Zane was a bit amused by the path he and the others took. Given the Jakobs' methods, he expected the "secret passage" to the powder cellar to be something elaborate and fancy…not a literal fucking cave. But, alas and alack, it was, and the Operative came to a stop with the others in a wider junction with, ahead, the entrance to the cellar itself.
"That passage should put y'all smack dab in the powder cellar," Wainwright chirped, excitedly. "and that means the barrel delivery pipe ain't far. Get movin' and watch for stray shots."
"Stray shots?" Amara asked. "Wait, these can all explode?"
"Gunpowder tends to…y'know, combust, when ignited, Mary Mar," Zane gingerly loaded his SMG, making sure it was a Dahl based one to ensure every shot hit its mark. "and then that combustion leads to explosions…lotta 'em. Plus there's a good chance of said explosions trappin' us in these cellars."
"And then there rests the chance of you all running out of oxygen." FL4K noted. "Do not run out of oxygen. I've heard it's a horrible way to die."
"Heard it from where?" Moze grunted.
"A bandit I was strangling. The way he struggled and flailed told me running out of oxygen's a painless, but horrifying process, as if one's brain simply turns off."
"…mind…not sharin' shite like that with the group, FL4K?" Zane remembered well the robot was obsessed with murdering and killing whatever crossed their path but…well that was still a bit dark to hear, even for him. "Anyways, let's get movin'. Sooner we run through here, sooner we can stick it to those fuckin' twins." The team proceeded down the cobblestone-lined hallway and, upon rounding a bend, were greeted with an assortment of COV fuckers, walking about.
"…oh right, forgot they're crawlin' everywhere." Zane muttered.
"Then shoot them already, old man." Moze shouldered her rifle and, without hesitation, planted a shot square in the side of a cultist's head, sending her to the ground in a heap. The others turned to face the team and the shoot-out began. Zane felt his shields flicker from shots hitting it as he slid behind a crate, slamming his Barrier down and returning fire whenever he could. The others were hunkered behind crates as well, firing when they could and doing what they could not to get dropped.
"Feels like there's a lot more of these fucks!" Zane called to the others.
"Makes sense! Ain't good for them, though!" Moze hurled a grenade over her cover, swearing sharply when her shield flickered out. "Fuck! One've 'em's got shock! Shorted my fucking shields out!"
"They're certainly growing in tactics and intelligence." FL4K casually rose and fired twice, dropping two of them. "It is both alarming, yet enthralling. I always expected the Children of the Vault to remain naught but mad fools, clawing at one another, but now they can give me a suitable hunt." They kept shooting and kept fighting, gradually thinning the COV presence and forcing the remaining fuckers to backpedal and retreat, though not with a few more dropping dead from suppressing fire.
"Whew…alright then. Reload and let's move on." Zane mantled over the crate and scooped up a discarded mag, pushing it into his pack.
"Vault Hunters, care for a fun fact while Alistair and I make our way in?"
"Sure, why not?" Amara shrugged, even though Wainwright probably couldn't see it.
"We use old booze barrels to give every shot from a Jakobs weapon the proprietary aromatic profile our customers trust and love. It's why there ain't a lotta automatic Jakobs weapons; every batch's unique, and take a while to age to perfection."
"Interesting," FL4K mused. "if only I could smell properly."
"Yep; I prefer an oak brandy cask myself…takes much longer to make, but worth the results."
Well, Zane could admit, that was a fun fact…made him wonder if, when the shite was all handled, he could talk Wainwright into using some of his favorite alcohols to age some powder…though he'd need to come up with a name.
Flynt's Fury came to mind, but he was rarely furious, so it'd be misleading…naming shite's hard.
Moze kept herself primed and ready as her and the others delved into what looked like a refined study. There weren't any COV around but, in case the fuckers were hiding, she was ready to go and ready to drop the fuckers.
"Good news, Alistair and I are nearly to the delivery controls," Wainwright said. "But you need to clear the room ahead first; we can't risk the fragment ending up in zealot hands."
"With pleasure." The mere instant they entered the next room, Moze open fired and dropped the nearest COV. The rest of them turned towards her and, this time, the Gunner felt…uneasy, namely because the reduced cover in the room, and the number of guys with sights trained on her.
She dove for cover and pressed herself to a wall just as her shields broke. The others took cover wherever they could as bullets peppered the spot they were at moments ago, riddling it with holes.
"Shit! They're actually prepared, for once! What the fuck?!" She stole a quick glance out and saw two Goliaths were standing ahead, both raining down fire with their LMGs and laying down heavy suppressing fire, allowing more cultists to move up. "Why the FUCK are they playing smart?!"
"No clue, but lemme drop my barrier." Zane threw down his hard-light barrier, letting some of the rounds collide with it and give them enough space to step out and return fire, though said barrier quickly fell and they were force back behind the wall. "…alright then, they know how to concentrate fire…this ain' good."
"I do believe I have a hunch as to why the COV are this coordinated," Hammerlock spoke, though he sounded morose. "Aurelia's no doubt the culprit; it's clear she knows how you all operate and, as a result, instructed her 'disposable help' what to do to counteract you all."
"Well, that's bullshit." Moze huffed, tossing another grenade out and hearing a bandit cry out. "Whaddya we do, then? They're inevitably gonna try and flank us, if that's the case, and I ain't fighting a two-pronged assault."
"I got a plan." Zane loaded their handgun, slamming in a fresh mag. "Amara, how much can ya lift with yar Phaseslam?"
"A bit? Why?"
"You're gonna give us some smoke." He pointed to one of the barrels of gunpowder nearby. "Throw that shite at 'em, and FL4K can shoot it. The resulting explosion should fuck 'em up 'nough to give us a chance to drop the Goliaths and push the advantage."
"Hmm, alright, let's do it." One of the Siren's ghostly hands shot out and grabbed the barrel, hefting it up before, quite literally, catapulting it at the still-firing Goliaths. FL4K shot up the second it got close and fired a shot, the bullet ripping straight through the barrel and causing it to explode in fiery, glorious fashion. When the smoke cleared, Moze saw both Goliaths were, unfortunately, still alive, but thankfully weren't in good condition, so it took a few shots to down them both.
"Advantage's open; press it!" The Gunner shouted, rushing forward and shooting at the same time. Her shots ripped through an unshielded cultist and causing another to stumble backwards. Now, the fight was turned to their advantage, and from there, it took very little time to clear out the remaining COV fuckers, much to Moze's relief.
"…fuck," She shook her assault rifle. "Outta mags."
"I gotcha." She looked over and saw Amara offering her one. Absent-mindedly, the Gunner reached out to grab it and—
She froze. She felt warmth around her palm. Her eyes shot down and saw her hand was wrapped around Amara's. She wanted to apologize, let go, and take the mag but the words couldn't leave her lips. She just stood there, eyes on the Siren.
"Yo, Mozzy Moze, ya good?" She snapped out of it and let go of Amara's hand.
"Y-Yeah. Might have shellshock from the rounds or something. I dunno." She accepted the mag properly this time and slammed it into her gun, breathing a sharp sigh and turning to walk away.
She needed to get these weird ass feelings under control. Pronto. But, for now, they needed to find the barrel delivery pipe…wherever it was—
"I found a pipe!" She glanced over to Zane, the old fuck standing by a larger pipe, already ready to go.
"Good work, Vault Hunters, and right on time, too. We're at the controls now."
"It's…a closest full of color-coded levers and dials! Winny, you didn't tell me we needed to solve an elaborate puzzle!"
Moze honestly snickered at that nickname…Winny. Reminded her of a cartoon bear from an old show she watched as a kid…then again, most kids saw that show.
"Nonsense! An elaborate puzzle's its own reward! Makes you feel accomplished and satisfied when you solve it, especially if you solve it first time. Vault Hunters, all you need to do is push the request button by that there pipe and open the tube near you. We'll solve this puzzle on our end."
"Ugh."
They were gonna be a moment.
Amara was still a bit…perplexed by Moze's behavior, namely when she tried to give the Gunner a spare mag. That look in her eyes, it wasn't lust and it sure as hell wasn't disgust; more like confusion. She was probably still trying to get a handle on the complicated feelings she was enduring…shame she couldn't give her a hand but, given how prideful Moze was she was certain it'd either backfire, or get weird fast.
Plus, Amara didn't wanna risk jeopardizing things.
The Siren flinched when a barrel smashed into the ground behind her, exploding. "Definitely not the right one, Wainwright." Amara said into her ECHO device, slightly annoyed.
"Hmm…I guess the code wasn't in that stuffed jabber. Damn."
"Wainwright, we need to hurry; the longer we doddle the sooner my sister can—"
"I almost got it; 'sides, this is the fun part! A good puzzle's always a good use of time, Alistair."
Wainwright really liked puzzles…Amara could understand; she always felt nice when she figured out a riddle. But, for now, she could understand Hammerlock's ire; they really weren't in a position to spend time with a puzzle, not with his sister prowling about.
"Aaaaaaand I think I got it!" Zane casually mashed the button, currently browsing his ECHO device. The pipe rumbled again and, this time, a regular, gunpowder filled barrel dropped down. "…that one SHOULD be it."
"…I…think it might be." Amara approached the barrel and ripped the top off, sifting through the vicious, strong-smelling gunpowder and, sure enough, feeling her fingers grace against the fragment. They got it! "Yep, it's here, Wainwright. We got it."
"Magnificent! See, Alistair? Puzzles ain't so bad when you get things rolling."
"I suppose, and I can see what you mean, now; it IS satisfying when a hard puzzle's solved, but we should hurry. You and I both know I don't relish the inevitable confrontation with my sister."
"True. Vault Hunters, meet us near the gardens. I'll do what I can to open the way for you and—"
Static. Amara froze.
"…oh shite." Zane muttered. "That didn' sound good." Amara was the first out the room, running as fast as she could while, occasionally, unloading a buckshot into a bandit's face as her and the others rushed for the garden. If Aurelia found them, and if she was as dangerous as Hammerlock said, they were as good as dead. She refused to let such a thing come to pass.
The Siren was the first to smash through the set of doors leading to the foyer and—
CRISSSSSH!
Sudden pain filled her and her charge was halted. Panic shot up Amara's spine as she realized she was frozen from the waist down, and a swift glance to her side told her the others were in the same state; frozen from the waist down…except for FL4K; they were entirely frozen.
"Not yet, whores," That smarmy, astute voice chided. Amara glared ahead to see Aurelia standing ahead…and ahead of her, against the doors, were Wainwright and Hammerlock. "I have unfinished business with my brother. Now step aside, Alistair, else I'll shoot right through you."
"Then do so, sister," Hammerlock declared, placing himself in front of Wainwright. "but first, please, I implore you to listen to me. Heed me. You don't have to do this; you don't have to help the twins."
"Oh, this should be amusing." The ice baron chided, tugging back the hammer for her revolver. "And why shouldn't I? They're on the winning team and, by helping them, I net myself an extra trillion dollars. Even someone as foolish as you can see that's too good of a deal to pass up."
"And what happens when they turn on you? Sister, the twins are nothing but evil, you're…you aren't."
"Ha! Now that's a riot, Alistair." Aurelia chortled. "You're still under the delusion that I can 'change sides' and help you? That we can be a family? I knew you were a fool but now you're almost making me feel pity." The entire time Aurelia mocked Hammerlock, Amara was busy trying to free herself, as were the others, but it was no use: Zane couldn't get to his tools, and Moze's arm was frozen, preventing her from calling Iron Bear. Aurelia knew exactly where to aim, and it infuriated the Siren even more.
"It's no delusion, Aurelia," Hammerlock sighed. "I want us to be a family again, on the same side, like when were children—"
"When we were children, mother and father always fawned over you." Aurelia snapped. "They always showered you with affection and praise but the only time I was given an ounce of affection is when I fought for it. It's why I'm where I am now, and you're where you are."
"I'm content with my place in things, sister," Hammerlock's metal hand clamped down on Wainwright's. "with someone who loves me, and in the company of friends. I'm sorry that our parents didn't give you the same things they gave me but, really, perhaps it's because they knew you would turn out okay. You remember our childhood well; mother and father were frequently there for me because I wasn't strong enough to stand on my own. But you? Even with how vile you were back then, you were shrewd and capable. You didn't need it."
"So, that justifies it, then?" The baron huffed. "That justifies why they didn't love me enough? Hmph." She shook her head. "This conversation is over, Alistair. Step aside."
"I refuse. If you intend to—
BANG!
"Alistair! No!" Hammerlock stumbled back, clutching his side. He slumped against the wall, breaths coming out in ragged pants as Wainwright focused his death-glare on Aurelia. "I'm blowin' you straight to hell, harpy!"
"Oh, cute, threaten the one with a ranged firearm." Amara continued to hammer away at the ice, fists leaving dents in it but sending jolts of icy pain up her arms each time. Her Phaseslam couldn't reach the bitch from where she was, nor could her astral arms. So, she had to get free and get down there to save them.
She refused to let them die; the Tiger of Partali never let anyone die!
The ice shattered and Amara stumbled forward. Aurelia turned away, a bemused look on her face. "Oh, you broke free…should have applied more. Sirens can always be quite fickle."
"I know, now get the hell away from my friends." Her fists slammed together. Her tattoos glowed bright and, around her, her astral arms formed, now engulfed in flames and hovering close to her back.
"Oh, this should be amusing." Icy pillars erupted from the ground and Aurelia stepped backwards, hand shooting towards Amara and sending a shard of ice flying towards her. One of the astral arms shot up to grab it, melting it into steam before she rocketed towards the ice baron, slamming all the fists in the ground together and causing spires of fire to arc up for a moment. She honestly had no idea she could use such abilities, but she damn sure didn't plan on letting them go to waste.
Aurelia stood back, spewing ice everywhere and trying her best to turn the damned room into a fridge, but Amara kept moving, enflamed fists smashing and melting the ice as the Siren made her way towards the baron.
One of her fists made contact with Aurelia and sent her into the wall, though that flicker along her skin told Amara she wore a shield generator…that would be hazardous.
"Mara Mar, keep it up!" Zane called. The old man was mostly freed himself now, quite literally just shooting at his icy parts. "…and don' mind this. It's workin'."
She just…left him to that and returned her focus to Aurelia.
"Do you yield?" Amara asked, keeping her fists at the ready. She knew there was a good chance she didn't, so in case, she was ready to start sending the fists at her.
"…why ask a question you know the answer to, Siren?" The ice bitch huffed. "I refuse." The astral arms shot for Aurelia and an ice wall rose to block them, only to be melted right through in a flash. Blow after blow and attack after attack; everything Aurelia did, Amara easily countered her. The ice bitch's shields shattered at last and she staggered into a wall, huffing and panting in exertion.
Bullets peppered her a second later, courtesy of Moze. "Mara! Now!" The Siren leapt upwards and, slammed down, directly impacting Aurelia with a Phaseslam, ending her fight and ending the icy bitch's life in a splash of fire and steam.
…for once, she didn't take pleasure in a fight. It was a good fight, yes, but this one harrowed her for its nature…for how much it hurt a friend.
Speaking of, Hammerlock was still hurt. She needed to find a syringe to help him.
Hammerlock was healed physically, but far from mentally.
FL4K stood nearby the others, looking over the battered, bloodied form of Aurelia. She was in a slight crater, still and unmoving. She was deceased, and in splendid fashion, too…
…a shame such a splendid fight came at the cost of Hammerlock's efforts.
"For what it is worth, Hammerlock," The Beastmaster spoke, turning his head to the older gentleman, who was being supported by Wainwright due to his healing injury. "your words were good ones…she was just too far gone to heed them."
"Unfortunately," His voice was brittle; it was clear he was trying not to cry. Trying to be strong. "but…well she can't hurt anyone ever again, and with the New-U Stations down…this really IS the end for her…the end of my family."
"Family ain't always who you share blood with," Wainwright shook his head. "it's who you stand with…who's there with you when the chips are down, and who'll stick with you 'til the end…and that's what I'll do."
"And I can't thank you enough. At the very least, we have the key…and, hopefully, my sister finds peace wherever she goes. For now, I shall join you all on Sanctuary soon…Wainwright and I should, at the very least, grant her a proper burial." The two of them hefted up the ice baron's carcass and hauled her towards the door, the Beastmaster watching them the entire time.
Family was always a fickle thing, but they were glad Hammerlock swiftly learned that, indeed, it wasn't just blood, but instead those who stood with you.
It was why he considered the other Vault Hunters family. They stood with them, and they would continue to stand with them until the fight was won.
[Kinda choked a bit in the end; got occupied with things and fixing some system issues with my laptop. Thankfully, those are resolved, and here's the chapter. With the death of Aurelia, we reach the midpoint of this project, so that's good.
So, reviews; I plan to cover more of Zane's stuff with his brothers, but probably down the line, and maybe in a non-canon chapter.
Thanks for reading this, and perhaps one day I can get a turnabout like this for my Wattpad content. I'll put more work into that place once I finish this story. Should take a few more months.]