It was morning in Sanctuary. Brick had already left for the Nexus with his army of Slabs while the others waited in the Crimson Raider HQ for any news. Murphy and Lilith were standing outside near the Roland statue in the center of town, the Enforcer was paying his respects while the red haired Siren was saying goodbye to Roland one last time before she could move on with her life. Murphy was armored up and holding his Heavy Metal rifle, prepared for any surprise attack. Murphy turned toward Lilith and noticed the depressed look on her face.

"You don't have to do this" Murphy insisted.

"I can't avoid this any longer, Jason. It's the only way I'll ever move on with my life" Lilith argued. She placed her hand on the plaque and began speaking "Hey, it's been a while since you and I've talked" she started, acting as if the deceased soldier was there "I just wanted you to know I've finally let go, Roland. I've moved on and found someone else, someone I can have a future with. He's a great guy, he's kind, caring, and compassionate. He's a bit of a hard case and he gets on my nerves sometimes but I'll manage. I just wanted to say that I'll always remember you, Roland, And to say goodbye" A tear rolled down the side of her cheek and Murphy reached over to wipe it away.

"I know I can't replace him, Lilith. Just remember that he loved you always. And so do I" Murphy slowly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close.

"I know, Jason" she gave him a quick kiss on the lips and rested her head on his shoulder "Let's go home and wait for any news from Brick."

"Good idea, watching Zero kick Axton's cry baby ass in video games should cheer us up" Murphy joked and she laughed. The two turned around and began walking back to the HQ. Suddenly, static came though the Echo and Brick's voice could be heard.

"Lil, can you hear me? We got problems" Brick bellowed through the Echo. Lilith pulled her Echo device from her belt and spoke into it.

"What's wrong Brick? The Slabs having trouble with Hyperion?" she asked.

"That's not it, the base isn't here" Brick answered.

"What do you mean the base isn't there" Murphy asked.

"I mean it's long gone. Ship's no longer in the Nexus and neither are the troops" Brick clarified.

"They couldn't have known we were coming. Something's up" Lilith pointed out.

"No kidding, my boys and I are heading back to Thousand Cuts and…" suddenly, a large amount of interference drowned out Brick's voice.

"Brick, are you there? Brick?" Lilith kept asking again and again but nothing came through the Echo.

"Brick might be in some sort of trouble. We should return to HQ and warn the others" Murphy advised and Lilith nodded in agreement. The two ran into the HQ and everyone was standing in the lobby. Montayva and Mordecai were on a chair. Junior was perched on his shoulder and the baby was in her arms. Axton and Zero were playing games while sitting on the couch as per usual. Salvador, Maya and Ari were standing next to them and watching them go at it. Erick and Gaige were upgrading Death-Trap's hardware near the entrance.

"Guys, lock and load" Lilith ordered. The others stopped what they were doing and followed the Siren's instructions.

"Something happened to Brick, didn't it?" Montayva could sense Murphy and Lilith's stress and immediately knew something was wrong.

"Yeah, we were talking with Brick through my communicator and we were cut off" Lilith said.

"Maybe it was bad weather. You know how sandstorms tend to mess with communications" Axton suggested.

"Couldn't have been a dust storm. There are no reports of bad weather in the area" Murphy said.

"Maybe it's broken" Ari suggested.

"Nah, mine's acting up too" Erick confirmed when he tried using his.

"Mine's wonky too" Gaige added.

"What the hell is going on?" Mordecai noticed his Echo was malfunctioning too.

"Something's jamming us. That's the only explanation" Axton checked his Echo too and it was malfunctioning.

"I'll head upstairs and see if A.N.N and I can clear the airwaves" Ari ran up the stairs to see what was wrong.

"Murph, catch" Erick grabbed Murphy's helmet which was sitting on the table next to the couch and tossed it toward the Enforcer.

"Thanks Ace" Murphy caught his helmet and wore it over his head, his visor lighting up as the locks activated "Things might turn sour so prepare yourselves."

"We should evacuate Sanctuary. It's our best course of action" Lilith advised and the others agreed with her decision.

"Monty, take our little girl and head to Freedom City. Things might go bad" Mordecai instructed.

"What about you?" Montayva's voiced quavered as she spoke.

"I'm staying here to help evacuate the rest of the town" Mordecai answered.

"I can help, let me stay here and…" she started.

"I'm sorry but you need to leave. Please listen to me" Mordecai begged.

"Ok" she spoke softly. She kissed him goodbye and disappeared in a flash of purple light.

"You'll see them again. We'll make sure of it" Maya guaranteed.

"Yeah, I hope so" Mordecai said glumly "Come on boy, let's gather everyone to the center of town" Mordecai spoke to his bird. He ran outside to gather the townspeople for evacuation.

"Let's back him up" Axton advised, turning his head toward Zero and Salvador.

"Right amigo" the Gunzerker complied.

"Agreed" Zero Pulled out his sword and ran outside with Axton and Salvador.

"I should be able to phase everyone out of Sanctuary. Should be a piece of cake" Lilith stretched her arms and cracked her knuckles.

"Erick, you should stay with Murphy and Lilith. They'll need you to phase everyone to Freedom City" Gaige advised "Maya and I'll will evacuate the south side of Sanctuary."

"You sure you don't need me?" Erick asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, she can take care of herself" Maya smirked. Gaige gave Erick a quick kiss for good luck and she activated DT. The three ran outside to evacuate the southern half of Sanctuary.

"Don't get me wrong but why worry about Hyperion? With the upgrades to the shields, there's no way they can breach the city's perimeter. They would need at least 5 battle cruisers to crack the shields open" Erick added.

"Can't risk it, kiddo" Lilith argued "This city has been attacked before" she reminded him of Jack's lunar assault and Eve's bombardment of the city "Better we save as many lives as we can before the shit hits the fan."

"Could we phase the city somewhere else?" Murphy asked.

"It' too dangerous to move something this big toward another location" Lilith admitted "We could accidently ram this city into a mountain and kill everyone onboard. Definitely not worth the risk."

"Plus we're too low on Eridium to supercharge our phase powers and warp the city somewhere else" Erick added.

"And that won't stop the ship from following us. Guess evacuation is the best option" Murphy shrugged. The three ran toward the center of town near the Roland statue and waited for everyone to gather around the city. After a few short hours, everyone, including the other Vault Hunters with the exception to Ari, A.N.N, and Montayva gathered around the statue. People flooded town square and yelled with concern, confused about what was going on. Lilith and the Vault Hunters stood in the middle of the large cluster of civilians. Lilith raised her hands to quiet the rabble.

"Listen up" Lilith spoke loud enough for everyone to hear "We've suffered a communications blackout in Sanctuary. It's probably nothing but we believe Hyperion may have hacked the Echonet and cut us off from the rest of the planet. Until this matter is resolved, I'll phase us to Freedom City. Moxxi will provide us with free housing for the time being. You will all remain there until this matter is resolved. We will try and settle the issue as quickly as possible" the town's rumbles slowly began growing again when Lilith finished her announcement.

"This is making me nervous man" Mordecai whispered to Axton.

"It's probably nothing. Might be sunspots, a busted satellite dish, or something stupid like that" Axton said, trying to ease the Hunter's nerves.

"I hope you're right" Maya prayed it was something simple but she remained suspicious. Static slowly came through the communicator and Ari could be heard.

"Ari, is that you?" Erick queried.

"Yes big brother" she answered "A.N.N and I have restored short range communications around the town but we still can't get a hold of Brick or anyone else outside the city limits."

"We'll keep trudging on. We should have things wrapped up in a couple of hours" A.N.N assured.

"Do you know what caused the interference?" Murphy pressed on.

"No but it seems as if someone hijacked the frequency. I'm not 100% sure where it's coming from or who is doing this but we'll work on it" A.N.N admitted.

"Forget it!" Lilith yelled "We shouldn't stick around for long. Whatever's causing this might be on their way here."

"Ari, bring A.N.N with you and meet us here in the center of town" Murphy instructed the youngest Siren.

"Okay, just gotta gather some things and I'll be there in a flash" Ari spoke through the Echo.

"Okay everyone" Lilith spoke loudly so the townsfolk could hear her "Gather around and I… and I'll…" she stammered for a couple of seconds before collapsing on her knees.

"Lilith!" Murphy rushed over to Lilith's position "What's the matter?"

"I feel weak…I…I can't move" she could barely speak. Maya fell forward but Axton caught her.

"Easy there! I got you" Axton looped her arm over his shoulder and helped her stand up.

"What's going on? I feel so drained" Maya breathed heavily as she struggled to speak.

"Guys, something's wrong with Ari" A.N.N spoke through the Echo "She says she feels weak. Like something is sapping her strength away."

"But that means…" Murphy started but Erick cut him off.

"Damn it, he's here!" Erick came to the realization of what was going on "Murph, we need to get these people out of here, now!"

"Can you phase us out of here?" Murphy asked as he scooped Lilith up in his arms.

"I've never phased this many people from one location to another but I'll give it a…" Erick paused when he saw a giant ship float over the outskirts of Sanctuary. It was the Hyperion flagship, Pegasus. Jet Loaders began pouring out of the docking bay doors on the sides of the ship and the machines circled around the city.

"Hi kids, papa's home!" said an eerie yet familiar voice.

"Johnson!" Murphy exclaimed as he recognized the voice through the Echo.

"Correct, give this man a prize! For guessing the correct answer, you've earned a one way trip to OBLIVION!" Johnson threatened menacingly.

"You're not gonna win this ass-hat!" Erick shouted "Your weapons can't breach the city and ramming that ship into it is just gonna kill you!"

"Wow, I've never really placed much thought into that" Johnson said sarcastically "I might not be able to break into your so-called impenetrable fortress but IT can!"

"IT?" Murphy asked.

"That's right you tin fuck, IT!" Johnson said gleefully "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the moment we've all been waiting for! Allow me the honor of reintroducing our old friend, all the way from the brink of annihilation. Pimped out with the most advanced Eridian weaponry in the six galaxies by the Hyperion science and weapon's division, he is the breathing definition of hell on Pandora. He is the BNK-3R version 2.0!" as Johnson made his announcement, a giant flying machine emerged from the top of the ship and digistructed large amounts of fire power from the front and the lower areas of its mechanic form. It had a large glowing red eye in the front and center of the flying machine. It let out a mechanical roar and set its sights on the center of town.

"The Bunker?!" Axton yelled in disbelief. Years ago, the second group of Vault Hunters battled the Bunker outside of Control Core Angel during their conflict with Handsome Jack. It was originally created by Jack himself to guard his daughter, Angel, until she finished charging the Vault Key. With some aid from the Slabs and a lucky shot from Zero, they were able to destroy Jack's creation with little trouble. Now it had returned, stronger than ever and this time they wouldn't have Brick's crew to back them up.

"Yep, and with a few new tricks I programmed into him" Johnson bragged "Bunker, commence teleportation protocols" he ordered.

"Understood" said the Bunker. The machine disappeared in a digital flash and reappeared in Sanctuary, warping past the shield. The townspeople panicked and stampeded all across the city, leaving the Vault Hunters and the few Crimson Raider guards all alone.

"Now blow the shield generator" Johnson ordered. The Bunker turned toward the giant metal structure just outside of Scooter's workshop and began charging the giant laser on the undercarriage of the machine.

"Open fire on that metal bastard before he destroys the shield generator!" Axton demanded. Zero, Salvador, Mordecai, Gaige, and Erick fired their weapons at the metal menace while Murphy and Axton tended to the Siren's condition. This proved useless however as the bullets bounced off of him as if it were nothing. The Bunker was protected by a reflector shield, nothing could penetrate through the barrier. The machine fired its laser and destroyed the generator. Smoke and electricity emanated from the blast zone. The shield around the city fell and troops and Loaders dropped from the ship into the city. They began firing into the crowds of civilians without hesitation or remorse.

"Shit! We have to stop this now!" Erick fired large volts of electricity into a crowd of Hyperion troops and Loaders, frying them and turning them to ashes. Mordecai and Zero pulled out their pistols and joined Erick in killing Hyperion soldiers. Salvador fired his two assault rifles into a crowd of Loaders to save civilians caught in their cross hairs. Gaige and DT fired into the sky at attacking Jet Loaders. Junior flew off Mordecai's shoulder and tore open Hyperion soldier's with his talons and his razor sharp beak.

"What the hell? How are your powers still working?" Johnson observed what was going on through the cameras on his ship and the live feed from his Loaders, now built to withstand the electrical interference generated from Erick's being.

"Your toys won't drain me Johnson. I'm immune!" Erick explained as he saved a child from a Badass Loader using hot plasma from his hands.

"Interesting, the lab boys would kill for the chance to examine your corpse" Johnson was intrigued on how Erick was unaffected by his energy draining device "Bunker, kill the Vault Hunters" he ordered his killing machine. The Bunker fired a barrage of missiles near the concentrated area surrounding the Vault Hunters. Erick quickly phased them out of harm's way and warped his friends just outside of Zed's. The missiles landed a direct hit on the Roland statue, completely decimating the memorial to the fallen leader. Lilith saw it from afar and flew into a fiery rage.

"Bastard, I'll murder all of you!" Lilith jumped out of Murphy's arms and fired her Hellfire SMG at some nearby troopers.

"Lilith, stop!" Murphy charged in next to the Siren and protected her from her attackers. He activated Riot Mode and protected her with his Riot Shield. Lilith and Murphy's bullets exited the shield and killed off the soldiers, buying them some time for a breather. The shield disappeared and Lilith collapsed on her knees and wept, upset she failed so many innocent lives and greatly distraught for what happened. She slammed her fist on the ground several times as her emotions consumed her. Murphy kneeled next to the Siren and wrapped her arms around her. The troops, the Bunker, and the Pegasus were preoccupied with fighting off the nearby Lance men and were unable to deal with the Vault Hunters at the time. This gave them time to get their bearings back.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here" Murphy comforted Lilith as she continued crying.

"I failed them, Jason. I failed him" she sobbed as she buried her face in his metal chest.

"No you didn't, you did everything you could" Murphy stood back up and carried her gently in his arms.

"How do we stop this metal bastard?" Axton butted in the conversation "We're outmanned, outgunned, and the Sirens are weak."

"I can feel their energy being absorbed by a device nearby. It's not in the ship but it's somewhere floating in the sky" Erick could somehow sense where the energy was.

"My suit's sensors are picking something up" Murphy's visor lit up red as he too senses where the Siren's lost energy was being stored "It's inside the Bunker!"

"If we kill it, we may be able to restore our lost energy" Maya suggested.

"Any suggestions on how we do that? Metal shit's shields are impenetrable" Mordecai pointed out The Bunker's reflector shields.

"Erick's sniper could penetrate the shield. It was crafted just for a situation like this" Gaige proposed.

"That's right! The Melon Popper should break through and injure it. Maybe take out it's shields with a lucky shot" Erick pulled out his sniper rifle from over his shoulder "It's gonna take one hell of a lucky shot."

"Hand me your rifle/ I have killed it once before/ I'll do it again" Zero demanded Erick hand him the sniper. The Brother would not put up with an argument, especially in such a strenuous situation like this. He threw the sniper at Zero and he caught it with his hand.

"Give it your best Zero, we're counting on you" Erick wished the Assassin luck. Zero ran near one of the buildings and climbed up the roof.

"Even if we take out the Bunker, we'll still need air support to deal with the Pegasus" Axton added.

"I'll take care of that" Ari spoke meekly through the Echo "A.N.N and I will try to clear up communications and call Brick for help."

"Are you crazy?" Erick asked, concerned for his sister's condition "You're powerless and this whole place is going up in flames."

"If we don't do this, innocent people will die" A.N.N said, defending Ari's decision "I'll call in some Lance troops to defend our position. Keep the Bunker off of us a while longer."

"Son of a bitch, okay" Erick said begrudgingly "Just stay safe, sis."

"I will" Ari promised.

"While she does that, Ace and I will deal with the Bunker. We'll keep his attention on us. The rest of you protect the civvies" Murphy ordered.

"What about Lilith and Maya? Their still too weak to use their Siren powers" Axton said, knowing they would be of little aid to them.

"We can still hold a gun, Axton. We'll help you protect the civilians" Maya pulled out her Greed pistol and walked on her own power again "If you have any objections with us helping you, shove it! I don't want to hear it."

"Maya's right, we can still put up a fight" Lilith calmed herself down and planed her boots on the ground, standing by herself without Murphy's help. Murphy was hesitant of letting them fight in their condition but with the situation as dire as it is, they needed all the help they could get.

"Alright" Murphy said, coming to terms that he could not change their minds "Stay close to the others. We can't risk losing you. Once Zero takes out the Bunker's shields and we kill it, go all out."

"Okay, be careful Jason" Lilith pleaded.

"I promise" Murphy assured. The group separated and played their roles.