The Other Sniper
Chapter Three
"Hey you," a happy voice slid into Mordecai's tired mind. The sun shone brightly into the room. The smell of old blood seemed long gone, cleaned out and scrubbed. His bed lay flat on the floor, but it was clean, a soft mattress taken from barracks belonging to Atlas soldiers dispersed after the death of Commandant Steele and the opening of the Vault.
"Hey," he heard again, opening his eyes, so tired. The cry of a bird, one so familiar, brought him to sit up. Bloodwing sat upon a perch, stretching her wings back. "Are you going to sleep all day?" he heard, and glanced across the room to where Sera stood, long soft hair draped over her shoulders, clashing with the black of the sleeveless shirt that exposed the toned skin of her stomach. She was again in her underwear, her legs long and smooth. She kept clean for him, as clean as Pandoran sandstorms and trouble with consistent running water would allow. He didn't care and often times, he found her at her best covered in mud and sweat, smelling of sweet gunfire. Maybe, he sometimes thought, keeping clean was a way to keep him away, rather than draw him in. They were, he remembered, often inseparable when it came down to to bare flesh.
His gaze started from her feet, slid up the lean frame of her body that his gun-calloused hands had held tightly for so many nights since they had settled in the tower near the Tundra Express. "Yeah," he said to her, "I'm going to stay in bed all day."
"All day?" she repeated, feigning offense. She had plans for the morning, he knew that. Sera always had plans for the morning. Asleep after him, awake before him. He found her so often staring out windows at night when he rolled over and found her gone from his side. Bloodwing would sit at her shoulder as if she were hers and not his. Once, he felt a pang of jealousy rising in his gut, but when he sat up in bed, Bloodwing abandoned Sera in favor of him and the feeling easily subsided, never surfacing again.
Crossing the distance to him, Sera dropped to her knees upon the bed. She crawled, slowly, her body hovering above his as she came to stop before him. "Can I join you?" she asked softly. Leaning in, she reached out, taking his goatee in her fingers and pulling him close, her lips bare centimeters from his. "It's cold outside."
A hard blow suddenly came to his legs and he bolted upright, sitting up, heart pounding in his chest. The sun shown warm on his face, his skin hot as he looked up to find Brick standing nearby, staring down at him. "What the hell are you doing out here?" Brick asked with laughter in his voice.
The sun was high, too high for early morning, not high enough for noon-time. With a groan, he pushed himself to his feet. Still out on the balcony. He didn't even remember falling asleep, only Sera watching him from the shadows after the blurry memory of breaking a bottle. Across from him, the remnants remained, shards of glass glittering in the light. "Where's Sera?" Mordecai asked.
Walking away, back inside, Brick replied, "Dunno."
"Did the Vault Hunters come back yet?"
"Nope. Not yet."
Turning, the sniper looked out about the city. It was just a dream. A memory. After the Vault, before they had found themselves on the Zombie Island of Doctor Ned, he and Sera branched out together. The following months, they became Death. They traveled, searching for nothing and everything, the next big hit. Loot that the Vault was rumored to have but had none. There had to be something on Pandora. "I like this place," Sera said after cleaning out the tower at the Tundra Express, burning varkids and bandits with an elemental Vladof pistol at close range.
"This place?" Mordecai laughed. "And the snow?"
"Guess we'd just have to find a way to keep warm," she shrugged, her words so casual he almost hadn't caught the meaning as she strode away from him, increasing her stride as she made her way to the tower, into it, up to the very top.
Before him, down in Sanctuary, he heard Lilith calling up to him. "Is Roland back yet?"
"No," he found himself saying quickly, "Why?"
"Said he had to talk with Sera but he couldn't find her," Lilith replied. "Haven't seen her either, have you?"
"Not since last night," Mordecai said plain-faced, not letting on a feeling or thought. "She was crashed on the couch when I came back."
"Thought she was sticking around this time," Lilith muttered, striding away.
Behind him, Brick chuckled, a heavy sound of humor.
"You know something we don't?" Mordecai grumbled over his shoulder.
"Ain't you supposed to know her better than the rest of us?" the berserker grinned as he returned to his bunk. It still seemed too early to be awake.
Mordecai stared. He thought of Sera staring back at him in the dark. In his stupor, he had seen her gaze as accusing, seen the shadows across her face and thought her coming to watch him fall to pieces, to blame him for his own loss of hope and mind. Now, as he looked back to the doorway Brick had passed through, to the place she had stood so quietly with the light behind her, he wondered if she had only just woken to the noise, or woken as she used to during those many nights at the tower, for no apparent reason. She often said, "I'm cold," when he awoke, seeing her staring out the window at the varkid-infested lands. "I can't sleep when it's cold."
He knew well enough and would reply, "You chose it."
"For a reason," she told him and would grasp his hand in hers, entwining their fingers. Never had he been one for romantic gestures, but he let it happen since it never lasted long. It was almost as if she remembered suddenly where she was, what she was doing, and wrench her hand from his as if her flesh burned at his touch. "Sap," she would say, and he never knew if she referred to him or herself, but she would slip a finger into a beltloop on his pants and lead him back to bed. Shut him up before he could ever ask any questions.
"Where's everyone off to?" he heard from behind him and turned to see Axton and the new Vault Hunters striding into the room.
"They're around," Mordecai replied.
"Sera here?" Maya asked, "I know she wanted to go with us last time."
"Took off," the sniper said and then added, "Hey, I got a favor..."
The Vault Hunters listened to a story about Mordecai's cache of stolen weapons, agreed to the mission, and then departed once again. "Gotta restock," Axton said, shouldering a Tediore rocket launcher that had become his new best friend. At the reload, the weapon itself became a great explosion and the Pandora-wide digistruct would form it back in his hands. No need to reload. It was the perfect weapon.
They made their way to Marcus' shop. At seeing the Vault Hunters, Marcus Kincaid, round and wealthy greeted them with open arms from behind the bars that divided him from them. "Welcome Vault Hunters," he said with his accented voice, smiling.
"You don't have to do that every time," Maya told him as she stepped up to the vending machine full of ammunition, paid her money and pressed each button of stock until her pockets were full of rounds, magazines, and clips.
Marcus ignored her, caught up with the impressive weapon upon Axton's shoulder. "Very fine," he admired.
"Not for sale," Axton replied, waiting his turn as Salvador searched through the stock of new weapons that the arms dealer had available.
"Everything has a price, my friend," Marcus chuckled.
Stepping back from the ammunition-dispensing vending machine, Maya let Zero take his turn and then leaned upon it. "That doesn't make sense, you know," she said, "Why would she wait until now to take off. Shouldn't she have come to find us the first day?"
"You're over-thinking it," Axton told her, keeping his eyes focused elsewhere.
Zero remained quiet as Salvador said, "She's a crazy woman. They don't make sense. None of the whole lot."
Maya chuckled.
"Hm?" Marcus leaned forward. "Which crazy woman? The town is full of them," he clucked.
"Lilith's friend," Axton replied, lifting a small Bandit pistol and setting it back down with disinterest. "Sera."
"Sera..." Marcus growled, "Sera. That little bitch is back?"
Axton stilled. "Way to go, Commando," Maya sighed.
Across town, Lilith waited in the small hub, sitting atop a locked, golden weapons chest, her legs crossed at her knees. She heard a sudden pop in the air and then the words of a continued conversation from across the world. "—do you?" Roland's voice, the end of a question.
"Don't worry about it," Sera told him with a smile, she was unclean, stained in browns and reds with mud caked on her boots. Her long hair, no longer soft strands the old Vault Hunters remembered from their time together as a team, before the Vault, but turned to dreaded locks from her time alone in the Dust, was tied back. A few singular loose strands stuck to her face and neck with sweat and the mess that spattered back from a close range bullet. Lilith had noticed before upon seeing her the first time, but didn't want to ask the reason why she had let it go to dreads, the red and blue strands among her natural color. She wondered, however, in the back of her mind, if it were because the sniper no longer caring for her appearance after she and Mordecai had separated, or if it had been Sera taking on specific traits of the one she cared for and lost. Then again, it just could've been Sera being Sera. Sometimes, things just happened, and when it came to the sniper striding beside Roland, coming from wherever, there didn't have to be a reason. It just happened.
Suddenly Sera looked up and saw Lilith, her smile brightening. "Howdy, Lil," she beamed, waving like an excited child. Adjusting a pack on her shoulder, she approached the Siren and said, "Were you waiting for me? I feel so important."
Glancing between the two before her, Lilith muttered, "You two seem at ease." She kept her thoughts to the back of her mind, trying to ease the complicated situation away. It would only make her wonder again about the two snipers. She only knew it had to have been something unforgivable by Sera's standards for it to never be spoken of again. And yet, when asked, both involved would laugh, shrugging it off as if what had happened were a joke, nothing serious. Lilith had always suspected differently.
Sera and Roland glanced between each other and Sera lifted her leg, taking a stiff, exaggerated step away from the leader of the Crimson Raiders. "We're not agreeing on anything, honest," she told the Siren, "We're still bitter rivals, hell bent on forcing our views upon the other."
"Sarcasm is unappreciated," Lilith smirked and then added, "Should I be worried that the two of you are getting along so well?"
"Not at all," Roland said at the same time the sniper replied, "Only a little."
"What's the plan?" Lilith questioned.
"Gotta talk to Tannis," Sera replied, once more adjusting the satchel at her shoulder.
"The others should be back by now," Roland thought aloud. With nothing else to say, the three crossed town to the Headquarters.
At the center of town, Mordecai waited for them. Seeing Sera, he rushed towards her. "Got a minute?" he asked.
Roland and Lilith hesitated when the hunter-class sniper stopped before them. Sera passed him, spinning on her toe and striding backward. "I'll pass," she said, "Last time I gave you a minute, we had a nice little talk where you turned into a grade-A asshole."
"And we can fight about it later, right now—"
"I have to talk to Tannis," she interrupted, turning and disappearing up the steps into the Headquarters.
Lilith heard Mordecai swear beside her. "What's wrong?" the Siren asked, all seriousness returning to her voice.
"Marcus showed up," he told her and bolted from where he stood, running after the woman whom had left him behind.
"Damn it," Roland sighed.
"This could be bad."
Stepping over the threshold, Mordecai's feet glued to the floor and he stopped abruptly. The scene before him was the one he had hoped they could all avoid. Marcus Kincaid, graying and round, stood in the center of the room. In his hand sat a Jakobs revolver, the muzzle pressed firmly at Sera's forehead, his finger on the trigger. At that range, Jakobs or not, it would only take one bullet.
Sera had always been a quicker draw than the man before her and even though Marcus held a gun to her head, she had been able to press her old, dark green Tediore against his temple. They were at a standstill, quiet, glaring. Tannis stood at a distance, clutching a dirtied pack to her chest. "One more," Sera said through grit teeth, "and we could have ourselves a real Truxican Standoff."
"You have what belongs to me, Girl," Marcus growled.
"Possession is nine-tenths of the la..." she shook her head, and muttered to herself, "no that's a different planet. What was it on Pandora? Oh, right! Finders keepers, losers shut the hell up!"
"I want it back!"
"Or what?" she grinned, a very unattractive look, rather fierce and wild-like. "You're never going to talk to me again?" She pretended to pout, it was mocking, laughing. Marcus was not a man to laugh at. She was playing a dangerous game with the man whom often told the new Vault Hunters that if they bought from anyone else, he would have them killed. It was a strange statement, however, since it was nearly impossible to buy another weapon from anyone on Pandora, they didn't exist. Perhaps, Marcus had killed them all.
"I will shoot you!" he shouted, his voice roaring.
"Shoot me?" she laughed, angry, abrupt. "You'll never find a damn thing!"
"Marcus!" came a shout from the doorway, neither dared to look but the sound was Roland's commanding voice. "Sera!" He crossed the distance to stand near them and set a hand at the top of each gun. "Put them away. Now!"
"Yes," Marcus said to the woman before him, "Listen to your leader. We're fighting Handsome Jack, remember?"
"No," Sera growled, grinding the muzzle of her Tediore into the arms-dealer's flesh. At her side, Roland waited for her denouncement of him as her leader, awaited her inevitable rejection of any superior officer. But, to his surprise, it did not come. Instead, she said, "No, you are fighting Jack. I never said I was."
The room fell quiet. Marcus couldn't control the surprise that came upon his face. Roland took that moment to step between them. He was sure Marcus wouldn't shoot him. He was only hoping Sera wouldn't. He had his back to the sniper, having shoved her gun to the side to take his place, facing the dangerous merchant. "Get back to your shop, Marcus," Roland told the man before him. "You can settle this later. After Jack is dead, and not in the middle of Operations." Over his shoulder he said, "Sera, I need to talk to you upstairs."
"He leaves first," she told him and he could almost feel her disappear at his back. He knew she was still there, out the corner of his eye he could still see her, but she was so quiet, so still. It was something he had witnessed Mordecai do out in the field, only when he was sober. It only meant she was still ready for a fight, still ready to shoot. Her Tediore was lowered, as was Marcus' Jakobs, but it didn't mean they had given up putting a bullet through the other's head.
Time felt slowed as Roland waited, as they all waited for Marcus to suspend his death threat for another day and leave the Headquarters of the Crimson Raiders. He walked out the door with gun ready, his eyes on Sera.
When he was gone, Roland slowly faced her, moving with caution to not draw her fire. She was still gone, waiting, expecting, her green eyes on the door. He exhaled heavily, a deep sigh loud enough that it drew her attention. She seemed to return from the distant place where she hid herself in plain sight, away from the stealth training to the Sera he had just returned to Sanctuary with. "Upstairs," he said softly.
"If you're going to reprimand me," she said waving the Tediore before putting it away, striding to the stairs in the corner of the room, "I'm just going to ignore you like I always do. Blah blah blah, you should listen, blah blah blah." She was mocking him as she disappeared onto the second floor.
Roland rubbed his face, taking a deep breath. Lilith said, "Don't freak out just yet. You know she says or does things sometimes just for the reaction. She's always done that, especially to Marcus and Scooter."
"And Crazy Earl," Tannis piped up randomly, drawing their attention and then she promptly strode away, not wanting to be the focus of so many faces.
"I'm just hoping," Roland sighed, "we didn't just bring one of Jack's spies into Sanctuary."
"Sera wouldn't!" Lilith nearly shouted, her mouth agape.
"And if she is?" He shook his head. "You just might be too close to this."
Upstairs, Roland found Sera standing on the balcony, staring out at Sanctuary and the clouds around it. She heard his military-steps as he approached, but only gave him a cursory glance over her shoulder. He came to a stop beside her, remained quiet, waited.
"I meant what I said," she told him calmly. "I never said I was here to fight Jack."
"You never said why you were here," he replied coldly.
"Cool your britches, Fearless Leader," she said, biting back the edges of a smile. "I know what you're thinking."
"Do you?"
"I know you Ro," she said, crossing her arms, "Just as well as you know me but you don't want to admit." She shook her head slowly, seemingly thinking. "Look, I'm not fighting Jack," she continued, softer this time, less humor, "I'm leaving here with your new Vault Hunters. I'll cover them. I shoot where they shoot. Lil asked me here because of Mordecai. I'm here for revenge. I will shoot Jack between the eyes for what he did to my best friend. But I'm not fighting Jack." He looked to her then, confusion dawning on his face and without looking, she could tell. "Dahl left. Atlas fell. Jakobs killed itself. Hyperion will fall." She took a slow breath and raised her gaze to Roland. "Jack is only part of the problem. Who's to say that after he's dead, someone worse won't come along to replace him."
"Who could be worse than Jack?"
"Me."
They watched each other a moment before a smirk appeared at Sera's lips and Roland began laughing.
"Could you imagine it?" she chuckled. "Me? Ruler of Pandora?"
"We'd all die."
She grinned and then sighed. "Man! If this were old times I'd ask you to pretend like I was a spy. Make everybody paranoid."
Roland smiled. Old times. When jokes were jokes and it was just the bandits gone crazy. When torture wasn't an option and their lives really weren't on the line. "One day," he told her, "hopefully sooner now that we have more help."
"Where you shoot," she said solemnly, "I shoot."
Roland watched her quietly. He was glad Lilith was still his voice of reason. He shouldn't have doubted Sera, not now, not after everything that had happened.
On their way down the stairs, Sera paused, seeing everyone standing around, old Vault Hunters and new, and Tannis still clutching the satchel. She looked to Axton and asked, "You taking off soon?"
"Trying to," he replied.
"I'll meet all of you at the hub. Gotta pretend to agree with Tannis," she told him.
"Hey!" Tannis said sharply.
Lilith, strode up to Sera as the new Vault Hunters left the Headquarters. Brick, Roland, and Mordecai ascended the stairs. No questioning look passed between them. The berserker and the hunter had known that it was impossible for the woman from the Dust to ever be a traitor to those she had traveled to the Vault with. Not now, not after so much had transpired. And definitely, not after the battle at New Haven against Handsome Jack and Wilhelm when, had it not been for her arrival with a new wave of help, they certainly would have all died.
"Hey," the Siren spoke up when the others had gone. "Be careful, alright?"
Sera scoffed, "What're you talkin about? We'll be back before you can say: skag stole my wooden leg."
Lilith covered her mouth, barely stifling a laugh as she left the sniper and returned upstairs.
At the hub, the new Vault Hunters waited. As Sera stepped inside, Axton turned to choose their destination but stopped when her voice filled the room. "I've got a mission," she said.
"What's the reward?" Salvador questioned.
"We'll see when it's done."
"What're you asking us to do?" Axton asked, stepping away from the fast travel device.
"I'll be going with you," she assured him, "but I want to go to the Preservation. I want to see it. And I want to cause a little chaos."
"I'd appreciate another tour of your armory," Axton casually told her.
"Don't push it, Blondie," she replied, "or I'll blow it up just to spite you."
The rest of the team stared at Axton and gestured for him to stop at that, to say no more.
Turning her attention to Zero, Sera asked, "What do you think, Ninja?"
Zero stood quietly where he was, watching the woman across the room from him, still covered in blood and mud. A question mark displayed over his faceplate, a hologram, red. Finally, he said. "Time wasted on talk. Opportunity awaits. Let us cause chaos."