[Scotty "Roundhouse" Dale] "Wait, Stan's known for his strength?"

[Richard McGuiness] "Yeah, each leader is known for something. Jackal has accuracy, Nitro has speed, Elena has defense, Stan has strength, Masher has vitality, Tikari and Viitta have resistance, Dragola and Brittlebine have endurance, and Suture used to have intelligence."

[Scotty "Roundhouse" Dale] "Oh. What about C13?"

[Richard McGuiness] "…Man I don't know shit about that guy. I don't even know if he is a guy or not. Mr. Vangorium calls C13 an 'it', so that could mean anything."

[Scotty "Roundhouse" Dale] "That's creepy."

[Richard McGuiness] "I know right?"

Aurai ran down the hall desperately, trying to evade her opponent's assault and ruthless pursuit. She tossed a grenade to the side, blasting a huge chunk of rubble into the path behind her.

Stan the Planet-Slayer flew through the rubble without a problem, grabbing her by the back of the neck with his free hand. Throwing her to the side, she smashed through a wall and landed in a heap on the other side, struggling to rise again.

The knight grabbed a nearby gurney and threw it at her, the steel equipment pinning her legs and preventing her from rising.

The Siren struggled underneath the heavy gurney and grasped at the edge of it. It began to melt down as she pumped her anger up, turning it into a liquid-like mush. She burst her legs out from it and hurriedly stood up.

Stan walked through the hole he had just made, his face as blank as before. No matter how ruthlessly or long he fought her he always had a bored, dispassionate look. It was like he was doing arithmetic or reading the average female romance novel.

He stepped forward and lunged at her. He narrowly missed but hit the gurney she had melted, splitting the thing in half and throwing the separate ends to opposite sides of the room from the force.

Aurai shot him with her SMG, but his armor practically ate the bullets and spat them out for all the effects they had on him. Turning back to her, he smacked her so hard she slid away from him, and nearly fractured her jaw.

Stan glanced upwards and stabbed the floor below him, causing the plates to splinter and rupture. Grabbing his lance with both hands, he flipped the section forward straight at the Siren.

Aurai swore and dodged nimbly, the chunk of stone smashing beside her and releasing a huge storm of dust that blinded her. She hurriedly tried to see through this cloud, when a huge sharp object flew into her vision and slashed her right in the cheek.

The knight had his arm extended outwards, having thrown his lance like a spear at her. He begun to ran at her, trying to either catch her or retrieve his weapon.

Aurai dodged, the knight running full into the wall and smashing through it like a bulldozer.

Stan rubbed his shoulder, apparently having hurt it. "Hmm. It appears I am not fast enough to catch you."

He unloosened the armor around his left arm, dropping it to the ground. It dented the concrete beneath him, the sheer weight of it having been negated by the magical enchantments. Well those enchantments made it light for him. In reality it was still heavy, but he didn't feel it.

He bounced towards her, dragging his lance across the ground. He impaled her right in the chest and raised his arm up, holding her up solely by the spear.

Aurai spat blood at him, trying to move even with the huge object now lodged into her body. It was agonizing; digging through what probably was her spinal cord and destroy several internal organs. While she was a Siren and was already healing, it still felt incredibly painful.

Stan grabbed her and removed his lance from her body, keeping her in the air above his head. He looked at her like she was an object, like a vase or plant.

Then he threw her to the ground, shattering the floor in a huge crater.

Aurai grunted and tried to at least breathe when he grasped her left leg. Widening her eyes, she watched him snap her limb clean in half backwards.

She screamed out as her leg poured blood onto the floor, the bones jutting clean out of it. I probably don't have to tell you, but it hurt like a bitch.

[Scotty "Roundhouse" Dale] "Jesus Christ does Stan usually do this?"

[Richard McGuiness] "Yep. He hasn't changed a bit since last year."

Stan crouched down in front of her, glancing down at her coldly. "Will you finally calm down Siren?"

She growled at him, trying her hardest to figure out how to fight him at this rate. She grabbed her leg and realigned it, the natural Siren abilities already regenerating it back into his place. She still was crippled for the time being though, as trying to walk on a healing bone was a sure-fire way to get messed up even further.

"If you continue to fight, you will die," stated Stan blankly. "And if that is the case, I can just rewire the New-U Station you will respawn at so I can capture you regardless. This fight is pointless. I outmatch you."

"Shut up," spat Aurai gritting her teeth. She glared at him with all her strength, even with blood in her eyes. "I know you're a tough motherfucker, but a great person I knew never gave up against tough opponents or impossible odds. That man's name was Dion, and I carry his philosophy out of admiration. That's why…that's why…"

She grinned widely, her teeth covered in her own blood. "…that's why I'll never give up! Because Dion wouldn't give up either!"

"Your former 'big brother'?" asked the knight blankly. "I thought you didn't want to associate yourself with the Vault Hunters or anyone of your former life. Either you lied than or you are lying now. Which is it?"

"I never lie!" snapped the Siren.

"But yet you are contradicting your previous statements. You said you hated the Vault Hunters…"

"I don't hate them!" shouted Aurai angrily, her rage stopping his speech. "They're good and honest people, I just…I just…I can't trust them! I can't trust anyone anymore! It's not personal, but I don't want to be hurt again! But I will never, NEVER hate them!"

She glared at him. "What I hate are YOU people! You bloodthirsty, sociopathic bastards! Suture, Dragola and Brittlebine, Tikari and Viitta, Masher, even you are all just a bunch of brigands who let a little girl get hurt and tortured for her entire life! You can't possibly justify that!"

Stan looked down on her solemnly, her words having potent effect on him. "You are correct. We are bad people. But in any conflict, both sides are always evil. I will not justify your treatment or abuse at all. I joined the Carnival out of loyalty to Mr. Vangorium, nothing else."

He glanced away quietly, his thoughts dwelling on something else. "In all honesty, I didn't support your imprisonment. Me, Dragola and her husband, as well as Elena Tear all wanted to free you. However, going against Mr. Vangorium is a horrible idea."

"So?!" snapped Aurai angrily. She felt tears come to her eyes, mostly out of rage. "You find out something is hard so you don't do it?! What kind of attitude is that?! A little girl is being tortured and dissected daily on your watch and you justify it by saying that it's too difficult to you?! What kind of a person are you?! Even someone like Masher would fight against what he didn't believe in, and yet YOU won't!? You should be ashamed of yourself, you fucking bastard!"

The knight looked genuinely ashamed, his head bowed. "…your words cut deep. Unfortunately, you don't understand the odds I was fighting against. Not only would Tikari and Viitta fight me, but also Masher, Nitro and Jackal. If you ever fought the last two on that list, you'd understand why I decided against it."

She gritted her teeth. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you, since the only thing you're adding to this conversation is fucking bullshit! I didn't realize cowardice was the new weed of the universe you flimsy dick!"

Stan tightened the grip on his lance. "While your words are true, that does not change my orders. While Mr. Vangorium was wrong to imprison you, I follow that man's orders. I will get you back into our custody, and that is all."

He turned his head, having heard some guns unclicking their safeties and loading their magazines. He stared at the group in front of him, his eyes wide.

Four people stood in front of him, their guns aimed directly at his head. Each one had eyes of cold fire, directed directly in anger at him.

Dion leveled his shotgun at the knight, grinning ear to ear even when pissed off. "Hey, get the fuck away from my little sister."

Then he shot him, knocking him across the room with the force.

"Dion!" cried out Aurai stunned. She looked away, slightly embarrassed. "I didn't need your help."

"I wasn't gonna wait for you to ask," stated the Titan. "Once a Vault Hunter, always a Vault Hunter."

"You don't get it do you?!" snapped the Siren, silencing their cockiness. "I don't want your help! I don't want to be a Vault Hunter! Every damn day I was reminded of why I don't trust other people whenever Suture's knives entered my skin! How can I trust any of you, especially now that you let that man join you!? Put yourself in my shoes and try to understand why I can't possibly trust you!"

The Vault Hunters turned inward, seemingly communicating silently. Then they all kept moving forward, never stopping in their steps.

"Doesn't matter," argued Dion smiling cheekily in his typical confident aura.

"Yeah, we're still family, names or titles be damned," stated Alan.

"If you don't wish to be known as a Vault Hunter that does not detract from the fact that you are family to us" said Saprus calmly in his typical grandfatherly way.

"Yeah, family is family little sister!" yelled Paula giving her a thumbs-up.

Aurai stared at them astonished, her eyes wide in shock. "F…family?"

Dion knelt down and smiled at her. "Yeah, family. Even if you hate us and wish we didn't exist, we're still there for you when you need us. That's the whole point of family."

"But…but why?" asked the Siren genuinely confused. "Why do you care so much?"

Her eyes turned sinister, her psychotic side coming to the surface. She grabbed the Titan by the lapels, shaking him violently. "Why the hell would you ever care so much about a stupid girl like Aurai? She's not special at all, just a little bitch with a sad backstory that makes you cry and move on. What makes her so different in your eyes?"

The Titan smiled slyly, leaning forward. "I guess it's because…I love her."

Then he kissed her softly, closing his eyes to savor it a bit more.

Aurai stopped dead, her eyes fully open in shock. Then she closed her own eyes, the psychotic nature inside of her sinking back into her subconscious out of relaxation. Several tears began to slip out of her eyes as she hugged the Titan tightly, finally finding a person who cared so much about her in such an intimate way.

"Aaaaah!" exclaimed Paula bobbing on her feet. "That was so fucking adorable!"

"Aaaaand you just killed the mood," spat Alan annoyed. "God woman, shut the hell up! Let the newlyweds enjoy their first kiss."

Saprus chuckled in his garbage disposal voice. "Ah young love."

The Titan backed up, grinning his head off. "Heh, how was that reasoning?"

Aurai blushed and turned away, showing a fiercer side. "You're still a butthead."

"Hey, I don't mind that," stated Dion chuckling. He looked up, taking note of his opponent. "But since you currently have done enough work, I guess it's my turn to do my job."

He stood up, glancing at Stan. The knight had been waiting for the Vault Hunters to finish their conversation, being a very polite man who tended to engage in chivalry.

"Most people would've just attacked as soon as possible, but you waited," stated the Titan. "That's very noble of you."

"I hope my example teaches others," explained Stan.

"Does that example include kidnapping and torturing a little girl?" asked Dion gritting his teeth, finally showing some of his rage.

"…it was necessary. That Siren is…"

The Titan fired a beam into his chest, knocking the knight into a wall and stunning him with the force.

"Her name is Aurai!" snapped Dion angrily. "And when I'm done with you, I'm going to make you apologize for everything you let happen to her!"

Stan narrowed his eyes. "Very well. I see there is no negotiating further. You want Aurai to go with you, and I want her to go with me. So we shall decide this the only way that I see anymore: combat."

He raised his lance high, the end of it still dripping with blood. "I apologize in advance for doing this, but I will complete my orders to the letter."