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"So?"
Panam looked at me with interest. Judy wasn't far behind; she was chewing a piece of pizza leftover from last night and waiting for me to answer Panam's question. And the question was simple: what did Regina say about buying a nuclear reactor like the ones used in all new AVs? The question was truly very important to us, as it proposed a solution to one of the biggest problems we would face if we decided to settle in the desert. And I wasn't even talking about the Aldecaldos, some of whom might settle under the steel thumb of Biotech under Saul's watchful eye. I was talking about us, a group of solos who would no longer need to pay rent to some random corpo…
"It's easier to buy an AV than to find a reactor from one."
"Agh… and how much would that cost?"
"Well… according to Regina, the most beat-up AV would run you no less than a million bucks."
Panam and Judy whistled and shook their heads.
"So, are we giving up on the idea?"
I thoughtfully scratched my cheek.
"No… we'll just table the idea for now. We can still make sure the Behemoth's engine is set up for a reactor replacement during the repairs. In the meantime, we'll study the technical specs and do what we can."
"What about water?"
I looked at Panam and sighed.
"Well, I thought about the idea all night… a reactor isn't exactly what we need, but we'll burn through a lot of fuel…"
I shook my head.
"…and we'll have to buy some other things. So for now, we'll work on the Behemoth, and for that, we'll need a certain set of parts…"
"Good, I get it. And by the way, I talked to Mitch yesterday, when you were at Vik's. He really liked the idea of converting these kinds of cars into apartments. You've seen the size of the tents; they're smaller than our studio apartment. If the Behemoth's living space can expand to three times its size when parked, that would be a great living space for six to twelve nomads at once. We can store stuff in the car, but a bed in a warm, insulated cabin is worth a lot!"
"But I thought you were against RVs…"
I looked at Panam intently.
"Well, that's a house… and this is a Behemoth. Its off-road capability is just…"
Panam smacked her lips, showing that she wasn't against the idea at all.
"…and a solution like this would really help. We could build some racks on the body for containers with clothes or food to lighten the load on the clan's other cars. Then we could even take on jobs on the road…"
"I see you've already got it all planned out?"
I raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking at Panam.
"Huh?"
"I'm talking about living in the clan…"
I shook my head.
"I'm sorry, but I'm still not sure if that's for me… at least living in a tent like that…"
I shook my head again.
"No, there's a certain charm to it, but to live like that permanently… I definitely can't do it. I'm too used to the comfort of the city and the amenities it provides."
"But the Behemoth…"
"What about the Behemoth?"
"Panam, don't forget that your clan could just disappear…"
Judy joined the conversation, and her words clearly bothered Panam, but she couldn't argue. She just scowled and turned away from us.
"Don't pout. Judy is right. If Saul's idea works, what will be left of your clan? Castoffs who didn't follow their leader? And how many would there be? Ten people? Ten people out of the hundred who are in the camp now?"
"But you can count on them…"
"You're right, you can. But let's say we join them. You become the leader of this mini-clan, and then the Wraiths attack us. What can thirteen people do against a full-scale assault? They'd send fifty fighters against us, and we'd be washed away in blood."
"Are you saying I should forget about the clan?"
"Panam, don't twist David's words…"
Judy looked intently into her friend's eyes and shook her head.
"He's just saying that if you want to save the clan, then you have to find ways to make it stronger. To make Saul realize that serving Biotech isn't as profitable as being a free clan."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
There was anger and frustration in Panam's voice.
"Well, for starters, we can work together to come up with a plan to modernize the Behemoths, and maybe other cars, too. I assume the Bratck model from Caucasus would also work for the kind of living space you want. I just saw that your ripper's clinic is built on the chassis of one. With a little modification, it would be perfect!"
"Then why did we…"
"Why did we take the Behemoth?"
"Yeah…"
I shrugged.
"Because it's a VERY rare sight to find one for sale! It's usually only available to government agencies and corporations. To be more precise, they're the only ones who can even get a permit to buy one."
"Then how…"
"It's simple. It only has the engine and the cabin left. The body, which should also be armored, has been removed and replaced with a regular steel box. And a couple of other systems have been taken out…"
"But then… that's pointless…"
"Not entirely. You see, even though some specific systems have been removed, we can buy similar ones. They might not be Militech standard, but they're still pretty good. So with a little work, the Behemoth will get back about eighty percent of its original specs. So we'll have a small, well-armored monster to use."
"Got it… what about the Caucasus?"
"That one isn't meant for something like this. You could find a twelve-by-twelve model on whose chassis you could even make a wheeled tank, but the cost…"
I shook my head.
"Even an eight-by-eight would be expensive, though the living modules from them would be amazing."
"Got it… so what are our plans?"
"Plans?"
I smirked.
"We need to buy a couple of parts, and then we can head to the Aldecaldos. I think it would be smarter to do the main work there, not in the middle of the street. I just need to get an antenna too, so Judy doesn't go nuts without any information and communication with her gang…"
"Well, I already told them I was leaving."
I blinked in surprise.
"No, no…"
She waved her hands in front of her.
"…I didn't refuse to make braindances for them, but working for them is way less profitable than working for you, so the choice was obvious."
I shrugged with a sigh.
"Well, it's your choice. I'm not going to turn down the services of a netrunner, and I like you as a girl, and you know it…"
Surprisingly, Judy blushed just a little and nodded. It seemed I was finally starting to break through her aversions to men. Good…
"…So all I can say is… Happy hugs!"
And I went to hug Judy. She hadn't even finished chewing her pizza and was a little flustered, but Panam supported me, and soon we had the girl in a sort of body-sandwich. And a couple of seconds later, she hugged me back, since I was right in front of her.
"Alright…"
I pulled away from Judy and met her gaze.
"You remember your task, right?"
"You mean finding all the data for infiltrating the archives and servers where the data for my case might be? I remember…"
"Then get on it, and while you're at it, don't forget to choose an antenna and an amplifier so you can work normally from the badlands."
Judy nodded.
"And you and I will start with a trip to the auto junkyards and scrap yards, where we'll buy some of the parts we need."
"Good, you already have a list?"
"Since yesterday… when I scanned the Behemoth before buying it. I didn't want to buy something that was just a piece of junk…"
Panam nodded with satisfaction…
A little over a week later. Viktor's clinic.
"Well, congratulations, kid…"
Vik clapped me on the shoulder, and I knew he wasn't holding back, but because of my new synthetic muscles, which had been fully replaced and were now completely settled in, as well as my strengthened bones, joints, and ligaments, I didn't feel the hit that would have at least shaken me up before.
"…you're completely healthy and ready to work."
"Sandevistan?"
"You can use it, but for a while, limit your time and speed.
I nodded and gratefully held out my hand to Vik for a handshake.
"Thank you, Vik. You have golden hands and…"
"Kid, don't forget, you paid me for everything I did. So let's not get mushy here…"
Vik was clearly embarrassed by my thanks.
"Well… whatever you say… when should I come for a check-up?"
"I'd say in a week and a half or two, but no later than three. We'll need to check the synthetic muscles again, how they interact with the Sandevistan… It's not that I have any doubts, but it doesn't hurt to check one more time."
"That's for sure…"
I nodded my head and, giving Vik a grateful nod, left his clinic to walk through the small courtyard and enter Misty's shop, where the girls were happily talking to each other, discussing, among other things, the skydiving jump we had all done, even though it had happened a couple of days later than I had originally planned.
"Davy, how are you?"
Misty gave me a kind smile. She was on a break from Jackie, so she was allowing herself to flirt with me a little. But she still loved her boyfriend, so she wouldn't cross the line of a little light flirting.
"Great, Misty…"
I walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek.
"…Vik declared me completely healthy and gave me the green light to go back to work. So soon, Night City will be whispering about Ghost again, and he'll be even more effective."
"How could you be more effective?"
Panam shivered.
"It's not about being more effective… it's about being better…"
I looked at Panam intently.
"Judy, is everything ready on your end?"
"Yeah… we have a week-long buffer before the deadline, so we can calmly get to work on the locations I found. I've gathered all the available information. I bought some of it through Regina. In short, I've done everything that could be done to make the infiltration go quietly and according to plan."
"That's good…"
I put my arms around my girls. It was clear to everyone who saw us that Judy was almost mine now. We said goodbye to Misty and left her shop. It was time to get back to work after a long, forced vacation. The first thing I had to do was let Regina know I was back in the game…
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