When the door opened again, they were greeted with the sight of a figure a short ways away, half hunched over as he whacked at something on the ground.

Hearing the door open, the man stood with a feral yell, and two more people darted into view. Rakes clutched tightly in their scabby hands as they charged fruitlessly. Bodies filled with bullets before they even came within view of the camera.

Shuffling past the corpses without another look, browned grass crunched underfoot as they made their way through the garden of trees towards the door.
The blare of an alarm stopping them in their tracks as a prerecorded woman's voice rang out that lockdowns had begun, and bulkheads had been sealed.

"Damn city's built to not let anyone out in the event of this kind of emergency… either we get those trees back… or you're our newest residents." Atlas worried through the radio.
"Hell, without getting the trees and the oxygen back up, we won't be living in the neighborhood for long." The Engineer said gravely.

The air as they made their way back to the small stairs they had come down, and trudged their way back up the hill was serious. The hope of saving their skins and getting out of this place residing on the chance that the Langford woman knew what she was doing, and wasn't just off her rocker like so many other residents of Rapture were wasn't a comfort to anyone.

The way to the Grotto was thankfully marked by a small neon sign, and was only a small walk back through the concourse. The screen doors slid back easily. A marvel that they'd not been broken through by the not so gentle splicers that must have surely passed through it over time. The roar of a waterfall dominating the echoing chamber. The soldier seemed to spot something, as he approached the broken bench sitting on the wall, and bent to retrieve it.
A tape player in his hand as he straightened, pressing the button as he did. Andrew Ryans contemplative voice competing against the sound of the water down the stairs. "There has been tremendous pressure to regulate this plasmid business. There have been side effects: blindness, insanity, death. But what use it our ideology if it is not tested?" He mused, "The market does not respond like an infant, shrieking at the first sign of displeasure. The market is patient, and we must be too."

"Well there's a pretty list of side effects." The Sniper said dryly. "Seems he forgot all the boils and scabs and fucked up faces."
"It might not have been that bad yet. If he made this tape when it was still fresh to the market." The Engineer remarked. "Folks we've seen down here with all the scars and skin where it shouldn't be or missing where it should be, they've been down here abusing this ADAM stuff for a spell now. We've got some… differences, now. But so far we're all fine, aside from our hands looking a bit on the ugly side now."

The got to the bottom of the first flight of stairs before they had to stop again. Wires alight with charge had been stretched from wall to wall in the small stretch of walkway in a haphazard, crisscrossed pattern that said whoever had put them up wasn't keen on anybody trying to duck and weave passed them. The Engineer stepped forward. His gloved hand grabbing hold of the first wire and yanking it from the wall. He tossed it down out of the way, and began to clear the way, ripping each one down as he went.
"Oi, There are some roses down there. Might be what the Langford woman's after." The Sniper said, pointing down at the thick, unkempt bush of flowers that had grown up the side of the waterwheel below.

"Sounds about right. Not likely to be too many varieties to pick from down here, after all." The Engineer replied.

The water was cold as they stepped down the last small flight of stairs, but not as bitterly cold as the pure Atlantic seawater they had been forced to step through before.

The Demoman sloshed forward first, carefully plucking a few blooms from the thorny branches. He was reaching for a forth when the sound of a shot rang out and he let out a pained grunt at the impact on his heavy vest.

"Up there!" The Scout cried, pointing up at the walkway above and the pair of twitchy figures looming down at them, faces drawn into scabby snarls.

Jack ran up the stairs beside the spy, taking cover behind the wall supporting the waterwheels. Poking out on either side with revolvers drawn, taking their own shots. The woman of the pair went tumbling from the walkway into the shallow water, unmoving. A shot from the Scouts pistol clipped the man in his shoulder. In a rare show of rationality the man seemed to decide the odds were against him and he turned, scurrying back out the door above.

"Bloody rats." The Sniper muttered, eyes watching the door as the group made their way back up the small steps, and made their way back to the Research Laboratory door.

Screens on either side of the door on the other side of the small section of tunnel lit up, the image of a woman fuzzily flickered. "You've brought the Rosa Gallica? Well, what are you waiting for? An engraved invitation?" She questioned, the impatience in her voice clear even if the screen showing her face was not. "Send it through the pneumo!"

The Scotsman stepped up, carefully putting the flowers he'd plucked into the compartment in the tube.

"Yes, this is perfect… perfect. Come on up to my office. I'm letting you in now." The woman said, the door rising up into the wall. "I think I've got just the thing to put the green back in this forest."

"Well that's a bit of good news for a change, innit." The Demoman said as the group passed through the open doorway, and into the small reception area within.

A bottle and a small rectangular box drew the Spy's attention and he stepped over, tucking the box of cigarettes into his suit as he picked up the bottle, turning it around to read the inscribed label.
"Hacking Expert." He said simply, examining the bottle.

"Sounds right up your alley, eh, Spy?" The Scout said. "Well, gonna join the club with the other guys? Not like you have to worry about a messed up face or hands. Can't be worse than what's already under that mask."

"Your mother would disagree with that." The Spy retorted, obviously a little satisfied at the anger and irritation on the boys face though he was still clearly indecisive about the decision to take it.

Finally, he sighed, and began to roll up his sleeve. Intent on doing it all himself.

After the needle emptied into his arm, the Spy swayed, gloved hand gripping the desk for a long moment. If there were any outward signs of any changes associated with this particular bottle it didn't show on the small patch of exposed arm.

"You alright, slim?" The Engineer asked, prompting the taller man to straighten, adjusting his tie.
"That was most unpleasant, but yes, I do believe everything is in order. Let us move on."

"I've got the security system in this joint hacked." Langfords voice crackled. "Those turrets won't bite. Come on up to my office."

The doors slid open and they stepped inside. One a shelf nearby sat another tape player, and the Scout grabbed it as they passed, but there was something about the room-likely the corpse sprawled out on the floor-that said it was best not to dawdle and he merely hooked it onto his belt.

The machines holding plants or the small flooded section of the labs went ignored as they made there way through the rooms. Though no one missed the sparking glass tube of the Vita-chamber. If Jack reappearing in the one before after getting shot wasn't some strange fluke, he, at least would have a safety net if something went south.

The tunnel through the door might have been a lovely sight, if there weren't such urgent matters at hand.

The door opened to a large window declaring it belonged to a Dr Julie Langford in painted blue letter, and the figure within must have been the doctor herself. She was focused on the vial she held in her hand, but something in the room drew her attention away, and Ryans voice could just barely be heard from some speaker within the office, though whatever it was he had to say to the Doctor was too muffled through the heavy walls to make out. Not waiting to see what trick the master of this place might have in mind the Heavy went to the door, trying to force it open, but the metal slabs refused to budge.

They watched with dread as a greenish gas filled the air, leaving a thick film on the window that obscured what was happening inside.

There was silence in the room, and after a moment a some of the film on the window was wiped away, and they watched as a shaking hand traced numbers in the filth.

The Heavy stepped back as the doors opened, cautiously holding a large hand over his mouth and nose as he took a step into the room and most of the others followed suit holding their own hands to their faces or shirts pulled up over their noses. Though most of the strange gas seemed to have dissipated, it was better safe than sorry. If it happened again, the Pyro would likely be the only survivor.

The Medic walked towards the woman, crouching down beside her. He rolled her onto her back, frowning. "Well, whatever it is, it certainly does its job, doesn't it." He stood, wiping his gloved hands on his coat.

"Ninety-four fifty-seven. What do you suppose that codes for?" Jack mused, staring at the window. Behind him, the Pyro gave an excited cheer as he picked up a strange contraption from the desk in the room.

"Not sure just yet, but it'll relate to whatever fix she was cooking up to bring the trees back, I'd be willing to bet." The Engineer replied, stepping up to the machine in front of a window, looking at the labels, and the opening for a canister. "Something to do with this, I'm bettin."

"Over here," The Spy said, crossing the room and pulling open what had looked to be no more than the illustration of a flower. He pulled it open, revealing a small alcove containing a safe. He turned the dial, hearing a satisfactory click as the last tumbler unlocked to the code. Inside laid a key, a few bills, and a roll of audio tape. He motioned to Scout, and the young man pulled the recorder he had picked up earlier from his belt and handed it over.
The Spy pulled the previous tape from within, replacing it.

"What's the point of being a damn genius of the only ones around to appreciate it are a bunch of spliced up morons?" Bemoaned Langford. "I've cracked the Vector, or, at least I'm Ninety-nine percent certain I have. I just need a bud of Rosa Gallica to confirm my analysis. Distilled water, a bit of chlorophyll, and the enzymes extracted from Apis Mellifera. That's right, sweethearts: Honey Bee spit."

"It'd be too easy if she'd already whipped up this cure of hers, wouldn't it." Jack said. "Three ingredients. Don't sound like too much on a normal day, but in a place like this, that sounds a lot of running around and backtracking."

"As much as I hate the idea of breaking up our numbers in this place, we're short on time and strong on manpower." Said the Engineer. "Might be best if we split into groups. It might not be ideal, but it'll help cover ground faster."

"As uneasy as this idea makes Heavy, Engineer has a point." Their largest companion nodded.

"We can figure out who's going after what later. I have a feeling if Dr Langford's no longer with us, those sentries and cameras out there might not be so friendly anymore."

The red light of the sweeping camera that was set into the wall that separated the second room into two sections only confirmed that whatever Ryan had done that had controlled the doors and the vents in Dr Langfords office had also reset the security within the research labs.

With the sentry turret they had passed it was a tricky ploy, but between the Engineer, Jack, and Spy, the turret was shocked and dismantled as quickly as the camera.

It was left to the Spy to care for the one in the other room, the man vanishing a moment before his voice called the all clear from the other room.

"Arcadia's a big place, mostly rural." Atlas said as they stepped back out into the deadened yard of the Rolling Hills. "If you're looking for something in particular, I'd start at the Farmers Market."
"It's a good of place tae start as any. Should at least be able to find distilled water." The Demoman said. "Dunno if we're going tae have much luck finding bee spit or the chlorophyll, but in this damned place, who knows."

The cloying smell of rotting fruit hung heavy in the air as they stepped through the door of the Tree Farm. The closest way to the Farmers Market, Atlas had explained. Stepping off the metal platform it became a task to pick their ways through rows of large, squishy looking pumpkins already partly blackened from the rot Ryan had set upon the place. Though some looked older, having evidently long been left to decay from neglect.

"Ain't anyone going to be takin' their holidays here anymore." The Sniper muttered as they passed by a bill board touting Arcardia as "Raptures vacationland", and finally up another small set of metal stairs.

The smell of rot was overpowered by something more familiar, but just as unpleasant as they crossed the threshold onto a neatly bricked area. The acrid smell from the smoke that lightly poured from deeper in had everyone pausing, and shirts and clothe were tied over faces warily. The air quality was already in danger without a source of refreshing it, and nobody needed to point out that smoke inhalation wasn't a fun way to die. Far from ideal protection, but no one but the Pyro had the proper gear. In the near distance flames could be seen dancing from effigies, likely lit by whoever had built the ones they saw among the trees of the rolling hills, and the source of the smoke.

The flames flickered out as they passed through the ticket gates that once separated the farmers market and Acardia itself. Something went skittering across the stones, moved by the side of Jacks foot. He stooped down, picking up the weathered tape player. "Reckon it's anyone importants?" the question was answered as he pressed the playback, and Dr Tenenbaums voice crackled through the speaker.

"What makes something like me?" She mused into the tape quietly. "I look at genes all day long, and never do I see the blueprint of sin. I could blame the Germans, but in truth, I did not find tormentors in the prison camp, but kindred spirits. These children I brutalized have awoken something inside that for most is beautiful and natural, but in me, is an abomination. My… maternal instinct."

"That's some heavy stuff, man." The Scout said quietly as Jack set the player in the window of the closet ticket booth.

The way into the Farmers Market showed itself to be another bulk head. The two areas not entirely connected, it seemed. The door on the Arcadia side was already open, and men piled into the small space.

Jack faltered as he made to take a step inside. A hand grabbing at the doorway as he held his head for a moment.

"You alright, Private?" The Soldier asked, and Jack rubbed at his temple for a moment before he waved away the concern. "Yeah, yeah. I'm alright. Think all that mold an' the smoke's getting to me is all." He replied, stepping inside to lean against the wall as the Heavy turned the handles and shut the bulkhead door.

The cool air of the small transitional room the other door opened to was a relief, as was the sight of a Vita-chamber sparking with light inside its glass walls.
The twisted corpse on the floor lying in a pool of old, sticky blood outside the door of the Farmers Market proper under another banner decrying parasites was less so. The half dried blood was not the only thing sticky, however. The Sniper nudged a jar beside the body with the tip of his shoe, causing more of the honey within to spill out. "Looks like a few pieces a comb there, too." He said, kneeling down as something clutched in the cold blue hand caught his sharp eyes. With a grimace he reached over, prying a small dropper from the hand, turning it over in his own. "Think this might be what we're after? Got some sort of egghead formula written on the side of it."

"Might be. Keep it on ya, if you don't mind. If it is, we might need more than just that little bit." The Engineer replied.

Music greeted them as they came through the door from the tunnel, and the smell of old food, though fainter, greeted them again.
"Huh, y'know, I guess it makes sense they woulda still had sports, but you don't really think of football as an underwater sport." The Scout said, looking up at a large poster of a canceled football match.
"Well they can't bloody well pick baseball, can they?" The Sniper scoffed, "Drown the whole stadium when one of them balls goes wonky and hits a window."
"Ah fuck off."

"I'd be more worried about the fact there was a fire big enough tae get it canceled." The Demoman chimed, shouldering past. Nearly about to step out into the a thoroughfare when the Heavy pulled him back. The rocket that came flying passed through the thin street had the nearest of them jumping back, the stench of burnt metal and smoke from the impact further down joining the rotten decay already clinging to the air.
"Bloody hell! How'd ye see know that was there?"
"I did not." The Russian replied, just as much surprise on his face as the others. "Was just gut feeling."
"Well, good thing you've got such a big one then." Cracked the Scout.

"Right then, everybody step back and give me a second." The Demoman said, his face focused as his eye bounced this way and that to different points on the walls. "If it came from straight that way…." He angled his body and leveled his grenade launcher. The projectile went flying and there was a satisfying rumble of explosives and the screech of metal. "That ought tae do it." He said, confident in his work.

"Apiary and Winery that way." The Sniper said, nodding down the lane at signs set off the wall as they stepped out into the passageway.
"Good of place as any to start looking for water and bee spit. Camera that way, though." The Engineer said, pointing out the soft red glare reflecting off an unnervingly large pool of gasoline spilt from an overturned barrel down the way. "Spy, you mind taking care of that?"

Despite the annoyance on his face, the Spy nodded and went down the lane, carefully peering around the edge of the counter of a cheese stall. Turning back with a shake of his head. "We'll have to shoot it down, it's installed too high.

"Good thing we can zap the things." Jack said, hefting himself over the counter of the cheese stall. Carefully he crept up under the awning on the other side of the little shop, sparks alight between his finger tips as his other hand reached for the revolver he'd acquired. The sound of electricity and gun fire filled the air as he let the sparks from his hand go, and let rounds from his gun fly, breaking apart the lens and punching holes into the camera. "That oughta do it. Let's get going."

Through the doors at the end of the hall, the Medic grimaced as they passed by crates of rotten apples that were more black mush and mold than anything at this point. A much stronger reaction than stepping around the large pool of old blood on the cobbles.

A door set at the top of some short stairs aside a fancy sign for the Apiary, and glowing neon letters for the winery pointing the way. More blood marred the floor outside of the door, along side an intact bottle of liquor and a smashed one aside a plastic bottle and a recorder.

The Demoman was quick to pick up all three objects, tucking the bottle of liquor under his arm as he inspected the bottle. "Distilled water, ain't opened." He said, tucking the bottle into the pouch on the front of his vest. "Let's see if there's anything useful on here, or if it's jus' more gibberish."

"In ten years in this dump, I've come to accept a very low standard of life." A man with a thick french accent complained. "But even at the bottom of this fish tank, a man must have standards. The pathetic you du cul down at Worley Winery has started putting water to his terrible wine. Wat-" The mans voice scratched to a stop as the scotsman pressed the pause button, setting the recorder back done. "Well, we're right on the money about water, at least."

The door opened to another glass hall, and they were met with a two different doors branching from it. "Which one you fellas wanna hit up first?" Jack asked, stopping before he stepped into another pool of gasoline on the floor. "Might be faster if we split up. Two groups of five oughta be safe enough."

"Yeah, I reckon that ought to be faster." The Engineer agreed. "Tavish, Spy, Doc, Heavy, and Soldier can take the Winery. Rest of us'll go make friends with the pollinators. That sound alright to everyone?"

No objects went up around the group, and with a scattering of nods and mumbled assents, ten became five.

The group as the apiary door rose was met by the awful sight of a half burnt man desperately swatting at a swarm of insects, crying out with fright and pain.

"Oh hell!" The Sniper cursed as the man fell, and dozens of bees turned straight towards the open door.

The Pyro shoved himself to the front of the group, the contraption he'd picked up from the table in the late Dr Langfords office coming to life with fire, torching the insects mere feet away.

"Killer bees, add that to the list of why this place is hell." Jack muttered as they cautious stepped inside. Inside was a long counter, jars of honey both opened and spilled and intact scattered along its surface by the register.

"Hey, look." The Scout said, crossing the small space towards the Gatherers Garden along the leftmost wall, picking up a bow decorated teddy bear. Pulling out the stitches in the front of the bear he reached in, pulling out a red jar filled with ADAM, a Plasmid bottle, and a handful of medical kits from its hollowed out stomach.
"Insect Swarm. Well that sounds gross. Here, you like weird bugs, donthca." The boy gave the bottle an unceremonious toss towards the Sniper, who caught it with the ease of one catching a baseball tossed his way. The young man gave the bottle a curious look over. "I reckon it might come in handy if I run out of bullets or can't use me gun for some reason." He said. "Truckie, you mind?" He asked, holding out the bottle. "Can't say I've got any practice with shooting anything up into my own veins."

The Engineer obliged, taking the bottle and an empty syringe from one of the medical kits. The Sniper held out his hand as the Texan filled the syringe.

The Sniper barely caught himself on the counter as the effects of the strange Serum took hold, shaking profusely as his arm and hand broke out with an angry rash, dozens upon dozens of bee sting like bumps cropped up along his skin.

"Fuckin' hell, that's about as fun as a hangover after a night of downing the family brew." He said, lifting his arm to get a look at the jarring mark from the splice. Tensing for a moment as a few bees alighted on his afflicted hand. Relaxing as they harmlessly crawled about. "Huh, well, hello there."

From among the jars of honey on the counter, Jack picked up a recorder, turning it over once in his hands before he pressed the button and Tenenbaums voice flowed from it. "Adam acts like a benign cancer, destroying native cells and replacing them with unstable stem versions. While this very instability is what gives it its amazing properties, it is also what causes the cosmetic and mental damage. You need more and more Adam just to keep back the tide. From a medical standpoint, this is catastrophic. From a business standpoint, well… Fontaine sees the possibilities…."

"Well, that explains why everyone down here acts like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs the Engineer frowned. "Hand that here, if you don't mind. I think Doc'll wanna hear that one."
"Well if I'd heard that sooner, I might've not just shot up with this stuff." The Sniper spat, frowning at the sight of his hand.

"It'll be alright, I'm sure of it. We've got a few bottles of the stuff, and crazy as Medic is, I'm sure between he and I we'll come up with something to keep that from happening." The Engineer assured. "Now, lets get a move on. Sooner we figure out how to find what we need the better."

"Ah hell." The Engineer muttered as the doors behind the counter slid open and they stepped inside them. The sound of buzzing was deafening from the thick sea of bees flitting about the air, though they seemed thankfully content to contain themselves to the lower part of the room behind the dividing wall.

"Two smoker controls. If they work, this should be easy enough." The Sniper said, stepping up to one of the two levers set along the wall.
"Scout, Pyro, c'mere and man these wouldya."

The two stepped up, and the Scout reached over, pulling the lever, and they waited as a haze descened over the lower section of the room and bees began to fall from the air. An audible ticking replacing the buzzing. "Sounds like we're on a timer, better hustle." Jack said as the three men hurried down the steps, searching among the stacks of hives and work benches scattered throughout the room.

"The marks on these vials match the one I found on that corpse outside the market. Musta been one of the Apiary workers." The Sniper said as he inspected a small glass vial from a bench.

A handful was gathered between them by the time they hurried to get back up the stairs and behind the dividing wall.

"I would think this ought to be enough. Let's head out, they might be waiting for us, if the winery is as big as this place." Said the Engineer.

The progress, however, was paused as a swarm broke from the conglomerate and went for the Sniper. But no attack came, instead several went for his arm, claiming a perch as more hovered benignly in the air around him.

"Seem friendly enough," The Sniper said, watching the tiny creatures that crawled about his arm.

"Right… Well, I guess as long as they don't sting anybody." The Engineer said uneasily.

It was a few minutes before the rest of the party reemerged from the Winery. Looking wet, but none the worse for wear. The sight of the bees hovering behind the Sniper a cause for a pause and puzzles looks, before the Medic snatched the mans wrist. "Ah, you found another one. Fascinating pattern to the skin. It seems this one produces a pheromone for your little friends, Ja?"

"Yeah. Bottle said something about insects. These one's been following me around since."

"And you're just gonna let them follow you around?" The Spy said incredulously.

"Well, I suppose so. Little buggers pack a punch, if the bogan we watched a different swarm take down are any indication."

"Well, speaking of bottles, we found plenty." Chimed the Demoman. "Should be more than enough for our little craft project and to drink while we're down here."

"Do you have all the components for the Lazarus Vector yet?" Atlas questioned through the radio.
"Everything but the Chlorophyll, but I saw a beaker labeled with the stuff back at Langfords." The Engineer replied.
"Then head back to Langford's lab and put the whole witches brew in the mister. That should clear this fog right up."

The way back was speckled here and there with a stray splicer, but ultimately a quiet journey back as they hurried along. Everyone eager to get back through the airlock and back to the late doctors lab.

"Don't fight the inevitable." Andrew Ryans voice crooned from the speakers. "You'll run out of Oxygen soon, and then you'll go to sleep." His sentence punctuated by the sound of an alarm, and the buzzing of motors as a swarm of flying turrets came pouring down into the room.

Jack and the Engineer stood, bolts of light flying from their hands as bullets flew from the others guns. Men running to dodge ones sent their way, though cries of pain went up as some found their marks. Feeling as if the fight lasted for hours, though in reality the alarm faded away within a minute, and with the last bot turned into a sparking heap, the onslaught was over.

"Is everyone okay?" The Heavy rumbled as the Medic fished a few medkits out from his pouch.

No wounds were deemed fatal, but naturally, none were pleasant, and the Doctor bothered with only the most severe before the group urged on, deciding the more minor wounds could be tended from the relative safety of Langfords office once the air wasn't declining.

The ugly smog that hung about in the air was worse in Acardia proper, only adding to the sense of urgency as they made their way back to the lab.

The Engineer hurried to grab the beaker filled with the Chlorophyll as they entered the office, and an empty canister from the mister. Muttering something under his breath about this sort of science not being something one of his degrees was for as the Medic went about tending to smaller wounds from the robotic attack.

"Here's our best shot." Said the Engineer, stepping up to the Mister, sliding the canister into place before he moved to hit the switch. The machine hissed and banged as it began to work at its own leisurely pace.

"Listen to that damn thing gurgle and crank. How long is it going to take?" Atlas hissed impatiently.

"Can't rightly say. It doesn't seem like its in much of a hurry." The Engineer replied, leaning against the machine.

"It seems Julie's death didn't provide a clear enough lesson to you." Ryan's voice said coolly. "Perhaps this will suffice."
"Ryan's got your number. No doubt he'll be sending company. Best to head back to the lab entrance and seal her up. Might be only way to keep the splicers out." Atlas urged.

"If they come, we will kill them." The Heavy said sternly.
Men jumped as the building gave a shake, and bits of drywall splattered from the ceiling to the floor.

"It might be a bit more serious than that." The Engineer said. "You fellas go. Spy and I'll keep watch in here, make sure he can't sabotage it somehow."

The sound of footsteps thundered as eight men hurried into the glass walled stairwell, the building giving another shake as they went.

"Whats that sound?" The Scout asked as they made their way through the first room of the lab.

"That would be that." Jack replied, pointing to a section of the wall spitting sparks as something cut through it into a rough rectangle shape. The section of wall falling to the floor with a clang as a scabby woman leapt out. Spinning unmoving to the floor at the blast from the Soldiers shotgun so close to her.

"Shite, they're coming from the bloody walls." Tavish cursed. "We're gon' have them coming at us from more than just the door."

"I'll go flip the switch. Cut em off that way at least." The Scout said, taking off through the other room. Hollering out as he went. "Another one cutting through the wall in here!"

"Spread out, don't let them overwhelm you and don't let them reach Herr Engineer!" The Medic barked, his saw held tight at the ready.

The sound of gunfire errupted from the reception area and the Scout appeared again, holding his own shotgun close. "So uh, bad news, switch is jammed or some shit. Dial thingy on it's going off like crazy and the lever won't budge, and they're coming!" Curses went all around at the news. Despite the boys slim build, no one raised any doubts he didn't pull at it with the same might as any one else in the group could have.

By the time the last of the third wave of Splicers that had descended on them, no one could say they weren't tired.
Tired, but relatively unhurt, compared to how things could have gone had most of the offending mutants wielded guns instead of rakes and other debris turned into makeshift weaponry.

The bees that had taken to following the Sniper had proved themselves a handy distraction.

"Well that was a damned annoying fight." The Demoman said when it was at last clear there were no more coming. His hand reflexively going to catch the pot his elbow nearly knocked over as he went to lean against one of the desks along the wall. Letting out an excited shout as he realized what he held in his hands.

"It worked! Lads, look!" The Demoman cried, pointing at the once shriveled and dead plants on the desks, now springing back to vibrant, feathery greenery.

"Well done, lads." Said Atlas "Take a deep breath and enjoy it. And then head over to Rolling hills and get the Bathysphere. Next stop is Ryan's house. It's time for blood."

"Let us get the others and leave this place. It is time to end this with the man in control." The Heavy said, waving the others onward behind him.

The Engineer and Spy hadn't been bothered. The office too isolated for even the Splicers who had cut through the walls to reach.
"Well, at least we will not die choking on our own breaths." The Spy said dryly, stepping passed the body of Dr Langford.

The strange concoction had worked its magic, and for once in their time down in Rapture, the air smelt fresh and clean as they stepped out into the Rolling Hills. The grass once again luscious and soft under their boots, and the trees full of green leaves and sweet blossoming flowers.
A more than welcome sight, after everything they had gone through thus far.

The door on the far end marked for the Metro stood unlocked, and opened to a short hallway, lined on either side with bubbling fountains, one of which was slightly broken and spilling its contents onto the floor, and small, shining effigies of the Great Chain set onto the wall.

"Why are you so resistant to the traditional methods of separating a man from his soul?" Andrew Ryan's voice came through Jacks radio. Ponderous. "You're not CIA, are you…. You belong to Atlas. The one roach I can't seem to exterminate. Don't worry, I just need time to find the right poison."

"We don't belong to Atlas. Hell, if he'd just ask we could tell him who bloody sent us down here." The Sniper said, shaking his head as he stepped around the puddle on the floor. "Not like he'd likely know what the company we work for is."

The Metro Station was a grand looking sight compared to the one they had arrived to. Looking, aside from forgotten possessions littered here and there, or a broken jukebox, to be relatively untouched by the rest of the madness of Rapture.
Well, aside from the great banner hanging high above, or the large, shining, golden effigies of Ryan's Great Chain set into the wall.

The Bathysphere sat waiting on the far side of the room, down the short flight of steps. It's door open wide and inviting as they all crammed themselves inside it. The Heavy heaving the door shut behind them.

"The only place on the list this thing says it goes to that we haven't been to is… Fort Frolic." Said the Engineer, looking at the labels beside the control lever. "Guess that's the next stop on this little journey of ours." He gave the lever a pull, and the Bathysphere descended into the darkness of the sea.

So I totally forgot about writing down the search for the Chlorophyll. I'm writing this as I play through it again myself, and totally spaced out on needing to write them going to find that too. So I said to heck with it, they can find it in Langfords office.

Also kinda glanced over the flying turret ambush and the waves of splicers you face while waiting on the vector to work because frankly I just didn't feel like writing so much fighting out. lol

Also just kinda skipped over writing the second group searching in the Winery for the water because aside from a few splicers and cameras. there's not really a whole lot that happens in that section of the game so I figured I'd write out the more action-y apiary part and have them just meet up after instead.

And yes, I'm aware that you don't get the Insect Swarm Plasmid from one of the Little Sisters gifts, and how i wrote it isnt how it works in game. But I wanted to make sure Sniper could get one too, and this one fit him best, and I realized that the mechanics for how it works in game wouldn't work so well from a writing standpoint, so Sniper gets to have an army of bees, now.

He deserves an army of bees, I think.