A Little Bit Dangerous

They Were All In Love (With Dying)

  Everybody knows the character of one Handsome Jack. Suave, handsome, ruthless. Mismatched eyes, a masked face, a cruel sense of humor, and hatred for "bandits".
  You knew this man particularly well. Jack never enraptured you like some of your other friends, but his story was interesting and as an employee of his, it served you well to know his history. 'Course, you never had the opportunity to actually meet him, which may or may not serve in your favor. He was known to have a happy trigger finger, after all.

  Sitting at your desk, you swept through different blueprints for new weapons designed by Hyperion -- this was your job. You were more advanced in your weapons knowledge, which ended up being both a blessing and a curse; people relied on you to fix what was wrong and give the final say on what needed to be done. While your reputation was built on this, you also struggled to keep up with the weight of it sometimes. Too many requests, never enough time. Such is the life of someone in your position, you supposed; you get paid to do this, after all. Making small marks here and there with a little pen that allowed you to sketch across the holograms, you made little notes and changes to the designs that were brought forth, before sending them off to the team that needed to see the changes. Your job was easier than some, but exhausting, which really made the lunch bell so much more of a pleasant sound than anyone openly gave it credit for. Temporarily turning off your computer, you stood, gathering a small, insulated bag to make your way to the cafeteria. It didn't take long for you to spot your best friend, Jax, who excitedly motioned for you to sit beside him at an otherwise empty table. Making your way over, you couldn't help but smile at the lovable goofball you called your friend and dare you to say, brother. He was always a little more on the cryptic side, but his brain always intrigued you. The guy was brilliant, and honestly one of many reasons the two of you got along so well.
  Jax hardly waited for you to even sit before launching into a story. "Yo, (Y/n)! You'll never guess what happened today!" Is how this always started, which was typically followed by some wild story about somebody he saw that he found particularly attractive, or somebody died, or something happened with one of the higher-ups. You loved Hyperion, but everyone is a little too excited to stab or shoot someone else if it meant climbing the status ladder. Such is life, you suppose.
Jax's story barely kept your attention -- today it was about a boy with pretty features. Romance never really held your attention; it was just something you never found interest in. You've had a few partners here and there, but nothing serious. You were more involved in your work and always trying to better yourself.
"(Y/n)."
You were lost in thought, unaware of the story having ended.
"(Y/n)!" Jax's voice cut through your thoughts, snapping your attention back to him. "You okay? You're a little more spacey than usual today, dude."
Shaking your head, you chuckle. "Sorry. Work has me kind of messed up."
"Work, huh? How's the weapons thing going?"
"Fine, but... Everyone's kind of an idiot. Nobody knows how to do things right on their own." You shake your head, opening your lunch to begin chowing down on some fruit.
"Why would they when they have you?" He playfully jabs at your arm, causing you to chuckle as you briefly leaned away to evade his elbow.
"Well, Jax, I dunno. I'm not always gonna be around here forever. Someone has to learn how to think for themselves."
He shakes his head, chuckling himself. "Sure, bud. We're all robots to someone.
...
Speaking of, how's that little side project going?"
Ah, yes, your little side project. Besides weapons knowledge, you considered yourself a decently skilled hacker -- but you realize you could definitely brush up on your skills, so that's what you've been doing. It started with little things and every day you were challenging yourself to do better. A loader bot was on your list today, a bit more challenging as it aligned with Hyperion's databases, which held a pretty unique firewall for... Obvious reasons.
"Good, good. Haven't attempted today's challenge yet, mostly because I don't want to get caught on the clock."
"Smart. Hey, try hacking into my ECHO." He tapped the side of his head, clearly motioning towards his eye implant.
Grinning to yourself, you bite a solid chunk out of your sandwich and pull your wrist up, tapping on a small holographic keyboard that popped up. Your fingers danced across the blue, digital keys as they worked quickly to break through the layers of code and eventually security.
Seconds became minutes, but sooner rather than later, you were displaying an image through his now glowing eye, something only he could see. Delighted, his face broke into a smile, before he began to laugh at what was an inside joke of meme form.
You closed it so he could have his sight fully back, covering your tracks as you backed out of the device lodged in his eye socket.
"I'm impressed! It only took you a few minutes this time," he praised, impressed that your skills were sharpening. You beamed proudly at your friend, taking another celebratory bite or two of the sandwich you've barely touched. Letting your arm fall back to your side, the two of you finished lunch as normal.

-----

Settling back at your desk, you turned your computer on again, the holographic screen flickering to life and giving you your usual home feed. You saw a new email from your boss and decidedly opened it.
While your boss wasn't around you very often, she was one of your better friends and coworkers. She treated you with respect and was arguably more fond of you given that you were never late and carried an excellent work ethic -- something not many of your coworkers had, according to her. The email was simple, asking you to stop by her office when you had the chance.
Getting up, you made your way over to the glass-walled room she resided in and rasped on the door. It only took a few moments before the sounds of the lock mechanism unlocking rang out, allowing you to push the door open carefully.
Your boss smiled politely at you as you walked in. "Ah, (Y/n)! Come in!"
Timidly, you closed the door behind you and settled at a seat in front of her desk. "I'm glad to see you here. I have some exciting news for you," she begins, her eyes falling on your face. "It's come to my attention that someone in a much higher position than mine has seen some of your work with coding and considers you particularly impressive," she pulled a folded letter out of her desk, sliding it across the glass top towards you. "So much so, that you're getting a promotion."
A--
A promotion?! Many thoughts began to flow through your mind, wracking against your brain. You were confused, surprised, and ultimately a weird mix between happy and sad. You unfolded the piece of paper, your eyes glazing over it as it confirmed everything your boss said.
"Handsome Jack himself has requested your presence first thing tomorrow morning -- Seven A.M. sharp. As for the rest of your day today, pack up your desk. I know there isn't much time left anyway, but still."
Your mind was still reeling with all of this new information. A promotion? Handsome Jack--
"I, I simply can't accept this. Surely it's some kind of mistake," you offered without much confidence. "It can't be me."
"Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, it is. He chose you, and I would advise against letting him down. The last person who did that, well..." She made a sort of gesture towards the window that sat behind her, jabbing her thumb at it to confirm your biggest fears. Airlocked, it would seem.
Sighing, you nodded, treating this less like a promotion and more of a death sentence.
"Thank you, ma'am. It's been a pleasure to work with you."
"The feeling is mutual, but before you go..."
You had stood, turning to leave, but paused, glancing back to her.
"Be careful up there, yeah? You're too talented to go to waste."
Nodding in affirmation, you gave her a brief, small smile before exiting the office.
Sighing, you begin your walk back to your desk, still somewhat in shock.

Why me?