First thing's first, I should explain what happened to anyone following my stuff. Following a job hunting spell that was less than successful, I've been trying to get some other life concerns in order. This caused a massive case of writers block. Couldn't write anything to save my skin. But after taking some time to focus on self improvement, I've been hit by sudden bursts of creativity. But before I go right back to writing for my old stories, I feel that I need to write a quick one shot to see how bad my writing skills have rusted over.

I got the Krieg DLC as soon as it came out, and started his play through and, like most Borderlands 2 fans, wanted to know where he and Gaige were when the ride went sour. So, this one shot is my interpretation on how the two dealt with the Hyperion betrayal.

Enjoy.

The sun beamed down on the train station and the outpost town surrounding it, making those waiting for their ride almost believe that Pandoran summer had never ended. Many were becoming restless due to the delays, and swiftly decided to make their concerns heard.

"What the hell do those clowns think they are?!" a bald man in a survival vest shouted. "By the time they get here, we'll be skag food and rakk droppings!"

"Very nice visual, pal," a young woman with a mohawk commented. "They probably needed to refuel or some shit. Don't get your panties in a bunch." A few various characters nodded their agreement to her statement, further enraging the man.

"Hyperion has more pull on this planet's cash than all Dahl, Jakobs, Tourge, Atlas, Vladof, S&S, Tediore, and Maliwan combined, and they expect us to wait around for their lazy asses," the man shouted. "This job better be a good one, or else I'm gonna introduce Handsome Jack to my blade. Who's with me?" This outburst managed to sway a few people to his cause. Soon the crowd was bursting with various threats to Hyperion, desire for good pay, and simple rage.

"Why wait to find out the job?" a random voice shouted out. "Let's just sack the train and take them for what they're worth." This caused the bald man to break out in a blood thirsty smile.

"Now that's what I call a plan," he laughed. "We got the numbers, let's show them that we aren't gonna be jerked around!" As he led the crowd in cheering, he noticed a group of four people walking towards him. To the far left was a short Truxican with a mohawk and beard, a star tattoo on his neck, and spurs on his boots. The man on the far right was extremely tall and wearing an all black jumpsuit with a holographic projection helmet that displayed a giant red "0". The woman in the center had light blue hair and a large sleeve tattoo going down her exposed left arm. The man leading them in the center was a tall man with a brown military haircut, a Dahl Military Force uniform, and a necklace with a dog tag and a wedding band on it. The one thing that all four of them shared was a look of disapproval at what they were hearing.

"Listen up, pal," the soldier began to say, "picking a fight with Hyperion will get our asses right in the frying pan before we could get a shot at a major payday."

"He's got a point," the young woman added. "No point starting off on the wrong foot. Let's wait and see how they'll make up for this." The bald man smirked at their reasoning, and defiantly pointed his knife at the group.

"You four weaklings might be too busy pissing in your panties to stick it to Hyperion, but I know I'm not," he jeered. "Maybe you should give up now and leave this to the real Vault Hunters." The shortest of the group began to tighten his fists and grit his teeth as the bald man spoke.

"Might want to watch your mouth, amigo," he growled. "Otherwise, I might just take that knife and filet you for Abuela's stew." The bald man gained a look of shock, which quickly transitioned to anger.

"I'll give you this knife one way..." he told them before breaking out in a run. "In your goddamn EYE!" He raised his blade above his head, ready to stab down. However, he found his nose millimeters away from a katana that seemed to appear out of nowhere. He looked down to the handle, to see the masked man holding it in a kneeling position.

"You fail to test me./My sword cries for a challenge./Drop your weapon, now," the swordsman muttered, refusing to relinquish his blade until he knew that his opponent surrendered. The bald man chuckled nervously, dropping his knife with a forced smile. This seemed to satisfy the swordsman, as his katana deconstructed into code and disappeared as quick as it had appeared. As the swordsman rose to his feet, the crowd felt the rumble of an approaching train coming their way.

"Thank God," the blue haired woman muttered. "If it took any longer, we'd eventually have a blood bath on our hands."

"Don't tease me," the short man chuckled, causing his companions to stare at him.

"That reminds me," the soldier added, "were you serious about cutting that guy up and cooking him in a stew?" His serious tone caused the short man to laugh even harder.

"Just a rumor a judge started about me," the short man explained. "Not true, but it makes good for intimidation, amigo." Before anyone could question him further, the anti-gravity train pulled into the station and slowed down to a stop. The crowd stared up at the grey cabs as they hissed and opened. As the mist cleared, they watched as a few Hyperion employees in yellow jumpsuits stepped down to the platform.

"Greetings, brave Vault Hunters!" one of the employees shouted out. "On behalf of Handsome Jack, and the entire Hyperion Corperation, I would like to congratulate you all on accepting this noble task. This is a task not for the faint of heart, as you will face various monsters, dangerous environments, and wild bandits."

"Tell us something we don't know, pal!" a voice called out, causing the rest of the Hunters to burst out in laughter. The Hyperion employee merely adjusted his collar, chuckling nervously.

"Fair enough," he said. "You shall be working on various leads that should discover the new Vault. In return, each one of you shall recieve access to Hyperion's superior shields and weaponry, free New-U access, and a steady paycheck. As an added incentive, the Vault Hunter, or Hunters, who actually find the Vault shall be rewarded handsomely with a split share of whatever treasure it may contain. Now, if anyone wants to leave now and not join up, feel free to step away." As he said that, he jumped back as every Vault Hunter began to rush the train, expressing their eagerness to get right to work.

"Excellent," the employee smiled. "Now, please enter the train in a calm and orderly fashion." The Hunters followed the order and walked into cabs. As the last of the crowd boarded the train, a Hyperion employee looked out to see a young girl running full speed to catch the train. She had her hood up, but he could see that she was wearing a punk themed schoolgirl uniform and, more disturbingly, a robotic left arm.

"WAIT UP!" she cried out to the train. "I'm a Vault Hunter, too!" She stopped right in front of the employee, bending over to catch her breath. After regaining steady breathing, she looked up and took off her hood, revealing her red hair in two pig tails and a pair of engineer goggles acting as a head band.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he replied gruffly. "Go play pretend somewhere else, big kids only." This caused the young girl to scowl at him.

"Piss off, Noob," she shot back. "I could kill any man without even shooting a gun. Unless you want a first hand test, then get out of my way." The employee raised an eyebrow at the girl, who stared back at him with her hands on her hips. He looked over to the storage cab and smirked.

"Fair enough, little lady," he sighed. "Only there's no room in the cabs, so you gotta ride in the storage cab. Unless you're too good for it..." The young girl merely nodded at the man and began to walk towards the cab, but made sure to punch him in the arm with her robotic prosthetic. The man cried out, feeling the bones in his arm snap at the contact.

"You can't stop the anarchy!" the girl cried out as she jumped into the cart. The employee began clutching at his arm, tempted to use a Hyperion security bot to boot her off the train, but instead began to grow an evil smile on his face.

"She'll get hers soon enough," he muttered. "All these damned bandits and murderers will get theirs, once this train gets out to the tundras. Maybe I'll take care of her first, have a little fun." He began chuckling, not noticing the shadow of a large man overtaking his entire body. The shadow belonged to a giant man in a mask with one eye hole and a breathing apparatus. The man also had a metal arm guard, bandages on the other arm, orange pants with bandages and metal guards on his legs, and an axe in his right hand.

"Fun out in the tundras, huh?" he said with an unseen smile. "I hope it's the kind of fun with blood punch and meaty meals for all." The employee looked up and saw the man looking down at him, his one visible eye staring intensively into his. The employee immediately began to shake with fear.

"Y-y-you're him!" he stammered. "The bandit that got away from the testing facility!" The giant grabbed the employee by the throat with his free hand, bringing him up to his eye level.

"And does this mean you shall show me all the love and affection I received from the last party you threw for me?" he whispered. The employee kicked his legs, clutching at the arm that held him. As soon as he knew that he couldn't break the grip, he stared back at his aggressor.

"Oh, we'll make sure that this time you stay down," he choked out. This caused the masked psycho to laugh.

"What do you say, little voice?" he asked aloud. "Is he innocent or guilty?"

Guilty, a calmer version of his voice echoed in his head. Make it quick. Don't want any attention.

"Says you," the psycho spoke to himself. He then watched as the employee's eyes expressed intense fear as he raised his axe above his head. The psycho then released his hold on the neck and swung down, slicing his head wide open. He laughed as he scooped the limp corpse up with both hands and threw it into a nearby dumpster.

Effective, I suppose, the inner voice said. Now, he said something about everyone getting theirs... Guess that makes this a trap.

"Not fair!" the psycho shouted. "I want mine, too!" The psycho made his way into the cargo hold, looking around for a place to sit. He noticed a young girl sitting on a Hyperion chest, staring back at him. She seemed to stare at the blood residue on the man's arms and mask, while he stared back blankly.

"You got red on you," she told him.

"Fresh paint from my continuing creation of carnivorous carnage," he said. The young girl didn't know if the man was joking or being serious, but shrugged it off as a joke. She then patted a spot across from her.

"Take a seat, relax a while," she told him. He squatted down on the small cargo chest, his arms resting on his knees. After a few moments, they felt the train shift forward, assuming it was starting to take off.

"Guess it would be nice if we introduced ourselves," the young girl said. "My name's Gaige. I'm a mechromancer. What's your name?" She held out her human hand towards the psycho, who stared back at it for a few minutes, not sure what to do.

Go on, shake her hand, the inner voice told the psycho. Just don't rip it off, alright? She's an innocent.

"...My name's Krieg," the psycho said as he took her hand. "I swallow the souls of monsters and bandits."

"Interesting diet," Gaige remarked. "Guess it must work for you, seeing as how you look like you were born on steroids."

That's a compliment, the voice reassured Krieg. Say thank you.

"Nipple salads," Krieg chuckled, causing Gaige to raise an eyebrow.

Close enough, the voice groaned. Quick, ask her something. Keep the conversation going. Krieg thought a little, remembering that she called herself a mechromancer.

"I gotta ask. What does a mechromancer do?" he asked. Gaige smirked at the psychos curiosity.

"Tell you what," she started. "I could always use some more help to back me up out there, and maybe you could too. You and me team up to find the Vault, and you'll see what I can do. Deal?"

"Hold on a minute," he told the young woman. "Gotta talk it over with my inner voice." Krieg then rose up and stood at the other end of the cab, his back turned to a confused Gaige.

"What do you think?" he asked himself. "Think it's a good idea?"

It would be better to go out there with an ally, the inner voice said. Just remember our deal. You hurt her...

"Yeah, yeah, you kill us," Krieg said aloud. "Killing only bandits and beasts is a lot better than not killing at all." Krieg turned around and returned to his seat.

"What did your inner voice say?" Gaige asked, her voice showing signs of concern that she'd get a bad answer.

"He says we can be friends," Krieg said cheerfully. This caused Gaige to smile and nod her head.

"Alright," she said. Just as she said that, the train jolted as if it had hit something. The psycho and the mechromancer both fell to the cab floor at the impact. Krieg immediately rose to his feet, shaking his head. He then offered his hand to Gaige, who was shocked that the giant was capable of being polite.

"Thanks," she said as she took his hand.

"Can't let you stay down," he told her. "You haven't even killed anybody yet." This caused her to laugh a little. As they brushed themselves off, they noticed the door connecting the cargo cab to the passenger cabs swished open. A Hyperion employee with two other Hyperion workers in exoskeletons entered the cab.

"Room service?" Gaige asked the Hyperion employees.

"I want a heart and lung sandwich, extra bacon on the side," Krieg half jokingly requested. The workers didn't chuckle at the jokes. Instead the lead worker pulled out a machine gun and pointed it at the two Hunters. Gaige held up her hands, while Krieg cocked his head in curiosity.

Yep, his inner voice said. Trap time.

"Nothing personal," the worker with the machine gun said. "Just gotta kill every last one of you pathetic Vault Hunters." One of the workers then entered a code on his arm, and pressed a red button on the end. Krieg and Gaige turned to see three large Hyperion robots forming at the other end of the cab. The Vault Hunters began to switch their gaze from the bots to the workers.

"Hey, Krieg," Gaige said with a cocky smile. "You wanna see what a mechromancer can do?" Krieg silently nodded, cracking his knuckles as he glared towards the workers.

"Then hit the deck and watch those bots," she said as she raised her robotic arm. Krieg then crouched down, and watched as her arm glowed a pale blue. She then pointed towards the Hyperion bots and digitally constructed another robot. This robot seemed to have a crude design, with a large two-fingered arm and a red cyclops-like head. While it had no legs, it seemed to hover on its own with what looked like a spine dangling below it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, DEATHTRAP!" Gaige announced in a dramatic voice. The robot fixed its gaze on the Hyperion bots, and charged at them. It's two-fingered arm glowed with dark blue energy, and swiped at the other bots. The attacks caused deep slash marks to be etched in their armor, electricity shooting out of the wounds. The robot then grappled with a bot as it stabbed through the central processing unit of another. It then threw the other bot into the staggered bot, causing them to fly out of the train. Deathtrap then turned its attention towards the last bot, who was preparing it's machine guns for an attack.

"Hmmm, so you're the one with the illegal death bot that killed that girl..." the machine gun wielding Hyperion worker said.

"Bitch shouldn't have stolen my idea," Gaige quipped. She looked back to make sure Deathtrap was ok. She sighed in relief as it grappled with the Hyperion bot's guns and pushed it back.

"Seeing how it's preoccupied, might as well put a bullet in your head," the worker said, taking aim at Gaige.

"Oh, crap," she muttered. At that moment, Krieg broke his focus from the violent robot fight to see a terrified Gaige facing three Hyperion workers, one of which had his finger on the trigger. His one visible eye went wide, as he heard his inner voice cry out inside his head.

SAVE HER!

As soon as the worker squeezed the trigger, Gaige shut her eyes. She heard the rapid gunfire, she noticed that none of the bullets were making contact. Wondering how a Hyperion worker could suck so bad at shooting, she looked up to see Krieg standing in between her and the gun, taking the entire assault.

"KRIEG!" she shouted. Hearing the clicking of the empty chamber, the Hyperion worker laughed as he started to reload. Gaige checked back to see if Deathtrap was free to stop the workers, but grew worried when she noticed that it was still struggling with the last bot.

Guess I should have programmed the priority matrix to prioritize master defense before I got on the train, she thought.

"One down," he chuckled. As the Hyperions in exoskeletons approached, the still standing Krieg began to laugh. His sudden outburst caused the Hyperions and Gaige to step back and look at him in surprise.

"I journeyed into the depths of Hell," he growled. "I learned the true meaning of friendship, and I have returned to spread the gospel...NEVER STOP THE KILLING!" He then grabbed his axe in both hands, his one eye looking hungry for bloodshed. He then made a sideways swing of the axe, cleaving both exoskeleton Hyperion workers at the waists. He then turned his attention to the machine gunner, who was fumbling around trying to insert the clip into the gun.

"Time for you to embrace the pain," Krieg told him, holding his axe in a pitching motion. He then threw with all his might, sheathing the blade in the chest cavity of the gunner. He fell down to the ground, life quickly exiting his body. He looked up in horror as Krieg stood above him.

"You...won't...survive..." he whispered to the psycho. Krieg ignored the statement, merely grabbing the axe and pulling it out in one swift motion.

"I looked into the blackness of your soul...and I ate it," he said to the corpse. He turned to Gaige, who was staring at him, still in shock over what she saw. Deathtrap hovered behind her, his blank gaze focused on Krieg, attempting to verify his status as an ally or as a target.

Guess we scared her, the inner voice told Krieg. Better get out before she decides to sic the robot on us.

"Shame," Krieg said. "I kinda liked the thought of killing with a friend." He turned to check for any more Hyperion soldiers coming their way. He started off towards the passenger cab, but felt a hand stop him. He turned to see Gaige placing her human hand on his shoulder, standing on her toes to reach.

"Thanks for that," she said, smiling up at him. "Now, want to join me and Deathtrap in killing some more Hyperion stooges?" While she couldn't see it, Krieg started to smile underneath his mask.

"I feel a deep, dark warmth," he said. The two hunters and the floating death bot then walked into the passenger cab. They looked at all the various corpses of Vault Hunters and Hyperion workers.

"Guess they've gotten them all," Gaige muttered to herself. Krieg began to nod, until the sound of gunfire started to echo from further ahead on the train.

"I hear a party up ahead," he said. "How about we crash it?" Gaige nodded, gesturing to Deathtrap to stick close to her. The trio then charged ahead, ready to fight whatever threats that possibly awaited them. To their surprise, four people stood in front of the driver cab door. They saw a soldier standing close to the wall for cover, a woman whose sleeve tattoos were glowing bright blue, a short man who was dual wielding two assault rifles, and a tall man in a black jumpsuit with a sword drawn. The soldier looked back to see Krieg, Gaige, and Deathtrap keeping their distance.

"Vault Hunters?" the soldier asked, causing the others to focus on who he was addressing.

"I'm Gaige," Gaige nodded. "This is my robot, Deathtrap. And this is Krieg, a genuine psychopath."

"You ain't wrong when your killing," Krieg said with an unseen smirk.

"Axton, Commando," the soldier said.

"Name's Maya," the woman told them. "I'm a Siren."

"Call me Salvador," the short man said with a grin. "I love guns."

"My name is Zero./I was once an assassin./Pleased to work with you." the tall man said, a holographic zero appearing on his helmet.

"Now that we got the pleasentries out of the way," Axton said. "Let's finish this fight." He looked back as Maya held up her gun, Salvador aimed for the door, Zero assumed a battle stance, Gaige prepared to command Deathtrap, and Krieg clutched his axe. Axton then threw his weight into the door, sending it flying open. The Vault Hunters looked in and saw a massive pile of dynamite bundles surrounding a figure. The figure in the chair turned, revealing itself to be a robotic duplicate of a man with brown hair, a fine suit, and a cocky smirk.

"It's cute that y'all think you're the heroes of this story...but you're not," the robot drawled to the Hunters. "Welcome to Pandora, kiddos!" The group heard a rapid ticking sound coming from the pile of dynamite.

"Everybody clear out!" Axton shouted. While Deathtrap got in front of Gaige to protect her from the blast, everyone else got behind the robot as well. Krieg, however, rushed towards the pile of explosives.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO KRIEG!" he shouted as he jumped towards the ticking time bombs.

...

Boom.

Well, can't say that it's definitely the best story of all time, but I thought it was alright. How about you? Reviews are always appreciated and accepted at every participating story in FF. Let's see if I need to take a few more writing classes.

Peace.