(a/n: Phew, another long chapter! please enjoy and review!)


Ch.7: Hell Above

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth returned to the boardwalk.

They left the Hall of Heroes and encountered a few soldiers but they managed to sneak past them. However, the automaton by the elevator that led down to the boardwalk came to life and attack shouting "For the glory of Columbia!" Wally and Booker destroyed it using their Shock Jockey Vigor.

As they walked to the rail that led to the aerodrome, Booker said "I don't think I understand how those…tears work"

"I thought of them as doors" said Elizabeth "When I was younger, I didn't just open the ones I found" her voice went softer and she frowned "I think I remember making them"

"Making them?" said Booker in surprise.

Elizabeth nodded "I could go anywhere I wanted but I always wanted to come back" "To what?" asked Wally.

Elizabeth shrugged "I don't know, my family?" Wally and Booker stared at Elizabeth in amazement.

Booker spoke "How do you do that…whatever it is?" "You know how I said I had plenty of time to read?" said Elizabeth.

Booker and Wally nodded. Elizabeth said, "Well I tried to figure it out. I read literature on physics and other such things"

"Yeah and what did that teach?" asked Booker.

Elizabeth replied, "That there's a world of difference between what we can see and what is".

Finally they arrived at the rail station and Booker used his Vigor to power the generator. A gondola started to approach the station.

Suddenly, Comstock's voice boomed, "He will abandon you my sweet Elizabeth. Once he has what he needs, he will leave you alone. What else can you expect from a liar and killer of women?"

"Comstock" muttered Booker.

Elizabeth looked up to the sky and tried to find the source of the voice but found nothing but open sky. Elizabeth spoke "Father…prophet…whomever you are, I'm leaving and there's naught you can do to stop me"

"Oh sweet child…that's where you're wrong" said Comstock.

The three heard the rumbling of airships and they saw three of them emerge from behind a cloud. One of them moved into position and it fired off a rocket.

Booker, Elizabeth and Wally took cover behind a ticket booth.

The rocket soared over them and struck a stand that sold cotton candy, setting it ablaze.

Booker got up and he chucked a fireball at the nearest airship. The fireball bounced off the steel hull and the airship retaliated with a rocket, which destroyed a nearby shop.

Wally saw squads of soldier's approaching from behind. He fired a few warning shots, causing them to scatter and take cover.

Pretty soon, Wally, Elizabeth and Booker were pinned down on both sides by airships and soldiers.

Wally managed to knock back some soldiers with his Bucking Bronco and Shock Jockey. He glanced over to Booker saying, "I think we can take them"

"Motorized Patriot!" exclaimed Elizabeth pointing off in the direction of a ruined shop.

From out of the destroyed shop, a Motorized Patriot stomped out of the shattered window carrying a mini-gun.

Booker sighed and he glanced to Wally "You were saying?"


As the battle raged on, General Vandal Savage watched from above.

He watched the intruder, Booker DeWitt gun down one of his soldier's and set another on fire. The general could easily recognize that he was a soldier, a pretty good one who could handle the stress of a battle.

Hiding behind cover was Comstock's daughter, Elizabeth. She had grown into quite an attractive and resourceful young woman.

The general noticed something in the corner of his eye. He looked and saw a ginger haired young man zip around the boardwalk at an astonishing speed. Vandal's eyes widened a little. He wasn't aware that Fink had created a Vigor that granted accelerated speed.

When the young man finally was able to hold still, Vandal used a pair of binoculars to get a better look at the young man.

The general had no clue who the boy was but something about him was very familiar. If Fink was right and if the paper's he found in the park were correct, they could be dealing with the offspring of Rosalind Lutece, the smartest woman in all of Columbia.

Although Vandal could not recall that Rosalind had any children or had any indication of being with child when he last saw her, it was the only logical explanation he could think of.

And yet…something about the redhead was very, very familiar but the general could not place where he saw the boy.

The General decided to consult his associates when he had some time to himself.


When the gondola arrived, Booker barked at Elizabeth and Wally "Go!" the two obeyed.

They made a break for the gondola while Booker provided cover fire. He scooped up a rocket launcher from a fallen soldier and he fired it at two of the airships. The rocket struck the hull of one the airships while the other missed.

The damaged airship quickly lost altitude and crashed into the second and the two knocked into the third.

Booker hopped on to the gondola and Wally threw the switch. The gondola quickly left the station and began moving to the First Lady aerodrome.

As the gondola glided up the rail to the aerodrome, Elizabeth looked to Booker and said hesitantly "When you were unconscious at the beach…you kept repeating a woman's name"

"Anna" said Wally

"I don't want to talk about it" grunted Booker.

Elizabeth blinked and she mumbled "I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried."

There was an awkward silence between the three until Elizabeth changed the subject "Where are you from, Mr. DeWitt?"

"New York" answered Booker.

Elizabeth asked, "What did you do there?"

Booker shrugged "Business much like this. Not something that really caters writing on a resume".

Elizabeth smiled "It was a fine thing that came along when you did"

Booker snorted, "How do you think I ended up here? I gambled and now I owe money to men you don't want to be in debt to. I came here to pay it back. Me busting you out…what do you think that was? Charity?"

"Who sent you?" asked Elizabeth, her eyes narrowed.

Booker shrugged "Somebody who was willing to take my marker, in exchange for you".

Elizabeth went silent. For the rest of the gondola ride, the three were silent. When they arrived, they disembarked and they made their way to the airship.


In the lobby of the aerodrome, soldiers were lying in wait for them.

Booker and Wally managed to defeat them due to their small number. The three climbed into the elevator and Booker hit the button.

As they waited in the elevator, Elizabeth glanced to Booker and Wally "So, looks like they call you the False Shepherd and the Lost Son"

"And you the lamb" responded Booker.

Elizabeth grimaced and said "Lets not call each other by those names"

"Agreed" said Booker and Wally.

Elizabeth then asked, "How do you figure they knew that we were coming?"

"Either they got a prophet on their side" said Booker "Or the guys who hired me have been dropping clues for them"

"Why?" asked Wally, feeling a little confused that Bookers employees would sell him out like that. Booker only shrugged muttering, "Got me".

The elevator stopped and they climbed out. The three crossed a gangplank and boarded the airship.

The First Lady airship was devoid of any crewmen or soldiers. Once they were all aboard, Wally sealed the doors up and Booker took the controls. He pulled the switch and steered the ship out of dock.

As he carefully guided the airship out of dock, Booker looked to Elizabeth who was staring out the window in anticipation.

The private investigator asked "You alright?"

Elizabeth sighed and smiled "I want to see Paris, I want to see…everything"

"Its up to you now" said Booker "There's no one-"

"Wait a minute" said Elizabeth. She pointed to the coordinates that Booker set into the consol "40 North by 70 West. That's not Paris, that's New York"

"Oh boy" muttered Wally.

Booker's eyes widened "How'd you know that?"

"One thing I had in that tower was time, Mr. DeWitt" said Elizabeth, sounding upset "Time to study things like geography" she crossed her arms.

Wally took a few steps away from Booker and Elizabeth, not wanting to be in the middle of the argument.

Booker sighed, "I owed money and there's a fellow who offered to wipe away the debt, in exchange for you".

Elizabeth stared at Booker in shock. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob. Booker looked to Wally who just shrugged, not knowing what to do. The private investigator sighed and he consoled Elizabeth "Hey…common now…I just-" suddenly Elizabeth picked up a wrench that sat on the consol and struck Booker on the head with it.

Booker crumpled to the ground unconscious. She turned to Wally and she struck him down too. Wally sank into unconsciousness.


Booker went in and out of unconsciousness.

He managed to catch some glimpses of Elizabeth trying to steer the airship then a new airship appeared and blocked her path.

He also saw Elizabeth step past the two and abandon the airship.

Finally, he saw an African American man board the ship and he saw that Booker was awake.

He kicked Booker in the face and Booker faded into unconsciousness.


Wally floated through pitch-blackness. He floated there alone forever.

Suddenly, he wasn't alone. John Friday appeared, accompanied by a woman, an older man and several other men in grey suits.

John looked to the others and said in monotone "I'm afraid that it is as we have feared. The girl has grown stronger than we originally thought. Her actions have agitated the tears and they are creating new ones as well as expanding already existing tears"

The others all mumbled amongst themselves until the eldest of the group held up a hand.

The man looked around his late fifties, he had sapphire eyes, some lines on his face and he wore a grey suit like John and a fedora.

The man spoke in a voice that was emotionless and cold "I see. What action would you propose?"

"I propose that we move to eliminate the girl" said John "She is the epicenter of the error. If she is erased, then everything will realign"

"Hear, hear" said one of the men.

The woman held up a hand saying coolly "I object". The woman wore grey like her companions but she didn't ware a hat. She had white hair tied into a bun and she had emerald eyes.

John looked to the woman and asked "To what, Lana?"

Lana spoke "Killing the girl is pointless. She is just a side effect of the error. The real errors are the speedster and DeWitt"

"What do you suggest?" asked the eldest of the men.

Lana spoke formally "I believe further observation is needed. When we are entirely sure who is the source of the error, then we move to correct it".

John and the other men in grey all discussed Lana's proposal. Finally, the man with sapphire eyes nodded "Agreed"

"Agreed" chorused the group of men.

John sighed "Agreed".

The man with sapphire eyes nodded "It is unanimous. We will watch and wait"

"Thank you David" said Lana.

David cleared his throat and said "Now that, that is out of the way. It is time to move onto the next item of the agenda" he looked to Lana "What is the status of Jack Ryan?"

Wally's eyes widened in shock, they were going after Jack. If they were going after him, then they might be going after Artemis.

Before Lana could answer, a white light blinded Wally and he woke up.


Wally sat up and he saw that he was still aboard the First Lady airship.

Only, Elizabeth was gone and a woman and a man were there. The woman was young, had long black hair, brown skin and dark eyes.

The man had short hair, had brown skin and he was currently holding Booker's head out the window.

The woman looked to Wally and she spoke in a thick Jamaican accent "Good, you are awake"

"Who are you?" asked Wally.

The woman introduced herself "I am Daisy Fitzroy, Leader of the Vox Populi" she studied Wally "You must be the one they call the Lost Son"

"Y-yeah" said Wally.

Daisy Fitzroy continued to study Wally. She muttered, "There is a resemblance"

"Huh?" said Wally.

Daisy shook her head "never mind". She walked over and helped Wally to his feet "You and you're friend, the so-called False Shepherd, have caused a mess of trouble down at the raffle"

"uh…yeah" said Wally.

Daisy smiled "Nice work".

Booker suddenly awoke. He was groaning loudly and cursing Elizabeth. The man holding his head out the window pulled him back in and Daisy introduced herself to Booker.

When the introductions were finished, Booker said to Daisy "Look, we have no quarrel with the Vox Populi, but this is our airship and we're in need of it"

"Really?" said Daisy " 'cause it looks like ol' Comstock's airship to me"

"Listen we ain't looking for a fight" said Booker.

Daisy frowned and she said "There's already a fight Mr. DeWitt. The question is, which side you on?" she scowled "Comstock is the god of the white man, the rich man, the pitiless man" she looked to Wally then to Booker "But if you believe in the common folk, the poor, the downtrodden, the righteous folk, those that Comstock and his ilk believe to be worthless, than join the Vox".

Booker shook his head "I just want a ship"

"And the Vox shall give one to you" promised Daisy. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a card.

The leader of the Vox Populi explained "But first, you must help the Vox".

Booker hesitated for a moment and he looked to Wally. Wally thought for a moment. They could help the Vox Populi. If Daisy was telling the truth, then they could be helping the good guys. Wally knew that if Daisy and the others could've killed them or tortured them for information about Elizabeth but they didn't. Eventually, Wally nodded.

Booker nodded as well "Fine, what do you want us to do?"

Daisy handed Booker the card saying, "Down in Finkton, there's a gunsmith who can supply weapons to our cause" she looked Booker in the eye and said "Get our guns from him and you shall have your ship".

Booker accepted the card and nodded "Right".

Daisy nodded and the man pushed Booker out the door. Booker fell about ten feet and landed on a large stack of sacks filled straw.

Wally jumped out of the airship and landed beside Booker. Wally got up and he saw that they were at a factory of sorts.

It was a large, red bricked building with towering smoke stacks that spewed a constant stream of thick black smoke. On the roof of the factory by the smoke stacks was a large picture of a man and a sign that read, "Fink MFG".

Wally recognized the man as the announcer from the raffle. Booker cocked his weapon and he muttered, "Common kid, lets get moving"

Wally nodded and the two started off to the factory.


Daisy watched from above as Booker and Wally enter Finkton. She felt relieved that they agreed to go.

In the fight against Comstock, she'll use whatever helps whenever she can get it. Suddenly she felt a cold wind rush through the bridge of the airship.

Daisy spun around with her weapon drawn but she stopped.

Standing there was a short, thin, pale boy with raven hair. The boy wore a black suit, black pointed shoes and a black necktie. He cradled a ginger cat in the crook of his arm and stroked its fur lovingly.

Daisy scowled "Oh…it's you"

"Hello Daisy" greeted the boy "Long time no see"

"What do you want Witch Boy?" growled Daisy.

Klarion frowned "Can't a fella stop by and say hello to an old friend"

"We are not friends" said Daisy coldly.

The lord of chaos shrugged "What? I said I was sorry about that whole exploding hat affair. It's not my fault that block had gasoline tanks"

"Enough!" grunted Daisy, leveling her weapon to Klarion's forehead "What do you want?"

"Our mutual friend says hello" said Klarion "And he also wants to know about that boy that accompanies DeWitt"

"What about him?" asked Daisy.

Klarion shrugged "How should I know? I hardly know what goes through his mind"

"What does he know about him?" probed Daisy.

The lord of chaos tapped his chin thoughtfully and said, "Well, he said that Fink found some papers saying that the boy was the child of Rosalind Lutece and Comstock believes it as well and, hilariously enough, the old geezer is on edge"

"Is he now?" said Daisy, smirking a little. Klarion nodded as a grin appeared on his face.

Daisy thought of the redhead. He did resemble Rosalind a bit and his age does sort of line up right with the amount of time until the incident. He could very possibly be her child.

Finally, Daisy told Klarion "Tell him I'll keep him informed and if I learn anything new, he'll be the first to know"

Klarion nodded "Great". He looked down at the cat purring in his arm saying "Say bye, bye Teekl" the cat meowed and Klarion moved the cat's paw as if he was waving goodbye to Daisy.

The lord of chaos vanished in a puff of red smoke, leaving Daisy and her subordinate alone.


Booker and Wally strolled through the factory as if they belonged. They passed workers, dressed in shabby clothes scrubbing the floors.

The two passed through a busy assembly line where workers were busy assembling vending machines and other devices that could easily be found anywhere else in Columbia. The workers paid no notice to the two.

They either didn't care or they knew that Booker and Wally were working with the Vox Populi or security.

Wally felt disgusted with the factory. The working conditions were shoddy and it looked like all the workers weren't being paid anything. Scattered around the factory were uniformed guards, armed with Billy clubs and guns. There was even a Motorized Patriot standing guard nearby, armed with a mini-gun that could easily cut down hundreds of workers in seconds.

Quickly, Booker and Wally left the assembly line and entered a shipping yard.

In the shipping yard, there were large train cars being loaded with crates of Fink products by workers, while being supervised by armed security.

The two passed through the shipping yard unnoticed and found a building with a sign that read "Delivery center".

Booker and Wally pried open the doors and on the other side was Elizabeth.

When she saw Booker, she turned and ran. Booker sprinted after her with Wally following closely after.

Elizabeth yelled "Stay away!"

"Wait, I just wanna talk to you!" said Booker.

She weaved through a maze of crates, with Booker and Wally hot on her heels.

Elizabeth turned and she ripped open a tear in front of them. The two skidded to a halt as a marching band marched past them, playing loudly.

The tear snapped shut and the two continued pursuing Elizabeth. Elizabeth darted around a corner and she ripped open another tear where a train was running right between them. Once the tear shut, they hurried after her.

Finally, they caught up with Elizabeth at a dead end. But Elizabeth ripped open a tear.

She turned to the two saying "I'm not going with you!"

"Wait!" yelled Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "I don't need one such as you!" but suddenly a pair of men grabbed her from behind and pulled her through the tear.

Booker and Wally ran to get her but the tear snapped shut. They heard muffled voices on the other side of the wall.

Booker heard Elizabeth shouting, "Let me go!"

"We have her!" shouted one of the men

"Call it in!" shouted another.

The private investigator cursed and kicked the wall saying "There's got to be another way through"

"Over there!" said Wally, pointing towards a door on the other side of the room. The two hurried through the doors and found themselves outside on a pier.

Wally saw that the pier was near a new area that looked like a fort.

Booker spotted Elizabeth who was struggling to get away from the soldiers who grabbed her.

The soldiers spotted them and shouted "Over there!" suddenly soldiers started to swarm the pair.


Booker and Wally fought madly through the wave of soldiers until they found Elizabeth using a nearby sky rail to escape.

She yelled at them "Leave me alone!"

Booker grumbled something and the two followed after her. The two zipped down the sky rail over the pier and the docking areas until they dismounted in a safe area. Up ahead was Elizabeth.

Booker and Wally moved to run to her but suddenly a pair of large mechanical hands grabbed them and lifted them off the ground as if they were ragdolls.

Wally saw the hands belonged to a large mechanical man of some sorts. The man had a head like a man and that was the only thing human about him, except for the heart in his chest. His entire body was metal, which had gears and cogs grinding away loudly.

In his chest, underneath some glass, was a beating, human heart. The cyborg man growled "False Shepherd"

"aw crap" muttered Wally.

The cyborg lobbed Booker and Wally at a train car that was moving along the sky rail. The two bounced along the roof of the car and almost slipped off but luckily Booker caught onto the roof and he caught Wally by the collar of his suit.

Booker pulled Wally and himself up, only to see the mechanical man lob a metal disc at them.

The disc sliced through the cables that were holding the train car to the sky rail. The car tipped, sending Booker and Wally slipping off the roof and free falling. But suddenly there was a flash of light and a blimp appeared right beneath them.

Wally and Booker landed on top of the blimp. The two looked up and saw Elizabeth standing on a dock above them.

Elizabeth warned "Do not attempt to follow me"

"Wait"!" cried Wally. Booker joined in "I made an arrangement to get our airship back".

Elizabeth froze and she looked at him skeptically "You can get us out of here?"

"Yes" answered Booker. He then added quickly "I just need to supply enough weapons to an entire uprising".

Elizabeth scoffed "And where can we get these weapons? From one of our many friends and allies?"

"A gunsmith in Finkton" said Booker "It should be a walk in the park". Elizabeth scowled at Booker for a few moments.

The blimp ascended to the level the docks were and the two hopped off. Booker extended his hand "What do you say, partners?"

Elizabeth sighed, "You're a liar, Mr. DeWitt and thug. But you're my only means of reaching Paris" she shook his hand. The three turned and left.


They made their way along the docks and found a gondola station that led to another part of Finkton.

As they boarded the gondola, Elizabeth sniffed "Don't get to comfortable with my company, Mr. DeWitt. You're a means to an end, nothing more"

"Whatever" said Booker, shrugging. The gondola carried them out of the docks and to Finkton Proper.

The outside of Finkton Proper consisted of several large administrative buildings and factories. The gondola deposited the trio at a massive building with a clock tower.

As they made their way up the front steps, Wally noticed that there were dozens of people of various races and ethnicities. They were all dressed in ordinary clothing, carrying suitcases and looking nervous.

When Booker, Wally and Elizabeth entered the building, a large gold statue of a happy looking family greeted them with an inscription carved in the base that read, "Your future is Finkton".

Elizabeth noticed a poster for a gunsmith's shop. The gunsmith's name was Chen Len.

Elizabeth nodded to the poster "There's your gunsmith" she glanced over to Booker and asked "Who sent you to find her?"

"Daisy Fitzroy" answered Booker.

Elizabeth remarked, "I hear she's either a great hero or the worst of scoundrels, depending on who's doing the telling"

"If she's good on delivering on that airship, I don't care if she's the Queen of Holland" said Booker.

The three walked through the building. Wally saw there were more ordinary looking people, all lined up at desks and talking with the people stationed there. He saw what looked like the entrance into Finkton but it was blocked off by police and had signs that read "No more jobs".

An automaton said cheerfully "Welcome to Fink Industries recruitment! We are not looking for any help at the moment".

Booker looked around for a way past the police. Elizabeth whispered, "How are we going to get in?"

"Illegally" replied Booker. The private investigator nodded over to a set of stairs in the far corner of the building, hidden from plain view by some desks.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth crept past the police and snuck down the stairs until they came to a locked door. Elizabeth picked the lock and they hurried through the door, into a corridor illuminated by lamps hanging from the ceiling.

There was a sign that read "Service elevator to Finkton" "That could work" said Elizabeth

"Yeah, and get us killed in the process" muttered Booker.

They followed the corridor until they found more stairs that led down to a vast floor filled with offices. As they made their way through the offices, Elizabeth saw a report on one of the desks they passed. She read aloud "The gunsmith Chen Len, wanted for being connected to the outlaw Daisy Fitzroy"

"Looks like our guy's drawn attention" muttered Booker

"That's not good, is it?" asked Wally.

Booker shook his head "No".

Finally, they reached the elevator. Booker pressed the button and the three waited for the elevator. Wally noticed a nearby locker with its door hanging open. He went over and searched through it and found a book that had a name he didn't recognize but he found a picture that bookmarked a certain page in the book. The photo had a face Wally recognized. Cornelius Slate.

Wally turned and he held up the book and photo so Elizabeth and Booker could see "Booker, this was Slate's locker".

Booker and Elizabeth stared at Wally in shock. The speedster studied the book and he said, "He must've worked here".

He handed the book to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth flipped through the pages and she gasped. She looked to Booker and Wally saying breathlessly "This…this was my mother's diary"

"What?" said Booker "Why would he have it?"

Elizabeth shook her head "I don't know". She read aloud from the page that Slate's photo bookmarked "My husband claims that the child was created by whole cloth by divine will. I am a believer but I'm not a fool. His…bastard…shall not be raised under this roof" she looked up from the book, her face was white as a sheet "My mother…SHE had me locked away in that tower"

"Elizabeth…" said Booker but said nothing else. He didn't exactly know what to say.

Elizabeth closed the book saying, "I just want to get out of this city. Please"

"Amen to that" said Wally. Elizabeth handed Wally the diary and Wally tucked it away in his coat pocket for safe keeping.

The elevator arrived and they climbed in. Booker hit the button and the elevator descended.


As the elevator descended, a recording of Jeremiah Fink's voice spoke over the speakers in the elevator "Greetings! I am Jeremiah Fink and I want to share with you my personal creed. What is the most amiable creature on God's green earth? Why it's the bee!"

Wally and Booker shared a confused glance. The recording continued "Have you ever seen a bee on a vacation? Have you ever seen a bee take a sick day?"

Fink chuckled and said "Well my friends, the answer is no! So I say…be the bee. Be the bee!" the recording ended.

Suddenly the elevator came to an abrupt halt. A bell rang. Wally frowned. It sounded like a telephone. The three glanced around and found a small telephone on the wall of the elevator.

Booker answered it "H-Hello?" on the other end of the line was a woman's voice "Mr. DeWitt?"

"Yeah" said Booker

"Please hold for Mr. Fink" said the woman.

Booker frowned in confusion. How did Fink know that they were in the elevator? Elizabeth asked, "What's going on?" Booker didn't answer.

Jeremiah Fink's voice came on "DeWitt? Fink here. Listen my boy we've had our eye on you and your pal and I can tell you now that you're both our top candidates!"

Booker glanced over to Elizabeth and Wally and saw that the two were rather uncomfortably close to him, trying to listen to the conversation. From the expressions on their faces, it was obvious that they heard what Fink said.

Fink continued "Now, my associate Mr. Flambeau will help you with anything you need. Heh, heh." There was a click and the line went dead.

Elizabeth frowned "What the hell was that about?"

"I have no idea" said Booker, hanging up the phone.

Elizabeth snorted, "He seems oddly pleased to make your acquaintance". The elevator began to move again.

Through the window, they saw Finkton. Across from them, they saw a massive statue of Fink, made of solid gold.

Surrounding the statue were several massive buildings like factories, administrative buildings and warehouses. However, the statue dwarfed all the buildings around it. The sun made the gold statue shine brightly, forcing the trio to shield their eyes.

Elizabeth remarked "Well, the man's got an ego"

"Understatement of the century" said Wally.

The elevator descended past several floors where workers were busy working and security patrolling the corridors. When the elevator came to a halt, they saw a man with long brown hair waiting for them. The man wore a fine business suit and stood tall.

Wally guessed that it was Mr. Flambeu, the man Fink was talking about. The speedster's guess was correct.

The man spoke "Mr. DeWitt, Mr. Lutece-" "Its West" corrected Wally.

The man didn't listen. He just proceeded in a formal tone "Welcome to Finkton". Mr. Flambeau nodded to a table next to the elevator saying, "You'll find a variety of supplies here that should see you through your visit".

Booker and Wally turned to the table and saw a variety guns, a few bottles of Salts and extra clips for the guns they were currently using. Reluctantly, the two stocked up on the ammunition and Salts.

Elizabeth asked Mr. Flambeu "What does Mr. Fink want with us?"

"Excuse me miss" replied Flambeau "But Mr. Fink is strictly interested in the two gentlemen here"

"But why-?" asked Elizabeth but Flambeu's only reply was "So sorry, young miss, but any questions regarding the gentlemen's applications should be taken up with Mr. Fink directly".

Mr. Flambeau walked away and he opened the doors behind him, revealing the plaza.

The three cautiously stepped through. Outside, the air was heavy with the smell of burning coal and oil.

Elizabeth whispered to Booker "Does this strike you as good news? It doesn't strike me as good news"

"It all feels weird to me" whispered Wally.

Once they were in the plaza, the doors behind them closed. The three journeyed further into the plaza.


In the center of the plaza, there was a crowd gathered around a man standing on a pile of boxes. The man was auctioning off jobs to people who were desperately trying to seek employment. The three continued on past them.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth walked down a busy street in search of the gunsmith. Wally glanced around Finkton.

Finkton was a city in and of itself. The buildings weren't as grand or beautiful as the rest of Columbia's but they were built to last and looked sturdy.

However, the quality of living seemed very low in Finkton. People were practically trying to buy their way into a job. Jeremiah Fink paid his workers Fink tokens instead of actual money, which was only good at a Fink Industry store.

Not to mention that Fink had his employees working incredibly long shifts and in horrible conditions that would no sane person would work in.

Wally wanted to do something but there was nothing he could do.

Eventually, they found Chen Lin's workshop. It was a large building that had Chen Lin's name on the door.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth entered the gunsmith's shop. When they entered, they found it cluttered and messy but there was nobody in sight.

Booker nodded to a door behind the front desk and the three entered through it.

They found a large, industrial furnace burning away, powering large machinery nearby. The three climbed up some stairs and continued searching for Chen Lin. They passed a statue of the Buddha on the mezzanine and finally reached the top floor of the workshop.

Chen Lin was nowhere in sight. Booker looked around and saw that it was cluttered and messy, with items strewn all over the floor.

He called out "Hello? Mr. Lin? Chen Lin? Anybody here?" there was no answer.

Elizabeth glanced around the messy workshop and asked, "What happened here?" "Looks like somebody turned the place over" said Wally

"Local constabulary no doubt" said Booker.

As they searched through the ruined workshop, Elizabeth heard someone whimpering. She turned to the others "Do you hear that?" they both nodded

"Sounds like somebody is downstairs" said Booker. The three rushed down the stairs and found a Chinese woman in front of the Buddha statue, prying and fighting back a sob.

Booker spoke "Excuse me…ma'am? Sorry to bother you but…we're looking for Mr. Lin". The woman didn't answer.

For a moment, she said nothing. Finally, she looked to Booker saying in a thick accent, her voice was breaking "Mr. Lin, not here. He…gone"

"Gone?" said Elizabeth.

The woman nodded, some tears running down her cheek "They take. Flying squad. I pray. I pray to give back. Give to May Lin"

"Where did they take him?" asked Elizabeth gently.

May Lin answered in a soft voice, "Club, Everyone taken to Good Time Club"

"Where is this club?" asked Booker.

May Lin began to weep and Booker tried to ask for an answer but Elizabeth held up a hand "We'll find it, just leave her be".

May Lin started to tremble "Why not Vox Populi help Chen Lin? Why not Daisy Fitzroy help Chen Lin?"

"We'll help" said Booker "We'll try to get him back". May Lin sniffed and thanked Booker. The three made their way to the exit.

As they made their way out of Chen Lin's shop, Elizabeth asked "Who're the flying squad"

"Cops" answered Booker grimly "A nasty bunch. They're the kind of guys who probably have their boots on Chen's throat and asking how well he knows Daisy Fitzroy"

"Isn't she who we're working for?" asked Wally.

Booker nodded "Yep. Right now, lets figure out where the Good Time club is". Elizabeth, Booker and Wally left the shop.


A few moments after they left, a man entered the shop. The man was dressed in a black suit with a red necktie. He had black hair slicked back and he wore a pair of glasses over his sky blue eyes.

He went up to the mezzanine where he ran into May Lin.

The man frowned in confusion "May Lin, what's wrong?" "Flying squad" answered May Lin, she trembled in fear "Took Chen Lin"

"What?" exclaimed the man in outrage "Why?"

"They know he was Vox Populi" answered May Lin.

The man cursed and he assured May Lin "Don't worry, I'll handle this. I'll do what I can to get him back"

May Lin sniffed "Thank you. You are a good man, Mr. Luthor".


Booker, Wally and Elizabeth were trudging down the street in search of the Good Time club.

So far, they had no luck. Suddenly, Elizabeth shouted, "Watch out!" she tackled Wally and Booker, knocking them to the ground as a large chunk of metal went soaring right where their heads were.

The two thanked Elizabeth and they looked up and saw who threw it.

It was the mechanical man who tossed Wally and Booker around like ragdolls. Elizabeth groaned "A handyman".

The mechanical man zeroed in on the three and he bellowed something about ripping Booker to pieces.

Quickly, Elizabeth, Wally and Booker got up. Booker fired at the handyman and Wally zipped around the mechanical man at super speed, trying to find a weakness.

The bullets bounced off of the handyman's metal body and most of Booker's Vigor's had minimal effect on him.

The handyman jumped at Booker, trying to grab him and rip him apart but Booker managed to jump out of the way and avoid him. But one bullet struck the glass covering the handyman's heart and the glass cracked.

Wally yelled to Booker "The heart! Aim for the heart!"

Booker nodded and he used his machine gun and fired a rapid burst at the handyman's heart. It took a while but the bullets managed to punch through the glass and shred the handyman's heart.

The handyman crumpled to the ground, dead.

When the handyman was defeated, Elizabeth turned to Booker saying, "I don't care much about you, Mr. DeWitt but I must admit, you do know your way around a brawl".

Booker frowned "Thanks…I guess".

Elizabeth sighed "I'm sorry about what I said at the docks…for calling you a thug"

"Yeah?" said Booker in surprise "Can't see how I changed your sense of that"

"You protected me" said Elizabeth. Booker shrugged "Job's a job".

Wally smiled a little but he saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a strange, red sliver of light coming from an alleyway. The speedster entered the alley and he saw that it looked like a tear. The tear was glowing red and it looked like a bleeding cut.

When he got closer to it, the tear widened a little and he heard rock music blasting through.

Elizabeth and Booker saw and they ran over. Elizabeth listened to the music "You hear that?"

"I never heard that song before" said Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "I don't suspect anyone's heard that song before".

Actually, Wally has heard the song before. He remembered it from a party that the team threw after the battle against Mongul and War World. The song brought back memories of home and an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. The tear suddenly snapped shut and the music was silenced.

Elizabeth frowned "Strange" "Lets keep moving" said Booker.

The trio turned and left to continue their search for the Good Time club.


After a long search and journey through some back streets, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth finally found the Good Time club.

The Good Time club was a large, posh building with a golden statue of Fink standing outside. The statue was a scale model of the golden behemoth the three saw from the elevator that carried them into Finkton.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth climbed the front steps and entered the Good Time club.

They stepped into a very luxurious looking lobby that was decorated with the finest furniture available in Columbia.

An automaton greeted them with a wide smile and a wave "Welcome to the Good Time Club sir or madam! Where the lions roar! The show is about to begin!" the automaton gestured to a grand staircase that led up and to some doors that led to another room.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth ascended one of the staircases and a bar. Next to the bar was a stairway that led down into a vast, grand lounge that came with a stage and a vast common area for patrons to relax and interact.

Jeremiah Fink spoke over an intercom "Ah, DeWitt, Lutece, my boys! You know that the best kind of interview is one where the applicants don't know that they're being evaluated!" he chuckled a little and continued "But…I've watched you both since the other day at the lottery. You're a couple of brutes! And in times like this, I could use some brutes!" Wally frowned. Was Fink offering them jobs?

Booker scowled "What do you want Fink?"

"Labor unrest is coming, Mr. DeWitt" said Fink "Now, Fitzroy has got the jungle all riled up. A man like me could use have use of an old Pinkerton like you and a sharpshooter like your friend".

Booker shook his head and said to Elizabeth and Wally "Lets find Chen Lin and get the hell out of here". They couldn't agree more.

As they searched through the vast lounge, Fink continued "Now, now, all I ask is that you finish what you started, DeWitt...wouldn't want to disappoint the other applicants". Wally and Booker were confused. Other applicants?

Fink announced in a loud, dramatic voice "Our first applicant is a veteran of Peking. Now, what was it they say about old soldiers? Ha, ha, ha!" the lights in the lounge began to dim. A spotlight flicked on and shone down on the stage where a pair of red curtains began to part.

Fink continued, "Frankly, my money is on you and the redhead. This guy is something of an old hand at handling explosives. Only man I know who hasn't lost a limb working with them. Yet".

The curtains were drawn back revealing a man dressed in heavy armor and carried a pair of large metal tanks on his back. Men armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons accompanied him.

Elizabeth exclaimed "Fireman!"

The man growled something and lobbed a fireball at Booker and the others.

The three split up and dived behind cover as the Fireman and the other men fired upon them.


On the second floor bar, sitting in a cushy armchair watching the scene was Klarion the Witch boy.

His Familiar Teekl rested in his lap and he held a glass of bourbon in his hand. He watched the battle with great interest. Before he could sip his drink, a man with black hair and sky blue eyes snatched the glass from the boy's hand.

Klarion whined "Hey!" "No alcohol for children" chided the man.

The lord of chaos crossed his arms and pouted, "You're no fun Lionel"

"Not when it comes to something serious as this" said Lionel Luthor gesturing to the drink and the battle that was happening down in the lounge.

The two heard Fink say "Yes! Good! Quite the eager beaver isn't he?" Lionel frowned and looked down at the battle.

Half the lounge was scorched by the Fireman's attacks and there were bodies scattered about. Lionel shook his head in dismay "Fink you son of a bitch"

"You have to admit, he's got style" said Klarion in an almost admiring tone.

Suddenly a loud explosion rocked the entire room, sending out a wave of harsh heat and fire in every direction. The two saw that Booker shot the tanks of gasoline on the Fireman's back, which ignited and incinerated the man and anyone close to him.

Fink announced, "This young go-getter is a former devotee of Lady Comstock! But without the ol' gal, they don't know what to do with themselves."

A large, blue box rose from beneath the stage. The box was marked "Fink Industries".

Fink then said in a softer voice "Picked this one up at a Hiring fair. For a song" suddenly a flock of Crows emerged from the box and swirled around a spot. Booker and the others saw a man dressed in a black hood appear in the middle of the swirling flock of crows.

Klarion nodded approvingly "Nice entrance". Lionel sighed and he pulled up a chair then sat down next to Klarion.


Booker and Wally fought wave after wave of armed men with Elizabeth supplying them with the weapons, ammo and Salts of their fallen enemies.

They fought automatons, Motorized Patriots and another Fireman.

Finally, after defeating the last of Fink's men, Fink cried "Good show boys! Good show!"

Wally felt disgusted with Fink. He sacrificed his own men just to get Booker, and to an extent, himself, to join up with his company.

Fink spoke "You know, when your names first passed to me I wasn't so sure you were the right men for the job." He chuckled a little.

Booker growled, "We're not interested in your job Fink".

Fink sighed "Now, now, I know all about your little job for Fitzroy. But do you really want to take her offer over mine? Do you know how many people would kill to be head and assistant head of Fink Security?" he chuckled again saying "You're a tough nut to crack Mr. DeWitt. A tough nut!" he chuckled at his own joke.

The businessman then said menacingly "I promise you this, I will get what I want". The intercom went dead.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth decided to continue searching for Chen Lin. They searched through the destroyed lounge for a way out and luckily, Booker found a door backstage.

The trio passed through some dressing rooms and followed a set of stairs down to the basement.

Booker heard a man speaking "Common, you're a modern woman…it's nineteen twelve"

A woman replied coldly "It's going to be two thousand twelve before I'm interested in you".

Wally couldn't help but snicker. They found the source of the voices. Two guards, sitting at a table playing cards. Before they could reach for their weapons, Booker electrocuted them with Shock Jockey. Wally searched around the basement and found some bunk beds and a locked door.

Elizabeth found a chalkboard that had a list of names and cell numbers. Chen Lin was in cell 9. Elizabeth picked the lock on the locked door.

As she picked the lock, Booker said "I used to work for guys like Fink"

"Really?" said Elizabeth in surprise

"I was with the Pinkertons" said Booker "They'd call us in when the workers got restless"

"To do what" asked Wally.

Booker answered grimly "Demonstrate the folly of men striking." "You hurt people?" said Elizabeth.

Booker then said "I'll tell you this, sometimes there's precious need for folks like Fitzroy."

"Why?" asked Wally

"Cause of folks like me" muttered Booker.

Once Elizabeth unlocked the door, Wally and Booker entered first with their weapons at the ready.

On the other side of the door was a spacious room where a projector showing a man interrogating Chen Lin. Chen Lin had a number of cuts and bruises on his face. The interrogator was constantly probing for answers but Chen Lin kept his mouth shut.

Wally saw a bunch bloodstained rags on a nearby table, which were probably used to clean up the blood after the interrogation.

When they had enough, the three continued on. Booker, Wally and Elizabeth entered a corridor where there was a foul smell wafting through the air.

Wally pinched his nose closed to block out the horrible scent "Ugh, its stinks in here"

"Ain't no privies down here" said Booker. Elizabeth said in disgust "They treat them like animals".

A guard walked out into the corridor and he saw the three. Before he could shout, Booker electrocuted him and he quickly ran to the room the guard exited from. He found it empty, except for a table with a gun on it and a man sitting slumped in a wheelchair.

Booker's eyes widened in shock, realizing whom the man was. It was Slate.

Wally and Elizabeth entered the room and they saw Slate as well. The old soldier's wound was bandaged up and he sat there in the chair, staring blankly at the table. Wally noticed that there was a glassy look in his eye.

The speedster waved a hand in front of his face and got no response.

Elizabeth breathed, "You were right…sparing him was no mercy". They left the room without another word.


Booker, Wally and Elizabeth continued down the corridor passing locked cells. They would each catch a glimps of who was in each cell and they saw to that the prisoners were all beaten and bruised.

None of the prisoners even bothered to move. Finally, they found Chen Lin's cell.

As Elizabeth worked on the lock, she wondered, "What could these people have done to deserve to be locked up in a place like this?"

"Fink doesn't need much of a reason" said Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "No, no he doesn't".

The lock clicked and the door swung open. Instead of a small cramped cell, they found a room with a set of stairs that led down.

Booker and the others entered and they climbed down the stairs.

Fink spoke over the intercom "DeWitt, you and your pal are lions. But can you blame me for looking after my own interests, can you?" Booker didn't answer.

Fink continued "Now I know Fitzroy has come calling…but I think you'll find your business with her has come to an end. Lions walk with lions, DeWitt, not hyenas!"

Booker and the others reached the bottom of the stairs in a dimly lit room with white tiles on the floor.

Wally noticed streaks of blood on the floor leading into a dark area of the room. Booker entered the dark and he cautiously felt around on the wall nearest to him until he found a switch. He flipped the switch and a spotlight flicked on, illuminating the darkness.

Elizabeth gasped in horror. She covered her mouth and tried not to vomit. Wally paled and he said softly "Booker…"

Booker turned and he blanched. He saw that they were in an operating theater of sorts. In the middle of the operating theater was a bloodied figure, sitting slumped over in a chair, surrounded tables that had medical and surgical tools on them.

Booker approached the figure and he swiveled the chair around. It was Chen Lin.

His face was unrecognizable. It was purple, black and red, covered in cuts, gashes and other horrible wounds.

Booker sighed "We're too late…God damn it."

"Fink…" said Elizabeth in almost a whisper "This is what he meant…".

Booker bowed his head low then said, "We're going to need to find someone else to make those guns".

Elizabeth shook her head "No" "Dead is dead, Elizabeth" said Booker.

Suddenly a voice said "Dead is dead".

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth turned and saw two shapes standing in the shadows. Booker leveled his weapon to the shadows "Who's there?" suddenly a light flickered on and Wally saw that it was Robert and Rosalind Lutece.

Robert flipped a coin and held it up so Rosalind could see it.

Booker's eyebrows rose "What..? How the hell?"

"I see heads" said Rosalind

"And I can see tails" said Robert. "It's all a matter of perspective" said Rosalind.

Booker scowled at the two "Why are you following us? Who sent you, Comstock? What do you want from-"

"What do you see here?" asked Robert "From this angle"

"Dead" answered Rosalind. She glanced to her brother "What do you see?"

"Alive" answered Robert. Booker and Wally were utterly confused.

Elizabeth nudged Wally and she pointed to Chen Lin's body. The speedster looked and he saw something that almost made his eyes pop out of his skull.

Wally waved Booker over "Booker, check this out". Booker walked over to where Elizabeth and Wally were standing.

Rosalind muttered to her brother "This is becoming rather awkward".

Wally and Elizabeth moved and Booker stepped over to where they were standing. He looked up at Chen Lin's body and he felt his blood run cold.

Chen Lin's body was gone. The private investigator breathed, "His body is gone".

He moved out of the area he was standing in and he saw Chen Lin's body reappear. Booker moved back to where he was standing and saw it vanish.

Robert said what was on their minds "It was never here"

"It's another Columbia" breathed Booker

"It's a different Columbia" added Elizabeth.

The twins nodded and Robert said "The same coin"

"A different perspective" finished Rosalind.

"Heads" said Robert "Tails" said Rosalind.

"Dead" said Robert "Alive" said Rosalind.

Elizabeth looked to Booker and Wally "We have to go to this other Columbia. But…how?"

Robert smiled "It's like riding a bicycle" "One never really forgets" said Rosalind. Robert nodded "One just needs the courage to climb aboard".

Elizabeth swallowed and she said "If we go into this tear, I don't think I'll be able to bring us back" she looked to Booker.

Booker smiled a little "I believe you can do it". Elizabeth blushed a little. She nodded and she reached into the tear.

With great effort, she began to rip the small tear open.

As the room was slowly being bathed in a blinding white light, Rosalind waved goodbye to Wally saying "Good luck sweetie, we'll be rooting for you". Wally had no idea what she was talking about. In fact, he had no idea what either Rosalind or her brother were talking about most of the time. So the speedster just shrugged and said nothing.

Pretty soon, everything went white and when the light died, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth were gone.

End of chapter


(a/n: So, what do you think. Sorry if i skimmed a bit on the details. Please review!)