Chapter 9
"Here, deliver this to the slab king and you'll have him at our backs...probably"
Roland handed the note to zer0 and zer0 read it over, it was apologetic and mentioned 'Revenge against Jack', zer0 was going to question as to what the mention of revenge is for, but Lilith walks in and spots them both,
"Havin fun boys?"
"There is a challenge ahead, i seek it and will pursue, no fun just work"
"What he means is that he's...gunna try and get 'The Slab King' back with us, i think he's outta his mind"
I
Lilith looked at zer0 warily, although he may look like a beanpole, she new he was one of the most efficient killers in this constalation, she didn't doubt him but she almost...feared him, emphasis on almost, she knows what he has done, who he has killed and how slowly he killed them, and he only killed some slowly because...they ran, they gave him no challenge and he got pissed, so he hunted and tortured them, she did not like being close to him and certainly didn't doubt him against brick.
I
Zer0 looked upon his siren, he could not be attracted to her, he was...made not to feel, he was sure that these feelings that crept up on him were just temporary, something to ignore...but he still felt them, he has tried to repress them but they always come back, perhaps after he leaves her for his employers entertainment he would become the old him, the good him...the evil him.
He read the note several times and decided to go on his way to thousand cuts, where the slabs had setup,
"I will take my leave and echo you when i have accomplished this task, goodbye roland, goodbye lilith"And with that he left.
I
As she watched zer0 leave she turned to roland,
"So, you're sending him to Brick for what reason?"
"He has the suspicion that Jack is holdin up in the bunker, just across from where brick has setup, he says that if we have bricks slabs and him on our side and we attack Jack, we could end the son of a bitch in one strike, you in?"
"Heh, hell yeah i'm in"
I
Zer0 has just appeared on a ridge from the highlands and is now looking upon the bandit camp known as 'Slab Town', he aimed his rifle and with 5 loud shots, the first part was cleared, he jumped down and progressed further through the village, but stopped as he heard over the echo a bandit shouting,
"King we got an intruder!"
He heard an even gruffer voice reply with,
"An intruder huh?, sounds like hyperion sent another assassin, alright boys, fight like badasses or die like bitches!"
'Hyperion sent another assassin', well he's not wrong zer0 thought with some amusement, but his thoughts were cut short as he heard the engine of a buzzard approach and a bandit shouting "FEAR THE SKIES", zer0 chuckled a dark chuckle at this, 'The skies fear me' he thought as he threw a corrisive kunai at the engine and watched him plummet into a ravine below him, zer0 turned to continue through the camp and stopped as he saw a huge warehouse, but between him and the warehose stood...8 bandits, 9 if you count the goliath who was asleep, so zer0 unsheathed his blade and went to work, he split 3 in half bfore they knew what had happened, the others turned to see this and began firing at him, he threw his decoy and crept behind them, killing the 2 before they could react to his pressence,'5 down' zer0 thought, he heard the goliaths snoring stop and the behemoth lumber towards him at an alarming rate, thinking swiftly zer0 threw 3 slag and fire kunai at him and watched him sizzle for a second, before he went on to the rest.
After the 5 minute fight for zer0, he approached the warehouse and entered through the roof into the main area, he saw the 7 foot tall 'Slab King' and held his hands up, mainly because two goliaths wielding miniguns were aimed at him, zer0 pulled a note from his belt and held it up,
"Slab king, this message is for you, from the one known as roland"
The giant tensed slightly at the mention of roland, he jumped down from his balcony with a huge hammer and took the note, after several minutes and re-reads of the note later, the king spoke up,
"So, roland needs me back, huh?, i'll be honest i've missed the raiders, alright you got me an ma boys, we're in"
"Very well, echo him to tell him of the news"
"Yeah alright"
As zer0 turned to walk away, his helmet beeped and he picked up the speed a little, just to get out of earshot from the huge man, he answered the call,
"Yes?"
"Is it done?"
"Yes the assualt will be soon, prepare your men and i will call when the fight is upon us"
"Ok great, hey, i've been thinkin, why don't ya come and work for me after this huh?, i mean your skill and infinite resources will help you in the long run and sure help me out a great dea-"
"I work for no man or company, i take contracts and disappear once paid,i require a challenge and a company assisting me will remnove the elemant of challenge,i honorably decline your proposal"
"Huh, alright then"
And he ended the call there, he progressed to the fast travel station and returned to sanctuary, he saw roland through the hq window, he was in deep thought and decided not to bother him, he instead went up to his roof and began to think about...alot of things, but mainly...her.
He could not push her from his thoughts, he must not keep this way of thinking up, he will not allow it, he will finish his job and what he was paid to do, and be gone, disappear like a shadow into the night...one of his favorite lines he thinks of before sleep takes over him.
I
"We're almost done everybody, we have the army of slabs and our crew together, all we need is the claptrap upgrade to get past the force field and a key card from a jack double in opportunity for the door to jacks chambers, thanks by the way brick, for the intel-"
"No problem"
"Anyway, axton and sal, you guys are on opportunity for the key card and maya and gaige, you guys head out to the 'Exploitation Preserve' i think Mordecai needs your help with something, zer0 you get a break, we need a fully rested sniper for this attack and Mordys gunna be drunk, so you stay in sanctuary and rest, no arguments" And roland cut the call off there, he sighed and looked to his plans again, he wasn't sure that they were going to work, even if they did they needed all the luck they could get for attacking that place, roland layed back and sighed'Tomorrows goin to be a pain in the ass'
I
Zer0 was awoken by a crashing noise from the streets of sanctuary, he looked down towards the street, ready to end whoever it was until he saw her...he'd recognise that red hair anywhere and he would know those tattoos also..Lilith
He heard her call his name, she sounded tired and so he leapt down next to her, she turned to him,unfazed as she was used to his...sudden appearences now and spoke up,
"Sire-,*Sigh*, Lilith, what may i help you with?"
"You owe me some explaining, i still know nothing about you and you know...we might die tomorrow so i thought you should...open up a little more"
"Lilith, you already know more than anyone else who is alive, what more do you want?"
"I know nothing about you!" she yelled, but soon gave a death stare to those that looked at her, she pulled zer0 into a nearby alleyway and continued,
"I want to know where you came from, your backstory and much more, but you blow me off at every attempt i make, just tell me for fuck sake"
"Why must you intrude?, i will tell you...tomorrow, after our attack i will tell you anything you want to know"He almost felt bad for feeling...amusement at knowing what was going to happen to her and her friends tomorrow, he saw her eyes light up a little as she just nodded and walked off'Oh siren, if only you knew what fresh hell awaits you', zer0 actually chuckled at this, he was capturing the most wanted criminals on Pandora and two sirens at the same time, he has come far from just killing officials and taking hits.
I
Lilith walked into moxxi's, she knew he was bullshitting, he wouldn't just give in so easily, she has to figure it out soon,
"Hey sugar, what can i get for you?" A familiar seductive voice dragged her from her thoughts,
"The usual mox, rakk ale"
A few minutes of waiting and her drink arrived, in it's normal repulsively brown bottle and wrapping, she swigged it down faster than intended, she ordered another, mind still on the enigmatic assassin as she fell into sleep.
3 HOURS LATER
Lilith awoke, she had fallen asleep on the counter at moxxi's, it seemed like an impossibility but she was only awakened by the touch on her shoulder, she turned to see maya, her siren sister, standing with blood on her combat gear and a few tears in her eyes,
"Maya, whats wrong?"
She replied in a quiet tone,
"It's mordecai, he lost...bloodwing"
Lilith almost screamed at this, she asked how it had happened and maya told her all about the preserve and the fight with a huge blooodwing, and how it ended.
Lilith had just noticed all of her fellow vault hunters in the bar aswell, her and maya at the counter,Roland,Brick and Mordecai all at one table, Mordecai surrounded by empty bottles and his head down on the table, she saw Axton walk up to him and pat him on the shoulder gently, she heard him utter out,
"Sorry buddy, for your loss, we're gettin him back for this"
He turned and walked back to the table that Sal and Gaige were at, Sal was describing how he was going to kill jack in every way imaginable, she looked around and noticed one hunter missing, zer0, she paid no attention to him though as she staggered from her bar stool and up to mordecai, she placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered to his ear,
"We'll get him back mordy, i swear"
She ran her hand through his hair and returned to her bar stool and left him to grieve, she looked around and saw Hammerlock talking with Moxxi, in a conversation that she couldn't hear properly, she looked around and saw no sanctuary citizens were in the bar, they had been cleared out by Moxxi as a form of privacy, she saw everyone with their heads down, everyone but Sal who was trying to cheer them up, failing but still trying, Lilith only thought of one thing and one thing only,
'I'm gunna fuckin murder Jack.'
Authors Note-Combat scenes and speeches for the next chapter...soooo...yeah.