Borderlands: Apex Predator

In the dense woods, Maxwell and Bishop walked in silence, their footsteps muffled by the dry leaves beneath their feet. The air was damp and laden with the familiar smell of decay. Maxwell was irritated by the occasional thorny plant and the mud on his boots, which only made him want to leave the island immediately.

"Did you manage to call King?" asked Maxwell, his hand swatting away an annoying swarm of mosquitoes.

"No sign so far, maybe we're out of luck and they're still in the sewers, which makes it difficult to contact them." Bishop spoke as he drank water from his canteen, his brow furrowing as he felt the water halfway down.

"And the Old Haven's base? It's not possible that with all the technology Atlas has they can't pick up our distress signal!"

"The signal is reaching the mainland, but no one in Old Haven is responding."

"Fuck! A bunch of incompetents, it seems that the rumor of nepotism at the top wasn't true. They put a bunch of kids in charge of an army, and I fucking hate kids."

"Calm down Max, if our superiors hear this, being expelled will be one of your least problems." Bishop advises his comrade-in-arms but doesn't deny what Maxwell said about Atlas. Although it's the largest corporation of all because it pioneered the hunt for the Vaults, it suffers from a common case of corruption among its ranks.

After their brief conversation, the two returned to their mission of finding shelter. They were already a few hours away from the beach and intended to go deeper into the island hoping to find information and answers. Their steps stopped when they noticed lights some distance away.

"The dirt track actually led us to a settlement. But it was a good idea not to walk along the path, I saw some hordes of those... zombies, as you call them." He pointed to a small complex of small houses, as they were on an elevation it was possible to see what was inside the walls. "I hope we're lucky there. We need a safe place to rest and assess our supplies."

Maxwell's eyes assessed the scene more clearly, his Trigger Discipline now allowing him to see much further. This allowed him to see threats from very far away, which helped him to stay out of the zombies' range of perception.

Bishop looked around, his eyes alert for any movement. "What if the village is also infested?"

"Then we'll have to improvise." Maxwell clenched his fist. "But we can't keep wandering around the island without a foothold. Our food may last a week, but our water won't. We're two grown men, our consumption will force us to drink seawater within two days if we drink our water in small sips."

Maxwell was desperate to find a place that was just like the one in the game. That way he could locate himself and find a way off the island, which could currently only be by water, but without knowing the location of the Arid Badlands continent, he would be doomed to wander aimlessly by sea.

Bishop nods. "Yes, our main concern is the water, but without ammunition, we won't be able to do much either, I'm at best mediocre in hand-to-hand combat. Rook's turret has a munitions manufacturing function, we just need to secure the perimeter and then we can use Rook's heavy equipment."

"Can Scorpion Turrets do that?" Maxwell didn't know much about this equipment. It was Roland's ability in Borderlands 1, but he played more Lilith at the time, so his ignorance of the turret's capabilities was justifiable.

"Yes, they can be modified several times. How much ammunition do you have left?"

"Let me see on my ECHO..." Maxwell quickly checks his ECHO's screen, his brow furrowing when he sees an x4 symbol on the box icon with a pistol print. "I have four boxes of ammunition for my pistol, I used up my rifle ammunition in the sewer." 

"No problem, Rook carries plenty of ammunition for emergency situations."

"..."

"Max, why haven't you taken the ammunition from Rook's ECHO yet?" Bishop asks strangely, not understanding Maxwell's lack of action.

"I'm waiting for you to give me Rook's ECHO." Maxwell replies, a bad feeling growing in his core.

"Max... please don't play games with me. You took Rook's ECHO, didn't you?"

"I thought you did when you buried Rook's body."

"..."

"..."

"No fucking way." x2

"What do we do, go back or go down to the settlement?" Bishop asks, his voice carrying a bit of anxiety. 

"Negative, we've lost a lot of time just getting here." His nerves had been tested to the limit over the last few hours, and it didn't help to have to listen to the incessant moans and grunts of the zombies being carried by the wind.

"I've seen thirteen targets inside the settlement, if we can close the place down we can have a secure base. But first, let's sort things out as quietly as possible." Punctuating his speech, Maxwell takes a silencer out of his ECHO, he had bought one when Bishop wasn't looking and kept it in his ECHO.

[(Miscellaneous) Vinson Dyn. PCS-3: Partial noise and flash suppression for submachine guns and pistols. Intended for anti-personnel ammunition. $4c]

[Credits: $22]

Inside the helmet, Bishop's eyes went wide. 

"Damn it Max, why do you have a fucking silencer inside your ECHO?" Bishop asked incredulously.

"When I joined the Atlas army I wanted to be part of the Lancer Assassin squad, so I train with knives and stealth." Maxwell easily lies through his teeth. 

"But the Lancer Assassins only recruit women, Max, what would you do in a place like that?" 

"That's the point, Bishop, they only recruit women. Can you imagine working in a place full of hot women?" Maxwell was telling the truth here. He had seen the Lancer Assassins once and finally understood why all the Omega Assassins were identical in the game. Atlas used genetic engineering technology on the recruits, making them look like the first Omega Assassin and have the same fencing and gymnastic skills.

A good choice, considering that they were the most lethal enemies in the first game. They were fast, always avoiding the player's aim and used plasma katanas that tore through shields and flesh with ease.

"Ah!" Bishop exclaimed in bewilderment, not expecting to see such a perverted side to the enigmatic Maxwell. "You know, it's a good point, but let's not lose focus here."

"Here, take it." Finishing installing the silencer, Maxwell placed his P2016 in Bishop's hands, along with the magazines he had.

"How are you going to fight?"

"Knives. I'm not that good with them, but it's a good opportunity to practice my throwing." Maxwell takes his kunai out of his ECHO, he doesn't connect the plasma edges as it would make Bishop suspicious as to how he got such advanced equipment.

"Right, I'll cover you if some of them grab you." Bishop nods with resolution as he cocks his pistol. His jovial demeanor is replaced by a cold, bloodthirsty soldier in seconds.

Maxwell advances first, climbing down from the hill he was standing on, in his hand he carries his trusty Data Knife which is covered in dried blood. He walks crouched among the foliage, cursing quietly at the black and red color scheme Atlas had chosen for his soldiers' uniforms.

Arriving at the settlement, Maxwell climbs over the entrance wall. Finally getting a good look inside the place, his memory associating it with the first town the player visited when he started the DLC.

"Finally some good news, I'll just need to find and connect defense towers to have a secure base." Maxwell then signaled Bishop to come closer, he needed someone to cover his back.

Bishop nods and runs to his location, taking advantage of the momentum he climbs the wall. "Permission to shoot?"

"Not yet, I want to close the gate first." Maxwell punctuates his speech by descending, he tries his best not to make a sound as he lands.

The man then rushes to the iron gates and starts pushing the heavy gates, which took some effort because they were rusty.

*Groan*

The zombies at the entrance turn when they hear the groaning sound from the gate and begin to walk slowly toward Maxwell with their hands outstretched.

Maxwell's heart began to race. He was in a very vulnerable position, and if any zombies grabbed him and Bishop missed his shot, he would be dragged into the horde and eaten alive.

A shiver went up Maxwell's spine just imagining the scene, being in a risky situation Maxwell's body releases a heavy charge of adrenaline, enough to close the gate in the blink of an eye.

Once the gate is locked Maxwell takes a few steps back, his timing couldn't be better, when the zombies arrive and start trying to reach him through the gaps in the gate's iron bars.

"Damn it, I'm going to kill that bastard Ned like it's my main mission." Maxwell mutters between gasping breaths.

"Now let's take care of the internal threat." A sinister smile grows on Maxwell's face. Turning, he signals for Bishop to approach.

Maxwell began a silent slaughter, he always attacked from behind the zombies, even if it meant going around a house or building.

[Blade Mastery lv.4>5]

Everything was going well until he moved on to his next target, a Psycho zombie. Maxwell easily identified him by the mask with the Vault symbol, while all the others were dressed as sawmill workers.

Maxwell didn't care much and just threw his kunai at the zombified Psycho's head, and as expected the zombie fell to the ground. Approaching to retrieve his kunai, Maxwell is startled to see Psycho get up again and start running towards him.

That's right, the fucking zombie started running towards Maxwell like a fucking Olympic runner. The man's pupils dilated and he felt his bladder loosen. His hand unconsciously went to his holster, but there was no gun.

In such a situation, a decision was quickly made in Maxwell's head.

He ran.

He ran at his limit, he used so much force in his legs that every step he took brought up dirt.

"BISHOP HELP!" Maxwell threw away the stealthy approach. Internally he was cursing his stupidity at having forgotten that zombified Pyschos could run.

Bishop, who was standing a few meters away, was shocked by the comical scene of an Atlas soldier being chased by a Psycho with a kunai stuck in his head.

Seeing the two approaching, Bishop raised his P2016 and without hesitation pulled the trigger as the Psycho came into view.

*Tac*

A dry gunshot sound, was followed by the heavy thud of the rotting carcass falling to the ground.

Maxwell's legs gave way, his body was limp after receiving so many adrenaline rushes in a single day.

*Groan*

*Tac* *tac* *tac*

"What a badass, he got up after taking a 10mm to the head?"

"Thanks, Bishop, I ended up panicking. Let me collect my kunai and we can continue." Maxwell ignored the lethargy in his limbs and walked over to Psycho's still body. Pulling out the kunai violently, Maxwell spins the weapon on his index finger a few times.

After the incident with the runner, the following targets were quieter but left Maxwell alert to the variety of enemies he might encounter on the island.

Finding a two-storey house, Maxwell made a temporary base on the second floor and destroyed the stairs, he didn't trust sleeping on the second floor because all the houses in town were made of wood, and Maxwell didn't doubt that the zombies could break into the house with the encouragement of a meal. To get down and up they used ropes made from the clothes of the zombies they had killed. Finally feeling safe, Maxwell built a fire while Bishop prepared two MREs.

Settling down, Maxwell removed his helmet. His appearance was sad, his hair was sweaty and messy, and his eyes had two black bags.

"Hey, Bish- you know what, I think it's about time you told me your name. It's getting weird to call you that."

"Hmm? Sorry, I didn't hear you right."

"Your name. Or did the mothers of the Tango Squad members decide to name their children after board pieces?"

"Oh, my name is Benjamin. I'll be twenty-seven in November."

"Benjamin... that's a nice name. I didn't know Atlas recruited children, did I mention I hate children?"

"Hehehe, I joined when I was twenty. At the time there weren't so many raids and my job was more as a nurse."

"Here, a meal with pasta, meat, vegetables, and chocolate for dessert."

"Chocolate? No kidding! Hand it over!"

After finishing his meal, Maxwell lay down on the mattress he had taken from downstairs.

"Good night Ben, tomorrow we're going to Rook's body and we're going to look around the beach, I think I saw a building there."

"Good night Max."