Jack VI
The first order of business for Jack and Elizabeth after treating their injuries with some Health Packs was retrieving their weapons and scavenging the nearby area for other supplies.
"Wilkins was hoarding a lot of food down here," Jack noted, staring at the stacks of canned foods and jugs of water. And booze. Tons of booze. 'I wonder how many people he had to kill or screw over to get all of this?'
"If we have space, pack some of it up. It'll come in handy if we get a chance to stop for some food and water," Liz said from where she was sitting on a crate, slumped against the wall.
"Speaking of water..." Jack grabbed one of the jugs, pulling off the impacted cork and giving it a small sniff. Nothing, it was probably safe then. He walked over to Liz, holding out the jug. "Here, you should drink something."
"Now?"
"Now. With all the running around we've been doing, we both probably need it."
Liz gave him a tired smile. "And yet you're offering me water instead of taking any for yourself."
"You know what they say: ladies first," Jack said, giving his partner a smile that tugged at his split lip. "Besides, there is plenty more."
"Good, go get some. I hate drinking alone."
That actually got a laugh out of Jack, something that sounded odd to his ears. Has being down here changed him that much? But he did as was told, grabbing his own jug. When he returned to Liz, she scooted over to make room for him on the crate.
"Thanks," he grunted, collapsing next to Liz. It was a tight fit and the woman was pressed up against him. Not that Jack was going to complain about that. Not with how warm she felt. Not with...
"No problem," Liz replied. She took a drink from her jug, the motion causing her throat to flex in such a way that Jack couldn't help but stare at the bruises rapidly developing on her pale skin. A droplet of water escaped Liz's mouth to trickle down her neck and disappear beneath the collar of her shirt.
His throat dry, Jack averted his eyes and took a drink of his own water. 'I wonder... If we had met somewhere else then could-"
"Jack!"
"Pwffff!" Jack coughed, spitting out water in fright as Atlas' voice screamed in his earpiece.
Liz blinked at him in shock. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing, don't worry about it."
"Nothing? Don't worry? Have you forgotten the mission, boyo?" Atlas growled. "Instead of being distracted by a pretty piece of tail, would you kindly get off your arse and start moving! The submarine bay was only used by smugglers and thieves. More than likely the entrance will be hidden, better to keep the coppers off the scent. Get a move on!"
As if his legs were acting on their own accord, Jack stood up. The jug slipped from his fingers and hit the ground, shattering and spraying water everywhere.
"Jack?" Liz looked up at him in concern, her voice still rough and horse. "Is everything o-"
"It's fine," he said quickly. "C'mon we shouldn't stick around here. We need to find the way down into the hidden smugglers' hideout. That is where my... friend's family is being hidden."
.
.
.
"Alright... I'll follow your lead," Liz said slowly, her face blank.
Jack turned to go but was stopped by a hand on his wrist, causing him to turn back to face
"Wait," Liz said. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wet it with water from the jug. "Your face is covered in blood. No need to look like a madman when you're rescuing people."
With gentle hands, the woman wiped the blood from Jack's face. The water was cold but he could hardly tell, not with how hot his face felt.
"I'm right outside the submarine bay, but I can't get in. I'll need you for that. My family can't be more than a hundred yards away."
Atlas' radio transmission was cut off before Jack got a chance to respond with anything more than a silent nod. Come to think of it, the other man did that often.
'Must not be a fan of long conversations,' he thought. 'Still, it will be nice to finally meet Atlas in person. I have a lot of questions for him.'
Still, the very idea that this nightmare could almost be over was enough to put some pep in his step. The urge to rush ahead was very much there but Jack restrained himself. He still needed to stay on guard, after all, and besides... Liz wasn't doing so hot. Though the woman hid it well, Jack was able to see the slight limp in her step and the exhaustion on her face.
'We need to rest soon.'
He was about to suggest Liz wait here -the burning rubble of a destroyed turret created a warm little fire if nothing else- when they turned a corner and Atlas was back in his head with more instructions.
"Hit the switch up there in the control booth and let me in. I think it's time to shake hands and get acquainted. Got a lot to say to your little birdie too."
'What does he mean by that?' Jack couldn't help but wonder as he climbed over a pile of rubble, turning to help pull Liz over. 'He better thank her. I couldn't have gotten this far without Liz.'
"Wow," Liz muttered, looking down through a windowed wall into the chamber below. She tapped on the glass, pointing at the submarine that was being held in place above the water by a large metal hook. "That must be it."
"And, if we're lucky, it'll be our way out of this hellhole too," Jack said.
Liz gave him a strange look. "I can't leave yet, Jack. I still have things to do, people to find and save. Sally. Remember?"
Jack's heart and stomach dropped. "Oh, right."
Damnnit! How could he have forgotten about all the Little Sisters so soon?
'C'mon, Jack! Gotta get your head in the game! Remember what is important, this isn't time to be selfish!' He shook out his head and reached out for the switch. 'Well, at least Atlas and his family can get out of here.'
But before he could throw the switch, the radio crackled to life once more. Only times, it was someone entirely different.
"You've had your fun, but enough is enough. If you press that button, you'll learn what it means to truly be my enemy," Andrew Ryan said. There was a frustrated sneer to his voice, like Jack was nothing more than an annoying child. "There is much you don't know yet you are content to dance around like a marionette while others pull your strings."
"What's wrong?" Liz asked, studying his face.
"Nothing," Jack frowned. 'Fuck you, asshole. Why the hell would I listen to you? You caused every horrible thing I've seen down here!'
Not even bothering to actually respond to the man, Jack definitely flipped the switch.
"So you've chosen the life of a puppet, I see. You'll get no sympathy for me then, boy," Ryan said. "But, before I go, I leave you with this: be careful who you trust. Everyone has their own motives down here."
'What did he mean by-'
Bam!
The lights went dark and the shrill repeated beep of an alarm started to sound. In the chamber below, Jack was able to see a red flashing strobe. It provided just enough light that he was able to make a door slip open and a figure rush through.
"This isn't good," Liz mumbled. She was already sorting through her different weapons, it was as if she was trying to decide which was the best to use.
Over the crackling static of the radio, Atlas called out to him. "You blow a fuse up there? Can't see a damned thing in that booth. Give me a tick and I'll get you out of there. Moira! Can you hear me in there, darling?"
Jack could barely hear him over the roar of the siren's wailing but he saw the man banging on the side of the submarine. He was about to respond when Ryan's mocking voice was back in his ear.
"So dark in here. If only your friend could look up and see you. Maybe you could warn him. If only you could do something ... anything ... except just stand here and watch him die."
'What did you do, Ryan?!' Jack slammed his fist on the glass in front of him, trying to get Atlas' attention. "Hey, be careful!"
"Something else is here!" Liz shouted, pointing up into the rafters of the chamber. Jack looked in the direction she was pointing just in time to see the distinctive form of a splicer drop down into the chamber.
"Shit," he growled. He pulled his pistol from his belt and stepped back, "Fuck this! I'm taking a shortcut!"
But before he could shoot the glass out, there was a loud BANG! and one of the pipes fell from the chamber ceiling, filling the room with steam. Through the mist, Jack could see the silhouette of more splicers descending down into the room.
"Atlas, run!" he shouted, hoping his friend could hear him.
And maybe he did but his voice came over the radio, loud and clear.
"Splicers! They're fucking everywhere!" he swore. "They're everywhere! I can't hold 'em, got to fall back. Get me family out and we'll regroup as soon as we can! Go! Go!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The sound of gunfire so close nearly gave Jack a heart attack. He spun around, ready to shoot, and saw Liz lowering her machine gun and a still-twitching splicer bleeding out on the ground.
"Wha-"
"They're coming for us too!" she said. "We've got to move!"
"Not without Atlas and his family! I made a promise!"
"Atlas? You mean-"
"C'mon, follow me!" he called, switching to his shotgun and rushing out into the fall just in time for another splicer to rush him.
BANG!
Pushing forward, he used Telekinesis on a red fuel barrel and flung it at a pair of splicers. One fired a gun... only for it to hit the barrel, igniting the fuel inside and spraying it over the pair. Jack ignored the screams and the smell of burnt fell as he rushed through the halls with Liz right behind him. They fought their way through wave after wave of splicers before finally turning the corner that would lead them into the submarine chamber where they could regroup with-
BOOM!
The force of the explosion that came from the submarine knocked Jack back; he would have fallen on his ass if Liz didn't catch him. He regained his balance and tried to rush forward... only to be stopped by the wall of rubble and flames that now filled the entranceway.
"Atlas!" he screamed.
The radio crackled to life -only it wasn't Atlas.
"You ooze in like an assassin and then you try to sneak out like a thief. You're no CIA spook. Who are you? Why have you come here?" Ryan demanded. "There's two ways to deal with a mystery: uncover it or eliminate it."
"Fuck you, asshole!" he screamed back. "You killed them! Innocent people! I'll kill you for this!"
"Jack!" Liz grabbed his arm. "Do you hear that?"
His heart was still pounding in his ears, rage and frustration still flooding his veins. "Hear what?"
"...I think- I think it's water! The explosion must have destabilized the chamber; it's filling with water! We've got to run!"
"But-"
Cr-crack!
"Get out! Get out and get to Arcadia! There is a bathysphere behind the bulkhead, it'll take you there! Go! Go! Jesus Christ..."
Jack wanted to argue but now he could hear the sound of running water. Liz grabbed him by the arm and started to pull.
"Come on!"
They booked it towards the bulkhead, water starting to rush in behind them. Jack, with his longer legs, got there first. He forced the door open so Liz could rush through, following her through and then slamming it shut. Closing it took considerable effort, as the rising water did its best to force its way in. When he finally sealed it, Liz called out to him.
"Step back!"
When Jack jumped out of the way, Liz raised her hands and shot a burst of icy energy that covered the still-straining door in ice.
"That won't hold forever," she said, nodding towards the bathysphere. "Time to roll."
Jack could only nod as he climbed into the pod behind Liz. He collapsed on the small, padded bench as he watched Liz go over and fiddle with the control panel. It was only when they finally started moving did she join him.
"The engine's a bit damaged," she said. "So it'll take us a little longer to get there, half an hour or so."
"Maybe that is a good thing, it gives us a chance to rest." He looked over to Liz with a small, tired smile that she returned. After a moment, Jack felt brave enough to reach over and take her hand. "We make a good team."
Liz's perfect blue eyes went wide and she pulled her hand back almost immediately.
"...Jack, I need to ask you about Atlas," she said slowly. "What do you know about him?"
'Where did this come from?' Jack wondered, trying to ignore the sting of hurt that his affection was rebuffed. "I... I guess I met him when I first arrived. He's been helping me survive ever since, in exchange for my help saving his family."
He looked down at his dirty, scuffed shoes. "I guess I failed at that."
Liz didn't acknowledge that last part. "So you've met him? Face to face?"
"...Nooo, not yet. We've only ever talked over the radio," Jack replied, confused. He pointed to the radio on his belt, before gesturing to the small, concealed earpiece.
"Don't you think that is strange?"
"Not really. Traveling around Rapture isn't exactly a leisurely stroll, you know?" Jack shrugged before frowning. "Unfortunately, it looks like other people know how to tune into our radio frequency. I've had both Tenenbaum and Ryan speak to me. Sometimes it's helpful, most of the time it's annoying."
Liz bit her bottom lip. "Just... be careful about who you listen to, alright?"
'Good to know you're looking out for me.' Jack let out a chuckle, "It's funny, Atlas and Ryan both said the same thing about you."
Jack expected Liz to laugh as well. Instead, he saw a brief look of panic flash across her face. Something ugly and painful twisted in his gut.
"Liz... I overheard Wilkins saying you worked for Ryan. I know... I know he was crazy, I know he was trying to kill you but... was it true?" he asked. 'Please, tell me it isn't true.'
His heart nearly broke when Liz closed her eyes, her pretty face twisted as if she was in pain.
"Ryan... did approach me for work before everything went to hell," she admitted. Eyes still closed, Liz reached out to find his hand, squeaking it gently. "But I never accepted! Not then, and not now. The only person I work with is Tenenbaum."
Liz opened her eyes, and smiled sadly at him. "Tenenbaum and you."
When Jack tried to say something, to ask more questions, Liz leaned forward and cut him off with a kiss. And, just like that, all thoughts and worries fled his mind.