VERY sorry for the long wait, I had major issues with my computer but it got fixed! Just thank you very much for reading so far, I am young and probably don't write so well but a huge thanks again to all those who have read. Please! Leave a review with suggestion or comments, they are all appreciated. Enjoy chapter 7! *WARNING* there is a pretty graphic scene in this chapter.

Chapter 7: Protector

. "Riv, come on get up." James spoke as he tapped Riv's helmet. Riv let out a low groan as he awoke and looked around.

"Don't worry, they're playing in the other room."

Riv and Jessica had been living with them for almost a week. Having Riv around was a great help, he kept the splicers from getting near the apartment. Between him and James nothing came near their Little Sisters. The group of enemy splicers, who had sworn death to come against James and Riv, hadn't been seen.

"Hey Riv, I've been thinking we need to go out there and gather Adam and a few other things too. Besides, we need to get better weaponry, especially with that gang of splicers being angry at us."

They did need better defense, James' pistol and plasmids weren't enough if something were to happen. More Adam would be a help and new clothes as well.

Riv nodded and stood up, he let out a mix between a groan and whistle but in a few seconds Jessica was in front of him, Mary following too.

"When do you want to head out?" James asked

Riv lifted Jessica onto his bulky shoulders and proceeded out the front door.

"Oh, now."

"Where are we going?" Mary asked

"We're going to take a little trip out in the city" James said back

"Where the monsters are?!" Mary said with fear in her voice.

"Hey, don't be scared, I won't let them get you."

With a little bit of worry, Mary grabbed a hold of his hand as they walked out behind Riv.

"I smell an angel Mr.B!" shouted Jessica.

"I do too" replied Mary, James did as well.

"This way" Mary said as she happily led the way to the 'angel'.

They found the body sweet smelling body pressed up against a wall inside a wrecked apartment. They gathered ever drop from it and drank what they could. There didn't seem to be that many splicers, and what few there were scattered when they saw the group coming.

"Alright from here we should head up the street, there is a large shopping area there that has what we need." James said to them

As they headed up the street James noticed all of the rubble and decay the city was suffering through. These apartments had once been a nice place with friendly people and happy families, but now they were littered with broken stone and glass, a few dead bodies here and there gave the place a creepy gloom.

They arrived at a boarded up plasmid store, Riv ripped through it like it was made of paper. All of the plasmid and Adam containers were cleaned dry, but there off to the side was dead man, still clutching a dented machine gun. James walked over and picked it up, it was still in decent condition and had half a mag of ammunition left.

"Sweet!" James said as he held it "It's not likely to just walk across one of these."

Riv found a cartridge of rivets on a shelf and loaded them into his gun.

"Not far from here there should be clothing store"

Leaving the store they walked through several tunnels and bulkheads. As one of the doors slid open, there it was. The dead body of a "Rosie" Big Daddy. It was sitting against the glass wall, it was dented, burned, and even frozen in some parts. It hadn't gone down without a fight. It was just… there, no light was coming out of its eye holes. Both Mary and Jessica were terrified of it, but James noticed something else. A light trail of blood led from the arms of the Big Daddy into another tunnel, which was blocked by a closed door. James slowly followed the trail while the others were looking over the Big Daddy

No, this can't be. James thought to himself.

He approached the door and it slid open. James wasn't sure what to do. The trail ended in a pool of blood, it smelled faintly like Adam. James knew what took place here. There wasn't even a body , all that was left was shreds of a small dress and a torn pink bow.

Just from the smell of the Adam his mind was filled with what took place here. He could hear the screams and feel the pain as the Little Sister was yanked from her protector's arms. James could feel her sadness and terror as she was taken behind the closed doors. The memories stopped there.

James was mixed with emotion, anger, sadness, and even fear. Fear, that this is what would happen if he failed, this is what would happen if he didn't stay safe, this is what would happen if he didn't protect Mary.

James started to back up, the door slid shut, cutting of the horrible scene. Riv looked at the trail of blood then at James. James nodded slowly back.

"This way." James said as they started in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later they came into a clothing store. Much of what was left was torn or thrown off shelves. Mary and Jessica went off together looking around the store, but they stayed close.

"Riv, what I saw back there…" James slowly stated "It made me realize how serious this is. I couldn't move or even think, I was frozen in… wonder. I just couldn't comprehend that people, even splicers, would do that to a Little Sister!"

"James look!"Mary and Jessica had returned wearing a new purple dress with a bow in her brunet hair, that was in a ponytail. "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful!"James said back "I like the bow"

Jessica was over sitting on Riv, asking him the same questions. He just groaned and nodded in agreement each time. Everything was all happy.

"AHHHHHHHHHH" a splicer crawling on the ceiling jumped forward, trying to grab Jessica but Riv was fast and shot the splicer mid-air. More splicers were appearing, Riv grabbed Mary and Jessica, shielding them from oncoming hooks and bullets. James used his Swarm plasmid to provide cover while they escaped.

A splicer jumped at James but he had pulled out his pistol and put two holes into the splicer's chest. Riv set Mary and Jessica done behind a bench. Two more splicers came but Riv shot them with rage. He was angry. James could feel his protector instincts rising in him. He froze another splicer solid, turned and fired the machine gun at one crawling on the ceiling.

The fight was over, Riv and James had won. There was an injured splicer though, trying to limp away. Riv picked him up and held him up high.

"Don't kill him." James told Riv "He is part of that gang who is hunting us. I saw him that time when they attacked the apartment."

"Damn right I am and hell, we are pissed at you two." The splicer yelled back

"Whose we?'

"The group of us that own this part, or we did until you started killing our men!"

"They attacked us, trying to take some Adam" James said to him

"You do have what we want, you may have even seen out little… meal back in that tunnel!" thesplicer laughed at this.

It took all of James' power to keep from killing this man, he deserved to die for what he did.

"You tell your people that we're coming soon" James said to him.

Riv released the splicer, who ran back down the streets and out of view.

"Lets head back to the apartment" James said with a cold voice.

Jessica climbed onto Riv's shoulders, James carried the tired Mary all the way back

"I don't want the monsters to hurt us" she said tiredly

"I promise they won't" James said to her reassuringly

"You promise?"

"I promise"

With that she planted a kiss on his forehead and fell to sleep

What ever hell and horror this city brought, James would protect her.

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