It was dark, but the world around him was far from silent. After waiting for nearly two days, Big Brother's hearing was picking up every little sound. From the screech of the pipes to the dripping of water, he heard it all. But there were the occasional sound of a person, a Splicer, coming close to where he hid.

But they would see the signs that showed who's territory this was and would back off. These encounters were few in number, letting him rest in peace. But just in case, he kept his cable lying before him, waiting for somethign to walk by. Like a spider waiting for movement on its web, he waited.

His head came up and he dragged a Splicer into the room, kicking and screaming for dear life. When the Splicer managed to grab something to hold onto, Big Brother pulled harder, flinging the Splicer into a wall. The impact snapped the man's neck and shattered his ribs, killing him almost instantly.

But while the Splicer was still warm, Big Brother used a large hyperdermic needle he took from a Big Sister. He and the remaining Big Sisters were the only ones left who could harvest ADAM, but their bodies were unable to recycle it properly. So it stayed with them, unable to be passed on or processed. This was why the Splicers were becoming more and more desperate. While they knew about his territory, desperation was drawing them closer.

His cable snapped out again, only to be deflected by a piece of floating rubble. The intruder was quick to leave before he could draw it back for another strike. Big Brother knew this was just another part of the chaos that was gripping Rapture. Even after the dissapearence of the Little Sisters, the Big Sisters were still out on the prowl.

It was because he had a scent that was similar to theirs, made sounds like the Big Daddies they loved in their twisted manner. This was why they had such interest in him. Unfortunately, they were too prone to violence and had little care as to how hard they fought if there wasn't a Little Sister in the area. When Big Brother looked upon the dead Splicer, he had to wonder if he was becoming more like them.

By instinct, he hurled a harpoon into the shadows, only to have it thrown back. It bounced, harmlessly, off a wall and sent echos all through the room. The Big Sister just stood there, watching him. She turned her head as if trying to hear something distance. Then she was off into the darkness, her piercing scream shattering the silence, sending unseen Splicers running for their lives.

Big Brother retrieved his harpoon and sat himself down, content to just sit and rest for another few hours. He hurled his cable out into the hall and pulled out his tape recorder to listen to. He had to look around in his sack for the tape he wanted, but he found it.

"Big Brother, what does this light mean?"

"That means you turned it on. Why don't you say something?"

"Like what, Big Brother?"

"I don't know, why not about you?"

"Oh, ok! Hi, I'm Sara, and I'm Big Brother's Little Sister! We go all around looking for angels. I have a good nose so I can sniff where they like to hide. They like to hide all over, so I have Big Brother come with me to look for them. If a scary person comes, Big Brother protects me. He's just like the Big Daddy's that help the other girls like me. I heard a boy say Big Brother was 'my knight in shining armor'. Big Brother, what is a knight?"

"A knight is a man in a metal suit who protects a maiden when she is in danger."

"But I thought I was your Little Sister, aren't I?"

"You are, but if I'm your knight, then you are also my maiden, who I have to protect."

"Wow, I have a knight! Oh, I smell an angel, Big Brother!"

"Alright, let's turn this off then."

"Big Brother, what's a maiden?"

The tape ended there, sparking a memory of laughter long lost to thoughts of brutal survival. It echoed so deep within his mind that only his large bulk and armor prevented him from shaking. The sounds of a thousand bullets couldn't silence it, or the screams of a hundred Big Sisters. But, in the end, he found no desire for it to end.

The cable snapped tight, hurling another Splicer into the wall above him before he hurled it back out. The distraction was enough for Big Brother to snap out of his thoughts. He rolled up into a ball, the plates on his back unfolding to envelop him. Becaues of his make-up, he had developed the power of Tactile Tekekinesis, meaning anything he could touch could be controlled. By pushing against the floor on contact, he could build momentum. And because he didn't get sick or disoriented, he could roll for as long as he wished.

To make steering easier, Big Brother simply bumped into a wall, bouncing his way down the hallways. When he came across a small bunch of Splicers, he focused his power beneath himself like a bubble and forced it to burst. This launched him into the air, scattering the Splicers like bowling pins.

Those who survived soon realized what had hit them and were running for thier lives, but they would return. The scent of ADAM was here, getting stronger every day with the continued existence of him and the Big Sisters.

Once again, blood had been spilled in the name of survival. It was kill or be killed, a fate nobody should have had to face when Rapture was built. Big Brother didn't even wish it on the Splicers, who were suffering far more than himself. Even trapped within this suit, his mind was his, while they were prisoners trapped in their insanity.

Big Brother took out his tape recorder and searched his sack for another tape. When he couldn't find it, he dug deeper and felt a wave of relief when he found it by a package, still wrapped in waterproof material.

"Hey, this is a reminder to myself that it has been one year after I was paired up with Sara. I don't want to forget that I ordered a dress to be made for her. It wasn't easy getting her measurements, these hands have been getting bigger lately. In fact, I think I need to get my armor adjusted soon. Anyway, her blue dress is dirty and torn from the time she spends in the ventilation ducts. I hope she likes the new one when it comes. I had to pay extra for tear-resistant materials."

"Where are you Big Brother? I can't get down without you."

"Time to go! Oh ya, it's March 20, 1958."

Big Brother replaced the tape and turned it on, wanting something to listen to as he walked down the hall. He didn't know where his feet were taking him, only that walking let his mind see the ghosts of past memories.

"It is June 17, 1958, . I met up with a different kind of Big Daddy today. I heard about him being the first Big Daddy, his design taken after my own. Seems like my armor was took too much metal, so they made something lighter for him. They call him Subject Delta. I don't know why, but what can I say, I've come to calling myself Big Brother these days. After a year of working like this, I have no idea how I missed him all this time. Sara, you be careful now and don't wander off."

"I won't Big Brother, Mr. B is watching us."

"He's just like all the others, silent like a statue but cares for his Little Sister. I still have to wonder, how he got that drill of his when all I got was this harpoon and a spool of cable? I can't really complain, though, as I don't miss very often with them anyways. Plus I've been 'fishing' for trouble-makers with the cable on my time off. I don't know how it works yet, but I can just feel it when someone touches it, even when I can't see or hear them."

Big Brother took the tape out and put it in his pouch. Then he fished for another. When his finger touched it, something sparked in his mind, like a memory trying to force its way back from the depths. He made sure to catch the tape in question and looked at it. It looked like all the others, but there he remembered this one, so he slipped it in.

"It's September 18, 1958, and things are happening. I don't know too many details cause people are getting scared about my appearance. I've gained a lot of weight and my armor has been altered yet again. I'm bigger, heavier, and I'm looking more like a golem in someone's fantasy novel than a person anymore. Anyways, I overheard that Frank Fontaine has kicked the bucket. Everyone thinks that Andrew Ryan finally got him in something. It's either that, or he just wanted the guy dead. Things are just chaotic now."

"Big Brother, it's so noisy here, can we go somewhere else?"

"Ok, smell any angels?"

"It's hard to tell with so many people."

"Alright, just let me turn this off and we'll go somewhere else. I just hope this doesn't blow up..."

Big Brother stopped for a second to see that he was standing before the bulkhead door of one of the airlocks. Many of these were either broken down or useless, what with the amount of water that had drowned many sections of Rapture. He slipped his sack into a metal case that he hid in a corner of the room. With his stuff safe from the water pressure, he walked inside and flipped the switch.

As the water poured in, he was reminded how cold the world outside Rapture was. It was actually a pleasent reminder that he was still alive, one that told him to stay ready to defend what was left of his home from the madness.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blue-