A Heart in the Machine (Serial Designation V x Reader)

The next day passes in a blur, the excitement of the mission still hanging in the air. Uzi had explained everything earlier, her voice almost frantic as she recounted how her dad had shown her a picture of her mom and Doll's mom at a camp. She believed there might be clues there that could help them find Doll. She even managed to convince her teacher to let them go—though, of course, the rest of the class is coming along for the ride. Naturally, nothing is ever simple with Uzi.

Now, you're on a school bus, heading through the snowy wilderness, the soft hum of chatter filling the air as students laugh and talk amongst themselves. You can barely hear any of it, though, not with your head hanging halfway out of the bus, trying to tighten a bolt on the engine to keep the damn thing from exploding.

Because of course, this is how your day is going.

The cold air whips past you as you twist the wrench, the rumbling of the engine making it hard to concentrate. The last thing you want is to be responsible for blowing up an entire busload of students, especially when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere. As you focus on the bolt, the bus hits a bump in the road, and suddenly, you're losing your grip.

Your feet slip, and for a moment, you're sure you're going to be sent flying right out of the window. Panic shoots through you, but before you can do anything, a hand grabs your leg and yanks you back inside.

You crash into the seat with a grunt, barely keeping your balance as you sit up, breathing heavily from the scare.

"Don't die before I get answers, alright?" Uzi's voice comes from beside you, and you glance over to see her smirking. She punches your shoulder lightly, not hard, but it's enough to snap you out of your haze.

"Yeah, yeah," you mutter, rolling your eyes. "I'll also try not to let everyone else die in a violent explosion, if that's what you mean."

Uzi just snorts and turns her attention back to the window, her gaze sharp as she watches the snowy landscape pass by. You know she's got something important on her mind, but you can't shake the feeling that this trip is about to get a whole lot weirder.

Of course, that's what you're used to by now.

The bus finally comes to a stop, and everyone piles out, the cold air hitting you like a slap to the face. You're just trying to shake off the last bit of tension when your gaze drifts up to the main camp building. And what do you see? The teacher is already on the roof, casually folding out a lawn chair, like it's a normal day to sunbathe in the snow. You blink, unsure if you're seeing things. The sky is overcast and cloudy, making the whole situation even more absurd. Sunbathing in the snow. While it's cloudy. Yeah, okay.

Before you can process the scene, a voice calls out from behind you.

"Hey, what's the point of this trip, anyway?"

You turn to find one of the other students, a guy wearing a turquoise helmet—Braidon, you think—looking up at the teacher.

The teacher just shrugs without missing a beat. "Ask Uzi."

"Who?" Braidon asks, brows furrowing in confusion.

Uzi, who has somehow managed to go unnoticed by everyone until now, incredulously announces, "Who do you think? I've sat next to you for years!"

The entire group goes silent. Everyone turns to look at her, eyes wide, jumping back in surprise and screaming like they didn't even know anyone was standing there. It's as if Uzi's presence just... materialized. You can't help but glance around in complete confusion, wondering how the hell nobody noticed her until now.

You look at her with sympathy, but she just shrugs, her tone sharp.

"Bite me," she mutters, crossing her arms as she looks back at the group. "I wanted to go alone, but he was mad about our test scores."