AN: Hey guys, Wildcat here! I was really shocked that I actually got a good response to this story. Truth be told, I didn't think that many people would like it. Guess I was wrong! Anyways, I'm thinking about updating this story every week or so. I don't want to put in an exact day, cause school and all that jazz. But I would like you guys' feedback. So, favorite or whatever. Leave a review as well. They help me know how I'm doin'. Thx. P.S. I made Jack afraid of heights, I figured it would be pretty entertaining and I got a few ideas I'd like to work with as well. Bye! -Wildcat
The feeling of something wet on my face wakes me up.
Groggily opening my eyes, I'm alarmed by the scenery around me. I am sat in a small boat in the middle of what appears to be a thunderstorm.
"It seems he's awake." Says the woman from before.
"Yes, it seems he is."
"About time to."
"I was wondering if he would ever wake up."
I sigh deeply. Having just woken up, my brain is not prepared to be assaulted be a consistent stream of dialogue. "Excuse me," I quickly interject, "If I am to be working with you, would it not be appropriate for me to know your names?"
"So now he learns to not be rude." Says the woman.
"Yes, but better late than never."
"Undeniably."
"My name is Robert Lutece." Says the man.
"Mine is Rosalind Lutece." Says the woman.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." They say together. I'm not entirely sure which is more off-putting, the fact that they have similar names, look similar, or speak together.
"So, where are we headed?" I ask,
"Somewhere for us to know about-" starts Robert
"And for you to find out." Rosalind finishes.
After sitting in the boat for an undeterminable amount of time, Robert rows us to a small dock connected to a lighthouse. "Here we are." He says and if I tried to identify the emotion on his blank face, I think it would be something comparable to pity.
I turn to the left and reach a hand to the ladder connected to the docks, "Ah, can't believe I forgot," I turn my head to see Rosalind thrusting out a wooden box with a small plaque on it. "This will be of some use to you."
Raising an eyebrow, I take the box from her and examine it. 'Jack Ryan, Survivor of Rapture' is written upon the plaque. Frowning slightly, I lift the lid of the container. Enclosed inside it was a few silver coins, a picture of a young woman (who I assume is my target), a card with some random symbols, and… a wrench. But not just any wrench, MY wrench, big, red, and deadly. I look up at the Luteces' beaming with ten-thousand volt smile. "We were going to give you a gun of some sort, but we figured 'why not give him something he'll actually use'," Explains Robert, "Get a move on, now."
Giving him my best look of determination, I step over to the ladder and climb up to the dock. I take a couple of steps forward before hearing Rosalind ask,
"Shall we tell him when we'll be returning?"
"Would that change anything?" Robert replies,
"It might give him some comfort."
"At least that's something we can agree on."
Watching them slowly sail away fills me with an unimaginable amount of dread. I am just now coming to the realization that, if I wanted to back out of this whole ordeal, that was my last chance. I am now a player in this game of theirs and the thought that I have absolutely no idea what awaits me in this 'city' is worrisome.
Regardless, I turn and face the lighthouse, trying to ignore the extreme sense of nostalgia and foreboding that a lone lighthouse in the middle of a storm gives me. Taking my wrench out of the box, I grip it tightly, shifting its weight from one hand to the other. With my weapons familiar weight, I walk to the stone building, the only sounds I can hear are the waves cascading behind me.
-Line Break-
The first thing I notice as I inch closer towards the building, is a note on the door. 'Ryan- Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt. This is your last chance!' Debt? What debt? I don't think that I owe money to any shady individuals. I mean, I've been stuck in an underwater hellhole for the majority the time. How could I owe a debt?
I cringed as the door creaked open. The room was dimly lit, and it looks as if it hasn't been kept well. On a wooden beam in the middle of the room is a woven piece of cloth hanging above a basin of water with the inscription 'of thy sins I wash thee'. I smile sadly and shake my head gently. "I wish you could, I truly do…"
As I ascend the stairs, I hear the faint sound of music. Ah, finally. Looks like there is someone here. Anxious to meet someone else in the otherwise abandoned lighthouse, I rapidly climb the steps, the music getting louder the closer I get. Arriving on the floor with the radio, I look around only to find myself as alone as ever. Sighing, I start looking in the dresser and drawers for anything of value or use. What can I say? Old habits die hard. I pocket five silver looking coins and continue on my way further up the stairs.
Only to come to a stop in front of a bloody mess of a body.
A man tied to a chair and sitting in the middle of a rather large puddle of what I assume is his own blood. There is a bag over his head obscuring my view of his face, but I can see the distinct shape of a bullet hole in the center of the bag, right were his forehead should be. A note with a single phrase lies on his chest. 'Don't disappoint us.'
The message was obviously meant for me, no doubt about that. I let out a breath and gaze at the body with pity. "I'm sorry, you were killed as a warning. You probably didn't deserve that." I say these words and I try to put real meaning in them, but in truth I have grown far so accustomed to seeing dead bodies that my words are worth a pinch of salt. The side of me that became jaded in Rapture is too far gone to give sympathy to a mere body. It saddens me that I can't sympathize, but I must continue. I have a job to do.
Reaching the top of the lighthouse, I immediately notice a set of three bells each with a symbol on them. A scroll, a key, a sword. I laugh lightly and pull out the card the Luteces' gave me. It seems those random symbols weren't so random after all.
Ringing the bells in the order inscribed on the card, I am startled to hear what sounds like a horn in the sky. It makes an abundance of noise but after a few short moments it just stops. Confused I look around for something, anything, to happen. But nothing does. Then I notice it. The bells have gone and in its place a small room with a small red-cushioned chair at its heart. I walk up to the chair warily, taking note of the small metal wrist restraints. Groaning I mutter, "Looks like I'm not going anywhere until I sit in this chair trap." Disliking the whole situation, I pull out the Luteces' box once again. I have a bad feeling and my feelings are usually right. I hook the wrench onto the belt loop of my gray slacks and pocket the picture of the girl. Tossing the box in a random direction, I grimace and sit in the chair.
Almost instantly, the metal restraints lock my hands into place, effectively trapping me. I don't bother struggling as I am aware of the futileness of this action. A metal container starts to come up around me as a women's voice plays in the background. "Make yourself ready pilgrim, the bindings are there as a safeguard," she says as my chair starts turning and the metal wall start to conform around me forming some sort of pod. The chair pitches downward quickly and I feel uneasy as I see what look to be rockets start spewing fire.
"Ascension", the woman on the intercom says, "In the count of 5," Ascension? What does she mean ascension? Am I going up? But I thought I would be going underwater. Robert said it would be similar to Rapture, correct? "In the count of 4," No, I don't want to do this. I cannot go up. This simply cannot happen. "3…2…," I probably should have told the twins that I have an intense fear of high places. Honestly, I have no idea how Fontaine convinced me to get on that plane, mind control or no. "…1…," Closing my eyes and gripping the arms of the seat with a ferocity that I was unaware existed inside me, a small scream of terror erupts from my throat, before I quickly silence it. "Ascension," the voice calls, but I don't seem to hear as I am doing all I can to keep my state of mind calm. "It's, alright." I say to myself, "It'll be over in a moment. I hope. It better be." I am vaguely aware of the voice counting out the intervals of how high we have gotten, but to be honest, I don't want to know.
I feel the pod slow down greatly and hear the intercom women announce, "Hallelujah."
Slowly peeling open my eyes, I am presented with the view of the most remarkable sight since my first viewing of Rapture. It's a city in the sky. And it's beautiful. This reinforced my guard. I thought Rapture was beautiful once. When I first laid eyes upon it. Maybe this city is as similar as Robert says.