[ since jack is so desperate to poke and prod into rhys' personal life, he'll finally come across something pretty... interesting on the harddrive. it's a folder, buried under a few other ones and very clearly put out of the way. not a secret, really, but more like something rhys just doesn't want to deal with all the time -- not until he's ready.
the folder itself isn't titled anything special -- rhys literally just called it "fucking garbage emo shit" out of frustration and left it at that. still, when jack opens the folder he'll see... videos. like, a lot of videos. they're all titled "vid_001" "vid_002" "vid_003" and so on and so forth but at the very top of the folder is a txt file.
in that txt file is a list.
1. two weeks after helios 2. five weeks after helios 3. eight weeks 4. ten weeks 5. thirteen 6. 16
ECHO DIARY ENTRY #1: TWO WEEKS AFTER THE FALL OF HELIOS
[ when rhys comes on the screen, he doesn't look... good. he's in what looks like a hospital bed, eye covered in gauze, temple port also covered in gauze, and a giant hole in his arm where his cybernetics used to be... also too covered in gauze. he's in a old faded hyperion t-shirt and there are cuts and bruises on his face and body, slowly healing up.
when the video pops on, his one good eye looks a little frantic before settling on the camera in relief and he smiles slightly before lifting his free hand to run through his hair -- except, well, the free hand was holding up the tablet recording him so it falls onto his lap and shows a good shot of the ceiling. there's a quick swear from rhys and then he grabs the tablet again, holding it back up. ]
Fuck -- I just. I totally forgot how to use a tablet. I'm so used to my freggin' arm.
[ he pauses, a pained look on his face and this is one of those times rhys would be running his free hand over his face or pinching his nose or a thousand other fidgety habits he has -- but he can't. ]
... Okay. Okay, first entry. I, uhm. I called my parents? I told them it was the crash and bandits and -- wait. Shit, fuck. I'm doing this all wrong, I have to explain. This, this is supposed to... be a log, right? ECHO log. I have to --
[ his eye looks away from the camera and he bites his lip, visibly tearing for a moment. he takes a sobering breath before looking back at the camera and in a firmer voice: ]
Handsome Jack tried to kill me.
[ and just like that, he crumples. his free eye overflows with tears and he drops his head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling as he just lets it come. ]
I -- I put all my trust in him. All my faith! I thought, I fucking thought we could do things together. I was so stupid. Blinded by fucking loyalty and thought, I don't know. I thought we were partners? I just wanted to give him back Hyperion, rule it with him, be something with him.
[ a pause and angrily, he lets out in a sob -- ]
Then he betrays me and I had no other option! I had to kill him! I had to kill everyone!
[ he throws the tablet afterwards, a spinning view of the hospital room is seen before it slams right into the wall and cuts out. ]
[ Jack has to give the kid credit. He's not bad with security stuff at all. Now, granted, not as good as him, but, hey, it actually took him some time to crack the encryption on the drive. Jack is actually feeling pretty pleased with himself, all things considered, because for having the shittiest fucking tech he's had to deal with since he was-- Well, since he was a kid, honestly, he's done pretty goddamn well. He's spent the time looking through some of the files, since he's the kind of person that's going to look for nice, factual information over "garbage emo shit," as he'd noted the folder's name. So, in that, Jack learns two important things.
One, Helios was no more.
Even before Jack gets to those videos, he's able to figure that much out. At first, he denies it as he reads, because it sounds ridiculous. Impossible. Helios was more than even Jack, because he had watched it be built. Hell, he had helped build it. Helios was where he worked, but it was also the closest thing he had to home. His lifeblood was in that stupid space station, and to know it's just gone is like hearing that someone he cared about had died. He feels grief over that, even though he knows it's stupid, but it's not just that loss. It was also his chance, he thought. He wanted Rhys to go to Helios so badly because he knew there was something there. He couldn't remember what, and that was still true, but he knew there was some way to escape what he had become here. So, whatever he was now, that was what he would be. That's one revelation that sinks in heavily.
And, two, much more upsettingly, which he finds frustrating-- The extent of Rhys's lie.
Helios and Hyperion were a part of it, of course. He can't help but feel angry over that lie, because of anyone, someone that worked for him should know that Hyperion was his life. He still wasn't sure if that was something he necessarily enjoyed, but it was what it was. It was a means to make his dream reality, and as such, there's a sting in Rhys not relaying that information. However, it's inconsequential in the face of the rest. He doesn't even get the full extent just looking at the colder, less emotional files, but as soon as he starts to stumble across everything about Atlas, he understands. Or at least, he feels he does. His expression grows more grave as he reads about all of Atlas's files, the prototypes, the business, everything he can take away from what he sees before him. But finally, it's stumbling across paperwork confirming what Jack is reading in between the lines here that gets him to snap.
It's his deed. It's not that Rhys had managed to find success on his own, to take a dead company and reshape it in his image, which is something Jack would admire. He's a thief. He had stolen that deed from him, and anger and hurt burn hot enough in Jack's chest that the glass of booze that he'd settled down with while he read gets thrown at the wall with enough force to truly destroy it. Jack stands from his desk to stalk around his room instead, since there's too much of that dangerous anger for him to do anything else. ]
Fucking piece of shit—
[ He's angry at Rhys, but he's angrier at himself. He knew. He knew, because when has it ever been any goddamn different? He wonders what it is about him that makes people want to betray him, because every single time he decides to trust someone just a little bit? It gets tossed back in his face. ]
Every goddamn time!
[ The vicious anger that comes every time with betrayal means that he can't continue this now. He makes shouts out a sound of frustration, but after that, he leaves his room, since he decides he can't stay here. He's not sure what he'll do, but he just has to do something else. Looking in the face of someone else in his life screwing him over isn't something he can continue with right now.
As always, Jack is too blind here to look at himself as the common factor. ]
Edited (spellin + ok look i can't type for shit apparently) Date: 2016-08-10 04:57 pm (UTC)
[ It takes several days before Jack can stomach looking into the hard drive again.
Every time he looks at it, all of that rage just bubbles up again, but at least the extent of it lessens each time. So after yet another trial about someone he doesn't give a shit about, looking at it doesn't inspire him to toss it in the nearest microwave. He figures that's about as good as he'll get. Another glass is poured, and he hopes that he'll be able to make it through more without throwing it at the wall. Which, thank god for the mystery cleaning crew. It would have made him even angrier to have to clean up his own mess in this case.
He starts looking over more business files, but he feels that anger bubbling up again. For each measure of Rhys's new success, Jack can only feel that it's made by screwing him over. But he has to make it through all this shit, and as a result, he decides to go looking into some of those more personal files. There's no real, logical reason for it. He just thinks that he might be able to find something to laugh at to make himself feel better here. So "fucking garbage emo shit" seems to be as good a place to start as any. ]
You look like shit, pumpkin.
[ Jack laughs, since the way Rhys looks here genuinely cheers him up, since he's both bitter and a terrible person. Seeing just how injured Rhys looks absolutely fills Jack with the sort of sadistic glee that he's infamous for, because really? He's actually sad that he hadn't caused it himself. In fact, it's easy to see how the corners of Jack's eyes turn up with genuine pleasure once Rhys states that Jack had tried to kill him.
But, to even his surprise, it's short-lived.
When Rhys continues speaking, Jack's expression of pleasure fades away bit by bit until it settles into something colder, but also uncertain. It's not what Jack had been expecting to hear, and that's clear. He's surprisingly quiet as he watches and listens to Rhys as he breaks down, and once the video is finished, Jack sits there in silence for several moments. He brings his glass up to his lips and takes a large swig, almost emptying it. He breathes out a harsh breath that comes after that distinct burn of taking too large a drink of something strong. ]
Just—
[ Jack starts to speak, but his voice is rough. It could be from the liquor, considering he coughs right after, but it's hard to tell. ]
The hell is that supposed to mean? I- You goddamn piece of shit. You...
[ He trails off, then unplugs the harddrive from his datapad roughly. jack stands from his desk and picks his glass up again to finish it off, but he's quick to start pouring another. ]
Talking about faith and betrayal? Jesus. What- What a friggin' load of skagcrap. That dick doesn't even know the meaning of either goddamn one! Fuck!
[ He corks the bottle again angrily, but he ends up taking his new glass to the bathroom with him as he goes to shower.
It seems like he can only make it through one tonight. ]
ECHO DIARY ENTRY #2: FIVE WEEKS AFTER THE FALL OF HELIOS
[ when rhys shows up again, he looks a bit healthier. there's no gauze but there's an empty scabbed over hole in his head for his port and his eye is covered with an eyepatch. his arm is still missing and he wears a hyperion sweater -- the right sleeve hanging loosely on his side.
he's sitting on a bed but this time, it's not in a hospital but what looks like a house -- the bedroom furnished in homey yet impersonal decor. his tablet is held in his hand and he smiles sadly, tired. ]
Hi, uh... me. Future me. I highly doubt I'll be sharing these with anyone -- maybe Vaughn?
[ a pause and his face twists in grief before he looks down at his lap. then he shakes his head and back to the camera, hint of a smile gone once more. ]
Future me. [ . . . ] So, you're back with your parents for a... moment. That sucks? Not that they're bad but, well, I miss my apartment. My home. My life. They turned my bedroom into a guest room, can you believe that? I mean, I guess you can. You're me. But, right, Eden-5 isn't really how I remember it, I think I've been away too long and people -- they keep... I don't know how people figured out I came from Pandora but they stare at me now, like I'm the freak here? Which, what the fuck?
[ he looks frustrated for a moment before huffing, hard enough to blow the bangs out of his face and he sighs. ]
I'm just here to get my cybernetics back. With Helios gone, I had to come back here and -- and my dad said he'd pay for them which, admittedly, is pretty great right now since I lost all my identification in the wreckage. I have money, I just need to access it and once I can --
[ he pauses again and again, looks frustrated. ]
This isn't what I want to talk about. Who cares about fucking errands I have to run? No, I've gotta talk about Jack. I have to -- I have to say it. Out loud. Say what happened or it doesn't seem real.
[ there's a minute or so of silence as rhys thinks before finally, in a calm voice he goes for it. ]
My friends are all dead. Jack is dead. I destroyed Helios. I killed thousands and thousands of people. It's all my fault.
[ a nod then as he seems to accept this and turns off the video. ]
[ These are going to take a while to get through if he can only watch one a day. He knows that, and he knows it's stupid, since who cares. The guy is dead, and Jack killed him! That should be more than enough for this to not mean shit, and yet it manages to piss him off all the same. It's almost like a ritual now, as if the third time is the charm, so there's another glass of liquor and another set of data to dig through.
And this video is much easier for him to parse through.
It's mundane, almost boring, and if not for the fact that Jack is a thorough guy, he would probably skip this one. He listens to Rhys talk about his parents, about Eden-5, and Jack doesn't feel much of anything beyond a "oh, that's where the kid is from," since there's no source of connection in the rest. The way Rhys talks about his family and his home planet is an experience is so far removed from Jack's life that there's simply not anything for him to think on. ]
There we go. [ Jack speaks up once Rhys starts to correct himself and get back on track, though his eyes do narrow when Rhys says he has to talk about Jack. He's expecting something more like the first video, and it's clear that Jack is almost waiting to get angry in that long silence. He watches Rhys on the screen like he'd like nothing more than to reach through it and strangle him.
But when that confession comes, it's different from what Jack expects.
The anger fades away to something neutral, and Jack taps his fingers against his glass thoughtfully. Like Rhys's in the video, his silence lingers for a while while he looks to the hard drive with a hard to read expression. Finally, Jack shakes his head. He sits forward to reach to his datapad and pull up the next video, but as he does, Jack at least has one simple comment. ]
ECHO DIARY ENTRY #3: EIGHT WEEKS AFTER THE FALL OF HELIOS
[ the most noticeable thing about rhys this time around is he has both eyes. the hole in his head is filled in and a long silver cybernetic arm is attached to his shoulder. he's shirtless, standing in front of a mirror and holding up his new hand to record, taking in the whole new look. his eyes seem to hesitate slightly on the scars around his shoulder but then he brightens, looking back to his face. ]
I guess -- I guess he felt bad or something, not that I actually told them what happened. Still, guess the old man felt bad enough to really put the big bucks into this. I have to pay him back somehow, I think. Maybe when I get Atlas up and running? I don't know, that's going to take a while. Still, it's so nice to see again. To pick up things with both hands -- to just... to just function!
[ and then suddenly, the video shorts out with a large burst of static. when it comes back a second later, rhys has a shirt on, a plain white button up, and he's sitting on his bed, still in the guest room from his previous entry. he's using the tablet this time. ]
So, still need to get adjusted to the arm. The tech itself is way more advanced than anything I got from Hyperion but like all things, I need to get used to it. I don't have any of my old files either and I -- well, I damaged the harddrive pretty bad impaling it. There's no way I could recover anything, huh?
[ he rubs the back of his neck then, awkward and uncomfortable as he looks away from the camera. ]
Plus... what if he's still in it? No. No, I have to start fresh. Clean drive. Clean tech. I can rebuild.
[ This video is also easy to watch. It's the same as the last where it's largely based in experiences that Jack simply doesn't share, and he doesn't feel much of anything over. As a younger man, he might have felt a pang of something over the idea that someone's parents would actually give enough of a shit over their kid to fund expensive cybernetics, but that had been squashed as Jack had gotten older and watched Angel grow up. So by now, hearing about that kind of thing comes with as much dispassionate distance as if Jack were reading a technical report.
It's only that last part that gets any kind of reaction out of Jack beyond that, but this too isn't anger or really... very much at all, at least outwardly.
He can piece together a general story of what happened through these videos and from thinking back on things Rhys had said, but there are still details that escape him. Hearing the anxiety in Rhys's voice, he's pretty sure about one thing that he had been wondering, at least. Rhys removed all of those cybernetics that Jack had known himself, hadn't he? He would've had to, because Jack knows himself. As soon as the Rhys would have fucked him over, he knows he would have taken over those cybernetics to really make him suffer. It's obvious. So it's obvious Rhys would have to get rid of them, and quickly.
But there's a detail that he lingers on, and that's the fact that Rhys hadn't destroyed the eye. He hadn't destroyed him. These stupid data files about everyone here made that clear, but it's a detail that Jack finds confusing. After all, if the situations were reversed, he wouldn't have done the same. Hell, he had decided that after he was done getting info from this drive, he was going to nuke it. It was a final "fuck you," because Jack still didn't feel satisfied with how he had killed Rhys. It was so lacking, because he truly wanted Rhys to know how deeply that betrayal cut, but he didn't have the chance. Rhys may have been a liar, but killing him like a bandit-- It didn't feel right.
So, why would Rhys keep the drive?
Rhys sure as hell seemed to think that Jack had betrayed him, and Rhys wasn't an idiot when it came to tech at least. He knew that the eye was what stored Jack and all he was. Jack had even said as much here to make that clear, because even though he had expressed it aggressively, he was afraid of the idea of Rhys having that eye in that form. It was like someone holding his beating heart in their hand, and he couldn't help but think that it was only a moment away from being crushed. Maybe it didn't matter now with whatever form Alice had given him, but it never made him any more comfortable.
Though a thought occurs to him, and Jack frowns as he considers it. Because maybe Rhys did know that. Maybe he got it, just how empty and desolate that place was. That was the weirdest part about it. It was a place, and it wasn't. He couldn't describe it, because in all of the memories and experiences he objectively knew weren't his at all, there was nothing like it. It was a true nothingness, and absence of anything but himself. There was nothing physical, nothing discernible, and not even time in any way that he could perceive normally. It was just desperately waiting to flicker back into what felt like existence, and it was a place Jack never, ever wanted to return to. He's sure that if it existed, Hell would be a better place than the drive, because at least there, he wouldn't be so utterly alone.
Yeah, he decides. That has to be it.
The idea that Rhys wanted Jack to suffer was all that made sense to him.
Jack leans forward to bring up the next video without ever really visisbly responding to this one. ]
ECHO DIARY ENTRY #4: TEN WEEKS AFTER THE FALL OF HELIOS
[ this time, rhys isn't in a bedroom. he's in a brand new location, an apartment. it's pretty minimalist, fancy, kinda upscale. rhys is sitting at a desk, in front of a computer that's recording him and behind him is a view of his living room (leather sofa, glass coffee table) and kitchenette (metal stools, chrome everything). past that is a view of a pretty nice looking city, showing that he's pretty high up off the ground.
rhys is dressed in a white dress shirt, black vest and black slacks. the sleeves of his shirt are folded up to his elbows and for the first time since he started this video log, his hair is slicked back -- a few loose bangs falling over his face. he's leaning forward in his seat, hands pressed together against his mouth as he thinks. eyes flicking up to the video, he sighs before folding his hands and resting his chin on his knuckles. ]
I miss... I miss talking to someone, which is probably why I started this stupid diary. I can't see like, a shrink or anything -- not for something like this. I have no idea if Fiona or Sasha are still alive and if they are -- they definitely don't want to talk to me. They ditched me on Helios for crying out loud, those fucking assholes. Like hell would I talk to them anyway? [ he looks angry for a moment before he relaxes, the grief lingering on him since the first video returning. ] As for Vaughn... I left Vaughn with Vallory and last I heard, her and all her men were dead. There's no way he survived that.
[ he leans back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest as he sways back and forth and continues to look lost in thought. ]
I don't... really have any friends. Vaughn is -- was my best friend. Yvette, well, you know how that turned out. I thought Fiona was something but... nevermind what I thought about Fiona, it was obviously wrong.
[ a shake of his head and his head falls back against his chair. he talks up to the ceiling now. ]
Jack felt like a friend. He really did, you know? I know it was stupid of me, the guy spent most of his time calling me an idiot but damn, everything felt so right with him anyway. I know he was just an AI, someone's own made up idea of him -- maybe even the original Jack's idea -- but he was still so much fun. I really thought I was an exception -- that he liked me, that he wanted to keep me around. Guess that wasn't ever really the plan, in the end.
[ a few moments of silence again and then he sits back up, looking at the camera. ]
I have an appointment tomorrow to see what's left under Atlas's name and claim it. Properties, both intellectual and physical. Products. Employees -- though that one's probably ehhhhhh, considering Athena. Anything that could possibly be owned by Atlas, it's mine to take so, uh, I will. I'll take it because --
[ rhys pauses and he looks unsure for a moment, like he's not ready to voice this just yet. he steels himself though, chokes it out. ]
I have to rebuild. I have to right the wrongs that Jack has done. Hyperion is over, everyone died along with the company. If I can do something good with this, fix some of the bad I've done, maybe I won't be the worst person in the universe anymore. Maybe.
[ then, he bites his bottom lip before reaching forward and ending the video. ]
[ Jack settles in for the third video and takes a long drink while he does so. Even if it's just his own paranoia and distrust that brought up the idea in the first place, the idea that keeping the eye was intentional was a sobering one, and he'd rather not be sober with that idea in his head. He pours another drink as he listens and takes in the new look that he'd grown more used to here on this ship. He talks about his friends and their betrayals and deaths, and Jack sighs. Rhys's newfound confidence clicks together all at once when Jack listens. ]
Yeah... You-- Guess you finally got it.
[ It's a sad realization, though not for Rhys so much as for Jack. His empathy is limited, so the only way he can truly relate is through himself, but there's a sting in the pain and hurt that's familiar. Getting older, at least when you worked for Hyperion? That meant realizing that no one had your back. Everyone was out for themselves, and if they weren't? They wouldn't last long. It'd taken Jack a long time to realize that. Actually-- He probably was around the same age as Rhys, he figures, but it wasn't something so distinct as he could point to an age. But it clicks because he gets it. The confidence comes from that realization, because when you just accept that truth about other people, then you know you can only rely on yourself and your own ability.
Of course, Jack listens more when the topic shifts to him, because he's ever the narcissit, but ironically, he's looking for answers here too. It's surely not what Rhys would have ever anticipated when he made these logs, but it's a perfect, cruel circle. Rhys had made these to try and pull out answers from what had happened, and now Handsome Jack was watching them to do the same. Jack listens, but he ends up scoffing tiredly. ]
No idea what my plan even was, babe.
[ Jack murmurs that into his glass quietly as he takes another drink, and he's surprised that this time, the idea of Rhys taking Atlas doesn't burn so hot in his chest. Like, it definitely still pisses him off, and he'd absolutely wrap his hands around Rhys's skinny neck for daring to steal from him, but it's starting to come together. It wasn't Rhys's plan to take Atlas. Jack believes that, and that surprises him. He can tell that taking Atlas wasn't ambition. It wasn't Rhys's ploy to get close to Jack just to greedily snatch the leftovers of Jack's success.
So when Rhys says that he has to write Jack's wrongs, Jack sets down his glass. It's gently this time instead of thrown against the wall, because Jack ends up running a hand through his hair as he leans forward to rest his elbows on the desk. It hurts again, but in a different way to hear it from Rhys that Hyperion is over. He feels nothing over the people that died, because that was always the risk they took in Hyperion, so far as he was concerned. But Hyperion had been the majority of his life. Had it not amounted to anything? All of his struggling to just do something right, to be a hero—
That did make it wrongs, didn't it? The ends would always justify the means. But if Hyperion was gone, then that dream would never come. No one would ever be able to see Jack's vision made reality, because he always knew as soon as Pandora was wiped clean, everyone would understand why he did the things he did. He was going to build paradise, and that simply couldn't be done without sacrifice. But with that path closed, there's a moment, no matter how small, where Jack feels the smallest shred of doubt.
Just how was he going to be remembered without that glory of his dream made reality? Was it going to be like how Rhys is recalling him here?
It's an uncomfortable, sickening thought. It's enough for Jack to decide he's done for the day. ]
ECHO DIARY ENTRY #5: THIRTEEN WEEKS AFTER THE FALL OF HELIOS
I almost forgot about this thing again.
[ this time, rhys is using his new arm. he's in his apartment, on the balcony outside and it's the middle of the night. he's in that hyperion sweater from before and a pair of blue boxers, asymmeterical of course. in his mouth is a lit cigarrette and he's taking a drag from it while he waits for the video to start up before blowing the smoke and holding it between the fingers of his flesh hand.
he's... not looking so good, actually. kind of pale, clammy. upset. ]
I have nightmares now which -- which is bullshit, you know? I never had nightmares before. After Jack and his... everything, I can't stop dreaming about it. [ he laughs and it's sad, broken. he takes another drag of his cigarette. ] He was my hero and we were supposed to be partners and one moment, everything's fine? It's so fine. Why wouldn't I upload him into Helios then? Of course I would. I'd do anything for him. So, I fucking put him in Helios and he looks so damn proud and then -- and then he was trying to kill me. Take my body as his fucking flesh suit. What kind of insanity is that? I'd, I'd like... rot. I could've put him in a robot! That would've been fine! Not even a Claptrap but like, a Loader Bot or something cool like that. Hell, I'd build it myself! He knew I was good with cybernetics! I don't fucking use these things for my health, fucking asshole. But noooo, he wanted my body. Mine. And he killed Dumpy for it too. Fucking bullshit.
[ he huffs and the video jerks, as he shifts to sit down on one of the chairs on his balcony. his leg taps up and down in an anxious movement and he tips the ash off his cigarette with a quick flick of the finger. ]
Is there... is there something about me? I have to ask. Is there something wrong? Something that makes people I trust want to betray me? The people I love? Vaughn agreed to betray me -- which, like, I know he wouldn't but it still stung. Yvette actually did betray me. Fiona abandoned me. Jack tried to kill me. Is there something wrong with me? Well, h-haha, fuck! Jokes on them because they're all dead and I'm not. So fuck them!
[ he freezes for a moment before pressing his face to his hands suddenly and starting to sob. the video turns black but there's the soft sounds of rhys crying for a few minutes until it finally just shuts off. ]
ECHO DIARY ENTRY #6: SIXTEEN WEEKS AFTER THE FALL OF HELIOS
[ rhys is starting to look pretty tired. his efforts to get his life back in order keeps hitting highs and lows and as he sits in front of his computer this time, he pulls his knees up to his chest and presses his forehead to his legs. when he speaks, it's muffled against his clothes -- pajamas again, faded yellow hyperion pajamas. his hair is very much ungelled and actually looks a bit greasy. ]
I should make these things weekly, right? I'm not even -- no one's even watching this. They're all just getting uploaded to my arm the moment I'm done. What's the point?
[ he sighs and looks towards something on the desk, keeping his eyes focused there as he gets into what he wants to talk about. ]
I... miss Jack. It's so stupid, isn't it? But I really do miss him. Once we started getting along, it was great? Felt like I could tell him anything, even if he was an annoying asshole a lot of the time. Things were just... funnier with Jack around, like it was us against the world! That kind of thing.
[ he drops his head against his knees again, thumping his forehead a few times with a long groan. ]
Ohhh, I'm such an idiot.
[ he reaches out then to grab something from the desk, legs dropping to the floor as he picks it up and holds it in his fingers. it's his old echo eye, blinking blue every once in a while and ready to be... reworked, somehow. he looks pensive for a moment, considering. ]
I really want to put him in something new, you know? Something that won't... kill me, but -- but I don't think he'd be happy with that. He promised to kill me if I ever woke him up again. I don't doubt he'll try. I'm not... sure if I want to risk that. I don't think I can.
[ he watches the echo eye for a few more moments before shaking his head and reaching over to turn off the video. ]
ECHO DIARY ENTRY #7: EIGHTEEN WEEKS AFTER THE FALL OF HELIOS
[ this time, rhys is back at his desk but he doesn't look too terrible. he's sitting normally, dressed in pinstripe slacks, a blue shirt, a red tie. the tie is loose around his neck and the first few buttons of his shirt are undone. it's evening, the sun going down in the background and rhys' hair is falling over his face as the gel wears off, a glass of something pretty strong in his hand. he's just trying to decompress after a long day, it looks like. ]
I've been thinking about Fiona. I know, all my other videos so far -- Jack this, Jack that. But, fuck Jack. What did he ever do for me? Lie to me? Make me trust him? Try to kill me? Fucker. So, fuck him. King is dead, long live the king or what-fucking-ever.
[ rhys is also drunk. he takes a moment to knock back the rest of his drink before reaching down to the floor to pick up an almost empty bottle of pretty strong booze. maliwan brand whiskey, it looks like. ]
So, Fiiiiona. Let's talk about Fiona. Let me talk to me about Fiona.
[ he takes a sip of his drink then, considering where to start with this and continuing to sway back and forth. it's a hard topic for rhys and it's clear he doesn't exactly want to talk about it, but it's weighing on his mind so much that there's... not really anything else he can talk about. so, liquid courage helps. ]
She was hot. Hell, Jack said it -- girls and hats and oh my god, Fiona's hat was so hot. Her legs, her ass, that mouth, oh my godddddd. I wanted to make out with her soooo bad. I'm a good kisser, you know? Fuck, of course you know that, you're me. Still, tooootally wanted to make out with her. Like, all the time.
[ RHYS, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS. ]
Anyway, she also made me feel safe, you know? Which seems kind of dumb, I guess, but when you work where I work -- with the people I worked with -- you learn not to really trust anyone. Even Vaughn, once we got to Hyperion, I knew that I couldn't trust him as much as I used to. Just the nature of the game. But Fiona? She was straightforward. She wanted to rob me, so she did. She wanted to kill me, so she... uh... tried. I'm glad we went to Hollow Point too? Hearing her call me her friend, it felt... good. Felt like suddenly I had someone else in my life who, like, mattered. I said it -- it's hard making friends, especially at Hyperion. I think that's Jack's legacy -- paranoid CEO, paranoid company. Gotta wonder how it was during Tassiter's days.
[ he takes a few swallows of his drink then, closing his eyes as he sinks back into his chair and gives it a moment before he keeps talking. he has to keep talking, put everything out there, record it and keep it. otherwise... he doesn't know. otherwise, he feels a bit empty. ]
Fiona though? She understood me, instinctively. I don't... really know how it happened but I understood her too? Fiona never lied to me, or at least, it felt like she didn't -- which again, sounds so stupid. She robbed me. She's a con artist. But the way she treated me... I don't know if it was pity or genuine care or whatever, but I like how she treated me. Probably in love with her, I think. That would make sense.
[ a hand lifts up to wipe at his eyes because yeah, now he's getting a little teary again. he looks crushed, completely forlorn as he puts his glass on his desk and crosses his arms over his chest. his head tilts back against his head and he looks off screen, pausing his swaying for now. ]
She left me though, on Helios. I was trying to deal with Jack and she just... left. Left me to Jack. It hurt, you know? She promised she wouldn't and then she did and now, I guess she's back in Hollow Point? I don't know. I don't want to see her again, I think. How I felt for her... how I feel -- it doesn't really matter if she doesn't feel the same. So, whatever.
[ he reaches out to grab his drink before pausing midway and shaking his head. ]
ECHO DIARY ENTRY #8: TWENTY-FOUR WEEKS AFTER THE FALL OF HELIOS
I fucking hate Pandora.
[ when the screen turns on, rhys is in a brand new setting. it's an office, sleek and modern, pretty similar to jack's office on helios but... smaller -- or at least it would be if the video showed anything behind rhys desk except for his chair and wall. instead of windows on the wall, there's just a simple branding of atlas's logo instead.
then, there's the other noticeable thing -- rhys is covered in blood. he's also dressed in a pretty nice suit, underneath all that blood.
he's sprawled in his chair, slumped down a little and the camera is able to pick up the yellow thing clutched in one of rhys' hands -- a hyperion pistol. he lets out an exhausted sigh and places the pistol down on the desk before dragging both his hands over his eyes with a groan. this, of course, just makes the blood that's soaking through his hair and hands and all over, spread more across him and he grimaces. ]
This planet is a sack of shit. I don't know why I came back? What was the point? It's been a six months since Helios but nothing changes on this god damn planet. It's always just bodies and corpses and Psychos and I am so sick of it.
[ another sigh and he pinches the bridge of his nose before counting slowly, under his breath, back from ten. when he has himself under control, his arms cross over his chest and he bites his bottom lip for a moment. ]
... 'Kay, so. Been a few weeks since my last video. Got back to Pandora. Got back to Old Haven. Hired Zer0 to help me out a bit which has been... nice. I really like the guy -- is he even a guy? It? I don't know. He's pretty cute though, right? Really cool too. [ oh my god, rhys. ] Aaaanyway, he also taught me how to shoot people because, well, I guess he was tired of me screaming and running away? I am not really good at it. I, uh, I rather just use my baton, if I'm honest? I think I'm going to just sort of "forget" [ he does the air quotes ] where I put the gun and find my baton again. All of my bullets missed!
... Well, not all of them. But most. Aren't Hyperion guns supposed to be, I dunno, accurate?
[ all of the cool he opened this video with is gone now. he's still rhys, an ultimate failure. ]
Still, the old Gortys building seems to go deeper than either of us thought. I set up a kind of makeshift office down here for now and that's... helping. Lots of stuff to do, to get back in order. I... kind of wish I was back on Eden-5 because well, one, it was safer there and two, Pandora's just too crazy to do anything sensible with it. Seriously, it'd be so much easier if -- if we could just push a reset button on this entire planet, you know? There's so many nice things here and even some decent people but then the rest of it just wants to kill you. All the time! It's ridiculous!
[ this is his pandora sucks vlog, thanks for watching. ]
Anyway, here's something I was thinking of earlier so note to self -- Atlas used to run on like, military chain of command, right? So, does this make me the General now? General Rhys. Haha, sick.
[ he smiles to himself then, looking pretty giddy before reaching forward and shutting off the video. well, at least he's in a better mood now? ]
ECHO DIARY ENTRY #9: TWENTY-EIGHT WEEKS AFTER THE FALL OF HELIOS
[ this video is once again set in the atlas office, which looks cleaner than before -- more polished, more put together. rhys, on the other hand, doesn't. he's not covered in blood this time but his hair is in a loose mess, fluffy and layered, and he's in that worn hyperion sweater of his and a pair of boxers. he's sitting in his armchair, legs crossed under him and a tablet in his lap as a cigarette hangs between his lips but unlike the last late night video, he doesn't look like he's on the verge of crying -- just... tired. he's been working really hard.
when he looks at the camera, he reaches a hand up to rub at his forehead and pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, blowing out some smoke. ]
What the hell is the Crimson Lance? I feel like this is a thing I should know but I don't and apparently I, like, own them or whatever?
[ he looks down at the tablet, scrolling across the screen with a brush of his thumb, holding the cigarette between two fingers of the same hand. his other hand, the flesh one, moves up to his mouth so he can bite at his thumb and he looks a little frustrated. ]
They look like a military force? Disbanded, I think, but I have all their records -- what they've done, where they've gone. Missions and crap. This is... nuts? This is fucking nuts. They're probably related to that bandit group now though, the Crimson... something or other. Rovers? Raiders? Something with an R.
[ he drops his hand but the anxiousness seems to move to his foot next, wiggling nervously as he considers his options. ]
I was thinking about -- about going to Sanctuary? Reaching out to those Vault Hunters but I dunno, they scare me. That Siren of theirs, Lilith? She's super terrifying and will probably kill me though buuuut... but they're the Crimson whatevers now, aren't they? Would they -- would they work for me? Nooo. Maybe? I don't know.
[ a tired sigh leaves him and he reaches a hand up to rub his face, groaning. okay, right. what next? ]
Atlas has... a lot. I should have realized that since, well, they were bigger than Hyperion at one point. Weight of the world on their shoulders or however the story goes, that kind of thing. I'm kind of surprised Jack even took them down? It seems less like they were finished and more just sort of... put on pause, honestly. There's just so much here! It's really fucking overwhelming.
[ and then a pause as he sort of considers his options, looking away and focusing on his cigarette as his foot taps again and again and again. ]
... I don't...
[ he falls silent again, continuing to think. ]
Maybe...
[ he doesn't want to say it. ]
I was just thinking...
[ fuck, he's going to say it. he groans, head dropping back against his chair and thumping a few times before he reaches to drop his tablet on the desk. a hand goes back to rubbing his forehead because again, he really doesn't want to say this but -- ]
I think I need Jack? Or... someone, I guess. I don't know if I can do this alone. I've been thinking about how to approach this, about what Hyperion did. Hyperion was so focused on Vaults, right? But who cares about Vaults -- you need product, you need customers. I want to nix out the whole Vault thing and focus on just business. I'll go back to what I know, guns and crap like that but maybe... robots too? Ever since Jack wiped out the Claptraps, there hasn't been a good sort of servant-class AI on the market. I could do it better, I think -- less annoying too. There's probably some old records on Gortys, right? If I can find the notes on her programming, maybe I can recreate --
[ he pauses then, looking kind of surprised at the babble he went on before shaking his head and taking a breath. the cigarette goes back between his teeth and he lifts both hands to scrub at his hair before uncurling from the seat and standing up. his head and shoulders are off the shot now, camera focused on his middle and he reaches over to grab the mouse. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
momijizukamori
RHYS' ECHO DIARY
Date: 2016-08-09 03:26 am (UTC)the folder itself isn't titled anything special -- rhys literally just called it "fucking garbage emo shit" out of frustration and left it at that. still, when jack opens the folder he'll see... videos. like, a lot of videos. they're all titled "vid_001" "vid_002" "vid_003" and so on and so forth but at the very top of the folder is a txt file.
in that txt file is a list.
1. two weeks after helios
2. five weeks after helios
3. eight weeks
4. ten weeks
5. thirteen
6. 16
so on and so forth.
you get the idea. ]
> vid_001
Date: 2016-08-09 03:28 am (UTC)[ when rhys comes on the screen, he doesn't look... good. he's in what looks like a hospital bed, eye covered in gauze, temple port also covered in gauze, and a giant hole in his arm where his cybernetics used to be... also too covered in gauze. he's in a old faded hyperion t-shirt and there are cuts and bruises on his face and body, slowly healing up.
when the video pops on, his one good eye looks a little frantic before settling on the camera in relief and he smiles slightly before lifting his free hand to run through his hair -- except, well, the free hand was holding up the tablet recording him so it falls onto his lap and shows a good shot of the ceiling. there's a quick swear from rhys and then he grabs the tablet again, holding it back up. ]
Fuck -- I just. I totally forgot how to use a tablet. I'm so used to my freggin' arm.
[ he pauses, a pained look on his face and this is one of those times rhys would be running his free hand over his face or pinching his nose or a thousand other fidgety habits he has -- but he can't. ]
... Okay. Okay, first entry. I, uhm. I called my parents? I told them it was the crash and bandits and -- wait. Shit, fuck. I'm doing this all wrong, I have to explain. This, this is supposed to... be a log, right? ECHO log. I have to --
[ his eye looks away from the camera and he bites his lip, visibly tearing for a moment. he takes a sobering breath before looking back at the camera and in a firmer voice: ]
Handsome Jack tried to kill me.
[ and just like that, he crumples. his free eye overflows with tears and he drops his head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling as he just lets it come. ]
I -- I put all my trust in him. All my faith! I thought, I fucking thought we could do things together. I was so stupid. Blinded by fucking loyalty and thought, I don't know. I thought we were partners? I just wanted to give him back Hyperion, rule it with him, be something with him.
[ a pause and angrily, he lets out in a sob -- ]
Then he betrays me and I had no other option! I had to kill him! I had to kill everyone!
[ he throws the tablet afterwards, a spinning view of the hospital room is seen before it slams right into the wall and cuts out. ]
part 1
Date: 2016-08-10 04:08 pm (UTC)One, Helios was no more.
Even before Jack gets to those videos, he's able to figure that much out. At first, he denies it as he reads, because it sounds ridiculous. Impossible. Helios was more than even Jack, because he had watched it be built. Hell, he had helped build it. Helios was where he worked, but it was also the closest thing he had to home. His lifeblood was in that stupid space station, and to know it's just gone is like hearing that someone he cared about had died. He feels grief over that, even though he knows it's stupid, but it's not just that loss. It was also his chance, he thought. He wanted Rhys to go to Helios so badly because he knew there was something there. He couldn't remember what, and that was still true, but he knew there was some way to escape what he had become here. So, whatever he was now, that was what he would be. That's one revelation that sinks in heavily.
And, two, much more upsettingly, which he finds frustrating-- The extent of Rhys's lie.
Helios and Hyperion were a part of it, of course. He can't help but feel angry over that lie, because of anyone, someone that worked for him should know that Hyperion was his life. He still wasn't sure if that was something he necessarily enjoyed, but it was what it was. It was a means to make his dream reality, and as such, there's a sting in Rhys not relaying that information. However, it's inconsequential in the face of the rest. He doesn't even get the full extent just looking at the colder, less emotional files, but as soon as he starts to stumble across everything about Atlas, he understands. Or at least, he feels he does. His expression grows more grave as he reads about all of Atlas's files, the prototypes, the business, everything he can take away from what he sees before him. But finally, it's stumbling across paperwork confirming what Jack is reading in between the lines here that gets him to snap.
It's his deed. It's not that Rhys had managed to find success on his own, to take a dead company and reshape it in his image, which is something Jack would admire. He's a thief. He had stolen that deed from him, and anger and hurt burn hot enough in Jack's chest that the glass of booze that he'd settled down with while he read gets thrown at the wall with enough force to truly destroy it. Jack stands from his desk to stalk around his room instead, since there's too much of that dangerous anger for him to do anything else. ]
Fucking piece of shit—
[ He's angry at Rhys, but he's angrier at himself. He knew. He knew, because when has it ever been any goddamn different? He wonders what it is about him that makes people want to betray him, because every single time he decides to trust someone just a little bit? It gets tossed back in his face. ]
Every goddamn time!
[ The vicious anger that comes every time with betrayal means that he can't continue this now. He makes shouts out a sound of frustration, but after that, he leaves his room, since he decides he can't stay here. He's not sure what he'll do, but he just has to do something else. Looking in the face of someone else in his life screwing him over isn't something he can continue with right now.
As always, Jack is too blind here to look at himself as the common factor. ]
part 2
Date: 2016-08-10 07:04 pm (UTC)Every time he looks at it, all of that rage just bubbles up again, but at least the extent of it lessens each time. So after yet another trial about someone he doesn't give a shit about, looking at it doesn't inspire him to toss it in the nearest microwave. He figures that's about as good as he'll get. Another glass is poured, and he hopes that he'll be able to make it through more without throwing it at the wall. Which, thank god for the mystery cleaning crew. It would have made him even angrier to have to clean up his own mess in this case.
He starts looking over more business files, but he feels that anger bubbling up again. For each measure of Rhys's new success, Jack can only feel that it's made by screwing him over. But he has to make it through all this shit, and as a result, he decides to go looking into some of those more personal files. There's no real, logical reason for it. He just thinks that he might be able to find something to laugh at to make himself feel better here. So "fucking garbage emo shit" seems to be as good a place to start as any. ]
You look like shit, pumpkin.
[ Jack laughs, since the way Rhys looks here genuinely cheers him up, since he's both bitter and a terrible person. Seeing just how injured Rhys looks absolutely fills Jack with the sort of sadistic glee that he's infamous for, because really? He's actually sad that he hadn't caused it himself. In fact, it's easy to see how the corners of Jack's eyes turn up with genuine pleasure once Rhys states that Jack had tried to kill him.
But, to even his surprise, it's short-lived.
When Rhys continues speaking, Jack's expression of pleasure fades away bit by bit until it settles into something colder, but also uncertain. It's not what Jack had been expecting to hear, and that's clear. He's surprisingly quiet as he watches and listens to Rhys as he breaks down, and once the video is finished, Jack sits there in silence for several moments. He brings his glass up to his lips and takes a large swig, almost emptying it. He breathes out a harsh breath that comes after that distinct burn of taking too large a drink of something strong. ]
Just—
[ Jack starts to speak, but his voice is rough. It could be from the liquor, considering he coughs right after, but it's hard to tell. ]
The hell is that supposed to mean? I- You goddamn piece of shit. You...
[ He trails off, then unplugs the harddrive from his datapad roughly. jack stands from his desk and picks his glass up again to finish it off, but he's quick to start pouring another. ]
Talking about faith and betrayal? Jesus. What- What a friggin' load of skagcrap. That dick doesn't even know the meaning of either goddamn one! Fuck!
[ He corks the bottle again angrily, but he ends up taking his new glass to the bathroom with him as he goes to shower.
It seems like he can only make it through one tonight. ]
> vid_002
Date: 2016-08-09 03:29 am (UTC)[ when rhys shows up again, he looks a bit healthier. there's no gauze but there's an empty scabbed over hole in his head for his port and his eye is covered with an eyepatch. his arm is still missing and he wears a hyperion sweater -- the right sleeve hanging loosely on his side.
he's sitting on a bed but this time, it's not in a hospital but what looks like a house -- the bedroom furnished in homey yet impersonal decor. his tablet is held in his hand and he smiles sadly, tired. ]
Hi, uh... me. Future me. I highly doubt I'll be sharing these with anyone -- maybe Vaughn?
[ a pause and his face twists in grief before he looks down at his lap. then he shakes his head and back to the camera, hint of a smile gone once more. ]
Future me. [ . . . ] So, you're back with your parents for a... moment. That sucks? Not that they're bad but, well, I miss my apartment. My home. My life. They turned my bedroom into a guest room, can you believe that? I mean, I guess you can. You're me. But, right, Eden-5 isn't really how I remember it, I think I've been away too long and people -- they keep... I don't know how people figured out I came from Pandora but they stare at me now, like I'm the freak here? Which, what the fuck?
[ he looks frustrated for a moment before huffing, hard enough to blow the bangs out of his face and he sighs. ]
I'm just here to get my cybernetics back. With Helios gone, I had to come back here and -- and my dad said he'd pay for them which, admittedly, is pretty great right now since I lost all my identification in the wreckage. I have money, I just need to access it and once I can --
[ he pauses again and again, looks frustrated. ]
This isn't what I want to talk about. Who cares about fucking errands I have to run? No, I've gotta talk about Jack. I have to -- I have to say it. Out loud. Say what happened or it doesn't seem real.
[ there's a minute or so of silence as rhys thinks before finally, in a calm voice he goes for it. ]
My friends are all dead. Jack is dead. I destroyed Helios. I killed thousands and thousands of people. It's all my fault.
[ a nod then as he seems to accept this and turns off the video. ]
no subject
Date: 2016-08-12 03:07 pm (UTC)And this video is much easier for him to parse through.
It's mundane, almost boring, and if not for the fact that Jack is a thorough guy, he would probably skip this one. He listens to Rhys talk about his parents, about Eden-5, and Jack doesn't feel much of anything beyond a "oh, that's where the kid is from," since there's no source of connection in the rest. The way Rhys talks about his family and his home planet is an experience is so far removed from Jack's life that there's simply not anything for him to think on. ]
There we go. [ Jack speaks up once Rhys starts to correct himself and get back on track, though his eyes do narrow when Rhys says he has to talk about Jack. He's expecting something more like the first video, and it's clear that Jack is almost waiting to get angry in that long silence. He watches Rhys on the screen like he'd like nothing more than to reach through it and strangle him.
But when that confession comes, it's different from what Jack expects.
The anger fades away to something neutral, and Jack taps his fingers against his glass thoughtfully. Like Rhys's in the video, his silence lingers for a while while he looks to the hard drive with a hard to read expression. Finally, Jack shakes his head. He sits forward to reach to his datapad and pull up the next video, but as he does, Jack at least has one simple comment. ]
Yeah, kiddo. It is.
> vid_003
Date: 2016-08-09 03:30 am (UTC)[ the most noticeable thing about rhys this time around is he has both eyes. the hole in his head is filled in and a long silver cybernetic arm is attached to his shoulder. he's shirtless, standing in front of a mirror and holding up his new hand to record, taking in the whole new look. his eyes seem to hesitate slightly on the scars around his shoulder but then he brightens, looking back to his face. ]
I guess -- I guess he felt bad or something, not that I actually told them what happened. Still, guess the old man felt bad enough to really put the big bucks into this. I have to pay him back somehow, I think. Maybe when I get Atlas up and running? I don't know, that's going to take a while. Still, it's so nice to see again. To pick up things with both hands -- to just... to just function!
[ and then suddenly, the video shorts out with a large burst of static. when it comes back a second later, rhys has a shirt on, a plain white button up, and he's sitting on his bed, still in the guest room from his previous entry. he's using the tablet this time. ]
So, still need to get adjusted to the arm. The tech itself is way more advanced than anything I got from Hyperion but like all things, I need to get used to it. I don't have any of my old files either and I -- well, I damaged the harddrive pretty bad impaling it. There's no way I could recover anything, huh?
[ he rubs the back of his neck then, awkward and uncomfortable as he looks away from the camera. ]
Plus... what if he's still in it? No. No, I have to start fresh. Clean drive. Clean tech. I can rebuild.
[ a nod and he ends the video. ]
no subject
Date: 2016-08-12 03:36 pm (UTC)It's only that last part that gets any kind of reaction out of Jack beyond that, but this too isn't anger or really... very much at all, at least outwardly.
He can piece together a general story of what happened through these videos and from thinking back on things Rhys had said, but there are still details that escape him. Hearing the anxiety in Rhys's voice, he's pretty sure about one thing that he had been wondering, at least. Rhys removed all of those cybernetics that Jack had known himself, hadn't he? He would've had to, because Jack knows himself. As soon as the Rhys would have fucked him over, he knows he would have taken over those cybernetics to really make him suffer. It's obvious. So it's obvious Rhys would have to get rid of them, and quickly.
But there's a detail that he lingers on, and that's the fact that Rhys hadn't destroyed the eye. He hadn't destroyed him. These stupid data files about everyone here made that clear, but it's a detail that Jack finds confusing. After all, if the situations were reversed, he wouldn't have done the same. Hell, he had decided that after he was done getting info from this drive, he was going to nuke it. It was a final "fuck you," because Jack still didn't feel satisfied with how he had killed Rhys. It was so lacking, because he truly wanted Rhys to know how deeply that betrayal cut, but he didn't have the chance. Rhys may have been a liar, but killing him like a bandit-- It didn't feel right.
So, why would Rhys keep the drive?
Rhys sure as hell seemed to think that Jack had betrayed him, and Rhys wasn't an idiot when it came to tech at least. He knew that the eye was what stored Jack and all he was. Jack had even said as much here to make that clear, because even though he had expressed it aggressively, he was afraid of the idea of Rhys having that eye in that form. It was like someone holding his beating heart in their hand, and he couldn't help but think that it was only a moment away from being crushed. Maybe it didn't matter now with whatever form Alice had given him, but it never made him any more comfortable.
Though a thought occurs to him, and Jack frowns as he considers it. Because maybe Rhys did know that. Maybe he got it, just how empty and desolate that place was. That was the weirdest part about it. It was a place, and it wasn't. He couldn't describe it, because in all of the memories and experiences he objectively knew weren't his at all, there was nothing like it. It was a true nothingness, and absence of anything but himself. There was nothing physical, nothing discernible, and not even time in any way that he could perceive normally. It was just desperately waiting to flicker back into what felt like existence, and it was a place Jack never, ever wanted to return to. He's sure that if it existed, Hell would be a better place than the drive, because at least there, he wouldn't be so utterly alone.
Yeah, he decides. That has to be it.
The idea that Rhys wanted Jack to suffer was all that made sense to him.
Jack leans forward to bring up the next video without ever really visisbly responding to this one. ]
> vid_004
Date: 2016-08-09 03:32 am (UTC)[ this time, rhys isn't in a bedroom. he's in a brand new location, an apartment. it's pretty minimalist, fancy, kinda upscale. rhys is sitting at a desk, in front of a computer that's recording him and behind him is a view of his living room (leather sofa, glass coffee table) and kitchenette (metal stools, chrome everything). past that is a view of a pretty nice looking city, showing that he's pretty high up off the ground.
rhys is dressed in a white dress shirt, black vest and black slacks. the sleeves of his shirt are folded up to his elbows and for the first time since he started this video log, his hair is slicked back -- a few loose bangs falling over his face. he's leaning forward in his seat, hands pressed together against his mouth as he thinks. eyes flicking up to the video, he sighs before folding his hands and resting his chin on his knuckles. ]
I miss... I miss talking to someone, which is probably why I started this stupid diary. I can't see like, a shrink or anything -- not for something like this. I have no idea if Fiona or Sasha are still alive and if they are -- they definitely don't want to talk to me. They ditched me on Helios for crying out loud, those fucking assholes. Like hell would I talk to them anyway? [ he looks angry for a moment before he relaxes, the grief lingering on him since the first video returning. ] As for Vaughn... I left Vaughn with Vallory and last I heard, her and all her men were dead. There's no way he survived that.
[ he leans back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest as he sways back and forth and continues to look lost in thought. ]
I don't... really have any friends. Vaughn is -- was my best friend. Yvette, well, you know how that turned out. I thought Fiona was something but... nevermind what I thought about Fiona, it was obviously wrong.
[ a shake of his head and his head falls back against his chair. he talks up to the ceiling now. ]
Jack felt like a friend. He really did, you know? I know it was stupid of me, the guy spent most of his time calling me an idiot but damn, everything felt so right with him anyway. I know he was just an AI, someone's own made up idea of him -- maybe even the original Jack's idea -- but he was still so much fun. I really thought I was an exception -- that he liked me, that he wanted to keep me around. Guess that wasn't ever really the plan, in the end.
[ a few moments of silence again and then he sits back up, looking at the camera. ]
I have an appointment tomorrow to see what's left under Atlas's name and claim it. Properties, both intellectual and physical. Products. Employees -- though that one's probably ehhhhhh, considering Athena. Anything that could possibly be owned by Atlas, it's mine to take so, uh, I will. I'll take it because --
[ rhys pauses and he looks unsure for a moment, like he's not ready to voice this just yet. he steels himself though, chokes it out. ]
I have to rebuild. I have to right the wrongs that Jack has done. Hyperion is over, everyone died along with the company. If I can do something good with this, fix some of the bad I've done, maybe I won't be the worst person in the universe anymore. Maybe.
[ then, he bites his bottom lip before reaching forward and ending the video. ]
no subject
Date: 2016-08-12 05:27 pm (UTC)Yeah... You-- Guess you finally got it.
[ It's a sad realization, though not for Rhys so much as for Jack. His empathy is limited, so the only way he can truly relate is through himself, but there's a sting in the pain and hurt that's familiar. Getting older, at least when you worked for Hyperion? That meant realizing that no one had your back. Everyone was out for themselves, and if they weren't? They wouldn't last long. It'd taken Jack a long time to realize that. Actually-- He probably was around the same age as Rhys, he figures, but it wasn't something so distinct as he could point to an age. But it clicks because he gets it. The confidence comes from that realization, because when you just accept that truth about other people, then you know you can only rely on yourself and your own ability.
Of course, Jack listens more when the topic shifts to him, because he's ever the narcissit, but ironically, he's looking for answers here too. It's surely not what Rhys would have ever anticipated when he made these logs, but it's a perfect, cruel circle. Rhys had made these to try and pull out answers from what had happened, and now Handsome Jack was watching them to do the same. Jack listens, but he ends up scoffing tiredly. ]
No idea what my plan even was, babe.
[ Jack murmurs that into his glass quietly as he takes another drink, and he's surprised that this time, the idea of Rhys taking Atlas doesn't burn so hot in his chest. Like, it definitely still pisses him off, and he'd absolutely wrap his hands around Rhys's skinny neck for daring to steal from him, but it's starting to come together. It wasn't Rhys's plan to take Atlas. Jack believes that, and that surprises him. He can tell that taking Atlas wasn't ambition. It wasn't Rhys's ploy to get close to Jack just to greedily snatch the leftovers of Jack's success.
So when Rhys says that he has to write Jack's wrongs, Jack sets down his glass. It's gently this time instead of thrown against the wall, because Jack ends up running a hand through his hair as he leans forward to rest his elbows on the desk. It hurts again, but in a different way to hear it from Rhys that Hyperion is over. He feels nothing over the people that died, because that was always the risk they took in Hyperion, so far as he was concerned. But Hyperion had been the majority of his life. Had it not amounted to anything? All of his struggling to just do something right, to be a hero—
That did make it wrongs, didn't it? The ends would always justify the means. But if Hyperion was gone, then that dream would never come. No one would ever be able to see Jack's vision made reality, because he always knew as soon as Pandora was wiped clean, everyone would understand why he did the things he did. He was going to build paradise, and that simply couldn't be done without sacrifice. But with that path closed, there's a moment, no matter how small, where Jack feels the smallest shred of doubt.
Just how was he going to be remembered without that glory of his dream made reality? Was it going to be like how Rhys is recalling him here?
It's an uncomfortable, sickening thought. It's enough for Jack to decide he's done for the day. ]
> vid_005
Date: 2016-08-09 03:33 am (UTC)I almost forgot about this thing again.
[ this time, rhys is using his new arm. he's in his apartment, on the balcony outside and it's the middle of the night. he's in that hyperion sweater from before and a pair of blue boxers, asymmeterical of course. in his mouth is a lit cigarrette and he's taking a drag from it while he waits for the video to start up before blowing the smoke and holding it between the fingers of his flesh hand.
he's... not looking so good, actually. kind of pale, clammy. upset. ]
I have nightmares now which -- which is bullshit, you know? I never had nightmares before. After Jack and his... everything, I can't stop dreaming about it. [ he laughs and it's sad, broken. he takes another drag of his cigarette. ] He was my hero and we were supposed to be partners and one moment, everything's fine? It's so fine. Why wouldn't I upload him into Helios then? Of course I would. I'd do anything for him. So, I fucking put him in Helios and he looks so damn proud and then -- and then he was trying to kill me. Take my body as his fucking flesh suit. What kind of insanity is that? I'd, I'd like... rot. I could've put him in a robot! That would've been fine! Not even a Claptrap but like, a Loader Bot or something cool like that. Hell, I'd build it myself! He knew I was good with cybernetics! I don't fucking use these things for my health, fucking asshole. But noooo, he wanted my body. Mine. And he killed Dumpy for it too. Fucking bullshit.
[ he huffs and the video jerks, as he shifts to sit down on one of the chairs on his balcony. his leg taps up and down in an anxious movement and he tips the ash off his cigarette with a quick flick of the finger. ]
Is there... is there something about me? I have to ask. Is there something wrong? Something that makes people I trust want to betray me? The people I love? Vaughn agreed to betray me -- which, like, I know he wouldn't but it still stung. Yvette actually did betray me. Fiona abandoned me. Jack tried to kill me. Is there something wrong with me? Well, h-haha, fuck! Jokes on them because they're all dead and I'm not. So fuck them!
[ he freezes for a moment before pressing his face to his hands suddenly and starting to sob. the video turns black but there's the soft sounds of rhys crying for a few minutes until it finally just shuts off. ]
> vid_006
Date: 2016-08-09 03:33 am (UTC)[ rhys is starting to look pretty tired. his efforts to get his life back in order keeps hitting highs and lows and as he sits in front of his computer this time, he pulls his knees up to his chest and presses his forehead to his legs. when he speaks, it's muffled against his clothes -- pajamas again, faded yellow hyperion pajamas. his hair is very much ungelled and actually looks a bit greasy. ]
I should make these things weekly, right? I'm not even -- no one's even watching this. They're all just getting uploaded to my arm the moment I'm done. What's the point?
[ he sighs and looks towards something on the desk, keeping his eyes focused there as he gets into what he wants to talk about. ]
I... miss Jack. It's so stupid, isn't it? But I really do miss him. Once we started getting along, it was great? Felt like I could tell him anything, even if he was an annoying asshole a lot of the time. Things were just... funnier with Jack around, like it was us against the world! That kind of thing.
[ he drops his head against his knees again, thumping his forehead a few times with a long groan. ]
Ohhh, I'm such an idiot.
[ he reaches out then to grab something from the desk, legs dropping to the floor as he picks it up and holds it in his fingers. it's his old echo eye, blinking blue every once in a while and ready to be... reworked, somehow. he looks pensive for a moment, considering. ]
I really want to put him in something new, you know? Something that won't... kill me, but -- but I don't think he'd be happy with that. He promised to kill me if I ever woke him up again. I don't doubt he'll try. I'm not... sure if I want to risk that. I don't think I can.
[ he watches the echo eye for a few more moments before shaking his head and reaching over to turn off the video. ]
> vid_007
Date: 2016-08-09 04:47 pm (UTC)[ this time, rhys is back at his desk but he doesn't look too terrible. he's sitting normally, dressed in pinstripe slacks, a blue shirt, a red tie. the tie is loose around his neck and the first few buttons of his shirt are undone. it's evening, the sun going down in the background and rhys' hair is falling over his face as the gel wears off, a glass of something pretty strong in his hand. he's just trying to decompress after a long day, it looks like. ]
I've been thinking about Fiona. I know, all my other videos so far -- Jack this, Jack that. But, fuck Jack. What did he ever do for me? Lie to me? Make me trust him? Try to kill me? Fucker. So, fuck him. King is dead, long live the king or what-fucking-ever.
[ rhys is also drunk. he takes a moment to knock back the rest of his drink before reaching down to the floor to pick up an almost empty bottle of pretty strong booze. maliwan brand whiskey, it looks like. ]
So, Fiiiiona. Let's talk about Fiona. Let me talk to me about Fiona.
[ he takes a sip of his drink then, considering where to start with this and continuing to sway back and forth. it's a hard topic for rhys and it's clear he doesn't exactly want to talk about it, but it's weighing on his mind so much that there's... not really anything else he can talk about. so, liquid courage helps. ]
She was hot. Hell, Jack said it -- girls and hats and oh my god, Fiona's hat was so hot. Her legs, her ass, that mouth, oh my godddddd. I wanted to make out with her soooo bad. I'm a good kisser, you know? Fuck, of course you know that, you're me. Still, tooootally wanted to make out with her. Like, all the time.
[ RHYS, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS. ]
Anyway, she also made me feel safe, you know? Which seems kind of dumb, I guess, but when you work where I work -- with the people I worked with -- you learn not to really trust anyone. Even Vaughn, once we got to Hyperion, I knew that I couldn't trust him as much as I used to. Just the nature of the game. But Fiona? She was straightforward. She wanted to rob me, so she did. She wanted to kill me, so she... uh... tried. I'm glad we went to Hollow Point too? Hearing her call me her friend, it felt... good. Felt like suddenly I had someone else in my life who, like, mattered. I said it -- it's hard making friends, especially at Hyperion. I think that's Jack's legacy -- paranoid CEO, paranoid company. Gotta wonder how it was during Tassiter's days.
[ he takes a few swallows of his drink then, closing his eyes as he sinks back into his chair and gives it a moment before he keeps talking. he has to keep talking, put everything out there, record it and keep it. otherwise... he doesn't know. otherwise, he feels a bit empty. ]
Fiona though? She understood me, instinctively. I don't... really know how it happened but I understood her too? Fiona never lied to me, or at least, it felt like she didn't -- which again, sounds so stupid. She robbed me. She's a con artist. But the way she treated me... I don't know if it was pity or genuine care or whatever, but I like how she treated me. Probably in love with her, I think. That would make sense.
[ a hand lifts up to wipe at his eyes because yeah, now he's getting a little teary again. he looks crushed, completely forlorn as he puts his glass on his desk and crosses his arms over his chest. his head tilts back against his head and he looks off screen, pausing his swaying for now. ]
She left me though, on Helios. I was trying to deal with Jack and she just... left. Left me to Jack. It hurt, you know? She promised she wouldn't and then she did and now, I guess she's back in Hollow Point? I don't know. I don't want to see her again, I think. How I felt for her... how I feel -- it doesn't really matter if she doesn't feel the same. So, whatever.
[ he reaches out to grab his drink before pausing midway and shaking his head. ]
I'm done talking about Fiona.
[ and then he ends the video instead. ]
> vid_008
Date: 2016-08-10 04:47 am (UTC)I fucking hate Pandora.
[ when the screen turns on, rhys is in a brand new setting. it's an office, sleek and modern, pretty similar to jack's office on helios but... smaller -- or at least it would be if the video showed anything behind rhys desk except for his chair and wall. instead of windows on the wall, there's just a simple branding of atlas's logo instead.
then, there's the other noticeable thing -- rhys is covered in blood. he's also dressed in a pretty nice suit, underneath all that blood.
he's sprawled in his chair, slumped down a little and the camera is able to pick up the yellow thing clutched in one of rhys' hands -- a hyperion pistol. he lets out an exhausted sigh and places the pistol down on the desk before dragging both his hands over his eyes with a groan. this, of course, just makes the blood that's soaking through his hair and hands and all over, spread more across him and he grimaces. ]
This planet is a sack of shit. I don't know why I came back? What was the point? It's been a six months since Helios but nothing changes on this god damn planet. It's always just bodies and corpses and Psychos and I am so sick of it.
[ another sigh and he pinches the bridge of his nose before counting slowly, under his breath, back from ten. when he has himself under control, his arms cross over his chest and he bites his bottom lip for a moment. ]
... 'Kay, so. Been a few weeks since my last video. Got back to Pandora. Got back to Old Haven. Hired Zer0 to help me out a bit which has been... nice. I really like the guy -- is he even a guy? It? I don't know. He's pretty cute though, right? Really cool too. [ oh my god, rhys. ] Aaaanyway, he also taught me how to shoot people because, well, I guess he was tired of me screaming and running away? I am not really good at it. I, uh, I rather just use my baton, if I'm honest? I think I'm going to just sort of "forget" [ he does the air quotes ] where I put the gun and find my baton again. All of my bullets missed!
... Well, not all of them. But most. Aren't Hyperion guns supposed to be, I dunno, accurate?
[ all of the cool he opened this video with is gone now. he's still rhys, an ultimate failure. ]
Still, the old Gortys building seems to go deeper than either of us thought. I set up a kind of makeshift office down here for now and that's... helping. Lots of stuff to do, to get back in order. I... kind of wish I was back on Eden-5 because well, one, it was safer there and two, Pandora's just too crazy to do anything sensible with it. Seriously, it'd be so much easier if -- if we could just push a reset button on this entire planet, you know? There's so many nice things here and even some decent people but then the rest of it just wants to kill you. All the time! It's ridiculous!
[ this is his pandora sucks vlog, thanks for watching. ]
Anyway, here's something I was thinking of earlier so note to self -- Atlas used to run on like, military chain of command, right? So, does this make me the General now? General Rhys. Haha, sick.
[ he smiles to himself then, looking pretty giddy before reaching forward and shutting off the video. well, at least he's in a better mood now? ]
> vid_009
Date: 2016-08-14 10:05 pm (UTC)[ this video is once again set in the atlas office, which looks cleaner than before -- more polished, more put together. rhys, on the other hand, doesn't. he's not covered in blood this time but his hair is in a loose mess, fluffy and layered, and he's in that worn hyperion sweater of his and a pair of boxers. he's sitting in his armchair, legs crossed under him and a tablet in his lap as a cigarette hangs between his lips but unlike the last late night video, he doesn't look like he's on the verge of crying -- just... tired. he's been working really hard.
when he looks at the camera, he reaches a hand up to rub at his forehead and pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, blowing out some smoke. ]
What the hell is the Crimson Lance? I feel like this is a thing I should know but I don't and apparently I, like, own them or whatever?
[ he looks down at the tablet, scrolling across the screen with a brush of his thumb, holding the cigarette between two fingers of the same hand. his other hand, the flesh one, moves up to his mouth so he can bite at his thumb and he looks a little frustrated. ]
They look like a military force? Disbanded, I think, but I have all their records -- what they've done, where they've gone. Missions and crap. This is... nuts? This is fucking nuts. They're probably related to that bandit group now though, the Crimson... something or other. Rovers? Raiders? Something with an R.
[ he drops his hand but the anxiousness seems to move to his foot next, wiggling nervously as he considers his options. ]
I was thinking about -- about going to Sanctuary? Reaching out to those Vault Hunters but I dunno, they scare me. That Siren of theirs, Lilith? She's super terrifying and will probably kill me though buuuut... but they're the Crimson whatevers now, aren't they? Would they -- would they work for me? Nooo. Maybe? I don't know.
[ a tired sigh leaves him and he reaches a hand up to rub his face, groaning. okay, right. what next? ]
Atlas has... a lot. I should have realized that since, well, they were bigger than Hyperion at one point. Weight of the world on their shoulders or however the story goes, that kind of thing. I'm kind of surprised Jack even took them down? It seems less like they were finished and more just sort of... put on pause, honestly. There's just so much here! It's really fucking overwhelming.
[ and then a pause as he sort of considers his options, looking away and focusing on his cigarette as his foot taps again and again and again. ]
... I don't...
[ he falls silent again, continuing to think. ]
Maybe...
[ he doesn't want to say it. ]
I was just thinking...
[ fuck, he's going to say it. he groans, head dropping back against his chair and thumping a few times before he reaches to drop his tablet on the desk. a hand goes back to rubbing his forehead because again, he really doesn't want to say this but -- ]
I think I need Jack? Or... someone, I guess. I don't know if I can do this alone. I've been thinking about how to approach this, about what Hyperion did. Hyperion was so focused on Vaults, right? But who cares about Vaults -- you need product, you need customers. I want to nix out the whole Vault thing and focus on just business. I'll go back to what I know, guns and crap like that but maybe... robots too? Ever since Jack wiped out the Claptraps, there hasn't been a good sort of servant-class AI on the market. I could do it better, I think -- less annoying too. There's probably some old records on Gortys, right? If I can find the notes on her programming, maybe I can recreate --
[ he pauses then, looking kind of surprised at the babble he went on before shaking his head and taking a breath. the cigarette goes back between his teeth and he lifts both hands to scrub at his hair before uncurling from the seat and standing up. his head and shoulders are off the shot now, camera focused on his middle and he reaches over to grab the mouse. ]
I need to take a walk.
[ he ends the video. ]