A Protector's Guilt
Iota walked down the hallway of the Athena's Glory Hotel aimlessly, the plush red carpet compressing beneath her under the weight of her armored boots. The bright lights lining the side of the hall illuminating the passage way before her. The hallway was in perfect condition, like it had never been put through the amount of damage years of war and neglect could cause. No rips in the wallpaper, no cracks in the walls themselves, there weren't even any rust spots on the brass wall mounts that held the lights in place, everything was simply normal. The passage was endless as far as she could see both behind her and in front of her, steel doors lined the hall dotting the white and cream colored wallpaper, interupting the flow of the wallpaper's intricit design. How did she get here, where was she? Her memory was foggy, nothing about this situation made any sense to her, she needed to get out of here, needed to find... who did she need to find? Why did she need to get out of here? The Protector held the side of her head and tried to consentrate, to grasp the memory of why she was where she was, or where she even was to begin with. It was like trying to look through a fog. A brief moment of lucidity came over her but vanished as quickly as it had come, she had almost remembered something, something important but everytime she felt close it slipped away again, like she was trying to grasp smoke in her hands. She shook her head and continued walking in her confused state, eyeballing each door she passed, looking back over her shoulder to view the endless path behind her. Iota heard a child's laughter echo around her prompting her to stop moving, it was a girl's voice. The voice sounded familiar to her, like she had been very close to whomever it belonged to but she just couldn't remember. The laughter had filled the empty silence of the hallway from all around at once it seemed, she looked around but found no one. She heard the laugh again on the other side of a door to her right, a feeling of urgency washed over her, like she needed to find this mysterious girl at all costs, it felt like finding her was the difference between life and death, some unknown force had begun to pull her toward the source of the voice; an invisible hand pushing her, forcing her to find the girl. She moved to the other side of the hallway and hit the door control button, the metal barrier slid upward with the sound of a gentle swishing and Iota peeked inside. The room was pitch black with one overhead light shining in the middle, underneath the light was a small girl in a clean blue dress, a white bow tied around her waist that rested on her lower back with a matching one holding her long hair in a ponytail. The girl was laughing as she played with various toys in front of her, Iota could only see the girl's back as she swayed from side to side as she hummed a song to herself. The song sounded familiar to her too, like she knew it from somewhere, like she had sang it herself before, the soft notes the girl was humming sounded like a lullaby, somber and slow, drawing the Protector forward. Iota hesitently stepped forward into the dark room, the closer she got to the girl she noticed her humming had stopped.
She sat still now and Iota felt a dark, unnerving feeling in her gut and instinctively tried to scan the darkness around her for danger.
"It's all your fault Big Sister..." She heard the girl say as she kept her back to the Protector, Iota's eyebrows scrunched in confusion and shock. Was the girl talking to her, was she her Sister, what was her fault?
"It hurt so much Big Sister, it hurt both of us so much..." She spoke again in a dark tone, devoid of emotion. Iota blinked and another figure appeared sitting beside the girl, a Man in a black body suit with matching armor attachments, a Protector's suit, just like hers. His back was toward her as well, unmoving, silently sitting there staring into the darkness ahead. Who were they she wondered, they seemed so familiar, she tried to remember. It felt like her answer was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't quite get it. As hard as she tried to remember she simply couldn't, something inside of her was keeping the memory buried, like she herself was unknowingly forcing the memory away, but why? Why did she feel that way? Why didn't she want to remember whatever it was the girl was talking about?
"You were supposed to protect us Big Sister... You were supposed to save us... Why didn't you save us Big Sister?" She heard the girl say, but they didn't move, they only sat there like stone. It caused Iota's heart to speed up, she didn't understand any of it, what had happened to them, what was her fault? The two figures suddenly turned around to face her, when Iota stared into their black eyes her memories came flooding back to her with a shockwave of pain ripping it's way through her head. Iota growled in pain as she put her hands on the sides of her head, dropping to her knees.
Her Mate, her Sister, the fire... it was her fault. She failed her duty, her mission... her purpose. Iota gasped when she recognized them, her Sister and Mate. She stared into their eyes, black, colorless, all consuming, she put her gloved hands over her mouth as tears slid from her eyes. They were wide with the realization of what she had done, what she had caused, the memories poured into her mind like one of Rapture's broken windows, the memories like water, flowing in uncontrollably.
"It's YOUR FAULT BIG SISTER!" Lizzy screamed as both her and Omega burst into flames, Iota screeched desperately as she tried to run to them to extinguish the fire but she couldn't go anywhere, she was stuck merely feet away from them running but not moving. Fire surrounded all of them in a wide ring as Omega and Lizzy's skin began to bubble and melt off to reveal the muscle and tendons underneath, Iota dropped to her knees and screamed for them, begging the fire to stop. She reached for them but all they could do was scream as their flesh melted away, eventually leaving skeletons behind.
It was her fault... She had started the fire... She had killed them. Iota sat on her knees hugging herself as she wept, the feeling of pain in her chest was unbearable, some evil being was tormenting her, stabbing her with a blade right to the heart. Iota pulled the diving knife from her ankle sheath and pointed it at her stomach where her ADAM Slug was nestled, she tried to thrust it in, tried to end the terrible pain she felt but couldn't, no matter how hard she tried the blade wouldn't move. It felt like an invisible wall was blocking the weapon, not giving an inch.
"No... You don't deserve that... it's too easy." Iota jumped when she heard another voice again, dark and twisted, sinister in tone. She looked up to see her own image standing in front of her. But it wasn't her, this new Iota was sneering at her with pitch black eyes, showing her fangs.
"You killed them, you're worthless! You're the reason they're dead!" Her dark doppleganger growled, her voice warped and full of malice. Iota had never heard her own voice before, or if she had she didn't remember it. This version of her however, sounded nothing like she had imagined her voice sounding. The sinister way she spoke made Iota flinch, she didn't like the way her voice sounded, like a death rattle seeping forth from her voice box and crawling over her teeth toward the Protector.
"I wonder how long they burned before they died? How painful do you think it was?" The doppleganger asked her with an eerie smile that made Iota's skin crawl.
"But you already know don't you?" It asked her with a knowing smile as it licked it's lips. Iota shook her head furiously, she just wanted this demon to go away, she didn't want to listen to it's voice anymore... her voice. When Iota opened her eyes again the specter was gone, but Lizzy was now standing before her just as she had been before the other Iota had shown up.
The girl's skin was charred and melted in places, horrible blotches of half burned skin littered her tiny arms and legs. Her face was pale, her eyes grey and lifeless. She knelt down in front of Iota and placed her small hands on her cheeks, Iota stared at her in horror.
"Why do you look so surprised Big Sister... You did this to me, to both of us." Lizzy said quietly as Omega appeared to stand behind her, his visage just as gory and horrifying as Lizzy's. Iota squinted her eyes closed tight and screamed. When she opened them... they were gone.
She was in her room in the Athena's Glory Hotel, laying on her bed sweating heavily, everything was back to normal. Iota shakily sat up, and looked around in shock. Was it just a dream, a terrible nightmare? She took a moment to take in her surroundings. The window to the right of her bed bathing her familiar room in it's beautiful blue light, the dim light of Rapture creating enough light for her night vision to illuminate the entire room for her. Her armor folded neatly and placed on her dresser, her helmet sitting on top of the pile and her armor attachments close by. Movement to her right caused her to look over, laying on the bed next to her was her lover. Omega was asleep, he looked so peaceful with the blue light of the window reflecting off of his pale skin, he looked content, she smiled gently as she brushed his pale cheek with her hand. Omega, sensing the touch of his Mate opened his eyes slowly and smiled at her sleepily, Iota stared at him for a moment before she lunged forward to hug him and kiss him fiercely, but when she pulled away horror once again filled her. Omega's skin was melting everywhere her skin was touching him, flames broke out burning him. Iota tried to pat the flames out but every time her hand touched him more flames ignited.
"Can you imagine what he went through? Burning alive because the one person he loves the most in this world betrayed him? Because we betrayed him?" Iota heard her own sinister voice echo in her head as she tried frantically, desperately to put the flames out.
"We betrayed him!..." Her voice rang in Iota's ears, Omega was flailing as he tried to put the flames out, he growled in rage as he pushed Iota off of him. The Big Sister flew off of the bed and onto the floor, she felt the wood beneath her give out and more flames surrounded her until she hit something solid. It felt like she had fallen a good fifteen feet, when her back and head impacted the ground again the air left her and stars filled her vision. Iota groaned as she sat up, when she looked around she realized she was in the burning hallway she had last seen Omega, she looked toward the wall of fire she had created. Omega and Lizzy were holding hands with their backs to the flames, they smiled at her calmly. Iota stood up shakily and stared at them with dread in her eyes as her own dark doppleganger appeared behind them, a hand on each of their shoulders and pulled them backward. They took a step back toward the flames together. Iota's eyes widened and she shot toward them, sprinting with the intent to stop them from being burned, every instinct she had telling her to save them, protect them. When she reached them she grabbed Lizzy by her dress and Omega by his suit's chest armor, her dark image materializing beside her to stare at her with pure anger and hatred.
"I am you, and you are me... and we... betrayed them." Her voice said as she put both of her hands next to Iota's, instead of pulling them away from the fire like she had intended... they both pushed them in... together. A combined effort that Iota had no control over, she couldn't do anything to stop her hands from moving on their own, she knew her darker self was right. They had betrayed them, killed them, murdered them... it was her fault.
Iota felt more pain wash over her as they were engulfed, screaming, dying.
She dropped to her knees again and screamed as she scratched at her eyes with her gloved fingers, she just wanted this to stop, wanted it to end. Why couldn't she save them, why couldn't she keep them safe no matter how hard she tried?! She felt the heat of the flames die away and the swirling movement of air around her as she wept.
When Iota finally had the strength and courage to open her eyes again, still red and stinging with tears... she was in Lizzy's room. Lizzy sat with her back toward her... humming as she played with her toys. Iota could only stare, she shook her head and rocked herself back and forth as her broken mind tried in vein to make sense of this Hell.
. . .
Anna stared out over the endless darkness around them as she held on to her older Sister for what little comfort there was to be had, endless... they were endless. She could see dozens of NeoSplicers in the darkness just feet away from them, she could hear more beyond the range of her night vision. Three dozen, four dozen, five, a hundred, a thousand? There was no way of knowing just how many of the Creatures were lurking in the shadows, back alleys, on rooftops, and in the buildings themselves. It made her skin crawl with both anger and disgust. Vermin, she thought, they were nothing more than Vermin, just like the Splicers. They didn't deserve a pulse, they certainly didn't deserve to take her or her Sister's pulses. Anna tried to steady her shaking arm as she aimed her Harvester toward her Sister's stomach but it was no use, what she was thinking, what she was about to do went against everything she knew, everything she had ever been taught... everything she ever believed. The thought nearly made her heart stop, the thought of ending her own Sister's life made her stomach turn flips, she wanted nothing more than to throw up right then and there.
After this she would be completely and utterly... alone, Just as Iota and Omega had been before they finally crossed paths. The thought terrified her, she had never been alone before, she had always had Lizzy with her... Lizzy. Another wave of heartache washed over her followed by that damnable ringing in her ears. Anna took a deep breath and tried to calm her shattered nerves, it felt like she was trying to wrestle a Big Daddy. She knew it would only get worse once she had... laid her Sister to rest. Why did things have to turn out this way, why did they have to be born into a world of such cruelty and malice? She had heard Splicers pray sometimes, she never gave it much thought. They would pray for salvation, forgiveness, all manner of things but in the end it never seemed to help them. They were stuck in this Hell just like she was, Anna looked up at the black ceiling far above them. No, she wouldn't be doing any praying anytime soon, she was sure if this "God" existed... he hated them. Why else would he put them in such a miserable place, force them into life or death situations every single day... force them to lose their Family. She quickly shook off the notion of divine intervention when she looked back at her Sister's face. Her eyes were wide, glowing a bright crimson, the sign of insanity. Her mouth hung open slightly, mouthing silent apologies to whatever hallucinations she was trapped inside. Everything about her screamed agony, pain... torture. Anna couldn't imagine a worse existence, after all, she had experienced something like it when her mental conditioning wore off. Trapped inside endless, looping nightmares with no way to make them stop, forced to relive the worst moments in your life forever. The thought made Anna grit her teeth as tears fell from her eyes, such a cruel world shouldn't exist, she wished it didn't, she wished it would all burn to the ground. Rapture, the surface... the Heavens, she wished it would all just... burn. She wished it would all come crumbling down in a beautiful display of fire and death, swallow everything and everyone... maybe then there would be peace.
Anna sneered at the NeoSplicers that were watching her, waiting for the fire of the Hotel to finally die so they could feast, it only served to fill her with more rage.
"Fuck You!" She screamed as she launched a fireball into a NeoSplicer's face, it screeched in pain and squirmed on the floor as it tried to extinguish the fire, finally retreating into the darkness only for a new one to take it's place in the crowd. Anna growled at how infuriating it was, being able to slaughter any number of them only for more to take their places, she wished they would just drop dead, drop dead while writhing in unbearable pain. She looked back over to her Sister again, she wouldn't let these disgusting Creatures have their way with her. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of it, she would do it... she would end her Sister's pained existence and cremate her body until all they could get was ash. When she did that she would kill as many of the Bastards as she could before they got her, make them feel as much pain as she possibly could.
Anna clenched her fist and aimed her Harvester at Iota's stomach, right where she knew her ADAM Slug would be nestled, it would only take one well placed thrust and Iota wouldn't have to feel anymore guilt, anymore sorrow... anymore pain.
"Big Sister..." She whispered as she looked at Iota's face, frozen in that horrified expression as the tears poured down her pale cheeks and dripped off her chin. Anna brushed some of her Sister's black hair away from her eye and tucked it behind her ear the way she always wore it when she was around Omega.
"Thank you..." She said softly as her eyes flickered a pinkish red. She could hear the ringing returning along with the rage that had consumed her earlier.
"Thank you for always being there for us, thank you for giving us some notion of safety and joy in this Hell... Thank you for being my Sister..." Anna said as she gently kissed Iota's cheek and buried her head into the crook of her Sister's neck, Anna extended her Harvesting Needle and began to weep. A cold chill ran down her spine and she felt like she was going to vomit, but she wouldn't let the NeoSplicers get their claws on Iota, she would end her torment instantly... it was the least she could do for someone that had saved her and given her new life. She owed her an unpayable debt, a debt so vastly enormous it could swallow the world. She placed the tip of her Harvester against Iota's stomach where she knew her ADAM Slug would be and drew in a deep shaking breath, every instinct in her body screaming at her to stop.
"I love you..." Anna whispered as she gritted her teeth and tightened the muscles in her arm.
She trembled as she thrust her Harvester forward toward her Sister's stomach, just as the needle touched the fabric of Iota's suit a bright, blinding light washed over them causing Anna to stop. She blinked rapidly as her eyes tried adjusting to the new light, a massive wave of pained screeching filled the air, endless and terrible, like Hell itself had opened it's gates for a tour. Anna's head darted around and her eyes went wide when she finally saw the massive amount of NeoSplicers on the ground, walls, and ceiling. It looked like Rapture had transformed into a living being and was writhing in pain, the sheer amount of them was staggering, like the City itself had been built out of living bodies all squirming as they looked for the safety of their darkness. They scrambled frantically, blindly searching for refuge from the light that washed over them.
In a matter of minutes they had all escaped back to where they had come from, all except the ones she and her Friends had killed on their way to and from the District's exit. The comparison of before and after was almost unbelievable, silence washed over them, the only sounds present were the low hum of electricity and pounding of Anna's own heart in her ears. She sat there dumbfounded as she looked around the once black streets, questions bombarding her mind before she turned back to notice her Harvester still pointed at Iota's stomach. She gasped and let out a cry as she retracted her weapon, appalled at what she had almost done. She wrapped her arms around her Sister and held on to her tightly, relief washing over her, it was a bittersweet relief though. Iota was still trapped inside her own personal Hell, and Anna was basically alone. Now what would she do?
Omega opened his left eye, pain filling his right as he remembered the scratch that had torn it's way through it. It felt like he had gone toe to toe with a group of rogue Alpha Series Big Daddies, needless to say he was in a massive amount of pain. It was almost to the point of blinding his good eye, he coughed as his head jolted up to look for Lizzy, he finally found her asleep on his side using his arm as a means to get warmth. He sighed and laid his head back down when he noticed something strange, the light in the room wasn't red anymore... it was white. The Brother lifted his head again to see all of the lights on the Computers had come back on, now confusion filled him. How had the power come back on, had he turned it back on in his unconscious state and couldn't remember? He looked back down at Lizzy when she shifted to get closer to him, he arched his eyebrow as he looked at the small smile on her sleeping face. Had Lizzy turned the power back on? Omega slowly and painfully sat up, picking his sleeping Sibling up to cradle her with his right arm careful not to wake her. She was exhausted and understandably so, he too was exhausted but couldn't fully rest yet. He still had too much to do, find Iota, Anna, their Allies, and above all else... keep Lizzy safe. It would be next to impossible to protect Lizzy on his own in his current state, he just didn't have the strength. He wished he were still unconscious so his regeneration could focus on healing his wounds but his Protector instincts wouldn't allow it, they were a blessing and a curse sometimes. His instincts constantly bombarded him with a drive to keep Lizzy safe, they wouldn't let him remain unconscious for very long so his healing factor was working at a snails pace. Omega stretched his aching neck and tried to keep his mind off of the pain, it was agonizing, every small movement, every breath filled him with both soreness from old wounds and sharp pain from newer ones. Every step he took was like walking through a blender filled with salt.
The Brother looked at the metal door to the room and eyed it suspiciously, it was dented, almost to the point of being busted down, small chunks of concrete littering the floor around the metal barrier. What had happened while he was regenerating? He began inspecting the computer terminals with their various blinking lights and noticed spots of blood on a console, there in the dust were tiny handprints and some smeared blood. The Brother looked down at Lizzy and gently rolled each of her hands over until he found the source of the blood. A gash ran across the palm of her right hand, Omega gave a slight smile as pride flooded into him and the events that took place during his unconsciousness unfolded in his mind, Omega knelt and began bandaging Lizzy's hand as the situation played out in his mind. The NeoSplicers had tried to get in so she turned the power back on to protect them, when he looked toward his feet he saw two used first aid syringes laying next to the puddle of his blood, his eyes moving toward the makeshift bandages that littered his arms and legs, not to mention the blood stains up to the poor girl's elbows. She had done everything in her power to help him, both of them, he couldn't help but feel proud of her. He was sure when she got older she would be a force to be reckoned with herself, provided he could get them out of Rapture safely. Omega adjusted Lizzy's sleeping form in his arm trying not to make her too uncomfortable with the backpack on her back and slowly limped his way toward the exit, maybe with the lights on he could actually find a way to the surface. When he got to the door he listened for any sound of threats on the other side, finding none he pried the door open with his left the metal door groaned open he could see the tunnel in front of him had lights lining the ceiling above, he looked down at Lizzy again, she most certainly got rid of her "Monsters". The tunnels were silent, empty, safe. Omega limped his way down the tunnels finding signs when he could, resting against a wall every now and then when he was out of breath. His wounds weren't helping but all he had to do was find the way back to the Hotel, find his Mate, Anna, and their Allies, then they would be safe.
After stumbling through the now lit tunnels Omega eventually found a lone ladder leading to a manhole to the street above. The Brother sighed as he looked down at Lizzy, he could only imagine how hard it would be to climb the ladder with only one arm and a broken leg but she deserved the break, after all, it was only because of her that he wasn't being swarmed by NeoSplicers right now. Omega steadied himself as he prepared for the climb, he calmed his breathing and began. The Protector hooked his elbow around one of the ladder's steps and pulled himself up shakily, then he placed his back against the wall and reached for another step with his free arm. It felt like it took hours to get to the top, he was lucky though that the ladder's tunnel allowed him to use his back and air tanks to rest now and then by leaning against the tunnel's wall. when he reached the top he braced his back against the wall one last time and used his free arm to push the Manhole cover out of the way, it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, he grunted as he slid the cover aside causing a scraping sound to resonate through the silent streets above. When he climbed out into the bright light and fresh, or mostly fresh air, felt amazing. His body however, did not, he felt some of his wounds reopen and warm blood leaking inside of his suit, he needed to find Iota and Anna, or their Allies fast, anyone that could watch over Lizzy and keep her safe while he rested to heal.
Standing on the street Omega wiped the sweat off of his forehead and panted as he looked down both ends of the street. Dead NeoSplicers were dotting the cement floor leaving a very obvious trail Anna and the others had created, he didn't see any Human or Protector bodies yet so there was still hope. The thought flashed into his mind, what would he do if he found Iota or Anna, laying in a pool of their own blood... a lifeless look in their eyes, terror on their faces. The thought haunted him, mostly because he knew it was possible, all he had to do was look at his own wounds to know that. He didn't know where Anna and the Humans had gone but he did hear her say she left Iota at the Hotel... Danny had said her eyes were red, had her mind broken? Had she slipped into madness while he was gone? The Brother kept thinking on the subject as he turned and began the long walk back to their former base, prodding the tender skin around the four large gashes of his right eye and wincing at the sudden pain and soreness. It didn't help anything but to take his mind off of the other parts of his body that continuously hurt, which was everything.
As he walked Omega gathered ADAM from some of the dead NeoSplicers that were lying about, only managing to scavenge a few drops at a time from the Creatures, he was forced to inject it directly into his veins since the container of his Harvester was broken. He felt his regeneration kick back in, starved for a source of fuel since it had been continuously healing him however and whenever it could since the Hotel's collapse. He felt his legs shaking, they still felt like they each weighed a ton and every time he moved more pain made itself known. His right leg was still broken and made his movement difficult but all he had to do was look down at the sleeping girl in his arm to gain his second, third, and fourth wind. Omega softly shifted Lizzy into his left arm and placed the tip of his Harvester on the pavement below using it as a crutch, the pain in his leg had become unbearable and he wanted to keep off of it as much as possible. Every step felt like someone was sending a jolt of lightning up his leg and into the other wounds in his body, like they were communicating and all they could say to each other was "Add more pain.". It was aggravating to say the least, but he would deal with it, he had to deal with it, for Lizzy's sake. She was his purpose, his life, all of his Family was, and he aimed to get them out of this damn City one way or another. Omega limped on, despite the horrid amount of pain he felt, despite the broken state of his body or the dark thoughts that haunted his mind. He was at his limit, he had never been in such unbelievable pain before, continuous pain that enveloped the Guardian and muted the world around him. He looked back down at Lizzy with numb exhaustion on his features, she was still sound asleep, a content smile on her small pink lips. His mind flashed back through all they had been through up to this point and gave a weak smile, if he had to do it all over again... he would.
When Omega turned the last street corner his eyes narrowed at the sight of the Hotel, blurry as his sight was he could still tell it was in ruins, nothing but rubble and fire, smoke and ash. Steel support beams sticking up toward the ceiling as flames licked the red hot bases of them, he sneered when he saw the metal beams because he had likely hit more than a few of them on his way down in the collapse. His eyes quickly shifted to the two forms in front of the Hotel watching the smoke and flames, it was Iota and Anna. She hadn't left Iota behind after all, but something was wrong. Why was Iota just sitting there, had she been there the whole time? Lizzy shifted in Omega's arms and let out a soft groan as she shifted to get more comfortable in her Brother's arm. The sound of her voice forcing Anna's head to look up in utter shock, she stared for a moment, not believing if the sight in front of her was real or a figment of her breaking sanity as it teetered on the edge. Her eyes were wide open, and Omega watched her closely as she slowly stood up, her hands covering her mouth. He noticed her eyes, the bright crimson color they emitted as tears streaked out of them and his stomach sank. The picture of what had happened beginning to take hold.
"It can't be!" Anna whispered, shaking her head as she ran toward them, when she reached them she could only stare back and forth between her older Brother and her younger Sister. The younger Protector gasped when she realized she wasn't hallucinating and wrapped her arms around both of her Siblings as tears leaked down her face. When she pulled away Omega noticed her eyes were already starting to brighten when she saw Lizzy, like her mere presence was washing away the negative side effects of her absence. Anna slowly and gently brushed some of Lizzy's hair away from her eyes, the peaceful look on her face was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed. Lizzy opened her eyes slowly as she wiped the sleep from them, when she realized who she was looking at her eyes shot open in surprise.
"Anna?" Lizzy whispered in surprise, she wasn't expecting her to be the first person she saw when she awoke. Anna broke down completely as she nodded with a chuckle of unimaginable joy, she reached out and hugged Lizzy and Omega fiercely once more. Omega let Anna take Lizzy, the older Sister hugged her tightly and both Siblings began weeping at their unexpected reunion. it felt like an eternity had passed since they had last seen each other, an eternity of life or death situations and adrenaline fueled hours. Anna looked up at her Brother and examined his wounds, the ones she could see were horrible. He looked like he had died, gone to Hell, killed everyone there, and climbed back out again. She shook her head in between sobs, she was positive if anyone was capable of such a feat it would be him, Lizzy had hardly a scratch on her and it only served to glorify her Brother's image in her eyes. The lack of wounds on Lizzy only further proved his esteem as an unyielding Protector.
"Thank you Brother! Thank you! I tho-... We thought you were dead! Both of you." Anna said to him, but he wasn't paying attention, his gaze rested on Iota as she sat on her knees gently rocking herself back and forth. He wore a confused look on his face until Anna told him what happened.
"We watched the Hotel collapse together... and Sigma was the only one who came out." Anna said quietly as she remembered every horrible detail.
"He... He brought your helmet out and we thought..." Anna bit her lip and looked at the floor as she continued to hug her Sister, nuzzling her head against Lizzy's, she never thought she would see her again and even thinking about their deaths made her sick to her stomach.
Omega's face became pained and angry, he was the reason Iota was in the condition she was in, it was his fault. He should have done something, should have found a way to let them know he and Lizzy were alive. The Brother gritted his teeth when he realized he had just caused Iota the most pain she had likely ever felt, and it sickened him to no end. Anna watched as he began limping over to Iota, swaying with every step he took, he was at his absolute limit and still the drive to be with Iota forced him forward. She couldn't imagine what they had been through or how they even survived the Hotel's collapse, Anna looked at Lizzy and stood up to follow Omega to their Sister. Omega looked at the ruins of the Hotel until he came to stand in front of his Mate, she didn't move, didn't smile, she never even blinked. Omega felt his legs shaking when he saw the horrified and pained look on her beautiful face. How could he have done such a thing, how could he have caused so much pain to someone he loved and swore to protect? He wanted to vomit, the longer he stared into her eyes the more pain he himself felt. He fell to his knees cracking the concrete beneath him as he looked at Iota with his one good eye, he had a look of pure pained regret in his eye as he gently clasped his hands on both sides of her face. He gave a quiet questioning screech as he looked for any sign of her to return but she still didn't move. Omega put his forehead to hers and rubbed them together before kissing her lightly, her lips still trembling from the trauma of losing him and Lizzy.
. . .
Iota screamed as she watched Lizzy and Omega burst into flames again, the look of horror and anger toward her felt like a dagger was driven into her heart. She had repeated this cycle hundreds of times, thousands even, and every single time it still hurt just as badly as the first. She wished it would stop, screamed and begged for it to but it never did, the visions always happened the same way. She would be walking down the long hallway in the Athena's Glory Hotel alone, she would open one of the endless number of doors, she would watch Lizzy and Omega die because of her, and the torture would repeat. She wished it would just end, all of it, she wished she could just go numb from the pain but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't. She opened her eyes again... she was back in the hallway. Iota screeched in anger at the seemingly endless loop she had been trapped in for so long, cursed it with every fiber of her being as her right hand came up to claw at her right eye. She had tried for so long to find a way out, gone through countless doors only for her to relive the pain of losing Lizzy and Omega over, and over, and over again. The terrible reality swirling in her mind.
She was going to lose them over, and over, and over again.
OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER AGAIN.
OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER,OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER,OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER,OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER AGAIN.
AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER AGAIN!
Iota screamed until her lungs were empty, her hands ripping out two handfulls of her hair, only for the raven tufts to be thrown aside when she dug her gloved fingers into her eyes. Physical pain was the only thing that could keep her grounded, let her release her pent up rage and dispair, her regret and hatred for herself. Iota fell to her knees, she had lost hope of ever getting out of this place, she just wanted to die already, it was all she had wanted for so long but she was physically incapable of doing it herself no matter how hard she tried, there was an invisible power keeping her from ripping her own heart out. She knew this because she had tried that already. The Big Sister wept as she sat there in the middle of the hallway, eventually she laid down on her side in a ball and cried, she would just wait for death to come to her, It was all she could do really. She laid there for days, weeks, months, years, time seemed more useless there than in Rapture. She couldn't escape, she couldn't sleep, and she dare not go through another of the Hellish doors that lined the endless hallway she was in, they only offered pain... she had had enough pain for one lifetime, for a hundred lifetimes, or a thousand. So she simply laid there, waiting for her end, but it never came, never granted her the peace she wanted. It seemed like every aspect of this hellish dream world was designed to punish her for her failure, her sin.
After what seemed like a century of sheer agony Iota sat up from where she had been laying, she eyed the endless steel doors in the hallway with disgust, she had never believed in Hell until now. Iota was about to lay back down when a sound reached her ears, not Lizzy's normal laughter she always heard through the Hellish doors but something she hadn't heard in what seemed like an eternity, the sound immediately caused her to stand up and look about frantically, Omega's deep screeching call. A low screech echoed through the hallway as she searched for the source, behind her. Iota narrowed her eyes and stared down the endless hall to see if she could make out her Mate anywhere but she couldn't see the end, she heard the screech again and took off running in it's direction. It was something new, something that had never happened in all the time she had been trapped in the colorless Hell, she had never heard Omega's voice, she just saw them die repeatedly! This was something she had lost so long ago it felt alien to her... hope. If she could find the source of the voice, maybe, just maybe, she could get out of here. Even if it were Omega's vengeful spirit come to kill her she would be overjoyed, at least she wouldn't be stuck in this place anymore, forced to watch her loved ones die by her hands any longer. Iota began breathing heavily as she sprinted down the hallway, excited at the thought of finally dying, eventually she could make out a lone door at the end of the hallway. This had never happened before either! She had walked this hallway both ways for so long, hours and hours and hours of endless walking, there was never an end! Her lungs burned as she ran, the door getting closer and closer, she could feel warmth on her cheeks and lips and stopped in her tracks. Her eyes darted around as she put her fingers on her lips, she knew this warmth, this tenderness... this love. It couldn't be...
Tears began to fall and her eyes widened, it couldn't be. Iota took off running again, faster, harder, she ran with all her might and slammed through the steel door at the end of the hallway, a blinding white light consuming her as she did so.
. . .
Iota blinked a few times as her vision returned, it was blurry but began to focus, sounds started reaching her ears, the sound of fire crackling, and... breathing. When her vision returned she could see her Love's face as he sat on his knees in front of her, his right eye was scratched through deeply and his left was... filled with pain. Iota had never seen him so defeated before but when she did, her heart ached. The feeling slowly returned to her hands and she brought them up to his face in disbelief, when she touched him his eye shot open in shock. Iota let out a small screech still not believing he was real, when he did the same she jumped forward and hugged him as hard as she could as he fell backwards onto his butt. He didn't even feel the pain, all he could feel was relief. Omega wrapped his arms around her as she hugged him and cried loudly, her cry was louder than anything he had ever heard, filled with a millennia of grief, and pain, and sorrow, and happiness, and relief, and hatred, and love! she climbed up his chest and began kissing him fiercely, like she hadn't seen him for a very long time, because to her she hadn't. Omega responded in kind and the two of them held onto each other for dear life, Lizzy and Anna only watching as they cried with them. Anna rushed over to her older Siblings as she held Lizzy and they hugged them as well. Omega saw the usual bright yellow glow of their eyes return and felt overjoyed at the recovery, he thought he had lost them. The thought of them dead had pecked at his mind since he first awoke in the Hotel's basement, his duty to Lizzy was the only thing keeping his mind from a dark place but when he saw the look on Iota's face... he thought he had lost her forever. He sat up and held the three girls as he rested his head in the crook of Iota's neck as she stroked her fingers through his hair. Iota looked at Anna and Lizzy apologetically, scratching at her eye with her free hand and Anna just shook her head.
"It wasn't your fault! No one blames you!" Anna said desperately, it was something she had said to her many times while she was trapped inside her mind but now she could actually hear her. Anna knew better than anyone what a Protector's breaking sanity could do to them, she didn't blame her one bit and was absolutely astonished she had even managed to come back to them.
Iota only cried harder as she hugged her Family, the amount of shame she felt for failing them crushing her, and the amount of joy she felt after seeing them lifting her back up from her despair. She clasped Lizzy's face as she wiped her tears away.
"Big Brother protected me, we were in the darkness and Monsters were trying to get us... I was so scared!" Lizzy said as she cried. That's when she remembered everything that had happened to her savior.
"Big Brother's been hurt, really bad! He needs ADAM!" Lizzy shouted at Iota, she was finally back with the only people that could help heal him. Iota's eyes widened when she remembered the scratches on her Mate's eye and looked over at him as he rested his head on her shoulder. Iota screeched to get his attention but he didn't move, her eyes went wide when she realized he had lost consciousness. Iota turned and gently lifted his head to confirm her suspicion and her heart raced, Lizzy was more than right, he was hurt very badly, but how serious was it? Iota stood up and screeched at Anna to help her as she put her arms underneath his, Anna put Lizzy down and grabbed both of his legs, wrapping her arms around them to help carry him. When she took half of his weight she realized just how heavy he really was and struggled to balance herself.
"What's going on, is Big Brother okay!?" Lizzy shouted anxiously with fear on her face, Anna looked at her and nodded toward the two helmets on the ground.
"Get their helmets and follow us!" Anna grunted as she struggled to lift her Brother's armored legs. Lizzy nodded frantically as she grabbed the heavy pieces of armor and followed her Sisters. Iota rushed them to a nearby Apartment building and onto the second floor practically dragging Anna along with her. When they came to the first room Iota kicked the door open and led them inside, they laid Omega on the king sized bed and began working.
"I'll look for first aid supplies!" Anna yelled as she darted out of the room, Lizzy laid the two helmets on the nightstand next to the bed and took her Brother's hand in hers.
"Is Big Brother going to be okay!?" Lizzy asked Iota as she sat him up in a sitting position, Iota didn't answer, not because she couldn't but because she didn't know. The Big Sister quickly unzipped the back of her Mate's suit and pulled it down to his waist, ripping it in places where the two metal rebar beams impaling his chest were still frozen in place to stop the bleeding. What she saw sent a wave of fear and disbelief through her. His body was littered with wounds, deep gashes, stab wounds, cuts, and bite marks. Some of the more serious wounds were frozen with ice to stop the bleeding, others had been singed shut from his Incinerate. He had performed hasty dark age medical treatments on himself and still been able to keep Lizzy alive, let alone himself. How he ever managed to walk back to the Hotel on his own she would never understand. His body was so battered and damaged it left her physically breathless, Iota frantically scratched at her right eye before laying him back down and touching her fingers to his neck to find a pulse... there was none.
Anna entered the room and froze when she saw the state her Brother was in, horror filling her face. It looked like something out of a nightmare, without his suit she could see the true extent of his injuries in all their gory details. Anna now fully understood why Lizzy barely had a scratch on her.
"Oh my God!" She whispered as she ran over to the bed and dropped the medical supplies she had found, Iota screeched as she began CPR on him desperately trying to get his heart beating again, Anna and Lizzy began bandaging his wounds as they watched in horror. They didn't know CPR so all they could do was watch and hope their Sister could save him. Iota blew air into Omega's mouth and cried as she slammed her fist onto his chest before starting again. She knelt over him and overlapped her hands again as she pressed down on his chest. Seconds felt like hours as Anna watched her Sister frantically trying to save her Brother's life. After she blew two more breaths into his lungs she felt for his pulse again... nothing. Iota Screamed in desperate anger and the younger Sisters looked at each other fearfully, they watched Iota's right arm spark with electricity as she laid it onto Omega's bare chest, they heard a loud pop and saw him jerk when Iota sent the charge into him. Iota desperately felt for his pulse again and screamed once more, he had brought her back from Hell, he had saved Lizzy, she had to save him! Iota repeated the process and after the third try Omega's eye shot open when the electricity hit him, he screeched a feral roar as his arm shot up and launched Iota off of him thinking she was a threat. The oldest Sister flew into a wooden dresser against the wall, crushing it before jumping to her feet, when Lizzy saw how violent her Brother was being she screamed causing his wild attacks to intensify. Anna was barely holding him down as he flailed in rage and confusion, his instincts completely driving his actions.
"It's us Big Brother! It's your Family!" Anna screamed before a punch connected with her stomach and sent her off of him and into the floor. Anna clutched her stomach and gasped for air before slowly rising again.
Iota ran over just in time for Anna to get thrown to the ground, When the Sister reached the bed again she threw herself on top of him and hugged his arms together. Normally it would be next to impossible to hold him down like that but he was so weak all she had to do was hold on, she waited out the storm as she closed her eyes and held him down. Omega struggled and growled angrily, his consciousness believing them to be threats in his near death state, Anna quickly grabbed his legs and growled desperately as she stopped his kicking. Iota laid her face next to his and shushed him gently, after a few moments it seemed to work and the Brother stopped moving all together, when the Sister's looked they saw that he had tired himself out and fell limp once more, whether it was pain or exhaustion that had worn him down they didn't know. When the growls and screeching died down Lizzy opened her eyes again, she had sat against the adjacent wall with her hands covering her ears, not wanting to listen to her Brother's pained fury, or her Sister's angry growling. The small girl peeked over the bed to watch hesitantly.
Iota put her hand against Omega's neck as she felt his pulse, afraid that she and Anna might have killed him on accident. She began sobbing in relief as she quickly grabbed the first aid syringes Anna had found and eased them into his arm. She looked at Anna and pointed to her Harvester as she screeched in a commanding tone, she pointed to the door and Anna was already gone. He needed ADAM immediately! Iota began taking the rest of his armor off and when she did the blood that was trapped inside his suit poured out onto the bed coloring it a deep crimson, the Eldest Sister began frantically bandaging the deep wounds on his legs and thighs with Lizzy's help, wondering just what kind of Hell he had gone through to keep Lizzy safe and return to them. It was clear that his willpower was far beyond her own, unbreakable even. The image of his pain filled eyes upon finding her flashed in her mind and she disregarded her earlier thought, no, he could break, she had caused him to but now it was her turn to save him... and she would save him!
After what felt like an eternity Anna finally returned to the room, Iota and Lizzy were soaked in blood but had managed to bandage and stitch up the worst of Omega's wounds, luckily with him unconscious his regenerative abilities could focus solely on healing his broken body. Iota's head snapped to Anna as soon as she entered the room, the Harvesting jar on her deadly Needle only a quarter of the way full, Anna looked frantic and scared.
"This is all I could get!" She said loudly as her eyes flicked from Iota to her Brother, the eldest Sister gestured her over quickly and showed Anna the best spots to administer the super drug so it could do the most good. Iota pointed to his stomach and Anna gently eased her large Syringe into his skin leaving a small spot of blood behind.
"Will this be enough!? Please let this be enough!" Anna pleaded to her Sister and to whatever higher power might exist in the Universe. Iota never answered her, she simply held the look of desperate determination as her glowing eyes watched the amount of ADAM in her Sister's Harvester get smaller. Iota turned the knob on Anna's weapon to stop and eased it out of his stomach, she made her repeat the process for both of his legs and arms, releasing small amounts of ADAM each time to boost his healing. When she had finished Anna stepped back while Iota wiped the new blood away with an already used bandage, she wiped the sweat off of his forehead and chest with an old wash cloth Lizzy had found for her as she monitored him closely. Anna sat down on the blue couch and stared at them. She felt the full weight of her exhaustion hit her, she herself had been wounded escorting the Humans out of the District and hadn't fully healed, she couldn't even remember the last time she had slept either. Watching Iota so carefully take care of Omega filled her with a mixture of emotions, happiness, sadness, fear, relief and also a small amount of jealousy. When Omega showed up from God knows where with Lizzy he managed to snap Iota out of the Prison of her mind she was trapped in... something even she couldn't do. Watching them now made her realize how much they depended on each other, she understood how they had survived for so long with only the two of them, leaning on each other for support. She put her face in her blood covered gloves ignoring the warm sticky liquid as she tried to steady her already devastated nerves, she could smell her Brother's scent on them and it caused her more anxiety. Anna stared through the cracks of her fingers at the floor as she rested her elbows on her knees, lost in her racing mind.
"Anna?" She heard a small voice call out to her snapping her back to reality, when she moved her hands she could see Lizzy standing in front of her fiddling with her fingers, her eyes were filled with worry and her lower lip was quivering. The poor girl had obviously been through a lot in the past few days, she didn't even realize, or maybe she didn't even care... that she was covered in blood and reeked of sewage.
"How you doing Liz?" Anna asked quietly as she gave her Sister a wry smile, she saw Lizzy's lip quiver even more uncontrollably as tears streamed down her cheeks, she ran and threw herself into Anna's open arms and squeezed her tightly. Anna smiled as she began petting Lizzy's long messy hair, she still couldn't believe she was alive. She looked up to her Brother as Iota sat next to him holding his hand and silently thanked him with all of her heart. He had brought Lizzy back to her, not only alive but mostly unhurt as well, she was the reason he was so badly wounded, he had protected her. Anna pulled Lizzy up onto her lap and began rocking her back and forth as she cradled her, every now and then Iota's head would turn to check on them and Anna would just smile and wave her attention back to Omega. She could take care of Lizzy from here and leave Omega to Iota, God knows she needed it.
Iota spent the next few hours simply watching Omega, listening to the weak beating of his heart with fear that it might stop again, she listened to his breathing to make sure it was steady and unhindered. Maybe this is how he felt when he waited for her to wake up in the Kashmir diner after it exploded so long ago, no, it couldn't have felt the same, they had grown so intimately close to one another since that time. They had fought their way through an entire City together, and staved off death on numerous occasions. They had become Allies, Partners... Lovers. She felt her Chest tighten up, she felt so ashamed that she had almost caused his and Lizzy's deaths during the collapse of the Hotel. How could he be happy to see someone like her, why did he not blame her as much as she blamed herself? Iota began clawing at her eye again when her guilt was too much to handle but She was jarred from her thoughts when she felt Omega's hand tighten slightly around hers as she held it, she looked over at his face hopeful that he had awaken... but his eyes were still closed. Iota blinked her damp eyes and felt more tears roll down her cheeks, she looked to her Sisters who were trying to cope with the exhaustion and stress they had been subject to. Anna was laying on the couch next to the window with Lizzy cuddling her closely, Iota gave a small smile at the sight before turning back to her Mate.
Hours passed before Iota saw even a remote sign of movement from Omega until his eyebrows furrowed in his sleep, his head turned from side to side as he took on a restless expression. Iota immediately jumped up and placed her hand gently on his cheek as she shushed him softly, she had done it many times before when he slept but she doubted he knew about it. Her Lover often had nightmares, she did as well and wagered that Omega had likely done the same for her in her sleep, she had actually caught him once when she sleepily opened her eyes and found his face close to hers. He caressed her cheek softly before kissing her and pulling her closer to lull her back into more pleasant dreams. She smiled when she remembered that particular night in the Hotel, they had made love that night and her fear of losing him had caused her dreams to darken until she woke up and saw him there. She couldn't imagine what life would be like without him, the very idea of it made her want to vomit. She wanted to leave this place, she NEEDED to leave this place with him, to escape to the surface and finally rest from the endless cycle of pain and misery they always went through in the cursed City. Her eyes wandered over to her Sisters as they held each other peacefully on the small couch, she needed to get them out as well, save them from this Hell, she would never EVER fall into so much despair that she ceased to function again. Even if... even if she lost Omega again. She gritted her teeth tightly when she thought about her failure, how much of a disgrace she must have looked to her Sisters and Mate. It made her furious, it was her duty to protect them, her purpose, and she couldn't even do that right. Her time trapped inside her mind still plagued her as well, the hundreds of times she had seen both Lizzy and Omega die so horribly while stuck in there... it was the worst kind of Hell. She felt defeated and worthless until she glimpsed down to see Omega's eyes open slightly as he looked at her. Iota's breath caught in her chest when she looked into his unbandaged eye, uncertain of what he thought of his failure of a Mate, but... they held no resentment. Her mouth hung open slightly as she searched his eyes for any sign of disgust or hatred for her but he just stared at her sleepily. Her mind began to race, forming any and ever number of ways he would reject her or punish her for such a massive failure. What would he say if he could speak? what would he do to her if he could move? how would he treat her from now on? Omega never moved, he simply laid there, looking at her with a blank, exhausted expression. Iota couldn't bear the weight his stare held, couldn't bear the silence, she wanted him to do something, anything. She wanted him to scream at her, hit her, look away in shame! The Sister felt tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at him, her lips quivering as she whimpered softly. She looked down averting her gaze, she couldn't bear to look him in the eye anymore, she felt far too much shame. Iota watched through blurred vision as her tears fell onto her lap, she released her Lovers hand and covered her face with her own as she wept, once again clawing at her eyes.
That's when she felt it, his weak hand gently placed under her chin lifting it up and away from her hands. When the Sister looked back at Omega she froze, he was... smiling at her. He wiped her tears away as he had so many times before and took her hand in his giving her a soft, deep screech. She felt even worse now that she saw how lovingly he looked at her, how calm and understanding he was. Iota's face contorted in anger, sadness, and confusion. Why wasn't he screaming at her, hitting her, pushing her away, WHY!? She screamed her questions in her head and almost as if he could read her mind Omega pulled her to him despite his weak body, when she reached him he released her hand and grasped the back of her head with his hand. Iota was shocked and fearful at the sudden move, she saw annoyance in his eyes and realized he had finally decided to deliver his judgment on her. She shut her eyes tightly and waited for the Brother's terrible wrath to ensue, She felt him flick her forehead and she gasped opening her eyes, now she was utterly confused. Omega just stared at her again lovingly until he pulled her closer, mere inches from his face. Iota gazed back into his eyes before he nodded to her, her brow furrowed in confusion once more and the Brother pulled her to him kissing her softly. Iota's eyes went wide now, did he... not blame her? She pulled back away from him sharply and shook her head frantically, she had no right to feel happy, she had caused him too much pain. Omega didn't let her get far, he squeezed the back of her neck firmly and pulled her back to him as he wrapped his other bandaged arm around her to hold her in place. Iota laid on his bare chest as he pulled her lips to his again and fresh tears poured from her eyes. She didn't deserve this, didn't deserve any of it, not his kindness, his forgiveness, and certainly not the happiness she felt as she melted into her Lover's lips. He smelled of sewage, blood, fire, and death but... she couldn't be happier. Omega groaned before leaning back down and releasing her, he was still in pain. Iota jumped when she realized that she was the one causing it and quickly lifted herself off of him, she was so stupid! She should have known he was too weak for her to lay on him with her armor on! Iota watched her Mate inspect his wounds before looking back to her, she had returned to her chair next to the bed and sat there still looking depressed. Omega only gestured at his wounds and then to her, she nodded with a small smile and then pointed to herself, then to Lizzy and Anna who had fallen fast asleep on the couch across the room a few hours ago. Omega gave a small smile as he laid his left hand on the bed beside him toward Iota. The Sister looked at it hesitantly before he looked at it and slid it a little closer to her, She didn't know what to do, she reached for his hand but stopped just before taking it. She still blamed herself for what happened, the pain she had caused, she began to pull away.
Omega saw this and quickly stopped her by lacing his fingers in between hers, she let out soft sobs when she felt the warmth of his skin through her gloves, even this small amount of contact made her heart soar from the fact that she could still feel the sensation, he hadn't been killed. When she looked back to her Lover she realized he had already fallen back into unconsciousness and she gave a somber smile as she laid her head gently on his chest to listen to his heartbeat... It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.
A/N: Sorry for the absence, I've been extremely busy in the day to day and I had to completely redo this chapter because my Computer hates me and deleted EVERYTHING! but enough about that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As always, a review or PM is greatly appreciated!