Disclaimer: I don't own Bioshock or any of the characters

Ares could still taste the metallic tang of blood as he made his way to Cain's quarters for the second time. This time however, there was no defiance or pride in his gait. He'd already been briefed on the plan that the manipulative splicer had laid out, but there was one last thing that he needed to do.

The sound of a scuffle could be heard coming from inside as he made his way towards the back room. There were no screams or noises of anything breaking so he could only assume that Cain had whatever it was under control. A few more steps and he was standing level with the entrance.

Reaching for the doorknob, he hesitated. Ares bit back a frustrated growl as he decided to knock on the wooden structure instead. The activity behind it ceased immediately. After a brief pause, a single word reached his ears.

"Enter."

Swallowing past the lump that had formed in his throat, he pushed to door open. Its splintery wood felt especially abrasive in that moment, like tiny knives raking across his skin.

Two pairs of eyes immediately locked onto him the moment he set foot inside. Cain was leaning against the back wall, regarding him with the same cold distance that he usually held. The expression was only made more sinister now that he knew what lay behind it.

Gamma was standing in the center, panting lightly. All of the furniture had been pushed to the sides giving her the room to do whatever she'd been doing before he arrived. Her helmet and much of her armor had been removed, leaving her dressed only in loosely fitting slacks and a baggy shirt. Despite her rather unimpressive stature outside of the suit, she still held all the feral savagery that she'd displayed in the past.

She glared at Ares, her lips pulled back in a snarl that revealed overly pronounced canines. The way her mess of raven hair fell across her face gave the impression of a predator looking through the bushes.

The Houdini did his best to block her presence out. Turning to Cain, he opened his mouth to speak only to have the man cut him off.

"Gamma. Again." Cain ordered, not sparing him so much as a glance.

The big sister flew into motion and for an instant Ares thought she was going to attack him. Thankfully, her target was not anything physical. In a wickedly fast barrage of attacks she tore into the air as though facing off against a myriad of opponents. She struck with everything ranging from punches and kicks, to claw-like motions as though she were trying to rip her invisible victims open with her bare hands.

The display ended when she swept one of her feet out at leg level. Moving almost too fast for Ares to follow, she brought her other foot up and smashed it down where the imaginary foe's head would have fallen. She turned to Cain with an impatient motion, looking at him expectantly.

"I saw no stiffness or limitations in your movements." He said, nodding in approval. "Was there any pain? Anything that would lead you to believe your injuries haven't yet recovered?"

Gamma shook her head rapidly. The way she leaned her weight alternating between her feet almost reminded Cain of an overeager child.

"Good. In that case you can suit back up. You've recovered enough to accompany me on the mission."

With a wave, he dismissed her and she took the opportunity to rush past Ares off to wherever her armor was likely being held. The Houdini drew back against the door frame as far as he could to avoid coming into direct contact with her. His gaze followed her through the bar until she vanished around the corner. He had to suppress a small sigh of relief as she disappeared.

"I trust this is important?"

Cain's questioning voice reminded him why he'd bothered to come here in the first place. Facing the man once more, Ares stepped into the room fully and kicked the door closed. He met Cain's frown with an impassive blank expression.

"I understand now." He said after a pause. "I believed that I knew before, but now I realize I was mistaken."

"Do you now?" Cain questioned, raising an eyebrow. "And what brilliant revelation have you discovered exactly?"

Instead of answering, Ares drew his both of his hatchets. The action prompted Cain to swiftly draw his own knife only to hesitate as the two axes were dropped to the ground.

"I know who you are." Ares said, his voice distant. Dropping down to one knee, he bowed his head. "You set a task before me and now you've set it in motion yourself."

The expression of pure confusion on Cain's face would have been thoroughly convincing if the Houdini didn't know the truth behind the mask.

"What the bleeding hell are you going on about?" He demanded, his lack of understanding turning to annoyance. "Have you been drugging yourself or did what little sanity you had left finally fade away?"

"Please. Give me a chance to repent for questioning you." Ares spoke as though he hadn't heard the insult at all. "I will not fail you again."

Cain's mouth opened and closed several times as he tried to make sense of what was being said. After several moments, his face settled in a small smile.

"Get up."

Ares rose from his crouched position, standing ramrod straight as he faced the man in front of him.

"You want a chance to prove yourself to me?"

He nodded. Now that he was aware of who he served, that was the one thing he desired above all others.

"You won't question any more of my orders?"

He shook his head. Never again would he doubt a word that he gave him.

"It's good to see you've finally come to your senses." Cain remarked. "If you've learned your lesson I do have one job in particular that you could do for me."

"Whatever you need, I will ensure it is done." Ares replied without hesitation.

"We'll see."

Cain gestured for him to pick the hatchets back up. Sheathing them once more, he stood to receive his new orders.

"As you know, Hawthorn will be aiding us in attacking Fort Frolic." The man explained. "I want you to take Hammer and join the frontal assault."

"You want me to act as a vanguard?" Ares questioned. Cain shook his head, giving him a serious stare.

"I want you to ensure that the attack goes badly."

The Houdini frowned, not sure if he'd heard correctly.

"You… want me to sabotage the attack?" He questioned. Cain answered with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Hawthorn has been a useful tool, but he is becoming more and more of a burden." The finality in his tone made his intentions perfectly clear. "I have very big plans for the future. Plans he will not be a part of. You will go with him and ensure that his attack keeps the inhabitants of Fort Frolic busy until my business is complete. When I give the word, you will ensure that he, Hammer, and any others that look particularly bothersome die there."

Ares stood silent for a time. As he contemplated the job, a creak in the floorboards signaled Gamma's return. It was funny in a way how her presence now made so much more sense.

"What signal will you use?" He asked at last.

"Oh believe me; you'll know it when you hear it." Cain said with an amused chuckle. "For now, go meet with Hammer and get ready. Be sure not to draw too much attention to yourself."

Ares departed with a bow, leaving behind Cain and the freshly-armored big sister. As he made his way back through the bar, a shiver of anticipation ran through him. The danger of his mission didn't even register in his mind.

After all, with the god of war leading him how could he fail?

Davian couldn't help but feel useless. Tomas and Emma had spent the last half hour talking over the radio with Tenenbaum, and they didn't seem keen on sharing what as being said. He, Archer, and Amelia all had to fend for themselves while they spoke. It wasn't a nice feeling to be constantly surrounded by splicers.

The waiting was killing him. He knew full well that no matter what was decided in that room, there was going to be violence. If the doctor refused, then they'd be left here surrounded by a mob of violent drug addicts that had no reason to keep them alive. If she accepted, the colonists may have something else to say about that. From the expressions that Tomas and Emma had worn they didn't look like they'd be giving her up without a fight.

Davian had taken to wandering around the ruins of Fort Frolic in an attempt to get away from as many of the splicers as possible. Especially the Spiders. Not only were those things freaky, they were tougher than they looked. Amelia and Archer hadn't been happy when he told them he was going to split off, but he'd eventually managed to convince them that he knew how to avoid being murdered in an alleyway. Splitting up may have sounded stupid, but he knew that in the event of violence breaking out it would force their captors to do the same. They had the numbers advantage, so the colonists had to do everything they could to restrict it.

Though honestly his main reasoning was that he didn't want to sit around and wait for them to make the first move. To a Houdini, remaining stationary was like a death sentence.

His solitary walk eventually brought him to another theater area. This one, unlike the initial one they'd entered through, looked to be a dedicated show area complete with vast numbers of what had once been fabric seats. The stage at the far end of the room was even more broken down than he would have expected. Its center was charred black and heavily splintered as though it had endured some kind of explosion.

Still, while the ambiance might have been a bit lacking the room provided some shelter from his hosts.

Claiming a relatively intact seat in the third row, he sat down with a light grunt. Dust kicked up as the unused chair was disturbed. He held back the sneeze, not wanting to give any reason for a splicer passing by to come in and investigate.

Once he'd settled in a needle of unease worked into his system.

What was he doing? Walking willingly into a part of the city that housed some of the most twisted creatures he'd ever seen. Key to the surface or not, it just seemed suicidal. If Cohen got sick of entertaining their presence, all he'd have to do would be to give the word. Amelia might be able to survive the attacks long enough to make it to the train station, but the rest of them would be royally screwed.

In an attempt to divert his attention away from self-destructive thoughts he tried focusing on the positives instead. Like the… no, that wasn't really a positive. There was the… actually there wasn't. What about…? Come to think of it, the only good thing about their situation he could imagine at the moment was the fact that they were still technically alive.

With a sigh, he resigned himself to suffering through the sea of negatives that were breaking against the confines of his mind. It probably wasn't a healthy mindset but if he lived long enough to regret it he'd consider himself lucky.

You can leave.

What would normally have sent an unpleasant jolt through his system barely even surprised him at this point.

"You're back?" Davian asked. "What happened to giving me the silent treatment?"

The voice chose to ignore his question.

Nobody is stopping you. The others wouldn't know, and you'd be able to keep yourself alive.

"You know I'm not going to do that." He was getting rather tired of having these debates. "I care about Amelia, and I care about the colonists. I'm not just going to abandon them. Especially not just because a voice in my head told me to."

There was no answer to that at first. The quiet stretched on for several minutes until it spoke up again.

You haven't given it any thought have you?

"The leaving thing?" Davian asked. "No I haven't. I don't need to. Even if I walk away, I'll still end up dead eventually. I'd rather die trying to survive than just delaying things."

Not that. You asked what I was, remember?

"Oh…"

He vaguely remembered their 'conversation' when he'd been recovering in the hospital, though he hadn't really tried puzzling it out since then. It didn't matter much what the voice was so long as it didn't pull another body stealing experience.

Have you figured it out yet?

"No." Davian answered. "How about you just take pity on the poor mortal and answer without some kind of cryptic message. The last time you told me to think back to the first time I met you, but you've always been there."

You're partially correct.

Blowing out a frustrated sigh, he leaned back in the chair and turned his eyes to the ceiling.

"You know, at this point I really don't care anymore." He said. "If you want to play the part of the mysterious guy who only talks in riddles, go right ahead. I'll be busy doing things that are actually important. Like figuring out how to stay alive when everything hits the fan."

Leaving your sister.

"Eh?"

That was the first time we spoke.

The room felt several degrees colder at the thought of that memory. Hunching forwards slightly, Davian's mood turned serious again.

"And what is that supposed to tell me?" He demanded. "I already know how much of a prick you are about your timing."

Silence.

"Oh come on!" He stormed to his feet, slamming his hand down on the seat in front of him in frustration. "Don't you dare do this now! You can't pull that crap and then decide to go quiet again!"

Despite his protests, there was no answer.

"Ha ha, real funny aren't you!" He spat. "Get my hopes up and then just throw everything away. Well screw you! You stupid, wasted, excuse for a… a…"

It was then that he noticed the presence of two others standing in the entrance.

"Not again…"

Turning around slowly, he braced himself for the sight of a couple splicers looking for an easy victim. When he saw who it actually was, he silently wished it had been a pack of killers.

Archer and Amelia stared back at him, wearing expressions of disturbed confusion. Archer's mouth hung half open with one of his eyebrows was raised in a quizzical way, while the big sister looked over him as though he'd grown a second head that had started speaking Russian.

"Uh… hi…?" Archer ventured after several moments of silence. "Are we… interrupting something…?"

"Do I want to ask how long the two of you were standing there for?" Davian questioned.

They of them shared a sidelong glance at each other.

"Probably not."

He resisted the urge to reach up and bury his face in his hands, instead taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

"Was there something you needed?" He asked at last. Archer hesitated before answering.

"…You were just-"

"I know what I was doing!" Davian interrupted. "I was shouting at nothing! Could we discuss that later? You came to find me for a reason right?"

The young man started opening his mouth to continue pushing the subject, but thought better of it.

"Yeah." He said. "Tomas sent us to get you. It's been decided."

"What has?"

"Tenenbaum's coming here." Archer explained. "We're going to be headed down to the train station to meet her when she arrives."

"Wait, you mean she actually agreed to that psycho's terms?" Davian exclaimed. "Please tell me you're not serious! Isn't there a better way of getting those codes?"

He only shrugged in response, not looking the least bit happy himself.

"All I know is that she's on her way right now." He said. "Tomas wants everyone to be there when she arrives so either she is going through with it, or all hell is going to break loose as soon as the train pulls in. Either way, this is probably going to be bad."

"Right…" And here Davian had been hoping he'd survive long enough to see the inside of the sub. "I guess let's get going then."

With an air of resignation, he made his way up the shallow incline and fell in beside the two of them. Amelia was still eyeing him oddly, though he could hardly blame her after walking in on that. He silently promised that he'd tell them everything they wanted to know later.

So long as there was a later.

By some miracle of engineering, the rusted up train car not only survived it's trip back to the starting station but also managed to stay intact while transporting Tenenbaum to Fort Frolic. As the glorified metal box entered, Davian, Archer, Amelia, Tomas, and Emma all stood waiting for the doctor to step off.

They were not alone.

Cohen and around a dozen of his splicers stood a short distance away. The air of anticipation given off by the artist was only matched by the trepidation of the colonists.

Eventually, the squeal of metal brakes signaled the train's halt. The doors eased open to let off the people who'd endured the ride under the ocean.

As expected, Tenenbaum was the first one who exited through the opening. Her professional stature was only slightly shaken after her experience in the rickety submersible. She stepped forward to meet Tomas, who greeted her with a nod.

The doctor didn't come alone. After she'd made her way to the group, four colonists that Davian didn't recognize piled out after her. They hadn't held up quite as well, each one looking thoroughly shake. While he normally would have been feeling better seeing friendly reinforcements, their presence was overshadowed by the last man who stepped off the train.

"What the hell is he doing here!?" Archer blurted out. It was more or less what Davian had been thinking as well.

Stanley Poole stumbled off the subsurface deathtrap, catching himself on a nearby railing to keep from falling flat on his face. He didn't appear at all pleased to be in this situation. If anything, he looked like he was struggling not to be sick.

"After what happened before, I believed it would be best if I kept him under my watch at all times." Tenenbaum explained, giving the angered young man a look that warned him to restrain himself. "Please be civil. We can't afford a fight between ourselves right now."

"Ourselves!?" Archer demanded. "He's not-"

"That's enough." Tomas warned, giving a subtle gesture towards the waiting splicers. "Don't show instability in front of them."

He glared up at the man, but didn't continue what he'd been saying.

"Hey doctor." Davian greeted with a small wave. "How's Gwen doing?"

She gave him a reassuring smile.

"The child is well." Tenenbaum replied. "Currently I have Grace Holloway looking after her. She's a kind woman, and will take good care of Gwen until we return."

Behind her, Stanley let out a bitter chuckle earning him a sharp glare from the woman. Davian wasn't sure what the exchange meant, but it certainly didn't do anything to ease his concern.

"Brigid Tenenbaum." Cohen's voice broke up the little reunion instantly. He slowly made his way forward, putting all of the colonists on edge. "It's a pleasure to have you here at last."

"Sander Cohen." She replied, the distaste obvious in her voice. "I've come to negotiate the release of those codes. I'm afraid I don't plan on staying long."

The artist offered a chilling smile.

"There is nothing to negotiate." He stated, a dangerous edge working its way into his demeanor. "You know full well what I want, and you're in no position to debate it. You'll either cooperate willingly…"

Storm clouds built up behind his eyes, making his sinister expression all the more frightening.

"Or I'll take it."

Ah crap. Davian thought to himself, tensing up for the inevitable massacre that was about to happen. They had better chances than they'd had before with the addition of the other colonists, but he doubted the train would survive the crossfire. Not to mention the fact that more enemies would likely be piling in the moment they heard the gunfire.

All around him the others, both colonists and splicers, mimicked his actions. Just as the tension felt as though it were about to snap, the bulkhead door across the room opened up and a very winded Spider splicer practically collapsed making its way through.

"Ssssir!" It called, its twisted lips mangling its speech. "We've got problemssss!"

"You have the nerve to interrupt me now!?" Cohen demanded, rounding on the trembling creature with fury blazing to life in his eyes. "What could possibly be so important? Speak!"

"Ssssorry ssssir!" The splicer pleaded, raising its arms in an awkward pose of submission. "B-But we need your help."

"We're under attack."