The cramped interior of the dark elevator did nothing to ease the growing tension Theta and her human companion felt as they descended into the unknown. They were far too deep, Theta could tell. They were already well below the vault in which David and his allies had hidden. There should be nothing this deep, only the supports of Olympus Heights.
"The only thing missing here is that awkward elevator music." Did David have some sort of pathological need to comment on things at inappropriate times? It was really beginning to seem that way.
Theta had been staring at David, trying to form a response to his inane question, when she heard it. Past the sound of rusted gears still working long after they should have broken down, past the groaning of the metal wire that kept their elevator from plummeting down the shaft, past the irregular heartbeats of the Splicers and David's rhythmic one, Theta heard the sounds of everyday life going on.
People laughing, yelling, talking, even a few singing, the sound of heavy machinery, the ambient noise of a large generator, the humming of several freezers. Here, deep beneath Rapture's decaying husk, someone had made a home for themselves.
"Sissy, do you hear that? It's people!" Theta nodded distractedly towards her sister, unable to formulate a proper response with her attention diverted.
A distant shriek from the tortured gears and a sudden jolt signaled their arrival at the bottom. With a protesting groan the elevator doors opened slowly, pulled apart by two mammoth monsters, each around the size of the behemoth that had briefly allied itself with David.
"Follow me Guardian; I will lead you to the Bishop. He is the leader of Haven and will inform you of the situation." With an impatient gesture, Ratface walked out of the elevator, seemingly indifferent to the fact that this settlement shouldn't exist.
As she followed the monster, Theta's sensitive eyes were blinded briefly by the intense light that flooded the entire area. As they blearily cleared, she felt her breath leave her body in a gasp, a gasp echoed by her human companion. She had been wrong, this wasn't a settlement; it was a town.
Down the tunnel they had arrived in, ramshackle buildings stretched as far as Theta's sharp eyes could see. Though they appeared to have been thrown together using whatever was on hand, they all followed the same general design. They were tall and thin, using space as efficiently as possible. All had small porches with several makeshift chairs in the front; most of which were occupied, giving Theta an unobstructed view of the dozens of monsters that lived in the town.
"How many live here?" David's voice held no sarcasm or mocking connotations, he truly was in awe of the town the monsters had created for themselves.
"Hundreds, I don't know the exact number." Ratface's voice carried an irritating amount of pride; if Theta hadn't already been staring in shock she might have taken it upon herself to end that smug tone.
"This, this place is incredible! How long did it take to build?"
"Haven? Years, the workers who built Rapture were not paid well, their money didn't last long. When they ran out of money many moved here and built homes for themselves, from what I understand that type of story was not uncommon in Ryan's utopia." The contempt that Ratface held for Rapture's ex-leader was glaringly apparent.
"This place is beneath the city?"
"No, Haven is built into the cliff face on which Olympus Heights nest; it is on about the same level as the rest of Rapture. Some of the men who built it were the underlings for Rapture's head architects, they were well trained enough to design this but not enough to receive a fair payment for their services. They built Haven around the supports of Olympus Heights and settled here with their families."
Theta felt herself torn, on the one hand she wanted to listen and learn how this place could exist, but on the other she wanted to watch the small crowd of monsters that was following their path deeper into the town.
David was unable to continue his questions as they neared a doorway comprised entirely of scrap metal. Unlikely group walking through the makeshift doorway, Theta felt herself gasp once again. They were in a cave, no that wasn't grand enough, they were in a cavern. Huge didn't even come close to describing it. She had been wrong again, this wasn't a town; it was a small city.
"Wow, this place is big! Do you see Mr. Ordinary? Look how big it is!"
"Yeah…yeah Amanda, I see it." Unseen by her two friends, Amanda pouted slightly, put out by the fact that they weren't paying attention to her.
The cavern was packed with building of various shapes and sizes, some were obviously houses, others were stores, and some even appeared to be restaurants and other obviously frivolous buildings. In the distance, against the far wall of the cavern, lay some sort of temple. It towered over every other building in the city, easily over one hundred feet in height. It was composed entirely of the same rock that made up the cavern, with a shock Theta realized that it must have been carved directly from the stone.
"Wow, nice church." David's ability to state the obvious was truly impressive.
"That is the Temple of Ascension, outsider, and I expect you to refer to it as such!"
The crowd that was following them had grown, there were now dozens of monsters watching them intently following their progress towards the large temple in the distance. In general the monsters seemed more curious then anything else, though some sent David hateful glares. They were muttering to each other, but due to the ambient noise Theta was unable to make out the words.
A voice rose above the rising din emanating from the increasingly agitated monsters. "Banes, you found the Guardian?" A monster dressed entirely in white, pushed itself through the growing crowd. "And an outsider, I see. How will the Bishop react to that? Did you even think before you brought him along?"
An irritated sigh passed between Ratface's thin lips, "Believe me Thompson; if I had a choice in the matter the outsider would be long dead." Theta growled softly, reminding Ratface of her opinion of its attitude towards David.
"Ah…the Guardian wanted to bring him along, she actually protected him? That's a first." As the monster-in-white's gaze fell on Theta, she felt that without a doubt it was sizing her up, determining how big of a threat she could be.
Theta felt a chill go down her spine as the crowd of monsters simultaneously went completely silent. The only noise was the sound of some type of motorized cart rolling to a stop, once it halted a tall monster in a black trench coat stepped out. As its shockingly blue eyes fell on her, Theta knew without a doubt that this was the leader. This was the Bishop.
The imposing monster's voice spilt the silence with the kind of authority that Theta had believed only Mother had. "Be calm my Family, These are our honored guests." As the monster's incredibly blue eyes locked onto hers Theta wanted nothing more then to disappear, anything to put some distance between herself and this new breed of monster.
()
The Bishop was imposing to say the least. He was tall, very tall, standing head and shoulders over David, who was by no means short. Overall he was shockingly normal looking; there were no noticeable growths or boils, unlike most Splicers. His skin looked normal, if a little on the pale side. His face was the slightest bit off, his speech never seemed to quite match the movement of his mouth, and his features were too smooth, as if they had been stretched ever so slightly. By far his most unnatural feature were his eyes, twin vibrant blue orbs glowing with an icy fire, they would have been intimidating had they not softened as the Bishop smiled at the newly arrived group.
"DuCrane, Stanton, take our guest's items to their lodgings." Instantly two Splicers shuffled from the masses and wordlessly began to collect their belongings. Samantha stopped the smaller of the two as he tried to take her damaged helmet with a vicious growl.
"Your helmet was damaged Guardian?" The Bishop's voice was pitched perfectly, showing concern for Samantha's helmet and an eagerness to help in any way he could, tempered with just the right amount of aloofness. He played the part of eager to please and caring leader remarkably well.
"Do not worry yourself Guardian; Presley here is quite adept at repairs. If you hand it to him he will have it back to you as good as new by tomorrow morning at the latest." The moment he was mentioned a soot covered Splicer stepped from the masses, hands outstretched, calmly waiting for Samantha to hand the helmet over.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about it ma'am. I'll have your helmet right as rain by tomorrow, just like the Bishop said." The Splicer seemed to have sensed Samantha's hesitance and attempted to reassure her, gravely voice barely understandable. To David's surprise Samantha handed the broken item over with only a moment's hesitation.
"Excellent!" Voice carrying the perfect amount of Fatherly pride, the Bishop smiled at his guests.
"Sissy, look at his eyes! Do you see his eyes? They're so blue! Why are they so blue?"
Smiling softly at the inquisitive child, the Bishop turned his electric blue eyes to Amanda. "I've always had eyes like this little one. They're not so different from your own." Amanda's only response was to bury her face in Samantha's shoulder, face flushed with embarrassment at the unwanted attention.
The instant Amanda turned from him, the Bishop was all business once again. Tone conveying just the right amount of welcome tempered with the steel of authority, he ended the conversation. "Guardian, if you and your human friend would please follow Andrea to your quarters I would appreciate it, we have a banquet to prepare."
()
This she-monster giggled far too much and smelled almost overpoweringly of some foul citrus scented perfume, though it failed to mask the odor of sex that seemed to ooze out of its every pore. An obnoxious giggle broke Theta's brooding, apparently the she-monster found something David had said very amusing.
"That…that wasn't a joke." David's deadpan statement only elicited more giggles from the creature eyeing him lecherously. Obviously uncomfortable, he sidestepped away from the she-monster, looking decidedly nauseous.
They had just entered what seemed to be a more commercial district, shops lined the street, their extravagant displays competing fiercely with each other, either desperately attempting to gain the attention of potential shoppers or give them a seizure.
An excited gasp escaped the she-monster and it ran toward a particularly opulent display case. "Oh…this dress is so beautiful! I'd love for a gentleman to buy it for me." Abnormally large eyes, fluttered flirtatiously at David.
The she-monster had good taste in dresses; Theta had to admit that much. It was a pale blue, strapless affair; long silken gloves flowed up to the bicep of the store manikin. The dress continued down to the floor, allowing the slightest glimpse of the manikin's small feet encased in delicate high heel shoes. Theta snorted in disgust, nasty, nasty evil shoes!
"Yes that's a lovely dress. Where are we going, and more importantly where's the food?" Seemingly put out by David's lack of interest, the she-monster waved them on.
Idly scratching his fuzzy chin, David asked another question seemingly unaware, or uncaring, of the upset she-monster's feelings. "Do you know where I can find some shaving cream? I swear, I don't think there's any in this entire damn city!" Was that why David had been getting more and more scraggly recently? Theta had begun to wonder if some small animal had died on his cheeks.
Raised voices further ahead caught Theta's attention. "Outsiders should not be allowed here!"
"Calm yourself my friend. People will think your time has come if you keep this up." Theta recognized that voice; it belonged to the monster-in-white who had questioned Ratface before the leader had arrived.
"NO, NO! They don't belong here! They will be consumed! The Ascendant will feed!"
"They are guests of the Bishop and are welcomed into Haven, at least until he says otherwise. Now be silent!"
Theta's small group rounded a corner, bringing themselves in sight of the arguing duo. Unfortunately, David, who had been unable to hear the argument called out to the monster-in-white. "Hey, I remember you. Thompson was it?"
The monster-in-white's eyes widened in surprise and alarm, its arm shot out towards the monster it had been talking with. "Stop, you don't want to do this, my friend." Unfortunately it was too late.
The already furious monster ignored its friend; pulling a smallgun from its holster it pointed it at a surprised David. "Leave outsider!" The bang of the weapon sent Theta into action.
Everything seemed to slow as Theta's adrenaline kicked into overdrive. David was jerking backwards, eyes wide in shock and pain. The hostile monster's teeth were barred and its finger was already squeezing the trigger again. The monster-in-white was backing away eyes wide in alarm. The she-beast had thrown herself to the floor, hands clasped tightly over her head. From atop her perch on Theta's shoulders Amanda was screaming.
Theta took a step, raising her arms in preparation for the monster's imminent demise. David's legs had given out and he was falling to the ground. The hostile monster had changed targets; Theta didn't flinch as the tiny, explosion propelled, piece of metal grazed her cheek. The monster-in-white's arms were slowly encasing themselves in ice. The she-beast was screaming inanely from her position on the ground. "Unzip him Sissy! Unzip him!" Theta couldn't help but smirk; it appeared that the sisters were in agreement.
Pain lanced through her arm as the monster shot at her once again, this time hitting her shoulder, not that it helped it; she was already within arms reach. David landed on the ground clutching his side. The hostile monster attempted to backpedal, eyes widening in fear as she latched onto its arm. The monster-in-white seemed to be attempting to gain a clear line of fire on its hostile brother. The she-beast was sobbing in fear, tears running down her ugly face.
The hostile monster's crazed eyes locked onto Theta's, and time resumed its normal pace. With a savage smirk, she broke the monster. She had learned through trial and error the best ways to disable monsters. She had learned what was fatal and what wasn't. She had learned all the ways that joints were supposed to bend, and how best to break them. The knowledge was so ingrained that she didn't have to think about it anymore, her body just reacted.
In the blink of an eye the monster was face first on the ground, with Theta's armored boot planted firmly on its back. Its right arm was very obviously broken, its elbow bent at a shocking angle. Growling savagely, Theta twisted the monsters broken arm further, eliciting a scream of pain from the wounded beast.
"Wait Guardian, please." Theta's eyes turned to the monster-in-white. "He's sick, allow me to treat him, he doesn't deserve-".
"What the fuck's going on over here?" The monster-in-white closed his eyes and let out a disappointed sigh, apparently Ratface's arrival was an unwelcome surprise.
"Anders saw the outsiders and attacked them. I tried to calm him but it was to no avail. The Guardian handled the situation…obviously."
Beady black eyes sparkling with cruel delight, Ratface motioned towards the injured monster. "Grab him, and put him in solitary. We'll find a use for him." Following their leader's orders, two larger then average monsters pushed through the crowd that had gathered and stopped next to Theta, waiting expectantly.
Theta released the injured monster with a disappointed sigh. She'd been looking forward to hurting it; after all it had hurt...
With an alarmed shriek, Theta fell to the ground next to an unconscious David. The reason for his lack of consciousness was readily apparent, there was a red stain slowly spreading across his upper chest. In the center of the slowly growing circle there was a small hole. It hardly seemed right, how could such a small injury cause so much damage?
"Oh…did the outsider get hurt? I think I might cry." Theta made a mental note to hurt Ratface later; she was getting sick of its overly hostile behavior.
Instinctively, Theta closed her eyes and felt the wound, the blood that poured forth, the rapid beating of David's overtaxed heart, the hot metal and the path of torn tissue left in its wake. Probing further with invisible fingers, she grasped the offending object, intent on removing it from David. After all how could he get better if he had metal inside him?
Before she could begin her important task a hand grabbed her wrist, "What are you doing?"
Yellow eyes snapped open and met concerned green ones; the monster-in-white had caught her wrist. Theta allowed a warning growl rise in her throat, she didn't care how much these stupid monsters hated outsiders she was going to help David! "I'm a doctor." Theta allowed her murderous intentions to lessen slightly, she was listening. "I can help him, just follow me…" With that the monster-in-white was off, heading around the corner with surprising speed. "And keep pressure on his injury."
Pausing only to gently lift David off of the ground, Theta set off after the monster-in-white at a brisk pace, carefully keeping pressure on her friend's wound with her telekinesis.