*Dodges a punch from Shad and kicks his legs out from under him* For the last time, I didn't steal your armor!
Shad: Then who did?! *fires multiple shots at me*
Why should I know?! I'm not in charge of it! *reflects back with an improved Telekinesis*
Rose: *turns to viewers* They've been at it for a while, so I'm just going to do the disclaimer. Draco owns nothing but his OC's, plotline, and any copies of BioShock he may or may not own.
Sapphire: Enjoy the show!
Shad's PoV
The two weeks I had left of summer vacation blurred together into training to recover my previous strength, sparring sessions with Rose and Sapphire, and a few heists here and there to brush up on my skills. By the last day of my vacation, I had recovered all of my skill and power and then some, made a whopping $25,000, helped Sapphire harvest 150 ADAM, and had successfully pinned both Rose and Sapphire to the floor three times each. My main reason for fighting with Sapphire was to help her train against splicer tactics I knew of and to be able to hold my own against midget splicers I might face, although I doubt the latter will happen.
I was just opening my eyes groggily to the morning sun, dreading today: the day school began. Sapphire, as usual, was using my arm as a pillow and held it with a vice grip. I sighed and used my free arm to untangle her limbs from me before going into the bathroom to change. I figured that I should try to keep to my usual style and dressed up as I usually do, with the exception of adding a new pair of earpieces Jake made for all of us. Who the hell do I have to impress? Afterwards, I started to get my breakfast ready and begun crept out of the room before pausing and setting out some clothes for Sapphire. Gotta take care of the little one first, right?
I made it into the kitchen to see Rose in warm weather clothes, since summer was still going on, making breakfast for us all. She turned around and gave my a quick smile and "Good morning!" before going back to her cooking. She was wearing a red t-shirt with a simple pair of jeans and a black belt, her sneakers, and her set of earpieces that Jake made for the three of us. The earpieces were basically the same as what I was wearing, earrings with a speaker and a microphone built in to them, with an MP3 that allowed us to listen to music and carry a conversation at the same time. Anyway, judging by the smells, Rose was making a blueberry omelet for herself, some toast with ADAM jam for Sapphire, and some eggs with steak bits for me. She served out our food just as Sapphire was coming in the room, yawning. She had gotten a haircut a few days ago, so her ebony hair reached to her shoulders instead of midback.
"So then, we all stick together until we see what classes we have, go our separate ways, and meet in front of the school like we planned, right?" Sapphire asked me in a groggy tone of voice. I could only nod in acknowledgement since I was drinking a cup of ginger ale.
"So where's the bus stop again?" Rose asked me, putting her dirty dishes in the sink as she passed.
I took out a piece of paper in my pocket, reading through it quickly. It was a note that the school sent us a week ago and we already visited the site. A refresher couldn't hurt though I guess. "It says that we have to go to an abandoned skyscraper a few blocks east from the 'haunted' radio tower," I answered, rolling my eyes at haunted. It was our base, but since we never fixed it up and we watched TV at night and all that stuff, people took to calling it haunted.
"Alright then, looks like the two of you are done, so lets get going!" Rose smiled, nearly bouncing off the walls. When I asked about her recent behavior earlier in the week, she told me that she was excited to possibly meet a few Big or Little Sisters to talk to. I didn't take offence to it since me and Sapphire are the only ones who can understand her at the moment. If it were me, I'd want someone else to talk to as well.
We left Jake a note saying there were leftovers from breakfast in the fridge before we left and went through the rooftop route to get to the bus stop, Sapphire clinging onto my back to save time. By the time the three of us arrived there was no one there to wait with us, so we all took a seat on the curb. "You know, we need new marks," Rose said to me. I turned to look at her and gave her a confused look. "I mean, we're doing great here and all, but to be honest, I'm just not feeling the thrill anymore. Lets face it, the security the rich have, all the mercenaries they hire, they're all just too easy to get through. I'd give anything for a challenge, and I know we'll find it in time… but I don't feel the same going on heists with you anymore."
"Well, maybe at this new school we'll find some new targets," I suggested, referring to the potential bullies and douchebag teachers. "I can't think of a better challenge than hitting a house with splicers in it after all!" I flashed Rose a smile and gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "We'll get that thrill back, and when we do, we'll be ready and able to take them down!" Rose gave me a soft smile and a quick hug since someone was coming by, a common way of saying 'thank you' in those situations. I hugged her back and started playing music on my ear pieces until a small hand tapped me on the shoulder
"What are you doing?" a demented voice asked me. It sounded like a little girl's voice overlapped with a distorted monster. I turned up to look at the person and saw a pair of small, glowing yellow orbs boring into my own. Another Little Sister, this one in a dark blue dress with white hems, grayer skin than Sapphire's (then again, Sapphire has gotten a good bit closer to white with all the sunlight she gets on our walks) and blond hair. I only questioned the voice since Sapphire sounded like an ordinary little girl.
"I assume the same thing as you lil' sis," I answered, drawing a gasp and look from both Rose and Sapphire. "We're waiting for the bus to pick us up."
"Well you're not going to get anywhere sitting on the ground like that!" the sister giggled, pointing up to the top to the building. "We gotta go up there, to the top!" The three of us stared at the little girl, an unamused look on our faces.
"... How much time until the stop to the school leaves?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Three minutes," the blond girl replied nonchalantly. Rose grabbed the unknown Little Sister and hefted her onto her shoulder. I followed her example and grabbed Sapphire while running into the alleyway. Sapphire clung to my back as Rose and I jumped up from wall to wall, going higher with each jump until we ran out of room and crashed through a window. After, we rushed up the stairs to the rooftop, where there a few kids waiting at a large cylinder. They didn't say a word as me and Rose let down the sisters on our backs. They literally were just staring confused at the large piece of glass.
"Something wrong with you guys?" I asked them.
"We think this is our ride to the school, but we're not sure how the hell it works," one of the teenagers responded, taking out the school's letter and skimming over it. "The letter says to wait here for our ride, but what are we waiting for?!" I heard three rings behind us and turned to look at the noise. Sapphire and the other sister had crept over to a set of bells and had rung three of them to try to pass the time… I think. A red light came out of the glass tube and a bunch of pods rose up and opened, a sign was on all of them saying 'two to a seat'.
"... I think that's our ride," Sapphire stated to break the silence that had built between everyone. She and the little sister walked over to the closest pod to them and took a seat, a safety bar dropping over the two of them. Just about everyone followed their example until the only me and Rose were left. Rose, who was smiling brightly, and I sat down in the strange pods, Rose commenting that they reminded her of bathyspheres from Rapture.
"Maybe someone who lived there made these," I shrugged in response, not noticing the other pods were gone now… or at least until the rumbling started and the pod door slammed shut. Rose automatically went into a panic, being trapped in a machine without any warning must have spooked her, but I'll admit it was sudden enough to make me jump as well. It didn't help Rose that we started to rocket up to the sky at the speed of a jet. I was laughing while Rose was completely terrified of the ride and closed her eyes, not opening them for a second. When we finally slowed down, we were over something that took my breath away. "Rose… you should open your eyes now."
She hesitantly opened her eyes and gasped slightly. We were hovering over an entire city in the clouds, buildings and floating islands scattered around the area with small, light brown houses on them with people walking the cobblestone roads, trees and flowers lining the streets and blimps flying by at what I assume to be a slow, comfortable speed for the passengers since I've never been on one myself. We started to hover over to the large building in the middle of the utopia, which I assume to be the school. The pod landed on a circular pad, releasing the restraints on us and opening the door.
Rose and I stumbled out, our ears popping at the sudden change in air pressure. I started to look around the area for Sapphire, but found she wasn't anywhere to be seen. I started to panic before I noticed a big sign saying the Little Sisters were to go that way to be signed in and registered. I took a breath of relief before walking down my pathway, Rose following her's. There was a fourth path for 'Big Brothers', but neither Rose or I could tell what those were as we never heard of them, and a fifth path for the returning students. Only four or five teenage boys went down the Big Brother path.
I ended up following the crowd into an auditorium, where all the Little Sisters, Big Sisters, Big Brothers and splicers were gathered, each in their own section. To say the auditorium was big was an understatement. It was big enough to seat an entire football stadium with room to spare. Whoever built this place spared no expense making sure that it could fit the school's students. After I took my seat next to a few people, making sure I could see Sapphire, a woman who was easily in her early twenties with black hair and deep blues eyes in a dark blue dress walked onto the stage and picked up a microphone. A bald man with brown eyes in a black suit and a red tie followed her out, sporting a small moustache and an air of superiority surrounding him.
"Good morning!" the woman said in a cheery tone while giving us all a kind hearted smile. "My name is Elizabeth DeWitt, and I am this school's principal, as well as one of the major leaders in the splicer community. I would personally like to welcome you into Columbia Academy, our communities best international school for splicers, gatherers and protectors everywhere. Throughout the year, you will meet new people, learn to control and develope your new powers, and finish your old education with ease, assuming you work for it. Now, allow me to explain how this school works."
"We educate those who have either been exposed to ADAM and can't control their powers, or splicers that want to be Big Daddies and Sisters. As well as a middle and high school curriculum, we also offer an elementary course for the Little Sisters, and a college curriculum for students who want to continue their education after high school. Be advised that by accepting our courses in ADAM control or being turned into a Protector, you must take all four years regardless of high school year or will not be able to leave Columbia. Finally, as you all might have noticed, we are on a city in the sky. Naturally, this means we have the capabilities to study abroad with the city and we're also a boarding school, so you could live here for the duration of your stay and longer if you buy a house here. Now then, any questions?"
One girl raised her hand and asked, "Who's the bald guy next to you?"
"Well, while I don't approve of your wording for him, he is Vice Principal Frank Fontaine! He will be in charge while I'm out on business, but I expect you to listen to him as you would me," Elizabeth explained. I rose my hand next, something itching at my instincts since there were so many splicers in one room. "Next question!"
"How are the Little Sisters being protected?" I asked, voicing my worry for my own. "I mean with all of these splicers, no offence to any of you, but it'd be a massacre if they got the balls to attack without protection."
"An excellent question!" the principal praised, sending me a smile my way. "The Little Sisters will be protected by our Elites, and even then we will have so many Big Sisters, Daddies and Brothers in training that they'd probably pitch in if they needed to."
"That's another thing," I continued, the question from before the assembly resurfacing, "what are 'Big Brothers'? Do you teach people to be them here as well?"
Elizabeth was about to answer but stopped short, trying to think of an answer to my question. "I believe I could answer that for you child," an older woman's voice rang out from the front of the auditorium, carrying a think Belarusian accent. She walked up to the stage wearing a brown and white dress, her brown hair was well kept and her green eyes were full of sadness. "I am Dr Brigid Tenenbaum, the teacher for the Little Sisters I've made. The Big Brothers cannot be created regularly or in mass quantities due to the fact that their pheromones are hard to create. In fact, most of the Brothers here have bought their pheromones for the ridiculous price set on them, making it so only the rich can afford to become one." A bunch of the boys in the stands groaned, a majority of them being poor as dirt.
"As for what the Big Brothers are, they are what you expect them to be," Tenenbaum continued, taking some notes out of her pocket and reading them. "They are the male counterpart to the Big Sister, being stronger and more instinctive than their female companions. The personal armors they use, as well as the Big Sister's, all have limiters on them that are broken when the wearer meets a certain requirement. All of these suits also have a built in tonic set that improves the users performance, as well as new weapons that are revealed during a limit break."
"Well, that's all the time we have for questions, it's time for all of you to get to your classes!" Elizabeth cut in to the doctor's explanation. "If you would all follow the appointed paths, you will find yourselves at your homerooms!" The students looked around confused, along with myself. There weren't any signs anywhere. "Oh right, let me take care of that." She dug her hands into the air in front of her and pulled them apart, sending a shockwave through the hall and revealing a bunch of signs. "I can rip open dimensional tears and bring things into or take them out of our world at will." Note to self: don't piss off the principal.
I walked to my next class alone. Rose was a few steps away from being taken to her class kicking and screaming in her attempts to stay with me, but I assured her I'd see her after school. I approached the staircase and climbed up along with the other students, most of them speaking in foreign languages that I could understand for the most part. Dad was a cop all his life, becoming the chief after my tenth birthday, so he taught me French, Russian, Spanish, any language that was a possibility I'd hear in the US. He was supposed to teach me Japanese the year he died but I self taught myself after his death in his memory.
I looked at my new pair of finger less gloves and flexed my fingers as I climbed up the stairs. I had gotten these after the assembly, a new storage technology that was made for all the protectors and good splicers, since the problem of having too much gear on their body at one time had gotten more than one Protector killed plenty of times. I could summon any weapon in them in a heartbeat at the expense that my body had to carry the weight of all the weapons I had at once. Good thing I travel light anyway.
The school was five floors tall with insulated metal walls, stretching across the campus at an estimated quarter mile from one end to the other and half that from the front to back. It was a big ass school but the teacher I asked about this argued that we'd be having a lot of students, as well as the fact we needed plenty of room and extra rooms to train in and relocate to if the need be. I arrived at my room on the fourth floor and took my seat in the back of the class with some blond haired girl. She scoffed at me and turned her head away from me, not that I noticed since I closed my eyes to catch some shut eye before class started.
"Hiya there class!" a cheerful male's voice rang out, bringing me out of my peaceful state. I snapped my eyes open to see everyone was here and it was fifteen minutes after I fell asleep. "My name is Jack Ryan, and I'll be your Rapture History teacher!" He wore a white wool sweater and brown khakis with some dress shoes, he had a kind yet strong look in his green eyes, light brown hair, and when he put down his stuff on the desk in the front of the room I saw two chain tattoos on his wrists. "Now then, to get started I thought we'd do a sort of project with each other. I want all of you to turn to the person next to you and work together to write up everything you know about Rapture, ADAM, EVE, anything you can think of related to the city."
I turned my chair to the girl and saw she wasn't even paying attention. Instead, she thought it'd be best to listen to her music. "Hey," I greeted, poking her shoulder to get her attention. She sighed and pulled out her earbuds with an annoyed "What?" Starting to really hate this girl. "Jack gave us an assignment to do with each oth-"
"Do it yourself," the blond cut me off, putting her earbuds back in and playing her music. I glared at her and started to memorize what she looked like. She had light, blond hair that was in a high ponytail, crystal blue eyes that were dull with boredom at the moment and had red lips that were probably from wearing lip stick, and she wore a tanktop and jeans that showed off her figure that drew eyes from more than a few men with a pair of flats. To me, she seems like a typical popular girl who thinks she can seduce most guys into doing her work for her. Well, I'm not like most guys.
I yanked off her earbuds and slammed a paper and pencil down in front of her and growled at her, getting the entire class's attention. "I ain't doing this assignment for you ya spoiled little bitch, now pick up a pencil and get to work!" The boredom in her eyes was replied by both fear and intrigue. I sighed and got to writing down all my knowledge on the Little Sisters, Big Sisters, the way ADAM was produced and how the by product EVE was made and the way Little Sisters heal a Protector when injured. When I looked over at my partner to see how she was doing, I felt a little guilty. She had quite a bit of information down on the Big Sisters and their powers, so it was nice to see she got the message. What made me feel like a dick was that there were tears on her paper and face and a sob escaped her lips every few seconds.
I sighed and turned to face her, not wanting an enemy on the first day of school. "Look, I'm sorry for blowing up like that, it's just that I had people try to get me to do their work for them in my old school. I don't want the same thing happening here. So how about we start over? I'm Shad Wolf, what's your name?" I stuck out my hand and gave her a friendly smile, trying to make myself look as nice as possible.
The blond girl sniffled and looked at me confused before hesitantly shaking my hand. "I'm Rebecca Knights," she answered with a melodious voice. "And I'm in my sophomore year in high school, freshman year in splicer training. I came here from my old school too. Don't think we're friends now though just because you apologized and gave me some sappy story."
"And don't think I won't be afraid to make you cry like a little bitch again," I countered. Rebecca scowled and brought our papers up to Jack after we put our names on the papers. After everyone was done, Jack pointed out the mistakes we made in our papers and corrected them and discussed what was correct. I was thinking about how between having to put up with a girl like Rebecca, not having Rose and Sapphire with me and having to tell mom the fact my school traveled around the globe, this was going to be a long year.
Alright, so while I intended for this chapter to be longer, I'm running low on ideas to use for the chapter, so Shad's first day of school is gonna be in parts.
Sapphire: Speaking of which, where is daddy?
I threw him into the training room and set up a bunch of dummies to take his rage out on. He won't be out for a while.
Rose: So anyway, remember to review with feedback, ideas, all the good stuff and we'll see ya next time!
