In a perverse way, this is me coming full circle. Very early on in my writing here on this website, I did a series of Borderlands fics with an OC, the first story being called Hooked on a Feeling. This is me sort of revisiting that, but pairing Harry with Angel instead of an OC (and I hope to get Mad Moxxi in on the action as well: given her character, I don't think she'd object to being part of a bigamous relationship). It was partly inspired by Anubis of The Highway Thieves' Of Jumping Dimensions and Drunken Marriages challenge (the drunken marriage will happen later on), and I have since posted my own challenge, Misery Loves Company, on the forums of DZ2, whitetigerwolf, and Lupine Horror. While not strictly a Potterverse challenge, it will be the source of a couple of my next fanfics, I reckon, and certainly takes after some of my earlier fics, like the original version of Lux in Tenebris Lucet, archived right here, and Journey of the Sorcerer.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy. The second chapter may be posted when I do a Christmas update, or sooner if I have another sample chapter to post for that update. I'm hoping to update a couple of my not-so-recently-updated fics with that update, with a new chapter of Nitimur in Vetitum almost finished. Watch this space...
SPANNER IN THE WORKS
CHAPTER 1:
AN ANGEL FOR ANGEL
So, you wanna hear a story, huh? Well, sit right down, and I'll tell you one hell of a tale. It's an unbelievable tale, but I assure you, it's all true. Well, mostly.
Not so long ago, the fate of Pandora hung in the balance. There was the Vault, an alien prison opened by a mystical key, and filled with seemingly nothing more than tentacles and disappointment. To the Vault Hunters who opened it, it was an aggravating end to their quest, especially while trying to stop Atlas from running roughshod over Pandora. But to another, it was an opportunity.
There was a man called Handsome Jack, formerly Jack, a lowly programmer who nonetheless had big dreams and great ambitions. A man after my own heart, then, except he wanted it all for himself. He had a daughter, a darling little angel whom he locked up to exploit her powers, and when rumours reached him of another Vault on Pandora's moon, he sent his own team of Vault Hunters to find it, as well as to stop the actions of a rogue Dahl army. But circumstances conspired to scar him, physically and mentally, burning away the last vestiges of decency within him, and turning him into the monstrous CEO of Hyperion. After some DIY promotion, courtesy of guns, anyway. Didn't even buy them from yours truly, but I digress.
Anyway, the Vault on Pandora, when opened, triggered the proliferation of Eridium all across this world. And then, rumours abounded of another Vault, bringing with them a new wave of Vault Hunters. But while Handsome Jack sort to exploit them for his own ends, he remembered how he had been betrayed by the other Vault Hunters. He wanted to civilise Pandora for once and for all, the only way he knew how: by conquering it, and grinding any resistance into the dust. And one we thought a friend betrayed us, albeit unwillingly. And her only friend was a boy who grew up with her in her dreams. A boy who suffered like she did, and who proved to be her salvation…and ours.
Our story begins five years after the first Vault was opened. While it may sound like something of a story, the key to our salvation seemingly appeared out of thin air…
The first thing he noticed on regaining consciousness was the wail of sirens, along with a computerised voice saying, "Emergency. Emergency. Intruder detected in Control Core Angel." Angel, huh? Was he in the afterlife? But why would Heaven have computerised voices?
Then, he heard a voice, a man's voice, ring out over loudspeakers. "Stay away from him, sweetie! We'll get him out of there in no time. And what the hell's up with the Eridium feeds?!"
His eyes opened, and he found himself looking…at an angel.
Which was not quite hyperbole. It was a young woman, about his age or maybe younger, wings of light spreading from her back. She had dark hair, with her right temple shaved, and cybernetic implants present. She was thin, too thin, blue-glowing lines along her body, that which wasn't covered by a figure-hugging suit. But she was also utterly beautiful. And very familiar.
Of course, the surroundings, heavily technological, seemed to disabuse any notions he was in an afterlife, especially as he seemed to be within some sort of forcefield area with the woman, in a vast chamber, with screens around the walls showing a man with lean features, wearing a mask. It was the man's voice he had heard, especially as he said, "Okay, pal, you're gonna tell me how the freaking fuck you managed to get into Control Core Angel, whether it be some teleport thing or other, and then, I'm gonna perforate you!"
"Dad, he just appeared. I didn't sense a teleportation, only…only…it was like…almost like when I use my powers," the woman said. And her voice was very familiar.
The man, after a moment, said, "Sweetie, the last time I checked, Sirens have no junk. They're always women. Now, he's a bit overdressed, so I can't tell whether he has tattoos or not, but…"
And then, it clicked for him. He had seen this woman before, haunting his dreams. She had done, ever since the cupboard, before the letters, before the giant of a man, before he learned he was a wizard. Growing up together in dreams, but never meeting in reality. Imaginary friends, they had thought each other.
A name came unbidden to his lips. "…Angel?"
ANGEL CLARKE(1) AS
THE GUARDIAN ANGEL
Alis Grave Nil(2)
The woman started, and then looked down at him more closely. "…Harry?"
HARRY POTTER AS
THE WIZARD
Master of Death, Beeyatch!
Harry got unsteadily to his feet, and looked at the masked man's image. "…Jack?"
HANDSOME JACK AS
THE MASKED DOUCHEBAG
Plutocratic Prick of Pandora
"…Harry?" This wasn't out of any recognition, but confusion from the masked man.
"…Rocky?" Angel suggested(3).
"…Okay, who the fuck is this asshole, and why do you seem to…wait, I know that name. You said something about some Harry being your imaginary friend in your dreams."
"And here I was thinking Angel made up stories about how bad her father was in comparison to my relatives to make me feel better," Harry said, glaring at Jack. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Angel. I really am."
"Angel, don't talk to the intruder. We'll get him out of there soon enough."
"He's the first person I've met in person for years, you bastard! Give me some…YAAARRGGHHH!" She convulsed and screamed in pain.
"Language!" Jack chided, before Angel subsided.
Harry screamed, "Leave her alone, you bastard!"
"Ooh, wow, how creative. Seriously, gotta let me know who writes your material, kiddo. I might give him a call sometime never. I mean, you really think you're the hero here? You're not. What you are, is an intruder, getting waaay too close to my daughter for my liking. And if you take her away, you're going to kill her. Those tubes? They're all that's keeping her alive."
Harry paused for a moment, only for Angel to look up and glare at the screens. "Not anymore. I don't feel Eridium running through my veins. There's something else." She looked at Harry. "If you can use that trick to get out of here and take me with you, do it. I'd rather be dead than stuck here anymore."
"No, you can't do this to me, Angel!"
"Oh? By the way, Dad, if I don't see you again, there's one last thing I want you to know." Her glare intensified. "You're an asshole."
Harry wouldn't have done so, normally, helping someone in a way that could kill them, but something in the woman's desperate expression had him make the decision. Well, time to charge in where angels fear to tread, Gryffindor-style, he thought. He leapt up, grabbed Angel, concentrated, and then the familiar sensation, like he was toothpaste being squeezed from a tube, occurred, the last thing he heard being the frustrated howl of Handsome Jack…
…And suddenly, they were tumbling along cold concrete streets, and smacked heavily into a dumpster. Angel, rather unsteadily, got to her feet, and helped Harry to his feet, as he had been unceremoniously used as her cushion between herself and the dumpster. Her wings of light faded as she did so. "Sorry," she said. Then, after a moment, she flung her arms around him, and sobbed. "You were real! Oh, you were real!"
Harry's sentiments were pretty much the same, but while he wasn't exactly getting the life hugged out of him, given how scrawny her limbs were, it was still awkward enough for him to remain silent. He hadn't believed she was real either, despite them haunting each other's dreams since they were young.
She brushed up his fringe, looking at the faded scar, tracing it gently with a finger, looking at it with something akin to awe. Not the awe too many people showed when they saw the scar, but a different one. It was as if she had found out that, despite being told the opposite, Santa was real. Then, she snatched her hand away, embarrassed. "Sorry, it's just…I still can't get over that you're real, Harry."
"Neither can I. Angel, are you feeling all right? I mean, you told me about that Eridium feed the last time we met in our dreams, and Jack was going on about that."
Angel blinked, then she felt her face. "Yes…I feel better than I have done since Dad hooked me up to an Eridium feed…" After a moment, Angel said, looking down the street they had ended up in, "We're not far from Moxxxi's. We'll talk there. I think we both can do with a drink…"
The city they were in was grungy, dirty, and filled with rather dubious and desperate-looking people. They watched Harry and Angel warily. Harry supposed he couldn't blame them: while not exactly fresh, his clothes were less worn than theirs were, and Angel's skinsuit looked somewhat out of place, even here. They made their way into a bar, the air filled with music, and then they sat down at the bar.
A most extraordinary woman approached them. Buxom and heavily made-up, she was nonetheless very sexy, dressed in what looked like a fetishized version of the Mad Hatter's outfit. Her expression was curious and a little wary, but not as hostile as some of the others. "Well, well," she purred. "Some newcomers to Sanctuary? A young man and a Siren? And what brings you to my establishment? I mean, aside from the obvious? What'll be your poison?"
"Lager if you've got it," Harry said. "I dunno what she wants."
"Lightest beer that you've had. I haven't drunken anything in my life, and it's past time I got started," Angel said.
"Bad day, huh?" the woman asked, before strutting over and filling some glasses. "Let me guess, you two got screwed over by Handsome Jack, and ended up here?"
"Yes," Angel said. "We're here to see Roland, but for now, I need a drink badly. This guy, Harry, he's a newcomer to Pandora. Me, well, I've been here for years now, though I only just managed to get away from Hyperion with Harry's help."
"Oh, a newcomer to Pandora, huh?" the woman asked, before smiling at Harry. "The name's Mad Moxxi."
MAD MOXXI
Buxom Beautiful Bloodsoaked Bartender.
"Does your Siren friend have a name?"
"Angel," Angel said. And when Moxxi looked at her sharply, apparently in recognition, Angel held up her hands. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to seek asylum here from Jack. I didn't want New Haven to happen!" she hissed urgently.
Moxxi peered at Angel, before nodding. "Okay. Well, it's going to be Roland you're going to have to convince, sugar. Anyway, you're far from the first girl to get screwed over by Jack."
"Oh, believe me, I know. I was watching that whole debacle between you two," Angel said.
Moxxi pursed her lips, before nodding. "Tell you what. For now, I'll give you these drinks on the house. I'll shout you them, as they say on Elpis(4)."
As Harry contemplated his glass, he thought about how he came to be here. It had been so stupid. That bastard Draco Malfoy had shown his true colours again, and had started coming after his friends. The Weasleys, save for Arthur, Ron and George, were dead (and the last time he had spoken with Molly and Ginny, they had had a row with him over breaking up with Ginny, so that made their demise without them making up all the more poignant). Hermione had been nearly crippled. And when Harry went on the rampage against Malfoy's new army of snake-suckers, he had been labelled the villain by The Daily Prophet for ending so many Pureblood lines.
During the final battle, Draco had pulled out a Portkey and threw it at him, claiming it would send Harry somewhere else, long enough for Draco to kill everyone Harry held dear. Even as it arced towards him, Harry killed Draco with a Sectumsempra, Draco's madly-grinning head toppling off his shoulders just as the Portkey hit him, and sent him here. It had disintegrated on arrival, though.
Probably just as well. If he didn't know any better, he was in the future. And on some world that was already giving him some Mad Max vibes. Wasn't Pandora meant to have a lot of tall, blue-skinned space elves or something(5)?
Harry then said, "Okay, stupid question, but where the hell are we? Both this city and this planet?"
Moxxi laughed. "Really? You don't know where you are? I mean, on this planet?"
"Moxxi, he literally appeared out of thin air next to me," Angel said. "In fact…I think he's from the 21st Century."
Moxxi frowned, then peered at Harry and his clothes. "I didn't think robes were the in-thing in the 21st Century. So…what, a newly-defrosted human popsicle? Well, you certainly look new to Pandora. It's a hellhole, the sort of world that'd chew you up and spit you out, if you're lucky. Used to be that the only people here worked for the mining companies, or were part of a penal colony, mostly the Dahl Corporation. Then, people caught wind of the Vault."
"The Vault?" Harry asked.
"One of many such things left behind by the Eridians, an ancient alien species," Angel said. "The first one was discovered on Promethea by the Atlas Corporation. It advanced technology by decades if not centuries, mostly in terms of weapons. Another such Vault would bring the one who found and opened it wealth beyond the dreams of avarice. So, mercenaries and treasure hunters came here. They called them the Vault Hunters. You'll get to meet one of the successful ones later, Roland, formerly of Atlas. He now leads the Crimson Raiders here, and is effectively the leader of Sanctuary, and thus the resistance against Jack."
Moxxi nodded. "And Sanctuary is a city built on an old Dahl mining ship. We're basically the main haven for those who oppose Handsome Jack. Roland was one of the four Vault Hunters who opposed Atlas and opened the Vault. I'm sure he'll hear you out."
"Even given what I did with New Haven?" Angel asked.
"I said he'll hear you out, sugar. Whether or not he has you shot afterwards is up to him," Moxxi said with a shrug. "Another reason I'm giving you free drinks for now. If you do get shot, I'm just giving you a last drink."
"Charming," Harry said acidly. He wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but clearly there was some bad blood between Angel and the people here. Hopefully, it wouldn't end with them getting shot. Unfortunately, he didn't think they'd be so lucky…
CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:
So, Harry's on Pandora, and he's managed to rescue Angel. But how is she surviving without Eridium? And will Roland call for their execution?
Oh, and despite what the caption had, Harry's not an immortal Master of Death in this story.
1. With my Borderlands OC fic Hooked on a Feeling, I gave Jack and Angel the last name of Clarke, after Dameon Clarke, the voice actor of Handsome Jack. It's the same here.
2. Nothing is heavy with wings in Latin.
3. Angel is referencing The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
4. As many of the colonists of Elpis speak with an Aussie accent, I decided to use an Aussie idiom. To shout drinks is to pay for them.
5. Wrong Pandora. This isn't Avatar.
