Howdy fellas. First attempt at fanfiction in about, ah, 5 years, so this should be interesting to say the least. First EVAR attempt at Bioshock so you shall have to bear with me on this one. I'm a huge fan of the concept of the series, but I've only actually played the first game myself, though I know the story, etc., of the second, so there will likely be some discrepancies. Anyways... This takes place at some point between the events of Bioshock and Bioshock 2. Hope you like it. C:

He left.

Without a goodbye, or a reason, or even a fight, he left.

Of course when you're eighteen, everything is the end of the world, especially things that probably don't matter. But this did. She had given him everything - they were engaged to be married in a month, after all.

But everything that she had given was gone with him, except for her train ticket to New York and what was left of her ambition. So she left too, taking with her everything but the photo albums and her diary, and so she forgot about Vincent Charles Legarde.

"No, sir, I understand. The story will be back before I am."

A bespectacled, mustachioed man nodded to himself, satisfied, as a young lady with short-cropped auburn hair fled his office with a notebook in one hand and a plane ticket in the other. It had been seven years, give or take, since Bianca Heuer had joined his staff as a reporter, and she was one of the best. It seemed to him that she lived to work rather than vice versa, and that was quite alright with him. If he needed a story in on Christmas, or any other day of the year as she took no vacation days and hadn't since she started working, Bianca was the gal for the job. If these rumors of an Atlantis-esque underwater city free from any established government agency's influence were true (which he doubted), she would find out. If they were false, well, she'd find that out too, and perhaps pause to enjoy her pseudo-vacation on the lovely… Iceland…

Bianca herself wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of Icelandic adventures - wasn't it cold there? - but she didn't have enough emotion, positive or negative, on the subject to argue for a different assignment. Though she was, perhaps, a little annoyed that she was being sent out on a sensational Loch Ness monster chase for the sake of readership, she couldn't really think of anything better to write about. As such, the following Monday, Ms. Heuer boarded a plane which would eventually deposit her on the coast of Iceland.

As Bianca disembarked the plane, she instantly regretted her decision to wear a suit skirt as she stepped into the chilly November air - hose only went so far when it came to keeping warm. She wasn't expecting anybody, so she collected her things as quickly as she could and made a beeline for the road, where she hoped to flag a taxi or something and break for the coastal fishing town she would be departing for in the morning.

To her surprise, she was stopped on her way out the door by a man in ratty clothing, not much older than she was, though certainly more tired-looking. His ginger hair was smartly cut and he had a certain quality of once-upon-a-time handsomeness about his pale, emaciated face, though it was overshadowed by a wide-eyed urgentness he didn't bother to suppress.

"I don't have any money for you," Bianca said, pulling her arm away and wrinkling her nose.

The man furrowed his brow and squinted at her as though he didn't understand, and she was about to break out the Icelandic dictionary when he shook his head and snorted, replying in perfectly coherent, though accented, English, "Oh, no, lassie, I'm not lookin' for money. Fact, I'm not lookin' for much from you, but I have somethin' that you might be interested in."

Bianca gazed at the dirty Irishman in unimpressed disbelief, folding her arms across her narrow chest and tapping her foot. "And what might that be, mister..?"

"Phineas," he replied, making a motion as though to offer a hand to shake, but he jumped a little upon laying eyes upon it and tucked both hands behind his back. "I have information for you, Miss Heuer." Before she could ask how he knew her name, he leaned in and whispered, "I'm from Rapture."

"I don't know who you talked to prior to my arrival here, but I am not interested in any - ah - paid carnal activities," she hissed, starting to push past him. Her coworkers were imbeciles.

"No, no!" The red head cut Bianca off and held his hands out for her to stop. "Rapture!" He winced, looking around to make sure nobody else had heard and dropped his voice to a whisper. "The city you're lookin' for… It's called Rapture, I lived there, I can help you find it if you'll let me. All I ask is that you take me with you."

Bianca's cold grey eyes fixed upon him, but her lips were pursed and an eyebrow was cocked with interest. She was intrigued. Even if this man turned out to be a nut, it was significant that he had at least heard of this alleged anarchistic city in the ocean. But how had he known that she, or anyone else, was coming to investigate? It wasn't as though her paper printed announcements of upcoming articles…

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?" she asked, eying him carefully. The frantic urgentness in his deep brown eyes had faded and he seemed to be sagging with relief, a boyish smile tugging at his lips.

"You don't, I suppose, but believe you me; even if you could find the place yourself you'll need me once you get down there. It's a jungle down there," he replied. He no longer seemed concerned with getting her to trust him - he had correctly read her expression of interest to mean that she would be following this lead to its end. "Listen, I have a boat that's prepared to take us out there, but we have to leave now. Once it's dark, there's no navigating, and I'm not waiting until tomorrow."

Bianca surveyed him, feeling a little uneasy. "Why can't we wait until tomorrow? I have a reservation at an inn; they'll be suspicious if I don't show up to claim my room," she told him. Not really. Nobody would care, except perhaps her boss. He'd have to actually do his job if she died.

"Well, that is a very good question," Phineas informed her, starting to walk. Bianca looked around for an explanation and, finding none, followed him. "Very soon, a new line of… Well, something that will make your job, and mine, much more difficult will be happening within a week. I'd like to be in and out before that happens or it won't be safe for you."

"Parade or something?" Bianca mused, not expecting a response as she absentmindedly allowed herself to be helped into the passenger seat of a beaten up junker of a car. It was only when the door shut with a thump that she looked up and frowned. "Wait, I didn't agree-"

"It'll be fine," Phineas said quickly, running a hand though his hair and sighing with relief before he got into the car on the driver's side and put the keys in the ignition. "If it makes you feel any better, we can give the inn a call once we get into town and you can tell them you've been kidnapped by a dashing young gentleman," he added, seeing the look on her face.

"Just drive," Bianca said a little curtly, clutching her jacket around herself and staring straight ahead.

Phineas shrugged and obliged, happy for some time to himself to think. If he could remember how, that is.

Alrighty then guys. That's it for now~ I'd really, really appreciate it if you'd leave a review and let me know what you think so far. I'm not going to waste my time on a story nobody cares about, but give it a couple chapters to get into the actual story before you condemn it absolutely. ; Criticism, ideas, and suggestions are welcome, so have at it. Thanks for reading. :D