Disclaimer: I don't own Bioshock or any of the characters associated with it

Epsilon was frozen.

Her limbs refused to respond as she stared into the face of her darkest nightmare. The beast's metallic visor glowed furiously in the dimly lit room, bringing her terror to life. In that moment, she was back watching her sisters die.

She was staring at the face of Subject Delta.

She was wrenched out of her panic as the chains holding the Alpha series were released. As the monster charged her battle instincts kicked in, forcing her to leap to the side out of harm's way. The rogue daddy careened past her, smashing through boxes and abandoned equipment.

Epsilon growled furiously at herself for her moment of weakness. This wasn't Delta. That abomination was gone, and he was never coming back. This was just another feral creature that was in her way.

Still, just because it wasn't her most despised enemy didn't mean she wouldn't take pleasure in putting it down. She had never been able to look at an Alpha Series with anything other than hate after the events that tore the family apart.

Hoisting Wren off her back, she set the girl down where she would be safe during the fight. Carrying her while battling a big daddy would only serve to hinder Epsilon's movements.

A thundering roar brought her attention back to her opponent. The Alpha series stood at the end of a trail of debris from its previous charge. The drill on its arm spun murderously as it issued a challenge.

Epsilon screeched out her answer and the two titans lunged forward; needle and drill eager to bite into each other's flesh.

The berserk creature hurtled towards her at a speed that defied its massive size. The arm mounted weapon swung down at her with all of the beast's incredible strength. At the very last moment, she put on an extra burst of speed and dove underneath the deadly metal appendage.

With only a couple inches to spare, Epsilon rolled underneath the drill and into striking distance. The weapon crashed into the ground, sending massive chunks of flooring in all directions and leaving her opponent vulnerable. She put all her weight behind her attack as she drove the needle forward, intent on piercing the daddy's heart and ending the fight before it truly began.

The Alpha Series had different ideas. As she struck, it twisted to the side enough to avoid a fatal blow. Epsilon's harvester pierced the thick armor of the maddened giant, but the movement caused the needle to jam painfully against its ribs rather than slip past them.

The big daddy's roar of agony shook the walls as it howled out its rage. Epsilon had no chance to free her arm before its drill swung again with hate-fueled power.

The enormous weapon impacted her side, sending her careening through the air. Her flight was halted as the ground rose to meet her. Epsilon skidded across the floor like a stone before bashing into the ruined remains of the turret Davian had destroyed earlier.

She struggled to her feet as the room spun around her, everything blurring around the edges. Forcing herself back into a ready position, she turned back to face her opponent. The blow hadn't penetrated her armor, but it certainly hurt like hell.

The Alpha Series raised its drill once more, the engine screaming to life as it spun at blinding speed. It didn't get a chance to charge again, however.

Previously forgotten by both combatants, Davian materialized behind the metal man and launched a trio of fire blasts at its exposed back.

The big daddy was caught off guard by the sudden attack, and was unable to get out of the way in time. All three shots struck it dead on, causing explosions of white-hot flames to latch onto the juggernaut in a sadistic embrace.

The daddy roared again, pain and fury driving what little sanity it had left into oblivion. Blinded by the hungry flames, it charged Davian intent on grinding his bones to powder.

The splicer simply vanished in a blast of smoke, causing the monster to hurtle forward into a wall. The already enraged titan defied reason by flying even further into a rage, its now-perpetual scream reaching earsplitting levels.

Neither Davian nor Epsilon could have prepared for its next attack. Having extinguished the tormenting flames, it sighted Davian's reappearance and grabbed a piece of concrete thrown up by its earlier attacks. With deadly accuracy, it hurled the rock-hard debris faster than the eye could follow. Epsilon didn't even have time to grab it with her telekinesis before it impacted her companion.

The blow sent Davian flying, his carrying bag being torn from him and its contents scattering all over the floor. He flew a short distance before crashing to the ground, where he lay unmoving.

With one threat down, the Alpha Series turned back to Epsilon. The two circled each other like metal sharks as they prepared for the next fight.

Epsilon decided that now was the time to take the initiative. Letting out her shriek, she leapt high into the air and angled herself towards the big daddy.

Her opponent raised its arms in defense, but that was exactly what she had expected. Upon impact, she used the massive limbs as a springboard to flip backwards. She had barely touched the ground when she shot forward once more. Reeling from blocking her first attack, the daddy was unprepared for her next strike.

Epsilon focused her power into a wall of telekinetic force, and slammed it directly into the beasts guard. The Alpha Series' limbs were forced backwards, giving her the opportunity she needed.

She darted forward into the newly made opening and clambered up onto its chest, latching on like a biting insect.

Both blood red gazes locked onto one another. Both knew what was about to happen, and the metal man let out a final scream of pure hatred before her needle shattered the glass of its visor, silencing it permanently.

Epsilon dropped to the ground, backing away as its massive body swayed in place. After several more moments, the behemoth tipped backwards and fell to the ground with a resounding crash.

A purr of satisfaction escaped her throat as the battle rush left her. Another crazed enemy had tried to take her life, and like all the others it had fallen before her.

Her moment of victory was dashed when she heard her sister's cries.

"Mister M! Wake up! You're scaring me!"

The girl was shaking Davian's unresponsive form. Despite her pleas, the splicer remained motionless on the ground.

Epsilon was surprised to find a slight pang of regret work its way through her gut. Why was she suddenly disappointed to see him go? He was just a splicer after all. It wasn't like his life was that important. There were probably a hundred others just like him.

Or maybe not… So far he seemed to be one of the few sane Adam addicts in the city. She hadn't known him for very long, but perhaps the fact that he was willing to cooperate had set him slightly above the others in her eyes.

Shaking her head, Epsilon made her way over to his body. Wren would need comfort right now since she seemed to be bonded to the strange creature. Maybe this was for the best. He probably would have been killed at some point in the future regardless, so it would be better to get it over with before the child became too attached.

Wrapping a comforting arm around the girl's tiny shoulders, she tried to stem the flow of tears. Wren clung to her desperately, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that her former protector was gone.

Epsilon held her gently until an unexpected sound grabbed her attention. A wet rasping cough signaled that, somehow, Davian was still alive.

"Mister M!" Wren exclaimed, rushing down to his side. "Are you ok!? I was worried; I thought you were sleeping for good!"

He didn't respond. The only sound he was able to make was another painful cough. With a blow like the one he took, Epsilon realized, he probably had internal damage. Even though he survived the hit, he was still in trouble.

Her gaze was drawn to movement as he frantically gestured towards something on the ground. It only took a second for her to spot the first aid kit that had been spilled out onto the floor, and she quickly drew it over to them with her telekinesis.

She held the item out to him and he quickly grabbed it from her open hand. Epsilon watched with mild curiosity as he opened the container and injected himself with the needle inside. There was no obvious visual change, but after a moment his breathing became less labored and his body relaxed.

Davian let out a shuddering sigh of relief, before blinking several times at his surroundings.

"That… really… hurt…" He choked out. "Is it dead?" At her nod, the tension that was left in his body dispersed. He sunk down back to the ground and lay there, simply catching his breath.

"Give me a minute." He said, covering his face with one hand. "I think my ribs just punctured my lungs in a dozen places."

Epsilon took this opportunity to gather up his fallen items. Thankfully it seemed that his body had taken most of the impact so while the supplies were scattered, they remained unharmed.

Though she would never admit it, she was somewhat relieved that he was still alive. He was the one who seemed to have an idea of where they were going, so losing him would have set her plans back to simply patrolling Adonis Resort. Besides, now she wouldn't need to deal with a tearful charge. Her lack of vocalization made comforting others difficult at the best of times.

Once all the items had been retrieved, she returned to where Davian was now sitting. He still held his chest with one hand, but he looked marginally less likely to suddenly fall over dead.

"Thanks for that." He said, taking the bag from her. "Let's get out of here before some other unpleasant obstacles show up."

Epsilon had to agree. She was feeling a bit fatigued from the battle, and didn't relish the idea of wading through a sea of splicers at the moment.

In addition to that, there was the matter of the voice. The room itself held few hiding spots, so the man who had unleashed the Alpha Series on them could only be in one place.

The train itself.

The man must have locked himself inside before they arrived. It would have served as a good defense for him up until that point, but now it only succeeded in trapping him inside with nowhere to go.

Both Davian and Epsilon positioned themselves in front of the doors to the vehicle, with Wren a short distance away.

"Come out!" Davian ordered. "We know you're in there, so just make this easier on yourself." After several moments of silence he lost his patience. "Amelia, get him out of there."

She growled eagerly behind her helmet. Intent on taking revenge on the foolish coward, she advanced.

The sudden crackle of the loudspeaker interrupted her. "H-Hey! Wait a minute! I-I'll come out, just keep her away from me!"

Her anticipation turned to annoyance when Davian held up a hand, signaling her to halt. Why was he stopping her? They were just going to kill him anyway; did it matter if he got outside first?

Both of them stood tense while the train door opened just a crack.

"I'm coming out with my hands up!" The voice called. "D-Don't hurt me ok? I'm unarmed!"

As the man exited the metal machine, several things became apparent. First, he wasn't a splicer. His skin was pale, but lacked any degradation from Adam use. Second, he wasn't carrying any visible weaponry on him. And third, he seemed to be on the verge of pissing himself.

Davian stepped forward until he was only a couple feet from their assailant. "You've got about five seconds to give me a reason to let you live." He said. "And it better be a good one."

"Hold on! Hold on! Don't do anything hasty now!" The man pleaded. "This is all just a big misunderstanding! I-I was just trying to protect myself, you know? Most of the people I run across tend to have it in for me."

"I can't imagine why." Davian remarked dryly.

"Listen, you want the train right? It's yours! I can even help you drive it. Wouldn't that be better than figuring out how to work the damn thing while ramming into a wall?"

Epsilon paced back and forth restlessly. Why was he interrogating this guy!? Step aside, let her kill him, and then they could all be on their way.

"And why should I trust you?" Davian questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You just tried to feed us to your pet monster. How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"What good would that do me now?" The man asked. "It's not like I can pull another big daddy out of my pocket. Besides, you've got your own pet monster don't ya? I'll bet she does a lot more for you than mine ever did for me."

Epsilon didn't understand what he was implying, or why he chuckled while saying it. Davian however, seemed to understand it entirely. He didn't seem happy about it either.

"Amelia, tear his limbs off."

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait, it was just a joke!" He begged, backing away quickly. "Jesus! Can't you people get a sense of humor?"

Much to her frustration, Davian held her back once more.

"Can you actually work that train?" He asked. "If we get in and you can't, I'll let her break you apart."

"I'll have you know that I'm an expert on running trains." The man assured. "I spent a lot of time around a ticket booth a while back. When you got nothin' other than training pamphlets to read, you tend to pick a few things up."

Davian fixed him to the spot with his gaze, before finally relenting.

"Fine." He said. "I'll admit that I don't have a clue about how to drive that thing, so if you can get us where we need to go I'll pretend you didn't just try to kill us."

Epsilons cry of outrage and disbelief went unheeded.

"My names Davian. This is Amelia, and the girl back there is Wren. We need to get to Paupers Drop. You think you can take us?"

The man seemed decidedly nervous about being so close to a big sister, but he gave a shaky smile none the less.

"The Drop? Sure I can take you there easy. I been there a couple times so I know the way. Trust me, you won't regret this."

Davian nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer.

"Now since I told you my name, how about you tell me yours?" He said. "I'm not in the habit of trusting people who I don't know."

Their conductor rubbed his hands together, shaking under Epsilon's glare. He licked his lips before answering.

"My name? Uh… yea sure. The names Poole."

"Stanley Poole."