The future doesn't pass, and the past won't overtake the present. All that remains is an obsolete illusion.

The sun was scorching and the heat was blistering, Panam had no idea why Saul insisted on doing these things out in the open like this. Surely staying put would have been less suspicious. Moving out here into the middle of nowhere? Pure spectacle. It was more likely someone from camp had followed them all the way out here to eavesdrop then anything he could have suspected at camp. She sighed. Saul always did have a flair for the dramatics.

Her gaze turned skyward to the canopy that flapped uselessly in the wind above them. Saul had called a 'tribunal', bringing together several different members of the camp from different backgrounds to reach a judgment together. Mitch was there representing the veterans, Cassidy and Ol' Man Jack represented the 'Elders', a farmer named Paul represented the 'civilian core' of the Family, Dakota was there representing herself, Jeff had reluctantly agreed to represent what Saul called the 'Tech & Rig Crew'. She and Saul were there as their chiefs, of course. They hadn't given an official reason for the meeting, but suspicions were high.

V huffed impatiently next to her, the weather and location doing nothing for his sour mood. Being put on trial probably didn't help either. Mitch looked up from his work securing the cloth canopy to a stake in the dirt and smiled sympathetically. She watched as V looked away, shame and guilt kept him from meeting anyones eye, her own included. Panam was confused by her feelings about his involvement in the bombing of La Grange, but only a little, she was more hurt by his behaviour. He had iced her out. Again.

The Nomad fought to keep from sighing. She tried not to think about the night she finally brought V home. How he had cried himself into a fitfully, nightmare plagued sleep. How he had refused any comfort the next morning, finding an extra tent and secluding himself outside of the camp. At least he had stayed nearby, Panam wasn't sure what she would have done if he had just up and left.

Saul grunted as he entered the area and threw a few collapsible metal chairs into the centre. He was followed by Dakota, Cassidy, Jeff, Paul and Jack. The group set about getting the chairs placed in a circle and then took their seats. Everyone was quiet for a moment, gathering their thoughts.

"So I'm sure everyone is wondering why I've called this meeting." Saul began.

"Has it got something to do with him?" Paul jabbed his finger in Vs direction.

"That shit Taco been sayin'?" Jack asked in a gruff voice. He was a Bright Family Elder and had around since long before Saul had been in charge. "Yer brother is making a fuss of something back at camp." He nudged Jeff roughly in the ribs. Jeff grunted and shifted away from the old man.

"La Grange." Saul answered, staring at his hands. "There's some new information about La Grange."

"What sort of information?" Cassidy frowned. "It's a 10 year old non-mystery."

"Oh for fuck sakes!" Jack agreed in annoyance. "We know what happened. Larry gonked up!" V jerked back in surprise while the other Nomads released long-suffering sighs. "Fuckin' dumby. Since when does BioTech move that much stock across the desert? Pfft. I'll tell you. Never." Panam nodded her head in silent agreement, along with Cassidy and Dakota. The event was a tragedy and she had lost someone, but she still didn't think the Aldecaldos should have been there in the first place.

"Enough Jack. We all know your opinion on the matter. What's the new information? Taco has been going around telling people he had something to do with it." Paul sneered cruelly and pointed his finger at V. The man had never liked V, whether it was an inferiority thing or just a thing against city boys, he had always gone out of his way to bully the Solo. V winced.

"Hey!" Panam defended at once.

"Don't be fucking stupid Paul." Cassidy sighed quietly. Dakota shook her head disapprovingly at him.

"Alright!" Saul stood to get above the noise. The group quieted. Panam cast a glance at V, he was still staring into the dirt at his feet but she could see his jaw tighten. She swallowed. "Yes. Carol and Taco came across some evidence-"

"Some extremely convenient evidence…" Panam interrupted.

"Also yes. Thank you Panam. Anyway, yes the information does link V to what happened there." Saul rolled his eyes and answered.

"How?" Dakota asked skeptically.

"Mason Vesta." Saul spat. The rest of the Nomads flinched away from him, like he had uttered a dark curse. V rocked back on his seat like he had been physically struck. "That's your father. Isn't it V?"

"Yes." The mercenary shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Dakota, Cassidy and Jack winced. Mitch turned an alarming shade of green.

"Who?" Paul asked snottily.

"Militech. Bigwig who authorized the bomb drop." Mitch answered. He was staring at V.

"Still don't answer how the hell the kid's involved." Jack snorted.

"Taco has been saying that V is the one who leaked the false manifest to Lawrence." Paul accused.

"Taco has been going off about it since the Arasaka raid." Jeff groaned apologetically.

"Allegedly! Allegedly the one who leaked the manifest!" Panam cried desperately. "There is way more to the story then we could possibly have known."

"V?" Saul prompted. "Got anything to say for yourself?" Panam shot him a look that could have set the older man on fire.

"Vesta kidnapped me as a teen. Made me do things. Did things to me." V spoke robotically. Her eyes closed involuntarily and her heart thudded against her ribs, it was the first time she'd heard his voice in days. "I got mad. Found a convoy he was supposed to be heading the security for. Decided to fuck with it."

"So you leaked the info?" Mitch asked sorrowfully.

"Yes. To Kang Tao and Maelstrom."

"I knew it!" Paul couldn't help himself. Dakota and Jeff gasped and stared at V in shock. Panam, Saul and Cassidy each felt their eyes close in an attempt to block out the memories of loss. Mitch shook his head sadly.

"How did the Aldecaldos get involved?" Saul asked and V shrugged.

"It was 10 years ago, I don't remember contacting any Nomads. Figured they'd have no interest honestly, it was an equipment run. Nothing valuable… But it is very possible that the leak was more widespread than I thought. I was an inexperienced Netrunner."

Panam couldn't help the exasperated smile that crossed her lips, too honest for his own good that boy. Dakota and Cassidy were considering him thoughtfully, while Saul and Jack frowned. Jeff shifted in his seat and kicked at the dirt, clearly uncomfortable. Paul looked like he was foaming at the mouth.

"Well what are you waiting for!?" The middle aged farmer demanded.

"The fuck are you on about Paul?" Cassidy snorted grumpily. Paul blinked back at him, incredulous.

"He's responsible for the massacre! Exile him! Execute him! Something!" The farmer raved, jumping to his feet and throwing his hands in the air.

"Off with his head!" Mitch cheered mockingly.

"You fuckin' moron." Cassidy sighed.

"Execute him!?" Panam cried in horror. She could still feel his cold, unbreathing body in her arms. V had already lost his life more time then she was ever willing to acknowledge, he had already had many second chances. There was no way in hell she would let the Aldecaldo be the ones to end his lucky streak.

"We are not executioners Paul! We are not Raffen Shiv!" Saul asserted.

"You're damn right we aren't. They would have shot this piece of shit on sight!" Paul fumed stepping toward V. The chieftess felt her muscles tense, readying to spring into action if he moved even a hair closer to her lover. V just looked mildly bored.

"The Raffen Shiv would shoot you for being hung up on an event that happened 10 years ago." Dakota told him matter of factly. "The Raffens don't like pussies unless they're fucking them." The horrified gasp that fell out of Pauls mouth would have been amusing in any other circumstance. Jack huffed impatiently.

"Oh Sweet Lord in Heaven! Why are we here? I got shit to do!" The elderly man pushed himself up from his chair and shuffled to the edge of the canopy. He lit a cigarette and took a long pull.

"We're here because I'm of the mind to give V his jacket." Saul threw his hands heavenward. "And I was hoping to get a general feel of what the rest of the camp feels." Vs head shot up. They still wanted him to be an Aldecaldo!?

"The fuck do I care?" Jack flicked away his smoke.

"WHAT!?" Pauls shrieked in outrage.

"I'd love to hear your objections Paul." Mitch mocked as he leaned forward onto his knees with a wide, sarcastic smile.

"He just confessed to being involved in the bombing of La Grange! His father is Mason Vesta!" He looked about at the other Nomads, incredulous that not one stood with him.

"We don't not punish our brothers for the sins of their fathers." Dakota reminded him firmly.

"He's no fucking brother of mine." Paul growled.

"That's what we are here to decide." Saul stood again.

"Y'all are stoopid." Jack sighed tiredly. The group turned and gaped at him.

"Begging your pardon there Jack. But what?" Panam asked in half amused shock.

"May as well be shootin' the messenger. Kid had nothin' to do with it and you know it. Just lookin' for somewhere to put all that anger and blame. The issue got put in the dirt years ago. Leave it there. He coulda lied jus' then, you realize that?" The old man hacked up a loogie and spat it at the ground at his boots. V watched in digested awe as the old man defended him. "He's good to have around. A one man army. Plus he's finally got Panam to behave."

"Hey!" she stood, ready to defend herself when she caught sight of the old mans shit-eating grin. Her eyes rolled skyward. "Gonk old man." The young woman let her eyes slid to Vs carefully, he was looking at her in wonder. She smiled. If the gonk had just let her talk to him, he could've avoided a lot of misery for them both.

"V deserves his jacket, he's coming over the border with us ain't he?" Cassidy grunted from his seat. Mitch nodded his agreement.

"V is our brother. We should make it official." Dakota nodded sagely.

"You already know my opinion." Panam smirked. She had chewed Saul out for even suggesting the tribunal in the first place, she had insisted that V was her family. If he was exiled, then so was she.

"V saved Tacos' ass from scavvers when they first met, got him a sweet pistol and donated a few cars to the crew. I think people would be pissed if we didn't bring him with us." Jeff surmised. "I'm sorry that my brother is running a smear campaign against you V. He took our mothers passing very hard." V wave his hand dismissively.

"Losing a mother is hard. I don't blame your brother."

"I say we dump him back in Night City and be done with it." Paul grumbled. V crumbled into himself and it hurt her as much as it enraged her.

"Then I will stay in Night City. Along with my gear and my truck." She glared at the farmer defiantly. V lifted his head to look at her and she nodded to him seriously. Nothing had changed.

"Paul, I think Jack may be right." Saul shook his head.

"What is going on!? Am I taking crazy pills!?" The middle aged man leapt to his feet and stalked over to V. "I lost my sister to that massacre! And we're supposed to sit here and accept him into the family?! Fuck you V!" He pulled back a fist to strike the waiting mercenary. Saul and Cassidy leapt to restrain him.

"Stop it Paul!" Mitch had jumped in front of V, intent on defending him.

"Enough." Panam had moved swiftly from her seat to stand directly in Pauls personal space. "You are not the only one who lost people that day. This is your only warning. Do not try that again." He panted angrily at his fearsome leader for a long moment before relenting. Savagely ripping his arms from the hold Cassidy and Saul had on him.

"This man is responsible for the destruction of an entire Aldecaldo Family! Your wife Saul!" The farmer accused. "What would your daughter think, Cassidy? Or your sons Dakota! Are you happy with your mothers murderer walking free Jeff?" He spun toward Panam now. "And you! What would your father say if he knew you were fucking his killer?"

SMACK!

Panam tried to shake away the sting of the slap on her hand with a loud curse. Paul stumbled back into Cassidys chest, the older Aldecaldo grunted and shoved him to the ground. Glares on each of their faces Saul and Mitch hauled the farmer to his feet. Unexpectedly he darted toward Panam, reaching with both hands for her neck.

"You little bitch!"

"Paul!"

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Jesus Christ!"

"Agh!"

Just as Panam felt his fingers graze her skin they disappeared again.

"You don't get to touch her!" Never in the time she had known him had Panam ever heard V sound so dangerous. The mercenary had released his monowire, snapped it around the older mans neck and yanked, hard. Paul went horizontal in the air and landed on his back at Vs feet. The Solos eyes were wild and murderous. How dare he?! He bent down and pulled the older man up by his shirt.

"V!" Saul called in surprise. "Let him go!" The mercenary ignored him and turned his eyes to her. The look he sent her in that moment made her feel simultaneously powerful and vulnerable. She nodded. V frowned but shoved Paul away from him all the same.

"Alright now, lets everyone just stay calm." Cassidy tried to placate the group. His hands were held out in front of him as if he were trying to sooth a group of wild beasts. Paul was panting angrily and staring around at the disapproving faces. He reached up to touch the dark bruises now beginning to line his neck.

"Disgusting. All of you. Inviting him into our Family." Paul spat at Vs feet. In a last ditch attempt to get the final word he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled iron.

"Paul!"

"What the fuck are you doing!?"

BANG!

"No! V!"

V plopped himself down onto a large boulder heavily and stared back at the commotion under the canopy miserably. He removed his now ruined shirt. Mitch set himself up next to him, a first aid kit lay open at his feet and he was carefully inspecting the damage done to Vs arm.

"Piss head couldn't hit the broadside of a barn." The veteran tsked disapprovingly. He methodically disinfected the wound, stitched his skin back together and applied the appropriate bandages.

"Thanks." V grunted taking the appendage back.

"No problem." They both watched as Cassidy and Saul tied Pauls hands behind his back and hefted him into the bed of Jacks truck. Jack and Jeff emerged from under the canopy a moment later, the young techie climbed aboard his motorcycle and with a salute he was off. Jack clapped his hand on Cassidys shoulder and said something that made the other man laugh, he climbed into the truck and motored back toward camp.

"What's gonna happen with him now?"

"He took a shot at a Family member. That's not okay. Mans lucky he's got a wife and kids back at camp, otherwise he woulda been out on his ass." Mitch frowned in thought. "I'm sure Panam will think of something appropriate."

"Why don't they hate me Mitch? They all lost family because of me. Panam…" V marvelled.

"Bah!" The older man dismissed. "La Grange had a lot of moving parts, a lot of poor decisions made by many different people. You were but a single factor, one bullet in a full magazine." He gestured to the group before them. "Not one of them in there can claim they've never made a bad decision. That a choice they made led to the death of someone innocent. It happens. You were a teenager and you've gone out of your way to atone for the mistakes you made. The Aldecaldos wouldn't be where we are without you."

"That's all Panam."

"No. That's you." Mitch poked him in the chest. "Panam wouldn't have had the confidence to return and challenge the status quo if it hadn't been for the fire you lit inside her. You give your all into everything you do, and it inspires the people around you to act that way too. Right now is a perfect example!" He laughed. "You could've lied. You could have easily said you don't know what the hell anyone was talking about. Could've played the blackout off as a side effect of your other issue. Instead you came clean."

V grunted, slightly embarrassed. He hadn't realised that Mitch had been paying such close attention to him. Feeling eyes on him, V turned his head back toward the canopy. Panam was watching him, her hips cocked and her arms crossed, she chewed on her thumb nervously. Beside her Dakota was speaking with Saul.

"Can I ask you something?" Mitch asked with curiosity and just a hint of mischief in his voice.

"Course. I got nothing to hide." V kept his eyes glued to Panam. Dakota had slapped her hand away from her face and pulled the chieftess back into conversation with Saul.

"What triggered the flashback? I asked Panam about it but she got all blushy and stutter-y." Mitch grinned and bumped their shoulders together. "You two doing stuff you shouldn't be out on the highway?"

"She mentioned that The Hub was located in La Grange as a memorial or something." V shrugged easily, but his cheeks were now glowing pink.

"The Hub? Was she telling you the plans for the overflow tech?" Mitch asked with a curious smile.

"Yeah, that."

"...And?"

"Mitch..." He warned.

"Something happened. It's big. I can tell." The former soldier narrowed his eyes. "Is she pregnant?"

"What?! NO!" V squeaked hastily. The others under the canopy looked up at the pair, confused. Mitch was grinning at him predatorily. "I asked her about… marriage." He whispered.

"... Like you proposed?"

"Nah. Back in the city, we had a talk. She said we were family. Her and me." He gave his friend a significant look. "When she told me coming back to camp would be coming home I mentioned -ahem- that we were basically married. Told her I wanted to be married to her." V was sure the glow in his cheeks was visible from space.

"Ya-hoo! I knew it!" Mitch clapped him on the back happily. V hear the mechanics within the artificial limb whizzing and whirling. "Nova!"

"I don't think your elders will let me marry her when they figure out who I am and what I've done." V reminded him sadly.

"Fuck 'em. You didn't do anything."

"There's more Mitch." The mercenary sighed.

"So?"

"V…" Panam had wandered over from the canopy.

"Mitch!" Saul called to the veteran. He stood and gave Panams shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"He's fine Pan. It's hardly a scratch." He told the young woman before scampering away. The look on her face told him to get clear and fast.

V studied the ferocious woman who stood before him in her leather armor and polished utility belt. Her eyes glinted dangerously in the sunlight, her lips set into an angry frown. She cocked her hips to one side and placed her hands on them, she raised an eyebrow at him expectantly. He sighed.

"Panam, I'm sorry."

"Oh no you're not. Not yet. But that is a private conversation for later." She hissed at him. Her nostrils flared and her eyes flashed with anger, but he could tell she was just masking the hurt he had caused. Fucking gonk. "How is your arm?"

"Preem." He rumbled, already reaching for his bloodied shirt. Tiredly he stood from the rock and pulled it over his head clumsily. Unfortunately he managed to get himself tangled in it. He heard her sigh and then her footsteps crunching through the dirt toward him. Soft, warm hands tugged carefully at the material until he was free. They stood together centimetres apart, breathing in each others air, he dropped his arms to his sides. "Ouch! Fuck!" He had pulled at the stitches Mitch sewed into his skin. Panams hand covered the bandages on his arm with gentle pressure.

"Men." She muttered to herself, gazing at the bloody rip in his shirt.

"Sorry." He mumbled. His opposite hand had placed itself on her hip, his thumb slowly stroking back and forth across the exposed skin there. Slowly her resolve to stay angry with him crumbled and her head dropped her to his collarbone for a moment before she lifted her head to look at him. There was relief and anger plain on her face, but love and hurt in her eyes. "Really Panam, I..I-"

"Shut up." She pressed her lips to his, one of her hands slid across his chest the other framed his face. Her lips were fleeting and pulled away far too soon, he tried to chase after them. "We have another meeting to attend." She told him. The Nomad stepped away, tapping her hand none too gently against his cheek. Panam turned and sauntered away, making sure to subtly accentuate the sway of her hips, she glanced behind her. V gaze was stuck on her backside. Good. Just a reminder of what he stood to lose if his gonk-ass behaviour continued.

Eventually he shook himself free of her spell and jogged after her. When they entered the shaded area the others were already sitting and waiting for them. Saul motioned for the pair to sit.

"So V…" Saul started awkwardly. "Panam gave us the basic rundown of what happened."

"I didn't get a rundown." Mitch complained, frowning teasingly at Panam.

"Oh Christ." V groaned. "Basically I have two sets of memories of what went down in La Grange. What I said before is… Basically what I've remembered my whole life. But the flashback I had… I remember being at La Grange."

"Hold up." Saul lifted his hand to signal V pause what he was going to say. "I thought it was two personalities in your brain. Now you got a whole ass secret life too?" Mitch snorted in laughter and even Panam couldn't resist an exasperated chuckle. Dakota frowned. V didn't react.

"Some kind of memory blockage." Panam explained, her heart aching at Vs dejection. "Vesta tortured V and left something in his brain when it was all over."

"I was there." The room was silent. Only Panam had been subjected to his panicked ramblings as V was bombarded with memories.

"Bullshit." Cassidy broke the silence. "They may as well have dropped a fuckin' nuke on the convoy. Nothing within a 2 mile radius survived. The bodies were unrecognizable."

"Bodies?" V whispered. Panam frowned at him.

"Yeah, it was a several week effort to get everyone out and to give proper burials. The bodies were unrecognisable." Dakota reminisced.

"There were no bodies."

"What?" Saul hissed.

"Of course there were." Csssidy reassured him. Still V was shaking his head.

"No. There were no bodies. I remember looking for them." The Nomads exchanged looks. V was not only claiming to be at ground zero of a bomb drop, but that he looked for bodies afterward and found none.

"V, this is a little unbelievable." Saul laughed disbelievingly.

"It's the truth. Or at least, what I can remember of it. There are holes." He sighed, disappointed. Panam and Saul exchanged glances.

"Are you going to be okay if we go to Texas?" The chief asked him. V gulped. On one hand going to La Grange just seemed to him like they would be inviting more trouble, on the other the problem isn't going to go away if he didn't confront it.

Find me son. His mothers voice once more invaded his senses, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his heart rate speed up. He wanted to find her, but he couldn't ignore the eerie feeling the creeped along his skin whenever the memory of her voice sounded from within his head. It was too reminiscent of Silverhand and the Relic.

"I'll be fine. Maybe get some answers." The other Nomads regarded him indecisively. Ultimately they must have trusted him enough to believe he was telling the truth.

"Alright then." Saul stood and collapsed his seat. "Unless anyone has anything else to say…." He nodded. "Okay, then we stay the course and go over the border as scheduled." Everyone stood to pack up, V noticed that Panam remained seated and she indicated that he should too. Mitch winced in sympathy at him, the soldier gave his shoulder a squeeze and exited. Saul, Cassidy and Dakota saluted to the pair and made their ways back to their vehicles.

"Party tonight! Ya-hoo!" Mitch crowed from his rig, speeding off into the sun. He was followed by raucous laughter and more vehicles that soon disappeared into the blowing dust cloud. V couldn't help the amused smile that lit up his features.

"What a gonk."

"Yes. You are." Panams voice slithered over his shoulder and into his ear. Nervously V turned to face his justifiably angry lover. She was leaned back in the metal chair, her arms crossed over her chest and her face challenging him to argue with her. "Sit V, I think we still have a lot to discuss."

The lucidity of my mind has been revealed in new dreams. I am able to travel where my heart goes, in search of self-realization.