Zane stifled a yawn. The Operative had just woken up and, with his respite done, it was back to work and back to finding the fragments. Sure, he wanted to catch up on some more old shows, but he appreciated the time he had, and thus it was back to business as usual.

"So, Commander," He began. "what's on the agenda today? Any word where we're goin'?"

"Wainwright contacted me a moment ago," Lilith said, sipping what he guessed was some coffee. "him and Hammerlock made strides in finding the next fragment, but like with everything, it comes with some bad news."

"Shite…well, lay it on me."

"He said it's in the Jakobs powder cellar, where they get their 'specialized' gunpowder for their guns." Lilith took another sip. "Which is kinda weird. They 'age' gunpowder down there…in casks."

"Probably makes 'em lot more potent and refined, like agin' a fine whiskey. The fragment's down there?"

"Yep. According to Wainwright, his father must've hid the fragment in a barrel of 'Grand Reserve' gunpowder before the twins showed up, and his contact knows a way in. Unfortunately, time for the bad news."

"Ugh, is it always bad news when I show up?" Moze asked. Her and the others stepped into the room, though for once, FL4K's beasts were gone…probably tearing shite up elsewhere in the ship.

"Not always," The former Siren chuckled. "but, regardless, this'll be a two-pronged assault. You four'll infiltrate the cellar, while Wainwright and Hammerlock slip past his sister's guards. Seems he's dead-set on taking back Jakobs."

"Bout time," Amara scoffed. "With them kicked off Eden-6, the COV'll have one less advantage over us, not that they have very many to begin with. So, let's get moving." The group filed out and Zane left last, though he came to a stop when he felt his ECHO device ring.

"Hello?"

"Vault Hunter, has Commander Lilith informed you about what Wainwright and I discovered?" Hammerlock asked.

"She did, yeah. We're headin' planetside now to get to that cellar.

"I see…that inevitably means we'll run into conflict with my sister." He sounded disheartened. "Zane, correct? You had family yourself on Pandora, right?"

"A few brothers. We hated each other, or, rather, they hated me."

"I see…well, plain and simple, I cannot excuse Aurelia for what she's done to Wainwright and the people of Eden-6. She must answer for her lengthy list of crimes but, in the end, she IS still my sister…so, if I could speak to her, face-to-face, please allow me the chance. I could perhaps convince her to surrender peacefully." Zane didn't respond. The way Hammerlock said that told him he was unsure a plan like that would even work, and honestly, it wouldn't. From the way his bitch of a sister composed and conducted herself she was bound to try and use such a chance to try and kill Hammerlock but, at the same time, Zane understood why he wanted to try.

Family was always hard to let go, even when one knows they couldn't be saved.

"I'll let you have a chance, Hammerlock," Zane began. "but if she tries to shoot ya…well we both know what I'll have to do, friend. Ya're a mate of a mate, and I can't let ya get hurt if she pulls a fast one."

"Thank you for that. Hopefully, I can convince her." The call ended and Zane kept walking, now with a frown.

Hammerlock sounded anything but sure.

"Bout time, Vault Hunters," Moze was the first off the dropship, landing with a thud and shouldering her rifle instinctively. They arrived at the entrance to the…well she wanted to say cellar and, as said, Clay was standing nearby, ready and waiting. "also, fancy way of touching down, too."

"Eh, it's alright." The others dropped down near Moze, though, for once, FL4K didn't have their beasts with them…weird. "So, you're showing us the way?"

"Sure am. Follow me." Moze stuck close to the rogue, delving deep into the musty, dark crawlspace of an entryway. "It's funny, Wainwright's father showed me this entryway a long time ago, back during my smuggling days. He was a great man, and I owe it to him to see the Jakobs corporation gets back into Jakobs hands. Besides, Wainwright'll make a damn fine leader…provided we survive this shit."

"I'm sure we'll be fine." Amara retorted. The group, for the most part, stuck together until they reached a large set of metal doors. "Well, here it is; this'll put you right under the estate, so be sure to stay safe, and stay smooth, operator."

"Nice." Amara caught the joke. Moze didn't see what it was. Still, the team delved into the passageway…and Moze realized something. Something both cathartic, yet harrowing.

Zane was awfully quiet.

"The fuck's wrong with you, old man?" Moze growled.

"What? I ain' 'llowed to be quiet for a bit."

"No, because when you are, something's off. Very off."

He sighed. "Hammerlock contacted me 'fore we got here. Wants to try talkin' with his crazy ass sister first."

"…that's going to get him shot." FL4K curtly said. "Shot and much worse. She's beyond saving."

"Yeah but, grr." The old man shook his head. "I know where he's comin' from. He thinks there's still good in his sister, jus' like me 'n my brothers. Of course, with them, only good in 'em was bein' good at leadin' shite." Moze frowned at that. She didn't expect him to be…sentimental, for once.

"Ugh…we'll give him a chance." Moze said. "And, if she screws her chance, we're taking her out."

And, with that, they pressed on towards the estate's cellars.

"Alistair, are you alright?" Hammerlock looked over to Wainwright, the two of them boarding the technical to head over to the estate and join the Vault Hunters in their search. Due to Wainwright's plan, they'd divide the COV's forces and, potentially, better their chances.

…that, and he wanted to use said chance to, hopefully, reason with Aurelia.

"I'm fine," He finally answered. "Just…worried over what's to come. Over the inevitable."

"Your confrontation with Aurelia?" He nodded. "Don't worry 'bout it, I'll be there with you, like I am now."

"I know, and I can't thank you enough for that…but despite how much I want this to happen, there's a good chance she'll simply try and kill me. It's how she was ever since we were kids." Hammerlock sighed. "I never understood why. She had everything as a child yet grew into such a miserable person."

"Miserable? She's damn near a trillionaire." Wainwright huffed.

"True, but there are some things money cannot buy. True happiness is one. It's why I pity her; she tries to surround herself with things that'll make her happy, yet I know, deep down, she aches, and yearns for something better."

"And you think we can fix that?"

"We have to try. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't give an attempt?" Hammerlock settled in his seat and Wainwright in his. "…Wainwright…if things do indeed go bad, like I fear, promise me—"

"I won't letcha get hurt, Alistair."

Hammerlock shook his head. "Not that…promise me you'll grant her a swift, merciful death. After everything she's done, she doesn't deserve to suffer a long, painful death. No one except the twins deserve such a fate."

And, with that, they drove off.

[Lil non-canon thing in the end, wanted to show how much this impacts Hammerlock because, as someone with siblings myself, it'd truly hurt me if one of them turned on me. Thankfully, the odds of such a thing are dismal, but again, I know where he comes from.

I also made this one short because I want to dedicate the entire next chapter towards the cellar and the team's journey through it. It'd really help.

But, with that, we're on to reviews.

-Shadow Warrior sounds a lot like DOOM, but differently composed. Not saying that's a bad thing, but it just gives me those vibes.

-Downtime's always fun; it gives writers a chance to explore what a character does in their off-time and, through it, expand more on who they are.

-I've done what I could to clean up the plot of Borderlands 3 as best I could. It's FAR from easy, but at the same time, it's a rewarding enough experience as it is to, finally, see one of my stories on this site garner so much love and unite so many. Perhaps when I get professional content out there I can see the same turnout, but only time will tell. I will need to check out the dialogue for the Bloody Harvest event and see if I can do a spin-off for it down the line; I've already covered I plan to incorporate the DLCs and, with them, give my own shine.

Til next time. Leave as many reviews as you want and ask as many questions as you desire. I'll answer them all in due time. Stay safe!]