For new readers, this story is based off of and is tied into several other pieces of mine. If you're not sure where to start, I'd suggest finding Bioshock Infinite: Unbroken, as well as its prequel Unbroken: Song of Sorrow and the continuation Unbroken: I'm Home. The beginning of this story also has roots in chapter five of Those Left Behind. Thanks for checking it out.


11:10 AM

"Ugh…"

A grimace twists Elizabeth's features as she steps off the ladder, stumbling back a couple of steps despite having both feet firmly on the carpeted floor before letting go of the narrow metal rungs. She'd thought the tunnel leading down to Market Street a lucky break when Comstock first brought her to it, but after several minutes of climbing down at an agonizingly slow pace, Elizabeth wasn't so sure anymore. And that's before considering the satchel hanging from her shoulder.

The tunnel is almost entirely dark, the meager light coming from the maintenance room they left and their destination below not helping in the slightest. "I suppose I should be grateful that it comes down at an angle…" Breathing a quiet, weary sigh while massaging her hands, Elizabeth peers up at the ladder and the hole in the ceiling it disappears into, "At least that afforded a short rest…" Whoever excavated this tunnel through solid concrete hadn't done so haphazardly; the burrowing had to have been carefully planned to avoid any pipes and come out into the bedroom of the Andalusian Arms apartment she now stands, instead of opening up into thin air or the frigid ocean.

But right now, all Elizabeth can focus on is that she's grateful to be back on solid ground, such as it is. After that climb, her delicate hands are sore and cramping, her arms and shoulders feeling leaden, not to mention Elizabeth's feet.

The sound of Comstock climbing down the ladder reaches her as she stretches, and Elizabeth wearily takes a seat on the nearby bed as his footfalls grow steadily closer, kicking off her heels while she waits and looking about the bedroom. The place is decorated about as Elizabeth would expect of a penthouse in an upper class residential complex, but she notices small signs that the apartment may not have been lived in for some time; dead, wilting flowers rest in a pair of white and blue vases, and there's a layer of dust coating most of the bedroom's furniture.

"Wonder what's the cause of this neglect..." Muttering to herself, Elizabeth briefly considers falling back onto the bed before discarding the notion, choosing instead to lean back and prop herself up with her arms, "It could be the war, the security on Market Street… I suppose you might have something to do with this, too…" Elizabeth peers up at the hole in the ceiling again as she finishes, shaking her head slowly as she finds herself talking to it. "What am I thinking? Doesn't much matter, and whoever lived here has likely moved…"

"Oof." Comstock appears form the tunnel as Elizabeth muses, climbing down and dropping off ladder with a grunt. "Won't be easy getting back up there…" That's no small understatement, and Elizabeth shakes her head slowly while slipping her heels back on.

"That's plain to see." Cocking an eyebrow at her companion, Elizabeth picks herself up with a sigh, "I don't suppose you've got some 'miracle' up your sleeve for getting us past the guards at the Little Wonders?"

"Made a city fly, didn't I?" He holds his hands up quickly before Elizabeth can snap back at him, Comstock flashing a lopsided grin at the annoyed look she shoots back, "Just a joke. C'mon, let's keep moving."

Following Comstock out of the bedroom and through the abandoned apartment, Elizabeth takes a moment to look at her surroundings as her companion cautiously approaches the exit. "The television's missing… maybe whoever lived here saw fit to bring it along…" Wondering aloud, Elizabeth sighs softly; the apartment isn't damaged enough for what Elizabeth has come to associate with looting, the décor typical of Market Street undisturbed aside from the conspicuously empty spot where the television should be. "Why haven't they boarded up this apartment?"

"Who cares?" Interrupting her train of thought, Comstock waves Elizabeth forward while stepping outside, "Folks around here mind their own business, and know when to keep quiet. Hell, wouldn't surprise me one bit if the owner's keeping this quiet, least until there's a profit to be made."

"Or until they need a discreet escape route." Adding quietly, Elizabeth follows Comstock out of the apartment, the hallway beyond having the same abandoned feel about it. There's another apartment opposite the one they came from and offset a few feet to the right, the hallway curving out of sight beyond that, and Elizabeth spies two sets of elevators to their left at the end of the hall.

"Guess taking the stairs is out of question." Elizabeth shoots Comstock an annoyed glance this time, her companion shrugging slightly as she starts for the elevators; who knows where the stairs are, and they're at least ten stories above Market Street, Elizabeth not fancying another long climb. "Hey, fine by me."

The elevator takes a couple minutes to arrive, Elizabeth and Comstock passing the time in silence and boarding the car once it arrives in the same manner. But when Elizabeth presses the ground floor button, she can't help but sigh as the elevator lurches and begins a slow descent, "I suppose whoever built the Andalusian Arms chose to cut some corners with the elevators…" Muttering, Elizabeth rests her eyes in the palm of her hand, breathing another small, exasperated sigh.

It takes a few minutes to reach the ground floor, another 'ding' sounding before the doors slide open, the light from the Andalusian Arms' lobby spilling into the dimly lit elevator car and dazzling Elizabeth for a moment. The upper lobby looks much the same as the entryway she and Comstock stopped by on New Year's Eve, and contrary to what the state of the top floor would suggest, the upper class residential complex is still in business; a number of men and women lounge on creamy white arm chairs or lean against the dark brown, paneled walls. "It's midday…" Peering out the elevator cautiously, Elizabeth mutters softly to herself, "Shouldn't more of these people be working?"

None of the folks here seeming to have been affected by the civil war or Rapture's collapsing economy. But it's plain to Elizabeth that everything isn't business as usual, "Ryan Security…" Counting three uniformed men, Elizabeth whispers as she steps out of the elevator, Comstock right behind her. "I should have guessed some of them would spend their time here…" But Elizabeth and Comstock can't just turn back now; lingering in the elevator's sure to draw attention, and Ryan's men are busy chatting it up with some of the Arms' residents.

"Just act casual, Elizabeth. Follow my lead." Comstock starts through the lobby while shifting his weapons so they hang against his side, Elizabeth following close behind as the former Prophet keeps to the left. He's far enough from Ryan's men to keep from being easily made, but not so much as to be obvious about it, or so Elizabeth hopes.

There are several offices on either side of the lobby and a hallway leading to the ground floor apartments on the right, but Elizabeth's too busy keeping her head down to pay them much attention. However, Comstock slows as they approach one in particular, "Ah, hell…"

"What?" Peering past Comstock, Elizabeth spies some lettering on a frosted glass door, "House Detective…? Oh…" Glancing back at Comstock, Elizabeth feels a lopsided grin tugging at the corner of her lips, "So… what happened between you and the house dick?"

"You don't want to know. C'mon, let's get the hell out of here." Comstock picks up his pace, passing the door quickly and making for the spiraling staircase. And Elizabeth chuckles softly before following, shaking her head slowly.

Blowing past the doorman and receptionist, Elizabeth and Comstock only stop at the exit, both of them knowing what likely waits on the other side; the Andalusian Arms is situated near the Market Street elevator, and they'll be coming out right behind the security checkpoint. "I'll go out first, Elizabeth. Start down the street while I keep you out of sight."

Nodding, Elizabeth steps back while Comstock slowly pushes through the exit. She can see him glance towards the elevator before turning back to her, and Elizabeth cocks an eyebrow as he holds the door open for her. "Now that… that's what I call irony…" Stepping out of the Andalusian Arms as she thinks to herself, Elizabeth gives Comstock a sideways look before starting down Market Street.

Security doesn't give them a second look, Elizabeth and Comstock moving unopposed through Market Street and past Jet Postal. There are few people on the street despite it being the middle of the day, and the few they pass don't give the armed Comstock more than a moment's glance. But as they draw closer to the Little Wonders Educational Facility, Elizabeth notices Comstock's demeanor growing steadily worse. "Thinking about Sally, no doubt…"

"Elizabeth. Hold these, and give me your gun." Comstock unslings his shotgun and Thompson as they approach the facility, handing them to Elizabeth as she hesitantly takes her small revolver out and snatching the gun from her grip. "Wait here. I'll be a minute." He's already headed for the opaque pair of double doors before Elizabeth can object, and she can see Comstock palming an old Bowie knife as the Little Wonders' theme song begins to play.

There's no guard outside the building this time, but Elizabeth can't imagine Ryan leaving this place unguarded, not with how precious ADAM has become. And she's not about to just wait, Elizabeth hurrying towards the doors the moment Comstock slips inside, shifting the shotgun and Thompson so they're slung over her right shoulder and opposite the satchel, "I must look comical, carrying all this… guh?!"

Something slams into the door just as she reaches for it, Elizabeth's eyes growing wide; a scream comes from within, far more muffled than she'd expect from a simple door, and something splashes within. Whatever's happening inside doesn't last long, though, everything falling silent before Elizabeth reaches for the door again. "Oh no… Comstock?"

Hesitantly pulling the door open, Elizabeth pauses as a man in the uniform of Ryan Security slides to the ground face first at her feet, Comstock's knife buried in his back, "Oh my God…"

"I said I'd be a minute." Comstock suddenly appears in the doorway, a grim look on his face as he bends down, grabbing the dead man by his ankles and pulling him back inside, "C'mon, can't let anyone see this, or we'll have Ryan's men breathing down our necks."

"Okay…" Swallowing hard, Elizabeth steps inside as Comstock drags the corpse away; she's seen violence like this before at Booker's hand, but it still affects her to witness it again. And as it turns out, the dead guard was but one of three, Elizabeth finding the source of the splashing sound and the scream she'd heard. Whatever Comstock did, it was quick, savage and brutal, and the bodies reflect that. The brightly lit entry room has the feel of a medical or scientific laboratory, the white tile floor and walls nothing like the playfully colored sign and oversized nutcracker soldiers that decorate the exterior. Plain double doors at the back of the room leads further into the facility. "Comstock, did you have to… wait, you're bleeding…"

"It ain't mine, Elizabeth." Comstock wipes at a splash of blood on his face with the back of his hand before kneeling down to pull the Bowie knife free, wiping it clean on the fallen guard's uniform. "Let's see if we can find… hold it, pal!"

Elizabeth whirls around as Comstock shouts, her companion aiming her revolver at the back door; a man in a white coat just stepped through, practically frozen with his bespectacled eyes wide with shock and fear. "Wh-wh-wha-?"

"How many more inside?" Storming up to the scientist, Comstock grabs him by the collar, the petrified man sputtering in abject terror, "How many?!"

"F-Five! Just don't…" Elizabeth steps closer as the scientist stammers out an answer, the terrified man looking to her, "D-don't let him…" He trails off, the scientist realizing he's not getting any sympathy from the hard look Elizabeth's giving him; while normally she'd feel something for anyone in this situation, Elizabeth can only imagine what this man must have done to make the Little Sisters.

"You…" The look in the scientist's gray eyes changes, Elizabeth imagining that he thinks he could be killed at any moment regardless of what happens, "You can't take the Little Sisters. They aren't ready, they haven't been implanted with the sea slugs yet! You won't get any ADAM from them, you goddamn Splicers!"

That was a mistake, Elizabeth glancing at Comstock and seeing the anger in his eyes. "Splicers, huh? We ain't here for ADAM, pal." A gunshot explodes in Elizabeth's ears, the scientist crying out in pain and clutching his knee, only Comstock's grip on the man keeping him from falling to the floor. "C'mon, we're going to gather your colleagues and see which one of them is feeling cooperative."


"Get in there."

Pushing the last of the Little Wonders' scientists into a cell, Comstock has to fight to keep his anger in check; the cell that would normally be occupied by a girl slated to become a Little Sister is decorated as such, but the transparent ceiling shows the room for what it is, and there more of the indoctrination signs that Comstock's seen elsewhere in the facility.

The other cells are all occupied, and the sounds that come from within are proving enough to unsettle the former Prophet; the sobbing and screaming of young girls echoes throughout the sterile facility, Little Sisters that are still in the process of being altered by Ryan's scientists suffering from it. But what truly unnerves him are the cells where there's quiet humming and singing emanating from within, the distorted voice of the Little Sisters reminding him of how Sally was when he tried to pull her from the heating vent in Fontaine's.

"I should gun you bastards down.'" Glaring at the scientists, Comstock's finger tightens ever so slightly around the trigger of his Thompson, the men and women in the cell shrinking away from him at the threat, "Ryan's say so doesn't wash your hands of this, any of it." Sally had been here, Comstock's sure of it, and imaging what had been done to her makes his blood boil.

Slamming the cell door shut on the cowering scientists, Comstock lowers his Thompson and turns back to Elizabeth, though his gaze focuses on the woman she's holding a gun on; one of the scientists, a thin woman who wears her black hair in a ponytail. When they'd gathered the scientists and started asking which of them was feeling cooperative, she'd frantically given in almost before Comstock got to asking. Elizabeth has her revolver pointed at the woman, though the scientist is plainly more frightened of Comstock.

"Alright, this is what we're looking for." With the others locked up, Elizabeth takes out the list of chemicals and compounds and hands it to the nervous scientist, the woman shrinking away from her at first. "I'm not going to hurt you, just take a look."

The scientist stares at the paper in Elizabeth's hand before hesitantly reaching to take it, Comstock noticing her hands shaking as she unfolds it. But the shaking lessens as the scientist goes down the list, her eyes widening as she finishes. "Do you… do you know what these are? What these compounds are f-for?"

"No. Doesn't matter, either." Comstock answers quickly, his patience wearing thin, "You know where we can find these, or not?" The scientist jumps a little at the sound of his voice, she still seemingly fearful of Comstock.

"Y-Yes…" The nervous scientist nods, her voice shaky, "Some are in the operating room… the rest are upstairs…"

"Great." Elizabeth breathes a quiet sigh, "We're almost done then… um, I'll check upstairs, I don't much care for visiting the operating room…"

"Fine by me." Nodding, Comstock turns his gaze back to the scientist, "You're coming with me; can't have you running to Ryan's men. And I figure I'll be needing you to find some of these."

The dark-haired woman visibly blanches as Comstock nods towards the operating room, but the mousey scientist doesn't offer a word of protest, starting down the gray and white tiled hallway without having to be told twice. The sound of Elizabeth's heels clacking on the solid stairs fades quickly as Comstock moves away, leaving him with the nervous scientist and the voices of the children in the cells. And he's none too happy as they approach the operating room; a sign reading Autopsy is placed next to the door as well, giving Comstock even more reason to wish harm on these scientists.

The operating room is about what Comstock would expect; cold, clinical, a number of hard tables with drains towards the back of the room with overhead lights. But Comstock can't help imagining Sally strapped down on one of them, the Little Wonders' scientists doing God knows what to them. "Saw a little redhead in one of the cells, quiet like. She been on these tables?" Comstock gives the mousey scientist a hard look, and she flinches before hesitantly shaking her head. "… get to it."

The scientist hurries to do just that, but she still takes a couple minutes gathering vials and beakers from the back, Comstock keeping an eye on her while trying his damnedest not to picture what else might go on in this place. And he's almost relieved when she returns, though Comstock's not about to let the scientist know that, "Good… looks like this is it. C'mon, we're going back…"

"You… you realize…" The mousey scientist holds her ground for a moment, Comstock stopping to glare back at her, "The Little Sisters won't survive if you take them from here…" She visibly swallows hard, Comstock narrowing his eyes at the dark-haired woman; whatever she's expecting for speaking out like this, Comstock can't imagine it's pleasant, and he can't help but wonder what sort of lunatic she thinks him.

Truth be told, he hadn't once considered taking the girls from their cells; Comstock isn't sure how they're going to escape with just him and Elizabeth, much less with a dozen or more little girls in tow. "And that ain't considering what's been done to them…" Comstock shakes his head slowly at the thought, an exasperated sigh escaping him, "Elizabeth… she's like enough to insist on it, and I'll end up on the wrong side of her temper again if I refuse…"

Looking back to the scientist, Comstock shrugs slowly, "Just keep moving." The mousey woman visibly stiffens at his answer, and she makes for the operating and autopsy room's exit without another word. Following the scientist back into the cell block of the Little Wonders facility, Comstock closes his eyes for a moment as the voices of the Little Sisters returns. "Elizabeth! Almost done up there?"

"Got it."

Elizabeth's voice and the sound of her heels on tile comes from overhead, Comstock able to follow the latter as she heads for the stairs. "Good." Calling out again, Comstock starts down the hall himself, prodding the scientist along with the barrel of his Thompson when needed, "Let's go, I want to be shut of this place."

Comstock and the mousey scientist have nearly crossed the hallway when Elizabeth appears on the stairwell. She looks none too happy, but Elizabeth nods quickly and hurries over to meet them, looking over the labels on the bottles, beakers and vials the mousey scientist carries. "This looks like everything… now to get it to our employer…"

Comstock watches as Elizabeth's gaze moves from the compounds and genetic modifications to the mousey woman, he silently hoping she's not going to say what he thinks she's going to say. "Not the Little Sisters…"

"Alright, I'll bite… what are these for? You asked if we knew earlier."

Both Comstock and the scientist blink, the latter obviously taken aback. "Umm… they're part of the conditioning and indoctrination process… these compounds are part of altering the Little Sisters' perception of the world around them, as well as their behavior…"

"What the hell…?" Muttering quietly, Comstock furrows his brow as he frowns; what could Lamb be doing with chemicals for twisting a little girl's mind? But Comstock still holds that it doesn't matter, they have a job to do and it's almost finished. "C'mon, there's a Jet Postal Pneumo in the front office."

"Alright… sorry, but you're going to have to wait with your colleagues." Taking the compounds from the scientist and placing them in her now overloaded satchel, Elizabeth nods towards the cell the other scientists are locked up in, "Someone's bound to find you, so…" The mousey, dark-haired woman doesn't put up a fight, Comstock leading her to the cell while Elizabeth follows and locking her up with the other scientists.

The office where the Jet Postal Pneumo is located is situated beside the Little Wonders' entry room, though there's nothing that would have let Elizabeth or Comstock know that until they were inside the facility proper. Microscopes and other scientific devices litter the office's desks along with forms and papers of all sorts, and the room is thankfully free of the voices of the Little Sisters.

"There it is." Heading towards the Pneumo against the back wall, Elizabeth fishes out the first of their precious cargo, "I think the beakers are small enough for Jet Postal…" A sigh parts her ruby lips, Elizabeth slowing as she comes to the Pneumo. "Best get this over with, I suppose.

Comstock takes a seat nearby as Elizabeth feeds the compounds into the Jet Postal Pneumo, the chemicals and modifications headed to an address that Lamb was kind enough to provide ahead of time. While they'd only collected five bottles, beakers and vials, it still takes some time to get them into the Jet Postal system, Comstock looking over his Thompson and shotgun by the time Elizabeth slips the third into the Pneumo.

"I'm surprised you didn't shoot them, Comstock."

Looking up from his weapon, Comstock finds Elizabeth peering at him from her place at the Pneumo. "Don't tempt me, I've been thinking about Sally and what these bastards must've done to her…" Gritting his teeth, Comstock takes a deep breath before looking Elizabeth square in the eye, "Hell, I'm surprised you don't want to take the Little Sisters away."

That gives Elizabeth pause, she staring back at Comstock for a good moment. "I do… but where can we take them? There's nowhere safe, and Ryan's men will just bring them right back if the Splicers don't… get them." Falling silent, Elizabeth puts the next compound into the Jet Postal tube and sends it off, she resting both hands on the Pneumo and hanging her head as a quiet sigh escapes her. "Dammit. I… I should call Lamb, let her know it's done…"

But Lamb doesn't respond when she speaks into the radio, Elizabeth and Comstock glancing at each other in surprise. "That's… odd. There has to be a reason why she's not answering, don't you think…?" Putting down the radio, Elizabeth asks Comstock quietly while feeding the last of the compounds into the Pneumo.

"Who knows-"

The office is suddenly bathed in bright red light, the sudden change forcing Comstock to squint as his eyes adjust; alarms have begun blaring throughout the facility, Elizabeth covering her ears as he jumps to his feet. "One of those bastards must've sounded the alarm!" Shouting, Comstock starts for the office door, now more than ready to start gunning the scientists down.

"Oh, I doubt that."

"Lamb?!" Comstock whirls around as Sofia Lamb's voice comes from the radio. "We got you your chemicals, what's this all about?!" Elizabeth quickly glances back to Comstock as he storms over to her and the radio, the look in her eye telling him she understands the situation as well as he does.

"Unfortunately, our partnership has come to an end." Lamb's voice is just as cold and dispassionate as ever as she speaks of betraying them, anger beginning to grow deep within the former Prophet with every word. "An associate of mine has been in contact with someone interested in your return, Ms. DeWitt, and you are apparently worth enough to Ryan to deliver everything I would have needed of you." The sound of dozens of footfalls comes from the distance as Lamb drones on.

"Dammit… run!" Cursing, Comstock bolts for the door, Elizabeth following with radio in hand.

"Of course, I don't expect either of you will surrender yourselves to Ryan without a fight, perhaps even to the death. But take heart; from your pain, another will be saved." With that, Lamb's voice disappears, leaving Elizabeth and Comstock with the alarms and the approaching security.


Author's Note: I'm sure this came as no surprise to anyone, especially after the last chapter of I'm Home. How do you think Elizabeth and Comstock will escape the Little Wonders facility, essentially a giant cage in more sense than one? Now, I didn't go into great detail on the description of the facility, because I thought that it would look much like the Little Wonders we saw in Bioshock, in Point Prometheus; not much reason to change the layout, is there?

Now, I need to give the chapter at least one but probably more checks for grammar, confusing layout/flow and other errors (and I will in the morning, hopefully), but if you see something I've obviously missed, feel free to point it out. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.