Disclaimer: I don't own Bioshock or any of the characters
"They're not answering." Tenenbaum said heavily, dropping her radio back to her side.
"Maybe they're just in the middle of something." Davian replied, keeping himself alert as they moved through the halls of Fort Frolic. After the previous noise of battle, the near silence that pervaded the place was unnerving. "Archer and Emma answered didn't they? I'm sure Tomas's group will reach us soon. Their radio might have just broken at some point."
"We can only hope."
Epsilon was only half paying attention to what was being said. Her own eyes were sweeping back and forth, keeping watch for any possible threats. Even after having escaped the killing grounds, she had the sense that the fighting was far from over.
Despite her reservations, they managed to make it all the way back to the train station without incident. The battered husk of the old transportation hub was exactly the way they'd left it. The train sat waiting for them as patiently, and decrepitly, as ever.
"Never thought I'd be so relieved to see that thing again." Davian remarked. Tenenbaum spared the train car only a momentary glance.
"Wait here." She said, stepping towards the booth located at the side of the room. "I'll need to check to make sure we don't have to go through the trouble of unlocking the security systems after the breach in the city's hull."
"Locked in?" He asked. "Why would the system lock the train station? Wouldn't it make more sense to have this open for an evacuation?"
"Normally yes it would." The doctor said. "However, this breach was caused from the inside. Someone would have had to damage Fort Frolic's inner workings. Causing extensive damage may also have triggered the emergency lockdown which would prevent all coming and going in this part of the city."
"You sound like you've seen that before." He said, causing her to give a humorless smile.
"Perhaps once or twice."
Tenenbaum stepped inside the control booth, presumably to go over the systems and ensure that everything was still in working order. Epsilon wasn't clear on what she was looking for, but neither did she waste time wondering. Even now, standing in front of the submersible that would take them back to the relative safety of the colony, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were still in danger.
"How are you holding up?"
Davian's question caused her to jump slightly. She directed an annoyed look his way, trying to ignore the raised eyebrow she got in return.
"That bad huh?" He asked. She growled in an attempt to convey her lack of desire to continue the conversation. He looked like he was about to say something else when a sudden sound interrupted them.
A small twang, like a spring going off, was the first thing that alerted her, followed by the clang of a projectile making contact with the door to the control booth. Epsilon's eyes were immediately drawn to the object and she was surprised to find that it wasn't a bullet. It was a tiny, almost cylindrical, thing that was latched onto the entryway. It sparked once and the sound of metallic pieces grinding into place signaled that the door had been locked.
"Honestly. You people are becoming more trouble than you're worth."
Epsilon and Davian both whirled around, respective armaments at the ready. They were faced with the sight of a man wearing a serious frown. He moved unhurriedly, stowing away his recently used hack device and drawing a large knife.
"Who are you?" Davian demanded, drawing his arm back in preparation to throw. "Just what did you do? You've got about five seconds to answer before I turn you into a walking torch."
The man glared at him, showing no concern for the threat. Epsilon quickly recognized him as the one that had been standing next to Tenenbaum when they'd rescued her from the leaders of the splicers. It was strange though. He'd been shot when she saw him last, but there were no signs of the wounds now aside from the holes in his clothing. He must have first aid kits with him. She got the feeling that was going to be annoying to deal with.
"You have no need to worry about her safety boy." The man stated, making special emphasis on the last word. "I have need of the doctor, so killing her would be counterproductive. I've simply locked her away so that she won't interfere. You however, have no such saving grace. You've been a thorn in my side for far too long now."
Davian sighed at that, grimacing slightly.
"Why is it that everyone seems to have a grudge against me all of a sudden?" He asked to no one in particular. "First the freaky guy with the axes, and now you? Who else have I pissed off without realizing it?"
The man dismissed his complaint with a shake of his head, turning his attention to Epsilon. She tensed up as his gaze headed her way, preparing for a confrontation. It came as a bit of a shock when his expression not only softened, but actually gave a respectful nod in her direction.
"Protectorate M2 Epsilon-04." He said. "I'm glad we're finally able to meet in person. I've wanted to do so for some time now."
Davian's eyes went back and forth between her and the man, unsure of what to make of the sudden agreeability.
"Friend of yours?" He ventured. The only answer she could give was a shrug as her own mouth was half open in confusion. She certainly didn't recognize him, but he may have known her at one point or another. His face certainly seemed like the kind you'd forget fairly quickly.
"There is no need to be alarmed." The man assured, addressing Epsilon directly and brushing aside Davian's interruption. "You don't know me, but I know much about you. My name is Cain. I know how much you've been forced to endure after the family's collapse, and I'm pleased to say that you'll have to suffer no longer."
If he was trying to bring her down by thoroughly vexing her, then he was off to a great start. Part of her was yelling to just run him through as he was obviously insane, but another held her back. Whether it was due to his unimpressive weaponry, or just his lack of directly threatening behavior, she actually wanted to hear whatever ramblings he was going on about.
He paused for a short period, watching as both she and Davian remained in their positions.
"Am I to take your passive silence as interest?" He asked, going on before she could have responded. "I've been looking to meet you because I believe the two of us can work very well together. You see, I seek to restore your family to its former glory."
That got her attention. Epsilon flinched visibly at his words, and it looked like she wasn't the only one. Davian also stared sharply at the outrageous offer. Her upset didn't last long. Cold anger took its place soon enough as a growl rumbled through her chest. If this bastard thought he could get away with mocking her like that he was dead wrong.
"You might want to start running now." Davian warned, glaring across at him. "That's a touchy subject and it isn't smart to try tricking her like that."
"I wouldn't expect a mere child to understand, but I have both the intent and ability to follow through on what I've promised." Cain retorted. "Tell me subject Epsilon, are you aware of how sisters are made from ordinary girls?"
She growled again, more harshly this time, at the unpleasant memories. She didn't have all that many from her rebirth as a little sister, but those that did exist were incoherent masses filled with needles, doctors, pain, and fear, which would all inevitably be wiped away by the artificially created sense of peace and happiness caused by the transformation. She never spent much time thinking about what the process would entail.
"You're not are you?" He continued, nodding as though it was exactly what he'd expected. "Very few people still know about it. Tenenbaum however, was intimately involved in the gatherer program. If anyone would know how to restart the family, it would be her."
The way he spoke wasn't hasty or halting like what she'd have expected from someone who was trying to make up something to keep her off guard. If anything, he sounded like he'd thought about this for quite some time. Behind her, it sounded like Tenenbaum was pounding on the door she was locked behind but the big sister hardly took notice of the sound.
"There's a whole world up there you know." He said, slowly making his way forwards as he spoke. "Thousands, no, millions of possible candidates for becoming gatherers and protectors. You and I could remake the family a hundred times greater than Lamb had ever dreamed of it being."
Every word out of his mouth seemed insane, but he spoke with so much conviction that she couldn't help but be drawn in. Davian, on the other hand, didn't have the same reaction.
"Are you an idiot or did those Adam binges just go to your head?" He asked, flaring up the flames in his palm as warning against getting any closer. "I may not know much about the surface, but I know a liar when I see one. This doesn't sound like something someone like you would just do out of the kindness of your heart."
Cain stopped his advance. He glared at the young Houdini for a moment before regaining his composure and shrugging as if the accusation meant nothing.
"Of course I stand to gain something from the deal." He said. "The world up there knows very little about the one down here. They aren't aware of Rapture, the Family, or Adam. They live in blissful ignorance to the suffering of those who dwell down here, never realizing how tenuous their grip on their throne really is. It is inevitable that they'd wish to destroy those like us if they ever found out, so it would be simple self-preservation if someone like me were to organize a preemptive strike don't you think?"
"You want to go to war with them?" Davian demanded. "I take it back, you're not an idiot. You're downright insane! There's a whole world full of people out there! You'd never stand a chance, even with all of Rapture backing you up."
Cain was smiling now. Far from a pleasant expression, it was the image of one who knew exactly what they were doing and took a certain satisfaction in the disbelief of others.
"In a direct fight, there would be no hope of victory." He said, speaking with the condescending tone of a knowledgeable adult to an ignorant child. "But there are far more ways to fight than directly. Lamb's incursions and kidnappings have already proven that the surface isn't looking for threats from under the sea. A few more disappearances would go entirely unnoticed. And then of course, there is the introduction of Adam to consider."
"The miracle drug destroyed Rapture in only a few years. Given enough time, it can do the same to the world above. The nations out there would slowly start to crumble while the Family grows in power. After several years, the newest generation of gatherers would grow into Mark 2 protectors."
"That of course…" He began, nodding towards Epsilon. "Is where you would come in. You know full well the amount of willpower it takes to endure the changes. You would be able to guide and train your new sisters so that they could become what you are today. Powerful, deadly, efficient, the perfect apex predator."
Epsilon swallowed hard. She should have wanted him dead, but everything he said sounded so promising… Her heart was beating much faster than normal and she was sure that he could hear it. With each passing moment, her harvester was drifting farther from his body and closer to the ground.
"How does that sound?" Cain asked. "You could follow in Lamb's footsteps and become the mother to a whole new Family. What's more, you wouldn't have to do it alone."
Her head snapped up again. It was exactly the reaction he'd been expecting.
"That's right subject Epsilon, you're not the only one left. I've been able to locate another surviving Mark 2. I believe you've already met her. She is designated as Subject Gamma-02."
She drew in her breath sharply, hissing at the name of the big sister who'd attacked her in the Farmer's Market.
"Now, now, don't be so quick to judge her instability." Cain urged. "The two of you are not as different as you might believe. After going through the records of Delta's progress kept by Lamb, and the security tapes of Gamma's own, I found that her actions may not be entirely her own fault. Do you know how she managed to end up in such a sorry state, hiding in the back alleys and clinging to overgrown insects as a surrogate family?"
Very slowly, she shook her head. She hadn't exactly been given enough time to ponder that question when her mentally damaged sister had been destroying her suit.
"She was scared." The simplistic sentence was like a punch to the gut. "Tasked with stopping the rogue alpha series, she wasn't courageous enough to face him. Her nerve failed and she chose instead to escape, taking refuge in the Farmer's Market as a hiding spot."
He tilted his head, giving her a meaningful glance.
"I don't need to tell you just how terrible the guilt from such an action would be, do I?" He questioned. "If she stayed she would almost certainly have been killed, but the knowledge that she ran rather than try would have been enough to drive a person insane now wouldn't it?"
Epsilon wanted to get angry, to be angry, at the notion of one of her sisters choosing to flee rather than fight for the Family, but she couldn't. She'd felt the same fear when she'd been watching the metal monster tear the city apart. Had she been ordered to face him directly, would she have been able to? It was a question she didn't have a proper answer to.
"It isn't too late for her." Cain said, once again working his way closer. "You and I can still save her mind. All I need you to do is stand by me. Together, the three of us can undo the damage that you're Family has suffered and bring it back more powerful than ever."
"Is that it then?"
Davian's voice hit Epsilon like a splash of cold water on her face. She'd almost forgotten that he even existed after listening to the splicer.
"Instigating genocide? Using her siblings as super soldiers? Hasn't there been enough death already?" He spat accusingly. "You're not offering to help her; you're offering to use her!"
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Cain chuckled. "What does it matter if I choose to take control once society has collapsed in on itself if I still give her exactly what she wants? Are you speaking out of some misguided sympathy for the people who would die in the process? Let me assure you right now that none of them would hesitate to end your life if they saw you now. Still, I suppose none of that matters now…"
He turned back to Epsilon, giving her a serious look before going on.
"In order to revive the Family, we'd first need to remove those who would get in the way." He said, causing her stomach to plummet. "I believe you already know what I'm referring to. A former member of the Saturnine who's prove to be irritatingly hard to get rid of would be too dangerous to keep around. Since you've spent the most time around him, getting to know his strengths and weaknesses, I think it is only fitting that you be the one to dispose of him. Think of it as an initiation into your new Family. A baptism in blood."
A deathly silence filled the room as he finished speaking. Even the noise of Tenenbaum trying to break out of the booth had stopped. The only thing Epsilon could hear was the sound of blood rushing past her ears.
"You really are insane." Davian said at last. "You come in here, start spouting nonsense about world domination, and you honestly expect her to just kill me after that speech? I can't believe I need to explain this to you, but people like us don't just turn on each other like that."
"Don't be so sure." Cain countered, nodding in her direction. Davian was about to say something else, but the look on Epsilon's face stopped his words before they began.
No matter what she'd done, no matter what they'd done together, it was impossible for her to hide the conflict on her face. She was being offered the Family, her purpose, back. All she had to do was kill him for it…
"You can't be serious!" He exclaimed, taking several steps back from her.
"And why not?" Cain asked, amused by his shock. "Why would she owe any loyalty to you? Why should she choose a damaged drug addict over those she cares about most?"
"Because we… I… we…" He was faltering. Surprise was fading, and fear was quickly replacing it. Fear of her. There was a time she would have been delighted to see that he was scared of her, but now it was another icy needle piercing her heart.
"I've been watching over both of you for some time now." Cain said, walking forwards so that he was now the one standing next to Epsilon instead of Davian. "Yours was an alliance towards a similar goal. You had a gatherer whose safety you were both concerned with. However, I've been informed that you recently removed that link, didn't you?"
Davian was silent, looking desperately at Epsilon for a sign of what she was thinking. He wasn't able to find any.
"The time you two shared must have been at least somewhat meaningful for her to not simply kill you outright after something like that." Cain commented. "But do you believe that it would be enough to make her turn her back on the Family? She's a protector. She exists for the sole purpose of watching over the gatherers. Against that, you have no chance of competing. Now, subject Epsilon, if you would be so kind…"
He gave her a sidelong glance, nodding in Davian's direction.
"Kill this fool."
It was as though someone hit the erase button on her mind. Everything went blank. She felt herself turn to face Davian, though she didn't consciously choose to.
Could she do this? The single thought struck across the vast emptiness inside her head, bringing a fresh cascade of uncertainty with it. This wasn't a simple choice. If she followed through on it, she knew that the consequence of doing so would haunt her for the rest of her life. Killing him was something she'd never be able to escape from.
Clenching her fist tightly, she made her decision. Yes. Yes she could. She would kill this fool, this idiot, who thought she owed him even the slightest bit of loyalty. If her actions followed her afterwards, she'd learn to live with it.
Drawing back her harvester, she could see Davian's eyes widen as she prepared to strike.
One solid thrust would be all it would take. Right through the heart. She could do this. She was subject M2 Epsilon-04. She was a big sister, the single most terrifying creature in the world of nightmares. Guardian of the Family, bane of the parasites, and protector of the young ones. And on top of all that…
She pivoted in place, turning towards Cain. Not having anticipated the sudden movement, he was left wide open.
She was Amelia.
Her needle shot forwards, intent on spearing him through. Just as the deadly weapon was about to make contact with the man's chest, his body was suddenly hurled backwards towards the entrance as though pulled by some massive force. The lack of contact almost caused Epsilon to overbalance from the weight of her swing.
The telekinesis field broke and Cain tumbled to the floor, rolling several more feet before coming to a halt in front of a pair of metal boots. Epsilon stiffened as Gamma stepped forward menacingly, purring herself between the sister and the splicer.
Cain got unsteadily to his feet as the two armored girls stared each other down from across the room. His expression no longer held any semblance of control or surety. He stared uncomprehending, his mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief that she'd done such a thing.
"You tried to kill me…" He said softly, his voice filled with incredulity. "No… That can't be right… I offered you exactly what you wanted… there's no way…"
Davian made his way back over to Epsilon's side, chuckling nervously.
"You know, for a second I thought you were actually going to stab me." He said shakily. "You were very convincing. You weren't actually going to, were you…?"
She shifted awkwardly, not quite meeting his gaze. It wasn't her fault that she may have considered it for a little while. Before he could push the subject, Cain's outraged shout brought them back to the present.
"You tin coated whore!" His anger blazed across his features, making him look feral. "I offered to restore your Family and you choose to throw it back in my face!? For him!? How dare you take my gift for granted! How dare you… you…"
He clenched his mouth shut, looking down while his whole body shook with pent up rage. After only a few moments of this the shaking stopped and the tension seemed to flow off him like water. When he looked back up, his face was once again a mask of pure control. All except for his eyes. No amount of self-restraint could hide the hatred burning in there.
"You've chosen poorly." He stated, his voice dripping with venom. "Gamma. Kill her."