Mason stepped off the elevator he had rode down on and entered a metal corridor that went down several meters and ending at a massive, reinforced steel door that took up an entire wall at the opposing end.
Plasma rifle in hand, muscles tense as he approached the sealed entrance, eyes scanning over the various locking mechanisms obviously designed to keep whatever was inside from getting out.
Adjusting his grip on the energy weapon in his hands, he stepped in front of the door, searching for a way to open it. Finding a small maintenance panel on the surface, reaching out, he tore off the covering to reveal a release lever.
Grabbing the handle, he yanked the lever down. Machinery coming alive as the locking mechanisms disengaged on the large door, the opening slowly coming apart-
A massive clawed hand with a stone-like blade suddenly forcing through the small gap and forcing it open wider. The creature it belonged to reaching out and grabbing him before Mason could fire a shot, hurling him into the room beyond where he slammed his boots to the floor, staying upright as he slid across the floor to the other side.
The lights above came on, illuminating the chamber and revealing the huge demon that had tossed the Doom Slayer through the air. Standing over 30 feet tall with stone-like armor covering its frame, its entire left arm a massive cannon, a beast that was the twisted conception of flesh and metal.
Four small, slanted eyes glowed a dull orange as it leered at Mason, a pair of large horns situated atop its head, one of which looked to have been broken in half. Neither combatant did anything at first, seeming to size each other up.
Then the Cyberdemon let loose a bellowing roar that shook the entire room, and perhaps even the entire Lazarus Facility itself. A maw filled with razor sharp teeth and a set of mandibles on either side flaring widely, as the creature took a stance and raising its cannon arm, the barrel glowing brightly as it primed to fire.
Mason was moving just as the first rocket launched from the large weapon, a barrage soon following that trailed after the Doom Slayer's path and exploding right on his heels. His plasma rifle letting loose a salvo of blue bolts that splashed along the creature's flank.
The Cyberdemon roared and jolted to the left, thrusters built into its back by the scientists kicking on and making it move even faster out of the path of most of the energy rounds. Coming to a quick stop and hunching down before a volley of mini-rockets launched upward from its back.
"Fuck." Mason cursed, his suit marking the trajectory of the ordinance as he sprinted out of the path of the coming explosions. Switching to his rocket launcher and letting loose his own explosive rounds that struck home in the beast's center of mass.
The two circled one another throughout the chamber, firing at each other at every possible opening. The Cyberdemon would occasionally raise its normal arm, a blade of fire extending from its forearm that it slashed through the air sending a flaming wave burning toward the Doom Slayer.
Mason gritted his teeth as he ducked under the attack, coming back up with his rocket launcher switching out and in its place was the familiar weight of his newly acquired BFG-9000. The powerful weapon charging to full in a matter of seconds before letting loose a green blast.
The Cyberdemon taking the shot full force and stunning it, arcs of green energy dancing along its frame as it dropped to a kneeling position.
Capitalizing on the beast's moment of vulnerability, Mason took out his chaingun and pummeled the creature with slugs, the barrage continuing even after the demon got its second wind and stood back up.
Roaring at its enemy, the creature summoned its fire-sword and went into a full charge. The Doom Slayer bellowing his own battlecry, bringing out his combat shotgun and meeting the beast head on...
X
Mason awoke, sitting on the ground with his back against the door of the shack he had taken refuge in for the night. Shaking his head to rid himself from the last legs of the dream/memory he had relived, he stood and cracked his arms and back loudly before checking on Lilith who was still sleeping soundly beside the now dead fire.
After making sure that she was doing okay, he stepped outside to see the sun already shining brightly down on the desert landscape around him as he made his way to where he had the technical hidden.
Back inside, Lilith stirred in her sleep as she also dreamed...
X
The landscape was engulfed in flames, blood flowed like a river from the countless human and alien-like beings that laid dead all over the place. Their bodies torn apart and looking as though they had been eaten while still alive.
A legion of creatures birthed from anyone's worst nightmares were everywhere, slaughtering and destroying everything in their path with merciless brutality. Their victims fighting back with everything they had, but were swarmed by their enemy's overwhelming numbers.
Among the defenders, six women covered in glowing markings and angel-like wings fought the creatures with supernatural powers. But even they found themselves surrounded on all sides.
Things looked grim as the monsters went on the attack in what would most likely be the defenders' final stand.
Until HE came.
All the fighting came to an abrupt stop, all eyes training on a lone figure that stood on a ridge overlooking the battlefield. His large frame encased in armor that was torn and dented in several places, a massive sword made of red energy in hand as he leered down at the attacking monsters with unbridled hatred.
Roaring at the warrior, the creatures changed course and charged him as he barreled toward them. What followed was the perfect definition of a bloodbath as the unknown warrior tore through their ranks with his sword and his bare hands. Ripping the creatures limb from limb with a savagery that was unmatched.
It felt like an eternity of bloodshed and violence, but by the end, the horde laid dead all around. The warrior standing among the carnage covered in blood with his armor torn even more exposing the scarred muscles underneath, his red eyes surveying his work with satisfaction...and a lust for more.
The surviving humans and aliens approached him, the six powerful women leading them while an ethereal female voice whispered in the wind;
HE APPEARED IN OUR DARKEST HOUR.
SLAYING THE BEASTS BENT ON OUR EXTINCTION.
The warrior turned to them, his red gaze causing many to freeze in fear of his wrath. But the women were unafraid as they stood before him.
HIS THIRST FOR BLOOD AND VIOLENCE ONLY QUELLED BY HIS NEED TO PROTECT.
One of the women reached out and placed a hand over his ruined chestplate, the others following one after another. Their markings glowing brighter while doing so.
HE BECAME OUR GUARDIAN. OUR PROTECTOR.
What wounds that were on the warrior's body healed quickly, the rage within his very being going silently as he was surrounded by the combined power of the six women.
AND WE BECAME HIS ANCHORS.
A CALM IN THE NEVER ENDING STORM OF HIS RAGE FILLED SOUL.
A bright light filled the air, blinding all those witnessing it.
WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST. WHEN THINGS ARE AT THEIR DARKEST.
THE SLAYER WILL RETURN TO AID US ONCE AGAIN.
X
Lilith awoke with a sharp gasp, sitting up with the images still very clear in her mind.
She'd never had a dream like that before. It felt...different. Like she was actually there, fighting a horde of monsters that made everything she had ever faced before look weak and feeble in comparison.
Then the unknown warrior appeared. Killing them all like they were nothing more than a minor obstacle. And the voice that seemed to echo deep within her very soul. Her mind was a mess, trying to figure out what exactly had happened and why.
Taking a couple minutes to collect herself, the Siren slowly got out of her makeshift bed. Her side still tender from her healing bullet wound as she picked up her SMG and stepped out of the shack and into the early sunlight.
Shielding her eyes from the brightness, Lilith noticed Mason standing beside an armored technical. Loading several small crates and rucksacks that were on the ground beside it into the back.
"Sleep good?" the Doomslayer asked, turning to face the Siren once everything was loaded.
"Sort of." the red head replied while she thought back on the dream she had. "Nice rig." she added, taking in the technical's added armor plating.
"Hasn't failed me yet, and it should get us to Sanctuary. Though we'll have to refuel somewhere along the way to make the full trip." Mason said as he put a couple of full gas cans into the back as well.
During the night, VEGA had plotted them the quickest route to Three Horns Divide and downloaded it to the Praetor suit's navigation. As long as they didn't run into too many delays, they should reach the Crimson Raider stronghold in a few days, maybe a week at most.
When he was finished loading the technical, Mason produced a couple Anshin hypos and handed them to Lilith. "Managed to find these while raiding the surrounding buildings. Figured you'd need another boost to get completely back on your feet."
The Siren took the syringes and injected herself with them. All of the remaining aches she had been feeling faded in seconds. "Thanks."
Nodding, the Doomslayer reached into one the pouches on his armor and produced a purple crystal the size of a tennis ball. "Thought you might need this too." he said, tossing her the nugget of Eridium much to her surprise.
Catching the offering, Lilith squeezed it between her hands while her eyes and tattoos glowed a bright orange. Purple energy shrouding her body as she absorbed the alien mineral into her body. Her powers returned in full, a pair of flaming wings extending from her back as she sighed in relief.
Mason watched the display, the slight awe in his calm gaze blocked by his helmet. The Siren looked like an angel that had risen from the surface of the sun itself, it was almost impossible to look away.
Then he had that feeling again. The strange pull he'd felt the night before came back, only this time a little stronger.
"What's going on with me?" he wondered while shaking his head. Lilith powered down and looked far better than she had earlier.
"That's more like it." the Siren said while stretching a little. Then she paused, remembering something. "How did you know I needed the Eridium?"
"Let's just say I know things." the Doomslayer replied before climbing into the driver's seat of the technical. "You ready to hit the road? Got a long way to go."
Shrugging, Lilith vanished in a flash of purple light only to reappear in the passenger seat. "Long as you're offering a lift, you won't hear any complaints from me."
Mason smirked behind his visor as he turned over the engine and hit the accelerator, the technical kicking up dust as it shot away from the small settlement and into the desert beyond.
X
Roland sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the last 24 hours.
Standing in the middle of the war room of Crimson Raider's HQ, he kept a sharp eye on the various transmissions being received by his operatives out in the field. But one particular communication had yet to come in.
Lilith's.
With everything that had happened, with tampering with Jack's plans over a year ago on Elpis which was followed by Hyperion's invasion, he and his fellow Vault Hunters did everything in their power to fight back. More than once nearly facing the end against overwhelming odds but still managing to scrape by.
Then New Haven happened.
Jack sent everything he had, including his most powerful enforcer to take them all out. In a last ditch effort, Lilith used damn near all her power to put an end to the fight. It cost them New Haven, but they managed to make it out with their lives...and Hyperion believed the Siren to be dead which also worked in their favor. Until now.
Lilith had been out scouting several locations for resources their resistance could use. Her last transmission had been her in the middle of a firefight before suddenly cutting off. That was over a day ago, and now Roland was starting to worry. Too many scenarios running through his head on what could have happened;
Did her echo break in the fight? Was she captured? Was she killed? He didn't want to think about either of the last two. Especially since he and the others knew what Jack did to prisoners.
Even though their attempt at dating didn't pan out in the end, they still remained good friends and watched each others back on the battlefield. All of them, Brick and Mordecai included, had been through so much together since the first Vault was opened and even before that. And as much as they all tried to focus on other things, it was hard when they were concerned about one of their own.
A loud knock had the CR Commander looking to the door where Mordecai stood in the threshold. Bloodwing on his shoulder as always while the sniper took a drink from the bottle in his hand.
"Still nothing?" he asked, shuffling into the room and flopping down on a nearby sofa.
"No. And that worries me." said Roland.
"Lilith's probably just laying low, Rol. Give it time." Mordecai said as he took another long drink.
"Her last check-in was when she was in the middle of a firefight against combat loaders. Not hearing from her for over a day after that is something we can't take lightly." the Commander stated, giving his nearly drunk friend a hard look.
Sighing, the sniper got up and approached the holo-table in the middle of the room, "She's gonna be fine. You'll see. Not even Wilhelm could bring her down on a good day."
As much as he wanted to share in his friend's belief, Roland was still unsure. Lilith was a badass, good with a gun, sharp mind, and she was a Siren on top of it all. But he knew full well that anyone could be overwhelmed if things took a turn for the worst. He just hope she contacted them soon before-
"...Hey...any...ody...there?"
Roland was at the terminal in two steps when the words were spoken. Broken up by static, but clearly a woman. And a familiar one.
"Lilith? You there? Come in!" the Commander said while tinkering with a few knobs and hitting a few keys to clear things up.
"Rol...d? Kinda spot...Giv...a second..."
More static filled the air for several seconds before Lilith's voice came over loud and clear.
"Can you hear me now?"
Roland sighed in relief, "Loud and clear, Lil. What's your status?"
"Kinda fucked up. Got in a tight spot. Echo was shot to hell and Jack's tin cans almost had me." she replied.
"At least you escaped. Can you make it back here?"
"On my way now. Without my echo I can't use the Fast Travel Network. It's going to take me a while."
"That's a long way from the Dust on foot, Amiga." said Mordecai coming up to stand beside Roland.
"It's all good, Mordi. I managed to hitch a ride with the guy who saved my ass from Hyperion."
Both men looked at one another a moment, "Can he be trusted?" asked Roland.
"He kept me from bleeding to death and is giving me a free ride to Sanctuary, pretty sure I can." the Siren snarked a bit, "I only just met him...but he can be trusted. Call it instinct or whatever."
"Alright, I'll trust your judgement on this, Lil. Just get yourself back here safely."
"You worry too much, Roland. I'll keep you posted if anything changes." the connection ended after that
Mordecai smirked, "Told ya you had nothing to worry about."
Roland shook his head, all the while wondering exactly who had saved Lilith.
X
Ending the echo-call, Lilith walked back to the technical where Mason waited patiently. They had parked at the top of a large hill so that she could get a signal to the others at Sanctuary, if anything to let them know she was alive and on her way back.
"Everything good?" the Doomslayer asked as he accepted his echo back from his Siren passenger.
"Yeah, but if I know Roland you can expect an interrogation when we get there." Lilith said as she dropped back down in her seat. "Ever since he took the role as head of the CR he's gotten even more tight assed and cautious than he was before."
"He's leading a resistance force against a large invading army led my a madman with a god complex. Pretty sure he has a right to be more than a little paranoid." replied Mason honestly as he started driving them again.
The Siren leaned her head back and closed her eyes, "I know that, believe me. It's just that so much ended up changing in such little time. We just barely took down the freak that came out of the Vault before everything went tits-up again. Starting to think we were cursed or something...or Pandora's what's cursed."
"Both sound plausible." said the Doomslayer, "But at least you guys are adaptable and making the best of what you can. That's something."
Lilith opened her eyes and glanced his way, "You know a bit about me so far, but I haven't learned much about you other than your name." she pointed out.
Mason looked her way a moment before focusing on the desert in front of them, "Ask anything. Though don't expect complete answers until we get to Sanctuary. Better to get everyone in the loop at once."
"Alright. Where are you from?" asked the Siren.
Images of fire and brimstone came to mind. Desecrated bodies strung up by their entrails, rivers of blood flowing through large land masses that floated through an infinite abyss filled with the sounds of tortured souls.
"Somewhere you never want to end up...trust me." Mason answered grimly.
Blinking at the sudden change in her companion's demeanor, Lilith switched gears. "Why are you here on Pandora? Not exactly an ideal vacation spot."
The Doomslayer chuckled, "Compared to the last place I was at, this is a vacation. As for why I'm here? Like I said last night, I kill monsters. And there's a good surplus of them around here. They just wear Human skin."
"So you're a bounty hunter, or something?" the Siren pressed a little.
"Or something." was her only reply. Driving the technical past several large rock formations.
A moment later, a half dozen runners hidden among them roared to life and began following them.
"Doomslayer, I'm picking up six runner-class land vehicles closing in behind us." VEGA reported in Mason's helmet, causing him to perk up.
"What is it?" Lilith asked when she saw the sudden movement.
Looking over his shoulder, Mason could see the six separate dust clouds behind them, "We got company." The technical was already at top speed, but given that it was weighted down with its larger frame and armor plating it wasn't nearly as fast as the runners closed in fast. Splitting off into two groups and forming a V as they closed in around them.
Lilith had her SMG ready in one and the tattoos glowing in preparation. The bandits hooting and hollering at them from their vehicles while the ones on the turrets took aim at theirs. "Mason!" she shouted.
"Hang on!" he shouted back as he slammed the breaks. The technical stopped and immediately fell back as the two runners in the lead opened fire, but instead of hitting their target they ended up hitting each other. One runner exploded under the assault while the other's driver had gotten hit and veered off course.
Drawing his double barrel, Mason aimed out his window and shot the driver of another runner. The buckshot tearing into the bandit and spraying blood through the air, a second shot taking out the gunner as the vehicle flipped over a sand dune.
Lilith sprayed rounds from her own weapon and took out a psycho that was attempting to jump on their technical. Reloading, she fired a blast from her left hand and set another gunner on fire.
The remaining runners backed off, remaining behind the technical where they fired on them from a safe distance. The heavy rounds pelting the armor in a constant ringing. "Lilith, take the wheel." Mason got up and climbed into the empty gunner seat of their vehicle.
The Siren quickly jumped behind the wheel and took control, "What are you planning?!" she called over her shoulder.
Instead of answering, the Doomslayer brought forth his gauss cannon. Attaching the precision mod onto the railgun-like weapon as he set it up on the turret canopy's railing and took aim at the bandits on their tail.
Scope linking with the Praetor suit's HUD, Mason charged the cannon and fired. The thin beam of powerful energy lanced through the air and struck the front of the closest bandit vehicle, shearing through the metal like it was butter and hitting. The runner going up in a large fireball as it was thrown backwards.
Adjusting his aim, he fired another shot that reduced the driver to a burst of red mist and setting the rest of the vehicle aflame.
The last runner immediately changed direction and fled after seeing the fate of the others. But Mason wasn't in the mood for mercy at the moment and followed them with the gauss cannon's scope. One final shot hitting the engine and reducing it to flaming shrapnel.
Powering the large weapon down, Mason stored it back in his suit before climbing back down into the passenger seat with Lilith still driving. The Siren giving him a bewildered look as they left the smoldering husks of the bandit vehicles behind them.
Seeing this out of the corner of his eye, the Doomslayer looked back. "...what?"
"What the fuck was that?!" she asked, having bore witness to the utter destruction of their pursuers.
"What I do best." Mason replied with a casual shrug as they continued on unhindered.
A/N: The road to Sanctuary has begun, and by the end of it you can bet that Lilith just might learn a bit more about her new companion.
But the real questions are, who else will they encounter along the way? And what is the connection between the Doomslayer and the Sirens? The answers, will definitely surprise you in the end.
Till next time folks!