For new readers, this story is based off of and is tied into several other pieces of mine. If you're not sure where to start, I'd suggest finding Bioshock Infinite: Unbroken, as well as its prequel Unbroken: Song of Sorrow and the continuation Unbroken: I'm Home. The beginning of this story also has roots in chapter five of Those Left Behind. Thanks for checking it out.
Foreword: And we're back. My schedule hasn't eased any over the past week, but hopefully I'll be able to keep to my usual updates from now on.
May 6, 1959, 8:30 PM
Silence. That's all the answer that the radio offers Elizabeth, not even a crackle or hiss of static to suggest there's someone transmitting on the other end. She's well past feeling disconcerted, Elizabeth's state of mind more disturbed and disoriented by hearing her own voice coming from the shortwave. "That's assuming she's even there… after all that I've been through, am I starting to lose my grip on reality? Wouldn't surprise me in the least…"
"Elizabeth, focus." Her voice comes over the shortwave radio again, giving Elizabeth a fright as the surreal situation just becomes more so. "You aren't going insane, but you are in danger."
"I… we're always in danger…" Despite the voice's quiet assurance, Elizabeth gives the radio a suspicious look; she'd muttered her previous statement, and while Elizabeth isn't positive, she questions whether or not the voice could hear her properly.
"Splicers, Elizabeth. They'll be coming through that door in five minutes." The Voice falls silent, seeming as if she's taking a breath. "Dr. Langford isn't in her lab, either. But…"
"How can you know that?!" It takes a good deal of self-control to keep her voice low, Elizabeth practically hissing into the radio. How does the Voice know so much about her situation?
But the Voice just chuckles softly, "Elizabeth, you've seen all the doors, and what's behind the doors. You may not remember, but the constants and variables are still there."
"Then… then you're just…?" The Voice's explanation doesn't help Elizabeth's confusion one bit, and she touches a hand to her forehead as she tries to sort this out; the Voice's words remind her of the Luteces' explanations, Elizabeth reminded of how the redheaded twins' way of offering cryptic advice and misleading half-truths often annoying Booker. She even looks to Comstock helplessly, but Elizabeth holds her tongue when she notices him leaning against the tunnel wall with his back to her; she could settle this matter right here and not by asking if he can hear the voice, but Elizabeth is hesitant to let Comstock learn of any of this, whether the other her is real or not.
And, to be honest, Elizabeth's more than a little afraid of the answer, whatever that might be.
"Four minutes, Elizabeth." The Voice chimes in, Elizabeth quickly looking back to the radio as the countdown draws near. "You'll survive this. They'll underestimate you, Elizabeth. People always do…" The tone of the Voice is noticeably soft and comforting, and Elizabeth is grateful after the unsettling thoughts and memories that had been parading through her mind. But there's also something wistful in the other Elizabeth's voice, "Stay safe, Elizabeth."
"I… I will, thanks… whoever you are."
"Don't mention it." The Voice vanishes, and the radio falls silent, Elizabeth hugging the shortwave to her chest as the strange conversation comes to a close. But the radio hisses abruptly, startling Elizabeth as the Voice returns, "Elizabeth, a warning; don't trust Lamb. You know this already, but she's hiding something. She's not what she seems."
Elizabeth holds her shortwave radio up as the other voice vanishes again, cocking an eyebrow and wondering if she'll hear something else should she wait long enough. But nothing issues from the speaker, Elizabeth heaving a disappointed sigh before taking hold of the Thompson at her side and hopping off the office desk.
Wishing she had the time to make sense of all this, Elizabeth crosses the office floor with her shortwave in one hand and the surprisingly heavy Thompson in the other. Her companion's already glancing back curiously by the time she steps into the glass and steel tunnel, and Elizabeth holds the submachinegun to him once she's within arm's reach. "Here. You'll need this."
"Huh? What are you-"
"Splicers will be coming through that door in a couple minutes, Comstock."
"… the hell?" Cocking an eyebrow, it's clear that Comstock's skeptical, but the former Prophet still takes the Thompson and levels it at the solid Securis door. "What makes you so sure that…?" But Comstock doesn't finish; a scream in the distance cuts him off, and judging by the manic chatter Elizabeth can hear even through the solid bulkhead door, there's more than just a few Splicers on their way, "… I'll be damned…"
The metal Securis door begins to disappear into the ceiling seconds later, and Comstock's not about to wait for it; harsh, sudden reports echo in the confines of the glass tunnel, Elizabeth having to fight the urge to cover her ears as Comstock fires a short, three-round burst through the opening door. The door's only about halfway risen as he fires, Elizabeth able to clearly make out three sets of legs standing outside.
Chaos erupts in the narrow tunnel, Elizabeth quickly backing away as Comstock continues to fire into the opening doorway, screams and manic howls sounding as the Splicers are cut down and fire back in return. Elizabeth takes cover behind a support column that stands in the center of the tunnel, hopping the solid support will keep any stray bullets finding her.
By the time Comstock's weapon is spent, the corpses of six robed Splicers littler the floor outside, the solid Securis door closing silently now that the carnage has come to an end; Comstock doesn't look injured, but Elizabeth can't imagine that would've been the case if the Splicers had caught them unaware. "Suppose it had to be done… Splicers aren't-" A strange, high-pitched whine comes from seemingly all around, Elizabeth's sentiment dying on her tongue as crimson smoke rapidly surrounds her. "Ah, hell!" An invisible hand suddenly grabs her shoulder from behind, Elizabeth whirling around to face her attacker.
Bark. That's what Elizabeth feels as her wild swing connects with the appearing Splicer's face, and the Saturnine's eyes show a flicker of surprise amidst the feverish insanity. It's enough to dislodge the bloody robed Splicer's grasp on her shoulder, but that's all; the spliced up lunatic's little more than fazed by her desperate blow, and makes that perfectly clear by catching her wrist as she strikes again. And Elizabeth's eyes widen with fear as the Saturnine's hand begins to burn, a fireball forming. So she tries something a little desperate, the radio falling from her hand as she grabs the cultist by the collar, drawing her leg back and lunging with all she's got.
Elizabeth's not sure what she hits exactly, just that her knee's buried in the Splicer's midsection, the blow loosening his grip on her wrist enough that she manages to pull away. And while the monster sputters, that's the moment Comstock surges past Elizabeth, shouting something and slamming the butt of his Thompson into the Splicer's masked face as the psychopath clutches at his stomach.
The blow knocks the Splicer off his feet, but Comstock isn't done yet; he draws his weapon back and strikes again, the Thompson's stock crashing into the lunatic's face once again, Comstock showing no sign of stopping. That's when Elizabeth realizes what Comstock had been shouting, the man in a rage and showing a savage, all too familiar side as he repeatedly attacks the fallen Splicer; "Leave her alone, you son of a bitch!"
"Stop… Comstock, stop!"
Elizabeth's' almost surprised to hear herself shout, the eerie parallels between now and the events that occurred on the Hand of the Prophet leaving her more than a little shaken. But her cry has the desired effect; Comstock falters just as he's drawing back his weapon for another vicious blow, and she can see the rage slowly fading away as he turns hesitantly to face her. "Let's… let's just go…"
Nodding, Comstock steps away from the Splicer, Elizabeth grabbing her shortwave and walking away from the grisly scene as quickly as she can. She only stops to glance back while waiting for the metal Securis door to open; surprise is readily apparent in Comstock's expression, but if he's curious as to how she knew the Splicer's were coming, he's keeping it to himself. Not all that surprising, the bloody way he'd dispatched the last Splicer causing an uneasy silence to settle between them.
In the end, Elizabeth decides not to let it stay that way, breaking the silence before stepping out of the tunnel, "C'mon… we still need to find Dr. Langford." Turning away before Comstock can offer a reply, Elizabeth steps around the remains of the ambush turned one-sided massacre and out of the glass tunnel, she suddenly glad to be shut of the place once the greenery of Arboria greets her again.
"Sure thing…" Comstock's answer comes just as the Securis door begins to close, Elizabeth looking to find her partner coming up on her left. "So… am I to assume it's your turn to play prophet?" He gives her a half-hearted grin, but Comstock doesn't get even a chuckle out of her; something about his tone tells Elizabeth he's only half joking. And Elizabeth's not about to explain how she'd known about the Splicers.
Shaking her head, Elizabeth breathes a quiet sigh, "I don't know. Suppose it would prove helpful in a pinch, but I've no interest in playing prophet, as you put it."
"Fair enough." Nodding, Comstock turns his attention to the Thompson as the pair step out into the Rolling Hills, reloading with another drum clip and wiping off the weapon's stock on a cloth he'd found somewhere. And Elizabeth has to wonder just where he found those, glancing back at the now closed tunnel and considering whether or not Comstock had rifled through the dead Splicers' pockets. "Elizabeth, you alright?"
Casting another sideways glance at Comstock, the Thompson apparently not requiring his full attention, Elizabeth gives him a short nod, "I'm fine." Surprisingly enough, she is; Booker had done plenty in Columbia to protect her, including some truly bloody acts.
"Good. Then where are you leading us, Elizabeth?"
"Farmer's Market. I'd imagine Dr. Langford might want something to eat aside from chips and Pep-Bars."
"Guess that's as good a place as any to start." Shrugging, Comstock slings his Thompson over his shoulder while keeping pace, "Arcadia's a big place, searching it ain't likely to be a simple matter if we have nothing to go on."
Nodding, Elizabeth cautiously glances over at the man who looks almost exactly as her father, "Huh… you almost sounded like a real detective there, Comstock." That gets Comstock's attention, scowling slightly as he looks her way.
"I'd been a detective for months before you came strolling into my office, Elizabeth. Didn't have the 'experience' Booker had, but I made do."
"You…" Fighting back a caustic retort, Elizabeth grits her teeth as anger at Comstock's remark threatens to get the best of her; she well remembers what Booker had said of the Pinkertons. But while Comstock's words are true, for once, that doesn't mean Elizabeth has to like it. "You weren't any kind of saint either, Comstock."
Looking away and starting up the rough carved stone steps located across the lower Rolling Hills from Langford's laboratory, Elizabeth crosses her arms and heaves a quiet, unhappy sigh; right now, she'd rather get off the topic of Booker entirely. Thankfully, Comstock doesn't seem partial to continuing on the matter as well, the former Prophet not answering her barb or offering some sort of excuse and just following after her. Only the sounds of her heels and his shoes on the mossy stone steps and the tin cans jostling against one another in her satchel breaks the renewed silence.
The upper Rolling Hills is little different from where Elizabeth and Comstock just came from, the verdant scenery still lush and tranquil, and the canopy of the trees create a roof of leaves and branches that nearly conceals the glass ceiling overhead. While Elizabeth would love to take in the sights, there just isn't time; bloodthirsty Splicers could come charging out from that very same scenery at any time. Still, without the Splicers, the place really is beautiful, and Elizabeth allows herself a small smile.
But their progress slows considerably when Comstock moves ahead to step through a pair of sliding, wood and paper doors, Elizabeth following only to find her companion stopping just on the other side. And it isn't difficult to see why; the light of a security camera's cast on the ground ahead of him.
"You sure you know where the Market is, Elizabeth?" Comstock's keeping his voice low as he glances back to Elizabeth, motioning for her to stay where she is.
"I… I thought there would be a sign, or a map…" A frown plays at Elizabeth's ruby lips; the camera isn't their sole problem. The dirt and grass path at the Rolling Hills' exit extends all of a few feet before becoming a four-way intersection, and a bulbous security camera rests above an archway partway down the right path. A sign reading Farmer's Market hangs from the intersection's roof, an arrow pointing to the left path. But the problem is less in knowing where to go and more an issue of how; the end of the path ends in a mass of vegetation, blocking the door beneath a sign reading 'Tree Farm'.
"I'll take care of this, I suppose."
"Wha… wait, Comstock!" Elizabeth quickly grabs Comstock by the shoulder, just as his left hand begins to glow red from his Plasmid. "Are you crazy? Do you want to call every Splicer nearby to us?"
Comstock stops for a moment before looking back to Elizabeth, a frown touching his features, "Then how do you suppose we're getting through there, huh?" He waves to the camera and the other two paths; Elizabeth isn't sure where the right path leads, but the path directly ahead bears another neon sign in the distance reading 'Arcadia Glens', and another sign on a post bears the name 'Waterfall Grotto' in that direction.
"Well… I suppose we'll have to figure that out. There isn't anyone we can stop and ask for directions, after all…"
"I'd imagine our employer might have an idea or two on the matter."
"Employer… Lamb?" Looking down at the shortwave radio in her hand, the bottom of the device resting squarely against the satchel that hangs against her side. And while she remembers the warning the Voice had given, Elizabeth brings the shortwave up to her lips and clears her throat, "Dr. Lamb? This is Elizabeth. I need to ask for directions to Farmer's Market, and the path closest to Rolling Hills is blocked."
The speaker crackles to life in short order, the distinctly cold, even voice of Sofia Lamb coming through clearly, "Ms. DeWitt, am I to assume your request is in regards to our arrangement? Very well. The most expedient route to your destination is through the Tree Farm, a demonstration in farming and horticultural techniques. Now, I would advise you to continue onward, towards the Waterfall Grotto, until…"
Elizabeth and Comstock share a look as Lamb goes on. "Don't much care what her people think of her, the woman's got the smug superiority routine down."
"I… can't say I disagree…" Nodding as Comstock mutters, Elizabeth sighs as Dr. Lamb's longwinded, somewhat insulting directions taking far longer than they should. And the moment Lamb finishes, Elizabeth quickly speaks into radio while pulling her satchel around and unfastens the canvas bag's covering flap. "Thank you, doctor, we're on our way."
Any reply of Lamb's goes unheard as Elizabeth drops the shortwave into the satchel, she and Comstock focusing on the rotating camera and paying the muffled voice no mind. Their observation doesn't last long, though; the camera's unhurried speed and easily predictable timing affords Elizabeth and Comstock ample time to run down the path towards Waterfall Grotto and the Tree Farm.
"… seems like an unnecessary complication… or an obvious design flaw…"
"Hmm?" Elizabeth muttering quietly to herself catches his ear, Comstock looking back to his young partner as he pushes the bulkhead door open, "Something on your mind, Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth's deep blue eyes dart up to meet his gaze, her arms crossed and a hint of a furrow in her brow. "Those ticket booths we passed through, didn't that strike you as… odd? There's a Metro station not far from here, yet this is where whoever built this place chose to charge admission?"
At the end of the Tree Farm and before the bulkhead they're passing through now, they'd found a trio of ticket booths and a pair of metal gates between them, the yellow, red and gray stone structure blocking entrance into Arcadia. The ticket booths were abandoned, however, and the gate Comstock had tried seemed to swing open easily enough. But neither of them were about to take a chance with getting back through, Elizabeth and Comstock searching for something to wedge the gate open with and settling on a small log. And to Elizabeth's mortification, she'd needed Comstock to lift the slightly moldering chunk of wood, she muttering something about a medicine ball and Battleship Bay.
The thought of Elizabeth trying to lift that log, and failing, draws a small chuckle from Comstock. "Don't matter. Once we're done here, we won't be visiting Arboria anytime soon."
"I suppose… perhaps only authorized folks can use that station… but how were we able to…?" Touching her chin thoughtfully, Elizabeth takes an unhurried step towards the now open bulkhead door, and Comstock shakes his head with a lopsided grin as he slips through.
What lies beyond doesn't strike Comstock as all that different from the rest of Rapture, he stepping deeper into the room; while the ground gives the impression of cobblestone and the walls look to be made of the same rough stone as in Arcadia, blue light streams into the room from either side, courtesy of floor to ceiling glass that provide a view of the sea.
The usual trappings of Rapture are also present; a banner beneath the green Farmer's Market sign with one of Andrew Ryan's favorite quotes, brass or bronze Great Chain wall fixtures, and a Pneumo tube to the left of yet another Securis door that leads deeper into the area.
"What's that sound…? Oh."
Turning back to face her, Comstock freezes; something he'd missed stands against the right window, tall and cylindrical with transparent glass doors. And while Comstock never got a good look at the device when Ryan's goons pulled him out of it, he recognizes the Vita-Chamber.
But the bright, blue-green arcs of energy and the accompanying hum aren't present within the resurrecting device, the Vita-Chamber dark. "Huh… guess it ain't working yet…" Glancing over as Elizabeth comes up beside him, Comstock has to wonder what's going through her mind. "Come to think of it… there was that alcove we passed by, suppose Ryan's fixing to put another there…"
"Let's not discuss it." Elizabeth's reply comes off cold and abrupt, enough so to give Comstock cause to worry. But she's already slipped past, Elizabeth making for the entrance to Farmer's Market. And Comstock can only sigh; whatever existential questions that Elizabeth's struggling with, the sight of the Vita-Chamber likely isn't helping any.
Once past the Vita-Chamber and through a long, curving, glass and metal tunnel, Elizabeth and Comstock step out into Farmer's Market proper. And if Arcadia had been built to be Rapture's forest and farmland, then Farmer's Market is the quaint, rustic village at the edge of the woods; the walls are white plaster, rough stone and wood, and as they come around a turn and onto a cobblestone street, Comstock spies a pair of delis off to their left.
But the most noticeable difference between Arcadia and Farmer's Market is also the most troubling; a handful of men and women walk the streets and stand behind the deli counters, and while a less obvious threat than the vanishing Splicers that had attacked them, any one of these folks could bring Ryan Security down on Elizabeth and Comstock's heads.
"Comstock, look. That's Langford."
"Huh… that's convenient." Following Elizabeth's gaze, Comstock spies a bespectacled woman with brown curls and wearing a green and white dress rounding a corner, a pair of bags in hand and heading their way. "Excuse me, miss?"
"I'm sorry, I don't have any change…" Langford barely looks up as she speaks, but she slows considerably when she lays eyes on the two of them. "Aren't you… Cohen's girl? Elizabeth?"
"Umm… I suppose I was, yes. Have we met?" Elizabeth looks taken aback as she answers, but still manages a polite smile.
"No, I don't believe I've had the pleasure, but I attended your performance at Fleet Hall." Dr. Langford shifts her bags to one hand and adjusts her glasses as she peers back at Elizabeth, "I'm curious as to what brings you to this neck of the woods. And who is this you're with?"
"Just a private dick, ma'am."
"Uh, Dr. Langford?" Elizabeth quickly interrupts, taking the doctor's attention from Comstock. "To be honest, we've come to see you, doctor. We… need something of yours, that came from Suchong."
"Oh." Langford takes a deep breath, shaking her head slowly. "So that's what you two are about. Well, it is of no consequence; Suchong's modifications were wholly unsuitable to my purpose. Perhaps we could come to an arrangement; I need to return to my laboratory, but those aging Saturnine frat boys are likely to accost me. If you see to my safe return, the vials are yours."
"Another arrangement…" Comstock grimaces quietly, "Just great…"
Author's Note: Now that they found Langford, it should be smooth sailing till they're onto Lamb's next task, right? It's a good walk from Farmer's Market to Langford's lab. And while one Elizabeth's trying to help out this Elizabeth, who knows where this will lead. Now, Bioshock's lore states that at the start of the Civil War, looters ransacked Farmer's Market and many of the vendors went to fight for one side or the other, but a number still remained. While there wasn't much of the civilian population of the area in this chapter, I figured they'd still be there at this point in time.
The chapter should be vetted well enough, but I'll take another look with fresh eyes at a later date. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If all goes according to plan, the weekend chapter will hopefully be up by Saturday or Sunday night, though it could be as late as Monday.
