By the time V, face dark with anger, found Mercer, Songbird's surgery was already over.
But since the anesthesia hadn't worn off yet, she was still lying on the hospital bed, letting out soft, hazy snores. It was hard to tell if she was just taking advantage of the anesthetic to get some sleep.
The moment V entered the room, she marched straight up to Mercer without a word and said furiously, "What is wrong with you? Making decisions on a whim? We're going to the moon tonight? You didn't even give me any time to prepare?"
"Prepare for what?" Mercer retorted, his tone perfectly justified. "I've already packed all the equipment for you. You just have to change into the new special equipment when we board the ship.
Your mission is simple, too. Just think of it as a quick trip to the moon, and then you can come right back."
"A quick trip? How can you say that with a straight face!" V was so angry she almost laughed. She balled up her fist and punched him hard on the shoulder, making him stagger. "Did you tell them?"
"For now, I've only discussed it with Lucy, I'll go talk to Rebecca myself in a bit. But since we've come this far, there's no reason to back down."
Mercer briefly explained to V his reasons and objectives for choosing this moment to go to the moon. Although V could understand, she was still fuming.
Moreover, looking at Songbird's current state, V realized something else felt off. She stared at Mercer and said directly, "You're the one who took down Myers, aren't you? And our equipment going haywire... there was never any rogue AI, was there?"
"It was all a rogue AI's conspiracy," Mercer said, but anyone could tell there was zero sincerity in his words.
She looked at him for a long moment, then let out a cold laugh. "You'd better pray we all come back safely... I'm going to beat the shit out of you! For real!"
"Fine," Mercer didn't argue, just looked at her calmly and smiled.
After he and Morning Star had finalized the plan, he never had any intention of discussing it openly.
The reason was simple. Based on Morning Star's analysis and Mercer's own judgment, the rest of the team would never agree to his plan of going to the moon, even if it meant kidnapping Myers.
But Mercer and Morning Star had reached the same conclusion, this was their best option, the best window of opportunity. Once missed, it would be gone forever.
So, Mercer decided to act alone, for the first time pushing the entire team's wishes to the back of his mind.
Now, the arrow was already on the bowstring; no one's objections mattered anymore.
Seeing his calm and prepared demeanor, V grew even more irritated. She glanced at Songbird on the bed and said sarcastically, "Is this woman going too? You're so kindhearted, willing to take on the President of the NUSA just to help a woman you've never even met."
"She's just part of the plan. Helping her is just a matter of convenience," Mercer explained.
But V clearly didn't want to listen. Her mind was filled with rage. You kept it from Lucy and Rebecca, fine, but why did you keep it from me?
I've been on your side from the very beginning!
Mercer blinked. "Alright, V, don't be angry. I apologize, okay?"
"What's the point of apologizing to me? I'm just your hired muscle. I'm only here to follow orders."
V's tone was still harsh, but she didn't leave. She just looked at Songbird, her arms crossed anxiously. "Fuck, even if you weren't going to ask for my opinion, you should have at least given me a heads-up to prepare myself mentally!"
"If I told you beforehand, you'd only be more anxious than you are now. Don't worry, V. If the pressure is really too much, Songbird and I can go alone."
Mercer reached out and patted her shoulder, but V glared and elbowed him. "Trying to provoke me?"
"No, I'm serious... Part of the reason I never told you was because even I hadn't decided whether I should take you with me."
Mercer looked at her with sincere eyes, his tone turning serious. "Although in my and Morning Star's calculations, the probability of you and Songbird returning safely is very high...
I really hadn't decided if I wanted you to come with me... What if, and I'm just saying what if, something unexpected happened..."
Mercer fell silent, finally letting out a sigh. "But when it really came time to go to the moon... I still wanted you to come with me."
That hit V's weak spot. Her aggressive posture immediately softened. She stared at him, and after a long pause, she finally asked, "Do you really think so?"
"Yeah," Mercer said honestly. "From a metaphysical perspective, your damn luck is really not bad. Even if it's just to add a little luck to my side?"
V gritted her teeth and threw a punch. Mercer dodged a few times with a light laugh, but in the end, he let her land a kick to vent her frustration. He was wearing armor anyway.
"Alright, the truth is, I just feel unsure about taking Songbird over there by myself, okay?"
After Mercer said that, V finally snorted. "That's more like it... Fuck, but don't think this is over. Just you wait until we get back from the moon! I'm seriously pissed!"
"Yes, yes..." Mercer agreed with a grin.
"How long have you two been dating? I thought Mercer's girlfriend was the white-haired one..." Songbird sat up, still dizzy.
V immediately raised her voice. "Don't talk nonsense! Your judgment is terrible. There's nothing romantic between us, we're completely platonic!"
"Uh, is that so?" Songbird blinked, clutching her head with a groan and quickly changing the subject. "My head hurts..."
"Nerve recovery takes time. Headaches are normal. Take a puff of this, it's anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving. Once you're back from the moon, you can take your time to recover," Mercer said, tossing her a can of anti-inflammatory healing spray.
Songbird took it and inhaled a few times. "Not strong enough..."
"I don't stock those heavy-duty special meds here," Mercer rolled his eyes, then checked the time. "Let's go. I've prepared a set of equipment for you too. Let's go take a look. After confirming everything, we need to send the equipment to the airport ahead of time."
"How does special equipment get through security?" Songbird asked, looking at Mercer skeptically.
Mercer just smiled. "While you were unconscious, I used your contacts to have Lilith arrange for Orbital Air's Exclusive VIP fast track for us.
The equipment is even easier, I've already hacked the airport's unmanned devices. They'll bypass security and deliver our equipment directly to the ship."
"...Fine," V sighed. Finally, she looked at Mercer and said seriously, "It's already five in the afternoon. It's only an hour's drive to the spaceport from here. Before we leave... aren't you going to say something to them?"
Mercer was silent for a moment, then nodded. "First, we'll check the equipment, make final modifications, and then transport it to the airport ahead of time. After that... I'll say a quick goodbye to them."
He seemed quite calm and composed. "It's not like we're parting forever. A simple heads-up will do."
"Only you would think that!" V pouted. "And only I am willing to risk my life with you."
Although V's attitude seemed a bit rude, Mercer just smiled. "Ha, then I'm really lucky. With the famous V by my side, this little job will be a piece of cake, right?"
"Give me a break... Let's go. Let's see how well you've prepared."
V patted him irritably, then helped up the somewhat weak-looking Songbird. "Why didn't you wait for her to recover before doing the surgery? Now she'll be half-useless up there."
"She was always the Bait... Don't look at me like that. You didn't think your mission was over just by getting to the moon with me, did you?"
Mercer looked at Songbird, and under her gloomy and uneasy gaze, he took out a chip. "Hidden inside this is a super virus of mine. Once you get there, no matter what method you use, you have to get this to Lilith.
You can plug it directly into a computer at the base where Lilith is, or trick Lilith into downloading the file directly. In short, once you complete this task, you can return to Earth with V."
"If this is your solution for Lilith... then why don't we just try to send it to her from Earth?" Songbird asked, looking at Mercer in confusion.
Mercer couldn't be bothered to explain it all over again, so he just said simply, "I need to ensure Lilith's forces on the moon are annihilated, forcing her to make a choice.
If she just wants to save her own skin and escape to the servers of Orbital Air's colony on Mars, then she won't be able to interfere with Earth so easily anymore.
If she wants to risk it and hold onto the lunar base, then we'll attack on two fronts. On one hand, we'll hit her with the virus online. On the other, we'll physically destroy Orbital Air's lunar base."
Songbird and V followed Mercer out of the operating room. Not far away, they arrived at Mercer's equipment development workshop in the EBM Petrochem Stadium.
V immediately spotted several special large backpacks and three sets of black-and-red individual combat armor that looked even bulkier than the new armor she was currently wearing.
"What's this? Space combat armor? Whoa, you actually made it!?" She recognized the design purpose of the armor from the additional thruster nozzles and oxygen backpacks.
"It's actually the same model of armor, just with an added sealed layer. The helmet design has also been changed to a more solid, enclosed design that's harder to knock off.
It can ensure the air pressure inside our suits remains stable in space. Paired with the oxygen backpacks, each pack can provide us with two hours of high-intensity oxygen consumption.
There are also some other miscellaneous auxiliary functions to help us survive in space."
As Mercer spoke, he gestured for V to look at the other items.
"What's this? Looks like a Tech Sniper Rifle..." she said, fiddling with it curiously.
"The gravity in space makes ballistics unstable. This is a new electromagnetic weapon specially calibrated for lunar gravity."
Mercer explained. Beside them, Songbird looked on, clicking her tongue in amazement. "You made all this yourself?"
"Who else but him?" V couldn't help but say, as if showing off. She then began to look around the equipment room with great interest.
"What's this?"
"A bomb, with a timer setting similar to C4. It can be used to blow up a space station or a lunar base. Don't be fooled by its brick-like size; its explosive power is no joke, and it has very strong adhesion.
Just peel off the seal, stick it on, press the switch to set the timer. Simple and brutal."
"And this?"
"A signal amplifier chip. Everyone needs one. We'll need this to connect directly to satellites to maintain stable communication and network on the moon."
"This?"
"Emergency survival kit."
"This one..."
Mercer patiently explained everything to V. V, in turn, picked and chose, selecting a lot of new weapons and equipment before finally starting to try on the new armor.
It was Songbird's first time, but her talent was truly impressive. After putting on the enhanced space armor developed specifically for space operations, she was quickly able to move freely and master basic flight and movement.
"That's about it. I've put the basic equipment in the weapon bags, so you just need to grab one. You only need to pick weapons you're comfortable with and each carry one individual survival kit."
Mercer said, picking up a survival kit and handing it to V. V opened it and saw it contained only a meager three-day supply of survival materials, including water and food in compressed containers.
"Is one oxygen backpack enough for us?" V frowned.
Mercer nodded, then said, "This thing automatically replenishes oxygen in an oxygenated environment. The lunar base also has vehicles with their own oxygen systems that can be driven long distances... It's much more durable than you think.
The armor also has a built-in ten-minute emergency oxygen supply. Most of our combat on the moon will actually be inside facilities, not in space or on the lunar surface. This is just in case."
Mercer emphasized again, "If everything goes smoothly, we won't even need to open the oxygen backpacks until we return to Earth."
"Alright..." V looked left and right, but in the end, she really didn't know what to take, she had no idea how different the space environment was from Earth's...
She had never read any science books, and she never imagined in her life that she would one day become a space marine...
Songbird, on the other hand, had calmed down. She looked at the virus chip that Mercer had shown her but not given her directly, and said thoughtfully, "Is this a new virus you developed yourself?"
"Yes," Mercer didn't explain further, just looked at her with a warning. "Stay away from it. It's dangerous, far more dangerous than the Blackwall or even R.A.B.I.D.S."
"...That ridiculous?" Songbird found it a bit hard to believe, but she knew Mercer's skill level. Although the guy could be a bit narcissistic at times, he would never bluff.
"Otherwise, how would I have the confidence to go up against Lilith?"
Mercer smiled slightly, then checked the time.
"Once you've picked, take off the equipment for now. I need to figure out how to get it to the airport... We can't get through security with this stuff, not even through Orbital Air's VIP channel."
Mercer paused, then said, "Take this time to rest up. We leave at seven-thirty. We'll get there early and get ready to board."
"Wait, you still haven't said how we're getting back!" Songbird quickly pressed.
"You'll know when we get there," Mercer said, not revealing his return plan.
Songbird looked at V, but V seemed completely unworried. She just put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Alright, go say your goodbyes to them... You didn't even tell Rebecca beforehand? You're really heartless."
Mercer shrugged. "If I told her beforehand, she'd drive me crazy... It's better to apologize properly to her after I get back."
He could imagine how crazy Rebecca would get if he told her his plan in advance. With her personality, it wouldn't be out of character for her to rush onto the rocket at the last minute and insist on going with him.
—--
Mercer set a meeting time and place with V and Songbird, then had the bots immediately start smuggling the equipment to the airport.
At the same time, almost as soon as he left the underground base of the stadium, Mercer saw Rebecca, wearing her armor, her expression unfriendly, arms crossed in front of her.
As for Lucy, she was nowhere to be seen.
Mercer didn't speak, just met her gaze frankly.
Alright, what was coming had finally come.
So, he decided to confess voluntarily.
"The flight is at 9:50 PM."
"...To where!?"
"The moon."
"...What time are you leaving?"
"In... two hours."
Silence.
The two stared at each other, until Rebecca's eyes reddened, and she walked up to him and threw a vicious punch.
But the punch, thrown with all her might, became soft and powerless by the time it landed on Mercer.
"If you dare not come back, I'll go to the moon and find you myself! You know I mean what I say!"
She glared at Mercer fiercely.
"You probably won't get the chance, because I will definitely come back."
Mercer grabbed her hand, smiled, and made his promise.
"You'd better not be all talk!"
She tried hard to look angry, but all that fell were tears. "If you dare to pull a disappearing act like my old man, you're dead! You hear me!"
"I hear you."
"When you get back, I don't care how much crap you have to deal with, you have to make up for all our missed dates, you hear me!"
"Fine. Night City, or even further. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you."
"You..."
She hugged Mercer tightly, but in the end, she couldn't say anything more, just sobbed on his shoulder.
When her crying finally subsided, Rebecca lifted her head, wiped her face forcefully, and put on her helmet with a heavy thud.
"Myers wants to see you. Also, Barghest says a large number of Militech agents are gathering outside Dogtown..."