It has been a while since the last time I posted, and I know many of you have been anticipating the next chapter for, let me see, well, a long time in a sense. I can't say I had a lot wrote down to begin with, but what I did have, was only little snippets here and there across the entire timeline of the story that I have planned out. What's embarrassing as well, is that I had to go and read through all of my work just so I didn't make an error in this chapter. So, in the end, I have no excuse for being this late, but here I am, and here you go-
I do not own Bioshock or RWBY, and each belongs to their own respective companies.
1969, July 20th 10:05
While the moon outside shined bright and onto the land surrounding the house, inside a single room was lit up by the lamp sitting on an end table, and the television shining ever so brightly. On it was a well-dressed man, combed hair and a calm composure on his face. A stack of papers sat in his hands, and even though he appeared to be speaking, the sounds of those inside the house drowned him out. Sitting in various places in the room, were six different girls, each of them sitting in their own style that they felt most comfortable. Some were lying on the ground, others were sitting with their backs against the couch, and others sat on the couch next to the other inhabitants in the room. One of the men on the ground with the other girls was none other than Charles Porter, a close friend and associate to another individual in the room, was Brigid Tenenbaum. She was sitting in her own chair with what appeared to be a glass of wine in one hand, and a small book in the other. Lastly was Jack Rose, sitting with the youngest daughter of them all, Summer Rose.
What gathered all of these individuals on this evening was none other than a spectacle moment of mankind's history, the day man landed on the moon. Everyone was excited to see what was going to happen, as only hours ago, a man by the name of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, they were only waiting for them to step out of the shuttle and take the first step anyone had ever done before.
Emma, one of the youngest, spoke up. "When are they going to show us them on the moon Father?"
The others began to speak up as well, voicing the same query.
"Yeah Dad, when are they gonna leave the... the lander, that is what they are in, right?"
"Maybe they're scared to do it, can't really blame them though can you?"
"Just do it and get it over with, I wanna go to bed already!"
"I'm pretty sure they're just taking their time, never can be too safe."
"Father, are you still going to read to us before bed?"
Jack was quickly overwhelmed by all of these questions coming at him, but luckily Brigid was there to answer their questions.
"Be quiet girls and just pay attention. There is a time and place for everything, and now is the time to pay attention."
Then in complete unison from the girls, they spoke. "Yes, Mother Tennenbaum" And with that, they became mostly silent, and the only sounds that came around them was the sound of wind from outside, and the now much easier to hear a voice from the newscaster on the screen. Of course, even though all of this was going on, the simulation they had going on was only a filler for what was actually going on, well, on the moon itself. It had color and the voiceover from Walter Cronkite as well, but everyone was once again left voiceless as the colored simulation quickly turned into black and white. They couldn't see much, but nonetheless the words that read on the bottom of the screen showed them what they've been wanting to see. 'Live from the surface of the moon'
Cronkite continued to speak, clarifying that what they were seeing was only the underbelly of the lander and that they still needed to turn the camera around to face the ladder they were to climb down from. With a quick flick, the scene from before quickly changed into that of wonder. In front of them, was a vast, black and white wasteland of... nothing. What stood out most of all though was a large figure on what they guessed to be the ladder. This of course was proven to be correct as they saw a foot descend downwards, then after a few more seconds of waiting, they saw the figure descend onto the surface of the moon, followed by the words of Cronkite.
"So, there's a foot on the moon, stepping down on the moon. He might be testing that first step; he will be stepping down onto the moon at this point."
He was cut off by Houston calling to Buzz Aldrin, the man in the lander, waiting to step onto the moon after his colleague, Neil Armstrong made his first step. A few words were traded between them, mentioning taking photos and other information vital to such a thing at the moment.
In a single moment, the man known as Neil Armstrong was standing in front of the camera, and three simple words were spread across the front of the screen.
'Armstrong on Moon'
Everyone in the room was speechless as they saw what was in front of them, an achievement like no other. All they could continue to do is wait for what might happen next, continuing to listen to Cronkite narrates what was going on. Then in a moment that mankind would remember forever, Armstrong spoke,
"That's one small step for man. One giant leap, for mankind."
The broadcast didn't stop, but that didn't stop the girls from jumping up and hugging one another. A victory to them, no, to mankind those sitting around though.
'First, it was the sea, now space.' Jack thought to himself, and from what he could tell, the other two adults sitting in the room thought the same thing.
1969, July 21st, 12:15
Jack came down the stairs in the quietest way that he possibly could, that way not to wake the now sleeping children that were now asleep in their rooms. He turned the corner and walked into the kitchen where the two adults were having their own conversation. Charles was standing near the door to the living room with a highballed glass of whiskey in one hand, and the other was resting on the counter. Brigid was the opposite of him with a glass of red wine and a cigarette in the other.
"I'm telling you, Charles, that from this moment onward, science if going to change for the better, at least I believe so."
"Now now, Brigid, while that would normally be the case, I can see this going extremely wrong as well. If you've been paying attention, the Russians aren't exactly the most clever when it comes to hiding what they're doing. If we're not careful, I could possibly see another war breaking out-"
"Another war between America and Russia you mean. Last time I checked, I am not officially here, and that Canada is the place I call home."
Jack coughed into his hand as he made his presence known before speaking. "The girls are finally in bed, Summer and Emma were rather persistent about getting a story before bed."
"What did you end up reading them then?" Tennenbaum spoke up.
"One of their favorites again, The Giving Tree, I can't help that they've become obsessed with it, now can I? It's a very enjoyable book, Tennenbaum."
The three of them chuckled. "We've really ought to head on back to the house Jack, I do appreciate you allowing us to come over and spend time with the girls. It's always nice to see them besides their regular checkups." Charles was the one to speak up this time around.
"I always toss this offer to you two any time you come over. We have extra rooms for the two of you, both on either side of mine. I know the girls would love you to have breakfast with you two from time to time." Jack insisted.
"We'd love to Jack, but there are a few things we need to take care of, and you know how science works, it is always moving forward," Tennenbaum exclaimed while setting the wine glass down and putting out the cigarette.
Charles spoke up after her and set his drink down as well. He leaned in and spoke softly to Jack. "We'll be free next week Jack, and would love to stay for a night or two. She may be a genius from time to time, but if anyone is going to stop her from overworking herself, it's me."
Jack nodded his head, shared a chuckle with Charles, and gave a handshake to the two, before seeing them out of the house and to their car. As he waved them off, he sighed and made his way back inside. After cleaning a few dishes and turning off the lights, he gave one last look up the stairs to where the girls were staying and smiled. He turned off the final light and made his way back to his room to retire for the evening.
Unknown, Unknown, Unknown
Summer sat up and rubbed her eyes, they were heavy and seemed to fight against her urge to wake up. She pushed forward however and climbed to her feet, taking notice that she was barefoot on the cold stone. This was quickly accompanied by a sudden chill all around her, a cool wind blowing at her nightgown. She wrapped her arms around herself in hopes of fighting the cool air but was only slightly effective in this predicament. 'Where am I?' she thought to herself, only now taking notice of her surroundings. Around her was something out of a fairytale, almost like that of a fantasy castle, though unlike those that were bright and cheery, and had a sense of righteousness to them, this one was the complete opposite. Dilapidated stone surrounded her, broken windows and torn drapes. It looked more like a nightmarish place more than those she'd read about in story-books. She looked around some more and saw a rather large, wooden door that was adorned with various metal decorations. The rain was falling from outside and the howling of the wind was evident from the state of the windows. She walked up towards the door and placed her hands upon it, it was cold, and from the very touch, she could tell that it was ancient at the very least, have at least been around for thousands of years.
Summer gave a small push on the door but was granted nothing from her efforts. She took it as a sign that the door was barred from the other side, that or it was simply too heavy for her to open it.
Before Summer could continue her investigation from where she woke up, a growl came from behind her. She quickly spun around and what she saw stunned her but only for a moment.
A blackened beast on all fours slowly walked towards her from the darkness, its red eyes glaring at her with murderous intent. As it kept on creeping towards her, the moonlight finally struck the beast, and in horror, Summer finally saw all of the monsters that were in front of her. White, bone-like material spread across its body, almost as if it were to act as some form of armor. It continued to prowl towards her, but she knew better. Continuing to keep eye contact with the beast, slowly backing up towards the broken window. The moment she felt the glass on her hands, she spun around and grabbed hold of a small crack on the outside wall. A sudden snarl and the beast followed... only for it to fall to its demise as it jumped out the window after her.
Summer watched the beast tumble down the rocks on what she now knew as a cliffside. Being outside, it was even colder than before, the safety of the walls no longer present. She opened her eyes only for a second to peer on the land that lied before her, and it frightened her, to say the least. The blackness spread across the land, but what stood out most of all wasn't the fact that she didn't know of where on Earth this could be, but the fact that she didn't think she was on Earth anymore. Looking up, no longer was there the moon that she went to bed looking, no longer was it the same moon that mankind just landed on, no, the moon that she saw was practically broken to pieces at one part. Sweat dripped down from her face and down below into the darkened abyss, she was now worried more than anything.
Shaking out of her stupor, Summer quickly continued to move across the edging with her back to the wall before feeling with her hand another open window, one that she guessed led to the other side of the door that she saw before. Sliding through and softly down onto the cold stone once more, the cold winds now seemed absent in the room that she was in. In her attempts in trying to stay quiet, a soft sigh could be heard from the other side of the room, making Summer hug the nearest pillar that she could. The cold from the stone pillar spread throughout her body, causing her to shutter even more than before. She tried to listen in, but there wasn't even a sound anymore besides the wind from outside.
Slowly edging herself to the side, still hugging the pillar, Summer tried to peek around it to possibly get a glimpse of what made a sound just seconds earlier. Leaning slightly over, she caught sight of a single figure standing in front of a large window, overlooking what She guessed to be the darkened land Summer only saw moments before. Leaning slightly more seemed to have been the worst mistake she could have made, as she slipped on the cold floor and fell down, hitting it with a rather loud *WHAP*. Groaning in slight pain, she brought herself up to her knees and dusted herself off. As she did so, a new voice caught her off-guard, causing her to stop what she was doing.
"Who are you, and what is your purpose?"
Summer stayed quiet, swallowing whatever nervousness she had and pushing it to the farthest reaches that she could imagine, all while keeping her back to the stranger until she was ready. She mustered whatever courage that she could, and turned to face the voice that spoke to her, but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.
The woman that was staring at her had skin that was a deathly pallor, with jet-black sclerae and crimson iris's that were staring intensely at Summer. Her bleached, pale white hair that was styled into a larger bun with six offshoots wrapped together that also suspends several obsidian-colored ornaments. Dark purple veins appeared to stretch across her arms and her face, and on her forehead was a black diamond-shaped object. She was adorned with a short sleeve black rope with different designs spread across it; in short, she was another monster that stood in front of Summer.
She dusted herself off once more before coughing into her hand, if there was anything that Summer learned from her Father, it was that you can't judge a book from its cover... no matter how terrifying it appeared to be. "My n...na...name is Sum...Summer Rose" She stuttered out, the cold not helping in any way as she was shivering and the clattering of her teeth made it difficult to speak. "A..a..and I..I..ap..pp..appear to...to..be lo...lost."
In a single motion, the cold that she was feeling was gone. While the cold chill still remained in her bones, the floor beneath her feet and around was now absent. As Summer looked around, she saw that the nightmarish woman was now walking towards her, the look on her face changed into one of confusion more than anything.
"How did you get in here Child?"
She was now in front of Summer now, the height difference was now obvious to her. Even with the question asked, she didn't know how to answer besides the most obvious.
"Th...The...window?" Her arms stretched out towards the open window she entered through. The woman's eyes followed and landed upon the window. A soft sigh escaped her lips before speaking to Summer once more.
"What are you doing here then? Perhaps they have gotten so desperate to have sent a child in their stead to slay me?"
Summer was taken back on the woman's words. Slay? Was she a person worth removing from... whatever world this might be? Before anything worse happened, she had to clear up this misunderstanding. With the cold starting to leave her chilled body, she found her words much easier to speak.
"I'm not... from around here you see. I'm from Kansas, and I don't believe I've ever seen any place like this in my history books before."
The woman tilted her head in surprise from Summer's words.
The nervousness was mostly gone, and her confidence was returning. She only did what her father taught her, and that is one must introduce themselves with the upmost respect one can muster. "Ah, I'm so sorry. My name is Summer Rose, and I'm from Baxter Springs, Kansas. Now, you probably don't know of it since it's kinda off and away from a lot of the other towns in Kansas, but I can assure you, it is a very nice place with plenty of things to do and-" Summer was stopped as a hand was placed in front of her, and was slowly brought back down. She didn't know what to do now, did she offend the woman in some way, or did she just talk too much like she does sometimes?
"I can clearly see that you're not with them, but to be from some faraway place that not even I have heard of, this Kansas, just sounds absurd Summer Rose. Your blood runs true to these lands along with those accursed eyes of yours, but you hold no lies in your words. Why is that?"
Summer was taken back by the woman's sudden exclamation of never heard of Kansas. She'd understand the small town they live in, but Kansas as a whole? Now that was something she was surprised about. Not only that, but she was also speaking as if she understood who she was, or something to do with her blood, something that Mother Tennenbaum would know about, and lastly there was the insult towards her eyes, she had a few choice words with her now.
"Now I'd be fine and dandy with everything else, Ms... Nightmare! But if there is anything that I can't agree with, it's how you just insulted my eyes. My Father said mine was one of a kind, and if anything, they were the most beautiful thing he'd seen in the world. So, if you insult my eyes, you insult the words of my Father, and that's something I just can't let you get away with."
The woman looked at Summer with a surprised look, before breaking out into a small chuckle. Summer was taken aback by the sudden change from the woman, mostly because any interaction she had with her before was one that lacked emotion. The woman quickly stopped her laughter before grabbing ahold of Summer by her head with a swift motion.
"Your petty threats do nothing to me Summer Rose, and this Father you speak of, if he is so important to you, then where is he at? Where could a father be that could be more important than his daughters' side, a daughter who could most easily lose her life if I simply squeezed."
Summer felt immense pain throughout her head, as the cold touch from the woman spread throughout her body, and the once cold chill that had left her body came back quicker than ever. Her arms reached up towards the woman's, only to take hold and attempt to pull her off of her.
"You are powerless Child, as you will be forever. Your power is useless, and will forever be so as long as you live. Your lineage ends here Summer Rose, and may it never spread like the animals you are!"
The pressure was continuing to build more and more as Summer hung there, powerless, true to the woman's words. Summer closed her eyes in some attempt that all this was just some terrible nightmare, hoping and hoping that it would end. In a swift moment, she opened her eyes, and all the pain on her head vanished along with the grip that was there as well. A light glowed around her, and then, she fell into a black abyss.
1969, July 21st, 12:45
Summer sprang from her where she was lying on her bed, and in a swift motion fell onto the floor, hitting her arm and rolling around in pain for only a moment while holding in her voice before a strange feeling overcame her and any pain that was there, was gone. She lied there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling, only the light of a small nightlight was shining in the room. Making her way up to her feet, she looked around the room, taking notice that it was still the same old room that she fell asleep in only... well, she didn't know how long it had been since she fell asleep. Her sister, Emma was still fast asleep in her bed next to her, unaware of what had just perspired only seconds ago.
Summer gave a sigh of relief as she took notice that she was no longer in the nightmare that held her before and with it everything... well, the feeling that everything in it was completely real. She placed a hand up to her head where the woman was grabbing ahold of, and she swore that a small amount of pain was residing there. Lowering her hand, she walked over to the mirror that sat on the wall in the room she shared with her sister. Sitting down in the chair in front of it, she glanced into the mirror at her reflection, glancing towards her eyes, the comment that the woman said constantly repeating it in her mind.
Sure, Summer knew that her eyes were different from all of her sisters, and everyone else that she knew. But they weren't the strangest thing out there! Her eyes were different, yes, but everyone in her family was different, and her Father said that's what makes them so special, and that no matter what we'll always be ourselves. She let out another sigh before turning around to the sound of bed sheets rustling and the voice of her sister Emma speaking.
"Summer, what are you doing..." Emma turned to look at the electronic clock before back at her while rubbing her eyes. "At two-o'clock Summer, what are you doing at two in the morning?"
Summer started to open her mouth to respond but was quickly interrupted by the sound of a glass shattering and wind howling, and suddenly her hair was now blowing back by this sudden gust of wind. She didn't turn around immediately but instead looked to her sister that was staring at whatever was behind her in disbelief. "Wha-What is it?"
Emma kept on staring but shook herself out of the stupor and spoke up. "Since when... did we get a TV, or, well, something like a TV in our mirror?"
In those words, Summer quickly spun around and was greeted to a sight like no other. On, no, in the mirror was a large, black and grey oval with what she could only guess to be a scene of moving wildlife on the other side. Trees were being moved by a small breeze along with the other bushes and flowers she saw, she could even feel the breeze that was causing such things. The sight of a small rabbit moving caught her attention as well, almost like she was watching Animal World. The more she stared at it, the more she could feel something within it calling to her, in a strange, but a rather homely way. As her hand started to reach for it, the sounds of feet hitting the ground were accompanied by another hand grabbing hold of her arm.
"What in god's name are you doing Summer!?"
Summer was shaken out of whatever trance she was in and turned to look at Emma, disbelief in her eyes. "I... I don't know. It's like..."
"It's like what!?"
Summer swallowed back a pit of nervousness but spoke. "Like I know what, or rather, where this is." She spoke while looking at her sister with a worried glance, the same one that was being returned at those very words she spoke.
Emma let go of her sisters' arm and began to pace around the room while muttering something under her breath. She continued to do this as Summer stared in worrisome as the moving picture continued to remain behind her. Every now and then she would catchwords coming from Emma's mouth, be it 'Another world', 'Not from here', 'Like being called back to one's own flock', all of which she didn't understand, though this wasn't the first time this has happened. While Emma was the youngest of all the sisters, there were times where she wouldn't act like her normal self, but instead would take on the demeanor that she'd seen on their Father's face or Tennenbaum's. One like that of an adult in thought only to go back to being their cute, younger sister.
"I've got it."
"You've got what/"
Emma didn't respond but instead started to walk over towards the closet, open it, and start digging around only to pull out a box and place it on Summer's bed.
"I've heard Tennenbaum and Father talk about this at times whenever we go for our checkups, but I didn't think it would happen of all times, let alone to you first."
Summer was now confused more than ever, standing up and walking over to where Emma was digging through the box. "What do you mean you've heard them talk, what is going on Emma?"
Her sister sighed before pulling out a white cloak with red underneath, a pendant, a small book. "You're not from here Summer!"
Summer was taken back from those words, and even now she couldn't comprehend what was going on. "Wha-"
"None of us are Sis, we were the special little girls in Rapture, even more than the others. We were taken from wherever those worlds might even be!"
Summer couldn't even respond to what Emma was saying, all of it hit her like a freight train and even then, it's like she was just waiting to get hit by even more.
"I... I can't explain it as I'd want too, but I've come to understand this by listening to Tennenbaum. You've been having these... these visions, nightmares even of somewhere you've never been before haven't you?"
Summer waited before nodding her head silently.
Emma placed her hands on her shoulders. "It's a call to back home Sis, from what Tennenbaum was saying, is that it was supposed to happen in our late teens, or possibly even into adulthood, almost like something of a rite of passage or something like that at least. It was mostly scientific but I can't remember." She stares at Summer for a second before wrapping her hands around her for a hug. "I... I didn't want this to happen at all, to be honest."
Summer was lost, to say the least, her eyes wide open just like her mouth, empty of what to say. "What... But... I..."
The hug was let go but the hands didn't leave where they were resting before. "You get to go home Summer, your real home, where you were born, and... and possibly... meet your birth parents."
This is where something snapped for Summer, from those words she threw off Emma's hands and took a few steps back, before quietly raising her voice at Emma. "What do you mean 'real home'. This is my only home, and nowhere else, and 'birth parents'? Why does it matter if I meet them, I have Father, I have Tennenbaum, and the rest of you? I don't want... I don't... I don't want to lose you all." She spoke while lowering her head towards the ground, tears starting to form.
Emma stared at Summer and small droplets of salty water started to hit the floorboards. Summer looked up and saw Emma was already crying, tears flowing down her face. "You...you think I wanted this?"
She sniffled before trying her best to speak. "You know how embarrassing it is to go cry in the bathroom anytime I see any of my sisters act entirely different or show something that's not considered 'normal' here? How it just shows that all of us aren't even... dare I say, human?"
Summer started to cry even more along with Emma, both spilling tears onto the floor.
"I just want us to really... really figure out who we are! I'm not saying we can't come back to our family, that we can't come back and enjoy everything we love about Kansas and those around. I just want us to feel something that we were born to feel."
Summer spoke back. "But what if we can't come back, what if we can't return to our lives that we have now. I don't want this to ever happen, I want to keep on being able to see my family whenever I want, I don't want to have to stare at a picture and want something that I can't return too, I can't handle that sort of pain!"
The two were now standing in front of one another, tears falling down their cheeks, their eyes red from the rubbing they were doing in an attempt to stop the tears.
"You won't, I promise you that. If there's anything that we believe in, it's possibilities, and that anything is possible if we believe in it, Summer." Emma grabbed the cloak and put it over Summer's shoulders, leaving it a little too big. "I planned on this happening a lot later, so, I suppose you can grow into this. Hand made it myself, so I hope you like." She then placed the small book and the pendent on top of it into her hands.
"There are pictures of us, but a lot of them are of you and Dad. I'd figure while it's nice to see us every now and then, I'm sure you'd like to remember him, and by some odd chance, you start a family, show them their grandfather as well. Tears start to fall onto the book, leaving small wet spots. Summer saw that Emma was crying even more now, her lip trembling.
"S..S...So you better get going Sis, b...b... before I don't let you leave anymore." The sound of a door closing could be heard from downstairs, making Emma sniffle again before pushing Summer towards the mirror. "I doubt you could stay if Dad and the rest of them came as well, now get!"
Summer started to turn around but stopped only too give Emma what she guessed would be the last one for quite some time, only to quickly let go and climb onto the desk and giving her a small smile. "I'll be back...I hope." Then without hesitation after lifting the hood of the cloak onto her head, she leaned towards the strange opening, and where she expected to have to push into it, she instead fell through the opening the moment she heard a door open with a voice she wouldn't hear for quite some time.
"What's wrong, Emma, Summer...Summer!?"
Then it was gone, the portal... was entirely gone. No longer was the world around her black and grey, but instead, it was vibrant with life all around her. She could feel the soft breeze, the feel of the grass between her fingers, just... everything. A small rustling from behind her made her jump up and spin to see whatever it might be coming from the direction she heard the noise, but instead, she was met with a grey-headed gentleman with glasses coming from the bush, while brushing off some leaves and holding this strange tablet in his other hand.
"It would seem I've gotten lost, only if this damned scroll..." He stopped speaking as he looked towards Summer, and she quickly stood up and bowed her head while blushing, she didn't think of changing while she was at home, and so she was still in her nightgown and the cloak that Emma gave to her. She lifted her head up and saw the gentleman in what she guessed to be a blazer, and was oddly dressed, especially where they were as well.
"He..hello there Sir. My name is... Summer Rose, and I apologize for this predicament you see me in, but..." She smiled while lowering her hood. "I seem to be lost." Her silver eyes shining in the sunlight.
Talk about this chapter being later than well, me at things that I need to arrive to on time. Sorry about this, I really am. I thought I'd get the chapter out a lot sooner, but my procrastination seems to have proven itself much better than before. I'm not dead, in fact I'm healthier than ever, but since I'm not on quarantine where I live, I do indeed have to keep on going to work.
Can I give a time frame on when the next chapter will come out, absolutely not, sorry about that?
What I can offer is that the next chapter will include Jack interacting with a lot of the main cast, and some other enjoyable things. I only have 1 last flashback planned for at the moment, so if you're not a fan of these, you won't have to worry about it too much, and vice versa if you do enjoy them.
I hope all of my readers are staying healthy and safe out there in the world, I write for not only myself, but more importantly for you all. Criticism is welcome, and I know time is not the best, but I've been trying harder these days.
Toodaloo everyone, and be sure to have a good breakfast.
