Kiwi's breath warmed Mercer's neck as they both panted heavily, their breathing gradually steadying into sync.
"Mind if I smoke?"
Though sober now, she remained lazily motionless, fingers tapping lightly over his heart before gesturing toward the cigarette case on the nearby nightstand.
Mercer reached for the case and handed it to her, then after a moment's thought, lit one for himself.
Strangely enough, this was his first cigarette since crossing over, ironic, considering he'd never hesitated with cigarettes or alcohol in his mortal life. Yet in this world where even cancer could be fixed with replacement parts, he'd avoided both until now.
Kiwi looked surprised but said nothing, lighting her own cigarette before leaning in to gently clamp hers between her lips. Mercer understood, bringing their cigarettes together to let hers ignite his.
"So, any regrets?" she asked softly, her eyes subtly studying his expression.
"Why would you ask that?" Mercer countered.
She chuckled, nestling against his shoulder. "Being with a woman like me for the first time, don't you feel like you drew the short straw?"
"Those things don't matter." Mercer had long outgrown caring about such notions.
Besides... this wasn't truly his first time.
Back before crossing over, at fourteen or fifteen, he'd imagined finding a pure-hearted girl to spend his life with. But as he grew older, that ideal was shattered by harsh reality.
Now Mercer believed the only distinction in relationships was whether feelings were involved or not.
At least with Kiwi, he could sense her careful efforts to please him, a feeling far more meaningful than anything else, allowing him to release all his pent-up pressure without reservation.
As for her past... well, that varied from person to person. Mercer didn't mind, at least she saw that history as something shameful, unlike some who might pride themselves on their "experience."
Kiwi watched him quietly before finally smiling. "Good. I was worried you might regret being seduced by me once you came to your senses."
"Of course not. You're a good woman. Becoming 'good friends' with a good woman is nothing to regret."
Mercer exhaled a plume of smoke. After so long without smoking, even the minty ladies' cigarette felt unfamiliar and slightly unpleasant.
Might as well put it out.
He stubbed out the cigarette and stood up, offering her a faint smile. "Want something to drink?"
"Hmm... NiCola?" She grinned, watching him dress, though a hint of disappointment lingered in her eyes.
Mercer nodded and went to the outside fridge for two cans of NiCola.
Kiwi blinked as he set the drinks on the table. "You're not leaving?"
"You want me to turn around and go right now?" Mercer said amusedly. "I'll stay until you fall asleep." In such situations, turning and leaving immediately would make someone 99% a scumbag. Though he didn't consider himself particularly virtuous, he wasn't so heartless as to just delta after getting what he wanted, treating her like nothing more than a tool for release.
"Then you'll have to keep me company for a while," she said, stubbing out her cigarette. She picked up her NiCola, took a sip, then turned to face Mercer, who was sitting in a nearby chair. She reached out and crooked her finger at him.
Mercer simply lay back down, and a content smile spread across her face as she nestled into his embrace, gently wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Thank you for giving me a wonderful day and a beautiful dream," she whispered softly before closing her eyes.
Mercer hummed in response, one hand gently stroking her back until her breathing evened out and she fell into a deep sleep. Only then did he carefully delta from the room.
Standing outside the door, he shook his head. She'd said she wanted him to stay awhile, but she'd fallen asleep almost as soon as she lay down.
Just before reaching his own room, Mercer suddenly paused. He activated the scanning function of his cybereye and detected a network signal lingering from Lucy's door, right next to his room.
From the scanned outline, it appeared she was sitting slumped against her door.
Mercer sighed softly and finally stopped walking, clearing his throat lightly.
A series of flustered sounds came from behind Lucy's door, and after about five or six seconds, she cautiously cracked it open and peeked out at him.
They stood in silence for a moment, until Mercer finally spoke softly, "You should go back and get some rest."
"Did you do it?" she asked bluntly.
His brief hesitation gave her the answer. She lowered her head, her silver-short hair half-hiding her face, leaving only her tightly pressed lips visible. After a moment, she let out a dry laugh. "So... is it because she's an adult?"
"You could say that. If it were Rebecca, I would've refused," Mercer answered honestly.
Lucy fell silent for a moment, avoiding his gaze. "Are you two together now?"
"Just good friends," Mercer summarized their relationship plainly.
Finally, Lucy slowly raised her head and turned to look at him.
Her lips were pressed so tightly together they were almost white. After a long pause, she said, "Why didn't you just pretend you didn't notice me? How did you know I was waiting for you?"
"Just a guess," Mercer replied with a faint smile. "I knew you'd be keeping an eye on me subconsciously."
"..." Lucy had no retort.
You could've at least lied and given me an excuse to delude myself, couldn't you?
"Don't overthink it. Let things take their course. For me and Kiwi, when tomorrow comes, everything will be just like before. She's still just a member of the team, and I'm her captain. She won't want anything more from me, and neither will I. We're just friends, plain and simple," Mercer said candidly.
His gaze was gentle as he looked at her, his tone light and reassuring. "Don't worry, I won't just abandon you out of the blue."
"Now you say something like that?" Lucy felt both exasperated and inexplicably swayed by his words. Her complicated emotions shifted into simple frustration.
After all, logically speaking, she had no right to say anything to him. Their relationship was, at most, somewhat ambiguous, and even that ambiguity had been strictly defined by Mercer himself. But in a way, Mercer's willingness to be upfront and clarify everything might actually be good news for her?
Lucy laughed at her own thoughts, exasperated. "Forget it. Good night."
"Good night." Mercer blinked, then actually turned and went straight back to his room to sleep, leaving Lucy standing alone at the door.
She stared blankly at Mercer's firmly shut door for a long moment before finally biting her lip in frustration and irritation, flipping the bird in the direction of his room.
Jerk! How is this any different from leading me on?
After venting her anger with a few more middle fingers in place of curses, she stomped back to her room. But strangely enough, as mad as she was, that was all she felt, the earlier hurt and sadness had vanished.
Mercer, on the other hand, took a refreshing shower and drifted off to sleep with a clear conscience.
The next morning, he went to the server room to work as if nothing had happened. Kiwi, though she woke up a bit later than usual, looked bright-eyed and energetic, seamlessly settling into her usual routine in the server room.
The two simply exchanged a brief greeting, sharing a smile that seemed warmer than before, and then dove into their respective tasks.
Everything appeared so normal that it left Lucy feeling disoriented. If she hadn't heard Mercer admit what happened between them yesterday, she wouldn't have noticed any change in their dynamic at all.
Both Kiwi and Mercer treated yesterday's events as a pleasant dream, once awake, everything returned to how it was, with neither dwelling on it.
Ironically, it was Lucy, constantly trying to observe them, who spent most of the day distracted. It wasn't until the afternoon when Mercer suddenly cheered excitedly in the server room, announcing that the ctOS was complete, that she snapped out of her chaotic state.
"It's done?" Kyoko, who had been tinkering with smart attachments for weapons, looked up and happily applauded him. Even though she wasn't entirely sure what the system was capable of, she figured it was worth celebrating first.
After clapping, Kyoko eagerly walked over to Mercer. "So, what can this system do now?"
"Check this out. Morning Star, show her."
As Mercer's excited words faded, the laptop screen suddenly switched to a map of Night City, dotted with flickering lights of various colors. Some of these points even displayed approximate countdown timers.
"See these dots? The red ones represent 'criminal incidents' detected and monitored by Morning Star. The ones with countdowns indicate how long it predicts until a crime occurs there."
Before Mercer could say more, Kyoko gasped, "You mean it can predict crimes before they even happen?"
"Exactly." Mercer said proudly. "Not only can it anticipate certain events, but most importantly, this system uses algorithms to analyze an individual's behavioral patterns. Building on data from the NCPD and City Hall, it creates more detailed, comprehensive personal profiles. As the system automatically runs on the servers of City Hall and NCPD, it continuously collects various data, integrates and computes it. After being categorized by Morning Star, high-value or high-risk targets are classified and stored on our local server. Through this system, algorithms, and the established character models with real-time monitoring, we can uncover all the secrets of this city right from our homes. Look, for example, here!"
Mercer's words drew all the netrunners in the server room to gather around involuntarily.
"This golden highlight represents a person of key interest to Morning Star. Let me see who it is... oh, it's our Mayor."
Mercer tapped the screen and said, "Morning Star monitors their actions in real-time and collects as much relevant information as possible to refine their profile. I believe that, given enough time, we'll soon uncover all their secrets. Most importantly, the ctOS I designed isn't just a big data analysis and surveillance tool, it also has a self-'evolving' program."
"A self-evolving program? An AI?" Kiwi asked, somewhat puzzled.
"No, no, not an AI. I mean the program itself. I've provided it with a rich library of viruses. It will seize every vulnerability that appears in the digital world and spread the surveillance program as far as possible. You can think of it as an automated hacking program that actively infiltrates various networked devices. It automatically analyzes which devices are worth hacking and which aren't, and when it encounters a tough nut to crack, it automatically calls on Morning Star for the AI to take over."
After Mercer finished, Kyoko suddenly understood: "So, right now, the ctOS is only operating based on the data and device permissions from City Hall and NCPD's databases. But given some time to run, it could automatically hack into the power grid, or even some corporate servers?"
"Exactly," Mercer laughed. "The more data it controls, the more accurate its analysis becomes, and the more things it can manipulate. Sooner or later, we'll be able to sit at home and, through the intel gathered by ctOS, know every little thing that happens anywhere in Night City. Not just know, if necessary, we could even take over the city, making every networked device our asset. And think about the power of this intelligence-gathering system: from now on, whether it's gang members, politicians, or those corpos, every move they make in Night City will happen under our watchful eyes."
Mercer curled his lips into a smile and signaled Morning Star to pull up the surveillance feed. "You know what's even scarier? With this capability, we can control certain events in the city from thousands of miles away... make them happen, or prevent them from happening. Look, according to Morning Star's analysis, this speeding car has an 82% chance of causing an accident at the second intersection. But all we need to do is adjust the traffic signal timing by two seconds..."
Then, everyone watched as the speeding sports car narrowly missed colliding with another slightly speeding vehicle, crossing the intersection without incident. The reason he managed to narrowly avoid it was precisely because Mercer had held back another slightly speeding car for an extra two seconds at the previous traffic light.
"But his reckless driving is too dangerous, so we need to teach him a lesson."
With that, the camera feed suddenly switched to an NCPD patrol car three blocks away.
Through traffic light manipulation, this patrol car unknowingly picked up speed thanks to a continuous green wave, coincidentally arriving at the same intersection as the speeding vehicle at just the right moment.
Generally, NCPD couldn't be bothered with cars going just 30% over the limit. Otherwise, they'd spend the whole day chasing speeders and get nothing else done.
But if you sped right past them and nearly caused a collision, that was another story.
So, everyone watched as the NCPD cruiser suddenly lit up its sirens, stepped on the gas, and tailed the speeding car.
Eventually, surrounded by several patrol cars, the driver had no choice but to pull over and surrender, getting pinned harshly against his car by NCPD officers. It looked like he'd be facing either a few days in detention or a hefty fine.
"See? This is the kind of result we can achieve just by controlling traffic flow through signals."
No amount of explanation from Mercer could make the point as clearly as this live demonstration.
Even Lucy, momentarily setting aside yesterday's events, crossed her arms and lightly rested her chin on one hand. "Hmm, I originally thought you were just planning to build an intelligence system."
"Heh, you're underestimating me. My goal is to eventually gain comprehensive control over this city through various means, right down to every individual's personal devices, their cars, computers, door access systems..."
After Mercer finished, Kyoko voiced her concerns with some unease: "Aren't we infringing a bit too much on ordinary people's privacy?"
"For ordinary folks, the moment their neural links go online, their biometric data is automatically uploaded to the companies that manufactured them. Their cybereyes grant 'ownership' of all recorded visuals and audio to the corporations. Everything in their homes is rented, even their washing machines and TVs. Do you think those devices don't track their usage habits or collect their data? Even their BD wreaths automatically upload their usage preferences, which are then sold by the wreath companies to BD producers to adjust their content strategies. In this world, where is privacy? I'm merely doing what every other company is already doing, just consolidating the information they collect."
Mercer paused, then acknowledged Kyoko's point. "But you're also right. I oppose this kind of pervasive data intrusion too, but this is the era we live in. If we don't do it, someone else will. Rather than leaving this power in the hands of those with malicious intentions, it's better that I hold it myself. At least I can ensure that if something goes wrong, I can destroy it all and expose the truth." Mercer spoke in a hushed, grave tone: "I've left instructions in the server's core for Morning Star. If anyone tries to steal or tamper with the program, it will self-destruct and corrupt the server. I don't want my program to end up like Alt's Soulkiller, snatched by some megacorp and turned into another tool for oppressing the masses."
"Hmm, in a way, I actually think your program might be even more terrifying than Alt's Soulkiller," Kiwi remarked. "If Soulkiller goes rogue, it only kills people jacked into the net. But if your program malfunctions... it could affect everything connected to the net in the real world."
Lucy also wore a worried expression as she warned, "Mercer, you need to keep a close eye on Morning Star. Bartmoss's R.A.B.I.D.S. virus destroyed the Old Net. If your ctOS and Morning Star spiral out of control, it would at the very least throw Night City into chaos."
"Yeah, I know." Mercer smiled slightly before adding, "But it's still just a program. As its creator, if even I can't control it, then it wasn't really something I created to begin with."
At this, Mercer thought of Morning Star's original code, the 'AI soul core code' he had copied from Deathwish, which he still hadn't fully deciphered.
"As for Morning Star, I'm confident. Even though I don't fully understand the composition of these high-level AI core codes, AIs are still driven by logic. They have their own behavioral patterns and objectives. Unless corrupted by a virus like Bartmoss's R.A.B.I.D.S., they can't deviate from their initial programming."
After Mercer's brief explanation, the others could only nod in agreement.
On the path of netrunning and programming, Mercer had advanced far beyond ordinary geniuses, to a point few could comprehend.
If he believed something was fine, then it was fine. If problems arose, they likely weren't his fault. And if even he couldn't solve an issue, then no one in the world could. It sounded convoluted, but that was the reality.
"So, does this program you're rushing to complete help us with the Biotechnica job?" Lucy asked, her brow slightly furrowed. Mercer had been pouring almost all his time recently into developing and testing this program.
Mercer nodded, a faint smirk curling his lips. "Of course."
Just then, Morning Star issued a timely reminder. Its electronic voice had now shifted to a more mature, gentler female tone, a sign that it had grown more sophisticated during its time in the server and had developed its own preferences.
Mercer never interfered with such "personal" choices.
"Master, Maine has completed the handoff with Faraday. As you anticipated, Arasaka has dispatched a professional intelligence operative to meet with him. Fortunately, we currently have surveillance access to the restaurant where they are communicating."
As Morning Star's voice faded, a camera feed popped up on the laptop screen.
In the video, Faraday, dressed in a suit and looking every bit the part, was seated alone in a corner of the otherwise empty restaurant, waiting for the Arasaka agent to arrive. The camera automatically zoomed in, capturing the deets of Faraday's expression, and a program window popped up beside his face, displaying his name, age, recent activities, and other deets that Morning Star deemed noteworthy.
Then, the camera panned slightly toward the restaurant entrance, where a man in an Arasaka suit walked in with a cold expression. He merely nodded at Faraday before taking a seat opposite him.
The camera identified the Arasaka man, and a stream of information appeared beside his face.
[Name: Chris Paul]
[Age: 58]
[Character Intelligence Analysis: Senior Agent of Arasaka Counterintelligence. While not exceptionally skilled, he is patient and steady in his work, currently serving as a key assistant to Arthur Jenkins, head of Arasaka Counterintelligence Department.
Due to his advanced age, promotion is difficult, leading to significant psychological pressure. Appropriate inducement can increase his likelihood of participating in Biotechnica operations.]
[Home Address: .]
This name... Just torched one Chris factory, and now here comes another one begging to be burned.
Kyoko clicked her tongue in amazement. "How was this analyzed? Things like 'key assistant,' 'excessive pressure,' 'promotion difficulties,' how was this intel gathered?"
"In simple terms, we have high-level administrator accounts on major Night City forums, filtering corporate employees registered internally to serve as 'virus carriers.' By monitoring these employees, who have been covertly implanted with the virus for various reasons, we surveil their private communication groups and collect relevant data to build character profiles."
Morning Star's explanation made the group realize once again just how powerful the Mercer's ctOS was, and most likely, these actions were accomplished during its testing phase.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this capability that Mercer excitedly declared the ctOS complete.
Mercer, meanwhile, remained focused on the computer screen's video feed.
At that moment, Faraday had already exchanged data chips with the Arasaka agent.
The Arasaka agent pulled out his laptop and began reviewing the data on the spot. After scanning just a few entries, he suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Are you sure about this? This intel..."
He deliberately lowered his voice, but with the AI automatically enhancing the audio, the group could still hear the conversation clearly.
"If this intel is accurate, we've hit the jackpot! This is a batch of experimental equipment transferred from headquarters, and it's highly likely that a second unit can't be replicated anytime soon!"
Chris clenched his fist in excitement. Those who hadn't worked at Arasaka would struggle to understand his feelings at that moment.
At Arasaka, there are only three paths to promotion.
The first is overthrowing your superior: if you perform exceptionally, uncover your boss's weaknesses, and find allies willing to collaborate, then go ahead and stage a coup.
Zero your superior, have your allies back you, and if you've gained profits or mitigated losses for the company, you can directly take their position.
The second is achieving a major accomplishment for the company.
The third... is dealing a heavy blow to Militech. The more damage inflicted on Militech, the greater your merit.
Given Chris's age, abilities, and temperament, the first two paths were nearly impossible. But now, the third path to promotion lay right before him!
Faraday wore a confident smile. "Of course. If I weren't sure, why would I dare send this to you?"
Chris Paul's smile lingered for a while before he finally regained his composure. He closed the laptop and said solemnly, "I must verify the authenticity of this intel."
"Go ahead and check. I guarantee this was stolen from Biotechnica's servers; it's absolutely identical to what Militech obtained." Faraday spoke with absolute confidence, but deep down he felt a bit uneasy. After all, Maine had completed this job unusually fast. Maine only mentioned having the right connections to get it done but remained tight-lipped about the specifics.
Given Maine's reliable track record, Faraday didn't press further. He simply had an expert verify the authenticity of the data. Once confirmed as highly credible, he promptly contacted Arasaka to hand it over.
He had reviewed the deets beforehand. Undoubtedly, the sooner Arasaka received them, the more time they would have to strategize. If successful, this intel could earn Faraday significant merit within Arasaka.
Faraday had grand ambitions. Currently, Arasaka's primary fixer in Night City was Wakako. While Rogue had a strong reputation, her affiliation with Michiko's faction meant she was often bypassed for Arasaka jobs.
Faraday's goal was to replace Wakako and become Arasaka's go-to fixer in Night City.
So, even for his own sake, he would push Arasaka to use this unexpectedly acquired intel to cause major trouble for Militech and Biotechnica. Success would mean substantial credit for him.
Chris Paul simply nodded and said, "The payment you requested will be processed by finance after we verify the data. If this information checks out... we might have a major job for you."
"No problem. You know I never drop the ball when it counts."
Faraday smiled. His cyberware modification was quite distinctive: his left eye was a yellow-and-red cybereye, while on the right side, three red cybereyes were stacked vertically.
These three eyes would curve downward like normal eyes when he smiled, creating an eerie effect.
But Chris remained unfazed, calmly nodding as he picked up the chip and stood. "Wait for my message."
"Sure, no problem!" Faraday rose to see him out, but Chris waved him off and hurried away.
Mercer shifted his gaze from the screen, a smirk forming as he looked at Lucy and Kiwi beside him. "Seems we won't need to lift a finger. Just as I thought, dangle Militech's intel in front of Arasaka, and they'll tear into each other."
"What about your history with that Militech agent? If you involve Arasaka, they might end up taking the fall and come after you for revenge." Lucy's tone made Kiwi glance at her sharply, noticing she seemed sharper toward Mercer than before.
But Kiwi simply withdrew her gaze quietly, fading into the background as usual.
"If neither of us talks, we can pin it on Diana. Heh, that woman's so afraid I'll change my mind and zero her first, she keeps messaging to check if I still plan to hit the convoy as scheduled. She's practically begging me to ram headfirst into Militech's security detail." Mercer's tone was icy as he spoke: "On the day of the operation, we must ensure Diana dies in Night City. We can't give her any chance to escape. If she manages to hide in her European homeland, she'll be much harder to deal with."
"Let's just see if things unfold the way you expect," Lucy replied before turning and heading back to her station.
Kyoko glanced suspiciously at her retreating figure, then at Mercer, whispering, "Did you two... have a fight?"
"Not really, just a minor issue," Mercer said lightly, patting her head. "Since we've finished our work and have some rare downtime, want me to take you out? Don't you get bored staying cooped up here all the time?"
"Me? Heh, honestly, I'm fine staying home every day. V or Rebecca sometimes take me out when they're free... but I feel safer staying at the base," Kyoko said.
As she spoke, Mercer stood up. "Alright, then let me check how you've been doing with your previous assignments."
"Aw, come on..." Kyoko's face fell. It wasn't that she disliked studying, but Mercer's teaching style often made her doubt her own abilities. Things he explained in a sentence would take her ages to figure out, and every assignment he left had her scratching her head for hours.
Just when she finally managed to complete his tasks, he'd plug in a neural link and, within seconds, modify her work into something she could barely comprehend.
Kiwi curled her lips into a faint smile and said softly, "Cut her some slack. She's been working hard lately."
"Fine, take the day off to watch some BD then. I'm going to swing by Pilar's place," Mercer said, then added to Kiwi, "You and Lucy need to spend more time familiarizing yourselves with the drone operations. I wrote a basic Swarm Control System and had Pilar test it, the results were decent. You both need to master using these drones as soon as possible. If you find any bugs or areas for improvement, let me know immediately so I can fix them. We need to ensure precise control within a 3-kilometer range."
"Got it," Kiwi nodded before turning. "Want to come along?"
"...Sure," Lucy glanced at Mercer, then turned and followed Kiwi upstairs to test the drones with Pilar.
Kyoko, afraid Mercer would assign her new lessons right after finishing her homework, hurried out and retreated to her room to watch BD.
Left alone in the server room, Mercer mentally simulated the Biotechnica heist over and over, pondering what loopholes still needed to be addressed. After much thought, he realized he had already arranged everything possible at the base. The only remaining challenge was how to quietly and discreetly transport the stolen goods back to the base.
The word "transport" brought Panam to mind immediately. He sat down in his chair and dialed her number.
"Finally remembered me, boss?" Panam's boisterous voice came through. In the video feed, she was sitting in her car, wind whistling loudly, clearly, she had the windows down.
"Ha, I think about you every day... the Aldecaldos' wind, the sand, that campfire smoke smell... Anyway, I've got a big job. I need a team of absolutely reliable drivers, quick, discreet, you know what I mean." As Mercer spoke, Panam raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"
"We're stealing something. I need you to split the goods and transport them separately, then lay low as much as possible. Move the items discreetly in a loop before delivering them to my base. You're the experts in this, I doubt I need to micromanage."
Mercer's words piqued Panam's interest. "Who are we hitting? And where?"
"Not at the border. It'll be on the route from Night City's outskirts to the downtown area. The target is a joint transport convoy from Biotechnica and Militech. You won't need to engage in the firefight, just swoop in after the combat's over and quickly haul the goods away for me."
After Mercer finished, Panam wore an incredulous expression on the video call. "Huh? A joint convoy from Militech and Biotechnica?"
"Yep." Once Mercer confirmed, Panam stared at him with a serious look, as if checking whether his head was screwed on right.
Mercer rolled his eyes. "Keep looking at me like that, and I'll find someone else."
"Hey, hey, don't. I'm just worried about you," Panam said with a laugh. "Alright, I'll help you find people, only reliable ones, for sure. But how much are you planning to pay? Let's be clear: if it includes transportation, hiding the goods, running them through a loop, and delivering to Dogtown, it won't come cheap. It'll cost a lot in manpower, resources, and time. You'd better give me some precise data, like how big the items are and how many there are."
Mercer thought for a moment before replying, "As for payment, everyone who works on this job will get between five to ten thousand eddies each. The exact amount will depend on how things play out, but that's the minimum. As for the size... based on my estimates, if you want to move everything, you'll need at least three small trucks with ten-ton cargo capacity."
"That big?" Panam hissed in surprise.
"Large equipment like this is shipped in specialized crates, all modular storage. I'll send you the specs shortly, you can judge for yourself."
After a pause, Mercer added, "I'll do my best to ensure NCPD won't be on your tail, and the city's cameras won't catch your deets. But try to make sure nobody traces these items back to the Aldecaldos. I don't want to cause trouble for you."
"Don't worry, this isn't our first rodeo. And since we're hitting corpos this time, we'll be extra careful!"
Thrilled about landing such a big job, Panam exclaimed, "You're something else, Mercer. If we pull this off, it could net us over a hundred, maybe two hundred thousand eddies!"
Seeing her genuinely excited smile... well, it made him feel a little nostalgic. V had looked exactly like that the first time she got her cut. But now? That girl spent more on a single bottle of booze yesterday than she used to on two months' rent.
"You'll need to schedule the crew in advance, reserve vehicles. Once you've reviewed the info I sent and figured out how many people and trucks you need, get back to me. Then I can plan the arrangements."
Without another word, Panam agreed and hung up. Mercer sent her the details on the equipment's size, scale, and weight. She quickly replied with an "OK" and eagerly began recruiting trustworthy hands for him.
In the time that followed, Mercer continued refining the plan while waiting for word from Maine. It wasn't until a week before the transport convoy arrived that Maine finally called him.
"A, Faraday reached out to me. Said he wants to hit Biotechnica and Militech. Told him I needed to think about it. What's your take?"
When Maine's voice came through, Mercer's lips curled into a slight smile.
His take?
"My take is... let's fucking do this job. Tell Faraday there's a preem merc squad called Kindling Squad willing to take the job. But I'll need Arasaka's weapon support. You know what I mean?"
After Mercer finished speaking, Maine immediately understood. "Got it. I'll say I'm not confident enough and need to bring in some skilled chooms. Faraday won't mind."
"So, are you in?" Mercer asked with a laugh.
Even before making the call, Maine had already made his decision.
He said firmly, "I'm in. For this job, we're doing it together with you!"
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