Chapter 6-Recovery

A/N:-Coming back to this story was no easy task. Something started by a cringy child that garnered several demanding messages to continue and update wasn't as cool as he thought it would be and was certainly out of his depth. The best decision I could land on is come back with a fresh pair of eyes, more experienced not only in writing abilities but also in life experience.

I will ask for constructive criticism because I feel like my writing is on the level where the story actually has potential and a chance at a good structure. So please, let me know on what I did right because four years was a long time for me too aha.

If you wanna shout at me, then let me know in the form of a PM or Review about how this wasn't worth the four year wait. I love feedback and want to not only improve what I write but also the experience for you guys as readers. The more interaction I have, the more demand I see for the story!

Contrary to belief, I enjoyed writing for this story and want to finish it as I already have plans for a sequel that 16 year old me would like to do. I can promise that finishing this will not take another four years aha.

Before we continue I suggest either re reading the last couple of chapters or the whole story due to how long it has been since I updated. That is if you can stomach it. I want to address the mistakes made in the previous chapters. The group are looking for .30 calibre machine guns, not .50 calibre, my mistake and I hold my hands up. Peter is 22, in case that wasn't understandable from the first chapter. The best I can do for this story is make it the standard many people hold it in. many messages to my account are all about continuing this so I guess this is the redemption. Without further delay, I present to you Chapter 6.


Karl and Peter made their way through the back alley areas of Downtown in hope that they'd cross a high end establishment that would warrent decent security. The hunt for a .30 cal was all they thought about, nothing else mattered. Hugging the walls as they progressed, Peter took the lead and Karl followed without hesitation.

The back alley's were disgusting; even now with Rapture in the state it was in, these nooks and crannies would still outclass it on the scum level. The walls were all but destroyed, revealing a lot of hidden pipes and construction elements. Water adorned most parts of the floor in large puddles as well as barnacles and other sea-decay in every room.

The two men walked with purpose from shop to shop, desperately hoping for any sign of something they could use in their upcoming battle. Most things were useless trinkets and junk items but they did manage to come across their fair share of loose ammunition as well as EVE hypo's. That was one benefit about searching dirty back-alley's...the drugs and vice activities they once held.

Karl was starting to get tired of searching; they weren't finding anything and time was getting on. Just as he was about to put a hand on Peter's shoulder and call for a retreat, they spotted it. An old Pawn Shop-complete with a barred door and security shutters. If any building down here would house a .30 cal, it would be this one.

Peter let out a happy chuckle as he quickly crossed the grime-ridden street to the front door. As guessed, it was locked up tighter than Ryan's personal apartment but the two men wouldn't be beaten by a door.

"Any idea how to get in?" Peter asked as he scanned their surroundings for any Splicer's that could be lurking around.

"Yeah, just one; when I worked with Ryan Security, we were given the skeleton code to any locked business building in Rapture. Each door was to set an emergence release element into the door so whenever the numbers '0000' then '1111' were typed in, the door would open regardless of the base code" Karl responded with as he swiped the numbers into the door lock and just as he said, it opened.

"Sweet, why would you have needed to know it though?" Peter asked as they entered the shop.

"In case we had to conduct raids looking for anything to do with Fontaine, yeah it wasn't pretty what happened to anyone working with him" Karl's response told Peter enough of what happened.

Moving on from the exposition topic, they began to search the shop for what they needed. The shop was in surprisingly good condition; the walls had a majority of paint on them, there was no water or grime present and there were even original items in their cases. This mattered little as they would have been of no use to anyone.

Just beyond the front door, Peter spotted a shutter on the floor and took an educated guess that the turret would be in there.

"Over here" he called out as he went about opening the door. "Go check the back for the ammo reserves. If this is what we're looking for, then there's gonna be ammo stored for it, probably out the back somewhere.

Karl nodded and made his way to the back of the shop in an effort to find ammo for the turret. He pulled out all of the drawers and filing cabinets with haste, being careful not to overlook anything.

As he moved a bunch of boxes, the lid fell off of one, revealing three boxes of five hundred rounds. Without wasting any time, Karl picked them up and threw them in his sack before doing the top up to ensure they wouldn't fall out. The weight was certainly noticeable but he was used to carrying heavy loads. He then went back to check on Peter who was in the process of detaching the turret form its rail-mount.

"Any luck" Karl asked as he caught his breathe.

"Yeah, it seems to be in great working order, it's just stuck on this lip by here and I can't get it out" Peter replied as he desperately tried to free the turret from its spot in the floor.

"Here, let me" Karl said as he placed his hand down into the space where the turret was attached to.

Peter scanned the storefront to ensure all the noise and commotion they were making hadn't attracted any unwanted attention. The last thing they needed was a group of nosey Splicers stopping them from leaving.

Karl grunted as he pulled the turret out of the floor; he'd managed to detach it and had picked it up so it was hanging over his shoulder. "Let's go, we need to get a move on" He said as the two of them hastily made their way back to the hotel. They were one step closer to their goal.

Peter holstered his weapon and proceeded to carry the turret while Karl took point and made sure the way was clear. Karl knew Peter would be relying on him for protection as they made their way back to the hotel and Karl wasn't gonna disappoint. Karl aimed down the sights of his BAR as he peered around the alley corner, taking time to spot anyone or anything that could be there. When he was sure it was clear, he'd gesture for Peter to move up.

Approaching the end of the umbilical that connected the slums area to the more financial area where the hotel was located, Peter hung back while Karl investigated the other side of the door. He slowly made his way up to it, weapon in the shoulder as it opened. When the door finally raised, he was met with a disgusting sight looking back at him. A thin, thuggish Splicer with bandages covering a majority of his puss-leaking face was looking back at him. Both men hesitated as they were equally as surprised but Karl came to first and pulled the trigger, sending three 7.62mm rounds into the creature that was now laying at his feet. The trapped up puss that was being held prisoner by what was left of the man's face was finally released, Karl was just annoyed that some of it landed on his Kevlar vest.

Peter knew that the noise would have attracted attention and ran to catch up with Karl who was on the other side of the door. As he got closer, Karl could be seem running back through, signalling Peter to take cover behind an old couch that was just sitting in the umbilical. There were many strange and random debris littering the halls of Rapture and the two men were lucky this one was here.

Peter crashed behind it as Karl slid in from his right side. Both men grasped for air but they had been in this situation before and both were skilled at what they did. Peter dropped the turret and pulled his 1928 into his shoulder. The rate of fire and size of his magazine saw his Tommy Gun being able to supress the Splicer's while Karl's much accurate BAR picked them off.

As the small group of thugs dashed through the door, Peter hosed them down with bullets, causing them to stop and look frantically for cover that wasn't present. One of them could be seen running back through the door as his friends were mercilessly gunned down. Karl took his time, ensuring his shots ended the thugs lives while the spray from Peter's Tommy Gun saw a few falling victim to the loss of blood and trauma their body had received.

When the gunfire stopped, the smoke from both rifles hung in the air with their trademark carbonated smell. As quickly as it was over, Karl and Peter did a quick ammo check, reloaded their weapons and were on their way. They ran to the door at the end of the umbilical as quickly as they could before more Splicers showed up.

They dashed around the corner once they were through the door and were happy to see the familiar sights of building's and the open foyer where vegetable stalls would have been set up back when they were still fresh.

The two stopped to catch their breath as Karl began to talk:

"Ok, looks like we're clear. We need to get ba-Ah fuck!" He was cut off as a searing pain shot through his leg.

The Splicer that had escaped their massacre had swung at Karl's right leg with an old pipe from behind a series of crates, causing him to crash to the floor. Before anyone could react, Karl had his M1911 in his hand and fired four bullets into the Splicer's chest from his position on the floor. He was thankful to have the reflex's he had, they had saved his life many times before.

Peter was still processing what happened as he helped Karl up. The fact that he was injured didn't bode well for them. They were just lucky Karl was a hard bastard. He shook off what had happened and placed his pistol back in its holster before picking his BAR up off of the floor and limping on. Peter had to respect his pain threshold, or sheer will too protect everyone at the hotel. There wasn't much distance to cover and the duo hoped they would make it back without any other problems.


Alpha and Beta were given a mission by mother, a mission they were familiar with. They had ventured to the surface many times to recruit more little sisters for The Family as well as be directly responsible for why no one sees children in rapture any more. They call it rescue but it was far from that. It was cold hearted kidnapping. Children stolen from beds, from their mothers arms. That doesn't sound like much of a rescue.

The Big Sisters couldn't really be held at fault. When you succumb to the mental manipulation that is psychology from someone who seemed to save you from yourself, you'll believe anything you're told. Everyone who lived outside the walls of Persephone was an enemy of the family.

Now granted, most people would run if they saw one but most would treat them like the idle Big Daddies that roamed the streets. Most of them were still mentally competent to know not to mess with an armour wearing, needle wielding agent of death. But they wouldn't give anyone the chance, they kill on sight.

One big sister was scary enough but three? That was an image that would be conjured up from a nightmare. It was hard enough to escape one, never mind kill one. That threat was now tripled, making the dwindling odds of surviving that much smaller. That's all the group could hope to do, survive. They had to pray their defences would hold long enough to beat back the horde that was amassing to assault their stronghold against the darkness.

It was unusual for Lamb to send the two deadliest weapons she had out at the same time but the region was pretty unknown. There was never any news from the district so she had no idea what to expect. By sending them together, they would have double strength so the casualty result would be basically zero. Combine that with Epsilon, the Big Sister that was currently allocated to that area and it's a miracle anyone would still be alive.

They would use the Splicer's loyal to Lamb to probe for weaknesses in the stronghold. Wait and observe as they run aimlessly into the fray and asses what they would have to do to ensure a swift victory. They'd as soon as carve the Splicers up then assault the hotel but they weren't as clueless and oblivious as say a Big Daddy. They had a degree of intelligence to help with this mission. It's not like they needed it due to the serious threat three of them posed but it was always an added bonus.

It was only a matter of time.


Haines and Gretta were already back from their venture into the Badlands and were setting up their machine gun down in the basement level of the hotel when Karl and Peter made it back. They had placed it on the far end of the room so that anyone who came down the stairs that wasn't registered friendly would be caught in the crossfire.

Sykes rushed to help Karl as Peter offloaded him from his shoulder. Both men were truly tired from their venture into downtown but they couldn't stop now. Peter knew he had to get this turret set up as quickly as he could before it would be too late. Keeley emerged from the basement and took over tending to Karl's leg while Sykes helped Peter set up the turret.

"What happened, is he ok?" Sykes asked in a hush breath as he stabilised the .30 cal on the chair they were using as a rest.

"He got whacked in the leg, fucking Splicer" Peter replied as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "He'll be fine, he's a hard bastard"

Sykes just took a breathe and worked on fixing the turret to the support. He was fairly pessimistic as he usually had good reason to be. This was just another problem they couldn't afford and Sykes would rather not dwell on it. He had to admit that their fortifications were looking good despite the lack of open ground between the staircase and main door.

Karl was silent as Keeley applied a cold compress to his leg as he sat on an old chair. He'd been shot before so a bump on the leg was nothing other than an inconvenience. Things were looking good, they had time and they were using it as efficiently as the could but that nagging doubt was lingering in the back of everyone's heads. This was the biggest challenge the group had faced in years.

Sarah idly say on the table in the far left corner of the basement, still unsure as to what was really going on. She knew that the weapons would stop the bad people from getting to her but had no idea of the severity of the attack. How could she know when everyone made sure to make her life the most sheltered it could be. She knew her brother would keep her safe and that's all that matters.

Peter hurried down the stairs and was pleased to see that Haines and Gretta had finished with their turret. He walked past them with a smile as he made his way over to his little sister and picked her up for a tight hug. Her small arms wrapped around his neck as she giggled into his ear.

"You be a good girl and stay here for me ok? I won't be gone long, I promise" Peter said as he placed her back down on the table.

Sarah just frowned and said: "Ok" she wasn't one to kick up a fuss. She hated when her brother left but knew he had to so he could help everyone.

"Hey, guess what, tomorrow we can play whatever you want, how's that sound?"

Her face lit up as she smiled the biggest smile a child could do. Peter ruffled her hair and headed back to the stairs. He had to go and get Oskär, he promised he would allow the old scientist sanctuary at the hotel. The sad part being only Peter knew where he was so he would be the one that would have to go and get him. He didn't feel the need to re arm, he didn't have the time anyway. He had to be in and out as quickly as possible.

"You getting that crazy guy" Karl asked from his old armchair, the bandage still on his leg.

"Yeah, figured I better go now before it all goes to shit. Getting geriatric on me are you?" Peter jested in response to Karl's certain sitting predicament.

"Go fuck yourself, I could still put you on your ass" Karl's response caused Peter to chuckle back at him as he stood up. "I'll be fine, this is nothing. Now go and hurry back, don't want you getting caught out there"

Peter nodded in response and quickly hurried out the door. Karl hoped nothing happened to him, not because they needed the firepower but because he was a damn good kid who deserved better than this. Shaking the pain of his leg from his mind, Karl hurried over to Sykes and began taking a look at their defences. He was the leader after all and they were counting on him to get them through it.

"You think we stand a chance?" Sykes asked as he lifted the welding goggles off his head.

"I mean, I'm not one for luck but we've got relatively good odds. Only one way for them to come in and I wouldn't wanna be on the other side of those doors"

The two men agreed in silence as Karl took one last lay of the foyer before heading downstairs. Keeley was sat next to Sarah, doing her best to distract her from all the stress and anxiety that everyone was producing. Eustace was just mumbling and hiding in the right corner of the basement. His mind was not the strongest by a long shot and it had finally broken. There was nothing anyone could do for him at this point. He'd just have to make it to the other side of the fight and go from there.

Haines and Gretta smoked idly as they rested besides the turret. The conversation was a nice distraction from all the tribulations that was currently going on. Karl was glad to have known these people. They came from all walks of life and ended up thrown together in what could only be described as a port in the storm. It was a nice moment of reflection that was sadly broken up by gunfire. They were here.

Haines ran upstairs while gesturing for everyone to stay back. He emerged from the concrete cellar and was met with the blinding orange light of the flamethrower burning into the umbilical. It was reflecting in Sykes' goggles as he looked turned to face the older man.

"Well, that worked!" Sykes shouted as he took a knew behind the deadly apparatus he had constructed.

Several flaming husks could be seen littering the floor of the umbilical when the door opened again. The only bad part was the wave of slicers charging down it. Haines ducked to avoid the incoming gunfire, hearing the raving mad cackles of the crazed attackers as they were mowed down by the two turrets.

Their hearts were racing; the heat from the flamer was matched only by that warm feeling your body envelopes you with when you panic. They'd been in firefight's before but the looming fact that it was a direct assault on where they live, mixed with some elite new super soldier was enough to make the two men shake with fear.

It seemed almost too easy, nothing was able to penetrate their bottleneck. There was at least ten burned corpses, only three of which had made it to the other side of the door separating the umbilical from the hotel. Rapture was however a cruel mistress and any hope was dashed by a deafening

"SCREEEEEE" it echoed from the far side of the pressurised tube, cutting through the crackling flames and caused Haines and Sykes to look at each other in fear.

The two men slowly stood up in anticipation of what they would see. Thoughts ran through their heads of giant machinations with sharp spikes and red lights. Large weapons and rows of jagged teeth. What they saw come through the door was by far the last thing they'd expect. And it was certainly a lot hotter.

Clocking the incoming projectile, Sykes screamed "Get back, as he tossed Haines to the left, saving him from the hurling ball of flame. It was a shame Sykes was standing where his ally now stood. The incinerating ball connected with their bootleg flamer, causing it to explode, showering the younger man in flames that caused him to fall to the floor screaming.

Stunned at what he saw, Haines retreated to the bottom of the stairs and called out for Gretta's help.

"What happened, we heard screaming?" She asked as she joined him at the base of the stairs.

"Sykes is dead, one of those things just…they burned him" Haines managed to say as he stumbled over his words, still shocked at what has just happened.

With a reassuring not from Gretta, Haines composed himself and brought the butt plate of his shotgun into his cheek. Followed closely behind by Gretta, the two slowly made their way up the stairs.

What followed was Gretta calling out "What the fuck is that thing" before the loud sound of her MP40 and Haines' 12 gauge going off. That ear ringing screech was heard again as well as several things crashing into the walls.

Karl just rested up against the wall opposite the stairs. He couldn't walk on his leg no matter how much he protested. He had a good line of sight to the base of the stairs and would be able to take down any splicers that slipped through or run to the other side of the turret to the right of him if he had to.

The thought of one of his people dying while he couldn't retaliate pissed him off but he knew he had to keep his cool. These people still counted on him and he knew making irrational decisions based on impulse was the wrong call.

Keeley just hugged Sarah tight in an effort to shelter her from the god awful sounds that were ringing through the hotel. She had no idea what was at the top of those stairs and could only imagine what they were fighting.

There was a slashing sound followed by a female voice crying out. Haines' cry of protest confirmed that it was Gretta who had fallen. Karl winced at the thought and stood up, limping over to the bottom of the stairs, he had to do something .

Keeley opened her eyes and looked up from the table she was sat on. As Sarah tugged her tightly, she focused on the bottom of the stairs as a shadow loomed closer. Haines stumbled down and rested on the wall as he fired his final shotgun shell off at the creature looking down from him at the top of the stairs. He slumped down the wall, leaving a crimson blood stain behind him as he pulled his magnum out from the holster, not that it would get fired.

Karl took a knee by his side and held his hand as he panted frantically. It was wet from blood, whose it was, he couldn't say but one thing he did know was the look in Haines' eyes. It was a look to say thank you for everything you have done for me over the years. Karl could feel his eyes welling up as Haines' hand went limp and slipped from his grip, crashing to the floor.

Karl yelled as he turned to face the thing responsible but was flung across the room and smashed his skull into the wall. He crashed to the ground, face down and not moving.

Eustace's pathetic whimpers became louder as he approached the two girls on the table.

"Maybe we can talk to them, cut a deal?" The older man suggested as he turned away from them and shuffled over to the stairs only to be stopped by the alerting sound that the .30 cal was about to fire.

He stopped as this slim, metal figure jumped to the side and fired something from her right arm. Eustace turned around in an effort to run away but was only impaled through the back with the end of a harpoon. All he could do was look down and scream a pathetic whimper as blood dripped from his mouth before he was jerked back.

As he flew through the air, the sound of the turret about to fire could be heard again. A second sister had finally shown herself and before the turret was able to start shooting, she shot a harpoon of her own that landed in the old mans leg as he flew through the air and pulled him in front of the turret, shielding herself from the bullets.

The horrific sound of the bullets ripping his flesh apart as they connected caused Keeley to be sick in her stomach but swallowed hard to prevent it from ever reaching her mouth. These creatures were monsters, what kind of person does such a thing?!

The first sister had jumped in front of the turret before it could fire at the second one. In an effort to shield her sister, she took several shots from it but it was ripped from its port by a third one of those nightmarish creatures that was now present at the base of the stairs.

Keeley looked up in horror at three slim, iron-clad angels of death. The one in the middle-the one that had absorbed the bullets approached her slowly, cocking her head as she approached. On her right was the more brutal of the three, the on who used Eustace as a meat shield. The third one effectively crawled along the celling and dropped down on the left side of the original sister. As they walked over to her, Keeley stood up in one last effort to protect Sarah who was cowering on the table. She was still silent, not making a sound. She was a brave girl.

She was now face to face with Alpha, the original big sister. As Keeley looked into the red porthole of death as it studied her, she noticed it leaned and looked past her right shoulder at the infant girl. She was what they wanted.

As Keeley held her breath, gunfire could be heard from up top in the distance. Alpha paused and looked to the source of the sound before stepping back. She gestured to the third sister, Epsilon to take the girl. Keeley screamed in protest as Beta gripped her by the arm, locking her in place.

As Alpha nimbly ran back up the stairs to investigate the sound, Keeley could do nothing to prevent the screams Sarah was making. She couldn't even look at the girl, she was behind her and her body wouldn't turn that way. The monster's grip on her right arm was too tight. She just looked back at the thing in front of her as it caressed her left cheek, luring her into a scared sense of tranquillity as Sarah's screams faded in the background.

Keeley was so scared and anxious that she didn't notice the grip on her right arm disappear. Instead she was met with a sharp pain skewer her between the ribs, snapping her back to where she was and allowing Sarah's screams of protest to fill her ears again. She looked down as she felt her feet leave the floor. Her vision faded as she saw the harpoon between her left ribs, dripping in her own blood.

Her head nearly touched the celling of the basement as she was held up like a trophy. Her white shirt stained with her own blood. Keeley hit the floor with a thud as Beta let out a screech in response to the bullet bounced off the back of her helmet.

She turned to face Karl who groggily lifted himself off the floor, onto his hands and knees and managed to fire a shot from his sidearm. Angered, the Big Sister pulled him along the floor with her Telekinesis. He rested, face down on the floor at her feet, too weak to move. Beta simply raised her right foot in the air and drove it down on the base of Karl's skull, finishing off what the concrete wall had started. She truly revelled in the violence she caused more than anything that lived in this dead city.

Epsilon loaded a struggling Sarah into the cage on Beta's back and secured it tightly. The small child was terrified and didn't really understand the brutality of what had just happened. She kept her mouth closed now, out of fear for the imposing figures whose company she sadly now found herself in.

When the cage was secure, the two sisters faced each other as their minds linked with Alpha, allowing them to communicate. The lack of speech they suffered saw that their communication options limited but nevertheless, Epsilon knew what she and to do while Beta returned to Persephone with the adolescent girl they came for. Despite their wish for everything to be over quickly, the Big Sister's still had work to do.