The Weight of the Ocean

by Everlasting Night

Two Protectors born from the ambitions of Greed and the Flames of War, with no Family to serve and no purpose in Life. The only one of His kind, the last of Hers. Can they survive the trials of a dying City long enough for them to find the answers they seek, or will the weight of the Ocean crush them under heel as it has so many others?

27. When Lights go out

When Lights go out

Everyone in the Athena's Glory Hotel was stunned when they heard what had happened to Omega, Iota, and Lizzy during their outing. The unbelieving looks on their faces gave that away, everyone had gathered in their usual meeting room as Lizzy told them what had happened despite being unconsious for most of the ordeal. Omega watched the Human's faces as the story was told, anger, shock and fear danced across their features. Just the sight of the small girl telling the story from her perspective was enough to tug at anyone's heart strings, she couldn't help but tremble when she brought up the part where it had felt like the very air was choking her, Iota stayed by her side though, comforting her when she needed it. The feeling of danger was hammered into them when Danny decided to play footage from a security camera that had been watching the tunnel that Omega had sealed. It had focused on Iota when she exited the tunnel holding Lizzy's unconsious form, the black and white picture wasn't detailed enough to see into the darkness past the tunnel but it did give them some perspective. Everyone watched with held breath as Omega shut the heavy blast door to the tunnel, they saw how determined he was to seal off the threat. After he breeched the tunnel and escaped they watched the Protectors checking Lizzy for injuries before turning to face one of the large glass windows beside the sealed sky bridge. One by one the lights of seven different buildings went completely dark, the scale of the power outage was almost too much to process. Omega could practically pinpoint the moment all of the Humans started thinking about what Enemy they would find in the darkness. He saw the fear in their eyes, fear that led to doubt, hesitation, death. Fear was pointless, to a Protector it was weakness given form, so the Scientists that created them killed that weakness during their indoctrination. For Humans however, it was different, Fear was like a plague, it would spread through all of them and benefit none. He looked to his Mate and then to Anna, they were thinking the same thing he was, they would have to step up their game. If their Human Allies let their fear defeat them then the Protectors would have a very difficult time getting out of the City, and an almost impossible time trying to navigate the surface world.

Everyone spent the rest of the day hoping Sigma would return from his scouting to add another Protector to their numbers but he never came. As soon as Tenenbaum saw the security footage of their neighboring district go dark she told everyone to pack their things, they couldn't afford to wait any longer. With or without Sigma finding a safe path to Minerva's Den they would have to leave. The threat was too close for comfort and three Protectors could surely hold off any Splicer attacks until they found a route. They spent the rest of the day doing tasks to keep their minds off of their desperate situation and when Night came everyone went without sleep, the surging power had grown more and more since District Thirty Two had gone dark. Everyone would hold their breath when the lights gently flickered and steadied, waiting for them to go out and for the living darkness to consume them. Everyone felt so helpless, vulnerable, trapped like mice waiting to be picked off by Predators, Protectors not included.

Omega patrolled the main Hallway outside of everyone's rooms while Iota watched over Anna and Lizzy, Anna was charged with keeping Lizzy calm and feeling safe since she was the only Protector who could talk to her and actually offer words of comfort. Anna cuddled with her youngest Sibling until she fell asleep, it helped that Lizzy's bed was big enough for both of them, Anna was sleeping with Lizzy but it didn't mean she would be unprepared if an attack came, she chose to sleep with her armor on just in case. Knowing her Brother and Sister were both just outside though gave her a sense of rarely felt safety, a sense she knew not everyone would be feeling. Iota stood guard outside of their room and watched her Mate walk back and forth down the Hallway. She always admired his dedication, when he passed her she flashed him a sweet smile as she held her helmet under one arm. She could tell he felt something was coming, she could too, like everyone was on high alert just waiting for the Enemy to show itself. Tension seemed to fill the entire Hotel as the Group waited for their morning departure time to arrive. They would set out for Minerva's Den and put distance between themselves and whatever was lurking in Rapture's dark corners. Joe and James were guarding the stairs from the Lobby and they made sure the Sentry Turrets were fully stocked with ammo. Everyone else tried to get what sleep they could, waking up periodically from stress only to be comforted by the sound of Omega's heavy boot falls in the Hallway. As long as the Protectors were on watch they would be safe everyone thought.

Neither Iota nor Omega wanted to sleep, or even could if they did want to, they saw seven entire buildings, a whole district go dark. It was enough to put them on edge, this Enemy that lurked in the dark reaches of Rapture, this seemingly unstoppable force, was coming for them. They would be naïve to think they were safe just because the two districts had been separated by one measly blast door and flooded Tunnel. Iota pondered their situation when Omega came to stop next to her, the Sister smiled uncontrollably at him, without her helmet to filter out some of his scent she was bombarded with pheromones. She stared at him with her bright glowing eyes as she tilted her head downward, her way of saying "Pay attention to me.". Omega knew her signals by heart now and obliged when possible. The Brother took his helmet off and placed it under his arm, he brought his free hand up and brushed the back of his fingers on Iota's cheek. The Sister held his hand and stood up straight to kiss him, nuzzling into his neck when she had finished. She had come to love these peaceful moments, when they didn't have to worry about a million different things at once, when they could only focus on each other, she would be content if everyone in the world disappeared and only their small Family remained. After a while Iota finally let go of her Mate and let him continue his patrolling, they may be on edge at the moment, and they may be in danger, but Iota smiled fiendishly at Omega as he tore himself away, she made herself a silent promise that as soon as they were free from danger she was going to do some very naughty things to him. Omega began walking backwards as he watched his Mate tease him seductively, she was sliding her hands down her body to outline her Womanly figure. Omega shook his head and gave her a knowing grin. Curse her for trying to tempt him, she knew how to get his blood pumping and knew he couldn't do anything about it, not now anyway. Iota giggled brokenly when Omega held up his middle finger and put his helmet back on.

After three hours the air seemed to thin a little, Omega looked down the hallway to Iota who was still standing outside of Anna and Lizzy's room, she smiled back at him when she noticed his gaze and gave him a small wave. Omega turned away from the Elevator to make his way back down the long Hallway when he heard the faintest of sounds, it caught his attention in the silence of the Hallway. The clang of metal hitting metal could be heard echoing from the basement bellow. The Brother turned slowly to face the Elevator shaft with his attention focused on searching for more noise, noticing this slight shift in behavior caused Iota to immediately place her Helmet back on her head as she watched him. Iota knew to trust her Mate's instincts and his posture was telling her something was amiss. Omega listened for the sound again but was interrupted by the static of his Helmet's radio receiver clicking to life.
"Protectors, something's down here!" He heard James whisper through the Radio, Omega turned to see Iota starring back at him through her helmet's glowing porthole, she had heard the message too. The Brother put his hand up and told her to wait while he went to check the situation downstairs, Iota begrudgingly nodded and began patrolling the Hallway in his place. Omega made his way down the stairs to where James and Joe were, when he turned the last corner he saw the two Men jump at his sudden arrival.
"Jesus Christ! For somebody as big as you to be able to move so quietly is really fucking disturbing you know that?!" James whispered as he took in a few nervous breaths. Omega simply ignored him and stepped passed them to peek out into the dim Lobby, this time instead of metal hitting metal he heard what he thought were scratching noises and small chunks of rubble hitting the floor. It was the faintest of sounds, almost inaudible over the wiring hum of the three sentry turrets guarding the Hotel's entrances. The sound was echoing through the basement just below the Elevator shaft and had likely alerted Joe and James due to their high stress levels, Humans were jumpy Creatures by nature and their fear was useful in that aspect. They usually knew when something wasn't right, this "Gut" feeling they told him about was their instincts warning them that danger was present.
"We aren't as... qualified as you are, when it comes to fighting in complete darkness and we thought you'd want to check it out." James said when they heard the sound of banging on metal again. Omega nodded to them and stepped out into the Lobby, his boot falls quietly scuffing against the marble floor below as he glided his way across the lobby. Both Joe and James followed after him with their guns at the ready, when they reached the dark hallway leading to the basement Omega clenched his fist in a jerking motion to extend his Harvesting Needle to it's full length. Both of his Human Companions began breathing heavily as they made their way through the darkness with only the yellow glow of Omega's visor slits and the dim flashlight taped to Joe's shotgun for light. When they came to the doorway leading into the old Laundry room Joe and James took up firing positions on each side of the large doorway, Omega's arm surged with blue electricity as he got ready to fry the first enemy he found. With a nod all three pointed their light sources into the black room and froze.

inside the room was a single life form with it's back to them, it was hunched over eating something, judging by the sound of wet crunching it was emitting. It was as tall as a Man and lanky, it stood on two legs and had dark pinkish, leathery skin. It's long slender tail whipped back and forth displaying a razor sharp blade on the end resembling bone. Tufts of hair scattered it's shoulders and back that rose when the two light sources hit it, The Creature turned slowly to look at the three intruders with large pitch black eyes and a blood stained mouth. Joe and James could only stare in horror at the abomination in front of them, their guns shaking in their hands. Joe was the first to voice what they were all thinking.
"What the fuck..." He gasped out in a whisper, his voice shaking when the Creature's gaze moved to him. The Monster turned sharply around and dropped the arm it had been feeding on and opened it's large mouth to reveal it's needle like teeth.
"What the fuck..." It whispered, mimicking Joe's earlier statement with a distorted raspy tone, it's head tilting to the right in an unnerving fashion, like it was inspecting them. The words seemed to crawl out of it's bloody mouth and seep past it's teeth like a thick mist. James and Joe's eyes widened in horror when they heard it speak and time froze for them. They couldn't look away, they couldn't drag themselves away from the Creature's black eyes. Only when Omega shot past them toward the Monster were they able to regain their thoughts, if only slightly. The Brother growled as he slashed at the Beast with his Harvester but the Creature was fast, it hunched down on all fours for better mobility as it evaded the sharp weapon. Omega swung and missed repeatedly only catching the Creature when he spun around and planted a heavy kick to the side of it's head sending it crashing into a nearby washing machine. The Beast hissed at it's attacker as Omega roared in anger while lunging forward to skewer it with his Harvester, before he could land the killing blow it jumped back up and slashed the Brother's chest plate with it's claws leaving four perfect lines in the black paint. Omega grabbed the Creature by it's neck and growled underneath his helmet as he sent a torrent of lighting bolts into the Beast. The Brother finished his assault when the Creature went limp and steam rose from it's leathery skin, he looked back to his horrified Companions when he felt the Monster jump back to life. The beast hissed and scratched at him before he felt a sharp pain in his side, looking down he could see the Creature's tail sticking out of his torso. It managed to stab him two more times with lightning speed before the Brother could do anything. Omega roared in anger as he grabbed the Creature's tail with his free hand, still enduring scratches to his helmet. The Brother let out a rage filled screech as he broke the Monster's neck with his immense grip. When the Beast went limp Omega growled again as he slammed the Enemy into another washing machine repeatedly, when he had reduced the old appliance to nothing more than bolts and dented metal he slammed the Creature into the floor before finally dragging it with him toward where he suspected the beast might have come from. In the corner of the dark room was the same hole leading to the access tunnel he and Iota had sealed up before. He looked inside and saw that the Creature had dug it's way through the entire access shaft that they had filled with ice. The Brother growled as he tossed another grenade into the ice and collapsed the tunnel a second time, it didn't need to be permanent, hell he doubted he could actually keep those things out anyway. All it had to do was hold until they left the district, he looked back down to the mangled corpse he was holding and gave a sigh, they would most likely be leaving after he showed everyone what had been lurking in the dark. When Omega finally came back into view both of his Human Companions were still in shock, starring at the Creature in Omega's left hand. He looked at both of them panting and gave a quick screech to jolt them out of their thoughts. They were speechless, Omega shook his head and growled as he put his hand on his side to stop his wounds from bleeding. He pushed past them dragging the corpse with him and both Men followed close.
"We need to get that thing to Tenenbaum, she needs to see this!" Joe said as he collected his worrying thoughts. James rubbed his hand through his hair and nodded.
"What the fuck is that thing anyway!? Is that what's been down here this whole time?! Jesus Christ!" The younger Brother whispered as he looked into the Monster's pitch black eyes again. It sent a chill down his spine causing him to shiver, the only thing it stirred in Omega was anger. He was now positive Rapture was trying to make his job as hard as possible, the three holes in his side only helped to prove his theory.

When they reached the Hallway Iota had been patrolling she stopped when she saw the Creature her Mate was dragging, and then she saw the blood, She was immediately concerned about his injuries and rushed to his side to inspect them. Omega kept walking before stopping in front of Tenenbaum and the others that had gathered when they heard the sound of him fighting in the basement. The Brother tossed the Creature's corpse in front of the group and growled before sitting down against a wall to remove his helmet, Iota began gently treating the wounds the Creature had caused in their fight, they weren't anything life threatening for someone like him but they would definitely hurt. Iota stuck her finger inside one of the holes in her Mate's side causing him to growl in pain but he didn't move, he just sat there and let her work, she looked at him apologetically before easing her finger out, the wounds were at least four inches deep. She hated having to check how deep it was like that but it was necessary for her to be accurate, Iota took out a medical syringe and eased the needle into each wound to administer the first aid. When she had finished closing his wounds she wiped the blood on her legs and gave him a quick kiss as a reward for being a good patient.
"Doc... What the Hell is that thing!?" James asked with panic clear in his voice as Joe rubbed his brow. Seline and Vicki covered their mouths in shock and Danny looked like he was going to be sick. Mark moved to the Creature's side and used the barrel of his submachine gun to roll the Abomination onto it's side for a better view.
"This is what's been in the basement?" Mark asked as he peered into the Monster's black eyes recalling what the Captive Splicer had said about a flood of teeth and claws.
Tenenbaum's eyes narrowed as she knelt down to inspect the Creature, they then widened and she covered her mouth in shock.
"Doc! Do you know what it is!?" James asked again, desperate for an answer.
"It talked! It could fucking talk! It copied Joe!" He yelled as he gestured to his older Brother. Tenenbaum cleared her voice and took in a shaking breath.
"It's a Splicer... or, at least it was." Tenenbaum explained with an ashamed tone causing everyone to exchange horrified looks.
"It has evolved from too much ADAM consumption, It's some sort of NeoSplicer, adapted to be more lethal." She said pointing to it's claws, teeth, and tail. "It looks like it's adapted to the darkness as well. It would make sense, they must have been dwelling in the dark of the access tunnels, or buildings that haven't had power for years." She added pointing at the large black eyeballs with no eyelids. The room went silent, you could hear a pin drop. Omega studied everyone's faces as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, he looked at Iota who gave him a worried expression when she saw their faces. She held up three fingers, then two, one. All at once the Group started talking, shouting, panicking, Omega saw Anna looking at the crowd as she stood outside Lizzy's room. The youngest Sister opened the door to see what was going on but Anna ushered her back inside, she didn't need to see this. All of their Human Allies were either arguing, or wondering what their next course of action would be, but they were panicking.

Their statements overlapped and collided with one another even though some of them were suggesting the same ideas only in different ways. The Protectors simply watched them and waited, there was no need for them to get involved, they couldn't speak and even if they could the Humans were too busy fighting amongst themselves to pay attention to them.
"We need to leave as soon as possible!" Mark said through the chaos of everyone's opinions.
"And get caught in the open by God knows how many of these things?! We should try to hold out here were we have weapons and fortifications!" Danny yelled back trying to get his opinion across.
"How many of those things are out there anyway!?" Seline asked with fear in her voice.
"What does it matter, we've been fucked since we came here anyway!" Vicki screamed at James as he tried to calm her down. On and on it went, no one actually trying to help their situation, only stating obvious things like they were trapped, and in danger. Iota shook her head at the sight, she was glad the Scientists had replaced Protector's fear with anger and a willingness for violence. If they hadn't she, Omega, and Anna would be wasting time like the Humans were.
Anna made her way over to the Crowd and tried to get their attention but it was no use, until Iota's Piercing screech caused everyone to shut up and cover their ears. It was the first time they had collectively shut up since Omega showed them the NeoSplicer nearly twenty minutes ago.
"That's Enough!" Anna yelled at the Group when her Sister had finished getting their attention, she stared at each of them before looking at the Creature on the floor.
"Everybody see that!?" She pointed at the Monster with a commanding tone as all eyes fell on her. "It's dead! They can Die! We've been fighting Monsters every day for as long as we can remember!" She yelled as she looked back and forth from person to person, ashamed at how they were acting.
"So what if they like the dark! So what if they changed how they look! At the end of the day they're still the same bloodthirsty Fuckers we've been dealing with!" She pointed to the Creature's broken neck and scoffed.
"Quit acting like Sheep, because at the end of the day we can still kill them!" Anna huffed as she walked away from the crowd to check on her Brother, everyone was speechless. They would expect that kind of tone from Joe or Omega if he could talk but not Anna, the girl that was usually as sweet as could be. Her words seemed to light the fire that everyone needed, whether it was her aura of confidence or Predatory nature they didn't know but whatever it was, it made them see reason. Fighting among themselves was pointless, they needed to rely on each other, to come together and be ready to face any task as one.
"Well you heard her, everyone get your things, we're leaving now!" Joe yelled at everyone, he never thought he'd see the day when he would follow a sixteen year old girl's lead. Omega placed his helmet back on his head and stood up to continue his vigil next to the elevator, he inspected the bandages around his stomach and nodded his thanks to his Mate. Iota and Anna got Lizzy ready as everyone else scrambled to get only necessary items for their trip to Minerva's Den, after twenty minutes everyone met back in the Hallway. They started to make their way to the stairs when the lights started flickering again, everyone held their breath and waited for the surge to pass... but it didn't.

With a gentle hum the power went out and submerged the entire Hotel in pitch black darkness. A calm settled over the Hotel for a moment, no sound was present as the group's worst fears were realized. The Humans began taking their flashlights out and turning them on but everyone stopped when they heard it. A chorus of hissing and claws on the lower floors, the rapid and continuous machine gun fire as the Sentry Turrets engaged the unknown numbers of enemies below. The thunderous roar of gunfire was soon cut off when distant explosions rang through the Survivor's heads. They counted the Turrets one by one as they were destroyed and their defenses overrun. Iota pushed Lizzy into Anna's arms and ran down the Hallway to her Mate to help him defend against the incoming attack. Everyone pointed their flashlights down the Hall toward them and waited, everyone except Craig. His attention was focused on the laundry Shute that led directly to the basement, and the noises echoing up the Shute. The young man eased his ear to the metal hatch and listened as his eyes got wider, it sounded like there were dozens of them, hundreds even.
"Guys, we need to go NOW!" he said desperately as he turned toward Tenenbaum and the others. Before he could take a step he felt pain in his shoulder, he turned toward the hatch to see what had caused it and screamed when he saw the claws digging into his flesh. By the time James and Mark grabbed him only his legs were sticking out of the old Shute, kicking while he screamed inside at whatever horror had abducted him. Both James and Mark pulled with all of their might as they tried to free their Friend, With one massive tug he was pulled free from their grasp and all they heard were his screams as they echoed toward the basement. The two Men were knocked back before they could grab him again, Mark opened the hatch once more and fired his submachine gun into it as he yelled, Anna was already across the hall and pushed him out of the way. She poured a torrent of Incinerate down the hatch and heated the metal hoping it would stop the NeoSplicers from using it again, when she had finished the sounds of battle caught everyone's attention. Down the Hallway next to the Elevator both Omega and Iota had begun fighting the horde of NeoSplicers that had reached the top floor, the sight caught them off guard. Even with their skill and endurance they were having trouble containing all of them, a tidal wave of claws and teeth assaulted them as they fought back to back against the horde. Corpses began piling around them in a fierce display of defiance in the face of overwhelming numbers, the sound of bones crunching could be heard every time the two Protectors landed attacks on their targets. A chorus of pained hisses and shrieks tore through the air as their enemies fell two and three at a time. Anna's instincts kicked into overdrive when she saw them surrounded and she rushed to engage the NeoSplicers that had made it past her Siblings. She wanted to protect them but she also wanted to protect her Friends. Iota noticed that some of the Monsters had managed to make it past them and immediately took action, the eldest Sister shot her arm out toward the hallway and created a wall of fire that reached the ceiling. Omega did the same on his end and together they engulfed the end of the Hallway in Hellfire and black smoke.

Their Human Allies formed a firing line and concentrated their aim at any NeoSplicer that hadn't reached the Protectors yet, it wasn't much but it made a world of difference for Omega and Iota since they were surrounded. The wall of flames sent the NeoSplicers into a frenzy of blind rage, they swarmed in every direction due to their sensitivity to the light, they attacked anything that moved and darted aimlessly in all directions.
"Joe, the fire extinguishers run off of power, we're all gonna burn if we stay here!" Mark yelled to the bearded Man as he fired his machine gun at more of the oncoming NeoSplicers. Joe thought for a moment and weighed their options, it wasn't looking good for them.
"Everyone back! Back to the armory!" Joe yelled as Anna began fighting the five or more NeoSplicers that had made it past the wall of Corpses and fire her Siblings were in the process of creating. "Go! I'll cover you!" Anna yelled to her Friends as they retreated.
She stabbed, kicked and punched every NeoSplicer that came at her, five in all. She used Incinerate on the ones that climbed on the ceiling and walls, the fire itself didn't kill them or even seem to hurt them much, only slow them down. She felt pain riddle her body when the Creatures attacked her all at once slashing and stabbing at her with their built in weapons. What really saved her was when she noticed them trying to look away from the light that the fire created.

"They adapted to the darkness as well." Tenenbaum's words echoed in her head and a spark of realization hit her. Anna engulfed her left arm in flames and used it as a shield against the Creatures as she impaled them with her Harvesting Needle. After stomping on the last NeoSplicer's head with a growl she was panting and swung her Harvester at the first sign of movement in the corner of her eye. Iota caught her wrist mid swing and she let out a breath of relief, until she actually noticed the state her Sister was in. Iota had been fighting for far longer than she had but the signs of battle were evident on her. The eldest Sister had gashes and small cuts all over her suit and armor, stab wounds in her forearms and thighs from the Creature's tails and Just by standing near her she could feel the heat her armor was radiating from fighting close to the inferno they had created. if the heat wasn't evidence enough the steam rising off of her suit was.
"Where's Big Brother!?" Anna asked desperately, Iota turned and pointed to Omega who was using both hands to launch flames all down the Hallway as he walked back toward them. He knew the fire would only keep spreading but it seemed like the only way to stop the Creatures. They had an endless number of bodies to throw at them and even Protectors had their limits, he didn't like the idea of trapping his family and Allies in a burning building but they were running out of options and needed time to form an escape plan.
Once he made sure that no threats could get through he jogged over to them breathing heavily. Anna could see that he had taken some hits in the fight too, he looked worse than Iota in terms of damage and she knew what had happened when Iota Gently placed her hand on a gash in his arm. He had taken most of the damage away from Iota because he was a bigger target, it immediately reminded her of when she had seen them fight Splicers together. He was always shielding her from the worst of it and it made Iota feel terrible for the burden he was shouldering. Their wounds weren't serious enough for ADAM, in truth the two of them would probably heal quickly with a few minutes of rest but the next sounds they heard threw that idea out the window.
Heavy footsteps could be heard on the wood flooring beyond the wall of fire behind them, the three Siblings turned to see what it was but couldn't make out anything for the flames that had begun to spread, whatever it was it sounded massive. Both Iota and Omega stood still as they scanned the fire, Anna saw her Brother clench his fists and Iota pushed her back toward the armory their Human Allies were holed up in.

"What is it? What do you see?" Anna asked trying desperately to gauge how much danger they were in now, the only answer she received was Iota's screech as she pointed for her to go to the Armory. "No I want to stay and help yo-" Iota screeched again this time her commanding posture and crimson porthole got the point across, it was a fight that Anna would lose, a fight that she could only get in the way if she tried to help. Anna took off toward the armory but stopped before rounding the corner to take one last look at her Sibling's, and then she saw it.
Time slowed down for her when she saw a massive figure step through the fire toward her Siblings. It was bigger than her Brother, bigger than Subject Sigma even, it walked on two legs and looked like it's entire body was covered in some sort of hard shell for protection, Anna took one look into the eye slits in the Creature's armor and knew she had to find everyone an exit... fast. Anna forced herself to turn away from the flaming hallway and ran toward the Armory, choking back tears as she did so. Joe and Tenenbaum were standing guard just outside when they caught sight of her.
"Anna, what is happening, where are Omega and Iota?" Tenenbaum asked her with worry plain on her face. Anna quickly pulled off her helmet and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Still fighting, something attacked them! Some kind of big armored Monster!" She answered in frantic breaths. Without any hesitation Joe put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down, as the echoes of intense fighting came from her Siblings location.
"Don't worry Kid, they'll be fine! Those two are too stubborn to die, believe me!" Joe said giving her a reassuring smile. "Anna we've found an escape route but we need your help, there's a fire escape on the floor below us that leads to the main street. Everyone's trying to break through the floor of the Armory so we can get out of here, can you help them?" Joe asked as he looked into her eyes. Anna started to protest and shake her head until she remembered how Iota had commanded her to leave the fight to them, she didn't have a choice but to trust her older Sister. The young Protector stepped into the armory where she saw James, Seline, Mark, and Vicki hammering at the floor with sledge hammers and fire axes. James handed her an extra hammer when he saw her but she wasn't paying attention, the look on her face was one of pure terror as she looked frantically around the room.
"Where's Liz!?" her heart nearly stopped when she uttered the words, Lizzy wasn't in the room and judging by the looks on everyone's faces they had been so preoccupied that they hadn't even noticed she was missing.

. . .

Both Protectors growled at the new foe in front of them, it was huge to say the least. every inch of it's body was covered in a shell like armor. It had a smaller mouth compared to the other NeoSplicers but it's teeth looked just as sharp, it didn't have the tail that the others had but it made up for that with it's sheer size alone. It stood at roughly eleven feet tall, a full three heads taller than Omega and four above Iota. Both Protectors spread apart to give each other space, when the Creature let loose a deep thundering roar they answered it with their own war cries. It charged Iota first with heavy stomps as it barreled toward her, she spun around and slashed at it's back with her harvester only for it to bounce off of the hard shell. As soon as it did Omega launched a large surge of Electro Shock at it that also did nothing but anger the Beast. That ruled out sharp objects and Plasmids, When it turned and swung at Omega the Brother dodged the attack and punched it twice with as much force as he could muster. The Monster hardly seemed to notice, when it swung again almost catching him Iota launched into the air and kicked the armored NeoSplicer knocking it off balance giving her Mate a chance to evade it's attacks. They repeated their nimble attack plan attempting to wear the Creature down but it only succeeded in making it more and more angry, especially when Iota began stabbing at it's face with her Harvester. After a few minutes the only thing they were starting to wear down were themselves, and both Protectors were having a difficult time evading it's attacks now. It entered some kind of Berserk state and started growling loudly, it's attacks got even faster and it's reflexes sharpened. Omega found this out the hard way when he misjudged his timing and the Berserker sent him flying through one of the Hotel's walls, when he jumped back through the hole Iota took a hit and let out a pained screech as she slid across the floor on her side. With every hit they took they slowed down considerably, it felt like they were fighting a two Big Daddies rolled into one. as the fight dragged on the flames and smoke spread rapidly throughout the hallway without the electricity powered fire control systems. Having less room to move both Protectors took repeated blows from the Berserker.

Omega crossed his arms to guard against one of the Beast's punches, as it hit a loud bang echoed through the sounds of fire crackling and he slid back more than a few feet carving a trail in the ash covered floor below. The attack sent a thundering shockwave of pain through the Brother's arms as he slid to a halt and dropped to one knee, his arms fell to his sides as he growled. Iota took her turn to attack, when she leapt through the air she thought she would catch the Berserker off guard, but she was wrong. The armored NeoSplicer turned in time to catch her with both his hands gripping the sides of her torso, Iota slashed at the Monster with her Harvester only rewarding her with a loud growl as the Berserker squeezed her sides with it's massive hands. She hit the Beast in the face repeatedly before feeling her ribs start to break from the pressure it was putting on them and all she could do was let out a raspy screech of pain as the taste of blood filled her mouth. She counted the loud cracks that echoed in her ears, one, two, three, four. Her ribs were snapping in quick succession and an enormous amount of pain flooded her body, with every gasp for air more pain, with every second, pain. It seemed like it lasted an eternity though it had only been mere seconds, she knew this because Omega was already on the Beast and he didn't like what it was doing to her.
Relief came when her Mate charged the NeoSplicer jamming his Harvester under the Beast's armpit, the Monster roared in anger and released Iota. Omega began driving the Monster away to give Iota a chance to recover. The Sister fell to the floor grasping her broken ribs and coughing. Her wounds from the earlier fight with the Horde and now this armored NeoSplicer were taking their toll, she saw it on Omega as well and she wasn't sure how much longer they could keep it up. She hoped she and Omega had given everyone time to escape.
"Big Brother, Big Sister!" She heard Anna's voice through the sounds of the fighting, she turned her head and horror filled her when she saw her younger Sister charging toward her.

. . .

Anna's heart began racing as she darted out of the Armory and back down the hallway toward her Siblings, she ignored everyone's cries for her to stop, she had to find Lizzy, she had to protect her!
Anna passed Danny who was helping Grace toward the Armory and stopped them. They were covered in soot and ash from the fire and Grace was covering her mouth and nose with a rag to stop herself from breathing in the dangerous chemicals.
"Have you seen Lizzy?!" She shouted desperately, hoping they knew where her Sister was, both of them were coughing as they shook their heads. Anna growled in frustration and dread as she sped off before either of them could say anymore to her. Anna turned the corner back to the last place she had seen Iota and Omega fighting, when she saw them even more fear flooded her. She could tell they were both badly injured and exhausted, the armored NeoSplicer they had been fighting this whole time didn't have a scratch on him besides some blood under it's right arm. Iota was on the ground slowly getting back up from what Anna could only assume was a heavy hit she had taken, she was holding her ribs and she was limping. Her Brother was still fighting the Monster trying to draw it away from his Mate. She could barely see for all of the smoke and fire but she could tell he was out of breath.
"Big Brother, Big Sister!" She called out to them as she sprinted to Iota, as soon as the Siblings heard her they both shot a glance toward her. Omega wasn't expecting her to come back, they had expected her to leave, a split second was all it took for the Berserker to take advantage of Omega's broken concentration. It launched a heavy kick to his chest sending him through another flame engulfed wall. Chunks of debris and red embers flooded the area as Omega's weight took the wall down.

"Big Brother!" Anna yelled as she helped Iota to her feet, when the Berserker turned to look in their direction the two Sisters prepared for the worst. The Berserker roared before charging the two Sisters, it's foot falls thundering toward them. With only a second of reaction time Anna pushed her older Sister out of the way and realized exactly why they had ordered her to stay out of the fight. When the Beast plowed over her it felt like she had been run over by a train, the Monster's weight and speed flinging her violently to the floor below knocking the air out of her. When she tried to stand back up the Beast was already on her again mauling her with it's claws and punching her where it could. It only lasted for a second until Iota knocked the Berserker off of her but for those few seconds of abuse Anna felt like she was truly about to die. Iota stood in front of her younger Sister defensively and roared a warning to the NeoSplicer as she pointed her Harvester at it.
The Beast began walking toward them only to be halted by the sound of gunfire and bullets hitting it's back. Anna looked past the Berserker to see who was doing the shooting and saw Subject Sigma step through the fire with his Gatling gun raised toward the threat. Anna let out a breath of relief when she saw the Monster change his focus to the new combatant, as the NeoSplicer charged the Big Daddy Anna helped her Sister steady herself by wrapping her arm around her. They saw Omega step back into the hallway and pull a large chunk of wood out of his side with a growl as he looked for the NeoSplicer, he looked bloody but not beaten, never beaten.

Omega thought for a moment before taking a look around the flaming Hallway they had once called home, he pulled his hand away from his side and inspected the blood on his gloved hand, he could see the fire's reflection dancing off of the surface. He looked at his Sisters and then to Sigma who was now fighting the Berserker with his drill, the Brother jogged his way to Iota and Anna to check on them.
When Omega reached them he began inspecting Iota's wounds, Anna's next words made him freeze for a moment.
"Big Brother, I can't find Lizzy! I think she must have hidden when the NeoSplicers attacked, what do we do!?" She asked desperately. Omega ignored Anna and lifted Iota's head to listen to the wheezing coming from inside her helmet, he knew that one or more of her ribs had punctured a lung and she would have a hard time fighting in such a condition. He began feeling each of her ribs with both hands as he delicately slid his fingers down her sides. Anna was looking around frantically searching for Lizzy while she held Iota up.
"Big Brother, What do we do!?" Anna screamed when she saw Sigma take a heavy hit from the Berserker, parts of the floor were even starting to give out and steel support beams were breaking apart from the sheer heat of the fire. When they fell they split the walls, ceiling, and floor like a hot knife through butter sending up more smoke and embers but Omega wasn't paying attention to any of it, right now his concern was getting Iota combat ready again. The Brother was prioritizing the situation in a way Anna couldn't understand, he had to make sure Iota was able to fight, Sigma was in far better condition than either of them and could probably hold out for a while. Lizzy needed to be found and protected, they needed to get everyone out of the building and through the darkness to safety. The mental checklist ran through Omega's head as he found the rib that had punctured Iota's lung and gently inserted his Harvester into her side, he then lifted it up and pulled it back to hook the rib and pull it back to it's rightful spot injecting a small amount of ADAM to speed her healing. Iota groaned in pain and gave him a thumbs up as thanks. Omega then turned the release knob on his Harvester and felt the stimulating surge of ADAM enter his veins, he inhaled deeply, thankful for his air tight suit and oxygen tanks.

Seeing the amount of destruction around them and the damage her Siblings had taken were causing Anna to panic, and with Lizzy missing she had a million things going through her head at once. She couldn't focus and all her Protector instincts were telling her was to "Protect". She didn't know what to do though, how could she protect her Siblings, how could she find Lizzy and protect her, how were her Siblings so calm in such a time of crisis!?"
"What do we do Big Brother!? I don't know what to-" Anna was stopped when Omega put his hand on her shoulder, all she could do was stare at him as the fire and embers danced behind him, hoping, praying for his guidance. He pointed to her and Iota and then toward the Armory, it didn't even register to Anna what he was telling her until he shook her.
"No, we're not leaving you!" Her voice cracking as she shouted at him, but he shook his head and pointed to Iota who was still in the process of healing a great deal of damage and gave a screech. Iota nodded as she pulled him to her and placed the foreheads of their helmets together, Anna didn't understand. Why was Iota so willing to leave her Mate behind, she loved him more than anything in the world and she was willing to leave him to fight with only Sigma as backup? Anna spared one more glancing look toward her Brother but he had already turned his back to them and was preparing for the fight. The image seared itself into her mind, her only Brother was standing in the midst of fire and ash. Anna's Protector instincts were trying to pull her in five different directions at once, Omega, Lizzy, Iota, her Friends, herself and she didn't know how to deal with such a terrible situation.
"We can't leave! not without Lizzy!" Anna screamed at them, Omega nodded and pointed to himself then put his fingers to the crimson glowing slits of his visor to let them know he would find her. Iota nodded again and pulled Anna toward the armory against her will. She fought against her but even in her weakened state Iota was still stronger than her.
"Big Brother no!" She screamed.

"Iota please! we can't! Please!" She screamed again but Iota never listened, she just continued to drag her to safety, she didn't even look back. Iota knew more than anyone what her Mate was capable and without either her or Anna there he could fight without worrying for their safety. When they reached the Armory they could see everyone wearing rags on their faces to help guard against the smoke, they were covered in dirt and ash and hadn't made very much progress on getting through the floor.

"I'm going back! I can't just lea-" Anna started to scream when Iota slapped her helmet with a screech, the blow causing her to fall back against the brick wall behind her. Anna put her hand on the side of her helmet as Iota gestured around the room and finally to herself. The realization hit Anna like a tidal wave of despair, everyone was counting on her. All of her Friends were terrified, desperate... trapped. She hadn't noticed how badly off they were until now, they couldn't breath and large metal pipes were the only things stopping them from getting all the way through the floor to safety. The pipes had chips and rough cuts in them from the sledge hammers and axes her Friends had used to try and break through them but they just weren't strong enough. Everyone was looking at her with pleading in their eyes as they coughed and wiped their tears from panic, hot smoke or ash and it made her feel so ashamed of herself for trying to abandon them. She also noticed Iota's bleeding wounds, Iota was a very capable fighter, one of the best, but could she lead this many people to safety alone? No, there was no way, not without taking massive casualties. Anna would just have to trust in her Brother, like Iota did, trust that he would find Lizzy and they would make it out after them. They had placed their faith in her to get everyone to safety and she was trying to deny that faith by staying inside the burning Hotel, when she thought of it that way it caused her stomach to churn. There was simply nothing she could do, even if she stayed the armored NeoSplicer would likely kill her, and if it didn't the inferno inside the Hotel likely would. She had fought with the Berserker for only a moment, if that's even what you would call fighting. There was no way she would be of any use to anyone other than leading who she could to safety.

Anna took a deep breath as she steeled her resolve and grabbed one of the sledge hammers she had dropped earlier.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking straight, we need to get everyone out of this building before it comes down." Anna said solemnly as she went to work busting the large pipes that blocked their path to freedom. Iota nodded her compliments to her younger Sister for making the right decision. Iota frowned at the thought of leaving Omega, Lizzy, and Sigma and escaping on their own but Omega wanted Her and Anna to protect the Humans, they wouldn't be able to escape Rapture without at least Tenenbaum alive. Neither of them knew anything about computers or Navigation and even if they did somehow manage to escape they could never hope to find Eleanor or Sofia Lamb on the surface without help. Iota's stomach was twisted into needles as her Protector instinct clashed with her logical thinking. Every fiber of her being wanted her to stay and fight by her Mate's side, even if they were both killed.
With their combined strength, the two Sisters broke the large metal pipes leading to the lower floor. Once they had broken through Iota jumped down to scout the area followed by James and Mark. Once their Human Allies had made it down Anna was about to jump when she noticed Grace was still sitting in a chair covering her mouth and nose with a rag. She moved to help the old Woman and placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Aunt Grace! We got through, we need to go!" She shouted so the older Woman would hear her, but she didn't move.
"Aunt Grace!" She shook her and the Elder Woman's hand fell limp, a bolt of shock shot through Anna as she checked her pulse... nothing. She had passed without anyone knowing, without so much as a word, probably not wanting to bother anyone, it was the kind of Woman she was, always thinking of others. Anna choked back tears as she heard Iota's screeching call and ran to help her Sister. "Damn you Andrew Ryan! Damn you and the Hell you created!" Anna muttered as she blinked the tears from her eyes before jumping down the hole to regroup with her Sister.
"Where is Grace!?" Tenenbaum asked as Anna jumped down, she didn't move for a moment before finally shaking her head. Tenenbaum sighed sorrowfully but accepted the answer, death was no stranger to the Doctor and she could tell by the pained expression on Anna's face that she was suffering from the Woman's passing.
Anna balled her fists in anger, She had lost Lizzy, Craig, and now Aunt Grace, all because of her selfishness. "Let's go..." Anna said sharply as she gritted her teeth, Iota simply nodded and waved for their suffocating Allies to follow her. Everyone was having trouble breathing except the two Big Sisters with their air tight suits and oxygen tanks, their only real concern was the heat. They felt like they were sweating buckets inside their suits, it made their escape that much more unpleasant. The sound of fighting could barely be heard above the Group as they made their way through the flaming corridors of the Hotel, they stayed low to avoid as much of the smoke as possible but Iota could see that everyone was in bad shape. She held up her hand for everyone to stop and sprayed them with Winter Blast to cool them off, immense heat was fatal to Humans and her Mate was trusting her to keep them alive. Everyone kept the make shift masks on their faces but basked in the icy torrent of wind she was aiming at them, after cooling the group she resumed leading them to their escape route.
"What I wouldn't give for a glass of ice water right now!" James yelled over the flames as he wiped the burning tears from his eyes. The thick smoke made it hard to do anything, burning everyone's eyes and throats as they breathed, flames licking at their clothing when they passed burning rubble along their path.
"Save the air!" Joe yelled at his younger Brother, he was amazed that James could complain even in the most life threatening moments.

. . .

Omega turned away from his Sisters to focus on the fight at hand, his Sisters had escaped so he no longer needed to worry for their sake, he could fight with nothing held back. He could see through the fire and falling chunks of debris that Sigma was locked in a stalemate with the Berserker, he had to hand it to the Big Daddy, he may be slow but his endurance was impressive. They would have to deal with the Monster before he could guarantee Lizzy's safety when he found her, if he found her. The thought haunted him, that he might find his youngest Sister's lifeless body among a burning pile of rubble, but he threw the thought away. He and Sigma would kill this Beast, find Lizzy, and escape the building together, or he would die trying. The Brother charged the two Giants hoping to gain the advantage, he had to hurry.
Sigma locked arms with the Berserker each trying to push the other back with all their might, like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. The Berserker growled raspily as Sigma's deep whaling groan flooded out of his chest, then Omega's howling screech filled the scorching air. The Brother launched himself through a wall of flames and planted a heavy kick to the Armored NeoSplicer's head with a crack, like thunder rolling through the sky. The Berserker flinched and gave Sigma all the opportunity he needed to turn the stalemate to his advantage. The Big Daddy released one of the Beast's arms and smashed his massive drill into the other side of the NeoSplicer's head. When it took a few steps back Omega fired Winter Blast at the Creature hoping the immense cold would have some kind of effect since both fire and lightning did nothing but anger it. The blast of freezing air spread ice along the Monster's face and shoulder, when Sigma slammed his drill into the Beast's head again and saw pieces of it's shell break off they knew they were on to something. They repeated the process hitting it's arm, a leg, it's side, each heavy hit causing more and more of it's armor to crumble but the Creature wasn't finished yet. With another rage filled roar the Beast spun around flailing wildly and hit Omega in the face causing his helmet to unlatch and launch off of his head. The blow sent his helmet one way and sent him through the wall of Lizzy's former room and onto the floor. Scorching smoke filled the Brother's lungs and stung his eyes as he tried to regain his breath, the Berserker started to approach when another swing from Sigma's drill caught it's attention. Omega tried to regain his bearings while sigma kept the Monster occupied, he rolled over and climbed onto all fours as he fell into coughing fits from the smoke and heat. The Brother coughed as he watched blood drip from his mouth and forehead onto the dirty blue carpet of Lizzy's room, that's when something caught his attention, smaller coughing was coming from somewhere in the room.
Omega blinked his burning eyes and looked around as he covered his face, when part of the ceiling caved in and thundered on the floor he could barely hear a sharp scream echo from the far end of the apartment, his protector drive kicked in and he darted toward the source of the sound. When he ripped the door out of the wall Lizzy screamed again before realizing who he was.

"Big Brother! You came back!" Lizzy cried out in a sob before coughing from the smoke, Omega wasted no time, he wrapped Lizzy in a spare blanket that was in the closet and used his Winter Blast plasmid to cool the blanket down and protect Lizzy from the immense heat. picking her up and covering her head with his hand, Lizzy wrapped her arms around his neck graciously. When he turned to leave the room he only had a split second to dodge the large armored fist that was coming toward him, he ducked and kicked the NeoSplicer away before rolling to put distance between them, as the Berserker's back impacted the burning floor below flames engulfed it as the flooring gave out sucking him deeper into the Hotel. When Omega stood up he felt the floor beneath him start to give way like it had for the Berserker, the Brother immediately dove through the nearest wall and back out into the flaming hallway ignoring the pain of hot embers falling on his face and neck. He rolled and jumped back up checking to make sure Lizzy was okay, he looked for Sigma and found him on the far side closest to the armory, he had a hand on his knee and was holding himself steady with his drill. When the Big Daddy saw him he beckoned for him to hurry but the ground started to shake. pieces of concrete began falling from the Building's roof as the steel beams supporting it gave way to the heat and weight. Omega looked up to see the roof collapsing in and dove back toward the Elevator, the piece of roof smashed through the floor releasing more smoke and embers as it tore a massive hole through the middle of the Hotel's weak structure. He could hear it smashing through the other floors before stopping. as he rolled Lizzy screamed through coughing fits as she wiped her burning eyes.
"AAAHHHHH! Big Brother, Hurry!" The small girl screamed desperately for her Brother to save her from the growing inferno, Omega took a step back and prepared to jump the fifteen foot hole to reach Sigma. When the Brother kicked off his run another large piece of the building's concrete roof gave out and fell down on the Protector and the small girl he was desperately trying to save, in the blink of an eye Sigma saw them crushed and pulled into the Hellfire bellow. Sigma let out a massive roar of anger as he saw Lizzy's terrified face flash in his mind, he watched for a moment hoping Omega would somehow crawl out of the Hellish pit before he remembered the other Survivors that had escaped, he looked down to see the battle worn helmet of his fallen comrade and collected it. Perhaps it would offer at least some closure to his Mate and Sister, Sigma took one last look at the flaming Hallway before jogging toward the armory to follow his Allies out.

. . .

Anna was following behind the group as they made their escape so she could stop any threats that presented themselves, whether it was alive or just simply parts of the burning building that might fall on top of them. The deaths of her Friends weighed on Anna the entire way through the Hotel, plaguing her with guilt over failing her Protector duty. She felt her chest tighten at the thought of her Brother and Sister trapped in the flames above, she didn't even realize when they had reached their exit. Iota led everyone to a window that overlooked an Alleyway next to the Hotel, there was a long slide intended as the Building's fire escape, it had been placed in the middle of the Hotel's floors so everyone would have equal access. One by one everyone slid down the escape and into fresh air. They now had another problem, the darkness that surrounded them. All floors of the Hotel were engulfed in flames causing a large amount of light to surround the building but that wouldn't last forever and when it went out the NeoSplicers would rush them in the dark. Iota led everyone to the front of the Hotel and into the light of the burning building, on the border where the light met darkness she could see them. NeoSplicers, hundreds of them, circling, whipping their tails and licking their teeth but it didn't matter. The only thing that she could look at was the massive inferno that her Mate and Sigma were still fighting in, gas lines exploded inside launching fireballs and debris out of various windows with their shattering boom. She bit her lip nervously as she scanned the flaming openings for any sign of Omega or Sigma, when the ground started shaking she knew something was very wrong. A massive fireball blew out of all the Hotel's windows at once causing everyone to shield their eyes, when she moved her hand she saw the roof cave in, followed by every floor under it. Smoke and debris flew through the air and embers rose high above the street as the entire building imploded into itself leaving nothing but a burning pile of concrete and wood, steel support beams rising into the sky like fingers coming from Hell.

In that moment the world went silent as both Iota and Anna removed their helmets, tears carved trails through the soot and dirt on their faces. The Sisters fell to their knees and starred wide eyed into the blazing Hell that had consumed Omega, Lizzy, and their Allies. The two girls became deaf to everything else, they didn't hear the Human's begging for them to save them, they didn't hear the whispering calls of the NeoSplicers as they waited for their next meal to step into the darkness, Iota didn't even hear Anna's horrified screaming as she buried her face in her hands.
A vast ringing filled Iota's entire body drowning out everything else, it brought with it a pressure that felt like the entire City was crushing her, movement caught her attention in the darkness of the Alleyway they had come from and she let herself hope for one last time but when she saw Sigma walk into the light alone she knew it was useless and went back to silently watching the flaming rubble of the Hotel. Sigma walked into the light and everyone started cheering, until they noticed that he was alone as well. Gasps replaced laughter when they saw what he was holding in his free hand. Sigma limped his way over to Iota who was still watching the flames and tried to hand her something but she didn't pay attention, Sigma knelt down on one knee and tried again this time managing to steal her gaze. He held out his hand as it grasped Omega's black helmet and bowed his head in a silent apology.
Iota was trembling as she took it to stare into the black visor slits, when reality hit her she placed the hot piece of armor against her forehead, not feeling the pain the scorching piece of metal brought to her skin and let her tears flow. Iota held her shaking hands on her Mate's helmet, it was so light without him wearing it, even that thought cut her to the core. She ran her fingers down the front of the helmet gently tracing it's features before finally, she put the helmet to her chest and squeezed it tightly, not wanting to believe what was happening, not wanting to believe that fate was so cruel in it's ability to cause such pain. Everyone either knelt or sat down to rest when they witnessed the tragic scene before them, most even crying themselves.

Iota only clutched the piece of armor tighter as she let out a pain induced screech that made even the NeoSplicers back up out of fear. Rapture was going to take everything from her, and even the most powerful Guardians ever created couldn't seem to stop it. Everyone held their ears in pain as Iota's long dreadful screech roared through the air getting higher in pitch and intensity until it just suddenly stopped. Silence filled the void around them, Anna hugged her Sister tightly but all Iota could do was stare into the ruins of the Hotel.

Silently drowning in her pain.