Chapter Three: So Much Pressure
Alan Tracy stood in front of a large window that looked out on to the outside world, which showed other areas of the underwater city, along with schools of fish and a few whales, too.
He was in a city that was named Rapture. Apparently, it was first constructed in the year 1951 with a man named Andrew Ryan as its leader and founder. It's original goal was to create a paradise free from the influence of so named 'Parasites,' which were the government and the church, among a slew of others. Contact with the outside world was cut off to protect the city and its inhabitants. And there was the discovery of something known as ADAM. It; when refined into a serum that was called a Plasmid and combined with usage of another chemical known as EVE, apparently allowed the user to alter their genetic code on an unlimited basis.
It was a lot of confusing information; even if it was all printed in a twenty-page booklet that was titled The History of Rapture. Alan knew nothing of this Andrew Ryan, or ADAM or anything that had to do with plasmids. He couldn't even remember anything from before. All he could remember was waking up Rapture's med bay and then the last five days following that.
His name was Matthew Lincoln. Of that he was certain. It was the only thing that popped into his mind when he even thought about his name.
Other than that, he was not sure about anything! To be honest, it was very frustrating. He felt that he should be able to remember everything, but it was like looking into a dark room. He felt the memories were there, he just could not see them.
Hearing the door to his hospital room open, Alan turned from the window to see a man who was probably in his mid to late forties enter the room. The man had dark brown hair and brown eyes; wrinkles around the eyes and mouth spoke volumes. The gentleman wore a wrinkle free blue suit with white undershirt, matching pants and black boots that seemed to shine as if they were brand new.
"You must be Matthew Lincoln, yes?" the man asked.
Alan wordlessly nodded his head in reply.
"Let me be the first to officially welcome you to Rapture. My name is Peter Hayes, and I am its leader. Now, I understand that you cannot recall any memories from the surface. It is alright, son. There is no need to panic. Given where my men found you, it only makes sense that you have repressed your memories," the Mayor of Rapture stated.
Alan looked at the older man, confused.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Communication with the overside as we call it, is discouraged. Still, from time to time, certain supplies are needed. During those times I dispatch a few trusted individuals to acquire the supplies and return to Rapture. On this last outing, my men discovered a boat, partially capsized, with one individual aboard." Peter replied.
"Me…" Alan whispered.
Peter Hayes nodded his head.
"You were found unconscious and near death. My men did the only prudent thing and brought you down here. They tell me that this was in your pocket…" Reaching into his shirt pocket, Peter withdrew a folded piece of paper that looked like it had seen better days. Handing it over, he waited as the younger lad took it.
Opening the letter, Alan read the words written. It was a short letter; only two paragraphs long, but the words stung.
"He…was going to send me away…"
Looking up, Alan had tears dotting his eyes.
"My…my father was going to send me away…he says that I was such a burden…he didn't want me."
Peter gently placed a hand on Alan's shoulder. He knew exactly what the letter said because he had been there when it was written. This wasn't the first time he had ever lied to someone in Rapture, but it was the first time he had lied to a newcomer. He needed to come up with a way to appease Alan, so that the youngster wouldn't ask too many questions. Did Peter himself know who Alan really was? No, he did not. All he knew was that the lad was from the overside and the doctor, Dr. Daniel Connelly, needed him.
"Then do not think of it anymore, son. Put it out of your mind. The overside did not want you, but you are more than welcome to stay here, in Rapture. Everyone has a place here, and we will help you find yours, if you choose to stay." Peter said.
He needed Alan to agree to stay voluntarily. It would make things so much easier in the end.
Alan Tracy, for his part, read the letter once more before he crumpled it up and tossed it away. He had no one. No one wanted him, and he had no home, no life to speak of. But now what was this? Mayor Hayes was offering him a place? A life? A reason for being? Alan was stunned, not knowing what to say at first.
"Rapture is a place for lost souls to find themselves," Peter Hayes spoke. "To find hope, to find peace. I can see the look in yours eyes. It is the same look everyone had when they first came to Rapture: fear, uncertainty of the future. Now, however, they have a purpose and a future. You can have that too, Matthew. With me, with Rapture."
Evenly Peter held his hand out, wordlessly waiting and watching to see what Alan would do.
The blonde youngster looked down at the offered hand, and for a moment he did hesitate before he too reached out and took the hand, shaking it firmly. It was a wordless pact; a promise to stay.
"Well alright. Tomorrow Dr. Connelly will release you from the medical bay, and we will see about finding you some quarters and a job. Everyone had a job here, son." Mayer Hayes said.
"A job?" Alan asked, suddenly anxious, "But what would I…."
"All in good time, son. All in good time."
. . .
True to his word, in the morning Dr. Connelly released Alan from the medical bay of Rapture. He was now free to roam around the city as he pleased, and he was also free to find himself a job. The only thing was he had no idea what jobs were out there or what he himself was even good at.
The person that came to collect him from the medical bay was a sixteen-year-old girl with blond hair and equally blue eyes. She wore a white top and a dull red skirt, complete with knee high socks and black shoes. Her name was Linda Mills.
"Hello, you are Matthew, right?" The blonde girl spoke up for the first time as they walked down the steps leading out of the medical area. She did not even wait for Alan to answer the question before she continued speaking. "My name is Linda, Linda Mills. Mayor Hayes asked me to show you around your new home, get you placed in a lodging and secure you work. I'm also here to answer any questions that you may or may not have."
As Linda kept speaking, Alan just watched and listened. In fact, he could not stop staring at her. She was so beautiful that at times he forgot to even breathe. More than anything he wanted to reach out and stroke her hands; her cheek, but the knowledge that doing so was highly inappropriate was what stopped him. He wanted so much to get to know Linda. He did not want to scare her off.
"So, where you were is called Kadis Hospital. It is just one business here at the Medical Pavilion. If you can think it, we should have it here. Toothache? There's Dandy Dental. Eye problems? Dr. Myra at Myra's Optometry can help." Linda continued as they walked on.
"How do you know so much about this place?" Alan asked, shoving his hands in to his pockets.
"Rapture?" Linda asked. She shrugged her shoulders. "I was born here. My father, Kenneth Mills was just a young boy when he and his father came to the city. To be quite honest with you, I am very surprised that anyone came back to Rapture, what with it's bad history and all."
"Yeah, there was some sort of uprising or something. I was given a book about Rapture's history but what happened before wasn't really clear." Alan said.
"You are referring to the '58 Riots," Linda replied. "But to fully understand what happened during that time, you must understand ADAM and EVE."
"They are some sort of chemical, right?" Alan asked.
"In a nutshell, yes. It all started with a sea slug, believe it or not. A sea slug and a geneticist named Brigid Tenenbaum. One day she saw a man with a crippling hand injury. She saw him regain full function of his hands after being bitten by a certain sea slug. So, she did her research and she discovered that there was a substance in the slug that could heal damaged cells, even resurrect them. Through further research, it was learned that refining the substance, which everyone called ADAM, one could make Plasmids." Linda explained.
"And what are they?" Alan asked.
"A serum made from processed ADAM. It introduces modified stem cells into the user's body which allow for genetic modification as well as mutation. It was really quite ingenious." Linda replied.
The two continued on, using a bathysphere to tour different parts of the city.
"What about EVE? How does that fit in?" Alan asked.
"Think of it like this," Linda said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small flashlight. Smoothly she pulled out the batteries, holding the flashlight in her left hand and the batteries in her right.
"Do you see the flashlight?" she asked. "Think of the flashlight as a Plasmid. And the batteries? Think of them as EVE. Apart they do nothing for one another, but put them together," she placed the batteries back into the flashlight and hit the button, turning it on, "And they compliment each other. EVE is the battery for Plasmids."
"Plasmids don't sound terrible. Not the monster the book made it out to be." Alan said.
"Matthew," Linda looked at Alan as the bathysphere began to rise up a tunnel into another section of Rapture. "ADAM was the catalyst for Rapture's downfall. It's a drug. A highly addictive drug. Quite quickly the demand for it was overwhelming, so a method was devised for mass production. They took young girls between the ages of five and ten and implanted the sea slug I mentioned earlier into them in a sort of symbiotic relationship. That turned those young girls into Gatherers. ADAM became so addicting that people wanted it more and more, and with each dose they took, it became apparent that they were having to take more and more just to stave off withdrawl. One thing that you should know about ADAM. Continued use led to mental and physical deterioration of those that took it. Adam Sickness is what they called it."
The two exited the bathysphere at Apollo Square and headed towards Artemis Suites.
"The '58 Riot was the start of the civil war that all but destroyed Rapture. Spliced individuals attacking other spliced individuals…it didn't happen overnight but in the end, Rapture was brought to its knees. But we have learned from the mistakes of the past. My father and Dr. Connelly are working to develop ADAM in a way that neutralizes it's addicting quality as well as it's deterioration of the mind." Linda explained.
"Wait, you mean that after everything that's happened, people are still messing with ADAM?" Alan asked, surprised.
"It's not as dangerous at it once was," Linda replied. "It's been heavily modified." Lifting her left hand, she snapped her thumb and index finger together. All of a sudden, a light pole to their right completely froze over in the blink of an eye.
"Don't worry Matthew. Plasmids are highly controlled. Only certain people are allowed to get them, and those few are monitored constantly," Linda Mills explained, seeing the look on Alan's face.
Leading the way inside Artemis Suites, Linda helped Alan check in. Within ten minutes he received a room number and a set of two keys, along with directions to the elevator. Upon arrival to the room, Alan unlocked the door and pushed it open. It was a small apartment with four rooms: A main room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom. It was also furnished with the most basic looking furniture, but Alan didn't mind at all.
"I will leave you to get settled, Matthew. But, I will be back tomorrow to take you to your job interview at Central Control." Linda explained.
"What's that?" Alan asked, confused.
"It is one of a few places that for all intents and purposes 'control' Rapture. Think of it like a piece of the city's brain. Mayor Hayes feels that it is where you will be best suited and most comfortable, and he is rarely ever wrong."
Alan looked uncertain. To him it sounded like brainiac stuff and for some reason he knew he wasn't good at it.
"I won't have to take ADAM, will I?" He asked, almost tongue in cheek.
Linda laughed and then shook her head. "No no!" She replied. "Only a few are chosen to get it. Our police force mainly. My father and Dr. Connelly as well. I got it through my father. So, no you will not have to get it."
Heaving a relieved sigh, Alan nodded his head.
"So I will see you tomorrow?" Linda asked.
"Yeah. Bright and early," Alan replied with a smile.
"Fantastic! Well, have a good night and see you tomorrow!" Linda Mills said with a smile before she turned and left Alan's apartment.
When she was gone, Alan took another good look around. The apartment was small, sparsely furnished, but it was comfortable enough and more importantly it was his.
Noting the time on the small clock that hung on the wall, Alan went to the kitchen and checked the fridge. It was filled with all sorts of fruits and vegetables, juices, milk and what looked like a colorless carbonated beverage.
A quick check of the cabinets to the right of the fridge showed that they too were stocked with dried goods like noodles, canned foods, crackers, cereal and the like.
Not feeling all that hungry, Alan took only a red apple, a small container of strawberries and a can of apple juice. Smoothly he carried the items to the bedroom and plopped down on the bed before he chowed down on the food.
As soon as he bit down into the apple, the juices hit his tongue and he could not suppress a groan. Never in his life had he tasted anything as sweet and delicious as that. It was almost inhuman.
Polishing off the food he had brought, he then rose up and turned off the lights before he returned to his bed. Outside light poured into the bedroom from the porthole sized window off to the right. It showed other sections of Rapture; which ones specifically Alan didn't know, but it was proof enough that the city was very much alive. A little part of him was nervous about tomorrow. He wasn't all that technically minded. What good could he do at Central Control? Honestly! What could he possibly do there?
That single question kept him up for hours until his eyes finally grew too heavy to fight. Shutting his eyes, Alan finally allowed himself to drift off to sleep.
. . .
The interview went off without a hitch. The director of Central Control gave Alan an aptitude test and based on the results he was able to place the younger lad on a system that was very low level; very easy to manage. He was to help balance and monitor the flow of power to several lower lying areas of Rapture. That it was it. Even so he was placed with a partner. A fifteen-year-old brunette haired and brown eyed boy named James Grant.
Apparently fifteen-year-old's were the youngest that could be hired to work in Rapture and only then on a part time basis. School had to come first.
Just spending fifteen minutes with James, Alan knew that the two of them would be the best of friends. James was so easy to get along with and Alan felt so at ease talking with him. Perhaps maybe, just maybe he could grow to actually call Rapture home.
As his first day at work wore on, Alan became more and more comfortable with his job. It was very simple; something he liked tremendously. Second, he had the best partner in the world. Honestly, what could be better? At the end of the day, Linda dropped by and asked how it went and Alan was able to answer her honestly. He loved it!
Together, the three of them headed off to grab an early dinner, all the while not realizing the history that was soon to unfold.