Chapter V: Frozen Hate
Subject Delta stood over the crumpled form of his incapacitated foe, his Rivet Gun clutched tightly in his right hand and buzzing electrical lights crackling and dancing in his left. Scarlet had effectively beat the metal encased teenager into submission but like before, he wasn't about to let his guard down. The Demo Daddy looked over to Scarlet, who had hope shining within her hellish orbs as she gazed upon the handicapped form of the Big Sister. The redheaded teen kneeled before her wounded kin, placing a gentle, leather encompassed hand onto her right shoulder. The woman let out a mechanical whine and tensed up at the physical contact. All the Sister knew was that the rogue Alpha was responsible for the murder of her Pack Sister and that she was about to be next. The wounded post-pubescent girl curled herself into a ball, hugging her knees tightly to her chest, and whined quietly to herself.
Though the terrified young woman struggled, Scarlet managed to unwind the Big Sister from her fetal position and wrapped her into a strong but gentle embrace. The Big Sister cried softly into Scarlet's armored shoulder, her chest rapidly heaving against the redhead's own like a frightened rabbit. Scarlet started to emit a soothing metallic hum, like the sonata of a violin.
The frosty, heart wrenching spear that was known as guilt plunged into Delta's chest as he watched the interaction between the two Big Sisters. The Alpha Daddy let the electricity crackling in his left hand fizzle out and his grip on his Rivet Gun slackened. Scarlet's eyes snapped towards her Mr. Bubbles as his weaponized nail gun hit the floor with a CLANG.
A small frown made it's way onto Scarlet's porcelain features as she observed Mr. Bubbles from her spot on the pavement. He was just staring at her…, no, he was staring at the Sister she held comfortingly in her arms. Delta slowly made his way up to the teenagers, the sound of his heavy footfall alerting the Big Sister in Scarlet's embrace to his advancements. The Sister dislodged herself from Scarlet upon seeing his massive form draw closer and backpedaled away from him. She didn't want to die, she didn't want to be murdered just as her Sister was. The Sister hugged herself as she backed into a wall, she was cornered and completely defenseless. What was the Demo Daddy going to do to her? Delta cringed at the fear she showed towards him, maybe if he could gain her trust he would be able get her out of here. Like he said before, he was going to save as many lives as he possibly could during his journey. This Sister, like Scarlet, seemed to have a bit of free thinking left within her, so unlike a normal Big Sister, reasoning with her should be a lot easier.
The un-named Sister gazed at the pavement as the brass colored Alpha Series towered over her. She bit her lower lip in desperation and forced herself to stare into his emotionless yellow porthole. This was her Pack Sister's murderer, the one who has been corrupting the children of the Family and killing his own brethren. This was the Demo Daddy who had brainwashed her scarlet haired Sister into joining his cause, turned her against the Family, the Mother Lamb! Was she really going to let him have the satisfaction of seeing her terrified as he finally pulled the trigger on her life? No, she wasn't going to sit here and beg, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her pleading face. Her crimson orbs lit up with fury and determination as she removed her bulbous helmet from her shoulders and stood up to face Delta, her eyes narrowed into slits and her lips pulled back into a snarl.
Despite the Sister's blatant hostility, Delta couldn't help but freeze upon laying eyes on her face. The Sister's face was a stern mask that looked as if it was forged from icy white limestone, it's hard features littered with a multitude of glimmering auburn scars; the most noticeable one being a diagonal slash mark that started at her left eye, went through the bridge of her nose, and ended at her right cheek. Her eyes, like Scarlet's own, radiated a hellish bloody light, with her irises being a lighter color than the sea of red they floated in. The Sister's snarling lips, although thinner than Scarlet's own, looked just as velvety. A cascading curtain of sand colored locks floated just above the Sister's shoulders in a tangled, dust caked sheet. The Sister emitted a low, guttural growl and exposed her four inch canines in an attempt to warn off Delta.
The Alpha Daddy however extended his right hand in an attempted show at companionship, he did not want to fight the lithe armor bound figure, he wanted to help her. But the Big Sister saw his outstretched hand as a threatening gesture and quickly swatted it away. Delta took a step back as she shrieked in anger and fury, her eyes glimmering an even more ominous red hue. She would not stand here and let the Rogue intimidate her, she just wanted to be left alone, if he did not leave her she would maul him. She didn't care if she died, she just wanted to be left alone.
The Sister wondered if the Alpha had lost all of his wits when he once again, calmly took a step towards her, his arms extended out towards his sides as a sign of peace. The Sister analyzed Delta, from his armor plated head, to his steel tipped boots. The Alpha Daddy's porthole was cracked, his armor was charred black, and a steady stream of pressurized air was escaping from the oxygen tanks strapped to his back. The sandy haired Sister's psychotic mind began to work on over drive, her calculating eyes gleaming in the darkened halls of the Sinclair Deluxe. This Big Daddy, like herself, was on his last legs, and if she struck hard and fast, maybe she would be able to kill him.
The Sandy Sister knew that the Mother Lamb would be sending in her Splicer forces once she realized that 'Rogue' was not yet dead. Sandy's rock hard features gave way and contorted into a hate filled sneer. Delta took an instinctive step back, the look that she was sending him was that of a predator studying it's prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. The sound of air being sliced echoed through the dark streets as Sandy extended her wicked ADAM Syringe to it's full length. Scorching flames danced and flickered in her right hand as she took a step forward.
Scarlet's eyes widened in shock at the brunette's vile intentions, but despite this, she was immediately on her feet and at her Mr. Bubbles side, her frost bitten Syringe fully poised. The Sandy Sister's eyes frightened Scarlet. They were eyes full of hate, loathing, bloodlust. They were eyes seeking vengeance, and they were firmly locked on to their victim. Scarlet's right palm pulsed with flame as she stepped towards her enemy once more, this time fully intent on finishing the job. A massive hand blocked the crimson haired Sister's path before she could advance further, and she found herself once again staring into her knight's faceless mask. Delta emitted a low moan as he gestured for her to stand down, this was between him and the Sister. Scarlet screeched in defiance, what was he thinking? He was in no condition to fight on his own, what could he possibly be planning? Delta moaned reassuringly as he stepped towards Sandy.
An agonizing roar tore from Delta's throat as a barrage of fireballs suddenly engulfed his massive form. The Mechanical Soldier was then thrown onto his back as the insane sandy haired Sister barreled into him. As he struggled to get to his feet, he was once again knocked back as an armored heel crashed into his already shattering porthole. Scarlet growled in confusion, Mr. Bubbles wasn't even trying! She wasn't going to sit there and let that psychopathic teenager murder him, Sisters be damned! But, as she aggressively stalked towards the object of her rage, Mr. Bubbles waved her away frantically. Scarlet's eyebrows knitted together in furious confusion and she unconsciously bared her canines. What was Mr. Bubbles doing?
Like a demented shower, blood sprayed into the air as the Sandy Sister's serrated blade ripped through Delta's left shoulder. Before he could even react, the insane Sister clutched his helmeted head in both her hands and slammed his armored skull into the pavement. She picked his massive hide off the ground by the back of his head and sent him tumbling into a pile of crates. The Sister's blade pierced his armored chest before he could even attempt to rise, and she cackled insanely as she stabbed him over and over again. She would yank her Syringe forcefully from his chest, blood spewing from his wounds and splattering across her face from the brutality of the movements, and thrust her weapon into him again. Delta could feel his life slowly fading as the Sister brutalized him. Scarlet shrieked in agonizing despair, inky black tears cascading down her pale, freckled cheeks. She weakly, shakily, extended a hand…but could only cry harder as Mr. Bubbles waved her off once again. Why wouldn't he let her help him, couldn't he see how much this was hurting her? As Scarlet desperately searched for an answer, she came to a shocking conclusion.
Mr. Bubbles wanted the Sister to hurt him.
He knew that HE was the source of the Sandy Sister's pain, anger, and fear. If he wanted to gain her trust, he would need to prove to her that he really wanted to help her. That meant letting her release all of her anger on himself. The Sandy Sister grabbed Delta by the back of his helmet, guiding him off of the floor, and proceeded to slam his metal encased cranium into a concrete wall, over and over again. Delta's porthole had long since shattered, it's constant yellow glow now faded and black. When the Sister was done with her fun, her breaths quick from the excitement and adrenaline rush, she threw Delta's limp body to the floor. The sound of his steady breathing was the only indication that he was still of this world. Sandy looked down on the Rogue's pitiful form in amusement and disgust, he was hardly putting up a fight, where did all of his strength go? As Sandy kneeled beside him, her ADAM Syringe raised high into the air, prepping for the killing blow, the Rogue Alpha clutched her left arm in his massive right hand and administered a high voltage Electro Bolt. Sandy Sister screeched in pure agony as the electrical lights danced across her armored form. With her body already weakened from the previous battle and the physical exertion she put it through, the electric shock was enough to send her flailing onto her back in an agonizing spasm.
Seeing her chance, Scarlet rushed over to the downed form of her Mr. Bubbles and inserted only the very tip of her Syringe into his right wrist. He moaned softly, but did not put up a struggle. Scarlet emitted a soothing metallic hum, and rubbed the back of Mr. Bubbles' left hand gently as she injected a dose of ADAM into his system, healing his wounds. Scarlet then calmly stood up and extended her right hand out towards him, which he took with a smile. When Delta had fully risen onto his feet, Scarlet pulled him into strong and loving embrace. The crimson haired woman wept into Delta's shoulder, the Hollow Man caressing the back of her head gently as she did so. She had almost seen him brutally killed right before her eyes, she felt so helpless…
She never wanted feel like that EVER again.
A terrified screech ripped from the Sandy Sister's throat as she realized that she was fully paralyzed. She couldn't move her arms, her legs…, she was helpless; and as that fact sunk in, a new wave of despair washed over her.
Her entire body ached, she was in pure agony, plain and simple. It felt as if her suit had actually fused to her very flesh from the sheer intensity of the Rogue's electrical shock. The mangled Sister's hellish crimson eyes overflowed with tears the color of darkness as she felt the slight tremor of the rogue Alpha Series' footsteps ripple through the ground. She craned her throbbing neck as best she could, looking over her right shoulder to stare defiantly into the cracked, bloodstained porthole of her Pack Sister's murderer.
And hers as well.
The Big Sister was ashamed of herself for screaming out in such a cowardly manner, her Pack Sister had stared fearlessly into the face of death, she fought and struggled till her dieing moment, she wasn't going to dishonor herself by begging for mercy. She was a Big Sister, she was the top predator of the underwater, concrete jungle known as Rapture, she was the phantom that stalked within the darkest corners of the dystopia, she wasn't going to beg! As the Alpha Series kneeled beside her, she wondered if she could possibly try to make a last stand. After trying to move her arms and legs futilely, she ceased her movements altogether and resigned to her fate. She was to weak to even move, a Thuggish Splicer could probably kill her in her current state.
Subject Delta tensed when the downed Sister tried to move her gangly, spidery limbs, but relaxed slightly when she ceased her movements. Scarlet, though Delta didn't notice, was beginning to doubt if saving the Sandy Sister was a good idea. She didn't want to see the girl killed, but at the same time she couldn't let her hurt Mr. Bubbles! To Scarlet's relief (or was it dissatisfaction?) when Mr. Bubbles kneeled beside the Sister the only thing she could do was squirm weakly.
As Delta sat the Sister into an upright position, and raked the fingers of his massive right hand gently through her dirty locks, a low, guttural growl sounded from her throat. The sound reverberated through the air, causing Delta to tense up, but he continued with his gentle caressing.
The Sister's deep, threatening growls kept Delta on edge, but he couldn't help but admire her strength. She was still willing to fight, still trying to pick herself up. Though her body had reached it's limits, her will was still intact. A will as strong as planet…Terra. That was perfect, the name fitted her well with her earthen colored hair and unbreakable will.
'Terra' was confused by the Alpha Daddy's behavior, he should be bashing her skull in with his massive fists and or Drill, not gently caressing her as if she were some scared little child! She had beat him within an inch of his life…what the hell was he doing? Was he mocking her? Was he trying lure her into a false state of safety? A tingling, pulsing sensation suddenly made it's way through her flesh in waves. It didn't hurt though, it felt…pleasurable. The sensation traveled throughout every nerve cell in her body, making her sigh contently much to her chagrin. What was the Alpha Daddy doing to her? Subject Delta knew that his Sister Savior Plasmid had no real effect on Big Sisters, but judging by the way it calmed Scarlet when he used it on her before, and Terra as well, it seemed to work as a Relaxation Plasmid for the older Sisters.
As the Alpha continued to caress her gently, Terra found herself leaning into his touch and to her distaste, she whimpered when he pulled his massive hand away. As Scarlet watched the interaction, her porcelain features took an unreadable expression, her crimson eyes blank as they gazed upon Mr. Bubbles and Terra. Scarlet glided her right hand over her stomach gently, pressing her leather encompassed palm against it.
She hated this feeling.
It felt as if her insides were going through a grinder, like her intestines were being chewed and mashed up into ground beef. Her face was stern and her lips were pressed into a thin line as she watched her Mr. Bubbles help the non appreciative Sister onto her feet. Why did she want to hurt this girl for the contact Mr. Bubbles was giving to her? She knew that helping the Sister was the right thing to do, but at the same she didn't want to lose Mr. B. Scarlet shook her head slightly, there was no way that Mr. Bubbles was going to replace her, he wouldn't do that. As Mr. Bubbles healed Terra's wounds, Scarlet's blood red eyes met with that of her once enemy's.
She could possibly still be an enemy.
They stared at each other intently, Scarlet's dull blood red eyes boring into Terra's slightly frightened ones, sending a silent message to her possible enemy. With her eyes alone, Scarlet made sure to communicate to Terra that Mr. Bubbles was hers, hers. She wouldn't allow this Sister to take away the only thing that she had left, and if she tried to take him away…she would kill her. She would pierce Terra's gut with her wicked blade, split her stomach wide open, and rip the ADAM Slug from it's grisly confines just to make sure she was completely and utterly dead. Upon seeing the Sister's angered, furious features, Scarlet's face softened.
Perhaps that was a bit much, but she didn't want the Sister getting any ideas. If she tried to take Mr. Bubbles away from her, by either killing him or stealing his affections, she would kill her. Scarlet just couldn't take the chance of losing Mr. Bubbles. As Delta finished healing Terra of her wounds, he beckoned for Scarlet to come near so that he could nurse her scars as well. Scarlet smiled happily, but still sent a warning glare over to the sandy haired Sister who was now glaring back at her.
Delta gently placed his left hand against the gash on Scarlet's right side, the gooey red substance that was first aid kits quickly seeping into the wound. As the discomforting gash quickly sealed, Scarlet quickly wrapped her arms around the helmeted head of a slightly surprised Delta. The metal man couldn't help but smile as Scarlet nuzzled into his brass armor. Scarlet focused her crimson red eyes onto that of Terra's, her lips twisted into a snarl. Terra emitted a low, guttural growl in response, she wasn't going to be intimidated by Scarlet, not by a long shot.
Delta, unaware of the tension that was rising between the two Sisters, gently dislodged Scarlet from his massive frame and gestured for her, along with Terra, to equip their helmets and follow him, picking up his Rivet Gun on the way. As he lead them to the nearest Vita-Chamber, the two Sisters sent each other death glares along the way. Terra didn't really know why she was following the two rogues, Delta himself was the Family's number one enemy and the crimson haired Scarlet had made it clear that she had defected. Why was she following them? The rogue, had made the mistake of healing her of her wounds, she had the opportunity of sneak attacking him…but he was sure to kill her this time if she failed. As Terra mulled this over in her warped, psychotic head, Delta's porthole transfixed on the sapphirey liquid contents of a tonic bottle lying in a puddle of briny water. Ignoring the twisted, naked corpse lying next to the genetic elixir, Delta snatched up the bottle and read the label.
'Get a leg up on your enemies with Ryan Industries new 'Leg Up Tonic'! Grants the user the ability to jump several meters off the ground to either escape enemies, pursue them, or just to gain access to those hard to reach places!'
Delta moaned in excitement, being able to leap the staggering distances that Big Sisters and Brute Splicers were capable of sounded like a very thrilling prospect. So without a second to lose, Delta filled an empty EVE Hypo to the brim with the viscous blue liquid and injected it into his bloodstream. Delta could feel the tonic spreading throughout his very veins, strengthening his muscles, particularly the ones within his legs. Scarlet regarded the elixir with nothing but a curious glance, she already knew that she had a similar tonic flowing within her veins.
Terra bit her lower lip in desperation as they finally arrived at a Vita-Chamber, what should she do? She came to the conclusion that she wouldn't be able to defeat the two rogues, not by herself anyway. So, should she flee? Scarlet hopped into the Vita-Chamber without a beat, the machine mending the torn fabric of her suit. As the rogue Alpha took his turn within the machine, Terra wondered if she should make a break for it while he was occupied. This was the perfect chance for her to make an escape…so why wasn't she hightailing it out of there? Why was she just standing there, patiently awaiting the Alpha's orders like a loyal dog?
As the Protectors began to make their way towards the 'Pauper's Drop: Train Station', their metallic suits mended and fully functional, Terra was still lost in her thoughts. Why wasn't she fleeing or trying to kill the rogue?
"K-kid, a-are y-you t-there? Come on, chief, talk to me!" Sinclair's frantic southern tinged accent crackled over the radio. Delta grunted, clearly annoyed at Sinclair's demand, but happy to hear the businessman's voice.
"Oh…sorry about that chief. I'm just glad you're alright! Your communication systems went offline when I saw one of them Big Sisters streaking towards ya. Kid, you and your girlfriend must've been knocked around an awful lot. You sure yawl okay-wait a minute…is that another Big Sister? Are you aware of the fact that there are now two Big Sisters followin you?"
Delta brought a massive hand up to his armored forehead and let out an exasperated Big Daddy moan. Here it comes.
"…"
"…"
"HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH! Oh my Lord Jesus Christ! You got two of them now? Really? Seriously? HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH! You must've been sprayed with an overdose of Big Daddy pheromones or somethin kid! Or maybe you're secretly the Big Daddy prototype by the name of 'Pimp Daddy'. HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH! You ain't never gonna hear the end of this kid, NEVER!"
Delta moaned loudly in annoyance. Why? Why did he have to be partnered up with the annoying businessman? Perhaps if he threatened to shove his Drill where the sun don't shine, maybe that would get Sinclair to shut up. Terra had no idea what the southern accented voice was on about but she really didn't care, she had her own problems to worry about. Scarlet was humming a metallic tune to herself, her porthole gazing upwards at the leaking glass ceiling of Pauper's Drop. Unfortunately, she wasn't paying attention to were she was walking and she strode right into Terra's back. The already stressed out Sister turned to face Scarlet, her porthole glimmering a hellish red, and shoved the crimson haired girl backwards. Scarlet stumbled back, regained her footing, and growled menacingly.
Delta, now noticing the growl a stressed out Big Sister emits, quickly faced the two and got between them, shoving them apart gently. Scarlet, who was on his right, shrieked out at Terra who did the same. Delta moaned as soothingly as possible but that did little to douse their rising hostility. Delta sighed, he hadn't done this in awhile but maybe it would stop their bickering. The Hollow Man took a deep breath and roared a roar that only a Big Daddy could. The noise vibrated through the air like a prehistoric scream of fury, rippling the sound barrier, disorientating the two mentally disturbed teenagers and blurring their vision. The two Sisters now had their yellow portholes trained on the Alpha Daddy, Scarlet had never heard Mr. Bubbles roar like that and was thoroughly frightened, Terra was afraid of incurring the Alpha Daddy's wrath so she immediately stopped her bickering. Delta sighed and gently patted the two Sisters on their helmeted heads gently, communicating to them that he wasn't angry but they just needed to stay focused. Scarlet nodded her head as well as Terra, albeit begrudgingly. Delta turned his attention back to the Gatherer's Garden he was facing, crossing his arms in thought. He had saved up his ADAM during his trip through Pauper's Drop and now that it was coming to a close, it was time for him to upgrade his already genetically enhanced body.
Delta was spliced up with Electro Bolt, Incinerate, Decoy, Telekiniesis, and Cyclone Trap. His Tonics included Sports Boost I, Leg Up, Armored Shell I, Frozen Field I, and Drill Power I. His DNA would only allow him to splice up with eight Plasmids and eighteen Tonics. If he spliced anymore than that, his genetic code would start to unravel and breakdown which would cause him to go violently insane, then die an excruciatingly painful death shortly after. Hell, even Splicers had limits, which is why most of them chose to splice up with raw ADAM instead of Plasmids.
Their isn't any limit on that, plus it made them a lot more durable than any normal human (A standard Splicer is able to survive two swings from Delta's Drill.)
As Delta skimmed through the Gatherer's Garden selection line up, Terra regarded the machine with a raised burnished eyebrow. She had considered altering her abilities, but the Mother Lamb forbade the Sisters from squandering their ADAM selfishly on themselves. All of their ADAM was taken away from them to be pumped into the 'People's Daughter'. Terra sighed softly, Eleanor was in pain, she knew that. She knew that she was somehow responsible for this Alpha Series appearance…but she still had a duty to uphold. She had to serve the family…right? Delta decided to purchase Winter Blast II and Scout I. He also upgraded his current Plasmid line up to their level two forms. His current Plasmid count was now up to seven. The Mechanical Soldier also purchased a couple of Tonics: Fire Storm, Hacker's Delight I, Fast Feet, and the extremely helpful Resurrection.
The Resurrection Tonic would allow anyone Spliced up with it to comeback to life after being killed (though there did have to be a body to resurrect, so if you're shattered into a million pieces by Winter Blast, you're long gone.) Delta immediately encouraged both Scarlet and Terra to splice up with this Tonic, since they weren't able to use the Vita-Chambers like he could. He also allowed them to splice up with his other Plasmids and Tonics. They expressed concern when splicing up with the Plasmids, as no other Sister had ever done so before, but they did so none the less. When they were finished with their 'shopping spree', Terra had a sheet of frost covering her Syringe and Scarlet was as hyperactive as ever, the extra ADAM flowing in her system giving her a buzz.
"Father, can you hear me?"
Scarlet and Terra immediately turned their portholes onto Delta in confusion when he suddenly went rigid. He was as still as the art Deco Statues littering Rapture's decayed halls. Delta once again felt his body go numb, his limbs twitching slightly in paralyzed pleasure. That voice…, that accented voice echoing through his head…it sounded so close, yet so distant.
"It's me, Eleanor."