It's been quite a while since I've written a fanfiction, although I have been working on some other stories. I'm older now, and I think my writing has improved a bit. Anyway, enjoy the story.

Chuck Torrin rolled out of his bed at his room in the Fighting McDonough's Tavern. His friend worked as a bar tender and was able to get him a room. Apartments in Apollo Square were unbearably priced these days, and money was a bit tight. Working as an engineer in Rapture wasn't going as well these days. There just weren't as many holes in the old girl as there was when he first arrived, which meant there would be less pay. Life sucked a big one for Chuck.

It was December 30, and on New Years he was going to have a few beers with his buddies after visiting his family in their apartment in Arcadia. It's been a while since he's been able to visit them, because railway fair was so expensive now, so new years was one of the only times he could visit them, since everyone was at home drink alcohol. He was sure, though, many of them would be shooting up plasmids like no other, since Ryan Industries made them open for public use. Hell, you couldn't walk down a hallway without bumping into a gatherers garden. He never had an interest in them. Not worth spending the money on the Adam, and sticking a needle that big into your arm looked pretty painful.

Chuck walked over to his dresser and threw on a pair of Jean Pants, his work belt, and his work shirt. He laced up his boots, and then put on his hard hat. He thought a moment about grabbing his revolver, but decided against it. If someone really tried to mug him, he'd just whack'em over the head with his wrench. He chuckled at the thought, but didn't realize he would soon be whacking more heads with that wrench then he ever did using it to fix Rapture.

He walked out of his room, and then typed in the pass code his friend has given him. He didn't have anything worth taking, except maybe his diving suit with the drill for the arm he was working on. It was pretty similar to a Big Daddy suit, except his was built mainly as a tool than a defense-weapon, although it could certainly be used for the latter if need be. The problem with it, however, was that it was a good deal heavier than a Big Daddy suit, so he only brought it with him when he needed to use it.

As Chuck walked down the steps into the bar, he noticed a few goons from the fisheries were already there, probably from the night shift. They looked like their souls were just sucked right out of them, a solemn look on every single face. The goons reeked of dead fish and sea water, and it's probably been a good while since any of them have taken a shower.

He exited the bar and walked towards the fisheries, and from there towards the bathysphere, where he would go to medical to inspect a leak reported the previous day. There were some strange people down there, more or less Dr. Steinman, who had gotten to the point of talking to himself during surgeries. Hopefully Chuck wouldn't have to cross paths with the doctor, but you just never knew anymore with some of these people in Rapture. A few people have already went bat-shit insane, and they were locked away somewhere in Neptune's Bounty.

He reached the bathysphere station, and he already found there were a couple of families cluttered around the railway. The water began to bubble up, and a young boy shouted "It's coming up!" He jumped up and down. His father put his hands on the boy's shoulders to calm him down, and then ran a finger through the boys straw blond hair.

The bathysphere bubbled up and the hatch swung open. Everyone filed in, taking a seat on the padded benches. A man in a red tux with kakis was working the lever, asking everyone where they were headed. After he worked his way around the small compartment, he returned back to his station and pushed the lever onto the spot that said "Point Prometheus." The bathysphere was a slow vehicle, and it was around 30 minutes before they reached medical, by which point Chuck was the last one besides the bathysphere worker in the bathysphere. He tipped the many a dime than walked towards the exit. He would need to walk towards Eternal Flame, where the dead were cremated. They sure had their work cut out for them, with more and more bodies piling up everyday. A lot of people had tried to leave Rapture but Ryan has already said "Once you're in, there's no way out. Think of it like a contract." People were definitely trying to get out. Some extremists had tried to hijack a bathysphere. Many people were expecting a war between the two powerhouses of Rapture, Frank Fontaine and Andrew Ryan. And if there was a war, there was no doubt Rapture would go straight to hell.

He took out his notepad, where he would write down any leaks or creaks so he could fix them later. He jotted down a few small cracks, specifically in the tunnel connecting the two parts of medical. He jumped up the steps two at a time a walked into Eternal Flame. Chuck was immediately overwhelmed by the heat from the furnaces, but he continued forward towards the main offices. How could someone work in these conditions?

He opened the door to the offices where Mr. Parkinson sat in his work chair writing the obituary for some poor soul. He put it aside.

"Ah, you must be here for da leak in my pipe."

"Yes sir I am."

"Den follow me."

Parkinson was an old fellow with a thin layer of gray hair and a drooping nose. He had a very bad hobble and had to walk with a cane to keep from falling over. As they were walking down the steps, a young woman ran up the steps, almost knocking them both down. Chuck glanced for a moment and saw that she was quite ugly. Then she was gone.

"I sees you got an eye for me daughter?"

"Eh no sir." Chuck said. And it was true. The girl was uglier than a 5 eyed eel.

"Don't worry, she's going Steinman today and he will make her beautiful." He clapped his hands in glee. "Den we shall see about getting her a husband."

"Are you sure that's the bes-." Chuck tried to say, but was cut off.

"Here is my pipe!"

Indeed, there was a small leak in the pipe. Nothing substantial, just a little dribble. Chuck took out his pipe glue, and then squeezed a bit over the pipe. He smeared it in with a bit of sandpaper, and then applied pressure to it. After about 5 minutes, the job was done, and there was no more leak. Parkinson handed Chuck five dollars, and Chuck left. He would go back to his room to put the money with the rest of his savings, and then get back to work. He would need to visit Fort Frolic and then the Fontaine's home for the poor. He didn't like visiting Fontaine territory, but he needed to money.

He entered the bathysphere and told the man "Neptune's Bounty."

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End Sequence 1