It's finally here! :D
And awesome, there were quite a few faves and follows while I was away! So thanks everyone! :)
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V. Distortion of Identity
In the semi-darkness of my luxuriant room, I sat on the end of my bed. My gaze was locked on the mirror before me and the person shown within it.
I traced the edges of the mask and watched myself run a hand over the curious, rubber-like texture. It felt strange, yet it contorted and twisted with my features. It didn't hurt, but neither did it seem right. I could feel my fingers on this face. It was as if my face had rearranged itself and fitted itself in the shape of a psychopath's.
Of course, that's not at all what had happened.
I looked like him. Just like him. Handsome Jack.
I felt sick. I had to remind myself that I wasn't him. I'd never be that monster. No matter how much I looked like him. No matter what they did to me, I was still Timothy Lawrence. Somewhere under all the surgery and burns and pain, was the scrawny face powdered with light freckles and filled by a large, angular nose.
However, I knew that wasn't completely true. I'd never go back to the nervous, thin guy I'd been.
My mother wouldn't even recognize me anymore. Worse though, was how thoughts of her were fading from my mind like the last remnants of a hopeful dream. I felt a certainty that I'd never see her kind smiling face again. I knew I couldn't recognize myself in the reflective surface of the mirror in which I peered. I felt like a distorted monster.
I honestly hated my life now. Perhaps that was an understatement.
I felt bitter.
"No one will know me as me. I'll just be Handsome Jack." I whispered in the tyrant's voice. His name, his smile, his voice like venom. All of it mine now. "I'll sit here, and rot, and be a man I'm not. Thanks a lot. Heh, that rhyme would've made Janey smile." I remembered the silly junkyard girl and all her little 'child's' poems.
How they seemed so innocent now.
"It's just as well," I stated in weariness. "I'm rich out the ass, and I'll probably get shot someday from some well-meaning idiot who can't tell the difference."
It was depressing to think that I'd take a bullet for someone who truly deserved it.
"Too late to quit. There might not be a bomb in this screwy face, but it's got the weight of one."
I talked to myself to fill the loneliness. I didn't want to talk to Janey though, even if the Echo communicator sat nearby. I didn't want to worry her with my problems. I needed to come to terms with them first.
I sighed and hung my head, feeling exhausted.
"Do you wish to talk, Timothy Lawrence?"
My gaze flew up. I jumped so badly that I nearly fell off the bed.
It took a moment to realize that it was only the A.I., Angel.
"N-no!" I exclaimed. "Jeeze, this is embarrassing! Oh well... Why'd you jump in, anyway?"
It was just an A.I. after all. I sighed with relief, then wondered if Jack had asked it to spy on my. I felt suspicion creep into my mind like a virulent disease. I didn't like the way it felt, so I tried to push it away.
"I apologize. It was not my intention to eavesdrop. I simply wished to help in any way possible."
That was strange. It didn't sound like she was trying to spy on me, still...
"Thanks...but, I'll be fine...just fine..."
"Goodnight, Tim." She said.
I was too surprised to hear my name again. Abbreviated. As though we were friends. I hadn't heard my name used like that in a long time.
"Goodnight... Angel." I said quietly.
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After three miserable weeks on Helios, the moon felt strange to Timothy. The lack of gravity was new, but familiar too. Far overhead, Pandora was suspended in the rays from its sun. The blue light refracted around its atmosphere to give it an odd glow. The dusty rocks were dry and still.
In the distance sat a gray, old facility in the thin atmosphere. It looked like it was crumbling, as though it'd been attacked multiple times. It probably had. He knew the second he came in range of the place, he'd be spotted. The scavengers would waste no time in a haphazard attack. Most likely, the once-working gate on the facility was no longer able to move. It'd been broken several times.
His thoughts were clear and his mind was ready as he approached the area on foot. He could've taken a Stingray, but his acrophobia had protested the idea. Besides, the walk given him time to plan.
He paused up a dusty, gray rise, glancing down it's length to the old facility below. He retrieved his Echo and tapped it. It sputtered reluctantly, then established a weak connection. "Goin' in," he informed it. "I still don't see why this is so urgent."
"Great!" Jack's voice exclaimed over the choppy signal. "We've got business in Concordia, and I need that signal tower. I sent you because you're better at wiring things up than Wilhelm."
Timothy could imagine the languid shrug that would follow the statement.
"Let me know when you're all done with the barbeque!" Jack finished.
"Alrighty."
"Want back-up? I could send a crate of loaders down."
"Nah, that's not necessary."
"Okay, have fun!"
As if he were going to a picnic.
Timothy switched off the Echo and put it away. He shrugged a laser he'd been carrying into his hands, it's intricate body almost delicate in his grasp. He started forward quickly down the rise, disturbing the gray dust as he jumped forward with his long legs, determined to get this over with as soon as possible.
Just as expected, when he touched town at the base of the hill, the scavengers emerged, weapons at the ready, and began firing. Timothy summoned the help of his two decoys.
"Hello there!" One of the digi-Jacks greeted as it was built quickly from the ground up.
They began firing onto the enemy, giving the body double covering fire. Timothy unleashed the laser, singeing enemies. Together, the odd trio took out the first wave of the bandits.
The double hurried inside the broken gate as his digitals faded, leaving him by himself. He wasn't worried by this because his shield was pretty strong, taking many bullets before failing.
Inside, he was met with an expected ambush. Two scavs jumped upwards, slamming down from above in an attempt to shatter his air mask. He leapt aside just in time. Falling into a kneeling position for better accuracy, he unleashed the electric beam onto them. They scream and writhed, trying to escape and failing.
More of the enemy rushed out, but fell to the beam.
Then, he had to reload.
A badass emerged from a side room, wielding two assault rifles that appeared tiny in his huge hands. His voice was high-pitched as he shouted, "time to die!"
"Oh yeah? I got a badass of my own!" Tim shouted, pressing a different button on his device. Two towering digi-Jacks spawned.
Within moments, the deadly wrist cannons on the digitals unleashed a massive attack of energy. The badass raised his guns, firing on the digitals. The energy balls slammed into the big scav, destroying him.
All that remained was a smoking heap.
Timothy wandered through the base checking that there were no more scavengers hiding away. There were none, and upon completing the task, he entered the radio tower.
"All clear, sir." Timothy spoke over the Echo as he worked at a panel quickly.
"Good, got the signal up?"
"Almost, this tower wasn't as badly damaged as we thought...and there," he turned a knob, dusting his hands off on his leg. "It's done. Complete!"
"I'll meet you in Concordia. We're giving that cesspool a Hyperion-style welcome like it's never seen before! It's gonna be fantastic, Kiddo!"
It took Timothy a minute to process that. Then, he felt dread in his stomach. He wanted to say something, but his boss had already hung up.
"Yay, fantastic." He muttered sarcastically. Suddenly, a stab of horror ran through him. He dropped the Echo onto the floor. "Oh no," he whispered.
He stood up quickly and made for the door.
He cursed his fear of heights. Without it, he'd have a stingray.
He was on foot, and he'd never be able to reach Concordia before Handsome Jack.
.
End of chapter 5.
XP Sorry for the cliff-hanger, I'll try to update soon!
Just to let you guys know, I may have to up the rating for this story. I haven't decided yet. If you have any concerns about the rating and what my story might contain, PM me. I'm trying to not spoil my story so much in my author's notes(A bad habit of mine). But if you need to know, you need to know! :)