My first BioShock fanfic! Considering how much I adore the games, I think it's about time! Anyways, please please please review and I will not send my pet Splicer after you :P
I reapplied my red lipstick in the mirror and adjusted my hair, trying to ignore the glances from the other women around me. They could tell that my black dress was cheap, bought in the one day sale at Bella Mia's in Fort Frolic. I could see it in the way that they upturned their noses slightly when I caught their eye. They knew I didn't belong here, and I was grateful for my red feathered mask to hide most of the embarrassment on my face. I put away my lipstick and left the ladies room quickly, emerging into the chaos of the party head first. The air was hot and heavy and the sound of someone singing a cover of "Papa loves Mambo" was mingled in with the constant buzz of talk and laughter. People bustled by, beautiful and grand in their finest dress, smiles plastered on each person's face. As with all masquerade balls, every person adorned a mask of some kind, the room full of white rabbits and feathered beauties. They laughed together by the bar, sat together by the tables and danced together underneath the neon glow of the "Happy New Year 1959!" sign. They were Rapture's elite and I did not belong with them.
We had been saving for months, Dave and I, so that we could see the end of the year out in style. We thought it appropriate as we had little else to save for and the year had been so hard for us that it seemed only fair to welcome the next with open, grateful arms. And so, with months of saving and a helpful friend that works as a waiter, my husband and I had managed to be one of the lucky few to bag a couple of tickets to the New Year Masquerade ball at Kashmir's Restaurant.
And so tonight we would party with the beautiful people, before returning to our flat in Artemis Suites on Apollo Square to worry about how Dave would ever find another job now that Ryan had had closed down his mechanics shop. Who needs a simple mechanic when a Plasmid could make any machine seem like a toy? I brushed these worrying thoughts out of my head, determined to enjoy the party along with everyone else.
I pushed my way through the crowds of people until I found Dave sat by one of the tables, a green and yellow stripy hat on his head. "Oh, you look awfully silly in that hat, Dave!" I exclaimed and he gave a wide smile. He had spilt red wine down the front of his rented tuxedo and I frowned, worrying how we would ever be able to afford to get it cleaned.
"Don't frown Samantha, dear. We are at a party! Now, come dance with me." He leapt up from his seat, stumbling slightly from the alcohol and I giggled as he took my hand and pulled me onto the crowded dance floor. The music slowed as a lilting tune was played on the piano and Dave held me close as we moved among the other couples. Suddenly, I forgot that we were different. Around me there were beautiful colours and lights and I was living in a city of promise, of dreams. Somehow, I knew that things could only get better for me, for us, for Rapture.
The song came to an end and everyone turned as an American man took the stage wearing a mask shaped like the moon. He raised his white gloved hands and the room murmured to a hush of anticipation.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! The New Year is nearly upon us! Let us toast to Andrew Ryan and to Rapture!" He held high a champagne flute and many others also held their glasses high before chanting, "To Rapture!" and taking a sip. Cheerful chatter filled the room once more, but the man was not finished speaking, and before I knew it he had begun a countdown. The room became tense and excited as people joined in, filling the room with a chorus of numbers that seemed to spark like electricity in the air.
"4...3...2...1! Happy New Year!" The whole room erupted in a mass of motion, excitement and noise, an upbeat jazz song was kicked into starting as all around, people were hugging, kissing, throwing hats in the air.
"Happy New Year, Dave!" I cried over the noise and he grinned widely from behind his mask.
"Happy New Year Sam-" But he stopped there, the grin disappearing from his face. His eyes were no longer on mine, instead, they were fixated on something behind me. I turned and at first I could see nothing more than the general celebration of a New Year's party. But then I saw them.
Beyond the laughing faces and the colourful dresses, a group of shabbily dressed, angry looking people had just come through the restaurant doors. And they were holding guns. I stared in bewilderment as the commotion around me seemed to turn black and white before one of the men that had appeared raised a pistol and fired it twice into the air. The music instantly stopped and a tremor of yells erupted around the room as people were startled into noticing these new arrivals. There was a moment as everyone turned to see these rough looking people and silence fell about the room. I looked up on the balconies on either side of the dance floor and saw more people up there too, there must have been more than fifty in total.
My heart started beating like a bass drum and my mouth was dry. I reached out to cling to Dave's hand as I looked around desperately, waiting for someone to do something. And then it happened all too quickly. The man who had fired the pistol leapt on top of a table and shouted in a loud, deep voice, "For Atlas!" Suddenly, people were running, screaming. There was an explosion and I watched in horror as the Happy New Year sign tilted and swung down hitting the wall and sending some of the lights on it sparking into a hundred tiny dots of light before going out. The sound of gunshots echoed in my ears and I found myself in the middle of a riot, clinging desperately to my husband as the crowd pushed and squashed against me.
There was noise. So much noise as people desperately tried to get away, only to be trampled underfoot by the panic of the crowds. My hand slipped from Dave's and I cried out to him in fear, only to be shoved to the ground as people kicked and stepped on me as they ran. I managed to pull myself to my feet and push my way into a corner. I stood and looked around at the madness unfolding before me. The rioters were on the stage now, aimlessly firing machine guns into the screaming audience and shouting words that couldn't be heard over the deafening noise. I searched frantically for Dave among the terrified faces but I couldn't find him. And then I saw someone I did know. Maggie Smith was up on one of the balconies, helping another woman tip a table over the edge to crash onto the dance floor below. Maggie Smith was my neighbour. My eyes searched people out in the crowds. Paul Harris. Harry Anderson. Elizabeth Frankwell. All these people lived in Apollo's Square. This was a riot of the poor people.
My mind searched for logical reasons but it was dazed and confused, lost in the craziness that was happening around me. One of the rioters on the stage was suddenly hit with a flash of blue, causing him to convulse violently as electricity shot through his body. A man then leapt onto the stage and hit him so hard that he stumbled back, collapsing onto the piano. As more and more people started to fight back, the violence grew and I knew I had to get out or I would die. Trying to choke back panic-stricken tears, I pushed my way back into the crowd, hoping that Dave had managed to get out alright. I saw a flight of stairs ahead of me and ran for them, narrowly dodging a man that had been lit on fire and was now screaming for mercy.
I stumbled up the stairs and seeing Maggie ahead of me, I rushed her way.
"Maggie! Maggie, please!" I cried and she turned, a look of horror appearing on her face as she realised who I was.
"Samantha! You shouldn't be here! You have to leave!" She pleaded with me, her eyes wide and fearful.
"What is happening? Why are you doing this?" I cried, tears drawing black lines down my face from my make up.
"We do it for Atlas! We must fight against the way Andrew Ryan has treated us!" She said, although her eyes were more unsure. I knew Maggie, and I knew that she didn't want to hurt anyone. "Please, Samantha. Go now!" She cried, pushing me away. I turned to see another group of people burst through the doors, their faces grim and serious. One of them pulled out a grenade, yanked out the pin and sent it hurtling over the side of the balcony. I only had enough time to duck beneath a table before the explosion went off, burning my face with its heat and sending my head spinning.
My ears were ringing, my vision was blurry. But I could still hear the screams, cutting through the air like knives. I scrambled from beneath the table and ran back down the stairs and away from the hoards of rioters. The dance floor was a mess from the explosion and now I could see the bodies, lying sprawled over tables and slumped against walls. I choked back a sob as I headed for the main exit, almost tripping over a fallen banner stating the words "Happy New Year!"
I burst through the doors and into another crowd. The rioters had blocked off the entrance to the metro station and now hundreds of people were trying to push past them to escape. More gunshots and screams, but now there was a different noise in the distance. A slow metallic groan, as though a large piece of machinery had started to work. One of the doors on my left slid open and I gasped at the sight of a little girl, dressed neatly in a pink and white dress, skipping out into the chaos.
"STOP! STOP, PLEASE! THERE IS A LITTLE GIRL!" I started to cry above the noise, rushing her way. But I was not the only one. A shrill, panicked women's voice screamed out over the crowd,
"JENNIFER! JENNIFER! MY LITTLE JENNY!" A woman, dressed in a tattered brown dress and carrying a machine gun, pushed through the people towards the little girl, her eyes desperate and tear filled. But something wasn't right, and the door was opening again, except not to reveal another little girl. A metal giant stormed into the room, his metal boots shaking the very ground beneath me as he raised an arm consisting of nothing more than a huge metal drill. Eight glowing red lights sought out the running woman and with another roar of anger, he sent the drill crashing down on her head. The woman crumpled like a doll beneath the weight, and as she lay there at his feet, the monster brought his drill back down her, spinning now, and sending her blood splattering along the wall.
The crowd stilled to take in this newcomer, even the rioters backing away slightly in fear. And then the chaos began again, except even stronger and louder than before, fuelled by this new terror. But all I could think of was the girl. I had to make sure she was safe, it was too dangerous for her to be here, especially with that machine. My eyes sought her out amid the blurs of colour and noise. The rioters had neglected their posts and the crowds had broken through to the metro, spilling out like a cup overturned.
I headed towards the girl's direction, being pushed and jostled about as people fought to get away. And then I saw her, observing the craziness as though it was a simple movie. But I stopped in my tracks, felt myself get pushed to the floor again as someone barged past me. I hit the floor and tried to push myself back up again, shaking my head in disbelief. Surely, I hadn't seen what I thought I had. But now, back on my feet and with the little girl in plain sight, it was clear that I had not been mistaken. The girl had no eyes. Or at least, she had eyes, but they were all wrong. They were yellow. A filthy, dirty yellow that wasn't even restricted to the iris of the eye, but it left no room for human familiarity. Her eyes were just an endless pit of glowing yellow, scanning the room with indifference.
There was a sound as a man started to fire his machine gun, aiming at the machine that seemed to be protecting the girl. The bullets clanged and pinged off the metal of his helmet, doing no damage at all. The man was quickly stopped by a swing of his drill, smashing his skull in half so that we fell to the floor, instantly dead.
I was aware that I was just standing there, but my legs could no longer move and my lungs seemed incapable of breathing. I was frozen, shaking, and I could see the man in the distance throwing a grenade, but my feet would not respond. I was going to die.
"SAMANTHA!" Dave. I hear Dave. And yes, there he was, pushing against the dwindling crowd of people to get to me. He took my hand in his, a warm comfort that shocked my lungs into working again and my feet into running. We ran away from the girl and her hideous metal guardian, and we ran away from the restaurant, trashed and broken. The grenade exploded, making us fall onto the cold hard ground as the heat of it scorched my skin red. And then we started running again, me and Dave. We didn't stop until we had reached the metro, leaping on before the doors could close on us.
We watched out the windows with everyone else as it pulled away. People were banging on the windows on the outside, screaming to be let in only to be mown down by a rioter's shotgun pressed against their head. Fire was spilling from the entrance to the restaurant and through the flames, I saw the figure of a small girl walk through unharmed. I clung to Dave tightly, sobbing loudly. He pulled his arms around me whispering the comforting word "Shh..." in my ear. But nothing could drown out the sounds of their screams, and the faint echoing I heard in my head of the song "Rise, Rapture, Rise", knowing that things can only rise so high before they have to fall...