There was worry in Sasha's gut as she looked at the two together. Now even more than before. After the first round, Rhys decided to hang up the fighting and join Moxxi up on the podium. The two were interesting to say the least. Both charismatic, appealing to listen to, and both had their own batches of innuendo to throw in. But she saw more than what just seemed like a partnership. Fiona would've told her she would just be imagining things if she were to voice her thoughts to her, so she kept them to herself.
There were just little things she noticed when she looked the two. Rhys seemed to take every opportunity that he had to touch her while doing his commentary. And while not quite as obvious as Rhys, it almost looked as if Moxxi was doing the same. There were shared looks between them, warm exchanges, and it all just set off alarm bells. She might have been reading too much into it, but they may as well have been dating to her.
"It hasn't helped that you've been beating around the bush since you got around Rhys. Men in general are not all that smart when it comes to these things," Sasha thought, looking back up at the man in question.
He had changed. Oh, change was putting it lightly. But everything about him was better. He was stronger, faster, more capable with a gun. Even with all that, it didn't look like he had lost any of his old dorkiness that she found annoying before. Now she just found it attractive. Especially when compared with the moments where he was a impassive badass on the battlefield. He'd be better than them at this whole Vault Hunting thing to be honest. But he just wanted to run a company.
"Sasha?" Fiona asked, making Sasha turn towards her sister. "You look out of it. Are you alright?"
"It's about Rhys," Sasha said.
"What about him?" Fiona asked.
"You know what I mean. I've talked to you about it before," Sasha said, her voice sounding somewhat frustrated.
"Then it's better if you take it up with him. You'll have your answer if you actually face him," Fiona said, sadly already knowing the outcome of that conversation.
"You're right. I don't know why I keep dodging it. Maybe..." Sasha sighed. She did not want to talk about this situation in the stands of a crowded stadium. "I need to talk to him."
"Then do it after the show," Fiona said, making Sasha nod. And she had to curse herself for her own cowardice. That changed today.
"And that's a wrap," Rhys said, smoothing his hair back.
"We made a fortune off entry tickets. Couple of million," Moxxi said, turning her ECHO to show him the profits that rolled in.
"'We?' It's your Underdome," Rhys told him.
"Correction: Our Underdome. Because not only would this Underdome not be here because of you, but you were as involved in the commentary as I was. So I would say that you are a partner in this business. Therefore, you get a share," Moxxi said.
"Never before would I have ever believed you being willing to share anything," Rhys said with a smile.
"Neither did I. But I have to say that you've changed me," Moxxi said, putting her arms around the back of his neck.
"Later, alright? I still need to talk to Sasha," Rhys said, grabbing her arms gently and setting them down.
"Things might get messy," Moxxi told him.
"I doubt it. I don't take Sasha as the jealous bitch type. Will she be upset? Yes. More than likely. I know I would be if the roles were reversed. But I expect her to understand," Rhys told her as he kissed Moxxi on her forehead softly. She smiled at the feeling. The gesture was sweet rather than sexual, and warm rather than just hot. The feeling wasn't common, but she would be lying if she didn't enjoy the few times she was treated like a loved one.
"I want you to promise me something," Moxxi said.
"Anything," Rhys said.
"No matter what happens, don't let anything come in between what we have going on," Moxxi said, her voice sounding vulnerable for a few seconds before it hardened. "I mean, I've never felt like this before. And if you do anything to make me regret that, I'll make you regret it."
"Mmm-hmm," Rhys said as he looked at her and smiled. It was hard to keep up a hard facade when you had this man looking at you like that. "Know that I'm not going to let anything come between us. If I wanted to go for Sasha, if I would've ignored you and went after her. The same could've gone for Gaige. I'm not the type to not know what he wants. I want you. Nothing anyone can say or do will change that. Only you have that ability, and I am very much attracted to you."
Rhys then backed up and straightened his suit before looking at Moxxi with his smile still on his face.
"Now, just wait in my office while I talk to Sasha. It shouldn't take too long," he told her as they traveled back to Old Haven.
"I have to say, you were looking good out there," Moxxi said as Rhys secured his sleeves again as he had unbuttoned them and rolled them back while he was fighting.
"Don't I know it. I'm going to have to go a few more rounds. That was fun," Rhys said with a grin as he straightened up.
"Well, if you've got some leftover energy, we can..."
"Not yet darling," Rhys said with a knowing look before it turned into a sultry one. "I do promise to follow up, but we have to take care of business first. Then..."
Before he came to Pandora, Rhys was not a ladies man. Far from it. He got in relationships, but never did he feel comfortable enough to kiss her without reason. And he certainly didn't feel comfortable enough feel her up like he was doing now. And the change made him feel good.
"Am I business?" Moxxi asked, sliding his jacket off as she pressed her chest further out. Rhys' grip unconsciously tightened before he was able to restrain himself and retract his hands.
"No. Definitely not," he said, trying not to let this seductress of a woman tempt him any further. But it was very, very difficult. "I'll talk to her and then..."
"You can take care of this business," Moxxi said, slowly sliding her hands down her body. It was subtle, but sexy. It also forced Rhys to have to walk away under risk of not being accountable for his own actions at that point.
"Out of all people, I went for goddamn Mad Moxxi," Rhys thought as he smoothed his hair back and walked towards the building. Hopefully, they were all in there already.
"Rhys?" Sasha suddenly asked on the ECHO. That quickly got his attention. "Can we talk? In your office?"
"Yeah, sure. There's something I need to discuss with you as well," Rhys said.
"Alright, I'll wait here," Sasha said, cutting off the call. Rhys let out a deep breath before walking towards his office. Only once did he ever have to let a girl down, and that was beyond awkward. He was lucky to not need the metal arm considering who the brother was.
Walking outside of his office, he could see that Sasha was waiting outside the doors. But something about the way she stood didn't sit right with him. It was less confident; less... sure of herself. That didn't fit her at all.
"Couldn't get in. You've got a lot of security," Sasha said.
"Yeah. Hold on," Rhys said before pulling up a menu on his arm. The console on the outside of his door beeped rapidly before the red light changed to green and the automatic doors opened with a soft hiss.
"What'd you do?" Sasha asked.
"There are over one hundred encrypted codes and passwords that randomly change every thirty seconds. Codes that my arm scramble," Rhys said as he sealed then unsealed the door without even making a physical movement. "And my arm only works off my DNA and brainwaves."
"Which basically makes sure you're the only one who can unlock it," Sasha said.
"Right. Even if the arm were to be severed, which isn't likely, but if it were, I can still operate it because it works off my brainwaves," Rhys said, tapping his finger against his skull.
"That's really smart," Sasha said, genuinely impressed by the technology. It was a little paranoid, but it was smart.
"Why thank you," Rhys said with a smile as he removed his jacket that only left his regular shirt as he put it on his chair. "Now... there's something I wanted to discuss with you. I know you asked me to come here, but there's something I need to address with you."
"Mind if I go first?" Sasha asked.
"Are you sure? I mean, this is something I should've told you a while ago," Rhys said, scratching the back of his head. It felt like a little lead suddenly appeared in her insides when she heard him say that. She didn't like the sound of that.
"Alright, go," Sasha said, making him nod. Rhys took a deep breath and decided to keep it simple. So that there was no mistake.
"Me and Moxxi are dating," he said evenly. He said it as calm and level as he could. But he didn't miss that disappointed look in her eyes that replaced the hesitant one.
"Well, maybe it's a good thing that you did go first. Under risk of making me look like a fool," Sasha said, her tone sounding somewhat bitter.
"Sasha..." Rhys said, reaching a hand out. But she pushed it back.
"No. Don't bother. I'll see myself out," she said, walking towards the door. Rhys was a little late to respond as she walked out, but he deactivated the lock on it so the door automatically opened. He then sat back in his chair and looked at the ceiling of his office.
"I remember when things were simple. When I was hiding up in Helios and was taking it day by day in that snake pit. When your life gets more complicated than that, you know you're living the dream," Rhys thought in a exasperated tone. Not to mention the possibility of war... he wouldn't let that happen to everyone. He wouldn't. He would avoid it at all costs, but he would fight the Raiders to the last in order to protect everyone he cares about. And that includes Sasha. No matter how she may or may not be feeling about him right now.
"Sir?" Cassius suddenly said on the intercom. Rhys immediately hit the button to respond.
"Go ahead," he said.
"Your request for soldiers has been well received. A local militant group has agreed to provide service to you on proper payment," Cassius told him.
"How much?" Rhys asked.
"Five million as a down payment. The amount of soldiers you request will either decrease or increase the amount you give or get back," Cassius told him. "The leader wishes to chat with you via ECHO immediately."
"Wire him the money. And connect the call to my ECHO," Rhys said.
"Doing so now," Cassius said before there was a beep.
"I can assume I'm speaking with the leader of Atlas now?" a gruff voice said on the other end.
"Yes. You are. Rhys is the name," he said.
"You sound young," the man said.
"If you have a doubt that I can run this company because of age, my knowledge more than makes up for my youth. And so does my skill," Rhys said firmly.
"Sounds like you do have a pair. Alright. You've got my attention Rhys. And you'll refer to me as Sinister, leader of The Shadows militant group. Our soldiers are combat trained to the highest regard. Guns. Hand to hand weapons. Vehicles. Only the best," Sinister said.
"Alright, Sinister. There is a chance I may be looking at war here. My intention is not attack, but to defend what I plan to build. If that cycle is broken, however, I will be prepared to give the order to track down and kill all of my enemies without mercy. Provided your men can cope with the threat. Make no mistake. My enemies are more than just talentless, greedy scum. They are more dangerous than that," Rhys explained, his voice deadly serious.
"Dangerous how?" Sinister asked.
"Ex-Vault Hunter dangerous," Rhys said, making Sinister whistle.
"Quite the enemies you've made there. How'd you manage that?" he asked, sounding almost eager.
"Not important as of now. What you need to know is what they're capable of, and I've sent what I've been able to gather what intelligence I can on them. They are very deadly, and they have an army of their own," Rhys told him.
"We need to discuss where you send my men before deployment is arranged," Sinister said.
"I've sent you a plot of my territory along with their bios. The areas that I've marked are areas where I need your men to deploy. Even the size of the land has been estimated for you," Rhys told him. There was small pause as he knew Sinister was looking over how many men Rhys would need.
"That's a fair amount of area to cover," Sinister said.
"It is. And along with your payment, I shall provide the assistance of your defense with an invention of my own. It'll be rather useful for defense as well as escort missions. Though it will require extra training. So... shall we wrap this up?" Rhys questioned.
"An extra five million. That's a lot of area to cover, plus the threat we'll be facing," Sinister said. Rhys was suddenly glad for the Underdome money he got from Moxxi. He wasn't expecting to have to throw so much money into this.
"These soldiers of yours better be worth it," Rhys said grimly as he wired the money through.
"They definitely will. Ex-Vault Hunter or no, several of my men are worth about a thousand of them. Rest assured, you and your assets are safe. We'll deploy down to Pandora as quickly as possible. Pleasure doing business with you," Sinister said.
"Are you just saying that because you can charge so much?" Rhys questioned, making Sinister chuckle.
"A little. You're a sharp one. I'll give you that. But our forces will be deployed to Pandora soon. They are all under your command... Atlas," he said. Rhys recognized the difference between calling him Atlas rather than Rhys. As of now, Atlas was a reputation of power. It was Sinister's way of showing he recognized that power.
"A pleasure doing business with you," Rhys said, shutting off the call. Then he immediately moved to contact someone else. "Gaige?"
"Yeah?" she asked.
"There's work to be done soon. I have soldiers arriving soon. Contact as many scientists as you can to prepare for the work I'll be having them do. Atlas will be known for more than weapon design. Once the soldiers arrive, the equipment necessary will be divided so they can conduct their research," Rhys told her as Moxxi walked in. She frowned slightly at the sight of Rhys looking so serious. Something must have happened.
"I'll get on it as fast as I can. What about the others?" Gaige asked.
"There's nothing to tell them. Not yet, anyway. The Raiders haven't done anything yet. Mostly because they can't find where we're setting up shop, but as of now, we have peace. It's up to the Raiders as to whether or not we can maintain that peace," Rhys told her.
"Another war... it's something I don't want to happen," Gaige said.
"Neither do I. The best way to avoid it would be to get off this shit stain of a planet and let them do what they want to it, but I'm not moving. Not an inch. Too much time, effort, and money. We keep our heads down, do our research, and don't bother the Raiders. If they want a war? Then we'll give it to them if they force my hand," Rhys said coldly.
"I'm with you if it ever comes to that. So are the rest of us," Gaige told him.
"And that's why I can count on you all. For now, just get things done," Rhys said.
"You got it," Gaige said, shutting off the call.
"Still worrying about the Raiders?" Moxxi asked.
"It's a given. But we have soldiers now; an army to back us up. If they want war, then they should know I want nothing more than to avoid that. But if they want it, I'll give it to them. And I'll kill every last one of them for it," Rhys said, his voice still ice cold before he stood to his feet and straightened himself up. "Soldiers will be arriving at the drop off point soon. I will go meet them."
"You need anyone to come with?" Moxxi asked.
"No, it's fine. What I need you to do..." Rhys said as he put a hand on one of her cheeks. The cold look he had masked himself with was gone and was replaced by one more sincere. More vulnerable. "...never change. I love you the way you are. And more than anything, if we're forced to go to war, stay alive. I need all of you to stay alive. I'm afraid what will happen if I do lose you all." Then he strode out of the room.
"And that is when the hero who saved us on Helios died." In a position of power, it's real easy to lose your mind. To lose sight of what you stand for if hardships strike. Jack was one of those people. Now Rhys' biggest fear was going down that exact same path. It was there. It was definitely in sight. He could see himself becoming the monster he had once looked up to. More than anything, he wanted to prevent that from happening.
A/N: Parallels exist between Jack and Rhys. Both low level positions that worked their way up to becoming the leader of a company, seemingly unbreakable hero complexes, and hold all the cards to what they want to do with their power. Jack was betrayed by the people he cared about, and then Handsome Jack became his replacement. What's to stop Rhys from becoming the same if he loses people he cares about? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Fear and loss will harden people to where it's almost like they come completely different people. The result of that happening all depends on the person and the decisions they make from that point onward. The possibility of war still looms. If that happens, people will die and people will change. For the good or the bad.