CHAPTER 36

Lillith was waiting for them in the control room when Axton, Maya and Montayva arrived. Gaige was downstairs, doing some repairs on Death-trap Salvador was probably terrorizing some locals. Zareb and Willy were helping the other boys turn in the creatures to Moxxi.

'Well, guess that was a good little distraction' Lillith said as they greeted her.

'More so for some than others' Axton hinted toward Montayva. The youngest siren knew he was only teasing her, provoking her to bite, so she refused to give him the satisfaction. She could play that game better than he could!

'Back to business then?' Maya stepped forward, looking towards the holographic map.

'Angel has discovered there is two more outposts being assembled in the Dust. Ellies garage has been raided, which has forced Ellie back to her mother. Believe you me, you dont want to be in Moxxis at the moment!' Axton laughed.

'What a sight that would be! Chalk and cheese those pair'

'Anyhow' Lillith glared at Axton, daring him to interrupt her again. 'These two outposts should be no worries, considering our numbers. The only problem will be the weather' Lillith huffed, and Angels face appeared before them.

'The beginnings of a dust storm approach from the western end of the Dust. From the data I'm receiving, it's not going to be a pleasant one to be in the middle of. I would certainly recommend postponing. To do so will not hinder any plans, the storm will have the Hyperion guards disabled also.' Angel assured them.

'Argh! Its always something!' Lillith threw her arms up in the air in frustration.

'Well, perhaps we could work on some of our phasing techniques in the meantime.' Montayva suggested calmly, not as eager as Lillith to head into the inevitable battle 'I dont know about you guys, but I sure could take a few pointers'

'Thats a freakin awesome idea' Lilliths irritated mood seemed to instantly dissolve at the suggestion.

'Yeah' Maya agreed 'Not just a pretty face are you' Montayva just smiled as Maya offered the compliment. Axton crossed his arms and tsked.

'Well this just got slightly too feminine for me' He began to turn to leave.

'Dont fib kiddo, we know you love it' Lillith teased him. Axton was at least smart enough not to retaliate, as the three sirens watched him make his exit.

The three sirens had found a prime position out amongst the Nexus Boneyard. Hardly any locals remained that could be disrupted, and creatures to practice their techniques on, were abundant.

'So how where you able to mimic Lilliths phasing technique?' Maya questioned curiously.

'I am not entirely sure if it is the same for you two, but for me, it's all up here' Montayva tapped a finger against her forehead.

'Well, I found that the Eridium gave me a clear mind, which enabled me to alter the effect my phasing had' Lillith mentioned.
'Interesting' Maya leaned back casually on a boulder. The boneyards landscape mostly comprised of sandy plains, broken with the occasional brown, rounded rocks. Not to forget Hyperions abandoned buildings and warehouses. The odd slag waste pits still dotted the plains, thus affecting some of the creatures that inhabited the area. A group of skag pups could be seen playing in the distance.

'You ready to give it a go?' Lillith turned towards Maya.

'Ready as I'll ever be' She shrugged, stepping forward. Lillith pulled out her revolver, and fired two shots in the creatures direction. The animals attention snapped towards the three sirens, and they immediately came bounding towards the women. Lillith walked forward, waiting patiently for them to approach. As one pup approached, Lillith raised her arm, and concentrated hard. A shimmery purple haze surrounded her, and a wobbly purple shield slowly appeared. The first skag pup bounced back, and shook its head in confusion. It tried once more, and Lillith snickered.

'It's working!' But no sooner had her concentration been broken, her shield collapsed, and the pup bounced forward. She instantly phased out of sight, and the pup headed for a new target. Maya, also tried to phase shield, her attempt not as successful. She had cocooned herself in a mini shield of sorts. It still prevented the pups from penetrating, but obscured her view with its shimmery brightness. Lillith appeared in a blast of purple light, sending three other approaching skag whelps flying some 30 feet away. Maya dropped her shield, and pulled out her SMG. Montayva jumped down from the rock she had positioned herself on, preparing to help the other two. But she sensed in Lilliths mind, that the older siren was determined to finish things herself. So she hung back a moment longer. It wasn't until a bad-ass elder skag emerged from the dens, that Montayva
went to their aide. Lillith had practise phase shielding a few more times, and was getting better with each attempt. Maya however, had given up in trying, and was back to her usual method of phase-locking.

'You dont like the shield?' Montayva asked carefully, popping a shot into a skag pup that approached.

'It's not that I dont like it, I just cant summon enough energy and concentrate hard enough at the same time' She explained during their moment of reprieve.

'Let me help you' Montayva offered, and placed her hand on Mayas shoulder as she turned to face the bad-ass bounding towards them. 'OK, try now!' Montayva urged. Maya concentrated hard, and she could feel the energy the younger siren was feeding her through her touch. A perfectly domed shield covered them just in time, and the elder Skag rebounded as it hit the barrier.

'Wow' Lillith exclaimed, phase-blasting the skag away, before finishing the beast of with a critical shot. It choked and gurgled as it fell to the ground. Maya dropped her shield, and turned toward the younger siren.

'How did you do that?' She asked in amazement.

'The same way you helped heal me' Montayva explained. 'You already knew how to do it, you just have to have an open mind.'

'You mean, that wasn't you? The healing part I mean.' Lillith joined the other two.

'No, it wasn't. You guys did that on your own.' She smiled.

'Well there you go' Maya said thoughtfully. 'you are beginning to sound like the monks that raised me!' She laughed.

'Bravo!' The three women spun around, weapons drawn 'Whoa! Hold up there!' Axton held his arms up defencelessly.

'Freakin hell man, you should no better than to sneak up on us like that!' Lillith warned, holstering her gun.

'Sorry, I got bored' He shrugged

'Well, we kinda just wrapped things up here' Maya told him.

'I see that. Pretty impressive too I might ad' Maya burst out laughing as Axton said this.

'You giant suckhole! What do you want?' He gave Maya a suggestive look, and Lillith scoffed.

'Pah-leez people! God all this lovey dovey stuff makes me wanna gag'

'Dont worry Lil, aint no lovey-dovey stuff going on here' Maya turned and joined Lillith, who was heading towards their parked Runner.

'Well, kid, that turned sour pretty quick' Axton sighed. Montayva laughed at him.

'They will be pretty worn out from their excessive use of their skills' She explained. 'Dont worry, its not you!' Axton was a little taken aback at the sensitivity she displayed before him. But he just shrugged again, and went with the flow