A Protector's Trials
It felt like they had been walking for hours, with no way of telling time however she had no way of knowing. Even if Anna knew where in Rapture her Brother and Sister were leading her, she didn't even know what they were going to do, it was all so infuriating sometimes. When she asked them what they were planning, and she asked often, they never answered her, most of her questions were simply to pass time. Without a way for them to speak back she would ask simple yes or no questions, sometimes she would ask them complicated questions just to get on their nerves, though it never seemed to work, they were on high alert and only payed attention to her safety. Anna knew they could hear her, they simply weren't listening to her, they were listening to their surroundings, every drop of water, every spark from an exposed electrical wire, they were listening to it all. Most of the time Anna talked to them about what was going on with her, her training, her dreams, She talked to make herself feel better about her dangerous situation, it was the first time they had brought her outside of the Hotel with them, and the way they were acting she knew something big was coming and she had no idea what. She somehow knew though, even if they could tell her they probably wouldn't, it was just how they were. They could somehow communicate with each other through what she could only assume was a psychic connection but they had trouble talking with anyone else. She found it both annoying and inspiring all at the same time, they were so in tune with each other it amazed her. Anna had been watching their every move since leaving the Hotel, trying to learn all she could from them, everything she knew about Protectors was that they generally worked alone and yet, here were two very skilled Protectors working together in perfect sync. When they would enter a new area or turn onto a different street she noticed that they were constantly switching their tactics for her own protection, no matter how Predatory they seemed she couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was their first priority. Omega walked close to her as he carefully scanned the area for any signs of a threat while Iota walked ahead or jumped from building to building for a better view of the area or to scout out the buildings themselves. Sometimes She would just walk in the middle of the street in plain view, Anna believed it was to draw out any possible ambushes before she and Omega reached them. Every once in a while they would hear a noise and Omega would put himself in front of her ready for action as he waited for danger, when Iota would signal that the area was safe they would start moving again. They repeated the same process for a while until they reached a narrow street that was littered with trash and debris, Iota walking a little ways ahead of them stopped and Omega put his hand in front of his younger Charge.
"What is it?" Anna asked in a barely audible whisper, concern clear on her face. She couldn't tell what face her Brother had been making from underneath his demonic looking helmet but she knew by his posture that this time it wasn't a random noise, this time there really was danger. Everything was deathly quiet and she could sense that something wasn't right, like a chill filled the air and crawled around her. On either side of them were boarded up shops with only darkness on the other side of the windows, it gave her the dreadful feeling that there could be a thousand eyes watching them and she would never know. Ahead of them was an old apartment building with dark red bricks on the outside and a heavy steel frame for support, it was run down and had seen a lot of abuse over the years. Cracks in the building and the broken windows were enough to send a small chill down her spine, she could only imagine what the interior looked like. What drew her attention the most though wasn't the buildings or the silence, it was the fire coming from a black barrel next to the apartment building, a sure sign that life was indeed present. That's when her Protector training kicked in, both old and new, she scanned the road ahead of her where the decrepit apartment building sat, the street forked off to the left and right. The roads had been blocked with debris, sandbags, and other random objects that could be used to slow an enemy force. All around their feet were decade old bullet cartridges, some spent, others still usable. That's when she noticed the brown stains on the street behind her, it was dried blood, most likely from the Rapture Civil War. Her analysis took only a second when her instincts screamed at her, they were in a kill box. Anna desperately looked from window to window for the gunman she knew was present when movement caught her eye, one of the tattered curtains in a window swayed ever so slightly, and with Iota being so close to the building there was no way she could have seen the movement from that angle. Anna's instincts screamed at her again, "Threat!" they said, her muscles controlled themselves as she shot forward. Omega grabbed her arm in a steel grip almost like he had expected her to rush the building, Anna struggled for a moment before yelling to Iota who had turned to see what the commotion was.
"Threat, third floor, fourth window from the right!" Anna yelled, without hesitation or question Iota nodded, shot her Harvesting Needle from it's compacted position and turned toward the building.
Out of nowhere gunfire rang through the empty silence like a lightning storm confirming Anna's suspicions. Almost as soon as the first shot was fired Omega had stepped in front of her and blocked her view, he wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest so that his back was facing the sound of the gunfire. She heard loud thudding noises, metallic dings, and short annoyed grunts coming from her Brother, when she could finally form a clear thought and fought through her own shaking she realized that he was jerking from the impact of the bullets. Her glowing eyes went wide when she figured out he was acting as a shield for her, worry plagued her face as she held onto her Brother for dear life hoping he was okay. She heard the gunfire stop and Omega immediately pulled her behind a piece of a shopping building that offered cover from the open street, she was still shaking from the adrenaline when she heard muffled screams and then... not so muffled screams. She waited for the gunfire to start up again but to her surprise, it never came, instead she heard a sharp screech that she knew all too well as her Sister's and waited for Omega to move his arm. They both had their backs to the brick wall and he had pinned her to the wall as soon as they reached it, he only needed one arm to firmly hold her there, it was like a steel beam had pinned her there and she was sure if she pulled her legs up off the ground she wouldn't fall. Omega loosened his hold on her and she was able to breath again, it was almost like he was afraid she would actually run out into the hail of bullets if he didn't keep her there. Anna gave a sigh of relief when he motioned for her to follow him back out onto the street, immediately, she obeyed and stayed close to him.
When she stepped out into view the first thing she noticed was her Sister standing in front of the old apartment building, the second thing she noticed were the bodies... so many bodies. From where she was she could only count four clearly, as she got closer she kept counting. Seven, there were seven bodies and Iota's heavy boot was holding a Splicer on the ground as he tried in vein to move her foot, or breathe for that matter. Anna knew they were Monsters but she still felt a chill run down her spine when she saw the dead look in the Corpse's eyes, that chill intensified when she saw the pure malice in the eyes of the Splicer Iota had pinned to the ground. She was snapped out of her daze when Omega snapped his fingers toward the dead Splicers as he walked over to his Partner to examine the Captive she had taken. Anna knew what he wanted her to do as soon as he pointed to them, it was something Protectors always did after a victory, she walked over to one of the Corpses and rolled him off of his side and onto his back. It was a middle aged man in that same ruined attire that was all too common among Rapture's populace these days, he was wearing a white button up shirt with dirt and blood stains on it, mostly his fresh blood stains to be exact. He wore ruined grey pants and he was missing one of his shoes, probably lost in the fight if she had to guess. His skin was tarnished with boils and cuts, bruises and dirt. She grimaced when she finally noticed the smell, he had clearly soiled himself, they all had most likely, it seemed to be a popular side effect of death. Anna put on a tough face knowing her Siblings were watching her, convinced it was part of a test she dug through his pockets with speed and efficiency, after all it wasn't the first time she had to and it almost certainly wouldn't be her last.
Both Omega and Iota watched her intensely as she worked, the Splicer underneath Iota's heavy boot screaming the whole while, it would flip from rage to pleading and back to rage like he was practicing for a career in acting. Iota applied more pressure onto his chest until finally all he could manage was heavy breathing, Omega watched proudly when Anna would find anything useful in a Splicer's pocket and stick it in her jacket, a sure sign that she knew what to look for as far as valuable supplies went. She wore the perfect outfit for their little "Outing" as well, a light brown jacket with many pockets, tight fitting jeans that didn't effect her range of motion and a pair of running shoes that were perfect for mobility. For their next test she was certainly dressed for the part, after Anna had cleaned all of the pockets from the dead he snapped his fingers again to get her attention. Anna looked up at her instructor's trademark "Pay attention" and watched as he grabbed one of the dead bodies by it's ankle and flung it to the side of the road with ease, he then pointed to the rest and to her. Anna gave a determined nod and began lifting the bodies to throw out of the way, she was thankful for her enhanced strength when this task went underway, for any other sixteen-ish year old it might have been a hard job but even with a little more effort than her Brother she managed to clear the bodies out of the road. Anna wiped some sweat from her forehead with the back of her blood covered hand as she looked back at her Siblings, they both gave an approving nod and she smiled. She watched as Omega reached down and grabbed the last living Splicer by his neck, lifting him up with one arm he threw the Splicer ten feet away causing the Man to grunt and roll on the hard ground, he then gave a crisp snap with his fingers and beckoned Anna to him. She obediently followed his orders and stood in front of both of her Guardians. Iota pointed to the Man and then brought her thumb across her throat, Anna seemed to know what she wanted, actually, she had known since she first saw the pinned Splicer, there could only be one reason they would keep him alive. Her Siblings wanted her to fight him, beat him... to kill him. Anna glanced back at the Man that was still struggling to get up, she had defended herself and Lizzy from Splicers before but never killed one, she had only done enough damage so they could escape. She looked back at the helmets of her Protectors and gulped as they looked at her expectantly.
"You want me to kill him?" She asked in a low, dark voice. Both of them nodded and crossed their arms.
"What if I can't? What if he over powers me? What if-" She was cut off when Iota put her hand on Anna's shoulder. Anna took a deep breath knowing exactly what Iota was trying to tell her, that they would never let anything happen to her, that they would stop the fight before he could kill her. Iota took off her helmet and gave her Sister a reassuring smile showing that she had complete faith in her Charge's abilities. She motioned to the Splicer that was now beginning to stand up and placed her helmet back on her head. Anna mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do and walked forward stepping into her combat stance, the same combat stance that both of her Siblings used. Right leg back, left leg forward, her arms mimicked her legs in their positions and she clenched her fists tightly. Omega and Iota walked on both sides of the street as they watched, ready to jump in at a moments notice if anything they didn't want to happen went down. Anna hadn't noticed before from the lack of light but as Omega passed her she saw the bullets holes in his back and the barely visible blood trails leading down his black suit. Her eyes widened when she remembered in the heat of the gunfire the first thing he had done was put himself in front of the bullets to protect her, it made her feel so safe and loved, it made her realize just how much they cared for her and just how much this training exercise meant to them. Anna looked to the Splicer that was to be her opponent and all she felt was anger and hate. How dare he and his monstrous Friends hurt her Siblings! How dare they try to take their lives for nothing more than a drug! The more she thought about it the more enraged she became, she finally understood why her Siblings always jumped into danger for their Charges, the answer was simple. It was because they just meant so much to them and it was the right thing to do. What she didn't understand was the role her Protector instincts were playing, instincts that naturally developed in Little Sisters as they matured, instincts that would drive her to do great and horrible things, all for her Siblings. Anna shook with rage, like someone had poured boiling water over her, her eyes narrowed at the Splicer in front of her and once more her Protector instincts screamed at her, "THREAT."
The Splicer pulled himself up swearing and ranting when he looked at Omega, he jumped up and darted toward the Brother in a blind fury probably because he was the closest target and had also been the one to throw him across the hard concrete. Omega just stood there with his arms crossed as he stared at the Man through the crimson slits in his helmet, before the Splicer could reach him Anna stepped in between them and sent a roundhouse kick to the Man's stomach with a loud thump that sent him back onto the hard ground. She was sure she broke a few ribs with the kick, she didn't care, this Man, no, this Worm had caused her Family pain and now it was time for him to feel that. Omega looked over to Iota and then back to his Charge, he was still scanning the area with his peripheral vision and enhanced hearing but he was more interested in what his Student was doing. Iota smiled under her helmet when she saw the perfect form in Anna's kick, she was proud that after many hours of training she had honed her form to near perfection. Anna approached the Splicer with her fists clenched and grabbed the back of his dirty black vest, when she did the Man spun around with intense speed giving her a split second to react. He brought up a large piece of glass and attempted to cut her throat as he spun but Anna's reflexes had also honed from training with far faster opponents, she leaned backward as the glass barely missed her face and flew past the spot where her neck would have been a split second ago. Iota started to move forward to disarm the Man when she saw Omega's hand shoot up telling her to "Wait" and while it made her nervous to do so she fought her instincts and watched a little longer. Iota paced back and forth anxiously, like a tiger watching it's prey, waiting for the pounce. It took every ounce of control she had to fight her own instincts and jump in, Omega was having a much easier time battling his. Iota glanced over to him, did he know this would happen, that the Splicer would find a weapon and use it against their Charge, or did he simply have that much faith in Anna that she would be alright? Omega just stood still, like a stone, his ever vigilant eyes watching every move Anna and the Splicer made. The Splicer was swinging the glass frantically as he gritted his teeth and snarled, Anna was dodging all of his attacks and kept her narrow eyes fixated on the threat in front of her. It reminded Iota of the time in Arcadia that he had stood the exact same way to watch her fight the Houdini Splicers and she realized what he was doing, just like back then, he was observing Anna's fighting style against the Splicer to learn her strengths and weaknesses so he would know exactly how she would act in combat. They had both fought Anna numerous times in training exercises but in actual combat one's fighting style changed rapidly, you were forced to adapt to your enemies fighting style in order to overcome them and their strengths. Iota watched her younger Sister adapt her fighting style to the Splicer's wild and unpredictable one, she focused on Anna's movements just like Omega was, in the end it would help them cover each other's backs in a fight so it was very important to learn.
"Your form is sloppy." Anna murmured in a cold voice as she ducked and dodged the sharp weapon, she was shocked at how slow the Splicer seemed to move in her eyes. At that moment she was thankful that her Teachers had put her through Hell in her training and while they held back the force of their attacks they didn't hold back their speed.
She remembered one of her training lessons with Iota, they often trained with various weapons like wrenches, pipes, knives and even pieces of broken furniture to simulate how almost anything could be used as a weapon in the hands of a desperate enemy, she now understood their methods. Iota had taught her to keep her distance from blades and sharper objects and to wait for an opening, and so she did. Anna saw her chance when the Man swiped up and over extended his arm thinking he had her, she moved forward with incredible speed even surprising herself. She grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the weapon and squeezed tight, with a heavy kick to the side of his knee he fell to the ground on his back, still holding his wrist she got down on one knee and pulled his elbow down across the knee of her right leg. There was a sickening crack as the Man's elbow bent backwards and he screamed in agony, he dropped the glass and began yelling profanity at her only serving to fuel her anger. Anna jumped on top of him and gave him three heavy punches to the face in quick succession, when his only working arm shot up to grab her face she bit her sharp fangs into his hand causing her mouth to fill with warm metallic tasting blood, she spit out the blood and grabbed the piece of glass to her left pulling it to her. She could practically hear her Protector instincts forming words in her head, "Threat, eliminate, kill, destroy!". With no hesitation Anna growled as she dragged the piece of broken glass across the Man's throat as she watched a gash open in it's wake, blood spilling out of it, the Splicer gurgled and rubbed his bloody hand down her face and toward her neck. Anna knew he wasn't a threat anymore and stared at his psychotic expression with disgust as his hand weakly wrapped around her throat before falling limp to his side. She was panting and tired, though not as tired as when she had even practiced with her Brother or Sister, it was more mental than anything.
She stared at the lifeless body beneath her, the life that she had taken, her heart was pounding in her chest and she was shaking from no doubt the highest dose of adrenaline she had ever experienced. She felt warm tears stream down her face as the full weight of her actions and her adrenaline hit her. What freaked her out the most of all however, was when she realized she was smiling, she felt a mix of emotions. Rage, Protectiveness, but no sorrow, instead she felt... powerful, unstoppable even. She did what she had to do to survive and keep her Siblings safe and she felt proud that she was capable of that, she killed someone... something... that had no doubt killed others, and she felt good for it. She felt like she had saved someone's life from taking his, like he could have killed one of her Friends or Family if he had stayed alive and she wanted... more. She wanted to protect her Family with such a burning need inside that she finally understood how Iota and Omega felt, she would step in front of bullets for them, give her own life for them, taking another's life for them was a far more pleasant option. She was killing Monsters, beings that only lived to do harm and that's what she kept telling herself over and over again. She had no clue that it was her Protector instincts kicking into high gear, fully materializing as she made her first kill to keep her Family safe. They wouldn't allow her any sorrow or regret for the Monster she had destroyed, only pride that she was able to protect herself and her Family.
Anna was jumped out of her thoughts when she felt someone take the piece of broken glass out of her hand, she felt a sharp pain now that the adrenaline was warring off and noticed that she had clenched the glass so hard it had gashed her palm and fingers open. Iota removed the glass and threw it aside, she had her helmet sitting on the road beside her as she did and Omega surveyed the streets around them with his helmet under one arm. Anna could see the proud smile her Sister wore and looking up she could see the side of Omega's mouth curling up, she couldn't see his whole face but she knew he was smirking with pride. Iota wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her forehead approvingly as she wiped the blood off of her Sister's face. Anna was still shaking when Iota pulled her hand up to inspect her wounds, after a few short moments the wounds began healing themselves at an incredible rate, the ADAM Slug in Anna's stomach was certainly to thank for that and she unconsciously placed her free hand on her stomach as she watched her wounds seal.
"Won't that attract more?" Anna asked in a hushed, worried tone, she knew Splicers could smell ADAM but when an ADAM Slug produced ADAM to heal a Big Sister it was like honey to flies. Iota simply looked at her, smiled lovingly, and nodded. Anna steadied her breathing, ready for her next test, she wanted to prove to her Brother and Sister that she could and would protect them and her Human Friends.
"Brother, are you okay? your back I mean." Anna asked with concern as she pointing to Omega's back where he had been shot. Omega arched an eyebrow upon hearing the question and turned as he pointed to his back with his thumb over his shoulder. There were small dents in his air tanks where the bullets had hit but they were far too reinforced to be punctured by them. His air tanks didn't cover his whole back however, his right shoulder had a blood stain where the bullet had hit but there was no hole, his regeneration had likely pushed the bullets back out of the holes and his suit had already repaired itself by now leaving only blood stains to indicate he had been shot. She spotted a few more impact spots around his back with small trails of blood leading from them but sighed in relief when he gave her a thumbs up. She knew he was tough but for him to be constantly getting shot she realized just how tough Protectors were and hoped she could one day measure up to them.
Omega watched Iota inspect Anna's wounds and made his way over to them, he knew she was alright but his duty was to protect her and any injury, no matter how small, always needed to be taken care of. Omega stopped and his head turned back toward the far side of the street, Iota's head shot in the same direction and Anna immediately knew what they were looking for, almost as if they had an appointment a group of Splicers rounded the corner at the end of the street. Iota pulled Anna behind some cover and the two set out to dispatch and disarm Splicers one by one and two by two.
Both Veteran Protectors darted down the street side by side with lightning speed leaving only small clouds of dust as their heavy boots thundered across the roadway. The Splicers saw them coming and opened fire with various weapons, bullets sped past the two angels of death as they raced toward their Prey. Omega reached his first, a Thuggish Splicer wielding a rusty crowbar had rushed forward and was a few feet ahead of the Lead head Splicers. Omega caught the Man by his arm in mid swing and turned full circle, he spun the Man around and launched him over toward the three Lead head Splicers that were shooting at Iota, the Man screamed when Omega released him and he came crashing into two others causing them to stop firing at their intended target. Iota saw the opportunity he had created for her and dove in head first, she jumped forward with a kick and caught the only standing Splicer in her knee causing it to break backwards in an odd angle, she heard the crunch and the woman's screams, until she stepped to the side, wrapped one arm around the girl's mouth and jerked her neck to the side with another loud crack. The shirtless Man Omega had thrown into two of her targets was now starting to get up, before he could drag himself upright Iota placed her foot under his stomach and flung him ten feet away careful not to hurt him. One Splicer stood up on her left and opened fire with his Tommy-gun as he screamed in rage. The Man fired three shots before Iota swung her arm so fast the Splicer had no time to react, she snatched the gun from the Man's hands with little effort and brought her arm back toward him smashing both the Man's skull and his gun into a few large pieces of junk. The Man's body dropped to the floor and She heard the scuffling of heels behind her, launching another heavy kick behind her into a Woman's stomach sent her right into the waiting Harvesting needle of her Partner, Omega roared viciously as he lifted the Woman above his head and slammed his Needle into the concrete below causing the Female Splicer to smash into the ground with an echoing thud.
Anna watched them with amazement unable to take her eyes off of them, she had seen them train but now, watching them actually fight it was like nothing she had ever seen. They were so in tune it made her heart soar, they didn't need words to communicate in battle, it was like they knew exactly what the other would do and when they were going to do it. They moved so swiftly and efficiently it made her eyes widen and her heart race, she found herself rooting for her Sister every time her Harvester pierced a Splicer's heart or gashed one's throat open, or every time her Brother would break a Splicer's neck as effortlessly as if it were a bug he was crushing underfoot. They looked like Gods, no, They were Gods, Swift and terrible with a wrath that purged the wretched Monsters in droves. She watched their movements, their techniques, the way they adapted to new situations, everything. She would take away new knowledge from their fight and apply it in her next battle. When both Iota and Omega began walking back toward her with two fresh Captives she knew she would have a chance to test her new knowledge.
. . .
Back at the Hotel James and Mark sat on the stairs in Sigma's usual spot next to the lobby, they were fairly confident that no Splicers would attack since Iota, Omega, and Anna all smell like ADAM and would most likely distract and destroy anyone foolish enough to be anywhere near the area, still though, they stayed on guard. Since Sigma had left, two people had to guard the Hotel at all times taking different shifts for rest, it was boring most of the time but it was far better than helping Danny organize things so he could seem busy. That was something they both agreed on, it also helped to put their minds at ease that there were three fully loaded sentry turrets in the lobby, two facing the entrance and one facing the basement that Omega had placed just in case. Everyone held that unknown enemy in the back of their minds on principle alone, when you weren't careful in Rapture, you would end up dead in Rapture.
"Do you really think Reed Whal has the means to tunnel under the City just to surprise us from the basement?" Mark asked with a laugh, it had been an idea that he wasn't expecting. James also gave a light hearted laugh, it may not be a serious idea but it helped to ease his nerves a bit.
"Oh and I suppose you have a better idea as to what it was they saw, Joe says it was probably just rats but I'm not too convinced, I think he said that so the girls wouldn't freak out or maybe that's exactly why he said it. What do you think?" James asked jokingly, he was curious to see what his best friend would come up with.
"I honestly don't have a clue, we could spend hours trying to figure out what it was and we'd probably be no closer to knowing, I mean, People that abuse ADAM say they can see and hear Ghosts and with all the shit we've seen there really is no telling what it could be." Mark replied as he scratched his head a little nervously. James nodded in agreement, it was entirely possible that they would never know what was in the darkest depths of the City, then again, it was probably a good thing if they never found out considering almost everything in Rapture wanted to kill you. The thought chilled James to his bones and none of his usual light heartedness could fix that, it was just an instinct Humans had to be afraid of the unknown, an instinct that apparently Omega and Iota didn't have since they supposedly charged into the pitch black darkness to face the threat. His mind turned to them and he realized just how vulnerable they were without the Protectors, Sigma, Iota, Omega, and even Anna were out right now and already everyone seemed so tense and wound up. Eager to get his mind off of everything that wanted them dead James decided to focus on the things that wanted to keep them alive.
"Where do you think they went?" James asked knowing full well Mark knew who he was referring to. Mark looked over to him and arched his eyebrow giving his friend a scrutinizing look.
"Why you bored already and want to chase after them? or are you just chicken?" He asked teasingly. James just shook his head and gave Mark a light punch in return, here he was trying to keep his mind off of all of the stress and Mark was making fun of him.
"Fuck you, you know what I mean. Where did they go and why did they take Anna with them?" He asked again hoping for a more serious answer. Mark shrugged as he recalled seeing them walking toward the entrance of the Hotel.
"Who knows, probably another training session with Anna, they've been working her pretty hard lately. I guess they're trying to get her ready for when we get to Minerva's Den, then again it could be that they just wanted to go spend time with her. I like to think it's both, I know it can't be easy for them being holed up in a Hotel like this." Mark answered thoughtfully knowing that Protectors such as them preferred action, he saw a smile grow on James' lips.
"I don't know, from the sounds they make at night they don't seem to mind spending time in the Hotel." James laughed as he recalled the pleasurable screeches that came from the Protector's room during the agreed upon night time hours. Mark joined James's laughter, he was about to add to his friend's joke when a chilling scream tore through the open air outside the Hotel. In an instant both young Men jumped up and readied their weapons, without speaking both Mark and James took up firing positions on either side of the Hotel's entrance but when they peeked out they were utterly confused. They saw a lone Splicer on his knees in the middle of the street panting and looking around frantically muttering inaudible pleas to the empty City.
"And what am I suppose to do now!? Now that the flood is coming! Shall I build an Ark!? Who shall I put on the Ark?! The rats! The rats!?" He screamed toward the sky, James was aiming his Submachine gun at the Man when Mark put up a hand to stop him. James looked at his friend like he was the crazy one and waved to get his attention.
"C'mon Man he's crazy look at him! let's just shoot him and be done with it!" James mouthed silently to Mark, he shook his head and still told him to wait causing James to sigh and roll his eyes. Mark watched the Man closely, he knew he was crazy but the way he acted was strange, even for an insane drug addict.
"And they'll consume everything! The flesh of the Sinner! Even the light! What then!? Is deliverance out of our reach, Is it worth flying to the sky for a chance at death!?" The Splicer yelled at some unknown higher power. Mark rubbed his eyes, listening to Madmen prattle on about nothing always gave him a headache but he still felt like he should listen. The Man began laughing hysterically and Mark was about to give James the signal to fire, their insane laughs always creeped him out but the Splicer's next words froze him in place.
"It was dark but I could see them! It was quiet but I heard them! gnawing flesh and bone! They seek what they can't have! They seek life! Happiness! Light!" The Splicer screamed as spittle flew from his jagged teeth. Mark looked at James and saw how unnerved he was, he was staring at the dim hallway leading to the basement, he was thinking exactly what Mark was. This Splicer might have seen what Omega had and maybe, just maybe, they could get some answers out of him. Mark gave a heavy sigh as he looked at James and turned off the power to one of the two sentry guns watching the entrance, James looked at him like he was inviting every Splicer in Rapture inside.
"What the fuck are you doing!?" James mouthed wordlessly to him again with a horrified look, Mark looked back at the Splicer and then to his friend.
"We need answers, and he might have them!" Mark replied. He watched James' jaw drop even lower when he pointed at the sentry turret next to him. James shook his head and Mark's lips tightened, he pointed to the turret again and made a button pushing motion with his finger. After several seconds of a silent argument James finally rubbed his brow and hesitantly pushed the button.
"Thank you!" Mark mouthed sarcastically earning him James' middle finger in response. Mark took a deep breath and stepped in the middle of the doorway to the Hotel, he gave a loud whistle and immediately regretted doing so. The Splicer's head shot toward him and he gave a creepy smile as he slowly stood up, Mark watched the Man as he began stumbling, then jogging, and finally sprinting toward him with nothing but that joyless smile on his face. Just when the Splicer entered the threshold James stepped out of cover and hit the Man in the stomach with the butt of his machine gun, the Splicer coughed as he fell to the ground in front of Mark. James quickly turned both sentry guns back on as he scoped out the street to make sure there weren't any more of the Lunatics about. Mark studied the Splicer for a moment before slamming the butt of his gun into the Man's skull knocking him unconscious.
"What the Fuck are you thinking!?" James yelled in a whisper, Mark simply ignored him and knelt down to tie the Splicer's blotchy, boil infested hands behind his back. He grimaced when he touched the Man's dirty hands and couldn't help noticing all of the dirt and dried blood from his finger nails, it even looked like he was missing one or two of them and had old and new bite marks on the ends of his fingers. After tying the Man's hands firmly behind his back with old electrical wiring Mark began to pick him up by his arm.
"C'mon give me a hand." Mark said as he lifted the Splicer up off of the ground, he looked at James expectantly. James gave a sigh and shook his head, he couldn't believe Mark wanted to bring the one thing into the Hotel that they had been actively trying to keep out for so long.
"You know Tenenbaum isn't going to be happy about this right?" James asked to make sure Mark knew how much of an ear full they would be getting later. Mark chuckled and lifted the Man up with James' help, he was completely limp and made him that much heavier.
"I'll deal with the Doctor, you just focus on helping me get him up stairs, besides you and him have a lot in common." Mark noted as he gave a small smile. James looked at him in surprise and scrunched his eyebrow.
"Oh yeah, how's that?" James asked with a grunt as they began up the stairs.
"You both smell like shit." Mark gave a struggling chuckle causing James to do the same.
"Yeah well, he looks more like you, you sure you aren't related to him?" James asked also chuckling.
After a few rest breaks and a lot of dragging both Mark and James came to the top of the stairs, they wished they could have used the elevator but since Danny said power outages would be more common Joe had told everyone not to use it in case they got trapped inside. Lugging the unconscious Splicer up so many stairs made them pant and feel like their legs were wet noodles but at least they had made it.
"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" They heard Joe's booming voice ask from the hallway, he was standing with his shotgun on his shoulder and his arms crossed, he chewed on a lit cigar that filled the doorway with thick smoke.
"We found this guy out front, he was screaming and shouting like a Madman, Mark wanted to have a deep, meaningful conversation with him about life and love and the answers to the universe." James joked toward his Brother, Joe's eyes narrowed and James knew instantly he wasn't in a joking mood. Mark looked up at him seriously and then back to the unconscious Splicer.
"He was ranting sure, but he said some things that stood out to me, things about the darkness and what might be down there. I think he might have seen them, whatever it was you guys chased out of the basement. We need all the information we can get and I wouldn't bring him here if I didn't think it would help." Mark said as Joe looked back and forth from him to the Man they were holding, he rubbed his eyebrows and shook his head, he knew Mark wasn't one to pull stupid stunts like this for no reason. He also knew that Splicers were completely out of their minds as far as their rantings went, he looked back to Mark and frowned.
"I don't want that Freak anywhere near this Hotel, Hell I'd be happier if you just shot him right now and saved us the trouble all together." Joe criticized the two young Men.
"But?" Mark asked knowing Joe was going to continue.
"But you may have a point and if we can gain any info on what might be lurking in the access tunnels then everyone would feel better. His interrogation will be up to both of you and when your done both of you will dispose of the body. Got it?" He instructed them, Mark nodded and James gave a defeated sigh, he knew Mark would get him in trouble too. They began out of the stairwell door when Joe put up a hand.
"Oh no, He's not staying on this floor, you guys can take him back down to the first floor and use one of the Janitor's closets as an interrogation room. I'll tell Craig and Vicki to watch the entrance while you two play house with your little friend." He said giving them a smirk, both Mark and James sighed and turned around, it was just like Joe to give them hell when they actually got their way with something. James still thought it was unfair that he had to be the one to help Mark. Joe watched the two young Men drag the Splicer down the stairs back to the first floor before shaking his head and turning to go find Vicki and Craig.
After a lot of effort and struggle both Mark and James sat back and wiped the sweat from their faces, they had placed the Splicer in a chair in the middle of a Janitor's closet on the first floor and further bound his hands, legs, and arms with more rope or wiring. They even cleaned out the old closet just in case he managed to get his hands on anything he could use to escape.
"And now we wait." James said as he took a seat on an overturned bucket next to the door, Mark soon joined him on the floor and the two began talking to pass the time like they normally did.
. . .
Anna stood panting and wiped more sweat and hair from her face, she was starting to wonder if this test was ever going to end. She had killed two Splicers now including one from earlier that her Siblings had caught and now she was wondering just how many of the Lunatics her Brother and Sister were willing to subdue for her little test. She killed her first Splicer with relative ease and managed to kill one of the two new Splicers by stabbing him with a knife Omega had given her. She stared at the only remaining enemy in front of her as she breathed heavily, he was shirtless and had boils and droopy skin littering the muscles on his body, it made her want to vomit. He was holding a rusty lead pipe that he had dug out of some debris while she dealt with his friend, and the look in his eyes told her that he wouldn't show her any mercy once he got a hold of her. Iota and Omega circled the three slowly as they watched, ready to jump in at a moments notice to keep her safe. Anna took some comfort in knowing whatever happened they would keep her from dying at least. Her heart was still racing and her muscles burned like fire from her earlier struggles with the Splicer she had stabbed in the head. He had managed to grab both of her arms but she squirmed free and planted Omega's large combat knife firmly in the Monster's skull. She had to remember to never let that happen again, Splicers were deadly from afar and even more so when they actually managed to get a hold on you. She was jolted from her thoughts when she saw the remaining Splicer running toward her screaming a war cry.
When he reached her he brought his pipe down at her head only for her to sidestep out of the way, before she could react the pipe came at her again, and again. This Splicer wasn't like the others, he was faster and had more experience than the others when it came to melee weapons. He seemed comfortable with the pipe in his hands and by the way he moved with it he had definitely had practice. Anna deflected one of the swings with the blade of her knife but the Splicer was expecting it and sent the handle of the pipe into her side as punishment. She felt the air leave her for a split second and jumped back to put distance between them. She glanced at her Guardians for reassurance and saw them both watching closely, she was still on her own, for now.
The Madman came at her again swinging rapidly, left then right and another left. Anna dodged the attacks to the best of her abilities taking light hits here and there. Sometimes the weapon would fly inches from her face, sometimes it would miss all together, his swings were frantic and wild but gave her few openings for attack. She was on the defensive and knew she needed to change that. When the Splicer pulled back for another heavy swing she saw her opportunity, stepping in she wrapped her arms around him, her right arm over his left shoulder and her left arm under his right arm. Now in such close proximity she had eliminated his ability to use the pipe, she planted her right leg behind him and used her full strength to trip him over her leg and onto the ground. The Splicer grunted as his head smashed against the concrete and his weapon flew out of his hand skidding across the road with metallic dings. Anna straddled him and gritted her teeth as she stabbed her knife into the Man's chest, she pulled it out and started to stab him again. In a last desperate attempt for survival the Splicer wrapped his hand around a piece of debris lying next to him, it was a chunk of concrete the size of a softball and he pulled it up smashing it into the side of Anna's head. Anna snarled in pain as her vision blurred, she felt a splitting pain ring through her head and it only served to fuel her anger. She screamed with rage and swiped the knife across the arm that held the rock severing it completely, the Man screamed louder than she had ever heard as his free hand grasped the wound. Anna punched the man over and over again for his actions and finally brought the knife she was wielding up and down into his open mouth, he gave a few sputtering gurgles as air escaped the pool of blood that was filling his mouth, his eyes went wide and he stopped moving.
Anna sat up panting, she moved the hair out of her face and looked up at her Brother and Sister who were now right next to her. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open and all of the noise she made from breathing heavily sounded muffled, like someone was holding their palms over her ears. Iota helped her stand up shakily and hold her steady, Anna watched as Omega pulled the large knife from the Splicer's mouth wiped the blood on the Corpse's pant leg and place it back in the sheath on his arm.
"D- Did I pass?" Anna asked in a barely audible voice, Iota and Omega both nodded, Anna gave a small smile and sighed. "That's good, are you proud of me?" She asked, both Protectors nodded fiercely as if to say "of coarse." at least that's the way she interpreted it. She hadn't realized how much of the pain her adrenaline and Protector instincts allowed her to ignore until it began to wear off, pain was splitting through her head and littered other parts of her body where the Man had hit her with the pipe. She was positive some of her ribs were broken or at least fractured and her muscles were burning from how quickly she forced them to evade attacks in the fight, but the worst of all was her head. It felt like her head was going to explode from the amount of sharp pain that seemed to envelope her entire brain, her vision was blurry and her thoughts were muddled. Anna gave another bloody smile as she went limp and darkness overtook her vision entirely. The last thing she remembered was being lifted off of the ground by her Brother.
She had moments of lucidity when she would look up and see her Brother's helmet looking down at her, she was in his arms as they walked down a dimly lit hallway with pipes lining the wall but her vision was blurred and slow. She couldn't tell if she were dreaming or not, every few steps Omega would take she would see bright lights outline his black suit and armor almost making it seem like he was glowing. Iota would peer over her to check on her in moments when she would briefly wake up and her eyes would slowly look around, Anna gave a weak smile when she would check on her, She wasn't wearing her helmet and looked angelic with the bright light shining through her raven locks. Iota gave her a soft smile and Anna focused on the glow of her Sister's eyes before darkness once again filled her vision. When she finally started to come back into consciousness she noticed she had stopped moving and was lying on her back on a hard surface, her head was laying on something soft and a hand was gently rubbing her head.
She saw bright golden light coming into vision as her sight adjusted, she soon realized it was the glow from her Sister's eyes. When her vision focused more she saw Iota smiling peacefully down at her and realized she was lying in her lap. Her head didn't hurt anymore and figured that Iota had used more ADAM to heal her wounds.
"Wh- Where are we?" She asked as if Iota could answer her, she just continued to smile and gave her a chirping screech as she looked ahead of her. Following her gaze Anna realized where they had gone, Fontaine Futuristics. On the wall across from them was a white Big Sister suit with black armor attachments held in place by the clasps on it's shoulders, Omega was leaning against a workbench with his helmet sitting beside him as he watched her. Lockers lined both sides of the room save for the workbench next to the suit that Omega had rested against. Anna's eyes opened wide and she looked at her Sister in shock, her mouth dropped slightly as a million questions flooded her mind.
"Is that... for me?" She asked still thinking she might be inside a dream. Iota nodded with a smile and lightly kissed her forehead again as she stood up gesturing toward the suit. Anna stood up with the help of her Sister and began slowly making her way toward it, as she passed the many lockers she noticed the Greek symbols on them that marked what locker belonged to what Protector and she couldn't help but release the tears she had been holding back. So many Protectors, so many of her Sisters that had given their lives for the sake of one person's madness, she wiped her eyes and brushed her fingers across the symbols as she felt the full force of her Sibling's plans. They had led her here to test her and instill in her a feeling of pride, she had passed their trials and was now among Rapture's elite Guardians. With every symbol she touched she felt the weight of their sacrifices, like she was touching only memories, touching tombstones. She stopped when she reached the end and found her Sister's symbol, the one for which she was named and the symbol that she wore on the steel plates on the back of her gloves. She looked back at her Sister with tears streaming down her face, the only remaining Big Sister in the entire world. Iota shot her a sad smile and for a moment Anna envisioned all of the Sisters in this room preparing for missions and hunting trips, how empty it now seemed. She turned back to the lockers and saw Omega put a metal symbol on the blank locker next to Iota's , the symbol looked similar to a trident and she read the letters below it in a whisper.
"Psi." She murmured with a small smile and a tight feeling in her chest, she looked back at the suit hanging from the wall and noticed the same symbols on each of the plates on the back of it's gloves. Anna began removing her clothes and pulled the suit on, it fit like a glove. Heavy stitching kept the thick materials in place and she relished the new weight the armor pieces put on her body. This is what they had been training her for, what she had worked so hard to earn and now she finally had it. She studied the suit and took in the feeling of responsibility it gave her, she wiped more tears off of her cheeks when she noticed Omega hand something toward her, a Harvesting needle. She took the Protector's trademark weapon and ran her hand gently down the Needle feeling the weight of it. A Harvesting needle was like an extension of a Protector's body, it was a part of them, and it was their lifeline in many cases. She placed the weapon on her right arm and locked it into it's place with the straps and locking mechanisms on the mount, she held it up toward the light to inspect it further and noticed Iota walking toward her. She gave her a tight hug and buried her head in her older Sister's shoulder as she wept.
"I won't let you down, I swear, I won't let you down, thank you!" She cried out, she felt Omega's hand on her shoulder and turned to face him, he gave her a soft smile that was far too rare. It was soft but somber, like he felt proud but pained over her achievement, his eyes were still as cold and calculating as usual but she could see a small hint of sadness in them. She didn't know if he were remembering his fallen Sisters or simply hated having to put her in danger but either was possible. Anna wrapped her other arm around him and hugged him as well no longer wanting to hold back her tears, she let them flow freely as her mind fully wrapped around how much it meant to them let alone her. For the longest time they had been alone, lost in a dying City with no one, no purpose. They had watched their Family be destroyed and almost all of the Little Sisters taken, watched as their very reason for existing disappeared. Her heart ached for them, after being alone for so long they finally found each other and she could only imagine what that might have felt like, what it might have felt like to think you were the last of your kind only to find that one other existed. Anna's chest tightened as she wept, she felt like a thunderstorm was swirling inside of her threatening to rip it's way out. Iota and Omega simply held her and she knew they would for as long as she needed them, they would likely stand there for hours, days even, just to comfort her. She chuckled slightly at the thought, She could never hope to be the Guardians they were, she could never measure up to either of them, not even close. How could she, How could she ever possibly hope to even be in the same league as them? She shook her head as she dug it into Iota's chest plate, she would never have to endure the loneliness that they had, never have to suffer the torment they had or overcome the obstacles that had made them... them. Even if she did face those same obstacles she knew that they would never let her face them alone and they would always risk everything to keep her safe, it made her heart ache more, knowing that no matter how good she may become as a Big Sister they would likely always put her before themselves, it was just how they were. She took a deep breath of the cool air and started to calm her nerves, she made a silent promise that she would do everything in her power to help them with any situation or problem that arose, that she would be there to support them like they had done for her. Even when she were trapped in her endless Monster infested nightmares, so close to insanity that she could feel herself slipping away, they saved her and pulled her back to reality. She owed everything to them and she intended to make good on her debt one way or another.
When she had finally calmed down Omega stepped aside ignoring the large wet spot on his chest that her tears had made and pulled her new locker open. Inside was a brand new Big Sister helmet on a shelf about chest height, Anna looked to both of her Siblings as they nodded, she picked up the helmet and gently ran her fingers across the black glass of the porthole. She placed it on her head locking it into place and took a deep breath to soothe her emotions. As soon as she did the helmet's emotional sensors sparked to life and a yellow light shone from the porthole of the helmet lighting up the locker in front of her. After attaching an air tank and tightening a few of the straps on her armor attachments she finally felt like a true Big Sister, her mind again wondered to all of her predecessors. Anna looked over to her Sister who had her head buried in Omega's chest, she hadn't been able to hold back her tears any longer. She was finally not alone, not the last Big Sister. She couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions, it was a happy occasion but still held so much pain for her. After another long hug the three Siblings got ready to leave and headed for the door, both Iota and Omega gave one last sorrowful look at the lockers of their fallen Sisters and turned to exit the room.
A/N: As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter, if you have any questions or comments let me know via PM and a Review is always greatly appreciated!