AN: I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone once again for sticking with me and this story :) it's nice to have a distraction during everything that is going on right now. I hope you and your families are staying safe, happy, and healthy. You guys rock!
Chapter 29: Eridium, Everywhere
The Arid Nexus Boneyard was, as the name might suggest, a dry dusty wasteland. The sand beneath their feet was nearly white, and paired with the bright sun that beat down upon them Maya had to squint her eyes just to look around. They stopped at the nearby catch a ride station to get their bearings. In the horizon, two beams of blueish light were shooting up into the sky, visible even against the harsh sun's rays. Axton wiped some sweat from his brow and echoed Mordecai.
"You see that building with the lights shootin' outta it? That's the Info Stockade. We're gonna get you there through the main Eridium Pipeline. Head there now, there should be a ladder on the side of the pipe leading to a maintenance hatch, you can use that to get inside the pipeline. Itll be messy, but Itll lead you to the stockade."
"Might as well take the runner," Maya said as she checked the map. "it's not far."
They climbed in and took off at full speed, taking advantage of the flat, open landscape. Along the way they passed some pools of Eridium run off that had collected under the pipe winding overhead. That was it, no enemies yet to be seen.
The lights in the sky drew nearer, as did the waypoint on their map. "Pull off over there," Maya said, pointing towards the pipe. Up a ramp next to it, the ladder could be seen hanging off the side of the pipe. They climbed out of the runner and ran up the ramp.
"Ladies first," said Axton, gesturing goofily at the ladder.
Maya smirked at him and put a hand on the bars- and watched in horror as the rusty ladder crumbled from the pipe and fell to the ground below.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" she cursed. Even Axton knew not to laugh in a time like this. Instead, he echoed HQ.
"The fucking ladder broke Mordecai."
"Goddamnit…still, it looks like the pipes cracked. If you could raise the pressure you could bust the pipe wide open, get in that way! Yeah…head to one of the pumping stations!"
"Alright," Maya said with a sigh, "to the pumping stations."
They got in the runner and backtracked the way they came; in order to build enough pressure, they were going to have to override the two valves at the pump station. Once completed, they would have to go to a second pump station and repeat the process, then a third. Only foreseeable problems would be the place teeming with loaders. They stockpiled on ammo and weaponry back at the catch a ride station, they could only hope it would be enough.
They parked outside of the large station to figure out a plan of attacked. Axton cleared his throat.
The valves should be up there on the top level," he said pointing up to the platform. "You're nimble, so I thought-"
Maya snorted, "what do you mean I'm nimble?"
"Well, more so than I am."
"How do you figure?"
"Look at me!" he exclaimed, gesturing to his body. "I'm big, and well, youre-"
She shot him a look before he could say "small". She sighed, "what is it you'll have me do?"
"I'll cover you, you just worrying about running up there and shutting off those valves. We shouldn't hang around trying to take down all the loaders. Besides, times a wasting."
"You're right," she agreed. "looks like a pretty straightforward route to the valves, you sure you can keep up with me?" She exited the vehicle, Axton following in kind as he rolled his eyes. They could see loaders patrolling about on the platform above, so far none need the stairs they needed to use.
"Okay, ready? Run!"
They took off at breakneck speed; the loaders above took notice and began to scramble. Up the stairs, around the corner smack into a war loader. Maya phaselocked it, hoisting it into the air and sliding beneath it, Axton sliding with her, safely to the otherwise as Maya tossed the loader over her shoulder. You could hear the crunch of metal as it found its target into a wall.
They continued up to the second level, where swarms of loaders began to trail them. Once they reached the valves, Axton would have to stand and fight. Maya, needing to even the odds for him, spotted a large metal ammo crate coming up on their right. She phaselocked the crate, spun around and heaved it with all her might at the incoming loaders that were making their way up the stairs behind them. It was very effective, knocking down the loaders like bowling pins while also partially blocking the way in a pile of twisted metal, making it difficult for the rest of them to follow.
"Theres the first valve!" she called, skidding to a stop and began to crank on it with all her might. It was rusty, but soon there was a give and she had the valve moving until she had twisted it all the way. Meanwhile, Axton covered her back, shooting at the stairway where the loaders had begun making their way through. "The second ones over there! Just past the first!" he yelled over the gunfire, nodding his head in a direction in front of her.
She threw herself at the second valve, pulling it to the left as hard as she could until she broke out in a sweat. The wheel groaned and creaked until she had it all the way.
"COME ON AXTON LETS GO!"
He threw a grenade at the crowd of loaders that had gotten close before turning tail and chasing after her. The grenade behind them exploded, pushing them from behind as they leapt from the upper ledge. They landed hard, kicking up dust as they pushed off from the ground towards their runner. Maya clambered in the gunner seat as Axton took the driver.
"Go go go!" Maya yelled. Axton hit the gas so hard she nearly flew out of her seat, and they were off, the pumping station shrinking quickly behind them.
"Woohoo! One down one to go!"
Maya chewed her lip, willing the runner to go faster. They were one step closer to saving Lilith and putting and end to this madness. Axton turned to her, a small smile gracing his features.
"So what're you and Lil gonna do once all this is over?"
She gave a small smile of her own and hummed,, gazing out of the window as the scenery passed them by. "Take her somewhere nice…somewhere we can forget about all the shit that's happened. Where we can finally focus on each other. I want to stay in Sanctuary with her and the Crimson Raiders, if that's what she wants. What about you?"
"Of course I'd stay," he said with a smirk, "I gotta shoot my shot with Moxxi again!"
They laughed together over that, before falling silent once more. Maya pinches her brow and groaned.
"I didn't mean anything I said before…" she said quietly.
"I know," he replied. "Lilith does too."
She could only hope.
Lilith felt rough hands grab her by the collar of her shirt, hoisting her to her feet. The figure had to keep a grip on her lest she fall flat on her face. She grew weaker with every passing minute, and had reached the point where she wonders how she hasn't died yet. She struggled to open her eyes and saw the chilling mask belonging to Handsome Jack, breathing heavily in her face, his grip tightening as he shook her fully conscious.
"Wake up Firehawk, that's it. You're missing all the fun that's happening right now. You see, I've caught word that your little bandit friends have infiltrated my Info Stockade. No doubt to get information on where you are. Unfortunately, my loaders attempts and capturing those cockroaches have failed as seems to be the common trend. No matter though," he leaned impossibly closer, snarling in her face, "even if they get that information and even if they somehow found you it will be far too late. The vault key is nearly charged and they still haven't a clue where you are. By the time they get here, The Warrior will be awake and he will tear the bandits apart for me. And I'll make sure you watch every bleeding second of it, let's see, we already have Roland," he laughed, counting the fingers on his free hand. "Then Brick and Mordecai, hmm…that young fellow, Axton? Yes and of course, that bitch Siren from Athena. Maybe once I'm through sucking the life out of you, I'll keep her alive so I can do the same thing to her. I'm sure I can find some use for the whore-"
Lilith used every ounce of strength remaining in her to cock her head back and spit directly in his face. He immediately released her and she crumpled to the ground, but she was satisfied. He growled with fury as he wiped a hand vigorously over his face, before bending down to undoubtedly give Lilith a beating, but something stopped him. A look of understanding dawned on his face, and Lilith felt her stomach turn to ice.
"Its her, isn't it?
She said nothing, as she was pretty sure she already said too much. Jack cackled and straightened, clapping his hands together.
"Ohhh this is rich! So the great Firehawk, leader of the Crimson Raiders, heart of stone so cold that she even up and dumped her old dead boyfriend, has a new soft spot. Oh Lilith, your fiery emotions always were your downfall. You're gonna regret telling me that."
He continued to chuckle as he strode away, leaving her on the floor. "Oh yes, you'll regret it when you see what I'm about to do with her."
"I cant believe we're about to do this."
Maya was furiously scrubbing soot from her face. Getting to the other two pumping stations proved no easy task; both stations had been infested with loaders, and Maya had a particularly close encounter with a Hot Loader which resulted in her current blackened state. Axton wasn't without his wounds either, as he held a hand to a rather nasty looking bump on his head after a jet surveyor had collided with him. Nothing major afflicted the pair, and the mission was a success. The pipe was under tremendous pressure, all it needed was a little push.
Axton tightened his grip on the wheel, "Nervous?"
"Not so much nervous, just tired of the abuse I've been putting my body through."
"I hear ya," he revved the engine, "ready?"
She tightened her seatbelt across her chest and braced herself. "As ready as I can be."
"It might be fun?"
"Just drive."
He hit the gas and they took off in a cloud of dust, speeding towards the makeshift ramp that lay before them just in front of the pipe. If all went according to plan, they would take the runner up the ramp and slam it into the pressurized pipe, causing it to blow. Hopefully with minimal injuries as well. The ramp was quickly approached and Maya planted her feet and grabbed onto the overhead bar.
"Hold on!" Axton shouted as the runner slammed onto the ramp for a split second before being launched straight at the pipe. Everything happened so quickly, all Maya felt was a sharp, painful lurch of the vehicle as it collided with something solid and her vision was filled with purple as a waterfall of Eridium gushed forth. The strength of the spilling Eridium sent the runner flying back, eventually tumbling to the ground and rolling onto its roof.
Maya and Axton were both groaning, their necks stiffened and strained from the whiplash in the impact. Maya felt her collarbones gingerly and winced. She didn't think anything was broken but she would most certainly be bruised from the seatbelt.
"Hahahaha! I heard that all the way back in Sanctuary!" Mordecai shouted gleefully over the echo. "You can get to the Stockade through the pipeline now. Get inside and find out where Jack's got the Warrior."
Axton jumped up into the busted pipe, reaching his arm down for Maya to grasp and hoisted her up with him. There was no point in trying to stay clean, there was Eridium everywhere. Dripping from the ceiling and up to their ankles. They sloshed down the pipe as quick as they could, before ending up in a maintenance shaft at the side of the Info Stockade building. A ladder led them up to the main platform. They ascending it cautiously with their weapons raised but found no signs of loaders at the top. They bolted in the direction of the waypoint on their map, and came to a large door leading into the Arid Nexus Badlands, home of the Info Stockade. She looked backed at Axton who nodded at her and raised his weapon to the door. She opened it carefully, stepping back so Axton could push through with his weapon, but they found no resistance on the immediate other side. She came in after him, closing the door behind her. The info Stockade was just past the town of Fyrestone, or rather what was left of it, which lay before them just ahead.
She had heard of Fyrestone from Lilith. It was crazy to think that she had started her journey on Pandora right here where Maya was standing. The place was pretty much abandoned now, ever since Hyperion took it over and drove out all of the residents.
They sprinted their way through the abandoned settlement, only running into a few loaders along the way. The roadway to the Stockade was built above them, nearly a hundred feet in the air. According to their echo device there should be an elevator to take to get them up there.
"There it is, at the end of the road!" Axton shouted. Before they could reach it, a beam of light cut through the air, hitting the roadway above with a crash.
"Shit they're sending down loaders!"
Maya watched with horror as the monstrosity above them rose to its large metal feet.
"Looks like just one really big loader!" Maya replied, and was it ever. The loader stood as tall as a building, the largest model Maya had ever seen. The loader fired up its engine and rose from the roadway and lowered itself towards them, its cannons glowing menacingly.
"Run!"
They took off, behind them lay some old abandoned buildings. They dove through the window of one, tumbling on the concrete floor and remained there as missiles went off all around them.
"I don't think this building will hold long!" Maya yelled over the explosions as she crouched under the window.
"It won't, we're just gonna have to shoot and hope we take it down first!"
Axton chucked his turret out of the window, while Maya brought her trusty rocket to her shoulder. She began to fire upon it, the loader couldn't get at her through the small window. It was the structure she was more worried about. More and more debris from the ceiling began to chip away and fall on the pair, and a loud groaning began to fill their ears.
"We gotta get outta here!"
"We'll be exposed!"
"We'll be dead if we stay!" she yelled with finality as she grabbed his collar and put a phaselock around them as dangerous chunks of rock began to fall. She bolted through the back door just as the building was brought to ruins.
"Come on! To the elevator!" she gasped and they ran at breakneck speed, ducking and weaving through the mortar fire that rained upon them, creating massive craters upon impact. The elevator was nearing, but they would have to take out that loader first. Maya had an extremely risky plan, downright stupid, but she had to try. She broke off from running with Axton and instead ran for the loader.
"Maya what the fuck?!" He yelled, faltering a moment.
"keep going! And trust me!"
He looked torn, but as her best friend he knew he had to trust her. And he did. So he kept going for the elevator. It was currently at the top, so he slammed on the button and looked frantically for Maya. He couldn't believe where he found her.
Maya frantically climbed her way up the monstrous loader. Her plan was to make it to the top and to chuck a couple grenades down into its engine on the back. She just had to make her way up there without being thrown off.
The loader lurched forward, then back, trying desperately to get her off. It even slammed it's own robotic hand into itself trying to swallow her away, but she was far too nimble. She reached the top of the giant, and peered down into its flaming engine. She unclipped all of her grenades and tossed them down with a smile, before leaping from the top onto the bridge above.
The loader gave a great heave as the explosions went off inside, smoke bursting forth from its gun and its head. It tried to step forward and reached out, but fell to its knees instead. With a mighty crash the loader toppled forward onto its face, kicking up a cloud of dust as it lay there unmoving.
Axton had just exited the elevator and ran to her on the road and scooped her up into his arms.
"That was fucking reckless, you know that!" he said, laughing. "But, also totally badass."
"Thank you! Thank you!" she said with a mock bow. "I figured I needed to get my reckless stunt out of the way before facing the Warrior."
Axtons face turned serious. "Unfortunately it will probably take a reckless stunt to pull that one off too."
Maya couldn't argue with that. Instead, he clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get inside. It's time we find out where that fuckers hiding."