The Leadhead Splicer had to hurry before the metal man woke up. He had just stolen a metal box with the hopes that it contained some ADAM or maybe a few powerful plasmids. He hurried down the hallway, trying to find a path that wasn't flooded or blocked with rubble.

When a Thuggish Splicer got in his way, he fired a round, chasing the other away. Unfortunately, doing just that upset the others who were farther down the hall. Being shot at without cause drew them out like hornets.

"Hey, what's that you got?" one of the Splicers asked. A wide smile formed beneath his rabbit mask, which was covered in grease and blood.

"Get lost, it's mine!" the Leadhead yelled and waved his gun around. But all he had was a pistol, while there were several Thuggish Splicers, all armed with wrenches and pipes.

One managed to sneak in from behind and cried, "It's mine!"

"Back off!" the Leadhead turned and shot him point-blank in the face, dropping him to the floor.

"Get him!" another cried before taking another two bullets. Another bullet found its way into a Splicer's stomach while the other two missed. Without any more bullets, the Leadhead Splicer was nearly defenseless.

Suddenly, one of the Splicers were struck down by a large rock while another was set aflame. Her screams were drowned by those of another. The Thuggish Splicers knew who was coming, but it was the Leadhead who feared for his life even more. He had taken something from that strange-looking Big Daddy, and now it seemed as if Big Sister wanted it for herself.

He ran for his life, he ran for his treasure, but mostly he just ran. He kept on running for as long as his degenerated legs could carry him. But years without enough ADAM have left him soft and weakened. He needed the ADAM the box had to be carrying. He ran into a storage room and waited until he didn't hear anything outside. He relaxed and sat down to see about opening the box. There was a combination lock on it, but he simply beat at it with his gun. He beat away at it for nearly an hour until the lock broke apart. He had done it! All the ADAM he could want was now...

"What is this junk!" he cried in utter despair. He had risked his life for a bunch of tape recordings and random objects that he had no need for. There was no ADAM and no plasmids.

To make matters worse, the door opened to reveal a red light. The Leadhead Splicer was speared through the heart by a large needle and lifted off the ground as his blood was drained. The Big Sister tossed the drained corpse to the floor, adding it to the many that lay forgotten. It would only be a matter of time before she and the Big Daddies joined them.

She was about to leave when she saw the open box and moved closer to take a look inside. She found a strange-looking key and a package with a dress in it. She paused when she realized that it was still in perfect condition by the clear wrapping. Then she fiddled with the tape recorder, as she didn't know how it worked.

When it popped open, she nearly jumped, but then she noticed the tape inside. She removed it and studied it. She put it back with the others and took another out. She slipped it in the same way she saw the first and closed it. She fiddled with it some more until she got it to work.

"I don't remember what the date is anymore. Ever since the death of Andrew Ryan, thing's have been crazy. I was hoping I could find Doctor Tenenbaum, but I haven't seen her in some time. Did she leave? She was always a strange woman, especially around Sara. I remember Sara would always hum this little tune. Tenenbaum would always tell Sara to stop whenever she was around, but at least once I heard her humming the same tune. Now all I can do is hope that I can protect Sara. A number of Little Sisters have left Rapture, but Sara has decided to stay. But I'm so tired now. I haven't slept in over a month and I'm only going because of the tonics and plasmids in me. I'm so tired...I just want to sleep..."

The Big Sister stared at the the recorder after it had stopped. It took the sounds of gunfire to shake her from her thoughts. She scooped up everything back into the sack they were in. The lock on the box was damaged beyond repair, so she left it while she tied the sack to the metal cage her back.

Several Splicers were attacking a lone Big Daddy, a Rosie. There wasn't any reason for this beyond desperation and ADAM-induced madness. They kept coming, pouring out of the woodwork to overwhelm this lone giant.

She caught some of their explosives using her telekinesis and hurled them back at them, blowing away several Splicers with each one. She screamed afterwards, throwing them into chaos. They hadn't expected to see Big Sister coming to get them when there wasn't a Little Sister around.

Many ran away, only to be chased by the injured Big Daddy, but over a dozen stayed, wanting to take her out as well. They fired a barrage of bullets, grenades, and fireballs in her direction, but she was already on the move.

She took to leaping up the wall, using any and all footholds she could find with surprising agility. The grenades were of no use, so the others kept up their assault. She dealt with the fireballs by snatching them out of the air with telekinesis and hurled them back. More Splicers died, with just the Houndini's able to get away. Then the Big Sister jumped onto a ledge and dissapeared from sight.

"Where'd she go?" one of the Splicers cried.

"Don't know. Get one of those vanishing freaks to go check it out."

A Houndini appeared before them, "Forget that, I'm not going!" She dissapeared in a red cloud. She returned seconds later, being pulled onto Big Sister's needle with telekenisis. She screamed as her body was drained of its fluids. Then she was cast aside as the Big Sister turned to face the rest.

"Get h-aah!" the Splicer was rammed from behind by a large drill. The Rosie had returned along with an Elite Bouncer. The two Big Daddies charged, crashing through the remaining numbers with ease. On their own, the two could take down several Splicers. But paired up like this, even with the Rosie in it's condition, they were nearly unstoppable. Adding the Big Sister into the mix meant that the Splicers had no chance and all of them fell, one by one.

The fight was over as quickly as the Elite Bouncer could enter it, with it ending with the last Leadhead Splicer having his spine ripped apart. The Rosie's light began to flicker and it dropped to its knees. It struggled to get back up, but it's body was peppered with bullet wounds, burn marks, and shrapnel. Its armor was in shambles and its air tank was leaking.

The Big Sister ignored it, for it was of no more concern to her. She left to retrieve the box and ran off to where she would find Big Brother. He was just getting up when she left the box out in the open for him. With it returned, she dissapeared into the shadows to watch him.

x

When Big Brother awoke, he was putting his helmet back on when he realized that his prized possessions were missing. But before he could react, he found them sitting several feet in front of him. The lock was broken, but nothing inside was missing. He discarded the box, knowing where another one was, and put the bag away.

He listened for a moment, hearing something was amiss. There were footsteps coming in his direction, but they were too heavy to be a Splicer. A Rosie came into view, severely injured and beyond saving. It faultered and nearly fell over trying to correct itself. Then it toppled over, falling into Big Brother's arms. It tried to get back up, but it was too weak now.

Big Brother watched as it's light was flickering, a sign of its injuries. Then it's light went dark, never to cast it's glow ever again. Big Brother removed his spear from its chest and laid it against the wall. Using a barrel of oil, he covered the Big Daddy in it and set it alight.

He watched it burn, wondering if this was going to become normal for him. There was once an army of Big Daddies, but their numbers were dwindelling. How many more were there? 10? 20? He didn't know. But no matter how many of them died, he would still remain. He was stronger and smarter than those other protectors, but did that mean anything here?

He didn't feel like listening to one of his recordings. He just stood there and watched the Big Daddy burn. He didn't mourn its passing, just as he didn't with the first, but something told him to stay with this one.

As the fires died down, he added more oil and let the heat wash over him. There were so few moments that he could feel warm. Everything about Rapture was cold and unforgiving, even if it wasn't flooded. Once the body had been reduced, Big Brother wandered off. It didn't matter where, just that he was on the move.

A lone Splicer stumbled onto his path, clearly injured. Big Brother didn't know what to make of this one. He wasn't running and he didn't look like he was about to fight. He just stood there, as if waiting for death to come and claim him, to take him away from this forsaken place.

Big Brother reached out and did just that. It was easy.

He left the body where it lay and kept going. He didn't care about the Splicers, they were nothing more than a memory. Soon, they would be nothing more than a forgotten memory, to be washed away by the chilling waters. The water would bring death to all but him and those like him. Those who weren't immune to the deathly cold and crushing pressure would not survive the day Rapture finally collapses.

But what would he do then? Would there be anything left for him, the Big Daddies, and the Big Sisters when this city was gone? It was a thought that would have never crossed his mind if he still had his Little Sister. He would keep wandering the city, content on one foot moving in front of the other. But he knew in his heart that there was no chance that he would ever find her. It has been three years since the city began to flood, and not a single Little Sister has been found. He wasn't sure as to how the Splicers have survived for so long with their bodies needing ADAM so much.

He brushed that thought out of his mind as he wandered into a room where a battle had gone on. Bodies lay everywhere from explosions, crushed under heavy slabs of rock, and being burned alive. Their days were numbered, that much was obvious.

Another group, only about five in all, came rushing out to strike him down. A single stomp was all it took to shake them off their feet. Then there was a sudden chill in the air as two of the Splicers were struck down by small, pointed icicles, made from the water flowing up Big Brother's body and onto his hand. It froze on the tips of his fingers and were shot with incredible force and rapid speed. The rest didn't have time to get up when they were shot full of icicles, freezing them to their core. Big Brother stomped again and they shattered to pieces.

The water flowed onto his back and turned into a chunk of ice. It was cold, but he was used to it before beginning of his service. He had mastered the cold since before he became what he was. It was the cold that killed the fires in his heart, made him serve Rapture like any Big Daddy. But he would remember that warm glow every time he looked in the eyes of his Little Sister. Without her, though, the cold had returned in force. His heart that was once warmed up by the sounds of a child's laughter, were frozen solid. Part of his soul, which once came alive at the touch of a child's delicate hand, were long dead.

Only the cold remained, and he was grateful for it. It meant that he would never feel the weight of death's hand on his shoulder. He would walk forever as long as his legs could carry him. He would walk until he found his Little Sister and heard her voice one last time. His time would never come until she defrosted his frozen soul. Until then, death itself could not touch him. Rapture was feeling the chill though. With every passing day, with every Big Daddy slain, the bonds holding the city up were failing. Soon, its heart would stop and the only sounds would be the sounds of his footsteps.

Three more Splicers appeared before him, each brandishing machine guns. But as soon as they aimed their weapons, each were blown away by an explosion of ice. Their bodies were frozen before they ever hit the ground and were crushed under a heavy foot.