"So Zero. Who do you think is a better shot, you or Mordecai?" The Commando has that joking smirk on his face as he speaks. I have to admit that the drunkard did do an…adequate job of providing sniper fire. However at such an elevated position he should have achieved a much higher kill count, not a mere dozen.

"You two should have a contest," Says the Gunzerker, reloading his shotgun as we walk.

"We could get some serious betting in on that!" The Commando is excited as he speaks, "Ah hell yeah! This is happening!"

"My money is on Zero," The Mechromancer says in her usual, giddy voice. "I mean, I bet you got lots of crazy tech in that helmet to help with aiming." It is unfortunate but she is correct, however I have all such systems switched off, except for those that are impossible for me to calculate whilst encased in armour.

"Well that's just cheating!" Shouts the Commando. "Clearly he needs to take his helmet off for the contest." Once more his smirk is back.

"Whaddya say, Zero?" The Mechromancer gives me her own smirk now.

I can partially understand their curiosity at my appearance. After all, the pool that they have started at the bar has a minimum pay out of ten thousand dollars. Of course they don't know that I am aware of its existence. Technically there is already a winner. Well initially there were quite a few, but the rules have been changed to require more specific answers than 'alien'. Now people have begun inventing new species, giving descriptions of my appearance. Moxxi has actually formed a rather large book to keep track of everyone's guesses. The bartender herself is actually the closest to winning. Although she has never stated her guess out loud, my curiosity got the better of me one night and I read her entry in the book. It' a bit… distressing how accurate her guess is. Not like she or anyone else will ever find out though.

"How about we just trust him to not cheat?" Says Maya.

"Well…how would we know if-"

"Zero, do you promise not to cheat?" Maya asks, cutting off the Commando.

"Yes." I answer easily, it would be quite dishonourable for me to cheat in a contest of skill. I also have no doubt that I will win.

"There, I'm satisfied. Five grand on Zero." She offers me a smile and I find my lips twitching in response.

"I'll match that!" The Mechromancer says with far too much enthusiasm.

"Same here," Adds the Gunzerker.

"Well now I'm gonna look like an ass if I don't do it too! Alright, five on Zero." Oddly enough, the Commando doesn't seem genuinely upset at this. Perhaps he is just smart and recognizes I will win.

"Something tells me Lilith and Roland are gonna be voting for Mordecai," It's Maya who speaks now. I find myself agreeing with her, they are a close group.

"Bet Moxxi will too. I heard they used to be a couple!" The Mechromancer giggles faintly at this.

"Who hasn't gotten with that woman?" Maya says with a laugh.

"Axton," The Mechromancer gives the Commando a grin before bursting out in laughter, she is quickly joined by the others.

"Oh, ha ha." The Commando rolls his eyes as he speaks. Even I have found his advances amusing. The way the bartender toys with him borderlines on the cruel. Like a predator tormenting its injured prey. It didn't take me long to decide that I liked the woman. Her…forward behaviour aside, she has the eyes of a killer. Plus she torments the Commando, that is always good.

We arrive back at the workshop of the so called explosives expert. It is a child. A sadistic, deranged, likely mentally unstable, child. I like her. The Mechromancer seems to find her incredibly entertaining and the two struck up an instant friendship. I am beginning to wonder if they are related somehow. The others also seemed amused by her, although Maya did express some concern about her living out here all alone. But from that bandit we saw her explode earlier, I think she is doing okay.

"You got da badonkadonks? Gimmie, gimmie! I'll go and make you some big boom booms!" The Commando and Gunzerker both place the rocket tubes inside her workshop. "Okay now get out! I gotta work alooooneee." The second they are clear the metal door slides down, sealing the room off.

The Mechromancer quickly began passing the time by summoning her robot and tinkering with him, the Commando was doing much the same with his turret. The Gunzerker seemed content to simply sit and watch, while simultaneously checking and loading his array of weapons. Maya was seated on the ground a small distance away, her eyes closed. I have seen her enter this meditative stance before. I hope she is thinking of new ways to kill. I decide to pass the time by disassembling my rifle, mostly through boredom. I hope the girl will be finished soon, I am looking forward to the battle ahead. The train is sure to be well guarded, likely by loader bots. But still, a fight is a fight.

Thankfully we do not have to wait long before the doors open again and the girl is standing there with a big smile on her face as she presents, what is literally, two stuffed bunnies strapped to large rockets.

"Now you just gotta take these fine ass ladies to a nice spot and watch them blow the shit outta everything!"

"Alright….Sal, you wanna help me with these?"

"Sure thing amigo," The Gunzerker quickly moves and picks up one of the rockets while the Commando grabs another.

"Hey guys," Says the drunken hunter over the com. "There is a good spot close Tina's. I'll mark it for you."

"Thanks man," Says the Commando, heading out the door.

Maya, myself, and the Mechromancer lead the way to the location, with the others following close behind. Unfortunately we encounter no resistance along the way and quickly arrive to the platform, which gives us a clear view of the train bridge. The rockets are quickly set up and we are informed they will be set off by remote.

"So, how much defense you think they will have?" Asks the Commando.

"Probably a lot," Maya answers.

"The more the merrier," Says the Mechromancer, a big smile on her face. "DT loves tearing through Hyperion drones!" Her skills may be unrefined, but the girl has a tenacity that is admirable. Her confidence in battle is growing with every engagement and she is no longer hesitating before acting. Indeed sometimes the others have trouble reigning her in when she gets going on a kill streak. She is always shouting something about multikills, but she has a grin on her face while doing it. I am starting to like her. Her technological genius is also something to envy. Besides the knowledge required to repair and maintain my suit, I am not skilled in such fields.

"Here comes the train," Says the Commando.

"I hear da choo-choo," Says the child over our Echo. "Alright ladies, you ready to explode all the bitches?!"

"Let's kick some ass!" The Mechromancer shouts as the rockets go off, pumping her fist in the air. I simply grin as I load my rifle in preparation.


Gunfire echoes through the valley, normally it would make tracking the exact location difficult. However the sheer amount leaves little guess work to be done. This hadn't exactly gone according to plan, although it's not like this was horrible. Someone else attacking Hyperion wasn't a terrible thing. This just meant she wouldn't get to do any killing. That wasn't fun. Well, she could do some, but that would mean getting in the way of however was attacking the train, which was likely the Raiders.

She crept closer, staying along the valley's edge, trying to actually get a view on the battle below, it certainly sounded like a good one. Luckily the battle came to her. Not a second later a loader exploded as a single round went through its eye. This was quickly followed by a short, stocky man running around the corner, a shotgun in each hand, blasting away a fresh group of loaders. Next came a taller man, he was clearly military by the way he fired. She also recognized the device strapped to his back, Dahl Saber turret, nasty things. Next came a girl, she couldn't be more than twenty, she was firing an assault rifle at the loaders and shouting something about anarchy. There was also some kind of floating robot, ripping into the loaders with a large claw. The next figure to come around the corner was a damn Siren. She wasted no time in extending her arm, tattoos aglow as a loader was lifted into some kind of gravitational anomaly, two nearby machines lost their balance as they were sucked towards it. The Siren wasted no time in raising her SMG and mowing them down.

The final figure that came around the corner was very tall and lithe, dressed in dark armour and helmeted, they had a sniper rifle and were dropping targets with impressive accuracy. The group was working well together, with the short man, Siren and girl leading the charge. The soldier was close behind and shoring up any weak points in the offense. The entire attack was covered by the accurate sniper fire. The group cut their way through the loaders as if they were nothing, making their way towards a large clearing with a cluster of ruined train cars.

Clearly there was something important on this train, for Hyperion to be putting up this much resistance and for such a well armed group to attack it. She had just planned on raiding the train for the sake of destroying Hyperion property and pissing off Jack. However she wasn't sure who this group was working for. Could they be independent? The soldier was Dahl, could the cooperation be hiring out mercenaries to take on Hyperion? No, Dahl had given up the planet once, why would they come back for it now? Although Hyperion was making quite a bit of money from its operations here. This could be cooperate warfare at work. Still, that was more likely to be done by a spec-ops squad, not mercenaries.

They could also be working for the Raiders, in which case it would be in her best interest to remain hidden. While it would be beneficial to work with the group, she didn't exactly trust that they could remain professional about it. Well, Roland could, Lilith…not so much. Still, perhaps that was something to consider further. For now though, she was content with watching this group fight. There was never any harm in figuring out the best tactics to kill people, allies or enemies.

The short man looked strong, but his skill was wild, untrained. Block or avoid enough of his shots and he would either have to reload or charge in. Either way, engage him in melee and it was over, it was clear he was a brawler, not a true fighter. The girl could be taken out easily, while she was clearly…tenacious, her aim was horrid and she had no discipline. The robot, who she was certain belonged to the girl now, would be a threat, but it appeared to be summoned from her mechanical arm. Get close, remove the arm, then kill. The soldier, well he was a soldier, she had killed hundreds like him. In a straight up fight, block his shots, get in close, destroy the turret within the three second deployment time. The Siren…well, she had never had to kill a Siren before, but she had planned for it. Mobility would be key, she couldn't allow the Siren to get a target on her for those powers, stun her with a ranged attack or force her into cover then move in for the kill.

The sniper…well, it was a sniper, one that likely thrived on stealth. As long as she had a fix on their position then she could get in close enough for a kill, just have to move carefully to ensure she never presented a clear shot. Literally the same second she formed that though, two loaders swooped in from behind, firing at the sniper as they landed behind him…yeah it was probably a him. He rolled, nimbly avoiding the gunfire, but he didn't roll away, rather towards the landing site. He came to his feet, a blue blur in his hand as a sword digistructed into existence and cut clean through the first loader, removing its leg. The sniper easily side stepped the thing as it fell, shooting it in the eye with a pistol as he rolled away from the incoming fist of the second loader. He came up behind the thing, jumping up and kicking off the back of its leg, he grabbed onto the shoulder, stabbing his sword through its chest as he continued his spin to come to the machines front, letting go to land on the ground at a very low crouch as the machine fell dead behind him.

Well, maybe she needed a different plan to deal with him. That had been pretty impressive and it also revealed a great deal about whoever this person was. They were an assassin, no doubt about that. She recognized her own kind. There was no guarantee that she would have to fight this group, but now she really wanted to, at least him. She was so sick of bandits and Hyperion drones, this, this could prove an actual challenge.

The group entered the clearing ahead, gathering together as if they were talking. A few seconds later one of the train cars was lifted into the air and hurled over the group. From beneath came the large, mostly machine figure of someone she recognized instantly. Well, he certainly had changed. She had never understood his obsession with cybernetic upgrades, it was a poor substitute for actual skill.

The group immediately began firing at Wilhelm. The soldier deployed his turret where it could fire at their foe but also cover against reinforcements. The short man charged right in, firing both shotguns wildly, but fairly accurately. The girl joined him, as did her robot. The Siren hung back, closer to the soldier, adding her SMG fire to his rifle. The assassin was still providing sniper fire, switching between Wilhelm and very quickly picking off surveyors as they tried to fly in.

Wilhelm suddenly rocketed towards the assassin, passing over the others, clearly he intended to stop the sniper fire so he could receive air support. She thought about moving to assist, she was in a good position for it, but she was certain the assassin, and the group, could handle the cyborg. She was proven right as the assassin easily rolled away, firing at the cyborg as he rose. She heard Wilhelm howl in anger and begin to charge, firing rockets and grenades at the rest of the group as he did. They all dove for cover, with the exception of the Siren who raised her arm, the large anomaly swirled around Wilhelm. For a moment it seemed it wouldn't hold him, but then his feet left the ground and he was helpless.

The only other figure who hadn't taken cover was the assassin, he had just braced and waited for the charge. Now he was running forward, grabbing onto the cyborgs leg, he threw himself up with surprising strength and grace to land on Wilhelm's shoulders. The cyborg batted at the assassin but he simply lopped off the offending hand before doing the same with the head. Well, that was certainly a very effective tactic. So, if it came to a fight, kill the Siren first.


"Damn," Said Maya, a faint grin on her face. "We are badass," She couldn't help but be happy. That was some good team work! She had figured since that tactic worked so well against that bullymong so long ago, why not this big bastard? She looked over at Zero as he hopped from the body and landed next to her.

She instantly put up her fist and held it out to him. "Come on!" She said, chuckling at how he just stared at her hand. "That was awesome, you gotta bump this!" She was in a damn good mood! She had tested out some new power ideas, like pumping more energy into her phaselock and focusing on adding some elemental damage, turns out fire was really easy! They had all worked brilliantly, watching those other loaders getting sucked towards her phaselock, then start to burn up. It was awesome! She was riding high right now and wanted to share it, especially with Zero, they made a kick ass team.

The assassin hesitantly raised his fist and tapped it against hers, making her grin grow even bigger. "Hell yeah!"

"Hey we helped too," Muttered Axton as he joined them.

"My bad, fist bumps all around!" She smiled as she raised her fist to each of her teammates. Good god she hadn't felt this good in a long time! What a rush! She couldn't wait to tell Lilith. Honestly the only reason she had thought of fire was because of the other Siren. She had half been expecting it to fail.

"Vault Hunters, kickin ass and taking names!" Said Gaige with a huge smile as she eagerly bumped Maya's fist with her mechanical one.

"Oh wow!" Cut in a voice, causing all the smiles to fall and scowls to replace them. "I can't believe you guys kill him!" Said Jack, although it still somehow sounded like he was being condescending.

"Fuckin rights we did! You're next you fascist bitch!" Shouted Gaige into her Echo device.

"Gaige, I don't think he can hear you." Said Axton, trying to shut off his own device, as he always did when Jack insisted on talking.

"Gah! First thing I am doing when we get back is finding a way to either shut him off or talk back!"

"You kiddo's really are a spunky bunch! I'm gonna have to do something about you." Good god, Maya hated this mans voice. He was ruining her good mood!

"I'm detecting that Wilhelm dropped a powerful energy core," Said the voice of Angel. "If you take that to Sanctuary then they will never have to recharge their shields again."

"Mine! Dibbs!" Shouted Gaige, running to the dead cyborg and prying the core from his back.

"Oh no!" Jack said, not sounding upset in the least. "You got the core. What a bunch of bitches you are!" Was he really still going to try and sound like he had the upper hand when they had just killed someone who was supposed to be his toughest enforcer? "Well that's just one more reason why I'm gonna have to murder your faces off. I'll be seeing ya."

"Thank god," Maya muttered. She hated his voice so much!

"Come on, lets get back to Sanctuary." Said Axton, packing up his turret. The others began following him as he led the way out of the canyon.

Maya was about to follow when she noticed Zero standing still, looking around the valley. "Hey, Zero, what's up?"

"Someone watches." He said, two seconds later his form shimmered and disappeared, but only for a heartbeat, then he was back to standing right beside her. "Keep walking," He said, but the voice came from behind her. She did as he said, his hologram double keeping pace with her. She wanted to turn around and help him, but she knew that it would be impossible to locate him. She just had to trust that he was taking care of whoever the hell was watching them. Still, wouldn't be a bad idea to give the others a heads up.

Maya picked up her pace to catch up with the others, the double keeping perfect step with her. Once she reached the others she slowed her pace down. "So, nobody react or anything, but Zero says someone is watching us."

"Who?" Everyone stopped and looked back, speaking at the same time.

"Just act normal, keep walking!" She hissed, aware that Zero's plan probably hinged on them all acting like they didn't know. They followed her instructions and so she kept talking as they walked. "Zero is off finding them, this is his double. I figure he can handle it, but I also figured we should be prepared in case there is an ambush or something."

"Alright," Said Axton, checking his rifle. "Guess we just have to trust ninja boy. Still not sure on that one."

"Zero will watch our backs," Maya instantly responded. She didn't get Axton's continued distrust of Zero, everyone else seemed to have no problem with him. Must be a guy thing. Although, in his defence, Zero wasn't exactly going out of his way to appear friendly to anyone but her. Maybe she would talk to him about that. Although, deep down she had to admit, she didn't mind being the only one that Zero spent any kind of time with. She kind of liked it, as weird as that sounded. As they walked she had to resist looking around for the assassin. He was watching out for her, she trusted him.


I keep my steps silent as I approach. The figure is no longer watching our group, but doing something I can't see. They are wearing red armour, a grey scarf is wrapped around their neck and pulled up over their head. I can see a circular shield strapped to one arm and a red sword at their hip. It's slightly shorter than my own, straighter and heavier in design, single edged, it also looks very well used. I have to admit that my steps falter at seeing the weapon. My lips quickly form a smile, I truly hope they know how to use that weapon. The prospect of them proving a challenge excites me, I draw my own blade in anticipation as I close the distance.

I am only a few steps away when the figure suddenly rolls to the side, sword instantly in their hand as they rise to their feet, slashing the air infront of them. I have to jump backwards to avoid the attack. Now I can get a clear view of them. It's a woman, slightly shorter than average, she has a very strong build that is evident beneath the armour. Her unarmoured forearm gives just another hint of her well honed physique, a tattoo also covers its surface. Her face is partially obscured by the shadow cast by her hood, but I can see a very strong face set in a fierce look. She has bright grey eyes, the colour of steel, her hair is some kind of dark shade, but I cannot tell exactly what.

I can instantly tell that she is a deadly opponent, her reaction and current stance screams of someone who is well trained and skilled at killing. Her shield is held ready to deflect any attacks while her sword is prepared to strike out and quickly kill whomever would launch such an attack. I feel my smile return, this will be a good fight. I instantly deactivate my cloak, her eyes fix on my form as I appear a few feet infront of her.

"You," She says, her voice is strong and quiet. "You were fighting against Hyperion. Look, I'm not your enemy."

"You watch but not fight/ An ally would assist us/ So then who are you?" Her position would have offered her an extreme advantage if she had decided to attack us during the battle, also her attempt at diplomacy is most unusual on this planet.

She cocks her head at me faintly before answering. "My name is Athena. I'm fighting Hyperion, same as you. The only reason I didn't help you guys out is because I didn't know who you were working for. You don't look it but there is always the chance you were just a bunch of bandits."

"We all seek Jack's head/ We work for Sanctuary/ Who do you work for?"

"I work for myself," She answered firmly. There was much iron in that statement, even a bit of what sounded like anger. "You are working for the Raiders, I have no problem with them. So we are not enemies."

Damn. I actually wished she had been an enemy, surely it would be a very interesting fight. "Will you join us?" If she is an ally then perhaps I can still test myself against her. Perhaps she will prove to be a worthy opponent.

"Uh…that's not a good idea. Some of the Raiders aren't exactly my biggest fans. I'll just stick to doing my own thing."

I really have no guarantee that she is telling the truth. This could be some kind of deception. However I cannot think of any benefit she would get from this scenario. If she were truly an enemy of the Raiders then it would have been prudent to eliminate us during the fight. I am inclined to believe her story. Frankly I care little for the personal opinions of others, therefore I don't care what kind of grudge they may have against this woman. I still really want to fight her though. I get the unexplainable feeling that were I to offer a challenge, she would accept. This is the first individual I have ever met that actually bleeds power, deadliness. Her movements, her stance, there is power, grace, and brutality in them. I have never seen this before, not at just a glance anyways. But I am already sure that this person would offer a very good fight. I open my mouth to speak but am cut off by my Echo device.

"Hey Zero, you okay?" It is Maya's voice, I can detect faint traces of concern. Odd. I cannot be certain how long the duel would last, but I should not keep her waiting. Also the others, I suppose.

"Fine. Returning." I loathe that I cannot fight this woman before me. However I am now committing myself to finding her again so I can issue a challenge. But there is no guarantee we will meet again. Although if she is fighting Hyperion then the odds are not too bad. However, perhaps I can increase them if I issue the challenge now.

"I can see your skill/ Upon our next encounter/ We shall fight eachother." If my instincts are correct about this woman then she will accept the chance to test her own skills.

"You're on." Her voice is firm and I can see the faintest of smirks entering her face. I feel my own grin appear at her acceptance. Perhaps I have found a kindred spirit.


Another chapter complete! I wont promise anything, but now that my semester is all done, updates should be far more regular.

Okay, now to the actual chapter. For the first bit, I kinda figured Zero would get a bit competitive with Mordi over sniping. As for Moxxi's guess being the closest. Well I just always figured if anyone could guess what Zero looked like, it would be her. Feel like that's kinda her thing, ha ha.

Tried my hand at writing Tina. I REALLY like her, she is absolutely hilarious and I can guarantee there will be more of her. Hopefully I can do her justice.

Finally got to reveal my secret character! I absolutely love Athena, she is hands down my favourite character, tied with Zero. Now I am aware of the vents of the Pre-Sequel. I will keep true to the most important bits, but some other aspects will be ignored or changed to suit this story. Nothing really major though. She is going to be the third major character in this story, so expect alot more from her!

Okay, now, I have said multiple times that Krieg will not be in this story as I do not have faith in my ability to write him. But some of you still seem to think he is going to be brought in. Maybe you are just trying to force my hand, ha ha. Anyway, I will TRY to work him into the story. He was never in my initial plans for this so I do not know how well he will fit in. But since a fair number of you really seem to want him (Don't blame you at all for that, he is great!) I will see if I can work him into the story somehow. Still NO GUARANTEE! But I will see what I can do. If I do manage it then he probably wont have a huge role, but I guess ya never know. I just want to say again. NO GUARANTEE! But I shall try for you fine ladies and gents!

Thank you all again for the follows, favs, and reviews! I appreciate them all! You are all awesome people!

Okay, that's it for me! Should have another update for you soon!

Stay Classy!