By 9am I had my first call and soon enough found myself fishing Patrick Newbury's body out of his own overflowing bathtub in the Century Suites. His neighbours called the cops when they caught a whiff of rotting flesh above the sea air. Patrick was a wealthy businessman in charge of his own water filtration firm although from what I could gather from the state of his apartment, the man was a serious party animal and even more serious splicer.
The official verdict on the scene was a plasmid overdose, it's rare but it happens. Doctors say that too much; too quickly can put the body into cardiac arrest, they call it Plasmid Rush and its becoming more common every day. But something seemed different with this one, call it a hunch but I had a weird feeling on the back of neck telling me something was off. Most of the other detectives had already written this one off and were discussing what to have for lunch so I got some weird looks when I checked the body over myself.
Straight away, there was something uncanny about the corpse. I studied the pale torso for a moment before I noticed it; there weren't any needle marks on his chest!
"That's weird..." I said, "...there's no Little Sister marks"
"So what? They probably haven't got round here yet" replied Detective Bill Monty, slurping from a thermos of coffee. I frowned back at him.
"This guy's been dead for what? 9 hours? There would have been at least 3 Little Sisters through here in that time so why haven't any of them touched him?"
He rolled his eyes, "I don't know Henry: maybe they just missed him. It doesn't matter anyway, the guy OD'd and now we're going to Charlie's for a burger, you coming?"
I ignored him and continued checking the body. He grumbled and walked away, signalling a few of the other cops to follow him. Searching through the victim's pockets, I found the usual; keys, change, empty hypo and an old wallet made of worn leather. I snatched it and left the apartment before the forensic guys got a chance, they wanted to go home just as much as anyone else and so would have just stashed the thing in evidence. I, on the other hand wanted a closer look.
I suppose I should introduce myself before I go any further, my names Henry Sellis, Detective Henry Sellis and I've been policing this sunken ship of a city for going-on six years now. On the surface I was nothing above an average badge but when an old academy friend of mine wins the golden baton award calls me and offers me a sweet deal in a new city, I'm happy to oblige. I didn't mind my old life but after Vera divorced me, I was willing to do anything to get away from that old berg. Course, my buddy conveniently waited until the last minute to mention that we would need a submarine to get to this new city and by then it was too late to turn back. 'Rapture' they call it, a home grown utopia cooked up in the mind of a billionaire I once read about. If I was to try and build a secret city at the bottom of the ocean, they'd lock me away and throw away the key but if I had the dollar to back it up and enough screws loose to go through with the crazy scheme then maybe they'd call me a 'great man' too.
In the early days down here, the job was a breeze. Ryan Industries whip out these flying, buzzing, machine gun firing trash cans to back us up whenever things get hot and with those enormous cameras poking out of the wall, nobody wants to move an inch under the fear that 'the great chain' might be watching them. That was until ADAM came along. I don't know the science behind it but from I read in the papers, it's a kind of genetic goo that tinkers around with what god gave you and makes you into something else. Maybe you want to be able to run faster, think clearer or light candles with a click of your fingers, whatever super power you want: ADAM can make it happen. That's if you can afford it of course. Nowadays damn-near everyone in Rapture is splicing themselves up with ADAM and that makes my job a little bit more complicated. The pickpockets of yesterday are now the electricity firing junkies of today. Offensive ADAM plasmid's like Electro Bolt and Incinerate are only available to the public in tiny doses but most of these punks get the real stuff on the black market. A gangster named Frank Fontaine ran most of the Plasmid smuggling rings and so when he died we assumed there might be some change but junkies seem to squeeze through the cracks of Rapture one way or another.
Ryan Industries use little girls to recycle ADAM from any corpses around Rapture which, believe it or not: is quite a common thing these days. They call the little tykes: Little Sisters and they sure do scare the life out of me. Creepy eyes and needles, not a good mixture. The girls are usually pretty good at sniffing out bodies, but for some reason none of them had found Patrick Newbury. If the guy truly had overdosed on plasmids, then surely the girls would have sniffed him out from a mile away. I decided to visit an old acquaintance of mine: Guy Fitcher, a small time reporter for the Rapture Tribune. We met up at the Diner in Paupers Drop, the food may taste like salt water but it's a lot friendlier than most of the rich boy places in North Rapture.
"Another one? This is crazy, that's the 3rd overdose this month!" he said with half chewed burger meat bouncing around his jaws.
"Yeah, this one didn't have any marks either", I didn't give a shit about spilling the beans to Guy, the case had already been closed and so I just happy to have someone listen to my opinion for once.
"So this is the 3rd overdose in a row that was found untouched by Little Sister needles? Surely that's a little suspicious?"
"It's very suspicious" I murmured, stirring another sachet of sugar into my coffee.
"Well the worlds a bloody suspicious place isn't it! Hey, do you have any EVE spare? Cause I'm all tapped out"
I stared at him, too tired to answer the question he should easily know the answer too.
"Oh yeah I forgot..." he said "...your all anti ADAM right?"
"I'm not anti ADAM Guy, I'm just happy the way I am, don't need no dirty needle to make me any better"
"There's a difference between being 'better' and being able to shoot icicles from your fingertips"
"And does any of that sound human to you?"
"Ha, if it's humans your after then you should have stayed on the surface! Down here you've got to splice up to stay with the times! Surely in your profession you should have learnt that by now?"
I tapped my side pistol with my hand and replied "I'm happy being human the old fashioned way, and my pistol does me just fine"
"Yeah well what are you going to do when folks start using the Armoured Shell plasmid and make themselves bulletproof?"
I sniggered back at him and sipped my coffee, "Get bigger bullets".
We chatted about this and that for a while; I noticed we had stupidly picked the table next to the roof panel dripping in sea water. After a few more coffees he moved the conversation back to the case.
"You ever heard of the Aurora Baths?"
"Err..yeah..." I said, "...That's the spa place over in east Rapture right?"
Guy seemed eager about this, as if he had been waiting to ask me about it all evening, "It's more than just a spa pal, at least that's what I recon"
"How you figure that?" I asked, not really caring.
"Well, the first two victims overdose right? No Little Sister marks either, now this third guy has the same thing?"
"So? What's got to do with a health spa?"
"Because, the first two victims both visited the place a month before their deaths and I can take a wild guess at what's in the wallet you got today"
I flicked open the wallet and sifted through the cards. Sure enough, Guy had hit the nail on the head. There it was: AURORA BATHS EXCLUSIVE MEMBERSHIP CARD. "What do you think this place has to do with it all?"
"No idea..." he said "...but it's the only lead I can think of. This could be the story of the decade here pal!"
"Yeah well I don't think you can win the Pullitser from a secret city at the bottom of the ocean".
He frowned and grabbed his coat. Looks like he had gotten this all planned out in his head, Guy was always quite direct with his assumptions, maybe that's what made him a great reporter but it would make him a lousy detective. I went home and wished him luck as he made his way to the spa to investigate. I didn't get a call from him that night so I assumed he was pretty busy getting pampered in luxury. I was perfectly happy in my dank old apartment, sipping Rapture Whiskey and listening to Glen Miller. On my desk I could see the old picture of me and Vera on our honeymoon, both of the happy figures mocking me with their eternal smiles. Saps, they have no clue as to what lies ahead on the marital road. Still, I can't help but envy them: immortalized in a moment of true happiness when it seemed like nothing could tear them apart. I had to live on and face the crap at the end, they get to smile together until the photo wares away. I turn away from the picture and take another swig, lying down onto the mattress.
Rapture Nights are quiet ones. I never had problems getting to sleep even with the endless drippings from leaky ceilings.
The phone rings like alarm bells in my ear. I crawled around under the sheets, regaining consciousness and grasping aimlessly at the phone receiver. Eventually I caught the damn thing and answered. "...Hello?"
"Henry? Thank god..." It was Guy, he sounded panicked. I glanced at my pocket watch: nearly 3am.
"Guy? What...what's wrong? Where are you?"
"The spa...Henry it's the spa its....it's not what it seems!"
"What? The spa? What about it? What are you talking about?"
"It's a front Henry! I found proof in the 3rd sub level basement. Meet me at the diner in 2 hours, but we need to move fast. I think they might be onto me..."
"Guy! Slow down? What proof? What's going on?" By this point I had the phone in my hand and found myself shouting into the speaker.
I waited for a response but got nothing. Suddenly the dial tone kicked in and the phone went dead.
"Guy?! Guy!" I called out. But once again, I was alone in my apartment. Sitting, barely awake in my underwear.
I must have checked my watch 50 times as I sat in that same old cushioned booth as yesterday, sipping the same old coffee as yesterday from the same grumpy old waitress. Everything was just as it was before, all except Guy. He was over an hour late and I was starting to get worried.
"Excuse me, officer Sellis?" called the waitress, leaning over my table with his old sagging breasts inches from my face.
"Yes?"
"There's a call for you..."
I picked up the receiver and heard the sound of my superintendant. He told me to get to the Arcadia Gardens as soon as possible. I could hardly grasp the magnitude of his request for when I arrived at that artificial forest under the sea; I would be staring at a fresh body floating upside down in one of the little streams. It was the body of Guy Fitcher.
His body was badly bruised with the occasional electrical burn on him. This wasn't an overdose like the others; some splicer had put Guy down in what looked like a pretty fiery fight then ditched him in the river for everyone to see. This was a serious hit and all the roads were pointing to the Aurora Baths Health Spa. Guy investigated the place and found something out he shouldn't have, dug deeper than the locals wanted and ended up dead because of it. Now they think that they got away with it. They took away his wallet and made it look like a typical splicer killing. But this was no typical murder, it was a cover up and right now I was the only one who could fish out the truth. I had to, for Guy's sake.
I had to change bathysphere twice before I reached the entrance. But there it was: Aurora Baths. It was one of the older buildings of Rapture, built way out on the east side almost detached from the rest of Rapture. It was the cream of the crop for those who could afford it. Its seclusion was part of the attraction, the elite of Rapture used it as an escape from the drudgery and crime of the streets, and out here they could be the utopians they believed they were. The building was tall and cylindrical shaped with one long pedestrian tube leading into the front entrance. Around the building was moss and barnacles clinging to the salty windows and steel framework. Along the path I was analysed and studied by the everlasting buzz of the security cameras. Normally the sentry bots would have been called out at the first sight of a guy like me in an old dusty trench coat heading towards the entrance. That is of course, if I hadn't already phoned ahead and told them I was a cop and had a gun.
I was greeted at the door by a sycophant in a suit by the name of Charles Highwater II, the governing manager of the Aurora Baths. He stood smiling in a rehearsed position directly underneath the entrance sign. His tuxedo was a deep shade of crimson with black trims and a matching bowtie. He had a small refined moustache, slicked down with the same discipline as his trimmed jet black hair. The guy looked like a million dollars and was probably worth something near. He welcomed me with a speech I could assume that he has uttered a thousand times before.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Officer Sellis, and welcome to the Aurora Baths Health Resort! May I take your coat?"
"No thanks..." I said with a gruff misdemeanour, "...and it's Detective Sellis"
He smiled the same nervous and false smile he had come to master over the years but I wasn't buying it. "So what do you do here Mr Highwater?" I asked, trying to figure the guy out.
He stood by the sign as if acting for some cheesy plasmid commercial.
"Here at Aurora Baths, we cater to the finest class Rapture citizens. Members are welcome to a wide range of state of the art sparring rituals from Turkish mud baths to practiced meditation".
"Meditation? Last time I heard, Religion was illegal down here"
"This is not religion Detective Sellis, this is a refined relaxation technique designed to empty the patron's mind of all troubles and strife"
I grumbled under my breath, hoping he would shut up and let me look around but he carried on regardless, showing me an events board by the mahogany counter. Behind it sat an incredibly attractive super model pretending to be a secretary. She smiled flirtatiously at me, just as I'm sure she was well paid to do. Highwater continued blabbing on.
"So what is it you are here for? Are you looking for membership?
"No thanks," I smiled, "I'm investigating a murder case"
"...Murder?" his tone had dramatically dropped.
"Four murders actually. Each victim visited your spa in the last 6 months"
He crossed his arms defensively "Well there is no trouble at Aurora Detective, our security systems are among Ryan Industries finest"
"So I noticed..." I pulled out a picture I had on file of Guy Fitcher and flashed it at him, "You ever see this man?"
He stared at it for a moment before replying "No, Who is he? Is he the murderer?"
"His name is Guy Fitcher and he's one of the victims. Died last night, just after visiting Aurora"
Highwater looked stunned and terrified, expecting me to arrest him right there and then.
"Well honestly detective, I have never seen that man in my entire..."
"...I know that man!" said a voice, interrupting from behind the counter, "He came in yesterday afternoon".
Highwater turned around and glared at the secretary, signalling her to be quiet. He turned back to me and gave me a paper-thin apologetic smile.
"Please excuse Tracey" he said, "She is new here and a little confused"
"Why don't you shut your trap and let the lady speak?" I grumbled, stepping up to the counter. She smiled again, refusing to make eye contact with the fuming Mr Highwater.
"Well...As I was saying, I saw that man come in here last night. I was working late, right here when he stormed in asking all sorts of strange questions..."
"Questions? What sort of questions?" I asked.
"Like...who killed who blah, blah, blah, What's our big secret, blah blah blah" I didn't know what he was on about. I thought he was a drunk, he certainly smelt like one..."
"And what happened? Where did he go?"
"Well he got all angry 'cause I didn't speak weirdo and bolted off downstairs. God knows why he would go down there; it's off limits to customers?"
"If I know Guy properly, then I'd say that's exactly why he went down there"
I spied the door with the big STAFF ONLY sign hanging in front of it. Suddenly Highwater stepped in my way and interrupted.
"I'm sorry Detective but if you want to go snooping around in our private quarters then I'm afraid you will have to come back with a Rapture Court Warrant. I simply cannot have policemen waltzing around my spa looking for murderers and cadavers. Can you imagine what would happen to me if this got out to the press?"
"Yes I can, and that's why I'm not leaving until I've figured all this out"
"What do you mean?"
"Guy Fitcher was a reporter for the press and now he's dead"
I smiled in his face and walked off through the customer door, wincing at Tracey just as I disappeared. I could almost smell the steam coming from Highwater's ears as he watched me trundle away.
The pool area was glistening with wealth. Each sun bed was a creamy white, resting on the elegant marble floor and the pool itself was shimmering with fresh water; a welcome sight from the grimy seawater outside the windows. In the corner I could see Lesley Holland, one of the founders for Arcadia's Farmers Market. On the other side of the pool I could see Carlos Martinez, captain of Ryan's Ravens Aquaball team, being spliced by various super models on either side. These were just a couple of the celebrities being pampered to the nines here, and they could smell my lack of comparable wealth from a mile away. As I walked around to the opposite side, I must have passed six rich boys in suits, splicing themselves up out in the open. It makes me sick to see how normal they think it all is, I'm not perfect but I know in my heart that people are not supposed to throw lightning bolts from their hands and start fires with a saucy wink. Sooner or later they would end up where all the junkies go: standing in line to volunteer for the Sinclair Solutions' plasmid testing programme. Schmucks.
In the corner of my eye, I could see a shady looking man mopping the floors. He wore a long navy boiler suit with a baseball cap covering most of his face. Suddenly noticing me, he turned and walked through a staff only door, disappearing out of sight. I dashed after him and through the door, why would this guy want to run away?
The doors swung open, leading into a different world. Behind this simple door lay the true heart of Rapture; out there was a sparkly utopia but in here was a dank, leaky underbelly rotting of moulded steel. Steam sprayed out of the pipes around me as I pulled the pistol from my holster. I held it up, ready to fire and slowly stepped into the darkness. The pipes spewed out a burst of hot hair, stunning me temporarily. In this window of opportunity, the shady figure leapt from the shadows and reached for my gun. He pulled with all his might at the weapon but underestimated my strength, allowing me to hurl him into an iron locker mounted on the wall. He yelped as his back bounced on the metal before stopping dead in his tracks, staring down the barrel of my gun.
"Don't fucking move! Who are you?" I shouted.
He paused, staring nervously at my finger on the trigger. I shouted again, "Answer the question!"
"I'm...just the janitor! I'm sorry, I thought you were..."
"Who? Who did you think I am?"
"Nobody...I didn't think...."
"Who did you think I was?! Tell me or I'll shoot!"
He raised his hands to surrender as I cocked the hammer.
"Ok ok! Take it easy! I'll talk, I'll talk!"
I sat him down on a nearby bench and had him tell me who he was. His name was Bud Philby, the main janitor and maintenance supervisor for the Aurora Baths. He was a middle aged man from a tough borough in Detroit; he survived by being a genius mechanic but down in Rapture was dumped down to a lowly janitor due to his poor background. He didn't seem to mind though; as far as he was concerned, work was work.
"So why exactly did you attack me Mr Philby?"
"Oh...I'm sorry sir...I didn't...I mean...I wasn't....I just thought that you might have been somebody else...."
"And who did you think I was?"
"Well sir...a man's got to pay the bills right? And sometimes that means making deals with the wrong people right? And sometimes those people get mad when I don't pay them back right?"
"Yeah, I get you. Don't worry about it"
"So...you're not going to arrest me?"
"No Bud, I'm not going to arrest you but I could use you help"
"Oh yes sir, anything you say sir! I am truly sorry about jumping out and scaring you like that Mr Detective sir, I don't know what I was thinking, I just..."
"I said its ok? Now do you know where the 3rd sub level basement is?"
"Why yes sir, its right below the 2nd sub level!"
I rolled my eyes, "What's down there?"
"That's where they do the plasmid rejuvenation therapy sir. Although Mr Highwater doesn't let anyone but the customers down there"
"Plasmid Rejuvenation? What is that?"
"To tell you honestly sir, I don't really know. It's Aurora's most expensive treatment and only for the high rollers and super rich. The boss won't let a grease monkey like me anywhere near them folks..."
It all sounded quite suspicious but it was definitely that floor that Guy said was important, so whatever I was looking for, and whatever got him killed was down there. Looks like I had to pay Mr Highwater another visit.
Mr Highwater's office was on the top floor with a huge window presenting a breath taking view of the city. He sat behind a huge wooden desk, varnished to perfection in between two large walls, caked with books and expensive paintings. I could tell straight away that he was not pleased to see me, he still patched on that famous fake smile of his though as I stepped through the door.
"Ah Detective Sellis!" he said, standing up from behind his desk, "How lovely it is to see you again. Are you finished with your investigation?"
"Not just yet..." I said, walking up to the meet him, "...I still need to ask you some questions"
"Oh certainly, the Aurora Baths will happily cooperate with Andrew Ryan's police service"
"I want you to tell me about the Plasmid Rejuvenation treatment"
He stopped, looking stunned. Eventually, he turned around and faced out of the window before replying, "That's our most exclusive service, its existence only available to our most exclusive members..."
"Like Patrick Newbury?" I asked forcibly.
"...Yes, he was among the list of those welcome" he replied, refusing to turn back around. I was growing tired of talking to this jerk's back.
"I want to see it"
He spun around, angered by my request, "See it?!"
"Yes"
"Absolutely out of the question I'm afraid..."
I pulled my badge from my pocket and flashed it in his face, "Show me now, or I will have you put away and your little spa shut down"
He stared at my badge, helplessly frustrated. The thought of losing his business was enough to persuade the man, and so he led me to a special elevator leading down into the 3rd level basement. The elevator required the gold studded key that Highwater kept in his jacket pocket. After a turn, the doors slammed shut and the lift kicked into gear, lowering us into the darkness below.
As we descended, Highwater turned and asked me "May I ask what plasmids you prefer to use Detective Sellis?"
I stared out at the rickety girders supporting the lift shaft and replied "I don't splice"
"I beg your pardon detective?" he asked, raising his nose at me in surprise.
"I said I don't splice"
"Anybody who is anybody in Rapture splices"
"No, only junkies who didn't think god did a good enough job do!"
He frowned at me disapprovingly, "Splicing is not unnatural detective, it is human evolution steered to perfection and at Aurora Baths we have devised a way to improve on this so-called 'perfect'"
The lift finally grinded to a halt before the brass doors slid open presenting a large steel hall. The room was enormous, like the inside of a metal cathedral however there were no decorations here, just a lone operating table in the middle of the room. Long black pipes drooped onto the table, leading across the room and out into the walls, one lowly spot light illuminated the chair, piercing the darkness around it. On the far side of the room stood a 12 foot steel door, bolted shut. Confused and cautious, I stepped out of the lift with Highwater trotting smugly behind me.
"Behold!" he called out majestically, "The room where kings are made!"
"What is this place?" I asked nervously
"This detective Sellis, is the plasmid rejuvenation theatre!"
This didn't look like a health spa; it looked more like a creepy old science lab.
"What the hell do you do here?"
"Well the process is quite scientific and awfully complicated to explain but in essence: we strap the customer in and attach these pipes into their circulatory system where in which we commence a full body blood transfusion".
"You do what?!"
"A full body blood transfusion. As this is done, the blood is purified and the ADAM within is naturally enhanced through our filtration system, leaving the user more powerful than they could have ever dreamed"
I stepped up to the operating table and touched it. It was cold to the touch and the binders rusted with age. Highwater turned away; ready to return to the lift. As he did, I noticed some ADAM residue had leaked out of one of the pipes onto the floor. Before Highwater could notice, I scooped a handful of it into a small evidence bag in my pocket and stashed it away.
"And does it work? I mean does it really make people's ADAM better?" I asked, standing up to Highwater.
"Undoubtedly detective. So there you have it, now you know our big secret. Can you close your investigation now?"
I took one last look around and nodded. The lights flicked off automatically as we climbed back into the lift and travelled back up to the lobby. Highwater gave me a cheap goodbye, thanking me for visiting and such crap. I gave him a farewell that was just as fake.
Just before I left, I decided to check in with the janitor: Bud, one last time. He was in his dirty office, writing up some blueprints when I confronted him about the ADAM.
"Wow that sure is a mighty fine looking bag you got there detective!" he said, grabbing it over and shoving it under a microscope.
"I need to know if there is anything strange about it"
"What for? I heard tell you were done here?"
"Not just yet, the only lead I have is that the 3 first victims underwent the plasmid rejuvenation treatment so there has to be a connection somewhere!"
"Alrighty..." he said, diving his face into the microscope's lens, "...Let's have a looky here... "
He sat silent for a moment, examining it intently. "What on earth is..."
"What?" I called out, "What on earth is what?"
Bud lifted his head up and looked at me confused, "Well sir...I'm not sure but this don't look like any ADAM I know"
"What do you mean?"
"Well...I mean it looks like ADAM but at the same time...it don't"
I raised an eyebrow, allowing him to explain, "Well y'see the cells look manmade. Like...synthetic"
"Synthetic?"
"Yeah! Science nuts have been trying to make homemade ADAM for years but it always ends up looking like this. Sure it works a lot better but...well...."
"But what?"
"Well...the cells always die too quickly. That's why the stuff never took off"
Suddenly the pieces of this puzzle were slotting together like clockwork. I rubbed my chin for a moment and considered the evidence, then asked Bud, "Bud...If the cells die too quickly, could that cause the body to go into cardiac arrest?"
"You mean like a Plasmid Rush? Well yeah, I guess so, why?"
I snapped my fingers and cheered, "That's it! It all makes sense now!"
"Ermm...what does sir?"
I cleared my throat and attempted to explain, "Ok, Patrick Newbury comes to Aurora, just like the others and has the Plasmid Rejuvenation treatment, right?"
"Right...?"
"Except what they actually do is take all the ADAM out of his blood and replace it with crap, which later kills them. That's why the Little Sisters don't touch it, because they can sniff it out from the real stuff!"
"Ok...so where does all the ADAM go?"
I stared him dead in the eye; "Highwater..."
The plan was set. To get back into the basement, find out what Highwater was up to and bring him down. But with so much ADAM at stake, I would need help so the first step would be to head back to the precinct and get some backup, and lots of it.
I hurried back to the entrance hall with Bud following close behind me; I would need him as a witness for the whole thing. We reached the main doors just as they slammed shut in front of us.
"Going somewhere detective?" snarled a voice from behind me. I spun round to see Charles Highwater II stood defiantly by the counter.
"Yeah!" I shouted, "I'm going to bring you in! I know about everything that's been going on here Highwater! You're finished, you know that right?"
He chuckled to himself, "Oh I'm afraid not detective. I'm afraid I can't let you live now that you know about all this. Maybe you should have just left when I told you to..."
I grabbed my pistol from its holster and jammed it at his face, "Get back! Now open this door right now you son of a bitch or I will put you down, you hear me!"
He seemed to ignore my threat and chuckled again for a second. It was at that moment that I noticed one of his hands was concealed behind his back. He looked at me with his cold, insane eyes and smiled, "Goodbye detective Sellis"
Suddenly he pulled out his hand, showing a small orb, glowing a radiant blue colour. I stared at it for a moment, just as he tossed it at my torso. The orb struck my ribs with a powerful thud, knocking me to the floor. Whilst dazed, I watched Highwater turn and dash into the lift, sending it downwards. Looking down at my chest, I marvelled at the sticky residue, left by the gooey orb. That's when I realised what he had thrown at me: a very illegal Plasmid.
"Watch out! They are drawn to the plasmid!" shouted Bud as the main doors shot back up, revealing four sentry bots buzzing towards us. I turned onto my side and spied them coming. Gasping, I rolled onto my feet and dived over the counter as machine guns sprayed out of the flying machines all over the walls. Bud dived under the desk with me, covering his ears and squealing. I poked my head out and fired at the bots; hitting one in the fuel tank, exploding it into a fiery wreck. Just as it tumbled to the floor, another bot flew in to replace it. I carried on firing, hopelessly holding them back.
On my left, Bud opened his eyes and flinched as a ricochet bounced inches away from his shoulder. He yelped and dug his hand deep into his pocket to retrieve a shining red Plasmid container.
"What are you doing?!" I shouted, shooting off another couple of rounds into a nearby sentry.
"Splicing up" he called as he shoved the needle deep into his vein, "Take cover!" he yelled.
Bud stood up and thrusted both of his arms out, lunging an incredible arc of lightning across the room. The sentry bots screeched as they sparked up into flames, each frying in midair instantaneously. After a mere couple of seconds Bud pulled back his arms, sending the burnt wreckage of the swarm crashing down. They were smashed.
"Electro Bolt..." he said, helping me to my feet, "...cause sometimes what god gave you aint good enough!"
I let out a small laugh before reloading my pistol as he placed the vial of Electro Bolt on the counter. The sentry alarm bells ceased entrance door slammed shut once more. "Right" I said, "Let's go get that bastard"
I fiddled with the brass gates of the elevator for a minute or two but the damn thing wouldn't budge. Just as I gave up, the PA system kicked in and suddenly I could hear Highwater's voice flooding the tannoy.
"Attention Customers. This is Charles Highwater II speaking. The Aurora Baths Health Spa is hereby under a full security lock down. This is nothing to be alarmed about, it is merely standard procedure. Please remain in your allocated rooms until the lockdown is lifted. Thank you!"
The PA clicked off as I snarled at the speakers. "Bud!" I said, "Is there any other way down to the 3rd sub level basement?"
He scratched his head for a moment before an idea jumped into his head "Wait a minute! Yes!"
"There is?" I asked, excitedly.
"Yeah! I mean...maybe, it's a mighty tight squeeze..."
I stepped forward and cocked my pistol, "Show me"
Bud led me deep into the maintenance corridor, dodging steam pipes and leaking water mains. At the end of one of the passageways, Bud used a rusty old crowbar to pry open a small filtration vent. Steam erupted out of the hole with a loud hiss for moment before revealing a dirty ladder leading deep down into the shaft. I gulped and stepped forward.
"After you sir..." smiled Bud, signalling me in.
Clip, clop, clip, clop; our footsteps echoed endlessly up and down the long shaft. We must have climbed for a good 10 minutes before reaching the bottom. Once there, Bud climbed ahead and busted open the hatch, leading us right out into the operating theatre.
I pulled out my pistol and clambered out. The room was as cold and dark as I had remembered, with the lonely operating chair, lit ominously from above. Bud trundled behind me, keeping his head down as I whipped my gun around, trying to find a glimpse of Highwater. He, unfortunately, found me first.
"That's quite far enough Mr Sellis" called out a domineering voice from the darkness. Highwater stepped into the spotlight carrying a large elephant rifle in his hands. His stern brow toned in frustration at our arrival. "Lower your weapon" he ordered.
Slowly, I pulled the gun down and called out to him "What's this all about Highwater? Why steal all the ADAM?"
He laughed confidently, "What? Do you mean all of this ADAM?" he said, retrieving a small radio device from his coat pocket. He flicked the large switch on it and the room rumbled. Behind him, the large steel doors puffed out a barrage of smoke and began to rise. I crept forward as the smoke cleared to adjust to the strange object beyond.
"Good golly molly!" gasped Bud.
Inside the large iron doors stood a 30 foot tall cylindrical storage container, nearly 3 quarters full of fresh ADAM. It illuminated the room in a bloody red glow, complimenting the masses of pipes and cables spewing out in all directions.
"Holy shit..." I murmered, "What....What is all this?"
"This, Detective Sellis, is insurance. The lifeline that the Aurora Baths relies on"
"But why? Why go to all this trouble?"
"To survive! Since Mr Ryan had Fontaine Futuristics seized, business has been impossible! For this reason, Aurora's very survival depended on us finding alternate forms of income..."
"So what?" I snarled, "You stockpile stolen ADAM and sell it on the black-market?!"
"Precisely! It started almost 2 years ago when I harvested a Little Sister here. Her payload of ADAM was the first to be stored and it will certainly not be the last!"
I'd had enough. Ignoring his threats I rose up my weapon once more and aimed for the head, "Put the gun down Highwater! It's over!"
He scorned me with his cold eyes and shouted, "Never! This place is for a higher breed of human and I would rather die than see it threatened by a pauper like you!"
He aimed for the kill but was too late; I took the shot and pierced his lung, spraying blood out on impact. Highwater squealed in agony and jerked his rifle, tumbling to the floor. Blood ran over his thousand dollar suit and oozed across the floor, but he was still breathing. I dashed over and saw him gasping his final breaths of air whilst reaching for the radio control device next to him.
He coughed blood out violently and muttered to me "The little sister...The one I harvested...She...She...She wasn't alone..."
His finger pressed down on a second button on the controller before he collapsed into death. The control beeped loudly whilst the walls began to simultaneously rattle. I looked around desperately until I noticed a portion of the back wall was moving: it was a hidden doorway! It clanked out loud metallic sounds for a moment before opening fully. Inside the room, a monolithic roar flooded out. Following the roar were titanic, inhuman footsteps, each sounding like the slow beat of a drum. Out from the hidden room, stepped a Big Daddy.
"Oh that's not good..." I murmured as the beast let out a huge battle cry. It had been separated from its Little Sister for far too long and sure was angry! Its large dome shaped helmet glowed red as it targeted me, within moments: the giant, steel drill attached to its arm revved and began to spin furiously. I turned to tell Bud to run, but saw emptiness. He was gone!
"Bud?" I called in bafflement. Turning back to the Big Daddy, I let out a gasp as the beast rose up his drill and screamed angrily. With his arm raised I could see most of his armour: it was old and rusted, barely reminiscent of the reinforced diving suit it once was. It kicked its feet and charged.
I dived to my right onto the operating table, dodging it by an inch. Grinding to a halt, the Big Daddy roared again before turning to smash the table to pieces with its mighty arm. I rolled over onto the floor and clambered to my feet, ahead of me I could just make out the maintenance hatch we had entered through. There was no way this monster would be able to fit through the gap, with that in mid I bolted for the hatch.
The Big Daddy called out to me with all its rage and charged once again, its spinning drill out in front like the head of a spear. In seconds I had reached the hatch and jumped up onto the ladder. I pulled up my feet out of danger just as the drill pierced through the hole. A breath of relief sighed out of me just as I turned and began climbing back up to the top. Unbeknownst to me at the time, these Big Daddies weren't made to be stupid. The second it lost reach of me, it turned its attention straight towards the elevator, that still had Highwater's key in the slot.
I dashed out of the maintenance corridor and back into the entrance foyer before collapsing my hands onto my knees and breathing deeply. I hadn't felt this exhausted in years, never before had I imagined being in one of those monster's sights until today. Thank god it was behind me. At least that's what I thought as I began trekking to the main door. I noticed the door had reopened and the security lockdown lifted: wherever Bud had run off to, he had obviously done me a favour with that one. I couldn't have been 3 metres away from the door, stepping over the smashed up rubble of the sentry bots on the floor, before the Big Daddy leapt straight through the back wall. I was thrown to the floor instantly, with wooden planks and splinters flying all over the place. With the exit in sight, I tried to get to my feet but the beast was already by me. He grabbed my back and picked me up off the floor. Calling out in pain, I spun my head around to see how high he had lifted me, not that I had much of a chance to figure that out when he was throwing me head first into the reception counter.
My back jerked painfully into the wall as debris crumbled all over me. This was it, no way out. Feebly, I reached for my gun but grabbed nothing but air. The damned thing must have fallen out when the big guy was tossing me around. Although the desk was blocking most of my vision of the beast, I could hear him roaring on the other side. He was ready to finish the job now, but if I was going to go out: it would be with a bang. These were my only thoughts as I reached for the vial of Electro Bolt Bud had left there earlier. Biting my lip; I pulled the syringe out and held it above my arm. I never wanted to splice, not now, not ever but with death about to thrust a giant drill through my skull: I didn't have many other options.
I jammed the needle in as hard as I could and instantly felt the stinging pain. Within seconds, electric bolts visible to the naked eye shot up and down my arms like wild fire. I screamed out in agony as the powerful lightning tore through my body. Never before had I felt pain like this, it was unbearable! All this energy ripping through me, I felt like I was going to explode! This isn't far off what I ended up doing.
The lightning burst inside of me, letting out an enormous electrical shockwave. The desk was blown away with such terrible power that it pounded the Big Daddy right in the head, sending him tumbling backwards. He yelped like a whale and collapsed onto his back in the doorway. The ground shook as he hit the deck; meanwhile I was still writhing around trying to keep my veins from popping. I pulled myself up onto my knees and saw the Big Daddy lying in the doorway, slowly trying to stand back up. This was my chance, the only shot I would ever get at surviving this behemoth. With lightning in my veins, I rose up my arm and blasted out a stream of electrical fury onto the control box next to the door. It sparked into action as the bolt struck its circuits, slamming the door down onto the Big Daddy's neck. I remember hearing a mighty crunch as the huge metal door hit the ground, detaching the monsters torso from its head.
It lay lifelessly with its mighty legs twitching in the oozing mound of blood for a moment before slowly ceasing all movement. With one final flick of the foot, it fell into an eternal sleep. The beast was dead.
The energy that flowed through me calmed to normality but I couldn't shake the godlike feeling that coursed throughout my veins. I had never experienced such a rush of power, wielded in the palm of my hand, it was incredible! As I went to stand up, my legs ached from the injury sustained when I smashed into the wall. I staggered up to my feet and limped slowly towards the severed corpse. All that remained on this side of the door were its mammoth-like legs and its drill, poised upwards in the rubble.
Moving forward, I spotted my pistol lodged underneath one of the ruined sentry bots. I figured that it must have spun over there during the commotion. As I picked it up, a familiar voice ringed out from behind me
"Oh good, you made it!" called Bud. I spun round to see him walking into the foyer with an uncanny smugness about him.
"Bud!" I said, "What happened to you?"
He smiled, "Ah sorry chief, when the Metal Daddy turned up I got myself out of there. Nabbed Highwater's key and shut down the security lock though. You're welcome for that by the way."
"Thanks pal. Come on, we'd better get out of here" I said, turning to leave.
I heard a loud spark noise from behind me.
"Actually there is one last thing to take care of..." he called out. I turned back around to see him wielding a swirling orb of electricity emanating from his hand. His expression instantly changed from happy to ferocious.
"Bud...what are you..."
Before I could finish my sentence, he charged a super powered lightning bolt straight at my chest. I could hardly even scream as the force shot me up into the air and 30 feet across the room. The floor hit me hard, before I slid for a few metres. I remember blacking out momentarily on impact but as soon as the pain kicked in, I was awake again. The stench of burning flesh engulfed me, pulsing from the smoke oozing out of my skin. I thought I was dead, couldn't move a muscle.
He laughed maniacally as he waltzed over to my singed body on the floor. "Sorry chief..." he said, "...but Aurora is far too important to the cause to let you hand it over to Ryan"
I coughed up blood and spluttered "Cause? What are you talking about?"
"This place is a fucking fortress Henry! State of the art security and only one bottle necked entrance leading in or out!"
He slowed his pace as he approached me, before continuing his speech, "...Oh yes, I've known about Highwater's little ADAM stockpile, heck! I've known pretty much all along!"
"So...why do all this..." I said.
"Ryan treats this city like his personal petting zoo! Someone has to stand up to that bastard! There's a war coming to Rapture you know, and when he arrives; he will lead us to victory".
"Who?"
"To you he's just a myth. But soon enough his name will be known throughout Rapture as the man of the people! The one who stood up to Ryan and said enough is enough! And I will be right there with him. The Aurora Baths will be his fortress and the ADAM will be our arsenal against Ryan"
He moved up and knelt down to me. My hand cautiously moved to my holstered pistol.
"I couldn't just take the place though..." he continued, "...had to get rid of ol' Highwater first. So I waited and I waited for the right opportunity until one day this crazy reporter turns up at my door stop..."
"Guy...!" I muttered.
"He tells me he's got the dirt to bring Highwater down. So I help him out, push him in the right direction. Unfortunately the little squirt dug a little too deep and figured out what I was planning. It's a shame really; I honestly didn't want to kill him..."
Rage, coursed through me at the thought of my old friend being murdered by this creep, "You son of a bitch...I'll kill you!"
"Ha ha" he laughed, "You can't kill me Henry because your just a puny human. No better than any on the surface. I should thank you really; with your help I was able to take down the boss in the eyes of 'the law'. But I'm afraid to say that now the Aurora Baths belongs to me and you have outstayed your welcome!"
He grabbed me and lifted me up over his head. I could feel his super-human strength in the power of his grip upon my chest. My body was too beaten to fight back, in such a daze: I barely noticed him throwing me over onto the counter. From this position I realised that we had essentially switched places: I stood on the opposite side of the room whilst he stood in front of the entrance doorway. With my last few ounces of strength, I rose up my weapon and fired, hitting him directly in the chest. He gasped and stumbled backwards upon impact but miraculously maintained his balance! Bud grew a smile across his face as he felt the wound on his chest.
"Ha! Sorry but I have Armoured Shell! It's going to take alot more than bullets to kill a superhuman like me!"
I scowled at him and cocked the pistol. This was my last chance; I could see the lightning brewing in his palm readying itself for the kill. Spitting the blood out of my mouth, I uttered;
"You can inject whatever shit you want into yourself...Your all still human to me!"
With that, I open fired and with each bullet, he was knocked back another step however each one managed to strengthen his ego allowing him to simply laugh them off. Last two rounds. I fired knocking his leg back. Suddenly his smile dropped as his leg tripped on some sentry bot wreckage on the floor. My breathing slowed as I stared down the barrel and shot out my final bullet. It pierced his chest sending him flying over the wreckage. With a splat his back landed directly onto the upturned Big Daddy drill, skewing him right through the middle. Bud blurted out a final yelp as he landed on his back, feeling the enormous drill sticking out through his torso. Blood draped all over him, spilling out from underneath his wounds. He was speechless at last.
Clambering to my feet, I scuttled over to him before collapsing to my knees over his body. His eyes twitched for a moment.
"Tell me...whose coming? Who were you working for?" I shouted, grabbing his collar.
He smiled and spluttered out some blood, "...The war is coming...He is coming..."
"Who?! Whose coming?! Answer me dammit!"
He gathered his last grip of life and leant up to look me dead in the eyes; "...Atlas....Lives...."
With those final words Bud Philby fell limp and his eyes glazed over. The battle was finally over and the Aurora Baths fell silent at last.
It wasn't until a week later that I made it out of the Medical Pavilion. On my way out I grabbed a newspaper from the vender to see what had happened whilst I was away. On the front page the headlines read 'TRAGEDY AND CONSPIRACY AT THE AURORA!'. The article explained Andrew Ryan's preferred version of the story: about how the Aurora Baths was being used as a terrorist stronghold by insane workman: Bud Philby who went on to brutally murder the governing manager of the Aurora Health Spa: Charles Highwater II (who had been a close and respected friend of Andrew Ryan up until his death). There was of course, no mention of me at all. Instead it explained about how the good men of Ryan's police force apprehended the terrorist and brought him to justice.
I didn't care too much about not being mentioned, but a smile did cross my bruised face as I read the second story on the front page. A special dedication to Guy Fitcher: the reporter who gave his life to tell the story, next to the story sat the same old photograph of him that I had in my wallet.
"You did it Guy..." I muttered to myself, staring at the picture, "...you got the story. I'm proud of you pal".
The day after I went to the hospital, Ryan's men seized control of the Aurora Bath's health spa and all of its concealed attributes. As far as I'm aware, the place is still closed down until further notice.
As for me: the chief of police was ordered to suspend me of duty for a while. The doctors said they hadn't ever seen anyone beaten up that badly this side of the world war! I took that as a compliment. Throughout my recovery I couldn't shake my mind away from the awesome feeling of power I felt in that single moment back in the spa as the lightning shot out of me. It was biblical and I needed to feel it again. I wouldn't be able to sleep without experiencing it once more. At first I thought splicing made you less than a man, but now I see that it makes you much, much more. These were the thoughts I decided to live my life by as I headed towards Sinclair Solutions, ready to volunteer.