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

Chaos raged in Ares's heart as he made his way to the safe house Cain had commandeered to use as their fallback point. It had happened again. Twice now he'd been denied his battle. Even worse, this time he'd been the one to flee. Staying would have meant certain death, but the knowledge did little to soothe his wounded pride. The only blood he'd managed to spill today was that of some stupid colonist boy and a scavenging splicer that had the misfortune of running into him on his way here.

His irritation only grew when he spotted the alcove that had been chosen by their 'all knowing' leader. The door lay inside lay inside a small alleyway. It was subtle and out of the way certainly, but it wasn't the location that caused him such annoyance. The hovel had been used as some seedy bar during Rapture's prime. Exactly the kind of place where filth, squalor, and weakness would have thrived.

As he drew closer, Hammer's massive frame squeezed through the wooden opening. He had to move through sideways, and even then his passing caused a miniature cascade of splinters and chipped paint flecks. Ares stopped his advance, regarding the giant coldly as he moved his bulk to block the alley.

Hammer took in the Houdini's battered state, his lack of a prisoner, and the absence of Jericho with a condescending chuckle. Ares snarled in anger at the insulting manners. He tightened the grip he had around the hatchets, his temper about half a second from snapping and sinking those blades into the Brute splicer's flesh.

"Caihn wahntsh to shee ya." Hammer slurred, gesturing over his shoulder. His eyes held up their silent challenge, daring the smaller man to try anything. "He'sh tahkin to da bosh in bachk."

Ares simply vanished and reappeared at the door, not giving him even the simple acknowledgement of walking past him. Stepping inside, he made his way past the rows of rotted out booths and a bar that now served pools of saltwater instead of alcohol. His approach was greeted by the sound of half a conversation coming from the back room.

"No sir, I don't believe that he's dead. Yes sir, I'm well aware of the fact that you- Sir please, if you'd just let me finish. The information I have should serve that purpose more than well enough. It will allow us, sir, please let me to finish talking, as I was saying; allow us to put a stranglehold on Tenenbaum's colony. We can starve them out with only a token force. Before long, they'll be crawling out on their bellies begging for mercy."

Opening the door, Ares caught a sudden burst of angry noise coming from the radio that had been placed on the table in the middle of the room. He couldn't make out the words, but it was Hawthorn's voice and the man didn't sound happy.

Cain was seated at the table; holding his head with one hand and staring down at the radio as though his strained expression could reach through it and smack sense into the person on the other end.

The armored monster that had started following him around was situated in a dark corner. Her red porthole locked onto Ares the moment he entered the room, an expectant growl signaling her desire to launch forwards and tear into him. He spared her only a passing look of disdain.

"I've returned." He announced, not bothering to even entertain the idea of pleasantries.

From the constant barrage of sound coming from the radio, it seemed as though Hawthorn had started another one of his rants. That would give them plenty of time to speak without interrupting the conversation.

"So I see." Cain said, not deigning to turn and face him. "Would you please be so kind as to explain to me why I hear only one set of footsteps and not three?"

If looks could kill, the glare on Ares's face would have splattered the inside of his skull all over the walls.

"Jericho is dead." The Houdini stated flatly. "He got his chest cavity punched in when we ran across Davian and that metal freak."

Cain gave an overly dramatized sigh, leaning back in his chair and placing a hand to his forehead as though the splicer had died just to spite him.

"And the gatherer?" He questioned, turning the radio down so that the shouting coming from it didn't block out the answer he was waiting for. "Tell me that you two weren't so incompetent in your mission that you let her escape."

"There was no gatherer!" Ares shouted, the spark of anger in his chest igniting at the insult. "The girl was in the room you described, but she was human!"

Cain froze. A sudden air of tension entered the room as he slowly turned and stood to face Ares.

"Impossible." He said. "I've monitored Davian for a while now, and none of his actions show a willingness to revert her back from her current state. Even if he did, there is no way the protector would allow it. I should have known you fools would manage to ruin this. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

For Ares, this was the breaking point. He hadn't fought his way back from the brink of damnation, accepted the task of purging this city, and fought through legions of madmen only to be insulted by this fool. In one fluid movement he drew out his hatchets and brandished both weapons, eliciting a noise that was halfway between a roar and a purr from Gamma. He didn't even look over to see if she was getting ready to attack. His anger kept his gaze entirely focused on the frowning man in front of him.

"Don't you DARE look down on me you scum!" He shouted. "This failure was not my fault, it was YOURS! You were the one who gave the false assurances! You were the one who was wrong! You-"

There was no warning. One moment, Cain was standing motionless. The next, Ares felt both of his arms be slammed to the sides. The force knocked his hand axes flying and a solid uppercut caused his teeth to crack together hard enough to fill his mouth with blood. Before he could regain his bearings, a hand wrapped around his throat and actually hoisted him into the air.

Sputtering in shock, Ares looked down to see Cain holding him up with one arm as though he weighed nothing.

"What did you just say?" Despite the fact that Ares was the one looking down at him, there was no doubt that he held the power here. "I could have sworn that you just said I was wrong."

Regaining his awareness, the Houdini tried to focus enough to teleport out of the iron grip. Cain didn't give him the chance. He smashed Ares against the wall, setting off a miniature explosion inside his head and scattering his concentration to the winds.

A strangled gasp blew past the bloody barricade in his mouth as he desperately tried to pry open the hand that held him in place. The look on Cain's face stopped his efforts dead. His expression bore the dark intensity that he'd only seen once before. It was like staring into the face of the war god all over again.

"Listen carefully." Cain ordered, his words as slow and sinister as a coiled serpent. "I am never wrong. Do you understand that? Never. If you ever so much as suggest that I am mistaken in some respect again I will use you to bring new meaning to the phrase a fate worse than death."

Ares would have pleaded for forgiveness, volunteered to lead another attack to retrieve the girl, anything at all to stop that terrible gaze from boring into him, but he couldn't work up the nerve to make more than a few gargled breaths. He didn't know where this sudden change had come from, but he knew the man in front of him couldn't be mortal.

Seeing that his point had been thoroughly made, Cain released his grip. Ares fell to the ground, hastily pulling backwards to put as much distance between the two of them as possible.

"Go." Cain commanded. "Take up your post outside and wait for further orders. Use this time to consider just I've told you."

The Houdini didn't need further prompting. He practically flew out of the room, pausing only to retrieve his scattered weapons.

Cain turned away from the shameful display. Feeling himself being watched, he looked over at Gamma to see her observing him with a curious posture.

"Discipline." He said. "Sometimes the grunts need to be put in their place forcefully. It's nothing you need to worry about though. After all, we understand each other don't we?" A noise that could have meant anything echoed from inside her helmet.

Nodding more to himself than to her, he retook his seat in front of the radio. Hawthorn's angry voice still sounded through the device. In all likelihood he hadn't noticed any part of the violent exchange.

Cain had a moment to think now. There was no chance that Davian could have successfully changed Wren back to her human state. Even though Tenenbaum could have theoretically provided the means, he lacked the will and motivation to do so. It was illogical. Impossible. But now a very unfamiliar feeling had entered his mind.

Doubt.

If Wren was gone, his plans for the surface would be drastically altered. He'd need to take Tenenbaum alive instead. He knew she was still alive. Using Stanley as a weapon against the doctor had been more to keep his cover than actually harm her. Now he'd need to find a way to capture her while still keeping his intentions hidden from Hawthorn.

Recalling the mask he'd seen lying in her office, he realized that he knew exactly how to go about doing just that.

Hawthorn paused his tirade to take a breath, and Cain used the opportunity to step in. He spoke calmly and professionally as though there had been no interruption at all.

"You know sir, you are absolutely right." He said.

"You're supposed to be killing them Cain! Not playing house! You need to remember- wait, what?"

"You are very correct in your assessment." The splicer repeated. "It is imperative that we take a more direct approach. The time for subtlety is over, and I happen to know the perfect place to attack…"

The train that was meant to take them to Fort Frolic was perhaps the single most rusted up piece of metal Davian had ever seen. Lamb's family had at least kept those they used functional, but this one looked more like a relic of Atlantis than a functioning vessel.

Tomas and the woman, Emma was her name, were currently in a rather heated debate over whether or not the group would survive the trip inside it. Amelia, her suit having been repaired as much as possible, was nearby, strangely fascinated with the decaying train car. For reasons known only to herself she'd started picking away at a large patch of rust near the back.

Davian might have voiced his opinion on the matter had he not been so engrossed in his own concerns. Since the attack on the colony, he'd been trying to contact the voice again. The recent developments had left him feeling a need to understand it better. It had warned him when they'd first met Stanley that he'd regret letting the man live, but had that just been a general statement or had it actually known something? It couldn't could it? It was just a delusion after all.

He never got to find out. The thing had remained stubbornly unresponsive. After an infuriating bout of silence, Davian had given up and turned his attention to the other issue that had arisen after their sanctuary had been breached.

Archer sat against a wall, absently stroking the body of his crossbow while watching a trickle of water drip down the support pillar nearby. He hadn't said much since they'd set out.

Davian made his way over to the subdued young man, taking a seat beside him. When Archer didn't react, he gave him a slight nudge.

"Hey." Davian said softly, trying to get him to speak. "How are you holding up?" It was a cheap question and he knew it. Still, it was all he could think to ask. It would be better for Archer to get pissed at him now than have him stuck in this slump in the middle of a fight.

"Are you worried I might not be up to this?" Archer questioned, turning to face him. "Let me tell you right now, I've never been more prepared to kill someone in my life." His voice was ragged, and the look of his face made it painfully clear that he hadn't gotten any sleep last night.

Davian couldn't help but feel nervous. This didn't look like the young man he'd come to both resent and respect. Trying to think of something to say, he opened his mouth only to be cut off.

"Let me ask you something." Archer said. "When you left her behind, your sister, why did you do it?"

For a moment, Davian couldn't find his voice. There was no accusation or condemnation in the question, but just hearing it was like taking a blow to the gut. It was something he'd asked himself many times, and he still didn't have a justifiable answer to it.

"I was afraid." He said after a pause.

"Afraid of dying?"

Davian shook his head. He'd certainly been scared of getting caught and killed by the Saturnine if they found out, but the reason he'd left without her…

.

He was weak. Too weak to move. The pain that had encompassed his whole world such a short time ago had faded to a throbbing ache. Each pulse of suffering was marked by a new trickle of blood down his back as he lay on the table. A light clattering of metal on metal told him that the knife used to carve into his body had been placed down.

"Rejoice brothers!" Nicholas's voice, normally so colored by his addiction to Adam, actually sounded joyful for once. "For today we welcome a new member into our fold!"

Using what little strength he had left, he turned his head to look at the assorted bodies. His eyes sought out one individual in particular. There she was at the back. But something was wrong…

"He has passed the test and taken the mark of our people onto himself!"

Davian had thought she'd be happy. This was what they'd been trying for all along right? To find security amidst the Saturnine? Amelia didn't look happy. She looked scared. Almost as though she was worried about him. He didn't understand.

Before he could try to figure out the cause of her distress, a face adorned with foliage and wooded decorations leaned down to block his view.

"Congratulations." Nicholas said, giving him a pat on the back and ignoring the agonized jolt that he gave in response. "From this point forwards, you're one of us."

.

"I was afraid of what I would turn into if I stayed."

The soundless expanse returned as Archer thought over the information.

"Were the two of you close?" He asked at last.

Davian nodded quietly.

"Yea." He said. "We had to be. There was nobody else we could rely on, so it was either we stuck together or died in an alleyway somewhere. Leaving her there was the most difficult decision of my life, but after seeing her eyes… There was nothing left."

"Huh." Archer hesitated before asking his next question. "How did you manage to keep going for so long then? Does it stop hurting after a while?"

The kinder answer would have been to tell him that it got better with time. Giving him hope might have done a lot of good in the short term, but after going through it himself Davian knew full well that false hope would kill him in the long run.

"No." He said. "It never goes away. It keeps hurting forever. Nothing you do and nobody you kill will make it stop. The reason I managed to keep going was because I found something to hold onto. You've gotta find that something. If you don't, things will only get worse from here."

Archer let out a halfhearted chuckle at that.

"Geez." He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "That's depressing. You sound like our old man used to. Are the others still arguing over the train car or are we going to be leaving soon?"

Davian spared a glance over at Tomas and Emma.

"The thing probably leaks like a siv!" The woman exclaimed. "I'm telling you, we need to find another way or we'll all be dead before we ever reach that damn place."

"It'll be fine." Tomas assured her. "It's held up for this long hasn't it? Besides, the only other two options are a bathysphere which will get shot to pieces, or a train on the other end of Rapture. We don't have the time or manpower to fight through the whole city just for a minor detour. Trust me; this thing will get us there."

As if guided by the hand of foreshadowing, Amelia chose that moment to test the train's hull with a solid kick. The impact was followed by the sound of something breaking and several small clangs as a small object dislodged itself on the inside of the machine.

Emma turned to Tomas with a glare as he sighed.

"Seems like we're going to be headed out." Davian said, helping Archer to his feet. "From the looks of things we're all going to die horribly."

"Right." Archer said, the barest hint of a wry grin tugging at his features. "So just an average Tuesday then?"

As the train pulled into the welcoming station, the five souls onboard let out a collective gasp of relief. The doors had barely even begun to open before Emma forced them apart and stumbled into the darkened room. Tomas exited next, followed by Archer, Davian, and Amelia, who all practically shoved each other aside in their hast to get off of the metal deathtrap.

"I'm no expert on trains." Davian commented. "But I don't think they're supposed to make those kinds of noises."

"It got us here, that's all that matters." Tomas replied, pointedly ignoring the look Emma was giving him. Davian could have argued that point, but seeing the state of the station made him change his mind.

"What happened here?" He wondered out loud.

The room looked as though it had been subject to an all-out war. Skeletons, the flesh having long ago rotted away, lay scattered all over the floor. Half-destroyed weaponry and battle scars adorned the floors from wall to wall. The banners which had likely once been used to show off the attractions that Fort Frolic had been known for were torn to shreds. The last few strands of cloth they had lay limp and dead in their hangers.

Everything was shrouded in a blanket of darkness, the lights from the train itself being the only functioning source of illumination. Either the power was out, or all of the other lights had been destroyed at some point.

"This place looks abandoned." Emma said, reaching down to pick up a discarded pistol. The rotted metal handle broke off in her hand. "Does anybody else get the feeling that something isn't right?"

Nobody answered, but the group began to move slightly closer together. They peered into the darkness, trying to pick apart the ominous warnings hidden inside.

"Davian. Up front with me." Tomas ordered. "No flames unless we come under attack."

Davian shot him a questioning glance.

"Why not?" He asked. "Won't that make it a heck of a lot easier to see in there? Or do you plan on using flashlights instead?"

"It'll give us away." Tomas answered. "Anybody in there will see the light from your fire a mile away. Not to mention it'll kill your night vision. If we get attacked and you're used to seeing with the light of a flame, how do you plan on retaliating against someone hidden in the dark?"

"What about her?" Archer asked, gesturing towards Amelia who was busy adjusting her harvester. "Won't the glowing eyes do the same thing?"

It was true. Even in the half-light, her eyes lit up like a beacon. The soft glow gave her face an almost demonic quality.

"You'll have to stay in the back." Tomas said, speaking to her. "Try to keep your gaze pointed down to minimize the amount of light you give off. Can you do that?"

She frowned at the request, not at all happy about walking around without being able to see where she was going.

"Just keep watching Archer's feet." He added. "He'll be in front of you."

It took a bit of convincing, but they eventually managed to form into a unit. Davian stood next to Tomas as they pushed forward with Emma at his back. He didn't know much about the woman but he prayed she knew how to use the tommy-gun she was holding. He really didn't want to get shot in the back.

Thankfully, it wasn't as dark as he'd first feared. There were plenty of windows to the ocean which let in some light from other parts of the city that still functioned. The blue tinge that blanketed what little could be seen gave him the distinct impression of being underwater. Still, it didn't reveal everything. He'd heard a couple of quiet curses coming from behind him as Archer bumped into something he hadn't seen.

"Side hallway up ahead." Tomas whispered, his voice sounding far too loud in the empty space. "Looks like it could be safer than staying out in the open. I say we take it."

Davian nodded before realizing that the gesture was pointless in the dark.

"Right." He replied, straining to keep as quiet as possible. "I'll be behind you."

Their procession stretched out into a thin line as they entered the cramped space. He had no idea what the hall was designed to do, but it was an extremely claustrophobic area. The press of the walls made it painfully clear that they wouldn't be able to maneuver at all should an ambush be waiting for them. Mercifully though, they managed to reach the end without incident.

Davian could see the outline of a door past Tomas's shoulder. The chipped paint could barely be seen in the darkness, but he managed to make out the word 'stage' by looking closely.

"Get ready." Tomas warned. "They could have someone waiting for us on the other side."

The hall suddenly became just a bit brighter as Amelia lifted her gaze to see what they were talking about. Looking back to ensure that everyone was prepared, Tomas gently eased the door open. Moving slowly, he pushed his head through the opening to check the other side.

"Looks clear, but stay alert." He said, opening it the rest of the way. "Form up and stay close."

Davian felt a rush of relief as they stepped out into the open again. As the sign had said, they came out onto a large stage. The door had been hidden in such a way as to make it nearly invisible if you didn't know it was there. He couldn't help but wonder what the actors that had used this door had done with it. They must have been putting on quite a show.

The stage was located in a large room with a massive crooked staircase dominating its center. A second floor balcony overlooked the stage, likely a place for viewers to congregate while watching the performance below.

"Oh my god…" Emma's voice caused the others to spin in place. They saw what had caused the remark quickly enough.

Located in the center of the stage to their right was a macabre assortment of human-like statues. Their hands clung to the broken down remains of what looked like wooden displays. The structure had undoubtedly suffered massive damage at some point. Its plaster was blacked and cracked as though it had been set on fire, and one of the figures had the top half of its arm broken off.

As Amelia's eyes lit up the disturbing display, Davian noticed something very off about the figures. The broken off arm looked as though it wasn't plaster all the way through. In fact, it looked almost like…

With a sharp intake of breath, he realized that the statue wasn't a statue at all. Some poor fool had actually been encased inside it and put up on display. Davian turned to ask the others their thoughts on the matter, but a sudden blinding light fixed them all in place before the words had even left his mouth.

Half a dozen spotlights burst into life, focusing their intense beams on the stage and the very surprised group standing on it.

The sharp crackling of Houdini splicers filled the air as numerous figures materialized on the upper balconies. Their arrival was followed by a metallic clawing noise and the sound of manic laughter. Shadowy beings moved and crawled along the ceiling just out of sight.

Before the startled colonists could even think about mounting a defense, the loudspeakers filled the room with static and a voice assaulted them from all directions.

"Welcome one and all! To Fort Frolic!"