I don't speak German, I just used BabelFish to translate.
U-1603
U-1603 was stationed within a hidden harbour in one of the stone mountains that surrounded the city; its only line to Rapture was an underground railway tunnel that had been blocked off to keep the Splicers out. The only other way in or out was simply to drive the sub through the exit tunnel that led out in to the open ocean.
The U-boat lay docked next to one of the few wharfs built within its bay, placed on it were loading cranes, oil drums and empty crates. A large metal walkway ran above the sub, joining the wharf with another on the opposite side of the cave. Built also on them were various warehouses that doubled as living quarters.
Running along the wharfs was the railway line that led towards the exit leading all the way back to Rapture. The air tight bulkhead of the tunnel was shut and sealed, yet further precautions were taken by placing three MGM nests around the docks. Dim lighting illuminated the whole place while high above from the ceiling was the observation and control tower. From there anyone had a clear view of whatever activity went on below.
There was evidence that fighting had taken place in the dockyard with signs of structural damage from gun fire and explosions. The main bulkhead door also showed that there had been attempts of forced entry; reason enough for the MGM nests.
The U-Boat meanwhile appeared to be in ship shape despite being nearly twenty years old, there were signs that someone was still maintaining it with regular repairs and maintenance; not to mention regular paintwork to avoid corrosion.
The sub was a type IX model IXD, one of the longest and heaviest U-boat series built in the German Navy with a length of 286 ft and height of 33 ft. It had a top speed of 20.8 knots on the surface and 6.9 knots submerged. Its crew complement was seventy at the most, though this number did exceed the intended sixty-three maximum.
How it came to be in Rapture was a mystery but rumours stated following its capture by the allies, Ryan somehow acquired it by illegal means. After securing a crew of twenty-seven German navy officers to operate it, Ryan then used it to transport materials and supplies to Rapture during its construction.
It was believed also by some that certain individuals such as Brigid Tenenbaum and Yi Suchong were smuggled in to Rapture aboard it after bribing their way on when seeking to evade the authorities back on the surface.
After Raptures completion the U-Boat was then hidden within its bay to prevent it from being used by anyone other than Ryan who considered turning it in to a patrol craft to seek out and destroy any ship or sub unfortunate to stumble upon Rapture; hence why it had been maintained.
But the actions of Fontaine's smuggling ring and the threats of Atlas drove Ryan to consider it a liability danger to Raptures secrecy, and so he ordered its destruction.
Its crew unwilling to allow it mutinied and took control of the docks where it lay, they drove out Ryan's men and attempted to depart Rapture in their sub. However during its refits and upgrading of its systems and engines, Ryan's men slipped in the very devices that allowed him to keep the Bathyspheres in lockdown.
And so U-1603 remained inactive and immobilised within its bay, its crew trapped with no way out and under threat from constant attacks by Ryan to retake the bay and the sub. While the engineering crew worked tiresely to remove the devices that kept the sub in lockdown the rest struggled to fend off the Splicers that came. And every attack saw their number diminish. Eventually the devices were removed and U-1603 was ready to set sail away from Rapture; or so they thought as Ryan had more than one way to keep the sub from leaving.
The whole bay seemed completely devoid of life with no sign of whoever resided in there. There were no lights on in the warehouses, no sound of voices speaking or machinery being operated. Not even a record player playing some god awful German chorus songs or opera.
The awkward silence was soon broken by the arrival of a bathysphere surfacing in the very water the sub lay afloat in. It then drifted towards a water level platform of the wharf with a set of stairs that led up to the upper platforms. Stepping out of the bathysphere was Thomas, making his last errand before finally heading back home for the night.
He cautiously looked around first before taking something out of the sub and heading up the steps towards the wharf. Once on top he looked around again for any signs of life, the dock was empty but he knew they were here hiding and watching him, waiting for the signal to act.
Thomas kept his guard up as he walked along the dock waiting for them to step out, and eventually they did. Six of them, each armed with a German machine gun surrounded him while another who had been hiding inside the nearest MGM nest aimed its gun placement at him.
Thomas slowly raised his hands while holding in his left hand a metal cylinder, he kept his cool while muttering under his breath "Every time it's the bloody same. I even radioed in this time to avoid this shit."
All seven men that held him at gun point were all above thirty, some even being in their forties. None of them however showed signs of physical disfiguration or deformity caused by Splicing; revealing the possibility that neither any of them had ever spliced before in their life.
One of the men who was tall with big shoulders and in his forties stepped forward towards Thomas; shouting in German "Werfen Sie Ihe Hande und Tropfen auf, was uberhaupt Sie halten?"
Thomas still remaining calm replied with some sarcasm "Easy Fritz, I'm just here as always to conduct business."
The German then indicated to the metal cylinder Thomas held, motioning for him to drop it on the floor. Thomas slowly began to lower his left hand to place the cylinder down but the German started to become agitated, yelling further commands. Thomas still remained calm but was getting nervous as the attempts made by Splicers in the past to break in had made the whole submarine crew fearful and paranoid enough to treat any outsider with suspicion and hostility.
Before things could become volatile a sharp command had every one of the crew looking back over their shoulder "Zurucktreten!"
The German who had tried intimidating Thomas responded towards a skinny figure wearing what appeared to be a German navy captain's long leather coat and hat. His hair was blond and his eyes blue. His face was skinny but still showed signs of youth. He stood in the doorway of the warehouse behind the whole lot, taking a puff from a cigarette he held in his right hand. Thomas couldn't help but notice the smug smile on his face as he repeated his order.
"Zurucktreten,"
Every German then lowered his gun, the one on the MGM nest himself stood down. The German captain then walked forward with his arms spread as a sign of greeting.
"Ah, herr Big Brother, welcome again to our quaint home. I trust you are here to conclude the terms of our trade?" the captain quizzed "We were beginning to think you would never show."
"Well the day I fail to show you can be sure that I am dead," Thomas responded with some minor sarcasm. He then slowly unscrewed the lid on the metal cylinder that was in fact a cooler flask and removed a bottle "Here a gift; a cold bottle of Rapture's fine Harbinger Beer, probably not that contraband stuff that you much prefer but in this day you're lucky to find any good liqueur."
He then handed it to the captain who eagerly unscrewed the cap and drank a mouthful of the alcoholic beverage. After whipping his mouth clean he then enquired "You have brought more?"
"My sub down there is loaded with fifteen bottles and the rest of the supplies I promised to exchange for the next load of guns and grenades you have," Thomas answered "Not to mention the ammo you agreed to manufacture."
"We have completed production of the ammunition you requested; of course you remember what the agreement was?"
"I remember," Thomas assured him "Ten of the rifles you gave me are down there also with the modifications and improvements I said I'd make."
Hearing that the captain then ordered his crew "Sie drei, gehen leeren, was auf seinem Unterseeboot ist," three of them then headed down the steps to begin unloading the bathysphere. Thomas however made sure that wasn't the only thing they'd be doing.
"Once their done I want them loading it with my cargo."
"Yes, yes I will see to it," he then ordered the other three and the one stationed within the MGM nest to fetch the guns and ammo and have them ready to be loaded on to the bathysphere.
He then took another swig of beer before commenting "Ahh… you are right herr Big Brother, as refreshing as this is, I would still prefer the true taste of a properly brewed German beverage. And of course drank somewhere back in Germany," he took another swig again as he then started to express his frustration of captivity "My crew and I have been stuck, trapped here for too long. It is time to return to the surface; time to return to our beloved Germany. But alas I fear we will forever be condemned to rot at the bottom of the ocean in this god for saken tomb."
"Maybe we all don't have to," Thomas spoke, dropping a hint.
"What do you mean?" the captain asked.
"Tell me Heinrich, why is it your still here in Rapture?" Thomas then enquired, referring to the captain by name "That sub over there is already fuelled and prepared to set sail the hell away from here. You could easily leave this city for good, yet still your wasting away here, why is that?"
"First of all, it is captain; Captain Gruber!" he eagerly wished to clear up, though truth be told he only became captain following the deaths of the sub's original captain and the first and second officers "And second you know why it is we cannot leave."
"Your right I do," Thomas answered as he then further revealed what he knew "That sub is the only thing other than a bathysphere that can carry anyone the hell away from here, but unlike them it isn't in lockdown now that you've removed the security devices planted by Ryan. And it's why Ryan will stop at nothing now to keep it from leaving."
"You are correct; he has made several attempts already to retake this place. Most of us have already been killed in attacks from the Splicers he sends; leaving only nine of us left. We've done our best to hold them off, even having those MGM nests placed around the dock," the captain took another swig beer before mentioning the more drastic means they had recently taken "But as we did in the war; detonating the bridges that all led to Germany. We've now detonated the tunnel leading back to Rapture to finally keep them out."
"And the result of it all is the whole lot of you trapped forever in this hollowed out rock, with me as your only life line," Thomas pointed out "But anyway, back to the point at hand; the real reason why you can't leave.
As you said you've already blocked of the tunnel leading back to Rapture. That just leaves only one other way out; the tunnel leading out in to the ocean. And unfortunately as we both know Ryan has blocked that off himself. He hasn't blown the damn thing but what he has done is place mines all around the tunnel exit out.
Now a Bathysphere is small and manoeuvrable enough to get in and out past those mines, but that thing over there?" Thomas then referred to the U-Boat "I doubt it would even make it all the way out of the tunnel before setting off the first one in its path."
And it's not just them; it's all of Rapture itself. After you've gotten out you'll then need to cross the city before you can alter course to steer away, and that's enough time for the city defences to lock on and blow you out of the water. And don't think Ryan won't let a simple matter of where you fall to keep you from leaving."
"Correct on all points herr Big Brother, but what good does it do raising such facts?" Heinrich asked.
"Suppose there was a way to get around all that…"
"Go on," responded Heinrich while taking another swig of beer.
"I have a plan on how to escape Rapture using your sub," Thomas revealed to the German.
Heinrich then pulled the bottle away from his lips, his interest sparked at the prospect of actually escaping Rapture "…I'm listening."
"Let's discuss this in doors," Thomas then motioned to the warehouse behind Heinrich "And don't drink all of that, in case you haven't notice I've been shot all over today and right now a cold beer itself may be the only treatment till I get home."
…
Inside the warehouse that served as Heinrich's personal living quarters, Thomas explained his plan to the German captain and what was expected in return for securing the sub's safe voyage away from Rapture, the German didn't know what to laugh at; the ludicrous plan of escape, or the audacious terms that Thomas presented.
As he had done at Tenenbaum's place he sat in the shadows with his helmet removed and his head obscured by shadows while he drank from a metal mug half full of beer. He watched as Heinrich walked about the room with the bottle in his hand as he gave his response to Thomas's plan.
"You are serious are you? You expect me to put the lives of my crew, myself and my sub at risk, all for as you would say; a one shot attempt at fleeing Rapture in an escape plan that has no guarantee or assurance of success?"
Thomas sipped the mug before simply responding "This is Rapture Herr Capitan, everything comes with a risk if not its price,"
"Ah yes, these so called people you expect us to take along with us should you actually succeed in clearing the path for us."
"Got it in one Herr Capitan," Thomas replied with smugness.
"And how many of these people are we to take with us should we agree to this plan?"
"I would say about forty-four men, women and children. Though the number is likely to rise over the following days," Thomas answered, knowing it exceeded what Heinrich would even consider."
"Not acceptable, we cannot transport nor accommodated that number of people, especially if it is expected to rise," Heinrich argued.
"You can take seventy or if we head for the nearest land eighty at the most; hopefully there won't be that many. And you don't need to travel that far before letting them off. At the furthest Britain is where you can take them."
"These people," Heinrich cautiously probed "We being German aren't a problem for them?"
"Why would it be?" Thomas asked, though he knew of course why it would.
"A simple matter such as the Second World War, because we are all too well aware how people in Rapture are… How should I put it, eager to reminisce and phrase the words Kraut and Nazi to our faces."
"Oh shit," Thomas muttered under his breath as he had hoped to avoid this particular issue, his awkward silence as he had no clue what to say next only told Heinrich what he suspected.
"Yes I thought so, you seriously wish for us to offer our services and cooperation to these people who despise us as much as we would a…?"
"Can we avoid the name calling and bigotry that I will admit is bit of an issue in this little negotiation we're having. Yes there are a few who do regard you with persecution and prejudice, but the rest will put it all aside for what's at stake. And I believe you just tolerating the small minded ones and their racist slurs and ridicule is worth if it means us all getting the hell out of Rapture."
"Why should we still put our faith and lives in your hands and risk helping these so called Rapturians who are just as crazy as the whole lot?" Heinrich still probed.
Finishing what was left in the mug and the then putting his helmet back on, Thomas then rose from his seat and from the shadows "You've been trapped in this cave too long Heinrich; and don't prattle me with that captain crap. Not everyone in Rapture is as crazy and psychotic as you believe they all are. These are people like you, struggling to survive against the very animals that threaten them every day.
And like you they all just wish to leave it all behind and return to the surface. So I'm thinking you can be a little sympathetic to their plight, and just that bit considerate to at least offer them a place on your fine vessel and ferry them away from Rapture; as you did when you ferried people here."
"Those days are over and your right, we are struggling to survive. But it's our survival I'm only concerned with, nobody else's," Heinrich answered.
"So that's it is it?" Thomas responded with annoyance "You just gonna let these people I've asked you to help wait it out till the Splicers overrun them and eventually kill them. All because you're bitter about how they still harbour a grudge. Or is it simply because you just don't have the balls to take this one chance I'm offering you?"
Thomas then noticed he had hit a nerve with that last bit of criticism as Heinrich took a large gulp from the bottle to calm his nerves "I think we are done talking Herr Big Brother, your sub should be loaded thus concluding our business. So I recommend you leave."
"Heinrich…"
"Leave!" the German captain ordered.
Sighing with disappointment Thomas then headed for the door and straight for his bathysphere, as he walked along the dock he then spotted someone watching him while hiding behind some crates stacked on pier. The only person who was not present when the rest had surrounded Thomas upon his arrival. Heinrich's twelve year old son Ruben.
He looked back at Heinrich who stood in the warehouse doorway; he too had also noticed his son's presence. Thomas took one final look at the boy before calling back to Heinrich "You know how to contact me should you reconsider."
Heinrich himself took one final look at his son before he sighed with frustration as he finally gave in "Wait!"
Thomas stopped in his tracks before looking back, the German didn't want to admit it but if it meant a way out of Rapture for him, his crew, and his son then he would risk and tolerate anything for it. But decided also he alone would not make the decision.
"Tell me first how it is you intend to clear the path for us. And then we consult the rest and let them put it to a vote."
…
Later Thomas returned home for the day, another day of trials, failure and success over with. He sat at his work bench wearing nothing but a pair of men's boxers as he had removed the Big Brother suit and allowed his body to breathe the cool air. His whole body however was riddled with bruises from the beatings and gunshots he had received through the day; luckily he had suffered no broken bones or injuries that would inhibit his performance for tomorrow.
After he had treated himself with bandages and cold packs he then set about repairing and checking the Big Brother suit. Hammering and patching up the dents and scratches, and checking for any damage or faults to its systems. Once done he then sealed it away in its vault and set about with his next task. He drank from his own stash of alcoholic beverages while he worked on the gun he had been tinkering with for the last few days.
The run in with the Elite Bouncer earlier and the shootout at the school prompted him to double his efforts and finish his firearm before he scoured Rapture again. He was determined that the next time he found himself in any situations he'd have something other than his Plasmids and blades to fall back on.
The gun he tinkered with was handmade and incorporated certain functions other hand held fire arms in Rapture lacked. It resembled a colt pistol but with a length of almost 25cm and almost 3cm in width. The ammunition that could be fired ranged from four types; standard, armour piercing, chemical and some specially made small explosive rounds he had concocted himself. Its magazine storage was designed to handle thirty rounds before the ammunition needed to be reloaded.
Another unique function Thomas had managed to work in to its design was the three types of fire settings. One was the usual semi-automatic which allowed a single bullet to be fired and then reloaded following the pull of the trigger for the next shot. The other was the automatic setting that enabled the gun to fire relentlessly while the trigger was still being pulled. The last setting permitted five shots to be fired per trigger for short controlled bursts of ammo.
While he worked on it he had also been in discussion with Tenenbaum over the radio and informing her how the negotiations to secure the voyage out of Rapture had gone. He explained the situation at the U-boat's bay and the reluctance yet compliance of its crew in securing their cooperation.
"So the negotiations went well I assume?" Tenenbaum asked.
"Yes, took some convincing but their all; pardon the phrase, on board for it. Provided I clear the way for them."
"And how will you accomplish that if I may ask?"
"Clearing the mines first will be difficult but not impossible. I can't disarm them or just simply detonate them all, their too near to collapse the tunnel entrance should they go off."
"Then instead what will you do?" Tenenbaum enquired.
"Simple I'll just cut loose the chains that anchor them all to the seabed and let them drift to the surface above," Thomas explained.
"There are at least over thirty blocking the way, that would take you a whole day to just cut them free," Tenenbaum pointed out.
"Not to mention the danger of one of them going off, but the real obstacle is the city itself."
"The city defences," Tenenbaum concluded "You claimed earlier you knew a way around that?"
"Two actually, double our chances," Thomas revealed "I had a hand in developing the new torpedoes they installed before all hell broke loose. I know how to jam their guidance system, just need to cobble the a few devices together that will do that and rig the sub with them."
"And the second..?" Tenenbaum eagerly asked.
"I can perhaps override Ryan's control and temporarily disable the torpedo launchers long enough for us to cover half the city when we escape."
Hearing him claim that he could do that astounded her as it was believed only Ryan had sole control over the cities operations "How are you able to do that, I thought all control of the city was routed only to Ryan's office in Haephestous?"
"Ryan may have control of the city from there but he's not the one who keeps it running, if he was we'd all be in a black out right now or worse, died off long from affixiation because the damn air supply wasn't being pumped through the city," Thomas explained as he revealed further "I have an ally who has more control of this city than Ryan dose. I just hope I can reconnect with him since it's been a while when we last spoke."
"This ally, can he be trusted?"
"Yep, he may even predict the outcome of our chances of escape."
"How big is the crew and who is in charge?" Tenenbaum enquired with some concern regarding who would be captaining the sub.
"About eight with Heinrich Grubel in charge, that doesn't include his son who'll also be on board."
"Heinrich Grubel? Yes he was third officer when I…" There was a pause from Tenenbaum but it was enough to confirm to Thomas she had travelled to Rapture aboard the sub "What I mean is if he is in charge then that means both the captain and the first two officers are dead."
"Yep, once met the captain himself in bar, had the misfortune of listening to one of his drunken rants. Apparently he died in a bar fight he started after getting drunk and pulling a knife on someone. The fool then tripped over his own feet and fell on his blade, dead in a matter of minutes," Thomas then rubbed a spot on his left arm that had a faint scar running across it "The other two along with other members of the crew either got mugged on the streets or killed during a raid on the bay."
"Good riddance to the man, the pig!" Tenenbaum spat as a motion of bitterness and contempt for the captain.
Thomas who listened chose not to pry; it was true the captain had been a pig and a dog, this he knew from his alcohol induced boastings. Gossip from the Germans as well as the man's own tongue once revealed a loathsome act once committed on board the sub by him during one of its returns to Rapture.
A passenger had bribed her way on board in order to escape the authorities back on the surface; the captain seeing her urgency to flee to Rapture saw an opportunity to exploit her desperation. The trip for her had been miserable and degrading yet she endured.
Realising now that it had been Tenenbaum filled him with pity and sympathy for her regardless still of what she had done
"There is one matter however of this plan that needs to be addressed though," She then brought fourth.
"Oh yeah, what's that?" Thomas wondered, thinking he had accounted for everything.
"Whether or not your plan will work dose not rest on if or how, but when?" Thomas stopped tinkering with the gun "Or had you thought that I had forgotten about your sister who you still search for?"
Thomas remained silent with no idea how to answer that. He wished he had kept his mouth shut rather than let slip he knew a possible way out. It was bad enough when Judith overheard but when Mandy had ease dropped; despite what he had said about keeping quiet he could be sure on his next visit the whole school would be in on it.
He could imagine the endless questions and constant nagging of when they would be leaving once they found out, like an irritating child whining at the back of a car seat 'Are we there yet, are we there yet?' he could see Scott, Gerald, Terrence. Even Meg and half the students kicking up a stink once they heard nobody was going anywhere until he found one specific little girl in all of Rapture.
"To be honest with you Brigid if Judith and Mandy hadn't heard any of what I said I wouldn't have even approached the Germans with it yet. I'd have kept it all to myself until I found her. But they're not going to wait until I do and I've now got a deadline to meet before they get that sub prepped and ready for departure."
"How long will it be before they do?" Tenenbaum asked.
"Well it'll take them nearly two months to get it loaded with supplies and carry out final system checks," Thomas explained again "But also they'll also be installing some new systems I'll be supplying and others I'll be modifying to accommodate the expected number of passengers for the trip.
And that's something that we need to keep an eye on."
"Hmm, your plan hasn't even begun and already there are problems," Tenenbaum noted "What is it we need to be weary of now?"
"Including me, my sister, you possibly, the crew, and everyone else at the school, that including the Little Sisters; how many is that all together?"
Doing the maths Tenenbaum answered immediately "Fifty-two… But that doesn't exceed the subs crew capacity; the total would be no more than seventy, leaving eighteen more spots."
"True but if that sorry lot get those system and engine enhancements finished and operational then it can rise to eighty. Provided the trip goes no further than Iceland, after that we get dropped off and have to manage the rest of the way ourselves."
"Eighty, that means twenty-seven more little ones can be taken along," Tenenbaum realised.
"It'll be cramped but the trip will be short hopefully," Thomas spoke.
"That is not what concerns me though," Tenenbaum revealed.
"I know," Thomas acknowledged "Who's to say that in those two months we won't have rescued more than twenty-seven. That means some are going to be left behind, unless somebody is willing to give up their seat."
"Could not the sub return for those that do?" Tenenbaum quizzed.
"No, I thought of that myself should there be a reason to, but they've made it clear they have no intention of coming back to this hell hole once they leave. This is a one way trip out of Rapture and after that nothing else."
"Hmm, this will be a problem should Scott and the others learn of this. I fear they may even take drastic action to secure passage on that sub."
"Well…" Thomas quickly cleared his throat as he was about to propose something that seemed selfish and immoral even for him "If Judith and Mandy keep quiet and don't let slip what they know then perhaps we'll have an answer to our problem."
There was an awkward silence before Tenenbaum spoke again "Are you proposing we keep the U-boats existence a secret from most of the schools occupants? So many more little ones can leave in their place?"
Thomas sipped the bottle he held as it slowly started to give him the nerve he needed to say what he wanted to "Let's be honest Brigid, if I had known Judith was standing outside your door listening in on our discussion I'd have never mentioned there being a way out for all of us. More than half that damn school don't want you or the girls there and it's only because of Cassandra being in charge and me bringing supplies and such that they haven't kicked you out," Thomas took another swig of the beer he drank "Their all a bunch of arrogant, miserable stuck up selfish swine that aren't worth saving in this retched city, and I don't see why they should be fortunate to be on that sub when there are plenty of Little Sisters who could go in their place."
"Forgive me herr Big Brother but your sounding yourself a bit vindictive," Tenenbaum pointed out.
"So what if I am," Thomas blurted out while taking another swig "You still think that I'm some saviour or hero, or Good Samaritan even. I'm neither of those Tenenbaum, what I do with you is strictly business and I must have been clean out of my mind doing what I did not too long ago."
He then rubbed his arm over a cold patches that covered one of the bruises he had received from the shootout while Tenenbaum queried a question about what he had just said.
"Do these opinions of yours refer to the entire school; Judith, Cassandra, John and Mandy? Are these people selfish, arrogant and swine?"
"No, it's just…"
"Then what, what is it that has got you so frustrated? Is it what happened today at the resort, what you did?"
"It's not just that!" Thomas nearly shouted as he slammed the bottle down on the table "It's just that…"
"What?" she asked pushing further.
"The whole thing was supposed to be simple, find my sister and get the hell out of Rapture. Don't stop or get involved with anything and anyone. Just mind my own business and keep to myself; simple as that," Thomas then sighed "Instead I'm taking risks rescuing every Little Sister I come across from Big Daddies and keeping them safe from the Splicers.
And if I'm not wasting time and energy doing that I'm busy scrounging and scavenging enough food and such for you and the whole school; time and energy that could be used searching for her.
I mean how the hell did I get involved in this shit; and now because of the whims of an ease dropper and an awkward adolescent I've further complicated things with this damn U-boat stuff. All because I was stupid and too weary from today to stop, think and take in to consideration how many will be able to leave and will I find her before…"
Thomas sighed again before sipping from the bottle again "I just don't know what I'm going to do when the deadlines up and I don't have my sister and have to deal with an angry German crew demanding that I clear the path as I said I would. And an expected large number of passengers which half are going to be a little pissy when they find out they don't have passage booked."
"I wish I had the answers for you but I don't I'm afraid. This is your plan herr Big Brother, and only you I believe can make it work. But you don't have to do it all by yourself," Tenenbaum responded trying to ease and reassure him "You still have friends and allies who will offer you aid and help. It's just a matter of you letting us."
"I guess Brigid, thanks for the offer, but we're still going to have to come up with a plan or alternative when the time comes."
"Do you still plan on leaving some behind should we exceed the number of passengers for the trip?"
Not taking a sip from the bottle this time Thomas spoke with a more serious tone "It depends on how these people continue to treat you and the girls, and any action they may take. Make sure Judith and Mandy understand not to breathe a word to anyone until I've got this thing properly sorted."
"Will do herr Big Brother."
"By the way, did you get a chance to talk to Cassandra regarding the matter with Scott and Judith earlier?" Thomas enquired eager for some insight in to the commotion he and Tenenbaum observed right after the shootout.
"Cassandra was not thorough in what she knew but she did mention that on the surface Judith was a teacher who came to Rapture to escape persecution in regards to a scandal that disgraced her."
"What kind of scandal?" Thomas enquired further.
"She would not say but apparently before I arrived Judith had brought with her to the school a woman her age whom she had shared her home with as well as her room here. Unfortunately this woman was killed while out on one of their scavenging hunts for food, leaving poor Judith devastated."
"Was this woman her sister or… Oh!" Thomas who had picked-up where he had left off with the gun came to a sudden halt as his eyes widened with realisation "Your implying she was in a relationship with this woman?"
"It would appear so," Tenenbaum confirmed.
"And Scotty boy knows, so he's not only a damn racist but a homophobic too."
"You have no such discriminations?" Tenenbaum asked.
"I'm kind of liberal minded, plus I've met people of this nature before and found their still human so no I don't. But speaking of not being human, any idea why Scott isn't?"
"All I know is his father was killed in the war and it landed him in an orphanage run by catholic nuns."
"An orphan," Thomas realised "Explains why he's so bitter and angry, still doesn't excuse his behaviour though."
"So, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Tenenbaum asked.
"Same as always Brigid, scour the city and find my sister. And help any others I find along the way," Thomas spoke "I'll be signing off now, give me a call if there's any problems."
The radio went dead and Thomas made the final adjustments to the gun. Rising from his seat with it in one hand and the bottle in the other he then headed to the factories testing range. The room he was in had lined up at the far back four typical wooden boards hanging in the air with attached to each a target poster with the silhouette shape of a man's figure printed on them.
Standing at the firing point and donning a pair of earphones and firing goggles he took aim at the nearest target, held his breath at the possibility of it backfiring, and pulled the trigger.
The first round fired did so with no trouble, the bullet flew down the room and hit its target. Satisfied he fired another round and another and another till he had fired six; all had hit the target. He smiled as it brought back memories at the firing range of a gun club he had joined before the New Year's Eve riots. Not exactly his sort of thing but even before the riots broke out things were badly heating up and his concern for his safety and his sister prompted him to buy a revolver, and learn how to use it with skill and professionalism.
Satisfied with its first test he then changed the setting and aimed for the second target. He pulled the trigger again and the gun fired five rounds before the trigger would need to be pulled again. He fired again, five more rounds hitting the target.
Having passed that test he then switched to its full automatic setting and then flicked a switch on a control console next to him. Further back at the far end in the shadows something was being rolled out towards him. A moc-up target dummy of an Alpha Series, he pulled the trigger again and unleashed the full fury of the gun.
By the time the dummy had reached him it had been shot to pieces. The gun had passed its test, but still he needed to test its performance with some of the experimental ammo he had made. While he was doing that he decided perhaps now was a good time to test some other gimmicks and weaponry he had developed.
This then made him consider that maybe now it was time test the Plasmid he had been working on; although he left this sort of thing to Tenenbaum he wanted to prove to himself that he could create and complete one. It lay safely stored in a vault back in his room, ready to be used but untouched due to reluctance and caution whether it would work or worse.
One thing was for sure he thought, had he used it instead of the one Tenenbaum had provided him with his task earlier in dealing with the Splicers would have been far easier and spared him the discomfort of being shot.
He chose first to leave it till last; by then he would have made decision whether or not.
Okay, took a lot longer this chapter, mainly because the discussion between Thomas/Big Brother and Tenenbaum was supposed to be brief but I started to take in to account the fact that the sub could only carry a limited number of people and that T/BB still needed to find his sister.
I don't know much about subs or guns and so what I just described doesn't seem accurate and realistic but then again its Rapture.
As for the introducing another new Plasmid I really wished I had thought this one up before the previous chapter.
Anyway please rate and comment