The desert wasn't a place V would ever call home. But, it was starting to grow on her. Every time they walked back to camp from their little adventures she would pause to watch the camp operate. For V it was a constant reminder of her freedom. The duo made their way into the camp. Members were packing up expediently, but calmly.

Their leader, Panam was hunched over a white table, plotting the group's next destination.

"Hey, could you make sure we got everything packed and ready?" V asked. "Gonna speak with Panam 'bout getting the panzer ready to move."

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit," Judy said.

Panam looked up, giving a small smile. "Hey V, How's everything?"

" It's good, can't complain." She said. "Came over to see if you needed help with something."

Panam shrugged, giving a tired sigh. "Same old stuff, help me pilot the panzer. We got our route planned for El Paso Texas next. We're gonna have a few people stay back and pack up as usual. The rest will scout ahead and set up up shop."

There was that sigh again. V took the time to study the woman; Panam was the kind of girl to have a plan from A to Z, scrutinizing each detail of each one. However, V could see how much it all stressed her out.

"You know boss," V leaned on the table across from Panam, giving her a sympathetic yet teasing look. "After we move this time, maybe we should take it slow, see the sights."

"Wish I could, but I just don't have the time at the moment," Panam lightly slaps V's shoulder. "Sides, If I want to rest I want to do it with my sister at my side."

"Yeah, but you don't gotta move the whole camp just cause o' me," V said.

"V, we're doing this for you whether you like it or not." Panam's words were precise but held a loving quality to them. "I promised you we'd find a fix for this and that's what we're gonna do."

There was no room for discussion. V could only give a grateful smile and say "Thanks… Panam."

The woman in question smiled back. "Don't mention it. Now before I forget, Our ripper doc, Avery, wanted to talk to you, said it was important."

"Alright, I'll hop on over- Don't overwork yourself, ya hear?" V said.

The doc's office or rather a tent was about the only thing standing in the camp. Avery looked up at the approaching V, his soft eyes a heavy counter to his punk style of tattered clothing and neon spiked hair. He gave a small smile and wave, beckoning her over.

"Well, If it isn't the woman of the hour."

"Hey Avery, got something for me?" V asked, stepping into the tent. "A little late to be cuttin' into me."

Avery laughed. "Nah, Just wanted to update you on some things."

Right, V had forgotten about her checkup. It was one of the first things she did when they settled down In Tucson. Avery beckoned her to his tablet. Swiping and tapping a few Icons brought up a schematic of V's head.

"Now, I think I made some headway on this problem of yours." Avery handed her the tablet. "Like everyone's been sayin', The shard in your head is rewriting you on a molecular level; Your D.N.A to be exact. Your body is essentially treating you like a foreign body; a virus." Avery began to fish through his medicine cabinet.

"The Shard isn't helping as it is moving the mutation at breakneck speeds. What would take anywhere from five to ten years to kill you is doing so in six months. And for that, I have a few solutions."

V perked up, looking at Avery with hopeful eyes. "You really found a solution for all of this?"

"More like the first step," Avery corrected, packing up a few more of his tools. "First things first is addressing the D.N.A thing. The pills you take; The ones that slow the mutation?" The ripper-doc produced a silver shard.

"This here is a shard that contains a concentrated dose of the pills you take now and are slightly modified. Its strength is quadruple that of what you take now. It'll release a microdose that should slow degeneration considerably." The doctor smiled. "Life expectancy should shoot up to about two years."

"Wow, Avery, this is good fucking news!" V said, a smile spreading from ear to ear.

Avery gave a smile. "When there's a relic malfunction the second shard will inject the medicine." Avery gently plucked the tablet from V's hands "Oop, one more thing before I forget. This shard… Might mess with your hormones so just a heads up-kay, bye!" Avery said, quickly exiting the tent, but not quickly enough as V caught up to him.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on did you just say it'll mess with my hormones?"

"Uh, yes I did." The doctor stated.

V blinked, waiting on an expanse of Avery's answer. However, all she got back was an inquisitive stare from the doctor.

Avery turned back to the task at hand, which was packing up his stuff. "I take it you don't know the full extent of what that means."

"Not a clue Avery."

The doctor gave a hum, loading up another thing of supplies in his truck, and spoke as he did so. "In short, the medicine will either make your hormones dip or spike."

"Is…Is That bad?"

Avery gave a chuckle as he loaded the last of his things. He closed the trunk to his truck, leaning on it after he did so. He looked up, giving a look of deep thought, finding the words that would better educate V.

"So essentially there are a bunch of signals in your head that say 'Hey, I wanna fuck that person' or 'Hey I fuckin hate that person and I want him dead.' or 'Hey I hate that person and what to fuck them.'. These chemicals are going to be out of whack when taking this medication."

V could only give a confused and bewildered stare as Avery explained the side effects of the medication.

"Well that doesn't sound too bad," V concluded. " It'll just be high school all over again." She joked.

"Eh, That's what they all say." Avery joked. "Judes gonna have to fight you off with the stick if you ever experience a spike."

V gave a sardonic smile and a sarcastic laugh. "Oh haha, is that all?"

"Yep, now head back to the chief before she bites our heads off," Avery said. "Oh, one more thing: If for any reason you experience an intense spike you come back take it out and come to me for diagnostics."

V nodded and turned, giving one final wave to the doctor before heading back to the panzer. She peered in the tent, seeing Panam above climbing inside and Mitch below doing a last-minute check-up as usual.

The veteran peeks from behind the panzer. "Hey kid, took you long enough." He jokes. "Everything's set, just hop in when you're ready."

V gives a nod in his direction, climbing on the behemoth. The panzer always ran smoothly under the aldecaldos' engineers. However, it was long overdue for a paint job. The poor thing was scratched beyond belief and was caked with dirt.

V climbed up, the hatch opening as she approached. She sat inside the dark cabin as the hatched closed.

Panam gave a brief glance towards V "So how'd the talk with Avery go."

"Honestly," V smiled. "Pretty damn good; Ave' was able to whip up a cocktail that could help with the degenerating nerves. Not a permanent fix, but he said life expectancy would go up a few years."

"V, that's amazing news!"

"Yeah, get to see the sun a few more times I guess."

"... You don't sound too happy about that."

"No, believe me, I am." V corrected. The woman gave a chuckle as she prepared her side of the panzer. "Just been in my head a lot is all. There was a time I would say I didn't care whether I lived or died, but now I'm fighting tooth and nail to cling to what life I have now."

"Well, we're headed to new pastures alright?" The panzer roared to life, ready to move. "Try to focus on the positives."

V nodded, taking a breath. "Right." Whatever awaited her beyond the dusty horizon she would welcome with open arms. After all, how could she be afraid with her whole family behind her?


And done. First off, I want to apologize for this chapter taking so long. I was trying to force a larger narrative, but i think I will just "enjoy the ride." And focus on making each chapter its own story. Like a tv show. Hopefully, the third chapter won't take too long. Thank you for all your support.

Till next time!