|Borderlands| Begin Anew |1-on-1 rp|

When Naeva halted so did he, turning just enough to glance at her from over his shoulder. Why had she stopped? Perhaps she'd heard something over the din that he had not. If that was the case he would remain still and listen hard. Though this was the plan nothing reached his ears in the seconds they stood like that. A question mark bloomed from his helmet, a silent question in return to her own.

A noise then, but from what and where? Naeva seemed sure of the sound at least. Zer0 didn't see any reason not to follow through on the chance to see what it might have been either. It wasn't like they were making much progress as they were.

"Let us go see then. / Ally or foe, I wonder? / They will be prepared."

Or perhaps they wouldn't. Even as they moved more swiftly he and Naeva's steps were but muffled sounds compared to others in the place they'd heard. The music had grown softer--no, not softer just quieter--down here yet it could still be detected if one listened. It was enough that just knowing it was there that made Zer0's head throb all the more. But now they might have found something to progress forward.

"I hope you're ready," he called to Naeva, knowing that she must be. Her frustrations were running as frayed as his own by now.


He'd paused very briefly at her question before he'd sighed. Naira believed he might not answer her at all for a moment. The clacking of keys was nice to fill the silence but was not the answer she desired. Rhys did speak up, though, quelling that thought. She listened carefully, humming in thought. He sounded honest and she saw no reason why he'd lie. From the looks of things he was loyal to his friends and wanted to try to make it without too much bloodshed and underhanded tricks...

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips at the mention of the little business cards, however. It was a simple thing to hide, turning away to survey the room instead.

"Yes, unfortunately we are," Naira agreed. "It wasn't always so bad but... now that things are how they are it's becoming increasingly difficult to fix it all..."

So many were happy with how things were run, finding it easier than ever to get away with those underhanded, even malicious tactics to climb the hierarchy. It was sad, really, and Naira found herself missing the days when she could just sit back and draw, or play a video game. Now her days were filled with problem after problem, many of them with fixes that others didn't want to hear or adhere to.

"Hmm, perhaps that was too heavy a topic. My apologies," Naira said again.

"It is about time," Zer0 uttered as they ran, his blade at the ready. The sounds of the gunfire was joined by the telltale growling and yapping of skags, a pack of them. A lesser fight would be had then but a fight no less.

The area that would greet them was an open one, far larger than the others they'd ducked through already. The lighting here was dim though there was enough to see by and what he saw was almost a surprise. Had he not known about the case of theirs being taken here Zer0 would have been curious as to why Naira was here and shooting at the skags that circled closer towards her. If any of her partners were with her they were ducked around where Zer0 could not see.

An almost amused scoff left him. "Do you wish to help? / She is your friend, after all. / It may aid us, too."

If nothing else, helping take out the skags for Naira may mean a smoother reunion between the women. There had hardly been any chance of speaking between the two upon Jack's demise as the Hyperion woman had fled the Vault as it was. Then again it wasn't like Zer0 could accurately say if things would end up helpful with that route or not. Still, the offer was there for Naeva to take if she wished.

Whatever her choice, reaching the elevator before it went up would be child's play. Zer0 was agile and swift and Naeva could keep up quite well after all this time.


It was a little surprising that Rhys seemed confident on the matter, at least on the matter of trying harder. Then again he'd been employed by Hyperion for years, based within Helios for much of it. Naira supposed he would want to make due with what he had and make it better when able to. To just give up would have meant a waste of all that time and work.

"Yes. Yes, we will," she agreed once again.

The topic, however, died away at the announcement that Rhys was making suitable progress. Naira nodded her approval to this, glad to hear something was going their way once for the day. There was hardly time to rejoice in that fact, however. The options his cyber-arm displayed were disjointed, a jumble of letters and numbers that held no meaning. Naira couldn't observe it for long before she had to take hold of her pistol.

The crates had begun to move, whirring to life, and with them the sounds of hungry skags rose with it.

"Maybe the data got corrupted!" Naira pointed out, perhaps unhelpfully, as Rhys ducked behind the computer for shelter. It was a possibility with bandits using it and undoubtedly not maintaining any proper virus scans and fixes overtime.

She fired rapidly at the nearest skags already bounding for them, nailing one in the leg and another in the shoulder. They weren't down but they were slowed at least. She hardly spared any mind to the approaching figures at the far end of the room. They were nothing right now, out of reach of her sights and less apt to hit her right now. The skags were the most dangerous thing to focus upon. Several shots rendered the weaker skags no more, littering the ground with their corpses. Yet more had to be dealt with still, however...

"Then help we shall. Though / we need not waste too much time. / Let us finish this."

Even before he'd finished uttering the last syllable he activated his cloaking equipment, disappearing from view entirely. A seconds after he'd already leapt down, blade in hand as he took to striking from the shadows. Naeva could handle things with her pistol alongside her old friend.


"Well, make your pick carefully then! Though I'd like it if you'd hurry!" Naira shouted, firing another round into the skag that made to lunge for her. It fell with a sickening thud, unmoving.

The choice that Rhys seemed to make next only loosed more of the skags still locked away. Naira cursed though focused more on taking out the beasts as they came rather than to yell at Rhys. It wouldn't help anything to take it out on him even if she was already growing frustrated. Nothing could just be easy, could it?

As Naira fumbled for a clip, expelling the emptied one, another's firearm rang out loud in the air. Naira jerked, blinking up in surprise to see Naeva across the room, masked mostly in darkness yet nearing them. A few of the skags had turned towards Naeva now, growling and snapping at her instead of Naira and Rhys. Well, good, two guns were better than one! Naira slammed the new clip into her pistol, returning the favor and taking down the skag that lunged for Naeva's leg.

She offered a scoff and a tilt of the head then. Instead of addressing Rhys just yet, she instead answered Naeva; "Consider it a side effect of playing bodyguard today!"

From the corner of her eye she glimpsed the briefness of a blade flashing in the dim light, a skag falling to its side. The blood that filled the air was cloying and it stained the floor like fresh paint. So, Zer0 was helping too then... Perhaps this was due to Naeva's wishes.

Rhys tried to stay focused on the options in front of him. He could hear the two women speaking to each other and scoffed in amusement. Playing body guard must have really sucked but as long as he wasn't dead, he figured his 'body guard' was doing the best job out of all of them.

"Thank you, that's very helpful!" he joked instead, quickly picking another option. Music began to blast around them, adding to the chaos.

"Oh come on!" the other woman shouted, "I'm tired of this god forsaken dubstep!"

"Sorry!" Rhys managed to call out.

With that, there was only one option left. He was quick to chose it, an audible click letting him know the lift was moving. He got to his feet and made a dash for the elevator, Naira following. Her friend stepped onto it too, using a bladed cane to slash and kill a skag that made a leap for her.

"All things consider, seems you're not a bad body guard," she joked, gun still pointed at a few skags down below. A shot or two easily took them out. It was Rhys who spotted one more however on the cat walks above.

"N-Naira, Naira, one more!" he shouted in a panic. Even as Naira raised her gun, her clip was out and produced no bullet as the skag jumped at them. To Rhys' surprise however, it was stabbed in mid air but...no one was there.

A moment later he got his answer as the man from before appeared out of no where, cloaked by some kind of tech that Rhys wasn't too sure of.

"Whoa..."

The woman beside Zer0 seemed to snort in amusement, bumping his arm with the back of her hand as he turned, the skag's body dropping from his blade.

"Looks like you've got a fan."

"I charge by the hour!" Naira teased alongside Rhys amidst the gunfire.

Not a second later did horrible dubstep blare through the speaker system in this room, eliciting an outraged cry from Naeva. Well, it was nice to hear her taste in music hadn't changed much. Then again, Naira had to agree, this sounded like a broken disc, not actual music!

"At least find some rock if we're playing music!" she pitched in amidst Rhys' apology.

Any rebuttals that might have come were interrupted at a clicking noise, the lift beginning to slowly ascend. Naira made a mad dash for it before it grew too high to make it onto, glad to see Rhys made it as well. Any surprise she felt about Naeva joining them wasn't acknowledged, focused too much on dispelling the skags still below that snapped and growled. Even Naeva seemed content to shoot them from here as they rose higher up.

Naira scoffed in amusement, killing another skag below them. "You kidding? I'm the best bodyguard."

What happened next did so in a flash. The warning caused her to jerk, turning to aim at the skag Rhys pointed to. Even as she pulled the trigger it lunged though was left unhindered, her pistol clicking uselessly. A moment passed in which her heart leapt in her throat and she prepared to throw her armored hand into it's mouth to stall it and then--

--the beast was sliced nearly in two, a corpse at the familiar lanky figure's feet. Already Naeva had moved to Zer0's side, a cheeky glint in her eye as she teased Naira's employee. Naira shook her head, lowering her pistol and even moving to tuck it away. She needed more ammo for it and there was nothing here that held pistol ammunition at the moment. If worse came to worse she'd have to rely on her HDD core...

"So it seems. But is / this a blessing or a curse? / I guess we will see," Zer0 answered, turning briefly to glance at Naeva.

"Your boy here and I should really stop meeting like this," Naira grunted.

The chaos here was beginning to die down but he knew there would be more above. Even so, the climb up seemed rather slow. Already, nervousness was clawing at Rhys' belly. What more could he do up here? Only time would.

He rubbed the back of his neck at the brief teasing, the woman moving back to her companions side. Glancing at Naira, he was seeing some kind of humor out of her he'd never seen before. Was this how she really was?

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine, Zer0," the woman teased, "One fan boy won't kill you."

Rhys cleared his throat at that, drawing their attention away. With both set of eyes on him, he suddenly felt awkward. These were Vault Hunters after all.

"Uhh...mind if I ask what you're doing here...?"

He watched the woman glance back at her partner before she shrugged her shoulders. Attention solely on Rhys again, she spoke up, "Bossa Nova's our target. He might be hiding something we need. That's basically all there is to it."

It was a moment after the woman's gaze had fallen back onto Naira, a grin tugging at her lips. There was familiarity and mischief there. How long had these two known each other to draw out that expression?

"True. I'm just glad the brief meetings haven't resulted in trying to kill each other."

It wasn't surprising to hear Neava teasing Rhys already. If nothing else it just showed that there weren't any hard feelings from her end after the many months of Jack's rampage over Pandora that they'd all been caught up in. It was such a relief on Naira's shoulders though she didn't act to show that. Now wasn't the time when there were still dangers to take care of.

Whatever they needed from Bossa Nova was yet unclear, at least until Zer0 pitched in, glancing between she and Rhys. "Could you let us know / if you see a Gortys core? / We really need it."

Naira hummed briefly tipping her head to one side. "Well, we're in luck then, since Bossa Nova took off with our cash. You see our briefcase and return it and we'll hand over the core if we find it," she reasoned.

Whatever answer she expected, well, it wasn't what she received. From Zero's helmet blossomed a brilliantly red happy face. There were no words that preluded or accompanied this act, merely the emoji that burst into life at a moment's notice. Perhaps it was that silence alongside the face that made Naira begin to laugh.

How long had it been since she'd laughed like this? Naira couldn't remember and, to be honest, it felt nice to again. Even so she attempted to muffle the sound with her hands, both out of habit and to make sure that whoever or whatever was above didn't overhear.

Rhys wasn't sure what a Gortys core was or why they needed it but regardless, Naira hashed out an agreement that seemed to work for all of them.

A bright red emoticon burst from that mask and for a moment, Rhys raised an eyebrow at it. What surprised him was Naira's laugh soon after, muffled by her hands.

He'd never heard her laugh like that, not once. In fact, he was sure no one outside of this other woman had heard something so genuine because she was grinning too. What in the world was the story here. As if to prove it further, the other woman spoke up briefly, "It's good to see you haven't changed much."

Rhys shook his head. If there was a chance to talk about it later, he would. Right now, the hatch above was opening up. They all seemed to glance upward at that moment, ready for a fight.

"I'll leave Bossa Nova to you, Zer0," the woman commented, "And cover from below. Maybe keep an extra eye out for our little fledgling here."

"Why would you...?"

Rhys didn't get the chance to finish. They were above ground, the roaring of engines deafening him. Bossa Nova was over the line now, speaking into a mic. He revealed the brief case with the money in it. Rhys' heart lurched at the sight.

"There it is!" he shouted above all the other noise. Now there was just a matter of getting it back...

Naira's laughter died down soon enough and she allowed her hands to drop to her sides. Even so a little grin still remained, feeling lighter for the first time in a long while. There was hardly time for Naira to respond, the sounds of a crowd and that horrid dubstep growing louder as the elevator rose ever higher. Instead, Naeva had turned to Zer0, hashing out a plan between the pair.

"So be it then. Our / prey has no escape. We will / not allow him to." It was a simple answer though at least Naira knew what they would be up to during any sort of scuffle. It would help, knowing where everyone was at.

The noise was deafening as they came to a stop. Already Bossa Nova was screaming into his microphone, calling for all hands to head for Zer0 and take him out for both the case of money and a solid two grand on top. Naira shook her head, already reaching for the HDD core as Zer0 took aim with a rifle. A shot was fired--the sound muffled by music, shouting and the roar of engines--and the case was torn from Bossa Nova's hands from the force of the bullet.

"No time to waste!" Naira called, tossing her HDD core into the air briefly to catch it once more. A button press later and the little device was activated, high tech equipment surrounding key parts of her and allowing for a more formidable foe to these bandits. They wouldn't know what hit 'em. "Installation complete!"

"So it shall begin. / Let us work towards our goals. / Best of luck to you."

Zer0 dashed away, already bee-lining for Bossa Nova as Naira readied for the melee combat she'd need to rely upon. No ammunition required it and so long as the HDD core and her shield held out she would be fine. All the same, nothing was easy, and already the case was being scooped up by one of the many masked psychos on a motorbike.

"Oh, no you don't!" Naira called, dashing towards him and all but hovering thanks to the HDD core's technological advances.

Rhys' heart hammered in his chest as it all began. Plans were hashed out in only moments but he suddenly felt very out of place here. Heck, he was. These people had been dealing with this for years. Zer0's companion had already pulled out her weapon, shooting at any bandit that was coming close to them.

The case was shot from Bossa Nova's hands, hitting the ground not too far from Rhys. He made a quick dash for it when a psycho on a motorcycle swooped passed, grabbing the case for himself. Naira was the first to move forward, shouting at the man as she did so.

Even as Naira moved to deal with the one, more showed up, sporting guns. They didn't hesitate to shot at them. Rhys quickly took cover, unsure of what to do. It was the other woman who ended up beside him briefly, shooting at the other bandits.

"Minor suggestion, and feel free to say no, but it might be best if you stay out of the way," she spoke quick and brief, her attention not once diverting from the bandits in front of her.

"I'm definitely open for ideas," he answered back.

He blinked, a call from Helios interrupting. Rhys grinned, relief rushing through him. "That's got to be Yvette! She can send us a Loader Bot!"

"If that's the case, tell your friend to hurry!"

Rhys wasn't able to celebrate for long as it wasn't Yvette who ended up on the screen but Vasquez. He swore mentally, staring at the man as he taunted him.

"I don't have time-" he started. Vasquez quickly cut him off, however.

"I'll make this fast. I know you took the money. I know about the Vault Key. Let's make a deal here. Your buddy takes the fall and I'll give you your job back. Even better! I'll split the money fifty fifty with you. All you gotta do is let Vaughn take the fall and all of this will go away."

Rhys stared down at the man for a long moment, a hard frown on his lips. Gun fire from the woman beside him let him know she was still there, she'd probably heard the whole thing. It took a long beat before Rhys hung up on his boss.

"Well, good to know I'm not protecting an asshole," she commented.

"Oh, you heard all that?

"Every last bit. At least I know why Naira's putting so much effort into help you. But no more phone calls unless you want to die. I'd rather not see that happen."

That was easier said than done. Rhys tried not to let it bother him. He jumped however as another bandit hopped down from their cover, screaming as he went. In his hand was the case. Rhys once again rushed at him before he got away.

Everything was hectic and there was hardly time to actually try to keep track of that case of money. One minute it was in the psycho's hands and the next it had gone flying towards someone else. Naira hadn't the time to keep track of it as she batted away another bandit taking aim at her. Like this, these foes stood no chance against her, not in HDD form!

"C'mon! I can't believe you'd come at me like that!" she taunted.

There was a moment she had, just a second really, in which Naira had the time to glance about to take stock. Where were Vaughn and the Pandorans? She didn't know but at least Rhys and Naeva had ducked around cover behind a flipped car. But why was Rhys on the phone? Naira hadn't the time to observe further, gunfire eaten up by her shield calling her attention away.

"Hey, now! Don't be rude!" With that cry she darted towards the offender, quickly dealing with them. They weren't dead per say but they would be if they remained down like this in the fray for long. No one was being careful in this scuffle and she could swear she heard the roar of a large skag mingling with the boom of Bossa Nova's sonic booms.

From the corner of Naira's eye she spotted Zero, leaping up to the top of a pile of crates, sword at the ready.

Just a bit further, that's all Zer0 needed to cover until he could sink his blade into Bossa Nova. The platform the bandit stood upon was moving closer to him, perhaps in order for the bandit lord to attack him as well. Ready, blade drawn and waiting for the opportune moment, Zer0 tensed.

It was for naught, however, the boom of Bossa Nova's speaker destroying the crates he stood upon and sending him toppling to the ground. Zer0 scoffed, his blade fallen from his hand. Unfortunate indeed. He pushed himself up, shaking his head and glancing around for it. The blue of the blade would be a beacon amongst the dirt and blood.

Rhys had stopped when the bandit pushed a button, opening a door. He had ran inside but moments later ran right back out, screaming at the top of his lungs. It didn't take but a moment to realize why.

A massive skag chased him down, quickly biting at his top half and lifting the body into the air. The skag shook the bandits lifeless body back and forth, seeming pleased with the meal.

In that moment, he heard the woman shout out for her companion and Rhys realized Bossa Nova had done some pretty hefty damage.

It was at that moment, Rhys noticed the blade that Zer0 had been carrying was at his feet. He quickly grabbed it as the skag moved forward, eyes on him now. Rhys wasn't sure what to do but he lifted the blade regardless.

The skag leapt for him and he knelt down a little, screwing his eyes shut. The blade cut through the skags belly easily. Blood and god knew what else rained down on him but what Rhys didn't expect was a body to come down on him as well.

He hit the ground after the skag was dealt, pushing the body off of him as well as an organ or two. Stomach lurching, it was easy to locate the case again.

"Kid, get your case and move, now!" the woman shouted above all the noise,

Rhys tried to do just that before Zer0 had leapt in front of him, grabbing the sword that Rhys had discarded. A quick thanks and he was gone again. What followed was a loud boom from Bossa Nova, sending them all flying, the case going with them.

The chaos wasn't dying down even as time went on. More bodies dropped dead but with Naira's friend keeping an eye for the both of them, Rhys had been fine so far. What was worse in the end was he lost sight of the case.

"Just don't worry about it right now and stay down!" the woman urged.

"It's hard not to worry about ten million bucks that just disappeared again!"

It didn't seem to help matters. She was low on ammo and was using a whip like blade to fight. Anyone that got too close was torn through by the thing. He didn't know how she stood the sight of it.

A noise caught his attention, metal scraping against melt. The sound of supports giving way was audible, deafening him for a moment. One of the vehicles that had a crane on it had caught up on Bossa Nova's platform, completely flipping the car and landing on the track. They were lucky that was the only thing that fell.

"Hey, Naira!" she shouted out. Rhys turned, catching sight of his boss heading toward them. "I kept your boy alive so you owe me, got it?"

"Are you really talking about this when I'm three feet away and we're being fired at?"

"Yea, don't worry about it!"

Rhys shook his head, observing things around him. It was all starting to thin out a little now, not nearly as bad as it had been before. Even so, it was still dangerous here despite that.

Zer0's heart lurched for the first time in a long time, a feeling he hadn't wanted to ever feel again, not since that time... Yet as the dust cleared there was Naeva, pinned beneath the platform by her leg even as the Hyperion boy grew panicked. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened and already Zer0 was on his feet, dashing over to pry up the platform to aid Naeva.

"You're screaming doesn't / help. Either make yourself useful / or be quiet now," Zer0 snapped. He had no patience for this boy, not when it was he who had caused Naeva to put herself in danger!

Already Naira was at his side, her fingers finding a hold to help him, her face pale. If Naeva was fatally injured... No, he would not allow it! Zer0 pulled harder and with Naira's aid, that strange Hyperion technology she still adorned aiding her, the platform began to budge a little. If Naeva could move or if someone could tug her out then it would be fine!

"Naeva, if you die here I'm dragging your ass back to kill you again!" Naira was shouting, a panicked tone to her voice that Zer0 had never heard there before. It only drove him further to pry up the platform as best they could.

Vaughn's heart beat wildly in his chest as he arrived, moving to stand next to Rhys. Why he was covered in blood from head to toe didn't matter, not right now. That woman was pinned, both Naira and that Vault Hunter working to free her. But was she even alive? More footsteps could be heard, Fiona's muttered words to her sister the only other sound for the time being.

"Sasha, about Felix..."

Upon Sasha snapping at Fiona, Vaughn quietly relayed the information to Rhys even as teh pair before them worked furiously to aid that other woman. "Their friend, Felix, tried to open the case and take the money...."

Rhys quickly quieted when Zer0 ordered it. His eyes were wide and he wasn't sure what to say or do in those moments when he and Naira moved to the platform to lift it. Already, he could see the strain that it took just to do that.

The others had finally come back, surprise and relief filling him knowing that at least everyone else was safe. Yet to hear it was Felix that tried to take the money for himself...

"Not much we can do about it now..." he muttered in response. Sasha seemed to take it the hardest, walking off on her own.

"Come on...let's help before I end up stabbed like the rest of these guys," Rhys urged Vaughn. He had his doubts that his friend would protest. Besides, Rhys owed a lot more than he was willing to say to Naira's friend now.

He walked over, fingers finding a place to lift the platform. It worked slowly but finally started to move. With Vaughn's help, pulling her free wasn't too much of a task. Still, Rhys stood with baited breath, wondering if she was even alive. He was able to exhale when she moved, placing a hand over her eyes as if to keep the sun from blinding her.

"Ow..." A weak response rung out and in some way, it felt almost sarcastic. Rhys was able to exhale a sigh at that, glad that she wasn't dead.

"I'm sorry...I'm really, really sorry," he started to apologize, eyeing Zer0 warily. The man wasn't happy just from his tone before. Rhys just prayed he wasn't going to hold a grudge.

"Oh! Uh, yeah... Right," Vaughn answered, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

Nearby Fiona and Sasha were already picking through what laid around them, perhaps seeing no need to help the pinned Vault Hunter. Or maybe it was because four people were already now working on that problem and there was hardly room for another pair of hands or two.

Rhys and Vaughn joined the attempt to help pry Naeva from below the platform and with their aid it didn't take long to accomplish the feat. She and Zer0 were enough to lift it up off of her leg, at least enough so for the two men to tug her free. It was with great relief that Naira could release the rubble, her arms strained from the effort already.

"Damn!" she cursed, a hand coming to her shoulder. Just half a year ago she wouldn't have been this worn down because of all of this but now... Well, stress and lack of sleep were definitely taking its toll on her body.

Naira busied herself with assessing her own damage briefly as Naeva finally stirred. The sarcasm in her voice was enough to tell Naira that Naeva would be fine. Injured perhaps but otherwise all right. Relief washed over her though it was not enough to dispel the immense worry over everything still weighing heavily on her shoulders and mind.

Zer0 almost exhaled in relief though held it back. If others had not been here he surely would have but now was not the time. Rumors were abound about the true nature of he and Naeva's relationship, he needn't give any prying eyes further reason to target her to get to him. Even if Naira was a trusted friend of Naeva, this Hyperion boy had caused Naeva injury.

He rounded upon Rhys, staring him down through his darkened visor. Already the boy looked frightened, holding his hands up as if to defend himself. It wasn't until Naira stepped between them, matching his stare despite not being able to see it, that Zer0 halted. She looked worse for wear though stood her ground, her odd technology still in activity about her. She almost looked like a deranged attempt at an angel with those mechanical looking wings.

"You wish to stop me? / He is at fault here for this. / Stand aside, Naira."

"I've held off on attacking you for those times you hurt Naeva before, back when you first traveled with one another," Naira began, her tone stern. How she knew those things, Zer0 did not know however. "However, if you bring harm to my employee now I'll have no choice but to retaliate."

"H-Hey! Is this really necessary guys? I mean, we survived, isn't that the best thing?" the other Hyperion boy cried out.

Nearby even the other women's attention was drawn to them, their stances tense. "Is he even worth it? I mean, I know they're Hyperion scum but this seems a bit much..."

Rhys was holding his breath all over again as Zer0 stared him down. The fact that he couldn't see the man's face meant nothing right now. Rhys could feel how angry this figure was. On top of being slightly taller and skilled to boot, Rhys was feeling more than a little threatened.

It was Naira who stood in front of him despite any pain she might have put herself through. She argued for Rhys who found himself oddly silent at this time. He knew he was at fault but what could he do?

A few moments after, Vaughn joined in and so did Fiona, which surprised him. Even Sasha had a word to put out, rationalize the situation quickly, "Your partners hurt. Maybe you should spend your time focusing on her than the person she just helped. Besides, that was her choice."

Whether or not that helped, it was hard to say. Zer0 didn't seem intent on moving just yet. He stared right over Naira's shoulder and right at Rhys as if that in and of itself could kill him.

"They're right Zer0," Naeva finally called out, swiping at her eyes. Her leg burned and she prayed it wasn't fractured or broken. That could put her out of commission for weeks if not months, "I pushed the kid out of the way on my own choice, it's not like he shoved me there. Leave him be."

Out of all of them, Zer0 might respect her voice the most. There were times he argued against her, old habits dying hard, but right now, they were all exhausted. They needed time to let things slow down and rest.

"I think I've had enough for today," she added a moment later, staring up at the sky for a long few minutes, awaiting his decision.

Zer0 stared long and hard at both Naira and then at the Hyperion boy even after Naeva spoke up on the matter. He itched to make the boy repay his partner's pain and yet it was his partner that aided in denying Zer0 this goal. Finally he scoffed, turning away to instead crouch at Naeva's side. He wanted to argue the case but she was in no shape for such things.

"Then so be it. Count / yourself lucky that they care. / Or don't. I don't care," Zer0 snapped.

Already he moved to help Naeva to her feet. Staying here to treat her wound wouldn't do much good, not right now. Yet it seemed there were things to loot as well... He cursed silently. They had no medical supplies left so he would have to rely on whatever this group had, if any.

"So, we have no money, no Vault Key, and we're all at each other's throat all the more," Fiona assessed, turning back to what lay scattered around their feet.

"It's over! I mean, what do we even do now? Even if we go around taking all of this stuff it's not going to be ten million dollars worth--" Vaughn's rambling was caught off by an irate Sasha. This Felix's betrayal had obviously hit her the hardest out of all of them...

Naira offered a sigh, moving to deactivate her HDD core. In a flash the technology that it comprised of seemed to disappear, the core cooling down after so long a time of being active. Naira felt all the more worn out though still she moved to inspect what might be valuable enough to take. It was the only option they had at the moment.

"You all came to Pandora so now you get to live like we do. Wait for more powerful guys to kill each other and then take their stuff," Fiona announced.

"We'll see what we can take with us then we'll find a place to make camp and lick our wounds," Naira added. "It's the most we can do right now."

Zer0 harrumphed once again at Naeva's advice. To just breath, that would do little good for her injury, especially so if it was a fracture or break to the bone. At the very least nothing was jutting out of her so if there was a break it wasn't compound. A small blessing.

"No." His argument was simple, overly so. He was more than a little annoyed, still champing at the bit to make the Hyperion boy pay and yet he'd be stopped at every turn. Naeva was persistent when she made a choice.

Around them they all sought out the loot, attempting to make up the now useless money. What they needed it for Zer0 couldn't say but it was obvious this all weighed most heavily on the Hyperion people in their company. How curious...

For the most part everyone had calmed down, working together relatively well despite many being at odds with the others. Naira tried not to focus on how exhausted and sore she was, picking up what she could. Sadly, there wasn't much here and it left her mind whirling with all sorts of things but most noticeably of the consequences they had yet to face if they had no out.

It wasn't until the telltale sound of a loader bot landing did Naira forcibly break from her thoughts. Even more startling was when Rhys fell through a platform. A moment of stunned silence followed before Vaughn was racing towards the edge of the newly-made hole, calling for Rhys. Naira soon followed. How long did they stand at the edge, calling down to Rhys? Long enough for even Zer0 and Naeva to join them at the edge, peering down at where Rhys had fallen.

Naira heaved a relieved sigh when finally he moved, calling up to them. "I'm sure there's a way," Naira argued lightly though remained where she was.

"Oh, good, you're not dead! Don't worry me like that, buddy!" Vaughn called down to him in relief.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll stay up here. What's down there though? Anything valuable?" It was the Pandoran girl--Fiona, was it?--that had called down last.

Despite the Hyperion boy being well off Zer0 felt a bit of contentment at the way he'd fallen so far down and perhaps injured himself now. It felt like karma for once, something Zer0 never thought he'd think about for long in his life. Now seemed like a good time to though.

"Look about for loot. / There must be something there of / value. It is Atlas," Zer0 advised nonetheless.