Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077

Once the cargo crossed the border, it would be "lost."

Some cargo remained, yet it was already gone; Some cargo was gone, yet it remained.

That's more or less the idea.

But if you want the cargo to "go missing," a single sheet of paper isn't enough.

You need something else—something everybody likes.

"And the cred chip with the money?"

"Right here."

Leo slipped the credchip in between the pages of the customs form.

When the border guard told him to come in for questioning, he had Jackie stay in the car.

They left the engine running, in case something went sideways and they needed to bolt.

…

Leo got out and walked into the border checkpoint building.

First, he deposited his weapons at the service counter. Then, following the staff's directions, he headed to Room Two.

The room was small:

A single table and two chairs took up most of the space.

A border guard was seated inside. Seeing Leo enter, he pointed to the chair opposite him. "Have a seat."

The light overhead illuminated only the tabletop and the guard in front of it.

The atmosphere was tense and meant to put people on edge.

"Your documents."

Once Leo sat down, the guard spoke coldly.

Leo kept silent, taking out the customs form Jackie had given him. He made sure the cred chip was tucked inside before placing it on the table and slowly sliding it over.

The guard was an old hand at this. One glance, and he knew what he meant.

He pulled a separate sheet from underneath the stack of papers weighed down by an ashtray and covered the cred chip. Only then did he pick up the customs form. He barely skimmed it—clearly disinterested in the details. He'd been doing this for years and knew exactly what could and couldn't be investigated. If he actually found something he wasn't supposed to, it'd be bad news for everyone.

"Paperwork checks out. Welcome to Night City."

His tone now was markedly different from before—much friendlier. The cybernetics in his face even managed something of a pleasant smile.

"Thank you. Have a good day, sir."

Leo stood to leave but suddenly heard the guard speak again, out of nowhere.

"Oh, right…which Nomad family are you running with?"

What did that have to do with the current situation?

Leo frowned. He almost replied that he wasn't working for any family these days. But when he saw the guard's face beneath his cap, half-hidden by shadows, he paused, sensing he should be cautious.

"Is that question mandatory? I don't recall it being part of the normal procedure."

"True, it isn't. Let's just call it…personal curiosity." The guard tapped the desk lightly with his finger. "Of course, if you're not willing to share, I understand."

Leo replied without missing a beat. "I've got nothing to hide. I'm with the Snake Nation."

The guard froze. "Come again?"

"The Snake Nation—this car, this cargo, this job—they're all Snake Nation business."

As he spoke, Leo took out a Snake Nation insignia he had ripped from a dead Snake Nation soldier's uniform and laid it on the table.

"Snake Nation, huh?" The guard lit a cigarette.

Other people might not be clued in, but folks like him—who dealt with Nomads all the time—knew them inside out.

Even so, the guard's expression made it clear he was skeptical. "Snake Nation's one of the big seven Nomad Nations. Why would they entrust such valuable cargo to some green kid with no beard and zero track record?"

Anything marked L.O.A. on a customs form was never trivial—easily worth five figures in eurodollars. The guard had a phone right there. If he confirmed the Nomad standing in front of him was just a lone wolf, he could call the corporation to intercept the shipment.

Leo suddenly smiled, planting both hands on the table to lean in and look down at the guard.

"You know, there's a famous saying:

'Never judge a person by their appearance, nor the depth of the sea by a bucket.'

Just because I don't have a 5-inch beard, how do you know I can't get things done?"

Silence fell in the dimly lit room, broken only by the swirl of cigarette smoke in the guard's hand.

After a moment, the border guard leaned back in his chair.

"You've got a way with words. Alright, you can go. Your partner's still waiting in the car—don't forget your personal belongings."

Leo said nothing more. He grabbed the form and the Snake Nation patch and left.

The guard's expression kept shifting. He picked up the phone on the desk, several times thinking about calling Militech. But in the end, he slowly set it down. He was sure Leo and the others were smuggling something valuable. Reporting it to Militech would net him a hefty reward. But he couldn't be certain whether the Snake Nation truly had their backs.

If they were just a small-time family or a lone Nomad, fine. But Snake Nation was massive, even by Nomad standards. Sure, no Nomad clan could topple a corporation, but that didn't mean they couldn't crush one low-level guard like an insect.

And realistically, even if his life were in danger, Militech wouldn't assign bodyguards around the clock for a nobody like him. To the corporation, he was just a replaceable cog.

In the end, the guard decided not to make that call. His life was more valuable than a quick payout.

…

When Leo emerged from Room Two, he saw the staff at the service counter chatting among themselves.

"Look at all these dumb kids who think Night City's some kind of paradise."

"What can you do? Youth is always naïve."

People sat in every available seat, while some who had nowhere to sit stood around. They'd come from all over, chasing dreams of making a name for themselves in Night City.

Leo reclaimed his weapons from the counter and then walked out of the checkpoint building.

He spotted Jackie leaning against the SUV, and the moment Jackie saw Leo, he blurted out anxiously, "So how'd it go in there?"

Leo opened the car door. "I'll tell you in a minute—let's get out of here first."

"Yeah, let's move."

Jackie wholeheartedly agreed.

They both climbed in and drove out of the checkpoint.

Past the station lay roadblocks on both sides, so there was only one way to go—just keep driving.

Once they'd gone some distance and the checkpoint was far behind them, Jackie couldn't hold back anymore.

"So what happened in there? Spill it."

"It was the usual check, except the guy asked me something he normally wouldn't."

"What'd he ask?"

"He wanted to know which Nomad family I belonged to."

Jackie was a Heywood local, barely in the smuggling game, and knew next to nothing about Nomad dealings.

"So how'd you answer?"

"I told him Snake Nation."

"You're Snake Nation?"

"Nope."

Jackie pulled a face. "You think that might be a problem?"

Leo drew his weapon, checked it piece by piece, and then placed it within easy reach.

"Drive, Jackie. Just keep driving."