Alex sat on the second floor of the Crimson Raiders' headquarters, absorbed in a tabletop game called Bunkers & Badasses — a kind of Dungeons & Dragons analogue, but with guns, explosives, and whole hordes of psychos that Tina constantly wove into the plot, since she was the game master.
The company was peculiar: next to Alex at the table sat his three daughters and Brick, who, despite his imposing appearance, clearly enjoyed board games. The contrast between the muscular man in a leather jacket, his scarred face, and the pink bunny ears on his head looked so ridiculous that Alex barely managed to suppress a grin.
Behind them, Mordecai sprawled on the couch, never letting go of his bottle. In half an hour of play he had already downed his second. Every time Tina tried to draw him into the game, he found absurd excuses: he was either too drunk to roll dice or had pulled his back.
Alex, as if casually, asked Brick questions about his adventures on Pandora. As soon as Brick began recounting his past, he lit up and started telling everything from the beginning — their arrival on Pandora as part of the Vault Hunters team with Mordecai, Lilith and Roland. When he mentioned Roland's name, a particular note slipped into his voice that Alex immediately noticed, though he decided not to focus on it yet — it was more important to cross-check what he heard with what he already knew.
Brick's tale poured out in an endless stream, while Mordecai occasionally interrupted with remarks: accusing his friend of lying or insisting it had never happened at all. He especially objected when Brick began claiming he had fought the Vault Guardian, the Destroyer, with his bare hands and personally saved everyone by killing it.
Mordecai just shook his head tiredly, watching his friend. Those who had actually been there knew it had gone very differently.
"Brick, maybe stop feeding everyone nonsense?" he grunted, taking a swig from the bottle. "You have a new version every time. First you supposedly hurled a huge boulder at the Destroyer. Then you claimed you fell on it while sitting on a bomb and saved everyone. And now you're saying you beat it with your bare hands. What's next? You'll tell us you beat the Destroyer with one finger?"
"And why are you butting into other people's stories?" Brick sneered. "I'm not telling how you got so plastered you fell asleep in a skag nest and couldn't get out for days because the skag mother thought you were her pup — because of how you reeked. And you had to drink her milk to survive."
Alex's hand twitched when he heard that, and he fought hard not to burst out laughing. But his daughters couldn't contain themselves — Anya, Tina, Nyaruko and Jinx were already laughing uncontrollably. Mordecai shot Brick a look that made it seem like another second and he'd grab a weapon to wipe that grin off his face.
Alex could hardly imagine how someone could get so drunk that they'd fall asleep in a den of space dogs. But the thought of Mordecai being nursed by a skag mother completely broke his composure.
"Since you want to play it that way, Brick," Mordecai said darkly, leaning forward, "then I'll tell what really happened during the fight with the Destroyer."
"Go ahead," Brick replied with a smirk. "You're not gonna say it didn't happen, that we ran out of ammo and I had to punch the Destroyer with my bare hands until they dropped us some supply crates?"
"Oh, of course, we did run out of ammo," Mordecai drawled with sarcasm. "But your version is a little embellished. In reality, you, being the total meathead you are, rushed the Destroyer with your fists. In the end, it just grabbed you with a tentacle and slammed your face into the ground a couple of times."
"That's a lie! That never happened!" Brick roared, slamming his fist on the table.
"Oh, it happened all right," Mordecai shot back with a grin, taking a swig from his bottle. "It kept smashing you into the ground until Lilith burned its tentacle and we dragged you out. And while we were trying to bring you back to your senses, you kept mumbling about seeing your super-jacked great-grandma. She told you that on the other side you could bulk up even more."
"Lies! That never happened! And even if it did, Lilith and Roland would've told me!" Brick barked in protest.
"We just decided not to tell you so we wouldn't hurt your, as you call it, 'muscular heart,'" Mordecai smirked. "Or is the fact that you flinch every time you see tentacles just a coincidence too?"
His grin widened even more.
At that moment, Alex couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing. His smile faded only when he noticed the flicker of recognition in Brick's eyes — with the laughter came back the buried memories of that very battle with the Destroyer. Now he remembered everything in vivid detail.
Still chuckling, Alex patted him on the shoulder in understanding. He knew all too well what it meant to be caught in tentacles. His own experience was far darker: the first avatar of Nyan-Nyan he had faced had grabbed him with a tentacle and dragged him through a portal into another galaxy. There, one of the tentacles pierced straight through his chest, damaging not only his body but also his soul — the very core of his existence. Since then, Alex avoided such captures at all costs.
Seeing that recognition in Alex's eyes, Brick relaxed a little. And when Alex admitted that he too had once been dragged through a portal by a tentacle and left with a hole in his chest, Brick gave a knowing nod and clapped him on the shoulder in return. For a brief moment, a strange bond of masculine solidarity formed between them — victims of tentacles.
After swapping stories, Alex suggested getting back to the tale:"So what happened next? After you opened the first Vault..."
He remembered perfectly well that soon after came a far greater event — the transformation of an ordinary programmer named Jack into Handsome Jack, the deranged bastard who thought himself the savior of the universe. Alex knew Jack had been broken since childhood. Once he seized control of the Hyperion corporation, he completely lost it and decided to wipe out Pandora's population, labeling them all bandits.
Brick started talking again. He explained that after the first Vault was opened, a new group of Vault Hunters arrived on Pandora. That was when they first met programmer Jack, who helped them search for a new Vault built by the Eridians — but this one was on the moon, Elpis. When Lilith, Roland, Brick, and Mordecai realized Jack's true motives, they tried to stop him. But they were too late: the new Hunters had already opened the Vault and let Jack inside.
Inside, they faced a battle with the Guardian — the Divine Protector. And that was when, Alex realized by watching Brick hesitate, something important had happened. Not wanting to continue, Brick fell silent. Mordecai picked up the story, sighing and taking a swig from his bottle:
"Roland… he sacrificed himself. He threw himself into the chasm with that Guardian. We saw them fall. And that was it. That's how we won the battle… and lost him."
Alex frowned, lighting a cigarette.
"And what did you do with Jack?"
"Lilith lost it when she saw him grab the Vault symbol," Mordecai continued. "She used her Siren power and shredded the symbol to pieces. The Vault started collapsing, and we ran. We thought Jack had died there… but we were wrong. Instead of celebrating the victory, we chased Athena, wanted to get back at her for deceiving us and taking advantage of our trust. Lilith was ready to kill her, but then one of the Eridians appeared and started lecturing us about a prophecy, about the coming destruction of Pandora, and that we had to face this fight."
Mordecai took another sip, shaking his head.
"Yeah… fun times," he muttered.
"I understand," Alex said, exhaling smoke. "You're trying to stop Jack so he doesn't open the Vault with the Warrior. Right?"
"Do we have a choice?" Mordecai scoffed. "Fight or wait to die. And dying, well… you know, nobody's lining up for that."
Alex nodded. He already knew that Jack would open the coveted Vault and release the Warrior anyway — a living Eridian weapon designed to suppress uprisings. A killing machine, obedient only to the one who awakened it. Jack had seen exactly that in his visions when he touched the symbol.
A plan immediately formed in Alex's mind: if the key to the Vault was connected to the Siren named Angel, sooner or later it would end up in his hands. And then, instead of killing the Warrior, he could tame it, shrinking it down to a manageable, domestic size.
As if sensing their father's thoughts, Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx looked at him with puppy-like eyes, clearly begging him to "catch that Warrior." Alex saw no reason to refuse — he just smiled and nodded.
"By the way, where's Lilith?" he asked, glancing at his watch. "We've been sitting here for an hour, and she still hasn't shown up."
"Ah, that… Lilith went to help the new group of Vault Hunters," Brick replied casually. "They messed up, and she went to pull their asses out of trouble."
"What a caring leader," Alex smirked. "Well… and before I forget — thanks for looking after my little princesses."
"Am I a princess too?" Tina perked up, smiling widely and pointing at herself.
"Of course," Alex said with a gentle smile, ruffling her hair. "You're our little princess of explosions, baby Tina."
Feeling the warmth of Alex's hand on her head, Tina beamed with joy and started bouncing in place, endlessly repeating that she was now a real princess. Alex just smiled, watching her genuine happiness, and increasingly considered adopting Tina and making her part of his family. He fully understood what she had been through on Pandora, which made him even more determined to give her a proper future. Of course, it meant adding one more troublesome gremlin to his family, but Alex welcomed it.
Even Brick and Mordecai watched with smiles as Tina called herself a princess. Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx had long realized that their daddy was planning to adopt Tina, and not only did they not object, they were absolutely thrilled. After all, they couldn't allow her audacious claims that she would marry their father. Even during the board game, Tina didn't stop trying to marry Alex — there he was, the king of a huge kingdom, and she stubbornly played the role of his princess.
"So, as a token of my gratitude, I want to give you something," Alex said with a slight smile. "Let's start with you, big guy. Here's a power hammer. I think your arms can handle the recoil, since it's incredibly difficult to wield."
He pulled a massive war hammer from his inventory and placed it right in front of Brick.
Brick raised an eyebrow at Alex's words, but as soon as he took the weapon in his hands, he immediately felt its weight and grinned broadly.
"Just what the doctor ordered! With this beauty, I'll take down the Hyperion movers with even more pleasure!" he said, easily tossing the hammer over his shoulder.
"Glad you like it," Alex nodded. "And for you, Mordecai, I have something special — a railgun. In my family, we mostly prefer these."
He placed the long rifle on the table.
"Looks cool… but I don't think it's better than my favorite," Mordecai said skeptically, nodding toward his own rifle lying nearby.
Alex smirked and shook his head.
"You're wrong. The projectile speed on this toy is 7.3 Mach, just over nine thousand kilometers per hour. No gunpowder needed, only recharging. At full charge, you can make ten thousand shots. The bullet heats up to a temperature that burns metal through. So think about which rifle is better — your old one or this."
Mordecai opened his mouth to argue but stopped. Alex's words were true, and he knew it.
Tina, seeing the new weapon, immediately reached out, trying to grab the railgun. Alex gently placed his hand on her head, preventing her from touching it. He didn't even want to imagine what this crazy girl would do if she got her hands on such a weapon. But Tina didn't give up, stretching as far as she could and loudly declaring that sooner or later, the rifle would be hers.
Alex gave her a tired, empty look and did what every parent knows how to do — distract the child. He pulled out a box of ice cream from his inventory and placed it in front of Tina.
The girl froze. Her eyes widened, and all her attention shifted to the sweet treat. She immediately forgot about the rifle.
"How did you do that? Usually we either have to give in or wait until Tina gets what she wants," Brick said in surprise.
"Experience," Alex shrugged. "I have three little gremlins who love grabbing things from my table. And some of my wives are guilty of that too. You could say it's a family trait."
"Wait… did you say 'wives'?" Brick smirked. "So how many women are you married to?"
Alex smiled slyly.
"Let's keep that a secret. I don't want to break your manly heart or drown you in jealousy. One guy already tried to attack me."
"Hahaha! And what did you do to him?" Brick laughed.
"Beat him with a stick," Alex said calmly. "All he could do afterward was scream: 'Ahhh, stop, I won't do it again! Aaaa!'"
Brick roared even louder and started pounding his fists on the table.
Alex just smiled. He was used to this—there were always enough envious and overly persistent guys trying to get close to the girls in his family.
To pass the time, he decided to tell Brick and Mordecai a little about himself, what he did, and why his daughters were so well protected. Of course, he wasn't about to reveal all his cards.
Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx might start inserting their unnecessary comments, so Alex pulled out three more boxes of ice cream and handed one to each of them. Now all four little gremlins, including Tina, were completely absorbed in their sweets, even forgetting about the board game.
Alex began his story from the very beginning: how he worked as an Adventurer. He explained the profession—hunting monsters, gathering rare materials, escorting research caravans. To make the conversation even more enjoyable, he pulled bottles of alcohol from his inventory for Brick and Mordecai. The men gratefully accepted the treats.
Alex brewed himself a cup of fragrant coffee. Even though he couldn't get drunk, the taste of good coffee was always higher than any intoxicating drink.
Meanwhile, in the Sanctuary town hall, at the Hyperion teleportation station, Lilith appeared. She looked exhausted: fatigue etched on her face, eyes dim. Taking a step forward, she stretched as if trying to shake off the weight of tension. Using her siren powers always came at a high cost, and after having to pull the Vault Seekers out of an ambush set by movers sent by Handsome Jack, her body and mind felt completely drained. This time was no exception.
With a heavy sigh, Lilith stepped outside. Almost immediately, whispers drew her attention. It seemed as if the air around her had filled with strangers' voices. She only caught fragments: "…fan club…", "…in her honor…", "…didn't last…"
She tried to brush it off, but the further she walked, the clearer it became—rumors were stubbornly circulating about her. Nearly every passerby mentioned some fan club in her honor, and the most unpleasant part—they were all psychos.
Wanting to get to the bottom of it, Lilith noticed two Scarlet Raiders and quietly approached. They were talking so animatedly that they didn't notice their leader behind them.
"Did you hear? Our leader has a fan club of psychos again?" asked the first, smirking at his friend.
"Heard. The whole city's talking about it. Word is, those idiots blew themselves up. No one lasted long; I think I heard they all blew up on a pile of trash where the explosives were buried… though who knows," shrugged the second.
"Ha! I'd love to see that!" laughed the first.
"And what fan club in my honor are you talking about instead of doing your job?" came a cold voice behind them.
Both men froze and slowly turned their heads. Lilith stood before them, frowning, arms crossed over her chest. Their glances met—both thought about running. But the moment they even twitched, the tattoos across the siren's body glowed with a menacing light. There was no choice left: either try to run and be reduced to charred ashes, or answer honestly. They chose the latter.
"How long do I have to wait for an answer?" Lilith asked coldly.
"L-Lilith," the first stammered hurriedly, "it's just a rumor. In the Sanctuary, they're saying a fan club of psychos appeared in Lynchwood in your honor."
"And who started this rumor? What happened to the club?" Her voice had turned icy.
"We don't know," the second intervened. "The rumor came from Moxxi's bar, but who exactly started it is unclear. And the fan club itself… it's gone. They say those maniacs danced around a pile of burning trash with explosives… and, well… blew themselves up."
Lilith exhaled heavily, suppressing her irritation.
"If you love gossip so much, find out who spread this rumor and report to me. Quickly."
The men snapped to attention, saluted, and immediately bolted.
Lilith watched them leave with a tired gaze and pressed her hand to her temple. Her head already ached from obsessive fans who had turned her into an object of worship. Once, a group of such psychos had burned not only themselves but also innocent people. The last thing she wanted was another cult in her honor.
With these thoughts, she headed to the Scarlet Raiders' headquarters, deciding she urgently needed a drink.
Inside, chaos reigned as always. On the first floor, Tannis was completely absorbed in her research, mumbling to herself and not even noticing Lilith. Lilith decided to ignore the new handsome guy Tannis had mentioned several times in an obviously suggestive context.
Climbing to the second floor, she caught a glimpse of Alex but, too exhausted, paid him no attention. Mordecai, as usual, didn't let go of his bottle, and Brick was loudly playing board games with the children, making so much noise the walls shook.
Lilith didn't even try to intervene. She simply opened the fridge, pulled out a beer, and finally allowed herself to relax a little.
Of course, Alex couldn't miss the opportunity to get a better look at Lilith as she entered, completely ignoring everything around her.
She was tall and graceful, with a toned yet strong physique. Pale-blue skin and bright, glowing blue tattoos wrapping around her body immediately marked her as a siren. The tight leather suit accentuated her curves, and her sturdy boots were clearly made for long treks across Pandora's harsh terrain.
Her fiery-red hair, tied back in a small ponytail, framed a striking face with piercing green eyes. Dark lipstick added even more daring to her look. At first glance, Alex realized her appearance reflected her essence—fiery, strong, and dangerous.
Lilith took a sip of beer straight from the can, closing her eyes, and exhaled in relief. But when she opened them again and noticed the stranger she had previously ignored, she choked and sprayed beer directly onto Brick's back.
"Hey! What the hell, Lilith?! Now I'm soaked in beer!" he exclaimed, shaking furiously.
"Sorry, Brick," Lilith said, wiping her lips and pointing at Alex. "But who the hell is this? And why is he here?"
"Oh, right!" Brick said, towel-drying his shoulder with a crooked grin. "Allow me to introduce the most handsome daddy in the entire universe—Alex. Father of Nyaruko, Jinx, and Anya. He's here to sort out all the problems these four caused. He's already compensated all the residents of the Sanctuary… and, by the way, did some work for Moxxi."
Alex nodded at Lilith with a slight smile. She, stunned, continued to look at him. Before, she had thought the girls were exaggerating when talking about how attractive their father was. Lilith had dismissed it as childish idealization. But now, studying Alex, she realized: the girls had told the truth.
Her gaze wandered over him: black hair casually slicked back, a long red-and-black coat, black pants and matching boots. But what struck her most were his eyes—iridescent, as if glowing from within.
Brick grinned, noticing Lilith staring at Alex. Since Roland's death, she hadn't let anyone close and hadn't even thought about new relationships.
"Lilith, stop staring like that. Your hair is already catching fire," he said, barely holding back laughter.
Everyone turned and indeed saw the tips of Lilith's hair beginning to smolder—her siren powers reacting to her emotions.
At that moment, Alex was less focused on Lilith's awkwardness and more on the siren powers themselves. He remembered: only six sirens existed in this universe at a time. Before one dies, she must pass her power to a successor, but if she doesn't, the power chooses a new host itself. The thought of how exactly this choice happened nagged at him. Perhaps it was a legacy of the Eridians, an ancient race that created sirens as guardians.
"I'm not staring," Lilith muttered, kicking Brick's chair to hide her embarrassment. "I was just thinking how young he looks. That's all."
"Sure, Lilith," Mordecai snorted, opening another bottle. "But don't miss the chance to get some compensation from Alex. Otherwise, you might get nothing."
"Really?" Lilith smirked, turning her gaze to Alex. "And what can you offer me? Some trinket? Or cash for babysitting services?"
"That depends on what you want," Alex replied calmly. "For Moxxi, for example, I had to complete a small task in Lynchwood. Oh, and… it seems I may have accidentally caused your fan club to appear—and disappear shortly after."
He said it with a light, almost lazy smile.
Lilith looked at Alex with a cold, empty gaze—she already understood where the rumors about a new "fan club" in her honor had started. Sighing wearily, she rubbed her forehead: the headache was returning. But Alex's words intrigued her—she happened to have a couple of tasks that needed people to carry them out. And there weren't enough hands; gathering and organizing a squad right now was not easy.
Alex waited patiently, keeping his gaze on Lilith's thoughtful face. He took a sip of coffee and, resting his chin on his fist, watched her. While Lilith was lost in thought, he couldn't help but "look" a little deeper—into her soul. What he saw pleasantly surprised him: the patterns of her tattoos seemed to be mirrored in her spirit, softly glowing with a warm, living light—like embers of a dying fire. Her siren powers resonated with that inner light, confirming that her abilities came not just from the outside, but from within. Determining the source of these powers, however, would require serious intervention—either receiving the power from a siren or taking it from the bearer. But that was a story for another time.
"Alright," Lilith finally spoke. "I have a mission. The Hyperion train is transporting some important cargo—it's making a stop at the reserve. According to our intel, it's either experimental weapons or new robots. If it's weapons, I want a few samples; if it's robots, better destroy the entire train."
"No problem. What exactly do you want: steal, blow up, or track it?" Alex asked, slowly popping a candy into his mouth.
"If it's weapons—take the samples. If it's robots—stop the train and clear the way. Or leave nothing standing," Lilith replied calmly, marking a point on the map.
"Mark the route. I'll figure it out on site," Alex nodded, placing his phone closer to her so Lilith could indicate the path.
"It's better to go through the Highlands. Ideally, stop the train before it enters the reserve. Otherwise, we'll have to break through squads of guards and robots," she explained.
"Got it. Expect updates," Alex said, rising from the chair.
Before leaving, he gently patted Anya, Nyaruko, Jinx, and Tina on the heads. Exiting the Scarlet Raiders' headquarters, he moved leisurely, scanning the area—no prying eyes—and vanished into thin air. The next moment, he was standing on a cliff ledge opposite the Hyperion reserve.
Rocks, chasms, and below—a barren, rocky terrain patrolled by Stalker-like creatures: winged, though more often camouflaged than flying. Ahead rose the reserve walls, with a large "Hyperion" sign. Alex didn't know the exact train arrival time—he had forgotten to ask—so he decided to hack the reserve's internal network.
The hack took a minute. The delivery file showed arrival in a few hours and only a dry description: "new experimental product." That meant: wait. Alex hopped onto the ledge, dangling his legs, thinking how to pass the time.
He scanned for something to do and noticed nearby docks where cranes were moving cargo. An idea struck him: fishing. He pulled a light rod and a large chunk of meat from his inventory—perfect bait for one of the descending Stalkers. Casting it out, he watched.
One of the Stalkers stealthily approached in camouflage and lunged at the bait. Alex set the hook—the creature was caught—and the struggle began: it writhed, screeched, and tried to strike with its spiked tail. With one swift move, Alex pinned its head to a rock to immobilize it and tossed it aside.
"Nice, first trophy," Alex murmured, holding the Stalker by the throat. "Maybe I'll see if it's edible. If it is, I'll take a few to Erina—let her try cooking them."
He decided to check later whether such creatures could be eaten safely. For now, he wanted to catch a couple more for testing. In any case, he wouldn't get poisoned, and if they were edible, he'd grab a few more for Erina so she could experiment with cooking them.
To be continued…
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