Mysteries
Upper Atrium, 9:00 am:
Ryan was having a strange dream. It was of himself. He was walking around a never ending hallway looking for something, but what? The halls were scribbled with the words, Would you kindly? There was that phrase again...what did it mean?
The dream stopped when he heard a loud moan and a banging sound. Opening his eyes Ryan wondered to himself if it was really a dream. There was that moan again, He hadn't heard it in months.
Hurrying to get ready Ryan jumped off his bed, took his harvester, and crawled into the hole. Outside he was greeted by a Big Daddy Rosie. Just by one look and he knew who this Big Daddy was however.
"Darren! I missed you." Ryan greeted.
Darren took him out of the hidey hole and gave him the best hug he could without hurting him.
"Darren, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but well..." Ryan trailed off, Darren just moaned in response and grabbed the Little Brother and set him on his shoulders before lumbering away. Ryan got the feeling Darren wanted to show him something, so he didn't ask anything further.
Smugglers Cove, 11:00am:
Reaching their destination Darren set Ryan on the floor and looked at the hidey hole next to him.
"Its a hidey hole... What's wrong with it?" Ryan asked, confused. Darren moaned and knocked on the hidey hole a few times before moaning again, this time more urgently. Ryan shrugged, maybe the Little Sister was a heavy sleeper or something? "I think you're being a bit paranoid. Maybe the Sister decided to sleep in?" Ryan rationalized. Darren moaned again. Picking the Brother up again he escorted him to every hidey hole in the Cove. By the last hole Ryan was getting worried. It was a coincidence if one or two Sisters decided to sleep in, but not all of them.
"Okay, I get your point but where could they have gone?" asked Ryan, Darren moaned and did what could generously be called a shrug. An idea popped into Ryan's head after a minute of thought. "Lets check the Arcadia. When it's a Sister's birthday they have a gathering there." Ryan thought aloud. Darren moaned and 'nodded' again
Climbing up the Big Daddy Ryan sat on his shoulders again as they made their way to the Arcadia.
Arcadia, 12:00 am:The first thing Ryan noticed about Arcadia was the air. It was heavier... harder to breath even. The next thing he noticed off was the grass and trees were no longer green, instead they were a sickly yellow color.
"Darren... what's going on?" Ryan whimpered a bit. His stomach churned, he had a bad feeling about this. Arcadia was silent. Dead silence. 'What's going on here?' Ryan thought, this was extremely strange... even for Rapture.
They checked up and down Arcadia. Nobody was there. No splicers, no Little Sisters... nothing
Suddenly there was a loud explosion. "What was that?" Ryan yelled. Darren's visor light switched to red and he got ready for a fight. Judging by the noise level and how far off it sounded Ryan guessed it came from the farmers market. It was a bad idea, but they followed the sound to the farmer market.
Near the stall that sold honey and honey related products was a man. He was fighting off a Big Daddy Bouncer who was protecting a Little Sister. The man was strange to Ryan. His skin color wasn't pale. He certainly didn't look like a splicer, he wasn't deformed, and his clothes were well kept.
He defeated the Bouncer while Ryan was analyzing him. The Little Sister collapsed and began to mourn the death of her Daddy. The man grabbed her-
Ryan couldn't watch any more and ran away and out of the Farmers Market as fast as he could. Darren following barely able to keep up with the Brother.
Back in the Arcadia Ryan started knocking on all of the hidey holes he could find, callingout the names of all of the Little Sisters he knew that lived there.
No Sisters came out however...
Stopping at the last hole Ryan began to whimper, sinking to the steps of the hidey hole Ryan began to cry there. Darren approached Ryan, kneeling down he patted the boy's back, trying to comfort him. Standing up slowly Ryan looked at Darren then it hit him, he had to stop this man. He had to stop him before he got all of the Little Sisters were gone.
But he couldn't go after him without knowing things about the man. He had to figure out who he was, why he was doing this, and where he was going.
He tried to remember who could help him. He wasn't very well like and the only person he talked to was... Sander Cohen! The man knew his gossip, maybe he had some information on this man?
Getting up Ryan promised "Don't worry Darren, We'll stop this man and avenge our Little Sisters."
Fort Frolic, 4:00pm:
Entering Fort Frolic Ryan called "Sander! I need your help!" And just like that the lights turned on, the same music and clapping sounds blared from the intercom.
Finally, Sander Cohen appeared. "Well, well... if it isn't my only trusted Disciple. I say, you seem mad today." He surmised.
"Because I am!" Ryan snapped.
"Calm down young grasshopper. Why don't you sit back, relax, enjoy my new sculpture... The Quadadich!" Sander declared proudly. He took Ryan's arm and began to pull him to the statue.
Ripping his arm out of his grip Ryan clenched his jaw. "I don't have time for this! The man you asked me to photograph is killing the Little Sisters! I need everything you know about him, now!" He demanded angrily.
"Tisk tisk, temper little one." Sander chided, amused.
Ryan felt his anger double when he suddenly realized something and calmed down. He smiled up at the man. "An artist you may be Sander, but you're also something else. What splicer is the most impressive looking? What would be the best kind of being an artist that wants to impress his audience be? You're a Houdini Splicer... aren't you? Luckily, I know how to negotiate with your kind. What do you say, Information... for Adam?" He pulled out two jars of Adam from his pants.
Sander's stopped looking amused instantly, his face changing to a more desperate, greedy expression. "Adam?" It seemed Sander couldn't control himself and he tried to snatch the jars from the Little Brother's hands. Darren growled and his drill started spinning slowly in warning, stopping the sculpture in his tracts though.
"Tisk tisk, patience Sander. Tell me what I want or I leave with the Adam, leaving you with nothing." Ryan grinned.
Sander licked his lips, "I-it just so happens that I have the information you require." He said.
"I'm all ears." Ryan grinned happily.
"The man you're looking for is called Jack Ryan" Sander said, handing Ryan a picture of the man he continued, "He's using the Adam gained from the Little Sisters to get plasmids to become more powerful so he can kill Andrew Ryan, he just passed through an hour ago. so my guess is that he's in Andrew Ryan industries by now." Sander explained.
"Thanks Sander, now I can-"
"Wait little grasshopper. There is more you should know." Sander said, interrupting Ryan, he motioned him to come closer, looking around he made sure no one was listening. Ryan had his doubts, but obeyed.
"Have you ever heard the term...would you kindly?" Sander whispered into Ryan's ear. Ryan's eyes shot open. that phrase. The one heard in his dreams. He shook his head, lying.
"That man is no man... he is a slave." Sander continued.
"Slave?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, a slave. A slave to that phrase. Whenever you say that with a command he will obey you" Sander whispered, this time even quieter.
"If he's a slave then who is he taking orders from?" Ryan asked again.
"I may be a Splicer, but i'm not stupid like most of my kind. Jack is taking orders from a liar who goes by the name of Atlas. But Atlas is not who he says he is, he's Fontaine. An evil man who will kill any who oppose him."
Ryan inhaled sharply sharply. He remember the man alright, from back when Diane took him to see him. The way he looked at him... the bad feeling he had. His instincts were right.
Ryan nodded and gave the jars Sander, who was more than happy to take the burden off his hands. "The best of luck to you little grasshopper. Though I don't think you will be able to beat this man... if you do succeed then I will paint a mural in your honor. The Hero of Rapture, I will call it." Sander offered before he left, mumbling happily to himself all the way.
Ryan though about what Sander said. Gathering his courage he left Fort frolic. He knew he had to face Jack and Fontaine. He had to. Not just for the Little Sisters, but for the Big Daddies too. They always protected him when he was in trouble, but now it was time for him to fight for them and their little ones. The only joy they had. The only reason they had to be alive. The only reason they have to be human, or to preserve what was left of their humanity...
To Be Continued...