Smart girl, Sparta thought to herself as Eve tried to repair the damage the Siren had made. It was nice to see the woman was on her side, still backing her play. It was even nicer to see Eve stepping up and carrying some of the weight on her shoulders. Saving this girl was, without a doubt, Sparta's best move. Not only did she have a travel buddy and capable partner, but she had a friend. With a smile, Sparta rolled her eyes up to meet Axton's gaze.

"Truce," she extended a hand. "Lease we could do to keep Eve happy. She's been through a lot and doesn't take kindly to fighting." She bit her tongue a bit, hoping that her words wouldn't give away too much.

With a bit of hesitancy, Axton gave into the shake and confirmed their mutal agreement. They would stop being at each other's throats. Well, they would probably still bicker and fight, but no guns would be drawn.

He shifted slightly to view Eve. "Valid point. Three heads is better than one. Besides, for all we know, this weapon might need multiple operators. I did catch that it was pretty impressive and quite a handful to deal with." Axton moved closer to Eve and looked from her hands to his. Unless she raised her hand to shake his, he wouldn't extend the gesture to her. It was just the way he was raised; never force a lady to offer up her hand UNLESS she initiated it.

There was a small smile that quickly turned into parting lips and comments. "Glad to know I'm not alone on the war against Handsome Jack. The more we bring into this war, the better off we'll be." For a moment, his mind went back to his soldier days. "The greatest of wins require the biggest of sacrifices." It was just a statement that he didn't need comments on. "Just know going into this war that you're getting tossed into something big, much bigger than you or I."

"Eve and I won't be an issue," Sparta said while side-stepping to her friend. "Well, rather than waiting until reinforcements arrive, we don't we kick it. I've a rig out yonder we can go check out."

"We could ta-" Axton's eyes landed on his bullet-holed ride. "That sounds nice. Ladies first," he said while giving a slight bow.

Sparta, now walking with a bit of a hip-swinging sexy swagger, moved forward and began their walk to the vehicle. With Axton a few paces behind she and Eve, the Siren leaned closer to her female friend and whispered. "I'm usually not one to team up with men, but this hunk can stay as long as he'd like." With a wink, she wrinkled her nose to giggle. "You have to admit, he's quite handsome. Ruggedly good looking. Mmm mmmm mmmmmmm!"

Eve was really glad that Sparta got her subtle hints, Axton had no idea that the weapon was a person, muchless the small woman in front of him. However, Eve got the feeling he knew more than he was letting on and only hinted at things.

But she understood hiding things. Sparta and Axton shook hands, announcing a truce, and Eve was relieved. Then the soldier stepped up to Eve. From the small distance that was between them, she got to look at the soldier. His green eyes were bright, and shined like dark emeralds, his hair, although dusty with the dirt from the surroundings, fit his face and stature almost perfectly.

With her hand slightly shaking, she raised her hand, and shook the soldier's firm, but gentle handshake.

Her eyes turned a bright blue, without her realizing, and when their hands met, she released a small shock, "I'm sorry!" She hurriedly said with a blush, "Didn't realize I'd shock you like that." She joked, then quickly covered her tracks by saying, "Gotta love friction, right?" Hopefully, he wouldn't put the pieces together.

Though she was curious as to what was making her act this way, but she quickly shrugged it off when the two began talking again, Sparta mentioned her ride, and they began making the small trek towards Sparta's car.

Eve was a little farther than Axton and closer to Sparta, and she felt relieved, hopefully her body wouldn't act out against her will again. Shocking him, literally was not her first thing on her mind...

Then she slightly heard the comment about the handsome Soldier from Sparta. She chuckled, "Yeah... Yeah... He is something. Hopefully I don't constantly stare or shock him though." She mentioned with a slight blush and a chuckle.

"Ha ha," Sparta laughed at Eve's innocent comments. It was more than adorable to see her act as such. Was it young lover or just her nerves? The lass had been through far too much and it wasn't even a solid day yet. Before Sparta could agree to Eve's comments, the soldier was upon them. Probably feeling left out of the conversation, she presumed.

"So, soldier, why brings you to this side of Pandora? From your looks alone, I can tell this isn't your side of the world." Probably helped that Sparta was born and raised in this world, knowing every nook and cranny. She knew the rolling of the sandstorms and the skags of the rolling hills and rocky cliffs. When she was little, Sparta used to call herself Sheriff Sparta of the Wild Wild West. It was always just harmless fun and the people of her home village seemed to enjoy her cheery antics. Too bad that place dried up to a drought and left all but a few now ancient faces dead.

"I'm looking for a recording. It's just a rumor, but I would like to see if it's true." Axton pulled out a small cassette player. A tape was already in the machine. He pressed the button down and a voice cracked from the system.

'This is Cassy Candis of the Clocksworth Crusaders. Tape Two of Four. If you've happened across this tape, it means you found tape one. Congrats on getting one step closer to learning how to defeat the enemy. To find my third cassette, you need to head to the rolling deserts where the cliffs are stained red from clay and blood. Tucked down a small dried up creek laid what used to be the town of Mellyway. Boy, I'm awfully thirsty. What's a gal gotta do to get some water around her.' The recording stopped and Axton looked up from his tape.

"No idea where this 'Mellyway' place is, but I think this is the area she speaks of. Only place that I know of that has red cliffs of clay and blood. And I think that tidbit at the end is telling me that the third tape is in a well or trough. Her last clue was about how she hates spiders. Found this f--ker inside a spider's nest." He wobbled the machine a bit before tucking it back away. "I don't know what 'enemy' she speaks of. She's extra cryptic to ensure the enemy she speaks of doesn't destroy the tapes."

"Sounds like you're chasing lies," Sparta said behind grit teeth. Mellyway. How the hell did he happen upon a tape that referred to her birthplace. There was no way she was taking him to that graveyard. She made peace with that place years ago. She refused to let some foreign soldier poke around her deceased family and friends.

Axton rolled his eyes at Sparta's comments. "Regardless, I don't plan on leaving until I've search this desert from hole to mountain. I will find that tape." At this point, Axton was feeling the cold shoulder from Sparta and decided to move away from her and walk silently beside Eve. "So what's your story, Sparky?"

Eve listened to the tape and watched Sparta's face twist. This place was real, of this she was sure. But she was trying to figure out a way to get to the tape without betraying Sparta's trust. And there was no way. Unless Sparta came with Eve and they left Axton in the car. That was the only way. But she wanted to find that tape.

She was sure that these set of tapes were the key to something. But how to convince Sparta to go? That was another matter entirely.

While she as thinking, the only thing that got her out of her thought process was the soldier calling her Sparky.

She chuckled... No.... She giggled. "Me? I'm uh..." I'm the superweapon that you're looking for... "My story... I'm a Hyperion Escapee." And she gave a smile and a thumbs up.

"But uh... That's a story for another time, I'm sure." She giggled again, "But for now, I need to talk to my friend." She said quickly walking over to Sparta in another attempt to hold in a giggle, and she took a breath before talking, "Sparta, I have a feeling about these tapes... But the only way we are going to find more about me... I have a feeling we need to find those tapes..."

"I had a feeling you would say that," the woman said with a bit of an attitude. "I just don't like the idea of going to where..." she fell silent. It was hard to really talk about her past like that. Should she even share that with Eve? Were they close enough to disclose personal information. "Mellyway is nothing but a graveyard now. I put my parents to bed there, 6-feet under."

Eyes of sadness looked at Eve but quickly pulled away. She muttered, "I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Taking side-steps from the girl, Sparta bolted into a dead-on sprint to her vehicle. She just needed to get away and let everything bounce around her head. Granted, her actions made Axton come to realize there was more at foot here than they were leading on.

Left with just Eve, he sauntered up on beside her. "That went well," he mocked in a rather haughty tone. "I hate to deceive your friend, but perhaps we can discover Mellyway by seeing what area she avoids." Arms crossed over his chest, he stared out across the sand to Sparta. "Or we can even the game. There must be a reason she sticks around here. She must be looking for something. If we can find what she wants, maybe she'll return the favor."

Axton was merely talking aloud, hoping that Eve might be in on what he was saying. "You seem like a reasonable miss, perhaps you can talk the truth out of her and figure out what she's hiding." His face became a clean slate, free of all expression. A stoic stare followed. "Friend or not, secrets will destroy."

Now looking at Eve, he raised a hand to his lips. Lapping his tongue against it, that hand lowered closer to Eve's face. "You've got something," he began but stopped when his finger glided gently across her features. Rubbing the grime from her cheeks, the man smiled with delight. "Ah, so you are prettier than the dirt lead me to believe." Before Axton could smile, his eyes were pulling up to see Sparta driving at them with her modified Tactical.

"Get in, bitches," the car sneered.

Jaw nearly on the floor, Axton's brows furrowed. "You meet the misses," he said lightly tapping his sentry. "Keep your bullshit to yourself, car, and I'll keep my bullets from your frame."

Hopping into the back, Axton extended Eve a hand. If she accepted, his toned body and flawless muscles would hoist her into the air and into the truck-bed. If she declined the gesture, he would pout for he didn't get to showoff. Sometimes it was nice to show off, especially for the pretty ladies.

In a way, Eve had felt betrayed by her friends words, her friend, had found her, begging for death, rescued her even though she didn't want it... Maybe a bullet to the brain would've been better at that moment, but... Eve remembered that not even an hour ago, Sparta said that she'd help, and now... She wasn't.

She understood sadness, but she started realizing that their friendship was built on Sparta's interest in the girl. She had to shake it off. She had to roll with the punches... Right?

"That went well," She heard from up beside her. She jumped a little bit, she really needed to pay more attention, especially around Axton.

He mentioned some good points, and she felt torn. It could lead to information about her and how to control her new powers, or it could lead to nothing. Though she had a feeling it was the former.

Even the playing field? That would be the only thing... Leverage. It was a dirty word, but it had to be done.

"Doing a favor gets a favor. " She muttered thinking to herself again.

Favors were more valuable than money right now. Eve felt that Axton was right in that Sparta wanted something out here, but she needed to find out what it was before they went off looking for it.

She was about to lay out a plan for action when he touched her cheek and rubbed away some of the dirt on her face. Her cheeks flushed, and she felt so embarrassed because she could feel the heat on her cheeks, and she knew that he could too, but when he smiled widely she did too, why, she had no idea.

She felt so... Giddy.

Sparta either really had good timing or really bad timing. It seemed her friend popped up at the times that Eve wanted to say something personal, though she had no idea what she would say... Or Sparta was saving her from an embarrassing moment.

And she hoped the name calling was just a passive aggressive way of lashing out at Axton and Eve for suggesting that they go look for the tape.

She quickly realized she would be in a party with two type A personalities. Eve couldn't help but chuckle and when Axton offered her his hand, she smiled slightly and took his hand and was effortlessly hoisted up by the soldier. Either his muscles were hidden underneath his worn uniform, or she was thinner than she originally thought.

It was obvious that the small moment between the Soldier and Eve was still slightly affecting her because two things happened when she was hoisted. The first, she shocked him, unintentionally again, and she wasn't paying attention to the foot that wasn't on the car yet, because it caught on the back bumper of the technical and she fell.

On poor Axton.

"I..." She felt the blood rush to her cheeks again "Um... Sorry about... That..."

"Hey now, let's save that stuff for the sheets. I'm all for a good show, but I'm not about to let this stranger get his way with you. Not yet." Sparta's head tossed over her shoulder and she sent the beat-red girl a wink. "Then again...," a coy look slid onto her face. Whatever she was about to do, Eve knew it was for Sparta's own enjoyment.

Sure enough, the siren jerked the car forward, further forcing Eve to fall all over the commando. Then, just soon as Eve was in a compromising position, the car would recoil back and fling the woman into yet another bad position. Between the jerks, Eve was doing one hell of a bang-up job getting Axton's undivided attention. Each time her hand landed on his thigh, he would flinch. Or when her mouth fell close to his goods, his eyes would flicker with optimism. The few times her body flopped roughly against his, his body would tension and his hand would instantly move to grab her ass. Thankfully, Sparta's driving always spared Eve the butt-groping. As much as she wanted to plaster Eve's face red, she just couldn't let Axton do it to the girl. She, Sparta, wanted to be the one in control of Eve's little mind-trip.

Finally stopping, the brunette laughed. "Ho ho ho, Eve, I thought you naive and innocent. Your positions state otherwise." With a wink, Sparta quickly turned her head to Axton to give him a firm, commanding glare-down. "You so much as hurt a finger on my girl, you will have to deal with me!"

Brow cocked, Axton just looked from female to female. Whatever was going on between these two was beyond him. A casual shrug shook everything off and allowed him to go about his own business. And that business? It was rubbing his throbbing arm. He didn't know why, but it hurt like hell, as if a jolt of electricity tased him. It made no sense to him though. Where would he get that much contact with lightning? Eve touching him wasn't logical. Sure, she could have built-up static charge but this zap was beyond that.

"So where are we going?" Axton was all about getting answers and Sparta seemed to be all about avoiding them for he was met with silence. Turning his attention to Eve, he grimaced. "Don't suppose you can talk to your partner. I reckon she doesn't like me too much." Deciding to give Eve some cues and starter lines, he went on. "We need to know where we're going and why. I know you're friends and all, but can you really trust her? Who's to say she's not driving us to Handsome Jack? Or Hyperion? And we need to keep our eyes peeled for signs. If we want to find Mellyway, we need to do that on our own. Doesn't look like she'll help us, at least not directly. Just leave the locating of Mellyway to me. You worry about keeping up appearances and keeping in the know."

Once he was done whispering, he gave Eve a light push. "Well, go on. Figure out what you can and then report back."

After a lot of jerking forward and a lot of embarrassing flopping around and even more embarrassing positions, Eve was grateful when Sparta stopped. Eve's face was beet red and she wanted to zap her friend into oblivion.

Sparta threw another threat at Axton, which Eve didn't think was fair, but hoping it was a joke of some-sort, and shook her head with a chuckle at the same time as stretching her arms from her friends insane driving and warped sense of humor.

Eve cocked an eyebrow at Sparta when she called Eve "My girl" and suddenly she felt this sense of a power struggle, sooner than she expected from the Commando and the Siren.

She shook her head and observed the Commando rubbing his arm. Quietly giggling to herself, she must've given him a good zap! Not like she could control it though. He didn't seem to be suspicious of her, which for now was the best.

She went to ask him if his arm was alright, but then he broke the silence.

"So where are we going?"

It was a good question. Eve was wondering the same thing, but she figured since the mention of the tapes, Sparta didn't want to talk to the Commando much.

Which sent Eve's mind railing. Mellyway is nothing but a graveyard now. I put my parents to bed there, 6-feet under. Could the tape be buried with her parents? Did Sparta have a direct connection with the tapes? What happened at this 'Mellyway'.

Eve had a pit in her stomach and she somehow knew that stepping foot into that city would change her life, and her friendship with both of her party members.

And not necessarily for the better...

That's when the Commando broke the silence and broke Eve out of her stupor, "Don't suppose you can talk to your partner. I reckon she doesn't like me too much."

Eve looked at him with a smirk and a quirked eyebrow, "Oh really? I had no idea..." She said with a slight sarcastic tone, hoping to ease the mood, which had no avail.

As the Commando talked, Eve built up an anger at some of his words, yes she and Sparta were friends, but they didn't have groundwork at all. But neither did Eve and Axton. They were just friends for convenience. And Axton was preying on that. She felt she was being used on both sides. And she hated it.

"Axton." She started in a hushed tone, "Why would she drive us to Handsome Jack? It would make no sense. She'd be walking into a trap. Everyone knows that he wants to get a hold of Sirens." She pointed out. "And you're lucky that I want to destroy Hyperion more than you do or this conversation would be over." She sighed and looked at her hands and mumbled to herself, "Betrayal feels disgusting."

She leaned back and looked out into the open desert. For miles and miles and miles there seemed to be nothing. She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, for a moment her head pounded, most likely from the changes of her mood and how they affected her body, but now she felt normal, for the moment, she had to do something. So, she opened the back window and poked her head in with Sparta.

"So where are we going?" She asked in a far more pleasant tone than how she felt.