"Right, here we are, Atlas HQ!" Zane stepped out of his Cyclone and looked at the back entrance that Zer0 mentioned to them earlier; the place Rhys asked them to use so they wouldn't cause…well issue, apparently.
Zane found it to be bullshit, considering these people had seen and dealt with far worse but, whatever. He wasn't gonna get pissy with the CEO unless he gave him an excuse.
"Finally…took fucking forever," Moze griped, the Gunner reloading her rocket launcher and setting it on her back. "Why'd we even help that guy find his wife? Did anyone even remember that guy's name?"
"It's not relevant." FL4K was already moving, now with their skag following eagerly behind them. It took a quick pitstop back at Sanctuary to get that…also Lil' wanted the damn mutt off the ship cause he tried to eat someone. But…details.
With the group set, they stepped through the doors and got moving, Zane taking a moment to appreciate that, despite Atlas being in a losing war, their HQ still looked pretty decent…then again, what base didn't have a damn shield generator?
"Come up to my office slash museum grade aquarium and I'll get you that tasty, apple flavored Vault Key fragment," Rhys said through the ECHO. "Now I just have to find out where Zer0 disappeared to…anyhow, the guy up ahead will let you in. Liam's a bit…trigger happy, but—" A gunshot rang out and Zane already had his handgun leveled at the shooter, at Atlas soldier who stood there, shivering and absolutely terrified.
"…control yer men, Rhys." Zane dryly said. "We're with yer boss, soldier. Step aside."
"S-S-Sorry, just can't be too sure anymore. With how Maliwan's been hammering the city, everyone's on edge." Zane waited for the soldier to step aside, heading through the set of doors first in case anyone else decided to get trigger happy. Thankfully, that wasn't the case as the Operative and company found themselves within a lengthy hallway that led to a pristine, ornate lobby that shamed every other lobby Zane had ever been to…and one of them had a free minibar!
"Welcome to Atlas! Yeah, I rebuilt this place from the foundation after my own Vault adventure. Took…well quite a while, but it wasn't hard since the old Atlas was just a pile of glass sand and bankruptcy when I got here."
"Any idea what caused that?" Zane asked, looking about the place as his friends trekked ahead.
"From what the records say, they pissed off a set of Vault Hunters. I…honestly think it was Lilith and her group."
"Oh, sounds old."
"Yeah; happened almost a decade ago. But, anyhow, they were basically on life support when I got here, so I pulled some strings, called in a few favors, and embezzled a LOT of money from Hyperion to get Atlas where it is now. It ain't perfect, but I feel like I did pretty well with this place."
"Yes, and I'm gonna enjoy watching it burn from the inside out!" Zane furrowed his brow when he heard that fucking weirdo, Katagawa, chime into their conversation. Did Rhys forget to contact them on a fucking secure line?
"Get over it, Katagawa! You can't hold the city, the key fragment's slipped through your weirdly lotioned fingers, and NOW you're losing your grasp on reality, I think! That's three hand things right there! Y-You can't get past my defense turrets!"
"Maybe I can't, but your friend Zer0 can."
Oh, that didn't sound good. The explosion Zane heard moments later confirmed that.
"Rhys, any clue what that was?"
"Th-The Defense Command center! Oh no…WE'VE BEEN BREACHED! ALL TROOPS TO THE COURTYARD! And where the hell is Zer0?!" Zane turned to see Maliwan dropships already incoming, firing at whatever they could as they deployed soldiers who, naturally, were lit up by his friends.
"Vault Hunters, we're dead without those turrets! Do you think you can—"
"Rig 'em back up and save ya? I can do it." Zane was already peppering a nearby soldier, mulling over carefully what both Rhys and Katagawa said. As far as it sounded, the grubby little merger's director managed to turn Zer0 to his side, and Zane personally knew how dangerous he was in a fight, and what he could do.
If Zer0 was playing for the other team, then he would actually have to take things seriously, or else they wouldn't last four seconds in a fucking fight.
Moze curb stomped a Maliwan soldier, swearing and grunting the entire time before the fucker stopped moving. The Maliwan assault, thankfully, was simmering down; especially because a literal minute ago Rhys just atomized one of their ships with some sort of orbital laser; probably the one Katagawa used, but she couldn't be sure, nor did she really want to be. Huffing and panting, the Gunner reloaded her assault rifle and struck it on her back, hearing Rhys babbling in her ECHO, but she couldn't be bothered to really translate.
"Is mister fancy CEO okay?" She asked Amara, who nodded.
"He's thanking us for destroying the ship and defending Atlas," The Siren cocked her shotgun and set it aside. "Though, now, he seems to be trying to find Zer0…and Katagawa's saying something about that."
"Saying what?"
"Something cryptic and ominous about how Zer0 would be finding him." Moze raised a brow at that. That perplexed her; in the brief time she knew the…weird assassin, she figured him to be a loyal, if not a bit eccentric person. Why would he turn on his friends? Sure, there was the possibility Maliwan was loading his pockets, but at the same time, that didn't feel like the case. Not to Moze, at least.
"Your mind games won't work, Katagawa," Moze tuned back in to hear what seemed like a very heated exchange through ECHO devices. "Zer0's on my side! Oh, oh—see? He just walked in. Yo, Zer0, everyone's lost their minds and—waitwhatnonononon—AHAHAHA!" The line went dead, and Moze sighed.
"So, the assassin's stabbed our friend in the back, probably literally. Means we gotta kill him, right?"
"No." FL4K spoke up. "I know Zer0. He did not betray Rhys. Something else is going on."
"Um, I hate to break it to ya, FL4K, but that call sorta says Zer0's turned on us." Zane shook his head. "We gotta put 'em down."
"No." FL4K repeated, causing Moze to frown. What the fuck was their problem? "Zer0 hasn't turned to Katagawa's side, and I can prove it. So, let us go."
"Go where?" Amara asked.
"To Rhys' office. We will get answers, and then we will destroy Maliwan." Moze was disturbed by FL4K's sudden…devotion, but she didn't question it as she followed with the Beastmaster. Honestly, they tended to know what they were doing, so if they thought Zer0 was safe then…well at the very least she'd keep an open mind.
She just hoped she wouldn't literally have her mind opened.
It didn't take long to reach an elevator, Moze waiting patiently as Katagawa went on and on in his monologue to Rhys, telling him what they could have become. It was…very disturbing. She knew the man was unhinged but this was…a new side of that insanity.
And then the doors parted. Moze visibly winced at the sight of the corpse laying on the floor; she'd seen and inflicted FAR worse, yes, but this was one of the Atlas soldiers who lay dead…and there was a sword embedded in him. A sword that mysteriously looked like Zer0's sword.
"Oh, this ain't good…" She breathed, swiftly taking point and stepping forward, gun at the ready. She heard the others follow behind her as the Gunner swept the room, keeping a close eye out for any Maliwan soldiers…or for Zer0.
Moving forward, Moze found herself in…well what looked like a very decorated aquarium; Rhys' office wasn't far, which meant Zer0 wasn't either.
"Well, this convince you yet, FL4K?" She called over her shoulder.
"It does not." They responded. "This isn't like Zer0. Not like the assassin I befriended."
"Times change, friend," Zane noted. "Zer0 might have changed to."
"He hasn't." The way their voice dipped, it chilled Moze a bit. They reached Rhys' desk and found it empty, with a few slash marks about it but, thankfully, no blood. So, that meant he got away, at the very least.
"Wait, hold up." Zane stepped forward and looked over the desk.
"What are you—" Amara's question went unanswered as, with a lurch, the desk began to slide back, revealing a trapdoor of some sort, one they all swiftly slid down, landing them all on the roof, just in time to see Rhys drop from running, with Zer0 looming over him.
Though…that…didn't look like Zer0. Not at all. For one, his color scheme was different, and the Maliwan insignia was all over him. However, he walked with the same, confident stride the assassin always walked with…so…
CLING!
A blade met the assasin's, and sure enough, there were two Zer0's standing there, one with the correct color scheme. The two of them began to clash and fight, Moze watching in slight awe before one's blade swung and cleaved the other's helmet off.
And, in a flash, all doubts were gone as she saw the seedy bastard himself standing there, Katagawa.
"Grrr," He grunted, rubbing at his head before approaching the CEO again. "You should have joined the family, Rhys—UGH!" The insane fucker got sent skidding away, courtesy of a well-timed shove from FL4K.
"Go! Get the CEO to safety," They called to Zer0, who effortlessly got himself and Rhys away from Katagawa. "I will deal with this foe."
"Ha! You! A mere robot?! Fine; I could easily build another death-sphere from your scrap—" An astral fist met his head, causing Katagawa to stumble back and, with a mighty leap, propel himself atop one of the many pylons on the roof.
"We gotcha, FL4K," Amara cracked her knuckles. "And my bad for doubting you."
"Same, cause, like," Zane tapped his ECHO. "We missed a LOT of chatter 'bout this. Seems that fucker was runnin' 'round the HQ, killin' everyone while we were holdin' Maliwan back."
"Then let us make him pay for everyone slaughtered." Katagawa was groundside again…along with many duplicates of him. Moze didn't hesitate to pop one in the head, watching it dissipate into shards of light that disappeared as well.
"Digiclones?" She muttered. "Ain't this your shit, Zane?"
"Yeah," The Operative was peppering his own string of duplicates, hosing them down with shock rounds from his SMG. "Cept my device only makes one. Dunno how many his can make."
"As many as he likes," FL4K wrenched their blade from a fallen copy. "Katagawa, through some means, has managed to replicate Zer0's technology. Zer0 has very little limit on how many copies he can make, so long as he has energy."
"And we're surrounded by pylons." Moze concluded. Well…that wasn't good. More of Katagawa's doppelgangers dropped down from the pylons, the Gunner calling Ironbear down and mowing down as many as she could, doing all she could to keep them at a distance as, judging from how those swords looked, one hit would be enough to shatter her shield…and then cleave right through her.
"Anyone got eyes on the original?" Zane shouted, slashing a duplicate with his wristblades, only for one to slash him across his chest, Moze's eyes widening as a long, bloody slash welled up across his chest.
"YOU FUCKERS!" The rockets came flying and obliterated those duplicates, Zane dropping to a knee, clutching his chest. "Old man, are you good?!"
"Yeah, just gotta catch myself. Mara Mar, can ya throw me a health syringe? This ain' deep but…well it doesn' feel good." The fighting went on, with more of the duplicates being dissipated, though quickly, Moze noticed something.
FL4K was gone.
"AUUUUUUGGGGHH—OOOF!" Katagawa hit the ground, having quite literally been flung to the ground, courtesy of FL4K who, moments later, hit the ground.
"I've waited for this for quite a long time." FL4K growled, that venomous tone frightening Moze as she watched the Beastmaster approach Katagawa who scrambled to get his sword. That was ruined when the robot, with one fell swoop, embedded their knife into his forearm, and with a gristly twist, snapped his arm. "Out of all those I've hunted, I can safely say you disappoint me the most. You slaughtered your kin for the chance to rule. Squandered it on a mere merger and devastated a man's life; a man with an utterly magnificent mustache. You are no worthy hunt," FL4K's hand enclosed around a now cowering Katagawa's neck, hoisting him high. "So, you will be given the ultimate dishonor."
"A-And that is?"
"Flaying." Moze could safely say she had never heard the sound of flesh being ripped from muscle until now.
…it was a sound she honestly wished she could unhear.
"So, ahem, is…that going to just be out there?" Amara shrugged to Rhys' question, the Siren glimpsing at the flayed, skinless corpse of Katagawa hanging outside. Back in the man's office, they were recovering and winding down from the fight. Maliwan's campaign was, probably, over, and they could afford a respite.
"It will be a reminder for Maliwan," FL4K spoke up. "The fate that awaits them if they so much as set foot on this planet."
"Oooookay…getting Pandora vibes…"
"I'm just glad ya didn' betray us, Zer0." Zane was on a couch, patting his now healed chest. "Cause I really didn' wanna fight ya. Me tools are good, but not enough to match ya."
"It's fine, Vault Hunter/I was on the hunt for him/and now he is dead."
"Like I said, Zer0," Rhys chuckled. "I super trusted you the whole time, and it was completely justified, even though the men were screaming the exact opposite. Anyhow, I had Zer0 go get it for me, and here it is," The man presented the key fragment, though when Amara went to take it, his hand moved back. "B-But, before I give you this, I have one last thing to ask…am I pulling off this mustache or what?" Amara…was at a loss for words, not just because of his actions but also from the question in general. She didn't even have an answer.
"Its glory is unrivaled," FL4K spoke up. "It's shining countenance sublime. The stars in the sky have gone dim, for all their brilliance is here, on your face. It's…pretty fucking sweet, dude." Now they were all at a loss for words. Including Rhys.
"…was…um…well, t-that's all the motivation I need. A-Anyhow," He passed the fragment to Amara. "Here you go. And I can arrange for a ship to get you four back to Lilith, safe and sound." Amara nodded and got moving, the four of them following Zer0 as she nudged FL4K's side.
"Where'd that little bit come from? Was that a confession?" She chuckled. FL4K shrugged.
"I know a good mustache when I see one. Zane also has a high quality one."
"Thank ya." Amara couldn't hide her grin as they all continued. Now they were far ahead of the Calypsos, and with their lead they could get to the Vault and get whatever they wanted first…though really, she didn't know for what.
…she still didn't get Lilith's plan. But she refused to lose faith in it.
(So, here's this shorter chapter, though before we get to the chapter we're all waiting for, I may do a few non-canon ones, namely to flesh some stuff out and mend some issues I've been having. Thanks for sticking with this story so far people; it's not perfect, but those reviews always bring a smile to my face and keep me motivated to see this through to the end, and do what I can to fix all the issues with Borderlands 3's story. Besides, least this didn't get the My Immortal treatment…that'd have sucked.)