This is a Road Rovers/Bioshock Crossover; featuring characters from Phoenix710's canon.
Disclaimer: I do not claim rights to any of the characters or themes used in this story.
Road Rovers is copyrighted to Warner Brothers Studios.
Bioshock is copyrighted to 2K Games.
Alexander, Cassie, Kayla, Alek, Karina, Samantha, Kasha, and Ranger are copyrighted to Phoenix710 and are used with permission.
Enjoy the story!
Chapter Seven: The Future Is Fontaine
"This is it, Kids;" said Sinclair as the train car came to a stop, "End of the line; Fontaine Headquarters."
"So this is where Eleanor is being held?" asked Kayla.
"Yep!" said Sinclair, "She's in a deep dark place underneath the building. We need to find our way in and find her. This time, I'll be joinin' you."
"That's pretty noble of you, Sinclair;" said Delta, "At this stage, things could get really messy."
"You'll probably want this…" said Mark as he handed Sinclair the crossbow, "Just in case."
"Thank you kindly, Mark." said Sinclair, "Now let's get moving!" With Delta leading the way, the group of four exited the train car and made their way through the station. Kayla saw advertisements for all kinds of plasmids posted along the walls; some of them looked useful, and some just looked outlandish. Surprisingly, there was no opposition waiting for them. As they walked towards the grand front door of Fontaine Futuristics, a camera suddenly turned towards them and dinged. Everyone jumped in surprise, and a recorded voice started playing.
"October ninth, nineteen[static]…" a British male voice said, "Hello there; my name is Doctor Gilbert Alexander, head protector researcher at Fontaine Futuristics. By the time you hear this message I will unfortunately be… clinically insane. So I am recording these in advance to protect anyone that I might threaten. My next message awaits you beyond the first security checkpoint at the top of the stairs. The bio-scan will ensure that you are fit to hear and understand it…"
"Hey…" said Kayla, "I think I've heard that name before; and that voice."
"Where?" asked Delta, "You've never been down here before, so how could you know about it?"
"In a dream I had last night;" said Kayla, "He was talking about… you, Delta; saying how you were the first successful protector."
"Then it must have been Gil Alexander;" said Sinclair, "He was involved with big daddy development from day one. He worked alongside Yi Suchong to develop a bond between them and the little sisters."
"So do you think he knew anything about the process?" asked Mark.
"Most likely;" said Sinclair, "Maybe we can find some notes of his in his office, since he's probably too insane to talk now."
The group entered a very lush lobby and looked up to the door at the top of the stairs.
"That must be it!" said Delta. He climbed the stairs and was about to press the button when a voice cried,
"WHO DARES ENTER THE TEMPLE OF ALEX THE GREAT?" A small copter bot with a TV screen flew down from the ceiling and stared Delta right in the face. "Hold it right there!" the voice said, "You are a product of Fontaine Futuristics! No product of mine defies the consumer!"
"What the heck is that thing?" asked Kayla. The copter bot then looked at her, Sinclair, and Mark. Its screen bore a single eye with a furious look.
"Oh!" it said, "I see you've brought the riff-raff with you! And… I don't recall making big sisters that small! You must be a faulty product!"
"Who are you calling a product, pal?" Kayla snapped at the bot.
"Holy mackerel!" said Sinclair, "That's Gil Alexander's voice!"
"Gil Alexander?" The bot spoke, "How dare you, sir? I am Alex the Great and I will not stand for false accusations from commoners such as yourselves!"
"He was right…" said Mark. At that moment, 'Alex the Great' flew back to the top of the stairs and said,
"So you think you can just take these nobodies and stroll into my business? Forget it! Try anything with that gate and you'll be evicted!"
"We'll see about that!" said Delta, and he pushed the button for the bio-scan.
"Bio-scan activated…" said the computer, "Identification: Clinical trials subject. Classification: Protector. Designation: Delta. Welcome to Fontaine Futuristics…" The door then opened and Delta folded his arms in triumph.
"So…" said Alex the Great, "You're not just any old protector. Delta, was it…? Welcome back indeed! You're a fine product of this company; unfortunately you and your kind had one fatal flaw. Say… don't look now, but I think one of your brothers wants to welcome you home…!"
"RRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!" a savage roar echoed through the room, and a big daddy dropped down from the celling to the floor. This big daddy looked just like Delta, except for the fact that it bore a different symbol on its gloves.
"It's an alpha series!" shouted Sinclair, "Scatter!" Kayla immediately ran for cover, as did Mark. Delta leapt down from the balcony and faced his mirror-image opponent. The rouge alpha fired a rocket at Delta, but Delta caught it with telekinesis and flung it right back. The blast only served to enrage the alpha, who charged Delta and head-butted him; only to be shocked by electricity. Sinclair took a chance and fired a steel-tipped bolt at the alpha's back. The bolt pierced the oxygen tank but did no physical damage. Delta then retaliated by firing his rivet gun into the alpha's chest. The alpha stumbled but didn't fall down. Delta selected winter blast and froze the alpha's legs; then he fired a few more rivets through the visor, causing the alpha to go limp.
"Oh… my… god…" Mark breathed, "That thing was a maniac…!"
"Are you hurt, Delta?" asked Kayla, "That alpha series hit you hard."
"I am a little banged up…" Delta admitted. Kayla needed no further prompt; she lifted her hands and healed Delta's scars.
"Do you think that thing was working for Alex the Great?" asked Kayla.
"Well, yes and no;" said Sinclair, "Like he said, alpha series big daddies have a fatal flaw in their design. Like I told you, Missy, each one is bonded to a single little sister; so if that sister was killed or turned human again, their alpha daddies would normally shut down. But some of them didn't; instead, they turned maniac; even worse than the splicers."
"So they just went crazy and started smashing and destroying anything…" Delta guessed.
"What do you think made them do that?" asked Kayla.
"Some speculated it was faulty bonding material," said Sinclair, "But I don't believe that; I believe that those poor things really did love their little sisters like their daughters…"
"If there are more of those things around here," said Mark, "We're gonna need some more firepower."
"Well," said Sinclair, "Fontaine was responsible for buildin' the power to the people stations. If we can find a few of those, we can upgrade our weapons."
"Right…" said Delta, "We don't have any time to waste; let's get moving!" So they all climbed the stairs and entered the security checkpoint.
"Hello again…" Gil Alexander's voice greeted them, "By now I assume you have met what I have become; I'm probably a great nuisance."
"That's a bit of an understatement…" said Kayla.
"In any case," said Gil's voice, "I have been exposed to a massive dose of adam that contains the memories of Rapture's finest minds; but instead of improving my intelligence, this dose is slowly chipping away at it and mutating my body. I fear it will not be long before I am reduced to something… unspeakable. I am asking you to penetrate this facility and… kill me. Please believe that if I could have done it myself, I would have; and on that cheery note, you will need the password to enter my security office. The password is, 'Agnus Dei'." Kayla walked over to the checkpoint door and said,
"Agnus Dei…" The door then opened for her, but as she walked through, it shut behind her. Fortunately, Delta, Sinclair, and Mark all used the same password to get through.
"We're in the building…" said Delta, "Now all we have to do is find the security office."
"I just hope we don't run into any more of those alphas until we upgrade our weapons." said Mark." In just a few minutes, they found the door to the security office.
"Perfect!" said Delta, "Now all we have to worry about is…"
"GET AWAY FROM THERE, YOU HEATHENS!"
"Him…" the Alex bot flew up to the door and shot a bolt of electricity at the lock, causing it to short circuit.
"You honestly think I'd even consider hiring the likes of you for the security office?" asked Alex the Great, "I'm afraid you lack the pedigree to hold such a high position. But if you really want to help, I'm sure the restrooms could use a good scrub! Now quit fooling around and GET TO WORK!"
"Dang it!" said Sinclair, "He's short-circuited the lock! I can fix it, but not with him hoverin' over us like that."
"There has to be a way to stop him from stopping us;" said Kayla, "Maybe a… signal we could jam…"
"Sounds plausible…" said Sinclair, "He's probably controlling the security from another part of the building. If we can destroy the doohickey that relays his signal, we can cut him off."
"Okay!" said Delta, "Start searching! There has to be something here somewhere." Everyone started looking for anything that looked suspicious. Kayla started looking at the things that used electricity; such as the vending machines. Then she heard a strange beeping noise; so she followed it to the back of the ground floor. As she peered around the corner, she saw what was making the beeping noise; it looked like a walkie-talkie, but much more complex. At that moment, Alex the great began yelling again.
"Don't you dare touch that signal relay, you pint-sized product!" he said,"Its value is ten times your own!"
"Ten times my value, huh?" asked Kayla as she picked a board off the floor, "Well then… I hope you don't mind if I do… THIS!" and she smashed the device to pieces.
"Insubordination!" bellowed Alex the Great, "You, my dear are hereby dismissed! Shall I translate that for you? Fired! FIRED! FIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRED!" At that moment, three splicers rounded the corner and stared Kayla down!
"There she is!" the lead splicer said, "Let's show her who the boss is!" In that instant, Kayla transformed.
"Come and get me!" she yelled as she extended her syringes. The splicers fanned out to divert her attack, but Kayla drew on her training sessions with her mom and her sister. When the left splicer charged her, she jumped left and delivered a swift punch to his gut; her syringe did the rest and felled the splicer. Then the lead splicer threw his wrench at her, but she easily dodged it with a cartwheel. Then she dashed forward and thrusted her syringes into the right splicer before he had time to react. As she turned to face the lead splicer, he cackled at her.
"Look at the itty bitty big sister wannabe!" he laughed, "Actin' all high and mighty with her big needles! You couldn't take me without them, could you?" Kayla felt angry; a part of her told her to swallow her pride and hold her advantage, but her sense of pride was hurt, and she wanted to hurt him back. She retracted her syringes and struck a fighting stance.
"Shall we find out?" she asked. The splicer tried to freeze her with winter blast, but she jumped out of the way. "That your best move?" Kayla asked, "Let me show you mine!" She dashed forward again and, "HIYA-ENGLAND! SCOTLAND! IRELAND!" delivered two strong chops to his shoulders and an uppercut to his head. The splicer yelped in pain and fell unconscious. Kayla looked around at her handiwork… she had felled three splicers all by her lonesome! "I… I did it…" she said to herself, "I did it, Mom!"
"Kayla!" Delta's voice called, "Kayla! Are you okay?"
"I'm here, Delta!" Kayla answered, "And I'm fine!" Delta rounded the corner, followed by Mark and Sinclair.
"We came as soon as we heard Alex." said Mark.
"Mercy sakes alive!" said Sinclair, "Did you take out those splicers on your own?"
"I sure did!" said Kayla, "Mom would be so proud!"
"She sure would, Missy!" said Sinclair as he came over and gave Kayla a pat on the shoulder, "She sure would!"
"Anyway," said Kayla, "I found the signal relaying device. There are probably more of them, but if we split up, we can find them all."
"Well you heard her;" said Mark, "I'll search the second floor."
"I'll search the third floor." said Sinclair.
"And Kayla and I can look on the ground floor;" said Delta.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" said Kayla. So Mark and Sinclair headed for the staircase.
"Two of my own products conspiring against me?" Alex the Great said, angrily, "Such behavior is unforgivable! If you two want a second chance, I suggest you start following the company rules! Don't make me flatten you both into scrap metal!" Kayla and Delta defied Alex's warning, and began searching the ground floor.
After a while of fruitless searching, Kayla and Delta were now digging around in the basement.
"Listen for beeping;" said Kayla, "That's what we need to hear."
"Sounds simple," said Delta, "And you'd think it would be easier with how quiet it is. Hey… look at these." Kayla looked over at what Delta was pointing to, and saw a bunch of big gadgets with the names of certain plasmids written on them. "These must have been the props used to promote the use of plasmids when they were first being developed." said Delta.
"They look like the stuff you would see at a carnival;" said Kayla, "Probably so they would seem appealing to a wide audience." As they worked their way to the back of the room, a faint beeping was heard behind a hidden door.
"That has to be it!" said Delta. He opened the door and stepped through it; and Kayla followed behind. They then found themselves in pitch blackness. "Well…" said Delta, "Looks like I was wrong…"
"But the beeping is here." said Kayla, "We just need to listen for it."
"My dear girl…" came the voice of Alex the Great, "Is it really beeping that you want to hear? Wouldn't you rather hear the roar of applause?" There was a bang as the door slammed behind them. Then a light flashed on, revealing a small part of the room and a single microphone. "Oh come now, don't be shy!" said Alex the Great, "Step on up and take the spotlight!"
"Do you think it's a trap?" Kayla asked Delta.
"Yes…" said Delta, "But from the look of things, we don't have a choice in the matter. Stay close to me." He gently stepped into the light and then more came on, revealing the room they were in to be a stage. In front of them was a glass wall, and behind that were several splicers in the auditorium!
"Ladies and gentlemen…" said Alex the Great in a showman voice, "Fontaine Futuristics invites you to witness the incredible power of plasmid technology! With our top of the line home defense plasmids, even a faulty protector can be a match for a gaggle of splicers! Would any of you like to see for yourselves?" The splicers roared with agreement, "Excellent!" said Alex the Great, "Prepare to be amazed by the power of plasmids!" Some of the splicers teleported onto the stage to launch their attack; others headed out of the auditorium to head for alternative entrances.
"I'll handle the distant ones!" said Delta, "Can you handle the close ones?"
"You and me!" said Kayla as she prepared for a fight. Delta charged incinerate and lit the first two splicers on fire; as they were panicking, he shot them dead with his rivet gun. Kayla whirled around to see a splicer attacking from the rear, but she jumped to the side and delivered a spinning kick to his back, which was enough to knock him out. For a heart-pounding two minutes the battle raged on in that encased stage, but standing back to back, Kayla and Delta brought every last splicer down.
"Bravo!" said Alex the Great in a mocking tone, "Bravo indeed…! You two have had your fun, but unfortunately we were able to come up with a product that even the power of plasmids cannot save you from. Your last emotion before you die should be a mixture of envy and fear!" Not one, but two big sisters charged onto the stage balconies from either side and signaled their attack. Delta charged up winter blast and froze one of them in a solid block of ice. The other big sister had time to jump to the ground and leapt at Delta, only to receive a heavy rivet straight to the head. As she was knocked over, Kayla leapt on top of her and used her syringe to pierce the big sister's oxygen tank. Furious, the big sister leapt up again and faced the smaller version of herself.
"KAYLA, DUCK!" yelled Delta. Kayla did so, and Delta thrusted his drill over her head, nailing the big sister right in the throat; the impact alone was enough to kill her. By this time, the first big sister had freed herself from the ice and started pelting Delta and Kayla with fireballs. Delta responded by using telekinesis to pick up the corpse of the other big sister to use as a shield. Once he had gotten the right angle, he hurled it right at the first big sister, who lost her balance and fell to the stage below; landing near an electro bolt prop. Kayla picked up a piece of debris and threw it at the prop; when it activated, the big sister was electrocuted, and fell limp.
"Still the winner, eh…?" said Alex the Great, "My, my, I must say I am surprised. Perhaps we should have made you part of the show. But then again, you were already busy being our first successfully bonded protector! You do seem to handle your plasmids well, but then again, you were already so spliced up from those tests in the laboratory, perhaps you were used to it already!"
"Put a wrench in it, Alex!" said Delta, "I'm not your little puppet anymore; I am free from being a slave!" He then looked down at Kayla and said, "Good thinking with that electro bolt prop."
"I just thought it would work." said Kayla, "Now… do you think you can drill us out of here?"
"I'll try." said Delta. So he revved up his drill and charged at the glass wall. He broke through, shattering the whole thing.
"There's the signal relay!" said Kayla. She carefully walked through the mess of shattered glass and found it at the back of the auditorium. "That's at least one more destroyed!" she said as she smashed it with a piece of debris.
"Curse you, you little want-to-be!" said Alex the Great as his copter bot appeared above her, "I know what you two are after; you want my job, don't you? With your background? Not a chance! Do you know what sort of people we chose for the Alpha Series program, Delta? Criminals! Scoundrels! SCUM OF THE EARTH! Mark my words; you'll both be laughed out of Rapture!" Suddenly the copter bot short-circuited and fell to the ground.
"You know," said Delta, "For a little bot, that guy sure had a big mouth."
"I think we managed to stop his control of the building;" said Kayla, "Sinclair and Mark must have destroyed the other relays."
"Then let's get back to the security office so Sinclair can fix the lock;" said Delta. So the two of them returned to the security office to find Sinclair and Mark. When they arrived, to their relief, both were okay. They had clearly upgraded their weapons a bit, and Sinclair had already repaired the voice lock.
"Nice to see you two made it;" said Mark, "Now we can see what old Alexander is hiding here." Kayla spoke the password and entered the office. Once inside, Gil Alexander's voice was heard again.
"I see you've managed to get into the office without too much trouble;" he said, "The blue switch will unlock the tunnel to the laboratories where… what's left of me awaits you. The tunnel is located all the way down the hall on the left side of the staircase on the first floor."
"Let's get moving;" said Kayla, "Now that Lamb knows we're closing in in her, we probably don't have much time." As the group was walking down the hall, Kayla looked back at her allies.
"Somethin' wrong, Missy?" asked Sinclair.
"Well…" she said, "My dad's actually the leader of a super team of heroes called the Road Rovers; and my mom's his second-in-command. I've asked them what it's like to fight crime around the world, and they've told me a lot of great stories; but you don't know what it's like until you really experience it."
"Well…" said Delta, "I guess being out in real danger kinda awakened something inside you; perhaps the flame of courage that burns in the heart of your parents."
"I know!" said Kayla, "I mean… I'm the youngest of all the rovers back home, and it kinda intimidated me; I never told Mom or Dad this, but I was actually a little worried that I would never be able to measure up to them, or even to my brother and sister or my friends. But look at me! I'm fighting bad guys at the bottom of the ocean!"
"You sure are;" said Sinclair, "I know we've only known each other for a couple of hours, Missy; but I can safely say, you've grown a lot since we met."
"You have the courage of a fighter beyond your years, Kayla;" said Mark, "If your mom and dad were here with us, I'm sure they would be bursting with pride."
"And your brother and sister too!" added Delta.
"Thanks!" said Kayla. Then as she looked ahead, she saw a big door.
"As I recall…" said Sinclair, "There's a hidden passageway from the laboratories leadin' down below. If Ol' Doc Lamb's hidin' Eleanor, that's most likely where she'll be." Delta opened the door, and the team began to make their way down the tunnel.
Kayla stepped into a dark room, followed by the others.
"Dark room…?" said Delta, "Okay, this gimmick is getting real old real fast!" He switched on his helmet lights and located a control panel. Suddenly, there came a deep sinister giggle…
"What was that…?" asked Mark, "My god… I don't know how much more of this I can take…!"
"Oh keep your trousers dry, Meltzer!" said Sinclair, "Sport! See if there's a light switch on that panel!" Delta located the light switch and flipped it. No lights came on, but someone else did.
"You've made it to the labs!" said Gil Alexander's voice, "Wonderful! The lights in here will be delayed while I speak this warning. I must advise you all to brace yourselves for what you are about to see…" The lights flipped on and…
"RAAAAARRGGGHHH!"
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Kayla, Delta, Sinclair, and Mark all screamed; for inside a giant containment tank was a hideous creature that looked like a human fetus with huge black eyes, razor-sharp teeth, a bulbous head, and long, slender arms! Then the voice of Gil Alexander spoke again,
"Whatever you may be seeing inside that tank, that is indeed… me… Sophia Lamb believed that if all of the great minds of Rapture could be inserted into a single being, that being would instantly know the solution to every problem in the world; he would become the first true utopian! I was fascinated by the idea, so I volunteered myself to be subjected to all that adam and achieve glory. Unfortunately when things went horribly wrong, Sophia just abandoned me to slowly deteriorate away, and moved onto the next test subject… her daughter. If she does go ahead with her plan, I fear that Eleanor's fate will be less physical, but no less agonizing."
"Oh my god…" breathed Kayla as she looked up at the body of Alex the Great; this was what Sophia Lamb had done to a friend of hers, and now she was putting her own daughter at risk for the same thing? It was unbelievable!
"Now…" said Gil,"In order to access the holding areas where test subjects, and therefore Eleanor are kept, you must take a gene sample from me to be used as a key; unfortunately, the sample extraction button is broken. However, the security cameras in this place have just what you need to repair it. I… I wish I could help with that, but I… can't seem to remember how! Now go! Find three cameras and use their circuits to repair the button!"
"Lord have mercy…" said Sinclair, "Oh that poor man…"
"That Sophia Lamb just has no heart!" said Mark, "Kidnapping innocent girls, and abandoning her friend to become this!"
"Guys…" said Kayla, "I don't know if I can go through with killing him…"
"Kill me…?" roared Alex the Great, "Conspiracy, disobedience, and now murder…? You are after my job! Well if you want to sit in my chair, you'll have to pry it from my cold, lifeless fingers!"
"You hear that?" said Sinclair, "He ain't gonna just let us take that key; we better find those cameras; and fast!" So once again, the group split up, Kayla and Delta headed towards the right wing, while Sinclair and Mark went left.
After passing by a vending machine, Delta spotted a camera. He zapped it with electro bolt to short-circuit it, and then pulled it right out of its socket. He easily pried it open to reveal the mechanical innards.
"Gil said we would need the circuits from these things;" he said, "They are those little colored peg things in the board. Can you pull one of them out?"
"I think I can." said Kayla. She gripped one of them and with a bit of effort, pulled it from its socket.
"Nice work!" said Delta, "One down, two to go."
"We better search the rest of this wing;" said Kayla, "We can't assume that Sinclair and Mark found two on their end."
"Right!" said Delta. He looked around him, then looked back at Kayla and said, "You know… It's weird. Something feels familiar about this place."
"Yeah…" said Kayla, "This place looks strangely like what I saw in my dream." Just then there was a sparking sound. Kayla and Delta both followed it around the corner and came upon two upright holding tables; one clearly smaller than the other. "This is it!" said Kayla, "This is what I saw in my dream!"
"This must be where they bonded the alpha series to their little sisters;" said Delta, "Which means… I was bound to Eleanor here…" Delta sighed, sadly, then turned on his radio, "Sophia Lamb…" he said, "Can I talk to you a moment…?"
"Oh…" said Sophia, over the radio, "So now you want to talk? I'm afraid it's too late for that, Delta; you had your chance to die, but you chose to fight instead. Now you must die in order for the family to survive."
"I'm in the bonding room!" Delta said, angrily, "Where I became Eleanor's… 'father' so to speak. I just wanted to ask you; I'm not responsible for making Eleanor what she became; they turned her into a little sister. They did the same thing to me; stripping my humanity and forcing me to adhere to their purpose. I protected Eleanor from harm; why did you kill me when I am not your true enemy?"
"Because you were masquerading around as Eleanor's father…" Sophia said, "She was not meant to have a father, Delta; her sole purpose of being born was to be an heir to my life's work; to carry on expressing my beliefs of paradise! This is where they killed her; implanting a wretched creature in her body, and bonding her to you. I couldn't have anyone corrupting her with selfish lies, and you were the only one capable of that."
"Sophia Lamb…" said Delta, "I may not remember much, but you are the single worst person it has ever been my misfortune to know. I will not let you do to Eleanor what you did to Gil Alexander! You will pay for your own selfish deeds!" Deciding to leave it at that, he shut off his radio.
"I can't imagine having a person like Sophia Lamb as my mother;" said Kayla, "Imagine what it must have been like for Eleanor."
"Oh I can imagine it," said Delta, "And frankly it makes me sick. There don't seem to be any more cameras in this area; we should get back to the tank and see if Mark and Sinclair had better luck."
Kayla and Delta arrived back at the containment tank and waited for Mark and Sinclair. In a few minutes, they arrived.
"We found two cameras down where we went;" said Sinclair, "And we also found the bulkhead that'll lead us to Persephone once it's unlocked. Please tell us you found at least one other camera."
"We sure did!" said Kayla, "Can you fix the button, Sinclair?"
"Does a penguin like the cold?" Sinclair asked. He took the circuit from Kayla and opened the control panel. It only took two minutes for him to fix the button. "Okay then…" he said, "C'mon, Mr. Alex the Great; let's have that genetic key!" He pressed the button and a mechanical arm extended into the tank.
"Oh…" said Alex the Great, "So that's how it's going to be, is it? Notice to all employees… Subject Delta and his accomplices are hereby terminated! Escort them from the premises!" Several deep roars were heard and four alpha series big daddies charged into the room! Mark launched a grenade at the first one; the explosion broke the alpha's visor and exposed its face. Delta then shot two heavy rivets into the alpha's helmet, killing it. Sinclair loaded and fired an incendiary bolt at the second alpha, which burst into flames. Delta used telekinesis to pick up a gas canister and hurled it at the flaming alpha; the explosion did the rest. Selecting his machine gun and loading the armor-piercing bullets, Delta took aim and opened fire on the third alpha.
"Chew on these, you maniacs!" he shouted as the bullets pelted the third alpha and quickly brought him down. The fourth alpha roared in fury and charged Delta, knocking him clean to the ground, but getting a burst of ice in return. Kayla leapt onto the alpha's back and drove her syringe into his shoulder; but as the alpha roared and thrashed around, she found herself unable to withdraw from him.
"Whoaaaa!" Kayla cried as the alpha desperately tried to shake her off. Finally he slowed down enough that she was able to withdraw her syringe. She jumped down and fell on her back.
"LOOK OUT!" shouted Delta; the alpha had turned around and was advancing on Kayla! But as he approached, he suddenly stumbled, then fell to his knees. Kayla scrambled to her feet and backed away. The alpha let out a dying groan… and collapsed. "Kayla!" said Delta, "Are you alright?"
"I think so…" said Kayla, "Did I really just beat an alpha big daddy?"
"All by yourself!" said Sinclair, "Missy, you are a David among Goliaths if ever there was one!"
"You've done an amazing job!" added Mark.
"Me… Really…?" asked Kayla, "Oh… gosh… I… It's an honor." Then she thought and said, "But… I killed him… What does that make me…?"
"Try not to think about it that way;" said Delta as he knelt down in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder, "The big daddies, splicers, and big sisters here are not going to listen to reason. They are all insane from the deteriorating effects of adam; they will stop at nothing to kill us. Don't forget; Eleanor is depending on all of us."
"Okay…" said Kayla as she looked up at Delta, "I feel a bit better now."
"Okay!" said Sinclair, "Let's get that genetic key printed before any more of those things show up!" Kayla ran up to the control panel and pressed the print button. The panel clicked and whirred, and a small key card slid out of the slot.
"Yes!" she declared as she took the card and placed it into her belt.
"Well done, my friend!" said the voice of Gil Alexander, "You have what you need to enter Persephone and escape; but there is still one last thing to be done… The sample disposal button will administer a massive jolt of electricity to the tank; more than enough to kill me. Whatever I may say or do to dissuade you, do not listen! The man whose voice you are hearing now is long gone. As my mind fades, I find my thoughts turned to the suffering that Eleanor will be forced to endure if Sophia is not stopped; but at this stage, I can only offer my feeble prayers. Perhaps… after my death, you can do more; save Eleanor Lamb and stop Sophia's utopian madness. Now please… I ask you to grant me peace. Goodbye, my friend… and thank you…" Gil Alexander's voice shut off for the last time, and Alex the Great spoke.
"You… You don't have to kill me…!" he said, his voice trembling with fear, "I… I'm sorry! Please don't push that button!" Kayla looked up at Alex the Great; as gruesome as he was, he had a look of fear and regret in his eyes, and he was looking pleadingly at her. "There… There's another button there!" he said, "It will let me swim out to sea! Please don't kill me! Oh please! I will go outside! I WILL LIVE OUTSIDE…!" Kayla shed a tear and looked down at the others.
"What do you think…?" she asked, quietly. For a moment, no one said a word.
"Kayla…" said Delta, "I think you should call the shot on this one…" Kayla looked back up at Alex the Great. She had a feeling that in his heart, he wasn't really evil like Sophia Lamb; he had just gone crazy from being spliced up in that utopian experiment. With that, she made her choice, and pressed the button.
"HUZZAH!" cried Alex the Great as the door on top of the tank opened, revealing passage to the Atlantic Ocean, "I am free at last!" He looked down at Kayla and said, "Oh bless you, you little big sister; for once I am glad my product is defective! Consider yourself the new chairman of Fontaine Futuristics! Goodbye, my friends! Goodbye!" And the large creature swam out of the tank and into the waiting ocean.
"Missy…" said Sinclair, "If everyone in the world had a heart like yours, think of what a wonderful place it would be."
"Maybe then Sophia Lamb wouldn't be so obsessed with finding paradise." remarked Delta.
"You did the right thing, Kayla;" said Mark, "If he's learned anything from you, he'll be a much better being now."
"I sure hope so;" said Kayla, "Now that we've got the key, it's on to Persephone!" The group backtracked to the bulkhead and once there, Kayla inserted the genetic key into the slot. The door came unlocked and opened.
"This is it!" said Delta, "Boy oh boy is Lamb gonna be surprised to see us!"
"I'm gonna sheer that Lamb before I rescue my daughter!" said Mark
"And I'm gonna show her just what my mom taught me!" added Kayla. All four of them entered the passageway and closed the door behind them.
Kayla and the others are over the last hurdle! Next stop is Sophia's citadel!
Will our heroes dethrone Sophia Lamb? Will they rescue Eleanor and Cindy? And will they make it back to the surface?
Answers incoming… in Chapter 8: Rise Of The Rover Child!