"I've been missin' my mom a lot lately, but I can't say anything to dad... he... he always beats himself up over what happened... but I want to help everyone! I'm old enough! Maybe if I do really good maybe dad will feel better!

-Landon Barker

She stared coldly at the scene in front of her, with a few clicks she'd sealed their fates, and they were all dead. She shook her head and reached for her radio. The line was secured so only she and... 'Atlas' could hear each other.

"It's over."

She could hear Fontaine on the other end. "Already? Good."

She took out a cigarette and started searching for her lighter. "I really don't see why it was necessary though."

"Come on, what's with you? Nows' not the time to grow a conscience."

"I'm not." She felt the cool metal of the lighter, and pulled it from her pocket, when she saw movement. From a vent, a kid, probably not even fifteen. He survived?

"What...?" Her hands went to the key board ready to activate the security bots, and then stopped. He was the only one left... she didn't have to...

"You can head on back, don't worry about clean up."

She stared at him, the boy was crying, cringing from the bodies, he reached over to a corpse and... grabbed the radio.

"Don't-!"

His lips moved as he talked into the radio, she tensed and waited for a response from Fontaine...

"Hey, did you hear me?"

What?

"Hey, head back."

She swallowed. "Yeah... sure I'm... comin' back."

Is the radio broken? Looks like it.

As she watched the boy struggle around the room she felt herself giving into her guilt, and she unlocked the doors. He jumped, and then ran from the room.

"What have I done?"

Landon jumped as he heard the beeping and saw the doors slide open.

Atlas... I have to get back to Atlas...

He ran to the main hall of the building, threw the front door, down the hall and he was out of there...

As he reached the front door it closed almost crushing him.

"No! Let me out!"

On the screens hanging on the walls an image appeared of a man, most of his face hidden by a hat, and in the corner of the screen read 'RYAN'

Andrew Ryan...!

"What we have here? Intruders. It's amazing how you parasites believe you can just waltz in here and take what you want. I suppose some must learn the hard way what happens when you try to steal from Andrew Ryan."

Landon could hear his heart pounding in his head, all around he saw splicers dropping from ceiling, screaming and cursing, the closest one giggled manically as it came closer, lifting it's claw.

Landon wasn't sure exactly what happened, he heard a huge bang, and the splicer was on the ground, twitching.

He slid down to the floor, shaking uncontrollably, he heard more bangs, then felt someone grab his arm.

"NO!" He was hoisted to his feet, and looked up to see the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.

"Get behind me."

Landon moved behind her, and she shot two more splicers. She had long red hair, pulled back into a messy bun. An unlit cigarette hung from her lips as she opened fire on to the splicers. When she reached back into her purse Landon heard her mutter. "Damn."

He saw her pull out a plasmid from her purse, she jabbed the needle into her arm, dropping the shot gun, her arm twitched and she snapped. Close by a small trail of oil caught fire, leading to a few barrels.

She grabbed Landon and pulled him close, covering him as the barrels exploded.

When the dust cleared she casually snapped and the last splicer caught fire and screamed as they ran away into the darkness.

"Well done, but if you think that's enough to escape this place, you are sadly misinformed..." Ryan's picture was on the screen again. "I'm afraid you have no idea what's in store for you. It would have been better to die quietly."

The woman reached into her pocket and lit the cigarette, seeming to ignore the man, as his picture disappeared.

"Name."

Landon blinked and looked up at her. "What?"

"What's your name?"

"L-Landon Barker..."

She looked down at him, her eyes were unreadable. "Boy... did you piss your pants?"

His face burned as he was suddenly aware of his wet pants.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on."

She searched all the slicers, it was a good hall. A pistol, a few clips, three health packs, two EVE, and a pair of pants. Hey, the guy was dead, he wasn't gonna miss them.

She looked back to the boy; the pants were way too big on him. It was almost comical; she probably would have laughed if she hadn't been scolding herself.

Why, why did I save him, twice! Damn, if Fontaine finds out about this... he can't find out... I'll have to shoot him.

She loaded the pistol and started walking towards him.

Wait, I can't kill him, not after all the ammo I wasted saving him!

She backed off, rethinking the situation.

He'll run straight back to the poor houses, I have to...

Her grip on the gun tightened.

He's just a boy.

She looked back to him.

You've done it before, hell you've done worse.

She stared at the gun, considering her options; if that boy lived... she'd die.

Yeah, probably...

She walked from him and stared at him. She had to choose.

"Hey, were the hell are you?"

Fontaine.

She lifted up the radio. "We've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

She inhaled, and then slowly exhaled, dropping the cigarette to the ground and crushing it with her boot. "The little spectacle caught Ryan's attention, I'm locked in."

Fontaine cursed.

"It's not anything to worry about; I'll just have to take the scenic route."

He laughed. "Sure, just make it quick."

"I'll be needin' some buckshot though."

"Fine, sendin' it threw the pneumo."

She went to the pneumo, and in seconds had a few rounds to jam into her purse.

"And you'd better hurry back, way things are goin' we'll be kissin' ol' Rapture good bye before the week is out."

She blinked at his words. "What?"

"He'll be here tomorrow."

She felt a chill run down her spine. "Tomorrow?"

She heard him laugh. "That's right, so unless you wanna be left in this fish tank you better book it to Apollo Square."

She stood there a rush of emotions running through her.

Leave Rapture?

She wearily looked around to the dead bodies and trash that littered the floor. This city was a tomb, it used to be a place where people lived, and laughed, and loved... but Fontaine destroyed it. And she helped him.

She'd do anything for a paycheck... anything.

Rob a store, interrogate a loudmouth smuggler, slit a throat, shoot some people... what hadn't she done for that man.

Why was that? Because no one ever took her seriously before him? No one ever thought she could do it before him?

She thought of her father and mother... it was strange. She could see their faces clearly, but she had to strain herself to even recall anything about them. Like her fathers favorite wine, or how old her mother was when she left.

Even now, she didn't really care.

She looked at the boy, Landon.

She'd killed lots of people before this... what's one more?

Landon was breathing deeply, trying to calm himself down.

Dead, everyone was dead... and he watched them all die. When he had reached the vent and crawled inside, he had started crawling away, but there was a huge drop. It just went straight down, it was so dark... he was too scared to jump down.

Everyone died but him... everyone... shot down or ripped to pieces; he had to force himself not to throw up. Tears stung his eyes, no matter how he tried to wipe them away. Was he going to die too?

"Get up." The woman was back. "We have to get moving."

He felt his cheeks get warm again; he stood up trying to ignore how high the pants were on him.

"You got a radio?"

He blinked and nodded. "Uh yeah..."

"Give it to me."

He handed her the radio. "B-but don't you already have a radio?"

She ignored his question. "Is this broken?"

He nodded. "I think so... no one's answering..."

She tossed it. "Then we don't need it. Come on."

He looked back to the radio... for a moment he had a weird feeling, and quickly grabbed the radio while she wasn't looking, then followed her. "Uh, who are you?"

She didn't look back to him. "Jennifer."

He was having trouble keeping up with her, having to jog to catch up. "Jennifer what?"

"...Tapely."

She suddenly motioned for him to stop. "Wait here." He stopped as she crept to the door. She looked left, then right, and then slid silently into the room.

For an exhausting amount of time Landon was just standing there, listening.

Then he heard shooting.

"AAAAAH! She's got a gun! She's got a gun!"

Lots of shooting. "Parasite! PARASITE!"

Then he heard an explosion, and then a roar.

A Big Daddy.

Landon ran into the room. "Jennifer!"

It all happened so fast, a Big Daddy was on fire, he must have been caught in the crossfire, he charged the splicer first, it's drill went straight threw his skull, killing him instantly, then he went for Jennifer. She had pulled out her shot gun and was unloading all she had trying to take out the big daddy, but it charged, and hit.

Its drill collided with her, pinning her to the wall, then after a few seconds, she dropped to the floor unmoving and lifeless, and the big daddy stomped away.

Landon tried not to scream; he choked back the lump in his throat, and then clumsily made his way to her body.

The left side of her body was bloody, but it wasn't too bad, and she was still breathing.

Landon grabbed her purse and dumped its contents onto the floor and took the health pack and started patching her up.

He wasn't really good at it, but he had learned some things back at Atlas' headquarters.

He finished up, and she was still breathing... but Landon still wasn't sure if she would make it.

He sat next to her and pulled his legs to his chest, sniffing, and rubbing tears out of his eyes.

Stop being a baby! That's all you've done! Cried like a baby!

He shivered, it was so cold. Rapture was always cold now. Even when wearing layers it was like the cold leaked threw the stitches in your clothes.

He looked back to Jennifer...

Jennifer... it was weird for Landon to call a grown up by their first name. He wondered for a moment why she wouldn't tell him her real last name.

He looked down at her clothes that were in surprisingly good shape, besides the rip in the side made by the big daddy. She was wearing a black suit with small golden buttons, and even a red tie.

Landon's eyes trailed up to her chest... maybe he could...

He looked away, face burning. He was a pervert! He pressed his face into his knees.

Then he heard a groan.

"Jennifer?"

She shifted, then flinched and grabbed her stomach. "Oh... god! Damn those Big Daddies!" She looked down to her stomach.

"Are- are you all right!"

She looked at him, looking totally blown away. "You?"

He rubbed his eyes, hoping that may hide any traces that he'd be crying.

"I-I was... I thought I could help..."

She stared at him. "Thank you."

"Huh?"

She shifted. "Considering it was a Big Daddy, I got out of it easy, but from the looks of it, I would have bleed out pretty quick."

He felt his chest swell with a wonderful feeling. He'd helped. She'd be dead if he hadn't tried to save her!

Jennifer inwardly groaned as she put her hand on the wall and pushed herself up.

"W-wait! You're hurt."

She shook her head. "We're in Ryan's territory. We stay in one place to long, and we die."

And if Fontaine is right, I have to get back before he arrives... then when he kills Ryan...

She looked back at the boy, and motioned with her head. "Come on."

She let Landon take on of her arms, and help her move. They quickly headed deeper into Rapture.