Time had ceased to matter for Gaige. All her reality lay in the creation of the mechanical body in front of her.

The work had gone infinitely faster since One had intercepted the ECHO call. Part of the reason was the odd combination of added pressure and peace of mind it had given her. It meant her friends hadn't given up and were on their way. Perversely, however, Gaige wanted to finish the android before they tried to rescue her. Brain, you are a weird thing.

The schematics had also been a huge help. Once Gaige had finished studying them, she knew the outline its designer had intended. By getting into the mindset of the original builder, Gaige had been able to make intuitive shortcuts that might otherwise have taken her years to figure out, assuming she ever did.

But mostly, it was the sense of security afforded by the completion of her own arm's repairs.

It hadn't taken long once she was left alone. The patch job was admittedly a little rough, but Gaige felt certain it was enough to level the playing field.

Deathtrap was ready. It was just a matter of waiting for the right moment to unleash him.

One hadn't given her that opportunity just yet. Since returning from the wherever he'd gone after the ECHO call, the assassin had resumed standing in the corner, hand on his sword, just watching Gaige work. He hadn't said anything, and she hadn't talked to him, either. They both just wanted her to finish the android.

And then, before she even realized it, she was done.

Gaige blinked and stepped back, wiping the sweat out of her eyes as the rush of creation left. "I... I think I'm finished."

One stepped forward eagerly. "Oh?"

"The pathways are all intact," Gaige said, reviewing her work. "The neural net looks solid... motor circuitry and actuators are all in place... lemme just run a test signal through the body..." She tapped a few keys on the display built into the table, her excitement building. "Ummmm... yep. The diagnostic shows solid communication all the way from the neural input socket to the furthest extremity." She looked at One, excitement running wild in her eyes. "It's really, truly done. All we need now is the programming to bring it to life."

"Then my task is finally here," One said, stepping forward. "The birth of my brother is near." He motioned to the wall. "Now, don't offer guff And put on your cuff Or else I must kill you, I fear."

Gaige glared at him as her excitement faded. "That's it, huh? No 'thanks for the hard work, sorry for kidnapping you', just 'shut up and chain yourself again'?"

One's sword flared into existence, pointed straight at her. "I regret to act with askance, But with this I shall take no chance. You will do as I say Without any delay Else my sword, through your heart it will lance."

She didn't have any choice. "After all this, still threatening me," Gaige snarled, walking to the dangling cuffs. "That's as much my creation now as it was your father's. You wouldn't even have gotten this far if you hadn't kidnapped me, and you know it!"

One walked up and snapped the heavy manacles closed around Gaige's wrists. "Your assistance was greatly needed, But your job you have now completed." He paused and looked at her.

Gaige had the strange sense he was deciding something. "What? What are you looking at?"

"The decision seems ill To commit to a kill," One said quietly, as if to himself. "The family must not be impeded."

"Hey!" Gaige yelled, yanking at the chain slightly. "What are you talking about?!"

One glanced at her again, then walked over to a storage compartment across the room. "Concern yourself not with my musing, For you'd find it only confusing. Just hope that your labors Find themselves in my favor," he pulled something out the cabinet and turned towards the android. "As this creation with life I'm infusing."

Gaige got a look at the odd, crown-like device in hands, and suddenly both her restraints and One's plans made a lot more sense. "Holy- how did you get one of those? They're beyond illegal! Not to mention incredibly complex!"

To her surprise, One actually winked at her. Well, a ;) at least. "I thought you'd have realized by now That my father would never allow Himself to be steered By other men's fears, That to their laws he never would bow." One plugged a cable running out of the device into the head of the android, then slipped the crown around his own head. A ring of lights around its edge lit up, then began to pulse in a steady sequence.

It was her chance, Gaige knew it. The device One was using had the side effect of immobilizing whoever was wearing it while it was running. If she was ever going to make a move, this was the time. All she had to do was clench her fist, and Deathtrap would be able to make a killing shot.

And yet, she couldn't. She had to see if this would work, if her skills had been up to the task.

The lights began to pulse faster, racing around the crown. A low hum began to fill the room, and Gaige caught a glimpse of the diagnostic table screen. There was definitely a data transfer in progress.

But there was no sign of movement from the android on the table.

The lights began slow, and finally stopped. One lifted the device from his head, and checked the display.

Gaige had a sinking feeling she already knew what he was going to find. "There's no neural activity, is there?"

One stared at the screen for a few more seconds, then began typing furiously. "No-!"

"Let me look," Gaige pleaded. "Maybe there's a problem with the headset, or something in the transfer unit-"

One whirled to face her, the blade in his hand flashing into existence with more menace than it ever had before. "Perhaps you need greater incentive, A way to be more inventive." He stalked towards her. "Should I cut off a leg-"

"Oh, shut UP!" Bracing herself, Gaige seized the chain with her metal hand and yanked with all the strength her cybernetic limb possessed.

The sharp cuff sliced into her right wrist, but the power of her left arm was enough to snap the chain like it was string. That left her hands bound, but bound in front of her... and with a very heavy piece of metal attached.

The action seemed to stun One. He froze, staring at his now freed prisoner. Gaige took advantage and slammed the makeshift weapon into his helmet. The impact sent a loud crack echoing into the room, and a fracture spiderwebbed across his faceplate.

Gaige didn't bother with a second swing. She dove for the airlock... just as she clenched her fist. "Eat metal death!"

There was a brilliant flash, and Deathtrap flared into existence. With a mechanical growl, his claws lashed out at One.

One was staggered, but still fast enough to get his blade up. He caught Deathtrap's scythe-like hand on his sword, blocking an instant killing stroke, and kicked at the larger robot's body. Deathtrap recoiled slightly at the impact, then went into a spinning flurry, claws flashing against sword.

One's blade was a dizzying blur of light, barely keeping Deathtrap's lethal talons at bay. As Deathtrap's attack spun down, One found an opening and slashed viciously. Deathtrap fell back again, a diagonal cut across his chest sparking, but immediately retaliated with his heat laser.

Gaige didn't know how he was fast enough, but One managed to catch the beam on his sword, blocking the attack. She tensed her muscles, preparing to charge into the fray-

-and was thrown off her feet as the floor gave a violent jolt.

Whatever hit them was strong enough to make the whole ship rock. It was also enough to make One lose his footing and drop his guard for a split second.

Deathtrap, however, was levitating. The impact that staggered One had no effect on him, and it gave him the opening he needed. The robot reared back and slammed his hands together, letting loose a massive shockwave. The assassin was hurled off his feet, through the air-

-and right out the airlock Gaige had opened during their battle.

Gaige looked at the blue Pandoran sky and let out a shaky sigh of relief. Good thing we weren't in space. She grinned at Deathtrap. "Nice one, boy." She held up her wrists. "Cut these off, will ya?"

Deathtrap gave a quick, almost delicate slash, and her hands were free. Rubbing gingerly at the new cuts on her right wrist, Gaige stepped into the airlock chamber and looked out the door.

It was just as well she hadn't tried to escape earlier. They weren't in space, but they weren't low to the ground, either. They seemed to be parked on a mesa, at least a hundred and fifty feet straight up. The ground directly below was empty, but Gaige could see structures not far off, with an energy field ringing the area-

She blinked in surprise. "Digistruct Peak?"

"Heeeeeey, Shawty!"

Gaige look up, and a smile broke across her face. And the surprises keep coming.

Tiny Tina was flying in a buzzard, hovering about fifty yards away, with a pair of smoking missile pods on either side of the aircraft. Apparently, she'd been the one that fired and rocked the ship.

"Tina!" she yelled, waving. "Tina, what are you doing here?!"

"Girl, don't you even know a rescue when you see one?!" Tina yelled back. "The others are down there! We're gonna storm the ship an' KILL this sucka! Hang on, I'm gonna come in an' grab ya!"

"It's okay!" Gaige yelled. "I already-" she broke off. She looked straight down at the desert floor again with belated awareness. Where's the body?!

"Tina!" she yelled, a horrible premonition seizing her. "Tina, GET BACK!"

She was a split second too late. Tina's buzzard was less than twenty feet away, and suddenly a vague, semi-transparent figure leapt from the right below the airlock door and landed on the buzzard's cockpit roof, a blue blade glowing ominously in its hand.

Tina shrieked.

"Deathtrap!"

There was a rush of air as Deathtrap raced past Gaige, and then the robot was at the buzzard. He reached the cockpit just as One's cloak dropped and the vicious sword arced towards Tina-

The blade cut deep into Deathtrap's back, but it didn't touch the girl. Deathtrap's claws ripped through her seat harness and they fell away from the buzzard, Tina wrapped protectively in Deathtrap's massive arms. One slid into the buzzard's pilot seat, grabbed the stick and wheeled around, bringing the buzzard's missile pods to bear-

-and the port engine exploded.

Deathtrap had managed one final parting shot: an electrical burst right into the buzzard's left wing. The buzzard spiraled away, smoking and sparking.

Gaige watched long enough to make sure Deathtrap got Tina safely to the ground. The robot landed near the entrance to the Peak, dissolving in a blaze of light. Gaige caught a glimpse of a second flash of light, this one from the Fast Travel station. Tina, at least, was safe.

Just as well. Gaige had no illusions about One dying with the buzzard. He was too skillful for that.

I have to get down there, she agonized. But how?

It was too far to climb. She certainly wasn't going to try jumping to the ground without a shield, and because the repairs weren't exactly perfect, Deathtrap's recharge time was going to be at least five minutes, probably closer to ten. "Maybe I can fly this thing," Gaige mused. She turned and started for the door into the rest of the ship. "If the controls aren't too-"

Clunk.

Gaige looked down. Her foot had tapped the headset, laying on the floor where One had dropped it in frustration. As Gaige stared at that marvelous, incredible, illegal piece of technology, a strange set of facts aligned themselves into one overwhelming certainty.

"It would never work for him," she whispered. "It couldn't. But... does that mean..."

She acted without even thinking. One second the device was on the floor, the next it was in her hands.

And then it was on her head.

Gaige's last thought before the process began was Oh crap what am I doing I have to help my fr-

She gasped, every muscle in her body seizing up as a random jumble of images and emotions flashed through her mind. Jack was taunting them over Roland's body, Jack was laying dead on the ground. Marcy Holloway was exploding under Deathtrap's claws, Deathtrap was nothing more than a few lines on a page and a goal. Gaige, excited, afraid, and alone on a starship descending towards Pandora... Gaige, exhilarated and standing by her friends in the cargo hold of a destroyed ship. A burst of light blinded her mind's eye, and then...

Darkness.

[Thanks for reading, and see you next- wait, thirteen chapters? Nope. Have another one.]