Disclaimer: I only play the game. That's it.

I apologize for the long update; here is the long awaited-chapter. Enjoy!


03


I hate Eridium.

Even if the mineral looks pretty, I don't like it.

It was something Lilith mentioned that she was using to augment her abilities when I first met her. I heard about it again once the news of the 'rarest alien treasure' spread throughout the universe... hence why (as far as I can tell) the companies are waging war on each other just to grab their hands on Eridium. Eventually, as the current situation stands, Hyperion got their hands on the treasure and now... they are using it for God-knows-what.

Once I saw what Eridium did to Lilith, I admit, I was tempted to use it for myself.

...but when we rescued Angel and patched her up, she asked if we had Eridium.

I didn't know why. That is, until I realized she too was reliant on the mineral.

That was while we were over at Zed's Clinic when we were discussing about the odd weapon Lilith found from that fucker Nine-Toes (who is dead for... the second time. I hope he does not come back to life for the third time).

"Well, as it turns out," Zed's eyes were twinkling in amusement as he patched up Angel from the other wounds we couldn't heal, "I was just about to 'operate' on that person, strapped over there on my table, when you lovely ladies showed up."

"You want us to test the weapon on him?" Lilith asks, as if this was normal.

"I have not seen that weapon before, but if I know what Doc Mercy has been up to these days," Zed bandages up Angel's left side to cover her tattoos (it was on her request), "If my assumptions are correct, the wounds you create on that poor soul shouldn't be normal ones."

"Meaning...?" I asks, looking over at the seething bandit that was struggling to get out from the table, "...well, time to let the poor bastard out of his misery."

"Great," Lilith mutters, looking at the gun, "Well, it's an incendiary... and I'm feeling a bit drained." She looks at me, "Do you have the stuff?"

I grimace, knowing that once she uses any of her abilties to an enormous extent, she gets drained. Not to mention her health begins to lower...

I sighed, taking off my bag and handing it to her, "The stuff's in the bag, all wrapped up so some morons can't go near it," I can see Zed looking a bit worried when I mentioned that blasted mineral. Lilith nods as she looks though the bag before she found the bagful of Eridium shards in her bag.

"Thanks," she grabs one before she fused it into the palm of her left hand... causing the Eridium to phase inside her. Angel looks surprised as she sees Lilith's tattoos glow orange. By the time Lilith rejuvenates herself with Eridium, she looks to see Angel biting her lips, as if she is hesitant about something, "Angel, is something wrong?"

"N-No, it's just..." Angel pauses, looking at the small Eridium shards that were glowing from the bag, "...it takes that little to restore your abilities?"

"I still don't get what's so important about those shards and you Sirens," Zed grumbles, rubbing his temples, "...though you, Maya... you don't seem to use it."

"I hate that stuff," I grouse out, "It looks like death to me."

"It's something that helps our abilities," Angel quietly replies, looking up at us, "...like Lilith, I've too grown dependent on Eridium."

Lilith didn't say anything, but I was surprised at this.

"But you look sick!" I exclaim in alarm, "How long were you reliant on Eriridum?"

"It's not just from the mineral, you know," Zed grabs a sterile needle from a packet, "I hate to do this to you, Angel, but I've got to take a blood sample from ya just to make sure you won't faint on us. Not to mention how long you're been reliant on Eriridum."

"It's fine," Angel murmurs, "Just as long as it isn't up on the New-U Stations."

Lilith and I look at each other in surprise. How the heck did she know about the New-U Stations?

I didn't ask as Zed takes a few blood samples before placing them inside some sort of computer station that he has set up (it was before Hyperion decided to take control of anything network based except the independent ones) for analysis.

"While that's going on," Lilith glances over at the black-haired Siren, "Do you need anything else?"

Angel nods, "...a change of hair and um... clothing. Please."

"Trying to make sure nobody knows who you are?" Lilith nods as she begins heading towards the door, "Be right back. I've got some stuff to help you with your hair and clothing."

"Lilith!" I holler, "Make sure to grab some food on the way!"

"That too," The red-haired Siren laughs as she heads right out the door. Zed grunts as he types a few things from his work station.

"Thank you," Angel smiles, nodding to me, "I... can't help but thank you and Lilith for all the help you've given me."

"It's no problem," I can't help but feel sorry for her, "Why did Hyperion want to capture you anyway?"

Angel pauses, biting her lower lip before she looks up again, "They need me... for testing."

"And that collar?"

"It was supposed to torture me until I comply," she responds, gently rubbing her neck, "Thanks to your help, Maya, I'm happy that isn't going to happen anymore."

I'm pretty sure the skags ate the entire thing up. I didn't tell it to the girls while we left in the Light Rider car; those stupid things love to eat shiny stuff. Now with those robots destroyed, they'll be living the stuff like no tomorrow.

"Zed," I glance down at the gun Lilith handed me, wanting to change the subject,"Do you still want to see what that weapon does?"

"By all means, sure," Zed nods, glancing over at his 'patient' before pressing down at a button to force the table to stand up, "Blast away."

"You do... have another table to use, right?" Angel asks, worried.

"Of course I do!" Zed nods, "It's in the storage closet in the back. I'd have to get it though."

"One dead bandit, coming up!" I holler before shooting the gun at the screaming bandit. ...I've seen weird weapons before, but why the hell does this one look like a laser gun?

I can tell both Angel and Zed look shocked as soon as the bullets came out and punctured the bandit before he fell dead.

"Now what in the hell...?" Zed finally speaks, leaving his station as the scan analysis ran on the monitor (on the blood samples). He walks over towards the corpse (a little part of bit caught on fire) and turned it over to see the wounds made on the bandit. All I can see is that the bandit's body was riddled with larger wounds... not like the usual bullet holes that I see from normal bandits. (The table's ruined too. I'm surprised the wall didn't have any holes in it...) And- hang on, were those wounds glowing a faint color?

"I'll be damned," Zed mutters in awe, looking surprised, "Well, well. Looks like we stumbled onto an E-tech weapon!"

"...E-tech?" I echo, confused before I looked at the weapon in my hands.

"Eridium technology," Zed stands up as I hand him the weapon, "Interesting stuff, actually... they're on the market to use as weapons now."

"That explains why your rival has this one," I mutter before glancing over at Angel, who look worried, "Is something wrong?"

"Hyperion has been perfecting their way of manufacturing a new weapon for a while," she replies, not meeting my eyes, "They're also using Eridium for another cause..."

I'm pretty sure Zed, Lilith, and I know something by now: Angel knows more about Hyperion than anyone else.

And she looks up to reply, "I've been a prisoner of Hyperion for a while; that's why I understand these technologies that Hyperion has been creating. You saved me when they were trying to transport me to another facility of Hyperion's." She pauses, "When Lilith returns, I'll properly explain everything."

I nod, looking back at Zed, who nods as he turns back to his the computer, the E-tech weapon at hand as safety. I sit down next to the poor girl, "How long?"

"Since I was a little girl," she quietly replies, "My mother tried to protect me when she knew I was a Siren. She sacrificed her life for my sake."

" I sees" I nod before hearing the door open to reveal Lilith. She shuts the door gently before looking at the corpse, "You missed the action."

"I can tell," Lilith stares at the body, "...what the hell happened to that poor soul?"

"E-tech weaponry," Zed replies, not looking from his station, "Fix the girl up. The analysis is almost done."

I can see Lilith skeptical of the E-tech weapon, but she shakes her head before walking towards us, a new pair of clothing and a small bag at hand, "I've also got food in the other bag; for the three of us and for Zed. Pretty much figured you guys need something to fill yourselves up." She hands Zed his share, who takes it and begins to eat it as he waits for the analysis to finish.

"Take out, I guess?" I knew Lilith doesn't enjoy cooking as much as I do (yes, courtesy of the damn Abbey; they taught me how to prepare my food).

"Yup; they've got some decent stuff," she handed me my food carton before handing Angel hers, "So, kiddo. What do you want to do after we eat up?"

"Change her appearance so Hyperion won't catch her," I stand up to look at Angel's hair, "...maybe something drastically different than the long hair."

"That sounds fine," Angel is smiling; at least she's happy to be with me and Lilith. And thank God she's eating.

"And we got spare clothing for you," Lilith shrugs, perched on the wall as she bites into her food "I just grabbed the ones Maya and I couldn't fit into."

"Hmn, there are a lot of that," I bite into my portion before I look at it, "Hey, Lil? What is this stuff? This is delicious!"

Lilith couldn't answer since there was a small beep that confirmed the test is done. We turn around to see Zed straightening up, a frown on his face.

"Zed?"

"Hey, umm... Angel," Zed glances at her, "From what I heard, you knew about the Eridium Tech, right?"

She nods.

"You do understand that you Sirens need Eridium for your abilities?"

"Not Maya's," Angel pauses. Lilith and I glance at each other, not liking where this is going.

"So... how come your blood's showing that you have pure liquid Eridium in your body?"


"Handsome Jack's new weapon?" Maya echos in confusion, "I didn't hear anything about that."

She was met with silence in the room.

"I guess nobody's told the chica anything," Salvador frowns, even when he sees Lilith's surprised expression, "...as well as Sis over here."

"Hey, we joined right when-" Lilith was about to snap when Axton places his hand on her shoulder, motioning her to be quiet.

Roland sighs, shaking his head, "It looks like we need to go over it again, but maybe that's a good thing-"

"By repeating the same exact facts over and over again?" Mordecai asks, leaning against the wall before he rethinks the statement, "...hang on. You got new intel?"

"From a colleague," The Crimson Raider leader nods, pressing a few buttons on the hologram table, "He told me about the supposed weapon Handsome Jack is building with the Eridium he's gathered; combining it with the previous intel we have before..."

Pressing another button, the hologram table stirs, causing the hologram to show up and project an image of what looks to be an H-shaped satellite. It had various electronics and lights littered on the satellite with a large glass center.

"Wait, so ummm..." Gaige was the first to speak, "I thought you guys said it was the satellite that Hyperion used to watch over Pandora. You know- the one that covers the moon."

"That's what we discovered is his weapon," Roland presses a few more buttons to close up on the center of the satellite, "The Moonbase is his main weapon. That's what's been causing all the attacks on Sanctuary."

"Not to mention the other bandit bases that tried to assault Hyperion a while back," Axton grimaces, "As much as I have to say this, they were pretty... brave and stupid to try to attack them. Even that Blake guy said so."

"Blake?" Maya asks, confused.

"Former president/From Hyperion he ruled/The bastard kicked him out," Zer0 responds, crossing his arms together.

"That explains why Blake went missing," Axton mutters, glancing over at the hologram, "I don't think that's why Hyperion needed that much Eridium though..."

"Eridium?" Roland frowns, "No. The Eridium is used for something else, but we don't know what that part is. That's why I gathered you all here; not just on how to dismantle and destroy the Moonbase, but also to find out more about the massive influx of Eridium."

"How do we destroy the moonbase?" Gaige asks, frowning, "Like... I see the diagram, but that means we have to go in there?"

"There is a station that makes you control the Moonbase somewhere on Pandora," Roland shuts off the hologram to reveal the entire map of Pandora, "We're thinking that's the key to destorying the Moonbase; if we can get to the controls, we can find a self-destruct mechanism to destroy the weapon."

"Meaning we have to get over to those controls?" Salvador arches an eyebrow, "Do you know where they are?"

Roland sighs, "Not yet, but I sent some Raiders to disguise as Hyperion soldiers to find the controls. And then there's the Eridium supply Hyperion is constantly grabbing; anyone got information about that?"

"I recall Zed mentioning about E-teach weaponry," Maya pauses, noting the attention was all on her (Lilith was still standing there, she can tell) before seeing the glittering interest in Gaige's eyes. A smile appears on Maya's face as she continues, "He mentioned that Eridium is used for weapons, but apparently, Hyperion is the one who developed the technology to use the element in weapon form."

"Aside using slag?/The supposed new elemental/that does weaken us?" Zer0 stares at Maya, who nods.

"That is, if you get hit by it," Roland grimaces, recalling the first time he was hit by the new elemental, "Gaige. Try to see if you can find out more about E-tech from Zed?"

"Don't mind if I do, big guy!" Gaige beams, he enthusiasm bouncing into the room, causing the others to chuckle, "Compared to my Clappie, this E-tech stuff sounds just as BA!"

"Maya, you'll be going with her on this one," Roland sees Maya nodding, "She might need some back-up."

"Got it," The blue-haired siren nods before seeing Zer0's gloved hand on her arm, "Zer0?"

"If you do not mind/I will offer my service/to aid these two." He glances ar Roland, who thinks about for a bit before he sighs.

"All right, fine. ...actually," Roland realizes something, "Axton, Salvador. You two are going with them; there's another thing I want you all to get."

"And you want our help, si?" Salvador sounds too eager to begin shooting at bandits, "What's the mission?"

Roland presses more buttons to reveal the next location, "Unfortauntly, this involves you getting into the former Crimson Raiders hideout... Liar's Burg. You're going to have to find Claptrap."

"...wait, Claptrap?" Mordercai stares at Roland before groaning, "Oh God. That annoying piece of crap? What is he important for?"

The Crimson Raiders leader sighs, recalling the dreaded onslaught of Claptraps that tried to kill them once, "When we get Claptrap, I'll tell you why. Let's go ahead and-"

"We're not doing anything until we get Angel back."

The entire room glance to look at Lilith, who has been silent the entire time as she blocks the exit. The room went dead silent before Roland asks, "...come again, Lilith?"

Mordecai lets out a silent, seething groan.

"She is one of us," Lilith glares at the Crimson Raiders leader and the skinny hunter, "Angel knows more about Hyperion intel than any one of you-"

"You know little girl," Mordecai manages to prop himself off the wall (Roland facepalms, hanging his head in dismay, knowing pretty well what will happen next) as he walks over to Lilith, "That Angel is one of Handsome Jack's personalle, right? You do understand that she might have gathered information on all of us when we met up again-"

"She isn't that type of person!" Lilith's glare narrows as she storms from her position towards Mordecai, "Remember what I said before or are you such a damn block-head?"

"I listened, but I'd rather listen to what my instincts say," Mordecai snaps back, "Angel nearly destoryed the other headquarters before we had to relocate here. Why the hell do you think we're hell-bent to hiding ourselves? Yes, I know Angel is one of your sisters, but that doesn't justify or explain why she's working for our fucking enemy!"

"Didn't I say we have no choice?" Lilith snarls-

"Lil! Mordecai!" Roland growls in irritation, grabbing the surprised attention of not only the bickering duo, but also the attention of the five new members, "Stop! I'm getting really tired of you two arguing over this when we should be working together to stop Handsome Jack! Now get our acts together and move it!"

Everyone were quick to move, not wanting to invoke Roland's wrath further when Roland's voice stops Lilith, "Lil. You're going to stay." Then he glances at Mordecai, "Remember that mission I asked you for?"

"...seriously?" One look from Roland made the hunter sigh as he reluctantly leaves, "Yeah, yeah, amigo, I know," The skinny hunter mutters a nod before giving Lilith a glare that reads 'We're going to have a talk later' before leaving the door, following the other five new Vault Hunters.

A tense silence fell on the room as Roland gently taps his fingers, glancing over at the red-haired Siren, "...Lil. Why do you still want to rescue Angel?"

She lets out a few breaths before turning around, her hands on her hips, "You already know why-"

"I know she is your sister, your brethern... and you want to keep her safe from Handsome Jack," The Crimson Raiders leader, presses a few buttons before shutting the table down, "You, Maya, and Angel were hiding from Hyperion for a while before... the attack on New Haven." He sits down on a seat, one of his ECHOS at hand, "It was a miracle, really, to even see you and anyone else again."

"I know," she sighs, her posture slowly relaxing, "It's just... that stupid Mordecai doesn' t even understand why we..." Lilith then lets out another exhausted sigh, "...even if it was just me and Maya, we wouldn't be able to get past through the security guards, would we?"

Roland shakes his head, recalling that he and Axton (along with the surprising help of Axton's ex-wife) had to swipe blueprints from Hyperion just to see how their damn secuirty works these days, "Nope. We tried. It didn't work. Not even Zer0 can get past the gate."

Lilith groans.

"At least you know a little bit as to why Mordecai and Zer0 were trying to stop you two," The commando can't help but wonder if Lilith has been distant from the group that long, "They wanted to protect you."

That he can tell Lilith looks surprised about, "...wait, what? I... I'm going to repeat myself again, what?"

Figures, The commando sighs, "Ever since the two of you came to join the Cromson Raiders after Angel was taken by Hyperion again, did you ever realize how often those two refuse to leave you two alone for even a single mission, no less?"

"I thought it was because we all agreed to keep our appearances a secret from Handsome Jack..." The Siren trails off before her eyes widen in alarm, "...huh. ...wait, WHAT!?"

"So you finally get it?" Roland can't help but chuckle, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"That- that stupid hunter!" Lilith roars in irritation before she takes a few deep breaths, calming herself down, "I can understand Zero's reasons, even for a little bit, but... no way. That asshat had Moxxi!"

"And Moxxi dumped his ass."

"When did it- How-!"

"A competition."

"I don't get why Mordecai would...!" Lilith just keeps sputtering before she groans, "This is too complicated..."

At least there's one good reason you didn't stick around when you decided to leave the group after we opened the Vault, Roland mentally grunts, recalling pretty well how much bandits they had to kill that day thanks to Mordecai's so-called 'righteous' fury; Brick knew about it and tried to stay far away from the seething hunter; Roland just went along with it before he realized that they were attracting far more attention just from killing hordes of bandits, "So... do you get it now?"

A muffled groan escapes from the Siren, "...somewhat."

"Your anger gone?"

"What do you think?"

"Good," Roland nods, "...because you're going on a special mission that requires a few days."

Lilith blinks before frowning, "...just me?"

"Sadly, yes," The Crimson Raiders leader does not want to see her beat the ever living hell out of Mordecai, "...but you're going to ask him to come along and help."

"'Him'?" Lilith was about to ask when eyes dawn on the emphasis, "...wait, you want me to ask-"

Roland nods before gesturing for her ECHO device, which she gladly hands to him before he syncs her ECHO with his... and hands it back to her, "Just let him listen to him. He'll understand. He should be out over at Thousand Cuts."

"What if he doesn't want to return here?" The red-haried Siren asks, worried about the possibility of another fight; even she knows her and Mordecai arguing was bad enough.

"That 's fine," Roland sighs, "I need more time to write my apology to him anyway."

She nods as she looks through her ECHO... before groaning, "Roland."

"Yeah?"

"Are you seriously asking us to rescue-"

The Crimson Raiders leader nods.

"Do you realize how much she was a bitch to us last time?"

"And I know that, but she's pretty valuable at the moment. Get her in here... and pick up some medication along the way."

Lilith warily stares at Roland, "...should I ask why?"

Roland pauses, "Let's just say she's more into the deep end now as opposed to when we first met her."

The Siren groans, "Great. Anything else?" It wasn't until she catches another bag before she peeks into it, "...um, Roland, what's this?"

"Your disguise. Handsome Jack must not know you're alive."

"Okay- whoa waitasec. WHAT?"