Well… I don't know about the rest of you, but I personally enjoyed the last chapter… There isn't a lot for me to say in regards to the next chapter aside from there will be some more combat…
"And so it would seem/ That this story's writer is lazy/ I do not approve…"
Do you think you can do better?
"Indeed."
Well… There's a problem with that… something cannot create itself… creates a time paradox…
"I see… "
Now… May I continue with no more distractions?
"Hey!"
Damn it, Gaige!
Begin Chapter 15: Touchdown.
"So… They were Lance? Haven't seen those bastards in years…" Mordecai said nonchalantly as he leaned back in his chair. He tipped his head back, preparing to take a swig from his bottle of ale when Lilith passed by and took it, smiling challengingly at the drunken sniper.
"Damn it Lilith! That was-"
"-No more drinking… Not until we finish the mission… We need you in tip top condition! You and Zero are going to mainly be our eyes on the surface, being some of the best snipers in all of the galaxies…"
"Aww… You're making me blush!" Mordecai commented, leaning forward as he crossed his arms.
"So we are snipers?/ Where will we be positioned?/ This won't be easy…" Zero interjected, stepping into the center of the group, a question mark before his face plate.
"You two will set the ship down and use it as a vantage point when we rush the Atlas Info. Bunker. Mordecai will drop out when you make a pass over the bunker, then you will land it on the opposite side of the hillside…" Lilith replied, pulling up the map of the Information Storage Bunker.
"It'll be about an hour before we reach the surface and another two before we find the right coordinates on this planet, so everybody? Get yourselves prepared and meet back here in half an hour for briefing…" Angel said in a calm voice. However, despite her voice seeming calm and collected, she was so scared… Despite the portable New-U station attached to her waist, she would be far away from her protector… And if hers did fail, what would he do? The thought scared her… When Zero was angry, he was at his most lethal.
During her training as a Vault Hunter, he took her out for some sniper training. They were in The Dust, hunting Spiderants when several Bandit Buzzards flew in. They pierced her shield and all but dropped her with a few bullets. Zero saw this and went into a frenzy. He jumped up into the air and with one swing, cut one of the Buzzards out of the sky. He jumped from the burning wreckage and onto another, pulling the driver out and flying it directly into the third. Again, he jumped out and landed on the fourth, killing the pilot and hopping out, watching with cold eyes as the screams of the passengers echoed for several moments and the last of the Buzzards exploded. The blood trailing down his suit, his new markings pulsating with energy, he scared her just by turning to face her. She knew he could never hurt her, but he still scared her when he approached, even when his weapons were put away, she couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes for that afternoon; he terrified her with his lack of control.
This only happened once as she was still inexperienced and he was still her teacher. When she became skilled enough to fend for herself, he merely observed, only intervening if she were on the brink of death. When her skill achieved the level of mastery as that of Maya's, he stopped intervening completely; admiring her form, accuracy, and ability.
Recalling this event caused her to freeze in the middle of the command room, her eyes trained distantly on Zero's silhouette as he calibrated his rifles and prepared his sniper weaponry and gear. He turned to her and noticed her shaking slightly. He walked up to her and put an arm on her shoulder. She looked up onto his visor and without even giving a thought to the others in the room, pulled away his helmet and kissed him, desperate for comfort of some kind. Tears flowed out of her eyes and her voice echoed in her throat as she tightened her eyes shut to delay the burning waters. She felt her body begin to warm and her tattoos burn in her flesh as her heart began to beat faster and faster, melting away her fear and replacing it with comfort. To everyone else still in the room, this was strange for so many reasons; not only was Zero's face visible to the rest of the group, but Angel's tattoos were also not glowing pink as they usually would in this scenario- they were a bright, blinding crimson. After several moments, everyone realized that the light coming from her tattoos was getting brighter. When it became bright enough to force them to close their eyes, her voice echoed in everyone's minds.
"Never leave me…" it whispered. The disembodied voice carried every emotion comprehendible and several that were not, stunning the others with its beauty. The light then faded away and the two now stood before the others, their tattoos no longer glowing and Zero's helmet returned to its regular place.
"Okay… What the hell was that!?" Lilith shouted, walking up to Zero and poking him on the chest. Angel watched with glee at the simple exchange before intervening.
"It was the last part of the bond between an Eridian and a Siren… Our souls are now bonded and share one, powerful life force… We can no longer be killed unless both of us are killed…"
"That's cheating!" Gaige shouted, rubbing her eyes.
"No… It's evolution…" Maya replied, her eyes distant and practically empty.
"Uh… Maya? You okay? …Maya!" Axton said, startling the siren from her trance. Annoyed she turned to him and prepared a strong hit for him when she realized that in his eyes was worry and confusion. Her eyes widened again and she lowered her hand, tilting her head down in shame.
"I… I'm sorry… I don't know what happened to me… It was like I was hypnotized and couldn't break free…" she said in a low voice, still looking at the ground.
"That's because when another Siren looks that deeply into the light, a part of their soul is taken in as well… It is quickly expelled and returned, but when it is returned, it brings back with it a desire to find a soul of its own to bond to…" Angel said, looking to Maya with now golden glowing eyes. Her voice was also different than usual as well… It was the same in pitch, but seemed far away and echoing… like it was being carried thousands of miles but the sound never dissipated nor distorted.
"Angel… Are you alright? You seem… more… angelic…" Lilith said in a confused voice.
Angel turned to her and winked, cracking a grin to the older siren. Angel then gripped her shoulders and fell to her knees, moaning in pain. When the others tried to walk up to her to see if she was alright, Zero held up a hand and said…
"She will be okay/ All of you keep your distance/ She's now evolving…" Everyone looked up toward his face plate and marveled at what they saw. His body now seemed to be emanating a heat that almost overwhelmed the other two sirens, drawing them in. His tattoos again shown through his armor, but also, his shoulders and torso was on fire- energy building on the surface and causing light and heat in the form of flames.
"Z-Zero… You… you look… hot…" Gaige said in a flirty, giggling voice. He turned to her and began to chuckle, inspecting the burning on his body.
"I suppose so…" he replied, lighting up his hand and waving it out. He then looked down to Angel and knelt next to her, holding her shoulder lightly. She looked into his eyes and gritted her teethe, feeling a burning in her upper back and under her skin. Her tattoos glowed a golden hue that was slowly becoming overpowering to everyone in the room, drowning their vision of what was happening in the light. When the light began to fade, Zero was holding Angel in his arms and she was unconscious. Her back was covered by something large and white, with what appeared to be feathers on it. The others looked on in confusion at the changes that occurred before their eyes. Zero now looked to be cloaked in fire that quickly burned out and Angel now looked like a real angel that had been ripped from the heavens themselves. She soon stirred to consciousness, her eyes returning to their regular blue and her tattoos returning to normal. She looked around at her friends with confusion and slight pain, wriggling in Zero's arms. He lowered her to the ground gently and nodded to her, taking a step back.
"My… head… is killing me… Wha…what happened?" she asked, rubbing her head and stretching. When she stretched her arms above her head, however, she felt a heavy burden on her shoulder blades. She glanced behind her and noticed that her peripheral vision towards her back was obscured drastically and she could no longer see behind her. She turned completely around to find that there were two large, white, feathered objects protruding from her back. Her eyes widened when her mind finally comprehended what the two protrusions were; she had a pair of Ivory-White wings that were physically a part of her body! She reached back and felt the feathers, feeling the pull of the feather's cuticles on the new skin when she pulled at them. She stammered, failing to produce words as she effortlessly lifted the wings as though they had always been a part of her body.
"I guess this means that she's just as confused as the rest of us… Zero, care to explain?" Lilith said slowly, regaining her composure.
"The power influx/ Has altered our bodies/ And granted new strengths." He replied cryptically, igniting a hand again. A chair on the side of the room lifted and slowly began to creak as the metal withered and aged, turning the metal to dust within moments. Everyone turned at the sound and watched the chair fall to the ground in dust.
"What was that?!" Lilith asked with panic.
"Singularity/ Localized passage of Time/ A handy new skill…" Zero replied, inspecting his new power. Angel turned to him, her eyes full of wonder and glee.
"Does that mean that you can stop aging?" Axton asked curiously.
"Perhaps…" Zero replied before dropping to his knees, gripping his head. Angel looked on with curious eyes, kneeling down next to him as he did for her.
"Be-fore anyone… asks… *Clears throat* …No… I cannot change time either…" Zero replied, breaking Haiku.
"Why not?" Lilith asked, her voice growing heavy with anger at his words.
"I must not alter the timeline now that I am able to see it…" Zero commented, lifting himself to his feet.
"You self-righteous Asshole! Do you know what I've been through?" Lilith shouted, her wings appearing and beginning to burn.
"Easy, Siren…" Zero warned, his hands glowing and his tattoos illuminating.
"Lilith… He can see what would have happened if we didn't lose Roland that day…" Angel said softly, pulling Lilith by the hand to Zero, forcing her to take his hand. Images of death and fire filled Lilith's mind and she fell to the ground, her eyes wide and her body shivering.
"His life's important/ But not important enough/ To kill Pandora…" Zero said in a low voice, walking out of the room. Angel turned to the rest of their friends and said softly…
"The best thing that all of you can do for him while he adapts is to just let him be for now… I'll let you all know when he's ready for the attack…" with that, the pair walked out and into their quarters.
"Angel… Am I becoming what I should not?" Zero asked, holding his hands to his face.
"No… You're exactly who you've always been… Just try not to change…" she replied, wrapping her arms and new wings around her mate.
"I feel… strange… with all these new powers…"
"Then don't use them… Or get rid of them…" Angel said in a near whisper, snuggling into his neck.
"I already wish I could…" he said in deep thought. He then turned around and removed his helmet, staring into her eyes. His eyes were now full of a drive that she'd only seen one time before; when he was protecting her in his fight with Krieg. She stared deeply into his eyes, watching as his fires began to engulf his body. The flames rolled along his body, eventually taking to her body as well, causing her tattoos to glow and burn.
"Ze…ro… it… hurts…" she whined, gripping tighter to him for courage. Soon, the fires burned out and the two separated and stared into one another's eyes.
"There…" Zero finally said, rolling his shoulders.
"What?" Angel asked, her eyes filling with confusion.
"They're gone…" he said simply, confusing his lover even more.
"Who's gone? What?"
"My powers over time… I've removed them… they were too powerful… I could not accept them… Not now…" he said, sliding his hands to her shoulders and holding her softly. Angel's eyes widened for a moment before she realized his reasoning.
"Maybe you're right… They would have been too strong and have had too great a cost to use…" she said after several seconds, rubbing her face into his hands. Zero nodded, pulling her into a kiss, his arms tightening around her shoulders. They then broke out of their kiss, and their eyes met. Zero looked deeply into her eyes and Angel stared back, her face now flushed and her breathing fast and heavy. "M-my b-body feels so…" she began, panting frantically, pressing against Zero's chest to steady herself as her knees began to shake. "…Ready!" Angel shouted her eyes opening completely as she tackled Zero down onto the bed. She then began tearing away at his clothes as Zero looked up at his crazed, aroused lover. He then smiled slightly, releasing the armor's grip on his body, giving Angel the opportunity to tear the sturdy pieces of material away from his prized flesh.
With Maya and Axton
"You doin' alright? You've been starin' a lot lately…" Axton asked Maya to get her attention.
"Eh? Oh! Yeah! …I'm fine!" Maya replied, waving her hands and beginning to blush, closing her eyes.
"Don't lie to me… I don't need to read minds or emotions to know when there's something wrong… Now out with it!" Axton said with a glare. He then placed a hand on her shoulder gently and gave her one of his usually flirtatious winks, however, this time, it was not meant to flirt, it was almost a sign of endearment that he would show for her. She smiled at him, an almost imperceptible love blush burning its way onto her cheeks.
"It's nothing, really… I just feel… like I want something… more… More than affection and sex… I feel like I need you to love me… The feeling just hit me… after I saw the light from Angel and Zero…" she replied nervously, twitting her fingers. Axton's face turned beat red as he stuttered to words, his tongue fumbling over his heart as he tried to find anything that he could say.
"I… uh… Shit…" he mumbled, trying not to hurt her as he sorted through his feelings.
"I know what you're going to say… You're not ready for that kind of commitment yet… But I am… And I can't just feel content being your playmate anymore, Ax… I need love!" Maya replied, staring deeply into his wide eyes.
"I… Ah, screw it! Come here!" Axton shouted, forcing away his doubts as he pulled Maya into a kiss. The kiss was so simple and heartfelt that Maya lost all train of thought and fell into his arms, quivering at his very touch. They remained motionless, with the exception of Maya's shivering, for what felt like hours for the two Vault Hunters before they broke from their kiss for air. Starved lungs now contented again, the two now looked at one another with passionate eyes (Axton) and confused eyes (Maya). "I'm a little shaky when it comes to love, but I think you and I are more than trusting enough with each other to try it out…" he said with a grin, winking at her again.
"A-are you sure? I know about what happened to you… and I don't want to rush you…" Maya said with worry in her eyes and wrinkling her soft features. Axton stepped up to her again, unintentionally rubbing her pelvis against his leg, and whispering into her ear.
"I'm never sure of anything… But when I make a decision, I stick with it…" he said in a whisper, causing her to release an uncontrolled moan and her breathing to hitch. Axton chuckled at her mildly, rubbing his leg into her body again to get a reaction. "I guess love is what makes you need it… Well then… Come on! I can't leave a woman unsatisfied…"
With Gaige and Krieg.
"Ugh… God Damn it! This waiting is killing me!" Krieg shouted, smashing his fists down on the armrest of the couch. Gaige smiled up at him as she was lying on him, her head on his lap, facing him.
"Well… We could always just go do something…" she replied in a teasing voice, winking at him. He chuckled, his frustration fading away and his eyes softening.
"Nah… I like to feel feisty when I go into combat… Makes the fire burn so much better…" he said, smiling at her with an evil grin. Chills shot through her body as images of their most recent escapades filled her mind. She was acting submissive that time, and he was her master… His every touch made her body ache for more of his firm discipline… She remembered how kind and endearing he could be as well; the feeling of having him gently fill every inch inside of her still played on her mind; the care and devotion he made sure to convey to her as he took her virginity and made her feel like a real woman for the first time in her young life. The burn on her neck was now a permanent scar that seemed, strangely enough, to only react to a burning sensation that only a red-hot spent bullet casing could excite. Her heart raced in her chest as she began to feel her insides moisten and her clothes begin to feel alien on her flesh. She now wanted him in a way that she'd never felt before, and as she thought about it, she realized that this wasn't a desire, it was a need… this thought played tricks on her mind as the words of Angel during her transformation echoed in her head. She felt like she would die if she didn't have him and she felt like her heart would explode from her chest if she could not have his love… But why did she feel this way for him all of a sudden? She didn't love him, they were just partners and sex friends… Why is this happening to her now? Then the true words played through her mind… Others that watch too intently at the light will feel an overwhelming urge to find love… But wasn't that just for sirens? No… It was playing on him as well… She could feel his eyes as they rolled over her slender body, he was watching just as intently as she was when the explosion happened, and he was certainly not a siren…
Krieg watched his young mate inhale and sigh to herself, her legs rubbing together as though she were trying to hold something inside herself. He grinned at her, sliding his hand to the base of her neck, teasing the numb scar as she panted almost inaudibly. The scar was numb to his touches, but she was feeling like she was about ready to jump him and tear away his pants to claim him as her prey. Despite the fact that she couldn't feel anything that his fingers did to her neck, watching him do it was agonizing for her as images and feelings of the burning and tingling reverberated in her mind. She eventually let out a soft moan, accidently calling the others on the far side of the room to glance over. They quickly turned away, but the blush on Gaige's face did not fade with their eyes. She lost all reason and took Krieg's hand and dragged him off to her room, slamming the door shut as they completely entered. She turned around and snapped her fingers, forcing a magnetic energy into the key to the door, tossing it up and having it stick to the metal ceiling. Krieg chuckled, beginning to take off parts of his device and sit down on the bed; he knew that for just this once, it would be best for his health if he played the submissive.
Gaige approached him, placing her metal hand on his shoulder, causing him to drop his grin.
"I… n-need… to know… d-do y-you… lov-ve m-me? She stuttered, her eyes glazing over with lust and her mouth curving into a kind smile as her eyes started to burn.
"I'm not sure… tell me what it is and I might be able to figure it out…" he teased. Her eyes started to water and she started to slump her shoulders, turning from her acting slave. "…H-hold on! Don't cry, I was just kidding! I thought you were playing! I am not entirely sure whether I love you or not, but we can find out together if that's what you want…" he said in a softer voice, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his eyes and her eyes stopped burning; instead they filled with a tingling that caused tears anyway- but these were tears of joy. She smiled happily at him and he did the same, pulling her into a hug and walking her over to the bed. They did not have sex that evening, they just took a nap, cuddled in each other's arms as they waited for the ship to land and their plan of action to be set completely.
Two Hours Later, The Command Room.
The Vault Hunters all recollected in the main room, under the atrium that led to the central computers.
"Okay everyone, this is it… Make sure your weapons are working properly and we'll tell you guys the rest from there…" Lilith said sternly, placing her hands on her hips as the group checked their equipment. "Alright… these are the final plans… Brick, Gaige, Krieg, Salvador, Maya, Axton and I will be the frontal assault. We will be on the north side of the structure-here. Zero, Angel and Mordecai? You will be our sniper support. Between the three of you, nothing will touch us… When we reach the entrance, you all will travel around the sides to the other entrances and take out any guards along the way… Mordecai will be here. Where he will circle around to this entrance. Zero and Angel. You two will be exactly opposite him on this side. As we make our approach, you two will be moving to cover us with fire and move in closer to your point. When visibility cuts out, run. We're going to need you two inside the bade before we can even make it to the door so Angel can unlock it from the inside and shut down the defenses. Okay… Any questions?" She asked, pulling out her Hellfire SMG. "No? Good. We will be Fire Team α. Don't forget that. Mordecai will be Ghost, and you two will be Shadow Team. Now everyone: Stay alive!" Lilith finished, walking the first team to the cargo hold and activating the cargo elevator.
End Chapter 15: Touchdown.
So I have hopes for this chapter… I enjoyed writing it a lot, and I hope you all enjoy reading it as well! Let me know what you all think and what you would like to see inside the facility, I'll try to make things interesting for you all by incorporating some of the ideas I get from posts. For now, it's on to my D&D story while I do some research on Mass Effect to learn what I've forgotten since my last play through. Bye everybody!