Somewhere in the Badlands, the sun scorched the land—blistering and bone-dry.
"Careful, V!"
Roqi stood at the base of a rusty old antenna tower, shielding his eyes from the glare as he watched V climb. The ladder and catwalk groaned under his weight as he ascended, dozens of meters into the air. The sunlight cut through the steel beams, nearly blinding him. He had to step into the shade just to make out his movements.
CLANG! CRASH—RATTLE—!!
A slab of rusted metal went flying off the tower—V had chucked it from the far side, but it still made Roqi jump.
After hooking up the antenna, he held up a compact comm unit and gave Roqi a thumbs-up from above.
He spent a few minutes kicking rocks around while V worked.
When V finally dropped back down and landed with a thud, he stretched, grinned, and said,"Got through to William. Says the client's holed up on a nearby farm."
That part sounded familiar. If Roqi remembered right, V's old nomad clan—the Bakkers—had merged with Snake Nation. But V couldn't stand those shady bastards and bailed, choosing to hit the road with his brother-in-arms: Roqi.
William McCoy, a Bakker through and through—tough on the outside, soft underneath.Even after V split from the clan—something nomads considered betrayal—William still helped him out quietly.
Roqi didn't know if V ever made peace with the Bakkers later on, but he made sure to remember that name.
In Night City, in 2077, anything was possible—even immortality.
But a little genuine human warmth? That was rare as hell.
V's junker roared across the southern Badlands, dust trailing in its wake. Uneven hills shimmered in the heat, casting jagged shadows. The engine coughed like a turbo-chopper on steroids, pure Wasteland energy in every rev.
Nomads called this place "Dry Creek."
Maybe there'd been a river here, once. Now? Just sand, sun, and silence. Wind and time had erased the streambed like it had never existed.
Cacti taller than a man. Giant rusted billboards. And that gritty, bitter taste of dust in the mouth.
Ptuh, ptuh…
Roqi spat and wiped his mouth.
Rule one of Wasteland survival: Don't drive with your mouth open.Unless you're planning to dine on sand.
"That it? The busted tin shack?" V asked, guiding the car to a stop in front of what barely passed for shelter."Nav says this is the spot."
"Lucky, you stay in the car. I'll handle this."He shot Roqi a look like a parent telling their kid to sit tight.
"I'm injured, not useless."Roqi smirked and gently pushed his hand aside."Besides, I wanna meet this client too."
"...Fine," V sighed, clearly not thrilled, but relenting.
Inside, their boots crunched over warped plastic flooring, sun-bleached and brittle.
On a ratty couch sat a bulky guy in a jacket, one foot resting on a crate. He glanced up and grumbled,"I'm so broke I might start farming. You're here for me, yeah?"
Roqi stepped out from behind V, face lighting up."Well damn, look who it is—Jackie Welles!"
"You recognize↘ me?"Jackie raised an eyebrow."It's Jackie, not Jack. Por favor."
"Heard you had some cargo for us?" V asked, a little puzzled by Roqi's excitement.
To him, this big guy trying to act tough seemed a bit goofy.
"Uh, where I'm from… before we talk biz, we shoot the breeze a little. Tradition or whatever. You get it?"
Jackie tried to sound all deep, but the delivery was pure dork.
V smirked."You're real big on tradition, huh?"
"Man's gotta have a little pride," Jackie said with a sigh."When everything else gets stripped away, you hold on to what you can."
"Alright then—your turn first," V said.
Roqi listened quietly, smiling at how relaxed V sounded now. His tone had softened.
And damn… this really was V and Jackie. In the flesh.
Dealing with a straightforward dude like Jackie beat the hell out of corpo weasels. V looked way more at ease.
Jackie casually spun his pistol and said,"Born in Night City. Got Haywood blood."
Haywood.Just hearing the name screamed gang turf war.
Even if you didn't know the place, listening to Stanley's hyped-up radio commentary every day drilled it into your skull.
"Never been to Night City," V replied. "Doesn't mean much to me."
Jackie paused."Then picture a place where everyone's like family. Brothers, sisters… or at least cousins twice removed."
Roqi didn't totally buy that.
Most gang life didn't make good people.Jackie? He was the exception.
He'd bailed on gang life years ago, dreaming of making it big.For eddies or ideals, he took merc gigs—just another underdog hustling in the City of Dreams.
Put him in the Old West and he'd be a famous cowboy.In a wuxia novel? Wandering sword saint.
But in 2077? He was just another merc scraping by.
"Heh… I get it," V nodded."You don't have to love each other. Still family."
He smiled—he knew that feeling. That fleeting sense of belonging.
In this cold, soulless age, that kind of connection was rare. Maybe fragile. Maybe fake.But real enough to hold on to.
Like a candle flickering in pitch-black darkness.
Jackie lit up, happy V understood.
"Exactly. That's Haywood. Oh, and everyone's strapped."
America, land of the free and the armed.
Roqi sighed internally."Figures."
"Well, guess that makes our place a little like Haywood too," V said, nodding toward Roqi.
"Sounds like we're all gonna get along just fine," Jackie grinned.
"More honesty, less bullshit," Roqi added calmly.
"¡Sí, así es!" Jackie gave an eager nod.
He kicked over the crate."Here ya go. Cargo."
Using your shipment as a footrest? Seriously?
Roqi almost said something—especially since there was something alive in there.
"What's inside?" V asked.
"No idea. Better sleep when you don't know," Jackie shrugged. "Trust me, it's better that way."
"You seriously don't know what we're smuggling? This stuff was stolen from a corpo."
"Stolen?" Jackie chuckled."Nah… some idiot lost it, another idiot found it. Then it bounced around. Now it's here.They call that the butterfly effect, right?"
"Hell of a ride," Roqi muttered. "No one came looking?"
"Even if they did, they'd have to catch us before the border. After that? Too late." Jackie shrugged.
Roqi knelt to inspect the crate.
Alloy casing. Logo faded. A little screen was still looping some ad for a synthetic energy bar.
DO NOT OPEN.
That part was nice and clear.
"Let's load it up," V said, accepting fate.
Whatever this was, it was theirs now.A gig's a gig.
"¡Ey!" Jackie grunted as he hefted the box and carried it out.
"Thought you ghosted me."
"Had a problem. And you're not exactly easy to find," V replied, not mentioning the car issues.They weren't friends—yet.
"Layin' low. That sheriff looked like a walking headache," Jackie muttered.
"No argument here." V agreed instantly—clearly still annoyed.
Jackie slammed the crate into the trunk.
Doors shut—clunk, clunk, clunk.
And just like that, Roqi felt it—like they were heading off to hunt monsters. The real story was finally starting.
The radio blared praise for Militech and its overworked staff.Corporate BS, thick as smog.
Roqi almost gagged.Still… he kept listening.Everything was so new.
"Got the customs forms ready?" V asked.
"Of course! Didn't the middleman send 'em to you?" Jackie replied.
"He did."
"See? We're pros. Relax, choom."
Roqi sat in the back, watching Jackie act like a veteran smuggler.
Funny thing was… that made two of them.
Except Roqi wasn't behind a screen now—he was in the game.
And if something went wrong?
No checkpoint. No respawn.No second try.
The smile slipped off his face.
"Uh… you ever done this kinda run before?" Jackie asked, nervous.
"What, getting cold feet?" V stayed cool.
"Me? Ja, por favor." Jackie laughed, then sighed."Okay, maybe a little."
Roqi groaned, hand on his forehead. His heart pounded in his chest.
They were total rookies—about to get chased by corporate hardware.This was insane.
How had he forgotten this part?
Now he didn't mind cliché cheat systems.He'd take anything—a starter weapon, a damn healing implant, whatever.
"God, give me something. Anything."No reply.
No tutorial window.No starter gear.Just vibes. Broke as hell—even as a transmigrator.
As they neared the city, signs of civilization emerged.
CHOOH2 billboards. Flaming tires. Ramshackle shops buried in junk.
Then came the border—concrete barriers, armed guards, soldiers scanning cars.
"Who are these guys?" Roqi asked.
"Them?" Jackie blinked."NCPD Border Patrol."
NCPD—Night City Police Department.The most anti-cop cops in the world.
"Almost there. What now?" Jackie clutched his leg.
"Nothing. They scan us, check docs. I'll handle the talking," V said with a sigh.
The car rolled into the customs lane.
Roqi stared at the guards—real guns, real ammo.
His heart beat faster.His limbs felt stiff.He was way too tense.
They stopped.
The bobblehead dog on the dash gave a cartoonish snarl, suddenly adorable compared to the armored guys outside.
"Proceed to inspection area."
A voice crackled. The barrier dropped.Impatience in every word.
"Remain in your vehicle. Inspection will begin shortly."
Roqi exhaled slowly.
Jackie and V exchanged a glance.
"Why do I feel like this is gonna go sideways…" Jackie muttered.
"Stay calm. If you panic, they'll see it," V warned."Breathe. Give me the customs doc—they're gonna want it."
Jackie handed over a black plastic card.
[L·O·A]
Roqi spotted the bold letters stamped at the top of the form.
Beneath it, a smaller line read:
Lost on Arrival
"Let me see… It says LOA. Great…"V exhaled long and slow.
"What's that mean?" Jackie asked quickly.
"'Lost on Arrival.'" V said flatly."Basically, once the cargo crosses the border… it's gone. Disappeared. Officially 'lost.'"
"Dios… So they know we're smuggling?" Jackie's face stiffened.
"They'll figure it out soon enough."V's tone was calm. Way too calm compared to Jackie's obvious panic.
Just then, the loudspeaker barked again:
"The owner of the vehicle in the inspection area must undergo further questioning."
"Ah… Chingada madre…" Jackie muttered under his breath.
"Don't freak out. This is routine. Just play it cool."V sounded tired—like he'd done this too many times with too many rookies.
"Heh… you really know how this works, huh?"Jackie clung to his calm like a lifeline.
"If you want border patrol to ignore sketchy paperwork, you grease the wheels."He held out his hand."Where's the payment chip?"
"Oh! Right—hah, almost forgot!"Jackie fumbled in his pocket, pulled out the chip, and passed it over with a sheepish grin.
"Yeah… almost forgot."V snatched it, gave him a look, then waved the chip in his face before stepping out of the car.
"H-haha… ah…" Jackie chuckled nervously, watching him walk toward the customs building.He glanced at Roqi in the back seat.
"Hey… is your choom mad at me?"
"Maybe. But now's not the time to worry about that, Jackie."Roqi forced a smile, feeling the tension creeping up his spine.
"Man… I'm just glad you guys are here. Y'know? I'm still—"
"Honestly?" Roqi cut in."This is my first time too. I might be more nervous than you."He rubbed his face and took a shaky breath.
"¡Dios mío…"Jackie groaned and smacked himself in the face.