Chapter Twenty
On the Border; Part One
Jake English / Dirk Strider
Rated: T
"Pull," Jake said with a sigh, aiming down his rifle's scope. The machine behind him whirred before shooting a glass bottle high above them. Jake paused for a moment, waiting for it to reach the apex of its climb before squeezing off a shot, the bottle exploding into glistening glass shards, raining down upon the barren landscape. He frowned, watching the shattered glass scatter against the sand and sighed, aiming down the sights again. "Pull."
The next bottle met the same fate, and as it shattered, Jake watched the pieces fall, catching the harsh sunlight like so many glittering diamonds, but one light continued twinkling after the others. He frowned, bringing his rifle to bear and looking down the magnified sight. On the horizon was a buggy, racing toward the town, a plume of dust behind it. Jake frowned; the buggy was moving rather fast for an incoming trip to the small desert haven. As suddenly as the thought sprang to mind, several other buggies swerved out of the dust cloud, firing onto the one on point. Bandits.
"BANDITS!" Jake screamed into town, and many of the people gasped. Most retreated to their homes, but a few moved into position behind cover, bearing small firearms like pistols or SMGs. Jake, on lookout, aimed down the sights once more, watching their incoming visitors. The one on point swerved hard to one side as a bullet sparked off the rail above him, coming rather close to the man's head. He wore a sleek, red helmet with a black faceplate that took up most of his face. It was cracked in places, and along the side read ATLAS. "The Crimson Lance here?" Jake muttered, aiming behind the man. As he did, his face fell. Those pursuing him weren't bandits. As he looked on, he was faced with four vehicles bearing the technology and insignia of Hyperion, the megacorporation now in charge of Pandora.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Jake whispered. "What am I doing? This is going to get us killed." He drew in a deep breath, holding it and taking aim, then fired once. The vehicle closest to the red-clad man shuddered as the driver died, swerving off to the side and flipping once, another buggy having to stop hard and swerve to avoid it. The other two sped quickly, trying to box in the intruder as he headed for what he now recognized as a haven. Jake fired off another shot, taking down the driver of the stopped vehicle while he was a still target before swinging the rifle over his shoulder and climbing down from the lookout tower, beginning to sprint across rooftops toward the entrance.
Tires screamed as the three vehicles sped into the city, kicking up dust and dirt from the streets as they did. Jake took a deep breath and jumped, landing against one of the Hyperion vehicles with a slam, the bar ramming into his ribcage and stopping his fall fast. He coughed hard, pulling out a sidearm and quickly firing into the Hyperion driver's helmet once, aiming up and pulling the trigger hard, letting the automatic pistol empty its clip on the man in the car's turret. Several bounced off metal, but quite a few hit home and the man slumped back against the turret seat as Jake felt himself begin to lose consciousness. The car swerved off the road, slamming into a building-
-and then he awoke. He jerked upright, gasping and panting, groaning at the pain surrounding his ribs as he breathed.
"You're awake," the doctor said as Jake glanced over.
"Is he alright?" Jake said, voice cracking. The doctor handed him a glass of dirty water and nodded.
"The new kid's fine. Some of the civvies took out the last buggy. Those were Hyperion, you know." Jake grimaced and nodded as he drank. "If you brought the hammer down on us for some kid, Jake…"
"Everything will be just dandy," Jake said with a groan as he swung his legs out of the bed, standing and flexing his muscles. "Just how long was I out, doc?"
"Only been about a day and a half. Kid's down at the bar, told me to tell you to meet him when you woke up. Wanted to thank you for savin' his life, I reckon." Jake frowned and nodded.
"Well thank you very much, doc. You really patched me up good. How many credits do you want?"
"Don't worry about it, kid," the doctor said, shaking his head. "You've done enough good to earn a few stitches. Just don't go shootin' up every Hyperion car you see from now on. I don't want this little town to be a damned crater." Jake nodded, grabbing his rifle and pistol and heading out of the small room. Several civilians lay on cots, recovering from bullet wounds or large bruises. He grimaced and turned away. It was his fault they were hurt. Why did he even WANT to save some no-name Crimson Lance? It was on an impulse but at the time it seemed so right.
He made his way out of the clinic and across the road to the bar, entering quietly. There was a light buzz of conversation, but the town was a small one and there was never really much of a ruckus unless one of the channels they got on the Pandora broadcast was any good. The newcomer wasn't hard for Jake to spot – there was a large corner of the bar completely empty except for the armored figure sitting in a corner booth. Jake approached and the armored figure straightened up.
"Are- are you the one who saved me?" the figure said, voice metallic and filtered through the mask.
"Uh, yes, that was me," Jake replied with a smile, offering out his hand. "My name is Jake." The armored figure stared at him for a moment before clicking a button on his helmet, sliding off with a hydraulic hiss. Beneath the mask, a blond boy with short, spiky hair and orange eyes grinned.
"Dirk," he said, shaking Jake's hand and gesturing for him to sit down. "That was some pretty fine shooting, Tex."
"Thanks!" Jake smiled. "I saw someone in trouble and I thought those guys were bandits."
"Pft, I wish," Dirk replied, running a hand through his hair. "Those Hyperion guys have been on me since a few towns over. We passed through two or three, but you were the first one to help me out."
"Why were they after you?" Jake asked abruptly.
"What? Oh, I used to be Crimson Lance," Dirk replied, tapping his helmet. "I'm not now, but you know Hyperion." Jake nodded with a frown. Ruthless killers, directed by the nefarious Handsome John. "I guess I was in their system, and my gear still says Atlas so they came after me."
"Well, I'm sorry about the whole ordeal," Jake said with a smile. "But at least here you should be safe for a while."
"Man, I hope," Dirk sighed. "They've got me tagged, though. If they see that their buggies all went down at the same time, they're gonna send scouts, and they're going to send them en masse." Jake shuddered.
"And what do you plan on doing?" Jake asked.
"Leaving, hopefully," Dirk replied, reaching into his pockets and pulling out a pair of triangular sunglasses. "I'm not going to endanger these people just because I'm being hunted. I've got to face this on my own, and maybe if I'm lucky, I'll even walk away alive."
"Don't talk like that!" Jake said, patting Dirk's armored shoulder. "If there's anything I've learned after living on Pandora this long, it's that everything has a purpose for living, and a chance to survive if they strive long enough!" Dirk paused for a moment before laughing, resting his head in his hands.
"You sure are optimistic, kid," Dirk said with a grin. "Thanks. Maybe I will get out of this alive."
"It's beginning to get dark," Jake noted. "Have you got a place to stay?"
"Bar lady let me sleep here last night," Dirk said, thumbing at the front desk.
"You slept here all night?" Jake asked, flabbergasted.
"Well yeah. Okay, no, I didn't really sleep much, but yeah I was here all night. Why?"
"You need a proper place to rest your head, and a good night's sleep!" Jake said, clapping the blond boy on the shoulder as he stood. "Come back to my place. I've got a spare bed and everything!"
"Oh, wow," Dirk replied, looking away and scratching the back of his head. "You know, that's real nice and everything, but I'm really not sure-"
"I insist," Jake said, taking the boy by the arm. "It's my pleasure, honestly." Dirk smiled sheepishly, giving a light nod.
"Alright, alright. Lead the way, kid."
"I'd prefer if you called me Jake," he replied, crossing his arms.
"I'm not real good on first names."
"Jake English."
"English?" Dirk said, mulling it over. "It'll have to do. Lead the way, English." Jake rolled his eyes but complied, leading the way through the small town to the house beneath the watch tower. "So this is where you live?" Dirk asked, looking up at the tower.
"And work," Jake nodded. "I was the one that picked off a few Hyperion agents before you rolled into town."
"Thanks for that," Dirk smirked as Jake led them inside. The house was a single bedroom, several cots scattered about, and a fridge hooked up to a battery to keep the food inside warm. "Well. It's, uh. Certainly nicer than the bar." Jake slugged him on the arm and smiled, lying down on a cot.
"Take whichever you'd like, Dirk." Dirk nodded, lying down on a cot across from Jake. "So," Jake started. "You worked for the Crimson Lance?"
"Oh yeah, just like, odd jobs and stuff, primarily. It was a way to make some credits, you know? Me and my bro both enlisted."
"Your brother?"
"Yep, Dave. Biological bro, not just bro bro. We both worked for the Crimson Lance 'til shit hit the fan and then… we sort of got separated."
"Hyperion is hunting him too, I assume?"
"Worse. He's working for them. That's how they found me."
"Your brother sold you out?" Jake gasped.
"Yeah, it's not really a big deal, though. I mean, it sounds like it is, and I guess he did sort of get me set up to get ambushed and killed, but I understand where he's coming from. It's this weird sort of passive-aggressive fight we've had going on since we were young and we'd always sort of try to mess each other up." Dirk glanced over to see Jake staring, open-mouthed, at him. "No, yeah, I know it's weird, but like, it makes sense to us. It's sort of what we do? We don't ever really want each other dead, but just… we sort of try to set it up, almost like testing each other. It's confusing."
"It sounds rather confusing!" Jake sputtered. "You two are trying to MURDER each other?"
"Oh, no, no way," Dirk answered quickly. "I mean, not really. Okay, so we've fought a few times. Mainly sparring, but it did get pretty close. But it's not a big deal, honestly. He's still my bro and I'm still his."
"I can't-! I don't even-!"
"Yeah, that's why I don't usually tell people," Dirk smirked. "That's the general consensus."
"That's horrid!"
"Kinda, yeah."
"Why do you instigate him like that?"
"What? I don't know, it's just sort of… our thing, I guess. I don't really know why," he replied with a shrug. Jake groaned, lying back on his cot.
"If I had a brother, I'd be loving and caring to him, not try to- to- destroy him!"
"I guess we're different, English. You do seem like a real caring guy."
"I am! I'm trying to protect the lives of all the people in this town."
"And some dude you don't even know," Dirk pointed out.
"Right. That as well."
"What's up with that, anyway?" Dirk asked, sitting up. "You said you didn't know why, but there had to be something."
"Not really," Jake shrugged. "Just… helping out a fellow wastelander."
"You've lived out there too?" Dirk asked, arching an eyebrow and Jake nodded. "I couldn't see that. You've got to be damned cutthroat to make it outside."
"I know," Jake muttered. "I had to be. And I couldn't accept that lifestyle, so I found a town and I settled." Dirk nodded.
"But with me, you just saw, what, some good-looking kid speeding towards town and you were just like, 'I have to save him, look at that suave fucker'."
"That's exactly it," Jake laughed, shaking his head.
"Yeah?" Dirk asked, moving closer silently, touching Jake's leg. Jake jerked upright in bed.
"Gadzooks, Dirk! Don't do that!"
"Do what?" Dirk grinned, moving his hand slowly up Jake's leg.
"Th-that-!" Jake choked out before Dirk moved in, kissing him slowly. His eyes went wide, unsure of how to react to the sudden advancement. He kissed him back for a moment before pulling back. "Good golly, Dirk, what in the world has come over you?" he breathed heavily.
"Nothin'," he grinned. "Yet." The blond boy moved his lips to Jake's neck, kissing and nibbling as Jake shuddered hard, his body shaking as Dirk began to unbutton his trousers. "Ever been with a guy, English?" Dirk murmured into his neck.
"N-not particularly," Jake gasped.
"Good," Dirk grinned, slipping his hand into Jake's pants and gripping his now hard member.
"Boy howdy!" Jake squeaked and Dirk paused before shaking softly. "D-Dirk, are you alright?" Jake pulled Dirk's face to him to find his face red, biting his lip to keep from laughing. "Dirk! What a way to ruin a moment!"
"Ruin a moment?" Dirk sputtered, gasping for breath. "And 'boy howdy' doesn't ruin the moment? Christ, English, you're a real nutter."
"Well I've never-!" he began, quickly silenced by Dirk's lips as he tugged Jake's pants down, breaking the kiss to move down his chest slowly, Jake's hand unconsciously moving to Dirk's head.
"And don't you dare say something stupid," Dirk threatened, slowly moving his head down, taking Jake's cockhead into his mouth.
"Yo-" Jake began, pausing and holding it in as his fingers threaded through Dirk's blond hair. The boy looked up from behind his sunglasses, with a glare saying "If you say 'Yowza' I swear I will bite it off". Jake gulped and leaned back, letting Dirk work. Satisfied that Jake was quite finished, Dirk turned his attention back to the throbbing member in his mouth, slowly working up and down, groaning softly around it as he sucked. Jake groaned and whimpered, gripping Dirk's hair tighter, who arched an eyebrow and began to suck faster. "D-Dirk, I-I'm-" Jake gasped, his breathing quickening. "Oh- my-" Dirk's eyes went wide when he knew what was about to occur.
"WHAMBO!" Dirk tried to pull off, gasping for breath and laughing uncontrollably as Jake came, splashing onto his glasses and face. "Dirk!"
"I-I just can't-!" Dirk laughed, gasping and rolling back onto the dirt floor, clutching his chest as he laughed.
"I cannot believe this!" Jake said, face flushed bright red as he pulled up his trousers and Dirk slowly sat up, gasping and laughing.
"Jesus, English," Dirk grinned, shaking his head. "You're crazy." He wiped what remained from his face, cleaning his glasses on his shirt before returning them to his face. "Man you're a buzzkill."
"You laughed at me!" Jake retorted.
"Yeah, only because no normal person yells 'WHAMBO' when they come, you big dork." Dirk grinned and tackled Jake to the cot, kissing his neck softly.
"I-! Mm. Well, maybe that's alright."
"What I thought," Dirk replied with a nip. He closed his eyes, ready to sleep when suddenly there was a roar of an engine. "Fuck. Fuck!" He jumped up, grabbing his shotgun and pulling it to the ready as Jake grabbed his rifle. "They found me. They FUCKING found me!"
"I'm coming with you!" Jake said, following Dirk from the house.
"You need to protect these people," Dirk whispered as he ducked behind buildings.
"I want to protect you!" Jake replied. Dirk frowned, peeking out from behind the building.
"Dirk Strider," came an incredibly calm female voice. "Please come out of hiding immediately. Someone is looking for you."
"Wait- no way, that couldn't be-!" Dirk muttered, putting his shotgun away and slowly standing. "Follow me, English."
"Dirk!" Jake whispered, swearing and slowly following behind him.
"Kanaya?" Dirk called out as he moved into the open, his hands in the air. "Is that you?" Jake followed Dirk out into the open, a bright pink vehicle awaiting in the middle of town, a familiar young woman behind the wheel wearing a red beret with- were those horns? A pair of green horns stuck out from beneath the beret, and the rest of her outfit was black, red, or green as well.
"Dirk Strider," she grinned, leaning against the steering wheel. "It's been a while."
"Why are you here? What's going on? Is she alright?"
"She?" Jake asked.
"She's fine, but she wishes for you to come to see her. She believes it's the best place to hide at the moment." Dirk frowned.
"Who is she?" Jake asked again.
"An old friend," Dirk replied offhanded.
"Roxy Lalonde," Kanaya replied for him.
"Roxy Lalonde? As in Roxy and the Riot Girls?" Jake asked, prompting a surprised look from Kanaya and Dirk.
"How do you know about the Riot Girls?" Kanaya asked slowly.
"They were on TV once," Jake explained. "In the arena." Her familiarity slowly dawned on him. "You're PART of the Riot Girls, aren't you?"
"Dirk, who is the kid?" Kanaya asked.
"No time to explain," Dirk replied, hopping into his buggy. "Jake, ride with Kan. Kan, I'll meet you out in the desert, I'll send the coordinates to your ECHO. Gotta ditch this buggy. Got it?" She looked to Jake, skeptical, but nodded. "Alright. See you guys in a bit." He ran to his buggy, speeding off out of town.
"Jake?" Kanaya asked. "Are you coming?" He looked about, several of the civilians watching the ordeal. He'd protected them from bandits and skags and danger. They were something of a family to him. But something about Dirk…
"Yes, I am," Jake said softly, climbing into the side seat as they headed off after Dirk.
AN: Another crossover, and another upload so soon after the last one! I tried my best to crank something out before I had to head off to bed. It's rather unedited and if it has mistakes, please notify me so I may fix them!
I'm also hoping for this to be something of a four-part arc, involving all of the Alpha Kids. So stay tuned! ~_u
Also: The idea for Borderlandstuck and Roxy's Riot Girls come from Blackoutballad's Borderlandstuck AU on Tumblr. Their drawings are great and I suggest you check them out!