A Night of Firsts
When Selene had returned to the rafters, and the Protector's safe room above the Trainyard, she had tried at first to only describe everything she had seen on her scouting mission to the Olympus hotel. She told the two sisters about all the Splicers she had seen, neither of which were happy with the what she said, just of the ones she saw was enough to almost send Iota into a frenzied rage, though in truth that didn't take much, especially as of late. Anna had only thought pensively as she listened, but after hearing about the hotel itself, and where the Protectors and humans would be staying, even Anna's eyebrows rose. The youngest Protector had been on board with moving locations to the hotel as soon as she heard about the massive bedrooms, and accompanying beds within. If that wasn't enough to stand her hair on end, the bathroom in Andrew Ryan's suite had certainly done it.
Anna still couldn't move of course, and it had taken three days to convince Iota to even consider changing locations, Selene, Anna, and even Lizzy had all ganged up on her. Iota had spent those three days tending to Anna, and helping her slowly regain her strength, they both had needed to heal and rest. They had a sort of system in place, they all hated the Splicers, so instead of accepting any 'offerings' from the Faithful, such as the baskets of food and water they kept leaving down below in the trainyard, Selene had asked Sigma to gather them supplies as she and Anna slowly ate away at Iota's trepidations and resolve, trying ever harder to convince the sister to relent and change locations. Sigma had seemed happy with the request, and Selene was grateful for his help, he seemed at his best when he had a purpose to fixate on, like most Protectors, and he excelled at his assigned task, even bringing them more food then they needed sometimes.
When they had finally convinced Iota to move, after a further two days of nagging at her and all but begging, they did so at night, when the vast majority of Splicers were asleep, as to not stir up a commotion and cause a horde of devoted Psychopaths to descend upon them in feverish worship. Selene was rather proud of herself at how she and Anna had negotiated with the eldest sister successfully, though it was really them badgering her until she finally snapped and agreed in a fit of annoyed rage. She was also thankful that Iota had only killed three Splicers on their way to the hotel, finding it satisfying that they had died, but glad that their deaths didn't cause any outrage among the Faithful, they saw it as a blessing from one of their 'Queens', the thought still sent Selene's stomach into knots.
Mark and Archer had been crucial in their transfer as well, making sure the Krakens stayed well clear of the Sisters at their posts, to which the soldiers saluted, armored fists to armored chests, and murmured silent prayers as the Protectors and Lizzy entered the hotel. Sergeant Stacker had tried to protest when Archer commanded squad Kraken to only guard the outside of the building, and not let anyone enter, but when Anna commanded it, he snapped to attention and agreed immediately. There could be no questioning one of the Queen's commands. The Protectors were just as awed as the humans had been when they saw the inside of the illustrious hotel, and further awed when they saw their suite. Even Iota gaped beneath her helmet at the grandeur of it all. It was a far cry over the old fire house they had been staying in before and it's musty old barracks, but Iota couldn't help but bite her cheek when she thought about all of the weapons and supplies they had left behind, though she could retrieve those later now that her suit had patched itself. Anna's on the other hand was in shambles, and they would need to find a new one for her, otherwise she would be fighting with no helmet, and most of the front of her suit completely missing thanks to the NeoSplicer Protector's chitinous drill arm. The thought of it raking it's hooked spikes up her front still gave the sister chills.
Two more days had passed without a soul let inside of the hotel before Iota finally felt comfortable enough to remove her suit and bathe properly, though she was on edge while doing so, Anna even assuring her that she would stand watch over Lizzy while she cleaned herself, and reminding her that Sigma had taken up residence in the elevator lobby, and would be warning enough if anything did happen.
Iota soaked in the hot water of the large bathtub, her hand coming up to scratch at her eye lightly as she felt once again for the thousandth time for Omega through their bond. He was still there, he was alive. She gritted her teeth as she stared down into the soapy water at the reflection of her illuminated eyes. Why was he not getting any closer? Where was he? What was he doing? Was he okay? Her eyes darted back and forth as images flared in her mind, images of him making his way to them, fighting Splicers, being hurt, killed. The longer she dwelled on her thoughts and anxiety, the angrier she became at how useless she was. She grinded her teeth loudly before smashing a fist into the water, sending a soapy wave up around her fist. She wanted to find him, needed to find him, to be with him, to touch him, Where was he?
The sister drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them as she buried her face into her legs, focusing on their bond, drawing what little comfort it did offer her. He had been gone for a whole week, and now she felt lost. When she thought of a plan of action, doubts would weigh in, and she would throw the plan away. She wanted so desperately to go search for him, but Anna didn't have a functioning Big Sister suit anymore, and she couldn't leave her and Lizzy here with so many Splicers so close. It was a lose lose situation for her. At first she had waited for her Mate, knowing he was alive meant he would return to them, but now... She couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't returned yet. Each day made the sinking pit in her stomach deeper, made her more and more anxious and ready to search for him, to find him and bring him home.
Home. The word spun in her mind. He was where her home was, wherever he was with her was home. She, and Anna, and Lizzy, wherever they were all together was home, and it didn't feel like home without him. Iota turned to her left when she heard Anna's voice call her through the door, her dark, wet hair clinging to her shoulders as her tired eyes watched the bathroom door open slowly. Anna peeked her head in and gave her a concerned look.
"Sister? I just wanted to make sure you were okay... You've been in here for a while." She stated questioningly. Iota lifted her face from her knees and gave her younger sister a soft smile. The smile was genuine, a loving, soft smile that she only showed to her family, but her eyes told a different story, one of pain, sorrow, and longing.
"Don't worry, Iota. I know he's okay. I'm sure he's on his way to us right now, it's a big city though, he's probably just... having trouble navigating through the districts with everything that's happening." Anna lied. She knew her brother, knew he would make it back to them in no time if he were able to, and she knew Iota knew that as well. She knew him better than anyone alive, which is what worried Anna more than anything. If Omega hadn't come back to them by now, a week later. It meant he couldn't, and the worst part was, it was Anna's fault they couldn't go looking for him.
An idea hatched in her mind at that moment, and her eyes widened as she thought. She turned to leave the room, and waved to Iota as she went, hurriedly saying "I have an idea, sister. When you're done, we'll talk about it." She stated before stopping and smiling at her one more time. "Take your time, relax as much as you can." She said, concern still in her voice. Iota just nodded before continuing to wash herself.
Anna quietly made her way back to the living room area where Selene was playing the piano with Lizzy in the circular windows that half surrounded the instrument. Selene's playing, though a rusty and simple tune played one handedly, was still beautiful, and she was letting Lizzy play along with her. Lizzy's playing was what you could expect from a child, but she was having fun, and that was what mattered more than anything. Now that they had all had baths and fresh clothes, Lizzy wore a fresh white nightgown with her long dark hair hanging down behind her, she looked the picture of a Little Sister now, though she lacked the iconic glowing eyes that her older siblings still had, and the ponytail she usually wore with a bow. Anna was wearing a white silk bathrobe she had found in one of the bedrooms of Andrew Ryan's suite, it hugged her tightly and was shorter than she would have liked, but that was the way it was with human clothing. The few pieces of human clothing she had worn since becoming a Protector had never fit right, and it made her miss her suit more than she thought it would. Selene on the other hand was wearing a white t-shirt and simple loungewear bottoms colored a dark gray, and slippers to match. She had bathed since returning to the hotel days ago, but when Lizzy and Anna had requested she join them in the largest bathtub in the building, she couldn't refuse, especially when she knew Iota would be standing guard just outside.
"Selene! Where is Doctor Tenenbaum? Do you know?" She asked questioningly, and interrupted whatever Selene and Lizzy had been laughing at. The woman thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know, she's either in the common room of our suites, or in the clinic probably, why?" She asked. Anna shook her head and blinked as she thought through her idea again.
"Just an idea I had, I want to ask her about it." She stated. "I can see if I can find her if you want, I know Iota probably wouldn't be happy if you left Lizzy here with only me." Selene stated, and Anna nodded gratefully. "Please! See if she's in the common room of your suites, and if not, please ask Mark to find her and bring her here." Selene nodded and stood up, patting Lizzy on the back as she left, telling the girl she'd be back soon. Lizzy smiled and nodded before returning to picking at the piano keys, listening to each note the keys made, grinning madly at the nonsensical tunes she made.
The one armed woman returned a short time later, Tenenbaum following behind her briskly. When they stopped in the living room of the suite, Tenenbaum shot Anna a questioning look. "Well, what is so important that you needed me?" The older woman asked curiously, and anna's eyes brightened. She shot a glance at the bathroom door down a hallway and moved in closer to the Doctor, speaking lowly.
"Tenenbaum, when's the last time you heard anything from Charles Porter?" She asked, her voice low and soft. When she heard the question, spoken as quietly as it was, she lowered her own volume.
"I have not heard from him in some time. The last time I heard him on the radio he was hiding from Reed Wahl, why?" She asked, her eyebrows coming down. Anna almost laughed with excitement.
"Because he was somehow tracking us using our radios, in our helmets, remember?!" She said with a questioning grin, and the Doctor's eyes widened.
"Maybe..." Anna started and glanced back toward the hallway.
"Maybe he can help us find, brother! If we can get in touch with him that is, I know it's a long shot, but... we have to find him, and not just for Iota, but for me and Lizz too." She whispered, her tone hopeful but full of worry. Tenenbaum put her hand to her chin as her eyes darted back and forth in thought.
"I can try to get him on the radio, but..." She started before grimacing.
"But what?" Selene asked. Tenenbaum glanced over to her and met her gaze.
"If I try to reach out to Mr. Porter, there is as good a chance that Reed Wahl will be able to track us, as Porter is to track Omega, and that is if we are even able to reach him." The woman explained, and Anna sighed, her shoulders slumping as she bit her lip in frustration.
"What if we just... took the radio to a different place and tried it?" Selene asked, and Tenenbaum thought again.
"Or Tokerev, he built that tracker dart thing for us to find the NeoSplicer nest, could he build something to hide us from Reed Wahl while we used the radio?" Anna asked, growing more desperate. That last question actually made the Doctor's eyebrows raise in consideration.
"I will talk to him, maybe there is something we can do." She said, but eyed Anna skeptically, causing the sister to scrunch her eyebrows.
"What? What's that look for?" She asked, and the older woman sighed heavily.
"Anna, you have to understand, we are protected here... at least as well as we can be with Splicers around... but if Omega come back-"
"When... He comes back." Anna stated bluntly, correcting the woman with something close to a snarl. She knew what the Doctor was going to say, she had said it before, but the way she said it always made Anna angry, as if it were better if he didn't come back. Tenenbaum nodded quickly as she accepted the sister's correction.
"When he comes back, and sees us surrounded by Splicers, he will go on a killing spree. Then we will have no Allies, even if they are Splicers." The older woman said. Anna studied her, she made that sound like a bad thing, but it sounded like a positive to her. The Doctor sighed again heavily.
"Anna, you may not like it, but we need them. Especially now that Omega is missing, and you have no suit." Tenenbaum explained, earning a growl from Anna she didn't realize she was making until both women took a step back. When she collected herself she shook her head, but her fists were still clenched from her rising anger. Why wouldn't the stubborn woman just help her find her brother?
"You make it sound like you'd rather have them than brother!" She hissed, and Tenenbaum's face grew harder.
"I never said that and you know it, Anna. I am merely saying that now we have the numbers on our side, and one Protector won't make a difference if-"
"One Protector?! His name's Omega, and he's my brother!" Anna shouted.
"That may be so but is his life worth more than all of ours?! We cannot simply go off recklessly and search for him! If he hasn't come back by now, there is a good possibility he's-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Anna growled lowly as she bared her fangs, her hands gripping the Doctor's sweater at her collar. Both Tenenbaum and Selene were wide eyed, and Lizzy shrunk behind the piano. The older woman was on her tiptoes staring up at the sister who held her when motion caught her eye behind Anna. Iota entered the living room wearing nothing but her skin, drying her hair with a towel. Anna didn't realize it until the taller sister put a firm hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Her head jerked to look over at her, her rage dying instantly. Iota stared at her with tired, expecting eyes, strands of her raven hair covering some of her face as she continued to dry her messy hair. Anna slowly let go of the Doctor and studied her feet, and as soon as she did, Iota gave a quick chirping screech as she snapped her finger at Lizzy, the little girl smiled sweetly and nodded. The girl ran across the plush carpet to hold Iota's hand, and the eldest sister walked her off toward a bedroom. Lizzy held onto her sisters hand but turned her head back and waved. "Good night everyone." She said quietly, still not wanting to get into the middle of whatever was going on. Selene gave Lizzy a smile and waved to her, but Tenenbaum and Anna were both looking anywhere but at each other.
"We have to do something! He's out there... Most likely hurt..." Anna whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You have no idea how hard it is to fight against instincts that scream at you every second of the day, scream at you to abandon humans and find your family..." Anna said bitterly.
"Anna... We'll find him, we will! We just need to figure out how first." Selene said, taking the sister's hand in her own. Tenenbaum gave a thin frown, her guilt overriding the anger she had felt moments ago.
"I will speak to Tokerev, and Archer, and see what can be done." Tenenbaum said, only earning a nod from Anna as she stared at the floor. When the older woman left, Selene smiled and tugged at Anna's arm. "C'mon, let's have a drink and get into a little girl talk, it's been far too long since I've been able to gossip." Selene said, causing Anna to give a wry chuckle as she wiped her eyes.
Despite only having one good arm, Selene was proud of herself for being able to make two glasses of gin for them, she had even managed to not spill any of the ice or alcohol. She brought the two glasses to the coffee table in front of the fireplace and sat them down before darting back to take the bottle with her. When she joined Anna on the couch, both women crossed their legs under them and Selene handed Anna her gin.
"What is this?" She asked, holding it away from her like it had started to grow legs and move. "That my dear girl, is gin, one of the finest things ever created." She explained and took a sip, a small 'Mmm' escaping her mouth as she winced a little and coughed. "It's pretty strong though, so be careful." She told the sister. Anna gave it a skeptical look before holding it closer to try and take a sip. She had to hold her nose when she finally managed to drink some, when she pulled the glass away she looked like she was choking and her face contorted into something alien. Selene began laughing loudly, causing Anna to chuckle through watery eyes.
"Is it supposed to burn and hurt when you drink it?" She winced, and Selene laughed louder. "It is! That means it's working!" She giggled. "What does it do?" The sister asked, and Selene reached over and touched her knee as she balanced the gin glass between her legs on the couch. "It heals broken hearts, raises spirits, and makes you happy." She grinned, causing Anna to chuckle again before she took another large gulp of the clear liquid, again wincing and coughing. She pulled the glass away and began fanning her face with her hand quickly, her eyes watering even more as she repeatedly swallowed hard, trying to rid her mouth of both the burning and the large amount of saliva the drink caused her to produce.
"Oh come on, it's not that bad!" She chastised her jokingly. The Protector chuckled and shook her head. "For you maybe, my sense of smell is leagues better than yours, I could practically taste it the moment you opened the bottle across the room." She chuckled, and Selene joined her.
"Plus this is the first time I've ever drank alcohol." She said taking another large gulp, not wincing as badly this time. "It gets easier to drink after a few sips doesn't it?" She asked. Selene was staring at her in shock.
"Wait, Anna... How old are you?" She asked curiously. The sister had to think for a moment, and began counting on her fingers. "What number is before twenty again?" She asked after a moment causing Selene's eyes to widen. "You're nineteen?!" She asked in surprise. "Yes! Nineteen! That one! I'm that one!" She said excitedly. Selene took another sip and giggled. "Well there's not really any drinking age in Rapture soooo, I won't tell if you won't." She said with a mischievous grin, causing Anna to tilt her head in confusion the way all Protectors did, making them resemble dogs that heard a strange noise in Selene's opinion.
Anna looked around the room before asking "Who are we keeping it secret from?" In a serious whisper, causing Selene to laugh again. "It's just a saying, a joke. On the surface you can't drink in some places until you're twenty one, at least in the United States that is. Some states and even countries are different, but, it's generally twenty one." She said.
"I see." The sister said, a confused look still on her face. "And what happens if you drink under twenty in the united place?" She asked.
"Well sometimes you get arrested by police officers, and you spend a night in jail, sometimes they drive you home." The woman explained.
"Arrested? Police officers? What is a drive? I'm sorry, Selene, but I don't know some of these words." She said scrunching her eyebrows, causing Selene to give her a remorseful smile. "Well, police officers are people on the surface, kind of like Protectors, but they protect everyone, they're supposed to anyway." Selene stated, trying to make it as simple as possible. Anna's eyes went wide as she opened her mouth in amazement "What kind of suits do they wear? Are they good at fighting? How fast are they? Are they Big Daddies or are they Big Sisters?" Anna fired off question after question, her eyes practically sparkling before Selene choked on her alcohol and sat her glass on the table, Anna drinking the rest of hers before doing the same.
"Whoooaaa hold your horses." Selene said, holding her hand up, realizing Anna would have no idea what a horse was, or how to hold one, and the look on the sister's face confirmed that thought.
"Police officers are regular humans like me, Mark, and Joe, just regular people, and they wear normal uniforms too, usually dark blue. They enforce laws, like... Keeping people from fighting, or killing each other." She said, and Anna's excitement died down a little as she gave a 'Tsk' from her tongue. "That sounds boring." Anna said, disappointment clear on her face. Iota returned then, and took a seat on one of the white lounge chairs next to the fireplace that faced the couch both women sat on. She still wore nothing but her skin, and the towel around her neck, but she looked at the bottle of gin and raised an eyebrow.
"Sister! Selene was telling me what the surface is like! Come drink the gin with us!" Anna said, her face a little red as she held her empty gin glass toward her sister.
Iota gave it an appraising look and shook her head lightly. Even doing that, naked as she was, made Selene gape at how beautiful the woman was, she somehow managed to give off an air of regal authority, even in her birthday suit. Anna bit her lip in disappointment at her sister's refusal to drink, and hatched her second idea of the night.
"Come on, sister, Selene says it heals a broken heart, and um... makes you happy!" Anna exclaimed proudly. Iota shook her head again, and Anna bit her lip in slight frustration. "It's fine, I guess she's just too scared to drink, Selene." The sister said, glancing at Iota from the corner of her eye as she refilled her glass with gin. The eldest sister was staring at Anna with a raised eyebrow. When she looked to Selene, the girl wanted to apologize for Anna. The Protector gave a short chirping screech and pointed to the door, causing Selene to scrunch her eyebrows before hastily answering "Yes! The door's locked, and Sigma is still in the lobby at the elevators. He likes to sit there and watch the city from the windows." Selene answered, and Iota studied the rather large bottle of gin for a moment.
"Please, sister? It's my first drink." Anna asked sweetly, laying the puppy dog eyes on as heavily as she could. Iota sighed and it looked like she mouthed a curse, she even did that regally Selene thought.
"Please... It will make us both feel better." Anna said again, both sorrow and worry in her tone, and Iota growled as she gestured to the bottle. Anna began squealing excitedly and clapped her hands before flipping over the back of the couch, launching herself half way to the liquor cabinet to retrieve a glass for her sister. She poured some ice in and brought it over quickly filling it to the brim with the clear alcohol. Iota took at the glass and drank it down with none of the fuss that Anna had, only scrunching her nose and exhaling with a snarl when she finished. That made the younger Protector grin with stars in her eyes. Selene chuckled silently at the sight, it was clear who Anna's superhero was. That was before Anna cheered, and yelled "My sister knows how to drink in style!" and tossed her silk robe aside, not that it hid much in the first place. That had caused Selene to choke on her drink as she laughed, Anna was saying something about the alcohol making the room hotter as well, but Selene didn't most of it for the coughing fit she was sent into. The Protector's lack of modesty always astounded her, but she also felt a little envious, in some ways, they were more free than the humans in their group. Many of the social constructs that dictated the humans behavior, didn't apply to them at all. After refilling all of their glasses, Anna sat back down cross legged on the couch where she was before, this time turning herself so she faced both her sister and Selene.
"What were you saying about the surface, Selene?" Anna asked curiously, and Selene shook her head. "Enough about the surface, it would take way longer than one night to explain everything, and we can worry about that once we get there. I told you I wanted some girl talk, not surface talk." Selene stated, holding her nose in the air. That statement made both Protectors look at each other, then to her, each with a raised eyebrow. Selene's shoulders sunk and her eyes widened.
"Come on you two, girl talk! Things that girls talk about when they're alone together." She explained, and cut Anna off as she began to open her mouth. "Not anything to do with fighting." She pointed at her, and Anna closed her mouth in confusion, Iota too looked confused, and Selene sighed heavily.
"Let's talk about what you guys like, that's not fighting, killing, or protecting Lizzy!" She groaned, rolling her eyes. Anna looked to Iota who shrugged, then back to Selene.
"What else is there to talk about?" She asked, her eyebrows coming down. Selene took in a deep breath before throwing her hand up.
"I don't know, food! Clothes, boys! That sort of thing! What's your favorite food? We'll start there." She asked, Iota simply shrugged, which wasn't surprising, Selene was pretty sure she had seen the eldest sister eat a live rat before like it was a fresh apple, but she turned to Anna who thought about it for a moment. "I like canned sausages! and gin!" She said loudly holding her glass up and giggling. "There you go! Cheers!" Selene exclaimed holding her glass up to Anna, who didn't know what she meant, and simply took a sip of her drink. Selene sighed again and lightly tapped the rim of her glass to Anna's, causing the girl to look at it.
"That's called a toast, you do that when you drink with friends." She explained, and the younger sister grinned.
"A toast." She copied her, tapping her glass to Selene's then standing, balancing herself on the coffee table as she reached over, and clinked her glass against Iota's. She sat back down chuckling, and Selene smiled, even Iota gave a small smile. It was hard to feel depressed when Anna was having so much fun. Her eyes were still distant and tired, but at least she was in the moment, it was a start at least.
"Okay, what are your favorite clothes to wear, aside from your suits I mean, what are your favorite normal clothes to wear?" Selene asked, and this time Iota answered first with a sharp chirp. She stood and gestured from her shoulders to her knees with her hands, drawing the outline of something. Selene watched her for a moment before looking to Anna who was examining her sister as she drank her gin, nodding in agreement. Selene just scratched her head and looked questioningly to the younger sister.
"Oh! She means the dress she wore for brother the night we all had dinner together, and we stole her suit." Anna explained with a proud grin. Iota smiled and nodded as she took another gulp of her own drink and sat back down. "What about you Anna?" Selene asked, trying not to remember the fact that they had lost Vicki, James, Danny, and Craig since that night.
"I don't really know. I like that silk robe I had on, and I guess the gown I wore the night of the dinner." She said shrugging. "I haven't really worn much else, other than the dresses I used to wear when Lizz and I were running from Splicers, but those things were hard to move in most of the time. I always preferred to wear things that are easy to move in, like pants and t-shirts." She answered, earning an approving nod from both of the other women.
"Now to the real meat of girl's night. Have you ever kissed a guy, anna?" Selene asked with a devious grin.
"No." Anna said, disappointing the woman by how matter of fact she said it, she at least wanted the girl to blush a little.
"Well what kind of guys do you like? Are there any you would like to kiss?" She asked instead, and that got the desired reaction. The younger sister's cheeks reddened slightly as she looked away, taking another sip from her gin. Iota noticed the reaction too and leaned in a little with an eyebrow raised curiously.
"Well... I like guys like..." She started to say before putting her hands on her face. When her answer came it was muffled by her hands, and she peeked out through her fingers to see their reactions. Selene rolled her eyes and sighed. "We didn't hear you, Anna, what kind of guys do you like?" She asked again pushing her further.
"I said I like guys like... brother..." She said, again muffled, but this time audible. That made Selene's eyes go wide, until she looked at Iota, who simply smiled knowingly and nodded, drinking more from her glass. Selene had to remind herself that none of them were actually blood related, it made sense really, especially since he was the only one of his kind, and the same as them, and she had to admit the brother was very pleasing to the eyes, in a sort of psychotic, rip your head off kind of way. Selene blinked, now that she actually thought about it... She liked guys like Omega too. Selene quickly downed her glass of gin and refilled it as she blinked away the thought.
"I've thought about kissing him too... a lot actually... ever since... ever since we took a shower together in the fire station... the three of us I mean..." Anna explained lowly, her face as red as the sign on the fire station as she glanced to her sister in a guilty, embarrassed way. Selene glanced at Iota and wondered how she would react, still unsure how exactly relationships between Protectors worked. Iota was the picture of proud understanding though, and that baffled Selene even more. Iota remembered that shower, and it now made sense why Anna had pushed herself against Omega's back when they were all under the rusted showerheads. She hadn't known why Anna had done that at the time, and now it was clear. Selene watched Anna look over to her sister and smile guiltily, which only caused Iota to give a small, broken chuckle as she nodded in understanding.
Selene tried to wrap her head around it all, though knowing Protectors, their relationships were likely as complicated and weird as they themselves were. She couldn't help but pity Omega for that. Thinking about it though, it was only natural that Iota would be so understanding about Anna openly admitting such things about her lover. She had chosen him after all, and in her eyes he was the ideal man, and the ideal Protector, of course Anna would be interested in him. Selene found herself wondering if Iota would even let Anna kiss him though, or if Omega even viewed Anna romantically. She shook her head, and realized she was actually having fun learning all of these new things about them. She had half a mind to write some sort of research paper based solely around the Protectors and their complicated customs and relationships, though if she did that would come much later, after they managed to escape the city, if they were even able to.
"So what do you like about, Omega?" Selene asked with a wide grin, causing Anna's blush to deepen as she took another large drink. She brushed her hair over her ear and smiled as she looked down at her knees. "I like that he's strong, but gentle. I like that he doesn't think twice about putting himself in danger to save any of us, or when he scoops you up in his arms and carries you like you're weightless." She said, then squealed again and rocked back and forth in her seat. Selene laughed, and even Iota gave a soft, entertained, and broken chuckle.
"What do you like about him, Iota?" Selene asked the sister, and she gestured toward Anna as if to agree with her, before she pointed at her face and made a serious, almost angry expression, then pointed to her glowing eyes. Anna giggled and nodded. "I like when he looks serious too, but his eyes turn soft when he looks at you." She agreed, and her elder sister nodded with a sad smile. Selene had to wonder at that, she didn't think she had ever seen a soft expression on the man. Most of the time his eyes looked like they could cut through stone, and his face was just as hard. She had only ever seen the hint of a smile cross his face when he looked at either sister or Lizzy. She shook her head as she blinked, the man could give lessons about stoicism to a rock.
Iota put her arm up, flexing and pointing at the impressive muscle she had in her own right. "I like his muscles too!" Anna squealed again as she laughed, causing Selene to laugh too. "Good Lord, Anna you're both positively smitten with him!" She laughed. Soon however, all three of them grew silent when they remembered that they didn't know where he was right now. Selene saw both Iota and Anna's smiles turn fragile. She knew that look, she knew what they were feeling, and she needed to keep their minds off of him, as much as she hated to.
"Let's play a drinking game!" Selene said suddenly, causing both women to look to her questioningly. "Have either of you ever heard of charades?" She asked, and both sisters looked to each other before shaking their heads. Selene stood up, having to balance herself on the arm of the plush couch, before making her way to the front of the fireplace. "Okay, it's an acting game, even Iota can play it since it doesn't involve talking... much, but we'll come up with some special rules! We'll take turns acting out different people, or objects, or places, and the others have to guess what the actor is describing!" She explained. Anna's face lit up with excitement, but Iota quickly declined, content enough to simply watch the two of them play the game and drink along with them.
"But first, more gin!" Anna said as she threw her arm out, using her telekinesis to pull three new bottles to her, before plucking them out of the air and setting them on the coffee table. She opened one and refilled their glasses, and Iota claimed a full bottle to herself, unscrewing the cap and taking large gulps as she watched Selene explain the rules to her younger sister, silently feeling the bond she and Omega shared, feeling for him, making sure he was still there, still alive.
. . .
"Is it possible, Tokerev? Can you do something like that?" Archer asked. The Russian man thought for a moment before sighing. "I suppose with the right equipment, maybe. I don't know how well it will work though. Perhaps if we reroute the signal through different consoles throughout the city, we could create ghost signals. It is hard to find one particular signal hidden among hundreds or thousands." He replied.
Tenenbaum nodded at the explanation. "Will this endanger, Porter? He must have gone silent for a good reason, would they be able to track him as well?" She asked.
"If he is hiding in Minerva's Den then probably not, not unless they hear him physically that is. You said the place is the hub for all electronic communications for the city so, theoretically he could stay in hiding. I don't know if he will be able to answer, or even receive the message, but it's worth a shot, yes?" He said.
"Hard to find one particular signal when the entire city is putting them out, and one of the two you need to find is right inside your own home." Archer added, earning a nod of agreement from Tokerev.
"What are we talking about?" Mark asked, strolling through the common room as he snacked on a crème filled cake. Everyone looked to him and Tenenbaum was the first to speak. "We are discussing a way to get in touch with Charles Milton Porter, to see if he can help us find Omega." She explained.
"Oooooh that radio guy, yeah, I remember hearing you talk to him a few times." The young man said, his mouth full of food.
"Won't be easy, especially if it backfires and Reed Wahl learns where we are now, assuming he doesn't already know." Joe stated, knocking ash from his lit cigar into an ash trey he was holding.
"I've been talking to General Scorn for the past few days, helping shore up our defenses. I gotta say, the man's a natural leader, and he doesn't seem to show any signs of ADAM sickness, or madness for that matter. The man's as sane as any of us, even if he is built like a brick shit house." Archer stated, his eyebrows rising. "He has scouts out in different districts, and runners to carry messages back and forth. Nothing indicates that Reed Wahl even knows we're alive, let alone where we are." He said.
"How long until that changes though? That rat bastard always seems to find us eventually no matter what we do." Mark stated, eating the last of his cake. That earned grim nods from everyone, Archer and Tokerev especially. It still amazed them that the group had survived for so long with the man dead set on skinning them alive.
"Be that as it may... If Omega is where I dearly hope he is not... it means it is only a matter of time." Tenenbaum said grimly.
"If Reed Wahl or his men have him, there's not a whole lot we can do right now. They'll be trying to pry any kind of answers out of him." Archer stated, clenching his jaw.
"Whoa you don't really think they have him do you? I mean, they couldn't really make him talk could they? It's not like he can talk either." Mark asked, his eyebrows rising in shock, his stomach lurching. Everyone looked to him and both Archer and Tokerev shook their heads.
"If you dig at a man hard enough, for long enough... He will always give answers. You could not imagine what ways men will dream up to rip answers out of someone." Tokerev said. Mark's face took on a disgusted expression.
"I mean, we don't even know if they have him right? He could just be lost out there in the city somewhere, you know?" The younger man said, causing Tenenbaum to nod.
"That is why we still search for him. As I said, I dearly hope we are wrong... but... there are very few reasons he could not return within a week's time." The Doctor explained, and mark suddenly wanted to feel sick.
"I'll talk to General Scorn and Edward in the morning to see what we can do, and how fast we can do it. First we need to find Omega, then we deal with how to get him here without getting us all killed." Archer said, earning nods from everyone.
"We can send scouts out further into the city as well, but the further we send them, the less likely they themselves will return. They will either be eaten by NeoSplicers, killed by other Splicers, or captured or killed by Reed Wahl's men." Tokerev stated. "I will start thinking about what I'll need for a signal masking device." He added as he thought, walking away to his room, mummering to himself.
Archer nodded to Tenenbaum, Joe, and Mark, and headed off to his room as well, followed soon after by Tenenbaum. Joe sighed and sat down on one of the white couches in the common area, setting his ash trey on the arm of the couch. Mark joined him and sat down with a groan, watching the bearded man as he pulled something from his pocket.
"What's that?" Mark asked, and Joe almost jumped, not realizing, or rather forgetting that Mark was still there. He shrugged slightly.
"Some old pictures Tokerev and I found in that toy store in the last district we were in." He explained.
"Pictures of what?" Mark asked, and Joe handed them over to him. The younger man flipped through them. The first picture was of a young couple on the hood of a car, smiling warmly for the camera. The second was a picture of a father and son in front of the Atlantic Express railway before Rapture's fall, the boy grinning wildly at his father as he held his hand, and the third picture was of the couple from the first picture, a little older now, in a hospital with a baby in their arms, both looking exhausted but overjoyed.
"Flip it over." Joe said lowly, nodding to the last picture. Mark did so, and on the back whispered the words "Mary, David, and little Thomas Reynolds, November 6th, 1948." Mark looked confused when he handed them back to Joe. He watched him stare at them with sad eyes.
"I don't get it, Joe. Who are those people?" Mark asked.
"Victims, my boy. Poor souls that never stood a chance in this life." He said quietly.
"Mary apparently died on the surface, and David, the father brought their son Thomas... Tommy... Down here for a better life." He explained showing Mark the photo of David and Thomas in front of the Atlantic Express again. "Tommy developed a brain tumor and died sometime shortly after this photo was taken I'd wager... and then David killed himself, too overcome by the grief of losing both the love of his life and his only child." Joe said, his jaw clenching.
Mark stayed silent as he listened. "Tokerev and I-" Joe started to say before getting choked up on the emotion the memory brought up, collecting himself he continued. "Tokerev and I listened to an audio log we found, bits and pieces of it had been corrupted, but we heard all that from David, we heard all of his grief too... just before the end." He said, wiping at his beard in reflection. Mark sat silent for a time as he stared at the photos with Joe.
"Why keep them? I mean... If you don't know them, and the pictures bring up bad memories." Mark asked, feeling bad for his friend. Joe had become like an older brother to since he and James were best friends, now that James was gone, they really only had each other, and Mark hated seeing Joe in so much pain, not just over the photos, but over James too. Hell his own wounds from losing James had never really healed, he could only imagine how Joe felt.
Taking in a deep, shaking breath, Joe shook his head. "I don't know, man. So many stories like this all over this damn city, but this one in particular really hit me hard. I wanted somebody to remember them... remember that they had lived once." He explained, pulling the scorched golden lighter from his pocket to hold with the photos. "I guess... It's the same with James and Vicki, Danny, and everyone we've ever lost. Somebody has to remember them, or it's like they never existed at all." He said remorsefully.
Mark put a hand on his broad shoulder and gave him a light tap with his fist. "You remember that time James tripped in that alleyway in Pauper's Drop and landed on that sleeping Splicer we all thought was dead?" Mark asked with a wry grin, and Joe gave a deep, mournful laugh. "The half naked guy that chased us with a sex toy for half an hour before we lost him?" Joe asked through his chuckles. "Yeah! And we didn't find out until we stopped running, that James had shit himself the moment the Splicer shot up." He laughed, and Joe joined him, wiping his wet eyes. "Or that time you, James and Vicki fell through the floor of that kitchen and landed in a decade old grease trap?" Joe asked laughing even harder. "God I want to gag just thinking about the smell." Mark shook his head as his nose scrunched. "I never thought you three would smell normal after that, Hell I threw up just trying to pull you guys out." Joe added, laughing again.
. . .
Selene stumbled as she tried to act out a silent impersonation of Tenenbaum, trying to catch herself on the arm of a lounge chair would have paid off, had she not tried to catch herself with her missing limb. Instead of catching herself, she fell right onto her side on the floor, earning a thunderous cackle from Anna, and a broken chuckle from Iota. The woman sat up slowly, red faced and laughing so hard she was crying. Anna was impersonating her now and rolling on the floor with laughter.
"Y-You fell! You fell like-" Anna began and laughed even harder. The room was spinning for her as she lay on her back and panted trying to catch her breath. A tiny voice suddenly spoke into the common room.
"Anna, Big Sister?" Lizzy said quietly. Iota shot the two loud women scornful looks but they didn't see her.
"Lizzyyyyyyy! You look adorable!" Selene slurred out, and Anna put up her arms toward her youngest sister trying to grab at her from across the room. "Lizz I love you! We're okay, we're just drinking and having f-fun!" Anna said just as drunkenly and loudly. Iota moved to her feet and staggered slightly before recovering in an instant and gracefully striding across the living room to pick the girl up, smiling at her and signing to her in the Protector's hand talk that everything was okay. Lizzy giggled sleepily and smiled. "They look funny, Big Sister." She said as she wrapped her arms around Iota's neck, laying her head back on her shoulder. Before carrying her off to bed Iota shot another menacing look to both drunk women and held her finger up to her lips with a silent growl, both of her long K9's showing. Both Anna and Selene put their hands up defensively and looked away from her gaze. Seemingly satisfied with their silence, the eldest sister carried the youngest to bed again, laying down with her and cuddling her again trying to get her to fall back asleep.
"I wanna see Mark!" Selene suddenly blurted out in a slur and began stumbling to her knees, then to her feet.
"Let's go say hi!" Anna agreed, crawling her way to the door on all fours before Selene passed her, then she stood up and staggered after her.
Sigma stood in the elevator lobby of the top floor gazing out the windows to overlook the bright city below, musing over his past, and all they had to do in order to escape the city, when loud laughter caught his ear coming from the observational hallway behind him on the far side of the room. He turned to face the noise, his heavy boots thudding on the marble floor beneath him. At first he wasn't quite sure what he saw, then realized it was Anna and Selene stumbling their way toward him laughing and tripping over each other. He saw Selene fall when they reached the lobby, and Anna scooped her up quickly, almost falling herself.
"You hit me in the face with your boob!" Selene yelled out in laughter, causing Anna to laugh and drop her before picking her back up. Sigma would have asked why Anna was naked but he was fairly sure he might know the reason from how they were acting. Both women were so drunk they could barely stand, and knowing how high a second generation Protector's tolerance for drugs and alcohol were, Anna had likely drank enough to kill a normal person.
As they made it to them, Selene waved and smiled up at him. "Hi Sigma! I missed you! I hope you're okay!" She stated her tone flipping from excitement to see him, happy that she didsee him, and concern for him now that she, in fact, had seen him.
"You're so big Sigma! What does your face look like?" Anna exclaimed and then drunkenly asked, her hands coming up to try and find a latch to remove his helmet before he grabbed her hands and groaned at her. She laughed and pulled her hands away, not that he was trying to forcefully hold her of course.
"Buuaaaaaaaaa!" Anna groaned deeply as she copied the sound he made, followed shortly by Selene, both girls laughing. Anna poked his chest armor and scrunched her face up as she poked her lips out. "You're so big Sigma!" She exclaimed again putting her fists up in a ready fighting stance the Big Daddy was sure Omega would beat her for if he saw it. "Fight me Sigyy, I wanna see how strong you really are." She said as she licked at one of her long K9's playfully. The Big Daddy groaned loudly again and slowly shook his huge helmet at her, causing her to cross her arms under her breasts and pout. "Fine, I'll go fight the Splicers, then!" She said staggering her way over to the elevator. Sigma cut her off and put his hand in front of the call button, and considered how much damage would be done to the building if he tried to carry her back to her room. Before he got the chance to try though, Selene grabbed onto Anna's arm and pulled at her.
"Nooooooooo Anna! We have to go see Mark remember!" Selene moaned at her, causing Anna to giggle, which caused Selene to giggle, which caused Anna to giggle harder. Sigma simply let out a sigh beneath his helmet and watched as the two girls stumbled and tripped their way back to the hallway and toward the Heralds suites. He made sure they were long gone before he returned to the window, letting out a deep bellowing chuckle at the two girls as he went back to his reflections.
Mark and Joe were laughing at old stories when their door slid open, and they suddenly stood up to see who it was.
"Whoa! Naked!" Mark said as he looked to the floor, Joe choosing to look at the ceiling as if they both had seen something move. Both girls were laughing as they fell onto the floor, forgetting that the doors slid open, rather than needing to be pushed.
"Maaaark, babyyyyyy! I missed yoooouuuu!" Selene said, staggering, and Mark groaned.
"I uh... missed you too, Selene... How much have you two had to drink? He asked, still averting his gaze from Anna as much as possible while still trying to look at Selene, which was hard with the naked woman passed out on the floor, one arm draped on top of his girlfriend. Selene pushed Anna off of her when she rose and the Protector stirred, lifting her head before crawling after her friend.
Selene giggled as she stumbled her way to him, falling when she reached him. He caught her in a hug and held her up as she buried her face into him. "I don't know, Anna drank two bottles by herself though!" She said proudly, causing the Protector to growl in triumph as she stood on her knees and flexed her arms above her head. Afterwards she continued crawling her way to Mark and Selene, laughing quietly to herself. When she reached them she climbed her way up him, grabbing handfuls of his clothes to pull herself up, nearly pulling him down in the process, along with his pants, she even managed to rip his shirt sleeve at the shoulder. The sister giggled in a predatory manner that sent a chill down the man's spine as she rose to her full height and looked down on him, clasping both sides of his face in her hands and smooshing his face together. Joe was grinning madly at the sight of his friend being bullied by the two drunk women.
"Maaaaark... You're really handsome" Anna slurred out as she shook his head violently, nearly lifting him off of his feet with her immense strength. Mark though she was going to rip his head off. "You're not as handsome as, Omega... but still handsome." She added in a low tone as she stared at him with her glowing eyes. She stopped mushing his face as her left hand slid slowly to the back of his head, the other sliding down to his jaw, then his chin, gently running her thumb over his lips as he stared at her with wide eyes.
Selene looked up expectantly, curious to see what her friend would do. Anna slowly leaned down toward him, her eyes lidded as she got closer to his face, close enough that he could practically taste the alcohol on her breath. His eyes were wide with horror as he glanced back to Joe, who was laughing behind his hand. Just before Anna kissed him, she whipped his face to the side so hard his neck popped, and for a moment he though she had broken it, then he felt her lips on his cheek.
"Wha-" Was all the man could say before both women and Joe burst into cackling laughter at the prank.
"What the Hell are you thinking?! Get off of me!" He yelled angrily as he tried to push the sister a way, but that just made the women laugh even harder, and it caused Anna to shake his head again with both hands. The shaking didn't help Selene as she held onto Mark, however, and she lurched over, falling to her hands and knees. "I think I'm gonna-" Was all she said before emptying the contents of her stomach onto the floor at their feet. Anna dodged back on instinct, forgetting she was still holding Mark's head, and dragged him down with her as he yelped. He tried to catch himself on the corner of the couch, but all he managed to do was twist the two of them, and Anna spun to land on top of him.
Joe doubled over in laughter as mark screamed from beneath Anna's bosom, flailing as he tried to lift her off of him and also avoid touching her anywhere indecent. Anna giggled as she lifted herself up to peer down at him, his face as red as a tomato. Her hair fell down to frame his face, and she smiled sweetly at him as she leaned down closer to his face. "You really are handsome, aren't you?" She asked quietly, more to herself than to him. She moved to kiss him again, this time for real, and all Mark heard was "Uh oh..." before a hand reached around Anna's face to cover her mouth and nose, holding them firmly shut. The sister's glowing eyes flashed anger as she rolled her eyes back to try and see who had interrupted her. Mark froze when Anna was lifted effortlessly off of him, his eyes wide with more horror as Iota held her younger counterpart to her chest with one arm, the other holding onto Anna's wrist as she struggled, muffled protests coming from her covered mouth.
Iota held an icy look that said she was done with both women acting like fools. Anna's movements started to slow down to a sluggish pace, and after a moment more her illuminated eyes closed and she went limp in her sister's arms. Iota blew some of her messy hair out of her face and hoisted Anna up onto her shoulder before turning to leave. She stopped next to Selene, who was still dry heaving on her knees, clear spittle hanging from her mouth as she spit onto the floor. The eldest Sister sighed again before kneeling down and scooping the woman up under her arm like she were a lost dog, and made for the door.
"Wait Iota. I can take care of Selene, you shouldn't have to deal with both of them." Mark said, earning a raised eyebrow from the sister. She stared for a moment before shrugging and dropping the woman back to the floor.
"Thanks... I guess." He said. "And thanks for getting Anna off of me." He added. That earned an even more judging eye from the sister, as if she were slightly offended that he would want Anna off of him. She nodded though, and they watched both naked women depart. When the door slid closed behind them, Joe let out a breath. "I thought she was gonna kill you when I saw her walk in here with that stone cold look on her face." He said, raising his eyebrows at Mark.
"I was afraid Selene would kill us both." He responded quietly as he watched her throw up again where Iota had dropped her. He grimaced and Joe sighed heavily. "You get her cleaned up and into bed, I'll get a towel." He said with a grimace. Mark nodded his thanks before scooping Selene up into his arms and taking her off to their room.
Iota stomped her way back to their own suite, silently cursing both girls for making complete fools of themselves. This was no way for a Protector to act, and Selene was equally to blame for influencing her in such a way. She would make Anna train extra hard to make up for it tomorrow though, that she was sure of. Just as the sister entered the door to their suite, she felt Anna lurch, and a warm liquid began rolling down the small of her back, down her right butt cheek, and down the back of her leg. She stopped and gave a growling sigh before carrying Anna the rest of the way up the stairs, to the master bedroom, and into the bathroom to clean both of them up. She laid Anna on the floor of the large shower and turned on the water, cleaning herself off first before washing her unconscious sister. Once she had finally cleaned both herself and the unconscious girl and brushed her hair, she carried her to bed and gently worked her under the covers next to Lizzy.
When she pulled the blanket back over her, she heard Anna mumbling in her sleep. She heard the word "Omega..." in a whisper and her eyes saddened again as she brushed her sister's forehead gently before creeping her way silently out of the room. She made her way back down to the living room and grabbed one of the bottles of gin that till had alcohol in it, and sat in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames with her knees tucked to her chest, letting the heat sooth and dry her. She took a few large gulps from the bottle as she stared into the flames, feeling for Omega again through their bond, holding on to that faint spark of him inside of her.
She knew Selene had been trying to keep their minds off of Omega with her strange drinking games and with all of her talking, but all Iota wanted to do was feel Omega through the bond, to know he was alive. She found it more and more difficult to not reach out and search for him, afraid that that faint feeling of him would disappear if she didn't focus on it, or worse, it would disappear and she wouldn't notice, and then he would just suddenly be gone. She felt tears well up in her eyes, and found herself scratching at her eye again, she hadn't even noticed she had been doing it. The pit in her stomach only grew with every day he was missing, and it felt like she would eventually be swallowed up by the sorrow and anxiety. When she realized this was the longest they had ever been apart, her heart ached, and she downed the rest of the gin in the half empty bottle.
. . .
Mark held Selene's hair behind her gently as she heaved into the Toilet of their suite's bathroom. His face was grim but determined. He had been this drunk before, and it never felt good, especially the forceful vomiting. After a good while, when she had finally emptied her stomach of everything she could, she sat back and looked up at him with sickly eyes full of concern, and embarrassment. Mark gave a small sigh as he knelt down and wiped her mouth with a warm towel, smiling at her warmly. When he was done she stared at her lap and spoke softly.
"I'm sorry..." She said, causing Mark's eyebrows to lower. "It's not the first time I've had to take care of someone that drank too much." He replied, and she shook her head ruefully. "I didn-didn't mean to drink so much..." She said. "I know." He replied softly. "I just wanded-wanted to take their minds off of Omga-Omega." She stammered, correcting herself with a foggy mind. Mark smiled at her again and nodded. "I know. I wish you would've told me though, I might have joined you guys." He joked, knowing it was a lie, there was no way he wanted any part of that.
Selene grabbed the ripped sleeve of his shirt and her expression became sorrowful. "I'm sorry... Next time I'll, I will invite you, next time." She said, earning a chuckle from him. "No thank you. That prank you two played on me was enough to know what I would have gone through if I had joined you." He said, shaking his head, still feeling guilty over what happened, even though he certainly wasn't at fault. She nodded before grinning, remembering the prank. "Anna said she'd nev-never kissed anyone before... and we got a lil-little carried away." She gave a small chuckle. He returned the chuckle, though there was little mirth in it, he had been terrified that she would be mad at him. Women were strange creatures sometimes, that's what he thought anyway, especially after all that.
"Anna was right though..." She said as she raised her hand up to his cheek, looking into his eyes. "You are very handsome." She said with a drunken smile, her cheeks turning redder. That earned a genuine chuckle from him. "Why was she naked though? Iota too for that matter." He asked, and she giggled. "You kno-know how they are, they din-didn't have much on when we started drinking, and Anna lost her robe after a few drinks beca-because she was hot." She explained. That caused him to chuckle again. That made more sense than what he had imagined, his thoughts were running wild with all kinds of reasons why they wouldn't have any clothes, and each thought made him wonder if the Protectors were just big partiers, though he knew the answer to that, at least for Iota and Omega. Those two had been turned stone cold by all they had been through both as Gatherers and now Protectors, but Anna still held on to a huge amount of humanity, as bad as it sounded. She had never been a full Protector when they had found her and Lizzy, and her mind remained largely intact for a slew of reasons. The biggest he would wager, was being away from Sofia Lamb, her scientists, and the other Protectors for so long.
"Darling?" Selene asked in a jokingly posh accent, to which Mark asked "Yes my dear?" in an equally posh tone as he grinned. "I think I'm going to vomit once more, could you fetch me some water my dear man?" She asked, and he nodded. "Right away darling, of course." He said as he handed her the warm towel and rose to make his way to the kitchen. When he returned with a large glass of water she was knelt at the toilet again trying to hold her hair back with one hand. He sat the water on the large bathroom counter and moved to help her, though she had mostly finished now. When she saw back he handed her the water and helped her hold it as she drank.
"Guess there's no chance at getting a good night kiss tonight, huh?" She asked looking up at him, and he laughed again. "Only after you brush your teeth." He said, earning a chuckle from her. After she had finished her water he refilled it at the sink and held her by the hips to keep her balanced while she brushed her teeth before carrying her to bed, leaving her water on the nightstand. He still couldn't believe how big the bed was, the biggest one he had ever seen anyway, and the Protectors got even bigger ones in Ryan's old suite. He had often heard Anna complain that all of the beds she slept in were never big enough for her, and she had mentioned to him that the bed the sisters slept in was big enough to let them have their feet on the mattress, which was amazing in her eyes.
Mark helped Selene unclasp her bra, which always gave her trouble now that she had to fumble with it with only one hand. Once he had unhooked it though, she simply threw it unceremoniously to the wall across the loft breathing a sigh of relief as she pulled the blanket up over her. Mark had noticed that about her, she preferred to sleep in her panties, and a t-shirt more than anything, though he himself preferred to sleep without his shirt because he always got hot at night. That was something else she like to do, sleep in his shirts at night, claiming they smelled like him, and were far more comfortable than hers. It always made him smile when he thought about it.
"Will you lay with me?" Selene asked in a low voice as Mark turned the lights off, letting the dim blue glow of the large living room window wash over the loft and bed. "Of course." He replied as he took his shirt off and got under the blankets, letting her cuddle up close to him. "I have a feeling I'm going to be very hungover tomorrow..." She said softly as she nuzzled onto his chest. "Oh that's almost guaranteed. You'll have to get Tenenbaum to give you some cure all tomorrow morning." He responded, lightly kissing her forehead, earning him a contented sigh from her. "That's a problem for tomorrow." She said, yawning and leaning up to kiss him. "Good night." She sighed as she nuzzled back into him. He chuckled as he laid his cheek against her head. "Good night." He whispered.
. . .
Omega wheezed as he inhaled air from behind the steel mask he was forced to wear, blood slowly dripping down his nose and mouth to land on his bare chest. He could barely breathe. Simon had pierced his lung when he stabbed him earlier, and the pain was amplified when he sucked in air. He was sweating, despite being able to see his breath in the air, and he was covered in his own filth. The brother no longer had any physical strength left to even try to escape again. He hadn't been fed in a long time, and he was starting to look gaunt, his regenerative abilities working in overtime while not having the calories he needed to fuel the process had left him vastly diminished in both strength and mental acuity.
He had resigned himself to die here, resigned himself to endure what he must until that time. He would not tell these vermin where his family was. His only hope now was that they would come for him, but each day that hope, like his body, was withering away. Over the course of however long he had been there, what seemed like an eternity now, he had attempted to used his plasmids a thousand times, and each time only rewarded him with overwhelming pain from the back of his neck. He had given up on those attempts on what he believed was the third day, what he thought was the third day anyway. The only thing he had to go on in order to keep track of time was when Simon came to torture him, and that wasn't very reliable because he spent most of his time either unconscious, or visited at random. Simon would vanish and not come back for long periods of time, and he assumed that was when the man was sleeping, though he couldn't say for sure.
"Will you show us where they are?" The disgusting Splicer asked once again as he pointed to the rolling whiteboard that held a large map of the city. He was covered in Omega's own blood, and grinned sadistically. The brother, like always, just stared at him with hate filled eyes. This session had been particularly bad, one of the worst so far. The more time Simon spent trying to break him, the more creative he became with his 'methods'. Along with plucking all of his fingernails and toenails off like ripe fruit from a tree, he beat him, cut him, and poured salt on his wounds. Reed Wahl wanted him whole, but it didn't stop the insane man from slicing thin strips of skin from the brother, only to inject him with a small dose of ADAM so he wouldn't die from shock. It also had the unfortunate side effect of both keeping him alive, and making sure he was mostly healed for their next session.
When their next session did come, he was awakened by Simon throwing a bucket of ice cold water on him, causing him to jerk awake and pain to shoot into him from his neck as he jolted his head back and upright. "Good morning, beautiful!" Simon laughed, earning a growl and a piercing glare from the brother. It was then that he noticed someone new in the room with the vermin. An older woman, far older, was standing behind Simon close to the door with her hands folded behind her back, a stern, cold look on her face. She wasn't a Splicer, not even close, she was untouched by ADAM sickness as far as he could see, and she seemed to be glowering at Simon for dumping the cold water over him. Her cold, aging face was wrought with disapproval, and her stark white hair was held in a neat bun atop her scowling head. She wore a white coat over her brown sweater vest, a white collared shirt and black tie underneath that. She wore a long black skirt down to her ankles where pristine shoes and long white socks sat on her feet. She was dressed sharply, and the brother knew she had to be someone important. She was standing next to some kind of device with a screen on it. The machine was large, but not so large that it couldn't make it through the door to his cell. It sat atop a metal cart with wheels, and thick cables ran from the back of the machine trailing out the door. Switches and knobs lined both sides of the screen, and more cables were coiled on top of the device, leading to some kind of cap made of thin steel bars. Finger sized pylons stuck out from the top of the metal cap, and the brother gave a muffled growl at what he guessed was a new method of torture, and a new torturer to go along with it.
"Simon, you Wretch!" The woman growled at the man, causing him to turn and sneer at her. He began to open his mouth but she cut him off with a sharp tongue and matching tone. "You expect me to work in these conditions?" She asked coldly as she held a handkerchief to her nose and mouth, gesturing to the blood and waste covering the floor of the room.
"What I expect is-" He began to growl at her before she cut him off in an even sharper tone. "And I expect you to provide me with a clean working environment! Which this is not!" She said, stabbing at him with the words. She gave off a very intelligent air, and it was clear Simon didn't like her, nor she him. She gave him no room to answer, let alone protest. "Now go find someone to clean up this mess before we start! Before I tell Mr. Wahl that you are hindering my experiment!" She snapped at him causing him to give a start at her threat. He stalked out of the room glaring at her and mumbling madly to himself as she watched him go.
The second he was out of sight she briskly stepped over to Omega and peered up at him with her cold eyes, he growled loudly from behind his mask and she scoffed in reply. "I'm not here to hurt you, boy, quite the contrary actually." She said, turning to peek at the door again, making sure it was clear. "You haven't told them anything yet, have you?" She asked, her eyebrows lowering sternly. He stared at her for a moment, cold gaze meeting cold gaze. Was this some sort of trick? Some sort of tactic to get information out of him? He glanced at the door, then back to her before shaking his head so slightly, it could have been a shiver from the cold air. She drew her lips tight and nodded curtly. "Good." She said.
"We don't have long, and it might be difficult for you, but you need to trust me, it's the only way you might live through this." She stated, her tone sounding more like hateful barking than anything even resembling trustworthy. She inclined her head, nodding toward the device she had with her across the room. "I've been working on that machine for a long time, it can show pictures and words from someone's mind." She stated, clenching her jaw as she looked toward the door again, and back to him. "No matter how Simon provokes you, no matter what he says, you need to think about anything other than your friends, or where they are. Think of nothing that might lead them to their location, or even give them a clue as to where they might be, do you understand?" She asked, staring unflinchingly into his glowing eyes. He tried to swallow with a dry mouth before giving a small nod. She turned hearing voices approaching, and quickly added in a whisper. "It won't work if you think about one thing constantly, such as your name, or an object." She added before backing up to her original spot, staring at him with that ice cold face. It left him with more questions than answers, but he had no choice but to trust the woman, and hope this wasn't another trap.
Omega hung on the wall, still pinned with the large spikes through his arms and legs as a group of Splicers entered the room followed by Simon, who shouted at the men and women to hurry and get the room clean. They worked as if he were going to whip them if they didn't hurry. As they worked, sometimes their gazes would meet the brother's and they would shutter, quickly averting their eyes before picking up their speed. They didn't want to be in here anymore than he wanted them to be in here. When they finally finished and practically ran from the room, Simon turned to glower at the older woman.
"Well, your majesty? Is it acceptable for you now?" He asked in an acrid tone. She looked him in the eye and tightened her lips. "It will do, peasant." She answered with her own acid filled tone, and for a moment Omega thought Simon would choke her, but he just screamed in anger as he stalked to the other side of the room and leaned against a pipe. "Get a move on! I'm eager for my playtime!" He yelled, sounding like a petulant child more than a man. Omega swore she took her time getting the machine ready just to spite the man. When the device whirred to life, she flipped switches and turned knobs until a green light shone on the corner of the machine. She rolled the device across the now clean floor in front of him, the screen aimed toward the door where she and Simon would stand. She then picked the steel cap of electrical pylons up from the machine and made her way toward him, aiming to put it on his head. Simon grinned eagerly, likely expecting the brother to kill the woman.
When she got closer to him, he noticed a familiar scent on her, though it was mostly drowned out by the scent of his own waste, blood, and the cleaning agents used by the Splicers. She nodded and he glanced to Simon before growling deeply at her. If she was afraid, she didn't show it. She grabbed some of his wet hair in her hand as she forcefully yanked his head down to strap on the steel cap, more pain shooting through him from his neck at the sudden movement. When she backed away quickly he tried to bite at her, despite the metal muzzle, more pain.
"Now then, let us begin." She stated affirmingly, and Simon rolled his eyes, clearly thinking whatever she was doing wouldn't work. She flipped more switches, and slapped the side of the machine before turning to Simon. "Be useful for once and make sure the power cables are plugged in all the way." She ordered him and he growled as he turned to step out of the room.
"Remember, anything but what they want." She whispered in a voice so low only he would be able to hear, even standing close to her. She gave him a quick nod that he returned just as Simon came back into the room. "It's plugged in! Your shitty little machine probably just doesn't work." He grumbled, then laughed madly out of nowhere and she ignored him as a light shone on her face. "There we are, let's begin." She said, her eyes quickly glancing up to Omega, the warning clear in her eyes. The brother emptied his mind and began thinking the same thing over and over again.
Protector designation: 95-24-025 Omega. He repeated in his head over and over again, each time he thought it he heard a beep on the machine, both Simon and the old woman looked up at him, Simon growling, but the woman nodded to him ever so slightly. Simon grew angrier and angrier as the words and numbers repeated on the black screen in a long line of white text.
"Where are your friends?!" He shouted.
Protector designation: 95-24-025 Omega.
"What part of the city are they in?!" The man yelled.
Protector designation: 95-24-025 Omega.
"Bet you miss them don't you?" He asked.
Protector designa- Iota.
"So it does work." Simon grinned at the text on the screen, and the older woman glanced up at the brother, her face grimacing ever so slightly as her lips tightened. Omega quickly shook his head and cleared his mind again, biting his tongue so hard inside of his mouth that it bled.
Protector designation: 95-24-025 Omega.
"Keep an eye on the screen, I have an idea." Simon sneered with an excited grin. "What are you planning to do? The device won't work if you inflict pain on him." She said quickly, trying to hold the insane man at bay. "Shut up, maybe he'll let something slip." He said as he grabbed a knife from the tool table and walked over to the brother. The woman looked to Omega, a sign of worry hinting on her face, as well as... apology? The Protector watched as Simon approached him with a determined and hateful grin, pure insanity in his eyes as he began cutting him, chuckling madly to himself as the brother growled.
"I can't wait to have, what was her name, Iota? On my wall." He said, and Omega's empty mind slipped, picturing Iota in his place, rage filling him. He glanced at the woman as she watched Simon cutting strips of flesh from him, wincing and her mouth tight with anger and disgust, her eyes darted to the screen and she shook her head quickly. Trying to keep him from picturing the woman she saw on the screen in his place.
Protector designation: 95-24-025 Omega.
Protector designation: 95-24-025 Omega.
Protector designation: 95-24-025 Omega.
"I can't wait to play with her, oh the fun we'll have." The deranged man said in a hungry tone. Simon went on to describe in vivid detail all of the things he would do to Iota, how he would play with her in all kinds of ways as she hung there defenseless. Omega's rage burned into an inferno inside of him as he growled.
"Stop this Simon, it isn't working." The woman said, swallowing as she looked at the machine's screen, this time telling the truth. Omega knew she was telling the truth, because he was imagining all of the wonderful ways he would rip the man apart when he got his hands on him. Her face went white as the blood drained from it, not from what Simon was doing to his Captive, but from the images that were firing onto the screen with repeated beeping. She had only winced slightly when she watched Simon start torturing him, but the man was nothing compared to the torment a Protector could imagine up. She hurriedly turned the machine off and covered her mouth with her hand, blinking and swallowing down bile.
"The machine has shut off, Simon." She said, trying to regain her composure. It was the first time Omega had heard any emotion in her voice, fear and disgust in equal measure. Simon turned to shrug at her as he wiped blood from his face. "What did he think of? What did you see?" He growled at her. She glanced at the brother, reluctant to tell the man, but the silence was enough for him to press at her. "What did you see?!" He screamed madly, pointing the bloody knife in her direction. She took in a deep breath and turned toward him, now pulling her composure back on, close to it's original state.
"I saw all the ways he will kill you." She answered finally, and when Simon turned to sneer at the brother, she offered him an apologetic wince.
"You like to see images of me dying, huh?! Let's see how well you picture those sights when I take your eyes!" He screamed in rage, the Protector letting out a rage filled roar of defiance beneath his muzzle at the man in reply. Simon began laughing, an insane cackle as a new idea filled his twisted mind.
"I have a better idea!" He said as he jogged to the open door, almost tripping over the wires of the device in the room. "Nathan, get a camera bot!" He yelled at someone outside of the room. The old crone quickly made her way to him and unstrapped the helmet from his head, whispering "I'm sorry for this, but I can't make them suspicious." She said so quietly even he almost didn't catch it.
When Simon returned she was packing up her device, and a third boil covered man entered the room, a glowing red aura around his head. A security bot flew into the room after them with the same red aura around it and it hovered just behind the two Splicers as they waited for the old woman to finish packing up her machine. She rolled it out the open door and gave him one more concerned wince as the door closed behind her.
"Make sure to film everything, Nathan. I want them to see every detail. If I can't get answers from him, I'll get them to come to us, and then I'll get answers from them." Simon growled with an insane grin. "I'll broadcast this to every radio, television screen, and security monitor across the city, and all we have to do is wait for them to come to us." He laughed, and Nathan joined him. Omega's eyes widened slightly, a sudden pang of anxiety entering his mind. If Iota saw it, nothing in Rapture would be able to keep her from coming here, straight into the trap. The brother shook again, trying to free himself from the spikes that pinned him to the wall with what little strength he had left as Simon made his way to him once more, the security bot's camera carefully watching them.