Maxwell remained motionless for a moment, his eyes closed as he inhaled deeply. He found himself in a narrow alleyway, flanked by two parallel walls, with a maximum height of 23 meters.

Opening his eyes, Maxwell ran towards one of the walls and jumped. When his legs touched the surface of the wall, his calf muscles immediately contracted to jump to the other wall. Once, twice, three times he launched himself between the walls, each jump requiring more strength than the last, until his momentum began to wear off and gravity pulled his body downwards.

He had reached the incredible height of 4 meters using only his body. It seemed there would be no way to climb any higher, but then his Jump Kit came into play, spitting fire from its two thrusters and providing him with an extra boost that allowed him to continue climbing.

He was almost at the top, his heart pounding with adrenaline.

"Shit!"

However, one small slip, a single moment of carelessness, and his foot slipped, launching him into a dizzying free fall from a height of fifteen meters. Maxwell's face didn't show terror, but annoyance at being unable to reach the top.

Before the impact can occur and your body becomes meat pulp, your Jump Kit's safety system kicks in, detecting the fall and activating its emergency thrusters at the last moment.

"Vertical climbing sucks." Maxwell was panting and sweat was dripping from his forehead, his legs were burning and trembling with the effort, but the part that hurt the most was his spine and waist. After several attempts, he managed to run horizontally for long distances but vertically was something that required a lot of strength and skill.

His efforts paid off and he acquired a related skill, something he had expected, although he only won so easily because of his Jump Kit, which prevented him from eating dirt every time he made a mistake.

[Wall Running: Involves generating friction between the pilot's soles and the wall to move him forward or upwards. This is done by generating a normal force, while the Jump Kit is used to anchor the pilot to the wall, preventing him from being pushed away. The wall's slope affects its viability, with walls slanting outwards making movement easier and walls slanting inwards making it impossible.
Without a Jump Kit, the effectiveness of the ability is reduced.]

'Stats'

_____

Name: Maxwell Williams

Regeneration: 1

STR: 4

END: 5

DEX: 7

INT: 6

_____

Tactical Ability: [Phase Shift]

Boost: [None]

Skills: [Fast Regen lv.2] [Auditory Control lv.1] [Trigger Discipline lv.2] [Wall Running lv.1] [Mechanic lv.1] [CQC Repertoire]

_____

"I'd better focus on upgrading my mechanic for now, I'm gaining a lot of things but I feel like one of them might soon malfunction." Watching the sky darken, Maxwell puts his Jump Kit away in his ECHO and walks back to his apartment.

On his way back, he picked up some faulty ECHOs to try to fix. Arriving at his apartment, he takes a shower and wash his hands. Then has a quick meal, and falls into bed, totally exhausted.

The next day...

Waking up refreshed, Maxwell spent Sunday trying to improve his skills as a mechanic. It was something of an intuition, which part was damaged and needed to be replaced, which screw to tighten, which circuit to connect and disconnect.

[Mechanic lv.1>2]

There were several mistakes but they had already become commonplace in his routine, just an obstacle to excellence.

On Monday, Maxwell returned to the army, he was stopped at the entrance and had his ECHO inventory searched. Fortunately, Atlas was not without its bad apples, who would let anyone in without searching him for a few packs of cigarettes, drugs, and Playboy magazines. So after discreetly handing them over to the officer, Maxwell went in with all his things.

The first thing he did when he entered the Altas military complex was to ask for an assessment to change his unit from grunt (or cannon fodder) to mechanic. He almost didn't pass because of the low level of [Mechanic], but the officers saw that he had potential and accepted him.

The next few days were hectic in the third brigade, with everyone preparing for the imminent mission. Maxwell donned his red-white armor with care, adjusting each piece to ensure a comfortable and secure fit. He reaches out and takes the assault rifle he received from Atlas. It was a basic infantry model, but it belonged to the company that topped the corporate rankings.

He also received a very simple shield from Atlas, which could hold 1-2 bullets before needing to reload. But many veterans said it would save his ass many times over.

"All set? Then line up and follow me." A woman appeared in the room and called out to everyone, she was holding a digital clipboard, probably the one responsible for organizing the troops. 

They were taken to the ship hangar, where they stopped in front of a considerably large ship. Two more squadrons were waiting, Maxwell identified the soldiers by their armor, and they were from the infantry and construction squads. Maxwell exchanged greetings and looks of encouragement with his teammates, as he realized that they would be part of the same peloton.

Sitting in his seat on the ship, Maxwell watched as the horizon slowly receded, the ground becoming more and more distant. The thunderous sound of the engines echoed in the cabin, making everyone tense.

"Countdown to hyperspace entry in three, two, one." The ship's pilot's voice warns.

'Oh fuck.' Maxwell's hands grip his gun tightly. When the ship finally entered hyperspace, Maxwell felt a wave of nausea pass through him, but he took a deep breath and concentrated on controlling his stomach.

Fortunately for everyone, Pandora and Promethea weren't that far apart, and after a few seconds, the ship came out of hyperspace.

The cockpit opens and the squadron leader introduces himself.

"Greetings, soldiers. I am Lieutenant Harris, and I will be leading this operation. You may simply call me Lt Harris." A holographic screen appears in front of Lt Harris, with several red dots.

"Soldiers, our mission is crucial to Atlas' interests. We are tasked with conquering and establishing control over an outpost in the western Salt Flats. The Backdoor is an ancient passageway that leads to an old Dahl base, but there's a problem. The Salt Flats are currently infested with bandits under Baron Flynt and it's not far from the Backdoor's entrance, so we suspect they're using the place. If our suspicions prove correct, it is imperative that we remove them and take control of the area."

The officer then pointed to a spot between two mountains, a very remote location.

"After the success of our invasion, we will name the place Crimson Enclave. This territory will be of great strategic importance, as it houses the ECHOnet servers left behind by Dahl. These servers are vital to our operation here on Pandora and ensuring their integrity and proper functioning is of paramount importance."

"Is that understood?"

"Copy that!!!"

'Do our mission is to monitor the ECHO servers? Oh boy! I see it as an absolute victory!' Maxwell was thinking that he was going to fix vehicles or Scorpio turrets, not the ECHO system. After conquering the enclave, his only duty was to secure it, unlike the other units, who would be constantly risking their lives facing the clans and cults of Psychos. 

Maxwell looked out of the ship's window as they approached Pandora. The planet is very arid, with few bodies of water, something that is very noticeable even from so far away.

Upon landing on Pandora, Maxwell and the other soldiers adjusted their helmets, activating the air filters to protect them from the planet's dry, polluted air. Maxwell calms down when he passes his right hand over his left, feeling his Phase glove under his armor.

"Good luck, soldiers." Harris salutes in respect for his soldiers.  

When the ship opens the rear door, everyone quickly gets out with their weapons raised, prepared against any ambush.

"Clear!"

"All clear here too."

"Great! In formation, and follow me." Harris exits the ship and leads the peloton to a mountain.

Maxwell had played the first Borderlands game and knew where they were going, so he wasn't surprised when they were led into a cave that was nothing special. Well, the base wouldn't be secret if there was a big sign saying, RESTRICTED AREA! OWNED BY DAHL CORPORATION.

The road ahead was very dark, but his helmet had night vision, ready for cases like this. Everyone's steps begin to slow down, tense about hidden dangers.  

*Crack

An imperceptible sound reverberated, causing Maxwell's hair to stand on end. He glanced around, realizing he was the only one who had heard it.

Activating his [Auditory Control], Maxwell discerned the faint sounds of breathing and footsteps emanating from above. His heart quickened as he turned to face the source, his senses on high alert.

Turning around, he froze when he saw a dozen Psychos stuck in the ceiling. His daze didn't last long when he shouted, warning everyone.

"They're onto us, watch out!" Maxwell lowers the sensitivity of his ears when he hears that a confrontation is about to begin. Raising his rifle, Maxwell controls his breathing and squeezes the trigger, hitting a few psychos. Although it seemed long, actions were taken without any hesitation everything seemed to have been done in milliseconds, not even giving his allies room to react.

His scream was the prelude to chaos, as the Psychos broke free from their positions and fell against Atlas's soldiers; fortunately, Maxwell had warned them, allowing them to retaliate.

*Ratatatatata *bang *bang *boom *bang *pow

The cave erupted into a frenzy of gunfire, the brief flashes illuminating the darkness before fading back into obscurity. When the dust settled, the threat had been neutralized, the Psychos lying motionless on the cavern floor.

Maxwell took a moment to assess himself, noting the irregularity of his breath and the slight tremble in his hands. He forced himself to calm down, patting his chest in an attempt to steady his nerves. His enhanced hearing had proven invaluable, allowing him to anticipate the danger and react swiftly. In the cave's darkness, it was his lifeline, providing him with a crucial advantage.

As they pressed on, deeper into the cavern, they encountered another obstacle: Spiderants, native creatures of Pandora known for their ferocity. Maxwell knew they posed a threat, especially in large numbers, but he also recognized their potential to deter the Psychos from venturing further into the base.

Although everyone expected some heavier resistance, they conquered the site without too much trouble after dealing with the Spiderants, but they didn't destroy the nests, as they would be useful. The platoons were divided, with the builders repairing what would be the Crimson Fortress in the future and the infantrymen being deployed to guard the entrance.

As Maxwell and his squad emerged from the other side of the cave, they were greeted by a dramatic change in scenery. Perched atop the mountain, the air grew colder and the landscape transformed into a snowy wonderland. It was a stark reminder of Pandora's unpredictable nature, where one could transition from scorching deserts to icy peaks in a matter of hours.

From a distance, Maxwell saw what would be his new home for the next few months, maybe even years, as he didn't know in which year the events of Borderlands 1 would take place. The base looked a bit run down, the antennas needed some repair and the place probably had no power.

'Well, I have a lot of work to do.' Maxwell had to take good care of the place, which would be his in the future anyway.