BioShock Infinite: Invigorated
Prologue
I sat on my bed talking softly into my Voxophone, "June Second, 1908. Over the last five years I have undergone each and every test, trial and torture that Jeremiah Fink and his scientists have thrown my way. I've been poked, prodded, injected with various chemicals, hooked up to just about every type of machine you could imagine, and far worse. Over the last five years I have seen what these scientists do to not just me-but to other, weaker, people. I have endured their horrors for far to long and it's high time I did something about it. Today, I will escape. Today, I will be free."
I stopped the recording and removed the disk sliding it with care into a small velvet sleeve just big enough to fit then I opened the drawer next to my bed, pushed the small button that caused the false bottom to unlock, and stowed the disk with all the others. Over the course of five years a person learns a few things, things such as 'how to build a false bottom into your bedside table without your captures noticing', 'don't trust anything these lying bastards say' and that keeping a daily journal is a very, very good idea.
Suddenly a sharp knocking sound rang through my room.
"Come in." I shouted. I knew it was only a formality of course, he-he being one of my "caretakers", a man by the name of Hugo Bird-would enter the room wether I invited him or not. Hugo was a tall, studious looking man who's face was always contorted into a failed attempt at looking friendly and compassionate. I didn't hate him as much as I did some of the other caretakers, but I still hated him, I hated all of them.
Striding into the room Hugo Bird turned his seemingly-friendly gaze down to me as he announced "Good morning Sam. It's time to go outside and get your daily exercise. Wouldn't want you turning into a layabout now would we?"
"No, we wouldn't want that at all." I said, forcing that oh-so familiar tone of compliance into my voice. I've had lots of practice at sounding and acting like a good little lab rat with all the time I've spent caged up here, but it was a real struggle to remain sounding pleasant while my escape plan ran through my head over and over again, my brain scanning it for any mistakes or flaws.
I stood, following Hugo towards the door and, with luck, freedom. We stepped out of my too-familiar room into a too-familiar hallway with Hugo taking the lead, as if I needed him to lead me to the courtyard. I'd been there plenty of times in my five years here and I'm confident that I could find my way through these hallways in the pitch black with my hands bound while the majority of the idiots that worked here were stumbling around in search of their own asses. Granted most of those idiots were interns, but I knew my way around this place better than most of the executive staff who had been working at this facility since before I was even brought here. I chuckled a little at that thought.
My thoughts dissipated as we approached the door that lead to the courtyard. Hugo held the door open and ushered me outside, if you could call it that. I looked up to see the familiar safety glass half-dome that sealed the room from the rest of Columbia. I've never actually been outside, not since I was brought here anyways, with what I can do escaping would be too easy if I was let outside, and so the I'm brought here to experience "the great outdoors" while still being kept safely indoors. The courtyard consisted of a cluster of walkways that converged into a small paved area in the center of the room lined with benches and street lamps. Trees were strategically placed around the room to provide ample shade from the sun while not allowing for anyone to find a hiding spot decent enough to provide cover for more than a minute or two without being found.
I walked leisurely to the center of the room and stretched my limbs out. During my stretching I stealthily grabbed the knife I had hidden in one of the deeper cracks in the pavement, if I was gonna make my move it was going to have to be now. Glancing over my shoulder I saw Hugo standing patiently by the door waiting for the timer on his watch to go off, signaling for him to escort me back to my room. What he didn't know was that this time, I wasn't going back. I stood up, sliding the knife into the waistband of my pants in a single fluid motion sure not to raise any suspicion.
"Um... Hugo?" I said, walking over to him.
"Yes?" He replied.
"Do you mind if we cut todays exercise a little bit short? I didn't get very much rest last night on account of that storm and I'm tired."
"Well." He said, putting on the best paternal voice he could muster. "Normally I wouldn't grant such a favor due to something as simple as a thunder storm, but I think I can make an exception just this once." He finished, giving me the slightest bit of a smile.
That sent a pang of guilt up my spine, here was this man, albeit annoying and unsufferable, but still a man, actually being civil and doing me a favor just for me to murder him as soon as he turns around. I would have felt worse if I hadn't known that he was one of the men orchestrating my continued imprisonment.
Hugo opened the door and motioned for me to step into the hallway, I slid past him keeping my back to the doorframe and out of his view, and stood there waiting for him to close and lock the door. Once the door was properly secured Hugo turned back to me and without hesitation I drew my knife and slammed it into his face, blood spewed from the wound as he crumpled to the ground, dead. I stood there for a moment and stared at him, wondering how it could be so easy to end a persons life, just like that. My moment of pause passed, I squatted down and grabbed the master key to the facility from the corpse of the late Hugo Bird, taking his pistol as well, despite the fact that I had absolutely no idea how to use it. I stood upright and glanced up and down the hallway, pulling up my mental map of the area. Then I ran, I ran and never looked back.