Disclaimer: I don't own Bioshock or any of the characters
The Houdini splicer didn't even have time to shout before Ares materialized, his blades opening the splicer's throat and ushering forth a crimson spray. All around him gunshots, explosions, and the screams of the dying filled every inch of the train station with a symphony of death.
It was music to his ears.
A Spider dropped from the roof, landing heavily on a crossbow wielding man who'd ventured too far forwards. The mutated creature's hooks tore into him in a frenzied rush as its deranged laughter mixed with his panicked, gurgling cries.
Ares was gone in an instant. He reappeared directly in front of the Spider, swinging his hatchet upwards just as it was bringing one of its hooks down. The creature's momentum ensured that his blade cut right through its arm, severing it at the elbow joint. It stared dumbly at the stump where its arm had been a moment ago, realizing too late what had happened. The next blow struck the side of the Spider's head, cracking the skull open like an eggshell and spilling fragments of bone and brain matter across the floor.
Ares shoved the corpse away as he wrenched his blade out of its temple. He pointedly ignored the feeble pleas for aid being gargled out by the dying man it had been assaulting, choosing instead to look for more enemies to fight.
Much to his disappointment, it seemed that the splicers who'd been guarding the station had all been killed. With a scowl, he began making his way towards where he'd last seen Hawthorn and Hammer. Until Cain gave the word, he was still taking orders from that man.
Before he'd taken more than two steps, a hand suddenly grabbed his ankle preventing him from going any further. He spun on his heel, weapons raised, to face whatever enemy had been leftover. He was again disappointed to find that it was only the mutilated man desperately trying to get him to help.
Ares brought his free foot crashing down on the man's throat with contempt. The splicer let out one last choked hack before spasming and going still. His killer kicked the lifeless hand away in disgust, glaring down at the remains.
"Form up! We're gonna have to hold this place until the rest of our boys get here! Someone send that train back so they can come across!"
Hawthorn's orders were quickly carried out as the throng of splicers jumped to obey. They all moved with a frantic energy, the recent skirmish whetting their appetite for violence. Ares pushed through the crowd as he made his way towards the one-eyed man.
"This area's been cleared. No sign of retaliation by Cohen's men yet." He reported, drawing level with Hawthorn. The man was caked in blood, but none of it appeared to be his own.
"Well no shit, we just got here. A'course they won't be retaliating yet!" The man snapped. "Where the hell is Cain at? He should be here on the front."
Ares almost smiled darkly at the thought of what Cain was doing right then. He'd been given the general idea of the plan shortly before departing with Hammer.
"He's taking care of some important business. Didn't really go into detail, but it sounded like something vital."
Hawthorn scowled, bitterly shaking his head.
"I gotta do every fucking thing myself don't I?" He asked, more to himself than anyone else. "Fine. Bunker down folks! We're holding for a few more trips, and then we break this place wide open!"
The bloodthirsty cheer answering from several dozen throats was infectious. Before long, Ares found himself cheering with them. There would be much killing in the near future.
Of course, only he truly knew just how much.
A heavily battered Alice warped into existence in the center of the lower atrium, drawing the attention of those who'd been waiting for her return. The colonists had taken to sitting together on the stairs while Cohen and his splicers had been impatiently spreading out around the rest of the room.
One look at the woman was enough to answer their questions.
"It's bad." She said, cradling her left arm which appeared to be bleeding from a gunshot wound. Part of her mask had been torn away, revealing cracked skin that looked like it was suffering from frostbite. "They've taken the station and are digging in. If I had to guess, I'd say that they have a lot more troops on the way."
Sander Cohen looked more annoyed than anything, as though an invasion of his home was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. It seemed he was mostly upset with the fact that his meeting with Tenenbaum had been interrupted.
The artist took in the information with a frown. Blowing out an exasperated sigh, he raised one hand to the bridge of his nose.
"And just who is it that thinks they can take what is mine this time?" He demanded, weary displeasure plain in his tone. "I would have thought these uncultured imbeciles would have learned not to stick their noses where they don't belong by now."
Alice cringed, gripping her injured arm more tightly as the trickle of blood running down the limb grew larger.
"The man in charge seemed to go by the name of Hawthorn." She answered, growing visibly paler and starting to sway in place. "For whatever reason, he seems very intent on taking Fort Frolic."
"Hawthorn?" Tenenbaum questioned, looking up at the mention of the man's name. "Are you certain he was the one leading them?"
The female Houdini nodded quickly before sending a pleading glance towards Cohen.
"Oh very well Alice, that will be all." He said, dismissing her with a wave. "Go clean yourself up. You look simply abysmal. Poor form for an aspiring actor."
She vanished immediately with what might have been either a noise of relief or a quiet whine at being put down in such a manner. When she was gone, Cohen rounded on the doctor.
"I take it you know Hawthorn?" He asked. The question seemed innocent enough, but Davian was quickly coming to learn that there was nothing harmless about this man.
"Yes. He's been attacking my people constantly for some time now." She answered. "His group is one of the largest coherent organizations left after Lamb fell. He's been taking in all manner of splicers, paying them off with whatever Adam he can rip from the city's remains."
"He's after you then, is he?"
"I honestly don't know what he's doing here." Tenenbaum said truthfully. "To the best of my knowledge there is no way he could have known that I would be coming to Fort Frolic."
"Well he's here regardless." Cohen finished. "If this little insect thinks he's going to stealing my prize after having gone this far, he's sorely mistaken!"
The doctor didn't look particularly pleased when he referred to her as 'his prize' but she didn't dwell on the subject. Instead, she proposed something that took both groups off guard.
"Hawthorn is not a man to be underestimated. While your forces have proved powerful in the past, I don't think you've taken on a group led by one as single-mindedly reckless as he can be. It might be in both our interests to set aside our dispute for the moment, at least until he's been dealt with."
For several moments, nobody moved a muscle. Cohen's face was unreadable and Davian couldn't help but wonder just what had possessed Tenenbaum to offer aid to someone who was so clearly unstable.
After a pause, the artist's expression slowly broke out in a smile followed by a chuckle that sounded more at home in an interrogation room than a theatre. The other splicers shared an unsure look before they hesitantly started joining in the laughing as well. Cohen cut himself off and snapped his fingers sharply which instantly shut the lot of them up.
Wearing a far more pleasant smile than he'd had a second ago, he turned back to Tenenbaum.
"Why doctor, I didn't know you cared." He said. "Am I to assume that this isn't some kind of trick you're using to try and weasel out of our deal?"
"There has been no deal yet as I recall." She shot back. "And this is born out of practicality, not fear. Hawthorn has proven to be a murderer who is bent on the deaths of everyone I am looking to save all to satisfy his own paranoia. Working together will give us the best chance of killing him, which will help both of us. Your position is secure and my people will be freed from a tyrant that has been plaguing them for too long."
Davian couldn't help but feel that she was balancing this whole situation on a knife's edge. Here they were under attack by a madman with an army at his disposal, and she was trying to make friends with a psychopath that blamed her for the actions of one she'd guided a long time ago.
It was times like this that made him desperately miss his little home back in the Chimera housing complex.
Both she and Cohen locked eyes in a silent battle of wills. The atmosphere of the room grew thick as the onlookers leaned in unconsciously to get a better view of the exchange. He was the one to finally break contact.
"That sounds like a very interesting idea doctor." He said. "Where shall we begin?"
Davian tapped the railing he was leaning on nervously. It was the strangest thing to be standing side by side with so many other splicers. It didn't help that he fully expected them to turn on him at any moment. Maybe that was slightly paranoid, but a bit of paranoia went a long way.
With the agreement between Tenenbaum and Cohen, the colonists and splicers had been assigned locations that they would be guarding when Hawthorn's men inevitably pushed forwards. Attacking the train station directly would have been a foolish endeavor. Since there was only one effective entrance, the invaders would have a massive advantage and could easily hold off a force significantly larger than their own. Instead the two leaders had opted to take up defensive positions farther into Fort Frolic and ensure that Hawthorn's troops were the ones running into a meat grinder.
Davian and Amelia had taken up stations in what appeared to have been a mall area. Two stories tall, and being filled with ample cover, it would be a killing field for the attackers to push into. The breaks in sight gave Houdinis numerous ways to get into and out of combat while the pillars and openings in the floor ensured the Spiders had ample maneuverability as well.
He wasn't sure where most of the others had ended up, but he knew that Archer and Emma were stationed together just as Tomas had been assigned to look after the colonists that had come across with Tenenbaum. The doctor would be working together with Cohen. The idea of her being so close to someone who obviously wanted her dead didn't help Davian's mood much, but he could do little other than hope she knew what she was doing.
When Hawthorn's soldiers eventually decided to push out, they'd either split up and move along the multiple halls leading them into the waiting defenses, or converge on one, in which case the other positions would push forward and surround them. Each area had been given a radio to call for aid should that happen. Since there was no designated 'squad leader' Davian had been given the radio for this group based solely on the fact that he could both hold it steady and communicate through it unlike the other splicers and Amelia respectively.
It was a good plan, or at least a better one than he could have come up with on such short notice. Even so, the edge of unease in his gut refused to leave him alone. This wasn't just an incursion by some random assortment of drug-crazed vagabonds. Hawthorn was here, leading this attack personally. The idea of seeing him again in the flesh left Davian with a bad taste in his mouth.
A burst of static at his hip alerted him that someone was hailing him on the radio. Raising the device to his ear, he answered.
"Hello? This is Davian, who's calling?"
"Davian? It's Tomas. Is everything set up on your end?"
Casting a glance over his shoulder, he noted that the other splicers were ignoring his conversation in favor of lounging around or pacing restlessly. Amelia gave him a brief nod at his look before returning her attention back to the entrance on the first floor.
"Yea, everyone looks to be about as ready as they'll ever be."
"Good. Haven't seen any of Hawthorn's forces yet, but I can hear them just fine. They're making one hell of a racket. Shouldn't be too long before they work up the nerve to push out."
"How close are you that you can hear them?" Davian questioned.
"Not as much as you might think. They've been inching forwards out of the station, and from the way they're shouting down there it looks like they're whipping themselves into a frenzy. Make sure you're ready."
"Sure thing." Davian replied, not feeling quite as confident as he sounded. "We'll be prepared."
"Oh, and don't get too attached to the splicers. Be ready to peel out at a moment's notice."
"Wait, what?" Davian asked, before realizing that he'd spoken far too loudly. He quickly ducked his head down to hide the look of surprise on his face.
"What was that?" He repeated, whispering to avoid drawing any more attention from those around him.
"Doctor's orders. I don't know what she's planning, but she wants us ready to hightail it out of here as soon as she gives the order."
Davian had to swallow past a lump in his throat after that.
"Uh… sure… we'll be ready I guess." He said, suddenly feeling even more surrounded than he had been a moment ago.
"Good. Make sure your metal friend knows also."
With that Tomas's voice went silent, leaving him to figure out the next step on his own. Taking a deep breath, he did his best to keep the concern buried beneath a mask of surety. It wouldn't do to let the splicers know ahead of time that something was wrong.
Davian made his way over to Amelia, careful to ensure that she saw him coming. That would make her marginally less likely to hurt him when he suddenly invaded her personal space.
Once he got close enough, she looked up at him with a questioning expression. He reached forward and drew her into a rather awkward hug. The gesture was made exceedingly difficult by her armor which jabbed him in several places as well as her sudden stiffening at the unexpected contact, but it ensured that his next action didn't look overly suspicious.
"Act natural." He whispered in her ear before she could knee him in the gut. Sensing the serious note in his tone, she relaxed slightly and returned the hug, eliciting several lewd noises from the crowd. "Tomas says we might have to ditch Cohen's guys. I'm not sure if it'll come to that, but be ready just in case."
Amelia nodded, disguising the action by nuzzling her face into his neck. A Spider near the back made a comment just loud enough to be heard that turned Davian's face crimson. Thankfully he was facing away from the group and Amelia couldn't see it at that angle.
He broke the contact with a small amount of regret, making sure to ignore the looks that some of the splicers were giving him. She took the opposite approach, glaring at each of them in turn until they fearfully averted their gaze.
"Thanks for that." Davian said, chuckling lightly at her demeanor. "We should-"
The sound of screams and gunshots cut him off, echoing out of the halls and into the shopping center. The splicers immediately dashed into their positions, Amelia and Davian not far behind.
"Looks like they're here." He remarked, peering out at the bulkhead entrance from behind a partially eroded pillar.
There was a heavy thunk as something was placed on the opposite side of the doors. Realizing what was about to happen, Davian braced himself. A light beep and a metallic click confirmed his suspicions.
The bulkhead door exploded inwards.
The brilliant minds that had designed Rapture had not undertaken the project lightly. They'd planned for just about every eventuality, especially those that centered around a breach in the city's integrity. If the ocean managed to force its way in, they set up systems to quarantine the breach and ensure the safety of the rest of the city.
That alone however, was an imperfect answer. If a section of the city was blocked off with people still inside, those unfortunate individuals would have almost no chance of survival. They'd run out of supplies and starve to death long before the breach had been fixed.
It was for that reason that a series of underground pressurized tunnels had been set up to evacuate survivors with minimal risk in the event of a breach. They provided an emergency exit for fleeing citizens, but the cramped and painfully slow progress of moving through each section made using them highly impractical under normal circumstances.
After the fall of Rapture, those tunnels had been largely forgotten by all but a few who had either worked on them personally or had stumbled across them by accident. Cain was the former.
The hiss of the pressurization sequence had been tolerable for about the first four sections of the tunnel, by the eighth however it was quickly losing its charm. This was vital to ensure that the emergency routs didn't flood, but by this point even Cain's patience was wearing thin.
If he was becoming annoyed, his companion was near inconsolable.
Gamma screeched furiously as she kicked the heavy metal door blocking their way. Her howl of anger quickly turned to a yelp of pain as the bulkhead proved to be stronger than she'd anticipated. Cain resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her.
"Only three more." He reminded her, though she was far beyond hearing him at this point.
Another scream, another bang, and another cry of pained frustration. Had he not spent the last week and a half doing everything in his power to ensure her loyalty she'd likely have started tearing into him by now.
Cain blocked out her display, automatically walking forwards as the door eased open allowing them to move onto the next. If nothing else, it gave him time to review his plans.
He didn't know what had possessed Ares to suddenly act in such a manner, but the man's mental breakdown couldn't have been better timed. Now he would act as a double agent to ensure that Hawthorn didn't become an issue. Cain's employer would no doubt want answers if he could see him now, and not the kind that could be easily dodged.
As it was, Cain would be using the invasion as a distraction to either find Tenenbaum or find what she was after. If it was true that Davian had gone through with changing his little sister back to a human, then it was vital for him to acquire the last living person who knew how to make them.
And of course there was Epsilon to consider.
It would be difficult to get her and Gamma to work together no doubt, but if it could be done the two of them would prove invaluable. Gaining her loyalty would be the easy part as his plan would no doubt win her over, but keeping the two sisters from killing each other over their previous dispute would be a challenge.
The door hissed open once more and Cain stepped through it unconsciously. His attention was brought back to the present by the sight of the wooden paneling signaling his entrance into Fort Frolic. They'd arrived.
"Well my dear…" He said with a smile, offering his hand to Gamma in a gesture of mock chivalry. "Shall we partake of this fine establishment?"
It was all the encouragement she needed. With a scream of ecstatic glee, the big sister shot off the spot and sprinted down the halls as fast as her legs would carry her. No doubt the first person she saw would have a very bad day.
Cain followed behind her, drawing his knife and calling up a small swarm of hornets in his palm.