So, sorry to disappoint those eagerly awaiting Wizard of Elpis, but I decided to drop that fic.
There was a very good reason for that, though. There was no chemistry to the pairing. Harry and Angel met maybe once when they were kids, and only corresponded for a few months, before Angel was locked away by Jack. And anything I wrote in felt...forced and rather flimsy. The character development wasn't quite there.
However, I will not let a Harry/Angel story set during the events of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! go. It's too good an idea to pass up. So, I decided to go back to the old standby of a VATDP (Veil-Assisted Transdimensional Pratfall) Harry end up in Angel's chambers, not dissimilar to what I intended with Spanner in the Works. Given how vague Angel's age is in canon, I decided to make her 16 for this, and Harry is nearly 16, what with it nearly post-Book 5. This story will be partly about them growing closer, and dealing with their respective traumas.
The title took some doing, but I decided on Regaining Hope as a multi-layered thing. The most obvious is that Harry and Angel are reclaiming the hope they have lost due to the events that affected them. However, it's also a reference I didn't realise until recently. As mentioned in Marcus' opening narration, the name Elpis comes from the myth about Pandora's Box, with Elpis being the spirit of hope remaining after the box was opened. So, it's about reclaiming the moon from Zarpedon, as well as Jack...
REGAINING HOPE
CHAPTER 1:
GRYFFINDORS RUSH IN WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD
So, you wanna hear a story, huh? Well, sit right down, and I'll tell you one hell of a tale. It's an unbelievable tale, but I assure you, it's all true. Well, mostly.
Not so long ago, the fate of Pandora hung in the balance. There was the Vault, an alien prison opened by a mystical key, and filled with seemingly nothing more than tentacles and disappointment. To the Vault Hunters who opened it, it was an aggravating end to their quest, especially while trying to stop Atlas from running roughshod over Pandora. But to another, it was an opportunity.
They didn't know it, but the Guardian Angel who led them into opening the Vault was a prisoner of her father, a programmer working for the Hyperion Corporation. His name was Jack, and while a key programmer within the corporation, he chafed under the heel of its CEO, and hungered for power. The Vault, and the Eridium it spewed out once the Destroyer had been put paid to, were key to his plans. So too was his daughter, a Siren who could influence electronics, and whom he believed, in his delusions, that he was protecting her by incarcerating her.
But then, Jack caught wind of another Vault, on Pandora's moon, Elpis. He decided to recruit a group of Vault Hunters under his control. Athena, the ex-Atlas Crimson Lance assassin. Wilhelm, the infamous mercenary cyborg enforcer. Nisha, a ruthless gunslinger. Lady Aurelia Hammerlock, the scion of the Hammerlock line. Timothy Lawrence, the first of Jack's body doubles. And a Claptrap unit, reprogrammed into a fighter.
However, he did not know it, but the Vault had a protector. Not a monster left behind by the Eridians, the beings who created the Vaults in the first place. Rather, the infamous Lost Legion, part of the Dahl's PMC that was abandoned and disappeared on Elpis during the Crackening, some four years prior to Jack sniffing around, and its leader was Colonel Tungsteena Zarpedon. Don't let her stupid name fool you. She was a powerful foe. And she decided to destroy Elpis, for the sake of saving the universe. An overreaction? Most definitely, and yet, from what we heard afterwards, she was right in her fears, though how she acted on them…heh. I daresay thousands of people would have disagreed with her. The population of Elpis, such as it was, and much of the population of Pandora would have been wiped out…for the Greater Good. She would have wiped out a lot of my customer base as well, which is utterly unforgivable, but I digress.
It was a mess. And I think it would have been worse, had it not been for a single accidental occurrence, something utterly unbelievable, and yet, I assure you, it is true. For, you see, the Guardian Angel found herself with an unlikely saviour falling out of the very air in her prison, someone who had the keys to her prison.
It's at this point that I should bring something up. You may have known about the legend of Pandora, the one we named the planet after. Pandora opened a jar or a box containing the evils and darkness of the world, but there was one thing left in that box. The essence of hope, named Elpis. It's perhaps fitting that these two young people, deprived of hope, would find it on a shithole of a moon named for that very concept…
The first thing he noticed on regaining consciousness was the wail of sirens, along with a computerised voice saying, "Emergency. Emergency. Intruder detected in Control Core Angel." Angel, huh? Was he in the afterlife? But why would Heaven have computerised voices?
His eyes opened, and he found himself looking…at an angel.
It was a girl, in her teens, about his age or maybe younger, secured to a chair. She had dark hair, with her right temple shaved, and cybernetic implants present. She was thin, too thin, blue-glowing lines along her body, that which wasn't covered by a figure-hugging suit. But she was also utterly beautiful.
Of course, the surroundings, heavily technological, seemed to disabuse any notions he was in an afterlife. So he got, shakily, to his feet. "…Umm, sorry, but…where am I? Who are you? And can you please shut off these alarms?"
The girl, after a moment of staring at him, seemed to realise it, before saying, "Sorry. Phaseshift activated." Within a few seconds, the alarms ceased wailing. "…You don't know where you are?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking. Are we still in London?"
She stared at him, her blue eyes gazing at him in confusion, before she shook her head. "London? As in Earth? We're…a long way away."
"From London?"
"From Earth."
He stared at her, before he chuckled bleakly. "Oh, ha ha, very funny. Next, you'll be telling me that you're an alien."
"Not really. I'm human…well, genetically, anyway. Not exactly wholly human." The girl sighed quietly. "Look, as much as I'm happy to speak to someone other than…him for the first time in years…sorry, speak with someone, we don't have much time until…oh, wait, I forgot. Just before you appeared, I lost contact, he said something about Dahl ships attacking Helios Station." On his blank look, she asked, "Helios Station? The Hyperion space station orbiting Pandora?"
"Space station? Hyperion? Pandora? What the hell are you talking about? The only space station I know about was Mir space station, and…"
"Wait a moment…did you say…Mir space station?" the girl asked, looking confused.
"Yes, I did. Why?"
The girl seemed to consider something, before shaking her head. "Beggars can't be choosers. Listen…whoever you are…I need help. This chair I'm shackled to, the restraints are mechanical. I can't influence them with my powers."
"Powers?" he asked, before something clicked. "…Are you a witch?"
"Witch? No, I'm a Siren." On his blank look, she asked, "A Siren? Never mind. Just…I have abilities that give me control over almost anything electronic. But these restraints are mechanical. I don't know whether you can unlock it, but…"
It took him surprisingly little time to make his mind up. True, he didn't know where the hell he was, what had happened to his friends, or who this girl was, but she was restrained to a chair, she wanted his help, and she didn't look like an enemy. He was probably about to do something very stupid, but that seemed to be par for the course for him.
So he took out his wand, and murmured, "Alohamora." And the restraints snapped open with a dull clunk.
After a moment of staring at him in surprise, the girl began detaching tubes and wires from her body, grimacing as she did so. He went to help, only for her to wave him away. "Sorry, I'm trying very hard not to injure myself." With grunts of pain, she eventually detached the tubes and wires, as well as a collar around her neck, before standing up, rather shakily. She wobbled and staggered, only to topple over. He was on her in a flash, catching her, stopping her from falling.
"…Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Not really. Sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Angel."
ANGEL
AS
THE PHASESHIFT SIREN
A Bird Freed From Her Cage
"…Really?" he asked sceptically.
"Yes, really. What about your name?"
"…Harry Potter."
HARRY POTTER
AS
THE WIZARD
The Boy Who Lived, Adrift in Time
Angel smiled painfully. "Nice to meet you, Harry. But I don't think we have enough time. I don't know how long it is before he finds out I've been freed."
"What do you mean? What were you doing here?" Harry demanded. "Why were you imprisoned?"
"It's a long story, and we haven't got time. I promise you, Harry, I will tell you once we're both safe, because if you're found with me, then you may be murdered." She put her arm around his shoulder, and he helped her walk out of the room.
Harry was only going along with this to distract himself from the inevitable, to avoid what he was already beginning to suspect at the back of his mind. The technology around the chamber and outside of it was far too advanced for what he saw back home, save for maybe science fiction TV or films. The adrenaline from the battle he had just been through was wearing off, and focusing on helping Angel helped keep his focus away from what he suspected.
Eventually, Angel led him to a tall construct with an aerial and a strange, intense light built into it. A hologram appeared over it, with a globe appearing, with a caption superimposed saying 'CONTROL CORE ANGEL'. Angel reached out a hand, and as her eyes glowed, along with her tattoos, she murmured, "Phaseshift activated." She frowned. "…That's weird…Helios and Elpis aren't available. I have the codes thanks to my hacking, but…these ECMs, they feel like Dahl's."
"ECMs?"
"Electronic countermeasures. Basically a jamming signal, along with one hell of a firewall. I'm more used to Hyperion technology, so Dahl is another matter entirely."
"Hyperion? Dahl?"
She shot him an odd look, before saying, "Hyperion is a company my dad works for. Dahl is a mining company with its own PMC…private army. They colonised Pandora and Elpis over a century ago. I think you and I have a lot of talking to do…but for now, I want to get away from here. Helios is a no-go, and most places on Pandora…well, they're either bandits or people who…have reason to hate me. And even then, he has an informant in New Haven. Hmm…Elpis, maybe? If I can break through the ECMs, I can head there. Dad may be sending his Vault Hunters there, but…hmm. I think Moxxi's there. She can help me smooth things over with the Vault Hunters on Pandora later."
"…I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'll explain it shortly. Just know that I'm trying to find the best place to hide out. Hyperion has quite a bit of influence on Elpis, but I have a better chance of finding someone willing to hear me out there. Whereas here…he'd expect me to run out to New Haven. Hopefully, whatever those Dahl soldiers are doing will distract him long enough for me…for us to get as far away from Pandora as possible." Angel's glowing eyes eventually faded. "Okay, I managed to punch a hole in Dahl's ECMs around Elpis. I haven't got much time before they plug it. Harry, hold on. If this is your first time going through a Fast Travel system, it can be rough, and as neither of us have ECHO devices, well…"
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, only for his vision to be consumed by a flare of azure light. He felt like he was falling through a blue tunnel of energy, like something out of Doctor Who…
And then, he was elsewhere. Instead of what felt like an underground facility, he was in a city. A grotty, grimy-looking city, but a city all the same.
Angel smiled painfully. "Welcome to Concordia. The biggest city on Elpis. Then again, after the Crackening, it's pretty much the only city on Elpis."
"What the hell? Is that like a transmat?"
"Transmat? What, you mean like that old TV series?" Angel asked. "Yeah…sort of. The thing is, normally, you need an ECHO device with the right codes. Luckily, you had a Siren capable of hacking into the network. You're welcome."
Harry stared at her. He had to admit, he was being overwhelmed. And that was before he looked up at the sky. Except there was no sky. Just what appeared, at first, to be a night sky. Only, he knew it wasn't. It was the void of space, stars glimmering at him, with a massive space station shaped like an H hanging in the void. And distantly was a planet, purple light bleeding from a rift in it like an open wound.
"Harry," Angel said quietly, breaking through his shock. As he looked back to her, she said, "I promise I will explain, but…you have to get me into that bar."
She indicated, not far away, a sign over a door declaring it to be the Up Over Bar. Harry helped Angel walk, well aware of the stares she was attracting from the others. As they entered, Angel said, "That woman tending the bar…get me to her, please."
Harry noted whom she meant, a rather buxom woman with heavy, clown-like makeup on her beautiful features, dressed in a rather revealing stewardess outfit. "Is that Moxxi, the one you mentioned?"
"Mad Moxxi, yes."
Moxxi noticed them as they entered, and while she seemed concerned, she purred, "Sorry, sugar, but you've either had enough to drink, or you need medical help. For the medical help, go to Nurse Nina's clinic."
MAD MOXXI
Not Just a Sexpot.
"Moxxi…I need your help. We haven't met…but you know my dad. I want your help in getting as far away from Elpis and Pandora as possible."
Moxxi frowned, her sultry demeanour becoming all-business. "I knew your father? Remind me…who is he?"
"…Jack Clarke(1)," Angel said. "This is Harry Potter."
Moxxi's frown deepened. "I see. He never said anything about a daughter…just a dead wife…never mind that his daughter is a Siren."
"I was the one who killed Mom," Angel said quietly. "Accidentally, but…" She swayed, only to rally. "At the very least, I need a place to lay low."
"I can certainly give you that, sugar. Passage off Elpis is another matter entirely," Moxxi said. "Passage on ships, even through my connections, doesn't come cheap."
"I've access to some of Dad's accounts. However, Dahl ECMs are interfering with it."
"Dahl?" Moxxi asked. "I see…I recently heard a bunch of distress calls from Helios on my ECHOnet scanner before they were blanked out. A rogue Dahl group attacked Helios…and here's the thing…the CO claimed to be Colonel Zarpedon."
Harry snicked at the ridiculous name, but Angel merely gaped. "…Tungsteena Zarpedon? The CO of the Lost Legion that vanished during the Crackening?"
"Yep. So, as you can tell, the term 'shitstorm' comes to mind. I doubt any ships will be leaving Elpis. She may decide to have them shot down," Moxxi said. "Look, I'll see what I can do, but…for now, I'll give you two a place to lay low."
Harry felt the need to interject at this point. "…So, this isn't Earth? Anywhere near Earth?"
Moxxi raised an eyebrow. "Earth's thousands of light years away, sugar."
"And the year?" On their blank looks, he said, dreading the answer, "The year's not 1996, is it?"
"…Why would it be 1996? It's 2996(2)," Moxxi said, confused.
Harry stared at her, feeling like a condemned man on the gallows, feeling the trapdoor opening up beneath him. He swayed, a dangerous thing to do with a frail girl like Angel needing him for support, but his body, with all the tiredness, fatigue and shock catching up with him, gave out, and he slumped to the floor…
CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:
So, there you have it. Yet another VATDP Harry has ended up stranded…in the future, on another world. And he's rescued Angel.
1. As brought up before, I gave Jack and Angel the last name of 'Clarke', as a tribute to Handsome Jack's voice actor, Dameon Clarke.
2. According to the blurb for the original game, Pandora was first colonised in 2864. Given that a contemporary of Captain Blade's has a granddaughter around during Borderlands 2, it has to have been colonised for decades at least. I decided to make it about 132 years, round it up to a thousand years after the Department of Mysteries battle in mid-1996.
