New Perspective ~ A Handsome Jack x Reader Story

Chapter Ten ~ An Unpleasant Encounter

          This chapter's writing will be a bit wonky, just so you know! It's still second person, though the story is told as if in third person. Enjoy! ~rose

          "Shit..." Jack grumbled as he held you close in his arms, trudging himself across the Dust. Making sure to be gentle, he shifted you in his arms so that he could see the left side of your body - more specifically, the arm that was pummeled with bullets. He winced at the sight, as it looked as though your nerves and muscles were barely keeping together. 

          "It's alright..." Jack muttered, shifting you back into a comfortable position as he gazed ahead, spotting Ellie's Garage in the distance. "We just need to get to the fast travel station... then I can bring you to Sanctuary and to safety.." His feet dragged across the cracked land as sweat trickled down his brow, the heat proving to be too much. The Pandoran sun beat down on Jack, leaving him feeling exhausted - sweat beads forming at his forehead. "Holy fuck, it's hot..." Jack pouted, lifting you up closer to him in his grasp as he attempted to walk faster. However, he froze when a cool steel blade poked him in the middle of his back.

          "Found you," a mysterious and metallic voice whispered from behind him. Feeling himself tense up, Jack slowly turned around to face the lanky assassin. A blade to his throat, he gulped nervously as he found himself face to face with the vault hunter Zero.  

          "My boss wants you dead / I might as well kill you now / Save her the trouble," Zero droned, his blade resting beside Jack's neck, right on top of his right shoulder.

          "W-Wait! I know you want me dead, figured that much.." Jack responded, "but could I ask for a raincheck?" Following his sentence, Jack leaned over cautiously to show Zero your limp body. Zero tilted his head to look, staying still - his blade still resting on Jack's shoulder. It sent shivers down Jack's spine. Eventually, Zero lifted his blade and sheathed it, standing normally. He then slowly lifted his head, aiming it toward Jack. Slipping his hand to the handle of his blade, he spoke. 

          "Curious, they're here / Yet, everyone thought they died / Fate was kind to them," He spoke softly, shifting his hand to now tightly grip the blade's handle. "They look badly hurt / You have blood on your clothes, too / Did you hurt them, dick?"  

          Taken aback slightly at the name calling, Jack shook his head with a scowl. "What? No! I didn't do this to them! Some bandit bastards ambushed us and shot their arm to bits. I killed them... but not in time to stop this from happening," Jack began to speak softer, lowering his gaze to your sleeping body. "I was going to take them to Sanctuary - that's where we were headed. Maybe they could heal there..-" Zero stood quietly, listening to Jack speak. Bringing his head back down, he stepped closer to your body. Lightly, he lifted your injured arm, as if examining the bullet wounds. 

          "These wounds won't heal quick / None of Zed's meds will help them / Take them to a lab," Zero breathed, lowering your arm back onto your side gently. He then stepped back, crossing his arms with thought. 

        "A lab?" Jack asked, studying Zero carefully. He then thought to himself, recalling a discrete R&D sub-lab located on Pandora. "There's one that's probably still got Hyperion scientists holed up there - they probably don't even know about what happened.." Jack muttered to himself. He jumped back, however, when Zero poked the black back with the end of his blade.

          "Give me your jacket / I will bring it back as proof / That the job is done," Zero ordered, extending his four-fingered hand out for Jack to put his jacket in. Hesitating for a second, Jack begrudgingly pulled out his iconic jacket from the bag. Slowly, he handed it over to Zero, still keeping you tight in his arms. 

          "Don't go around getting it roughed up, alright?" Jack told him with a glower, hating to hand away his precious belongings. Zero laid it over his shoulder, glancing back at Jack with annoyance. Then, in a blink of an eye, his blade was beside Jack's neck again.

          "The only reason / You are still alive right now / is that they trust you," Zero's monotonic voice threatened, causing Jack to tense up and stand stiffly. After a long few seconds, Zero sheathed his blade once more, looking to the side. "I will be watching / if you try to pull something / your death will be slow." Jack leaned back from him, fidgeting slightly with you in his arms. 

          Then, without another word, Zero sheathed his blade and turned around. He began to walk away, taking out a pistol and keeping it ready at his hands. Though, Jack felt uneasy. His eyes were locked on Zero as he grew farther away. In a moment of desperation, Jack suddenly shouted out in hopes that Zero would hear him. "Who sent you?!" He called out, cupping one side of his mouth as to make his sound louder. 

          This made Zero pause. His head turned slightly to look back at Jack. Although in a soft tone, Jack was just able to hear what he said. 

          "Lilith."

          And then he was gone.

        Sorry this chapter is so short and took a long time to post! I've been busy and distracted... haven't gotten around to publishing! But here it is... I'll try to continue the momentum I got going on and post a new chapter soon! ~rose