A Queen's Decree
Simon had tortured Omega for hours, laughing and recording the whole thing with the man he called Nathan. He had also kept good on his promise to take the brother's eyes. Omega hung limply on the wall, spikes still pinning him in place, his head hanging low with two large shards of glass sticking out of his blind eyes. He had closed them, but it didn't stop Simon from simply stabbing them through his eyelids. Blood oozed from both eyes, as well as all of the cuts and gashes along his body, thin streams of blood streaming down him to paint a visceral work of art beneath him. He was panting and shivering from the pain, and cold. His thoughts were completely centered around his family, hoping, begging that they wouldn't see the video Simon planned on broadcasting throughout the city. Begging them not to come for him, but he knew they would, knew there was no way they wouldn't if they saw it.
Images of his Mate strung up on a wall flashed through his mind, images of her being tortured, and the sounds she made rewarded him with both rage and sorrow. He would die soon, and he wished that he had already, wished Simon would let him die. He reached out through his mind, feeling for his bond with his Mate, she was there, alive, shining dimly somewhere out of reach. He could feel her life. He held onto that one strand of her, asking, pleading for her not to come after him, hoping she could feel him telling her that. He felt nothing from her, only the certainty that she was alive. He wanted her to forget about him, to get Anna and Lizzy out of the city, take them somewhere far away, somewhere safe. The thought of her walking into a trap laid by Simon was the closest thing he could feel to fear, it was more of concern for her, Anna, and Lizzy, a grim understanding that they would try to come for him, and when they did, they would be put into the same situation. The humans came to his mind then, the least of his concerns, and he found himself begging them to do anything they could to stop his family from searching after him. It burned his mind to think about it, but he hoped they would kill his Mate, and Anna before letting them come to him. Death was better than what Simon had waiting for them, death was preferable. If the deranged man captured Iota and Anna, he would do things far worse to them, and that thought too filled him with a rage so hot he quivered.
He coughed violently behind his steel muzzle, still unable to breathe properly, blood dripping from his mouth, down his chin, neck, and chest, all the way to his feet. The pain was overwhelming, and he slipped in and out of consciousness. Simon had poured every ounce of hate into the torture session, trying to make it as grotesque and painful as possible, because he knew anyone that watched it would want to come save him after they saw it, especially another Protector, and his Mate to boot. It was all but assured she would come, and Omega shuttered once more at the thought.
The brother slipped into unconsciousness, his thoughts lingering on his family, and the hatred he felt for the man that was trying to endanger them. He felt shame for being captured so helplessly, and an unending rage for Simon. He awoke sometime later as stiff muscles and soreness shocked his mind into reality. He heard the door slide open, and light footsteps moving toward him, then he felt a hand on his neck, boney fingers checking for a pulse.
"You're still alive, good." He heard the old woman's cold voice say, the slightest hint of concern in her tone. His eyes were still blind from the large glass shards in them, but her voice was unmistakable now that he had heard it. "Can you hear me, boy?" She asked, and he groaned breathlessly with a nod, shocked even to him how he sounded, like the rasp of a failing air conditioning fan.
"I am working on a way to get you out of here... Just hang on a little longer. It will take some time." She said, and he rasped again shaking his head with no remaining strength. He didn't know if she saw it, or even understood. He didn't want out any longer, he wanted to die, wanted her to kill him. He knew Simon would make him watch as he tortured his family, and he knew he wouldn't be able to bare that, that was the only thing that would break him, the only thing that could break him. He didn't put any faith into a human, let alone one that worked with Simon in such a casual manner. He felt pain lance into his right eye, and realized the woman had grabbed the glass shard that was sticking out of his socket. A quick yank pulled the obstacle free as he growled and panted from the pain. The same feeling shot through his left eye and he shook with both adrenaline and rage. She said nothing else, but he felt the warming sensation of a first aid syringe jabbing into his neck before hearing her footsteps quickly rushing out of the room again, he wished she would come back and kill him.
The brother took a deep, wheezing breath when he realized the old woman wasn't coming back to end him. He shook his head weakly before steadying himself mentally. He berated himself for such weakness, wishing he were dead. That was no way for a Protector to think, and it both shocked and horrified him that he had thought such a thing, especially when his family was still alive. He focused on his bond with Iota again, feeling her alive in the dark, sightless world he lived in now that he had been blinded. He focused on Simon, and the rage just the thought of the man induced in him. He felt himself grinning a bloody rictus of a smile as he thought of all the ways he would make the vermin suffer before he allowed him to die. What the man had done to him was nothing compared to what he was going to do to the Splicer. A deep, broken chuckle of excitement and predatory anticipation broke the silence from behind his muzzle as he pictured the gruesome images in his mind. His body was filled with pain and soreness, but his mind was still sharp, still capable of drinking in all the pleasures of both memories and imagination. He had followed this pattern countless times since his initial incarceration, flipping between memories of his family, or nights spent with Iota, and the bloodiest things he had ever thought of in regards to Simon. They were all tools he still wielded, tools he used to stay sane day after day, hour after hour, and minute by minute. He would get out of here, he thought, even if he had to rely on a human for help. Humans were frail things, easily shaken, easily fooled, and easily scared, but they were masters of deception, he knew that all too well. His own 'Mother' had shown him that. She had used him, but even more egregiously, she had used his sisters.
His chest ached at the thought of Iota wandering into the man's trap, but his stomach fluttered when he thought of stopping the man and ending his life slowly, painfully. The brother's Protector instincts screamed at him, commanding him to eliminate the man whenever he thought about him, whenever he was close to him, but where his mind was strong, his body was weak. The man was starving him to keep him docile, he had not eaten in the week since he was captured, and the only thing he had to drink was the blood and sweat that managed to seep into his muzzle, or a few sips of water when Simon woke him up by dumping a bucket of the ice cold liquid on his head.
Another thought often appeared in his mind's eye. The thought of his Mate slaughtering everyone in Minerva's Den to free him. It was entirely possible, at least that's what he wanted to believe. She was the fiercest woman he had ever met, and that included all of the Big Sisters he had hunted with throughout the years. She had been one of the very few that Mother sent to the surface to abduct new Little Sisters, and that was a task only given to the most elite sisters. He himself hadn't even been given the mission, though he knew why. It wasn't a lack of skill on his part, certainly not, it was because he was her attack dog, her enforcer. His memories might be vague and diluted from the breaking of his mental conditioning, but images of strong sisters popped into his mind, their bloodlust and combat prowess second only to Iota's. The thought of her storming into Minerva's Den and seeing what Simon had done to him before she returned her Mate's torture in kind also made his stomach flutter. He planned on being ruthless, cruel, and utterly meticulous with his torture if he ever got his hands on Simon, but if she saw what the man had done to him, she would likely make even the brother's methods of suffering pale in comparison. He found himself grinning his bloody, wry grin when the thought of her filled his mind. She had been the main reason he was sane, the thought of her, the memory of her, and the longing he felt to see her again. He wanted to spit when thought about his earlier musings, about wanting to die, though the muzzle he wore prevented it.
. . .
Selene groaned as she held a wet washcloth over her eyes in bed, her head felt like it was going to explode, and her stomach churned like a laundry dryer. She tried to remember everything that happened the night before, but it was all a slideshow of images and feelings, especially the feeling of being sick to her stomach. Just the thought of throwing up was enough to make her sick now in her hungover state, she rolled over quickly and puked into the trashcan Mark had left for her by the bed.
God, I wonder how Anna is feeling, she drank almost three bottles of gin last night. She thought to herself as she heaved into the trashcan. When she was done, she wiped her mouth with the washcloth and threw it into the bin as well. Where was Mark? What was taking him so long? He had gone out to find Doctor Tenenbaum to see if she had any cure all to spare, and that had been nearly thirty minutes ago. She groaned as she laid her head back down on the fluffy pillow beneath her. Even the silk sheets of the bed did nothing to comfort the pounding thunderstorm inside her skull.
When Mark did finally return with a cup of water in his hand, he held his fist out toward her and she looked quizzically at him before opening her own right underneath his. He dropped two aspirin into her palm and gave her a wry smile. "Doc says no Cure-All since it has trace amounts of ADAM in it, and you aren't wounded enough to warrant that yet, but I brought you some aspirin." He stated, earning a groan from the girl. "Remind me to never drink again, please." She told him and he chuckled, watching her put the pills in her mouth before taking the water and gulping the medicine down along with half the glass. She set the water on the nightstand and sat up with her hand on her forehead still groaning. "My head feels like it's being stepped on by a Big Daddy." she stated squinting her eyes shut. Mark chuckled as he sat down on the bed beside her and rubbed her leg. "That tends to happen when you go overboard and drink half a bottle of gin by yourself." He said, and she glared.
"Have you seen Anna? I hope she's okay, the poor girl must be miserable right now." She stated, shaking her head. "I may have drank almost half a bottle, but she drank three whole bottles." She groaned, and Mark's eyes widened in surprise as he blinked. "You want to go check on her?" Mark asked as his face slowly returned to normal. Selene nodded as she held out her hand for him to help her up out of the large bed. "It's my fault we got so drunk last night, I should probably go see how she is." She groaned, getting out of bed. The two of them left their room, passed the common room and made their way over to the Protector's suite, looking for Anna, Iota, and Lizzy. They made their way to the living room and found that the mess from last night was still there, six empty bottles of gin were scattered around the couches and on the coffee table. There were more than Selene remembered there being, and she wondered if Iota had been the one to drink the others.
"Maybe they're still asleep?" Mark asked curiously, and Selene shook her head worriedly. "Iota should be awake, she hasn't slept since we got here a week ago... I think it's the Splicers, or maybe Omega being missing... or both." She said, frowning. "Iota? Anna?" Mark shouted, listening for a response.
"We're in the kitchen!" They heard Anna's yell echo through the suite. Looking to each other they shrugged before making their way to the kitchen. When they arrived they found Anna sitting at the ornately carved wooden dining table next to a large window with the view of the city beyond. She was drinking black coffee and watching Lizzy play with a Big Daddy doll on the opposite side, kicking her bare feet under the table as she waited on her breakfast, she was wearing her night gown from before, and her long hair was still down. Anna on the other hand was wearing her silk robe from last night, though it was spotted with blood and dirt, along with a few new rips. The younger sister was sporting a dark black eye on the right side of her face, along with a busted lip, and split nose bridge from where it had been broken and reset. Her knuckles were red and dried blood covered the backs of her hands.
"Oh my God are you okay?" Selene asked through her splitting headache as she rushed over and took the sister's hand, causing her eyes to widen in surprise before answering, "Yes?" as she looked at Mark in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, still wondering. "You're covered in bruises and blood, and you probably feel awful from last night, I have a really bad hangover myself." Selene said looking at her black eye. Anna's eyebrows went down and she shook her head. "Sister did this to me this morning when we trained, she was really mad about how we acted last night while we were drunk, but other than that I'm fine... What's a hangover?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the right, and Selene's eyes almost popped out of her head.
"You mean you didn't wake up sick? No headache? Did you even throw up last night or this morning?" She asked. "I didn't throw up last night when we were drinking, why? Should I have? Did I not do it right? Is that why you smell like puke?" The sister asked, and Mark laughed at the look on Selene's face. The young woman threw her hand up and groaned. "Of course, why would a Protector get a hangover! It's not like they don't have crazy fast healing or anything!" Selene exclaimed in a rant as Mark rubbed her back soothingly. Anna grinned at her and arched an eyebrow. "Wait, you mean you woke up feeling sick?" She asked. "Yes! I threw up all night last night and this morning! I feel like I let Sigma walk all over me before dancing on my head!" She explained as Anna chuckled, Lizzy as well when she pictured the sight. "That's what happens when you drink as much as we did last night, well that's what happens for humans anyway. I don't think I'll be drinking again anytime soon." She stated shaking her head. That earned a regretful look from the sister. "Aw, I was hoping we could drink again tonight." She said, and for a moment both Mark and Selene thought she was joking until she shrugged. "Definitely not, I drank way too much last night, and you probably drank enough to kill a normal person. A Protector's metabolism is crazy. I don't know how you're even standing right now." Selene told the girl, and she just grinned and shrugged again.
"I don't know what to tell you, our bodies are better." She said nonchalantly. She didn't even mean it as an insult, just a truth that everyone understood, but it still hit Selene in the gut to hear, even if it were true, especially with how she felt at the moment. They heard clattering coming from the door to the kitchen area and turned to see Iota exit the windowed door, kicking it open as she carried two plates out, one balanced on each hand. She was wearing her suit, minus her helmet, and she looked at the two humans with a blank, judging stare before carrying the two plates to the table, chirping at Lizzy and nodding for her to move her dolls out of the way so she could set the plate down. When she did they saw that she had fixed Lizzy a plate of canned meat, cooked with the sister's incinerate, smoking and sizzling as the smell wafted through the room. She also had canned fruits and vegetables on the side. Lizzy's face lit up at the sight and smell, though she eyed the vegetables cautiously. The plate she sat down for Anna was a different story all together. It was stacked high with canned meat and fish all dumped together on top of each other and the smell made Selene dart off toward the trashcan with a curse. Mark had to explain why she had run off, and how even the smell of certain foods could make you sick when you were hungover, causing Anna to burst into laughter as she began eating with her hands, shoveling the food into her mouth. Lizzy had joined her, first eating the canned fruit Iota had put on her plate, then the cooked meat.
By the time Selene had returned both Anna and Lizzy had finished eating, though Lizzy poked at the green beans on her plate that caused Iota to snap her fingers demandingly as she pointed to the vegetables. The girl groaned as she began eating them, which earned her an approving smile from her eldest sister. It always gave Selene a warm feeling to see the sister act motherly to both Lizzy as well as Anna. It was probably the only thing that had kept her from running off to find Omega, and she was willing to bet anything on that. Anna's suit had been ruined beyond repair, and Iota wouldn't let her out of the hotel, or out of her sight for that matter, despite being more than capable enough to handle herself, but experience had taught Iota, and now she tried to impart caution on her younger sister wherever possible. A Protector's suit was their lifeline, their main means of protection, and their most important tool. Without it they were forced to travel like a human through the city, which meant far more danger than simply swimming or walking outside the city to a destination. Both Omega and Iota's prototype suits could repair themselves given a long enough period of time, the nano-fiber stitching reconnecting itself slowly, though it had it's drawbacks it was far superior to the old insulated suits other Big Sisters had needed to wear.
"Oh, Anna. Archer said he talked to General Scorn, and they sent salvage teams out to try and find a replacement suit for you. It sounded like they made it their top priority, even over food and medical supplies." Mark told the sister, and Anna's eyes widened. "I hope the vermin can manage to find one that fits." She said, spitting the word 'vermin' out like a bitter taste on her tongue.
"Archer also wanted to have a meeting with everyone, to talk about some things, I think he wanted to get your opinion on the NeoSplicers and an idea he had regarding the Faithful." He told her and her eyebrows sank, any mention of the 'Faithful' made bile rise in her throat, and just the mention of them brought a deep growl from Iota's. "I'll give my opinion on the NeoSplicers, but the... Faithful... Are your problem." She stated, spitting the word out with clear disdain. Selene held the look of contempt as well, and Mark nodded. He couldn't blame any of them, he didn't like them any more than them, but he had worked with Splicers before with Joe, James, and Vicki, and as much as they disgusted him, or as much as he hated them, he could see the value in Archer's plan.
"Well, whenever you're ready, I think they're meeting in the common room in our suites if you want to come over. Anna gave a hesitant nod as she stood, looking to Iota as she was tying Lizzy's long hair into a neat ponytail with a white bow. "Sister, may I?" She asked, and Iota glared at her, then to Mark and Selene. She eyed them with daggers for a moment, watching them shrink and shuffle uneasily, before shrugging bitterly. It was clear she had no intentions of helping them with the Faithful, she felt they were vermin like Anna did, less than vermin even, and she killed them with cold brutality any chance she got just for getting near her. Mark knew if the sister had the choice, she would kill every Splicer in the district, if she didn't feel so compelled to protect Anna now that she had no suit, and she had to be on even higher alert for Lizzy's safety for the same reason. The sister was wound up tighter than a spring now that Omega was missing and it was up to her to watch after both of them alone. Sure Anna was a formidable Protector in her own right, a full Big Sister now, but it didn't keep Iota from wanting to protect her, nothing would ever change that, but without her suit, she would be far less combat effective, and far less armored. Iota would not, could not risk either of them being hurt or killed.
. . .
In the common room of the Heralds suites, Archer had gathered everyone and they talked amongst themselves as Mark, Selene, and Anna entered. They greeted everyone before they took up free spaces around the room. Tenenbaum, Joe, and Tokerev sat on one couch. Mark, Selene, and Anna on another as Archer paced with his hand on his chin in front of the large fireplace, everyone watching him, waiting.
"I've been talking to General Scorn a lot over this past week. The man runs a tight operation aside from a few fallbacks, mostly due to ADAM sickness in the Faithful." He said, and Anna, Joe, and Selene sneered at the words, everyone else simply nodded. "He's got scouts deeper out in the city looking for Omega, and a replacement suit for Anna, as well as gathering supplies that they need to keep the place operational, like food, and medicine. You may not think it with how we've been treated so far, but everyone not wearing armor and carrying a weapon is basically starving." He explained.
"There's also the matter of Reed Wahl finding this place, and us, as well as the NeoSplicers and wherever their Hive is." He added.
"Why don't we just send the Faithful into Minerva's Den? Why wait? Surely we could storm in there and overwhelm them with numbers, right?" Mark asked, gesturing with his hand. That caused Tenenbaum to purse her lips and shake her head thoughtfully as Archer looked to her. "It is not so simple, Mark. Minerva's Den is a fortress. Even at the height of her power, with all of the Big Sisters and the vast majority of the population under her control Sofia Lamb only had an uneasy truce with Reed Wahl at best. Not even she dared to try and take that place. Not only because it was very well defended, but because any damage to the computing systems there could damage the rest of the city." She explained, adding "If Rapture were a living body, then Minerva's Den is the brain, and any significant damage could result in entire parts of that body dying as a result."
"Well if that's the case we could send the Faithful into the tunnels to exterminate the NeoSplicers." Joe added, and this time both Archer and Tokerev shook their heads.
"That would be like spitting into a tidal wave hoping to stop it." Tokerev said. "We need to stop them at the source, whatever that is. Throwing bodies at them won't do anything but give them more ADAM." He stated. Joe sighed heavily as he lit a cigar with his scorched lighter taking a few puffs before continuing. "So we're caught between a rock and a hard place then. Reed Wahl and Minerva's Den up top, and NeoSplicers below, fantastic." Joe stated with a tired grunt.
"Not only that... There's also Edward." Archer added, causing everyone to look to him.
"Edward is getting antsy, and the majority of the Faithful won't move toward any one goal unless their 'Queens' command them to, even if they look at us as Prophets they won't move their soldiers to attack either Reed Wahl or the NeoSplicers." He explained, and Anna's face grew angrier.
"Just tell them we told you to do whatever it is you want." Anna said, disgust in her voice. Archer shook his head again, "Believe me I've tried, Anna. They're so fervent in their worship of you siblings that the only thing that will convince them at this point is you telling them directly, they won't move otherwise, they're afraid if they do and you Queens aren't with them when they do, you'll be vulnerable, or their 'King' will return and they'll miss it." He explained, earning an angry scoff from her.
"Anna you may not like it at all, none of us do really, but you're the only Protector that can speak, and you're the only one they'll listen to. If you walk out that door right now and say jump, they'll jump until their bodies give out without question or complaint. We need you to command the Faithful, and we need them to stop both Reed Wahl and the NeoSplicers." Archer stated, but she snarled at his tone and explanation as she jumped to her feet, her silk robe swaying as she stood.
"Why me, huh? Why us? Why is it always our responsibility to help you?" She asked, rage painting her features. Archer clenched his jaw somewhere between anger and fear. "It became your responsibility when you became a Protector! It became your responsibility when you all made that nightmare trap for them and didn't make sure they were all dead! You created this situation!" He yelled back at her, and she stomped to him, looming over him. Everyone watched with wide eyes as she growled at him, and they had to give the man credit, he was sweating, but he didn't back down.
"If we're blaming each other now let's take it back further, yeah?! It's her fault we're all here in this situation." She pointed at Tenenbaum, and the woman took on a sorrowful look as she stared at the floor, guilt eating at her especially now that Anna was pointing her past mistakes out. Archer opened his mouth but was silenced when Anna grabbed his shirt in an iron grip.
"Let's go back further, how about that?! It's your fault we're all here, human! It was human greed that built this place, and it was human greed that destroyed it! Don't you fucking dare try to tell me it's our fault we're in this situation, when everything we've been through is because of weak, pathetic, human ambition!" She growled as Archer stared up at her with wide eyes, his breath catching in his lungs. Everyone averted their gazes, everyone but Selene. The woman stood with a determined expression as she made her way to the two arguing.
"Anna..." She said softly, placing her arm on the sister's wrist gently. The Protector was still baring her fangs at the man in her grasp, but her eyes darted to Selene.
"I know we've been through this before, I know how you feel, but fighting each other won't help anyone. We need to work together on this. We have to stick together on this." Selene said, and Anna took on both hurt and anger in her expression.
"Stick together?" The sister scoffed angrily. "Stick together? That's not what you said when my sister and I wanted to go look for Omega. None of you said that when you all but begged us to stay here with you, to coddle you!" She said bitterly.
"It's always, We need to stick together. We need you here. We're at risk if you go off on your own." She said, almost spitting the words out like venom.
"Why is it our family that never hears those words?! We put ourselves in constant danger for all of you! But when it's one of us lost, hurt, or in danger you're simply content to sit around and do fucking nothing about it!" She boomed, pushing Archer away from her so hard he fell down. She rounded on all of them, looking past Selene, her glowing eyes filled with anger.
"I'm tired of this! I'm tired of you all using us like we're expendable tools! My brother and sister might not care because they're used to being used as weapons by Lamb, and now you, but I care! I'm sick of it! You all say things like, stick together, we need each other, and we're all in this together, but then you continue to use us like we belong to you! Then this worm has the fucking audacity to tell me it's our fault we're all in this situation!" Anna yelled, pointing to Archer on the floor as she shook with rage, she clenched her fists at her sides, panting. No one dared say anything in protest, not at the height of her anger. Even Archer sat there on the floor, stunned.
"I want my brother back! I want my family back together!" She said, more and more sorrow and worry seeping into her tone as her eyes began glistening with unshed tears. "It's been a week and all you can give me are excuses and hollow words!" She said lowly, her voice cracking from both anger and sorrow mixed. A long silence fell on the room as her words rang through everyone's heads. She was right, they were using the Protectors. They all told themselves that it was out of necessity, and that was true, but it pained them to think about regardless of if they had to, or even wanted to for that matter. The cold hard truth was, she was right.
"Anna..." Selene spoke softly again, swallowing hard as she tried to collect herself. The sister had been the picture of pure innocence last night while they were laughing and drinking like any two friends would, and now she was shivering with fear of the woman, and all it took to set her off was one argument. She was wound far tighter than any of them thought, and part of that was their fault, it showed now.
"We do need you, all of you. You may not think of us as family... but you're like a sister to me. We aren't trying to use you. We're relying on you, on all of you, and we only do that because you're all reliable, and strong, and brave. You keep us held together when things are at their worst, all of you do, and have for a long time now. We're all extremely grateful for everything you do for us." She told her squeezing the sister's arm to emphasize the feelings she was trying to get her to understand.
"We want to find Omega as much as you do, not because we want to use him, but because we care about him, and you. We see how much him not being here hurts you and Iota, and poor Lizzy." She said softly as she peered up at the sister. Everyone nodded together as they turned to look at her with sympathetic eyes. Selene had thought she had been able to cheer the sister up last night, but now she knew that even that was a mask. All of the laughter and smiling she had put on her face the night before were as hollow as any words of sympathy she could offer the woman. Pain was eating at her as surely as it was Iota, especially since they couldn't go looking for him.
"You want to get Omega back, so do we. We're willing to do anything to make that happen... Are you?" Archer spoke from the floor as he rose to his feet. Anna scowled at him bitterly. "Of course I am!" She spat, and he unconsciously jumped before continuing. "Then you have to talk to the Faithful, all of them, and command them to move their asses towards that goal." He explained, causing Anna's eyes to flick back and forth as she stared at the ground in thought.
"I don't like that idea, and neither will sister. Omega especially won't like it when he finds out." Anna stated grimly, earning nods from everyone in the room. They knew that all too well. They were walking a tight rope, trying to hold their group together, find Omega, and balance the Faithful with the animosity of the Protectors, all while not knowing when the next attack from Reed Wahl or the NeoSplicers would come. It was enough to make most of the group want to pull their hair out of their heads.
After a considerable amount of time in thought, Anna sighed heavily as everyone looked to her expectantly. "Fine! I'll tell the vermin what to do!" The sister threw her hands up before crossing her arms beneath her breasts and huffing her head to one side. "Just tell me what I need to say, you're all better at improvising stupid fucking plans than I'll ever be." She growled, earning her relieved smiles from most of the group, aside from Joe and Selene who just nodded, and Tenenbaum who sat there pensively as she thought. Neither Joe or Selene like the plan any more than Anna did, but they understood the necessity of it, and they understood the necessity to act as a group, rather than individually, especially when surrounded by Splicers. The sisters were acting as a group too, but separately due to their hatred and lack of trust for the humans or Splicers, and the division in the two groups meant neither one could make progress at the moment.
Archer pulled two pieces of folded paper from his pocket and held them out to her with a grateful smile. She stared at them for a moment before scrunching her eyebrows at the man. "I can't read, remember?" She stated in a rough tone and he sighed as he put the speech he had written her back in his pocket. He spent the last hour of the meeting trying to explain to her exactly what she needed to say and do, and even how to act, and she fought him every step of the way causing him to pinch the bridge of his nose or massage his temples no less than seven times. "I had something made for you, Anna, in the hopes that you would agree to do this." Archer had said to her before moving to drag a large wooden crate across the floor toward her.
"It's not a Big Sister suit, but, we need you to look the part, and this armor should offer just as much protection, if not better. You can wear this until we find you a replacement for the one you lost." He stated popping the trunk open. Anna peered inside skeptically and her mouth hung open. Archer just grinned proudly to himself. "I had it commissioned the day after we arrived here, and General Scorn put his best people on it.
Anna pulled her robe off and tossed it to the ground as she began pulling the suit on, and attaching armor pieces with the help of Archer and Mark. When she finished, she looked the picture of royalty and death. Ornate black armor with a gold trim fit her in the same style as the Faithful's soldiers. Armored boots with spiked toes led to armored knee guards with a long razor sharp blade running up each shin to meet studded knee guards, spiked and bladed thigh plates met a short skirt of thick steel armor that draped down around her hips and butt, leaving her front open for mobility. Her groin guard was attached to the body suit just below the utility belt from her suit, painted black and adorned with golden studs that held her equipment pouches. On her stomach was a smaller steel plate that led up to just under her breast plate, formed and fitted for a woman's chest, ornate designs in gold patterned both places. Her collar guard came up just below her chin, but jutted out enough so she could duck her chin down into it for extra protection. Her helmet was the most ornate piece. It covered her entire head fitting tight with pads on the inside to absorb shock. vertical curving lines were cut in the helm where her illuminated eyes were, offering her limited yet acceptable range of sight. Smaller blades fit the side where her ears were, spreading upward in the shape of small wings on both sides of her head. The helmet even had an opening in the back she could let her long hair down from to drape along her back almost to her waist. She didn't relish the idea of leaving her hair out during a fight, it meant someone could grab hold of it and use it against her, but if she wanted to she could just as easily put her hair up in a ponytail or bun and hide it under the helmet.
Her shoulder guards were bulky and covered with sharp blades, but surprisingly didn't hinder her movement in any way, the golden pattern matched her breastplate as it swirled and snaked down her arms. Her bicep armor was was thick and all encompassing as it led down to meet spiked elbow guards. Gilded forearm plates led down to carefully crafted and forged gloves with short thick spikes on each knuckle, smaller plates even covering her fingers, interlocking when she relaxed her hand, and spreading out when she made a fist. Even the fingertips were sharpened into ornate nails with razor sharp edges. Her back guard was much the same, with interlocking plates on both sides of her shoulder blades that ran down the length of her back with designs. Bladed edges speared out from her back giving her the appearance of small wings that moved with her back when she flexed and turned in different ways to test the mobility. The most impressive part of her new suit though, was the modified harvester along her right arm. Her harvesting needle had been lost in the last battle, but this one, this one made her happy, even if it was created by Splicers. A long, thick blade sat perched against the back of her forearm plates attached with a spring mechanism, the tip of the blade revealed a narrow hole that ran up the length of the blade's back with a medical tube leading to a tank on her back right side for ADAM storage. When she clenched her fist and motioned like she normally would to extend her harvesting needle, the blade launched forward and out, extending her reach with the menacing looking blade even further. It was razor sharp with the same ornate pattern drilled into the sides, the blade itself leading up to a serrated section that started at the bottom of her fist when fully extended, and leading half way up her forearm. She gave a dark purr of approval as she inspected the weapon, eager to test it on flesh and bone.
"We also had these made, just in case you needed them." Archer stated retrieving four short spears from the chest, each one almost as tall as a man. Anna inspected the spears and nodded, she wasn't used to fighting with these kinds of weapons, but they would do. She hooked them onto her back in the designed slots for easy access, and they stuck up over her head on her back in a fan of spear tips between the small bladed wings on her shoulder blades.
"Well, how do I look?" She asked in a low tone as she spread her arms wide. Everyone nodded approvingly and voiced their opinions.
"Now you look like a Queen of death!" Mark said with a grin.
"You look as regal as you do deadly." Selene smiled.
"I wouldn't want to fight you, especially now." That from Joe.
"You look like you could take the entire NeoSplicer horde by yourself." Tokerev stated giving her a thumbs up.
"It does have drawbacks though. No doubt you feel how much heavier it is than your old suit, but the Splicers wouldn't listen when I told them you would prefer mobility over armor. They insisted on keeping you as protected as possible, and it's not air-tight, meaning you can't go outside the city with it, but until we find you a new Big Sister suit, it'll have to do." Archer explained, earning a nod from the sister. She felt butterflies in her stomach, and was surprised at how excited she was to have a suit of armor again, even if it was a little bulky and heavy for her liking. It was still a thing of art, and she had to hand it to the vermin, it was as comfortable as it was dangerous.
"When you're ready, I'll call the Faithful to gather at their military fortress. They've had to execute a lot of people already that snapped from insanity already, but I think seeing you will solve a lot of that, help them focus their madness into something we can use to our benefit." Archer explained. She didn't like the idea of giving any kind of speech to the filth outside, but if that's what she had to do to get Omega back, then that's what she would do.
She had left then to show Iota her new suit, and when she first appeared she thought her sister was going to attack her until her scent reached her. Iota pulled out of her defensive stance with Lizzy behind her and strode skeptically to the woman in the heavy regal armor. The eldest sister sneered at the armor with disdain, but Anna had told her it was better than nothing, and she reluctantly agreed. When she told her of her plan to command the Faithful, however, it had almost come to blows, with Iota even trying to smack some sense into her. Anna bit her lip however, and managed to keep her temper in check this time, mainly because she agreed with Iota on the issue. She had managed to finally convince Iota, tell her really, that she was going to do it whether she liked it or not, and that she needed to in order for them to get Omega back to them.
Iota finally gave a reluctant nod, though her face could have cut through stone with how hard it had become. She made it clear that she wouldn't have any part in it, and picked Lizzy up to leave Anna and go take care of the girl. Anna gave a heavy sigh at her sister's disapproval, but steeled herself and her resolve for what was to come.
. . .
Archer stood overlooking the large crowd of Faithful inside the training courtyard of their military fortress. He was on the command tower that held General Scorn's office flanked by Kraken honor guard. Mark, and Tokerev stood further back, the only other Heralds that had wanted to come see the display of authority. General Scorn stood with his hands clasped behind his back, feather plumed helm staring down at his soldiers and the other Faithful below. He had ordered his crimson clad soldiers to space themselves throughout the crowd in order to deal with anyone that might snap from insanity. More of the crimson armored soldiers lined the outside of the courtyard with their weapons in hand. Above them more soldiers stood on the surrounding buildings behind sandbags, evenly spaced to keep over watch on the crowd as well as the surrounding area just in case they were attacked, though who would be stupid enough to try he couldn't say.
A microphone stood between both Archer and General Scorn, awaiting the words of one of their Queens. The crowd bellow buzzed with eager anticipation, everyone gathering for such a momentous occasion. They would finally hear the words of one of their holy Gods, and the excited hum of the crowd was nearly loud enough to drown out Mark and Tokerev as they spoke to one another. Archer nodded as the last of the Faithful trickled into the courtyard and took up positions in the back, everyone peering up expectantly to the command tower. Archer nodded and turned to face Mark and Tokerev, nodding to them. Mark jumped to his feet and strode back to the open doorway on the rooftop and a moment later, Anna in all her regal glory slowly strode from the opening. Her helmet was on, and her hands were folded in front of her as she walked, back straight and chin high, just like Archer had asked her to do.
When she reached the microphone and stopped, every voice in the crowd erupted into thunderous roars of faith and devotion, some even wept at the sight of her. If only they could see how hard she was sneering at them in disgust. After a few moments of roaring applause and cheering, the sister slowly held up one hand, waving it over the massive crowd below, and as it passed over them, they went silent, deathly silent, some even dropping to their knees and praying there on the spot. That made bile rise in her throat. She placed her hand back with the other one in front of her, just like a real Queen, and waited, letting the anticipation rise before speaking in a soft, dangerous tone.
"Kneel." She said lowly, a tone of absolute authority in her voice as it rang out from speakers around the courtyard. Instantly the entire crowd knelt. The soldiers joined them, holding bladed weapons point down on the concrete as they bowed their helmeted heads, even General Scorn did as commanded, along with the Krakens that guarded the command tower both above and below. Anna watched as a Spider Splicer in the crowd began laughing and yelling madly for her attention, but before he could make anymore of a commotion, a crimson clad soldier rose and beheaded the man with his sword before turning, saluting with his fist to his chest armor, and kneeling next to the bleeding corpse.
Anna composed herself, resisting the pounding of her heart, and the screaming of her Protector instincts telling her to slaughter all of them without mercy. It took effort, she had to grip her hands together so hard it made her muscles ache. Looking down on the kneeling crowd, even though she had commanded it, made her stomach twist, filling her with both rage and disgust.
"You will serve, and obey." She said firmly, more of a statement of fact rather than a command. The crowed listened silently, many of them fervently bowing their heads. Edward was foremost in the crowd, at it's head he knelt in worship, bowing repeatedly as he raised his hands up toward her with star stricken eyes and a mad expression of rapture on his face.
"You will bleed in the name of the Trinity... You will die in the name of your Queens." She said lowly, darkly, the authority in her voice unquestionable. Two more Splicers had to be executed for breaking the silence.
"We are surrounded on all sides by the faithless, and hordes of beasts that seek to devour us." She stated, choosing her words very carefully, and hating every one that left her mouth.
"We will slaughter them." She added.
"We will tear them out of this city root and stem, and crush them under heel."
"We will prepare for our King's return. We will search for him. We will build our strength, and we will prepare for the final battle against our foes." She stated, and the crowd moaned in reverence.
"Follow the words of our Heralds as if their commands were our own." She stated, pausing to let her words sink in.
"You will obey without question. You will serve without failure." She added firmly, leaving no room for doubt or interpretation. She glanced down at the kneeling priest in black and red and snarled audibly. She hadn't meant to, but the sound echoed over the courtyard throwing the Faithful masses into even deeper bows of worship. The sister clenched her jaw at the sight, feeling the ever present need to throw up, she shook with rage though her voice remained calm and regal. She turned sharply and stomped back to the open doorway she had come from, growling with displeasure, cursing Archer and his plan. She would leave the rest to him, she didn't want to look at the vermin anymore. Mark and Tokerev followed her through the building, circled on all sides by Kraken honor guard. and when they exited the back of the building the Krakens forcefully beat back a mob of the Faithful that had hoped to catch a glimpse of one of their Queens. She strode through the small mob as they reached for her, only to be met with force by the honor guard that surrounded her. Armored fists and blades met the crowd, either beating Splicers back, or cutting them down where they stood. Mark and Tokerev were sweating as the armored Krakens moved in tighter around them on all sides, but Anna strode through the chaos like the Queen she was. They couldn't see how hard she was breathing, how dangerously she was growling, her eyes fixated on the guarded doors of the Olympus hotel, fighting with every fiber to not slaughter the Splicers around her, the honor guard included. She clutched her hands so tight she felt her fingers pop, and thought she might have broken one or two of them. She hadn't even been able to outright tell the Splicers that her brother was captured and being held in Minerva's Den, Archer had stated it would just make things much worse. He said they needed careful and controlled direction, and that he would handle that after her decree to follow the Herald's words as they would hers, but she hated it.
When they finally reached the doors to the hotel, Bear and Miles moved forward to beat the crowd back, mercilessly killing those who followed them with the other Krakens. Sergeant Stacker barked orders at his men as Anna entered the hotel, more Krakens running out to push the crowd back with deadly efficiency. Anna could still hear Archer's words echoing from the command tower as he rallied the Splicers, ordering them to search for Omega, their 'King', as well as supplies, weapons, ammo, and other things. was growling desperately as she tried to hold her Protector instincts at bay. When she felt Mark's hand on her arm she jumped and almost took a swing at him until she noticed who had touched her.
"We're almost there." He told her with a level voice, and she continued on, clenching her jaw so hard one of her teeth cracked, panting like a feral animal with sweat on her body and saliva leaking from her mouth to trail down her chin. The three of them entered the elevator, and the last few Kraken honor guard turned behind them to block the doors before returning to the front of the hotel where they helped battle the growing size of the mob.
Inside the elevator Anna shook with rage, with disgust, with hatred. Both Tokerev and mark stayed silent for fear of making her anger worse, and glanced at each other with worried expressions. If Anna were effected like this by the Splicers, they were suddenly terrified at the thought of Iota and Omega's reactions if they were ever caught in her position. She had told them that their 'King' would return, and made it sound like something to be hopeful for, but seeing the state she was in now, it wasn't something to be hopeful for at all. It was something to fear.
When the elevator reached the top floor it dinged as the doors opened, and Sigma met them with a silent gaze as the echoes of the crowd below reached them faintly. He had equipped his heavy Gatling gun, ready to defend the suites to the death, but Mark explained hurriedly what had happened, and telling him to be on guard for intruders before catching up with Anna as they made their way to the common room of the Herald's suites. Tokerev and Mark following her long strides, nearly jogging to keep up with the armored sister's pace.
The doors to the common room slid open and Tenenbaum, Selene, and Joe stood instantly as she stormed in, Mark and Tokerev hot on her heels. They could hear her growling loudly, and stood with shocked expressions, wondering what she would do. They had heard the speech, the entire district had through radios and speakers connected to the command tower, they had heard the rage in her voice, despite how carefully she had tried to hide it. The sister removed her ornate helmet and threw it at the wall that held the fireplace, the heavy piece of armor embedding itself in the wall where it created a hole.
They shrunk at the sight of her face, rage filled and snarling madly.
"Damn Archer and his plan!" She roared.
"Damn him and his Faithful vermin!" She screamed with white hot rage in her glowing eyes. The sister threw her fist out, slamming it into the wall next to her helmet creating another hole as the concrete beneath the white plaster cracked and broke. Her fists were clenched as she paced back and forth in the common room like a Predator, stomping her heavily armored boots on the soft carpet.
"You did good, Anna. You were perfect." Selene told her softly as she approached the sister. Mark grabbed her arm and held her from moving any closer. Even he feared what the sister might do in that state.
"Beasts... Worms!... Maggots!" She growled madly as her insults shot out like daggers. Her arms unconsciously erupted into flames as if to mirror her rage, and Mark pulled Selene back away from her so hard she almost fell over.
"Anna you have to calm down! You'll burn the hotel down!" Selene pleaded, causing the sister to examine her arms. She quickly extinguished the flames she didn't even realize had engulfed her limbs, and took deep, calming breaths. They were more like snarls but she was beginning to calm down, it was a slow process, but she finally managed to stop growling. After half an hour of silent, seething rage, she was able to bring her breathing into check, and no longer panted, merely breathed deeply through her nose and exhaling shakily from her mouth.
"Selene is right, Anna. You did very well. Now Archer can direct the Splicers to largescale operations and planning." Tenenbaum said as she watched the sister closely.
"This will help us find your brother." She added when the sister's hate filled eyes fell on her, taking an involuntary step back.
"Good news on that front I think. I have built a prototype device that should let me splice in to every monitor and screen across Rapture from the command tower." Tokerev added with a nod, and one of his sly grins. Anna looked at him too with sharp eyes, and he held his grin, though he too took an involuntary step backwards, still sweating from earlier.
"Can we use it to find my brother?" Anna sneered.
"I think so ,yes. I will need to test it on the district first, but once I do that, we will at least be able to broadcast throughout the city. Though I don't know if he will hear us, it is at least worth a try, yes?" He stated, earning him a nod from the seething woman.
"It was not so easy to make you know? I did not sleep last night while I worked away." He added, trying anything to add conversation rather than rage to the air of the room.
"That's good!" Mark said hurriedly, also hoping conversation would help the seething sister calm down, squeezing Selene's arm as his eyebrows and eyes rose in signal.
"Yeah! Now we can let Omega know that we're here, and that we're all okay and ready for him to come home!" The one armed woman explained. Anna seemed to calm more at that than anything else, just the mention of her brother's name eased her mind, especially the prospect that they might be able to find him and let him know they were okay. She knew that would be his priority no matter where he was in the city, it always was and always would be.
"How soon can you test this device of yours?" Anna asked, her hard eyes looking to the Russian man among them. He scratched the back of his neck and thought for a moment before answering.
"I can do it tomorrow after that crowd disperses, I can-"
"You will do it today." Anna demanded, and he jumped as he nodded unconsciously. The humans all shared worried glances, but knew better than to disagree with whatever she said in the moment.
"Yes, yes. I can do it today." He replied, mumbling something under his breath about sleep and a sore neck. Selene smiled sweetly at her friend, despite the anger boiling inside of her. In the silence that followed, they head the intercom speakers of the common room spark to life, and an unfamiliar voice echo throughout the suites.
"Iotaaaaaa." The voice sang enticingly, mad joy and amusement filling the man's tone.
"I have something to show you." The man said as he gave a hideous laugh, like all the keys of a piano pressed hard in random unison. Anna's eyes went wide as she looked around the room for the source of the voice, everyone's heads darting everywhere at the mention of Iota's name. The large television screen above the fireplace sparked to life, and the human's eyes went wide with horror when they realized what they were seeing. Anna turned to follow their gazes, and her blood froze in her veins at the sight.
There was her brother, the man who had protected her and her family countless times, the man who had stolen her heart and filled her waking thoughts, crucified against a wall with spikes to hold him in place. He was naked, blood running down his body to drip on the floor, cuts, bruises, and gashes dotting his skin so numerous you could barely see his flesh. He wore a steel mask to muzzle him. His glowing eyes were fierce, full of hate and defiance, but also pain, suffering, shame, and regret. Anna dropped to her knees, her hands covering her mouth as she held her breath, tears pouring from her illuminated eyes as she shook with worry.
"I want you to listen very carefully Iota. I want you to bring me Doctor Tenenbaum, alive." He said as he laughed, pointing a blood soaked knife toward the brother, his black and white image grinning a gap toothed rotten smile at the camera as the brother shook with rage, trying to pry himself off of the spikes with all his might.
"I want you to bring me Doctor Tenenbaum, and I might let this... thing live long enough to say goodbye." He stated, followed by a chorus of insane laughter. They heard Iota's pained wail from across the hallway as the man jammed two large pieces of glass into the brother's eyes. He growled and roared beneath the steel muzzle, shaking with pain and rage. Anna wept openly as she shook from the horror, her eyes frozen on the image her mind didn't want to believe.
"No... No!" She cried, shaking her head in disbelief.
She was still staring in horror at the television as it turned off, the screen going black as she held her hands to her mouth and sobbed. She didn't hear the door to the common room open, she didn't hear the terrified screaming that followed, or the enraged screeching of her sister, nor did she hear the thudding sound of bodies hitting the floor. It was all distant noise to her now, a buzz of something that didn't concern her. She stared at the television screen in silent horror, the images of Omega's bloody and beaten form hanging there as clear as day even now that the screen was black. She heard a horrible yet familiar ringing in her ears, all consuming, so loud it threatened to drown her mind. She felt herself sinking as flashes of the images she had seen on the screen appeared across her vision in rapid flashes, the ringing in her ears becoming a deafening siren that drowned out the world.