DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BIOSHOCK OR THE CHARACTERS IN IT. THE STORY IDEA IS CREATED BY ME, BUT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE IT IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE CREATORS OF THIS AMAZING GAME. I THANK THEM FOR THE MAKING OF IT, AND I THANK YOU ALL FOR READING THIS! - Please review!
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I decided to get back into writing and of course, the first thing that I HAD to do was Bioshock related :)
I was playing through the second game (for maybe the 100th time?) and I got an idea regarding Mark Meltzer and his daughter, Cindy. He went through all the trouble to track her down, and I think he deserves some recognition for that.
However, for any of you that have played the first game, you should remember Masha - the little girl taken from Sam and Mariska Lutz. She was turned into a Little Sister, but not much else was said about her. How do we know she was saved? There had to be a few that weren't; how else would Big Sisters have started?
Maybe it's harsh, but not every little girl gets a happy ending. Masha knows this. But perhaps Cindy's can be different?
Chapter 1: Can I see Daddy Yet?
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"Please Big Sister? I want Daddy..." The child whispered, leaning back against the metal basket that she sat in and curling herself up into a ball. The creature that carried her made a high-pitched shriek, ringing the ears of the little girl. She sighed and scooted up closer to her new protector, placing her head on the shoulder in front of her. Taking in a small breath, she was overwhelmed with the sensational smell of roses and sunshine, surging her stomach with butterflies and the special warmness that she was accustomed to. She smiled, despite the horrific scene surrounding the two of them, and started humming a soft melody to herself.
The feminine creature that held the girl stopped moving, shocked to hear such a familiar song. The child's anamorphic voice trickled through the corridors, slowly filling the entire area with a haunting combination of eerie and beautiful tunes. The words were plain; simple, nonsensical phrases that only an innocent could articulate. But the memories behind them are what made the elder stop. A plethora of emotions circulated throughout the older girl, causing her vision to dramatically switch between the blood-soaked walls of the city around her to the shining, golden walls of the beautiful palace she once called her home. A large, heroic knight stood before her, holding his hand out for her to take. She reached out, expecting to feel the warmth of her loved one. Her hand brushed against the wall in front of her, switching her back into the harsh reality that she lived. She let out another glass-breaking scream and continued walking, ignoring the girl that rode on her back.
The creature - nicknamed Big Sister by the little girls - looked around for the male protectors that were supposed to be doing this job for her. The child had just been delivered from Sofia Lamb as a "newly trained subject", ready to gather all the ADAM her little body could take. Oddly enough, she felt a sort of connection to the girl. After all, she was the same one that she had taken from the surface; one that was once blonde with blue eyes - now she possessed the same brunette hair and unearthly yellow optics as her fellow "sisters".
There was the feeling of remembrance; an idea that she had once been that way too. But now everything was a jumble of emotions - mainly anger - and the hunger for the liquid that those disgusting, slimy sea slugs produced. ADAM coursed through the veins of the Big Sister, pumping the substance to every part of her body. The matter was what had destroyed her life; the need for it, the powers it gave her, the effects that it had on her body. Her lanky, bone-thin limbs that could bend, break, and heal miraculously in a quantity of seconds were the result from the excessive exposure to the stuff. She was filled with it; soaked to the core with every ounce that she had ever consumed. The idea made her sick, but she didn't know why. She didn't know anything.
A loud whaling noise brought the older girl back to the actuality of the situation. The little girl behind her gasped, and an enthusiastic shifting in the basket could be felt as she tried to stand up. "It's - It's Daddy!" She breathed, yellow eyes lighting up at the idea of being with her protector. The Big Sister nodded, moving her arm behind her to push the girl down into the basket. Once knowing the child was seated, she sprinted toward the entrance of the quarter ahead. An unlit sign hung loosely above the entrance, showing the faded words: "Dionysus Park". Sofia Lamb's domain, there was sure to be an abundance of protectors in the area.
The spherical door opened upon their arrival, and immediately welcomed them with the flickering lights of a broken carousal. The atrium was a dim reminder of the city's ruins, but to the little girl, everything was beautiful. Instead of the sunken ride and salt-water that covered the dirty streets, she saw golden tiles that were sprinkled with bright red rose petals. The decaying structures were transformed into waterfalls and conceptual art depicting her male protector. She let out a tiny breath and closed her eyes, enjoying the melody that only she could hear.
A shriek of despair struck through the air, scaring the little girl enough to make her gasp. The Big Sister was in pain. It wasn't physical; this was something else entirely. Not even her scientifically altered diving suit - one that could withstand the pressures of the bottom of the ocean - could protect her from this type of pain. The mental conditioning forced upon her brought no calming sensation, nor was there a way to distract herself from the feelings. There was, however, a gush of emotions that poured out in waves around her. Memories of her own experiences here were felt, but she couldn't comprehend them. She didn't remember her memories; but they were there, and so very overwhelming.
Another loud whale sounded, and the little girl squirmed to get out of her basket. Her protector was near, and she could smell the angels that hung in the air. A thundering echo of metal pounding on the floor and soon enough, a large knight - or mechanical monster, to others - appeared from behind a wall. "Daddy! I knew we'd find you!" The girl giggled happily and allowed herself to be picked up by her new bodyguard. His portholes shined a greenish tint as he carried her with one hand, affectionately placing her on the floor right beside her. "Now I'm gigantic like you, right Daddy?"
As the pair began to walk toward a ADAM filled corpse, the female counterpart stayed frozen. Anger was all she felt; anger at the little girl, anger at the big brute in front of her, anger at the entire world. Her breathing was heavy, and she could feel the gene-enhancing liquid pulsating beneath her skin, as if it had a mind of its own. Flashes of lights blurred her vision, and past events threatened to spill out of her subconscious. Then she heard his voice.
"Cindy? Is... Is that you, baby?" A distraught looking man, somewhere in his 40s, stood in front of them, visibly trembling with fear. The little girl and the brute paid no attention to him though, going along their way to the corpses that littered the floors. "Smell the ADAM, Daddy?" She said, tilting her head back to catch a whiff of the potent smell that coated the park. "ADAM? I don't understand... I'm so happy you're okay!" He stepped forward, then stopped when he realized that she wasn't looking at him. She wasn't even acknowledging him. Didn't she recognize her own father?
The child bent down beside a fresh body, rich with the vile substance. As she stabbed her syringe into its stomach, she looked up at her protector and began to sing her "gathering" song that her and the rest of her "sisters" created: "Who watches over sleeping angels? I do... I do... Sleepy angels shine, ADAM shine..." The man reached behind him and grabbed what looked to be a recorder. Speaking softly into the device, the two again ignored him and his slow advances toward them. The girl looked up at her "Daddy" and said, "The man in the moon is a girl, Mr. Bubbles," as if to settle a dispute that the two were having. The large creature gave a gentle rumble, and another flash of green light.
"Cindy... Please." The man's voice broke, tears running along his face.
His sadness was something familiar; something that she had seen before. The image was enough to send the Big Sister into a deeply suppressed memory from many years ago. Standing in front of her was suddenly her own protector, one that she had once called "Daddy". The world around her was bright again, and the only feeling that she had was peaceful bliss at being exactly where she needed to be; right by her best friend. She skipped forward, leaving her slow guard to shuffle after her. She smelled ADAM, and she was definitely going to get some!
As she walked along happily, enjoying the scenic views around her, a gasp was heard from behind. She turned around and saw two people, a man and woman both dressed in formal attire, holding each other. She smiled at them, but felt no connection to the two in any way. They were just as important to her as a speck of dust. She turned to walk away, but was stopped by an all-too-familiar word: "Masha?"
What had they called her? Masha?
She blinked at them, her vision changing slightly. They didn't look beautiful to her anymore. In fact, they looked as if they hadn't eaten or slept in days; they looked almost dead... And their faces were filled with a type of horror that looked almost unreal. "You're crazy! That... thing is our Masha?" The woman cried, clinging onto the man beside her. He shook violently, stepping toward the little girl.
She slowly backed up, not recognizing the two, and scared of the changes around her. What happened to the pretty, gold castle that she was just in? Where was her knight in shining armor? Why were these scary people looking at her? Why did she know them? Panic filled her tummy, and before she could stop herself, she screamed, "Don't let them get me, Daddy!" The couple jumped back and her protector rushed forward, pushing Masha behind him to shield her. Once her Daddy touched her, she felt a surge of happiness. Nothing was wrong anymore. The walls returned to their normal colors, and the smell of angels filled the air.
Why was she behind her Daddy? She was supposed to be the one gathering, not him! "Silly!" She giggled, and stepped in front of him again. She blinked and there were two people in front of her, a man and woman both dressed in formal attire, holding each other. She smiled at them, but continued to walk forward, getting ready to extract the yummy juices from the fallen angels around her. "Come on, Mr. Bubbles! I smell angels..." The bonded pair continued walking, leaving the couple behind to cry their sorrows away.
Masha...?
The Big Sister's memories were cut off by reality. Suddenly the man was closer. Too much so. The beast stepped in front of his bonded child, warning him to not come any closer. Obviously unaware - or unaffected by - the burly being in front of him, the man continued to walk. The Big Sister, snapped back to reality, took an inch forward. He didn't stop. Now neither would she.
She gave a screech and rushed forward, stepping between the pair and him. "No! Get back, she's my little girl!" He pulled out a small pistol, shooting a few bullets into the Big Sister's helmet. Not making a scratch, the skinny creature leaned forward and slammed his head against the broken down carousal, knocking him out instantly. Looking at the little girl and her protector, she knew that Sofia Lamb would want to deal with him.
The little girl - Cindy? - sadly stepped forward and placed herself in the Big Sister's basket, sulking about how short her day with "Daddy" was. Ignoring her, the Big Sister grabbed the man and slung him over her shoulder. Looking at the brute beside her, she let out another screech, as if to say goodbye to him. He gave a soft rumble in response, and watched as she sped off toward the woman who now controlled the city around them.
Thoughts of the man, of names like Cindy and Masha, and even the ruined city around her disappeared as she raced toward Dr. Lamb, knowing that once she delivered her findings that everything would be alright. And she wouldn't feel anymore pain that day.