The great white orb in the sky had sunk below the horizon and had been replaced by an even brighter one. She could feel its heat despite how far it must have been from her. Probably no more then a few miles she reasoned, otherwise there was no way she could feel its warmth. How it stayed in the sky was something she didn't bother trying to understand. The surface was strange.
The ashwater beneath her feet crunched softly as her boots impacted it, the white powder turning to a brownish slush as the day warmed. Breathing slowly and steadily despite the inhuman speeds she was pushing her body to, Protector M2 Alpha tore through the sea of standing dead wood. The trunks of the dead woods flashed past her as she darted between them, following Adam's siren call. Her senses were stretched to the limit, wary for any signs of pursuit. So far she hadn't detected anything. A human made flying thing with a spinning blade on its top had passed within a mile of her a few times during the night; she hadn't seen it for several hours. If it had been a pursuer she had left him far behind.
Her stomach grumbled in frustration, protesting the strain she was putting on her body and the lack of proper food she had consumed lately. Frowning, she ignored it and pushed on. She was eager to return to Rapture, her Rapture, and to see Leo again. She missed him, wanting nothing more then to hear the comforting beat of his heart as her ear pressed against his chest.
Her mind distracted, she failed to notice the incline she was heading towards. As her foot found nothing but air, she fell forward, tumbling head over heels down the sharp drop the ground had taken. Her back hit a rock, knocking the wind from her lungs. A second later she slammed into the ground, though apparently it wasn't ground. Unable to withstand the sudden impact, the ashwater covered ice she had landed on gave way. Before her mind had even fully realized she was falling, she found herself submerged in freezing water and aching all over.
The temperature did not bother her, nor did the lack of air; her armored diving suit had served its purpose. Not to say she wasn't disoriented. Growling in frustration as she realized what had happened, Alpha broke through the ice a second time and began the slow process of climbing up the icy incline.
After an embarrassingly long time she reached the summit. Her visor was coated in ashwater leaving her vision obscured. Growling softly in frustration, she wiped her hand across the glass…and met a surprised set of blue eyes.
For several seconds the experiment and human stared at each other in shock, Alpha tilted her head slightly to the side and the tenuous peace was broken. "Grandpa!" The small human spun around, running towards an ashwater covered house Alpha hadn't noticed before. Seeing a fleeing individual, her instincts took over.
With her legs still hanging over the edge, Alpha scrambled to get purchase, wasting several seconds as she saw the prepubescent human running away. Her foot caught a protruding rock and she launched to her feet. Running with a speed no human could possibly match, she lunged after the fleeing human. Loosing a terrified yelp, the girl reached down as she ran. Scooping up a handful of ashwater she turned and hurled it at the charging experiment. "Grandpa! There's an alien after me!"
The wet projectile impacted Alpha's visor, instantly disrupting her vision. Reeling backwards with a frustrated snarl, Alpha clawed at the slushy projectile. With her attention diverted, she was unprepared for her foot to hit an icy patch. Loosing a surprised yelp, she careened face first into a standing dead wood and fell on to her back releasing an undignified squawk as she did. The child clearly had some sort of naturally occurring plasmids or something; it had nothing to do with her near complete exhaustion.
In the distance she could hear the house's door slamming open and an elderly male voice yelling. Ignoring it, she unclasped her helmet and sat up. Groaning she ran a gloved hand through her greasy hair. As she shook her head in an attempt to clear it, she heard the diminutive human she had been chasing release a surprised gasp. "You aren't an alien!"
"Beth, what happened?"
"I found this girl in the river."
"You what?" The elderly human seemed to notice Alpha for the first time; taking a surprised step backwards he warily pointed his weapon at her. For a small lifetime, the experiment and the wrinkled human stared at each other. Eyes narrowing slightly Alpha prepared to tear the old fool limb from limb. Before she had the opportunity, the man lowered his gun and gave her an appraising look.
"You hungry?" Before she could answer, he turned around. "Of course you are. Kids these days, too damn thin! Come on Beth, I'll make you and your new friend a sandwich." Still sitting in the ashwater, Alpha watched in bemused silence as the two humans headed towards their home. Was she supposed to trust them? They could be planning to poison her, or experiment on her, or torture her…or give her food. Her belly rumbled unhappily and her mind was made up.
Brushing off excess ashwater, Alpha stood and moved to follow the humans. After all, if they did prove hostile she was sure she could overpower a child and a fossil.
()
The silence was incredibly loud. Sealed inside a diving suit, the only noise he could hear was his own breathing. Squish, squish, they all went squish. And them…
He had to focus; he couldn't let them distract him. A rocky outcropping loomed suddenly from the murky depths. Remembering his directions, he obediently set a vial of Adam in a crevice. The vial had a small device atop it, connected to a master switch; it would open all the vials it was connected to on command.
Several theories have been proposed as to the origin of Adam. With a growl, David shook his head clear and moved to the next outcropping. It wasn't real, none of it was. The memories, they weren't his, it took effort but he could ignore them. Or at least push them away for the time being. They were always there, always whispering.
Can you feel it singing to you? He would have preferred someone else doing his current task, unfortunately Jack was overseeing their preparations inside Fort Frolic, Harper and Thompson were hacking all the security they could find, Sam the glow of its eyes offends us was using her enhanced senses to ensure their target didn't approach before they were ready, and the brainless Splicer was unable to do complex tasks. This left him dealing with the bait. A part of him, a part rapidly gaining strength, wanted nothing more then for him to pull his helmet off and use the Adam he had been entrusted with for himself. The fact that removing his helmet would result in his death seemed trivial when compared to the need he could feel growing steadily.
It would be quick. All he had to do was unlatch the helmet and he could have all the Adam he would ever need. His hands found their way to the latches before something stopped him. If he did this, his friends would most likely die, they were relying on him. Eyes narrowing in determination, he moved towards the next drop point. His friends needed him, he wouldn't let them down.
()
The second time the malformed Big Daddy dropped off their 'meal' Tony acted, as the beast turned to leave he called out to it. "That symbol on your hand, I recognize it. What does it mean?" He had been expecting it to ignore him, maybe even hit him for addressing it. He had not been prepared for it to stop in its tracks, even the things wriggling about beneath the skin of its warped arm slowed to a near standstill. Slowly, the metal bound beast raised its armored hand and gazed at the symbol emblazoned upon the gauntlet. The creature's rasping breath slowed as it loosed a keening whine.
Tony felt his heart freeze as he came to a shocking realization, the experiment was mourning. After what seemed an age, its whine petered out and the beast turned back to the large human that had addressed it. It stared at him briefly before slowly turning its gaze to the group of Little Sisters cowering in the far corner of the cell. After a moment's pause, it left, metal door slamming behind it.
For several seconds no one moved, the slam of the door echoing about the confined room. Finally, their hunger overriding their fear, the Little Sisters darted over to the slop that passed for their meal before running back to their corner. As if she had been waiting for the silence to end before speaking, Sandy sent Tony a livid glare. "What the hell was that? You mind warning me before you risk pissing off that fucking thing?"
Having trouble breathing, Tony sat back down. Unable to shake the sorrow he felt for the monster, he turned to his younger companion. Sandy sat against the wall, her dark skin unusually pale, and her brown hair sweaty and sticking to her forehead. Her sister was burrowed into her side, his daughter was curled up in her lap, and the other little girl was resting against her other side. Despite the situation, Tony couldn't resist smiling at his sleeping daughter.
"Well? You going to answer me?"
"It answered my question."
"What?"
"That symbol on the back of its hand, it told me what it means." His eyes moving to the cluster of Little Sisters, Tony continued. "That symbol, it meant family, at least to the beast it did."
"Why does that information fill me with dread?"
Tony agreed completely with his younger friend, something about that Big Daddy disturbed him greatly. "What should we do about them?" Understanding they were being discussed, the five Little Sisters stared at them in borderline terror.
Sandy sighed sadly, resting her cheek in a palm as she surveyed the kids; none of them could have been older than eight. "I don't know…I-I want to help them but…"
"We can't cure them ourselves."
Sandy turned her upper body to face Tony, unable to move due to the girls nestled around her. "How could it have come to this?"
"What do you mean?"
"This, all of it!" She gesticulated wildly with one hand. "How could people have done this to each other?" Her voice cracked as she finished, eyes swimming with unshed tears. "Who does that?" A tearful laugh. "Who sees their people mutating and losing their minds and says, 'they've made their choices, I'm okay with this'."
"I don't-"
"And Tenenbaum, she may act remorseful but she did this. All of this, all of it, it's her fault!"
"People make mistakes."
"Don't!" The tears in her eyes were falling slowly, many catching in her lashes. "Don't defend her. She took little girls, girls your daughter's age, girls my sister's age, and turned them into that!" Her accusing finger pointed towards the cowering children before her arm went limp and it fell to her side.
"I…what do you want me to say?"
Sandy turned away, her jaw clenching and unclenching as she ground her teeth. "I'm twenty two soldier man, twenty fucking two. I should be partying with my girlfriends, and making stupid choices under the influence of alcohol and other illicit substances. Not worrying if the ammo I have is enough to get me through that next firefight, not terrified that the next time that damn door opens that freak is going to eat me or something!"
They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence after that, Sandy pointedly turned away from Tony, and Tony pointedly ignoring the silent sobs that wracked her petite frame. What did she want him to do? Wave his magic wand and make it all better? He was a soldier, he shot things. He didn't know how to handle a distraught woman.
An agonized scream echoed in the distance. Tony and Sandy froze waiting until the horrendous noise would finally end. When it finally petered out, Sandy broke down sobbing again, this time unable to keep herself silent. Briefly, Tony considered moving to comfort the distraught girl. He decided against it, after all, what did she expect him to do?
He turned his back on his upset friend, trying to blot out the sound of her quiet sobbing as he did.
()
Unable to sleep, Alpha stared absentmindedly at the ceiling. The old man, the 'grandpa' human, had given her several blankets and had allowed her to 'camp out' with the child. Not two feet from her position on the floor, the girl was sleeping soundly in her bed. Her soft snores grated on Alpha's nerves and she had to resist the urge to snap the child's neck.
The fact that she was the perfect age for the transformation hadn't escaped her. It would be a simple matter for her to kill the old man and take the child, maybe her trip to the surface wouldn't prove pointless. But…she was warm, dressed in comfortable pajamas, her belly comfortably full. These people, they didn't know her, they had nothing to gain from helping her. They had helped her for no reason other than…kindness. Like the Stone human a small part of her mind pointed out.
Could she really repay their kindness with violence? The child snorted in her sleep, her leg kicking against her bedpost. That answered her question. With a soft snarl, Alpha leapt to her feet. The child was far too noisy for her own good, her stupid snorting and mumbling was keeping her awake. Her hand grabbed the child's shoulder, her other poised to strike.
"Cmmtslp?"
Alpha paused, head tilted in confusion. Was she supposed to understand that? The child opened her eyes, peered blearily at her, and lifted her head. "Can't sleep?" She repeated, smiling sleepily at her, unaware how much danger she was in.
"Come on…" The child's hand found hers as she clambered from her bed.
Too surprised to resist, Alpha allowed herself to be led through the small house. Their journey took them to the kitchen. "This'll fix you up." Letting Alpha's hand go, the child moved to the refrigerator, she pulled out a glass bottle filled with a white liquid. Setting it on the counter, she opened a set of drawers and retrieved a pot. "My Ma always does this if I can't sleep."
Unsure of what to do or how to react to any of this, Alpha sat on the counter and watched with detached interest as the girl meandered about the kitchen. She poured a fair amount of the liquid, milk some almost forgotten part of her brain informed her, into the pot before setting it on a stove. With practiced ease, she ignited the burner and turned back to Alpha. "You have a family?"
Alpha began to nod but something stopped her. She had a family, she had the Family but…It didn't seem the same. They were her family, they looked out for her. Do they really? She blinked, taken completely off guard by the sudden thought. Of course they did, she protected them and they fed her and gave her a home. You can't do that on your own? She frowned, they helped her…didn't they? With a low growl she shook her head shoving the thoughts from her mind.
"I'm sorry." Alpha sent the girl a bemused look, puzzled as to how she had earned the child's sympathy. "Your family, I'm sorry about them." Alpha's eyes lit up in realization, she had shaken her head hadn't she?
"My parents are getting back tomorrow, they'll like you." Alpha laughed softly, if her parents knew what she had been thinking, she doubted they'd have liked her.
"Dad always says I'm much too loud." Her voice deepened and her face took on a mock serious tone. "You make too much noise Bethany Ann Harmon, it's unladylike. How do you expect to attract a husband when you're running and yelling just like one of the boys?" She giggled, and Alpha absently noted that she liked that noise.
Time passed in a companionable silence, the little girl humming to herself and Alpha deep in thought. With a soft gasp, the girl darted to the pot and pulled it off the stove. Grabbing a glass, she lined the pot's rim up with it and awkwardly poured the drink. Only spilling a small amount, she grabbed the drink and gave it to Alpha. "Warm milk, it'll be hot so you best wait a bit."
Despite the child's advice, Alpha tossed the drink back in a single long gulp, head tilted backward to minimize the hot liquid's contact with her throat. "That was dumb." The child ignored her pointed glare, happily oblivious to the danger her houseguest posed.
()
Perched atop a rocky underwater spire, Theta frowned behind her visor as she watched David's suited bulk meander about beneath her. His task should have only taken a few minutes; it had been over a half hour. He paused at random, often looking about as if dazed and confused. Twice, his hands had moved to the clasps of his helmet as if to remove it. Her heart had leapt into her throat at the sight, and she had grabbed the helmet with her telekinesis. Much to her relief he seemed to shake himself from a daze each time and continued in his assigned task.
After what seemed an age, he finished and meandered towards the airlock. She didn't allow herself to relax until the airlock had sealed. She was fairly certain she knew what was wrong with him but…she hoped she was wrong. Maybe his brain had been damaged in a fight? That would be better for everyone involved. She didn't know what she would do if he changed, if he became just another monster. Rapture had enough monsters already; people like him were far too rare. Despite how afraid she was for her friend, she was…relieved. He hadn't meant what he had said to her, it hadn't been him speaking. She just had to find a way to help him.
She leapt gracefully from her perch and surged towards Fort Frolic. Not bothering with the airlock, doors were for humans anyway, she teleported through the wall and into Cohen's domain.
The sudden loss of the water supplied weightlessness was slightly disorienting as always. She was used to it though, and with a shake of her head moved towards the sound of her companions. Jack, upon seeing her, offered a wave by way of greeting. She responded with a nod as her gaze landed on David's back. Jack, having apparently sensed her intent, headed towards the door. As he passed her he paused, his hand moving to rest on her shoulder. "Good luck." His hand squeezed her shoulder once, a gesture he probably thought was comforting, all she could think of was how close the hand was to her throat.
Jack left without another word, leaving her alone with her human friend. She cleared her throat softly, frowning at how harsh her mangled vocal cords made the sound. David jumped in surprise and spun around, his normally sharp eyes seemed distant. "Did you want something Deb?"
She shouldn't have been surprised; she'd seen what Adam could do to the mind, still…the fact that he didn't recognize her hurt. She stepped forward cautiously, her hand rose before falling limply to her side. If there was one thing she missed from before she had been freed it was the sense of purpose. When she had been a member of the Family she had always known what was expected of her. Without that direction she found herself floundering, just when she would settle on a course of action she would begin to second guess herself and it would all fall apart.
"It's cloudy tonight." A lump formed in her throat, was he even aware of where he was? Did he think he was on the surface? Did he think he was home? A soft hissing sound emanated from her helmet as she unlatched it and pulled it off. David paused when he saw her face, a slight frown marring his features. "You aren't…"
"Traitors! All of you!"
They leapt in shock at the unexpected noise. "Shut up!" Much to Theta's surprise, David fell to the floor, head clasped between his hands. "Shutupshutupshutupshutup!" Chanting as if his life depended on it, her friend lost what remained of his grip on reality.
"You thought you could cross me? I'm Sander Cohen!" With a metallic whir, several turrets unfolded from compartments in the walls before rotating towards Theta and her incapacitated friend.
"I'm Sander fucking Cohen! Fort Frolic is mine you fucking doubters!" Despite the situation, Theta allowed herself a rueful laugh. She couldn't help but wonder what set off the monster this time?
()
Deep in thought, she stared down at the child in her bed. The girl squirmed in her sleep, smiling absently. The girl was sweet…innocent, not at all like her. Still…she was pointless, served no purpose, did nothing but exist. Alpha felt a certain fondness for the girl, for Bethany. They could help each other. She would stay with Alpha, keep her company, and Alpha would give her a purpose, she would bring her to the Family.
Her mind made up, Alpha shook her soon-to-be sister's shoulder. She awoke slowly, blearily looking up at Alpha in a bemused manner. "Whaisit" She seemed to slur her words when tired Alpha noted absently. With a seldom used smile, Alpha pulled the girl from her bed.
"Why are you wearing your spaceman suit?"
She yanked the child through the house as quickly as she could manage; tuning out her question. "What's going on?" Alpha moved to the door. Needless to say, she was surprised when it opened on its own before she could grab it. A pair of humans stood on the other side of the door, a male and a female in their middle age. They were laughing softly, the man's arms wrapped around the woman and their faces close together.
The man saw her first; he froze in place and narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" His eyes flashed to the girl whose hand she was grabbing. "Bethany…I want you to back away from her slowly."
"Mom! Dad!" The girl darted forward only to be jerked to a stop by Alpha's unyielding grip on her hand. She gave the experiment an unsure look, realizing for the first time the strength in the hand holding her back. "L-let me go."
Alpha didn't respond, just narrowed her eyes at the adults glaring warily at her. The male growled low in his throat, straightening to his full height. Alpha resisted the urge to chuckle when she saw he barely reached her chin. "You heard her, let my daughter go." In response she narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on the child.
"Ouch! You're hurting me!"
The man took a step forward, gently pushing the woman behind him. "Let!" He was going to take her away! "Bethany!" Make the child abandon Alpha like her family had, like everyone had! "Go!" She wasn't going to let that happen!
She surged forward, dragging the unwilling child behind her. Her palm impacted the man's chest with inhuman strength; she smiled as she felt his ribs break under the pressure. With a pained grunt the man was sent flying out the door. He landed in the ashwater outside, groaning in pain but still alive.
"Eric!" Screamed the female human, having been bowled over by her mate as he flew through the air.
"Daddy!" Screamed the child whose hand she still held with bone breaking force.
"Let her go!" Yelled the enraged old man from atop the stairs, scattergun in hand.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Alpha heard the man pull the trigger of his gun. Faster than the human could react she spun to the side as the gun fired. Reaching out with her unoccupied hand she pulled slightly at the man with her powers. It was barely a push, more like a playful shove. From his position at the top of the stairs, a friendly shove was all it took.
The sounds the man made as he tumbled down the stairs seemed unnaturally loud as Alpha watched him fall. He pitched forward, eyes widening in alarm as he yelled in fright. The gun fell from his hand as he reached for a handhold. His shoulder hit first, crunching as his brittle bones impacted the hard wood of the stair. His head smacked the wall with a dull thud as he began to tumble head over heels. His body completed one full rotation as it fell, limbs thumping against the wood. It was near the foot of the stairs that it happened. As his head pitched forward it smacked into the railing mounted on the wall with a crack. She watched in fascination as the life left the old man's eyes.
His body came to a stop at her feet, limbs a tangled mess. The female human remained where she had fallen, hyperventilating as she tried to come to terms with what she had seen. The male was still in the yard, moaning in pain. The child seemed unusually heavy, weighing her hand down more than she should of. Had her legs given out?
As Alpha looked down at the child she became aware of the familiar metallic smell of fresh blood. Bethany hung limply, her hand still clenched in Alpha's larger one. An unfamiliar prickling sensation formed in the back of her eyes as she stared at the unmoving girl.
Alpha blinked, uncaring of the tears that were beginning to flow down her cheeks.
The woman screamed, the sound of a woman who had lost something no parent ever should.
Through all this commotion, Bethany stayed silent, her head lolled to the side as Alpha shifted slightly. In doing so, it revealed the reason for her silence. The left side of her face was a bloody crater, the result of a mid-ranged scattergun blast. She'd been shot by the old man…after being pulled into the line of fire by Alpha.
Unable to stand the sight of the dead child, Alpha dropped the body unceremoniously and fled, leaving the latest family to be destroyed by Rapture's twisted legacy far behind.
I'd apologize but I doubt anybody really wants to hear it. I had some severe writers block and lots of real life things, it shouldn't happen again but you can't always plan for the curveballs life sends your way. One thing I can guarantee is that this story is not going to get abandoned, it might take a while to update sometimes but I'm going to finish it. I owe it to my loyal readers (if they're still following) and to my characters to complete this story.
Thanks for reading. I'll see you all next time, and once again sorry for the wait.