The plane flew. The farther it went from New York, the shorter the skyborne machines were, until the sky was just one endless shadow Tear, or so that's how it appeared.
"I have a funny feel, that you shouldn't fly too high into the sky," Eleanor remarked, standing by Sinclair in the cockpit. She looked at him.
"Yeah, that'll work. Ugh..."
"Sinclair, are you alright?"
"Yeah, just in a bit of pain. Don't worry about me, kiddo, I'm doin' alright." Though, that did not seem to be the case. Julian's body was more blooded, but he was as stubborn as he was selfless.
Eleanor's head dropped. She felt terrible that Julian had to suffer for her sake, just like his brother. At that thought, the image of Rapture popped in Eleanor's head.
Am I... going home?
"You should go take a rest, Eleanor. I'll fly my girl well enough."
Eleanor softly put her hand on Sinclair's shoulder, then left the cockpit. She looked down the aisle, seeing the Bookers and Elizabeths here and there, totally exhausted, asleep like logs. Mother sat by Zachary, her head on his shoulder. Only Pinkerton Elizabeth wasn't asleep, and she sat alone at the back of the plane, looking out the window with her arms crossed. Even the Vox forces were fast asleep, the Fireman snoring a little. Ravens were perched on either shoulder of the Zealot. Cindy, however, was making funny faces in her window whenever she saw Songbird. Eleanor smiled. Cindy was too cute.
Pinkerton Elizabeth felt her eyelids getting heavy. She stretched and yawned a little, then rubbed her eyes. She slowly moved her hand into her jacket, withdrew her Pinkerton badge, and just stared at the silver. Elizabeth then gasped when she realized Eleanor was suddenly sitting next to her, and dropped her badge.
"You're a Pinkerton?" Eleanor asked, then picked up the badge. "I've seen one of these before. Maybe you happen to know why they tried to kill me?"
"Because I told them to," Elizabeth answered nonchalantly.
The two girls just stared at each other. Eleanor gradually frowned, but she gave back Elizabeth her badge, which she put back into her jacket.
"And then...I felt bad about it, and got Boo-...Zachary...to go after you, just like he would have...gone after me. I knew he wouldn't actually listen to me, and whatever love he had left for me... I just wanted him to rescue you, and have some quality time with a daughter, finally..." She uncomfortably chuckled. "Though, Benny knew about everything. He must have collaborated with Michael, and Michael told him everything. Benny just wanted your medallion, like me. And wanted you dead, too, like me. I was...not thinking straight. I struggled with myself..."
"Elizabeth, how did you know about me, and why did you want me dead?"
Elizabeth lightly groaned, putting a hand on her head, screechy static and echoing tuning reverberating throughout her big skull. Blood ran out her nose, so she wiped it away.
"I... I don't remember?" Elizabeth asked herself. She put both hands on her head then leaned over, elbows on her knees. She grimaced, inhaling through clenched teeth as the tuning and static came back. Eleanor even felt the static vibrate through her skin.
"Are you alright?" Eleanor asked.
"I will be. Ugh... Why can't I remember? Think, Elizabeth, think... Don't forget everything about yourself..."
Eleanor waited. Sighing, she looked around. She stared at the sleeping Booker.
"Huh. You know... I dreamt of that man before. Something took control of me, but I can't remember what or why. Into his office I went, and found a baby. He and I met face to face, and I gave him back his baby. Can't remember what happened next. There was another man, his name was-"
"Spirry," Elizabeth finished for Eleanor, then slowly lifted her head and looked at her. Elizabeth's head was slightly tilted, face loose, eyes fully open, mouth slightly open.
"Yes?" Eleanor asked, but Elizabeth just stared for a couple seconds. She then returned to normal, and sat back in her seat. "What's wrong?"
"You reminded me of my nightmares. I've never had a good sleep since...I left Rapture."
"You said his name. What do you know about Spirry?"
Elizabeth slowly inhaled, then exhaled more slowly. She looked at Eleanor, appearing anxious.
"I went to his...lair. And I saw him."
"His lair? What did he look like?"
"He's a giant, with pasty white skin. No eyes, no nose, fangs like a snake. Has a glass covering for his belly. His organs...reminded me of sea slugs. I think he was a lone scientist jam-packed with sea slugs. And his home... A huge machine that was like an arm, or a snake, with a big red eye in its palm, pulled me in. It was just like the ones that burst through the skyborne machinery... Oh God, his lair was horrible. Skinless, deformed bodies with stretched faces were packed under the floor, then I saw a floor of them later on. There was a system of bodies merged into a bigger one. Tried to kill me. I had to shoot some of them after they writhed out the floor of flesh. I don't really want to talk about it, actually."
Eleanor did not even look skeptical. She recalled when she was attacked by that mechanical arm-thing, and had a feeling it was the same one that grabbed Elizabeth.
"Well, when we get back to Rapture, we will finish all of this."
"We won't. There's more to it than Rapture," Elizabeth warned, head dropping.
"And why is that?" Eleanor asked. Elizabeth looked at her with a loose face and empty eyes again.
"I, I..." Elizabeth hesitated, then held her breath. "When I sent the Pinkerton's to kill you, knowing you were in the hospital after Benny took your medallion... I remember seeing behind all the doors..."
"Doors? Do you mean those Tears?" Eleanor asked, Elizabeth nodded. "What are they?"
"Tears are passages to other dimensions, other worlds. I can change things, bring things from other worlds, go into other worlds... Quantum superposition, quantum mechanics. I have a feeling you know about them," Elizabeth explained weakly.
"I'm not a quantum scientist, but yes, I know a little about quantum mechanics."
"Tears allow me to see the past and future. And when I could see behind all the doors, I remember that behind one of them, I saw you."
"You saw me? And what did you see?"
"Darkness."
Silence.
"That doesn't explain much."
"Eleanor's Darkness."
Eleanor made a quizzical look. Spirry had said the same phrase long ago.
"Okay... So what does that mean?"
"It means you became like him."
Another silence.
"When I saw that, I had to be sure if you survived or not. So, I went after Zachary, and I saw you. I opened a Tear, to send you far away, so that you would not become like him, and not have to die. That was when I realized you looked so much like me. If the Luteces wanted you to have a medallion, so that you could learn to open Tears, and you look so much like me, then... I think you are... No, that wouldn't make any sense..." Elizabeth somewhat rambled.
"I'm finding you rather hard to follow," Eleanor commented, Elizabeth rubbing her sleepy eyes.
"But, there was someone else... Michael... He became like him before you. I...I just don't remember how. I think it was called...merging? No, it was something else..." Elizabeth continued her speculations, then she looked a little bitchy. "We have to kill Michael. I could only slow him down, but...mother said... What did she say? I don't remember, but we have to open two Tears in him at the same time to kill him. Because... Wait, let me think... No. Wait, yes... He's not an individual, he is...something else. He is not a single entity."
"So he is a duality," Eleanor suggested.
"Yeah...I guess you could say that. We open two Tears in him, divide him... That's the only way to find out. Then, I will see behind all the doors again. I bet he saw me reaching this conclusion, that's why he tried to kill me on the flagship," Elizabeth said, then yawned. She wiped her bloody mouth, then sunk in her seat.
"Alright. You look exhausted, I should leave you alone," Eleanor said, and slowly stood.
"Oh, and Eleanor..."
"Yes?"
"Eleanor, child, I'm...I'm so sorry." Elizabeth froze, feeling Eleanor put a hand on her shoulder. The two girls looked at each other, both pairs of tired, big blue eyes unblinking.
"I will not misjudge you, Elizabeth. I forgive you." Eleanor took her hand off Elizabeth.
Pinkerton Elizabeth felt weight fall off her shoulders. Her breathing slowed, but she felt better. She couldn't find words to say. She expected Eleanor to hate her, and then kill her, like what she did to Comstock in Rapture. But no, Eleanor was forgiving.
Ms. Lamb walked down the aisle, Cindy turning and smiling at her, then putting the seat next to her. Chuckling, Eleanor sat by Cindy.
"What have you been up to? Being a brat?" Eleanor asked.
"Hih hee! Nnnoo!" Cindy assured.
"Not so loud, people are asleep," Eleanor hushed.
"Oopsie," Cindy covered her mouth with both hands. "Eleanor?" she asked quietly, lowering her hands.
"Yes?"
"Are we all...gonna die?"
"No, Cindy, no... We're gonna get through this. I promise. We beat Rapture, and we'll beat this, too." Cindy looked eager.
"Yeah! That's right, Eleanor, we'll win this! No one beats Big Sister!"
Eleanor suddenly yawned, Cindy staring and then yawning as well. Eleanor stretched, Cindy stretched as well.
"Ughh... I really need some sleep."
"Yeah, me to," Cindy agreed, then snuggled against Eleanor's arm. With her other hand, Eleanor stroked Cindy's blond hair. It was not long until both girls fell asleep.
She dreamt she stood in a room, holding a baby, standing in a puddle of blood. Everything was greyscale. Eleanor looked down upon the blue-eyed baby she held, and the baby girl looked up at her, kicking a little, but calm. Eleanor felt her Big Sister suit on her body, and there was blood on her face.
I'm back here... Eleanor thought to herself. She heard footfall, and slowly turned around. She saw Booker, standing silently, breathing steadily but heavily, his rugged visage focused on the young woman, but the beast within him did not pounce. He had forgotten to grab his pistol from the floor, and felt his heart pummelling his chest. Yet, Eleanor obviously did not have a bad demeanour. For some reason, Booker trusted her, and he calmed down a little.
The two stood in silence for several seconds, neither saying or doing anything.
"Give... her back." Booker finally said. The girl looked down at the baby in her arms, then looked back at Booker. "Please..."
"Mr. Spirry told me you were a sinful man," Eleanor remarked. Booker looked at her weird.
"Well... he'd not be wrong about me," Booker admitted. He then looked at the baby, heart and thoughts racing. "Give her back."
Eleanor looked down upon the baby, and the baby looked back up at her, both pairs of big blue eyes unblinking.
"She's beautiful," the young woman whispered, then looked at Booker. "You remind me of father and mother. I don't know why, but I feel like I know you. Spirry said you were sinful, but..."
"I said give her back!" Booker almost yelled, taking a step forward, arms slightly raised, but Eleanor was untroubled.
She just stared at him, and felt Anna kicking a little again, turning her head and looking at her desperate father, who looked back.
"I said give me back my daughter!" Booker shouted, and lunged at Eleanor. There was a flash of purple, and the lady disappeared, Booker's hands only swiping at the air.
He gasped, stepping back, hands raised, and held his breath. The lady and the baby were both gone. He felt his heart miss every second heartbeat. His emotions bubbled in his chest, and almost felt like he would begin quivering. Had he lost his baby girl? Did she just vanish from thin air? Booker had no idea what happened, and that delayed his mental instability.
Booker slowly turned around, exhausted face beholding the tall lady again, just at the other side of puddle of blood. He wished he could just shoot her.
"...I forgive you," Eleanor finished her last sentence. "Promise me, you'll take good care of this little one. Promise?" she asked, slightly raising the baby so that daughter and father could look at one another better. Booker instead gave the young woman an angry look. But what choice did he have? If he tried to snatch Anna, that young woman...
That stupid bitch will just vanish again!
"I... I promise," Booker said, containing his emotions, but his fists clenched tightly. He did not care how baby-faced Eleanor was, he would still beat her face to a bloody pulp.
The young woman approached him, walking across the puddle of blood, keeping eye contact. Once she reached him, she extended her arms, presenting Anna to him. Booker was a little surprised, but he accepted the gift. Holding Anna in his arms...it was the greatest thing in the world for him.
Eleanor looked around. She saw Robert Lutece lying on the floor, exactly where she killed him in this dream.
"Child..." Booker slightly quivered, holding the baby close to his lowered head. He did not even care about the blood, or the dead body lying in the hallway. Anna was the world to him.
Eleanor slowly exhaled, and smiled. She did not know why, but beholding a father and baby girl was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. If only it could be her father and herself...
It was time to leave them alone. Eleanor teleported out the place, reappearing in the hallway, and walked away. After a while, she heard something echoing down the opposite direction of the hallway. Foot fall. But also...a heart beat? She turned around, hearing the floor thud and even feeling it shake a little.
Eleanor could not see much. The grayscale effect darkened further down the hallway, but the smell of blood and freshly cut meat returned. The footfall and beating heart became louder with every passing second. They soon echoed.
Considering where the sounds echoed, Eleanor could have sworn she would be able to see what made so much noise, yet there was just darkness. But also glowing blood. Blood pooled down the hallway, and then she saw immense bloody footprints appearing, in patterns of four. The rear footprints had no heel, only a forefoot and very long toes, similar to that of an animal. The front footprints were actually handprints, having palms and long fingers. Something invisible was crawling. The prints went towards Booker's room, stepping on Robert and leaving a bloody footprint and five holes in him.
Booker held Anna closely, and he overheard something. A beating heart right behind him. So loudly it echoed down the damn hallway. Anna made noises of distress, kicking in fear and drooling. Booker inhaled slowly, the heart beating behind him becoming louder with every second. He even felt warmth on his back, and the heart was beating so loud, he felt the floor knock. Anna writhed and started crying, the beating heart now so loud it was actually hurting Booker's ears.
"What do you want from me!" Booker yelled, spinning around, and he paused, mouth dropping open. He took a step back, Anna squirming and crying.
Eleanor jogged towards Booker's apartment. Booker suddenly left his apartment and ran up the hallway, bumping into Eleanor, Anna screaming. Booker and Eleanor looked at each other, he was spattered with blood. He actually looked scared.
"Eleanor..." Booker quivered. He hugged Anna tightly, her crying muffled against his chest. "He's a demon."
Eleanor raised an eyebrow.
"A demon? Demons aren't real, Booker, they are metaphors," Eleanor corrected, then saw something grab Robert's corpse, and dragged it into Booker's apartment. A window smashed.
Booker turned around, and Eleanor stepped beside him. A big head emerged from behind the doorway, rather low to the floor, and stared back at Eleanor. The head was gruesome to behold. He had a skull shaped like that on an oversized panther, but it was skinned, not even having cheeks or lips. The meaty skull was wet and sticky with blood, and had a pair of glossy black horns. The eye sockets were empty, but red light faintly flickered out them, blinking illumination of the beast's appearance. Glowing blood was constantly leaking out the eye sockets, nostrils and mouth, patting onto the floor. The beast breathed like a furnace, exhales causing blood to spurt in-between his teeth.
Movement wet and squishy, the monster slowly crawled into the hallway, revealing a skinless, muscle-bound but narrow-waisted body. He wore a glossy black leather greatcoat with a high collar, left unbuttoned down the middle, greatcoat drenched in blood. A pair of fleshy wings adorned his backside, poking through the greatcoat and rubbing along the doorway and then walls and ceiling, smearing blood everywhere. A tapering tail nine feet long dragged along behind him.
"Then what the fuck is that," Booker commented nonchalantly as the monster crawled toward him. Eleanor looked at Booker, not knowing what to say. How the beast's heart beat so loudly, Eleanor did not know, but its extreme loudness and his furnace-sounding breathing were quite unnerving.
His long claws dug into the floor, as if he was ready to pounce, but he came to a stop. His tail moved like a slithering snake, perhaps the equivalent of a dog wagging its tail. He began tapping his clawed fingers against the floor, and repeatedly opened and closed his mouth, teeth clapping together.
"He's playing with superstitions and imagery of our culture. Don't let him get to your head," Eleanor advised.
Booker reached for his holster, but it was empty. "Dammit! It's still on the floor..." Booker cursed, then held Anna tightly with both hands. Obviously, there was no way he could fight Spirry with just his bare hands while protecting a baby. Spirry appeared to be around nine feet tall and probably weighed half a tonne, and his wings, horns and tail made him look larger. He would rip apart a human within seconds.
"Spirry! You told me I gave the baby back! You said multiple times this wasn't about me, or anything you would ever want of me! If you're just learning from me, leave them alone!"
The beast just stared at Eleanor, and stopped clicking his teeth and claws. He just cocked his head, and slowly exhaled a mouthful of blood. By then, a large puddle of blood had formed beneath him. He then began crawling again.
"Booker! Go! I'll hold him off!" Eleanor shouted. Booker nodded, and walked backwards, wondering if he should make any sudden movements. Spirry lifted his gaze, pausing mid-stride.
"To hell with this shit..." Booker turned around and ran away. Spirry grunted, and that was when Eleanor began hurling fireballs at his face, going into a Big Sister combat stance.
Spirry opened his mighty mandibles as far as they could go, howling with such force blood gushed out his mouth and spattered over Eleanor. His howl echoed, and hurt Eleanor's ears, but she kept throwing fiery Plasmids at the motherfucker. He snapped his jaws at one fireball, probably out of reaction.
Within an eyeblink, Spirry charged, his movement possessing the rapidity of a bird, surprising Eleanor. He grabbed her and slammed her into the wall, the back of her head and shoulders shattering the wood.
"Awooff! That hurt..."
Spirry then delivered a huge punch, but Eleanor teleported on the last moment, his fist smashing into the wall. He ripped his arm out, movement ripping a chunk of wood out the wall.
Reappearing up the hallway, opposite of Booker's direction, Eleanor hoped to divert the beast's attention. She threw more fireballs at his backside, and he spun around, wings and tail slapping against the wall, and he was met with a ring of purple telekinesis that blasted him off his hands and feet. Grunting mid-air, he thudded onto his back and wings, writhing and pawing.
Eleanor teleported, reappearing before Spirry's head. She rammed her wrist-mounted needle through his eye socket, stabbing into his brain. Spirry huffed and swiped his claws at her, so she kicked her hips forth and reared, Spirry's claws moving through her hair. Spirry turned around, flapping his wings, swiping his claws, and snapping his jaws wildly. Eleanor evaded all his attacks, reading them automatically, as if she knew what he would do before he did anything.
"Hah hah hah! Oh, heavens, you are quite the reckless fellow," Eleanor remarked as she dodged Spirry's attacks, occasional stabbing her wrist-blade into his face or incoming hands.
Skipping backwards a few times, Eleanor gave Spirry a good kick across the jaw, hearing his jawbone crack, but he did not stop attacking with reckless abandon, ripping streaks in the walls and floor while Eleanor fed him large, explosive fireballs. She teleported behind him, and figured Booker had descended the stairs of this building. She focused, and unleashed another burst of telekinesis, sending Spirry against the wall and cracking the wood.
"Ugh... I'm disappointed. After all the suspense you've created, everything you do ends so quickly..."
Eleanor harassed Spirry with a mix of Plasmids, teleports, and dodges. However, she was getting tired, yet Spirry seemed to have neverending stamina. But, Eleanor was also a hardy demon.
"At this rate, I'll be able to send you a postcard from the beach!" she teased, keeping her distance and dodging Spirry's attacks until her back unexpectedly hit a wall, the stairs nearby. Spirry howled, and charged.
Eleanor teleported out of the beast's way, and he avalanched into the stairwell. Down he fell. Eleanor ran to the railings and looked down, seeing Spirry's wings, arms, legs and tail wiggle as he plummeted.
Not waiting, Eleanor jumped over the railings. She soon saw Spirry at the bottom of the stairwell, having landed hard on his back and dazed. Eleanor landed on Spirry, driving her boot into his sternum and needle into his heart at the same time. The impact caused Spirry to convulse, blood splashing up all over Eleanor, but she screwed her needle deep through his heart.
"Where did you fall? We both know I could outrun you even underwater." She teleported away before Spirry's claws dug into her guts.
Eleanor appeared at the main floor, and looked around. The greyscale and distorted effects were still present., and she could not see Booker anywhere. Oddly enough, everything was quiet, almost silent. Approaching the exit, Eleanor put her hand on the door, and opened it. She looked up, seeing silhouettes of zeppelins dotting the sky, and a big rocket flying down to her...