//------------------------------// // Four Mercs And A Madman's Plot // Story: Friendship? Emotion not found. // by The Rar //------------------------------// Chapter 14 Hyperion Bunker, Pandora. 7:00Am “So Vault hunters. I’ve got a message.” “You’re a homicidally insane son of a bitch.” The holding room – If it could be called a room – was host to five guests. Well, one was a guest and the other four were prisoners. Dank excuses for rooms usually worked that way. One man standing looking very confident while others are tied to chairs. “Now Maya, is that any way to talk to your captor?” Fawks punched the restrained body of Maya in the chest. “Urf…” Maya puffed as the metal covered fist crushed her lungs. “Now, anyone else want to make the same mistake?” Fawks challenged as he backed away from Maya. “Put my boot up your ass is what I’ll do…” Salvador mumbled. Fawks did exactly what he’d done to Maya. Punch in the chest. This one cracked something. “Arg! Son of a-“ Salvador tried as two of his ribs cracked. He didn’t finish, ribs cracking feels like being hit by a truck why you’ve spent hours sitting in the same spot. Pretty much any physical contact feels like being hit by a truck when you’ve sat for hours. “Salvador, you’ve lost none of your attitude I see. How about you stealth boy?” Fawks impatiently asked. Even though Fawks enjoyed the idea of torturing Vault Hunters, he greatly wanted to get this message across to them. Zero simply sat looking at the ground while he panted. Not that anyone had actually tortured him; he just couldn’t stand the waiting. The very idea of staying in one place and being so exposed at the same time… It was a torture in itself, and it made him weak. Weak minded that is. As if waiting for a few hours could actually weaken someone like a Vault Hunter physically. No, all harm was done in Zero’s mind. “No? How about you soldier man?” Fawks asked the snarling Axton. “Fuck you!” Axton angrily spat at Fawks. “Oh, not very friendly are we? Well, I can safely say that your mood is going to get a whole lot worse.” Fawks finished and began laughing to himself. “What’s so funny you crazy fool?” Axton suspiciously asked. If nothing else, Axton wouldn’t tolerate people laughing in the face of a threat given by him. “A new world… No, a new universe!” Fawks yelled as he abruptly finished laughing. “You truly are insane.” Maya added between gasps of pain. “Really? Really? Oh, come now! A siren, a race who loves bending reality and jumping to other dimensions just said I was crazy for suggesting there are multiple dimensions! Ha!” Fawks walked to Maya and forcibly drew her gaze from the ground. “Expand your gaze Siren. Do so, and you just might survive what’s next.” Fawks mysteriously told her. “And what exactly is next?” Axton growled at Fawks. “Glory.” Fawks simply said. He stood up and walked from Maya and towards Axton. “Glory.” “This isn’t one of those cult things is it? Drink the potion and attain everlasting glory! I’ve heard they don’t always go smoothly.” Salvador said. No one could tell if he was joking or if he was serious. “Cult? No, what’s wrong with you. Glory? Yes. Would you all like to know what I’ve got planned for you?” “Go one then, you’re telling us one way or the other I suppose” Axton calmly said, even though the rage within him would rival that of a Berserker. “Let’s start from the beginning shall we? Yes, that’s sensible.” Fawks pulled a spare chair from under the table. Strange really, for a prison cell made by Hyperion to have a table. A decent table at that, not cheap metal. Master Forge steel. That’s fancy. Maybe the bunker wasn’t always a bunker, and the prison cell wasn’t always a prison cell. Who knows? “Boys and girl, our story begins with a small base out in the arctic reaches of Pandora. I’m sure you know the place well, we’ve got intelligence that places you at the area just north of my outpost.” “Intelligence in Hyperion? Now I really have heard everything.” Salvador loudly laughed, interrupting Fawks. “You want hit again midget?” Fawks threatened. “Wow. That was a hit? I’ll say it again, I’ve heard everything!” Salvador, even when tied to a chair and facing certain death, found something to laugh about. “As I was saying… We were on a base in the arctic regions. We weren’t threatening anyone at all; I didn’t even think anyone knew we were there. I was wrong. Something attacked. I think you know what.” Fawks said. He looked at each member of the group in turn. “Don’t you?” “The robot?” Axton confusedly asked. “Aye, the robot. I know why you’re confused. Hyperion loaders attacking Hyperion bases? Madness! Well, things are about to get a little mad.” Fawks stood from his chair and began pacing around the room, his bionic legs making small hissing noises as they worked. “The damned thing attacked, slaughtered my men, sliced my legs off and made off with the power core our base possessed.” “It sliced your legs off? Well, that explains the hiss hiss hiss. I was going to ask what the hell happened.” Salvador said to Fawks. Again, didn’t quite give away whether he was joking or whether he was being serious. “…As I was saying…” Fawks irritably began. “It ran off with the power core. You met up with it, had a little spat and we end up here. With you captured – Nice work by the way, I loved the way you ran right into a patrol returning to their HQ -, me with metal legs and a vanishing robot. Would anyone like to have a guess as to where it went?” Fawks offered to the group. “Shot in the dark, but it’s got something to do with these other universes you keep moaning about.” Maya guesses, having recovered from her beating. “Smart girl, you paid attention. When your good friend Salvador allowed it to hold onto the power core while Maya crushed it, you made one of the biggest discoveries in history. There are other universes, ones filled with creatures you cannot imagine. The robot is in one, and I intend to find it.” “And?” Salvador asked. Not so much out of interest, simply trying to annoy Fawks. “”And” what?” Fawks asked. “What do you plan to do when you find it?” “Salvador, I’m offended you’d need to ask that one.” Fawks amusedly said. “Fill me in anyway.” Salvador groaned. “Destroy it, of course. And all of the traitorous creatures who aided him.” Fawks stood and began walking to the door of the chamber. He’d made the point he wanted, he wasn’t to be toyed with. But he hadn’t made all the points he wanted. But the Vault Hunters curiosity was about to allow him to. “And why are you telling this to us?” Axton suspiciously asked. Axton, the tactical one. Never misses a detail. “Why? Because you’re coming with me. You’re going to watch. You’re going to watch while I burn a galaxy and you’ll watch with no power to stop it!” Fawks slammed the door of the cell on the way out. He felt good about that. He meant every word of it as well. Not long now, he’d have his revenge soon. Warp room Alpha, Hyperion Bunker, Pandora. 8:30Pm “So Lucius how is this going to work?” It had been two days since he’d spoken to the Vault Hunters. Since he’d told them of his plans. He hadn’t even unlocked the door to their cell. He’d had Lucius take the food in. Lucius had a way of tolerating people. Engineers who worked the forges, engineers like Lucius, never really got to see battle much. They never got to see the hate in another man’s eyes when he’s trying to stick you with a blade. They never got to develop the bitter hatred most other soldiers did. Therefore, they didn’t have many qualms about talking to prisoners. Fawks envied Lucius, sort of. Lucius wasn’t held back by the constant pre-judging of people. Lucius didn’t have to combat constant hate. Then again, Lucius put fewer bullets into people that way. Wait, Lucius makes bullets. So… He puts the more bullets into people than Fawks ever could? “Simple. Core blows up, you go to other world. Go in damn it!” Lucius yelled to Fawks as he tried to force a large plug into its socket. Fawks was pulled quickly from his irrelevant thoughts. “Forgive me for not being overwhelmed with confidence Lucius.” Fawks would never admit it, but he was scared. This wasn’t exactly one for the record books; he was technically breaking the law. On top of the charges of Gods only know what, blowing up a power core and funnelling the explosion onto yourself doesn’t seem like the smartest thing ever to do. Fawks was scared because, really, Lucius had given him no reason not to be. In fact, Lucius had come to Fawks chamber with a list of ways this could go wrong! Confidence building, right there. Lucius seemed to focus only on the negatives in a situation. The power consumption. The costs. The time it took to prepare the loaders. The paperwork. More paperwork. The bribing. The sneaking. The horrible smell of the bunker. The ridiculous mess Fawks exploding would make. Lucius spent far too long worrying. “Well, you’re just going to have to trust me on this one Fawks. It’ll work.” Lucius assured. “How long are you going to be down there damn it? I want to go!” Fawks impatiently yelled to his comrade. Lucius, again, had spent so long lecturing Fawks about the danger that he’d neglected to make several vital calculations for the warp. He was paying for it with plugs needing re-arranged that simply don’t want to. Refusing to be removed from their previous sockets and shunning their new ones. “Be patient, just a few… More… Damned… Plugs!” Lucius yelled as he hefted a huge electrical wire over his back. “I’ve been waiting for you to finish up with those few last plugs for two hours. I’m very bored Lucius. Hell, I think your machines here have started to rust.” Fawks said, trying not only to push Lucius faster, but to insult him in payback for his insufferable time wasting. It may not be for normal folk, but saying something forged by an engineer is rusting is a great offence. It’s basically saying something that you’ve worked your life to make indestructible is being destroyed by the weather. “Watch your tongue Fawks.” Lucius irritably said back to Fawks. “I’ll watch it. Who knows? By the time you’re done it could’ve evolved.” Fawks tried to say, just barely holding back his laughter. “I just won’t tell you I’m done then.” Lucius said as he pointed the middle fingers on both of his hands high in the air at Fawks. “Ahhh… You know I’m only joking Lucius. So are we ready or what?” Fawks excitedly said. “We’re done you impatient bastard. Get into position if you already haven’t.” Fawks already had. He’d been waiting days for this moment; he wouldn’t want to miss a second of it walking between platforms. Fawks stood, with his group of fearsome loaders, atop a raised metal platform with several sinister looking pipes aimed at his group. Fawks only stood with his group of loaders, his special weapon not present, demanding a warping chamber and several power cores of its own. The money it had cost… Fawks would hear no end of it. At least the weapon would get through. The Vault Hunters had been strapped to loaders. One for each of them. They’d be a shield of sorts. Shame the only thing available to bind them was a thick rope, not a welding torch to be seen. At least they’d also get through. The pipes were to direct the blast of the core into a field of sorts, one that would have the desired teleportation effect. Fawks was fully equipped. He didn’t have to do much changing though; he liked the armour he’d worn at the Outpost. Simple yellow plate with his eye modifications, just like Fawks liked it. He had however significantly changed his weaponry. Having an armoury full of destructive toys readily available for you is just too incising to pass up. Fawks had taken his standard shotgun, Dahl made for some reason. Fawks didn’t know why but Hyperion stocked many weapons not actually manufactured by them. For variety Fawks supposed. In any case, a shotgun was his favourite. He’d treated himself to the assault rifle gifted to him by Lucius. It would bring him luck, he was told. “Heh, enjoy the show” Fawks said when he saw Salvador mumbling through the cloth in his mouth. “Any time you’re ready!” Fawks yelled. He turned behind him and gave the hull of a robot a strong whack. It kicked into life with a mechanical growling of servos and the eerie, blood red light produced by its eye. Its brethren followed suite, bursting into life. “Here it comes Fawks! All systems are-a-goooo!” Lucius yelled as he flipped numerous switches. Fawks didn’t understand why he had to flip so many, surely it was as simple as one labled “Boom”, right? Didn’t matter. Fawks got his boom. And what a boom. The crack of the power core exploding rocked the entire bunker and made Fawk’s head thump. Bad designing on Lucius’ part, placing the detonation chamber close to the staging area. Never mind, here it comes… The pipes around Fawks rumbled and red smoke drifted from the ends, signalling the imminent release of pure energy. Moment of truth, win or lose, float or sink, live or die… The red energy waves came out of the pipes in exactly what Fawks expected them to come as, waves. Tsunamis to be exact. The rocked Fawks to the very core and right off of his feet. If the thumping in his head wasn’t bad enough, he now had the pain of being thrown to the hard floor. The robots were doing ok at least, as far as Fawks could tell. The pain… It was so intense. Fawks swore he was bleeding out of his ears that had just popped. Suddenly, nothing. Literal nothing. Fawks couldn’t tell if he’d died, or if it had worked. He could see nothing but a hell scape. His loaders had followed him through at least. “Where the hell am I… Wait, is that?” Fawks could hear chattering. Mechanical chattering. Ajax... “I’m coming for you, you son of a bitch…”