Chapter 3

Angel had very little to do to pass the time in the bunker. Other than to spy on Hyperion personnel in case they were plotting something against Jack, or Handsome Jack as he called himself now. There was no bold enough to against her father after the murder of Harold Tassiter, but he still insisted for her to spy on those working for Hyperion.

Other than that, the only thing Angel could do was to watch the people of Pandora from the numerous Hyperion satellites. She could understand why Jack wished to bring peace to the planet. Mildly put, the people living there were batshit crazy. Finding someone sane on Pandora was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Possibly, but very unlikely.

However, Angel knew that Jack – she honestly had trouble calling him father at this point – had a hand in the craziness of the people. Some of them had been like that before they learned of the Vault in Pandora, and he set his eyes on it. However, a large part of them had lost their sanity due to Jack's experiments on both the people of Pandora and Hyperion personnel.

Angel had really believed they were doing a good thing at first. Helping Jack in finding the Vault, discovering what was hidden there, and possibly finding old Eridian technology that could boost humanity even more. She really thought they were the good guys until Jack started showing his true colors. After the Vault Hunters betrayed him, and he got his mask, Jack turned into someone Angel couldn't recognize. He simply became a monster.

Even Angel, Jack's very own flesh and blood, became nothing but a chess piece to him. Her only use was to spy on everyone, making sure no one was plotting against him, and to charge the Vault Key. Jack was willing to sacrifice her life by pumping her with Eridium, only so he could get his hands on some unstoppable, ancient Eridian Warrior. Angel was already aware of the location of the Vault housing this Eridian Warrior, however, she hadn't informed Jack about it. He was better of not knowing, but she had a feeling he would find it either way.

As much as Angel wished to escape this bunker before she becomes completely dependent on Eridium, the collar around her neck prevented her from doing that. Jack turned her into nothing more than a slave, forcing her to do his bidding. She could still work against him, however, she had to follow his orders down to the letter. At least Jack wasn't as smart as he believed to be, otherwise, she wouldn't even be able to plot against him.

Not that there was much Angel could do in her current situation. She needed someone that could potentially stop him and save or kill her. Finding someone like that was nothing but a pipe dream. Even the Vault Hunters that took down the Destroyer when they worked together were beaten by Jack and forced to bunker down in Sanctuary.

Lilith was Angel's only hope of being saved. The Siren was strong and was growing even more now that Eridium started appearing on Pandora. However, Lilith faked her death, deciding to lay low and hide from Jack. Angel couldn't blame her much. Not after what happened in New Heaven. Wilhelm had been engineered to specifically counter the four Vault Hunters. The outcome had been obvious, at least to Angel.

The good thing was that Jack believed Lilith was dead and hadn't ordered Angel to confirm that, so she could keep that information to herself for now. That meant there was still hope. Lilith could grow even more powerful in seclusion until she could stop Jack. Unfortunately, might not get to live for long after that.

There was a chance that one of the other Sirens could come to Pandora and possibly help her. After all, Sirens were supposedly drawn to each other. Angel found that out through the Eridian records she managed to decipher.

They knew of two more Sirens, one living on Athenas, and another on Partali. Jack had ordered her to keep an eye on them, in case they decided to come to Pandora. If they stayed quietly on their worlds, he would leave them alone. Unless he needed them for something. However, should they arrive on Pandora, he would make use of them, just as he is making use of Angel.

There really wasn't any hope for her, was it?

That's what Angel thought until she saw something out of the ordinary. In the middle of the Dust, she found a young man, looking to be in his early twenties. Short black hair, green eyes, a pointy nose, and high cheekbones. He was dressed in black pants and a green t-shirt. The man looked normal, slightly handsome in her opinion, but normal.

Except for the blue tattoos that started from his neck going down his right arm, resembling those of a Siren. Of course, there was no way he was a Siren as all of them were supposed to be female. Plus, anyone could tattoo themselves.

However, Angel then saw him fight against a group of bandits, and his tattoos lit up just like Sirens. She smiled, happily at that. This was big and even better, she didn't have to inform Jack about him. His exact words had been. "Inform me of any females that exhibit Siren's powers."

Angel could keep this to herself due to the specific order, which also kept her telling Jack about Lilith since he already knew about her. However, she was disappointed at how weak the young man was. With the power he showed, he was nowhere near at the level of stopping Jack, let alone saving her. Though, that thought quickly changed as she continued observing him.

Angel watched him fight bandits and skags as he tirelessly traveled through the desert. He got bit, he got slashed, and he got shot, but he defeated all of his opponents and used his Siren ability on them. With each encounter, he grew more powerful, and Angel started getting excited seeing that. If only, she could reach out to him, help him out, and guide him in the right direction. Then maybe, just maybe, he could become strong enough not only to stop Jack, but also to save her before it was too late.

He was an anomaly. There was no other way to explain it. A power that wasn't as flashy as the rest, yet with seemingly unlimited potential. To top it off, he was a male Siren, which shouldn't have been possible in the first place. But that wasn't a bad thing since maybe that was exactly what was needed to stop Jack.

When she saw him going towards Ellie's junkyard, nervous excitement filled Angel's body. The mechanic was affiliated with the Crimson Raiders, the rebels that opposed Jack with all of their might. With Ellie's help, the man could reach Sanctuary, and from there, start working on stopping Jack. There was only one way this could become even more perfect, and it happened! Ellie provided him with an older ECHO device, something she could very easily connect to.

The moment Angel saw him lying in the bed and knew that he was alone, she reached out to him. She wasn't sure exactly how to start the conversation, so she decided on a simple greeting.

"Hello."

Angel was expecting for him to get confused at the abrupt way she reached out and to question her who and what she was. She had some answers prepared in advance, but they did her no good for the words that left his mouth.

"A Siren!" He pointed at her in excitement.

Angel got confused and flustered. How did he know? The only person that knew of her existence and that she was a Siren was Jack. And he made sure no one, absolutely no one, knew about her. No one was even aware that he had a daughter, that's how much he guarded the secret about her.

"I-I…" confusion, panic, nervousness. All kinds of feelings enveloped Angel, leaving her unable to speak properly. This was beyond her expectations. She didn't know how to react and was about to cut the connection, thinking this might've been a trap all along. How he knew about her still eluded her, but she didn't plan on staying to find out. Until she heard his next words.

"Can you help me?"

Help him? Angel could do that. As long as it was within her capabilities. She still kept her guard, however. The previous statement really got to her.

"I… can, but, um, I'm not a Siren," Angel decided to establish that fact. She was forbidden from informing anyone of her status, after all.

"I'm a Hyperion A.I," that was the excuse Jack ordered her to tell others.

"Are you sure?" William's eyes narrowed suspiciously, turning into slits. His mouth scrunched up into a frown as he stared at the hazy image on the ECHO device. William remembered the woman from playing the first game, and he would've believed she was an A.I since the world had robots and all. However, the seven Siren powers he was offered made him think otherwise.

"I am! Definitely not a Siren," she refused his statement vehemently, but that made him even more suspicious.

"You sure you're not the Phaseshift Siren?" That was the power he would've taken had he still been on Earth. The ability to instantly and effortlessly interact with any technology near him or in a network connected to him.

William would've had the easiest of lives with Phaseshift. Work? Bah, who needs that. Just hack a bank and secretly transfer money over to his account. Caught speeding and got a ticket? Bah, just hack into the police system and secretly delete it. Losing in an online game and some asshole is cursing him? Heh... so many possibilities.

However, William was no longer on Earth. He had to select Phaseleech if he wished to survive the treacherous desert. Nonetheless, he wasn't disappointed with it in any way. Not only did it keep him alive, but it also gave him the chance to be better. He was already stronger, faster, more durable than before. He was even 10% smarter than the regular Joe. Plus, he had more skills to unlock, and he couldn't even imagine what they will do.

"I…" Angel was truly speechless. How did he know so much?

"What do you need help with?" She changed to topic quickly, not confirming nor denying his accusation. Angel couldn't outright tell anyone that she was a Siren. Obviously, Jack had forbidden her from doing so.

Angel was scared, fearful that someone knew her identity, but at the same time, a little flame of hope lit up inside her. He asked her for help! That had to mean something, right?

"Hmm, I need to find the Phasewalk Siren," William said after studying her with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Lilith? She died shortly after the fall of New Heaven," Angel lied, fully knowing that the Vault Hunter was still alive. There was a chance this was some kind of test from Jack, though she didn't believe he would ever trust someone with the knowledge about her. Nevertheless, she played her cards safely.

"Lilith?" William said silently.

"Lilith…" he repeated the name again. That 10% boost to his mind wasn't something to scoff at. It allowed him to remember and process more information.

'Isn't that one of the characters from the game?' William thought when it hit him.

"She's dead?" Heartbroken was one to describe his expression at that moment.

"I…" If the Phasewalk Siren was dead, then how was he supposed to return back to Earth? Was he stuck here forever? Destined to spend the rest of his days with the crazy bandits? The only thing he could do was to try and get away from this planet and find a more civilized place.

Angel felt bad seeing him like that. She almost regretted lying to him, but the small doubt that this was one of Jack's tricks stopped her from telling him the truth. After all, Lilith was the one she had put her faith in, and she wouldn't risk losing her under any circumstances.

William just dropped on the bed, silently staring at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. What was he supposed to do now?

'Become strong enough until no one can fuck with me, and then become smart enough before figuring it out,' he decided in a heartbeat.

"Hey, Siren, should I go to Lynchwood or Sanctuary?" William asked after making his resolve.

"Sanctuary," Angel answered without hesitation. That was the correct answer no matter what.

Sending him to Lynchwood would mean he would get killed unless he was a Hyperion. Or Jack would get his hands on him and put a nice shiny collar on his neck. Still, even if he was a Hyperion, sending him to Sanctuary wasn't a mistake. If questioned, Angel could give the easy excuse of having a spy among the rebels. Otherwise, he would be a great asset to Sanctuary and the Crimson Raiders.

"What can I expect there?"

"You don't know?" Angel was taken back. She did hear him tell Ellie he recently crash-landed on Pandora, but she didn't believe that for one bit. Angel was the one that monitored the planet, and she knew what came in and out. Plus, there was no wreckage anywhere near where she spotted him in the desert. She checked to make sure of that. Though, that did bring the question of where did he come from.

"I wouldn't be asking if I did," William rolled his eyes at her.

"That's the Crimson Raiders' main base," she said without going into details.

"Which means nothing to me," he still didn't even know the name of the planet. The bandit's whose memories he absorbed only informed him of the Dust.

"A group of adventurers and ex-soldiers, banded together to oppose Hyperion, and its takeover of Pandora," Angel gave him a simple explanation.

"Hmm, as a 'Hyperion A.I' shouldn't you be advising me against that?" William asked with a cheeky smile.

"You asked, and I answered. Now you complain about my answers," Angel huffed.

"And since you are not a Hyperion, you have a bigger chance of not getting shot at first sight in Sanctuary," she added.

"Wait, what? I was under the impression they won't shoot first and ask questions later at Sanctuary."

"If you go there with Ellie's recommendation, they won't. Might want to find yourself a shield just in case, though."

"And where would I get one?"

"One of the nearby bandit camps? Or one of the camps on the road to Sanctuary? At least one bandit is bound to have a shield. Though it won't last you for long, but it should be enough until you reach Sanctuary. You can get yourself a better one there."

"Hmm…"

A pleasant silence followed, with none of them saying anything else. Suddenly a thought hit William, moments before Angel disconnected.

"What's your name?"

"Angel," she said after a brief moment of hesitation.

"Well, Angel, my name's William."

Another moment of silence followed. William was lying on the bed, enjoying its comfort despite how rugged it looked. However, he wasn't tired and didn't feel like sleeping. He was bursting with energy due to all the bandits and skags he drained on the way to Ellie's junkyard.

"Do you know about the planet Earth?" He decided to strike a conversation with her.

"N-no," Angel didn't know where that had come from. Of course, she knew about Earth. It was the planet from where the humans originated before taking to the stars. However, it hadn't existed since hundreds of years ago after a nuclear war blew it apart. Not many knew of it since no one really cared in this day and age, but she had all the time in the world and unlimited access to the ECHOnet.

"It's where I'm from," William had a melancholic look on his face as he said that.

"I don't know how I got here, but… I want to find a way to return home," he continued. William didn't care if others knew of his desire to return to Earth. What are they going to do about it? Attack him? Well, they could try, but he will drain any who dared. He also felt like speaking about it with someone.

"It's not the prettiest of places, but it's much better than here," he chuckled as Angel listened attentively. She wasn't the best judge of character, nor did she have any social skills, but she had a feeling he wasn't lying to her, which really threw her for a loop.

"And it's also home…"

William told her about Earth, with Angel asking him questions about certain things from time to time. She was really interested in hearing about the planet humans originated from, and again, he didn't seem like he was lying. Both of them didn't even realize how long they talked, but Angel was forced to cut the connection as Jack needed her… After disconnecting from his ECHO device, she felt sad and couldn't help but think how pleasant their conversation was. Angel hadn't experienced something like that in ages, and… it felt nice.

Having no one to talk to, William just rolled around in the bed and tinkered with the ECHO device. He quickly figured out how to store objects inside it and played with that function as if he was a kid given a new toy, just dematerializing and materializing a gun over and over again. Once he had his fill, he browsed through the ECHOnet, looking up any information that could be useful to him. Like the Vault on Pandora having been opened by the Vault Hunters.

The events from the game had obviously happened already. Lilith's death had already confirmed that for him. Just thinking about the Siren depressed him, but there was nothing he could do about it, other than to move on and find another way.

"I really want to take a shower," William sighed. He had sand in places where sand shouldn't be. However, he was too scared of asking Ellie if she had a bath around here. What if she decided to jump him as she showered? He shuddered just thinking about it.

Despite having a roof over his head and feeling safe… well, somewhat safe, William was starting to get bored. The past… day of traveling through the desert and fighting for his life had been harsh, but it was also exciting in a way. The feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins while facing bandits and skags was novel, and he enjoyed it.

"Oh, no! The craziness already got to me!" William exclaimed as he thought about that, standing up from the bed abruptly. The craziness wasn't in the food or water; it was in the very air itself. The moment he took his first breath on this planet, was the moment it got to him. It was already too late for him.

"Oh, man," he dropped on the bed with a dejected sigh. Yet, the moment he heard the roaring of engines and gunshots from the outside, a grin formed on his face.

Jumping from the bed, William materialized an SMG and rushed out. It was already night, but it was surprisingly bright outside. He couldn't see as if it was day, but he could make out what was happening.

A bunch of bandits were going after Ellie. They had the numerical advantage, but that didn't seem to matter much as she steamrolled them without even using a gun. The bandits fired at her, but a blue flicker appeared around Ellie every time the bullets impacted her.

"That tickles!" She roared and laughed at their attempts to hurt her. They tried ramming her, but she just shoved her hands forward and stopped the vehicle in its tracks, not even budging from her position.

'Damn, she is strong! Is she like a hidden boss or something?' Ellie's physical powers were impressive, there was no doubt about that. William wondered how she had survived out here on her own, but now it all made sense.

'I wonder how much life force she is worth?' That thought passed through his mind, but he squashed it down. Ellie was the first sane person he met here… okay, somewhat sane. She gave him information and even a place to stay for the night. William wouldn't attack her without reason.

'Unless she jumps me in the bed! Then she is free game!' But that was neither here nor there. There was currently a large group of bandits attacking Ellie's junkyard, and all William saw was a pile of experience, err, life force in front of him. He jumped into the fray with a gun in hand without hesitation.

Still, there were too many bandits, much more than the usual groups he dealt with, even more than the small camp he destroyed. If he wasn't careful, then he was a goner. Thankfully, there was a nice and large place to take cover. Right behind Ellie.

"Heyyy, cutie. Nice of ya to join me in this party," Ellie greeted him nonchalantly as she swatted a bandit away.

"Can't let you fight on your own after you let me stay here for free," William said while firing at the bandits. Unfortunately, it was already dark and his aim was bad, to begin with, so he wasn't having much luck.

"Aww, you do care!"

A psycho tried to flank them, rushing from behind with his axe in the air. William noticed him and turned around. He dropped his gun and blocked the attack with his left hand. Despite flinching from the pain of the blade piercing his skin, he held it there while his right arm reached out, grabbing onto the bandit. And that was it. The bandit turned into dust, drained out of his life force while William's hand healed up.

Ellie was like a wrecking ball, just bulldozing her way through the bandits, smashing them all apart. She was a monster and could've handled all of them on their own, but William couldn't let her do that, now could he? After all, the living bandits awarded him with more life force, so he had to help her.

William mostly stayed behind her and shot at the bandits while draining any that tried flanking them. Despite working together for the first time, they made a good team and dismantled the bandits in a quick manner.

'Fighting with someone else is much easier!' William came to the obvious conclusion. With someone having his back… err, front, the bandits became a piece of cake to deal with.

It didn't take long before only two remained. Both towering psychos with massive axes in their hands.

"I'll take the one on the right, you can deal with the other one," William said brimming with confidence as he stared at his opponent, missing the look Ellie shot him.

After already dealing with the giant psychos before, he knew the drill. William sprinted at him and stopped on a dime before jumping back, avoiding the swing of the psycho. He then lunged at the psycho, his momentum pushing his enemy onto the ground. That was a feat he would've never imagined doing, but here he was, fighting against crazy bandits on an alien planet.

William's right hand grasped the psycho's neck and squeezed tight while he pinned the bandit's weapon arm with his left. His Phaseleech activated, and the psycho tried pushing him away, even sending punches his way with his free hand. However, William was like a boa around his prey, not letting go even for a moment and squeezing until the end.

The psycho turned to dust, and William stood up, his eye scanning the surrounding for any more targets. Adrenaline and life force were coursing through his body, and he almost wished there were more enemies, but that was the last of it. A disappointed sigh left his mouth as he turned towards Ellie.

"Daaayum, cutie!" Ellie exclaimed, panting as she stared at him.

"If ya say you know your way around a car, I'm gonna have a hard time lettin' you go," Ellie said, and William's eyes opened wide, realizing why she was panting, and it wasn't from exhaustion.

"Nope, nope, nope. Don't know anything about vehicles other than how to drive and refuel them!" His words flew out of his mouth at a rapid pace. This was one can of worms he did not want to open.

"Shame, would've been the perfect husband," Ellie muttered under her breath, but he heard her. William's entire body shivered as if a chilling frost enveloped him, and his most important body part turned inward from fear.

'I think I became a woman just to avoid that scenario no matter what.' There was no other explanation.

Ellie shook her head, no longer feeling disappointed, and smiled.

"I thought ya a scaredy-cat with how ya hid behind me, but ya proved otherwise!"

"I don't have a shield," William said with a shake of his head. If he had one, he would be waaay bolder.

"Dayum, and ya survived the Dust without a shield and ECHO device? Ya something else, cutie!" And Ellie had that look again.

'Shit! Just stay quiet from now on and don't say anything else that would endanger your private parts!' William chastised himself as his lips slammed together like a reinforced metal door.

"Tell ya what, I have a spare shield I could give ya, but I would need ya to do me a favor."

'Oh, is this a Quest? I might as well at least hear her out.'

"What is it?"

"There's a bandit camp nearby. It's where those shmugs came from."

"So, you want me to take them out?"

"Nah," Ellie shook her head.

"I want ya to help me take them out!" She grinned evilly.

"That sounds fine, I suppose," William nodded. There had been a lot of bandits, so this camp must be much bigger than the small outpost he took care of. Going in alone didn't sound like a great idea, but with Ellie, well, free experience for him.

"Great! It's a date then!" Ellie clapped her hands in excitement and turned around.

"Come on in, I will even hook ya in my brother's Catch-A-Ride!"

"Wait! What? No!" William exclaimed, fearful for his life and manhood. However, Ellie only laughed in response as she entered inside. He quickly turned towards the bodies around him and swiftly jumped towards them, using Phaseleech on each and every one of them. William will fight tooth and nail if he had to, but he wasn't going on any dates with Ellie!

"Whatcha doin'?" Ellie came out of the garage and asked.

"Cleaning the bodies," William replied, increasing his pace even more.

Ellie watched him grab a corpse and his tattoo lit up in blue light before turning it into dust.

"How ya doin' that?"

"I'm a Siren," William said and looked at her.

"Like Lils? I thought all of 'em Sirens supposed to be women?"

"Really? I didn't know that. I'm definitely male, though. So, that means I'm special," William grinned before frowning.

'Shit, I should've just said I'm a woman and avoided any bad scenarios!'

"That ya are," Ellie grinned and turned around.

"Come to da garage when ya ready."

William drained the last of the corpses and turned to the garage. On his way, he noticed that he wasn't feeling as cold despite it being night. From what he knew, deserts were supposed to drop to freezing temperatures at night. He was also disappointed he didn't level up from this fight, but he was already level 7, so it was getting harder to do that.

'Huh, maybe the Strength Beyond Measure Skill is even better than I thought.'

After William entered the garage, Ellie ushered him over to a large terminal.

"Over here, stand in front of it and let it scan ya."

William did as he was told, and the machine quickly scanned him.

"Authorized user accepted. Enjoy the ride and there's a pimento taco – a "pimentaco" – in the glove box," came Scooter's accented voice from the machine.

"That's mah brother. Scooter's a bid of a weirdo, but there ain't no better mechanic than him on Pandora! Though ya better not try the pimentaco, unless ya into having a bad stomach."

"But he's on 'em reasons I left Sanctuary," she shook her head after.

"Oh?" That sounded like some family drama.

"I'm pretty sure he had a crush on me. Maybe still does," Ellie explained seeing his expressions.

'Definitely family drama, and one I didn't need to know! I should've figured it out from their accents! Stupid stereotype!'

"Catch!" Ellie threw him a device, and William quickly grabbed it from the air.

"That's ya shield," she explained.

"How do I use it?" William asked, looking it over.

Ellie gave him a look as if he was a dumbass, but she still informed him.

"Ya attach it to ya clothes and simply activate it. The shield should last ya about ten charges, I guess. That should be enough until ya get to Sanctuary. Ya can get a better one there."

'Figures. The shields in the game didn't have charges or anything like that. Then again, this isn't a game, even though I have this weird system.'

"So…"

"So, now we grab a car and go mow down some bandits!"

Ellie walked over to the Catch-A-Ride terminal and started clicking on the screen. William watched her carefully, learning how to do it on his own. A moment later, a car materialized in front of them from the machine. It was like the ECHO device, just on a bigger scale.

"Ya can do this from now on. Though, there ain't that many Catch-A-Rides round Pandora. Bandits tend to destroy them and take the parts."

"I see."

"Now enough talkin'. Let's get movin'!" Ellie hopped inside the driver's seat of the vehicle, causing the car to jump up and down.

"Oh, and I'm drivin'," Ellie grinned as she grabbed the wheel with one hand and ushered him inside with the other.