Chapter Text
“I just want to say, thanks for bringing me back, and killing that scary thing, and taking me on the adventure we went on a while ago, and thanks for being cool about stuff, like letting me drive the caravan that one time when you weren’t looking, and thanks for bringing everyone together, and thanks for being my friends. You’re the only ones I have. And I appreciate you. And I hope we’re friends for a really long time.”
“That’s what friends do. They help each other. It’s all part of the deal.”
“Well, then that’s a pretty good deal.”
[Except from Loader Bot’s memory banks, Day 517 since last wipe]
—
Two pairs of footsteps resonated into the bottomless chasm that was the Vault of the Traveler. Rhys crossed the gap between the last step and the top platform. He turned back to Fiona.
Funny. A few days ago, he’d still believed she and Sasha had already pilfered the very chamber where they now stood--that they had abandoned him on Helios, seized the Vault’s riches for themselves, and had all but forgotten his name by now.
He had woken up that lonely morning in the Biodome as he had countless mornings before: from a dreamscape of ghosts and guilt. Until he’d been summoned by a cryptic message to Prosperity Junction, he’d had no clue where to go next.
At least now, with the untold treasure that had originally brought them together in reach again, it looked less like nowhere.
Not that he’d readily spill that sentiment to Fiona. No, the two of them had reached their humiliation quota just moments ago outside this Vault, when she’d stared daggers at him and demanded he answer for a certain incident involving Sasha and a blue flower.
"I just want you to know, I totally forgive you for ripping me off," he offered instead, and in a show of graciousness extended his hand across the gap.
"I know, I know, it's really big of me,” he added with a smirk. He wasn’t even offended when she stuck out her tongue as she accepted his hand and stepped across. “But I figure we're on our way to bigger and better things, so water under the bridge. If a giant exploding Vault Monster doesn't settle the score, frankly, I don't know what does."
"I gotta say." Her gaze drifted up wistfully. "I'm a little sad it's over."
"Well, who knows? Maybe this is just the beginning," he said.
They both stood inches before the chest. The moment was silent, full of fear and suspense. There was no turning back.
"Would you like to do the honors?" Rhys asked.
"It's the last one," Fiona said, echoing the words that started it all when they’d found Gortys' disjointed core. "It's only right we both open it. It's the best part.”
"Was kinda hoping you'd say that."
He laid a hand on the stone chest, followed by her. The lid creaked open to reveal its bounty.
—
"Here, Sash. I know I just called dibs on shields, but on behalf of the Children of Helios, I would like you to have this."
Sasha crouched in The Traveler’s shimmering spoils, next to Pandora’s unlikeliest bandit leader. She looked up from a sleek double-drum magazine to see him offering her a shield.
"It’s okay, Vaughn, you keep it," she said. "Your men need all the help they can get in these wastes. No offense, but those laser pointers won't fool the other bandits out here forever."
"And no offense to you, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Especially where near-death experiences are concerned." Vaughn paused and considered his words. "Not that we aren't all super grateful for what you did, obviously. But let's just say, watching a friend teeter on the brink of…the brink is one of those acts where no one wants an encore."
Sasha adjusted her arm sling, fashioned from the red scarf around her waist. She herself still scarcely believed what had just happened. First, everything was fading away. Fiona and Rhys' desperate clutch on her, the throbbing in her abdomen—all she sensed was receding like a dream.
Then it was all rewinding. The ravages of the last few painful moments all absorbed into Felix's watch. She’d live another day. Of course it wouldn't be a gift from Felix if it didn't have strings attached, she thought sourly, rubbing her fractured arm.
"Yeah, trust me, I’m not about to make a habit of it," she mumbled, her hand drifting down to massage her abdomen, at the spot where the pocketwatch had worked its miracle.
"You might’ve not had to do it even once, if I hadn't jumped the gun with the Moonshot cannon," Vaughn countered. "Call this amends."
"Oh, so it’s your fault those detonation charges had a shorter range than I could spit?” She raised her eyebrow and cocked her head at him. “I doubt it.”
“That, uh, certainly didn’t help either,” he conceded.
"But seriously, just give the shield to one of them.” She jerked her head towards the rest of their companions. Athena and Cassius had both inadvertently reached for the same prize, and glanced at each other hesitantly. Zer0 appraised a sniper rifle in his hands with the scrutiny of Marcus Kincaid himself.
Unswayed Vaughn waved the shield before Sasha with a sly grin. “Did I mention it's a Pangolin exclusive, and when it runs out, it causes the attacker’s shield to break, too?"
"Really?” Sasha’s eyes glimmered, and her tongue darted, tantalized, over her lip. “Now you tell me!"
With a delighted laugh she plucked the shield from his hand and fixed it to her belt. Until her arm healed, she had an inkling her trusty Atlas Silver SMG would take a backseat to her Desolator pistol. At least with her new drum mag, reloading would be ancient history. Fumbling with her hand in the sling, she attached the mag to the pistol. There was that satisfying click of two already-awesome pieces of weaponry joining to become near-unstoppable.
Grinning, she aimed the pistol at a Children of Helios symbol painted into a nearby post. "Nothing personal, Vaughn," she quipped, and fired. She basked in the force of the gun jolting in her hand, the burning scent, the resonating sound as the slug struck the wood. She was ready to seek out the nearest Badass and dare him to waste his ammo on her.
"No worries. We're still undecided on the penalty for desecrating our graven image," Vaughn joked. "Besides, you missed."
"No, I--" She squinted at her target. So, she hadn't actually hit the sunny icon. The bullet had just barely struck the edge of the wood. "--Look, it's a new gun, okay?" Her nose wrinkled and she gave a huff, glancing down at the Desolator. It would take some getting used to, aiming with a pistol. She'd be sure to get in more practice before…before…
Just what was next, anyway?
That question always included Fiona. But for the first time, Sasha turned and noticed Fiona was gone, and Rhys with her.
"Hey. Did they already go in the—?" Her eyes followed the last spot her sister and newly returned…friend? …had stood, over to the pulsating gate where The Traveler had first emerged.
Vaughn's gaze followed hers. "I guess they couldn't wait to get their hands on the bigger prize."
"Well, c'mon, let's go after them!" She nudged Vaughn's shoulder as she took off towards the Vault. "I've been getting stuck with Fiona's hand-me-downs since we were kids; I'm not about to let her--" When she realized he wasn't following, she stopped to look back and raise a quizzical eyebrow.
"Yeah.” Vaughn looked down at the valuables he'd collected from The Traveler. “I'm not so sure I want to, Sasha. There's enough here to sell and fill the Children of Helios' stores for months."
“Seriously? After all we went through to get here?" She gaped at him and flung her good hand back towards the beckoning Vault. "You're saying you're not even a little curious what's in there?"
"Oh, I'm a lot curious, don't get me wrong," he said, walking towards her. "But what if whatever's inside…just isn't enough?” He cast an apprehensive glance to Athena and Zer0, then lowered his voice. “That's what keeps those Vault Hunter types always wanting more, isn't it? That ongoing pursuit of the next score.” He looked back to the Children of Helios compound. "It's like an addiction. I can't risk what I've built here to get mixed up in that."
She frowned, but thought she understood. Minutes ago, she had been willing to give up her chance at the Vault for the ones she cared about, too. "Your followers really are lucky to have you, Vaughn," she said.
He shrugged. "Well. Technically they're Rhys' followers."
"Um, who made them a home out of nothing, and got them this far?” she posited. “You, or that creepy headless statue?"
Vaughn laughed. "I'd call that a textbook 'Column A, Column B,'” he said. "But thanks. And look, even if you, Fiona and Rhys go galavanting off on another epic quest, remember you're always welcome here."
"Hey, that's not happening, alright? Whatever we do next, we’re all in it together," she said. "We didn't find each other again just to—"
A flash like lightning filled her vision. A seismic whoosh rolled past her. She whirled around, and her jaw dropped.
Where the Vault had been, now there was nothing but an empty stone archway.
—
"Fiona?"
Rhys looked around after the shockwave. Everything looked the same. He was still standing inside the otherworldly chamber crafted eons ago by a long-dead alien race. The huge stone chest still lay open before him. Only, the hat-favoring companion he had opened it with was nowhere in sight.
There was something in the chest: a small mechanism, no bigger than his fist. He picked it up and looked it over. A blue pillar of light emerged and took the shape of a schematic. He squinted. It looked like a weapon plan of some kind, but the writing was in some language for which the word "arcane" came to mind. Eridian, if he was more the gambling type.
He tucked it away. Maybe there was enough power in the Helios computer at Vaughn's compound to translate it. And maybe Fiona already headed back that way. Yeah, that must be it. That blast probably just shorted out his budget cybernetics, and he didn't see her leave.
Why didn't she take the schematic, though?
Confused, he turned back to the monolithic archway. The view of the other side was distorted, as though underwater. Yet, he could make out tall shapes that weren't Pandoran mesas—bright colors that didn't belong to rock and sand.
"What the…?" As he stepped through, he felt a sensation like falling forward.
The world he stumbled out into was definitely not Pandora. The ethereal gateway faded behind him, leaving him stranded in this foreign world.
In the distance he discerned the tops of skyscrapers. Hovercrafts darted between them like ants. Bright neon signs crowned each tower. His immediate surroundings were less grandiose. Graffiti plastered the derelict one- and two-story buildings. There were cranes for a shipyard visible over the flimsy rooftops. The crumbling street was home to a string of gutted out vehicles. He heard gunfire close by.
He turned back to where the Vault had been, and saw he was in front of a power plant. Above its entrance was a big red neon sign: HAPPY HUNTING THIS EXTERMINATION DAY! BROUGHT TO YOU BY DIRECTOR ALEXANDER WORMWORTH AND HIS ESTEEMED ASSOCIATES OF THE ATLAS BOARD.
The name "Director Alexander Wormworth" was in larger letters, while "Esteemed Associates of the Atlas Board" shrank in comparison. Below the lettering were four holographic blue-tinted heads. The largest must have belonged to Alexander Wormworth, a pasty and portly man of about fifty. His three "esteemed" associates were too scaled down beside him to perceive much about their facial features.
Rhys was less interested in their faces than he was in their company. Atlas still had a board of directors here? So, where was "here"?
To answer his unspoken question, a tone rang out over a loudspeaker, followed by a chipper female voice. "Attention, Lectra City! Shanneth Kyrie reporting. Please disregard the alleged disturbance at the power plant. We’ve been assured that it was only the result of some faulty wiring, and the situation will soon be under control. You're all doing a great job of cleanup this Extermination Day. If Promethea could smile, the rest of the universe could see itself in her dazzling teeth, all thanks to you!"
Promethea? Rhys blinked. The guns ceased when Shanneth spoke. His gut twisted in a knot as he began to guess what kind of "cleanup" she was talking about.
"If you'll all kindly make your way to the Ceasefire Zone in the harbor, our friends at Atlas have arranged a treat: a ton of fresh, shiny ammunition for your efforts. That's an actual two-thousand pound ton, by the way; not a 'ton' in the figurative sense, like the ton of pride Director Wormworth has in all of you," Shanneth went on. "Oh, and if you're super lucky, he might even show up via holo-broadcast to have a meet-and-greet with some of our participants. But not if you're too sloooow!" The last word came out in a flippant singsong. "So, get the lead out, exterminators! All aboard at the harbor!"
There were whoops and hollers. The gunfire resumed but slowly retreated.
Rhys looked up again at the blue holographic visage of Director Wormworth. He felt for the Atlas stock certificate folded in his pocket. It looked like he inherited some employees from the former Atlas. And apparently, they liked to conduct blood sports in their spare time.
Still, it seemed his best shot was to make his way across Lectra City to the harbor, and try to have a word with this Wormworth.
Cautiously, unarmed save for his arm, he stepped into the war zone standing between him and the harbor.
He didn't get far before a van-sized hovercraft swooped across the sun and landed behind him. The rear doors burst open, and several men in red armored suits filed out. "Readings are negative. There's nothing here, Sir," one of them said into an ECHO-Comm after a cursory look around. "Area's clear, moving on to check inside the power plant."
"What about that guy over there?" said another, pointing at Rhys.
"Him? Probably just one of Wormworth's exterminators getting too nosy," said the first. "Set to stun! Hey you! Freeze!" he barked. A collage of weapons suddenly pointed at Rhys, who did indeed freeze.
"Director Colton won't be happy if Wormworth gets a man here first," said one of the red suits.
At the back of the cluster, one of them slowly shifted his weapon away from Rhys and towards the backs of his companions. "He already did," he announced, and unleashed his stun shots on the others, who fell to the ground convulsing and gasping in surprise.
Rhys eeped and shirked away, keeping his hands firmly above his head.
The traitor among the group looked back up to him. "Faulty wiring, nothing," he said. "There was a Vault here, and you were in it. So start talking."
"Waitwaitwait, I can explain!" Rhys babbled, giving his raised hands a little desperate wave. "You're Atlas, right? Great! I'm your new—"
He flinched as a bullet just barely ricocheted past his nose. But it hadn't come from the red-clad man. He glanced sideways and saw a group—most likely Wormworth's Exterminators—coming around a corner. With ample mohawks, tattoos and piercings, they didn't look much a stretch from Pandora's finest.
"I told you they was hiding something at the power plant!" one growled.
"Yeah! Whatever you Atlas bastards is keeping from us, we want our share!" called another.
"Oh, sh-" began the rogue Atlas soldier. A hail of gunfire burst forth. He dove for cover behind the hovercraft. Some of the other soldiers slowly began to regain their senses and shoot from their positions on the ground.
Trouble was, they hadn't uniformly decided where to direct their fire. Some shots found the exterminators of dubious alignment. One or two shots were made instead at the traitor in the soldiers’ midst.
Rhys ducked as one shot sought him out. In the confusion, he wasn't sure if it was an Atlas soldier's stun shot or an exterminator's not-stun shot. Either way, he didn’t intend to stick around and see if the next one had better aim.
He took off into Lectra City, the harbor’s cranes his only clue of which way to go. The sound of one pandemonious tussle faded behind, while another loomed ahead. This one was bound for the harbor, for that ton of free ammunition and an audience with Director Alexander Wormworth.
He remembered suddenly that Wormworth might not be his only hope here.
"Fiiiiiooooonaaaaa!" he called out mid-sprint.