July 1965

Jack and Julie's relationship was mended from that point on and Jack shared his story with Franklin as well. However because Red Pawn was still out there, just waiting for Franklin to reveal what he found to the other Pawns they decided to keep it secret. Jack continued writing and eventually finished his book. However due to the threat of the Red Pawn, he decided to hold off on submitting it for publication and locked the edited, typed, and finished final draft in his safe with his guns, ammunition, and remaining EVE hypos.

Ryan Vendors Inc. grew so large in the five years since its creation that they had expanded to nearly the entire eastern seaboard. They were producing the Circus of Values machines from scratch now, having bought out the company that manufactured the old cigarette machines. They now had a brand new corporate office building downtown, the Andrew Ryan Memorial Building, and then restored and expanded the entire old school building into a newer, larger, and finer school since they got the original vending machine factory in the buyout. Jack was particularly pleased in that he didn't have to fire a single person during the buyout; in fact he had to hire more people. Jack raised his salary just so it dealt with his taxes and any essential goods plus about an thousand extra a month for any extras.

Jack and Julie's relationship had blossomed back into a full romance, although there were still some trust issues to work out. What started out as simply an intended friendship eventually turned into a mutual love for the other after only a year. Soon the rumor mills began spinning that North Carolina's "most eligible bachelor" would tie the knot with Julie but there really wasn't that much truth to the rumors.

The girls were now eleven years old and in middle school. Becky had gained a fondness for music and theater while making excellent grades in writing and English. Suzy was excelling in writing and history. Brigid, like her namesake, excelled in math and science with a particular interest in biology. Masha was the athlete of the group, excelling in gym and physical education. Amy however was the rebel of them but maintained good grades until recently, a fact which concerned Jack, Tenenbaum, and even Julie. Jack sat in his chair at home, reading Amy's latest report card. Straight Cs except for one B in math. Jack lowered the report card and gave the brunette standing before him a concerned look.

"Why, Amy? What's the problem?" Jack asked. He was looking even more like Andrew Ryan now but his voice was still the same. Tenenbaum sat in a wooden rocking chair in the corner that was once the girl's drawing table. The other girls were all outside with Julie in the garden.

"Nothing's the matter, dad." Amy mumbled.

"Something's definitely wrong, Amy. You haven't made a C sense that one report card in the third grade. Now you're making them repeatedly. If there's something wrong you can tell me, Amy. I'm your father; I can help make it right." Jack said as Amy looked at the floor.

"Nothing's wrong, dad." Amy said.

"Then why can't you look me in the eye and tell me?" Jack asked. Julie had taught him to read people for deception.

"Because you'll get mad at me." Amy replied.

"Now why would I be mad at you? Amy, there's nothing to be ashamed of. If you're having problems, there's no shame in admitting you need help. Do you think that I don't ask for help?" Jack asked as Amy nodded.

"You don't need help with anything. You're a genius and you're good at everything." Amy said as Jack shook his head.

"You're wrong, Amy. I need as much help as the next guy. Ask me a history question, Amy. Go ahead, ask me." Jack said as Amy shrugged and thought.

"Who built the panama canal?" She asked as Jack furrowed his brow. He genuinely didn't know the answer.

"I don't know. Who built the panama canal?" Jack asked. Amy scoffed.

"Come on, dad, don't play dumb." Amy groaned.

"I'm serious. The only history I know at all is the history of where the both of us were born. I only know the history of Rapture. I know some basic history tidbits like, George Washington was the first president of the United States. That Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. That Sputnik is the first manmade object in space. There is so much that I don't know about the world that you have the opportunity to learn in my stead. Just because I can use a wrench or run a business, doesn't mean that I'm perfect." Jack said as Amy sighed. Jack then lifted her chin, to look at him as he gave her a warm smile.

"There is no perfect man on this earth, no not even one. It's in God's bible. Man makes mistakes, and if man does not learn from these mistakes, then the great chain slips in our grasp. Andrew Ryan, my father, said that." Jack said.

"I thought you hated your father?" Amy asked curiously.

"I don't like what he became. I never had a chance to know him but he is my father and he was an intelligent man. For that, I respect him." Jack said as Amy looked convinced.

"But what about my grades?" Amy asked as Jack smiled.

"You have me, Doctor Tenenbaum, Miss Julie, and even your sisters who can help you when you need it. You need only ask." Jack said.

"Well, alright then." Amy said as Jack smiled and kissed her on the forehead before letting her go. Amy walked out the door where both the Hard Hat diving suit and the Rosie Big Daddy diving suit stood on either side of the door. Julie passed her by on her way in.

"What was that about?" Julie asked, taking off a pair of gardening gloves.

"Oh we were just having a chat about her grades. I think she's going to try and do better." Jack said as he stood up and kissed Julie on the lips.

"What did she say was wrong?" Julie asked as Jack paused for a moment and then scowled.

"Oh that girl is an excellent tap dancer. She managed to sideline my question to what the problem is." Jack said as Tenenbaum burst out laughing.

"I was wondering if you would notice!" Tenenbaum cackled.

"Lousy-know-it-all-kraut." Jack mumbled under his breath as Julie chuckled.

"Well, good news for you then. I managed to find out what it is." Julie said as she sat down on the couch.

"Really? How?" Jack asked curiously.

"Well, while you talked with Amy, I talked with the other girls and they said that the reason she's getting those grades is that she doesn't pay any attention in her classes except for Math." Julie said as Jack arched an eyebrow.

"Really? Did they say why?" Jack asked as Julie smiled gleefully.

"Mmm-hmm, it's because of a certain student who happens to be in every class but math. A student named Richard Felder." Julie said as Jack and Tenenbaum looked at each other for a moment and then both let out an understanding…

"Ohhhhhhhhhh! A boy!" They both said in unison.

"So that explains it. She's got herself a crush on a boy! That makes perfect sense." Jack said with a laugh.

"Ah, young love." Tenenbaum said as Jack froze.

"Wait a sec…a boy? Oi just when I thought our troubles were over." Jack grumbled as he covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head.

"Why? What's wrong with Amy having a crush on a boy?" Julie asked, confused.

"Herr Ryan is probably assuming that this is going to bring up the issue of Rapture again." Tenenbaum said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well think about it. The boy and Amy start getting close and he eventually he learns that she's not from around here. If he learns that, then he might ask where she's from. She might slip up and say Rapture." Jack said.

"Herr Ryan, you're over complicating the situation. You also lack faith in your own daughter. From what I can tell, the girls understand now that Rapture is a closely guarded secret and that they would never divulge such a secret." Tenenbaum said as Julie nodded in agreement.

"I agree with Dr. Tenenbaum, Jack. The girls are by no means, stupid. They're very intelligent and surprisingly mature for their age-…" Julie said but was interrupted by Tenenbaum.

"That's probably a side effect of all the ADAM they've ingested." Tenenbaum said as Jack rolled his eyes.

"Rapture's best and brightest men and women, hooked on ADAM, die, have the ADAM extracted from them and ingested by the Little Sisters. And since ADAM contains the memories of the people it's extracted from, it seems only natural that their intelligence gets carried along as well." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded.

"Looks like all that time wandering through Rapture and listening to all those diaries paid off." Tenenbaum said with a chuckle.

"Not to mention the fact that I occasionally glance at your notes." Jack said, earning a glare from Julie.

"Jack, you read her diary?" Julie asked, her arms crossed. Tenenbaum simply laughed.

"Well, normally I would be offended by the notion, but considering I did give Herr Ryan leave to read my notes on ADAM research…eh, not so much." Tenenbaum chuckled again, causing Julie to blush from embarrassment.

"I think I jumped the gun again, didn't I?" Julie asked sheepishly.

"Just a little." Jack laughed as he headed for the kitchen, leaving Tenenbaum and Julie alone in the den.

"So…hey what did you mean by "listening to all those diaries?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum leaned back in her chair.

"Oh those? Well in Rapture we had audio devices that allowed us to record voices or sounds as audio diaries or messages for other people. Accu-Vox brand audio recorders. Hmph, a subsidiary of Fontaine Futuristics. Herr Ryan has all of the diaries he collected in Rapture in his room." Tenenbaum explained.

"Really? I'd like to hear those someday. I know my father would too." Julie said as Tenenbaum shrugged.

"You would have to speak with Herr Ryan about that." Tenenbaum said as Jack walked back in with a tray in hand and three cups of coffee on it.

"The Audio Diaries? Sure, just as long as they don't leave the house." Jack said as the women each took a cup off the tray, leaving one left for Jack who took his and headed out towards the front door.

"Well there's your answer." Tenenbaum said as Julie sat down in Jack's chair.

"So tell me, and this is just my own curiosity, but what exactly happened to all of the girls that became Little Sisters?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum gave a sad sigh.

"Well, most of them left with me and went to the surface. I spent the first three months trying to find orphanages for them where they would be taken in. The others…(Sigh) I don't even want to think about it. It pains me to think of what might have happened to all of the little ones who were never rescued and what's happened to them. I even wonder about what will happen to them as they grow older with all that ADAM in their systems. It's a little…concerning." Tenenbaum said with a furrowed brow as she glanced at a photograph on the wall of her, Jack, and the girls outside the house.

"Well surely nothing will happen to Jack's girls right? The ADAM slugs are dead so they don't produce nearly as much ADAM anymore right?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum nodded.

"Perhaps but, I still wonder." Tenenbaum said as she continued rocking in her chair in thought. Their silence was interrupted by a commotion outside. They quickly scrambled to the door, opened it and saw one of the girls, Masha, lying on the ground in the fetal position with her hands on her head, convulsing while screaming in agony. The other girls were hiding behind Jack in fear of what was happening to their sister.

"What in the-?" Julie asked as she attempted to intervene but Jack stopped her.

"STAY BACK!" He ordered. Julie was about to argue but then she saw why. Masha's hands were glowing as if on fire.

"It's the left over plasmids, they're spontaneously activating!" Tenenbaum said as Jack took out a small syringe full of EVE and injected himself, feeling a small bite from his own plasmids and tonics reactivating. He quickly ran towards Masha, scooped her up in his arms, and hurried to the fenced in backyard. The girls, Julie, and Tenenbaum followed after them, Tenenbaum running into the house to fetch her medical bag and an extra EVE Hypo just in case. Jack in the meantime, set a still screaming Masha down on the grass in the middle of the yard.

"Masha, hang on, we're going to find out what's happening!" Jack exclaimed as Masha grabbed his arm, the flames from an Incinerate, lightly singeing the hair on his arms, but luckily he had Armored Shell that protected him. He also had the presence of mind to roll up his shirt sleeves.

"Daddy! I'm scared! What's happening to me?" Masha asked tearfully as she stopped convulsing for a moment.

"We're going to find out honey." Jack said as Tenenbaum burst out the back door.

"Doc, any ideas?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum dropped to her knees.

"I have a theory! I think the ADAM in her system is having a negative reaction from the hormones in her body!" Tenenbaum replied as she filled a syringe with a tranquilizer.

"How is that having an effect?" Jack asked confused.

"Puberty Herr Ryan! Her hormones are causing the otherwise dormant plasmids and tonics in her body to activate!" Tenenbaum explained. Before Jack could ask another question, Masha convulsed and let out an ear splitting shriek that sounded inhuman. The shriek caused the syringe in Tenenbaum's hand to shatter and the windows on the house to crack. Tenenbaum scrambled to find another syringe and quickly filled it with the tranquilizer again.

"But where would she get the plasmids and tonics in the first place?" Jack asked as he held her down long enough for Tenenbaum to inject the tranquilizer. Masha gasped in shock for a moment before falling unconscious.

"I'm sorry, say what?" Tenenbaum asked. Jack looked at her confused for a moment then signed to her his previous question.

"Ach! The shrieking deafened us! That's what happened!" Tenenbaum shouted as both she and Jack started messing with their ears to try and regain their hearing.

"I asked where she got the plasmids and tonics!" Jack signed to her.

"The ADAM she ingested as a Little Sister. All leftovers from the Civil War I believe." Tenenbaum signed back.

"Let's just hope the neighbors didn't hear anything." Julie mumbled.

"But look at what she did to the windows." Suzy said as she pointed at the house.

"Masha, please be alright." Rebecca whispered.

They had all gone inside immediately following the incident and Jack, Julie, and the other four girls were waiting in the Den as Tenenbaum gave Masha an examination in her room. Fortunately they didn't have to worry about the police since no one had called to report anything. Finally Tenenbaum emerged from the back, removing a pair of rubber gloves.

"Well I've managed to confirm our initial suspicions. It's all the ADAM in her system. It seems that she has begun puberty and the race of hormones caused an increase in her natural ADAM production which resulted in the plasmids and tonics to suddenly regain their potency all at the same time. I've sedated her at the moment and that's about all I can do." Tenenbaum explained.

"So the girls will all go through this once they hit puberty?" Jack asked, causing the girls to look at each other with worry.

"I believe it's very likely. I've never seen this before so I'm not sure of what we're dealing with. If only I was still in Rapture, then I could monitor them in a proper setting with state-of-the-art equipment. But I'll make do with what we have." Tenenbaum said as Jack rose from his chair.

"Tell me what you need, Doctor. I'll spare no expense to make sure you have what you need." Jack said but Tenenbaum shook her head.

"There's nothing that I need that we don't already have. I'm not worried about the girls here since they've been rescued from their curse. It's the little ones still in Rapture I worry about now. If this was an example of what happens when a former Little Sister hits puberty, then I fear for what's left of Rapture what would happen when the little ones who haven't been rescued hit puberty." Tenenbaum said with a shudder.

"Little Sister becomes a Big Sister." Jack said as he absently started twirling the syringe with a small amount of EVE in it between his fingers.

"I just hope they remain trapped in Rapture then. Maybe they'll do us all a favor and destroy it." Julie said.

"We can only hope." Jack said as he leaned back in thought.

"I just had a bad thought, daddy." Brigid said, earning the attention of the adults.

"What is it, Brigid?" Jack asked.

"What if…one of us has that happen…and we're at school?" Brigid asked, causing the three adults to pause.

"You know she's right. If that happens and another person sees them using the plasmids, then there would be people snooping into our business like you wouldn't believe." Jack said with a sigh.

"But what can we do? We can't just keep them home every day." Tenenbaum said.

"Well…actually, there is an alternative." Julie said, earning everyone's attention.

"There is?" Jack asked curiously.

"Homeschooling. They can be taught at home, in private, away from prying eyes." Julie said as Jack and Tenenbaum looked at each other.

"I'm not sure. First where would we find a teacher willing to do that for us? I can't do it, what with Ryan Vendors and all. Tenenbaum might be able to do it but-…" Jack said but was interrupted.

"Jack! I'm a teacher and I'm willing to do it!" Julie said, pointing to herself with both hands.

"And I'm not incompetent, Herr Ryan. I am a scientist and a doctor. I may have to leave Ryan Vendors but doing so would mean I'm on hand to care for the little ones when or if they have a similar episode." Tenenbaum said as Jack turned to Julie.

"What about your job? How will you explain your sudden absence?" Jack asked.

"I can simply say that…I got a better offer." Julie said as she moved in closer towards him and kissed him on the cheek.

"You think you can handle them?" He asked with a smile.

"Oh I think I can. I might not have ADAM in my system or know much about Rapture, but I can certainly do that." Julie said before Jack turned towards the girls.

"What about you? Do you think you could handle this?" Jack asked as he knelt down before them on one knee. The girls looked at each other for a moment before nodding.

"We might not get to see our friends at school for a long time, but we'll survive." Rebecca said with a sigh.

"We're a family, and we know how important it is to you that we don't tell anyone about Rapture." Suzy added.

"We'll do our best, daddy." Brigid added.

"You can count on us." Amy said with a smile.

"Alright. Then I'm going to count on you girls. Masha too. I hate having to take you away from your friends but, please understand that, I'm doing this to protect not just ourselves, but others as well." Jack said as the girls nodded in unison.

"We understand Daddy." Rebecca said before the girls instinctively gave Jack a big group hug.

"Fraulein Stein, I hope you know what you're getting into." Tenenbaum chuckled as Julie smiled and replied…

"My eyes are wide open, Dr. Tenenbaum. They're wide open and I'm not afraid. In fact I feel like this is the easiest decision I've ever made."


End Chapter 11.