After the Vault

Almost A Confession

She could practically sense the smug satisfaction oozing out of every pore as the man that was not Jack explained himself quickly, stumbling over his words in a way the real Handsome Jack never would. Detailing his exploits on Elpis, the rapid decline of Jack into Handsome Jack and how he had narrowly escaped being branded in the same fashion as the man who had singlehandedly ruined Pandora.

As it turned out, Timothy Lawrence was Rhys' ad man, in charge of promotional material for the newfound Atlas. He spoke too quickly at times and seemed much too eager to please, but overall he seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders. Well, a bit more stable then Jack's at least.

She could have gone without the countless thank yous though when he realized she had helped get him back to Kratos. Felt strange receiving gratitude from someone like him, so alike to Jack in appearance yet possessing none of the personality.

She also could have done without the way Timothy looked at her when Rhys mentioned she was a "good friend" of his, his eyes widening before he flushed considerably and apologized for trying to burst into his office earlier. Fiona bristled at the implication as Tim placed the photos on Rhys' desk and slipped out, reminding him about the meeting happening the following week.

"Well?" Rhys asked with a small grin and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine. He's not Jack, I get it," Fiona replied with a sigh. "Could have done with some fair warning though. Nearly made me shoot him in the face..."

Fiona looked up at him in curiosity.

"Why do you have Handsome Jack's former body double working for you anyways?" Fiona asked with interest as she leaned back in the office chair. "Aren't people a little bit unsettled seeing him wandering around considering...well, considering Jack?"

Rhys sighed a little.

"I owe him my life," Rhys confessed as he crossed his arms. "He found me collapsed outside the Atlas facility. As it turned out he'd been hiding out there until he could get himself enough money to leave Pandora, and he found me one morning just passed out in the dirt. He patched me up, sent me on my way and told me to keep safe."

Rhys chuckled a little.

"So I went back and asked him if he wanted a job in the new Atlas. Found him standing there with the mask off and I...err, I reacted extremely calmly to the fact he looked like Handsome Jack..."

"You screamed, didn't you?" Fiona asked with a smirk and he chuckled.

"Like a small child," he confessed with a small wink, the action for some reason causing a warmth to flood down her body that...wasn't entirely unpleasant for the most part.

"We eventually sorted things out, I gave him the job, promised him the chance to work in an office after the chaos he'd gone through and well, as it turned out the Creative Writing degree came in handy. The rest is history I guess," he continued as he shrugged. "Besides, he keeps himself locked in his office ninety per cent of the time, no one ever really sees him. They've nicknamed him Tim the Ghost, cause, you know, no one's quite sure if he really exists."

Rhys leaned in conspiratorially with a smirk.

"I think they sometimes wonder the same thing about me."

She snorted a little.

"Yeah, you definitely blend in Mr. President with your gaudy black suit, chrome arm and golden eye. So certain people overlook you..." she replied and he frowned a little.

"It's not...gaudy..." he replied, sounding for a moment less like a...Christ, he must be in his forties now...well, less like that and more like a petulant young man.