When Big Brother awoke in the basement, he was startled to find someone sitting in his lap. He was about to wake them when he realized that it was Sara. She was sleeping quite contently, even with her head against his chest plate. He listened to her breathing, so soft and gentle. He heard someone at the stairs and saw her husband watching them. It was dark, but there was just enough moonlight coming in from the window to see him with a blanket in his arms. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking, though.

"I know you're not quite human anymore, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm thankful that you had the strength to protect Sara. No matter what happened to you, you were her protector. You were like a father to her. But I guess Jack sort of has that spot in her life now. I'm sorry it had to happen the way it must have gone, but I wouldn't have a loving wife and a beautiful daughter if she had stayed. If even half the stories were true, it must have been a horrible place for someone so young."

Big Brother shrugged his massive shoulders. He wanted to tell him that there were some good things about Rapture. But even without a voice, he wanted to keep silent anyways. He watched as the man covered Sara with the blanket. Neither made a sound, they just listened to the woman's breathing.

Before he left up the stairs, he whispered just loud enough for the larger man to hear, "I haven't seen her sleep like this since she had Susan. I guess you really are part of the family."

Big Brother looked up and realized just how much she had missed him. To have had to leave her home and come to a strange place. It must have been tough for her. In Rapture, he was all she ever really knew. He would take care of her, protect her, and she would be a good Little Sister for him. But fate wasn't always so kind. Like how the two had to change so much, just to meet the way they did. They lost what made them human and became like a family for each other.

But even though he was finally here, on the surface, with her in his arms, things could never return to the way they once were. Rapture was nothing but a faint memory of it's former self. It was dead, a decaying corpse of a once-graceful city. Once all the Splicers died out, there would be no more 'angels' for any of the Little Sister to find. But by that point, they all would have grown up into Big Sisters.

To add to it, Sara had a family now, she had a daughter of her own. She had to stay with them. This was the best thing that could happen to her. She and the others were the remaining legacy of Rapture. Once their time in this world was done, there would be nothing left of the city.

What hit him most was that he couldn't stay. He never should had been a part of her new world. She would have been better off forgetting about him. Nothing that still held the taint of ADAM should have ever left. But here he was. He couldn't believe how hard it would be for him to have to leave and never be able to her goodbye.

But he couldn't leave her side at this time. She was in danger from the Templar. He knew they wouldn't stop until they obtained what they wanted. They were using something similar to Rapture's Plasmids, but their ADAM was weak and corrupted. He could smell it on all of them. Even then, the loss of their sanity would be invevitable.

But even if their ADAM was tainted, it was stronger than Sara's. Though she possessed Telekineses, she would only be able to move small objects. He could almost feel her power inside her, reading like a book to learn that was the extent of her abilities. He was surprised that any amount of power had manifested. The other appeared to be normal women.

Sara shifted, scattering his thoughts. But while those on the surface were dispersed, something deeper began to stir.

"Almost finished, Big Brother!" Sara says as she jabs her needle into the corpse. It was a woman, another pitiful Splicer. It was fortunate that there weren't that many. But why was this happening? Did it have anything to do with ADAM? He would have to ask the scientists about it. He didn't want to risk becoming like them. He wouldn't risk Sara's life like that.

"Alright, there's no rush." Big Brother scanned the area while she gulped down the red fluid with a smile. He had seen it enough that it didn't bother him so much anymore. Seeing her smile so innocently was all that he cared about. As long as she smiled, he was content in his place in life.

Once she was finished, she let out a yawn and rubbed her eye, "I'm sleepy."

Big Brother smiled, "Alright, let's go."

He scooped the girl up into his arms and carried her. There were no Splicers to be found as he made his way down the halls. There were a few people, but they weren't about to get in his way as he slowly lumbered to one of the vents. He didn't have to remember where they were, he just let his legs take him to where he wanted to go. By the time he got there, Sara was struggling to stay awake.

"Can I stay with you?" she asks.

"Sorry, but you know the rules. You have to go back."

Sara put her head against his chest and yawned again, "Ok."

"Maybe next time. I'll ask and see if it's ok. I'll wait right here for you though. That way, you know where you can find me." He held the girl up to the hole and watched as she crawled her way inside.

He sat down beside the vent and closed his eyes. It had been a long few months. But he was used to it by now. An hour passes and a Big Daddy with another Little Sister walked by. The Big Daddy lifts the girl to the hole and left to continue his rounds. But to Big Brother's surprise, she popped her head back out.

"Excuse me, but someone's blocking the way."

Big Brother got up and lifted himself up to the hole to peer inside. Sure enough, Sara was fast asleep. She had barely made it four feet. The other Little Sister did her best to pull Sara close enough for Big Brother to take her out. There wasn't anything he could do right now besides keep her with him. Fortunately, he didn't have to sleep for another several hours.

"Thank you for telling me," he said to the other Little Sister, who nodded and dissapeared into the vent.

He just sat there, content with holding her in his arms. She was like a baby to him, from how big he was. He gently removed his gloves and put it over her. It wasn't much of a blanket, but she didn't seem to mind as she smiled and muttered his name in her sleep.

Those several hours were going to be a long time, but he would wait. For her, he would wait much longer.

"Mommy?"

Big Brother hummed the best he could, but it was difficult with a scarred throat. The girl made her way down the stairs and stopped near the end. She was still a bit scared of him, but that was understandable. He had a look that could unsettle most hardened soldiers. He looked down, letting the glow from his eyes shine over Sara. He then extends his hand out to the child, beckoning her to come to him.

She was slow at first, but she warmed to him when he didn't do anything but sit there. He pulled the blanket aside and let her crawl onto her mother's lap. She laid her head on the woman's chest, who muttered in her sleep and wrapped her arms around the girl. Big Brother pulled the blanket back over the two and rocked them.

For the first time since he was paired with Sara, he was allowed to sleep without worry of attack. He quickly fell back to sleep, something that was so difficult in the past. No dreams came, but then again, he never had any real dreams since his change, only memories. But his sleep was calm and quiet.

As the break of dawn came, he was careful not to disturb the two as he got up and walked over to the basement window. After years of being under the surface, he couldn't get enough of seeing the sunrise. It was almost painful to watch it now after wandering in darkness for so long.

When Sara shifted, Big Brother put a hand over her face to protect her eyes, but she brushed him off. He let her down and watched as she carried her daughter back to her room. When she returned, she had a doll in her hands.

"I had one of the others make this to help me sleep. For awhile, it worked." She held it up for him to see. It was a portly thing, looking more like a ball with a head and limbs sewn on and made to look like him. It even carried a little harpoon on a piece of yarn. "It's also one of Susan's favorite toys. It's like she remembers you the way I once saw you, back when I was still a Little Sister." She puts her hand on his arm, her fingers tracing a jagged scar in the metal caused by a Spider Splicer's hook. "You were such a sight back then. I-I can't really put it into words anymore. It's just been so long. But to see you now, I'm even more awestruck. I guess it's because you aren't just a figure in my memories anymore. You look more real now than you ever were back in Rapture." She looked upstairs and smiled, "Susan's looking for Little B, I should give him back before she gets upset."

Big Brother tilted his head in confusion.

"I don't know what it is, but I just feel what Susan wants sometimes." She did her best to be silent as she moved up the old stairs and dissapeared through the doorway.

Big Brother just stood by the window and watched the sun. While the household began to wake up to the new light, he grabbed his weapons and left through the basement enterance. It was the only opening that he could fit through, as he was too big for the front door without risk of breaking something.

Outside, he thought he saw some movement in the distance. Before he could react, a large figure, almost the size of him, slams into his side and carries him away. He was carried several meters before being thrown into the nearby forest. As he crashes through the small trees, his attacker knocks over one of the larger trees, dropping it on top of him.

As Big Brother pushes it off, his eyes turn red and he rolls into a ball, launching himself high into the air, above the tree tops. Along the way, he snags a branch with his cable on a tree and uses it to pull himself back to earth, right where the enemy was still standing. He lands with such force that he leaves a crater on impact.

While attempting to recover, he's launched through the air again and comes crashing down on a boulder. Something bends and he watches as one of his back plates hits the ground. He snatches it off the ground as he gets back up and holds it before his face as the man's fist puts another dent into it. But when he failed to punch through, all that force went back into his arm. There was a loud crack as bone split.

The man wails in pain, but charges forwards, slamming his shoulder into Big Brother's gut. He lifts him up and runs him into another tree. This one was stronger, so it bore the impact without falling. But now Big Brother was stuck in the wood. The man takes his good arm and readies himself. But with a flick of his wrist, Big Brother's cable snaps around and wraps itself around the limb.

With his arm caught, Big Brother uses him to pull himself out and hefts the man over his head by his belt and slams him into the ground. He puts his foot into the man's chest, knocking him back into the air where he grabs his foot and swings him into a dead tree, turning it to splinters. Severely battered and bruised, the man finds it difficult to get up again. But this level of punishment wasn't enough to finish him off as the man pulls out something from his pocket and covers his face.

Big Brother was instantly blinded by the bright light of the flash grenade. Unable to see, he loses his balance on a root and topples over. The man takes his time finding his second wind and get up again. His body had been spliced enough times that he was incredibly durable.

"You are truly a worth adversary. I am glad that we captured that big fellow. The Serum we made from his blood was like liquid power. But I have orders to kill everyone but the woman. So that means I will kill you. But first, let us see what you look like." The man grabs hold of Big Brother's helmet and was about to pull.

Big Brother takes this opportunity to wrap his cable around the man's neck, distracting the man long enough to grab his anchor. He slams it into the man's hip, knocking him over so he could hit him on the side of the head, dropping him flat. But even that was only enough to stun the man. Big Brother, still having difficulty seeing from the flash, was raising his weapon to finish the man off, only to miss his mark. The man rolls across the ground, hoping to stay out of the way. Big Brother tries again, but smashes a rock instead. When he goes for a third attempt, another man, as big as the first, crashes into him.

"Ha! Did you really think it was so easy to beat one of the Panzer Faust? Hah!" The man turned to his comrade, "Hey, did Number Seven get the woman yet?"

An army Splicer walked into the scene, carrying a radio, "Yep, the job's done. And it seems that she has a little girl too."

"Good, tell Faust Number Seven to finish off everyone e-" he stops to look down. There was a large fist poking through his stomach. Big Brother then grabs the other man by the head and used him to plug up the hole. When he began to struggle, Big Brother took a black polyp, shoved it into his gut, and squeezed. The resulting implosion from the Gravity Well reduced the two to a pile of red meat.

The army Splicer didn't know what to do as this massive figure loomed over him. But then, without any reason, Big Brother turns and leaves him. For a moment, he thinks that he is safe. But that ends when a tree trunk is dropped onto him. Big Brother stopped and looked back to see another figure standing there. His eyes go wide as he looks upon a face he would have never believed to ever see again.

Standing there was a near-splitting image of Sara. But her pale skin, her filthy hair, and the glowing eyes told him that he had found her sister. He couldn't believe that the Big Sister from Rapture, the one he tried to protect, was actually Susan all along.

She kicks the tree, unaware as to why Big Brother was just standing there. But when his mind snaps back to the task at hand, he urgently growls and roars, pointing in the direction of the house. He didn't have to speak words to get his point across as Susan jumps on his back.

Big Brother, shielded by his contact Telekinesis, leaves a trail of carnage in his wake as he crashes through the forest. Trees shattered and toppled while bushes were torn up and pushed aside like they were nothing but air as he passed. Roots were ripped from the ground they were ribbons. Each step left a deep imprint in the ground that no rock or root could prevent.

It didn't take long before he came to the house, only to find it aflame. He didn't notice Susan dropping off his back as he charged inside. He puts both hands through the wall and tore it away like paper. The flames washed over him, but he ignored it and went inside. All the furniture was consumed by fire while puddles of molten glass dripped onto the floor.

Big Brother roared as loud as he could, calling for anyone to reply. But all he could hear was the roar of the flames and wood crumbling down. He ran for the stairs, which were on fire as well. He somehow made it up a few steps before the wood collapsed. As he fell, his heavy body crashed through the floor, dropping him into the basement. Then he saw it, the burning form of Little B. The poor doll was lying on it's side, watching him, while the fires devoured it.

But just as he was about to give up hope, he heard something over the roar of the fire. It was the call of a Big Daddy! Something inside Big Brother stirred from it's slumber and was unleashed.

All around him, the flames became like water, flowing over his body, but they didn't dare touch him. For his heart was as cold as death itself and even the fires of hell would not consume him. He roared so loud that even the devil would run in fear. As the flames swirled around him, he leaped out of the house, taking flames with him.

Outside, he found the men and women hiding behind a large oak tree while a group of army Splicers shot at them. There wasn't much room for them, and the Splicers were making their way around. The Splicers scattered when they saw Big Brother charging towards them like a hound of hell, but there was nothing they could do. His rage would not be quenched so easily.

His cable lashed out, snapping three in half. When several more started shooting at him, he hurled his anchor at them. The weapon, no long protected by his contact Telekinesis, exploded on impact. Molten shards peppered them, setting all of them ablaze.

A large man, just like the other two, hurled a rock, striking Big Brother on the head. But the stone turned to molten slag when it touched him. His cable became like a giant salamander as he lashed out with it. The soldier was burnt to a crisp before he hit the ground.

But even with the fight over, Big Brother was still enraged. He stamped the ground, incinerating everything on the ground around him. The flames lashed out like dogs at the end of their leash. Jack approached with an odd calmness to him before the old man gave a mighty bellow of his own, like that of a Big Daddy. This sudden realization snapped Big Brother out of his rage. It took some time to calm down and put out the flames, but once it was done, his armor was cool to the touch.

Jack walked up close and let out a long groan. Now that he had Big Brother's attention, he points to a scar on his wrinkled throat, indicating that he had his voice altered. Big Brother knew of the process, even though he was the only one who didn't need it. So that had to be one of the reasons Sara left with him.

He followed the old man to check on the family. To his woe, the soldier's words were true, for Sara and her daughter were missing. The men and a few of the women were injured from the fire and the fighting, but the children were unharmed and everyone was still alive.

But it was Sara's husband who took it the hardest. The man was on his knees, unable to find the strength to hold himself up any longer. All he could mutter was how he had failed to protect his family. He was a wreck, a weak and pathetic wreck.

Big Brother grabbed the man by his shoulders and shook him until he stopped crying. The man looked deep into the yellow light from Big Brother's eyes and nodded. "H-hey, Jack, where'd you hide Big Ol' Bertha?"

The old man looked surprised for a moment, but took one look at Big Brother and nodded before running off. Several minutes later, Jack came back holding a hunter's wet dream and worst nightmare. Big Brother couldn't believe his eyes, for this was a weapon that could be used to hunt him.

"Hey, where's those explosive rounds you've been working on?"

One Big Brother's plates slipped off.

When the truck lurched after hitting another bump, Sara rocked her daughter to keep her calm. The girl was trying her best not to cry, but it was hard without her doll. Even Jack couldn't handle the large men when they came. They cast him aside like he was nothing. Then one of them set the house on fire, with most of the family still inside it.

One of the two soliders guarding her looked like he was about to pass out, but she didn't like the look of the other. He was eyeing her in such a lustful way and it was making her nervous. But the other man seemed to know this and tapped his rifle on the floor.

"Don't even try it, Bill."

"What, I wasn't going to do nothing." But the man's smile never left him.

"Don't even try it," the man repeated. "You're going to get yourself in deep shit if you do."

"I told you, I'm not going to do anything!" The hammer of his pistol on his belt moved into position. "Hey, what the-" the gun suddenly went off. The truck screeched to a stop and a third man appeared to check on them.

"Now what the hell are you two doing?"

The one with the pistol couldn't answer. So instead he pointed at Sara.

"You know the bitch has powers. Keep your guns trained on her and she won't be so inclined to pull this shit."

The man with the gun pointed his rifle at the two, "Now, if you try that again, I'll have to explain why we are bringing a woman and a dead kid. You got that?" Sara looked at her terrified daughter and nodded. "Good, now sight tight and don't pull anything. Or the next thing to be pulled will be my trigger."

Sara did as she was told and sat still. She had been hoping to make a grab for the rifle, but lost her chance when the truck stopped so suddenly. There wasn't much she could do but wait and hope that help would arrive soon.

The truck stopped once more. The truck driving behind them stopped too and the soldiers inside got out. The two men went outside as well, but were quick to jump back inside as gunfire ensued.

"Get this thing rolling, NOW!"

The truck lurched as the man hit the gas. Then there was a loud bang and something tore the cover off. As the two trucks drove off, Sara looked around to see a devistated army camp. Amongst the carnage was a lone woman.

The woman raised her hand and several men were lifted into the air before being thrown like ragdolls. But as the soldiers fired their guns, a much larger figure slammed into the ground before her, acting as a living shield.

"Big Brother!" Sara screamed.

The large man reached back and grabbed what looked like a gun. But because it seemed to fit his size, it had to be more like that of a small cannon. She was right to duck and cover Susan's ears. For when he fired a round, it was like a bomb went off. The truck behind them lost control and crashed as both men in the front practically burst open like balloons. Big Brother loaded another round and fired again, taking out one of the larger men. The shot had to be powerful, for he was blown in two.

Before he could load another round, pair of tanks rolled into the scene and fired their cannons. Big Brother dissapeared in a cloud of black smoke and Sara feared the worst. But the barrel of his gun appeared and fired back. The shot must have killed the driver, for the tank started going out of control. Big Brother then loaded another round as he charged the second and slammed his shoulder into it's front.

Even though he was smaller than it, his power allowed him to smash through the metal. Five inches of steel armor plating crumpled like cardboard. Sara watched as he backed up a few steps and fired a round inside. The men's screams were silenced as there was another explosion.

The truck picked up speed and the camp quickly dissapeared from view. As the soldiers sat back down, bewildered by the amount of destruction, they heard a powerful roar.

"Hurry it up! We have to get back to Camp Alpha and tell them that Camp Epsilon has been destroyed!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" the driver replied.

"Then step on it! We don't know how fast those to can go. All we can do is lose them."

Sara watched the smoke rise into the air as Big Brother's cries echoed in her ears.

Big Brother couldn't believe he had lost her again! He put his foot down on a soldier's head and looked around. Bodies, and their various parts, littered the ground around him. He was panting now, for he had expended so much of his power fighting all of them.

It was fortunate that the area for the Splicers had been kept seperate. He and Susan had taken care of them with a few well-placed trees. And a few rounds from Big Ol' Bertha sent the larger ones to their graves with due haste. The gun had been designed to take down large game, while the explosive ammo was for Big Daddies. Jack had always feared Rapture coming to the surface, but he had little to worry about.

Big Brother still couldn't believe the power of the rifle he now held in his hands. It weighted over eighty pounds of metal, and fired half-pound slugs. Then there were the one-pound explosive shells too. They took out everything and everyone he shot at. But it wasn't enough. He had been carrying nearly seventy pounds of ammunition, but was down to a quarter of that number now.

As he begins to walk, she falls to his knees. He was tired, he needed rest. But he wasn't going to until he knew that Sara was safe. This was the third came he had destroyed while looking for her, he wasn't going to quit now.

Susan grabbed him by his arm and helped him back to his feet. It was a good attempt, but she was tired and too small to move him anyways. He looked into her glowing eyes and was reminded of what he was fighting for. He took a deep breath and started moving.

But from the trees, several figures appeared.

"Hey, look there, he has ADAM!"

"Get him!"

Big Brother checked the chamber and found an explosive round inside. Things were going to get messy.