Truth, Trust and Answers

Sanctuary III rumbles as the engines fire, the heavy groan of metal and atmospheric thrusters pulsing. Pandora’s slipping away below; red dust, broken sky, blood-soaked memories shrinking into a fading scar.

Inside?

It’s quiet.

Warm.

Wrapped in a tangle of blankets and limbs, Lilith’s body curled against mine, heat radiating off her skin like a banked furnace finally allowed to rest. The battle, the tension, the adrenaline; it’s all melted away, replaced by the rarest thing in the galaxy… peace.

She knows there’s a thousand things I’m not telling her.

The how. The why. That I knew the Twins were coming. That I turned the battlefield into my personal scrapyard circus. That I’ve seen her die before; in another version of this story, another loop she never lived.

But she doesn’t push.

Not tonight.

Their major threat? Gone; ashes on the wind.

Her breathing slows, softens. Eyes fluttering shut, lashes dark against flushed cheeks.

A distress call from Promethea, the next shitstorm is coming; Atlas, Maliwan, the remnants of the cult, whatever fresh hell the universe decides to throw next. But for now… she deserves this. Real sleep. The kind she hasn’t had since stepping off that first bus, chasing Vaults, dragging the weight of the Crimson Raiders on her shoulders like it was hers alone to carry.

She drifts off, steady, safe; chest rising and falling against mine, one arm draped possessively across my ribs, fingers curled like she’s still holding on even in sleep.

I lie there a long moment; listening to her breathe, feeling the thump of her heart against my side. I slip out from under the covers, bare feet touching the cold floor. The loss of her warmth hits harder than it should.

With a thought - fshhhk- the pile of clothes and armor liquifies beside the bed, metal and woven fabrics, crawling back onto me like liquid. In seconds, I’m dressed, armored, weapons humming quietly at my sides. Companion Recall interface ready at a twitch of my finger.

I pull the door open silently. Step into the cool corridor.

CashCrab clicks up beside me, climbing onto my wrist, coo’ing. Her screen flashes bright as she deposits the full haul into my wallet and inventory.

Credits: More zeroes than I’ve ever seen.

Iridium: Stockpile worthy of a Siren shrine.

Legendaries: Too many to list. Sort later.

Rare Mods: New toys acquired.

I smirk, “Good girl.”

Sanctuary III hums as I walk the hallway, boots clanking quietly. Refugees are settled; murmurs behind bulkheads, soft crying, exhausted relief. Crew’s working; quiet orders, the clank of tools, the low buzz of repairs. The galaxy? Still a mess.

But my room’s waiting.

Time to see what they left me…

I pivot toward my bunker, ready to sift through loot, but I barely make it five steps before Mordecai and Brick block my path. The look they’re wearing?

Not the usual “we caught you being a sarcastic prick” look.

This one’s… protective. Heavy. Serious.

The barrel pointed at my head tells me so; Mordecai’s revolver steady, hammer already back, finger hovering over the trigger. Brick’s massive fists clenched, knuckles white; he’s not even breathing hard, just coiled, ready to turn me into paste if I twitch wrong.

“How did you know they were coming?” Mordecai asks, voice low, edged with something raw; betrayal, fear, the kind of hurt that cuts deeper than bullets.

Brick flexes, body coiled. “Yeah. You were too ready. Too perfect. What’s the play?”

I raise my hands defensively; slow, palms out. They’re not wrong to be suspicious, I am the “new guy”. But it stings more than I expected, sharp and cold in my chest.

“Gentlemen-”

Mordecai’s voice cracks; just a hair. “No bullshit. You a cultist? A CoV psychopath looking to take the twins’ place?” His hand trembles, barely. “They ignore you? Not listen to you?”

Another hammer cocks behind me. I turn my head just enough; Lilith stands there, one arm holding a blunderbuss pistol with a Firehawk emblazoned on the handle, the other clutching a sheet wrapped around her naked form like armor. The gun isn’t pointed at me. It’s pointed at Mordecai.

A shotgun racks; Ellie’s; steady on Brick’s groin.

“What kinda Wild West roleplay is this?” Ellie asks, eyebrow arched, voice dry as desert wind.

Lilith’s tone cuts sharper; quiet, lethal. “Put your goddamn gun down.”

“As much as I don’t like Ellie’s shotgun pointed at my bits and pieces,” Brick grumbles, “Mordi’s asking the right questions.”

“Ain’t you wondering how he was so prepared?” Mordecai yells. “How he knew these bastards were coming? How he just… knew?”

“Sure, I’m curious,” Lilith says, never taking her eyes off me, barrel still trained on Mordecai. “But I trust him. And that should be enough. If he wants to tell us something, he will when he’s ready.”

Silence stretches; thick, heavy, the kind that presses on your ribs.

I look at everyone. Slowly lower my hands.

“I was ready for them,” I say, not quite lying, “…because I’ve seen it before.”

They’re staring at me now, tucked away from the crew on a small corridor. Leaning on crates, on the floor, weapons set aside but still close. Eyes wide, jaws slack. Even Lilith looks a little shook, sheet still clutched tight, hair wild from earlier, listening like she’s hearing a ghost story she half-believes.

I leave out that they’re game sprites, but I give them the bullet points.

How the Twins were gonna siphon Lilith’s powers; rip the Siren fire right out of her chest while she screamed.

How Maya would fall, gone too soon. Even how Tannis was going to become a Siren herself, power she never asked for, thrust upon her in blood with a gap in the universe. I wonder for a moment, that Now that the twins are gone… that may be sooner than initially… Ava’s herself could come sooner than later.

“Jesus,” Mordecai breathes, hand shaking as he runs it through his hair.

Brick nods slowly; once, twice; like the weight of it just landed on his shoulders. “Alla-that?.”

“More…” I tell them, it wasn’t an easy battle.

It’s silent for a long beat… as they take in just what I prevented. The lives. The grief. The futures that would’ve ended in fire and ash.

Then - “We don’t say anything to them; Maya and Tannis,” Lilith says, voice firm but quiet, like she’s speaking to herself as much as us. “They’re already dealing with so much. The twins’ defeat changes things, and taking them out saved lives. There’s still people out there we need to help. Joe’s here to help, so we back his plays.”

They nod; slow, solemn, the kind of agreement that feels like a blood oath. Mordecai offers a hand, “No hard feelings?” I grin, taking it and shaking it.

Lilith rises, still wrapped in her sheet. “Now if you’ll excuse me… I need some rest.” She smiles at me; small, satisfied, eyes glinting with something soft and wicked all at once. “This killer nearly split me in half.”

Brick and Mordecai groan in unison; half-exasperated, half-relieved.

Ellie lets out a loud, barking laugh that echoes down the corridor.

“Split in half?” she repeats, wiping a grease-streaked hand across her eyes like she’s tearing up from pure glee. “Girl, it sounds like he’s runnin’ a goddamn demolition derby down there!”

She slaps her thigh, still cackling, then points a greasy finger at Lilith’s retreating sheet-wrapped form.

“Rest up, Firehawk! You’re gonna need it if he’s plannin’ round two!”

Lilith throws a smirk over her shoulder without breaking stride; before disappearing around the corner.

Ellie shakes her head, still grinning wide enough to show teeth, muttering to herself as she heads back to her garage.

“Split in half… shit, that’s a riot. I like this guy.”

“We had that coming,” Mordecai mutters, he and Brick heading toward Moxxi’s bar; shoulders slumped, knuckles dragging like a defeated pet, the big man muttering something about needing a drink strong enough to erase brain cells.

But me… my room is just up ahead.

Time to check my haul.

Time to prep for Promethea.

And time to figure out how deep this rabbit hole of fate-bending can go…