Chapter 4: Fistful of Lightning

I stumbled to my feet, dizzy as all hell. "You all right, boyo?" Atlas asked me. Bolts of lightning streamed through my palms, so I can't say for sure. If I asked my doctor, he'd probably give me a funny look. "First time plasmid's a real kick from a mule, but there's nothin' like a fistful of lightnin' now is there?" I'm not sure how I'd interpret that.

I could probably jump-start that frayed switch that powered the airlock. I pointed my index finger at the switch and thrust my arm a bit. A surge of blueish lightning sprouted from my fingers! The switch seemed to activate, finally raising the airlock.

The glass tunnel was very ornate; quite a beautiful structure I must say. I looked out the glass and saw where the rest of the plane went. Parts of the plane, broken off I gather, zoomed right at the tunnel! Upon collison, it shattered the tunnel's glass, and it was only a matter of time until implosion! I had to get out!

I climbed through the wreckage, noticing the girl and the diving beast on the other side. She was walking with a sad gait, guiding the monster along. I could not see any love nor life in those many portholes. I fell out the other side, water was pounding on the walls pretty hard now. Fuck, what do I do now?! Only one way out, guess it's better than drowning or ending up like those flopping , doesn't stop from making me feel like one.

The airlock opened right up and I zipped through! Safe for now....more like safer. I whipped out my wrench. The room I was in was dark and barren, save for a few mattresses and corpses. That and this weird booth, advertised as the "Vita-Chamber". I looked inside and saw dancing bolts of electricity. I guess I would be revitalized after I received several hundred volts of electricity but I wasn't interested in finding out.

Something scraped the ground! "Splicer!" Atlas shouted. "Give 'em the combo! Zap them, then whack 'em! One-two punch! Remember that, one-two punch!" I dashed into the main corridor and there he was! "Leave me alone!" he screamed at me; flailing a large section of piping! He took a swing at me, but I was quicker! I shocked him, sending streams of lightning all throughout his body! Finally, I clocked him with the wrench!

After that mess, I heard another Splicer open up a door to a nearby room. "I'm not a bad person!", he bellowed! Again, zapped and whacked the guy. So, they're both physically and mentally disfigured; it seems. But; I'm missing some things here. What caused this disfiguring?

I had to walk up some steps for a bit; and then I found myself at a courtyard, watched over by an art deco angel. It apparently led to an apartment complex; stacked up pretty high. It looked just like an outdoor one would; with fountains and plants. Do these people ever miss the topside or the sunshine?

Suddenly, more Splicer chatter. "T-tell Ryan I'm sorry, I won't do it again...please no..they wouldn't- no! An elevator exploded and shot to the ground! Out of the rubble; another crazed Splicer. The man was weak and on fire; but still enough to crave blood. "Call the cops on me?!" he lunged at me! It proved too much; because he flopped on the ground, moaning a bit.

I walked into the vestibule and saw lines of busted elevators. Only one worked. Well, I guess higher ground is good enough. I got in and pressed the button up. Staring out the protective guard; I saw the beauty that once was. Banners of the Rapture values; such as creativity and independence displayed boldly as ever.

"Listen, I've got a family." Atlas radioed me. "I need to get them out of here, but the Splicers have cut me off." I saw one of them banging on an apartment door. "If you could, maybe just maybe, reach them in Neptune's Bounty....I know you must feel like the unluckiest man in the world but you're the only one hope I'll ever see my family alive again. Go to Neptune's Bounty; find my family, please." The chatter faded. I do not know this man, Atlas; can I trust him? Well, it's either him or the Splicers....I can't believe what I'm doing now.

I managed to get to the top floor, the elevator opening up without a problem. I heard an out of tune song, a woman judging by the sound. I checked around the corner and saw a long corridor to this place known as "The Kashmir Restaurant". On the shadows was a female Splicer prodding at a baby carriage. She broke from her tune, "Wait; is this happening before and not...now? Why aren't you here? When was it when you were so nice and warm? Why can't mommy put you to her breast and feel your teeth?" I inched forward a bit as she looked over, spotting me. She screamed at me, and I had to take her down.

I had to take the baby; it could still be safe. I looked over at the carriage and my face grew cold. There was only a gun inside. Atlas explained to me "Plasmids changed everything. They destroyed our bodies, our minds...we couldn't handle it. Best friends butcherin' one another. Babies strangled in cribs. The whole city went to hell."

So that's what it was. Something about these plasmids caused this disfigurement and insanity. Was that going to happen to me as well? Am I going to become one of these raging lunatics as well? What the hell do I do?

I kept going into the Kashmir Restaurant. A phonograph was playing "If I didn't care...", much like the splicer at the station. It was sort naïve; such a happy song amidst all the bloodshed. I heard more Splicers. A female voice, "I'll do what I want, it's my ADAM. I earned it!" Then a male, muddled at first; then "Brenda, open the damn door!" It was coming from downstairs.

I walked down the stairs to find the source of the commotion. Sure enough, a male Splicer. This one was wearing a mask. He leered at me before shouting "Give me my ADAM!" and dashed towards me! I took my pistol out and shot a single bullet; right at the Splicer's head. The mask flew off, and the Splicer was done for. I had only handled a gun once a long time ago, but for whatever reason I was capable of making calm, quick, shots. Guess it comes natural to me, but it's sort of terrifying.

But "Brenda" was still there, shut behind an automatic door. "What's the big idea, Charlie? Charlie?" She opened the door. "Charlie, where you gone?!" She noticed "Charlie's" body. "No! Charlie..." Then she was overcome with a primal rage! She whipped out a gun and flicked the hammer with her palm. I ducked out behind an overturned table!

She kept firing, muttering insane nonsense all the while. Only a fistful of lightning could take this one down! I zapped her with Electro Bolt and fired several rounds at her! No head wounds; but she still went down easily. Good God; what a frightening position to be in. Fending off against crazed drug addicts with murderous intentions...What was I to do?

There's gotta be a way out. I looked around the ruined restaurant. I saw what looked like a tape recorder nearby on one of the tables. I played it; "Another New Year's, another night alone. I'm out, and you're stuck in Hephaestus...working. Imagine my surprise. Well, just guess I'll have another drink...here's a toast to Diane McClintock. One of the silliest girls in all of Rapture. Silly enough to fall in love with Andrew Ryan...Silly enough to..."

The voice was cut off by a loud blast! Splicers on the recording were causing mayhem! "Long live Atlas! Death to Ryan!" I heard a couple of them in the background. Then it switched back to her "what...what happened...I'm bleeding...oh, God..what's happening?" The recorder switched off. I looked around the restaurant again. This place was consumed by a war among the people; and judging from the large neon "happy New Year 1959", I stumbled upon the fallout.