Vault Fragment

Kane walked through the streets feeling all happy and refreshed! When he woke up this morning, Hannah was half sprawled over top of him, completely naked, and he had to admit, there were worse ways to wake up.

After a morning romp in the sheets, he went back to the Arcadia and had a good long shower and some breakfast before he set out to accomplish his main goal for coming here. He wanted that Vault Key fragment, but he still had no idea where the hell to start looking.

Maya was unnaturally hard to find today, and Kane was wondering if she was dead. I mean, yesterday he had to run away from the woman, and now he couldn't find her at all.

He wasn't overly worried about her, considering every other person on this planet was a pussy, and would roll over and bow to her at a glance. He wondered what the people would think when they learned there were actually three Sirens on the planet instead of just one, but then he thought better of it.

He didn't need Hyperion or the other corporations out there hunting him and Luna just yet, especially not after all the shit he pulled on Promethea. That would all come in due time, but for now he figured it was best to not be too public.

'Can I even say that after what I did to the Order...?' Kane thought, a little amused at the thought. In his previous life, he would have kicked himself in the ass a hundred times over for being as noticeable as he was, but I guess this was a bit different.

With his powers he wasn't too worried about any law enforcement or military coming after him, not to mention there was no law enforcement on any of the planets he actually wanted to visit. Plus most of the galaxy was run by the corporations, and killing people was just as common as breathing was.

He could still try and stick to the shadows a bit more, but he would save that for the proper situations. He didn't pick this world so he could stick to the shadows for the rest of his life, and the corporations could all burn in hell if they thought he would roll over for them.

As he continued down the street, Kane couldn't help but notice all the stares he got from most people, how they froze in place like scared little rabbits, while some of the others ran off into their homes.

He didn't want to be known for being a monster, but he also knew that the people on Athenas might be the exception. Like he said, they were all pussies, and he didn't care if they all fled upon his approach.

Just as he was about to teleport to the monastery to try and find Maya, the woman herself finally made an appearance. Seeing her today, she looked about the same as yesterday, save for a different skin-tight top.

"About time I found you!!" Maya said, looking a bit exasperated. As it turns out, she had been searching for him the whole time he was searching for her. She was one step behind him until she gave up and was on her way back to the monastery, which is when she found him.

"Well, now that you found me, how about we go on a tour of the notable places here?" Kane said, getting an excited response from Maya.

For her whole life she had been locked away on a planet surrounded by people that were terrified of her, so it wasn't too much of a surprise when she didn't have any friends. Kane asking her for anything would no doubt make her jump for joy at having human contact that wasn't terrified of her.

As Maya led him through the town, she asked a few questions. "So... What made you guys come to Athenas?" She asked, sounding like she was trying to make small-talk, but at the same time, seemed genuinely curious.

"Oh, you know. Check out the Eridian Ruins, get some souvenirs, meet the locals, the usual sort of thing when we go to a new planet!" Kane answered, not lying exactly, but he was leaving out some details.

"Where are you guys from?" She asked, a little more curious about this. After all, wherever they're from must be pretty crazy if meeting a Siren didn't phase them in the slightest.

"Pandora. It's a great place! Adventure around every corner, friendly locals, and exquisite cuisine!" Kane said, completely exaggerating everything, letting her know that it was not actually like he was describing.

Maya of course already knew that. Everyone knew Pandora was a shining shithole on the horizon, full of murdering rapist cannibals. "I see why you left." Maya said, getting a laugh from Kane in return.

"We're going back soon. Despite how bad it may sound, I love the chaos and mayhem." Kane said, surprising Maya for a second. "You... You really like it there?" She asked, unsure why anyone would ever want to go there, especially after everything she has heard about the place.

"Oh yeah! No matter what else is going on out in the galaxy, something ten times more interesting is happening on Pandora. The planet thrives on Chaos, and you meet some of the most interesting people there. Plus with all of the aliens that have been there, it draws the attention from all over the galaxy. It's how I met Luna and Rad-Sasha. I also got a few friends there as well. Nicest people you'll ever meet!" Kane said, describing the planet a bit.

It's too bad Luna wasn't there to hear the comment about his 'friends'. Describing Brick as one of the nicest people you'll ever meet was a bit much, even for Kane. If Marcus thought Kane was talking like that about him, he might actually vomit blood like in those eastern fantasy novels!

"Sounds interesting. I might have to go there myself." Maya said, laughing a little. She already knew about the Eridians on Pandora, and how Sirens were seemingly drawn to the place. Even before Kane showed up she was already thinking about going there, it just seemed a bit nuts for anyone to want to go to that hellhole willingly.

"If you do, don't trust anyone, or anything. The propaganda is all a lie, and everyone is trying to kill you for fun, or to eat you. Also, don't trust the corporations. If you get hired for anything, don't let your guard down, and expect to be betrayed at any moment, especially after you complete a job. You might think people there are grateful, but if you're dead then they don't have to pay you. It isn't Athenas where everyone is all lovey dovey and wants to kiss your ass. Everyone is looking to make a buck, and you're nothing special there." Kane warned, getting wide eyes in response.

"But I'm a Siren... Who would want to mess with me?" She asked, a little more unsure of herself. She was serious about her question, so she was a little surprised when she got a scoff from Kane.

"There have been 4 Sirens on Pandora in the last 2 years, and 1 of them died. She thought she was all hot shit and that she was untouchable, then BAMM! She was dead before she even knew what happened!" Kane said, causing Maya to go into a bit of a daze. Of course he wasn't about to tell her that he was the one who killed her, but regardless of the fact it was still true!

"Look, I'm not saying you don't have an advantage being a Siren, but it also makes you a target. People are stupid and crazy, and I can guarantee that you will be hunted if you go there, if not for a few different reasons. I wouldn't put it past people to try and kill you so they can eat you and get your power. That's not how it works, but people are idiots and will believe any bullshit story!" Kane added, breaking Maya out of her little daze.

Kane knew Maya was ignorant on how the people of Pandora would treat her, so he figured this might be a little bit of an eye opener. With this information, she would hopefully not get suckered into working for Handsome Jack and almost killed on the train. If she did, at least this would be on her now.

"Wow... okay, I was not expecting that." Maya said, looking a little confused. "Umm.... Is there anyone on Pandora you think wouldn't try and kill me?" She asked, looking weirdly at Kane.

It took a bit for him to realize what might be going through her head, prompting a burst of laughter from him.

When he calmed down he said, "Trust me, I have zero interest in trying to eat you for your power. For one, I know it doesn't work that way, and two, you might look delectable," He paused as he gave her a once over, "but I don't eat people. Or anything that talks. Give me the hebejebes!" Kane shuddered at the thought!

"As for who you can trust, I got 4 friends back on Pandora who you could trust your life to. Get close to them, they'd fight every Corporation for you, and just might come out on top! Become their enemy, one of them would track you to the end of the universe so he could eat your heart while you died a brutal agonizing death." He added with a small smile, thinking of all the people Brick would kill if anyone ever hurt Luna. If he didn't kill them first.

"4? That's all you got?" Maya asked, wondering if Kane was just bad at making friends or if everyone was really that much of a scumbag. "Remind me, how many friends do you have?" Kane asked, giving her a side-eyed stare that made her shut her mouth.

"That's what I thought! And they aren't my only friends, just the ones I'd trust with my life. I have a few friends who would gladly take all of my money, then sell me off to the highest bidder if given the chance. They might be heartless, but sometimes those are the best people to have on your side." Kane added, thinking about Marcus and Zed.

He wasn't sure where Tannis fit on his list, but he didn't think he held a place in her heart where she might try and save him if something happened to him. It might happen someday, but right now, at best they could be considered friends with benefits.

As for the other people he met on Pandora, Scooter, Helena Pierce, Moxxi, Athena, and a few other random people, Kane didn't trust any of them as far as he could teleport them, which was pretty far.

Eventually Maya led them to Windward Plaza, a square that branched off to a few different places. There was a path that led to the cemetery, Storm Brewings (A brewery), and The Anchorhold.

Thankfully Maya didn't bother with trying to show him the two places that most certainly did not lead to the vault key fragment, otherwise Kane might have given up on the subtle crap.

As much as he didn't want to just take the key in front of Maya, he wasn't about to suffer through some crap he didn't care about. He already had enough of that shit stocked away for two lifetimes.

They walked down a long bridge leading to the main part of the monastery, Maya explaining how the town was built around this place specifically. 'Could have probably guessed that it would be in the monastery...' Kane thought, feeling as though he should have already known this.

For what felt like an hour, they walked up and down stairs, through corridor, until finally they got to a courtyard looking area, with statues and viewing areas. And at the far end from where they entered, was the peak of a mountain with symbols and structures built into the side of it.

The most eye-catching thing of all, a giant ass round metal door. Pulling out his ECHO device, Kane marked the location so he could come back later without any problems.

"Are we allowed to take any pieces of the Eridian ruins? I got a friend who would love to study this stuff." Kane said, looking around at the markings on the walls and stuff. There were a few pieces of rock that were glowing, but it wasn't anything Kane hadn't already seen before.

"No, if you were then everyone would have done it and then there would be no tourist attraction." Maya said, laughing a little. "But there are drawings of everything here in the market. You could buy those for your friend." Maya suggested, but Kane brushed it off.

Walking over to each thing he found interesting, he scanned with his ECHO device, getting a holographic 3D image of everything he thought Tannis might find useful. Plus this might come in handy for something down the road. Granted he highly doubted it, but still.

"That's pretty useful. My ECHO doesn't do that!" Maya said, pulling out a crummy old ECHO device, no doubt the model from decades ago.

"You're really outdated here! One of the reasons you need people with guns and high tech to explore this wonderful planet and find things that can make some money! Or go out and explore on a different planet! They give away the model below this one for free on Pandora, although it's not as nice as mine, it's nicer than that relic!" Kane said, chuckling at her.

For a little under an hour Kane walked around scanning everything and anything of interest, even the markings all over the door. Seeing it up close, the door looked stone-like, but it was metal.

Pulling out a regular knife, Kane picked at it, but it didn't so much as leave a mark. If he had to guess, it was made from either Tritanium or some other unknown ore.

Thinking of unknown ore, Kane pulled out a fragment piece from the Pandora vault site. It looked like the same stuff, but he wasn't sure what the hell it was. It wasn't any metal from his old planet, not that he could be sure since he wasn't a geologist, but he just knew it.

It wasn't the same material that the Vault Key was made from, or rare alien weapons either, but it was still a rare metal. He was debating on taking this door with him when he left, but then he thought better of it.

He didn't need the money, and he was planning on robbing from the corporations anyway, so he could always take their rare minerals and resources. Maya might be leaving this place, but she was coming back because for some reason or another, she did love this place.

Kane didn't know why though. The people were miserable, the technology was abysmal, the food looked like it sucked, the booze was piss at best, and there were only a few decently attractive women!

The only upside to this place was that it wasn't a trash heap, it was teaming with plants and wildlife, and the air was about a thousand times more clear than Pandora, but that was all it had going for it.

"Well, this has been fun, but it's about time I head off back to the Arcadia. It's about lunch time, and I'm a bit hungry." Kane said, already walking towards where he came in.

"Hey wait! I'll come with you!" Maya said, falling into step beside him. "You will, will you?" Kane asked, giving her a quirked eyebrow.

"Well, I wanted to ask you something... Can I... Can I go with you when you leave?" She asked hopefully, causing Kane to stop momentarily.

"Why do you want to come with me?" He asked, wondering if she was just looking for free passage or if she had some ulterior motive.

Seeing his calculative look, Maya sighed. "You really don't trust anybody... Look, I just want to go out and explore! I want to know more about my powers, about vaults! Being stuck here for my whole life sucked, and I really want to see more! Plus you have the only ride on the planet right now. Next shuttle won't get in for another two months at the earliest." Maya said, getting a contemplative look from Kane.

"Fine. But no back talk, and if you try telling me what to do, I'll either dump your fine ass off in space or at the nearest planet. My call! Also, I don't need someone telling me what is or isn't right, so if you object to anything I do, just ask to be dropped off somewhere else instead, cause I most likely won't care." Kane said, continuing on through the corridor.

Maya hadn't rejected any of his conditions, so he figured she either agreed or she would at least keep her mouth shut until they were off planet.

----------

That night after they all ate dinner and Maya had gone back to her room to pack her stuff, Kane, Luna, and Radar all appeared in the courtyard of The Anchorhold next to the giant round door.

"So how are you going to open it?" Luna asked curiously as they walked closer to the door. Rather than answer, Kane walked over and touched the door, causing it to disappear before their very eyes, then walked through the tunnel that had been behind it without so much as batting an eye.

Luna and Radar both looked to each other before shrugging their shoulders and walking inside after him. This had just been another moment in their minds that Kane did something like this, so they simply filed it away under, 'Don't worry about it', Kane's usual answer for this stuff. He made things disappear and reappear on a daily basis, so trying to question him about this sort of thing was just ridiculous.

Walking inside the dimly lit cave/room, Kane couldn't help but stare wide eyed at the scenery. In the game he hadn't paid much attention to this room, but from the little bit he did remember about this place, it sure as hell didn't look like this.

From the entrance, a stairway led up about 50 feet into the air, with a small waterfall trickling down on either side of it. Climbing to the top of the stairway, they all found themselves in what could only be called a spiritual oasis.

The room wasn't very well lit, but there was a small pillar of light that shone down upon a large stone statue, like the heavens were blessing their chosen hero or something. The statue was on a tiny island surrounded by a small pool of water, and in the pool of water were large red leafy trees.

A small stone bridge led to the island where the statue was, but before that was a long corridor lined with weird looking chests and other small statues and symbols. There was one symbol that stood out most of all, and it was surrounded by Eridian text.

"Tannis would kill for this!" Luna stated, running her fingers over the writing. On the walls of the corridor then there were large red gems that lit up as they walked by them, giving off a natural light source.

Kane was just finishing up scanning the weird symbol and the Eridian text when he heard what could only be described as a stone sliding across another stone. Looking to the origin of the sound, he saw Radar staring into one of the chests.

"All I did was touch the diamond symbol on it and it opened!" She said in self defense, seeing the accusatory glare from Kane. He really only wanted to take the fragment and leave, wanting to leave this place just the way it was, if not for Maya, then to keep this place just the way it was. It was truly beautiful, and he could appreciate all the work that went into it.

With the chest already opened, Kane and Luna walked over to look at the contents, and Kane had to admit, it wasn't half bad. A beautiful assault rifle, 3 magazines, 2 grenades, a piece of paper, and a small chunk of Eridium.

Grabbing the piece of paper, Kane was surprised to see that it was written in proper English. The note was left by the owner of the gun, and how he left it here for the soldiers devoted to the next siren queen.

"There was a siren queen here before!?! That's so cool!" Luna said, quickly running over to the other chests and touching the diamond symbol on the front of them. There were 10 altogether, and each one held something similar, save for maybe the weapon in general.

Some also had shields and cash, while one of them had an ECHO recorder!

Listening to it, they all learned about how the Siren Queen's name was Dido, and how her power was Phaselock, just like Maya. She was beautiful and fair, wanting to keep her home a safe spiritual place. Kane figured the giant statue in the center of the island was supposed to be her.

"She must have been loved if her own men left their most prized weapons and shields to the next people who would guard the next Siren Queen. The Order of the Impending Storm sure fucked over her vision of peace though!" Kane said, smirking at the end. Not because he thought it was funny that her vision had been destroyed, but because the Order was pretty much done for.

They didn't have a leg to stand on now that everyone on Athenas was armed, and especially so now that they didn't have Maya as their shield. After looking in every chest, Kane took two guns and a shield that were better than some of the ones he had, but he also replaced them with other ones he had.

He knew there most likely wouldn't be another Siren Queen again, but that didn't mean he couldn't leave these for people who wanted to start some form of military on the planet. Plus he did sort of take all the money and Eridium, so he felt he kind of owed them.

When they finished looking at everything else, they finally walked to the little island in the center of the pool. At the feet of the stone statue, there was a stone with the history and information regarding the rein of Queen Dido, as well as another chest, only this one had a slight glow to it.

Reaching down, Kane tried to touch the diamond symbol, but when his hand was just 2 inches away from it, it felt like he hit a solid object. The weird thing about it, whatever he felt, somewhat felt familiar. Using his power, he felt a small pull from inside himself, then all of the sudden the chest began to open.

"That was weird. It looked like you just absorbed something!" Luna said, her eyes scanning the chest for the tiniest detail, like she was trying to find the source of the weird energy.

"I didn't absorb anything, I pushed the barrier away with my power. The Siren Queen or whatever you want to call her, must have used her power to lock the chest so that no one but a siren could open it. I felt a kinship sort of thing from it, but I can tell it's main goal was to keep people out." Kane said as they looked at the second piece to the Promethea Vault Key.

"Now we just need to find the Malliwan guy, then we can get inside the vault!" Luna said cheerfully as she picked up the fragment.

Before they left, Kane wrote out a letter and put it inside the chest that the fragment had been in.

-----------

Dear reader,

I have taken the contents of the chest and have stored them across the universe with my vast wealth!! If you want it, come get it! I left everything I've gathered in one place, now you just have to find it!! KANE

---------------

"You're such a child!!" Luna stated, reading the letter over his shoulder. "Oh, come on! I have to get my kicks where I can! Besides, it's not like they'll actually find my wealth! I'm not stupid enough to hide it where some idiot would be able to find it!" Kane said, putting the paper inside the chest before closing it up.

The weird energy didn't appear back around the chest once it was closed, but it was better this way. Now it didn't require a Siren to open it. After that, they explored the place for another 20 minutes before they decided to call it good.

Kane got all of the scans he would need, the fragment, some new toys, some Eridium, and some cash! All in all, it was a pleasant trip.

Walking back to the entrance, Kane made the door appear back in the same place he took it. He could have used his spatial powers to move it, but taking it in and out of his inventory was so much more convenient.

After that, they all went back to the ship to get some sleep. Kane had gotten what he came here for, and saw no reason to stick around any longer. Sure he could have stuck around to hang out with Hannah a bit longer, but they both knew that it was just fun, and Kane could get that somewhere else.

Plus, he had a totally hot, single Siren travelling with him now, so he could always try and get with her, though he was curious if Maya was even interested in sex. You honestly couldn't tell from the game, so he would have to see later.

Come morning, everyone was up bright and early and ready to take off. Maya was extra excited, as she had shown up and was sitting outside the ship when Kane came outside.

"Morning!" She said with a smile as she carried a bag of what little belongings she cared to bring. "Morning." Kane said, waving his hand as he went outside to see Drake.

The overgrown bird was still here, sound asleep on the bed he left for it. Walking over to it's sleeping form, Kane kicked it away. "Get up!!" He ordered, causing the bird to wake up snarling, clear up to the point where it noticed him, then it looked as though it was sweating.

Not batting an eye, Kane swung up onto it's back, then nudged it to get going. After a good hour long flight in the sky, Kane had it go towards the big ass tree where he found it. Thankfully there were no aerial attacks this time, as his last trip here was all too ingrained into the bird's memories.

Jumping off the bird, Kane pointed to a branch of the tree, then back to Drake. "You stay here! I come back! LATER!" He stated, hoping the bird would get the message.

Seeing it not move, he smiled before he turned around, but before he could leave, he heard what he could only describe as bawling. Looking over his shoulder, Drake was literally crying like a baby.

"You stupid bird!! What do you want?! You're free! I won't come back!!" Kane stated, wondering what the hell was wrong with this thing.

Looking at it, he watched as it jumped up and down a few times, leaving him stumped for a few seconds until he finally realized it.

"Stupid bird!" Kane grumbled as he made the bed appear beside the branch, causing it to instantly light up. Seeing it jump up and down on the bed for a bit, a thought struck Kane before he went into the store and purchased over a dozen trampolines and put them around the area.

He waited for a bit, but eventually some of the other birds flew down onto the trampolines and started bouncing, jumping all over the place. 'I could sell tickets to this shit!!' Kane thought, laughing a bit at the birds jumping through the air, rather than flying.

Hopefully having appeased Drake, Kane teleported back to the Arcadia, only to be greeted by a thoroughly pissed off Maya.

"What's your problem?" Kane asked, wondering if he would need to leave her here.

She glared at him for a good minute before she folded her arms and spoke, "I just asked Luna and Sasha if they wanted to go look at the ruins before we left, and Luna said you guys already saw them. LAST. NIGHT. Care to explain?!"

Her glare only intensified, daring Kane to lie to her. Looking past her at the door of the ship, Kane saw Luna, who looked abashed at having given away their midnight adventure.

Kane could only groan in annoyance, his mind only having one thing to say on the matter.

'FUUUUUUUCK!!'