Preparations
Mark worked diligently to the sound of banging hammers, welding torches sparking and stuttering, and saws grinding against metal. He had only just taken Benjamin's body out and disposed of it and it already sounded like the Protectors were making headway with whatever they were working on. He could only imagine what it was they were doing, probably building some sort of doomsday weapon to shove up Reed Wahl's ass. He chuckled at the thought, that would definitely be worth it to see. He heard a small explosion that shook some dust from the ceiling of the fire station when he entered the living room and saw Tenenbaum pacing back and forth uneasily. There was another louder explosion that shook the fire station and for a moment Mark thought about jumping back out the front door for fear of the building collapsing. When he heard Iota give a short screech and Omega respond with a much deeper one, he figured things were going as planned. They hadn't forced everyone to evacuate yet anyway.
"Mark, please, check on them before they end up burning the station down." Tenenbaum asked him.
"Don't worry, Doc, I'll see what they're up to." He replied before making his way to the open door of the workshop. He peaked inside and saw all three Protectors with their armor pieces detached and their body suits unzipped to their waists, the sleeves of their suits tied around their waists to keep them tight so they wouldn't get in the way.
"Whoa!" Mark yelled as he brought his hand up to cover his eyes when he saw both Iota and Anna's bare chests exposed.
"Why are you guys naked?!" He asked.
"It's like a thousand degrees in here why else would we be half naked?" Anna answered as they continued their work.
"Put your hand down we're not even close to finishing the project yet, so it won't ruin the surprise if you see it now." She added with a mischievous smile, clearly not understanding why he had his hand up in the first place. Mark's face reddened as he lowered his hand to see what they were doing, trying to keep his eyes in check so they wouldn't wander, though it was almost impossible. All three siblings were dirty from their waist up, their toned, muscular bodies covered in soot and ash from the furnace and anvil they were working at. Iota and Anna held a huge piece of five inch thick metal steady with forging tongs on top of the anvil as Omega smashed it with a massive forging hammer they had made in a matter of minutes. With their strength, they needed their own tools, so instead of trying to find ones that wouldn't break against their might, they simply made them. They were so focused on their work they didn't even look up at him when he came in. The two sisters slid the massive piece of metal into a new position and Omega lifted the hammer above his head ready to swing. The hammer was as tall as Mark, and looked like it weighed as much as he did. When the Brother slammed the hammer down onto the giant piece of metal, and shook the entire station like an explosion, sparks shot out in all directions, they showered off of Iota and Anna's breasts and drew Marks attention to them, each earthquake like hit causing their firm features to jiggle as sweat slid down their bodies. Once again his face reddened as he looked elsewhere. He was always shocked when he remembered their lack of modesty. They were covered in sweat, metal shavings, and soot. Anna had her hair tied up tight so it wouldn't get in the way or catch fire, and Iota's was short enough that it could just hang freely, the sweat soaked strands hanging down to lick at her jawline and chin. Mark watched as the sisters used their Incinerate plasmids on the metal to keep it red hot, Iota's blue flames mixing with Anna's orange to create purple flames in the center of the large piece of metal that illuminated Omega's massive well defined physique, the sweat coursing down his bare chest causing his huge muscles to glow in the light of the hot metal. He looked concentrated, determined to work on this project with the utmost care and complete it to exacting standards that only Protectors could achieve. The sisters flipped the massive chunk of scrap and Omega smashed the hammer down again shaking the station. It was just then that Mark realized exactly what they were using to forge.
"Is that... a bulkhead door?" Mark asked, squinting.
"Yep." Anna responded with a concentrated nod. Mark sighed and shook his head.
"I don't even want to know. Just make sure you guys don't burn this place down would ya?" He asked.
"Don't worry, we have a firefighter keeping us safe." Anna said again as she gritted her teeth and they flipped the door over again for another hit. She pointed over with a smile and Mark saw Lizzy sitting on a stool next to the wall to his left, she was wearing a large red fire fighter's helmet and grinning at him as she clutched a small fire extinguisher in her tiny hands. It was clearly made to put out small kitchen fires, but he knew the Protectors could just use their Winter Blast plasmids to put out anything that might spark and catch fire.
"Hi, Mark! I'm making sure there aren't any fires, don't worry!" Lizzy said excitedly, her dirty face beaming at him happily.
"I feel safer already!" He said as he waved to the girl, she adjusted the large red helmet on her head and waved back, almost dropping the fire extinguisher but managing to catch it in time with a small "Whoops." Mark turned and left, giving an uneasy thumbs up to Doctor Tenenbaum as he made his way back to the kitchen area.
"They have Lizzy on fire watch duty." He chuckled to the Doctor as he grinned and shook his head.
"She is protecting them for once." Tenenbaum said with a smile as she continued writing in her notebook, causing him to nod.
He filled a bucket with water from the sink, and grabbed an old mop before mopping up the blood and puke that the Protectors had left on the floor. More shockwaves rang through the fire station and Seline groaned angrily.
"Ugh! Why is the entire building shaking?!" She asked as she clutched her aching nub.
"The siblings are working on something, forging it with the biggest hammer I've ever seen." Mark said as he continued to mop up the crimson liquid, and Anna's stomach fluids from earlier. Seline never responded, she simply rolled over and placed her pillow over her bandaged head, trying to find what peace she could as the building continued to shake.
Iota and Anna turned their heads again as the massive hammer slammed down onto the red hot door they were shaping, a massive dent flattening and hardening the metal beneath Omega's immense strength, they held it steady with the huge forging tongs they had made from old wrench pieces and handles. Omega would screech lowly and point to where he wanted the door slid to on the anvil, and the sisters would oblige, turning their heads again as they held on to it for the next hit, sparks showering off of their bodies and heads with each strike, the force of the impact sending tremors through their bodies again and again. Once the door got to a good enough shape that Anna could turn, flip, and manage the heavy metal piece on her own, Iota set to work on a different project elsewhere in the room. Anna grabbed a large steel hammer they had made, and Omega grabbed an identical one as he moved to the opposite side of the door that Iota had been standing on. Both he and Anna grabbed the door with tongs in their left hands, and took turns banging on the door with the hammers in their right. The work was efficient, as it always was with Protectors, and it ran smoothly, like a well oiled machine, and slowly but surely, their work began to take shape. Years of repairing armor and weapons in similar conditions showed in each of Omega and Iota's hammer strikes, they were valuable skills to have, and so, they passed them on to Anna, showing her where to hit the metal to shape it, where to cut it, and where to weld it in order to make it strong enough to stand up to a Protector's might. Just as they had done in the last district, they would forge for themselves things so sinister and deadly only the twisted mind of a Protector could create. They would make lethal weapons that both struck fear into the hearts and minds of their enemies, as well as killed them with brutal efficiency. They worked quickly, eager to see the end result of their project, eager to prove yet again that no one but them could create weapons so demonically beautiful and terrible.
. . .
Joe, Archer, Tokerev, and Sigma walked down the silent streets of Rapture, leaking pipes and reinforced glass echoing around them in their patrol. The sound of Sigma's heavy footsteps booming behind them as he brought up the rear. The four had been walking for a while, scanning the area for threats, they hadn't run into any yet, but that didn't mean anything in Rapture. Joe watched Archer and Tokerev closely as they moved, they were on high alert, so was he of course, but they weren't used to fighting alongside a Protector like he was, and it showed.
"Relax guys, you look like you've never been on a patrol before." Joe said as they walked, his eyes scanning the surrounding buildings. Archer and Tokerev looked to him and straightened up their stances a little, realizing he was right. They probably did look a little off, like they were ready for combat at any moment, even though they had seen no evidence of a threat.
"We're not overly fond of travelling out in the open like this." Tokerev said dismissively, his eyes darting from window to window as they passed buildings.
"We usually stick to the shadows, inside buildings and alleyways for cover and concealment. You could say this is the first time we've been on patrol in a loooong time... especially out in the open like this." Archer explained.
"That's understandable, I know how that feels, living in hiding for so long and then suddenly you're able to walk around in the open safely, well, safer than you could normally." Joe said. Both men looked back to Sigma who trailed just behind them carrying his Gatling gun, anti-personnel rounds loaded and ready to be unleashed. The three men made sure he was well supplied before they left, because if shit hit the fan, it would be Sigma who would be doing the most damage, and likely saving their sorry asses if everything went south, as it often did in Rapture.
"Oh yeah? Been doing this a while, huh? Travelling in the open I mean." Archer asked, trying to pass some time while they walked.
"You could say that, spent some time with the Family, patrolling was a regular thing. Never really felt confident doing it until recently though." Joe explained as he hooked his thumb back toward Subject Sigma, who gave a deep groan, unintentionally causing both Archer and Tokerev to look back at him in surprise. That made Joe laugh a little on the inside, they clearly weren't used to having a Big Daddy on their side.
"It's a wonder you didn't splice up while you were with the Family." Tokerev said.
"Who says I didn't?" Joe asked, scanning the buildings around them, causing both men to look at each other with slight concern.
"Did you?" Archer asked.
"I did, but mostly a few gene tonics, and incinerate, though with the Protectors around I've only had to use it a handful of times." He stated.
"You never got addicted to ADAM?" Tokerev asked, his eyebrow raised skeptically.
"Nah, had more important things to worry about than some drug. Sure, it was very tempting, but back then... I had my younger brother to worry about... We looked after each other." He said, his tone turning more melancholic. Both men looked to each other and frowned slightly. Loss was something that everyone in Rapture knew and felt, everyone except the two Agents. They didn't have family in Rapture, hell they didn't even have friends down here. They had been plants for years, and always kept others at arm's length. No one in Rapture could be trusted, at least that's how they felt for a very long time.
"We heard Anna talking about James, I'm assuming that was him?" Archer asked.
"Yeah..." Joe answered, leaving a dreadful silence in the air that both men were eager to fill with any kind of conversation.
"How... Long ago did you lose him?" Tokerev asked.
"A little over two weeks ago now." Joe answered, causing both men to look at each other again, this time in surprise at how short the timespan was.
"Jesus, Joe... How are you not devastated?" Archer asked, concern clear in his tone.
"Who says I'm not?" The bearded man replied, and both men felt their stomachs drop.
"Sorry... about your brother." Tokerev said, rubbing the back of his head in disbelief.
"That's Rapture for you." Joe stated, both men nodding in agreement. Sigma stared at Joe's back as they walked, his slightly slumped shoulders and downcast eyes making the Big Daddy feel for him. He still marveled at his human Allies strength, their will to survive, to sacrifice themselves for one another, even if it left nothing but emptiness and heartache for those that remained. He had quickly come to realize that it was one of, if not the most admirable trait humans possessed, and filled some of the gap between them and the Protectors. To lay down one's life selflessly for another, without second thought, out of pure love was something all the horrors in Rapture could never dim.
"I lost a brother too, fighting the Nazis on the northwestern front. He survived the siege of Leningrad, the air raids, artillery, disease, starvation, and cold. For almost three years my brother fought against the fascists. His name was Kirill. I know what losing a brother is like, it is a wound that never fully heals, but time makes all wounds easier to bear." Tokerev's thick accent broke the silence. He looked over to Joe and offered him a consolatory nod, and the bearded man returned the kind gesture. The group continued walking, sharing stories of family they had, things they had been through both good and bad, until they came to stand in front of the building they were looking for. Tokerev held up the District map and nodded as he pointed to the ground beneath the building.
"The sewer system and west maintenance access should be below the building." He said.
"Should be?" Archer asked as he cocked an eyebrow.
"Unless I've been reading the map wrong, yes, it should be, granted the tunnels haven't collapsed or been sealed up somehow." He explained.
"Let's get in there and set up, hopefully we can tag one of those things and have it lead us back to wherever the Hell they came from." Archer said, his face determined.
"And if it doesn't?" Joe asked.
"A good question, if there were any other way to find their nest, or origin... but right now, there isn't. This has to work. The longer we take to eradicate these things the stronger they get, and the higher the chance that they'll reach the surface. Imagine an invasive species like that reaching the surface. With a nest in Rapture that no military on earth can get to due to it's automated defenses. There'd be no way to stop them from just pouring out of the City and spreading across the globe using the vastness of the oceans as the first ecosystem they take over." Archer said shaking his head seriously.
"Let's get it done then, no time to waste. The sooner we deal with the NeoSplicers the sooner we can leave this Hellhole." Joe said as he kicked open the front door to the building, his shotgun coming down so the flashlight he had duck taped to the barrel could sweep the first floor room. He almost fired when his light swept across mannequins, dirty and half dressed, some of them fallen over. Piles of clothing littered the building and evidence of looting was everywhere. Behind the counter on the back left wall, cash registers in their golden art deco engravings were turned, flipped and smashed, their trays forever handing open and empty.
Archer and Tokerev rushed in after Joe, taking up positions on his left and right, scanning their areas as they moved forward with him. Sigma heard the deep groan of a Big Daddy somewhere off in the District as he backed inside the building and turned to continue following his human companions.
They slowly swept through and cleared the first floor, weaving their way over and around debris, piles of musty old clothing, and decades old mannequins that had held their unblinking vigil in the store for years. Tokerev passed one and his light came up to shine on it's face, he grimaced before moving on.
"These things give me the creeps. Don't like their blank faces." The Russian man stated quietly.
"It's an eerie place, they definitely aren't helping." Joe said as he too passed one of the emotionless plastic men. The group made it to the back wall and found a small hallway barely ten feet long that held a two way junction at the end. They crept down the hallway and when they reached the end they took up positions before quickly jumping out to take aim, Archer and Joe aiming down the right side, Joe crouching around the corner as Archer aimed his rifle over him. Tokerev and Sigma aiming their weapons down the left with Tokerev kneeling and Sigma's massive Gatling gun looming over him. The right side found the staircase that led to the basement of the building, most likely where the maintenance and sewer access entrance would be. The two men held position as they aimed their sights downwards into the darkness, the flashlight on Joe's shotgun piercing the eerie black just enough to see the grey wall at the bottom of the stairs. Tokerev and Sigma were looking at the cracked door of a backroom supply closet and slowly crept forward to clear it and make sure no unpleasant surprises awaited them inside. They reached the door and Tokerev slowly pushed it open, as he did, movement caught his eye, and his training took over. He kicked the door wide and it banged against some metal shelves. Just as the door impacted the shelving, three shadows descended onto the man and he fell backwards growling as he fell to the floor, supplies from the closet clattering around him as he was attacked by the three figures.
Joe and Archer turned with their guns raised only to see Sigma's helmet lights illuminating the Russian underneath three female mannequins all naked and sprawled out on top of him. He began cursing rapidly in Russian as Sigma bent down and helped him to his feet. The other men couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune after finding out he wasn't actually being attacked.
"The mighty Tokerev brought low by a bunch of plastic dolls." Archer joked with a grin as he chuckled quietly.
"Fuck you!" Tokerev whispered to him angrily, clearly embarrassed by the ordeal.
"Is it clear?" Joe asked, causing Tokerev to nod as he dusted himself off.
"Yes it's fucking clear! let's keep moving!" He whispered in annoyance.
"You sure you uh, don't want a few minutes alone with your lady friends?" Joe asked as he nodded to Tokerev's crotch, earning another laugh from Archer when he saw what Joe was referring to. One of the mannequin's hands had come off of it's arm at the elbow and it's thumb was stuck in the Russian Soldier's belt loop. Tokerev looked down and began cursing in his native tongue once more as he grabbed the arm and threw it at Archer, who skillfully ducked it as it clattered off the wall.
"The ladies love Toke." Archer said as he nudged Joe with his elbow, both men laughing again.
"They don't look very clean, brother. You might want to get tested just to be safe." Joe added, the both of them laughing even harder. Tokerev growled lowly and flipped them off.
"Eat shit, both of you!" He said as he walked past them and began making his way to the basement level of the building, his Thompson leading the way. Joe and Tokerev followed suit as they took up positions on his sides just behind him so they could aim over his shoulders. When they reached the basement, and entered into the total darkness of the space, they all suddenly felt their heartbeats increase, especially when Joe and Sigma's lights hit the wall that held the maintenance and sewer access doorway. The wall it sat on was barren, and the heavy bulkhead door was closed and locked into place. It sat there ominously, as if it were waiting just for them to open it and unleash the horrors that it held within. The group fanned out and cleared the rest of the basement, making sure no other threats were present, it was deathly quiet, as quiet as either Tokerev or Archer had ever heard it be in Rapture.
"I don't like how quiet it is." Tokerev said as he stared at the door with the others.
"You want me to go upstairs and get your friends? They might make you feel more secure." Archer joked, though he too was nervous about the total silence of the building. They watched as Joe made his way to the door slowly, quietly, as if the door might shoot open at any moment and suck them in as if it woke from it's slumber. He put his ear to the door and listened carefully, his eyes darting back and forth as he did so.
"What's the situation?" Archer asked as Joe leaned back and looked at the seams of the door itself.
"I don't hear any NeoSplicers, which means one of two things." He stated as he took a fresh cigar from his shirt pocket and lit it with his burned golden flip lighter, taking a few puffs before pointing to the door. The thick smoke rising above him and filling the air. "That tunnel is either empty for now, or the more likely option, it's flooded entirely and opening it will cause an explosive discharge in pressure that'll likely kill the three of us and seriously wound Sigma." Joe explained. Both Archer and Tokerev thought for a moment.
"What are the odds that it's flooded?" Tokerev asked.
"Hard to say. There aren't any leaks coming from the seals in the door, but... That doesn't mean it isn't flooded. Bill McDonagh put his heart and soul into this place when Andrew Ryan hired him, and he was one hell of an Engineer. It's probably thanks to him that this place hasn't imploded already, that and millions or possibly even billions of dollars Ryan spent on the tech that went into building this damn place, likely both." Joe said.
"I'd say the odds are about fifty-fifty that's it's flooded." He stated, causing Archer and Tokerev to take deep breathes as they thought.
"You told us the sewer system you guys used to get into the District was flooded behind you right?" Archer said as he looked to the heavy bulkhead door.
"Part of them at least, one of the water pump junctions was." Joe answered.
"Do you think it could've flooded these tunnels as well?" Archer asked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. That junction was the first time I had ever spent any amount of time in Rapture's pump system, but I would have to assume the Engineers that planned them would've had multiple contingency plans for if the city started to take on water. So like I said, the odds are still about fifty-fifty." He said, earning curses from both men.
"As I see it we have two options. We either take the gamble and open that bitch, hoping it does not kill us instantly, though there are far worse ways to die in this shithole, or we try a different access point and hope it hasn't suffered the same fate." Tokerev stated, Joe and Archer nodding in agreement.
"Damn!" Archer cursed angrily as he thought about their all too often shitty luck. All three men were discussing what course of action to take when they heard Sigma give a deep groan, their eyes turned to his lumbering form as he made his way over to the door. He stood just in front of it and stared at it for a moment, turning his massive diving helmet to the side as he brought his armored fist up. He banged his knuckles against the metal, reminding Joe of someone trying to crack a safe by listening to the locking mechanism inside. The metal of his gauntlet ringed off of the door and he listened closely. He would repeat the process four more times before turning to the three men.
"What 'cha got, big guy?" Joe asked. The Big Daddy pointed his thumb to the door and gave a deep groan before giving them a thumbs up.
"I guess we forgot option number three, let the guy in the diving suit and tons of deep sea diving experience figure it out." Tokerev said.
Joe grinned proudly and patted Sigma on the arm. "Good job big fella, I knew it was a good idea to bring you along." He said, causing both Archer and Tokerev to nod and thank him as well.
"We need to get setup and secure before we even think about opening that door. We're going to need light, and a lot of it for what we have planned." Archer explained as he looked around the room for the fuse breaker.
"What exactly do we have planned?" Joe asked, his eyebrow arched curiously.
"We lure one of those Bitches out just close enough to take a shot with the air rifle, once the tracker is in place, we close the door, seal it, and wait for that thing to lead us back to it's nest." Tokerev answered as Archer made his way to a metal box on the wall. He flipped it open and took a look inside.
"Damn it, one problem solved and another one pops up... This fucking place..." He sighed.
"What is it, Archer?" Tokerev asked as he glanced over to him, he was busy pulling cloth and various pieces of trash from the fuse box.
"Rat nest... looks like they chewed through the wires." He stated.
"Can it be fixed?" Joe asked.
"Shouldn't be too hard if we can find some more fuses, but it'll take a while to rewire it even if we do. This thing's got more rat shit than wiring in it right now." Archer said, throwing his hand up in annoyance.
"You and Sigma stay here, Joe and I will see if we can find some more fuses and wiring from neighboring buildings We'll need the heavy guns here if another one of those giant Bitches comes through that door." Tokerev said, causing Archer to nod in agreement.
"I'll start pulling out the bad wiring and strip what's left of the good, see if we can't get at least some lighting working in this place." Archer stated as he unslung his backpack and started digging around for tools.
"We'll try not to be too long." Joe said as he and Tokerev made their way to the stairs.
"Be careful, if you guys get in trouble we'll come running." Archer said to them as they made their way up the stairs to the first floor. He then turned to face Sigma and sighed heavily. "Well, let's see what we can do." He said, earning a deep groan from the Big Daddy.
. . .
The Thinker loomed before Reed Wahl, and he could never help but marvel at it's beauty. It's massive size, the sum of human knowledge and brilliance at his disposal. The core and it's supporting systems were massive, they had to be in order to hold so many vast equations and statistics, processing power, data, and code. It was a work of art, a thing of terrifying intellect, and endless possibilities. He took in it's magnificent sight, breathing the cold air deeply into his lungs. It's huge keyboard layout just bellow the main, massive center video screen monitor held every letter, number, mathematic symbol, and more. The buttons shone a gentle amber, and when he hovered his hand over them, his bony fingers gliding over them gently, he could feel the power they held. The keys were as much alive as he was, their dim glow the very essence of the Thinker's soul. It was... magnificent.
He looked up to the large circular power node that was stationed above him, jutting out of the machine like a cyclonic eye. Four larger glowing power nodes adorning the left and right side respectively as they rose vertically toward the steel support girders above them. Two sub data mainframes were perfectly placed on either side of the command console, their gentle hums and clicks seeming to resonate with him as he breathed in the brisk air. A large power coil aimed down at them like blades awaiting to drop, arcs of electricity droned around the coils as the thick powerlines fed them life from the geothermal vents the City was built on and powered by. It had six smaller monitors aligned on the sides of the large main monitor, three on each side that gave him eyes and ears around the city, showed him the answers to impossible paradoxes, displayed the equations to the universes unanswerable mathematical equations. His knees trembled every time he saw it, let alone touched it. It's power, it's majesty, it's possibilities... it's perfection.
It. was. perfect.
So why? Why could this machine that solved every question he had for it, every possibility, every equation, not find a group of lowly Splicers and Protectors in Rapture. Why could it only spit out conflicting reports as to where they might be, rather than where they were? There were two possibilities for this, he knew. Either his crystalline equation, the equation that he had worked on so many years with the Thinker to predict every single outcome to every single eventuality... was wrong, or the second reason, the Thinker was still being tampered with by Charles Milton Porter from somewhere in Minerva's Den. He gritted his yellowed teeth as he straightened his glasses, rage suddenly washing over him. His finger pointed to the large monitor above him sharply.
"You are mine! You will obey me! You will give me what I desire! I am your master!" He yelled at the impassive machine as it steadily hummed with power. He steadied himself, his rage subsiding when he realized he was yelling at an object, and not a person, though it infuriated him to no end, to be so close so many times to wiping out the only opposition he had in the city, the only opposition that wanted his Thinker for themselves.
"Charles... Tenenbaum..." He growled through clenched teeth.
"Can't you see? Can't you see they want to use you for petty, boring, uninspiring work? Can't you see they want to take you from here, from me?" He asked the machine, his tone akin to that of a child talking to it's toy.
"But they can't have You! No one can! I won't let them! You are mine!" He screamed as his hands flew to work on the keyboard, typing in commands with lightning speed, a practiced accuracy that came from years of using the keyboard, just as a reporter's fingers would dance across the keys of a typewriter, his too flew across the console as he input codes and commands.
"They think they can tamper with my Thinker, they think they can steal you from me, but they're wrong!" He mumbled to himself.
Nearly ten minutes later, with the last input of the final key, the Thinker sparked to life. Buttons flashed all around the massive room as the walls danced like lightning bugs on a humid summer night. It's core computing his one thousand character equation as fast as a passing thought, like instinct. The machine whined and it's power coils sparked angrily as the answer to his numerical question strolled across the monitor. He grinned and licked his dry lips.
"That will certainly help narrow it down, yeeees." He whispered the word as it rolled out of his mouth like poisoned fog. He turned, his lab coat swishing behind him crisply as he jogged to one side of the room and pulled chalk from his coat pocked. He knelt and began scribbling on the floor before standing again to admire his notes.
"Yes!..." He growled as he looked around and hugged himself with both arms wrapped around him, twisting with delight at the question he had finally figured out.
"Peek-a-boo..." He growled viscously before turning and sprinting as fast as he could from the core room. He made sure the impenetrable doors were sealed behind him and made his way down the stairs to his office. Through two more security doors and he had reached a minor computing room, an endless stream of paper flowing from computers along the walls flooded the floor, and a group of Splicers in lab coats examined them with exaltation. Reed Wahl made his way down through the scrolls and over to one of the Splicers stationed at the door for protection.
"Carson, there you are." He said happily, causing the deformed man to eye him wearily.
"Take this to Stone, and tell him to follow the instructions on this paper to the letter. Do you understand?" He added, shoving a map with circles drawn on it and a piece of paper into the man's arms before he could even answer.
"Yeah I understand, Mr. Wahl." He answered as he stuffed the map and instructions inside his lab coat. He stood there with his Thompson under his arm as he stared expectantly at the man.
"Ugh! Here, take this for your trouble!" He added looking around discretely before pulling a vial of ADAM from his own lab coat and sliding it inside Carson's.
"With pleasure." Carson said, giving a slight bow as he turned to leave, his personal security bot beeping as it followed him out.
"And don't shoot it up before you deliver my orders!" Reed Wahl yelled at the man, he waved. "You got it, Mr. Wahl!" Was his response. Wahl sighed heavily as he turned around, noticing every set of eyes hungrily looking up at him as they paused their inspection of the mathematic paper that poured from the computer banks and onto the floor, some of them still holding strips in their hands.
"Back to work you Fools! You get paid when I get results!" He barked, and they immediately shot back to their work, trembling at the sudden outburst he had given them. He smiled lightly at the sense of power it gave him. He could do anything he wanted to these buffoons and they wouldn't do a single thing out of fear, after all, he controlled the very air they breathed, and if one of them killed him, the Thinker's core would immediately shut down, all core systems shutting down with it, air flow included, killing everyone in the city... but more importantly to the Splicers, they would never get their hands on another drop of ADAM.
. . .
Hours seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, every second and minute seeming to bring a new sound with them as the Protectors worked in the converted office space. The banging of hammers, sawing of metal scrap, welding torches that sparked and chittered. Tenenbaum and Mark had an easier time accepting that no matter what they said or did, the Protectors would do what they wanted, as they always did. They knew it was for the safety of the group, rather than themselves, and so they were content to let them go about their deadly work, whatever that work was. Seline on the other hand couldn't help tossing and turning at the loud sounds emanating from the workshop. The two far healthier humans were sat at the table in the kitchen area talking about Rapture's past and exchanging either fond or painful memories, though Mark had remarkably few fond ones to contribute to the conversation.
"I just don't get it, Doc. Why do any of this? Why build Rapture in the first place? It's obvious that it was doomed to fail, that un-restrained science, and business without ethics would never succeed. It's like shooting yourself in the foot because the gunshot wounds you'd seen in the past weren't enough to convince you that you wouldn't get hurt if you did it." Mark exclaimed, shaking his head as he took a long sip of whiskey from a Sinclair spirits bottle, the dark liquid going down his throat surprisingly smoothly. The Doctor nodded in agreement as she sighed.
"It was not always like this you see. When Andrew Ryan built Rapture he did not do it out of greed... well... not entirely. He also saw Rapture as a safe haven, where humanity could survive the inevitable atomic war that threatened to wipe out the entire planet, and rebuild once the surface had been cleansed from it's 'Ant' society. There were many appealing aspects to the city at first. Science, art, industry, and free thought were at the heart of why this place was built, where a man or woman could seek to be their best in all things... though we soon learned that a society without boundaries or ethics was a powder keg." She explained.
"So Ryan never meant it to be the self serving, greedy, uncaring Hell that it became?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he poured more brown liquid from his bottle into his glass.
"Do not misunderstand me. Ryan always intended for Rapture to be a self serving society, but he believed that no matter where in life you started from, you could build yourself up and make a name for yourself, become something more. It was not an entirely wrong philosophy mind you, after all, he had started with nothing, and worked his way up in the world on the surface after fleeing communism when the Bolsheviks took over his homeland in Russia. The communists took his Father's business that had been in their family for years, as they did with many other family owned businesses at the time. Anyone who spoke out against the unfairness was either shot, or sent to the gulags in Siberia. After seeing the injustice of socialism, painted to look wonderful underneath a boot heel of oppression, Ryan fled to America, though he found Capitalism and taxation to be just as appalling. Anyone that wanted what someone made by their own sweat and blood was a 'Parasite' in his eyes, believing that a man 'was entitled to the sweat of his brow.'... It was very appealing, especially for me, who sought science without the constraint of morals or religion, a place that a woman could rise to power over men was something that I had never believed would happen, and yet, it did in Rapture." She told him, her face turning sad and regretful with the flood of memories. Mark swallowed another sip of his alcohol and his lips tightened.
"It was meant to be a place of ultimate freedom." He said, understanding more now.
"To an extent yes. Mind you there were laws. No stealing, no murder, no rape, and especially no contact with the surface above." She said.
"But as time went on, it would prove far more difficult to control human nature, and unrestrained business and industry was not always a good thing, especially when cutthroat political tactics where used against you. Ryan had met his match with Frank Fontaine, Atlas, whatever you wish to call him." She added. Mark's eyebrows raised in contemplation as he shook his head, downing another shot of whiskey with a heavy sigh.
"I guess it's a given that when you gather the best and brightest minds in the world together they would want to compete for power and their own personal gain, especially in a brand new world." He said pensively.
"Exactly, add in the fact that they had been constrained by ethics and laws on the surface, and were now free to do whatever they pleased as long as they had volunteers that needed money, drugs, alcohol, or ADAM like the blue collar workers in Pauper's Drop who slaved away without any sort of higher assistance, and you start to see just how doomed it all was. We were like children playing with a grenade, something was bound to happen." She explained, taking a sip from her own glass.
"Damn... and sooner or later the grenade went off, and we were all caught in the blast." Mark sighed, earning a nod from the Doctor. At that moment Anna strode out of the hallway panting and made her way to the refrigerator drawing both of their eyes. She still had the upper half of her suit tied tightly around her waist, but she was covered in more dirt, soot, and sweat than before. The Protector's bright glowing eyes scanned the inside of the fridge before she reached in and pulled out a large bottle of water, uncapped the clear container and greedily drank nearly half the bottle in one go. When she had finished she sighed contently before pulling two more bottles from the fridge and tucked them under her arm.
"Making any headway?" Mark asked drawing her gaze. She gave a smile and nodded as she turned to face the two of them, placing the cold, half empty bottle to her dirty neck. Mark tried to avert his eyes from her chest and act as casually as she was, but it was hard, especially when she was mere feet away from them.
"We're getting there." She replied, tilting her head when she saw Mark look away from her to squint at the ceiling. Anna's eyebrow arched as she followed his gaze and tried to see what he was looking at up there.
"What exactly are you working on? If I may ask." Tenenbaum chimed in pulling Anna's attention back to her.
"Just a few things that'll help us when we're in the tunnels, and when we find where the NeoSplicers are coming from." The young woman answered, causing Mark's eyes to return to her. She squinted at him suspiciously when his eyes darted all around her. She wondered why he was acting so strange again and remembered him acting the same way when he had come to check on them earlier, remarking about them being 'naked'. She looked down at her dirty, sweat covered breasts before scrunching her eyebrows in confusion. The Doctor could see where this was heading and wanted to try and alleviate Mark's discomfort.
"How long do you think until you will be finished... I know the three of you may not sleep very much anymore, but we are still human and need it... not to mention Lizzy." The older woman said, drawing Anna's attention back to her and away from how weird Mark was acting.
"Not too much longer, we haven't been taking any breaks so the work is going pretty fast, and our strength boosts that speed as well. Makes it easier to forge things when you only have to hit it a few times, ya know?" She asked rhetorically. No, Tenenbaum didn't know, but she nodded anyway as if she understood. Anna drew the water bottle across her throat to the other side of her neck to cool it down some more, and the water droplets that had formed on the outside of the container slid down her chest and stomach in small trails of blissful cool streams. She saw Mark look at her body again before he caught himself and squinted at the ceiling again, searching for something. The Sister looked back to Mark and scrunched her eyebrows again, watching him.
"What are you looking at? Is there something on the ceiling?" She asked, her own eyes searching upwards for whatever he was looking for. Tenenbaum was about to open her mouth to explain when Seline's voice came from across the room. "For fuck sake, Anna, he's trying not to look at your boobs!" She growled, causing Anna to look over at her in surprise, and Mark's face went pale. Seline had sat up on the couch and was turned so she could see the three of them, anger clear on her face. Tenenbaum took a deep breath before pulling a cigarette from the silver case she kept in her pocket and lit it quickly, taking a large drag. She clearly wasn't looking forward to more stress today.
"Why?" Anna asked in confusion, looking down again at her dirty chest. Mark looked like he was going to implode.
"Because they're just hanging out! Put a bra on!" Seline yelled.
"But underwear is really uncomfortable in our suits, and it's really hot in the workshop... we were just trying to keep co-" She began to explain.
"I don't care! Just cover them up so Mark doesn't see them!" She cut the Sister off, causing her to look even more confused, and slightly annoyed.
"Why would he care anyway? They're just boobs!" She exclaimed, the hand holding her water bottle coming up slightly in front of her. Tenenbaum put her head in her hand and sighed.
"She does not understand, Seline." Tenenbaum said as she looked over to her.
"I don't care! You can't just walk around with-"
"No, Seline. She does not understand." The older woman cut her off nodding to her with her eyebrows raised as she tilted her head to Mark, who was still looking at the roof like he had seen a NeoSplicer. Seline squinted angrily. "I-" She began, her face turning to shock. "Oh... OoooH!" She said in surprise as she looked back and forth between Anna's confused expression and Mark's horrified one.
"What? What don't I understand? What the hell is wrong with you humans?" Anna asked. Hearing the yelling clearly from the other end of the fire station, Iota came into view to investigate, she like Anna being half dressed herself gave a questioning screech as she stood beside her younger sister looking down at her wondering what was going on. Anna turned toward her and shrugged.
"I don't know! Seline wants me to put my suit on even though it's super hot in there, Mark's trying not to look at me, and Tenenbaum says I don't understand something!" She explained to her sister. Seline threw her hand up and sighed.
"Great now there are two of them!" She said with a sarcastic huff.
"Whatever, let's just get back to work, here." Anna said, handing her sister the water bottle she had been meaning to take to her, giving up on trying to figure out why they were acting the way they were. Anna brushed past her slightly taller sister and returned down the hallway, Iota gave a confused look around the room and shrugged before following her, leaving the three humans in awkward silence.
"God they can be clueless sometimes." Seline huffed again, causing Tenenbaum to give a chuckling scoff.
"They have a lot to learn, this is true. Poor Mark." The Doctor stated, looking over at the young man who was now looking at Seline, his face still red with embarrassment. She looked at him and then glanced away when she met his kind eyes. He smiled sadly when he saw her look away. "I'm just glad you're talking again." He said lowly, causing her to look at him again, pain returning to her face.
"Mark, I-" She said sadly, pausing for a bit to look at him, he could see she was trying to figure out what to say.
"It's alright... I understand." He said softly. She nodded lightly but didn't respond, instead she laid back down on the couch and closed her eyes tightly, trying to figure out how she could explain what she was going through, and how she felt, or if she even could for that matter. He was silently thankful for Anna's ignorance with male and female attraction, or her lack of modesty regarding her nudity. She had managed to pull Seline out of a dark place by making her focus on something unexpected, shaken her out of whatever depressing thoughts he knew was going through her mind, and dragged her back to the present, to a harmless situation that would be funny to look back on if they managed to survive long enough to actually look back on it.