A/N - apologies for the delay. I've been busy this week.

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III. Handsome Jack-ass

The light from the fast travel station whirled in my mind, making me feel dizzy. My stomach lurched a little, and I swallowed my nausea down with some effort. Before I could blink, my feet touched solid ground. It was unfortunate that the feeling of fast traveling so closely resembled being yanked around at startling heights.

Yeah, heights weren't my strong suit.

I started from the machine in the entrance of Jack's office.

Strangely enough, the first thing I noticed was the absence of noise that all too often originated from the CL4P-TP units that were usually working away here. It felt ridiculously empty without the annoying little robot in their cubicles, tapping and banging on their consoles. I wondered where they were.

I remembered, then, something Jack had said about destroying every last one of those things. Perhaps he had done so. He'd really hated them, and it was one of the only things about him that I could relate to.

I took small steps down the long hallway leading to Jack's luxuriant office. I wanted to put this off as long as possible. I was even passed by the cleaning bot that seemed to make several useless trips up and down the corridor all the time.

Finally, I passed through the automatic, towering doors. The entirety of the office was hard to take in at once. The splendor, the décor, the towering ceiling all seemed darker in the glow from outer space. Huge, uncovered windows peered down on Elpis, and the fountains of water flowed casually nearby. It was really the image of pure vanity. It didn't take a person long to realize that all Jack cared about, was himself.

I tried to add a more confident, sure-footedness to my stride on my way in through the doors, as though they marked a spot on my journey in which I should try and summon the actor within me.

Jack stood by his desk, leaning over a computer and tapping away at the screen. He was dressed in his typical attire, but the sleeves of his fancy jacket had been unbuttoned and rolled up for a more relaxed look. After a moment, he glanced up. He smiled coldly through his flesh-colored mask, and glanced at his wrist, which I was certain would behold a diamond-studded watch(I was too far off to really tell what it was like). I would later find out that he did indeed have diamonds in it.

"Hey, congratulations!" He quipped. "Cheers to a new record of arrival at this office! Of course, it's easier when you're not getting shot at by bandits and psycho chicks with ridiculous names."

I stood between the two fountains, eyeing the smooth polished floor underfoot. I could see my reflection in it.

Yeah, I had the handsome jackass looks. But it wasn't the same. There was no mask, making me look far younger. A faint line was still apparent on my jaw from a bullet graze I'd suffered on my travels through Elpis. I still wore the outfit in a more sharp fashion.

Perhaps I still held the persona that Jack should've been.

For some reason, it made me feel morose.

"Heeellllooooo! Helios to body-double!"

I glanced up, feeling startled. "Spaced-out...what was that?" I tried for a more Jack-like response.

He grimaced. "Looks like you're gonna need, like...a lot more work. Sit down, take a load off! And while your at it, make yourself at home! We've got a lot to talk about, and brag about!" He gestured to a space set off to the side, where a few comfortable recliners and even a sofa were arranged around a table. "I'll be over in a jiffy!"

He returned to his work.

I didn't quite feel brave enough to refuse, so I traipsed over and sat in one of the recliners. He was in a good mood as far as I could tell, and I didn't want that to change.

Jack finished up whatever he was doing and joined me. He took a seat at the opposite recliner and kicked back, making full use of its comforts. He sat there, legs crossed lazily, and gave a great big sigh as if he'd just had a long, hard day. Nothing was further from the truth.

"Just look at this, kiddo. Finally here, just like I promised."

I knew he wasn't talking about the recliner, but rather the power he had usurped. I'd remembered how'd he'd called me on the echo to describe, in great detail, his triumph over his former boss, Mr. Tassiter. I suppose he just wanted to share his story of triumphant strangulation.

"Promise..." I muttered, feeling downcast for reasons that related to the last few weeks of my moping. And probably, partially to the alcohol I'd consumed earlier. Slight irritation at that sparked in me.

"Myself, of course! Who else would I promise anything to?"

I shrugged.

"You're being really quiet!" He complained, frowning.

"Apologies, Sir."

"That's okay, Pumpkin. You're here with Handsome Jack, so you can say whatever you want. However, when you're out runnin' around on Pandora, shooting up bad guys, one thing you should remember when impersonating me is that I never, never...apologize. Unless I'm being sarcastic, but when do I act like that?" He poked more sarcasm at the statement. "Of course, when you do mess up - 'cause you will - you act like you didn't."

I nodded.

"Good. We're learning here today!"

"So, when does this assignment start?" I met his multi-colored yet dark gaze. I was pretty sure that his left, green eye was a transplant.

Had the victim given the eye willingly? Or was it a specially grown one? Why did that question make me feel so much more annoyed?

"Oh, probably in a month or so..."

"A month!" I was bewildered, and peeved. What had been the rush? Another of his whims? "Really?" A threat, to bring me here, when there was no real hurry.

"Yeah, duh, o' course. Did you think I was just gonna let ya go runnin' off trying to be me without some proper...how should I put this?... Modifications?"

The way he said that last word made me shiver a little. The guy was extremely creepy to begin with, and I'd seen what his ideas, experiments, and modifications had brought about to whatever unfortunate lab rat happened to be involved with the 'test'.

I felt another stab of anger at his absolute disregard for everyone and everything but himself.

"Care to elaborate, Handsome?" I spat in scorn before I could stop it. Oh god.

When his gaze changed, I wasn't expecting it to crinkle in laughter.

"Whoa-ho, don't whip out the claws, kitty! We'll just blame the booze and let it go...this time..."

There was a very dangerous warning in that voice. Abruptly, he kicked down his legrest and stood up, towering over the table. Over me. It was hard to resist the urge to cringe under his maniacal stare that looked like it would murder in an instant.

"And...stay away from the bars," he continued. "We like our drinks, but we know when to drink, and when to do business. Are we clear?"

I nodded, trying not to let the fear creep into my face for him to see.

"Good. So, you're probably wondering why I called you here so urgently. Well, I have a little work for you to start with." His eyes narrowed in that masked face. "You're going to spend the next week or so learning to be a little more like me. And when I say a little, I actually mean a lot. Nod when your ready to move on."

I felt strangely embarrassed when I nodded. Like a reprimanded school kid. I wasn't even sure why. How was he so manipulative? He controlled other's emotions with his snide remarks and sarcasm, tossing them for loops. He threatened danger at some times, and offering false friendship at others. Then, there were the insufferable jokes and mocking.

He continued. "After that, we'll make the modifications. We've gotta make sure you actually look like me. That's gonna require a lot of work in some areas. First, you start by making your appearance more 'laxed. After that, we're gonna get you a mask and burn you're face just lik-"

"Burn WHAAA?" I couldn't help it, it came crashing out of me.

I really wished I could keep a lid on my stupid outbursts.

He glared in such a way, that if looks could kill, then I would've died then. Unfortunately, looks may as well have been able to kill at that point.

He breathed in a deadly whisper, "You heard me just fine, Pumpkin. Just fine." He was abruptly standing before me. His hand seized by lapels and dragged me to my feet roughly, eliciting a cry of surprise from myself.

"Wh-"

He tugged me to the side, letting go and shoving me towards the huge window with the mighty view. I stumbled for a few minutes, then caught my balance.

My heart pounded. I stared at the mighty, cracked moon, wondering if my face was about to blow up. Maybe I was about to go out the airlock, and I deliberated on which was worse...and came up with nothing. Both were horrible ways to die. However, I was beginning to think I was going to die a young terrible death.

Please...it was stupid of me! I begged silently.

I heard his light footsteps as he crossed to his desk. I risked a glance. He leaned against his throne-like chair almost casually, a smug look on his face. He wasn't making any suspicious moves, so just maybe...

"You see that?" He spread his arms grandly. "Well, soon that moon's going to be replaced with Pandora out this window. After...well, soon. You know what's down there, Pumpkin? Of course you don't. And you don't need to. All you need to know, is that this is way bigger than you. Way bigger. And don't forget, you were hired...by me...you don't have a say in anything. "

He looked right into my eyes, venomous, and barged on.

"At all. So...when I say I'm gonna burn your face, I'm gonna burn your face...and your going to be happy with it...trust me, it's gonna hurt my pocket more than it'll hurt that handsome mug. On the bright side, there's a good pay raise too."

I nodded meekly. 'Hired' was hardly fair. As if I'd had a choice. Maybe I had though. I been ridiculously desperate. I had accepted this position hadn't I? I had walked into that room, instead of running away when my instincts had screamed to do so then. I cursed my student loans.

"Sorry...sir."

"Don't apologize, it's painfully pathetic," he snapped. He turned and tapped a button on his desk. "Angel!" He called. "Tell the doctor to meet my double at his new quarters. I trust they've been set up."

"Yes, Jack." Came a feminine response.

"Let 'im see Wilhelm too, he'll get a kick out of that. One look at that one and Mister Pants-in-a-wad will remember just who's in charge...me! He's grown quite feisty on his time off. "

"Everything's already in order for...Timothy Lawrence."

"It's Jack, baby. Call the guy by what his name's gotta be. Kay?"

"Alright."

I was immediately interested. It was obviously an A.I. of some sort. But it sounded like its voice had personality. I wasn't sure how I had made that distinction, but it came across to me. Perhaps it was the hesitation, and the fact that she'd said my actual name.

That was a ridiculous basis though.

"What's that?" I asked.

"An AI. I thought even you could tell that."

"Yeah, it just sounds different than any A.I, I've heard."

"It's called 'Guardian Angel'. Custom made. You really need to get out more...and you'll soon have the opportunity too! For now though...just get going to your room."

I didn't waste time hurrying to the door while ignoring the burning stare in my back. A knot of fear formed in my gut. Burn my face? That sounded extremely painful. Only to just to put a mask on it? After all that damned plastic surgery? That man was truly a monster.

And he was right.

I had no say in it.

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End of chapter 3