Borderlands: Apex Predator

(Warning! Shields down)

(Warning! Shields down)

(Warning! Shields down)

Ignoring the warning messages from his ECHO, Maxwell felt his head throbbing as he clutched the wound, a warm stream of blood snaking down his face. It drew a bright red line across his forehead, covering his left eye, making depth perception difficult. With a tremendous effort, he stood up, his limbs protesting with a dull ache that echoed through his weakened body.

He turned his gaze to the entrance of the infirmary, or rather what was left of it. The structure lay in ruins, its once grey walls now covered in red—splattered with blood and viscera in a grotesque mural of the aftermath of the explosion.

Maxwell's breath failed him as he watched the scene, an icy fear seeping into his heart.

"Ben..." he muttered, the name stuck in his throat as he imagined his mate caught in the explosion.

With each heavy step toward the infirmary, his eyes traveled wildly over every inch of the scene. The sea in front of him was a chaotic tangle of debris and gentle waves caused by the explosion.

And then he saw Benjamin, floating among the wreckage, he seemed conscious as he was clinging to a board.

Maxwell's advance came to an abrupt halt as an imposing shadow emerged from the twisted wreckage of the infirmary entrance. His blood ran cold at the sight of the colossal figure, a monster he knew all too well.

"Tankenstein." he cursed softly, recognition shining in his eyes. This was one of the opponents he had hoped never to confront.

Standing over two meters tall, Tankenstein was a terrifying sight. His grey body was poorly stitched together in several places. Even its mouth was sealed by crude stitches, silencing any attempt at human speech. Instead, it emitted low, guttural grunts. Its eyes, devoid of iris or pupil, were milky spheres that regarded the world with inhuman coldness.

A massive bolt ran through his head from one side to the other. He wore only the torn remains of trousers that had seen better days, and a solitary boot adorned one foot while the other remained grotesquely exposed. His naked torso was marked by wounds caused by the thick iron chains that adorned it. The chains creaked and twitched with the monster's every move as if even they struggled to contain the brute strength Tankenstein possessed.

The monstrosity seemed to have heard his whisper, and with supernatural force, it ripped a yellow barrel from his back. The monster's veins pulsed and leaped fiercely, standing out against his grey skin as he pulled his arm back, preparing to throw the projectile.

Maxwell's hair stood on end, remembering the explosion that had happened a few moments ago. His shield had absorbed most of the impact and was now exhausted; if he took a direct hit it would be the end of him.

*Vhoooosh*

The sound of the barrel tearing through the air was the only noise in the room, and it flew straight at Maxwell, his eyes widening as the smell of death flooded his senses. But instead of retreating, he advanced as he realized the trajectory.

With an agile leap, he launched himself upwards, spinning his body in the air. Time seemed to drag on, each second stretching into eternity as he watched the barrel whizz by beneath him, so close he could touch it.

As he landed, Maxwell rolled along the ground, dissipating the force of his fall. But he took advantage of it to get to his feet, and his movements were well-executed thanks to his high level of dexterity.

*BOOOM*

The barrel's resounding explosion echoed across the beach, a violent shockwave that threw stone and sand in all directions. Maxwell felt the impact reverberate in his bones as a gale of debris whipped his hair and obscured his vision.

Tankenstein, realizing that his attack had failed, let out a menacing grunt. With heavy footsteps that made the earth tremble, the monster advanced toward Maxwell, determined to finish what he had started.

In a moment of rising panic, Maxwell's hands frantically searched his body for his trusty weapon, Glorious Havoc. His heart sank as the reality hit him like a punch in the gut; the previous explosion had knocked the weapon out of his grasp.

Abandoning his search for Glorious Havoc, his hands instinctively moved to the trusty P2016 at his waist. With the weapon in hand, he quickly positioned himself, aiming with lethal precision.

*Bang* *bang* *bang* *bang* *bang* *bang*

Maxwell focussed on Tankenstein's head. The shots cut through the air, sinking in and getting stuck in the monster's face. The sound of the shots was a rhythmic counterpoint to the monster's heavy march.

*Bang* *bang* *click* *click*

The sound of gunfire ceased abruptly, replaced by the telltale click of an empty magazine. Without wasting a second, Maxwell ejected the magazine, not bothering to put it away as he dropped it in the sand. With practiced movements, he inserted a new one, his finger a blur as he squeezed the trigger.

The Tankenstein, furious at the shots that were like irritating stings in his face, accelerated his advance. With a guttural roar, he raised his gigantic fist and launched it towards Maxwell with crushing force.

Maxwell, anticipating the telegraphed attack, rolled to the side at the last moment. Tankenstein's fist hit the ground where Maxwell had been standing seconds ago, the force of the impact creating a crater and throwing sand and debris into the air.

Taking advantage of the opening, Maxwell, still kneeling from the roll, resumed firing without hesitation. The bullets penetrated Tankenstein's back, each one sinking into the monster's grey, stitched flesh.

*ROOAR!!!*

"Damn it, I'm only provoking more anger in him!" Maxwell realized, as the P2016 in his hand shook. The projectiles barely penetrated Tankenstein's thick skin, seeming more to irritate him than to hurt him.

*Vhooosh*

With a sudden movement, Tankenstein spun around, his massive arm slicing through the air behind Maxwell. Anticipating the blow, Maxwell crouched down, feeling the wind of the arm pass over his head. He tried to back away, but a gigantic hand grabbed his foot.

"Oh shit!" 

As if he were a toy in the hands of a child, Tankenstein spun Maxwell round in the air and flung him away.

*Bam*

Maxwell collided with the log supporting the infirmary sign with such force that the wood cracked and broke under the impact. His body didn't stop there; it continued flying until it hit the infirmary's brick wall with a sickening thud, where it finally came to a halt.

"AH AAHH ARGH! *Cof* *cof* *cof*" The air was expelled from Maxwell's lungs in a violent cough. A metallic taste filled his mouth as he spat out blood and a piece of something, he fervently hoped it wasn't anything vital.

Maxwell's conscience heaved, fighting against the darkness that threatened to engulf him. His eyes blinked stubbornly; he knew he wouldn't wake up again if he closed them. An intense itch invaded his body - the nanites were working desperately to repair it, but it would take time.

When he felt a cold twinge, Maxwell's sleepy eyes widened. Lowering his head, he saw a syringe piercing his chest. Focusing on his gaze, he recognized Benjamin beside him.

"Was I long?" Benjamin emerged, panting, his uniform stained with the bright red of blood.

"Look what I found at the bottom of the water."

Benjamin places Glorious Havoc next to Maxwell, who immediately recognizes it. His body acts instinctively when he sees his only hope of getting out of the confrontation alive and he grabs it firmly, cocking it and aiming, where Tankenstein was already diving.

"HA AHAHAH HAHAH!." Throwing away all discipline, Maxwell pulls the trigger and holds it tight, his maniacal laughter quickly being silenced by the roar of gunfire.

*BBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*

Glorious Havoc spat out bullet casings in a frenzy, which fell to the ground like rain. The powerful projectiles tore Tankenstein apart, quickly dismantling the abomination into an unrecognizable mass of burnt flesh.

*TIK* *TIK* *TIK*

The gun emptied, but Maxwell's finger remained frozen on the trigger. Benjamin intervened, removing the gun from Maxwell's trembling hands.

"You know, that thing died in the first few shots," Benjamin sighed, standing up with an effort and limping towards the infirmary in search of medical supplies.

Maxwell leaned his head against the cold, damp wall, indifferent to the moss that clung to his hair. He closed his eyes briefly, feeling the nanites working efficiently in his body.

"I just wanted to make sure," muttered Maxwell, more to himself than to anyone else.

…

"Hey, Max, I found an ECHO recorder." Benjamin announced as he returned, some bandages covering his body. In his hand was a device that resembled an ECHO.

ECHO recorders are portable audio recording devices with various controls visible on the unit, they have a more compact design than an ECHO. In the game, they served lore and mission delivery purposes.

"Should b— ughhh ahh." Maxwell stood up quickly but froze as his spine ached like a bitch. Breathing deeply, Maxwell speaks between painful breaths, a suspicion forming in his mind about Ned's whereabouts. "It must be some recording that Dr Ned left. Come on, what are you waiting for? Switch it on!" 

Pressing the button to start the recording, they both fall silent when Dr Ned's supposedly static-laden voice sounds from the device.

("I think someone must have arrived on the island; yesterday I could have sworn I saw some figures on the beach and today I woke up startled by the sounds of gunfire. It's not the first time I've heard these sounds; I remember the turrets left in the workers' apartment complex to defend the place. I'll be heading back to my house at Hallow's End, as I'm afraid these new visitors won't be prudent and could disrupt my plans.")

The recording stopped abruptly, leaving the serene sound of the sea waves.

"Let's go to Hallow's End."

"Why do you want to go after this Dr Ned, Max, we almost died here and we don't even know if this Ned knows how to get out of here, maybe he's in the same situation as us."

"We already have a way out. Claptrap said there was a Fast Travel on the island, I sent him to check it was working."

"Fast Travel, what are you talking about? The Fast Travel Network on Pandora was disabled by the bandit Mad Mel, Atlas was going to send soldiers to re-establish the connections later." Benjamin's eyebrows jumped, and his friend was hiding information. "If you knew there was a way out, why do you still want to go after Ned?"

"..." Maxwell's face wrinkled, he had forgotten that point.

"*Sigh*" Maxwell gives up wanting to keep secrets and speaks his mind. "I'll be honest with you, Ben. I want samples of the virus, I have plans to sell them to some company."

"Are you mad? Can you imagine a virus like that loose in the Metroplex?" Benjamin's incredulity quickly turned to fury and he punched Maxwell in the face.

[END: 42>43]

Maxwell remained motionless, accepting the blow as a deserved judgment. Deep down he knew he was being selfish and greedy. He could still destroy the samples and complete the second mission, but he wouldn't make any money from it.

"If it's money you need, I can lend it to you. You don't have to risk your life for it." He shook his hand with a grimace; punching Maxwell was like hitting concrete.

"No need, I'll have to stick to my original plan. " Maxwell tried not to laugh at Benjamin, his status was finally reaching the limit, but it would be foolish to increase his G in such a hostile environment. "It'll be more work, but it'll earn me a quick buck, maybe even a hot girlfriend..."

"Now, let's go to Hallow's End."

"MAX!"

"Wow wow don't hit me!" Maxwell raised his hands in surrender. "Let's destroy the samples and talk to Ned. We need to make sure no one uses the virus and find another way out of here."

Benjamin's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Come on, Ben. Do you REALLY think I'd do something so insane?"

"Yes," Benjamin replied dryly. "Changing your mind that quickly is suspicious."

"Ooof!" Maxwell dramatically clutches his heart. "Betrayal! I thought we were brothers, I was already including you in my plan for galactic domination."

"Galactic domination?!?!"

"Nah, my bad, I meant galactic karaoke supremacy."

"Let's go after Ned, you're starting to get delirious."

"Good idea."