"Is the leash really necessary?" Pip grunted, squirming within his constraints, arms tied tightly behind his back, as he tagged along behind Handsome Jack. "I get the whole 'safety measures' thing, but this is ridiculous."

"You can't expect me to just let you wander around like you own the place." The Hyperion CEO snorted with a teasing chuckle. "Besides, I have yet to fully trust you if you're really up to the task of becoming my personal henchman as you proposed."

Pip sighed. His eyes shifting around discreetly as he studied his surroundings with extreme attention, taking in as much information as he could from the very convoluted design of the space station's inner structure. Guards on sight everywhere he looked. Security cameras all over the place; on the ceilings, on every door, even in the decorative shrubbery placed in every corner of every hallway. Figures. Privacy was nonexistent in there and planning an escape would be pointless. Not to mention the fact that he was in the middle of space, miles and miles away from home. He even considered stealing a ship and flying away, but the space station's giant laser eye would disintegrate him before reaching land. His only hope was making his plan work.

"Everything is so bloody yellow…" Pip thought to himself. "God, I despise it."

They pushed through among crowds of curious employees twisting their necks to turn and look at the small parade crossing their paths. They whispered to one another, a few gasped in shock and surprise, and of course there were those who took out their phones to make sure they made the most viewer-worthy content for the ECHOnet, all while grinning with that same malicious energy everyone at Hyperion embodied.

The group walked out of the most populated area in the station into an more isolated part, reaching a large, heavily guarded gate. A bright sign was displayed above it with the words Research and Development glowing in a flickering blue text.

"This must be that R&D Jack mentioned earlier…" Pip pondered and frowned. "Why did ya bring me here?"

Jack snickered. "Pff well you said you were gonna help me acquire your mystical powers if I allowed you to work for me, but for that we still need some scientific intervention, if you catch my cold."

Pip's eyes widened, his face turned white, even paler than it already was, as he began to tremble with fear and anger. "Bastard!" He growled. "I knew I couldn't trust ya! Ya feckin' SHITEBAG!"

"HEY! Watch your language, little man!" Jack snapped pointing a finger at the red-haired man's face. "I shoulda program that collar to zap you every time you cuss at me, you dick."

Pip only let out a shaky huff, glaring at him from under his prominent bushy brows.

"Now calm down." Jack spoke through clenched teeth out of a forced smile. "I've scrapped the whole dissection thingy. I have assigned a scientist to study you with a more..." He rolled his eyes and sneered. "... ethical approach."

"Handsome Jack, sir." A tall, skinny woman walked their direction, wearing a long lab coat, with pale blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, and tired green eyes looking behind square glasses.

"Ah, Sammy! Just in time." Handsome Jack exclaimed placing a hand on the woman's back.

"It is Dr. Samuels , sir." The woman grumbled.

"Yeah, whatever." Jack squeezed his hand on the already upset woman's shoulder, giving her a little shake. "Pipsqueak, Sammy here is going to be checking up on you from now on. She will be doing… whatever the hell scientists do. Interviewing you, taking samples, all that crap."

Dr. Samuels scanned the short man with her eyes thoughtfully, quirking an eyebrow with uncertainty. "Nice to… uh, meet you." She said clinging to her notepad apprehensively.

"A pleasure." Pip purred. "I would shake yer hand but uh, ya see, I'm a little tied up." He flashed a toothy grin.

Samuels pursed her lips and nodded slowly. She gestured at Jack leaning close to his ear without taking her eyes off of Pip. " This is the Undying?" She whispered covering her mouth with her notepad.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Jack wheezed.

"Huh… thought he'd be bigger."

Pip frowned. "Come on, Doc. Just when I was startin' to like ya."

Dr. Samuels squinted, scrunching her nose as she turned to look at Jack who simply shrugged, crossing his arms and shaking his head and nibbling his lip in amusement.

She puffed with resignation. "So… if I understand correctly, the plan is to find a way to transfer your powers into Jack."

Pip pursed his lips. "Well, that's not gonna be possible."

" What? " Jack and Samuels said perplexed in unison.

"Why are ya so surprised?" The short man hopped back mildly startled with his tail tucked between his legs. "I told ya already that transferring me, what ye call, powers to ya would be catastrophic."

"Well, if it's impossible, then what the hell are we doing here?" Jack yelled throwing his hands up exasperated. "What was your marvellous plan even? You said there was a way, then I wanna hear it!"

"A clone."

Jack and Samuels frowned giving eachother an incredulous side-eye look.

"Listen, mate…" Pip continued. "It would be easier to mix me DNA with yers from scratch on a separate clone than riskin' a single deadly try on yerself. That way, ye're gonna have a healthy and strong undyin' version of yerself! Wouldn't that be just swell?"

Samuels hummed. "You know, by that logic he does seem to have a point."

"But a clone? That's like cheating." Jack scoffed. "The whole point is to make ME immortal. How am I supposed to be immortal when another me gets these powers instead?"

"Don't worry mate. I know a way."

"Spit it out then!"

"I'll need to take yer essence, a soul so to speak, and transfer it to the clone. But first yer gonna have to die."

Handsome Jack rolled his eyes dropping his shoulders letting out a defeated huff through his nose which then evolved into a wheeze, then a hysterical cackle. Dragging his hands on his face, he started mocking red-haired man loud enough to make Samuels and every other worker and scientist present turn their heads to glance awkwardly at the man crying with laughter as Pip glared clearly unamused.

"Are you seriously pulling my leg right now?" He howled. "I have to die first to to become immortal, is that a joke? Are you trying to be metaphorical here?"

"Well, how else are ya expectin' to transfer yer conscience into a clone"? " Pip grumbled.

Waving his hands while catching his breath, Jack lifted a finger drawing the short man's attention. "Wait, wait, wait, I think… I think I have an idea…" He said through giggly whimpers. "Technology exists for a reason, pumpkin. If I recall correctly, this guy… Nnnnakawama or whatever, he was working on transferring a digital version of me into an AI. We can totes use that! Yes! Who would've thought the weirdo's science project would actually be useful one day? Certainly not me, but life is full of surprises, isn't it?"

Pip furrowed his brow with uncertainty, his gaze down to the floor, he nodded his head lightly."Yeah, I guess that'll do…" he murmured.

Handsome Jack clasped his hands together firmly with a loud clap making the poor lady scientist flinch in surprise shielding herself with her notepad.

"Well, that settles it!" Jack said excitedly patting Dr. Samuels on the back rather roughly it made her wince in discomfort before snapping his fingers at her in a condescending manner. "Get to work, Sammy! I want that clone ready by yesterday!"

"Yes, sir." Dr. Samuels sighed and sprinted away in no time leaving the two men alone.

Pip's tail swayed anxiously as he stared down at the floor in a thoughtful trance. He could feel Jack's stare on him making his forehead sweat and his breath shortened from the stressful pressure. He didn't want to look at him because he knew he had that malicious grin on his face that only made his stomach churn. He couldn't deny that it creeped him out quite a bit. He had encountered psychopaths of all kinds from cannibals to cult leaders, but Jack gave him a whole different level of creepy.

He was a corporate leader, for starters. The worst kind of monster to ever exist.

"Have you thought on how we're gonna try this henchman gig yet, little man?" Jack purred bending down slightly in front of Pip with his arms crossed.

The gesture infuriated the short man. He turned his attention back at the Hyperion CEO, visibly upset. A frown which quickly turned into a forced, toothy smile." Affirmative, sir."

"Ooh! Getting into character already, huh? I like it." Jack wiggled with excitement. "Just don't get too formal or I'll get bored."

"Oh good. And here I was worried I was gonna have to speak like a soulless machine all day." Pip said sarcastically.

"Just be yourself, baby." Jack patted Pip's shoulder. "But stay in line. Otherwise-"

"Yeah, yeah, the collar goes boom , I getcha."

"Hohoh, not just that." The CEO leaned close to Pip's ear, uncomfortably enough that the short man could feel his warm breath tickle the hairs on his back. "I'm still considering dissecting you in case something goes awry. I will peel every layer off your body because I'm just dying to know what you're truly made of."

Pip shuddered, stepping away from Jack while rubbing his ear with his shoulder as the man laughed.

"Let's get you dressed, pumpkin. Now that you belong to Hyperion, you can't be seen wearing those dirty rags, especially since you're gonna be seen with me ."

"I hate yellow…"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Too bad, so sad. C'mon, cupcake. We have work to do."

"Yes, sir..." Pip mumbled.