Clang!
The boat seemed to shudder as Marie, Jocelyn, and Jack dropped the huge metal box on top of the deck of the ship. Jack gave a loud sigh of relief as he leaned back onto the box.
"Jeez Marie, did you have to bring so much clothes?" Said Jack, wiping sweat from his brow. "We're going on a short fishing trip, not moving to another country!"
"But Daddyyyyyyy," Whined Marie in typical teenage fashion. "We're going to be out at sea for soooo long! I need those clothes."
Jack took one look at Marie's doggy eyes and folded. "Alright, alright."
Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "You spoil her Dad. If it had been me, you wouldn't even have loaded the box onto the truck."
Jack frowned slightly at Jocelyn's bitter tone- they both knew she was talking about more than just a box of 'clothes'. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us Jocelyn? We can always go back to get your stuff...or you could share with Marie. Heaven knows she has enough clothes to garb a small army."
Jocelyn shook her head. "No, I still have obligations to take care of. You understand, of course."
Of course it was all wrong- the true situation was reversed. But they needed to keep up the act in case any federal agents were still watching them.
"Well, I suppose its time for me to head back. " Jocelyn said. She wrapped both Jack and Marie up in a big hug and whispered into their ears. "Promise me the two of you will come back home safe."
"We promise." Replied Jack and Marie. They both pretended not to see the tears in Jocelyn's eyes as she exited the boat.
Without another word, the two disembarked on their journey to the watery hell known as Rapture.
And from the hills overlooking the dock, Agent Sapper placed his binoculars down. He watched the now miniaturized ship speed away out to sea with an annoyed glare- if only he could hear what they were saying! Still, Burningham had given him strict orders to keep his distance from the Ryan family, to not take "unnecessary risk". While Sapper felt standing almost half a mile away from the target was playing it a bit too safe, Sapper was reluctant to be adventurous- especially after what happened to Agent Roddenberry.
Plus, Burningham was his superior. The man was a legend in the agency. Sapper wished he could be half the man Burningham was- where as he bumbled along like a "country bumpkin", Burningham was smooth, precise and well, cool.
Speaking of which, Burningham would want to be updated. With a quick flick of his wirst, Sapper pulled out a small hand-held radio. "Burningham, come in."
There was a crackle of static before Burningham replied, "Go ahead Sapper."
Sapper quickly adopted a business-like tone. "Codename O'Brien has left by boat. It appears he's taking that fishing trip he was talking about before. Do you want us to pursue?"
The reply was almost instant. "Negative Sapper. Return to base."
"Sir?" Sapper's voice was filled with confusion. "We're not following them?"
Burningham sounded amused. "Sometimes the winner of the race is not the one who starts first but the one who crosses the finishing line."
"I don't understand."
Burningham's voice was gentle, but it held a tone of finality. "Do not worry about it Sapper. It will be all taken care of."
"But...But..." Sapper couldn't let it go. "Why? Why aren't we going after them? Are we giving up on the case?"
"Sapper." This time Burningham had a definite warning edge. "I said, do NOT worry about it. Now head back to base."
"Yes sir." Sapper put the radio away, ignoring his anxiety. It sounded like Burningham had something big planned. He was his superior after all, the legendary old agent. Burningham always knew better than Sapper.
Right?
It wasn't until the surface was completely out of sight before Jack and Marie finally pulled out the massive box and opened it. Laying on top of a pile of guns, ammo, grenades and supplies laid Eleanor, with her small suitcase in her hand. The moment the top came off Eleanor immediately leapt out of the iron coffin, clutching her Big-Sister suitcase tightly to her chest.
"Had a nice nap?" Jeered Marie, laughing at Eleanor's reaction. The chuckle died as Jack glared at his youngest daughter.
"Are you alright Eleanor?" He asked.
She really wasn't. Being stuck in a small box without knowning when she was going to be released reminded Eleanor far too much of her captivity under Sophia Lamb's thumb. That's why she said, "I'm perfectly fine Jack- no problems here at all! Thank you for asking though." She flashed him a large smile that caused Marie to glare at her.
Of course Jack didn't notice anything wrong. "Good. Get ready everyone- we're almost there."
As the son of Ryan headed back to steering the ship, Delta spoke to Eleanor. Why did you lie to him Eleanor?
Eleanor shrugged. It wasn't that big of a deal Father. I wasn't really that hurt anyway.
Delta said nothing and merely rumbled in uneasy acceptance. Seeing their conversation over, Eleanor immediately began to strip herself.
"AH!" Eleanor stopped removing her shirt at the cry and turned to a red-faced Marie.
"Yes?" She said frostily- she still hadn't forgiven that bitch for her insults at Father.
"What the hell are you doing?" Marie stuttered, her face growing ever more red as anger overcame embarrassment.
"Changing." Was Eleanor's terse reply.
"Out in the open? Go down to one of the rooms and change you hussy!"
Eleanor's snorted as she continued removing her clothing. "And deny you the show? No, best to show you what you've always wished for but can never have."
Marie's retort died in her throat as Eleanor opened her trunk and pulled out her Big Sister armor. Her eyes wide, Marie watched in silence as Eleanor strapped the thin diving suit onto herself. It was until Eleanor was almost finished before Marie finally spoke.
"What the...what the hell is that?"
Eleanor gave a cold stare at Marie's face. "This is what you would have turned into if Jack had never saved you."
With those words, Eleanor placed the Big Sister helmet over her head, covering her face. The red light immediately came on, casting an ominous glow over the deck. With no more words to be said, the three former-Rapturians continued their destination in silence.
It wasn't long before the Rapture escapees reached their destination. They saw the lighthouse long before they reached it. In a short amount of time, they had docked their small boat on the island and entered into the basement of the lighthouse.
It was there Marie suddenly brought up a good question. "Um, Dad? How exactly are we going to get down to Rapture? We don't have a sub or bathysphere with us."
"You forget Marie- I hold the same genes as Andrew Ryan." Jack replied. With those words, he placing his hand on the pedestal nearby. The sound of turning gears echoed across the room as the pedestal shifted and turned, scanning Jack's hand to do...
Nothing. The sound of shifting gears ceased and the pedestal stop moving. Jack looked at the pedestal in confusion. A second attempt yield the same results.
"They must have changed the genetic code..." Muttered Jack in dismay.
Marie rolled her eyes. "Seriously Dad? That was your amazing plan to go into Rapture?"
Eleanor sent Marie an angry glare, causing the Hispanic girl to flinch. Sure, it was silly of Jack to think that after ten years, the genetic code would still remain the same, but it wasn't like that fool girl had a better idea! She should respect Jack Ryan more!
Eleanor stepped forward and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "It's ok Jack, it was an honest mistake." In the back of her head, Delta scoffed but Eleanor ignored him.
Jack had the decently to look embarrassed. "I hope you have another plan to get into Rapture."
Eleanor smiled. "I do." She placed her gloved hand on the pedestal. Immediately the pedestal clicked and a bathysphere broke the surface of the water. The glass door popped with a loud hiss, awaiting its passengers.
"How did you do that?" Asked Marie, her voice filled with suspicious.
Eleanor opened her mouth to speak but the moment she put her foot into the bathysphere she was cut off by a loud scream. She flinched as she heard the sounds of small fist beating against tough metal. She couldn't see anything but she could hear a little girl screaming, crying, "No, no, no! I wanna go home, I wanna go home!"
"Eleanor?"
The screaming disappeared at the sound of Jack's voice. Eleanor turned to see the two Ryan's staring at her, a concern look on Jack's face and suspicion on Marie's. She gave a false smile and spoke as if nothing had happened.
"One of the task of the Big Sisters was to kidnap little girls and bring them to Rapture to turn them into Little Sisters. Although the Big Sisters could swim to Rapture with their diving suits, there was no way the girls could survive the pressure of the ocean. As such, Lamb gave the Big Sisters control of the bathysphere system. All you need is the Big Sister armor and a ADAM slug inside your body...all of which I have."
"You still have your ADAM slug?" Marie's voice was filled with shock.
"Of course." Replied Eleanor, struggling to keep her voice civil. She still hadn't forgiven Marie for remarks about Father but she didn't want Jack to think she held onto old grudges. "Why would you assume something like that?"
Jack gave an uncomfortable look. "Well, the Rescue plasmid Tenebaum developed removes the slugs from the Little Sisters without killing them. When I used it on you to try and cure your condition it didn't give me any ADAM slug."
Delta rumbled at the back of her head. That is unsettling...
Why does it matter? Thought Eleanor. To Jack and Marie she said, "It's probably because I'm a teenager. Tenebaum no doubt designed the plasmid for pre-pubescent children. In any case, it hardly matters- the plasmid has done wonders to my condition. I haven't had any major flashbacks at all."
That wasn't entirely true- she just had a flashback right now, but it was minor, probably nothing worth worrying about. Delta grumbled uneasily at those thoughts but said nothing as Jack and Marie nodded in acceptance.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Good job with the bathysphere, Eleanor- I'm glad we brought you along." Eleanor beamed at Jack's praise, like a child who had been told Christmas had come early.
With those words, Jack took the wheel of the bathysphere and submerged the vehicle. And as the bathysphere descended into a projection powered on. Jack kept his face impassive as Andrew Ryan's signature jingle played. The airy and jovial tune fit perfectly with Andrew Ryan's immaturity. That fool's dreams of a free city on the bottom of an ocean was sensible only for a child. His sophomoric pride had ripped the city apart and destroyed any chance of Rapture's success.
To Jack's surprise, it was not Ryan's face that appeared on the screen, spewing his beliefs about sweat of a man's brow and creating an escape for the great. Instead the face of an unknown woman flicked on. The woman looked to be middle aged, with bright blond hair and horn-rim glasses. She had a kind and welcoming smile- an expression that was at odds with her shifty eyes and harsh facial features. With the way her hair was arranged, Jack couldn't help but associate her with a ferret- someone who appeared to be nice and fuzzy but was really vermin.
He didn't fail to notice Eleanor's body go stiff as a board either.
"Welcome child," The lady said- no, purred. It was almost as if she was singing each word. "No doubt you are afraid right now. For this I must apologize- change can be frightening. But fear no more, for you are about to embark on the journal of a life time! The creature besides you is not a metal monster, but your new older sister, a guardian angel who has taken you to a better life. You will have a new family now, a better family now- the Rapture family!"
"That's Sophia Lamb?" Asked Marie, her voice filled with amusement. "Wow Eleanor, I didn't know you were scared of overgrown hags. She seems more likely to nag someone to death than kill them!"
Eleanor jaw clench tightly, beneath her Big Sister helmet. She ignored Marie as Lamb continued to speak.
"You will have no shortage of brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers who will care for you. You will never be hungry, angry or sad ever again! Embrace your new family my child and you will live in eternal paradise forever! Behold...Rapture!"
(A/N: Whew, been awhile hasn't it? Truth be told, this chapter has just been sitting on my computer for the last 3 months just waiting to be posted. The reason it took so long is because I absolutely detest how this turned out. But everytime I tried changing it, it only ended up worst. So after many revisions, I have pretty much the same chapter as what I first wrote. SIGH.
For those looking for a good Bioshock story, I recommend you check out 'Sea of Broken Dreams' by jschneids. It's also a Bioshock 3 story with a far more consistent update rate than this one!
Edited 11/16/10 for spelling errors.)