So, you want to hear another story, huh? One where the very fate of Pandora hangs in the balance?
If not, too bad - I'm telling you anyway.
First, there was the Vault, an alien prison opened with a mystical key. To the warriors who opened it, the Vault was just a container of tentacles and disappointment. They vanished into the wastelands, certain that the Vault held no treasure at all.
They were wrong.
The Vault's opening triggered the growth of Eridium, a priceless alien element. Soon, the rare and valuable mineral emerged all across Pandora. Its appearance attracted many. Including... the Hyperion corporation.
They came to Pandora to mine Eridium, and bring order to the savage planet. Through their excavations, Hyperion uncovered evidence of an even greater Vault. Their leader vowed to find it - to use its power to civilize the Borderlands once and for all.
But Hyperion weren't the only ones searching for the next Vault's alien power. The call of danger and loot is not so easily resisted. Certain warriors came to Pandora in droves to uncover its hidden secrets.
Some would call them adventurers. Others call them fools. But I... call them Vault Hunters.
Alongside them are ten...unique variables that are about to be introduced to the story. And their presence may just change the very fate of Pandora itself.
Our story begins with them and with a man named HANDSOME JACK...
Mann Co., a company once famed for its mercenary service and digging into the priceless element of Australium, had since gone under. The CEO, Saxton Hale, had laid off his nine best men and gone off the grid. The pointless war over useless lands of gravel was finally finished.
But the nine mercenaries of Reliable Excavation Demolition could not so easily abandon each other. They had become comrades in arms in their many years of service and as such, pooled their resources together to find a place where all of them could live relatively normal lives, as normal as nine former mercenaries could live, of course.
Of course, this came with the cost of the nine having nothing to do aside from grocery shopping, going into town to buy stuff, and just bickering over their favorite shows. They needed excitement just like the old days, and fast. Otherwise, they'd probably end up killing each other before too long.
Dell Conagher, The Engineer, was busy in the team's garage, tinkering away as he usually did. Many of his signature buildings, such as the Sentry Gun, the Dispenser, and the Teleporter, were kept on standby in case the team needed them and now and then, Ludwig Zanovitch, The Medic, would swing by to help with whatever he was working on.
Currently, the Engineer was working on a new type of Teleporter, one that could surely help spice up the boring rut that their lives had gotten into.
"Ey, how's it goin', Hardhat?" Asked Jeremy Renner The Scout.
"Nothing much, Scout. Just working on an upgrade to my Teleporter." Mr. Conagher replied. "She's almost ready."
"You finally gonna start making your buildings go to Level 4?" Scout asked. "Wow, way to go, Engi. I knew you had it in ya!"
Dell rolled his eyes behind his goggles. "Very funny, Scout. Can you hand me that screwdriver?"
Scout shrugged, picking up one of the screwdrivers and tossing it to his inventive comrade. Dell caught the tool and began screwing a few bolts into place before nodding in satisfaction.
"All ready!"
"Is something happening, Engineer?" Asked Ivan Mikhail, The Heavy Weapons Guy, as he walked into the garage while eating one of his 'Sandviches'.
Engineer smiled at his large Russian companion. "Just something that will bring in some new work for us, Heavy!"
"Oooh! Is it finally ready?" The Medic's excited German accent chimed in as he came in as well.
"You betcha, Doc. With this upgraded Teleporter, we can go wherever we want, whenever we want!"
"Where are we even gonna go?" Scout asked. "And who's gonna even hire us anyway?"
"There are plenty of contractors who could use gentlemen of our skills." Jacques LeTouche, The Spy, said as he uncloaked.
"And this here Teleporter will make getting in contact with them quick and efficient!" Engineer smiled. "After all, it also has a built-in communication hub!"
"Now that's real fancy of ya, Engi." Tavish DeGroot, The Demoman, noted as he rubbed his chin.
The hyperactive and overimaginative arsonist known only as The Pyro let out mumbles of intrigue as well, curiously poking the Teleporter with interest.
"So, how do you know if it works?" Samuel Mundy, The Sniper, asked.
"Allow me to demonstrate, boys!"
Taking out a remote, Engineer pressed the big red button and the Teleporter sprang to life, spinning around like how the teleporters normally did...only for it to start glowing with a strange white digital energy.
"What's going on? Is it being sapped?" Jane Doe, The Soldier, asked cautiously. "Has a BLU Spy entered our base?!"
"I don't think so..." Dell hummed curiously, only to back up in surprise when the Teleporter began moving faster and faster.
The nine mercenaries braced themselves as the digital energy glowed brighter and brighter, flashes of mysterious purple flickering across before suddenly engulfing the whole garage. The RED Mercs couldn't out cry out in alarm as they vanished into the blazing light...
Ben didn't really not much about his family growing up. He was raised in an orphanage most of his life but dreamed of adventure, of discovering more outside of what he knew.
This natural curiosity came from mysterious glowing tattoos that had apparently been on him since he was a baby. He didn't know much about what they entailed but from what he gathered, they allowed him to manipulate the elements such as Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.
Naturally, this caused him to be seen as a weirdo by others. The only reliable source of support he could find were the kindly directors of the orphanage. They didn't have much, but they made sure their kids were happy and also managed to make sure Ben was included as well.
When he was old enough, Ben set out on his own, leaving the planet he was raised on and searching for answers. He wanted to know more about his powers and the strange tattoos that allowed him to use them.
This is why he had come to Pandora. Now most people would want to steer clear of the deranged planet full of psychos, random explosions, vicious wildlife, and over 400 skajillion different kinds of guns, but Ben felt a pull toward it. Almost like something was calling out to him from somewhere on the planet.
A few days ago, the Hyperion corporation had invited him and other 'people of interest' to join a team searching for a Vault, an ancient cache of tech that once belonged to aliens from centuries past known as Eridians. Ben had heard tales of how the first Vault that had been opened contained a terrible monster but upon its death, the priceless element known as Eridium was released into the world.
Now clearly, Ben knew the Hyperion corporation was not to be trusted and it was obvious their invitation was a trap. However, Ben had no choice, he needed some way to discover his origin and if his hunch was correct, whatever secrets Pandora had would hold the answers.
And now, here we find the young man, on the cusp of turning 25 years old and currently looking out the window of the train he was riding. He could see what looked like one of the countless bandits roaming and terrorizing Pandora flying past, screaming his head off, but paid no heed.
Ben gazed at his reflection; his shaggy mess of ebony black hair remained unbrushed and unkempt, his rich hazelnut-colored eyes covered by black-framed glasses. His choice of clothes was a black t-shirt, blue jeans, an armored vest, knee pads, and black boots. On his pale-skinned arms were glowing tattoos written in some kind of ancient dead language and he was about 6'4 in height.
He was knocked out of whatever thoughts he was having when the train stopped to pick someone up. Looking to see who had gotten on, Ben saw a man about 5'9 in height. His short brown hair was swept back with spikes in his fringe; he had subdermal implants in the shape of the symbol for a military sergeant; he was wearing a brown military jacket with a patch of a skull with a lightning-shaped crack running through it, and a bandolier holding a Dahl assault rifle on his back, green cargo pants and boots that looked like they were made of metal.
"Hey, didn't know someone else was already on here." The man smiled when he noticed Ben. "Name's Axton. Ten years of Dhal military experience at your service."
"Hey. Name's Ben." Ben simply greeted while continuing to stare out the window.
"Not much for conversation, huh?" Axton shrugged as he took a seat across from Ben. "Eh, that's cool. Had a guy like that in my platoon once."
The two sat in silence before the train stopped again. Looking to see who was boarding, they saw a guy who was 6'3 in height, about an inch shorter than Ben. However, that was all they could discern about his features. His body was covered in a skintight suit in shades of black and grey, with what looked like light armor and a red zero on his chest, and his head was hidden in a helmet with a glass face plate.
"Welcome to the party. Name's Axton. That there is Ben. You got a name?"
"I am a killer/born and bred without equal/my name is Zer0."
Axton whistled. "Haikus, nice. So you're an assassin, huh?"
"Seems like it," Ben said, noticing that Zer0 only had four fingers on each hand. Was he an alien or was it a genetic defect?
"Your tattoos glow bright/and immense power burns bright/are you a Siren?" Zer0 asked Ben, who looked confused.
"A Siren?"
"Wait, you don't know what Sirens are?" Axton asked incredulously. "Sirens are like, super powerful psychic warriors. They can kill people with their brains!"
Ben looked at his tattoos, confused. Was he supposed to be one of these Sirens? Could that be why he was drawn to Pandora? He was still so confused.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when the train stopped again, this time to let two more people board. The first was a beautiful woman, around 5'7 in height, with blue hair in a bob cut, and blue lipstick; she was wearing a yellow shirt with black and grey patterns on the side, no left sleeve, a glove on her right hand, baggy blue pants, and yellow and black boots.
What really caught Ben's attention were the blue tattoos running down her left arm written in the same language as his own. Could she be a Siren as well?
However, he couldn't dwell on that as he looked at her companion; he was absolutely massive at around 7'5, so muscled Ben was surprised his skin hadn't ripped, he was bald, wearing what looked like a cross between a gas mask and a hockey mask, with a piece of leather covering the right eye hole, a harness but no shirt, his right arm had bandages on it, whilst his left arm had metal armor; he wore orange pants with metal boots.
"Is that a Psycho?" Ben thought in surprise. "Didn't think they could get so big."
"Hey there, pretty lady." Axton winked at the woman. "What brings you around these parts?"
The woman merely gave him a dirty look in response before turning to notice Ben and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Another Siren...and he's MALE?"
"Oh, so he isn't just wearing tattoos based on a Siren's as a show of power?" Axton asked before doing a double take. "Get the hell out of here, he's an ACTUAL Siren?!"
"The power he holds/it does not lie or deceive/he is a Siren," Zer0 noted with a tinge of surprise in his calm voice.
"Wait, so what are you saying? You're...like me?" Ben asked the woman.
"Yeah, and you're a real unique case. Normally only women can be Sirens...and there can only be six in the universe at a time." She said. "Oh, my name is Maya, by the way. The big guy with me is Krieg."
"I AM HERE TO SHANK AND SMILE!" The Psycho bellowed.
"I'm...80% sure he's harmless by Psycho standards."
"So...you think you could tell me more?" Ben asked. "About this...Siren stuff?"
Maya arched an eyebrow. "You literally didn't know you were a Siren until we spelled it out to you?"
"I knew I was different and that I had powers. The people at the orphanage who raised me said that I had a gift..."
"Yeah, a pretty big gift, especially by Siren standards."
At the next stop, the train picked up a Hispanic man around 5'4 tall, with blue hair in a faux hawk and a spiky beard; he was heavily muscled, his orange shirt looked like it would rip any moment; he was also wearing jeans, cowboy boots, a leather glove, and an aura of aggression yet at the same time friendliness.
"What's up, pendejos? Me llamo Salvador!" He greeted everyone with a grin. "So, when do we get to shoot something?"
"Probably soon, I dunno." Axton shrugged. "Knowing the assholes at Hyperion, they probably have something horrible waiting for us when we get to our destination."
At the next stop, the train picked up a girl around 5'3 who looked like a high school student, with red hair pulled into pigtails, and a set of goggles. She was wearing a sleeveless hoodie with a red shirt with a skull on it underneath and had a fingerless glove and some bracelets on her right arm, and her left arm was cybernetic; she had a red skirt, with a tool belt with a Vault symbol hanging on it, black and white striped leggings, and blue sneakers.
"Sup, N00bs! Gaige is in the hizz-house!"
"Heh, this kid's got spunk," Axton smirked. "Aren't you a little young to be traveling on Pandora?"
"Sorry, kinda on the run from the police after I accidentally blew up my high school nemesis," Gaige explained. "And don't try treating me like a little kid, I will rip your arms off."
Maya chuckled. "I like her already."
Suddenly, the seven noticed heard a creak and looked up to see a sign that had Handsome Jack's face, and the words 'Welcome Vault Hunters!' fell away to reveal another sign, also with Jack's face, but with flames in the background, and the words 'To your doom (nothing personal)'.
Two blocky, bipedal yellow robots suddenly rose up, their lenses glowing an unfriendly red, clearly intending to attack.
"Should we run?" Gaige asked nervously.
"Well, not much room to do so...let's scatter!" Axton suggested.
Everyone quickly split up, Zer0 climbing up a hatch on the roof of the train car they were in while Salvador and Krieg opened the door and jumped outside, hanging on to the side of the train while everyone else cleared some distance from the robots as they opened fire.
Axton threw a box onto the ceiling. It stuck there before unfolding into a Sentry Turret, keeping the loader bots at bay. Then he turned, pulled out a Maliwan rocket launcher, and fired it further into the train.
Maya shielded her eyes from the explosion, before raising her left arm, her tattoos glowing as one of the robots was telekinetically lifted and thrown into a wall with enough force to break through.
This allowed Salvador to jump back inside as he took out two assault rifles, one from Dahl and the other from Vladof, and began opening fire with both of them at the same time, mowing down robots by the dozen.
On the roof, two Hyperion engineers, wearing yellow exoskeletons, approached Zer0, who had his back turned to them. One punched at the assassin, only for the metal fist to go through him, revealing itself to be a hologram.
As the engineer stood, confused, his partner jerked as a glowing blue katana blade stabbed through his chest. The first engineer turned in time to see the assassin backflip over his dying comrade. Midair, Zer0 planted his feet on the engineer's back and kicked him into the blade sticking out of his partner's body, killing him as well.
"You call these rustbuckets murder bots? THIS is a murder bot!" Gaige laughed as she raised her cybernetic limb, summoning a large robot with no legs and a single glowing eye.
"Whoa!" Ben exclaimed. "Okay, that is a sweet-looking murder bot!"
"Thanks! His name is Deathtrap! I made him myself!" Gaige beamed proudly.
Deathtrap flew across the carriage, destroying the lesser machines with energy claws and a head-mounted laser. One of the loader bots tried to shoot Ben and Gaige from behind, only for Krieg to punch his arm through the window and drag it out of the train before diving back inside through the hole he made and taking out an unholy fusion of a buzzsaw and an axe, which he began using to hack apart more of the loader bots while cackling.
"Well, at least I know what to call my powers now," Ben said to himself before holding out his hands, his tattoos glowing a brilliant orange as flames built up around them before sending out fireballs that burned through the remaining loader bots.
A Hyperion engineer came in and tried to punch Ben only for him to hold his hand out and his tattoos to glow grey this time. The engineer screamed as his exoskeleton suddenly closed in on him, crushing all of his bones and puncturing several organs as he died of internal bleeding.
"Huh, so that's what your Siren Powers do," Maya noted as she came over, being joined by Axton, Salvador, Zer0, and Krieg.
"Yeah, wicked cool!" Gaige grinned.
Everyone readied their weapons, or in Ben's case, readied electricity as his tattoos glowed blue this time. Axton proceeded to kick down the door to the next train car, revealing Handsome Jack...
...NOT! It was actually a dummy sitting in a chair...surrounded by mounds of dynamite.
"It's cute that y'all think you're the heroes of this little adventure, but you're not. Welcome to Pandora, kiddos."
"FUCK!" Ben cursed as his tattoos glowed a brilliant teal, which he used to create a barrier that shielded everyone from the incoming explosion.
BOOM!
The train derailed and crashed into the snow at the current destination it was at. Everyone braced for impact as Ben blacked out when his head hit the roof of the train car as it skidded across the snow, everything going black...
The TF2 Mercs and our seven Vault Hunters will meet each other in the next chapter!
I apologize for deleting my previous Borderlands 2 fanfic with Ed Edd n' Eddy and TF2 thrown in but I realized it was too much so I just decided to go for only TF2 this time. I'll try to make an Ed Edd n' Eddy crossover that'll satisfy everyone later.
Hope you all look forward to what I have in store and what crazy shenanigans the wackiness of the Team Fortress 2 Cast and the many colorful characters of Pandora will bring to the story.
