"Give us the girl, and wipe away the debt..." a man said softly.
"Does it also apply to her?" a woman asked.
"Well, the mirror's broken..."
"It certainly is, brother."
"Why do you think He tossed it to the girl?"
"You think as a request of forgiveness?"
"No... I think as a means to an end."
"Are you suggesting He knew it wouldn't end this way?"
"I am suggesting He expected it would end some other way."
"Ah."
"Indeed."
"I've always believed one can change things!"
"I've always believed one could never avoid change."
"I think she's waking up..."
"I think she is."
"Hm, perhaps the mirror-"
"Applies to her as well?"
"I don't think Comstock's words apply to her, but-"
"We will find out..."
Eleanor gradually regained some of her senses, but everything was blurry. She lifted her head and saw the Luteces standing between her and the dissolving Spirry. The Luteces held the medallions, complete with their little containers.
"The Serpent?" Robert asked.
"Or the Lighthouse?" Rosalind suggested, extending her container a bit.
Eleanor frowned. "Neither. I just want to forget everything... I want this...this nightmare...gone..."
"My mother also had nightmares," Rosalind said, "but I don't regret my adventures."
Regret...
"The brain adapts, even to create new memories from old ones," Robert said.
"But forgetting new memories is more difficult."
"I don't see a point in regret. What's done is done."
"I agree, brother."
The Luteces' gifts phased out of reality, and they went back to their usual poses.
Eleanor lifted her knees then sat on her ankles. She rubbed her eyes. "Well, now what? I entered the Cipher, but it just took me back into this...this fever dream..."
"The fever dream-"
"Is part of the Cipher," Rosalind finished for her brother.
"How?"
"It seems that while you were sedated, the Luminescent Biomass bonded with your mind," Robert replied.
"That was the essence of Rapture. And things got set in motion."
"Or was set in motion. He started His experiment long ago, long before Rapture."
He did say something about all this being done before...
"He tried to takeover our experiment. Even mimicked our City of Tears, but His City failed," Robert said.
"His City rebelled against him."
"Created against Creator. Not only of the City, but everything else as well."
"What He failed to understand was that He chose to follow what He wanted, rather than what would happen."
"Quite illogical. I suppose being alive for hundreds of thousands of years really does drive one insane."
"Which is why we ended our experiment. Ended our City of Tears."
"But by remaking the Cipher..."
"The key to closing all the doors..."
"But whether the doors stay closed or not...is up to you."
Eleanor felt empty. She didn't really know what to do.
"I don't really want to talk about it..."
"Then you must face your own mirror," Rosalind instructed.
"Oh dear, I don't think she'll like this part..."
The twins looked at each other, then back to Eleanor. At the same time, they said, "Show us your answer."
The Luteces flickered, and phased out of reality. Eleanor's head hurt. She looked back to check on her friends. Jack, Booker, Elizabeth, and the others, were either sitting or kneeling, eyes beaming yellow. They slowly moved their hands in front of their faces, as if confused.
"The hell..." Daisy remarked weakly, unable to break free. Spirry's heart was near her, lifeless.
Eleanor closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She opened her eyes, her vision clear. She looked back at Spirry. He lied as a puddle of steaming blood and gelatinous flesh, his bones like sponges. Eleanor's mouth dropped. But it was not because of what happened to Spirry. Unconsciously lying in the remains of Spirry...
Knees shaking, Eleanor kept low as she scuttled. Once her toes received the warmth of steaming ADAM, she stood, and just stared at the girl covered with Spirry's dissolved tissue. The girl wore nothing but white panties and a bra. She was a bit taller than Eleanor, naturally narrow but covered with large, round, soft muscles. She had extremely long dark hair, reaching her waist. Her fingernails and toenails were like claws. Her visage was both chiseled and baby-faced.
"She's me..."
The other Eleanor coughed, but kept her eyes closed. Blood trickled out the corners of her mouth.
"Good disguise, huh?" the other Eleanor asked. She sat up with a groan and stared at her counterpart with bloodshot eyes. Eye bags and dark circles made her look quite sinister, enhancing her already evil look. Her deeper voice was evidence she was a mature woman.
Eleanor didn't know what to say or do. She felt like a lost, confused child.
"I don't think even He knew." Evil Eleanor sat up, coughing blood, then laughed weakly. She telekinetically grasped Spirry's heart, flinging it to herself. She caught it, and crushed it in her hands. The heart bulged and blood spurted out. She grinned with that small mouth of hers.
"I...don't know what to say..."
"Then I'll talk for you." Evil Eleanor stood, skin drooling with blood and dissolved flesh. "Long ago, I escaped Rapture, just like you. I needed Father's memories and drives...to become what I always wanted to be. What you always wanted to be." She ripped Spirry's heart apart, and threw the halves down.
"As you know, Elizabeth was an inhabitant of Rapture, and more than once. I had her essence, too. I learned of Tears. The world never saw me coming. I filled the ocean with corpses. But that wasn't enough. I wanted more pleasure; nothing else exists. So I used Tears, and filled more oceans with corpses..."
"And then you found Spirry's world..."
Evil Eleanor nodded, breathing through clenched teeth.
"His didn't last long. I don't know how evolution worked there, but I had a great time killing demons. His entire species were just like me...they existed for their own pleasure, obtained through bloodshed. Though, I had one enemy I could not defeat..."
"Black Sun..."
"They almost killed me. Spirry couldn't find me, but there was no escaping from Black Sun. I had no choice, but to enter Tears. Wherever I went, Black Sun followed, destroying more worlds than I ever could. Eventually, I found Spirry, and nearly killed him, made sure he was unconscious...then went inside his torn body. His flesh regenerated over mine, and I had a great sleep inside. Black Sun went after Spirry after giving up looking for me."
"And now, here you are..."
Evil Eleanor shifted in front of Eleanor, cupping the girl's babyish cheeks, and resting her forehead on hers. Eleanor's eyes got big and shiny.
"Yes. And here you are. Replete of your ADAM, Plasmids, and suit... Baby girl, all helpless and hopeless, like a Little Sister naked and alone in Rapture..."
Eleanor felt her counterpart's breath on her face. Smelled like roses. Eleanor was pushed against the wall, head smacking the wood. Evil Eleanor leaned into her, eyebrows brushing.
Eleanor's heart drummed. Her skin crawled. Her spine tingled. She felt the other Eleanor clutch her gown and lift it up her belly. Eleanor softly gasped when she grabbed her cunt.
"And I want you for myself. I don't like anything except me. I hope Rapture's homophobic subculture didn't get under your skin. I never thought I'd say this, but I am looking forward to fucking myself." She slowly slid her hand up Eleanor's chest.
Oh, God, please just let me die...
Eleanor slipped under her evil version's arm and ran off, opposite direction of home and everyone else.
"Oh, please, we both know I could outrun you even underwater... But keep running, make it last, little girl."
Memories rushed Eleanor's mind.
Dammit, Eleanor, think! Think hard!
The essence of Rapture still remained in her, but she did not have Plasmids anymore. But she did have something else...
Evil Eleanor teleported in front of her prey, who skid to a stop and ran through a door. Eleanor ended up in the Sea of Doors, the parts of stone bridges shifting into place as she ran. She looked back, her evil version walking after her with a grin and unblinking eyes.
Eleanor changed paths here and there, but no matter what she tried, her pursuer kept getting closer. Up ahead was the Rapture Lighthouse, the double doors left slightly open. She entered, ran down the stairs. No Bathysphere.
"Shit!"
Eleanor thought hard. Her anxiety skyrocketed. She put her hands together and tried pulling them apart. Bluish rays of light emerged, and then, a Tear ripped open. She jumped in, landing hard on her face against a floor somewhere in Rapture.
Eleanor lifted her face, and blinked. Her evil counterpart teleported here, stomping on the back of her head. She groaned, and was lifted telekinetically and slammed into the floor. Evil Eleanor grabbed her other self by the head, picked her head, and smashed it into the floor. Eleanor's head cracked and spurted blood, but she remained conscious, barely.
"I think I'll eat your heart after I'm done with you," evil Eleanor said, then gripped Eleanor's body with psychokinesis. Eleanor's joints and bones stretched and popped; she cried out.
Eleanor received a flurry of blows into the ribs and stomach, then she was slammed into the floor back-first. Blood splashed out her mouth, and she groaned. Evil Eleanor began spreading Eleanor's legs and arms.
"I hope this really hurts."
You bitch...
Eleanor felt around, and found a big syringe, which looked rather familiar from years ago... Gripping it, she plunged it into her evil version's sternum, sucking fluid out her heart. Evil Eleanor smacked the syringe out of herself and Eleanor's hand, then stomped on her sternum. Blood splashed out Eleanor's mouth as she convulsed upwards. Eleanor made a gurgly cry, then flopped back down, barely breathing, and choking.
"Aww, you look so beautiful like this, you know," evil Eleanor said, mounting her other self and stroking the girl's pretty forehead. "Actually...I think I'll keep you alive. Your friends won't last long against me. Soon, it will only be me and you, and then... I can't wait to see the look of your face."
Evil Eleanor grunted as a needle poked through her throat. A second appeared. She grunted and raised her arms.
"She's the bad Eleanor!"
"Bad Sister!"
"She's bad!"
"The one who kills us!"
"Bad! Bad!"
"The one who kills us all!"
"Kill it! Kill it!"
Like popcorn, a bunch of blue-eyed Little Sister brunettes leapt upon evil Eleanor, who became their pincushion. Evil Eleanor thrashed about, but the little girls held on, stabbing her again and again. A telekinetic blast hurled the little things off, most syringes still embedded in her.
"You! Little...nothings!" evil Eleanor yelled, ripping out a few syringes and throwing them into the floor. Struggling to stay on her feet, she swerved, just in time for Eleanor to collapse while driving her syringe into her evil counterpart's heart.
The syringe filled until the bottle shattered; it continued sucking evil Eleanor's ADAM out, gushing onto the floor. Evil Eleanor groaned and slowly collapsed, Eleanor's syringe still in her chest, the torrent of blood steadily dying. Eleanor collapsed near her evil counterpart, exhausted from wounds and injuries.
"Eleanor!" a child squeaked. Eleanor turned her head, seeing a small Little Sister who looked different. This child did not have glowing yellow eyes. Instead, the veins in her eyes and under her skin glowed dark red. It was Ellie.
Ellie scampered to Eleanor, and then a Tear opened. A little woman, covered with bandages head to toe, stepped out the Tear, beckoning Eleanor with a skinless hand.
"Eleanor! Come on!" the skinless Elizabeth called. The Lighthouse began shaking, concrete and metal cracking. Elizabeth's eyes developed shadows, but the rim beamed white. She grabbed her head, writhing and groaning from pain.
"Come on! This way!" Ellie repeated, grabbing Eleanor's arm, trying to drag her. Eleanor groaned from pain, but rolled into the Tear, the Little Sisters jumping in as it closed.
Everyone reappeared near the water in the Rapture Lighthouse lobby. Eleanor was too hurt to get up. Elizabeth's body beamed white rays, her body erupting with a Siren-effect. She writhed in pain, but managed to get Eleanor over her shoulders.
"Wow! You're pretty heavy!" Elizabeth remarked, but she managed to carry Eleanor up the shaking stairs, body beaming with white lights. All around, dust and bits of building fell. "I'd open a Tear, but I can't like this! I didn't know breaking the mirror would destroy the Sea of Doors! Honest!"
Elizabeth's shins and knees kept smacking and scraping against the steps. She sometimes fell, but kept getting up, her Siren-effect making everything worse.
"I can take the pain! I've been through worse!"
The Little Sisters scampered up nervously, looking around frantically.
"Is it gonna fall on us?"
"It better!"
"Please stay up, Rapture!"
"Go! Just go!" Elizabeth shouted.
The Rapture Lighthouse was breaking apart. Dust and debris flowed out the entrance, Elizabeth, Eleanor, and the Little Sisters emerging, colored grey, everyone coughing.
Elizabeth made her way down the steps along the railings. The stones shifted into reality, creating a new bridge over the wild, rippling waters. Another set of shifting stones appeared, and Jack, Booker, blue Elizabeth, Pinkerton Elizabeth, old Elizabeth, Porter, Tenenbaum, Daisy and the Vox, the marines, Cindy, Sofia, and Zachary appeared. Songbird swam in the waters, poking his head out nearby.
"What's going on!?" Booker yelled.
"Just go! MOVE IT!" the bandaged Elizabeth screamed.
Eleanor looked up. Coiled around the Lighthouse was the fleshy serpent, staring back at her. The serpent was huge, constricting the Lighthouse and destroying it. With a mighty crash, the Lighthouse imploded, the serpent falling with the collapsing rubble. It all fell with a great splash, sending a big wave the plowed over everyone. Songbird lifted his wings, using them as railings t prevent anyone from fall off the shifting bridge.
As the debris and dust waved, Eleanor could see the fleshy serpent's head, eyes beaming yellow, mouth agape.
"Someone's inside!" Booker yelled, and he ran towards the snake.
Eleanor watched as Booker grabbed someone's arm and pulled him out the serpent's maw, the beast's tongue coiled around Booker's leg. The Rapture Lighthouse continued sinking, pulling the serpent with it, everything imploding into the depths.
Booker dragged the man he saved along the bridge, both coughing. The man wore a black suit and seemed rather frail.
"Alexander..." Eleanor whispered. His skin was very pink, but he had reverted into his human form well enough.
"Th-thank you..." Gil said.
"Don't mention it."
The shaking intensified, but only underwater. The waters rippled, and all around, the other bridges began breaking.
"We need to keep moving!" bandaged Elizabeth yelled.
"Let me carry her!" Booker yelled, grabbing Eleanor off Elizabeth's shoulders, while Zachary helped Sofia walk.
"Run, children! Run!" Tenenbaum encouraged.
Everyone went as fast as they could. The shifting bridge underneath them broke, and everyone fell into the water. But they kept moving, realizing they stood on Songbird's back as he swam; he raised his wings to serve as a platform to prevent anyone from falling off. Many looked back, seeing everything behind them sort of melt into the water where the Rapture Lighthouse sunk.
"We're only gonna have one shot at this!" bandaged Elizabeth said. "All Elizabeths, focus your Tears right up ahead! Now!"
The Elizabeths and Songbird, in unison, opened Tears in the same spot, creating a powerful singularity. The Tear was spherical and very bright.
The Sea of Doors contracted towards the centre, as if being sucked by a black hole, the water draining rapidly. Songbird dove into the spherical Tear, everyone holding on as the power pushed against the Buzzard, but he gradually prevailed. Whiteness erupted everywhere, blinding everyone.
With a deafening roar, the Sea of Doors shattered...
Peace. That's what Eleanor felt. The powerful whiteness slowly faded away, gradually revealing gentle waters. Eleanor saw her reflection. She was smiling kindly, wearing her Big Sister suit, helmet off. She turned to check on her friends.
Eleanor saw a greyscale scene of Booker, Zachary, Daisy and the Vox, the marines, Gil, and the Elizabeths, emerging from their baptisms in slow motion. They climbed upon the steps of the Rapture Lighthouse, wondering what was going on.
This endless nightmare...the Mirror of Sin...is finally over. Forever.
The waters continued showing Eleanor greyscale scenes in slow motion. Songbird and the Big Sister arose from the depths, as did a Bathysphere. The Bathysphere opened, Jack, Porter, Ellie and Tenenbaum stepping out and onto the exterior of the Lighthouse, regrouping with the others. Everyone looked up, and saw Vox Zeppelins descending.
By the end of it all... We battled. We survived. There was no other way for us to reach victory.
The Vox Zeppelins landed in the gentle waters. Songbird crawled upon the Lighthouse, free of damage and sealife, good as new. He mounted the Lighthouse and then took to the skies.
Zachary put his hands on the stone railings, scanning the waters, calling out for someone. His head dropped, but then he saw Sinclair's Lifeboat ascend with a big splash. He yelled for someone, then jumped into the waters.
Once the lifeboat became stable, the Little Sisters emerged. Zachary gripped the railings and pulled himself up, running across the vessel. Sofia weakly stepped outside the lifeboat and fell, Zachary catching her. They spun to the floor, together, in each other's arms.
The Darkness in me, a fragment of the Mirror, just temporary suffering.
Eleanor's friends' eyes beamed yellow, as did the Vox. Static and tuning emitted from them, but they did not suffer, but they were a little confused and worried. The ghostly Elizabeth appeared, even though Songbird did not project her. Her aura intensified as she examined herself.
Now that we are free from the Darkness, we know ourselves...
The Elizabeths' bodies beamed white rays. They become like angels cloaked in light, and merged. Booker tried to grab his Elizabeth's hand, but she was just light. The Elizabeths' phased into two radiating entities. When the light faded away, only two Elizabeths remained. One in a blue blouse, a daughter of Columbia, the other in modern attire, an immigrant of Rapture. They were looking at their own hands, confused. Booker leaned to his Elizabeth, asking if she was alright.
Spirry believed that suffering was the meaning of life. He wanted to harness the Darkness so that all would become like him. For him, life was accepting agony and becoming one with it. He was wrong...
Both Elizabeths looked at Sinclair's Lifeboat. They called out for someone, and both jumped into the waters. Booker called after Elizabeth, and he was next to take a plunge.
But...as broken as Spirry was, how could I misjudge him for what he was born as? A choice he neither made nor had? And through him could I face my own Darkness, at my worst. I bled. I suffered. I wept. I fought. And I was given victory at my darkest time by the little ones...for they never gave up...
The Elizabeths and Booker were greeted by the Little Sisters, who scuttled to them curiously. The Elizabeths smiled kindly, but kept scanning the area, looking for someone...
Eleanor knelt, kindly looking upon him. She knew he was kindly looking back through his visor.
The Rapture dream is over, but in waking, I am reborn.
She sweetly put a hand over his helmet.
This world is not ready for me...yet here I am. Eleanor began to cross Father's arms for him.
It would be so easy to misjudge them. You are my conscience, father, and I need you to guide me...
Eleanor gently positioned her needle, and inserted it into Father's suit. She had a solemn face, and could not hold back a little tears. Once the transfer began, Eleanor slightly tilted her head, and relaxed as Father's consciousness entered her own. She smiled warmly, and withdrew the needle, then turned a few valves.
You will always be with me now, father. Your memories, your drives... She took the apparatus off, and looked at her opened hand while walking to the waters. And when I need you, you'll be there on my shoulder, whispering...
The Rapture Lighthouse remained, peaceful, just like the ocean. She knelt before the edge of the lifeboat, stroked her hair, and just stared at her own reflection. No more monster. Little angels gradually appeared, one of them giving Eleanor a pat on the back.
Eleanor steadily turned her head, seeing Cindy in her cute purple dress, still holding Little Daddy. She lifted him up for Eleanor, who gently retrieved it. She moved him to the side, a few Little Sisters stepping back curiously. Eleanor held him out over the waters, and let him slide off. The girls watched him sink, his last farewell...
If Utopia is not a place, but a people, then we must choose carefully.
The sun began to rise, one of the Little Sisters raising a hand. Eleanor looked at the rising sun.
For the world is about to change. And in our story...Rapture...was just the beginning...
Eleanor breathed deeply, a cool breeze blowing by. In the reflections, the Elizabeths appeared, then Booker, Jack, Tenenbaum, Porter, Gil, the Big Sister, Daisy, Zachary and Sofia. Everyone felt at peace. Some looked up as Songbird soared overhead, Columbia floating out the sunny horizon...
"It's beautiful." Eleanor smiled. She slowly looked at Mother, who remained stolid, but at peace. Mother looked back. "I could not be conceived naturally, but I know whose genes you used."
Zachary looked at Eleanor. They both had blue eyes for a reason.
Eleanor looked back at Father, noticing two faint fellow lights beaming through his visor. Static and tuning noises developed. Booker's eyes lit up.
"Booker, you're bleeding." He touched his nose, then the lights, static and tuning of Booker and Father phased out of reality.
Father's helmet rolled to the side, the canvas and gloves flattening. There was no one inside anymore.
"And I know who Father was."
"The realities are...merging, yet restarting," Rapture Elizabeth said, putting a hand on her hip.
"I uprooted the tree, but the seeds are growing," Columbian Elizabeth said with relief.
"So...I can go back and...be with Anna?" Booker asked.
"Yes. Soon, it will be time for us to say goodbye... Eventually, we will return home, the place we are supposed to be..." Eleanor commented.
"Oh, I can slow that down, Eleanor. With Black Sun gone, I can control the Tears much more now. Not quite as much as I used to, though," Columbian Elizabeth said.
"I think it's because there's two of us now, permanently. Guess we share half the power each," Rapture Elizabeth suggested. "We'll return to our home realities...later."
Jack kept his arms crossed, enjoying the sunrise. Ellie and he made eye contact, and they smiled. Ellie looked at Booker.
"You're Brock, but grown-up! I know it!" Ellie squeaked, though Booker was a bit puzzled.
"Well, that was quite the adventure, wasn't it?" Porter asked.
"Not one I would go on again," Tenenbaum admitted.
"I wanna go on another one..." Cindy pouted.
"I am just thrilled it is over," Gil Alexander said, then shivered. "You would not believe how claustrophobic it is to be stuck inside a living, breathing body..."
Gil's comment made Eleanor put a hand on her belly. The Sea Slug was still there, but it was not Spirry anymore. He was gone, forever, how it was supposed to be...
"So, what is everyone gonna do, now?" Daisy asked.
"Well, I have to continue my work on The Thinker."
"The Thinker? It was not destroyed?" Gil asked.
"It was rebuilt in London. Your expertise with ADAM would be quite useful, Mr. Alexander."
"Ah, why, yes. Yes, of course. It will be nice to work back under sunlight," Gil said.
"Porter, could I go with you? We have more little ones to raise and then return with Sinclair's help, and a big girl to cure of ADAM sickness." The Big Sister looked at Tenenbaum.
"Absolutely, Tenenbaum. This time, we'll make so much more progress!" Porter grinned. "I-I can't wait to get started! Pearl would be so proud..."
"Huh, yeah..." Zachary said, looking as Columbia neared.
"So, I guess we ain't fightin' anymore. Columbia better be a better place," Daisy commented.
"Yes, it already is. I can feel it. But... How did all this happen, anyway?" Zachary asked, looking at Booker.
"You mean, what is it about me that caused so many worlds to pop in?" Booker said.
"Yeah... If the soul is real, well, look what it led to."
"A Dark Soul..." Eleanor remarked.
"But what is a soul? How does it work?" Booker asked.
Nobody had an answer.
"God only knows," Rapture Elizabeth said with a shrug. "God only knows..." she sang...
"Yes, Comstock. I forgive you. Just as you taught me." Lady Comstock had invited Booker, Zachary, the Elizabeths, Eleanor, Tenenbaum, Porter, the Zealot (who no longer wore his uniform), Gil and Jack for tea and biscuits in Comstock House, even Daisy. However, Daisy declined the offer, saying she preferred to be with people like herself. Daisy and her Vox soldiers celebrate in the streets with the citizens.
Ellie played with Cindy and the other Little Sisters, chasing friendly Murderous Crows as well as men wearing devil suits, which were surely mocks of Spirry. The Luteces minimally practised various sports outside while chatting about theories. The Big Sister went swimming in Battleship Bay, and actually swam off the vessel, but teleported back on.
"I am glad to discover you regained your health. And fertility." Lady Comstock took her seat. Zachary looked a bit guilty.
"We're not mad at you, Zachary. I don't expect you to leave the city you founded. I was a single mother, after all," Sofia said. "I respect you for your efforts. I will also found a great congregation of Utopians, someday." Zachary nodded, but still felt bad for his wife.
"Listen, Annabelle, I will make up for it. I am not the same man anymore, I-" He was interrupted by her chuckle.
"It's alright, Zachary... You got another woman pregnant. A sign that you are fertile, a blessing from God. I will be expecting a real miracle child this time."
Both Elizabeths snickered. Zachary looked a bit embarrassed.
"Give the guy a break, wontcha?" Porter remarked in good humour.
"You will make a good father, Zachary, I know it. Let's leave the past behind. Now, have some tea..." She sipped tea. "Zachary, if we will have another baby, what shall we name her?"
"An... Anya."
The Elizabeths smiled.
"That's a cute name," Eleanor commented, and sipped her tea. She examined the porcelain. Huh, porcelain of Louis the 15th...
"What about your child's name, Sofia?" Tenenbaum asked.
"Oliver," Sofia replied instantly.
"Well, I can't wait to see my nephew and niece," Columbian Elizabeth said.
"Do you plan on having kids?" Lady Comstock asked.
"Not really. Heh-heh..."
"If you don't want kids, you usually get them," the Zealot remarked.
"This tea is really good, Mrs. Comstock," Gil said. "Once we get back down, everything we learned from Columbia and Rapture will create a true utopia. I am sure of it."
"Sounds good. I have places to visit down below, too," Rapture Elizabeth said, finishing her tea.
Jack didn't say much, as usual. When Mum and Dad put me on that plane to visit my cousins in England, they told me, 'Son, you're special, you were born to do great things.' You know what? They were right.
Outside, Columbia was celebrating New Years' Day. Both Vox and Founder forces celebrated together amidst citienry. The Zealots, Handymen and Firemen no longer wore their uniforms.
Rosalind threw a ball, Robert hit it. The ball went flying well beyond Columbia, and ended up hitting the soaring Songbird in the head. The Buzzard wondered what happened, eyes yellow.
"Good shot!" Rosalind congratulated, watching Songbird fly off.
"You know...life has-"
"More meaning?" Rosalind finished.
"I at first regretting ending our experiment, but now-"
"That it's over, life is good."
"At long last, the Prophet was purified by the blood of the Lamb."
Blackness.
"Booker, are you ready for this?" Elizabeth asked. He took a deep breath.
"Yes. Let's do it. And Elizabeth... I'm sorry, and... Thank you. Thanks for everything."
"Don't mention it, Booker. We all had our crosses to bear. I'm just glad we can finally take you where you belong. Home."
Booker awoke with a gasp. He was seated at his greyscale office desk. No door banging, no demands. He heard a gentle music box playing...
"Anna?" Booker called, getting up. He felt nervous. He went to the bedroom, slowly pushing the door open. "Anna? Anna..." Booker leaned into the crib.
The angel was sleeping.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Columbian Elizabeth asked, who was leaning against the wall with arms crossed.
"She is," Rapture Elizabeth agreed, standing against the opposite wall with her arms crossed.
"Booker?" a woman's voice called from below. Booker gasped and turned. He was quite surprised.
"Esther? Is that you?" The woman laughed.
"No, Mr. DeWitt, it's me, Annabelle."
Booker's heart lightened.
"I...I can't believe it...I... Elizabeth..."
She smiled.
"Booker, this is where you belong," Columbian Elizabeth said.
"It's not much, but an office in the city-"
"This is actually an office in your homestead, Booker," Rapture Elizabeth corrected. "You're all set, Booker. We got it right for you."
Booker raised a hand to his face, as if trying not to cry. He deeply and slowly breathed. He felt a little static and tuning. He recalled when Zachary tried to pull baby Anna trough the Tear, resulting her decapitation.
It never happened, not this time... Comstock knows this for sure. He's moved on from his past. So have I.
"Elizabeth, I... Thank you. Thank you so much. But...what about you?" She smiled.
"I had quality time with my father. But it's time for me to go." She headed to the window, as did her other counterpart.
"Wait, Elizabeth! You two will come back someday, right? To visit? Saying goodbye to Eleanor was hard enough..."
The Elizabeths faced him, eyebrows high. "Ya, of course!" they chirped at the same time. Booker as relieved.
"We said the same Zachary. We will be back, we promise," Rapture Elizabeth assured.
"We just gotta get going. We have our lives to live," Columbian Elizabeth said. Booker nodded.
"Booker? Are you talking to someone?" Annabelle called.
"I'm talking to my daughter," Booker called back. Anna made gurgly noises and woke up. Booker picked her up. The Elizabeths smiled warmly their tiny equivalent looking back at them.
"You're such a great dad."
"You take good care of her."
"I will. I promise."
"Good!" Elizabeth and Elizabeth walked towards the window.
"Elizabeth... See you later."
"See you later, Booker."
"See you, Booker," Rapture Elizabeth said, and a Tear appeared.
"So, what do you wanna do in Paris?" Columbian Elizabeth asked.
"First, we gotta get you something better to wear... Then we'll watch Star Wars..." The Tear closed behind them.
"Booker? How's baby?" Annabelle asked, stepping into Booker's office...
Later that sunset, Booker sat at his porch, holding Anna. As the sun set, he held his baby to his forehead, and smiled.
At long last, he could love his family...
The Elizabeths sat by a small round table, enjoying Paris and the Seine River. A gramophone played Edith Piaf, and the bustling Parisian populace enjoyed themselves as much as the Elizabeths.
"Hah...just like my dream..." Rapture Elizabeth whispered to herself, sipping a glass of red wine. The painter began talking to Columbian Elizabeth, having painted a picture of her. She was quite thrilled, in a childish manner. The other Elizabeth chuckled, Columbian Elizabeth lifting the picture of herself and nearly twirling with it.
"Wow, mister! It's beautiful!" Columbian Elizabeth squealed. "If only I had a puppy! I would love if you drew me holding a puppy! Oh! But while I'm standing at the Eiffel Tower!"
Rapture Elizabeth chuckled again, "I used to be so immature..."
She noticed Sander Cohen working on his own painting, stroking the brush as if he wanted to swim through his canvas. He painted bunnies chasing after red balloons along the river. She raised an eyebrow, and sipped some more wine.
"How did he get here? Hm. Well, whatever...he doesn't seem crazy this time. Still looks like a clown, though..."
Rapture Elizabeth breathed deeply. She took a look around.
Nothing's going grey... No bird from Snow White... No flames... No Sally running away...
Much weight fell off her shoulders.
"It took so much just to visit Paris..."
Do you regret anything?
She smiled at her own question. A breeze came as children ran around playing.
"Non, je ne regrette rien, alors laissez moi vivre comme je veux..."
Jack lied in hospital, thinking about his life...
Zhey offered you the city.
And you refused it.
And what did you do instead? What I have come to expect of you... You saved them. You gave zhem the one thing that was stolen from them. A chance...
A chance to learn.
To find love.
To live...
And in zhe end, what was your reward?
As the elderly Jack lied in his bed, Sarah the doll lying next to his head. He thought about how he raised his adopted daughters... He remembered their graduation ceremonies, their marriages, their children... He felt Sally's hand grab his. He squeezed back.
You never said... But I think I know.
Several more of Jack's children held his hand.
A family...
Eleanor gently held Jack's other hand.
The two Elizabeths, and the now-adult Ellie and Cindy, also held Jack's hand. An elderly Tenenbaum sat nearby, observing peacefully. Booker, Porter, Alexander, a bearded Zachary, Sofia, and Lady Comstock, were also present. Oliver stood by his mother, Anya by her father, and Annabelle Watson and her daughter Anna with Booker.
"Thank you, Jack," Eleanor whispered. "Would you kindly relax?" She felt him squeeze her hand.
Jack peacefully passed away with family and friends.
Everyone lowered their heads, paying their respects. Zachary sighed quietly. The former Prophet looked to the side, and saw Sally, all grown up. Rapture Elizabeth's face dropped, as did Zachary's.
Sally held his hand. They made eye contact, and Sally smiled.
"Thank you." Sally looked at Rapture Elizabeth. "Thank you."
Zachary and Rapture Elizabeth nodded. He felt much weight roll off his shoulders, Lady Comstock comforted him by touching his shoulder.
Everyone took turns hugging each other. Soon, Booker and Zachary came face-to-face, both unblinking and unflinching. Stern, tough memories came, but...
They shook hands, stiffly.
At long last, their extradimensional rivalry was truly at an end.
Eleanor walked along the streets of Sligo during one evening, wearing a raincoat that foggy day. She heard some young adults laughing as they left a pub. She saw Cathal, Aileen, Barry, Patrick, and the Scottish girl Cindy, all of them drunk and happy. They walked past Eleanor, not reacting to her. In this world, they never met her.
Eleanor watched her friends go. Cathal squeezed Aileen's butt and she giggled. Eleanor's heart sank, head low.
"Me never getting a boyfriend...that must also be a constance," she whispered, and continued walking. "Happy Birthday, Eleanor, you're alone again this February 28th..."
With a heavy heart, Eleanor continued her walk. She went to the churches she had seen before, but found no comfort. She felt like a stranger. Eleanor sometimes checked for Spirry, but never saw any big red things. Ironically, she would not even mind chatting with him, if she could...
Eleanor walked all night along the beaches, alone in the dark. Her only company were the waves. She ended up out of town, but did not care. She walked on and on. Tired from so much walking, she decided to sit down, and stare into the ocean. The sun began rising, the first rays shining into Eleanor's eyes. Her eyelids became heavy. She yawed and lied down.
"The sun... I'm still curious about you..." Eleanor watched the sunrise. "Beautiful. One day, I'll go somewhere... Close to the sun...and pay you a visit. Everyone will say it is impossible, but I'll do it anyways..." She yawned again.
She thought about that one scene she saw back in the Cipher, before she met Spirry. The scene with Booker holding Anna...
Eleanor wept. The ocean air felt so cold on her warm eyes. She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. The tears kept going.
"You will always be with me, Father..." Eleanor whispered, "But I still wish... That I could be small again, and just be your baby..."
Lullabyed by the waves, the baby girl soon fell asleep. She dreamt of the sun, blazing in space. The dream showed Venus, and a large spaceship built by Nikola Tesla...
Then, she found herself swimming in the ocean in her Big Sister suit, exploring the underwater plants, corals, and animals. She even saw that shark who attacked her, and the beautiful oarfish she befriended. And then, incredibly, she stumbled upon Little Daddy, sitting on the bottom of the ocean. Little Daddy was writing on a piece of paper with a quill. Once he finished, he proudly held the paper in both hands, and presented it to Eleanor.
We may have been forced,
To love like father and daughter,
But now I know,
You really are my sweet little girl...
Eleanor.
Even after all these years,
And what they've done to separate us,
You still want me in your life,
My sweet, lovely girl...
Eleanor.
I have no idea,
What I did to deserve,
Such a beautiful little girl,
My sweet, caring daughter...
Eleanor,
Now my time's almost over...
I want you to know,
How much that I love you,
My sweet little angel,
Eleanor...