At one of the communication stations, the iron gate swung open, revealing a man clad in military garb. Stepping out, he was greeted by a cascade of snow falling from the doorway, causing an involuntary shiver. Briskly, he rubbed his hands together as his breath billowed out in tendrils of steam in the biting cold air.

"I'll never get used to this cold, how many END points do I need to become immune to the cold?" He muttered to himself. Glancing around, he brushed off the snow that had settled on his hair before following a dirt road, where some soldiers were working on clearing the snow.

One of the soldiers seems to notice the man's presence and greets him respectfully.

"Corporal Williams, are you going to see the prisoner? I don't want to sound nosy, but some of my friends keep saying that you liked the prisoner, look, I don't judge you, sir, she's quite pretty actually."

"David, you need to pick better friends," Maxwell chuckled, the steam from his breath swirling in the cold air.

"And just so we're clear, I have no romantic interest in the prisoner. But honestly..." Maxwell said with a shrug. "I'm getting tired of the smell of male sweat, just having a conversation with a woman has improved my sanity."

"Now, I'd like to stay here and talk more, but I'm in a hurry, so if you'll excuse me."

"Of course sir, I won't disturb your dat- I mean, interrogation."

The soldiers around seemed to have overheard the conversation and burst into laughter.

Maxwell rolls his eyes and leaves, not waiting for the man to finish speaking.

As he made his way to Crimson Fastness, Maxwell remembered the last four months, he had been so busy that he hadn't even noticed the time passing. With the conquest and the successful construction of a base on the Salt Flats, Maxwell's life fell into a calm but dull routine. Sometimes Psychos tried to break in, bringing a bit of excitement, but they were quickly neutralized.

Lieutenant Harris, called in by Stelee to accompany her due to her need on the front lines, left Maxwell in charge of Crimson Enclave. Recognizing Maxwell's exemplary skills in combat and maintenance, he was promoted to Corporal to fill the void left by Harris's departure.

Maxwell hasn't lost focus on ramping up for the next Regeneration, but due to water and food rationing, as well as the danger of an invasion of psychos occurring, Maxwell can't train his body with strenuous activities. Naturally, Maxwell wasn't about to abandon his pursuit of Regeneration. Through the constant repairs he performed on the ECHOnet, he managed to elevate his [Mechanic] skill on several levels, simultaneously boosting his INT.

As Maxwell spent every day on the servers, he seized the opportunity to hack into them using his Data Knife. His superiors never suspected him because his CV only listed skills as a mechanic. This enabled him to monitor all the ECHOs connected to the network. He utilized this access to track the arrival of the Vault Hunters in Pandora, follow their movements, and gather information on their activities. For instance, he knew when they eliminated Nine Toes, Bone Head, Sledge, Mad Mel, and others.

After collecting information about the secret base in Old Haven and keeping tabs on the ongoing Gortys project, Maxwell wanted to visit there afterwards, to have a chat with Pollux. He was in no hurry and would wait until Athena sought revenge, then she would clear the base, allowing him to enter without meeting any resistance. However, he didn't just focus on gathering information; he also pursued a skill he had long had in mind.

Amidst the invasions by psychos, Maxwell seized the chance to hone his blade skills. Spending hours practicing with his Data Knife, he honed his precision by throwing it at psychos and engaging in one-on-one combat. However, he always ensured that he faced only one psychopath at a time; confronting multiple adversaries with just a knife would be foolhardy.

[Bladerunner: Proficiency with melee weapons, allowing skills such as accurately throwing smaller knives, disarming opponents in close combat, and blocking enemy projectiles.]

As expected, he had gained a skill with blades. As it was a close-range skill, it fell under [CQC repertory], so he only needed a Plasma Katana to complete his space samurai layout.

Maxwell snapped out of his reverie upon realizing he had arrived at the prisoners' area of Crimson Fastness. He halted at a cell, where he found none other than Tannis, who had been apprehended just days before. He was looking after Tannis because he wanted the researcher on his side, so creating a good impression would be the best course of action.

Although her face was a little dirty and sad, Tannis' beauty was still there, with short brown hair and green eyes. It was no wonder that several soldiers had flirted with her.

"Good morning dr. Tannis" Maxwell hit the iron bars a few times, producing a reverberating sound.

The woman herself was startled, as she was busy with something, her hand quickly hiding behind her back.

"Oh, Williams! It's you!" Tannis exclaimed, her voice carrying a hint of surprise. She peered at him intently, noticing the rosy tint on his cheeks. "Are you feeling alright? You look a bit flushed."

"It's nothing serious, just the cold, but I'll be ok." Maxwell pulls up a nearby chair, settling in as he engages in conversation with Tannis. "How's it going? Is no one bothering you?"

"That's very kind of you, but the blankets and hot chocolate helped make my stay here a little more bearable. As for the soldiers, they're cute compared to psychos."

"Glad to hear that. Anything you need, just let me know." Maxwell smiled, nodding in understanding.

They spent a few minutes chatting, Maxwell wasn't lying when he said he felt better with Tannis. He played Borderlands as much as Titanfall, so it was refreshing to see a familiar face in such a harsh environment. He felt that she was someone he could talk to relax, so he always came over when he had time to chat, much to Tannis' misfortune as she didn't like social interaction.

"Did you know that the skags in this area have an unusual adaptation in their digestive systems? Fascinating creatures. Oh, and speaking of adaptations, have you ever considered the evolutionary implications of the local flora? It's quite remarkable."

"I never stopped to think about it, it's quite incredible." Maxwell nods, with a hint of pity in his eyes. The poor woman was broken, she had several psychological breakdowns as a result of the hostile environment and the death of most of her colleagues when she was abandoned by Dahl in Pandora. This resulted in her abruptly changing the subject of her conversations and developing emotional attachments to her objects, such as her ECHO.

Maxwell was about to say something more to Tannis when the sudden buzz of his ECHO interrupted him. His eyes widened for a brief moment before returning to normal.

"Sorry Tannis, duty calls," he said apologetically, before answering the call. "Corporal Williams here, ready to receive orders from Commander Steele."

"Turn off ECHOnet?"

"Does the Commandant want me to do this now?"

"Noted."

Maxwell turns off his ECHO and puts it away again, then turns his attention to Tannis.

"All right, I'm leaving now. Make sure no one notices your ECHO signal, your Vault Hunters friends will be here in a few hours." Without further explanation, Maxwell departs, leaving a stunned Tannis behind.

'!!!' 

Tannis' eyes were wide, the Atlas soldiers had confiscated everything from her except her ECHO. She was taking advantage of this to send a distress signal to the Vault Hunters, she even wanted to talk to them to leave Maxwell alive, but it seems that it was Maxwell who let her live.

Outside the Crimson Fastness, Maxwell returned to the communication stations. He ordered his companions to do the work of shutting down the servers, but he would be doing something he had been planning for a long time.

After ordering the shutdown, Maxwell calls on the infantrymen to fortify the stations. He has installed some Scorpion towers in advance to help them defend against the attack. Maxwell won't stay to defend Crimson Enclave, he can only hope that the soldiers will fight bravely, preventing the Vault Hunters and Guardians from damaging the place too much. When the dust has settled and the Vault has been opened, he will return to Crimson Enclave.

Maxwell goes back to Crimson Fastness, and while everyone is busy, he gets into a Lancer and drives away from the site, driving carefully through the Backdoor and exiting at Salt Flats. The Lancer left a trail of dust behind, Maxwell had already removed his Crimson Lancer armor for his pilot suit. He had a goal in mind, he wanted to get to Hollow Point, get some food and water, and maybe some alcohol.

But first, he wanted to find a quiet place to do his Regeneration, he had a feeling he would be getting something big this time, something very, very big.

Maxwell took one last look at the mountain that had been his for four months. He shook his head and went back to focusing on the road. He would be back in a few weeks, as he needed the servers to carry out some plans he had in mind.