The desert morning came in harsh and blinding, as all mornings things on Pandora seemed to—harsh, drawn‑out, and far too bright for his liking. Jay woke to the taste of dust already coating his tongue, the sting of cold air still trapped in his lungs, and the comforting hum of Claptrap…
…attempting to sing.
"GOOD MORNING, PANDORA! TIME FOR ANOTHER DAY OF—"
Jay groaned into his hands. "Cortana, please tell me you can mute him."
"I could," Cortana answered through the echo device, her tone calm and lightly amused, "but I feel you should embrace the full immersive experience of suffering. Builds character."
Jay sat up, stretching as the last traces of discomfort faded from his fully-healed leg. "Yeah, sure. Character."
He scanned the horizon out of habit—and that's when he saw it.
A thin line of dust rising in the distance.
A shape. Then several shapes. A metal shape.
A bus.
Jay blinked. "No way. That's a bus, right?"
Cortana's voice shifted—focused, observant, but with a calmer confidence in him. "Vehicle approaching at approximately sixty kilometers per hour. Its engine signature matches non-standard transport designs… interesting."
Jay's stomach turned. He knew this scene. He'd played this scene.
Which meant he was just in time.
Jay stayed seated on the creaky motel bed for a moment longer, the thin walls buzzing faintly with morning wind. He wasn't hiding—just waiting. Waiting because stepping outside too early felt like stepping onto a stage before his cue. And he really didn't want to walk out before needed. When he finally stood and walked out onto the sun‑bleached motel porch, Claptrap rolled after him, humming off‑key. Jay leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, scanning the horizon.
That's when he saw it.
A thin line of dust rising in the distance.
A shape. Then several shapes. A metal shape.
A bus.
Jay blinked. "No way. That's a bus, right?"
Cortana added, "Vehicle approaching at approximately sixty kilometers per hour. Its engine signature matches non-standard transport designs… interesting."
Jay's stomach tightened. "So this is should be when the Vault Hunters arrive."
"Meaning?"
Jay exhaled slowly. "Meaning I've got a choice. If I go now and jump in too early, I can grab better loot, more XP, maybe even intercept some quests. But…"
"But?" Cortana prompted.
"But if I mess with canon too much, I lose the advantage of knowing what's coming. I don't want to stumble blindly through some mission chain reworked by butterfly effect because I panicked and shot a bandit too early."
Cortana hummed thoughtfully, the sound thin and modulated through the echo device's cheap speaker. "Let's consider tactical outcomes. You are under-leveled, under-armed, and just recovered Your revolver is unreliable, your Blink ability is inconsistent, and your Ruin Engine has limited combat application at your stage."
"Wow, thanks for the confidence boost," Jay muttered.
"My point," she continued gently, "is that information is your greatest weapon. Knowledge of events, enemy types, strengths, weaknesses, hidden loot… disrupting canon risks neutralizing that advantage before you have the power to compensate."
Jay stared at the bus again, wheels skidding slightly as it bounced over a rock.
Cortana added, "Joining canon events keeps timelines aligned with your memory. When you are stronger, you may intervene freely. But for now? Proceed with the known script. It maximizes survival probability."
Jay groaned. "So… follow canon?"
"Follow canon," she confirmed.
He sat back. "Ugh. I hate that you're right. Regardless, it was stupid that I asked."
"You'll get used to it," she said dryly.
The rattling vehicle finally came to a sputtering halt. Jay stepped out onto the motel porch and watched openly as the bus hissed its doors open.
Marcus' familiar voice boomed. "ALL RIGHT, YOU LADIES! TIME TO GET OFF MY BUS!"
And there she was.
Lilith.
The Siren. One of the player characters of Borderlands 1.
She stepped off the bus with the easy stance of someone ready for trouble before breakfast. Her hair shimmered—bright, fiery, unmistakable. The faint markings along her arms glowed subtly under the rising light.
Jay exhaled. "Damn… that's actually her."
Cortana replied with analytical interest. "I am detecting unusual energy signatures radiating from her body. Not fully elemental but Dimensional? Fascinating."
Lilith stretched, cracked her neck, and muttered something about the heat.
Jay couldn't help it—his hands shook.
Not out of fear.
Out of the sheer excitement of seeing a fictional character in the flesh.
Claptrap gasped like he'd just witnessed a miracle.
"A NEW FRIEND! HELLO THERE! I'M CL4P–TP!"
Jay lunged and grabbed the little robot by the chassis. "SHH! Calm it down!"
"Ow! You're smudging my paint!" Claptrap whined, wiggling uselessly.
Cortana chimed in, lightly amused. "Why are we restraining the robot?"
"Because he'll announce me before I even figure out how to introduce myself," Jay muttered.
Claptrap kept flailing. "LET ME GREET HER! I WAS BUILT FOR SOCIAL EXCELLENCE!"
"Pretty sure you were built from someone's corrupted toaster firmware," Jay muttered.
"I HEARD THAT!" Claptrap barked.
"Good," Jay shot back. "It wasn't a whisper."
Claptrap groaned dramatically, wheels spinning. "I CAN'T HELP IT! I JUST WANT FRIENDS!"
Jay shook his head with a smirk. "And that's exactly why you're staying put until I figure this out."
Cortana's tone was teasing. "At least now you're learning crowd control."
Marcus tossed Lilith her initial gear with his usual indifference. She checked her weapon—some basic repeater pistol—and scanned the dirt road ahead.
Jay swallowed. "Okay… so this is happening. This is really happening."
Cortana spoke softly, almost reflective. "You're experiencing something few ever will—observing the start of a major historical convergence while being detached from its flow. It's like watching Chief step onto the battlefield from outside the Pelican."
Jay blinked, then snorted. "That's… yeah. That's exactly what it feels like."
Lilith looked around the dusty landscape, clearly unimpressed.
"This place sucks," she said bluntly.
Jay whispered, "It really does."
Cortana chuckled faintly.
As Marcus drove off, leaving Lilith behind, Jay felt his nerves tighten. Claptrap whined beside him, eager to move.
Cortana waited. "Jay. What will you do?"
He breathed out. "I follow canon."
"Good," she answered. "Then our next objective is simple: we join her path without looking like you've been awkwardly loitering nearby."
"That… would be ideal, yeah."
"You'll need an entrance event," Cortana added. "Something natural. Something believable."
Jay raised a brow. "Like what? Fall out of the sky?"
"With your luck," she said dryly, "yes."
He shook his head. "Okay. So… I hang back. Wait for her to move toward the dig site. Then I walk in from the east ridge like I got lost."
"A believable level of incompetence," Cortana mused. "I approve."
Jay smiled faintly despite the tension.
Lilith began walking toward the first landmark on the path.
Jay steadied his breathing.
Checked his revolver.
Checked his leg.
Checked his HUD.
"One more thing," Cortana said softly.
Jay whispered, "Yeah?"
"You're not alone anymore. Whatever happens next… we will need to adapt."
Jay nodded.