Apollo Square…
Bullets rang out across the tram tunnels as Admiral Whirlpool walked over the bodies of dead Splicers, observing some of his fellow Dark Ocean employees holding a line against Splicers trying to enter the area.
"Admiral!" a grunt called out as he approached his leader. "We've done it, sir. Apollo Square is ours, along with several smaller areas of Rapture. We've begun the looting operations, and we've already found several items of interest."
"Fantastic." Whirlpool said. "Heh, so much for Ryan not getting pushed around. How're our forward offensives going?"
"A bit less optimistic on that front, I'm afraid." a new voice spoke up as a man dressed as a Japanese fisherman carrying a harpoon walked up. "We can't breach Arcadia's main center, the woman in there has the place sealed up good. Meanwhile, we haven't heard anything from the group we sent to Fort Frolic in two hours, and the Splicers have gathered en masse in Neptune's Bounty. And don't even get me started on Hephaestus."
"We're just gonna have to push harder." Whirlpool said. "I'm not about to be blocked from the greatest find in my criminal career by some Past Universe geezer with delusions of grandeur."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." a third new voice agreed as a man in a wetsuit came walking up, having a Splicer impaled on a sword that seemed to be made of water. "These freaks had their fun with these toys. Now it's our turn."
"Glad you agree, Pressure Washer." Whirlpool nodded before he turned back to the fisherman. "Soran, where's DSD?"
"Oh, I sent him to go after some of those Big Daddy things." Soran answered. "Those kids they're guarding… they've got that ADAM stuff in 'em. If we can harvest it, and take some of it back to Dark Garden, Dark Future and Dark Medicine will have a field day with it."
"Yeah? And how're we gonna harvest it when we don't know a thing about them?" Pressure Washer asked.
"We'll need to learn about them." Whirlpool said. "The doctor who made these things, Tenenbaum, I think it was. We find her, and we make her talk."
"Sure thing. I'll get a squad together." Soran said as he turned, only to bump into the man last seen at the Island of Killers. "Whoa, L, where's the fire?"
The man named L took a moment to catch his breath before he spoke. "Everyone, we have a problem." he announced, pulling up a screen that showed footage from a security camera. "This feed is from not a half-hour ago, at the Bathysphere loading station. Look."
The leaders of Dark Ocean look at the screen to see the Fatebreakers walking around with Johnny.
"The Fatebreakers? Here?" Soran asked in concern. "I thought you said the only one who saw your group was that Catfish guy?"
"He was, I'm sure of it. But they're here now. And they've teamed up with that Atlas guy. They're headed for the Medical Pavilion right now to gain access to its Emergency Access to get to Neptune's Bounty." L explained.
"How the hell did they learn about Rapture?" Pressure Washer asked. "This place was supposed to be lost to time! We're the only ones who're supposed to know!"
"I don't know." L admitted. "Look, it doesn't matter. They're on the Do Not Engage list, so we need to abandon the operation and leave while we still can."
"Leave?! And miss out on all this valuable stuff?!" Pressure Washer sputtered. "L, you're crazy! Have those meds you've been taking dull your reasoning? There is no way we're leaving this place and missing out on all this sweet stuff! Besides, they're going to the Med pavilion, right? They aint making it outta that place."
"Pressure Washer's right this time." Whirlpool said. "There is no way they will survive the Pavillion. But even if they do, Rapture is a big city… Okay, I'm implementing a new procedure. If any groups see the Fatebreakers in any area of the city, evacuate the area immediately. Do not engage unless there is no other option. Until then, we continue taking anything of value."
"Yes, sir." the sub-leaders said in agreement as they split up to go about their parts of the operation, the Admiral stopping L with a comforting hand on the shoulder.
"I know you're afraid of engaging in combat, L, so this policy is mainly for you." Whirlpool said. "You don't need to let go if you don't want to."
"I appreciate it, sir." L smiled before he took one of his pills, his head having a jerk after he swallowed it. "I promise I won't pull us down."
"I know you won't. Now get a move on, we have a city to plunder." the admiral smiled as he watched L walk off, turning it into a worried frown "(The medicine's getting less effective. Damn it, I hope he holds out until we get back, I'll need to get him something stronger…)"
The Medical Pavillion…
The Fatebreakers and Johnny, having escaped a close shave with Andrew Ryan and his attempt to kill them, headed into the Medical Pavilion. Their objective was to head to its Emergency Access door to cut into Neptune's Bounty.
"So, what's so scary about this place anyway?" Aqua asked.
"Well besides the fact that it's crawling with Splicers, there's also the main doctor here that's gone crazy. Dr. Stienman runs this place, and he'll grab anyone he can to… well, I'm not sure myself, but it can't be good by the way he rants about making people beautiful." Johnny explained.
"Oh come on, he can't be that bad." Aqua asid.
"Just wait 'til you see him in person." Johnny warned. "But it probably won't come to that, since we're just cutting through to Emergency Access. I know where it is. Follow me."
The group came to a blocked door that was jammed by a downed Security Drone. It was still operational, but couldn't move anywhere because of the door slamming on it.
"Emergency Access is through that there door. Johnny, work yer magic on that Security Bot so you can get its motor runnin." Atlas said.
"Sure, I can do that." Johnny said as he bent down and fiddled with the wiring on the bot, reactivating it and letting it fly out of the way, then proceeded to fly around the group's vicinity.
"Great work, Johnny! But uh… are you sure it's not gonna attack us?" Kazuma asked.
"Don't worry. It's gonna shoot Splicers charging at us from now on." Johnny said.
Johnny was right, as the group advanced into the security station towards Emergency Access, the Security Bot shot down two Splicers near them once they made their way through the door.
"Hey guys, look at this." Megumin said, seeing a tape recorder lying on a desk.
"It's one of Dr. Stienman's audio recordings." Johnny recognized.
"Let's listen to it!" Megumin said picking it up and playing it.
"Ryan and ADAM, ADAM and Ryan... All those years of study, and was I ever truly a surgeon before I met them? How we plinked away with our scalpels and toy morality. Yes, we could lop a boil here, and shave down a beak there, but... but could we really change anything? No. But ADAM gives us the means to do it. And Ryan frees us from the phony ethics that held us back. Change your look, change your sex, change your race. It's yours to change, nobody else's."
"Well that's certainly an… interesting opinion." Ristarte said.
"Okay, it sounds a little miffy, but still…" Aqua said.
"Oh trust me, he'll change alright." Johnny said. "But it doesn't matter. Let's open Access and get out of here."
The group quickly climbed up the stairs and approached the panel to open Emergency Access. Kazuma pulled the lever, but that only made alarms go off and red lights flash.
"Dammit! The entire system is on Lockdown!" Kazuma said.
"Guess we'll just have to lift it by grabbing the Security Pass and coming back here with it." Nemo said.
"Yeah, well there's only one problem with that, mates." Atlas chimed in. "Only guy who's got the security pass in his hands is Stienman himself."
"...Sonova bitch." Johnny cursed.
"Looks like we're going to see the doctor after all." Tanya said. "Let's hope he's not as bad as Shugel."
"Look, I'm not sure if I can-" Johnny started.
"Come on, boyo, have some faith in yourself. You need to overcome all that dread." Atlas said. "Now, would you kindly go get that pass?"
"...Okay." Johnny agreed.
"(Huh, that's weird…)" Michiru said.
The group then went through the door behind them and headed to the foyer of the pavilion. They saw another override console, and a Machine Gun sitting near it.
"Machine Gun here, Johnny." Ethox said.
"Yeah, I see it." Johnny confirmed as he grabbed it, then hit the override switch, bringing on the lights and opening the gates. The sound was met with a reply of screams.
"Now you've rattled the Monkey Cage. Here they come!" Atlas warned.
A group of splicers, Ledhead and Thuggish, barreled their way into the pavilion, but were met by a shower of bullets and slashes of swords. The advance group of Splicers were soon knocked down for the count.
After that, the group made their way to the Medical Pavillion's Main door. Stopping at the front of it, Johnny suddenly saw a spectral image in front of him.
"You promised me pretty, Stienman… you promised me pretty…. Now look at me… LOOK AT ME!"
"Mr. Johnny, are you okay?" Lily asked in concern.
Johnny shook his head and looked again, the vision gone. "Uh…yeah, I think so. Just…nevermind. Let's go."
The group went through the door to the pavilion.. And was immediately treated to a horrific sight. Blood on the floor and wall, and all over a table, soaking some flowers. The blood on the floor spelled out a message:
Above All, Do No Harm - J. Stienman
"Isn't that part of the Hippocratic Oath?" Koenig asked.
"I think so." Neumann said.
"Atlas, where do we need to go to find Stienman?" Ethox asked.
"Daft bastards set himself up in the Surgery Wing. You wanna find him, just follow the blood." Atlas said.
"Right, because following the trail of blood worked out so well for every horror movie protagonist ever." Kazuma muttered before he saw another audiolog on the table. "...Well, we're following one horror trope, what's two?" he decided, picking up and starting the tape.
"ADAM presents new problems for the professional. As your tools improve, so do your standards. There was a time, I was happy enough to take off a wart or two, or turn a real circus freak into something you can show in the daylight. But that was then, when we took what we got, but with ADAM... the flesh becomes clay. What excuse do we have not to sculpt, and sculpt, and sculpt, until the job is done?"
"Seriously?" Nemo asked. "Did this guy think of himself as a surgeon, or an artist?"
"I think he thought of himself as both, from that tape." Neumann said.
"Okay, I'm starting to see why you thought he was crazy." Aqua shook, now scared.
"Hey, look! There's another one over here!" Michiru said, having scouted ahead and seeing one on the wall.
"Michiru, look out! Splicers!" Ethox said seeing some come her way.
"Aaaah!" Michiru said, evading one's wrench swing and Gorilla Punching it into oblivion. Johnny then came to her rescue with the rest, mowing them down with his machine gun with a little assist from a Sentry Turret he had hacked. "Whew… thanks Johnny." she thanked, plucking the Tape off the wall as she played it.
"I am beautiful, yes. Look at me, what could I do to make my features finer? With ADAM and my scalpel, I have been transformed. But is there not something better? What if now it is not my skill that fails me… but my imagination?"
"And further down the slope he goes." DJ noted.
"Yeah, he's getting close to the artist's viewpoint." Nemo said. "Five gets a ten he gets inspiration from Piccasso."
"Make it twenty." Aqua said.
The group continued on, fighting Splicers and picking up items along the way, until they reached a door under a sign that read "Surgery".
"That must be the place." Gimilor said.
"Yeah, just hope we don't end up on the table…" Grantz said as the group entered the doorway and walked through the glass tube behind it, passing by a screen that displayed a picture of Stienman.
"With genetic modifications, beauty is no longer a goal, or even a virtue. It is a moral obligation. Do we force the healthy to live with the contagious, or mix the criminal with the law-abiding? Then why are the plain allowed the mingle with the fair?!" the screen projected the doctor's voice.
"Sheesh, it's like listening to Bug's ramblings all over again…" Rista cringed.
"Oh man, those are the worst." Aqua agreed. "My Hyumans are soooo beautiful! If only your world's denizens were as beautiful as mine! It puts me straight to sleep."
"Man, if Aqua can't stand them, they must be a major nutcase." Kazuma chuckled.
"Shh! I hear something." Johnny whispered as the group entered a room, in front of another bloody message:
Aesthetics are a Moral Imperative!
"Why do we have two eyes…Why do we have two ears…?" a voice asked, the owner hidden behind a wall. The group, however, knew exactly who that voice belonged two.
"Stienman…" Johnny said.
"Let's make this quick. NIce and easy." DJ said as they snuck near the wall before Megumin jumped out behind the wall.
"Surrender the Security Ovveride Key, Madman!" Megumin confidently declared.
"We're not finished! Not finished!" Stienman's voice came as an explosion followed soon after, everyone getting out of cover as they saw the way to the Surgery Wing collapsed.
"Nice going, Megumin! You made him block the way!" Kazumas aid.
"Hah! A mere pile of rubble that won't be an obstacle, when I use my Explosion magic to blast it to bits-!" Megumin raised her staff.
"Don't do that in here, you'll blow us all up!" DJ said.
"The lass might actually have a point, but she needs to think smaller…" Atlas said before Johnny spotted someone on the balconies. A Splicer with a box of handmade grenades, one of them already sailing towards the group!
"Everyone move!" Johnny warned as the group evaded, the grenade blowing up away from them.
"Who threw that?!" Aqua asked.
"A Nitro Splicer! It's up on that balcony!" Johnny said, getting eyes on it.
"I can hear it soundin' off like the 4th of July from the radio, too." Atlas said. "Explosives are hard to come by down here. But if you can get your hands on one o' them Telekinesis Plasmids, you can catch the damn firebombs and toss em right back in his gob… or anythin' else standing in your way."
"That sounds handy." Nemo mused. "Alright, where do we find one?"
"There's a Gatherer's Garden that's got one layin' there. I think it's in Dandy Dental." Atlas said. "There's also an Incinerate Plasmid in the Crematorium. It's called the Eternal Flame, can't miss it. Just look for two torches."
"Dandy Dental, Eternal Flame, got it." Ethox rattled off. "Okay, let's go!"
THe Eternal Flame Crematorium was back where they came, through the transport tube.
"Careful, there's a Splicer knocking on the door." Legolia warned the group.
"Okay, this time, we'll try the stealthy option." Ultra said as the group silently crept closer to the Splicer…
*BOOM!*
"Dammit! Another Nitro!" Johnny said as the door exploded, the Splicer being blown back as the Nitro stepped out, rage visible on its warped face.
"Can't you see we're goddamned CLOSED?!" the Nitro roared as he lobbed grenades at the group.
"Yeah, don't care." Seiya said as he pulled out two Platinum Swords. "Double Wind Blade!"
Seiya unleashed the skill, the wind blowing the explosives right back at the Nitro, blasting it back.
"You're gonna get blown to bits for that!" the Nitro Splicer said, preparing to throw more before it got an arrow to the face, courtesy of Legolia, as he flopped to the ground dead.
"Too bad for you, arrows are faster to fire." Legolia said as the group proceeded inside the crematorium.
"Hey look, another tape!" Aqua pointed out.
"Très bien, let us see what Stienman's mind clunked together this time." Le Kraken said grabbing it and playing it.
"When Picasso became bored of painting people, he started representing them as cubes and other abstract forms. The world called him a genius! I've spent my entire surgical career creating the same tired shapes, over and over again: the upturned nose, the cleft chin, the ample bosom. Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could do with a knife what that old Spaniard did with a brush?"
"Hah! You owe me twenty bucks, Water Goddess!" Nemo laughed in triumph.
"Huurrm, I though for sure it was gonna be the Scream…" Aqua pouted.
"How can you two be talking money at a time like this? We're listening to a mild-mannered, professional surgeon becoming gradually more and more deranged as he's corrupted by ADAM and genetic tampering!" Rista yelled. "As a Goddess of Healing, this is just… horrific to hear!"
"Hey, we all deal with fear differently!" Aqua argued.
"Hey, this isn't a time to argue either." Ethox cut in. "Look, you both have a point. This is horrific, but Aqua's trying to stay brave, to keep her optimism up. If we don't do the same, this place is gonna get to us."
"Yeah. Ethox is right! Think like me, everyone! If you do, you won't go crazy!" Aqua smiled.
"I'd rather go crazy." Kazuma and Seiya said in unison.
"Look, Ethox is correct." Mirror Match. "If we don't keep our spirits up, we'll never escape this city. Ristarte, I know this is painful to listen to, but we must press on. We'll free Stienman from the madness that has taken him… one way or another."
"...Okay." Rista sighed. "Okay, I'll… I'll press on."
"Now you're talking like a high-ranking goddess!" Ethox smiled. "Come on, let's go get that Plasmid." he said, turning around as his pendant glowed a bright white.
The group ventured into the Crematorium as they heard whirring and buzzing as they came in.
"What's that sound?" Le Kraken asked.
"Security Cameras." Goblin Slayer said, seeing the top of a wall was adorned with one.
"Ryan's eyes and ears." Atlas added. "If those things see ya, you can look forward to a visit from a lot 'o Security Bots, not as friendly as the one Johnny hacked. But… if ya were to hack that camera now for when the Splicers come… that'll be a nasty trap for 'em."
"Thanks for the tip, Atlas." DJ said. "This is a good opportunity to test out that Indispensable Hacking Tool we got at the lighthouse. The one we…. appropriated from Dark Ocean's supplies."
"A wonderful suggestion." Tanya agreed as she pulled out the hacking tool and carefully maneuvered herself to be under the camera. Pointing it at the camera above her, she activated the tool, the red light of the camera's beam turning green instantly. "Works like a charm."
Soon, the major had hacked every camera in the room, allowing the group to press on, making their way up a flight of stairs, the top having a door and a floor covered in oil, with a Splicer outside of it.
"Just gotta get that Plasmid, then I'll show that damned dentist…" the Splicer mumbled to himself, before his life was cut short by DJ's saws across his neck.
"I found it." DJ said, seeing the Incinerate Plasmid being next to a downed Gatherer's garden Machine. "Johnny, you want to take it?"
"Oh no, I'm not sticking more Plasmids in me if it means I'll become a Splicer. Someone else can have it." Johnny said.
"Fine. I'll take it, wuss." Seiya said going into the room.
"Wha-Seiya?!" Rista gawked. "You're really gonna inject yourself with ADAM?! What happened to being cautious?!"
"I am being cautious. This Plasmid should enhance my Fire Magic Skills." Seiya said. "You never know what might come in handy against the Demon Lord."
"Well, I guess if Seiya's cool with it, it's-" Kazuma said before a loudspeaker cried out.
"Parasites wander our halls." the voice of Andrew Ryan spoke all across Rapture. "We rebuild our city, and the wolves come to feast on our spoils, and the doubters send termites to topple our accomplishments. One thousand ADAM for every man or woman who hunts them down and exterminates them."
After the announcement, the group heard the sounds of alarms and gunfire coming from downstairs, followed by frantic footsteps coming up.
"They're up here, I saw 'em!" the voice of a Splicer called out.
"Ah, one thousand ADAM is what we are worth?" Molotok said, hefting his hammer. "Kak trogatelno."
"Pretty sure he ain't asking for us alive…" Nemo said, bringing out his knives.
"Seiya, hurry and inject yourself!" Aqua said in a panic.
"Stop screaming, you're giving me a headache." Seiya said as he bared his sleeve and, with only a moment's hesitation, injected himself with the Plasmid, his body giving off only a shudder before he stopped, feeling a change in his power. "...Yeah, I can work with this. I'm perfectly prepared. I'm 100% ready." he said as his left arm coursed with red veins.
A mob of Splicers then rushed the group, mistakenly stepping on the oil-covered floor.
"5%... Hell's Fire!" Seiya said, snapping his fingers as flames ignited along the oil path, setting the trio of Splicers ablaze and killing them in short order.
"Wait, was that Hell's Fire?" Mirror Match asked. "But how, it's supposed to be much bigger."
"It's the Plasmid, your Broodiness." Seiya said, exiting the room. "It enhanced my Fire Magic Skills. Before, I could only unleash them at full power, but now I can unleash it in smaller doses. It does mean they're not as effective, but it means I can use my Fire Magic more often without wasting too much MP."
"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, but… good for you." Johnny said.
"Alright, one down, one to go." Weiss noted. "Our next objective is at Dandy Dental."
"Careful in there, you lot." Atlas warned. "I've heard that the dentist in charge uses dry ice to make a cloud 'o fog. He'll likely try ta pull an ambush on ya."
"We'll be careful. How do we get to Dandy Dental?" Ethox asked.
"Well, with yer cautious friend there hopped up on Incinerate, y'should be able ta melt the mess o' ice that's blockin' the way to the side it's on." Atlas said. "It's just past Kure-All, ya can't miss it."
"Gotcha." Logolia said as the group made to leave the crematorium, the sounds of battle downstairs having ceased.
Backing in the main area, Seiya used his new fine control over Fire Magic to melt through the mass of frozen ocean water, gaining access to the Dental Wing. Once they got through and saw an open area with a dead Splicer lying on the floor, a shotgun next to her body.
"Ooo, a shotgun! You know, I would definitely use one of those if it wasn't a treaty violation." Grantz remarked.
"We're not exactly in your world right now, Grantz. So you can use it all you want." Ethox said.
"Nah… I'm good with the rifle I know how to use for now. I'll let Johnny pump these Splicers full of buckshot." Grantz replied politely.
"Well, that's very kind of you, Grantz." Viktoriya said as Johnny picked up the shotgun. He loaded it up with all the 00 Bucks that the group had collected. Suddenly, the lights shut off.
"Cuckoo Crazies inbound!" Nemo called out as the group huddled together, the maniacal laughter of Splicers filling the room.
"Come out here and get some Goddess power, you ugly bastards!" Aqua said.
"These freakshows gotta be filled with ADAM up to their ears! Kill 'em, rip 'em open, eat it all up!" a Splicer yelled in glee as a single light turned on over the group, revealing Splicers surrounding them.
"Oh, you should've chosen your words more carefully, buddy." Ultra said as he sent out Guzzlord. "Splicers? Meet Guzzlord."
"What an uncivil, uncouth creature!" a female Splicer said. "I bet you it's not trained!"
"Guzzlord? Crunch." Ultra requested as the Ultra Beast used the move on said Splicer, eating it up before going after the others. It only took a minute for Guzzlord to devour them all in his large stomach-mouth. " Not trained? Bitch, he eats people when I ask nicely!"
"...Remind me never to make you people mad." Johnny said in fear.
"Duly noted." Neumann chuckled before the lights came back on. "And the lights are back."
"And there's Dandy Dental, just ahead!" Darkness pointed to a door and a large model of teeth over it.
"Alright, let's go get that Psychic Plasmid." Kazuma said as the group entered the dental office.
Dandy Dental was partially flooded, but the group didn't mind trudging through water to get to their objective. As an old-time song played in the background, the group walked through the dental office, looking for the Telekinesis Plasmid.
"Where would a Gatherer's Garden be in a dental office?" Nemo asked.
"Found it! It's in some sorta… tennis court?" Michiru said in confusion, seeing the room lined with tennis rackets, tennis trophies, and a ball launcher at one end. At the other was a Gatherer's garden, holding the Telekinesis Plasmid in it.
"Jackpot!" Nemo said, grabbing the Plasmid. "I bet if I used this, I could use my knives in a bunch of new ways!"
"Y'know, using Plasmids is fine if only one is used per person." Ethox said. "Not all of us need them though."
"Hey, that reminds me, does every Splicer have Plasmid powers, or only a few?" Kazuma asked Johnny.
"Oh, not all of them, thank God for that." Johnny said. "Most people used ADAM for more subtle reasons. Faster healing, getting younger, stronger, healthier. So many people used it that Medical became less a place for healing and more for cosmetics. But, well, you've seen what happens when you use it too much."
"Well, I won't be going mad by using this. In you go!" Nemo said, jabbing himself with Telekinesis. "Aarrgghh, that freaking stings!"
"Nemo!" Le Kraken and Molotok yelled in unison, racing to their crewmates' side.
"God, feels like my head is a drum…!" Nemo gritted his teeth before he took deep breaths and calmed down. "Okay…okay. It's fading, I feel fine now."
"Did it work?" Megumin asked.
"Well, one way to find out." Nemo answered as he pulled out a knife. With a hum of concentration, he closed his eyes, let the knife go…
…then opened them, smiling when he saw the knife floating in mid-air, lifting it and sending it flying at a trophy perched on an upwards beam, knocking it to the ground.
"Yeah, it works." Nemo confirmed.
"Nice! Now let's double back to the Surgery Wing entrance so we can have that Nitro Splicer help us by tossing a grenade our way." Ethox said.
The group started to leave the Plasmid testing room, only for their view to be blocked by a sudden fog.
"What the - crap, that dentist Atlas mentioned!" Kazuma remembered.
"The moon~belongs~to every-one~" The choking voice of a Splicer sang, unseen by the group. "The best~things in life~are free~..."
Johnny looked around with his shotgun, before the fog died down. He turned around and saw the Dentist…. Right behind him! Before it could attack, the young man suddenly and swiftly blasted him point blank. Someone that close to the barrel end of a shotgun? Dead.
"...That was disappointing, oddly enough." DJ said.
"He should've kept his distance and not gotten close to a guy with a shotgun." Seiya said. "He totally had that buckshot coming."
"Yeah…people and their obsessions with trying to make people jump." Ultra said. "Anyway, let's go. Gotta make that doctor's appointment."
The group returned to the entrance to the surgery wing. The Nitro Splicer on the Balcony saw them.
"Back for more, eh? Here! Have a blast!" he said, tossing a grenade their way.
"And we'll take…that!" Nemo said, using his new Plasmid to catch the explosive in midair. "Then… throw it there…" the clownfish Beastman continued, tossing the grenade into the makeshift blockade, destroying it. "And we are good to go!"
"Thanks, mister!" Ethox waved to the Nitro Splicer as they headed into the Wing.
"Hey! Get back-ARGH!" The Splicer tried to order them only to get shot in the head by Tanya and her rifle.
"Your services are no longer needed." Tanya said. She then headed in and saw another tape next to a corpse in a wheelchair. "Another of Stienman's recordings. Let's see what he says this time." she said picking it up and playing it.
"Today I had lunch with the Goddess. "Steinman," she said... "I'm here to free you from the tyranny of the commonplace. I'm here to show you a new kind of beauty." I asked her, "What do you mean, goddess?" 'Symmetry, dear Steinman. It's time we did something about symmetry…'"
"Well, now he's completely off his rocker!" Koenig said.
"Hey, I see him!" Grantz said seeing him on the other side of a metal great.
"No! Goddess, they'll ruin everything! Get 'em! Have your harpies tear em' to bits!" Stienman's voice yelled. At that, beeping was heard as a Security Bot flew in.
"Heads up! Security Drone!" Grantz said, running back to the group as the bot chased him.
"I got it!" Johnny called, zapping the drone with electricity, sending it crashing to the ground. However, more bullets came rushing down the hall, nearly hitting him. "Damnit, there's a Turret! I'm too far away to zap it!"
"I'm on it!" Legolia said, notching a Bomb Arrow and firing it at the turret, blasting it to scrap. "Come on, after that madman!"
The group raced down the halls of the Surgery Wing, stopping in one room to grab another of Stieman's tapes. They listened to it out of curiosity.
"Aphrodite is walking the halls - shimmering, like a scalpel… "Steinman," she calls, "Steinman! I have what you're looking for! Just open your eyes!" And when I see her, she cuts me into a thousand beautiful pieces."
"Aphrodite…tells him to kill people." Kazuma stated plainly. "...ADAM. It's one heck of a drug."
"You don't know the half of it. We're getting close to Stienman. Let's get this done." Johnny said.
"You lot don't hesitate to kill 'em now. That psycho's far beyond savin'." Atlas said.
"Clearly. He's already a Splicer, and he's more nuts than every single one we've met so far." Tanya noted. "He's an enemy that must be dealt with."
"Ma'am, there it is! The Surgery Theater!" Viktoriya pointed out a window letting the group look into the room, finally laying eyes on the deranged surgeon, J.S. Stineman. He was dressed in a crimson lab coat and his face was covered with a Surgical mask of the same color. And he was "operating" on an involuntary patient.
"What can I do with this one Aphrodite?! She WON'T. STAY. STILL!" he yelled, butchering his "patient". "I want to make them beautiful, but they always turn out wrong! That one! Too fat!"
He motioned to another one of his victims, hanging above him, eviscerated and diced up.
"This one! Too tall!"
Another patient, their legs and head, gone.
"This one… too symmetrical!"
The middle of the hanging victims, half of their body gone.
"And now…!" he said, rambling on.
"Oh my god…." Ristarte cupped her hands to her mouth.
"This is sick…!" Legolia said.
"There are no words…" Necroapache said.
"That guy's a damn psycho!" Grantz said, too loud as Stineman finally noticed them all.
"What's this, Goddess? Intruders! They're ugly, ugly, ugly…!"Steinman grabbed a nearby machine gun and aimed at them. "UGLY!" He screamed as he opened fire like mad.
"AAAAAAAAAH!" Aqua said as everyone ducked under the window as Stienman sprayed bullets everywhere, his machine gun clip seemingly endless.
"Shit!" DJ cursed. "We gotta get in there!"
"We'll never get past all that gunfire, unless we have a distraction." Weiss said. "Gimilor, covering fire!"
"I hear you!" Gimilor said, throwing out sand. "Time to work, you craft gnomes. Mash sand and grain together to form mighty rock! Stone Blast!"
The dwarf shaman launched the rocks at the doctor, the force of the projectile's pushing him back until he fell off his operating area.
"Hurry, get in there!" Ethox said as the group raced inside and towards Stienman, who was getting up. The doctor tried aiming his machine gun at them, but Michiru was faster, grabbing hold of the gun's barrel and keeping the doctor from aiming.
"Look at you, HIDEOUS!" Stienman screamed at the tanuki Beastman, ready to pull the trigger and mangle her hands.
"We've listened to you go crazy long enough!" Michiru struggled as she changed into her Gorilla Arms, pulling the gun out of Stienman's hands and throwing it across the room.
"Looks like you're out of practice, doc!" Nemo said as he used his Telekinesis to pick up a gas canister and throw it towards the doctor… only to see the madman thrust his hand out and stop it without touching it. "Sonnova… he's got Telekinesis too!"
"Doesn't matter!" Tanya said, shooting the canister and making Stienman catch fire anyway. "Having powers of the mind doesn't make you automatically smarter."
Johnny then blasted continuously at Stienman with his own machine gun, downing him on his back. Grantz then picked up a scalpel off the surgical table and walked over the mad doctor, still screaming.
"Malpractice is over, bastard." he said, before stabbing the scalpel into his brain.
"AAAAAAAA! FILTHY, FILTHY, FILTTTTHHYYYYYYY!" Stienman screamed before he stopped and laid still, eyes wide open in madness and hate. He was dead.
The group took a minute to catch their breath, before searching the doctor's body for the Emergency Access security override card. They also looted some Machine Gun ammo off him, along with some Anti-personnel MG bullets (works wonders against Splicers!)
"You folks alright?" Altas radioed in. "It was time someone did that sick bastard in. Head back to Emergency Access. I'm makin' my way to the backside of Port Neptune meself. We'll get there soon enough." the man assured the group.
"Looking forward to meeting you, Atlas!" Ethox said before he turned to the group. "Alright, let's get going."
"Can you guys… give me a few minutes?" Rista asked. "I'll catch up."
"Don't be mournin' for that crazy sicko, blondy, he ain't worth the tears." Atlas said.
"I'm not mourning for the crazy Aphrodite worshiper." Rista said. "I'm morning the lives hes taken in his crazy malpractice."
"Oh, that makes much more sense. Take all the time you need." Viktoriya said as the group started making their way out of the room.
Rista was alone. She noticed a tape on the operating table, walking up and starting it.
"Four-oh silk and …done."
"The nose looks terrific, Doctor Steinman …Doctor?"
"You know, looking at her now… I didn't realize how much her face sags… Scalpel…"
Rista shook her head and stopped the tape, knowing what would happen next. She then looked up at the doctor's victims, then at the doctor himself.
"...Maybe I shouldn't mourn you. You hurt so many people, killed so many people. Before, I would've spat on your grave, but now… I'm sad for the man before the ADAM. I hope he finds some peace on the other side." The Goddess of Healing said before heading out.
Rista was able to catch up with the group, just in time to witness a lout rumbling.
"Hey guys, I'm back! What did I miss?!"
"Sounds like another tunnel collapse." Atlas said before letting out a mirthless chuckle. "Welcome to Rapture, the Ocean Universe's fastest growin' pile of junk."
They then heard a familiar groan, but this one was in distress.
"That's not from a tunnel collapse… a Big Daddy must be fighting nearby!" Ethox realized.
"And a losing one, from the sound of it." Gimlior said.
"Perfect! This is your chance to get some ADAM from a Little One!" Atlas said.
"Or…we could not do that…" Ultra said.
"Look, let's go see what's going on before we make decisions." Ethox said.
They hurried down the corridor to see what was going on, and found the battle. A group of Splicers were holding down the very same Big Daddy they saw twice before, their hands oozing with green fluid, while another was approaching the Little Sister with it.
"Hey! It's those two again!" Legolia said.
"They're in trouble!" Ethox said, summoning his Keyblade. "Come on, we gotta help!"
"Hahaha! You were right, Charlie! These Hypnotize Plasmids were worth every scrap of ADAM!" one of the Splicers holding the Big Daddy down laughed.
"See what happens when I make the plan?" The Splicer named Charlie appreciated. "Now it's just her, us, and all the tasty ADAM we can-"
His sentence was cut short when he got an arrow straight through his skull.
"Hands off the girl!" Legolia said as the Splicers and Little Sister saw the Fatebreakers and Johnny.
"Angels! Please, help Mr. Bubbles!" the Little Sister pleaded.
"Oi, we didn't tussle with no Big Daddy to get robbed at the end of the tunnel!" One of the Splicers said. "I'll hold the scrap down, go get those wankers!"
(Cue: Force Addiction- Yakuza 0)
"Someone check the clock, cuz I believe it's go time!" Ultra said as all but one of the Splicers drew various weapons and attacked the group.
"This is our ADAM! We earned it!" One of the Splicers yelled, taking a swing at Neumann, only to get blasted at point blank range by the soldier's rifle.
"Someone get the big guy back in the fight!" DJ said, combating another.
"Are y'jokin'?! Y' dont wanna get the big fella back on his feet!" Atlas sputtered.
"Actually…we do!" Kazuma said. With a quick application of Steal, he ripped a pipe out of one of the Splicer's hands, and with as much force as he could muster, threw it at the Splicer holding the Big Daddy down, clunking him on the head and knocking him out.
"Rista! Clear his head of that gunk!" Ethox said.
"On it!" Rista said, running to the Big Daddy's side and using her healing powers on it, clearing the hypnotizing substance away.
"Oh bloody hell." one of the remaining Splicers said as the Big Daddy got up and roared. "Let's bug!"
Some of the Splicers fled, the group chasing them out.
(end Song)
"Run, you yellow-bellied cowards!" Megumin taunted the fleeing Splicers.
"Alright, now let's see about the Little Sis…" Ethox thought before seeing her in the clutches of a gutsy Splicer, holding a pair of tweezers to her throat.
"Nobody move! Or I'll gut this little one and tear out the ADAM the direct way!" The Splicer yelled. "That goes for you too, Scarp Yard!"
The Big Daddy roared, lights red, but didn't move closer.
"Buddy, let her go." Ethox said angrily.
"No chance, ya daft! Do you KNOW how good it feels to take all that sweet ADAM from these Little Ones?! I didn't come all this way to bug out empty! Back off, or else I'm gonna-!" he threatened before being shot in the head, making him drop the Sister. "Wha-?!" he asked before a second shot did him in. from the balcony, a woman in a purple dress was looking down on all of them.
"Stay away from her or it is you who will be shot next!" she called.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't shoot!" Ultra called. "We don't want to-"
"He's right doctor, take it easy. They're just lookin' for a wee bit of ADAM, just enough to get by." Atlas piped in.
"That little one may not be one of mine, but I will not let her come to harm!" shesaid.
"Wait, you're Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum!" Mirror Match realized. "The one who created the Little Sisters."
"Okay, I'm confused here." Kazuma said. "Why would she not want her own creations to get hurt, aren't they…y'know…" he trailed off.
"Ah, the lady started to get attached to the Frankensteins, so she started protectin' 'em. Mighty fine act for the one who cooked up the things in the first place. But that ain't a little girl in front of ya, not anymore it ain't. Tenenbaum saw to that. It's alright if ya go at her. Take the tweezers and put her out of her misery… Would you kindly, Johnny?"
"Hey, here's an idea, would you kindly stop being a jerk?!" DJ barked at the radio.
"...We're not killing her, Atlas." Johnny said firmly. But the blonde Little Sister was still cowering in fear, Johnny standing over her. "We're going to save them."
"...Your funeral." Atlas shrugged. "But just how do ya intend to save 'em, boyo? It would've been much easier to take advantage of the situation and harvest her right there while the big fella was down, but that's not an option anymore."
" Here! Use this." Dr. Tenenbaum said, throwing a plasmid their way, Johnny catching it. "Free them from their torment. That Plasmid will absorb some of the ADAM from them, enough to reverse the genetic tampering. I will repay your kindness…somehow."
Johnny injected himself with it, and turned to the Little Sister staring up at him.
"I've never seen a little one like that before… not even sure she'll be cured fully." Atlas said.
"It's worth a shot anyway." Johnny said, picking her up.
"No! That look in the eyes…!" The Little Sister struggled, Johnny putting a comforting hand on her cheek.
"Shh, shh-shh. It's okay… just relax." Johnny comforted her as the veins across her face glowed orange before they flashed with light. When the light cleared, her milky white eyes had been replaced with blue pupils, and her skin was back to it's normal appearance.
"...T-Thank you mister guardian angel." the child said as Johnny, set her down.
"See, that wasn't so bad, right?" Johnny asked, gently patting her on the head before he walked back to the others.
"The path of the righteous is not always easy, yes?" Tenenbaum asked over the radio.
"Whoa, wait a second, how'd you get a hold of this frequency?!" Nemo asked.
"That…is a secret. Save more little ones, and the reward will become clear in time… be patient. We will speak again." Tenenbaum promised as she shut off her transmission.
"I still can't believe y'bought inta Tenenbaum's sap. Those things may look like wee little girls, but looks don't make it so. Savin' em will only get ya so much ADAM, and you'll need all the stuff you can to survive." Atlas said.
" Look, we aren't gonna kill those girls, human or not human doesn't matter. Besides, saving them one by one will net us ADAM at a steady rate." Ethox said.
"I guess you're right…." Atlas sighed. "Y'can use that ADAM you extract to purchase more Plasmids at any Gatherer's Garden. If y'can afford it, that is. Regardless, you're ready now. To take on more Big Daddies and confront the wee ones they escort."
"I think there's another one nearby, my Analysis is detecting one. Let's get that one too on the way back to Emergency Access." Ristarte said.
"What about the big guy and his ward?" Le Kraken asked, gesturing to the two who hadn't left yet.
"Uh…let's just leave 'em there to think." Nemo said as they headed off, only to hear clunking footsteps following them. "...They're following us."
"We noticed." Goblin Slayer said, turning around. "It's dangerous here. Go somewhere safe."
"But…the guardian angel is safe." the little girl said. "Lizzie said so."
"Uh-huh. Well, you can tell "Lizzie" that we don't have time to babysit." Kazuma said.
"...Lizzie isn't here anymore."
The implication of those words hit the group like a truck, causing them to look at each other before Ethox walked up to the girl, bent down, and smiled. "Then we'll make sure what she said was true. What's your name?"
"This one's name is…S-S-Sally! It's Sally!" the girl said, in remembrance.
"Sally, that's a nice name." Lily said before the moan of the Big Daddy near Sally got their attention.
"And uh… what do you call him?" Nemo asked.
"He's Mr. Bubbles!" Sally giggled. "He tells funny stories."
"Yeaaaah… I'm not callin' him that. It sounds way too silly." Kazuma said.
"Well…. Why don't we just call him "Mr. B", instead?" Viktoriya offered. "She has called him that before, as I recall."
"Mr. B it is." Ethox said before he looked at the named BD. "So, Mr. B, I guess you're with us now?"
Mr. B moaned, his lights green.
"...That's a yes, okay!" Ethox said, turning around. "Let's go!"
They heard another moan as they saw a Bouncer with a Little Sister nearby.
"Oh yeah… almost forgot about the other pair we discovered." Ethox said.
"It pains me to say it, but we must kill the girl's ward to get to her." Necroapache pointed out.
"Let's make it quick then." DJ said. "B, cover Sally's eyes."
Mr. B did so, as the group approached the other duo.
Kazuma whistled to get the Bouncer's attention, before it was met with a shower of bullets and Bomb Arrows, getting it shreded (Johnny for his part used the AP rounds they'd scrounge by this point). It wasn't long before the big man with the drill was down.
"No, Mr. Bubbles! Get up!" The Little Sister cried over her fallen protector as Johnny approached her. He got on his knees and gently placed his hands on the child's head, letting the Plasmid do the rest. Within moments, the girl was cured.
"Thank you." the girl thanked Johnny before she ran towards a sort of plated hole in the wall, crawling up and into it. "Time for beddy bye, Mr. B…"
"Well, it fixes the genetic tampering, but it appears there is still mental conditioning to overcome." Mirror Match noted.
"They can get help on the surface. For now, we need to get Emergency Access open." Tanya reminded the group, as they headed back to that location and used Stienman's pass to release the lockdown.
"We'll be heading to Neptune's Bounty from here." DJ informed Sally. "There's a lot of fighting going on in there, so stay close to and behind us, okay?"
"Okay." Sally promised.
"Well, you lot took a few wild turns, but you did it." Atlas said. "Head on through to Port Neptune. I'm lookin' forward to shakin' hands with the lot of ya."
"Feeling's mutual, Atlas!" Ethox grinned. "Come on team, we've got a family to reunite!"