theifkingbakura1: Thanks so much for reading! I'm thinking about that idea actually, might be good to get her out of the train. Hahahaha.

: Aww, thanks, I'm glad people actually read this. It's going to bit slowly right now, but it'll pick up later.

rchris48: Thank you, this is a great confidence boost for me. As I said, it's going a touch slowly right now, but there'll be some lovely messes Mac gets herself into

Mio: YOU, I will honestly say your review did it. I was checking through my college crap in my email when I stumbled upon your review which made me fire up the old word document again and write. Thanks.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY WHO CONTRIBUTED TO HELPING MY CONFIDENCE. I'm not a very good writer, but little reviews still make me feel good. Thank you to everyone who favorited too.

CH 3

Dust misted windows made it unfeasible to catch a peak outside. Fluffy slippers soaked in muddy water; I trudged along, acting like a tourist, rubbernecking all over the place. Might have been the fact that this Sinclair man was now here, but there was a grand sense of security wrapping around me, fluffier than any conceivable blanket in the world. I guess, if I'm stuck in a game, I might as well enjoy it. Hey, it might make a good story to tell, you know, if I live and all. The question still circulating around in my head went full circle again, 'Was the surface world here the same as mine?' If that was the case, I'd gone back in time…

You know, maybe I'd worry about that when I actually reached that place in one piece.

"Ain't exactly a five star hotel, but, s'all we got right now…" Oh how right he was, I thought, sitting down on one of the faded russet seats of the train. A blob of coarse cotton leaked out from a broken stitch in the fabric. Though, while examining my new surroundings, I suppose this place must have been pretty amazing back in the day. "Go on, make yourself comfortable." As if reading my mind he added, "This used to be quite the wonder, back a'fore Rapture went straight to hell o' course. I do dare to say it was faster than a bullet." This guy was sure quite the talker. He literally talked the whole time my shock was slowly wearing off. "Tell me somethin' kid." Incredulously, he eyed my attire as if I were sprouting extra limbs from beneath my bathrobe, "What's a fine lil' lady like you doin' in that getup?" Already feeling the red creep up my cheeks at an embarrassing rate, I lowered my upper lip until it covered my bottom lip and glanced downward at my … pajamas.

"None of your business." I snapped defensively, wishing I could sink deeper and deeper into the chair. Waking myself up wasn't an option; an experiment was already conducted unsuccessfully a while ago.

"Whoah, hold on there, I meant no offense." The seriousness ruined by his amused chuckle. "But I can't have you walkin' round Rapture lookin' like a Splicer beacon." A pause, "'Specially when you're with me." There was some reason in his words.

"Uh, Mr… Sinclair? Are we going to go anywhere anytime soon?" Could anyone really blame me that I was getting impatient, I wanted out and Mister. HappyOptimisticFatman here was, essentially, going on and on and on and on and on, well, you get the point. Also, I wanted his attention off my outfit. "I mean, why are we still here?" Why would he want to be here? "So if we could just get this lovely thing started, I-." A hand clamped over my mouth faster than any flyswatter in existence. Muffling in protest, I was sneakily edging my mouth open to bite into his dirty hand, who knows where it had been? Quietly, he moved behind me, hand firmly in place. I felt the cushion behind me sink to his weight. Wriggling at the unwanted physical contact, my whiny, wordless noises became louder.

"Shh, hush lil' Rainbow."

Lil' Rainbow? Cute…

Those words could've sounded very wrong had they not been laced with firm urgency. Unexpectedly, I obeyed, inhaling through my nose, my only way of sending oxygen to my lungs. A very light, but still detectable, scent of cigarette and cheap wine filled my nostrils, reminding me of the Las Vegas casino's daily regulars. I heard the bones crack in my upper back when I turned to glance at Sinclair behind me, his features taut with worry, wrinkles showing through even more. When I finally decided to follow his line of sight, I almost didn't believe what I saw.

Someone or something, if possible, propelled itself across the room with incredible speed, landing on an unstable rafter with uncanny acrobatic grace. I would've gasped if not for the hand over my mouth. The… thing crouched low, as if waiting for another, allowing me to take the opportunity to scrutinize it for a bit. Wearing a suit much similar to the Big Daddies, this one had a form fitting suit, with one bright glowing porthole to see out of, an oxygen tank attached to its back, and a giant needle on its arm. Also, it didn't take an idiot to see it was much faster and built for a different purpose. I was actually grateful for the gathered mist on the window, considering that creepy thing didn't see us. After the tension subsided, I found myself trying to lower the heartbeats killing my chest faster than a battalion of drums.

The weight behind me shifted, meaning Sinclair was moving, but what for? As a matter of fact, as I turned, I found he was reaching for something. Oh hell, I would've killed him if he were reaching for a gun, I would've very much appreciated it if he started a fight with that flying squirrel thing after I hid safely under the train car. But, no, he wasn't going for his pistol. Taking his hand off my mouth, probably assuming I understood the situation, his hand was outstretching for a small radio-like object. A light bulb clicked on in my jumbled mess of a head; that was the radio they'd used in the first game.

Crap, the next issue I had was what level I had set this game to, was I expected to complete it? Oh, and cheat codes, yes, that would prove to be very helpful as of right now. There was just one thing missing, a controller and a T.V. An ear-splitting shriek boomed, bouncing on the walls of the Atlantic Express station, stabbing my brain at an alarming rate. It was loud enough that both of my hands involuntarily clamped over my ears. Squinting an eye open, the creature leaped from its perch, somersaulted in the air and sprinted in the opposite direction of the train. For my sake and the risk of these train seats becoming absolutely soiled, the thing might have done that on purpose.

"Sport, Big Sister a'headed your way." Just the man's soft, breathy voice made me flinch from the state I was currently cursed with. Who was this 'sport' character? Because I was ready to bet that this guy wasn't the main character.

"What." I breathed cautiously, "…was that?" A gulp caught in my throat. The older man placed his communication radio on the seat, turning to the girl with a grim look.

"That, Ms Dawn, was a Big Sister."

"So, uh, Little Sisters who've hit puberty?" I muttered bitterly. The man turned to me with an incredulous look in his eye. Then laughed much louder than I thought he would.

"I 'spose you could look at it like that." He chuckled and disappeared for a moment. I was about to start squeaking and maybe crying, until he reappeared with a pile of cloth in his arms. "I wouldn' ask where these came from." My mouth wide open in protest as the dirty, stained clothes were plopped down into my lap. "Never look a gift horse in the mouth, hm?" For what seemed like hours, I stared at the clothing in my lap. He wasn't expecting me to change here was he? No way in hell was that happening.

My body pitched forward at a sudden weight on the train. "Sinclair!" I shrieked, a bit irritated by his nonchalance. "Someone's on the train." My breathing quickened until his hand came to rest on my shoulder.

"Calm down now, kid." Calm? Did he seriously just say that to me when there was some hulking mass of whatever getting on the train? How badly would the game get messed up if she slapped him in the face? This was too damn real, even his touch felt… human. I sputtered incoherently. A smile stretched across his lips, apparently finding my flustered actions amusing. "That up there's Subject Delta." Yes, I knew exactly what he was talking about, especially by the confusion evident in my eyes. "The very first genuine Big Daddy ever made."

"Delta." I tested the word on my tongue, curious. Was this the same Big Daddy in the intro of the game? I might have found the main character by now. Before I knew it, the train started moving, "Er, where are we going?" My eyes went to the man.

"Straight ta' Pauper's drop Ms. Dawn."

"You can call me Mac." I offered with a small smile.

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Thanks much for reading.