The emptiness of Neptune's Bounty was disconcerting to Theta. Even near abandoned areas had the occasional monsters, be they individuals or small groups. Neptune's Bounty had been absolutely silent; even Theta's enhanced senses couldn't detect anyone outside of her group. Her low growls accurately portrayed everyone's feelings. The large monster in particular seemed on edge, his eyes darting suspiciously in her direction at regular intervals. Theta sent him a glare and bared her teeth, if the beast thought she was setting him up for an ambush he was a fool.
"Where the hell is everyone?" David shared her nervousness it seemed. She wished she could comfort him, but she shared his concerns. For an area of Rapture this large to be utterly deserted was unprecedented.
"I don't know, but keep your guard up. This isn't natural." Theta nodded in confirmation of Jack's comment, she was…concerned.
The group slowly advanced deeper into the fishing settlement, eyes carefully surveying the area for any and all possible hostiles. "Do you know where they might congregate Jack?"
Jack sent the witch an apologetic glance before shaking his head. "No, the Splicers have scrapped some areas and built up others. I have no way of knowing what they've changed."
The witch nodded with a barely audible sigh. "Well it was worth asking."
Theta grumbled to herself inside the privacy of her own mind. She could hear generators in almost every building in the settlement, monsters had to be here. Where the hell were they?
Still on edge the group entered the central courtyard of the monster's settlement in Neptune's Bounty. The road they were following forked and ramshackled buildings extended down each fork. They were haphazardly thrown together from sheet metal, cardboard, concrete and other bits and bobs. In the center of the split in the path there was a small statue. It was a crude depiction of a man. He was holding a gun and a vial of Eve aloft. As she squinted at the strange figure she noticed jagged markings on its wrists. They looked almost like a tattoo…almost like Jack's tattoo…
Simultaneously, every generator in the settlement switched off and Theta's blood ran cold. There were monsters everywhere they must have been using the generator's sound to make it more difficult for her to sense them. They were packed into every building like vermin, attempting to hold still and stay quiet.
Snarling a warning to her allies, Theta spun towards David, readying herself to protect him. Before she could get within a foot of the startled human, much to her surprise, the floor gave out beneath her feet. Despite her surprise, Theta was able to land on her feet, unlike her allies who were groaning on the ground.
A trap! They had stumbled into a trap! She had stumbled into a trap! The floor around the statue of Jack had collapsed, sending Theta's group falling into a twenty foot deep pit. The walls were featureless metal, not a handhold in sight. While she would be able to leave easily, her human allies would have a much harder time of it. Shuffled footsteps alerted her to the arrival of the monsters. Dozens of the twisted freaks lined the edges of the pit, their mocking jeering further angering the frustrated experiment.
By this time her human allies were getting to their feet. Groaning the large monster got to his feet before sending Theta a glare. "Where the hell was our warning freak?" Theta bared her teeth towards the oaf, when they got out of this she was going to murder that idiot!
"Oh shut up Tony! Is this really the-fuck!" Sandy yelped in pain and put a hand to her forehead. It came away bloody, one of the monsters had thrown something at her. The monsters were pacing back and forth around the edge of the pit, the sight of blood stirring them into frenzy. Their crazed screams and enraged cries rose in volume as they psyched themselves up for the kill.
A large monster shoved its way to the front of the pack, hefting a bottle of some sort of alcohol. Laughing cruelly it lit a makeshift fuse and hurled it into the pit. Theta smiled as she tracked the falling cocktail and raised a hand, it was time for a show of force. A ball of lightning exploded from the palm of her hand and impacted the bottle, shattering it and vaporizing the combustible liquid. Capitalizing on the monster's stunned silence; Theta threw her head back and released her patented scream.
The monsters hesitated, glancing nervously amongst themselves, obviously unsure how to deal with this newest threat. "Calm down, we aren't in a good position." Theta sent Jack a glance before pointedly looking at the hand on her shoulder. It was swiftly removed. Raising his hands above his head, Jack stepped forward. "We didn't come here to fight."
A gravely voice echoed from the various speakers strewn around the area. "Your ill tempered friend says otherwise." Theta's head snapped to a camera mounted on the corner of a building, her teeth bared.
The witch stepped forward, limping from the fall. "I assure you we did not come here to fight."
The voice over the speakers chuckled. "Awfully heavily armed if you come in peace. How about a show of good faith? Put your weapons on the ground."
"Not a chance in hell!" Theta rolled her eyes at the large monster's idiocy.
Jack crossed his arms, shrewdly inspecting the nearest camera. "People don't act on faith in Rapture, you should know that."
Static hissed over the loudspeakers as the man in charge sighed to himself. "Very well." A claxon sounded in the distance. After several seconds the monsters began to disperse, grumbling as they did. "Now." A crane moved slowly into place, when it stopped a massive cargo crate was hovering above the pit. "I've done something for you so now you do something for me. Put your weapons on the ground. Or…I could release the crane."
Sandy released a nervous laugh and put her pistol on the ground. "That seems reasonable…right?"
Slowly every other member of Theta's little group set their weapons on the ground. The large monster was the last, grumbling to himself as he did it.
"Good, I like that. Tit for tat. Mutual gain, cooperation, team work!" A security bot hovered down to their level; it had some sort of magnet attached to its casing. With a slight hum, it activated and the group's guns flew to it. Before anyone in the group could think about retrieving their weapons it flew off.
The humans seemed quiet nervous after the loss of their weapons. Theta could understand their fear even if she had no such concerns. After all, you can't disarm plasmids. "Well this sucks." Theta snatched David's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. When he glanced over at her she offered him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She wouldn't let anything happen to him.
The sound of metal grating on metal caused Theta to flinch slightly. A series of metal rungs emerged from the steep wall, giving the human's a way out of the pit. The large monster shouldered his way to the ladder only to be stopped by Jack. "I should go first."
The large monster sent Jack an irritated glance. "Why's that?" Jack pointedly lit his hand on fire before pushing the large monster out of the way. Theta smirked towards the large monster before effortlessly leaping out of the pit. She landed in a crouch; her gaze immediately felling upon several monsters who were taking their sweet time leaving. Baring her teeth she took a quick step towards them and hissed. The monsters didn't look back as they ran from the area.
Hearing Jack nearing the top of the ladder Theta crouched before it. After a few seconds the man's hand appeared on the edge of the pit, with a slight grunt he pulled himself further up. Seeing the experiment peering at him, Jack extended a hand. Theta paused, tilting her head curiously to the side. "You gonna give me a hand?" Smiling slightly, Theta grabbed the human's hand and pulled him all the way out. Nodding his thanks away, Theta helped Thompson up.
"Do you have any idea who this guy is Jack?" Theta listened to the duo's conversation with detached interest as she watched the others climb the ladder.
"No, the only person who had any power in Neptune's Bounty last time I was here was Peach Wilkins and well…he's dead." Theta helped Sandy up, offering the woman a brief smile.
"Do you recognize his voice?" Theta 'helped' the Witch, being slightly less gentle then was strictly necessary.
"No, I'm pretty sure he isn't one of Rapture's major players." She smiled broadly at David as she helped him up, giving him a quick hug before he could react.
"Well, let's hope he's marginally saner then most of Rapture's ilk." She could hear the large monster grunting as he climbed the ladder, his oversized paws and large stature making the climb harder for him then it was for the others. Dangling a leg off the ledge, Theta watched the monster slowly climb.
"You going to help bitch?" Theta smirked down at the struggling monster. Feeling rubble beneath her hand, she picked up a small pebble. "You forget I'm here you imbecile?" Stifling a giggle, Theta tossed the pebble at the large monster. It pinged off of his forehead earning her a pained grunt. "Do that again! I dare you!" Another pebble followed the first. The monster growled dangerously. The next hit him in the eye. "I'm fucking warning you!" The next, significantly larger then the others, hit him square in the nose. Upon hearing the cracking sound that followed, Theta lapsed into a fit of giggles.
After a few more seconds of climbing the large monster reached the ledge. He glared at her, his nose bloody and swollen. "At least going to give me a hand freak?" Theta was livid instantly. She was not a freak! Growling, she planted her bare foot on the monster's forehead. His eyes widened as he realized her intentions. "Don't you d-" Theta pushed.
When David chastised her later, she made a point of looking apologetic.
()
The ground around the house was covered in ash, so much it was even falling from the sky. A few specks fell onto Alpha's visor, when she reached up to wipe it off her hand came away wet. Was powdered ice falling from the sky? Briefly, curiosity overwhelmed the urge to complete her mission and her gaze moved about the landscape.
Hills like frozen waves extended as far as the eye could see, they were also covered in the ashwater. Wooden spindly things cropped up seemingly at random, they looked almost like the things from Arcadia but there was no green. A few smallish habitats were situated amongst the hills, the humans inside them sleeping peacefully. The great emptiness above her was grey and murky, like the sea after a storm. She was unable to see the great black sea that normally consumed the sky.
Shaking off her foolish curiosity, Alpha stalked to the nearest house, the ashwater crunching underfoot. Arriving at a glass door, she peered inside the darkened home. Seeing no movement, she pulled a hand back to shatter the glass. On a hunch she stopped short. A gloved hand grasped the door's handle and gently pulled. The door opened without protest. The idiots hadn't even locked up for the night; apparently they thought they were safe.
Despite the darkness, Alpha could see the living area clearly. A few seats around some sort of fire pit in the wall, a half wall with a counter and various knives and other cutlery, a large metal box that radiated a slight aura of cold. Senses alert for any sign of detection, Alpha advanced further into the house.
Catching movement from the corner of her eye, Alpha spun, hands alight. Some sort of creature was perched on the back of a seat, unconcernedly studying her. Irritated by its lack of alarm, Alpha sent a spark towards its sinuous tail. Leaping off the couch with a shockingly loud yowl, the creature shot towards the stairs. It was fast, Alphas harpoon was faster. With a crunch, Alpha's harpoon hit the animal's head. Hearing movement from the upper level, she stalked towards the stairs, leaving the dead animal hanging from the three foot metal spear.
As she crested the stairs a door at the far end of the floor opened, she could clearly see the outline of a male human in the doorway. With an irritated huff, Alpha sent the thing flying backwards and slammed the door shut; she wasn't in the mood to play. Telekinetically holding the door closed, Alpha entered her target's room. To her surprise it was empty.
For a moment she thought she had the wrong room, the pink décor, overabundance of stuffed animals and miniature plastic people proved that hunch wrong. Snarling at this unwelcome occurrence, she grabbed the bed and hurled it across the room. The child was not under the bed. Her anger spiking, she tore the door to the closet off of its hinges. It was also empty. With an enraged growl she set the child's clothing on fire. Spinning around she sent a wave of fire over the tiny building in the corner, the plastic humans inside melted like wax. A worn stuffed bear caught her eye, it was old and falling apart but patched. Clearly it was well cared for despite its age. Snarling in directionless rage she picked the object up.
Studying the strange toy, Alpha felt her rage slowly subsiding. Images of a small blond girl hugging a stuffed bear to her chest flashed through her mind, the sound of a comforting feminine voice reading stories, the smell of baking cookies and a crackling fire. A trembling hand caressed the bear's head. She was sitting on a familiar knee, the smell of tobacco and aftershave filled her nose. A calloused hand brushed the hair from her face. The man handed her a brightly colored package and instructed her to open it. With childlike exuberance she tore the package apart, inside was a stuffed bear. His name had been Patrick…
A beautiful laugh filled the air as an elegant woman entered the room. Her white teeth flashed as she smiled at her family. Her mouth opened and words came out, the words were long forgotten but the comforting affect they had was not. The elegant woman picked her up and placed a kiss on her forehead. Her declarations of love though unclear were still understood.
The scene changed, the room was dark. She clenched Patrick close as she meandered about the room, some small part of her registering that something was wrong. A crash startled her and she spun around. The woman was leaning against a counter, a knife clenched in her trembling hand. Her skin was ashen, her eyes surrounded by dark rings. Attempting to be comforting the woman asked her to come over to her. Knowing something was wrong she had refused. All pretenses of kindness vanished and the woman, her mother, lunged at her with a snarl. A man, impossibly large to her childish mind, grabbed the woman and began to struggle with her.
When her mother had sold her for a vial of Adam she had been too shocked to react. The image of Patrick stained with blood and her Father's throat slashed ear to ear fresh in her young mind.
Alpha blinked, her gaze falling on the stuffed bear in her hand, the best friend of some child. The sound of tearing fabric filled the room and Alpha discarded the decapitated toy carelessly.
The girl might not be here but the parents would know where she was. Smiling behind her visor, Alpha headed towards their room. Maybe she was in the mood to play after all…
()
"You will follow." David sent a bemused glance to the surprisingly stealthy Splicer standing next to him. He recognized it as the large one that had hurled the Molotov cocktail at them. Its twisted features were warped further by the glare they were sending his way. With an impatient huff it motioned for the group to follow it.
"Where are you taking us?"
The man's baleful gaze focused on David as he bared his misshapen teeth. "You will follow."
"Not until you-" David was cut off when the apparently short tempered man lost his patience. A deformed three fingered hand grabbed him by the throat and threw him away. He rolled several feet before coming to a stop. Despite being slightly dazed he still had the presence of mind to stop things before they got out of hand. "Sam no!"
Sitting up he was unsurprised to see that Sam had almost cleared the distance in between herself and the Splicer. Much to his relief she had listened to his dazed command and had settled for glaring at the Splicer.
Reaching consensus without words, their group followed the irritable Splicer.
()
Snarling, Alpha pointed towards the child's picture once again. The only response she received was more pitiful blubbering from the female. "P-please. D-d-don't do this." Deftly she grabbed the man's pointer finger, angling it upwards she lined a seven inch nail up with the tip. With another snarl she nodded towards the child's picture. "P-please…don't m-make me choose."
A crack echoed throughout the room as she jammed the metal object underneath the man's fingernail. His screams physically hurt her ears. The woman's distraught sobbing began anew. Alpha grabbed the man's middle finger, tearing the bloody spike from his ruined digit she lined it up with the next. She nodded towards the girl's picture. "Don't make me ch-choose." A pitiful sob. "P-please."
Another crack, more screams, more sobbing. Alpha deftly readied the man's next finger. She nodded towards the girl's picture.
The woman didn't react; she just rocked back and forth hiccupping back sobs. Alpha rolled her eyes at the woman's ineptitude. She pulled her arm back, blood drenched spike at the ready.
She paused, eyeing the woman for any indication she might talk.
Unsurprisingly she didn't move, the spike surged forward. "W-wait. J-just wait."
The spike stopped a hairsbreadth from the trembling man's finger. "She…she's at her friend's…down, down the street. Just please…don't hurt anyone else…please."
Alpha growled softly, and nodded to the picture again. Down the street was hardly specific directions. "You w-won't hurt him?" Alpha tossed the blood drenched nail to her other hand, after a moment's pause she raised her hands over her head non-threateningly. "T-the blue house on the corner, it has the number 657 next to the door. N-now let us go…please."
Alpha nodded to herself, deep in thought. The house they described couldn't be too hard to find. "C-can we go?" Alpha paused staring at the trembling female. She supposed they were no longer a threat; they couldn't do anything to harm her. But…they were loose ends. Alpha didn't like loose ends.
With a sickening crunch, the man's skull caved in as Alpha shoved the metal spike into his temple. The woman's mouth opened, a horrified scream building in her lungs. Before the scream could become more then a hoarse whimper, Alpha's harpoon punched clean through her skull.
Casually wiping some excess blood off of her gloved hands, Alpha moved to the window. Moving the curtain aside, she gazed down the street. Her eyes quickly found the described house. Alpha smiled to herself.
Her prey was in sight.
()
"We need their location, without it we might as well have nothing."
"We know that they're in the city, that they're planning something. That's something." It was rare that Leo was the optimistic one.
Lamb sent the man an irritated glare. "We need to focus on locating them. If we can't find where they are based we will be forced to react to their actions. We need to be offensive not defensive. Tenenbaum is too dangerous for us to be allowed free reign of the city."
Internally Leo grumbled, unfortunately the doctor had a point. "I've put feelers out; if anyone in Rapture sees them we'll be the first to know."
Lamb's glare deepened. "You think of everything don't you?" Leo raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to react. Lamb sighed. "Get out."
"Are you s-"
"Out. Now. The Family can take care of itself. If I need you, you will be the first to know."
Times like this it was best to leave Lamb alone. With a respectful "ma'am", Leo nodded to her and left.
Slamming the door behind himself, Leo stalked down the hallway leading from Lamb's office. If it wasn't for the leverage she had over him he'd have blown the arrogant shrew's skullcap clean off, the Family be damned.
"S-sir." Leo sent an irritated glance to the trembling Splicer that had interrupted him.
"What?" Leo's biting response caused the jumpy Splicer to nearly leap from its skin.
"W-we got a new prisoner boss. I th-think you'll want to talk to him."
"Fine." Internally Leo grinned, nothing like an interrogation to brighten his day.
The familiar layout of the prison chamber was unchanged despite the occupation of their newest 'guest'. The Splicer in question had obviously seen better days. The left side of his face was consumed with a mammoth bruise. What once was probably a prominent nose was smashed into his face. It was swollen indicating that the wound had occurred somewhat recently. Claw marks covered his arms and chest, some still oozing blood.
Leo sat opposite the beaten man, grinning at his obvious misfortune. "So…Buddy…your day just keeps getting worse doesn't it?"
The Splicer twitched violently, his enraged black eyes focusing on Leo with deranged intensity. "My name is not Buddy…its BANES!"
A rather Alpha heavy chapter, I know. I wanted to show that she isn't just a mindless killing machine...she's just a mostly mindless killing machine.
Oh and don't blame me! Banes wouldn't leave me alone!