AHH, I haven't updated for a while. I will be more diligent about it now. I also feel I must share a sad event with you guys. About a week ago, my mother got so angry she threw my ps3 and broke it (my reward for agreeing to commute freshman year). BUT, she bought me an xbox 360 as compensation. HEE
Mio: Yee, of course I updated. Hope you like this chapter. It might be a bit longer than usual.
Theifkingbakura1: Ahahahaha, Oh Mac. Actually, I might have twisted that part up a bit, as you'll see by the end of this chapter. D'awww, thanks for reading. C:
GhostCarAd: Oh really? {/so happy} Such a great source of motivation Thanks so much for reading and reviewing with such kind words.
MusicFiend666: Totes dude. Well, she'll be picking up plasmids and guns for sure, but maybe not in the way you think, as you'll see in this chapter. Because seriously, Mac's sort of... well, a wimp. {/shot}
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There's a fine line between things I will do, might do, and simply will not do. Most occasions, I find it wise to suck it up and move on for the sake of others. No, I'm not a people pleaser, I just find it rather shady to ruin another person's good time. Though, honestly, I wasn't totally sure where to put stripping down in a video game and putting on bloody torn up garbs to replace my fluffy pajamas. What made it infinitely worse was the older man sitting directly across from me, jabbering as if there were no tomorrow. Man, he could talk. I'd barely squeezed in a couple sentences over his accented drawl. It was kind of cute when I thought about it… long and hard enough. The male lit a cigar and placed it between his lips. Smoke swirled to mix in with the dank air. Finally there was a moment of silence between us when my eyes went downward to the clothes in my lap. I felt Sinclair's eyes burning through my skull, maybe at most of my cynical or sadistic responses to his questions. In my defense, I was hours away from home and maybe a couple decades as well.
"Have a look on' outside, kid." The cheery tone in his voice was irritating, and I was getting a sense that it might have been fake. I'd been around enough car salesmen to recognize this sort of voice. Nevertheless, I complied, twisting my body over to catch a glimpse of where we were. A soft, yet audible, gasp emitted from my lips. We were underwater! My God, it was beautiful. The azure tint engulfed a canvas of bright greens and reds. Coral sprouted in creative branches, winding and climbing along the city that was Rapture. Another confirmation that everything was different from behind a screen, fish swam about, their rainbow hues blinding to the human eye. Even through the murky glass, the sheer wonder of it was apparent.
With my face still stuck in awe, I returned my gaze to the business man. The moment we made eye contact, the cigar nearly fell out of his mouth due to his laughter. It didn't take to long for me to figure out that my face must have looked ridiculous. His stomach practically jiggled from how hearty his laugh had been. As quickly as it had appeared, the expression dissipated from my face, slightly embarrassed, "It's not that funny…" Sinclair stopped a moment, furrowing his brow in amusement, accenting his wrinkles. The white lines that streaked the side of his head were barely visible in this light. I could hardly decipher why he was so entertained, I wasn't exactly the dullest person around, but I was in no way the happy bubbly types people commended so. "Er." Yearning for a change of subject, "So, how're you not a Splicer?" Not the best way to word it, "I mean, how're you still alive." That wasn't good either, earning her an eyebrow raise.
"Hidin' out, layin' low. Works pretty good if you ask me." At least he was honest. "Rapture's business was a'boomin when I was involved in it." Sinclair radiated an aura of great pride. "Till a lil' certain something happened." His head tilted to the window.
"Gee, I wonder what?" I growled sarcastically. Okay, maybe I'm not the nicest person, but I am realistic and aware of my actions. Before he could throw back some smart ass comment, the train shook and a hideous roaring vibrated my eardrums to shattering point. "Hngh, that sounded like a splicer on steroids." My hands were over my ears again, blocking out unwelcome noises. Sinclair rolled his eyes and stood up from his seat. To glance out my window.
"You know somethin' Rainbow?" Oh how I wanted to smack that smile off his face, "You might actually be right." A horrified expression plastered itself onto my face.
"Attention family, Subject Delta has been spotted…" As if things could get any worse, I had been travelling with the most wanted guy in Rapture. Legitimately mortified, I resorted to the one thing I knew how to do when I was scared. Curse vehemently at the closest person.
"What the hell is going on? Who the shit is that?" It was a woman from the sound of it; an authoritative person who seemed to be able to control splicers as if they were simply her minions. She must have been insane to be able to pull that off. Wait, there had been a woman at the beginning of the game who'd ordered a Big Daddy to shoot himself in the head. Their voices were very similar, but I couldn't completely decipher it through the train and loudspeaker.
"Easy there Rainbow." Really? Again?
"You and I need to have a very serious talk about my real name." Hissing with all the venom I could produce, he took a small step back as if I were some wild animal. Eventually, I calmed, leaning back in my seat and pressing my face to my hands. I wasn't supposed to be here. This wasn't my problem. My problems consisted of midterms, family, friends, what I was going to be having for dinner tonight, how I was going to pay next semester's tuition, and what matched with my new top. "And I stink." True fact, when I'd inhaled a whole bunch of terrible odors all emanating from my body stung my nostrils. In my defense, I hadn't showered in two days and I had been in rapture for ten hours, sitting around in a dirty train.
"Pardon?" Obviously confused at the last comment I made, Sinclair frowned, "Tell you what." He started cautiously, "I'll take you to get clean, an' you settle down, deal?" Like a child who had been offered candy in spite of her state of despair, I nodded sadly, accepting the compensation.
I would've thought this to be really hilarious if anyone else were doing it. Then again, it was a whole different story when you're the one in said scenario. Under the coaxing of Sinclair, I took a deep breath and stepped off the Atlantic express. Pistol in hand, he continued forward with me trailing behind him like a lost puppy. That shortwave radio was back in the man's hands again, he was talking to Delta about getting an Override key to start up the train again. I remained quiet, somewhat irked by the volume in which he was talking. We weren't strolling through a park for crying out loud, but he sure as hell made it sound like we were.
Advertisements and posters plastered onto the dirty walls, some torn and others still fighting for their place, overlapping its neighbors for attention. "Do you have family, Sinclair?" He switched the radio off, curiously angling his head to his younger companion.
"Naw." The reply wasn't without much thought or regret slathered onto it, "Can't get anywhere with somethin' like that holdin you back." I contemplated his answer for a few paces, averting my eyes from any corpses or disturbing writings on the wall. My auburn hair fell near my eyes, blocking a small section of my vision.
"Wouldn't you miss the company of a family?" Being specific, "You know, like caring and whatnot?" The piece of hair that fell over my eye obstructed my view of a small piece of dislocated rubble. Naturally, I stumbled, only to feel a firm grasp around my forearm.
"Careful now." My companion grunted, hauling me to my feet, "Never really cared much. Can't miss somethin' you never had." There was truth in his words, "I 'ave all the comfort I need in this here utopia." Any sarcasm in there was lost on me. In the train, Sinclair had spoken for hours about his successful businesses. Perhaps, that was what he meant? The man walking in front of me halted so abruptly I almost smashed into him. "Go on, get yourself clean."
He was joking, he had to be. Mother of God.
I was surprised I could even recognize the gentleman and ladies sign on the grime slathered walls. My face twisted in sheer disgust as I looked incredulously at the older man. A knowing look was shot back at me, as well as a very unappealing smirk. Utter madness, he couldn't have expected me to… oh, but he did. Granted, I'd asked for it.
An unidentifiable object squished under my foot upon my very first step into the bathroom. My facial expression contorted exceptionally as I ventured further into the bathroom. All notions of sunshine had been erased from my mind. Perhaps, something all the citizens of rapture had grown used to. Unfortunately, the idea of a crazed serial killers being on the loose did well in hindering the solace I could've found here. Naturally, my jaw tightened at the thought. Death was everywhere. It rose from the horizon like a plume of black smoke – drifted on the wind in the form of mold, and the heavy scent of rot, and decay. My foot tapped against a lifeless body. I yelped at the cracked mask. And the cold face of the creature behind it all, pale alabaster skin, long raven hair, and those terrible, insane cerulean eyes, boring into the very soul of who, or whatever they settled on. It was a far cry from the person this man used to be. Hardly the same man, any more. No, he'd become a monster.
I paused before approaching the sink. How clean could the water be if the bathroom was in this sort of state? The sound of a screaming bullet exploded through the air. "Sinclair?" This didn't seem like a good idea anymore. A monstrous bellowing bounced along the bathroom walls, followed by a familiar voice crying out in pain. Another gunshot followed by deep, distorted laughter. "Sinclair!" Without thinking, I broke into a sprint for the bathroom entrance, totally neglecting my life lesson of 'think before you act'.
Well shit.
My stare fell immediately on the towering beast hunched over like a gorilla. Large bulbous sores ran up its arms, red around the outside and oozing a yellow substance. Gawking at its enormous size and musculature, I died a little inside when it turned its deformed face to mine. The left side of its face was occupied by red, swirling tendrils that crawled around his eye socket. Its expression reading of nothing but ill-will. Despite all that, the sickly colored creature still sported a faded navy vest over a beige dress shirt.
"Mac..." A strained voice called out. On the ground, Sinclair struggled to return to his feet. Mac! He'd called me Mac! Hardly a time to be glad about that... seriously.
"Well lookie here." Wild eyes latched themselves onto my form. A throaty laugh rumbled within the brute splicer's throat as it moved closer towards my paralyzed body. Sinclair was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear. My hearing had been ripped from me as well as my running function. Then it happened. I was in denial about it and under the naïve belief that a splicer could still have a heart. The brute splicer charged straight for me. My scream was cut short by the sheer force that the monster had slammed into me with.
Splitting headache? Check. Broken bone? Check. Sinclair? What vaguely resembled a control room greeted my vision upon my awakening. Granted, there was no other color variation besides black and brown, but the room appeared to be a bit more well managed than the other areas of rapture. I tried to bring my left hand to rub my eye, but found it to be tightly restrained by a certain type of bind. Blinking furiously, my brain took the time to register a few more predicaments I'd have to face. One, I was tied to a chair. Two, where was Sinclair?
"Hello." A very sharply dressed woman approached me, adjusting her pointed glasses. Wait, this was the woman that Sinclair had spoken about as well as the woman at the very beginning of the game. Her voice had a highly stern quality when she spoke. Blank were her angular features as she took another step, closing the distance between us. If anyone had tied me up like this, they were not friendly. What else had Sinclair said about this woman? Eleanor, yes, that girl Delta was desperately scouring Rapture for. "I am Sofia Lamb." The man had also explained that she was responsible for the Big Sisters running around. Every muscle under my skin tensed in hopes of loosening the bonds.
"And you..." Two, pale slender fingertips pushed gently against my chin so my gaze would meet hers. "... are my newest experiment." Lamb's dark red lips curled up into a venomous smile.
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Thanks for reading!