Chapter 5: Educaucation

Over the next six months, Ari kept his promise; whenever they came across a Splicer the pair would hang back so Ari could explain the creature, allowing Fang develop a fight plan before taking it on. Every time Ari stood on the sidelines and shouted reminders if he struggled, which suited Fang fine. He wanted to work with the mutant as little as possible - something about him set the preteen on edge.

Another thing that he found weird was the lack of splicers they came across. Initially, Ari had told the boy that the place was heaving with splicers, thousands of people who had used too much ADAM – a substance that altered your DNA – to use too many Plasmids, which allowed the development of powers such as the fireball ability of the first splicer he met.

Using too much made your DNA crumble, followed closely by your insanity.

While they made their way through Rapture they came across very few splicers, more so now but definitely only one every few days at the beginning. They'd spent the first few months just traipsing from room to room and searching dead bodies for leftover ADAM, Ari claiming that it was his job to remove ADAM from the streets for his employer, an investor who wanted the complex cleared of splicers so he could transform it into an underwater prison.

Fang had raised an eyebrow. Although he had seen multiple puddles around the place, he assumed the water system was old and in poor condition. They'd yet to leave rooms with solid ceilings and while he had wondered about the lack of windows, he had disregarded the concern in favour of learning to survive.

It was the following day they had finally used one of the glass tunnels that connected each different metal complex, and Fang couldn't help but pause and stare out into the ocean beyond. Ari assured him they were on the seabed as he watched a giant squid float lazily over them before producing a massive surge of energy from its tentacles, propelling itself away and out into the depths.

When the School got rid of you, they really didn't do it by halves.

He learned that Ari had been in Rapture – the name of this underwater city – for two years already. He had been a normal five-year-old before the white coats at the School had gotten their hooks in him and attempted their first post-natal splicing experiment, hoping to make him half-wolf. It was obvious to Fang the experiment had been a failure, given the man's – well, child's – excessive height, distorted face and fur.

Since Ari had told him his history, the preteen shared his own story to the mutant, mentioning that he had been born in the School and knew nothing else, Jeb's disappearance and his rebellion that got him moved down here. He missed the part about his avian DNA, hoping the mutant wasn't observant enough to have noticed the wingtips his shirt was adequate at hiding.

When push came to shove, Fang needed a surprise. In case ditching this freak was more difficult than he first imagined.

The wolf-kid took a peculiar interest in his carer, Jeb, but other than that he didn't engage in the story, leaving Fang's wings unmentioned. After sharing their particular stories Ari seemed to become a little friendlier, but Fang refused to believe it, feigning familiar-ness without letting his guard down. There was something wrong with this kid; he was either lying, or wasn't right in the head, and being his friend would be the last thing Fang intended to do.

At night, while on watch, Fang would silently run through the different splicers he'd come into contact with since his arrival six months before. It felt like a lot of information to remember, but he had no illusions that the information could one day save his life, and as such reciting their characteristics had become a mantra.

Houdini, the name drifted through his head, the word silently formed on his lips as he stared out into the green-hued complex. Behind him Ari was asleep, having already completed his shift for the night. Have the ability to move around as atoms and use this to startle and sneak up on people. A small shudder went through his shoulders as he remembered the Houdini splicer he'd met while still clouded with tranquilisers. Look out for dust-clouds, listen for voices and aim at the origin of fireballs; always be aware of your surroundings.

He sighed, glancing sideways at his sleeping companion. Even in sleep the boy's face was hideous where it should look relaxed. His breathing was raspy and his snores sounded more like growls, a noise that made the hairs on the back of Fang's neck prickle.

Focus, he mentally berated himself, turning his attention back to the room. Thuggish splicers can still use a melee weapons. Using a ranged weapon or disabling them before moving in for the attack is most effective. Ari had mentioned that an Electobolt plasmid would be the most effective here; the ability to produce electricity from one's fingertips. After what Ari had told him about ADAM, Fang was very reluctant to get a plasmid, even though the wolf-boy assured him that one plasmid would do little to his DNA.

Leadhead splicers can still use guns, he thought, fingering the gun Ari had handed him when they changed shifts. It had taken five months for the wolf-boy to trust him enough to have the gun while he was on lookout. They're best tackled in the same way as a thuggish splicer, matching with a ranged weapon or disabling before attacking.

He ran a finger along the barrel, wondering why having a gun didn't make him feel safer. Primitive splicers are splicers that have degenerated so far, their characteristics begin to resemble that of wild monkeys. They can wield melee weapons with little dexterity, but usually travel in packs to increase their chances. Sometimes plasmids they used to use can be expressed in weird ways, such as a burning bite or a small shock upon physical contact, only attempt to tackle them in small groups.

The most recent kind of splicer he'd met was refusing to come to mind. With a sigh he began to run through the others again, his mouth forming silent words while his eyes scoured the shadows. Splicer appearances had increased recently, but there was still only one or two a day. Even the primitive splicers that usually came in packs; an individual had been found last week, his first interaction with them.

While he couldn't tie Ari to it, it all seemed a bit…staged.

Behind him, Ari snorted in his sleep. It was a sign he would be waking up soon and 'night time' would be over. The lights were always on in this place, meaning they usually decided it was 'night time' when they were tired and 'day time' when the last of them awoke, though Ari had a habit of kicking him awake and complaining about how long he'd been asleep.

Fang stopped fingering the gun and let it rest in his lap, knowing the wolf-boy would demand it back when he awoke. Despite how many bodies they had searched since his arrival, they still had a very sad stock of ADAM, so little Ari said it wasn't worth a single plasmid yet. The preteen wondered how much you needed to buy a plasmid, and who Ari was going to give the stock to in his attempts to get it off the street.

When questioned why you got so little ADAM from a splicer, Ari mentioned something called little sisters. Apparently while they themselves could only take excess ADAM a splicer hadn't used yet, a little sister could extract it from a corpse and ingest it, making them an ADAM goldmine. When asked why they didn't approach any little sisters, Ari grunted that it was complicated and dropped the subject, focusing on splicer corpses.

Still unable to remember the last splicer he'd met, Fang instead steeled himself for another day of learning. Since he'd learned the basics Ari practically threw him into the fray against splicers he'd already met, treating him as cannon-fodder. Despite being the one killing the splicers Fang never saw any of the loot, Ari claiming it was both their loot and he'd just carry it.

It had begun to take a lot of restraint not to shoot Ari while he slept.