My bad! It turns out I posted chapter eight twice and everything went all screwy. THIS is chapter ten. The REAL chapter nine is already up. Although I think I messed everything up, though...
Accidents happen! ^-^
Btw, this is where the Farmer's Market thing comes in. But there is no way in hell I'm gonna write about Tenenbaum, Maira, and Patrick running around the Market looking for...stuff. Plus I don't want this to be a long, boring chapter like last time. So I'm gonna add a little Ryan stuff in between. Hope you don't mind ;)
X.X
Brigid followed Maira and Patrick through the dead forest until they eventually came upon a tunnel. Brigid peeked out the glass and spotted tall trees inside glass containers about their height. At the end of the tunnel were three TVs and a large door.
"This should be the place." Maira said.
"Mum..." Patrick coughed, "I don't...feel good..."
"Just hang in there, Patty." Maira said comfortly.
The static suddenly appeared on the TV screens before the blurry image of an elderly woman appeared. "My trees!" she cried, "It wasn't you three, was it? Wait...Maira!? Patrick!?"
"Julie!" Maira cried, "It wasn't us! We were on our way to the Bathysphere station when Ryan suddenly unleashed some kind of gas all over Arcadia! Everything's dead now!"
"Ryan!" Julie screamed, "I think I've got a way to save the trees. It's a genetic vector that...oh, look who I'm talking to... Could you find a sample of Rosa Gallica for me?"
"Rosa what?" Brigid asked.
"No time! Just look in the Grotto...I've got to keep working while there's time..."
The TV screens shut off. Brigid and Maira looked at one another. "Looks like we're gonna be here a while." Brigid sighed.
"Yes. But Patrick can't keep going like this. He's too exhausted to even walk. Plus things are beginning to get dangerous down here. We'll stay here, you go look at the Grotto."
"Will you be okay while I'm gone?" Brigid asked.
"Aye. Me boy and I survived in a submarine for God knows how long. I've got enough rounds to last us a while."
"Alright then." Brigid turned to leave, "I'll be quick. Don't worry."
...
Brigid flinched with every step she took, her boots pressing against the dead leaves and making a crunching sound along the way. The entire garden was dead. Trees. Everything. How could a man be so heartless and mad as to have an entire forest destroyed? He mentioned that he once owned a forest on the surface, but then had it burnt to the ground just because people demanded that it be nationalized.
Sometimes suddenly caught her eye. She spotted an Audio Diary lying near a bed of large roses. It was labeled Pelageya. Brigid pressed play and the British girl's voice spoke through.
"These roses are beautiful! I've only read about them in books but I never thought they were this beautiful! It makes me happy that Langford gave me permission to see them up close. I really wish I brought Kyle along. He would've liked it too... 'Pelageya!' Huh? Coming father!"
The audio tape ended. "So you really were human once." Brigid said to herself, placing the Audio Diary down on the crate. She then looked at the large roses and wondered if this is what Langford was telling her about. Carefully, Brigid plucked the largest rose that was there and held it gingerly in her hands.
"Now to get this back to Langford."
...
Maira caressed her sleeping son's hair gently before sighing. She silently prayed that Brigid would return whatever her old friend wanted. So much has been going right now. She couldn't believe that her family's made it this far. She prayed every night for an angel to come and save her family from the wickedness that now shadowed Rapture. It looks like her prayers were finally answered. She felt relief when she spotted Brigid running into the room.
"Did you get it?" she asked.
"Yeah." Brigid replied, gesturing to the large rose in her hands, "Turns out she just wanted a rose."
The TV screens flickered on and Langford's face appeared once more. "You've brought the Rosa Gallica?" she asked eagerly.
"Yes." Brigid replied, holding up the rose for Julie to see.
"Well, what are you waiting for? An engraved invitation? Send it through the pneumo!"
Brigid frowned at the woman before placing the rose into the pneumo.
"Yes, this is perfect...perfect... Come on up to my office... I'm letting you three in now... I think I've got just the thing to put the green back in this forest."
The door slid open just as Julie's image disappeared from the TV screens. Maira gently woke Patrick up before the two stood by Brigid's side.
"Let's all stick together." Brigid said, "I don't know what lies ahead, but it's better to be safe then sorry."
"Right." Maira nodded, "I've known Julie since I first arrived in Rapture. She's a good woman at heart, but since the civil war I don't know if she's still the same woman I once knew."
The trio stepped into the lab entrance and made their way through the area until they entered a tunnel that finally led to the building where Langford currently was. As soon as they got inside they spotted the woman with a green vile in her hands.
"Is that her?" Brigid asked.
"Aye. Let's go see what she has for us." Maira said. Just as they were about to approach the door, the P.A. suddenly switched on and Ryan's voice spoke through in a rather disappointed tone.
"Julie, we made a business deal, you and I, did we not?"
Julie looked around her office frantically.
"Money changed hands. Let me read to you from the agreement... *Clears throat* Section 3. Subsection 4"
"Mr. Ryan?" Julie asked. But Ryan cut her off.
"Ryan Corp maintains EXCLUSIVE rights to the creation use, and exploitation of the Lazarus Vector. Ownership is civilization, Julie. Without it, we're back in the swamp..."
Brigid and Maira watched in horror when Pelageya suddenly appeared from behind the frightened scientist. Julie gasped and backed away from the Big Sister, who had her red light targeted on her and a drill in one hand.
"Mr. Ryan... Wait..." she gagged when the Big Sister grabbed her neck viciously and lifted her off the ground. "No! Please!... Mr. Ryan!..." she begged.
Maira covered Patrick's eyes and looked away in horror as the Big Sister drilled into her old friend's chest before throwing her at the window. Brigid watched with wide eyes as Julie lifted a bloody hand and wrote the numbers 9457 backwards in her blood before dropping dead.
"Every time we get a yard ahead, Ryan goes and moves the goal line down to the other side of the field." Atlas whined through the radio, "Maira, Patrick, are you both alright?"
Brigid silently handed Maira the radio, who was now shaken by the experience. "S-she killed her, A-Atlas. S-she's dead..."
"I know, my love, I know... But we'll make sure the good Professor didn't die in vain."
The Big Sister let out a menacing screech before teleporting out of the office. Fresh blood now stained the floors and a bit of the desk. When Brigid entered the lab, it was littered with old research papers and dead plants. Maira knelt down by the body of her old friend and held her hand tearfully.
"Maira..." Brigid gently placed her hand on the woman's shoulder, "There's nothing we can do for her now..."
"I know..." Maira replied, "I just wanted some closure before we leave."
"Mum! Miss!" Patrick called. The young boy pointed his finger up at a painting hanging on the wall. Brigid removed the painting to discover that a safe was actually hidden behind it.
"Good work, Patrick!" Brigid praised and the small boy smiled proudly.
"Just like his father." Maira chuckled as she patted his head.
Brigid entered the numbers Julie had written and heard an unlocking sound. Inside she found an audio tape and a key labeled "Market". Brigid inserted the tape into a player and pressed play.
"What's the point of being a damn genius if the only ones around to appreciate it are bunch of spliced up morons? I've cracked the Vector, or at least I'm 99 percent certain I have. I just need a bud of Rosa Gallica to confirm my analysis. Distilled water, a bit of chlorophyll, and enzymes extracted from Aphis Mellifera. That's right, sweethearts: honey bee spit."
"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Maira asked. Sometimes her old friend lost her.
"It's the ingredients." Brigid replied, "She wants us to complete the Vector. It's probably the only way that will bring the plants back to life. But I want to know where we can find these said ingredients."
Maira tapped her chin a bit in thought. "I might know where. Patrick and I have been there many times before."
...
Ryan cupped his chin as he watched the security footage before his eyes. Cupping his chin as he watched the trio leave the lab and head over in the direction of the Farmer's Market. It could only mean one thing: they were going to complete the Vector.
"Clever as usual, aren't you Tenenbaum?" he snarled softly. But what he wanted to know was why she acted so lost when she first arrived. This woman's lived in Rapture since it first opened. Unless she somehow managed to forget her life here completely, he may never know for sure. But he did know was that she was actually rescuing the little creatures she created. Those Little Sisters. And for who? Some woman who just appeared in the city out of nowhere.
The private detective, Booker DeWitt, was last seen with her the night everything changed for Rapture. But he hasn't been seen since. According to Cohen, before he went fully insane, he sent them to Fontaine's Department store. That was the last he's seen of both of them.
No matter. All he could do was send his splicers out to try and handle the situation while sitting back in his seat and watch the entire show. Although it wasn't very amusing to watch.
...
"Did you find it?" Brigid asked.
"Aye! That should be the last of it." Maira handed the bottle of chlorophyll over to the other woman.
"Good. Let's head back to Arcadia then."
The trio had spent large sums of time searching for the necessary ingredients throughout the splicer infested market. As soon as they stepped back into Arcadia, Ryan spoke through the P.A. once more.
"Don't fight the inevitable." he growled softly, "You'll all run out of oxygen soon and then you'll all just go to sleep."
"Security bots!" Patrick screeched.
"Patrick, get down!" Maira shrieked before blasting a security bot with her Shotgun.
Brigid shot down a few security bots herself with her Tommy Gun. Shooting a few who were a bit too close to Maira or Patrick. Eventually, the last security bot fell to the floor in a heap of metal and parts. The trio didn't waste any time running back to Julie's lab with the ingredients in hand. But they arrived, they were horrified to find splicers running all over the place. After taking them out, Brigid placed the ingredients into the Central Misting Control.
"Ah, listen to that damn thing gurgle and crank. How long is it going to take?" Atlas said over the radio.
"Look!" Patrick gasped.
Joy swelled in everyone's chest as the green gas filled the room. Before their eyes, the trees and other plant life started to blossom once more.
"Julie..." Maira whispered as she wrapped an arm around her son, "Julie...it works."
"Perhaps she didn't die in vain after all." Brigid said with a smile. The joy was short lived, however, when Ryan spoke through the P.A.
"It seems Julie's death didn't provide a clear enough less to you. Perhaps this will suffice."
"Ryan's got your number." Atlas said, "No doubt he'll be sending company. Best to head back to the lab and seal her up...might be the only way to keep the splicers out."
The trio ran as fast as they could back to the lab entrance. "Patrick! Find a safe place to hide!" Maira yelled. Brigid and Maira stood back from the door. Blood running cold through their veins as loud bangs were suddenly heard. Something was pounding against the door. And Brigid had a feeling it wasn't splicers. She readied her Tommy Gun.
"Here they come." Maira whispered.
Brigid shook her head. "It's not splicers." she said gravely.
The door came crashing down and the Big Sister let out a menacing screech.
"Christ, it's her!" Maira screamed before she started firing her Shotgun. The bullets from both weapons bounced off the armored helm that covered Pelageya's face and ricochet across some parts of the room. Screeching, Pelageya lifted a nearby desk up with her Telekinesis and tossed it at both women.
"Get down!" Brigid cried. Both women fell to the floor just as the desk crashed against the wall. Patrick, who was hidden behind a nearby desk, let out a horrified scream.
Pelageya suddenly snapped her attention over to the desk before lifting it up with her Telekinesis. Patrick let out a horrified gasp and attempted to scramble up on his feet.
"GET AWAY FROM MY SON!" Maira screamed as she unleashed all her rounds upon the Big Sister. Pelageya snapped her attention back to both women and shrieked angrily before charging them with her drill spinning. There was a sudden loud noise and everyone stopped for a sec.
"The Vector!" Brigid gasped, "Someone must pull the switch!"
"I'll do it!" Patrick yelled before running to the door leading to Julie's office. Pelageya attempted to go after him, but was stopped when she felt a bullet hit her backside.
Patrick frantically ran over to the controls before pulling the entire switch down. The thickness in the air vanished and was replaced with something more clearer and pleasant. He sighed in relief. Brigid and Maira felt the change in the air as well and joy filled their hearts. Pelageya, however, unleashed a frustrated screech that actually shattered the glass windows around them before she teleported out.
"Mum! Miss!" Patrick cried as he ran back down.
Brigid groaned from the ringing in her ears. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"Aye..." Maira replied. Her eyes then widened when she saw her son, "Patrick!"
"Mum!"
Brigid smiled softly as she watched the two embrace one another in a tight hug. "Well done, lassy." Atlas said over the radio, "Head on over to Rolling Hills and get the Bathysphere. Next stop is the surface. Time for my boy to see the sunrise for the first time."
...
So many thoughts were running through Brigid's mind as they made their way to the Metro Station. Patrick was happily skipping ahead while Maira walked beside her with a smile on her face. There were still so many answers left unanswered. And she was determined to find out what they were.
"Why are you so resistant to the traditional methods of separating a man from his soul?" Ryan asked through the P.A. when they neared the Bathysphere station. "You're not CIA. You've harmed my daughter on more then two occasions... But don't worry. I just need time to find the proper poison."
"At least I won't have to hear that bloody voice of his again." a familiar voice said.
Patrick came to a dead stop when he saw the man up ahead. Both Brigid and Maira stopped as well, with Maira placing both her hands over her mouth.
"DA!" Patrick screeched joyfully before jumping into his father's embrace.
"Oh, I've missed you so much, boyo." Atlas said as he hugged his son tightly. Maira quickly joined the embrace and the family was reunited once more. Atlas looked up from the hug and smiled at Brigid. "Looks like I finally get to meet the hero who rescued my family." he approached Brigid with his hand outstretched. "How about we properly introduce ourselves. My name is Atlas."
"Brigid." Brigid replied, shaking his hand.
"Brigid... I can't thank you enough for saving my only wife and child. I don't know how I'm going to repay you for this..."
"There is no need to pay me, Atlas." Brigid said, "But I do ask you the favor of leaving me behind."
"WHAT!?" the family exclaimed in unison.
"Are you out of your mind, Lass!?" Atlas said, "After everything we've went through!?"
"There are still some unanswered questions here for me, Atlas. I can't just run away from them without knowing the answers. I've been having the strange feeling that I know this Fontaine man. And I must know for myself."
"Perhaps we can help each other out with that." a new voice said over the radio.
Atlas's eyes widened in horror. "That voice!" he gasped.
"It's been a long time, Dr. Tenenbaum. Almost two years, perhaps?"
"Who is this?" Brigid asked firmly.
"Doctor. How could you have forgotten? How could you forget Frank Fontaine?" Fontaine asked smoothly.
"How did you find us you bastard!?" Atlas snapped.
"Stand down now, Atlas. This is between the good Doctor and myself."
"H-how did you know my name?" Brigid asked.
"We go way back in Rapture, my dear. I'll answer all your questions if you do me one favor."
"And what would that be?"
"Bring me Ryan's son. Alive."
Brigid and Atlas looked at one another. "What do you want with the boy?" Brigid asked.
"I'll tell you all in good time. But hand me that boy if you wish to know the answers to your questions."
"Don't trust him, Lass." Atlas said, "I don't know how he's still alive, but that son of a bitch is a mobster. Ya can't trust mobsters! Especially with the life of a small boy."
Brigid was silent. She couldn't help but agree with Atlas. However, she must know the truth. If she wanted her questions answered, then she must trust this Fontaine man. "Fine. I'll do it."
"Excellent. I'll keep in touch with you from time to time. Make sure you get me that boy."
"Brigid. Are you sure about this?" Atlas asked, "I hate Ryan. But that doesn't mean I want any harm to come to his own boy."
"I'll make sure nothing happens to that boy." Brigid said as she reloaded her Tommy Gun, "Until I get my answers, I'm going to have to trust this man."
Atlas gritted his teeth before looking over to his wife and child. Maira approached Brigid and silently handed over her Shotgun to her. "Take this." she said, "Just in case."
"Thank you." Brigid accepted the gun.
Atlas growled before sighing. "Fine. I'll take you as far as Fort Frolic. But then my family is outta here. But you better come back up to the surface. I don't want the hero who saved my family to die down here." Atlas said viciously, close to tears.
"Don't worry." Brigid assured him, "I won't stay here forever. I will come back to the surface."
"Good." Atlas said, "We'll be waiting."
X.X
... Well that was awful :/
But FINALLY! I get to write Fort Frolic next! :D I have so many surprises in store for the next few chapters. And yes, Fontaine will be talking to Brigid from now on. Atlas and his family will be waiting at the Lighthouse now.
But that's enough writing for one day. I'll write another chapter tomorrow since I have no school. All thanks to a cold wave that hit my area! :D But that means a short Spring Break for me :'(