Chapter 28: Meeting Panam for the First Time

"Thanks, brother. Are you with the Aldecaldos too?"

The middle-aged man in the lead was smiling at Cassidy. To him, the leader of this convoy, marked with the Aldecaldos crest, looked like a seasoned old cowboy.

Cassidy returned the smile. "Cassidy, with the Aldecaldos... You're the ones Saul Bright sent?"

"Uh-huh... Ah! You must be the guests Saul mentioned! That’s a relief; I was just thinking about calling you once I finished up here to ask what the hold-up was." The man tapped his forehead and laughed. "Saul told me yesterday: your requirements are to get the people, vehicles, and cargo through the checkpoint, then deliver you to the family camp, right? Nothing else?"

"That’s right. These kids need to avoid leaving any border-crossing records, and their cargo can't be searched. After that, we all need to stay at the family camp for a while." Cassidy looked at him. "What's your name?"

"Norman. These are Panam, Mitch, and Scorpion." Norman introduced them one by one before adding, "Mitch and Scorpion are retired soldiers; Mitch is great at driving and mechanics. Scorpion is a veteran from a special ops background, an expert in assassination. Panam is our girl—don't let her age fool you, she’s already an outstanding fighter."

Norman’s gaze shifted to the group behind Cassidy. They were children, the oldest looking no more than fourteen, mostly of Asian descent. Though they wore nomad gear, the cool neural tattoos and cybernetic eyes on their faces made it clear they weren't from an ordinary nomad family.

"Did you bring them from your own family? Or did they hire you as a guide?" Norman probed.

Cassidy shrugged. "You could say we’re traveling companions. And... he’s the boss." He tilted the brim of his hat toward Mercer, who was quietly observing the situation.

Norman’s eyes widened at Cassidy’s words, and Panam and the others behind him exchanged surprised glances. Mercer walked over with a smile and extended a hand to Norman.

"Mercer. Alex Mercer. A friend of Cassidy's."

"Man..." Panam muttered under her breath, "He looks like a total kid."

Mercer’s mouth twitched slightly. As he turned, the girl with wheat-colored skin and freckles gave him an embarrassed smile.

Mitch patted Panam’s head firmly. "Don't mind her, she’s just too blunt sometimes... er, I mean, she has no filter."

Panam shook her head in annoyance but smiled sheepishly. "I didn't mean anything by it. It’s just that you look... so young."

"True enough. I’m only fourteen," Mercer said with a light, indifferent laugh.

"So, why are you here?" Norman had to confirm the intent of these mysterious children.

"We’re being hunted, looking for a way to survive in Night City. We'll figure out our next steps later. We just need to use the Aldecaldos camp for a temporary resting place." Mercer paused. "We won't be eating for free, as you can probably tell..."

He turned slightly, pointing to the neural interface port at the base of his neck. "We’re all netrunners. We might be young, but our skills are decent. We can help with your network facilities, equipment upgrades, or security maintenance. If you run into any trouble while we're at the camp, we’re happy to lend a hand."

Seeing the other children nodding in agreement, Norman understood their situation. He didn't care much about them being hunted; that wasn't uncommon among nomads.

"Norman, I’ve already told Saul—these kids are solid. They’re level-headed and won't cause any trouble," Cassidy vouched for them. He had grown close to them on the road and understood them well.

Mercer was the type who seemed warm on the outside but cold within. He appeared easygoing, but getting to know him was difficult. Not that he was hard to get along with—it was just hard to know what to talk to him about.

Kyoko was easy to like; her optimism and kind nature were obvious. Lucy was more aloof and seemed to distrust others, relying almost entirely on Mercer. By contrast, Daichi Tetsuya and Leon were great; they were passionate, cheerful kids. Cassidy practically treated them like his own sons. They felt the same way about him—having escaped Arasaka, everyone needed emotional support, and Cassidy provided that.

"I don't make the final call... but since Saul is already prepping tents for you at the camp, I suppose it shouldn't be a problem. Since we’ve met, wait for us to clear this up, and we'll go back together. We’ve had bad luck today—usually, no one comes through here, but we ran into some scavengers from the Raffen Shiv..."

Norman sighed and called out enthusiastically, "Panam, chat with them. I need to patch this tire."

"Scorpion, go keep watch to make sure the Raffen Shiv don't have reinforcements. I’m going to scavenge these guys for anything valuable—consider it a windfall." Mitch, a middle-aged white man with a receding hairline and a bald spot at the back of his head, smiled. Mercer guessed he might have British roots.

Scorpion, who looked cold and wore a hood, stared at Mercer with a guarded, steely gaze for a long moment before asking, "Was it you who hacked their vehicles earlier?"

"Yeah. Their onboard systems were decade-old junk. Not hard to crack."

Mercer’s casual tone made Scorpion nod slowly. He turned to Panam and said, "Don't underestimate him. Even the netrunners in my unit couldn't have hacked those cars that quickly. He’s the real deal."

Scorpion left out the fact that those vehicles had suffered failures almost simultaneously, and from what he could tell, multiple quick-hack programs had been uploaded at once. Only a netrunner with top-tier 'Intelligence' could do that with such ease. A lesser hacker would have had their brain fried by the load.

"Really?" Panam looked at Mercer with new respect. Scorpion rarely complimented anyone. She waved a hand and said, "Alright, kids, come give us a hand. Help check the vehicles and scour the battlefield, then we’ll take you across the border."

Lucy and the others began cleaning up the battlefield with practiced ease, no different from the seasoned nomads. The Aldecaldos watching them couldn't help but nod in approval.

Mercer walked over to Panam and studied her. At eighteen or nineteen, she looked more vibrant and fair-skinned than the fierce, mature woman he remembered from the game. Her physique was just as impressive—nearly 1.7 meters tall, with long legs and curves—but even more full of youthful vitality.

"How are you planning to get us in? Cassidy must have told you we don't want to leave entry records, and we have some tricky cargo that can't be discovered."

Panam, who was checking an engine, laughed confidently. "This is a nomad specialty... It’s simple. Our cars will be in front. When we reach the border checkpoint, you line up behind us. When it’s our turn, I’ll hand the money to the inspector—five hundred eddies per car for people and cargo. He’ll let you through based on that."

Panam smirked. "How’s that? Surprisingly simple, right?"

"Indeed... won't they check the cargo or the people?" Mercer pressed. This was too important to leave to chance.

"Don't worry. Unless there’s an accident that triggers martial law, that’s all it takes. This is Night City; they don't care where you’re from or what you’re carrying. You know Dogtown? In Pacifica? They say they even airdrop Militech Chimera mechs in there. Do you think our little bit of smuggling is anything compared to that? Besides, the Aldecaldos aren't pushovers. If we pay them, they’d better let us through. If they want to give us trouble, we won't just stand by and let them steal our cargo."

Panam’s expression soured at the mention of Dogtown. "It’s all thanks to that idiot... er, I mean, that NUSA traitor Colonel Hansen. High-end goods are all airdropped into Dogtown now. It’s hurt our income; we barely get big jobs anymore. So, those checkpoint guards won't waste time. Pay up, move on—they won't say a word."

Mercer nodded. "What if someone releases our personal data and asks the checkpoints to flag us?"

"Man, what did you guys do to be this paranoid?" Panam sounded impatient, but she thought it over. "Fine. You kids ride in Norman’s van. The cargo area is lined with a special metal that blocks scanning lasers; on their monitors, it just shows up as a black void. Put your cars and cargo in there, stay quiet, and leave the rest to us. Once you're inside, wait by the roadside. We’ll make another trip to bring your cars in, and that’s it."

Mercer nodded. "That works. We’ll move our stuff in. Until I get new identities, I can't be too careful. To be honest, we’re in deep trouble. If the people or the cargo are discovered, it’s going to be a disaster."

"Got it. I won't ask." Panam turned to Norman. "Norman, you drive. Use your van to get them through; they’re going to use your vehicle."

"Understood," Norman replied. He looked at the Raffen Shiv cars. "Alright, Mitch, Scorpion—I called the family; they’ll be here soon to pick these up. Aside from the one with the blown engine, the others can be repaired and sold. You two help them move their gear, get them across, and then I'll bring you back to get your own cars."

Mercer’s group had three cars; Cassidy, Mitch, and Scorpion would drive them in. Once across, Mercer and the others could drive themselves to the camp east of the city. Since they were entering from the south, they could take a detour through Night City to catch a glimpse of the city of dreams that Mercer had been thinking about for so long.

"Good." Scorpion, a man of few words, began helping move their gear.

When they opened the cargo containers, the nomads were startled by what they saw. Arasaka high-end refrigerated containers? And they were encrypted? That was rare. But they stayed professional and didn't ask questions, simply loading the items into Norman’s Columbus van.

Mercer touched the thickened metal body of the van, coated in a special black material designed to bypass security scanners.

Soon, the main supplies were transferred. Mercer’s cyberware—including the valuable parts stripped from the Arasaka agent—was packed and refrigerated. He planned to repair and sell them. He also had several professional laptops with the Arasaka logo. Everything else—guns, gold jewelry, and electronic components scavenged along the way—was piled into their original vehicles. He planned to offload that junk at the Aldecaldos camp.

After that, he’d find a way to make money, then find a reliable ripperdoc to complete his own upgrades. He needed to install the top-tier netrunner cyberware he’d been guarding with his life.

Once everything was packed, Mercer confirmed the details with the others and climbed into the van, which was already crowded with cargo. Sitting in the cramped space, Mercer’s heart began to race. It wasn't claustrophobia.

He was finally arriving.

Night City. The city he had dreamt of for so long.