Chapter 36: Jack and Misty

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Old Vic looked up, wearing an expression of helplessness. “Couldn’t you give me some warning? This morning won’t work. I already have a surgery scheduled.”

“Oh... Niño, what brings you here?”

Jackie Wells grinned and stepped aside, clearing a path for the kid.

Mercer, meanwhile, looked him up and down. “Alex Mercer. You can call me A. What else would I be here for? Surgery, obviously... You with the Valentinos?”

His gaze shifted to the two men behind Jackie.

The Valentinos’ distinguishing features were not especially subtle. First came the clothing, all in keeping with the street-kid aesthetic.

Then there was their fondness for flashy gold jewelry, or for crosses and tattoos symbolizing their religious beliefs.

Most commonly, those tattoos were tied to one faith or another.

When the two men behind Jackie saw Mercer, they spoke with obvious impatience. “Niño, your surgery’s been rescheduled. If you want some toy installed, come back this afternoon.”

Inside, Viktor did not even raise his head. He could not be bothered to intervene; he knew Jackie would handle things properly.

“You don’t need a doctor this good for a big piece of hardware anyway. My schedule’s packed, so get in line or find somewhere else, mano.”

Mercer shot back without the slightest courtesy, staring expressionlessly at the two gang members.

Jackie turned around at once. “Hey, we had a deal. Don’t cause trouble for me. Show some respect while you’re in Old Vic’s place.”

His words displeased the two punks, but they merely clicked their tongues and glared viciously at Mercer, as though they meant to scare him into tears.

Mercer only snorted. He could not be bothered to spare them another glance. Instead, he walked over to the vending machine by the door and bought himself a bottle of cola.

Jackie studied him for a moment but said nothing more. He merely turned to Viktor. “We’ll come back this afternoon, Old Vic.”

“Mm. Keep an eye on your people and make sure they don’t bother that kid... Unless you want their heads smoking. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Viktor’s tone remained perfectly calm.

Jackie instinctively activated his cyber-eyes and scanned Mercer. Mercer glanced at him, then simply opened his permissions and let Jackie see his name.

Every piece of hardware on him was high-end Arasaka equipment—a standard hacker loadout. Jackie could not help clicking his tongue in appreciation. A single Arasaka monowire would be enough to buy his life.

“Damn, Niño, you’ve got some serious hardware on you.”

Jackie praised him with a broad grin, and Mercer smiled back. “You seem like a decent guy, big man. If you ever need a hacker, give me a call.”

He sent Jackie a contact request. Jackie accepted it immediately and laughed.

“That’s good to hear. Come by the Wild Wolf sometime. My ma runs the place.

“The fries there are incredible, and we’ve got Mexican food too. Just show up—I’ll treat you.”

“Encouraging a kid to hang around bars? You’re really something, big man.”

A woman’s voice rang out. Panam approached from the building on the other side of the alley, her expression hostile and one hand resting on the grip of the pistol at her waist.

By the doorway behind her stood a young woman with smoky eye makeup, watching the scene anxiously. She was none other than Misty—the woman who would one day become completely smitten with Jackie.

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As expected, Jackie gave Misty a few extra glances, though he was not particularly enthusiastic. He merely nodded in greeting.

He already had a Valentinos girlfriend, after all, and their relationship was fairly stable.

“Whew!”

One of the punks instinctively whistled, then shot Panam an excited, suggestive look.

“Chica, the kid may not be much, but you’ve definitely got what it takes. How about a couple of drinks with your buddy this afternoon? You’re smoking hot!”

“Go drink your mother’s milk, asshole. Don’t start trouble.”

Panam’s retort came without hesitation. Her eyes swept coldly over the group.

“Mercer, what are they?”

Jackie was utterly exasperated. He had been trying to smooth things over, and these two idiots behind him could not stay quiet for even a minute.

Sure enough, the moment she finished speaking, the pair could no longer contain their anger. Their hands went to their gun grips, and they immediately began shouting.

“Bitch, know your place—”

Mercer sighed.

Then Jackie watched in disbelief as the two brothers let out sudden screams before collapsing to the ground, twitching violently, their sentence unfinished.

At the same time, Panam’s gun was aimed directly at one of their heads.

Speechless, Jackie turned to look at his groaning companions, both clutching their heads.

“I told you to show some respect... Forget it, chica. That’s enough. We’re not here to cause trouble.”

Mercer nodded as well. “Panam, let it go. Let’s leave. I’m starving.”

“Yeah.”

Panam looked at the two men still convulsing on the floor with some amazement.

“Damn, are hackers really that powerful?”

“That’s because I’m good. Put some other amateur in my place, and it’d take several seconds just to hack in.”

Mercer turned his head toward the two men. “Don’t worry. Your cyberware is merely out of control, and you’ve got a bit of nerve pain in your heads. Go see Old Vic this afternoon and have him repair it. You’ll be fine by tonight.”

Jackie nodded helplessly. “Guess today’s just their unlucky day... But, Niño, you’ve got one hell of a trick. I’ve never seen a hacker disable someone before they could even draw.”

“Mm-hmm. Now you have.”

Mercer patted Jackie’s sturdy arm without the slightest hesitation. “You’ve got the makings of a fine merc. If you ever get tired of running with a gang, give me a call. I’ll take you to the Afterlife for a couple of drinks. I’ll make sure you’re set up properly.”

“Wait, mano—the Afterlife?”

Jackie’s eyes lit up. Though he had joined the Valentinos, the truth was that he had always preferred the idea of being a mercenary.

The kind of legendary edgerunner who took on corporations and gangs, fought through a hail of bullets alongside a few trusted brothers, and made people across the whole city tremble at the mere mention of his name!

And the Afterlife was a place reserved for the very best mercs—the big shots.

“Interested? I could take you there tonight.”

Mercer could not help laughing. Jackie was exactly the same as he had been in the game.

“Of course I’m interested... But no, I’ll pass.

“That place will only mean something if I earn my way inside.”

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As he spoke, Jackie looked at his men, who had finally recovered enough to sit up, clutching their heads while Panam kept them at gunpoint. He sighed.

“All right. We’ll go for now and come back this afternoon.”

“Get moving. The door’s been open the whole time, and your stink is drifting inside.”

Viktor’s irritated voice came from within.

“Take your friends somewhere else and keep them away from my customers, Jackie.”

“I know, Old Vic... They’re just a little... well, new to the business. You know how it is.”

Jackie bent down and hoisted the two men up, one in each hand.

“Stop embarrassing yourselves. We’re leaving.”

The two punks still looked somewhat resentful, but one glance from Mercer made their entire bodies jolt.

They had never seen a hacker that terrifying.

As far as they knew, hackers were supposed to hide somewhere safe, the sort of people who had no idea what to do unless a cable was plugged into their heads.

How could there be someone like this—someone who could nearly kill a man just by looking at him?

Panam spat in the direction of the departing punks.

“Come on. Let’s eat while it’s still hot.

“I couldn’t find that meat-stuffed flatbread nonsense you mentioned. There was only one serving of pan-fried dumplings, and they were being sold by a Japanese guy...

“I had a few bites before buying them for you. They’re not bad.”

“Oh, right. This is Misty.”

Panam pointed to Misty, who had remained quiet beside her. Misty looked no more than eighteen or nineteen, and the heavy smoky makeup could not conceal her naturally delicate features.

Misty smiled. “Hello, Mercer. It’s nice to meet you... Panam said you knew who I was?”

“Mm-hmm. I looked into you while I was checking up on Old Vic. You read tarot cards? Once I’m done here, give me a reading.”

Mercer’s suggestion made Misty smile even more brightly.

“Sure! As a new friend, I’ll do it for free this time.”

“Then it’s a deal.”

Mercer waved and led Panam inside. They ate the pan-fried dumplings while waiting for Old Vic to finish his work.

The Japanese dumplings were decent enough, though the texture of the filling was difficult to describe.

They were supposed to contain meat, but the filling felt more like tofu. The seasoning was acceptable, at least. He finished a large serving, drank a glass of cola, and watched a boxing match on the television. By then, Old Vic had finished preparing everything.

Mercer lay back on the operating table and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, even his eyeballs had been replaced.

One of them had been connected to his neural signals but had not yet been installed in its socket. Seeing the world from his own perspective while simultaneously looking at himself felt profoundly strange...

And more than a little horrifying.