November 14th, 1959, as the light dimmed and Frank's vision settled, he found himself unable to process what was in front of him due to the rotten, rancid, foul odor of death that filled that air, causing him to regurgitate his dinner from the day before. After spitting out excess vomit, Frank looked up and took in his surroundings, it appeared to be what was once a fancy restaurant, like something out of the 1950's. It was hard to tell though, with the dim flickering lights and all the debris and muck scattered about. Frank looked out a nearby window, he couldn't believe it. It looked like something out of a painting, but it was real. Fish and other sea life swam by skyscrapers built and sustained, all the way on the ocean floor. An entire city at the bottom of the ocean; it was like Atlantis itself. Frank tried to calm himself, he was only in Rapture for less than a minute and already he began to regret his decision, but there was no turning back, and that got him thinking.
Frank remembered how his first day in Dunwall turned out, with him in prison, something told him he wouldn't be so lucky if he ventured around Rapture and had no way to get home, people in this city were more enticed with their own version of the death penalty than an actual justice system. He decided the best thing to do was stay put and wait for Todd to finish charging. It looked as if no one had been inside the restaurant for a while. If he could keep his head down and hide out, he figured he would be safe. Frank looked around and spotted a janitors closet, he walked over to it, his feet splashing with each step on the soaked floor, it wasn't a surprise water was coming in.
Inside the closet, Frank settled in and took a seat on the ground. He looked over and saw a dusty radio on a shelf, maybe some music could help with his mood, given the situation he was in. Flipping it on, he was treated to the sound of static, so he fiddled with the dials until the sound came in clearly. A song was starting, and a woman's voice came out of the speakers to the strum of a guitar.
"See the Pyramids along the Nile. Watch the sunrise from a tropic isle. Just remember, darling all the while. You belong to me"
Frank recognized the voice; it was Elizabeth.
"See the marketplace in old Algiers. Send me photographs and souvenirs. Just remember, when a dream appears. You belong to…"
Before the song could continue, Frank grabbed the radio and threw it against the wall, smashing it to pieces. Frank sat in silence for a few seconds, until he could no longer hold back his pain as he buried his face in his hands and wept. The radio served as a cruel reminder of why he was in Rapture, it also reminded him that Elizabeth was gone, long gone; living her life happily without him.
Hours had gone by, the only reason Frank knew that was because Todd continued to inform him. He wished he hadn't destroyed the radio out of frustration, he could've been listening to some oldies to pass the time. He decided to occupy what time he had to formulate a plan in case things went south. It took some time, not like he had anything better to do, but he was able to construct something that might help get him out of a bind. He also found an empty pistol, could be useful for intimidation. More time passed, almost a full day, he tried to sleep but his nerves were too rattled. So he waited, and waited, and waited, he waited for hours until finally, he lost his patience and decided to head out. He figured that by the time he arrived at Atlas' location, Todd will have finished charging.
November 15th, 1959, Frank walked for what felt like days, even though it had only been several hours since he decided to step out and make his way to Atlas. Occasionally, he found himself gawking at the dimly lit skyscrapers, they were visible through the indestructible glass that stretched from ceiling to floor of the massive corridors, Rapture was truly a sight to take in. The fact that one man could be ambitious enough to use his vast wealth to construct an entire city underwater. It was astounding, but it was also horrifying. The art deco foundation was crumbling right in front of his eyes, and the occasional dead body he walked past made me dry heave. When the sickness passed, he would feel overwhelming sadness, he couldn't stop thinking about the dead. They were alive once, they were people, people with dreams, people with aspirations and work ethic, people who were probably desperate to see the fruits of their labor grow. So what did they do, they turned towards a city that was not just outside of societies norm, but outside their radar. Sure, a lot of them were selfish, maybe even worse, but some of them were probably good, in some ways. And now this was their legacy, a legacy no one would know. They were nothing more than bodies filling up a graveyard that was once a thriving city. Maybe in time, when Rapture fully crumbled and the world knew of its existence, maybe then people would dig up these lost souls, find out more about who they were and what they wanted, maybe then they would be remembered and talked about.
As Frank's thoughts centered around legacy, he began to think about his own legacy. If something happened to him down in Rapture, that would be it, no one would know who he was, he would just be another body amongst others. His legacy might live on, but not in Rapture. There was Dunwall, where he made his share of friends as well as enemies. Emily would make sure he was remembered, maybe, hopefully, but doubtful. Frank imagined he would most likely wind up as a passing thought for years to come; even to those he supposedly helped.
Frank had arrived at his destination, Hestia Chambers. Looking up, he saw a massive sign above him, Fontaine's Center for the Poor, Atlas' headquarters were just up ahead. He should have felt a sense of relief, but it was only more nerve-racking knowing who he was going to confront. Right as he was about to press on, a figure stepped out of the shadows and started walking towards him. It was a woman, wearing a bunny masquerade mask, and a bloody tattered white dress. She was wielding a sharp knife, also covered in blood. Her smile revealed missing teeth, and the ones she still had were rotting. Her blonde hair was matted and had bald patches, and only her right blue eye was visible through the mask hole, the other appeared dark.
"My my my, what's a handsome man like you doing around here"
The woman spoke to Frank in a grizzled voice, he was frozen unable to speak or move. This caused the woman to be visibly upset, as her smile turned into a frown.
"Oh, you think your too good for me do ya? Is that it? Well…DO YA!?"
The woman screamed, and Frank managed to snap out of it long enough to talk to her.
"No no no no no that's, that's, that's not, that's not it, it, I…"
Frank tried to talk, but his fear overwhelmed him, as the woman started crying out of her visible eye.
"Ya know, I came down to Rapture to be an actress, a star. Andrew Ryan said I had it all. Talent, beauty, ample bosom, a can that could turn heads, legs for days…but that ain't enough for you, is it? Is it?…IS IT!?""
The woman held her knife up in a threatening manner and began to approach Frank, he needed to think fast. There was no time for Todd to figure out who she was, not like that would matter. She was clearly unrecognizable from however she originally looked, thanks to the ADAM abuse. Finally, Frank's brain switched back on as he tried to talk his way out of getting killed.
"I'm shy around girls!"
The woman stopped and stared at Frank in confusion.
"Yeah, yeah. It's so hard for, for me to, to, to talk to girls…especially ones that are…so…so pretty…pretty like you…I get so…so shy"
A smile grew on the woman's face as she walked up to Frank, exaggerating her hips with each step. When she was face to face with him, she started caressing his arms and chest. Almost as if she was trying to be seductive, for lack of a better word.
"Awww aren't you a little cutie"
The woman removed her mask, underneath was truly a horrifying and unpleasant sight to take in. Her left eye was missing, along with her nose, and her skin was leathery and crusty. Frank tried not to look disgusted or terrified as he pretended to be enticed by the creature in front of him.
"Ya know darling, normally you'd have to buy me a few drinks before I let ya have some sugar, but I'll let ya have it on the house"
The woman leaned in, pushing her tongue into Frank's mouth as she started kissing him. Her breath was rancid, Frank could feel it almost burning the back of his throat. He fought desperately to hold back from crying and gagging, he wanted more than anything to push the woman away. But he couldn't, he didn't want to freak her out. It wasn't worth dying over, not after coming this far. When the woman was finished, she looked at Frank with a massive smile as she let out a wheezed laugh.
"By the way, my names Emily, take care sweetheart"
The woman named Emily put her mask back on and pranced off, singing and laughing to herself.
Tears ran down Frank's eyes, but no sobbing followed it, just a shocked expression frozen on his face as he wept internally. Not just over what happened, but the woman herself. To see the look in her eye, and know that the original person behind that hideous face was gone, probably had been gone for a long time. It's just as Frank thought to himself, she was probably a decent person at one point, a person with a dream; now stuck in a perpetual nightmare.
Frank went up several flights of stairs, till he reached the front of Atlas' headquarters. A man with a masquerade mask stood at the doorway. After what had happened, it was almost impossible for Frank to cover his nerves, he hoped maybe Atlas' resistance would be desperate enough to take anyone.
"Hi, uh, I uh, I…I'm here to see Atlas uh, I…I wanna, I wanna join the, you know, cause"
The man stared dead-eyed at Frank, before opening the door and letting him in. As Frank stepped in, the door slammed shut behind him, so he took a second to whisper to Todd about his charging progress.
"Todd, how much time do we have till we can leave"
"Thirty minutes, but it's not too late to turn back"
"What are you talking about?"
Frank was confused over what Todd was saying.
"You don't have to do this. You can turn around and walk away, and we can leave when I'm ready. It's not too late Frank"
Frank paused for a second, maybe Todd was right, maybe it wasn't too late. But what else could he do? Jump from world to world, destined to be alone, and pretend like he was happy with it? No, this was all he had left, and he was going to see it through to the end.
"No; I'm finishing this"
Stepping in, Frank got a good look at the place. It was completely dilapidated, it looked like the foundation would give away any second and the roof would come down on him. Wallpaper was peeling off the walls, and there were papers and Who is Atlas? posters were strewn about, most likely pumped out from the rusted printing presses nearby. Frank's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of footsteps coming up a nearby stairwell, it was him; Atlas.
Atlas wore slacks with suspenders and a worn dress shirt. He was rugged, but a good-looking man, with blue eyes, brown hair, and a five o clock shadow. But it was just a mask, a mask made of recycled skin from surgery. Before plastic surgery, he was bald with a goatee, his features vastly different from the appearance he took on now. In reality, he was Frank Fontaine, master criminal and the reason for Raptures downfall. He spoke to Frank in an Irish accent, although there wasn't a hint of enthusiasm in his voice.
"Hi there, you new? Everyone's downstairs, we're short on manpower, come on"
As Atlas turned around to walk back downstairs, Frank stood there, speechless, frozen, his whole body had shut down. Atlas saw from the stairway that Frank was still standing where he was. He came back up and started walking towards him, a perplexed look in his eye over the new recruit.
"Are you deaf son? Or are you waiting for a written invitation? I said come downstairs, now"
Frank snapped out of it, his brain kicked into gear as he pulled his gun out and pointed it at Atlas.
"STOP!"
Frank screamed at Atlas, stopping him dead in his tracks, a look of surprise across his face.
"You, I, we, I, uh…you, come with me!"
Frank blurted out broken words as he stammered, the heavy gun shaking in his hand. He could tell Atlas wasn't afraid, he could see it in his eyes, it was obvious to him that he had never even held a gun until now. Atlas started making his way towards Frank as he kept the gun pointed at him and attempted to stand his ground.
"Stop! I said stop! I'll, I'll, I'll…"
Atlas grabbed Frank and disarmed him of his weapon. He observed it for a bit, before pointing it at Frank. He pulled the trigger, click. He looked at the gun in confusion before opening the chamber, revealing it to be empty; now he was angry.
Atlas threw Frank's gun aside and pulled out his own. BANG! The gunshot rang out loud, sending a bullet straight into Frank's in his right arm, which sent him flying backward. Adrenaline kicked in and Frank was on his feet, bolting for the door while dodging gunfire. Frank forced the door open and shoved the guard aside as he bolted down the stairway and raced for safety and exited the way he came in. Everything was happening so fast that he forgot that he didn't even know where he was or where he was going. He shouted at Todd for instructions as his heart raced and his feet took him as fast as he could go.
"Todd! Todd! I need to get to Dr. Suchong's Free Clinic! Tell me how to get there! Hurry!"
"Straight ahead, I will guide you using the fastest route I know of"
It was officially, things had gone from bad, to worse, to completely screwed. It's not like he could say Todd didn't suggest they leave, it was even suggested that they shouldn't go to Rapture in the first place. But now, Frank was wounded and being chased through the city. It was all his fault, he only had himself to blame for his irrational decision to come to the place where Elizabeth died; for now, it was actually starting to look like Rapture would be his final resting place.