YOSH! This is Squalo King with a new chapter of Demon of Pandora.
Disclaimer;
Claptrap: Hello readers, I'm contractually obligated to inform you or anyone from Gearbox that this somewhat trash heap of an internet tale from a scorned fan makes no money. Squalo King owns nothing at Gearbox, not even a broken wastebasket, and the creation of this story has no bearing on the real events of Borderlands, Borderlands 2, or Borderlands 3. If he did, I would be able to negotiate a contract that would make me so much moo-la for things I clearly need; I'm talking yachts, I'm talking sports cars, I'm talking robotic see- what hey! Minion!
Lee: Ignore that last bit, just know that the only thing the author owns is Ocs like me.
Hello Travelers(Part 1)
Darkness again, nothing but inky black void for miles. Lee could hear a female voice again, but it was different. This one sounds significantly different; her tone, the gentle nature, and the emotions behind the words spoken. It was a voice he recognized. Rather than anger with a warning, this one spoke happily toward him.
"Lee, what are you doing out here? Aren't you cold?" she asked.
"*Giggling* Looking up at the sky again, do you see anything?"
Lee didn't know how to feel in this dream-like state. He tried to answer this voice, but he could not speak.
"Come now, my little demon, it's time to get up."
Lee wakes up. He slowly opens his eyes and finds himself in an insurmountable amount of pain. He was cold; he might as well have been frozen solid. He could barely see what was in front of him; ice and snow were being whipped up by a cold and harsh wind blinding all who dared travel through. There was no sun, blocked by the thick snow clouds. The sky, clouds, and even the area around him were in a deep blue color due to the lack of sun, though Lee couldn't tell if it was night or day.
"Where am I?" he thought.
He couldn't move much; rather, it was painful to move. Lee was buried in snow with only portions of his body visible. Luckily the snow didn't cover his face.
"W-What happened?" he thought. He felt disoriented, and the aches didn't help.
He slowly sits up, and he feels sharp pain through his body. He looks around the best that he could with the blizzard but could barely see anything. The most he could see was the ice and snow-covered glacier he sat upon, silhouettes of glaciers, landmass, large pieces of metal, and even ships. As he looked around, he saw next to him a large piece of shrapnel metal dug into the snow next to him.
Lee looks closer and sees a large tower off the side; he could see a train's cars. Some were still connected and hanging from the rail, ready to fall. Pieces of metal could be seen around the area that Lee could see, some of it still smoldering.
"The train," he uttered.
It all came back to him, slowly and just as horrifying. Gaige and the others getting on the train, their conversations, the trap that was sprung, and BOOM!
"Fuck," he uttered.
He jumped to his feet and was quickly hit by the rushing blizzard air. He saw multiple bruises on his body; he was bleeding from several cuts and had burn marks. His pants were tattered, with his left pants leg being burned up to the knee, the other with scorch marks and holes. Lee looks around again and tries to find his friends but can't see them.
"SALVADOR, GAIGE DEATHTRAP, ARE YOU THERE?!" he yelled as loud as he could so the blizzard could not drown out his voice. But he couldn't see them. Desperate, he calls out to the Vault Hunters he had met recently.
"MAYA, KRIEG, AXTON ZER0, ANYBODY!" Lee roared,
But nary a soul responded. The only sound he could hear was that of the wind. There was only one thing that he could assume; he just didn't want to. He
"Shit,"
Lee didn't even want to utter the words. He feels bile well up in his stomach at the idea. The corpses of his allies stuck to his eyelids; no matter how much he wished it, he couldn't be rid of it.
"Shit,"
Guilt floods through his mind. It was his idea to ride onto the train rather than fight Jack. It was him who had gotten caught in a trap, failed to get them off safely, and worst to even kill Jack.
"Shit,"
All the little progress that Lee had made had vanished. He was alone, with no clue where he was. No more hints or clues about the Vault. His friends and new acquaintances were dead. Lastly, the best possible lead to the Vault that he had tried to kill him. He was without anything.
Lee then clenches his fists and looks up at at the blanketed sky,
"SHIIITTT!"
His roar echoes, like before no one responds. He falls on his back, in the snow. He looks up at the sky, not wanting to do anything. He cursed that he even breathed.
"Now, what do I do?" he thought. As the question resonated in his mind, he desperately wanted to sleep. He closed his eyes, ignoring the rushing wind, how his body was icy cold, or the fact he might not even wake up. He just wanted to sleep.
*Crunch* *Crunch* *Crunch*
Strangely enough, as Lee tried to sleep, he could hear a nearby noise that wasn't drowned out by the sound of the wind. He sounded like a shoveling. Not only that, Lee could feel snow and ice hitting his body, And it wasn't like the snow from the sky or even being carried by the wind. It was like someone was shoveling snow onto him. And that wasn't all,
"Great another dead Vault Hunter, Handsome Jack's been busy,"
A voice, a robotic voice, and not like Deathtrap since it was using words. It continued to shovel snow onto Lee, believing him to be dead. Was it an ally? Would it try and kill Lee? However, on a more important note,
"It's out to bury me alive!" thought Lee
He quickly gets back up.
"AAHHH, it's alive, don't hurt me!" yelled the robot. It throws its shovel at Lee, and the flat end hits him in the face and tries to run away but trips. As the shovel falls to the ground, Lee grabs his face in pain but quickly moves on to the culprit. Furious at the metal tool thrown at him compounded with almost nearly getting buried alive, almost getting killed like his friends, and being no closer to the Vault.
"What was that for?" asked Lee angrily.
Lee's anger subsided when he got a closer look at the robot as it got up and panicked. Rather than being a Loader or even a Surveyor, it was harmless. It was small with a trapezoidal body, with yellow paint white strip around its midsection, its front had what seemed like a disk compartment and a small speaker built-in. It had a large robotic eye that shined blue. Instead of robotic legs, it had a single wheel, its arms were thin enough for Lee to break them with a snap, and his hands were just two clamps.
Lee instantly recognized the robot. He felt a of awe seeing it.
After quivering in fear, the robot notes that he was still in one piece. He quickly looks over and sees Lee looking down at him.
"Y-Your not gonna kill me?" it asked. Lee shook his head.
"Well, I -No, I'm not; I just didn't like getting buried," said Lee. He then picks up the shovel with an annoyed look on his face.
"Isn't that what this was for?" asked Lee with a voice that failed to hide his anger and annoyance. He drops the shovel.
The robot then looks around and sees nowhere to hide. He was afraid of tripping again, so he answers.
"Well, sort of, I already thought you were dead after that scream of yours!" said the robot in a strangely jovial and annoying tone. He then picks up the shovel. "So I tried to give you a proper burial so that you can meet your god/gods/or non-existence,"
"Wait, you thought I died, but you heard me yelling, you little weirdo," said Lee with his hands folded.
"Oh yeah, that happens sometimes you get guys here who are about to croak, they give one last- SHIIITTT" Lee covered his ears when the robot imitated his scream," as you did and *Splat* they die."
Lee felt a pang of embarrassment when he realized he could have shared that fate and also that a stranger heard his scream.
"One Vault Hunter went- WHHHYYYY- then he crapped himself," said the robot
Then a lightning bolt shot through his brain, remembering what the robot had said.
"Wait, Vault Hunters and what he said about Jack earlier," thought Lee. He ignored the robot and ongoing blizzard that would cause Lee to freeze to death.
"Sometimes guys go-"
"Hey, what other guys have you buried today?" asked Lee interrupting the robot. "I mean besides me that is?" The robot leans forward a bit as to nod, an action Lee had noted from Deathtrap.
"Oh yeah, sure," he then gestures toward lazily buried bodies behind him. Lee walks past the robot and saw the bodies, and he felt a lump in his throat upon seeing them. He could only imagine if the bodies of Salvador, Gaige, and the others being buried. Lee could only clench his fist.
"Yeah, I buried these guys 2 days ago. Jack killed them all," said the robot.
"What about today?" asked Lee. The robot turned left and right.
"Nope, just some Hyperion guys, no Vault Hunters though," said the robot. Lee felt a wave of hope wash over him.
"So you didn't bury like a guy with blue hair, a girl with a robot arm, a woman with tattoos, soldier or even a psycho today?" asked Lee desperately. "I know those guys; I'm hoping they're alive." The robot rolls backward, afraid of the look in Lee's eyes.
"Well, I haven't seen any dead bodies like that, but the Windshear Waste is huge so that I might have missed them, or they might have gotten eaten by Bullymongs," said the robot.
"Are you sure?" asked Lee. The robot leans forward and back.
"Yep, haven't seen the carcasses of your probably dead friends," the robot pauses, afraid that Lee would kill him for speaking that as the truth. "I mean, what I totally meant to say was, there is definitely a good chance they are alive and not frozen to death," said the annoying robot
Lee ignored the small robot's obvious idiocy. He put his hand to his chin. He thought about the situation; he had no clue if the others were alive. On top of that, he had no clue where he was or how to get back to land. The only person that could help him was this robot.
At the same time, this robot how an agenda of his own. He looks at Lee as he was in deep thought. He wasn't dead like the other Vault Hunters that had come here, his body was riddled with scars, and he didn't mind too cold too much. He made him think of a group of Vault Hunters from years ago, and that was just what he needed.
"Hey Vault Hunter, whose name I don't know, can I ask you something?" said the robot. Lee looked down at the robot and introduced himself.
"My name is Lee, Vault Hunter," said Lee.
"Right, Lee Vault Hunter," said the robot. Lee shook his head.
"No, just Lee," the Robot nods.
"Right, Just Lee," said the robot.
Marcus and the Orphan
"Is this robot who I think it is?" asked the Orphan, Marcus nods, disgusted.
"Yep, it's him alright," he uttered.
"If this joke goes on, I think I'm going to strangle him; you can skip it if it helps." said The Orphan. He shakes his head,
"I really don't like Claptrap," said the Orphan. Marcus then smiles a little.
"Yeah, mean neither kids, but he's important." said Marcus, "I'll skip the stale joke."
"Back to the story," said the orphan excited
Windshear Waste
"Solid, now allow me to introduce myself," the robot gestures his clamps to himself," I am a-.
"I already know what you are," he points at the robot with a grin on his face," a Hyperion CL4P-TP steward bot," said Lee.
"Wow, you said my actually Serial name, Nerd!" Lee furrows his brow. "All my friends just call me Claptrap." he bows, "Or they would if any of them were alive," he gestures to the buried bodies," or had existed in the first place!"
"Right anyway, what were you gonna ask me?" asked Lee.
"Huh, Oh right, I did; sorry sometimes the existential loneliness and land of death make me forget stuff," Claptrap eyes Lee up and down, "Who are you again?" Lee didn't know whether to chuckled or groan at Claptrap's foolishness. The little robot tapped the top of its head in an attempt to remember.
"Now I remember why they discontinued these guys," he thought. "Better not bring that up,"
"As I was saying, was that this is the perfect opportunity for me," said Claptrap as he gestures toward himself. "Now that I have a mighty not-dead Vault Hunter, I can use you to get off this glacier and get to Sanctuary to join the Crimson Raiders, kill Handsome Jack for destroying my product line and repair my Central processing unit, so I stop thinking out loud!" exclaimed Claptrap, Lee tried to process what was said by this robot.
"I wonder what it's like to have a belly button,"
Then Lee was more confused. He processed all the things the robot had said. He wasn't averse to the glacier idea, and killing Handsome Jack for nearly killing him and possibly his friends was a plus. Then there was Sanctuary and the Crimson Raiders; he had heard of both in passing but never had gone to seek them out. How Claptrap could get himself or Lee off the glacier was a question for later. Unfortunately, it was the only option he had, that or swim.
"Alright, Claptrap, I'll get you to Sanctuary if it's actually safe," said Lee. "Besides I need to find the Vault and that jerk Jack tried to kill me,"
"Great, I knew you couldn't refuse my off the conveyor belt robotic magnetism!" said Claptrap.
"Now, this makes you my minion," he proclaimed. Lee blinked several times before responding.
"Wait, what did you say," Claptrap then rolls over to a corpse and begins rummaging through it.
"Don't worry, Minion, since your with me, I can take you somewhere warm, and then we can get out of this frozen hell hole," said Claptrap in a jovial tone. "You're probably freezing, showing off that scarred muscly bod of yours."
"I'm not you m-"
"Fear not minion, you just have to obey my every command and protect me, and we'll be hot and toast in Sanctuary in no time!" said Claptrap.
"But I want to try and find my friends. I need to make sure if they're alive or not," said Lee. Claptrap whipped around, nearly falling off his only wheel.
"What?!" he waives his arms around madly. "Did your human brain freeze in the snow? Do you have any clue how dangerous this place is?!" Claptrap the gestures to one of the frozen corpses.
"This will happen to you, do you understand? Can you understand my robot language?" said Claptrap speaking as slowly as possible as if Lee was a moron. Lee wants to hit him, but he keeps his hands since he didn't want his only guide clobbered. He thinks about it and gets an idea, and a grin appears on his face.
"Hey Claptrap, my friends are all Vault Hunters and really tough," said Lee. "One of them is a siren," said Lee.
"Really? Wow, I met a Siren years ago," said Claptrap. "Her name is Lilith,"
Lee's eyes nearly burst out of his head upon hearing that.
"There's another one," he shakes his head, " stay focused and find the others first," thought Lee. Lee then holds up one finger,
"Yep, there was also this short Gunzerker that tears everything apart, a girl with a metal arm and killer robot best friend, a ninja, a Soldier, and a huge ass Psycho that listened to the Siren's commands." proclaimed Lee with confidence.
'Wow, but aren't they possibly dead/ killed?" asked Claptrap
"Probably, but if they're alive and we find them, they will more than likely want to get off this ice block too, right?" asked Lee
"Uh-huh," answered Claptrap.
"And if you know how to get back to land, meaning I have to follow you, and that makes me your minion?" asked Lee. Claptrap paused for a moment to process all that, then just as quickly.
"Yes!" said Claptrap enthusiastically. "Which also means you have to protect me and do as I say,"
Lee groaned at the thought but carried on.
"Well, since you're leading the way, and I'm your minion, if we find the others," preferably Salvador, Gaige, and Deathtrap, "then they'll have to follow you too, meaning they will also be your minions," said Lee.
Claptrap paused before answering, long enough for the sound of the cold wind to remind Lee where they were.
"That makes sense," said Claptrap. The realization then hit our little robot friend, "*Gasp* That means an army of minions to use to kill Handsome Jake!"
Lee smirks.
"We should find them, then you can talk about how we can get out of here and get to Sanctuary," said Lee. His tone was suggesting he was merely shipping Claptrap, and idea, he wasn't.
"Oh and probably tell me and my 2 friends about Lilith," he suggested. However, Claptrap wasn't paying attention.
"So many minions, so much power, the land of pandora will be stained with the blood of my enemies!" yelled Claptrap. He then laughs maniacally like a mad man before taking his medicine. As he did, Lee wondered how he would explain this to the others if he finds them.
"Forgive me, guys, this little guy is gonna be a thorn in our sides for a while," thought Lee. Claptrap then pulled on Lee's pants leg.
"Come on, we have to go find my other minions," he then pulls out an ECHO device," here, take this ECHO communicator that I TOTALLY didn't loot from that corpse over there," said Claptrap as he pointed at the carcass.
"Dude, I saw you do-" he groans," never mind," said Lee. He takes the ECHO from Claptrap.
"That's one of the newer models; it comes with a class-12 heads-up display, press the button on the side, and it'll initiate it," said Claptrap.
Lee looked over at the device, turning it around and looking at its back and front sides. It turns it on and sees the words: Boot sequence Initiated/. Then an empty gauge appeared, and over time it got filled. Then the words "Digital Map Display ready," "Recording Feature ready," "SDU Link ready," and finally "Class-12 Heads Up Display ready".
Suddenly a holographic screen appeared in front of Lee's face. It was fluorescent blue, hanging in mid-air before Lee's eyes. The screen then showed the words,
"…...ready."
"Whoa, nice to actually have an ECHO," said Lee impressed. He pressed on the screen and saw it ripple like water at his touch. The screen then turned the map showing nothing but fuzz. Then it went to the SDU and showed to be empty. He then pressed a button on the echo device and shut it off.
"Since your done being mystified by a useless electrical device, let's go look for your friends/my minions," said Claptrap.
"Okay, but where to start?" uttered Lee.
"I can help with that,"
Lee's ears pricked up when he heard a voice. It sounded like a girl's, but I couldn't see who it was coming from. His occasional headache then assaulted his mind.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Lee screams, causing Claptrap to hid in his own body, afraid. Lee closes his eyes as he winces from the pain and grits his teeth.
Afraid and uncertain, Claptrap pops his limbs back out and looks at Lee. He sees his shocked expression of someone whose questioning their own psyche.
"Why are you screaming?!" asked Claptrap loudly.
"I-I hear voices in my head; I think that ECHO you gave me had a ghost or a guardian attached to it!" said Lee.
"WAAAAAHH! A g-g-g-g-ghost!" he runs behind a block of ice and snow, "Get rid of it!" yelled Claptrap.
Lee nearly tosses the ECHO out of his hands before,
"WAIT," the voice speaks again. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said." Lee stops in his tracks. He looks down at the ECHO. Why he didn't toss it then and there, he wouldn't be able to answer that.
"Uh hello, why aren't you chucking it?!" asked Claptrap frantically. Lee looked down at the Echo.
"Are you from the ECHO, or are you a voice in my head?" Lee asked the voice," Depending on the answer shows if I toss you in the snow or smash my head on a rock," said Lee. The voice chuckles a little.
"Don't worry, I'm not a voice in your head, and I'm certainly not stuck in the ECHO communicator," she said. "Maybe this should help,"
Just then, the HUD started to show a blue mist-like static. Soon it formed into a square shape, and a clear picture face of a young girl appeared with a white background. She had pale skin that seemed to shine. Her hair was black that flowed in the imaginary wind. Lastly, her eyes were blue and seemed to pierce into Lee's soul. She smiles at Lee as his reaction was full of awe; his mouth was agape with snow, some snow flying inside.
However, Claptrap watched with worry at Lee's state of mind. He looks at the HUD in front of his face and sees Angel.
"Hey, is that a ghost?!" asked Claptrap, afraid.
"There, is that better?" asked the girl. Lee swallowed hard and fell on his butt in the ice-cold snow.
"Oh great, you have a face too," said Lee.
"Excuse me?" asked the entity,
"Sorry that was rude, it's just girls make me nervous sometimes," said Lee.
"Oh, this might make things more awkward," she said. Lee groaned,
"Well this is great; I almost died, nearly buried alive, all of my body is sore, and now a voice is talking to me from the static," said Lee. The girl chuckles.
"Well, I suppose it doesn't help if I tell you my name is Angel?" she asked in a joking manner. Lee chuckled a little and shook his head.
"Yeah, sounds about right," said Lee. He then points at himself. "My name is Lee, by the way, just Lee,"
"Nice to meet you, Lee," said Angel back. Before Lee could ask any questions, Angel stops him then and there.
"I know you have a lot of questions right now but trust me; you're alive for a reason," she said. "I'll explain everything to you soon, and I'm here to help you." she smiles,
"You'll need that funny little robot to stay alive, and you'll need your friends," said Angel
Lee didn't understand anything. Though his instincts told him to be cautious, he knew that he needed as much help as possible. He decides to give this entity the benefit of the doubt; the more pressing manner was finding the others. He needed to hurry too, if the others are alive as he hoped then they may be injured.
"Hey Crazy-pants, what's the girl on your screen saying, is there no one there and we're crazy?" said Claptrap. He throws a snowball at Lee's back.
"I don't think she's a hallucination or the ECHO; she says her name's Angel," said Lee. Claptrap paused and put her robot clamp below his speaker like it was his chin.
"Hmm, Angel, I think I heard something like that before," said Claptrap. He shrugs, "Don't remember where though, oh well."
"Well, now that is said and done with, we should search for the others," said Lee. Angel then reappears in the HUD, nearly shocking Lee.
"I can help with that," said Angel with confidence. "I believe one of them is close by. I believe his name is Zer0," she said.
"That's the Ninja from the train that saved me; how do you know he's nearby?" asked Lee.
"He's standing right behind you," said Angel. Lee was greatly confused about this. However, he hears footsteps in the snow. He turns around, and Claptrap does the same. They see Zer0 walking in their direction. The Assassin looks at Lee, and his mask creates an "!" hologram.
"Zer0!" uttered Lee.
" Ninja Minion!" yelled Claptrap excitedly.
Zer0 approaches them. He eyes Lee up and down and sees that he was injured but alive. He was not expecting anyone aside from himself to survive that. It was a pleasant surprise from a stranger that could prove to be an interesting associate.
"Back from the Beyond/Then the other Vault Hunters/Their hearts may still beat." He thought. And yes, Zer0 does it in his head too.
"You are alive/Very impressive of you/ So you're a bad-ass," said Zer0. Lee felt embarrassed by the compliment but confused at Zer0's manner of speech.
"Uh, Thanks," he sees that Zer0 was completely unharmed," but you don't have a scratch on you or your armor," said Lee. "I'm actually jealous; my pants got burned up again." Lee's eyes widened.
"OH shit did they burn?" he yelled. He dug into his pockets and pulled out his deck of cards, all undamaged in any way,"
The reaction from the others was confusion, see Lee react over such a small thing.
"Whew, thank goodness," he utters. He puts his cards away. "I guess luck really was on our side on that train,"
Zer0 nods. He then notices Claptrap circling him, looking at him. He did not like it.
"Wow, what an impressive looking minion," said Claptrap.
Zero's mask then shows "?" from his confusion,
"I've never seen a Ninja before, but I'm willing to be inclusive," said Claptrap. He stops and points at Zer0.
"Well, only if you're useful," said Claptrap.
Zer0 turns his head and looks at Lee to explain. Lee wore a guilty expression on his face.
"He knows the way off of this glacier, so we have to follow him since he's the only one who can help," said Lee. He avoided looking into Zer0's eyes. "I got him to agree to help me look for the others too,"
"That's right, it's as minion Lee explained, your all strong Vault Hunters that need the great and powerful Claptrap to help them," said Claptrap proudly.
Zer0 looked at Lee as the young man wore an air of shame on him. Angel reappears and speaks again.
"It's not like he lied, dude," she said.
"You heard all that?" asked Lee.
"Well yeah," said Angel.
"Ninja Minion, you may call me Claptrap-sama." Claptrap holds his clamps together and bows," or Shogun-trap," said Claptrap.
With little patience after the recent explosion caused the sight of Claptrap caused Zero to reach for his sword. Lee grabs his wrist and stops him/
"No, we need his help!" he said. Zer0's mask then showed an emoticon.
":("
Look shook his head and refused to let Zer0's sword arm go.
"Just bear with it, I don't know about you, but I want to look for the others" he tightens his grip," And I need to head back to land get to the vault, and maybe even that Jack bastard and Claptrap is going to help."
Zer0 then released his hand from his blade, and Lee lets go of Zer0's wrist. Zer0 nods and looks down at Claptrap, wishing that such an annoying creature wasn't a necessity. Ordinarily, Zer0 would prefer to work alone, but these were not ordinary circumstances.
"I will take his help/ To get my revenge on Jack/And to find the Vault," said Zer0.
"Perfect, now let's go find the other minions," said Claptrap. He then rolled off with no clue as to where they were. Before going after him, Lee remembered Angel and stops Zer0 from following Claptrap.
"Hey, no, so that we have no surprises, there's someone else whose helping." he taps his head. "She talked to me through the ECHO, and her name's Angel," said Lee. Zer0 looked at Lee with a "!" on his helmet.
"The girl on the screen/ Static flying around her/ She led me to you," exclaimed Zer0.
"Huh?" uttered Lee
Angel then appeared in Lee's HUD and spoke to both him and Zer0.
"I spoke to him while you were unconscious. He was alive in one of the train cars that was dug into the ice." said Angel, "I told him that I could help him get out of the wasteland if he found you."
"You could have mentioned that," Lee's eyes widen," Wait, does that mean you can contact the others?" asked Lee.
"Unfortunately, you and Zer0 were lucky cases; the other Vault Hunter's ECHOs may have gotten destroyed or deactivated due to Jack's explosion.
"So we look the hard way," said Lee. Zer0 taps Lee's shoulder, getting his attention.
"All creatures leave tracks/ Footsteps, dropped guns, and bloodstains/ I can hunt them down," said Zer0.
However, a negative thought enters Lee's mind. The idea that the others were dead. It causes his face to be downcast. It was a dark reality before him, one he didn't want to be true.
"Don't give up," he looks at Angel," I know you believe they're alive, so have faith," she said. Lee takes a deep breath, trying to keep the picture of his allies as corpses out of his head.
Just then, they started to notice something; the wind was getting calmer, the snowfall was lessening, the area was more visible, and harsh conditions were no longer pelting them. Soon Lee and Zer0 could see the large pieces of metal that protruded in the distance, the ice formations on the glacier; the clouds look as if they were beginning to part. Lee could see bits of stars,
"Its night time; how long were we unconscious?!" yelled Lee in panic.
Zer0's mask then showed the numbers "4:00 HRS" Lee's stomach then turned into knots.
"Shit, we need to find the others," he said. . Zer0 nods.
"Hey," they look and see Claptrap rolling back over to them, "What are you minions doing?" asked Claptrap. He then puts one of his clamps, "I the brave and handsome Claptrap will lead you through the ice and snow, now let's find your friends/my minions."
Claptrap then began to roll through the snow. Lee and Zer0 look at each other and start walking. They catch up to Claptrap, with Lee stating.
"Let Zer0 track the others; he says if he finds something, he might be able to find them," said Lee. Zer0 nods.
"Perfect, a dog ninja minion!" said Claptrap excitedly. "WOOF!" he yelled.
Though their mission to try and find the others, once again, Zer0 had placed his hand behind his back to grab his sword again. And again, Lee stops him.
"Zer0 no!"
Elsewhere a set of large four-armed creatures traversed through the ice and snow like it was breathing. Their legs were small, so they used their large forearms to pull themselves across the terrain. They bore thick white pelts on their backs, top of their heads, arms, and back. Their skin was rough, light blue skin. The monster's mouths were slanted like animals and opened wide like a net.
As they go through the glacier, navigating through the blizzard, they were accustomed to one of them stops in their tracks. It sniffs the air and makes its way over to what appeared to be a familiar metal arm. It stuck out in the snow like a man reaching from under the water fighting for air and losing. The mon
*RAAAAAGGGHHH!*
A roar is heard. The sound was like an animal, but non that the monsters could identify. They ran in the direction of the roar, believing it to be a dying fool to devour for a meal. They leave the metal arm alone. Then its iron fingers began to twitch.
"Please tell me I'm not the only one who heard that?" said Lee in a worried tone.
"Nope, I heard it too, and it was horrifying," said Claptrap.
After leaving their spot Lee Zer0 and Claptrap made their way across the frozen plain. Since the blizzard had calmed down, it was easier to traverse. With Claptrap leading the way, Lee and Zer0 looking for clues to the others, the search for they hadn't found any trouble, only two things seemed to a conflict at the moment; the searing cold and a beast-like roar made earlier.
"It sounds familiar, but I think we should avoid it," said Lee.
"It sounds powerful/ A wild beast among the snow/A fight could be fun," uttered Zer0.
"No way, we should steer clear of that damned thing," said Lee. Though something felt off, hearing that roar made Lee nervous but also safe. It had a familiarity to it.
"I think I heard something like that before," he said aloud.
Zer0 looked at Lee with a "?" on his mask. Lee noticed and waved his hand a bit.
"Don't mind it. Let's just keep going," he said.
"Minions, your fearless leader is looking for you!" yelled Claptrap as he rolled through the snow.
Lee and Zer0 took to their own methods of finding the others rather than calling out to them.
"Anything yet?" asked Lee. He hugs his body and rubs it to keep warm.
Zer0 shakes his head. He then note's Lee's state and that he was half-naked in the cold. It was weird seeing someone in such a state and barely say a word. Though the ice and snow accumulated on Lee's skin and air, the burn marks were from the cold temperature and the explosion. He was also barefoot. Lee seemed to just trudge through it all.
"Aren't you cold, Lee?/ You might as well be frozen/ Hypothermia."
"Huh?" Lee rubs his hands, "Of course I'm freezing; my pants might as well be freaking shorts damn it!" Lee says angrily. "*Sigh* My body can make it through the cold, but I'm still freezing out here,"
Zer0 then pulls something from his SDU. It was a cloak that Lee had thought was destroyed on the train. Zer0 then shows it to Lee and hands it to him. Lee quickly takes it from Zer0 and quickly puts it on. It wasn't a winter coat, but it did protect his body and help him warm up.
"Thanks, I got from Gaige, but did you pick that up on the train before it blew up or in the snow and wreckage?" asked Lee. Zer0 doesn't answer the question. He merely shows a ";)" on his mask. Lee doesn't question it, but he is grateful.
"Thanks for this," Lee then extends his hand as they were walking," and for the back up on the train," said Lee. "With you taking out the guys up top and you pulling me out of the car before that Loader went up."
Zer0 hesitates but takes Lee's hand and shakes it.
"I owe you," said Lee with a sincere smile and tone. They both notice a metal clamp placed on their hands. They look down and see Claptrap trying to join in.
"Sorry, but I didn't want to be left out," said Claptrap in a bright tone. Lee and Zer0 let got of each other. Lee shrugs.
"It's fine, Claptrap," said Lee. He then looks at Zer0, and a question bars into his mind. Given the situation and Lee's own curiosity, he doesn't keep it to himself.
"Zer0, are you a Vault Hunter?" asked Lee. Zer0 nods.
"Why, why come to Pandora and risk being part of this hell hole?" asked Lee. Zer0 didn't hesitate to speak.
"I want a challenge./ So I went after the Vault/ Looking for a fight," said Zer0. Lee narrowed his eyes, annoyed at Zer0's answer.
"Seriously, he's just as bad as Salvador; he's just acting cooler about it." thought Lee. Zer0 then puts his hand on Lee's shoulder and points behind Lee. Confused, Lee turns around and looks in that direction. Angel then shows herself again.
"He sees something; it's light in the distance," said Angel. Lee nearly jumps upon seeing Angel.
"Jeez, don't scare me like that," said Lee. Embarrassed, Angel apologizes.
"S-Sorry, but look for yourself," she advised.
Lee then looks closer and sees a small glimmer of light rising from the ground.
"I can see it," He looks over at Claptrap, who rolls in front of Lee to see it for himself.
"Where?" asked Claptrap, "Oh, I see it, hell no, that's not natural" he points at it," that looks like the light is shooting up from Pandora's hell hole. Since it's on Pandora, it's worse than a normal Hellhole!" said Claptrap fearing for his life.
Claptrap then wheels himself behind Zer0 and Lee for safety.
"Quick Minions, be a human shield in case something comes out!" yelled Claptrap.
"Do you think it's one of the others or Hyperion?" asked Lee. Zer0 puts his hand on his sword again,
"If they fight us both/All of them will surely die/ Killing my boredom."
Zer0 then draws his sword and points in the direction of the light. Lee didn't have the energy to disagree.
"Let's go see, after all, if its an enemy we fight, and if it too much, we can retreat,"
Zer0 nods and holds his blade in a backhand. Both he and Lee then begin to go toward the light slowly. They are careful to be as quiet as possible. Claptrap wheeled behind them for protection.
"I'll cover the rear," he said. Not his intention.
"Be careful, who knows what's over there," said Angel
As they inched closer and closer to the light, they noticed that the light source was circular and entrenched like a hole. The closer they got, and light got brighter and even felt a bit warm. When they were feet away from the wide hole, they see the head of a single man sitting inside. Lee looks closer notices the figure's slick back brown hair and a metal arrow above his left eyebrow.
"AXTON?!" yelled Lee.
"Hey wait, Lee is that you kid?" asked Axton from his hole. Lee's ears burned upon hearing Axton's voice. Zer0 put his blade away, knowing who Axton was. Only Claptrap was confused.
"Hey, who's that guy?" asked Claptrap. Lee and Zer0 then run inside of the hole with Claptrap staying put out of confusion.
They both drop in and note that the hole was deeper than they had thought. They see camping supplies: a small cot, blankets, guns laid out before then, cans of food, a can opener, a hatchet, a small tent, a military backpack, clothes drying on a rack, cans of food, a can opener, other equipment and a large fire with a grate and pot at the center, and finally Axton on the other side with a smile on his face. He speaks to them but fails to notice Lee's face twisting in disgust.
"Man, I didn't expect anyone else to survi-"
"AAAAHHHHH!" Lee yells in anguish. He quickly closes his eyes, covers them as well.
"Oh my goodness!" said Angel in a shocked and embarrassed tone. Lee then felt a large amount of shame and guilt, in not realizing Angel could see what he saw. He quickly turns around to make sure she couldn't see Axton.
"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, Angel!" yelled Lee. He lifts his cloak and ties it around his head, blocking his sight.
Zer0 turns around and draws his blade. He gets on his knees looking down at the ground and points his blade at his stomach. He was very tempted to follow through with the act. His mask then bore a bright red "X_X."
Axton, scared and confused by the yelling, gets up and looks around. He sees no problem or enemy that he would have to face.
"I don't see anything; what the hell's the matter with you two?" asked Axton.
"Minion!"
Axton hears a voice he didn't recognize. He then sees a Claptrap falling inside of his entrenchment and land on his head, getting stuck—claptrap wiggles around in an attempt to tip over.
"Um, Minions, your master needs help!" said Claptrap.
Axton was a bit confused by this little robot being here but at the same time being one of the only working and living things in the area.
"Whose this little toaster?" asked Axton in a humorous tone. Claptrap, offended, uses all of his might to tip over and become right-side up. He turns around, preparing his nerves.
"TOASTER? I AM A C-" He gets a better look at Axton and backs up, surprised, "HOLY SHIT, YOUR NAKED!" proclaimed Claptrap.
That's right. Axton was no currently butt naked. His muscles were toned and well defined with little flaws and hair. His arms and legs were sinewy and brawny. He had six-pack abs. It was clear that Axton was physically strong from this alone. As for his junk, well, they could see it, and that's all the description your getting.
"Yeah, I'm naked; my clothes got wet from the snow, so I had to dry them off. I don't want to get sick. I hate the flu," said Axton.
"Wow, you are buff!" said Claptrap impressed and the only one looking. Axton smirks and flexes a little.
"Hey, thanks, I-"
"Dude, put some fucking clothes on!" yelled Lee interrupting Axton. Lee and Zer0 avoided looking with the ninja's mask showing ":{."
"What for? It feels kind of good now that the blizzard stopped," Axton smirks," Plus, I get to let it hang out for mother nature to take a peek," he keeps flexing his pecs.
"Plus were all dudes here, nothing to be ashamed of," he points at Zer0 and Lee," Tell you what, you two strip too, and we'll be same," said Axton.
He makes a cross with his fingers.
"Won't laugh you, all respect swear to God," said Axton in a sincere manner
"Dude, no," uttered Angel. She sounded sick.
"No, dumbass, we are not all guys here, and when you put your clothes on, I'll it to you!" yelled Lee in a furious tone.
"Please put your clothes on/I wish that I could unsee,/That which can not be," said Zer0. He kept his blade from stabbing him.
Zer0's speech manner more put off Axton more than being disturbed by his own nudity.
"Did that guy just talk in a haiku?" he asked.
"PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON!" yelled Lee. The yell was so loud that it nearly shook the glacier apart from the sea.
"Alright, fine, but you better explain what the hell is going on," said Axton. He walks over to his clothes.
Elsewhere a figure walked the icy Windshear Waste. Grateful that the blizzard had lifted, so it was easier to make out her surroundings. Cold hungry and injured, they look for anything that they can use. A bit disoriented from recently waking, the figure treads carefully, knowing without a doubt that danger would be closing in very soon. Though excitement filled the wanderer's veins, a single mission was
"I need to find him,"
After Axton had gotten dressed, Lee gave him a quick rundown of the information that they had so far; They were currently at the Windshear Wastes, Jack had tried to kill them, Claptrap was their guide out of here, they hadn't found the others yet and couldn't determine whether they were alive. Lastly, someone named Angel was helping them. The Angel portion of the explanation came with Axton understanding Lee's anger.
"Oh, sorry about that, boys and the lady I can't see, didn't know we had extra company," said Axton. " My bad, Angel, I don't like showing the thickness with no consent."
Lee didn't know if Axton was sincere, but it was just good that he put his clothes back on. His HUD then turned on, and Angel revealed herself. Though she wasn't happy about what she had seen, she understood that it was accidental.
"Yeah, sorry Angel," He taps his eye," though that's a messed up to find out that you can see everything I see," said Lee. Angel cleared her through, a bit perturbed by the event.
"It's fine just, please try and remember," said Angel. "And if you need any privacy, just say so; that was gross,"
"Still glad to see someone alive out here, though I was gonna be alone for longer than I thought," said Axton. He chuckled, relieved.
Lee took a look around at Axton's setup, far more to be proud of than what Lee had. Food and weapons out. All of his supplies being in use for his survival. A trench to hid in and protect himself. Lee was envious and impressed by Axton's survival skills. Zer0 could say the same; well, he'd say it in a Haiku.
"You seem to be doing well before we got here; it kind of cool that you pulled all this off," said Lee. Axton smirks.
"Well, not brag, but I was a high ranking commando, we got trained in survival lessons like for planets like this," he reaches over for the cans of food and the can opener," this place is definitely a frozen shit hole. Still, I popped that cherry long ago," said Axton He then starts opening the canned meat. Lee, however, gave an annoyed expression.
"Dude, she can probably hear what I do too," said Lee. Axton then made an uncomfortable face, one that matched a man with a foot in his mouth.
"Don't worry, I've heard worse actually," said Angel.
"Saying I'm doing good, but you guys got some weird E-gi" Axton stops and sees Lee glaring at him, "AI, that wants to give you a hand."
"I'll assist you as well, despite the incident," said Angel in a polite tone.
"She's nice too, wish my Turret could talk like you could," said Axton. He finishes opening his food and places it in the pot that was over the fire.
"His turret?" asked Lee. Zer0 shakes his head.
"All kinds on Pandora, remember that," said Angel to Lee.
"You're a real weirdo, you know that?" said Claptrap.
"Who are you calling weird, aren't your one of those weird Hyperion bots that people loved to break?" asked Axton, pointing at Claptrap.
"Wow, you're well informed; you'll make a wonderful survival minion in case we need someone to tell us which of us is safe to devour to survive," said Claptrap. Axton narrowed his eyes, prepared to tell Claptrap off, but remembered what Lee and Zer0 had told him he knows what he needed to then winks at them and confuses them.
"Thanks, boss; I hope I can get a promotion when we get off this ice cube," said Axton. He looks at Lee and Zer0.
"You protect master too if he dies or lives are worthless," He said. He gives a wink.
"Right, we'll protect him," said Lee, feigning enthusiasm.
Claptrap nods, proud of his so-called "Authority" that he had over his minions. Axton himself felt a sense of glee.
"Get to play the henchman part, not my best role so this could be practice," thought Axton. "I am not this toaster's slave,"
Axton then takes some metal bowls and begins scooping up the now hot canned meat into each of them, making a total of three. He hands them to Lee and Zer0 for them to eat with a set of spoons. He even gives Claptrap the cans.
"Eat up," said Axton.
Lee looked down at the food. It was stew with steak cubes and no vegetables. He wasn't ungrateful, but he was worried about the others.
"Shouldn't we go now and find the others?" asked Lee. Axton sees the concerned look on Lee's face, then remembers Gaige, Deathtrap, and Salvador were supposedly his friends.
"Hey, you can't look on an empty stomach, besides out here, we can get attacked at any moment, so you gotta be energized," said Axton Lee was reluctant to agree, but Axton was right. He takes his spoon and scoops up some meat, and starts eating it. The taste was bad, like eating cardboard covered in steak sauce, but it was food.
"Okay, thanks," said Lee.
"Hey, I'm finally growing on you," teased Axton.
"Don't bet on it," said Lee as he ate. He looked at the fire, and its bright orange glow illuminated the entrenchment. All who basked in its glory felt its warmth that pushed away at the cold.
"Fire's warm," said Lee,
"Hell yeah, it is," said Axton. He grins at Lee.
"This is kind of a good team-building exercise, definitely going in the good ole autobiography when I make it big, " said Axton. Lee then remembered Axton's speech back on the train.
"You still on that?" asked Lee.
"Course, I'm going after that damned and Vault, and since that shriveling chub Jack thinks he can kill me over it, I got a bullet with his name on it." said Axton, "Autographed," he gave a winning smile.
"If finding a Vault gets posters of you, then what do you think killing a big name like Jake will get me," he clenches his fist, "I'll be legendary, I'll get whatever part I want with just my ass,"
"Wait, your an actor too?" asked Lee. Axton nods,
"Yeah, just check my Echo feed, and you'll see a whole bunch of my career," Axton said, "I've done 'B' movies, commercials, some adult movies. Want some links?"
"Whatever think I'll just ask Gaige," said Lee
"Come on now, don't be shy," said Axton
"I'm not shy, well I sort of-" Lee shakes his head, "just forget it."
"Hey Z- Huh?"
Lee was in a state of confusion as he sees that Zer0's bowl of food was already empty. Soon Axton and Claptrap notice which makes them stare at the man in question. Zer0 was thinking at the moment, mentally preparing himself for the task at hand. So he was a bit annoyed by the stares.
"It's uh- It's all gone," uttered Axton.
"Did you see him take his helmet off, Angel?" Asked Lee. Angel shook her head.
"Nope," she uttered.
"Unless he didn't eat," said Axton, A bit miffed at the possibility of Zer0 tossing out his food.
"Sauce was disgusting/Meat was like chewing burned wood/ I think I feel sick," said Zer0
Axton and Lee both look down at their bowls as their food was nearly gone. They realize the conversation distracted them from the taste. Without a doubt,
"He ate it alright," thought Axton and Lee in unison.
"Wow, what a speed eater," said Claptrap. He then tapped some of the cans against this speaker to simulate eating.
"I CAN't imagine why he wouldn't slow down and enjoy it," said Claptrap.
No one had the heart to laugh. Lee stood up and handed Axton how to bowl.
"After we're done eating, we should go, we don't know what's waiting out there, and if it doesn't find us, it'll find the others," said Lee. Axton groaned a little.
"Fine, I guess we should move on, plus that was the last of the food we just ate anyway," said Axton. He stands up. "Help me get my stuff packed up, and we can move out,"
"No problem, come on Claptrap," said Lee.
"Right, let me just get rid of my leftovers," said Claptrap. He then buries his tin cans in the snow.
"That took a while," said Lee, amused.
Zer0 then hands Axton his bowl, and the 3 then begin helping Axton to pack.
"Oh, by the way, you guys got any guns on you?" asked Axton. Lee's eyebrows twitched in anxiety upon hearing the question.
"Why, what's wrong with yours?" asked Lee. Axton held up one of the rifles that he had on the ground.
"Broken, that's what's wrong with them; the explosion fucked them," said Axton in an annoyed manner.
Lee smacked his forehead upon hearing the news. He looks at Zer0, who shakes his head, and the two look at Axton.
"We don't have any guns either!' he said angrily.:What about that Turret of yours?"
"My Sabre Turrent? I had to scrape off some of the busted upgrades," Axton shrugged," I can use it, but it's got one gun now and no ammo," he said.
"Great, so we have no bullets between us," said Lee
"Ah, well, if we don't loot some or find the others, we're gonna have to go Melee," said Axton. It was a bad omen that they all had no working guns.
"We're so screwed," said Claptrap.
Desperate for some affirmation of luck, Lee pulls out his deck of cards and quickly draws one: he pulls a 7.
"Higher than normal," he utters. He then puts his deck away.
After packing everything up, the group quickly got on the move to find the others. Claptrap was out in front with Lee Axton and Zer0 behind him. They were walking for what felt like 30 minutes straight. However, the weather was no trouble at the time and hopefully wouldn't be in the future. Still, there were no tracks or signs of the others to be found.
"Still no sigh of the others, hope they're okay," said Lee.
"Relax, taking into account what I saw on the train I'm sure your girlfriend's alive," said Axton.
"She's not m- *Sigh* Thanks," said Lee annoyed.
"So where are we meeting up after we find the others, We won't be safe out here forever," said Axton. Claptrap stops, which causes the others to do so. He turns to the others,
"Don't worry, I have a house a long ways from here that'll keep us safe from Bullymongs," he taps his head," My robotic memory lets me remember where it is so we won't get lost," said Claptrap.
"I was gonna take Minion 1 and Ninja Dog Minion there, but he chose to look for you," said Claptrap, "Pretty dumb thing to do,"
Lee smirks a little. Despite the circumstances that lead to their meeting and genuinely annoyed by Claptrap, Lee was happy to meet a Pandora resident who was helping him out.
"Thanks, Claptrap," said Lee. "But what's a Bulllymong?"
"Oh, they're these huge monsters, 4 big arms, tiny legs, fur-covered arms, sharp teeth a-"
"A buzz-ax?!" yelled Axton with shivers down his spine.
"Huh? Uttered Claptrap. He then sees a large shadow engulfing his body. He turns around and sees none other than Krieg with his weapon about to saw the little robot in two.
"AHHH" yelled Claptrap
Lee quickly lungs toward Claptran and grabs him. He rolls out of the way with the service bot causing Kieg' to miss.
"That's not a Bullymong, is a Psycho!" yelled Claptrap as he was being cradled in Lee's arms. Axton r then prepared to fight with his Axe but remembered the train's stand-off.
"Don't fight him!" said Axton as quickly as possible He then moves behind Krieg to stay out of his line of fire.
"What!" yelled Claptrap in confusion. He shakes like a scared puppy in Lee's arms. .Lee then pats Claptrap's head which oddly calms him down.
"Don't worry, Claptrap he-"
"AAAAAAAAGGHHH !" Krieg swings his buzz-ax around. "FLACCID ENTRAILS SHALL CHOKE ON MY FUNNY BONES!" yelled Krieg.
"Oh yeah, I forgot," said Lee, slightly afraid.,
Krieg then rushes as Lee and swings his saw at him. Lee takes Claptrap and dodges out of the way. He swings again and again, but Lee continues to maneuver while Claptrap is crying like a baby. However, no one could blame him.
Krieg then gives an overhead swing. Lee dodges out of the way, but it clips his leg. He bleeds out, grateful that he wasn't turned into ground meat. Krieg's weapon was then lodged into the ground with him now trying to remove it.
"What the hell, big surprise that the Psycho doesn't remember us!" yelled Axton. He tries to run over to Lee, but fear gripped him from getting close to Krieg.
Then Angel appeared in Lee's HUD. She had a worried look on her face.
"Your leg, can you move?!" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Cut's shallow," said Lee. He was failing to hide his anxiety about the situation.
"You need to get Maya; only she can calm him down!" said Angel.
"How would she- doesn't matter," thought Lee.
Lee then looked around for any sight of Maya and couldn't find her. He feared the worst for her and them at the moment.
"Crap, where's Maya?" yelled Lee.
"Don't tell me she died!" yelled Axton panicking.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH!" Krieg roared like a wounded animal gone mad. Axton and Lee froze where they were, unaware of what to do. Zer0 however,
"The time has now come/" Zer0 slowly walks toward Krieg. Krieg notices him.
"A new toy to break!" he yelled. He points at Zer0 as the ninja draws his blade.
"For me to strike down as beast/" He stops and points his blade at Krieg. Krieg's head then starts twitching,
"I'll tear out your damn soul, bitch!" Kreig yelled.
"You will fall like snow," said Zer0. He then holds his sword in a backhand and gets into a fighting stance, his legs spread apart, his sword arm behind his back prepared to swing, and his other hand at his side.
"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!" Yelled Krieg. He then charges at Zer0 like a rabid bull.
"Oh, this isn't good!" said Lee.
That's all I wrote.
Please Review.
"Glad I could get this out before the month was over. I might work on something else with the extra time. Working on getting chapters out faster in the months I work on these stories.
"This is Squalo King, Signing off."