Chapter 18: You're pretty good
"Hey, wait! I haven't told you where the Vault is yet!" Tannis holds Maxwell's shoulder. "You'll need to go to the top of the mountain and manually turn on the transmitter consoles in three separate buildings."
"Guardians are invading Crimson Enclave, Steele poked a hornet's nest with a popsicle stick," Maxwell strokes Tannis' hair, trying to calm the woman down. "Just give me your ECHO, I'll transfer the data using my equipment."
Tannis hands over her ECHO with an emotionless face but inwardly embarrassed by Maxwell's sudden action. He quickly uses his Data Knife to collect the Vault's coordinates before leaving.
Maxwell hears the muffled noise of a car arriving, going to where the Lancers were parked, he meets Spyglass.
"Great, you're already here. I need you to protect Tannis while retrieving the Vault's key. Don't hesitate to use my P2016." Maxwell orders, he hands over the weapons he collected from the soldiers to the Marvins. Although his combat intelligence was rather limited, it was still better than being unarmed.
"Are you going unarmed?" Spyglass noticed that his superior was equipped only with bladed weapons.
"No. I bought a gun for the occasion." Punctuating his words Maxwell pulls a sniper from his ECHO, the gun's barrel was stupidly long and there was a muzzle brake at the end of the barrel, along with a Picatinny rail for scopes. Not to mention its magazine, where the bullets were easily bigger than his finger.
[(Weapons) Kraber-AM Sniper: .57-cal Sniper Rifle, Bolt-action, Magazine Capacity of 5 and 6x Zoom Scope as default weapon sight. A deadly sniper capable of killing any human with a single shot. $37c]
[Credits: $179]
He would be buying a new secondary weapon later, but for now Kraber would be more than enough. This thing was Anti-Material, it could cause serious damage to Titans when used in conjunction with Amped, a little monster that would later be nerfed in Titanfall 2 to a .50 cal and a smaller magazine, so he preferred to use the version from the first game.
After a quick check of his equipment, Maxwell took one of the Lancers parked at the base and headed for the coordinates of the Vault. He vaguely remembered that the Destroyer's Vault was located in a very cold environment, and was also infested with Eridian Guardians, machines created by the Eridians to protect the Vaults.
Leaving the Lancer behind, Maxwell makes the rest of the way on foot. He met Atlas squadrons several times, and with his pilot's outfit being red in an all-white environment, Maxwell stood out like a sore thumb. Fortunately, he could turn invisible, which allowed him to pass through without any problems.
The entrance was quiet, but as he reached The Descent things became more chaotic. Atlas soldiers and Guardians were engaged in a savage confrontation all the way through the Vault.
Maxwell had to take a few breaks between his Cloak's cooling time, he couldn't afford to waste time on these little squabbles so he couldn't draw too much attention to himself.
As he advanced, he saw a large stone monument in the distance, at the top of the mountain. It was the Vault, or what was left of it, since it was in ruins. The prison of the creature that could swallow the entire universe and also the key to wealth was in a horrible condition, a little worrying, but the Eridians knew how to make things last for a long time.
His eyes move to the path, and see footprints left in the snow. Raising his Kraber, Maxwell sees through the scope a squadron marching towards the Vault. He didn't care about the soldiers making their way to the Vault, but focused on a beautiful white-haired woman, her blue tattoos giving away her identity.
Commander Steele. A Siren that even a fan of the franchise like Maxwell didn't know what her Siren power was, she was one of the few figures explored given her untimely death. Too bad she was loyal to Atlas.
"9 targets, minor infantry. Two corporals and a lieutenant."
Maxwell sighs, a little saddened by the woman's fate. It seemed that not even in this universe with a variable like him, Stelee would still die.
Anyway, he pulled the trigger.
*BAANG*
The Kraber's sound was so loud that even with his helmet's advanced sound suppression systems, Maxwell still felt his eardrums ring for a moment and a slight jerk. Fortunately, the muzzle brake made the recoil manageable at human levels, although his STR status of 50 also helped a lot.
Kraber's bullet flies to its destination, falling a little due to its weight, but Maxwell had included the fall in his calculations and still hit the unsuspecting Siren.
Steele's shield is torn like paper before her body is thrown forward, falling face-first into the snow. The surrounding soldiers panic at the sight of their commander lying in a huge pool of blood and pieces of what's left of her organs.
"COMMANDER! QUICK, PROTECT THE COMMANDER!"
Stelee agonized for a few seconds before succumbing to her injuries, even though the squad medic had reacted quickly and dragged the woman to safety and stabbed his commander with a dozen metabolism syringes.
*BAANG*
"We are under attack!"
"Sniper! Cover fire!!!"
"Find cover!"
The Atlas soldiers found themselves in a mess without their commander, they tried to eliminate the threat, but found themselves divided as they tried to find cover in the rocks of the mountain. None of them wanted to risk relying on their shields, Steele's lifeless body proving that shields were useless against the enemy's weaponry.
Pulling the bolt, the bullet casing spat out of the Kraber, leaving the hot object to melt into the snow. Maxwell quickly repositioned the gun on his back and began to run. Moments later, a shower of bullets began to hit the spot where he was standing, cutting through the air and the ground.
"Fuck, He became invisible! Watch out he must have stolen it from some lancer assassin." The lieutenant shouts, he was the most experienced on the scene and could reason quickly. "Look out for footprints in the sn—"
The lieutenant's eyes widened as he felt a pair of hands touch his neck, and before he could do anything about it, his world turned 180 degrees.
*Crack*
Maxwell's invisibility is deactivated, his head turns towards the soldiers next to him, who feel their legs go limp as they feel Maxwell's focus on them. They thought that with the end of their enemy's concealment, things would go in their favor, but being face-to-face with Maxwell seemed much worse.
"What the hell!"
"Don't get close!"
The soldiers raised their weapons, but in their moment of hesitation they didn't see three pointed objects flying towards them, there was a faint golden glow emanating from it.
"Ahhh!"
"MY EYE!"
"Fuck fuck fuck!"
The soldiers are stunned by the kunai, and before they can recover, Maxwell appears as a shadow in front of them, kicking the kunai stuck in the eye of one of the soldiers, plunging the blade into his brain, killing him instantly.
The soldier next to him, seeing his partner die so violently, grits his teeth pulls the kunai out of his leg and throws it at Maxwell to distract him, giving him enough time to fire his gun. He just didn't expect Maxwell to grab the kunai in mid-air with his hands and throw it back at him.
"*GUK*" His eyes widen as he feels his mouth fill with a strong taste of iron, and he drops his machine gun. He was ready to accept his fate when he saw someone appear behind his assailant and lock him in an armlock, kicking the back of his leg and bringing Maxwell to his knees.
A bloodthirsty desire came over the man, he wasn't going to waste the opportunity and stood up, pulling a revolver from his waist and pointing it at Maxwell half kneeling.
Maxwell's body language was calm, even with a revolver pointed at his head. Even with two strong arms locked around his throat, his lungs begging for some air, his face began to turn red.
"Say your last words, motherfucker!"
"You're pretty good."
[STR: 50>65] [END: 50>65] [DEX: 50>65]
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Maxwell's head tilts to the side and his waist twists like a snake, preventing his vital points from being hit. The arms around his neck lose their strength, releasing their grip.
Maxwell advances quickly, disarming the soldier and immobilizing him in time to use him as a meat shield against the rest of the Atlas soldiers.
Seeing his Cloak ready again on the HUD, Maxwell dropped the body of the now-dead soldier and disappeared, alarming the other soldiers. Desperation began to take hold of the last soldiers, they didn't know what corporation this monster belonged to, but dodging bullets at point-blank range was ridiculous.
Maxwell took a deep breath, his wide eyes moving quickly between the five remaining soldiers. One of them, hands trembling around his rifle, and it wasn't because of the cold environment, caught his eye, an easy target.
Hearing the sound of snow being trampled underfoot, the soldier lost his posture and began firing around wildly.
Maxwell appeared beside him like a materialized shadow, his kunai sliding across the man's neck. The rifle fell from his hands, the soldier writhing and spasming, his hands pressing down on his throat.
Further ahead a soldier with eyes wide with terror turned around and ran, the snow being kicked up in his desperate escape.
Maxwell's brow furrowed, he couldn't let them call for reinforcements. Maxwell raised his Kraber calmly, holding it in one hand and without using the scope, he pulled the trigger, hitting the fugitive in the back. the body was thrown forward, sliding through the snow, dead before it ever touched the ground.
Meanwhile, the third soldier, more calculating, tried to rally his remaining comrades. He shouted orders, trying to get them to regroup behind a nearby rock, hoping to form a line of defense. Maxwell watched the attempt, his eyes fixed on the movement.
Maxwell pulled a fragmentation grenade from one of his pockets and threw it with precision. The grenade spun in the air and fell between the soldiers, exploding in a shower of shrapnel that tore the man to pieces. The scream of pain was quickly swallowed up by the sound of the explosion.
The last two soldiers, now cornered, decided that there was no alternative but to confront Maxwell directly, the Kraber had implanted a great fear in their hearts.
Armed with knives, they advanced together, their heavy breaths mixing with the biting cold of the air. Maxwell was undeterred and picked up his Data Knife.
They advanced in sync, their footsteps sinking into the snow, the blades glinting in the dim light of the icy environment.
The first soldier attacked, the knife coming from above, fast and precise. Maxwell dodged nimbly, twisting his body to the side, but not quickly enough; the effects of the Stim were wearing off. Fortunately, his shield protected him from the blow.
Maxwell struck back, using the soldier's momentum against him. His free hand grabbed the attacker's wrist, he was about to twist it, but his partner didn't stand still and attacked to sever his hand. Maxwell let go of the wrist and retracted his hand as he felt the air from the blade pass close by.
The first soldier recovered saw the opening and took advantage, diving in with a direct attack on Maxwell's abdomen. diving in with a direct attack on Maxwell's abdomen. His reflexes were quick, but not perfect. The blade penetrated shallowly into the side of his body, but the unsatisfied soldier tried to push deeper, but his enemy's flesh and muscles felt like iron, resisting. Maxwell grunted in pain and reacted by grabbing the soldier, who fell away.
The second soldier, taking advantage of the gap, tried to advance to keep up the pressure. But Maxwell, tired and out of patience, reacted brutally. His fist met the soldier's face in a sequence of rapid blows, each punch harder than the last, until his opponent was stunned, staggering in the snow. Maxwell grabbed the man's face, pushing him hard towards his companion, whose legs were still wobbly from the fall.
The two soldiers collided heavily, their heads meeting in a deafening thud. Without wasting any time, Maxwell pulled the Kraber from his back, adjusted the angle and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger.
*BAANG*
The sound echoed through the icy mountains as the bullet passed through the heads of the two enemies, piercing the ground beneath them. The blood and gray stain splattered on the snow and on Maxwell, who raised his hand to wipe his visor.
Maxwell exhaled slowly, his eyes lowering to the knife stuck in his body. With a grimace, he grabbed the handle of the knife and with a quick, painful pull, he pulled the blade out of his side, the blood spurting briefly before he pressed his hand over the wound.
The battlefield fell silent, except for the muffled sound of his footsteps in the snow. The last vestige of resistance had disappeared into the freezing air, leaving only Maxwell, panting, amid the frozen chaos.
With one last look at the lifeless bodies of the soldiers, Maxwell began to collect what he needed. He retrieved the weapons and ECHOs from the downed enemies, checking the models and ammunition before storing them in his ECHO. Each one of them could be useful later, and Maxwell knew better than anyone that you don't waste equipment on a battlefield.
After collecting everything, his eyes turned to the final objective: Commander Steele's body.
Kneeling beside the body, he ignored the throbbing pain in his side and began to search for the Vault Key. Maxwell then realized that Steele's tattoos had disappeared."Who would be the lucky winner? I hope it's like the game and end up with a little girl in Elpis."
His fingers went through the pockets and compartments of the armor, taking the woman's ECHO he quickly used his Data Knife and accessed the SD inventory. His eyes roamed over the stored items, finally finding what he was looking for, an alien metal artifact, with inscriptions that pulsed faintly with purple light.
It was the Vault Key.
Maxwell looked at it for a moment, absorbing the magnitude of what he was holding. The cold, gleaming metal vibrated with its energy, a sign that the key was charged and could be used at any moment.
Satisfied, he communicated with Spyglass via the communicator.
"How are things out there?"
"Everything under control, sir. Some Atlas soldiers fled the fight with the Guardians but we intercepted them when they tried to enter Crimson Fastness. We had no casualties."
"Excellent. Have the guardians left?"
"Yes sir."
"Then go with the Marvins and turn on the antennas, but don't forget to restart the server and look for any Hyperion hardware installed on the server. I'm heading back to Crimson Fastness."
"Noted, out."
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through the place, raising a thick curtain of snow that obscured everything for a moment. When the gale died down, Maxwell was no longer there.
Chapter 19: Young Girl
Maxwell stood waiting for the large gate of Crimson Fastness to open, revealing the ready figure of Spyglass.
"Welcome back, sir," Spyglass greeted in its emotionless robotic voice. Its sensors immediately locked onto the bloodstain on Maxwell. "I've detected an injury on your flank. This may compromise your combat effectiveness."
Maxwell simply shook his head, downplaying the concern. "It's nothing serious. The nanites have already closed the wound. It won't interfere."
"Sir, if I may ask," Spyglass tilted its head slightly, its glowing eyes flickering with curiosity. "Which version of nanites are you using, sir?"
Maxwell shrugged. "They're basic models, nothing too advanced."
Spyglass's eyes flashed with a critical tone. "I strongly recommend upgrading to a newer, or at least less outdated, version. Your repair and regeneration functions would be exponentially enhanced, along with eliminating the magnetic weakness."
Maxwell gave a short, carefree smile as he took off his pilot helmet. "Later. For now, how are things here?"
"I have good and bad news, sir. Which would you like to hear first?"
"Start with the good news, Spyglass." Maxwell stretched his body, the tension from the previous battle slowly fading away.
"The ECHOnet has been fully formatted, and all databases were successfully preserved. We've accessed a vast amount of information on Atlas infrastructure and a complete map of Pandora."
Maxwell nodded in satisfaction but raised an eyebrow. "And the bad news?"
Spyglass hesitated for a moment, as if processing the best way to report the situation. "One of the Marvins… seems to have been possessed by an unknown entity while removing hardware belonging to Hyperion. It has requested to speak with the leader of the operation, which would be you. The Marvin has been contained in a secure cell, awaiting your assessment."
Maxwell sighed heavily, massaging his temples. He already had a nagging suspicion about who might be behind this "possession."
"Her, huh? It was only a matter of time," he muttered with his eyes closed. "I just hope Angel doesn't have a daddy complex. I can't let her be used by Jack or I'm screwed. A large part of my systems are based on technology, not to mention my implants and the Titans in the future."
Without opening his eyes, he asked, "And Tannis?"
"Dr. Tannis is at the Crimson Enclave, analyzing the bodies of the Guardians that fell in the previous battle. She's also conducting extensive tests on the technological remains of the Eridians."
Maxwell nodded, still processing the information. "Tell the Marvins to start dismantling the ECHOnet servers and antennas. We're transporting them to Dead Island before Knoxx gets here. With Steele dead, they won't take long."
"Understood, sir. I'll relay the order immediately."
As they walked through the corridors of Crimson Fastness toward the cell where Marvin was held, Maxwell changed the subject. "I want to know how the Underdome is doing. Is the owner planning any events?"
Spyglass adjusted its posture, preparing to give a brief explanation. "The Underdome is running its usual matches, where bandits, Pandora creatures, and mercenaries are pitted against each other in bloody combat. It's a chaotic place but quite popular. However, the only information I could gather is that the owner of the Underdome is looking for a husband. The proprietor is Mad Moxxi, a well-known figure for her violence… and her attractive physique, sir."
Maxwell scoffed. "Moxxi is a classic femme fatale, but she goes beyond that. She's a skilled mechanic. She could be useful in building more Marvins. After I regenerate, I'll look for her, maybe participate in the Underdome to catch her attention."
"Speaking of regeneration, I need some mental exercises. Any recommendations?"
Spyglass nodded. "That's a pragmatic choice, sir. I recommend reaching out to her soon. As for mental exercises, chess is an excellent option. It develops complex strategies and sharpens reasoning skills."
Maxwell gave a slight smile. "I'll consider it, but see if you can find one for me. Let's see if your logic programming is any good at chess."
Finally, they arrived at the cell where the "possessed" Marvin was detained. Maxwell looked at the machine, not noticing anything unusual at first glance. But as he approached, the Marvin turned its head, as if sensing the movement.
A female voice came from inside the machine, soft but laden with authority. "Maxwell Williams. Former pawn of Atlas. Now a deserter."
Maxwell rolled his eyes. Trying to scare him? A good tactic if he didn't already know who it was and if he wasn't the living embodiment of the Revenant.
"Who are you? Identify yourself, or I'll destroy this tin can," Maxwell feigned ignorance. He didn't want to scare the girl. He needed to be seen as an ally. After all, it wouldn't be attractive for Angel to escape one dictator only to fall into the hands of another.
The female voice, undisturbed by the threat, replied calmly. "Interesting. I've never seen a robot like this before. Quite advanced by Pandora's standards."
OK, fuck the cautious approach. Maxwell only knew how to be diplomatic with his weapons, he urgently needed to hire someone to do it. That's what the money was for.
Maxwell grabbed his Kraber from his back and aimed it at the Marvin. "Can you see this thing? I killed a Siren moments ago; I have no patience for games."
"I don't doubt anything, Maxwell, but I'm not your enemy. I'm here to help you. My name is Guardian Angel." The Siren quickly explained, fearing he might pull the trigger. The Marvin was the only thing in Pandora left connected to her.
She could feel various technologies in the man's body in front of her. He was like Wilhelm, a friend of her father who had an addiction to installing implants in his body. Although Wilhelm dreamed of becoming a complete cyborg, she didn't expect Maxwell to follow the same path. No one was as insane as Wilhelm.
"I don't see how a Siren working with Hyperion could help me." Though he said that, Maxwell still holstered his Kraber. "How cute, now I have a guardian angel. Can I call you Angel? It doesn't matter, I'll call you that whether you want it or not."
"You're mistaken, Mr. Maxwell. I'm just an artificial intelligence, and I wonder what makes you think I'm part of Hyperion."
"You can stop the act, Angel. I'm not a Vault Hunter who'll obey the first person who promises me a path to the Vault. My robots removed hardware from Hyperion from the ECHOnet. There was no AI inside, which leaves only a Siren," Maxwell chuckled in amusement. "Get to the point; my time is valuable."
Angel fell silent, alarmed at how easily her father's plans had been seen by a random man in Pandora. Upon realizing her identity had been compromised, she wanted to retreat, but Maxwell didn't seem like he would capture her and sell her to the highest bidder.
She decided to follow the plan for now. It didn't help that she felt curious about how a figure had appeared out of nowhere on Pandora and was messing with everything, from Atlas's plans to Hyperion's.
"You're in danger. With Steele's death—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Look, Angel, I already knew the consequences of killing Steele. If you want to help me, just keep quiet about what I'm doing here on Pandora, lie to your superior, and I promise I'll free you. Deal?"
Angel stayed silent, her thoughts chaotic.
'He's guessing that I'm a slave to Hyperion and that I'm just helping him to be freed?' Angel concluded that it made sense. Sirens had high bounties and would be used for experiments or have their powers exploited for some corporation's benefit.
Angel felt momentarily scared, but she didn't have much time left and had to make her decision quickly. The mere thought of finally being free crossed her mind. It was quite tempting to finally live her life.
But she knew her father well, and he wouldn't let her go easily. Angel was the reason for Jack's rise in Hyperion; without her, he couldn't stay safe in such a predatory corporate environment.
Deep down, she still loved her father and couldn't abandon him in such a hostile place. She was too good of a soul to do that.
"You know, you seem conflicted, which is bad enough to make me reconsider my offer. But I have an Eridian Guardian supposedly coming after my ass, and I need a Siren on my side. So, let me rephrase."
"Be my double agent for now. Feed your superior with half-truths. Then we'll figure out your freedom problem, okay?"
The Marvin nodded, signaling that Angel agreed to his terms.
"Great, now do me a favor and create new passwords for these ECHOs." Maxwell opened the cell and handed the Marvin a dozen ECHOs.
Angel tilted the Marvin's head in doubt but still obeyed Maxwell.
...
A few hours later, in Jack's private office at Hyperion.
Jack was leaning back in his chair, staring at the feed of a hologram, a frown on his angular face. His heterochromatic eyes quickly darted across the screen.
"Angel!" Jack shouted, running his hand through his dark brown hair. He had been analyzing the latest news from Pandora for hours and was close to tearing his hair out.
"Yes, father?" Angel's voice quickly responded.
"What the hell is happening on Pandora? Steele was killed, the Vault key was lost, and where the hell are the Vault Hunters?" Jack was doing his best not to explode with rage.
This was his chance to boost his promotion, maybe even get the Hyperion president's chair. But that would only be possible with the discovery of the Vault.
A victory against the superpotency Atlas would give him a lot of reputation, not to mention put them on equal footing, with the help of Eridian technology, which was responsible for Atlas's current dominant status.
"Father, the ECHOnet servers were shut down on Steele's command, and shortly after, an unknown individual invaded Crimson Fastness and killed all the Atlas soldiers..." Angel paused, preparing to do something she had never done before. "This person formatted the ECHOnet system and removed my anchor from the server. I was forced to contact this person before I lost total connection with Pandora. In our conversation, I managed to deceive him with a false promise to help him retaliate against Atlas."
"You spoke directly to this person?! Wait! Was it him who killed Steele?" Jack's eyes were frantic; there was too much information to process.
"I'm not sure, father. He refused to give any information."
"..." Jack didn't care much. Someone had attacked an Atlas base and stolen the ECHO server. Killing a high-ranking Atlas officer wouldn't be the last crime this person would commit before the sunset.
"And the Vault, any information? Does this person intend to open it?" Jack's only hope was that this person would open the Vault and get killed by the monster inside.
"Nothing, he didn't mention the Vault. He seems like any other Pandoran and is skeptical about the existence of any alien treasure."
"Good, but Atlas won't stay quiet knowing their commander was killed. There are too many soldiers on Pandora to be left to die. I expect another high-ranking officer to be sent soon." Jack turned his attention back to the hologram, focusing on taking advantage of the situation.
Angel remained silent, feeling conflicted about her emotions. She felt guilty for lying to her only family and something that could only be described as apprehension. Nervousness with a dash of adrenaline?
Angel, however, was no fool and wanted to closely analyze Maxwell's personality before deciding anything. She wasn't a Vault Hunter who would trust the first person to promise help.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
164 Power
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