Bioshock Infinite: Union
Chapter 10
-Elizabeth-
It is like a black fog on her mind. She can't see, she can't hear, she can't THINK.
She is just aware that she is.
It lasts for only for an instant and the black fog slowly fades away and the world fades in to replace it. She can see, hear and think again. Thinking is slow to start with, hard even. But gets easier as time passes.
She could remember something. A knight in shining armor? Like THAT made any of sense.
She is looking at a desk, off to one side was the cardboard box they got from Joe's Pizza. Looks like Booker was done eating already. How long had she been gone this time? He was looking through the messages from Atlas to Marks. What was he? Ah. He was looking for dates. The newest messages were probably the most important.
*Afternoon Booker.*
"Afternoon Elizabeth. Enjoy your nap?" he asked as he got out his pocket watch to look at the time. She had been gone nearly 45 minutes this time.
*The dead don't need to sleep Booker.*
"But you do."
Why won't he just accept that I'm dead? It will just hurt him more the longer he thinks I'm alive. Not really the time to talk about it now.
*Looks like you want to do some of the decoding first.*
"Figured the more we know what's going on, the better the plan. Sure you can do this?"
*Let me see the first page and I'll show you.*
Three hours later, they had most of the messages decoded and Booker was starting to go cross-eyed. He had been acting as her secretary as she did the decoding and in some ways she thought it had been harder for him than her. He had to be very exacting in following her instructions, what word to read and how fast to read and more. She wondered how many people would be so calm to have a dead person talking to them much less taking orders from one. Of course how many people would be calm about *being* dead.
Guess part of being a DeWitt was being adaptable.
The messages unfortunately gave them few clues to what was going on up in Rapture. She thought a newspaper would have been more informative, even a censored one. They did mention that Ryan's people were doing construction work inside the Fontaine's building up by Rapture, but other than that there was no information on it.
And they learned why Marks had been so determined to take over the store. Atlas wanted a distraction that would draw off some of the Ryan's security people. Or if possible, pull off a breakout. The messages Atlas sent to Marks seemed a lot more informal than the ones she had seen in the other building. Marks must have been fairly high up in Fontaine's organization.
And she had found out something about her current state. She had been able to decode the messages well enough, but it had harder than when she was alive. She could only concentrate on things for so long and her mind would start to wander. It was almost like she was a child again. If it got worse she would have to tell Booker, but for now she was able to deal with it.
Booker blinked several times and rubbed his eyes. "Think I need some time away. Never been much for paperwork. Want to take a walk?"
*Sure. Have any place in mind?* She could use the break as much as he did.
"Couple of the staircases on the first floor seemed to go down. Might be good to see how far. And take a look where that Big Daddy came from."
As they left the pharmacy the Big Daddy and the Little Sister where walking into the bakery turned batting cage. She noticed that the Bouncer smashed one of the balls flat with an armored foot as he followed the girl.
"That reminds me, the "baseball players" had a baseball signed by someone named "Babe Ruth" in with their valuables. Know the name?"
*No, but I didn't pay attention to sports. Who knows what splicers consider valuable.*
"Guess you're right."
*You play baseball?*
"No. Was thinking of taking Anna to game, but she would probably rather play than watch it."
As they descended to the first floor she noticed there a fairly large number of people around. A few of the shops that had been closed earlier were now open. People milled about, talked with each other and shopped. It would have almost seemed normal except for the ADAM sickness. Some of the splicers would be talking to no one, two were fighting for no apparent reason and one woman was dragging around an adult sized mannequin dressed as a young boy.
*These people have tried to keep their society functional down here. To what purpose?*
"Maybe they think Ryan will let them go back to Rapture."
*Good luck with that.*
They headed over to the Circus of Values where Booker stocked up on Health Kits, EVE and ammunition. Then he went over to the Gene Bank to look at it.
*Looking to upgrade?*
"Not yet, checking what's available. An upgrade for Bucking Bronco?"
*Suchong copied that one along with Possession and the others we have seen. Guess he didn't have time to copy a Murder of Crows, Ironsides or Undertow.*
"Ironsides? Don't recall that one."
*It seems to be a variation of Return to Sender. I found it on the First Lady in Columbia. It was better at catching bullets, but you can't toss them back at the enemy like you could with Return to Sender.*
"Any other Plasmids I should know about?"
'Huh! It was a lot easier getting him to say Plasmids than I thought it would be.'
*Peeping Tom was another one I used when I was in the other store. I could turn invisible and look through walls to see things and people. It would make it a lot easier for you to sneak around if we could find some. One Plasmid that many people are using is called "Teleportation". They disappear from one location and show up in another twenty or thirty feet away a second later. Some of the people Ryan sent after me when I turned him down used it. Fighting them… wasn't easy.*
"But you won." Booker said with a hint of pride.
*Yes I did, but I'm not proud of it.*
"You didn't let them beat you Elizabeth. Most people would have just given up and joined Ryan. You didn't. Something to be proud of."
*I guess.* 'Too damn stubborn to give up is what you mean.'
*Now, there are injectable versions of Vigors, such as Electro bolt, Incinerate and Winter Blast. With the war going on in Rapture, I imagine a lot of people are spliced up now. They certainly will have developed new Plasmids since I died, so you're going to have to be careful.*
As they had been talking, they had walked down to the double doors the Big Daddy had used the day before. Elizabeth noted that the splicers around tended to keep their distance from Booker as they had before.
Except one, and he seemed to be walking directly towards them. He was tall and more than a little overweight. He looked to be in his 40's and had dark hair starting to turn grey. The expensive suit he wore was a perfectly tailored and was accessorized with a top hat and cane.
*Would You Look At That.*
"First fat person I can recall seeing down here." Booker said under his breath.
*You don't trust fat people?*
"Not in a place where food is hard to get and they dress like that."
As the man approached, he put a jovial expression on his face and called out to Booker.
"Hello, there my good man. Might I have a word with you?"
"Don't see the harm." Booker said neutrally.
"Ah yes. I can see you are a man of intelligence Sir. I am Herbert Witherspoon, Esquire, at your service." he smiled broadly and took a small bow.
*Can this guy lay it on any thicker?* At first she had thought that he wasn't a splicer, but a closer look at him showed warped flesh on the man's neck and the back of his right hand.
"And what services can you provide Mr. Witherspoon?"
"Oh sir, a very wide range of services. I specialize in acquiring certain things that are, let us say rather difficult to get here at the moment. I also have time to time become aware of certain pieces of information that may prove to be very useful to a gentleman in your position."
*Smuggler and information broker. I wonder how much he sells to Ryan?*
"And where might I find you, If I am need of your services Mr. Witherspoon?"
"If you need to contact me just leave a message at Rafael's Suites. I believe you are familiar with the fine establishment."
*Booker, he's splicer, but isn't suffering much from ADAM sickness. Someone must be supplying him.*
"Yes, I am. Come to think of it, there may be something you can help me with. My original job is a bust, but there is someone down here I would like to meet."
"Ah, yes Sir. And what is the name of this fine individual?"
"Calls himself Booker DeWitt."
Witherspoon's pudgy face betrayed confusion for an instant before he recovered and a broad smile covered his face. "I don't recall hearing that name before, Sir. But, I Shall make some inquires. Might you have a description of this gentlemen?"
"Looks a lot like me I'm told," *Older and has white hair.* "but older and with white hair. You can leave a message at the Suit store if you find anything. We can talk about your fee when you have the information. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something I would like to take care of."
"Thank You for your time, Sir." he said as Booker turned away. "And if I may offer some Free Advice? Be careful down there. I wouldn't want to lose your business."
They walked through the double doors and into the wide corridor beyond. Booker stopped walking after the doors closed and examined the corridor ahead of them. Some of the lights were out, there was trash, old tools and clearing supplies left around. Puddles of water covered parts of the floor.
*So what are you planning to use Witherspoon for?*
"Feed bad information to Ryan's people. Couldn't trust anything I would get from him."
*That's what I thought when you said you were looking for Comstock. You caught him off guard and will be feeding Ryan's people bad information as well.*
"He knew who I was already, and don't think Clarice's people told him."
*How often do you do that sort of thing? Say something to catch people off guard like that.*
"Depends on the job. Can be helpful to catch people off guard or make them think I know more than I do."
*Sounds interesting.*
"Not really. Most of the time I'm talking to people who'd rather not to talk to me. I'm not exactly Sherlock Holmes."
*Sherlock who?*
"Humf. Comstock didn't allow his books into your tower. Sherlock Holmes is a popular fictional detective from England who uses 'deductive logic' to solve his cases. You'd probably like 'em."
'Booker reading detective stories? I have GOT to hear more about this.' *And why would a real detective be reading about a fictional detective?*Makes for a good cover. No one would think a real detective would be reading about a fictional one. Even got an idea or two from them."
*Well, I'll never get the chance to read them now. Let's get back to the real "case" we have.*
"Always on my mind."
–Booker–
It was hard to hear Elizabeth when she talked about things she missed in her life. So many things she was never able to do. But he didn't think it would be smart of him to push her too hard that she was not out of chances to do those things. He could tell her what he knew and she wouldn't think he was lying, but she wouldn't think he was right either.
He needed some kind of proof to back up what he would told her.
They started walking down the corridor and the difference in character struck him. This area was much plainer then the promenade on the other side of the doors. Painted concrete and unpolished metal dominated. There were electrical panels on the walls and cables running along the ceiling, some occasionally letting lose sparks or two.
The first room on the right had a stairway leading down to what looked like a workshop. But it was half filled with water from a large leak in the ceiling despite the best efforts of a pump in the room. The machinery was already badly rusted.
"Uh, Elizabeth. This place safe?"
*Probably not. Comstock said these building are sunk beyond their design specifications and it causes leaks and pipe breakage. Looks like the pumps are able to keep up, so I don't think there's any immediate danger. Saw a lot bigger leaks in the other stores, but they hadn't flooded.*
"All of Rapture leak like this?"
*I never saw anything, but there were rumors of problems in other parts of the city.*
"Best be shut of this place before something happens that the pumps can't keep up with."
They went just a short way further and found large room filled with strange equipment the likes he had never seen before. Flashing lights, rapid clicking sounds, reels of tape, keyboards and stacks of papers everywhere. The doors to the room had been ripped open by something. Booker walked into the room looking over everything.
*I think these are computers. They are machines that can't exactly think, but can carry out a very large number of complex orders and tasks.*
"Like the Patriots?"
*Yes, each Patriot certainly had some sort of computer in them. But I sure these are much better than those were.*
"Hope these don't have guns."
*They shouldn't, but there should be some sort of security in here.*
"There was." he said as found the remains of a security camera. It looked as if it had been ripped off its mountings. Next to it was the corpes of a man dressed in ragged cloths with an empty box strapped to his back. Looked like he had been beaten to death. On the floor a few feet away was an Audio Log.
Edith Butler: Have To Protect Myself.
December 29, 1958
He wouldn't stop hurting me, so I MADE him stop. I not going let them do it to me anymore. Found a stash of Tonics. Made myself Strong. Going to hurt THEM now! Let's see how they like being on the receiving end. Going to go find more. Get stronger.
*I can understand how she feels, being helpless.*
"Everyone is helpless at some time Elizabeth."
*I have a hard time seeing you being helpless Booker.*
"I couldn't stop Ryan's men from taking Anna, Songbird tossed me around like a ragdoll and my …. let's say I know how it feels as much as anyone else."
*I guess you do. I wonder where she found those Tonics? Seems an unlikely place for them.*
"About as unlikely as finding an Infusion in filing cabinet?"
*Point.*
As they had talked, he had been searching the room but had only found a few dollars and a bottle of Hop Up Cola. The only place they had yet to search was a room with heavy glass windows that overlooked the computer room from above.
*You actually like the taste of that Hop Up stuff?* Elizabeth asked as he climbed the stairs.
"Not really, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Right side first?"
*Why not?* *By the way, why do you ask me about things like that anyway? It's not like I have any choice in the matter.*
"Since you can't do anything on your own right now, thought you should a little say in what I do."
*Thank you.*
"You're welcome." He couldn't help but smile a little. Something so simple could make this place seem a little brighter.
There were three desks in this part of the room, one of which had something Elizabeth called a terminal built into it. He found one creme-filled cake, an Octo Vitamin Pep Bar, five dollars and a pack of cigarettes. Absent mindedly he tossed the cigarettes into a nearby trash can and moved on to an alcove at the far end of the room.
*You don't smoke anymore?* Elizabeth asked sounding slightly surprised.
"No, quit. Found out that it made Anna cough. Damn hard to do it too. Never realized how addictive they are." "And what do have we here?"
In the alcove was a large wall mounted safe with a combination lock.
*When she gets older, can you make sure she doesn't pick up the habit. Please?* Did she sound a little embarrassed?
"Had planned on it. Any idea's on the safe?"
*Other than hoping someone wrote the combination down someplace or we can find a Hack Tool, none.*
"Hack Tool?"
*Something I heard about. It's some kind of tool that can open locks and reprogram or "hack" into vending machines to lower the prices. You might even be able to reprogram the security systems with one.*
"Sounds like I should get one of those."
*They seemed to be rather rare. If there are any here, they would probably be in the maintenance department.*
"Let's see what else is up here."
They searched the other half of the room and found a few shotgun shells and a dusty Audio Log.
William Pickering: The System
July 17, 1957
Mr. Fontaine wanted his own computers running his businesses and in his research labs. Didn't cotton to the idea that someone else could see what he was doing. So he brought me in to design and build them for him. And I did.
Then I saw some.. things. Things I didn't like. I tried to break my contract, leave. But Fontaine had his people all over me, no way out.
Now I'm part of the system that runs this place as much as any of my computers are.
"No combination here. Guess we better move on."
They had just finished walking down the stairs when they heard voices from down the corridor.
"You sure he's in here?" a thin whiny man's voice asked.
Another deeper male voice responded. "Yeah, I'm sure."
"I don't like it here. There's water, dirty water. I don't like dirty water." a woman complained.
"Heh, you don't like clean water very much either. Don't worry, we get this guy and we're gonna be Rich!" The whiny voice said.
"Shut up both of you. He'll hear you." The deeper voice responded.
*A little late for that.*
While they had been talking in the corridor, he had quietly taken up a position behind the racks of computers opposite the door. It was a bottleneck and he should be able to hit at least two of them at once with the shotgun as they walked through the door.
"In here?" the woman asked to a stage whisper.
"No, he's supposed to be further in." the deeper voice replied.
The footsteps of the three passed the door to the computer room and continued down the corridor.
He carefully made his way to broken doors after a few moments had passed and took a quick look outside. He was able to catch a glimpse of the three as they turned a corner to the left further down. They could just hear the one with the deeper voice say "Off this way", but nothing after that.
*They weren't after us. Rather an odd feeling actually.*
"Guess it's a reminder that not everything is about us."
*I wonder who they are looking for?*
"Not our business. Let's see what else is around here."
They slowly walked down the corridor and took a right down a smaller branching corridor the trio had ignored. They came to a door that had the label of "Break Room". Booker opened the door to find a small area filled with cheap looking tables and chairs. On the tables where magazines, paper's, ashtrays and battered plates with spoiled food on them. Posters for Fontaine products and "employee reminders" covered the walls. Someone had managed to get a "Who is Atlas?" poster in there though. Along one wall were several vending machines and a Circus of Values. In front of the one of the vending machines was a body.
As they approached, Booker could see this one was different than others. He was on his back and his hands were out in front of him frozen in claw like pose. His face looked as if it had been burned, but there was little fire damage to his cloths.
*This is.. odd.*
"He's burned, but not his clothes."
"Electricity can cause burns, but it would take a lot power to do it.*
"Shock Jockey?"
*No, more than Shock Jockey can produce.*
"Must have been killed someplace else and moved here." Booker did a quick search, but found nothing. The room itself surrendered only a pep bar, a steel flask and some bandages. Booker opened the flask, took a sniff of its contents and shook his head.
"Don't think I would have drunk that even when I was still drinking." He said as he put the flask on a table.
After that they went over to the Circus of Values where Booker looked over the contents and prices for a moment.
*What are you thinking Booker?* Elizabeth asked in a slightly suspicious tone.
"Just wondering what Bypass would do to one of these."
*Well, the papers you found did say that it would work on them. Might as well try now.*
A moment later the Circus of Values was surrounded by bright blue flames and he checked the prices again. They had dropped from what they had been before by a significant margin. And to his surprise a new selection for Machine Gun ammo had appeared.
*That worked better than I expected.*
"Odd that Machine Gun ammo isn't listed unless you hack it."
*There is probably some security of some sort that allows only authorized people to see it.*
"Atlas's people could be getting ammunition from these machines that Ryan's people can't. Or the other way around. Let's see what else is about."
They left the Break Room and found that the side corridor they had taken looped around to the main corridor again. Ahead of them was the corridor the trio of splicers taken. Booker glanced back up the corridor to the computer room and saw that there was a door they had not investigated. Another door to their right was blocked off by a metal gate.
"Better backtrack a bit."
*Don't want to leave anything behind?*
"Don't like the idea of someone being behind me."
They walked back to the door and found it locked. Through the window they could see several computers that had been taken apart and what looked to be repair equipment.
"Doesn't seem to be a way in."
*There's an air vent, looks like it leads to the Computer Room next door.*
"You could fit through that Elizabeth, I'm a little too big."
*Sorry. Guess I got use to crawling through vents.*
"Don't think there is anything in there anyway."
They headed back down the corridor and followed the path the three splicers had taken earlier. The corridor only went about fifteen feet and made a turn to the right. Only half the lights worked in this section and it was rather dark. They found a closet that stored cleaning supplies, but it contained nothing of use to them.
The next room looked like it had been a classroom or something similar. It was hard to tell as there had been a fight in the room. Tables and chairs had been thrown around enough force to break them and damage the walls. One table was actually partially embedded in a wall. The body of a very large man dressed in ragged clothes lay at the other end of the room.
*Never heard of a Tonic or Plasmid that could do something like this.*
"Whoever did this is a lot stronger than I am."
As they walked towards the body Booker realized he had been wrong. It wasn't man, but a woman, a horribly distorted woman. Her arms were nearly as thick as his upper leg and her face looked closer to that of an ape. One of her hands was much larger than the other and her legs didn't seem to be the same length. Like the body they found earlier she had been badly burned, but the remains her clothes only had a few scorch marks on them.
"Now we know who did all this."
*The way she is.. changed is like nothing I heard of. I don't think this is from ADAM sickness Booker. This could be the results of some formula that didn't work as intended.*
"What worries me is what or who she was throwing everything at."
*And whatever killed her, also killed the other one.*
A few moments of searching turned up an Audio Log. The voice on it low guttural. Was hard to tell it was a woman.
Edith Butler: I Strong.
January 18, 1959
Not going to push me out. My home now. I strong. Stronger than him. Can beat him. I Strong. I STRONG!
*Whatever she was using did more than just add muscle, it seemed to have caused her mind to degenerate.*
"Think now would be a good time to leave. I didn't come down here looking for a fight."
*You'll get no argument from me.*
As they walked to the door of the room, they heard the sounds of gunfire.
Then the screaming started.
End Chapter 10