A/N: Sorry for the wait everyone! It's been a busy week. Regardless, NEW CHAPTER! (Insert guitar solo)

Chapter 19: War is Here

The Crimson Army was set up at the end of the bridge of Crimson City, the army set up with barricades and trenches. About 20 turrets that looked like Axton's turrets on a larger scale with modified Shock Guns on the top. Lilith stood towards the back, checking her ECHO device to see if everyone was in position. Zer0 and his snipers were set up on the ridge near the entrance to Thousand Cuts so they had a clear view of the battle field. Axton was set up towards the front in the trenches with his soldiers, showing that he would stand with them.

Salvador and his Gunzerkers were set up in secret spots along the side of the battlefield, waiting for the bulk of the horde to charge so they could ambush them. Maya was near the middle, barking about the new bots they were going to face along with the capabilities of their new Shock Guns. Gaige had some of the back office staff running different weapons back and forth from her workshop and to the battlefield. Brick and Mordecai stood next to her, awaiting the first sight of the enemy. They saw the dropships fly off, holds open showing that all of their soldiers had been dropped off.

Lilith took a deep breath and exclaimed "So… it begins." Zer0 relayed over the ECHO net "Heads up. The soldiers have started moving up." The soldiers were spotted coming over the ridge, drones and clones leading the charge while the soldiers used them as shields. Lilith observed as the snipers started taking the heads off of soldiers and leaving the clones and drones for the Shock Guns. Once the army was getting within range, the turrets began unloading Shock Gun pulses and dropping the clones as the chips in their heads fried and drones short circuited.

Just as the Maliwan Army was within 100 yards of the Crimson Army, the Gunzerkers with the addition of Krieg jumped from their hiding spots and charged the Maliwan Army. Krieg had reverted to his old Psycho state, the mask coming back on as he slaughtered troops with his Meat Bicycle, blood flying in all directions. The soldiers attempted to open fire on Krieg, but the numbers around the Psycho would have made the situation into a field of fratricide. Maliwan turned a few drones on Krieg, but the metal soldiers quickly crumpled against the Psycho's Meat Bicycle.

The Gunzerkers were proving an equal match as they tore through the soldier ranks like they were paper. All of the Gunzerkers were equipped with a Bandit LMG and a Shock Gun, ready for anything that would attack them. Salvador was pushing hard through the soldiers, holding the LMG in one hand to shred the soldiers while the Shock Gun took out clones and drones. Three clones charged Salvador, each with pistols and knives in hand, ready to cut the tiny psycho down. Salvador laughed hysterically as he turned the Shock Gun on them and fired the E.M.P., dropping the clones in their tracks.

Near the frontlines, the turrets and soldiers were firing their Shock Guns at the clones and drones, completely decimating the Maliwan Army. Axton was barking orders and pointing out targets while the fight raged on, ensuring that the lives of his men and women were secure. Maya's expertise in the elemental weapons helped the soldiers maintain the upper hand against the Maliwan drones. Lilith observed the battlefield and watched as the Crimson Army tore through the Maliwan ranks and thought "This is too easy." The concern on Lilith's face must have been visible because Mordecai asked "Whatchu thinkin Lil?"

Lilith responded "Something isn't right. This is way too easy. Maliwan has something else planned, something we haven't seen yet." Brick crossed his arms and questioned "You want me to put some Slabs into the air?"

"Not yet. Let's see what Maliwan might have planned."

O00000O00000O

Back at the hospital, the kids had been checked out and were in the city park discussing their master plan. Angel sat on a bench and exclaimed "Alright. Is everyone clear on the plan?" Z-12 crossed his arms and exclaimed "Sneak past the frontlines and infiltrate the Maliwan base camp." Lynn slammed a fist into her palm and finished "Then take out the Maliwan hierarchy." Zver howled into the air and Nickoli exclaimed "I have to agree with Zver. This plan… I'm not too sure that this plan will work out. I mean, we're kids, not soldiers."

Justin pointed out "This war is our fault. If we hadn't run into the Elementals then Maliwan wouldn't have come after us." Angel stood up and exclaimed "Look, we can focus on the ifs all day but right now there is a war going on. We have a chance to stop this before it goes too far." Nickoli dropped his head and sighed "I still feel like we should leave this to the adults, but it's obvious that we are going to do this regardless." Angel smiled and replied "Of course. So, first part of the plan: How are we going to get there?" Z-12 suggested "What about by boat? The bridge will be congested with troops and equipment rolling to the front lines. Can't go by air because I don't trust Angel to fly again."

Angel rolled her eyes and responded "So, we need a boat. How are we going to get one?" Everyone was quiet until Patrick suggested "Steal one." Lynn raised her hand and announced "If need be, I'll do that. I've already done a number of illegal things so one more won't destroy my conscience." Justin raised his hand and questioned "So what is the plan after that? I mean, getting a way there is one step, but what are we actually going to do?" It was eerily quiet in the city, the sounds of gunfire in the distance barely audible until Angel stated "What we need to. Whatever we need to do to end this war."

Angel turned towards the group and explained "Patrick and Justin will stay with the boat and have it ready for when we need to leave. Nickoli and Lynn will be the distraction. You two will open fire on the camp with whatever you have that will gain the attention of the troops. Once the distraction starts, Z-12 and I are going to sneak into the camp and find the leaders." Nickoli scratched the back of his head and sighed "Sounds like as good a plan as any. Let's get started before this war does anymore unnecessary damage." Everyone was silent, contemplating what they were going to do since it was so far out of their league. Lynn broke the silence and announced "Give me an hour. I'll find us a boat and get us over there. Once I get the boat, I'll call you guys with the spot I'm going to be at."

Lynn walked off, leaving the rest of the group in a silence that was incredibly uncomfortable. Angel sighed and exclaimed "Get everything you need for this mission. We'll need the best of the best if we want to pull this off." Patrick and Justin headed to their respective homes while Nickoli and Zver stuck with the Assassin family. Nickoli had Zver wait outside while Nickoli walked into the Assassin's home, Angel directing him to her room. "I need a minute with my brother." Angel stated.

Nickoli nodded and walked into her room, Angel turning to Z-12, who looked incredibly worried. Z-12 questioned "Are you sure about this Angel?" She nodded and replied "Positive. This is the only way we can get Maliwan to stand down."

"Maybe, but are we really going to assassinate Lady Maliwan? I know our parents took down Handsome Jack, but-."

"Not just Lady Maliwan, that bitch Harloc and that bastard N1ne too. If Lady Maliwan is there, then they will be right there with her. We take out everyone that has fucked with us."

Z-12 dropped his head and sighed "There is no talking you out of this, is there?" Angel smiled a bit and replied "No, there isn't. Our parents are out there fighting a war that we started. I… I don't want to lose them because of me. It's only fitting that we finished what we started." Z-12 nodded and exclaimed "Alright. I'll be prepping my blades. Just, keep it down with Nickoli in there." Angel rolled her eyes as she spun on her heels and headed into her room to meet Nickoli, who was looking over her bookcase. Angel walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder.

Nickoli smiled as he placed his metal hands on Angel's arms, feeling the warmth of her skin on his cold metal. Angel whispered "Nickoli, I love you." Nickoli turned in her arms, turning it into a hug as he wrapped his arms around her and replied "I love you too Angel." Angel lifted her head and kissed his cheek, exclaiming "Nickoli, I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

Angel pulled out a small device that looked like a bug you use for listening in on someone. "This is a receiver. I'll be carrying something that will cause the receiver to make a siren sound." Angel explained as she put the receiver in his hand. Nickoli looked at the device and questioned "What do you want me to do once I hear the sound?"

"Run. When you hear the siren, it means that everything has backfired on us. I want you to get Lynn and Patrick and Justin out of there and leave me and Z-12 behind."

"Angel…"

"No Nickoli. I want you to promise me that you will get out of there once you hear the signal."

Nickoli closed his hand around the receiver, careful not to crush it, and sighed "You know I can't promise that." Angel pleaded "Please Nickoli, I need you to promise me that you'll leave when I give the signal."

"Angel I can't just-."

Angel separated and proclaimed "If you don't promise me this… then we're through." Nickoli looked like she had just ripped his heart out, eyes starting to water. "You would rather me leave you behind than try and save you?" Nickoli questioned as he wiped his eyes. Angel answered "Nickoli, if I lose you because you were trying to save me… I could never forgive myself. That's why I need you to promise that you won't come in after me, that you'll run when I tell you to." Nickoli looked away, taking several deep breaths to calm himself down before he finally responded "Fine… I won't come after you if you send the signal." Angel looked to the ground and sighed "I'm so, so very sorry about having to do this. I just-."

Angel was cut off as Nickoli lifted her head with his thumb and pointer finger, pressing his lips to hers. Angel threw her arms around Nickoli's shoulders, Nickoli wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. Angel could feel tears running down her face as she kissed Nickoli, thinking that this may be the last kiss she might have with Nickoli. Angel started to push Nickoli towards her bed until the two feel onto it, maintaining the kiss as they shifted. Nickoli put his hands on Angel's hips sliding them beneath her shirt and onto her sides, Angel gasping at the cold metal of his hands on her skin.

Angel whispered "No, just kiss me." Nickoli removed his hands from beneath her shirt and wrapped them back around her, not arguing with Angel's request.

O00000O00000O

Z-12 sat on the couch/ his bed and sharpened his second sword, mind going through every scenario that could possibly happen. He was nervous about this, even though he knew that he and Angel could sneak into the camp but the issue was dealing with the three big wigs. Lady Maliwan might be combat trained like Handsome Jack was, and from what Angel told them about Doctor Harloc the woman is a sociopath. N1ne, however, was trained like Zer0 and had probably continued training to not let old age get the better of him. Z-12 finished sharpening his weapon and set it down to its twin, Z-12 taking a breath and sighing audibly as the time drew closer.

Z-12 intertwined his fingers and set his elbows on his knees, simply waiting in anticipation for the call. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long as his ECHO rang, hearing Lynn exclaim "Got the boat. Meet me at the coordinates I'm sending you. And someone tell Nickoli and Angel, they aren't answering their ECHOs." Z-12 chuckled and responded "I'll get them." He hung up and went to Angel's door, hoping that he wasn't going to hear any sounds of sex coming out of them. He knocked on the door and called "Angel Nickoli! Get dressed and g-."

The door immediately opened to reveal Angel at the door and Nickoli sitting at the edge of her bed. Angel rolled her eyes and stated "We're dressed. Lynn send the place to meet?" Z-12 nodded and exclaimed "It was a group message so everyone knows and will be meeting up there in a bit." Nickoli walked up behind Angel and proclaimed "Let's get moving. The Maliwan leaders aren't going to assassinate themselves." The trio departed the apartment with their badass cyber-stalker pet following them until they reached the docks.

Lynn had stolen what looked like a small boat that could fit all of them without the boat becoming too unstable or sinking. Everyone boarded and Lynn drove off, the team taking a long way around Crimson City so they wouldn't be spotted. Almost everyone looked at the end of the bridge, seeing the battle raging on the ground and in the air. Lynn shouted "Focus! This will end once our mission is over." Everyone was quiet until they landed behind Maliwan lines, far enough to where they wouldn't be spotted.

Angel stepped off the boat and questioned "Does everyone remember the plan?" Everyone nodded, Patrick and Justin staying on the boat while everyone else got off and readied their weapons. They moved as silently as possible, ensuring that they couldn't be heard by any forces. They were able to find a hill that was towards the back of the camp and seemed unguarded since the fight raged harder than they probably believed. Angel and Z-12 looked at each other, communicating almost telepathically and agreeing as Z-12 updated "No need for a distraction. They're too focused on the actual fight to worry about someone attacking from behind."

The weight of the receiver grew heavy in Nickoli's pocket hearing that they weren't actually going to be needed. Angel announced quietly "We're going in. We'll let you know once we're done." The two assassins slipped away from the group and headed into the camp, leaving Lynn, Nickoli and Zver alone at the edge. Lynn turned to Nickoli and questioned "So what are we going to do?" Nickoli pulled the receiver out of his pocket, stating "We wait. If we hear anything from this device, we charge in weapons blazing and torch anything in our path."

O00000O00000O

Angel and Z-12 had an easy time slipping through the camp since it was nearly deserted. It seemed like every soldier, drone and clone they had went straight onto the field and fought until they either died or were captured. Tents were set up to provide temporary quarters, but it looked like they were hardly used. Z-12 looked around and thought "This is way too easy. Something isn't right." Angel slid up to him and whispered "Bro, something isn't right. This place is damn near deserted. We need to watch ourselves."

The two silently drew their blades, Z-12 only using one blade as opposed to two and they continued slinking through the camp. There was a large antenna at the center of the camp that was more than likely the mobile command post, so their targets had to be waiting there. They continued to move unhindered until they reached the tent that had to be the command center. Z-12 stopped and whispered "This isn't right. For a tent to have the all of the higher ups and there are no guards? This is a-." Z-12's sentence was finished by a disturbingly familiar voice, finishing "Trap."

The two turned to see N1ne standing behind them with pistols pointed at their heads, both of them knowing that there was a twisted smile beneath the white mask. He flicked the pistols towards the tent and ordered "Get moving." The two sheathed their weapons and started walking towards the tent, Angel scratching at her collar, tripping the transmitter to Nickoli and telling him to get out of the area. They entered the tent, seeing that it was almost completely empty other than a large pole and a card table with a few chairs. In the chairs was a woman with jet black hair tied back into a tight bun wearing a white business suit and black heels.

She was wearing a dark blue shirt underneath and was currently staring at a hand of cards. The woman across was wearing a white lab coat with black combat boots. Her hair was snow white and she looked like she was starved her skin clung so close to her skull. Her green eyes surveyed the cards in her hand as she smiled and stated "I see the trick worked. I can just feel the power of the Siren from here." Dr. Harloc put her cards on the table and turned towards the new arrivals, her green eyes lighting up like Christmas. Lady Maliwan set her cards down and announced "We figured that you and your friends would try something like this. You kids are bold."

Dr. Harloc reached into one of her coat pockets and pulled out a Siren collar, stating "You are going to put this on and come with us. Do this and we will pull back, leaving the rest of your friends alone." Harloc tossed the collar at Angel, who caught it with a wince since she didn't particularly have fond memories of them. N1ne questioned "What about this one? He seems to be stronger than the other clones, we can use him." Lady Maliwan shook her head and replied "No. He's too close with your target. It will compromise you. Kill him." Z-12 reacted to hearing that, ducking beneath the pistol's barrel and grabbing a sword, swinging it at N1ne and hoping that he would catch the bastard.

N1ne jumped aside and swung his pistol, striking Angel in the back of the head and dropping her. N1ne's reflexes were faster than expected, the elder shooting forward and grabbing Z-12's wrist. Angel looked up from the ground to see N1ne turn Z-12's blade on him and drive it into his chest. Angel felt the same way she did when Nickoli got shot, horribly helpless. Here she was, one of the most powerful warriors in the whole universe and she couldn't help anyone, not her boyfriend and not her brother.

Angel tightened her fist, feeling that same rage boil in her stomach when Nickoli got shot, feeling the power well up inside of her. Her anger was replaced by shock as an ear shattering howl blasted through the tent opening and slamming N1ne into the back. Z-12 hit the ground as N1ne flew into the card table, Lady Maliwan and Dr. Harloc jumping back and pulling weapons. The attacker jumped in, revealing themselves to be Zver, rearing back and making another sonic howl that threw back the two women. Angel was pulled to her feet by someone, that person being Nickoli as she turned to face them.

"Let's go! Lynn is already setting fire to the camp so we have no time." He barked as he ran over to Z-12 and shouldered him, careful not to move the blade in his chest. Angel was feeling a flurry of emotions at the moment, but decided not to act on them since it was an emergency. The group ran out of the tent, seeing the flames rising and hearing Lynn laughing hysterically. Nickoli bellowed "Lynn! We're leaving! Now!" Lynn joined them as they ran through the camp and headed towards the boat, hoping that they could get Z-12 to a doctor before it was too late.

A/N: Oh boy, yet another cliffhanger. Let's see how this will play out, well, you readers will. I know everything about this story.

Deadpool: He's lying. He doesn't know a damn thing.

Author: You bastard. Anyway, PM or review any thoughts comments or concerns. Until next time.

-Chief and Deadpool