"I can still remember when I was brought here, I couldn't believe it. They hauled me away saying that I was disrupting the peace. I haven't seen my family since. It's like hell in here. If it weren't for Atlas, I don't think I'd still be here."
-Kayla Stewart
Kayla woke up to Atlas across the room yelling. She sat up rubbing her temples.
"Get out of there! Come back! Dammit!" Atlas looked awful he was probably up all night, again. Johnny was sitting a ways away, looking almost as bad as Atlas.
"What's going on?"
Johnny shook his head. "Far as I can tell the raid's gone bad."
Yeah no kidding
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
He shook his head. "Atlas said you needed to rest and told them to go on without you."
Kayla was silent for a moment, and then walked away.
Kayla went upstairs to their food supply and grabbed whatever still looked good, then made some coffee that she'd been saving and brought it down. She could still hear Atlas.
"Okay, grab what you can and head back." He let out a sigh.
She placed the food down by his side, catching his attention. "You're awake?"
She glared at him. "You know I don't appreciate being left behind."
He shook his head. "You've been out on every raid so far this month, you can't always be out there, an' you can't see your family again if you get killed now can you?"
She shook her head. "Yeah you're right, sorry."
He smiled. "Don't worry about it; we're all on edge, just try to enjoy the quiet."
"Okay, but you need to sleep too."
He nodded. "As soon as they get back I'm turnin' in."
She sighed and went to Jasmine. She'd been sick all week, and she didn't seem to be getting any better. Kayla fixed her covers and checked her forehead. When she'd suddenly collapsed early this week they moved her downstairs to the row of beds they'd set up. Kayla really didn't know what else to do for her. She was so young, she couldn't...
Kayla shook her head trying to chase away the thought then when to find her something to eat.
When the group returned from the raid Kayla couldn't believe how many were gone, at least six had died. They'd gotten some food, and ammo, but it was a loss anyway you looked at it.
Kayla helped the injured into the room and called for Johnny to get some health packs. Kayla was wrapping the cuts on one of the guys who had seen the worst of the raid. His head, arms and stomach were bleeding uncontrollably, and he was fading in and out of consciousness.
Kayla shook him a little. "Hey! Can you hear me? Stay with me."
His eyes fluttered open. "What? ….I..."
"Keep him talking!" Kayla heard Atlas call to her.
"What's your name?" She asked him.
"...J-joey..." He mumbled.
"All right Joey, tell me what happened."
"The... splicers... came out of nowhere... they... Landon... where's Landon?"
Kayla looked around. "I'm not... who's Landon?"
"Landon my... my son... where?"
"Was he with you on the raid?" She asked as she finally got a heath pack.
"N-no, he was supposed to stay here..."
Kayla wrapped up the last of his wounds then leaned him back. "Okay just relax, I'll find Landon."
She asked around and no one knew where Landon was. But they were able to give her a description. He was about twelve, and looked a lot like Joey. Which made sense, since Joey was his dad.
She searched the headquarters but no luck, so she grabbed her gun and went out to check the rest of the poor houses.
As if this place wasn't depressing enough, most of the people who were moved to Apollo Square ended up here. You could hear people whispering, talking to themselves, crying from every direction.
Apollo square was a dangerous place to be. Before Atlas started using it as a headquarters and Ryan started forcing people here it had been like a recruiting center for Fontaine, who had been killed by Andrew Ryan earlier because of whatever bullshit reason.
Andrew Ryan.
It always came back to that monster. Always.
He built this place, then started attacking it citizens, and now he's the dictator of Rapture. Crushing anyone who speaks out against him.
Rapture was dead, and that bastard won't let anyone leave.
Even if they somehow managed to beat Ryan, they were still here, with all the splicers. Trapped here until they were torn apart, or Rapture collapsed on their heads and they were crushed by the millions of gallons of water that hung over their heads.
"AHH!"
Kayla jumped from the sudden shriek and ran to the source, a splicer was jumping off the walls screaming and cursing. Kayla pulled out her gun and shot the splicer two or three times.
"OOOOH! I'm BLEEDIIIIIIING! AAAAAH!" She ran off jumped straight out the window and ran from the poor houses. The group of people the splicer had attacked where alright, but shaken, and in them she noticed a kid about the right age, and he fit the description...
"Hey, is your name Landon?"
He looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah, that's me..."
"Your dad was asking for you, he was hurt in the raid, but he's going to be fine."
Landon's eyes widened. Then he ran for the door. "Uh th-thank you!"
Kayla sighed, rubbed her neck, and stretched.
Things just keep getting harder...
Kayla looked over to a family of four over by the bunk beds eating some food they had managed to scavenge.
Kayla wondered for a moment about her husband and two boys were doing.
She hadn't seen them in so long... She shook her head and blinked away the tears that were forming at the thought of her boys, and Jake having to raise them alone... they were only three years old...
She shook her head forcing away the thoughts of them, she couldn't let herself fall to pieces now...
When she returned to Atlas' headquarters everything was quiet, some of the guys were throwing darts at a picture of Ryan, and others were just sitting around trying to relax. Kayla went to the large printers and popped out a few more posters.
Kayla could hear some people talking.
"Atlas seems a little on edge lately don't he?"
"Yeah, I think so too."
"And he's been acting strange, like he ain't himself."
Kayla turned to them. "Hey! Would you mind shutting your mouths and checking our supplies!"
The two guys were caught off guard, and then awkwardly went to check the guns.
Kayla had noticed it too.
Atlas had changed; she wasn't sure what it was. But it was there. She sighed and headed downstairs, Atlas was asleep on one of the beds, and Johnny was at the radio, listening just in case something happened.
She looked to Eric, "Hey where's McClintock?"
He shrugged. "Dunno, she's been on a lot of raids lately, maybe she's out with Carlson."
McClintock, one of Ryan's girls, or used to be. She'd been helping the rebels for a while now; she was a decent sort of girl.
Joey and a few others had been moved downstairs too, Joey was quietly talking to Landon.
"Johnny, get some sleep, I'll listen to the radio."
He nodded and wearily went to one of the beds.
Kayla sat by the radio, listening to the static. Nothing, like usual.
Sometimes she wondered if they were the only ones left, sometimes it felt that way; only them, the splicers, and Ryan. No one sane. No one kind or normal. Atlas said there were a few places were people, normal people that is, were gathered and safe. For the moment. Kayla wondered for a moment what Ryan would do if he learned Atlas and his rebels were hiding in the poor houses, she could see him sending in hundreds of splicers. Ripping the place apart, and leaving no one standing.
She remembered the first time Sean had talked, she remembered getting so excited, she called to Jake who was dressing Michael, she was so happy.
Kayla let out a bitter laugh; she couldn't even remember what his first word was...
The rest of the day dragged on like all the others. Atlas woke up eventually and started telling everyone about a weapons bunker, enough to really turn things around. The next few days were preparing for the big raid.
As far as Kayla saw of the thirty or more rebels they had at least ten would stay at the base due to injuries and a smaller group was heading out on another raid, she could see McClintock was going with them, and Vallette.
Atlas kept assuring them it was no big deal as they got ready to go.
She checked to see if her shotgun was loaded, grabbed a health pack or two.
She noticed Landon grabbing a gun. "Hey, what are you doing?"
He looked embarrassed. "Well, uh... my dad can't go, so I thought that I..."
"No way! You're just-"
"Sounds fine to me."
Kayla's couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "Atlas!"
Atlas had just come upstairs, smiling. "Let him go Kayla."
"But he's- you can't be serious!"
Atlas walked passed her and put his hands on Landon's shoulders. "Just listen to whatever Kayla says all right boyo?"
Landon smiled and nodded. Kayla couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Atlas!"
He smiled at her. "Don't worry, I've got all of you covered, and besides he wants to help."
Kayla felt a strange icy feeling in her gut, but nodded. "S-sure... whatever you say."
"Better get ready." Atlas told her before walking off.
What was that?
When you're living with other people, especially people you risk your life with, you learn to memorize certain things. The way they talk, and move. Their eyes and face... just then, for a second Atlas... didn't seem like Atlas.
…don't be stupid.
She turned to Landon. "Get ready."
He nodded and ran off.
Why...? Why the hell would Atlas let him go?
This question dogged Kayla even as they left the poor houses and followed Atlas' directions. When they reached the entrance to where the weapons were Atlas guided them in, Ron hacked the security systems, they had ten minutes to get in and get out. They did have to take out a few splicers, but they were no big deal, they thought they were home free when, the security system started blaring.
"What the!"
"What happened?"
"Ron!"
Ron looked panicked. "I-I don't know! We should still have three minutes!"
Eric pulled out his radio. "Atlas, some thing's wrong!"
No answer.
Eric laughed nervously. "Atlas...? Can you hear me...? ATLAS!"
The next few moments were a blur, security bots flew in from all over and opened fire, and they were trapped. The air full of bullets Kayla grabbed the radio from Eric's corpse.
"ATLAS! WHERE ARE YOU!"
Kayla took her gun and started shooting the bots from the sky, but before she even got three she heard screams from all over. Splicers.
She looked around in panic, and saw a vent, she took aim and fired, bursting the grate off, and made a break for it. "GO! The vent! Get to the vent!"
She saw the remaining make a break for it, when the splicers dropped from the ceiling, slashing and gutting whoever they caught.
Kayla made a break for it when a hand grabbed her skirt. Landon was shaking, wide eyed and terrified on the floor. He wasn't hurt, just petrified. She pulled him up and they ran for the vent. "Go! Get in!"
She opened fire on the enemies gaining. "Atlas! Where are you! God, we're not gonna make it... ATLAS!"
Nothing...
Nothing..
"AHH!"
Kayla turned around to see Landon, he'd been spotted.
She could run, she could escape, if she just left the boy. While they aren't looking…
A quick dash to the vent and she was out of there.
As Kayla felt the bullets shred into her back all those thoughts ran threw her head.
But she couldn't.
She just wasn't that kind of person.
She could hear a loud ringing noise in her ears, all she could taste was iron, and as she gasped in pain, she inhaled some blood; she hacked as it choked her. And with the last amount of strength she had murmured to Landon, who was looking up at her in horror, her blood dripping down his cheek, tears streaming down his face. "Run."
He ran to the vent as the security bots continued unloading bullets into her.
She hit the ground and could make out vague, blurry images, and flashing lights.
Atlas...
You must have known... it wouldn't be easy...
Then why?
...Atlas... was this...
...what you... wanted?