Disclaimer: Still don't own nothing (or by the power of double negatives, I could in fact own EVERYTHING. Which is it, hmm?)
Also, some clarification from last chapter. The girls Kombes referred to weren't Jack's daughters (who are still very much with us), but the second generation Little Sisters that Eleanor had brought to the surface with her. They're the ones that Kombes returned to their families. Sorry for the confusion folks.
Carnegie had been silent the entire time while Tenenbaum related what Adler had said. At the end, he rose to his feet and met the doctor with his stony gaze.
"We need to get out of here, now. Split up, find the others, give them the short version.
Tenebaum looked at him, eyes wild. "And then?"
The weathered old soldier cracked a rare smile. "I think I might have an idea or two."
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"Up and at em', big guy. We've got work to do."
Subject Delta turned to find Michael Carnegie's stocky form in his doorway, gaze locked on target. The Big Daddy contemplated the man for a moment, and then turned away, running his fingers over the crumbling paper and faded ink of the news clipping he held. A twitch ran its way through Carnegie's brow.
"Cute, Delta. Real mature. But you may want to hear this next bit. Adler plans on cutting you open to figure out what makes you tick. We need to get out, and soon."
His only answer was silence. With a frown and a crack of his knuckles, Michael Carnegie decided to do something immensely stupid.
"You're pissed because you're walking around with an expiration date on you. I get that."
In the blink of an eye, the metal man was on his feet, blank glass gaze boring a hole into the man's chest.
"Life dealt you a shit hand, buddy, and I feel for you, really I do. But sitting there moping ain't about to make it isn't going to make things better, is-"
His retort was cut short as a metallic blur slammed into his chest and crushed him up against the wall. Delta's glass face rested inches from his, light the color of blood glaring out.
"I'm not promising you the cure, Delta," Carnegie managed to spit out, wincing at the pain. "But I can promise you that if you stay here, they're going to kill you. Cut you up like a science project so they can figure out how to make more of you. Trap more people in those damn suits."
"Its your choice, big man. Die like a lab rat for some goddamn Nazi's amusement, or die like a man, on your own terms. What's it going to be?"
Rage and pain and hate all flew through Subject Delta's mind as he glared at the rapidly reddening man he held aloft. How simple of a matter it would be, he pondered, to crush this insolent man like a bug. But deep down, in the pit of his heart, he knew Carnegie was right. He had been a slave to the Army, then Ryan and Fontaineā¦then Eleanor. He would die a free man, not some scientist's plaything, no matter the cost. Casually, he let Carnegie fall to the floor, the older man clutching at his throat and gasping for air.
"I take it," the man managed between coughs, "I take it you're in?"
Delta gave a solemn nod. He would feel the sun on his face one last time before he died, no matter what.
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"Well, quite ze audience we have today, eh?"
Dr. Adler clicked his cane against the floor, a honeyed smile masking his irritation. It seemed the whole group had turned out for Delta's surgery. He noted Carnegie and his paramilitary hooligans off to the side next to the two sullen teenage girls that had come up from Rapture with them. There was something odd about those two; it was only a matter of time before he figured out what it was, he assured himself. Jack Ryan stood in chains next to his daughters, a glimmer in his eye that the doctor found unsettling. He had hoped to have broken that man by now. Even more surprising was the presence of the former Subject Sigma, Charles Milton Porter, standing upright, and unassisted. Truly, the doctor thought, a testament to the medical potential of ADAM.
"We take care of our own, doc, remember that."
And there was Carnegie, Adler noted with a restrained grimace. The man was proving to be quite the irritation. Perhaps it'd be for the best if he were to suffer an unfortunate accident. No matter. That was a project for another day. Best to focus on the task at hand.
"But of course," he answered with a sugary smile. "Now, Herr Delta, if you please, come with me."
The Big Daddy stepped forwards laboriously, his breath a death rattle. The second step was even rougher, metal clad legs buckling. On the third, he collapsed, clattering to one knee on the tile floor of their prison, hands bracing himself against the ground. The Rapturians cried out in alarm as their bastion tumbled to the floor with a pained moan. The guards, already on edge, lunged forward, their rifles trained on the downed behemoth. Adler merely frowned.
"Don't hurt him!" a girl screamed. He paid no attention to the voice's owner; he was sick of putting on this charade.
"Up," the doctor growled. When his only answer was another pained moan, he nodded to one of the guards. "Give our guest some motivation, would you?"
Assault rifle in hand, the grizzled guard advanced. "Up and at em', tin man. You heard the doc. Besides," he spat as he launched a savage kick towards a gap in the Big Daddy's armor, "around here we favor the stick a bit more than the carrot!"
Delta let out a plaintive moan as Alice and Eleanor cried out once more. As the guard wound up for his second strike, Carnegie gave a slight cough and a nod of his head. Then all hell broke loose.
The Big Sisters disappeared in a puff of purple mist as Jack Ryan's hands erupted in flames, the metal of his handcuffs glowing cherry red. Delta's arm lashed out like a whip, crashing into his assailant's legs. The metal man rose to his feet as the guard toppled with a scream, just as Alice and Eleanor appeared behind two other soldiers, and with ADAM enhanced strength slammed a fist into the backs of their heads, crumpling them like ragdolls. With a roar, Jack Ryan rent his handcuffs in two, splatters of red hot steel spraying forth as the fires were replaced by sparks, and a blast of crackling electricity shot forth from his palms. The final guard screamed in pain as spasms rocked his form, the gun clattering from his hands to the floor. In a heartbeat, Jack was there with a right hook to the man's head. He shook out his hand with a smirk as the guard toppled. As the first guard Delta had thrown to the ground moved to rise, Carnegie leapt forward and seized the man by the scruff of the neck before slamming his head back to the ground.
"Well," Adler said with a frown as he surveyed the downed men around him. "This isā¦unfortunate."
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A few minutes later, the guards had been stripped of their weapons and keys, bound, gagged, and stuffed unceremoniously into the maintenance closet. Carnegie, Billy, Amir, and Jack had taken the rifles, distributing the pistols to the women who lacked the ability to throw fireballs and teleport. Delta stood with his hand palming about the top of Adler's balding head, ready to crush it like a rotten watermelon.
With a cool and collected stride, Dr. Tenenbaum walked towards her former mentor, her former torturer, and looked him straight in the eye.
"Come to gloat, Brigid?"he asked levelly. "Its unbecoming, especially for a lady." He gave his wolfish grin. "Then again, your people have never exactly been cut out for the finer aspects of civilization now have they?"
Tenenbaum's hand collided with the old man's face with a force that surprised even her.
"Doctor Adler," she spoke in a voice like ice. "In case you've failed to notice, Herr Delta here is perfectly able and willing to turn your head into a pulp. Cooperate with us, and I shall do my best to insure no harm comes to you." The lie burnt like acid on her tongue.
Adler laughed like a crow. "Oh Brigid," he chided, "you never were a very good liar. I know perfectly well that you hate me more than everyone else in this room combined." The old man shook his head with a smile. "You'd like nothing more than to empty that pistol you're carrying into my chest, and leave me a bullet-riddled corpse. No, I think I'll take my chances with a our metal friend here."
Scowling, Tenenbaum turned away from the old man and stormed back over to Carnegie and the others, leaving Adler with a serpent's smile decorating his face.
"Two World Wars, a flu pandemic, Stalin, and Khrushchev couldn't kill me, my dear," he called after her. "I look forward to watching you try."
End Chapter. Ugh. Short, I know, and an ungodly long time since an update. My apologies. Truth be told, this past semester has been pretty rough. My immune system apparently decided to go on vacation, so I wasn't exactly in any kind of shape to be doing much besides sleep. Anyways, back in the land of the living now, so hopefully things can get back to their usual pace. As always, please review.
