Chapter 10: Finding Friends

Waking is usually a blessing for Maya, especially when being awake meant she was safe from the nights cruel tortures. However, today she would be facing the embarrassment that hit her like a bucket of cold water as soon as she had opened her eyes and realized what she had done.

She had shown Lilith a side of herself that she had kept private for so long, a side that Maya was sure to drive her away. Lilith, who helps lead the crimson raiders to victory, who allowed Maya to join because she believed she could be of aid to stop Handsome Jack, had seen Maya weak and vulnerable. So very un-siren like. Even with her powers, she always managed to be that scared little girl, cowering in her mother's kitchen.

There was a flare of rage that tore at Maya's heart, and she summoned a small phaselock sphere in her hand. She looked to the mirror, where she still saw that scared little girl, eyes red and puffy from tears of anger that flowed when she had awoken. With a cry she threw the small sphere into the mirror with all of her strength, shattering it into dust while breaking clear-through the wall into the bathroom. "FUCK!"

She dropped down defeated onto her mattress, the sound of crinkling paper filling her ears. She sat up slightly, reaching for the paper she had fallen on. Lilith's note. Maya had awoken with it gently laid on her pillow, and Lilith had been gone. For this Maya was grateful. She wasn't sure if maybe Lilith could tell that Maya would want to be alone when she woke up, or if the other Siren simply had things to do, but she was glad for her solitude.

Get some breakfast when you're up and ready killer. We have a brief in the War Room at 4PM. -Lilith

She had signed her name with a goddamn heart. That's a good sign, right?

She thought back to last night, when Lilith had held her until she fell into what was the most peaceful sleep she could remember having. If she hadn't been so exhausted, she probably would have been terrible nervous, and maybe even excited. It saddened her to know that her and Lilith sharing such an intimate moment had to happen on such disastrous terms. I wish I could get a second chance…

She hoped Lilith would remain discreet today as she did last night. She asked no questions then, she shouldn't ask any questions now. Something told Maya that Lilith understood her without her ever having to say anything.

But maybe I should say something? Maya thought to herself. Don't I owe her at least that? Screaming my head off, worrying her so much. Maybe not a full explanation…but maybe I shouldn't leave her hanging either.

Maya sighed and pushed herself off the bed, looking to the mess she made. Ugh, later. She went to the bathroom and proceeded to get ready for the day. When she was done showering she went to her closet, opting for her bright yellow jumpsuit, and then fixed her hair into an intricate bun.

Once she finished affixing her many weapons to herself, she took a deep breath. She was Maya, Siren of Athenas, and she would not hide from her anxieties.

She stepped out of the HQ into the sunny streets of Sanctuary, the hum of the usual activity pleasant in her ears. Anything to drown out her worry. Her stomach rumbled, and she checked her watch. 2:30 pm, plenty of time to grab a bite. She hung a left through the alleyways, heading in the direction of Moxxi. One might think she should be sick of pizza by now, but it was the first time she had ever had such food. On Athenas, the food was as dry as the people who resided there.

She walked through the door of Moxxi's and (surprise surprise), it was still as lively and packed as it had been the night before.

"MAYA! OVER HERE!"

She turned and saw Axton sitting at a small table in the corner, a box of pizza lay open in front of him. He waved her over, a smile spreading across his face. She grinned back, sauntering over to the table and pulled up a chair. "Well well well, I must say, you look better than I thought you would, considering how absolutely obliterated you were last night."

"Don't let the good looks fool you," Axton chuckled, "I feel like a bag of shit."

Maya laughed, "So, did you get lucky last night with Miss Moxxi?"

"Of course I did."

This made Maya laugh harder. "God, Axton, I love you."

"Love you too sis'" he said with a mouth full of pizza. "Want some?"

"Fuck yes, thank you," God was she ever hungry. She grabbed a slice and took a bite, "wanna beer?"

Axton nodded and Maya flagged down a waitress, ordering the drinks.

"Nothing cures a hangover like the hair of the skag," she said.

"Amen!"

"So," Maya started, "we have the briefing at four right?"

Axton took a large gulp of his beer, nodding. "that's right, guess it's time to find Mordecai and Tiny Tina. We're gonna need their help if we're gonna get that vault piece."

"Do you know whose going?"

"Well to be honest Maya, I'm pretty sure Lilith wants you and her to go. But after last night, Roland probably won't like that. Although, if Lilith really wants something a certain way, I don't see how Roland can stop her. She will do it anyway ya know? Especially after she's the one who arranged his rescue, and-"

Maya held up her hands, only hearing one part of what he said, "what do you mean 'after last night'?"

Axton sighed, rolling his eyes, "Maya, it's okay! It was pretty obvious to everyone last night the mad amount of chemistry between you and Lilith-no, hold on," he said, holding up a finger when she opened her mouth to object. "I'm your best friend Maya. I know you don't want to talk about it, and we don't have to. But I know this is new to you, and you don't have to be afraid. Besides, she definitely likes you too."

Maya's face was burning red, but she didn't reply. She supposed the only explanation for these new feelings are due to her being attracted to Lilith. This is what it was, what a crush felt like. She felt doomed.

Ever the friend he was, he didn't push further. "Anyway, you know how tense things are between her and Roland right now,"

Maya looked sad. "I didn't mean to make things worse…"

"No! You definitely didn't make things worse. What they are going through isnt your problem. It's not like you owe Roland anything, you barely know each other and you chose to help him. Lilith is a grown woman and she can do what she wants, aaaaand he broke up with her," he said with finality, "he will get over it. He's gonna have to if he wants this mission to work, which is more important than all of this bullshit."

Maya nodded, and she truly agreed. If they didn't stop Handsome Jack, none of this will matter. They need to focus on the task at hand. Axton let out a loud burp, "right, we should get going to the war room, it's nearly four."

Maya downed the rest of her beer, "after you."

They stood around the map of Tundra Express in the war room. Lilith had smiled when she walked in, which was a good sign. She was looking as gorgeous as ever, wearing a chestnut brown leather jacket with a fur collar, her red hair done perfectly. Her lips were a deep blood red, and her eyes burned hotter than hell itself. Maya tried not to stare.

Roland cleared his throat "Handsome Jack is gonna kill us all unless we can stop him," he started.

"He means hi, that's his way of saying hi," Lilith said annoyed.

"Right. Sorry. Hi." He sighed. "I'll be honest soldiers, we're losing this war. We've been trying to stop Jack for years. We've taken out his men, raided his Eridium mines, but it hasn't been enough. The two of you met Jack and lived," he said, looking to Axton and Maya. "You fought off the Rippers, and the Bloodshots. You saved my ass and Lilith's.

"Thanks by the way," she said, her eyes lingering on Maya.

"If we're gonna survive this we need your guys' help. Now we thought Jack wanted to open a vault and use it's power to wipe us off Pandora, but, thanks to some Intel I stole from a Hyperion convoy, I found out we were wrong."

"What?" Lilith demanded.

"He's not going to open a vault, he's going to control it."

Lilith scoffed, getting pissed, "I'll just go ahead and repeat myself, what?"

"The vault Jack is looking for isn't an alien prison or a cache of weapons, it's a living thing. An ancient, Eridian warrior, powerful enough to destroy all life on Pandora. Whoever awakens it, gets to control it.

"That sounds…bad," said Lilith.

"Yeah this is starting to sound pretty fucked up," said Axton, staring at the map.

Maya remained silent. An Eridian warrior? This sounds very bad for Pandora. We have to get to it first.

"If Jack wakes the warrior, yeah, but if we control the warrior first-"

"We can use it to wipe Hyperion off the map…" Lilith said quietly.

Roland looked to Lilith with understanding, though you could still feel the tension in the air. Maya chewed her lip, the sudden realization just how serious the situation was hitting everyone like a train.

"There's a problem," Roland said grimly, "we need the vault key to wake the warrior And Jack's already got it. But according to Tannis, the key needs to be charged with Eridium. We're in a race against time, every ounce of that stuff that Jack mines from the ground puts him closer to taking control of that warrior, and wiping us out. We got to get our hands on that vault key. If anybody knows where that key's being kept, it's my spy Mordecai out in Tundra Express. He's as good at gathering Intel as he is at drinking, so I'm sure he's sleeping off last nights booze right now. You're going to need a fire weapon to wake him up. Maya, you and Axton-"

"I'm going."

Every head turned in the room turned to Lilith. Roland set his jaw, "Lilith-"

"No, Roland. Thanks to Eridium my powers have far surpassed anything Pandora has ever seen. Combined with Maya's siren powers, we should be an unstoppable force. There's a good chance that Jack himself will be around if we try and take back the vault key, and if I'm not there, who knows what could happen. No offense, Axton."

"None taken, I doubt my turret could stop Jack as easily as your powers could."

"I wouldn't say easily, but I feel like we would have a better chance. Besides, if shit hits the fan, at least I could phase us out of there if need be."

Roland looked like he wanted to protest, but he knew she had a point. He also knew, however, that Lilith mainly wanted to go to ensure Maya's safety. Something that should make him happy, was somehow twisting a knife in his heart. "Fine," he relented. "Axton, you and I will stay here in Sanctuary and monitor the mission, while making sure no attacks occur."

"Got it boss," chirped Axton.

Roland turned to Maya, "I'll echo you guys and explain more when you get out there. You better get going."

Lilith looked to Maya, "let's go, we'll stop at Scooter's and get a set of wheels."

"Lead the way," she replied. She was trying to push down the panic at the thought of doing a mission with Lilith. She wanted desperately to impress her. Her entire life, everyone marveled at the sight of her powers, many saw them and trembled and fled, and those that couldn't get away, well, they felt her true wrath. Either way there was no denying her strength, but this was the fucking Firehawk. She had to do better than she ever had before.

It was dusk when they went to get a vehicle. They usually traveled to their destinations at night, the darkness was good cover from bandit camps and wandering wildlife. Lilith climbed in the driver's seat, Maya taking passenger, then she started up the engine and they were off.

Lilith was a very good driver. They were going fast even with the headlights off, and Lilith could handle every curve and every obstacle as though she knew it was coming. It caused an ache in Maya's core.

"Are you gonna say something killer? Or are you just gonna stare at me till we get there?" Lilith smirked.

Maya's face burned and she looked away quickly. "I'm sorry…I just wanted to apologize for last night. I don't know what got into me. It was just…night terrors, that's all."

Liliths hand went to Maya's and she began rubbing soothing circles into her palm. "You don't have to tell me until you're ready, if that time ever comes. If it doesn't, that's okay too. But I'm here for you, I would gladly do what I did last night again and again."

Maya couldn't believe her ears. Lilith sounded so genuine, she found her worries noticeably eased. They rode in silence for the next while, but Lilith never stopped holding Maya's hand. She could feel her body responding. Her heart was racing and her stomach clenched, her lower body beginning to match her face's heat. She knew what she wanted to ask, and she was sure Lilith would oblige, but she found herself filled with nerves once again. Just say it you coward!

She turned to Lilith, and once Lilith glanced at her that was all it took to chase away her fears. She was the most beautiful being that Maya had ever laid eyes on, and with the impending doom they were about to face, Maya didn't want to die the afraid little girl she was all her life. She was going to take steps to learn more about these feelings, to try and explore them, to experience them as most people do, before it's too late.

"I want to kiss you again," she breathed.

Lilith hit the brakes suddenly, veering off the road to the right just outside the entrance to Tundra Express. It was late into the night at this point, all that could be heard was the breeze around them. Maya could suddenly hear her heartbeat as well, and she knew her breath was heavy.

Lilith turned to Maya, taking the hand she was holding and placing it on her own face, kissing her palm. Electricity shot through Maya, increasing the strange need that was building inside her. She couldn't look away.

Suddenly, Liliths lips were on hers, slowly relishing and needy yet gentle, as to not scare Maya away. But Maya responded, mimicking Liliths actions with her own lips, just hoping to God she was doing it right. She needed more. More what she wasn't sure, and she didn't care.

She wrapped her hands around Liliths neck and pulled her closer to her, they just couldn't get close enough in this stupid runner. Lilith widened her mouth, and Maya felt her tongue begging for entrance. Oh my God OH MY GOD! Maya wasn't sure where this was going, but it felt good and it felt right, so she opened her mouth slightly to grant Lilith access. Her tongue threaded softly into her mouth, lighting Maya on fire during the process. Maya was losing herself in Lilith, she was absolutely enraptured. Only when an involuntary moan slipped through her lips did she snap out of the spell Lilith had cast on her unknowingly.

She backed away slightly, both of them panting, their cheeks equally flushed. "I-I'm sorry, if I took this too fast. It's like…I'm having a hard time controlling myself. You drive me crazy," Lilith gushed.

Maya put one hand on her chest, and one on her pelvis discreetly. She was thankful for the dark. Maya was confused, she thought that the feelings that were building in her center, the dampness in her underwear, were because she wanted to kiss Lilith again. But kissing her only seemed to amplify those feelings tenfold. She could feel her heartbeat in her groin, and she desperately wanted to ask Lilith what the hell was happening to her and if she felt it too, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about her parts like that. Brother Sophis' harsh lessons still rang through her head.

"No don't be sorry…it was…amazing." she said. "I've never felt that way before."

"I feel it too."

Maya hoped she meant it, that she wasn't alone in this. She was jerked out of her daze by Lilith starting the car. "We should get going killer, but...we can talk more once we get through this. We have to find that vault key."

"Right," Maya said. They were almost there, Maya pulled an incendiary pistol from her hip. "We should stop up here, we can buy some ammo and get in contact with Roland."

"Sounds good to me."

They went through the entrance to Tundra Express, pulling off beside one of Marcus' machines. Maya stepped out and stretched, soothing her aching muscles. She looked to the horizon. They stood upon a large snowy slope that went down into the heart of Tundra Express. The skeleton of a very large, very scary animal lay to the right, its massive head hanging over the path slightly. Maya could see a large mountain peak a ways in the distance, and many smaller mounds littering the ground all around the peak. She knew those little peaks were home to dozens of varkids which, thankfully, were relatively easy to kill, as long as you weren't overwhelmed by the swarm. She gazed to the peak, taking in the snowy wonder around her. She hasn't seen much of it in her lifetime. "Cold killer?" came the sultry voice from over her shoulder. Maya smirked, "Not at all. You?"

Lilith scoffed, "you're talking to the Firehawk."

Yes I am, Maya thought. They smiled at each other for a moment, taking each other in before the inevitable slaughter started. As much as they both loved the fight, Maya was beginning to think there was something she liked more.

They were interrupted by the crackle of the Echo, "you'll have to signal our man, I'll bet anything he's sleeping off a hangover so you'll have to wake him up. The sound of some varkid's burning alive oughta do it."

Lilith groaned. "Hi Roland, yes we did make it here safe, thank you for asking, how are you?"

"Right. Sorry." and he signed off.

Lilith let out another huff of frustration. "God I cant fucking stand him sometimes! It's like he has no idea how to be human. Fuck sakes."

Maya laughed, rubbing Lilith's back. "it's just who he is. One of those 'I'm too tough to feel' guys. I don't think those kind of guys are right for you," she said quietly. That was awfully bold of her to say, and she hoped she wasn't overstepping. But a huge grin broke out on Lilith's face. "I don't think so either."

Maya, against every instinct in her body, leaned in and kissed Lilith softly on the cheek. This was the first time she was the one to lean in, and it may have just been the cheek, but it was still a big deal for Maya. She loved watching the Firehawk's face turn the most adorable shade of red, if only everyone knew about their tough Firehawk, she thought humorously. "We should get going," she whispered to Lilith.

Lilith let out a sigh, "with our Siren powers combined , we shouldn't have any problems. I'm also really looking forward to fighting alongside you," she said, looking to Maya with admiration. "but please, be careful out there."

Maya laughed, inserting a clip into her gun, "don't you worry about me, but you as well."

"I will always worry about you."

Maya's heart nearly stopped at the confession. Lilith had said it with nonchalance, but it meant a lot to her nonetheless. She was so sweet and considerate, a side that only Maya saw. Lilith was already walking down the slope, looking back at her with her signature cocky smirk.

Maya just shook her head and followed.

They huddled behind a stack of ammo boxes, a short distance from a large mud mound housing a varkid colony. "Okay here's what we do," whispered Lilith. "You're gonna pop up and fire off some shots on the mud mound and draw them out. Keep shooting and see if you can light a couple on fire. My phasewalk has an incendiary element, so when they get close enough to us I'll jump into the swarm and phasewalk, which should light a bunch at once. Ready?"

"Always," Maya replied, taking aim at the mound. Now this is what comes naturally to her. She was finally feeling like herself, despite Lilith being in such near proximity. She was only focused on the fight.

"Now!"

Maya squeezed the trigger, lighting up the varkid mound in a dazzling display of incendiary power. The shrieks of the varkids sounded immediately, and they started flooding out of the mound. They looked almost like giant grasshoppers, with long powerful legs to lunge at its prey, and large buzzing wings. These little monsters could also evolve into larger and more capable versions, so you had to watch for them turning into pods. As they rushed at them, she began shooting them in the legs, lighting a few ablaze. She didn't want to hit them head on, as it would probably just kill them, and they needed them to burn.

"Okay I'm going for it, cover me!"

"I got you!"

Lilith leapt over the ammo boxes, and began running toward the swarm. Any that got too close Maya immediately shot down. They made a pretty good team.

Once Lilith was surrounded by a good 5 or so, she went into her phasewalk, the radiating blast of her elemental powers lighting up the entire group of varkids. The screams were ear piercing, but she kept shooting. I'll probably be deaf after this.

Lilith had phased back beside her, "THAT SHOULD DO KILLER, WE'LL KILL OFF THE REST OF THEM!" she shouted over the screams of the varkids. She too pulled out a handgun and they picked off the remaining creatures. The screams slowly died out as they burned to death.

The only sound that could be heard was that off the cranking machinery in the distance, until a loud creaky yawn came over the Echo. "Hey Lilith, hey whoever you are, welcome to the Crimson Raiders. Sorry you had to wake me up, I might've celebrated a little too hard after Bloodwing and I invaded a Hyperion convoy," came Mordecai's voice, laughing. The shriek of a bird filled their ears, and Mordecai chuckled again, "Easy girl. So, the Hyperion train is coming through Tundra Express. If my intel's good, the vault key itself might be on board. Advice, what I'd do is steal the key, get drunk, and pass out!" He laughed.

Roland's voice came through next, "without the vault key Jack can't control the Warrior. You guys gotta hijack that train. Our old friend Tina could help, go talk to her."

The sound of Mordecai's sniper rifle echoed through the Tundra as they began walking. "Mordecai's a wicked shot, he will give us good cover," said Lilith. "Tina lives in the mountains here, she built herself a nice little workshop to work on her bombs. She's only a young girl, but deadly as hell. And as I said before, a little batshit crazy. Follow me."

They walked down the dirt road leading away from the peak tower that was Mordecai's home. There was a small mountain laid out in front of them, large glowing red bombs lining the base.

"She make those?" Maya asked.

"She sure did. She can pretty much make an explosive out of anything. It's fun for her." She looked to Maya, " You did awesome back there by the way, you're quite the sharpshooter for a Siren."

Maya smiled at the compliment, "I've had lots of practice."

They reach the base of the mountain. There was a large steel door embedded into the wall of the mountain. "Come on iiiiiiiinnn you're missing the fuuuun!" came the shrill voice of a young girl over the Echo. The large door slowly creaked up, revealing an icy path leading inside. They looked to each other briefly before carrying on into Tina's lair.