New Perspective ~ A Handsome Jack x Reader Story

Chapter One ~ A Desperate Fight on Helios (REVISED)

        Of all the places you would expect to find yourself, Helios was not one of them.

        Sure, as a vault hunter, you figured at one point or another the other vault hunters would hatch a plan that would be risky and, for lack of a better word, ballsy. However, you never expected them to suggest going to Helios to face Hyperion - face Handsome Jack - on the enemy turf. It just never seemed like the day would come.

        To be more specific, Scooter offhandedly suggested the plan. He was downing a beer at the time, slouching in Moxxi's with a couple others. To him, it was a joke about taking on a suicide mission. Barging into their space station, running in guns blazing on their floor. We would be utterly disadvantaged. As said, Scooter saw this as a suicide mission - he joked about it because he didn't take it seriously. Lilith, who overheard Scooter, did not share the same thought. She thought, with her ballsy attitude (there's that word again), that it would be a brilliant way to catch Hyperion off-guard and possibly get the upper hand in this war that they were so horribly losing. And she was probably right; if only word hadn't gotten to Hyperion about it before you all attacked.

        Though still, Lilith was determined. But she was also blinded by hatred and grief. Granted, the majority of the team was. About a day or so before Scooter's joke, they had infiltrated Control Core Angel. Everything had been successful. They pushed through Hyperion's countless boundaries, fought through wave after wave of loaders and guards. They bypassed the security check and found Angel. Though, that's where things took a turn for the worst.

        Not only was she a siren, but she was also Handsome Jack's daughter, both facts that none of you had known beforehand. Thankfully, you weren't with the main group that had to fight inside of the fortress. You're a skilled soldier, though you haven't anything particularly special about you. It's a fact that was difficult to handle when you first arrived at Sanctuary, though you found it meant a lot of the firepower wasn't directed towards you. You weren't a priority to the enemy, and that made it easier for you to take them out while they focused on eyesores such as a siren or a mysterious assassin. So, you stayed hidden during the mission, taking enemies out from advantaged heights with Mordecai. Yet, once the vault hunters entered Control Core Angel, there was nothing for you to do. And, coincidentally, that is exactly when things went haywire.

        She was young. Too young to die. It had to happen, but that doesn't stop that stinging pit from growing in your stomach every time you think about it. You hadn't even been in the fight, but you did hear it. Through the ECHO devices of the other vault hunters, you could hear Angel's persistent encouragement, as well as Jack's desperate pleas. You could hear Angel's final words. You could hear the gunshot that killed Roland.

        From what you were told, Lilith had tried to charge at Jack. But the others stopped her, kept her from making a dumb decision that would just put all of you in a worse situation. Reluctantly, Lilith phased everyone out of there, including herself. The mission had failed, the key wasn't retrieved, and worst of all, the leader of the Crimson Raiders had died.

        And so, thanks to a drunken comment from Scooter, you stood on Helios with your fellow vault hunters beside you, face to face with the most dangerous and lethal Hyperion weapons and soldiers that they could throw. Grief fueled hatred which fueled stupid ideas.

        And you were fighting. God, were you fighting. Fighting tooth and nail to get through the loader bots and turrets and all the other gadgets that were setup to obliterate you and your friends. There were grenades flying left and right, bullets firing every 0.001 second. That's all you could contribute, as well. Bullets, grenades, a jab every so often to the robot nearest to you. Even though that's all you could give, you still gave it your all.

        You charged ahead and hid behind a piece of debris, Tiny Tina not far behind you. You've learned not to worry about Tina, despite your very first impression of her - that she was just a kid. This was quickly replaced about ten seconds after meeting her by your second impression of her - that she's a fucking psycho kid that can kick ass, regardless of her age and height. With her backing you up, you ran further ahead, shooting your way through hallways and loader bots, explosions following you thanks to Tina.

        You kept running, almost aimlessly, simply trying to distract the bots from your friends, buying them time to get further inside to Jack. That's where you assumed he was, at least; you didn't exactly know. Every time he spoke to you through your ECHO, you always pictured him swiveling back and forth in his office chair, tossing darts at a mini dart board. He sounded condescending, superior, like he couldn't give a rat's ass if you threatened to kill him and everyone he's ever loved. In fact, you're pretty certain that he wouldn't even care. So in return, you wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that you cared, either. Maybe that's what pushed you to run through the halls haphazardly, shooting whatever robot you see in front of you. Making one last dash through the hall, you jumped behind a few boxes to block incoming bullets. Tina did a good job of clearing the way, giving you the opportunity to sprint further down the hall.

        As you round a corner, you collide with a figure running the opposite direction. The both of you stumble, though you're quick to recover and aim your pistol at the stranger. You watch as the obstacle tumbles to the ground, letting out a harsh 'oomph.' Though, instantly, he raises his arms in front of him, turning his head away in fear. After a moment of breathing, your eyes scan over the man. He was just an employee.

        "Please don't shoot!" He whimpers, trying to kick his feet at the ground to scoot away from you. He looked horrified, an expression that stung you for some reason. With a heavy sigh, you lower your gun.

        "Get the hell out of here," you huff out, shoving your gun back into your holster. The man's brows quirk a little, but then he stumbled up to stand and took off. Your eyes lingered on the man as he ran away, rounding a corner out of sight. Even though he was Hyperion, he was only an employee. You weren't here to mindlessly slaughter - if you could spare anyone who didn't do anything wrong, who were just trying to earn a wage, then you would.

        Though, your passiveness quickly turns to regret once something harshly smacks you in the back of the head. A grunt slipped past your lips as you fell to your knees, your head aching from the sudden surprise attack. As swiftly as you could, your hand grabbed your gun from its holster. Just before you twist around, a foot digs itself into your back, shoving you flat onto the ground. Your gun clatters on the ground beside your body as the wind is knocked out of you, a spinning sensation overtaking your senses.

        "So, you bandits really had the balls to try and infiltrate MY space station?" Footsteps sound as they walk to your side, then the foot collides with your torso. The force of the kick pushes you onto your back, an aching pain on the back of your head. The voice cackles, and that's when you realize how far you had run into the Hyperion station. Far enough to end up near Handsome Jack's office. A figure of a man loomed over your body, and through your blurred vision from the smack on the back of your head, you saw a masked man smile at you with a rifle resting on his shoulder. "How's that working out for you, sweetheart?" Jack smirked down at you.

        What luck you have.