Alex was sitting at the table in the Crimson Raiders' headquarters, holding a cup of instant noodles in his hands. His gaze once again drifted toward Lilith, or rather, to the fiery crystal necklace that now adorned her neck. Earlier, when her hair blazed like a torch, he had wondered what had caused her powers to spiral out of control. The answer turned out to be simple: it wasn't the absorbed Eridium. The true cause lay in another source of energy — mana that had seeped into her body.
When checking her condition, Alex clearly felt a flow inside her that didn't belong in her system. And the only explanation pointed toward Anya, Nyarlko, and Jinx — they were more than capable of making something like this happen. The only surprise was that the mana hadn't just empowered Lilith but had pushed her powers into critical overload.
Alex ate another mouthful of noodles and, closing his eyes, focused on locating the four little "gremlins." Finding Anya, Nyarlko, Jinx, and Tina took only a moment — the whole group was already sitting in Moxxi's bar. The reason for their escape was obvious: the girls simply didn't want to stick around Lilith, who had turned into a walking furnace. Alex decided he'd ask his daughters later what exactly they had given Lilith, but for now, he preferred to finish his noodles peacefully in the company of his new friends.
At the same time on the first floor, Tannis noticed that the temperature was gradually returning to normal. But along with relief, her nose caught the scent of food wafting down from upstairs. The scientist tried to brush off the thought of eating, but her stomach loudly objected, reminding her it was time for a snack. Climbing to the second floor, Tannis spotted the group at the table — each one holding a cup of noodles that gave off a mouthwatering aroma. Her stomach growled even louder.
Without hesitation, Tannis walked over and sat down beside them:"I don't know what you're eating, but I want some too. As a researcher, I need proper nutrition; otherwise, my brain won't function."
Everyone gave her a quick glance — and immediately looked away. The reason was simple: Tannis was still strutting around in short shorts and a bra. Without turning his head, Alex pulled a cup of noodles from his inventory and set it in front of her. Just as Tannis was about to crunch into it dry, he quickly poured hot water into the cup, closed the lid, and pointed to the time written on the packaging. It all happened so fast that the mad scientist didn't even get a chance to say a word.
"So, how are your studies going, Tannis?" Lilith asked, setting her empty cup on the table.
"After several hours of scientific madness, the kind you can only experience either in fantasies or in my bed — invitation still stands — I've come to the conclusion that there's a direct connection between the Vault, Eridium, and Handsome Jack!" Tannis replied, throwing Alex a meaningful look.
"Can you stop trying to drag me into bed already?" Alex sighed wearily.
"And why should I? You're hot and exactly my type. Though, I admit, I need to verify that firsthand. I suggest we conduct a series of experiments… in different positions, in my bed. Tonight. Then at night. And perhaps tomorrow morning as well," Tannis added in a serious tone, without even blinking.
Alex groaned, covering his face with his hand. He had never dealt with such a straightforward woman before. The rest of the group nearly choked on their food at her words. Brick smirked broadly and gave Alex a pat on the shoulder, to which he only responded with an empty stare. Lilith, however, knew Tannis wasn't quite right in the head, but this was the first time she had seen her so bold. Usually, after being turned down, the scientist would just shrug it off and switch to a new project.
Alex silently prayed that at least one of his wives would show up to put an end to this nightmare. Tannis, however, went on, vividly describing how exactly everything would happen, in what positions, and with what sounds. Then, just as suddenly, she switched gears and calmly started eating her noodles as if nothing had happened.
Alex let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Tannis had finally gone quiet.
"So what kind of connection did you find between Jack, Eridium, and the Vault?" Lilith asked once the pause settled in.
"I don't know exactly yet. I just realized they're connected," Tannis answered casually with a shrug.
"You're all stupid if you didn't notice it earlier," Alex remarked calmly, brewing himself some coffee.
"What do you mean?" Lilith frowned. "What exactly didn't we get?"
"Who are you calling stupid? I'll have you know, I'm the greatest researcher, archaeologist, and scientist!" Tannis shot back. "The Dahl corporation still wants me dead because of my discoveries. Though maybe it has more to do with the fact that I quit by blowing up my last lab… but most likely it's because of my Vault research," she added, pointing her finger at Alex.
Alex smirked and finally spoke:"Alright, I'll share the truth with you… It's simpler than you think. Eridium amplifies Siren powers — that's the first clue. Hyperion mines it by the ton — that's the second. Jack has a Vault Key, but it's inactive. That means he's using his daughter as a battery to charge the Key and open the Vault ahead of schedule. And inside… there's a weapon capable of wiping out all his enemies and 'cleansing' Pandora of bandits. In short, Jack is preparing genocide."
The room fell silent, broken only by the clinking of a spoon against a cup and the noisy slurping with which Tannis devoured her instant noodles. Everyone stared at Alex in shock. At that moment, the voices of Angel echoed in the minds of Maya, Zer0, Axton, and Salvador, confirming every word Alex had spoken.
It wasn't that Angel had deliberately hidden the truth — she had simply seen no point in revealing her situation before. Maya took it upon herself to explain to the others what she had learned from Alex.
Lilith was shaken by the revelation: Jack was keeping his own daughter, a Siren, imprisoned, using her as a living battery for the Vault Key. And all of it was for his own ambitions. Alex didn't interfere, quietly sipping his coffee in slow gulps. He shared this knowledge only to accelerate the Crimson Raiders' plans. He already knew exactly where Angel was being held.
Thanks to her constant connection with Maya, Axton, Salvador, and Zer0, Alex had traced the source of her signal. He pinpointed the Bunker, where tons of liquid Eridium were being pumped into Angel and redirected into the Key. This allowed Jack to fast-track the Vault's opening.
Alex figured he'd stick around this universe for another couple of days, a week at most. He still needed to find the main Vault. And for that, he'd have to track down Typhon — whether the man was hiding on another planet or still somewhere on Pandora didn't matter.
"How did you figure all this out?" Lilith finally asked, having digested the information.
"It wasn't that hard. My job is to know everything. And I do," Alex replied, lazily running his finger along the rim of his mug. "I've only been on this planet for about ten hours, and I already know more than you do. And trust me, that's hardly an accomplishment."
"Well then, enlighten us," Brick snorted, leaning back and waving his hand.
"Remember the freight train you asked me to stop?" Alex narrowed his eyes slightly. "There was a terminal hooked into Hyperion's network. I hacked it and pulled everything I could. Where the Eridium goes, why… Put the pieces together, and the picture became clear."
He didn't mention that he had already known much of it beforehand — from his "past" experience.
"Let's say that's true," Lilith muttered, leaning against the table. "But maybe you'll actually explain what exactly you found in there? We didn't get the chance to check ourselves, you know — Sanctuary was being bombed, I had to teleport the entire city… and all the rest."
"Of course," Alex drawled, reaching into the inner pocket of his coat.
Everyone froze in anticipation. The girls watching the broadcast already had a feeling Alex was about to pull some kind of nonsense. And they weren't wrong. A second later, he stretched out his hand — his fingers forming a heart, which he held out directly to Lilith.
She looked first at his hand, then at him. The others struggled not to burst out laughing. Brick and Salvador clamped their mouths shut with their hands, pounding their fists on the table. Mordecai just snorted and took a swig from his bottle. Maya rolled her eyes and shook her head — she was becoming more and more convinced that Alex was strange. Meanwhile, a glowing <3 appeared on Zer0's mask, and he immediately mimicked the gesture, just for the sake of it.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Lilith asked, staring at him.
"I'm giving you a piece of my heart," Alex smiled. "Because what I found on that train is really worth your attention."
"Unbelievable…" Lilith muttered, pushing his hands away. "Now get to the point. What exactly was on the train? Weapons? Or something else?"
"Weapons. But very different ones," Alex replied with a sly smile, thinking about his new pets.
"And did you bring them? Or is all we've got now just your little heart? Which is already packed with women?" Lilith narrowed her eyes, folding her arms.
"I'm afraid if I had brought samples, Sanctuary would already be gone. And you'd all be dead before you even realized what happened," Alex said calmly, tapping his finger against the table.
"And what kind of weapon is that supposed to be?" Brick asked in surprise.
"It's complicated… It's a weapon, and at the same time, it isn't. If Jack knew one of his people had developed something like this, he wouldn't need to open the Vault at all. With this, he could wipe Pandora clean of all life. People, animals, plants — nothing would remain."
"So what the hell is it then?" Lilith asked, completely confused now.
"Easier to show," Alex replied, pulling out his phone. "I ran an analysis through a portable lab."
Alex placed the phone in the middle of the table and pulled up the analysis data. Activating the holographic projection, he let everyone see what he meant. Lines of text and schematics lit up in the air. The first thing that became clear was why he had called it both a weapon and not a weapon.
Because what Hyperion's freight train had been carrying were mutated skags with a special kind of mutation.
Reading the first lines of the report, everyone immediately understood why Alex had said that if such a skag had appeared in Sanctuary, they would have died without even realizing what had happened. The further they read, the worse it became. If Jack had known that one of his scientists had bred such creatures, he wouldn't have needed the Vault or the Warrior. These monsters could have destroyed Pandora on their own.
The first skag caused instant death the moment a person got near it. The second brought a slow, agonizing death from dozens of diseases. The third carried bacteria that devoured all living things. The fourth turned people into insane killing machines that attacked everything in sight.
Alex silently waited for them to finish reading. Inside, he only smirked—Jack was so obsessed with the Vault that he didn't even notice the horrors being born right under his nose. "I see the goal, I don't see the obstacles," Alex mentally placed him in that category of people.
"Where are these creatures? And how did you manage to collect samples without dying?" Lilith was the first to break the silence, staring at him intently.
"Those skags are in a very safe place. And why I didn't die—that's a family secret. But one thing I'll say for sure: I can't die. Even if someone kills me, I still won't die," Alex said, thoughtfully stroking his chin.
"If you can't die, can I dissect you?" Tannis asked coldly, her eyes locked on him. "I'm just curious why you're such a hottie. Maybe I'll find the answer inside."
"No, you can't. And you won't find anything there. I was born this way. Anyway, discuss your plans to fight Jack and Hyperion. I'm going to check on the girls—it's dinner time," Alex said as he stood up from the chair.
"Don't you want to take part in this? Or are you going back where you came from?" Brick raised an eyebrow.
"What's there to listen to? The plan is simple: find where Jack's keeping Angel—I already know where. Free her, take the Vault Key. Then beat Jack with a stick. Open the Vault, and that's it. Well, except I'd like to take over 'Helios' in the end. But discussing how to pull it off doesn't interest me. So I'm heading to Moxxi's bar to check on the girls," Alex said and headed for the balcony.
A moment later, he jumped down and, with his hands in his pockets, calmly walked down the street toward the bar.
"I like it. Pretty straightforward plan," Brick shrugged.
"I agree. Grab the key, beat Jack, and that's it—victory," Salvador backed him up.
Lilith tiredly covered her face with her hands and groaned. In their team, there were two "muscles" who only wanted plans like "blow it up and beat it." But what interested her much more was why Alex wanted "Helios." Her first thought was that he wanted to take over Hyperion. But she quickly dismissed it. Alex didn't look like someone who wanted to become the next Jack. She just didn't know his goal was much simpler—to have his own orbital station. Why build one if you can take a ready-made one?
Meanwhile, Alex reached Moxxi's bar. But right from the doorway, he was surprised—inside there was none of the usual noise, no music, no drunken voices. Raising an eyebrow, he stepped in.
The bar was nearly empty. A couple of sleeping drunks and Hammerlock in the corner, buried in his research. Alex immediately looked at the counter, but Moxxi wasn't there. The bar looked battered but still stood—after the bombardment and the city's teleportation, that could be called a miracle. Bottles, glasses, and furniture lay scattered on the floor, and alcohol formed sticky puddles everywhere.
Curious about where the hostess might be, Alex walked further in and soon found her.
Moxxi was sitting with Nyaruko, Anya, Jinx, and Tina. On the surface she looked relaxed and even smiled at the girls, but her eyes burned with rage she couldn't hide. Alex understood the reason perfectly—Moxxi was still boiling with hatred toward Jack. First, he had taken her fighting arena, and now because of him, her bar was damaged. It was a miracle she hadn't gone after his head herself yet.
"Oh, sugar, you're back," Moxxi noticed Alex, slightly straightening and smiling. "So, how did your little adventure go?"
Seeing Alex, a faint smile crossed Moxxi's face, and her emotions visibly stabilized. After all, what could lift a woman's mood more than the presence of a handsome man ready to keep her company?
Alex also gave a small smile and sat down on a chair next to Nyaruko, across from Moxxi. His eyes slid over the woman, and he gently stroked Nyaruko's hair.
"Pretty fun," he remarked. "I see your bar took a hit. I bet your hatred of Jack just grew stronger."
"Sugar," Moxxi narrowed her eyes slightly, "don't go poking into women's secrets. Especially when the woman's angry and vindictive."
"Maybe. But if you want, I can cheer you up. Since Jack's managed to piss you off again," Alex said, clearly not taking her threat seriously.
"Surprise me," she drawled, leaning forward seductively and running a finger down his arm. "And if it's what I think… maybe we should go somewhere we can be alone. Just you and me."
Alex was momentarily at a loss for words. Moxxi leaned forward enough for him to clearly see her cleavage. He gave her a tired glance and nodded toward Anya, Nyaruko, Jinx, and Tina. The four girls had stopped playing the board game—they were fully focused on the adult conversation.
But Moxxi ignored the hint. She slipped off her shoe and gently ran her foot along Alex's thigh. He felt a headache starting to build. "Why," he thought, "out of the four women I've met in this universe, two already want to sleep with me, and they barely even know me?"
Moxxi continued to move her foot higher, her lips stretching into a teasing smile. Alex, however, had his own idea: he caught her foot and began tickling her. The woman jerked sharply, but instead of laughing, she breathed heavily, her gaze locked on him.
Her eyes sparkled like a tigress that had spotted its prey. Alex realized that just a little more—and Moxxi would forget everyone around and pounce on him. He quickly let go of her foot.
"Ahem… Anyway, I was going to cheer you up in a different way. And please, don't look at me like that. I'm too tired to be running from you," he said, averting his gaze.
"I'm not going to do anything, sugar. Unless you ask me to," Moxxi purred, tracing her finger along his arm again. "And if you do ask… I'll grant any wish."
"Not today," Alex smirked. "But since you're not so angry anymore, I'll still give you a little thrill. Maybe by accident… or maybe on purpose. Anyway, I overloaded all the equipment in Jack's office on 'Helios.' And at that exact moment, he was there. The result—a small explosion."
"Say that again, sugar. I think I misheard," Moxxi raised an eyebrow.
"I said I blew up Jack's equipment right in his office," Alex repeated with a smile.
Moxxi froze, then burst into laughter. Her coquettish mask fell away, giving way to genuine, loud laughter. Even the girls couldn't hold back anymore and, curious, began demanding details.
Seeing no reason to hide it, Alex pulled out his phone and connected to Helios's surveillance system. Finding the necessary footage, he turned the screen around and activated the projection so everyone could see.
He fast-forwarded through Jack's boring monologue and showed the main event. Moxxi watched the footage with a bloodthirsty grin. When the monitors in Jack's office sparked and exploded, sending him flying backward so that his artificial face cracked and fell to the side, Moxxi felt genuine delight.
Alex even played a slow-motion replay. Frame by frame they watched Jack curse everything around him, smash the remains of his office, and yell at his guards.
"You know, sugar…" Moxxi said, leaning back in her chair and smiling. "You've convinced me once again: you definitely know how to satisfy a woman."
"Glad you liked it," Alex put his phone away. "But I'm still thinking how to ruin his mood even more. Got any ideas?"
"Plenty," her voice took on coquettish notes again. "In the past Jack blew up the Arena I ran. Now he's building his own arena in his stupid little town 'Opportunity.' A dumb dream for a dumb idiot."
"So you used to have a thing with him," Alex noted, stretching lazily. "I'd say your taste in men is so-so. But hey, who am I to judge? People make mistakes. Want revenge? I'll help. Revenge is my favorite hobby."
"Don't even remind me," Moxxi waved a hand. "I trusted him for nothing. Maybe he was just jealous of my success. Who knows. All I want now is to tear down everything he built."
Alex, of course, didn't voice the thoughts running through his head. He already knew the real reason Jack betrayed Moxxi: jealousy. Jack suspected she was unfaithful, and when he got what he wanted, he blew up her arena in retaliation. Rumors that Moxxi was a fickle woman only fanned the flames.
Rising from the table, Alex stretched and waved to Jinx. She tilted her head, her pink eyes blinking lazily, but she crawled closer. Alex smiled, slipped his hand into her little bag, and pulled out a long bundle of explosives with a detonator.
"Hey, that's mine! You've got your own explosives!" Jinx protested, trying to snatch the loot back.
"Bun mine," Alex drawled with a sly grin, slipping the explosives into his inventory. "You know mine are special. But right now we need something… spectacular. You and your mum always had a weakness for pretty explosions."
"But it's still mine!" Jinx pouted. "Why don't you make your own? I don't touch your stuff!"
"Remind me who stole explosives from my workshop?" Alex squinted and grabbed his daughter's little nose.
Jinx opened her mouth to argue, then stopped. She did remember that she, Nyaruko, and Anya had indeed nicked something from Daddy's workbench. Finding no excuse, she just snorted in embarrassment. Alex waved the matter off, gave a short goodbye, and left the bar.
In the next instant he was standing on the roof of a high-rise in the very center of Opportunity. Sitting on the edge, Alex gazed thoughtfully at the city, comparing it to Night City. Both were like pretty wrappers: futuristic skyscrapers, bright neon signs, the illusion of freedom and progress. But peel the wrapper back and you see the mountains of corpses these cities were built on. Cruelty and cynicism seeped from every street, from every brick. Even though Opportunity wasn't finished yet, one thing was clear: it was being built on the bones of Pandora's people.
"And where should I go…" Alex muttered to himself. "I forgot to ask again… The arena surely won't be built downtown. So—construction on the outskirts."
Squinting, he studied the construction site. For a moment he wondered: why limit himself to just the arena? Much more entertaining would be to turn the whole city into chaos. That would really send Jack into a rage.
Alex activated the spell "Don't Notice Me" and jumped down. He landed as softly as a cat and, wasting no time, attached the first bomb to a column. Then he did more: at every turn he left "gifts." One even ended up on the back of an unsuspecting loader robot. Humming a cheerful tune under his breath, Alex reached the construction zone. Down below the work was in full swing: robots were pouring concrete, workers were raising walls.
"They'll just resurrect at Hyperion's respawn stations anyway," he muttered indifferently, pulling an especially large explosive from his inventory. "So no point feeling sorry for them."
After planting the charge, Alex stepped aside and vanished as if he had never been there. A second later he was already sitting at a table in Moxxi's bar, a faint smile on his face.
"That was fast, sugar. You already blow everything up?" Moxxi raised an eyebrow and gave him a curious look.
"Not yet — nothing's gone off," Alex replied and put a remote on the table. "One final touch. Hold this."
Moxxi took the detonator and squinted at it.
"So what are you planning, sugar?"
Alex only smiled; his eyes flashed with excitement.
"You'll find out soon."
He took out his phone and dialed a special number. The screen showed the name he'd added more for irony than convenience: Handsome Jack.
After a couple of rings, an irritated voice came through the speaker:
"Who the hell are you?"
Alex smirked.
"We've already spoken, Jack. It's me — the street magician. Remember my first trick? I'm sure you liked it. Well, I've got a new number. I know how proud you are of your little project, Opportunity. Wouldn't it be a shame if the city had… a small misunderstanding? Don't you think?"
A restrained but growing roar answered on the other end: "You bastard! You dare touch my city — and I'll find you. I'll gut you and laugh while you scream!"
Alex shook his head, smiling. "You're not the first to threaten me like that. But so far nobody has managed to. You won't be the exception. Oh, and Moxxi says hi."
After a short pause, a furious scream erupted through the speaker:
"Moxxi?! You bitch!!! So you sent that clown to ruin my masterpiece?! I knew I should never have let you go! Your place is running a whorehouse and hunting for another stud until he runs from your misery! I'll kill you both!!!"
Alex looked at Moxxi lazily and smirked again.
"Alright, bye. You're too angry. Talking to you is boring."
He ended the call, but before the line cut out they still heard Jack, unable to contain his rage, smashing everything around him.
Moxxi burst out laughing, leaning on the table:
"Ha-ha-ha! Damn, that was glorious. I haven't seen him this furious since I beat him for betraying me!"
"Well then…" Alex drawled with a predatory smile. "Now let's do the main thing. Let's drive him absolutely mad."
He activated the surveillance projection for Opportunity. The huge holographic screen in the bar sprang to life, showing a panorama of the shining city. Alex nodded toward Moxxi and raised an eyebrow slightly, indicating that the honor belonged to her.
Four pairs of eyes — Anya's, Nyaruko's, Jinx's, and Tina's — immediately fixed on Moxxi. Their looks were impatient: if she didn't press the button, they'd be happy to do it themselves.
Moxxi theatrically smiled at the girls, pressed a finger to her lips, then gracefully lowered it onto the detonator button.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
Then Opportunity convulsed. A series of massive explosions ripped through the city: building after building collapsed, crumbling in a fiery haze; streets were cloaked in black smoke; neon signs flickered out into chaos. But the climax was the colossal blast at the construction site of the domed arena — a gigantic mushroom of fire rose into the sky, sweeping everything aside.
At the same moment, in his office, Jack watched through the panoramic windows as his "dream of the future" turned into smoking ruins. His face contorted with fury, his fists whitened with tension, and his teeth ground so hard it could be heard in the silence of the room.
"I will find you… I will find both of you…" he snarled through clenched teeth. "I'll find you and smear you across the wall! And Moxxi… I'll wipe Moxxi from the face of this damn planet!"
Meanwhile, the bar erupted in laughter and joyful hums. Moxxi watched the destruction with an expression of pure delight, as if she'd received the greatest gift of her life.
Alex simply leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, grinning like a man who had just pulled off a magnificent trick.
To be continued…
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