Chapter 1

Protector MK2, Line Gamma, model Zeta, call sign "Dagger" wandered aimlessly through the desiccated corpse of her once beautiful city. She sighed as she looked around her at the rusty and decrepit buildings, thinking of the splendid glory she had seen in them as a Little Sister. The difference seemed almost surreal, as if the old version had been an illusion, but that was Impossible, she had seen it after all.

The city was so quiet, and she didn't like it. The city never used to be quiet, even when its only residents were insane monsters, the halls echoed with their footsteps, breathing, and insane gibbering. Now it was as quiet as the ocean outside, though every now and then the slight shuffle and movement of the long sleeping Things that now were the only things alive in Rapture broke the silence.

She winced as the crash of a building across the street spontaneously sounded in the quiet. It came down in a deafening noise that hurt her sensitive ears, but she didn't care, it didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore. She continued her mindless journey.

She was so bored, she could not play with her Little Sisters, because they were gone, and she could not dance with the monsters, because they were asleep. It might have been worth it if they were really sleeping, but they were just pretending to sleep so they wouldn't have to dance with her. It was really frustrating, cause Zeta really liked dancing, and dancing left angels for her Little Sisters to Help. Except her Little Sisters were gone.

Quite honestly she didn't know why she was doing what she was doing, but it made her feel somewhat less empty and purposeless. Unbidden her thoughts again turned to her long dead family, and again the tears stated well in her eyes, she cried a lot recently, she just felt so empty without her Little Sisters.

Her hand reached back to touch the cage that was her only reminder of her Little Sisters. She let out a sad-moan, as her found nothingness, stupid evil nothingness. That was right, her cage had fallen off. She had tried to fix it, but it wouldn't stay put. She had cried herself to sleep that night. That had been the last time she had slept too. How long ago had that been?

A veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrryy loooooooooooooooooooooooooong time ago.

Her grief turned to anger as she thought of who had taken them away from her, she hated Himshe hatedHim so much, she had watched, been forced by Mother to watch, as He killed her family, murdering her Little Sisters and her Sisters in cold blood. Mother has said that Zeta had to stay alive to report to the Family, that…that was what was the best for the Family, but she still felt guilty for not helping her siblings.

Her rage melted into a confused mess as thoughts turned to Mommy, how Mommy had loved her, yet then she betrayed them for that monster, Zeta hated her, she was a traitor the Family, but she loved her too. Mommy had been the only one who was nice to her besides her sisters, she had been the one to sooth her scary-dreams, to treat her like a normal person, and was the only one to understand her. Why, Why, Why, did she have to have betrayed them, her Family, for her old father, wasn't the Family enough?

She sighed, she would have probably done the same for Mr. Bubbles… No, She Wouldn't Betray The Family, even for her Mr. Bubbles. What Eleanor did was Unthinkable, Unacceptable, and she should be Hated; but yet Zeta could not bring herself to hate the figure she looked up to all her life.

She was a terrible Member of the Family, she still liked a Traitor to the Family, and she also was a terrible Family Member, for she hated The Lamb. But Eleanor Wasn't That; She Had Betrayed Zeta, Probably Laughing As She Continued Her Deception Of The Family, As Her Daddy Ripped Through Zeta's Family. But Mommy had been so kind… But She Was A Traitor… yet she was so nice… She Let Him…how could she have…But Mother Said…but Mommy was…She Was To Be…but Zeta couldn't. She released a shriek of pure torment as she fell to her knees, these thoughts and others battling in her head, ripping her mind to shreds.

She was brought back rather abruptly to the present by a low rumble, she knew that sound… where had she heard that sound. It took her a while to place it. When she remembered, her eyes widened with delight. That was the sound of Monsters! She would soon have dance partners! She smiled, maybe she would have purpose for a little while.

The first foolish-thing approached from around the corner, in the lead because of its skinny doggy-legs were mostly intact, its body was singed and blacky and melted; it was also on fire, which Zeta thought was pretty. Soon it was followed by more equally fun monsters as they drove with a single minded purpose towards one of the only source of fun left in her city.

Zeta prepared herself for the upcoming fight, extending her harvester with a satisfying hiss and readying fire in her hands. At least a fight would take her mind off her hurtiness inside. With a defiant shriek, she charged them, hoping in the back of her mind that maybe she might finally be able to end her horrible, twisted, purposeless life without her Family.

()

As I returned to our current safe house from scavenging, I found to my surprise that Ashley wasn't waiting for me like she usually did. She was normally unable to sleep without something, usually me, to comfort her nightmares. I, as was my nature, began to hope that maybe she was getting over them and for once was sleeping soundly. My hopes were dashed, however, as I came into the bedroom and saw her gazing deadly into the fire.

"Hey Ash," I said as I walked into the room.

She jumped, glowing eyes sweeping wildly around the room before settling on me,

"Oh, it's just you, Jacob." Her voice sounded subdued and saddened.

"What, not happy to see me?" I said with a laugh, a small attempt to cheer up the moody teenager.
"No, it's…just hard to be happy here."

With a sigh Jacob sat down across the fire from my charge. "What's wrong this time Ash?"

"Nothing"

"Nothing, Really? I wasn't aware that you enjoyed staring into fires, but I could be wrong." I said with a small smirk. "Now seriously, what's wrong?" My face growing concerned again

She looked up at me, her glowing eyes burdened. "You know exactly what."

I looked across the fire to my depressed charge. I really hated it when she was like this, and she was right, I did know exactly why she was like this. Even though it had been almost two years since her Little Sister indoctrination broke, the change had left a horrible scar on her personality.

I pitied her, but I could nothing for her when she was like this, and it was killing me. I knew this mood would pass; they always did, but even then she would never be that same eager and happy little girl, if a bit shy and subdued, that she once was. I scooted over next to her and put my arm around her, trying to bring at least some comfort to my young companion.

"Come on, it isn't that bad,"

"Yes, yes it is" was her only response, her long blond hair hiding her face from me.

Noticing that the few working lights were dimming, signifying night was coming, I told her, "Go to bed, Ash. You'll feel better tomorrow."

She said it so softy that I couldn't hear her the first time "What did you say?"

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked, looking up at me, her eyes nervous yet slightly hopeful. With that question I realized just how bad she must be, she hadn't asked to sleep with me for years, ever since she had wanted to start to become more independent. For her to overcome that boundary meant that she was suffering far more then she was letting on.

"Yeah, sure" Her eyes, quite literally, brightening at this she slowly rose and together we went over to the bed.

I snuggle closer to Father's body; I have to admit I do miss this. His cooler than average temperature fit perfectly with my own feverish heat, and even more so his sheer presence of solidity gives me far more comfort than I care to admit. He is my rock when my trauma overwhelmes me. My trauma… Don't think about it, don't think about it!

Too late, with them already on my mind the events, came flying back. And with the cruel irony of thought the more I try to suppress them the more they return. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta. The first Big Sisters. Hell. That was all that had been, Hell, and they were the demons. Alpha, with her lustful advances, and her horrid …mind seeping …into… trying to…make me…. Gamma, and her glorious pain… making.. me hurt so bad…. And Delta, who didn't care, who never cared, while they killed me and….and…and Beta… who hated me… who tried to kill me at every turn, doing everything short of…of throwing…throwing me to the monsters…seeing my sisters mistreated, Samantha having to do those…awful things for Alpha…. Becky…Becky…dead…under Gamma…Amy…starving…Delta…no…sleep…can't…sleep…Beta…kill…me…yet…yet I love them…Why do I love them?

As if subconsciously sensing my distress Jacob pulls me closer. Instantly the past melts away. I am safe. I am away from them. And even better than that. I have a Father. Not some metal golem in a suit, but a real honest to Ryan father figure; one who would hold me when my nightmares were too scary, one who loved her. Unbidden, but far more happily my memories turn back to the day when I had met him.

He found me hiding in furnace, a deep stab wound right in my heart. He had watched in shock as it slowly continued to heal, my slug keeping the blood flowing while it repaired the damaged organ. He then helped to hide me from Beta, an event that I horribly only made harder. He then left me, him saving me had only really been a heroic impulse. But I was a scared little girl, and so I did what any scared little girl would do. I followed the nice man. It took a week to convince him to stay with me, and even then only because I was half-starving.

The first few months were horrible, as the Family hunted me like a pack of hounds. More than once I had been tempted to abandon him and go back to my "Big Sister". And somehow I could tell, even then that he didn't really want me. He never told me to leave, however, and so I stayed. I stayed with my new Father.

Everything was fine until two years ago, around when I turned fourteen, I began having these horrible fits, it took me a week before I finally understood what was wrong with me. My Little Sister indoctrination was breaking down, painfully.

I saw my Punishment world, the world that Mother and Daddy and Big Sister said would happen if I didn't gather. I hated that horrid destroyed place, and so I had gathered like a good little girl. But I was seeing it too much, more than normal, I must have done something really bad, and so I broke down, broke down like the fantasy I had been living for all my remembered life. Eventually realized that it wasn't my fault, that these flashes had never been my fault, but theirs. As I broke through the false love they had made me feel, it was replaced with hate, hate for anything that had force me to love them. Especially the Big Sisters. It by this experiences that I learned that I truly loved Father, and that he loved me, it wasn't some forced instinct that I latched onto him, but because he accepted me, and helped me, and held me when my nightmares came. That he holds me when my nightmares come. I sigh in contentment as my Father, my real father, even if he didn't give birth to me, even if he is only 3 years older than me, he is my real Father and I love him. Laying the past behind me, I fall asleep to his breathing.

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A/N well this is my first fanfiction so I would love to hear how y'all think it went. Please review, I would really appreciate it.