Andrew Ryan's masterpiece reverberated with a cacophony of bloody drills, overheated guns, and sizzling Plasmids.
Amidst a Big Daddy protecting a Big Sister on the move, a cult leader made her getaway, the Splicer demolitionists turning to face their indomitable foe one last time…
Delta drove his drill up the sternum of an inflamed Brute, engine and Splicer alike roaring. The drill sundered the Brute's ribcage, blood gushing, lungs and heart flopping out as their host violently pummelling his armoured foe.
"AAAGGHHHH! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" The Brute writhed down the drill, pieces of his ribs flicking out, grabbing Father's head and throwing punches while Father's Mini Turrets and Sentry Bots peppered the Brute with bullets.
Father staggered from the hefty blows while several Splicers attacked his back, bullets and wrenches bouncing off his suit. He swiped his shotgun into the impaled Brute's incoming arm, breaking several fingers, then rammed the barrel into the Brute's mouth and blew his head off. Father's drill spun in reverse, the headless foe coming off.
Several blows struck Delta's back. He spun around, swinging his drill across a Splicer's head—it splattered like a rotten pumpkin. The last of his shotgun shells took out some Splicers before being thrown at them then drilled apart.
A Sentry Bot whirred, flipping through the air while shooting, crashing into Father's back and exploding; Splicers leapt from the mezzanine and into the action of inner Persephone. Father gestured his free hand, palm glowing; flames erupted, a cluster of Splicers fleeing and screaming as their clothes and skin flaked off.
A flurry of bullets and Molotov cocktails thudded against Father's suit, a few nuts and bolts flying off, one valve steaming. A Winter Blast extinguished his flames and froze nearby enemies, promptly shattered apart by the charges of Father and Eleanor.
Elsewhere, Splicers destroyed the remaining Sentry Bots; bullets whizzed wildly, Father retaliating with rapidfire while Eleanor lobbed explosive fire. She teleported behind a Splicer with an armful of Molotov cocktail, one about to be thrown. She rammed her needle through his spinal cord then slammed him down, his Molotov cocktails shattering underneath him, flames bursting.
"Lamb!? The Commandments… P-puh-luh-lease don't judge me!" He wailed for a moment before the flames burnt his oxygen away, leaving him choking and burning.
A group of Splicers saw Eleanor, throwing incendiaries and shooting.
"Don't play with fire!" Eleanor's Fire Barrage blew them away. She teleported, reappeared and ran after a trail of smoke, Father keeping the horde of foes busy. The Houdini Splicer appeared, a fiery Plasmid cast at Father.
"Eat this ya tincan gorilla!" He turned his head, seeing Eleanor sprinting to him. "Oh, hello beautiful!" She dropkicked the Houdini in the mouth, his jawbone snapping off its branches and sinking into his neck.
Eleanor's Telekinesis hurled the Houdini's blade violently; a Brute raised an explosive barrel, intending to slam it upon Father, though Eleanor's thrown blade stabbed into his crotch. The Brute's knees bent and he dropped the barrel on himself, Eleanor doing him a favour and igniting it.
"Oh, god! She's still here!"
"You fuckin' delusion!"
"This dumb bitch is a goddamn whore! Your mom fixed us, you broke her, ya dirty little slut!"
Eleanor looked up; Spider Splicers threw hooks. She retaliated with fireballs nonstop even as they fell. She kneed one in the throat as he descended, another she stabbed through the head.
Another splatted to the floor, flopping around as he inhaled smoke and fire. "AAAGGHH! Fuck-fuck-fuck, FUCK! I wanted to sleep cold! C-c-cold… I-ughhh..."
Eleanor checked on Father, who riveted down innumerable Leadheads and thugs, catching a Crawler mid-air then smashing his horrible skull into the floor. He sent his iron foot into the Crawler's belly, Splicer's guts spewing out his asshole.
"Father! Behind you!"
He spun around, an Alpha Series machine gunning him, Father emptying his own as well, bits of the charging Big Daddy's suit flying off. Groaning, the hostile Alpha Series tackling into Father, both dads locked into each other as Father's armoured feet slid backwards. Both exchanged headbutts; Father stomped his foe's knee, cracking it backwards then ramming his droll through the Big Daddy's neck. He pushed the lifeless beast off, bullets and explosives raining upon him as Rumblers and Leadheads appeared, Mini Turrets flicking out and joining the fray.
Eleanor jumped high over Father, throwing fireballs then landing atop a Rumbler. Hand leaking flames, suit absorbing damages, Eleanor rammed her hand down the Rumbler's shoulder-mounted RPG launcher and threw a fireball into it; she leapt off, the Rumbler violently exploding, taking his Mini Turrets and nearby Splicers with him.
"Ah-hah! Who's next?" Eleanor grunted as she was knocked over; an enraged Bouncer charged her, bellowing wildly, visor red. She rolled backwards over her shoulders, avoiding the screaming drill while thrusting her feet into the Bouncer's abdomen and flipping him over herself; he crashed.
"Ughh… Never over easily…" Eleanor got up, grenades and bullets flying betwixt her and the Bouncer as they charged each other. On the last moment, Eleanor created a Reflection ring and vanished, the Big Daddy's drill driving into it though he hurt himself. She reappeared atop him; he thrashed about, Eleanor atop, riding him like a rodeo.
Eleanor gripped the bars around the Bouncer's visor, flipped over, and rammed her needle into a lens, shattering the glass and piercing the eyeball behind. The Bouncer grumbled, drill whirring, Eleanor backflipping off and landing like a cat.
The Bouncer posed…then charged.
"Think fast!" Eleanor's Telekinesis gripped the Bouncer's drill and flung it into his own foot; he tripped, drill tip sticking out his heel. She leapt forth, ramming her needle wrist-deep into the Bouncer's other lens; he went limp, lights out. "Alright, who's next!?"
A horde of Splicers poured in, Delta stepping beside Eleanor while reloading his Grenade Launcher. He leaned, looking at Eleanor, who looked back.
"Well, Father, if you insist…"
Eleanor and Father charged together, trampling Splicers and using weapons and abilities point-blank, all opposition obliterated.
The foundations shook, Delta and Eleanor imbalanced for a second.
Eleanor looked around, light going yellow. "We…we've done it Father, we're launching! Get to the elevator!"
Should be easy enough. With all the Splicers either dead or drowning by now, surfacing to freedom neared. Trampling remaining foes underfoot and leaving the dying, Sister and Daddy made their way to the elevator, Father dropping his last Mini Turrets to stifle pursuing Splicers.
They reached the elevator, spinning around and using their abilities as a wall of Splicers avalanched as a mass of deformed faces down the corridor.
Eleanor and Father beat the Splicers back; the elevator doors closed.
She sighed. "I don't think they'll be back now, Father."
The elevator reached the top, and then, the building felt like it was...sinking?
"The bombs, Father! We're falling! Run!"
The Big Daddy and Big Sister ran out the elevator and down the shaft, footfall heavy. Every heartbeat was that much closer the vessel, their only hope. Running around a turn, Delta noticed that Eleanor raised her arms and thumped to a startled, struggling halt, then he saw the stacks of explosives waiting for them.
Eleanor did not know what to do. She felt as though her heart jumped to her throat and time slowed.
The bombs would blow.
Mother was right, she would abandon Father. Eleanor turned her head, looking back at him, maybe for the last time. Father… She teleported just as the bombs exploded.
The ensuing explosion and deluge disabled Delta's senses.
Regaining some senses, Delta desperately swam forth. He would not give up. He would never give up. He noticed that his drill was missing; it was blown away, along with his other weapons, lost to the fathomless depths underfoot.
Pawing through the rushing waters, Delta landed hard against Sinclair's lifeboat, grasping the railings, which, surprisingly, were strong enough to hold a Big Daddy.
The vessel arose powerfully, gaining knots. Vision still obscure and flashing darkly, Delta turned his head, seeing the underwater skyscrapers. His home, the place he was supposed to be with his baby girl, finally so far, far below...
As the lifeboat continued rising, Delta saw Fontaine Futuristics and other taller skyscrapers, even some fish and seaweed here and there. All the buildings became shorter and shorter, smaller and smaller, transforming into little toys…
Was this it? Had he finally escaped that watery grave?
Once the pressure lessened as the lifeboat approached the surface, Delta turned, grasping the railings with his other hand, and climbed. Pulling himself up, his legs did not have as much strength as he hoped, and he fell onto his hands and knees. He would not give up, and crawled up the grated steps. He had to see his Eleanor make it. If she did not, he would go back down and get her, again—he would have done it all over again, no matter what.
Delta struggled, suit scraping against the lifeboat, but reached the upper section of the vessel, grasping the railings to pick himself up.
And then, Father, the Rapture dream was over. You taught me that right and wrong are tidal forces, ever shifting. But evil is just a word, and under the skin, it's simple pain. Only when we are free from evil, do we know ourselves. For you, mercy was victory. You sacrificed, you endured, and when given the chance, you forgave.
As Eleanor's voice spoke in his mind, Delta limped over and leaned against the glass. The lifeboat was filled with water…a family reunion took place. Mrs. Lamb swam inside, swimming away from Eleanor? It was only a matter of time before she ran out of air.
When the guilty posed no further threat, you simply walked away. But when you fought the guilty, you destroyed them, always. I wanted to be like you, and I wanted Mother dead, Father, I really did.
Mrs. Lamb held her breath with everything she had, but snorted a little water. The coldness pierced her sinuses and the back of her throat. Her blood rushed, lungs becoming like needles. Her stomach twisted, her limbs stiffened… She could not do this for much longer. Even as the water outside became brighter, the hope of light did not help.
Eleanor went after Mother, grabbing her leg, perhaps so that she would be in full view of Father as she drowned. Sofia seemingly tried to swim through the glass, perhaps a last attempt to get someone's help. Now, the only friendly company were bubbles, also a sign of doom.
But... broken as she was, how could she hurt me, especially now?
Sofia grabbed her throat, kicking and twitching. Eleanor pulled on Mother's leg, Sofia now levelled with Father, and the former enemies stared at each other. Sofia's limbs shook. She jerked side to side. Was she trying to plead for his help? To gesture mercy?
What could Delta do?
Eleanor swam around Mother, and offered her a reservoir of air. Mrs. Lamb did not react. Eleanor yanked Mother's arm then rammed the apparatus on her face. Sofia breathed deeply, curling into a fetal position.
Mother believed that this world was irredeemable, but she was wrong, Father. Now, she will simply grow old and die, knowing that I rejected her beliefs...yet I forgave. In forgiving, we left the door open for her, one that she may choose to enter.
Eleanor stepped to the glass with her long, long legs, placing a hand on the glass and staring at Father. Her helmet tilted up, and Delta also looked up—sunlight blinded him. As Sinclair's lifeboat approached the water's surface, a high-pitched ringing noise deafened him. The vessel surfaced with a loud splash. The drastic change in pressure caused Delta to blackout…
Delta awoke, lying on his back. As his vision gradually yet only slightly recovered, he noticed Eleanor kneeling over him. Bones and muscles throbbing, he knew his time was coming.
Eleanor's pale face had a concentrated look to it. She lowered herself further to get a better look of Father, then leaned to her left, head tilting to her right, as if a cold-blooded snake sizing up her prey. One side of her admired the monster within, and she wanted to seize it for herself.
You may not have wanted me, Father, but you defined me, Eleanor's voice spoke telepathically, and she raised her needle-tipped device. Delta slightly raised his left hand, but Eleanor pushed it aside, positioning her needle above Delta.
You also chose to survive. No matter the cost. But all those you shot, crushed, maimed, drilled through, burned to death, gutted... It would be so easy to misjudge them, but you slaughtered without regret or guilt...
Eleanor paused. She straightened her back and just stared upon Father. Her predatory look faded away, and she let her arms drop. Delta's vision flashed slowly again, sunlight increasing behind Eleanor.
You could have made a monster of me, Father. And if I was, would I be a monster on a leash of forgiveness? A cage of innocence? It made me wonder, what would I truly become, but I was left in doubt. Didn't you want me to be like you? You are my conscience, Father, and I want you to guide me.
She leaned over Father again, leaning to her right, examining Delta. Eleanor positioned her needle above Delta again.
I knew I could save you. But if you felt regret, if you feared what I could become... If you wanted me to choose for myself, the only way to truly be myself... I would need to let you go. To let you die...
Needle positioned, eyes narrowed, Eleanor lowered the needle.
Father pushed the needle aside. Eleanor's head turned, surprised and annoyed, then she looked back at Father, confused. Her eyebrows furrowed. Her face softened. Eyebrows and eyes returning to normal, she made a babyish, gloomy face, and she naturally being baby-faced and having large puppy dog eyes...
Eleanor sat on her heels, staring at Father with her glum, pale, babyish visage. She stood, Delta losing strength. His head dropped. He could only see his daughter's tall boots.
The Rapture dream is over, and in waking...I am without you. Mother, I have to leave behind, and you chose to die, rather than to have me become more like you?
Dropping her wrist-mounted needle, Eleanor stepped to Father's side, grabbed his hand, and dragged him down the metal stairs, towards the edge of the lifeboat.
No matter how many people you killed, no matter how grisly their deaths were...you are still my Father. You will always be my Father. And, Mother...no matter what she did to me, to you, to so many others... No matter how many people who died because of her... She will always be my Mother, even if I can't be the Utopian she wanted to see.
If Utopia is not a place, but a person, then whoever that may be, must choose carefully, lest repeat the same mistakes as Mother and Mr. Ryan. But this world is not ready for me, and I am not ready for this world, yet here I am.
Delta was dragged to the water, looking down at his reflection, left hand partly in the water.
But you gave me the greatest gift of all...something I have never had...
Eleanor's reflection crept up. She sat beside Father, legs in the water, hands on her lap, back bent over. Daughter looked at Father.
...my freedom.
Delta had to look at her, his grown-up Little Sister, awaiting a new life. He noticed Eleanor's head was low, then she looked back at him with a ghostly, depressed face.
There is no name for what I truly am, but the world...I thought we would seize it together. And whenever I needed you, you'd be there for me. Hah hah! Just imagine us, finally reunited, to make up for lost time! We would finally be able to grow, to learn, to live, to love, to be free... Together... Her face scrunched up, eyebrows and the corners of her mouth lifting...
Eleanor wept.
Yet, as I sat there with you, I wondered if even I could be redeemed... She wiped some tears, and slowly looked forward. She did not want Father to see her cry. She wanted him to die happy, and enjoy what little time and freedom they had together.
Eleanor cried steadily. She took a deep breath and slowly raised her shoulders, exhaling with parted lips. She could not stop the tears. Eleanor just stared at her own reflection in the water, seeing the freak in her reflection.
...for wanting to drown Mother. For killing people. For burning people to death. For having the idea that drowned so many, for wanting to become a monster, for acting like one...
Eleanor had a bad feeling. Just as she looked at Father, he heard him make his last exhale. She moved a hand to him and leaned, her mouth slightly opening. Delta's head dropped breathlessly, and he no longer could see his baby girl. The Lighthouse instead came to view, a symbol of sacrifice and victory. Though, he would have preferred to see Eleanor's eyes as he died.
But your sacrifice gave me hope. And Father, wherever you are...
Delta's vision faded to blackness.
I miss you... Were the last words Subject Delta felt…and thoughts ended.
Eleanor's head and shoulders dropped. She wept bitterly and steadily, tears squeezing in-between her eyelids, as if eager to fall into the ocean. Her face felt so hot, yet her eyes, cheeks and nose felt so wet and cold in the breeze.
Eleanor did not know how long she sat crying, but at least Father could not see her weeping anymore. Yet, now, she wished he could. She leaned against Father's shoulder, defeated and gutted.
The waves calmed down, and the setting sun shone through the clouds. Eleanor felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned her teary face. One of the Little Sisters was patting her, wearing a bright purple dress, and Eleanor could see the reflections of the other Little Sisters amassing around her. They only wanted to comfort Big Sister, and stared at Eleanor with their cute eyes, leaking with the desire to make her feel better.
The Little Sister who patted her shoulder presented a makeshift doll to her.
My toy of Father... Eleanor smiled despite crying, and accepted the gift. She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and held the doll against her heart. I wish I could just feel your heartbeat against my own...
Sniffling, Eleanor picked herself up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Once a few Little Sisters noticed Eleanor was looking at their direction, some gasped with excitement. Many bounced on their heels, clenched their little fists, cocked their heads, and smiled, all in unison. A few more adjacent Little Sisters looked up at Eleanor and grinned. Eleanor made a crooked smile, tenderness adding more tears for her hurting eyes. She looked at the doll, and extended her arm over the waters...
No, she would keep it. Eleanor walked to her helmet, and placed the doll inside.
"What a great Big Daddy!" a Little Sister remarked.
"Yeah, a lot!" another exclaimed.
"Best Big Daddy ever!" yet another yelled, followed by the Little Sisters chirping about how good Delta was to them. Eleanor turned around, feeling better that Father's efforts were recognized. It helped reduce her tears. She softly chuckled.
"You think he's cold like that?" a Little Sister asked, putting her foot into the water, "Brrr! Water's cold!" She wiggled her foot.
"Big Sister, there's more sun up there." A Little Sister pointed further up the lifeboat, where indeed, more sunlight shone. Not wanting to disappoint the children, Eleanor grabbed Father's arm, and dragged him. The Little Sisters skipped and scurried around Father excitedly.
Eleanor found it much harder to drag Delta up the stairs than down them. The children seemed to notice, and they helped pull and push Father up the stairs. Eleanor smiled again, teardrops patting onto Father's visor. With combined might and compassion, the Sisters heaved Subject Delta onto his back near the glass.
Eleanor placed Father's hands atop one another over his sternum, a suitable position for the deceased. The Little Sisters placed their hands upon their hearts, and lowered their chins to pay their respects. Eleanor also lowered her head, eyes closing. Eleanor really did not want children to see her sobbing, though they did not seem to care, and such gentle company was nice.
Speaking of unseen company...