A Port in the Storm
Iota watched her Mate sleep as his broken body slowly healed itself, her mind still swirling with the stressful situation that had played out hours ago. She held Omega's limp hand in hers and gently stroked the top with her gloved fingers, she wanted to hold him, to feel her skin against his, but she couldn't do that. She looked over to her resting Siblings on the blue couch of the Appartment's living room and gave a wry smile, guilt still heavy on her shoulders. She still had a mission, a responsibility... a purpose. Omega had shown her that, even as hurt as he was, he had survived and even more miraculously, protected Lizzy. He had taken so much damage for her, even the smallest of his wounds could be life threatening for the small Girl. How pathetic she must seem to them, so pathetic she couldn't even stay sane enough to help Anna after the Hotel's fall... she had left her Sister alone. Iota felt heat rising in her body as she unconsiously brought her right hand up to scratch at her eye, she was beyond angry with herself, she hated herself for what she had done, even if her Family didn't. She needed to redeem herself, needed to prove to them, and herself, that she was still a capable Protector. She needed to get them out of Rapture, save them from this horrible place.
Iota caught movement out of the corner of her eye and realized Anna and Lizzy had begun to stir. They sat up slowly and wiped the sleep from their eyes, looking around sleepily before turning their attention to their older Siblings across the small room. Iota had been working while they slept, she had changed the sheets of Omega's bed so that he wasn't laying in blood anymore, though there had been so much Anna was sure the matress beneath was still soaked. The pinkish hue that surrounded Omega's form was proof of that, she had likely doubled up the sheets to keep him dry but the blood was beginning to soak through both layers. She had changed his bandages as well, washed the dried blood off of him with a wet wash cloth that now rested inside a metal bucket filled with bloody water, it had Omega's scent coming from it, tinged with the all too familiar metallic scent of blood and God knows what else was on him from the sewers. Lizzy stayed quiet as she watched Anna inspecting the scene in front of her, she didn't know what to say. The whole moment was filled with a kind of tention, not of anger or fear, something else, something... sad. It felt like everyone was waiting for someone else to say something first but one of them was unconscious, one of them could only screech, and the other was too traumatized and nervous to even look away from the floor, so that left Anna.
Anna looked at her older Sister but she never returned the glance, she simply watched Omega, but Anna knew Iota was watching her from the corner of her eye, wondering what she might say or do. Anna sighed quietly when she realized her Sister wasn't going to look at her, she was still blaming herself for what had happened, she couldn't bring herself to face them.
"Liz, go get ready for a bath." Her attention turned to her smaller Sister as she smiled and raised her eyebrows.
"You really stink." Anna said giving the Girl a lighthearted smile, Lizzy took on a worried look and began to pout.
"But I want to stay with Big Brother!" She said desperately, Anna just shook her head and smiled again.
"Go. He'll still be here when we get back." Anna replied as she nodded toward the bathroom, Lizzy looked to the floor defeated and nodded.
"Okay."
Lizzy walked over to the side of Omega's bed and stared at him for a moment before turning her gaze to Iota who had looked away when the Sister got close. Anna saw pain in both of their eyes when Lizzy spoke.
"Big Sister?..." Iota continued to look away as she bit into her lip, she wore a scowl of hatred not for Lizzy, for herself, but Lizzy couldn't tell the difference. when she didn't respond Lizzy looked to the floor again, hurt that her eldest Sister, her Idol, couldn't even look at her.
"Thank you... Thank you for saving Big Brother..." She choked out quietly, without a hint of malice or hate. When more pain appeared on her Oldest Sister's face Lizzy looked at the ground and wiped her eyes before making her way to the bathroom. Anna heard the bathtub turn on and slowly walked over to her Sister. Iota was still staring at the wall, Anna felt her jump when she wrapped her arms around her.
"Thank you for saving Big Brother... Thank you for coming back to us. and... try to go easy on Liz, she thinks your mad at her and she's been through a lot." She said in a soft tone before standing and following Lizzy to the bathroom. Iota clawed at her eye again when they had left, she was alone again, with her thoughts. the thousands of horrible images she had seen when her mind broke flashing in front of her.
When Anna made it into the small bathroom of the appartment she found Lizzy had already undressed and was holding her hand under the stream of the brass faucet, the look on her face still filled with worry and sorrow. Anna sighed and began unlatching the straps of her suit, first her Harvester, then her shoulder paldrons, knee and shin guards, and finally the suit itself. She glanced over at her younger Sister as she pulled her legs from the suit. She didn't exactly need a bath, as far as Rapture standards went she was relatively clean, but a bath would be relaxing, and there was absolutely no way she was letting Lizzy out of her sight again. Lizzy on the other hand... had to have a bath. The poor Girl was covered in God knows what from their time in Rapture's underbelly, she smelled like someone lit a dumpster on fire and then threw sewage into the flames. At this point the smell was so bad she could actually taste the air, she could only imagine what her Brother had to endure on top of the stench.
After the water level had reached an acceptable level and temperature Lizzy got in and sat down with her knees to her chest, Anna sliding in behind her and placing her long legs around the girl, her knees sticking out of the water. The bathtub was far smaller than the one they had in the Athena's Glory but it didn't matter. Lizzy and Omega were alive and they even had warm water in the tub, as far as Anna was concerned she was just as comfortable as she had been in the Athena's Glory. The older Sister pulled the bow from Lizzy's ponytail and threw it out of the tub letting her long dark locks fall around her small shoulders. When Anna sat back to rest her back against the cold tile wall Lizzy did the same, laying back against her Sister's stomach and chest with a heavy sigh. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Anna waiting for Lizzy to open up to her, to tell her everything she had been through and what she had felt in her and Omega's time in the tunnels. After a few more minutes it was clear that the Girl wouldn't open up on her own so Anna decided to give her a little push.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly, Lizzy stayed quiet and Anna could see her tense up at the question.
"You know I'm here for you Liz... I always will be." She added as she wrapped her arms around her in a hug. Lizzy shuffled a little before finally speaking in a hushed tone.
"Is Big Sister going to be okay?..." She asked, worry still plain on her small voice, Anna thought about the question for a moment. She didn't know if Lizzy was referring to Iota's mental state, her physical health, or her overall chances for survival but she decided to tell Lizzy her honest opinion, just like she always had.
"Yes, she just needs some time." Anna responded softly trying to comfort Lizzy, her Protector instincts telling her to calm the poor Girl down. Another silence fell.
"Will Big Brother be okay?..." She whispered, her tone even somehow smaller than before. Anna paused for a moment.
"Yes... He-" Anna stopped when she leaned over and saw the tear streaks running down the Girl's dirty cheeks, the tears following the same paths through the dirt others had. Anna frowned and wrapped her Sister in another tight embrace.
"He's going to be fine Liz, he made it through the Hotel's collapse, he made it through the tunnels wounded, and he brought you back to us safe... He's the strongest person I know, so yes... he's going to be okay." Anna explained with a small smile, Lizzy nodded with a sniffle and chuckled.
"He always comes back." She smiled, and Anna nodded. Lizzy turned around in the bathtub and hugged her Sister.
"I'm glad you're okay too Anna." Lizzy mumbled as she buried her face into her older Sister's chest causing her to smile.
"I'm glad you're okay too Liz... but man do you stink!" She laughed causing Lizzy to giggle.
"Yeah, it wasn't exactly clean in the tunnels." She added.
"I can tell, Hell I could smell you guys from a mile away!" Anna exclaimed.
"Let's get you clean before Brother wakes up and passes back out from the smell!"
Lizzy giggled and stood up to stick her dirty hair in Anna's face.
"Smell it! Smell my glorious stink!" She shouted excitedly as Anna turned her head and held her nose only partially having to fake playing along.
"Oh no! Not the Sti-"
"SURPRISE ATTACK!" Lizzy cut her off as she whipped her wet hair into Anna's face, some of the wet locks sliding into her open mouth as she was cut off. Anna's eyes went wide and her face turned pale as she gagged from the horrible taste Lizzy's hair left in her mouth. Lizzy stood in proud nudity with her hands on her hips as she laughed, watching her older Sister cough in horror.
"I am the Master of stink, fear me!" She shouted triumphantly, Anna spit the vile grime out and grinned as she lathered her hands with soap, causing Lizzy's eyes to go wide.
"Prepare to be defeated foul stink Demon!" Anna yelled as she pulled Lizzy down into the water to scrub her dirty body, tickling her as she did so, the both of them laughing loudly.
Iota sat in the Small living room still holding Omega's hand, she looked over his wounds again, bandages, stitches, a make-shift splint for his leg. He looked like someone had sewn him back together from different bodies, like... What was that Monsters name from the black and white movie? Frankenstein... he looked like Frankenstein. He was healing but there was so much damage his body didn't know what to heal first, it was one of the downsides of advanced regeneration. You didn't get to pick what your body healed first, it couldn't differentiate between a small cut or a bullet hole so it just healed everything at once, and with so much to heal it was taking forever. Iota looked at her Harvester on her right arm and an idea formed in her head, if she were to open the two valves, the gathering and intake valves, she could pump fresh ADAM directly from her own body's supply straight into her Mate. She would need Anna's Harvester to pump her own ADAM into him since the Harvesters only worked to intake ADAM, not dispense it. Iota jumped up from her bedside post and ran around the bottom of the bed and toward the Bathroom, she opened the door quickly and both of her Sister's heads darted toward the door in surprise. They both had shampoo in their hair but Anna stood up immediately.
"Are we under attack!?" She asked. Iota shook her head as her eyes darted around the bathroom floor for Anna's Harvester.
"Is something wrong with Big Brother!?" Lizzy asked frantically, again Iota shook her head. When she finally found Anna's weapon her eyebrows rose and she snatched it from the floor leaving the room as quickly as she had come. Anna and Lizzy looked at each other confused, the older Sister sat back down in the water and returned to scrubbing Lizzy's nasty locks with as much shampoo as she could use.
"That was weird." Lizzy said as she played with a small rubber duck, splashing it around to pop the soap bubbles on the water's surface.
"Yeah... Yeah it was." Anna agreed as her mind tried to wrap around why her Sister would need her Harvester.
Iota returned to Omega's bedside and pulled his right arm over to her, she eased the harvester's intake needle into Omega's wrist and strapped Anna's Harvester in place, tightening the leather straps to secure it. Every Harvester operated on the same system, two needles, one that stayed hooked into the Protector's wrist to allow ADAM to flow into their veins, and the other was the large needle they used for gathering and combat. She then placed the tip of his needle to her stomach and slowly eased it in, the pain piercing her belly as a trail of blood leaked down the weapon, the Sister winced as she turned the valves on the Harvester. Iota watched the collecting jar fill to the top as her own ADAM supply was taken from her, she had never had ADAM drawn from her with a Harvesting needle before, it was excruciating, waves of pain and fatigue hit her, it felt like her very life was being sucked out. A sea of nausea and cold chills washed over her, her head began to spin and she had to brace herself against Omega's bed for support. As the collection jar on Anna's Harvester began filling up Iota eased her own Harvester gently into Omega's stomach, she silently apologized but the blank look on his face told her he couldn't feel it.
His body was in such a state of shock and exhaustion even his Protector instincts didn't kick him awake assuming she was a threat. He had likely used the very last of his energy when he unconsciously fought against them hours earlier, the struggle sapping what little progress his regeneration had made. It was why she needed to give him her own ADAM, to boost his recovery in anyway she could to help him. She had checked his pulse every thirty minutes or so and it had yet to get any stronger. It was stable but weak, far too weak for a Protector, he had lost so much blood he would stay on the verge of death for some time, and that was a risk she wasn't willing to take. The ADAM she would donate to him, or rather, the ADAM they would trade, would theoretically super charge his regeneration and kick his healing into high gear since it would be traveling throughout his entire body, getting closer to all of his wounds instead of just pooling in his stomach to slowly fuel his advanced healing, and if it did that, maybe he could awaken from his Coma.
When both collection jars were full on their Harvesters Iota turned the intake valve on Omega's and watched her ADAM drain away to enter his blood stream where it would be carried through his veins, absorbed as fuel, and carried to his stomach to pool. She then turned the intake valve on her Harvester and felt the immediate rush the ADAM entering her own veins gave her, she closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the glowing liquid gently sliding it's way through every vein in her body, up her arm, into her heart, and carried everywhere else. It filled her with bliss, but also... something else. As Omega's ADAM crawled it's way up the veins in her neck and into her brain she felt something strange, something... connecting. The feeling was warm, it was kind, and safe. This new sensation was strange, she had never experienced this from ADAM before, the warmth growing inside of her washed back all of the negative feelings she had been holding on to, like it was separating her from them, protecting her from them. When she closed her eyes she saw deep colors and felt vivid sensations and Iota's eyes shot open when she realized what she was feeling... it was her Mate, it was Omega.
She could feel him, actually feel him, his life, his soul, his mind, and body. It felt as if they were holding each other in a tight embrace, slowly merging together to form a single being. Iota's eyes widened in shock and awe as she grasped Omega's limp hand, feeling herself grabbing her own hand. What was this, this... bonding? It was like nothing she had ever felt before and the longer she waited the more connected she felt, like two halves to a whole. She could feel his mind in hers, telling her he forgave her, that she had done nothing wrong in his eyes. She blinked several times trying to comprehend exactly what was happening, her hand coming up to gently scratch at her eye. The closest thing she had ever felt to this was her pair bond with her Big Daddy and even then... it didn't even come close to how connected she felt with Omega in this instant.
Iota looked over to him, his right eye was open, glowing brightly as he starred at her in shock, a feeling of both sadness and happiness filling her, she could tell what he was feeling, he was confused and in awe every bit as much as she was at the sensation of this new bond between them. It was a level of communication that made words seem primitive, it was like talking without words, feeling the other's mind. Iota could feel Omega's confusion and his mind racing for an explanation, any explanation. It scared her and caused her mind to dart back and forth. Would he be mad at her for doing this, what if he didn't like this new feeling, what if he wanted her to stop!? Iota gasped and pulled both Harvesting needles out of their stomachs as she fell out of her wooden chair and against the wall. Her eyes darting back and forth as she questioned her actions, that's when she realized... pulling the Harvesters out didn't take the sensation away. She could still feel Omega, and he felt... worried, not for their situation or the new bond they shared, but... for her. Iota looked over to him as his one good eye watched her closely, he was wondering if she was okay, asking her without words. Iota nodded shakily with shock still clear on her features. She closed her right eye and unknowingly brought her hand up to gently scratch at it, Omega simply watched her before he reached out his hand and ushered her back up toward him. Iota hesitated for a moment, when she saw him struggle as he attempted to sit up to get closer to her she immediately jumped up to the bed and gently pushed him back down, worried that he might hurt himself again. She was above him now, her hair hanging down around her face as her worried eyes stared into his. She was searching for what he was feeling now, trying to work past her own feelings of worry, like peaking through curtains. He was relieved, satisfied... happy even, as far as happy went for him anyway. She felt tears escape her eyes and fall onto her Mate's cheeks, he wasn't mad at her for anything that had happened, he wasn't disappointed in her, or vindictive. He was relieved that she and Anna had survived, overjoyed that they had. The amount of relief she felt in turn brought her anxiety crumbling down around her feet, it washed away as he smiled understandingly toward her. Omega unhooked the Harvester on his arm and tossed it to the foot of the bed before wrapping his arms around her weakly to pull her down into a hug. Iota broke down completely, this was what she wanted, what she needed, what she thought she would never be able to do again because of her failure. She buried her face into his chest, muffling her cries as she pressed into him. She could feel his warmth around her and in her mind. The stress of everything that had been crushing her was slowly easing, all she wanted was to be held, all she had ever wanted since the Hotel's collapse was for him to hold her again.
Anna listened to what was happening on the other side of the small apartment through the door as she finished rinsing Lizzy and herself off, she didn't know what exactly was going on but she could tell something had changed. She heard a loud thud that almost caused her to go running into the living room but when she didn't hear any screeching or troubling noises she brushed it off as something Iota might have been doing for Omega, cleaning maybe? She didn't hear any aggressive footsteps or voices in the halls outside so she knew they weren't under attack, when she heard Iota crying her heart ached and she decided to take a little while longer with their bath. Her cries were muffled but Anna could still hear them, she was finally letting it all out, it made Anna smile sadly. She had been through Hell these past thirty six hours and was just now venting that stress, after all, she didn't get to vent her frustrations on the NeoSplicer Horde like Anna had. In total Anna had likely cried more in the past twenty four hours than Iota had in her entire life, but they were tears of anger, hatred, wrath.
"Anna!" Lizzy spoke loudly, causing Anna to jump back into reality and away from her thoughts.
"hmm, what?" The older Sister asked.
"I said the water's getting cold and I'm ready to get out." Lizzy repeated. Anna wanted to give Iota some space and it had been a while since she stopped crying, she figured it was okay to go back now.
"Sure, let's go." Anna said as she smiled at Lizzy. Anna stood up and stepped out of the bathtub, she grabbed a towel and turned to dry Lizzy off but the small girl sighed. Anna raised an eyebrow and tilted her head questioningly.
"What?" She asked.
"I can do it, I'm six years old... I think..." Lizzy said as she tried to remember if that number was correct or not. Anna raised both of her eyebrows in faked surprise.
"I apologize Madam!" Anna said with a posh accent causing Lizzy to furrow her brow.
"Don't chasizize me!" Lizzy said annoyed causing Anna to laugh at how badly she had messed the word up.
"It's chastise you little dork." Anna corrected her with a giggle causing Lizzy to perc her lips.
"Whatever! You know what I meant! I don't need help drying off, I already killed a-" She caught herself, Lizzy's eyes shot open and she froze in place but it was no use, Anna had locked on to the word "Killed" already and she stared at Lizzy seriously now, watching her like a hawk. When Lizzy didn't say anything else Anna turned her head and pushed.
"Lizzy?" She asked in a tone of authority, Lizzy wrapped her blue towel around her shoulders and stared at the bathroom floor, Anna knelt down to look her in the eye.
"Lizzy, what did you kill?" She asked, this time softer than the last. The young girl's eyes looked away as she remembered the horrifying event.
"Big Brother was hurt... and one of the Monsters got him... so... I used Big Brother's knife to..." Lizzy stopped and took a shaking breath. She expected to be scolded for doing something so dangerous but instead of being angry, Anna was understanding. The older Sister gave a sad smile and wrapped her arms around Lizzy to hug her, they stayed that way for a little while until Lizzy stopped shaking, simply remembering her time in Rapture's underbelly was enough to nearly send her into a panic attack.
After both girls finished drying off they brushed their hair and wrapped their damp towels around themselves, then returned to the main room of the small Apartment, but what they found surprised them, laying on the bed was both Omega and Iota, fast asleep. They were holding each other close and even though Iota had her armor on she looked like she had never been so comfortable, she wore the look of peaceful unawareness on her face, it caused both younger Siblings to smile.
"She looks better than before." Lizzy whispered.
"Yeah, Brother has that effect." Anna noted causing Lizzy to nod in agreement, he certainly did.
"C'mon, we have work to do." Anna said quietly so she didn't bother her exhausted Siblings, Lizzy looked up at her and tilted her head curiously.
"Huh?"
"Let's wash Brother's suit for him so it'll be clean when he wakes up, mine could use a scrub too." Anna said with a smile.
"I wanna clean Big Brother's!" Lizzy said excitedly causing Anna to chuckle.
"Alright but I'm going to help, I'll do the armor pieces and you can do the body suit okay?" Anna asked, Lizzy wore a big smile and nodded with enthusiasm. The two younger Siblings set out on their new objective, they wanted to do something nice for their Brother as thanks for everything he did for them. They gathered his suit and armor attachments as well as his Harvester and went back to the bathtub to refill the water and begin their task. Anna gathered some heavy duty cleaning soap from under the sink and poured it into the bathtub as the suit and armor soaked in the hot water. They took their time carefully scrubbing the dirt and grime off of each piece of armor and the body suit as well, they picked off the dried flecks of flesh and hair that had accumulated from countless enemies and their time in the sewers. Slowly but surely they managed to clean every piece, they even turned the body suit inside out to clean the dried blood on the inside. Once they had finished they repeated the process with Anna's suit, and armor pieces. In total it took them almost three hours to complete their mission, though most of that time was spent on Omega's suit. Anna used her Incinerate to quickly dry both suits and all of the armor so she could immediately slip back into hers. Lizzy's dress on the other hand, was ruined. It had been subject to all manner of Hell, it was covered in ash and dirt, dried blood and God knows what else from the sewers, on top of all that it was in shreds from when she had used multiple pieces as makeshift bandages for her Brother.
Anna held up the once adorable dress and examined all of the rips and tears it had received. She looked over to Lizzy in surprise, the young girl just shrugged.
"Well this won't do, we can't have you running around Rapture naked can we?" Anna asked with a playful smile, Lizzy shook her head and giggled.
"Let's find you some clothes."
Anna retrieved Lizzy's beaten up red backpack and unzipped it hoping Iota had packed her an extra change of clothing. Inside she found two very white, and very expensive dresses, one in Lizzy's size and one in her own size. Anna looked over to Iota and smiled, she had likely been holding onto the dresses since before the Hotel's collapse, she stared at the dress in her size for a few moments, pondering what she would look like in it but soon put it back with the other one.
"I'm not wearing that one?" Lizzy asked as she pointed to her dress. Anna shook her head as she folded them back up and put them back in the bag.
"No... No they're too nice... let's save them for when we get out of this dirty City. Iota probably got them for that reason anyway, let's surprise her. I know she wanted to see us in them or she wouldn't have got them for us." Anna explained.
"Okay!" Lizzy said smiling, now she was excited to surprise her eldest Sister. Anna checked the other pockets of Lizzy's backpack and found an audio recorder, she pulled it out and raised an eyebrow.
"What's this doing in here?" She asked herself trying to remember if anyone in their group had put it in there for any reason. Lizzy's face went pale when she remembered it's haunting message.
"I found that in the room Big Brother and me hid in!" Lizzy explained, with everything that had happened she had forgotten about it until now. Anna looked over to her in surprise.
"Oh? What's on it?" She asked as she started to press play, Lizzy stopped her quickly.
"No!" She shouted before remembering her Siblings were sleeping, she looked over to make sure she hadn't woke them up and sighed in relief when she saw them still sleeping.
"It's loud and has Monsters on it... We should wait and listen to it when Big Brother and Big Sister are awake." She said quietly, Anna raised an eyebrow but shrugged and slipped the recorder back into the backpack.
"Well there aren't any clothes in here for you so we'll have to look somewhere else. Come on, let's check some of the other rooms and see if we can't find a new dress for you." Anna proposed, she couldn't have Lizzy searching with her naked though so she rummaged through their Apartment's closet and found a large white T-Shirt for her to wear, it was far too big for her though, it drooped down just past her knees and looked funny.
"Sorry Liz, I couldn't find you any underwear and this is the only clean shirt I could find." The older Sister apologized.
"It's okay, I don't mind." Lizzy replied sweetly, Anna could hear Lizzy's stomach growl and smiled.
"It's probably been a while since you ate huh?" Lizzy stared off into space before nodding.
"Well we'll look for some food while we look for your clothes too, how's that sound?" Anna smiled and reached out her hand, the small girl took it and they snuck out of the Apartment to search the other rooms for clothes and food.
. . .
Joe held up his hand in a fist as he crouched against the wall of the tunnel, a sign everyone knew meant "Stop". Everyone crouched low in a single file line behind him. James had his hand on Joe's shoulder as he peeked around his Brother's large frame, behind james was Mark followed by Seline, Vicki, Tenenbaum, and finally Subject Sigma who got as low as he could but still towered over his Human Allies.
Joe's eyes narrowed as he gripped his shotgun and played with the Cigar in his mouth, the district ahead of them was dark, not pitch black but not very well lit either. There was a notable shift in the lighting of the district they had come from and the one they now faced. Joe took the Cigar out of his mouth and dropped it on the floor with a heavy sigh.
"What's up Joe, what do you see?" James asked in a whisper behind him, Joe kept his eyes on the dimly lit District ahead and turned his face slightly toward his Brother so he could hear him better.
"I don't see anything." He responded as his eyes scanned the dark windows of the rundown buildings ahead.
"Could be a trap." James whispered speculatively.
"I know it's a trap... I just don't know which of our Enemies set it." He responded as his eyes drifted to a large pool of blood down the street from them
.
"It's your call." James said nodding to him, Joe sighed heavily. It felt like every decision he made now would be the meaning of life and death for any one of his Friends. They still had Sigma, he was thankful for that, the Big Daddy was basically a walking Tank, but he had thought the same about Omega, Iota, and Anna. He used to believe having the four Protectors around made them invincible, it was an easy thing to think, but now everything he believed was being called into question. The new Enemy they faced had shown him that even Protectors could be beaten. "NeoSplicers." Tenenbaum had named them, it stood for "New Splicers." They were certainly that. He had never seen anything like them, deadly and terrifying in equal measure, and the sheer number of them was almost incomprehensible. Everything about the Creatures terrified and astounded him.
He had come to understand the Protectors, no longer seeing them as mindless drones in Sofia Lamb's army but as poor souls that had been brainwashed and enslaved. These NeoSplicers were different though, they couldn't be reasoned with, couldn't be persuaded, and just like the Protectors they felt no fear. They were like something out of a nightmare, Hell, they were nightmares. Joe shook his head and turned to face his dirty Companions waving his hand back down the tunnel they had come from, everyone nodded in agreement and turned to slink their way back down the well lit tunnel. When they exited back into the District they had come from everyone made their way inside an old Liquor lounge on the corner of the street, the "Silver Barb." Named aptly for the silver thorn that adorned a sign hanging above the entrance. Sigma entered first and swept his Rivet gun around each corner as Vicki and Mark did the same with their Thompsons, once they had cleared the establishment Sigma groaned loudly for the rest of the Group to enter. Joe who had been continuously watching the tunnel followed them in and locked the door behind them.
The interior looked no better than the outside, overturned tables and chairs littered the dimly lit bar and a fine layer of dust settled over the old furniture and drinking glasses. Old confetti littered the floor mixed in with the years of dirt causing them to discolor and fade, likely having been there since the 1959 New Year's Riots. Bullet holes were scattered along the floor, walls, and seats, some of which were still occupied by the Corpses of those lucky enough to die early in the "Rapture Dream". After all the Group had been through though, a few old Corpses were nothing. Everyone sat around the Bar with Sigma standing guard at the door, peering outside at the empty streets for any sign of a threat.
Joe made his way behind the counter and grabbed a bottle of brown Whiskey from the shelf and dusted it off, he opened it and poured a glass for himself. James came up to the bar and sat down tapping his fingers on the bar top with a wry smile.
"What'll ya have son?" Joe asked with a tired smile as he acted like the Bar Keeper. James looked up at the variety of bottles on the wall noting that some had exploded from past bullet holes in empty spaces.
"How about a glass of your finest Whiskey... on the rocks." He gave a small chuckle as Mark flipped up an overturned bar stool to join them. Joe looked over at the ice making machine with three bullet holes across the front and raised his eyebrows.
"Ain't got no Rocks Son." He replied in an overly exaggerated southern accent causing both James and Mark to smile and shake their heads.
"How about something strong then?" James asked as he looked over to Mark who was staring blankly ahead at nothing.
"One for my Friend here too." James added, Joe nodded and placed the three glasses on the counter filling them with the brown liquid. Vicki and Seline made their way over to the counter and sat down as well, Tenenbaum choosing instead to consult their map.
"Don't forget about us." Vicki said in a defeated tone as she placed two more glasses on the counter for Joe to fill. When everyone received their liquor they all starred into the glasses in silence, their minds elsewhere. Joe took four more glasses from underneath the bar and sat them in front of everyone, he filled three with Whiskey and the fourth he filled with apple juice that had been stored under the bar. He nodded regretfully and held up his glass as he spoke.
"To our Friends..." He said.
"To our Friends." The others repeated as they all took a drink, now that they weren't in immediate danger it was easier than ever for their minds to drift to the events that led them there. Everything they had suffered through together, their lost friends, the small moments of fun and happiness they enjoyed in what was otherwise complete Hell. Everyone starred at the glasses meant for those that were no longer with them, choking back tears or wiping them away. Everyone wiped their eyes and downed what was left of their drinks only for Joe to fill them up again. He was surprised when Tenenbaum came to the bar and grabbed an old bottle of Vodka, she took three large gulps as if it were water causing Joe to raise his eyebrows in surprise. When the older Woman was finished she wiped her mouth and chuckled darkly.
"To Rapture... the nightmare." She said grimly. Everyone stayed silent but they all agreed with her. This place was a blight, a curse, a cancer that slowly ate away at either your health or sanity, most of the time... it was both.
"So... What now?" Seline asked quietly as she sipped on her drink, swirling the dark liquid around in the dirty glass as she peered inside. Joe looked at everyone inspecting their dirty clothes and wounds, some physical, others emotional.
"We'll hold out here for the time being, get ourselves some rest and get patched up. We've been through a lot these past few hours..." Joe answered as he wiped some of his Whiskey out of his beard.
"And the Tunnel ahead?" Mark asked as he looked over his shoulder at the door Sigma was standing next to.
"We'll figure that out once we get patched up and rested, none of us have slept in almost thirty six hours. I don't want to make any important calls when we're not sharp, with Omega, Anna, and Iota gone... We need to be more careful than before, one wrong move could be our last wrong move. We don't know what's on the other side of that Tunnel... but there is something on the other side. We can't fight through another District as we are now, it'd be suicide." Joe explained.
"I don't think we can fight through another District period." Seline said softly, sadly. She was starring into her glass when she said it, when nobody replied she quickly looked up and bit her lip.
"... I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" She began to say before Joe cut her off.
"No... you're right, we can't." Joe said as he nodded to her, he knew they needed to be real about their situation and Seline was simply speaking her mind, let alone the truth they all already knew but no one wanted to voice.
"Fucking Splicers, Fucking NeoSplicers... Fucking Rapture!" Vicki growled in rage, her tone both angry and defeated as she threw her empty glass onto the floor shattering it. She buried her face in her hands and sighed heavily, Seline patting her on the shoulder to offer what little comfort she could. Everyone felt the same, felt like their chances of getting out of the cursed City shrank with each passing day. Everyone's minds automatically wondering which of their beloved Friends would be next, who among them would take the journey into the howling dark to never return.
"Fucking Rapture." Mark whispered nodding his head in agreement.
Everyone silently agreed as they stared at their glasses, or filled them back up. Mark looked around the bar with tired eyes, it was a far cry from the Athena's Glory. Everyone was quiet, their minds still haunted by the events that had led them to the desolate place they were in now, or where they would go from there. It felt like a massive weight had been placed on all of their shoulders, in the air they breathed, even the half empty glass in his hand felt like it weighed ten pounds. He realized then that he was just tired. Tired of it all, tired of fighting, tired of seeing those he cared for die, tired of being in danger every single moment of every single day. His thoughts shifted to the Protectors, they always seemed like they relished the chaos around them, or maybe they were simply equipped to deal with it better. Mark looked around at his Friends, they looked exhausted, tired, and defeated, much like himself. He looked back to the door and saw how Sigma's shoulders slumped ever so slightly, even the mighty Big Daddy was no match for Rapture.
"Everyone..." Joe began, not really knowing what to say at the time.
"Just... do whatever makes you feel better. Eat, drink, sleep, fuck, whatever raises your spirits. I for one am going to sit in that booth right over there and drink myself into a coma." Joe said as he pointed to a plush booth on the far wall of the room. James and Mark looked to the seat and then to each other, everyone else may believe Joe's lie but they knew the truth. He had picked that booth in particular because it had a clear sight of the front door and good view lines to the street outside. It was Joe's way of coping, he needed to feel useful. He always put the Group first, it was his greatest strength... but also his greatest weakness. Joe made his way to the booth with a bottle of whiskey and sat down with a groan, James and Mark shook their heads. There was nothing they could do, if they tried to call Joe out on his actions he would simply deny it or yell at them, they were better off leaving him be.
"There are some rooms upstairs... you should all get some rest." Tenenbaum said as she flicked her eyes upwards in a commanding sort of way. The four younger members nodded knowingly. Tenenbaum, Joe, and Sigma were going to stand watch while they rested... just like they always did. Usually it made them a little angry, like they were being treated like Children, but this time they knew it was because they needed them to rest in case there was a conflict.
"Yell if anything happens." Mark said causing Tenenbaum to nod seriously before turning toward Joe's booth. James stood up and stretched with a yawn.
"C'mon Vicki, let's get some sleep, I might die if I don't." James said as Vicki stood up and rubbed her heavy eyes.
"I'm with you there." She replied. The two of them made their way up the creaky old stairs to the left of the bar and Mark could hear the door close in the distance. The dark haired young man finished his drink and stood up, placing his hand lightly on Seline's shoulder as she starred into her glass.
"You should get some rest too Seline, we can't have you falling asleep while you patch up bullet wounds." He said lowly causing her to give a small chuckle.
"Yeah, I just... need a minute... to think..." She replied as she looked into his sagging eyes, Mark looked back at her for a moment before nodding.
"If you need anything... all you have to do is ask." He assured her causing her to smile. Mark turned and made his way upstairs and into his own room, leaving her to her thoughts. inside the room it was dark and musty, light from a neon sign on the side of the building was brimming through the window next to the bed. It was a small humble room only meant to sleep off a night of heavy drinking but as far as he was concerned, it was a penthouse suite in a five star Hotel. Mark sighed heavily and began unbuttoning his dirty Navy colored shirt that had turned grey from the ash of the Hotel fire and tossed it onto the floor. He kicked off his shoes and slacks, and finally his socks, eager to finally sleep after so much had happened. He dusted off the old bed and laid down, pulling the covers up over his legs and starred at the ceiling fan above him, a million thoughts and images running through his head. He was alone, it was quiet, and everything that had happened was finally sinking in. Mark waited for a while but sleep never came to him, he was too wound up, all he could do was replay memories of the previous day in his mind. After about an hour he sat up in his bed and sighed.
"Might as well go back downstairs." He whispered to himself disappointedly, certain that he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight... today... whatever it was. Time in the damn City was nearly impossible to keep track of. Mark got out of bed and reached for his shirt but stopped when he heard the door to his room open and close quietly. He looked up to see Seline standing there, starring at him with an expression of worry and nervousness.
"Seline... What are y-" He stopped when he saw her start unbuttoning her own dirty white shirt, his eyes widened as he watched her undress. She stayed silent, looking back at him periodically as she tossed her clothes to the floor. Mark was grasping at straws, maybe he had fallen asleep, maybe this was all a dream brought on by his mental exhaustion but when he looked at Seline he could tell he wasn't dreaming. She was nervous but determined, scared but steady, she had a certain look in her eyes, like she needed to do this. Mark watched her closely as she strode toward him, drinking in her slender body. Before Mark's brain could formulate anything close to a question she reached him, wrapping her arms around his back she pressed her naked body against his chest hugging him tightly. Every fiber in Mark's body tensing up at the unfamiliar situation as he returned the gesture. After a moment Seline pulled back slightly to stare into his eyes again and Mark realized she was shaking, whether it was from adrenaline, or fear he couldn't tell. Mark saw her lips quivering and did the first thing his instincts told him to, he kissed her.
It was stiff at first, awkward but after a few seconds they fell into each other's rhythm, melting into each other's embrace. Seline brought her hands up and ran them through Mark's dark hair as she gave in more deeply to her desire, her heart was racing, pumping adrenaline into her system for what she wanted to do next. Mark slid his hand down her back to grab her butt, his other wrapped around her firmly causing her to gasp in excitement. Being so close she could feel Mark's excitement growing, she had only recently made up her mind to do this but it made her extremely happy that he didn't turn her away, and kissing her as fiercely as he was she could tell he wanted this too, needed this as much as she did.
When She pulled away from the kissing to catch her breath Mark looked at her again as he struggled to catch his own heavy breathing.
"What brought this on?" He whispered the question, still slightly confused about the situation, not that he was complaining. Seline's face grew sorrowful, and her sights fell.
"I... I've wanted to do this for a while... be with you... and with everything that's happened..." She stopped and gazed downward.
"You didn't know if you would ever get the chance again." Mark finished her statement for her. Seline nodded still looking at the floor, Mark put his hand on her cheek and pulled her gaze back up to him, she had tears on her cheeks.
"We're going to get out of here... okay?... we may be battered and bruised when we do... but we will get out of here. I promise." He said sternly, he wasn't even sure if that was true but he said it with enough conviction even he wanted to believe it. Seline gave a wry smile and nodded.
"It's a promise." She repeated causing him to nod. Mark leaned back down and began kissing her again even more passionately than last time, their heavy breath heating up the more they did. Seline began pushing him toward the bed until the backs of his knees were touching the side, he eased himself down to sit on the edge as Seline climbed on top of him. She gently pushed him down as his hands glided up and down her body. When Mark finally pushed his hesitation to the back of his mind he flipped Seline over onto her back and leaned down to kiss her neck, the young Woman gasped and moaned, eagerly anticipating what came next.
. . .
Tenenbaum sat across from Joe in the booth as he took his Shotgun apart and cleaned it with an old toothbrush and rags he had found. He meticulously inspected every grime covered part before cleaning it and placing it back on the table before him. His revolver was also on the table just in case something happened while his weapon of choice was in pieces. it was the second, or even third time he had taken the gun apart. The first time he had cleaned it he did it for necessity so it wouldn't jam, the second time was because he didn't like how it felt when he racked the receiver back, and she suspected the third time was just to keep himself from getting too drunk, either that or he just wanted to keep his mind off of their current situation. Tenenbaum had kept quiet during the whole process to give him space, taking her own time to look over old research notes and the two maps of the City they had, one for the sewer and maintenance tunnels and the other for the main streets. She glanced toward Sigma every now and then, he was still watching the street through the glass window in the door. They had closed the blinds in the Bar so no one, be it Splicer or NeoSplicer, could see inside. They were in a delicate position, a position that left them open to attack, closing the blinds at least ensured no one could see who or what was inside, or how many may be inside at the time. It wasn't the security they had at the Athena's Glory but at least it was something. Tenenbaum looked back to Joe's ash covered form and gave a sigh.
"Joe... I truly am sorry... none of th-"
"Oh shut up Doc, I've heard it a thousand times..." He said roughly as he took another sip of his whiskey. Tenenbaum's eyebrows scrunched and she opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm just try-"
"I don't care Brigid." He stated bluntly before continuing.
"I just don't care... You blame yourself for all of the shit in this place you know that?" He raised his eyebrows in annoyance pointing his finger at her as he held his drink.
"because it is my fault!" She responded sternly causing Joe to roll his eyes and huff.
"God Damn, Woman! Did you ever stop for one moment to think that maybe, just maybe, if it hadn't been you it would've been someone else!?" Joe asked angrily now. Tenenbaum scoffed as she took a sip of her own drink.
"Oh please Joe, I do not believe in fate. I believe in-"
"Science, yeah! Where's that got ya, huh? Left in a God damn nightmare trying to escape a City that not only has drug addled Lunatics but now has, not one, or two, but a thousand genetic abominations running around eating anything with a heartbeat! Maybe you should believe in fate Doctor! Because Fate sure as Hell believes in fucking us up!" Joe ranted angrily as he pinched the bridge of his nose trying to calm the headache he had been dealing with for hours now. The large Man took out a cigar and sighed heavily as he lit it, puffing on it until it could stay lit on it's own. Tenenbaum simply starred at her half empty glass, swirling the scotch in the bottom.
"Look." Joe said calmer than before.
"I don't care if you personally started the fucking Apocalypse… All I care about is that you've tried your best to fix as much of the shit as you could. Hell, you brought all of us together! Offered us a way to escape this Hell!" He said as he starred into her heavy eyes, Tenenbaum gave a dark chuckle, not even looking back at him.
"And where has that gotten us, we've lost so many People to this... this Blutbad!" She gritted her teeth.
"Yeah, it's a bloodbath, and people are going to die... but that's a price we're willing to pay. It's what we all knew when we signed up and it's why no one has left and tried to find their own way out." Joe said as she looked up at him.
"You're our last chance Doc, you gotta understand that... You gave us hope again... gave us all something to believe in, something to die for!" Joe said.
"So stop hanging onto the things you can't change... and start focusing on what you still can." Joe added, hoping he could shake her out of the gloom she continuously lived in. Tenenbaum rubbed the back of her neck with a pained look, she was about to say something until Sigma's low moan caught both of their attention. When they looked to him he simply nodded toward Joe.
"See, even Sigma agrees with me." Joe gave a small smile.
"Maybe you are right Joe... but I am to blame for the majority of our problems. I will never forgive myself for what I have done... but I will try my very best to make up for what I can." She said as she looked around the room, Joe followed her gaze across the old worn down bar and realized she wasn't looking at the bar itself, she was looking at Rapture as a whole.
"Then get some sleep, you look exhausted and there's no way anybody's getting out of here if you can't think straight." Joe said as he finished putting his Shotgun back together, he racked the slide back and nodded approvingly as he loaded some shells into it for future use. Tenenbaum nodded with a tired chuckle and laid her back against the wall for some well needed rest.
"Hey Big Man, wake me up in a few hours so you can get some rest, I'll take watch next." Joe said as he followed the Doctor's lead. Sigma gave a deep moan of confirmation and turned his sight back to the street outside. Sigma wasn't going to wake Joe up though, his Human Allies desperately needed time to rest and recuperate, Big Daddies, like Gen II Protectors didn't want or need sleep for days on end unless seriously wounded.
Sigma watched the door's window and kept an eye on the street outside for hours, sitting, watching, thinking. He went over the events that led them to this point. He thought about the Athena's Glory burning, watching Omega and Lizzy fall through the floor while the flames engulfed them, he thought about Iota's horrified expression when he handed her Omega's helmet, the look of pain she held was enough to make even him shiver. He didn't know where Anna or Iota was now, if he had to guess, they were most likely dead. The fire would have gone out by now and the NeoSplicers had probably gotten to them. It pained him to think about those poor girls, what they must have gone through in their final moments, no one deserved that. Try as he might, Sigma couldn't remember anything from his past, before he was a Big Daddy, or even how he became one, and he tried often. Who he was, who he is, was a mystery even to him, but what he did know is he had a purpose. A purpose to protect his Friends, get them through Minerva's Den safely and out of Rapture. Tenenbaum had offered him help, a way to cure him, free him from his cursed existence as a Big Daddy if he helped her, and he was determined to do just that.
Minerva's Den... he didn't know why but the name was so familiar to him, like an old friend he hadn't visited in a while, something about the place lured him in, like he absolutely needed to go there. He had tried once already. Just before he could get into the district Reed Whal had blown up a tunnel to keep him out, it was then that he got the call from Doctor Tenenbaum seeking help, and offering it. He decided to leave Minerva's Den be for the time being, find the Doctor and listen to her plan. It turned out she wanted the same thing he did, she needed to get to Minerva's Den and retrieve a super computer called "The Thinker." It was apparently the only way she would be able to find a cure for his condition, as well as a cure for ADAM sickness that the Splicers suffered from. He didn't think it would take this long but preparations had to be made, supplies had to be gathered, and Allies needed to be united. Sigma didn't mind though, he was nothing if not patient, content to let his Human Allies do the planning while the Protectors did the guarding. He actually preferred it this way, he liked to sit and think alone, wonder what kind of person he was before becoming what he is now, speculate what he may have done in his past life. He liked to think he was a musician, he always liked music, and the music in Rapture was some of the best he had ever heard, which wasn't saying much considering his limited memory. Maybe he was a business man, important and wealthy, or maybe he was a poor man without a cent to his name.
He didn't know and it ate at him, he knew he wasn't a Soldier though, he didn't like fighting, he was very good at it... but he didn't like it. It was the one thing he was sure of, no matter what his past was, he was a peaceful man. He still was, even now, he hated having to take lives, carry guns and ammo that he would use to destroy those who attacked him or his Friends. It was necessary though, it was the golden rule of Rapture, kill or be killed... he still didn't like it though. The Gen II Protectors were vastly different from him, they seemed to love death, blood, and combat. They thrived in the chaos of battle, sometimes even seeking it out to actually calm them. It was completely insane from his perspective, Lamb hadn't just created the perfect Soldiers or Guardians, she had created Weapons, War Machines... Angels of Death.
He often thought about Omega, Iota, and Anna that way, no matter how Human like they became... they would always be Warriors, because they had always been Warriors. What would they do when they reached the surface? What would they do when they found out that they couldn't just kill whomever disagrees with them up there? He hoped Tenenbaum had a plan for that too but it didn't really matter now, the poor kids were gone, Rapture had snuffed out their lives like so many others before. It was a shame, he had wanted to see their reactions to the surface, despite being extremely dangerous they were also filled with life, wonderment, and curiosity. It always made Sigma chuckle inside when they would inspect something they didn't understand, the way Iota's eyes filled with awe, or the way Omega's head tilted the way a dog's did if you made a funny noise.
Sigma sat and mused over his thoughts as he rested by the door, every now and then he would quietly make his way over to the bar and grab a drink, scotch was his favorite, he grabbed some food while he was at it and lumbered back to his post by the door, content to sit there and think. It wouldn't be long until they arrived to Minerva's Den, they would need to watch out for more traps however, he couldn't risk Reed Whal detonating more explosives before they could cross the last remaining tunnel to the district. It was a delicate situation and they would need a plan to get there safely. If Whal did destroy the last tunnel Minerva's Den would be cut off from the rest of Rapture but it might kill some of, if not all of his Friends in the explosion. He didn't know how they would get past it but he had to hand it to the Humans, they were crafty, they had managed to survive for so long in Rapture without succumbing to ADAM addiction, even though most of them had spliced before. It was simply amazing, he would never have believed it had he not seen them with his own eyes. They leaned on each other like a Family, not the kind of hate filled, corrupt, disposable Family Sofia Lamb had built for herself. They were an actual Family that relied on and drew strength from each other, and they had even included himself as well as Omega, Iota, Anna, and Lizzy. Humans were remarkable, he wondered what kind of Human he was again, or if Tenenbaum was sincere, what kind of Human he would be again.