Borderlands: Apex Predator

The Vault Hunters were gathered at the entrance of New Haven, observing the calm, routine bustle of the city.

Brick crossed his arms, his expression stern as he muttered to himself, "I hate this city. Every time we come here, Helena pops up with more stupid missions. And, of course, they never pay enough!"

Roland, his gaze fixed on the road ahead, replied without turning. "We won't stay long. We just need to wait for the delivery guy the Guardian Angel mentioned. After that, we're out of here."

As he spoke, the sound of footsteps echoed down the main street. The Vault Hunters turned their heads simultaneously, alert. A humanoid robot with worn yellow paint and scratches all over it was walking toward them.

The Marvin stopped in front of the Vault Hunters, its calm demeanor doing little to ease the tension. It made a slow gesture, reaching toward its back.

The New Haven guards tensed at the suspicious movement, their nerves frayed by recent attacks from Atlas deserter groups.

One of the guards raised his rifle, aiming it directly at the Marvin. Before he could fire, a firm and massive hand shoved the weapon down. "Lower that, idiot," Brick growled. "Let's see what this tin can wants before we put holes in it."

But instead of a weapon or explosive, the Marvin pulled out an ECHO device and extended it toward the group. Cautiously, Lilith stepped forward, took the device, and activated the ECHO deck.

"It's... the key to—"

Before she could finish, Roland covered her mouth with his hand, giving her a stern look. Lilith giggled, embarrassed at almost spilling the secret in front of everyone in New Haven.

"I've marked the Vault's location in your ECHOs. Good luck." Angel's voice came from the Marvin. With its task complete, it turned and began walking back down the street.

"Hey, Roland," Mordecai whispered, watching the robot walk away. "Should we follow that thing?"

Roland nodded. "Seems like a good idea. I want to know who's behind all this."

But before the group could act, the Marvin, as if perfectly understanding their intentions, began emitting a high-pitched sound. A moment later, it exploded, sending glowing scrap metal flying in all directions.

Mordecai flinched but quickly relaxed. "Well, at least it had the decency to explode away from us."

"Whatever!" Lilith exclaimed, clutching the ECHO to her chest. "Let's go after the Vault!"

Suddenly, Roland smacked the back of Lilith's head.

"Ouch! What's your problem, Roland?!" Lilith rubbed her head, looking hurt but still smiling.

Roland didn't answer, pinching the bridge of his nose in disappointment.

"Come on, the coordinates are near Salt Flats. She could've just told us to wait there!" Brick shouted, frustrated with the whole situation.

"At least now we know whoever's behind this isn't too far," Roland thought. The person who sent the robot clearly needed them close, as the longer the journey, the greater the chance of bandit attacks. Unfortunately, that investigation would have to wait. The Vault was more important, Roland decided.

 ...

Maxwell ran on a treadmill in the gym, a facility fully equipped for a pilot to stay in top form. His breathing was heavy, sweat dripping down the side of his face as his feet blurred across the belt. His eyes were focused on a screen.

[END: 44>45]

[END: 45>46]

[END: 46>47]

Free Bird: Cover 250/520/975 Kilometers running

1 - Adrenaline Transfusion

2 - Prosthetic Legs

3 - ???

(Augments) Prosthetic Legs: It's a very minor procedure. We will start by removing your legs...

Permanently increases your running agility by 70 points, allows you to jump too high, and falls lethally far. Increases the sound of footsteps by 30%.

"70 AGI? That's about 50m/s, I could be almost twice as fast as a cheetah, crazy!" Maxwell thought. "But I'm not cutting off perfect legs for metal ones. Flesh can be trained to its limits and beyond with the right stimuli, while metal is always at its maximum potential, only improvable with upgrades."

Prosthetics in Titanfall were mostly used by pilots who ended up in unfortunate accidents or some crazy person who wanted to chrome the shit out of their body. But Maxwell liked the sensations of touching the grass and feeling the earth. He didn't throw the prostheses away but saved them for a certain cyborg who would love them.

"At least I know the third reward is a skill," he consoled himself. He had been focusing on gaining muscle but decided to run a bit and ended up completing another challenge. "I guess I'll stick to removable augments for now. At least I can take them off without compromising my body."

Recently, he discovered he had grown a few more centimeters. Maxwell guessed that rejuvenating a few years had caused his body to resume growing. This growth spurt had taken him from 6'2" (1.88m) to 6'5" (1.96m), which resulted in his strength per point increasing to 24 pounds (11 kg).

"I'll have to buy a new pilot suit," Maxwell said in frustration, realizing his current suit had become tight. Fortunately, his pilot helmet still fit. His love for loose clothing meant his entire wardrobe wouldn't need to be replaced.

Taking a break to catch his breath and let the nanites repair his damaged muscle fibers, Maxwell opened his Status screen to check his progress.

_____

Name: [Maxwell Willians]

Regeneration: 1

[STR: 39] [END: 47] [DEX: 42] [INT: 25]

Skills: [Trigger Discipline lv.30] [Blade Mastery lv. 51] [Mithridatism Constitution lv.15] [Assassin's Instinct lv.92] [Fast Learner lv.1] [Neurolink Lv.5] [Driving lv.9]

—

Functions: [Hangar] [Questboard] [Most Wanted List]

Credits: 769

_____

"As usual, my intelligence is my weakest stat. I guess I'll have to play a few chess games with Spyglass." Maxwell murmured. Fortunately, Intelligence was easier to manage since it didn't require physical effort, but it demanded creativity to find effective mental exercises. With his breath back, Maxwell started running again, there was no time to lose.

"Max?" Angel's ethereal voice cut through the rhythmic sound of his steps.

He nearly tripped in surprise but quickly adjusted, keeping his pace.

"The Vault Hunters are heading toward the Vault. I'm tracking their movements through the ECHOnet."

"Good. Make sure to keep an eye on them. I want to know their every move."

"Do you think they'll cause trouble once they find out about us?"

"They always cause trouble. 'Vault Hunter' is just a fancy term for mercenary. But that doesn't mean you can't use them to your advantage. Everyone has a price." Maxwell paused, catching his breath while drinking some water. "Have you found any information on a girl named Jess?"

"Having only a first name didn't help much, but I think I found her. It's a small village 400 kilometers south of T-Bone Junction."

"That's too far. We'll head back to Outer Heaven first. Tannis is running out of food." Maxwell closed his eyes, pondering his next decision. "I'll take a smaller, more discreet ship to pick up Jess. Flying around in the Odyssey will attract Atlas."

The sound of someone entering interrupted the conversation. Maxwell smiled when he saw Moxxi leaning against the doorframe.

"I secured the mining operation," Moxxi announced triumphantly, placing her hands on her hips. "And, in case you're wondering, I already stashed all the ores from the warehouses. You wouldn't believe the mess Dahl left behind."

Maxwell raised an eyebrow, wiping sweat from his face with his forearm. "I'm surprised there was anything left. I thought the bandits had looted everything."

"Well, it was well-guarded. The Marvins had to clear the way by force," she admitted with a slightly awkward tone. "The Marvins helped, of course. But I had to put some orders into them. One of them tried to shove its head into the miner. Can you believe that?"

"It'll survive," Maxwell rolled his eyes, tossing two blueprints to Moxxi. "Now that we have everything, let's move out."

"Oh!" Moxxi opens the projects before closing them, her eyes shining as she runs to the Odyssey factory.

Maxwell is paralyzed by his empty eyes, his outstretched hand. "I still had things to say, couldn't you be more patient?"

 ...

The Vault Hunters pressed on through the icy tundra, heavy snow falling around them and blanketing the uneven terrain. The battlefield was covered in a layer of fresh powder, its serenity masking the chaos of earlier battles.

They had been relentlessly attacked by Guardians, who engaged them the moment they trespassed into Vault territory.

Breathing heavily, the group resumed their trek through the deep snow. The silence was broken only by the sound of their heavy footsteps.

"Have you guys noticed these Guardians seem to be getting stronger?" Brick commented, flexing his fists, which were starting to ache from punching his way through the enemy horde.

"Either that, or we're getting soft," Mordecai quipped, adjusting his hood as Bloodwing landed on his shoulder, shaking snow off its wings. Everyone was wearing clothes suitable for the cold, except Brick, the man didn't seem at all bothered by the sub-zero temperatures

*Crunch*

Mordecai stopped immediately, looking down. "Hey, I think I stepped on something."

Brick moved closer, digging into the snow with his massive hands. He pulled something up with effort, making the group recoil in surprise, not by the corpse, which was a common sight on Pandora, but by who the corpse was. It was the body of an Atlas soldier, partially frozen, his armor chipped and frosted over.

"That's not a good sign," Lilith said with an uneasy tone.

Roland approached, his expression grim. "Be careful. There might be more around here."

Lilith called the group over, pointing to something further ahead. They hurried to her and found another corpse. This one was in worse condition, starting to decompose, but the snow and cold had preserved enough for clear identification. Mordecai crouched beside the body, examining it closely.

"This is... Steele," he said, looking up at the others. "Commandant Steele, from Atlas. Looks like she died pretty close to the Vault."

Tension rose among the group as they stared at the corpse. Lilith frowned, uneasy. "So, does this mean her squad failed to open the Vault? They must have run into the Guardians..."

Roland shook his head, pointing to the wounds on the body. "The Guardians didn't kill them. Look here." He indicated a bullet hole clearly visible on Steele's body. "This was a firefight. And over there..." He gestured to a nearby crater, where charred pieces of Atlas armor were scattered.

"Someone fought Atlas here," he continued, scanning the scene intently. "And it wasn't a small skirmish. This was the work of someone prepared."

Brick scratched his head, trying to piece things together. "So, you're saying... whoever gave us the key... is the same person who did this? Why the hell would they do that? My brain's about to melt trying to figure it out."

Roland closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The icy air calmed his inner turmoil. It seemed another mega-corporation was fighting Atlas and using them to achieve its goals.

He wanted to give up and leave the key right there, but those thoughts evaporated when he opened his eyes. Seeing the determined look on the redhead's face, he knew they couldn't stop now.

Roland sighed. He didn't have anything better to do after deserting the army. After this, he planned to retire to some faraway planet, out of Atlas' reach.