"Rapture integrity diagnostic complete."
Grace was roused from her sleep, momentarily tensing at the sound of Thinker's voice, her heart fluttering with minute shock.
She looked at the clock. She been asleep for less than fifteen minutes, yet she felt as well rested as though it had been fifteen hours. It wasn't a physical comfort she experienced, more of a mental relaxation, her mind un-plagued by nightmares or worries.
Perhaps she was doing the right thing after all.
"Grace Holloway, is your radio equipment functional?" Thinker, enquired.
"Yeah, I'm listening. Go ahead. Gimme the bad news…"
"Certainly. Rapture's buildings are 53% functional, 15% non-functional, and 32% negotiable. This is an estimate based on Rapture after the successful drainage of Siren Alley, which will complete in approximately 6 minutes twenty nine seconds."
Grace nodded. This was better than expected, although it didn't mean there was less work. The functional building would still need cleaning, and would be broken in places.
"And what does negotiable mean in this instance?"
"Inundated. These districts are either completely or near-completely flooded. This can be rectified with the deployment of pumps to remove the water and repairing the cause of the flooding. For example, replacing broken glass and stone, corroded metal and ruptured pipes. The most notable of this is 1: the inundation of the district ADR or "Adonis Resort", 2: the inundation of the district IFS or "Iris Filming Studios", 3: the inundation of the district HMZ or "Hermes Zoo". The other 15% of no-functional means the buildings are destroyed, with slim chance of revival. The most notable of this is 1: the tunnels that interconnect between Rapture, 2: the loss of the district HBC or "Hydra Business Complex", 3: the loss of the district PNE…"
"PNE?" Grace briefly remembered Miss Langford's report. She'd reported the offline seismic sensors in the district PNE.
The district that possibly had served as Lamb's hideout.
"Thinker, this is important. What is PNE?" Grace asked, her voice determined.
"PNE is the Rapture city code for the district named "Per…"ERROR, ERROR. Override code 34. One moment please."
Grace stared at the speaker, confused as to what on earth just happened?
"Reboot complete. Resuming conversation. I'm sorry, it appears I have no knowledge of what the Rapture code PNE stands for."
"What was the whole error thing for?" Grace demanded.
"Question. What "error thing"?"
"You were about to tell me what PNE stood for when you started saying error, and something about a code."
"I did? I have no recollection of such an event…"
"You did," Grace insisted.
The Thinker paused, his AI reeling with possibilities as he tried to deduce what could have happened.
"Was it perhaps an activation code? And override code…?"
"Override code, that's the one. Override code thirty four."
"Due to the fact that your verbal sequencing didn't activate the override, I presume that this code was built in and is activated when certain parameters are met. I must have known what PNE stood for to activate code 34, and when activated, the override must have temporarily erased the data."
"Great…"
"It matters not. Rapture is a big place, and someone must know where PNE is."
"I suppose you're right. So, where were we?"
"Resuming previous conversation. The tunnels contribute 0.2% of structural loss. As they cannot be repaired, they will need to be replaced. Luckily, this is possible."
"What, you can replace the tunnels?"
"Yes. Are you aware of the Rapture based company Securis?"
Who wasn't aware of Securis? They provided most of the bulkhead doors that kept the city dry. They were the reason they were all still alive.
"That reminds me. We need to replace a lot of the Securis doors."
"Of course. Besides doors, Securis also has a warehouse filled with telescopic tunnel replacements. Made entirely out of metal and glass, these tunnels take the place of the old ones. The broken tunnels will need to be cleared away. One that is done, the tunnel will automatically latch onto the buildings around an exposed Securis brand door. That done, the tunnel will begin to extent towards the adjacent building. A hose is attached and air will need to be pumped in, the water expelled through another. Once the pressure is equalized, the doors will automatically be of use. No manual aid needed in assembly, as the tunnel replacements are equipped with propellers and due to their shape are streamlined in water. I'm sure the use of Big Daddies can be employed to attach the air and water hoses. May I suggest though, that all broken tunnel debris be cleared immediately. Permission to activate demolition micro-charges?"
"The what now?" Grace's mind was numb, unable to understand. Since when was Securis working on this? That was the trouble of living in the Drop; no news seemed to get to them.
"Charges embedded within the structure of every tunnel in Rapture. Originally intended to separate districts should pestilence threaten Raptures population."
"Now hold on! What about the tunnels that curve? The tunnels that form junctions? The ones that rest on the sea floor? How are they replaced?"
"I have information confirming that each of these telescopic tunnels are specially made for a specific tunnel. Curved tunnels are designed differently to strait ones, and tunnels that form junctions come in more than one piece. These tunnels will need to be wired, as they contained cameras and screens. Never the less, these tunnels will need to be repaired. The sea surface tunnels are fitted with low level buoyancy equipment. When the charges are set off, a chemical reaction is also set off. This fills a buoyancy aid full of air and raises the tunnel, though it is chained to the sea floor to prevent drift. After the replacement tunnel is secured, the previous tunnel is dismantled."
Grace thought about this. This was amazing. Districts that had been cut off from the rest of the city could once again rejoin with them, districts like Minerva's Den and Fontaine Futuristics. Tunnels destroyed near Rapture's entrance could be restored, allowing people to join them...
Not that anyone would. Obviously.
"Okay then. You sure it won't flood us?"
"Affirmative."
"And you're only targeting the damaged tunnels?"
"Affirmative."
"Well, I guess you have my permission."
"Thank you. One moment please."
All around Rapture, micro charges were detonated behind Securis doors. Flooded tunnels shattered into chunks whilst others merely fell of the buildings and sank into the depths. At Fontaine Futuristics, the ends of the already obliterated tunnel were repulsed from the buildings, the metal buckling as they came to rest on the sea floor, the path clear for the tunnel replacement whilst the snaking tunnel at Minerva's den was toppled of its support beams, disintegrating.
"Detonations successful. Eighteen tunnels successfully destroyed. Permission to deploy the replacement tunnels?"
"Permission granted."
Across the city in a forgotten warehouse, several green lights simultaneously blinked on. Some flickered after years of never being used, but soon all were glowing strong. A mechanical arm on rails began systematically picking up the metal tunnels from the hundreds stored (which currently resembled nothing more than sections of tunnel) and dropping them in the warehouse's diving pool, gleaming bronze in the low light. Upon contact with the water, the tunnel sections instantly activated their propellers and sped of to their individual destinations, homing in on their assigned Securis brand bulkhead door. The warehouse arm automatically powered down, poised to repeat its task should it be called upon in the future. The rust proof tunnels make quick progress through the city, each arriving at their destinations in under a minute where they hovered, waiting for the last of their brethren to complete their journey. Once all was ready, the tunnels inched forward whilst internal sensors and gyroscopes ensured they were in the correct alignment, propellers letting out sporadic bursts to rectify any problems. The tunnels latched onto their doors with magnetic clamps within milliseconds of each other, immediately beginning to extend. Gears ground as the telescopic tunnels reached for their adjacent doors, the greased rollers smoothly unfurling each segment simultaneously. Some replacement tunnels didn't have to stretch far, whilst others had to bridge a gap so wide that two tunnels were required, extending towards each other rather than to another door. Other tunnels extended so far before they began to curve, as though one side had hit an invisible barrier whilst the other size carried on extending, forced to curve due to the other side's inability to continue. And where it came to junctions, a combination of extensions, turns and multiple tunnels ensured people were able to safely exit a district and decide to go left or right, or maybe strait on. When all of the tunnels were fully extended, extra water was pumped in, allowing the smaller pieces of the tunnel to expand so that every segment was the same size. With a final stretch, the magnetic clamps either clamped onto their designated door or the end of another tunnel, allowing the tunnels to power down.
The green lights flickered off near simultaneously.
"Stage one of tunnel repair's complete. Stage two will require the use of exterior help. May I suggest the use of the Big Daddies here in Minerva's Den? As they have never left the district, I have studied them intensely and I think I can devise a way of employing their use."
"Sure, go ahead. Are you gonna be okay doing that whilst I go and talk to my people?"
"Certainly. Request. Take a radio with you so that I can contact you."
"Sure thing," Grace replied, slowly easing herself out of her chair. Though it had happened a while ago, her body was still in pain from the earthquake.
She reached over and grabbed her hand held radio before turning to leave.