A/N: Stressful week, didn't get much time to write… and yet I managed to finish and upload this chapter earlier than I've been able to for about two months now. Huh.
Note: Someone else (I'm about ninety percent confident it's SparkCrystal) drew me another drawing! Check it out at fatecrystal -dot- deviantart -dot- com -slash- # -slash- d5qkyi2
Borderlands 2 – New-U
Chapter 13 – Deciding
Down they went.
The air grew gradually warmer as they descended the rocky caverns. The Vault Hunters found themselves walking down increasingly shoddy and incomplete settings. It appeared that, as Jack sensed his success, he focused less on establishing a proper defense and more on getting to the Warrior. Their current path seemed to have been simply blasted apart with a couple supports thrown in here and there. The uneven floor made it difficult to keep up a steady run.
But Zer0's thoughts were elsewhere, even as he casually dispatched some lingering groups of enemies. Face impassive, his teammates barely paid him any notice as he slowed his pace and fell behind a few steps. He wondered if a certain black-haired Siren had escaped that sinking wreck of a barge. The man eventually came to a halt, ducking behind a rock formation with the others as they took cover from several loaders and soldiers. Closing his eyes for a millisecond, he envisioned her last words to him.
'I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing. Promise.'
Her eyes had shown a surprising amount of confidence despite her situation. Those shockingly blue eyes displayed no sign of hesitation as she stared him down. He really had no choice but to trust her. It didn't make accepting it any easier though. Opening his eyes again, he picked off an engineer partially hidden by a shipping container in the distance, nearly missing the target due to his inattentiveness. Fortunately, the area seemed to be getting more and more empty the further down they went. An almost eerie silence soon fell as the only sounds around the group was that of their footfalls. Finally, they reached a single cargo lift leading further down. Axton glanced nervously at the others.
"Ready?"
Expressions grim, the others nodded as they gathered on the platform. Axton reached over and started the lift, which shuddered for a moment before starting its slow and creaky journey downward. Looking down and in the distance, the soldier spotted the summoning altar. It looked almost like a small island in a red-orange sea. He pointed this out to the others, to which Salvador commented warily.
"Looks empty…"
Axton nodded in agreement.
"Be prepared for anything. We don't know what Jack plans to throw at us, but based on the kind of person he is, we can probably expect some kind of trap."
The lift groaned and thudded to a halt at the bottom level of the area. Before them, the cavern opened up into a massive room. Lava flowed through most of the room, indicating that they were in the heart of the mountain, or rather, inactive volcano. Far above, through the red glow of the lava, they could make out the murky purple skies of the Eridium Blight. A single path led out towards the summoning altar. Cautiously, the four Vault Hunters crept towards the Vault Key and Lilith. From their position, they could make out the captured Siren's face. Her eyes were screwed up in pain as raw energy coursed through her body and then into the Key. Maya instinctively took a step back, feeling nauseated by the pulsating plasma. Axton motioned for Zer0 to watch their backs. Silently, the assassin maneuvered himself up onto a rock and crouched down, rifle at the ready. The Siren regained her mettle and readied her weapon. Nearby, Salvador did the same thing, crouching lower to pose less of a target. Gaige steadied her assault rifle in one hand and prepared to summon Deathtrap should the situation require the flying robot. Axton checked his own assault rifle, memories coming back to haunt him.
'Death is not an option.'
Axton shook his head slightly to clear it. Mouth set in a thin line, he led the team forward. There didn't appear to be anyone around, but they knew better than to assume that. As they moved closer to the control panel, they could hear a light tapping of fingers on keys. Then, a figure shimmered into view as the typing stopped. Handsome Jack turned to face the group, a look of anticipation on his face. His eyes danced with a strange light and it seemed as though he hadn't slept in days.
"Hey, you're right on time – Key's almost ready! But before I cleanse this planet for good, I'm gonna avenge my daughter."
With that, he disappeared.
…
Angel leapt over the broken shell of a loader as she ran down the path to the Warrior's summoning altar and Jack. Behind her, two older Vault Hunters struggled to keep up. Mordecai was panting hard as he clutched a stitch in his side.
"W…Wait up… Girl, wait…"
The Siren paused for a moment, spinning to glare at the man, impatience clear in her eyes.
"What?''
The old sniper gasped for breath, bent over with his hands on his knees.
"I… I just… gotta catch… my breath."
Brick looked pityingly at his friend.
"You're just… out of shape… cuz you don't… punch things…"
Mordecai frowned, squinting at his friend.
"You don't sound any better there, buddy."
Angel really didn't have the time for banter at the moment.
"Can you two man up and get moving? We don't have the luxury to sit around!"
Mordecai raised a placating hand, sitting down on a nearby loader corpse. He took a few more breaths before speaking slowly.
"Woah there, girly. If you haven't noticed, we're kinda injured… How did you come out of all that without a scratch?"
Brick sat down heavily with a groan. The young Siren stared incredulously at the two. Finally, she shook her head, her annoyance visible.
"Fine. You two take a breather and then catch up."
With that, she turned and ran off through the Hyperion excavation site, leaving the two men behind to nurse their wounds. Mordecai sighed as he allowed himself to rest.
"I'm getting too old for this shit."
Brick grunted in agreement.
…
The battle was going rather poorly. Jack was taking full advantage of his engineering prowess, utilizing a hybrid defense device he had created in his spare time. He could create multiple, fully-autonomous projections of himself or even completely disappear with the push of a button. Coupled with the modified pistol that had easily pierced Roland's shields, the Vault Hunters were doing all they could to simply survive. They witnessed firsthand how strong such a small weapon could be when Deathtrap took its full blast, which shattered the robot's core, causing it to perform an emergency deconstruction.
"¡VAMONOS, PUTA!"
Salvador drew two rocket launchers, firing wildly at Jack's current location. This seemed to have some effect as the shockwaves stunned the man, dropping his shields. Sensing an opportunity, Axton open fired on the unshielded man, satisfied at the spray of blood that erupted from Jack's right shoulder and left calf. Staggering slightly, the injured man typed something into the communicator on his left wrist. The floor near him exploded as two turrets were dropped. These were followed by a single surveyor, which immediately began to recharge his shield. Both Axton and Salvador dodged out of the way as the turrets and Jack simultaneously began to retaliate.
"Gimme a distraction!"
Gaige called out to Zer0, who nodded and cast out a holographic projection of his own, using that time to rush to a different location. The mechromancer took that small window to fire upon one of the turrets, managing to damage it before they turned their attention back to her. A small beep indicated that Deathtrap was ready again. She summoned the flying robot as she herself fired from behind partial cover. The metal robot growled, slashing away at the damaged turret, which sparked and finally exploded.
"Hell yeah!"
She cheered as she ducked back down and began moving to a different location. Jack growled and charged forward, his shields fully replenished. The surveyor now joined the battle, firing spheres of concentrated energy at the Vault Hunters. Jack created more holograms, attempting to catch the team off guard. It worked to some extent as he ended up behind the young mechromancer. Luckily for her, the high-powered pistol shot caught her in her prosthetic, leaving a nasty dent in the reinforced metal. The girl ran, arm numb and incapacitated for the moment. Jack turned invisible and summoned loader reinforcements from the moon base. The robots crashed onto the platform and joined the fray.
"Give it up! Your only delaying the inevitable!"
The invisible president's mocking voice rang out over the gunfire. He was forced to suddenly dodge as one of Zer0's sniper rifle bullets whizzed dangerously close. The loaders behind him weren't so lucky as they exploded into scrap metal. Still invisible, the man retaliated, sending the sniper ducking behind cover again. As the cloaking wore off, Jack spoke with a cocky grin on his face.
"One versus five, and I'm kicking your ass? This is pathetic!"
He duplicated himself again as the remaining turret and surveyor to seek out their prey. By this time, Salvador had been mostly forgotten and, mostly unseen, was able to line up a clear shot to the turret. A single rocket was all it took to destroy the second turret. Deathtrap quickly dispatched the surveyor, overloading its circuits with a blast of electricity and sending the small craft plummeting to the ground. With a roar, Jack reloaded his pistol and continued to fire, forcing the Vault Hunters to take cover. Finally, Axton managed to fire at one of the figures, which turned out to also be a hologram, causing the soldier to yell in frustration.
"Stop hiding and fight, you bastard!"
There was that same mirthless chuckle again as the rest of the holograms vanished and Jack reappeared. Too late, the soldier realized the Hyperion president was behind him. A vicious blow sent the man to the ground, weapon spinning away. Axton groaned and then froze as he felt the barrel of a gun press against the back of his head. Jack's voice was cold as he spoke.
"I've done all the fighting, idiot. See, this is the part where I kill you."
As the man increased pressure on the gun's trigger, there was a shout from nearby.
"NO!"
A blue and yellow blur tackled Jack to the ground. The man bounced slightly as he tried to free himself from Maya's clutches. He had lost his grip on his weapon during the tackle and was now resorting to fists as he attacked the incensed Siren. Unfortunately for him, the Siren retained a solid grip on her SMG, which she pressed into his stomach and pulled the trigger. Several short bursts sounded as the Dahl SMG discharged. There was a shattering sound as Jack's shield was destroyed again. The man's cry of pain rang out shortly afterwards.
"Get off me you bitch!"
Jack shook off the blue-haired Siren, staggering over to the center of the altar, panting heavily. He was now bleeding badly in several places but he either didn't notice or didn't care. He grinned at the Vault Hunters, who were now approaching with their weapons aimed at him.
"Is that it? All that bandit bravado? That's all you got?"
Axton took another step, finger hovering over the trigger of his weapon.
"Don't move, you bastard. You're a dead man and you know it."
Jack let out a dark chuckle.
"You really think I'd come all this way without a plan? Well, shows how smart you bandits really are."
Salvador growled as he readied his shotgun with a menacing click.
"That's it. I'm killing this piece of shit."
The shotgun barked and Jack threw himself clumsily to the side, though not fast enough as some of the buckshot caught his upper arm, sending him spinning back towards the charging Key. Yet that satisfied grin remained. The masked man spoke again, gesturing dramatically as he spoke.
"This… is what I'd like to call… a distraction."
Above them, the three piece of the Key joined as if attracted by some magnetic force. Then it drifted downwards towards the keyhole, bypassing the captured Siren on its way down. Lilith wore a horrified expression as she shouted out in warning.
"No! Get out of here! The Key's charged!"
Jack laughed maniacally.
"I'm not dying just yet."
With that, he gripped the edge of the Vault Key, forcing it down into the receptacle. There was a burst of energy as the Key was activated. Suddenly realizing the pain from his wounds, Jack fell to the ground nearby. The charging station lost its power as the Key pulsed and the energy shield planted by a certain spy activated. Without the Eridium bonds, Lilith fell too, hitting the ground with a pained grunt. Jack barely noticed. The bloody man laughed from his place on the floor of the summoning altar. Struggling, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees.
"You're too late, bandits! I win. The greatest power Pandora has ever seen… and it's MINE to control!"
At the far end of the summoning altar, something large burst out of the lava, sending molten rock splattering the area. A creature, larger than anything the Vault Hunters had encountered on Pandora, rose up and perched on the arch at the end of the platform. It raised its colossal head and roared to the heavens, the noise reverberating off the walls. As if in response, Jack also bent his head back and screamed out loud.
"WARRIOR!"
The gargantuan beast roared out again in reply as it leapt down from its perch, lava splashing when it landed. Jack grinned in that half-crazed manner he used when completely pissed off. His command rang out over the fading roars.
"Kill."
…
"What's going on? I thought you had the situation under control!"
The voice of Tusya Seidin bellowed out from a small communicator on a nearby desk. His spy sat languidly in an oversized armchair that coincidentally belonged to Jack. He gave the communicator a dismissive glance.
"It is."
The Generalissimus did not appear to be happy with that response.
"So our energy readings are spiking for fun then? You were sent there to stop the man from summoning the Warrior!"
The spy scoffed, insulted that his boss would even partially doubt his skill.
"It's being taken care of. Should our bold adventurers fall, my failsafe will eliminate the alien threat."
There was a moment of silence as the man on the other side of the communicator fumed. Then, he spoke in a somewhat less annoyed tone.
"What I don't understand is why you even bothered to let things get this far!"
The spy sighed, speaking slowly as if he were teaching a small child.
"Tusya, what is my primary goal?"
The Generalissimus barely hesitated.
"To eliminate the Warrior."
The spy rolled his eyes.
"Wrong. My goal is to remain undetected."
Confused, his boss retorted.
"Couldn't you just stab the guy in the back or something?"
The lounging man sneered even though the other man couldn't see him.
"Yes, you would suggest such an asinine plan. That would've blown my cover."
His boss wouldn't let up.
"And he would be dead."
The spy frowned, annoyed at where the conversation was heading.
"I wasn't completely sure of that, so I decided not to take that risk. Killing him probably wouldn't have done anything."
There was a sharp intake of breath.
"You mean…"
The spy cut him off.
"I don't know. There is no point speculating. Suffice to say, if the risk is indeed present, we need to eliminate the Warrior directly, which is what the Vault Hunters are doing now."
His employer was silent for the longest time. Finally, in a resigned voice, Seidin spoke again.
"I hope you know what you're doing."
With that, he hung up. The spy chuckled dryly to himself as he put the receiver away.
"What a joke. My plans never fail."
…
Tusya Seidin threw his communicator at the wall in frustration, where it shattered into tiny, sparking fragments. From across the room, Antonia Tolstoi folded her arms in worry.
"Well?"
The Generalissimus growled in annoyance.
"He says he has it under control."
Clearly this was not what the lady wanted to hear as her brow furrowed in concern. Her husband stepped forwards, addressing his commander.
"Should we prepare for a planetary bombardment?"
Seidin was silent for a while before shaking his head.
"That will probably bankrupt the entire company. No… that is not what needs to be done right now. We'll just have to trust in that idiot's convoluted plans."
The man stood from his seat behind a large wooden desk.
"How's our occupation of the Eden-5 branch?"
Michael answered, glancing at a packet of papers he was holding.
"Completed several hours ago. Our ambassadors are working with the government and explaining the situation. Of course, it's been a bit longer than originally planned. It appears that Hyperion's corruption ran into the political scene as well."
Seidin nodded at this, staring out the window at the battle-scarred lobby below the office of the former branch CEO.
"Get all available troops ready. We leave for Eden-6 at 1300 hours."
Michael looked questioningly at the man.
"Sir?"
Their Generalissimus turned, face grim.
"Even if it's the slightest risk, we have to see that it is taken care of. If the team on Eden-6 is not prepared, our campaign efforts may become wasted."
The husband and wife pair saluted and exited the room, leaving Seidin to plan their course.
…
'If there is a Hell, this is it.'
Maya made this decision as she dove behind a rock, a jet of flames blasting past where she stood. The team had made little progress and all attacks on the gargantuan beast seemed to do next to nothing. From its defensive movements, they had narrowed its weak point to its stone-encapsulated chest, but the beast attacked so quickly and so viciously they barely had enough time to whittle away at the protective shell. To top it all off, the Warrior liked to dive into the lava, which would then upset the local fauna, forcing several volcanic crystalisks to alight on the summoning altar. The combination of both these crystal beasts and the Warrior forced the Vault Hunters to spend most of their time defending or seeking cover. Frustrated, the Siren began firing blindly at the looming monster.
"What are you doing! Get back!"
Axton reached over and yanked her back as another jet of flame blew past.
"Calm down! We'll find a way!"
Maya looked a bit angry as she fired again, this time from behind proper cover.
"How?! If you haven't noticed, we're barely scratching the thing! It's too damn big!"
A loud explosion nearby marked the fifth destruction of Deathtrap. The mechromancer ducked behind the cover Axton and Maya were using. There was a nervous grin on her face as she tried to lighten the mood.
"Well, I'm out of ideas. Can we run now?"
Across the way, Salvador was similarly pinned down. He called over to the three.
"I dunno what to do!"
Axton frowned, thinking hard. The creature was simply too big to take down. The rock formation that was their cover shook. It was only a matter of time before it crumbled and they were left in the open. If they could only uncover that weak spot, they might have a shot. But when could they…
"Axton!"
Maya's sharp voice broke the soldier's train of thought. The man glowered and responded snappishly.
"I'm thinking goddamit! I don't know what we CAN do!"
Stubbornly, the Siren argued back.
"Well think harder!"
A gunshot stopped their argument cold. Next to Salvador, Zer0 glared at the bickering duo. Sure, the Warrior was tough and seemingly indestructible. But there was a pattern. For one who spent much of his life fighting against colossal monsters, the assassin could see there was some consistency in the creature's movements. After all, no matter how big the cavern was, the beast could only move so much. Zer0 hoisted a Valdof sniper rifle and readied himself, he would need its high rate of fire. He waved at the others, gesturing for them to follow his lead. The others were confused, of course, but seeing how little progress they were making, they decided to give whatever he was planning a shot. Then, the Warrior reared out of the lava, head tilted back and bellowing to the heavens.
"NOW!"
That command was all they needed. In an organized assault, they broke cover and aimed at the exposed chest of the Warrior. Bullets quickly chipped away, causing the beast to scream in pain. They could hear Jack yelling desperately over the gunfire.
"Protect your chest Warrior! Come on!"
But the combined firepower concentrated on a single area was too much. The beast thrashed and swayed, but he Vault Hunters continued their onslaught. Its armored shell burst open and a torrent of magma poured out. Seizing his opportunity, Salvador whipped out both launcher again.
"Sonrie, cabrón…"
Twin missiles rocketed towards the exposed cavity. Even as they flew, the other continued to attack with everything they had. The massive creature shrieked as the two explosives collided with its chest, sending the creature slamming against the cavern walls. The Warrior cried out again, this time in a lower moan. It struggled forward, attempting to dive back into the lava. In that moment, Zer0 reloaded and help the trigger of the Vladof rifle. A stream of high impact, .50 caliber rounds collided with the now oozing cavity. There was a moment of hesitation, and then the beast fell forward with a ground-shaking thud.
"NOOO! IMPOSSIBLE! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"
From the confines of the Eridium shield, Jack screamed out. He pounded bloody hands against the shell, unable to break out to aid the dying alien creature. Unnoticed by the others, a certain Siren had finally arrived on and was now watching the scene play out from the shadows of a broken pillar. She sighed softly in relief as Lilith stirred and eventually pushed herself into a sitting position. Glancing around, the older Siren stared in awe at the fallen creature, which was now breathing heavily.
"Holy shit. I think you killed it! Never hurts to make sure, though. Hit that button on the moon-shot console."
She gestured towards the nearby collection of machinery. Jack watched in horror as the small, red-headed girl rushed forward and slammed a clenched fist onto a button on the command console. A full metal shell dropped in from the atmosphere with an ominous whine, slamming into the base of the Warrior's skull. After a few nervous seconds, the beast fell silent and stopped moving.
"NO!"
In that same instant, the shields surrounding the Vault Key fell and the injured president stumbled forward a few steps. He looked up to find that everyone had turned their attention to him. The man struggled to stand, backing away from the group. He was still bleeding. The drying blood was beginning to stain his clothes badly, giving the fabric a look of rust. For the first time in the entire battle, his eyes were tinged with a hint of fear.
"No, no, no… I can't die like this… not when I'm so close… and not at the hands of a FILTHY BANDIT!"
Axton's face darkened as the man revealed a different side of himself. Gone was the confident, ruthless leader, replaced by a smaller man, afraid of what was to come. The bleeding man continued.
"See, I could've saved this planet! See, I could've actually restored order! And I wasn't supposed to die by the hands of a child-killing psychopath!"
From her hiding place, Angel bit her lip in worry. His words struck something in her, dredging up feelings she had quashed long ago. It seemed her death had affected the man more than they were lead to believe.
It reminded her of her mother's death.
She knew Jack had changed that day, irrevocably into something less than human. He no longer smiled, save for the occasional condescending sneer. He no longer laughed, unless it was to mock the fallen. His mind had become consumed with the desire to find the Vault.
But for what?
Power?
Fame?
This quandary had confused the young Siren to this day. Why had he gone through all this trouble? She wondered if she would ever learn the answer. The man she once called Father was half crazed at this point, spittle flying as he shouted at his enemies.
"You are all savages! You're all maniacs! You're just bandits AND I AM THE GODDAMN HERO!"
By this time, Lilith had managed to stand and was now staring coldly at the injured man, energy crackling in her clenched fist.
"…The Warrior was practically a GOD! How… how in the hell have you killed my Warrior?!"
A half crazed laugh bubbled up from his throat.
"You idiots! The Warrior could have brought peace to this planet! No more dangerous creatures! No more bandits! Pandora… it could have been a PARADISE!"
The infuriated Siren stepped forward, her voice dripping with hate.
"That's it. I've heard enough."
Panicking, Jack swiped a hand at the approaching woman.
"NO! Get the hell away from me!"
That was it. Jack was getting what he deserved. For his heinous crimes, he would have to die. She watched as Jack backed up, tripped, and cowered before the Siren. Lilith's powers were spilling out, a faint outline of wings beginning to form on her back. But even as Angel watched the scene, a small voice in her head questioned what she saw.
'Is this right?'
Angel frowned, confused at this sudden little thought. Indignant that she would consider such a question, she countered this thought.
'He tortured me for ten years! Ten years I lived in absolute misery! Can anyone truly say he doesn't deserve to die?'
That same nagging voice in her head pushed on.
'But he's your father.'
Angel shook her head.
'He stopped being my father when he tossed me in that chamber.'
The voice spoke again, more quietly this time in the corners of her mind.
'But can you watch your father die?'
Time seemed to stretch on forever. Lilith seemed to be frozen, hand raised to execute the man she hated most. Angel's friends looked like statues, gazing stonily at the sinful man. He was everything she despised. He was the embodiment of her misery. He had stolen her childhood, ruined a good decade of her life. She did everything to get his approval. She stole for him, she killed for him. She should have had every right to be the executioner.
But…
But that thought stayed, unshaken by her own reasoning, fueled by the most basic of her beliefs. She simply couldn't let him die. The man most deserving of death was still, in spite of his crimes, her father. She hated herself for it, for what she was about to do. Angel let out a breath she had been unconsciously holding. Her hands felt clammy as she steeled herself for what she was about to do. Several meters away, Lilith was beginning to move again.
She stepped out from the shadows.
"Wait! Don't kill him!"
…
A/N: Guh. Busy busy busy. Was the Warrior battle too short? Maybe. Oh well.
Thanks go to my old friend who's currently slaving away in med school, who stayed up late to help me edit the last bit of this chapter.
See you next week.