Chapter 3: Escape the docks
After landing on an old wooden boat dock, Peter regained consciousness. He sat up and gathered his surroundings. He was dazed and confused; is he dead? Probably not he thought as he climbed up the concrete ledge which lead to an old service tunnel that ran under the bridge and connected into Raptures waste disposal system.
As he climbed up the ledge, Peter felt a pain in his stomach, great, the last thing he needed was to have been shot or something. When he reached the top, he took his bearings; in front of him was the entrance to the tunnel, behind him was the paddleboat lake and to the right were two service crates but in Peter's eyes, a place to hide while he assessed whether or not he'd have to cut a limb off or apply some bandages. Luckily it was the latter of the two.
Upon taking his jacket off and lifting up his shirt, Peter noticed that he had two small pieces of shrapnel in his lower stomach. They were only about half an inch long and even smaller than that in width so Peter figured, get them out, patch up and carry on!
He slumped down against the corner of the bridge, behind the two service crates. He grabbed them and pulled them out with ease, ignoring the small amount of pain that came with it. He'd been shot a few times before so he knew what pain felt like. This was like getting a splinter, which, kind of was if you think about it. After pulling them out, he searched through his bag and found a first aid kit. Peter took out two gauze bandages and covered up the respective areas on his stomach before taking a swig from his canteen and exhaling in relief after he rolled his left sleeve down after he put the jacked back on. More scars and stings were visible now and Peter could feel his heart sink.
After packing up his bag, he unloaded his M1928 and turned the latch on the drum so that the loose rounds fell out onto his lap. He counted twelve left and placed them in the right pocket of his jacket, where he kept all the loose rounds, ready to take home and refill his magazines. He placed the empty drum in his bag and then took out a full one from the large left pocket of his jacket and loaded the fresh drum of fifty rounds onto his rifle and cocked it.
When he finally had time to think, his mind turned to how he would get back to Sarah and everyone in the hotel, did they all think he was dead? He needed to get back and fast.
While sitting there, amongst the crates, he noticed the lake. He remembered when Sarah was just two years old and his mum and dad took him and his younger sister to the Downtown Lake where they both went on a paddleboat for the first time! He remembered when it was so peaceful and everyone got on and weren't trying to kill each other. He remembered feeling happy and content without a care in the world...just passing Maths. He tried to remember the last time he was happy but he hadn't felt that way in years and he longed to feel it again.
After reminiscing, Peter stood up and turned on his flashlight that was duct taped to the under barrel of his tommy gun and illuminated the dark passage as he walked through it. Keeping the butt of his weapon in his shoulder and hands on both grips, Peter walked through it with a slow but steady pace. Checking each shadow carefully as he moved, making sure nothing was lurking in the depths of Rapture's sewer system. There probably was, Peter just didn't wanna think about it.
The damp, slimy walls of this old, dimly light tunnel were not a welcoming sight! Peter had been walking it for a good hour and his mind had attuned to 'look, check, shoot/don't shoot' so far, it had been don't shoot and Peter wasn't complaining. Even the rats were absent from this place. The vibe it gave off felt wrong. You could see that people tried hiding down here during the riots. The decomposed bodies and makeshift camp beds along with the odd barrel fire reminded him of that! There was also childish graffiti on the walls from as early as Rapture was founded right up until '63. It was a tunnel frozen in time and forgotten, just like everything else in this underwater grave.
Peter was didn't like being here, the constant feeling of paranoia that was setting in every couple of seconds was driving him nuts. He tried to think about other things when all of a sudden, his flashlight battery died. Luckily, he could see a small orange light about fifty metres in front of him. Peter quickly jogged to it so he could have a sense of vision again.
When he got there, he unscrewed the front part of the flashlight, with the lens on it and pointed his rifle at the floor, causing two triple A batteries fell to the floor with a gentle ping. Reaching into his top left pocket, Peter pulled out two fresh batteries and slotted them into the flashlight and screwed the lens back on. Good thing this fire was here Peter thought to himself as he stood up and then it hit him: Fires! Someone had to be lighting them which means that they could still be in the area and pose potential threat, they could even be following him. He had to think, how would he deal with this.
Peter slowly stood up and turned right, around the corner connecting the tunnel together and continued to proceed down it. If he wasn't cautious before, he sure as hell was now!
As he reached the end of the current section, the old sewer system seemed to break off into three passages, sort of like a fork. One slightly left, one slightly right or carry on straight ahead. This presented Peter with a problem; he didn't know where he was going or where they lead to! It would be blind luck what he chose, a stab in the dark. Peter raised his barrel so the light shone down the right, then centre and when he got to the left, he saw a figure move.
Giving chase, Peter lowered his weapon, although still keeping it in his grasp and ran after what he saw move in the tunnel. Peter ran down the tunnel and followed it to the right, where he saw the figure go; there was a long, linear tunnel that lead to a door that was illuminated by a flaming barrel on the right side. He had worked out that he was chasing a human, human probably a man but the large trench coat they were wearing made it hard to tell.
The figure stopped at the door and turned the circular valve that was in the middle to open the door. It creaked and hissed as it opened but only opened about four inches due to Peter grabbing the figure by the scruff and delivering a right hook to the side of his face, causing him to fall down to his right side and next to the barrel and have the door slam shut again. This lit has face up, revealing that he was a Splicer! He lay down on his right arm as his left caressed the left side of his face while Peter drew his M1928 and aimed it at him.
-"OK, you have about three seconds to tell me what you were doing; were you spying on me? Answer me!" Peter almost shouted in an angry, gruff tone.
-"Woah, take your time John Wayne... I ain't ...doing nothing" The Splicer protested as he panted heavily in between words.
-"Then why did you try to run when I saw you? Answer me that!"
-"Some bad people are after me and you just wander in here and clunk the place up, what was I supposed to do?!"
-"Who's after you, I want a name?" Peter's voice was less angry now, but still very serious.
Realising he had nothing to lose and judging by the man's sheer lack of ADAM abuse, the Splicer realised he might as well spill the beans.
-"OK, I'll tell you ever..." He was cut off by a deafening "SCREEEEE" which caused the Splicer to stand up and shout: "You've led them right to me! Cover me while I get this door open, although...bullets won't stop her"
What, stop who? Peter thought as he turned around to face the long dark tunnel he had just ran down and pulled his tommy gun into his shoulder as he turned his flashlight off. Doubt ran through his head, this Splicer could just leave him behind after the door was open, trapping him, he could have led him into a trap; all sorts of scenarios went through his head and they all ended the same way: He wouldn't get back to Sarah. This made Peter go to turn around to tell the Splicer no chance, he would be held at gunpoint to open the door but before he could turn around, a came crashing into his line of sight and all he could see was one singular red light about 2 metres off the floor and it was coming twards him...fast. He quickly turned on his flashlight as he backed up to the door
-"Hurry your ass and get it open!" Peter shouted as a metallic figure appeared in his line of sight.
He let off a few bursts, trying to keep the creature at bay when he heard:
-"Come on, I can't hold it forever!" The Splicer shouted back from his position on the other side of the doorway.
Seeing this, Peter held up his left arm and released a barrage of Hornets as he turned around and jumped through the gap in the door as the Splicer let it go, closing behind Peter. There was silence then a loud bang! This repeated for several seconds before it finally stopped. Peter stood up and turned around to look where he was. This is what you could call the Splicer's bedroom.
There was an old blue, tattered bedroll and pillow in the top left that was illuminated by an oil lamp at the base. This revealed a few wrappings and old tins that were littered around the bedroll as well as some old clothes. In the right corner was yet another fire barrel. How many of these did the guy have set up? Peter thought as he offered the Splicer up. There was also a desk in between the bedroll and barrel with four small monitors on them. The Splicer might not have been lying when he said he was hiding from someone and whoever or whatever was outside was bad news bears. If it had gotten in...they would have both been fucked sideways. The room looked very lived in, suggesting that this guy had been here for a while.
-"OK, start talking" Peter demanded as the Splicer sat down in the chair at the desk, by the monitors.
-"Where do you want me to start?" he said sarcastically. He was dressed in a heavy black trench coat that came all the way down to his ankles which were covered up by a pair of black combat boots and equally black cargo pants. Both were old and stained with various substances as well as grime. He even wore a black woolly sweater that was also faded and stained. Even his hair was black. The only thing that wasn't black was his skin; it was as white as a cloud and his right cheek had started to become all crusty as well as his right eye becoming bloodshot. He also had a crocked spine, causing to slightly hunch over and his hand looked like it had been shredded due to the amount of dead skin hanging off it. Apart from that, he looked relatively normal, for a Splicer and he spoke with a strong, old fashioned British accent.
-"You can start with your name and why the hell you were lurking around outside" Peter said while keeping his weapon firmly in his arms, even though it hung loose.
-"The names Oskär and I was merely making sure you weren't who I thought you were and I now know that if you were, I'd be dead. I saw you enter the tunnels on my camera's here" Oskär said as he gestured to the monitors on the desk and then it became clear as to why there were so many barrels: they light up the area where the camera's were hidden. "I didn't think you were a member of the Family so I came out to make sure. I ran because I just panicked, I've been set up here for just over a year now and I thought I would be safe here but I guess they followed you and now they've found me!" Oskär said, trying to stress the seriousness of it.
-"Right, now why do you say your name like that?" Peter asked, curious to know why Oskär pronounced his name in the way he did.
-"I was born in Germany in April 1932 and moved to England in '37 to escape the growing power of the fascist Reich. I was a German living in Britain so I picked up the accent pretty quick as I grew up and lived there until we moved to Rapture.
-"OK, you're slowly earning yourself not a bullet in the ass. Now, last question; what the fuck was that thing chasing me and who the fuck are The Family?" Peter asked, anxious to know what almost took his head off. He was not pleased.
-"That...was a Big Sister" Oskär said as he took a deep breath.
-"A what?" Peter asked, sounding very confused. It looked and sounded like something that was out of a nightmare and yet, this man had said its name as if he knew what it was, which Peter was guessing, he did.
-"You ever wonder what happened to the Little Sister's that actually were able to grow up? Yeah, they don't stay that way forever, the slug doesn't stop the ageing, it just has that mental conditioning effect on them as well as a super fast healing ability. Anyway, they grow up, just like everybody else and when they hit fifteen, sixteen, puberty happens or at least their equivalent form of puberty. The mental conditioning effects wear off and they start to see things for the first time, it can be pretty fucking scare to all of a sudden see what you thought was a man in a shiny suit try to rip your god damn face off! Imagine how you'd feel, being a stranger in your own world that you've lived in for what seems like all your life. Well, they started to go feral, crazy if you like and pretty much killed a lot of Lamb's Splicers as all the ADAM they have collected sort of congealed in their system giving them access to some pretty cool Plasmids" Oskär said as he twiddled with his thumbs; he seemed to know this story well and suggested he knew more than he was letting on.
-"Why didn't they just shoot the bitch and be done with it" Peter asked, this story had tweaked his interest.
-"OK, now this is gonna get a bit complicated so pay attention. Firstly, they got a hold of her and managed to strap her down to a gurdy, keeping her under HEAVY sedation. Lamb came along and did her shrink bullshit which unbelievably calmed her down, sort of brainwashed her to do what she wanted. This was unintentional but it proved useful"
-"Whadda you mean useful?" Peter asked, his interest still there.
-"Where do you think all those new Little Sisters came from?" Oskär asked, not expecting an answer. The statement was quite clear. "Well, they kitted themselves out in some modified protector gear to make them waterproof and resistant to all the pressure. The brought girls down to from the surface and turned them into a new generation of gatherers. Anyway, she did the same thing with the second one but realised that harnessing their ability was taking to long. She managed to use those two to sort of guide the rest of them into adulthood, sort of. They take the letters of the Greek alphabet and run them down over and over again. They have the title 'Retriever' X dash B slash S then zero and a letter. For example, the last one I knew was Retriever Omnicron B/S 03. We were in our third...generation, if you will. You following so far?"
-"Actually, yeah, I am. What happened next?" Peter asked.
-"Right, so they started sending out the Sisters again but the Splicers are getting smarter and have been able to get down the Big Daddies so on the other side of building a new model, we used the new sisters to go out and retrieve any sisters who's Dad had died and bring them back home" Something was off, he was speaking as if he knew them personally. Peter needed to get to the bottom of this.
-"Right, so please tell me how you know all this...this really complicated shit?"
Oskär let out a loud sigh as he realised he needed to come clean.
-"OK, I was part of The Family at one stage. Worked in the medical/science side of things; that's how I ended up like this. Too many gene tonics to do with science and being smart for my own good. Although, I did back two Plasmids but they weren't that serious. I just have myself to blame. All I can tell you is they are fast and lethal. They will destroy you if they get their hands on you and it won't be quick. You can run but you'll die tired! They can, however, be killed. They're not invincible but they aren't a walk in the park; you need to be set up and very well. Traps, turrets, fucking electricity if you have it. If you get a shot at her oxygen tank, blow the fucker up. If they get wounded, they'll hurt but not for long. If you have to put the pain on them, just keep it on and don't stop! If you really wanna tangle with them, be ready" Oskär was really trying to stress the seriousness in this. He needed Peter to know that if he somehow was in this situation, he had to understand that this was important.
He didn't like how he referred to the girls as 'It' but it wasn't on his mind right now
-"Don't worry, if she comes between me and my sister, she won't be the one walking away" Oskär knew that Peter was serious but there was a key word he mentioned...sister.
-"If you have a sister, you had better bet that Lamb will be coming after her and soon, by the way things are shaping up"
-"I need to get back, there has to be another way than the front door?" Peter pleaded.
-"Yeah there is but seeing as you're responsible for them finding out where I am, you owe me a new house"
-"You can't be serious" Peter said in a blunt tone.
-"Yes I am, why wouldn't I be?" Peter was puzzled by Oskär's response.
-"OK, maybe but look, there are some things I need to sort first, I can't just let you in"
-"Motherfucker, how do you expect me to last two seconds?" Oskär asked. "They know where my front door is"
-"Well they didn't get through it and..."Peter said as he looked around his new 'friend's' living space and spotted something "What about that?" he said as he pointed to an old security bot that lay on the floor by the flaming barrel.
-"Oh that, that hasn't worked since I took it down" Oskär said in a gruff voice as a blue orb spawned out of his palm. "Override Security; a little Plasmid to help me by"
Peter studied it for a while before he walked over to it and held it up. Upon examination he noticed that heat damage had messed around with the vertical pipe that had attached the rotor to the main body.
-"Hmmm, I see what needs to be fixed so if I just..." Peter grunted and then the rotor whirled and made a buzzing sound as it ascended. "Handyman Gene Tonic; pretty useful Mister Meds" Peter joked.
Oskär was stunned at how this man broke into his house, held him at gun point and then...helped him secure his safety. At the very least he was confused.
-"Now will you help me get outta here? I need to get to The Fisherman King" Peter asked, hoping his act of kindness was enough to help him get back to Sarah as quick as possible. She needed to know she was alright and still there for her.
-"Right, there's a service ladder that will take you to a tube; keep your head facing straight as soon as you leave and carry on, ignoring the path on the left, go straight until the door opens and take the next left. Follow that until you need to turn right, follow that passage and you should be in a pretty familiar area" Oskär said, making sure he understood every word.
-"Thank you; I'll come get you as soon as I know you'll be allowed refuge" Peter said with gratitude in his voice.
-"Just...make sure I'm not dead?" Oskär said. He sounded sad as his tone was very low and sort of mellow. He must have been abandoned before and he knew this is probably just like every other...except, it might be the last time.
Oskär walked over to his monitors and pressed a button. There was a sound of clanking. That must have been the lock on the door and within a second, a ladder dropped down by the barrel fire, almost knocking it over.
-"I'll be back, I promise" Peter said as he rear-slinged his weapon and placed his hands on the bars.
-"Yeah, of course you will" Oskär said as he sat in his chair and spun about.
Peter climbed the ladder and remembered where he needed to go. The sports boost tonic as well as his drive to see his sister again and make sure she was ok as well as knowing he was ok. He knew that something bad was gonna happen; Oskär had all but foretold him of it. He needed to get there and warn the others.
After memorising the paths, he finally arrived in the local area before the hotel. Adrenaline was rushing through him as he ran to the doors and held his hands up as he ran through the door so Sykes didn't shoot him by the time he had realised who it was.
-"Where's Sarah!" he shouted.
-"Whu...downstairs the others had just gotten back" Sykes said Peter ran passed him and confused him as he hurried down the stairs only to see figures around his sister and a horrified look on her face...
