Vast stars filled the silent space; Elpis's orbit was surrounded by several gigantic ships. Only the faint reflection of the nearby star illuminated the metallic plates of the old satellite.
A small ship slowly approached the satellite; compared to Dahl's war spacecraft, it looked like an ant. A pilot exited when the rear hatch opened, launching himself into space. He used a Grapple to approach the target.
("Are you sure she's here?") Minerva asked over the channel, her voice muffled by space radiation.
Maxwell didn't answer immediately. His eyes were fixed on the faded markings of the satellite, a station not even Hyperion had listed in its public records. It was the best guess he had about Angel's location.
Hyperion 4N631 satellite
He had come alone, with Minerva piloting the Goblin. If he had come to rescue Angel with the Odyssey, it would make the Lost Legion and Jack suspicious.
"No," Maxwell didn't affirm, to Minerva's surprise. "Angel didn't know the exact location. Her father is too cautious and paranoid to let her have a reference to where she is."
("Right. How's your oxygen, sir? Do we have time?") Minerva asked, genuine concern permeating her tone. The vacuum always brought that feeling of vulnerability, especially for someone outside a ship.
"My oxygen is at a comfortable level, I can spend a few more minutes out here."
Although the pilot's gear provided excellent protection against stellar radiation and oxygen, Maxwell didn't risk more than necessary and drew Chunchunmaru from its sheath. With a bit of force, he plunged the incandescent blade into the satellite's side, sending sparks flying and making the metal melt like hot butter. In a circular motion, he traced a line that cut through the structure.
With a powerful kick, the detached section was pushed inwards, creating a fuming hole. Maxwell held on against the satellite's oxygen rushing out with great force.
Entering, artificial gravity gently made him land. The alarm sounded immediately. The sharp blare of sirens echoed through the satellite while red lights flashed intensely.
Maxwell put Chunchunmaru away; he wasn't looking for a conflict inside here. For that, he would be using a cybernetic that would shine in a situation like this.
Moving forward, he went to the nearest door. Using ECHO Vision, he saw Loader Bots waiting on the other side. Several of them, equipped with cannons and heavy machine guns, raised their weapons, ready to eliminate the threat that had infiltrated.
For an instant, tension hung in the air. If they were human, they'd be sweating with nervousness.
When the door finally opened, the Loader Bots were ready to fire, but a familiar voice suddenly made them cease their aggression.
"This is Handsome Jack, and I'm signing off on the Hyperion! What do you guys think? Accent too much?"
"..."
"Come on, don't look at me like that. It's kind of hard to imitate this bastard." Maxwell shook his head in disappointment. [Double Agent] was a cybernetic he'd had for a long time, but never found a good situation to use. He now looked exactly like Jack, including the voice.
He just couldn't imitate the personality and mannerisms. Jack, in that regard, is very... unique.
"You, freakin' robot! Take me to my little girl. Now!" Maxwell pointed at one of the closest Loader Bots, making the robot drop its weapons and run to guide him.
The path was smooth, even with some doors requiring fingerprints, retina scans, and voice commands. Finally, he reached a large armored door, marked with the faded Hyperion seal. Maxwell analyzed the side panel, and after completing all procedures, the door creaked with effort before slowly opening.
And there she was.
In the center of the room, seated on what could best be described as a throne, Angel rested. Thick and thin cables extended from her head, connecting to dozens of servers, panels, and processing machines that occupied the walls like a beehive. Given the ridiculous amount of technology, the environment was freezing.
Maxwell approached slowly, his heart pounding, but his face impassive. He was finally doing this.
Closer, he noticed in more detail the side of her head; her hair had been shaved for two neural interface port implants. Plugs, wires, and connectors, all embedded in Angel's skull, looking like something straight out of Cyberpunk 2077.
"Goddammit, Jack, you bastard," Maxwell murmured, his fists clenched. "How sick are you to do this to your own daughter?"
Deactivating the Double Agent, Maxwell's form flickered and returned to normal, his own face, now contorted in a mix of anger and sadness, revealed. He knelt before Angel, silently thanking that she didn't have the anti-Siren collar around her neck yet.
"Angel? It's me, Maxwell."
"..."
He reached out a hand towards one of the plugs on the side of her head. But he paused.
"Nah, I've seen a samurai rocker boy do that to his girlfriend, and things didn't end well."
Maxwell preferred to gently shake Angel's body until she woke up.
Angel's eyelids trembled with the movement. A deep, almost inaudible breath filled her lungs before her eyes slowly opened. Revealing light blue pupils, like a pure, calm lake.
"...Max?" Angel asked, her voice a whisper of surprise. She thought she was hallucinating, that the telepathy from before was just a remnant of hope. She had managed to call him, but she never expected him to find her.
"I kept you waiting, huh?" Maxwell smiled, a genuine warmth heating his eyes. His thumb reached out and wiped a solitary tear from her face. "Can you get that thing off your head, or will I need to cut everything?"
"No need, I can do it," Angel lightly shook her head. Phase Shift allowed her to control all technology linked to her. The tattoos on her body glowed a deep blue, and the cables, previously embedded in her skull, ejected with a soft hiss, freeing her.
"Great. Now, I imagine you can't stand up without falling, right?" Maxwell extended his hand to her for support. "Sitting there must have left your legs tingling."
Angel held his hand and felt the warmth, startling slightly when Maxwell pulled her into a tight hug.
"I missed you so much. It's been days since you last talked to me," Maxwell murmured close to her ear, his voice choked with emotion.
Angel just nodded, feeling a painful knot in her throat. The tears she had held back for so long finally gave way, and she quietly sobbed into his shoulder. They remained like that for a few moments, the warmth of Maxwell's embrace being the balm Angel needed to calm down.
"Hey, Maxy..." Angel pulled back, looking at Maxwell's face.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you forget the promise you made?" Angel's cheeks flushed at the mention of the promise.
"I'm terrible at remembering. Could you tell me what it was?"
Angel murmured very softly. Her face was completely flushed.
"I couldn't hear, can you repeat?"
Angel buried her face in Maxwell's chest, then, embarrassed, she yelled.
"You said you'd let me try a kiss!"
"Ohhhhhhh... Now I remember!"
"Stop messing with me and— HMM?!" Angel was interrupted as her lips were sealed. She closed her eyes, mesmerized by the warm, wet sensation. She wanted to stay like that longer, but her lungs begged for air.
Pulling away, she ended the kiss, gasping for air. Her cheeks were flushed as she saw threads of saliva connecting their mouths.
("Sir, did something happen?") Minerva's voice cut through the communication channel, filled with concern due to the delay.
"Yes, something very good happened," Maxwell replied, his smile widening. He pulled away slightly from Angel, but didn't let her go. Her legs, weakened from being immobilized for so long, visibly trembled and refused to obey, making her stumble. Perhaps she even needed physical therapy.
"We need to go before someone notices the movement." Taking the ECHO from his belt, Maxwell pulled out a spare pilot helmet and gently placed it on Angel's head.
Angel let out a cute yelp when Maxwell picked her up in a princess carry and headed back to the Goblin ship.
"My hero!" Angel laughed, putting her arms around his neck.
"Your father wouldn't agree with that."
Maxwell returned down the same corridor he had entered, still carrying Angel in his arms. Outside, the Goblin ship was furtively approaching for extraction.
With a leap, Maxwell launched himself into the vacuum. The transition from the satellite's rarefied air to the cold void of space was instantaneous. Minerva opened the Goblin's rear hatch, allowing Maxwell to use his grapple and slide inside. Everything had been done as quickly as possible to minimize Angel's exposure to radiation.
Maxwell went to the cockpit, placing Angel comfortably in one of the cockpit seats.
"Destroy the satellite," Maxwell ordered Minerva. If Jack found out someone had taken Angel, he'd go crazy searching for that person. It was cruel, but it was better for him to think his daughter had been killed in the conflict between Dahl's Lost Legion and Hyperion.
"Immediately, sir," Minerva didn't question. Moving the ship away from the blast radius, she unleashed a salvo of missiles. The lethal warheads traced luminous arcs in the darkness before colliding with the satellite. The structure exploded in a cascade of twisted metal and incandescent sparks.
Angel watched the scene with a mix of fascination and relief. Deep in her soul, a sense of peace enveloped her. That horrible place, where she had been held captive and used as a tool, no longer existed.
"So you're the Siren the Ouroboros boss was so worried about?" Minerva turned in the pilot's seat, observing Angel with curiosity. "He had you as the first and main objective for rescue."
Angel blushed intensely, completely unprepared for direct social interaction and the attention she was receiving. She wasn't used to being the center of attention, much less being the focus of such importance.
Maxwell coughed, noticing Angel's discomfort, and quickly changed the subject.
"We'd better hurry and get to Elpis," he said, turning to Minerva. "Athena is looking for the junk dealer, Janey Springs. Moxxi and Tina went together, and I want to be there too."
"Of course, sir. I'm not paid to talk too much," Minerva let out a muffled laugh before returning her focus to piloting the ship towards Elpis.
As the ship prepared for the journey, Maxwell took a set of Watson's clothes from the ECHO. The suit would be perfect for hiding Angel's identity and especially her tattoos. It was for no other reason than her safety.
Maxwell swore.
"Wear this. Angel died today, so her father will be a little... sad. The best choice right now is to wait for things to calm down," he explained, a pragmatic tone in his voice. Though internally, he chuckled.
Now all he needed was to get Moxxi to wear Loba's clothes, and he'd be the happiest man in the six galaxies.
Angel took the clothes, still a bit stunned by all the events. This was probably the first casual outfit she'd received since her mother's death.
"I love it!" Angel smiled, hugging the gift.