Chapter 24
The speakers loop the same techno playlist. Axton had been accustomed with Moxxi songs long ago and it was a welcome thing to have. He was sitting at the round table that he'd last seen Lynn and Athena, eating the classic Pandoran diet that was pizza with pepperoni and cheese, and Rakk Ale to help the food smoothly go to the throat. He just finished his third slice while going to his fourth.
Not much activity recently, The Commando shoots the Rakks that inhabit the ceiling of the cave just to kill the boredom. Then he would look at his notes about Alesia and the whole situation that connected to her. Other than that, The Commando would eat, drink, sleep and repeat. Axton was patient with Lynn, joining her small team to kill Alesia. But his constant tapping of his foot to the floor showed how much his body wanted action.
A hooded woman then approached to Axton, sitting at the chair opposite to Axton's. Athena open her hood and looked at Axton without a word to say, making the man feeling uncomfortable in some way. He choked on his fourth slice, desperately reaching his drink to push the food through his throat. He drinks the ale and release a relieving breath, for a second he thought that it would be his last pizza.
"Sorry," Axton said. "didn't expect you to come here right now."
"You're ready?" Athena asked plainly.
"You mean right now?"
"Time is not something we get freely Axton." Athena got up from her chair. "Whether we use it or we waste it, there's no other option other than that."
"Yeah, I'm ready." Axton got up. "So where do we go next Athena?"
"Your vehicle, heard you have a good four wheel drive."
"Yes I do."
"Then lead the way, Commando."
Axton and Athena walked side by side, through the exit and pass the stairs, arriving to the surface of Eridia in short time. Axton started to wear his goggles and and hood, covering his face almost entirely with the exception of his mouth. Athena looked at him oddly, he was not a man that liked to be low profile.
"What?" Axton turned to Athena.
"Never thought you would care to hide your face."
"Well time has changed Athena, times of having a good time while killing is no longer the case." Axton adjusted his goggles, making sure it was comfortable for him to wear. "I thought you retired Athena?"
"I retired from Atlas long before you came to Pandora." Athena put her hood on.
"No, I mean retired from being mercenary. Heard you settled down with someone."
"I was, but something happened." Athena paused and looked at him seriously. "Enough talk, from now on we talk only about the mission. Copy that?"
"Copy, I guess." Axton shrugged off her sudden strictness and mumbled. "I know that this is some serious business we're in but cut some slack will'ya?"
"Is that yours?" Athena stopped and pointed at a Bandit vehicle.
"Yep." Axton continued walking, leaving Athena behind. "It's kinda my new home so expect some bad smell while you're in the car."
"I've gone through worst." Athena followed behind.
...
The vehicle drove through the sand without any additional effort, driving at a constant speed that was not too fast but not too slow at the same time. Axton was driving the vehicle, constantly changing gear depending the terrain while having no clue where he was going. He was following Athena instruction ever since he drove out of Eridia, she sat beside him and was silent ever since.
The ex-Atlas soldier was someone that Axton encountered and worked with a few times. A few mercenary work from time to time, but other than that, they were merely co-workers. Knowing a few things about each other while keeping a distance between their personal life. Athena was not as serious as this if Axton remembered correctly, she was spirited if not joyous at all times. But Axton understands, time has change and maybe Alesia chairmanship effect her life some way or another. Just like what Alesia had done to his life that was currently a mess.
"Where's Lynn?" Axton asked, tired of the silence and wanting to know what was happening. "Said she has a plan on killing the Alesia."
"She has, but she wanted to be off the grid." Athena answered but did not looked at Axton. "She told me that she would contact us by Echo and meet us if it was crucial to the mission."
"That means we have to do all the work?"
"Not all the work Axton." Athena Echo Device sounded and it was Lynn's voice, she look at her belt and hold her device, then putting it at the dashboard so Axton would hear it clearly. "I'm not there doesn't mean I'm slacking dickhead."
"Talk about an entrance..." Axton mumbled in his breath.
"I'll be working behind the scenes, things that you probably think that is useless but actually play a big part on our so called 'mission' to kill the chairwoman."
"Then if that the case, mind telling me where the hell we're going?"
"You're going to a bandit camp and when you arrive there, a friend of mine would fill you in the situation."
"And how about you?"
"I'll be in the dark for awhile, that means no contacting me after this." Lynn paused. "When I'm gone, my friend will help you with the mission, so if there's anything that you want to know, ask him."
"Copy that." Axton said.
"Affirmative." Athena said.
"Don't rush and don't let Alesia kill you too early in the fight. L out."
The car slowly stopped, the handbrake was pulled and it stayed still to its spot. Axton turned to Athena, no words or even a gesture from her. She feels the vibration on her belt, she took her Echo device and push a button.
"Who's this?" Said Athena.
"Is the two soldiers there?"A voice said with a thick Scottish accent.
"This is Athena, are you Lynn's friend?"
"Got that right lady, how about the other soldier, mute?"
"Axton here." Axton called.
"Wonderful." The voice said happily. "Name's Doyle, nice to have you two in the team."
"What's the objective Doyle?" Athena said.
"Already commited eh? What you should be seeing is a bandit camp, the typical small one with tents and all the Psychos with it. Push further and there will be an armory with weapons fit for your op in the future. Is just Psychos so I'm assuming that everything would go smoothly."
"Is there anything else?" Asked Athena.
"Make sure you get out alive, that would be all soldiers, happy huntin'" The Echo devices screeches, signalling that the transmission ended.
Axton exited the jeep and fall to his feet, he closed the door and walked forward, wanting to have a better view of the bandit camp that Doyle had said. They were still in The Dust, meaning limited vision to a certain point. Axton constructed a sniper rifle and look through the scope, the bandit camp was not far. Having the standard bandit residence features such as tents and clan signs.
Enemies were patrolling like usual, waiting for any lost bandits or scavengers to pass by and be killed. The camp had a good number of Psychos and Bandits, with pets Skags staying quietly at their master's legs. He scouts further and saw a door at floor of one of the tents, it may be the armory that Doyle mentioned about. Athena stands beside him, looking at the bandit camp with keen eyes.
"The typical bandit camp that you would always encounter around Pandora." Axton explained, putting down his sniper rifle and turned to Athena. "Nothing special if you look from the outside."
"Doyle said that there's an armory at the bandit camp, do you see anything like a door or an elevator." Athena said with her eyes still at the camp.
"Yep there is, I saw a door that would lead underground." Axton pointed. "We just need to plan on how we should attack the bandit camp."
"Go all out, shoot everything that moves and get the things that Doyle told is to get."
"That sounds fun and I totally want to do that but I don't want to waste our time. I got a better plan."
"I'm listening." Athena turned to Axton with interested eyes.
"You see that?" Axton pointed at his left, Athena looked at it. "That's a standard sandstorm coming right towards us. It's not deadly in any way but it will blind us if we don't wear any goggles or hood. Since the bandits are smart enough to breathe, I think we should attack the camp when the sandstorm hits the camp. Saves lots of bullets and time."
"Then I'm following you."