A Dream

by JonathanKonopka

Escaping Rapture, Eleanor can finally begin a new life, but must inevitably confront her own Darkness. Within the Darkness, something watches, something that should not exist in her world. [as of May, 2022, edited up to chapter 23]

42. Chapter 42 - BioShock

Eleanor screamed as she telekinetically gripped her own spine, and realigned it into proper place. After the pain burned out, some relief came. Keeping her spine intact with a constant presence of psychokinesis, it would eventually heal. She got up and took a look around.

The cover Michael had seen phased out of reality, he was gone. The Big Sister snapped her knee into proper place with a cry, and the Elizabeths summoned stacks of ammo and supplies and helped the injured. Booker, Mother, and a standing headless Vox Beast, were frozen.

The Fireman's gauntlets smouldered as he gradually melted Booker's icy tomb. Likewise, Eleanor's hands formed steady flames as she approached Mother, and began melting the ice while breaking it apart from within with telekinesis.

"So, Mrs. Lamb, will you be keeping your word?" Spirry asked without turning around. Eleanor looked at Mother suspiciously.

"You've been rather quiet lately."

"Eleanor..." Mother said as if annoyed, "I'm cold."

Eleanor wanted to say something, but words did not form.

I feel... Different... She felt her abdomen pulse for a few seconds, as if something inside was moving. That's different.

"Sofia!" Zachary yelled, picking himself up and limping to her. He tried to wrench the ice off her arms, but it would take more time from Eleanor's fiery Plasmid to melt it off. Mother's vision was blurry, but it slowly regained, and she saw Zachary's face. "Beautiful." He smiled, she smiled, too, albeit a little.

Hmmph. She never smiles for me, Eleanor thought, actually feeling a pang of jealousy. She then looked back, seeing Spirry walk to the mezzanine, the fleshy monsters no longer fighting, apparently. What's he doing here? Many wondered the exact same thing.

"...I ain't gonna trust that sick thing. You keep an eye on 'im," Daisy said to the Zealot, who nodded and teleported.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, friend," Porter remarked. "The Thinker spoke of this...Spirry...but I would never have dreamt he was something like that."

"You did see me through the Tear in London, right?" Spirry asked with a bloody chuckle. "As for The Thinker, down here and up there... I cannot sense them. They are both disabled, for sure. Have been for some time. Someone found a way to disconnect them. No longer hacked, the machines in the sky will eventually come full-force."

"Well, that's...rather discerning..." Pinkerton Elizabeth remarked.

"Ya just so happen to know everythin' 'bout all a' dis. You have to be involved in everythin'."

"Reasonable point," Spirry replied. Daisy huffed.

"No matter what, none a' us trust ya, devil. But we ain't scared of ya, either," Daisy somewhat threatened.

"I would expect nothing less from a little nigger," the demon replied with a very serious tone. Daisy's fists tightened, though Porter was unoffended.

Greg, the Vox Beast, who was African-American, angrily stepped up to Spirry and grabbed his shoulder.

"What you playin' at?" the Beast demanded, but Daisy touched his shoulder, getting him to settle down. He let his arm drop.

"Guess it's just Spirry's massive boy-period we've been seein' constantly."

Spirry did not react, "I would think the same. Considering our situation, perhaps it is best we do not fight each other."

"That goes for you, too. Why are ya helpin' us, anyways?" the Vox Beast asked.

"Well, why not?"

"Why so?" blue Elizabeth asked.

"Because I want to." Spirry's behaviour suggested he was rather illogical and unpredictable.

Arms crossed, Eleanor turned her head, visor beaming yellow upon Spirry. She saw something odd about Spirry. Within his disembowelled torso, through the hanging organs, she could somewhat see...

Is that...someone inside Spirry's belly? Eleanor frowned. The belly was narrow but lined with bulging abs. Spirry turned, facing the railings of the mezzanine. Huh. Someone inside an organic vessel grown into the shape of a devil? I think I was right about Spirry all along...

Meanwhile, Tenenbaum and the old Elizabeth searched for Cindy, "Oh, thank god, there you are!" The old gal bent over with a groan, plucking Cindy from the stairs. Both bled.

"Oh, thank God you're alive and well, little one," Tenenbaum said, nearly losing balance from relief.

"Yes, I'm okay, Mama Tenn-nn-baum. I was looking for Little Daddy... The bad man's gone, right?"

Both old ladies nodded.

"Yes, he's gone, baby, he's gone..." old Elizabeth said caressing the child's head. Cindy hugged her doll tightly. Old Elizabeth looked at the marines, her younger counterparts using their medical skills to help them.

A few marines were so wounded, they had to be helped up. Others were outright dead. Being the most numerous, they had taken the brunt of Michael's power. Only twelve marines were left alive, some unable to stand. Those standing were taking turns performing CPR on the fallen in a last attempt to bring them back. It didn't work. Not even CPR or the Elizabeths' medical skills could save the injured marines, and four died. Only eight marines were left.

One of the marines looked at his headless lieutenant.

"Damn... Goodbye, lieutenant. Didn't expect you'd pass on the oggin like that."

"Yeh... Would've liked a tab and brew or two," a signaller commented.

Everyone viewed the demon with utmost suspicion, especially Eleanor and Booker; the Big Sisters' visors were yellow. Spirry overlooked the mezzanine, arms crossed over his front for a change, his guts hanging past his knees, and, as always, his heart audiby beat. The Zealot reappeared beside him, crows perched on their shoulders, Zealot's robe and sword leaking blood. The hooded man looked over the railings. Down below, Michael's Tears had disappeared, and the surviving fleshy monsters stood atop the numerous dead, looking up at Spirry near-motionlessly. All fleshy monsters, even those who lined down the hallway leading to Outer Persephone, repeatedly opened and closed their mouths. The constantly clicking teeth softly echoed.

"They obey you, demon?" the Zealot asked, placing the tip of his sword on the floor then both hands atop the pommel. The Zealot constantly shook from blood loss and shock, his robe drenched in blood and mapped with cuts and rips. He did not even feel pain, though.

"Usually not. For now, I can only confound them."

"Hm. What are they called?"

"Enaedonaia."

"I thought that referred to the growing flesh?"

"The fleshy growth is Enaedonai. The beings who emerge from it," Spirry looked at blue Elizabeth, who stared back uncomfortably, "or are converted by it, are Enaedonaia. It's just an extra syllable on the end."

"Hm." A pause. One of the crows on Spirry's shoulder began pecking flesh off his skull. The Zealot stroked one of his own crows, then looked at Spirry. "How do you see without eyes?"

"Imagination Where I came from, and where we will go...you did not need your eyes to see. I simply imagine the world around me, and act it out. It's not impossible to imagine imagery that happens to correlate with reality, even though I can never imagine reality for what it truly is."

"Well, you have quite the imagination... So, without skin, you're always bleeding. I can hear your heart beating, your guts are hanging out... Do you not feel pain?"

"I am always in agony. It excites me."

"Ha. Same," the Fireman commented, then noticed Booker shaking his head once his icy tomb melted. He would need some time before regaining himself.

"Good man," Spirry replied at the Fireman's comment.

Booker finished melting, shivering from being wet and cold.

"Michael...where is Michael?" Booker asked weakly, pushing a hand through his hair to get the water out.

"He's dead, Booker," blue Elizabeth answered.

"Finally. I can't believe I worked with that fucker," the Pinkerton blurted.

"So, Michael...he's dead...permanently, right? No more Michael?" Zachary asked, stretching his back, obviously hurt. Everyone was. "Why did it take so much to kill him?"

"He had a Gene Tonic that behaved like a constant Vita-Chamber. Whatever damage he sustained, quantum mechanics repaired instantly. He then reinforced this by keeping himself in a state of life and death, akin to Lady Comstock's condition, though he could not learn to raise the dead. Well, the Elizabeths opened Tears inside him, disrupting him at a quantum mechanical level, overriding his Tonic and Siren-effect, which resulted in particle physics annihilation. He and the Tears were converted into photons. It was enough power comparable to a nuclear reactor, though almost all that power entered the Tears just as they closed, fortunately."

The Vox, Booker and blue Elizabeth had not much of an idea of what Spirry was talking about.

"Just glad he's gone. Too bad I still don't have complete control of Tears..." Pinkerton Elizabeth remarked.

"You never will until Black Sun is destroyed," Spirry commented.

"Then they're our next target. How do we reach them?" Zachary asked.

"Take the bathysphere, go down, down, down...into the angelic abyss. Through the byss you must go. Beyond that lies all you wish to know."

"You seem to know everything, conveniently. What are you? The Devil?" the Zealot asked. Spirry looked back at him, though without skin, eyes, cheeks or lips, no facial expression could form.

"Satan? Asmodeus? Iblis? Ahriman? Kali? Apep? No. And I am not aware of their existence in this world, or any others relating here."

"What about your world? Do they exist there?"

A pause.

"Maybe. As you have realized...where I come from...a place that should not exist for you. But...I do not remember my world, I left long ago, as it was destroyed somehow, yet I can't remember how... In your reality, time flows in a line, but weaves through many versions of the worlds it passes. In my world, times flows as a coil, and there are no additional versions of my world... A single place where time has no meaning, for the past and future could happen at the same time. We were all set within a never-ending constance, until it was destroyed. Perhaps the laws of my world are going into yours, or the laws of your world traversed into my own."

Another pause.

"Spirry...do you believe in God? Do you know if He's...real?" blue Elizabeth asked nervously.

"I do not see Him. But yes, I do. My sister, La'Seire, also believes...in a god of your world."

Another pause.

"Huh. What will you do now?" blue Elizabeth asked.

"I will wait, until Eleanor sees her home," Spirry tilted his head in Eleanor's direction, she looking at him. "Then, she will be born again, and I will be reborn. After that...perhaps the next version of me... No, the other me that I cannot find, will be found. This is the only way to stop Black Sun, and finally sever the link of my world to yours."

Spirry felt someone grab his arm and budge him, but he did not react.

"Mr. Spirry, we need to talk, now," Eleanor said. Spirry ignored her. "Why did you attack me in the...dream? Why would you help us all of a sudden?"

"Ah, you are confused, Ms. Lamb. The dreams you've been having of me are not of the past, but of the future, of a reality to come, one that manipulates both past and future." Spirry gestured to the side. "As the Dutchman has experienced. But the version of me you had seen was not the same as me now." He briefly tilted his head to the Elizabeths. "Consider it like the effects of two Tears, coming together, and recreating themselves into a new reality. My future results in me losing my mind, and then...your reality will merge with another, courtesy of Black Sun. And so it is, the next me... No, I must be reborn."

"Be reborn? Alright, so I can't get you to make sense. But, right after I escaped Rapture...you changed me in the dream. Made me go crazy. How did you?"

"Back then, I was...stronger. I am still being mentally drained. I thought it was only Michael, but now, I realize it is also someone else. The closer I get to the source of this, the stronger the effect... It must be that other me, one that I have never found. After I overcame Michael's control... Well, I do not think I can perform something like that a second time. We have already ran out of time, Eleanor. Go."

Eleanor crossed her arms, "That's it? That's the explanation I get after all this? Hmph. I have a feeling you're not telling me the whole story."

"Oh, you will feel it inside, Eleanor. Or, if not inside, you will feel the machines on the outside. There's nothing else to explain. It will happen. You will know."

"Ughh... Talking to you..." Eleanor dismissively waved an arm at her big friend.

"Why does it matter, Ms. Lamb? We're already out of time. There is nothing to do now."

"Don't worry. I am a foremost expert at breaking rules."

"Then don't let me keep you. Go ahead and...explore."

"I just want to know what your purpose is. You went through all this, for what? Because you bonded with me? Because you want me to see Rapture before we are reborn? And then what?"

"Go figure it out!" Spirry almost yelled, the Murderous Crows on him fluttered their wings.

"I'm not like you, Mr. Spirry, I can't know things I don't know. You cannot expect others to be semi-omnipotent like yourself."

"The Luteces were a bit omnipotent," Pinkerton Elizabeth remarked. "But didn't you stop them?"

"Indeed, but I could not kill them. A shame, really, I wanted them dead. I don't remember why, but I concluded they were to blame for everything. I could only entrap them in my world."

"How did you entrap those extradimensional time travellers?" Eleanor asked.

"You already know of the Cipher. The Luteces told you everything. So, why should I explain anything to you?" His question made Eleanor raise an eyebrow.

"I do not-"

"Let's go!" Booker interrupted, grabbing Eleanor's shoulder to get her attention. "We can't waste our time talking to this idiot. We have to get going, now!"

"That you do. I cannot maintain confusion of the Enaedonaia much longer. Go, before they regain themselves, and eat you." Spirry sucked in his guts and pushed the rest in. Everyone except him took their leave, the crows on Spirry's shoulders following the Zealot.

Spirry leapt over the railings. He landed hard with a wet crunch, his blood splashing outwards from impact. He walked through the fleshy monsters, pushing and shoving through them. Sometimes, a few bit him, but the damage was mild.

"Fine." Eleanor and the others headed to the elevator. Memories of her fleeing with Father came back. I would have saved you if I could...

Only several individuals could go up the elevator at once. The non-combatants and most injured went first, the others guarding.

Few by few, the Enaedonaia snapped out of their ecstasy. Those that did, crawled over those still affected, going after Spirry, who kept pushing his way through. Eventually, he reached the end of the horde, and turned around to face them, spreading his arms.

"Alright. Who's next?" The ensuing roars and hisses echoed wildly.

The last people to enter the elevator were Daisy, Booker, two marines, and the Fireman. Eleanor, the Big Sister, and the Zealot remained outside, overhearing the growls incoming. The Big Sister wailed.

"Go! We'll hold them off!" Eleanor exclaimed as a portion of fleshy monsters appeared, and charged down the hallway. While the elevator doors closed, Daisy knelt and fired her carbine, Booker throwing a Possession trap and the Fireman Devil's Kiss overhead.

The Zealot unleashed a murderous flock. The Big Sisters hurled fireballs. The Possession trap triggered, sending several Enaedonaia against their own. Eleanor and the Zealot continued casting their powers, until the Possessed Enaedonaia were trampled. Dozens of fleshy monsters charged.

The Zealot and the Big Sisters teleported on the last second, and they reappeared in the upper level, where the fleshy monsters would not reach anytime soon. The elevator reached the top, and those inside headed for the already crowded bathysphere. Everyone except the Big Sisters went inside.

"Eleanor?" Cindy called.

"We're going swimming. Stay safe!" Eleanor replied. The bathysphere closed, and it descended. The Big Sisters looked at each other, then teleported at the same time, reappearing in the waters.

Down below, the Big Sisters could see the Luminescent Biomass, as if an alien world waiting for them. Eleanor pointed down to it, her Sister nodding. They swam down, passing the bathysphere. Soon, they descended past Persephone, the glowing whiteness far, far below, in the depths of the trench...

Where is that abyssal monster? I can't see him...

The Big Sisters swam side by side, like a pair of dolphins. They felt their suits tighten against their skin. The pressure, and coldness, increased every minute. Decompression sickness, barotrauma, and narcosis gradually came, but would not stop the Big Sisters. Occasionally, Eleanor tried to scratch her skin, zapping with itchiness, numbness, and tingling. Her brains sloshed in her head, and her joints burned. Even her tits ached. But they kept going down into the abyssal whiteness that hurt their eyes.

Eleanor found it rather ironic that, the further she swam down the trench, the brighter things became, like a sun in an abyss. Whatever the Luminescent Biomass was, she would find out.

Why do I feel like I'm being watched? Eleanor's visor turned yellow, but her Sister's remained green.

Above the Big Sisters, the bathysphere sometimes creaked.

"That better not crush..." Eleanor commented, then noticed her friend's visor beamed red. Something rammed into the bathysphere, the groaning steel echoing.

The Big Sisters twirled to see what happened, helmets red. The bathysphere spun and thrashed to the side, everyone inside falling over. Eleanor swam back-down and looked around, her Sister swatted aside.

"Mary!"

Eleanor gasped as four gigantic yellow eyes beamed into her. She was face-to-face with the abyssal monster, it had come from above. Its body was both angelically translucent and radiantly white now, all its flesh and ADAM glowing like the Luminescent Biomass.

The Lovecraftian beast let off a groan akin to a thousand whales as it leaned into Eleanor. The sound waves and bubbles alone unnerved her, but the four beaming yellow lights caused her to go limp. Her red visor stopped beaming; so much of her own blood gushed out her mouth and nose it covered the inside of her visor. Her inactive body reverberated with tuning and static noises, and an aura of electricity formed. She wanted to do something, but all she did was go into a fetal position, and she sank limply.

The other Big Sister swam into the abyssal monster's face while screaming, ramming her entire arm into its left pupil, needle ripping it open, then she unleashed a telekinetic blast that jerked the eyeball. The monster moaned, swatting itself in the face, but the Big Sister swam away easily. She looked down, visor turning green as she watched Eleanor sink. If Eleanor descended too far, the pressure would crush her suit.

The Big Sister teleported underneath Eleanor, pushing her with both hands to carry her up the water. Sensing the Lovecraftian monster going for another attack, the Big Sister launched Eleanor with a psychokinetic blast, then teleported away to avoid the abyssal monster's gigantic hand.

The Big Sister was in quite a predicament. She teleported here and there, skirmishing against the monster while keeping Eleanor afloat whenever she could. The Big Sister could read the mighty beast's movements easily enough, swimming out the way of its hands and jaws. The immense lengths of skyborne machinery connected to its arms and spine held it in the water as if some sort of horrific, angelic puppet.

While the Big Sister protected Eleanor and kept the abyssal monster busy, the bathysphere soon regained balance once the Pinkerton took to the controls. Everyone inside observed the skirmish outside.

"There's no way we can kill something that big!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Not to mention we are rather stuck and underwater..." Cindy squeaked, and then the abyssal monster accidentally struck the bathysphere, sending it spinning down.

"Aw, shhhit!" Zachary cursed.

"Eleanor would have to use the new Plasmid against that thing's heart or brain to kill it!" Porter suggested. "If she could get inside, of course..."

"Oh, Eleanor, I hope you're alright..." Tenenbaum lamented. She felt someone touch her hand. It was Cindy. Tenenbaum took her hand.

Outside, the Big Sister continued her combo of teleportation, psychokinesis, and needle-attacks while pushing Eleanor up, but the struggle was heavy. To make things worse, lengths of skyborne machinery began slamming down from above, sending bubbles and waves powerfully. About a dozen lengths of skyborne machinery appeared, moving through the white waters like giant mechanical eels.

The Big Sister made a high-pitched wheeze of distress. She spun and twirled, dodging the machinery and the monster's hands. She teleported above the monster's head, and it looked around with a grunt. After a few seconds, the Big Sister teleported underneath Eleanor and swam off with her as fast as she could, swerving and zigzagging to evade the skyborne (now underwater) machinery.

She turned her red helmet, and saw something else red. It was Spirry, swimming with his limbs and wings, without any diving apparatus. Murky redness trailed wherever he went, but he seemed alright. He made a few hand signals to the Big Sister as they swam past each other.

You too, Apocatastasis? Spirry thought. The abyssal monster groaned, beaming all four lights into Spirry. But he did not react, for he was without eyes, without mediums to transfer the quantum physical force into him. Everything I create goes against me... But not even you can escape your constance.

The devil twirled, evading a mighty arm swung at him. Spirry dodged a few mechanical lengths as well, his wings enabling great stroking leverage. Once he reached the monster's forehead, he began burrowing into it. Rearing, the monster smacked its own forehead, but Spirry had already left that spot.

Rearing again, the monster bellowed, a huge Tear forming on its wound, and several mechanical lengths burst forth. The machinery wriggled after Spirry.

"Oh, shhhit!" the demon cursed, muffled voice producing mostly bubbles rather than noise. He dodged the two incoming machines, then grabbed the third one by the tip, firmly gripping the hook and feeling it rotate and wheeze as it drove him backwards.

The monster swung an arm, but hit the mechanical length driving Spirry, knocking it off him. This gave Spirry an idea, and he swam about to and fro wildly, trying to get the mechanical lengths to criss-cross across the monster.

Amidst Spirry's plot, one of the machines struck the bathysphere, everyone inside falling. The vessel creaked as it was entwined by the mechanical length.

"Elizabeth! We could use a Tear right about now!" Booker yelled as he picked himself.

"You think I'm not trying!?"

"Let's work together!" the Pinkerton shouted.

The Elizabeths huddled and put their hands together, trying to open a Tear. A Tear began to form, the unsteady volume zipping lights everywhere, but not big enough for anyone to enter.

"Where can we go!?" Zachary yelled, looking around as the bathysphere creaked and groaned. At the other side of the glass, many passengers saw redness swimming around.

"Is that...Videre?" Booker asked himself. Sure enough, there certainly was a smaller fleshy monster swimming around, a Tear always floating above him, small mechanical lengths connected to his spinal cord and arms.

Soon, several more fleshy monsters swam to the scene. They latched onto the mechanical length, trying to dislodge it from the Bathysphere. Then, an immense fleshy tube arose from below, gradually wrapping around the mechanical length. The muscles expanded, the mechanical length creaked, but gradually, pressure was removed from the Bathysphere.

"That must be Tongue!" blue Elizabeth exclaimed.

"And it looks like he's doing enough to prevent this thing from being crushed!" Booker stated.

Outside, Videre swam above the Bathysphere, latching onto the vessel as it turned side to side amidst the struggle. He opened a Tear beside the mechanical length, then moved it sideways through the length of machinery. When it closed, the mechanical length was severed. The Bathysphere continued sinking, though the steel creaked and groaned continuously

"There!" Pinkerton Elizabeth operated the controls.

"If this thing breaks, I'm killing whoever designed Bathyspheres!" the Fireman stated.

"She'll hold!" the Pinkerton promised.

Meanwhile, the Big Sister continued swimming with Eleanor, who had yet to recover. The skyborne machinery whiplashed noisily; they reached their full length. The Big Sister flipped and then swam downwards.

Elsewhere, Spirry continued fighting his overwhelmingly gigantic foe, creator versus created. Spirry often dodged the machinery and the monster's hands and jaws, swimming forth to claw the face or head open here and there, gradually mapping the monstrosity with scars. At times, Spirry was hit by a glancing blow from the monster or the mechanical lengths, bones and tissue busting open, but he seemed to heal quickly, albeit never beyond a skinned state.

His original plan of crisscrossing machinery in the monster's path somewhat worked. They got in the way, but the monster just past through them. Amidst the duel, Spirry latched onto the monster's left eye, and rammed both arms in-between the eyeball and eye socket. Gripping the back of the eyeball with his claws, Spirry began wrenching the thing out. The monster howled, rearing back; Spirry kicked and swam off before he was grabbed, mechanical lengths writhing after him.

The monster reared further with a mighty howl. A Tear formed in its forehead, and a human-faced, giant Sea Slug emerged, blood gushing out. The Sea Slug slipped out and swam off, and a second popped out halfway, squirming to and fro.

"What the fuck?" Spirry commented. "How much ADAM do you need to survive?"

The second Sea Slug swam towards Spirry, groaning loudly. The demon just laughed bubbles. He swam into the Sea Slug, affixing his claws and talons on its face. He buried his teeth into the forehead, and bit a chunk of skull out. ADAM-infused blood gushed out. The devil plunged his muzzle into the head, eating brains.

A mechanical length torpedoed to Spirry. He slid off the Sea Slug as it limply descended. He leaned back while twirling, the hook ripped his torso open. He then grabbed onto the length and was dragged along with it, avoiding the few other machines after him. Just as one lunged at him, Spirry pulled himself around the one he gripped. One mechanical length rammed into another, getting caught in it. The two other mechanical lengths did likewise. Once Spirry swam off, the machinery flicked after him, and immediately entangled in one another.

"That'll slow them down. Wait, where are the girls?" Spirry looked around, but could not see the Big Sisters. He swam off to find them, the abyssal monster distracted by its injuries.

Soon, Spirry swam upwards from underneath the Big Sisters. The Big Sister stopped, Eleanor still debilitated. The Big Sister's visor was yellow, but she allowed Spirry to swim over and place a hand on Eleanor's helmet.

"Eleanor, wake up..." Spirry's hand glowed yellow. Eleanor's electric aura dissipated, and she unraveled in the Big Sister's arms.

"Oww, my head..." Eleanor used her telekinesis to wipe her own blood off the visor. She noticed Spirry gesturing downwards.

Ms. Lamb, time to go.

Very well, Mr. Spirry.

The three heard a muffled roar. They turned at the same time, and saw the abyssal monster swimming towards them, about twenty mechanical lengths swimming along with it.

"How can we kill that thing!?" Eleanor asked herself. With Porter's new Plasmid... I'll have to cast it directly into its heart or brain! "Spirry! Distract that thing while I find a way to kill it."

As you wish. If you kill Apocatastasis, Black Sun's presence in this world will be greatly debilitated.

Eleanor nodded at her Sister, and they swam off together while Spirry headed towards the abyssal monster.

To Spirry's surprise, several fleshy monsters joined the fight. They swam into the side of the monster and began burrowing. Videre swam to the scene, opening a Tear between his hands that moved with him. A shockwave similar to the Siren erupted from Videre's Tear, but it moved in one direction like a beam, striking the monster in the face. A few mechanical lengths lunged at Videre, but his Tear expanded and then aligned at an angle; the machinery entered the Tears awkwardly, entering another world instead of piercing Videre.

Who the hell is that? He would have been within Enaedonai for centuries to control himself. How did he learn to use Tears?

Spirry had little time to think, as a few mechanical lengths swung towards him. He dodged them, then dodged the monster's hand, and the skirmish continued.

Meanwhile, the Big Sisters swam around the action. They looked at each other, nodded, and teleported. They reappeared somewhere else, standing on...solid ground? The Big Sisters turned, looking through a translucent wall flanked by two immense glowing yellow lights. They could see Videre, Spirry, and the fleshy monsters outside, combating the monster and machinery, though a few fleshy monsters were skewered and then ripped apart.

Spirry swam into the abyssal monster's forehead, latching on, and stared back at Eleanor. He cocked his head. He then slid his thumb across his neck. Eleanor nodded. After Spirry swam off to avoid the machinery, the Big Sisters turned, overlooking the rest of the monster's brain.

"Let's get started," Eleanor said. She then got Porter's Plasmid ready. Steaming ADAM dripped from her hands, patting onto the brain and sizzling. She unleashed a wave of it upon the prefrontal cortex. The exterior of the brain quickly began bubbling while turning into jelly. The Big Sister cast fireballs and telekinetic blasts at the brain.

Outside, Videre and his fleshy monsters, and Spirry, took the advantage, dodging the machinery and then clawing at the monster's face. Videre swam into an eyeball, clutching against it, then opened a Tear. A smaller mechanical length shot out the Tear, impaling the eyeball. The monster screamed, thrashing its head to the side while slapping Videre away. He would have been crushed, but the mechanical length drilled into the monster's hand, allowing Videre to swim away, pursued by a few skyborne machines.

Back inside the monster, the Big Sisters proceeded to throwing fireballs into the back of the monster's two giant eyeballs further up its skull, damaging the optic nerves. The monster reared with a howl, clutching its head; the movement caused the Big Sisters to roll over. The monster began shaking its head to and fro, the Big Sisters rolling side to side clumsily. While they rolled about in steaming ADAM and melting brains, they blasted fireballs in all directions, anything to maximise damage.

Mental connection remaining, the Big Sisters teleported at the same time, reappearing within the monster's chest. Eleanor felt the beating heart continuously jerk her forwards and backwards. It was very warm inside the monster's torso, and Eleanor found it quite odd she was swimming in blood and clogging up an artery. It felt rather ironic to be inside an organic entity that was translucent and bright.

"Oh, heavens, this would be a Little Sister's heaven! I can smell the roses even from in my helmet!" Eleanor commented, already all evil and dirty. Although quite tired, her body was getting used to Porter's new Plasmid, and being surrounded by ADAM, her body gradually absorbed it and allowed her to regenerate. Her hands steamed with ADAM as the Plasmid charged, and she blasted it down the artery. The crystalline blood and tissue immediately began melting and becoming gelatinous.

The Big Sisters were kicking and needle-punching everywhere, anything to cause as much damage and possible, like parasites. The only offensive Plasmids were psychokinetic in nature, and they soon felt the monster convulsing and thrashing. An organic roller coaster did not deter the Big Sisters.

Eleanor felt herself jerk backwards. The Big Sisters felt a rush of coldness; they were now outside the monster, a big Tear beaming out its chest. A few mechanical lengths emerged. The Big Sisters looked at each other, then teleported back in the monster's skull.

After unleashing another wave of anti-Enaedonai Plasmid, Eleanor and her Sister continued casting fiery Plasmids. The monster grabbed its head and flailed it side to side. The Big Sisters rolled to and fro, the surface of the brain similar to mud, blood and mushy brains flopping everywhere.

Eleanor rammed her needle and feet into the brains to stabilize herself, her Sister hurling fireballs like crazy while flopping about. Eleanor rammed her free arm into the mashy brains, casting a fireball within it. The explosion caused a lot of brains and blood to erupt, splattering upon her already drenched suit. The third explosion caused her arm to blow out the brain.

Eleanor reared, hand engulfed with flames, ready to ram her arm back in the hole. To her surprise, the fleshy serpent suddenly emerged with a mighty screech, so loud that Eleanor jumped in her suit. Her ears ringed with pain, and all of a sudden, she was inside the serpent's mouth.

Before the serpent could clamp its teeth, Eleanor simply teleported out; the beast bit nothing. Reappearing above the serpent, Eleanor rammed her feet into the back of its head, pinning it down. Feeling it squirming, Eleanor kept the serpent in check with telekinesis, and would have engulfed it, but the monster thrashed powerfully, movement throwing Eleanor and the Big Sister off.

The serpent shook its head and slithered further out, eyes beaming yellow, fangs drooling. Knowing that she could be debilitated by creepy yellow eyes, Eleanor stabilized herself with psychokinesis, and launched fireballs at the serpent's face. The flames erupted, the beast screeched.

While the serpent writhed from flames, Eleanor darted forth, wobbling heavily from the abyssal monster's thrashing. She leapt, ramming her needle into the serpent's forehead. The beast hissed and flailed its head into Eleanor, knocking her down. Her Sister teleported above the serpent's head, landing on it and repeatedly stabbing it with her needle while casting fiery Plasmids at point-blank range.

"Keep him busy, Mary!" Eleanor cast another wave of Porter's Plasmid. The veins in her eyes, and under her skin, bulged and burned. "Aagghh!" The overuse took a heavy toll on Eleanor. There was only so much her body could adapt to. Nevertheless, the Plasmid splashed upon the slushy brains, liquefying the surface.

Instantly, the Big Sisters felt themselves bouncing side to side wildly, the monster in quite an agonizing state. The fleshy serpent hissed, trying to regain balance. Like an immense parasite, the serpent wriggled further out the brain, perhaps thirty feet long, slithering after the Big Sisters, who launched fireballs at it whenever they could amidst rolling about.

Rearing, the serpent's fangs extended, and it lunged. At the same time, the Big Sisters cast telekinetic blasts at the serpent, striking it with such force its head flailed backwards and slammed against the brain. The meaty snake lied on the side of its head, dazed.

Eleanor teleported, amplifying herself with psychokinesis upon reappearing, drove her feet into the snake's yellow eye. The beast screeched, then the other Big Sister mimicked Eleanor, smashing her feet into the serpent's neck.

"Try to hypnotize me with your eyes! Just try!"

The Big Sisters rammed their needles in the serpent while slamming fiery Plasmids into it. The snake howled, writhing underfoot, but managed to slip away and recede back into the slushy brain amidst a flurry of fireballs. It was not long until the abyssal monster had another burst of energy, and shook itself wildly

After the shaking subsided, the Big Sisters got up. To Eleanor's surprise, she saw...

"Crows?" Eleanor turned.

"I saw you in here, so I followed suite!"

The Murderous Crows dove into the brains, ripping it open further and flicking blood and brains as if small children playing in a puddle. The Zealot even stabbed and chopped into the brains, the Big Sisters doing their things.

After blasting the hole in the prefrontal cortex further, Eleanor dove headfirst into the brain, lunging both arms into the sizzling tissue. Both hands cast a gravitational blast, spreading the meat open greatly and feeling an eruption of hot tissue stick to her suit and visor. She cast Porter's Plasmid directly into the brain, screaming from pain. She lost all strength and just plopped into the steaming stew of liquefying brains.

The abyssal monster stopped thrashing, perhaps braindead. Spirry took the opportunity and twirled past a few skyborne machines, latching onto the monster's face, and began ripping into the eyeball. A mechanical length shot into his back, then pulled him away. Videre and his fleshy monsters continued their assault, Videre drilling with Tear-conjured mechanical lengths. Most of the fleshy monster entered the skin, but a few were hit by machinery and pulled out.

Videre himself was hit by one of the machines, his own mechanical lengths wrapping around it and keeping it from killing him. Tongue's giant tube swung into the machine, muscles bulging over the machinery and pulled it off Videre. He summoned another length of machinery to drill into the abyssal monster's head, damaging the brains further. Inside, he could see the Big Sister drag Eleanor out the prefrontal cortex, the Zealot and his crows continuing the fight.

Videre turned his head just as Spirry swam by and clutched the monster next to him. Spirry's body was ripped open here and there, but he seemed mostly alright.

"Did she damage the heart?" the demon asked, Videre shrugged. Spirry grabbed onto Videre's drilling machines, and pulled himself into the hole it made. Pulling on the machinery, Spirry entered the head, water gushing into the skull.

Spirry joined in damaging the brain, ripping it open as he walked. It was not long until the waters began filling the skull. Spirry noticed the Big Sisters, Eleanor sitting upright, her Sister holding her back straight.

"The brain will be defunct! But you need to destroy the heart to truly kill Apocatastasis!" Spirry yelled. Eleanor was coughing, but nodded. "I will continue damaging the brain, go destroy the heart!"

"And I need to get back into the Bathysphere!" the Zealot exclaimed, all his Murderous Crows flying back into him, and he teleported as the waters began filling up the skull.

The Big Sisters submerged by the rising waters. They teleported, and reappeared back in the vessels of the heart. Warmth rushed their cold bodies. The Big Sister instantly began casting psychokinetic blasts to rupture the heart more, but Eleanor limply drifted in the blood. Turning the valves, Eleanor's needle sucked some blood, then she consumed it. The rush of potent ADAM burned her insides, but she felt awesome.

Refuelled with endless ADAM, Eleanor charged Anti-Enaedonai with both hands. She kept charging until all her veins leaked with steaming ADAM, then she unleashed it all down the left ventricle. Inevitably, the heart chamber pumped the Anti-Enaedonai through the aortic valve, and subsequently, into the rest of the body.

"We've done it, Mary!" She could see the walls of the heart violently contract and expand. "He's having a heart attack! Let's get out of here!"

The Big Sisters teleported out the monster. Reappearing outside, they turned around, seeing the monster's four yellow eyes dimming, mapped with cracks and steaming ADAM. The monster clutched its head and chest, convulsed, then began sinking like a rock.

All the mechanical lengths stopped chasing after Videre and the fleshy monsters, and went limp. Spirry burst through the monster's left eye socket, pushing out the eyeball as he did so, the eye floating upwards on the end of the optic nerve.

Everyone just watched the Lovecraftian monster sink into the angelic abyss, the skyborn machinery connected to it loose and shaky. The monster disappeared within the whiteness.

"He's gone." Eleanor turned her head and saw Tongue and his vessel floating by. The tube was writhing and twitching, and then the fleshy serpent burst through its tip screeching wildly. Clamped inside its mouth was Tongue. Without arms, what could he do? The serpent shut its mouth, shearing Tongue in half.

"How did you get there?" Eleanor asked.

Similarly to how you teleported into Apocatastasis, save he used a Tear. Spirry's thoughts replied. Eleanor, machines reise from the depths... Sure enough, perhaps twenty mechanical lengths arose from below. Eleanor dodged them easily enough though Videre and a fleshy monster were hit.

The fleshy serpent writhed out Tongue's organic vessel, and swam along quite quickly. Eleanor figured it swam twice as fast as a Big Sister, but the snake kept his distance for now, leaving everyone to evade the newly-arisen machines. The serpent charged, but Eleanor used psychokinesis to wrench its jaw open, then threw Anti-Enaedonai down its mouth. With a harsh hiss, the serpent swam off.

Everyone heard a mighty roar echo from below. Bubbles rose like crazy, and the machinery shook and creaked as their puppet pulled itself up. Three yellow eyes beamed upwards from below. Stuck within the monster's mouth was the Bathysphere. The monster often coughed and gagged, but the Bathysphere was caged behind its teeth.

"How the hell did that happen?" Spirry asked, then dodged a machine from the depths.

"I thought you said it would die!?" Eleanor yelled at Spirry, evading a few machines aimed at her.

"I thought so!"

"We must continue the fight," Videre remarked, having freed himself by Tear-cutting the machines. Everyone swam downwards...

Meanwhile, inside the monster's mouth, the Bathysphere bounced around against its teeth. The passengers likewise bounced around.

"We could really use a Tear right about now!" Booker yelled.

"Kind of hard when I'm flopping around!" blue Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Try harder!"

"All this thrashing is pure hell for my joints..." old Elizabeth grumbled.

Blue Elizabeth, Tenenbaum, Zachary, and a marine ended up faceplanting the glass door, everyone else piling against the adjacent walls, Cindy somehow ending up on Zachary's head. The Zealot decided to teleport but remain teleporting.

"Ow! Don't touch me, your armour's hot!" the Pinkerton whined at the Fireman.

"Almost got it!" blue Elizabeth exclaimed, a Tear forming just outside the glass door. "Dammit! It's on the wrong side!"

The Tear greatly expanded, Elizabeth gasping when something emerged from it.

"Songbird!?"

The Siren effect-infused, barnacled Songbird burst forth out the Tear, alongside the Bathysphere. Despite his ghostly aura, he looked quite damaged, though here he was, swimming out the Tear. He turned his head, looking inside the submersible, white rays beaming out his broken eye pieces.

"Wait, is he the same Songbird when-" Pinkerton Elizabeth's sentence was cut-off when the Bathysphere clanked.

He squawked as something pulled him halfway back in the Tear. He looked back and forced himself out, the black entity's arms grasping his legs.

"Songbird! Get out! The Tear's closing!" blue Elizabeth cried.

Songbird wailed, swimming with his arms and wings, and kicking. The black entity howled, but Songbird squeezed out the Tear as it closed, the winged monster's claws scraping down his hull. The Tear closed, chopping off the black entity's arms and leaving it behind.

As the entity's dismembered arms floating and bled, Songbird noticed the abyssal monster next to him, pulling itself up the suspended mechanical lengths. Songbird tilted backwards, rather surprised, but he sprang to action.

Songbird gripped the monster's teeth and began snapping them, breaking them two at a time. The Lovecraftian beast growled. Ripping more teeth out, Songbird grabbed the Bathysphere and pulled it out the mouth. The monster turned to the side from pain, then swiped a massive arm. Songbird shielded himself with his wings while hugging the Bathysphere. The impact hit Songbird and sent him spiralling down.

Regaining his senses, Songbird dove, pulling the Bathysphere with him while evading the monster's other arm. The Big Sisters, Spirry, Videre and several fleshy monsters joined in the last assault.

The mechanical lengths sprang back to life, everyone dodging them, but Spirry got cut across the chest. The Big Sisters used telekinesis to stifle or divert the incoming machinery.

Eleanor, connection reestablished. Hacking foreign machines now... The Thinker's voice cheeped in Eleanor's mind.

Thanks I'll take all the help I can get, Thinker.

The skyborne machinery in the area slowed down, only swaying. There was now a clear, easy route to the monster. Eleanor observed Songbird toss the Bathysphere upward, above the monster's head, then he clawed at the monster's forehead. It was not long until Songbird ripped through the skull and made a complete mess. Spirry, Videre and the fleshy monsters joined in the ripping, whereas the Big Sisters teleported within the skull to utilize telekinetic bursts to further damage the brain, about a third of it dissolved into mush.

The abyssal monster groaned heavily, weakly raising his arms, but Songbird entered his skull. The Buzzard dug his way down the brain, ripping it asunder with a mighty scream.

Apocatastasis went limp, and once again, sank like a rock. Songbird continued digging until he reached the brainstem, and ripped it off the spinal cord. There was no way to survive this.

"We've done it for sure this time!" Eleanor exclaimed. The Big Sisters teleported out.

Songbird exited the head, and then he and everyone else swam off to regroup with the Bathysphere. Eleanor swam in front of Songbird and gestured downwards. He nodded. Down everyone went...

---

Hmm. The Sinker was a submersible, at first used to lower supplies and workers to the ocean floor. Eventually, it became a permanent structure, set within sediments and rock, allowing additional work farther into the ocean floor and unexpected caverns. Undoubtedly, this was how they uncovered the Luminescent Biomass, and the strange life that evolved from it... Huh. There's no way divers could work down here without being blinded. The biomass must be growing...

Eventually, Eleanor could sense Rapture's infrastructure, and feel the heat of lava here and there. Everyone was undeterred.

Eleanor, allow me to guide you, The Thinker's voice sounded in her head. Eleanor could simply feel where to go, and she guided everyone else through the caves and brightness.

What should I expect, Thinker?

Unknown. A presence prevents me from analyzing whatever possibility awaits you. It seems that this Luminescent Biomass is biochemical as well as quantum mechanical, a synthesis of the two. I need to focus on hacking the machines. I will keep them as inactive as possible.

Songbird had to keep holding the Bathysphere to guide it through the cave network, otherwise, the vessel would risk hitting lava or diamond-hard rock.

Eleanor noticed Videre swimming after her. She looked at him.

---

"Sitting in this tub sure is boring," Booker remarked.

Everyone was sitting, exhausted from so much stress and exertion. Sofia lied with her head resting against Zachary's shoulder, sleeping like a log.

The Bookers and Fireman each had produced a passive form of Devil's Kiss to keep the vessel warm.

"At least nothing's trying to kill us for a change," blue Elizabeth commented. Booker somewhat chuckled.

"We better get through this," a marine said.

"Hah. Wouldn't wanna go through all this just to fail," Daisy said.

Tenenbaum sighed deeply. She was afraid and nervous. Cindy gently grabbed Mama's hand and smiled at her.

"Little Daddy's not afraid, Mama Tenenbaum!" Cindy stated. Tenenbaum and old Elizabeth smiled.

But then everyone gasped.

"Are we falling!?" Zachary yelled.

Everyone's guts rose. Songbird gripped the Bathysphere as he, the Big Sisters, Spirry, Videre, and several fleshy monsters gradually disappeared in the whiteness. Eleanor's ears popped and rang, and she felt like she was falling.

"Here we go! Get ready!" Spirry bellowed, his voice no longer affected by water. He spread his wings and glided downwards.

Eleanor heard Songbird's wings whoosh overhead.

"This is it! All or nothing!" Eleanor exclaimed.

The whiteness below slowly churned, gradually resembling an endless Tear. A strange mix of darkness and dark light formed, as if smouldering shadows and shadowy flames formed in the shape of a sun, but rimmed with yellow flames.

And they entered Black Sun.

This place was horrible, roofed with the appearance of smouldering shadows and shadowy fire, though it cast enough light to see. An endless steppe of red sand was below everyone, and off in the distance, a ruined city. Harsh winds screeched, blowing plumes of sand about.

Songbird landed heavily, placing the Bathysphere on the red sand. The Big Sisters teleported before hitting the ground, reappearing safely. Spirry swooped down and landed, but Videre and the fleshy monsters landed clumsily, joints popping and bones snapping. Despite injuries, the fleshy beings got up and began walking.

The Bathysphere opened, and everyone inside stepped out. All the girls except Sofia lifted a hand to their mouths, the men looking around.

"What the..." Zachary said.

"...hell?" Booker finished. Spirry walked from the side. "Oh, for the love of... Ugh... Now where are we?"

"Well, what does that city remind you of?" Spirry asked.

"What's this?" Cindy chirped, moving some sand away, and underneath it, some sort of skull.

"Hm?" The Pinkerton felt her shoe hit something. She bent over to investigate, uncovering what appeared to be a fossilized seashell.

Tenenbaum and old Elizabeth went to Cindy to take a look at the skull she found.

"What's that? A shark skull?" Booker asked.

"No, it is, it is..." Tenenbaum said.

"A...whale's skull?" old Elizabeth suggested.

"Wait, what? We're in a desert..." Zachary said.

"Unless..." Eleanor said, taking a few steps towards the ruined city off in the distance. The sands were dotted with tiny fossils, especially that of seashells and trilobites. Eleanor stopped and just stared at the city.

Amidst bewilderment, the Vox, marines, and others, all looked at Spirry. He clasped his hands behind his back. Videre and the seven fleshy monsters with him did not stop walking towards the city.

"What's that expression, again? A day late and a dollar short?" Spirry remarked.

"Whatever. Where the hell are we?" Zachary demanded.

"Zachary, that city over there...it's Rapture," Pinkerton Elizabeth said.

Her words created a long silence.

"But where's all the water?" Cindy whined, giving the sand a little kick "Big Daddy has to go up and fix it!"

Cindy's cuteness made Songbird gently wheeze. He knelt, taking a good look at Booker, Zachary, and the Elizabeths.

"I missed you, too," blue Elizabeth whispered, giving Songbird's leg a hug. She looked up at him, "How did you get mother's power, anyways?"

The Buzzard's shoulders dropped. He sadly looked at Booker again.

"What?"

Songbird beckoned Booker.

"Well, alright." He went to Songbird, and watched him claw letters in the sand. The message read I'm sorry. "Aw, jeez... I appreciate it, but we don't have time for apologies. We gotta keep going, Songbird."

Songbird shook his head. He then looked at Zachary.

"What?" Zachary demanded. Songbird's shoulders drooped further. He beckoned Zachary and began clawing more letters in the sand. Songbird wrote out I am but stopped. Songbird fell to his knees.

"You alright?" Zachary asked. Songbird looked at him, then seemed to slowly exhale. The white rays from its eyes beamed onto the ground, and a ghostly shape appeared.

Booker stepped back, "If any more dead rise again..."

The ghostly shape turned, facing Zachary.

"It's me. Elizabeth."

Silence, and then a gust of wind.

Zachary inhaled slowly, then looked relieved. He embraced the ghostly Elizabeth tightly, resting his head on hers. His eyelids failed to hold back a few teardrops.

"I thought I lost you..."

"Shhh... I'm here. I knew we'd meet again."

Pinkerton Elizabeth's shoulders and chin dropped. She let the two have their time together, but there was quite a punch to her gut. She never realized how much she craved affection.

"Wait, you're...another me?" blue Elizabeth asked, walking to her ghostly counterpart. Zachary and Elizabeth let go of each other. "I thought you were my mother."

"I...don't know what happened. I drowned. Then, I came back, yet I was gone. I..."

"You merged with Songbird," Spirry said. "Not even death could sever the bond he had with you. Consider it a constance. Not that it matters, it's all over."

"Oh no it's not," ghostly Elizabeth assured, hand on her hip and other slightly outstretched. "There is one more way. I made sure of that."

Spirry tilted his head. "How?"

"I won't tell you."

"Hmmm... Clever girl." Spirry seemed amused.

"So what's our next step?" a marine asked.

"We get going. That's all I will say. Spirry cannot know what I am up to." Ghostly Elizabeth beamed back into Songbird.

"Then let's go. We must destroy Black Sun for you to regain your powers," Spirry said.

"No time to talk, eh?" the Zealot asked.

"C'mon, sweetie." Old Elizabeth plucked Cindy off the ground and carried her.

"Huh. Seems like we just keep going forwards no matter what," Booker remarked.

"Best thing to do," Zachary commented.

"As long as I get to burn something..." the Fireman growled.

"Hey! Videre! Wait up!" Booker called. Off everyone went.

---

It was a strange feeling, to walk amidst Rapture without the ocean. Most windows were shattered long ag, but about half the advertisements were still visible, but no electricity worked, unsurprisingly. At least all the Enaedonai was gone.

Everyone was quite quiet, Songbird leading the way. Sometimes, the marines or Vox would quietly chat about this and that, or what the would do if they would fail. The Bookers were always aware and looking around, ladies keeping close.

The Big Sisters' visors turned yellow.

"Something's coming," Eleanor warned.

Various growls echoed from above, followed by gunfire from the skyscrapers. Those with guns fired back, the marines, Vox and Bookers already shooting several enemies out windows, who fell to their deaths.

Songbird wailed and jumped, taking flight and soaring into a building, smashing through glass and beams.

Spirry also took flight, diving through a window to fight the foes, whoever they could be. The fleshy monsters and Videre remained defensive, while the Elizabeths summoned cover for everyone.

The Big Sisters teleported up to one building to confront the enemy, whatever they happened to be. To Eleanor's surprise, they consisted of strange biomechanical beings. The beings had skinless bodies, similarly to fleshy monsters, but were not as large, and they still had their eyes. They wore metal body armour, military helmet, and wielded guns similar to those of the two World Wars. Their mechanical parts were primitive, and seemed to simply be bolted onto their bodies. They growled and fired, the Big Sisters bombarded them with flames. The beings daned from pain then charged, growling like animals, but the Big Sisters blasted them out windows with telekinesis.

More growls echoed, and more of such biomechanical soldiers came, firing wildly. As bullets ricocheted, the Big Sisters hurled fireballs and charged, ramming their needles through faces and hearts, easily dispatching the reckless, crazy, skinless soldiers.

Eleanor's red visor beamed upon a dead soldier's body armour, revealing a symbol, "It's the same symbol as those soldiers in the jungly world... Black Sun. Huh."

Outside, Songbird sounded like he (though he was also a vessel for Elizabeth) performed quite a lot of havoc, rearranging architecture for sure!

The Big Sisters teleported to everyone else. The Elizabeths had summoned Gun Automatons, picking off various Black Sun soldiers off the skyscrapers. More growls echoed down the spaces between the skyscrapers. Sands shifted here and there, and Black Sun soldiers crawled out, sand pouring out their mouths.

"I thought we were done with these guys!" Booker complained, casting Shock Jockey at a score of Black Sun soldiers, then taking their heads off with his Hand Cannon. Returning fire was absorbed by his shields, and when the enemy came too close, he would split them open with his new Vigor, or break their necks with his Sky-Hook.

Booker, Zachary, the Zealot, and the Fireman unleashed their Vigors at will, whilst everyone else used their guns, Big Sisters hurling fireballs. Videre and his fleshy monsters were shot many ties, but they charged, tackling into foes and rolling about, biting and clawing.

Spirry slammed upon a few soldiers, crushing them against the sand. While he was shot, he looked around.

"If there is another way, we need to move! Black Sun numbers in the thousands! Get to the pyramid!"

"You heard the fairy, let's get going!" Daisy shouted, and so everyone moved forth, running through the drained Rapture and shooting as more and more foes emerged from the sand or charged down the sandy streets.

Songbird (or Elizabeth?) constantly flew to and fro, slamming upon Black Sun and breaking them, then swinging his arms and legs to claw them apart. Songbird extended a hand, summoning several Mosquitoes that joined the fight.

"Use us as cover!" Videre shouted, he and his fleshy monsters serving as moving shields for those with less combat experience. The Fireman, Vox Beast, Booker and Zachary also served as moving shields; bullets peppered the ground everywhere they went, Tenenbaum covering her head as she ran.

The Elizabeths constantly summoned new cover as they went. The Pinkerton shot one Black Sun soldier in-between the eyes, and he flopped over lifelessly. Old Elizabeth summoned a Motorized Patriot to intercept a charging cluster of Black Sun.

"Thou shall become as lifeless as this world!" the Patriot threatened, Crank Gun ripping, gunning down a score of Black Sun.

Booker and Zachary's shields lit up frequently, but they remained intact. Up ahead, Spirry sprinted forth, kicking an emerging Back Sun soldier in the head, then stomping down on the heads of others trying to crawl out the sand.

"Dammit! There's just no end to these guy!" Booker shouted; trailing after them was a mob of perhaps a hundred Black Sun soldier! Songbird dove upon them, and kept them busy, his Mosquitoes flying overhead and raining bullets.

"Keep going! I can see the pyramid ahead!" Eleanor shouted, she and her Sister utilizing their Plasmids like crazy.

While bullets bounced off the armours of the Fireman and Beast, a few marines were shot, and they fell. Pinkerton Elizabeth, Porter, the Zealot and Sofia also hit the ground.

"SOFIA!" Zachary screamed, turning around and running to her. Eleanor teleported over Mother and threw fiery death at the incoming horde. Mother had been shot in the ribs.

Porter rolled onto his back but kept firing his shotgun. Adrenaline was pumping so hard he barely felt any pain. The Zealot also continued unleashing crows despite being shot.

Everyone else stopped running, turning around to help those who were injured despite the shower of bullets. Songbird jumped over the wounded, and those protecting the wounded, covering them with his wings to shield them. Old Elizabeth hugged the frightened Cindy tightly and knelt.

The Big Sisters, Bookers, and Fireman threw their fiery powers at the enemies, and then Songbird erupted with a shockwave. In the vicinity, about a dozen Black Sun soldiers stood, eyes glowing white, bodies black, and having white auras; they turned on their own. Booker and Zachary threw Possession traps into the cluster of soldier, creating more chaos. Murderous Crows swooped in and pecked out many eyes.

"Zachary, here!" Blue Elizabeth threw him a bottle of EVE.

"Thanks!"

The fight raged on, everyone using everything they had. The Elizabeths summoned more cover to create a beachhead, then summoned Motorized Patriots. Whenever Songbird's Siren-affected undead were killed, he summoned more. Spirry took to the air, diving into nearby skyscrapers to hurl Black Sun soldiers out to their deaths.

Down the sandy aisle, a large Tear opened, and a few armoured vehicle drove out, machine gun turrets ripping. The Motorized Patriots stood in a line and exchanging heavy fire. The armoured vehicles' engines burst open but they kept driving.

Songbird tackled into the vehicles, breaking them all. Then, several tanks rolled out the huge Tear, resembling Mark V tanks but fitted with oversized biological parts, as if a massive headless animal had tank armour, tracks and a turret assembled into it. The biomechanical tanks firing heavy shells at the Buzzard. Chunks of him broke off, but Songbord sprinted to vehicles anyways, overturning them one by one, covered with sparks and ricocheting bullets. More and more soldiers ran out the Tear, and more and more were ripped open by Songbird.

The Elizabeths worked as fast as they could to help the injured, but things weren't looking good. To make things worse, a mighty howl reverberated throughout Rapture. The black entity was flying to the scene.

"Aww, shhhit!" Booker cursed. His shields rearranged into a lance, which he drove clean through two Black Sun soldiers who charged foolishly, and they burst open when Booker's shields expanded within them, their blood and bolts flying out.

Booker scanned the area. In all directions, Black Sun soldier charged, some even carelessly shooting into their own. Elsewhere, another Tear opened, and a few more biomechanical tanks emerged, sometimes running over their own guys.

"These Black Sun soldiers are completely out of their minds, much crazier than those fleshy monsters!" Eleanor exclaimed, igniting several but they kept firing haphazardly, then charged while swinging their guns like clubs. Eleanor rammed her needle through one, lifted him up, then blasted him with psychokinesis, hurling him into another soldier. She then bombarded the tanks with fireballs, and they soon engulfed, but continued driving and shooting at Songbird.

Song bird flew over the incoming shells, landing atop two tanks and breaking their turrets. He overturned them one by one, then raised the dead to fight their own.

Nearby, Videre's Tear summoned several mechanical lengths which zigzagging amongst a score of Black Sun soldiers, ripping their legs open. His fleshy monsters and Spirry (from the air) dove into the horde, throwing them about with raw power and making a mess of them.

"I think you need more men!" the demon happily yelled despite being covered with bullet holes. He bit over a soldier's head then pushed the shoulders down, ripping the head off. He then went on all fours and crawled amongst the soldiers while clawing their legs open, creating piles of maimed soldier, he and others trampling them. Spirry also kicked or pawed sand into their eyes.

Up above, the black entity neared the battle. Songbird wailed, then jumped, flying towards the black entity. They met mid-air, Songbird withstanding fiery and freezing Plasmids cast out the entity's mouth, then the two smashing into each other. Without arms after the elbows, the black entity could do little. Songbird grabbed his foe then flew into a skyscraper, smashing the black entity into the concrete. He then grabbed the beast by the throat and jaw, trying to crack both. They rolled about madly and fell out the skyscraper; Songbird positioned his foe upside down and slammed him headfirst into the ground, stunning him. A few stomps to the head and neck would keep it down.

Songbird trudged down the street, trampling many Black Sun soldiers. He then opened a Tear horizontally, and when it closed, two dozen Black Sun soldiers were cut in half. The Buzzard spun around; everyone was about to be overwhelmed, surrounded by piles of dead soldiers, many more climbing or crawling over the droves of dead and dying.

Songbird screamed, his aura erupting violently, hurling all the soldiers around him through the air. A few dozen soldiers were raised from the dead, surrounding Booker and the others. The raised dead stood tall atop the droves of the fallen and fired at the horde, keeping them at bay for now. The Elizabeths summoned new Motorized Patriots, who fired point-blank while clubbing their Crank Guns. By this time, the Mosquitoes were either shot down or phased out of reality.

"There! I got it!" blue Elizabeth exclaimed, opening a Tear. "This way!"

Zachary picked up Sofia bridal style and went into the Tear. One by one, the others made their way in, while the Beast, Fireman, Big Sisters, Songbird, Motorized Patriots, and undead allies kept the foes busy. Once all the wounded were taken through the Tear, the others entered, but the fleshy monsters, Spirry, and Videre were nowhere in sight.

Songbird faced the Tear and waved an arm. More biomechanical tanks emerged from other Tears. Songbird took flight.

Elizabeth's Tear closed, shearing a Black Sun soldier down the middle as he tried to enter the Tear. The Tear seemed to have taken everyone into a building somewhere.

Knees and feet burning from pain, old Elizabeth gasped and fell, nearly dropping Cindy, who was crying.

"Ma'am, let me help you! Come here, child." Tenenbaum took Cindy from old Elizabeth.

"Sofia? Sofia... Oh, God, please don't die..." Zachary lied Sofia down, who coughed blood.

"Zachary... You know you were everything I wanted in a man," she stated. Zachary's eyes and heart tightened. He dropped his revolver and grabbed her hand, lowering his head to hers. "Ask yourself, would I ever want anyone more...than one who arose from his genes?"

"You're not gonna die on me, Sofia."

"Hold on, miss," Pinkerton Elizabeth got her medical skills going. She withdrew a syringe full of raw ADAM, but Sofia pushed it aside.

"No...I am too good for that," Sofia complained weakly, but Elizabeth rammed the needle in anyways.

"Miss...you're bleeding," Sofia said. The Pinkerton looked down on herself, blood dripping from her shirt.

"Aw, shit." She didn't even feel the bullets. She sat down. Sofia pulled the syringe out of her shoulder and tossed it to Elizabeth. She caught it and pushed the remaining ADAM into herself.

The Elizabeths summoned supplies and ammo for everyone. The marines, Elizabeths, and Eleanor did what they could to help the wounded, but it was obvious that some would be unable to go on.

"See anything?" Booker asked as a few marines and Daisy scouted the area.

"No Charlies, yet," a marine replied.

"I think this place is safe from dem freaks." Daisy said.

"I think so, too. This is...Fontaine's warehouse, I think. Chances are, nobody's going to find an easy way in," the Pinkerton said weakly.

"Good. I've just had it with all a' dis..." Daisy sat down clumsily. The Beast sat next to her.

"We've come a long way from rebellin' against Comstock, huh?" he asked, she chuckled.

"Damn right. Who would've thought we'd end up traversing worlds, fighting monsters, and survivin' the end of th' world? We better end up saving it."

Porter sat up with a groan, blue Elizabeth finished bandaging his wounds.

"You know...I'm surprised we're not emotionally unstable. As crazy as this sounds...don't you ever feel like you're being...directed, controlled...by something?"

"All the time," Zachary remarked.

"Must be something to do with constance and variables," old Elizabeth suggested.

"Speaking of which, Eleanor... When I was dreaming, I was told your medallions have something to do with the Cipher. Couldn't get much out of it, though," Booker said. "I lied to Spirry that you knew about it."

"Hm. Benny was after the medallions as well, said it had something to do with wish fulfillment."

"Your wish fulfilling medallions are probably why we lasted this long," old Elizabeth commented. "No way anyone could get this far otherwise. Just look at everything we've survived."

"Wait," blue Elizabeth said, thinking to herself. "Booker, when you rescued me from the machines of that other world... Spirry's voice said something about a Cipher. He expected me to be another Elizabeth, expected the Cipher to be destroyed by now."

"I think he said something like that in my dream, too," Booker said. "He expected the Cipher to be destroyed, especially considering Eleanor. That's what he believes."

"Then the Cipher has to be the key to all this. What else did he say?" Eleanor asked.

"Said something about laws of physics merging with ADAM, creates a canvas, something to do with genes and reality or something."

"A canvas of genetic modification, that's ADAM," Tenenbaum said. "But merged with the laws of physics? How is that possible?"

"The Thinker told me that the Luminescent Biomass was biochemical and quantum mechanical. This must be the canvas he's talking about. Benny said something about all of it being a game..." Eleanor paused, in deep thought.

"Canvas, game, multiple realities, physics merging with ADAM... I think this is how you play God," Pinkerton Elizabeth said.

"Or maybe that is God?" blue Elizabeth spoke softly.

"There ain't no god," Booker assured. "And Eleanor, one more thing... We can't trust Spirry. He will not stick to helpin' us." Eleanor nodded.

"Then we better beat him to our goal," Zachary said. "And hope no one plays God any worse..." He checked on Sofia. "Sofia, please... No more secrets. You know something about Spirry we don't. Please, you gotta tell us."

"He asked you if you'd keep your word, Mother," Eleanor butted in.

Sofia kept silent. Zachary shook her a bit.

"Sofia, please..."

"I dreamt of him once," Sofia finally admitted, then she looked at Eleanor. "He wants me to...to...to bring..."

"Bring what?" Eleanor asked. Mother scowled and looked away.

"Bring back... The man who took you away from me."

Eleanor straightened her back.

Bring back Father...

Eleanor took her helmet off and ran to Mother, and knelt before her.

"Mother! You must!"

Mother clenched her teeth. Eleanor grabbed her hands and gently squeezed them.

"Mother! Please! Please! I'll do and be anything you want! I promise!"

Sofia didn't buy it. Eleanor's one eye and eye socket face leaked with tears.

"Mother! You made me who I am as much as Father! I've grown up! I'm growing up! I need you to grow up! I need him to grow up..." Eleanor's and Zachary's heads dropped.

"Sofia...she's crying. Can you really look at your daughter in the eye and say no?" Zachary whispered gently. Sofia stared into Eleanor's puppy dog eyes streaming tears.

"You...are not my daughter."

Eleanor slowly wiped away some tears.

"But I want to be."

Sofia sighed. "In the dream, I saw a mirror, inside a creature's lair. It takes aspects of our world, such as what is close to us, or our deepest desires. Then, it merges these aspects with...doors. Or Tears, as the little ladies call them. You left a door open for me, but...you always destroyed the mirror." She looked at her daughter with emptiness. "My word was to prevent the mirror's destruction."

Eleanor did not know what to say, but noticed the Pinkerton's face drop.

"Eleanor's Darkness..."

"And what is this darkness of mine?"

Sofia glared at Eleanor. "What you really are..." she nearly snarled, pointing at Eleanor. "What I always knew you were... What I always wanted to erase."

Eleanor frowned, but said nothing.

"A...monster!"

Mother's words hurt Eleanor. I am not a monster. Mother read Eleanor's face, but just looked away angrily.

"I know what you really think about yourself, Eleanor. Don't lie to yourself. If you do not believe me, you will believe the mirror."

"You know nothing about me, Mother." This mirror...will bring back Father...

"Then I have no time to waste." Eleanor put het helmet back on.

"Eleanor, wait... You're going?" Zachary asked.

"Half of us are injured, lass," a marine said.

"I know. Stay here and protect Mother and the others. I'm going on alone."

"Alone? How ya think you gonna last out there by yourself?" Daisy asked.

Eleanor paused.

"I'm a monster." Only a monster can survive monsters...

"Eleanor, look...we gotta sit tight until we're ready to get going. The Back Sun troops are gonna settle down sooner or later, then we'll head out."

I know what I have to do.

"Eleanor, listen..."

"I hope to see you again very soon, Mr. DeWitt."

Eleanor teleported.

---

Ms. Lamb reappeared outside. She overheard gunfire and growls, where Songbird and Spirry continued causing great havoc amongst Black Sun.

"I have no time to waste..." She sprinted off. Soon, she saw the black metal pyramid, exactly in the spot when Rapture had water. Up ahead, she noticed the sands shifting, as if many great snakes moved underneath.

Multiple mechanical lengths erupted from the ground, tips fitted the drills screeching to life. Eleanor jumped past them, and teleported whenever too many lunged at her. She pushed them back with psychokinetic blasts, and her sprinting continued.

Bullets whizzed past her. She didn't care. Her sole objective was to reach that pyramid. More mechanical lengths emerged, coiling and then lunging like snakes; Eleanor evaded them all with a mix of acrobatics, leaps and teleports. Once close enough, he teleported again...

Inside the pyramid was cold and dark, Eleanor's yellow visor the only source of light. The hallway was quite spacious, leading into a chamber. Eleanor ran forth, footfall echoing heavily. Soon, she felt static and vibrations. At the end of the chamber, she saw...

"A Lutece machine?"

The device was quite huge, covering the entirety of the back wall and rising to the ceiling. However, this device was quite different. Instead of cables or wires, it had immense veins and arteries. Instead of computers, it was huge brains, hearts, lungs, and eyeballs. The brains produced constant electricity, whereas the eyeballs here and there glowed yellow.

"But I thought there was only one world left? Hm. Spirry said something about merging. We must be dealing with multiple worlds merged into one..."

Eleanor investigated further. She knelt, seeing that the Lutece machine did not have a base, but seemed to go farther down past the floor. She could hear clinking and rattling softly echo from below.

"Of course..." Eleanor teleported, and reappeared in the lower level of the pyramid. To her surprise, she was surrounded by suspended machinery, similar to the skyborne machines, but much smaller and decorated with florescent lights.

The machines sparked and zapped, but most swayed on their own accord, rattling and clinking against one another. Amidst flickering lights, sparks and zaps, Eleanor saw ribs, spines, skulls, pelvises, organs, flaps of skin, strips of flesh, and other body parts decorated the machinery.

"Well, that's...uncomfortable." Eleanor pushed the machinery of macabre away and walked through them. "But it will take more than that to stop me." She looked around. The Lutece machine's underside consisted of more biomechanical parts trailing off in multiple directions, reminding her of tree roots, becoming narrower and more widespread farther off.

As Eleanor's boots thudded against the metal flooring, she noticed that the machinery seemed to be following her. She looked up, yellow light illuminating a network of mechanical things, but above them were pools of large Shadow Tears that moved around on their own, being the source of machinery that followed Eleanor.

She teleported away, reappearing in an inactive area. She walked through the defunct machines, which swayed and clicked behind her. Eleanor followed the network of biomechanical parts, sometimes getting confused, but she knew she'd figure it out.

"I've got to find the source of the Lutece machine's power... This underground has to be the caverns where the Luminescent Biomass once was."

Eleanor heard something extremely noisy and loud. She turned, and saw a giant mechanical hand, suspended from above, walking with its fingers after her.

"Oh, not you again..." Eleanor cast Electrobolt at the mechanical arm, electrocuting it. She then ran off, hearing the hand bulldoze its way through the mechanical lengths everywhere. Up ahead, another mechanical arm appeared, slithering, palm upwards, red lens in the palm beaming red, Eleanor's red visor beaming back.

After throwing fireballs at the slithering arm, it reared and slammed its palm down. Eleanor teleported past it and continued running.

I can't waste my time fighting those things.

She teleported a few more times, and lost them. She noticed a ledge and hopped off. Her boots landed with a wet crunch. She looked down, yellow visor illuminating ground consisting of jampacked, deformed, stretched, skinless faces that sometimes twitched or breathed.

"Uhh...excuse me..." No matter what she did, her boots always made at least one individual uncomfortable!

She felt rumbling, and echoes of crashing. It came from above, causing al the suspended machinery to shake.

"Hm. Songbird must be trying to break into the pyramid. Good. Now, where are the roots of the Lutece machine?"

Like a lighthouse and its spotlight, Eleanor's visor led her to a few biomechanical tubes. She followed them. Up ahead, she saw fumes slowly rising from a drop-off, and constant churning and bubbling echoed heavily. When she reached the drop-off, she beheld a sea of bubbling blood, even having waves that sounded just like the ocean. Some biomechanical tubes went into the bubbling blood.

"Hm... It must boil from geological activity. Well, not even a Big Sister suit can handle boiling temperatures. I'll have to keep looking elsewhere. Wait..." She teleported high above. When she reappeared, she grabbed onto the suspended machinery, and began swinging from one to the next. With a mix of swings and teleports, she crossed a considerable distance.

She heard something rise from the bubbling blood. Swimming along was the fleshy serpent, eyes locked on Eleanor, who threw fireballs at him while she swung. Quite wet, the serpent withstood the flames better than usual. He jumped out of the water, snapping his aws, but Eleanor teleported; the beast splashed back in the blood. Once she reappeared, the snake swam after her, and she cast Electrobolt, which had great effect in the blood. Zaps illuminated a vast area, and the serpent shook while hissing.

Eleanor teleported inside the serpent's mouth, driving her needle upwards under its mouth. She then threw a fireball down its throat, and teleported back up to the machinery while the serpent writhed in the blood.

"Come after me if you want more pain!" Eleanor mocked. The snake flicked his head and dove. He did not return. "That's right, you stay down."

Eventually, Eleanor saw the silhouette of an island. The island was surrounded by immense vents pumping steam. She swung off the last mechanical length she needed, and landed on the island, boots plopping. She paused, sliding her hands up grooves, which were fitted with biomechanical tubes like the ones she followed. The island's surface was rather translucent, revealing thick, dark redness underneath, rather slushy in texture. Eleanor slowly looked up. At the centre of the island was a colossal umbilical cord, which loosely was connected to the biomechanical ceiling. Eleanor looked down again, trying to figure out this odd island.

"It's...a placenta?" She scanned the area. The vents were actually esophaguses breathing steam. The island was perhaps as vast as an airport, quite a big placenta for sure. "Gross."

Eleanor went to the centre of the island. The base of the umbilical cord appeared to contain the energies of a Vita-Chamber. Something was inside, standing yet leaning to the side. Asleep?

"Hm, if the mechanical structure is its baby..."

Whatever was inside the umbilical cord straightened, and looked back at Eleanor. She felt tuning and static erupt in her brains. She grabbed her helmet and screamed, her own blood gushing against the inside of her visor. She fell over and convulsed into a fetal position...

---

Meanwhile, Booker and the others had been exploring. The wounded were helped to walk, and everyone gradually made their way through the ruinous underground of the drained Rapture. By sheer chance, or fate, they stumbled upon Hephaestus. The glass tunnels were still intact, granting them safe access through the sea of red sand and magma chambers.

"Ya sure we gotta go this way?" the Beast asked.

"Yes, I can feel it. This reminds me of when I used to see behind all the doors. I can somewhat remember this place," Pinkerton Elizabeth replied.

"How much farther?" Zachary asked, helping Sofia walk.

"A little more, we're almost there," the Pinkerton assured.

Eventually, they reached a destroyed section. A large gradual depression in the flooring revealed the underground. Down everyone went, entering dark caves full of suspended machines spotted with fluorescent bulbs, msot of which flickered.

"Oh no...not this place again... Damn." Pinkerton Elizabeth's shoulders dropped.

"You've been here before?" Booker asked, he, Zachary, the Fireman, and Big Sister summoning passive forms of their fiery powers to create more light.

"Yes. When I got pulled into the Tear back in New York, I came here. This was where I saw Spirry. Or one of his versions. Well, end of the line..."

As the group travelled, they gradually saw what appeared to be biomechanical individuals, similar to Black Sun soldiers, but absent of military gear. They were set in various acrobatic and dance poses.

"Not quite what I'd consider unconscious art..." Sofia reared quietly.

"Looks like someone couldn't stop killing in the name of art..." the Pinkerton commented, looking at Zachary.

"I don't think we have to worry about looking foolish this time."

"I certainly hope so. No bunny mask at least."

"I hated that thing."

The fluorescent bulbs stopped flickering. Power whirred throughout the area, and the lighting increased. An intercom wheezed to life.

"Ahhh... Yessss, yessss, yyyyehhhsss... She came back. I knew you would, my New Songbird. I knewww you would..." His scherzo started playing. "The bird always flies back to her cage. Oh yes, she does..." Echoing laughter sounded.

"Who the fuck was that?" a marine asked.

"I'm SANDER FUCKING COHEN!" The scherzo cracked with tuning, and then the song changed. It was Elizabeth singing You Belong to Me. The Pinkerton shyly smiled, and blushed a little.

"I've always had such a pretty voice, hunh?" blue Elizabeth commented with a little smile.

Booker and Zachary calmed down quite a bit, as did all the other fighter-types. Any semblance of humanity, even in a simple song, rejuvenates even a suffering soul.

"No... Nnnoo... NO! Why do you embarrass me before the eternal spirit of art!?" The suspended machinery down the caves zapped heavily. "The rabbit needs...a stick!"

As everyone went on, the poses of the biomechanoids become more and more disfigured. They posed acutely, to an extent that joints and bones had surely broken.

"Sander, for God's sake!" a gurgly voice called, followed by electrocution.

"Zachary, let go. I think I can walk on my own," Sofia said, Zachary let her go.

"You alright?" he asked, she nodded.

Booker et al reached an opening in the caverns. A section was illuminated with yellow lighting, revealing several biomechanoids who, apparently, were painting with their own organs. Above them writhed mechanical lengths, some of which had stabbed into one of the biomechanoids and electrocuted him.

The painters seemed to be painting bunny ears on their stone canvases, but Cohen himself was nowhere in sight.

"Wow! Cool!" Cindy exclaimed. Tenenbaum covered the child's face, unable to look at such gruesome sights.

"My eternal spirit, will never be shamed!" The mechanical lengths shocked all the biomechanoids, who all screamed with gargly voices until they fell over. The machinery then realigned them into acute poses, joints and bones breaking, then placed them upright and inserted steel wiring in their bodies to hold them in place.

"And that's why artists are worse than underworld cult leaders..," Zachary mumbled. They would have walked across the chamber, but the mechanical lengths shot down in front of them barring the way. Everyone got ready.

"There's just...no room in any world for me..." Sander whined into his intercom. "I cannot have failure in my muse...but I can begin again. Ah! Yes. They do not die easily. I am the painter, and they are my paint brushes..." The wiring reconfigured, the machinery their control bar, Sander the puppetmaster. They continued painting with their internal organs, albeit very poorly.

"I think I'm going to throw up..." blue Elizabeth warned.

"But wait! Ah, yes, very few can handle my art. It is the artist's job to stun. Don't worry, you may reward yourself with one of my simpler works, little bunny. But first, you must become my true Disciples!" Most of the posed biomechanoids began twitching, but appeared to be rather stuck. "OOOHHHH! Llloook! See how they are...trapped... Prit, prat, prit, prat...like the artist inside who wants to be free... A bird in the cage..."

"And what about them?" Booker asked.

"SET ME FREE! SET MMMEEE FFFRRRREEEEE! FFREEE ME from my eternal torment..."

"The hell is he tryin' to say?" Daisy asked.

"Smile, smile! Wait, what was that? You don't like how they look? Fucking doubters... Fuck you all! Fuck you doubters!" Cohen's outburst caused the biomechanoids to shake, and one by one, they began moving, albeit extremely awkwardly, like puppets. Everyone with guns got ready to shoot.

"Cohen! We mean no harm! Just let us pass!" Zachary shouted. At that, the biomechanoids stopped.

"Ahh...yes, the Last Dance...I remember that. We artists remember more than most. Hmm...the real biscuit came back for a reason... Yes, you are here for...Him... Yes, I will send you to Him. Directly. All I ask is..."

"Another dance?" Zachary nonchalantly asked, Pinkerton Elizabeth almost rolling her eyes.

"NNOO! I'd rather you not embarrass me in front of my muse again... But, pain and beauty... Show me pain and beauty... Show me yourselves!"

The biomechanoids shuffled out of the way, torn bellies spilling out their guts.

"Uhh...aright..." Zachary and the Pinkerton wondered where to get started, everyone else unsure of what to do.

"A tyrant, who clearly did not surpass his genes..." Sofia grumbled.

The Fireman approached one of the stone canvases.

"Be careful, you tinman! That's art you behold!" Sander warned.

"Ugh...does he want us to paint with guts?" Pinkerton Elizabeth complained, grimacing at the idea.

"If it's the only way for us to get past..." Zachary said.

Sander's scherzo played again.

"Huh? What? You wanted beauty and pain. Fire is beautiful and painful!" the Fireman bellowed, then smacked his gauntlets together, creating embers.

"No...no! No! No!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Yes!"

"NNOO!"

"YYESS!"

"You stupid sow! How DARE you-"

The Fireman started throwing fireballs at the biomechanoids, setting them all on fire, everyone else jumping out of the way.

"Hey! Watch it!" the Zealot yelled. "These robes are flammable!" Curiously enough, the Zealot and Sander Cohen had the same voice.

"Now that's art!" the Fireman assured.

The music changed to Tchaikovsky. A puff of smoke appeared in the centre of the chamber, and Sander Cohen stepped out. He still wore his old suit from Rapture, but he was missing all his skin, and small mechanical tubes were merged along his veins and joints. Despite being skinless, he still applied makeup on the exposed flesh. He slowly walked around, examining the burning biomechanoids. He placed his dark gilded bunny mask on. The mechanical lengths above flickered random colours, creating a decent show.

"This...really is beautiful. The flames dance with my muse, perfectly... The smoke escapes their imprisonment... The heat is the radiance on my spirit..." Sander threw his mask off and spread his arms. "This! Is the new masterpiece! It also creates itself, just like the artist!"

"You done, yet?" Zachary asked.

Sander took a big, sharp inhale and spun on his heels.

"You will find the path by follow the flickering white lights. My contraptions will also transport you when necessary. Oh, and tell Spirry I said 'Hello!' Now, go. Go! Flit-flit-flit!" The machinery barring the way unravelled.

---

Eleanor groaned as she sat up, shaking her helmeted head. She felt horrible, but managed to stay conscious. The Vita-Chamber whirred with energy, but there was no one inside.

"Aw...my head... I better not be going back into the condition I think I am..."

"Well, it's worse than that, my dear. Just look who you have for company," a gurgly voice spoke.

Eleanor turned her head, and saw someone standing nearby, his arms crossed. He was nine feet tall, musclebound but slim-waisted, and his skinless flesh had a milky texture. He did not have eyes, his eye sockets instead fitted with yellow lenses. His face was serpentine, without a nose, but had nostrils. His mouth was too small to cover his fangs or teeth, and his mouth constantly leaked blood. All his veins bulged and were blue.

He wore a sleeveless black leather duster, and black leather pant with a series of hooks set into his flesh. Instead of tendons, he had wire rope. A glass shield covered hs belly, bolted into his ribs and pelvis. All his internal organs had the color and texture of sea slugs, and writhed constantly. Even a uterus was visibly glowing inside his belly.

Eleanor struggled to stand up quickly, but she managed to get on her feet.

"You!? Huh. I know what you are."

"Do you, now?"

"Yes." Eleanor jumped and headbutted him in the chin, helmet cracking his jaw; he staggered. He retaliated by unleashing an Electrobolt, but Eleanor ducked beforehand and rammed her needle into his heart, sucking its fluids out. He groaned, and pushed her off, needle ripping out and squirting Luminescent Biomass.

He cast volumes of flames, Eleanor jumping back to evade them. She teleported behind him and drove her needle through the back of his neck, then slammed a fireball into his head with her free hand.

He reared, bashing his shoulders into Eleanor, staggering her, then he spun around and push-kicked her in the chest and she fell over. Screeching, he dove upon her, but she teleported; he hit the uterus. Eleanor reappeared above him, slamming her heels into the back of his neck.

He rolled over while swiping his claws; Eleanor stepped back. She gripped him with her telekinesis and kicked him across the jaw, and then plunged her needle into his head. She sucked out his brains. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down, slamming her against the uterus. He rolled over her, intending to choke her from behind, but she teleported. He kicked his legs and swung back to his feet, head and chest bleeding Luminescent Biomass.

Just as Eleanor reappeared, he erupted with a gravitational blast, which hurled her through the air. While falling, Eleanor threw fireballs, and he cast Old Man Winter at her. Her fireballs struck his Plasmid, causing it to expand into freezing prematurely. The two exchanged a flurry of fiery Plasmids, both gradually staggering away from each other.

"Keep trying! I can do this all day!" Eleanor warned.

Eleanor charged, driving her helmet into his waist while stabbing him in the sternum. He picked Eleanor up and slammed her down, but she just bounced off the uterus. She wrapped her legs around his head and hosited herself upon his shoulders, repeatedly stabbing her needle into his skull.

He unleashed a blast of psychokinesis, which sent Eleanor flying off. He pointed up, and a few mechanical lengths screeched as they flailed at Eleanor. She blasted them back with telekinesis, and safely landed in time to see him charging.

Eleanor empowered herself with telekinesis, causing her to float. She then dove headfirst into the charging biomechanoid, and time seemed to slow down. Her helmet hit his forehead with such force the skull cracked. He groaned. Eleanor floated backwards and dove forth again, driving a heel into his throat, hearing his trachea crack. He grabbed her by the leg and slammed her into the uterus; she bounced against it and he threw her away.

Eleanor performed a handspring upon landing. Her foe blasted a wave of electricity, which shocked her and she cried out. She cast Electrobolt back and it was his turn to scream. She took the advantage and lunged her needle into his heart again, sucking more fluid out of him.

Eleanor felt something hit her in the shoulder; mechanical lengths got caught in her suit and lifted her. She would have been entangled by machinery, but she teleported away. He looked around, but Eleanor was nowhere in sight.

Eleanor's helmet appeared, bobbing in the boiling blood, and she threw fireballs at her foe. He snarled and charged, but then stopped, heels scraping against the brain. Eleanor cast Electrobolt at him then teleported out the blood, which was getting a little too hot for her!

She appeared before him, charging her body with telekinetic power, and then stomped on his knee, snapping it backwards. He fell on one knee with a grunt, then Eleanor drove her needle through his right eye, breaking the lens there. The tip of her needle stuck out the back of his head, and she kneed him in the chin. He sent an uppercut to the sternum, knocking the breath out of her. He bear hugged her, suffocating her. Eleanor wiggled, then teleported behind him, stabbing through his back and sucking out more fluids.

"You fucking little mosquito!" He spun around and smacked Eleanor across the helmet. She recovered from her stagger and kicked him in the groin. "Ooo!" He clutched his groin and convulsed, falling to his knees. He blasted Eleanor away with a telekinetic burst, then snapped his broken knee into proper position.

"Try to make me stop!" Eleanor got up and threw fireballs. Her foe threw Plasmids back, a mix of fire, electricity, and freezing Plasmids. Eleanor harassed her foe, constantly teleporting about and throwing Plasmids, qutie energized from sucking out his Luminescent Biomass. Her constant teleporting allowed her to evade his Plasmids as well as his use of mechanical lengths.

He screamed in rage, erupting with such psychokinetic force Eleanor flew into the bubbling blood. She sank a bit, but her helmet popped out. Behind her, the fleshy serpent swam. Biomechanical Spirry cast a surge of electricity, shocking the blood and Eleanor, and the serpent, giving Eleanor enough time to get out the blood.

He unleashed a directed mass of telekinesis at Eleanor, but she simply teleported past it, reappeared in front of him, and drove her needle into his heart while casting Electrobolt. He growled. Eleanor then used her psychokinesis to grip his heart, trying to rupture it, but the organ was quite powerful. He kicked Eleanor in the sternum and she fell over.

He lifted his chin, and several mechanical lengths shot down from above. Unsurprisingly, Eleanor teleported, keeping her distance and casting fireballs. Her foe charged, a dozen or so mechanical lengths flailing at Eleanor repeatedly. She sprinted away, allowing her opponent to chase her.

While running, she teleported atop him, hugging his head with her thighs and driving her needle down the top of his head, sucking out more brains. He snarled, but Eleanor gripped him with telekinesis and shocked him with an Electrobolt. As several mechanical lengths speared towards her, she fell backwards while keeping her legs locked around his head; the mechanical lengths either missed her or hit him.

Eleanor teleported a short distance away and harassed him with Plasmids, gradually overwhelming him. He charged angrily, and Eleanor suddenly leapt upon him, driving her needle clean through his head. He fell on his back, Eleanor mounted on him, and repeatedly headbutted him in the face while constantly stabbing his chest.

He grabbed Eleanor by the sides and threw her up into the air, then jumped, ramming his shoulder into her belly. She felt her organs and all her air rise painfully. She flopped onto the uterus, regretting her failed teleportation attempt. She fell down, and he unleashed a constant stream of electricity into her. She flailed her limbs.

The machinery up above loudly screeched. Biomechanical Spirry looked up, seeing a spiralling set of machinery descend. Standing within were Booker and the others, except the injured and non-combatants.

"Eleanor!" Booker yelled jumping off the machinery, his shields forming into a big drill. Booker landed atop him, driving his shields into his head. The ensuing eruption split the biomechanoid's skull open, brains, blood and Luminescent Biomass gushing out. He did not die, and he grabbed Booker by the head and threw him down, then stomped into his gut with such force, Booker's shields shattered, and he was quite hurt.

"Booker!" the Elizabeths cried at the same time. The Pinkerton aimed her Ambassador and fired three times, every shot hitting the villain in the head and staggering him. Daisy and the marines joined in the shooting.

The Fireman jumped down and ran forth, drop-kicking biomechanical Spirry amidst the shooting, and they both fell over. Once the machinery touched the uterus, the Vox Beast ran forth, armour resisting friendly fire, and he rammed his shotgun into the biomechanoid's mouth and blew the top half of his head off.

Surprisingly, he did not die, and psychokinetic forced blasted outwards, knocking those near him down. He got up with a growl, and began throwing a mix of electrical, fiery and freezing Plasmids in all directions. The Vox Beast was frozen, the Fireman electrocuted, and everyone else had to run away less be put on fire.

Eleanor ran through the Plasmids and tackled into him. She was atop him, needle ready. Everything shook. Eleanor looked up, seeing the ceiling breaking apart, chunks of metal raining down with skinny, deformed, flayed bodies. Songbird broke through, wailing in rage. He looked quite damaged, but was obviously still functional! He swooped down, Spirry flying after him, the black entity also entering.

Songbird spun around as the black entity dove into him. The two clutched, and fell into the boiling blood with a mighty splash.

The biomechanoid screamed angrily, unleashing another powerful telekinetic blast, hurling Eleanor a dozen feet into the air, and everyone else at least several feet away. Exhausted, he looked up in time to see Spirry tackling into him.

Spirry growled as he pinned his biomechanical counterpart down, trying to dislodge the glass shield. Spirry was hit by a dozen or so mechanical lengths and lifted. The biomechanoid got up angrily, the half head he had left still working, apparently.

He raised his arms and made a guttural scream, and dozens of mechanical lengths flailed, attacking everyone. Eleanor teleported to freedom, but then received a telekinetic blast to the gut and she hit the ground convulsing. Eleanor's Sister charged screaming, hurling fireballs, and jumped on his back, stabbing through his torso. He yelled, then grasped the Big Sister and slammed her back on his knees. She rolled over twitching and wheezing.

"AAGGHH!" he yelled again, unleashing yet another wave of power in all directions, which knocked out Booker, the two Elizabeths, and all but one marine. Zachary and the marine weakly sat up, but their foe electrocuted them and then smashed them with a psychokinetic blast, which also sent the Big Sisters flying off.

A Motorized Patriot was summoned, shooting into the biomechanoid then smashing him with the Crank Gun. The Patriot was grabbed by mechanical lengths and thrown into the blood.

Having injured everyone significantly, his mechanical lengths lunged at everyone, wrapping around them and lifting them.

"Little cunts! I'll boil you all alive for fucking with me like that!" He heard bellowing laughter. He turned around, seeing Spirry stuck, but laughing. Spirry cocked his head.

"Torture us? That's just a favor for me. We are closer than brothers, are we not?" Spirry taunted. His other self huffed. Spirry suddenly broke free, landing atop his other self and driving his claws into him.

Spirry nearly ripped the glass shield out, but he was Electrobolted, and then hurled away with a telekinetic blast.

Eleanor teleported out her mechanical tomb. Just as her foe faced her, she dove her head into his stomach, helmet shattering the glass shield. She stunned him with electricity while getting up, then rammed her arm into his chest, needle piercing his heart. She grabbed the heart with her free hand and tried to rip the damn thing out, but he unleashed a directed volume of power against Eleanor' helmet, shattering the visor and throwing her back.

He staggered, putting a hand under his chest where so much blood and Luminescent Biomass leaked out. He groaned, but managed to summon mechanical lengths to entrap Eleanor again. He then faced Spirry again.

"You are one reason I destroyed so many worlds. I could never find you, or the girl. Once I kill you...I will revert everything to what it once was, without you. But first...so that you don't screw us over... Let's see what you really are..."

Eleanor regained her senses, somewhat. She silently teleported out of her trap, reappearing in an exhausted, kneeling position. She observed the two Spirrys, the fleshy one lowered. Mechanical lengths ending in hooks and blades began peeling Spirry open, ripping his flesh off. He chuckled until he lost his larynx and voice box.

Eleanor limped behind the biomechanoid. He did not notice her. She raised her needle, ready to drive it in for the last time. He spun around and kicked her in the gut. She fell over, clutching her belly with a groan.

"You are quite the annoyance, girl." He flexed his arms, claws protracting, and then there was splashing and wailing. Songbird crawled out the blood, screaming. Many mechanical lengths showered Songbird, but he nevertheless grabbed the biomechanical Spirry, and crushed him, then ripped him apart.

All the mechanical lengths went limp, everyone once trapped by them falling out. Old Elizabeth, Tenenbaum, Cindy, Sofia, and the injured finally came, going down the mechanical things that appeared earlier. They did what they could to help the others. Old Elizabeth summoned supplies to get started.

"Booker? Stay with me..."

Songbird turned around as the black entity writhed out the blood, squirming along the uterus. The monster hissed. Songbird stepped forth and grabbed the entity by the head and jaw, and literally snapped the skull off the jawbone and neck. The skull flipped mid-air and plopped on the uterus. The headless body twitched for a moment, then was finally dead.

Songbird relaxed. He was about to walk on, but then heard something. He knelt over the head, grabbed it in both hands, and cracked it apart as if an egg. Inside was a small girl, curled up in a fetal position, softly whimpering.

Eleanor limped to the child, Songbird raising his hands. Eleanor lifted the child out the black entity's cracked head. The little thing remained in a fetal position unconsciously, but whimpering. She wore a blue dress and had dark hair, and was filthy.

Eleanor carried the child to the others.

"Who's that?" Cindy asked

"I don't know," Eleanor replied. She noticed Songbird's eyes projected the ghostly Elizabeth, who walked over and checked on the child in Eleanor's arms.

"It's Ellie."

"Ellie?" Pinkerton Elizabeth said, surprised, but she had to continue healing Zachary. Eleanor handed the child to Tenenbaum.

"Eleanor," Spirry spoke, everyone conscious looking at him. He pointed at the umbilical cord. "Black Sun will only be destroyed if you sever it from your world. With Apocatastasis and my other self here dead, there is nothing to stop us. I thought we were out of time, but we did it. Destroy the Cipher to end the synthesis I began, or possess it yourself to create a new synchrony."

Booker groaned, struggling to say something, but was in too much pain. Eleanor approached the umbilical cord.

"Inside is the Cipher. Enter it, and your consciousness will connect with the laws of physics. You will see your home, and we will be born again," Spirry explained.

"Mr. Spirry, come with me. If this is our fate, I want you to be with me."

"As you wish, Ms. Lamb."

Eleanor knew what she had to do, and approached the Cipher. She felt her medallions pulsate with power. The ghostly Elizabeth walked in front of her, raising a hand to stop her. Elizabeth slightly leaned into Eleanor.

"Eleanor...are you sure...you want to do this?"

"I have to. There is no other way to save our world."

"We can't save this world, Eleanor. We can only merge it with its past. But I can't stop what you want to do..."

"I know what I am doing, Elizabeth. You were once a citizen of Rapture, and I am gradually obtaining all the memories of Rapture. Once I have acquired the essence of Rapture... Everything you know about Tears, I will also know."

Elizabeth's head lowered, and she allowed Eleanor to go, Spirry following her.

"There is nothing else we can do. And a choice is better than none," Spirry commented.

Eleanor stopped before the Cipher. She turned around, looking back at everyone. Her only friends...

"Shall we go, mother?" Spirry asked. Eleanor gave him a weird look. She took a breath and entered the Cipher...

Everything was pink and veiny, as if she entered her own imagination. She smelled roses, and felt comfy. She heard the others mumbling. Zachary was asking about her, while the marines and Vox talked about how crazy the island-uterus looked.

Am I dreaming? I feel...beautiful...like I'm sleeping in heaven...

Everything seemed slow-motion, peaceful, warm, perfect... Eleanor stretched and yawned. She was in bed. She opened her sleepy eyes, and yawned again. Sitting up, she realized she was in her white dress again, in the same bed Father found her in long ago. She looked at Mother's chair, but she was gone. She looked at her pillows, seeing Little Daddy there. She smiled. She even had both eyes again.

Eleanor chuckled. She let her head fall back on the pillows, and relaxed, making herself comfortable. She then remembered about something, and sat up. She turned her head, and saw a pair of big yellow eyes mounted on a fleshy, serpentine face. The two kept eye contact, the snake's tongue sliding in and out.

Without breaking eye contact, Eleanor slowly lifted the covers off herself and sat on her heels.

Silence.

"I forgive you. Do you forgive me?" Eleanor asked. The serpent did nothing. Eleanor took Little Daddy and slowly got out of bed, and walked towards the glass door barefoot. Even with her back turned, the serpent did nothing. She pushed the glass open and stepped through.

Eleanor found herself in a greyscale hallway. Armoured with her white dress, and equipped with Little Daddy, she walked down. She opened one of the doors and looked inside. She saw the monument of Korczak and his children.

Eleanor looked in the next room. She saw a Schwarze Sonne monument, but it was cracked and ruined. She checked the next room, and saw a statue of a bipedal dragon, head tilted diagonally down.

"Spirry, that's you..." In the next room, she saw nothing, but heard ghostly whispers reverberating.

In the next room, Eleanor saw a statue of Songbird. She opened the next door, and inside were ghostly people in suits and bunny masks, dancing casually. She continued looking in the next doors, seeing statues of various authors in them: George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, Ayn Rand, H.P. Lovecraft, Leonard Wibberley, John Steinbeck, and others.

The next statue she saw was Atlas of GE Building, exactly the one she saw in New York. The next room depicted caped knights with muskets.

"The soldiers from the jungly world..."

Other rooms had statues of the Founding Fathers, Andrew Ryan, the Angel Columbia, Aunt Gracie, and a Big Sister holding up a Little Sister. When she opened the next door, her face brightened up at the statue she saw.

"Father..." He stood like a golden knight, his drill a lance against evil. "Father, wherever you are... You give me hope."

Eleanor continued down the hallway. She gasped, dropping Little Daddy and clutching her abdomen. She cried out and fell on her knees, both hands squeezing her belly.

"Owww! Aghh!" Eleanor fell on her side. Pain intensified in her stomach. She raised her knees and moaned. Tears streamed down her face, and she wept like a little girl. She rolled onto her back. "AAAGGGHHH! Ahh! Wha...what's happening?" She had no answer. She let off a shrilling, hoarse shriek. She curled back into a fetal position. She saw Little Daddy slumped on the floor, as if mourning her. She wept steadily.

I...I can't break down! No! Not like this... Eleanor crawled through a door, barely able to open it. "Help... Help? Help me..." Eleanor whimpered. She had to do something. Inside, she saw a big mirror, half of it cracked off and on the floor.

"The mirror's broken," Michael's voice spoke, distorted by tuning.

Eleanor heard ghostly whispers all around her, but could not understand. The pain came back. She cried out, then moaned.

"No! Not like this... I...I don't want t-to...die like this..." Memories rushed back. The only memory that burned in her mind was when Mother gave Father a pistol.

And fire... That gunshot...

"You know, Ms. Lamb, the Hypnotize Plasmid did not only apply to your mother. Despite being so young you yourself could have-"

"Said something..." Eleanor's tears streamed out her face. She sharply inhaled through clenched teeth. "Father...I'm so sorry...I should have..."

Eleanor wept. She wept bitterly and constantly.

"I...I..." I don't want to live anymore...

"Will you look in the mirror, Eleanor?" Michael's voice asked.

Eleanor's eyes shot open. She did not know why, but she forced herself to look at her reflection, perhaps as a form of punishment. Her grimace, tears, and sadness showed a completely devastated girl who lost all the will to live.

"Eleanor...what do you see in your reflection?"

It reminded her of a recording she made long ago. Her honest answer hurt to even think about. She tightly closed her eyes, which burned from so much crying.

"I see a freak." Mother was right. I'm a monster.

Eleanor could not bear to face that answer. She crawled away, back into the hallway, anything to get away from that...monster. The pain intensified again; she could crawl no farther. She faced down the hallway, seeing where she had walked from. At the end, she saw her cozy room, her bed... the place where Mother kept her sedated for so long... The place that felt like home.

Home...the place I'm meant to be... Where I just want to die...

Heavy footfall sounded, accompanied by heavy breathing and leaking sounds. Spirry stood behind Eleanor, clasping his hands behind his back. Eleanor looked up at him, big blue eyes leaking as they gazed at empty, bleeding sockets.

"You have seen your home, Eleanor. Now, we will be born again." Spirry tilted his head. "You were my only friend, you know."

Eleanor gasped and moaned through clenched teeth. The pain in her belly caused her legs to kick. She writhed against the floor. Every breath she made felt like her guts would explode.

"Or perhaps I should say... You were my only mother. I was always with you, Eleanor."

The pain in her stomach intensified. Eleanor rapidly thrashed side to side, and coarsely screamed with everything in her. Her scream echoed. Spirry's beating heart echoed as well, in perfect unison with her own beating heart.

"Or, perhaps I should say... I was always inside of you, mother. In your world, I was so tiny, such a little thing... A fisherman caught me once. I bit him. He took me to Tenenbaum. She studied me. Then I somehow ended up implanted in you. Now do you know why I bonded with you, without your consent?"

Eleanor screamed from pain. She jerked viciously, clawing at her belly, eyes tightly shut, teeth barred. Blood leaked out her mouth, and the skin on her belly began ripping from her fingernails.

"Eleanor, mother... I'm sorry I kept this from you. But there was no other choice. Your purpose was to be a sacrifice, and this is a constance that cannot change. I must eat to grow, and your body will be my vessel. Your memories, your drives, your knowledge, your ADAM...everything that makes you, you...will be the new me. You are perfect, Eleanor, a true Utopian. I would not ask for any other mother."

Eleanor screamed. There was not one breath without suffering. No matter what she did, pain engulfed her. Her guts pushed against the inside of her belly. More blood gushed out her mouth. She was choking in her own blood, gargling in agony.

"Goodbye, mother... And thank you."

Spirry became coated with ice. He broke free and spun around, receiving an Electrobolt which stunned him. Someone telekinetically launched a grenade into Spirry, blasting him over Eleanor. As the smoke settled, Eleanor's blurry vision barely made out the image of a man. And, incredibly... She saw him. He had white hair and aged significantly past ten years, but...

The man in a turtleneck approached Spirry, firing and cocking a shotgun repeatedly as the demon picked himself up. Once the shotgun was out of shells, he tossed it aside and unslung a machine gun. He stepped over Eleanor and emptied the magazine into Spirry. Already heavily damaged from so much punishment, Spirry collapsed, but got up and kept walking.

"You are a brave man, Jack."

He cast Winter Blast, freezing Spirry again. He reloaded his Tommy gun, and once Spirry burst out his icy tomb, Jack emptied another clip into him. Spirry growled, swinging his claws to and fro, ripping Jack's chest open. Jack ducked under Spirry's big arm, then cast Sonic Boom into his chest, hurling the devil back.

Jack stood his ground and reloaded for the third time; Eleanor could only weakly and slowly crawl away from the action. He cast Incinerate at Spirry, then unloaded more bullets into the flaming demon. Spirry charged and leapt at Jack, who ducked while firing upwards into Spirry as the demon went over. Spirry landed on all fours, turned around, and crawled, hissing while his flesh sizzled. Always bleeding, the fiery Plasmid didn't last long, though.

Tommy gun without clips, Jack threw it at Spirry then withdrew a pistol and continued shooting. Spirry tackled into Jack, the two flying back and rolling along the floor, Spirry biting Jack's head and clawing his shoulders and back. Jack yelled from pain, and a Sonic Boom hurled the crazy beast into the ceiling.

"Aw, fuck!" Spirry cursed as he hit the floor.

An Electrobolt stunned Spirry, giving Jack time to use an EVE Hypo. He reloaded his revolver and fired while charging Spirry, stunning him again with another Electrobolt. Jack then grabbed Spirry's forehead. Yellow light glowed from his hand, then beamed out Spirry's eye sockets and mouth. The demon softly exhaled and his arms went limp. Spirry pushed Jack away, then kicked him across the legs; Jack hit the floor with a groan.

Jack crawled backwards while shooting the last chambers of his revolver, then gave Spirry a Winter Blast. Jack got up, reloading his revolver. Spirry was weakened and injured, and struggled to break free from the ice. Jack charged, placing his hand on Spirry's frozen head. The yellow glow returned. The demon erupted from the ice, headbutting Jack with such force he fell over, dropping his gun.

"Don't insult me!"

The genetically enhanced human regained his senses quickly. Spirry leapt at him. Jack powerslammed Spirry into the floor, then cast Electrobolt. Spirry shook on the floor. Jack quickly slammed his hands on Spirry's head, causing him to loosen up and go limp.

"Wha...what?" Spirry weakly asked.

Just as white light began to beam, Spirry punched Jack in the gut. Jack convulsed, hands still glowing. Jack then got up and exchanged blows with the much bigger opponent, fists thudding heavily. Jack heard his knuckles crack repeatedly as he punched Spirry's jaw side to side. Spirry clocked Jack across the head and the human fell over, but Spirry fell on a knee, his jawbone crooked.

Dazed, Jack barely managed to get up and stay on his feet. He felt his belt and withdrew a pipe wrench. Stunning Spirry with an Electrobelt, Jack gripped his pipe wrench with both hands and clobbered Spirry repeatedly, dashing out blood with every hit. Jack swung the wrench so hard that the handle bent. Spirry angled his head to parry the pipe wrench with his horns, causing it to fly out Jack's hand at the next strike.

Jack began punching Spirry in the throat, busting the trachea back. The demon swung his claws. Jack ducked to avoid them, and jumped into Spirry's leg, driving both feet into the knee and hearing a loud crack. Spirry hunched over his broken knee, and Jack kicked him right in the throat, the kicked his other leg in the back of Spirry's head.

Dazing the devil, Jack grabbed Spirry's horns and twisted the head around acutely until hearing it crack. Spirry gored Jack in the chest with his horn, staggering him. Spirry dove into Jack, pinning him to the floor then burying his teeth into Jack's side.

"Aaghh!" He Winter Blasted Spirry, but his frozen teeth were still in him. Jack used another EVE Hypo, then he pushed Spirry off himself, frozen teeth ripping out his body.

Jack grabbed Spirry's head and the yellow lights returned. Spirry managed to free his arms, wrapping them around Jack then picking him up and slamming him headfirst into the floor. Jack felt his neck crack, pain erupting down his spinal cord, but he could take the pain. As Spirry broke free of the ice, Jack Electrobolted him, then headbutted him in the chin repeatedly while swinging hook punches into the jaw. No matter how hard Jack hit Spirry, the devil remained standing. Jack's hands swelled and shook constantly, blood leaking

Spirry hissed, charging Jack. He lifted Jack over his shoulder then rammed him into the wall. Jack slumped down, Spirry kneeing him in the face multiple times, busting his nose, lips and eyebrows open. Spirry reared his arm and swung a mighty punch; Jack rolled sideways, Spirry's hand getting stuck in the wall.

Ripping his arm out the wall, Spirry curled his tail behind Jack's ankles and tripped him. Spirry drove his foot down, but Jack rolled, Spirry's heel breaking into the floor. He promptly received another Electrobolt. It caused him to bend backwards, arms spread apart, and he growled. Jack gripped his second (and last) grenade, and took the pin off. Grasping the grenade with Telekinesis, Jack launched the grenade into Spirry's chest, where it embedded. The demon looked down, and the grenade exploded.

Spirry hit the floor, a hole in his chest. He began twitching wildly, constantly swiping his arms, legs and wings. To further his raid movement, Jack Electrobolted the devil, then turned his attention to Eleanor.

Eleanor cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face. She was clawing into her own stomach so much that her fingernails were full of skin and blood. Her guts ballooned frequently, stretching the skin of her belly. Eleanor banged her head against the floor, lost to agony.

Jack limped to Eleanor, bleeding everywhere. He did not have to be told what to do. He knelt over Eleanor, and gently placed his hand on the Little Sister's forehead. Eleanor softly gasped. Her shoulders and arms relaxed, her mouth opened, and yellow light glowed around her head. White light intensified, blinding Eleanor.

The pain was gone.

Eleanor's eyes needed time to recover, but she looked at the blurry image of Jack above her. He smiled as blood leaked down his face. Eleanor smiled back. She put a hand on her belly and pressed into it.

No Sea Slug...

Eleanor chuckled weakly.

No Spirry...

"Thank you, mister..."

Jack nodded. Spirry growled; the fight was not over. Jack approached Spirry, as injured as he was. Spirry howled, overwhelming the old man within a couple seconds with a flurry of punches. Jack hit the floor with a groan.

Eleanor gasped. She wanted to teleport, but only a little burst of telekinesis came. She wanted to throw fireballs, but only tiny flames emerged. Eleanor gasped again.

"Without the Sea Slug..." She could only crawl away in pain. Spirry walked after her, broken leg cracking more until a bone stuck out.

One of the doors was kicked open from inside. Eleanor and Spirry looked to the side; Booker stepped out, Hand Cannons in either side.

"Did you forget about us?"

Other doors were kicked open. Zachary, Daisy, Pinkerton Elizabeth, the Big Sister, the Vox Beast, Fireman, and two marines stepped out. Booker, Zachary, and Elizabeth fired their revolvers, Daisy fired her carbine, the marines fired their assault rifles, the Vox shot his shotgun, and the Fireman and Big Sister used their fiery powers.

Spirry received the plethora of damage. He punched Booker, his shields lighting up. Booker's shields realigned and he drove it into Spirry, busting his chest open further when they erupted. Spirry shattered Booker's shields then punched him out.

The Big Sister teleported on Spirry's back, attacking him with fiery Plasmids and her needle. Spirry grabbed her and threw her into the wall, then slammed her back over his knee. As more bullets thudded against him, he attacked Zachary, breaking his shields then mashing his head into the wall; the old man was out.

The Fireman threw Devil's Kiss, bubbling Spirry's bleeding body, then pummeled the demon with his gauntlets and headbutted with his helm. Spirry kicked the Fireman in the crotch, and with such force the Fireman lifted off the floor; he fell over in great pain.

Elizabeth summoned a Motorized Patriot.

"Your end nears!" the Patriot warned, cranking his gun and ripping Spirry open further, his ris ribs and spine now visible, and his guts hanging out. The Patriot bashed Spirry with his Crank Gun, and then Spirry ripped the Patriot's head off. He jumped over the gun and grabbed the gears, ripping them out the Patriot's back, disabling him; he phased out of reality.

Daisy was the next target. She emptied her carbie, then swung it like a bat into Spirry while the marines and Vox Beast charged to help her. The Beast tackled into Spirry, smashing him against the wall. Spirry grabbed the Beast by the head and ripped the helmet off, then smashed the helmet into his head; the Beast fell over out cold.

"Greg!" Daisy yelled, hitting the butt of her carbine into Spirry, but that did little. He punched her in the head and she was out.

The marines affixed bayonets to their rifles and rammed them repeatedly into Spirry while shooting into him. He punched them out, now breathing like a furnace. Curiously enough, he no longer bled, and was constantly shaking.

The Zealot teleported in front of Spirry, slicing him up, and unleashed Murderous Crows. The Zealot swung across Spirry's throat, cutting down to the vertebrae, blood gushing out and drenching the Zealot's hood. Spirry drove his knee into the Zealot's sternum and he fell, dropping sword as well. The crows dissipated.

"Well, my turn..." Pinkerton Elizabeth said to herself as she stepped in front of Eleanor. Elizabeth raised her revolver and fired the last chambers into Spirry as he walked as if ready to fall apart. Once she was out of ammo, she pistol whipped Spirry. Despite exhaustion, torn tendons, and ripped muscles, Spirry managed to knee her in the jaw, and she hit the floor.

Eleanor was still in too much pain to even stand. She crawled away from the gimpy-moving Spirry, hearing his tendons, joints and muscles constantly pop. He then was hit by an Electrobolt. Spirry went on all fours and chaotically swiped his claws, ripping open the walls. Jack charged Spirry, skipping over the fallen, Electrobolting him again and then drop-kicking him in the head. The demon reared from impact and electrocution, nearly stepping on Eleanor, who rolled out of the way.

Jack got up on his knees, and thrust his arms into the hole his grenade, and all others' attacks, made. Spirry grabbed Jack's head, ready to break it, but then Jack ripped his arms out. He stood before the demon, now holding his warm, beating heart, arteries still connected to it. Spirry looked down at his own heart beating in Jack's hands.

Jack shouted, rearing; the heart snapped from its bed of arteries, splatting blood everywhere. Spirry remained standing, arms slightly raised, as if confused. He gradually began to fall, and heavily thumped onto his back, mouth open, wings spread apart.

Jack raised an eyebrow when Spirry's fingers and jaw started twitching.

"To make sure...you stay dead..." Eleanor knelt up, hands shaking as the last of her ADAM steamed out her body. With the last of her strength, she cast her last Plasmid.

The Anti-Enaedonai splashed upon Spirry. His body bubbled and steamed, the flesh liquefying. He slowly dissolved. Eleanor sighed with relief. She fell onto her hands, then let her face hit the floor.

"It's all over..."