The Final Stand

Anna's eyes widened as the massive Bulkhead door sealed shut behind her, her Brother and Sister on the other side. The last thing she saw was their glowing helmet visors looking back at her as the door slammed shut, a shockwave of vibrations shaking her as the door came down. The kick Iota had landed on her to push her and Lizzy to safety still sending pain through her body.

"Lizzy, are you okay?!" Anna yelled as she ignored the pain and jumped to her feet.

"I hit my head but I'm okay Anna!" Lizzy said loudly as she rubbed her head, a small trail of blood running down her face to drip from her brow. The small girl peaked over Anna's shoulder as they reached the window beside the sealed Bulkhead, trying to get a glimpse of their Siblings. This was another bump in the road they didn't want or need, Anna was at a loss, she didn't know what to do now. As they reached the large window they could see their older Siblings floating in the flooded Tunnel, Iota was unconscious, held by Omega as he checked to make sure she was alright. Anna sighed heavily when her Brother looked over to her and gave a thumbs up, Iota wasn't seriously hurt, the wall of water that hit them was massive and moved with force, Anna wasn't surprised that her Brother was able to withstand it, he himself was a massive force after all.

Omega wrapped his arm around Iota and carried her with him as he swam closer to the glass to see Anna and Lizzy, he pointed to Iota and himself, then to his eyes and toward the flooded district.

"What's Big Brother saying Anna?" Lizzy asked as she watched Omega's hand gestures curiously.

"He and Iota are going to scout out the flooded district." She explained as she watched him make more hand signs.

"Brother wants us to find the nearest air lock and meet them there." Anna continued.

"Where's that?" Lizzy asked with a worried tone, she didn't like that they had been separated yet again.

"I don't know Lizz, we'll have to find a map." Anna told her, Omega put his two fingers to the slits of his helmet visor and nodded to the Sisters, their makeshift sign to "be safe". Anna returned the sign, Lizzy climbed over Anna's shoulder and put her lips to the glass to give her Siblings a good luck kiss before yelling "Be safe!" in a whimpering tone. Omega nodded to her before wrapping Iota up and swimming down the flooded Tunnel to find any clue as to where their Allies and Friends went. Anna could see the worried look on Lizzy's face, it wasn't hard to understand why she was scared, the two Sisters had been with their older Siblings for so long now that any kind of separation from either Iota or Omega brought on extreme anxiety for her. Now they were separated from not one but both Siblings and it felt like a weight had been thrust upon them. Anna wasn't scared, her Protector insticts simply sharpened as she watched Omega swim away with Iota in his arms, her full attention was now focused on the trembling girl on her back.

"Don't worry Lizz, we'll be alright, I won't let anything happen to you." She reassured her, Lizzy stared at the vanishing silhouette of her Brother as he disappeared and bit her lip.

"What if the clicking Monsters come back?" Lizzy asked as she looked around to the shadowed areas of the District.

"What if they find us?" She whispered causing Anna to pat her on the head.

"Then I'll kill them." Anna said with a sweet smile and soft tone, Lizzy looked at her and gave another worried look.

"There are a lot of them though." She said quietly as she remembered just how many of the foul Beasts she and her Brother had seen in the City's underbelly.

"Then I'll kill all of them, every last one if it means keeping you safe." Anna gave her youngest Sister a determined look, Lizzy nodded, she felt a little more comforted, not by Anna's words, but by the look on her face. It reminded her of Omega's when he protected her in the sewers, and Iota's when she worked to save Omega's life when they had escaped. Lizzy sat back in the carrying cage on Anna's back and the two began walking down the street to find the nearest air lock. Without their Brother and Sister, they felt like two small fish in a very large Ocean, but Anna was prepared to do what ever it took to keep Lizzy safe.

. . .

As Omega swam, one arm wrapped around his unconscious Mate's waist as he pulled her along, he observed their watery surroundings. It was dark, power to the district had held but many of the lights had not, they shattered when the sudden change in pressure came as the District flooded. He needed to find out why it had flooded in the first place, very few things could shatter one of Rapture's reinforced outer windows, massive explosions being one of those things. The Brother swam through the murky depths until he reached the main street of the District, debris, trash, and other items were floating around the dark submerged walkways. He stopped and let the weight of his armor pull him to the street below, Iota's combined weight made things easier underwater. He reached the floor with a heavy thud as his boots kicked up the soft sand that had blown onto the street, pulled in from the surrounding ocean and scattered throughout the entire District. It was just thick enough to fill the cracks in the ground and lightly dusted the rest of the streets, Omega's large boot prints trailing behind him as he disturbed the stilling sands. As he walked he swatted floating debris away from him and his unconscious Companion, a broken board here, a floating Corpse there, all of it seemed weightless in the dark water that surrounded them. He always found Rapture's flooded areas to be peaceful, first there would be massive destruction and death, and then... calmness. No matter how large or chaotic a battle would be, if a reinforced window was breached, there would be no more fighting. It was the only time he ever felt remotely safe in the dying City, Splicers, NeoSplicers, Rogue Alphas, they were all equally brought to heel under the power of the Ocean. It was the most destructive force he had ever witnessed, the Ocean was dark, cold, and ruthless... but it was also fair. No matter how strong you were, no matter how many Plasmids or Gene Tonics you had, if you didn't have a sealed suit... you would die.

Omega looked down to the girl he was carrying in his arms, the porthole of her helmet was a dim red and she looked more like she was sleeping soundly than unconscious. He was carrying her bridal style but she curled into his chest for warmth and comfort, he could hear the soft intakes of air being pulled from her air tanks into her helmet, the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He always enjoyed seeing her during such times, when she was at peace as much as she could be, as he walked he decided to feel out her mind through their bond to check on her.

He wasn't surprised to feel warmth in the bond, she was at ease and dreaming, of what he wasn't sure. Omega could tell she was having a good dream though, likely due to how close they currently were, that's how it usually went, the closer they were to one another when they were unconscious or sleeping determined what kind of dreams they would have. He wondered if it was the same for the Alpha series Big Daddies and their pair bonded Little Sisters as well, maybe it was the same for Eleanor and Delta.

When Iota began to stir Omega stopped to look at her, he saw her porthole flicker to life and she stretched, yawning sleepily until she realized where she was. Iota's head tilted and looked at him curiously, then to their surroundings. Omega could see the moment she remembered what happened because she jerked up in his arms to look around for Anna and Lizzy, he could feel her worry through their bond and shushed her softly. Omega set his Mate on her feet and she held up her hand to sign the letter "A" then "L". He nodded to her and held up his hand to signal that they were safe, he could feel some of her worry ease but they were still separated from each other, she couldn't be completely worry free because they were still out there alone. She only had time to kick them to safety before the door shut but she wished she had at least pushed Omega through with them, Anna was a capable Protector on her own but even Omega was almost killed when separated with Lizzy and put up against the NeoSplicers. Iota felt Omega's hand on her shoulder as he gave her a soft screech of reassurance, they needed to keep moving, find out any leads on their missing Allies, and return to their Siblings as fast as possible. Iota jumped off of the street and began swimming as she waved for Omega to follow, he couldn't blame her, after what she had been through it was understandable that she would want to hurry.

The two Protectors kicked up clouds of sand as they jumped off of the street floor and floated through the water, it was the closest thing flying they could experience and it always excited Iota when she got the chance to swim. It served as a means of travel, good exercise, and it was fun, not to mention with Omega's larger form and heavier armor she could swim circles around him, that always made her smile. Even as worried as she was for her Sisters, Iota couldn't resist the urge to play with her Mate, she always enjoyed swimming with him, it was relaxing and fun to swim together, working on your own was boring and lonely but with another Protector with her, especially her Mate, it was far more enjoyable. All Gen II Protectors were expert swimmers because many of the passage ways in Rapture were flooded with no other way around other than to swim so it came as naturally as breathing to them. The two of them glided effortlessly through the dimly lit streets as they swam, Iota circling Omega as she swam under him upside down, them she would flip sides and twirl up above him, she would swim ahead a little and look down at him from above giving a small screeching chuckle as he shook his head in amusement. They continued their dance until they came to a four-way split in the roads, a massive breached window on one corner next to what used to be a building of some kind. The damage the explosion had caused was extensive, what used to be a building had been reduced to a foundation with debris littered everywhere, it even destroyed part of the brick building behind it. Splinters of wood floated weightlessly around the district, tiny shards and large wooden boards equally adrift in the dark water. There were old bar stools, pieces of foam, and Corpses, everything that suggested a battle had took place. Some of the Bodies were in shambles, limbs missing and clothes tattered, fish picking at the fresh wounds that had been inflicted. Crabs were roaming the street to scavenge what they could of the leftovers, they seemed especially fond of the Corpses that had been charred black by fire.

Omega and Iota stopped their playful swimming to land on the flooded street below, playtime was over and it was back to business as usual. They let their heavy weighted boots carry them through the water as they pushed floating debris out of their path, both of them taking in the carnage of the once dry district. The closer to the ruined building they got they realized that there were an alarming number of Splicer Corpses in the water, grey dead eyes and angry expressions still on their faces. They began checking each Body, trying to identify any of their Allies but it was no use. They searched high and low but didn't find any trace of them, though they knew they had to be there before the explosion. It was clear that they had been cornered, the explosion must have been a desperate last option, but where did they go? Omega walked through what used to be a doorway to the ruined building when he bent down to pick something up, Iota was stepping through a window when she was him and tilted her head curiously. The Brother held up a large brass shell casing with a deep screech, it was unmistakably Sigma's, one from his powerful Gatling gun, the shell casings were everywhere but there was no Sigma, no anyone. Omega tossed the shell casing away and pointed toward the obliterated bar area, Iota nodded and swam over to investigate as he looked around the floor for more evidence. When Omega heard Iota's screeching call he looked over to see her starring at something on the floor. He made his way to her and noticed that her fists were clenched tightly, the water around her waving and flowing with heat, she was angry.

When he made it to her he realized what she had been looking at, on the floor propped up against the partially destroyed bar were two Corpses, charred black and featureless, one holding the other in a loving embrace as it's head drooped against the other's chest. Crabs were crawling around and on them, Iota quickly knocked them aside to get a better view. Both Protectors knelt down to have a better look, they could tell that the Corpses were Human but they were so burnt they couldn't tell who they were exactly. Omega noticed something shining in the ashen sand beside him, he flicked a crab out of the way and scooped up the object. It was Joe's golden flip lighter, he looked around the demolished building before Iota snatched the blackened lighter from his hand to inspect it, she nudged her Mate to get his attention and reached for the Corpse in front of her, when she pulled her hand back she was holding a few singed hairs in between her gloved fingers, golden blonde locks, this Corpse was Vicki... which meant the other was James. Iota sighed heavily as she threw the hairs away, watching them float on in the endless sea of debris, Omega growled and clenched his fist, anger rising in his chest. When Iota felt his anger pulsing through their bond she did the only thing she could think of to try and calm him, she wrapped her arms around him lovingly. She felt his rage subside slowly and the bond between them calming, like a pool of water someone had thrown a rock into, the ripples of anger she felt through the bond slowing and becoming more distant.

Once Omega had calmed down they continued their search, they were still missing five of their Allies, their friends, they needed to find out where they went, how they escaped, and where they were now. They searched the surrounding area first for any sign of where they might have escaped to but it was no use, no matter how they looked at it they couldn't see any means of escape if they were cornered in the old Bar. If they did have a means of escape, why blow the Bar up in the first place? The more Omega thought on it the more it made sense though, granted a few unknown variables. They hadn't stopped since the Hotel's fall as far as he knew, which meant they would've been running dangerously low on supplies, and sleep. They were cornered, trapped, and assaulted in the obliterated building they now stood in. All passage ways had been sealed as soon as a breach in the outer window was detected, and they wouldn't have been able to get out anyway if they were surrounded... so where did they go?

While Omega had his hand on the chin of his helmet to think, Iota continued searching, her curious nature and drive to find her Friends compelling her to unravel the mystery of the previous battle. Omega heard his Mate give an excited screech causing him to look around for her but she was nowhere to be seen. He saw her head pop out of a large hole in the kitchen floor as she screeched once more, he tilted his head to question why she was in the hole until she pointed at something, he could feel her excitement through the bond and quickly followed her to the Cellar of the ruins. In the black lit by their helmet visors, they could see piles of splintered and busted wood, partially destroyed barrels, and other debris that had been in there when the building exploded. Iota swam to the far wall and pointed at an opening in the bricks, when Omega reached her she pushed the opening to reveal a hidden door that had been left ajar, leave it to Iota to find such a small thing. Omega peered inside and gave a low screech of approval as he patted her on the head, Iota screeching cheerfully as he did so, she adored being praised by him, she just wished she didn't have the helmet on as he did so. Omega pushed the door open and the two of them swam through, eager that they had finally picked up the trail again.

. . .

"Does it... have two legs?" Anna asked curiously.

"Yes!" Lizzy answered her cheerfully.

The two Siblings were traveling through the dry district in search of a map, they needed to find the nearest airlock, or at least the one that Omega and Iota would most likely be coming out of when they returned. They decided to play a game of Twenty questions to pass the time, it helped to take Lizzy's mind off of their current situation so Anna gladly agreed to play with her. It was Lizzy's turn to pick something Anna had to guess at, it wasn't hard, Lizzy's answers were always pretty easy to figure out but Anna wanted her to have fun so she pretended it was harder than it actually was.

"Is iiiit… Good?" Anna asked.

"Yes!" Lizzy confirmed.

"hmm... is iiiit… scary?" Anna asked as she raised an eyebrow toward her Sister. Lizzy put her hand on her chin to think, a habit she had picked up from watching Omega do it.

"Uuum… Sometimes! but only to bad things!" Lizzy answered, Anna already knew what Lizzy had picked as her secret thing, it was either their Brother, Sister.

"Let's see, is iiiiit… a Boy?" Anna asked to narrow down her list of answeres.

"Yes!" She answered excitedly, Anna was getting closer as she pretended to be figuring out what the girl had picked.

"Does heee… Love his Family?" Anna asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes! Very much!" Lizzy answered with even more excitement, she knew Anna had figured out her pick.

"Is it Brother?" Anna asked as her final guess, Lizzy lit up at the correct answer and shouted.

"YES! Wow Anna, you're really good at this game!" She squealed with enthusiasm, Anna simply laughed, it wasn't hard when all of your opponent's picks were either Omega, Iota, or herself.

"It's just because I'm amazing!" Anna said in a high pitched, holier than thou voice, it caused her youngest Sibling to laugh.

"Let's play again! This time you pick and I'll guess!" Lizzy said, she liked trying to figure out Anna's mystery things too.

"Sure! Let's see, what to pick, what to pi- wait a minute, a map!" Anna said as she spied one of Rapture's street maps on a nearby poster board.

"Aww." Lizzy whined softly, she had wanted to continue their game, since neither Omega or Iota could speak, Anna was the only one she could play verbal thinking games with and it was a pleasant change from wrestling and play fighting with her older Siblings.

"Don't worry Lizz, I just need to find out where we're going and we can keep playing." Anna reassured her, she pulled the old map from the wall and inspected it closely, her glowing eyes darting across it at the various airlocks around the district. There were three in all, but the one their Siblings were most likely to come out of was the second, located only a little ways away. The only problem with the map that she could see was that it was from nineteen fifty nine, before the Civil War, which meant that any of the tunnels on the dirty map could have collapsed since then. Anna sighed heavily, it was excruciating trying to navigate Rapture, now she understood why Omega and Iota would get so angry when they came across a dead end. They were used to just swimming to whatever District of the City they needed to go to but since Lizzy was no longer a Little Sister, she couldn't withstand the open Ocean anymore. Anna had to admit, if Lizzy were still a Little Sister it would be much easier, but that came with it's own set of problems she'd rather not think about. She decided to put it out of her mind, she needed to focus on keeping her Sister safe, and finding their Siblings as fast as possible, so the grueling search of accessible Tunnels took priority.

Anna folded the old map and placed it in a pouch on her belt, careful not to rip the aging paper, who knows how many were left in the City that hadn't been claimed by Splicers and then lost or destroyed in firefights. Just as Anna closed her pouch she heard movement deeper in the distance, yelling and gunfire, Lizzy's small gasp at the sudden commotion. Anna looked back at her and smiled as she rubbed her head gently.

"Don't worry Liz, it sounded pretty far off, I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks with you here, let the Vermin fight, we'll just slip past them." She assured her frightened Sister, Lizzy gave her a concerned look but nodded all the same. Anna listened to the sounds of gunfire and yelling die down before moving again, she really didn't want to endanger Lizzy if she could help it. She was confident in her strength and capabilities, but she didn't like the idea of having Lizzy on her back as she fought, one stray bullet, one slash from a knife, or hard hit and Lizzy could be killed. She didn't know how Omega and Iota did it, how they fought with Lizzy on their backs without fear. She didn't know if it was experience, skill, or just pure confidence, it was likely all three, whatever it was... she didn't have it.

After hearing the sounds of a fight so close, Lizzy didn't want to finish their game for fear of the Monsters hearing them and attacking, instead she simply sat in Anna's carrying cage and drew in her coloring book, or doodled on Anna's armor and air tank. Anna was actually glad for the silence, it allowed her to keep her advanced senses on her surroundings, she took in every sight, every sound, and scent. Her Protector instincts on extra high alert now that she alone was guarding Lizzy, she was ready for a threat, any threat to make itself known, she would crush it without a second thought. She wouldn't have much of a choice either, she didn't know how she would react if they were attacked, she only knew she would defend Lizzy with all her might, she just hoped if they were attacked she wouldn't go berserk and fight a loosing battle because of her instincts. If she got carried away and only saw the need to kill in order to protect, it wouldn't be safe for Lizzy, she only hoped she would be able to retain her ability to think clearly, otherwise she risked failing the most important mission she had ever received.

As Anna walked her mind couldn't help but shift to her Friends, the ones in danger and the ones she had already lost. Danny, Grace, even Craig, though she didn't know him for long. She didn't know where her other Friends were now but she hoped with all her heart that they were okay.

"Anna..." She heard Lizzy say from her back as she studied the map, Lizzy's voice was curious and light.

"Hmm?" The older Sister hummed as she looked for the closest airlock on the map.

"What's this tiny blinking light on the back of your helmet do?" Lizzy asked as she raised an eyebrow, Anna's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"That's my helmet's radio! But It doesn't work when I try to send out a call." Anna said as she reached around the back of her helmet to feel for the receiver switch, when her finger flicked it up she stopped moving as she listened to the speaker next to her ear. Lizzy couldn't hear anything but Anna tensed up as she listened to the message.

"Lizzy..." Anna said through her helmet.

"Yeah?" The small Girl asked curiously.

"My helmet is still receiving radio chatter... Hang on tight." She said darkly as she darted down the road, the sudden movement almost slamming Lizzy to the back of the cage as she held on.

. . .

"Forceps!" Tenenbaum yelled, Mark immediately fetching the medical instrument for her, shaking from the adrenaline and uncertainty.

"ADAM!" The Doctor yelled desperately, Mark repeating his earlier action and fetching the syringe of glowing crimson liquid.

Tenenbaum worked to wipe away the blood on Seline's abdomen, arm and leg. They had found and taken shelter in a rundown clinic on the side of a small street, Sigma was the one that had found it, when they had gotten close he beckoned them to follow him and led them down a few back alleys until they had reached the old establishment. It was a far cry from the medical facilities that the wealthier denizens of Rapture would have enjoyed, this was a clinic for the common Man, the poor, and lower class. It could hardly be called a clinic at all, it looked like a place that disease and infection would run rampant in. The facility was disgusting, blood soaked rags filled corners of the room, dark brown stains could be seen on the tile floor, decades old blood if Tenenbaum had to guess. Most of the operating tables were still dirty as well leading her to believe that this was one of the closest medical facilities to a battlefield during the Civil War, though, almost all of Rapture was a battlefield during that time, and this was hardly the only aid station in the vast City. It didn't matter though, the only thing that mattered was trying to save Seline's life in this moment, they had quickly brought her inside and cleaned off the nearest table, dressed her wounds as best they could, and searched for any sterile operating tools which was no easy feat. The poor Girl had sustained heavy injuries, multiple gunshot wounds, and severe blood loss. The only thing that had saved her life so far was the constant flow of ADAM they had been giving her, if not for Sigma's small supply, she would be dead by now.

Hours past as the Doctor, Joe, and Mark all worked to stave off death from the young Woman, Sigma keeping watch by the door as he did in the Bar. This was a more suitable location than before however, on the small street the Clinic was located on, there were no windows for Splicers to sneak up on them from, only two directions they could attack from, left and right. That posed a different problem for them all together though, there was also no way out of the Clinic if they were attacked aside from the two directions, they would be boxed in when the next attack came. Sigma balled his fist in anger over their situation, he did all he could to protect his Allies and it had still not been enough. He could hear the others behind him yelling, desperately trying to save Seline's life, it was the same desperation they showed in every life threatening situation they encountered, it only made him angrier. Why should these people be attacked and killed? Why should they be pursued across a dead City? Why should they be hunted like rats, when all they want is to escape this nightmare? Sigma could feel his rage building, he swore when the next attack came, even if they all died gruesome, undeserved deaths, he would carry on for them. He would kill those responsible, hunt down Reed Wahl, and crush him for what he had done.

"There, She should be stable now... I hope." Tenenbaum said as she sighed and removed the blood covered latex gloves she had been wearing as Joe and Mark gently lifted Seline up and placed her on an old hospital bed they had wheeled over from across the room, careful not to unhook her I.V drip. She looked bad, her eyes were wrapped in bandages due to the shards of glass from the Bar's shattered window, the Doctor painstakingly removing the foreign objects one by one. Her stomach, left arm, and right thigh had been shot as well, each having the bullets removed and then dressed. Her right arm was the worst of her limbs though, it had been almost completely severed by the gunfire, only holding on by a few loose strands of meat and sinew, the Doctor was forced to remove the arm just below the shoulder leaving a bandaged nub. The sight only brought horror to Mark, it made him burn with rage and sorrow, the one thing Seline loved more than anything was painting, it kept her spirits up in the Hell they lived in and now... she couldn't even do that. Mark was so plagued with rage, hatred, and sorrow that he didn't even feel the bullet wound in his left shoulder until Joe had poked it knocking him out of his thoughts.

"aaahh!" Mark said with a hiss as his attention was brought back to reality. Joe just gave a tired chuckle and shook his head.

"You're next my friend." Joe said with an exhausted look as he walked over to fetch a fresh pair of latex gloves. Mark watched him walk away, his shoulders slumped, eyes low and tired. Mark felt more sadness in his chest, he had also lost his best friends, James and Vicki were gone. It took a moment to sink in, "Gone". It made Mark want to vomit, tears ran down his cheeks when he fully realized what kind of situation they were in. He looked at Seline's unconscious form, her steady intakes of air, she had also lost her best friends, her family. Family, that's what Mark felt like he had lost, his Family, he could only imagine what Joe was going through, he had the same look on his face as Iota and Anna when they found out Omega and Lizzy had died. Another sharp pain in his chest, not only had they lost James and Vicki, they had also lost Iota, Omega, Anna, Lizzy, Grace, Danny, and Craig. Now there were only five of them left and that was if Seline even survived through the night, they had all lost so much. He hated this, he hated this situation, these circumstances, this City, he hated it all. Mark clenched his fists and pounded them on the counter he had been sitting at.

"AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!" He screamed as he let all of his anger out before holding his blood and dirt covered hands over his face to cry. Tenenbaum and Joe said nothing, they completely understood how he felt, what he was going through, but they had to be strong, for them, if either of them broke down now it would be the end. The only thing keeping the two Veterans going at this point was sheer stubbornness, but they knew Mark's pain, they had felt it over and over again for years. Joe sighed after giving Mark a few moments to gather himself, once he had calmed down the older Man made his way over to him and placed his hand on his good shoulder.

"C'mon Son, let's get that wound taken care of." Joe said softly, Mark now shared the same look he did, a look of pure exhaustion and defeat. He led Mark over to a nearby operating table facing Seline's bed, something that Joe had intended to do. He sat the young man on a rusty stool and pulled another beside him to sit on, Mark removed his shirt as Joe sanitized his hands and put some white latex gloves on. The bearded Man undid the old bloody bed sheet cloth from Marks arm slowly as to not disturb the wound too much. When he pulled the cloth away it started oozing blood once more, Joe wiped it away with a fresh gauze wipe and then began cleaning the hole in Mark's shoulder, once he was finished he sighed roughly.

"Looks like the bullet's still in there, This next part is gonna hurt... a lot." Joe explained, Mark breathed heavily as he stared at Seline's battered form on the bed in front of him.

"Just fucking get it over with..." The young Man said quietly, Joe nodded and grabbed two sets of sanitized forceps from the tray he had prepared. He carefully placed the edges of the forceps inside the wound and pulled them open to stretch the hole, this caused more blood to pour out and Mark growled in anger and pain. With his free hand Joe used the other set of forceps to feel around inside the wound for the bullet, again Mark let out a guttural growl and gritted his teeth. His vision got blurry and he became light headed, all he could do was stare at Seline, at the state she was in, and beg her in his mind not to leave him. It seemed obvious now why Joe had sat him directly in front of her while operating on him, no matter how much pain he was going through right now in this moment, he still had something to fight for, someone worth enduring all of the pain for.

"Nearly got it." Joe whispered as he snagged the bullet with the edge of the forceps, Mark wasn't even listening to him, he was completely focused on Seline, how bad her wounds were, how close to death she was. Mark lurched forward suddenly and threw up in the floor causing Joe to look up at him.

"You alright?" He asked sincerely, Mark spat in the floor and wiped his mouth with his free arm.

"No... Keep going." He responded with a dry tone, Joe simply nodded and continued easing the bullet out of his shoulder. Once he had retrieved it he dropped it in the aluminum pan with a clank and began cleaning the bleeding hole once more, then he stitched it up and wrapped a fresh bandage around it and helped Mark shakily to his feet.

"Here, lay down and rest, I'll find you something to drink." Joe said as he sat Mark on a nearby couch, it was grey, dirty, and had spots of dried blood on it but Mark didn't mind, he just kept looking at Seline, watching her... waiting for her to die and leave him alone. The more he thought about how awful the whole situation was, the more he realized what Iota had went through, how she had gone insane from the loss of her Lover and youngest Sister. He could only imagine what would happen when Seline died, what he would do. He was already so close to breaking, when she died... he would too.

Mark stayed silent for the next few hours, only making noise when he coughed from the dusty couch he sat on, other than that it was silent. No one said anything, not even to strategize or plan their next move, they all simply sat there in the dark musky room. The air was so dense it almost felt physically thick with anticipation, they all knew what was coming, how it would end for them, the first indication of their impending fate would be when Seline's quiet labored breathing stopped. That's when the end would really come.

"Doctor Tenenbaum, are you there?" Charles Porter's deep voice could be heard coming from the Woman's radio as it sat on the counter of the Clinic beside old medical books and charts of anatomy. At first, no one made a move to even answer the radio, after a few more moments of silence, Porter spoke again.

"Doctor, I saw what happened in the last District from the security cameras, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help any of you from here. My situation is... not the most desirable." Porter spoke, his tone low and empathetic. When Tenenbaum heard this she stood from her seat and made her way across the room to retrieve the radio, picking it up she stared at it for a moment before clicking the button to talk.

"What did you want Porter?" Tenenbaum asked coldly, she wasn't being rude on purpose, everyone was just tired of losing.

"I wanted to tell you, there are Splicers headed in your direction, they know exactly where you are. Reed Wahl is using the Thinker to calculate your moves, where you'll be and go, it's how he's been able to continuously track you all this time, how he's been able to plan attacks so that only his forces will win." Porter explained, Tenenbaum had already knew all of this though, she also knew that they were probably on their way at this moment, coming to finish what they started long ago.

"I know Porter... I know..." She answered as she lowered her head in defeat.

"There's still time Doctor! If you leave now and take the right street to-"

"That won't work Porter, one of our Friends is severely wounded and moving her is impossible." She explained, Mark and Joe listening closely to the conversation now.

"Maybe you could hide her Doctor! Hide her somewhere safe until you can come back fo-"

"Charles..." She said, cutting him off again.

"Yes Doctor?" he asked quietly.

"Good luck... and goodbye." She said as Mark, Joe, and Sigma lowered their gazes to the floor, they didn't want to hear those words, but they knew what was about to happen, it was the same thing that was always going to happen, what would have happened eventually. There was an inevitability to Rapture that none had been able to overcome... Death.

"Doctor Please! Don't do thi-" Tenenbaum clicked the radio off and dropped it to the floor watching it bounce and lay still in the dust and dirt.

Mark stood from his seat and made his way to Seline's bedside to get a closer look, anger and sadness mixing on his face, he bent down and kissed her gently on the bandages wrapping her forehead, whispering something into her ear. When he stood back up he looked at Tenenbaum and Joe and held up his Thompson so they could see it, both of them nodded silently and watched him turn to walk our of the Clinic. Joe sighed and stood up as well, loading his shotgun he made his way toward the door.

"Doc... stay with Seline for as long as you can... please." Joe said without looking at her, Tenenbaum nodded.

"Of course."

Joe and Sigma both exited the dark Clinic into the street outside and took up their positions, Joe stood behind Mark who was crouching and aiming his Thompson down the right Street, Joe raised his Shotgun as well as they prepared for their final stand. Sigma stood directly behind them and raised his Gatling gun to cover the left Street, making it almost impossible for any Splicers to shoot Joe and Mark in the back, he raised his left hand and flames engulfed it as he charged his Incinerate Plasmid to maximum power. They would kill as many Splicer they could before being gunned down themselves.

The sounds of distant yelling and footsteps could be heard getting closer and closer, moving right in their direction. They could hear laughing and cheering, the Monsters enjoying their little chase, excited over the ADAM reward Reed Wahl would give them if they killed the Humans and Sigma, the last of his enemies. Then Rapture would be his to do with as he pleased, the Thinker would be his to do with as he pleased, the World would be his to do with as he pleased.

The sounds of running feet got closer until the Splicers could be seen down both sides of the street they were on, They stopped and stood there smiling, some trying to lean up or stand on their toes to see their cornered Prey, eager for a piece of the pie. Joe, Mark, and Sigma took aim with their weapons, ready to send as many of the Lunatics to Hell as they could.

Just as the Splicers on both sides of the Street began moving into the small Alleyway, two black figures dropped from the Rooftop in front of them, smashing the ground below and breaking the concrete with their heavy forms.

"What the fuck?!" Mark asked in disbelief as Omega stood from his kneeling position in front of them, he was facing the Splicers as he rose, his red Visor slits shining a crimson glow on their now terrified faces. In front of Sigma, Iota also stood and tilted her head to the side as she licked her lips with anticipation, both Protectors flicked their wrists at the same time and their Harvesting Needles shot out of their sheaths, they let out a united battle cry that sounded as if Hell itself had split open as they flew toward their stunned enemies. Joe, Mark, and even Sigma had to drop their weapons and cover their ears from the Demonic screeches the two had unleashed. The three of them watched in confusion and utter shock as the two Protectors ripped their way through the Splicers with their plasmids and Harvesters. It reminded them of the first time they had met in the Hotel, the two of them always managing to show up at the last second, when they were on the verge of total defeat. Joe saw the way they tore through their opponents and stood up.

"This is it! It's not a final stand anymore, this is a battle! A winable battle!" He yelled over the screams and gunfire as he joined in the fight. Mark and Sigma did the same as they split up to rush down the street in opposite directions to assist their Saviors, Sigma exiting the Alleyway and opening fire on the large Crowd of Splicers Iota was engaging. Mark and Joe rushed to Omega's side and began firing their weapons as well, screaming as they released all of their rage and hate with each pull of the trigger. Omega stayed in front of Joe and Mark to shield them from stray bullets as they fired past him into their enemies pushing them back further and further with each dropped body. Iota and Sigma did the same on the other side of the Building that separated the two Groups eventually coming to a cross section, They funneled the Splicers toward the District's entrance until the two Groups of Humans and Protectors were reunited on the same battlefield. Mark and Joe took up positions in front of the building behind cover while the Protectors stayed on the front lines, bodies laid around them in heaps, the street below barely even visible.

Iota spun around in a wide circle and calmly split multiple Splicers in half with her deadly weapon causing the rest of the small army to back up in fear at the terrible display. Sigma plunged his massive drill into the chest of a deformed Man as he lifted him into the air and back to the ground, he finished the Man off by stomping his large armored boot onto the Man's head, blood pouring out as it was flattened beneath him. When the small Army of Splicers had backed up enough the Protectors stopped attacking and stared at them. The Splicers were in total shock, what they thought was going to be an easy win had turned into a massacre for them, there was only supposed to be one exhausted Big Daddy, not a Big Daddy, a Big Sister, and whatever the Hell the other one was. The Protectors and their Human Allies could see the fear in the Splicers' eyes as they realized just how hopeless their struggle was.

Omega walked between Sigma and Iota dragging a struggling Man by his neck as he stepped on and over Corpses to stand in front of the Splicers, just to drive more fear into them, he lifted the man up with one arm as he tried to pry the Protector's iron grip from his throat. Omega let out a deep howl and hoisted the Splicer up high as he ripped him in half like paper, blood and entrails showering down on and around the Demonic figure. The Splicers watched him toss the two halves away and heard him give a dark, broken, screeching chuckle. They began screaming, tripping over themselves as they tried to escape in the opposite direction, but neither the Protectors or Humans had any intention of letting them escape alive. The Protectors tore into the crowd again as Joe and Mark opened fire from behind, careful not to hit their Allies. The Splicers ran back toward the Tunnel they had entered the District from but when the large blast door opened they froze in place. The red porthole of another Big Sister stood staring at them, just as Iota had done, Anna tilted her head slightly and extended her Harvester as she began slaughtering the terrified Psychos in front of her, laughing as she did so.

With Anna on the opposite side of the crowd pushing her way toward her Siblings and Friends it didn't take long for their numbers to dwindle, by the time they were done, all of the Protectors were covered in blood and pieces of flesh not their own, they had all sustained wounds, but nothing even close to the damage they had inflicted on the Splicers. The four Protectors stood there looking around them at the carnage they had created, bodies everywhere, some still alive that had received life threatening wounds but had not succumbed to them yet. They moaned and cried as they held their various wounds, no one really caring about how much pain they were in, or even listening to their dying screams, no one wanted to waste the energy it would take to finish them off.

Omega and Iota made their way to Anna and removed their heavy helms as they hugged her tightly, she had already removed her helmet to cool the sweat that had formed on her face. When the older Siblings realized Lizzy wasn't in Anna's carrying cage they both screeched questioningly, worried that she had been taken or fallen out along the way there. Anna rolled her glowing eyes and chuckled as she walked toward a Gatherer vent close by.

"Relax you two, she's totally fine." Anna explained as she banged her fist on the metal vent three times. They could hear rustling from inside the vent and saw Lizzy's head peek out as she looked around for them, Anna picked her up and carried her over toward Omega and Iota so they could hug her as well.

"Does anybody want to explain what the Hell is going on?!" They heard Mark yell from a few yards away.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this Chapter, let me know what you think!