Sorry for taking so much time writing this. I haven't been all that focused lately (again), but I've tried putting some effort into writing every day. I've also been working on a few other things too, which has been keeping me busy.

One thing I think you should know is that I am planning on writing a sequal to Big Brother. I'm just not sure just how many chapters will be left. I have some ideas I've been playing with, but I just need to keep writing. Until then, I hope you still enjoy my story and send me your comments like you always do. I really appreciate them.

The first shot took out two Thuggish Splicers and wounded the Leadhead behind them. He covered his face as they started shooting their guns. He heard a woman screaming and swatted the Spider Splicer away.

"I got you now!" a Houndini Splicer cried as he appeared behind Big Brother. Unfortunately for him, Susan was already standing there waiting for him. She used Telekinesis to pick him up and hurl him back at the others. Big Brother still couldn't believe what was happening.

A large number of Rapture's Splicers were here on the surface. He didn't know how they got here, but he knew that he had to get rid of them now and save Sara. He took aim and blasted a Brute Splicer's arm off, only for him get back up and charge again. Susan quickly set him on fire to sow confusion among their ranks. It was just what they needed as the Brute Splicer flailed about, knocking down any who came too close. One was unfortunate enough to have his burning corpse fall on top of her, setting her aflame as well.

The two had to make a break for it. Big Brother was tiring much too fast to win this fight. Splicer after Splicer, he killed them all as they came. He smashed the Thuggish, he tore apart the Leadheads, and blew apart the Brutes. But there just too many for him and Susan to fight on their own.

His rifle was getting heavy in his arms, a really bad sign. Then there were bullets denting his armor, revealing a weakening in his power. A fireball struck him on the shoulder and he felt it burn his flesh. He couldn't keep reinforcing his armor any longer. His powers were running out of fuel.

He didn't want to do this, but he had to. He growled to Susan, who shrieked her concern for the damage to his body. But he was already dissapearing in a green haze. She nodded her head and teleported. As the haze covered him, he felt his hold on this world fading. Just as he was almost through, a heated hook found it's way into his porthole, melting it's way through the glass.

Before he knew it, he was falling through a tunnel, the world screaming all around him. His senses were gone, leaving only the sense of urgency to leave this place. His bones were cold as ice, his blood was like molten fire, and his nerves were numb to any sensation. But then he felt the hook, still lodged in his helmet.

It was still burning hot, as there was nothing here to cool it. There was no air here, no vacuume, nothing but him and it. Big Brother couldn't pull it out, for he didn't have any power to move while in this state. After what felt like an eternity, he saw the end of this hellish realm and popped back into his own world.

As his senses rapidly returned, he realized that the hook was starting to burn at the flesh around his eye. He quickly tore it out, only to rip out the glass of the porthole. Not only did he shatter it, he tore part of the metal as well and spilled the liquid inside his helmet. As the bright lights of the sun burned his eyes, the surprise of this new sensation sending him into a blind craze. He thrashed madly about, not knowing if that he was bumping into were friend, enemy, or merely trees.

When Susan found where he had re-entered, she screeched and kept her distance from him. But he couldn't maintain it with his lack of strength. His actions slowed, the fatigue sapping the strength of his rage. Susan only approached him once his eyes had turned from red to yellow. Like Big Daddies, most of the glow came from a bio-luminescent chemical inside his helmet. It helped to show others his mood, but his could be drained from his helmet before he took it off. This was another feature that his armor possessed that the Big Daddies lacked.

He sat himself down against a fallen tree and started removing some of the most damaged pieces of his armor. Most of them had simply been pieces of metal he had hammered into shape and either tied or rivited into place. Several of these plates were severely torn, burned through, or full of bullet holes. But most of the damage was to his front, so he still possessed his rolling plates. Unfortunately, he was down one during the battle with the first Panzer Faust. As he was trying to remove his helmet, Susan stood before him and helped to remove it.

After so many years bathed in chemicals, his hair was thin and nearly lifeless. Susan brushed the hair covering his face aside to get a look at him. She seemed to study his features for a few seconds before looking around for something. She took a piece of glass and put it on top of a metal plate to build a make-shift mirror to show his reflection. He wouldn't have believed what he could see in front of him until he saw his hand reaching up to touch his face.

During the time before his change, he had once been a handsome man. Afterwards, he had become muscular and well-toned. But the years without sunlight left him pale. Over time, as he absorbed more and more ADAM, Plasmids, and Tonics, his body bulked up even more. His face appeared slightly swollen and the skin was as tough as leather. Over time, many of his teeth had fallen out as his gums got bigger and all the bones in his body started snapping apart to adjust to his growth. But those that were lost were soon replaced with larger versions that were a better fit for his jaw once it all stopped.

This realization only drained him further. He was hungry, tired, and had no more EVE. He needed food and rest, but he didn't want to stop. He had to save Sara from the Templar, he would not stop until he had her save in his arms again.

But Susan wouldn't stand for him hurting himself anymore. Although she looked like a frail woman, she was much stronger than her tiny frame would show. She planted her feet and pushed him back into the tree. Big Brother was surprised when her eyes turned red, but then he realized that his were as well. She was merely reacting to him getting mad. He took a deep breath and calmed down as he tasted the forest air for the first time in a long time.

He couldn't belive that he had forgotten what it was like breathing the surface air. There were trees in Rapture, but they were not a forest like the one they were in now. When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but a violet haze. Susan had just teleported, he didn't know where. But for now, while there were no Splicers or Templar about, he would wait.

He knew he had to save Sara, but he only had the strength to fight in physical combat, but even that was limited. He was even noticing the weight of Big Ol' Bertha, the eighty-pound rifle. When he had first received it, he had not noticed it to be heavy at all. If he lost any more strength, he would certainly fail and die.

Susan was gone for nearly an hour, but when she returned, she carried several apples in her arms. She dropped them before Big Brother and vanished again. He picked up one of the fruit and took a bite. It was still green, so it was sour, but he didn't care. After so many years of scavanging canned food, it was a welcome change. He had finished most of them when Susan returned, this time with a loaf of bread. He wasn't about to ask where or how she obtained it. Right now, it seemed that her only concern was that he got his strength back.

He handed her an apple and tore off a piece of the bread for himself before handing off the rest. She didn't seem to mind the sour taste either, but that was more because she lacked any experience with food. He knew what it was like having to exist on whatever could be found in Rapture.

Big Brother was about to get up again and was forced back down. Susan shook her head and sat in his lap to keep him down. He didn't want to lose Sara's trail, but then he realized that he didn't know where he was. His ability to teleport was stronger than Susan's, but he lacked the precision. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off to sleep. All he needed was some time to regain his strength, then he would be well enough to last for a few days.

Seeing the large man hang his head down, Susan was surprised to find that he was out like a light. She poked the side of his head, only to get a snort from him. Back in Rapture, it was difficult finding somewhere to sleep in any amount of peace. There were Splicers roaming everywhere, and if there was a spot where there were none, another Big Sister had already called it as her own.

To survive, the Big Sisters were on their own. They didn't like company anymore, not like they once did when they were just little girls. Back then, they would sleep in groups in any safe location. They would even sleep in the vents where nobody could reach them. Many Splicers tried, Susan could hear their voices calling for them. But the girls would never leave unless there was a Big Daddy calling for them.

Unable to sleep, Susan pondered on the name that woman had called as she was being taken away. She was calling to someone, but who? Was it this man, who was now her protecter? What had she called him? Why did is sound so familiar?

Big...bother? No, that was certainly not it. Big...bro...brother?

"B...B...Bi...Big..." the words felt familiar, but it was such a strain to speak them. "Big...B...B...Bro...ther. Big Brother..." then it hit her. "Big Brother...f-f-fam...ily...f-family."

She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep as well.

"So, how many soldiers were lost?"

The man didn't like the position the scientist was putting him in. This man had almost single-handedly created the Serum the Templars used. He was a certifiable genius, but a mad-man as well. He was concerned that he was going to be put on the dissection table.

"We lost four whole camps. Several Panzer Faust have also been found dead and a few more are MIA."

"Such a dissapointment, maybe we should start increasing the doses. But how can we prevent the degredation in the subject's cognitive abilities?" The scientist snapped his fingers, "We might as well utilize the fluid. Soldier, come here."

The man didn't move at first, prompting the scientist to walk up and lift him off the floor by his throat.

"I dont't like it when my orders are not carried out." He slammed the man on the table with enough force to knock the air out of him. This gave him to the time he needed to strap him down.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Science is the process of experimentation and discovery. Right now, I will experiment the effects of the fluid we have discovered inside the subject's helmet. I am sure there is something useful to be had locked away inside it."

"You're mad! You won't get away with this!"

"Oh, but I have, my good man. I require subjects for my experiments, and you Templar have proven quite useful. Such blind devotion for what you believe is your cause for war. Personally, I find war to be useful in finding more subjects. And you have found yourself to be the first among many new soldiers. That is if the process doesn't kill you or force me to chop you apart and use you for spare parts. The process has only twice, the second one on myself." The scientist pulled his collar down to reveal a scar all along his neck. "Now, let us begin."

The man's screams would not be heard through the heavy walls that surrounded them.

But there was one who did hear the screams. Little Susan was covering her ears, trying to keep them out. Her mother was holding her, but there was little that she could do to comfort the girl. To her, the screams were happening everywhere, yet nowhere. She didn't know what they were, or why they were happening. She was too young to understand what was happening, or how to stop it.

"Will you silence that child of yours!" cried one of the guards. Unlike the men who brought her here, these two didn't have guns on them. They were members of the Panzer Faust. The only weapons they had on them were the spiked gauntlets they wore. This meant that there was nothing that Sara could use to attack with using her powers. There wasn't even a key, just a large metal bar that only they could move. And even if there was, something to attack them with, they were too strong. So instead, she gently rocked her child, who was still terrified by all that was happening to them.

She put her forehead against Susan's and felt a spark between their minds. The girl's crying subsided, remembering the feeling. It happened the first time the woman kissed her child the day she was born. It was like there was a link between them, a link formed by the ADAM in their bodies. Sara wasn't completely sure about the effects, or if they would manifest into anything. She touched her head against Susan's again, not knowing that there was another link connected to her. It was weak, but it would not be broken by any amount of time.

As Big Brother woke, he wondered if there was a leak in one of the pipes again, for his head was wet. Then he remembered that he wasn't inside Rapture anymore and looked up to see that it was raining. Fortunately, neither of them were bothered by the cold. Even without her armor, Susan's body was perfectly adapted to it. In fact, she was still asleep, even soaked as she was. She wore a simple dress she must have stolen from somewhere, with pieces of her old suit underneath.

He got up and carried her in his arms as he made his way through the forest. He wasn't sure where to go, but his legs seemed to want to go west. Without any clue as to why he 'wanted' to go that way, but he just went with it.

As he walked, Big Brother listened to the falling rain. It was so different from the sounds of the water that dripped from rusty pipes. If circumstances hadn't been so dire, he would have enjoyed himself at this time. But, in a way, he almost missed hearing the hollow sounds of those pipes. They were just one of the ways he knew when trouble was about. Now, without them, he wasn't sure how to know if he was being followed.

He stopped and listened, but the rain was coming down harder than before, drowning out any other sounds. This troubled him, but he knew he would have to keep going in the direction that was chosen for him. To stop now would be pointless, so he put one foot before the other and was off again.

After awhile, Susan woke and climbed his shoulder to sit on his back. He still had his back plates, minus one, so it was a good place for her to watch for trouble. He was glad for the company, for being alone meant you fought and died alone. If he were to die today, he would do so fighting by her side.

It was good that she was up there, for her cry couldn't have come at a better time. He turned, his heavy boots digging into soft ground, and he caught the Panzer Faust by the shoulder. The man was surprised that Big Brother could move so quickly, while his own muscles only slowed his actons.

Big Brother grabbed hold of the man's arm and dislocated his shoulder with a quick twist. Before he could finish the Faust off, he was struck by an Electro Bolt. Susan was blasted off as his plates scattered and she dissapeared into the bushes. Normally, such a hit wouldn't have hit him so bad. But he wasn't at his best and was covered in water. He just didn't have his usual level of resistance. Another bolt hit him, along with a hit of Winter Blast, freezing the water that coated him. He was encased in ice almost instantly.

A pair of Splicers came out from behind the trees, "Ha, he hardly knew what hit him."

"You idiots, he had a partner!" the Panzer Faust yelled at them. "Hurry and find her, or it will be your heads!"

"Alright, keep your panties on. Oh, that's right, there aren't any that will fit that big ass of yours."

The larger man grabbed his limp arm and popped it back into place with a loud crack that could be heard even over the rain. He flexed it a few times, sending the two army Splicers on their way. While both of them would have loved to blast him with their powers, they were under strict orders to follow him. Plus he was the only one who could handle Big Brother in close combat.

There was a flash of electricity as Susan was launched into the open, where the Faust could seize her. He put her arm around her neck and held her tight as she struggled against him. Little did he know that Big Brother was still concious. Even encased in a prison of ice, he knew something was wrong.

The ice around his waist shattered as he twisted, slapping the Faust with an ice-covered hand. Susan used this chance to flip her legs up and planted her feet under his chin. From there, she slipped her head out his arms and kicked herself off him while throwing a fireball.

"Hah, missed me!"

"That's cause it wasn't for you!" one of the Splicers cried. "Watch out!"

It was too late, the fireball had weakened the ice covering Big Brother's legs, letting him run at the Faust. It was a strange sight, seeing a man as large as him, his upper half still held by a thick layer of ice. Big Brother slammed his head into the Faust's and took a big breath now that his face was uncovered.

"Hurry up and freeze him again!" the man cried, but the two Splicers were screeming as they flew over the tree tops. Susan lifted her hand, as if holding something up, and brought Big Brother down with her Telekinesis, right on top of the Faust. To any Splicer, his weight alone would have been enough to crush them. But Big Brother had not only his own weight, but that of his armor and the ice that covered his chest and arms. To add to all that, there was also the force Susan put into his fall by using her powers.

The Faust had tried to duck out of the way, but it was too late and his bones were turned to dust. Seeing that his coat wasn't badly damaged, Big Brother took it off the man and put it on. It was a bit of a tight fit, for the Fausts were not quite as big as he was. But the way he figured it, it would serve as a disguise at a distance. If any other Splicers came about, he would have at least a few seconds to deal with them. All he could hope was that none of them noticed his hunched back.

As Susan dissapeared into the coat, glad to get some cover, he knew he would have a surprise for any who saw through him.

"What news have you to report?" the scientist asked.

"Sir, we have lost contact with another Panzer Faust. We are not sure as to his location at this time."

The scientist was hardly fazed, he seemed more dissapointed than surprised, "A pity, for they were once my greatest creation. But now I see that they are quickly becoming obsolete."

"Sir?"

"Do you know why we cannot inject more of the Serum into these men?"

The soldier wondered what the man was getting at, but he played along anyways, "Because the Serum drives the men crazy when injected in high doses."

"That is correct, but I believe I have solved that problem. Behold the Landkreuzer!"

The man couldn't believe his eyes and foolishly fired at it with his pistol. The bullets found flesh, but only dug deep enough to irritate the monstrosity before him. A large hand grabbed him by his head and crushed it like a small fruit.

"Now I see that you have some automated functions. Your survival instinct should come in handy in the future. But, I suppose I should have someone clean this mess up before the 'superiors' come looking for the results. But I supposed I cannot let this man go to waste. Landkreuzer, put him on the table, I wish to cut him open."