For new readers, this story is a continuation of one of my previous stories and is tied into several others. If you're not sure where to start, I'd suggest reading Bioshock Infinite: Unbroken, as well as its prequel Unbroken: Song of Sorrow. Thanks for checking it out.
Foreword: And I'm back, though not quite fully recovered yet; I'm still fairly sick, but it's not as severe as it had been last weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to get back to some semblance of writing. Thanks for bearing with me.
May 19, 1897, 4:45 AM
"You… you want me to do what?"
Elizabeth stares back at Robert incredulously from her place on her bed, sitting upright on the middle of the mattress with her blanket still partly draped over her. She can't believe her ears, and given that she only woke up recently and rather abruptly, Elizabeth hopes that she'd just heard the twins wrong. But they have been talking for a short while now, Robert and Rosalind going on in their unapologetically convoluted matter for what Elizabeth would guess to be around twenty minutes; not something Elizabeth has the patience for an hour before sunrise.
That's when the Luteces finally got to the point, with Elizabeth still tired, still shaken by the nightmare of Rapture, and short on patience. "You must convince the girl to put her trust in her companion, if only in some small measure." Rosalind echoes her 'brother's' statement, the lady Lutece looking to Robert a moment later, "Now we've upset her. Perhaps we should have come at a later time?"
"I doubt that would do her mood any good. It seems the matter is not when, but rather what." Robert's reply comes in the same slightly monotone and detached tone as he and his sister usually use, and Elizabeth's irritation grows as the twins skirt the issue with banter that borders on useless.
"Why?!" Raising her voice as much as she dares after a few rejoinders from each of the twins, Elizabeth breathes a long, slow sigh as the Luteces' attention focuses back on her, "Why… would you ask that of me? Trust Comstock?" A quiet whine from the floor by the bed comes in response, Elizabeth leaning over only to find Lucky sitting there, the puppy looking up at her with worry in his brown eyes and his dark tail wagging slowly. The Beagle must've sensed her agitation, "Sorry, Lucky…"
It isn't anger or hate for that Comstock that makes the request so shocking, just… disbelief. To ask the other Elizabeth to trust him just feels wrong, no matter the circumstances, how necessary it may be or the fact that she's travelling with the former Prophet in the first place. "I can't." Giving the Luteces a hard look, Elizabeth crosses her arms while shaking her head, "The other me will never accept it; from what you've told me, Elizabeth still has plenty of anger towards Comstock. I would stop trusting another Elizabeth that asked me to do such a thing…" Shaking her head, Elizabeth cocks an eyebrow as the twins look to each other, "There has to be something else, right? Something to warn her of, or advice to give? The two of you had best not come just for that…"
"Of course." Rosalind nods as she answers evenly, despite Elizabeth's questioning look. "The girl is far from safe. One could say her situation has grown more precarious as of late."
"Yes, how you play your role in this may be the difference between life and death." Now Robert finishes, clarifying quickly before Elizabeth's cranky mood gets any worse, "Elizabeth will be coming out of hiding, and must make her way through Neptune's Bounty. I trust you comprehend the danger."
"Neptune's… oh." Needing a moment for that to sink in, Elizabeth does indeed understand; it had been well known back in Rapture that Fontaine's business in Neptune's Bounty was a front for his smugglers, and chances are that those crooks are now following Atlas' banner. The other Elizabeth likely doesn't know Atlas' true identity, something that could prove disastrous. "But… last I heard, she was in Arcadia, trying to find a Dr. Langford…" Peering back at the twins, Elizabeth sighs quietly, certain she's not going to like the Luteces' answer, "How did she get from Arcadia to Neptune's Bounty?"
The redheaded twins briefly explain the effect Elizabeth's advice had on her counterpart's journey, as well as the sequence of events that came about afterwards. The sudden appearance of some sort of prototype Big Daddy and Ryan's Security closing in on the other Elizabeth and Comstock wasn't a great surprise, the trap reminding her of her own close call in the Silver Fin Restaurant.
But the thieves who had accosted the pair gives Elizabeth pause, the way they'd known exactly what the other her carried and their singlemindedness in taking it striking her as peculiar. From what little she knows of Sofia Lamb and the warning she'd passed to her other self, Elizabeth wouldn't be surprised if the items she set the other her and Comstock to find are dangerous or sought after by someone else. Either way, Elizabeth has a growing dislike of the woman.
"So they're hiding in a cave that was once a lair for Fontaine's smugglers?" Grimacing, Elizabeth rests her head in her hands; talk about out of the frying pan, into the fire. By the New Year's, it was common knowledge about the smuggler presence in that area, and it was a place to find all sorts of contraband; while the risk of the other her being found out by some of Fontaine's Splicers under Atlas is great, Elizabeth can also imagine them running into Ryan's forces, either on a search for contraband or trying to root out the revolutionaries. "Who knows what haunts those fisheries…"
"There are measures, steps to be taken," Robert offers, Elizabeth's gaze softening as she looks to him, "But if you prove persuasive…"
"Then they will be seen safely to where they need to go." Rosalind finishes, nodding curtly.
Listening to Robert and Rosalind, Elizabeth has to focus to keep from scowling; the twins are being exceptionally vague with what little they say, and that gives Elizabeth plenty reason to be suspicious. There's going to be some sort of unpleasantness down the road, and whether it will be shortly after she speaks to her other self or not, Elizabeth would wager that their conversation will be the cause.
A weight suddenly lands on the blanket beside her, Elizabeth lifting her head from her hands only to find her puppy standing there, Lucky's cold, wet little nose hardly an inch from her face and his tail wagging quickly as he shifts in place. "Aww…. It's alright, Lucky." Giving her worried little Beagle a lopsided grin, Elizabeth reaches over to pet Lucky, her puppy half closing his eyes and gently presses back into her hand.
Petting Lucky helps to lighten Elizabeth's mood, but she still has some serious reservations about all this. "Asking me to convince her to trust Comstock, and now the twins are being so vague?" Still petting Lucky as he climbs onto her lap, Elizabeth eyes the Luteces for a moment, keeping quiet as she tries to work this problem out in her mind, "Perhaps I should listen to their plain… closely."
But not now. Scratching behind Lucky's ear one last time, Elizabeth picks up her puppy and sets him down beside her before tossing aside the blanket, she climbing to her feet with another quiet yawn. "I think I should wake up first… ah, Lucky, what are you…?"
A startled sound comes from the bed, Elizabeth looking back to find a puppy-sized lump crawling beneath the blanket. And before she's even finished asking, Lucky pokes his head out from under the covers, looking up at her with those gentle brown eyes of his while his wagging tail shifts the blanket back and forth behind him. That brings a smile to Elizabeth's lips, "Alright, c'mon, Lucky. Booker should be up soon… coffee and breakfast should help."
"Hm, surprising." Robert quips as Elizabeth slips past the twins, "I expected her to jump at the opportunity."
Leaving the twins to their back-and-forth banter, Elizabeth glances down at Lucky, her Beagle pup keeping pace just to her right. "Guess it's just the two of us… wonder if Eleanor will be back for in time for breakfast…?"
Carefully opening the door so as not to disturb those still asleep, Elizabeth finds the living room dimly lit, with only the meagre, pre-dawn light filtering through the curtains. But the weak light is enough for Elizabeth to pick out her father in the gloom, Booker's plain be dstill up against the back of their couch with the black metal frame 'headboard' towards the kitchen. "Heh…" Grinning slightly at the shape that is her father, Elizabeth turns her gaze to the door on the opposite side of the room, "I suppose Booker can make breakfast, I'll see to the coffee…"
Unfortunately, something Elizabeth spies form the corner of her eye as she steps into the living room tells her otherwise; the Luteces have reappeared immediately to her left, their expressions just as impassive and dour as ever. "You may find that less pressing in a moment."
Something in Rosalind's tone worries Elizabeth, though thankfully she's keeping her voice softer than normal. And Robert speaks up before Elizabeth can interject, his voice similarly worrisome and hushed, "It would seem we have… erred. The girl is accompanying your elderly neighbor, to the cemetery you often visit."
"Cemetery?" Elizabeth's eyes grow wide as she grasps the situation, the Luteces' warning setting off alarm bells in her sleep-addled mind, "Green-Wood? In Brooklyn?!"
"She seeks answers, heedless…" Rosalind adds, but Elizabeth's already hurrying back to hers and Eleanor's bedroom, she suddenly wide awake; if the Splicers truly are in Brooklyn, there's no better time than now to steal Eleanor away! And as Elizabeth pulls on her side holsters and her dark green coat over her white and black dress, she shudders at the thought of what could happen to Ms. Pearl and Eleanor, should the Splicers attack.
It doesn't take long for Elizabeth to step back into the living room, her coat mismatched with her older white and black dress, but the racket she'd kicked up in her haste was more than enough to wake everyone up; hurrying towards the front door while holstering her revolver, Elizabeth can hear a tiny yawn from Anna's bedroom, and Booker groans as he sits up. Her father's bleary-eyed, but Elizabeth can't wait for Booker to regain his senses, and she's stepping out the door by the time he notices.
"… Elizabeth?" She doesn't have time for an explanation, so Elizabeth just spares Booker a quick glance before disappearing out the door. But Elizabeth clearly hears Booker's reaction before she's out of earshot, "Lutece. You two best have a damn good explanation… what the hell is going on?"
5:10 AM
Looming overhead, the brownstone edifice that serves as Green-Wood Cemetery's northern entrance is no less impressive for being seen a second time, the dim predawn light and cloudy sky at its back making the gateway seem even more imposing and somber than before. And Eleanor can only stare up at the gothic structure as they approach, the gate's spires reaching high overhead and blocking out more and more of the dark gray sky.
This isn't the first she's seen of the gateway, nor is this her first visit to Green-Wood Cemetery, though Eleanor hardly thought that she'd be visiting the graveyard a second time so soon. "It was colder when I came along on Anna's birthday…" Muttering softly to herself, Eleanor looks away from the window and leans back in her seat; while Booker, Elizabeth and Anna were paying their respects, she'd stayed back with Lucky, holding the puppy's leash while watching the DeWitts. She'd felt a touch an outsider then, but now she's alone with Ms. Pearl, and Eleanor doesn't know what to say.
Ms. Pearl hasn't said much of anything since they'd left her apartment, the elderly woman only exchanging a few words with a carriage driver she'd managed to flag down. No elaboration on what she meant, but Eleanor hadn't given it much thought, only thinking it a little strange to be leaving at such an early hour to visit Ms. Pearl's relatives. She never imagined Ms. Pearl would be bringing her to the very same cemetery where Elizabeth and Anna's mother is buried.
The only possibilities that Eleanor can imagine for visiting Green-Wood are both fairly grim, and the idea that Ms. Pearl's meeting her family for some somber purpose is what Eleanor hopes for. But she still worries about what Ms. Pearl had said and how she'd sounded back at the apartment, Eleanor glancing over at the kindly old woman on her left; Ms. Pearl wears a simple, full-length black dress and her usual white gloves, her purse resting on her lap and beneath her crossed hands.
While she's more than a little apprehensive given the circumstances, the mystery surrounding Ms. Pearl's family, the elderly woman's silence and how little she has to go on gives Eleanor plenty of time to think, her thoughts turning to her own family and what she knows of them. "And how little that is… I can't even recall Father's face…"
What memories Eleanor possesses of her own family are spotty and vague, at best; she remembers a giant in a metal suit, green light coming from his helmet's visor as well as a feeling of comfort, trust and security from him. Her father, but that's the extent of it, Eleanor unable to recall what anything else about him or even what he looks like beneath the suit. And Eleanor has entirely no recollection of who her mother might be. She's still reluctant to attempt to remember anything else, her ears and the voices especially giving her pause.
Somehow, Eleanor had managed to silence the thousands of voices that had tormented her before she first woke in this world, but they always, always return when her past begins to become clear.
The carriage begins to slow as it approaches the gate's left archway, coming to a stop so Ms. Pearl's window is facing the brownstone entrance. But the bespectacled Ms. Pearl doesn't make to rise, she just staring glumly at her white gloved hands. Of course, this just worries Eleanor even more, and she remains seated and quiet so as not to startle Ms. Pearl or otherwise intrude.
Ms. Pearl isn't lost in thought for too long, though; breathing a deep, heartfelt sigh and lifting her gaze slowly, Ms. Pearl's eyes widen gives Eleanor a brief, none-too-convincing smile, "I'm sorry dearie, don't mean to be worrying you…" Her voice falling silent, Ms. Pearl looks away after a moment and climbs out of the carriage, leaving Eleanor to follow after her.
With Ms. Pearl not inclined towards conversation and she not knowing what to say, Eleanor turns her gaze from her elderly companion to her surroundings as they pass through the archway; there's nothing she can do for Ms. Pearl as it stands, and beating herself up over it won't get Eleanor anywhere. And besides, there's something to be said for the quiet beauty of Green-Wood.
The oak, maple, yew and elm trees have reclaimed their canopies and sway gently in the cool breeze, the leaves looking as if they're dancing in the wind. The grassy dales look to be less subdued than when last she visited. While the rows of cold stone graves puts a damper on the rural feel of the cemetery, only Central Park has had more of a sense of life and nature from what Eleanor's experienced. And that feeling only intensifies when she thinks of her own past.
But for all the serene beauty that surrounds her, Green-Wood is still quite visibly a cemetery, and Eleanor's reminded all too well of the possible reasons that Ms. Pearl's come here for. So Eleanor takes a deep breath, gathers up her nerve and turns her gaze back to the elderly woman, "Ms. Pearl? I hoped to have a chat, but… umm… may I ask why we're here?"
Silence. Ms. Pearl barely turns her bespectacled gaze to Eleanor before looking back to the path ahead, and the girl from Rapture can only smile nervously before doing the same. "What have I gotten myself into…?" Thinking to herself, Eleanor's shoulders sag dejectedly as her situation seems to grow hopeless; her purpose for sneaking out and visiting so early in the morning in the first place was that Eleanor wished to ask Ms. Pearl a question; why has she been so distant with Elizabeth and Anna? It might not be any of her business, but Eleanor's worried about the three of them. But with Ms. Pearl not talking, all Eleanor can do is follow her deeper into the cemetery. And so she does, the silence stretching on for minutes and is only broken by the occasional strong gust of wind.
Which is why Eleanor's caught by surprise when Ms. Pearl decides to break the silence, the two of them having been walking for some time now when she speaks, "Eleanor, dear… are you alright?" She hasn't turned to face her, but Eleanor's still startled enough that she just shakes her head after a stunned couple of seconds.
"Err… n-no, Ms. Pearl, I'm not." Stammering a little as she recovers, Eleanor grimaces self-consciously as the top settles squarely on her, "I'm… I'm afraid."
"Afraid?" Now Ms. Pearl looks over to Eleanor, "You've had some frightful troubles, dear, but I'm sure Booker will keep you safe. What have you to be frightened of, dearie?" Looking Ms. Pearl in the eye, Eleanor hesitates, uncertain if she wants to burden the already troubled woman or if she even wants to give voice to her fears. But Ms. Pearl's kindly blue eyes show concern and warmth, and Eleanor can't bring herself to just shut the elderly woman out.
"The memories… the bits and pieces that I've remembered, the things I've seen in them are dark, twisted… sometimes terrifying. The… the place I came from must have been a nightmare…" And the voices in her head don't help any, Eleanor feeling them stir as she thinks about her past. Her feet slow as she concentrates on silencing them, and Eleanor needs to take a breath before continuing; this is only just the start of it. "There are… people… oh, excuse me…"
Eleanor steps aside to allow a man in a heavy brown coat to pass, he appearing from somewhere down the path, though she doesn't pay him much mind; the fellow just slips by without a word, only giving Eleanor a quick nod to acknowledge her presence. "Umm… as I was saying… there are people after me. I don't know why, and Booker has fought some of them off, but… I believe they come from where I did. They're insane, monstrous… and I'm afraid that I'm… that I'm just the same…" What she did to that hulking thug certainly lends to that assertion, Eleanor's gaze falling at the thought of what she can do and what that might mean.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, dearie."
A gloved hand on her shoulder, and Eleanor looks up to see Ms. Pearl shaking her head, the kindly old woman giving her a small, comforting smile. "Eleanor, I'm lost when it comes to this whole… 'Tear' business, but I know this; you aren't a bad sort, dearie. None of us are angels… well, except little Anna…" Ms. Pearl chuckles at that, but a shadow quickly crosses her features, "… never mind. What is it that Booker says on occasion? You just got dealt a bad hand?"
Eleanor's never heard Booker utter those words, but they do sound like something Elizabeth's father would say. And Ms. Pearl's assurance makes Eleanor feel a little better about herself, even though the truth about her is still anything but clear, "T-Thank you, Ms. Pearl. But… to tell you the truth… there's something else that has been worrying me…" Running her fingers through her hair while grinning nervously, Eleanor hesitantly taking a breath, she feeling apprehensive again now that the time has come. Gathering up her courage, Eleanor turns to face Ms. Pearl, "I've been worried about how distant you've been, Ms. Pearl… and so has Elizabeth. I thought… you might talk to me, if you can't speak with Elizabeth or Booker…"
The shadow that had crossed Ms. Pearl's expression earlier reappears, the elderly woman falling silent as Eleanor looks on. But the silence only lasts a few seconds, Ms. Pearl heaving a long, unhappy sigh, "Eleanor, dear… everyone has a past… whether we want it or not…"
Stepping off the cobblestone pathway, Ms. Pearl leads Eleanor down a row of simple headstones, and she only choses to speak again when she's found what she seeks, "We've arrived, dearie…"
Three gravestones lie before Ms. Pearl, Eleanor looking down to read the names on them, "O'Shea? Peter, Moira, Abigail…" Turning back to Ms. Pearl, Eleanor finds a crestfallen look on her face, "Is this your family? I'm…" Ms. Pearl nods slowly, her gaze fixed on the headstones.
"I used to live in Brooklyn, dear, as did my family…" A hint of tears gathers in Ms. Pearl's eyes as she speaks, her sorrow plain on her weathered features, "Moira here was my daughter… and little Abby my granddaughter, only a few weeks old when it happened…"
"Oh, Ms. Pearl…" Eleanor's heart goes out to the elderly woman, but she doesn't have any words of comfort to offer like Ms. Pearl had for her. All she can do is listen as Ms. Pearl speaks haltingly of her daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law.
"Oh, dear…" Sniffling softly, Ms. Pearl looks back to Eleanor while dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, "Eleanor… did Elizabeth tell you about my family? I take it she never mentioned a thing, did she?"
"No…" Unable to meet Ms. Pearl's teary-eyed gaze, Eleanor turns away, trying to focus on anything but the graves or her grieving neighbor, "I'm… I'm sorry, Ms. Pearl… I shouldn't have intruded, I'll just… just wait by the path…"
"You don't have to, dearie…" Ms. Pearl grabs Eleanor by the arm as she tries to leave, gently but enough to halt her escape, "If I wanted to be alone, I would have asked for such. An' perhaps you're right…" The touch of an accent that creeps into Ms. Pearl's voice surprises Eleanor, she looking back to see a sad smile tease at her neighbor's lips. And that strengthens her resolve to see this through, Eleanor stepping back to the graves and giving Ms. Pearl's gloved hand a comforting squeeze.
"I've come this far, after all…"
"Thank ya', dearie…" Releasing her slight hold on Eleanor's arm, Ms. Pearl sighs quietly before continuing, her voice hesitant and bearing a tremble, "They came ta' visit on Christmas, four years ago… little Abby was still but a babe… but there was an accident…"
"Ms. Pearl…?" Eleanor spies a tear dampening Ms. Pearl's weathered cheek, but she keeps her voice barely over a whisper, not wanting to disturb the older woman.
"A street car lost control… an' that's that. I couldn't stay in my home, not with all the…" Faltering, Ms. Pearl covers her mouth as a quiet sob escapes. "So… so I moved next ta' Booker. But ya' can't forget… never can forget…"
Seeing a glimpse of Ms. Pearl's grief fills Eleanor with sorrow, she regretting even bringing up the matter. "I've just made this worse, haven't I? Being a nosy little…" Fighting to suppress a grimace, Eleanor desperately wishes she had something to comfort Ms. Pearl with, but she's just drawing a blank. But Ms. Pearl has something else on her mind, she looking back to Eleanor.
"An' it's been worse as of late… I've been feelin'… like I'm betrayin' my family…"
"What?" Blinking in surprise, Eleanor can only stare back at Ms. Pearl, "How…?"
"Getting' ta' know Elizabeth an' Anna, bein' part of their family… it's made me happy, dearie." While still wearing an expression of sorrow, Ms. Pearl winces as she speaks, "But in all that happiness, I felt as if I was forgettin' my own… my own family, an' forgettin' ta' grieve for 'em..." Breathing a dejected sigh, Ms. Pearl shakes her head while a mirthless laugh escapes her, "It just feels too soon for me ta' be… ah… it's as if I'm betrayin' my own kin… an' it feels horrible, dearie, not grievin' for 'em properly…"
"I…" Try as she might, Eleanor just doesn't have the words, even though Ms. Pearl just poured her heart out to her. She doesn't even know who her family is, how can she relate to losing them?
"I must sound like I'm feelin' sorry for myself…" Ms. Pearl dabs at her eyes again before taking a deep breath, "I'm sorry, dearie… an' I don't mean ta' hurt Elizabeth… or you…" The touch of Ms. Pearl's accent fades from her voice, though the grief Eleanor's been hearing is still strong.
"No… Ms. Pearl," stepping close to Ms. Pearl, Eleanor gives her the warmest smile she can manage before gently embracing her, "It's not… you're not at fault, Ms. Pearl. I don't know what having a family is like, but… but I'd like to believe yours would want you to be happy…"
"Eleanor, Ms. Pearl!"
"Huh?" Both of them turn at the sound of an awfully familiar voice, and Eleanor can hardly believe who she sees hurrying down the cobblestone path, "Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth's still quite a distance away when she'd called out, and it takes her a minute to cross the rest of the path and along the row of gravestones. When finally she reaches them, Elizabeth's out of breath, but that doesn't stop her, "A-Are you okay?! Why'd you… oh…"
"Breathe, dearie." Ms. Pearl comes up to beside Elizabeth as she tries to catch her breath and pats her on the back, "Why in the world would you come chasing after us? Is something the matter?" Eleanor's wondering the very same, giving Elizabeth a curious look as her friend recovers.
"Is something…?" Looking back and forth between them, Elizabeth takes one last, deep breath before shaking her head, "No… I was just worried… Brooklyn's been a little… ah, never mind. C'mon… let's get home… um, Booker should have breakfast ready, would you care to join us, Ms. Pearl?"
Eleanor and Ms. Pearl share a look for a moment, and the elderly woman smiles warmly despite her grief, "I'd love to, dear."
Author's Note: So that's what's been bothering Ms. Pearl, but given the situation, I don't think anyone can blame her. It's also been a while since Ms. Pearl lapsed back into her accent, but the aforementioned situation would be appropriate. Of course, how will Eleanor's visit to Green-Wood and Brooklyn affect the DeWitts? If the Splicers are the cause of the disappearances as Booker and Elizabeth believe, what are the chances they haven't noticed Eleanor, or that they won't take some sort of action?
Part of the chapter hasn't been as proofed as I'd like it to be, so I'll be taking another look at a later date, but feel free to point out something if you spot it. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
