Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Reloading is the worst thing about owning a Jakobs pistol. A psycho was rushing towards you, screaming manically whilst thrashing his axe around in front of him. You waited calmly, quickly depositing bullets into the barrel of your gun, until you heard another enemy screech; "I'm gonna make hammocks from your eyelids!" You grumbled as another psycho came into view, with 3 psycho midgets following close behind, their high pitched voices making you grit your teeth together in annoyance. With your gun held tightly in one hand, you hoisted yourself onto the closest ledge you could reach, using almost all of your strength to lift your body weight high enough to roll yourself onto the roof of a low rise building. You pushed yourself to stand up, quickly aiming your pistol and pointing down at the ground where the psychos now stood jumping and grabbing at the side of the building which you had heaved yourself on top of.

You only had six shots to kill all five of them. Your range was close, but one wrong hit and your enemy could still be alive. The midgets were going to be the easiest, as one bullet could easily kill each of them especially when shot in the head. With three quick shots, the midgets were down. Using your weapons zoom, you aimed at one of the psychos and pulled the trigger. Your target held up his axe to deflect the bullet. You jumped back, missing the fast projectile by a fraction of an inch, immediately getting pissed off and re-aiming, successfully murdering the asshole you had missed previously. Your close-to-death moment dampened your mood, so sticking your gun back into your belt loop and pulling out a dagger from it's sheath, you sighed deeply before jumping off the building onto the psycho's shoulders. With two hands on your dagger, you struck down, plunging it deep into his head. After a few small coughs of blood, the psycho took his last breath.

You surveyed the area after pulling the dagger out of your victim's head, being able to see almost all of the bandit camp you had just invaded. All that was left in this area were bodies decorated with blood and bullet holes, littering the ground. It wasn't necessarily a large camp, but the leader of the camp had a horrid temper and was rumoured to have been breeding the same four skags non stop, only to kill all of the offspring to make skag skin clothing. The skags had already fled after you shot the lock of their cages, they didn't stick around long for the fear of being recaptured. You hoped they would be safer without these pigs alive. You started to make your way out of the camp, when your echo started beeping.

' Hey, killer!

Nice work you did at the Doomcrusher's camp! Tina mentioned you did it to save those poor skags. Good on you.

Listen, we need your help getting into a Hyperion base. Travel to Sanctuary and I'll give you more details.

See you soon. '

Lilith's voice filled your ears, making you listen intently. The Crimson Raiders always paid well, and they dubbed you a vault hunter when you helped open the Vault of the Destroyer a few years back. You had helped Lilith charge the vault key, surprising them completely as they never knew you were a siren. You rarely used your powers and constantly had your tattoos covered by your baggy faux leather jacket. When people know you're a siren, they either want to use you, kill you or kidnap and sell you. You were tired of that. The only people who knew were Lilith and some of her friends who lived in Sanctuary - you had pretty much murdered everyone else.

You decided to make the trek to Sanctuary, knowing it would only take you around two hours to get there, to find out the rest of the details of this job proposition. You took off swiftly, running out of the camp towards your vehicle. After the first vault opening, you had stayed at Sanctuary for a little while to get back on your feet and got friendly with Scooter. He offered you a car to help you travel, letting you use any catch-a-ride terminal to digistruct it. He let you design it, letting you put your trademark on it. The car was black with flames on the sides. Generic, yes, but you loved it. You could kill, but you certainly couldn't design something - and you had tried! Yet you loved it because it was unique to you. 

And so you travelled to Sanctuary, parking up outside and taking in a deep breath. You felt a little pang in your chest, which made you feel queasy and unsure. There was something wrong about this mission they were about to embark on, and it made you want to vomit. 

"Hey killer!"

You looked up to the top of the steps in front of you, that led to the entrance of Sanctuary, and waved. Lilith waved back, a small smile on her face to show was happy to see you. Lilith was a tough cookie. She was the Firehawk. A strong siren with the ability to teleport ('phasewalking' as she called it) and wings that look like fire. She lead the Crimson Raiders with pride and was really good at it, especially with the help of her boyfriend Roland. They made a great team. 

"Hey Lilith, how's it going?" You called out, making your way up the stairs to greet her with a hug.

"Not bad, not bad. Let's go see Roland and the others, then we'll brief you on what's going to happen in three days time," She smiled, signalling for you to follow her, "I'm sure everyone is going to be really excited to see you."

You returned the smile, following her into the safe haven the Crimson Raiders call home. There had definitely been some improvements since you had last been here, but also a lot of it looked the exact same. You decided against telling Lilith your uneasiness about what they wanted to do, as you didn't want her to worry. You and all of her soldiers were very well trained and you knew deep down you could handle almost anything. 

"Hey! Long time no see!" Roland yelled, his voice as deep as ever as you waltzed into the the Crimson Raiders HQ, "Ready to help us out, vault hunter?"

"Of course, always happy to help," You beamed, "who else is coming?" 

"We've decided it'll just be you, Roland and I," Lilith replied, sitting down at the table in the middle of the room, "Sanctuary is under threat and it needs it's people to defend it, therefore us three should be able to deal with the Hyperion base we've found."

"Hyperion is very risky to hack into right now, Lil," You shook your head, sitting down across from her, "Handsome Jack is going crazy up there on that space station of his, how did you find it?"

"This is going to sound weird, but his daughter has been contacting us," Roland began, "and before you try to accuse us of falling for a trap, his daughter is a siren and she is being used to charge the vault key. Let's just say she isn't on good terms with her father right now."

"Teen angst, maybe?" You questioned, "If you're sure, I believe you, but it could still be a risk."

"We're sure." Roland announces, nodding at Lilith to continue the rest of the explaining.

"She is being held on Pandora, at a place called 'The Bunker' and it is large," She explained, "plus it is heavily guarded. Angel has given us a detailed description of the layout of the place, so all we need to do now is go in and save her. She is located in the central control room, which is two levels underground. We will need to clear everywhere out before we get to her, as there is only one way in or out."

"And what happens when we save her? Jack comes searching for his daughter and kills us all?" You were making sure they had explored every part of the plan in detail. 

"We have a new overhead shield on Sanctuary, plus if need be, I can be charged with enough eridium to teleport Sanctuary to another location. That'll give us enough time for me to charge up again if that still isn't safe," Lilith replied, "but hopefully it'll take Jack a while to find us again."

"You guys are crazy," You laughed, "but I'm in. Saving people is what I'm about, if Jack is using his daughter for his dirty deeds, then we will definitely get her out of there."

"Definitely." Roland agreed, nodding. 

"I'll show you to your room, follow me," Lilith gestured to the door, "and I know Scooter is dying to see you."

You smiled at the last comment, following her happily to see your beloved old friend.

You barely took more than a few steps outside of the building before you could hear Scooter's deafening whistle. He jogged into view, a big grin plastered on his face. 

"I knew when I heard that sweet ride turned up, that my girl was here! Looking as deadly as ever, baby!" He yelled, "Long time no see!"

"Scooter!" You yelled back, pulling him into a big bear hug.

"I have some sweet new car mods that you're welcome to try, come on over to the garage when you're all settled in," He said as he hugged you back, "you've also got to tell me about all the great things you've been getting up to!"

"Of course I will, I'm going to hit the hay as soon as I get to my room though, I'll be over bright and early tomorrow," You chimed, "how's that sound?"

"Great! See you then!" Scooter smiled, waving as you continued to follow Lilith.

Scooter was too pure for this world. You waved back until he was out of sight, making your way into a small building only a few meters away. Lilith pulled a key from her pocket, opening the door for you. You bit your lip. Of course it was your old room, why did you think it would be somewhere different? Everything you left behind was still in it's place, everything untouched as if they had been waiting for your return. The neon pink sign reading 'LOVE' you received as a gift from Moxxi still hung above your bed, the light illuminating the small room in a light pink glow. A few tools still sat on your workbench in one corner, various cheesy motivational posters plastered on the wall above it in an attempt to keep you going when you got bored or lazy, whilst your bed still looked as comfortable and inviting as it always had been on long days like these. The best sleep you had was after you had all fought the Destroyer, your bed offering you a long few nights of relaxation and rest after the massive fight. 

"We always hoped you'd come back sooner," Lilith's voice cut through the silence, "talking via echo isn't the same as fighting beside one another, or seeing each other almost every day. It's good to have you back, even if it's only for a little while."

"It is nice to be back," You sighed, "I appreciate that you kept my room the way it was. I really do, it'll make it easier for me to rest."

"Yeah." Lilith shrugged, "Well... I'll leave you to it, killer. See you later."

You gave her a small wave of goodbye as she closed the door behind her as she left. You took another glance around the room, immediately feeling calm and suddenly very tired. You pried off all of your gear; your sheaths, holsters, shield and jacket. Opting to stay clothed, since you knew you had a spare change of clothes under the bed in an old Dahl crate you stole from Marcus, you got into bed. You pulled the blanket up to your chin, cocooning yourself, drifting easily into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

The bed springs squeaked loudly as someone shook you vigorously in an attempt to wake you from your dream world. Your eyes snapped open in a panic, softening when you saw Lilith and Roland standing at your bedside. Although, their determined expressions made you worry. Something must have happened.

"Angel contacted us last night. The vault key is half way charged, we need to go to her now, killer." Lilith instructed, "Get yourself ready, Roland and I will go get a vehicle. Hurry!"

The pair left you to scramble out of bed, getting dressed and preparing your weapons. You attached two pistols to your hip, a sniper to your back and kept an SMG in your right hand at the ready. Tapping your shield, it sprung to life, the blue orb shining brightly. You felt a little queasy, but there was no time to sort yourself out properly. You could really have done with a wash, but you knew you'd end up just as bloody and dirty by the day's end so, was there really any point? 

You stepped out of your room, surprised to see it was still rather dark outside. The air was warm and you knew you were going to have a hard day's work ahead of you. Pandora barely had cold days, so you were fairly used to the heat, but it could still be unbearable sometimes. You could spot a dim light in the distance, near the entrance to Sanctuary, and knew that Roland and Lilith were ready to leave. You jogged over to them, hopping into the backseat. Roland put the car into drive, then slammed his foot on the accelerator and off you all went on your journey to The Bunker. 

"So what, are we just going in there guns blazing?" You joked, watching out of the window for any unwanted company. 

"Angel will give us entry to the building, but it's up to us to take out the Hyperion guards and loader bots, and if we know Handsome Jack at all, then we know he definitely has a high level of security surrounding his little girl." Roland replied, "With all of Angel's helpful information, we are sure we can get her out of there."

"I'm glad I stocked up on ammo at Sanctuary then," You chuckled, "I hope this will be as easy as you think it will be."

"I just don't want that asshole to open that vault, or hurt his daughter in the process," Lilith sighed.

Your eyes were trained on the car's surroundings, every rock or abandoned building was being watched like a hawk. You stopped looking from your back window, turning to look through the windscreen when the landscape had started to slowly morph into unknown territory. Black and yellow Hyperion road blockers were now visible, causing Roland to break and swerve to avoid hitting them. They were very sloppy with the placement of their cover. As always. But you guessed it was actually quite a smart way to place them, because at that moment, the three of you realised the car wouldn't make it all the way to the entrance with all of the shiny metal barriers in the way. 

"Guess this is where we get out," You shrugged, double checking that the gun in your hand was fully loaded and ready to fire, "at least there's lots of cover. How do you contact Angel to say we're here?"

It was like magic. At that very moment, your vision clouded slightly and you could see a small projection of a pretty young girl's face. The projection was purple in colour and very conveniently timed. As she spoke, you started to get a little suspicious. 

"Hi, I know you're here. The front gate is open and ready for you. Please hurry. There should be a team of 12 operatives in the front entrance, be ready." Angel's voice echoed around your head.

Her face disappeared and you all jumped out of the car. Lilith called out to you and Roland, "Let's go!", and your small rescue team followed Angel's instructions and entered The Bunker cautiously. Roland, as you'd always known him to, took position in the front of you and Lilith. He was a protector, even though the two ladies behind him were very capable.

The small courtyard was practically empty as the three of you made your way through, constantly aiming your weapons at anything you deemed as a threat. Adrenaline pumping through your veins whilst your eyes darted around looking for any sign of life. It was the sound of multiple foot steps stamping across the floor that made you excited for the event that was about to unfold. Hyperion soldiers filtered into the surrounding area, guns blazing. Rounds were being fired left, right and centre. Your grip on your SMG tightened as you pulled the trigger, spraying bullets back at your enemies. 

The Hyperion soldiers were going down one by one, which was too slow for you. You tapped on your shield twice, your whole body becoming invisible. You had 20 seconds until you were able to be seen again. You thrust your SMG between your legs, rubbing your hands together. Bright blue light started to dance around your skin. You pulled your hands apart, letting the blue flames create two ball like shapes in your palms. With a brief look around at your enemies, and two quick sharp throws, your projectiles flew through the air. Blue smoke covered the courtyard, distracting enemies as they looked above them to watch what was happening.

You yanked the SMG from your legs. Roland and Lilith recognised the smoke, yet you still screamed out to them, "Get over here!"

Your shield let out a small beep, right on time, alerting your friends of your position. You were now visible. Roland and Lilith dashed towards you, still shooting. Once they were close, you crouched towards the ground and slammed your fist down onto the concrete. A blue dome covered the three of you as multiple lightning bolts struck down from the mist, instantly killing or maiming those unfortunate enough to be hit. 

"Finish up, killer. We need to get moving!" Lilith called out to you over the screams of injured soldiers.

You stood up, removing the shield around you before taking a deep breath and blowing up into the sky. The smoke started to disappear as you killed the few remaining Hyperion. 

Roland led the way, taking you and Lilith through a series of corridors as you entered the main building. Turrets, robots and more soldiers appeared on your way through but the three of you got past them with ease. The heroes always prevail.

You finally got to the door to Angel's chamber after a rather difficult fight against a badass constructor that was pumping out digistructed enemies at an insane rate. 

"Right, she will open the door in a minute and then instruct us how to set her free. Ready?" Roland asked the two of you.

You and Lilith gave a brief nod in response. The large metal door started to rise and the three of you walked in. A large dome shield surrounded the large eridium pump, the room had a purple hue due to the bright eridium flowing into the poor siren floating in the middle of the chamber. 

"The only way you can shut it down now is to disable the eridium injector!" Angel screamed out, seeming to be in pain. "I can't be saved, but you can save Pandora!" 

Roland and Lilith seemed unfazed, asking for further instruction but you couldn't believe it. They were about to murder this poor girl that seemed so.. innocent.

"This doesn't sit right with me Roland." You shouted at him, shaking your head, "You can't actually be about to kill this poor girl. To prevent what? The key is almost charged. Just finish your sick fight with the man himself at the vault - don't kill his daughter."

"The warrior is the beast that can kill all life on Pandora, we cannot risk Jack gaining control of such a weapon!" Lilith replied, "I will forever feel awful that this is the way it has to be, but we have no other choice!"

"Lilith, you told me earlier that you didn't want Jack to harm his daughter. Yet here you are, ready to sacrifice her. For what! Don't do this. This isn't a job for the Crimson Raiders."

After a few minutes of silence, she began to shoot at the glowing tubes surrounding the walls and ceiling of the room. You watched in disappointment as Roland joined in. One of the tubes exploded and Angel screamed bloody murder. The two flinched a little, yet continued on.

You shook your head and walked backwards slowly, watching your friends in horror. Your back hit the cool metal wall just as the room lit up. Screens all around the place has Handsome Jack himself displayed, screaming and begging for you not to hurt his daughter. 

"Don't hurt my daughter, or I swear I will kill all of you assholes!"

You groaned as loader bots started to digistruct in various positions from the walls. You aimed your gun at the bots closest to you, not wanting to be shot. To your surprise, they didn't even come near you - opting to dive straight over to Roland and Lilith, shooting to kill. Jack could still be seen and heard calling out insults and things to encourage Angel to call it all off.

"Angel, honey, I will forgive you. I'll forgive all of this, stop it now!"

Four loaders were coming in hot on Lilith, running as fast as their robot legs could carry them. You shot at their legs, slowing their pace and even shooting 2 of their legs clean off. They didn't give up, dragging themselves by their arms and shooting like a group of madmen. Lilith turned round to finish them off before continuing with her mission. 

2 more of the larger tubes had now burst and the shield protecting Angel dissolved.

"Now shoot the tank above me! And it will all end!" She screamed, tears threatening to spill from the pain and possibly the fact that she was about to die.

Jack's sad cries weren't heard, they were falling on deaf ears. You were against the wall in shock, slowly sliding down until your bum hit the floor. You sat there in silence as the two Crimson Raiders joined together to empty their ammo into the Eridium tank. Shock filled your system as it finally exploded, the room shaking slightly at the power. Angel's body fell to the floor, the two murderers standing still in front of the poor girl. 

You were up within seconds, rushing over to her as you heard her coughing and noticed she was still barely alive. You held Angel in your arms as she thanked the three of you for all of your help. Her body went limp. You hugged her body either way, thanking her for her sacrifice even though she did not deserve it.

"Are you guys even grateful for what this girl has done?" You scream at Lilith and Roland, "I hope you're fucking happy!"

"You knew coming into this job that we were going to stop Jack charging the vault key, killer," Lilith scolded, "Angel didn't deserve to die but it was the only way. She wanted this. We did this for her."

"There had to have been another way," You were on the verge of sobbing, "You brought me here. I could've hacked into the-"

"Yes, you can hack, but since we've arrived here Angel had already done everything for us. Surely if there was a way to stop it, she would have already tried. I am deeply upset about this too, but we have to leave now." Roland replied.

Roland had barely turned to leave when a bullet collided with the skin of his back. A bullet so powerful it soared straight through his heart, then through his chest, the small piece of metal clanging against the floor when it had exited his body. Blood poured from both sides of his wound, staining his clothes, and his heart stopped beating. His body dropped to the floor. Both you and Lilith looked at his corpse in horror.

Handsome Jack now stood in his place, quickly throwing a clunky metal collar at Lilith's neck.

"Lilith!" You called out, still clutching Angel in your arms.

Jack looked at you then looked at Angel's body, and you could see the sadness in his eyes for just that split second, until he continued to become red with anger. He left Lilith, stuck waiting and unable to leave due to the beeping collar keeping her under Jack's orders, to come towards you.

You looked up at him, holding Angel closer to your chest, managing to blubber out, "This is not what I agreed to. I didn't want this to happen, I'm so sorry Jack."

Jack looked at you, his face neutral, as he held his hand out to you. He didn't say a word, but you knew if you didn't go with him he would only either kill you or treat you to a nice collar to match Lilith's. You carefully laid Angel down on the floor, wiping her hair out of her face, before standing and taking Jack's open hand.

"No, get out of here!" Lilith cried out, trying to get the device off. "Don't go with him!"

"Us three have a Fast Travel to get to." Jack grunted, gently pulling you over to Lilith so he could harshly grab her by the neck and drag her as he walked.

Jack walked quite fast, with you having to almost jog to keep up, whilst Lilith was practically being dragged at this point. Her cries and grunts were making you cringe, but you stayed silent. Jack's hand was intertwined with yours, but it was not harsh nor soft. He was just warning you not to make a run for it.

After turning down a few corridors you didn't recognise, you all came to stand in front of one of the familiar yellow Hyperion travel stations that were dotted around Pandora. 

"Are we going to Helios?" You managed to ask Jack as he gave you a stern look when he let go of your hand to type in a few lines of code. 

When he didn't reply, you continued, "I've never been off of Pandora before."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine pumpkin." He chuckled slightly, frowning immediately as Lilith tried to tell you to run again, he hissed at her directly, "Shut. Up."

Jack took your hand again as a beam of light shot out of the box in front of you, it scanned you and you felt a tingly sensation in your veins. Your surroundings disappeared and your vision turned dark, until you could finally see again. The room was alien to you, it was quite dark and the lights were barely illuminating anything.

You hadn't even realised Jack had let go of your hand as he was dragging Lilith towards a large elevator just towards the end of the room. He threw her in, letting the doors close.

He pulled his echo from his pocket and started to speak, "The siren is on her way down now. Get her restrained and ready, I want that key charged. NOW!"

And then he turned to look at you. Coming closer with every step.

What would he do to you now he's dealt with Lilith? Does he know you're a siren too? He was your enemy, you were obviously scared of him regardless of how tough you can be on Pandora, so why were you crazy enough to just take his hand? All your mind could do was blame it on guilt and sorrow, all for this man who wanted to kill or control every last soul on your planet. 

Your friends had just killed his daughter, and even though you refused, you had just murdered a lot of his soldiers and technically were a trespasser, coming onto Hyperion owned land. And he just murdered Roland. 

You felt sick, from the fast travel and the thoughts swirling around your brain. Jack must've seen you starting to go a little strange, as he quickened his pace just enough to catch you as you fell. You passed out in his arms.

Chapter Text

Betrayal. Hurt. Pain. That's the only words your brain could actually focus on through the searing pain going through your head. You'd betrayed your friends. They'd hurt you. They'd hurt Jack. You've all caused so much pain.

You couldn't even open your eyes, pushing your face into the pillow further. Wait, a pillow? You cracked one eye open slightly to confirm. It was so comfortable, being cuddled up in the warm duvet, but you pushed it off you as quick as you could in your pained state. You sat up, the room spinning from how quick you moved.

"Woah," A hoarse voice spoke from behind you, "I must've dozed off. Are you alright, kiddo?"

You looked to your left in confusion and horror to see Handsome Jack next to you, pushing the covers you'd just shoved onto him to the end of the bed. You groaned, placing your hands on your head and falling back onto the pillow, closing your eyes once again. 

"That's not the usual reaction of a lady when she wakes up next to me," Jack mused, stretching his arms out in front of him, "now come on, how are you feeling, pumpkin?" 

"Headache." You mumbled quietly, "Shhh."

He chuckled quietly, "I'll get you something to fix that. I won't be long."

Jack got out of the bed, straightening his clothes out with his hands before heading out of the room. You didn't even move, unsure if you even wanted to, you were so comfortable and you didn't know what he'd do if you just disappeared. Luckily, he walked back in minutes later with a small injector gun and a vial of a clear liquid.

"State of the art headache cure," He announced on his arrival, "Hyperion made, baby. The best medicine in business."

You couldn't help but smile, opening one eye as you held your arm out to him as he sat on the edge of the bed next to you. He placed the vial into the gun, squeezing the trigger gently as a joke so some of the liquid came out, pretending to be a doctor. You laughed a little, which made him quickly push the needle into your skin and let the liquid run through your system. You barely had time to wince due to your laughter and the pain quickly subsided.

"Wow, that shit works like a charm!" You exclaimed, pushing yourself up with your hands to sit up in front of him, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, kitten." Jack said honestly, "My Angel would be happy that I've helped you."

"Jack, I'm so sor-"

He cut you off, "Don't be. It wasn't you. It was those filthy vault hunters."

He spat the words 'filthy vault hunters' out in anger. His manner switched back to being calm in an instant when he saw how tense you became.

"So, a siren, huh?" Jack chuckled, nodding towards your torn jacket.

"Born with it," You shrugged, nervously, "not a great one though. Only use it when it's really needed."

"I think that's a lie, cupcake," He grinned at you, "I saw that move you pulled. Killed almost all of my men. They've dubbed you the storm siren in the CCTV department."

"Well it wouldn't have happened if I knew what Lilith and Roland were trying to get to Angel for..." You said quietly, looking down at the soft silk sheets at the end of the bed. Anything but Jack's face.

You heard him mumble a small 'hmm' in response as he stood up. He held his hand out to you, you could see it out of the corner of your eye. You turned to him, questioningly.

"Do you really want to stay in here all day, kiddo?" He chuckled, gesturing for you to take his hand.

"Well it IS pretty comfy..." You joked.

"Come on," Jack smirked, grabbing both your hands and pulling you out of bed, "let me show you around. I think you'll like it on Helios."

He led you out of his room, placing his hand on the small of your back as you walked with him. You stopped quickly before you left his apartment entirely.

"Do you, uh, have a spare jacket? I don't like everyone seeing my tattoos." You asked him, hoping he had something.

Jack shrugged off his own jacket, handing it to you. You were astonished, but very thankful, as you slipped it on over your clothes. It was a bit big, but covered you amazingly right where you wanted it to. You thanked him as you both left his home, his hand resting back on your lower back as you walked through the station. 

You felt like you were treading on eggshells. Any wrong move you make from here could make you his enemy, but you really wanted to go back down to Pandora and be free from this horrible mess your friends had put you in. Your friends? Were they even your friends anymore? You felt ashamed, yes, but they'd helped you out before so you helped them. You were so confused and stuck in your own thoughts, you hadn't realised Jack had been speaking to you the whole time. 

"Hello? Were you even listening, princess?" 

"What - Oh, no, sorry Jack. I was just-" You spoke quickly, but he cut you off for the second time today.

"Wondering where Lilith is?" He said in a cold tone, his eyes boring into yours.

"No, I wasn't actually," You admitted, "but I am now. Am I allowed to know?"

"Let me think about that for a sec..." He pretended to think, touching his hand to his chin, "Hell no. Sorry cupcake, that's never going to happen." 

You shrugged, "I don't actually think I care anyway."

You couldn't actually feel any care for Lilith in your mind anymore. The incident with Angel had really messed with your head, you couldn't believe they had murdered such an innocent girl. Roland was dead and Lilith was locked up god knows where, they got what they deserved. But you still couldn't believe your resentments for your old friends, over a teen girl's death. A girl that you didn't even know, but cared so much for.

"Good," He grinned, "Now let me show you the best thing about Helios." 

Jack took you through a busy area, people in suits rushing around tapping their echo's or eating a sandwich on the go. There was a a large elevator in the centre and you soon realised that's where you were both headed and made it a point to get there without crashing into someone. Although Jack just waltzed through - nobody interrupts Handsome Jack. 

After riding the elevator up, you had to walk even more to make it into a large office-like room. But you completely ignored the desk, already shocked at the view outside the window. You could see the tip of a planet from where you were standing by the office entrance, and a gorgeous view of space behind it. No way that was real.

"Go closer and look." Jack insisted, walking on in front of you.

You picked up your pace, passing Jack and made your way to the large pane of glass. You pressed your hands against it, looking out. You could now see more of the planet, in better detail, and your jaw dropped. 

"Is that...?" You whispered to yourself.

"Pandora," Jack announced, "the planet I will restore order to. I'll make it a better place, somewhere you can live without bandits, somewhere you can bring up your children safely, where you don't have to care about being robbed or killed. A safe haven, under my control." 

"You want to achieve all of that?" You asked, shocked to hear his side of the story.

"Of course, princess," He smiled, "I'm going to wake the warrior in the vault and help Pandora become the planet it should be."

"Really?" You breathed, turning away from the beautiful sight to look at Jack.

"Damn right, kiddo!" However, his smile turned into rage quickly, "Vault hunters are liars, child-murdering filthy bandits, who want to keep Pandora a miserable crime ridden planet. I will change that, I'm the hero baby!'

"Wow..." You whispered, your eyes large in admiration as you listened to him. 

Jack was proud of himself, happy to see that you liked his plan. Even if it was so he could have you on his side. Although he also admired your bravery, going against Lilith and Roland so you weren't involved in the murder of his little girl. But he had a tiny bit of him that resented you, for not killing them first. Baby steps. You would be the one to kill Lilith, he was sure of it.

You had always tried to steer clear of the Hyperion drama. You never owned one of their guns, never went to Hyperion territory - truth be told, you didn't know much about Jack at all apart from what Lilith had told you here and there. Jack was right, they did say a lot of bad things about him. You held no suspicions at all, he was going to give Pandora a clean slate. You spent your days on Pandora saving innocent people and animals, he was doing the exact same! You had the same goal.

Your decision was final.

"I'm in." You grinned at him.

"You want to help, princess?" He seemed really happy.

"Definitely. Wouldn't miss it for the world."