Shadows from ages past
The dark, battle scarred hallways of Rapture are enough to damper any sane individual's mood, but there was no sanity left in the depths of the once marvelous city. The once sane populace was now corrupt from ADAM exposure, with nothing left but shattered memories, broken deformed bodies, and contorted thoughts.
As Omega walked down main street he couldn't help but notice how destructive years of battle could be. Damaged walkways, dilapidated store structures, and makeshift barricades were all that remained. It was quiet, calm, as if a storm had past. The Brother took a moment to observe the view, the only sound being that of a leaking pipe slowly dripping into a small puddle on the ground. It was a sound he was all too familiar with, in every corner of Rapture one thing stayed the same, the fact that it was falling apart. He was roused from his peace when he heard the incoherent ramblings of a nearby splicer walking into the large area, another constant. The footfalls grew loud in his ears, amplified by his advanced senses, and the total silence of the area, now disturbed by another. The Protector snapped his head in the direction of the intruder before gazing upward at the surrounding shop buildings.
When the splicer exited the tunnel leading into the area he continued his dwellings. Unaware he was being watched from atop one of the tall worn down store buildings. The splicer was blissfully ignorant to the danger that eyed him from afar. Omega sat perched two stories up on top of an old electronics store, simply watching the deranged man pick his way through numerous trash bins. The man was horribly disfigured, he wore an old pinstriped suit with various rips and tears. It was obvious he had seen his fair share of combat from the numerous blood stains he had collected on his shirt and pants, he held his weapon in an experienced fashion causing the Brother to look down and his Harvesting Needle. He too had seen his fair share of fighting and death, his Harvester being his weapon of choice. The armored Protector couldn't help but wonder if this Splicer had what it took to end his life... though he doubted it very seriously.
The splicer was wielding an old wrench that he used to bash open several of the trash containers that had become too rusted to simply open. The clangs and bangs echoing through the silent streets, causing Omega to grit his teeth with annoyance. The Man had boyles and tumor-like growths popping out of his skin, and his face was no better off. The man had almost no nose at all, instead sporting two nose holes where it had once been, and his lips had receded upwards to reveal most of his missing, yellow, jagged teeth.
The man resembled a rat in Omega's opinion. Unaware he was being stalked by a hungry cat, and Omega quite enjoyed the thrill of a hunt. Especially if the reward was ADAM. The protector stood up before popping his neck side to side. He was going to enjoy this, it had been a while since he had come across a lone Enemy, but killing an unsuspecting prey was no fun. The apex Predator loved to stretch his legs by chasing his victims, often leaving one Splicer in a group alive just so he could have the thrill of a hunt. He stood there a moment with a slight smile on his face as he thought. Oh yes he would most definitely enjoy this, and his hunting call would be an effective way to start the chase.
Said Splicer was trying to pry open another trash bin when suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard something, a deep, drawn out, howl-like screech. It was immense, coming from all directions at once causing him to cover his hears and shut his eyes with pain. The man froze dead in his tracks, contemplating the dreadful noise. True terror gripping the his very being.
This was a sound that heeded no chance for mercy, a menacingly horror laced screech that seemed to resonate from the dead city itself. The Splicer's vision was burdened with haziness, and his whole body was trembling as fear seemed to posses his limbs. All he could do was stand there trying to contain the contents of his bladder.
When he heard a rather loud thud from behind him. He shut his eyes again and slowly began to turn around, afraid of what exactly he might find. Clenching the rusted wrench with both hands to his chest he managed to force a single eyelid open. The Splicer could almost see the dread wash away as he noticed there was nothing there. A figment of his imagination, or from hallucination he wasn't entirely sure, either way, he didn't seem to be in any real danger at all. He chalked it up to ADAM sickness and sighed heavily.
Deciding he had had enough of the eerie place he turned to leave, when he came face to face with two red glowing slits attached to a black helmet. Now nearly five inches away from the armor clad figure, the Splicer was instantly hit with a wave of terror. His whole body screamed at him to run as fast and as far away as humanly possible. The dark figure in question just stared at the man before giving a VERY audible growl. When it stood to it's full height, towering over the Splicer, he no longer needed Fear's convincing, with all his might the Splicer shot off in the opposite direction. His instincts screaming at him to escape, to flee, to do anything in his power to get away from the Monster.
So he ran as fast as his blemished legs would take him. The protector was hot in pursuit, jumping up onto the buildings and statues that littered the streets. Every now and then the black armored Monster would lunge close to the Man, slashing or stabbing at him with the massive needle on it's arm. Each time he had barely managed to escape certain death, a few of the attacks grazing him, or cutting his clothing just above the skin. After about five minutes the Creature seemed to back off, and the Splicer ducked away in a barely lit alleyway, praying the evil creature had lost his trail.
Omega on the other hand relished in the fact that the man thought he was safe. The Splicer had failed to realize the dark figure looking down on him. He had never truly missed the Man with his attacks, he simply wanted to test his reflexes, and as far as Splicers went, he was actually pretty good. He could have killed him anytime he wanted in the chase, but it was far more entertaining to make them think they might have a chance to survive. Omega knelt on the rooftop ledge as he stared down on his trembling Prey, grabbing onto some pipes he slowly crawled his way down the wall savoring the scent of fear the man was giving off.
By the time the man noticed something was wrong it was already to late. He felt a sharp pain from his chest making it hard to breath. He thought he was having a heart attack, but upon closer inspection he realized there was a four foot syringe protruding from his torso. As the Splicer fell to the ground he tried desperately to flee, crawling his way to the center of the street. He felt immense pain throughout his body and Death's icy fingers reaching for him. Omega walked up to the now quivering form. Placing his steel-toed boot under the man's left side he rolled him over with his right foot.
Now lying on his back in a pool of his own blood the Splicer could only stare in horror as the Creature's syringe lowered ever so slowly to his stomach. It was clear that whatever the hell this thing was, it was enjoying his suffering. The creature tilted it's head slightly to the right as he inserted his weapon into the Man's stomach.
With a labored scream the Man was pulled off of the ground and hoisted into the air, effectively impaling him on the sharp utensil, his bloody screams filling the air. The rugged Splicer's last thoughts before slipping out of this world were filled with fear, regret, and sorrow.
Omega started draining the ADAM from the now lifeless corpse, fully satisfied with his now over hunt. When the Protector had finished his harvesting his attention was brought to another pressing matter. The fact that he hadn't eaten in a bit was clear, when his stomach made a growling sound. Protector's needed large quantities of food in order to sustain the amount of strength it took to slaughter entire groups of genetically enhanced Psychopaths, luckily, he never had much trouble finding food, or taking it from others.
Deciding to search for something to eat, the armored Predator placed a hand on the neck of the lifeless corpse still hanging on the end of his weapon. He pulled the syringe on his right arm out of the Man's body and stared at the now dead Splicer, warm blood dripping off of the end of his weapon, and down the Man's coat from the wound.
The only thing that came to mind was the one golden rule of Rapture. Kill or be killed, if you wanted to survive in the dystopia, you couldn't show mercy. Mercy required compation and compation meant weakness, there was no room for weakness in the Protector. In a city where the strong consumed the weak, he was the strongest now, and he consumed whatever, and whoever he liked.
Dropping the lifeless form of the Splicer, Omega felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, his Protector instincts telling him there was a threat nearby. He surveyed his surroundings with the ever present feeling he was being watched, scanning the blackened windows of the surrounding buildings, as well as the rooftops. His watchful eyes intent of finding another Enemy, if there even were one. He pressed a button on the side of his helmet next to the radio system and heard the hiss of the oxygen intake vents on his helmet open. It was what allowed Gen II Protectors to refill their Oxygen without a conventional system that took too much time. It also allowed them to pick up scents in the air with their advanced sense of smell, though the halls of Rapture often reeked too much to actually smell anything. He smelled the air through the open oxygen ports on top of his helmet but couldn't pick up any scents aside from the City's usual rotting smell, a mix of saltwater and mildew, oxidized metal, and recycled air. After a few moments he found nothing and quickly shrugged off the thought that someone or something would have the audacity to stalk him like Prey, and began his search for something edible.
After walking for a while and gathering random things to eat, Subject Omega found himself in front of a demolished convenience store. The left window had all but collapsed from damage the structure had received in a fight, but he figured it might be a good place to look, though he knew it was most likely empty judging from the amount of damage it had sustained over the years. He walked into the broken building through a window and began searching for food, lifting a large stone pillar and pushing it aside in order to clear an isle for his search.
A bag of chips, canned meat, and a single large can of sardines were the only things left on the empty fallen shelves. He finished his search and took stock of his findings, it would be a decent meal for now. The Protector didn't relish the thought of eating on the ground, it meant he would be vulnerable and he didn't like being vulnerable. Most Protectors felt the same way, at least they did, before Delta had killed them all. They were created as the deadliest weapons Rapture had ever seen, and as such, they didn't like the idea of someone, or something, getting the jump on them as they sat down to eat. They were the ones who got the jump on their Prey, never the other way around if they could help it.
Gathering his findings Omega exited the old building and spotted a rather large hole in the second story of an apartment building across the street. In a puff of red rose petals and smoke, he then appeared in the crater of the wall. It was a good spot for rest, The door to the room had been blocked by fallen concrete from the other side. This meant that only a spider, or Houdini Splicer could reach him, and they were few and far in between. The room held a single empty bed with relatively clean sheets and an empty dresser. To the right, against the wall, was a small table with a chair. From the angle of the chair you could easily see the door-sized hole in the wall leading to the street.
It would be a good place to eat, and Omega couldn't help but feel somewhat lucky he had happened upon the small hiding place. As the Brother sat down in the chair it gave a small squeak from the weight now placed on it. The protector laid his acquired meal on the table and began undoing the latches on his helmet, eager to satisfy his growling stomach.
With an all too familiar pop and the hiss of air escaping the pressurized chamber, he placed his helmet on the table to his left and began to consume the air tight food he had found earlier. After his meal Omega decided not to let the relatively clean bed go to waste, and even Protectors needed sleep once in a while.
Going for weeks on end without sleep had it's disadvantages, and even Apex Predators needed rest now and then, besides, it would be a waste not to use the large, and quite possibly only clean bed left in the fallen utopia. After moving one of the large dressers in front of the exposed hole of the exit, and placing a mini-turret in the corner, he readied himself for his slumber. Removing his cage and oxygen tanks were always nice, he felt lighter as the weight on his shoulders was eliminated. It was the closest thing he could get to comfortable, he placed his belongings against the wall to the left of the bed next to the closest wall.
Lying down on the mattress Omega placed his helmet on the nightstand knocking off the broken alarm clock and lamp, they crashed to the floor uncared for by someone who had no need for such items. As the large protector lay on his back his thoughts became more clouded as he flipped from one thing to another in his mind, tossing and turning in an attempt to get comfortable until sleep overtook him.
A/N: This is a rewrite of this chapter, If this is your first time reading this, let me know how it is. If you've read this chapter before, let me know how the new version feels!