Chapter 1: Gone

It started with a tear. In a sense that is what started it, but Jack didn't really know what a tear was. All he saw was a slice in reality right infront of him. A window as you would say, through which he saw a city. If jack turned around, he would see a room of little sisters and reprogrammed big daddys playing together with Dr. Tenenbaum. A room where the last few weeks of his life were spent. But if he looked ahead, he saw clouds. A platform laying out a city in the sky.

It all happened suddenly. One minute he was playing with a little sister and the next thing he knew he saw her fall. Her small body vanished into a flash of electricity of a black and white new world. Jack had been getting ready, with the help of Dr. Tenenbaum to head to the surface, to start a new life with five of the little sisters. However, his hopes vanished along with the sister Sally that disappeared into the tear. The littles sisters and big daddys around him were oblivious to what had just happened, only stopping when they looked to the new source of light, inches away from Jack's face. Many of the Big daddy's stepped infront of the girls, shielding them from a possible threat, but Jack Ryan just stared at where sally had been just moments before.

"Jack," the doctor said, trying to snap him out of his state of shock. Ho long had he been staring at this thing? Seconds? Or hours? "Jack!"

His mouth and throat were dry, he had never seen anything like this. Even the events that happened in rapture didn't compare to what was standing in front of him. "wha-" he coughed trying to clear his throat, "what is that?"

"I don't know," the doctor said. He noticed her glance down at the doll laying at Jack's feet. Brigids eyes widen,"Where is sally? Where is my little one?" Jack blinked, had she not seen her vanish? Had she not seen what happened? Jack lifted a shaking finger up to the tear. Following his finger brigids eyes widened as a horrid look crossed her face. The doctor gaped and let out a wailing cry. She lunged towards the tear, Jack held her back with all his might. She kicked him and screamed at him to let her go, all the while crying for the missing girl. "Sally! Little one! NO!" she fell to the floor crying. Jack tried to comfort her the best he could but the shock hit him with a second wave. His adopted daughter was gone into a void.

It felt like hours had past as they sat on the floor. The electric glow of the new portal lit their faces, casting eerie shadowed along the wall. He let the doctor cry, his friend loved the girls. They were more than just her creations, they were her daughters, her family. Jack let her weep, trying to hold in his own distraught feelings. Finally he got himself together enough to speak.

"We," He said pulling the doctor to her feet. " will get her -I will get her back." He slowly helped the shocked doctor to a nearby chair, where the little sisters crowded around. They were asking questions, rapid fire one after another, questions no one knew the answers to.

"Where's sally?"

"What is that thing?"

"Is she coming back?"

"Did she die?"

A lump lodged itself in Jacks throat as he heard the last one. He swallowed hard and blinked some tears away before turning to the girls. "Now you girls listen. Sally had been pulled through that…that…thing. Nobody knows where it came from or where it goes. But uncle Jack is going to go find her and bring her home okay?" this seemed to only rouse more questions.

Jack let them ramble on as he swiftly packed a bag with plasmids, health kits, food, and pistol ammo. Jack's mind was still numb but racing with questions. He wasn't even thinking as he packed the bare necessities into his small old sack.

With each item the task he packed for seemed even more impossible. Jack didn't even know where the tear lead, let along if he would even survive the journey through it. But he had to try, for his daughter, for the doctor, he had to find sally. He holstered a pistol in his belt and held his wrench as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

Jack turned back towards the tear that now looked smaller than he thought it was. He looked to the nearest big daddy and motioned to him, "you're coming with me." As he stepped towards the tear some girls followed on his heels.

"No," He bent down to look at them, each one beaming tearful eyes back at him. "You need to take care of your mother. I will be back, I promise" he gave each a kiss on the top of the head, somehow hoping this would sell his lie.

"Wait," Doctor Tenenbaum called out, "How will you get back?"

Jack gave a small chuckle, hiding his inevitable fear, "You are a smart girl, I'm sure you can figure it out." With that he stepped through the portal.