Hey everyone, this is my first fan-fiction for BIOSHOCK. Hope you enjoy!
This story is set near the start of Raptures Golden-Era-Decline, and its Plasmids in 1954. We follow the story of the lonely sixteen year-old Joyce Lynn, the daughter of two successful citizens of Rapture, in her social struggle growing up in the city. As the chapters go on (Which I'll update weekly on Wednesday mornings) we will see her first encounter with the miracle working Plasmids and the effects that follow. Joyce will see Rapture through splicing eyes as she is affected by its years of controversy. We will also follow her struggle to handle her drug addiction to ADAM and EVE as she tries to keep a clear head for the people she loves, even through and after intense splicing.
Swimming in Rapture
Chapter 1
Mercury Suites, Rapture 1954
Joyce Lynn had been sitting in the same spot for hours. She loved to watch them swimming around, the schools of fish. They often swam around her room window. She loved it, the glowing blue light shining from the surface of the sea, reflecting beautifully on their patterned scales. There was something magical about it. Seeing fishes fly. It was fascinating, everything was, the fish, her luxury apartment, her expensive dresses and, most importantly, her home under the North Atlantic Sea.
Her home, her city, that's what he said. The Great Man. Andrew Ryan. The Creator of Rapture.
Joyce stands up, stretching as she regains her balance. She mutters a small "goodbye" to her friends at the sound of her Mother's voice coming from outside the room.
"Joyce darling, get changed and come out as soon as you're ready, your Father's taking us out to the Kashmir Restaurant for dinner."
"Yes Mommy," Joyce calls back.
Joyce quickly sheds off her white and blue checked gown in preparation for putting on her favourite black dress. She throws the gown onto her bed, not intending to wear it again. She planned to get rid of all her non-Rapture made clothing by the end of the week. It was when she was about to get into her dress when she saw. The monster. She couldn't tell if it was looking at her. But would always come. To say hi? To threaten her? To protect her? She didn't know. It crossed her mind that it would only watch her getting dressed, but no. Sharks don't do that. She watched it swim near the window. Then it swam away. The Great Shark. To play with the fishies, she thought. After getting changed she hurried out the room, she had never been to Kashmir. She met with her parents, who were stood smiling at their daughter, by the door of their apartment.
"You look wonderful darling," said her rather cheerful Mother.
"Thank you Mommy," replied Joyce.
On their way out her Dad didn't lock the door behind them. No need to lock doors in Rapture. That's what the public announcement would echo around the shining walls of Rapture every so often. This, however, would turn out to be a lie. A cold lifeless lie.
They used a Bathysphere to travel through the city towards the highly established restaurant. Joyce loved riding the bathyspheres. The small, cosy, submersibles had a beautiful warm yellow light inside that Joyce felt contrasted well with the deep blue colour of the sea outside the window. Whilst her Mum and Dad talked about boring Rapture business related things, Joyce spied some more schools of fish swimming by the Bathysphere. So pretty, she thought. After a few minutes of Bathysphere travel, they came close to their destination. Joyce sighed.
She only hoped there would be no other kids here.
Kashmir Restaurant, Rapture 1954
"Ahh, the famous Rosie Lynn! The fast growing artist in the whole of Rapture."
The famous Andrew Ryan had surprised the people at Kashmir that night. He had just finished his praise of Joyce's Father, Alan Lynn for his financial success around Rapture along with the sheer speed of it. And now he was praising her Mother, a truly talented artist. Joyce had been sitting in silence for all of this; she was too busy looking around for other kids. There were some, but they appeared uninterested in her. This was good. She couldn't stand other kids. She just couldn't It was their judgment of her. There was no denying it. Long before coming to Rapture, Joyce Lynn had always been made fun of because of her voice. It was true, she did sound more like a boy that the average girl should. But that wasn't her fault. Was it? She couldn't change that? Could she..?
That's why Joyce hadn't enjoyed herself since she'd arrived at Kashmir. She couldn't speak. Not when kids were so near. Her Mother and Father were the only people she could talk to, and they wold always tell her that she should be more sociable. They would tell her that she's too old to refer to them as "kids" anymore. She was almost 17 years old now. Burt she didn't see it that way. She didn't like being bullied.
Joyce was so wrapped up in her thoughts so much that she almost didn't notice that Andrew Ryan was addressing her now.
"So what about you, Miss Lynn, I hope you are planning to follow your parents success here in Rapture?"
Joyce blushed in embarrassment. Andrew Ryan was talking to her! She assumed that meant a lot more to the people who had lived in Rapture from the beginning, her and her parents only recently moved to Rapture on a special request from Dr Steinman, a very talented man who went to school with her Father. But even so, being spoken to by the famous Andrew Ryan was a thrill for Joyce.
"Oh yes Mr Ryan. I would like to become a dancer when I'm older," Joyce mumbled, scared to let Andrew hear her boyish voice.
Mr Ryan smiled at her.
"Wonderful, I shall look forward to seeing you preforming on stage alongside the great Sander Cohen! I'll speak to him as soon as I can for you. Maybe you'll get wee chat with the other dancers in his show." Ryan winked at Joyce and turned back to her parents, onto more important matters.
Joyce mumbled a small "thank you" to the Great Andrew Ryan. She felt quite flattered. She'd heard of a lot of girls who fancied Mr Ryan. She wasn't sure about being attracted to an older man but… He's nice, she thought. After saying his goodbyes, Andrew Ryan left the Lynn Family table at Kashmir. Mr Lynn turned to his family.
"Outstanding! Mr Ryan was just telling me about this new line of products from Fontaine Futuristics. Plasmids, they're called. Apparently they have the power to give people the ability to…change."
Her father was bouncing with excitement. Joyce was interested already.
"Apparently people can now… Produce electricity. Right from the tip of their fingers. Outstanding," he repeated.
"What else can they do Daddy?" inquired Joyce. "What else can we change?"
"Almost everything I've been told. We can grow our muscles without exercise. We can grow our hair without attention. We can grow brain power without working. Heck! Even Men can grow their…" He looked over at it his wife, who smiled at him. Joyce looked at them, confused.
"They sound amazing," Joyce said. "Can we use them?"
Her Dad suddenly becomes a tad more serious and assertive than he had been.
"No. No Joyce, in fact I'm forbidding it for the time being."
Joyce squints at her Father, "Why not Daddy?"
"Because they're not safe. A dangerous, but helpful drug Ryan told me. Not perfected, by any means. For now we can do without. No Plasmids Joyce. Not until the side effects have been seen to properly."
Joyce nodded. But the thought didn't escape her. The small piece of an idea. The ability to… Change. It got her excited. She could change? She could really change? Her voice? She could fix it? The side effects can't be that bad, she thought, Can they?
