Shaking off the most recent of his seemingly endless mental lapses, Atlas was able to re-join Delta and continue to hold himself with some semblance of dignity. What little Rapture deemed to leave him with.
As he strode past Delta, Atlas could feel the big daddy's gaze on him. Couldn't' tell if it was one of question or judgement. Just as well Delta had no voice to chide him with, Atlas didn't have the patience currently.
Deciding to firmly ignore any sort of one sided discussion that might devolve into a one sides argument, Atlas instead focused his sights on yet another obstacle.
"A big gate with a bio-scan." He remarked dryly. "Fantastic."
When Tenenbaum first said security gate Atlas had thought perhaps her intention was to have Delta bust it down with his drill or something along more destructive, brute force lines. But taking one look at this thing he knew that wasn't going to be happening. For all the things that old crook had been, Fontaine was never known to be cheap. Add reasonable cause for paranoia onto that and you got some topgrade security.
Distantly Atlas wondered if this gate had also been designed by Valor's Home Defense and by extension wondered if Sinclair felt slighted by the sight of it. The thought was almost enough to shake some of his bad mood, but given how things had transpired back at the theater, the body still fresh in his mind, Atlas didn't have it in him to smile.
While Atlas scowled at the gate, sizing up their options and finding nothing particularly promising, Delta stepped forward. Standing before the gates, helmet tipped forward as he regarded the small panel attached left of the gate.
Atlas had to hand it to Delat and admit to his own discredit, that Delta at least had the conscious thought to actually try the normal way in rather than default to breaking in.
Pulling the lever a bright spark burst from the panel but after a moment of darkness it came sputtering and choking to life. A mechanical woman's voice rising from the speakers. "Initiating bio-scan." She chimed amicably and both he and Delta stood still as the scan washed over the big daddy.
The recorded voice seemed to pause. Processing the results before speaking up again, ever pleasant and lifeless. "Identifying clearance level." It only occured to Atlas then, just before the thought was confirmed aloud, that Delta likely had some sort of station here. They'd built the big daddies here after all.
"Identified: Clinical Trial Subject. Classification: Protector. Designation: Delta."
A stutter. Slight pause and then a small hitch. "Status Deceased. ERROR."
Atlas was ready to toss his hands up and call it busto, but just as calmly the robotic lady went on and so helpfully adjusted her records.
"Updating status of Subject Delta. Please stand by..."
"Well I'll be damned, that's gotta be the best customer support I've ever gotten." Atlas muttered under his breath. Too irked to truly be relieved by what seemed like a small mercy finally offered.
Less pleased was the current lord and master of the decaying business. Atlas heard Alex the Great's return before the nut job had even spoken. The familiar whirl of spinning mechanical fans alerting him to its return. The sound more distinct than other bots, simply because this was one still so broken after taking a head on blow from Delta.
That did get a smile on Atlas's face and he only felt happier upon turning and seeing the damaged thing practically hobbling its way through the air towards them. About as threatening as a lame pup.
"What's this?" Alex demanded in a shrill cry. "My secretary vouches for you?"
The offense lasted only a few seconds longer before recognition sparked in Alex and his tone became almost friendly. That edge of hostility never truly leaving, though Alex sounded rather jovial at his old creation's return. "Delta, eh...you're one of our old Protectors, yes? You're a fine product, Delta! Fine product indeed, one of our very best!"
While he was chattering away, Alex flew into what Atlas would consider Delta's personal bubble. But the former protector did nothing to impede the buzzing machine. Seeming to only passively watch and listen as Alex gushed on. Stroking his own ego rather.
"Built to last you are and last you have!" Alex congratulated himself for a fine product for the most part, though his tone dropped and became rather frosty after that.
"Perhaps a little too long, eh, old boy? Well, no matter. Once we're back in tip top shape, after you so rudely damaged my favourite bot, we'll have you refurbished. A bit of spit and shine. Why, you'll be right back to your marvelous self in no time!"
Atlas thought it about time he interjected, stepping ahead of Delta to scowl down at the glitching image of Alex's single twitchy eye. "Yeah, I don't think so." He snarled, finding himself rather pleased when Alex's bot jolted back and nearly tipped off balance in the air.
Coward to the end clearly.
It was easy to remember that when not standing in the shadow of the mountain of squirming, bulbos flesh that Alex had become. Here he was just some voice behind a busted up security screen.
Before Alex had the chance to start ranting again, or Atlas was given the opportunity to throw out some well meaning, but senseless, threats, the robotic woman's voice returned with news.
Designation: Delta. Status updated. Status: Active. Access Granted."
"Well." Atlas remarked, one hand on his hip as the other dangled his gun by his side. "Always nice to have the confirmation, right?" He certainly needed to be reminded once in a while that he was in fact alive.
Physically brushing Alex's bot aside, Delta passed through the security gates as they were lowered. Welcoming him back home in a rather morbid sense. Atlas lingered behind, watching the busted security bot whirl off in the other direction, likely returning to master to see if it could be repaired or replaced. The fact Alexander was still able to manage things coherently here was unsettling.
Stepping up to the reception desk, Atlas glanced over the side and took note of another body. His eyes didn't linger for long, passing over the woman as an afterthought as he instead sought out anything that remained to be useful. Again needing to quell the uncomfortable feeling in his gut that reminded him no one should care so little about the dead. But there were just so many dead in Rapture, how could he be expected to care for all of them?
Delta had moved off to the side, drawn towards the television monitor rather than the reception desk. The moment he was close enough, that screen popped to life with the memory of Gilbert's voice.
Greeting them once again, Gilbert expanded on his predicament a little further. Atlas was only distantly listening as Gilbert lamented the ADAM that he had been exposed to and then warned that the facility would have all defenses raised. As though they'd not already noticed that.
Atlas did not blink, though he saw Delta shifting uncomfortably from the corner of his eye, when Gilbert went on to ask that they kill him.
Finally Atlas glanced towards the screen, listening while holding onto a flat expression. Please kill me, Gilbert's old voice asked, I'd have done it myself, he claimed. But he couldn't and so the task had been imparted to them. Even though Gilbert had no way of knowing who would hear these final words or heed his last request. Lucky him. He got one of his old monsters and a man too tired to muster up the sympathy he required.
And yet, Atlas got a sinking feeling in his gut that told him they'd end up doing it anyway. If only because Delta seemed rather fixated on that screen. An old monster that was willing to provide mercy for its master. Great. Atlas could have reminded Delta of their limited timeframe. That his sanity and life were both on the line, but bit his tongue for a change.
Not as though Delta's massive bleeding heart was going to bend just because of that.
Then, at long last, Gilbert provided them with a password. Something useful finally.
"Ah...and on that cheery note," Gilbert's tired voice chimed. "You may use the diary lying near this screen to bypass the vocal print locks ahead and enter the security office. The password is 'Agnus Dei'."
The password wasn't enough with that vocal print in place, but Gilbert wasn't a fool. He knew that and no sooner than he spoke the password, a compartment next to the screen slid open. Atlas was quick to look inside and completely ignored the audio diary they had no doubt been supposed to priorities. Far too focused on the offering of a medkit and EVE hypo.
As he snatched them up, doing a mental check for what he had in his bag now, Delta more carefully took the password. Which, of course, Gilbert had recorded for them.
Despite himself, Atlas looked over at the sturdy box with Gilbert's voice inside and snarked, "Gilbert was supposed to be a genius sort, wasn't he? What sort of bleeding egghead leave their password recorded? Might as well note down all his crimes while he's at it." Snorting in amusement, Atlas tucked the medkit away in his bag and readjusted it over his shoulders.
Now, Atlas understood Delta was mute, but he also understood when Delta was trying to make it obvious that he was being ignored. "Yeah, real cute, tinman. Acting like you can't hear- hey!" Atlas snapped as Delta strode past Atlas, heading for the security office without acknowledging his comments at all. "You're mute, not deaf!"
Flat out ignored. Typical.
Atlas was left to his grousing as Delta once again kicked up conversation with an animated woman's voice. "Please speak password to enter." She chimed with that manufactured friendliness and when Delta provided the recording Gilbert had left them with, Atlas swore the AI sounded satisfied.
"Access Granted. Welcome, Gil Alexander." She greeted ever so brightly. It irritated Atlas knowing that he was absolutely never going to sound as blissfully and stupidly content as some automated voice box, in all his life. Perhaps he was looking for things to be frustrated with.
He needn't bother as a genuine reason came buzzing back into the scene rather quickly.
This time when Alex's drone came flying by, it did so with a speed that startled Atlas from his brooding and it took him a moment to realise that this was because it was a different machine. Rushing up to replace the one that Delta had damaged, it screamed just as piercing as the original had.
"I heard that!" The Alex bot raged. "My likeness is company property, Delta! Just like you are. Don't make me trip you for parts, me laddo!"
"Laddo?" Atlas repeated dryly, feeling more than a little put off by that one.
Wholly unfussed by Atlas's disdain, the Alex box rushed over to the voice lock, cleared his throat and then began to positively shriek. The sound so unpleasant that Atlas didn't even realise the sound was supposedly meant to be singing until Sinclair's mortified voice came across the radio.
"Ah, he's jamming the voice print lock with all that awful croonin'!"
That...is that how computer security systems worked? That didn't sound right. But hell, what did he know about fancy technology?
Enough to know that if you busted it bad enough it tended to stop working. And if there ever was singing bad enough to bust something, Alex's took the cake.
Overloaded the security lock stuttered out, confused and glitching till it gave a pitiful little poof of sparks and smoke. Alex let out a triumphant cry while Atlas uncovered his ears with a vicious scowl. "You are real determined to be a right pain in my arse aren't you, Gil?" He growled under his breath.
Immediately the bot was up in his personal space, staring him down with that one manically twitching eye. "That's Alex the Great, to you, simpleton!" It corrected him vehemently. "I am the lifeblood of this company and I will be afforded the respect I deserve! The scrutiny booth is far above Delta's pay grade and you're little more than a leech attached to his side! Not even qualified to scrub the bathrooms!"
With that Alex's little drone took off again, a job well done, leaving Atlas to scowl after it. "You know, I wasn't massively keen on this little side mission but if we could drain that mad dog's tank I'd be mighty pleased."
"For once I think you and I are in agreement, old boy." Sinclair chimed across the radio, sounding half as tired as Atlas felt. "See if you can find some way to sabotage his control of the building security. This loon is putting as many road blocks in our way as he can."
With the security booth a bust for now Atlas took to looking around what they had to work with. Thinking about how they'd have to backtrack no doubt.
Only to notice that…well the door to the rest of Fontaine Futuristics was now open. At first Atlas was bewildered. They hadn't worked on opening that. His answer hit him like a train and Atlas was too dumbfounded to even laugh.
"He left the door open." Atlas breathed, unable to process the sheer level of idiocy for a moment.
Alex had come flying through that door and when he left he'd seemingly forgotten to close it. Allowing them access to a majority of the building.
"Holy shit. The stupid son of a bitch didn't close the door when he left...jesus christ, he's insane and stupid." While Atlas tried to reconcile just how conveniently stupid Alex was, Delta took the reigns once again and hed through the door provided to them.
But Atlas could see the big boy's shoulder shaking a little bit. Laughter. "Knew you had a funny bone left in you, tinman." He mused, satisfied that he was not the only one bemused and entertained by Alex's ludicrous behaviour
Adjusting the bag once again, Atlas looked around as they left the little entrance way. Catching sight of a caved in wall that was leaking at an alarming degree. Another small reminder that every second Alex wasted making them run around was another second they got closer to ending up on the ocean floor.
Opposite the leak was a steadily growing vita-chamber. Atlas caught sight of many around Rapture now days, they stood out to him more so now he'd been tossed out of one. He still idly wondered if he'd be thrown out again if he died, but decided not to test that theory.
Then finally, just as he was about to leave the area, Atlas's eyes caught on one of the many Fontaine Futuristic propaganda like advertisement.
'Fontaine Futuristics!' It read in big, enthusiastic letters. ' We are the future!'
"What a lovely future." Atlas muttered under his breath, holding Fontaine almost as responsible for Rapture's decay as Ryan. Plasmids hadn't been the cause of this mess, but they escalated everything so rapidly and even now it left Atlas uneasy.
Wondering how long Tenenbaum's theory would hold true on him and if suddenly he'd be just like everyone else. Body eating itself alive to fuel the ADAM inside of it. Leaving on the husk of himself behind.
It was a thought that would have kept him up at night if he ever had the chance to sleep a full night again. He barely slept anymore, just passed out when it was safe enough to do so. Or he got knocked out again. What a life he lived.
Entering what could be considered the central hub of Fontaine Futuristics, Atlas found himself a little taken aback that the place still sort of took his breath away. He'd hand it to those rich fucks, they certainly knew how to build a place. Staring at the large staircase that sat centrestage, Atlas peered up and noted that the highest point of the stairs had broken away and hoped they'd not have to claw their way up there for any reason.
Given his track record, Atlas almost expected Alex to come flying back in just to tell them they had to. Atlas had never tried punching a security bot before, but for this he might just make an exception.
Looking to Delta's back he noticed the big daddy had stilled and in turn felt himself tense. Coming to a halt just behind Delta he no longer heard his own wet footsteps and listened to the place.
There was scurrying above them, around corners and in the dark. Splicers muted footsteps splashing here and there as they darted through puddles carelessly, the scrap of metal against walls where the spider bastards scuttled and, distantly, the groan of a big daddy.
Holding his pistol a little tighter, Atlas bit down an aggravated sigh, that would have admittedly been a touch anxious had he let it out. "You watch my back and I got yours, yeah?" He murmured near inaudibly to Delta. Only knowing he'd been heard by the slight tilt of Delta's head.
"Then let's start clearing the place."
Atlas knew he'd leave bodies with ease, but despite Delta's massive statue and being a certified tank on legs, he didn't think the kid would feel so indifferent as he. What a terrible bleeding heart to stuff into a killing machine.
There'd be time to let new ghosts haunt them when they survived this.
And with all the ones Atlas already had floating around, what were a few more anyway?
Laid out before them was yet another unfortunate former employee of Alex's and he'd left the usual message of 'Fired! Fired! Fired!' around the body. It was pinned up to the wall by harpoons that Atlas cringed over. Not wanting to encounter a splicer wielding a gun like that.
So imagine his surprise when Delta went to collect them. Plucking each from the body till it collapsed to the ground in a heap. Atlas continued to watch on, confused at Delta placed each one over his shoulder and into a little compartment strapped to his back, but with no gun to fire them.
"What do you plan to do with those?" Atlas asked and Delta stopped from placing the last one into his makeshift quiver. Turning to Atlas in a way that seemed almost eager, like he wanted to show off.
Laying the spear flat in his hand Delta made sure Atlas was watching before activating his plasmid. The telekinesis picked the spear up, waving it around before straightening out, aiming it and without even needing to toss his arm, Delta hurled the spear into the far wall where it buried itself deep into the cement, pulling a flinch from Atlas.
"I'll be damned…" He cursed, genuinely rather amazed. It made perfect sense and yet Atlas was constantly taken aback by Delta's abilities. They really had made a perfect weapon out of a sweet kid.
"Well, make sure you watch where you toss those. Might take out someone's eye." Once more the seemingly unimpressed air settled around Delta. Atlas offered little more than a smirk and a shrug. "Mine specifically." He clarified.
It was a joke but Delta seemed to take it on board and this time when Atlas saw Delta's hand lifting he knew full well what he wanted to do. Could have tried swatting him away but instead rolled his eyes and let the behemoth lay his massive gloved hand atop his head and give a slight ruffle. Atlas had more or less given up on that front, figured the action was more a comfort to Delta than anything else.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." He groused. "You got my back."
Satisfied, Delta gave a slight nod and pulled the spear back to him with the same force he'd flung it away with. The tip was no longer sharp, but with the force behind Delta's throw it'd likely be deadly all the same and it was placed over his shoulder with the others.
Just as it was safely stored away the familiar sound of scuttling sounded above them. Both turned their eyes upward to see if the splicer was on the ceiling but Atlas saw through a crack in the ground that it was on the second floor, the shadow passing over them abruptly.
Before Atlas could stategise himself, the radio came buzzing to life. He expected Sinclair once again, but instead it was Tenenbaum's steady voice that filtered through the sturdy box.
"Her Atlas, Delta." Her voice was hushed, maybe attempting not to bring too much attention to them. "There are two floors in Fontaine Futuristics that may contain signal relay devices that are under Alex's control. Four exist and should be placed evenly across this facility."
She paused, almost as if hesitant to make such a suggestion and with a deep breath forced herself on. "For the sake of time...you must clear both floors in short time...I would suggest that you part ways to achieve this."
"You want us to split up. Because that couldn't possibly end badly." Atlas muttered, but he understood what Tenenbaum was getting at. They didn't know the location of these things and it would cost them time to go around searching together. It was a dangerous approach, maybe suicidal for Atlas, but he stole a glance at Delta and thought about how the big daddy's body shut down bit by bit the longer this took and how Alex chewed up their time.
Too much more and Delta's mind might snap before his body did.
So, despite his dislike for the idea, Atlas sighed and agreed. "Alright. I hear ya."
Given his approval, Tenenbaum talked hastily. There was an edge to her tone that Atlas couldn't place. As though this was some greatly important decision. Sure, it was risky, but Tenenbaum's attitude set him on edge. Made him increasingly uneasy.
"Her Delta, please clear the first floor. It is sturdy, the second floor is untrustworthy, Atlas, please head up there."
"Oh yeah. Where the spider splicers are. Brilliant." Frowning Atlas glanced to Delta. "You'll be listening through that radio in your helmet, yeah? Just keep and ear out if you hear me screaming bloody murder." It felt a little strange to be actively asking for help, but Atlas felt he'd long since given up trying to distance himself from Delta's assistance. He'd rather be alive than proud.
He was given another slight nod from Delta that should not have been as comforting as it was. Nodding back, Atlas gripped his gun a bit closer and tested his own plasmid. As much as it pained him to rely on the thing, it provided him with some peace of mind to know he could if the situation got messy.
"Alright, meet you back here once we're finished raining on Alex's parade."