"What's Mercer been up to lately?"
In the spacious penthouse apartment, V sat on the sofa, bored out of her mind, watching TV.
Rebecca was lying next to her, dressed in a tight little black outfit, dangling her feet. She wore a VR headset, humming a little tune, browsing who-knows-what.
"Who knows? When is he not busy?" Rebecca answered distractedly.
V frowned and slapped her on the butt. Rebecca yelped, her voice immediately taking on the brash tone of a little punk. "Hey? What was that for!?"
"He's been getting back at nine or ten lately. Don't tell me you haven't asked him!" V glared at her, dissatisfied. After turning off her VR, Rebecca rolled her eyes.
"You think I have time to ask him that crap when he gets back at night? Of course I seize the opportunity to start a round!"
Rebecca's words made V laugh in exasperation.
"How did I not notice this before? You and Pilar are cut from the same cloth. No wonder you're siblings, huh?" V's sarcastic remark only made Rebecca laugh triumphantly.
Rebecca tilted her little face up smugly. "How is that the same? Pilar's destined to just watch BDs for the rest of his life. How can he compare to me? You old ladies have no idea how much fun we have!"
"Oh, please. Every morning you're like a corpse, impossible to wake up, and you've started slacking off at work. What's the plan, just wait till you get knocked up and raise his kid for him?"
V spoke with bitter disappointment. "Look at what you've become!"
Rebecca blushed slightly, but then retorted, as self-righteous as ever, "None of your damn business! It's not your man I'm playing with! I like being like this with him, got a problem with that?"
V rolled her eyes, unable to stand her anymore. "You've really been holding it in. Sooner or later, that guy Mercer is going to have to install a Mr. Studd."
"Heh, you don't have to worry about that. He's in great shape," Rebecca said with a strange smile. She leaned mysteriously toward V's shoulder and started whispering. The way her eyebrows danced with excitement made her look a little sleazy.
The continuous stream of words whispered in her ear made V's face flush red. She quickly pushed her away. "Why are you telling me all these deets! I'm not interested!"
"Ha! You're shy?"
Rebecca laughed triumphantly, planting her hands on her hips as she stood on the sofa, an eyebrow raised. "Anyway, stop telling us what to do. If there's something you want to know, you can just ask him to his face when he gets back, can't you?"
V got angry just looking at her smug expression. How has Mercer not worn you to death? What's a little pipsqueak like you so proud of!
—--
Mercer entered from the elevator wearing his armor. The few bots beside him automatically stopped by the elevator to stand guard. He took off his helmet and, with the help of his Octopus Arm, quickly dismantled the armor, looking quizzically at the two girls in the living room.
"You two fighting again?"
"Mercer~" Rebecca hopped over barefoot and, before he had even finished taking off his armor, jumped onto him.
Mercer casually caught her in his arms. "What's up?"
"She's curious about what you've been busy with these past few days, but she doesn't want to ask you herself, so she asked me. Like I care about that."
Rebecca giggled and nibbled on his ear. "Hurry up and go eat and shower!"
"Alright, alright... All talk and no game."
Mercer's comment made Rebecca's face flush red. "Fuck! Who are you talking about!"
He just gave her a teasing, meaningful look, and Rebecca couldn't take it. She puffed up her cheeks and bit his ear, grinding her teeth threateningly, though not using any force.
Rebecca jumped down on her own, letting him go eat, wash up, and change. Then, she asked in V's stead, "So, what have you been tinkering with lately? You're coming home later and later every day."
"There's an additional research project, about software. You two can just think of it as an offensive virus program. It's for Saburo Arasaka."
When Mercer finished speaking, Rebecca just gave a nonchalant "oh" and then eagerly ran to heat up his food. "I even learned to make a few Chinese dishes today. You're not allowed to say they're bad!"
Mercer smiled and agreed. After using the Octopus Arm to finish removing his armor, he had one of the bots help him detach the Octopus Arm as well and send it to the equipment room for charging and maintenance.
These bots were all controlled by Morning Star. Normally, they would feign low intelligence, but when Mercer needed them, they would become Morning Star's hands and feet, their dexterity completely indistinguishable from that of a real human.
"What program? The one from the Cynosure facility?" V, however, still cared about what he was up to. "Be careful! What if the Blackwall hacks your brain!"
She said sternly, "Don't forget those files we saw at the Cynosure facility. A lot of people in there suddenly went crazy while they were online!"
"That's not the same thing. Those people went crazy because a rogue AI mastered a program that could affect human consciousness and thought... Anyway, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Mercer glanced around. "Where's Lucy?"
"She went back to her room after eating. What else is she gonna do, watch you and Rebecca be all lovey-dovey? You're really cruel, you know."
V said bluntly, "You shouldn't have had her move in too. What kind of situation is this?"
Mercer did feel a bit guilty about this. He sat on the sofa to rest and catch his breath, saying, "You have a point. How about I give Rebecca the night off today and go have a chat with her?"
"Give me a break. You know that's not the real issue... What are you planning to do? You can't just drag it out and torture her like this, can you?" V's question seemed to be only about Lucy.
"Umm..." Mercer's gaze drifted. "Actually, my room is pretty big..."
"Go to hell, you scumbag!" V punched him viciously. Mercer looked at his shoulder with a pained expression, narrowly avoiding getting a dent in it. "Fuck, take it easy!"
"You're really confident. Let's not even talk about Lucy. With Rebecca's temper, wouldn't she beat your head in?" V deliberately raised her voice.
But Rebecca's voice didn't come. V turned to look. In the kitchen, Rebecca was humming a little tune, busy heating up food for Mercer. It seemed like she hadn't heard a thing, but how was that possible?
Mercer smiled and nudged her with his elbow. "Don't say things that will affect our relationship!"
"You're really preem!" V was truly impressed. She gave him a thumbs-up, rolled her eyes, looked at Rebecca, then back at Mercer, and stood up with a look of existential doubt on her face. "Is this right?"
"We're all family~ If we just bear with it, life goes on, doesn't it? Ah, it's all my fault. There's only one of such a great man," Mercer joked with a grin.
"Fuck! Did you really fuck her brains out these past few nights?" V said incredulously.
This time, Rebecca's voice rang out. "You really need a beating, woman! Mercer! Help me beat her up!"
They joked around for a bit, but tacitly moved on from the topic. A bewildered V walked back to her room, leaving only Mercer and Rebecca in the living room.
Mercer washed his hands and face, then sat down at the dining table. After Rebecca brought the food over, she naturally sat down beside him, cheerfully putting food on his plate and chatting with him.
Once they were back in their room, Rebecca dropped her pretense. Without a word, she pounced on Mercer like a hungry tiger, pinning him down. Whatever was on her mind could wait until after a round.
When the round was over, Rebecca, as soft as a ball of cotton, curled up in Mercer's arms, squinting her eyes in satisfaction as she steadied her breathing. "I'll spare your life today. One round is enough."
"Heh, sure."
Mercer's tone made her eyes fly open in dissatisfaction, but she quickly put on a gentle, obedient smile. "Aiya~ It's not good to mess around so late every day. You have work tomorrow~"
Mercer held her with an amused smile, not bothering to expose her act. He just asked softly, "Let's take a shower. I'm going out for some air."
"Carry me." Rebecca didn't press him on what "getting some air" meant, just coquettishly asked him to carry her.
After they washed up, she wrapped herself in the blankets, demanded two kisses, and then shooed him away, closing her eyes to sleep.
Mercer, for his part, changed into simple pajamas, walked out of the room, and went to Lucy's door.
He knocked, but there was no response, so Mercer simply pushed the door open and went in.
Lucy was lying on the bed, wearing a BD wreath. Mercer glanced at the opened box on the side. It was a new Moon BD, more realistic and with more content than the one they had played before.
Mercer thought for a moment, then stealthily lay down beside her and connected himself to the BD as well.
Even when she was alone, she used a two-person BD wreath that could be used for linked sessions. To Mercer, that already said a lot.
—--
The familiar yet strange scenery of the moon appeared before his eyes. Mercer looked at the empty surroundings, casually found a Lunar Rover, and drove to a spot he and Lucy frequented.
It was a relatively flat slope they had discovered, the best vantage point for viewing Earth.
Sure enough, Lucy was sitting there, staring blankly at the Earth.
"Do you think if we really went to the moon, we could find this place?"
Mercer's voice rang out. Lucy subconsciously turned her head, a hint of pleasant surprise in her eyes, but it quickly turned to cold indifference. She looked away. "Probably. The BD was written using data recorded on-site, after all."
"It's just that if we were on the real moon, we'd have to wear thick spacesuits and carry heavy oxygen tanks and helmets... That would definitely be a pain."
Mercer sat down beside her, making small talk, and propped himself up on the ground as he looked at Earth.
On the azure planet, swirling clouds moved slowly. The two of them had countless times searched for traces of Night City on the Earth, pointing and guessing where their real bodies were on that distant planet.
"Maybe," Lucy said tersely.
Mercer turned to look at her. At this moment, Lucy's pretty face under her short hair was cool and aloof, yet still stunning.
"Anything fun in the new BD?" he continued, trying to find a topic.
"Some new space drinks and food, a new complex of buildings to explore, and little planes for racing around the moon. They say the next major update will even have manned rockets and lifepods you can ride in."
Lucy spoke, then paused. "I've tried them all. Nothing fun. Feels like a waste of money."
Mercer looked at her with a grin. "Then let's switch to another one?"
"I didn't buy any other BDs. They're boring," Lucy said, just staring at Earth, giving Mercer her profile.
Mercer moved closer to look at her. Only then did she turn her head slightly, looking at his approaching face with disdain. "What? Got drained dry by Rebecca and came to my place to rest?"
"Please, her?" Mercer chuckled. "With those little arms and legs, she's not as formidable as you think."
"Is that so?" Lucy didn't really want to hear about this, and her mood soured a little more. She turned her head away. "I've been thinking lately... about moving to the Aldecaldos' camp for a while."
"If you want to go, then go. The vaccine has already reached the FDA review stage. The internal trial data has basically confirmed it meets the standards."
Mercer said softly.
Lucy turned back to him, frowning. "Then I'm really going."
"It's good to go for a while, to clear your head. Sometimes I miss it there too. I miss the days of driving freely, the bonfires, the beer, everyone playing guitar and singing together..."
Mercer said, then paused and turned to look at her. "But you'll definitely come back, right?"
"Who knows? Maybe if I really go, I'll get used to it like Daichi and Leon and just stay with the Aldecaldos and not come back."
Lucy said in a light tone, "Anyway, Arasaka's eyes are all on you now. A small fry like me is probably of no concern to anyone."
"Not true. At least your dad and mom are still quite enthusiastic about you. Someone passed me a message a while ago..."
Mercer thought for a moment but decided not to hide it. He told her the truth. "Your parents have been looking for you. Of course, they hope you'll return to Arasaka."
Lucy was silent for a moment. She lowered her head, her expression a little dim, and laughed self-deprecatingly. "I figured as much. Arasaka's agents probably aren't even as diligent as them... Especially for that man, I'm already the only stain on his Arasaka record. It'd be strange if he wasn't in a hurry to find me... In that case, if I go to the Aldecaldos, it might actually be quite risky."
"It's not that bad. Look at Leon and Daichi, they're doing just fine, aren't they? As long as you don't go running around alone, the Aldecaldos are pretty reliable. The main thing is that the terrain there is open, it's all familiar faces, so spy infiltration doesn't work well, and they move camp often."
After finishing, Mercer said gently, "If you want to go, I'll give Panam and Cassidy a heads-up and get you some equipment. Or you could take V with you. She's bored to death in Dogtown, practically turning into a nagging mother."
Lucy looked up at him slightly. "Take V too? To make it convenient for you and Rebecca's private time together? Fine, if that's what you want, then tomorrow I'll..."
She was cut off mid-sentence by Mercer's actions. He moved closer and hugged her tightly, ignoring her weak resistance. "You know I didn't mean that."
"Who knows what you mean," she said in a small voice, but she just rested her head on his shoulder with a sad expression.
Mercer gently lowered his head, but she turned her face away and pushed him off. "I haven't decided yet."
"Then decide before you say anything." Mercer didn't press closer, just sat with her quietly, watching the Earth. But after only a moment, he suddenly said, "I plan to officially start consciousness uploading tests after the program development is finished."
"...Sigh." Lucy really couldn't help it. She sighed and turned to look at him. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. We'll use Scavengers for the program tests first, to ensure I can come back after the consciousness upload. I want you to participate in this project with me, to figure out the operating procedure. When the time comes... you'll be in charge of uploading my consciousness, and then retrieving it."
Mercer thought optimistically, "If everything goes smoothly, there won't be any risk. Once we confirm that the upload and retrieval are fine, I want to try studying my own consciousness code."
Lucy didn't speak, just looked at him.
But Mercer just smiled and said, "Alt said something to me that always makes me... well, I can't stop thinking about it."
"She said, you have to first recognize what you are before you can decide what you are... I think there's some truth to that. Besides, if I want to use consciousness transfer combined with rapid cloning technology to create an insurance policy for myself, I have to understand my consciousness code first. The things I have to do next are too risky. I need to leave an insurance policy for us. At least if we encounter the absolute worst-case scenario, we still have a way out."
Mercer looked at Lucy seriously and said, "I need you to help me."
"Kiwi or Sasha could do it. Why me?" she asked, knowing the answer.
"Are you serious?" Mercer saw through her question and moved his face closer to hers. "This concerns my life. I need a highly skilled netrunner I can entrust my life to... That person, of course, has to be you. Does that even need a reason?"
"Everyone is very trustworthy," she said, clearly wanting a direct answer.
Mercer just pressed his face against hers and finally said softly, "Because I like you. If I have to hand over my life, of course I have to put it in the hands of someone I like, right?"
"...You're such a scumbag. You just crawled out of Rebecca's bed and you're saying this to me." Although she said that, her expression had clearly become more animated, her eyes shining.
Mercer laughed. "There's no law against polygamy in Dogtown... Even if there is, I'll change it tomorrow."
"Polygamy... you're thinking pretty far ahead." Though Lucy said that, her body no longer shied away. She looked at him with worry in her eyes. "Are you sure I alone... How about you think of some other way? Add a few more safeguards?"
"I just need one person on the physical level to make sure I don't get disconnected. If someone pulls my plug during the consciousness transfer..."
Mercer shrugged. "The result wouldn't be pretty."
"Can't we just not consider the consciousness code upload? Are things really that dangerous?" Lucy finally couldn't hold back. She reached out and held his hand. "Didn't you say before that if things don't work out, we'll just give up on the Saburo Arasaka matter..."
"We have to try everything first before we talk about giving up. If we decide it can't be done and just give up without even preparing, then we wouldn't have made it this far, right?"
Mercer, however, showed his determined side. He said seriously, "It's not time to give up yet... Lucy, look at me. Nothing will happen to me."
Lucy met his gaze. Finally, unable to hold back, she hugged him tightly as if giving up. In the BD, his body was no longer cold machinery, but a simulated warm human body.
"Do whatever you want..." she said in self-abandonment. "If something goes wrong with your consciousness upload, I don't have the ability to bring you back. You know, ever since Arasaka, I've just been a tag-along who can only survive by your side."
"Even without me, you would have made it out alive. Lucy, be more confident," Mercer said, comforting her with a smile.
Lucy just lowered her head. "I can't."
"I don't care what you think. If I think you can, you definitely can."
Mercer's words made her let out a laugh. "Why are you so domineering? Why does it have to be what you think?"
"Because I know you're a good girl who has that ability..." Mercer chuckled, nuzzling against her, lightly kissing her cheek until she tilted her head up and couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck.
This time, he didn't say anything to spoil the mood.
Under the gaze of the Earth, the two on the moon held each other tightly.
After a long moment, Lucy suddenly spoke. "Did you know, this new BD has an upgraded feature... it can simulate deeper human feelings..."
"What do you mean by deeper human feelings?" Mercer was taken aback.
Lucy didn't speak, just reached out and gently pushed him down onto the lunar dunes. A faint smile appeared on her pure yet alluring face. "Feel it?"
Mercer looked down.
Holy shit!
It really works!?
"So, just in the BD with you..."
She lowered her head and said, deceiving herself, "It's just like a dream, so it doesn't count, right?"
Mercer looked at the bright face under her short hair, and at those eyes filled with complex emotions.
This time, he didn't run away. Instead, he held her in his arms, studying her face seriously, and said softly, "What if I say it does count..."
She turned her face away. The BD could even simulate her blushing cheeks perfectly.
"Who cares what you say. I... I'm just playing a BD anyway."
She closed her eyes. The light gravity of the moon made her feel a little dizzy.
"BDs count too."
Mercer's voice sounded in her ear, causing her BD to issue a safety warning: "Mental data has reached the threshold. Initiate emergency exit?"
"...Say whatever you want."
As if compromising, she threw the problem to him and just closed her eyes. Everything felt like a dream, but before her consciousness completely blurred, she didn't forget to open the BD's settings menu.
[Disable mental data threshold detection.]
[Disable BD neural stimulation threshold protection.]
[Disable BD time reminder.]
[Closing...]