Chapter 23: Cassidy the Cowboy

"Yes, Aldecaldos. I came all the way from the New United States. No special purpose, really—just couldn't stay in my original small clan anymore and wanted a change of scenery. I haven't decided where to go yet, so I've just been drifting, taking on delivery jobs when I'm broke, then moving on once I've earned enough. I'm just looking for a place to belong."

After Cassidy finished speaking, he noticed Mercer studying him intently. A moment later, Mercer’s expression shifted to one of sudden realization.

"I see... Is there anything else you want to say?"

Mercer had already decided to let him go, primarily because he recognized this man. In the game, players could pick up a side quest called "Burning Desire," and Cassidy was one of the characters encountered. He was an old cowboy with a wealth of life experience—a decent man, all things considered. In the game, he was a member of the Aldecaldos, the nomad clan to which one of the female leads, Panam, belonged.

Mercer had a soft spot for the Aldecaldos; they were a group of loyal, righteous brothers-in-arms. If you triggered the "King of the City" ending in the game, they were even willing to follow you into the jaws of Arasaka Tower. Many of them died along the way, yet not a single one uttered a word of complaint—all because you had helped them a few times before.

Still, out of caution, Mercer decided to give him a brief show of force before finding a way to sway the old cowboy to his side. He had searched for plenty of information online, but book knowledge only goes so far. To travel thousands of kilometers to Night City, having an experienced nomad as a guide would make the journey infinitely easier.

"...I don't have much money on me. My total savings come to about four thousand eddies. If you want it, I can transfer it to you! As for my vehicle... if you're willing to leave it to me, I can try to reach out to some old friends to scrape together a small ransom. It won't be a large sum, though—you know how it is, I'm just a nomad."

Cassidy paused, then added, "I don't suppose you care much about the past of an old American. I've been wandering the badlands since I was a child. If you want stories, I can spin them for nights on end. If you're looking for something else... Kid, I promise you, my presence here is purely coincidental. If you let me go, the moment I step out that door, I'll develop selective amnesia. I'll get in my car, drive away, and keep on drifting."

Mercer stared at him for a moment before asking, "And if I don't intend to let you go?"

"Then that's even better—it means you have a need for me. I can tell you're not a bad person; the kids around you trust you deeply. And you... you don't look very old yourself. Perhaps the life experience of an old man like me could be of some use to you."

Cassidy spoke with a steady tone. "You all clearly have an unconventional background. The Arasaka corporate gear you’re wearing is worth more than my entire net worth. So... believe me, kid, I am nothing like the scum you just wiped out. An Aldecaldo nomad always repays a debt."

"...Fine, that settles it."

Mercer stood up decisively, picked up a butter knife from the table, and handed it to Cassidy. "Need some help?"

"No need, I’d actually already freed myself..." Cassidy smiled, tightened his wrists, and gave a sharp tug; the ropes fell to the floor. "I was just afraid that if you got nervous, you might open fire. That girl's gun was shaking a bit when she aimed it at me."

Lucy looked away awkwardly. "I was just deciding where to aim."

"Fair enough. Just remember the 'trigger discipline' rule next time—keep your finger off the trigger unless you're ready to fire." Cassidy chuckled, then pointed to a fallen Raffen Shiv member near the table. "Can I have my gun back? It’s an old revolver—my oldest companion."

"Go ahead, scavenge what you need. We should get moving. There are likely more of them in this town, and we need to leave quickly before we run into others returning home." Mercer gave the order, then clicked the safety on his own weapon and tucked it into his coat.

"You're not taking their money?" The old cowboy noticed they were only patting down the bodies without extracting credits from their neural links, assuming they didn't know how. "Generally, folks like us don't keep money in banks because of the transaction fees. We usually keep our funds in the digital wallets of our neural interfaces..."

Mercer shook his head and said truthfully, "Our previous account numbers will be frozen soon, and the digital wallets on these interfaces have already been wiped. To reactivate a wallet, we'd need to activate a new bank account. But we can't use our current identities; we have to wait until we get new ones."

"Oh, I see." The old cowboy caught on immediately, testing the waters cautiously. "I hear Arasaka loves doing that sort of thing..."

"To my knowledge, all the big corps do. The Arasaka logos on our gear are quite conspicuous, so you're not wrong. But we have nothing to do with Arasaka anymore. To be precise, our relationship is quite poor. Do you understand?"

After Mercer finished, the old cowboy sighed and shook his head. "Look at what Arasaka has done... forcing a group of kids out into the badlands. I understand. Let me hold onto it for you. When we reach a big city and open an account with a European Economic Community bank, I'll return it to you." He opened his neural interface. "You can watch me."

"No need. I don't use people I don't trust, and I don't doubt people I use. I think I'm a pretty good judge of character." Mercer smiled, then stripped off a shoulder-holster tactical harness that could hold a pistol and a few grenades.

"Then I'll hold onto it. I suggest you take their clothes while you're at it—at least grab some jackets," Cassidy advised.

Mercer nodded. "True, I just find them filthy... but you're right, it wouldn't be convenient for us to buy new ones in these outfits. Anzu, which one do you want?"

[Anzu: They're all so ugly... just find me one.]

Mercer stripped a plain black jacket for himself and tucked the wind chime he had been carrying into a new pocket. He then found a slightly dirty brown jacket for Anzu from one of the female Raffen Shiv members.

"What about these guns?" Cassidy pointed to the weapons scattered on the ground. "We don't have time to strip the cyberware, but the guns are worth something. If we find the right channels, they could fetch three or four thousand eddies."

"I'm not sure if there's enough room in the vehicle, and I don't plan on stopping to fix up too many things. Cassidy, you'll need to lend a hand; we have quite a bit of gear."

Mercer turned to Daichi Tetsuya. "Daichi, take Cassidy and his transport truck to load up my things. If anything isn't important, just toss it in the pickup. We'll be taking three vehicles."

Daichi nodded and looked at Cassidy. The old cowboy retrieved his silver revolver, slid it into his holster, and adjusted his hat. "So, you need me to travel with you?"

"Uh-huh. We definitely need an old cowboy as a guide." Mercer curled the corner of his mouth. "Since you're drifting anyway... take us to Night City. The payment will be whatever we gain along the way, plus ten thousand eddies. But you'll have to wait until we reach Night City and sell our goods to get that ten thousand."

Cassidy shrugged, his expression relaxed. "I don't suppose I can refuse. I've heard there's a group of Aldecaldos near Night City; maybe that’s a good place for me to find a new family. As for the pay, don't worry about it. Consider it us drifting together—you saved my life, after all."

"Very well. I've heard the Aldecaldos are loyal people who help each other out. I believe in repaying debts as well, so let's skip the money. If you have trouble later, I'll lend a hand. Perhaps you can even help us find a temporary place to crash there... Pleasure doing business. My name is Mercer, and the new name I plan to use is—Alex Mercer."

Mercer held out his hand.

"Just call me Cassidy. So, should I call you Alex, or is Mercer better?" Cassidy reached out his rough, weathered hand and gripped Mercer's firmly.

"Hmm... the latter. I'm used to it," Mercer said, gripping back just as hard.

"Pleasure doing business?" Cassidy smiled.

"Pleasure doing business." Mercer looked him straight in the eyes and gave a slight nod.

And thus, the hacker who had fled Arasaka made his connection with the Aldecaldos, just as he had planned.