Lilith wasn't sure how long she steeled herself. The Commander stood in front of the doorway to Tannis' lab, a place she wasn't sure she'd ever need to visit, given the scientist's…unorthodox methods, and yet at the same time, she wasn't here to see Tannis.

She was, instead, here to see Maya. Here to see her after her own powers were taken. The Vault Hunters were busy kicking ass down there on Eden-6; she didn't need to monitor them, so she wasn't sure what was there for her to do…aside from check in with her friend, and see how she was holding up.

The door slid open. Maya was still on the lab table, though now she was sitting up, gaze cast towards her hands. The sight made Lilith go rigid, but the former Siren took a silent, deep breath and stepped into the lab, letting the door shut behind her. "Maya?" She asked hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

"I…I guess. I'm not dead, right? Counts for something." She breathed, though from her tone of voice, she was very much not alright. "Just…my powers, Lilith. They're gone."

"We'll get them back, Maya. Don't worry." The Commander affirmed. "The Vault Hunters'll make sure of that. They're currently down there, working to get the next Vault opened so we can deny the twins access to—"

"And you're sure that'll work?" Maya cut her off, shaking her head. "What makes you think they don't have a plan for that too? What makes you think they won't just wait until they're done fighting the guardian, then swoop in and kill the Vault Hunters?"

"Maya, what's gotten into you?" Lilith stepped closer, watching Maya's eyes drift back down to her arm. "This sort of talk isn't you."

"Well, a lot changes when you lose the one thing you treasure most…" Lilith's gaze softened. That explained a lot.

"Maya…your powers were important, yes, but they weren't you; you're the one who makes them, not the other way around." The Commander stepped closer so she could stoop down, now much closer to Maya. "It's how I didn't give up hope after that bitch took my powers. I can still move, command, lead, and hold a gun. You can do the same. The COV only wins when we stop fighting, after all. It's what Roland told me when we were dealing with Hyperion."

"Just…it's been so long since I've had to not rely on them. Since I've been without them."

"And we'll get them back, but until then, least you'll get the satisfaction of strangling that lanky fucker, Troy, and taking your powers back yourself. So, brighten up. We still got this."

Maya chuckled a bit, only for her grin to fade a few seconds later. "…how do you remain so hopeful, Lil? About all of this?"

"I've had time to learn. When Roland died, I had to learn fast how to cope with shit and put on a brave face. Especially when we lost Sanctuary the first time, with those plant monsters running amok."

"Ah…I remember that." Maya nodded. "Was a…weird situation."

"Yep. So, at the end of the day, we're getting our powers back, denying the twins the Vault monster, and crushing the COV. Not just the Vault Hunters. All of us."

Maya nodded. "Yeah…I should check on Ava, also. See how she's doing."

"Sure. But, remember what I said." Lilith rose and headed for the door; it was time she got back to the bridge and saw how the Vault Hunters were doing. "We're winning this fight. Make no mistake."

"I won't…we've made enough mistakes, after all. Can't really make anymore at this point, I think."

And there's the old Maya; good.


(What's this? Another non-canon chapter? But, yeah no it is; I felt like doing something different this week, and thus introduced a chapter with Lilith and Maya, more or less, coping with the loss of their powers, and trying to stay motivated to oppose the COV. It "might" have been covered in the game, but I can't recall perfectly. This should build some plot before, next week, I resume the Eden-6 stuff and, over the weekend, try to work more on the Warhammer story for the crowd into that.

Stay safe out there, people; we'll all get through this virus thing, so make smart moves out there.)