Borderlands: Apex Predator

Maxwell followed Moxxi until they reached a lounge, a fairly cold room bathed in a red neon glow. A large heart-shaped bed lay behind a desk cluttered with paperwork and cigarette butts. Vintage weapons hung on the walls, and rows of liquor bottles lined what seemed to be a small private bar, leaving no doubt that this was Moxxi's private sanctuary.

Maxwell couldn't resist whistling in admiration. Damn, now this was a VIP room, he almost forgot he was on Pandora and not back on Promethea.

"Don't mind the mess, I don't usually have guests." She turned to him, pointing her thin finger at one of the plush couches. "Take a seat, sugar. Would you like a drink?"

"Do you have any juice? I'm kind of tired of alcohol." Maxwell asked as he settled in, placing his pilot helmet on a nearby table.

"It's a bit expensive, but I've got some. The soil in Pandora is pretty depleted, so it's more common to have an excess of alcoholic drinks than fruit."

Moxxi poured two glasses of lemon juice with ice cubes, swirling the liquid before handing one to him and taking one herself.

"Thanks. Since I left Promethea, I haven't had much of a balanced diet." Maxwell downed the glass, resisting the urge to make a face at the sour taste.

"Promethea? What crime did you commit to end up in this hole? I don't see anyone coming to Pandora willingly."

"Besides being criminally irresistible and handsome, I haven't done anything illegal in the eyes of planetary law." Maxwell winked innocently at Moxxi, holding his glass out for a refill. "I came because I saw an opportunity."

"Opportunity, you say?" Moxxi encouraged him to continue, refilling his glass.

"Nothing too exaggerated. I just want to establish my own corporation. I wanted to start with a few business operations, buy some stocks, and build a private army." Maxwell summarized his plan, omitting several details to keep Moxxi from discovering his undertakings.

"I was making some quick money to hire a few employees and... forgive me for bringing this up, but it caught my attention." Maxwell paused, looking at Moxxi for a response.

Moxxi nodded, sipping her juice silently. She knew exactly what "topic" he was referring to.

The topic was the joke Moxxi had made earlier. Maxwell understood it to be an alternate version of the McGregor joke, where Moxxi took the man's place. In the joke, a man built bars, churches, and walls, but was never recognized for it, until the day he slept with a goat, and everyone in town called him McGregor, the goat-fucker.

"You know, I couldn't help but remember that you mentioned designing and building the Outrunner. I'd like to know if you're some kind of mechanic."

For a brief moment, Moxxi froze. She was brought back to herself when she felt the cold liquid trickle down her collarbone. She realized she'd spilled the proverbial beans…or lemon. It wasn't common for anyone to associate her with something beyond her reputation as the Underdome queen and a cheap bitch.

She sighed resignedly, wiping away the juice that had dripped on her. "You're right. I'm a general engineer… I enjoy tinkering with all sorts of technology. Sometimes, I even prefer a good project over a crowded party."

Maxwell raised an eyebrow, finishing his juice and setting the glass down on the table, satisfied. "I didn't think the queen of the Underdome was also an engineer who gets her hands dirty."

"Oh, honey, I'm many things. And if what you saw out there caught your eye, know that I can do much more." She paused, setting the jar aside "So, let's stop beating around the bush and get to the main point. Now that you've won the challenge and have a right to whatever you want, are you interested in my services? I can create, modify, upgrade... whatever you need, just ask."

"I won't lie, I'd love for you to work for me," Maxwell shook his head, a light smile appearing on his lips. "But above all, I value the trust of those around me."

He was speaking to the woman who had sabotaged a planetary weapon simply because she'd been betrayed by Jack. He knew he'd have to take more drastic measures to bring her over to his side.

"I won't waste my wish on something as trivial as forcing someone to work for me." His eyes swept over Moxxi from head to toe. "I have a better idea in mind…"

Moxxi felt an unexpected pang of disappointment. The light in her eyes dimmed for a moment, and she sighed internally. Just when she thought Maxwell was different from the others, he seemed inclined to have the same intentions as those who had hurt her.

Not that she could blame him. With her frivolous attitude, provocative clothes, and a body designed to arouse any man's desire, it would almost be strange if he didn't want to take a "bite" out of the juicy and ripe Moxxi.

Without hesitation, her hands went to her back, ready to undo her bra; she wasn't one to go back on her promises. But before she could complete the gesture, Maxwell spoke, his voice low but clear, stopping her in her tracks.

"My request is simple. I want to see the real Moxxi, the woman behind this makeup and fake accent. If we're going to work together, it's only fair I know who I'm dealing with."

The words were like an electric shock, and Moxxi's fingers froze on her bra strap. For a moment, time seemed to freeze around her, her mind spinning as she processed what he had just said. There was something in his expression, a sincerity she rarely saw in a man's eyes.

Moxxi thought she'd misheard, maybe she'd had too much to drink. After all, it was normal for people to mishear after two glasses of lemon juice.

"Sorry… Can you repeat what you said?" she asked with a poker face.

Maxwell didn't mind and repeated himself, more clearly and loudly.

"I want to see you when the Red Light doors are closed, when the Underdome lights are off. Don't tell me that Mad Moxxi is just a character to protect yourself from this wasteland? That would be quite sad."

"…" Moxxi said nothing, turning her back on him, her shoulders trembling slightly. Maxwell immediately wondered if he had overstepped his bounds, asking for something so personal from someone he'd only known for a day, though her faint sniff told a different story.

"Am I asking too much? Sorry, I think I'm being unreasonable." Maxwell scratched his neck, feeling the heavy silence transform the room into something uncomfortable.

Moxxi stayed still for a moment longer, then responded with a voice that revealed no emotion, "Give me a minute."

Without looking back, she walked away and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

After more than a MINUTE, the bathroom door opened, emitting a slight creak that broke the silence. Maxwell, who had gotten up and was admiring the weapons hanging on the wall, turned at the sound. His eyes fixed on the feminine figure emerging, and his breath caught.

There stood Moxxi, without her heavy makeup and without the provocative, flamboyant clothes that made her the seductive queen of the Underdome. Her eyes were a little red, but Maxwell valued his life enough not to mention it.

She wore a pink nightgown, fairly large and made of a light fabric that fell to her knees, yet it couldn't hide her body's curvaceous figure.

Moxxi walked to the couch and sat down, her hands resting on her thighs. This allowed Maxwell to finally notice the white stockings she was wearing.

"*Ahem*, satisfied with what ya see?"

Shaking himself from his stupor, Maxwell wiped a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth.

"You look beautiful. If I didn't know any better, I'd mistake you for a young woman of twenty."

"Oh? Well, sugar, how old do ya think I am, then?" Moxxi smiled at the compliment, her beauty mark highlighted.

Maxwell scratched his beard in deep thought, but ended up checking Moxxi's status.

Name: [Molly Hodunk / Mad Moxxi]

Age: 46y 4m

[STR: 12] [END: 26] [DEX: 31] [INT: 43]

Skills: [Trigger Discipline lv.15] [Engineering lv.93] [Piloting lv.35] [Horsemanship lv.69] [Economist lv.56] [Cooking lv.12]

Weaknesses: Chronic stress, Insomnia, Lung Disease, Myopia

'Horsemanship?' Maxwell paused in confusion for a moment before continuing to analyze Moxxi's stats. Overall, her status was decent, though she had some fairly problematic health issues, nothing out of the ordinary in Pandora, where being alive wasn't much better than being dead.

In any case, he had better say something, or Moxxi would find his silence strange.

"Thirty-five?"

"Close, but mighty modest." Moxxi crossed her legs slowly, giving him a brief glimpse of what lay beneath.

'Blue, huh?' Maxwell shrugged.

"You really take good care of yourself, relying only on genetics on Pandora doesn't end well." Maxwell sat back down, interlacing his fingers. "I guess we can get back to business now?"

"Sure, but first, can you tell me how you knew my accent was fake? I trained hard enough that I even forget my natural accent is that of a fat old countryman."

"Your son, by the way. I can't believe he's under thirty. The sun on Pandora is truly unkind."

"Scooter's a good-looking boy; it's just the oil and smoke on his face that hide it. But enough of that, we're getting off-topic." Moxxi leaned forward, allowing a clear view of her "big personalities." "Now tell me, sugar, what sort of opportunity did you see in Pandora that brought you all the way out here?"

"Mining."

Moxxi raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt.

"There's a rare mineral in Pandora that starts emerging on the surface after a while following the Vault's opening."

"Wait a minute! So that's why Dahl was forced to leave Pandora by Atlas! Those bastards, I knew something was fishy with this sudden interest in Pandora." Moxxi almost jumped with the realization.

"Forced? I thought Dahl abandoned the digs after realizing it wasn't profitable."

Moxxi shook her head.

"The first corporate war started because Dahl took over Pandora for itself. I thought you were from this galaxy, don't you know about the Corporate Wars?"

"Corporate Wars?" Maxwell tilted his head. This was new to him.

Moxxi sighed, wondering if Maxwell's plan would actually work.

"Briefly, back then, the Central Government didn't allow any corporation to own entire planets, they could only lease large parcels of land. The point is that Dahl came to the borderlands because it's a galaxy right on the edge of the universe, far enough away that communications take months to reach other galaxies."

Maxwell nodded eagerly, thrilled to learn something not detailed in the game. Now that this was his real life, the universe was clearly more expansive than just a handful of planets.

"Atlas was, and still is a superpower, and they moved at light speed as soon as they heard a corporation was digging without a contract from the Central Government. But it was only a few years ago that they sent in small excavation groups."

"So Dahl was forced to leave with its tail between its legs, leaving behind cheap labor in Pandora as they fled the planet."

Moxxi stopped and turned her attention back to Maxwell.

"So now I ask you, sugar, how do you think you're going to mine a grain of sand on this planet without drawing Atlas's attention? And I'm not even talking about finding the Vault key."

A smug grin started to form on Maxwell's face as Moxxi finished speaking.

He took out his ECHO device and pulled the Vault key from it, placing it on the table.

Moxxi felt a strange premonition, alternating her gaze between Maxwell and the key.

"Sugar, don't tell me that's—"

"The Vault key, yes." Maxwell chuckled, putting the key back in his pocket. "I have the ECHO servers in my possession, my team's been intercepting distress signals from Atlas soldiers. That's why you hadn't heard until now that Steele's dead."

"STEELE IS WHAT?" Moxxi's hair stood on end. She was speaking to the person responsible for a high-ranking officer's death. "You know that won't last, right? Atlas will send troops as soon as they detect inactivity in that division! Intercepting communications is just delaying the inevitable."

"I know, that's why I need your help building my corporation. I have big projects in mind that'll give us a military edge."

"Fine, but how will we get cheap labor that'll keep quiet?" Moxxi rubbed her temples, but she held onto the hope that Maxwell had an idea. He'd planned everything so far, and he didn't seem to have overlooked this detail.

"This is where you shine."

Maxwell picked up the ECHO again and handed it to Moxxi, who accepted it and looked at the screen, her eyes gradually widening as she understood what he was showing her.

"MRVN?" Moxxi murmured to herself, her eyes shining.

She tossed the ECHO onto the table, scooted closer to Maxwell, and sat in his lap.

Maxwell was taken by surprise, but before he could ask what she was doing, he felt a soft pair of lips pressing against his.

"Mmm~~"

Maxwell moaned as he felt a small tongue enter his mouth. The apex predator on the battlefield had no choice but to declare defeat; Moxxi's experience made her an easy victor.

Maxwell's hands instinctively wrapped around Moxxi's waist, feeling the softness and the heavy scent of her femininity overwhelm his senses.

Pulling away, a playful line of saliva still connected their lips after the sloppy kiss.

"Max, you crafty bastard, this is incredible!" Moxxi cried in excitement, ignoring the hard object pressing into her ass. "With this, our odds are looking really good!"

"Of course, but can you do that again?" Maxwell asks with a pained face. His hands squeezing Moxxi's fat ass.

*Smack*

"Later, sugar." Moxxi gave his hands a light slap, slipping out of his grasp. "But it's been a long day, and it's getting dark. One of my girls will show you to a room."

Maxwell sighed, a bit disappointed, and Moxxi had to stifle a laugh as she noted the look of resignation on his face. She could have sworn she saw the imaginary ears of a sad puppy as he tried to mask his disappointment.

With one last gentle kiss on his cheek, Moxxi pushed him out of the room, closing the door right afterward. When silence enveloped the room, Moxxi leaned her back against the door, letting out a long sigh. Holding Maxwell's ECHO in her hands, she slowly slid down to the floor, hugging the device to her chest.

"I'm a lovesick bitch with no salvation." At least she'd hit the jackpot this time.