Just a heads up, I am new to having an account on and this is my very first story here. Please, bare with me through this. Reviews are welcome. Disclaimer: The plot and the OC's are mine, but the rest of Bioshock isn't.

In a city gone to hell, underwater or not, one hears a different assortment of noises. Raving of angry ADAM addicts was a given, music was present most of the time as well, and there was always that rustling in the dark... Sometimes, for the really unfortunate ones, moaning and the metallic voice of a little girl singing was added to the platter. However, occasionally, the sound of sobs echo through the musky air of Rapture. This was not heard very often, but every once in a while it happened to fall on surrounding ears. Maybe that was why Mr. Jefferson followed it, because it was so rare. Or perhaps because he had a wife and son to support. He was still an upholder of the law, no matter who was in charge.

It just so happened to lead him to room 128 of the Sinclair Deluxe, where a woman sat sobbing next to an empty cradle. That is, if she could still be described as a woman after all the ADAM had taken effect on her body…

...

"It's o-okay, sweetheart. You… You're going to be just fine. After all, you are ju-just a child. Children do- no, no, no- can't die. My baby, ma-mama will protect you. Daddy thinks he can steal you away; bu-but he can't! No one can take y-. Don't close your eyes! Look at your mother when she is talking to you! Please, please don't slip away," the splicer sobbed over the cradle.

The 40-year-old man was tempted to go closer, to look inside the cradle and see if a child really was inside. However, curiosity killed the cat, and he didn't feel like taking a trip to the Vita Chamber. Instead of looking beyond the pink wooden bars of the bed, he sized up the crying woman.

Before the war, she was probably a reasonably good-looking lady. Not anymore, though. Her figure was curvy, but painfully thin. The elegant dress she wore was basically a rag now. One of her high shoes was missing a heel, and pistol ammo along with a Ryan Dollar was peeking out of the hole in her handbag. Once creamy and unblemished skin was layered with warts, boils, acne, and blackheads. The repeatedly bleached hair on her head was dirty and falling out. Still, she had the most beautiful eyes. They were dark blue like the ocean water seen out of every window and occasionally leaking in but within their depth was light that could only be compared to rays of sun seen by few people in Rapture. They enchanted all who so much as glanced at them. Despite their red and puffiness of the moment, he felt captured as well.

If there was nothing but a gram of sanity still left in her, it was worth a shot talking to her. It was his duty to keep his family safe. Killing as many druggies as possible helped him work to achieve that goal. Swallowing hard, he tipped his hat but kept one hand on the machine gun hanging from his belt. "Miss…?" Ramon Jefferson asked politely, in a quiet voice as not to startle her. The woman froze, her face still buried in her hands and her body leaning over the cradle. All of her sobs and whimpers stopped immediately. This made him feel uneasy. However, he proceeded. "Miss, I heard your distress and wondered if I could-"

"I left her for the theatre one night -ONE NIGHT- and you think you can take her! I'LL SHOW YOU!" The ADAM-influenced mother shrieked at him. Before he could say, "Canned tomatoes," she jumped over the cradle and began running towards him with a pipe raised high over her head. "Crap!" he yelled in surprised before removing his machine gun and holding down the trigger. In a matter of moments, she was laying on the floor with at least 50 bullets in her stomach. "Curtains… Close," were her last words before her body turned limp and her beautiful eyes glazed over. The officer crept forward as he wiped the sweat from his brow and put his gun back in his belt. With a remorseful sigh, he quickly looted her body. Wasn't there one sane person out there? He supposed not, especially with Sofia Lamb's mind control over the intercom.

"I guess it's time to return to the wife and kid," Mr. Jefferson chuckled, pushing the murder he just committed to the back of his mind. He suddenly remembered the cradle when walking through the doorway. If there really was a live child in it, it would be a sin to leave it to starve, or worse, he decided. Slowly but surely, toughening himself up for the sight of a dead baby, he walked across the room and peeked inside. On a dirty blanket and handmade pillow laid two dolls. One was like those he saw little girls skipping around with under their arms and the other was an expensive porcelain female doll. Surrounding them were lots and lots of candles with a few that had the needles of harvested Sisters stuck through them.

'One of those shrines, eh?' He thought with a wince, kneeling down and blowing out the candles. When the baby's bed was no longer a fire hazard, he carefully took the gorgeous porcelain out. His wife, Bethany, loved pretty things. Who knows? It might erase that worried expression tattooed on her face. Once the toy was tucked away with care, he looked at the Little Sister's doll. It didn't seem to be very unusual. A lot of those dolls could be found lying around, especially now that the first Bonded-Pair is active again. There were only two things that seemed to be different about this one; it was a doll of the Lancer Daddy, not the Alpha or the Bouncer, and there was a slip of paper tucked away in the worn rubber bands holding on his tank.

The middle-aged man decided to leave the "child's" doll as it was and leave it at the nearest vent. Who knows? It might be a message a Big Sister was going to deliver to the surface, and he didn't want to tangle with any Big Sis. Not so carefully, he shoved the other doll and left.

...

"Honey, I'm home," Mr. Jefferson called quietly into the apartment, setting all five locks and pushing the bookcase in front of the door before approaching the kitchen with caution. "Where were you? You had us scared to death! I was contemplating leaving Casper here alone and going out to find you." Bethany hissed at him with tear-filled eyes. Her husband offered a bitter half-smile and held her in his arms for a moment. "I'm here now though, aren't I? And look," he said before reluctantly let go of her and doing a funny little dance, "I still have all my limbs. Lieutenant Ramon Jefferson lives another day." Mrs. Jefferson didn't so much as crack a smile, though. Instead she stared at him with sorrowful eyes, thinking in the back of her mind, 'You are still alive, but for how long?'

She knew that one of these days, her Ramon would disappear just like Gloria's Harold, and she would be left to care for Casper alone. Then what would happen if she died? Her tears blurred her vision further and her shoulders shrunk. This reaction did not go unnoticed by her spouse, though. "There, there. I brought home a whole bunch of food and fresh water. Go get Casper from his room and we'll have dinner together."

The dining room table was a pretty quiet place, but it was the only place their small family talked to one another. Potted and canned food were eaten from filthy dishes but fresh water was drunk right from it empty jelly jar. Casper was the most talkative, describing his daily adventures in great depth with his mouth full. Most of those adventures happened inside his books. His parents were unwilling to introduce him to Rapture just yet. They would probably remain unwilling until the day he needed a gun of his own."By the way, on my trip to the market, I happened upon something that I think you will like, Beth." Mr. Jefferson announced in a grand voice before taking the wrapped-up gift from his bag and placing it in front of her.

"I hope you didn't set off security to get this for me. Whatever it is, it isn't worth it," Mrs. Jefferson answered, narrowing her eyes at him before carefully beginning to remove the duct tape and the newspaper to reveal the beautiful creation hidden within. Her eyes went wide as saucers and her lips formed a small 'o.' It was the most beautiful thing she saw since the war. Ramon grinned as wide as the Cheshire cat when he saw a small smile timidly creep onto his wife's face. No words came from her mouth. No words needed to. That smile said everything. The moment was one of complete bliss. That was, until…

"Father, were you able to find that book I ask for my birthday?" His son asked innocently. Mentally, Mr. Jefferson slapped his had with the palm of his hand. He knew he had forgotten sometime as he hurried home. But his own kid's birthday present? Laughing nervously, he shook his head. "Sorry, kido, I forgot," Casper's father openly admitted before watching his small face drop in absolute disappointment, "but I did bring you back something!" The young boy's eyes lit up once again. "You did? What is it?" He asked in excitement, bouncing in him chair. The older man smiled and put a strong hand on his head.

"Just give me a moment and I'll go get it," Mr. Jefferson promised before scrambling to his bedroom. What was he going to give him? What was he going to give his son? They didn't have much in the household, so if he gave Casper anything they already had he would know that his father didn't put any thought into his present, and he had stocked up so much on food that he hadn't bother to scavenge for anything else. Groping the pockets of his trench coat, he found a lump, which he took it out and examined. The Little Sister's doll. The Little Sister's doll. A horrifying sight to him or his wife, but maybe… Just maybe… Ramon took it into the kitchen, not bothering to think anymore of it. A bad present was better than no present at all.

"Here you go, son. I found it in one of the toyshops. Cost me a pretty penny, it did. However, it is all the rage among Rapurian children. I figure that my child should have one as well," he lied through his teeth and placed the doll on the table. Bethany swapped her small smile for a look of terror and clutched her own expensive doll to her chest. Casper stared at the Big Daddy Lancer doll for a moment before his face broke out in a huge smirk. "Thanks, dad! He looks like a comic book hero! Can I be excused so I can go play with my new toy, mom?" Beth and Ramon's son shouted out in joy. Mrs. Jefferson could speak though. Her lips moved, but no words came out. When his father dismissed him instead, she turned to him.

"What do you plan to do when we have to explain all of this," Bethany motioned everywhere around them as she spoke," to him? Hmmm? What do you plan to do when he tries to play with one of those yellow-eyed girls and her comic book hero? What do you plan to do when he asks why he no longer has an older sister?"

Ramon Jefferson didn't say anything back to his wife. Mostly, because he didn't have the words. Or the answers.

I hope you enjoyed the prologue. It's not great and it doesn't have so much of that Bioshock-y goodness, I know, but it is one of the "Pavestones to lead the way." Chapter 1 will have Big Daddy in it, though. So don't you worry! ^_^