Borderlands 2: Plus One
Chapter 3
Warm my Cold Heart
After leaving the barge our party followed Claptrap as it rolled down the snowy path. Rocks on both sides formed high walls while sharp, jagged rocks protruded from said walls. It seemed to me everything on this planet was formed with the intent to cause harm in some shape or form. Pandora is truly the hellhole it was always made out to be, that much I already fully know well. And this situation with Handsome Jack... Just what have I got myself into?
While I mindlessly stared at the rocks as we walked, with no prompt from me or the Vault Hunters, Claptrap began to talk.
"Keep your wits about you minions!" It threw its metal arms up, "This glacier is run by a bandit named Captain Flynt!"
"Dumb name," Axton commented.
"Oh he's a jerk! He kept me as his torture plaything for a few months," Claptrap rambled on while scaling a small hill that led to a vast view of the landscape.
Our party stopped at the top and said nothing as our so-called guide drove off the edge of the cliff, plummeting down into the giant piles of snow below. I reveled in the stupidity of it all, then the view, taking a deep breath of crisp, yet freezing arctic air. Even smiling as the sun peeked over the distant frozen waters.
"That must be Liar's Berg," said Axton as his gaze landed on the small town a few hundred feet below us. He looked over to Zero, "Mind scoping the place?" He asked.
Zero nodded and crouched at the edge of the cliff, he positioned his rifle and sat quiet for a moment. From where we were we could still very clearly see anyone walking around, so what Zero was looking for specifically was beyond me.
The assassin lowered his rifle and stood up, turning to our group he said, "We are unnoticed / Ideal time to strike / Don't let them prepare."
Axton simply nodded, saying, "Everyone check your gear, we'll hit them with everything in five."
My stomach flipped over on itself. I was unsure as to how to feel about the fact that we were about to raid a whole town with a team of seven people. Only two of us had any real training, one was a high school girl for fuck sakes. The others are either crazy or a God walking amongst us.
I'm just some dude!
A wave of nausea came over me once Axton gave the word for us to start dropping down. Everyone in the party except me and Gaige were quick to follow Claptrap down into the snow below. I licked my lips and tightened my grip on my gun even more. It was so strong by this point that it was causing me pain.
"Alright, you ready to do this Gaige?" I turned to her.
Her face was tight with stress, yet she managed a smile and said, "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Ok. Just don't hide behind anything thin," was all the encouragement and reassurance I could offer. It was also a verbal reminder to myself, no thin cover positions. I rather prefer breathing out of the holes I'm meant to have.
Jumping down into the snow was as terrifying as I thought it'd be as well.
The Vault Hunters slaughtered the Bullymongs on the way to the town gate. They also wasted no time in vaulting the gate and laying down fire on the Bandits walking and talking around town. My experience was much different compared to everyone else.
I flinched as another wave of bullets struck the rock shielding me, when it stopped I popped out and fired a random blast of lead towards the closest building. His cover was considerably thinner than the rock I hid behind, and as such it was no surprise to see his corpse fall out from cover and onto the ground. The situation did not let up there however, I quickly looked around and saw how the others were distracting the vast majority of bandits.
Axton pistol-whipped one bandit that got too close, and performed some take-down I only ever saw in movies and video games with his knife. Maya coolly gunned down a pair of baddies cowardly enough to attack Axtons flank while he did his action hero stunts. Salvador blew both arms off one guy with his shotguns. Zero performed an incredibly quick three headshot combo, working the action on his rifle like it was a part of him. Gaige was handling the gunfight better than me, that is to say she was hiding, something I oughta be doing to be completely honest.
I did not see Kreig but I could hear screaming from somewhere.
My watching was cut short by a bandit charging my rock, firing off bursts that chipped away the top of the rock and came far too close for comfort to my head. I ducked and laid on my back, holding my smg at the ready, waiting for him to appear on either side of the rock, or on top.
I wasn't expecting him to come flying over the rock, looking like he came straight out of an old video game. I fired my gun, hitting him a couple times within the seconds I had before he made impact. My gun was separated from me by the scuffle, it seemed he lost his too considering he never made an effort to shoot me.
A fist suddenly made contact with the right side of my jaw, its strength surprising me considering the holes he had and the blood he leaked all over me. My will to survive kicked in, much to his misfortune. Strength filled my arms and I quickly overpowered him, delivering a right hook of my own before managing to get a leg under him. I put all my strength into my kick and sent him flying back onto the rock. His head made a disgusting sound when it whipped back, but I took no chances and drew my recently acquired revolver. Holding it out with one hand while I propped myself up with the other, I cocked the hammer and fired into his chest.
The gun kicked harder than I expected, but I cocked it again and fired. He slid down the rock, the life in his eyes already gone, that first shot likely did him in.
Knowing full well I was out of cover, I cocked the hammer again and aimed to my right, ready to fire upon whatever might be trying to kill me. Only, much to my surprise, there were only five Vault Hunters staring back at me.
It took a few seconds for me to realize they were talking to me, and that I was still aiming the gun at Maya. I let my arm drop into the snow, "We good?" Was all I asked.
Axton made an uncharacteristically sympathetic face, "We're good, Lee."
At that, I moved my other arm and let my entire body fall. The snow didn't even register as cold, my heartbeat echoed louder than any other sense I had. An undetermined amount of time later, Axton walked in front of me and offered a hand.
"Let's get you out of that snow, Lee. It'd be a shame to die of frostbite after surviving your first gunfight," He smiled.
I was present enough to understand the validity of what he said, and so I reached up with my left hand and grabbed his. Axton brought me to my feet and put a hand on my shoulder, "You may want this back," he held up my smg I dropped.
"Thanks," I managed, holstering my revolver and grabbing my smg.
He nodded, "Take a break if you still need it, just do it by one of these fire barrels. The rest of us are gonna get the tincan fixed."
I nodded, he turned and walked away, but looked back and said, "You did good, Lee. We'll make a Vault Hunter of you yet."
I hope not, I don't wanna get used to this.
It all hit me at once after I fully regained my composure. I was cold, unsurprisingly. But everything felt different, I felt more clear, more calm. The air was still very cold and crisp, but now it was also rich with blood and lead. I felt light, but quickly knew it was due to the uneasiness I felt. This wasn't confidence washing over me, it was disgust. Nothing like fist-fighting a dying man before double-tapping him to clear the senses.
I almost laughed at my own joke, only stopping myself after realizing the absurdity of what I just thought. Pandora is hell, and now I just feel like crying. But I won't, not here at least.
The crunching of snow behind me made me draw my revolver and turn around, damn near tripping in the process. I relaxed once I saw it was just Gaige, who had her arms up.
"Sorry," I said, holstering my gun, "Nerves are on high-alert right now."
She joined me at the fire, "it's ok, I hid for all of that fight."
"I saw."
Silence.
"I'm sorry for hiding," she mumbled.
"Don't apologize to me, I only killed 4 people, the rest were that merry bunch."
She held her hands over the fire, "I wouldn't know, I took cover once the shooting started and never looked back."
"First gunfight?" I asked her.
"All of this is kind of a first for me," she replied.
"Well you did the best thing for yourself, Gaige. I'm not exactly used to fighting for my life like this. It's one thing if it's self-defense, but I willingly walked into this town expecting to kill people."
"You seem pretty ok to me, though."
"No… No, I definitely wanna cry my eyes out right now."
Gaige looked at me, then back at the fire.
We said nothing to each other, the silence persisted up until the others returned with news.
With all of us surrounding the fire, Axton stepped forward and began talking, "Ok, so to fill you two in. Claptrap is fixed, and wants to take us to some Captain Flynt so we can hop on Claptrap's boat and sail close to Sanctuary."
I raised a brow, "Captain Flynt? The same one who told his goons over the Echonet to kill us? He's just gonna let us take the boat?"
"Absolutely not, we're gonna have to kill him and everything in our way," Axton replied.
Salvador chucked, "The Pandora Way!"
Great.
Axton continues, "Beyond that, Hammerlock is offering to pay us to kill the remaining Bullymongs in town. When that's down, he'll get the power back up so we can use these vending machines, and that Quick Change station. We'll be able to purchase cold gear for this weather we're stuck in. With the money left over, we're gonna head over to that sniper's nest in the frozen lake and purchase shields. We can call it a day after that, if you would all prefer. I know some of you have to be tired, and I'd like to sleep as much as the next guy."
"A shield and some sleep would make me feel a lot better about my odds of surviving this little journey I'm on with you guys."
"You and me both, Lee," He looked around, "And with that said, let's get this done."
We split up to take on the Bullymongs. Gaige and I were accompanied by Maya, where we went down into the crevice, the others cleared the ones out in the cemetery. Between the three of us, the Bullymongs hiding down there didn't stand much of a chance.
After meeting back up with Hammerlock, I gave my introduction and shook his metal arm. Gaige did the same, but she did a little more swooning than I did. Subtle but obvious, Hammerlock dutifully avoided them, and sent us on our way with cash in hand. Enough for each of us to purchase a basic shield, and a warmer coat. Axton came out dressed like he belonged in an older movie involving a dog and foreigners. Gaige opted for a pair of pants, the rest of us chose simple winter coats, except for Kreig who remained shirtless.
When it came to the sniper nest, we had Zero make sure there were no actual snipers. There wasn't, so Axton had him snipe the bandits patrolling the only way up, rather than risk us approaching completely in the open. We discovered the fuse was ruined because of some activities Claptrap did to pass the time. As such, we were sent to another bandit camp closeby. Axton had Zero pick off who he could, while the others raided the place for everything it had.
Gaige and I stayed back to make sure no one from the OTHER bandit camp came over to investigate their 'buds'. No one ever came, though we could see them walking about. The others came back not long after the gunfire stopped, Salvador forced the new fuse in and we went up to purchase some shields. I had a little more cash on me than the others, so I purchased the shield capable of taking the most punishment. But after a little thinking, I handed it over to Gaige and took the one she purchased. There was some small talk while the Vault Hunters looted the lockers, and I participated, though my focus was mainly on the canned food. Ammo and cash is good, but I'd like to eat something that wasn't tasteless food blocks. Something told me they'd come to me for food in the end anyway.
We quietly made our way back to Liar's Berg.
"Ok," Axton began, "Find a house that fits your tastes and get some sleep. We'll meet up again tomorrow around 0800. Lee also found some canned food, so if any of you can't figure out a plan for chow, just go to him."
Everyone gave him looks, me especially.
Axton rolled his eyes, "Fine, tomorrow at 1000. Lee's still giving out chow, though."
We all nodded and split up, I headed for the closest house. The inside was gross and smelled, but at least the opened cans of food were stacked neatly in a corner. I sat all my stuff near the cleanest corner and went about looking for a pot. The one I found was dirty, so I took it outside and cleaned it as best I could with snow. And with the power back on, I was able to use the electric stove to cook the food I found. It was nothing but beans and pork, but that's better than nothing.
While the food was cooking, I found some bowls and silverware, cleaning them to the best of my ability with snow and my hands. Which were freezing by the time I finished. Not long after the food finished, and about 40 minutes after we all split, there was a knock at the door. I was kind enough to step away from warming my hands to answer it, it was Gaige.
She looked nervous, "Look," she started, "I'm honestly not too comfortable sleeping by myself right now and would appreciate the company."
"Shouldn't you go stay over with Maya?" I asked her.
"She kinda scares me," she replied.
I nodded, "Yeah me too kid, come on in," I moved aside.
Gaige happily obliged, knocking the snow off her boots, before removing them entirely. "You're also like… the only person I've really been talking to. The most… normal."
"I'll try to take that as a compliment," I replied, "The food I found is done cooking, I hope you like beans and pork."
"It's better than what was in the shack I picked," Said Gaige.
I didn't doubt that.
"The bowls and spoons are on the counter, I cleaned them as best I could with snow. They're also only rusty on the handle, rather than the spoon part."
"Thanks, Lee," She smiled, walking over to grab some grub.
I followed after her, serving myself after I made sure she had plenty. We sat at the recently cleaned table, though I had simply swept everything off with my arm, keeping just the wad of cash and the boxes of assorted ammunition. We ate in silence at the start, until I decided to break it.
"It's a good thing you came over, to be honest."
Gaige raised a brow.
I swallowed a bite of food, "I could use your help in getting my power armor working. I'll see what you really know, and show you some stuff."
"Sounds like a deal, Lee," Gaige replied.
"Good. We'll have to go outside otherwise it'll put a hole in the ceiling. But we can bring some parts of it in here."
"What work does it need exactly?"
"The suit itself is complete, it's the only working prototype after all. But during the last live demonstration of it, the powercore failed and we never got around to diagnosing it. The project was shut-down not long after, and its resources scattered everywhere. The problem could be as simple as a loose wire, or as problematic as a bad powercore. Personally, I think we blew something while operating the suit at its fullest potential, the test was a stress test afterall."
Gaige leaned back in her chair, "I guess we'll just take a look at it."
"We will, once we're done eating."
"Ok, stand back, Gaige. I'm going to digistruct the suit."
The red head nodded and stepped back as requested.
I brought up my echo device and pressed some buttons, talking all the while, "As the first working prototype, it was engraved with a single one on it. Before long, the team affectionately took to calling it The One. And it stuck," I finished with the press of a button, summoning it before me.
The sight was very familiar to me, but I'll never get tired of seeing the work of my team. Before me stood a massive behemoth of titanium armor and high-tech parts. Standing at nine feet tall, its sleek frame, white paint, and the wings on its back gave it most of its looks. It drew eyes, and with good reason.
I turned to Gaige, "Before you stand the effort of millions of dollars in testing, and countless nights of yours truly. Thoughts?"
She was flabbergasted, "It… uh… it's beautiful, Lee."
"That she is," I smiled, "Now let's take the core out and see what's up. Hope you don't mind a little radiation."
We had the core laid on the kitchen table, I was checking every wire to ensure there weren't any false flags stopping the suit from running.
"Anything on there?" I asked Gaige, who is holding my echo device.
"No, Lee. Radiation levels are within acceptable levels, it's putting out the right amount of power you told me it should, and there are no - Wait. Three weeks ago the computer logged a problem with the fourth power regulator."
I switched gears and started taking apart a different section of the core, "The fourth voltage regulator is bad?"
"That would seem to be the issue. Says the computer detected a large fluctuation of power and it triggered an automatic shutdown to prevent any further failures."
I sighed and mumbled, "Well at least the programs he wrote worked."
"Do you even have the part?" Gaige asked.
Smirking, I looked over at her, "I took everything, Gaige."
"I noticed. Your echo device is almost full."
"That's fine by me, do me a solid and hand it over so I can digistruct a replacement."
Gaige passed me my echo device, I digistructed the necessary part and replaced the old one. Which was very much done.
"Goddamn, this thing is fried," I said, holding it under the only working bulb in the ceiling.
Gaige gently took it from me and examined it herself, "But now you've replaced it, so the suit should work, right?"
I nodded, "Yes, it should. But I need to be careful with what I use. At least until we can get to Sanctuary and I can really look over the suit. This is just a temporary fix so I can use the suit to keep everyone safe."
"What exactly did this thing regulate?"
"The fourth one is for the shields. I guess it couldn't handle what we were trying to achieve with shield strength, so I'll weaken the shield to lower power requirements."
"Why not just get rid of it entirely?"
"The core is capable of powering a city, letting all that energy flow freely would burn out the shield generator. "
Gaige seemed intrigued, "I see," is all she would say though.
"We can discuss the suit more in Sanctuary, for now let's get this core back in the suit and I'll take it for a test drive to make sure everything works. Then I'll help you look over your robot."
Gaige nodded.
END
Authors notes:
1. I cannot decide what type of relationship I want Lee to have with Gaige. At first, I was adamant about it never happening. Then I began to consider it, and now I wanna do it. But I'm also ok with going for a father figure role as well. Lee is considerably older than Gaige, so I can see why some people might not like it. But it isn't me living out a fantasy if I do go with it. I'm 20 and I will be 21 October 9th, I have no fantasies of being 28 dating an 18 year old. I simply like Gaige as a character, and she is reasonably the only character Lee can romance. If any of you would like to comment on this, feel free.
2. I had no plans to write all this. I just felt like writing and as such kept writing. Some parts are likely weaker than others. I apologize, but at least you get a longer chapter?
3. I tried to make Axton shine in this chapter. Shine as a capable leader when it really matters. My own military background helps me write his character, as I write him based on some of the better E-5's and above I've met in the Marine Corps. I would like to aim for a bromance between him and Lee.
4. I wrote the first 2 chapters while playing the start of the game, I did the same for this starting off. I stopped though bc that makes this process so much longer. You see this mainly with the talk that happens with Hammerlock, I don't have what he says memorized so I didn't write it. Instead I used that to work with Lee's character.
5. I'm trying to make the process of Lee and Gaige becoming badass Vault Hunter's real and believable. Lee has killed humans now, and it is affecting him. There will be a moment in the future where he reflects on all he has done, and that will be the climax of him accepting the title of Vault Hunter. Gaige will have her moments, and I will try my best as an amateur author to write that. I'm aware she's all anarchy this and anarchy that, but it's different to cause trouble in high school compared to taking on groups of humans in large gunfights, and killing them. I hope you understand what I mean by that.
6. I'm not an engineer. So forgive me if my talk for the suit makes no sense. I know regulators aren't small, but just pretend they are. These ppl can digistruct cars, I'm sure they can shrink a regulator.
7. Also I know I kinda set up the whole, "Lee has food, go to him, and we'll see lots of character interaction." And then just didn't do it. You'll get your reactions of all the Vault Hunters to Lee's power armor next chapter. Just imagine that everyone had good food except for Gaige so I can give them more interactions. They're the most 'normal' in the group, so it'd be very obvious they latch onto each other for support. Be that romance, or Lee taking on the mantle of ensuring she retains her sanity. I tried to keep their interactions in a way that could be taken either way you want them to be. Maybe Gaige develops a crush because of how he treats her? She does canonically like older men. Maybe it's just Lee making sure the most innocent of the group stays innocent. That's for you to decide until I make the final decision myself.
Ok, I'll stop writing now, idk if you guys even read all this. Write "Rah" at the end of your comment if you do so I know :).
Next chapter we'll see the gang take on Captain Flynt, and make their way to Sanctuary.
Chapter 4 - A Little on the Toasty Side