The ECHOcomm from Vaughn came less than twenty minutes after Rhys ECHOed Maya. It should have been at least a full day before Vaughn attempted another confrontation.
This was clearly Fiona's doing.

At least this time he was wide awake, totally prepared to deal with whatever fresh worries Vaughn would bring to him.

"Hey, Va-"

"Oh my god," Vaughn cut him off. "That's even worse than I thought it would be! What the hell did you do?!"

Rhys rolled his eyes. "You know most people start with "hi", right? It's not a big deal. I was throwing stuff at a shield prototype- like, just junk lying around in the facility- as a test. And it deflected a hunk of metal into my face."

"Your face is all…" Vaughn gestured vaguely. "Bad."

"Gee, thanks." Rhys honestly thought it looked more or less fine, just bruised. Zer0 had done a pretty good job. "You don't need to freak out. It's a broken nose, I didn't take a shotgun blast to the face."

"Yeah, honestly? I'm already kind of freaked out. Something's going on."

"What would be going on?" It wasn't hard to sound as offended as a completely honest person would be- mostly because he was that offended. His best friend should have more faith in him, even if he was lying. "I'm totally alone here, how else would I hurt myself? You think I'm hiding another evil AI?" He laughed dismissively.

"Okay, to be honest? I'm not really sure I could put that past you. I'm coming over."

"What?!"

"Dude, even if you're telling the truth, none of us have seen you in a long time. Isolation can really mess someone up, and you've been acting super weird. I don't want you to be yelling about meat bicycles the next time I see you."

"Are you serious? I-I don't think it's a good time- I'm super busy with work. I have to get this thing done by Monday and-"

"Nope, too late. You're taking the day off." Vaughn interrupted, the holoscreen vanishing as he hung up.

"Crap." Out of all his friends, Vaughn was probably the worst one who could show up now. Fiona and Sasha were primed to believe anything suspicious he did was a result of corporate scumbaggery, and he wasn't sure Fiona even actually cared about his mental state. The same went for Yvette, who was happy to let Rhys deal with his own problems. And Gortys and LB simply weren't assertive enough to pry into his business (Admittedly, this was a guilt-driven effort on LB's part, after the whole kidnapping thing).

But Vaughn, he knew Rhys better than anyone, and he actually cared enough to do something. Vaughn wouldn't be easily satisfied with any of Rhys's excuses. And if Zer0 was seen by him…

Okay, he didn't need to panic. Zer0 was more than proficient at ninja-ing around. They wouldn't make an appearance in front of Vaughn. And even if they did, they wouldn't kill him. At least, he was pretty sure they wouldn't- they seemed pretty considerate.

And he had plenty of time before Vaughn made it over. The nearest fast travel wasn't too close to Old Haven, at least a half hours drive- not accounting for the usual Pandoran interruptions.

Rhys really only needed to clean up the scene in the lobby. In retrospect, scrubbing up Zer0's blood should have taken priority over fixing their arm, but he'd gotten tunnel vision the moment they'd asked for his help.

He made a beeline to the nearest janitor's closet, cursing Zer0's inexplicable charm and wondering if Athena had been right about the hero worship thing.

Vaughn had only been fifteen minutes away from Old Haven when he'd pulled over and ECHOed Rhys. Fiona had recommended that he show up with absolutely no warning, but that seemed way too underhanded. If Rhys wanted to do weird stuff that he could hide in fifteen minutes, Vaughn could live with that- those were probably things he didn't want to know about Rhys anyway.

He just couldn't give Rhys enough time to completely clean himself up, hide all the evidence of whatever the hell he was up to, and come up with some completely believable lies. Rhys was too good at the whole denial thing, and if Vaughn didn't have evidence, he'd never listen.

Really, the broken nose was probably evidence enough. Rhys might not be the most graceful person, but if he was enough of a klutz to get into two unlikely nose-related accidents in two days, he probably would have never survived Pandora. Something else had happened, and none of the possibilities were good. A mental breakdown, an Eridium addiction, involvement in organized crime, that goddamn Handsome Jack AI… Whatever it was, Rhys seriously needed an intervention.

Probably more than the one-man intervention Vaughn was planning, but Fiona was too busy Vault hunting, things were awkward between Rhys and Sasha, Gortys was too nice, Yvette was awful at these things, and Vaughn was pretty sure that LB had actively contributed to Rhys's trauma.

It didn't seem like the odds were in Vaughn's favor, but he did his best to account for every possible scenario, every way Rhys would try to shut Vaughn out or deny that there was a problem in the first place. Anything from completely blowing up at him to simply taking away Vaughn's security clearance.

Nothing could have prepared him for walking into the facility and finding his friend frantically mopping a large puddle of dried blood.

He froze at the entranceway, gaping. "What the hell?! What happened?!"

Predictably, Rhys played it casual as soon as he noticed Vaughn, with a bright, confident smile, and an unbothered sounding "Oh, hey! I know what this looks like, but uh, funny story-"

"What exactly does this look like, Rhys?! This is beyond any conclusion I could possibly jump to! I cannot begin to fathom what you think I think!"

"It's uh, it's skag blood. A skag got in, one of my bots killed it before it got the chance to do any damage- except, you know, the bloodstains."

Vaughn furrowed his brow, reminding himself to stay calm. "What happened to its body?"

"I dragged it outside. Do you really think I'd leave a dead skag lying around in the lobby?"

He furrowed his brow. "And so you weren't trying to hide something from me?"

"I mean, I kind of was- I didn't want you to like, freak out about how I could have been attacked by a skag?"

"Right…" It had to be a lie, but it wasn't a lie he knew how to argue. He sighed. "Well, anyway, we need to talk."

"Yeah, I got that from when you called me." The cheerful affectation fell out of Rhys's voice. He resumed mopping the floor, conspicuously avoiding eye contact. "I don't know what else to tell you, though. I mean, I know I screwed up yesterday, and I'm sorry. I swear, I'll do whatever I can to make that up to everyone at Helios. But otherwise? I had a couple of minor incidents, the worst I got was this slightly broken nose."

Vaughn opened his mouth to argue the use of "slightly", but Rhys kept talking, "And honestly? I should be worried about you. You're out there getting shot at every day and like, wrestling with spiderants. Hell, when was the last time you even washed your clothes?"

"Okay, that's what we would call a deflection, Rhys. I'm not the one who's isolating himself and acting weird and getting mysteriously injured."

"You're not acting weird? Vaughn, you're basically a cult leader! And a bandit! And that- that's fine, whatever, but it's not the sort of thing normal, well-adjusted people do."

Vaughn took a deep breath. "You're only saying that to avoid confronting your own trauma, so I'm going to disregard it."

Rhys scoffed. "I'm sorry, are you my therapist now?"

"No, I'm your friend. Your friend who cares about you. I've known you for a long time, but even if I hadn't, it's pretty obvious that something's up. I'm just saying, there are two people on this planet who live alone in spooky old Atlas facilities, and one of those people is Cassius- and hell, Cassius actually keeps in touch. So, you know, that's kind of saying something."

Rhys threw his hands up, turning to Vaughn. "Fine, okay, I don't like going to Helios, and the cult is really messed up, but I'd rather not tell them that I straight-up murdered all of their coworkers to save myself from something I caused!" His voice echoed through the lobby.

"Rhys..."

He turned away, deflated. "Sorry, that was- I-I'm being a dick." He started scrubbing again. "I mean, I get why you're worried, and Helios… I guess I kind of have to deal with it, right? There's not a lot of other qualified employees on this planet. And it-it's helping them, right? I mean, yeah, it's a lie, but it's better those idiots think it was all for a good reason."

"You shouldn't have to deal with it, Rhys." Even as he said it, he knew that he was wrong- there wasn't much Rhys could do but deal with it. Not unless Rhys became a grade-A psychopath, incapable of guilt. "Would...Would it help if I tried to redirect them towards something else?" he offered. "Get them worshipping Yvette or something? That way, you won't have to tell them the truth, and they'll stop worshipping you."

The truth, Vaughn had already decided, had to be avoided at all costs. There was no telling how the CoH would respond, but there were surely some people who would seek revenge on their former god.

"Seriously, Vaughn, don't worry about it." Rhys cracked an unconvincing smile. "I'm benefitting from this whole godhood thing more than they are."

"Right..." Pursuing this any further obviously wouldn't get him anywhere- at least, not right now, when he honestly had no idea how to help. "But Helios isn't the only thing."

"Of course not."

"Okay, first, keep in mind: I'm not accusing you of anything."

"So it's the Jack stuff again?" Rhys asked, flatly.

"Yes."

"I'd really rather we didn't have this discussion again. But go ahead, I guess."

Vaughn took a seat on the front desk, watching Rhys run the mop over the same spot over and over again. "So uh, breaking your nose when you're completely alone is pretty uh… It's possible, but, it seems kind of...Convenient? I'm not saying that you completely lost it and plugged Jack back in, but maybe he somehow got back in on his own again? I know you've been trying to be safe with this whole thing, but, I mean, no offense, but it kind of looks like you brutally murdered someone, which obviously is more of a Jack kind of thing, so…"

"I told you, it was a skag." The patch of floor he was mopping was already pristine, but he didn't seem to notice. "He—it's completely isolated from the rest of the facility, like I said before. And I-I probably don't even need to do that much, the AI is dormant. I-I mean, do you think I'm stupid? Or do you just not trust me that much?"

"I don't think you're stupid, but I have to question some of your choices. And, you know, all things considered, it's really hard to trust you when it comes to Jack- and you honestly can't blame me for that. Last time you- you didn't say anything! He tried to kill us, literally right here."

"It's not like- Listen, I know I handled it like a moron last time, but I learned my lesson. I gave up on getting anything out of the eye. He- it's unplugged, locked up in a tritanium safe. Happy?"

That was probably another lie. "I'd be happier if you smashed it."

"Can we just- just not talk about him right now?" Rhys's voice lowered. "It's been a really rough week." He stopped mopping to glance around the room.

Great. So either Rhys had reactivated Jack, or he was going completely paranoid.

"Dude, why are you whispering? Is he here right now?"

"I'm not whisp- I mean, he could still hear me if I whispered." He spoke only slightly louder now. "That's kind of part of the whole 'living in my head' thing. And-and if he was in my head, he would definitely kill me. Or he'd try to make me kill you. Trust me, okay? Everything's absolutely fine. I understand why you'd think differently, but it's fine."

"This isn't what fine looks like, Rhys! When was the last time you even slept?"

"Last night."

"In your actual bed? And how long did you sleep for?"

"Yes. In my bed. I-I don't normally fall asleep on my desk." Rhys's knuckles went white on the mop handle, and Vaughn expected him to lash out again. Instead he loosened his grip, speaking calmly, "Fiona- she uh, she told you I have a cat now? And how I'm setting up sponsorship deals with Vault hunters? I'm- I'm actually doing pretty good, believe it or not."

Maybe, if Vaughn didn't know Rhys so well, Vaughn could have believed that he was running on a full night's sleep. He'd seen Rhys excel on minimal sleep, back in their Hyperion days. Most people couldn't even tell just by talking to him.
It was the wrinkled, half-untucked shirt and the loose strands of hair that gave Rhys away. He was the most stupidly well-groomed person Vaughn had ever known, no matter what the occasion was.

"Okay, so, you're obviously deep in denial. I hate to do this, but I'm not leaving until you either tell me what's going on or you prove to me that you're okay."

Rhys stared. "What? Dude, I told you everything, how about I...I dunno, visit Helios in a few days?"

He shook his head. "Nope, I'm not letting you make it worse for yourself, and I'm pretty sure going to Helios is doing exactly that."

"Are you kidding? Vaughn, I'm okay! You don't need to like, put your life on hold for my sake."

"Remember back in college when I was having a nervous breakdown so you came over and forced me to marathon those dumb action movies with you? I'm returning the favor."

"That wasn't the same! Don't-don't they need you back at camp?"

"Yvette has it covered," he said. "Rhys, there is absolutely nothing you can say that can change my mind."

"But- It's- I-I've got to- You-" he sputtered. His cybernetic hand had clenched tight enough around the mop handle that it was putting indents into the wood.

"If you didn't have anything to hide, you wouldn't be so determined to make me leave." This was a bluff, but Vaughn was pretty sure that normally Rhys liked to hang out with him.

"Fine, okay." A twinge of wariness mixed into his defeated tone.

"Good. Now, uh give me the mop before you break it." Vaughn grabbed the handle. "And uh, maybe go take a nap or something? You're not exactly getting anything done here."

The ground was still covered with blood, save for a small, immaculate circle.

Rhys didn't see why Vaughn had to go and be such an annoyingly good friend.

He also didn't see why he was stupid enough to let that catch him by surprise. Vaughn was always an annoyingly good friend. And this "intervention", unnecessary as it was, had been a long time coming. The broken nose had been the last straw.

He wondered if even the truth would be enough to reassure Vaughn, who didn't particularly like nor trust Zer0. He'd been nice enough to them when they'd joined the fight against the Traveler, but that was just for Rhys's sake. Prior to that, he'd tried to talk Rhys and Fiona out of recruiting them. "They're a Crimson Raider- same team as those guys who attacked you and kidnapped Athena!" Vaughn had said. "And they're an assassin. Do you want to get assassinated, Rhys? Because this is how you get assassinated!"

Rhys got an "I told you so" out of that, but Vaughn's opinion of Zer0 didn't improve.

Of course, it was so shortly after Vaughn finally found out about the Jack AI thing. Maybe learning that Rhys's prior idol was secretly manipulating and tormenting him for a month made Vaughn start to doubt both Rhys's taste in idols and his mental wellness.

Hopefully, Vaughn would never need to know. He didn't need more reasons to worry. Especially considering that Rhys was completely fine.

The only thing Vaughn was right about was his lack of sleep. Rhys never slept well these days, Jack and Pandora had seen to that.

The night before had been worse than usual. Physically, he'd felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to his face. Meanwhile, his mind insisted on producing every worst-case scenario regarding Zer0's disappearance.

That part was still weighing on him, even after Maya's advice. He was split between the images of Zer0 dying in some corner of the facility and of them ditching altogether to get hunted down out in the desert.

Maybe he shouldn't have fixed their arm, that made it too easy for them to up and leave.

This line of thought was thoroughly debunked seconds after it had manifested.

"This is a problem. / It has only been two days. / We are bad at this."

Rhys let out a startled cry, stumbling backward and shielding himself before his brain caught up to the rest of him. In front of him stood Zer0, cutting a less-intimidating-than-normal appearance in a baby blue cable-knit turtleneck. Regardless, Rhys's heart was pounding.

"Don't do that!" he snapped.

For half a second Zer0 almost seemed to flinch, but maybe Rhys had imagined it.

"Sorry." They tilted their head. "Are you well, Rhys?"

He stared at them blankly as he nodded. "I-I'm fine. But you just- you just gotta stop sneaking up on me like that." His reaction had been for Jack, not Zer0. It was nearly two years ago that he'd torn Jack out of his head, but Zer0's sudden appearances were proving that the conditioning was still there.

"Where have you been, anyway?" he asked. "I was starting to get worried that you were invisibly bleeding out somewhere or something."

"I went exploring. / Slept some. That's not important." They paused, pulling up their collar. "I overheard you."

"You overheard? Overheard what?"

"You and Vaughn."

"That- just now? Why?" It was hard to justify feeling betrayed- Zer0 openly admitted to studying his habits. Of course they were the type to eavesdrop, what else could he expect?

"You're hiding something. / I survive through vigilance. / Listening, vital."

He groaned. "Great."

"I wouldn't blame you / If you are angry with me. / Most people would be."

Maybe if Zer0 knew exactly what Rhys was hiding, they wouldn't be so understanding. But if they thought he had the high ground here, he'd let them believe that.

"Yeah, uh, listening in on private conversations is super uncool?"

They nodded. "But, in my defense / I was there before you two. / You just failed to see."

"What? Were you watching that whole time?"

Zer0 projected a "..." for a moment before responding, "I… Had been asleep, / I was cloaked, under the desk. / You two woke me up."

"You...You know that I gave you that bed, right? You can sleep there..."

"Yes," they responded. Rhys expected them to follow it up with some explanation, but they were silent, their attention seemed to be fixed to their left.

He followed their gaze and found that they were staring at the bare wall. "Are you okay? Are you sick, or is-is this you being mad at me?"

"I'm completely fine," Their gaze was on him again. Subtly, their posture changed, and somehow they seemed more themself. "Though, I do have some concerns. / About Vaughn. And you."

"Right…" For a moment he'd clung onto the hope that their social faux pas would be enough that they'd leave it alone. "So, how much did you hear?"

"Enough to wonder," they said. "You clearly feared I would hear, / Though I don't know why."

He closed his eyes, exhaling. How could he be so stupid? "Okay, just checking, you aren't going to kill me or anything?"

They projected a question mark. "Why? Should I? I could. / But I would much rather not. / Also, I promised."

"Great. Cool." It almost felt like they meant that as a compliment. Taking it that way would definitely validate Vaughn's concerns about his mental health, though. "So uh, what exactly is happening here? You have questions, or?"

"No."

"I totally didn't mean to install- Wait. 'No'?" Rhys stared at them.

"I have my secrets, / You've been respectful of that. / I will do the same," they explained.

"Wait, really? I-I mean, thanks, but… Really?"

For a long moment they only looked at him, head cocked. "I should warn you, though. / I won't be inattentive, / You are suspicious."

"That's...fair." He felt goosebumps go up. The realm of Zer0's suspicion seemed like one of the worst places he could be. "I...I guess saying it doesn't count for much, but all that stuff is behind me. I'm totally in control of my own body. No one else in here. No...Murder attempts..."

They were silent again, unreadable. All at once, the tension in them lifted, and they changed the subject: "Regarding Vaughn, though. / Please try to appease him, soon. / His presence, risky."

"We are entirely on the same page there." He let out a quickly fading, nervous laugh.

"Also, he was right. / You should really get some sleep. / You seem tired, Rhys." Before cloaking again they projected a "3", so briefly that Rhys was left wondering if he was seeing things.