December 29th, 1957
Emmy could feel the anxiety in her stomach, gnawing and nipping all the way up to her heart in leaps. She eyed the woman beside her curiously in her excitement, obviously rich and impatient.
She was a Russian woman by the sound of her accent, her little pearly white cat in her arms looking around frantically as the bathysphere opened in front of them.
"It's perfectly safe ladies, I assure you." Mr. Ryan's voice came from Emmy's side, his hand on the small of her back as he nudged her forward. "You're luggage has been transported to your rooms."
"Thank you Mr-,"
"Good, I'll not have my priceless possessions at risk with…" The woman looked down at Emmy from under her large, crooked nose. "Certain types…"
Emmy decided not to say anything on that insult… Thinking that perhaps it not wise to pick a fight with a larger, richer woman. She had to stick to her plan of good behavior if she wanted to get into the business…
"Ah… yes. Well Miss I assure you, no theft of your possessions will occur. Now, if you would please board the bathysphere?"
The woman studied Mr. Ryan briefly before giving a little huff of higher authority, stepping into the dripping, copper colored machine.
Emmy was hesitant at first, studying the contraption with wary caramel eyes. She could feel Mr. Ryan urging her on politely, so she immediately stepped in.
She simply convinced herself it was an elevator…
It had been a long trip simply to get to the lighthouse which led down to Rapture.
First a trip in the biggest plane Emmy had ever seen from New York to Iceland's capital, Reykjavik. Then Emmy and several other richly and elaborately dressed men and women boarded a boat that sailed to the lighthouse.
During this time Emmy had a lot to think about…
She wondered how exactly she'd react to living in a city at the bottom of the ocean… It seemed so dangerous. And she wondered how they were able to sustain such a large, self-sufficient city in the middle of the ocean…
At least now the girl knew what Mr. Ryan needed her father's metals and glasses for…
She also thought on how she would keep in contact with her parents. She supposed she'd ask Mr. Ryan about such things once she was settled in Rapture.
Emmy had a lot of questions that needed answering. Hopefully she'd get the answers she wanted...
As the door shut on the three and one feline, Emmy felt a little jump of fear crawl into her chest.
The girl had always been a little claustrophobic ever since she got locked in the closet when she was 6. So as she felt the bathysphe-… Elevator, starting to descend down into the water, she started to feel the slightest bit panicky.
"10 fathoms…" Mr. Ryan spoke just as the large machine passed a marker in the water, bubbles running up the glass window. "18 fathoms…"
Suddenly a screen slid up over the window, covering it from view. From there it began playing a… movie.
Emmy looked to her side at Mr. Ryan, studying his proud smile as the music played through-out the small space.
"I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question…" The speakers played, "Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? No! Says the man in Washington, it belongs to the poor. No! Says the man in the Vatican, it belongs to God. No! Says the man in Moscow, it belongs to everyone."
Emmy watched with wide, curious eyes as the movie played, showing various images with the sound of Mr. Ryan's voice. She could feel the jostling of the bathysphere, but the movie was a nice distraction from the thought of where she truly was.
"I rejected those answers… Instead, I chose something different… I chose the impossible!" Emmy began to recognize this speech with the rising climax of the music, glancing at Mr. Ryan before settling her eyes back on the screen. "I chose… Rapture…"
The screen sunk back down to reveal the outside world of the ocean, bringing a gasp to Emmy's lips.
It was… beautiful.
The lights of the city shown through the corral and schools of small, colorful fish that scurried out of the large, bathysphere's way. Sharks swam past, octopuses floated across the water in such a graceful way Emmy found herself lost for words.
It was nothing like Emmy had ever seen… The combination of vast marine wildlife and a large, bright, and flamboyant city that very much reminded her of New York…
It was all so much to take in! She didn't even know where to look first.
"A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well."
"Mr. Ryan…" Emmy breathed, studying the strange, new world as Andrew Ryan studied her. "This is incredible…"
"Isn't it?" The man sighed in admiration of his work. "It took me 5 years to build…"
"Only 5?" Emmy repeated, looking over at the man in surprise as they were now emerging up from a long tunnel just like the one they descended into the ocean with. "This kind of technology only took 5 years?"
The man seemed very satisfied with himself upon the praise of the young woman beside him, smiling kindly at her as the bathysphere door opened. "Yes my dear, technology has come a very long way."
Emmy followed Mr. Ryan along with the large Russian woman—the girl never got her name—as they emerged from the dripping bathysphere and into a beautifully furnished room. It looked like the fanciest of places back in New York, with many beautifully dressed men and women walking around casually.
"This is the lounge, the Welcome to Rapture center." Mr. Ryan smiled, seeming not to care that the Russian woman simply ventured off on her own with her twitchy cat. "These are all newcomers to Rapture, just like you… But I assume you know that you're special…"
Emmy looked over at the man on her arm as he guided her through people and up a flight of stairs.
"I'm special Mr. Ryan?"
"Please, call me Andrew…" The man shook his head with a chuckle. "And yes Amelia, you are special because you are going to be a star in Rapture… That is why you get a very special tour of my city."
"Leon!"
The man turned around sharply but… he wasn't fast enough.
Leon winced as the hard, cold fish slammed into the side of his head. The sight caused an uproar of laughter among his companions as the fish flopped and wriggled on the ground in suffocation.
He sighed and held back a shiver of disgust at the slimy, wet smell that now came from his cheek.
"Hey asshole! Watch it!" Leon yelled at the man who was laughing the hardest—the one who threw the fish in the first place—his best friend Jerry Andre.
"Aw come on Leo… It was funny!" His friend chuckled as he clapped a hand on Leon's shoulder. "I didn't hurt that pretty face of yours."
Leon studied his companion's not-so-pretty face, various scars and deformations on his skin from his use of ADAM.
"Bullshit…" Leon rolled his eyes, picking up the stupid fish and throwing it down the line.
"Hey Leo, what's up with you?" Jerry asked, his red, scarred face studying the younger man as he wiped the fish slime off his face in irritation.
Leon looked over at Jerry with a glare, giving a shrug as he caught the next fish thrown to him. "Georgia's pissy again."
"Aw man… that broad's still givin' you shit?" The man laughed, shaking his head at the thought of such a situation.
A hooker thinkin' that her buyer is her husband is one tough situation…
Leon was a good looking kid, charming too. It wasn't unusual for women like her to love men like Leon.
"Yeah you bet…" Leon sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead on the back of his arm. "This morning, after I finished… You know… I told her to leave right?"
"Right."
"Well she goes, 'I'm not done.'" Leon explains in an exaggerated impersonation of a high-pitched, nasally Brooklyn accent, causing many of the dirty, smelly men around him to chuckle knowingly. "And I say, 'Well I am, so get your ass outta here.'"
Jerry laughed heartily along with the men of the line, passing fish down the line routinely as he shook his head. "You're a dick Leon."
"Yeah, that's what she said too." The younger man laughed, shaking his head as he caught a soda that was thrown to him. "But who knows, I'm getting a good cut from Fontaine for the escorting I did for that beef he wanted. Maybe I'll be able to afford Jasmine Jolene now eh?"
"Nice try boyo, that's Ryan's piece." One man chuckled, watching Leon drink the soda with a nod.
"Yeah well Ryan's got a lot of girls; he can afford to share one." Leon replied, failing to notice his companion's wary glances. "He's richer then God anyhow… So who gives a shit if I steal from the basta-,"
Leon looked up from his casual stance leaning against a crate of fish, the freshly lit cigarette smoking into his mouth and sticking to is tongue at his lack to breathe out.
There on the other side of the dock walkway in the fishery walked Andrew Ryan and that cop-type Sullivan. But they weren't alone; at their side was a nicely dressed young woman.
Leon sighed as he received a light elbow to his side and a nod in Andrew Ryan's direction from Jerry.
"Wonder what his majesty is doing down in this shithole with that lass, eh?"
Leon shrugged, studying the girl at Ryan's side carefully.
This broad was most likely Ryan's newest girl. Either that or she was going to be.
Ryan looked at her like he looked at Jasmine and that other chick he sleeps with. All these God damn fashion models that would sleep with the fattest bastard in the world just to get their 15 minutes of fame.
Ryan gestured to certain parts of Raptures build, some structures of various boring subjects that the old bastard was so fuckin' proud of.
Leon narrowed his eyes as he took a swig of his soda, watching the three higher-ups as they began to circle around the fishery more towards the direction of the young man's section. They were close enough to eavesdrop on now.
"Have there ever been any leaks?" The girl asked in a cute kind of curious tone, looking up at the man on her arm. She was completely unaware of the poorer, unfortunate men only a couple yards away from her… Funny how rich folks were.
"No Amelia, nothing major fortunately. We're quite safe; I'll have you know my dear." Ryan smiled in that pompous way of his.
Leon studied the girl more closely as Andrew Ryan went into one of his long, boring as fuck rants on some kind of science.
But man, for as square the bastard was, Ryan sure knew how to pick the girls.
This one was a sweet, bright kind of beautiful—pretty cute. She had these big, almond-shaped amber eyes, accentuated by long, dark lashes and those slight touches of shadow women used. Nice red lips too, heart shaped top lip and a cute bubble bottom lip. And dark, defining brows against the contrast of perfectly smooth cream skin.
Her hair was in the usual fashion ladies wore, reaching her shoulders in those waves of highlighted chocolate locks.
She was small with wider hips and a small intake of a waist, a nice looking hour-glass shape. Cute body, one Leon could picture with lack of clothing.
Perhaps it was because Leon wasn't used to seeing such a happy looking girl, but he felt himself instantly intrigued by her.
It wasn't necessarily anything but an attraction to her looks, no sappy shit.
But she was just… interesting.
As to why such an innocent looking girl in her early twenties was with such an intense, opinionated bastard like Ryan was… Confusing.
"Who's that?" Leon asked Jerry, keeping his dark brown eyes on the girl as he leaned his elbow against the crate beside him.
"Hm?" Jerry looked up at Leon, who nodded to the girl. "Heh. Nice piece of ass don't you think?"
Leon glanced over at his friend who eyed the girl, furrowing his brow before giving a shrug. "That wasn't my question moron."
Jerry looked at his younger companion, studying his impatient glare and taking in the constant smug air about him.
"Alright, alright. Sorry, shit." The man chuckled, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Dunno. Haven't heard of her. Looks like some broad who'll jump on Ryan's dick for some fame. What else is new?"
Leon considered this as the highest possibility, but there was that innocent light in the girl's eye, and the bursting excitement in her smile. It was…
Refreshing.
"Heads up!"
Leon once again felt the hard, cold feeling of a fish's body slam into his head, causing the girl and the two men at her side to look over in question of the shout.
The girl studied Leon as he looked at her after recovering from the blow. She didn't look very disgusted by the scene. Instead she was smiling, as if she thought it was funny that he had been hit in the head with a fish.
"My apologies Amelia. The Fishery doesn't always maintain a professional front… Let's move onto the Kashmir Restaurant? You can observe your stage…"
Leon watched the girl take her eyes from him and settle them on Andrew at her side, smiling brightly at him and nodding. "Alright."
He watched the three visitors leave as Leon's co-workers laughed loudly at his apparent slow reflexes.
He waited just until the girl was around the corner until he shoved Jerry down into the muddy sludge underneath the dock walkway.
Walking through Rapture was like living in the strangest and most wondrous of dreams. Every place Mr. Ryan took Emmy—accompanied by Sullivan, a very kind police man of sorts—she was astonished by the technological prowess.
There were automatic doors that simply opened upon closeness to them! Emmy had never heard of such a thing… The most advanced thing she had seen was… well, probably the basic television set.
The girl could tell that she wasn't to see all of Rapture in one sitting. Ryan mostly took her to the beautiful, wealthy parts of the city.
She somewhat appreciated it, but the curiosity in her ached to know everything about this place.
People simply seemed… happy. Almost as if in a trance of euphoria that extended in the air of this utopia. It felt magical to Emmy.
Families roamed the streets, young couples in love walked hand and hand, elderly couples relaxed in benches to observe the people that passed. It was all so… Perfect.
Emmy did of course find herself missing her parents already. She wished that they could have come with her and seen this magnificent new world.
But Mr. Ryan seemed touchy on the subject of contact with the outer world. She had asked him and he had made a face of distaste…
"Ah, Andrew I was wondering about something…" Emmy had asked the man as they walked through the streets of Olympus Heights towards the girl's supposed new home. "My mother is the… rather maternal type. It near broke her heart to let me go here all alone."
"Mm." The man nodded, seeming to only be half listening as he looked around at his city's residents.
"I was just thinking that perhaps I could call my parents every once and a while? To let them know I made it here safe."
Emmy had been surprised by the look she received from Andrew… It was a look of exasperation and perhaps… Suspicion?
But then the look faded into a guarded smile.
Emmy knew that Mr. Ryan was a rather intense, tenacious man when it came to his beliefs… But still, such behavior had caught her off guard. She just wanted to speak to her parents, not some government official.
"Amelia… I built Rapture with the intention of escaping the oppression of the parasites in government and religion… Any contact with the surface could very well compromise Rapture's existence. Do you want that?"
"Ah- No! No Mr. Ryan of course not." Emmy shook her head, furrowing her brow up at the man as she blinked. "I just… My parents would know to keep Rapture's existence a secret. If I could just… Send them a letter maybe?"
The man didn't answer for a moment, as if he hadn't even heard the girl. He simply nodded politely to the people he passed, smiling kindly as most mayors and such usually did.
Emmy found herself getting irritated…
What was so bad about contacting her parents? Mr. Ryan knew her parents! He'd even employed her father in the helping of building this very city.
If anyone would be allowed to contact outside family it should be Emmy. Considering her father help built this place…
But Emmy had to swallow her complaints… After all, it wasn't the men who built an empire that had a say, it was the men who paid for it…
Besides… If Emmy wanted a place in Rapture she had to get on the good side of the right people. She had to play her cards right.
"Ah… I'm sorry. I know it's not my place…" Emmy finally spoke up, although still being ignored by Mr. Ryan. "I believe in Rapture Mr. Ryan… I truly do."
The man then looked over, a pleasant but odd smile on his face as he began to slow to a stop.
"I'm sure you do dear Amelia… And I appreciate anyone willing to sacrifice for Rapture."
Emmy watched the man carefully as he patted her on the shoulder politely. What a strange person…
"Now, I've arranged a home for you here." Emmy decided to put the strange incident behind her, looking up at the sign above her that read 'Athena's Glory' in big, bold flashing lights. "Just tell the nice lady at the desk your name and she'll escort you to your room…"
Indeed she was escorted to her 'room'. Although, it was probably as big as her apartment back in New York.
And lord was it lush…
"Your bags are near the bed Ms. Rousseau." The woman behind Emmy said, but she wasn't listening.
Her wide, awed eyes were focused above her on the ceiling of her apartment. The ceiling was glass, revealing not only the amazing structures of Rapture, but the fish and plant life of the ocean.
It was like going to an aquarium, only this had a far more magical essence that made Emmy's heart ache.
The woman that escorted Emmy to her room seemed to guess that she was mesmerized by the fantastic sight. She was used to the first timer's reactions; she herself had done the same upon the sight in her own room. It was only natural.
So the employee of Athena's Glory simply smiled, slowly exiting the room and shutting the door behind her.
Emmy hadn't noticed, she simply watched the large great white shark swim leisurely over the top of her apartment.
The girl stood there for a long time, simply watching the fish and various creatures that crossed past her ceiling. They must've been used to the giant city being there, for they just swam by like it was any old piece of corral.
"Ain't that something…" Emmy mumbled quietly to herself, a small smile on her lips as she felt the giddiness overcome her once again.
She felt like a pioneer in moving to Rapture. It was such a secret, thriving place… Like a newly discovered country.
It felt like a whole new world in it's own, as if the people walking the streets were natives to a different planet…
Emmy bit her lip with the rise of contentment in her chest; her heals clicking hollowly along the floor as she explored the rest of her apartment.
It wasn't too fancy, but it was certainly sharply designed. Something Emmy found beautiful—she loved her new home immediately.
There was even a fireplace! And a large closet… A big queen sized bed with red satin sheets… It was surely lavish…
Which also brought the question of how expensive this place would be each month… And exactly how she would earn enough to pay for it.
Certainly she would pursue a singing career in the supposed many clubs and restaurants around Rapture. But perhaps they already had a singer? What would she do for work then…?
The girl's thoughts drifted to the men down in Fontaine Fisheries… Would she have to work a job like that…?
Although, now that Emmy thought about it, there was something certainly wrong with the majority of the men down in that Fishery.
Many of them were physically disfigured. Some had facial distortions and some had odd, misshapen limbs. Perhaps they were survivors from the war?
At first Emmy thought that Ryan simply put these poor, unfortunate disabled men down in a hard, dirty job—away from the beautiful, rich people of upper class Rapture. Which, in Emmy's opinion, was rather hypocritical. Considering Ryan's philosophy that every man has his chance to make a living like the next man.
But then Emmy saw that young man who had been hit with the fish. He wasn't at all disfigured—quite the opposite.
A rather charming looking man. The dangerous looking type that attracted women like a fly to light.
She was going to ask Mr. Ryan what had happened to these men but figured he'd be vague or irritated if she asked.
Emmy found herself wondering where those men lived… Certainly not in apartments like this.
The girl had always been perhaps too compassionate for her own good. She cared far too much for it to be wise.
But seeing those men made her wonder exactly what kind of place Ryan was running… Certainly not this utopia he boasted of, no matter how beautiful and lush it was.
Though, Emmy would never say that to Mr. Ryan. Not until she was more comfortable around the man…
Emmy was about to turn to investigate the bathroom when she saw several unfamiliar dresses lying neatly on her large bed.
The girl briefly wondered whether she was in the wrong room. But upon looking at her hand-me-down suitcases she knew she wasn't, that perhaps these dresses were a gift?
Emmy walked over slowly, studying the 7 dresses that lay in a neat line, side by side.
They were all beautiful, most likely very expensive judging by the design.
And of course, they were from Mr. Ryan…
For as strange of a man he was, he certainly seemed generous to the women who caught his eye…
The brunette wondered how many other women caught Andrew Ryan's eye… A fair dozen she assumed.
The girl snorted at her own humor as she lifted up a red dress with big, bright flowers strewn over it's material. It was a beautiful dress, elegant yet wearable.
Despite her wariness of Mr. Ryan, she found herself trying on each of the dresses with the kind of giddiness a young child has in a candy store.
She twirled across the room, humming along with the song playing on the record player in the far corner of the room.
Emmy wasn't one to easily get embarrassed, so she certainly put on a show for the fishies of the Atlantic Ocean.
A note had come with the red dress. It was signed from Andrew Ryan saying that she was to wear this dress to dinner tonight at the Kashmir Restaurant.
This irked Emmy in the way that the man was bossing her around as if she were his wife… She could wear whatever the hell she wanted…
The girl briefly considered simply going naked to the restaurant when a knock on the door sounded nicely through the room. The girl, currently wearing all the pearls she owned, her fanciest high heels, and one of the more flashier dresses Andrew gave her, briefly wondered whether it would be Mr. Ryan himself, here to dictate her on how to put on lipstick.
But upon opening the door Emmy was greeted by the face of the woman who had escorted her here earlier.
The woman eyed Emmy's choice of fashion briefly with a hint of amusement before clearing her throat. "Ms. Rousseau, Mr. Ryan has requested you meet him at the Kashmir Restaurant at 8:30."
"Oh, thank you Ms…"
"Ms. Hunt."
"Thank you Ms. Hunt." Emmy grinned, giving her a polite nod before shutting the door. The girl leaned against the doorframe behind her with a sigh.
She was rather tired after a very long time traveling from New York to Iceland, then from Iceland to Rapture.
The whole situation was… overwhelming.
But Emmy supposed that if she were to become a successful performer in Rapture that she had to spread her personality around as soon as possible.
Her eyes drifted over to the clock hanging on the wall, pursing her lips upon realizing that it was almost 7:30.
Well… Off to socialize…
I'm sorry I haven't posted... For those who are reading.
I got a few private reviews with questions about writing styles, which is exactly what I wanted. :D
And to the lovely reader who left a public review, thank you. You're actually one of my most faithful readers!
I've been really caught up playing Undead Nightmare for Red Dead Redemption. And I even got more writing in for my next story! So... Yay!
I'll keep posting this story even though I'm not finished with it. Which is in the danger zone for me.
I like to finish a story before I post it so I can go back and make any major plot changes or just simple grammatical corrections.
But I feel like I'll lose people's interest if I don't provide reading material. xD
So I'll post chapters.
I hope you like it so far!