Ch. 2: Lamb's Hand

A.N.:

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my first chapter. I know that this story is not near as good as the other stories with Delta but I am too attached to my characters to leave them to rot.

As I said in my previous note, this is in an alternate universe of the second game. As such, certain characters, Eleanor and Delta for example, have slightly different backstories that I will be revealing as I progress. In addition, certain forced events will not be happening in my story. Still, the general tragedy-filled story will be intact.

So, my Delta lived...sue me, I don't like killing characters. It makes me feel sad on the inside and stuff. If it makes you feel better, he will be getting the shit knocked out of him and there will be plenty of heartbreak, angst, and shit during his quest.

This Delta is my take on his "good" personality so my bad if anyone got the impression that this is his "evil" personality in the first chapter.

As AU, I am not straight ripping the story straight from the game. He has no HUD so the healing and EVE systems are autonomous in my story. The hacking system will be different too for the sake of realism.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story with its insanely long chapters. I appreciate it.

As I say in my other stories,

Read and review if you want.

As I gave chase, I noticed the EVE Dispenser over on the right wall. I would need full EVE reserves in a confrontation with that thing. I made my way over to it. Though I had to wait a few moments between each dispense, I knew that it was worth the wait. The EVE tube on the interior of my arm was not pressurized so I was easily able to refill my reserve. Finally, after topping off my EVE Tank on my back, I went over to the exit.

The creature had forced the watertight bulkhead to seal shut, but, focusing, I willed a blast of Electro Bolt into the shorted out door release lever on the left side of the bulkhead. The blast succeeded in forcing the watertight obstacle to open. Rushing through the opening, I called out for the Little One with a long, low grunt that would reverberate through the decrepit resort. If she was still alive, she would hear me. My calls may not be the ones of those tin men, but this particular Little Sister seemed to respond to me as if I was. I feared the worst when I did not receive a response. Even worse, I failed to catch even the barest trace of her scent in the air.

After investigating the steam room on the other side of the hall to make sure that horrible creature did not lock the child inside the still functional sweatbox, I returned to the pool area. The voices that I heard as I climbed the stairs warned me of two new Splicer arrivals. I did not have time for this! That Little One needed me! Rage flared inside of me. I was not going to fail again! I did not care what or who got in my way, I would kill them all! No one touched a Little One on my watch! It was time to reestablish my reputation as a Master Protector.

Before me, what remained of one of Ryan's thugs was peering over the side of the diving board with his back to me. Stomping towards him in large strides, I was within striking distance in less than five seconds. Before he could turn, I swung my drill as hard as I could into the back of his head. The sharp point of my repurposed industrial tool easily penetrated the Splicer's skull as the wet sound of popping and cracking filled the damp air.

Hearing another Splicer coming towards me from behind, I quickly turned around. With the lifeless body of the first Splicer still on the end of my drill, I slung my right arm as I took aim at the charging disfigured woman. The dead body flew off my drill and into the woman. As the two collapsed into a heap, I rushed forward and finished off the woman by crushing her skull beneath my heavy right foot.

With the locals out of my way, I focused back on finding the kidnapped child. As I looked around the dark room, I noticed that the only other way out was through a sealed door. Observing the power cables, I turned my body to face the dormant generator. It reminded me of one of the diesel/electric engines of the Balao-class submarines in the United States Navy with its exposed shafts. It looked intact upon a quick visual inspection. Maintaining a safe distance in case Rapture decided to give me the finger, I fired a blast of Electro Bolt into its exposed electric panel.

Giving off black smoke and shooting electric arcs, the generator thundered to life. Like an awakening ghost, the room's lights powered on and the metal shades against the wall next to the generator began to raise up to reveal the ocean floor beyond. I saw a Bouncer Big Daddy making his way across the ocean floor and was tempted to taunt him from the window but I froze as I heard the voice filling the room.

It was a woman's voice and she was singing. However, I could not have cared less about the voice. It was the song that struck a chord inside me. "My lovin' daddy left his baby again. Said he would be back but forgot to say when." As if I was in a trance, I could not move as the song filled my head. "...home isn't home when you're not there. No need to knock, the door is open for you. Please, Daddy."

A memory played inside my head as I continued to listen to the song. It was Eleanor. We were outside that fancy restaurant named Kashmir Restaurant. She was standing next to her recently harvested "angel", a well-dressed middle-aged businessman that must have ended up biting off more than he could chew with a rival as the multiple stab marks looked like rage-induced haphazard wounds instead of methodical attacks. This poor individual had been recently murdered as evident by the fact that he was still warm and had not been removed, which was why we had been able to reach him before the street sweepers did. She raised her head and closed her eyes as she smiled with her trademark goofy expression.

As I kept an eye out for incoming Splicers, she began to sway as she listened to the music playing from inside the establishment. Before I could stop her, she suddenly darted through the main entrance under the bright purple sign advertising the place's name. Giving off a grunt in alarm, I hurried after her. I ignored the shocked, well-dressed patrons and even knocked a few inebriated ones over when they failed to move fast enough. The rich, elite citizens glanced at me with a mixture of revulsion and fear, which I slightly enjoyed.

As I made my way across the upper floor, I noticed a group of recognizable social giants in one of the booths to my right. It was the big man himself, Andrew Ryan, and a little party of his inner circle: his friend Bill McDonagh, his Head of Security Sullivan, his puppy Diane McClintock, and another woman but I did not recognize her though she was probably McDonagh's wife. Part of me, the remnant of the erased man from the surface, wanted to rush over to them and send my drill's whirling bit into Ryan's face for all of Rapture's elite to watch. However, I did not care about any of that anymore. There was only one thing that I cared about now.

Looking away from the group, I continued my search for my Eleanor. Luckily, I soon found her in the center of the little dance area in the far left corner of the upper floor. Her clean white dress was wrinkled from where she had been dancing. Her clean, matching white shoes sat side-by-side in the near left corner of the dance floor as they hurt her feet too much to dance in. As I approached, she turned to look at me. I let out a concerned groan when I saw the hurt expression on her marble-like face. She sniffled as she pointed back behind her towards the frightened and disgusted men that were supposed to be playing the music with her free left index finger.

As I reached the edge of the dance area, she finally managed to say with her still noticeably British accented voice, "Daddy, they stopped playing the music. I asked politely like a good girl but they still will not play the music. I want the pretty music again." When I reached her, she threw her tiny frame around my massive right leg. She started sobbing as she buried her face into the blue canvas skin of my upper thigh.

I tried not to spoil her but we had been gathering nonstop, except for a few catnaps on Eleanor's part from exhaustion, for three days due to a sudden spike in the demand for Plasmids and Gene Tonics thanks to circulating rumors that there was about to be an ADAM shortage. Rumors my ass, Fontaine was using one of the oldest tricks in the book to line his pockets with even more money. If my baby girl wanted some music to dance and relax after the grind that we had been putting in so that these people got their precious ADAM, then my baby girl was going to get music.

I looked at the men who had dared to upset my Eleanor and began to emit a rumbling groan. The men looked at each other and then back at us. When they did not act as if they were about to grant my baby girl's request, I was about to resort to reviving my drill but suddenly a female voice said, "You men should be ashamed of yourselves." I twisted to the right to see a young woman, that I vaguely recalled having the first name of Anna and was an artist of sorts, walking towards us.

When she reached us, she pointed down at a still crying Eleanor with her left index finger and asked with an accusing tone, "How can you sit there and upset a child?" Turning towards us, Anna asked with a sweet tone, "Excuse me, sweetie..." Eleanor looked up at her with ADAM tears running down her cheeks. She continued, "...are you Eleanor?" I did not like having someone so close to my charge but she had stopped crying so, for that moment, I restrained myself.

Eleanor nodded as she continued to suffer from sporadic crying fits. The woman smiled and then asked, "Would you like to sing something with me?" The entire restaurant suddenly got quiet. Wiping her tears away with the side of her left hand, my daughter nodded in response. I cringed slightly.

The drawback to being prototypes was that both of us had traits that our more refined, mass produced counterparts did not. In Eleanor's case, like me, she retained a larger amount of humanity than what her appearance would suggest. Unlike her sisters, she had a sense of who she had been. She would tinker with machines, ask me about the surface, and asked me to help her find someone named Amir. Sometimes, to my dread, she would ask me if "Mommy" was back yet.

I could tell that she did not have complete memories of who she was though. For example, when I asked her why she tinkered with machines, she replied that she was not sure and that it just felt like a strange urge that she did not understand. Having known her before both of us had been turned into what we were now, I knew why. I wanted to tell her, and, a few times, I had tried to tell her. However, her Little Sister brainwashing prevented her from understanding when I did try to tell her about who she had been.

Unlike the other Little Sisters, who only acknowledged other people's existence when they were either unfortunate or foolish enough to get too close, Eleanor would actively engage with others as we passed them in streets. Of course, that made my job much more difficult, both physically and mentally, as people sometimes got the impression that they could interact with Eleanor. I did not enjoy hurting people like that. They meant well, and I knew it. However, my Protector Instincts dictated that I had to take action.

The woman motioned for Eleanor to follow her up to the microphone. I let out a grunt, but Eleanor assured me, "I'll be okay Daddy. Besides, you're right here." Despite how uneasy as I was, the look on her face was too happy for me to stop her. As strong as I was, I had a huge Achilles's Heel: Eleanor. I would do anything for her if it made her happy.

I stayed alert for any signs of trouble as the two made their way up to the microphone. When they got there, Anna asked Eleanor, "What song would you like to sing, Eleanor?"

My baby girl thought for a moment before she replied enthusiastically, "Daddy's song!" Anna smiled despite the confusion in her eyes. Eleanor giggled before she motioned for the woman to come closer. Anna bent down and my daughter whispered something into her left ear. I saw her smile and then lean back up.

She turned to the men behind them and said, "Annette Hanshaw...Daddy won't you please come home?"

The men looked at each other again, but this time, the lead said, "Let's just do it so the metal daddy doesn't come after us." The others nodded and they began to gather the necessary instruments. I noticed a crowd beginning to gather. I raised my drill as I let out a threatening call. They retreated a little bit. Meanwhile, Anna had lowered the microphone on the stand a little bit and given Eleanor a microphone to hold in her free left hand.

When the musicians were set, the woman motioned for them to start. Moments later, the euphoric beat of old ragtime began to fill the restaurant. After the brief instrumental beginning, the woman began by singing, "When night is creepin', and I should be sleepin' in bed."

To my surprise, Eleanor took over and sang with her lovely voice, "If you were peepin', you'd find that I'm weepin' instead."

Anna smiled at her little partner before she sang, "My lovin' daddy left his baby again."

Eleanor giggled before she sang, "Said he'd come back, but he forgot to say when."

Anna sang, "Night after night...I'm cryin'."

As more and more people began to gather to listen, I moved up to stand closer to my daughter in case they tried something. Meanwhile, both of them sang, "Daddy, won't you please come home? Daddy, won't you please come home? I'm so lonesome."

I noticed Ryan looking up towards us with a look of mild interest on his weathered face. Anna sang, "No one can fill that vacant chair."

Eleanor took over by singing, "Home isn't home when you're not there."

Looking down at her little partner, the woman sang, "No need to knock, the door is open for you."

Looking back up at her, Eleanor sang, "Please daddy, even the clock keeps tickin'."

As much as I was glad that my sweet little Eleanor was enjoying herself, I was growing uneasy with how much attention we were attracting. For the most part, the people that were gathering around seemed to be more interested in just witnessing this bizarre spectacle than getting the ADAM that was inside my daughter's belly and needle. However, I knew that it was only a matter of time before we would have a problem.

Both of them sang, "Daddy, won't you please come home? Daddy, do you have to roam so very long?"

Anna took over by singing, "There's lots of other new sheiks who would like to be sheik-in'."

Eleanor sang, "Haven't slipped yet, but I'm liable to weaken."

Then, they both sang, "Daddy, daddy won't you please come home?"

The musicians took over for moment. Meanwhile, I was scanning the crowd for the telltale sign of ADAM withdraw in their eyes. ADAM withdraw was brutal, I knew that personally from the few times that we had come up empty when we were out searching for "angels". The precious little that we did find I told Eleanor to take so that she would not suffer from hunger.

Unfortunately, that left me without any for myself. The shaking, the painful body spasms, and the voices in your head were enough to break all but the strongest of individuals. Even as a Big Daddy, it would leave me severely weakened during the next search. Of course, I hid it so that Eleanor would not worry or feel bad for not finding any. She was a child, my child, so I did my best to shield her from the reality of our lives.

There was nothing more dangerous than a Splicer having an ADAM withdraw. One moment, they were perfectly normal people. The next, they were screaming homicidal maniacs.

The two singers continued when Anna sang, "Please daddy, even the clock keeps tickin'."

Eleanor took over, "Daddy, won't you please come home? Daddy, do you have to roam so very long? There's lots of other new sheiks who would like to be sheik-in'."

Anna sang, "Haven't slipped yet, but I'm liable to weaken."

Eleanor finished with a slow, angelic voice, "Daddy, daddy won't you please come home?"

As the music died down, Anna added, "That's all." The crowd around the dance area clapped and cheered for their performance, though they could have been trying to stay on my good side. I heard Eleanor politely thank the woman, who returned it with an equally polite statement.

Seconds later, I felt her small left hand grasp mine. I glanced down to see a drowsy look on her face. She said, "I'm ready for dreamtime, Daddy." I grunted in acknowledgement and then kneeled to allow her to get on her throne. She giggled tiredly as she climbed up.

She informed me when she was up by lightly tapping the top of my head. I stood and began to make my way out of the restaurant. The crowd parted to allow us to pass but just to be safe, I held my drill at the ready. Luckily, they had enough sense still left in their heads not to try anything. As I passed Ryan and his little party, I let out a low threatening growl. When I had walked a few steps away, I heard Ryan comment, "Slave."

I paused. The restaurant grew quiet once again. Without turning to face the man, I gave off a groan. From where she was riding on my back, Eleanor chirped, "Daddy says that everyone is a slave because civilization is based on a mutual agreement amongst a group of self-interested individuals in the interest of mutual protection from each other. He says that individuals have since become slaves to the systems of protection because they know that they are better off with them than without them."

There were some approving murmurings from the patrons of the restaurant. However, Ryan quieted them by asking, "You dare to bastardize Thomas Hobbes's philosophy? Tell me Delta, what makes you, a slave without a face, think that you are fit to judge the rest of us? Why...you are merely the bodyguard of that...thing...on your back...a servant...a slave to her every whim."

I let out a laugh in the form of a series of grunts before I replied with a groan. Eleanor translated, "Daddy says not to mess up your monkey suit by getting your tail feathers ruffled over little ol' him. He says to enjoy your evening because a war is coming. He also says that you, Mr. Ryan, are going to have to watch your city being strangled by "The Great Chain" because there is nothing that you can do to stop it now." I let out a quick groan. Eleanor finished, "Oh, and that Sofia Lamb and Frank Fontaine send their regards."

With that, I slowly stomped out of the restaurant. My memory ended. Given the devastation of the resort, I would not be surprised if I had been right and that war had come to Rapture. My radio activated and the woman's voice from before said, "Ah-at last, a signal. You, who are bringing this dead city to life, listen. My name, it is Tenenbaum. I know who you are...and I am in much need of your help. Please-find me in the Atlantic Express Train Station."

I recognized the name. Tenenbaum had been the one who discovered ADAM in those sea slugs. I had heard that she had gone crazy with guilt for what she had done to the little girls that had been turned into Little Sisters. Several of my brothers had been put in solitary confinement after she had turned their bonded daughters back into regular little girls. Luckily, most of us, including Eleanor and I, had been out gathering when the incident took place.

Despite what she had done to my brothers, allies in Rapture were scarce so I needed to play along for the time being. She claimed to know me so maybe she knew where I could find Eleanor. It was likely a trap, but I had no choice, especially now that I had no knowledge of what shape the rest of the city was in or where Eleanor was. If I was fortunate enough, Tenenbaum would not betray me and even send me in the right direction to find my daughter.

Leaving the pool area through the now accessible security door, I began to make my way through the resort. I had to find the kidnapped Little Sister and get her away from that creature before any harm could come to her. Moving forward, I noticed a Rosie Big Daddy at the far end of the hallway just beyond a leaking window. The water that was leaking through the compromised seam trickled down the stairs beneath my feet. It was not a large leak, but, given the pressure of the ocean, it was not going to be long before the entire seam would submit to the waters of the Atlantic.

Seeing the blue neon sign "Dames", I decided to investigate. My quick search resulted in a medkit, which I applied to myself; the excess red healing liquid went into the other storage tank on my back, and around fifty dollars. After placing the money in the special hollow compartment located along my weighted diving belt, I began to leave the bathroom area. However, as I passed through the flooded area between the bathroom stalls and the lockers, I heard another Splicer approaching.

With my drill at the ready, I made my way to confront the deranged denizen. Upon turned right to towards the entrance to the side area, I saw a disfigured woman with a red pipe wrench in her right hand walking towards me. She cried out as she saw me. Before she could act, I electrocuted her with a blast of Electro Bolt and then followed up with a blow to the head with the point of my drill. The old combo resulted in the woman crumpling to the ground in a heap. Knowing better than to assume that she was no longer a threat, I made sure that she was dead by crushing in her skull with my left foot.

After exiting the side area, I made my way towards the Rosie Big Daddy. However, the Rivet Gun wielding brute was already gone and the seam had been repaired. I actually felt sorry for the Rosies. My brothers and I had been purposely-built protectors but the Rosies, and, to a lesser extent, the Bouncers had the extra burden of keeping Rapture maintained.

The Bouncers were a joke in both roles but the Rosies were just as proficient with using their Rivet Guns on leaking seams as they were with using them on attacking Splicers. If it ever came to a straight-up confrontation, I would have to be wary of the Rosies' tactical prowess and their powerful Rivet Guns.

Turning left, I made my way towards the next security gate. As the gate raised, I saw two more Splicers searching through the large pool of water that dominated the majority of the visible room. Above them, I saw a kind of bridge that ran from one side of the room to the other. One of them was a woman dressed in tattered aristocratic attire, who was complaining about not having had the taste of ADAM in weeks, and the other was a man dressed in tattered medical doctor attire.

I mentally sighed. They made it too easy sometimes. Before they knew that I was there, I electrocuted the pool of water with a blast of Electro Bolt. As they howled in agony with blue electric arcs dancing around their bodies, I cried out with a long grunt as I felt my EVE system replenishing the EVE in my body with some from my reserve tank. It did not hurt exactly since it was an intravenous connection; it just felt unnatural for those first few moments because I could feel the cold substance circulate through my body along with my warm blood.

No sooner had the Splicers collapsed and begin to float on the surface of the water before the public service announcement loudspeakers activated. As I listened, the voice of the Splicer that had taken Eleanor from me and made me kill myself announced, "Attention! This is Dr. Sofia Lamb with a message for the people. Remember, you are not alone. Think of me not as leader, but as mother to the Rapture Family."

I mentally cursed. That was Sofia Lamb? She had been the one that had kidnapped Eleanor? I had never met her in person before she made me kill myself so I had no way of knowing that that had been her. I had been wrong. She really was her mother. Regardless, she had no right to traumatize my daughter like she had done. The woman was clearly out of her mind. Worse, she was so delusional that she did not realize how crazy she actually was. I had to get Eleanor away from her.

Moving along the left path, I hurried to other end of the room with renewed urgency. I hardly paid any attention to the advertisement of a couple with the words, "Health and Happiness through Genetics" on its faded surface. Upon reaching the advertisement, I heard the sound of repetitive thudding. Turning my body to the right, I saw a dead Rosie Big Daddy slumped against the wall. The security gate before it seemed unable to close for some reason.

Upon reaching it, I found the Rosie's Rivet Gun at the bottom of the doorframe. When the gate tried to close, it hit the Rivet Gun in a shower of sparks. As the gate rose back up, I quickly grabbed the tool by its muzzle with my gloved left hand and removed it from the doorframe.

As I held the tool in my hand, I examined it briefly. A few of my brothers had specialized in the usage of Prototype Rivet Guns that were designed for combat instead of repairing. While I could wield them with deadly accuracy and understood the benefits of ranged weaponry, I found the rush of killing Splicers with my drill much more fulfilling than simply squeezing a trigger and watching the individual die.

With my drill, I got the pleasure of cracking the Splicer's skull open. The sight of the mixture of confusion and fright in their eyes, the roaring of my drill's motor, the warmth of their lifeblood spilling onto my leather and canvas hide, and the sight of the light fading from their eyes all made combat with my drill addicting. Besides, the weapons of Rapture were prone to malfunction due to inadequate maintenance in a wet environment. While the flimsy lead shooters were malfunctioning, I had usually closed the distance and given the Splicer a taste of my steel. Given the cramped confines of the city streets, I rarely had to worry about being out in the open.

After tossing the weapon down to the feet of the dead tin man, I moved forward through the open security gate. To my left, there was a medical clinic. To my right, a path went somewhere out of sight but given the large sign of "Rapture Metro" above its entrance, I assumed that it went down to awaiting submarines. Before me was a set of stairs going up to the next security gate with two television monitors on either side of the landing. To my left, next to the entrance to the medical clinic, was a green lounge chair that had an EVE HYPO lying on its mothball eaten cushion.

A remnant of Ryan Security was muttering to himself as he paced around just before the landing of the stairs. Whatever personal Hell was inside his mind, it was bad enough to cause him to have his hands up around his head, including the revolver in his right hand. His faded coat with the trademark gold "R" on the back, matching hat, and matching attire were covered with all manner of filth as well as sporadic tears. I could tell that his Webley Mk IV revolver was on its last legs as it had a hairline crack in its barrel.

Making as much noise as possible to attract his attention, I hurried into the medical clinic. My maneuver proved to be wise as I saw another Splicer, a woman with an ornate mask covering her face and wielding a large pipe wrench, appear from the right path. Letting out cries, they both chased me into the clinic. Mindlessly, they funneled through the same entrance that I had used.

As the woman swung her wrench, I sent an uppercut with my drill into her throat. Warm blood gushed out of her severed carotid artery onto my drill and chest. As she staggered forward, gasping with squelching noises, I swung my drill to the right. The side of my tool caught her on the right side of her head and sent her flying to the right as she rattled her final breath. The revolver wielding Splicer shot me with his .38 caliber weapon, causing me to give off an enraged roar. The pain vanished as the healing liquid inside my tank worked its magic on my wound.

Before he could shoot again, I ducked behind the blind on the other side of the red clinic chair. As he ran around the side of the blind, I rushed forward. My charge closed the distance. Before he could react, I had sent my drill into his weapon. The weakened frame of the revolver shattered like a window pane hit with a rock. The unarmed Splicer had a comical look of confusion on his wrinkled face before I sent the point of my drill into his face. Moments later, after grabbing the free medkit, I left the room as I gave off a victorious groan.

I started to go down the right-hand path, but I halted dead in my tracks as I caught a whiff of the familiar scent of Eleanor. Turning towards the stairs, I realized that the scent was coming from the other side of the security door. As if in a trance, I mindlessly walked towards the stairs. The monitor on the left side of the landing emitted the image of Sofia Lamb and the words, "AND NOW A WORD FROM DR. LAMB."

The monitor on the right side of the landing displayed one of the old public service videos about not disturbing the Little Sisters. I laughed slightly upon seeing the video. If Sofia needed these videos, her "Rapture Family" was not as unified as she probably wanted. Moving past the art deco statues as I climbed the stairs, I saw the giant blue with gold leaf sign of "Adonis Luxury Resort" above the door.

When the gate rose, I was met by the sight of a Little Sister singing to herself while she was gathering alone and in the dark. As I approached, my head-mounted light powered on to illuminate her. She looked like the other Little Sister except that she had a yellow and white dress. Her back was turned to me as she continued to gather ADAM from the corpse of a mummified man in front of another ornate golden globe with the blue words "Adonis Luxury Resort" in the center of it.

I was already too close. Metaphorical alarm bells went off my head and I readied myself to face the onslaught of her protector. However, seconds passed and yet I failed to hear the incoming thundering footsteps and war-like, rage-filled whale cry. After a moment, it dawned on me: she did not have a protector.

Outraged that yet another Little Sister had been left to fend for herself in this icebox, I moved towards her to protect her. Something was wrong here. One would have just been the carelessness of her tin man protector. This was a second. This was something else entirely. What the fuck was going on here? Where were all the Big Daddies? Why were these Little Sisters not in company of a protector?

As I neared her, she stood up and looked at me. With a huge smile on her face, she hopped several times while waving at me. I smiled slightly beneath my face as I began to bend down so that she could stand on the specially built carrier on my back. However, I shot back up as the ear-shattering shriek filled the air. I called back with a threatening guttural roar as I realized that it was that creature. It was going to try to hurt this Little One too?! Not if I had anything to say about it!

I saw the red eye appear on the second floor landing. I went to prepare myself to defend the Little Sister but, to my surprise, the little girl informed me, "Shh! Daddy, Big Sister doesn't want you playing with me." I lowered my guard as her words hit home. Big Sister? That skinny creature of metal was an older Little Sister? So, she was a protector too? I felt slightly relieved because this had all just been a misunderstanding. There was no reason for us to fight since we were both protectors.

However, I soon paid the price for dropping my guard. The Big Sister leaped from the landing to the top of the globe. Then, before I could react, she jumped onto my chest. I grunted in shock as she glared down at me with her red eye as she growled at me for a moment. Before I could explain that I was just an old Big Daddy and therefore not a threat to her charge, she back flipped off me, rolled backwards through the air, and landed on her feet a few yards away.

The aggression in her stance informed me that she had no intention to listen to me. Raising my drill and my left hand, I entered a combat stance. Noticing that she was standing in a pool of water, I willed a blast of Electro Bolt out of my left hand. My plasmid assault struck the lithe armored adolescent and she shrieked as electric arcs danced around her body. However, much faster than I predicted, she recovered. She rushed forward and I just barely managed to dodge her by moving to the left.

The tip of the large needle-like attachment on her left arm penetrated deep into the metal security door where I had been standing seconds prior. Still having reservations about fighting a grown Little Sister, I did not take advantage of her brief vulnerability and let out a groan to try to talk to her. She was a grown Little Sister, but a Little Sister nonetheless. She would understand what I was saying.

Again however, she made me pay the price for my inaction as she ripped her needle out of the security gate and stabbed me in my chest. I grunted in surprise but luckily, I still had plenty of healing liquid in my tank. After back flipping away again, she sent several Incinerate! blasts at me. I managed to dodge them. Unable to bring myself to attack her beyond that first Electro Bolt blast, I merely continued to dodge her attacks.

Her agility, strength, and plasmid abilities were astounding. Not even Spider Splicers could compete with her agility. Her strength was on par with my own. Her plasmid abilities were far superior to my own. As she flipped and jumped in and out of my line of sight while she continued to attack me, I had never felt so old. Our sleek design made my brothers and I the most agile Big Daddies in Rapture but this Big Sister was moving around me as if I was standing still.

My luck finally ran out as she began to herd me up the large flight of stairs in the center of the room. At the very top of the stairs, I found a baby stroller and a large quantity of water pouring in from the ceiling. The stairs came to a drop off that went straight down to the bar and small restaurant below. As my left foot stepped next to the edge, it gave way, causing me to have to move to avoid tumbling down with it.

I heard the lithe girl laugh sadistically as she began to line up for the charge that would send me flying over the edge. Eleanor's beautiful smiling face and my memory of her singing the line, "Daddy, daddy won't you please come home?" filled my mind. It was between protecting my Eleanor and hurting this feral, grown Little Sister. Realizing that I did not have a choice now except to defend myself, I turned my body to face her completely.

As she rushed towards me, I groaned an apology. Then, my Protector Instincts took over. Her charge made her vulnerable. I took advantage of this by unleashing a blast of Electro Bolt. She shrieked in pain as the blue arcs danced around her armored form. I cracked her across her bulbous metal face with the point of my drill, creating a cloud of sparks.

With a combination of Electro Bolt blasts and drill swings, I forced her partially back down the stairs. Around halfway up the stairs, I hit her with another blast of Electro Bolt. However, this time, I cocked my right arm all the way down to the left before swinging it all the way back to strike the Big Sister full force across the side of her head. My blow lifted her off her feet and sent her tumbling through the air.

She crashed into the globe in a tremendous cloud of sparks, demolishing the metal structure with a loud vibrating noise. As I approached, I revved up my drill as I anticipated for her to fight to the death. However, to my surprise, she let out an ear-shattering shriek before she retreated away through a boarded-up entrance to an adjacent area of the resort. I powered down my drill. Relieved that I did not have to murder the grown sister heartlessly, I took the time to scavenge through the nearby bar.

As I did, the public service announcement loudspeaker system activated. I heard the voice of Sofia say, "This is Dr. Sofia Lamb with a message for the people. Remember, Big Sister is always watching. To steal ADAM is to steal from the Rapture Family, your family." I let out an enraged growl even though I knew that she could not hear me. That cruel woman was forcing these poor girls to act as her "boogeymen" to keep the remaining population in line.

I scoffed at the thought. One trained dogs and unfortunately, in some circumstances, children the same way. The combination of fear and love would keep the dog or child in a state of docility as it sought to please its master or parent figure. It was a classic reward/punish training method, timeless and still just as effective as it had been at the dawn of time.

My search resulted in a medkit, some drill fuel, and twenty more dollars. Despite my attempts to find an alternate path, I found that I only had one way to go. As I moved through the crumbling restaurant called "Demeter's Banquet Hall", I reflected on how different Rapture was now.

Before, yes, it was a monument to what egotism could accomplish in exchange for a few people being trampled in the wake of progress. However, it was never depressing or a warning to those who dared to believe that humanity should be let off the leash of governmental control. Now, it was Hell on Earth, plain and simple. I had to get Eleanor out of here! Even if it once again cost me my life, I would ensure that she got to see the Sun. I would gain redemption in her eyes!

Towards the back of the crumbling area, I saw the Big Sister dart away. Not wanting to frighten her into a final stand, I waited for a moment before continuing. During that time, I read the message written on the wall with white house paint. "WE WILL BE REBORN IN THE COLD WOMB OF THE OCEAN".

Figuring that enough time had passed, I moved forward. I came to the upper landing. I grunted in annoyance when I saw that the only way forward was to fall down to the bottom floor. The majority of the bottom floor, which was once the dinning area, of course, was flooded with the icy cold water of the Atlantic Ocean. After bracing myself for the sting of the frigid water, I carefully dropped down to the bottom floor.

The moment that I hit the water, my world slowed as I heard the cry of the Big Sister and the unmistakable sound of metal on glass. Looking up with dread, I saw her jumping from one end of the room to the other as she ran her needle-like weapon across the surface of the huge glass panel against the back wall. The razor sharp point of her weapon compromised the glass panel and streams of water began to pour into the room. She hit the ground and turned towards me. After giving off a sadistic laugh, she bolted to the right out of my line of sight.

Before I could do anything, the entire glass panel submitted to the force of the water behind it. As it gave way, the waters of the Atlantic rushed in to claim their prize. As the wall of water roared towards me, I cringed because I knew that I was about to be very cold. Seconds later, the wall of frigid water collided with me.