We broke apart not long after that. Ichi had something that he was being evasive about that he wanted to do, and Hiromi had to go back to school.

Apparently her parents were fine with her missing some classes to complete a business deal, but not the whole day.

I decided to head to the range.

I had looked over the silencer on the Copperhead and it seemed fine, so I was going to fire more rounds through it and see what happened!

And of course try to level my reflex stat some more.

I walked in with my Copperhead, and a box of ammo.

Settled into a lane, happy that it was quiet this early in the afternoon, and started shooting.

It was fun!

I was getting Assault XP pretty consistently, and a Reflex notification between every few alerts as well. The whole process was punctuated by the silent retorts of my rifle. I was even doing things like practicing quick reloads by flinging the magazine out of the gun and slamming a new one home as I fired.

It was little things like that, that even with Quick Reload, having a bit of practice for it helped me nail the maneuver.

I was glad we had just gotten the big payday, because when I ran out of ammo, I just went and bought more.

And then again.

I had to stop and switch to the Lexington to let my Copperhead cool off after a while, but then I just did the same thing with my handgun.

I wanted some level ups, and I was going to get them.

My accuracy was good as well. The targets in this range gave a little point for how accurate you shot, and I was shooting quick and accurate, ramming rounds through the digital targets.

The points were meaningless really. But it still only made the whole thing more fun.

I had switched back to the Copperhead after letting it cool, and it didn’t take long before I got what I wanted.

*100 Assault XP Gained.*

*Assault skill level up!*

I hummed. As I let the knowledge flow in.

Assault 7. I let the level flow into me, and realized I knew a slightly better way to hold and grip the rifle to keep it stabilized while moving and firing.

Useful!

I took a break not long after. I had pushed my Copperhead a bit too much. Gun Nut was telling me, I should really stop firing before I start causing heat damage.

I gathered everything up and headed home. The apartment was empty when I got there. So I took some time to clean my guns and prep them for the next gig.

Then I flopped on my bed.

It felt good to level up. To improve myself. That crushing weight of the Scav threat and just general Night City fuckery, felt farther away since I had improved. I just had to keep improving. Moving the numbers slowly and steadily upward.

And eventually threats would go away.

Either because I simply surpassed their ability to harm.

Or because I destroyed them.

*Ringing.*

I blinked at the call that popped up.

“Panam?” I sat up as I realized who was calling, what was Panam calling me for? I quickly answered to find out.

*Hello?*

*Hey… Motoko. It’s Panam, from the Aldecaldos. Do you have a minute?* Panam asked, sounding almost professional in her courtesy.

*Yeah Panam, of course I do. How’s it going? I haven’t seen you since I talked to Saul about the heist.*

*Yeah… It’s a long story, but I’m not with the Aldecaldos anymore. I’m working as a merc in the city. I know this is a bit sudden, but I’m on a gig that I need some hands to help with. I wouldn’t normally reach out, but Scorpion wouldn’t shut up about your ability, and well… I could use some of that sort of help. This gig is important, and I can’t have it going to scop.*

*Well, Panam, you definitely called up the right girl. I’d love to help out. What’s the deets?* I sat up practically buzzing. New gig!

*I’ll send you what I can, but it’s that sort of gig. I don’t know everything, the fixer is being real… secure about it all.*

*Send what you can, but if you need help I’m in. We’re chooms after all.* The line was quiet for a minute and Panam let out a chuckle.

*Thanks Motoko. I appreciate that. Night City hasn’t exactly been what I expected on my own.*

*Hey. If you need something… Anything, call me in okay? I have lots of chooms all over the city. Even if it’s just to hang out at a club so you can vent to someone, I’ll be there.* Panam barked out a laugh.

*I’ll keep that in mind. Deets are sent out.*

*Alright give me a second.*

I looked over the text. Instantly my eyes narrowed. This was definitely a fixers work. I recognized the style that Wakako used in her information packets, but it wasn’t quite the same.

Mostly because the entire thing was very blank on what the actual gig was.

Although what was really interesting was what the gig actually did say.

*Holy shit! That’s a hell of a drive.*

*I’m a nomad. It’s what we do best… You were solid with Scorpion. So I-*

*I’m not saying no Panam, just surprised. There isn’t much here, and I don’t like that much, but I’m in.* I confirmed as I stood up. I was already starting to run around my room. I needed a bag of stuff… Clothes and junk. I realized I was going to have to raid Jun’s burrito stash as well just to be safe.

And let Jun and my chooms know.

I was actually getting kind of excited!

I had never been to Seattle before!

—--

Half an hour later I was pulling into a storage unit that was on the east side of the city. Just a block or so from the bare desert. Sixth St. tags covered the buildings in the area, but no one seemed to be around. Instead as I pulled in, I saw Panam… Panam’s ass anyways.

Look, I could recognize the booty anywhere. The game made sure of that.

She was half way into the engine bay of a Thorton Mackinaw. The same truck which I think was her personal ride a few years from now was a modded out monster. Many of the same upgrades as my Quadra covered it.

I pulled over not far from her and stepped out.

I was wearing my armor and gear.

If Panam made fun of me for being a dough girl I would be a little annoyed, but I wasn’t going to go light when the gig involved traveling to another city. One where I wouldn’t have any backup to call up in case something went bad.

“Panam!”

“One second!” She called out as she continued to rummage around with the insides of her truck. That was fine, it gave me time to grab my gear. I had a bag for clothes and toiletries, and a bag for food and snacks, cause I didn’t want to presume on Panams supply.

But I also had ammo and weapons.

I went around to the trunk that opened and stared at my supply.

My hand twitched towards the Uragan, but that was a bit much, and Panam probably had one of her own. Instead I grabbed my Nekomata and loaded a few of the spare magazines I had picked up for her into my armor’s webbing.

Hefting all my gear I headed over.

This wasn’t going to be a two vehicle trip. I was riding with Panam. Honestly it was for the best. I had never done a long distance trip like this before. Better to just rely on Panam’s skill as a nomad.

“And done!” She called out as she pulled herself free grabbing a rag and wiping her hands as she turned to look me over.

I saw the raised eyebrow which I promptly ignored.

“Let me pack my stuff then.” I offered as I headed to the passenger door and she nodded slowly looking amused.

“Should be room in the back seat, try not to squish my stuff.”

“I’ll be careful!” I called out as I climbed into the seat and checked the single back seat that still remained. Half of her back seat was cut off from all the extra equipment in her truck. Including I’m assuming the Machine gun that I remember could activate on top.

The seat had a few bags of her own already there and I carefully placed all my stuff, keeping only my Nekomata in the seat with me.

“You sure you need all that?”

“You hired me as a shooter, not dead weight.” I called back and pulled out from the back seat to see her looking me over from the driver door. Leaning against it casually, with an amused look on her face. “I’m treating this gig just as seriously as I am the one Scorpion brought me on, and remember, that time I brought an HMG.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t this time as well.”

“Last time I took it on a nomad gig, didn’t go well, so I’m sticking to more accurate shooting this time.” I said, patting my Nekomata.

“Well it’s a relief to see you taking this seriously.” She said, but her voice was more teasing than anything.

“Not sure what you got yourself into Panam, but between the signs of a good fixer sending you this gig, and how quiet you’ve been about it? I’m readying up for a war… Oh! I forgot the grenades! I’m such a gonk!” I said laughing as I bonked my head and hurried over to my Quadra.

A few grenades were fitted into my chest rig carefully placed so their triggers couldn’t go off.

Didn’t want to walk around with a fucking bomb strapped to my chest. That was only cool if I could get out of the armor fast enough.

I jogged back over and this time Panam was in the driver's seat and her amusement was gone.

“You know I can’t tell you anything about what I’m transporting?”

“Yep.” I said as I climbed in.

“Alright. I’m not too worried about the trip itself, maybe some minor Raffen trouble, but my girl can take care of that.” She said patting her truck, “But in Seattle the drop might be difficult. That’s the point I’m really worried about.”

“Well I’ll keep an eye out regardless, and my girl can handle whatever Seattle throws at us.” I sat patting my Nekomata mimicking Panams only motions.

“Alright. Let’s go then.” She said, sounding nervous.

Hearing that I of course put on my seatbelt. Road trip!

—--

“You need anything?” Panam asked hours into our drive but I looked over to her without really taking my eyes off the road, and camera monitors I had access to in the passenger seat.

“No, I’m fine. Fully hydrated.” I assured her. Just like last time I had worked with a nomad, I wasn’t letting any sense of boredom hinder me. It might be a few day drive from Night City up to Seattle, made longer mostly from poor roads, and being forced to take long detours to avoid Raffen territory, but I was fully embracing my cool, to keep an eye on things.

“Right… Right.”

“Sorry, do you want me to chatter about stuff? This is the first time I’ve gone this far from Night City. It’s kinda preem, and I could fill the air about all the cool stuff I’m seeing.”

“Ugh please no. Nomads know every driving game, or have heard everything you could ever see described in every way by bored children… I just didn’t expect you to be this focused… You’ve been staring at the horizon and the camera screens for hours.”

“I’m on a job. I might be a total gonk most of the time, but being professional on a gig is the best way to make sure everyone gets to go home afterwards.” I told her as I do finally take my eyes away from the horizon. “Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll make sure we both get home.”

My words meant to be reassuring made her look a little sour for a moment, she caught that I noticed her expression as it smoothed out.

“It’s not you. I appreciate it, Motoko. I just don’t really have a home at the moment.” She said, her voice seeping with frustration.

“You want to talk about what happened to make you leave?”

“No. No I really don’t. I appreciate it, but just…”

“It’s fine Panam. I won’t push. I’m glad you called me up though. This is nice, getting out of the city I mean.”

“Heh, we’ll make a nomad out of you yet.” She offered and I stuck my tongue out, that wasn’t going to happen. As I had once told Scorpion. I needed a big couch and an AC unit at the end of the day.

—---

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I know this group, not the first time I’ve traveled up this way. Just play it cool, they can be assholes, but they aren’t Raffen.” Panam said as she turned into the ancient gas station on the side of a broken down road we had been following. It was surrounded by a fleet of nomad vehicles, and we had been waved down by a group up on the roof of the pump roof, a little snipers nest up there made out of old lawn chairs.

The truck’s rumbling engine died out and she stepped out.

“Well well look who it is! If it isn’t the troublemaker herself!”

“Scott! You’re still alive? I thought for sure someone would have put a bullet in you by now!” She called out as she put her hands on her sides and cocked her hip out.

“Heh. nothing out here in the desert can catch me girl! Who you got there with you?” He asked, looking to me as I stepped out. I was being nice and not carrying my Nekomata, but I was still suited up, just with my tech gogs up on the top of my head as I stretched my legs and walked around the front of the truck, scoping out everything around me as I met up with Panam.

“This is Motoko, she’s a solo I hired. But the Aldecaldos owe her something fierce. She pulled Scorpion out of a Raffen camp after they ambushed them.”

A long whistle escaped the old cowboys lips. He titled his big old twelve gallon hat up to look me over, his one eye, obviously chrome scanning me.

“Well, if she helped the little brat out from those fucks, she’s at least welcome as long as she doesn’t cause trouble. But I’m sorry to say brat, the path ahead is closed down, has been for a while now. Best turn back.”

“What? C’mon ‘Ol Scott. I need to get to Seattle! What could be closing down the nomad road!?”“That’s obvious, or you wouldn’t be all the way up here, but there isn’t a negotiation here. The Jodes have closed the road entirely.” He slapped a knife hand into his other palm.

“Why? What’s going on here Scott?”

He scowled. “What else?” His question seemed to finally hammer home for Panam as she scowled back, looking pretty fierce as she responded.

“Raffen.”

“Something set them off fierce. They’ve been hitting anything going through the area, and I mean anything. You should have seen Hernando. That big truck of his? They tore it apart. He barely got out.”

“Fuck… That thing was more armored than even my girl… But Scott, we gotta get to Seattle, it’s for a gig from a fixer.” She added at the end, emphasizing fixer heavily.

“Then you’ll just be another one of the many that have tried brat. I mean it. They have all sorts of hardware setup, military. Wait for them to calm down, or find a way around. Only option.”

“Then I’ll find a way around.” She snapped, sighing and rubbing her forehead. “What can you tell me about any other routes?”

“Not much brat. Raffen have been all over these hills the last year. Not sure what is up, but they’re definitely not making it easy for us.” The old man shrugged.

“I know, the Aldecaldos have had trouble recently too.” Panam offered and didn’t get the reaction she wanted.

“Pfft. You’re practically city dwellers, you Aldecaldos.” The old man said, but Panam flipped him off, and they both laughed, so I guess it was a common insult between them.

“Come grab a warm meal, stay the night..” The old man demanded then. Panam scoffed, but accepted, and I was happy enough to accept as well.

I wonder if they had barbeque?

—--

“So why don’t we just kill the Raffen?” I asked as Panam and I were loading up the next morning. We had done as ordered and stayed the night in the Jodes Nomad camp. There hadn’t been barbeque, but they had some faux maple syrup with their faux bacon, and you know what? It was pretty damn good.

“Cause that would be suicide.”

“Too many Rafffen? Too much equipment? Or are you just assuming it’s a suicide run because they told you it was?” I couldn’t help but ask, but Panam threw me a look.

“Both of the first two options. Raffen often have military equipment they pull out of their ass but usually not all the time. If they are just using the shit outright? Probably corp backed. Don’t think of the way being closed by the Raffen, think of it being closed by some mega corp that is supplying the Raffen to keep the pass closed for some reason.”

I couldn’t argue that, nodding along as I slid into the passenger seat. “So what’s the plan?”“I’m going to head east, try to slide around the roadblock. Don’t really want to head into Idaho territory to get to Seattle, but if I have to.” She offered and I just nodded.

“I’ll keep an eye out then. It’s annoying the Raffen are this difficult to deal with. They aren’t after your mysterious package are they?”

“No. Highly, highly doubt it. If they were after us, they would have targeted us and not just hit everything. Something is going on the Raffen don’t want anyone to see. Could be a Mega corp testing some new weapon or something. Or they are just hitting every convoy through this area as an excuse for a megacorp to hide the convoy they were actually after.” She waved out the window and a few nomads tipped hats, or waved back as we set off.

“You ever gone the long way around?” I asked and this time I watched her frown.

“Once. A long time ago.”

“Great. Alright. Just make sure that turret of yours is working.” I grumbled, but returned to my own stakeout, as we set off through the desert broken highways, turning off the long highway we had been taking and heading east.

Neither of us talked much as we traveled. Where before Panam had been almost casual on the drive, now she was actively working. Checking a paper map of all things, looking all around, constantly on the lookout for landmarks and keeping us going.

On the other hand, I was focused on the cameras on her truck, and my own eyes on the horizon.

—--

We were camped that night. Panam had a tent set up and a fire going, which Panam and I were grilling some food on…

Okay mostly Panam, I still had like thirty XXL burritos if I got desperate, but I also wasn’t a cook. So I was happy that Panam was willing to share her Nomad road chili.

“We might run into some trouble tomorrow.” She finally offered and I felt my eyebrows rise up at the sudden words. “Yeah? Raffen?”

“Maybe. The whispers I got updated from ‘Ol Scott said that this territory is sometimes controlled by some Raffen groups. With the main road locked down, likely some smaller groups, or even another big group will move in to try and catch people doing exactly what we are doing.”

I nodded at that, as I spooned some beans and synth meat into my mouth. “If that’s what happens we kill them and move on. Maybe loot some stuff.” I said with a shrug. I had my Nekomata, and Panam had her truck's turret.

“You’re pretty blaze about combat.” She said and I noticed her hesitation. I had always considered Panam quick to jump into a fight as well, but maybe not so much yet? She couldn’t have been out of the Aldecaldos for long.

Hell this might even be her first gig on her own. I hadn’t asked since she didn’t want to talk about her circumstance.

“Are you worried?” I asked and got a scowl in return, but that wasn’t a denial. “Well you aren’t alone, and you brought me in to act as a solo to back you up. If you’re nervous then just have some faith that you aren’t alone.”

“I’m not worried.” She finally denied, but it sounded weak. “I just worry about how many fucking Raffen Shiv we might face tomorrow.”

“You got an Urgan or something right?” I asked and she looked at me like I was crazy.

“Of course I don’t!” She denied harshly scoffing like the very idea was absurd.

“Shame. If I had known that I would have brought my Uragan.” I replied, looking at her like she was crazy. Who doesn’t bring a rocket launcher to a mad max car battle!?

“Who just travels with a rocket launcher!?” She snapped at me, and I had to really hold back on saying that I had gotten the idea from her.

Panam rolled her eyes and finished digging into her meal. I realized that she didn’t want to talk anymore so I went and checked my Nekomata.

She could use a little cleaning from the dust, and I wanted to make sure I could use her for tomorrow if I needed.