Chapter 28: Chapter 27 – Smuggling

It was the following morning, and the rays of sunshine were beginning to show through the slits in the window blinds. We've been occupying this room for approaching twenty-four hours, with V and I taking swifts maintaining security. Hellman woke up late last night and was currently tied to a chair with duct tape covering his mouth. V interrogated the man as soon as he woke up and got the same responses as in the game. Hellman couldn't help with what was happening and recommended finding somewhere to make the terminal stages comfortable.

V wasn't happy with what she heard and promptly stormed out of the room. I debated whether or not to follow her to try to reassure her that my plan was still in play despite what Hellman said, but I decided against it. Learning that her condition is almost hopeless is difficult, but V's a big girl and needs to come to terms with it on her own. After a few shouts and some venting, V walked back in and stared me down.

She asked how certain I was that I could fix her, and I guaranteed that if my plan worked, I could remove Johnny without killing her. Of course, I also mentioned the caveat that the longer we waited, the shorter her lifespan post-operation. She wanted more details, but I was uncomfortable giving them with Hellman in the same room. Eventually, I agreed to explain precisely how it worked after Hellman moved to a safe house.

The makeshift gag was something V did after she got pissed when Hellman wouldn't stop talking and trying to negotiate his freedom. And honestly, I was starting to get annoyed as well. After hearing that I could solve V's problem, he wouldn't stop bothering me and trying to figure out what I knew. So I'm not complaining about shutting him up. It still doesn't stop me from imagining the pain the Arasaka traitor would feel when removing the tape pulls out beard hairs. I almost feel bad for the guy.

It was currently just Hellman and me inside the room. I was lying on one of the beds watching N54 news, shotgun on the sheets right next to me. V left to pick up some drinks and food to munch on. Whenever it was mealtime, one of us would go to the bar and grab whatever Noah, the barkeep, had available. It was mostly frozen food that a microwave could prepare, like pizza and hotdogs. We wasted the hours away watching TV and browsing the net, occasionally staring at the door when we heard footsteps or cars drive by. So far, no one has even spared us an extra glance, and I'm pretty sure that KangTao has no idea where Hellman is.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door four times, followed by a gap, then two more times. This was the code V and I came up with to know when one of us was trying to get back in. I got up from my resting spot and went to the door. Looking through the peephole confirmed that it was V coming back with food. I slid the chain lock off and unlocked the door knob. Once the door was open, V quickly entered and dropped a pile of food and drinks onto a table. I closed the door behind her and walked over to see what she had brought.

A few bars of chocolate and two of each of Pierre's Croissants, Slaughterhouse Prime, and Dairing Dairy 'Milkshake'. The parenthesis around 'Milkshake' is concerning, but dairy is scarce in this world, and most 'milk' products are just milk flavored slur. I tore into my share and quickly devoured the croissant and strangely compressed Slaughterhouse burger. I washed it all down with the bag of milkshake and used the chocolate bars as dessert. Ignoring that the croissant and burger were criminally dry, the meal was alright.

A large grumble sounded behind me when I finished eating. I turned to the source of the sound and laughed a little when I realized that it came from Hellman's empty stomach. I guess we've waited long enough. I turned around to see V wipe her mouth after finishing the last bite of her burger.

"If anything were going to happen, it would have already. We should get out of here so you can move Hellman to the Safehouse."

A long slurp followed as V tore open her milkshake and started sucking out the contents. After the bag deflated to about half its original size, she stopped drinking and agreed to move out of the motel.

"Yeah, I'll stash him at my spot. Sending you the cords now. What are you going to do?"

My display showed that V sent me some information, and I opened it to see the address of where she was taking Hellman. The location was El Coyote Cojo, which I immediately recognized as the bar Mama Welles ran. I raised one of my eyebrows questioningly at V.

"Mama Welles know who she's hiding in her bar?"

V finished her milkshake and tossed the empty bag into the garbage can.

"I told her it was related to settling the score for Jackie, and that's all she needed to hear."

Hmm. Makes sense. If I were her, I would also want a bite out of whoever was responsible for my kid's death. Hell hath no fury like a scorned mother. I gathered all my packaging from the food and threw it into the trash can. I then cleaned my mouth with some napkins before telling V my plans.

"I'm going to meet up with the Aldecaldos to see what's going on with the Surveyor we nabbed. I'll return the truck we came in while I'm at it. I need to drive there anyway since that's where I left my car. After that, I'll contact my man in Arasaka and try to set up a meeting with the board member. Anything after that, we'll play by the ear."

V reached into her pocket and tossed me s small piece of metal. I caught it midair and looked down to see that it was the shard to Scoprion's truck.

"Fair enough. But I expect you to keep me updated. And we need to meet so you can fill in the blank on some things I don't know. Is the parking spot right outside our room still free?"

I made an opening in the blinds and saw that the closes space was still empty.

"Yup,"

"Good. I'll drive my car over and reverse in. We'll shove Hellman into the trunk. I'll let you know when I get him to Mame Welle's."

V then stood up and left the room. While she was out getting her car, I stood up and walked over to Hellman. I took out a pocket knife from my pants and unfolded it to its full length.

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"I'm going to cut you loose, Ok? But I need you to behave. Try to run for it, and I'll stab you in your leg. Capiche?"

After seeing Hellman no nervously, I knelt next to him and cut the binding holding him in the chair. All he did was rub his wrist, being careful to follow my directions and staying seated. I grabbed him up by his left arm and turned him around, tying his hands together behind his back. I pushed him onto a bed and did the same to his feet. When I finished turning Hellman into a human worm, I waited for V to drive her car over.

A minute or two later, I heard a car park next to our room and the soft clunks of a car door opening and closing. The familiar coded knocking soon followed, and when I swung the door agape, I saw the rear of V's lightly modded Hella EC-D. I picked up Hellman in a princess carry and waited for V to tell me that there weren't any bystanders before walking out and dropping him into the trunk. Once I ensured none of his limbs were in the way, I slammed the trunk lid shut. I dusted my hand and looked over at V.

"Welp. I'll see you later. If anything happens, remember to keep me in the loop. Likewise, I'll contact you when I progress on my side. You good to go?"

V thought about it for a second but quickly came up with nothing.

"I'm all sorted. You need anything done in the city while you're out here?"

"Nah, but thanks for asking," I patted V's shoulder. "I'll see you later."

V gave me a slight nod and got into her car. I watched her pull away from me and out of the parking lot. Once V disappeared over the horizon, I walked upstairs to the bar to let the staff know that I was leaving and to stop charging me. Since I wasn't sure how long I was staying at the Sunset Motel, I told them to keep charging me until I left. Once I was done checking out, I headed to the onsite mechanic, pulling out my phone to call Panam while on the way.

I hadn't heard from her since our raid on KangTao, and I was worried. I didn't know if they could transport the Surveyor, how Saul reacted, or if they ran into KangTao. I'm sure Panam and the Vets' are more than skilled enough to pull it off or take care of themselves, but I'd still like confirmation. The call rang almost a dozen times before Panam finally picked up the call.

"Uuuuugh... Give me a second."

It seems like I caught her while she was sleeping. A quick look at the time on my phone showed that it was a quarter past seven in the morning. It's still early, but not early enough for me to feel like an ass calling her.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty. How did things go with the AV? and more importantly, how did Saul react?"

I heard her laugh slightly at my question.

"We brought it back just fine. No one's been sniffing around, so we're in the clear. Saul was not happy, however. Stomping out when we came back while huffing and puffing, you should have seen it. He's stewing but can't do anything because he knows how much of a difference having an AV can make for us. I'll definitely be getting plenty of shit from him for the next couple of weeks."

Saul's displeasure isn't too surprising. Having a stolen AV isn't exactly the best look when you're trying to court other Megacorps for peaceful work. I don't envy him, balancing making deals and keeping an eye on Panam. It's hard to be the one responsible for the livelihood of so many people. Sure, I might favor Panam's way of doing things, but I also can't fault a man for trying to feed his family.

"Remember that he doesn't hate you. Just because he wants to do things differently doesn't mean he doesn't understand where you're coming from."

"Yes, mother."

I could almost hear the eye roll over the phone, but I decided not to pursue it further. Maybe this is a good time to propose selling them crafted weapons in bulk so they can start smuggling again. If smuggling becomes a significant operation for them again, it'll be easier to justify the Surveyor being around. It will also provide the Nomads and me with a new source of revenue. That'll simultaneously reduce the need for the Aldecaldos to rely on working for megacorps, and help me stabilize my financials.

"I'm about twenty-five minutes away from your place. Can I come over right now to drop off Scorpion's truck? I also have a business idea that I think you'll like."

"Sure. Give me a call when you're close. See you soon."

The call ended, and I finished my journey to the garage. I opened the door to see Scorpion's truck untouched inside. Pressing a large red button on the wall started a motor on the roof, and the sheet metal door started to unfurl. I opened one of the passenger doors and brought up my crafting systems. Using a small portion of my remaining components stock, I crafted a few guns with the common schematics unlocked when I hit a certain crafting level.

After I dumped a couple of SMG, assault rifles, pistols, and shotguns into the back seats, I started the car and drove towards the Aldecaldo camp. Let's see how Saul reacts to my offer.

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