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

A minor gathering took shape outside the entrance to Pauper's Drop. Cain stood at its heart, his mind carefully reviewing the plan he'd gone over hundreds of times already. It was ambitious to say the least, but he was more than capable of pulling it off.

His allies were not quite as patient for this phase. Ares was pacing restlessly, constantly directing his gaze towards the enclave that housed Tenenbaum's survivors as though the looming bloodshed was a siren's song. Hammer didn't look any better, though to be fair it was somewhat challenging to discern what (if anything) he was thinking thanks to his recent disfiguring. The only one who didn't shuffle impatiently was the one who had no choice in the matter.

The chilled air did little to soothe their tempers. A steady drip from a leak in the nearby piping only served to magnify the heated emotions with a constant monotonous drip that counted off each single second of inactivity.

It didn't take long before the tension boiled over.

With a cry of frustration, Ares directed a vicious kick at a piece of nearby debris. The chunk of rubble flew through the air before exploding against the wall.

"What is taking him so damned long!?" He snarled, unconsciously tightening his fingers into fists.

"Oh come now." Cain chided. "All good things come to those with the foresight to wait until the proper time to claim them."

The Houdini rounded on him, eyes blazing.

"I have a score to settle." He stated, his voice dripping with the promise of bloody violence. "That boy will die by my hands. He fled my reach once. I won't let that stand!"

Cain wasn't intimidated by his anger, though he had the presence of mind to avoid calling him out. Ares took his killing very seriously. Davian's escape had damaged his pride, something he was very keen on fixing.

"If the opportunity to kill him arises, then feel free to do so." He said dismissively. "Just be sure to do your part in the attack. Your mission is to get the gatherer, not to hunt for revenge."

This didn't improve the enraged splicer's mood. He glared daggers into Cain's impassive expression as though he believed the intensity of his anger could kill the man on the spot.

"Isn't your pet better suited to that?" He spat. "My talents would be wasted on such a trivial task."

Subject Gamma had been received with mixed results. Even so, Cain's unwavering commands kept the others from objecting too loudly. It had been a surprise to everyone when he said that she wouldn't be taking part in the attack. It was far too risky. Her injuries meant that she stood a real chance of dying to the defenders, whose accuracy was much more reliable than the average splicer's. Worse than that was the possibility that she could go off the rails in the middle of the mission. Until her abilities could be directed reliably she was an uncontrolled variable. He didn't deal in uncontrolled variables.

"Subject Gamma is still recovering." Cain answered. "Her presence shouldn't be required so long as everyone does their job. We will need the gatherer for the next stages of the plan to succeed."

"Aih whant dah Ahduhm whin youhr fhihnished whit 'er." Both of them turned to face Hammer, who had been silent up until that point. Ares looked like he would dispute the bold, and poorly enunciated, demand but the giant cut him off. "Deyh fuhked up mah fashe. Aih neehd iht to fixsh mahselfh."

"Don't you worry; there will be plenty of Adam to go around when this is finished." Cain assured, not bothering to point out that the mutagenic side effects of the substance would likely outweigh its healing properties and twist his image even worse than it was now. "Just be sure to follow the plan. Hit them hard, cause as much destruction as you can, and be prepared to escape quickly. We are here to sow chaos, not to wage war."

"And as for you…" He turned to the remaining member of their group who had been standing motionless this entire time. "You will be coming with me. We're going to have a chat with Miss Tenenbaum, and you'll be leading the way."

As expected, Stanley said nothing. He wasn't able to do anything without the express permission of his new masters thanks to the effects of the hypnotize plasmid.

"Understand? Good." With that, Cain turned back to face the entrance to Pauper's Drop. The splicers waited with an air of anticipation and impatience for the signal. It wouldn't be long now.

Amelia had just… she'd… he'd… they'd…

Davian's mind was having a very difficult time trying to process what had just happened. He'd gone into the conversation fully expecting her to despise him. At best, he'd thought she might push him away the same way she always did. Instead…

It hardly felt real. But it was real. Despite the sheer improbability of the situation, it had actually happened. The big sister sitting across from him, and resting her forehead against his own, was proof enough of that.

Amelia had kissed him. Not only that. He'd kissed her back. When the sensation had first hit him, he'd nearly jerked back in shock. After he realized what was happening however, he surprised himself by returning it. All this time he'd been so focused on simply staying alive that he didn't notice the way he was becoming increasingly drawn to her. When she had made the first move, his body responded long before his mind had caught up.

And that raised some serious issues.

One of the biggest rules of Rapture was that you should never get too attached to the person next to you. Doing so put both of you at risk. Bonds made people do stupid things, and he hadn't survived this long by putting his life on the line when it could be avoided.

Yes… he'd survived. But maybe that wasn't enough anymore. For so long his mind had only been focused on keeping himself from being killed, he'd never had a chance to really live.

He'd avoided working for the gangs like Hawthorn's men. He'd kept from joining any of the vigilante groups that fought for whatever ideal they still clung to. He'd even left his older sister to die when she wasn't able to flee the Saturnine with him. The guilt had never left him, but he'd still followed through. That was who he'd been all that time. A survivor. Someone who only worried about making it through another day alive. When had that changed?

The answer was obvious. It had started with a little girl. The burden he never wanted turned into the guiding light he never deserved.

Then came Amelia. The big sister had forced her way, however inadvertently, into his life. She'd shown him that even someone who had the appearance of a monster could still be human. Even more so than a lot of the people who still looked the part.

And the colony… those he knew, and those who were just nameless faces passing him in the halls. They'd accepted him hesitantly, but they'd accepted him none the less. When he passed by, none of them drew a gun or threatened his life. Some would even go out of their way to greet him.

Davian's eyes eased open, settling on the face of the girl in front of him. She was beautiful. She really was. He'd never stopped to appreciate it, but now…

Her eyes. Her face. That rare, genuine, smile that she had when she was happy. The way she could express more without saying a word than most could in an entire conversation.

Even her imperfections added a tragic grace to her image. Gaunt features and pale skin told of an eternity sealed inside that suit, almost never leaving it. The glowing golden eyes displayed the life that had been forced upon her. A life she could now never leave. Even her outbursts of anger commanded a certain respect, showing that she wasn't afraid to fight for what she cared about.

Amelia's gaze found his, and for an instant his breath caught in his throat. What did he do now? Should he say something? He'd never been in a situation like this before. His mind struggled to remember something, anything, that could help.

We need to talk.

The sudden intrusion nearly made Davian jump out of his skin. It took every ounce of willpower he had to keep it from showing on his face.

What do you want!? He thought viciously. Wasn't it just like that wretched thing to jump in at the worst times.

It's not a matter of what I want, but what you want.

Amelia tilted her head curiously, sensing that something was off. She slipped her hands into his in a questioning gesture. It was likely meant to be reassuring, but instead caused a surge of bitter hatred to rush through his system as remembered who was to blame for her injuries.

I swear to god. The phrase was as low and dangerous as he could make it. If I ever find a way to kill you, none of your little mind control tricks will be able to protect you.

He could practically feel the voice rolling its nonexistent eyes at that.

I can't do anything that you won't let me do.

That's a filthy lie! It was becoming more and more difficult to keep a level expression. I'd never want you to hurt her like that!

You can lie to others if you so choose, but you can never lie to yourself. You know full well how dangerous it is to be doing this. You're a splicer. She's a protector. Sooner or later, your interests will split in such a way that you'll be forced to kill her. It's amazing that it hasn't already with what's been going on with Wren. Or rather, Gwen.

There were a lot of things he could have said to that, but the response he gave was the last either of them had expected. Nothing.

"Do you think you're ready to go back Amelia?" The question was phrased gently, as though nothing was wrong. As though he wasn't having a silent conversation with a manifestation of his own damaged mind.

Are you ignoring me?

She tensed slightly, looking down and biting her lip. She was still very uneasy with the whole situation. But for once he knew what to do.

Reaching up, he placed one of his hands under her chin and lightly pushed her head back so that she was looking at him again.

"Hey." He said, leaning forward and pressing a light kiss on the edge of her mouth. "It'll be all right. I promise."

You are! You petty imbecile! Do you think that pretending your problems don't exist will make them go away?

After a moment she nodded, standing up with him. The chairs squeaked loudly as they were pushed aside, but neither Davian nor Amelia paid them any mind. As they made their way towards the hallway, one of his hands moved up to her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You'll see. She just needs to readjust is all." He assured. "She doesn't bite."

The protector let out a rather unladylike snort at that, elbowing him lightly to make it clear that she had no fear of being bitten by Gwen. Her heart might not have been in it fully, but it was a glimpse of her old self. He couldn't help but smile at that.

… So be it. If this is how you want to go about it, I'll let you find out the hard way how your choices can come back to haunt you.

The presence of the voice left him as swiftly as it had come. For a minute, Davian didn't dare believe that it was actually gone. He strained his senses as they continued down the hall, struggling to detect even the slightest trace of unwanted tampering from it.

It never came.

It actually had left. Just like that. No need for another Adam injection. No struggle against his own body. He felt almost lightheaded at the minor victory.

It couldn't be that simple could it? He'd tried ignoring it before with no success. What was different now?

I can't do anything that you won't let me do.

That couldn't be true. He hadn't wanted it to take over his body like that. He hadn't wanted it to hurt Amelia. There had to be something else going on…

Davian was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't notice Amelia stopping until he was several steps ahead of her. Turning back, he found her looking at the wall with a very concerned expression.

"What's wrong?" At his question, she pointed at something that was stuck behind a loose board. It was hard to make out but it had a distinctively metal sheen to it. Frowning, he stepped closer to get a better look.

As soon as he did, he realized the gravity of his mistake.

A soft beep was the only warning that the proximity mine gave. Before either of them had a chance to react an explosion tore through the confines of the hallway blasting Davian off his feet and slamming him against the opposite wall. The last thing he was aware of before consciousness bled away from him was the sound of emergency sirens blaring.

With a small sigh of satisfaction, Joseph set aside the newly repaired auto-turret casing. It had taken twice as long as he'd initially expected it to, but he was satisfied with the results. He'd be able to reinstall the rest of its systems right after he took a quick break. Welding always left him feeling a bit drained.

The boy sat back in his work chair, picking up a thermos off the table as he did so. With a twist of the cap, he took a slow swig of its contents. There were only three drinkable substances left in Rapture. Water, coffee, and alcohol. This was the first.

The cool liquid refreshed his parched body which had spent the better part of the afternoon slaving over damaged metal. While he still needed to finish up the last few pieces, nobody would fault him for taking a bit of a breather.

Well… Tomas might. That man didn't care much for anything that wasn't productive. Joseph could only imagine how crazy he must be going now that he had to wait for his hand to heal.

Idly turning the chair back and forth, he let his gaze drift over the workstation. The security feeds soon caught his eye. Movement shot across one of the screens so quickly that he almost didn't catch it. Blinking in surprise, he sat up straight to get a closer look.

There it was again. The camera just outside the entrance to Pauper's Drop showed a tiny disturbance. Before long, the camera shut off entirely.

"What in the…" In disbelief, he watched as the security feeds descended into blackness one by one. Each time, tiny figures could be seen flitting in and out of view before the connection was lost.

It was the last camera between the entrance and the colony that exposed the cause of the disturbance.

Half out of view, a small hornet could be seen attempting to bite into the machine. Its tiny mandibles struggled to find purchase on the smooth glass lens. All too quickly, several more insects darted towards the device. They soon disappeared as they, he could only assume, worked their way towards the more vulnerable cables located in the back of the camera.

And then the last light on the screen vanished.

For a moment Joseph simply sat there staring, unable to comprehend what he had just seen. A growing sense of unease built in his gut as he realized that someone had just systematically blinded their security systems.

We're under attack… No sooner had the thought entered his mind than an explosion rocked the foundations of his workshop. He clung to his chair in a small panic as several more detonations followed in quick succession.

Two. Four. Eight. Ten? He couldn't keep track, all the noise blending into a single discordant chorus. As soon as the blasts stopped, awareness returned to him in a rush.

We're under attack!

Joseph shot out of his chair, spilling his now forgotten drink all across the floor in his haste. He practically flew towards the emergency alarm on the wall, slamming it down with all his weight as though it would make the signal come any faster. The high pitched wail of the alarms shattered the momentary silence, filling every inch of the colony with a call to arms. The alert would be answered both by the colonists as well as the scores of mechanical drones that were activated once the switch was thrown. Already, the buzz of security bots whirring to life blared outside his door.

What do I do now!? What am I supposed to do after that!?

Desperately attempting to avoid giving into the rising panic that threatened to overtake him, he thought back to all the training drills that Tomas had forced them all to go through.

Work your way towards the pre-established strong-points. Let the enemy face the machines first and soften themselves up. Then brace yourself for their push.

He quickly grabbed a pistol off his workbench. Whispering a silent prayer, he slowly opened the door and peered out. There was nobody there. Opening it all the way, he directed his gaze back down the opposite direction. Aside from the figure of a drone buzzing around the corner and out of sight, the cost was clear.

Strong-points… Where was the nearest strong-point? It would probably be near Tenenbaum's office in the heart of the colony. Should he go to that one? If they were being attacked, he wouldn't be adding very much by staying way at the back. Then again, he'd be a lot safer than at the front…

Shaking his head to dispel the thoughts of an easy out, he turned towards the living areas. That was a good place to start. It wasn't on the frontline, but it was near enough that he'd be able to provide support if they needed it.

It will be fine. He thought to himself, trying very hard to convince himself of the truth in those words. We've been hit before. We can take this.

In truth, the previous attacks had been poorly organized at best. They'd spotted the splicers long before they had ever reached the colony, and the security drones and turrets had shredded their ranks. What few invaders had actually reached the colony had been in pitiful shape. This attack felt a lot more professional.

Suddenly, a peculiar scent assaulted his senses.

Is that ozone? He stopped in place, the pistol pointed down as he looked around for the source of the smell. Was there a gas leak? There were no pipes in the immediate area that carried anything like that. Maybe it was Davian. That made sense. Houdinis were renowned for their teleporting, and he'd likely want to get to the fight as quickly as possible.

A piercing scream derailed his thoughts.

Whipping around, Joseph faced the direction it had come from. His first assumption was that it had to be the big sister Davian had brought with him, but it had sounded far younger than that.

Oh shit, that's the kid!

He was torn. He knew that he had to get to the front to help repel any invaders, but the cry had come from the opposite direction. Surely Davian would be able to respond a lot quicker than he could right? The guy was probably already there. Still, it didn't seem right to just turn his back.

Clenching the pistol tightly, he started making his way towards Gwen's position as swiftly and quietly as possible. He'd show up, make sure everything was all right, and get back to where he needed to be. It would only take a moment.

"Let go of me!"

Joseph cursed under his breath at the sound of her voice. She didn't sound like she was talking to someone friendly. He ignored the knot of dread in his stomach and quickened his pace.

"What is this? Where is the gatherer? What have you done with her, girl?"

That wasn't Davian. It didn't sound like anyone he knew either. But how could one of the attackers have gotten this far into the colony this quickly? That didn't make any sense.

"Let go! Let go! Let go!"

He rounded the next corner in a rush, bringing his pistol up in an instant. The sight that awaited him left no doubt in his mind that this was not someone from the colony.

The man standing in the middle of the hallway was a terrifying figure. He wore only an old looking pair of work pants, exposing numerous scars all across his body. Many of them looked like they had been carved personally to form symbols of some kind. In one hand he held a gleaming hatched with its pair located at his belt. His other hand was currently dragging Gwen from her room by her hair. Tears of pain and fear coursed down her face as he threw her to the floor.

"You will tell me what he's done, or I'll give you something to cry about."

"Stay away from her!" It probably wasn't the smartest idea to for Joseph to announce his presence like that, but the pistol was already up. It let out a sharp bark as he pulled the trigger.

The bullet crossed the distance between them faster than the speed of sound, already flying through its target by the time he heard the shot. Joseph's aim was off slightly. He'd tried for center of mass but the shot went wide, only taking a strip of flesh out of the splicer's forearm. The wound was no doubt painful, but it was far from fatal.

The young man quickly pulled the trigger a second time, forcing his hand to remain still and not go off target again. It would have struck perfectly had the splicer still been standing there. In the brief span between shots, the invader had vanished in an all too familiar wave of red smoke.

Joseph barely had time to register the sudden breeze at his front before blazing agony erupted through his system. His breath caught in his throat as the pain was too intense to even scream.

The scarred face of the splicer sneered down at him, his arm wrenching the now bloodied hand-ax from Joseph's gut. The man's free arm backhanded him across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. The gun flew out of his hands and skidded across the floor out of sight.

He couldn't move. Couldn't even think it hurt so badly. He felt a warm liquid trickle down his sides as each heartbeat forced another second of his life away. There were voices still. He couldn't tell if it was Gwen or the splicer talking, but he could hear them. After a couple of moments, all the voices blurred together into an all-consuming wave of static.

It was the same sound that the monitors in his workshop made when they were broken. He was broken…

As Joseph stared up at the ceiling from his position on the floor, his vision clouded over into one bright layer of white.