A/N: Usually I have something to say before the start of each chapter, but given the rate of these updates I can't seem to come up with anything really creative. So let's just get right into where we left off, shall we?

Disclaimer: I don't own Bioshock.

The situation was bad...no, the situation was downright life threatening at this point!

Reece was held in place by the two cops as one of them was preparing to tear into his face with the spinning hook-device on his arm. Everyone in the area wanting his blood after seeing the tattoo on his hand that had unknowingly marked him as the 'False Shepard' to the radical believers.

The crowd that had been there for the raffle were cheering the officer on. Chanting "Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" as the spinning hooks drew in closer.

For his part, Reece knew that he was as good as dead if he didn't do something and do it fast.

Time slowed to a crawl as his MMA training kicked in. Twisting his right arm so that he grasped the officer holding him on the other side, he pulled back dragging the man into the path of the deadly hooks as they burrowed into his head. Spraying blood and chunks of flesh through the air as it tore through his shocked face.

The attacking officer looked horrified having inadvertenly killed his partner as the dead man dropped to the ground with the device still in his head.

Using the distraction, Reece used the baseball in his hand to deliver a powerful right cross to the frozen officer's face. Hearing the tell tale crunch of a broken jaw as he fell to the ground unconcious while the crowd had began screaming in terror and fleeing the area as fast as they could.

A group of cops came running down the steps and into the open area with clubs at the ready as they charged the teen with intent to put him down.

"Stop him! Stop him! The False Shepard's come to lead our lamb astray!" the man on stage shouted as he fled with everyone else. Reece took a fighting stance as two officers closed in first. Spinning on the ball of his foot, the teen drove his heel into the side of the head of the closest officer and sending him crashing into the other.

Knocking both men to the ground as a third swung his club. Reece ducked around the stirke and gave the man an uppercut that threw him for a loop before kicking him in the chest and sending him sprawling to the ground.

The two cops he had knocked down had gotten back up. The one he had kicked had a large bruise forming on the side of his head while the other reached for his side arm.

Thinking fast, Reece unzipped his jacket and drew the pistol he had hidden and shot the officer before he had a chance to take aim himself. The other officer never had a chance to figure out what happened before another round drilled through his head and dropped him to the ground too.

With four cops down, the last got back to his feet and charged the teen one last time before two rounds were fired into his chest. Punching bloody holes in his uniform as he fell face first to the cobblestones.

Everything went quiet. Reece breathed a little heavily from the rush of adrenaline before everything finally caught up with him.

He had just killed four people. The only living cop was on the ground out cold surrounded by the corpses of his friends and colleagues.

Feeling sick, Reece dropped to his knees cluching his stomach. Fighting the urge to throw up when he realized what he had done. "...self defense...it was self defense..." he muttered to himself as he tried to get his senses back under control.

Having to come to grips with the fact that he was in a life or death situation that caused him to act in anyway he could to stay alive. His MMA couch told him that if something like this were to ever happen that he shouldn't pull his punches. And do whatever it took to defend himself and those around him if they needed it.

Getting some of his resolve back, the teen stood up slowly. Cluching the pistol in his hand as he surveyed the area.

There weren't anymore people out to get him at the moment. But all the noise would have most likely drawn attention. And who knew how many people alerted the police to his presense and what he had done.

Looking back at the body of the first officer, Reece looked at the device that was still implanted in the man's skull. If the police had been using this thing it obviously had a use for something other than tearing someone up.

And if that was the case, having one would benefit him in his journey.

Figuring that the one soaked in blood was damaged from what had happened. Reece began searching the bodies of the other officers for another. Finding coins, which had been called Silver Eagles, and spare pistol ammo, he managed to find another hook-device like the one that killed the first cop.

The arm bracer had 'Deluxe Sky-Hook' written in gold lettering giving a name for the device.

Slipping it on, the teen wrapped his fingers around the triggers that were at the end where his hand went. Testing them out, he found that one caused the hooks to spin and controlled rotation speed, another made them stop, and the last didn't seem to do anything at all. But must have had a use for something.

Nodding in satisfaction, Reece removed the sky-hook from his arm and clipped it on to the belt of his pants before taking out his pistol. Looking to where the group of cops came from, he could make out the head of Monument Island in the distance and knew that, that direction is where he needed to go.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. The traveller went up the steps slowly, keeping his eyes focused for anything that would come at him with an intent to kill.

He didn't have to wait long as two officers came running. Shouting for him to freeze as they drew their clubs.

Waiting for them to get close. Reece side-stepped the first before kicking his feet out from under him and sending the cop tumbling down the stairs until he hit the bottom with a loud crack where he laid motionless on the ground.

The second cop swung his club only for the teen to block his arm in mid-strike. Pressing the barrel of the pistol to his chest and pulling the trigger causing a small fountain of blood to spray out the man's back.

When the officer collapsed to the ground, Reece felt sickness grip his stomach again after taking another life. Shaking it off, he steeled his resolve as he sprinted for the bridge that lead to his objective.

The moment he reached the bridge, however. The walls keeping it in place rose up blocking passage and making him skid to a stop. "Shit." he muttered as he heard Two more cops come out of a nearby pathway, one of them brandishing their side arm as they opened fire on the 'False Shepard'.

Reece dropped into cover behind a nearby cart as bullets clipped around him. Steadying his breathing as he remembered something his grandfather had told him he had learned when he was fighting in the war.

"Take Cover. Take Aim. Take Control." he recited in his head as he popped up and returned fire. One of the rounds hitting an officer in the shoulder causing him to spin and drop to the ground clutching his wound. Two others hit home on the second officer's center of mass and dropped him quickly.

Seeing the wounded man go for the dead one's firearm, Reece put him down fast before he could reach it. "I hope that this is all worth it." he thought grimly as he entered the area where the last two cops came out of.

The smaller section looked to be a storage area for vending machines that were being repaired. One of them was up and running and had a large sack filled with Silver Eagles sitting next to it, signifying that someone had just finished emptying it out.

Stepping up to the automated man that controlled the machine. Reece saw that there was only one item on sale. A small bottle of green liquid that bore the same symbol as the Possession Vigor he had drank before.

'Possession Aid: Improves already existing Possession Vigor. Giving the wielder the ability to possess humans who will suicide when the effect expires.'

"Who the hell would make something like that?" the teen wondered a little disturbed. Still...if it would help keep him alive then it could be useful.

Seeing that the price of the Vigor upgrade was $50, he looked down at the full bag of Silver Eagles and shrugged. "Their loss, my gain." he said taking the right amount from the bag and putting them into the machine and pocketing what was left.

The machine spat out the small bottle before a red sign saying 'Sold Out' popped up. Taking the bottle, Reece pulled the top off and gulped down the familiar cola/spearmint flavored drink as he felt the same tingling as before. His left arm glowed green as his body adjusted to the Vigors upgrade.

When the feeling passed, the traveller squared his shoulders before heading toward a ramp that lead up to a docked airship next to the vending machine.

He barely made it to the top when a officer came zipping down the rail system in the air with a sky-hook and dropped down in front of him. Reece raised his pistol and fired before the man could take a swing at him as two more came flying down the rails and lept off on to the airship.

Seeing this as a good time to test his new ability. Reece launched a Possession that went into the cop on the right making him freeze. His eyes glowed an eary green as he turned to his partner and put a bullet through his head before quickly turning the gun on himself.

A little stunned at what he had seen, Reece shook it off quickly as he searched their bodies for anything useful.

It may have been immoral considering that they were dead. But at this point it was about survival, and every little bit helped keep him alive in a city that obviously wanted him dead at the moment.

After collecting what he could, the teen reloaded his pistol and treaded slowly alond the transport where he saw what looked to be an automated gun turret set up on the bow. He didn't have long to admire the workmanship as a barrage of pistol rounds began to tear up the wood around him.

Getting to cover, Reece peered over the edge and saw a half-dozen cops firing on his position. He didn't have nearly enough ammo to deal with them, and if he moved he'd be dead before he made it two feet.

Thinking of his options, he looked up at the turret and an idea quickly formed. Raising his left hand, he launched a Possession into the automated weapon causing it to spring to life and open fire on the men below.

The uniformed men didn't stand a chance as they were torn apart by the volley of slugs from the turret and were all dead in moments before the effect of the vigor wore off and it shut back down again.

Reece stood up and looked down at his hand, "This...is some seriously awesome shit." he said grinning.

But the grin faded after a while. He flicked his wrist and focused to get the glow of his powers back and nothing happened. "What's going on?" he wondered failing at getting this Vigor to work.

Confused, he sat down on a nearby crate only to catch himself as the lid fell in. Standing up, he looked into the wooden box and found a small collection of bottles filled with glowing blue fluid. Picking one of the bottles up, he read the back and saw that they were called Salts. And what they did made him realize what the problem with his Vigor was.

'Running low on power? Fear not! Recharge your Vigors with Salts and keep the juices flowing!'

It was obvious, a car runs on gas. A gun runs on bullets. Vigors needed to be refilled too, and these Salts were what was needed to keep the powers at full.

Without thinking he popped the top and gulped down the contents. The bottle fell crashing to the ground as he gagged on the flavor of the drink. It definately lived up to the name, it tasted like blue raspberry kool-aid, but someone had used salt instead of sugar when they mixed it.

Coughing a little and wiping a few tears away, Reece looked down and smiled seeing the familiar glow of his Possession power working again. "The stuff may taste bad, but if it keeps my powers going..." he took out two more bottles of Salts and pocketed them. Realizing that he was finding it hard to put stuff away and would have to find something to help him carry the stuff he had on him.

Searching the other crates, he found a small brown leather backpack that would work just fine. Slipping the Salts, his money and ammunition into it before pulling it on.

Satisfied for the moment. Reece ran to the end of the airship and jumped down to the ground. After collecting what he could from the downed cops he began to move through the market district.

However, the police had regrouped in the area and came at him from different angles. Along with them was another gun turret that locked on to him and opened fire forcing him to take refuge behind a planter as gunfire rained down around him.

Firing another Possession into the active turret, the machine turned on the police before they had a chance to take cover. Reece fired his pistol in tendem with the turret as he moved from cover to cover to stay out of sight. When the cops were dealt with, the teen slipped down another street just as the Possession had worn off and the turret went back to its original functions.

It seemed that no matter where he went, Reece was met with opposition.

Two more cops fell as he dumped the spent clip from his pistol and inserted a new one while he kept fighting his way down the cobblestone street. Gathering what supplies he could from abandoned carriages and stands as well as the bodies of the dead when he saw a small group of officers going through the gate at the end of the road.

"It's the Fireman! Fireman's on his way!" shouted an officer. "He'll take care of the son of a bitch!" the gate was closed just as he arrived at the end. And right away he started to feel something off.

"Why is it so hot all of a sudden?" he wondered pushing the gate open wide enough for him to slip inside.

Seeing another empty street, Reece saw someone standing on top of a stack of crates just ahead. The man was wearing something that resembled welding armor complete with a mask as he stood tall.

Reece was ready, pistol aimed and Possession Vigor powered up to take the man down.

What he wasn't ready for was for the man to suddenly burst into flames! Spreading fires along the buildings and nearby stands turning the heat up like an oven on a hot day. "Oh...SHIT!" the teen shouted as the armored man hopped down from his perch and began to stalk forward.

"Burn in hell, in the name of our Prophet!" the man shouted before forming a ball of fire and stone to his hand and launching it Reece's way. The teen dove behind a carriage as the attack blew a smoldering chunk out of it like a grenade while setting the rest ablaze. Leaning out of cover to fire a few shots at the Fireman only for the rounds to bounce off of his armor, only leaving dents.

Reece leaned back as another fireball was sent his way. Bouncing across the ground behind him before it exploded, sending flaming shrapnel in all directions forcing him to cover his face with his arm for a little protection and catching the sleeve of his jacket on fire.

Quickly patting himself out, the teen heard the pyro-maniac stomping his way toward his location as the temperature around the area skyrocketed causing him to sweat. "This asshole is definately packing a Vigor. Gotta think of something fast before he bar-b-ques me!" Reece looked around for anything that could give him an edge.

Almost everything was on fire, and if the flames didn't get to him the Fireman would blow him apart with his flaming grenades.

Another blast, this one larger than the others. Obliterated the carriage Reece had been crouched behind and sent him crashing to the ground a few feet away. The Fireman stalked toward him, his arms covered in flames as he prepared to destroy the 'False Shepard' with one powerful attack.

Rolling to his feet, Reece aimed his pistol at the approaching man. But deep in his mind he knew that bullets wouldn't do enough damage with the armor his enemy was wearing. Seeing the green glow of his left arm, he hoped that his powers effected someone else who had abilities.

The Fireman summoned two fireballs to his hands forcing the teen to make a split decision as he launched a Possession across the distance between them and into the armored pyro-maniac.

When the ethreal image entered the armored man nothing seemed to happen at first. Then he seemed to freeze in place, dropping his arms causing his fireballs to dissipate into the air as the Vigor took effect.

Not wasting the moment he was given, Reece crossed the open space and pressed his pistol into the open visor of the Fireman's helmet and pulled the trigger. Splattering the man's brains out the back of his skull before his corpse crumpled to the ground.

The moment of relief that came from the deadly man's demise was short lived when his corpse surged with flames. Reece couldn't react fast enough as the body exploded in a bright blast that blew him back and hit a cart that had yet to be burned.

Laying in a heap of shattered lumber and a handful of knick-knacks that had been shelved on it with pain flowing up and down his back. "Ohhh...dammit..." he groaned as he slowly got back to his feet rubbing his lower back, wincing when he managed to stand upright again. "Note to self, crazy fire-bastards explode when they die."

Shaking off as much of the ache as he could, Reece approached the charred corpse of the Fireman. From what he could make out up close the guy was wearing full on leather and metal plated armor with multiple tubes and pipes connecting his arms to a device that was on his back. Most likely a way for him to control his fire abilities in a fight.

"What was that about burning in hell?" the teen asked kicking the charred corpse.

The sudden jolt caused a bottle to slip out of a compartment on the dead man's side and clatter lightly to the ground. Curious, Reece bent down and picked it up.

It was bright orange, and was in the shape of a nude woman with devil horns on the top of her head and was blowing a kiss. The circular picture on the bottle was of a cartoon devil with the label, 'Devil's Kiss.'. But by far the strangest thing about the concoction that he was holding was that it was warm to the touch.

Thinking it over for a moment, Reece remembered what the Fireman had been capable of and had a feeling that fire-powers would help him in a tight spot should he need it.

Grabbing the head of the bottle and pulling it off, the took a deep breath. "Well, bottoms up." he said before gulping down the Vigor.

The bottle shattered on the ground as what he could only describe as cinnimon flavored napalm burned a trail down his throat. His vision tinted red as he felt the burning spread throughout his frame. The flesh of his hands and arms ignited and began to literally melt away leaving behind blackened bones.

Falling to his knees, Reece's mouth was open in a silent scream as he continued to burn. A flashed filled his vision making him blink, and when he looked at his hands again he was shocked to see them back to the way they were before. Nothing missing or out of place at all.

"That...was too trippy for my own good." he muttered as he examined himself a little more closely. Holding out his hand, he concentrated on the burning he had been feeling during the transformation. In moments, a flaming ball of magma appeared in the palm of his hand. The flames licking around his fingers but didn't cause any pain as he observed his new power.

Seeing a trash can nearby. Reece threw the fireball at it to see the results. The moment the attack hit home it exploded in a flash of flames that spread a decent distance for its size. Leaving the metal bin nothing but a smoldering piece of salvage.

Grinning at the success of his new power, the traveller picked up his dropped pistol and reloaded it before going around the corner in the street.

His moment of reprieve shattered when a turret kicked on sending a hail of bullets in his direction.

Conjuring up his new ability, Reece hurled two fire-blasts at the turret as he ran for cover. The attacks blowing the automated gun to pieces as a group of police officers ran out into the open to engage him.

Taking down one of the cops with his pistol, the teen pulled out a bottle of Salts and drank it fast to replenish his lost energy. Fighting down the bad taste better than before, he launched a Possession in to one of the other officers and making him turn on his partners.

Now distracted, Reece picked off the remaining hostiles easily while the possessed man executed himself when the effects wore off.

With things quiet again, he salvaged what he could from the dead bodies and nearby crates. Coming up with a coupld extra bottles of Salts, Silver Eagles, ammo and a first aid kit that was behind a stand nearby before making his way to a place called the Blue Ribbon.

Squaring his shoulders, the teen gripped his pistol as he slowly opened the door. Slipping inside silently so that he wouldn't catch any unwanted attention from anyone that could have been waiting inside.

X

As it turned out, the Blue Ribbon was a resturant and bar. A very nice one at that. And very much empty, save for the two faces that filled Reece with anger and unease.

"We have company." said Rosalind standing at the opening to the kitchen. Her brother at the bar absently wiping down the surface as he looked up at their guest.

"It would seem we do, sister." replied Robert as he stopped what he was doing.

Reece pointed a finger at them as he stalked forward, "You two got a lot of fucking explaining to do! What the hell is going on around here? Everyone in this goddamn city wants me dead because they think I'm some kind of-"

"False Shepard?" Robert stated rather than asked making the teen pause.

"Come to lead the Lamb astray." finished Rosalind as she went into the kitchen and disappeared.

"Uhh, yeah. Exactly." Reece said a little unnerved. "What is that all about? It's almost as if these people knew I was coming and see me as the anti-Christ or something. And what is this about me supposedly leading their 'Lamb astray'? It doesn't make sense to me."

Robert went back to casually cleaning the bar as he spoke, "The answer is easy to find. Once you see everything the way they should be."

The traveller rubbed his eyes and glared at the man, "Stop speaking in riddles! You and your sister are putting me through this hell, the least you can do is give me a straight answer instead of this cryptic bullshit!"

"All the answers you will need are at the end of this journey." said Rosalind as she came back in from the kitchen holding a platter dish with a bottle filled with glowing yellow liquid. "This you will find quite useful."

"The difference between life and death." said her brother.

Taking the bottle, Reece saw 'Lutece Infusion' written on the label. Looking at Rosalind who was looking at him expectantly. "What is it?" he asked looking back at the bottle in his hand.

"Magnetic Repulsion Field." said Robert as though it were common knowledge. "Around one's body, it can become rather handy."

"If it doesn't kill you." said Rosalind making Reece's head snap up.

"Wait...kill me? And you want me to drink this shit!?" he asked now looking at the infusion like it was an active grenade. "Why the hell would anyone risk death for this? What does it do anyway?"

The twins sighed at the same time. "The field amplifies your body's bioelectric aura and projects it around you. Creating a membrane that pulses off of your skin, protecting you from harm." explained Robert.

"Additionally, the pulses given by the field will remove dirt and other contaminents from your being." added Rosalind.

Looking the infusion over again, Reece couldn't help but wonder the possibilities. From what he could gather from the twins' explination, this stuff essentially allowed his body to create its own energy field that acted like as shield in a firefight.

Kind of like the shields used by the Master Chief's armor in Halo, only it was bio-engineered instead of mechanically built.

Popping the top off, the teen sniffed the substance and found no odor whatsoever. Taking a deep breath, he knocked the bottle back and swallowed every drop before he could change his mind.

In addition to it not having a smell, the infusion had no taste either. Almost like water, but even then it had no other distinguished features.

His thoughts on the drink's flavor came to an abrupt halt when he felt a powerful jolt shoot through his system. Something similar to somebody hooking up a car battery to jumper cables and attaching them to his ribcage. He was thrown back from the surge and knocked over a table as he hit the ground.

The twins watched passively, waiting for a response from the prone traveller as he groaned from his spot on the floor. "Hmm...interesting." said Rosalind as Reece slowly got up into a sitting position.

"Surprised that it worked?" asked Robert.

"Surprised that it didn't kill him." replied his sister as the teen staggered back to his feet.

"Gee...don't I feel special..." Reece said as he felt his body return to what he believed was normal. "How do I know if this thing works?" he asked not seeing any differences with his form.

"The next time you face hostility, an attack that would normally kill you should prove to be nothing more than a nuisence." said Rosalind.

"However, your field is weak and can only handle a few strikes at a time before having to recharge." said Robert. "There are other infusions scattered throughout Columbia, finding and consuming them will make your field stronger and more durable in combat."

"Okay, the shield can only take so much and I should find 'upgrades' around the city. Check." he thought before nodding. "Uh, thanks. For the help." he said getting nods from the twins as they went back to doing menial tasks around the resturant for some reason.

After gathering up a good sum of Silver Eagles from around the establishment, as well as some food and drinks from the kitchen and storing them in his backpack. Reece exited out of the back of the building through a storage area and found himself on a large patio that faced other floating islands not too far away.

Traversing the platform, he found that there was no bridge or anything connecting the clusters at all. Leaving him stranded where he stood.

"Now what?" Reece wondered looking for some way to help him get to the next island. His green eyes scanning every which way until they locked on to a couple of large lift hooks on the building across from him. "I wonder..."

Putting the pistol away, he took out the sky-hook and slipped it on to his left arm. Spinning the hooks briefly to make sure that he had it on right, he looked up at the hook closest to him. "How would this work?" he thought. Then he remembered the trigger inside the device that didn't do anything when he tried it before.

Shrugging, he aimed the sky-hook at the lift hook ahead and squeezed the trigger.

Considering what he had seen, Reece had expected a grappling hook or something to shoot out of the device. Instead he was jerked off his feet so fast that he nearly got whiplash. Flying through the air within moments before the sky-hook attatched itself to the lift hook he had been aiming at.

"HOLY SHIT!" he shouted as he dangled in the air above open air. Heart racing at the sudden rush he got from shooting through the air like that.

Looking at the next hook on the building, Reece focused as he swung himself on the one he was already on. Releasing the trigger he had been holding down as he launched himself forward. Hitting the trigger again as it attached to the next hook as easily as the first.

Getting used to the motions, he repeated the action as he jumped from hook to hook along the side of another building until he ran out of hooks.

Ahead of him was a rooftop where a soldier in a grey uniform was standing with his back to him. Not wanting to risk alerting anyone nearby with a gunshot, Reece swung back before launching forward. The soldier heard the noise and turned in time for the teen's feet to connect hard with his chest and send him into the railing around the rooftop and plummeting over edge to his death.

When he got his barings back , Reece saw the soldier's dropped weapon and picked it up.

It looked like a machine gun from the way it looked. Which was shocking because he was pretty sure that guns like this never exicted at this point in the 1900s. Then again, he was pretty sure that things like Vigors and bio-electric shields didn't exist either. Even in his period in time.

After familiarizing himself with his new weapon, the teen checked the nearby crates and gathered up ammo for it and storing it away for when he needed it before pressing on.

Heading down a nearby flight of steps, visibilty became hard as smoke from nearby chimeneys made it hard to see more than a few feet ahead. Keeping the machine gun level, his eyes scanned through the smoke as he kept his back to a nearby wall so that no one could get him from behind.

When he reached halfway across a volley of rounds began peppering the wood and stones around him. Some of them scoring hits but were buffed by a yellow field that appeared around Reece's body when they made contact.

The teen returned fire as he moved into cover as the yellow field around him shattered like glass meaning that it was down. Hearing the sounds of a body dropping from the assault making him believe that he managed to take down at least one of them.

Reloading his weapon while his shield errected itself again, Reece heard running foot steps and pressed himself to the wall he was behind as a soldier with a club ran passed. Before he could turn around Reece had come out and slammed his boot into the soldier's knee and dropping him to a kneeling position.

He quickly smashed the butt of his machine gun into the back of the man's head with a loud crack before taking aim at a shadow he could see moving through the smoke and opening fire.

The following gun battle lasted a few minutes. Reece having to throw a couple fire-grenades and a Possession to even the odds as more soldiers came crawling out of the woodwork.

A couple airships were stationed nearby with turrets set up that kept the teen pinned down while a squad of soldiers moved in and took cover behind a bunch of crates and pillars. Another Possession had turned one of the turrets against them and mowed the armed men down before they had a chance to fall back.

Reece gulped down a small Salt before throwing a fire-grenade at the other turret with machine gun fire added for insurance as the automated weapon was destroyed.

Gathering all that he could from the dead. The teen kept moving so that he wasn't boxed in by any more hostiles. Taking on a couple more turrets and a small squad of soldiers as he kept pushing his way across the rooftops, and hopefully closer to the monument where the girl was being held.

When the last soldier fell, Reece leapt off of the roof and used his sky-hook to latch on to a lift hook on a nearby building. Using the momentum to catapult himself forward and on to solid ground, bending his knees to cushion the impact as he looked around for any more hostiles.

The sound of airships told him that more were on their way, he needed to get out of the open before they found him again.

Seeing a set of double doors leading into the large house where he had landed, Reece swapped his machine gun for his pistol and treaded across the patio while keeping his eyes and ears open. Pushing one of the doors open and moving inside and locking it behind him as he now stood in someone's kitchen.

"Violence is not the answer!" Reece spun around with his pistol up hearing a man's voice coming from the next room. "As much as I support her cause and her people, blood must not be shed."

"What do you expect these poor negroes to do?" asked a woman from the same room as the teen headed to the door and pushed it open a crack and saw a husband and wife talking. Printing presses were set up around them with stacks upon stacks of flyers set up all over.

"How they treat them...it was bound to happen!" the wife continued.

The husband shook his head, "Violence is not a forgone conclusion."

Remembering the situation at hand, Reece pushed the door open and slowly walked inside. Keeping his weapon lowered so that he was less hostile.

Looking up from their conversation, the couple were a little shocked at his sudden arrival. The teen raised his hand as a sign of peace, "Just passing through, I'm not here to start trouble." he said calmly.

The husband looked at his hand that held the gun and gasped seeing the tattoo. "It's him!" he exclaimed to his wife motioning to his hand. "The one that they're after!"

Outside, the sounds of airships closing in got louder alerting the three. "You must go! They're looking for you!" the wife whispered grabbing his free hand and pulling him through the house toward the back.

Passing by several rooms that had beds and medical supplies set up with wounded and sick resting as the woman lead him to a study and another door that lead back outside. "Through here, be careful. Comestock's soldiers are patrolling the area." she warned.

Reece nodded, "Thank you, ma'am." he said pushing the door open a crack and peering outside.

A couple soldiers moved in and around various stands and vending machines set up in the courtyard. Going out into the open like this would have been a big mistake. He needed to play this safe so that he could slip past them without being seen.

He needed a distraction.

Summoning his Vigor abilities, he launched a Possession into the closest soldier. A moment later, the man raised his own machine gun and began gunning down his friends.

Thrown off by the sudden attack, the other soldiers went to restrain their possessed colleague. None of them noticing a young man slip out of a house nearby, moving from stand to stand remaining out of sight as he put distance between himself and them.

Reece crouched down behind a food cart when he saw three soldiers run past toward where the possessed man was still trying to kill the others. When the coast was clear he stepped out and jogged over to the other side of the large courtyard. Using the angel monument in the distance as his guide as he approached a gate with a symbol of an eye on the arch above.

Making sure that no one had seen him, the teen pushed the gate open and went inside. Shutting the gate behind him as he turned to face the mansion that was before him.

A flock of crows scattering in all directions upon his arrival as he approached a statue that was placed in the center of the walkway. Depicting Comstock fighting a large serpent with the inscription 'Comstock Fights the Serpent of Nations'

Looking up from the statue at the larger version of the eye-symbol that he had seen on the properties archway on the front of the mansion. Reece couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding coming from the building.

"I don't have a lot of options. Not with Comstock's men dogging me like this." he thought narrowing his eyes. "Gotta push forward. No other choice." Raising his pistol, he approached the front door to the estate, ready to take on what was inside.

A/N: The first few steps into Columbia and Reece has already been given the hospitable welcome of the citizens, and things will only get harder the farther along he goes. Even though he's able to put aside the sickness of taking lives, the worse is yet to come in his travels.

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