Chapter 110: A Badlands Pickup, V is Here
9:00 AM. Watson. A local diner.
Rhys, Maine, and Jackie sat together, ordering breakfast.
"Rebecca and Pilar aren't coming?" Rhys asked Maine after placing his order.
Maine paused from ordering for Dorio. "Nah. Pilar dragged her to Vick's. He needs help."
Rhys nodded, then turned to Jackie with a grin. "And you, Jackie? What are you doing here so early?"
Jackie, who had ordered two massive burritos, chuckled. "You guys are all in Watson. Even Vick and Misty are here. Why would I stay in Heywood alone? Besides, I'm free for a few days, so I figured I'd come help out. Gun shop, security company... whatever you need, hermano."
"What are you busy with later?" Maine asked.
Technically, Jackie should be free like the rest of them. The shop and the company only needed occasional oversight, and Jackie wasn't in management like Maine. He'd be busy once the security firm launched and he became a field commander, but right now?
"Actually, I just picked up a small gig," Jackie said. "Normally, I wouldn't have taken it. We agreed to step back from the merc life for a bit."
"But a buddy of mine asked me. He needs someone picked up in the Badlands."
"My buddy's got no spine, never been to the Badlands. He took the gig by mistake, probably got scammed into it. So he begged me to help. I get the full fee. I know the Badlands, so I figured, why not?"
Maine nodded. "Be careful. You got a Sandy, but there are monsters out there."
Jackie grinned. "Relax. I know the score. Safety first, always."
Jackie wasn't bragging. Despite his brute appearance, he was sharp. Like Maine, he was careful, but unlike Maine, who planned everything, Jackie excelled at improvisation. He was a natural solo.
His only "weakness" was his heart. He loved making friends and would do anything for them.
Rhys, listening to their conversation, froze. His hand shook slightly as he picked up his tray. He turned to Jackie.
"You're going to the Badlands to pick someone up?"
"Yeah. Why? Something wrong?" Jackie asked, noticing Rhys's reaction.
"No, nothing... just, do you know who the client is?"
"Not yet. The fixer hasn't sent the details. I'm supposed to contact the target directly once I'm out there. But I know the mission parameters."
Jackie recalled, "It's some Nomad who left their clan. They picked up a smuggling gig from another city, moving something into Night City. My job is to get them across the border and make sure the package arrives."
"Outsider, smuggling... getting into the city won't be easy," Maine commented.
"Male or female?" Rhys asked seriously.
Could it be?
It was early December 2075. 2076 was just around the corner!
Rhys felt a surge of excitement. He did the math. Even with his interference changing Maine's crew and the local landscape, V—specifically Nomad V—shouldn't be affected. V came from outside.
According to the timeline, V arrived in Night City before early 2076. A smuggling job gone wrong led to meeting Jackie, and together they entered the edgerunner world.
They spent nearly a year climbing from nobodies to recognized mercs. During that time, they built relationships with Padre, Muamar, Wakako... and finally Rogue.
The game's montage showed it all. To catch Rogue's eye, you had to be elite. V and Jackie weren't instant legends; they ground their way up.
So... V and David were separated by about six months? David died mid-2076 in the anime timeline.
"Male or female? Fixer didn't say," Jackie shrugged, confused by Rhys's interest in such a minor gig.
It was just a standard street job. Pick up a person, smuggle some goods. It happened every day in Night City.
If Rhys knew what Jackie was thinking, he'd scream.
Standard?!
The person you're picking up is the protagonist of this universe!
If nothing goes wrong, V is the ceiling of power in this world!
Do you understand how strong a max-stat Cybertronian V is?!
"Let's go sit down. People are staring," Maine chuckled, patting Rhys and Jackie on the shoulders.
They moved to a table.
As soon as they sat, Jackie continued, "Rhys, I don't have many details yet. The target is still days away from the city. The fixer said they're about to reach a town in the Badlands. So I don't know the gender, or even the meetup spot yet."
Rhys nodded, thinking fast. "It's fine. But... Jackie, can I come with you on this gig?"
"Whoa, hold on. Rhys, what's got into you?" Maine frowned. "It's a tiny, routine job. Why would you go? If Jackie hadn't already promised his friend, I'd tell him to drop it. We don't have time for peanuts."
"Um... it's complicated," Rhys said, looking at Maine. "I can't explain everything, but I need to go on this mission."
"Then you should just take it," Jackie offered generously.
"Seriously, take it. I trust you, choom," Jackie grinned, slapping the table. "The target is apparently a refugee, super paranoid. The fixer said it's a one-on-one handover. If I bring you along, they might get spooked. So why don't you just go instead? I'll give you the fixer's contact."
"Do I know this fixer?"
"Some small-time guy in Heywood. He definitely knows you, but you won't know him," Jackie laughed.
He ate a bite of his burrito, eyes lighting up.
Rhys received the contact info on his agent. He dialed immediately.
"Hello?"
A cautious, raspy male voice answered.
"Hello, Mr. Ester. My name is Rhys..."
"I don't care who you are, how did you get this number?" the fixer snapped.
Rhys paused, then disabled his Kiroshi's identity scrambler. He'd forgotten it was active. When calling strangers, his optics automatically masked his voice and digital signature. No wonder the fixer didn't recognize him.
"I'm Rhys. From the Mox. From the Edgerunners Family."
"..."
Ester went silent. Then, fear crept into his voice. "Mr. Rhys... y-you... why are you calling me?"
You gotta be kidding me... the God of Death himself?
There were plenty of people named Rhys in Night City. But the Rhys? Only one.
Thinking about what Rhys had done made Ester tremble.
Ester had only climbed up the fixer ladder in Heywood because the previous top dog, Domino, had been flatlined. Ester was a beneficiary of the power vacuum.
And he knew exactly who had created that vacuum.
The polite, clean-cut young man on the other end of the line.
"Jackie said he took a smuggling gig from you. Picking up a Nomad in the Badlands, right?" Rhys asked.
"Does Mr. Welles want to drop the contract? I can cancel it unilaterally! No penalty, no impact on his rep! I'll handle it immediately!" Ester blabbered, terrified he'd offended someone.
"You misunderstand," Rhys interrupted.
Ester shut up.
"I'm asking if you can transfer the contract to me."
"What? Mr. Rhys, wait... did I hear you right? This is a tiny, low-level gig. Honestly, it was barely worth Mr. Welles's time. The payout is only 2,800 eddies, plus expenses. No gas money, and the bribe for the checkpoint is capped at a 500-eddy chip. Anything more comes out of the merc's pocket."
Ester's voice trailed off.
Why would a legend like Rhys take a 2,800 eddy gig?
If Rhys announced he was taking contracts, fixers would be lining up with six-figure offers. High-risk, high-reward wetwork.
This smuggling run was trash. Low pay, high hassle, dealing with Raffen Shiv in the Badlands. It was a job for desperate rookies or suckers.
Why did Rhys want it?
But Rhys just smiled. "I want it. Can you transfer it?"
"Of course! I'll handle it. Should I... notify Rogue?" Ester asked hesitantly.
Rhys was Rogue's man. Everyone knew that. Ester was conflicted. Working with Rhys was a huge opportunity, but poaching Rogue's talent without permission? That was a death sentence in the fixer world.
Rhys understood. "Sure. I'll let her know too."
Ester breathed a sigh of relief. "Great! I'll get the paperwork done immediately."
He was about to hang up when Rhys asked, "When does it start?"
"In about three days. The other fixer, the one handling the Nomad side, said the courier will cross into the NUSA/Free State border zone in two days."
"Got it."
Rhys thanked him and hung up.
He looked up to see Maine and Jackie staring at him in confusion.
Rhys rolled his eyes.
Ask all you want.
Am I supposed to tell you I'm securing the ultimate cheat code for our family's future?
V is coming.
Time to get ready.
Let's go pick up V!