Rhys woke to the sound of shrill beeping.

He was still at his desk. Judging by his aching neck, he'd been asleep for at least an hour or two, though he had no clue what time it was or when he'd dozed off. The facility was completely windowless. It used artificial sunlight in most of its rooms, likely meant to reduce negative health impacts of sun deprivation in Atlas workers. Rhys usually just abused its refreshing properties to pull all-nighters.

The blaring full-spectrum fluorescents were never pleasant to wake up to when one of those all-nighters failed.

Without lifting his head, he reached out to the keyboard, pressing a few keys he judged to be in the general location of the mute button. The attempt only managed to repeatedly set off the computer's error sound. The obnoxious beeping continued.

He groaned, slamming the keyboard with his entire hand a few times, and still failing to make the sound stop.

"Oh, duh…" It was his arm's incoming ECHOcomm alert. That particularly annoying one he chose after sleeping through some urgent calls- a responsible decision that he regretted very much right now.

Steeling himself, and praying it wasn't someone important, he projected the ECHO application from his hand. Maybe he could get away with refusing the call and going back to sleep (this time in his actual bed). He wasn't exactly prepared to talk to potential investors or associates, anyway.

"Oh, thank god."

It was only Vaughn. Not someone who's financial power he desperately needed, just a friend who worried about him too much. Still not great- he liked hearing from Vaughn, but recently Vaughn had been giving him a hard time about petty concerns, like his health and the wisdom of living in isolation.

Okay, Vaughn always worried about those sorts of things, but before Pandora, he'd only ineffectively protested Rhys's actions. It had always been easy to talk him down from his concerns. Now Vaughn had developed confidence, and worse, initiative. In theory, Rhys was happy for his friend's growth. Pandora suited him.

But a Vaughn who acted upon his concerns was a force to be reckoned with. The last time that Rhys got sick, Vaughn showed up at the facility and threatened to physically restrain him if he didn't get rest. When he found out that Rhys was living off of possibly expired Atlas MREs and ice cream, he took Rhys grocery shopping, making absolutely sure they covered all the major food groups. And when Rhys made an offhand comment about his worry of a scythid infestation, New Haven saw a gruesome, one-man insectoid massacre. Vaughn was simply too good of a friend.

Rhys wiped away a streak of drool off his chin and tried to smooth out his hair before allowing the comm through. The less he gave Vaughn to worry about, the better.

"Hey, Vaughn! How's it going?!" Rhys injected as much cheer as he could muster into his voice.

Vaughn was clearly unimpressed. "Dude, where the hell are you? Did you just wake up?!"

"Erm...No? I've been up for hours. Been busy working and stuff." he stifled a yawn. "Why? What's up?"

"Are you- are you joking? Rhys, it's two PM! You were supposed to be here two hours ago!" Vaughn hissed and glanced over his shoulder. "Do you know how hard it is to convince these people that their Great Liberator has NOT abandoned them?"

"...Who? What are you…" Rhys mentally cycled through his plans. He'd been sure he was free for the day... "OH! Shit! Was the ribbon cutting thing today?! Shit, I'm so sorry Vaughn, something came up and...Well..."

"Something came up?! We planned this ages ago! What could have happened that- Wait...Is that...is that blood?! Were you bleeding?!" Any trace of annoyance had vanished, Vaughn was now in full overly-concerned-friend mode. Crap.

"Wh-what? Where?"

"On your face! Are you okay?! Do you have a head injury? Do I need to come over?"

Rhys ran his hand over his face, finding a decent-sized spot of dried, cracking blood on his cheek. Oh, yeah, blood! Heh."
How'd it end up on his face? Had it been there when he was talking to Zer0 earlier?

Vaughn leaned in closer to his ECHO device's camera, voice dropping to a whisper. "Did something happen with the-"

"No! It-It's fine! It's nothing. I mean, it was only a bad nosebleed, it looks worse than it was. It...I... I fell."

"You fell?" His voice was flat.

"Yeah. On my face. You uh, you know how accident prone I am?" He forced a chuckle. "Yeah. I slipped on some oil. A leak in the workshop."

Vaughn regarded him suspiciously.

"It's a really small scratch, it just bled a lot. Look, you can hardly even see it." he pointed to his cheek, where there was definitely no scratch.

"...If you say so. But seriously, Rhys, this is like the third time you've blown me off in the past month. Fiona says she and Sasha haven't even seen you in almost three months, and Yvette's got this theory that you've started snorting Eridium. The last time you were acting this level of weird was when Hands-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He'd prefer the Vault hunters didn't happen to overhear that particular tidbit. They probably wouldn't look kindly upon a close association with Handsome Jack.
"I understand why you're worried, but I swear, I'm totally fine. I've just been really busy."

"You know, you could hire people to help you. I worry about you living alone, I'm pretty sure this is how people end up insane?"

"I've got a ton of robots…"

"Robots? Really?" He gave Rhys a stern look.

"I mean, they're…kind of like dogs? Look, I can't bring anyone onboard this project until I... Until later. Atlas is still really fragile, and we've gotta do this right if we don't want to get completely murdered. You heard what happened to S&S? We're way smaller than they ever were."

"Yeah, I get it. But still."

"Don't worry about me, I get out a lot. Hey, just yesterday I drove out to Lynchwood and met with some potential investors. And I set up a sponsorship deal with a couple of Vault hunters? I'm doing great! And seriously, I'm not as isolated as you think."

"Whatever you say." In all likelihood, Vaughn was already planning some sort of intervention for Rhys's nonexistent Eridium addiction.

"Just tell the Chil...Children-" God, he hated calling them that. "-that I'm on a spiritual journey? And I sent you to act in my place. Like, as my conduit or something?! Hell, I'll even address them on ECHO later, give them a speech and everything. They go nuts for that stuff, right?"

Vaughn sighed. "Okay, seriously, Rhys. I know I've said this before, but if you don't want to keep playing along with them, I'd completely understand. I know this stuff is super weird. They're super weird- so I get it. I don't want you to feel pressured into this, I mean, it's kind of messed up and I don't think I'd be okay with being worshipped after...Erm, I mean, not that I'm judging you if you are okay with it. Just think about it, okay?"

"It's not that big of a deal, but fine. I'll call you back later."

"Right. Take care of yourself."

With a click, Vaughn hung up.

Rhys got off easy, Vaughn was obviously feeling guilty about almost bringing up Helios, meaning he'd leave Rhys alone for a day or two. He sunk back in his chair with a deep sigh.

Only to jolt back up when a glowing, red "LOL" appeared, reflected in the empty monitors.

"He suspects something / I would expect better lies / From a businessman," Zer0 said.

As far as surprise appearances went, this one didn't exactly surprise Rhys. Well, at least, he expected Zer0 to pop in unexpectedly, but his heart was now racing. No living thing should be able to move so quietly.

They leaned in the doorframe, the "LOL" still floating in front of their helmet.

"Oh, hey. Did you-Erm, How long have you been standing there?" It was disconcerting, seeing them in his clothes. They almost would have fit in on a Hyperion casual Friday, though, buttoning one's cardigan as crookedly as Zer0 has managed would be grounds for being summarily dismissed- out of an airlock if rumor was to be believed. And then there was the helmet, of course. "...The clothes working alright?"

They ignored both of Rhys's questions. "Will he be a problem?"

"A problem? Vaughn? No, he's fine." Rhys gave a half-hearted laugh, unable to convince even himself of that. If he didn't appease Vaughn soon, he was almost guaranteed to show up at the facility. "He's just worried about me, but he has no reason to suspect anything like...this?" he gestured vaguely at Zer0.

They simply stared in response, and it occurred to Rhys that he didn't have a solid grasp on Zer0's moral compass. Was he trying to quell their doubts or negotiating for his best friend's life?

"Even if he somehow were to find out, he's totally trustworthy! I mean, of course, you don't want him to find out, I don't want him to find out- but…" he hesitated. "He won't be a problem."

"Good," Zer0 said. They paused before adding, "...Am I in the way? / You've missed an important event / On my behalf, yes?"

"Oh, um…N-no- I mean, yes?" Again, they'd become considerate out of seemingly nowhere, catching Rhys off-guard. "I mean, yeah, I missed a thing, but it's not an important thing. Just a uh. A charity thing? I was supposed to be at this opening ceremony for a schoolhouse. Children of Helios kids."

"That is your cult?"

"...Well, technically it's Vaughn's bandit gang...cult...thing. They worship me and...work for me, but..."

"So, your cult."

"...Yeah, I guess," he acquiesced. "B-but it wasn't my idea or anything. I cannot stress that enough. I'm uh, actually pretty relieved that you gave me an excuse to miss it? The whole situation is kind of- super weird."

"Understandable / The beheaded effigy / Is quite macabre." They projected a ":)".

Rhys surprised himself by laughing. "Yeah, I kind of got worried they were going to try to sacrifice me. Like, to free me from my mortal form or something?"

"That would be foolish / You're far more entertaining / Alive and breathing." This came with no emoticon.

"I uh- Er-..." Rhys had almost been at ease talking to them, and then they dropped this on him? He'd woken up at most like ten minutes ago and was in no place to decipher what they meant by that, and whether to feel terrified, insulted, or flattered.
He settled on slightly overwhelmed.
"...Sooo um, did you want something, or?"

"I'm meant to get you/ Maya wishes to speak with you/ Before she departs."

"Oh."

"You should wash your face / There is still some blood on you/ You dislike that, right?"

Rhys seemed upset.
Zer0 had almost been proud of how well they were doing with him. They'd tried to follow the advice Maya offered them that morning.

As she'd poked and prodded at Zer0's newly emerged scars, they'd confided in her, "Rhys is confusing/ I promised not to kill him/ More than once, even."

"...Okay, and what exactly are you confused about?"

"He gets uneasy/ Around me. I don't get it/ I've not threatened him."

Maya gave them a blank look before breaking into a laugh, prompting a "?" from Zer0's visor.

"Sorry Zer0, but are you serious? Everyone's uneasy around you, I thought you did that on purpose."

"To some small extent/" They admitted. There was a lot to be said for the power of psychological warfare, and that came naturally to Zer0. They were a skilled killer, greatly enjoyed doing so, and had no qualms about using tricks. Of course, this left them with a reputation, a powerful weapon in its own right. Zer0 saw no reason to discourage it.

"Do I make you uneasy?/ I had not noticed."

"I mean, now? Not at all. When we met you though? Didn't you notice how you never got put on watch alone at night? We all half expected you to kill us in our sleep and go over to Handsome Jack's side or something."

"I considered it/ Though, not as you were sleeping/ No challenge in that." Zer0 projected a ";)".

Back then they'd even planned for the possibility. They weren't deluded enough to think they could take all five Vault hunters in a fair fight, so they would have to split them up. They'd strike one by one, playing to the other's weaknesses. Or perhaps they'd arrange deaths that looked to be the work bandits and stretch it out over a few days.
But they were an assassin, not a serial killer. Jack never contacted them to request a contract, and they'd soon decided that it was far more fun to work with the underdogs. After all, there were thousands of Hyperion targets and only five Vault hunters.

"Okay, first of all, I would have melted your brain if you tried anything. Second, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Now imagine I'm some scrawny, helpless businessman whose prior image of Vault Hunters mostly comes from like, Hunter Hellquist. Who we killed, along with Rhys's former CEO, that CEO's girlfriend, and thousands of his co-workers."

"'He is not helpless."
Rhys deserved some credit.

Maya ignored them. "If you want my advice, you need to start thinking about the context of your words. You're an assassin with a kill-count in the thousands- you don't want to remind him of the fact that you could murder him without breaking a sweat. Try to keep the macabre haikus to a minimum, don't tell him exactly how you would kill him, and just...don't be creepy in general? That also means not sneaking up on him, and definitely avoid the thing where you quietly loom over people. Also, don't be an asshole."

Zer0 had done their best to follow her advice, yet somehow they seemed to be failing. By the time the two stepped onto the elevator, it appeared that Rhys was now purposely avoiding looking at them. He instead pretended to be fixated on adjusting the cuffs of his shirt.

Okay, they snuck up on him when they came to retrieve him. It was an accident, they weren't consciously stealthy. It hardly seemed to upset Rhys, anyway. He'd acted nervous about Vaughn, though, but that wasn't their fault.

No, the problem arose when they'd complimented him. They had even taken Maya's words into consideration, specifically telling him that they appreciated him being alive. Was it because they'd called him "entertaining"? It was intended as praise, how else could Rhys have read it? That they wanted to see him tortured for kicks?

...Shit, that was plausible. Rhys undoubtedly would have heard the Hyperion propaganda claiming that Zer0 was an interdimensional child-eating demon.

They caught Rhys looking up at them as they passed the third floor. Cocking their head, they projected a "?", but Rhys had already averted his gaze.

They sighed. Maybe they were placing undue value on Rhys's comfort. The last few years of mixing with others had caused them to lose sight of their priorities. Rhys's trust was virtually worthless to them, but a bit of fear might even keep him loyal, especially when mixed with admiration.

Still, they found themself glaring at Rhys by the time the elevator opened to the first floor. To their confusion (Or was it frustration? Annoyance, perhaps?) Rhys's composure shifted almost instantly. He stood up straighter, his chest out, shoulders back, feet apart. Zer0 supposed he intended to look confident, but it reminded them only of how Handsome Jack carried himself.

That is to say, like a douchebag.

This act collapsed with an "AAGH!" when Krieg's oversized hand darted out and grabbed Rhys by the head, stopping him in his tracks.

Zer0 chuckled.

"You're inattentive/" They started, but again they found themself overtaken by the irrational desire to avoid scaring Rhys. Telling him how he was making himself an easy kill would be counterproductive. They left their haiku unfinished, for the moment.

Krieg bent down, eye-level with Rhys.
"I spy!" he growled, pointing a finger dangerously close to Rhys's ECHOeye.

"Um, hi?" Rhys cracked a nervous smile. "Can you, uh, please let me go...maybe?"

"I know exactly how you feel!" Krieg said. He did not let him go.

"I um... What?"

Maya was watching from behind Krieg, apparently quite amused.

"I think he means the eye thing?" she said. "That, or he's talking about how your hair literally feels. Hard to tell."

Even Athena made no move to do anything.
Zer0 supposed they shouldn't be surprised. Rhys may have proven himself trustworthy, even good-hearted, but he made himself such an easy target for some light torment.

"Oh, um...Thanks? I guess? This kind of hurts..." he said.

Krieg seemed pleased by this. "Altruism!"

Rhys looked to Maya for help.

"Relax, he's most likely not going to kill you," she said.

From behind Rhys, Zer0 projected a "PLS" at her. Not that they didn't find it entertaining, but it probably wasn't reflecting well on Vault hunters in general. Which meant Rhys might have another reason to be frustratingly nervous about them, specifically.

"Fine." Maya relented and put her hand on Krieg's shoulder. "Hey, remember what I said about personal space?"

Krieg briefly glanced at her before turning back to his captive.
"The lying eye is a dying sun!" He yelled, and stared Rhys down for a moment longer before releasing him.

Rhys stumbled backward, already combing a hand through his now mussed-up hair.

"Don't worry, he likes you," Maya said.

"Heh, obviously." Rhys's smile was almost convincing, though the addition of finger guns pointed at Krieg seemed rather forced. "Eye buddies, right?"

"Shoot a blind man and he can feel it all!" Krieg raised his buzzaxe in a cheer.

Zer0 expected Rhys to at least flinch at this display, but if he was nervous, he was expertly hiding it behind the whole Handsome Douchebag thing. Krieg could easily grab Rhys and break his neck before anyone could act. Hell, he'd nearly killed Rhys mere hours ago!
A "?" flashed on Zer0's visor, vanishing before anybody noticed. What the hell were they doing wrong?

"So, Maya, you wanted to talk to me?" Rhys asked.

"Yeah, I want to be sure you're prepared. At least, as prepared as you can be, considering..." She glanced at Zer0.

It made them a little indignant. Perhaps they had been somewhat...immature with Maya, but they didn't intend to give Rhys a hard time or even interact with him much, outside of necessity. He was already giving them food, clothes, and shelter. And he said he'd fix their arm. But anything more than that would be pathetic.

"You said so yourself, this place is well defended," Rhys said. "And you should have this dealt with fast, right?"

"Hopefully." Maya sounded less confident than she had the night before, though Zer0 wasn't sure what changed. It seemed unlikely she'd suddenly see the sense in their concerns. "Still, how are you on provisions? Food, water, medical supplies?"

"I have more food than I know what to do with, and the water supply here is actually surprisingly safe? There's a purification system built into the facility," he said. "I dunno about the medical stuff, though. I mean, there's a clinic in D, it probably has some stuff. What should I need?"

"Bandages, Health-nows, maybe a suture kit, just in case. If there's anything those can't fix, you're gonna need me again."

"Wait, Health-nows? Are those different from uh...Insta-healths?"

"They're name-brand and markedly less fishy. I'm pretty sure Zed cuts Insta-healths with Rakk ale," She said, frowning at Zer0. "Follow the instructions, Zer0 doesn't know what they're talking about. You can overdose on them, more than two at a time is way too many."

Regrettably, Zer0 didn't have an eye-roll emoticon in their repertoire. Instead, they settled on using "(" again. If one could overdose on instant healing products, every Vault hunter would be dead.

"Oh, heh. I thought that uh…" Rhys cleared his throat. "Yeah, okay… Is that...is that everything?"

"Just about. I've sent contact info for me and Krieg to your ECHO, you should be able to get a hold of at least one of us if you need to. I've also included an address to send those guns to."

"Yes! Deliver the skull breakers to bring the gore!" Krieg sounded delighted.

"Haha, yeah." This time, Rhys stepped back. "I'll do that."

"From now on, I'd like to be left out of this," Athena spoke up. "Getting called over here, by you, to deal with a late-night emergency that I can't tell Janey about is not a good look. I'm not doing it again."

"Sorry. I uh, sent you a payment, actually. I included a memo that I needed your biosignature to get through some old Atlas security? You can tell Janey that? I figured it sounded plausible. But yeah, sorry. I wouldn't have called you in if I knew what else to do."

"Fair enough." She muttered and turned towards the door.

Maya began to follow, Krieg behind her. She stopped and turned back to add "Oh, and one last thing. If by some chance you get found-"

"You want us to escape them/ Rather than to fight." Zer0 finished.

She nodded. "Yeah. Otherwise, stay here and get rest until we're sure you're recovered. I don't care if you figure out where they are, or get bored. No training, no going out. I know you don't like it, but-"

"I am not a fool/ I will recover first, then/ I will end their lives."

They still had yet to decide whether or not this was a lie.