(A/n Sooo Borderlands 4 is announced, and my prediction of what the 6th and final (not including the 7th) Siren's power which originally is Commandant Steele's Siren power is correct…sorta. I had predicted and even in the past version of this fic, that Steele's power is related to Conjuration of something or even creation to a limited level. Turns out it is related to souls and is called PhaseFamiliar, cool. And yes, hello there, im back, won't bother even saying why I was absent for a few months since it's just repetitive me saying this and you guys reading it. I'll just say sorry for the delays, but great news, I can earn A ton more times more than my current job pay every few weeks to what I would earn in a month, so I say my absence from writing is well worth it, remember guys, life takes importance above all things. Anyway, Enjoy the chapters.)
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Raime approaches the entrance of the dusty, ramshackle building where Tannis has set up her makeshift laboratory amongst the alien Eridian ruins, the sun beating down mercilessly on the tin roof.
The native wildlife of the Spiderants and the Raaks made no attempt to attack the male Siren.
Instead they…coward away as he passed them by, the wildlife could sense the impending death that would approach them should they confront the monster in Human form.
Raime pushes open the door, the hinges creaking as he steps inside the dimly lit room filled with cluttered desks, overturned chairs, and piles of crumpled papers strewn about haphazardly.
Inside was whom he had come to see, Dr. Patricia Tannis, a woman that came to Pandora to research for traces of the Vault, Eridians and to aid the mining team to excavate the Eridium mineral by the Dahl Corporation, but Dahl had abandoned their efforts on Pandora as they deemed it a waste but Tannins stayed behind.
Her isolation and loneliness had affected her and she had gone insane in a…weird way. She had brown closed hair and piercing analytical eyes of a shard green, she looks up from her Echo screen and squints at Raime suspiciously.
"Well, well, well...Who is it? What brings you here, I can't waste time to satisfy your sexual desires, I'm a little busy with conducting research on topics that your lust filled mind can't acknowledge nor comprehend."
she says, as she saw how he saw, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms defensively across her ample chest.
Raime smirks confidently as he walks closer to Tannis stride. "Ha, I admit you got a nice body and ass but I'm not here for that. Since I'm a little pressed for time, and you're a direct person, I'll cut to the chase, I want to offer you a deal."
He pulls up a chair and sits down in front of her "I want you to come work for me."
Tannis raises an eyebrow, a hint of skepticism playing across her face at the rather direct offer. "Work for you? And why would I do that, you have nothing to offer me?"
She leans forward, her elbows resting on the edge of the desk, and looks at him intently, somehow amused at the foolishness of this strange visitor. But for some reason her mind was telling her to listen to his offer as it would benefit her.
He had a mischievous playful smirk on his lips under his mask. With a simple gesture, the two Vault Key fragments of the Pandora Vault Key was teleported from his Dimensional Storage Space and was unceremoniously dropped onto the table.
Raime leans back in the chair, his arms spread casually behind him.
"B-but this is-"
"Tell me Dr. Patricia Tannis, who has a better deal for you? You're uneasy arrangement with Commandant Steele of the Atlas Corporation? Or me?" he says calmly, before using his power over space to make his armour across his body vanish to reveal the Siren Tattoos which he had underneath.
"Y-you are a Siren?! But how?!" Tannis's eyes widen briefly before narrowing again in scientific curiosity.
"I'll answer that in time, but don't change the topic. You're working with Atlas to open the Vault here on Pandora, as far as I'm concerned, you are an possible enemy until I know where you stand. If you ally yourself with me, not as a lackey for Steele and Atlas, of which they will betray you, instead you will be an equal working alongside me. You know what, I'll tell you one ability I possess as a show of trust and faith, and that's the power of future foresight. I know many things because they have happened or are yet to happen. It's how I know about your alliance with Atlas and how I know the locations of multiple Vaults, I even know about the Eridian Homeworld and Typhon DeLeon's current location, which is on said homeworld. Tell me Tannis, who has more to offer you at present? Steele and Atlas or myself?"
Tannis bit her lips as she pondered over the information she just received out of the blue.
These two Vault Key fragments don't resemble the fragment piece she had given to Crazy Earl to look after. Which meant he still had it and it would be simple to recover the full Vault Key with one quick stop to his home.
And then there is the information of this Vault Hunter named Spectre, he was a Siren! From what information she had learned, they can only be females and only six can exist at any given time.
Other than that she didn't have much knowledge of them expect they are connected to the Vaults in some way, yet here this man is who is a Siren just like Commandant Steele of Atlas.
This was an opportunity she can't pass up, she had to take a risk.
Especially if he can see the future as he claimed, such an ability would give him the confidence to act so boldly in his choices. Especially to confront her directly now…but that only means something happens in the future that he needs help with.
An entire corporation and its funding along with the possible betrayal by them once the Vault is found, or to ally herself with this person.
"I-I'll consider it, tell me. What is it that you seek to have a cooperative relationship with me?"
"You're a very intellectual individual on a planet where everyone is psychopaths or bumbling idiots. Naturally I would want to have you work with me learning more about the Eridians and uncovering more Vault locations. And I have more than enough funds to enact such ventures." Raime said as he summoned a thick large briefcase carrying a few hundred million dollars which Tannis gazed upon once it was opened.
Raime raised on hand and snapped his fingers, an ripple in the surroundings occurred for only a moment but it was noticed by Tannis.
When she looked around she saw that the outside Raaks that were flying were frozen still. Quickly turning her gaze she grabbed the steel cup of water she had on the table and turned it upside down spilling the contents out.
However, nothing happened as the water remained frozen in air, and in that instant it clicked for her.
"You stopped Time?!" She exclaimed as she stared him down, looking to his arm that was glowing with a golden brilliance, clearly he was using his power to maintain the ability.
"Yes, but not for long. A 'God' like entity called The Seer can control Fate, Destiny and Free Will of any non-Siren exists in this Galaxy. And I can only maintain protection from his gaze for a short while so I'll get to it. In the future you end up getting tortured for the Vault Key by a soon-to-be CEO of the Hyperion corporation. You became allies with Roland and the other Vault Hunters I am with as they form a resistance force against Hyperion under its new tyrannical CEO, who wants to awaken one of the many Vaults on this planet to control a being of immense power made by the Eridians used to stop The Destroyer. And when said CEO's daughter, whom is a Siren dies, her power transfers to you and you become the inheritor of her Siren powers. Try not to think too much about this in your mind, I don't know the reach of The Seer yet but wear this bracelet. It is something I made that can help suppress it's influence and awareness of you to a degree. That is if you're willing to trust me?" Saying his peace, he took out said bracelet and placed it on the table in front of Tannis as the glow on his arm began to fade.
He had to stop Time around the entirety of Pandora, such a bold move would draw The Seer's attention. But it was necessary, at least now it can't pinpoint the exact location the distortion in Space-Time originated from, and by the time it realises where it came from it will be too late as he knows Tannis will put the bracelet on.
"Take your time to consider my offer, the others should be here any minute now. We can continue this later in private." I said before Ieanex back into the chair while re-materialising his Void Armour back onto his body.
Ever since stepping into the room, he had already used his PhaseTime power to glimpse into the future forcing a predetermined outcome, and even allowing him to see into the future for this room alone, and in it he sees and hears Tannis ultimately debating with herself to ally herself with him.
…
As expected, a few minutes later the others had arrived soon after.
"Hey there guys, what kept you?" I asked sarcastically as I tilted. My head slightly to get a look at them.
"Don't get snarky! You literally said you would meet us here and that you would leave ahead of us." Lilith shot back.
Tannis just rubbed her temples on the side of her head.
She dislikes social interactions as they disgust her but for some odd reason she feels more annoyed than anything. Like she feels like an intellectual older sister to Lilith and Spectre…she…liked it?
While Tannis was dealing with the unknown inner dilemma she was having, the others had a back and forth discussion before Roland put an end to it and approached Tannis.
"I must say it is indeed incredible. Having acquired two fragments of the Vault Key, I want you to leave these with me, so that I may run some tests. I had one of these, once. Now, it is in the hands of Crazy Earl, along with many of my unmentionables. Do you like bugs?" Tannis informed us going along with the intended timeline.
"So we have to fetch the last Vault Key piece from this Earl guy. Can't you contact him via Echo?" Mordecai asked with a deadpan expression as Bloodwing tested on his shoulder.
"That bearded turtle Crazy Earl, he hides from me, besides the moron doesn't even pick up my communications, he is in his Scrapyard to the south. Any time I want to see him, I have to blow a hole in his junk pile. Anyway, he has a piece of the Vault key, along with most of my underwear. The details of that transaction are unimportant, just get that artifact back. Now shoo!"
Raime leads the group of Vault Hunters southwards across the rugged Pandoran landscape, their Catch-A-Ride Outrunner bouncing and rattling over the uneven terrain.
In the distance, the silhouette of Crazy Earl's home, the Scrapyard comes into view, a chaotic mess of rusted metal, abandoned vehicles, and towering piles of debris.
As the group of Vault Hunters approach the entrance of Crazy Earl's Scrapyard, a pack of aggressive Skags emerges from behind a pile of rusted car husks, baring their fangs and snarling menacingly.
Raime took out his Umbra sword to cut them apart with his superhuman enhanced capabilities.
Roland deployed his Saber Turret and took cover behind it's shield like the trained solider he is.
The Skags charge forward, but Raime's Umbra sword slices through them with ease, leaving a trail of severed limbs and gore in its wake.
Lilith and Brick join in, unleashing a barrage of bullets that tear into the beasts, painting the ground red.
Mordecai takes aim with his sniper, the booming shots echoing through the scrapyard.
Within moments, the Skag threat is eliminated, and the group stands before the weather-beaten door of Crazy Earl's dwelling.
Raime steps forward and pounds his fist against the door, the heavy knocks reverberating through the flimsy metal.
"Oi! Earl, open up, you mad bastard!" Raime shouts.
A moment passes before his voice was heard on the other side.
"Oh, so now that Tannis bitch wants that alien hunk o' junk, eh? And you're her little helper? Bah! And they call ME 'crazy'! What have you done for me, besides blow a hole in my back fence?! Tell me that!"
Raime smirks beneath his mask as he hears Earl's complaints and refusal to hand over the Vault Key fragment. He glances at his companions, seeing the frustration and uncertainty on their faces as they discuss their options.
Roland steps forward, his gruff voice filled with a hint of guilt. "Listen, Earl, we may have been at fault for not compensating you properly before. But this is important, man. Lives could be at stake here. Just let us have the damn thing, and we'll make it worth your while."
'He's quite the trickster while being an honourable veteran soldier'.
Raime chuckles softly, shaking his head. "That won't be necessary, Roland. I have a different approach in mind."
Raime reaches out with his power over space, focusing his will on the molecules that make up the flimsy metal door. With a soft hiss, the door begins to dissolve, its structure unraveling at a molecular level until it collapses into a pile of shapeless, molten pieces on the ground as the molecular bonds were disrupted and unraveled. Disintegration, such a thing was easy for him to do now, especially with the Time Dilation of a few decades being inside the Honkai verse.
Earl screams in outrage from the other side. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?! That's my door, you crazy bastard!"
Ignoring Earl's cries, Raime pushes open the now doorless entryway and steps inside, his mind already reaching out with the ability of the Divine Key Fenghuang Down. He feels Earl's consciousness, a chaotic and unstable thing, and latches onto it with his thoughts via the connection with Fenghuang Down.
Earl's eyes glaze over, his expressions softening as Raime's telepathic influence takes hold. The old man's arms go limp at his sides, the Vault Key fragment slipping from his grip and clattering to the floor. Raime leans down and picks it up, examining the alien artifact with a satisfied nod.
"There now, see? That wasn't so hard, was it Earl?" Raime says, his voice a soothing murmur in the old man's mind. "You'll give us the key, and you'll forget all about this little exchange. In fact, you'll be happy to help us again if we need it. Understand?"
Earl nods slowly, a dazed smile spreading across his face. "Y-yeah... I'll give ya the damn key... and I'll help ya anytime ya need it... 'course I will..."
Satisfied, Raime straightens up and holds the Vault Key fragment aloft for his companions to see.
(Author note: Crazy Earl sells the Vault Key Fragment one year before the Vault Hunters meet with him to the Bandit Krom, but in this fic I changed it slightly since borderlands timeline is jumbled at times.)