Ch. 17: Rapture's Apex Predator
A.N.:
Hey everyone!
Sorry for the delay. College is over for now though :)
I want to thank and give credit to JasonVUK for the ideas for Alpha's Prototype Rivet Gun. Thanks for your support :) I always value input/ideas and I believe in giving credit when credit is due.
Anyway,
I went into what makes an Alpha Series Big Daddy "tick" so to speak in this chapter. I also explain a little bit more about what happened to his brothers after Delta's demise at the hands of Sofia Lamb.
We also see the end of the fight to determine which is the apex predator in Rapture: Big Sister or Subject Delta.
I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far :)
Read and review if you want.
As I moved forward towards the unbelievably deteriorated area in front of The Limbo Room, I was slightly taken aback by how unstable it was. Two giant red oil well-style water pumps the size of a three story building were in front of the entrance to the below street level establishment. As the colossal pumps went about their work to keep the entirety of Skid Row from turning into a fish tank, they filled the air with a rhythmic thump as their pistons rose up and down in their slots in a manner that was very similar to the drive shafts of a steam powered locomotive. The entire area was dark due to the failure of the light fixtures. The floor's surface was cracked and broken almost everywhere. Water was collecting beneath the water pumps in a deep trough. The curved wall of glass and metal was covered with algae though not enough to prevent a view of the surrounding Atlantic Ocean.
The sounds of submachine gun fire, whirling propellers, and an enraged Big Sister drew my attention to the far side of the area. There, I saw Jennifer being pursued by the two hacked Security Bots, which by that time had been heavily damaged as evident by the fact that their forms were consumed by flames. Her outfit was torn in several places from the barrage of .45 ACP rounds. The most noticeable of the areas of damage was around her chest where the corset was nearly gone, which allowed the tight layer of chainmail to reveal the faint outline of her developed breasts. The heavy steel chainmail armor was visible beneath the areas of damage but the submachine gun rounds had thus far failed to injury her severely due to its thick metal hide.
As she reached the first large oval window of the curved wall before me, she wheeled around to face the pursuing bots. Growling with an edged tone, she raised her right hand out before her. The armored woman seized the bots with her powerful Telekinesis Plasmid and willed them into the side of the nearby bulkhead with more than enough force to shatter their nimble frames as if they were made out of glass. When she turned to face me, I saw that her eyes had lost some of their earlier fire but they still had plenty of fight left in them. I smiled at the realization that the annoying machines had not stolen my fight.
Glancing quickly to my right to study the corner of the area as a last minute preparation for the coming brawl, I noted the pile of rubble just to the right of the nearest giant water pump, the split fuel drum and the resulting patch of highly flammable petrol just at the base of the pile of rubble, and the teardrop-shaped security camera mounted so that it was facing the convenient patch of petrol. I quickly thought to myself that it was a rather odd placement of a security camera.
I could not have the blasted device interfering with the fight now could I? I turned my entire torso to the right and shorted the camera out with a blast of Electro Bolt from the ported digits of my gloved left hand. A nearby loose chunk of the concrete floor proved to be the end of the camera as I picked it up and then threw it into the ruffled metal hide of the device.
Turning back to face the physically imposing young woman, I also noted the Circus of Values Vending Machine that was against the far left wall. Any hopes for a last minute refill of my various reserves were dashed as Jennifer screeched and then charged towards me. I brought my heavy industrial-grade drill that no ordinary man could ever dream of being able to lift let alone wield effectively against an opponent to bear as my left hand became engulfed in genetic flame.
As she neared the first large water pump, Jennifer jumped up to the side of it. With her eyes glowing with fury, she then launched herself towards me. I willed a ball of genetic flame into her frame in mid-air. The genetic flame ate into the remaining sections of the leather hide of her diving suit while the sick stench of burnt skin and hair filled the already foul air. She let out a mournful screech but I tuned out her heartbreaking cries as I swung my drill into her chest when she got close enough.
She let out another agonized cry as my strike sent her flying off to my left. However, she recovered just in time to catch herself and landed upright on all four limbs. The armored goddess moved as if she was an animal as she strafed back to the right. Then, after rolling forward, she did a front flip in the air before bringing both weighted feet down on top of my diving helmet-clad head.
A harsh echo vibrated inside of my head for a moment as I recoiled from the blow. Taking advantage of my moment of weakness, Jennifer thrust her sword-like giant needle into my chest. The tungsten-tipped needle had little difficulty in piercing my copper armor. I growled in pain as I felt the insidious weapon penetrate through my ribcage and pierce my right lung. The psychotic young woman smirked, her unusually potent canines being displayed in the process, as she twisted and jerked her needle while it was inside of me.
Red began to flash in my vision as blood began to spurt out of my mouth every time I tried to breathe. Enraged, I balled my massive left hand into a fist and then delivered a bone-shattering punch straight into the center of her skull. ADAM-infused blood squirted out of her broken nose as her head was bent backward at an unnatural angle. Seeking to return the favor, I reached out with my left hand and roughly grabbed her by the top of her head.
Her muffled cries were silent to me as I lifted the predator off her feet and held her up in the air before me. My prey struggled in my grasp as she made a full-hearted effort to escape. The frightened youngster clawed, kicked, and even tried to bite into the palm of my left hand. However, no matter what she did, the Elite Big Sister could not escape my vice-like grip. Applying pressure, I began to violently shake her while letting out an enraged guttural roar.
The vertebrae in her neck audibly cracked and snapped as if they were made out of toothpicks. The catastrophic amount of agony that she was in became evident as I felt her muscles contracting independently from each other as each sought relief from the feedback of their nerve endings. Mercy was for the weak and so I continued my Protector Instinct-fueled rampage.
I stomped over to the first large oval window of the curved wall. Then, after cocking my left arm all the way back behind me with the young woman still held in my grasp, I thrust Jennifer's skull straight into the thick section of glass. The sounds of a sick hollow thud and the cracking of burdened glass filled the air. Upon seeing that she was still moving, I repeated the action.
This time, bright red blood with streaks of green ADAM coated the window following the impact. A hairline crack appeared in the surface of the glass as well. Jennifer was still resisting though now with noticeably less enthusiasm. I felt a stab of pain in my heart as I imagined her torment of not being able to die to escape the pain that I was putting her in. For once, it was not only Johnny Topside that was making me feel this way.
Just as I considered letting go, I saw a group of observing Splicers in my peripheral vision as they looked on from the entrance to the upper floor that was to our left. The expression on their twisted faces was one of pure disbelief. I could only image what their deteriorated minds were thinking as they realized that not even an "Elite" Big Sister was a match for "The Demon" Subject Delta. I mentally sighed while begging for my master's forgiveness. There was no turning back now.
I cocked my arm back once again and then thrust Jennifer's skull into the weakened section of glass. This time, I felt much less resistance as her skull hit the hard cracked surface of the window. Even more blood was left where her head made contact with the glass and I felt her body become partially limp. Worse, an ear-shattering crack filled the air as the hairline crack deepened as it also traveled all the way to the top of the window. Frigid sea water began to spray both of us as it penetrated through the cracks though miraculously the window continued to hold up against the immense amount of pressure being exerted upon its weakened surface.
The Splicers had clearly seen enough as I heard one of them, a man, yell, "Fuck this shit! Let's book!"
A woman objected, "But…Lamb told us to…"
The man, having apparently already started to run towards the exit to Skid Row as evident by the distant sound of his voice, called back, "Open your eyes you stupid fucking broad! Lamb and her salvation aren't worth towin' it with Subject Delta!"
Another man, who had also started to run, cried out in agreement, "I never even wanted to join The Family! I just wanted some ADAM! This isn't worth it! I'm out!"
The woman realized that she was alone and cried out as she ran after her fellow retreating Splicers, "Boy! Stay here and watch the estate while the mister and I go out!"
It was a bitter sweet realization that the tactic had paid off. I felt the woman in my grasp move slightly. I shook off my weakness. The Splicers may have been convinced but that did not make her any less of a threat. Wheeling around, I threw her towards the cellar-like entrance to The Limbo Room. The armored goddess smashed through the railing and continued on to hit the concrete ground just before the entrance to the abandoned establishment.
As I moved towards the section of broken railing, I could hear Jennifer crawling into the former singing club. I noticed a child's drawing on the filthy concrete floor. When I examined it, I saw that it was a flower drawn out of chalk. More intriguing was that its blue petals formed the shape of an arrow and the arrow was pointed towards the very section of broken railing that I was headed towards.
Upon reaching the section overlooking the below ground entrance to the club, I saw a large bright yellow chalk drawing of the Sun in the center of the last large square section of wet concrete before the entrance to The Limbo Room. A Pneumo Tube of the still functional jet mail delivery service was to the left of the drawing and was against the concrete base of the club's wall. I was even more intrigued than before. I jumped down to the below ground entrance. As I landed in the center of the drawing of the Sun, I heard the struggling young woman cry out in distress. I turned my entire body to face the interior of the establishment.
I found a ransacked building. There before me was the checkout counter. The only object that even hinted at the structure's original purpose was the cash register that was waiting for the money of patrons that had long since stopped patronizing the club. Behind the trashed counter against the wall was a vandalized Gatherer's Garden Vending Machine. The device was giving off sparks as it leaned against a nearby shelf.
However, there was one item in the vandalized club that was out of place besides the crawling Elite Big Sister that was making her way towards the backroom that was visible to the right of the counter. A bright red toy wagon was sitting in front of the counter. Before it was a cartoon chalk drawing of myself, or more specifically Johnny Topside judging by the bright yellow coloring of our segmented eye and the two small axillary lights, and a blue dress-clad Little Sister who was offering Topside a small present.
Inside the small toy wagon was a bright red glowing Plasmid Vial. On either side of the glowing decorative vial was a jar of fireflies. On the back wall just to the right of the vandalized Gatherer's Garden Vending Machine, I saw another chalk drawing of a crude Big Daddy archetype and a little girl that was holding a present. Next to the drawing was the phrase, "For Daddy".
As I approached, I suddenly heard the precious angel riding on her throne on my back say, "Take this father, and hurry. You are evolving fast but your heart is getting weaker. I can keep you alive but you must find me."
I smiled ever so slightly beneath my copper face. So, my master was back to her old self. Though that might not be as great as it should have been. They said that time rotted all things; people included. As much as I was devoted to her, Eleanor was not the innocent child that I had once defended. Rapture and the Little Sister conditioning could not break her but the obsession with her "father" could easily break her. At least I knew my place. That fool Johnny Topside clearly did not. My job was to protect Eleanor and that was my sole joy in life. Topside on the other hand apparently believed that it was acceptable to be not only Eleanor's "father" but also her lover. It was disgusting. Regardless, I would protect both of them just as I had always done.
Jennifer retreated into the backroom. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I quickly used my Telekinesis Plasmid to extract a sample of the new Plasmid from the vial using an empty EVE Hypo that had fallen out of the non-operational Gatherer's Garden. After injecting the Hypo's contents into the IV Port on my left arm, I shuttered slightly as I felt the Plasmid rapidly rewriting my genetic code. I grunted in discomfort as several objects the size of tennis balls began to sprout out of my left arm in several spots. My tight diving suit's skin pressed the objects back into my arm in a painful manner, which only added to my discomfort. Moments later, a bright red polyp the size of a baseball began to form in my left hand.
I recognized the object from the plants that had been growing in Fontaine Futuristics's experimental labs. Splicing ADAM into the genetic code of a typical ocean plant produced a curious-looking plant that produced giant red polyps instead of seeds. These polyps would burst if touched and the jelly-like contents would cover everything within the radius of half a meter. The red substance had a peculiar influence on living organisms though the ADAM-ravaged nature of a Splicer's body made him or her even more vulnerable than the typical organism. The substance stimulated the increased secretions of adrenal medulla, which would put the victim's body into a state of intense readiness for immediate action, and the pituitary gland, which influenced the levels of testosterone in the body's system.
While not one-hundred percent effective, the substance would cause its victims to fall into a state of inconsolable homicidal rage for a short period of time in about ninety-five percent of cases. In females, it was found to be less effective though not as much as it had been expected. The end result was a Plasmid that could effectively put any Splicer into a state of rage that would cause said denizen to attack and kill anything within eyesight. Naturally, the eggheads called the Plasmid "Hypnotize".
However, that was only the beginning of the story of the plants. Behind the scenes, one man had seen something else in the substance's properties. That man was Suchong. Working with Tenenbaum and Alexander, Suchong theorized that he could tweak the substance to work for much longer and in very specific circumstances. However, it was Alexander that beat him to the punch.
Using a modified version of the substance and combining it with mental conditioning that bound the victim to desire to protect another specific victim, with whom said victim shared a forced unbreakable physiological bond that would kill him if he failed to stay near the latter and protect her life at all costs, Alexander invented the original version, or "Alpha Series", of a revolutionary mechanical-biological hybrid weapon called the "Alpha Series Big Daddy". The name "Big Daddy" was a slang term used by Alexander's own lab assistants to describe those of us that had been unfortunate enough to be forced into the experimental diving suits of the Alpha Series line of Little Sister Protectors.
The poor bastards of the Mass Production Models had been physical grafted into their suits, making it lethal and impossible to remove them from their prisons. However, while it was not lethal for us to remove our suits, that did not mean that Fontaine Futuristics had not made some sadistic modifications to the diving suits to ensure that we would not desire to escape them. The Intravenous Lines that connected the First Aid Reserve Tank and the EVE Reserve Tank to our physical, God-given bodies were extremely painful to disconnect and I had seen one poor soul try to escape his Alpha Series suit only to incorrectly remove the line for the EVE Reserve Tank. He bled out within seconds.
In addition, the large iconic "face" of our kind was deceptive. The copper layer was only the outer layer. The helmet was securely fastened to what was known as a "corset", which was essentially the base that the helmet would rest upon and connect to the rest of the suit. The suit itself was one-piece just as all Standard Diving Dresses were. However, in our case, in addition to the "inner collar" or bib that was pulled up through the corset and covered our necks, a layer of special material was placed over our heads that covered everything except our mouth and eyes.
This material was fastened to the inner collar. However, before it was placed over our heads, a coating of ADAM was spread over our freshly shaved skin. The ADAM broke down the layer of skin and when the thin layer of material was placed against it, the skin literally grew into it like plant roots. While it was not impossible or lethal if done correctly, it was catastrophically painful to remove our suits.
With our suits and the genetic cocktail forced into us, we were a formidable force the likes of which had never been seen in Rapture up until our debut. It was an ingeniously simple system. Whenever our bonded Little Sister felt endangered, she would either scream or let out one of the phrases that she had been conditioned to say by Tenenbaum and Suchong. That scream or phrase would trigger a physiological reaction inside us that was partially due to mental conditioning and the genetic modification forced into us.
What to us felt like a surge of maddening homicidal rage entering our minds was actually the modified substance found in the polyps. The substance was introduced into our system upon the trigger of our Little Sister's cries of distress. However, it was a controlled and self-recycling release, which meant that we could remain in such a state indefinitely. Essentially, the combination of mental conditioning and the modified substance forced our minds to be consumed with homicidal aggression while our bodies were sent into self-renewing overdrive.
Both Johnny Topside and I found it to be interesting that Andrew Ryan allowed our existence in what he affectionately referred to as "my city". After all, we were the ultimate betrayal of his precious beliefs. In the city of "where the great would not be constrained by the small", the most powerful beings or the great, the Big Daddies, were slaves/constrained to/by its weakest or the small, the Little Sisters.
However, those of us in the Alpha Series soon found that our bodies could build up a natural resistance to the substance and its effects. Over time, we trained our bodies to be able to control the release of the substance that controlled our Protector Instincts. While our bonded partners could still override our built-up control, we were soon able to harness our rage and then wield it thanks to our unique retention of freewill. The Tin Men were never able to harness their own Protector Response because they were physically and mentally incapable of such a task.
Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation of polyps growing along my left arm beneath my suit, I willed genetic flames to replace the Hypnotize Plasmid's polyp and then moved forward to pursue the retreating armored goddess. However, when I entered the backroom, I did not find what I had been expecting.
The various small tables around the small stage that still had a piano in the far left corner were still intact though a few were on the ground and some were jumbled together near the far back wall. Against the purple cloth of the wall behind the stage was a neon sign that had the words "The Limbo Room". The words "The" and "Room" were in blue and the word "Limbo" was white with a blue outline. Around the word "Limbo" was a red square outline and a large musical note.
Against the wall behind the stage on the far right was an old record playing machine. Hanging from the ceiling were several lights that vaguely resembled upside down layered cakes. Combined with the clamshell lights along the far left wall that were illuminating various faded advertisement posters, the lights bathed the room in a low red light.
The spotlights were still functional and illuminating the stage. There, I saw the broken bodies of two Splicers that had apparently been dancing together on stage. Their mangled forms were now in a pile to the right of the form of the Elite Big Sister where she was lying against the side of the stage and hunched over into the center of the spotlight. Their ADAM-rich blood was spilling out of multiple wounds that appeared to be bite marks. Confused, I slowly moved closer. When I approached, Jennifer slowly turned her head to look at me.
I was taken aback as I saw that her lips and cheeks were covered with the blood of the Splicers that she had apparently been able to take down even in her weakened state. I realized that she had been too weak to use her needle to extract the ADAM from their bodies so she had instead used her unnaturally sharp and potent canines to rip open their bodies. This was lost to me however as I saw that there was noticeably more blood in a pool near her right hand. Moreover, she appeared to be doing something with the pool of blood and her right index finger. She was using her right index finger to make intentional patterns in the center of the spotlight and would occasionally stick her finger in the collected pool of fresh blood before returning to what she was doing in the center of the stage.
The apex predator made no attempt to flee as I inched my way closer to see what she was doing. I saw it in her eyes as she laid the left side of her head down onto the filthy wooden surface of the stage just to the left of her little work area in the center of the former dance floor. It was over for her. The young woman was incapable of continuing the fight due to both her physical and mental exhaustion. It was over. I had won. The apex predator in Rapture was me.
"My job is done, old man. If you wish to save this girl, now is your chance."
The hellish red light of my segmented eye and auxiliary lights returned to emitting their calm golden yellow as I felt the monster going back into his cage. The heartbreaking sight of Jennifer's broken form before me caused me to let out a long-winded mournful cry in my guttural Alpha Series voice. I was grateful that Subject Delta had not killed Jennifer but I was still infuriated about what he had done to the poor girl. Regardless, the monster had indeed broken her willingness to fight. Perhaps now we could reason with her.
Aware of my thoughts, my companion requested, "Put me down, Daddy." I obliged by kneeling down enough for her to dismount and then stood as she walked over to her fallen sister. The Eleanor-controlled Little Sister smiled at Jennifer as she climbed up onto the stage. After making her way past the pool of blood and the mangled bodies of the Splicers, Eleanor sat down with her bruised and sore-covered legs crossed, though the casual observer would not have been able to tell because the hem of her dress covered up her legs when she sat down, just beyond where Jennifer was still working.
I moved until I was standing on the other side of the source of light so I would not interrupt her. My heart ached even more so when I saw that she was drawing little cartoons like those that I had seen Little Sisters draw all those years ago. She had drawn a Little Sister, a Sun, a few flowers, and a pair of angry eyes that she had then crossed out. In the outer part of the circle of childish doodles, she had written various physics equations though I could not identify them.
There was a blank space in the center of her work. As I watched, she finished the drawing of one last flower and then moved her right hand back to the pool of blood. After collecting enough blood from the diminished pool on the tip of her index finger, Jennifer moved her hand to the center of her work. I watched spellbound as she lowered her gloved digit down to the wooden surface of the stage and began to draw something that clearly meant the world to her judging by the cautious, careful nature of her movements as if it meant life or death if she drew the object correctly or not.
Ever so slowly, she carefully made a thin line that went up at angle. After collecting the last amount of blood that she had collected on her finger, she returned and made a thicker line to the right of the first that also went up at the mirror opposite angle of the first so that the two lines connected at a point to form a large "Λ". I cringed. It was the Greek uppercase symbol of Lambda; the designation of her Alpha Series Protector and her "Daddy".
I paused. I had never thought about what the Alpha Series Little Sister went through should her bond with her Big Daddy be severed. Eleanor had gone through it as well though she had weathered it for the most part though even she was noticeably unbalanced as a result of whatever hellish torture the severed bond had put her through. Something finally dawned on me as I observed the two gatherers before me.
Eleanor was unbalanced and I had been revived, thus our bond had been at least partially reestablished. I did not know how bad she was before I was revived but I had to assume that it was like she was now only far worse. Her obsession with me was most likely the only thing keeping her mind in one piece during my absence. Considering that she loved me in a way that I was only just now coming to terms with, Eleanor was likely affected even worse by my demise than her sisters had been affected by the demise of their Big Daddies.
Jennifer laid her right hand palm-down next to the symbol of her father and then stared at it with a distant, longing expression. I grunted softly, "Jennifer?" Her viper-like eyes glanced up at me with a distant look as if she was miles away. I asked, "Hey...how are you Little One?"
She corrected me with an edged tone that was deadpan and filled with intelligence, "You mean to ask 'how am I feeling'…right Papa Delta?"
I smiled beneath my emotionless copper face as I knelt down so that I was not towering above her. Then, I replied with my Alpha Series voice, "Yes…I'm sorry Jennifer. I never wanted to hurt you."
She returned to staring at the symbol of her Big Daddy Protector as she replied, "You never do Papa Delta…"
She trailed off, leaving me puzzled about what she meant. I started, "I…I…don't…"
The staggeringly intelligent young woman interrupted, "You've been gone for so long…"
I remarked apologetically, "I know…I'm sorry. Sofia killed me…"
She caught me off guard when she asked with a puzzled tone as she looked back up at me, this time with renewed strength, "She…you too…Papa Delta?"
Confused, I started, "Too…what?"
From behind me Subject Alpha remarked, "Sofia Lamb killed us, sir."
I turned around to see him standing in the threshold of the entrance to the backroom. In his left hand he was holding Jennifer's helmet, which he had somehow managed to repair in the short amount of time that he must have had. In his right hand, he was holding his heavily modified Prototype Rivet Gun but there were instantly noticeable new modifications to the weathered industrial-grade tool turned weapon.
A reinforced steel alloy barrel that was the length of the weapon itself had been added to the end of the Rivet Gun's original muzzle. The tubes of the "Heat Recycle Upgrade" had been lengthened to reach the new muzzle. In addition, the pressurized nozzle had also been relocated to the new muzzle. A further modification was a much larger compressed air tank in place of the original one.
In effect, my brother had solved the penetration issue that had prevented his favored weapon from being effective against Jennifer. The longer barrel coupled with the greater pressure of the new tank not only increased the penetration of the rivets but also made the Prototype Rivet Gun far more accurate than the snub-nose barrel and original tank had granted it.
I teased my brother, "Ready to go elephant hunting?"
He moved towards me as he grunted, "Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
Eleanor asked through the Little Sister, "Sun Tzu…Papa Alpha?"
He replied, "Correct, Miss Eleanor."
Walking past me, he made his way to Jennifer. Slowly, he presented her repaired helmet to her and then placed it on a nearby table. Jennifer smiled slightly before she remarked with a low deadpan tone, "Thank you, Papa Alpha."
My brother replied with his Alpha Series voice, "Anytime kid."
I questioned him, "What did you mean when you said that Sofia killed us?" My brother turned his entire body to face me and silently looked at me through his segmented eye for a moment as if deciding whether or not it was the time to explain.
Then, he informed me, "After the Civil War…there were still a few of us left…Subject Lambda was one…good thing about rabid dogs, sir,…they sooner eat the weakest among themselves rather than the healthy bull and the calf…that is until one day…the rabid dogs became wolves…it was Sofia Lamb. Sofia Lamb and her Splicers hunted us down like animals that day…killed us off one by one until there was only Emily and myself left. She knew that she could never control us like she could control the Tin Men or the Splicers…we were the last part of Rapture that she could not manipulate with her petty tricks or her control over Rapture's Pheromone System…in her mind, we were black sheep that didn't fit in her little dream world…the lumbering metal monsters that fought for no one and cared about nothing except our Little Sisters. Emily and I had to go into hiding…I never saw any of the surviving Little Ones that we protected again until Lamb captured us and had us taken to Persephone."
"She killed papa…"
I turned back to look at Jennifer as she began to speak. The young girl looked at me as she displayed visible emotion for the first time since we had been reunited. Her predatory eyes were drowning in sorrow as she said, "…I had no one after she took away the one person that I thought would always be by my side…" She lifted her gloved right hand up and cupped the left cheek of the Eleanor-controlled Little Sister and continued, "…no one except my sisters."
Eleanor raised her tiny left hand up and pressed its palm against the top of Jennifer's much larger, bloodied, gloved hand. The young woman continued, "Sofia underestimates us. She thinks that we are just more toy soldiers that she can make stand in line and march whenever she tells us to. We all hate her…what she did to us…to our daddies…then turned us into monsters…killers. We have just been waiting for her to slip…make her feel what she did to our papas…to us…give her a taste of what it feels like to be treated like an animal."
I asked, "If that is true, why did you attack us?"
She moved her right thumb along the Little Sister's cheek before she explained, "Lamb said that you and Papa Alpha were like…them…the mad daddies…and you were killing our sisters."
I replied with a low tone, "I would never hurt one of you."
She remarked, "Of course not, Papa Delta. You wouldn't but a broken you would kill anything in your path."
I assured her, "I am not broken yet."
My brother added, "My mind is still my own."
Jennifer smiled as she lowered her hand from Eleanor's cheek and then said, "I know that now. Just another one of the bitch's tricks. She overplayed her hand this time..." The armored goddess reached for her helmet with a determined look in her viper-like eyes. As she picked up her "face", the Elite Big Sister informed us, "I wish to join you and take down the bitch who killed my father."
I smiled as I realized that yet another Big Sister had been "saved" and then replied, "It's good to have you back, Jennifer. Listen it is too dangerous for you to be seen with us…for now. I need you to…"
Before I could tell her to join the Big Sister from Ryan Amusements, Jennifer showed her old stubbornness as she interrupted, "I will hear none of that, Papa Delta. I will not hide my allegiance from Lamb. I will not hide in the shadows. I want her to know. I want her to regret the day that she forced me into this…prison. When the walls coming crashing down around her, I want Lamb to know who it was that destroyed everything that she held dear."
The sickening crunching of bone filled the air as Jennifer reached over and ripped one of the Splicer's hands clean off its body with her right hand. A river of fresh blood flowed out of the gaping hole. After collecting some of the iron-rich liquid on her right index finger, the young woman drew the bloody symbol of her Alpha Series Big Daddy Protector "Λ" in the center of her bulbous face around the round porthole that was her eye.
As she placed her marked helmet back over her real face, Jennifer said, "In the name of my father, I swear my allegiance."
Knowing better than to try to argue against her bullheaded stubbornness, I replied, "I accept your declaration of allegiance." A loud click filled the air as Jennifer finished locking her helmet back into place.
Smiling darkly, Eleanor stood, balled her tiny left hand into a fist, and then raised it up into the air. I was confused until the little girl yelled as loud as her tiny frame could manage, "Vive la Révolution sœur!" (Long live the sister Revolution!)
My built-in radio activated and moments later the Southern accented voice of Sinclair remarked, "You're just makin' all sorts of new friends aren't you kid?" I grunted in response. He laughed and then said, "Hey, no argument here. Revolutions are great for business if one plays their cards right. Now, get what you need for that ol' concoction that you need to bust through that Security Door in front of my hotel and then get back there. Remember son, without that key from Gracie we can't get the train movin' and that means that we're stuck here."
I grunted in response. My radio fell silent and I motioned for Eleanor to climb back onto her throne. My companion giggled in delight and quickly climbed back up when I knelled for her. As I stood back upright, Jennifer informed me, "There is a Power to the People Machine in the first backroom behind the stage. You should go modify your weapon Papa Delta. I'll be waiting for you here."
I decided that it was better to not argue and simply made my way to the Power to the People Machine in the backroom. There, I found a modestly sized room that had a large window for the right wall that allowed a view of the front room where the checkout counter was located. There was a raided desk against the wall opposite the entrance. I entered the room to find the machine against the front wall just to the left of the entrance. Beyond the machine were several filing cabinets against the left wall and a small storage crate that was against the wall opposite the Power to the People Machine.
The floor was covered with faded brown newspapers, wooden boards, and pieces of concrete rubble as a result of the partially collapsed ceiling. Ignoring the debris, I moved to stand before the machine. As I did, I tried to think of another way I could upgrade my already formidable drill. I had already upgraded it with a lubrication system that had the nasty side effect of adding salt to the drill bit's grooves due to the salt water that it used for the lubricant. I had also placed augers in the available slots to increase my drill's damage output. Throwing reality out the window, I had also managed to outfit the industrial-grade mining tool with an electromagnetic dynamo that repulsed incoming projectiles away from me and back towards the assailant. What could I possibly add to my already heavily modified drill?
I activated the machine as I removed my drill from its mount along my right arm, noting that it was even more difficult to remove it this time. The Power to the People Machine opened up and I placed my weaponized tool down onto the workbench-like area as I surveyed the contents that I had to work with. I was disappointed when I saw that all the machine had to offer was various pieces that would have helped to upgrade the typical Splicer weaponry such as revolvers, Thompson Submachine Guns, and shotguns.
None of the parts seemed to offer any feasible means of upgrading my drill. However, remembering the lubrication upgrade, I was suddenly struck by inspiration. The generator for electromagnetic dynamo was putting out electricity and there was salt water coating the drill bit whenever it started turning. If I attached another wire that ran from the generator to the bit itself, the salt water would effectively electrify my drill whenever I revved it up. I could instantly short out a machine without expending EVE using my Electro Bolt Plasmid. In addition, any Splicer that was foolish enough to get within striking distance of my drill would literally be in store for a nasty shock.
The only downside to this was that I would eventually find it impossible to remove my drill from its mounts on my right arm due to the combination of blood and electrified salt water that would, in effect, be electroplating the mounts to the point that the only way to remove my drill would be to use a cutting torch. Sensing my thoughts, Eleanor begged me from where she was riding on my back, "Daddy, no you don't have to do this. Please…you don't have to turn yourself into a monster just to protect me!"
I mentally sighed and then grunted in response, "If that is what it takes, I will do it Eleanor. It is the least I can do to make up for failing you. Besides, in the amount of time that it would take for the mounts to fuse solid, I will have surely reached you. Don't worry, kid."
She replied, "Just be careful, Johnny. Tenenbaum said that she could undo the genetic damage but that will not do you any good if you seal yourself inside your suit."
I smiled beneath the façade of Subject Delta as I soldered a new length of wire into place that ran from the generator to the drill bit itself. Once my modification was complete, I retrieved my drill and started to mount it back into place along my right arm. As I did so, Eleanor commented, "Actually…Father I have been thinking…when Tenenbaum removes your genetic modifications…I think we should leave Sports Boost and Drill Power in your genetic code."
Confused, I asked, "Why would I want to do that?"
She replied shamelessly, "For me…a girl has needs after all and why not make sure that you are equipped to satisfy them?"
As happy as I was that my Eleanor was back to her old self, I still remarked with an exasperated tone, "Eleanor…"
However, she continued, "You know, I have even heard about a line of Gene Tonics that increases the size of a man's…"
I interrupted with a defensive tone, "Hey! It is not the size, it is how you use it!"
I heard the little girl pat the top of my copper diving helmet several times before she said, "Aw, Johnny that is so cute…but, seriously, why not be well equipped and be able to wield it like an expert?"
As I closed the machine back up, I asked, "You know what this is making you sound like…right?"
Eleanor replied defensively, "A hormonally and ADAM supercharged young woman that has been stuck at the bottom of the fucking ocean in a decaying shit hole with absolutely no way to adequately satisfy her biological urges since she was a little girl? I've been monitored every fucking minute of every fucking day by that bitch that dares to call herself my mother ever since your death, Father."
Moved, I started, "Eleanor…"
I heard the little girl's tiny arms wrap around my armored head as she asked with a pathetic, hurt puppy tone, "Please?"
Still uncomfortable with her request despite how much I desired to comfort her any way I could, I grunted, "Eleanor…I…"
However, before I could finish, my companion suddenly removed her arms and started to clap happily as she remarked, "Yay! Thank you Daddy!"
Trying to correct her, I started, "I actually didn't agree to…"
She interrupted me again as she said with a happy, almost singsong edged voice, "Hop hop, Daddy! Papa Alpha and Sister Jennifer are waiting for us!" Letting out a loud, irritated grunt, I left the office and began to make my way back towards the two protectors that were waiting for me.