'A' darted down the familiar halls of the lab. His little heart raced in his chest, only stopping as he rode the elevator a few floors up. Clay was the only thing on his mind as he hurried through the facility. Clay could fix this, he could make it better, he would get rid of Braden, then everything would go back to normal.
The old lab doors came into view as he rounded a corner. He didn't hesitate and rushed right up to them, punching in the lock code. The key pad gave a small confirmation beep, unlocking the sealed doors. 'A' pushed the door open, making sure to lock it behind himself, no way was Braden catching him again.
He found himself in total darkness, the lights completely shut off.
“Clay!” He called, figuring the scientist was asleep. Hearing his voice echo through the lab was strange, he hardly recognized its sound. He reached his arm over to the light switch, illuminating the room. As the light made clear his surroundings, a gasp escaped him. The lab was almost completely empty. All of Clays machines and lab equipment had been ripped from the walls. His papers and vials were absent from the countertops, and even the lonely refrigerator had vanished.
Slowly a feeling of dread began to build in the pit of his stomach. He eyed the bedroom door, standing slightly ajar on the far wall.
“Clay!” He called again, panic stricken in his voice. There wasn't a reply. Fear trembled through him, but he had to know. He ran to the bedroom, slamming the small door wide open. Empty, the room was completely barren. The beds, dresser, tables and even lamp had been stripped out of the room. No one was living in that lab anymore, it was obvious now.
'A' stood in the small door frame, his breathes heavy as he stared at where Clay's bed used to be. Where was his scientist, had he left him? A tear tugged at his right eye and he quickly wiped it away. No, Clay would never leave him, never.
His tried to comfort himself with a list of possibilities. Perhaps Clay had to move labs, this one was too small; or maybe he was renovating the current lab, adding in new furniture or equipment. There could have been an infestation of bugs, or mice. Maybe the people who had broke into the lab before had returned and taken everything. However, the only way he would know for sure, was if he found Clay.
He slipped out of the lab, shutting the lights off as he left. Once in the hall he slipped back into invisibility, not wanting to be caught. His head was starting to ache, and his body was unusually sore. He needed to recover, but not until he was safe with Clay.
Pushing himself to the limit, he trudged down the halls, headed for the next best place. The mechanics hall wasn't too far from Clay's lab, and soon 'A' found himself in a dirty oil stained sector, lined with open and closed garage doors. Tabitha's garage door was closed, but the side door was left cracked open, allowing him to easily sneak inside.
He wasn't prepared to find Tabby's garage in the same vacant state as the lab. This time it was too much, he hardly recognized the place. Everything was gone, even the grime that had clung to the floors. 'A' fell to his knees, he was spent.
No amount of convincing or fake scenarios could console him. His heart was an aching mess of fear, pain and desertion. They were gone, Tabitha and Clay were gone, he just knew it. The stubborn tears returned, but he couldn't stop them this time. They streaked down his right cheek, dripping onto the cold metal floor of the empty garage.
His cries only intensified when he remembered how pitiful and in pain he was. His tail was gone, his wings had been taken, and his left eye was replaced with some strange piece of equipment that messed with his vision. He had been broken.
The closed wounds on his back and head throbbed with each breath he took. He let himself unfold onto the chilled hard floor, trying to numb the pulsing stings. It worked, to some degree. His aches became mere discomforts, soaked away by the icy touch of frigid metal. His sobbing had tired him out until he dozed off, finding comfort in his unconsciousness.
Several hours ticked by before the mechanical whir of a wheel against the floor woke him up.
“There you are!” A voice chimed and he immediately turned his head towards the door behind him. The all too familiar purple robot was standing in the door frame, the outside light shining in on the defeated experiment.
“I've been looking literally everywhere for you.” Clap-Trap huffed. 'A' pushed himself off the floor and threw himself onto the robot, tears beginning to bubble over again.
“Clap-Trap!” He whaled, relieved to see him.
“Aw, did you miss me?” He patted A's head tenderly. He nodded before sliding back onto his bottom, watching as the robot wheeled into the garage.
“Braden sent me to find you. He has the whole team out looking for you. I figured you would either be here or the old lab...” he paused, his bright blue eye staring the experiment down. “They're gone....” He finally sighed. 'A' tensed, was it true?
“Clay...where is he?” He asked, Clap-Trap seemed taken back.
“You can talk now!? And...and your eye, it's like mine but red...I just noticed you look so different 'A', how do you feel?” He began to ramble on.
“Clap-Trap...” A tried to catch his attention again but the purple robot was caught in a repetitive cycle of rambling.
“CLAP-TRAP!” He shouted, catching him off guard once again. The robot whirled around, quiet.
“Where is Clay.” A repeated himself. Clap-Trap immediately looked away, slowly gliding to the far wall, avoiding eye contact all together. He refused to speak until 'A' barked at him again.
“Clap-Trap you had said/ they were gone what did you mean?/ Was it Clay and Tabby?” 'A' asked. The implant in his brain sent out a spark of pain through his skull and he winced. His thoughts were clearer and his voice came easy, but something about forming sentences really hurt his head. It was almost as if he couldn't speak freely like he wanted to and the whole thing frustrated him.
Clap-Trap finally turned around, his features seemed to droop with sorrow.
“Braden told me that Clay is gone. He said that the CEO's took him because he was a failure. That...he couldn't work here anymore. He told me I wasn't Clay's Clap-Trap unit anymore...I'm Braden's now.” He folded his arms, upset by it all.
“Wait, what do you mean?/You do not belong to Clay?/Where did they take him?” 'A' held a hand over his head, gritting his teeth as another ache pounded his brain.
“That's just it 'A', I don't know where they took him. He could be dead for all I know, or maybe they just fired him...I hope they just fired him. But now that I work for Braden, I have to do what he says...or he'll have me scrapped.” Clap-Trap smacked the wall in irritation, sending a loud clang echoing through the empty garage.
“What about Tabby?/Has she also gone away?/Where has Tabby gone?” He swallowed hard, he had to know.
“The day after Clay was taken...I came to visit Tabitha. She was gone already. I asked the neighboring mechanic about what had happened. He said he saw her the other evening clearing out her garage. When he asked her what was going on, she explained that she had taken a job with their overseer back at HQ.” Clap-Trap recalled, “I believe I remember Clay talking about some project Everett had invited her to. I guess she went.” A's eyes widened with disbelief as realization hit him, he was alone.
“She...left...” 'A' muttered under his breath, realizing that he was now utterly alone. Clap-Trap was quiet, for once, and leaned over to pat the experiments back. 'A' wanted to cry again, he really did, but the tears just wouldn't come. Deep down his sorrow was being replaced with an unbridled rage that made him flex his claws instinctively. Thoughts raced through his mind, all of which were completely new to him. His vision was blinded with rage, and the red hue he saw through through his robotic eye was only more the maddening.
“Let us go Clap-Trap/ Did you not say that Braden/ was waiting for me?” 'A' broke the silence as he finally rose to his feet. He stood up straight, and for a second, Clap-Trap imagined him far more menacing than the smiley experiment he had grown accustomed to.
“Y-yeah, he did say that. He's livid, i've never seen him so mad. Are you sure you want to go back right now? We can...wait a little bit longer if you have to. I mean, he'll probably yell at me and you...mostly me though. He's got this habit of taking his belt off and smacking me with it, nearly broke off my antenna the other day. I hardly have time to party anymore he...”
“Clap-Trap we should go/before his temper gets worse/ I too am upset.” 'A' turned from the blabbering robot and stepped out of the vacant garage. Clap-Trap quickly followed, slowly wheeling behind 'A'. The two continued through the halls and back to the lab, Clap-Trap rattling on the whole way. 'A' was trying his best to diminish the new feelings that bubbled inside of him, but his mind kept coming back to rage. He was frightened of this new temper, and hoped he wouldn't succumb to the new violent urges that coursed through his veins.
As the two neared the lab, 'A' began to notice an increase of Hyperion workers scuttling about the halls. One of them stopped when his gaze fell upon the experiment who was being followed by a purple CL4P-TP unit.
“Backup! I need backup! I've found the experiment!” He shouted, pointing towards 'A'. Almost immediately a group of armed soldiers appeared from around the bend. They had their guns drawn, aiming them straight for A's head. Clap-Trap yelped, ducking his arms and legs into his metal shell.
“Escort him back to Braden.” the worker instructed. The soldiers split into groups, completely surrounding 'A'.
“Get moving!” One of them demanded, jabbing the barrel of his shock mod gun into A's back. 'A' gritted his teeth, clenching his fists so tight that his nails broke the skin of his palms. Images flashed in his mind. He could easily backflip over the last soldiers head, digging his claws into his neck as he landed, then...then the gun would be his. All he had to do next was turn invisible and the soldiers would be dead in a matter of seconds. However, that raised a whole new problem for him. If he did that, he would eventually be caught. He could only stay invisible for short amounts of time. Inevitably he would be caught, and then he would definitely never see Clay or Tabitha again. He had to be smarter than that, resist his Stalker instincts to just destroy, and comply with the soldiers instead.
He was marcher into the lab, leaving the quivering CL4P-TP unit in the hall. He wasn't surprised when they guided him back into the room he had woken up in. He especially wasn't surprised to find Braden waiting in there, scowl plastered on his face. The soldiers were shewed away, leaving 'A' alone with the mad scientist. 'A' growled, baring his teeth angrily. He had the sudden urge to leap onto Braden's head and rip him apart. He remembered this feeling, back when Tabitha was fighting his trainer. It was a small thought back then, hidden behind the overwhelming fear of his towering trainer. But this...this was stronger. Rage seethed through him and he temporarily let go of his anxiety. He imagined it would be easy to scratch out his eyes or rip out his throat.
“So, you think you're clever huh? Using your powers to trick the nurses and escape. That wasn't a smart move.” Braden hissed, smacking the, gesturing for 'A' to sit. The experiment refused, and opted for standing in the corner with his arms crossed defensively.
“It would be in your best interest to listen to me, kid.” Braden spat, his anger growing. Against his better judgement, 'A' spoke,
“I want to see Clay / bring me back MY scientist / I do not like you.” he grumbled. Braden blinked in surprise, pleased to hear the implant actually worked. However, he soon processed what it was the experiment had said, and his enthusiasm left.
“You are in no position to demand anything from me, and honestly, I don't care if you don't like me. Let me make this as clear for you as I can. You are an experiment here, and your “wants” are not taken into account. You want to see Clay again?” He sneered, stepping closer. 'A' was quiet, his arms slowly slipping to his sides. Finally, he nodded, casting his gaze at his feet. Not knowing where Clay was killed him and he desperately longed to see his face. He didn't care if he only got to see him once, or if it was only for a second. He needed to say goodbye, needed Clay to tell him that everything was going to be ok, needed to hug him one last time. It wasn't fair, being ripped apart from him in such a terrible manner. Surely Braden understood that.
“Please let me say goodbye/ I will obey you, just please/ let me see him once.” 'A' was trying his best not to beg, but what else could he do? Braden was quiet before a chuckle escaped him.
“Now that's better. Perhaps I'll let you see him one more time, but you'll have to be on your best behavior. No more running, fighting or defiance out of you. Become the best assassin Hyperion has ever seen...then you can see that air headed scientist again.” Braden watched with amusement as a sort of resolve seemed to settle on A's face, this would be easier then he thought.
“Ok...” 'A' finally whispered, what other options did he even have?
“Great. Now, I'm thinking we put those development enhancers to good use. Clay's feeble attempt to stall the inevitable will not go wasted. Besides...you're a little on the...short side.”
Tabitha tugged at the new work shirt she had been given. It was tighter than her previous Hyperion tank which Everett had insisted needed to be scrapped. Sure it was covered in oil and grease stains, but that's what made it special. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the new shirt was just as sullied. 640Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtD2DhTr1ue
Her eyes fell onto the mustard yellow overalls folded on her new bed, in her strange new room. She wasn't a stranger to a good pare of overalls, but these were no good overalls. They were almost leathery and shiny in appearance and bagged off of her frame in a rather unflattering manor. The legs were far too long and caught under her boots when she tried to walk.
She grumbled to herself and turned to the new ECHO device Everett had given her. It had taken her a while to get used to, but by now she was a pro. She connected her device to the ECHO net, contacting Everett.
"Hey, are you ready?" His voice stacked through.
"Almost...do I have to wear the overalls though? There so....blegh." She scrunched her nose in disgust. Everett could be heard laughing from the other end, no doubt finding humor in her distaste for them.
"Yes, all of the crew has to wear them, it's a Hyperion requirement." He answered.
"But I didn't have to wear them back at MY base." She grumbled, reluctantly changing into the atrocious yellow pants.
"Well, here at Hellios we do things a little bit different." She could practically hear him smiling. "Besides, I want you to look professional, we're going to meet the construction supervisor shortly." He explained.
"Ok, I'll be ready in just a second." She then turned off her ECHO and attempted to roll up the bottom of the overalls as best she could. She used a safety pin to keep the cuffs rolled up over her boots before finishing her attire with her old bandana and goggles. It wasn't too long before a knock sounded on her door and reverberated through her fancy new room.
"Let's go." Everett greeted her with a smile as she stepped into the hall to join the rest of his team. With all the mechanics gathered, Everett found himself in charge of fifteen mechanics in total for this special project. Many of them were from different Hyperion Branches spread out over the galaxy. Tabitha soon realized that the only person she recognized, was Everett himself. As the hall around them grew wider, Tabitha felt like she was almost shrinking in comparison. Soon they were in a large open area of sorts, decorated with plants and other garden like things. It almost gave off the vibe of being outdoors, but Tabitha new better, they were in space for crying out loud.
She edged closer to Everett, trying not to get lost in the crowd of mechanics that appeared from the other halls. Her nervous were beginning to get the best of her, and it didn't calm her a bit as she began to realize that she had only seen one other woman there.
"How many people are working on this project exactly?" Tabitha whispered to her boss. Everett leaned close to her ear, a firm hand on her shoulder.
"There are several hundred thousand workers here at Hellios...all of us working to complete this massive space station." He replied. Tabitha nodded. She couldn't help the strange feeling that she was drowning. She was merely one in a sea of yellow clad employees, no matter what base she was on or how important the job.
Finally the mechanics began to move again, down a wider corridor and into a spacious room covered in blue screens. Everett led his group towards the front of the room, near a large platform covered in computers and ECHO tech. Behind the platform was the largest screen in the room, currently nothing was displayed on it.
However, soon the screens began to spring alive, all around the room. First the Hyperion logo flashed across them before they went fuzzy, an image started to appear. Tabitha watched as a young man, with a finely jelled quaff, stepped onto the platform. The screens became clearer, broadcasting his face around the room. He picked up a mic and soon his voice was ringing out over the room.
"So you are the lucky bunch who get to work on my space station." The man smiled, snickering to himself. Tabitha raised a brow, he wasn't on the board of executives, why was he taking claim to the base?
"Who is he exactly?" Tabitha whispered up to Everett, wondering why everyone seems so captivated with the man on the screen.
"He's the one in charge of overseeing the production of Hellios." Evertt explained, "His name is.." He didn't get to finish as the speakers echoed again.
"I'm Jack, and you all work for me now."
Authors Note: Congratulations Tabitha, you've just excepted a job working with the worst person in Borderlands ever. Hope you have a fun time.
Side note,
Chapter without Clay: 2
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