Author's Note: Hey guys! I did it! I posted a chapter in less than 6 months! Take that, Zeus! Work's been getting tough, again, and I'll probably get really busy for the rest of the semester, again, but I'm not stopping anytime soon! Anyway, let's get on with it. I do not own Borderlands. Enjoy!
"I've been following Jack's orders from the beginning." Angel confessed. "Jack modified the power core you found to have a Hyperion network uplink. Through it, I was able to access Sanctuary's defenses and lower them. It was all… part of Jack's plan."
"Well, that clears things up." Axton grunted as he trudged through the snow. He and Krieg had made their way to the Fridge, via Angel's instructions. Axton still wasn't sure if she was trustworthy, especially with Jack calling to taunt them about it the whole way over. Sure, she was trying to be helpful, but who was she really helping? And this story wasn't exactly filling him with confidence. "How long has this been going on?" He asked.
"…Five years." Angel admitted. "Five years ago, I tricked Roland and his friends into opening the Vault. I told them it was to protect Pandora from a great evil. That was a lie. Jack knew he could make a fortune off of the Eridium held within the Vault, but he was too much of a coward to open it himself. Through me, he got the Vault Hunters to do his dirty work."
"I guess people don't change." Axton said. The venom in his words was practically dripping from his teeth. He climbed over another block of ice, trying to keep up with Krieg. They hadn't spoken since they started off for the Fridge. The only conversation going on was between him and Angel. Axton still wasn't sure which was the more uncomfortable choice.
"I am so tired of manipulating people." Angel said, exasperated.
"Not off to a great start." Axton snapped.
"All these years, I told myself Jack had the planet's best interests in mind. But what he just had me do to Sanctuary? To people he had never met, who had never done anything to him? He's not a hero. He's a murderer. And I won't be his puppet anymore."
"Good for you." Axton muttered angrily. "Look like you came to that revelation just in time."
"… There's nothing I can do to get you to trust me, is there?" Angel asked, sadly.
"Nothing comes to mind." Axton responded. He called up ahead. "What about you, big guy? Think we can trust her?"
"Never trust a bunny!" Krieg screeched. "I rest my case…. I think." "Without you, Pandora has no hope." Angel pleaded. "You have no reason to trust me. I get that. But if you're going to stop Jack from controlling the Warrior, you'll need my help."
"Oh, really? And why would that be?"
"Because I know where the Key is. It's with me."
"… Damn it." Axton was starting to get annoyed. He had no way of knowing if Angel was telling the truth. After all, it was a lead on the Key that led them to this mess. But he couldn't pass up the opportunity. It was a lead, which was more than they had to go on. Axton scowled. He had no choice but to just keep going along with Angel's advice. She was currently the only way back to Sanctuary, and now the only way to find the Key. Great. He thought. I'm traveling with a traitorous AI and a crazy, murderous Psycho who knows how to use a gun. He thought. At this rate, I'll probably either die or go crazy myself. Maybe both.
Lost in thought, Axton wasn't paying attention while walking when he suddenly realized Krieg wasn't in front of him anymore. Oh, great. Now I lost the son of a Skagg. Maya's gonna kill me if he doesn't first. Axton noticed a muscular figure with long arms lurching around. Nobody else would be crazy enough to wear practically nothing in this ice cavern. He sighed and walked forward. "Hey, buddy, I really think we should stick togeth-" The figure in front of him whipped around and shot him in the chest. Axton simultaneously dove for cover and dropped his turret as his shield recharged. He peeked out around the snow pile. The figure he mistook for Krieg sure did look like him, but seemed to be paler with a slightly greyish skin complexion. What's more, this Krieg look-alike wasn't alone. Out of snow, more and more of them popped up at the sound of gunfire. Friends of his? Doesn't matter. As long as his turret could occupy them long enough, maybe he could slip away behind them. Axton turned to look down the business end of a shotgun, wielded by Krieg himself. Crap. Axton thought.
"The soldier must live!" Krieg bellowed and shot one of the look-alike Kriegs that had climbed above Axton for a sneak attack. Axton looked at the would-be assassin and back at the hulking monstrosity that saved him. Krieg held out his hand. "No man escapes the man hunters!"
"Thanks." Axton grinned and grabbed hold of Krieg's hand. Pulling out his assault rifle, he turned to face the oncoming horde with Krieg.
"Any idea what these guys are?" He asked. "They're not like any of the bandits we've seen."
"Like rats, they scurry before their doom!" Krieg snarled.
"'Rats' it is then!" Axton tossed out an incendiary grenade and opened fire. Axton and Krieg tore through the Rats as they came at them from every direction in the cavern. Axton climbed on top of a car wreck as he shot two Rats. Securing a vantage point, Axton threw out his turret and provided cover for Krieg, who was hacking away at any unfortunate Rat that came within chopping distance. Axton couldn't help but notice that whenever Krieg got into this Buzz Axe Rampage, he seemed to get bigger. Almost like the Goliaths. An oncoming Rat shook Axton out of it, and he quickly blew the Rat away with a Torgue pistol. Axton dropped down from the car and moved towards the edge of a cliff, where he could see a frozen lake down below. Axton turned around to call Krieg, only to see a different kind of Rat. It was bigger than the rest of them, and had more bandages. In fact, if Axton had to describe it, it was a Rat of an unusual size. The other thing he noticed, was that this Rat had no weapons. Axton smirked and raised his gun, aiming at the Rat's glowing blue eyes. Wait, glowing? Axton moved quickly, narrowly avoiding beams of bright blue light coming out of the Rat's eyes. "Heat vision? Come on!" Axton jumped again, avoiding the Rat's lasers. This thing wasn't giving him the opportunity to fire, and his turret was still recharging. All Axton could do was strafe and hope the Rat would change tactics.
"I don't believe they exist!" Krieg yelled, coming out of nowhere and slamming into the Rat. He wasn't rampaging anymore, but that didn't make him any less deadly. The Rat pushed Krieg off of him with a mighty swing, forcing Krieg to the very edge of the cliff. Krieg roared at the Rat, who responded by lighting up. The laser his Krieg square in the chest, and blew him off the cliff.
"No!" Axton roared and unloaded his shotgun into the Rat. It was only after the last of the ammo clip left the gun that the Rat finally fell down. Axton ran and jumped down from the Cliff, counting on Pandora's gravitational pull for a safe landing. At the bottom, he looked and was relieved to see Krieg alive and well. Sort of. He was in the middle of fighting some kind of Crystalisk. Axton sighed and helped Krieg chip away at the monster's gold plating as Krieg went in for the kill.
"All in all", Axton commented as he loaded the gold shards that came from their battle, "I've got to say that this is the most profitable mission I've ever been on."
"I'll keep it all inside me." Krieg agreed. The two grabbed whatever loot they could fit into their ECHO storage and headed further into the Fridge. Soon they came to something Axton thought he'd never see again. Dahl. "That's right." He said aloud. "They used to mine this planet." He stared at the logo he served for many years. "Wonder if they know to look for me here."
"No man left behind?" Krieg asked. Axton smirked. He was definitely starting to go crazy. He just understood Krieg.
"Not exactly, big guy." He walked forward to what appeared to be an elevator. "They didn't leave me, I had to leave them." Krieg joined him on the elevator as Axton pulled a lever. "I was a glory hound, and they didn't like that." The elevator started to move down. "I lost my unit, my rank, my…" Axton touched the ring on his dog tags. I wonder if she's thinking about me? He thought.
"Live, die, repeat." Krieg said, patting Axton on the back. "Uh, thanks." Axton wasn't sure why, but he felt comforted by Krieg's words. Maybe he wasn't so crazy after all. Then again, Krieg did try to operate a Marcus Munitions vending machine with his buzz axe... so maybe? Axton shrugged it off as the elevator continued its descent.
The sun was shining brightly in the Highlands Outwash as Axton and Krieg stepped out of the Fridge. It was getting close to evening according to the sun's position, which made sense to Axton considering they've been traveling for hours. "Well, now what?" Axton asked aloud. They traveled through the Fridge as instructed but Sanctuary was nowhere in sight. There wasn't a Hyperion ambush either, but Axton wasn't yet convinced that Angel was truly trustworthy. Suddenly, a flash of purple light appeared in the sky and everything grew dark as the flash turned into a sort of vortex. Axton could feel gravity shifting and then a sudden bang was heard. The light came back and the city of Sanctuary was now floating where that spot of light was.
"Annnd I'm awesome." A tired voice breathed through Axton's ECHO.
"Lilith?" "Hey, killer." Lilith wheezed.
"Lilith, what happened?"
"I phased the city. No big deal." Lilith sounded like she just ran a planet-wide marathon. "How was your day?"
"Oh, great. Thanks for asking." Axton replied, sarcastically. "You know, got betrayed by an A.I., zapped out of the city with friends still inside as they made their great escape, going somewhat crazy by talking to a Psycho all day, had to trudge our way through countless Rats in the Fridge, and, on top of that, I'm feeling pretty hungry." He looked over at Krieg who looked like he was trying to force a Skagg tongue through his mask. "Scratch that last one."
"Why'd you go through the Fridge? How'd you know we'd end up over… what looks like the Highlands?"
"Um, long story." Axton decided it probably wasn't a good idea to talk about the A.I. that had betrayed them who was now helping him and Krieg.
"Alright." Lilith sounded like she knew there was more to the story, but didn't want to press. "How's everyone else?" Axton asked, thinking about Maya.
"Blue Tattoo?" Krieg butted in.
"Everyone's fine, Maya included." Lilith responded. "They're just in line."
"In line?"
"Yeah, for Zed's." Lilith responded casually. "Teleporting did a number on people's stomachs so everyone in the city is going to Zed for some meds."
"He has meds?" "Kinda." Lilith chuckled sheepishly. The sound of someone retching in the background could be heard. "Whoop. Gotta go. Find a way back here as quick as you guys can. Lilith out."
"Ok." Axton sighed. He really didn't like this but had no other choice. "How do we get back, Angel?"
"Now that Sanctuary's reappeared, you can use any fast-travel station to get back to the Crimson Raiders." She responded, sounding happy that Axton asked her for help. "There should be one near where you are right now." Axton looked and saw the fast-travel station. He grinned at Krieg.
"Let's go home, buddy." He said, punching in the selection on the screen.
"Error." The machine beeped. "Location [Sanctuary] not found."
"Ouch?" Krieg prodded the fast-travel station with the edge of his buzz axe.
"Um, I don't think so." Axton frowned. "Angel? Is there some kind of glitch?"
"Oh no." Angel sounded upset. "The phase blast must have taken Sanctuary off the fast-travel network."
"Crap… So, now what?"
"Oh, uh…" For an A.I., Angel wasn't very quick on her feet when it came to problem-solving. "Okay. Head to the Eridium Extraction Plant nearby. I think I know how to get you back to your friends."
"Um, sorry, could you repeat that?" Axton was at the last straw. "I thought I just heard the A.I., with questionable intentions and motives, tell us to go to a base of operations funded and run by Hyperion, the very people she is trying to convince us she doesn't work for." Axton paused. "Yeah, I thought it over. There's no way this isn't a trap."
"It's not!"
"Krieg?"
"I see meat muscles!"
"Please! Believe me!" Angel cried. Axton was about to retort but paused. There was a strange sound on the line in the background. Axton hadn't heard that sound in a long time but never expected to hear it on Pandora, let alone from an A.I. Maybe it was the wind, maybe it was him hearing things. But it sounded like… crying? Axton took a deep breath. She did sound upset. And he was being kind of a dick. He looked at Krieg. Krieg looked back at him, but not in confusion or craziness. He heard the sound too and recognized it. Axton could see into Krieg's eyes. What were once filled with psychotic rage had now been replaced with something softer. Aaauuuggghhh. Axton wiped his face and rubbed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on.
"… How far away is it?" He asked quietly.
"What?" Angel responded in surprise.
"You gonna mark it on our maps, or are we just going to wander around until we see it?" Axton asked a little louder.
"Uh, yeah. I'm marking it right now." Angel sounded better. Happier even. Axton couldn't take any more of this feel-good crap. "Look, it's been a long day, and I really want to shoot something." He said. "Just point us in the direction." He looked at Krieg. "You with me?"
"Who's ready to flay some scalps?!" Krieg roared. The two of them set off in the direction Angel marked for them.
"You know, I didn't lie to you about everything." Angel said. "You and your friends really are the only people who can stop Jack. Roland, Lilith, and Mordecai, he defeated them long ago. They can help you reach him, but in the end, it will be you all who brings Jack down."
"Angel? You're pushing it."
"Right. Sorry."
Minutes later, Axton and Krieg were scoping out the Extraction Plant from atop a hill. Through his scope, Axton could make out tons of loaders patrolling the area, big and small. There was also a conveyor platform that could be used to cross a massive river to the other side of the plant. "What are we looking for, exactly? He asked.
"If you can cross the river and steal a supply beacon, we can get Sanctuary back on to the fast-travel network." Angel explained.
"How is that?"
"See those lunar supply shots? We need to steal a beacon and get the moonbase to send you an uncalibrated fast-travel unit. You can use that to get Sanctuary on the network. Simple."
"Simple?"
"Except not at all." Angel admitted.
"Right. Okay, Krieg, how do you want to-?" Axton looked around. "Where did he-?"
"I'M CONDUCTOR OF THE POOP TRAIN!" Axton whirled around to see Krieg taking the loaders, head-on.
"Right." Axton sighed and charged in to help.
Author's Note: Hey-O! I wanted to go on further, but I felt that this was a good place to stop for now. This chapter was a bit more emotional than I planned, and I didn't want to ruin that… right away, anyway. And this is up faster than my last chapter, so I figured I could call it here and you all won't hate me enough to hunt me down. Good luck with that. You'll never find me. *sound of someone asking how to get to Times Square* And now I have to move locations. Again. Anyway, hopefully, I'll get the next chapter up soon. I will say though, it is so damn HARD writing for Krieg. Moving on, I've heard a few suggestions from you guys, but not much in comparison to before. I promise you guys I do read and take your suggestions seriously before deciding if I want to incorporate them into the story or not. I also accept PMs. If you have any suggestions for fun interactions, actions scenes, or character choices/dialogue, please let me know! I'd love to hear what you guys have to say. Until then, see ya!