"Well, here we are, boys and girls. Fort Sunshine." Zane parked the Technical and hopped out, taking a good look at the fort as he did. Said fort was in the distance, being a massive, stone and metal place, with the only way to it being via a stone bridge that, of course, the COV were around.

Or, rather, were around. Most of them were on the ground, dead or dying, courtesy of the team's crazy, murderous robot. Zane didn't even see them drop. He was too busy getting the car in the right spot.

"Uh…well shit…hey sis? Those fucking Vault Thieves are trying to rescue that gunsmith you snatched. Do your thing! Your…weird teleporting thing."

"Yeah sure—but because I want to. NOT because you asked."

"Whatever! Just do it already and make it snappy!"

"Asshole."

Seemed they were already bickering. Zane grinned at that. Said grin was gone when he remembered he said 'teleporting'.

A bright flash behind him told him why. He whirled around to see an assortment of COV fuckers quite literally showing up out of thin air, no doubt teleported via Tyreen's crude powers. The Operative dropped down his barrier and sent his drone out, motioning for the others to take cover with him as he open fired at the cultists, dropping a few rushing psychos and wounding others.

"Seems the twins ain' too keen on one 'nother, FL4K." The Operative commended. "How long 'til ya think they start clawin' one 'nother's eyes out?"

"If I had to guess," FL4K popped a psycho's head with their sniper. "a day or two. Already, their discord is building. If it grows as projected, they'll turn on each other like hungry skags and devour one another…also like hungry skags."

"Eww…I didn't need that thought in my fucking head." Moze groaned.

"What? It's a funny sight, Mozzy Moze. At least 'til the winner tries to swallow the other whole." Zane chuckled.

"Let's focus on these COV, then we can make jokes about things eating one another."

Zane smirked. Amara frowned. "Make a joke and I'm throwing you off the bridge."

"Fine fine…I won' make any jokes about eatin' out." Bamboozled.

The group continued to fight, focus firing any cultists who got too close and picking off those who got too far. In no time at all, the bandits were dead, and…the way forward was still blocked off, as far as Zane saw.

"Huh…usually, killin' everyone opens the way to the next area…least that's how it was in those old games me brothers 'n I played." One of said games was a reason his brothers tried to kill him. Not his fault he's good at Cartel, that old shite boardgame about owning properties.

Also wasn't his fault he kept owning the drug labs.

"Path's blocked? Damn. Guess y'all need to find another way in. Take a look around; there should be an old lookout nearby that might offer a nice vantage." Zane looked up and noticed…well something in the distance, as well logs passing overhead, courtesy of a crane.

Looking at it gave him an amusing idea.

"Well, the Vault Thieves are still alive. Guess I should've Anointed a few more of the family," Troy was ranting now. Zane was tempted to just mute the fucker, but then he'd miss the inevitable discord between him and his sister. "That's the REAL power, sis."

"Yeah, hey remind me why I kept you alive all these years, dickweed?"

"What? C'mon, don't be like that! We're having fun—and she walked away…well then. I'm still right." Zane made a mental note to have some scotch prepared to enjoy while they killed each other. Who knows? He might find a way to sneak a camera into their lil' headquarters and record the whole thing.

It'd definitely sell and be a fun watch for everyone on Sanctuary.

"So…you want us to do what?" Moze asked incredulously as she and the other Vault Hunters got out the Technical once again, now in front of some sort of…lumberyard? She couldn't be entirely sure. With how most things looked on the planet, she wasn't sure if that was intentional or caused by something wrecking the place.

It was probably both.

"Ya want the short version or the long one?" Zane asked.

"I want any version, you old fuck." The Gunner grunted.

The old man chuckled. "Simple, we're gonna hitch a ride on the crane system and go right into the fort from there. Quick, easy, and it'll probably involve killin' a lotta bandit fuckers."

"…alright, I'll admit, that's a good idea. A first, honestly." Moze nodded.

Zane frowned. "A first? I got plenty of good ideas, Mozzy Moze. Like stealin' those EVA helmets."

"I…you…" She huffed. "Let's just go." She loaded her assault rifle and got to moving. She hated giving Zane the satisfaction of being right.

"Moze, you good?" She looked to her right. Amara walked next to her, loading her Maliwan shotgun and setting it on her back.

"Yeah, I just hate giving that old fucker the satisfaction of knowing he's right."

"Then do what I do," The Siren shrugged. "Ignore it. Thought we were over this."

"I know, but," She sighed. "Old habits die hard, apparently."

"Then help them die harder." She grinned. Moze couldn't help but to chuckle at that.

"Yeah—shit!" She ducked behind a crate when a buzz-axe whirled past. "…so, we were supposed to go where? Cause it looks like they're already there."

"Loading Docks," FL4K uncloaked nearby Moze, holding the severed head of a cultist. "Once we arrive, we'll have to board some of the logs, then jump. So…I hope you're shock absorbent."

"My shields are shock resistant!" Moze glared.

"That isn't the shock I mean." The robot cloaked again and darted off.

"…fuck." Moze caught on to what they meant. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Of course we will, Moze." Moze found the Siren's presence comforting…not just as a friend but something else. She couldn't put her finger on it.

Maybe later she could figure out what that weird feeling was. When she wasn't at risk of having her head blown off. That'd be a good idea.

"So…we just jump on?" Amara crossed her arms and watched another bundle of logs sail past. The others were nearby with Zane being the spotter for…his dumb idea.

Honestly, it wasn't the most dangerous thing they've done, but still, felt…dumb.

"Yep," Zane answered, stepping back and rolling his shoulders. "Get a runnin' start, leap on, and don' fall. I don' think any of us are fall proof or whatever the fuck the word is."

"I am, but my beasts aren't." FL4K said. "It's one reason I left them at the town. Had a slight hunch something like this could happen."

"They're gonna be fine, right? Moze asked.

"Oh, definitely. I even gave Meat-Thief a shotgun…let's…just hope he doesn't shoot any of the townsfolk." Amara was now silently worried, but she didn't show it.

"Oi, ride's here. Leap on!" Zane leapt onto the bundle of logs as it sailed past. Amara did the same, as did FL4K.

"Shit!" Moze mistimed her jump and fell, though Amara quickly snagged her hand and tugged her onto the logs. "Fucking…thanks, Amara."

"It's what friends are for." She smirked and…did her best not to look down. She wasn't afraid of heights, no, but she didn't like being reminded they were way up in the air and en route to a fortress crawling with both COV and, probably, Troy's Anointed.

"You'll have to excuse Ty, she's not used to, uh, sharing the spotlight." Amara's mild fear became malice when she heard Troy's smarmy voice in her earpiece. "Y'see, while we were growin' up, our parents never let her outta their sight. She'd leech anything she could get her hands on. Heh…that was a riot…then our mom died. That one's on her. After that…well…dad decided we'd never leave his side. He never SAID it, but I knew. He saw Tyreen as a monster—and I was just a freak, of course. But, we left him, and went to Pandora after a series of mishaps and adventures. What that old fucker didn't get that, these days, a freak with an ECHOstram can be a star."

"…and what point do you have to tell me your entire life story?"

"Eh, bored and ranting. Oh, right! Also makin' some Anointed. Hot and ready for you all. So, play nice. I won't let 'em kill you. After all, I need a body to leech from." The cold way he said that made Amara's malice fade to fear for a flicker of a second. It reminded her that, once again, he could take her powers too, and leave her like Lilith or worse!

"That ain't happening, fuckface," Amara looked over to see Moze mashing her finger down on her own earpiece. "You get close to Amara and I'm introducing you to Louie. He's my gun, and then I'll introduce him to your fucking kneecaps. So piss off, and don't contact her again." Troy, thankfully, didn't respond. Either Moze's threat pacified him, or he went off to do some bullshit.

"Thanks, Moze."

"Hey, it's like you said," She shrugged. "It's what friends are for."

"Indeed." Maybe the fort wouldn't be so bad with friends like them sticking close. Sure, Clay referred to it as a hellhole, but they'd be fine. They got this far, after all.

They could afford to go a bit further.

FL4K landed on the ground first, or rather on the concrete first. The log, thankfully, passed over a structure or two that, from the Beastmaster's calculation would dampen their fall and reduce any possible damage. Looking up, they saw their pack did the same, though only Zane nearly tripped and fell. Better than what the projected outcome was.

A bullet whizzed by and FL4K was reminded the place was crawling with Children of the Vault. "Zane, create your cover and open fire." FL4K stepped away and, like many times, cloaked themselves to continue their hunt. With the others protected, they could hunt freely, and dispatch as many of the foes as they could.

BANG BANG BANG!

They fired their sniper again and again from a newer vantage. Heads popped into skull confetti as, of course, their prey panicked. The Beastmaster took cover when fire was concentrated on them, courtesy of what looked like turrets against the walls. Those wouldn't be good.

Said turrets exploded a second later. FL4K looked and sighted Moze's Iron Bear, with the Siren in the back, peppering foes with the mounted turret. Their symbiosis was interesting; amusing, but interesting none the less. The Beastmaster made a note to study it closer and see if they could encourage their beasts to do the same. But, for now, bandits needed to die.

It took a considerable amount of time, but the Children of the Vault's numbers were thinning. Receding. There were more within the fortress, but for the time, it seemed like they were either pulling back, or were just plain done fighting.

Both outcomes were mildly disappointing. But now they had a moment to breathe, as the way forward was cleared. It gave the Beastmaster an idea.

"Zane," The Operative looked up when he was called. "Would you like to harass the twins today? I'd usually do it, but, as a pack, I feel like we should all share in their humiliation and discord."

"Sure, why not? Lemme dial 'em up." Zane mashed his ECHO a few times, moving to sit down on a crate.

"What the fuck? Who is this?" Tyreen was the one to pick up. FL4K would have went for Troy, but this was a better outcome. She was the emotionally vulnerable one, after all.

"Jus' someone who thinks ya should watch yerself."

"Vault Thief…what the fuck do you—"

"Didja know yer brother told us yer life story? Rivetin' stuff, 'goddess'."

"…he did?" She sounded frail. Delightful.

"Yep. And, and this is jus' me readin' 'tween the lines, but it sounds like he doesn' trust ya either. Might view ya like a monster too. So, good luck with that." He hung up and pat his thighs. "So, how'd I do, tinman?"

"Wonderful, though I'd recommend, next time, go for Troy. We want both twins to be at each other's throats, not one, and he's insecure as it is."

"Ah, shite, sorry."

"It's fine. Inevitably, they'll turn on each other. We're simply hastening the inevitable in favor of an outcome that benefits us all."

"And…that outcome is the entire COV folding, right?" Moze asked.

"Mhm," FL4K nodded. "Unless they don't come to blows. But, even if they avoid from killing one another and simply bicker, it'll bring their plans to a halt as their followers pick sides. But, for now," FL4K reloaded their sniper. "The fort awaits. Let us liberate the gunsmith, and make the twins regret their actions even further."

They were going to enjoy themselves here. Sure, Clay called it a hellhole, but they called it hunting grounds.

(Short chapter. I wanted to use this chapter both as a prelude to a harder area on Eden-6 and also to add some more story and plot. And, here, I'm even trying to sneak in little references here and there, and with Moze and Amara being close. Dunno why. Seems like something that makes sense.

Plus, I wanted to answer some reviews. Always view them as a bit of a highlight.

-Are there any other games I'd write a story for? Well, there's plenty. Many of them I've already touched on, such as Danganronpa, Warhammer, and even Monster Hunter. But, with professional work growing and me staring a new job, I've put all non-essential projects on hold to not overwork myself. This story, of course, is essential because of all the love and support it's garnered.

-My thoughts on the Borderlands Science minigame? Hard to say. Haven't really looked into it. I saw a video on it in my recommended feed on Youtube, but I didn't click it and I forgot about it for a while. But maybe Monday after I get off work I can check it out.

-I had a slight hunch the Wedding DLC was full of hentai references…still funny, though. I'll have to pick it up when I'm not playing Predator this weekend.

Have a safe night everyone, and I'll do what I can to mold this story into my professional schedule and make the next chapter even better!

Take care!)