Bioshocked

[mitochondriaaya]

Who: Aya and the boys?
When: Once the boys are old enough to remember Rapture? 1960 or so.
What: So they probably shouldn't leave that down there huh?

Breakfast tables were...probably dangerous. Given how often things discussed there determined the fate of the world and all. Or at least that's how it felt some days. They lived on base given Elcy and Yinsi were high assets and Braig and Dilan were likely to be even higher assets. Some days she felt kind of like she'd just managed to stumble accidentally into something that made her so happy. Growing up as a base brat had bled into college that led to liaison to their scientists had led to something of a whirlwind romance had led to special dispensation that ad her waking up every morning with two wonderful men in her life.

Not bad as far as she was concerned, even if it took a particular frame of mind to accept their marriage. They were headed into a era of more openness and allowance, hopefully, she'd like that after growing up in the fifties and it's insistence on perfect modular housing and nuclear families.

And kitchen devices. What the hell was that even about? Granted, she wasn't a modern housewife that spent hours in the kitchen, she had a range of talents that did not...comply with the standard and Dilan was a better cook than she'd ever be. A fact that kind of made her outcast at the base housewife socials but hey, she was usually busy anyway.

Still, some days she almost wished for the standard experience. Days like today when she looked up from her eggs at the breakfast table to blink at her husbands, bemused, as they did the secret language based on prior experience thing. She loved them, yes, but sometimes her brilliant men lost her...

...and then wrote out a list.

Hell.

"So we're going to the middle of the ocean..." she drawled, later, in front of her CO. "For world peace." At least that was how her men had phrased it? Half remembered horrors from a city under the sea. She hadn't had a chance to stop by her inlaws before pinning the commander, but...the boys outranked anyone on base normally. That was what happened when you wrapped intelligent people in a military bodyguard set. You protected your intelligent assets after all...

"A boat and...?"

"I've a requisitions list for the armory."

"...of course you do. You're sure this isn't just some night terror, Brea?"

"Operation Paperclip. All of the files on it are redacted," she noted softly. She'd...checked? Subset of scientists NOT brought to the US had been listed with Rapture destination though. It was...legit? As far as records went. And there had been adverts about an open city, Rapture...

...she wasn't feeling nearly as stable by the time their boat bumped against the small, rocky outcropping and they were threading their way into the dark lighthouse to...go down. Down. Oh hell. The video clip kicked on at eighteen fathoms.

Where the artist need not fear censure...

...where the scientist need not be bound by petty morality.

That was a bad sign wasn't it? "I see why your parents left," she admitted quietly as she leaned back against the boys, shadows playing across the packs at their feet. The neon splashes that shifted through the window as they came in on the approach to Rapture was...almost normal. Neon was the advertisement hook of choice these days but the whale drfting past painted in those reflected colors was certainly...striking.

Okay, admittedly, she was impressed. A city under the sea? All shadowy depths and polished windows and chrome? It was...attractive.

But they had a lot of ammo for a reason yes. Staying grounded was important, this wasn't a vacation. Not...really. "Not seeing much movement in the connecting tunnels," she noted softly as the bathysphere leveled out. "Population is likely low..." Given it SHOULD be a time of day when people were out of work and at their leisure?

Should.

"I demand a proper honeymoon after this," she noted softly. JUST IN CASE.

Comments

[sliceitwithwind]

"No shit." Braig said, rolling his eyes, "Things decay. In this hellhole they decay fast."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Oh good it pisses you off too," he snorted. "When things went to hell couple of the maintenance mates and our families sealed ourselves up in the far apartments, but some days we get worked up thinking about everything falling apart out there. Rigged up one or two radios in each building as we retreated though..."

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan's eyebrows raised and fell. Something about this guy didn't...seem right. He glanced at Aya to see what she was thinking.

Braig was still glaring at the radio.

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya...shook her head slightly, then grinned, holding up a hand. Hey, Katzu hand gestures were pretty well tuned for hunting so...See if more voices...later. Test. By which she meant seeing if they could talk to others of this 'sealed in' group and determine they were different?

"Got this one and one at main lock toward the entertainment buildings here, that's it so you get stuck we're shit all as far as useful I'm afraid."

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan and Braig each signed back an acknowledgement then Braig said mildly, "We'll let you know if we need anything. You should concentrate on evacuation, however. I believe there are other bathyspheres around."

[mitochondriaaya]

"...Andrew bloody Ryan gene locked everything that hits surface mate. Minus that one somehow that brought you down."

[sliceitwithwind]

"We'll see what we can do." Braig said, eyes narrow. It just made things more complicated. He didn't want MORE complications.

[mitochondriaaya]

"That would be like Christmas," he admitted, oddly sober. "Be careful out there, Ryan's still got eyes and ears, and there's just...all kinds of hell."

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan's response was a grunt, and a flicked hand-signal to move out that Braig agreed to with a nod and a sigh. Neither man bothered to say a goodbye to the man on the radio, instead they just started into the depths of Rapture while trusting Aya to have their backs.

[mitochondriaaya]

Yeeeah that was a dripping, dank hall past the overturned vending machine and a ripped, dark hole in the ceiling above the door where they could hear...skittering. Joy. One door and a weird glowing tube large enough to house a katzu and they were...staring at a 'Welcome to Rapture' sign.

Yup, surreal tourism at it's finest. There were brochures.

And then not too damn creepy at all a ton of abandoned luggage cases and a half collapsed hallway. Great. Hear anything? There was enough room for her to squeeze past initial collapse so she could scout it if necessary?

[sliceitwithwind]

Both men shook their heads. Nothing yet. Dilan flicked his fingers Too quiet with a wry smile that said he knew how cliche it was. Sill, it did seem to be too quiet.

At least until a scream started up somewhere ahead. Braig's eyes narrowed and he signed again, stay put while the two men started clearing enough of the collapse that Dilan could get through.

[mitochondriaaya]

Yeah that scream was PAST the blockage and...had that high edge of insanity to it. Fun. Aya nodded and shifted to watch behind them, eyes drawn to the ceiling as she heard that odd skittering again.

Why the HELL did they make the ceiling in this place so high?! She reached back to tap Braig's shoulder, just letting him know SHE had a bead on something, maybe, so he might need to watch their backs for a moment instead of lifting.

[sliceitwithwind]

Braig nodded and turned to look behind them, catching sight of a person on the ceiling. He casually aimed, ready to shoot at the first sign of aggression. In his mind he was being quite laid back about the situation.

Dilan, meanwhile, continued to lift with only soft grunts when he was moving a particularly large bit of debris.

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya nodded when noticed the...thing...on the ceiling, tapping along pipes. The hands and feet had almost a heated metal glow, and she actually had to shift to avoid molten metal droplets so yeah, that was a thing. Wonderful. She got a shot in back at the legs to flush it forward for Braig. Had to be a head up there somewhere, right?

[sliceitwithwind]

Braig sighted and shot, the ex-person on the ceiling dropping like a swatted fly. The sharpshooter gave Aya a wry smile and then went back to watching for more potential danger.

"Got it." Dilan murmured when he'd finally made a hole big enough for himself to pass through.

[mitochondriaaya]

Dropped, awkwardly and laid still for...a full minute before twitching. Dear gods. She touched Braig's arm again as the damn thing haul itself upright again. Good to know some of the damn things here could get back up after a head shot. That meant settling in to nail knees and shoulders. Apparently if you did enough damage it did stop?

She was seriously considering a wooden stake and chopping a head off by that point though.

And, well, past the blockage was water shin deep, a lone flickering bulb, and a large steel door that was...broken. Yup.

[sliceitwithwind]

Braig shot again, and twice more, the final shot being put into the base of the skull while his foot was holding the thing down between it's shoulder blades. All the while his face was impassive. He mourned for the lives to be lost before they got there. Now it was business time.

Still, the lack of emotion sent a frission of something down Dilan's spine; This could be him if mom and dad weren't such good people. he thought to himself.

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya knelt to check for a pulse while Braig still had a boot on the damn thing, and just so..."heartbeat," she growled. No movement, no real pulse, too much damage for that, but the heart was still going. It was like a damn machine! She got a round into the chest, again, and again before it was so much ground meat. I understand the ammo request now, she noted wryly.

Just...yeah. Wry was a better option right now.

[sliceitwithwind]

"I hate this place." Braig informed her, eyes still a flat gold. Dilan nodded in agreement and they started moving again. Dilan's frown carved deep lines into his face as he looked at the external evidence of decay, finally mentioning,

"It's like it's exterior decided to match the rot inside."

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya reached up to touch Braig's cheek gently, just a bit of contact before they were shifting down the hall, jimmying the door and then heading toward the screaming yes. Because that was always fun. Looked like a riot went through and no one cared afterward. Had help, she agreed with Dilan.

[sliceitwithwind]

Braig covered Aya's hand with his own briefly before taking up rear guard since Aya went in first. Dilan, as both the worst shot and the person carrying most of the gear, was perfectly content with being in the centre. It also meant that he could reach over in either direction if things got to the hand-to-hand stage.

He really didn't want them to get there.

[mitochondriaaya]

She was both relieved and creeped out by how few options they had as far as hallways went. This entry hall had no branches, and was headed toward a stair with, yeah, that was a shadow at the top, their crazy laughing person who was...levitating a couch and setting it on fire somehow.

Okay then.

Flaming couch coming at them as the laughing person darted away through the door up there. She pressed back against Dilan, letting the couch crash down a few feet ahead to flicker and crackle.

Super powers. And a couch.

This was a very surreal place. Their couch tosser hadn't gone far, just up the stairs to beat on a glowing, cheerful machine, yup, though she wheeled in rage to come at them when they hit the top of the stairs.

Gatherer's Garden, recorded, cheerful girl's voices. Eeeesh. Blue shot? There was a blue, glowing creepy thing they probably shouldn't leave behind but...ADAM? She had to spell it out to be sure.

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan instinctively turned so that his back was between Aya and the couch, breathing a deep sigh of relief when he was not hit by it. He then leaned in to look at the glowing thing, sighed, and nodded. It was Adam. They were not going to...shit. He sighed deeply and pulled out a collecting bag.

Muttering lowly Braig said, "If we leave it, other assholes can use it against us."

[mitochondriaaya]

She nibbled a lip trying to figure out how to phrase things...damn it, never mind, she bent to write in the soot from their couch throwing friend, that's one that shifts your genetics? They just...vend them?!

[sliceitwithwind]

The boys nodded, grim as death.

Smash, grab. Dilan's fingers flew. They weren't going to leave a single, solitary bit of Adam where people could find it if he had anything to say about it. Vending machines were going to be toast.