AN: I own only my OC
The whole room was quite. Nobody dare spoke as they tried to make sense of what had occurred. A few fought against it, railed against the possibility that it might be true. But it was futile. There could be no denying the cold, hard, fact.
Roland was dead. And Jack had taken Lilith.
"Damn it…" Mordecai muttered, taking a quick swig of the bottle he held, attempting to drown his sadness and anger. Brick stood off to the side, a scowl etched onto his scared face. His hands clenched into tight fists. The Slab king stared forwards, glaring at the air as if he wished for it to spontaneously combust.
"We've got to do something!" The two looked to the Vault hunter, his visage set in distress. He was young, younger than most who took up the profession. His eyes bright emerald, fiery red hair covered by a blood stained rag. His torso covered by a red shirt, and jacket, the Crimson Raider Symbol emblazoned on the back. He shifted, adjusting the twin Maliwan Corrosive and Slag pistols were holstered to his leggings.
"I don't know kid." Mordecai muttered taking another swig of his drink. "I need to think of something."
"What the hell is there to think about!" The teen asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. "We need to save Lilith!"
"We don't even know where he might take her." The sniper sighed, tossing the empty bottle to the side uncaringly. "I know you're frustrated Max but shouting won't help." Max sighed helplessly as he sat down, cradling his head in his hands.
"I know but…" the vault hunter began pausing to sigh, "I should have seen it. I was looking right at him when it happened." He stood up with a shout, the various screens across the room flickering and turning red for a split second, a show of his technopathic abilities. Mordecai shook his head, paying no mind to the short lapse in the teen's control of his power. "Don't put that on yourself kid." He stood resting his hands on the holotable. "Nothing you could've done, happened to fast. If you want to blame anybody blame Jack." The teen said nothing only looking on at the poster of Roland, his eyes unfocused. Suddenly a beep sounded, signaling the beginning of an ECHO call.
"I want all of you, every single one of you dirty bandits to think." The trio scowled at the sound of the hated voice, the voice of Handsome Jack. "Roland, was the oh so wise leader of the Crimson Raiders, he took on any challenge that came for him, and I killed him." Max grit his teeth, the various screens around the room flickering. "You're oh so strong and wise leader and I killed him. Without breaking a sweat." Jack said, his voice angry and mocking. "I captured Lilith! The most powerful Siren on the planet! Again without ever breaking a sweat! What hope do you, or your precious vault hunters have of stopping me? What-" His rant was drowned out by Max's scream of rage, the electronics in the room blanking out before his face appeared upon ever screen.
"Hey Jackhole!" he shouted, his words reverberating all across the planet wide ECHOnet. "It's me. The child murdering psychopath." Silence reigned, nobody dared speak, all of the chatter from outside had ceased. "How does it feel?" The quiet persisted before the madman spoke one word, so softly whispered that it almost wasn't heard. "What?"
"How does it feel Jack?" Max asked again, "How does it feel when you lie boldfaced to the entirety of this planet to hide your cowardice? Well congratulations Jackie! You killed Roland. You killed a man whose weapon wasn't drawn, whose back was turned, whose shield and guard was down!" there was no response from the masked tyrant, but Max didn't care. He was on a roll. "How does it feel knowing you accomplished the only thing you are good at: killing those who had no chance of fighting back? How does it feel knowing Roland could have taken you with both hands tied? All you ever do is talk in your big Hyperion base while your loaders and engineers do all the work. While Wilhelm slaughtered countless innocents you sat on high." Max laughed, a rueful and broken laugh, but above all else? Angry.
"Shut up." Jack ordered, his anger flowing freely through the comms.
"Or what Jackie?" Max mocked, his visage smiling. "You going to shoot me in the back like the coward you are? It figures you'd need the world destroying Warrior to wipe out all of the 'bandits'. You're so pathetic that you couldn't do so otherwise!" Max laughed again. "To think I was actually scared when this all began. Handsome Jack was the bogie man, a monster that left nothing alive in its wake. But now? Now I see. What you are is just a weak, scared, pathetic parasite of a man who lets others do the fighting for him. Well I got a news flash for ya Jackie! Wilhelm is dead, I killed him. He died screaming in agony as corrosive rounds ate away at his flesh. You're sheriff girlfriend at Lynchwood? Dead. She didn't get the chance to scream before Zero put a bullet in her skull. All your loaders? Demolished by Maya and Axton. The bunker? Krieg and Salvador turned it into scrap metal. Your Engineers can't do much more but scream as Gaige and her Deathtrap tear them apart." The screens flickered, showing each of the Vault Hunters and their deeds. Zero standing tall, bloody sword drawn. Axton crouched, assault rifle and two turrets at the ready. Krieg and Salvador back to back, weapons drawn. Maya standing atop a mountain of broken loaders, hand extended and a small orb cradled just above it. Gaige smirking triumphantly as she sat atop Deathtrap amongst the fallen corpses of Hyperion Engineers. Max charging forward shotgun at the ready a small force of converted loaders at his back.
"Shut up." The tyrant ordered again, his voice louder.
"But I have one more question for you Jackie." Max continued, smirking "How does it feel knowing she chose us?" Max waited, the whole planet waited for Handsome Jack's reply but when no reply came the teen continued. "Does it crush you inside, knowing that your own daughter rejected you? Does it eat away at you knowing that she chose to die then remain in your 'care'. How does it feel knowing that she chose us! The bandits, the monsters, the blood thirsty savages over you! Her own flesh and blood?"
"Shut up."
"It must really hurt right?"
"Shut up!"
"I wonder if her mother would be proud of her. You think she would say she did the right thing?"
"SHUT UP!" His shout echoed through the comms, his rage at the boiling point. "Everyone you have ever known, seen, talked to, passed by on the street. Everyone you know and care for will DIE!" Max laughed loudly, completely disregarding the man's threat.
"Oh that's the Jack I know and hate!" he mocked, "Tossing out threats like they were going out of style!" Max's smile fell replaced by a hard scowl. "Now let me issue a promise." He said, emphasizing the word promise.
"We are coming for you, us Vault hunters. You may have your Loaders, Engineers, Constructors. You may have killed Roland, and captured Lilith. You have the key and may even open the Vault, thus raising the Warrior." His hands tightened into fists, knuckles becoming white. "We will come for you. We will crush, rip, slash, demolish, and tear through all of that. And after we have destroyed your private army, after we have brought the Warrior low, then we will take you. And we will take everything you have built, everything you have aspired to, everything that you have ever loved and tear it down. Then once we have done that, once you have felt the anger and retribution of those you have wronged. Once all that is left of you is a bloody shivering pathetic mass. Then, and only then will you have my permission to die." Max paused, taking a moment to collect himself. "We are the Vault Hunters. We are Pandora. And we will break you." With that Max cut the comm. with a thought. Allowing the silence to engulf the room.
ΩΩΩ
Jack shook, with anger, grinding his teeth as he glared at the screen. The little brat didn't know who he was messing with. He would crush him; he would crush all the Vault hunters. They would know his wrath, his anger. He turned sharply from the console stalking off. Although the CEO would never admit it to anyone, even to himself, he felt a twinge of fear at the thought of combating all of those Hunters but he shook it off quickly enough.
"I'm the hero." He muttered to himself, "The hero never loses."
With that he continued on burying the fears as far down as he could and walked into the shadows.