18 Chapter 18: Utopia is Overated
[Sophia's POV]
"Check the results again!" I commanded the scientist who had brought me the data.
"Doctor, I have run the ADAM tests four times and there is no mistaking it, Eleanor has formed another bond with a Daddy." The witless idiot stuttered out.
My eyes scan over the document listing the results of our weekly tests on Eleanor. While the data didn't lie, there was something off about the results. The bond that had formed mimicked a pairing bond but was different from any bond that I had observed from any other Alpha series Daddy that I had studied.
I draw my attention to the rest of the scientists surrounding my desk.
"Tell me, have any of you seen or heard of a bond like this? I need answers! This could seriously delay the creation of the perfect utopian!" I state with barely contained fury.
The other members of the scientific team started spouting off speculation, referring to various notes, and creating equations. One voice arose from the din; "Doctor Lamb!"
I focused on the nameless doctor who addressed me directly. Most of these intellectuals gathered here I never bothered to learn the names of. They were simply the few who hadn't spliced themselves into oblivion or could use lab equipment effectively.
Seeing that he had my attention the doctor continued; "While it doesn't look like a Big Daddy bond, you can't deny its similarity. Perhaps what we are looking at is possibly a Daddy who isn't "officially" a protector? I seem to remember a similar instance roughly eight years ago?" He suggested.
I knew exactly who he was talking about.
Tavish Byrne.
The man who ran roughshod over Rapture, stealing away all of the Little Sisters at the time. I saw the aftermath of his abilities all over Rapture during my take over.
He displayed his ingenuity and intellect in resurrecting Elizabeth Comstock with a prototype Vita-Chamber, and he moved through Ryan's forces like a scythe through wheat.
The doors protecting Ryan's personal office remain a testament to his strength, the imprint of his hands remain on the edge of the door he forced opened.
I so wished to put his skills to better use for the greater good.
Unfortunately, he's back once more, no doubt to rescue the sisters once more, and if he formed a bond with Eleanor? Then his presence became downright catastrophic.
Big Sisters quickly proved themselves useless to him, reacting to his presence in unprecedented ways, the remaining Daddies in Rapture deferred to him, and worst of all, none of Rapture's technology could detect him.
At least not directly.
The systems now have a system that monitors their use. Whenever someone interfaces with the system from an unauthorized source we can detect it. I can now get a general location on Byrne if he used any of the technology in Rapture.
But that wasn't enough.
One of my spies reported the location of the Security booth that Dr. Tenenbaum had repurposed for her own use.
A brilliant mind, but she had unfortunately outlived her usefulness to the Rapture family. She will forever be remembered as one of the creators of the Little Sisters.
I grab the intercom speaker and addressed the masses; "My friends and family. There is a man who has the audacity to pose as a protector for the Little Sisters, and has his eyes set on taking my precious Eleanor away from me."
He resides in a security booth within the Atlantic Express Depot, the first person to bring me his head will receive both some of the ADAM of the Rapture family, and our gratitude." I state, switching off the loud speaker.
I fix my gaze back on the scientists; "I just bought us some time, find a way to break that bond!" I order, causing the scientists to leap into action.
Just you wait Byrne, all of Rapture is hunting you now.
[Tavish POV]
I woke to the sound of Lamb's announcement over the speakers.
"I think Mother might be pissed at you." Eleanor commented as Brigid and Sinclair were running about panicking.
"Since when did you swear?" I think back, watching Brigid start packing up supplies.
"Since I spent the last night exploring your mind. You've led a fairly eventful life haven't you Mr. Byrne?" she commented, her consciousness moving about in my head.
"Herr Tavish, could you hold off our guests please?" Brigid requested, helping a Little Sister up into a nearby vent.
I nod and open the door to the security booth, sealing it behind me.
A poke at my shoulder drew my attention to the Big Sister still following me.
I had purged the ADAM from her last night in an effort to see the results. The ADAM mutation had reversed leaving the Big Sister with short brown hair and sea-green eyes under that helmet of hers.
I coax her away; "Go find your siblings young one, bring Dr. Tenenbaum some more little sisters. But above all else, stay safe."
She nods once and gives me a quick hug before scampering up into the darkness of the ceiling above.
Hopefully, she understood that.
Tenenbaum managed to finally create a Big Sister cure plasmid after studying the Big Sister for a bit. That should help her odds against any Big Sister interference.
But now, it was my turn to do my part.
Concentrating my nanobots, I welded the door shut to buy Brigid and Sinclair a few extra minutes to use the secret escape tunnel.
Once that was finished, the surrounding workshop was filled with clouds of the nanomachines altering the existing tech within the room.
Camera's became makeshift turrets, drones were reinforced and overridden, and some of the train cars were broken down and used to reinforce the security booth.
The final touch to the battleground was creating depressions in the floor and guiding the standing water in the room into these freshly excavated pits.
As soon as I finish, I can hear loud hoots and hollering as the Splicers spilled into the room.
"There he is boys, tear his liver out!" one of them yells prompting the rest to surge towards me.
The newly formed turrets open fire cutting down some of the weaker splicers, but the rest continue to flood into the room.
I unfold my shield for the first time as one splicer attempted to shoot me.
[Stormfront] (Legendary)
A collapsing shield designed by Tavish Byrne. It possesses a modular format Identical to its counter-part, Stormreaver, allowing for different configurations to optimize combat efficiency.
Slamming the shield into the first splicer knocking him onto his back, I unhook the shield and slam the edge down on his neck, snaping it.
Skills discovered
[Shield Proficiency] (1/100)
Displays your overall proficiency with a shield.
[Shield Bash] (1/100)
An attack with your shield that can knock an opponent over and stun them for a few seconds.
[Shield Guillotine]
A punishing attack with the edge of your shield. Guarantees a broken bone.
I was surprised for half a second before jumping back into the fight.
This was the first time I had carried a shield into combat outside of the servo-arms, and it's definitely the first time I used one as a weapon.
I admit, I was slightly skeptical at first, but it turned out to be really fun!
Summoning some of the water from the pits, I form it into a sword and slash it into a Splicer.
The blade hit the splicer and splashed into him. Throwing a quick lightning bolt at the splicer, I attempt to use my makeshift water sword again on another one, successfully leaving a long cut.
Spell learned!
[Water Weapon] (1/100)
200 MP per Second
Summon water into the shape of a weapon.
My blade gained more definition after it announced that I learned a new spell. It was somewhat odd fighting with a sword but I quickly fell into the classic sword and shield rhythm.
Loping the head off another splicer, I throw the blade, impaling it into the skull of his friend. The water blade dispelled, leaving a puddle surrounding the dead splicer.
These cannon fodder enemies provide an excellent testing ground for developing Elementalist spells. The Bioshock world was an absolutely perfect testbed for my wilder ideas as well as some of my odder inventions.
"That's great and all, but could you save these "tests" until after you've rescued me? I'm not liking the look in my mother's eye right now. I think she tried to observe the fight only to discover that the surveillance was dismantled." Eleanor urged.
"Right, on it. On a side note, Eleanor, I would like to dismantle the link once we are out of here. No offense but I prefer to keep my thoughts private." I reply, slashing through the remaining splicers with a blade of wind.
"None taken, I would be slightly disturbed too if I had someone who could see my every thought. Though I must admit, I do enjoy this casual conversation. No one who interacts with me on a consistent basis can hold a decent conversation to save their life. Plus the view of the surface worlds is a rare treat that I didn't expect." She returned.
Oddly enough, I was learning more about the in's and out's of my own mind when Eleanor was exploring around, than when I was all by myself. I also wasn't that invested in delving into mind arts or organization all that much. Many of the intelligence perks that I had gathered over my travels tended to do the mind-stuff automatically, and I haven't actually needed any sort of mind defense outside of Gamer's Mind.
I was pulled from that train of thought by a bullet pinging off my chest plate.
It appears the splicers desire my attention once more.
[Time Skip]
Looking back on it, I shouldn't be surprised in the least at the existence of a place such as Pauper's drop.
When building Rapture, Ryan had the idea of how the big not need fear the small, equality, everyone can be on top if they just work for it, and so on. But the simple reality is that all levels of society are needed in order for it to function.
Someone needs to mop the floors, someone needs to fix the generators, people are needed to do the menial work that others don't want to do.
In a society full of successful people, sooner or later someone was going to get screwed and fall to the bottom, the bottom being Pauper's Drop. Which neatly leads to why I hear the voice of Grace Holloway screaming obscenities at me.
Grace had run afoul of Ryan's rule of law. She was a former jazz singer who was blacklisted during Andrew Ryan's rule of Rapture for singing songs critical of his administration. She became one of Sofia Lamb's most loyal lieutenants in the Rapture Family, overseeing Pauper's Drop for her.
Lamb had left Eleanor in her care at one point, and Grace was devastated when Eleanor was kidnapped and turned into a Little Sister.
She was not about to let me near Eleanor if she could help it.
She had locked down all travel going in and out of the drop the moment I arrived, and according to Sinclair, the only bypass is the master override in Grace's possession.
I however didn't need that master override.
One quick burst of Technomancy, and I had reversed the lock-down in a matter of seconds, at least on the route blocking my path.
"Why do it this way instead of confronting Grace?" Eleanor asked when I started prepping the train car for departure.
"Grace is in a position to think me a monster. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor patience to convince her otherwise. Actions speak louder than words in this instance, I would have to be standing in front of her and choose to walk away in order for her to actually think of me otherwise. At best, she would try to convince your mother I was "not all bad", at worst she gets herself killed by professing my "kindness", alienating herself to other members of the flock. While she is misunderstanding the situation, it is better to simply live and let live." I explain, stopping to fire Tempest into a splicer that ran in.
"What of the Splicers?" She continued, her curiosity evident.
"Not so simple, these people are addicts to the point that all they see is their next dose of ADAM, food, sex, etc. Doing whatever your mother tells them to happens to be the easiest way to do that. Killing others is another way to provide a quick fix to their craving. I classify this as a defense of myself and the Little Sisters."
"That's a sad way of seeing things." Eleanor commented.
"Unfortunately, it is realistic at this point in time. Unless you have another solution that may be better?" I offer.
Eleanor is silent for a moment.
"Could they be cured?" She asked, hopefully.
"With enough time and materials, they could probably be cured. I'm sure if you asked Dr. Tenenbaum, she'd be glad for your help to find a solution." I reply with a smile, getting a hum of contentment from Eleanor.
It is good that she has an appreciation for the sanctity of life.
As a gamer, I often lose sight of that with people being broken down into levels and enemy types. While I had no qualms about outright killing the splicers, Eleanor's comments did cause me to stop and think.
The splicers were people too at one point.
I would endeavor to be more efficient with my kills from this point forward. No need to draw out suffering any longer than necessary.
My travels continued onward as I was forced to disembark when a torpedo impacted the train.
I was dumped onto the ocean floor and had to make my way to an airlock into Siren Ally.
Upon entry, I was greeted to the sermons of Father Wales playing over the loudspeakers.
I am going to be honest, I tuned it out.
Zealotry has never impressed me, much less religious zeal professed by a man preaching Lamb as the "Holy Mother". So you can't exactly blame me for using the loudspeakers as target practice for various bits of magic.
Still, the constant hoard of splicers was starting to grate, along with Eleanor's urgings, I needed to find a way to speed things up. So, I did what came naturally.
I built myself a solution.
The largest problem with anything I built, was that most of the splicers down here were strong enough to take out Big Daddies. My usual brand of Skitarii would work, but they may take too many causalities trying to engage the denizens of Rapture.
Thus, I assembled a squad of Sicarian Infiltrators, along with a special prototype Skitarii of my own design.
[Sicarian Spartan]
With inspiration drawn from his Spartan program, Tavish upped the ante by using that same technology to develop a Skitarii to these impressive heights.
Thanks to studying both the Spartans and the synthetic muscle grafts of the Animals, I had managed my first rendition of this prototype machine. No risky procedure is needed to install the implants when you can build your machine around the base structure.
The Sicarian Spartan, affectionately dubbed Leonidas-001, struck an imposing figure as it stood a good head and shoulders over his fellow Skitarii, his Mjolnir armor glinting dimly in the light.
Another positive of designing the body was that it could be built into or around the armor, allowing me to augment this super-soldier beyond conventional norms.
I am aware of a fair chunk of my machines developing some form of sentience after their construction, I wonder how this one will develop?
My musings are cut short as another squad of splicers tries to jump us, only to collapse thanks to the presence of the infiltrators.
A passive effect of these guys is that they emit a "white-noise" that bombards the enemy's senses and renders them helpless against oncoming assault.
Its certainly useful to enable us to dispatch the foes on the ground, blood pouring out of their ears and eyes.
The only reason that I'm not affected is that I'm tuned into their frequency.
The frequency, when listened to, serves as a null for their specialized attack. While others were listening to the cruel sound of tinnitus, I was jamming out to whatever music they had playing on the frequency.
Apparently, today's crew had a fondness for "Shepherd of Fire" and several other heavy metal tracks.
I did find it immensely entertaining that each infiltrator squad had different music preferences.
My personal favorite was the squad that was be-bopping along to Gospel.
The squad collectively bursting out into the fast-paced rhythms of "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" had me in stitches at the absurdity of the sight.
[Time Skip]
My progress had increased by ten-fold once I set the Skitarii loose in Rapture. They ran over to the pump station and drained out Dionysus Park for me, taking care of Father Wales in the process.
Leonidas-001 was performing well beyond his operating specifications, easily taking out any Splicer he tangled with. The squad also managed to rescue a few Little Sisters from precarious situations and send them towards Brigid's new location.
Sinclair seemed to be sticking close to the good doctor, for the time being, occasionally providing a helpful tidbit here and there, and providing a little insider's knowledge on a few of the things I ran across.
Hopefully, both of them stayed safe, I was very disappointed at being forced to kill him when I played the game.
"What is your plan for Stanley Poole?" Eleanor inquired hesitantly.
"What do you want to do? He is the one who wronged you, and I'd be more than happy to remove him, but what is the right decision here? I would kill the irritant on principle, but he is just that, irritating. Not something worth wasting energy on. You've probably seen some of my memories concerning him. So what would you do Eleanor?" I enquire.
She is silent for a moment.
"He murdered many people to conceal what he had done, he was directly responsible for me becoming a Little Sister. I want to say kill him, but he's just not worth it. I'd just rescue the sisters wandering about here and move on." She replied slowly, hesitation evident.
"A good call. While I am personally leaning towards the opposite, I'll leave him alone for now." I return, slicing yet another splicer's skull in twain with a blade of wind.
Traveling deeper into Dionysus Park, and striking a deal with Mr. Poole, I continue deeper into the recently drained park.
A fact that I had rediscovered while wandering the park was how plasmids increased my elemental affinities, resulting in me finally maxing out some of my affinities.
Water Affinity (Max)
Wind Affinity (Max)
Lightning Affinity 43%
Ice Affinity 15%
Ice was now available to me.
My capacity for igloo building was now unmatched!
In all seriousness though, I was grateful for landing in the right environment to level the Elementalist class.
Now all I needed was to level up earth and lighting and you may as well call me father nature.
Fire was an affinity I was in no rush to actually level up at the moment, so outside of the occasional incinerate plasmid, I let it be for now.
Ice was where it was at!
Flurries of snow danced around me as I wandered towards my next destination.
I was quietly humming "Winter Wonderland" when I was distracted by something shiny!
Moving closer to it I saw that something was sticking out from under some rubble.
Clearing said rubble revealed a chest with golden clasps. Checking the seal and discovering that it was still intact, I pop it open.
Inside I found a stack of books, a few bottles of something, a Subject Delta toy, and a bundle of perk and gacha tokens.
Easter Egg Found!
[Dionysus Park Loot Box]
Scattered throughout the worlds of the gamer are hidden containers containing random goodies! Try to find them all to get a special prize!
Bioshock 2 (1 /12)
AOT (0/10)
Cyberpunk (0/31)
Horizon: Zero Dawn (0/9)
Bioshock (0/15)
Bioshock: Infinite (0/24)
Iris! How come you didn't tell me there were collectibles?! I freaking love collectibles!
It's not my fault you don't read your updates!
That was installed shortly after your first challenge token was used!
Well crap, that means I need to return at some point. No matter, I examine my chest of random goodies.
[Random Skill Books x 4] (Common)
Activating this book will grant the gamer a random skill.
[Firewhisky] (Rare)
An alcoholic drink that is consumed by wizards and witches. Has the appearance of being on fire when poured into a glass. (Warning: Bigger than it appears.)
[Holy Water] (Rare)
Good against your average, run of the mill dark creature.
[Superpower serum] (Epic)
Enables the drinker to gain a random superpower from across the omniverse.
So anything above standard human ability right? So theoretically I could get the ability to use the force? Or to use Power of Destruction?
Probably?
I'm not a hundred percent sure.
You could also morph into a toad.
Are you willing to take that chance?
If I could morph into a toad, that means I could also morph into a velociraptor! My curiosity was definitely getting the better of me at this point.
You're seriously going to take that risk?!
You gave me the same challenge when I selected my race! Now, you're tempting me with this and expecting me not to use it?!
Don't you dare make a decision based on that!
I drank the serum.
My head felt like it was exploding as changes started to occur.
Now let me tell you; I've been shot, stabbed, bashed, lit on fire, drenched in acid, hit by a vehicle, dropped from the sky, and a plethora of other painful experiences occur to my person. But this, eclipsed all of that pain by a thousand-fold.
[Error!]
[Error!]
[Error!]
[Error!]
[Mind alteration detected!]
[Compensating . . .]
[Analyzing . . . .]
[Restructuring . . .]
[Re-Analyzing . . . .]
[Complete!]
Perk Unlocked!
[Omni-Psionics] (Mythic) (1/100)
Your mind has expanded and you can comprehend and manipulate the vast reaches of the omniverse to your will. Unlocks the whole spectrum of Psionic abilities and powers for you to learn and grow from! Provides a base x100 multiplier to your intelligence and wisdom
Hundreds of options flashed across my eyes but I was in too much pain to properly process them.
I was experiencing sensory overload as I sensed everything! Even with my intellect and processing power vastly superior to that of a standard human.
I warned you.
Since I like you, I'll help you out, but don't do something stupid like that again just because I challenged you.
Sweet relief flooded my senses as things were blocked out and limited down to a minimal level.
Now apologize to your poor nanomachines.
That was quite a shock to them as your brain was literally re-wired
Sorry guys.
[Apology Accepted]
Your stupid luck still blows me away at times Tavish.
Your going to have to be careful with that new ability as you get used to it.
No kidding.
If learning meditation was like illuminating the dark before, the psionics lit the world up like a beacon. Was this what Jean Grey felt like all the time? Jesus Christ, this is difficult.
Locking down my mind further, I try to imagine chains strapping down my power. Time passed with no meaning as I reduced the power further and further until my senses were reduced to a five-foot radius.
Once I could actually think properly, I realized I was laying on the ground. I tasted blood in my mouth and discovered that I had bit my tongue. My regeneration was kicking in but holy fuck that was painful.
"Note to self, don't drink random superpower serums. That looked painful." Eleanor commented.
"Yeah, luckily there doesn't seem to be any feedback on the link from that though." I return, picking myself up, gathering my loot and heading towards my destination.
"Indeed. I don't think I could have handled that in addition to all the other experiments that were performed on me." She stated, beginning to explore my newly expanded mind.
Flaw Acquired!
[Mind Degradation]
Leashing your mind in such a manner is causing you ill effects! For every hour your mind powers are leashed in this non-organized manner, you will lose 10 INT until there is nothing left! (0:59:45)
Jesus fucking Christ on a cracker! How the hell do I do that?! I thought I was restraining my power in an organized manner! How the hell am I supposed to fix things further?!
The only way that might help me with organizing my mind is meditation, but I had no idea how good that would do me.
Loosening the power once more, causing the timer to halt, my mind was once more assailed by the random thoughts of basically every splicer in Rapture. It was a roaring sound encompassing much of my thoughts as I heard the musings of the drug addicts and tweakers as they prowled the depths of the underwater city.
Stringing thoughts together was difficult but I managed to work around the noise as I developed a plan.
So far, I've only seemed to develop telepathy thus far, and there is no telling what else will develop if left unchecked. I need to find a way to organize my mind, hopefully without sacrificing my intelligence in the process.
If I was keeling over thanks to the "background noise" of Rapture, what would I be like If I went back to Night City? Or an even more densely populated area? It wasn't really an option to figure it out later.
I could sense my nanobots exploring the new brain and providing feedback. Apparently, it was completely wired into a more "efficient" format to process the new influxes of information.
With psionics at work, they were able to study them and start developing additional dampening mechanisms.
Unfortunately, that didn't solve my here and now.
So I decided to log into the gamer shop forums to see if any other gamers had experienced similar problems.
Much of the message board contained queries on how to obtain more psychic power or new ways to improve and enhance them, I was searching for a good twenty minutes before I actually found a poster offering a small solution.
By: TheBaldingBezos46
"Answering a not commonly asked question here, what if I got an overdose of Psychic power?
Unfortunately, there is not a common solution for this kind of problem. Some just simply get used to the powers, others find that a well-organized mind is the best path to success. We gamers tend to dump so much random shit in our bodies that any number of factors could attribute to solutions to other problems."
"A fairly common solution is an external suppression device. This route I will simply dub the "Saiki K" route. While it is the most common, it does nothing to help the "truly gifted". Not by itself anyway."
"As one suffering from this affliction myself at one point, I am happy to say I can offer my solution. I am offering a skill book for sale for the price of $10,000,000. The only prerequisite is that you already possess a skill in meditation, as it is essential to use the exercises provided by the book."
May as well try it. Even if it is clickbait, at least I was trying something.
Sending off a message and purchasing the book, I absorb it.
Skill Added
[Mind Exercises] (1/100) (Beginner's stage)
A guide to control over your mind allows you to slowly organize and gain control over your mind through meditation. Currently able to control 1% of your mind.
An almost immediate sense of relief washed over me. This should take care of my problem, right?
However, another problem arose. I needed to gain control before I went any further, but I didn't know how much time Eleanor had left before Lamb decided to create her "perfect utopian". I was unsure if I could fight as I am now.
Rapture was uniquely designed so if something was getting too close for Lamb's taste, she could drown them without a second thought.
So how could I assist a pseudo-Big Sister to escape her prison without a full-out assault?
As I thought about it, I continued to feel Eleanor poke around in my head.
"How far is your "spell" range?" She asked, after a bit of internal debate.
"I don't know, I haven't tried to control anything outside of my immediate area." I reply scratching my head, pebbles and random bits of rubble floating around my feet.
"Try sensing me without the bond." She stated.
I try to reach out with my mind for the first time in the general direction she is located, but it is hard to make her out over all the "noise" from the other minds around us.
I keep reaching and I constantly get rebuffed by the various thoughts floating throughout the ether. After trying for fifteen minutes, I get frustrated and lash out at one of the sources of inane "sound", causing the source to extinguish as if snuffing out a candle.
"What did you do?! One of the Splicers waiting on his dose of ADAM in the lab just keeled over frothing at the mouth!" Eleanor exclaimed.
"I may or may not have discovered another aspect of my new powers." I admit sheepishly.
"Well tone it down a bit will you?! Mother is getting suspicious." Eleanor stated exasperatedly.
"In fact let me try something. . . ." I felt a pull on my subconscious as I felt Eleanor yank on our connection.
My mind was pulled through some sort of tube-like connection until I was staring out from a new perspective, at a splicer laying on the floor bleeding out of his eyes and mouth to be precise.
I tried to move my limbs only to discover that I was just a passenger to this perspective.
"Stop trying to move, I can't anyway thanks to the restraints." Eleanor comments bitterly, my point of view shifting down to a set of arms secured by thick leather straps.
I have to admit, I might be slightly concerned with being stuck in the body of a teenage girl and I may or may not have overreacted.
No matter what Eleanor says, I did not scream like a little girl.
"Now that you are done panicking, help me figure a way out of this." She growled after I finished screaming.
It was a bit odd as Eleanor gave me a view of her surroundings. She was hooked up to some sort of machine that was reading her vitals, her mother's desk was over in the other end of the lab she was located in, and scientists were rushing around the lab tending to the splicers sudden episode.
Trying to open my stats I receive another surprise.
Eleanor Lamb (Tavish Byrne)
(Big Sister?)
Lvl - 20
Str – 25 (40)
Dex – 30
End – 25 (40)
Int – 58
Wis – 47
Cha – 28
Status effect: Muscle atrophy
[Muscle Atrophy]
This individual has been imprisoned in a bed for a long period of time. – 15 to Str and End stats.
Odd but something I could possibly work with.
I attempt to activate one of my rage perks and I watch her strength stat quintuple.
Oh . . . I can definitely work with this.
"What the hell are you doing in there? I just felt a surge of energy unlike anything I've felt before?!" Eleanor exclaimed, attempting to examine what I did. I could see the muscles in her arm bulking up thanks to my active rage.
She glanced back at the doctors once more and I could see they were still fussing over the splicer, he must have been someone fairly important.
"How would you feel about an early escape?" I offer, flexing my power slightly, and feeling the surge in the air around Eleanor. Now that I was in a different body, it served as a decent buffer for the surrounding "noise" that I was picking up.
I could feel her hesitating slightly as she glanced back at the doctors once again. I could sense her indecision before I eased her thoughts; "Don't worry, I don't have to kill them, I could get you out of there without a scratch on either side." I assured.
"Ok, what do you need?" She asked, coming to a decision.
"I need control for a bit." I ask, feeling pushed into the "Driver's seat" so to speak.
This body felt tired as I got ready to move so I decided to be careful on the rage.
Using a small wind blade, I slashed through the restraints holding Eleanor's wrists.
Massaging them gently I take a glance at the machine she's hooked up to and flip the switch to off, unhooking it expertly from her body.
I gently swing her legs off the hospital bed and take gentle steps towards a little sister vent.
It was at this point that I realized it was dead silent in the room.
Glancing behind me I saw the scientists that were fussing over the splicer staring at me, and Sophia Lamb standing in the doorway.
"Eleanor . . . return to your bed." Lamb commanded in a gentle, yet firm tone.
Eleanor's body was quickly being surrounded by the other scientists.
Unfortunately, old habits kicked in as I responded in my usual manner when someone gave me a command that I didn't wish to comply with.
I flipped her off.
I could feel Eleanor gasp in my mind as I watched Sophia's nostrils flair and her eyes widen in surprise.
Not giving her time to react I used one of my perks that I saved for a rainy day.
[Storm Wraith]
Your body takes on a wraith like aspect. If nothing else, you could go haunt someone.
Eleanor's body took on a ghost like form, lightning crackling through it as dark clouds billowing around her feet. A scientist attempted to grab her only to receive a shock knocking him back.
Leaving Sophia with a mocking wave the Wraith form of Eleanor surged up into the little sister vent and off into the rest of Rapture.
[Time Skip]
Needless to say, Sophia was not pleased with our actions.
She launched an immediate manhunt all across Rapture with alarms blaring, splicers on high alert, the whole nine yards.
Eleanor managed to guide us until we reached the area where my body was meditating and I was immediately ejected from her body.
I was also treated to a stern lecture on why I shouldn't have flipped her mother the finger while I had control of her body.
Thankfully, I got something positive out of my little out-of-body experience.
[Mind Exercises] (23/100) (Beginner's stage)
A guide to control over your mind allows you to slowly organize and gain control over your mind through meditation. Currently able to control 23% of your mind.
My thoughts were a lot more relaxed now that I was starting to get my mind back in order.
But I wasn't able to dwell on that fact for very long, I could sense Lamb's splicers getting closer and closer to our position, so I quietly retreated with Eleanor in tow as we found a more appropriate place to hide.
I ended up carrying Eleanor partway as she was exhausted from escaping and running most of the way here. She kept insisting that she could supercharge on ADAM if she needed to but I advised against it in order to help her body heal properly. I gave her an endurance-boosting muffin to help her recover faster as I made my way through the dark hallways of the sunken city.
We finally come to a stop outside of a very old Big Daddy closet. Ushering Eleanor inside, I seal the door behind me before taking stock of the room. This closet must have been sealed for the duration of Dionysus park's flood, leaving the closet itself unused for many years. Even with that, it must not have been used for a really long time. Still it was dry, if a little dusty.
I set down on a spot of floor while Eleanor flipped a spare bucket over and sat on that. We sat in silence for a moment as I let Eleanor rest for a bit.
"It's a little odd speaking to you in person after our interactions thus far." She commented after a while.
"Personally, I'm glad we can converse normally now. I've probably hit my limit for the week for telekinetic abilities." I comment jokingly drawing a small smile from her.
"Yes, having one's mind awakened in the midst of insanity can do a number on a individual. How are you handling it by the way?" She asked me curiously, causing me to reflect inward.
"I'm . . . . alright. I think I've managed to suppress most of the "noise" that the ability generates. I'm slowly working on organizing and controlling my mind to the point where I can keep it reigned in. I don't particularly like intruding on the thoughts of others." I reply after a bit of self-examination.
"Good, it was a little touch-and-go for a moment but I'm glad you were able to even out your power." She stated with a smile, causing a little confusion on my part.
Iris, can she see my gamer abilities at all?
No.
Gamer abilities are usually concealed from non-gamers with the exception of certain unique circumstances.
She basically thought you were doing some special "magic" or ADAM ability unique to you.
Good to know.
"So, what's the plan next?" Eleanor questioned, standing around and walking a little bit more, getting used to her legs again.
"Rescue the Sister's, help Tenenbaum and Sinclair escape, stop Rapture from restarting the little sister program, profit." I list off the steps on my to-do list.
"You make it sound so simple. How the heck are you going to accomplish all of that without my mother trying to stop you every step of the way?" Eleanor asked, bemusement written all over her face.
"Why by flying by the seat of my pants of course!" I offer, drawing a giggle from Eleanor.
[Time Skip]
Despite what I said, It was slightly more complicated than that.
I had to re-assign the Skitarii to protect Tenenbaum and her ever-growing group of sisters, in order for them to travel around safely. Thankfully I managed to command some of the Big Daddies to help them with that endeavor.
It was fairly difficult to get them to stick to certain commands but they got the general gist of what I told them to do.
They've only hurt splicers so far at least.
Eleanor Has been starting to fill out a bit from her wafer-thin form from before thanks to a steady diet of my cooking. Analyzing her stats roughly a week after her rescue showed that all of her stats had easily quintupled since I broke her out. The long term imprisonment must have affected her more than I had previously thought.
Lately she has been requesting that I get her a Big Sister outfit so that she was better able to defend herself in Rapture. A line of thought that I agreed with. The only problem resided in the fact of being able to actually find a Big Sister suit.
After my first altercation with a Big Sister, Lamb was going out of her way to remove anything that might become useful to me and my allies, thus causing Big Sister production to be shut down.
Building Eleanor a suit was just more of a pain in my ass thanks to this, though I have to admit, her look of happiness at my homemade Big Sister suit was well worth it.
Definitely not my best work, especially with my sub-par working conditions, but my nanomachines helped make up for my shortcomings. My sci-fi styled monstrosity of an end product was a testament to that. She seemed to like it though.
I managed to replicate most of the suit, it would be water tight at the very least and she could survive underwater. I added some plating and replaced the thick fabric with a polymer base layer, and added cleaner lines to the armor.
I really do need to sit down with the nanomachines one day and figure out just what "advancements" they have made inside of their nano hive. Their manufacturing capability is getting ridiculous at this point.
Honestly there is so much going on inside of my body that I can barely keep track of. I mean, just yesterday I had to put a halt on the small nuclear plant they were constructing there. Might have to establish some guidelines on what all they build.
Back to Eleanor, she managed to scavenge a Big Sister needle from somewhere to complete her ensemble. I would have to make her very own weapon with my personal touch but that would work for now.
My usual speed at tearing through Rapture was somewhat slowed by having to look after so many different people, but I managed.
I managed to gather all of the sisters once more and now Eleanor and I were on our way to confront her mother.
Eleanor insisted that we head back so that we could tie up the last loose ends before leaving.
Regardless of her maturity level, she is still a child. I think she may be trying to find some part of her that would be redeemable.
I was just more concerned with getting this munchkin out of here to experience the world above the sea, but she was rather insistent about seeing her mother one last time.
Eleanor had abandoned her previous empathy for the splicers after getting chased and hunted by them for the past weeks. Funny how that happens.
After demolishing the last group of splicers, we finally made our way to Outer Persephone, Sophia's laboratories.
"Tavish, what should I do regarding Mother?" Elanor asked, finally breaking the silence that had settled between us.
"Sophia is an individual that is set in her ways to the point of fanaticism. You could give her a chance to redeem herself and she may very well change, but don't give her the chance to the point of damaging yourself. She may refuse the chance she is being given, or she may take the chance then attempt to stab you in the back later. Ultimately, you know your mother better than anyone else has a right to boast. What do you think she will do? What do you want to do?" I return, causing her to adopt a thinking expression before becoming slightly crestfallen.
"She won't change, not after all this time. Some of her was good, and she was there sometimes, but she's ruined so many lives in pursuit of her dream. I just want to live free, but I'm afraid she won't let me do that if she's left alive." She stated sadly.
"She doesn't have the choice. Once we walk through the portal, she can't reach us. Nor will she be able to replicate the feat." I reply, steering her away from the thought of matricide.
She nods once before falling back into silence.
We eventually find ourselves standing outside of Lamb's office, staring in through the glass as Sophia continues working.
"Hello monster. Come to gloat, have you?" Sophia stated bitingly, continuing whatever she was working on.
"Not really my style. Your little girl wanted to talk to you for a bit so I helped her do so." I replied remaining neutral to the doctor.
"Didn't quite get that from when you helped my daughter escape by possessing her." She snapped back.
She must still be a bit salty about my flipping her off.
"Encouraging a bit of teenage rebellion. Helps a child develop their own sense of things without having their parent's views forced on them. Very important for their development." I offer, nodding sagely.
Sophia Turned red and huffed before returning to her work, ignoring Eleanor completely.
Eleanor looked at me before I gestured to her mother, prompting her to speak.
"Hello mother."
"Eleanor."
"If I gave you the chance to leave this place, would you take it? Even if it meant leaving your Utopian ideals behind?" Eleanor asked hesitantly.
Sophia stopped writing on her clipboard for half a second before continuing her notes.
"No. This is the closest I have actually gotten to a true utopian. I can't stop now, and you can't leave either. Go back to your room so I can figure out how to remove that stupid bond." Sophia replies in a flat manner, leaving no room for argument.
Eleanor glanced at me helplessly. I decided to step in to garner a proper reaction to her daughter.
"So, what you're saying is, that you're willing to abandon your daughter for the sake of your dream?" I phrase the question differently.
"I wouldn't lose my daughter. We wouldn't lose anyone ever again! Through the power of ADAM we will all become one, in the perfect utopia." Sophia stated in absolute certainty.
Good lord, she sounded insane.
I looked at Eleanor and she nodded sadly so we turned to leave.
"Where are you going Eleanor? I need you to head back to your room so You can get ready for the final procedure." Lamb directed.
"I am leaving Mother. I'm going someplace where your schemes won't affect my life. It is my right to determine what Ideals I will support as I make my way through life." Eleanor states, leaving the room without turning back.
Lamb runs to the sealed door of her office as I release a burst of technomancy, sealing the lab she's in, slowly transforming it into a cell.
"Eleanor, come back here at once! I will not have you ruining years of my hard work just because you're throwing a tantrum! Are you listening? Eleanor?! Eleanor!" Sophia yells, trying in vain to open the sealed door.
Eleanor proceeds out into the hall while I stop to have my final say with Lamb.
"Sophia. You've singlehandedly managed to throw away your relationship with your only daughter based on a convoluted Ideal. Under normal circumstances, people with sociopathic tendencies are able to function normally in society. But not you. No, you just had to push the fucking envelope to the point that you drew my attention. So, like all other sociopaths that fail to function apart of society, I locked you in this prison. Maybe you'll repair your bonds with your daughter, maybe you won't. But this is me putting forth the effort so that she might have her mother back someday. Think about your actions, who knows? You might come across a few self-discoveries of your own." I state, watching the sharp implements and materials within the room converting itself into polymer padded walls, soundproofing the room, and removing the communications equipment from within.
Lamb's scream was cut off as the sound proofing completed, finishing her private loony bin. I turn and walk after Eleanor.
[Time Skip]
[Fortress of Doom]
Quest Completed
[A Sister's Savior]
A certain Utopian has deigned it necessary to restart the Little Sister program. Show her the error of her ways.
Objective: Rescue the Little Sisters from Rapture once more.
Bonus Objective 1: Leave Sophia Lamb Alive [x]
Bonus Objective 2: Discover a cure for the Big Sisters [x]
Bonus Objective 3: Leave all of Sophia's Lieutenants alive [ ]
Bonus Objective 4: Help Sinclair escape Rapture [x]
Rewards: Random Loot Crate (Epic), 200,000,000 XP, 25 x Gacha token's (Common)
After leaving Lamb to her prison, I started coordinating everyone for departure from Rapture.
Sinclair was returning to the surface to start one more, while Tenenbaum and the sisters were coming with me so Brigid could continue her work with ADAM. The sea slugs implanted in the Little Sisters still naturally produces ADAM. Plus, it would give her much needed insight into curing ADAM sickness.
Dedicating GAEA's thought processes would also serve as a boon to some of the more complex gene sequencing that needs to occur. I may have to develop a A.I. specifically developed for medical science depending on the nature of the next world, but one step at a time.
The Sister's were sent off to the care facility on the fortress where they could be rehabilitated and possibly released back into society somewhere.
Eleanor, was another bucket of worms entirely.
She had formed an ADAM bond with me, and while I did offer to break the bond, she didn't seem that interested in doing so.
What she was interested in however, was exploration, adventure, seeing what the wider world had to offer her. I could hardly begrudge her that, so I saw no reason why she couldn't tag along. The little munchkin managed to grow on me so I wasn't going to raise that much of a fuss either.
The remaining Big Daddies presented a problem.
It was simply easier for me to purchase a cryo facility for the fortress and put them in suspended animation while Brigid figured out her ADAM cure. If nothing else, I had a couple of experimental projects in mind I could use them for. It was better than having them wander around the area while we were rehabilitating sisters.
None of the Daddies objected to the pods, all except one that is.
A single alpha series, stuck exceptionally close to his sister, not wishing to go into the suspended animation. He would wait patiently for the little sister to finish playing before following her to her next location. He also seemed to be able to ignore some of my commands. I attempted to identify him by observing but all I got back were a series of question marks.
I left him to follow the sister around after not displaying hostility to any of the other residents of the fortress. He would probably end up the first candidate for reversing the conversion procedure to Big Daddy. He will remain an enigma until that time.
With that being said, I had gathered the group that was going to the next world. I had B.O.B., Eleanor and V all packed and ready to step through the portal to our next adventure.
Not knowing where I would end up, I opted for my ghost of the storm outfit. Hopefully we wouldn't land somewhere where we would be too out of place. I would say I've been decently lucky on where I've come out on the last few jumps, but my luck probably won't hold out forever.
Opening the portal, I step through the others following shortly after.
[3rd Person POV]
A populated urban area suddenly found itself host to a glowing blue portal in the center of the intersection. The surrounding people started gawking watching what would happen next.
A tall figure stepped up of the portal and was promptly hit by a car, the automobile crumpling against the figure as he was knocked back a few steps.
Alarms blared out all over the area prompting the curious onlookers to start running in fear of what may happen next.
[Unknown POV]
"Status report!" A mans voice barked out over the dark high-tech call center.
"Sir! A blue portal opened up on fifth and main in Z-City. Something stepped through resulting in one possible casualty from vehicular impact. The being looks human but it just shrugged off the impact of the vehicle sir! The driver's status is currently unknown." A tech shouted back.
"Threat level?" The man snapped back immediately, eyes intent on the tech.
The tech hesitates before replying; "Unknown sir. It appears to be displaying no hostile intent."
"Sir! Several other being have stepped out of the portal!" Should we deploy someone to investigate?" Another tech interrupted.
"Who is available?" The man asked, pulling a monitor in front of himself.
"We have several A-class within fifteen minutes, one S-class within a minute, several C-class . . ." The tech started listing.
"Who's the S?" The man interrupted.
"Child Emperor sir, he's on his way home from school." The tech replied.
"Deploy Child Emperor. He will be able to accurately assess and report back if it's something to worry about. Have the A-class heroes on standby in case things go south." The man decided.
The tech nodded her assent before issuing the commands.
[Tavish POV]
I shouldn't have jinxed it.
The moment I stepped out of that portal, I got hit by that stupid car.
-3400 HP
It hurt to hell and back but I didn't go flying thankfully.
Oh! It looks like the driver survived!
He looks absolutely terrified as I step toward his car.
I gently tap on his window causing him to start and open it just a crack.
"Sir you alright?" I ask.
"Y-yes, I'm fine. H-how did you survive that?!" He stuttered in disbelief.
I heard V step out of the portal along with the others as it closed up.
"What can I say? I'm just a tough little cookie. You need any medical attention?" I ask, hearing him reply a negative.
"Alright then, lets get your car fixed and we'll be on our way!" I cheerfully inform the driver, placing my hand on the hood, channeling a bit of technomancy.
The damage to the front of the car repaired itself under my hand, restoring the car to good as new.
I gently pat the hood; "Alright their you go mate! You be careful now." I state cheerfully waving him on.
Watching him speed off, a new voice interjects into the silence; "You know, when something comes out of a portal like that, they usually destroy everything in their path."
I turn and use observe on the child that just addressed me.
Child Emperor
Boy Genius
Lvl – 256
Thoughts – Curious, Cautious
"Who's the kid?" V questioned, eying him over. I could tell she felt a bit out of place with the distinct lack of cyberware on the locals.
"I believe we may be talking to the smartest child in this world." I comment, causing him to blink in surprise.
"So tell me lad, do you by chance happen to know where the interdimensional customs office is located would you?" I ask, grinning down at the exasperated hero.
[Interlude: Calling Some Old friends]
[ 3rd Person POV]
[AOT World]
A dark workshop rests for the night as its owner departed for places unknown. Technology that was once a mainstay of its creator maintained its shine as it was quickly outstripped by newer and more efficient tech.
Two large beasts slumbered in the darkness of the workshop floor.
They both perk up as a blue portal opens and a figure steps out.
"Hey boys. It's been a while, well for me at least. It's probably been no more than a minute or two for you. But this next world is going to be a dangerous one." The figure turns on a light revealing Tavish.
"And there's no way I want to do this myself. So, what do you say Bear and Wolfe? Want to round up the others for an adventure?" Tavish asked with a grin.
The Panzerhunde raised their massive heads and roared out into the night, startling the nearby birds out of the tree's.
