Disclaimer: I do not own Bioshock.
New Friends
"Talking"
"Thinking
Private Stuart Green was fairly certain he was sitting in a puddle. Considering his boots were soaked through to his socks and his pants clung to his skin, the fact his ass was wet didn't register that high. What did matter was the feeling of iron against his back and the M16 in his hands. Those meant he was safe.
He still couldn't believe what just happened. He and his squad had been crossing a glass tunnel when the damn thing just snapped, breaking apart and separating him from the others. If he hadn't booked it to another door, he would've drowned.
Still, the sensation of the water filling the tunnel, pulling at his legs with increasing strength, it made him savor each breath he took. It also made him wonder something. "How the fuck is this my life now?"
When Stuart joined the Marines, this was not where he thought he'd end up. He had guessed he would be deployed to the Middle East or assigned to a post in the States. Not in a city God only knows how deep in the middle of the ocean. It certainly didn't help that said city was leaking.
Stuart still couldn't believe where he was. He hadn't been the only one who stifled snickers during the briefing. They were going to an underwater city because it had gone dark? It had sounded like the start of a bad joke. The doubts had held when they arrived at the lighthouse in the middle of the ocean.
They vanished when they took the submissible down and saw the city for themselves. Stuart would never forget that sight. He didn't know how it was possible, but the city was there, standing proud. Even the name, Rapture, invoke a sense of achievement. If a city could be built under the ocean and still stand, what else could be achieved?
Yet the outside hid what was happening very well. It seemed more than half of the city was flooded, and the rest was taking on water. If a person wasn't careful, they could get trapped and drown. And that wasn't accounting for the city's occupants.
Stuart hadn't met any of these "Splicers" but he had heard the stories. They were the original occupants of Rapture who had gone mad from a sense of isolation and drugs, becoming distorted. Apparently, even some could climb across walls and hide in the ceiling. That, Stuart called bullshit on.
"And all this, just to find a charity group," he thought to himself. But, as the higher-ups had stressed, the charity group was important. Supposedly founded by the granddaughter of Rapture's founder, a Bethnay Ryan, they had returned to Rapture in order to repair and connect it to the rest of the world. That had been five years ago and only recently did the United Nations lose contact.
Hence, why he and the rest of the rescue group was down here. And why he was currently alone, in an unknown section. That was terrifying.
But he was a Marine and he knew the others wouldn't leave him to die. More than that, he had his walkie. "Base, this is Private Green from Patrol 7," he announced. "Please respond."
The following static felt too long, even though it was only a second or two. "This is Base. Private Green, where's the rest of Patrol 7?" It was Sergeant Mac. That was a relief.
"The tunnel collapsed on us. I think they were able to make it to the exit point, but I was cut off. I was forced to find a different door."
"Do you see any noticeable landmarks?"
He lowered the walkie and scanned the room. Even though the place looked a mess and ruined, the Art Deco stood out. The designs, the architecture, even the lighting, it reminded him of those old movies glamorizing New York during the Roaring Twenties. He could almost imagine what this place looked like back in its heyday.
Yet the present ruined that image. Stuart had yet to find a chair that wasn't missing its stuffing or broken in somewhere. The only table he had found was on its side, with only one leg. And, lest he forget, there was the water. There was a steady stream flowing down the nearby staircase, forming a puddle at the base.
But aside from that, nothing stood out. "Nothing, Base. I'll have to explore further to find something." And that was a scary thought. The rescue group had taken control of Rapture's entry point and had been slowly expanding their reach since. But there was still a lot of the city left unknown to them.
"Understood, Private. Notify us as soon as you find something. We'll look over what information we have to see if we can direct you back to us."
"Copy that, Base." It shouldn't be too hard, right? Still, looking at the wreck of a room before him, slowly filling up with water, made him tighten his grip on his rifle. Thank God it came with a flashlight attachment.
It didn't take him long to find something. The room was part of a larger floor plan, all centered on one room. The first thing Stuart saw as he entered was the central pillar, if it could be called that. It was surrounded by four statues with raised hammers, all waiting to strike. Each of them was pulling chains in the other hand. It might've been an awe-inspiring sight, if it wasn't for the corroded features and barnacles growing over them.
The rest of the area didn't look any better. Stuart saw four levels matching the statues' height. Whatever was on the higher floors, he didn't know and wasn't keen on finding out at the moment. From what he could make out from the signs around him, the first floor was where the shops and stores were. Yet not a single one was clean. In fact, only one still had their windows unbroken.
Still, there was still plenty of advertisement hanging about. Some of it was still readable and two words kept repeating themselves. "Base, this is Private Green. I believe I am currently in Vulcan Tower," he reported. His rifle snapped upwards at a sound. It was small but it definitely sounded like iron being scraped against stone. "And I don't think I'm alone here." He kept alert, looking for threats but seeing now.
"Private, this is Base. We've got a map of Vulcan Tower. There's good news and bad news." That was never good. "The good news is there's a path back to us through that block."
"What's the bad news?" He was already dreading the answer.
"There are three more blocks before you reach the connecting tunnel, and we haven't searched our end yet."
And there it was. "Oh great."
"Keep it together, Private," Sergeant Mac ordered.
"Already doing it, Sarge. I just don't like it." No one in their right mind would.
"We're already getting a squad together to start on our end. Keep moving. You're bound to meet up with them and get extracted."
He breathed a little easier at that. "Understood, Base. I'm on the move." There were only two actual doors on the ground floor. They stood out because of their design, especially with the word "Securis" emblazoned on top. Since he already came through on, it made sense to go through the other.
Getting through the second block turned out to be a little difficult than the first. Where the first block's ground floor had been clear, the second was blocked off by fallen statues. The rubble was too big and too slippery to climb over. The only path he had forward was ascending to the second floor. Hopefully he could circumvent the rubble.
The lack of advertisement around the doors told Stuart what he had originally thought: these were apartments. The walkway ahead wasn't blocked off and he saw the other end had a descending staircase. He did his best to keep his pace even. But he could still hear that damn noise.
It was a constant sound, just tickling against his ear. Every time he looked back, the sound stopped. Each time he checked his surroundings, there was no one there. But he still felt as if he was being watched. Dread coiled through his stomach like a greasy eel. Stuart focused on reaching the stairs. If he got there, he could get out of the block.
Yet that noise followed him, never losing its volume. By the time he reached the stairs, he was doing his best not to run down them. "Thank God," he breathed out when he saw the exit. It was right there before, nothing in his way.
"Leaving so sooooon?"
The voice all but whispered through the air, freezing his spine. It dragged out the last word with loving desire yet sounded so wrong. Stuart checked his surroundings but there was nothing in sight. He inched towards the exit, keeping the block in sight.
"Don't gooooo…"
The noise came closer and got louder, filling Stuart's ears with its sound. A mad giggle started accompanying it. A shadow moved on an upper floor. He aimed his rifle, but the shadow disappeared. Each time he thought he saw it, it vanished fast. And then he saw more than one.
"We'll have fuuuuuuunnnn!"
The door opened and he leapt back without looking. A scream erupted as the door closed, muffling it until it faded away. Stuart stayed in place, on his knee with his rifle at the ready, waiting for something to come through.
But nothing did. It took him a long couple of seconds before he stood back up. A trembling hand reached for the walkie. "Base, this is Green. I am definitely not alone here," he said.
"This is Base. Do you have a visual?"
"No. I only heard them." The dread in his stomach shift only slightly. Had it been one of the Splicers others had been talking it about. "It doesn't seem to be following me. I think it lost interest."
"Keep an eye out. It might be lying in wait."
Unless there was another way out of the block, Stuart didn't know how that was going to happen. "Copy, Base. I'm moving…" He trailed off as he heard something new: humming. "Base, I hear music coming from my intended path. Moving to investigate."
The humming grew louder as he followed it, taking on details in the process. Whoever was humming didn't have a song in mind. They were humming just because it was fun. They were also young.
Stuart got his answer when he entered a small hub and saw who was humming. He pushed up against the wall, keeping out of sight. "Base, this is Green," he whispered. "I've got a contact. It's a little girl."
"This is Base. Say again, Green: did you say girl?"
He peeked out. The girl was still kneeling before a corpse, doing something with a large needle. "Yes, it's a girl."
The radio silence on the other end felt too long for him. "Private Green, this is Sabrina Grandview. Describe the girl."
It was surprising to hear her voice. Ms. Grandview was a civilian attached to the group due to her knowledge of Rapture. He had seen her in passing but they had never talked. "She's young, I'd say about six. She's wearing an old-fashioned dress." Which he personally thought was ridiculous. This was the 90s. Girls could wear pants.
"What about her appearance? Is she carrying anything?"
He took another look. What he saw made him pause. "…Her appearance isn't good," he reported. "Her skin is pale, almost grey. And she's holding a needle."
"Gott im Himmil." Strange. Stuart didn't think Ms. Grandview was German. "Private, listen carefully: if you approach the girl, keep your hands in plain sight and do not appear threatening. Your life will be in danger if you don't do this."
The words sent more than ice down his nerves. "Copy." It was all he could do to say the word.
He hung his rifle over his shoulder, holding it in place by the strap, and stepped out into the hub. The girl turned at his footsteps, looking right at him. The eyes made him stop. No human eyes should be yellow like that, or glowing. With her skin and those eyes, she looked more like a ghoul instead of a girl. The needle she carried was attached to a long glass vial, filled with a bright red liquid.
Her gaze never wavered from him. "Hello," he said, doing his best to smile and show his hands. He walked slowly to her until he was close enough.
"You're not an Angel," she said. Her voice had an odd echoing effect.
"No, I'm not an angel." He knelt down so he could look her in the eye.
"Strange. There're only Angels down here, except for Daddy." She looked him over, trying to understand what he was. "Are you a friend of Daddy?" Even though her appearance was unsettling, she still had the trusting nature of a child.
Stuart shook his head. "No, I don't know your daddy. Is he near?" A low moaning sound echoed through the hub. It would've rattled the windows if it was any louder.
But it made the girl smile, making her look like an actual child. "That's Daddy!" she proclaimed, turning towards the sound.
He didn't know what kind of creature could make that sound. But it looked like he was about to find out. The little girl raced out of the hub and into the next block. Stuart followed, staying close enough to see her. As he walked through the door, he came to a stop. "Holy shit." It was the only thought he had.
A creature stood before them both. He had to call it a creature because no man he knew was that big. It wore an old diving suit but there was no clear visor, just portholes that glowed with a yellow light. The only weapon it had was a drill attached to its right arm. Stuart just knew from a single look that drill would have no trouble tearing through his body. Hell, the other hand looked like it could punch his head clean off.
"Daddy!" the girl cheered as she ran up to it. To Stuart's shock, the creature knelt down and extended his hand to her. She wrapped around it in a hug. It would've been an adorable sight, if it were regular people and they weren't in an underwater city.
The creature looked up and saw Stuart standing. The moaning sound rumbled out from it as it stared. "Uh, hi?" It was the only thing Stuart could think of saying.
The girl danced back towards him. "This is my daddy, Mr. Green," she said. "His name is Mr. Bubbles!" Stuart was stunned. How did she know his name? He hadn't told her.
Another rumble came from the creature, snapping him out of his thoughts. The aforementioned Mr. Bubbles (and boy, was that a name) kept watching Stuart. Him and his rifle. Stuart kept his hands in sight. "No worries, big guy," he said, doing his best to stay calm. "I'm not a threat here. I'm a friend. A friend," he repeated.
"A friend? How nice. And look, a Little Sister! He brought a gift!"
Stuart's eyes snapped upwards at the howls and screams erupted. Shadows moved fast from above, quickly taking human shapes. Their clothes were out of dates, just like their party masks. But what stood out were the hooks in their hands.
"Contact!" he shouted, bringing the rifle to bear and opening fire.
Mr. Bubbles grabbed the girl and pulled her close. His lights turned red as he roared a challenge. The hostiles accepted the roar with glee, leaping into battle with hooks flashing. Stuart remembered his training, firing in short bursts and keeping track of the target. But the hostiles seemed to know when he was shooting and avoided the bullets, mocking him by cartwheeling and flipping away.
It would've been frustrating, and a little terrifying, if they were actually fighting him. But at best, he was a side piece. The main target was Mr. Bubbles. They hounded the creature, darting in to strike and pulling back before they could get hit. Some weren't so lucky and got struck by the drill. It took them a couple seconds to get back up, if they did.
Yet while they were fighting Mr. Bubbles, Stuart also noticed they were leading him away, away from the girl. She screamed in terror when one hostile got close, hook raised and an insane grin stretching across its face.
The grin didn't last. Stuart slammed his shoulder into the hostile, shoved the rifle butt against its face, and finally emptied a short burst into its heart. It fell to the ground dead.
But the problem wasn't gone yet. "Hang on!" Stuart told the girl before grabbing her. Once she was secured against his shoulder, he raced across the block, toward the exit and out of danger. None of the hostiles saw him run. They were too busy fighting Mr. Bubbles.
Once he was sure they were clear, Stuart put the girl back down. "Stay close and cover your ears," he told her as he took a knee. It was a little easier now that he had some distance and none of the hostiles had bothered to chase him. Killing them certainly eased the strain Mr. Bubbles was facing.
When all the hostiles were dead, Mr. Bubbles looked around. It saw them, saw the girl standing close to Stuart, and roared, portholes still glowing red. "Don't tell me he thinks I'm an enemy!" Stuart thought in a near panic. "It's fine, Mr. Bubbles!" he quickly shouted, getting back to his feet. "She's fine. She's safe!" He stepped to the side, letting the girl be seen. Mr. Bubbles went still at the sight, his lights turning back to yellow.
The girl smiled and waved at her protector. "Hi, Mr. B." She looked at the scene, at all the bodies, and clapped her hands. "Looked at all the Angels." It was the cheerful tone that made Stuart feel uneasy. She didn't care that she was looking at a bloodbath. And why did she call the bodies angels?
A rusting squeal grabbed Stuart's attention. A couple of hostiles were atop the nearest statue. Whatever they had done made the statue start to fall, with Mr. Bubbles right in the fall path.
"LOOK OUT!" Stuart screamed. But it was too late. Mr. Bubbles turned just in time to see the statue crash into him. The sound filled the room, clashing against ear in a confusing mess. As it died down, a ringing sound was left in their ears.
The girl didn't care about the sound. She was too busy staring at the rubble. "Mr. B?" she called, her heart breaking in her voice.
She got no answer. But there were shadows moving overhead. Stuart made a decision. "We have to go," he told the girl. "I'll take you somewhere safe." She didn't protest or struggle as he picked her up.
Stuart all but sprinted out of the block. If they were being chased, he wasn't going to check. It was a little awkward juggling the girl, his rifle, and the walkie, but he was to bring the third to his lips. "Base, this is Green. Tell me that rescue party is on the way," he said.
"This is Base. Their last report had them locating the connection to Vulcan Tower. They should be reaching their first block soon."
"Good, because I'm about to reach it with possible hostiles behind me and I've got the girl with me." He could feel the girl giving him a strange look, but he was more focused on talking and running.
The reply took a little time, and it was Ms. Grandview who spoke. "Private Green, did you say you have the girl? What happened to her protector?"
How did she know about Mr. Bubbles? He dismissed the question because it wasn't important. "The hostiles dropped a statue on him. I doubt he was able to survive that. The hostiles seemed keen on getting the girl. I grabbed her to prevent that." The scraping sound echoed behind him, far back in the tunnel. It made him run a little faster.
"Find a vent."
It took him a moment to understand that one. "Say again, Base?"
"Find a vent, Private. Take the girl to a vent. She'll know what to do."
Strange as it might've sounded, Stuart didn't have anything else to go on. The second he ran into the block he started scanning for anything that could be a vent. The fact there was only one statue at the pillar and no rubble for the other three didn't register until later. All that matter was making sure the kid was safe. He was sure that scraping sound was just a minute behind.
The vent was at the back wall. It was the only thing that looked clean, with its bronze coloring all but glowing. It certainly highlighted the Art Deco design in the metal, all leaves and branches. The girl started squirming as they got close, wanting to get down and get into the vent.
Stuart knew there was a quicker method. He grabbed her sides and lifted her up right to the hole. "Go," he told her.
She grabbed the sides and started scurrying in. Stuart turned around, searching for any possible threat. He heard her scramble down the vent until the sounds faded into nothing. A quick glance back showed she was gone. That was good.
But he was still sure the hostiles were coming. And he just realized that he was alone again, in a large room where the shadows practically covered everything. "Just move," he told himself. "Move."
It became a self-repeating mantra as he moved for the door. Each time he heard something, saw something move in the shadows, he told himself to keep moving. If he stopped now, he wouldn't leave.
The door opened just as he reached it. He spun around, expecting hostiles to rushing in.
Instead, he faced rifles like his own and human eyes.
"We found Green," Corporal Lee said into his walkie. "Extracting him now." Two other men stepped inside and guided Stuart through the exit.
He didn't breathe easy until the door was closed, and they were halfway back through the tunnel. "I'm really glad to see you guys," he told the rescue party.
"It's good to see you too, Stu," John, one of his squad mates, said with a smile. "We thought we lost you when the tunnel broke."
"I managed to get out."
"And found a new location for us in the process. Nice going."
Even though it was a congratulatory remark, he heard the slight sarcasm behind it. "Shut up, John. We both know who's responsible for the tunnel breaking in the first place." He gave him his best judging expression. "You just had to sneeze, didn't you?"
It made everyone chuckle and ease the tension, at least a little. Corporal Lee told Stuart that he would have to report to Captain Roebuck about what happened. It was typical by-the-book. He just nodded, glad that he was alive and safe. It could've been him crushed by that statue. While he did regret that Mr. Bubbles (still was a weird name) had died, he was glad the little girl was safe.
A thought struck him as they reached safety: there was a vent just like the one the girl left in at the base.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
Bioshock is one of those series that a person can come back and play again, just for the story. You might know how it ends, what the twists are, but you'll still play it for the feeling of it all.
Case in point, the Little Sisters. Every time I've made the choice to save one of them, I always went with them, making sure they were safe until they were able to climb down into the vent. And I cannot be the only one who does that. Just leaving a little girl to run for a vent alone in the middle of a dead, underwater city? No, you have to make sure they get away safely.
So, this story is my attempt to focus on that feeling. As you've probably already guessed, Bethany Ryan is Jack's daughter. While he might have bad memories and nightmares about Rapture, she would only see the potential and progress it could've had. So, once she had the financials and manpower, she went down and attempted to revive Rapture. She might be doing a good job, but considering this is Rapture, and all the ADAM it holds, that could quickly go down the drain.
The more I think about it, maybe this should be the concept for a potential Bioshock 3. Set it in the 90s, have someone try to revive Rapture only to go dark, and send someone else in to figure out what went wrong. The audio diaries could show how the story went, including the culture clash and the temptation of ADAM. And there would be the possibility of more living NPCs, to give it that sense of new life.
Just a thought.
I'll see you all next chapter!
