Chapter 02
Lorik slowly opens his eyes and is greeted with the picture of his family. His mother and father standing behind a younger version of himself. He runs his fingers over the picture and then gasps in shock as he sees the finger-less glove tattoo on his hand. He falls out of his bed and sees more of the tribal tattoos going up his entire arm. He runs to his bathroom mirror and screams in terror as he sees the markings have reached his face. Three sharp points stretch up from his neck and across his cheeks; all three go across his eyes like scars. He turns his back to the mirror and strains his neck to see the whole damage. More tribal tattoos going all the way down; resembling a pointed spine. Clank then hovers in along with Michael.
"Holy shit, when did you get those? I thought you hated tattoos?" Michael asks as he leans in the doorway.
"I didn't get these!" Lorik starts to rub the skin to try and and brush it all off, "What the hell happened to me?!" Father Grimes walks in with a small smile on his face, "Father! What's happening?!"
"Come... sit and I'll explain." Lorik grabs a long sleeved shirt and slips it on as Father Grimes guides all three of them into the living room. Michael and Lorik sit down on the couch and Clank hovers next to Lorik's head. Father Grimes sits in the lazy chair next to Michael and sighs, "There is no easy way to say this so I'll just say it." Father Grimes takes a deep breath and then looks Lorik in the eyes, "You're a Siren." Michael laughs and Father Grimes raises an eyebrow.
"That's impossible. Only woman can be Sirens. Unless.—Lorik, got something hidden under those jeans?" Michael teases but Lorik keeps his gaze on the priest.
"This is a joke... right? Michael's right only women can be Sirens. And I have balls."
"It was proven when Doctor Rath administered diluted Eridium to stop the pain. Plus you broke Doctor Brown's collarbone without touching her; flinging her across the room." Lorik starts to hyperventilate and Father Grimes rushes to his side, "Put your head between your legs, Lorik!" Lorik does so and Father Grimes rubs the back of his head, "Deep breaths, child."
"This can't be real. Sirens are women, not men!"
"I think we've established that, Mike." Clank says as he hovers towards the stairs, "Help me get all of his projects back in place."
"YOU TOUCHED MY STUFF?!" Lorik gasps as he grabs his chest, "I think I'm about to have a heart attack!"
"Don't be such a drama king, Lorik. Nothing was broken" Michael sighs as he follows Clank downstairs. Lorik takes deep breaths and Father Grimes pats his back.
"There's a shuttle departing for Pandora in four days." Father Grimes places a pouch filled with credits, "You're to buy a ticket and board it."
"Why? You're kicking me out? I'm not a danger to anyone!"
"If the Hyperion Corporation finds out you're a Siren they'll kill you!" Father Grimes grips Lorik's hands and stares in his eyes, "You have to be safe! Pandora is mainly controlled by the Crimson Raiders. You'll be safe there."
"You're kidding right? Monsters, bandits, cannibals? I'll be roasted on a spit as soon as I land! And If not that the Raiders will force me into service!"
"Not if you finish Ebony and Ivory."
"How do you know about them?"
"Clank told me."
"Damned big mouth."
"Go on and get back to work. Doctor Rath and I will be back in four days to drive you and Michael to the port. In the mean time do not leave your property and do not see anyone besides Michael, Brown or myself." Lorik nods and Father Grimes walks towards the stairs, "Be safe, my son." Lorik smooths his hair back with a sigh and walks down the stairs.
"See you soon, Father." Father Grimes waves goodbye and closes the shop's door behind him. Lorik walks out the back and through the maze of junk. He enters his shack and Clank is hovering over the visor and chip.
"What is this?"
"You keep asking and yet I'll give you the same answer; none of your business."
"These are some beautiful pieces man. How did you find the materials for them?" Michael asks as he stares at the two pistols.
"Hyperion leaves their storerooms unlocked. I got their best tools and supplies from their Depot."
"That's a dangerous game, man."
"But so worth it." Lorik sits down and starts tinkering with the black one, "Clank, get the next Sun Disc ready!"
"Yes sir!" Clank flies out of the shack and Michael sits next to him on a nearby stool.
"So Clank answered my ammo question but the three elements you want to use in these guns... how will you find more of those?"
"What do you mean?" Lorik puts on a pair of goggles and Michael gets sidetracked by his Siren Marks, "Mike?"
"Sorry. Uh... you'll eventually run out of Acid and Fire and Electricity. So how will you stock up on those?" Lorik holds up a clear vial with a dark green liquid in it, "What's that?"
"The chemical compound for Acid." Lorik slides the vial in the revolving magazine that has only three slots, "See...the Sun Disc gets its power from solar rays projected by a sun. It generates heat, and where there's heat-
"There's energy." Michael finishes with a nod.
"Precisely. And the energy is fed through this." Lorik points out the cocking mechanism that's similar to most revolvers, "I substituted this as the safety." He then points out a small, long light that goes across the entire top of the barrel, "This lights up in green, blue or red depending on the element I want to use."
"Telling you it's done charging the element where the solar flares come in."
"Told ya. I'm a great teacher." Lorik teases as he punches his friend's shoulder, "So when it's done charging all I have to do is pull this back and it' ready to fire."
"And the revolving magazine doesn't just serve as the hold for the compounds, right?"
"No. Once I choose the compound it slides midway up the barrel and then the revolving mag spins according to the fire-rate I want."
"You are a God, my man." Michael laughs as Lorik slides out the compound, "How far are they from being finished?"
"A day or two. All I need to do is finish calibrating Ebony's fire sequence and get a hold of another cooling coil so it doesn't overheat."
"You can easily get one those at my shop."
"Hyperion has better ones. No offense."
"None taken. They might be a fascist, corrupted business but they make quality shit." Clank flies in with another sun disc and hands it to Lorik. Lorik slides it into the black gun and then welds it shut.
"Clank I need you to go to the Hyperion Depot and get one more cooling coil for me."
"Yes, sir!" Clank flies back out and Michael slides his stool towards the other table where his hover-board is.
"Is this done?"
"Yup. Already took it out for a few test drives and she runs like a dream."
"And what about this? Clank seems interested in this."
"That's an A.I. Chip. Once inserted into the visor all the files connecting my board and guns will be accessed through Clank."
"A Neural Net. I like it."
"I'll be able to choose which element and fire-rate in my guns and the propulsion rate and speed in my board."
"Plus your standard A.I. Interface. Quicker reactions and observation. Deal with more data and Intel and have the tools to see things further and clearer."
"I think you just quoted me when we were working on Clank." Lorik laughs as he closes the magazine to Ebony and starts working on Ivory, "Oh Father Grimes also wants us to leave for Pandora in four days."
"I know."
"You know?!"
"He told me while you rested. Though he wouldn't tell me why; I know why now. I still can't believe you're a Siren, man. I thought only Women can be Sirens."
"That only goes to show how deep the Eridians have cut into Human civilization. Who knows how many male sirens there can be in the universe?"
"What if you replace one of the spots for the female Sirens?"
"That would make more sense. But what's most worrying is that the Hyperion Corporation no wants me dead."
"What the fuck?"
"Father Grimes told me that Hyperion is hunting down Sirens. So I need to steer clear of them and The Crimson Raiders."
"Why the Raiders?"
"If Hyperion wants Sirens dead it can only be, because the Raiders want them for some reason and I will be nobody's pet." Michael laughs as he rolls over to the mini-fridge and takes out two cans of beer.
"Brewski?"
"Sure." Michael kicks the door closed and then rolls back next to Lorik, "Thanks." Tyler pops it open and takes a few sips, "Hey, can you hand me the sonic driver?" Michael grabs a tool that's hanging from the ceiling and is connected to a large gas canister by a hose and gives it to him, "Thank you."
"So why Ebony and Ivory?"
"Hm?"
"Why name your guns Ebony and Ivory?"
"I put my first two year's saving towards getting the actually materials ebony and ivory. I then used them along with a standard Dahl alloy."
"Dahl does make sturdy guns." Michael chuckles as he takes a swig from his beer, "So you have Hyperion and Dahl in your guns. Anything else?"
"I bought the compounds from the black market. I know a guy and he stole them from Maliwan." Michael's eyes widen and Lorik raises an eyebrow, "What?"
"Jesus dude! All your missing is a theft from Torgue!"
"Where the hell do you think I got the frames and molds for the guns?"
"You're kidding me, right?"
"We're a farming moon off of Eden-One with low income! Eden One is the heart of all Manufactures for the universe! I've dreamed of having the ultimate guns strapped to my hip. And I'll do anything to get that. So yes, the technology is from Hyperion, the ammo from Maliwan, the frames from Torgue and the alloys and metals from Dahl."
"You're the reason they don't sell all their guns. You know that right?"
"Only twenty-five percent of guns from each company sells commercially. The other seventy-five goes to Hyperion."
"Actually... only sixty percent goes to Hyperion. Fifteen percent goes to the Raiders."
"Yeah... the scraps."
"You saying you approve of the Crimson Raider's occupation on Pandora?"
"All I'm saying is that we have two entities fighting for control over the universe. One wants freedom for all systems which could ultimately lead to chaos; turning every planet and habitable moon into a Pandora. The other wants controlled economics through fascist means of domination and a dictatorial status quo."
"So-?
"So I'd rather everything be diplomatic and every system elects a planet as it's capital where the people elect a sole person to run everything along with a congress of us; the people. And there be a place where they all meet and try to figure out the universes' problems peacefully and without physical confrontation."
"You realize that'll never happen, right?"
"The Raiders have a chance to make that happen if they try to meet with Hyperion on neutral ground and talk shit out. But no... one half has lived it's whole life pampered and with gold in their pockets while the other half has had to crawl on broken glass their entire life just to survive and everyone is playing king of the hill."
"You're making... no sense."
"Figures a feeble minded young man such as yourself would say that. But Father Grimes agrees with me."
"You mean you agree with him and you're quoting what he said to you?"
"No... my father said these words. I find it my duty to spread his wisdom wherever I can." Michael looks at him with an uneasy glance and Lorik continues to work on his guns, "Damn it, where's Clank with that coil?! It's the only piece I need to finish them!"
"Why didn't you steal two?"
"I bought the first one so I could get inside the Depot and scope it out."
"Smart."
"I know." Lorik leans back in his seat and takes another sip from his beer, "You think the Raiders know that I'm here?"
"How could they? All resistance in Eden Prime has been snuffed out."
Everyone grunts and throws credits into a large pile in the middle of a large crate. Maya and Lilith do the same while Angel laughs hysterically as she scoops up all the credits towards her.
"How can a nineteen year old be this good at an adult game?!" One of the soldiers scream as he slams his cards onto the crate.
"When I was young, Poker was the only thing my father would play with me. Everything else was too dainty and feminine." Angel laughs as she pours all the credits into her backpack, "Yet a diamond pony wasn't"
"Yeah... I remember that thing. What did he call it?"
"Butt Stallion." Angel sighs as she shuffles the deck of cards.
"That guy was deranged." Lilith sighs as she counts the rest of her credits.
"Almost killed me."
"He technically did, sweetie." Maya says as she ruffles her hair, "I'm gonna get some shut eye."
"Not gonna try and win all your money back?"
"Oh no... I know when I'm beat."
"Good night. And hey... don't let her bankrupt ya'll." Maya walks out of the bay and down a hall.
"So tell me, how are you the only one that can sense the other Sirens?"
"The way the Sirens are found is a conflict of elements. I'm Aether."
"You're what?"
"One of two elements that mankind can't control is Aether; the celestial being of the known universe and the alien race of Eridians."
"With Angel's help we figured out that there can only be four Sirens in the known galaxy because the Eridians wanted it that way." Lilith sighs as she throws her cards onto the crate, "I fold."
"That doesn't really answer my question."
"Eridians touched our genetic code. Sirens are the closest things to an Eridan another human can get. If there were more than four Sirens all hell would break loose. And to answer your question; I can sense all Sirens because I'm connected to the cosmos and Sirens give off a type of... aura." She takes five gold bars and throws them onto the crate, "I raise, five hundred."
"Fold" The soldier sighs as he takes a swig of his beer, "So right now, Lilith is a beacon of light."
"Not really. Each aura is specific to the type of element the Siren can throw. She's more like a consistent heat distortion with an orange hue."
"That's because she can control fire?"
"Yup."
"What about Maya?" A female soldier asks as she throws ten gold bars, "I raise, one thousand."
"She's a purple hue."
"What element is that?"
"Slag, right?"
"No... gravitation." Angel throws down ten gold bars, "I call."
"Can you sense what this new Siren is?" Lilith asks as she calls as well.
"Dark matter."
"What's that?"
"The other element besides mine that mankind can't control. Dark space." Everyone raises an eyebrow and she sighs, "Dark space can't be traveled because it's like a very thick ocean of black goo. The gravity is too dense for anyone to travel without getting crushed. The absence of light; my polar opposite." Everyone looks at Angel and she flicks one of the braids in her bangs, "I raise, five thousand."
"Fold." Everyone sighs.
"So what could this Siren do?"
"Alter gravity like Maya only instead of decreasing it-
"She can increase it." Lilith says as she shuffles the cards, "One last game?"
"What else?" The female soldier asks as she finishes her beer.
"She can blacken a room, probably even distort and control shadows. Maybe... even travel through them?"
"Is that even possible?"
"How do you think I got onto the ship without being seen?" The soldiers cock their heads as Lilith deals the cards.
"Angel can travel through light and even fly."
"Think this new Siren can fly?"
"Probably. But not likely. Like I said... dark space can't be traveled."
Maya walks into a small room and sits in front of a small desk with a small terminal on it. She turns it on and Roland appears on the screen.
"How'd it go?"
"He actually spoke."
"What?!" Maya cheers as she covers her mouth in surprise, "He spoke normally?"
"He asked where you were as I was giving him his mask."
"Wait... it was after the procedure?"
"Yeah... sadly it didn't last long but now we know where to go for the next surgery. This is a great step, Maya." Maya starts to tear up from joy and Roland laughs, "He'll be the man he once was soon enough."
"Thank you, Roland. I know how much this is costing but... thank you."
"Don't mention it. He's a good soldier right now but when he's back to his senses he'll be an even better soldier." Maya nods and Roland exits the chat. Maya laughs as she undress to her underwear and rolls into bed with hope.
Roland turns off his monitor and a knock echos through his room. A very large man then walks in and salutes Roland.
"Brick?" Roland says as he salutes back.
"Zero and Salvadore are back. They want to meet with you, immediately!" Brick says as he walks back out. Roland follows him down a hall and they're soon in the epicenter of their compound, a suited, thin man with a helmet on is talking to Gaige while a short but muscular man with a full beard and mohawk is typing on the terminal.
"What's the situation, Salvadore?"
"A bandit convoy is traveling strait for us. Over one hundred men and women." Salvadore says as he brings up a map of their area, "They're coming from the south. They'll be on top of us in days." The entire building then shakes and a few computers explode, killing their occupants, "WHAT THE HELL?!" The emergency siren then goes off and the lights shut off; the red emergency lights giving off a dim glow, "They can't be on us yet!?"
"It's Hyperion!" A soldier yells as he runs out of the control room.
"BATTLE STATIONS!" Roland yells as he cocks his assault rifle and runs out into the courtyard with everyone else. Roland looks up and his eyes widen and he drops his gun in terror as he sees a large space station in the shape of an H, "Oh... my God." The large sphere connecting the two vertical arms starts to glow red and Brick shakes Roland to his sense.
"WE GOTTA MOVE!"
"EVERYONE GET OUT OF HERE! SECONDARY STRONGHOLDS; SPREAD OUT!" Roland commands as he picks up his gun and runs towards the garages, "SCOOTER! READY UP THE SHUTTLES!"
Lorik glares at a barrel while Michael stands behind him with Clank hovering next to his head. Lorik reaches out his left hand and squints his eyes.
"Are you trying to move the barrel, or are you shitting yourself?" Michael teases as he sips a beer can.
"Shut up!" Lorik yells, "Now I gotta concentrate again!" Lorik stares down the barrel and then closes his eyes. His left arm then feels like its fallen asleep and Michael cheers him on. Lorik opens his eyes and not only is the barrel in the air but so is all of the junk cars and other large and small items are floating a few feet off of the ground, "Holy shit!" Lorik cheers as fist bumps the air. Everything crashes back down onto the ground and the two friends high five each other. Michael is then flung backwards and crashes through one of the windows with a small scream, "HOLY SHIT!" Lorik runs up to him and Michael is groaning, "You okay, bro?"
"That was awesome!" Michael laughs as he slowly stands up, "What else can you do?"
"I dunno?" Lorik laughs as they walk towards the junk maze, "You know... I might be freaking out on the inside but having mind powers is pretty awe-" Lorik feels a strange sensation throughout his entire body and when he looks ahead of himself he's heading straight for one of the junk walls and collides with it face first, "BALLS!" Lorik screams in pain as he crumbles to the ground.
"HOLY SHIT, DUDE! YOU JUST TELEPORTED!" Michael cheers as he slides to Lorik's side, "You okay, man?"
"I think my nose is broken!" Lorik cries as he holds his face.
"Lemme see it." Lorik removes his hands and Michael smirks as he sees blood all over the lower part of his face, "It's just dislocated."
"Take me to Rath. He can-" Michael grabs his nose and pulls it up to put it back in place; making a sickening crack sound. Lorik screeches in pain and surprise and grabs his face again, "SON OF A BITCH!"
"Don't be such a baby." Michael teases as he helps Lorik up, "It's all better now."
"Still hurts like a bitch!" Lorik takes a few short breaths through the nose while Clank hovers over.
Sir, I've done some studying on Sirens and their culture."
"Sirens have a culture?" Michael asks as he hands Lorik a cool can of beer.
"A very dark culture. The oldest texts I could find date back to when books were still a thing."
"Damn! That's fucking old." Michael laughs. Lorik slowly and gently places the cool can on his nose before opening it, "So... what's so dark about it?"
"There use to be more than just four in the whole universe. The texts say that the Eridians stayed longer than the historians originally thought. They stayed and kidnapped multiple children; all female of course, and they trained them in their telekinetic abilities. But that's the only thing that ties Sirens to the Eridians and Eridium."
"But what of their dark past. You just gave us some exposition on their history." Lorik grunts as he sits down next to Michael.
"When the Eridians left the Sirens became outraged. They rampaged throughout the known galaxy and killed nearly everyone to find them."
"Holy shit." Lorik laughs as he takes a sip, "That's a cool theory. But everyone knows the Eridians were the ones to lay wastes to the Universe. And more than four Sirens? It's one thing for me-a man-to be a siren but for there to be hundreds of Sirens at one point in time? That's impossible!"
"All I know is that the Historians say that when the Sirens were rampaging the Eridians arrived and chose only four to spare. And in the ashes of the Siren's destruction the Eridians wrote in the remaining Humans genetic code so that when one Siren dies her code was transferred into a new infant." Clank hovers over to Lorik and stares him down, "Their marks are their genetic code." Lorik and Michael laugh and Clank's orb begins to spin and his eye gets bigger, "Please... remove your shirt."
"What are you planning to do?" Michael asks as Lorik takes off his shirt.
"I'm gonna scan the markings. When a Siren's markings surface they share a genetic code with the same Siren that came before them."
"So... in a sense I'm related to the Siren that came before me?"
"Probably, but then again there's never been a male Siren before now." Michael stands up and walks over to a large, wooden table, "Can I shoot one of them now?" He asks as he picks up Ivory, "They've got some weight to 'em." He flicks a switch and a light starts to slowly charge up, "How do you change the compounds and fire rate?"
"Voice recognition. What tickles your fancy?" Lorik asks as he stretches out his arms in a Christ pose. Clank then begins to scan Lorik's body as the light completes it's charge and the gun makes a faint sound like steam is escaping a pipe.
"Lets see." Michael looks at the gun in contemplation and then smiles, "Fire, single-shot"
"Ivory. Fire compound; single-fire mode." The light turns red and the magazine begins to spin hurriedly, "Be careful when firing. They'll have a lot of kick."
"I'm pretty sure I can handle shooting a gun dude." Michael aims at a row of cans on a junk car. He pulls the trigger and a bullet flies out and when it hits the can it knocks it into the air, setting in on fire. The gun then recoils and smacks Michael right between the eyes, "SON OF A BITCH!" Michael winces as he drops the gun on the table and falls to his knees, writhing in pain. He clutches his face as Lorik and Clank both laugh at him.
"Told ya." Lorik chuckles as Clank finishes his scan. Lorik puts his shirt back on and walks over to the table. He picks up Ivory and aims down the sight, "Ivory. Acid compound, semi-automatic mode." Michael slowly stands up as the light on Ivory turns green and the magazine starts to spin again, "Watch and learn, noob."
"Fuck you, man." Lorik pulls the trigger and four bullets come out rapidly, hitting a can and melting it. He then shoots three more in quick succession and smirks at Michael, "Beginners luck."
"Beginners luck?! I built these babies! Of course I'm gonna know how to handle them." Lorik flicks the switch and the lightly slowly turns off. The gun gives off a faint sound like a computer powering down and he gently places it on the table.
"I have some disturbing news." Clank says as Lorik leans against the table and hands Michael another can of beer, "Your markings are no where in the database."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Michael grunts as he places the cool can on his face, "Oh... that's great." He moans as the coolness calms his pain.
"You don't share any genetic code with any of the other recorded Sirens throughout history."
"So?"
"So... according to the records you're not a Siren."
"Oh gee, thanks Clank. And here I thought these markings were a rare form of skin cancer." Lorik sighs as he finishes his beer, "They're... not, right?"
"No... but you're not a Siren, but at the same time you are." Lorik and Michael look at Clank like he's crazy and he hovers in front of Lorik's face, "If there really is a cycle and the Historians got it wrong... you're a fifth Siren." A large ship then flies over Lorik's shop, causing everything to shake.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Michael exclaims as he shoots from his seat, "Are they allowed to fly that low?!"
"No... never that low." They both run out but Clank headbutts Lorik in the back, "OW! What the hell man?!"
"Goggles and jacket, Lorik. Can't let the Corporation see your markings." Lorik grabs a pair of welder's goggles and a thick windbreaker jacket, "Just tell me next time." They all run out the front door and the large ship hovers over the spaceport, "There's no Hyperion markings on it, no Merchant's Guild or Gun Manufacture markings as well." Michael says as the ships stabilizers kick up the dust. Everyone starts to come out and Father Grimes can be seen out of the corner of Lorik's eye.
"My son, you must start packing, immediately!"
"Father? Wait, why?" Father Grimes grabs both of their arms and rushes them inside.
"Pirates!" He locks the door behind him and runs towards the backyard, "I'll get your visor!" Michael and Lorik run upstairs and start packing clothes.
"Clank, get my guns and their belts!" Clank hurries downstairs and Father Grimes comes back up with the strange visor and chip.
"Clank?!"
"Right here!" He yells as Ivory and Ebony are holstered and hanging off of his orb. Lorik takes the belts and straps them around his waist. He then grabs Clank's orb and disconnects the chip from the visor, "What are you doing?"
"Hold still!" Lorik connects the chip to the back of Clank's orb and it immediately goes dead.
"HOLY CRAP, YOU KILLED HIM!" Michael cries as he grabs his head in fear, "What. The. FUCK MAN?!"
"Relax, he's being integrated into my systems. I thought we went over this?" Bullets start to crack through the air and cries from the outside start to seep through the walls. Lorik and Michael hit the ground as a bullet flies through the room, "JESUS CHRIST!"
"PIRATES!" A woman yells from the outside and then screams in pain as another crack from a bullet sounds off.
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy-" Father Grimes slaps Michael across the face and he looks at him in surprise as he pulls out a shotgun from under his cloak, "HOLY SHIT!"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT, FATHER?!"
"Sometimes God demands wolves to protect his flock of sheep!" He breaks the nearest window open and instantly shoots a man down. He looks behind himself and doesn't see Lorik, "Where's Lorik?!" Michael looks around and shrugs.
Lorik opens his door and starts waving down the other town's folk.
"GET INSIDE! HURRY!" People start to run into his house along with a few men carrying weapons, "HURRY!" A bullet flies right past his head and his eyes widen as hundreds of Pirates start pouring out of the Spaceport. The last people get inside and he shuts it behind him.
"LORIK! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" Father Grimes asks as his daughter hugs him, "LUCY?! I thought you were with your mother on Eden-One?!"
"I came by to visit. Obviously a terrible time to do so!"
"What do we do?!" A woman cries as she holds her child close. Lorik runs up and grabs his visor. He slips it on and the red lights turn on and everything starts to get scanned in the room. He then takes the chip out of Clank's orb and slides it into the back part of the visor. The visor clicks and a small orb appears in the bottom left corner of Lorik's vision.
"Clank, you there?"
"I feel funny." He sighs as code starts to run, "Why can't I move?"
"You're in a new platform. I need you to activate the Safe House Protocol. We got fucking pirates!"
"Which file is that?"
"File zero-zero-two-three-seven!"
"Activating file!" All the lights turn off and emergency red lights turn on and steel barricades roll over every window. People start crying out as Lorik walks back downstairs, "Relax! This is a safety protocol, people!" Lorik says as he walks up to Father Grimes, "How did they get past Hyperion Security? It's supposed to be top-notch!?"
"My guess is the same way they killed every Hyperion Soldier out there." Father Grimes sighs as he slides the spying port closed, "We're gonna have to contact Eden-One." He sighs as he walks over to the terminal behind the front desk. Michael walks up to Lorik and gives him a heavy sigh.
"What the fuck is going on, man?!" Lorik shrugs but then he screams as he holds his head, "DUDE?! WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YOU SHOT?!"
"MY HOVER-BOARD IS STILL IN THE SHACK!" Lorik runs for the back door but Father Grimes grabs him by the waist.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"MY HOVER-BOARD!" Lorik cries as he tries to break out of Father Grimes' grasp, "It's still out there! I have to get it before the Pirates do!"
"You are not going out there! It's too dangerous!" Tears start to roll down Lorik's cheeks and Father Grimes recoils.
"My mother, father and I have been working on that thing ever since I was eight years old!" Lorik looks Father Grimes in the eye, his eyes red from crying, "It's the only thing I have left of them." Father Grimes sighs as he cocks his shotgun.
"You're not going out there alone. Taylor! Hand out your weapons and look out for everyone while I'm gone."
"You're leaving father?!" A tall man with long blonde hair asks with wide eyes.
"Only for a second, son." Lorik walks to the back door and stares at it, "You sure about this?" Lorik takes out his guns with a smirk as he flips the switches and the lights slowly charge up.
"Ebony. Ivory. Acid compound, rapid-fire mode." The guns click and spin and Father Grimes aims his shotgun at the door, "Clank, remove the shield from the rear door."
"Removing." A loud thud echos faintly through the back room and Father Grimes slowly opens it.
"Damn it. It's pitch black out. I can't see a damn thing!"
"Language, young man." Lorik rolls his eyes and adjusts his visor.
"Clank, switch to thermal optics."
"We have that?"
"You have that?" Lorik rolls his eyes again with a sigh.
"Access file zero-zero-one-nine-eight."
"Oh! Got it!" The visor clicks and Lorik's vision changes.
"No heat signatures." They both slowly walk out and Father Grimes sticks his head back into the house.
"If we're not back in five minutes... don't bother opening this door again." Taylor nods and locks the door behind them, "No going back now."
"Why'd you give us a time limit?"
"Seemed like the right thing to do."
"You've been watching too many action movies." Bullets fly through the air and a woman screams in the distance, "What the fuck do we do about the terminal? You know I haven't been able to fix that thing ever since I stole—got it as a gift." A loud thud emanates from Lorik's junk maze and They both aim their weapons at it.
"Anything?" Father Grimes whispers as they both lower themselves.
"Two signatures. My traps must have been deactivated when I shut the power down." Lorik grunts as he curses himself, "They're going in the wrong direction and the heat's pretty small so we should be able to sneak past them. Just follow my lead and follow my footsteps."
"I thought you said your traps were disabled?"
"Just to be on the safe side." They both enter the maze and Father Grimes keeps his shotgun ready.
"I can't believe I'm actually allowing this. Its just a hover-board."
"One that got me into technology, robotics and guns. It's the only thing of my family that I have." They turn a corner and Lorik sighs in relief, "Still intact."
"So how are we supposed to get in? I thought I was the key?" Clank asks.
"You still are." The door then opens and Lorik laughs,
"This is so cool, Lorik. Thank you." Clank laughs as they walk in.
"Ebony. Flashlight." Ebony turns it's flashlight on along with Father Grimes turning on his shotgun's under barrel flashlight. Lorik releases another sigh as he picks up his hover-board, "Hello, beautiful." He straps it to his back and another bang echos through the shack.
"That one sounded closer."
"This is some maze man."
"Tell me about it. It even got you lost!" Two men laugh as they turn a corner and see the shack, "Well hello there."
"Wouldn't be in the middle of a maze if there wasn't anything worth taking."
"Grab my tools!" Lorik whispers and he throws Father Grimes a large backpack.
"We're cutting it short, Lorik!" He yells under his breath as he starts to throw Lorik's tools into the bag, Lorik doing the same with another bag.
"You hear that man?"
"Hurry!" Father Grimes zips up the bag and throws it over his shoulder. Lorik throws in his last tool and zips up the bag.
"HEY!" One of the pirates yells as they both aim their guns at them, "Throw the bags, and the guns!" Lorik looks at Father Grimes and then smirks.
"You sure you want to point a gun at a Siren?" Lorik laughs as he removes his jacket and shows off his left arm.
"You're lying." One of them laughs along with the other, "A boy? A Siren?" Lorik extends his left arm and the man who started laughing gets pierced by a dark, black and purple glowing stalagmite."
"JESUS CHRIST!" All three yell as the pirate gags on his own blood. Father Grimes shoots the second one and the stalagmite retreats back into the darkness.
"HOLY HELL!" Lorik cries as Father Grimes grabs his arm and they both run out of the maze and back to the house. Father Grimes bangs on the door and people start to cry.
"It's Father Grimes and Lorik! Let us in!" The doors open and they both rush in.
"Clank! Put down the shield!"
"Already done!" Father Grimes puts the backpack down next to Lorik who is now sitting down with a worried look on his face.
"How many people with guns do we have, Taylor?"
"Ten people."
"Put five upstairs on watch and five down her to protect the people. Keep the lights off and only check the ports if you absolutely have to." Taylor nods and gathers the other men with guns while Father Grimes looks at Lorik and knees down in front of him, "Are you okay, my son?"
"I thought... I was just gonna push him. I-I didn't mean to-" Lorik starts to tear up and he runs both of his hands through his hair and starts to shake. Father Grimes puts his hand on his knee and shakes it lightly.
"You saved both our lives, Lorik. Pushing him or killing him was the right thing. They would've killed us or worse. You gotta get use to this before you reach Pandora."
"You taught me... you taught everyone here that all life is sacred in the eyes of God. I can't value my life over some pirate! They both probably had a family, kids! How is their life less than mine?"
"They're not. But when the adversary rears his unholy head in front of God's born-again children... we must act to preserve God's faith and love in the few remaining who chose to believe and have faith." He looks up at the clock and smiles, "Now if you excuse me... It's Sunday morning and I must gather the town for church." He straightens his clothes and straps his shotgun over his shoulder. Michael sits down next to Lorik and hands him a beer.
"Thank God we stocked-piled these. See you got your board."
"I killed a man." Lorik takes off his visor but keeps the earbuds in his ears, "How are we on power, Clank?"
"We're still at one hundred percent but it'll only last about three to four days."
"I brought all of my tools. With all the other equipment in the building... what are our chances of repairing the terminal to shoot out a distress signal to Eden-One?"
"We have a forty-seven percent chance of succeeding but if we turn on the power and turn off the emergency system we'll have an eighty-two percent chance of repairing it."
"You've gotta be kidding me."
"Whoa... you killed a man?!" Michael gasps as he chokes on his beer, "What the hell happened?"
"Two pirates cornered Father Grimes and I and I used my crazy Siren shit and accidentally killed him." Lorik shrugs as he rubs his forehead, "How long would the power need to be on for it to work?"
"Only five to ten minutes."
"Can we wait off on the power until the last possible second?"
"Not if you want to use both manual and power tools. Use just manual tools, you risk damaging the wiring or electronics."
"You can't just shrug that comment off, man. Talk to me... how do you feel?"
"Like shit, and I'm trying to think of some way to repair our terminal without the pirates finding out... so shush!" Bullets start to ricochet off the building and people start screaming.
"THEY KNOW WE'RE HEAR!"
"EVERYBODY DOWN!" Father Grimes orders as he cocks his shotgun, "Today's lesson in the word of God?" An explosion shakes the house and people keep their eyes on Father Grimes, "Corinthians, chapter five; versus six through eight!" He slides open a spy port on a near by window and starts shooting, "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we're away from the Lord!" Another explosion causes him to take cover and people start to cling to their loved ones. Lorik stands up and cocks his guns.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." Lorik finishes as he joins Father Grimes and opens a spy port on the window next to his, "Ebony. Ivory. Fire compound, full-automatic mode!" He then sticks the barrels through the port and starts firing.