A/N: Once again, I have nothing creative. So lets get on with it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bioshock.
The once proud Hall of Heroes had indeed fallen from its original grace. Going from a museum to a POW camp for Slate and his followers.
And at that moment it was a battlefield. The courtyard outside the gift shop was being torn apart by gunfire and explosions as the shamed war veteran's forces worked together to try and kill the one that had been promised to give them an honorable death.
Reece, for his part, was firing his weapons and throwing his powers around like clockwork. Elizabeth was hunkered down behind a low wall, opening any and all tears that could help them. Bringing forth an MG turret and a crate filled with machine gun ammo after her companion tossed away his spent shotgun and picked up one of the soldiers' dropped weapons.
Two Possessions flew through the air into two gunmen forcing them to turn against their comrades. With bullets flying in three different directions, the gathered soldiers didn't know which way to go. And being in the open left them vulnerable as the rounds cut them down.
Slate looked down with a small grin, his men were being granted their greatest honor. To die on the field of battle against a true opponent. The teen was proving to be quite the warrior, and the aging veteran would have been proud to have such potential on his side when he went to war in the past.
Raising his hand, he threw a volley of electric volts down to the ground and forming more crystals along the ground. The young man was good, but he wasn't going to make it easy on him or his partner.
X
The yellow field around him shattered like glass forcing him to drop down behind a low wall. Even with the added help from Elizabeth's tears and his Vigors, Slate's men were a unified from and attacked as a group. Some even coming at him from different angles to throw him off.
If it hadn't been for the possessed soldiers and the MG turret they would have been taken by surprise a while ago.
Reece dumped the clip in his Carbine and slammed in a fresh one as he targeted a couple of men on the railing above the courtyard and fired. The rounds punching through their armor and dropping them quickly.
"Reece here!" Elizabeth shouted tossing him a couple of clips for the rifle she found laying around as she looked for more useful items while staying out of the line of fire.
The number of soldiers was dwindling slowly. But more seemed to be coming keeping the duo pinned down. The turret took too much damage and finally shut down before the tear closed again. The power over the two soldiers wore off and they took their own lives in the process leaving Reece alone to fight the soldiers once more.
"What I wouldn't give for something a little bigger." the traveler thought swapping to his machine gun and knocked back a Salt.
He fired a shockwave sending frour men airborne before being mowed down with machine gun fire. He followed up with three fire-grenades which set up like landmines. Each one of them tripped when another squad stormed the courtyard and were blown apart when they got too close.
Several fireblasts followed setting a few other men on fire making them easier targets. "Is that all you can muster, soldier?" Slate called down from his perch. "Come on now, Vega! Don't disappoint the boys!"
Another group of men stormed the courtyard, a Fireman among them hurling fireblasts about making the environment even more treacherous.
Reece launched a flock of crows that immediately started attacking the soldiers as he raised his machine gun and emptied the clip into them. The Fireman's armor absorbed the rounds, but the men around him fell dead to the ground. A burst of flames shot from the man's form burning the remaining birds to ashes before he turned his attention to the teen as he reloaded.
The traveler leapt out of the way as a volley of fireblasts came at him. Going behind a pillar as the attacks burned the stone around him, he leaned out and fired on the armored man. The heat around him starting to rise causing sweat to drip down his face.
Closing in on the pillar, the Fireman launched another powerful blast forcing his target out of cover. What he didn't expect was for the teen to run straight at him. His right foot swining out in a roundhouse kick with the steel toed tip stricking the side of the helmeted head of the flaming attacker and putting a dent in it.
Reece followed up with a couple hard punches to the unarmored parts of the Fireman's suit making him stagger then followed up with a kick to the back. He ducked down when an armored fist swung for his head, slipping on his sky-hook and delivering an uppercut to the man's chin snapping his head back long enough for him to shoot a shockwave into him point blank.
The Fireman skidded back across the ground from the sudden attack, quickly righting himself and sending fireblasts in all directions.
Reece rolled out of the way of the attack and behind a low wall. "Reece overhere!" He looked up when he saw Elizabeth toss something his way. Setting the gun down, he caught the larger object and was shocked to see that it was the RPG launcher one of the men had carried when they first passed through.
Checking the weapon over and getting a good understanding of it, he set the heavy weapon on his shoulder and looked down the sights as the Fireman began skulking his way again. Bracing himself, he pulled the trigger and staggered back a step as an explosive round flew from the weapon and struck the armored man in the chest.
The following explosion ripped through his armor and blew his body apart. Bloody chunks of armor sent through the air and clattering all over the courtyard as everything fell silent. Reece's eyes scanned the doorways and the balcony above for any more hostiles as he slowly stood up out of cover. "Is it clear?" asked Elizabeth standing up from her hiding spot.
Before he could answer, loud clanking footsteps echoed through the open space. Through the doorway on the right, a motorized patriot stomped it's way into the courtyard. Chaingun leading as it turned toward them. Glowing eyes burning as it began to turn the crank on the weapon.
Reece didn't give it a second. Raising the RPG launcher and firing, the explosive slamming the machine in the chest sending it staggering back several steps. The traveler popped open the launcher and ejected the spent ammo casing and inserted a new one. Closing the weapon he aimed and fired again.
The automation's left arm was blown off at the shoulder. Sparks and smoke coming from its form as it tried to continue functioning. One final rocket blew the upper half of the machine to scrap metal, whatever remained fell to the ground motionless.
"Now it's clear." Reece said tossing the spent launcher to the ground and picking up his machine gun while Elizabeth came out of hiding. "Come on, let's get Slate and end this."
They went through the door the motorized patriot came through and up a flight of stairs. Making their way down a long hallway only to see a bright flash at the end.
Slate stood at the archway, arm cocked back and hurling clusters of electricity toward them as they ducked down behind a display case. "Come Vega! The end is near!" the old man called out as he vanished down the hallway next to him.
"It better be." Reece muttered raising his machine gun and leading Elizabeth the rest of the way. Destroying electric traps along the way to clear the path for them. Four soldiers came out with their guns ready only to be cut down by a combination of fireblasts and machine gun fire along the way.
The fighting finally all came to an end, the two teens stepped through a couple sets of doors and found themselves back in the 'Vengence of the Prophet' exhibit. And laying on the ground against a low wall with a spotlight over him, was Slate.
Reece kept Elizabeth behind him as they slowly approached the downed veteran, machine gun trained on him. After what the bastard had put them through they wanted to be ready for anything.
"Is he...?" Elizabeth asked.
When they were within distance, Reece knelt down and reached out to check his pulse. The man perked up, hand grasping the teen's wrist as he coughed. "You're...not done here soldier!" he rasped out. "Eat everything that's on your plate!" He pulled his hand away and raised the other one which held a pistol. "Finish it, Vega!"
Reece looked down at the gun then back at the veteran. The lone eye showed that the fight had all but been kicked out of the old man; striped of his honor, his command, everything that defied him and handed to Comstock on a silver platter. To him, death was the only escape. The only way to hold on to what pride he had left.
The teen grasped the handle of the pistol and took it. "Reece!" Elizabeth said with a gasp.
Slate chuckled, "That's right, kid...do it. Prove yourself to be the soldier I know you are. Give me the honor I deserve! DO IT!"
For the first time since this whole thing began, the traveler didn't know what to do. Even after the hell Slate put him and Elizabeth through, could he take his life? The only reason he killed so many up to this point was because of survival. This went against everything he was ever taught.
Then he remembered something that had been told to him long ago; "A soldier without his honor is a broken man. He will always believe that death is the answer, they don't always realize that their honor can be regained. You just got to light a fire under them and show them that the fight is never over when it comes to your pride." His grandfather's words rang through his head from one of the many times he spoke about his time in the war.
Words that stayed with him, even now when he needed them to come to a decision.
Looking down at the pistol, he made his choice. "So that's it?" he asked making Slate and Elizabeth look at him. "Are you that weak willed that you want some random man from off the street end your life? A man with no training and no decorations acting as executioner to a veteran from Wounded Knee and Peking?"
"That honor was taken from me!" Slate exclaimed.
"An honor you can get back by putting an end to Comstock's lies!" Reece shouted back. "You are still a soldier! The fight is never over until you can't draw breath anymore! I kill you now...who will prove to the world the curse of 'tin men'? Who will stand up and fight the way only a true soldier can? Answer that one Slate."
The veteran's gaze wavered slightly at the teen's words. "Even an experienced man like me knows the odds stacked against him. What can what's left of my men and I do against that bastard's army?"
"You endure." said the traveler kneeling down next to him. "You and your men held off Comstock's army pretty well until now. But you're right, the odds are against you. That's why you should join the Vox."
Slate raised an eyebrow as he continued, "They are fighting against the Prophet's rule. And they need all the help they can get. You would be one hell of an asset to them and their campaign. And you would get back at Comstock for everything he's taken from you."
There was silence for several moments. Slate seemed to be weighing his options carefully, his strategic mind going over anything and everything about what was laid out before him. Elizabeth was looking at Reece in awe, his words had even left her inspired.
"Alright..." Slate said finally, "You've earned the honor to decide the fate of me and my soldiers. We will join the Vox." He reached into the statchel on his hip and pulled out a dark purple bottle with a lid depicting lightning bolt with a small man riding the top of it. "You've earned this as well." he said tossing it to Reece who caught it easily.
"Do this old bastard one favor, Vega." the veteran said standing up. "You come across any more of Comstock's lackies. Put them down." without another word he limped off back into the building leaving them alone.
"...That went better than I thought it would." Reece said looking at the Vigor in his hands.
"I'll say. How did you do that?" asked Elizabeth.
Her companion shrugged pulling the top off the Shock Jockey, "I questioned what was left of his honor. Proved that he still had something to fight for. If he was even half the man he was spouting off about when we were fighting through his place I knew he would take the bait and crawl back on the horse." Lifting the bottle to his lips, he drank the rest of the bottles contents which reminded him suspiciously like voltage mountain dew mixed with crushed pop rocks.
Electric bolts shot up his arms to his palms as glowing, dark-blue crystals grew out of his flesh. Energy crackled around his hands as it surged through his very being. Volts channeling between his palms as he felt the the energy reach high levels before shooting outward and charring the wall in front of him.
When his body settled down with its new power, Reece clenched his hands a few times when he still felt the charge coursing through him. "I think I might enjoy this power." he said grinning.
X
The way out had been all cleared, Slate had taken his words to heart and had informed his men that Reece and Elizabeth were no longer targets. Reece used his new found power to charge the power conduits of the building along the way opening doors as they neared the beginning. When they reached the front of the Hall of Heros they saw something they weren't expecting.
Comstock's men were dropping in from airships along the front steps of the building. But they were being cut down by Slate's forces before they could get a foothold. The two teens watched the firefight come to an end, the still standing side looked to them but didn't raise their weapons.
"You've earned our Commander's respect." said one of the men motioning his hand toward the gondola that would lead them back to the amusement park.
Nodding their thanks, the duo moved through the dead bodies of Comstock's men and on to the gondola. Reece pulled the lever and the transport began taking them back to the end of the skyway. "That could have been bad if you didn't convince Slate to keep fighting." said Elizabeth as the port came back into view.
"Yeah, I would have hated to take out both sides just for us to make our getaway." said Reece as the gondola stopped and let them off back at Soldier's Field. The opposition was low level, compared to what they went through in the Hall of Heros it wasn't anything they couldn't handle.
They followed their old path back to the gondola that would take them to the First Lady airships docking bay. Reece charged the power conduit with a strong electric bolt and the gears powered up as they waited for their ride to arrive. The dark skies slowly beginning to give away to the light of the new day.
"He will abandon you, my sweet Elizabeth." Comstock's voice suddenly rang out through the amusement park via the PA system. "Once he has what he needs, he will leave you alone. What else can you expect from a liar and killer of women?"
Reece gritted his teeth, "Comstock."
Elizabeth looked up and around for the source of the Prophet's voice as she spoke. "Father...Prophet...whomever you are. I am leaving, and there is nothing you can do to stop me!" she shouted with enough conviction that impressed her companion.
"Oh, sweet child. You are very wrong about that." replied Comstock. "The False Shepard is attempting to lead you astray from my protective embrace. And you will soon see whom he truly is."
"Why don't you go straight to hell you old fuck!" said the traveler. "Infact, I'll send you there myself. Just come out of hiding!"
His response was silence, followed by the sounds of airship engines closing in on their location as they closed in and began unloading soldiers and police officers on to the nearby docks.
Reece quickly looked around, there wasn't a lot of time and the opposition coming their way could overwhelm them quickly if they didn't work fast. His eyes followed the skyway that went through the amusement park and saw that it went up to a building ledge far out of the way of the coming firefight. "Elizabeth, take that skyway and hide up on that ledge over there." he said pointing it out.
"And leave you alone? No way, Reece. There are tears all over the place out here, I can help you!" she said back as the airships began dropping off troops into the park.
"All the more reason for you to be up there!" he exclaimed taking out his Carbine and shooting three men before they could get into cover. "You'll have a good view of the area to give me support, and you'll be protected at the same time." They ducked down as rounds from an automated turret on one of the gunships fired on them. Reece threw a Possession into the gun making it turn on the soldiers and keeping the heat off of them.
"Go Elizabeth!" he shouted standing up and emptying the rest of this rifles clip into the attacking squad as more of them began to come into the area.
Giving him one last fleeting look, Elizabeth ran toward the skyways low point. Taking out her sky-hook and preparing to jump, she paused when she noticed a tear close by. A small grin appearing on her face when she saw what was behind it.
A flock of crows launched from Reece's palm and began attacking the soldiers wildly, giving him enough time to toss another Possession into the turret of the other airship the soldiers had dropped in from before he started shooting again. The crossfire being enough to mop up the remaining armed men before they could get a decent foot hold.
Two more airships hovered over the island, three troops leaping off and using the skyway to propel them down to the ground where they opened fire on the traveler.
Another soldier at the bow of the ship stood tall, aiming a rocket launcher at the possessed turret and destroying it before jumping down with his comrades to persue their target.
Reece focused on his powers. Energy channeling up his arm as he fired a bolt of electricity that stunned two of the soldiers long enough for him to switch to his machine gun and mow them down. But in his haste, he forgot the man with the launcher who fired a rocket his way.
The blast was powerful, blowing the wooden cover the teen had been behind to splinters sending him skidding across the pier and slamming against the railing that was behind him. His shield taking most of the impact, but the splash damage shattered it completely and still managed to deal a good amount of damage that left him aching.
Groaning in pain, Reece saw his machine gun laying in a mangled heap nearby and cursed as he struggled back to his feet. The soldiers began closing in, excitement running through them at the idea of ending the 'False Shepard' once and for all.
"Honor and Valor shall reign!" they looked up only to be torn apart by a hail of bullets. The teen was shocked to see a motorized patriot stomping down the pier. Its crank powered gatling gun going full force and reducing Comstock's men to bloody chunks as it fought with him instead of against him like the last two.
"How the hell...?" he wondered. He looked up to the ledge he had sent Elizabeth and saw her waving down at him. She turned and held out her hand, opening another tear that unleashed a MG turret that quickly began firing on another squad of soldiers on the ground below.
Grinning at the girl's creativity, Reece pulled out a health vial and a Salt. Knocking both bottles back before taking out his Carbine again and channeling electricity down his left arm. "Let's finish these assholes." he said standing by his 'support' as three more airships flew in.
His rifle registered several times, but was drowned out by the chaingun fired by the automated president as it stomped its way toward the hostiles.
Four more gunman came sliding down the skyway in their direction ready to reinforce the coming squads. Reece saw this and fired a bolt directly into the rail closest to him. Electirfying the whole track and causing the men to fall six stories to their deaths as their comrades dropped in from the airships.
One of the men was another rocket trooper that wasted no time launching an RPG at the motorized president and causing serious damage to it. The traveler quickly aimed and launched a Possession into the dangerous man. A second after the vigor took effect, the rocketeer turned and fired a missile right into a cluster of soldiers and blew them apart instantly.
With the soldiers now disorganized, and taking fire from Reece, the patriot, and the MG turret from Elizabeth's hiding spot left them at a large disadvantage.
They were cut down in a matter of minutes leaving the surrounding airships floating unmanned around the park. The motorized patriot succumbed to its damaged parts and collapsed, disappearing in a flash of light back through the tear it came through as Elizabeth zipped back down the skyway and landed back on the pier.
"Everything okay?" she asked a little worried. She had seen Reece get thrown from the explosion that went off close to him and it struck fear into her heart at the thought of him being hurt.
Her companion smiled at her, "I'm fine. How about you?"
Elizabeth smiled back weakly, "I just want to get out of here...away from this city and away from him." said said referring to the man claiming to be her father.
Reece motioned to the gondola as it finished docking with the pier. "You're chariot awaits." he said getting a light giggle out of her as they stepped aboard. After making quickly work of the lock, the lever was pulled and the transport began making its way to the First Lady airships docking bay.
They rode in silence. Though a bit of tension could be felt in the air between them. "Reece..." He turned and looked at his charge who had her arms crossed and was biting her lip. "Before all those men came to attack us...what Comstock was saying-"
"He's full of shit." Reece said cutting her off while turning her way. "I'll be straight with you, Elizabeth. I am NOT going to abandon you. My family raised me better than that." He reached out and held her hand, squeezing it gently as he smiled. "We're going to get out of Columbia. Then we'll hit up Paris. After that we'll just roll with it, okay?"
The young woman was a little dumbstruck at his vow. "W-What about your family? Going back home to your time?"
Reece shrugged, "The twins never explained anything about how that will happen. So until then I'll focus on making sure you're protected and somewhere safe from this god forsaken place. And besides," he grinned. "My family will understand if they knew what I was doing and why."
Elizabeth burrowed into his chest and hugged him as tightly as her lithe arms could. "Thank you." she mumbled into his shirt. She hadn't even known this man for a whole day, and yet he had done everything in his power to protect her. Risking life and limb to get her from the tower she had been imprisoned in most of her life and asking for nothing in return.
"How can anyone be so selfless?" she wondered as she felt his arms close around her and embrace her back.
A feeling of warmth and safety slowly overcame the young woman. It was foreign, but at the same time Elizabeth found it comforting. Each time she breathed in she could make out the slight auroma of cologne that still lingered on his clothes and skin making her want to fall farther into the serenity her companion unknowingly provided.
Reece was going through something similar. Elizabeth's petite and curvy form felt warm against his. The smell of lilacs and roses passing by his nose reminding him of a lush garden on a warm summer day.
Anyone with eyes could see that the young woman was beautiful. Her baby-blue eyes so hypnotic and curious about the world that you couldn't help but be drawn into them. And the traveler would openly admit that he could easily fall into them and get lost.
The gondola came to a stop at the docking bay causing the two to break apart. Blood rushing to their faces realizing they had pretty much held each other the whole journey. They exited the transport and entered the station without any trouble. Though Reece remained on high alert. With all the men that were taken out back at the park there had to be people stationed there to intercept them when they tried to board the First Lady.
His instincts had been right when they entered the main building and were ambushed by a group of four soldiers wielding pistols and clubs. Reece quickly dispatched them allowing them to scavange around the room for anything useful. Coming back with a couple bottles of Salts, a health vial and ammo for his Carbine, pistol and shotgun before they made their way up the main staircase and into an elevator.
"So...they call you the False Shepard." Elizabeth stated as the lift began to climb.
Reece nodded, "And you the Lamb." he replied.
His charge cringed at the name, "Let's not call each other that." she said making him nod in agreement. "How do you figure they'd know you'd be coming?"
"We'll they supposedly have a 'Prophet' on their side. Though I'm not putting much faith in that. So it leads me to believe that something else is going on around here. How can someone have the knowledge that someone from the future comes to the past? Something isn't right about that."
The elevator stopped at the top floor and opened up to a long walkway that lead straight to the airship they'd been waiting for. Breathing a sigh of relief, the two teens moved down the walkway and stepped on to the First Lady.
Inside, the airship was very posh and inviting. Comfortable couches and walls lined with books took up most of the space making it look more like the living room of a home instead of a bridge of a zeppelin.
After giving the place a good once over, Reece checked around for anything useful while Elizabeth looked over the controls. The traveler managing to find a small stockpile of Silver Eagles in a desk drawer and a couple of Salts on a shelf.
But it was when he checked the last desk that was set up by a set of locked double doors where he found an Infusion sitting and waiting for him. "I got it!" Elizabeth called from the front. He grabbed the bottle and drank the contents, setting the empty bottle aside and joining her at the controls.
She'd just finished punching in the coordinates for Paris, France and the traveler couldn't help but chuckle at the excitement that sparked in her eyes. "You ready?" he asked grabbing the levers and pulling them into the right place.
"I want to see Paris. I want to find my real family. I want to see...everything!" she said holding her arms out.
The airship began leaving the docking area and follow long the path programed into the system. Through the clouds ahead of them, the sun began peeking through. Dawn was fast approaching and seemed to be lighting the way for them.
Reece leaned against the controls and closed his eyes while breathing out slowly. "Finally...we're out of here." he thought as they headed to their new destination.
"Reece!" Elizabeth gasped making him snap his eyes back open. Another airship had come out of hiding and was heading their way on an intercept course. Unlike the ships used by Comstock's men, this one had red painting along the sides looking like stripes and making them really stand out against the white clouds around them.
"Who the hell are these-" Reece was cut off when something suddently impacted their airship sending both teens flying. He felt something crack hard against the back of his head and a jolt of pain lance through his skull before everything went black.
X
Everything was hard to focus on. The sounds around him made him feel as though he was underwater as his vision slowly swam back into focus.
He could make out Elizabeth trying to wake him up, tears in her eyes as she gave it everything she had as everything faded out into darkness.
His vision returned after what felt like minutes to see his charge heading for the open doorway. Casting a glance over her shoulder with a broken look on her face. He tried to say something, move any part of his body to let her know he was alive and not to leave.
But he couldn't. His body wouldn't respond as he watched her vanish through the doorway and his vision faded again.
When everything came back into focus for the third time, Reece's hearing began to clear a little. People had boarded the airship, mostly wounded who looked like they had been in a firefight recently. But none of them had the same colors as Comstock's army. This was another faction.
One of the men set a wounded soldier and saw Reece laying on the floor by the controls and came over. Kneeling by the teen's head to examine him for a few moments.
Without a word he raised his fist and brought it down on the traveler's face. Snapping his head to the side and knocking him out cold.
A/N: Just when they thought they were home-free, Columbia reminds our heroes that it won't let them go that easily. And things can only get worse unless they're ready for it.
Update coming tomorrow.
