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Ch. 14
The Second Flame
The group made quick work of all the enemies inside the Hyperion building. Gaige had locked all the exterior doors with a console so no reinforcements could enter easily.
Now with the building cleared and all fields shut down the only thing standing between them and the Siren was an elevator and a hallway.
The group easily surpassed those incredibly difficult obstacles. Gaige and Axton hacked open a huge door, and they entered a large circular room with electrical consoles, wires, and such everywhere. It was incredibly similar to the room Angel had been locked in.
In the center trapped in a container just like Angel's was a woman.
She was immensely beautiful. Her hair was a bright lime green set in a twist. Her eyes were the same gorgeous green. Her wings sparkled bright as she floated. Her tattoos glowed bright.
She looked up at the group.
"You have come," she said.
"Hell yeah we did!" Gaige screamed out with a hop and a laugh.
"What's your name?" Axton asked.
"Camilla," the Siren said.
"That machine the thing hooking you to the fields?" Mordecai asked waving at a huge mechanical contraption.
"Yes. Get me out."
"But if we release you won't it kill you like it did Angel?" Axton asked.
"No. This machine is not like Angel's. It doesn't sustain me, it only distributes my power."
"Why are you…floating and glowing then?"
"I have been experimented on for years…my blood has been completely replaced with liquid Eridium, and because of that my powers do not fatigue me like other Sirens. They also are generally more powerful."
"They tested on you?"
"They want to know everything they can about us. There's others here. A child and a pregnant woman…expected to be carrying an infant Siren, only about a month into her carriage. That is why I warned you about bring your Siren friends. They have devices that weaken us incredibly. Those two would have been very desirable."
"How can we get you out of there then?" Mordecai asked.
"The main power console in the other room is the safest bet."
"Alright," Axton said, waving Gaige to follow him.
The two shut the field down with little problem and quickly returned to the Siren's holding room. The woman was on her knees with her head bowed. She was breathing heavily.
"You ok, chica?" Salvador asked moving closer to her.
She was silent for a minute. Her skin seemed to twitch as she thought.
Suddenly, she broke out in laughter.
"Of course I am," she growled swinging her hand out at the small man.
Sparks of electricity zapped out of the Gunzerker as her hand met his skin. A loud scream emanated from him. He fell to his knees and collapsed to the ground gasping.
"Salvador!" half the group yelled, "Oh shit!" the other half screamed at they all drew their guns and aimed them at the Siren.
Camilla laughed.
"Do you think I fear your weapons?!" she howled. She looked around at the bunch, her gaze settling on Gaige. A look of satisfaction flashed into her eyes.
"Shit," was all Gaige could say before the Siren swung her hand sending a bolt of electricity hurdling at the Mechromancer.
"Move," Axton, who was the only one closer to her, yelled as he pushed her to the ground. He tucked into a roll, and landing on his knees, drew his revolver. He pointed it at the Siren as he stood.
She giggled.
"Quick thinking there Mr. Commando," she joked.
Gaige sat up with a grunt.
"Bitch," she growled.
Camilla looked back at the teen. Sparks began to twitch from her hand.
"Hey!" Axton yelled to draw her attention. "I'm over her."
The Siren drew her gaze back to the strong Commando. She took a step closer to him.
Gaige looked over at Zer0, who had taken the distraction to drag Salvador away from that psycho bitch. He flashed a question mark on his helmet. Gaige shrugged and stood slowly.
"So uh, com on honey, what's going on here?" Axton said obviously attempting to keep her attention and flatter her down from killing anyone. "Why are you doing this? We are trying to help you."
"Are you really so stupid?!" Camilla snapped. Then she smiled and laughed. "I might as well explain it to you before I kill you. After all, you did free me." She laughed. "And just in time too. I mean it's very boring being a power source. I'm glad the job is going to be passed on." She smiled and turned slightly. She looked at Mordecai and smiled wider.
"No!" he yelled out firing a shot at the Siren. She dodged and the bullet whizzed right by Axton's head.
"Dude!" he yelled.
Camilla jerked her hand in the Hunter's direction slamming a rod of electricity into his stomach. He flew back and slammed into the wall. He hit the ground unconscious.
The crazy woman spun back to Axton.
"But that's only while they experiment on your little girlfriend."
Anger twisted Axton's face, but he didn't react like Mordecai.
"Stay away from them," he forced out between clenched teeth.
Camilla giggled as she approached the Commando.
"Too late," she laughed, "We already sent men to get them right now."
Axton's eyes widened.
"Someone call them!" the Commando yelled as the Siren made a move to grab his shoulder. He did a backwards role and unloaded a round into her. Her body absorbed half of them before closing back up. "Maya!" he screamed into his ECHO, but Camilla swung a sparkling fist at him. He dodged to the left and stuck his tomahawk into her stomach. The wound quickly healed back up. "Help!" he yelled to the others.
Zer0 and Krieg rushed to help the Commando, but Gaige stayed back.
"Maya, Lilith!" she called urgently over the ECHO. There was a second of quiet.
"Everything ok, killer?" Lilith answered calmly back.
"No, no the Siren's with Hyperion!"
"What?" Lilith gasped.
"They tricked us. They're coming to get y…"
A bolt of electricity cut into Gaige's body, launching her backwards, hard into the wall.
Everything went black.
"Gaige! Gaige!" Lilith called, to the quiet ECHO.
"Gaige?" Maya called as well. "Come on, Gaige."
"Damn it," Lilith grumbled.
"What did she mean they're coming to get us?"
"It means you're screwed," a male voice said from behind the Siren.
Maya spun around and the man snapped a collar around her neck.
A shock sputtered through her body, and her knees buckled. She collapsed.
"Maya!" Lilith called.
The read head's tattoos began to glow.
"Down girl," howled the man. He jabbed Lilith in the right side with a sparkling metallic pole. She looked down and her tattoos glowed brighter. "I said down!" He zapped Lilith in the arm causing her intricate lights to die. She flung her hand at him, but nothing happened. The man laughed. "Dumb bitch!" He moved to hit her in the face with the pole.
"Lilith!" Maya gasped. With a grunt she lifted the man into the air with her Phaselock. "Run!" she called to her fellow Siren. "It won't hold long!"
Lilith looked at her friend conflicted before darting downstairs.
Damn it! Why didn't she keep her gun on her? She relied too heavily her powers.
She dashed to the door, but another man with a shock pole stepped in her way. He made a move to hit her, but she dodged under his swing and sprinted to the other end of the room. She looked around. Across the room sat a repeater on a table looking as if maintenance had been intended. She smiled. Her favorite.
She dashed past the guy, and snatched the gun. She spun and emptied half the mag into his chest.
He fell down, dead.
Lilith spun and rushed back upstairs.
The other man was standing over Maya.
"Hey!" Lilith called. He spun and she finished off the clip into him. "Maya?" she asked dropping beside her.
"Get the collar off," she gasped.
Lilith popped it off and tossed the damned thing across the room.
"You ok?" she asked her friend.
"Yeah, Maya said rubbing her throat.
Lilith let out a sigh of relief.
Gaige moaned as her eyes peeled open. Pain submerged her body, and she could barely move.
Last thing she could remember was the boys rushing that Siren.
That bitch. Where were they?
She stretched to look across the room. There danced Camilla swinging her hand trying to hit the elusive Axton.
Krieg? Zer0?
She looked around the room. Mordecai was on his hands and knees with an exhausted look on his face. Salvador was sitting, looking in pain. Krieg and Zer0? Krieg was laying on his side with his back to the Mechromancer. Zer0 was lying on his stomach with his helmet turned right at the teen. They were both completely out.
Gaige tried to sit. She had been shocked a lot since she moved to Pandora. By shock bullets and electrical barrels, but it had never hurt so bad.
She looked back as Axton dodged another of Camilla's blows. He punched her in the face, and she hit the ground.
"Asshole!" she yelled. She swung her hand and sparks flew. He rolled, but by the time his feet were back on the ground so was hers.
He dodged another blow she dealt, but this time he wasn't so lucky. She caught him by the throat with her other hand. Sparks emanated from both the Siren and the Commando. Pain twisted his face as Camila laughed.
Axton grabbed her wrist in an effort to pry her hand free, but the sparks brightened. He gasped. It was obvious that she was just toying with him. She wanted to play, and his pain would be a hug joy.
"I knew I felt a spark between us," she teased.
"Fuck you!" he forced out. He screamed as the electricity increased. His legs failed him and he collapsed onto one knee.
"Uhn, uhn, naughty boy," she teased before laughing. "I'm ganna have to punish you."
It was clear that the shock was an agonizing torture, that was tuned just enough to feel like death, but not be deadly.
Gage didn't like watching it. She pushed herself to sit.
"Hey Miss Sparky chick!" she called out. Camilla looked at the Mechromancer.
"I'll be right over to kill you," she said returning her attention back to the pained Axton.
Blood was beginning to trickle from his nose. It looked as if he wanted to scream out, but refused to give her the pleasure.
Gaige forced herself to her feet. She limped across the room and picked up her shotgun. She hobbled closer to the Siren and her victim.
Axton had blood running from his mouth now. He appeared as if he was about to pass out.
"Hey bitch," Gaige called. Just as the Siren turned to her, the teen let a shot out, piercing Camilla's stomach.
She looked down at the healing would then looked back at Gaige. She growled and released Axton, who fell to the ground completely broken.
"You want it?!" screamed the Siren. "Fine, you'll get it!"
"Bring it, bitch!" Gaige howled. She shot her in the chest.
Damn, out of ammo.
She swung the shotgun like a baseball bat. It slammed right into the Siren's face causing her to jerk and blood to fly from her lips.
"Ah!" she screamed out in irritation.
She slammed a sparking fist into the teen's chest, knocking her hard onto the ground. She moved over top of the Mechromancer and raised a sparking hand. "I'll kill you!"
"You can try!" Gaige challenged.
Camilla jerked her hand down at her.
Bang!
Gaige blinked up as the Siren screamed. Purple blood spilled from her eye hole all over the Mechromancer.
Camilla covered her eye as she doubled over in pain.
"Eew, slag," Gaige mumbled as she sat in pain.
The Siren howled and ran with a rushed speed out of the room.
Gaige looked at the shooter.
Mordecai lowered his sniper rifle from his goggle and sighed.
"She'll be back," he said. "Come on, we need to go." He swung the rifle onto his back. "Let's go! Come on, rápidamente!"
He rushed around the room helping the others to their feet.
Gaige got herself up.
"Krieg," Mordecai said to the weak Psycho, "help me get Axton up."
Krieg just moaned.
"Come on eight pack get the dude up," Gaige teased with a giggle.
Krieg looked at the teen for a second. He grunted and ran to the unconscious Commando. He grabbed one arm and the Hunter grabbed the other. They half lifted him to his feet, but he was completely out. They shifted is weight onto their shoulders.
"Damn, he's heavy," Mordecai, grunted as he led the Psycho out of the Siren's room.
"In the main entrance, I saw a Fast Travel Station, we can use to leave," Zer0 spoke in his normal Haiku speech from the back of the group.
"Where?" Mordecai asked.
The Assassin moved to the front with a few swift steps and took his place as leader of the pack. He moved forward in a quick and silent pace, reaching the Station in only a few minutes.
Gaige moved to the console.
"Holy shit," she said with a smile.
"What is it?" Zer0 asked.
"This is like a huge personal teleportation thingy."
A '?' popped up on the Assassin's helmet.
Gaige laughed.
"It's tied to some small personal teleporters. They can teleport anywhere, but this ties them to here. It keeps up with all the locations, and allows them an easy escape home."
"Like Athena's back in New Heaven," Mordecai, the only veteran Vault Hunter, spoke up.
"Yep." The teen answered with a big smile. "Or so I've heard. This thing can take us home, but without a Hyperion personal teleporter we can't come back."
"How many are there?"
"Um…not many, like…10 or so…12, there's 12," she said examining the signals.
"One of those would be, an amazing asset to our group, Gaige, find one for us," Zer0 said.
"There's none her in Opportunity." She gasped. "Shit! Two of them are in Sanctuary!"
"We have to go!" Mordecai said.
A frowny emoticon flashed on Zer0's helmet, but he nodded.
Gaige hit a few buttons.
"Don't worry, if we kick the crap out of those assholes at Sanctuary we can keep theirs," she said with a huge smile.
Zer0's frown turned to a smile as he nodded again.
The group teleported home.