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"Thank you for listening to WPND: Pandora's Best and Only Radio Station. We're gonna start this next hour out with a lil somethin that we feel speaks for itself here on Pandora."

Drain the Blood: The Distillers

Maya's eyes opened and looked at the alarm clock on the desk. She let it play. It had just been yesterday that she had returned with the Hyperion core but she hadn't delivered it yet. She needed to talk to Roland first, get a second opinion. Wilhelm had done a number on her, but she'd liked it. Her body ached and she could feel her sore muscles straining to sit up. It was worth it, she was the new Siren in town and she felt that she had something to prove to the older vault hunters.

Older, heh, only 'cause they had been there longer. She had come to Pandora looking for answers and as she had hoped, found another Siren. However, this Siren was only a young woman (younger than herself) who had come here looking for the same thing. Answers. No one had any.

Getting up Maya hit the alarm clock and threw on some clothes. It was tight living quarters in Sanctuary, the headquarters of the Crimson Raiders had luckily had enough space for each of them to have their own room. Wandering down the hall she heard a meeting had already begun to take place.

"I'm telling you, I don't care how much juice the old core has. We can't risk it!" it was Roland's voice.

"But if it works our shields would triple in strength!"

Maya rounded the corner and took her place at the table with the others. A large map of Pandora sprawled out and a box of stale pizza sat in the middle.

"If shit goes down we need an escape plan" Lilith added leaning forward from her place next to Roland, "we've been led into one trap after another by Hyperion and we've been lucky, but we are dealing with more than just our own lives with this one."

"Scooter thinks we should just do it!" Axton quipped shrugging his shoulders and stuffing a piece of cold pizza in his mouth, "he said it doesn't look like anything unusual, it doesn't look tampered with, just a good ol' fashion energy core. I mean, even if our shields are down for a second do you really think Jack will be THAT ready?"

Roland ran his hand along his jawline deep in thought, "Mmm I still don't like it."

There was a silence. "Just tell me what to do with it and it'll get done"

"Heyyyy Maya! Way to really kick some ASS out there yesterday!" Salvador chimed, strategy hadn't really ever been his thing.

"Yeah way to show me up man" Lilith had been top Siren, well only Siren, 'till Maya showed up. But Lilith had been nothing but friendly toward Maya, perhaps it was seeing someone who shared the tattoos. All Maya knew was that she enjoyed having another Siren to share the burden with, someone who knew what it felt like to have that kind of energy in your control and what it was like to deal with people who were...well everyone else.

Maya smirked at Lilith "Well someone's got to put you in your place!" she gave the other girl a teasing laugh. She was getting impatient. If she wanted to sit here and flirt with Lilith she sure wouldn't do it in front of the guys, they needed to make a decision about this thing right now.

Wait. Flirt with Lilith?

"Am I taking the damn thing to Scooter or not?"

"Take it." Roland snapped out of his thoughts, "Take it and we will deal with the consequences if something happens."

Lilith stood up, "Just like that? MAN you're thick!" She let out a frustrated breath.

Maya's eyes flicked between Roland and Lilith as she stormed out. They were an odd couple and really hard to read. "I'll get right on that then..." She slipped out of the room leaving the guys to deal with that stew themselves. She hadn't taken a shower since her fight with Windhelm and damn it if she was going into another potential fight with old fight grime on her!

Upon returning to her room Maya found Lilith had beaten her there. The Firehawk was sitting on top of the Hyperion core in the corner of her room.

"You can't be serious Maya."

"I don't know what will happen and neither do you. What if nothing happens!" Maya sat down on the bed with her legs folded under her.

"Can we really take that risk? People could get hurt, people could get KILLED." was Lilith pleading with her?

"So do we wait until the old core runs out, our shields go down and Jack makes his carefully planned move? You know he will have something planned when that happens. If we put it in now we spoil that plan before it even gets made. Lilith, the people in Sanctuary are in danger everyday. We either take that risk today, or we wait for the inevitable" Maya took a deep breath.

Lilith's eyes were searching hers trying to make sense of the situation, "You are the closest thing I have to any sort of family, I just want you to make the right decision."

"But Roland..." Maya began.

"Roland can't tell his head from his ass sometimes!" Lilith interrupted her and began pacing in front of the bed. "And I'll be honest with you, things haven't really been great with him since he got back."

"Lil I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"I know you didn't, I shouldn't have even said anything" Lilith stopped her pacing and let out a frustrated groan "Whatever, get that thing to the power station and just do it."

Lilith left with a slam and Maya was left in her room with words echoing in her ears. Leaving her towel on the bed Maya reflected as she dressed. Family? I guess she would be the closest thing to family I have too but we've never really talked about our pasts. I guess if she and Roland aren't getting along it would explain her irritability lately.

Maya picked up the core and slung it under her arm. Here we go! This is either a really good idea. Or a really bad one.