Chapter 205: The Free State of Northern California

Late night, fifth floor of the Megabuilding—inside Oliver's apartment.

"We've tracked the vehicle to the western edge of the Free State. That's where the Animals' boss, the Wildwoman, operates."

Karl uploaded the data chip to the team channel so everyone could take a look.

"In short—we're heading to the Free State."

"The Free State, huh…"

Santo Domingo and Heywood both border the Free State, but neither Oliver nor Jackie knew much about it.

Jackie thought for a moment and said, "That place's basically split between the Voodoo Boys and the Animals. Both are seriously hostile to outsiders. It's tough to operate there if you're not local."

"Other than Dogtown—which barely counts as part of Night City anymore—that zone's probably the most lawless in the region," Oliver added. "Even the NCPD avoids it."

"So… you guys don't know anyone out there?"

"Plenty of enemies," Oliver sighed. "Some new ones too, actually."

"Out-of-towners picking fights with locals. Real smart," Karl muttered.

He gave it some thought. Their squad was strong enough to brute-force their way through most problems, sure—but mercs usually die from being reckless, not weak.

They'd just started building a reputation. No point getting killed over ego.

"So basically, we'll need local support again?"

Karl's tone made Jackie immediately realize what he meant.

"Like when we hit the Badlands? Get a fixer from the area to feed us intel?"

"Exactly."

Then Karl turned to the one silently listening on the comms.

"T-BUG, you know any fixers out in the Free State?"

"If you asked me a year ago, I'd have a few. Right now, there's just one name that matters."

T-BUG didn't waste time.

"Everyone calls him Mr. Hands."

"Mr. Hands?" Oliver repeated, raising an eyebrow. "They even add the 'Mister'? Doesn't sound like a real name. I thought fixers like 'the Priest' were the rare ones who used titles instead of names."

"In this business," T-BUG said, "you keep things anonymous for a reason. Last thing you want is some old crew hunting you down when you're ready to retire.

Wouldn't wanna end up in some Hamlet-style revenge plot."

"Hamlet what now?"

Oliver blinked like the name crashed his brain.

"Hamlet," T-BUG explained. "Tragedy by William Shakespeare. Prince's uncle murders his dad, marries his mom, steals the throne. The prince plots revenge, gets stabbed with a poisoned sword during a duel, and dies—but not before killing his enemy."

Karl summed it up neatly—but got nothing but blank stares in return from Jackie and Oliver.

Clearly neither had a clue what she was talking about.

"I mean, I get it with Oliver," Karl said, "but Jackie, don't you read books? Never touched this one?"

"I usually read American authors… I think?"

"Forget it," Karl sighed.

"We're getting off-topic. If you ever get curious, I'll walk you through it another day."

He shook his head.

"Point is—whatever Mr. Hands is planning for retirement, who cares. Right now, he's the go-to fixer in the Free State. T-BUG, can you dig up his contact?"

"Might take a little time. Every fixer's got a different way of covering their past. And Mr. Hands? One of the most airtight I've seen."

"One day enough?"

"I'll pull an all-nighter. I'll upgrade Qiuqiu while I work on this. Should have everything ready by morning. I'll send it all over via drone."

"You're gonna do all that in one night? And multitask?"

Karl raised an eyebrow. "That's fast."

"Who do you think I am?" T-BUG said confidently.

"In Night City, unless I choose not to look—there's nothing I can't find."

"Confidence is good, just don't get caught, T-BUG."

"Relax. I've been doing this a long time. I know which lines not to cross. Anyway, I'm diving in now. You guys get some rest—I'll ping you in the morning."

She ended the call.

"…Why do I feel like she just jinxed herself?" Jackie muttered, scratching his head.

"You talk like that all the time, Jackie," Karl replied, checking the time.

10:30 PM. Still early.

"Wanna eat something? I'll order delivery."

"Let's hit our usual place," Oliver said. "And have them bring extra drinks—no booze, just soft. Also, more burgers. I'm craving those fried chicken ones."

"Alright. Four Bug Burgers coming up."

"Hey, Karl! I know those things are made from worms or locusts or whatever, but do you have to kill my appetite like that?"

"If we had real chicken, I'd get you a proper burger," Karl shrugged.

"Actually, I've heard the Free State's outside Night City jurisdiction. Some folks there raise poultry illegally. Maybe we'll score some."

Just as he placed the order, a message popped up.

V:

"Hey Karl. I wrapped things up with T-BUG. Sent her all the specs and mod details. Heard you've got a ride that needs work. What's the job?"

V?

He finished already?

Karl had assumed both he and T-BUG would be grinding all night on the cyberdog mod.

"Yeah, we've got a car you might wanna look at. A Thorton Hera. Think you can mod it? We want to boost its speed and harden the frame for impact."

"Can't say over text. Gotta see it myself. When can you bring it over? I'm still camped near the city."

"You're still nearby?"

"Yeah. After that job, my crew didn't have much going on. I sent my buddies back with the cash and figured I'd stick around to see if anything else came up.

And what do you know—you guys show up. Let's lock in a time."

Karl considered it.

If they hit the edge of the Badlands near Santo Domingo before heading to the Free State, they wouldn't need to double back.

"Tomorrow morning. 7AM. Drop me a pin from the Badlands—we'll head your way."

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