Disclaimer: All of these characters are borrowed from the game Bioshock Infinite, and I do not own or have any rights to them. Oh, and there are major spoilers in this story. Don't read unless you've finished the game.

Second Run - A Bioshock Infinite Fanfiction

Chapter 11: Power Through Separation

By ck-pasta

It took them a moment to get a hold of their breaths. Booker could tell that it was taking Anna a bit to get a hold of the sense of fighting. He gave her all the time she needed, after all, she's one of the reasons he's still alive. Without her, he wouldn't be able to make it through half of Columbia.

After a bit, she started to gesture that she was ready to leave. They two made their way to the edge of the platform where a passenger ship was supposed to dock. They could see it making its way over to them, but a tinge of red started to rise from the clouds below. Booker strained his eyes to get a better look, but an explosion distracted him.

The passenger ship was in flames, and the screams of men, women, and children could be heard by the two. Anna held her hand over her mouth, while he pulled out his shotgun. Then, one by one, red ships started lifting up from the clouds, and an announcing system blared into their ears.

"The people of Columbia! Are you ready to pay for YOUR sins? Are you ready to have YOUR blood and sweat filling the streets? The Vox Populi will take what is rightfully ours! And this time, you won't stop us!"

Booker looked around for a tear to use, but the only tear was destroyed by the guards. He knew that this would be a losing battle, but he'd rather lose himself rather than Anna. He took her hand, and led her back into Songbird's Nest. The people inside were in panic, not only because of the recent shootout, but also because of the new Vox threat. Booker looked Anna in the eyes, afraid of what would happen next, "Elizabeth, you have to go. Hide, run, do ANYTHING. Just don't be here."

"Mr. Birch, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with you until the end," She gave him a stern look. He shook his head in frustration, "Elizabeth, listen to me! We won't be able to outrun them. Not with the amount of weapons and salts that I have. There are no tears to help us here. You have to go. It's your only chance. I'll hold them off as long as I can, just go. Please."

She could see that he genuinely believed there was no way to fight, "Just promise me you won't die, okay?"

She kissed him on the cheek as a tear rolled down her eye, and Booker watched as she ran towards the inner part of the city. He took a deep breath and readied his shotgun. He knew he wasn't going to get far, but he was going to give as much time to Anna as he possibly could.

The Vox were getting closer, and he stepped out of the hotel and pointed his shotgun at them. There were hundreds, all of them in a formation of a triangle, and at the head was Daisy.

He didn't hesitate. After what she'd done to her and Anna the first time he was here, he had no sympathy for her. She deserved to die. His finger pulled on the trigger, and the bullets left the barrel. They were aimed straight for Daisy, but a metallic wall stopped them. Right in front of Booker was a heart, beating inside of a glass container. A giant hand slapped him into the wall, and he couldn't get up.

He did his best to comprehend what just happened, but his vision was blurry, and his ears were ringing. He recognized Daisy as she walked in front of him, "DeWitt?" His last memories were of a fist making contact with his already bruised face.

Darkness surrounded him as he gained consciousness once more. Nothing but a single light above him was present, and he could barely feel a thing. His body was numb, and his eyes were tired. He would have looked around, but his mind couldn't register much. He started to drift asleep again, and he succumbed to it. He couldn't resist.

His eyes opened for a second time, but it was no different from the first picture. He could hear whispers coming from the darkness, but he couldn't say anything. Every word that tried to escape was pushed back in by a deep, sharp pain in his chest. He could feel his hands again, but it was no use. They were behind his back, tied with a rope. If he had more strength he might have tried to break the rope, but his energy was depleted. His mind started to function again, and he could see the wooden floor and the steel chair that he was strapped to. It didn't help, it only gave him even more fear. His body started to shut down again. He needed rest, but he didn't want it. Not like this, but any will to fight it was disappearing.

A slam woke him up, and he saw a silhouette standing at a distance from him. He didn't know who it was, until it started speaking, "So tell me, DeWitt. How is it that you're still here?" Daisy's face came out of the shadow as her eyes pierced Booker's. He tried to speak, but only moans came out.

She got closer to him, almost touching his face, "I saw you die, DeWitt. There ain't no way that you should be here. Now, how are you alive?"

"D-Daisy..."

"There you go DeWitt, use your words."

He tried to say more, but all he could do was give a slight chuckle. If he couldn't mock her with words, he'd mock her with laughter.

She shook her head, and merged back with the darkness. He heard a door open, "You did this to yourself DeWitt. " A deformed fireman stepped into the light. Fire started to flicker from his hands, and he held on to Booker's chair. The heat quickly transferred to him, and it started to burn. He screamed, and the pain was immense. It seemed to last forever, until the fireman let go, and Daisy stepped back in.

"The DeWitt I knew had a purpose, a cause. He wasn't parading around Columbia, walking with those people. No. He was with us. He knew which side was right. Now, which side you on?"

He looked up at her, "My side."

"Wrong answer." She slipped back into the shadows, and the fireman held on to his chair again. His screams once more echoed throughout the room. His skin was starting to peel off, and that pain was becoming intolerable.

His mind was getting cooked, and he was going to pass out. He heard a distant thud, and the pain slowly went away. The fireman stopped, and looked back at the door. It cracked open, and someone talked in, "We need you guys out here. Someone's here, and he or she is killing our men."

The fireman left, and Daisy came close to Booker and put her hand on his chin, "Just stay right here. I'll be back, don't worry. You'd best be willing to talk, and if you aren't, well, you will soon enough. No one can resist forever. Even you DeWitt."

The disappeared, and the door closed. He let out a sigh, something he didn't want Daisy to hear. he didn't want to give her any hints to becoming close to talking. He'd have to ride this out. Parts of his skin were melted to the chair, and he could no longer lift his arms up. They were glued, and there was no way to take them off without someone else's help.

Unconsciousness was slowly creeping once more, and he wasn't going to be able to hold it off. He was on the brink of sleeping, until the he heard a slow creaking. The door was opening, but what was it being opened by? This can't be Daisy. She wouldn't be sneaking in here. Either this thing is coming in here to kill me, or it's Anna.

He took a deep breath, and barely made out a few words, "E-Elizabeth? That y - *cough*" He couldn't finish his sentence, his lungs wouldn't allow him. The creaking stopped, and he felt a presence in the room, but it wasn't showing itself. Time seemed slow down as his heart started to race faster. His vision started to get blurry, and his fear was taking hold.

He would have started hallucinating, but a foot stepped into the light. It wasn't Anna, it was far too big. Booker was ready to embrace death, knowing there'd be no way out. A thin man followed the foot, and he was wearing cloth over his face. A knife was present in his hand, but he showed no intent of killing Booker. His eyes weren't of a killer.

Booker was still tense though, and as the masked man came closer, he closed his eyes and held his breath. He felt the knife touch his skin, but wasn't sure as to where. A few moments later, his hands fell free. He burst his eyes open, and gasped for air. The man helped Booker up, and he could feel the air going back into his lungs. His arms ached as the skin tore off and held onto the chair.

After he was stable, he looked over to the mysterious man, "W-who are you?"

The man pulled off his mask, and showed a familiar face, "Hey Booker. Heard you've been hanging out in dark basements."

Confusion took over Booker's face, "James? Wha- how?"

A glow of achievement surrounded James, "Well, after we parted, I went back to the Vox and did my research. Turns out, you're supposed to be dead. Right after the attack I heard your name being said, I did some scrounging, and found out you were here! I'd rather help a hero than Daisy any day. Y'know, she's been trying to be like you since you suppose ably died. She's pretty bad at it though."

Booker was confused, but more relieved. He didn't know whether to thank luck, or his past decisions. If he'd killed this boy, he would have been stuck here for God knows how long.

"Oh, and before I forget, here's some medi-gel. Figured you would need it, with all the screaming you've been doing." James threw a bottle towards Booker. He caught it, and started to apply it to his arms. It stung, but it turned cool not long after.

James gestured to him to follow. He complied as he was led by the young man through the building they were currently in.

When they got back to the main floor, Booker saw that they were still in Songbird's Nest. The two were about to go towards the door, but there was a huge crowd of Vox near it. Suddenly, an explosive force nearly half of them back. All the two heard was a loud voice, and it scream three words. Give him back.

Elizabeth didn't know what to do. Here was Kylar, telling her that she had to leave him, and that was the last thing she wanted. She promised herself to stay with him, but he was so pushed on having her leave.

"Just promise me you won't die, okay?" She kissed him on the cheek as tears started to flow down his face. She forced herself to run. That's all she did, run. She didn't know where, and she wasn't exactly sure why.

Once she got clear of the opening in front of Songbird's Nest, she saw a tear on the side of the building, it was a ladder, and she gladly opened it. She climbed up to the very top, and had a nice view of the Vox, and more importantly, Kylar. He was behind cover for a bit, until the Vox came closer. Then he stepped out. It seemed as if he was aiming for the woman at the front.

A gunshot went off, but it was quickly followed the sharp sound of metal hitting metal. She looked with fear as a Handyman landed in front of Kylar, and slapped him into the building. Elizabeth desperately tried to look for a tear to help him, but he was right. There wasn't any.

She watched as the woman punch him, and he his head fell on the ground. Elizabeth wasn't sure whether he was dead, but her fears were gone when she saw them carrying his body into Songbird's Nest. They wouldn't tend to a dead body, would they?

The Vox continued their push, and fire and screams filled Columbia as their sweep came quick and unexpected. Elizabeth looked around for something to help her. I need to get Kylar back. He's my only hope. He's my only reason.

There was nothing on the rooftop, so she made her way across to other roofs. There was an opening to the inside of a building on one of them, but she heard talking from within. She hid on the side of the opening, and grabbed a metal pipe laying on the ground. The door opened, and she held her breath as a Vox came out by himself. He was looking around, and she took this as a chance to sneak in.

She quickly made her way down the stairs, and tried to make as least of noise as possible. There were two more men in the next floor, and she quickly hid behind the kitchen counter. They were going through desks and drawers, scavenging for items.

She sat still, and hoped they wouldn't find her. Eventually it became quiet, and she slowly raised her head, but that was only greeted by two men in red, arms crossed.

"Well, look at what we have here. A little lady, all alone." The other laughed.

"She has a decent face on her too. Shame no one is here to protect her." They slowly moved around the corner, and Elizabeth started to panic. She wasn't sure what she would do, but worse, she wasn't sure what THEY would do.

They came close, and she swung her pipe at one, but they stopped it and laughed even more.

"She has a little fight in her. But she won't for long. Not when we're done with her."

One grabbed her and held his arms around her chest. She struggled to get out, but he was still too strong. They were taking her across the living room, and to what seemed like a bedroom at the end of the hallway. Her suspicions were confirmed when they opened the door, and a large bed was present.

She struggled even more to get out, but it was hopeless. She looked around to see if there was anything to help her. They threw her onto the bed, and one started to move his hand up her skirt. She saw a tear near the door, and she immediately opened it. She didn't care what it was, she needed something, anything.

A Dollar Bill vending machine came through, "I appreciate a woman, who appreciates value!"

The two men were startled, and stepped back a bit. Elizabeth saw her chance, and grabbed the pistol of one of the men and shot him in the stomach. No words were exchanged, just two bodies falling to the floor. The bullet had gone through the first man, and hit the second. Both were dead, but another pair of footsteps were making their way towards her.

The third Vox came upon the room, and saw her, bloodied and two of his comrades dead. She looked at the gun in shock, and paid no attention to the third Vox. She wasn't sure as to what she just did, and it was still processing. The man screamed, and she quickly turned towards him, and accidentally pushing upon the trigger for a second time. The screaming stopped, and a third body hit the floor.

She started to panic even more, and ran out of the room. She knew that she did it for survival, but that didn't take away the guilt. She sat on the couch, crying and yelling. She needed to let it all out, before she could take anymore in.

It was took her a while to regain her composure, and before she was fully recovered, she heard a man scream, and steam blowing. Down the hallway was a fireman, who had just discovered the dead bodies, and she was the only one to blame. He looked at her, and started to charge. She looked frantically, before she saw that the window was her only means of escape.

She jump out, with little hesitation, and the ground quickly grew closer. She extended her arms in hopes of grabbing something, and she grabbed a railing, but she lost grip and continued to fall. She was slower, but when she hit, it still hurt. She groaned as she slowly stood up.

The ground shook under her, and turned around to the that the fireman followed her out the window, and landed on his feet. She attempted to run, but his hand caught her hair. Her screams echoed through the alley, as her head started to heat up more. She could feel and smell her hair burning in his grip. She kept trying to pull off, and she lunged forward as all the force keeping her back left. She turned around to see the fireman throw the remains of her ponytail onto the ground.

Elizabeth quickly got up and started running. An explosive wake was booming behind her, but she relentlessly evaded him. They came upon the main street, which by now was deserted. She looked around for a place to hide, but there wasn't any. She then spotted a tear, not too far from her. She ran towards it, as the alleyway exploded behind her, and the fireman emerged from the smoke.

She wasn't sure as to what the tear was, and it looked almost alien-like to her, but she called it in nonetheless. From thin air, a man in a huge metal suit appeared. He had a cage in front his face, and was wearing what seemed to be an underwater suit. His right hand seemed to be completely missing, and was replaced with a giant drill.

The fireman slowed down as he saw his new foe. He quickly threw a few fireballs at the apparition, but it had no effect. The beast started a jog towards the fireman, his steps shaking the ground. The fireman looked around in panic, and just as he was about to run, the drill started to pierce his armor.

The beast's rotating drill shred its way to make contact with the fireman's skin. The fireman screamed as his organs were blended together, and soon after, he was dead. The monster threw him onto the ground, and faced Elizabeth. he calmly walked up to her, and waited to follow. She examined him, and tried to study as to what exactly he was. She couldn't decipher him, and just attended to the body of the fireman. She looked around, and found his box that he carries around. She opened it, and saw salts and a Devil's Kiss vigor.

Normally, she'd never even think of drinking a vigor. There were too many unknown side effects, and she wasn't willing to take the risk. But circumstances changed. She opened it up, and downed the entire bottle. Her hand started to feel hot, and she looked at them as they started to crack open, and molten lava seemed to flow out of her skin.

It soon went away, and her body felt as if it had more power in her. So that's why Kylar screamed when he drank that Murder of Crows.

She turned to walk back towards Songbird's Nest. She was determined to get Kylar back.

The metal man continued to follow her, and she eventually stopped at a barber shop. There she examined her burnt hair, and cut off any uneven pieces, until it was almost perfect. Her hair was short, stopping just before it got to her neck.

She continued towards Songbird's Nest, and when the two got back to the clearing in front of it, they saw that the Vox had already set up a base. There were sandbags and small wooden walls that were to be used for cover should an attack come.

Elizabeth closed her fists, and felt the fire surging through them. She ordered the metal man to charge at the Vox, and followed right behind him. The Vox were startled at the sight, and barely had enough time to react. The beast was tearing through the Vox, although he seemed to be getting slower from pain. Elizabeth figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to test out the vigor.

She closed her hand, and threw a small fireball across the sky. She observed it, and saw it flicker from red to grey. It held many similar traits to a tear. She figured it was worth a shot, and tried to open a tear within the fireball. When it opened, the fireball grew massively bigger, and caused a huge explosion, nearly killing everyone in the courtyard.

The metal man laid there, being caught in the explosion. She realized how greatly her tears affected vigors, and she was ready to use it.

Nonchalantly, she walked near the entrance, and there she was stopped by a couple of Vox pointing their guns at her. She threw a Kiss at them, and she opened up the tear within it. A huge explosion blasted the entrance of the hotel open, and she saw a number of Vox blown back.

She started to create another Kiss in her hand, and instead of waiting to throw it, she opened the tear whilst in her hand. The fireball slowly grew bigger, and she maintained eye contact with the Vox.

"Give. Him. BACK!" The Kiss left her hand, fully grown, and aimed at the crowd. Screams filled the air, but she didn't care. She wanted Kylar.

Sorry for taking 3 days to post the next chapter. To make up for it, I made this one substantially longer. Hopefully you guys can forgive me for taking so long. It's the weekend, so I'll be able to pump out a couple of chapters.

Hopefully you guys still enjoyed it! Tell me what you guys liked/didn't like, and I'll see if I can accommodate for you!