(a/n: Here we go, almost finished. Please enjoy and review!)
Ch.11: The Point of No Return
Wally paced back and forth muttering, "What do we do? What do we do?" he stopped and he turned to Artemis and Delta asking, "What do we do?" the two shrugged.
The trio was in lobby of Fontaine Futuristics. After the Big Sister grabbed Sinclair, the three tried to peruse but Lamb locked down every way they tried. Eventually they were forced to return to the main lobby.
Artemis shook her head saying, "I don't know"
"We need a plan" said Wally.
The archer nodded "Ok, so what's the plan?" "We find Lamb" elaborated Wally "We rescue Jack, Eleanor and Sinclair, we kick Lamb's butt and we escape to the surface".
Artemis nodded in approval "Good plan but there's a flaw in it"
"What?" asked Wally.
Artemis said, "Sinclair said that Lamb was in Persephone, we don't know where that is and he had the only key that could get us in when he was captured".
Wally frowned "Oh, right" "Maybe I can be of help" said a familiar voice.
Wally, Artemis and Delta turned and they saw Tenenbaum standing at the lobby's entrance accompanied by an Alpha series Big Daddy.
Wally and Artemis rushed over to the doctor and embraced her. Tenenbaum was caught by surprise. She asked, "What's wrong?"
Wally and Artemis took turns explaining what happened from when they last met with Tenenbaum at the Atlantic Express Station. When she heard the part of Jack's capture, Tenenbaum's expression hardened and she began muttering what she will do to Sofia when they find her. They also explained that Sinclair was captured and that he had the only key to get in to Persephone.
Tenenbaum smiled a little and she held up a small metal key similar to the one Sinclair had saying "Like this one?"
"Yeah" said Wally "How…what?" "I stole it" explained Tenenbaum "From one of Lamb's lieutenants".
Artemis asked, "Do you know where Persephone is?"
Tenenbaum nodded "Of course, I have been there once during the Big Daddy development project".
Wally glanced at the Big Daddy standing behind Tenenbaum and he asked, "Uh who's he?"
"Sigma" answered Tenenbaum briefly. She turned and she began walking towards a nearby hall saying, "Come, I'll explain on the way".
Tenenbaum led Wally, Artemis and Delta down a hall filled with advertisement posters till they came to a stop at a poster for oxygen tanks. The doctor pressed a small portion of the wall by the poster and the poster slid away, revealing a secret passage.
At the end of the passage, Artemis and Wally found themselves in a secret area where a single train car waited for them. They boarded the train car and Tenenbaum flipped the switch. The train car raced out of the station and raced along the track, carrying them away from Rapture.
Artemis glanced out the window and saw the city slowly shrinking into the distance.
Wally turned to Tenenbaum and asked "So, what were you doing this whole time?"
"Rescuing the little ones" answered Tenenbaum. She explained that she covered a large portion of the city and saved a number of Little Sisters. But eventually Lamb caught on to her and abducted all the girls Tenenbaum rescued.
Lamb then used the city's security system to force Tenenbaum into a secluded area of Rapture called Minerva's Den. Once there, Tenenbaum was trapped and she was at the mercy of Lamb's lieutenant Reed Wahl. But luckily Sigma, the Big Daddy currently accompanying Tenenbaum, rescued her and he killed Reed.
Once Reed was slain, Tenenbaum used Rapture's central computing system, the Thinker, to bypass Lamb's security lockdown and escape.
As the train raced further down the track, the outside grew darker and darker until it became pitch black. Wally frowned "Why is it getting dark?"
"Persephone is situated above a deep dark trench" explained Tenenbaum "It's the deepest trench in the world. It is like descending into the underworld, hence the name Persephone."
Minutes passed and Wally saw Persephone appear on the horizon. It was the size of a small city. Soft lights illuminated the dark like scattered stars.
The train car brought them into a small, ill maintained station at the far end of the prison colony. The station had low hanging wires, papers scattered about and some bullet holes on the walls. Tenenbaum muttered, "I had hoped to never see this horrid place again".
The group stepped off the train and they made their way through the first security checkpoint. Luminous plants grew all over the walls and floor.
As they made their way down the corridor past the security checkpoint, Delta heard Eleanor speak to him. She was in a panic "Father, come quickly! We're trapped in a cage…something's wrong!"
Delta droned and he began walking faster. Tenenbaum noticed his increase in pace and she glanced to Wally and Artemis "We don't have long, we must hurry".
The two nodded in agreement. Delta led them through a dark corridor that was littered with coral and barnacles.
As they marched through, Sofia whispered to Delta "I wonder Delta, do you know why you are here? Have you any idea what my daughter has given you? As I watch you now, I envy your ignorance. You still believe…"
Delta didn't know what Sofia was talking about but he didn't care. She wasn't going to stop him from saving Eleanor and Jack.
Delta took a turn and headed towards the quarantine section of the prison. Artemis asked Tenenbaum "How does he know where he's going?"
"His bond with Eleanor" answered Tenenbaum "Their bond is drawing him to her like a magnet".
A thought suddenly hit Tenenbaum. She and Sigma came to an abrupt halt and they looked around. Tenenbaum wondered why they hadn't encountered heavy resistance. They were Sofia's base of operations and it would be heavily guarded but they were just breezing through the prison. The doctor could think of one explanation. It was a trap.
Tenenbaum glanced back to Sigma and she motioned for him to follow. The two slipped away and ducked into a small, isolated room.
At the end of the corridor, the group came to a single door. Delta opened the door and marched in with his weapon at the ready. Wally and Artemis did the same.
They found themselves in side a spacious atrium. The atrium was like the rest of the prison and Rapture; it had abundant sea life growing through the metal walls and floors. To the side, there were some discarded wheelchairs and gurneys. On the floor was a singular red carpet that led up the stairs ahead.
They climbed the stairs and they saw sitting ahead of them was an isolation tank. The isolation tank had thick shatterproof glass and a thick metal door. Scattered around the tank were hundreds of lit candles that flickered as they approached the tank.
Inside, Delta and the others saw Jack lying next to a dark haired girl in white on two operating tables that were joined together. The two were both unconscious and unmoving.
Wally smiled "Found them"
Artemis glanced back and saw that Tenenbaum and Sigma were gone "Hey, where's Tenenbaum?"
Wally frowned and he groaned "Great, now we have to find her too" "After we rescue Eleanor and Jack" said Artemis, noticing that Delta was growing impatient.
Delta approached the door. On the tank next to the door was a switch. Delta hit the switch and they heard the locks clicking and the doors slowly opening but the door didn't budge. Instead, it sealed itself shut.
Sofia spoke softly on the radio "How will she remember us, after this moment? I have placed my pieces on the board as expected—as have you. Is this what Eleanor hoped for? Mother and Father, locking eyes…yet still we are blind"
Artemis frowned "What is she talking about?" Nobody answered.
Sofia then said, "Goodbye, Subject Delta—and take heart for at least have escaped your legacy"
Suddenly the lights in the atrium went out. The luminous sea plants and the candles provided enough light to see only a few feet away. The tank remained untouched where Jack and Eleanor remained stationary. A loud shriek echoed through the dark and a pair of lithe figures dropped out of the vents in the ceiling.
In the faint light, Artemis saw that they were Big Sisters. Delta fired on the two with his rivet gun. The Big Sisters dodged and retaliated with bolts of lightning. Artemis and Wally split up and they assisted Delta. Artemis managed to hit one of the Big Sisters a few times but her shots weren't slowing them down.
One of the Big Sisters jumped on Delta and kicked him in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Wally used his super speed to avoid the fireballs that were being hurled in his direction. He darted by Delta and the Big Daddy grabbed one of the Big Sisters. He slammed her against a wall repeatedly until her body went limp.
Delta chucked the body of the Big Sister at the other.
The Big Sister dodged and she looked down at her fallen comrade. She snarled and she tried to attack with her needle weapon but Delta grabbed the Big Sister's arm and twisted.
There was a loud crack and the Big Sister screamed. She hurled a fireball at Delta's face but the fire just splashed against his helmet. Delta fired several rivets into the Big Sister's chest. The Big Sister shrieked one last time then fell.
Once the Big Sister fell, the lights flickered back on and the door to the isolation tank opened, revealing a decontamination chamber. Delta, Artemis and Wally entered. The door closed behind them and the chamber disinfected them. Once the disinfection finished, they moved to go through the other door but the door didn't budge.
Wally tried to open the door but it was sealed up tightly. Artemis saw someone inside the tank with Eleanor and Jack. She squinted and she realized that it was Sofia Lamb.
Sofia sat in an armchair by Eleanor, holding a cigarette in her hand. The blond woman still wore a blue dress with a blue jacket over. Her horned rimmed glasses were on the bridge of her nose, covering her tired blue eyes.
She spoke softly, as if she were trying to not wake Eleanor "Look at her, Delta. Ten years and she still dreams of you" she looked up at Delta and said "Do you know why Eleanor brought you here? She wanted a father. So she found a way to restore you in body and mind".
Delta remembered when Sofia forced him to shoot himself in front of Eleanor. He then realized that Eleanor must've used a Vita Chamber to bring him back.
Sofia sighed "And she has been watching you ever since. Exalting your every act as gospel". She glared at Delta "The girl lying on that table is no longer my child nor my life's work. She is a monster, shaped by you alone. Just as she always wanted"
"The real monster around here is you" growled Artemis "You turned Gilbert Alexander into an insane monster, you kidnapped our friends and you turned innocent girls into Little Sisters"
"Sounds pretty monstrous if you asked me" agreed Wally.
Sofia cocked an eyebrow "I'm a monster?" she let out a hollow, bitter laugh. Sofia shot a cold look at Wally and Artemis saying, "All I have ever done, was to bring the people of this city together as a family. Bring harmony to their bleak, violent lives. I even thought of returning to the surface and try to unify the people of the surface. But to my horror, I saw that the surface world was in a worse shape than ever before. So terrible that it is beyond saving. Wars scattered across the globe, environmental degradation, corruption, hatred, poverty, and disease. I am not a monster. You are. Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine are saintly compared to the people of the surface world. Which is why I intend to destroy it".
She glanced to Jack and asked, "Why have you come to rescue him?"
"He's our friend" said Artemis "And we don't leave our friends behind".
Sofia nodded a little "A noble sentiment". She rose from her seat and approached the table. Sofia reached into her jacket saying "Luckily for you, the nature of your relationship with young Mr. Ryan isn't like Eleanor and Delta's" she withdrew a syringe from her pocket.
Artemis saw that it was filled with a dark green liquid. The archer felt her heart jump into her throat.
Sofia concluded her thought saying "Or else this would've immediately put you both into a coma". She drove the needle into Jack's throat and injected the liquid. Artemis, Wally and Delta watched as Jack began to convulse and gurgling up blood and bile.
In the dreamscape, Jack and Eleanor heard Delta and the others battling the Big Sisters. They waited in absolute silence in the memory of the Kashmir Restaurant for something to happen, when suddenly Jack collapsed to the floor, convulsing and choking.
Eleanor went to Jack's side and tried to help, but all she could do was watch as he desperately gasped for air.
Within a few moments, Jack went limp and he faded from the dream. Eleanor shook her head crying, "No…no, no, no please, no!"
Sofia placed a hand on Jack's wrist, checking for a pulse.
She felt no pulse. Sofia placed Jack's hands over his heart and she muttered, "Rest in peace. When you see him, say hello to your father for me".
Wally yelled "No!"
Artemis tried breaking the door down but to no avail.
Sofia circled around and went to Eleanor's side. She looked to Delta and said, "Unfortunately for you Delta, Eleanor has forgotten the nature of your relationship. You will slip into a coma, if her heart stops".
Sofia glanced to Eleanor and murmured "Eleanor…please, forgive me" she grabbed a pillow and clamped down over Eleanor's face. The girl thrashed around, kicking and trying to get her mother off but Sofia kept the pillow in place.
Delta slammed his fist against the door but he had as much luck as Artemis did. Slowly, Eleanor began to suffocate. Delta felt that his body was starting to shut down. A massive jolt hit his heart and he sank to his knees. Minute by minute, Delta felt the world slip away. Finally, the Big Daddy collapsed and faded into unconsciousness.
Artemis and Wally watched in horror as Eleanor went limp. They were both dead, Eleanor and Jack.
Sofia turned and she pressed a button on the wall. The decontamination chamber filled with a red colored fog. A sweet scent invaded Wally and Artemis's nostrils. The two fell to the floor and faded into unconsciousness.
Artemis saw nothing but darkness. She heard voices chattering away.
Among them was Sofia. She growled "Take them to the airlocks in subsection six then throw them into the abyss". "As you wish" hissed a Splicer.
The archer heard nothing but silence for a long time. She was in complete darkness for almost an eternity. After what seemed like forever, Artemis's eyes blinked open and she found herself staring up at the face of Brigid Tenenbaum. The doctor smiled a little "Ah, good, you're awake".
The archer blinked a few times and she asked, "Where were you?"
"I knew that Sofia had set a trap" explained Tenenbaum "so Sigma and myself hid. When we saw the Splicers dragging you to the airlocks, we followed and we rescued you form being tossed into the sea".
Artemis sat up and she saw that they were in what looked like a cell. She heard a groan and Artemis glanced to her side and saw that Wally was waking up as well. Sigma was standing guard by the door. Artemis wondered where Delta was then she remembered what Sofia did.
The archer asked Tenenbaum where Delta was. Tenenbaum shrugged "I have no clue" she then asked, "Where is Jack?"
The two heroes glanced at each other sadly and they carefully explained that Sofia had poisoned Jack then suffocated Eleanor. Artemis saw Tenenbaum's expression turned sorrowful. Her eyes watered and a tear ran down her cheek. She slowly began to weep.
After a few minutes of grieving the death of her adopted son, Tenenbaum's sorrowful expression was replaced by rage. She snarled, "I am going to kill Sofia Lamb".
Artmeis and Wally couldn't help but agree.
Tenenbaum gave Artemis and Wally their weapons. After Sofia had knocked them out, she had some Splicers dispose their weapons.
But before they could, Sigma killed the Splicers and retrieved their weapons.
Once they were armed, Artemis, Wally, Tenenbaum and Sigma set out in search of Delta and Sofia Lamb.
As they made their way through Persephone, they encountered a strange sight, a Little Sister wandering the halls alone.
Tenenbaum frowned and she approached the little girl. She looked her in the eyes and she breathed "Delta?"
"What?" asked Wally. Tenenbaum glanced over her shoulder to the speedster and said, "It's Delta, he's controlling the little one"
"How?" asked Artemis. Tenenbaum thought for a moment then her eyes widened "Eleanor. Eleanor is helping him"
"How?" asked Wally "She's dead, isn't she?"
"Not necessarily" said Tenenbaum "Sofia may have stopped Eleanor's heart just long enough to break her bond with Delta, then she may have jumpstarted her heart" she grinned "Eleanor is alive".
The doctor turned to the Little Sister and asked, "Right?" the little girl nodded.
Wally knelt down and asked the Little Sister "What are you doing?" the little girl pointed to a sign on the wall. Artemis looked at the sign and it read "Medical station".
The archer glanced back to the little girl and asked, "Why do you need to go there?"
"Eleanor" said the Little Sister. She held up a glove and Wally recognized that was a glove from a Big Sister suit. Tenenbaum studied the glove for a moment then asked "You want us to help you get a Big Sister suit, for Eleanor?" The little girl nodded.
Tenenbaum smiled "Lead the way".
The Little Sister, being controlled by Delta, skipped down the corridor humming a lively tune. She skipped past corpses, rubble and skeletal remains like they weren't there. The stench of rot and gasoline was pungent.
Artemis asked Tenenbaum "Why isn't she bothered by any of this?" "The little ones see Rapture differently" answered Tenenbaum "What we see is a hellish nightmare, they see something different".
Wally stared at the little girl who led them down the corridor toward the medical station and wondered aloud "I wonder what they see?"
Delta had the Little Sister turn a corner and continue down the corridor to the room at the end.
The Little Sister amazed the Big Daddy. Seeing the world through her eyes explained a few things about their chipper attitude.
For starters, they didn't see Persephone, or Rapture for that matter, as a hellish nightmare city but as a city of grandeur. Instead of dirty tiled floors and blood spatters, the little girl saw wood paneled floors, clean walls and friendly faces.
Instead of pitch darkness outside, the Little Sister saw a warm sunlight spilling through thin curtains.
The Little Sister passed a group of Splicers and Delta saw that the little girl saw them as well dressed, friendly people, not hideously mutated monsters who would kill her without a second thought.
Eleanor had telepathically explained how he could control the girl and within a few seconds he got the hang of it. He directed her through multiple vents until he came to a small office where a piece of the Big Sister suit Eleanor wanted waited.
Delta eventually ran into Tenenbaum, Artemis, Wally and Sigma.
Tenenbaum was dressed in a spotless white dress that had floral patterns. Artemis was dressed in a green dress while Wally was dressed in a blue suit.
Sigma didn't look like a Big Daddy. Instead, he looked like his human self. He was a middle-aged man with dark skin, a beard and brown eyes. He wore some glasses and a nice grey, pinstriped suit.
The Little Sister led the group to the end of the hall and she instantly found the suit they needed.
In the Little Sister's eyes it was a beautiful white dress but in reality, it was a divers suit that the Big Sisters wore.
Tenenbaum gathered up the suite, Wally grabbed the boots and Artemis grabbed the helmet. The Little Sister giggled and she told them "This way".
She turned and she skipped down the hall.
Tenenbaum and the others followed the Little Sister through some narrow halls until they found themselves back in the atrium
. The Little Sister ran right up to the isolation tank, the doors slid away and she entered the tank where Eleanor was.
Artemis saw Eleanor sitting by Jack's motionless body. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. The archer felt a pang of sadness for Eleanor. She probably knew Jack from a long time ago.
Tenenbaum placed a hand on Eleanor's shoulder. Eleanor looked up at Tenenbaum and sniffed "M-Ms. Tenenbaum?"
"Hello again" said Tenenbaum. The doctor handed Eleanor the Big Sister suit saying "Here"
Eleanor thanked Tenenbaum and she slipped into the suit. As she pulled on her boots, Eleanor wiped away some tears and muttered something. Artemis and Wally stood there, looking at Jack's lifeless body.
The archer muttered "I can't believe he's gone"
"Yeah" mumbled Wally "If only we could've stopped Sofia from injecting him".
Eleanor paused and she looked at Wally "What did you say?"
Wally repeated himself and Eleanor's expression brightened up instantly. She rushed over to Jack and she removed her glove.
Tenenbaum asked, "What are you doing?" "Reviving Jack" said Eleanor. Everyone stared at her in confusion.
Eleanor explained, "Mother only stopped my heart temporarily. There's a chance that she injected Jack with a drug that will stop his heart until it is jumpstarted with an electrical jolt". Sparks began to dance all over her hand. Eleanor placed her hand over Jack's chest. A small jolt of electricity shot into his chest and Jack arched then fell.
She repeated and got the same result. For several tries, Jack didn't awake. But after the final try with a higher voltage, Jack bolted up right, coughing and breathing ragged breaths.
Eleanor hugged Jack, looking like the happiest person in the world. Jack coughed multiple times and said, "Can't…breathe"
"Oh, sorry" apologized Eleanor, letting Jack go. He took deep breaths and he glanced around.
Jack saw Tenenbaum, Wally, Artemis, a Little Sister and an Alpha Series Big Daddy. He frowned and asked, "What did I miss?"
Tenenbaum, Wally and Artemis hugged Jack. After, Wally explained what Jack missed. From Dionysus Park to Fontaine Futuristics.
At the mention of Sander Cohen, Jack muttered, "Knew he was alive". He then asked, "So…I was dead?"
"Yeah" said Artemis. She then smiled a little "What was that like?"
Jack shrugged "Kinda nice, although I did see my dad again. He was chasing me around with a golf club screaming about how much of a disappointment I am". Eleanor chuckled.
Jack got off the table but he wobbled a little. Sigma helped Jack keep steady. Jack looked up at the new Big Daddy and asked, "Who're you?"
"Sigma" answered Tenenbaum "I met him in Minerva's Den" Jack nodded and he patted Sigma on the arm "Nice to meet you, I'm Jack".
Sigma droned and patted Jack on the head. Jack tried to walk out of the isolation tank but he stumbled to the floor.
Eleanor helped him to his feet saying "Don't worry, it's just the ADAM treatments. You'll get used to it".
Artemis, Wally, Tenenbaum, Sigma, Eleanor and Jack hurried to the containment room where Delta was being held.
Eleanor incinerated the Splicers and Sigma knocked down the doors with a single, powerful kick.
Delta was bound to an operating table. Eleanor cut Delta free and she embraced him. He droned and Eleanor said to the others "Come on, lets go stop my mother".
They returned to the atrium and they went through a new door.
As they walked on, Sofia Lamb spoke. Her voice was hollow and emotionless "Subject Delta…I know you can hear me. You have stolen my life's work and with it, my only daughter. But Rapture is a house of monsters, the surface will not have us. And now, we shall all be buried together. As a family, side by side." The radio went dead.
Jack muttered "I've been dead already and I'm not too keen on dying again yet"
Eleanor breathed "Oh God. She's planning on dropping Persephone into the trench. It's miles deep. We have to find Sinclair!"
"Where is he?" asked Wally. Eleanor shrugged "I don't know. Somewhere in Persephone"
"Enough talking and lets get moving" said Jack. He and the others took off running through a door that led into Inner Persephone.
Eleanor led them down a long, twisted corridor until they came to the docking station where the emergency escape ship Sinclair mentioned was docked.
Eleanor pointed at the ship, floating above the abyss. The ship was connected to the prison by a long gangway.
Jack smiled "Our ride home and it looks big enough for all of us"
"Yes" said Eleanor "But what of Sinclair?"
"Yes, what of Sinclair" sneered the voice of Sofia Lamb. Everyone glanced at the radio and she asked "The man who would sell Paradise…where is he now?"
"I don't know" said Wally "You tell us".
Sofia didn't answer. Bright, red lights began to flash and alarms blared. An automated voice spoke "Warning, a security curfew is now in effect. All bulkheads and cells are sealed until further notice".
Sofia growled, "As you know, this facility hangs above a trench. The Family has activated timed charges within its foundations, surrender before detonation or else we shall fall and be crushed in the abyss below".
Eleanor's eyes widened "Mother has locked down all of Persephone, including the gangway. We can reverse this if we can get to the holding wing if we hurry. Come on!"
Eleanor took off running, Jack, Artemis, Wally and Delta hurried after her. Tenenbaum, Sigma and the cured Little Sister decided to wait for them at the docks until they returned.
As they raced towards the holding wing, Sofia spoke over the prison's PA system "Attention, Subject Delta has escaped. Eleanor has turned on her own people. Stand and fight or the Rapture Family falls together."
"Great" mumbled Jack as the corridor ahead of them began to fill with Splicers.
But, Eleanor quickly dispatched most the Splicers that got in their way. Delta punched a Splicer, sending him crashing into his comrades.
After they fought through wave after wave of Splicers, they reached the holding wing. Standing there was an Alpha series Big Daddy, holding a single metal key, which could override the security lockdown.
Artemis muttered, "Who's that?"
"My god" breathed Eleanor. Everyone glanced at her and Wally asked "What?"
"Don't you recognize Sinclair?" sneered Sofia "He is what you should've been, Delta. One final Alpha Series, ready to die for the family. As Persephone's former owner, he's the ideal man to put you back in a cage".
Artemis, Wally, Jack and Eleanor stared at the Big Daddy in shock. Wally snarled, "What did you do to him! Tell me!"
Sofia didn't answer. Instead, they heard Sinclair's voice over the radio. He sounded like he was struggling to talk "Kids…Lamb's in my head. I have to fight just to talk…left me my goddamn tongue to torture the bomb codes outta me. She wants me to stop you…I-I'm sorry…please…help me"
Sinclair charged at Delta and he tackled him.
The two Big Daddies grappled and traded blows with each other. Jack and the others could only watch. Delta kicked Sinclair off of him and he shoved Sinclair into a wall. The Big Daddy pummeled Sinclair but Sinclair managed to grab Delta's fist and hit him with an uppercut.
Meanwhile, Sofia spoke. Her voice was soft and almost pleading "Eleanor…I know you can hear me. I am inside Sinclair's lifeboat now. Delta cannot reach me here—but you can. You need not die here with him. We—we can return to the surface together. If you only step inside and accept your duty. Remember Eleanor, mommy loves you".
Eleanor looked at the radio saying "Ah yes, mother's testing me, one last game. Fortunately I am the worlds foremost expert at breaking her rules" she looked over to her father, who was busy wrestling with Sinclair, then to Jack.
She smiled and said, "I have made my choice…and if needs be—I'll die for it".
Delta sent Sinclair stumbling back with a powerful punch to the gut. Sinclair wheezed "Kid…I'm sorry. I wish I can stop but…Lamb has me dancin' on her goddamn string. I want you to put me down. It's the only way…I rather die a man than live like this".
Artemis and Wally were hesitant. They wanted to help Sinclair but there wasn't much they can do. Delta growled and he drew his weapon. He leveled his gun to Sinclair and fired multiple times. Normally, those shots would have minimal effect on an average Big Daddy but Sinclair's transformation was rushed and it didn't make him as strong as the other Big Daddies.
Sinclair fell to the floor, wheezing and coughing. Delta knelt down by Sinclair. The businessman handed Delta the key and wheezed, "T-thank you…" he turned his head to Jack and he called him over.
Jack went to Sinclair's side and he whispered something into Jack's ear. He patted Jack's arm and said, "Tell…her I said…goodbye".
Sinclair wheezed and he breathed his last breath, then he went limp.
Jack, Artemis, Wally and Eleanor were silent for a few moments. Delta got to his feet and he trudged over to the Warden's office where the main security console was. He inserted the key and the automated voice droned, "Curfew lifted, all cellblocks opened, all bulkhead seals released" alarms blared and everyone heard doors opening, followed by shouts of the hundreds of prisoners through out Persephone.
Delta and the others took one last look at Sinclair's body then they took off running back to the dock.
In the halls of Persephone, chaos rained. As they ran, hundreds of spliced up prisoners were busy fighting each other to notice Delta and the others.
A few got in their way but they defeated them and continued on.
Sofia spoke to them as they ran "Sinclair died a hero of the Rapture Family, Delta. Was he a friend to you or a tool? Can you even grasp the difference?"
"He was our friend" snarled Artemis.
Sofia snorted and she said, sounding hurt, "And Eleanor, you have chosen Subject Delta and those miscreants over your mother, your people and the duty of your birth". She sniffed "So be it. You believe this craft will carry Delta and your new family to safety. Like a spoiled child with a new toy, I have no choice but to take it away".
Wally glanced to Eleanor and yelled over the canopy of screams of the prisoners "What is she doing?"
"She's going to destroy Persephone!" yelled Eleanor. They quickened their pace.
As they got closer to the docking platform, Sofia hissed at Delta "You have left me without want…before you die, I will take all that you hold dear. Sinclair was another body in your wake".
At the docking platform, they found Sigma protecting Tenenbaum and the former Little Sister from the Splicers who poured into the docking platform, Delta and the others helped.
Once they defeated the last of the Splicers, Jack went to the gangway saying "Lets blow this place" before he could walk into the gangway, there was an explosion that rocked the entire docking platform.
Artemis said, "What was that?"
"I was afraid of this" said Eleanor "Mother has just bombed out the ballast compressors. The lifeboat will be too heavy to launch"
"Well we're screwed" muttered Jack
"Not necessarily" said Eleanor. She thought for a moment and then muttered "Perhaps…"
"What?" asked Wally.
Eleanor elaborated her plan "I think I can boil away the water and get the lifeboat to rise but I can't generate enough heat alone" "I can help" said Jack
"So can Sigma" added Tenenbaum.
Eleanor nodded a little then said, "Still won't be enough. We need to recruit the rest of the Little Sister's mother is holding"
"Where are they?" asked Jack
"Pediatric ward" answered Eleanor "In the therapy wing" "Let's go" said Jack. The two took off running towards the therapy wing.
Jack and Eleanor sprinted through the corridor, dodging bullets and skirmishes with the prisoners.
Eventually they reached the pediatric ward. Eleanor and Jack split up and went through the ward, gathering up the girls together. Once they were gathered, Eleanor explained to Jack "With their help, we can generate enough to boil away the water and get us all out of here".
Suddenly a loud boom rocked Persephone and almost knocked Jack off balance. He muttered, "That doesn't sound good"
"Mother is detonating the charges, she's destroying Persephone's foundations" said Eleanor. Another explosion rocked Persephone and there was a loud creak of metal.
Jack then said, "We should get out of here!"
Once all the Little Sisters were gathered, Eleanor led them back to the docking platform.
As they journeyed back to the docking platform, Sofia spoke to the two of them. Her voice was filled with anger and sorrow "You are not saving them, Jack no matter how pure your intent. The surface is not paradise but perdition. You know this; you have seen it for yourself. I would sooner see them drown". Jack said nothing.
At the docking platform, Sigma joined with Jack and Eleanor's group.
The group was teleported to the ballast tanks that lay on the other side of a thick glass window.
On Eleanor's command they used their Incinerate plasmids to boil the water at a high speed. Wally, Artemis, Tenenbaum and Delta watched them from behind the glass.
As they boiled away the water, Delta heard Sofia hiss venomously at him "You granted Eleanor the will to choose. And now like a plague, she spreads it to those innocents. Jack, Brigid, those children. To be self-aware is a curse. Delta…you are damning them".
The ballast tanks slowly began to empty and the window started to fog up with steam.
Sofia growled "You would rip my daughter from her home, her family and feed her to a world without hope. Though Utopia will die with her, I will rather see us fall."
Sofia breathed deeply and she said, "Goodbye Eleanor, mother will be waiting for you".
A massive wave of Splicers invaded the docking platform. Delta, Artemis and Wally tried to repel them but they slowly were overwhelmed.
Eleanor teleported Jack, Sigma and the Little Sisters back into the docking platform, she told Tenenbaum and the others that they were finished.
But Eleanor glanced around at their group in worry saying, "I don't think we'll all fit"
"No we won't" confirmed Jack as he froze a brute Splicer and he shattered it with telekinesis.
"We won't?" croaked Wally.
Jack shook his head "No. Not in one ship. Sinclair told me there was a second one. It's smaller and it can fit only a few of us." He glanced to Eleanor "You, your dad and Sigma take this one. Wally, Artemis, my mother and myself will take the other one. We'll try to squeeze everyone else in".
Eleanor nodded "Right" another explosion shook the prison. She kissed Jack on the cheek saying "Good luck"
Eleanor put on her helmet and once they had an opening, the group split up.
Delta, Sigma and Eleanor took an elevator up to the gangway. They raced down the gangway to the lifeboat.
A loud boom rocked Persephone one last time and there was a loud groan of metal.
Eleanor gasped, "That was the last one. Persephone is falling!" the entire prison started to tip and slid into the abyss.
The three quickened their pace and they reached the end of the gangway where a wall of explosive devices waited for them. Eleanor used telekinesis to shove Sigma and Delta back then she teleported away.
The devices exploded, ripping open the gangway.
The two Big Daddies fell and they managed to grab onto the edges of the lifeboat as it slowly started to rise.
Delta felt winced in pain but he managed to hold on. He looked down and saw tears in his suit along with burns and shards of metal sticking into his ribs. The pressure of the water and the velocity of the lifeboat's ascent forced the Big Daddy down onto the ship.
Delta glanced back and he watched as Persephone went falling into the dark abyss below. It was too dark to see if another lifeboat made it out.
The Big Daddy crawled up the side of the lifeboat and he looked into the main porthole. Inside, water was flooding into the main compartment where Sofia tried to hold her breath.
But eventually, she started to drown but Eleanor swam into the compartment and handed her an oxygen mask.
Sofia accepted it and began breathing in fresh oxygen.
The lifeboat rocketed to the surface and emerged safely.
Delta saw the sky for the first time in years. It was orange with streaks pink. The sun slowly was sinking beyond the horizon. As he lay there, staring at the radiant sunset, Delta grew was growing a little worried about Jack and the others.
He didn't see a second lifeboat escape Persephone. But his fears vanished when he saw a second craft emerge from the sea just a yard away. Eleanor, Sofia and some of the Little Sisters emerged from below.
Jack and the others climbed out of their craft as well.
Eleanor saw Delta and his injuries. She went to his side to try and help but the injuries were too severe. Sofia whispered something into Eleanor's ear and she looked up at her mother in shock. She thought about what she said for a few seconds then nodded.
Eleanor took the Big Sister's needle and drove it into Delta's chest.
Delta felt Eleanor drawing upon the ADAM in his body and strangely, himself. Everything began to grow dark and he felt pain and every other sensation fade.
Finally, everything went black.
End of chapter
(a/n: Well what do you think? I added Minerva's Den and Sigma from the DLC 'Minerva's Den' It took place during Bioshock 2, i think. I hoped you enjoyed this. Please review. Up next, the epilog.)