Chapter Three: Face Your Past
Actually this will be four part story, the final chapter will be the war between Jack Ryan and Andrew Ryan!
* Next Day *
Jack laid in his hospital bed still asleep from what happened the day before. Outside his room were CIA agents in suits standing outside of Jack's room for security, the only ones allowed into Jack's room was Eleanor and Brigid, but only if she was brought by Eleanor and the government doctor that Eleanor brought with her. The doctor was inside checking Jack over to make sure everything was okay.
The two guards standing in front of the door saw Eleanor walk up to them, they saluted her and let her inside. Once inside she asked the doctor, "How's our boy doing?"
"Some damage here and there, nothing that some medicine and rest won't cure. I just can't understand how he's still alive after that." said the doctor.
Eleanor looked at Jack saying, "He's a tough one alright." The door opened up and Eleanor saw one of the guards stick his head in the room, "Ma'am there has been some updates."
She looked at the doctor who knew that look, it's the kind where high up government officials ask everyone to leave the room with just a stare. The doctor left the room and the agent walked in saying, "We did as you said. Two CIA agents went to Charles Porter's home."
"And?"
The agent licked his mouth wondering how to start, "Well there were signs of a struggle, we found blood… lots of blood and no bodies."
Eleanor sighed and walked to the window asking, "Has the blood been analyzed?"
"It's still in the process, we won't know for sometime." he told her.
Why now of all time? Why was it that Rapture chose all these years now to attack? The agent spoke again, "Your mother is still under watch in California. However the doctors don't know how much time she has left."
Eleanor was just getting bad news one after another, "They won't come for my mother. She's too frail and the distance is to great for them to travel. It seems that they are after the key figures in this. Namely the ones who rocked that city." She sat down in one chair and grabbed a pen and paper writing down as she spoke, "Jack Ryan, the son of the Andrew Ryan and the one who killed both Andrew and Frank. My father, Subject Delta had killed off a large number of my mother's followers and foiled her plans. Finally C.M. Porter or Subject Sigma who helped create the Thinker and killed Reed Wahl."
After writing down a connection she said, "From what we found, my father's heart was ripped from the chest. Which means that Big Daddy was a necessary muscle to rip through my father's suit. Since Porter's body is missing we don't know what they'll do and as for Jack…" She brought her hand up to her head to rub the bridge of her nose, "Is there anything else?"
"Yes actually." she faced him wondering what he had to say, "Jack's daughters apparently from what we found out is that they plan to meet up with the sister living in New York and fly altogether here. They should get her within the week."
Eleanor gave a weak smile, "Interesting. Make sure someone follows them the moment they touchdown in New York and when they reach Maine. Keep me updated." She stood up and said, "Remember I want reports on Jack as well. I'm going back to my hotel."
"Yes ma'am!" He opened the door and let Eleanor out and closed the door.
* Rapture *
Ryan sat in his office looking out a massive window to the city smiling to himself. He was smoking a cigar with his feet on top of his desk. His door opened and he turned his head slightly and saw a Splicer and a Big Sister walk into the room. The Big Sister's eye holes were green and it stood still waiting for Ryan to speak.
"Boss I brought the Big Sister like you said."
Ryan stood up and looked at the Big Sister and blew smoke in it's face watching it remain still, "Would you kindly go and snatch L.S. 8 and 9." The Big Sister made a strange high pitched screech and with an unbelievable amount of speed it ran out of the office to do Ryan's bidding. The Splicer looked at Ryan asking, "Anything else sir?"
Walking away from the Splicer he said, "Yes tell the Big Daddies to hurry on the building of the city and tell the scientist to hurry on the project."
The Splicer nodded, but didn't leave it still stood there looking at Ryan. Seeing as how the Splicer didn't leave Ryan reached into his desk and pulled out a small vile and tossed it to the ground and the Splicer quickly picked it off the ground and uttered, "Thank you Mr. Ryan!" and ran out of the office. Ryan smiled to himself and said, "Just like a junky."
Ryan kept smiling to himself watching sea life swim around his paradise.
* Hotel 3:22 a.m. *
Eleanor was sleeping in her hotel room when the phone rang. Upset she grabbed the phone and answered trying not to sound tired, "Hello."
"Ma'am, Jack is awake."
"What!" She nearly shouted, sitting up she was wearing a white night gown and said, "I'll be there soon." and hung up quickly. She got out of her bed and got dressed and only did her hair, looking at the mirror making sure that she was presentable at least she left her room and walked to the room next to hers and knocked on it saying, "Tenenbaum? It's me Eleanor, Jack is awake and I'm going to see him."
The door opened slowly and the young Tenenbaum told her, "Just give me a moment to get ready." Eleanor agreed and waited outside, a few minutes later and she walked out of the room in a business suit and followed Eleanor to her car so they could go to the hospital.
* Hospital 3:56 a.m. *
Jack laid in his bed and was just given some pain killers. The doctor asked him, "So Mr. Ryan how do you feel?"
Annoyed Jack said, "I feel very, very pissed off at the moment." The doctor wrote a few things down on his clipboard and replied, "Well you are doing much better now. In fact there are no long term damage to your body, so you can leave, but not until I see the rest of these results however." He didn't like the news, but there was nothing Jack could do about it. Jack sat up and looked out at the window wanting to get out of this place. His attention fell to the door when there was a knock and when he called out, "Come in!" The door opened and Jack saw two women enter, one he knew to be Eleanor since she would come by the house often to see her father to pay respects, but the other he had to focus his sight on since she looked like a younger version of Tenenbaum.
Eleanor walked over to the bed asking, "How are you Jack?"
"Doing fine Eleanor, who is this with you?" asked Jack.
Tenenbaum smiled and said, "It's me Jack… Brigid." She held out her arm and showed him the device on her wrist. Jack was a bit confused and asked, "Okay… Well umm… What's my mother's name?"
The German woman gave him a sympathetic look, but this was to be expected since the last time she saw Jack was when she left for Rapture all those years ago, "Mary-Catherine "Jasmine" Jolene." Jack knew it was her now, "Let me guess. Does that little contraption keep you young?" She smiled at Jack saying, "Yes it is, but it doesn't stop death."
Eleanor pulled up two chairs and asked the doctor to leave, once he did both women sat down and she asked, "Jack… What happened in your home?" Jack looked at Eleanor and sighed, "Jack we need to know what new threat we are dealing with and how we should approach it."
Tenenbaum said to Jack, "I've been to Rapture and I know of this new figure that has taken over. The Splicers fear him like they have Ryan and with no one to stand in his way then this could be dangerous." Jack nodded and took a few inhales and said, "The boss came to see me personally."
The two women were listening very intently on this. Jack looked out the window and told them, "Andrew Ryan is back." Shock wasn't even the word to describe the expression on their faces. Tenenbaum asked shakily, "A-Are you sure?"
Jack nodded saying, "Positive. He's been alive this whole time, I don't know how, but he's alive. He says that he was brought back by a Vita-Chamber." Eleanor intertwined her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands asking him, "You're positive that it was Ryan?" Jack nodded. The two women exchanged glances and Jack asked, "Could he have been lying? Maybe cloning?"
Tenenbaum shook her head, "Not possible. None of the scientist had the resources to do it and even if they did they would've needed ADAM on a massive scale to recreate cells. Much more than what a few Little Sisters can offer." She thought about it more and asked, "Are you saying that he looks the same? Like back in 1960?"
"Yeah. It's like he never aged a day at all. Cryogenically frozen you think?" asked Jack.
Eleanor nodded, "Possibility. He's brought back to life by a Vita-Chamber and freezes himself and is to be awaken at a specific time. However it doesn't explain who was running everything in his absence." The three were thinking up every possibility that involved their current predicament. There was a knock at the door and the three turned their attention to the door seeing a CIA agent poking his head in, "Ma'am they've landed."
"I see." She stood up and straightened out her suit and told the two, "I'll be back." she turned and left the room leaving Jack and Tenenbaum to talk.
Eleanor walked out of the hospital with a CIA escort, the escort waved his hand and a black limo drove up and another car, the escort opened the door to the limo for Eleanor to get in and then entered himself. Eleanor told the driver calmly, "To the airport on the double." Doing as she said the driver drove as quickly as he could to the airport.
* Airport *
The sisters, their husbands, and kids handed finally landed to their destination. Rose was holding her two year old son in her arms saying, "Should we go to the hospital first?" Everyone agreed and started walking to conveyer belt to get there luggage and then went to the front of the airport to hail a few cabs, barely took a few steps before they saw two people standing at the entrance. A man was holding a sign that read, "Ryan Party".
Emily asked, "Did anyone call ahead for an escort?" Immediately everyone looked to James wondering if he had since he is a Senator, but he said, "I haven't called anyone for any escort."
The female walked up to them politely introducing herself, "Hello everyone. You must be Jack Ryan's family." She looked at each individual family, "You must be James and Rose Weaving." James shook her hand, "Yes we are and who might you be?"
Eleanor didn't answer and went on to the next, "The Ferland family… John and Arya am I correct?" The two shook her hand and nodded, but before answering she moved to the next sister, "Nicole and Wesley Tobey correct?" Nicole and her husband did the same of shaking her hand, but instead of asking her a question they let her move on.
"Emily and Richard Shimerman? I think I have this down." Richard shook the woman's hand and watched her walk over to Amy, "Finally the Amy and Ethan Hanover." The two shook her hand. James took a step forward asking again, "Ma'am who are you and how did you know that we would be here?"
Eleanor finally answered their question, "My name is Eleanor Lamb, I'm with the CIA." She looked down and saw the Jack's grandchildren hiding behind their fathers' legs peeking out. Eleanor kneeled down asking in a sweet voice, "Do you guys want to see your grandpa?" The children's eyes lit up at the mention of their grandfather.
Nicole asked the woman, "Where is our father? Is he okay?" Eleanor stood back up and told them, "He's fine. Some minor injuries, but he's fine. I'm here to take you all to him. There is a limo outside waiting, so we should get going."
Eleanor asked the women and children to follow her while the men grabbed the luggage. Getting outside Eleanor directed the sisters and their children to get in the limo and for the luggage to be put in the other car, once everything was put away the men joined the women and children in the limo. Eleanor told the driver, "To the hotel please."
Rose asked, "Wait I thought that we were going to see our father?"
"I wish I could take you there now, but as you can see that it is very early in the morning, the sun hasn't even lit the horizon yet. I've set up five hotel rooms for you all and I promise that I'll take you to see Jack in the morning. Deal?" said Eleanor.
Amy was going to argue, but Arya stopped her saying, "What time might I ask?"
"Nine o'clock in the morning. I'm going to drop you all off at the hotel and I'll be going back to the hospital to check on him."
Wesley felt his wife tighten her grip on his hand, "Don't worry Nicole we'll see him soon." One of the kids asked her, "I want to see grandpa now. Can we please see him now?"
"I'm afraid not little one. Your grandpa just woke up not to long ago and he's going to need his rest." The kids were immediately saddened that they couldn't see their grandfather. Amy asked Eleanor, "Can you tell us what happened?"
Eleanor shook her head, "I'm afraid not. Jack will tell you when you see him, it's not my business to say." The driver called from the front, "Ma'am we're here."
Everyone felt the car come to a stop and when they all got out a CIA agent walked over handing Eleanor five keys. She turned to them saying, "Here are your keys to your rooms. Take which ever one you want." They each grabbed a key and took their luggage up to their rooms. Eleanor turned to get back into the limo to go back to the hospital, but Ethan walked up to her saying, "Will you be coming to the rooms to take us to see my father-in-law?"
"Yes. Goodnight everyone." said Eleanor, they saw her get in the car driving off. They all decided that it was late and that they should get as much sleep as possible if they were to see Jack in the morning and the kids were definitely tired from their long flights to get here, so everyone went to their own rooms to get some much needed rest.
* 10 o'clock : Morning *
Jack was sitting on his hospital bed still talking with Tenenbaum about Rapture and the many possibilities of how it's creator is still alive. He got off the bed and walked around the room feeling much better than before and did some light exercises to keep himself in shape, "So you actually went back after you saved Charles Porter?"
"Yes, after I was able to turn Mr. Porter back to normal we left Rapture so I could further my research, then I went back to cure the Splicers, it worked but..." she said.
Jack did a few push ups finishing for her, "The Splicers were the problem weren't they?"
Tenenbaum nodded replying, "They just spliced back up. They cured, but they still craved the stuff. I stayed all that time to try and try, but it never worked. So I stayed still trying to correct my sins."
Jack gave her an amused chuckle saying, "Don't beat yourself up you can't expect them to quit splicing cold turkey. Why come back now?"
"I used a few security bots to spy on the Splicers and I heard one say that he was leaving topside to fight you. I stopped my research and stole a Bathysphere to come to the serface. I wanted to see if you were okay." said Tenenbaum.
Finishing his push ups he got back up and drank some water highly irritated that he can't leave the hospital, but at least they got him some pajamas to sleep in and some extra clothes. He sat back on his bed asking Tenenbaum, "Thanks, by the way what happened to Eleanor?"
Tenenbaum smiled and replied, "She went to go pick up your presents."
"Presents?" asked a confused Jack and before he could ask anymore questions the door to the room opened up and Jack saw five kids running into the room all screaming, "Grandpa!"
He immediately stood up and got on both knees opening his arms wide as his grandchildren all hugged him tightly. His granddaughter Gina asked, "Grandpa are you okay?"
"Yes I'm fine. You know nothing can bring grandpa Jack down." He said patting each one on their heads. He looked up from the kids to the doorway and saw his daughters all standing in the doorway smiling with some tears building up in their eyes, getting off of his knees he said, "Hey girls… You're all looking good."
All five of his daughters walked up to him hugging him, Jack was careful when hugging them back since Amy and Nicole were both pregnant, he could hear low sobs coming from each of them and it almost brought him to tears, "Shhh it's okay your old man is fine."
Rose asked him, "You sure? Nothing out of place or damaged?"
"Doctor says I'm fine." He said sitting down on his bed, the kids crawled on the bed sitting around their grandfather, but the youngest James Jr. sat in his grandpa's lap. Emily asked her father, "What happened dad?"
Jack sighed wondering how he should say this. Nicole noticed the other woman in the room asking politely as she held out her hand, "Oh hello, I'm Nicole Tobey. You are?"
Tenenbaum shook Nicole's hand replying, "My name is Brigid, a friend of Jacks." The door opened again and Jack saw his son-in-laws walk in. Jack greeted the men and Eleanor who walked in after the men after talking with the CIA's doctor. Eleanor walked over to Jack saying, "Jack good news the doctor says you're free to leave whenever you're ready."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief hearing the news. Jack stood up still holding James Jr, "Thank God I finally get to leave." Jack set his grandson down and grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom to get changed. While everyone waited, Arya asked both of the other women, "How do you two really know our father?"
"I am quite interested as well. I don't recall seeing either of you two growing up." said Amy. Eleanor and Tenenbaum exchanged glances and Tenenbaum said, "I think it's best that your father tell you who we are. We don't want to say anything that could upset him."
Jack emerged from the bathroom dressed and he saw everyone save for Eleanor and Tenenbaum were looking at him, "What is it?" Jack asked them. Eleanor got out of her seat and said to Jack, "You need to tell them Jack."
"Tell them what?" he asked.
Eleanor gave him a sympathetic look saying, "About what really happened when he came to your home and about where you and I were born. Tell them about the hell the three of us had to endure." Jack shook his head saying, "No, I'm not gonna say anything about that. If he comes back to see me, next time I won't let my damn guard down again. I'll make damn good sure of-"
"Jack, you cannot protect them from it any longer. If what you said is right and he wants you back in Rapture, then you know he will not stop until he gets what he wants." Tenenbaum told him.
Emily's husband Richard said, "Okay let's just start by asking, who the hell is this 'he' you three keep talking about. It seems to me like the three of you have more secrets than you should be keeping." Rose asked Jack, "Dad please tell us what is going on."
There was a brief silence before Jack finally broke, "Alright… Eleanor take my grandkids to another room. They don't need to know about any of this."
"I will Jack. Come on kids, let's get some breakfast." Eleanor said happily to the kids. Jack's grandchildren ran to him and gave him one big hug asking him if they'll see him later to which he said that he would. Eleanor left with the kids leaving Jack alone with his daughters, his son-in-laws, and Tenenbaum. He sat on his bed twiddling with his thumbs wondering how he should start.
Tenenbaum placed a comforting hand on his shoulder saying, "Jack… I'll start." She turned to look at their guests telling them, "If you want to hear the whole story, then you mustn't interrupt either of us. No matter how crazy you think it might be. Understood?"
Everyone nodded and found a place to sit waiting to listen to this story. Tenenbaum first told them, "There was a man named Andrew Rianofski, a man with a vision a man born to Russia. He witness many things in his time and finally fled from Russia to America changing his name to Andrew Ryan to seek a better life in America. He accumulated a vast fortune while he was in America, but felt that 'parasites' kept taking what the people strive to make their own and despised the Government for that. He saw that what they couldn't have they would destroy, an example of this was the Atomic Bomb dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to him it was a was the ultimate form of corruption. Andrew Ryan took his vast fortune and decided to start a city of his own."
Nicole asked, "Ryan?" Jack immediately said, "No relation."
She saw that they were still listening and she said, "He built an underwater city called… Rapture."
John stopped her saying, "Whoa, you really do expect us to believe that a man had an underwater city built? That's insane."
"Insane is what one would say when they have no vision of their own." said Tenenbaum, "Men who have no vision of what is possible believe that it is impossible. That was the difference between men and Andrew Ryan."
Arya said to her father, "Dad you can't be serious."
Jack nodded, "This is serious… Because that city is where you Arya and Emily were also born to Rapture." His two daughters were shocked. Jack looked at Tenenbaum, he didn't want to tell them about their real parents just yet so he was going to tell them a lie he'd been thinking about for years now, "I left that mega city to visit your grandparents. At the time I met three more women in my travels and they were pregnant with you three (gesturing to his other daughters), I later received a letter that Arya and Emily's mothers had you two, so I went to get you two."
Edward asked Jack, "Jack do you really expect any of us to believe this?"
Jack shook his head, "No I don't, but you all asked to know. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."
Tenenbaum said, "Families fled to this city to escape the world ruled by governments. Andrew Ryan constructed this city starting in 1946 and it was completed in 1951. Scientists, artists, engineers, musicians, and others who thrived to see their dreams come true were either called for by Ryan or came of their own free will. Things were going decent in Rapture after it's completion, but that all changed when a man named Frank Fontaine came to power and was at war with Andrew Ryan."
Richard asked Jack in a sarcastic tone, "What about you? What was your role in this war?"
Jack looked at Tenenbaum, she understood that he didn't want them to know the whole truth, "My role… I was with Fontaine's man. I killed a lot of people during that time, I was young when I was under his wing and I was a street kid when I met him and I wasn't right in the head. I treated the five of your mothers like nothing and I regret it, so I wanted a better life. But your mothers didn't want to leave Rapture, so I left instead for six years. When I came back Rapture was a destroyed place, Frank was dead, a new guy named Atlas was fighting, this war was out of control."
Amy asked, "What happened to the three of us?"
Jack said, "I took you three with me and left you with a trusted friend while I searched for your sisters."
Ethan said in a raised tone, "Okay so wait you took three of your daughters to this dangerous place? That's some parenting Jack."
"I didn't have a choice boy! Things were out of control! That was my only option at the time!" Jack rose his voice back, "Tenenbaum was the one who looked after you three while I searched."
Everyone looked at the woman definitely confused now. Jack looked away and said, "Things are more complicated than you know. The house wasn't destroyed by a pipeline or any of that other bullshit. Andrew Ryan paid me a visit and things got out of hand quickly."
From down the hall Eleanor was wondering how things were going. She was standing outside of the room where the kids were as they ate their food watching T.V. She told one of her guards to go get something to eat as well and said that she could handle this herself. She stood outside the door for ten minutes by herself she could faintly hear some shouting coming from down the hall. Eleanor knew that they wouldn't believe something so far fetched, hell even the men and women who work under her in the agency don't believe her, but they only do the work because the President knows this to be true. After all President Reagan had told her that Ryan had given him an invitation to Rapture, though he had turned it down and kept the underwater a secret.
Eleanor looked at her watch and so far they were talking for a full ten minutes, she popped her head in the door and saw that the kids were still watching T.V. and talking to each other not noticing Eleanor's presence, she closed the door and remained outside until one of her men came back to take over while she went to get something to eat herself.
Jack had explained to everyone about plasmids and what they could do to the body, but he could still see the uncertainty in their eyes. They didn't believe and he wasn't expecting them to, he knows now that relations with them will be strained because of this talk now. His daughters had the look in their eyes like he was crazy and his son-in-laws he could tell were thinking that they should keep away from Jack from now on. Jack stood up and walked to the window saying to all of them, "I know what you all are thinking, but like I said whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. I won't be going back, the insurance will pay for the house and I'm going to buy a new place. I'm going to be fine."
When no one said anything Tenenbaum perked up and suddenly stood up catching everyone's attention. Jack saw her and asked, "Brigid? You okay?"
Tenenbaum had a perplexed look on her face and finally shouted, "The children!" and ran out of the room, Jack followed after her with everyone else chasing after them, Jack saw the CIA agent standing outside the door and shouted, "Out of the way!" The guy moved aside and Jack nearly knocked the door off the hinges and what he saw in the room turned him pale. Tenenbaum, Jack's daughters and their husbands were behind them and they were stunned at what they were looking at.
Standing in the room was a Big Sister, the children were asleep on the bed, but the Big Sister had in it's cage Gina and Jennifer in it both asleep and with oxygen masks around their faces. His daughters let out a scream which snapped Jack back to reality, but it also made the Big Sister turn and jump out the open window. Jack ran at the same window and jumped out it after the thing that took his granddaughters.
Tenenbaum raced to the window and looked out seeing Jack and the Big Sister hit the ground cracking the concrete under their feet. The Big Sister took off running with Jack chasing close behind, Tenenbaum turned around and saw that Jack's family were checking the kids to see if they were okay, but Rose and Emily had fallen to the floor crying after seeing their daughters taken right before their eyes.
Eleanor came into view asking, "What happened!"
Tenenbaum grabbed Eleanor's arm saying, "A Big Sister is what happened! Jack is chasing after if we need to follow them now!" Eleanor, Tenenbaum, and the agent all ran out of the room to chase after Jack. Richard and James saw them leave and told their wives that they were going to get the girls and ran chasing after Eleanor and Tenenbaum.
They all piled into one of the cars that Eleanor was using and got in the front seat and the agent drove, "Head to the pier! That's where she is going!" He nodded and speed off. Richard shouted, "How do you know that for sure!"
Tenenbaum said, "Because, that's were it came from. I just hope Jack doesn't let it reach the ocean." the last part she said sadly. The agent was speeding down the streets running red lights and miraculously they didn't hit any moving vehicles only a few signs and side swiped some parked cars. Eleanor reached into the glove compartment and pulled out two guns making sure both were loaded and handed one to her agent. The guy kept looking and found the pier, "We're here!" He slammed on the brakes and they saw that the gate leading to the pier was ripped apart.
Eleanor got out of the car and so did everyone else except for Eleanor's agent, "Stay here and keep the car running. We'll need a quick escape." He nodded and stayed in. Eleanor, Tenenbaum, Richard, and James ran into the pier looking for Jack or the Big Sister. Eleanor was at the lead walking around seeing all the giant freights everywhere most stacked on top of each other. Eleanor stopped when she heard a loud crashing sound, "This way!" they started running when the crashing noises got louder and louder. Eleanor stopped and pushed everyone back and jumped out of the way when a giant freight almost fell on all of them. They heard a loud screech and Eleanor was the first to get up and run around the large freights and she saw Jack dodging the Big Sister's fireball attacks that exploded upon impact.
"Stay here all of you!" she shouted to Tenenbaum, Richard, and James. She ran out and saw the Big Sister standing on a pile of freighters it's attention on Jack, she could see the girls still asleep in the cage not aware of the noise being caused. Jack was trying to survive since he used most of his energy on his Strong John to be able to run as fast as the Big Sister and needed some more EVE to recharge.
Eleanor loaded her gun and ran out shooting the Big Sister in the head catching her attention. The Big Sister jumped down at Eleanor swinging at her with her giant needle trying to kill her, but Eleanor was able to avoid all the attacks. Tenenbaum had reached into a bag she brought with her and pulled out a blue syringe. Jack had seen Tenenbaum and his son-in-laws and saw the looks on the two men's faces. Tenenbaum smiled at him saying, "I think you'll need this."
Jack smiled and grabbed the syringe and immediately stabbed it into his left wrist and his muscles began to get bigger, "I can't risk hitting it with any of my other plasmids. I might hit the girls."
Tenenbaum said, "Then just cripple it enough to get them away from it." Jack nodded, but he felt someone grab his wrist and saw that it was James, "Jack… Bring our girls back."
Jack nodded saying, "I will bring them back." and he felt James let go and ran off to help Eleanor. The Big Sister trapped Eleanor in a corner not giving her chance to escape, Eleanor had her gun aimed at the Big Sister waiting for her to move. Right when it did Jack emerged from behind the Big Sister and grabbed the cage ripping it open, the Big Sister kicked out hitting Jack in his stomach sending him flying into the wall.
Eleanor took a deep breath and aimed her hand at a metal pole and the pole rose into the air and she quickly aimed her hand at the Big Sister. To late to react the metal pole flew through the air and it pierced the Big Sister in her chest, it let out a high pitched screech and it looked at Eleanor about to attack, but Jack jumped at the Big Sister and kicked it in it's side making tumble over in pain, this gave Jack enough time to reach into the cage and he grabbed and pulled Gina out of the cage and tried to pull Jennifer out, but the Big Sister screeched and turned around quickly and stabbed Jack in his stomach with her giant needle making Jack spit up some blood.
It pulled it's needle out and attempted to grab Gina, but Jack used his remaining strength to punch the Big Sister in her helmet denting it and making her stumble back. Eleanor ran up and tripped the Big Sister by using her Telekinesis to throw a crate at her legs making her fall forward onto the front of her body and jumped on the Big Sister's back trying get Jennifer, but a loud crash caught her attention followed by a loud masculine shriek. Jack and Eleanor looked around and saw a Big Daddy, but not any ordinary Big Daddy… it was an Alpha Series.
Jack saw that it had a drill in it's right hand revving it up. Jack charged some lightning in his fist and shot at the Big Daddy stunning it and quickly ran over to Richard handing him his daughter saying, "The three of you get out now! We'll handle this!"
James shouted back, "I'm not leaving without my daughter!"
"And I can't focus on getting her back if you three are here getting in the way!" Jack retorted, but before anything else could be said Jack is grabbed by his neck and tossed into a pier warehouse and it chased after him. Eleanor tried to get Jennifer, but the Big Sister recovered and kicked her away. Eleanor was at a disadvantage. She couldn't use her powers otherwise one false move could harm Jennifer however the Big Sister had no problems using hers.
Tenenbaum told both men that they needed to retreat to the car to get Gina away from all this. Richard agreed and took off with his daughter in arms, but James wanted to stay to get his daughter back, "You two go back. I'm staying." Tenenbaum couldn't tell him that he couldn't, he was an obvious father who wanted to save his child. She sighed and told him not to get in Eleanor's way otherwise he'd die. Tenenbaum and Richard ran off to tell Eleanor's agent to send for backup.
The Big Sister screeched again and kept jumping all over the place trying to hit Eleanor with her fireball attacks and threw crates, rocks, and other objects at her. Luckily Eleanor hadn't lost any of her athletic abilities as a Big Sister and was able to evade the attacks or catch them with her telekinesis and toss the attacks in the other direction.
James picked up a lead pipe and ran at the Big Sister about to hit her, but she spun around and grabbed by his throat and held him in the air as if he weighed nothing making him drop the pipe. Eleanor took out her gun and shot at the Big Sister's arm making her drop him. James fell to the ground choking trying catch his breath, when he saw that the Big Sister's attention was back to Eleanor he picked the pipe back up and hit the Big Sister in the side of the head cracking it's eyehole and earning a punch to his chest most likely breaking a few of his ribs and sent him flying into some crates.
Eleanor was about to attack, but a loud shriek brought both Eleanor and the Big Sister's attention to an explosion in the warehouse that Jack and the Big Daddy were fighting in. The Alpha Big Daddy ran out of the fiery building and Jack jumped out of the building with a butchers hook he found in the warehouse and stabbed the Big Daddy right through it's helmet into the neck. Eleanor saw that the light in the Alpha's porthole died and Jack slammed it into the ground saying, "Tin can piece of crap." Jack's clothes were ripped and torn with a few scrapes on his body.
The Big Sister seemed to tremble and took a few steps back before it took off running prompting Jack and Eleanor to run after her. The Big Sister tried running faster, but her injuries prevented her from going faster. Jack shouted, "We can't let her get to the ocean!"
She had made it to a dock and was about to jump into the ocean, but it stopped and turned back seeing Jack and Eleanor chase. She looked up and saw a freight suspended in the air by a crane, it aimed it's hand at the crane crushing the supports bringing the structure to fall down on both of them. Eleanor stopped to lift her own arms into the air stopping the falling iron from hitting her or Jack.
Jack however didn't stop and continued running, the Big Sister turned tail and ran. Jack reached out almost able to grab the cage, he'd grab the cage and rip the Big Sister back and toss her away from getting to the water and to swim away with his granddaughter. It was so close, but then it happened, out of nowhere another Alpha Big Daddy jumped out of the water and tackled Jack, everything happened so fast that Jack hadn't exactly realized what happened. He could only watch in horror as the Big Sister leapt into the air and dove into the water… and just like that she was gone.
The Big Daddy lifted Jack into the air and was about to stab Jack with it's drill. Jack was still in a state of loss failing to save Jennifer… failing Rose. Eleanor tossed the structure aside and was about to save Jack but a car horn was heard and she saw that the car they took up there was driving at high speeds toward Jack and the Big Daddy and the driver did his best to hit the Big Daddy.
Once hit the Big Daddy let go of Jack, it's heavy body ripped the front of the car to shreds knocking the Big Daddy off the dock and into the water and the shredded car also skidded into the ocean. Jack laid on the ground looking at the ocean still not believing how everything was going. Eleanor walked over to Jack and helped him up to his feet.
"Jack! Eleanor!"
Eleanor turned around and saw Tenenbaum carrying Gina running toward them. The girl was still asleep, "Richard is looking for James… She was taken wasn't she?" asked Tenenbaum knowing the answer to that question. Eleanor sighed and looked at Jack who's back was facing them, his fists clenched and shaking. Both women felt sad for Jack for what happened.
"Where's Jennifer!"
Eleanor and Tenenbaum turned around and saw Richard was helping James walk over to them. James was holding his side as he limped over to them asking again in a calmer tone, "Where's Jennifer? Where is my daughter Jack." James' attention was on Jack waiting for a response, but Jack gave none. James pushed Richard away and limped over to Jack and looked him right in the face grabbing his shirt asking in a demanding tone this time, "I asked you a Goddamn question. Where is my little girl?"
Jack turned his face away and said in a low tone, "She's gone. She was taken by…"
James pulled his fist back and punched Jack square in the jaw and immediately ignored the pain in his hand since it felt like punching a brick wall. Jack fell to the ground rubbing his jaw, "You said you'd bring her back… You said-" He wanted to punch him again, but he instead started to breath heavier and felt like pulling his hair out. Eleanor helped Jack up saying out loud, "Listen, Jack did all he could. Don't blame him for what happened, there is nothing else we can do now. The most we can do is call someone to clean all this up and figure out how we're going to get her back. We'll go back to the hospital and figure something out."
Eleanor looked at Tenenbaum who handed Gina over to the father and asked her, "Do you know if he called for backup?"
"He did, but we heard an explosion and he drove off to try and help. From what I've heard they should be here in a matter of fifteen minutes." explained Tenenbaum. Everyone seemed to have calmed down and James asked in a shaky tone, "You all were telling the truth then?"
Jack, Eleanor, and Tenenbaum looked at the trembling man seeing some dry tears around his eyes, "That place you talked about- Rapture wasn't it? It took my daughter there didn't it?" They didn't answer him, but they knew what he was getting at. James walked up to Jack saying in a demanding tone again, "You're going to take me there so I can get my daughter back."
Richard was holding his daughter feeling remorse for his brother-in-law, he held his daughter tighter. Loosing something precious like a child would make any man go to any extremes to get them back. He looked away from all them and at the ocean, if what they said is indeed true, then that place has to be real. He was a man who believed what he saw with his own to God given eyes and what he saw today made him believer of this Rapture. The sounds of multiple footsteps made them all look back seeing men in black suits run up with guns drawn. Eleanor approached the men and told them what happened and to get a dive team assembled to look in the docks for anything out of the ordinary and to get everyone else to the hospital.
Eleanor guided Jack, Richard, James, and Tenenbaum to a car that was waiting for them and they all got in the car heading back to hospital to tell Rose the bad news about her daughter. Jack looked back at the damage caused to the pier and dock, Jack didn't want to go back to the hospital to tell his daughter what happened how he failed to save his own granddaughter. He wasn't looking forward to this at all.
* An Hour Later *
Jack stood outside the room where his daughters, son-in-laws, and grandchildren minus one were some comfort the crying who were so depressed about the situation. They were told everything that happened and even what he was able to do from what the two men saw. Tenenbaum and Eleanor walked over to the depressed man, Eleanor was holding two styrofoam cups both filled with coffee. She handed one over to Jack watching as he quietly took it and slowly drank it until it was gone and crushed the cup in his hand tossing it to the side.
Eleanor asked Jack in a sincere tone, "How are they?"
He didn't answer right away, but when he did his voice sounded less than what it usually was, "Depressed, in denial, desperate, and what ever words can describe a mother's heart break of loosing her child." Eleanor and Tenenbaum frowned at that news. Eleanor placed a hand on Jack's shoulder saying, "They found something. It was at the bottom of the docks…"
Jack faced her with a questioning look on his face. Eleanor looked at Tenenbaum, the German woman was holding an Audio Diary. She handed it to Jack and when he took it the front of the recorder had red letterings on it in what he could only assume was dried blood that read, 'Would You Kindly Play Me?'
Infuriated Jack pressed the play button on the A.D. and a voice came from the recorder was a voice he knew all to well, 'Hello boy. If you're hearing this Audio Diary then it can only mean that I have what you want. I don't like repeating myself, but I'll make an exception. If you want what I have back so badly, then come get it from me. In all honesty I just need you and these little girls don't need to be harmed. It's simple boy you show yourself to me they live, you run they die. It's that simple." There was a brief pause where Jack could hear although not entirely sure it sounded like he was taking a drag of something most likely a cigar. "The girls will be fine, they'll be placed with the other girls in safety. You show yourself and I'll release the girls to Eleanor as I am sure she will be tagging along. Oh and if you are there Tenenbaum listening to this message… You lose." and the message cut out.
Jack started to breath heavy and tossed the Audio Diary against the wall shattering it. He was now beyond pissed, Eleanor and Tenenbaum wondered what to do next. Tenenbaum grabbed Jack's shoulder asking, "Ryan thinks that he has both girls… Luckily we stopped that somewhat. What will you do?"
"What do you think?" Jack said in an angry tone, "I'm going to Rapture, I'm gonna tear that entire city to pieces until I find Jennifer, then I'll finish what should've ended in that damn office of his. Ryan wants a war he's got one now!" Jack faced Eleanor telling her, "Get me a damn boat and set so we can get to that lighthouse."
Eleanor nodded replying, "The only ones who'll go will be the two of us."
"And me." said Tenenbaum, "Ryan thinks he's won, but not yet. I can still fight at my age."
Eleanor smiled saying, "This will go off the radar. The three of us will catch a ship in the next town and from there we'll need to be careful. Ryan will have Splicers watching, after all they attacked Mark's ship." She thought about the upcoming trip saying, "We all need to be 'ready'. Which means getting as much ammo that is necessary, but most of all for Jack who'll need a lot of EVE Hypos."
Jack asked her, "Where are my guns?"
"Back at base, I can get them back. In two days we'll leave in the morning to go and finish this once and for all." said Eleanor. Tenenbaum asked the younger woman, "What are you going to do to prepare?"
Jack was interested in what Eleanor was going to do. She smiled at the two telling the two, "I'm going to be donning my Big Sister attire." That took them by surprise, but they needed as much gear as they can take with them. Tenenbaum said, "I have some EVE Hypos with me and I was able to get ahold of a new plasmid." She reached into a pack she had with her and handed Jack a red vile with a label on it that read 'Plasmid Leech'.
Tenenbaum explained, "Since the Splicers seem to be using more plasmids you're going to need that. When they use their plasmid abilities you can drain them of that energy and it'll allow you to reenergize your own plasmids. Jack smiled, "Thanks, this is useful… very useful indeed." Jack put it in his pocket, "We need to get ready then. We'll all meet up at the docks and tomorrow morning and leave for the ocean the day after. I'm going to the remains of my home to see if I can find my pack that had all my plasmids and EVE Hypos."
Tenenbaum nodded and said that she was going to return to her hotel room taking her leave first. Eleanor left second to go and get Jack's weapons and to acquire her Big Sister outfit. Jack looked at the door where his family were sitting in and his heart broke since he could faintly hear his daughters crying over the kidnapping of a family member. Jack turned around and left to look for his things where his house used to be.
* Jack's Former Home *
Jack was on the beach picking up rocks and other debris feverishly searching for his pack. Some agents were guarding the area to make sure no civilians came by and a few were even helping Jack look for his pack. Everything that had to do with Rapture had been taken to their headquarters. Jack took a quick break and sat down on a large rock to wipe the sweat from his forehead feeling exhausted.
One of the CIA agents walked up to him saying, "Jack, there's someone here wanting to talk to you and he won't leave until he does."
"Send him over." said Jack. A few minutes went by and Jack saw James walk over, "What are you doing her boy? You should be comforting Rose." Jack said to him. James ignored that and sat across from the older man saying to him, "I know that you're going after Jennifer and don't try and tell me you're not because that's bullshit."
James looked around the rubble, "You're looking for something here before you go and get her. I want to help and I am going with you and there is nothing you can do to stop me from going." Jack cracked his knuckles replying to his comment, "There is a lot of things I can do to stop you. I just don't know which method I'm going to use first."
Anger was taking over James as he spoke, "Give me a reason why I can't go."
Jack simply replied, "I'll give you five. One because if you go with us you'll slow us down, two you've never been to a place like this, three you've never fought things like this, four you can't fathom what we are really up against, and five because I said so." Jack stood up and returned to moving some parts of his house and rocks away, "Go back to Rose, matter of fact tell everyone to go back home. I'll get Jennifer back safely. Go back to your normal everyday lives." Jack was to busy looking for his pack that he didn't hear James run up to him nor could he have predicted what happened next. James grabbed Jack's shirt and slammed him into a rock that was sticking up out of the ground.
James said out of anger, "I am going with you Jack Ryan! I will get my daughter back and don't you ever! Ever! Tell me what I can and can't do! This is my family too and I'll do what needs to be done!" James let him go and saw the shocked expression on Jack's face, he held out his hand for him to take it and Jack did and this time his tone was kinder, "Jennifer thinks the world of you, hell your daughters and all of your grandchildren love you to death. If you go down there and die, then us their husbands will have to see that light in their eyes die. I won't let that happen."
Jack saw James in a whole new light, he was a man. Jack smiled at him saying, "Fine, you can go. Help me look for my pack it's a brown satchel and be careful with it there are important items in it and they are fragile." Jack turned around and kept looking and James did the same in the other direction.
* Military Office *
Eleanor took up a military office in Maine, she just got off the phone with HQ and told them to send over her Big Sister outfit and her father's body to Portland, Maine. She's told no one why and she secured a boat in Portland to be ready and stocked when they leave. She also called for the Splicers bodies to be disposed of and the Alpha Series Big Daddy's body to be taken to Portland as well. She was sitting silently in the desk looking at the phone waiting for a call. She tapped a pen on the desk furiously waiting.
The phone finally rang and she picked it up slowly and put the receiver against her ear.
"Hello Eleanor. How is my daughter doing?"
Eleanor sighed replying, "Hello mother, things aren't fine over here. Andrew Ryan has returned and Jack Ryan is going after him." There was a brief pause before Eleanor said accusingly, "You knew didn't you? That Andrew Ryan was alive this whole time?"
"Of course I did daughter. I truly believed him dead when Jack killed him, but when time went on it seemed that his followers were smarter which is of course impossible, there had to of been someone directing them, guiding them, giving them hope that everything would go back to normal. I truly knew that he was alive when that message was written in blood."
"Mother how did he do it? How is he still alive and the same age he's been this whole time?" Eleanor asked.
She could hear her mother give an amused chuckle, "Ryan's Vita-Chamber. That's the only way I can think of, I remember that Gil Alexander and Sinclair both made the one in his office personally. How it activated I fail to grasp."
"But you know how he's been alive this whole time?" she asked her mother.
"Of course, it's a fairly obvious choice. I can think that Ryan froze himself, but there is a way for him to give off his omnipresence in Rapture."
"How mother?"
"The Thinker."
Eleanor knew what that computer was and what it could do, but what did the factor into his.
"Porter and Wahl had developed a way to send their brainwaves into the machine so they could see everything it saw in Rapture. Although they both thought the idea a failure I can only see that happening. If you want the answers for yourself, go speak to Ryan himself."
"I will mother. There is a chance that I won't be coming out of this alive, so I want to ask… Who is my real father?"
Silence took over as this question had plagued her for a long time, but she needed to know. Sofia chuckled amused at her daughter and replied, "What does it matter? If I told you who your real father was would that change your view on Delta?"
"Never! Delta is and always will be my father, he has shown me a father's love even if we don't have a blood bond. He's the same as Jack and it goes the same the other way around!"
She could faintly hear a clapping sound speaking in a sarcastic tone, "Bravo daughter, bravo. It's time for me to go now, but I hope that this isn't our last conversation with each other. Goodbye daughter."
"Bye mother." she said and hung up the phone. Eleanor wiped the tears from her eyes and left the office to finish the preparations.
* Midnight: Rapture: Science Sector *
Twelve Splicers wearing shredded and dirty lab coats were at many machines, wires, and other contraptions everywhere. Although they all led to one thing. A massive, muscular, gray skinned man. The chest of it had a gash going down the center of the chest, the top of the portion of the dome of it's head was removed and needles sticking into the body.
The doors to the room opened and everyone stopped what they were doing and saw Andrew Ryan walk in casually. He stopped to look at the body and then turned a massive tank with pinkish goo water was in and a giant deformed creature was inside. Ryan asked, "How is the process?"
One Splicer scientist walked over saying, "We're just missing two things for completion." He walked up to the God looking man explaining to Ryan, "We did as you said, we're pumping pure ADAM from Gil Alexander's body into the muscles and bones of Frank Fontaine's body. We implanted the hearts of both Subject Delta and Subject Sigma into Frank's body as well."
Ryan examined the dead body of Frank Fontaine, "Frank will no longer have a use for this body. Soon it will be mine."
"Yes Mr. Ryan of course, however we still need more of Jack Ryan's blood so we can put it inside the bloodstream and we need to remove your brain and put it inside Frank's- I mean your new body Mr. Ryan. The amount that the Big Sister brought wasn't enough." said the Splicer. Ryan admired the body and said, "Don't worry that boy will get here soon enough. After all."
A security bot flew into the room with a monitor on it, Ryan looked at the screen and saw a little girl in a room with a bunch of other little girls, "I have what he wants. I'll bring you his blood just keep up the experiments." with that he left the room leaving the scientists to finish up their experiment.
PLASMIDS BY RYAN INDUSTRIES!
Do your enemies have one to many plasmids to throw at you? Fear not with our new Plasmid Leech, absorb your enemies attacks and drain more EVE from their body by touch. It's that simple.
EVOLVE TODAY!