Jack Wynand I
To say that Jack had been having a hard day would be an understatement. From the plane crash, to the whole finding-a-secret-underwater-city thing, to being forced to beat a crazed attacker to death with just a wretch, and now having been drafted to save Atlas' wife and son from Andrew Ryan, he was having a bit of a bad time.
'How did no one know this was down here?' he wondered as he crept through Rapture's Medical Pavilion. He collapsed down on a mostly clean seat and sighed, trying to ignore however part of his body was already aching. At least he'd already grown used to the smell of death, rot, and filth that hung heavy over the city.
Jack barely had a chance to think since he arrived in the city. In between fighting to stay alive, trying to stay alive, and Atlas screaming in his ear, telling him what to do, Jack hadn't had time to think for himself.
'This place must have taken thousands of people to build, let alone maintain. Not to mention all the people who were living here,' he thought. 'How did no one notice it being built? How did no one know when the city fell? Someone must have still been in contact with people on the surface! So how did-'
"Hey, Boyo, I hate to be a bother but why are you dragging your feet?"
Jack frowned and lifted his radio up, ignoring the ache in his shoulder and the uncomfortable sensation of his sweater sticking to his shoulder with drying blood. "Sorry, I just needed a second to catch my breath. This place is crawling with splicers."
"I know, I know," Atlas said. "And I wish you could be there to help you get my family back but I'm stuck here so it's all up to you. Now, would you kindly get a move on?"
The radio cut off and Jack was on his feet again, heading towards his goal. Though a bit annoyed Atlas wouldn't let him rest for even a moment, he needed to be more understanding to the guy. Atlas was his only friend down here and, without him, Jack would be lost. In return for all his help, Jack would do what the man asked of him.
'I mean, it isn't like I have a choice,' he admitted to himself. 'Without Atlas, I wouldn't know what to do.'
"You think that's a child down there? Don't be fooled. She's a Little Sister now. Somebody went and turned a sweet baby girl into a monster."
That is what Atlas had told him about the Little Sisters but, when Jack looked down at the tiny, terrified creature before him, he didn't see a monster. He saw a child. A strange one, yes, but a child nonetheless. One who'd just lost her primary protector and one whose life he now could snuff out in an instant.
"What are you waiting for, we need that ADAM!" Atlas' voice was audibly annoyed, even over the static crackling of the radio. "I know it isn't pleasant but it needs to be done, so would you-"
Click!
"Touch her and I'll turn your head into a canoe."
Jack was not expecting to bump into another -seemingly- sane individual. Though he knew some still remained in Rapture he assumed that, aside from Atlas and Ryan, they'd all be hiding, not out in the open.
"Put your arms up and turn around. Slowly."
He was also not expecting that the person holding him at gunpoint to be so... female.
Don't get him wrong, the woman in front of him was covered in more than her fair share of bruises -each an ugly, dark splotch on her smooth, pale skin- and there was a bandage on her forehead along with what looked like healing scratches and bitemarks covering her face, neck, and the exposed skin of her arms. But none of that detracted from her classically beautiful features, nor did the hand cannon pointed at his head draw Jack's attention away from how blue her eyes were, even in the dim light.
"...Hi," he said, arms raised above his head.
"Back away from the girl, now!" she hissed, taking a step forward. She pulled her eyes from Jack for a moment, looking towards the cowering Little Sister. The woman smiled reassuringly at the girl, "It's okay, sweetie. Come to me; I won't let him hurt you."
The Little Sister didn't even hesitate, rushing over to hug the woman's leg tightly. "Mr. Bubbles is gone!"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said, putting her free hand on the Little Sister's head. "It'll be okay."
Suspicious blue eyes pinned him with a glare that very nearly made Jack shiver. He nodded towards Little Sister, "I wasn't going to hurt her."
The woman cocked an eyebrow and huffed in dark amusement, "Oh really? You expect me to believe that? Little Sisters are attacked for the ADAM by those stupid enough to try all the time."
"I don't need ADAM!" Jack snapped. It immediately struck him that the statement rang false, mostly because it was. He did need ADAM if he was going to survive down here, just like everyone. But still... "Not if I have to get it like that, at least. She-" he nodded towards the cowering girl "-is a victim, just like everyone else down here. I've killed enough people already; I'm not adding a kid to that list."
The gun lowered just a fraction and the hostile glare turned into suspicious confusion.
"Who are you?" the woman asked. "How did you get here? You can't be Rapture; you're too..."
"Sane? You're right, I just got here. Somehow I got stuck with the best and worst luck all at once. I survived a plane crash only to end up in some sort of underwater hell," she said. "And I'm Jack. Jack Wynand."
The woman's eyes went wide before sliding over the space left of Jack and nodding like someone was saying something she agreed with. She stayed quiet though, the gun lowering a few more inches even as she continued to stare into space.
'Okay, maybe she isn't all there after all,' he thought. "And you are?"
"What?"
"I usually like to know the name of the pretty girls I meet on my travels,' he said, trying to keep things friendly. "Especially when they're pointing a gun at me."
"...Birdie," she said after a pause, finally lowering the gun completely.
Jack cocked his head to the side, "That doesn't sound like a real name."
The woman shrugged, "Not many people use their real names down here. Not much point left in it."
"So there are still people left in the city?" he asked, eyebrows shooting up. "I mean, people who are still... you know? Sane?"
"That might be an exaggeration. We're all mad down here," she said. "But, yes, there are people left who aren't splicers."
"Really, where are they?"
Birdie narrowed her eyes and bit her lower lip, "I'm not sure."
"My my, this is an interesting meeting."
Jack looked up, startled, to see an older woman with graying dark hair and a purple dress staring down at him and Birdie.
To his surprise, Birdie said, "Tenenbaum? What the hell are you doing here? I thought you never went out into the city!"
In his ear, the radio crackled to life. "Tenenbaum? What is that bitch doing here? Never mind, listen boyo, you need to get out of there! No more dawdling, grab the ADAM from that Little Sister and book it! We don't have time to sit around and chat!"
Above him, oblivious to the voice hissing in Jack's ear, Tenenbaum scoffed. "Just because I refrain from putting myself in unnecessary danger doesn't mean I am unable to navigate this city. I help make it what it is, for better and worse, and I know all of its secrets."
Her eyes flickered to Jack and she stared him down so sharply that Jack gulped, reminded of a particularly strict teacher he once had. "And as for you... Tell me, were you being honest when you claimed to have no intention of harvesting that Little One?"
"Little One? Oh, the Little Sister?" he glanced over at the girl, who was still clinging to Birdie's leg. "Of course I was! I'm not a monster! I'm just trying to survive down here and help whoever I can!"
"Hmmm, then perhaps you will choose to do the right thing after all," she said. "CATCH!"
Instinctively, Jack reached up and caught the glowing red glass bottle tossed down to him.
"If you truly mean what you say... If you truly mean to help, then use this," Tenenbaum said. "Use it and free the Little Ones from their torment. Do this for her and others and I will make it worth your while... somehow."
"What did you just give him?" Birdie demanded, glancing back and forth between Jack and Tenenbaum.
"A test."
"Don't you even think about it," Atlas hissed. "For all you or I know, that thing is 100% poison!"
'Maybe that is true,' Jack considered. 'But maybe it's not. My parents always said I was destined for great things and maybe saving this little girl is part of that.'
The plasmoid burned something horrible as it slid down his throat, as all plasmoids did. As it settled into his body, sending sharp spears of pain throughout, Jack struggled not to vomit. He nearly doubled over and breathed heavily, trying to ignore Atlas' scolding.
When the pain and nausea subsided, he took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'm ready. What should I do?"
"You must place your hands on the Little One's head and draw the poison out of her," Tenenbaum instructed. "Do it quickly! It is dangerous to stay out in the open like this."
Birdie's grip on her gun tightened once more when Jack approached and the look in her eyes told him very plainly that, if she even suspected him of trying anything fishy, he'd get a bullet between the eyes. He gave her what he thought was a reassuring smile, only to get a scowl in return.
'Alright then.'
He knelt down in front of the girl, "Hey, sweetheart, I promise this won't hurt. Just try to stay calm, okay?"
The girl tried to wiggle away, staring at him with large, fearful eyes. "No! No! No!"
Jack clutched her head in his hands and focused. He could feel the ADAM beneath the surface of the Little Sister's skin as she struggled. He could take it if he wanted, it wouldn't be hard. But Jack pushed that thought away and focused on healing the girl.
'Purge it from her system,' he thought to himself. 'Make her whole.'
The power of the plasmoid surged through Jack's body until, in a flash of white light that exploded in his find, he knew it was over.
The Little Sister -no, she wasn't that any longer- looked up at him with large, tired eyes and smiled. She looked different now, her skin no longer gray and eyes no longer glowing. The girl dropped into a curtsy and said, "Thank you, Mister. Thank you."
"You did it. You actually saved her," Birdie said, sounding breathless and surprised.
Feeling the now-familiar rush of exhaustion that came after using a new plasmoid, Jack stood up and grinned. "What, did you doubt me that much?"
"The path of the righteous is not always easy, yes?" Tenenbaum asked. "You've done a good thing today and I thank you. A reward will become clear in time. Be patient."
"I didn't do it for a reward," Jack said. "I did it because it was the right thing to do."
"Still, kindness should be rewarded. There is so little of it in the world today."
"Hey, out of curiosity, why didn't you use the plasmoid on the others? Why not give it to me?" Birdie asked.
The older woman shrugged, "I was not going to risk losing your aid on something I was unsure would work. If it killed him-" she dismissively flicked a hand toward Jack "then, well, there would be other options."
'...Thanks, lady.'
"And now that the experiment is completed, we should return to safety," Tenenbaum continued. "Come along, Little One. I have many new friends and toys waiting for you."
The former Little Sister blinked up at the woman before glancing back at Jack and Birdie, who smoothed a hand down over her messy hair.
"It's alright, Sweetie," Birdie said kindly. "You can trust her but, before you go, I need to ask you something."
"What?" the girl chirped, tilting her head to the side.
"I'm looking for another Little Sister, one named Sally. She has blonde hair, blue eyes, and might have been carrying a doll," Birdie explained. "Does she sound familiar at all?"
With the furrowed brow, the girl thought hard before nodding slowly. "I... think so. I think I saw someone like that. But it wasn't here. It was in Arcadia."
For a moment, Jack saw Birdie's face light up with hope... before it was quickly replaced by frustration. But she took a deep breath and forced another smile, "Thank you, sweetheart. Now, run along and go with Auntie Brigid. I know she looks scary but I promise that she'll take good care of you."
The girl hesitated, turning to Jack with a wide-eyed, questioning look. It took longer than it should have to realize that she was silently asking him what he thought she should do.
"Oh... Yeah, you should go with her, kid."
While Jack didn't know much about the woman, aside from Atlas clearly not liking her, she did go out of her way to protect the Little Sister. He couldn't imagine that she'd hurt her. It also seemed like Tenenbaum had somewhere safe to go -an obvious rarity in Rapture. It made sense.
His words seemed to be enough for the girl, who grinned bright and scampered off. She ducked into a pipe, reappearing a moment later by Tenenbaum's side. The woman looked down at Birdie and asked, "You are not coming with us?"
"No," Birdie replied, shaking her head. "I need to find Sally. I won't be able to focus on anything else until I do."
"I understand you want to find her but you are putting all of our plans in jeopardy for one girl!"
"Yeah, I guess I am," Birdie said, completely stoned-faced.
.
.
.
.
"Fine, just be careful," Tenenbaum sighed, rubbing her forehead. "And keep an eye out for... you know who."
"I will."
And without a single word of goodbye, the older woman and the scientist were gone, disappearing into the darkness of Rapture.
"Christ, Tenenbaum just played you for a sap!" Atlas snarled in Jack's ear. He jumped, for a moment, Jack had completely forgotten about his friend. "Those things may look like wee little girls, but looks don't make it so. You'll need all the ADAM you can get to survive. Them things aren't people no more. And it's Dr. Tenenbaum they've got to thank for it. This entire savior act is just a way for her to handle her own guilt."
Jack wanted to say that his saving of the little girl wasn't about ADAM, Tenenbaum, or even what the Little Sisters actually were. It was about doing the right thing! He refused to let Rapture take his morality like it had taken the sanity and goodness of so many others. But, before he could say anything, he spotted Birdie leaving out of the corner of his eye.
"Wait!"
A little late but its finally here! Admittedly, I took some liberties with how Atlas communicates with Jack but is was the only way I could get the dialogue to work.