Disclaimer: I don't own Bioshock or any of the characters
The underbelly of Fort Frolic was a manmade labyrinth of rusted machinery. The enduring constructs that had once been the marvels of ingenious engineering now lay festering in neglect. Ever since the civil war, few people came down to visit their silent suffering and fewer still knew or cared about repairing them. The splicers' eternal pursuit of Adam drove any thought of long term sustainability into a hazy oblivion of drug-induced highs.
Ares strode purposefully through the skeletal machines, inhaling the smell of rot and rust with vigor. He felt refreshed knowing that his divine purpose was being carried out under the direct command of his master. He was invincible now, but those fools above were still so very mortal.
Kicking up clouds of dust with each step, he soon located the main control panel. A thin trail of steam issued forth from a cracked pipe above it, giving the device an almost ethereal appearance. Ares took no notice, swatting away the watery tendrils and examining the buttons.
The screen for the controls were caked in thick layers of dust and grime, as was the panel itself. Wiping his hand over it only removed the top layer, revealing a thin spider web of cracks underneath. He had to squint but he was able to make out the general idea of the display.
Blinking lights and flashing warnings pleaded for the sorely needed repairs of vital systems, broadcasting their sorry condition as they likely had been for years at this point. A quick scan of the keys and Ares located exactly what he was looking for.
The airlock controls.
Designed as a failsafe in order to open and close the barriers against the ocean during some kind of emergency or mechanical failure, those controls would now spell the end for both Hawthorn and Cohen. No army could hope to stand against the all-consuming ocean that was ever looking for a way to break into Rapture.
A wicked grin curving across his face, he pulled the lever to open the airlocks and flood the city. Once the metal rod had lurched into place he stepped back to wait for the wave of destruction that would follow. He waited. And waited. And waited…
Quickly losing his patience, Ares directed a glare up to the screen. After a close inspection, he spotted the source of the problem. A new flashing light had added its minuscule colors to the array already in place.
SECURITY REQUIREMENTS NOT MET. SYSTEM LOCKDOWN ENGAGED.
"Stupid machine!" He roared, kicking the metal case in frustration. "I don't care about your damned security requirements! Do as I command!"
Predictably enough, the console ignored his outburst and continued flaunting its many messages.
Ares turned his back on it with an irritated huff. If it didn't want to cooperate, that was perfectly fine. He had other ways of getting what he needed from it.
Stowing his hatchets in his belt, he focused on building up energy in the palms of his hands. It was a straining experience. After having neglected using the Incinerate plasmid in so long, drawing on it now was like tugging on an aching muscle. Pushing through the stinging waves that ran through his mind and limbs, he was soon rewarded by the noise of crackling flames. Twin pyres burned in his palms and he wasted no time putting them to use.
Shouting a wordless cry, Ares hurled the flames towards the rows and rows of old machinery. One struck the side of a moderately sized boiler causing the pressurized device to explode in a gale of superheated shrapnel. Before the pieces had even finished falling, he'd unleashed another wave of flame towards anything and everything that looked like it might be important. His left hand fired blasts of heat that struck like molten cannonballs, while his right channeled the fire into a constant stream that melted all it touched under a relentless barrage.
While Ares normally preferred the subtler and more personal art of killing with his blades, he couldn't deny that there was something brilliantly satisfying in unleashing such wanton destruction. He hardly noticed the way the steam given off by the destroyed machinery drove the room's temperature to an almost painful degree. He kept on regardless, smashing, burning, and ravaging everything he could get his hands on.
Very soon, a loud rumble sounded from somewhere far off. It sounded suspiciously like a breach in the city's hull. Pausing his trail of chaos, Ares turned to see the new flashing message that had taken over the others.
SYSTEM FAILURE. INTEGRITY LOST. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.
A chuckle worked its way up from his chest. He'd done it. The ocean was rushing in and it would bring a swift end to all the festering parasites above. All he had to do now was work his way back to Cain before the tide reached him as well.
"Someone's been busy."
Ares was battle ready in an instant, his hatchets drawn the moment the voice sounded. The constant hiss of broken steam pipes and the acoustics of the room made it difficult to pinpoint where the words had come from, but he was not left in the dark for long.
A darkened silhouette took shape through the misty veil. The Houdini rounded on it immediately, brandishing his weapons in preparation for a fight. Could it be one of Hawthorn's men? Not likely. While he'd done little to mask his departure, they were too focused on pushing into Fort Frolic to go looking for him. This was likely a splicer under Cohen's command.
"You sure know how to tear a place up, I'll give you that."
The figure was drawing closer, and its voice sounded unusually free of mutation. If it were a Spider than it would have been far more mutilated, and even Houdinis typically had a slightly different tone than an unspliced individual. Something wasn't right here.
Two more steps and the shadowy intruder was revealed. It was about as far from what Ares had been expecting as was physically possible to get.
It was a man, no… a boy rather, loosely carrying a crossbow in one hand with a satchel thrown across his body likely holding ammunition. The steam lightly caressed his figure as he strode through it, trailing behind him like a misty cloak. While his face held a neutral expression, his eyes burned with the kind of malice that Ares hadn't seen since the fall of Lamb.
"Found you."
The splicer tensed, ready to spring into action the moment the boy decided to bring his weapon up. That moment didn't come. He simply stood there, eying Ares with that expressionless glare.
"Just who the hell are you?" The Houdini demanded at last, losing what little patience he had. "Either stand out of my way or prepare to die. I have no time for toying with foolish children."
Much to his annoyance, the boy was unphased by his threat.
"What's the rush?" He questioned with an almost casual tilt of the head. "You sure had time to 'toy' with my brother now didn't you?"
Ares frowned, not understanding just what he was getting at. Seeing his confusion, the young man went on.
"My name is Archer. Or Archie to a couple of my friends. You and I aren't friends by the way." His lips curved upwards at the edges, making a pained grin. "A little while ago, you were part of an attack on the colony in Pauper's Drop. You slipped into the living quarters where my little brother Joseph found you."
Ares wracked his memory, thinking back to the attack. What he remembered most vividly about it was the fact that he'd been denied the chance to settle his fight with Davian. He honestly couldn't figure out just what this stupid fool was going on about.
No wait, there was something. Someone had tried to shoot him when he'd been in the process of abducting that girl. Come to think of it, he'd had a striking resemblance to the young man standing in his way right now.
"So that's how it is, is it?" Ares asked, a condescending smile forming as he figured out what was going on. "You've come to try taking revenge? What a pitiful waste of your life. You have no chance against me. I have the blessing of one infinitely your greater, and with his commendation I can't be stopped." To emphasize his point, he spread his arms out wide, showing off his battle scarred chest adorned with ritual markings.
Archer remained less than impressed.
"Oh, you're working for someone else huh?" He asked, absentmindedly tinkering with his crossbow. "Who would that be? I'd like to know who I'm going to be killing after I've finished with your sorry ass."
Any amusement Ares might have been feeling at his pitiful attempt at vengeance was immediately replaced by outrage.
"You arrogant scum!" He shouted, pointing one of his weapons at the young man. "You have no chance against me! I am Ares! Chosen of the god of war! You are nothing but a cancer clinging to life in a dead city! You are dirt,nothing more."
"Dirt eh?" Archer asked slowly. "Yeah. That sounds about right seeing as I'm the one who's going to bury you."
The Houdini snarled viciously, his body rebelling against common sense and trying to force him to attack despite his opponent being armed. He needed to draw out the shot first. After that, he'd be able to close in and finish off this lowly scum long before another bolt was loaded in.
As he was thinking about how to do this, Archer spoke up again.
"Say, how about we make a bet?" He asked, taking Ares by surprise with a conspiratorial smile "I'm willing to bet that I'll only need three shots to put you down for good. If I miss all three, then you win. If I don't… well… you won't have to worry about that."
The splicer stared in disbelief as he reached into his satchel, pulling out two bolts. The first looked perfectly standard, while the second had some red material built into it near the tip. With both of those in hand as well as the one already loaded in, Archer unslung his pack and kicked it out of reach. Ares watched dumbfounded as it slid beneath the remains of a boiler. It wasn't impossible to reach, but there would be no way the boy could do it in the middle of a fight.
"What do you say?"
There were a dozen different things Ares could have said in reaction to that. In the end, he simply decided humoring Archer's delusion. He didn't care one way or the other if his opponent chose to cripple his own ability to fight back.
"It's your funeral."
The first shot was fired as soon as Ares had finished speaking. It was perfectly on target and would have skewered him right through the heart, but he'd been expecting the sudden attack. By the time it reached his position, he'd already vanished.
Archer didn't bother trying to reload right away. There was little chance of him setting up his next shot in time. So when the air rippled in a crimson wave behind him, he swung his crossbow like a club. Ares materialized an instant before spotting the weapon arcing towards his head. He jumped back, narrowly avoiding a concussion, before leaping forward once more. The swing had left Archer wide open.
The young man ducked under his swipe, tackling his legs and sending Ares falling forwards. He tumbled over Archer's body before crashing to the ground. The impact caused him to bite down hard on his tongue, eliciting a sharp surge of pain from his mouth. He was back on his feet in the blink of an eye, spitting murderously and aching to exact bloody retribution for the underhanded trick.
Archer had used the disruption to both put distance between the two of them and finish reloading his weapon. The fallen Houdini recovered just in time to see him wrenching the string back into firing position and placing the bolt inside. The two eyed each other warily.
"You've already missed once." Ares goaded, trying to work a reaction out of him. "That's a third of your killing potential gone in an instant. Can you feel the reaper breathing down your neck? He's waiting for you."
Despite the peril of the situation, Archer actual started laughing.
"Don't be stupid." He replied. "The reaper is a skeleton. He doesn't have any lungs, so he can't breathe. If you want to sound scary you should probably suggest something that's anatomically possib-"
Ares struck. As the colonist had started rambling, he threw himself forwards in an aggressive charge. As expected, the boy hastily fired off his second shot, hitting nothing but the floor as he teleported out of the way again.
The Houdini burst into being at his left side, swinging his blades in a scissor-like arc. Archer dodged to the side swiftly enough to avoid a fatal blow, but the gleaming hatchets still bit sharply into his shoulder bringing forth a small spurt of blood.
Ares spun on his heel and used his momentum to bring both weapons down in an overhead swing, intent on taking the boy's head off entirely. The hatchets tore off a thin strip of flesh the top of Archer's skull as he ducked under them.
Balling his free hand into a fist, he punched the splicer in the gut as hard as he could. It was like hitting a brick wall. The hit sent a wave of pain through his arm but also caused his opponent to pitch back with a light grunt. Knowing he didn't stand a chance in close combat, Archer took the opportunity to run.
Ares was back up only to see the colonist's retreating form as he darted into the screen of mist. A surge of anger flooded his system at the sight. There was no way in hell that he'd let another target escape from him. Choosing to rely on his natural speed and stamina rather than risk teleporting blind, he barreled after his prey.
"Get back here coward!" He shouted, storming past the battered remains of the machinery he'd broken. "Fight me like a man! All you are doing is delaying the inevitable!"
When no response came, he ground to a halt with the realization of what Archer was trying to do. No doubt he was attempting to lure him into an ambush. He hoped to take the Houdini by surprise and gun him down before he could vanish. With only one shot left, he couldn't afford to miss.
Ares forced himself to calm down. Rushing in headfirst would be exactly what that imbecile wanted, and two could play at the game of stealth. With a subtlety that belied his size and temperament, he slipped behind one of the intact machines.
His footsteps were muted by the constant whine of escaping steam while he crept across the metal graveyard. His eyes scanned every possible hiding place for any sign of his target. It was a deadly game of cat and mouse, and he had every advantage. All he needed was one opportunity.
His chance soon came as he spotted Archer lying prone on the ground next to several large pipes that only partially hid his form. He had the red-tipped bolt loaded in already and was scanning back the way he'd come, no doubt expecting Ares to charge blindly after him. The splicer smiled to himself. This was going to be too easy.
Archer's eyes remained glued to the hallway. Out of the corner of his vision he'd spotted the barest hint of movement, but he prevented himself from looking directly at it. If his ruse was to work, that bastard had to think he was still hidden.
Though his sight was fixed in one spot, the rest of his senses strained to keep tabs on the man. His ears were listening past the background noises and focused entirely on waiting for that crackling pop that would signal him to close the trap.
One and a quarter seconds. That was the delay he had on his relocation. After watching the security feed for so long, and testing his reactions with the first two shots, he was positive that one and a quarter was the magic number.
Ares was watching him as well. Archer knew that for certain. He'd made sure that his position was visible from as many angles as possible while still looking like an actual hiding spot. It all came down to him taking the bait.
Come and get me. He thought silently to himself. I'm right here.
The air was suddenly filled with the warping noise of a Houdini's expulsion from reality, and Archer was instantly in motion. He flipped over onto his back and took aim straight up. His mind took careful measurement of the timing and just as the red mist started to coalesce again, he pulled the trigger.
Ares erupted into being directly above the young man, intent on taking him by surprise and ending this fight with one swift strike. By the time Archer realized what was going on, it would be too late.
"Time to die!"
As soon as the words had left his mouth, Ares became aware that something was wrong. The boy was lying on his back, looking right up at him rather than just starting to turn. In addition to that, his crossbow was empty.
Gut-wrenching agony erupted in his chest, driving the air from his lungs with the force of a collapsing building. Stumbling backwards, Ares looked down and saw the bolt that was sticking out of his body.
He'd been shot. His mind couldn't process the information at first, but when he did he involuntarily gasped. As his lungs expanded, a sickening tearing sensation filled his chest and he suddenly understood just how bad his situation was.
Ares hadn't been shot.
He'd materialized around the bolt.
His mouth opened and closed, unable to form any kind of words. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that someone could actually time their attack in such a way. The thought of it happening hadn't even occurred to him. Archer drew himself up off the ground with a satisfied expression.
"You know what your problem is?" He asked, brushing dust and dirt off his clothing. "You're too predictable."
The Houdini felt something shift as the bolt's casing clicked into place. Not a moment later, the explosives inside it detonated.
Ares, chosen of the god of war, barely had time to react as the explosion blew out his chest cavity, spattering the walls with a shower of gore. His hatchets fell and the rest of him soon followed. He landed flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling before his eyes clouded over for the final time, a mask of horrified shock forever plastered on his features.
Archer observed the corpse dispassionately for several moments. This wouldn't bring Joey back, but at the very least it would ensure that nobody else died by the hands of this psychopath.
"Rot in pieces." He muttered, turning to make his way back to where he'd left his satchel. It wasn't all that far, but he moved much more slowly now that he no longer had the rush of danger driving him forwards.
Eventually, he managed to find the spot and knelt down heavily to retrieve the rest of his ammunition. His arm scraped against the underside of the demolished boiler but a couple minutes of searching and some interspersed cursing rewarded him with a firm grip on the strap.
As he went to stand back up, the flashing warning lights on the control screen caught his eye. He made his way over to the device more out of curiosity than anything. A chill ran up his spine as he took in the details of what Ares had been doing.
The maniac had been trying to flood Fort Frolic by ruining the systems that kept the ocean out. He'd been partially successful. Some of the outer sections had been opened to the ocean, but much of the rest had been preserved thanks to the emergency backup systems kicking in.
Archer toyed with the idea of fiddling around with the controls to see if he could drown more of Hawthorn's forces, but quickly discarded it. He couldn't be certain that the thugs were all still in the same places, and he'd probably do more harm than good. Joseph might have been able to, but he didn't have the same technical know-how.
He turned his back on the screen to find Emma glaring daggers at him.
"You run off leaving me behind…" She started, slowly limping her way closer. "And I find you in the middle of a warzone that looks like it's been demolished by a rumbler? Care to explain why I had to chase you down when I can barely walk?"
Archer gave a halfhearted chuckle in response.
"Because you're bad at dodging bullets?" He ventured, earning him a look that clearly said she was close to shooting him. "I just had some unfinished business to take care of. Besides, I may just have saved us all from drowning. Possibly."
Instead of verbally ripping into him, she just shook her head with a weary sigh.
"We need to find Tomas and the others." She said after a pause. "We won't be able to do much good by ourselves and I'm getting sick of being your damn babysitter."
Archer nodded. It was probably best to regroup. There was still a fight going on and Tenenbaum would probably have work for them to do.
"No rest for the wicked." He said, following Emma as the two of them headed back towards the upper parts of Fort Frolic.