Alpha dropped the body of her target's friend; she had been too old to become one of her siblings and as such hadn't been of consequence. The target's terrified screams made her ears ring uncomfortably, further aggravating the unstable experiment. Snarling, she cuffed the child across her face. The girl's green eyes stared at her in shock for several seconds. When her lip started to tremble, Alpha raised her hand again. The girls received the message and ceased her irritating whimpering.
Grabbing the girl by her bicep, Alpha steered the trembling child away. Carelessly pushing the already damaged door entirely off its hinges, she dragged her target towards the ocean and the waiting bathysphere. Flashing lights and obnoxious sirens brought her attention to something more immediate then the fairly distant ocean.
"Release the girl and raise your hands over your head!" around a dozen armed humans were surrounding the house, several of their motorized carts parked around them, obnoxious lights flashing.
Alpha flinched snarling, at the uncomfortably loud noise. The stupid humans were using some sort of machine to increase the volume of their voices.
"Release the girl now! I will not ask again!" Loosing a dismissive snort, she tossed the girl into the ashwater at her feet.
"Raise your hands over your head!" Tilting her head curiously to the side, Alpha obliged the pushy human.
"Get on your knees!" Alpha rolled her eyes, alright, this was fun but she had things to do and places to be. Faster then the humans could react, she thrust her hands forward sending several of their vehicles flying through the air.
The humans opened fire, unfortunately for them, Alpha was already cart wheeling out of the way. Before they could adjust their fire accordingly she disappeared in a purple puff of smoke. She reappeared in their midst, already moving.
Her elbow struck a man at the base of the skull, he crumbled without a noise. Spinning she lashed a booted foot out, it swung in a graceful arc, snapping the neck of one man before caving in the skull of another. A man leveled his rifle at her, with a flick of her wrist she sent him flying through the window of one of the buildings lining the street. She couldn't resist smiling slightly at her good aim. It appeared she'd scored a goal…
Hearing the sound of a gun readying to fire, Alpha leapt upwards. Back flipping over the shocked human, Alpha landed behind him. She promptly spun his head one hundred and eighty degrees, his face was a mask of shock as he fell to the ground twitching.
A sudden click behind her made her cringe slightly, waiting for a pain that never came. Spinning around she saw a human standing there, staring in horrified confusion at his smallgun that had failed to fire. Seemingly seeing no alternatives, the clearly idiotic human swung the gun at her with a terrified yell. Suppressing a chuckle, Alpha effortlessly caught the man's arm mid swing. Twisting savagely she broke the man's arm and pointed the gun into his stomach.
Taking a moment to look at the gun, Alpha quickly discovered what was wrong. The moronic human had the noshootbutton on. Flicking it off Alpha pulled the trigger several times, shredding the unfortunate human's intestines. The man collapsed to the ground, leaving Alpha holding the gun.
Studying the unfamiliar device with detached curiosity, Alpha aimed it at the screaming man as he lay on the ground.
She pulled the trigger.
The man screamed louder as a hole was blown in his shoulder.
She pulled the trigger.
Several of the man's fingers were blown off of his left hand.
She pulled the trigger.
The man's knee was pulped.
She pulled the trigger.
Most of the man's right foot was blown off.
She pulled the trigger.
The man's eye socket turned into a bloody crater and the back of his head exploded outwards.
Laughing, Alpha tossed the weapon onto the man's corpse. Guns were fun!
Something hard poked her in between the shoulder blades.
The man standing directly behind her pulled the trigger.
Blackness.
()
"That's not intimidating at all." Theta sent Sandy a confused look, helmeted head tilting to the side. After a moment's deliberation, she decided that the female human was being sarcastic. After all, she knew she looked intimidating in her armor. It took her a moment before it clicked, but she couldn't help but feel proud of herself for recognizing the sarcasm. Her time around David was paying off.
"Well…that should help us intimidate any stubborn Splicers." Ignoring the large monster's grumbling in the background, Theta nodded to Jack.
"Yes, yes. Don't thank the man who gave you this wonderful gift."
Theta sent the rotund monster an unseen glare as David almost perfectly voiced her thoughts. "The generous gift you looted off of one of her sibling's corpses? How noble of you Teddy."
The ball of flab snorted, waving his hand dismissively. "That's gratefulness for you." He turned to Jack, pointedly ignoring Theta and David. "Well it's time Jackyboy! You ready for my inauguration speech?"
"I don't have much choice do I?"
Jack's somewhat bleak response provoked a hearty chuckle from the short freak. Slapping Jack on the back like he'd been joking, the monster steered him through the nearby doorway…
()
…and into sight of the cheering masses of Splicers.
Upwards of a hundred of the mutated remnants of Rapture's population stared fixedly at the balcony, going silent as the duo walked into view.
"Show them your wrists."
"What?"
"Show them your tattoos."
Somewhat hesitant, Jack pulled back the sleeves of his shirt, revealing the twin chains tattooed on his wrists. After a moment's hesitation, he raised them into the air. If anything the Splicers beneath them grew even quieter.
After several seconds of awkward silence, Theodore lost his patience. "Say something you daft-"
"Doc Lamb said you was dead!"
Shifting from side to side, Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Well…I'm not." His mumbled response was barely audible.
Angry mutterings were spreading throughout the Splicer ranks. Seeing his potential followers growing unease, Theodore stepped forward, pudgy hands raised into the air.
Before he could speak an enraged Splicer yelled. "The bitch lied to us!"
A cacophony of yells sounded in agreement.
"Let's kill 'er!"
Theodore sighed, massaging his temples. "This is going to be harder then I thought."
()
The freak huffed impatiently and shifted its armored form. Tony narrowed his eyes as its featureless visor stared unblinkingly back. He couldn't believe he'd actually begun to see it as something more then a monster. If there was one good thing about it finding that armor, it was that it helped remind him that it was something like it that had taken his Cynthia from him.
His nose throbbed slightly, reminding him of another reason he hated the damn thing. Jack and the fat man had been talking with the Splicers for the better part of an hour. Staying away from Amanda this long was starting to ware on his nerves. With a sigh, he gave in to his impatience. "Tenenbaum, can I head back to base and get Harper and the girls? If we're going to stay here for a while I'd prefer Amanda be close."
The aging German woman paused, studying him with an appraising gaze. After a moment she nodded. "I agree, take David and Samantha with you. It could be a nice bonding experience."
"Ma'am…are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Yeah…Sam and Tony aren't exactly a particularly good team…"
Gesturing to David, Tony nodded. "Yeah, what he said."
Tenenbaum smirked slightly, her eyes showing obvious amusement. "That is why I think you should go. Think of it as a team building exercise."
David rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "Fine, you have any objections Sam?" The armored abomination paused, head tilted to the side. After a moment it shook its head and gestured to Tony.
"She says she doesn't have a problem if you don't."
"Yeah, I got that." A low growl reverberated around the room as the freak objected to his tone. He sighed. "Fine, let's just go." A strange noise distracted Tony for a moment. A rasping, abrasive huh noise. It was only when he noticed the freak's shoulders shaking, that he realized it was laughing. Resisting the urge to pull out his gun, Tony turned and began to walk. Today was going to be a long day.
()
The fact that the hidden door was ajar was the first sign that something was out of the ordinary. Snarling in alarm, Theta lunged forward slamming the door open and barging into the previously safe area. Furniture was scattered about the living area carelessly. The door into the witch's lab was utterly destroyed her equipment lay broken and every trace of Adam that had been in the lab was gone.
"No!" The large monster shoved past her and sprinted towards the sleeping area.
Weapon at the ready, David slowly advanced into the room "Are we alone?" Motioning for him to follow, Theta shook her head.
"Where is she!" It appeared the large monster had found the sniveling one.
They turned the corner and saw the enraged large monster holding the sniveling one off the ground by his throat. He appeared to be trying to respond but was unable to find his voice with the large monster's huge paw around his neck.
"Tony, put him down!"
The large monster turned to David with a look Theta had seen far too many times in his eyes, fear, desperation, impotent rage, and above all hopelessness. Apparently seeing what she had, David attempted to calm the man before he reached his breaking point. "Tony, we can't learn what happened if you choke him to death. Please, just put him down."
Releasing a trembling breath, the bear of a man dropped the sniveling one. Despite herself, Theta felt pity for the brutish human; he lost the one thing that mattered to him. Gasping for breath, the small human sat up. "I-it was a Big Daddy, a kind I'd n-never seen before. There w-was something wrong w-with its arm."
"And you didn't fight it?" The large monster's voice, that had been a furious baritone mere seconds ago, was a crushed whisper.
The smaller monster looked downward guiltily. "I-I didn't have the chance. I saw it and it just attacked. I m-managed to shoot it once but…" Distantly, Theta was aware of David wandering off to search the rest of their old safe house.
"Tony…I-I'm so sorry…" Theta's gut lurched uncomfortably as she realized something else. Sandy didn't know her sister was gone…
"Please…do you know anything about what happened here?"
Theta tuned out the monster's babble as she internalized the situation. Carol was gone, Sandy's sister was gone. She could still smell the rouge Daddy that had done this. Sandra was gone, the poor girl would be the least likely to be rescued as she had no relatives in their group. If need be she could track the Bad Daddy but she would much rather know where she was going. Amanda was gone…much to her frustration that thought hurt far more then she'd have liked. She hadn't been responsible for her lack of freewill. It had been…unfair of her to take her frustration out on the young girl. A whimper slipped past her lips. What if she was never able to show Amanda she was sorry?
"Guys…you should probably see this." Theta glanced over her shoulder towards the David's voice. Motioning for the two humans to follow her, she walked into the kitchen area. David was waiting for them, looking decidedly uneasy. "This is bad isn't it?" He said, gesturing over his shoulder. Carved haphazardly into the wall was a massage.
Come to the fire little moth.
()
The lights of the bathysphere pierced the dark ocean water, scattering the occasional school of fish. "If you are lying, I'll make you hurt."
"Yes Jackass! You've made that abundantly clear!"
"You're rather obstinate for someone who looks like they were trampled by an angry mob buddy."
The bruised and beaten Splicer sent Leo a glare. "Don't fucking call me that."
"Stop bitching and hurry up!" Banes complied, grumbling as he sped the bathysphere up. "You may have bargained temporarily for your right to live but if this doesn't pan out…well I'll let your imagination finish that threat."
"I've never used this entrance before; I might need to circle the area once or twice."
Leo pulled the hammer of his magnum back with an ominous click. "Make it once."
"Yeah, yeah you're scary I get it." Banes responded absently, his beady black eyes sweeping around the ocean floor. "There." Smirking triumphantly, Banes pointed to a barely noticeable cave in the side of a rock face.
"If this is a trap…"
"You'll skin me, rip out my entrails and hang me with them."
"Huh…not the threat I'd have used, but it'll work." The bathysphere coasted up the docking tube, after several seconds it surfaced in the antechamber.
"Welcome to the inner sanctum of the 'heretic bishop'. His contingency plan should be around here somewhere." Limping slightly, Banes led the mammoth Splicer further into the last remnant of Haven. "Your rouge Big Sister and her entourage sheltered here after the destruction of my home."
Leo meandered over to a window and glanced outside. Seeing the flooded remnants of Haven, he whistled appreciatively. "Damn…Lamb never lets us wreck shit up like that. Looks like Theta had some fun here, lucky bitch…"
Banes snarled and lunged towards Leo, he stopped cold when he found a magnum pressed into his forehead. "Ah ah ah, that's not a good idea buddy."
"Don't talk about my home like that! I had friends here; some of them were like family!"
Leo laughed uproariously at that. "I'll talk about your home however I like. If I want to I can tell you all about how much of a brainless whore your mother was too." Banes snarled again. "You see, I have a gun and you don't. That's how these things work."
For several seconds Banes glared into Leo's amused eyes, with an internal sigh he relented. "Fine, follow me."
"Good doggie!"
They entered the Bishop's bed chamber; the mannequin on which he'd perched the Big Sister's armor was empty. Banes grinned as he saw the object he had been looking for, the receiver rested innocently on the Bishop's desk. He nodded towards Leo, pointing at the inconspicuous object.
"This will do what you said it will?"
"Yes the Bishop had it implanted while she was out cold. With that sub-dermal implant in her you can track the Big Sister anywhere in Rapture."
()
Pain…pain was everywhere. An aura of pain permeated everything about the white room. The people in their lab coats radiated it as well, uncaring of the pain they caused. In the distance some unfortunate being screamed in agony.
"The subject doesn't seem to respond to external stimuli." Something sharp cut into her arm. "It doesn't respond to pain either. The regenerative ability seems to have slowed with the removal of the strange substance from its blood. Addendum: while slowed it is still far faster then the human norm."
A painfully bright light blinded her in one eye. "The subject reacts to changes in light, though the pupil is impossible to discern in its unique eye structure, it can clearly be seen flinching from the light." The experience was repeated with her other eye.
An uncomfortably loud snapping noise sounded in one ear then the other, she hissed softly in response. "Subject appears to have an enhanced sense of hearing. Will now proceed to test the extent." A high pitched whining noise caused her to flinch. The noises increased in frequency every few seconds until she was whimpering and trying to flee. After what felt like an eternity the noise passed from her hearing range. "Subject's hearing range extends well past the human norm. It is quite possible that it can use a lesser form of echolocation."
"Subject's sense of smell is similarly enhanced, though I do not have the necessary equipment to test that now." She hissed in displeasure.
"Possibly the most extraordinary trait is that the subject appears to have some sort of extrasensory perception. When it awoke for the first time it immediately turned towards the laboratory that is testing the substance extracted from its blood. When the substance was moved to a more secure location it almost seemed to watch. Originally we believed it was merely an enhanced sense of smell. We sealed all of the substance in an airtight vault…it followed. Whatever this unique sense is, it appears to be tied to the substance."
"Now we must gauge its intelligence." The snapping noise sounded in front of her, bringing her attention to the pasty human standing before her. "Good. Can you understand me?" She narrowed her eyes and growled slightly. "If I had three stones and you gave me four stones how many stones would I have?" Snarling, she lunged as far forward as she could and snapped her teeth in his face.
"Do that again, and I'll be forced to punish you." She lunged forward again and screamed in the human's face. The man pressed a button and agony tore through her as electricity coursed through her.
The pain stopped and she was left hanging limply in her restraints. "The sky is blue, red, green, or brown?" Her glowing gaze landed on the man again, pulling her teeth back she growled in the back of her throat. The man's hand was instantly over the button. She stopped immediately.
For the first time an emotion flickered across the man's face as he smiled slightly. "Good. You're a fast learner I see." The man leaned forward. "Behave and I can take good care of you. Misbehave and I will make your life hell."
The fool had put himself in range…good. Smiling, she lunged forward and sunk her teeth into the man's nose. The man screamed in agony. Instantly the door burst open and three tranquilizer darts dug into her exposed neck. As the world began to swim she smiled a blood encrusted smile. The man was on the ground, holding his nearly severed nose in place as other doctors surrounded him. Before the world faded to black, Alpha made it a point to send the man a parting wink.
Sorry for the wait. I had a major case of writers block and had to rewrite pretty much this entire chapter.
Anyways as always please read and review. They do wonders for my motivation.