Back in Langstrom's lab, the Fatebreakers gathered around.
"Right then. We got the Lazarus Vector, but the bad news is, we've probably right pissed off one of Dark Ocean's commanders. He's gonna be comin' in here with all his forces right soon ta try an' off us." Atlas explained.
"Which one?" DJ asked.
"Guy callin' himself Pressure Washer." Atlas said.
"Pressure Washer?" DJ repeated. "Oh boy… reports say he's the most sadistic member of Dark Ocean. He's not going to try and make our deaths painless, that's for sure."
"Dark Ocean, and those Saturnine guys, possibly at the same time?" Ultra asked. "Man, it's a good thing Tanya planed out the defense ahead of time."
"Of course I did. Johnny hacked all of Dr. Langstrom's Security Cameras so that they'll send bots after our enemies, and we found turrets to hack as well." Tanya explained. "Megumin also set Proximity Mines from her Grenade Launcher around the doorways, so the first ones through the door will be wiped out."
"It may not be my typical brand of explosives, but they'll sure be blown away by them!" Megumin boasted.
"Yeah, that's nice. Right then, time we set up for a double retaliation. Once the Lazarus Vector goes in the Mister, Ryan's gonna send Splicers after us for sure." Atlas said.
"Alright, everyone set up at the doorways. Johnny, set the Vector into the Mister when we signal you." Ethox said.
The group moved out to defend the doorways, while Johnny was poised to inject the Vector into the Mister.
"Everybody ready?" Ethox asked over his communicator.
" 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion, standing by!" Matheus said.
"We are ready to do battle, young Ethox." Necroapache said, flanked by two Dragon-Tooth Warriors and the rest of Goblin Slayer's group.
"Ready!" Aqua said as she, Darkness, Megumin and Kazuma were together.
"We're 100% ready for this." Seiya called as he, Michiru and Rista were grouped together.
"We're good to go lad, light the signal!" Atlas said, leading most of the others.
"Then I suppose it's time." Mirror Match nodded to Ethox.
"Yeah." Ethox smirked. "Johnny…save the trees."
With that, Johnny put the Lazarus Vector into the Mister, causing the machine to start rumbling.
"It seems that Julie didn't serve as enough of an example." Andrew Ryan noted as he watched the events unfold over a screen. "Perhaps it's time to forgo the scalpel and use the hammer."
Ryan pressed a button on his desk, allowing his voice to ring all throughout Rapture. "The termites known as the Fatebreakers have locked themselves behind a cage in Arcadia. The reward for their heads is now two thousand ADAM to each of you who stamps these parasites out."
"At last, the time has come!" the leader of the Saturnine cult proclaimed in front of a makeshift shrine in their cave. "We shall do you proud, goddess! We shall breach the false temple, and retrieve your holy elixir! Saturnine, march in the name of nature!"
"Alright, Soran, they're in there." Pressure Washer said to his fellow sub-leader as they stood in viewing distance of the lab.
"This isn't a good idea, Washer." Soran said. "If the admiral finds out about this-"
"The admiral won't give a damn if we bring back their corpses." PW said. "Besides, they got aquatic Beastmen, and I know how much you love killing those freaks."
"Okay, first of all, don't call them freaks." Soran said. "Second of all, I don't love killing them, I love fighting them. And third, I won't lower myself to work with you just because you want to defy the admiral's orders over your wounded pride. Do what you want, but I'm keeping my honor."
"Agh…fine! Who needs a stuck-up fisherman like you?!" PW snarled, turning to the grunts he'd gathered. "Anyone here who agrees with him?"
"Well…" one grunt started to say before a burst of pressurized water struck his ear, obliterating it. The grunt fell to the ground, screaming.
"Anyone else?" PW asked, getting a chorus of panicked no's. "Good! Now, advance on the botanist's lab and kill everybody inside! Don't let those freaks of science get in the way!"
And so, the Saturnine Splicers and Pressure Washers goons, along with the man himself, both attacked the Lab while the machine was pumping away.
"Agh, listen to that damn thing gurgle and crank. How long is it going to take?" Atlas asked in worried frustration.
"I'd say at least 30 minutes." Tanya said.
"Plenty of time. Now let's get ready to rumble!" Ethox said.
Sally was up high at a safe position as she spotted the Splicers and Dark Ocean Grunts charging in.
"They're coming! The thieves and monsters!" Sally called out.
"Alright. As soon as they trigger the security cameras and step on the mines, we light 'em up." Johnny said.
"Steady…" Ethox said as both parties got closer. "Steady…!"
Both enemy groups were close to the door ways. And as soon as they opened up…
*BOOM!*
The Proximity Mines Megumin set exploded, taking out the Splicers and grunts foolish enough to go first. Then, the security cameras spotted them, sounding their alarms as Security bots came flying in.
"NOW!" Ethox said as the group went to work, charging at attacking the two groups at their respective locations."
"It's a trap!" one of the grunts cried out in alarm, before getting shoved forward by PW.
"Does it look like I give a damn?!" PW barked. "Get in there and kill 'em, whatever it goddamn takes!"
The two invading groups tried to make ground against the defenders, but each entrance they tried was well-guarded.
"25%...Hell's Fire!" Seiya called as he unleashed a burst of flame towards a group of approaching Splicers, setting them all aflame.
"Kill and die! Our souls become one with the Earth!" a Saturine member chanted as a group of them surged forward towards the Cautious Hero.
Michiru skidded in front of them. "You guys are the craziest cult I've ever seen, and the last one I saw worshiped my best friend!" Michiru said, invoking her Gorilla Arm and enlarging it to an even bigger size allowing her to punch the group of cultists away, out the doorway.
The Splicers recovered, but Megumin was on them.
"Tremble in fear, cower in awe! Witness the power of raw destruction harnessed in full!" Megumin taunted before peppering the Splicers with a Barrage of Frag Grenades, killing them. "To use my full power on you would be a waste."
At another entrance, Tanya and her lieutenants were covering the doorway in gunfire, taking out the Dark Ocean grunts who attempted to breach.
"Viktoriya's missing out, big time!" Koeing said, hitting a grunt right between the eyes.
"Any idea why she went with Mr. B, major?" Grantz asked as he took out another enemy with a headshot.
"I have a pretty good idea… but I'll wait for when she returns." Tanya noted as she filled a grunt's stomach full of bullets. "Weiss, the enemy is growing thicker in your area, focus!"
"Yes ma'am!" Weiss agreed as he took out grunt after grunt. However, one of them managed to draw a gun and took aim at him… only for another bullet from Neumann to strike his hand, disarming him.
"You owe me one, Weiss!" Neumann said.
"I'll be sure to repay you, First Lieutenant Neumann." Matheus said as he took out the wounded grunt.
With Goblin Slayer's group, they were easily dominating the Splicers and grunts who came down the middle. Lily casted Protection to box them all in while the Security Bots sent by the cameras shredded their numbers.
"The miracle is about to end…!" Lily warned the group.
"No problem!" Legolia said as the barrier went down, Insect arrow ready. "Eat hornets, freaks!"
The high elf shot the arrow at the remaining Splicers dead on, the hornets swarming them.
"Nice trick you picked up in the market, long-ears!" Gimilor said as he threw a Stone Blast at the offensive. "I'm sure it'll give the goblins back home nightmares!"
"The numbers of both enemies seem to be thinning! However, there is no sign of Pressure Washer!" Necroapache said.
"He must be entering through a different defense, but where?" Goblin Slayer asked. At that moment, they heard a familiar scream. "Of course…"
Pressure Washer himself had breached the doorway where the group from Axel had been stationed, and had managed to scatter them with a shot from his water gun. "You think some dumb kids are gonna stop me?!" he asked, advancing towards Kazuma. Darkness got in his way though.
"Kazuma, run! I'll hold him off!" Darkness said.
"Like hell you will, bitch!" PW snarled as he brought out his water sword. "Fat lot of good that armor will do when I split your empty head open!"
"Winter Blast Freeze!" Kazuma called out from behind Darkness, popping out to unleash a wave of cold energy that caused the water on PW's blade to freeze up. The man didn't notice as Darkness blocked his blade as he swung it, breaking it into ice cubes upon impact.
"What the hell?!" PW gaped as he looked at his blade, trying to push the button on the hilt. "(Damn it, the whole thing's frozen over! It's useless until it thaws out!)"
"Hey, you big jerk!" Aqua called out as she punched PW in the face. "Get away from my adventurer! God Blow!"
The punch actually caused PW to stumble back a bit, surprising both him and the present group.
"Wait, that actually worked this time?" Kazuma asked.
"Grrr… you god damned, brain-dead, second-rate water god!" PW growled as he drew his water gun once more. "I'll wash your idiotic face clean off your stupid head!"
"Second-rate?!" Aqua gasped. "How dare you call me second-rate, you…you…dumbass!"
"SHUT THE F*** UP!" PW roared, pulling the trigger and unleashing a blast of water towards the goddess, only for it to be intercepted by a Security Bot, the bot being destroyed in the process.
"You can thank me later, lass." Atlas said as his group appeared.
"We've cleared our area of all enemies!" Molotok announced. "Now, we deal with the leader!"
"Oh, dammit all!" PW cursed as he ducked away from a hammer strike, breaking out into a run, racing out of the lab. "This isn't over, you hear me?!" he called back. "You won't leave this city alive!"
"Says the guy who's running away!" Kazuma yelled in triumph. "Haha! We sent him packing!"
"Hmm, have Ethox, Match, and Johnny dealt with the enemies coming from their side?" Ultra asked.
On said individual's side, the three were locked in combat with a particularly skilled Houdini Splicer, the leader of the Saturnine cult.
"You shall not stop us! The holy elixir shall be ours!" the cult leader declared, dodging out of the way of a blast of machine gun fire.
"For a psycho eco-cultist, he's surprisingly quick on his feet." Mirror Match noted, using a pillar of dark crystals to block a lightning bolt fired at him by the Splicer. "Any ideas, Ethox?"
"Hmm…well, if we can't beat him by fighting, then how about out-thinking?" Ethox decided as he held out his Keyblade "Let answers be known as I observe from the trees. Monkey See, Monkey Do!"
A light fell around Ethox, his eyes shining as he looked at the Splicer.
"(This one is smart, but not too smart.)" Ethox thought. "(He thinks he's randomizing his disappearing and reappearing time and points, but it's actually a scattered pattern, based around the numbers 1, 6, 1, and 0: the year the planet Saturn was discovered. As such, he will reappear…)"
The Nobody raced forward, towards a spot in front of a window, plunging his Keyblade into the unseen leader, who rematerialized as he groaned in death throes.
"Now…I return…to nature…" the leader crocked out before his life gave out, his body sliding down the window.
"Not bad for the test run of my Monkey Discipline." Ethox said.
"The Lazarus Vector should be cooked up by now and ready to disperse. Johnny, would you kindly throw the switch?" Atlas asked.
"Right." Johnny agreed as he did so, allowing the formula to be spread all throughout Arcadia. Before the group's eyes, they saw the bark on the trees growing thicker and the leaves returning to the tree's branches. Within moments…Arcadia was reborn.
"Well done, all. Take a deep breath and enjoy it, and then let's head over to the bathysphere in the Rollin' Hills. Next stop is Ryan's house." Atlas said. "It's time for blood."
"Uughh…" a voice from behind the group moaned as they saw Langstrom starting to stir."
"It's Langstrom, she's waking up!" MIchiru said.
"Let's leave her to enjoy the moment. I left her a note explaining everything should we be successful." Mirror Match said.
And so, the group departed. Langstrom woke up and saw a note lying next to her. She picked it up and read it.
Dear Dr. Langstrom,
If you are reading this note, it means that we succeeded, and completed your Lazerus Vector. Congratulations, your formula is a successful experiment. Observe Arcadia now fully back to life. As for us, we must continue on our mission to defeat Andrew Ryan, but do not worry. We have informed one Dr. Tenenbaum of you, and she will send someone who will take you to a much safer place. Once Ryan is dealt with, we will come rescue you all, return to the surface, and destroy Rapture. Please gather all of your important notes and wait for a Little Sister to come find you; they will lead you to a proper hideout.
We wish you well on all your future endeavors,
The Fatebreakers.
"It works… it actually works…" Langstrom realized. "Finally… maybe now I can start making up for all the trees I helped burn. If I don't see that group again… thanks, Fatebreakers. For everything."
Meanwhile, the group made their way to the Bathysphere to continue on their way to Hephaestus. However…
"What the hell is this?!" Kazuma demanded out loud as the group saw the sparking remains of what was once a Bathysphere, the holes in it dripping with water.
"It was Pressure Washer." Goblin Slayer realized. "He must have decided that if he couldn't beat us, he could make sure we couldn't leave Arcadia."
"Damn it! If we try and backtrack and take another route, Ryan'll have his Splicers houndin' us the whole way!" Atlas cursed.
"What're we gonna do now?" Peach asked.
At that moment, a familiar face appeared from out of the pool of water the broken vessel was floating in, removing her breathing mask.
"Major, everyone, Mr. B and I have completed our mission!" Viktoriya announced, pulling out four additional oxygen tanks and wetsuits. "Have our Rapture friends put these on and dive down!"
The group did as instructed, helping their new friends into their suits before they all dived down into the pool of water. Down there, they saw a long, cerulean-colored submarine with the Dark Ocean logo on the side. The group entered the vessel through a hole at the top, moving down into the interior.
"Whoa-ho-ho! Visha, Mr. B! You hijacked Pressure Washer's submarine?!" DJ asked.
"Affirmative!" Visha answered. "I remembered how we wouldn't be able to use the Bathyspheres with so many people, so when I heard that Dark Ocean used submarines, I decided to follow Mr. B when he went to infiltrate it. It was a difficult fight to take it, but we managed."
"Well done, Second Lieutenant." Tanya complimented her. "You've done well."
"Thank you, major!" Visha beamed. "Now let's get moving, we have to get to Ryan!"
"Righto! It's likely Ryan's locked himself up tight in Hephaestus. So to get there, were gonna have to make a bit 'o a trip ta Fort Frolic." Atlas said.
"Why's that?" Ethox asked.
"So we can get the key to Ryan's office from the one nutjob in this city who's the nuttiest of 'em all, the only person Ryan trusted not to use it: Sander Cohen." Atlas explained.
"Sounds like a real charming fellow." Mirror Match said.
"Still, if that's where we gotta go, then we're going." Ethox said. "Visha, set this subs course for Fort Frolic!"
"Right!" Victoriya said as the sub headed out.