A Protector's Warning
"Does anybody want to explain what the Hell is going on?!" Mark yelled in utter confusion and disbelief upon seeing not only Anna and Iota alive, but Omega and Lizzy as well. They were alive and well, hell, they looked better than they had before the Hotel's collapse. Joe wore the same dumbstruck look that Mark did as the two Men hurriedly stepped over and around Corpses to come face to face with the four Siblings, their boots splashing in pools of blood as they made their way to them. Omega and Iota simply stared at the two Humans with raised eyebrows as Anna and Lizzy smiled, happy to see their Friends again they greeted each other with hugs as Joe and Mark patted Lizzy on the head. They were at a loss for words, just moments ago they were face to face with their last moments in this life, and now, they were greeting their Friends whom they thought dead. It was a little more than either of them could bare with everything that had happened in their absence, and it brought both Men to tears.
"We thought you were all dead!" Mark yelled as he laughed with a sad joy.
"Omega you're a tough Bastard! I don't know whether to hit you or kiss you!" Joe yelled happily as he reached out to shake the Brother's giant hand with a smile. Omega could feel Joe shaking from adrenaline and nerves, from the look in his eyes and what the Brother had learned about James, it was likely a multitude of feelings coming out at once.
"And Iota my dear, you look as beautiful and terrifying as ever!" Joe added as he placed his hand on her arm, the contact making the Oldest Sister flinch slightly, she didn't care for physical contact unless it was a member of her Family, but given their demeanor, and everything they had been through without them, she stood her ground.
"And who could forget sweet Anna and Lizzy!?" Joe said as he and Mark continued to let their tears fall, both Men taking turns hugging the younger Siblings as well before standing back to look at them, making sure they weren't dreaming.
"Joe! I..." Anna started before her words got caught in her throat, she looked to the ground in embarrassment. Joe saw this and gave her as good a smile as he could manage.
"Go on Dear, what is it?" Joe asked softly.
"I know it probably doesn't mean much now but... I'm sorry for how I treated everyone after the Hotel collapsed... I was-" Before she had a chance to finish Joe cut her off as he shook his head.
"Don't worry about it Anna, it's not your fault." He answered as he put his hand on her shoulder pad.
"If anything, we understand better now... now that we've lost so much." Mark added as he wiped his eyes and looked to the floor. Anna saw this and grew a look of confusion on her face as she scrunched her eyebrows.
"What do you mean? Who else died?" The way she asked was blunt and cut the two Men like a knife, Joe looked to Mark and then back to Anna with his eyes somewhere else.
"We lost Vicki and James... Maybe Seline." Joe said darkly, upon hearing this Lizzy immediately burst into tears, Anna was more confused now than ever.
"What do you mean? Seline's hurt?!" Anna asked not really seeking an answer, before Joe could even say anything she was already rushing off toward the clinic to find her Friend carrying Lizzy along with her. Mark followed her, eager to return to the Woman he loved, hoping she would still be breathing when he got back. Joe turned back to Omega and Iota who watched their Siblings as they rushed away, Iota stepped closer to Joe as Omega put his hand on the Human's shoulder, sensing what his Mate was about to do through their bond.
Iota held out her hand toward the bearded Man, as if to hand him something. Joe grew confused as he held out his own, when Iota opened her fist Joe's half scorched golden flip lighter fell into his hand. Joe felt his stomach drop and his knees grew weak as he looked at the Lighter, his Lighter, the Lighter he had given to James and Vicki in the Bar... the Lighter that had killed them.
Joe took a sharp intake of air as he prepared to say something but no words came out, no words were needed, the look of deep sadness and pain on his face told the Protectors all they needed to know. Omega patted the Man's shoulder a few times before walking past him toward Sigma to shake his hand as well, Iota hugged Joe tightly and then walked off to join her Mate, the three Protectors giving Joe some alone time as they began harvesting ADAM from the multitude of Corpses they had created earlier.
When the Protectors had finished the gruesome task of stripping the corpses of any useful items, as well as ADAM, they turned to Joe. His back was to them as he gazed out one of the many reinforced windows around the are. He looked like a child next to the massive viewing window, rays of blue light shining over him as he remembered his Brother, and all of the others he had lost. The Titan Guardians decided to leave him alone with his thoughts, they too were no strangers to loss.
As Omega, Iota, and Sigma entered the abandoned clinic their Human Allies had occupied, both Iota and Omega removed their helmets, the gentle yellow glow of their eyes sweeping across the ruined interior. The smell of decades old blood and death was so thick in the air they could almost taste it, dried blood stains littered the entirety of the floor. Iota narrowed her eyes at the sight, this was no medical facility, this was a graveyard. The thought amused her, all of Rapture was a graveyard, a massive tomb that held hundreds of thousands. The two Protectors made their way over to Anna, and Mark as they sat with Seline, the heavy foot falls of their boots amplified on the old tile floor. The girl was in bad shape, wounds littered her body, her right arm was nothing more than a stub, and her eyes were covered in bandages, blood leaking through to the surface. Anna held the stoicism of a Protector as she stared at her Friend, Mark had his head in his hands, his eyes leaking fresh tears, already swollen from crying before. The two Protectors should have been feeling empathy for their Allies, regret for not being able to help them in their time of need, but all they could feel was anger. Iota had the worst of it, she shook with rage, seeing Seline in that state reminded her too much of Omega when he had died in the small apartment, she had been able to bring him back, even heal him and form some kind of new bond with him, but it hit too close to home.
Omega could feel the white hot rage pouring through the bond effecting his own mind, he reached out, physically, as well as mentally, placing a hand on his Mate's shoulder and troubled mind. She jumped at the sudden contact, her mind flittering back to reality as she shook her head. She looked up at him curiously, as if she didn't know why he had placed his hand on her shoulder, he simply shook his head slowly. Now was not the time to seek vengeance, or blood, now was the time to rest, to plan, to resupply. Iota nodded hesitantly, understanding their situation as a whole, she still didn't like it. The Protector brought her hand up to scratch at her right eye again, the nervous tick she had developed from the mental strain she had suffered making her do so.
"She is stable for now, the ADAM you have gathered will likely save her life." Tenenbaum spoke as she approached Seline's bedside, drawing everyone's attention to her. Iota and Omega studied her dirty clothing and exhausted expression. She mirrored Joe, and Mark's own battered appearances. They all looked as if they'd been through Hell without a moments rest. They were covered in dirt, ash, blood, and various other substances. They had bags under their eyes, and a deep sadness within that echoed the suffering they had endured in the time the Protectors had been absent.
Iota looked at the Doctor, as well as Mark and Seline, she glanced at her own harvester before unscrewing the ADAM container and handing it to Tenenbaum. The older Woman nodded thankfully and gave what almost looked like a smile as she set about more work. After transferring some of the ADAM into a clean syringe she handed Iota's Harvester container back to her. The Sister screwed it back into place on her deadly weapon and watched as Tenenbaum went about injecting the miracle drug into the wounded young Woman. There was no movement, no visible sign that it was working, or even helping for that matter. Humans didn't react to ADAM the same way a Protector did, they didn't have advanced regeneration like Rapture's Guardians. Omega had healed at an astonishing rate only because Iota had given him fresh ADAM through transfusion, it super charged his regeneration and healed him in a little more than twenty four hours. If a Human were to receive the same transfusion, it would likely take days, possibly weeks, or even months to heal fully as he had. Iota wasn't stupid enough to try such a procedure on Seline though, if they gave her the amount of ADAM she had given Omega, the girl would most likely mutate and die without having evolved from a lifetime of ADAM intake. The Sister placed her hand on her tone stomach, feeling the precious ADAM Slug within as it squirmed. It truly was a miracle Creature, keeping the Big Sisters, and only Big Brother from mutating as they were exposed to so much ADAM throughout their lives. She glanced over to Seline's broken form, her glowing eyes scanning the various wounds she had sustained. If only she had been implanted with an ADAM Slug as well, they could give her as much ADAM as she needed to fully recover, but since she had not received such an implant, all they could do was wait, and inject her with small amounts of ADAM to help her recover. They would need to be careful, too much ADAM and she might mutate, or form the shackles of insanity that plagued Rapture's Denizens. If they gave her too little, she might perish from sheer shock as her body clings to life.
As Tenenbaum and Mark tended to Seline's wounds, Anna made her way to them and offered what help she could as well. She wanted to make up for the things she had done after the Hotel's fall, and her absence. Iota gave her Mate a small kiss and smiled happily as she left the aging clinic to take up her watch outside above the streets. Sigma was still outside, and Joe had yet to return as well, but six eyes were better than four. Omega looked to Lizzy and the girl smiled at him with red puffy eyes, she had been crying nonstop since their return, he was just thankful they had been tears of joy, mostly. The Brother put his gloved hand up toward his mouth as if he were holding a piece of food. Lizzy nodded and flashed him another sweet smile.
"Big Brother?" Lizzy asked as Omega began walking to a waiting bench nearby, he turned to look down at her with a questioning stare.
"Do you think... We could have some candy?" She asked quietly, as if she might get into trouble for the question.
"A-After lunch I mean!" She added quickly, hoping he would agree to her terms. Omega put his hand on his chin as he thought, he stared at her for a moment, letting the tension, as well as her anticipation for his answer build. He gave her a small smile and nodded, watching her expression light up with Childlike excitement. The two Siblings made their way across the room and sat on one of the waiting benches, the old furniture groaning and creaking as the Titan Protector put his full weight on it. Lizzy climbed up next, placing herself on his lap to get comfortable as he retrieved a few cans of food they had brought. The Protector ripped the top off the cans one by one and sat them next to him on the bench, he retrieved Lizzy's fork from her backpack and handed it to her, as well as a can of preserved fish. The two of them watched Tenenbaum, Mark, and Anna tend to Seline, as well as Mark's own wounds as they ate. Every now and then Anna would glance over at them and see Lizzy's face full of food smile back at her, or she would catch a glimpse at her Sister feeding their Brother fruit slices with her fork, happy to help him so he wouldn't contaminate the fruit with the blood on his gloves or knife. It wouldn't effect him, but they couldn't take any chances with Lizzy, it was the whole reason she had her own special fork, one that was washed thoroughly after every use, and placed safely back into her backpack. She had even given it a name: Forkson.
Once the siblings had finished their food, Omega held up his promise and reached into one of his belt pouches. Lizzy held onto his plate armor as she attempted to lean around to see what he would pull out, he had started keeping different kinds of candies in it in order to surprise her or reward her for being a good girl. When his gloved fist came around again her eyes shone like two neon lights. She held out her hands and waited eagerly for what would fall into them. When the plastic wrapped candy fell into her hands she squealed with joy, it was colored light blue and it was soft. Saltwater taffy, one of her absolutely favorite treats, mostly because Omega only had a small number of them, so they were very rare. What the girl didn't know however, was that Omega kept the taffy in a separate, smaller pouch next to the candy pouch. She had been through a lot in the past days, and this small happiness would help raise her spirits. The Brother watched as Lizzy broke the role of taffy into four equal pieces, just as she always did. She handed two pieces to Omega, and climbed down to the dirty tile floor below, running over to Anna and placing her piece in her mouth for her before returning to sit on the bench beside her Brother once more.
"Can you take Iota her piece, Big Brother?" Lizzy asked, her cheek puffed out as she sucked on the sweet treat she had already placed inside. Omega nodded and motioned for her to stay put as he stood, taking a few cans of food with him for his Mate as well. The girl smiled and began retrieving her battered coloring book from her bag, as well as the beaten up crayons she kept.
. . .
Iota sat in the shadows of the adjacent building, keeping watch over the streets below. She could se Joe from where she sat, his back to her, still staring out the window at the dead City that had claimed his Brother's life. He was twirling the soot covered lighter in his hand as he stared off into nothingness. It served to remind her of how different a Protector's mind was from a Human's. She had already experienced what it was like to lose her Mate, and Sister. It had broken her, broken Anna, and caused her so much pain that she had been locked inside of her own tormented mind. Even the memory of it caused her to unknowingly bring her hand up to claw at her eye as she twitched.
She watched Sigma as well, he was piling corpses up to be burned, the pile he had erected so far was impressive, a tangled web of arms and legs, blood and gore, all from their own handy work. Iota smiled at the sight of their work, her sharp K9's shining white in the dim light she inhabited. How could she not be proud of their slaughter? It was what they had been created for, what they were meant to do... and they were good at it, very good at it. It made her wonder what was next after Rapture, after they escaped. What would happen to her, and her Mate once there were no more wars to be fought? She didn't know, she didn't know what the surface would be like, how it would treat them, or who might attack them. She had only ever been to one coastal town to gather a Little Sister, and that was when she was still under her mental conditioning. She couldn't remember what it was like now, what sights there were, what sounds, and smells. It had all been shielded from her memory by the brainwashing she had gone through, but she didn't have that problem now. Now she was free, truly free, and she wanted to experience the surface with unclouded eyes, with her Lover, and Sisters. She wanted to know what was above the waves, what the sun looked like, felt like. She wanted to smell the different scents in the air, rather than the same rot, mildew, and mold she had always known. She found herself wondering more and more lately, about what the world would be like, where her small Family would fit into it, and if they even could. The Sister was excited, but also a little tense about it. What if the world treated them harshly? What if it didn't accept them? What if they were only met with hostility, and hatred on the surface?
She heard a loud thudding sound coming from her left and turned to see Omega walking toward her with an arm full of cans, she smiled at him sweetly, starring into his illuminated eyes, the eyes she had come to love, fear, and respect. She couldn't imagine a world without those strong but caring eyes. In a single glance she knew he felt the same, that he would make sure his Family made it out of this Hell, no matter the cost... but that also terrified her to no end. Omega was strong, fast, and deadly, but he was would also sacrifice himself for the sake of his Family, as she would. She only hoped it wouldn't come to that, for either of them.
Omega stood close to his Mate, giving the slightest of smiles as he motioned for her to take her lunch from him. She smiled again and relieved him of the many cans of food, leaning up to kiss him and nuzzle their faces together. Iota sat back down on her perch and began prying the tin cans open one by one as Omega sat next to her. He watched her struggle with the third can, her gloves slipping on the tightly sealed container as she tried to get a good grip. He could feel her anger quickly rising through their bond as her face became annoyed, and then enraged. He watched her claw at her eye before lifting her arm to throw the defiant container away. He caught her wrist before she could, snapping her out of her frenzy. He took the can from her and laid her hand back on her lap as she stared at the street below in frustration and embarrassment. She felt so useless sometimes, she could easily gut a Splicer, but she found simple tasks harder now. Omega didn't blame her though, not for her mental or emotional state, and not for her broken mind as it slowly healed. The Brother knew what that kind of pain, and loss, and suffering could do to a Protector, he had seen it dozens of times with other Sisters, as well as Alpha series Big Daddies who had lost their Charges. She had managed to come back from that abyss, maybe not fully, but enough. She watched sadly as he took his combat knife from it's sheath on his arm, and pried the stubborn can open. He handed her the can and pulled her chin upward before giving another understanding smile and rubbing the side of her arm. Iota wiped the tears of frustration she had welled up in her eyes and began picking out the food with her blood soaked gloves, even taking a few pieces to feed to her Mate. He had already eaten, but knew that her offering him more food made her happy, made her feel useful again, made her smile. He accepted her offerings, every time. When she had finished eating, Omega opened his hand to show her the two pieces of taffy that Lizzy had so graciously shared with them, like always. Iota smiled knowingly as she took one piece for herself and plopped it into her mouth, sucking on the delicious treat as Omega followed her lead. The two of them enjoyed their candies as they watched Sigma pile more bodies below. Omega's eyebrow arching as an idea came to him. Iota felt a spark of inspiration jolt through their bond as he gave a devilish smile. The sight of his white fangs always made her heart skip a beat, and she felt her face heat up upon seeing his fiendish expression. She raised an eyebrow of curiosity as he stood and beckoned her to follow him. He did indeed have an idea, one that, if they played it right, would keep them safe for some time.
The two of them jumped off of the three story building they had been sitting on and landed on the street below, cracking the concrete with the weight of their armor. The sound caused both Sigma and Joe to turn toward them expecting threats. Sigma had his armored hand covered in flames as he prepared to burn the dozens of corpses they had created from once living Splicers, but a halting gesture from Omega caused him to glance at the bodies, and extinguish the fire. He groaned curiously at the two Lovers and turned to face Joe, who was now making his way to them, eyes bloodshot from crying.
"Don't look at me Big Fella, I don't know what they want either." He said, turning to watch Omega, who had taken the lead. The Brother stared at the bodies for a moment and nodded. He held his hand up and used his telekinesis to pull a long steel pipe to him from the unfinished building on their left. With the pipe in hand he grabbed one of the Splicer Corpses by the neck and picked it up, a Man wearing a tattered white dress suit hung from his hand, blood covering the large gash in his chest from a Harvester.
"What are you doi-" Joe was cut off when he saw Omega stab the steel pipe through the Man's side, running it up through his body, the tip of the pipe bulging underneath the skin of the Man's neck. Joe gagged and covered his mouth with his hand when he heard the wet squishing sound it made. They watched Omega walk to the blood covered street and plant the pole into the concrete like a flag on a conquered Castle. Joe struggled to keep his lunch down as Sigma and Iota looked on with curiosity.
"I've seen you do some fucked up things big guy... but this takes the cake..." Joe said, causing Omega to simply point at the impaled corpse and then to the large doorway that led to the rest of Rapture. The three onlookers glanced down the tunnel, and then back to him, the idea he had taking form in their minds. It was fear, plain and simple. Fear would keep them safe, fear would halt any Splicers from attacking them this time, now that they were vulnerable. He wanted to make the Splicers fear them more than they feared Reed Wahl... and they would.
Iota gazed at the pile of fresh Corpses, and then to the equally large pile of steel pipes in the unfinished building, she grew a twisted smile and Joe visibly flinched at the sadistic spark in her eyes, but he wasn't one to question their methods. He knew that whatever they did, they did for the protection of the group, but he wouldn't have any part of the twisted tactic. He only watched Omega create one warning totem, much less the dozens they would likely erect. He chose to keep his lunch in it's place instead, and return to the clinic with Sigma, who also wanted no part in the plan it would seem. As the two of them walked back to the clinic, Joe glanced back at the two Protectors and their cheerful new mission. He didn't feel disgust, or anger, toward them, not in the least. He only felt sorrow, pity, and regret. Sofia Lamb had twisted and corrupted those poor souls, the Family had poisoned their minds, and Rapture had been the reason behind all of it. He found himself cursing the damned City once again, for probably the thousandth time that day. He hated the City with every fiber of his being, and the horrors the dystopia spat out were as numerous as they were terrifying. He simply shook his head and sighed, he hoped Tenenbaum would be able to reverse the amount of unbelievable damage that had been done to them, all of them, but he doubted anything could ever fix this.
When Joe and Sigma entered the clinic again, all eyes were on them. Tenenbaum and Mark were sitting with Seline, the Doctor watching the clock to manage the injured girl's ADAM intake carefully. Mark was simply sitting with his head in his hands, exhausted to the point of passing out from all the stress he had endured lately. Anna sat with Lizzy and colored with her youngest Sister. Joe closed the clinic door behind him and watched as Sigma lumbered his way to a nearby medical bed still dirty with dried blood, sitting down on it as if it were a normal sized bench, eager to rest as well. They were all exhausted, sleep deprived, and in shock. Joe himself looked like a Man far beyond his years as he shuffled to a nearby bed as well. Without a word to anyone he laid down on the dirty furniture and closed his eyes, hoping to get at least some sleep, though he knew it would likely be impossible.
"Brother and Sister?" He heard Anna's voice ask from behind him across the room. He pointed his hand toward their direction.
"Decorating..." He said darkly, causing Tenenbaum to furrow her brow, she knew whatever they were doing wasn't good by the sound of his tone.
"Oooh! I want to see!" Lizzy's voice came next, both Tenenbaum and Joe turning sharply to her.
"No!" They said in unison, causing Lizzy to don a discouraged face, Anna's eyes widened slightly at their combined reaction, as well as the lack of explanation they gave. Now her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She would wait to act on it though, wait until Lizzy was distracted so she could investigate. Her chance finally came when Lizzy laid down for a nap nearly two hours later. Joe had already fallen asleep as well, though he tossed and turned on his dirty medical bed. Tenenbaum was sitting bleary eyed next to Seline's own bed, waiting for the next time she would have to give the girl another small dosage of ADAM, Mark asleep with her hand in his. He was still sitting on his chair, but he had laid his head and arms on the side of her bed for more comfort, it made Anna smile slightly, the way he cared for her reminded her of her Brother and Sister.
Anna gently lifted Lizzy's head from her lap as she stood up, placing her Sister's pillow on the bench where she had sat, patting her shoulder and rubbing her hair to ease the girl back to sleep as she stirred from the movement. Once she was sure her precious Sister wasn't going to wake, she headed toward the door, Tenenbaum's voice catching her as she reached it.
"Anna..." She said. The Protector turned to face the older Woman, her illuminated eyes meeting the Doctor's exhausted expression.
"Joe is not in a talkative mood... and understandably so." She said, casting a glance to the Man in question, his face sweating as it contorted into various expressions in his sleep.
"Please... Tell me what you see when you return." The Doctor said. Her request was simple, but the way she had said it made Anna tilt her head slightly. She sounded utterly spent as far as energy goes, she was swaying slightly, from sleep deprivation and her nerves over the past days, Anna nodded. The Sister opened the clinic door and stepped outside, leaving a watchful Sigma behind on his bed as well. She was curious to see what Joe meant by "decorations". Whatever he had seen her Brother and Sister do, it made him pale, like he had seen Andrew Ryan himself walk out of a dark Alley. Anna held her helmet under her right arm as she walked toward the street, the overwhelming scent of blood filling her nostrils with it's all too familiar metallic odor and taste. When she made it to the street she turned the corner and stopped, her eyes and mind trying to process exactly what she was seeing.
There were Corpses, dozens of them, all impaled in different positions with steel pipes, planted into the street like a forest of rotting meat. Every inch of the street was covered in crimson, light reflecting off of the dark liquid mass to create a shine on the surface. Splicers were impaled through their backs, their fronts, sides, and mouths. Some of the pipes even impaled the Splicers through their bottoms, coming out of their mouths, their faces dead and lifeless, but contorted in a sickening display of brutality only her Brother and Sister could create. Some of their arms had been affixed to look like they were reaching out toward something, and anyway you approached the forest of bodies, it would look like they were after you, warning you not to come any closer, or you would share the same fate. Anna was no Splicer though, she was not some weak Vermin that might avoid the artwork of her Siblings. That was the only way she could describe it, it was art. Art that her Brother and Sister created to strike fear into their Enemies. Anna smiled as she walked forward toward the forest of poles and death, her eyes wide in awe at her Brother and Sister's magnificence. Only they could inspire such utter violence and fear, only they could create something so sadistically beautiful, only they could force such horror into the hearts of whoever happened upon the area.
As Anna walked through the steel forest, she felt droplets of still warm blood fall onto her head, face, and shoulders. She began spinning and laughing at the sight of her hated Foes, flayed skinless and disemboweled as they became a bloody warning to all those who meant their Family, and Allies harm. Her Protector instincts sending adrenaline and dopamine through her body as she reveled in the glorious torment it would inspire into the Splicers. Movement caught her eye and she turned slightly, struggling to see through the density of the steel poles. She moved toward it, knowing it was most definitely her Siblings, her heavy boots splashing in the river of crimson beneath her as she slid through the steel jungle. When she finally exited the mass of warning totems, she was breathing heavily from the excitement. Her body heated from the sheer sight of so much death. Anna stepped out of the Poles just in time to see her Brother plant the last totem into the concrete with a sharp ping that caused her heart to skip a beat. He turned to look at her, his illuminated eyes catching hers, piercing right through her with the serious look he had on his face, she could only stare at him. He was covered in blood, it ran down his face in small crimson trails, dripping from his nose, and chin, down his neck. His black armor shining a reflective crimson as the light caught it in just the right way, he was magnificent. He looked like a Warrior, a Demon... a Protector. It was then that Anna realized Iota was standing to his left, she stepped around her Mate and into the light and once again Anna's breath caught in her chest. She mirrored Omega's visage perfectly, her hair drenched in the life of their deceased Enemies, it clung to her face, and cheeks. Her glowing eyes melting through the Sister as Omega's had, she was beautiful. Anna was speechless, she wanted to say something but couldn't think of any words, after taking a few moments to catch her breath she finally spoke.
"Wow..." She whispered.
Iota looked to her Lover and smiled sweetly, as she took in the pheromones Anna was giving off, happiness, excitement, and pleasure. If their work had this kind of effect on a Protector... she couldn't wait to see what it would do to Splicers. Anna began walking toward her Siblings, standing close to examine them further, her eyes still wide in ecstasy.
"When Joe said you were decorating, I didn't know this was what he meant!" She said excitedly. Causing Iota to smile, and Omega to nod sternly.
"It's amazing! Anybody that thinks about attacking us now is going to get a painful awakening." She said, her enthusiasm growing with each drop of blood that fell from their bodies. Anna turned to admire their work once more, taking in the Hellish scene. She had never seen anything like it. It was a testament to their power, and brutality, something Splicers would never be able to master to such an extent.
"It reminds me of Fort Frolic, Sander Cohen's plaster statues... but he has nothing on you." She said.
The Siblings sat and admired the work for a few moments until a sound caught their attention, the whining motor of a security bot could be heard getting closer to the tunnel that lead to Omega and Iota's ghastly masterpiece. All three Protectors turned their heads at the sound as it grew closer.
"Scout." Anna said quietly as she extended her Harvester to it's full length, she inspired by her Siblings and ready for a fight. Iota put her hand on the younger Sister's shoulder armor and shook her head, she gave Anna a predatory smile and pointed upwards to the ceiling. Anna's own smile grew, her Sister had a plan, one that would no doubt be fun. Anna nodded and the three Warriors launched themselves up to the nearest building, crouching down low underneath the ceiling as they waited for their Prey to find the mutilated Corpses of their Allies. They watched the tunnel as a Man in a dark red jumpsuit walked toward them, a security bot following close behind.
The Splicer had old blood stains and oil spots on his tattered jumpsuit, wool work gloves missing finger tip portions and a welding mask that hid his face. He walked with a slight limp. The Protectors might have thought he were a normal Human had he not been twitching and mumbling to himself, the large boils on his neck and chest gave it away as well. They watched closely as he turned the corner below them and froze in his tracks when he saw the impaled bodies. He stood there for a moment, not comprehending exactly what he was seeing in the dim light of the overhead windows, beams of blue light shining down on the Protector's work. They listened as his heart sped up rapidly, he began breathing heavily and the sweet scent of fear carried it's way to their nostrils, perfect.
"G-G-Gotta tell Wahl! Tell Wahl! Gotta see! Gotta make him see!" The Man rambled madly as he turned to the security bot he had with him. He reached for a switch on the side but got no further. Omega gave the signal and the three Protectors descended on them, Anna and Iota leaping onto the Man, pulling his arms up and holding him off of the ground, Omega Grabbing the security bot by it's machine gun barrel and swiftly aiming it away from Iota and Anna as it fired. He ripped the weapon off of the bot in a single stroke and switched the machine off soon after. Both Iota and Anna pulled their Prey to the ground as Iota held him in place with her boot on his neck, Anna knelt down and smiled at the Man, lifting his welding mask to reveal his terrified expression.
"Poor Rat, you wandered too far from your nest." Anna said in a dark tone, her voice laced with both hatred and pleasure as she drank in the Man's torment. His eyes were wide but he couldn't speak for the pressure Iota was applying to his throat. Anna licked her lips as she looked up toward the forest of impaled Corpses her Siblings had created, the Man's horrified eyes following her gaze until she looked back down at him.
"You don't seem to understand, Reed Wahl doesn't seem to understand." She leaned down so that her face was only inches from his.
"This City... is ours!" She growled darkly as the Man began shaking, urine wetting the front of his red jumpsuit.
Anna rose from her kneeling position, she held an expression neither of her Siblings could read.
"I have an idea..." She said with a smile.
. . .
Three days, it had been three fucking days since he last tasted ADAM, Wahl was getting stingy, giving too much of the delicious drug to the field teams. He had always been more generous to those morons. He went on and on about how they got more because they risked their lives for his work, for the Thinker.
"What a load of shit." The Man mumbled angrily as he monitored the security cameras surrounding Minerva's Den, his console was filthy with trash and debris but it didn't matter. He knew where everything was, and frankly didn't give two fucks what anyone thought about that. It was his work station after all. It's not like Wahl ever came down their anyway, too busy jerking off on that damn super computer of his if he had to guess. The thought made him let out a short, snorting chuckle as he took another bite of his candy bar before setting it back down on the console of his station. He looked over the monitors once again, just like he did nearly every hour of every day, scanning the images for anything interesting.
He had been furious when Wahl had assigned him the post, taking him off of the mathematics team he had been apart of, in charge of testing the Thinker's calculating capabilities. When he sat down in his new office however, he had quickly come to love the new station. All he had to do was sit in front of monitors all day, and report what he seen, and got payed in ADAM to do it! It was basically like sitting on your ass all day and getting payed to watch TV, and there was always something interesting on. You simply had to press a button and BAM! A Woman was jumping from a three story building head first. Press another button and POW! A group of Splicers were shooting each other over food, ADAM, or any other petty bullshit people normally killed one another over.
It was the others He had taken a keen interest in however, the black eyed Monstrosities that inhabited the darkest corners of the City. Whenever power went out in a District, he could zoom in just enough to catch glimpses of the Horrors that waited in the dark. Truth be told it had scared him shitless when he first saw them, he had thought it was some kind of trick his eyes were playing on him, either that or the cameras. Staring at the old camera images could have that effect on you if you did it long enough, and often enough. You start seeing things that aren't there, hearing things that can't be there, but no. He had most definitely seen these Creatures, heard their shrieking calls and the eerie clicking they emitted as they stalked the lightless halls. Some areas had lost only partial power, and so he could hear, and see with the cameras. Whatever those Creatures were, they scared him. They scared him so bad he had nightmares of them. He had tried to warn Reed Wahl, but the stubborn Bastard didn't listen until he had practically dragged the man downstairs to show him the proof. Wahl, being the absolute maniac that he is, found out a way to use the Monsters as weapons. Simply turn out the lights, and they would kill everything in their path. Wahl was out of his mind with that damned computer though, and never stayed away from it for long.
While the black-eyed Monsters caught his eye however, it was the Protectors he really liked watching. They were just as illusive as the black-eyed Creatures though, and never stayed in frame for long. He had seen two of them quite a bit when they first started travelling together, now though, he would be lucky to catch a glimpse of them. He had managed to retrieve some of the combat footage from security bots they had destroyed when they wiped out some of the field teams, they were walking nightmares. The black-eyed Creatures scared him no doubt, but the Protectors, the Male and his Female. They terrified him. He had seen what they were capable of, seen what they did to anyone with a taste for ADAM. The black-eyed Monsters were killing machines too... but the Protectors were smart. They were cunning, and they were aware. They weren't mindless eating machines that only killed what they could find, no. They actively hunted their Prey, Splicers and black-eyed Creatures alike. What terrified him most of all about them though... was that they liked killing.
He could understand the black-eyed Creatures, he could understand their hunger and need for food... but the Protectors? They killed for pleasure, at least that's what he had gathered from watching them. He gave a sigh as he flipped through monitors, holding his boil covered cheek up with his hand as he glimpsed through his dark rimmed glasses.
"Looks like nothing good's on tonight." He sighed. He had been hoping to catch up on his favorite show tonight: Woman talking to her toilet like a pet. He hadn't seen Nadine in a few days, that's what he had named her. She had the strange habit of talking to her toilet as if it were some kind of dog-child hybrid. He found it comical most nights, and it helped to pass the time. That was the problem with "Rapture TV", shows ended too soon when the "Actors" were killed.
"Oh well, not like I'm missing much I guess." He said.
He was idly flipping through camera feeds when a light to his left began blinking, He furrowed his brow and pulled his dirty white lab coat's sleeve up to check the time on his watch. Just what he needed, another field team that couldn't follow instructions, Marco was supposed to check in thirty minutes ago. He figured that's what happened when you tried to get Splicers to follow orders, especially when they were so addicted to ADAM they could hardly talk straight, much less operate a security bot. The Man wheeled his chair over to the light and clicked the button beneath it.
"You were supposed to check in already you fucking idio-"
"Good evening." An unfamiliar Female voice interrupted him. The Man frowned, his patience running thin. He didn't have time to talk to whatever bimbo had talked Marco into letting her use his bot, He sighed.
"Where the Hell is Marco? Is that why he didn't check in, got his pants around his ankles when he's supposed to be working?" He asked, annoyance clear on his voice.
"So Marco is this little Rat's name... Say hi to your Friend Marco, I'm sure he'd like to hear from you." The Female voice could be heard, speaking to Marco.
"AAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!" He screamed in agony as a wet gurgling noise silenced him, it sounded like someone was trying to saw a tough steak with a knife.
The sound made the Man's blood run cold, whoever had Marco was torturing him.
"Who is this?! Where's Marco!?" He yelled at the microphone, sweat beginning to bead on his brow. The voice on the other end giggled playfully.
"Why don't you turn on Marco's security bot camera, we're having so much fun with your Friend... We've been having so much fun with all of your Friends." The Woman said sadistically, her tone was dark and light at the same time. He did as she said, reaching over and flipping one of the monitors to the correct channel. He was met with a face, the face of a pretty young Woman with glowing eyes, she smiled at the camera, blood running down her face as she licked it off of her lips. His heart nearly stopped as his eyes widened in fear.
"What's your name Mister?" She asked with a disturbing grin, showing her sharp K9's.
"M-Mathew" He choked out.
"Mathew... Make sure you're recording this for me okay Mathew?" She asked sweetly, her tone the complete opposite of her bloody image. Mathew swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded even though she couldn't see him.
"Say hi to Mathew, Marco!" She said, pulling the camera away from her face. She held up Marco's severed head, eyes fixed in an upward stare, his mouth hanging open as blood dripped from his throat. Mathew felt himself gag, he had seen death countless times on these monitors, but never so close. The Woman with glowing eyes shook the head lightly as she continued to smile happily.
"Wh-What do you want?" Mathew asked hesitantly.
"Want?" She asked curiously, putting her finger on her chin as she thought.
"I want you to die Mathew." She smiled at the camera again, Mathew's heart began beating faster as the words left her lips.
"I want you all to die, in the most violent, bloody, and painful ways possible. I want to feel your heartbeat as I pull it from your chest, I want to drink your screams of pain as you die, and I want the last thing you see to be my face as I laugh at your misery." She explained, her tone growing more serious.
"But that's just what I want..." She said as she turned the camera away from her. When the image settled, Mathew took a moment to process the view. Dozens of Splicers were hanging up on poles, their bodies bleeding and mutilated as they hung there. He gagged again, this time pulling his trashcan to him to vomit heavily.
"You see Mathew, my Brother and Sister want something much, much worse for you and your Friends. They made this for you, do you like it?" She asked. Mathew wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he forced himself to look at the image again.
"Y-You're fucking Psychos... Monsters!" He said as he spit into the trashcan once more.
"That's right Mathew... We are Monsters, but you and your Friends have forgotten that, so we built this to remind you. This is what happens when you attack our Family, our Friends. This is what happens when you think you can simply kill what you can't control!" She said angrily as two new figures stepped into the frame. It was the Male and Female Protector pair he had seen on the cameras a few times, their helmets and black armor just the way he had remembered them. The young Woman held the camera on them as they stood there, Harvesters hanging down from their right arms, fists clenched in anger, helmet lights aglow.
"I want you to show this video to Reed Wahl, Mathew. I want you to make him understand, we don't want you to stop, we don't want you to leave us alone. We're way past that now. Remember this sound Mathew... You'll be hearing it again very soon." She finished. The two armored figures on screen unleashing the loudest screeching he had ever heard, even through the speakers it made him cover his ears before the camera feed went black.
Mathew sat there in silence now, his heart racing, body trembling. A million things were running through his trembling mind at once.
"Fuck..."
(A/N: Wow! That was rather dark wasn't it?! Yes. Yes it was. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think in the review section!
Once again thank you for all of your support! I don't want to spoil anything, but for those curious about a surface arc, there will be some surface activity... but that's all I'll say on that, you'll just have to read it and see!)