After confirming the reward of 300,000 eddies, Karl, Jack, and Oliver carefully read through the mission details. Since this was a life-or-death situation, they paid close attention, but the information provided was far from as generous as the reward—it was surprisingly simple.
"Is this all there is?"
Oliver looked at Karl, suspecting that he might have missed part of the message when sharing it.
"This is everything."
Karl stared at the brief mission description. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Jack.
"What do you think, Jack?"
"It won't be easy."
"I feel the same way."
The mission itself wasn't necessarily complicated. In short, they were to meet up at a location with other mercenaries hired by different fixers, work together with the target's personal bodyguards, and protect someone. The time was set for 9 AM the day after tomorrow, and the mission required them to escort the target from the Watson Arasaka Waterfront Shipping Port to the Kanpeki Tower on California Avenue in Little China, Watson—within two hours.
The location, reward, and general objectives were clear, but what was missing was any information on the target. While mercs typically only needed to know the pay, location, and mission details, this request was suspiciously vague. The fact that they'd be working alongside other hired mercenaries and bodyguards made it feel like a potential death trap.
"80% chance they're expecting trouble and want us as cannon fodder."
"Not even 80%, it's a full 100%," Jack added.
Both Jack and Oliver, well aware of how corps operated, turned to Karl.
As usual, Karl was the one to decide whether to take the contract.
He thought it over for a moment before nodding at Oliver and Jack—he had decided to accept.
There were a few reasons:
First, this was the first proper job their fixer had sent them. It was finally a chance to build their reputation, and passing it up would be a waste.
Second, the money was too good. The payout was high enough to justify taking the risk.
And third...
Karl had already worked as a bodyguard once before. He figured that with his past experience, doing it again wouldn't be a problem.
"We're taking it. Faraday said he'll personally pick us up for the job."
"So we risk our lives on this suicide run, and he just plays chauffeur and collects his cut?"
Oliver shook his head, clearly unimpressed with fixers as a whole.
"To be fair, he did at least get us into this job. The fact that he managed to land us a gig this lucrative means he's earned his share."
Karl had a clear grasp of how things worked. Realistically, their crew wasn't well-known yet. If Faraday had the connections to pull a high-paying 'suicide job' like this, that in itself was impressive.
"However... if I find out later that he withheld any crucial details about this mission, I'll kill him."
Splitting the pay was one thing—connections and firepower both had their value, and negotiations were fair. But hiding information? That was a different story.
Regarding Fixers, That's Enough—The Mission is What Matters
Oliver had some doubts about the mission's location. "Come to think of it, why is the mission taking place at the Arasaka Waterfront Shipping Port? That place is off-limits to outsiders except for Arasaka personnel. Does that mean the person we're escorting is from Arasaka?"
"Could be." Jack didn't seem to mind. "If we're protecting a corpo, then we're protecting a corpo. As long as they pay us enough, I don't mind holding my nose and doing the job."
"No, that's not what I'm wondering about."
Oliver explained, "I've told you before, right? I know a bit about Faraday as a fixer. Quite a few guys from the 6th Street gang have taken jobs from him. And there's always been a rumor floating around in the gang—Faraday works for Militech. But now, here we are, taking on a job in Arasaka's territory, possibly escorting an Arasaka VIP. Doesn't that seem weird to you?"
Everyone in America—or rather, the entire world—knew that Arasaka and Militech were rivals. The two megacorporations had even fought a global-scale conflict in the past, the Fourth Corporate War. And now, a fixer with rumored ties to Militech was helping out Arasaka? No matter how you looked at it, it was strange.
"It's definitely suspicious," Karl admitted. "But we don't have more info. A job is a job—we'll just do what we're hired to do. All that corpo drama doesn't really concern us, right?"
"True."
Oliver agreed. "Thinking too much about it is just a headache. It's not like corpo politics are gonna involve us low-level mercs. We'll just follow the job. Speaking of which, since we'll be working with other mercs hired by different fixers, do you think we'll meet any useful contacts? Maybe we can use this to get connected with their fixers too?"
"What's your plan, Oliver? You looking to get more fixers and stack up more gigs?"
"That's exactly what I'm thinking."
"The more jobs, the more eddies."
Karl stood up from the couch at the Afterlife, heading to the bar to say goodbye to Mama Welles. He, Jack, and Oliver were planning to buy some supplies before heading back to Oliver's apartment for a more detailed discussion.
"I know you three are about to take on a big job. Be careful, Karl, Oliver... and you, Jack, make sure you watch out for them."
"I know, mamá."
Jack pounded his chest confidently. "As long as I'm around, nothing's gonna happen to them."
"And don't forget to take care of yourself too."
"I will, mamá. You take care too."
After saying their goodbyes to Mama Welles, the three of them climbed into Karl's Chevalier Thrax 388 Jefferson, parked not far from the Afterlife. Oliver, by habit, slid into the driver's seat—but two seconds later, he suddenly realized something.
"Wait a second—this is your car, Karl. Why the hell am I the one driving both on the way here and back?"
"I don't feel like driving."
Karl tossed him the vehicle's access key, his reasoning solid enough that Oliver, despite twitching at the corner of his mouth, still took the key without argument.
After all, the Chevalier Thrax was a damn fine car. And Oliver actually liked driving it.
As the engine roared to life, Karl found himself lost in thought.
Somehow, all the pieces in his mind were starting to connect.