Safety and Suffering
The humans gaped with startled, amazed looks on their faces. If their own private rooms within the Olympian were anything short of amazing, the dwelling meant for the Protectors, the Trinity, was immaculate. A veritable palace in the otherwise unassuming hotel that Andrew Ryan had renovated and held as a getaway and secret meeting place for wealthy and powerful individuals within the City in a more decadent and civilized time, if cutthroat politics and business dealings could be described as such.
Edward ushered the heralds inside after leading them across the forked observational hallway to the Protectors intended living quarters, if they indeed decided to actually stay there rather than wherever they were hold up now in the dark rafters above the dockyard. The double doors he had all but pushed them through led into a large waiting room at the foot of a split staircase that led to a second floor on either side of the room, both to the left and to the right, dark crimson carpet with a golden edge climbing with the white marble staircases on either side. A massive crystal chandelier hung above the lobby area, illuminating the white and black marble tiles underneath with a bright yet warm glow. Paintings hung on the walls on either side of the room, many of which were signed from Sander Cohen himself, worth a fortune in their own right back in Rapture's glory days. Various waist high wall tables were spread out in the lobby, and on the inside of both staircases, all of which adorning trinkets and treasures of varying cost and size. Some of the tables held mere decorative pieces of art such as vases, busts and other such commodities, while some held far more detailed and expensive pieces of artwork, such as gilded mammoth tusks, golden jewelry in glass cases, first edition novels written by some of Rapture's most famous authors, one even pinned by Sofia Lamb herself, likely bought and procured by Andrew Ryan in the earliest days of her recruitment to Rapture, though he likely would have burned such a book if he knew at the time how she would oppose him later. The room was bright, gilded sconces adorned the walls leading up the staircases, aiding the chandelier in it's illumination of the large room.
It was a mansion below the sea, one of many that Andrew Ryan had likely constructed for himself. The "Bloody King of Rapture" title that Atlas had referred to him as so long ago was more prominent than ever in this one showing alone.
"Dear Go-" Mark began to mutter before a sharp glance from Edward stilled his tongue. "Dear Trinity." He hastily corrected himself, and Edward nodded as he turned his attention back to the splendor of the room. He would have to remember to watch his mouth, he still didn't know what would set the Splicer 'Faithful' off, and the look Edward just gave him was enough to make him think that if he had said the word 'God' aloud, than the man might have lunged at him. The look he had given him held a great deal of suspicion, as well as animosity, for only a small moment, but it was there nonetheless, the tint of madness creeping in where it was otherwise contained for the most part. The priest led them throughout the massive apartment, first to the dining room that held a long table large enough to host a dozen or so guests, all neatly arranged and cleaned, just as many ornate paintings and other tapestries hanging on one wall, the other a long wall of reinforced windows that overlooked the City. Next he showed them the 'living room' if it could be called that, it was as big as the common room that connected all of the heralds apartment rooms together, a massive marble fireplace in the center, a large fur rug spread out just in front of it, a massive bear if Mark had to guess. Soft white couches decorated that room as well in front of the fireplace, though it felt more personal, more cozy than the common room that they were privy to. A liquor cabinet sat against the far wall with various alcohols no doubt as expensive as money could buy in Rapture at the time. Another large, black piano sat in the nook of a half circle set of windows that overlooked the ocean instead of the City.
Edward led them out back into the main lobby, closing the double doors behind him. That answered their questions about what was through the two sets of double doors at the bottom of the two staircases, both to the left and to the right, but they were even more eager to see what was at the top of the stairs, or at least Mark was anyway, he had never seen such splendor. Tokerev and Archer were just as wide-eyed as he, having lived in little more than a hovel themselves the entire time they had been in the City. Tenenbaum merely bit at her lip, seemingly deep in thought, and Joe puffed at his cigar despite Edward pleading to him to refrain from smoking in the mansion until the tour was over. The bearded man seemed to delight in breaking that rule, even going so far as to chastise the priest about his standing as a herald. Mark had to admit it gave him a sense of smug satisfaction too, seeing the man sweat and dab at his disgusting, boil-ridden forehead with a silk handkerchief. Seeing Tenenbaum's expectant gaze, or what he took as expectant, he led them through the double doors at the center of the staircases.
A large pool laid inside, very similar to the one in the Athena's Glory, though this one held crystal clear water inside. It was far smaller than the Athena's Glory, but it was just as, if not more regal due to the lack of damage alone. A diving board sat at the far end of the pool, all adjoining walls made of reinforced glass, a chandelier hanging above the pool, and four large statues of naked women pouring water into the pool from stone vases sat at each corner. Mark caught himself letting out another heavy breath. It was infuriating to think that someone like Andrew Ryan, and probably others like him lived in such decadence while normal people were forced to kill each other and fend for themselves on the streets of Rapture, all due to his 'Great Chain' philosophy.
After that Edward led them upstairs to the actual bedroom of the manor, flinging open the doors showed a massive bed, the headrest sitting against a wall of windows, another large decorated fireplace sitting to one side of the huge room, two more plush couches sitting in front of it. A large bookshelf sat to the right of the room on the opposite side, and everyone there knew the Protectors wouldn't even touch the things if they decided to stay there. The adjoining bathroom was no less regal, like the herald's own rooms it held a standing shower, toilet, counters, and various soaps, colognes, shaving tools, and so on, but the bath was completely different. Like theirs it was built into the marble flooring, but considerably larger, half the size of the pool downstairs but just as impressive with it's size. Lattices surrounded the bathtub on three sides with leafy vines growing up around them, all carefully pruned since the Faithful took over the District and decided to make it the Trinity's living space. Edward seemed particularly proud of the pains they had gone to in order to return the bathroom to working order and clean the place up. For all of their attention however, Mark could see brown markings of the marble floor just below the lattices from where years of unattended plant growth had caused roots to take hold, though the Faithful had tried to clean them the best they could.
The last stop on their tour was the Study. The farthest wall being reinforced windows like other places in the manor, a large mahogany desk sat just in front, reminding Tenenbaum of Frank Fontaine's own personal Study in his suite. Bookshelves lined the walls with a third gilded fireplace on the left side of the room. Mark gaped again, wondering how many fireplaces the man could fit into one 'home'. He shook his head, the amount of disparity between Andrew Ryan's wealth, let alone the other powerful figures in Rapture, and the common people made him realize just how appeasing Sofia Lamb's message of 'Family' had been to most people. He glanced at Joe, and he could tell that he too saw it. He and James had fought for the Family for Sofia Lamb, however brief, but the sense of unfairness in Rapture was enough to make anyone still alive gape when they saw such regal dwellings.
"Do you think the Trinity will approve of these quarters?" Edward asked, nervousness mixed with excitement clear on his face. Mark sneered at the reverence he showed the Protectors, but before Edward could even notice, Archer spoke up.
"The Trinity will be pleased with these dwellings, Edward. You have done well. We require rest however, and would ask you to politely leave us so that we may commune with the Queens." The soldier stated, both soft yet stern. The priest took on a rapturous expression as he gestured them out of the room, clearly not comfortable with them staying in this holiest of places meant only for the Trinity and no others.
They made their way back to the forked observation hallway before Edward bowed many times and reassured them that if they needed anything, anything at all, they need only ask. After finally departing, they made their way back to the common room of their own apartments and took up various places around the fireplace at the center of the room. Some of the Kraken squad members stationed outside their doors and throughout the hallways, stalwart and disciplined in their duty as the herald's honor guard. Once inside Mark shook his head as he paced, the others either sitting in thought or standing with arms folded at their chests.
"What the fuck are we doing?! What are we going to do?!" The younger man asked, the weight of their deception already causing his heart to pound in his chest and his mind to race. Archer stalked toward him with a determined look in his dark eyes before he put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. Everyone looked to him and he pointed to his ear with one finger, then to the wall next to the double doors that held the intercom system. They watched him as his eyes looked around the room to various places. Tokerev stood then, his legs shaking as he winced in pain. He limped his way to the table in front of the fireplace and ripped a piece of paper from a book. Taking a pen he began to write. When he held up the note, everyone moved closer to see what it said.
"Don't speak. They are listening. Look for speakers inside the room. All rooms." is what the note read, and everyone nodded, Mark's blood suddenly running cold. What had he missed that the two men had seen? They had worked for the CIA and the KGB respectively, but could they really be on to something, or were they just paranoid from years of living in secret within the City? Either way he chose to heed the warning, and nodded. darting to look for hidden speakers within the apartments. He found two in his own room, though Archer and Tokerev had been able to find an additional five that were hidden in various places, inside air ducts, beneath carpets, behind paintings, and even behind the headboards of beds, so small that even a close glance would hide them. Everyone's rooms held such devices, and they didn't know if it was the Faithful trying to spy on them, or something that Andrew Ryan had implemented long ago when he constructed the hotel. When Archer's furious tone summoned Edward back to the common room for answers though, they realized that he didn't even know the speakers were there, though he promised to find and punish the servants that had cleaned the rooms and who would have most likely seen them. They searched the Trinity's living quarters too, and found that the speakers led to Andrew Ryan's Study, causing them to shake their heads in disbelief. The man was willing to do anything to maintain his iron fisted control over Rapture, and spying was possibly the least sinful thing he had ever done to achieve that goal.
Needless to say they dismantled all of the speakers, either by pulling the wires out, or outright shooting them when impatience caught up to them, Tokerev and Joe being the more trigger happy ones of the group. Edward groveled on hands and knees begging for forgiveness, but Archer assured him that it was alright, though Mark wished he had made the man whip himself for his 'sin' before dismissing him.
Once they were finally, truly alone, they spoke freely, though it took Archer and Tokerev another three rounds throughout the place to finally feel safe enough to talk openly.
"We can't take any chances, we're in a delicate situation." Archer stated, and everyone nodded.
"What the Hell are we doing?" A whisper rose up, and it took a moment for Mark to realize that it was his voice that stated the question.
"Look I know it's bad right now, but believe me, we have a golden opportunity here. Everything we were building in our district is gone, all of the weapons we managed to scrounge, build, or loot are at the bottom of the ocean right now. We have nothing to go at Reed Wahl or the NeoSplicers with." Archer stated, everyone's expressions taking on a dower tone. "If we can rebuild what we lost, even using Splicers to do so, I say that's a damn good deal, better that they die than any of us." He stated, earning a nod from Tokerev, Joe, and Mark. Tenenbaum took on a sour expression.
"I do not like the idea of using them. I know they are Splicers, but they may yet be cured from the sickness that ADAM induces, and it is hard for me to simply 'use' them, and throw their lives away for such an endeavor." The Doctor stated wryly, not completely opposed to the plan, but not committed either.
"These fucking monsters have taken too much from all of us for me to feel any kind of sympathy for them, I think it's a good plan, as long as we can keep up the act... but... there's no way we can if the Protectors won't play ball." Mark stated, causing Tenenbaum to grimace at his words, Joe, Archer, and Tokerev only looked to him with eyebrows raised.
"That's another thing I wanted to discuss." Archer said just before making his way to the double doors, opening to make sure no one was there listening in on them. He saw the crimson clad armor of Miles and Carter, at least he thought those were their names. They were standing guard at the end of the hallway leading to the double doors of their rooms. When he returned he sighed.
"Iota and Anna are crucial to this whole thing playing out, they have to be here and in charge in order for any kind of unified force to do anything." He stated. "Just talking to the random Splicers that I did, and General Scorn, they won't move without their precious Queens to guide them, or their King." He stated, nearly spitting the titles out.
"We need to convince them to help us with this little act, otherwise the Faithful are just going to sit around and grovel to the rafters Iota, Anna, Selene, and Lizzy are hiding in, waiting for some kind of divine intervention on their parts." Archer added.
"The siblings trust Splicers less than we do, especially with Lizz being so close to them. It won't be easy to convince them to this plan." Joe stated, puffing on his thick cigar as he crossed his arms and grunted.
Tokerev growled in annoyance. "Don't you have anything you can say to them to convince them to help us, or, at least speak to us? You know them far better than Archer and I, they will listen to you, yes?" The Russian man asked.
"It is not that simple, their creation imparted them with an instinct that makes them wary of even humans when it comes to their Charges, and Splicers are far less than human. They have fought them so long, even when Lamb had the Family it was an uneasy trust at the very best. During their creation, the second generation Protectors had horrible things done to them by Splicer doctors in the name of Lamb, they will not soon forget that, and they will always hold hostility toward them for it." Tenenbaum spoke.
"Can we not use that though? If they're hostile to Splicers, and won't trust them, can we not rein them in somehow with that distrust and unease? What if we tell them it's only a means to an end?" Archer asked. Tenenbaum shook her head.
"Even then it would be difficult. From what I have read of Lamb's personal notes on the Big Sisters, they were highly unstable even before they became Protectors, and that has factored into their current mindsets. Anna will likely be easier to convince than Iota, but Iota is key. You saw how angry she was when we first arrived, how many of the Faithful she killed simply because they bowed to her. If we can't convince her to help us, I don't know if Anna will be enough, and even if we manage to convince both of the Big Sisters to help us, that leaves us with the uncertainty of Omega." She explained.
Everyone went silent in their own thoughts when she mentioned the name. They had no idea where the Big Brother was, if he was alive or dead, on his way to them this very moment or lost somewhere else in the City. They knew Omega would never allow Splicers near Iota, Anna, or Lizzy, and even the idea that he might was brushed away by everyone there. He was too protective of them for that. Humans were one thing, and he had very nearly killed Tenenbaum when they had first met and realized they had Anna in a coma, even if she was helping the poor girl, but Splicers were a different story all together. He needed the humans in order to get answers, really he only needed Tenenbaum in order to get back to the surface to get the answers he wanted, what had happened to Sofia Lamb, Eleanor, and Subject Delta, revenge being the first and most important thing on his mind. He was a wild card that they couldn't afford, especially now that they were in a den of snakes, surrounded on all sides by Splicers that might turn on them in an instant if a fit of madness overtook them, even if they were holy in their eyes.
Tenenbaum sighed heavily, and Joe gave her a concerned look. The woman was killing herself to try and get every sane human out of Rapture, without knowing if she had even found everyone. That along with wanting to protect the Protectors, as well as wanting to find a cure for ADAM sickness, and a way to reverse the genetic mutations people underwent when they had too much of the cursed miracle drug. He put a hand on her back soothingly and she looked up at him with tired eyes, flashing him a smile. He nodded to her, letting her know that he understood her hardships, though he had no reservations about using or killing Splicers, he understood her feelings.
"I'll talk to Selene... or... try to I guess... She's as standoffish as Iota and Anna at this point with..." He trailed off thinking back to what the girl had suffered. "With what's happened to her... but if Iota was willing to snatch her up into the rafters, odds are she's our best way in. I'll try to make them see reason, or at least, make her see reason, and maybe she'll be able to convince them. She's always been pretty close to Iota and Anna, at least closer than any of us have been to them, and anytime I try to talk to Omega it's like talking to a wolf that's as likely to rip my head off as it is to listen to anything I have to say, the guy's a brick wall as far as any human is concerned. If we can convince them though, maybe... maybe they can convince him, if he's even still alive and able to find us that is." Mark stated as he ran his hand through his dark hair.
"Alright, Mark will try to talk with Selene, Iota, and Anna, and in the meantime we play our roles. We're heralds, got it? Holy figures for the Faithful. We guide them, and we speak for the Trinity." Archer said, looking everyone in the eyes, they all nodded in understanding, however grim their faces might be. "Tokerev and I are going to mingle with their so called 'Military' and see what else we can learn, maybe we can teach them a few things as far as tactics goes, and help bolster them into more than a religious militia. General Scorn is a good place for us to start, he's capable, and knows what he's doing." Archer explained.
"I will tend to the wounded, if they draw strength from a herald healing their forces, I will make my presence known in the clinic and do all I can to keep the fighters on their feet, I may not approve of using them, but I do not have much of a choice at this time." Tenenbaum added sorrowfully, Archer nodded in approval. He could respect that, even if she didn't want to use them, what she planned to do kept her moral compass clean and would also help their efforts.
Joe grimaced as he puffed at his cigar, finally, he flicked it into the fireplace and grunted, his hard face taking on an even harder expression. "James, Vicky, Danny, Robert, Linda..." He named off names, names of people they had lost even before the Protectors had found them. At the end of a long list, he pulled a folded black and white photo from his shirt pocket and looked at it. He turned it over and let out a deep breath full of anger and resentment, Tokerev's own eyes narrowing as he took on a more sorrowful expression, realizing what Joe was holding. It was the picture he had found on David's corpse in the toy store, where they had listened to the audio log of the broken father and his heartbreaking story of losing his son, how he had wept to his dead wife about it.
"Mary, David, Thomas." Joe whispered quietly.
After a long moment in silence, Joe looked up to everyone and met their expectant gazes. "I won't pretend to like Splicers, but I'll play my part, if it means getting us the Hell out of this God forsaken City... I'll play my part." He said quietly, almost whispering as he folded the photo again and placed it back in his pocket. Tenenbaum looked concerned but stayed quiet, Mark nodded, and Archer began to open his mouth, but Tokerev placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head and the soldier stopped. They watched Joe stalk off to his room, his shotgun held by his side as he pulled his scorched golden lighter from his pocket, flipping it idly as his broad shoulders sagged. Tenenbaum's lips tightened as she watched him go.
Once the bearded man had closed his apartment door behind him Archer sighed. "We know what we need to do, let's get to it." He said, and everyone nodded in agreement, though Tenenbaum, Mark, and Tokerev all glanced back toward Joe's apartment door with sullen faces.
. . .
Sigma lumbered his way through the Dockyard, stopping now and again to peer at staring Splicer faces as they whispered mad ramblings to themselves or asked him about the Queens and heralds, as if he could answer them. Nevertheless he let out bellowing groans at them in response that caused most of them to scurry away in fear. Even if he wasn't hostile toward them, they knew what kind of damage a Big Daddy could do when angered, and no one wanted to risk that mad as they were. It had been nearly an hour since his human friends had explained their plan to him, though it didn't really matter to him one way or another. He had holes in his memory, questions about the type of person he had been before becoming a Big Daddy. Had he agreed to it? Had it been forced on him? He didn't know, but he felt a kinship with the second generation Protectors, and figured it was the latter.
His mindless walking led him to a large set of viewing windows, just outside on the coral reefs he could see a Rosie Big Daddy riveting the outside of one of the steel columns, repairing a leak in the frame with his rivet gun. He felt a pit of remorse well inside of him at the sight, someone like him, though mindless, following programming instilled in him upon his creation, just as Sigma had followed at one time. He watched the Big Daddy rivet two small leaks and start on a third, larger one, the water spilling into the area at Sigma's armored boots. The Rosie stopped and put his hand on the reinforced window, and it almost felt like he was staring at Sigma. He didn't know why, but he moved to the window and put his hand up as well, looking at the Big Daddy outside.
Sigma watched as the Rosie's yellow helmet light flickered for a moment, it looked like it was breathing heavily, heaving in air inside of it's suit as it stared at the window. It's helmet lights flickered again as the Rosie dropped it's rivet gun onto the ocean floor, it's head waved unsteadily as it's helmet's porthole went a dim yellow. The Rosie fell slowly to it's side, unable to hold itself up any longer. It's dim light seeming to burn a hole into Sigma as it lie there helpless on the reef. It tried to rise, reaching for it's rivet gun once more, it's helmet looking back to the leak in the steel frame. Sigma took in a deep breath before lifting his own rivet gun from the inside and bolted two red hot rivets into place, sealing the leak. He turned back to the Rosie and let out a deep groan, and as he did so, the Rosie's helmet light peered up at him, and went dark.
Sigma stood there for a long time, staring at the fallen Big Daddy. His armor was old, it bore many scars from battle, and barnacles from spending so long in the ocean likely repairing the City now that there were no Little Sisters to protect. He felt sorrow well up inside of him, such a fate was inhumane, it was horrible, and it ate at him. Would that have been his fate had his mental conditioning not been broken? Would he have labored away for years as a drone, only to die and be forgotten somewhere in or outside of the City? He felt wetness dampen his eyes, and instinctively reached his armored hand up to wipe tears away, only for his gloved hand to hit his helmet instead. That caused him to pause, and tears fell freely within.
When he finally tore himself away from the fallen Protector, he began lumbering through the Dockyard once more, down to where they had entered the District from. In the spotlights, he could see Mark talking to Selene, and it looked heated. The Protector merely made his way to a sturdy metal bench, and sat down on the aging metal as it groaned, his mind still with the dead Big Daddy he had left behind. He tried to clean and maintain his weapons, taking them apart and oiling them, brushing them, cleaning the dirt, and grime away, but his mind remained with that Rosie.
. . .
"You're all out of your fucking minds!" Selene yelled at Mark, causing him to wince. It had taken him two hours of yelling into the ceiling for Iota to bring her down, and even after she did, the Big Sister jumped back up into the rafters just as quickly, she barely even looked at Mark, though he could swear he felt her icy gaze on him through her helmet. Now that Selene was here, he thought he might have a better chance at convincing Iota than her.
"Look I kno-" He began, before she cut him off.
"No! Don't 'look' me, Mark! This is insane! This whole idea is insane!" She all but screamed at him, her eyes darting around the brightly lit room to see Splicers scurrying away, afraid of angering one of their precious 'heralds', all but the crimson armored Splicers that stood a good deal away, watching her intently.
"Please, Selene, keep your voice down! You don't know what they-" He began, before she cut him off again, this time with a slap to his cheek, tears welling in her eyes as her face reddened. Mark blinked in surprise, felt his temper rise but held it in check with a deep, steadying breath. It's not her fault, look what they did to her. His thoughts told him.
"You can't honestly believe! You wouldn't!" She cried, tears flowing freely now as she lifted her one arm to wipe her eyes. Mark felt his stomach drop at the sight of her, he had been the one struck, but he felt guilty for what he was doing. He wanted to hold her, to tell her everything was alright, and would be okay, to comfort her somehow, any way he could, but when he tried to reach for her she swatted him away. That stung more than the slap ever could.
"Selene..." He whispered softly, taking in the sight of her trying to hide her tears from him in her anger. He went silent. When he heard boots approaching, he turned to see two of the Krakens striding toward him but he waved them away, knowing they would only make the situation worse, even if they wanted to help, or protect him, or whatever. They bowed slightly, and retreated back to the shadowed posts they had been at.
"Look I don't like this anymore than you do... I fucking hate these monsters for what they did to you... For what they've done to all of us... but..." He said, before she turned and looked up, tears still streaming down her beautiful face.
"Iota, I'm ready to come back up!" She said through her crying, and just like that, the Big Sister had leapt down, scooped her up, and leapt back into the darkness above. Mark cursed as he stared upward, rubbing his cheek.
"Fuck!" He yelled loudly as he clenched his fists, his temper finally blowing up. If she wants to sulk like a-
His thought was interrupted when a rasping sound caught his ear. He stopped to listen, trying to place the faint sound. A loud metallic bang shook the ground slightly, and Mark's eyes immediately shot toward the bulkhead to the tunnels they had originally come from. His eyes went wide. Another loud thudding sound came from behind him and he turned to see Iota towering behind him just before she grabbed the collar of his shirt and all but tossed him backward toward the trains the spotlights and machineguns sat on. Sigma stood from his sitting position, and the two Krakens that were accompanying Mark unsheathed their crude swords, dark helmets fixed on both their Queen and the bulkhead door.
Another loud bang, and the reinforced bulkhead bent out noticeably. Mark heard the two Kraken squad honor guard yell at the sentries to man their positions, as he backed away, pulling his machinegun from his back and looking to the rafters, unconsciously searching for Selene. Iota was the picture of composed rage as she stood unmoving in the bright light, her arm darting down beside her as her harvesting needle sprung out to it's full length.
The two Krakens were already running toward the Sister with their weapons at the ready when the door exploded out from the wall. NeoSplicers surged forward from the black opening, and the two machinegun nests mounted on the abandoned trains opened fire overhead, Mark's own submachine gun joining them before he even knew what was happening. Iota sprang forward, harvester slashing at the blinded NeoSplicers as they charged into the bright light, wailing in pain. The two crimson armored Krakens reached her, both of them yelling "Protect the Queen!" as they joined in the fight alongside her. They were a good distance away from her, one on her left, and one on the right, but they were every bit as determined as she was. They slashed and chopped expertly with their swords as the tide of NeoSplicers rushed on in their blind fury. Moments passed that seemed like minutes before more and more of the crimson soldiers joined them, slashing, shooting, yelling. Sigma's rivet gun tore baseball sized holes through NeoSplicer bodies and limbs, dark blood showering over the floor. Mark saw three of the NeoSplicers climb out of the bulkhead and up the wall toward the dark ceiling above, and immediately began firing at them, seemingly noticing the new threat, and knowing one of their Queens, their holy child, and a herald were somewhere up above, the crimson Soldiers of the Faithful joined Mark in exterminating the climbers.
All around him was the chaos of battle, Iota and the two Krakens that fought with her in melee were holding back the majority of the NeoSplicers, the spotlights doing a great deal to blind and burn them as they slashed and bit wildly, sometimes at each other.
"Push them back!" A booming voice echoed over the din of battle, and Mark turned his head over his shoulder to see General Scorn in his ornate armor, rushing forward to join the melee. He wielded a large two handed sword forged from what seemed to be a steel beam, but the broad shouldered man swung it with effortless ease, Mark gaped at the man as he was surrounded by five NeoSplicers, and just as quickly as he had been surrounded, they were cut down. It seemed 'General' was a fitting title for the man. As soon as he had entered the battle, the crimson armored soldiers of the Faithful seemed to rally around him, Mark, and Iota, fighting even more fiercely than they had before, and that was saying something.
Archer was beside Mark then, his own Thompson barking loudly at any of the pink leathery monsters that scurried past the soldiers. He composed himself like a soldier, his eyes tracking targets and threats, allies, and movement all around, carefully picking his shots as Mark tried to do the same. Mark realized Archer wasn't shooting to kill, he was using single, well placed shots to either wound or aid their allies in the fight, he hamstrung a NeoSplicer as it began to crawl over a soldier, another he shot in the spine as it circled around to General Scorn's flank.
and just as quickly as it had begun, it ended. Mark gaped at the carnage, fifty or so NeoSplicer corpses lay sprawled out in a funnel from the opening. The armored soldiers of the faithful stabbing writhing monsters who were too wounded to retreat or attack. The soldiers closest to Iota knelt, their sword tips pointed into the concrete below, or spears laid beside them, General Scorn just in front of her with his large sword tip in the ground. Mark heard her screech angrily before she turned away, ready to jump back into the rafters. This was his chance. He moved in front of her and looked up at her.
"Iota, It's not safe here, not anymore, come to the hotel." He almost begged as she pushed him forcefully out of the way. He had to catch himself before he fell, but he continued. "Iota it's safe at the hotel! It's more secluded than the trainyard!" He yelled as she jumped up back into the darkness above. He sighed as he looked up after her.
"Don't let your damn pride kill the girl I love!" He yelled after her angrily. He stared for a moment longer before turning back to the scene before him. Most of the soldiers were now kneeling, facing the direction Iota had last been when she vanished into the rafters once more. Mark snarled, it was all their fault.
"Clean up those bodies and seal that doorway!" General Scorn yelled at them in his booming voice, his plumed helmet glancing at Mark and Archer to give them a nod. A few of the soldiers immediately set to work as he turned to stalk away from the area. The two Kraken squad members began following him, cleaning their blades as others stayed behind to follow the General's orders, and protect the Queens. Archer raised a hand to Mark's shoulder.
"They'll come around, Mark. Give it time, it's all but certain now, no way Iota or Anna would be stupid enough to keep Lizzy this close to somewhere NeoSplicers could come out of." He told him, but the younger man shrugged off his hand and stormed away.
. . .
Iota squeezed her way through the hole in the wall, back into their safe room. Anna tried to sit up with a pained wince, her blanket falling to her waist before Iota put her hand up to stop her, and gesture her back to with a soft screech. Lizzy was holding onto Selene as the woman stroked her hair, whispering words of encouragement to the girl. Iota limped her way back to sit against the wall, crossing her legs and grunting as she sat back down, holding her side. She still hadn't healed completely, and one of her wounds had reopened, a trail of blood oozing down her side to her hip. She winced and gave a sigh that was muffled by her helmet. She had just finished cleaning it too.
"See, Lizzy, I told you Iota would be okay." Selene said softly as the girl got up and ran over to Iota to hug her, the sister wincing at the pain again. Iota held the girl close to her chest, her helmet still holding the crimson glow that matched the emergency lighting above them. "I heard gunshots and screaming, and... then the monsters..." Lizzy said quietly as she hugged Iota. The girl was more terrified than ever, especially now that their brother was missing. Lizzy had come to depend on him a great deal, especially after he carried her through the darkness of the Athena's Glory Hotel basement, and the maintenance tunnels after.
They had all come to rely on him. Iota reached up and scratched at her eye unconsciously, she didn't even notice she was scratching her helmet. Anna and Selene passed concerned looks at each other before Anna decided to speak. "Sister..." She started, and shook Iota from whatever thoughts she was having, her hand stopped and she stared at it. Anna noticed her hand shaking, but she knew it wasn't from fear, it was rage, white hot rage. The eldest sister slowly turned her crimson gaze to Anna, and she had to fight not to squirm uneasily beneath her blanket.
"You heard what mark sai-" She started, until a sharp screech from Iota cut her off. It was filled with anger, and though wordless, it spoke volumes. Selene thought about speaking up, but she couldn't bring herself to. She was sure she wouldn't be able to voice anything if that red light turned toward her, she was shaking with adrenaline just from how Iota was acting already.
"If they have a safer place-" Iota barked another screeching denial, and this time louder, more firm. Anna actually did jump this time. Lizzy began shaking again, crying into Iota's chest.
"Please don't fight, Big Sister. Anna's just worried about us..." The girl's small voice whimpered, and Iota pulled her closer between her legs, hugging her tightly. How could she make the girl understand? How could she make any of them understand? Her Protector instincts were far stronger than Anna, and they screamed at her to take the two of them and abandon the humans to their foolish deaths, leave them to die in this hostile place. They would deserve it after all, no good could come from trusting Splicers, no good could come from trusting anyone but her. The humans had promised to lead them out of Rapture, to find Eleanor, and get answers, and they repeatedly proved that they could only lead the Protectors into traps and pitfalls. For a moment she wished she and Omega had never found the humans but shook her head slowly. If they had never found the humans, they would never have found Anna and Lizzy. No she didn't wish they hadn't found the humans... She wished they would have killed them when they fist saw Anna laying in that bed, struggling with a breaking mind.
The older sister looked over at Anna and grimaced. The humans had had too much influence on her. If she and Omega had been the only ones to interact with her, they could have raised her as a Protector only, not a Protector with human traits. The humans were weak willed, weak minded things, easy to kill and hard to control, they were confusing and infuriating in equal measure.
And they had caused her to lose Omega. Her heart ached when she thought of him, she knew he was alive through their bond, but... only that. Was he hurt? Was he dying? Did he need her? She took a shaky breath. It was the humans who were at fault, always needing to stop and stay in one place for far too long without moving, always needing some sort of sanctuary or hideout. If they did things the way they should have, the Protector way, they wouldn't have had to suffer any of this.
Too weak, they were just too weak, slow, easy to tire, easy to predict, easy to trap, easy to fool, easy to track, to find, to plan around, to hunt, to stalk, to-
She shook her head and hit the side of her helmet with her palm, physically knocking her thoughts straight before her hand came up to scratch at her eye, only hitting her helmet again. The gesture made Anna uneasy whenever she saw the habit, Iota couldn't seem to shake it after the madness took hold of her when they all thought Omega and Lizzy had died in the Athena's Glory collapse. She was hugging Lizzy now the same way she had hugged Omega's ash covered helmet back then, gently rocking the girl forward and back. Anna took a deep breath and sighed, deciding to try a different angle of approach.
"Sister..." She began, and saw Iota's helmet move ever so slightly. "Brother will be okay, is... okay. He's always okay, he always comes back to us... You know this." She said softly, carefully.
"He's strong, stronger even than you or I, probably stronger than both of us put together." She continued, weighing her words very carefully. "Think of what he would want us to do... He would want us to protect Lizzy, whatever the cost. Even if it meant..." She hesitated when Iota's helmet lifted slightly in her direction. She took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Even if it meant... Staying with Lunatics." She said softly, earning a growl from her sister. "The NeoSplicers can reach us here now, even if the Splicers can't. If we stay here, we're at more risk, especially since I can barely move, and you're still wounded." She said, and Iota's growl grew louder and angrier.
"At least go and investigate this 'safe' place Mark mentioned... It couldn't hurt, even if you decide not to move us there, it would be good to gather more information about our surroundings, right?" Anna all but begged. She knew Iota already knew all of this, and she knew why the Sister hadn't gone scouting already, it was because Anna couldn't move yet, and if something happened to her, Lizzy would have no one to defend her, Anna too for that matter. Iota looked like she was thinking, looked as if she was considering it, but then shook her head and sat back, holding Lizzy to her tightly. She just couldn't risk it, and Anna couldn't really blame her for that. Her options weren't easy ones. If she chose to investigate the area, she would have to take Lizzy with her, subjecting her to a great deal of danger, especially with how many Splicers there were, and how many weapons they had, and she would have to leave Anna here, defenseless. If she chose to leave Lizzy there with Anna, both of them would be defenseless. It was a risk Iota wasn't willing to take, not in the least.
"I could do it..." Selene said meekly from her corner of the room, both sisters heads turning to look at her, Iota's crimson gaze causing her to shuffle idly in her seat, her eyes looking at her feet. The young woman sighed heavily. "I don't like the idea of it, I don't want to... at all really... but Anna's right, we can't just stay in this hole forever, especially with that tunnel down there able to spit out NeoSplicers at any time. They may have sealed it back up but... That doesn't mean anything, not in Rapture." Selene explained, tears brimming in her eyes as she glanced out the hole in the wall.
"I could go down there, find Mark, and take a look at this hotel he mentioned. When I look around enough, I can come back, and tell you guys about everything I see, then you can make your decision, yeah?" She asked.
"I know I'm not a Protector, and I don't have a Protector's eye for threats... but I hate Splicers as much as you do, and I hate this whole situation as much as you do." Selene explained, still not looking at them. Anna's expression took on a sympathetic tone, and she glanced to Iota who stared at the floor in thought. After a few moments she nodded curtly, and Anna let out a small sigh.
"That sounds like a good plan, it would allow Iota to stay here and watch over Lizzy and me, without having to move us unless absolutely necessary." Anna said.
"Sister, when you're ready, can you take her back down to find Mark?" Anna asked, and Iota nodded curtly again, her fists clenching as she gripped Lizzy's dirty dress.
When Iota dropped down and let go of Selene, jumping back up into the rafters, the girl felt more dread grip her. She took one look at the machinegun nests on top of the trains, and the crimson clad soldiers around the room guarding the breach from the tunnel, and her stomach tied itself into knots. She began sweating, panting, and her heart raced in her chest. She didn't even notice Sigma when he reached her, lumbering over to lay a massive hand on her shoulder, she jumped and looked both terrified and relieved in equal parts. He let out a deep, calm groan, and offered her a hand. She smiled gratefully and nearly laughed at the irony. In days past, Big Daddies, especially Alpha series would have stricken her with panic and fear, terrified her beyond belief, and now, she felt a sense of safety and security with one, she took his hand and wrapped her arm around his bulk, pressing her tear stricken face against the cold steel of his armor.
He was taken aback by this, but recovered soon enough and patted her gently on the back with his massive hand, bellowing that deep, comforting groan at her.
"Sigma, I'm glad..." She trailed off. "Thank you..." She said quietly, earning her an understanding nod, and another deep moan. After a moment she pulled away and wiped her eyes with her hand, forcing herself to look at him and only him, forcing herself to ignore the armored and armed Splicers around the room.
"Sigma, could you please take me to the hotel Mark talked about? Do you know where it is?" She asked him, and the Big Daddy nodded a deep bow and groaned in affirmation. Two more Kraken squad members moved to them then, and slammed their fists to their armored chest plates.
"Herald, we would be happy to escort you to-" One started, but Selene shot them a heated glare.
"Get away from me!" She screamed before Sigma wrapped his large arm around her again, gesturing the Krakens back calmly. They glanced at each other and bowed before backing away silently.
"I'm sorry... I..." She began quietly.
"Please... Just take me to the hotel..." She asked again, her voice as soft as a whisper. Sigma nodded and pulled her along, his hand gently between her shoulders covering most of her back as he led her, like a father protecting his daughter in a shady part of the city, confident he could keep her safe and be a source of strength for her. They passed the clinic along the way, and spotted Tenenbaum inside treating newly wounded soldiers from the breach in the tunnel, she didn't notice when they passed, she was too busy darting between the wounded.
It didn't take long to reach the hotel Mark had told her about, but Selene took tedious notes of anything and everything she saw along the way, drawing a mental map in her head, with lists of things the Protectors might consider obstacles or threats. She tried to think like them, though she knew she'd never be as good at detecting threats as a Protector. Every step she took she could feel her knees wobbling, and once Sigma had to catch her when she stumbled, that was when they had passed the most populated area in the Trainyard, passing a dozen Splicers as they prayed to the large throne they had erected for the Protectors. She had to keep herself from being sick. That feeling was intensified when they passed the Faithful's fortress compound, and she saw the spikes, some decorated with blood, others still holding skulls and severed heads. When they finally reached the hotel, Sigma quickly ushered her inside passed Bear, a massive Brute Splicer with a machine gun and massive sword on his armored back, and Miles, another of the Kraken squad members. They both saluted as the two entered the building, each murmuring "Herald" when they saluted. They quickly took up their watchful guard once more, and Sigma moved Selene to the nearest elevator.
They moved up to the top floor, the suites floor, and when the doors opened Selene gasped for two reasons, the first were the two armored soldiers standing guard on the floor, one at each end of the lobby area. The second reason she gasped was the lobby itself, and how immaculate it was. Sigma eyed her with a curious gaze, and suddenly found himself excited to see what her reaction would be to their living quarters. Down the observational hallway that lead to the living quarters, two more Kraken guards stood watch at the fork, saluting again when they passed. Selene glared at them until the double doors to the herald's common room slid open and her mouth gaped.
"I don't know what to do about he-" Mark's voice cut off when he heard the doors open, and his face turned toward them, flashing different emotions, first surprise, then a flicker of happiness, and it settle to sullen when he noticed Selene avoiding his gaze. He slowly made his way to her, and she hugged herself with her one good arm wrapped around herself beneath her breasts, she was still furious with him, and refused to look at him, at any of them aside from Sigma.
"Selene I-" He began, but stopped when her face grew harder.
"Just show me our room..." She said coldly, though he sighed in relief when she said 'our room' and not 'my room'. He would take that, she may be furious with him right now, but it made him happy that she still wanted to stay in the same room with him. He gave her a sad smile and nodded before looking up at Sigma.
"Thank you for keeping her safe, and bringing her here, Sigma. I owe you one." He said gratefully, and Sigma gave a warm sounding groan as he nodded, and lumbered over to stand next to the doors they had entered from, taking a seat on a sturdy wooden bench. Mark led Selene to the room he had chosen when Edward first gave them the tour, and gestured for her to go in after he put in the pin number on the lock to open it. She did, and her mouth hung open when she saw the living room, her eyes wide. It was certainly not what she was expecting when Mark mentioned a 'hotel'. It was more like a mansion than a hotel, at least as far as Rapture was concerned. Her face grew softer and softer as he showed her the kitchen, bedroom loft on the second floor, and finally the bathroom. By the time they reached the bathroom, both of them were smiling. Once he even caught her giving him a sideways glance as she bit her lip, running her hand in the hot water of the large bathtub built into the marble floor. He hoped it was her imagining what he had when he first saw it, God did he hope that was the case.
"Selene... I'm sorry... for all of this, I know it's not ideal, and I know you-" He was cut off when she suddenly wrapped her arm around him in a tight hug. He gave a content smile and returned the hug, wrapping her in a warm embrace.
"I should be apologizing, Mark... I had no right to hit you... no right to scream at you... It's just..." She tried to explain, trying to find the words.
"I know." Was all he said, softly, gently.
"I don't blame you for how you acted, I could never. I would probably act the same way if I were in your shoes. I just want you to know, that I love you, Selene, and I want to be there for you, be here for you." His face reddened alongside hers.
"What I'm trying to say is..." He began but she cut him off as she leaned up, pressing her lips to his. They both sighed happily at that, and when they pulled apart, he hugged her again, and she buried her face into his chest. Minutes passed before she spoke again, soft but concerned.
"I don't like this, not at all, but... With you here, I think I can manage... Just don't expect me to interact with those monsters..." She said. Mark nodded understandingly.
"I won't, Joe feels the same way, and I can't blame either of you. Hell I would rather be anywhere else in this damn City, but we play the hand we're dealt, ya know?" He asked, and she nodded.
"Now, I was sent down here to scout out the hotel, and make sure it's safe... So Iota and Anna can decide if they want to actually stay here now that our hole isn't safe anymore." Selene explained.
"Your... Hole?" Mark asked, arching an eyebrow questioningly. She shook her head and gave a small chuckle. "Just something we're calling it, Anna and I. It's more of a closet really. It's a junction for the Gatherer air ducts, so they can climb down and change directions to go other places in the City. A part of the wall was broken down at some point in the past, and I don't know how, but Iota managed to find it and hauled us all inside." She explained.
"Well that's hardly comforting, but leave it to Iota to find the darkest, safest place possible in a matter of minutes." He chuckled as he scratched his head.
"But if you want to see the Protector living quarters I'll have to take you to the other side of the observation hallway, that's where they're supposed to stay... according to Edward anyway." He said, explaining who Edward was in the process. Her face looked like she had bitten into rotten fish when he finished but she nodded.
"Well show me where they're supposed to stay then, maybe they'll decide to stay here in one of these suites, they're big enough by themselves I think." She said, her eyebrows raising as she looked around.
Mark led he out of the Herald's living quarters and across the forked hallway to the Protector's chosen quarters, and grinned when he saw her reaction to theirs. Her face was pure shock and awe. He gave her the same tour he and the others had received, purposefully leaving out the part about the speakers they had found that led to Andrew Ryan's study. Each room made her mouth hang open and eyes widen.
"This is Andrew Ryan's suite?!" She asked in amazement.
"Sure is, one of them anyway, who knows how many he has throughout the city. Hell this one alone probably costed more than Pauper's Drop and everything in it." He stated, still amazed himself at the grandeur. Selene shook her head. "Iota and Anna are never going to believe this. I have to get back and let them know everything I saw, hopefully... I hate to say it, but hopefully they'll decide to move here. The hotel seems pretty secure to me, aside from those creepy soldiers standing guard in the hallway and lobbies." She said with a grimace.
"I can order them to stand guard on the first floor if they don't want them up here, turns out we carry quite a bit of weight around here since the 'Queens' seem to 'commune' with us." He stated, quoting both Edward and Archer in a mocking tone.
"Could you and Sigma walk me back?... Please?" She asked, staring up at him with dark eyes. He smiled warmly and nodded. "Of course, come on." He said, gesturing her toward the exit.
. . .
Omega jumped as he awoke. He felt pain sliding across his entire body like he was on fire. He slowly opened his eyes blinking through blurry vision. It took him a long moment to blink away the blurry vision. When his eyesight cleared, he blinked again, realizing he was upright, his chin to his bare chest, naked as the day he was born. A small pool of blood had formed beneath him, his mouth and nose oozing dark blood. He tried to move, but couldn't, when he turned his head to his left and right he realized why.
He was pinned to the cold metal wall behind him, arms out stretched, large railroad spikes had been driven through the palms of his hands, his forearms, and biceps. Pain swam through him, not only his arms, but his entire body, like every nerve was sparking off at once, the worst was in the back of his neck. His legs too were nailed to the wall, just as his arms had been, two railroad spikes through each thigh, he guessed they had been driven through bone, but couldn't be sure for the amount of pain he was in. He began surveying his surroundings, gathering information.
He was in a damp, cold room, steel pipes running along the walls all around him, the only source of light being a dimming light on the right side of the room, flickering now and then. A large fan squeaked above as it turned, rusting in it's housing. To his right was a table, with tools on them, pliers, a hammer, knives, scalpels, needles, fish hooks, chains, and even a bone saw. He gave a grim, broken chuckle when he saw them. They held a thin layer of dust on them, meaning whoever had placed them there hadn't used them yet, and meant for him to see them whenever he awoke, in his eyes it was a poor attempt to intimidate him. He looked down at his naked body, as much as he could see of it anyway. His wounds from the fight with the massive NeoSplicer Protector had healed, and judging from the scent of ADAM that radiated from an empty syringe on the tool table, he wagered that whoever had put him up there had healed him. They wanted him alive, he chuckled again. Obviously he was in Reed Wahl's possession now, or at least his faction's, and since he was still alive, it meant Iota, Anna, and the others were most likely alive.
He felt through the bond that he and Iota shared, searching for her, and found her, faintly. She was at least alive, and he knew what general direction she was in, if his hands weren't nailed to the wall, he could've pointed right at her, however far apart they were currently. He jerked, trying to rip himself free from the wall, but all it did was cause him pain again, he didn't move at all. He growled, the pain in his neck radiating to every nerve in his body causing him to growl in rage. Suddenly the door to the room began to unlock, and he saw three figures in the blinding white light that shone from the door. Two men wore ragged gray slacks with black dress shoes, white shirts with black ties, and one wore a matching fedora on his flesh sagging head. The third one sent the Brother into a fit of rage, the balding man wore a black overcoat stained with grease, dirt, and grime, brown slacks and shoes, and a white shirt with a red tie. Some kind of ocular device covered his right eye, and he smiled a broken, disgusting smile. The three men walked closer to him, and the brother pulled his head back weakly, ignoring the searing pain in his neck as he rested his head against the wall behind him, panting.
"Subject zero, two, five... The Big Brother... Omega." Reed Wahl all but hissed the words with barely contained rage and madness. One of the two men with him began whispering maniacally to himself in a fit of madness.
"I assume... You know who I am?" Reed Wahl asked in a low, questioning tone. The Brother simply stared at him, his face a stone mask. He tried to use his plasmids, any and all of them, but when he did a scorching pain shot through him from his neck and his eyes widened slightly as he shook with pain and rage. Plasmids were off of the table.
"It does not matter. Let me introduce you to Simon, and Barkley." He said pleasantly as he gestured to first the man with the fedora, then to the one whispering to himself, barely able to keep his eyes off of the Brother, they were wide and darting, madness and rage filled them.
"They will be your... Attendants." He chuckled madly. Omega's eyes flittered weakly, but inside, he snarled. He only needed one chance, one moment, just to lure Reed Wahl in a little closer. The Brother's tongue licked at one of his sharp K9's behind his lips.
"They are going to help me find your friends, and so are you... They are going to help you remember where they are, and when you tell me. You may go free, you and your... Sisters." He said with a smile, looking like a rat the whole time. Omega wanted to laugh at that statement, laugh at the absurdity of it, if the man expected him to believe any of that, he was far more insane and stupid than Omega already suspected he was. Reed Wahl moved closer, and inside Omega coiled himself, just one moment, that's all he needed, one. single. moment.
"I don't know why the Thinker can't calculate your moves, or follow any of your trails... Probably something to do with that Wretch Charles Porter, the ever present thorn in my side!" He growled angrily as he took a slight step back. Omega saw him start to move away and rolled his glowing eyes to the back of his head, his eyes flitting again as he closed them, his head limp against the wall.
"No, no, NO! That won't do at all Subject Omega! I need you awake!" The insane man yelled. He felt a cold hand on the side of his head, a thumb moved to open his left eyelid, and his trap sprung. The Brother threw his head forward with as much force as he could manage, his forehead contacting a face, the crunch of bone, and the body fell, pain shot through him from his arms, legs, and neck, and he heard a shill scream of panic. When he opened his eyes, blood dripping down his face, none of it his, he saw Reed Wahl stepping back in shock, and the Protector growled with rage. It was Bartley he had struck, the front of his face caved in and broken as he lay twitching at the Brother's feet.
"Simon! Teach this... This... Beast why he should cooperate!" Wahl yelled at the man, and for a moment, the fedora wearing Splicer hesitated, wide eyes looking at the Protector in shock and fear as the Brother growled audibly. The Splicer returned his growl and picked up a heavy chain from the tool table. He pulled his arm back, ready to strike the Brother, when Omega sucked in a deep breath, and let out a howl of deafening proportions, low and inhuman. The deep, demonic screeching howl shook the room and caused Simon to drop the heavy chain to the floor, covering his ears. Reed Wahl immediately doing the same and turned, running from the room, Simon not far behind him. They shut the heavy steel door behind them, and Omega stopped roaring, giving a pained and bloody grin. If they expected him to break, they were sorely underestimating him, and if they expected him to tell them where any of his Sisters were, he would die first.
He listened closely, hearing them faintly just outside the door, arguing. Simon reluctant in his task to pry answers from the 'Monster', that caused Omega to grin a bloody smile once more.
"I don't care how you do it, Simon! Just find a way to get answers from him! I will find Doctor Tenenbaum's group of... upstarts!" He heard Wahl's murmured voice through the door.
"Give me a little while, I'll start working him over soon enough, just gotta find a way to mute that damn noise he makes. I thought my head was gonna explode." Simon said, his voice sounding pained much to Omega's satisfaction.
"Do it quickly! I want their heads!" Wahl yelled, and stomped off somewhere outside.
Omega looked back to his impaled limbs and growled, trying to ignore the burning pain in his neck. Why couldn't he use his plasmids? The question plagued him, but he could deal with that, as long as he felt Iota through their shared bond, as long as he knew she was at least alive. He didn't care what happened to him, as long as she, Anna, and Lizzy were safe, and far, far away from here. He needed to find a way out of here, if he were to die like this it would shame him to no end, Iota, and Anna too. This was no way for a hunter to die, no way for a warrior, a weapon to die, strung up like Prey. He felt rage boiling up inside of him again. He would find a way out of here, and when he did, he would make them pay, he would make them all pay.
Hours passed before Simon finally returned with half a dozen men. They wrapped some kind of metal mask around the lower half of Omega's face, covering his nose, and mouth. It held his mouth shut, and deeply muted his ability to howl. It came at a cost. One more Splicer in a lab coat had his face crushed inward, laying on the floor on his side, another had his throat ripped out, the last small meal Omega wagered he'd have in quite a while, and a third was missing a hand as he lay balled up in the corner squealing and weeping. The others panted and sweated, their ears bleeding as he watched them with piercing yellow eyes, growling angrily all the while.
Simon stood up straight as he breathed heavily, and Omega met his triumphant gaze as he spoke. "Now we can begin properly." The Vermin sneered, his mouth twisting into a grin that never touched his eyes. He picked up the heavy chain from the floor and cackled as he hid the Brother in the head with it, blood seeping from a gash it tore on the side of his forehead, then he hit the Protector in the ribs twice on each side. When he was done he panted even heavier as he stepped back, eager to see the look in the Brother's eyes now that he was bruised and beaten. He growled when he saw the indifference in Omega's eyes, and rage filled him even more when he saw the Protector grin behind his metal mask, a screeching, dark chuckle echoing from his muffled mouth that drove the other Splicers from the room and caused Simon to take an involuntary step back until his hip hit the table that held his torcher tools.
How could he not laugh at the man's feeble attempts to cause him pain? He had received worse beatings from Iota when they trained. Simon raged, screamed as he swung the heavy chain upward into the Brother's chin, causing his head to slam against the wall behind him, immense pain shooting out from his neck into the rest of his body, another hit, and another, and again. Simon screamed a feral cry as he swung the chain into Omega's unprotected groin, that one caused the brother's breath to catch, and he winced, though Simon didn't see it in his fury. He hit him again, and again, but Omega hid the intense pain well, and didn't let it show. Pain was temporary, especially with his advanced regeneration, he would heal given enough time, he just had to let the man tire himself out.
Simon continued to beat the Brother, first with the chain, then a hammer, laughing all the while in the madness infested tone common for Splicers, after an hour or so, he finally tired himself out, just as Omega knew he would. He changed tactics, and pulled the pliers from the table, chuckling darkly. Omega's swollen eyes glared at the man, he hadn't even asked him any questions, clearly beating him for the fun of it, or trying to break him.
The man strode close to the Protector, and knelt down to his feet. He peered up at the Brother and smiled like a child in a toy store as he began tapping each of Omega's toes with the head of the pliers.
"This little piggy went to the market." Tap.
"This little piggy stayed home." Tap.
"This little piggy had roast beef." Tap.
"This little piggy had none." Tap.
"And this little piggy went wee wee wee, all the way home!" Simon growled, gripping the toenail on Omega's big toe, ripping it out. He looked up eagerly, and Omega stared back at him as he exhaled slowly. This sent Simon into another rage. When he finally finished, the Protector had no toenails left, no fingernails either. Blood dripped from cuts and bruises all over Omega's body, from his fingertips and toes as well. Simon seethed with rage and indignation as he got closer to the Brother.
"I will break you, Monster, and after I do, I'll find your Sisters, and that little girl, and I'll make you watch as I break them too." He hissed, and Omega felt his rage burn inside of him, he flexed with all of his might, pulled trying to rip his arms off of the wall so he could tear the man apart. Simon's eyes went wide when he saw Omega's right hand slide ever so slowly toward the head of the spike that held his palm in place.
The man gave a squealing yelp as he ran to the other end of the room, and picked up some kind of metal bat. He returned, and stuck the weapon's tip to Omega's forehead, and lightning coursed through his body. He convulsed as electricity shot through him, seizing his muscles, causing them to spasm. He grunted and growled as his eyes rolled to the back of his head involuntarily, and every thing went black.
As the Brother hung there limp, and unconscious, Simon laughed as he switched the electric prod off.
"Oh I think we're going to be good friends! I always used to break my toys too quickly as a child, I always wanted one that wouldn't break... I can't wait to play with you tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and-" The man whispered to himself as he turned and left the room whispering to himself. Omega's eyes opened weakly and he panted from behind his steel mask. His eyes rolling around the room with blurry vision as he looked for anything that might possibly lead to an escape. His vision finally settled on the large spikes that held him in place, he had to do something about those first, or he was never getting out of here. His vision went blurry again, and his head hung limply to his chest.
He wouldn't learn until later that Simon didn't only want to 'play' with him ever day, but twice a day, and he liked to turn the rooms temperature extremely low or extremely high. Every time Simon came to see him, he was either shivering from the ice cold room, each small shiver launching lightning bolts of pain from his neck into every single nerve in his body, or he sweated profusely, his sweat burning each new cut Simon would open in his skin, and almost suffocating him as he tried to breath from a muffled mouth behind steel. The electric prod became Simon's favorite tool to use, because it was the only one he knew without a doubt caused the most intense pain. Each session the man brought a map on a rolling whiteboard, and asked the Brother if he wanted to point out where Tenenbaum's group was in the City, and each session Omega simply stared at him, and each stare earned him vicious beatings, cuttings, and electrocutions. Minutes turned into hours, hours to days, time itself was meaningless, the only constant was the pain each new session brought, and the pain that remained after.