The 6th Street casino was always bustling with business.
After Mercer casually used gasoline from the car to burn down the two-story building where 6th Street manufactured drugs, he brought Rebecca to the vicinity of the casino.
Even without stepping inside, the two hulking bodyguards stationed at the entrance and the vast array of expensive cars parked outside were enough to indicate how prosperous the place was.
Instead of parking directly at the front, Mercer drove around to the back of the building and stopped the car.
Rebecca pushed the car door open again, or to be more accurate, this time she completely detached it, making reattachment impossible.
She blinked her large eyes at Mercer, holding the car door with an innocent expression.
"Just leave it here. I'll have Polaris bring our car later for a faster delta. We can abandon this one here, and I'll ask El Capitán to send someone to retrieve it. If not, we'll just ditch it."
After Mercer finished speaking, Rebecca confidently shoved the door back into place with force. The bulletproof door creaked and groaned, eventually wedging itself awkwardly against the car frame.
Fortunately, Mercer had deliberately chosen a cheap vehicle this time to avoid drawing attention, so he wasn't too bothered by the damage.
"What's next? Do we charge right in?" Rebecca seemed eager to get started.
Mercer shook his head. "There are still plenty of gamblers inside. We should avoid collateral damage if possible. Let's see if we can take out the security first, then make it quick."
Rebecca nodded. "You're the boss!"
Mercer stood up and scanned the surroundings, eventually fixing his gaze on the back door.
He walked over to it, his cybereye glowing faintly. In just a breath, the back door swung open, its control panel was hidden inside, but Mercer's cybereye could detect network signals through walls.
Security systems like these were meaningless against a netrunner like Mercer.
As they stepped through the back door, they immediately encountered a burly man standing guard in the hallway. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of them, but before he could utter a word, Rebecca, who had darted out like the wind from Mercer's side, slammed her fist into his jaw.
She held back enough to avoid splattering him against the wall, but even so, the man went limp instantly. Any cry for help died in his throat as his head spun nearly full circle, his neck emitting a sickening crack before he collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
"Nice work," Mercer praised. "You're pretty fast too."
"Of course! Even if I'm not as quick as V with her Sandevistan, I'm not far behind," Rebecca replied with a grin before peering sneakily down the hallway.
"Clear," she announced, dragging the thug's body over to the back door.
Mercer nodded, his cybereye scanning left and right as he inspected the various devices in the area. Finally, he located a security camera at the end of the hallway and began to hack into it.
After effortlessly accessing the security server linked to the other cameras, Mercer quickly switched perspectives, reviewing everything the cameras could see to get a clear picture of the casino's situation.
Mercer explained simply, "William James is likely hiding on the second floor. The vault is probably behind the private room for exchanging chips on the first floor. We'll deal with William first, then clear the security from the top down, force him to open the vault, grab the cash, and delta."
Rebecca took the lead, her short legs moving surprisingly fast as she carried her gun. Mercer reached out and grabbed her by the collar. "Slow down. No rush."
"Oh, right!" she acknowledged, easing her pace.
"Stay calm," Mercer reassured.
Rebecca hummed in agreement but said nothing more, pressing her lips tightly together. The closer they got to William James, the more memories flooded her mind, even forgotten deets she thought were lost now resurfacing clearly.
"Corner. Two."
Mercer suddenly pressed a hand on her shoulder. Rebecca took a deep breath, refocused, and nodded before creeping toward the hallway corner. She glanced back at Mercer, saw his nod, then burst forward like a blur, the Berserk OS accelerating her with brutal force.
While not as fluid as V's movements, her speed was still too fast for ordinary eyes to track.
Two dull thuds echoed. Mercer peered around the corner to find two 6th Street thugs guarding the stairs collapsed in grotesque positions, bones undoubtedly shattered.
Mercer signaled Rebecca to drag the bodies upstairs. She hauled both twisted figures effortlessly, dropping them on the second-floor hallway where another bulky thug already lay motionless, smoke rising from his head.
Rebecca gave a thumbs-up and tossed the thugs aside. "Where is he?"
"Gotta check room by room."
Mercer began scanning each door along the hallway with his cybereye. The second floor held offices and VIP suites; one was clearly in use, noisy gamblers shouting inside. He glanced briefly before sealing the automated door with a virus to prevent interruptions.
At the end of the hall stood a door labeled "Manager's Office." Mercer scanned it with his cybereye and nodded.
"He's in there."
Then, Mercer counted down silently with his fingers: three, two, one. As the count ended, the door slid open, and Rebecca shot inward like an arrow.
In the lavish office, William James barely had time to snarl, "Who's there?!" before a small figure blurred across the room, vaulted his desk, and seized his throat, lifting him bodily into the air.
William reacted swiftly, but before his hand could reach the pistol on his desk, Rebecca brutally crushed it with her free hand.
He had no time to scream before his mind went blank, as if struck by a fist. Only then did Mercer stroll in from the office doorway and close the door behind him.
"Alright, take it easy."
Mercer was worried Rebecca might crush William's throat in her grip; he still hoped to squeeze some extra cash out of the casino.
"Who... are you?!" William James struggled to speak while Rebecca, her hand clamped around his neck, glared at him with gritted teeth. "Do you remember me? William James!"
"Who... are you?!"
William James stared at the young girl in front of him, genuinely unable to recall who she was.
"Papa Sunrise! You bastard, do you remember his name?" Rebecca slammed him into his own chair, nearly toppling both to the floor. William barely managed to steady himself.
"Papa Sunrise?" William was truly taken aback. After a moment of thought, he gasped, "You're his... his daughter?"
"Exactly!" Rebecca pressed Guts hard against his face.
"You're here for him? Why? I had nothing to do with his death!" William pleaded innocence. "You can't be here because of the debt collection, right? Paying what you owe is only right! Come on, cut me some slack. I didn't lay a hand on you back then..."
"Paying what you owe? You monster, there's no way Papa owed enough for you to clean out our entire home! You emptied my house and left me with nowhere to go but the streets..."
Before Rebecca could finish, William cried out in grievance, "How was I supposed to know what his stuff was worth? The value of collateral is always up to the lender!"
"Then your life is up to me to value now!" Enraged, Rebecca struck him across the face with the gun, sending blood streaming from William's head.
Mercer could tell William genuinely believed he'd done nothing wrong. In his mind, taking only the money and not treating Rebecca and Pilar as "collateral" probably made him a decent man.
"Now, tell me the codes to the vault and the safe." Mercer had no intention of wasting more time.
Without hesitation, William pointed to a safe in the corner. "My personal safe can be opened directly, but the vault's safe, I..."
"Open it or die." Mercer gave him no room for excuses.
William gritted his teeth and turned to Mercer, meeting only his cold blue eyes. Finally, he nodded resentfully. "Then you have to spare me! Otherwise, I'd rather die than let you walk away with..."
"Rebecca."
Mercer had no patience for bargaining. At his command, Rebecca grinned viciously, seized one of William's arms, and began crushing his bones slowly, starting from the hand, her grip like a hydraulic press.
William screamed in agony as Mercer walked over to the safe in the corner. "The code."
"I'll talk!" he cried out miserably. "79615281!"
Mercer's fingers hovered over the safe's keypad. He entered the code but paused before pressing the open button, turning his head slightly. "You're a tough guy, huh?"
Rebecca froze for a second, then angrily hauled William up again. Pulling her punch slightly, she drove her fist into his face, knocking out one of his teeth.
"I-I'm not lying," he continued to protest, but Mercer simply shook his head again, prompting Rebecca to deliver another punch.
The lie detection program obtained from Arasaka had proven its worth time and again, and William James couldn't fathom how Mercer could tell he was lying.
It wasn't until William James felt he was genuinely on the verge of being beaten to death that he weakly gasped out a correction: "The last four digits are 5283."
"Hmm, that's more like it. There are different ways to die, after all. It's not like you can take this money with you anyway. Cooperate a little, and you'll suffer less; how much better would that be?"
Mercer's words drained the color from William James's face. The other party hadn't even bothered to pretend or deceive him, he was truly done for.
Desperate, he tried a different, more forceful approach to save himself: "Aren't you afraid of 6th Street..."
"Idiot, I've already fought my way into your office. Why would I worry about 6th Street now?" Mercer scoffed dismissively. He opened the safe and pulled out quite a few valuable items.
A vintage luxury mechanical watch, Mercer slipped it onto his own wrist without hesitation, along with several large gold bars, a hefty stack of cash, and a storage chip carefully preserved in a case.
There were also some IOUs and similar documents, but Mercer couldn't be bothered with those. The cash alone in the safe amounted to over a hundred thousand eurodollars, a mix of 20, 50, and 100 notes piled high.
Perhaps for a quick escape in case of danger, all this money had been stashed in a large black duffel bag, which made things convenient for Mercer.
After collecting the cash and gold bars, Mercer turned to William James and asked, "How much is in the vault?"
"...Not much, maybe just a few hundred thousand eurodollars."
Mercer let out a cold laugh. "Are you joking me? The gamblers downstairs in the main hall alone generate hundreds of thousands in turnover each night. Do you clear out the cash every single day?"
"I'm telling the truth! High-stakes bets are handled through online payments or CredChips. Those large sums, whether from online transfers or CredChips, are moved out daily. Only the bulky physical cash is settled weekly."
William James spoke as if mourning his own parents. "This is just a small casino; how could we have millions in reserve? When we need to pay out large wins, we use anonymous CredChips for transfers. If you'd just give me a little time, I could..."
Mercer shook his head and glanced at Rebecca. "Let's head downstairs, grab the money, and delta."
"Got it!"
Rebecca, still seething, grabbed William James by his only relatively uninjured arm and dragged him out of the room and across the floor.
William James's agonized wails immediately echoed through the hallway, and even the VIP room on the second floor fell silent. Mercer paid no mind, simply hauling William James downstairs as he began to hack into the first-floor cameras, taking control of every 6th Street member in the main hall.
By the time Rebecca dragged William James down to the first floor, the main hall had already descended into chaos.
Mercer signaled to Rebecca to fire a shot, and she immediately raised Guts and blasted a round into the ceiling.
"Everyone, get out!"
The hall instantly descended into chaos, with screams echoing nonstop. Some took advantage of the confusion to gather chips and loot, while Mercer's task was to hit those who still hadn't fled with a Sonic Shock, urging them not to waste time.
Rebecca did the same. Seeing people looting and even some who seemed eager to "play the hero," she raised Guts, aimed at a gaming table, and fired again, startling a female dealer into dropping her gun and fleeing with a shriek.
As the gamblers scattered, Mercer and Rebecca dragged William James to the side of the chip exchange room. William James cooperatively opened the door to the room, behind which lay the cash vault.
By now, the staff inside had already fled, so William James could only plead with Rebecca to release him before rising to enter the vault code and open it.
Mercer stood at the doorway without entering, turning to Rebecca and saying, "Don't go in. Keep an eye on him. I'll get the money bags."
Having long planned to rob the casino, Mercer had prepared bags for the cash in advance but left them outside for easier mobility.
"Got it!" Rebecca nodded, then glanced at the pitiful William James leaning against the wall.
Mercer quickly retrieved the large duffel bags from the backdoor and returned to find William James, now with broken legs, slumped weakly against the wall, barely alive.
"He tried to crawl inside just now," Rebecca explained immediately.
"Well done. This vault is reinforced with concrete; he probably wanted to hide in there. You pack the money; I'll keep watch here to make sure we don't get locked in," Mercer cautioned carefully.
At this, William James's last flicker of hope died completely.
He had indeed considered such a plan: whether to lock these two inside or hide himself, he could activate the vault's emergency lock mechanism to seal the door shut permanently.
Rebecca gave James a cold look, took the oversized duffel bag, and stepped inside to start packing. She roughly stuffed all the cash from the shelves into the bag, not bothering to count how much there was.
Only when even the bag scavenged from William James's safe was full did she zip it up, hoisting two impossibly heavy duffel bags with one hand. "Let's go!"
Mercer nodded, giving William James one last glance. "Finish him."
Rebecca silently looked at William James, who leaned against the wall with hopeless eyes. Finally, she raised Guts with one hand. "How does it feel to have everything taken from you? Huh?"
William James let out a bitter laugh. "Just make it quick, will you?"
He knew he was doomed, and a swift death would be a release.
Rebecca gritted her teeth, and after two seconds, silently pulled the trigger.
Guts blew his head into bloody fragments plastered against the wall. Without a backward glance, she turned to Mercer. "Let's go."
"Just like that?" Mercer was surprised by her decisiveness.
Rebecca felt no sense of relief from vengeance, only an indescribable emptiness. She nodded softly. "Just like that."
Mercer knew it wasn't the time for conversation, so he didn't press further. Instead, he overclocked the server, igniting the casino's server room.
Since most buildings in this world were constructed with shoddy polymer materials, once a fire broke out in one area, it could quickly spread and engulf the entire structure.
Afterward, Mercer walked out the door with her. At the end of the street, Polaris was remotely piloting his Mizutani Shion, speeding toward them.
"Morning Star already alerted me; about seven or eight cars of 6th Street reinforcements are on the way. Luckily, V drew enough attention on her end. These few vehicles are probably all the remaining manpower 6th Street in Arroyo can spare."
Mercer spoke, but Rebecca remained disinterested, letting out an absent-minded "Mhm."
When Mercer's Shion drifted to a stop in front of them, she moved to get in still holding her bag, until Mercer pulled her back. "What's up with you? Put your stuff in the trunk."
"Oh, right."
Rebecca responded as if snapping out of a daze, stored her belongings, and then got into the car. Once Mercer took the driver's seat, Polaris began accelerating.
"Morning Star has plotted an escape route for us. Please confirm the delta plan it provided in your cybereye."
Polaris's voice sounded somewhat excited. "This is an emergency evacuation. Am I cleared to disable the safety speed limit?"
"Go ahead, drive fast, but safety first," Mercer cautioned; he wasn't entirely sure if Polaris's high-speed mode was stable.
Unlike humans, who could physically feel changes in acceleration and subtle shifts in the vehicle's condition, Polaris's AI, merely connected to the smart driving system, couldn't yet perfectly control the car's state.
"Understood! I'll ensure your safety while letting you experience speed and excitement!"
Polaris even automatically played a very energetic BGM.
It was Johnny Silverhand's Samurai's "Chippin' In."
"Can you feel it! Can you touch it! Get ready 'cause here we go!"
As the familiar electric guitar riff and Johnny Silverhand's roaring vocals blasted from the radio, Rebecca finally seemed to snap back to reality. After taking a deep breath, her eyes sharpened once again.
She cracked open Guts with a sharp click and began loading her large-gauge shotgun shells one by one.
"Sorry, I was just... a little out of it," Rebecca murmured softly, unsure how to explain. "Something didn't sit right with me."
"Mhm." Mercer didn't probe further.
But Rebecca continued, opening up: "I thought killing him would settle the score, avenge my old man and all those days we spent drifting with nowhere to go. But after I blew him away, I realized... I didn't even hate him that much. He was just doing what everyone in Night City does. But damn it, I don't know how to say it, Mercer. I just feel like there's still a fire burning inside me."
She had no idea where this surge of anger came from. After reloading her weapon with a forceful click, she rolled down the window and shouted, "Polaris, where are those bastards?!"
"You may prepare yourself. According to the route, we will encounter two 6th Street vehicles at the intersection within one minute."
Polaris advised with almost human-like concern, "I recommend avoiding an open-window shootout. Leave it to me to perform a remote hack instead."
"Never mind. Let her have her fun."
As Mercer spoke, Polaris fell silent, simply adjusting their speed. A minute later, the car nearly collided head-on with two speeding American muscle cars.
Without a single wasted word, Rebecca just pulled the trigger. The driver of the lead car stared in horror as a terrifying web of cracks spread across the bulletproof glass.
To be precise, this so-called glass could practically be considered armored steel plate. Nearly pierced by a single shot? It was unheard of!
Then, with a swift click-clack, Rebecca fired again. The bulletproof window exploded into a gaping hole, and the driver inside didn't even have time to scream before dying in his seat.
"Fuck you all! Just die!"
Rebecca shouted, continuously firing the shotgun. Someone from the 6th Street car leaned out to return fire, but she showed no fear.
She just laughed maniacally while pulling the trigger, turning everyone who leaned out into a mist of blood.
The two cars lasted only a few seconds before she blasted them to pieces, sending them crashing into the roadside wall.
Then, Rebecca finally leaned back, letting out a long sigh.
"Feel better?" Mercer asked.
"Not really, but I blew off some steam," Rebecca said with a click-clack as she sat down and sighed.
Mercer thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Do you know what this song is called?"
Rebecca pondered. "Chippin' In?"
"A rocker boy got kicked out by his girlfriend. Guess why?" Mercer said casually.
Rebecca stared blankly at him. "Why?"
"Because he couldn't perform 'Chippin' In,'" Mercer said with mock seriousness.
Rebecca almost instantly understood the double entendre and burst out laughing. Seeing his deadpan expression made her laugh even harder. "Ha~ such a lame joke?"
"I'm not joking. 'Chippin' In' is a Samurai classic. If a rocker boy can't play it, he's definitely a poser."
Mercer started laughing himself. "Alright, revenge is served; no need to overthink it. I know you feel empty, but it's better than doing nothing."
"Say goodbye to the past, tell it to go fuck itself. We've got plenty more to do. What's done is done here."
"You're right," Rebecca took a deep breath and smiled. "The past is past. Dad's story isn't over yet. As long as I'm alive, his legend continues."
"It's our legend," Mercer corrected.
Rebecca grinned at him. "Right, right, our legend. Maybe we'll even make it to Legendary tier someday."
Mercer chuckled. "Is that some kind of pun or another lame joke?"
"It's a fact," she said, tossing Guts aside and leaning back casually. "Anyway, thanks."
Mercer teased, "Where's my thank-you gift?"
"You still want one? Fine, leave your door unlocked tonight," Rebecca winked, pulling her collar open with one hand.
Mercer clicked his tongue. "Always trying to take advantage of me. Is that a thank-you gift? I don't even wanna say it."
"Alright, alright! So what do you want? I've got some extra cash lately anyway," Rebecca rolled her eyes.
"Let me think... How about treating me to a nice meal?" Mercer said.
"Sure thing, I'll have Lucy contact the Aldecaldos tomorrow and smuggle in some more goodies," Rebecca agreed with a grin.
Amid their playful banter, with assistance from Polaris and Morning Star, they effortlessly evaded all approaching 6th Street reinforcement vehicles. Without even needing to switch cars, they drove boldly back into Dogtown.
Mercer didn't need to proactively call Padre; almost the moment his car reentered Dogtown, Padre called him first.
[Padre: Well done, clean and efficient. My people have already received word. I'm certain 6th Street will be much more restrained from now on. On behalf of Heywood, thank you, A.]
[Mercer: No trouble. All targets have been eliminated.]
[Padre: The payment has been transferred to your specified account. Pleasure doing business, A.]
[Mercer: Likewise.]
After hanging up, Mercer nodded contentedly at the sudden surge of 550,000 eddies in his account.
Perfect. Now he had enough funding set aside for the upcoming Biotechnica job.
By the time Mercer parked the car in the base garage, V and the others had already safely deltad back and were waiting for him there.
Seeing that everyone was unharmed, Mercer finally relaxed and smiled. "Glad you're all safe. Standard procedure: split the cash first, then rest up. Over the next few days, we'll start prepping for the Biotechnica job."
"Got it," everyone agreed without objection.
Mercer had Rebecca bring over the seized cash, who knew how many tens of thousands of eddies it was, and the group divided it underground before heading off to rest, chatting and laughing along the way.
In the days that followed, Mercer continued refining the ctOS, while Morning Star worked on upgrading Polaris and kept an eye on the movements of Diana Cuno and her associates.
Then, a few days later, Mercer suddenly received a message.
[Maine: We heard from Faraday about an Arasaka job, breaking into the Biotechnica building to steal experimental data. Didn't you warn us to be careful with Biotechnica-related gigs lately? I'd like your take. If this job seems shady, we'll pass.]
Mercer immediately video-called Maine.
"Did he only tell you to break into Biotechnica and steal data? When does he want you to go?" Mercer asked as soon as the call connected.
Maine thought for a moment. "Didn't get into specifics, probably by the end of the month. He said he'd provide a signal jammer, just activate it at night, have a netrunner slip into some office belonging to a Diana Cuno, hack the data, and delta out."
"Did Faraday mention stealing experimental data on an immunity agent?" Mercer pressed.
"Yeah, the one Diana talked about on TV," Maine replied, his expression in the video growing serious. It seemed Mercer really did know his stuff when it came to Biotechnica.
"That fool couldn't even catch a break if he tried. Alright, take the job. I've got a backup of that serum data, just take it and tell him you stole it yourselves."
After a moment of hesitation, Maine asked cautiously, "You think... that'll work?"
"Why wouldn't it work? Last time Militech hired us to steal it, now it's Arasaka's turn. Probably some high-level agent discovered Militech and Biotechnica's collaboration on this immunity agent and wants to steal the drug data to verify its authenticity."
"You take the job, then just use my data."
A bold idea suddenly popped into Mercer's mind.
Was it possible... to let Faraday take the fall for the Biotechnica job?
Completely unaware of Mercer's thoughts, Maine said excitedly, "Great! As long as the data's accurate, we'll give you the lion's share of the payment for this job. Sound good?"
"Deal."
Mercer had already made up his mind. This perfectly timed opportunity instantly sparked a plan in his mind, one that would pit two rivals against each other.
He subtly dangled the bait: "I'll send you all the data, including some extra I think might be useful. Also, want to partner up for a bigger score?"
Maine's heart raced. When Mercer had extended the olive branch before, he'd hesitated.
But now, having witnessed the rapid growth of the Kindling Squad, Maine had to consider, this might be his one and only chance to catch the fast train.
"How big?" Maine asked cautiously.
Mercer threw out a number: "Let's just say your guaranteed cut starts at 200-300k eurodollars per person. If you're willing to go all in and make extra contributions, payment will be based on workload, more work, more money."
"Let's submit the data first. If there are no issues, I'll give you your cut in person and we can discuss details," Maine was tempted.
For this Biotechnica heist job, Faraday only offered him 150k eurodollars. Following standard procedure, the three of them would split it, with Sasha, who handled the infiltration and theft, taking the largest share. Each would only get 20-30k.
According to Faraday, he'd handle Biotechnica's security plans himself and provide signal jammers, so they'd only get an operations fee.
But Mercer was offering a guaranteed 200-300k per person right off the bat...
"No, we need to meet and talk before you submit the data, Maine. I don't want to screw you over, so I'll be straight with you, I plan to add something to the data I give you."
Mercer's words made Maine fall silent for a moment. Finally, Maine said bluntly, "Then tonight, at the Afterlife."
"Alright," Mercer agreed.
After hanging up, Mercer looked around and asked, "Where's V?"
Lucy, who was uploading programs to a netrunning chip with a machine, didn't look up: "Check the living room."
Kiwi suddenly spoke: "She's in the gym."
"Okay." Mercer smiled at her and stood up to head to the gym, but before he took two steps, a line of text appeared in his cybereye.
[Kiwi: Mercer, I need to talk to you.]
He glanced at her and nodded, then privately messaged her using the chat software.
[Mercer: Sure, here online, or in a room?]
[Kiwi: Are you heading out?]
[Mercer: Not yet. Going out tonight. I asked V to come along as my bodyguard.]
[Kiwi: Then when you get back, come to my room to talk.]
[Mercer: Alright.]
He glanced at Kiwi, who simply smiled at Mercer. It didn't seem like anything serious, so Mercer returned her smile with a nod before heading off to the gym to find V.
As soon as Mercer pushed open the gym door, the sound of a punching bag being relentlessly pounded reached his ears. Looking further inside, he saw V standing with her arms crossed, coaching Rebecca through boxing drills.
"Come with me to Afterlife tonight to talk with Maine."
As soon as Mercer finished speaking, V responded straightforwardly, "Sure. What, planning to recruit them? Honestly, for a job targeting Biotechnica, our current crew is barely enough."
"I actually think numbers alone won't help much against so many elite soldiers," Mercer said. "But having professional mercs like Maine, who's ex-special forces, would be useful. At least we wouldn't have to worry about him being too scared to lift his head around those agents and soldiers."
"Though the main goal tonight isn't to recruit them. I've thought of a good idea, if we're lucky, we might get some support while also pinning the blame on Arasaka."
V clicked her tongue. "I knew it! Sooner or later you'd drag all this messy stuff into it! We're only a few days out from moving, is there even time for all these convoluted plans?"
"Why not?" Mercer shrugged. "Might as well try. There's no downside, only potential benefits."
"Hope so," V sighed. "Which megacorps haven't we pissed off yet? Kang Tao?"
Mercer laughed. "I'll bring Kang Tao in when I'm ready to go after Arasaka."
"Whatever. Fine, I'll go with you tonight. It's not like I'm good for much besides being your bodyguard anyway," V said irritably.
Rebecca stopped her movements and looked at Mercer discontentedly. "What about me? I can be your bodyguard too!"
"You can come if you want," Mercer said, then added amusedly, "But mainly, if you tried to bodyguard me, even standing in front to block bullets, with your size you wouldn't cover much."
V burst out laughing, while Rebecca gritted her teeth, raised her gloves, and threw a punch at Mercer. He nimbly dodged and chuckled, "Alright, alright, you can come too."
"Why should I go? I can't even fully block bullets for you!" Rebecca glared, her anger not yet subsided.
Mercer blinked. "It's fine, half coverage is enough."
"Screw you!" Rebecca lunged at him wildly. Mercer dodged a couple of times but she barreled through and slammed him to the ground, pinning him as she pressed her gloves against his face. He surrendered helplessly, "V, quit watching, help me out!"
"Who told you to strike a nerve?" V was laughing but suddenly sensed something off. Why was Rebecca clinging so close to him while "fighting"?
Aren't you just taking advantage of him?
V wordlessly reached out and hauled Rebecca up by the scruff; the girl was now wearing a grin. "What are you doing?"
"Tch." Rebecca clicked her tongue and turned to look at her irritably. "Why ask when you already know, old lady?"
"Old lady?" V was both angry and amused. "Fine then, you little brat!"
"Neh~" Rebecca stuck out her tongue, then pulled off her gloves. "I'm done training. Gonna shower and go drinking tonight!"
She skipped lightly out of the gym, bouncing with every step.
"Just wait, I'm gonna drink you under the table tonight! Don't even think about leaving on your own two feet!" V clenched her fists angrily, shot Mercer a fierce glare, and followed behind Rebecca.
Their bickering could still be heard echoing down the hallway, one calling the other "old lady," the other firing back with "brat."
Mercer lay speechless on the floor, taking a moment to recover before sitting up. He didn't understand why V was glaring at him, it wasn't that he didn't want to fight back; Rebecca had nearly choked him out.
If someone with 15 Body could do that to him, what would someone like V with 20 points do if she got worked up? Wouldn't she just send him straight to heaven?
Damn.
Mercer got up, shook his head, and headed straight for Kiwi's room. He sent her a message, and the door slid open. He stepped inside, glancing around left and right.
Kiwi didn't seem like the type who cared much about decor.
Her desk was cluttered with reading chips, a BD wreath sat on the nightstand, and a clean ashtray rested near the edge of the table. There were also a few BD movies, probably recommendations from Kyoko.
Mercer had been in Rebecca's room before, it was filled with colorful figurines and plush toys, posters and stickers plastered all over the walls, and even a few gun racks mounted here and there.
By contrast, Kiwi's room was a lot like Mercer's, bare and functional, almost like a showroom unit fresh after renovation.
Mercer sat waiting in the chair by the desk for a bit before Kiwi pushed the door open and walked in.
She placed a can of NiCola on the table in front of him, then settled onto the bed. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly, "Before we take that Biotechnica job... I want to burn that factory down."
Mercer knew exactly what she meant. His expression turned serious. "Why the rush?"
"...Just in case," was all Kiwi could say. She sighed lightly, then added, "I'm afraid... that if something goes wrong, I might never get another chance."
Mercer watched her silently before breaking into a slight smile. "Don't worry too much about that job. You netrunners won't be on the front lines, you'll mostly be backing me up with drone control. If things go south, you can delta immediately."
"...You really think Lucy and I would just delta if you were in danger?" Kiwi retorted, her gaze steady and calm.
Mercer rubbed his temple and said bluntly, "Then let's go."
"Huh?" This time, it was Kiwi's turn to be caught off guard.
"I'm guessing this isn't a spur-of-the-moment idea. You've probably had a plan for a while. So, you take the lead, we'll do it your way."
"I'll get V and Rebecca to back you up as security. Just the four of us. We move now, make it quick, and head to Afterlife tonight to celebrate."
Mercer finished with a smile. "What do you think?"
Kiwi looked at him, and after a long moment, a faint smile touched her lips as well. "Okay."
"Then I'll go rally the team. Let's wrap this up in three hours and make that bastard pay." With that, Mercer stood and made to leave. Kiwi watched his back disappear through the doorway, then lowered her head.
She stared at her own hands, and after a pause, slowly clenched them into fists.
The flames of vengeance burned fiercely within her, making her hands tremble slightly.
Closing her eyes, the nightmares of the past resurfaced once again.
However, this time, she no longer needed to endure, anticipate, or wait for the moment of revenge as she had in the past.
It was time to thoroughly settle the score with her unsightly past!
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5800words