Boots, tailcoat, and a matching hat. That's the way mad moxxi always loved to dress, with her own Burlesque twist! She loved the glances and smiles men gave her. But Rhys, Mr. Atlas himself, never batted an eye toward her. She was his equivalent, not some sloppy, Pin-up poster girl. (Though she'd like to think of him under those dark clothes in satin sheets.) Moxxi Strode through the front door to the Atlas building with a smile as men ogled her with prying eyes. Never did she think that she would be able to just walk in without the thought of faltering. It was nice.
Moxxi smiled as she walked into Rhys's office and he was scrambling. He hadn't even noticed her enter. "Sugar, you look like a skag with its head cut off." She giggled and Rhys jumped. "Scare easily too."
"When did you get here?" He asked looking at his watch.
"Just now." She smiled making her way up to his desk. Rhys was on the other side sitting back in the desk. "Vaughn called and clarified. Figured I'd stop by and see what ol' golden eyes was up to myself."
"I just got a call from someone inside the Hyperion base. They were probably using an onion router."
"Explain to me what that is sweetheart." Moxxi smiled as she moved beside Rhys to sit on the desk.
"Basically this person hacked network nodes to gain access and stream. But the power cut out to the comm not to long ago. I'm waiting to see if they'll call back."
"Do we know this person?"
"No." Rhys answered. "Their voice is masked and the video didn't show him or her. The virus I made to block Jack from getting a body…It isn't attacking anything. Or anyone for that matter. And it spoke."
"So what does that mean for us sugar?" She asked again.
"It means that the virus is using Jack's new body as a host. Raven said something about the virus attaching itself to Jack's A.I. Which means that…The virus is becoming an A.I. but it's identifying as Handsome Jack."
"And that's a problem."
"A huuuuge problem. I would much rather deal with Jack himself than the virus. I made that thing to kill. Raven is looking for triggers that invoke the virus, and so far it's Stasis. I didn't even think it would live this far. But it's adapting."
Moxxi and Rhys quieted down when the comm rang again.
"Hello?" Rhys answered.
"Sorry about that. Had to change out the batteries this comm takes a lot of power." Whispered the electronic voice. "We have a problem."
"What's happened now?"
The comm shifted to look back down the vent to an empty table.
"Oh no." Rhys gasped. Moxxi stared at the room curiously. "What happened?"
The camera zoomed in on the table showing the metal latches to the leather straps. "There would have been no way, a person could do that. But whatever he's made of he destroyed the straps. Hyperion made him strong. Really strong. Raven tried to lock him in here but he hacked through the door pretty quickly. I almost feel sad for her."
"Do you know where she is now?" Moxxi asked curiously.
There was hesitation on the comm. "…Moxxi? That you?"
"Sure is sugar."
"Oh, Good. And no I don't know where she is. When the first strap busted, she bolted out of here faster than a moon shot."
"Damn it." Moxxi sighed.
"Oh one more thing before I get out of here, Raven Amelle isn't her real name. It's Claire Bloomquist. She had it changed when she became the leader of the CyanTide. Jack did some digging on her apparently."
"Pretty name." Rhys muttered writing it down. "Thanks for your help…uh…Anything I can call you or?"
"We'll keep in touch." The voice said before the line went dead.
Moxxi laughed quietly. "It's sad I almost feel bad for the poor girl. First we kill everyone she loved, chased her to oblivion, rough her up with an A.I; And now it's after her too. This girl can't win."
Rhys looked up to Moxxi sadly. "We should have just taken the deal for the vault key. We wouldn't be in this situation if we did."
"You did what I asked and got paid. That's all you have to worry about." Moxxi stood and began messaging Rhys's shoulders. "Don't worry sugar. Someone will end up getting fucked at the end of the day anyways. Pun intended."
Meanwhile, Hyperion was in utter chaos. Jack pushed workers out of the way, his expression foreboding to them. Some weren't so lucky to escape his wrath. "WHERE IS SHE!?" He screamed. "WHERE IS RAVEN!" All he received was confused glanced. "You're all useless!" Laughed Jack as he moved forward. Jack wiped the blood off his face with his hand and shook it off.
Raven could hear him coming in her direction, and took off running again. It was strange how she felt so much safer with Jack's A.I. than this…Thing. As problematic as it was, Rhys's words flashed in her mind making this situation so much more worse. He'll betray you. She remembered. She only thought of it figuratively, like it was a possibility, but would never happen. Never did she expect it literally by complex circumstances.
The woman spotted an open vent in the room she ran in, and jumped up to haul herself inside. She quickly closed the vent door behind her and scooted farther into the vent quietly, when the room's door opened.
"Here Birdie, birdie, birdieee! Where aaaaaarrrreeeee you?~ Come on out pumpkin! I just want to rip off those pretty little fingers of yours!" Jack called out inspecting the room, making his way closer to the vent. Raven backed up slowly. When she turned, she came face to face with a man, who quickly covered her mouth before she could yell out. Her eyes widened as he pressed a finger to his lips, signing her to keep quiet. The man released her and moved back around the vents corner, Raven followed suit. As she turned the corner, the man let her crawl over him, then halted her when the vent door opened a few feet away from their position. A light shined into the vent, and the man moved away from the corner as it shined his way. Jack made a disgruntled noise and slammed the vent door to move on. The two sighed with relief in the dark.
"Thanks." She whispered leaning her head against the metal wall.
"No problem. You alright?"
Raven laughed quietly. "Yeah…Yeah I'm okay."
"He sure doesn't like you."
Raven laughed again, and the man held out his hand. "I'm Clarke. I clean the vents here."
Raven shook his hand. "Raven. I'm the CO-CEO to Hyperion."
It was hard to see but Raven could make out some of his definition. A Glowing green echo-eye, strong jaw, broad shouldered, Cargo pants, dark t-shirt, pretty muscular. Not your average cleaning man. She admitted. I'll play along for now.
"Come on. Let's get you out of here." Clarke sighed moving on. Raven took off her coat and left it behind.
As they crawled through the vent system, they could hear Jack's voice booming below. Barking out orders, people screaming, and bones snapping. It sounded horrible. He was going off the deep end trying to find her, and she was caught in some duct with a man she didn't even know.
"Where are we heading?" She asked curiously, rolling up her sleeves.
"Outside. It's pretty dangerous right now."
Boy he was right. Raven was contemplating solutions as they moved. Nothing seemed safe, attacking Jack's alternate persona head on, seemed stupid at this point. Everyone had to be searching for her now, just to make their boss happy.
"Do you regret bringing him back?" Asked Clarke, breaking the silence.
"Jack? I regret not testing him farther. I could care less about Jack. I was paid to bring him back. I have to admit though, The Atlas CEO did one hell of a job with him."
"But do you Regret bring him back?"
As Raven was about to answer, they heard a commotion below and the vent behind them being opened. "Go!" Clarke yelled pushing her forward. Straight down was an open vent leading outside. Raven's adrenaline started kicking in when multiple vents started opening up behind them.
"YOU CANT ESCAPE CLAIRE!" Jack yelled from below, Soldiers climbed into the vent behind them and Clarke shoved Raven outside, falling about 10 feet to the ground.
The man grabbed her by the arm and hauled ass to the broken gate where A Caravan of vehicle's waited in the dark. Raven looked around confused before she turned meeting face to face with Zer0.
"No!" Raven yelled angrily punching Clarke across the Jaw. The man stumbled back and Zer0 stepped forward. Raven batted away Zer0's hand as he went to grab her, but a sharp pain in her leg grabbed her attention. Clarke had rammed a needle into her leg and she felt the effects of an anesthetic pulling her asleep. She stood Sharply, Kneeing Clarke in the face, and Elbowing Zer0 when he went to grab her again. As the two were temporarily stunned, Raven did her best to limp away from the two men, it wasn't until the familiar sharp pain struck her shoulder, that she turned back wide-eyed. Her vision blurred and she fell back unconscious.
When Raven awoke, she was…warm. Comfortable even. The only thing that generally hurt was the area's where she was shot with the needle. Raven groaned as she sat up, her head swimming from the anesthetic. Zer0 sat across from her reading. The window showed a bright Pandorian sun overlooking the desert with a warm haze.
"Where…are we exactly?" Raven asked and Zer0 looked up from his book. Her voice was hoarse, like she had just gargled a bunch of sand. Zer0 stood tossing a bottle of water on the bed.
"About 10 miles away from Atlas. Too dangerous to move now. Jack and his people have been roaming this area for hours."
Raven uncapped the water and took a drink. "Such nice treatment for a prisoner." She added.
"Orders from Rhys. I would have killed you already."
Raven cocked a brow. "He said that did he? How sweet. Remind me to repay the favor." She said sarcastically, throwing the water back at Zer0.
"He needs you alive. They need you to help take down Jack."
"I'd rather be shot than to work with that murderer."
"You think Jack isn't one? If I remember correctly, you were a member of the CyanTide?" Zer0 asked curiously. Raven glared. "How many Pandorian cities do you think he destroyed in his reign? You remember don't you?"
Her expression softened, and she crossed her arms uncomfortably.
"I remember the CyanTide fighting off Jack's soldiers with grace. You were the robin hood of Pandora. And yet…You let Vengeance cloud you. Atlas is helping the people of Pandora. And you're fighting against them?" The room was quiet. Raven couldn't even look at him. All she felt was shame swelling in the tears that dropped down her cheeks. Zer0 sighed softly grabbing tissues from the table. Zer0 sat across from her and offered her one. "I know plenty of vault hunters who would die to fight beside you. You're a little out of shape though. That elbow just barely hurt and you didn't knock out Clarke."
Raven laughed softly. Hesitantly she grabbed a tissue and wiped away her tears.
"Besides…I know Rhys. Yes, what he did was unspeakable, but he wouldn't have done it if there wasn't an extra hand playing another part."
"You're saying it was someone else that made him do it?" Raven questioned and Zer0 stood.
"That's all you'll be getting from me. Don't put the blame all on him."
After a moment of silence Zer0 rubbed his neck. "Clarke asked you a question that you never got to answer…Do you regret bringing him back?"
"Now that you mention it…Yeah. I do. I didn't see the perspective until you threw it at me." A smile appeared on Zer0's helmet.
"So do we have our old vault hunting friend back?" He asked again.
"Get me my gear."
Face to face with an automatic fire arm, a civilian begging for their life, and the town behind them burning. BOOM! Jack fired the automatic and grit his teeth in Silence. "I want her found!" He called out to the mercenary's. "She is to be found alive and safe. If I find out she was harmed, I'll make sure you never see the light of day again! Got me Dum-dum's?" The soldier's saluted and dispersed leaving Jack alone to himself. The headache he was getting was unbearable and it was all that girl's fault. Jack looked up to the window in the store seeing his reflection. His clothes were dusty, He had dirt on his face, and then something caught him by surprise. One eye was its hazy red, the other was glowing blue.
"What the hell?" He asked himself.
"Hey shit for brains."
The man jumped and saw a hologram of himself standing beside him, his arms folded.
"Can I have my body back now?" The hologram smiled.
"How did you get out?! I blocked you from doing that!"
"As much as I love arguing with a virus, we have to find who kidnapped Raven. If you were smarter, you would have realized that they kidnapped her and stuffed her in the back of that Humvee. They haven't gone that far. You didn't even follow the tracks for Christ sake. I've been watching this entire time. Let me get you back on track and we can find her together okay pumpkin? ...Damn you look good though." Jack laughed again holding up to fingers pointing at him. "But here's the thing, we're not going to kill her"
"Why?"
"Because she's mine.. and she'll lead me right to Rhys."