this towering thigh of yours?'
Was V an ordinary person? She was known in the underworld as a Cybertronian psychopath, capable of soloing Arasaka Tower. Even if Berry had a system, she might not be able to deal with V.
In dangerous Night City, where else could be safer than under V's protection?
"Is that so, Berry? So that's how it is, haha, this feeling..." However, V was extremely happy. Berry's sweet words instantly pierced her heart, making her smile brightly, unable to stop.
Gripping the steering wheel, her eyes were squinted in a smile, and her cheeks were flushed with an unusual red hue.
"Sister V?"
"Yes!" V's earlier tension vanished, now as happy as an idiot, her reply full of vigor.
"Didn't you say earlier that you needed to contact the client using the radio at the antenna tower?"
"Of course." V replied with a smile, her eyes narrowed, confidently.
"But I think we missed it." The antenna tower was gradually receding behind the car, Berry's tone filled with a hint of regret.
"Ah!?" A sudden brake caused the car's components to rattle loudly, and V herself almost slammed into the steering wheel.