This one is a very short chapter, but unlike a certain other chapter, it's not because I'm struggling – I just genuinely wrote this chapter and thought 'that's a good length for this'.

The next chapter will also be fairly short – I'll crack on and get it done today to make up for the long gap in uploads and we can expect it to be posted sometime tomorrow.

09:08, 9th August 2089

Dead Kings Camp, Colorado

Vann had awoken several times throughout the night – he was sat down in a small fold-out khaki chair, with both arms folded on the cream cot Tara rested upon. His head often rolled down onto his arms, only for him to wake up with aches in his stomach, making him lean back and fall asleep again, only to find he had almost fallen back out of the chair.

But, with a few hours lost here and there, he'd remained with Tara all night. And, as the sun rose over the small encampment of Dead Kings, Vann found she was finally awake, with her wide and toothy grin on her face, even if her eyes were half-closed.

"Hey, Chip," Vann said as he reached out to fold his fingers around hers. "How you doin'?"

Her light hazel eyes rested as she looked down at her leg. A long, grisly scar ran down her thigh and led to what remained of her kneecap. Instead, there were a series of black titanium-weave rods connected with bolts and cables. She frowned, rolling her new cyberleg over and examining it. Vann's breath caught in his throat and he examined her face, waiting for her reaction.

"Well…" She let out a long sigh, "at least I get to save on razors now."

Vann's face fell. It was the most Tara-thing she could have said. "Chip, I-"

"I'm kidding," she assured him, "I gave up shaving my legs, like, a month after we got together."

Vann licked his lips. "I fucked up, Chip. Coil's dead."

Tara let out a long breath. "How did Lincoln take it?"

"He ain't back yet. Rode out with Tyler two days ago. Some sorta… father-son bullshit."

Tara nodded. "So, what, Nitro's runnin' things?"

"For the moment."

"He gonna speak to Lincoln for you?" Tara asked. "I mean, it was his plan-"

"No," Vann sighed, "I got Coil shot and your…" He glanced down to her cyberleg and swallowed. "Should be me."

Tara stretched out her hand and made a grabbing motion until Vann gave her his hand. "I thought you were done with all of that," she said quietly.

"I was- I am," he assured her. "It's… I just got…" He shook his head. "I don't even know…"

"Vann!" A voice bellowed from outside. "Get the hell out here, now!"

Vann looked up to Tara, who gave an uncomfortable smile. "I think Lincoln's back."

He gave her a smile and stood up, his boots thudding along the metal grates before he climbed down the three steps and exited the khaki tent, where he saw the stout old man in his black leather cut, glowering at the teenager ahead of him.

The sun was hanging high in the morning over the Dead Kings encampment. Multiple tents and trailers were crowded around together into a make-shift town. Some of them worked on their cars and bikes, others were still eating their breakfast, but most had began about their chores for the day. This meant that quite a few spectators were gathered, watching Lincoln and Tyler Eaton stare down Varrick Morgan.

To Lincoln's right was Tyler – Settling into his thirties and still looking as youthful as ever, despite the hard living. Caramel skin, light blue eyes, a square jaw, tall, lithe and slender. On the other side of Lincoln was Nitro, packed with enough muscle to punch a crater into the earth.

"Take it easy, Lincoln," Nitro urged him, "it's done. Ain't no point in tryna change what's passed…"

Lincoln ground his jaw with narrowed eyes and finally pointed to the tent. "Chip gonna be okay?"

Vann took in a deep breath and shrugged. "I dunno…"

"But Coil got shot?"

Vann looked down to his feet. Coil had always been nice enough to him. He was a bit of a dolt, but he put the clan first. "Coil got shot."

"Dead Kings never die," Tyler murmured under his breath. Nitro echoed the sentiment rather quickly.

"Dead Kings never die…" Lincoln said tersely, his eyes glued to Vann. "You've broken our pact with the Revenants." He said quietly, rubbing his forehead. "There ain't no chance in hell that Kadir will let this lie-"

"Oh, for- Kadir can go fuck himself!" Vann blurted out, unable to bottle up the frustration any longer.

Lincoln stepped forwards, but Tyler came between him and Vann, holding his father back. "You are fillin' graves we ain't even dug!" Lincoln scowled.

"Listen, dad, just… cool it, yeah?" Tyler put a hand on Lincoln's shoulder. "Look, first thing we need to do is get the Jodes to reinforce us, okay? This can wait."

Lincoln's eyes roved back towards Vann and, a moment later, he straightened up, staring him down with a clenched jaw. "Your decisions are burying us one shovel of dirt at a time," he stated. "I hope you're good with that."

With a final glare, Lincoln turned and walked away with Tyler, leaving Nitro to gravitate to Vann's side. He spat out onto the dirt behind the Eaton men and turned to Vann. "You did good, kid," he said softly, "you did what needed doin', like a real Dead King." He clapped him on the shoulder and gave a smile. "And, listen, Coil- Chip, they knew what they were gettin' into – a small price to pay to deal with the Demons-"

"Go fuck yourself, Nitro…" Vann said, walking back towards the medical tent and disappearing inside.

Like I said, very short. Possibly the shortest chapter I've written in, like, 10 years. But, I think it's served its purpose – it was always going to be a short chapter. The next chapter should be closer to the usual length.

So, review and all that jazz, but I also have news – 8 chapters left.