The Fatebreakers, having only just recently helped The Hero Alliance put the Underground Assassin Guild out of business, put Connor into position as the new deadliest man alive, and permanently stop Skeletor from ever coming after Hope again, were offered a job by an interesting party. They were informed of an underwater city out in the middle of nowhere, and were asked by Nemo's wife to investigate and possibly destroy it, due to the feeling of dread it filled every undersea dweller with.
With this new job on their plate, the group said their goodbyes to their fellow Mythos Hearts members and flew on the Horizon, following the mermaid to the supposed location of this cursed city…
On the Horizon, the mood of the Fatebreakers was mixed. Some (Ethox, Ultra, and Aqua) were excited, while others (The 20 Tentacles, Kazuma, and Michiru) were more apprehensive as they continued to follow the mermaid's trail.
"Are you sure we can trust your wife on this, Nemo?" Kazuma asked. "What if she's just leading us into a trap that will kill us, then she'll swoop in and have you all to herself?"
"Well, I don't think Tida's that desperate to keep me around…" Nemo said. "But in general, I ain't sure I can trust her."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"Well… I know her type. She's the kinda girl who's looking for a breadmaker, if you know what I mean." Nemo sighed. "Honestly, I'm half-convinced she spiked me so I'd be easier to convince into a shotgun wedding."
"Well, a job is a job." Tanya said. "We can always get the truth out of her later. She'll regret her choices if what you say is true."
"So, underwater city, huh?" Ultra spoke up, trying to inject some optimism. "Sounds pretty cool, if you ask me. I mean, they're not exactly uncommon, but they're always interesting."
"I don't think I've ever heard of this Rapture before." Matheus said. "A city built underwater… imagine how many people would fathom that and say it doesn't exist."
"I know, right? Next people will be saying there's a whole city in the sky." Legolia remarked.
"Y'know, those things do exist on other worlds." DJ said. "But I guess it's kinda unthinkable on your worlds."
"I'll be close to believing it once we see this underwater city." Gimlior said. "But where do we go to even enter it?"
"I dunno. Tida said the city itself was leagues underwater. No way the Horizon can take that kinda pressure." Nemo said. "She's supposedly takin' us to a place that can take us right down there."
"We're getting close." Tida's voice came over through a comm she was given. "Can you all see a lighthouse?"
DJ and Necroapache scanned the view from their pilot seats until they saw said lighthouse in the distance.
"Yes, we see the lighthouse." Necroapache confirmed. "So, this is the location that will lead us to this cursed city, Lady Tida?"
"Yeah, that's right." Tida said. "I've heard stories of how people would use these weird pods to get to the city back before the aura of dread came about. Maybe you'll get lucky and find one in there."
"Maybe?" Michiru asked. "What happens if we don't find one?"
"Don't you worry, Michiru!" Aqua boasted. "We're in my territory now! You'll all have the honor of seeing me at my best!"
"...Yeah, I think I'll take my chances with finding a pod." Grantz deadpanned.
"Get ready to seal the ship guys, we're bringing the Horizon in for a landing." DJ said as he and his co-pilot carefully maneuvered the ship so that the ship's hatch was aligned with several steps at the base of the lighthouse, the main body floating on the water.
The group then disembarked, looking up at the towering lighthouse. Night had fallen, and a full moon was breaking through the clouds.
"This is where you all take things from here." Tida said. "Go inside the lighthouse, you'll see your means to get to the city from there. Once you've made your way inside, investigate and destroy that city, however you can."
"If things get too dicey down there, can we count on you to rescue us?" Ethox asked.
"What, are you kidding? None of us are going anywhere near that place." Tida said. "Why do you think we're hiring you to go down there? Good luck."
The mermaid then dipped back into the ocean, disappearing from view.
"...Guess we're on our own, then." Grantz said.
The group headed up the lighthouses outer stairs, to a set of large golden doors. They were open, meaning someone had previously been here before. The group went through the doors, said doors suddenly closed behind them, the lights flickering on to reveal a statue of a man with a banner draped across it.
"No gods or kings. Only man." Koenig read. "The hell does that mean?"
"It means somebody had an ego trip while designing this place." Kazuma deadpanned.
"I think you're right. Check out this placard." Megumin said, seeing a placard. "In what world is there a place for people like me? - Andrew Ryan."
"Guess he's the guy that built Rapture." Ultra said before he looked past the statue. "Hey, those stairs must be the way to that pod Tida was talking about."
The group followed the stairs down as more lights flickered on, revealing the way. As they walked down, they passed multiple wall decors that seemingly acted as advertisements, showcasing words like "Art", "Entertainment" and "Industry" as old timey music played.
As they approached the contraption that would take them down, they then saw a familiar sight. Out of place technologically equipment set up all around the transportation pod in a room that was set up to be placed in the 1940s.
"This setup… I think we weren't the first ones here." DJ said.
"This equipment can only mean one thing. Dark Garden was here." Goblin Slayer said, remembering all too well their encounter with Dark Dungeon at the Goblin Fortress.
"Again with these guys?" Aqua groaned. "Didn't getting destroyed by Tempest teach them a lesson?"
"That was just one branch of Dark Garden, Aqua." DJ reminded her. "They've got a branch for every universe. This must be Sector 18, Dark Ocean."
"Look at all this equipment, though…" Ultra noted, seeing that the place was absolutely cluttered. "If it was just one or two platoons, there wouldn't be this much stuff. That can only mean one thing. Code: Eclipse."
"Code…Eclipse?" Lily repeated in asking.
"It's a rare thing that only the biggest jobs undertaken by Dark Garden branches are given clearance for." DJ explained. "It means all hands on deck. That means the entirety of Dark Ocean is here, not just one group of them. The invasion of Tempest was a Code: Eclipse, and it showed why they're so rare; it runs the risk of losing the whole branch."
"If Dark Ocean is running a Code: Eclipse here in Rapture, then this place has something they want." Ultra said. "Looks like we're in for a heck of a fight down there."
"Well, if we are to go down there ourselves and brave whatever horrors are among Dark Ocean down there in the sea, then we must properly equip ourselves." Mirror Match said. "Fortunately, none of Dark Ocean were so wise to leave all this equipment here."
"Interesting. So why don't we make use of it ourselves before we take the plunge?" Tanya grinened. "Everyone, gear up."
(Cue: Chuck Greene's Workbench Theme- Dead Rising 2)
And so the group helped themselves to the equipment Dark Ocean left lying around near the terminal. They slipped on diving suits that were armored, pressurized and easy to move in, Tanya and her Battalion adding the suits properties to their flight gear to maneuver and breathe under water.
They also found a few gadgets that might be useful on their trek under the sea. A few guns of course, but also a Hacking Tool that could work on almost any remotely controlled-machine, an arsenal box that was seemingly bottomless, allowing for the storage of an infinite number of weapons, and a chemical synthesizer that used duplication technology to make an endless supply of certain substances.
Hey, Big G, you need help with your suit?" Seiya asked.
"No. I'll just take what I need." Goblin Slayer said, taking the breathing apparatus and an oxygen tank off of one of the suits and applying them to himself.
"...One of these days, we'll figure out how you keep that armor on 24/7." Rista said. "But anyway, I guess we're ready to go."
"Okay, everyone pile into the Bathysphere!" Ethox said.
"You seriously did not just call it that." Kazuma said.
"No, that's what it's called officially." Ethox said.
The Fatebreakers then entered the Bathysphere, one at a time. But with so many of them in the group in one single transport vessel, it was a tight squeeze.
"Ack, watch those hands!" Aqua yelled.
"Aqua, you're the last person I'd ever want to put my hands on in that way." Kazuma said.
"What?! How can you-?!" Aqua started to sputter.
"Okay, we're ending that conversation right now!" Michiru said as the Bathysphere shook and lowered into the waters of the Great Sea. After going down a few fathoms, a screen rolled down and started playing a video, showing the group a picture of a man sitting at a desk, smoking a pipe.
"I am Andrew Ryan, and I am here to ask you a question." The video started, the voice belonging to a middle-aged man. "Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? 'No,' says the man in Washington, 'it belongs to the poor.' 'No,' says the man in the Vatican, 'it belongs to God.' 'No,' says the man in Moscow, 'it belongs to everyone.' I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose… Rapture."
The slideshow then ended as the bathysphere came over the seafloor. And that was when everyone saw it, and couldn't believe their eyes.
A giant, sprawling metropolis, 200,000 leagues under the sea. It was lit up with signs and advertisements, all connected by glass tubes that went to and from each location, which meant people actually lived and breathed in there. And all walks of sea life, be it jellyfish, whales, and even a giant squid, were all swimming around the buildings.
"Wow…" Ethox marveled at the sight, stars in his eyes.
"A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well." the voice of Andrew Ryan finished.
"As I live and breathe…" Gimlior said. "Someone really was mad enough to build civilization down here."
"And looking from the outside, they did a pretty good job, too." Neumann added. "This place looks a lot like those city pictures from the 1950's or 60's era."
"It must mean that this Andrew Ryan guy was originally from the Past Universe." Megumin said. "But then, how'd he build a city here?"
"Maybe he met a world-hopping person and got their help to make this place." Ethox theorized.
Suddenly, they heard radio chatter.
"...tellin' ya boyo, it's like nothin' I've seen. Somethin' weird's at the lighthouse, it's like some kinda spaceship." a Scottish voice spoke.
"A spaceship? But we're in the middle of the Great Sea, what would aliens, or whatever's flying that thing, be doing out here?" a younger, more American voice asked.
"Dunno, you best get over there, and be quick about it." the Scottish voice said. "The Splicers are comin'."
"You gotta be kidding, how do you know someone's even coming?" the American voice asked.
"'Cause we got a bathysphere on its way down… That means we've got company." the Scottish voice said as the pod entered an opening in a building and started rising up.
"Looks like someone's coming to greet us." Legolia said.
"Okay, the sphere's coming up now. Just one more minute until it's here." the American voice said.
"Johnny, securities bangin' up all over. Get a move on!" The Scottish voice warned.
"Shit… too late! I got a Spider Splicer in here!" the younger voice said as several gunshots were heard. "Damn it, she's too fast!"
"Is it someone new?" a gravely, female voice was heard.
"Hey, that guy's in trouble!" Michiru said. "We gotta help!"
The pod finally surfaced, the group seeing a man in a whie sweater and black pants shooting a pistol at something in the dark. Whatever it was, it was nasty, female and had two hooks for hands, screaming as it was trying to attack the man.
"It's gonna kill him! Somebody get the hatch open!" Grantz said.
"Da!" Molotok said as he, with what little movement he could do in the cramped pod, slammed his head against the glass, breaking it. The sound caused both the man and the monster to stop and stare at the sight, both palling at the sight or what looked like a mix of a man and a shark stepping out of the pod and stomping towards them.
"Oh my god, not like this-!" the man shouted, then stopped as Molotok stomped past him and towards the monster, which screamed and jumped up and out of sight. "...What the actual fu-?"
"Uh, hi!" Ethox said as the rest of the Fatebreakers got out of the pod. "Don't worry about Molotok, he's with us!"
"Are you alright?" Viktoriya asked the young man. "Did that… lady hit you with those hooks?"
"Uh, no, she didn't get close enough…" the young man named Johnny said, confused at this turn of events. "I'm uh… I'm Johnny."
"We know, we heard you over the radio in the bathysphere." Koening said.
"Now could one of ya pick it up?" the second voice called from inside the pod.
"Oh, right." Kazuma said, picking up the radio. "Yo, you're on the air."
"I dunno what brings strange, outlandish fellas like yourselves down here, but I've never been one to question providence. I'm Atlas, and Johnny and I aim to keep you alive." the man named Atlas said. "We're gonna have to get you to higher ground. Johnny, would you kindly show them the way outta there?"
"Sure thing, Atlas. Come on, follow me." Johnny motioned for the group to follow him, and so they did.
"I'm pretty sure that hook handed thing is still out there." Nemo said. "How can we be sure it won't come back to kill us?"
"We're gonna need to draw her outta hidin'. But you're all gonna have to trust me and Johnny." Atlas chimed in.
"Right after we just met you?" Seiya asked harshly.
"Look, I know you lot have plenty of question, and I swear they'll be answered, but for now, you'll need to have to take a leap 'o faith." Atlas said.
"Really?" Seiya said.
"C'mon, Seiya, we don't have a lot of options here. It's either this, or take our chances with that… thing stalking us. You wanna try and turn him down with a monster on our tail?" Kazuma asked.
"I'll wrap you in a sheet…" the female's voice came again threateningly.
"Take your pick. Us, or the Splicer." Atlas said matter-of-factly.
"...Fine. Show us what you got." Seiya said as the group walked into a dark hallway, lined with flickering screens.
"Just a bit further…" Atlas cautioned as the female from before dropped down across from the group. Suddenly, she was illuminated by a white spotlight, causing her to scream as an alarm blared. "How do like that, sister?"
Bullets started raining down on the Splicer as a flying drone came down from the ceiling. The Splicer jumped back up and slid out through an open vent, the drone breaking off the attack and flying away.
"Alright, Atlas!" Ultra said. "See, Seiya? He's not so bad."
"I guess." Seiya said.
Johnny checked his pistol. "Dammit, almost outta ammo…."
"That's not good…" Atlas aid. "Could one of ya find Johnny a crowbar or somethin'? Bloody Splicers sealed him in before they tried to…goddamn splicers."
"Splicers? Is that what that woman was called?" Michiru asked.
"If ya can even call that thin' a woman anymore." Atlas replied. "Splicers are people who took too much of a little thin' called ADAM. Warped their genetic structure, turned 'em into…well, things like that. Rapture's crawlin' with the things."
"Hey, here's a wrench." Grantz said, picking it up and handing it to Johnny. "Here, you need this more than we do."
"Thanks." Johnny said, taking the improvised weapon and smashing through a few debris blocking the way. "C'mon, this way. And keep your guard up, Splicers know more than a few ways to ambush people."
Right as he said this, a flaming couch came tumbling down the stairs, the group jumping out of the way as it landed on the ground floor.
"Call the cops on me?!" a voice called from above as a Splicer was seen waving a wrench around wildly. "I'm suppose' to be free down here! I'll show ya! I'll show all of ya!"
"Oh, Jesus!" Grantz said, looking at the Splicer's mangled body.
The Splicer charged at the closest thing in its path, mainly Goblin Slayer. It took a swing with its wrench, but the armored adventurer blocked it with his shield before getting some good hits in with his sword, bashing the ugly thing away.
"I'm gonna knock that stinking faceless noggin off your shoulders!" the Splicer roared as it charged once more, only to get run through by GS's sword. With a final moan, the Splicer stopped moving, falling to the ground when the slayer pulled his sword out.
"Oh my goodness…" Lilly gasped. "That man was…"
"Beyond any help now." Johnny said. "All the Splicers want one thing and one thing only: ADAM. They'll do anything to get it, even murder each other."
"Guess this is what Tida meant by this city having bad vibes…" Ethox said.
"Uh, guys, we've got a problem." Aqua said, seeing the door forward. "This door's the only way out, and it looks like the controls are busted."
"Well, how are we supposed to open it?" Grantz asked.
"My daddy's SMARTER than Einstein, STRONGER than Hercules, and lights a fire with a SNAP of his fingers!" An automated girls voice suddenly popped in. "Are you as good as my daddy, mister? Not if you visit the Gatherer's Garden, you aren't! Smart Daddies get spliced at the garden!"
"Uh…" Kazuma said.
"Dont be suprised now, that's one o' them Gatherer's Garden vendin' machines. They take ADAM from people and turn 'em into Plasmids that change up the DNA somethin' fierce, givin' people superhuman powers." Atlas radioed. "Seein' as how the door controls are busted, I figure you lot could use one. Johnny, I think that Garden's got an Electro Bolt Plasmid just lyin' there. Why dontcha take it and give yourself a little top-off?"
"You sure, Atlas?" Johnny asked. "You said we needed to avoid injecting ourselves like the plague."
"That was then, boyo, now we got no choice." Atlas said. "You and that group've got no way outta that room, and the only way to open that door is with a little jolt."
"Uh, is it safe for him to inject himself with this Plasmid stuff?" Michiru asked.
"Well… it'll be a hell of a kick the first time." Atlas said. "But as long as he doesn't get addicted to the ADAM, he'll be fine."
"Alright, if you say so…" Johnny agreed as the group walked up the steps to a pink vending machine, where Johnny picked up a container full of red liquid. Pulling out a needle from the top, he rolled up his sleeve, steeled himself, and injected the needle into his wrist. Red filled his vision as he jerked back, his arms shaking and being covered in lightning bolts.
"Aaaugh!" Johnny yelled in pain as he stumbled back, his vision blurry.
"Steady now, boyo! Your genetic code's bein' rewritten! Just hold on, and everything will be fine!" Atlas cautioned.
"Easy for you to say!" Ultra yelled as he and DJ ran to Johnny's side. "Hey man, we gotcha!"
"Whoa, watch out for the-!" DJ tried to warn as Johnny tumbled over the railing, taking the two Fatebreakers with him as he fell, the three landing in a heap on the floor. "...railing."
"Whoa. Hey, you guys okay down there?" Nemo asked.
"...Relatively." Ultra groaned as he and DJ picked themselves up and dusted off. Just then, they heard a big, deep moan.
"Uh… what is that?" Michiru asked.
"Oh, fuck me in the arse…!" Atlas said. "That's a bloody Big Daddy!"
"Wait, did you say a-?" Ultra asked as he and DJ turned to see what appeared to be a giant diving suit with a drill for a left arm and piercing yellow lights on its helmet stomping into the room.
"Holy crap, WHAT IS THAT?!" Kazuma yelled in a panic.
"Just keep away from that thing! As long as ya don't mess with its Little Sister, it won't use it's drill on you!" Atlas warned.
"Little Sister…?" DJ said in confusion as a little girl with beady white eyes and gray skin walked out from behind the Big Daddy. She had yellow hair and was dressed in a black and red dress, and was walking around barefoot, holding a needle connected to a glass bottle, half-filled with the same red liquid in the Plasmid.
"Look, Mr. B. Angels!" the girl said in a distorted voice. "I can see light coming from their bellies…"
"Uh… thanks?" Ultra said in a confused tone, not exactly scared of the girl.
The girl didn't respond to the trainer, instead looking past him and DJ to the still groggy Johnny, her expression perking up.
"Mr. B, look! It's our guardian angel, just like Lizzie said!" the Little Sister said in jubilation. "His belly light is so bright…" She then noticed Johnny coming too. "Oh. He's still breathing. It's okay… he's still an angel, just not the kinds we're looking for. Come on, Mr. B."
The Little Sister then walked off, followed by the hulking diver.
"...Qu' Locker au nom de Davy Jones?" Le Kraken said in confusion.
"Close shave, eh, mates? Those lumberin' oafs used to work construction for Rapture. That's how that bastard Andrew Ryan built this place. Afterwards, they were repurposed to guard those little Frankensteins, the Little Sisters. They're the ones who collect ADAM from dead bodies. Only way to get ADAM directly is through them." Atlas explained
"And how exactly do you do that?" Nemo asked.
"By goin' straight inta their bodies and pullin' out the slugs that made 'em into those things." Atlas said. "It's like taking somebody off 'o life support."
"That sounds terrible." Darkness said. "To think someone would put a child through that… if only I could take their pain onto myself!"
"Weird flex ya got there… but you can blame Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum for makin' those things. Trust me when I say, when you're ready to take on Big Daddies, it's worth it to get ADAM. You're gonna need it down here."
"We appreciate the concern, but I think we'll be fine." Ethox said as he helped Johnny up. "You okay, Johnny?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…" Johnny groaned as he shook his head. "You were right Atlas, it was a helluva kick."
"First time Plasmids always kick like a mule, don't they? But there's nothing like a fistfull 'o lighting, is there?" Atlas asked, as Johnny inspetec his left hand as it coursed with voltage, the veins on his hand surging blue.
"Ah…yeah, it's something, alright." Johnny said, as he looked at the door control. "Now then, if I can just…"
With a flick of his wrist, Johnny fired a bolt of lightning at the control, causing it to surge and the door to open.
"Doors open! Let's get outta here before the big guy comes back!" Nemo said.
They hustled along through the tube to the next area, picking up any salvageable items they could find, like health kits, and blue Injectors called EVE Hypo's, which could be used to build up ADAM to use Plasmids. Eventually the group came up to an elevator.
"Uh…not sure we're all gonna fit in here." Kazuma said.
"You don't need to worry, some of us can carry you." Viktoriya said.
"Wait, carry?" Johnny said in confusion. "It's 10 feet up, how're you getting up there, much less someone else?"
"Some of us can fly." Rista said.
"...What?" Johnny said.
"You just get in the elevator, and don't worry about us." Michiru assured the young man.
"Okay…" Johnny said taking the left hand elevator.
"Alright, Rista, you, me and my men will take everyone one at a time." Tanya said. "Michiru, see if you can help too."
"Uh, will she even be able to use her wings in her diving suit?" Aqua asked.
"Aqua, you were there. We made our own little modifications to the suits for something like this." Ultra reminded her.
"And my modifications allow my suit to transform with me into whatever animal trait I need." Michiru said, spawning her Wings as her suit changed with her arms. "See?"
"Oh, okay." Aqua said. "Alright, let's head up!"
One by one, the group was lifted up by their flying comrades until they were all up at the top. Once there, they reunited with Johnny, who was surprised by their flying capabilities, but choose not to say anything about it at the moment.
"Hey, Johnny… could ya do me a favor and take this lot to Neptune's Bounty?" Atlas asked.
"Is this about your family, Atlas?" Johnny asked.
"Aye. I was tryin' to make my way there from Siren Alley, but the Splicers have me cut off. It'll take me time to backtrack to a safer way there, but you lot are closer." Atlas said. "Listen all o' ya… I dunno what brought you here, or what yer here to do, but right now, you and Johnny are the only hope I'll see my wife and child again. Please… find my family." Atlas begged.
"Of course we will." Ethox assured. "Family is important."
"How do we get to this Neptune's Bounty?" Legolia asked.
"Yer gonna hafta cut through the Medical Pavilion. The main way's been blocked off due to some sort 'o battle goin' on in there. It's like a warzone." Atlas said.
"Gotcha." Ethox said.
"I'd watch yourselves in the Pavilion. Place is crawlin' with Splicers. Johnny, ya gotta find yerself some more ammo along the way. Load up yer pistol. Get a damn machine gun if ya can, ya know how dangerous that place is." Atlas said.
"Don't I know it…" Johnny shivered. "I'd swore that place off before… but it's for a good cause."
The group went ahead, before hearing some choked singing. A female Thuggish Splicer was singing to a baby carriage, sounding close to tears.
"When your daddys in the ground, mommys gonna sell you by the pound. When your mommy's up and gone, youre gonna be the lonely one. When you are the lonley one, no one will be there to sing this song. Hush now… Mommys gone… and daddy tooo.." the splicer sang. "Wait…is this happening before and not… why arent you here? W-why is it today and not then when you were warm and sweet? Why cant mommy hold you to her breast and feel your teeth? Oh no, no no no no…" she sobbed.
"Now that's just sad." Koening said.
"I'll say, there's not even a baby in that carriage." Grantz said a little too loudly, and that made the Splicer hear and get ticked off.
"Baby and me, baby and me!" the Splicer shrieked as she ran at the group with a wrench, Johnny putting her down with a headshot.
"...ADAM changed everything." Johnny said sadly as he walked up to the carriage and took out the gun that was placed in there. "It destroyed people's bodies, their minds. We couldn't handle it. Best friends butchering one another in the streets. Babies strangled in cribs by their own parents. The whole city went to hell." he finished as he transferred the bullets in the crib gun into his own. "All I wanna do is get outta here and see the sun."
"...We'll make sure you do." Mirror Match promised. "Then we'll fulfill our mission… and get rid of this place."
The group continued on, the mood dropped by Johnny's story, as they made their way through a damaged restaurant and killed any Splicers in their way. They soon made their way to a catwalk where they saw the Little Sister from before sticking her ADAM extractor she had with her into a corpse.
"Hey, isn't that…?" Aqua asked.
"The Little Sister from before. Is she extracting ADAM from that dead body?" Ristarte asked.
"Damn right she is. Tenenbaum went and turned sweet little girls into monsters. Whatever you all thought about right and wrong up on the surface don't count for much down in Rapture." Atlas said.
Ethox looked down at the Little Sister and sighed. "I wished there was something we could do to help them…"
"There ain't no way to help them now, boyo. You can only put 'em outta their misery." Atlas said. "No time to dawdle here, keep a wide berth and keep goin'."
"Right…" Michiru said sadly as the group made their way downstairs and on the other side of a glass ceiling. A splicer with a gun then appeared through the door. He spotted the Little Sister drinking the Adam from the needle, and the girl spotted her eventual attacker, letting out a scream.
Knowing what would come next, the Splicer immediately attacked the Little SIster, smacking her over the head with his gun. This prompted a deep roar to cry out, shaking the whole room as the Big Daddy with the Little Sister came crashing into the room, the lights on its helmet now a raging red color.
"Come on, ya nasty pile of scrap!" the Splicer yelled, firing a few shots at the Big Daddy, to absolutely no effect. The Big Daddy roared and charged at the Splicer, knocking him into a nearby wall with a wicked backhand. The Splicer tried to get up, too late as the Big Daddy revved up its drill and shoved it into the attacker's belly, the drill doing its work. The Splicer slid down onto the floor with a gaping hole in its body before the Big Daddy then grabbed the body and smashed it through the window, garnering screams from some of the group.
"OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!" Ultra yelled as he dug for one of his Beast Balls.
"Stay calm, ya dafty! It's protecting' the Sister." Atlas reminded him as the Big Daddy was then seen comforting the Little Sister before it walked out the door with her.
"That thing is one hell of a fighter…" Koening said.
"You know, I think I remember hearing about something like that from before we got here, but I can't remember where…" DJ remarked.
"You can remember later, right now, we need to keep moving." Tanya said as the group pressed on, some still on edge after what happened.
Eventually, the group made their way to an open area with a sort of waterfall in the center, dropping down to the bottom floor, where they saw two doors: one blocked off by security measures, and the other leading to the Medical Pavilion.
"Alright, now Neptune's Bounty is to the right, but like I said, it's blocked off." Atlas said. "So you'll have to cut through emergency access in Medical."
"Right." Weiss said as the group went through the Medical door, going through to the hallway that leads there. But before they could head through another door, it automatically closed on them.
"What the?!" Ultra asked.
"Christ! It's Ryan, he found ya! He's blocked off the entrance, I'll see if I can override the exit from where I am! Just hold tight!" Atlas told the group.
A screen on the other side of some glass then turned on, showing a mustached man whose eyes were masked by his hat.
"So tell me, friends… which one of the bitches sent you? The wolves of the Dark Kingdom? Those hyenas at ASG? Or maybe you're reinforcements for those Dark Ocean scum ripping apart my city. Well, whatever the case, I'll share the same news I gave them: Rapture isn't some sunken ship for you to plunder, and Andrew Ryan isn't a giddy socialite who can be slapped around by the criminal underworld or any sort of government authority." The man known as Andrew Ryan said.
"Hey, we aren't with any of those people, mister!" Aqua said. "For your information, The Dark Kingdom has collapsed, ASG is under new management, and we're not with those Dark Ocean guys! We're the Fatebreakers, from the Mythos Hearts guild! And we're here to trash your stupid city!"
"Aqua, you idiot!" Kazuma yelled as he hit her over the head. "You didn't need to tell the madman that last part!"
"Are you now?" Andrew Ryan said. "Well then, let me show you what we do to parasites here. And with that, farewell."
A massive group of Thuggish Splicers then came into the screen room and started banging on the glass with their weapons.
"Splicers! A whole army of them!" Johnny yelled.
"Atlas, hurry up and get that door open!" DJ said.
"I got it! Get out of there, NOW!" Atlas yelled as the door opened, the group rushing in, Molotok slamming the door shut as the Splicers broke through the glass.
"Okay, that was definitely not the same guy from the welcome video!" Nemo said. "Whatever happened to all his talk of a free city and equality and stuff?!"
"That there was Ryan's true colors, mate. Whatever he was before Rapture, this place brought out the worst in him. He's the bloody king of Rapture now, and he makes sure everybody damn well knows it." Atlas said, venom in his voice.
"I get the feeling he doesn't want us going around his city anymore than we already have." DJ said.
"Welcome to Rapture indeed…." Mirror Match said, as they headed to the Medical Pavilion, their nightmarish adventure into Rapture only just starting…