Chapter Text
A loud Boom cut through the air. Shells dropped with a soft clangor to the ground, a steady sound coming from every corner, every hiding, in combination with the occasional click of the magazines latching back into place. It rained bullets and their noise drained the sound of everything else and left a lingering roar of dull silence inside one’s ear.
Roland’s back thudded against what was just a fraction of a low barricade. He let out a low grunt, barely lingering down fast enough for a bullet darting right over his head. “F…uuck…”, he murmured and ripped the magazine out of his rifle.
His sight turned bright and red as simultaneously with an expliosion, he felt a thud right beside him, too fast for him to turn his head in the right direction in time.
“I thought no swearing on the battle field.”, said a sarcastic voice which was predominated soon after with the screams of a few bandits backing away from the wall of fire the explosion hat caused.
“Even I make exeptions…”, Roland shot back and pushed himself up from the ground into a crouch. “Getting’ pretty dicey here…”, he shouted at the readhead as he took down some stray bandits that were left. They seemed to move up like an endless stream, but Lilith’s explosion had cleared out a few front rows of the enemies rolling towards them. He assured their cover with glances around them and let himself fall back onto the ground while a troup of their fighters passed them, digging deeper into the chaos that had once been the outskirts of their hideout.
“They’ve never come this far, Sancutary is torn apart… Our men fight braver than they ever did, but our rows are weakened with every moment…” He ripped out another magazine, slamming a new one violently in its place.
Lilith nodded, staring at a bomb shell rolling over the ground, or nothing really in particular. She had noticed his distress with a growing concern.
It all began in the early morning, when the sky had turned grey in perspective of another cold sunrise in the tundra of Pandora. Sancutary laid at peace, windows reflecting the weak beams of light that the clouds were barely allowing to pass through. A lot had happened and changed since they opened the Vault, beginning with the cold winters of the area they were currently setteled. Ways had partened. They never heared from Mordecai or Brick anymore, assuming they were onto new adventures, maybe even on another planets. But Roland and Lilith had hesitated to part as they discovered something different between their loyalty and trust for the other partner that had built up in their countless fights and adventures. And hardly after exploring what lingered in their minds for so long, they were struck with a new enemy: Hyperion. Pandora had become a target for the adventurous and greedy, making it an even more dangerous place at is previously was.
It wasn’t long until the two realized the plans of Hyperions president and Roland had created what was now the strongest movement of rebellion against the reign of Hyperion that there was. As it grew bigger and stronger, Hyperion began to realize the danger of such an obstacle to their plans. And that all came down to the day as new Vault Hunters seemed to mess up the whole thing even more. The president was taking action now, and although the movement was in its heyday, it all changed in what seemed like an instant.
“Pull yourself together”, Lilith’s voice startled the soldier out of his thoughts. “There’s no time for reminiscing since they cut us off the New-U system – at least they were kind enough to tell us… Although it’s fair to say we haven’t used it in months”. Roland glanced at her profile from aside, as she was murmuring the last words merely to herself. They had indeed grown stronger since their victory over the Vault’s guardian, but the stronger Roland kept the faith in her, himself and basically everything – the more destructive could be the hopelessness that settled in his stomach now.
“I still… I feel weird about all of that since this morning. It’s…it’s different.” he said and let his gaze wander over the blood soaked patches of his battle suit.
“Shut up, Medi” She looked at him now. “These dirty bags of skagpiss will get the shock of their life when I’m ready with them. They better packed their rubber gloves if they want to lay a hand on me”, she warbled.
“I’m not talking about this New-U-thing. It’s not just that. Something is boiling under the surface and I can’t make out what it is. I see our fighters die all around the town. Their troops – they take out the movement like a pleague, overnight.”
“You- you’re not thinking about giving in, are you?” Lilith stared him dead in the eyes, hands laying in her lap. Her urge to dive back into the battle field seemed perished. “You’re not turning yourself in, not on my watch. This is what they want. Come on and try to call the rebels back, they’ll flick you off and crack the next box of ammo they can find. They’d rather die out there than capitulating, you know that. You know them.”
“It’s the same with either way, I know that. Hyperion won’t offer them a caribic vacation after they fought against their values.” He spat out the last word like a curse. “If they want to give their life for the rebellion, I cannot restrain them. I did my best to lead this movement the right way, but I’m not sure what that means anymore.”
“If you’re turning yourself in that’s sealing the death of you. And me. And everyone.”, Lilith leaned closer and the sarcasm was wiped out of her sight. There was something Roland barely got to see, and when he did, he felt something clench his heart.
“That is not my intention. And there is only one of those three that I can save.”
“Roland what are y-“
“It was easy in the past. You know? I was rebellious, all I wanted was to shove up the shit they taught you in the military the crimson’s asses. But now I am not fighting for myself anymore.” He reached out and took her hand, noticing her slightly shaking. “And if that’s the only thing I can d-“
“Oh shut your fucking mouth”, she shouted with gritted teeth. The corners of her eyes shimmered wet and against his expectations, she was not backing away but clutching his hand. "Could you stop being so fucking selfless for one fucking second. I’m the last person who’s gonna seek shelter somewhere while this planet is going down. I’d take every fuck-ass daredevil who thinks he can take over this town by myself if I have to. I’d-“
“No swearing on the battle field.”, Roland smiled but she cut him shot.
“Listen the fuck up, Roland. I’d rip my fucking guts out if it was for you, you hear me? Rip them out and shove them into Jack’s ugly face. I’m a rebel, Roland. I’m one of the movement and I’m as hard to stop as every fucking one of us combined.”
“It’s true that I can’t stop anyone to go under for the movement. The fighters are doing this for their dreams, family, for their vision of the future. I can’t ask them to stop. But I can-“
“shut the fuck up!-“
“-ask you to do it for me. I would not be able to live with putting you in danger – just for me. I am the most wanted man on Pandora, and you’re not helping yourself with staying at my side. They will hunt you down too.” Her grip on his hand began to ache slightly. She was not even trying to stop the tears from running down her face now.
“I’m your partner!”, she cried out. “I’m your fucking partner, you big dumbass-“ She clenched the fist of her other arm and began to beat his shoulder with every word, but Roland ignored that.
“I just want you to be save.”, he said quietly, brushing over the back of her hand.
“I hate you!”, Lilith whined now. “I’m not fucking leaving! I hate you…fuck…”
“You don’t. And that’s why … it’s time.” As well as he held his composure, his voice was slightly crackling now too. He could barely finish he sentence as a horn blared outside the town walls, followed by the roar of what sounded like a thousand engines.
“Fuck…”, she hissed again and leaned forward, letting her hair cover her face. “Asshole…”
“I love you too.” The corners of his lips curled upwards into the gentle smile he was used to give her in situations of stress. Well, stress was not quite the right word for what was happening now, he thought to himself and a soft ‘cling’ caught his attention. They both crouched down, their free arm covering their heads as the detonation made the ground shake.
“We don’t have much time if you want to make your way out of here unseen.”, he shouted over the noise of hundrets of voices cheering and chanting outside and they resembled the cries of wild animals that spotted their prey. “There is an ice canyon in the south from here. The way there is difficult to defeat, but that’s what you want. Hide there, be safe.”
“Don’t tell me what to do! I’m not gonna sit around in a hide out while you are being attacked here!”, Lilith retorted but quickly lost her little revolt over the shouts and cries of the bandits outside. Her eyes widened at the sound of it. “I mean what about you? They’re gonna tear you apart-“
“Go!!”, he shouted over the bullets raining all around them, not longer holding onto his pokerface. Despair was absorbing his expression. “Leave, now!! Listen to me one goddamn time!!”
As she opened her mouth to oppugn, he quickly pressed his lips on hers, locking her into an embrace, only for a moment before pushing her away from him. “Now go.”
She stepped back, catching a deep breath. The matter around her was concentrating and he let her hand slide out of his grip. “Fucking call me at least”, she muttered as her body began to dissolve into the phase. “I’m not into long distance relationships.”
“You bet.”, Roland mumbled.
And with that, she was gone.