"I'm not responsible for this- any of this. I- I killed Comstock. And Columbia shouldn't really exist anymore. Me and Elizabeth made sure," Booker said, looking out at the carnage. Robert ran a hand through his hair in thought. "Well, we thought so too, Mr. DeWitt."
"But the thing is," Rosa began, "My brother found out something strange with the infinite realties you visited. They were beginning to break down and combine into one singular reality where the key variables were changed. We fear the worst- Comstock has changed, Mr. DeWitt. He is no longer you. And we don't even think he is human," Rosalind said. What really scared Booker was that the Luteces were no longer speaking in riddles and making Booker attempt to figure out moments later. They were talking straight to him and honestly sounded... Desperate for help. "Mr. DeWitt, we need your help stopping this," Robert said.
Another explosion shook the apartment. "And why would I help you two?" he asked. The twins looked at each other. "I told you he'd say that," Robert said smugly. Rosalind rolled her eyes. "Never mind that. Look, take your daughter and whatever you need and run. You must go up the closest street right outside your apartment. There, we guarantee you, you will find people who will help you," she said.
"Bowery?" he asked
Rosalind nodded quickly. "Yes, yes. Take your gun too."
Booker wasted no time in retrieving his Mauser C96 from his office and returning to the living room. He grabbed Anna by the arm. "Come on, sweetheart, we need to go," he said softly. Tears continued to streak down her cheeks. Her watery blue eyes searched Booker's for an answer.
"What is this, daddy? What's going on? I'm scared..."
Booker took a long time to respond. In the distance, the explosions continued.
"I'm scared too, Anna," he finally said.
When he ran out, the Luteces had disappeared. Anna noticed this. "Where did-"
"Never mind that, we need to go," he said, skirting the question.
He led her to the front door and opened it up. The hallway was very different from the apartment he had seen every day. Just two feet from his door, the corpse of a man was sprawled face down in a pool of blood. It didn't look like anyone Booker knew, and his style of dress was drastically different from his and Anna's. Oh, right. I'm in the future, he thought. Anna gasped at the grisly sight. Three large bullet holes peppered the man's back. "Daddy..." Anna whispered.
Booker shook his head and moved her on. The whole building rumbled as the Columbian attack intensified. There was a sudden shout at the end of the hall. A pair of figures tumbled through a doorway, struggling over a rifle. One was obviously a Columbian soldier, still dressed in the flashy blue uniforms Booker remembered. With a shout, Booker let of Anna and wrapped his right arm around the soldier's neck, forming a tight chokehold. The soldier was caught off guard by the sudden attack and Booker quickly forced him to the ground. Booker loosened his grip, but as the soldier attempted to get back to his feet, Booker planted a swift stomp to the soldier's throat. The man the soldier was in combat with quickly fled. Anna came up to Booker, with a hand over her mouth. "You- you killed him, daddy," she said, near whisper.
Booker took her hand. "Get a hold of yourself. We need to keep moving," Booker said as he and Anna stepped over the corpse. They reached the front door and as soon as they departed, they were met with a chaotic scene.
Dozens of people ran in all directions. They ran in to cars and objects on the sidewalks, sometimes into each other. A fleeing man smacked into Booker shoulder, but didn't break pace in his fleeing. Booker led Anna down the street. Several buildings were on fire, a few corpses were splayed out in the street or on the sidewalk. A Columbian airship sailed in over head, racking a building with machine gun fire. A few soldiers were dropped off from the airship down onto street level. Booker led Anna into an alley, away from the fighting. The street was deserted. The two of them ran as far away from the gunfire as possible. There were only a few wrecked cars on this street. Booker and Anna slowed down.
Anna wiped a tear from her cheek. "Daddy, please just tell me what's going on. Why are we here? Who were those people? I just have so many questions, daddy," she said.
Booker leaned down to match her height. We wiped away a tear. "Listen honey. This is 1983 right now and America is under attack. And I have been... chosen to help fight it off, okay? I'll make everything clear when the time comes. I promise."
Anna was silent for a bit, but when she opened her mouth to speak, it was drowned out by the turbines of a Columbian hovercraft. The two of them stood up and looked at the searchlight beam that focused on them. An automated machine gun began to swivel in the father and daughter's direction. Booker pushed her away down the street, shouting for her to take cover by some rubble. Booker tripped over some mangled metal and as he tried to stand up, the hovercraft adjusted to make a final shot. Booker could only shield his face and listen to Anna scream.
There was a sudden, loud boom overhead. Booker opened his eyes and saw a sleek, silvery shape swoop in from behind some buildings. The new craft jettisoned some sort of rocket from its underside, which immediately streaked towards the hovercraft. The hovercraft was too slow in avoiding it, and the rocket scored a direct hit. The hovercraft burst into flames and crashed into a nearby building. Booker got up; taking a moment to enjoy his new found luck. The other aircraft streaked off faster than anything he had seen in Columbia. He ran over to Anna and helped her up. "You okay, Anna?" he asked she nodded in reply. "Alright, let's keep moving," Booker said.
They continued to walk down the street, Booker wondering who was going to help them like Rosalind promised. They went to turn down another street, but heard several heavy boots stomping up behind them, along with a man saying "Alright guys, this way- keep it tight!" Booker and Anna turned and saw a group of about thirteen men in green camouflage and wielding sleek, black weapons that looked like they were constructed out of some sort of plastic. Catching sight of the father and daughter, they immediately held up their weapons. Booker figured they must be the United States Army of the future. Booker and Anna put up their hands.
One of the men, who had the rank of staff sergeant as Booker noticed on his uniform, stepped up, keeping his gun trained on Booker. "Both of you. On your knees, now," he said gruffly, motioning with his gun. Booker complied and Anna mimicked. He looked at the pistol in Booker's belt. "Hand over the weapon," he ordered. Booker withdrew his pistol and threw it to the feet of the staff sergeant. He picked it up and handed it over to another man. The man who received the pistol examined it closely.
"Whoa. A Mauser. This thing is a damn antique," he mused.
The staff sergeant went over to the pair and patted them down for any weapons. Booker glared at him when he patted down Anna. "Hey don't get to comfortable there, pal," he snapped at the staff sergeant.
"Shut the hell up," he growled back. "Both of you, on your feet," he ordered. They both complied. The man withdrew a rectangular box with a little rod sticking out of the top from a pocket. He pushed a button and spoke into it. "Captain, we have two prisoners who appear to be affiliated with the hostiles. Please advise, over."
After a bit the man spoke again. "One is a male, possibly forty years old, the other is a female, eighteen or nineteen, over."
Then, one last time "Yes sir. We'll take them back safe. Yes sir, over."
He and his men formed a box around Booker and Anna and started to walk them off. So much for the 'help,' Booker thought to himself. Suddenly, the familiar sound of mechanical joints working came from a building. The soldiers looked up and saw a hulking silhouette jump down from a building. The thing hollered "Every step I take burns!"
"Handyman!" Booker shouted as the half man, half machine monstrosity charged towards the group. The soldiers scattered and began to shoot wildly at it. The Handyman grabbed a lone soldier in one of its massive paws and hurled him with ease through a storefront. It lifted up a car and pitched it at Booker and Anna, barely missing them. Booker and Anna crouched behind some rubble and watched the men frantically do battle with it. The staff sergeant ran over to where the pair was and grabbed Booker by the collar of his shirt.
"The hell is that thing? How do I stop it?" he frantically asked.
Booker pushed the man off him and said "See the heart? Shoot it there!"
The soldier fired a burst from his gun and narrowly avoided being crushed by the Handyman's foot. He tapped on the shoulder of another soldier and yelled "Get out your Stinger missile, aim for the heart, got it?" The man he addressed nodded and took a long tube with a scope off his back. He pointed it at the Handyman, who was standing still coughing, and called out
"Got a lock... And FIRING!"
The tube shot out a rocket which impacted right in the heart. The glass vessel burst and the heart was torn apart. The Handyman quickly crumpled, dead. The men stood in silence; with the staff sergeant walking over to the Handyman's head and shooting in point blank with his gun several times. He turned back to Booker and Anna. "Thanks, I guess. You're still coming with us."
They were escorted to a large shopping center somewhere in the city. Anna said to Booker upon their arrival "Daddy, this is Macy's. Where I work!" It had been converted into a military command post. All sorts of equipment Booker didn't recognize were set up and men were on phones and other communication devices, while the wounded were being tended to in various areas.
The staff sergeant said to Booker "The captain wants to see you."
They were lead to a room where a small knot of officers were looking over a map of New York, with pins and markings all over the place. At the head, a hard looking middle aged man with a captain's pin in his lapel studied the man intently.
"What's our status on air support?" he asked.
"We got three squadrons of F-16s, all engaged with hostile air forces, which appear to be limited to airships and hovercraft. All other squadrons are tied up with hostiles down in Washington or Hartford."
"What about heavy artillery?"
"We're attempting to procure as many pieces as we can, sir. So far we have fourteen pieces, which are currently bombarding hostile infantry along the East River."
"What's the current death toll?"
"We don't know, sir."
The staff sergeant knocked on the doorframe. "Sir, here's the prisoners you requested."
The captain nodded. "Very good, staff sergeant."
He waved away the staff sergeant and walked over to Booker and Anna. "I apologize for any poor treatment my men have given you. My name is Captain Felix Ryanson and I am-"
He stopped suddenly when he looked at Booker directly.
"Wait a second. I know you. You're- you're my great grandfather."