A few days after Gaige and Maya left Sanctuary, the two were laying on a pair of chairs and dressed for the beach on Wam Bam Island, soaking in he sun with their favorite guns beside them, Maya using a Maliwan Vexation in Shock while Gaige kept a Torgue Stalker and the Vladof Infinity Pistol near her. Gaige looked over the top of her sunglasses and grabbed the Infinity, holding the trigger and shooting a Crabworm that had creeped up onto the deck beside them, shaking the remains of the shell off of her arm.

"This is nice," the Mechromancer said, smiling as she laid back against the chair once more, looking out at the ocean. "No screaming, no jump and run for Scooter if he needs something, no listening to Tannis and Lillith fighting about something really stupid."

"It's peaceful," Maya said with a small smile, closing her book and setting it aside. "We can just breathe and be people instead of a walking apocolypse like Nakiyama called us."

"Worst boss fight ever," Gaige laughed. "Remember? He just tripped down the stairs and Hammerlock just goes "Well done!" Like we killed him or something. One punch to his face would have done it."

"Or a hammer in your case," Maya smirked, looking over at Gaige. "So, I have to ask. What did you do before we found you in the train laughing at Axton's stupid jokes?"

Gaige sighed and sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees as she rested her head against her wrists. "I was a student on Eden-5," she said. "High school, a month out from graduating. We were doing our science fair, and my designs for DT had been stolen by this uberbitch Marcy Holloway. She sold it to the planets most corrupt cops, and tried to tell the judges at the fair that I'd stolen from her!" She frowned and clenched her hands, remembering everything about that day.

"DT's the reason I've got the metal arm. I was working on cutting out some metal for the summoning rods, and my hand slipped and cut my arm. Halfway to the bone, blood everywhere in my workshop. I could have just hyposprayed it and been on my merry way. But then my brain exploded! I'd been having trouble summoning DT at all. So I thought about making it a portable summoning device. I lopped off the rest of my arm and with one hand and bleeding like hell, I made this." She held up her metal arm and wiggled the fingers. "The control rod for DT's in here, and he augments himself with whatever skills I use from my Tree in the ECHO." She rubbed her arm and shook her head. "The reason I'm on Pandora is because I'm wanted in the Eden System. At the fair, I tried to tell the judges the truth about how Marcy had stolen the plans for the DT unit from me, and the bitch pushed me. Well, DT thought she was hurting me, so he...kind of maybe atomized her. LIke BLOOSH atomizing. THere were entrails hanging from the cieling. So I ran. Dad caused a distraction with a golf cart and gasoline, but i never really figured that part out. I stowed away on a shuttle for Pandora and ended up in what was left of New Haven. That's when hte train came by and I hid." Gaige laid back and rubbed her eyes, turning on her side and looking at Maya, facing the Sirens blue tattoos. "What about you?"

"Remember the Firehawk worshippers we dealt with in Frostburn Canyon for Lillith?" Maya asked, looking down at Gaige. When the younger girl nodded, Maya faced her. "Nearly the same thing. I was dropped off at an abbey on Athenas when I was a baby. Twenty-seven years of being raised to be feared because I was a Siren. The Abbey had nothing on us, nothing on why there's a limited number of us at a time. THe head of the Abbey, Sophis, was a real jerk when nobody was looking. He did...things to me that no man of any faith should do to a person, let alone a girl."

"He didn't!" Gaige gasped, her eyes wide.

"He did," Maya said. "When he wanted me to kill a man because he took a loaf of bread or an apple, I don't remember which, I refused. Sophis tried to force me to do it, so I phaselocked his ass and told him I was done. He would have kept talking if I hadn't pulled the trigger and blown the back of his head off. I left Athenas and headed here, waiting outside of the Lynchwood train station. That's where I met Kreig. Did I tell you about that?"

Gaige shook her head. "Nope. You haven't told anyone."

Maya smiled softly. She explained about the Rats and Kreig throwing his Buzzaxe, bisecting the Rat's head that was sneaking up behind her with a scream of "TURN AROUND PRETTY LADY!" As she finished talking, she turned to her side and looked at the Mechromancer. "So, it's been a fun ride on Pandora since day one."

"It really has," Gaige said. "Angel, the BNK-3R, Warrior, Captain Scarlett and Roscoe-which I didn't even know a Rakk Hive looked like a giant vag in the front and it's an image I can't ever get out of my head now."

Maya laughed, shaking her head. "Yes, that took some getting used to. Luckily that was the only one we've seen. What about that giant metal T-Rex during the Badass Tournament?"

"Badassasuarus Rex! Ah! I wanted one so bad," Gaige pouted. "I want to turn DT into one but he won't let me. Though from what Brick said, their game of Bunkers and Badasses with Tina was a good one. THat day we beat the crap out of the Hyperion employee?"

"I remember that," Maya said. "ANd even then we didn't get to blow up Helios Station."

"Yeah, that sucked," Gaige said, laying her head back. She was silent for a few minutes, the only sounds being the waves and water crashing against itself. "Maya?"

"Yes?" Maya asked, looking over at Gaige.

"You ever wonder...if we'll get off Pandora?" Gaige asked. "I mean...I want to go home, but I don't want to get thrown in jail the minute I set foot on Eden-5. I want to see my parents again..."

Maya sat up and put her hand on Gaige's arm. "You will," she said. "It may not be right away, Gaige, but you'll see them again. As for getting off of Pandora...anything's possible. And besides, you were just off Pandora a few months ago, remember? Finding Aurelia?"

"Ugh, don't even bring up Frosty the She-Bitch," Gaige groaned. "That woman is so stuck up she makes Tannis look like Mordecai."

Maya blinked, looking at Gaige before she started laughing, the Siren's laughter filling the air before she snorted, making her laugh harder. "Oh, man. That's an image I didn't need!" Maya laughed, shaking her head and wiping her eyes.

"You're welcome," Gaige said, snickering before she picked up her Stalker and sat up, shooting another Crabworm. She swung her legs off of the chair and moved to the edge of the deck, letting her legs hang down and her toes touch the water.

Maya moved and sat beside Gaige, looking at the nineteen year old. "What's wrong?"

"Thinking," Gaige said with a small smile. "If anyone of us dies, we get respawned with a New-U right?"

"Yeah," Maya said, raising an eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"

"Hacking a New-U when we get back to Sanctuary and finding Angel's DNA. If we're all in the New-U System, there's no reason to think she wouldn't be."

"Ok, but if we respawn Angel, Lillith will want Roland respawned. Do you really want to put her through that?" Maya asked, looking out over the water. "It's a good thought, Gaige, but think about the orders you'd have from other people who've lost people thanks to Jack and Hyperion."

"I know...I was just hoping, that's all. She didn't deserve what he did to her," Gaige said. "And I know that bringing her back might just be a bust, or she might be so dependant on Eridium like she was when she was in the Control Core I wouldn't be able to help her...damn it."

Maya wrapped her arm around Gaige's shoulder, the younger Vault Hunter curling up against her. "It's ok, Gaige," she whispered. "Just remember her how she was, don't try and bring her back. THat only causes more heartache."

Gaige nodded, sniffling and laying her head against Maya's shoulder, wiping her eyes. "I know," she sighed. "Damn it, this was supposed to be a fun vacation. Now it's all weepy and crap."

"It's alright," Maya said with a smile. "I'm still having fun."

"Without anything blowing up, it is nice," Gaige said. "No Kreig yelling about salads made out of nipples, no random haikus by Zer0, Salvador screaming about meat popcicles or Axton trying to bang his turrets. It's especially nice to not have to hear Brick calling us Slabs all the time. Do I look like a hunk of meat to you?"

"Nah. Too skinny," Maya smirked, pinching Gaige's side and making her laugh and jump.

"Oh, like you're one to talk," Gaige laughed, pinching Maya's side. "You're as skinny as I am, woman!"

"True," Maya laughed, shaking her head. "COme on. Let's head to the other side of the Island. I've got some spare Eridium, and we've got our guns. Let's go see what Crawmerax is up to. Maybe we can find a rare grenade this time."

"I want a freaking Pearlescent," Gaige said with a grin. "Let's go! We'll put our shorts on and head that way!"

"Sounds like a plan," Maya said with a smile, standing up and grabbing their bag from inside the hut, tossing Gaige her shorts and tugging her own on at the same time. "Last one there pays for lunch?"

"You're on!" Gaige smirked, scooping up her guns and taking off beside Maya, both women laughing as they ran through the water, heading for the service tunnel.