"C'mon, Lexi, you can do it! Just one more mile!"

Alexia huffed and puffed; her lungs were on fire. She was running on a treadmill in the Skulls' gym as Jess stood beside her, shouting encouragement. Around them were many other Skulls engaged in similar workouts, preparing for battle with the Roses.

Although she was only running at a jog, she'd been going for over a mile at this point. Before this had been a relentless series of squats, planks, wall sits, burpees and jumping jacks, all under Jess's watchful eye. Every single muscle in her body was exhausted, and while Jess was no drill instructor, Alexia had kept pushing. The prospect of disappointing someone so nice and encouraging had felt much worse than the threat of getting screamed at.

"I…I can't do anymore!" Alexia whined. "My legs are gonna fall off!"

"No they're not!" said Jess. "That's physically impossible!"

"It feels like they are!"

"One more mile is nothing, Lexi! Just keep pushing!"

Alexia's feet had gone numb. Her ratty tennis shoes were doing nothing to soften her footfalls on the polyvinyl treads. She could feel the conveyor belt, pushing her farther and farther back as she struggled to keep up.

This is it, man. I'm gonna die, she thought. I escaped bullets, explosions, and a fighter jet, but a fucking treadmill's gonna be the thing that does me in.

She couldn't push anymore; Alexia mashed a red button on the electronic console in front of her, which stopped the treads under her feet. She was drenched in sweat, sucking in air through her burning lungs. The display on the treadmill told her she'd run about one and a quarter miles.

"Hmm. Your stamina's really low." Jess frowned. "Do you have asthma?"

"I…had it when I was a kid." Alexia coughed. "I mean, I mostly grew out of it."

"Well, not to freak you out or anything, but the snipers run a lot in their training – like, three or four miles a day. I can get your stamina up, but it might take a while."

"Th…that's okay, Jess." Alexia sipped her vitamin water, trying to catch her breath. "You did the best you could…I guess I'm too weak to be a sniper."

"We can't just give up, Lexi!" Jess shouted. "Look, with how good you are with guns, we need you in our snipers. The only reason they do all this running and shit is 'cause snipers are self-sufficient. If they're on a stealth mission somewhere and they get in trouble, they're on their own. We can't really rescue them without blowing their cover."

"I see…"

Jess punched her in the shoulder. "C'mon, stop tripping, man. I know it's tough, but I still believe in you. Full stop."

"Well…" Alexia cleared her throat. "We only have about a week, right? So what are you thinking?"

Jess scratched her chin and thought for a bit. Meanwhile, Alexia chugged some more of her vitamin water; the cool liquid helped quench the fire in her chest, but she still felt like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. She sat down on the treadmill, wondering if she should ask the clinic for an inhaler, but mostly just feeling sorry for herself.

She noticed the other Skulls around them, all of whom were engaged in their own workouts. Almost all of the rowing machines, ellipticals, weight benches, and exercise bikes in the Skulls' gym were occupied. She couldn't help but notice how much more muscled her crewmates were than she was.

I'm comparing myself again. Alexia shook her head. Can you blame me, though? Look at all these guys, it's like a bodybuilding competition. I'll never be one of them.

She was starting to think all of this was a waste of time. However, Jess looked like she'd thought of something. The tall, muscular girl clicked her tongue, looking up at the ceiling with troubled eyes.

"Uhm…Y'know, I normally wouldn't recommend this. But, since we're so short on time, I have something I can give you. It's…"

Jess didn't finish. Instead, she fished around in her purse as Alexia watched anxiously.

Is she gonna offer me drugs? Alexia's stomach clenched. Fuck, what do I do? I want to get in shape, but not like that.

After a moment, Jess retrieved a white pill bottle from her purse. On the front was an acronym, 'BST', written in a jagged blue font. Alexia didn't know what 'BST' meant until she noticed the words below it:

'Bull Shark Testosterone'.

"I used to take this back in my acting days," Jess explained. "For those long days on set, I needed a lot of energy, and this stuff can provide. And I still take it sometimes, because…" Jess smirked, pointing at her stomach. "Even I'll admit, these abs aren't all natural."

"Testosterone?" Alexia frowned. "I don't know."

"It's not as bad as it sounds." Jess screwed open the pill bottle. "I'll just give you, like, half a tablet. If I take too much of this stuff, I start growing hair on my boobs."

Alexia shuddered. "Are you sure about this, Jess?"

"I'm doing the best I can, okay?" Jess's voice hardened. "We need to get you in shape in a week, and this is the only way I see of doing it. If you've got any better ideas, Lexi, I'd love to hear them."

Alexia's eyes fell to the floor. "I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't mean to offend you."

"No, you didn't offend me. I just…" Jess sighed, her face softening. "I just really want you to succeed here, is all. You know your uncle put me in charge of teaching you, right?"

"Y-Yeah, he told me."

"Did he tell you that I asked for it?"

Alexia looked up at Jess and shook her head.

"I mean, he said that it might be a lot, managing our air trafficking operations while also training you. But I told him I was up for it, because…" Jess shrugged. "You seemed like someone who could use a friend. And I'm more than willing to be that friend for you, Lexi."

Alexia's chest filled with warmth. She wasn't used to people saying such kind things to her, apart from her uncle and her brothers. There'd also been plenty of moments when, in the grip of depression, she'd told herself she was too ugly, anxious, and uninteresting to ever deserve friends.

But Jess is willing to be my friend… Alexia's mouth trembled. A small tear leaked from her eye, which she quickly wiped away, pretending to wipe the sweat from her face. She's right. I need help, and she's willing to help me. Even if that makes her job harder…

Alexia stole another glance at the pill bottle. Jess was looking down at her, her face neutral.

"Lexi, it's obviously your body and your choice. But in my opinion, a low dose of testosterone is the best shot we have of getting you in shape in a week."

"D…Do the other Skulls take this stuff?"

Jess nodded. "Even Damien takes it, and he's a total stickler when it comes to drugs. He'll only drink, like, one beer a night."

"And he has those big muscles, too…"

"What'd you say?"

"Uh, I-I mean…" Alexia turned away, blushing. "He…looks like he keeps himself in shape, like you do."

"Oh, he does. We do workouts together sometimes." Jess smirked. "I mean, he gets really sweaty. You should see his abs whenever his shirt comes off-"

"NO! No!" Alexia shook her head rapidly as Jess guffawed. "Look, just gimme the freaking pill, okay? Fuck this shit."

"Alright, alright. I'll stop teasing you." Jess wiped a laughter-induced tear from her eye. "I will say though, it's really cute when your face gets all red like that."

Alexia scowled; she swiped the half-tablet from Jess's hand. Before she could think about it, she downed the Bull Shark Testosterone with a swig of vitamin water.

Initially, nothing changed. Her breaths were still labored, and she was still sweating profusely in the hot gymnasium. But as she sat on the treadmill, she began to notice a yellow tint, like a brilliant sunrise, creeping into her vision and imbuing her exhausted muscles with energy. Before she knew it, her tiredness was gone, replaced with an incredible sense of akathisia. She got up, wanting desperately to move her legs.

"Start the treadmill, Jess."

Jess clapped her hands in delight. She started the treadmill, and Alexia proceeded at a fast walk.

"More."

The pace increased to a jog. She easily kept up, her veins flooded with energy.

"More!"

"You sure?"

"MORE, GODDAMMIT!"

Jess's eyebrows lifted. She hesitated a bit before increasing the pace again, and Alexia began to sprint, swinging her arms by her sides. Alexia's face was contorted into a snarl as she ran, her breaths heavy and laden with venom. She suddenly felt a deep, all-encompassing need to keep going, purely to spite her own body.

"I'M…NOT…WEAK!" she screamed into the air.

"YOU'RE NOT WEAK!" Jess screamed back. "YOU'RE AWESOME, LEXI!"

"I'M…A…SURVIVOR!"

"FUCK YEAH!" Jess chuckled. "Well, I think this calls for a training montage!"

Pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, more pushups. Her muscles burned, her breaths came in great huffs, and she was sweating puddles onto the hardwood floor. But it was the Bull Shark Testosterone that kept her going. Jess was also beside her, showering her with praises and cheers of 'you can do it, Lexi!', but Alexia wasn't listening. Instead, the half-tablet of testosterone had brought out her inner rage, the thing she'd tried to keep hidden for so long. However, she wasn't going to stab anyone with scissors this time; instead, she had the opportunity to focus this rage on something else.

An old, battered punching bag hung from the ceiling. Alexia had decided to skip further cardio training in favor of beating the crap out of this bag, using some pointers Jess had given her on proper punching technique. She'd rolled up the sleeves of her T-shirt, creating an impromptu muscle shirt. A shower of sweat poured down her face and neck as she delivered jab after jab, right hook after left hook, but the Bull Shark Testosterone showed no signs of loosening its feverish grip on her.

"Rising up, back on the street! Did my-"

"Jess, do you mind? I'm trying to concentrate here."

Jess turned down the volume on her phone, which had been blasting "Eye of the Tiger" at full volume while she sang along.

"Sorry." Jess smiled timidly, pocketing her iFruit phone in her purse. "How you feeling, Lexi?"

"I feel good…" Alexia let fly another frenzied volley of punches. "How long does this stuff last, anyway?"

"Depends on your metabolism," Jess answered. "I'm surprised it's lasted so long for you, since you're so skinny."

"Why? You calling me weak?"

"N-no, no, not at all!" Jess laughed a bit. "In fact, having low body fat like you do is a good thing. Makes it a lot easier to get abs later on."

"I don't need abs to take you on." Alexia delivered one last punch, which sent the punching bag flying. "How 'bout we settle this in the ring over there?"

Alexia pointed to the rear wall of the gym. A small boxing ring sat, its tattered ropes and dented platform indicating a decade of heavy use by the Skulls. At that moment though, the ring was empty, and in her roided-up state, Alexia had an insatiable urge to keep hitting things.

Jess scratched her chin, her brows furrowed. "I really meant no offense, Lexi. You sure you wanna fight me?"

Alexia nodded, raising her fists into fighting stance.

"Alright then. I guess I'll show you how we Skulls fight."

Jess led the way over to the ring. Next to it were a few pairs of assorted sparring gloves assorted into cubbies – Alexia picked out a pair of small black gloves, the smallest pair available.

"I'm guessing the Skulls fight as dirty as they race?" she asked Jess.

"Nah, nothing like that." Jess slipped on her own gloves. "These are just training gloves, so they're pretty soft. But basically, first one to tap out loses. And no knockouts, since you took that blow to the head last night. That cool with you?"

"Fine by me." Alexia raised her gloves. "Let's do this, Jess."

The girls climbed into the ring. Alexia didn't want to hurt her friend, but the testosterone thrumming in her veins was convincing her she'd been wronged by Jess, and that the only way to settle the dispute was through fisticuffs.

She thinks she's so great because she's got a nice body? Alexia scowled. I'll show her and her massive boobs.

As the two friends got ready to spar, some of the nearby Skulls had taken breaks from exercising and had gathered round the ring. Alexia could already see some of her crewmates exchanging money, betting on the outcome.

"Yo, Jess! You fightin' the new kid?" one of them called out.

"It's just a training session, guys. Calm down." Jess leaned casually on one of the frayed ropes.

"Well, you still gotta teach her a lesson, Jess!" another Skull shouted. "She cost me a lot of money the other night!"

Jess rolled her eyes. "Fine. One of you guys can ref, okay?"

"Shotgun!" The first Skull, a short stocky man with ginger hair, practically leapt into the ring between the two girls. "Alright, ladies, I want a good, clean fight. No hits below the belt, no rabbit punching, no headbutting, no hair-pulling, and no spitting – that is, unless you two decide to kiss and make up. Now touch hands."

Alexia and Jess bumped their gloves together.

"Good luck, Lexi," said Jess, who turned to the referee. "And Larry, if I catch you trying to slow-count her, I'm gonna clock you right in the jaw. Capiche?"

"A-absolutely." Larry choked out a nervous laugh. "We'll start when I whistle, okay?"

Both girls raised their fists in front of their faces. Alexia was still fueled by the Bull Shark Testosterone, as well as the rush of endorphins that had come from her workout. She bounced up and down on her feet; she'd never fought anyone in her life, but at that moment she was ready to take Jess on.

A whistle sounded between Larry's fingers, and Alexia advanced. Her first punch was easily blocked by Jess, who countered with a hard left hook to Alexia's side.

The training gloves were soft, but a decent punch still hurt. Alexia stumbled, and Jess kept going, delivering blow after blow while cheers sounded from the Skulls below them.

"You're leaving yourself open, Lexi!" Jess temporarily stopped her barrage. "C'mon, try and hit me!"

Alexia panted. Her face stung, and she could feel snot leaking from her nose. Anger pulsed through her veins as she lunged at Jess, but she was again easily blocked. Even though she was taller, Jess was incredibly agile, ducking or blocking every hit Alexia tried to deliver and countering with her own hits to Alexia's face and chest.

"Remember what I taught you!" Jess encouraged. "Rotate those hips, girlfriend, and stay on your toes!"

Alexia did as she was told. On some level, she knew Jess was just playing with her: she could have easily taken her down and pinned her by this point. However, the whole point of their sparring match was to teach Alexia how to fight.

The Skulls below didn't seem to catch this. They were cheering heartily for Jess, urging her to take Alexia down. Their cheering distracted Jess, giving Alexia an opening. She took it and delivered a hard jab to Jess's left breast.

Jess recoiled. "OW! Hey! Below the belt!"

"That wasn't below the belt," Alexia countered.

"Well, below the bra, then! No touchies!"

Jess went on the offensive. Alexia blocked as best she could, keeping her elbows tucked in tight, but she couldn't block every punch. And if that weren't enough, she noticed the yellow slowly fading from her vision – the Bull Shark Testosterone was wearing off.

Jess jabbed at Alexia again, and this one connected with Alexia's right cheek. She stumbled, and Jess used this opportunity to tackle Alexia to the ground. Staying on top of her friend, Jess's hands grasped Alexia's right elbow, pinning her arm to the floor.

Larry looked excited as he got on the ground and started to count. "One! Two!"

"You can tap out now if you want!" Jess shouted.

"Fuck no – AGH!" Alexia was in a world of pain; Jess was pushing her face into the floor with her other arm.

"Three! Four!"

Alexia's legs flailed, but Jess kept her pinned effortlessly to the floor. Sweat dripped like rain from Jess's face and neck and onto Alexia's red, writhing form.

"Five! Six!"

"WOO, cry for your uncle now!" one of the Skulls below heckled.

"No getting outta this one, pipsqueak!" another joined in.

Jess had left Alexia's other arm free so she could tap out. She hit blindly at Jess multiple times, but her strength was fading fast. The testosterone had been purged from her system; she was definitely going to lose.

"Seven! Eight!"

"Hey, Lexi!" Jess shouted.

"What?!" Alexia answered.

"Watch this!"

Just as Larry got to nine, Jess rolled off Alexia. Immediately, a chorus of groans and boos rang out from below as Alexia sat up, massaging the elbow Jess had pinned. Numbness was already spreading through her arm.

"Aw come on, Jess, finish her!"

"I told you guys this was a training session!" Jess shrugged. "You didn't listen, but I guess that's pretty typical!"

"That ain't fair, Jess!" Larry protested.

"Life's not fair! Now get outta here before I beat you up, too!"

Larry stomped the floor, shooting daggers at Jess before climbing out of the ring. The other Skulls in the crowd followed, grumbling amongst themselves as they sorted out whose money belonged to whom.

"You okay, Lexi?" Jess pulled Alexia up off the floor.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Alexia sniffed; Jess hadn't hit hard enough to leave bruises, but her face was on fire, and she was utterly exhausted. There was also the humiliation of knowing how one-sided the fight had been.

Well, I was the one who challenged her, Alexia reasoned. I don't know what I was thinking, but that testosterone is something else.

"Sorry about those guys." Jess scoffed. "I can't believe they're still butthurt about that stupid race. But now that they're gone, we can finish today with some basic fighting techniques. Who knows? Maybe you can take me down one day."

"Fat chance." Alexia smiled and shook her head. "I guess I shouldn't have been talking so much shit. And…hey, sorry for punching you in the boob."

"It's all good." Jess offered her glove, which Alexia bumped. "You put up a great effort there. It's just your technique that needs some refinement. Once you get that down, you'll be just as good at fighting as you are with guns."

Alexia laughed. "I still have my doubts, but okay, Jess. Show me what you know."

"With pleasure."

For the next few minutes, Jess instructed Alexia on close combat, something Alexia had never had to worry about in her years of hunting. But in the criminal world, she knew it couldn't hurt to learn self-defense skills outside of firearms. There was always the possibility her gun could jam, or that she could be disarmed somehow.

Alexia wondered if there was a version of The Zone for hand-to-hand combat. Perhaps, she thought, there was some martial arts master somewhere who could slow down time while fighting. If so, she hoped she would never have to meet someone with such power, especially without a gun.