I chose... Rapture. [Faith/ Dream]

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Welcome to Rapture. A city where the artist can roam freely, the scientist can create with the sky as the limit, and the power is with the people. Such a place could never exist on land therefore it was literally built on the bottom of the ocean, as far away from the governing powers as possible. Out of every jurisdiction. The extreme of extremes. It is a massive place with buildings that tower over head and long walkways that link different areas of the city together.
Everything you could ever want you can find in Rapture. There are stores, restaurants, hotels, spas, housing units, art galleries, markets, sports centers and for those who enjoy a little bit of nighttime excitement there are bars and love-houses. Everyone is welcome in Rapture! There are no minorities. Everyone is equal. Everyone gets a fair share.
All of this is thanks to to the hard work and dedication of our founder Andrew Ryan!

At least..that's how things used to be. Before the revolution. On New Year's Eve, at 12:00 on the dot, just as the clocks were ticking down and the champagne bottles were about to be popped, explosions rang through the entire city. The whole foundation of Rapture was shaken to its very core. Those explosions marked the beginning of what would be a long battle throughout the streets between those who supported Andrew Ryan and those who supported a man named Frank Fontaine. Soon blood coated every wall on every corner of the city. The year 1959 was off to a great start.

Hundreds died and those that didn't die..were left to slowly go insane. Driven only further to insanity by their addiction to Adam; the genetical stimulant that once kept the wheels of Rapture turning.
The side-effect of this drug was both an overwhelming addiction to it and a range of horrible disfigurations due to the way the drug affected the human body. Those addicted where named Splicers and those Splicers are all that are left in this city. They do whatever they can to get their hands on Adam..even if it means killing each other. Many have banded together in order to overpower those who are weak, making them even more dangerous.

The revolution was two years ago. There are now those who are merely trying to get by and those who are trying to escape. But to escape means going through hell and back again...straight through the center of the city. Can you make it out?
Let's see, shall we?

Mira seemed surprised that I wasn't upset with her for not trusting me. Almost as though she had expected me to get angry at her or leave the room in a huff. When quite the opposite happened she was left with a bit of a confused expression on her face.
The truth was I really didn't blame her for not trusting me nor was I surprised to learn that she didn't want to sleep even though I offered to stay on watch.
Heck I probably would have been surprised if she thought otherwise with the way she had acted around me up until now. It was going to take a lot more than just a few hours before I could gain her trust. I doubted I was even going to be in her company long enough to even get the chance.
I knew once she had gotten me my record player she was going to leave without a second glance.
My mind was brought out of its little train of thought by the soft whisper of her voice.

"It's the least I can do for the person who saved my life..whatever life there was to save, anyway. " I reply to her words with a nod of my head and a smile before I turned my gaze back towards the hole. I was going to watch everything for at least a little while longer before I turned my focus to anything else. Our safety was the top priority at this point. It was always the top priority really but there were times one was forced to ignore that fact in order to get their hands on food or weapons.
Right now though it was the only priority.
There was still no movement below and this remained the case for at least four or five more minutes. The Splicers were really gone. We had killed all of those that had once made this place their home base. I was glad that they were gone.

I let the fabric fall back to its position covering the hole and I moved away from it, towards the pile of armor on the ground. I crouched down there to look at all of the different plates, searching for any real damage that needed repairing. The plates had done their job of deflecting the pellets fired at me though.
I then turned my attention to the diving suit in search of any punctures in that part of my suit. One hole and that would mean I lost my ability to travel beyond the walls of the city. Although I had yet to find an exit out into the deep blue darkness of the ocean..I wanted to leave that option open if the opportunity ever made itself apparent.
I was going to get out of here one way or another, of that I was sure.

I glanced over my shoulder for a moment to look at Mira. She had settled down herself as I had hoped that she would. Although she didn't look to be sleeping or anything like that, at least she had found somewhere to sit down where she could rest her body. That was what counted. Whether she slept or not was irrelevant.
Her body would happily take every moment of rest it could get.
The thought that she was getting the repose that she needed made a smile come to my lips. If only she knew how much I wanted for her to escape this place one day. She may have been hard on the outside but on the inside she had a heart of gold..I knew it. She couldn't hide the glint deep in her eyes.

For a moment I stopped looking over the clothing in my hand and instead I stood up again, moving towards the storage room. When I returned I carried a folded up blanket made out of a brown material that was almost wool but not quite as rough to the touch.
I walked over to where Mira was laying and I set the covers down on her back in an playful manner, giving her a smile as I left them there.
"In case you get cold. It tends to get a little nippy around here at night." I then turned to head back towards my suit so I could return to my search for tears.

She seems to have heard what I said. It wasn’t that much a surprise. Really, I know that she can hear better than I should expect. Her words are soft and I sigh. I guess I had saved her life. I hadn’t thought much of it at the time, nor now did I think of it. It was just me killing another person for what they carried. It just happened to be trying to attack a Big Sister. I don’t respond to her words with more than a smile in her direction. Of course, the more I thought and the more I let myself get down, the more they were fake, but she wasn’t paying much attention anyway. She was busy looking out for a bit.

With every passing minute, I felt my head lower more and more until my chin was no longer resting on my arm. No, the side of my head took comfort in being pressed against the warm skin. I don’t watch Echo for much longer. Yes, she is an interesting sight, but if I’m trying to get used to her, then watching her every move is not going to allow such things.

Really, I’ve let my mind drift me off again. For a while I’m caught thinking of my mother. Why not? She was beautiful, smart, and just seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. A shootout between splicers. It wasn’t a great place to get caught in the middle. It was a better end than splicing herself to death, but sometimes I wished it hadn’t been so...hard.

There’s movement for a bit, and a blanket drops onto my back. It startles me, and I jump. I hadn’t noticed her walking around, and I surely hadn’t noticed her approaching. I sigh quietly, feeling my heart thumping quietly in my chest.

“T-Thanks” I mutter, pulling the blanket from where it landed on my back. I don’t really look it over. If I get cold I’ll use it over my body. Until then, I would use it for something else. I fold it quietly, placing it on my arm to return to the same position. This time, I turn myself slightly. I can see the hole in the floor and the rest of the room. My head comes to rest back on my arm before I start to relax a bit. My eyes start to lull closed slightly, but I keep myself awake with thoughts. It wasn’t the best idea, but soon, I’ve gotten back into my thinking pattern. I’ve mostly gotten myself thinking about the past again. The records were doing their job in bringing back memories. Not all of them were good. I could remember well the many times mother and I had been dancing in the kitchen to a song playing on the record player. “You always hurt the ones you love…You always hate the one you love, until the petals fall” I press my eyes closed. Not all of the memories were grand though. Oh how that song had caused so much agony. It had been playing the first night father decided he didn’t like people anymore. The booze did that. There was nothing we could do accept take what he offered, even if it left us scars and bruises. That was the past. I had to get over that. Just forget everything that had happened.

At first I thought I was helping when I brought Mira a blanket from the storage room but when I set it down on her back, I noticed that she jumped in surprise. Almost as though I had roused her from just a very light doze that had come over her. Immediately I regretted it and I wished that I could shrink away into the darkest corner of the room so that she wouldn't have to deal with me and my stupidity.
Even though I woke her from whatever form of sleep she had been in, she thanked me for the blanket all the same. I gave her the best smile I could before turning back towards the job that was keeping me busy at the time. Anything that would allow me to stay away from her, keep quiet, and give her the chance to get some much needed rest without my disturbance.

Even after I had searched every inch of my diving suit I decided I could never be too careful with even the smallest of scratches. I went back over it all for an even closer look at every little bit of wear and tear the suit had gotten over my time out of the facility.
Once done with that I moved on to examining my helmet while being careful not to knock it against anything that might make any sound. Though the dents were notable they were only about a quarter of an inch deep at the very most. It was going to take more force than a shotgun blast to go straight through the dive-resistant metal they made Big Sister helmets out of.

Finally my search was done and I was left with nothing else to look over. I set my helmet back down on the floor before turning my head to look at Mira for the first time in what must have been at least 10 minutes of silence. She had changed positions on the ground and was using the cover as a sort of pillow. Her body barely moved through and by the softness of her breathing I could tell that she was either asleep or nearing that stage.
Either way I was glad to see her laying there rather than awake in a sitting position.
I pulled myself off the ground and walked over to the hole in the wall where I allowed my body to slide down along the wall, so that I could keep an eye out for movement outside just as I had promised. I wasn't going to let her wake up to no-one watching for Splicers.

Every now and then I stole glances at her unmoving figure. My mind was having a hard time grasping the fact that I had been rescued by someone who I would have expected to attack me. Everyone in Rapture who didn't run away at the sight of me was bound to attack me. That had always been the case with very few exceptions.
Not only was Mira an exception but she was also human. Not a Splicer.
I had no doubt that she used Adam like the others but the difference was that she didn't allow herself to become as addicted to it as the Splicers were. Unlike them she didn't need the stuff in order to survive from one day to the other. That was something that I could appreciate.

With this thought in mind I allowed my head to turn back towards the hole as it leaned against the wall behind me. I was going to keep watch for the rest of the night. From the moment that she fell asleep, if she fell asleep, to the moment that she decided she had rested enough.
While I sat there with half of my attention on the street, the other half of my attention strayed towards trying to figure out a way of getting out of this stupid city. There had to be a way out. There simply had to be one!
I was beginning to grow desperate. Although I had never lived on the surface there was nothing I wouldn't have given to go up there. Where I wouldn't have to live every day as though it was going to be my last and not in a good way.

Skip forward to the following morning perhaps?

I am being called to go out to dinner. I'll be back in about an hour and a half to two hours. I'll post then. Yes, I shall transition us in the next post.

Emotions. They were something that I couldn’t control as easily as I had hoped. The memories that nor flooded my mind were overwhelming. Yes I missed my mother and yes, I despised my father. There was no way I was going to push them out of my mind.

Soon after the thoughts began, so did something else that caught me off guard. Tears. Something I hadn’t felt in a while. They were soft, calm, and silent. I knew that it would be awhile before I got to cry like this. Hell, I hadn’t cried since before the revolution. My breathing is soft, and I hope that you cannot tell that I cry. There is someone in the other room. This would surely vote me as a Softie. That wasn’t going to happen.

The tears are short-lived. I didn’t like the fact that I could so easily cry. I didn’t like the idea that someone could see me so weak. That’s really all I was: A weak, scared little girl in the middle of a big city. I was a step ahead and lucky and that’s the only thing that kept me alive.

It takes me awhile before I sleep. It may have been an hour of me just lying there, eyes closed, face pressed into the warm blanket before I slowly fall into a shallow sleep. I can’t keep memories out, but the sleep deprivation does a good job of stamping out my sorrows. Soon, I couldn’t keep myself awake. I planned on thinking myself awake, but it seemed those attempts were failed ones. Soon, I was in a sleep deep enough that if I ended up dead the next morning, I wouldn’t wake to the sounds of footsteps. It was a dangerous sleep, but it was sleep that my body forced upon me.

I awake with a start. Not because I dream nightmares, but because of something else. I don’t know why I wake as I do, but soon, I roll over on my side, and awaken with a quiet call. How long had it been? I wasn’t dead. No—death felt worse than this. I had just woken up from something. My body decided that it was time to awaken. My breathing is harsh, and my eyes are only half open.

That had been the best sleep I had in a while, but as soon as it came upon me, it was gone from my mind. I look up, having found myself on my hands and knees somehow. Had I awoken so violently that I launched myself up onto my hands. I didn’t think I had slept so well since I had gotten out on the streets. It was strange, I didn’t like it.

I take a slow look around. Every moment that I acted a fool was another moment that Echo could see me and laugh.

I didn't notice the tears perhaps because I had never seen anyone cry before. Yes as strange as that might have been to say, I didn't remember a time when I myself allowed tears to come to my eyes. Certainly not since I gained consciousness again after however many years my conscience had been under a drug-induced coma. I didn't even remember what it felt like to be sad enough to cry. There were moments when I was sad and I should have cried probably but I just couldn't. It was like the scientists had done whatever they could to erase that action from those I could perform. Maybe it was to make me into the ideal little one..who knows? All I knew was that I would not have noticed her crying even if I saw her tears nor would I have thought any differently of her for them.

Not to mention the fact that even if I had seen her crying, I wouldn't have said or done anything to make her feel worse. I would have allowed her to cry until she no longer felt the need to cry. If I knew what it was, I would have known that it was perfectly normal for a person to do. Especially someone who had been through as much as Mira had. God she had been through hell and she was still stuck right in the middle of it with no signs of escaping any time soon.
Perhaps I would have offered some kind of a gesture of sympathy..perhaps a hug, as I remembered giving to my parents at one time, or some other kind of reassuring action. A hand on the shoulder? There's no telling what I would have done.
I was just too focused on watching the hole in order to keep her safe so that she could rest.

--

Hours passed. One after the other. With every hour that slipped away I knew that Mira was sleeping. There was no way that she couldn't be sleeping with how quiet her breathing had become and how long she had laid in one position for.
I was glad of this too. Even though she didn't trust me she was getting the sleep that she needed.
I was going to give her a reason to trust me too. My job was to keep her safe for tonight and if that meant fending off a horde of Splicers who happened upon our hiding place then so be it. I would have pulled on my armor and dove into the fray without a second of hesitation.
Just the mental image of me jumping into a fight to protect someone else made me want to giggle though I managed to stop myself before the sound passed my lips. It seemed like such a silly notion yet it was second-nature to me.

There was sudden movement after six or seven hours had passed. I was drawn towards it as it was much to sudden for my liking. Somewhere during that period of time though I had half-dozed off myself which meant that I could only really half-see what was going on. Mira had woken up, that much was clear, but it seemed like she had been startled awake by something.
I leaned away from the wall and rubbed my eyes while letting out a soft yawn, finding that once the sleep had been rubbed out of my eyes I was faced with the sight of Mira up on her hands and knees.
"Is everything okay? " I asked her in a genuinely concerned voice.

I still hadn’t figured what had come over me. Maybe it was the fact that I had dozed off so peacefully. After such a bout of sorrows, I had pretty much fallen into the sleep without even knowing it. I take in a deep breath, running a hand through my hair. I was trying to calm myself, so I wouldn’t have to deal with the fast beating heart anymore.

I finally see the small movement in the corner of the room. Echo was sitting next to the wall, rubbing tired eyes. I had awoken her? Damn. I hadn’t meant to. Such a selfish act had caused me to awaken a girl who barely got sleep as it was. I take a moment to clear my throat before pushing myself back onto my knees and off my hands.


“Um yeah. Everything’s okay, Doll. Hope I didn’t wake you” I knew I had, but it was a small chance that I hadn’t. Had she been half-dozed off? That would have been even worse. I lean forward slightly, taking a moment to rub my eyes before looking back up to the girl.

“Sorry. Don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to fall asleep…” I sigh quietly, the last part had come out quietly, more to myself than anything. I took a moment to realign my thoughts and compose myself. My heart was beating a little faster than normal, but I knew that that would subside soon enough. I took a moment to look at the place where I had been sleeping. The blanket was still sat out where I had been resting my head, but the Hop Up bottle had tipped over. I frown slightly, leaning in to put it upright.

Just a few more moments and everything seemed to be back in place. I’ve taken the time to begin refolding the blanket. I would leave this place better than I found it. That was something mom used to always say. “Remember Mira, when you go over to Diane’s house, make sure you leave the place better than what you found it in alright?” So, it was more of a thought to live by than anything else.


I apologize it's so short. Mom wants me to go shower and then I have to pack for school. I'm not sure how long it's gonna take..Not long I bet. Reply when I return!! Sorry!

Mira noticed my movement out of the corner of her eye and when I spoke to make sure that she was doing alright she looked as though she felt she had made some kind of mistake. Immediately I realized that she thought that she had roused me as if I had been asleep. When she spoke to tell me that everything was okay I breathed a quiet sigh of relief followed by a small smile of appreciation for her concern. Though really there was no reason for her to be concerned at all.
"No, no, I wasn't asleep don't worry. I was just dozing a little bit." I told her while pulling myself up from where I had been leaned against the wall. My body was a little bit stiff from everything that had happened the day before as well as the position I had been sitting in all night. Another yawn passed my lips and I stretched myself out a little, humming quietly in appreciation. That was much better.

As I made my way across the room to pick up the empty can that had once held the pineapples that were my dinner I turned my head towards Mira to listen to her apology. As soon as the words passed her lips I shook my head firmly. Why was she apologizing for something that I had not only offered her but also something that she, like every other human being, needed in order to survive? It confused me to no end.
"It's alright! I'm glad you got some rest and that nothing tried to get in while you were asleep. I said I was going to watch the door so that's what I did." I told her with a soft smile.
After throwing the can into the spare room I used for nothing I headed towards the fridge next to which I kept a basin of water for washing up in the morning. I crouched next to it and used a handful of the water to splash my face with. Immediately I felt a rush of refreshment.

"Much better.." I purred quietly to myself. My next movements were grabbing a small bottle of orange juice from the fridge. I thought about getting one for my companion but decided against it as I had the feeling that she would have turned it down, especially seeing as she had fallen asleep the previous night against her initial intentions.
"This place you're taking me to get the record player from..is it far away?" I asked her as I came to sit down next to my pile of armor that was more or less right next to where she was busy folding up the blanket I had given her the night before.

I wanted to know this for two reasons; the first was so that I would know how long I was going to be gone for and how much supplies I was going to need to bring along with me, and the second was to find out how much time I had left to enjoy her company. Yes that was a very big part of it. Her company was something that I was growing to appreciate a lot more than I should. It was just nice to have someone to talk to who had experienced the same kind of things that I had.
Not to mention the fact that I wanted to know just how far she was going to take me from my hideout. If we went too far then I was going to need to find somewhere I could camp out in case my path became obstructed on the way back or something like that.
We were in no rush to leave though.


Pack for school? You start this early?
Huh, well, I'll see you when you get back!

Yes, I ended up having to go to WalMart for a few things so it took even longer than expected. I start school tomorrow so I won't be on as much during the days. We get out at 3 my time. I'm not going to have time to post in the morning and mom is making me go to bed now so I can't post. I really am sorry. I'll post asap tomorrow when I get home. I am sorry about making you wait and then not being able to post :/ I suck. HM.

The girl tells me that I haven’t awoken her. I breathe a quiet sigh of relief, even though I don’t completely believe her. She looked stiff as if she hadn’t moved from the same position for a few hours. Really, I couldn’t see myself sitting in the same position for that long and not being unconscious. I frown slightly. I didn’t like the fact that I didn’t know. I didn’t want to know that someone was covering things up so I wouldn’t get my feelings hurt. Really, I was probably just over thinking everything. That would be okay for now. I was over thinking everything, and I just needed to forget about it.

The girl takes displeasure with the fact that I have apologized. Maybe it was in my nature to apologize when I thought I did something wrong. I did that, even before the revolution. I take in a deep breath, watching her a moment. Her head shakes strongly and my eyes fall a moment.

Before she can see my eyes fall she has turned herself around and is walking away from me. It takes me a moment to realize what she’s walking to. I sigh quietly, taking in a deep breath. She’s washing her face in a basin. She was using it to rouse herself from whatever she wanted to call the half-sleep she had been in. I take in a deep breath, watching for another moment before looking away.

The girl then walks to the fridge, grabbing something before turning and returning towards me. She doesn’t stop, and soon, she’s looking down at me. I take another moment to stretch. My legs are flat behind me and I bend myself backwards. The result is a few delightful pops before I sigh in relief. Then I stand, looking to her. She had asked a few questions before I actually finished stretching and standing.

“It’s not too far. The Sinclair Deluxe. You can decide how far away that is” I smile to her, taking time to do trunk twists. We used to have an apartment, in a better part of town. Most of Daddy’s wages went there, so we could at least have a nice place to live in, but soon the rent got too high and we had to move into the Sinclair. It was a place that made me want to find that Augustus Sinclair and make him eat a blast of winter…That would never happen. Somehow, I knew I would never come across him. It was his slum lordliness that caused most of the people in the drop to steal. He always told the new men that came in, the ones after the bank crash, that they would only be here a few nights, and then everything would get better. Ryan helped those clean handed gents get down here. They came down to the drop, took up our space, and then Ryan wondered why fights broke out.

Mira took her time getting up from where she had spent the night. I couldn't help but smile as she stretched herself out and popped her stiff back with a bend of her body. It was nice to see her so rested after the state she had been in the night before. The dark lines under her eyes were almost gone and even her face looked a little bit brighter than it had when we first met. Like that night of sleep was exactly what her body needed to recuperate from her travels since the last time she had the chance to sleep.
When she answered my question about how far she was going to take me to get the record player the name she mentioned rang no bells.

"Sinclair Deluxe? I don't know that I've ever really ventured in that direction." I admitted with a small frown of thought. I tried to think back to all of the places I had explored during my time out of the facility. I had been so many places by now I hardly knew the names of all of them..some places I liked more than others. The ones I hated though I knew by heart so that when I saw signs with so much as a mention of their names, I could go the complete opposite direction. The Fisheries was one such area.
I couldn't recall ever having been to an area known as the Sinclair Deluxe though. Unless it was one of the many housing areas I had been through but I had never seen a sign for.

As I tried to think back I began to hover near my suit of armor, trying to decide whether putting it on would make Mira feel like I was in a hurry to leave. In all honesty I wasn't but I had the feeling that she wasn't very keen on sticking around for too much longer. As much as I wanted to tell her that she could stay for as long as she wanted..I knew better than to even try. She didn't trust me enough yet and she probably would have felt like it was another act that would put her in my debt.
Such silly thoughts yet I could not blame her for thinking them.
No-one in Rapture would blame her for thinking them..though they probably would look at her like she was insane if they knew that she had spent time socializing with a Big Sister. I doubted any of them would believe it.
Big Sisters were just emotionless machines.

"When were you thinking of being ready to go? I'm in no rush but if you want to get this over with so you can move on.." I trailed off slightly as I began to straighten out my diving suit in my hands. I figured that I might as well start getting ready seeing as my preparation time was about four times as long as hers. Not to mention that I was going to need to replenish the EVE hypos I had used the previous days.
That was going to take me a couple minutes at the very least.
With this in mind I started to pull the suit on, with a quiet sigh, as the material hugged my skin. It was quite constricting and not the most comfortable thing in the world but it was better than nothing at all. I grunted quietly as I wiggled my way into the lower part of the suit, then again as I slid my arms into the sleeves and pulled it tight against my torso.
After trying to reach behind me to get the zipper at the back pulled up I hesitated and turned my back towards Mira. There was a light flush on my cheeks as I looked over at her.
"Could you..?"

I take a few moments of silence within myself. Really, I need to get ready for the trek ahead. I knew that it would be harder than I wanted to get to the record player and to bring it back. We would have to carry it back, which meant one person defending the both of us. I didn’t like that idea. That meant that we were weaker for the splicers. I take in a short breath before turning, befuddled by the girl’s words.

“You’ve been livin’ in The Drop and you don’t even know were Sinclair Deluxe is Doll?” I chuckle quietly. Really I was just teasing her. She hadn’t been living here that long from what she spoke of. She was just a passerby, you couldn’t expect much.

“Deluxe is about…a thirty minute walk from here, if you don’t run into any trouble. So I guess you can decide from that.” I didn’t know if I was helping at all. Really, I didn’t want to give her wrong information. It depended on how much splicer traffic there was whether or not you would get from one place to another in the amount of time you guessed. I take in a short breath. Now that I thought about it, it might be a lot harder to get than expected.

Then she questions when I might be ready to head out. I wasn’t sure if she was hoping to get a lot of time with me. Yes, having a partner might be a good idea for the simple fact that I couldn’t take on groups of splicers alone all my life. Well…I could, but my life would be very short. Even with that on my shoulders though, I knew I needed to stay by myself. I wasn’t going to be responsible for another girls life, Big Sister or not.

“Whenever you feel you are ready Echo” I speak simply, walking towards the small hole in the floor. I was curious really more than anything. The girl was busying herself with her armor, which seemed to mean that she wanted to be leaving quite soon. I didn’t know if that was the fact or not, but I would be ready when she was.

Her words fall quietly, almost embarrassed onto my ears. I had pulled the sheet up to view whatever was in the floor beneath us. No one. That was the good thing about this place. It seemed that the splicers that might have taken refuge here before were gone or dead. I look up, watching as she fights with reaching a zipper on the back of the suit. I am silent as I drop the sheet and rise. "Looks like you're havin' some problems there"
You could tell that she wasn’t used to taking such a suit off. I walk over quietly, reaching at the zipper and pulling it up until it could move no more.

However far away the Sinclaire Deluxe was, it was either going to be an easy trip or it was going to be incredibly difficult for the both of us. The number of Splicers that wandered the streets changed with every passing day depending on how needy they were on that particular day. At times you could come across a dozen or as much as two dozen while at the same time you could come across none at all for the longest of times. Of course it also depends on who controls the territory. Houdini Splicer territory is mostly empty as it only takes one to notice someone intruding for the entire group to be mobile. The same went for Spider Splicer territory, however for them you had to watch every single conceivable surface lest you find yourself attacked from behind by a horde of the lanky monstrosities.

I gave Mira a look of hurt that was really only half-serious before I started to smile through the expression. I knew that she was just teasing me about not knowing where the Sinclaire Deluxe was. Anyone who looked at me could tell that I hadn't been here for very long. Most certainly not long enough to know where everything was located in this area. Heck, I wouldn't even know where to find the nearest Gatherers Garden in case I needed to collect a new Plasmid or something of the likes.
Now that I thought about it I made a mental note to explore enough to find that machine..I was beginning to find myself at a shortage of Plasmids for different kinds of situations. Perhaps the Telekenisis Plasmid would do me some good..those were thoughts for another time though.

"That doesn't sound too far. We should be able to get back before the nightfall pretty easily, depending on how many Splicers we come across." I noted as she estimated the time it was going to take us to get to the Deluxe without any trouble added into the equation. To me thirty minutes sounded like a pretty good amount of time. 30 minutes translated to about an hour or two of careful traveling in order not to attract unwanted attention to ourselves.
Hopefully we were going to get through the whole time with no-one so much as noticing us but that was a bit of a tall order. There are a lot of things to loot from housing areas..usually such places were meeting-points for Splicers of all kinds.

When I asked for Mira's help with my suit I felt a little bit embarrassed. I suppose it was because I had never really had this problem before..nor had I needed to rely on someone else. I could have gotten it zipped up on my own but it would have taken me quite a bit of time and effort. While she simply walked over and did the job in a simple motion.
I smiled as she pulled away.
"Thanks.. it's not too often I get to take my suit off. I said in an almost apologetic manner as I turned my attention to getting all of the hard-leather plating pieces into place. All of the straps and clasps made it a little bit of a chore but eventually I was fully armored with the exception of my helmet. That was going to be the last thing I put on due to the loss of my ability to properly communicate.

I pulled myself up off the ground and stretched a little bit so that the armor settled into place comfortably. My head then turned in her direction.
"Is there anything you're running short on? Eve perhaps? I know I gave you a hypo yesterday but I didn't see how many you had in total." I asked her this while checking my own pouch so I could remove the empty hypo I was now carrying with me.
A glance told me that I had enough Eve in my gauntlet to give me a shot of whichever Plasma I needed in the future. Still, there was no such thing as being too careful.
I used one of my full hypos to replenish the compartment in my forearm, so I would be ready for anything at all.


Well I doubt I'm going to get in the time to reply again or even receive your reply but in about an hour I've got to leave for my driving class.
Usually I'd get back at around 10:20 your time but tonight I've got a driving session after the class so I'll only get back home at around 11:30 or so your time. I have the feeling you'll be in bed by then.
So the next time I'll see you is tomorrow after school. If so; sleep well and have a good day.

You have no idea how sorry I am. I haven't been on my computer since school started until now! I have been seriously getting home, eating and doing homework, and having to shower and go to bed because it's been eleven o'clock. If I have homework left mom won't let me get on and post. I'm doing a book report right now (yes I know, already) and then I'll try to post.... I understand if you don't want to role play with me anymore T_T I suck....

I knew something was up, so I'm not too surprised to see that you weren't online and that you haven't posted yet.
I'm more upset that you missed the meet and greet though!
I'll most likely be on when you post so you can expect my reply soon enough thereafter.

I'm going to be at a friends house until about eleven because of a test we have tuesday. I don't think I'll be able to post until tomorrow, but I WILL post. I'm sorry about this. AP European history is kicking my butt.

Well.. post whenever you can okay?

Really, I hadn’t thought about how prepared your mind needed to be for this trip. From my experience with the area, I knew that the type and amount of splicers was a toss up. A different group would come to make sure everything had been looted before moving out. Hell, two groups would sometimes occupy the place, just because it was so large. Really, the idea of Houdini splicers made me not want to go at all. If we had a group of them, I wasn’t sure I’d have enough Eve. Those damn splicers thought it was funny when you wasted all your Eve on chasing their tails around. I shook my head, I wasn’t going to deal with Houdini splicers. I kept out of certain parts of Arcadia just for the simple fact that the splicer’s concentrations were so great. I shook my head quietly, taking in a slow breath. When we were having to get out of there fast and quietly, who would carry the record player? I sigh quietly, looking up from where my eyes had caught on the wall. All these questions would be answered as we went I assumed, and didn’t bother to ask them aloud.

The girl looks hurt as I tease her about not knowing where things were. Soon, it morphs into a smile and shake my head. That girl seemed to be a very joking one. Really, I could see how one of them little ones would change into someone like her. At the same time, that meant that she had a sea slug in her belly. That’s really what all these splicers wanted. There was enough Adam in there to settle the stomach of the most addicted of splicers. As unfortunate as it was that I didn’t particularly have my usual Adam dosage, I could hold off my urges until I found some. This girl would never become a target for my Adam lust…Well, I hoped she wouldn’t. I had never seen myself go full Adam crazed before. It was something that I didn’t want to see. I was afraid if I went bonkers for the stuff, I would lose my mind for good.

The girl thinks that we’ll get back before we start getting tired. I didn’t think using nightfall was very accurate. Really, you couldn’t see the sun from down here. It was far too deep. Of course, she could have been thinking of something else. I could have been wrong.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get out of the area without coming across any splicers, but really, it all depends on chance…” I nod quietly watching her another moment or two. Really, she looked nothing like I would have expected a big sister to have looked like. I thought she might look something more like the Little ones. Glowing eyes and a darker look about her. That’s really what I was expecting. Her skin was not a chalky white color, nor did it seem like she had rings under her eyes. It was all a surprise to me…it was curious.

The girl is embarrassed to ask for help. It’s a strange concept, but at the same time, I understand. I wouldn’t want to ask someone for help. It seems like I wouldn’t want someone near me. I wouldn’t want them to have the chance to get at my throat, even if I did trust them. Now, I knew that she wasn’t thinking the same way as I was. I was hardened by war, while she could scare most of her opponents off, and if she didn’t scare them, she could rip their throats out. That’s how I saw things at least.
“I understand. If you need my help, I’m here” The words passed through my lips as I thought. Really, after I got her this record player, I knew I would probably leave without another word. I had to keep moving or something would find me and end me.

I look up as she speaks again. Man, my head was just swimming in thoughts today. She wants to know if I’ve got enough of everything to keep me going. I had four Eve hypos, which would be enough for now. If I had to use Eve, I was killing something, and if I was killing something, I was looting something. Even if I had only had two Eve or less, I wouldn’t have asked her for more. I didn’t take charity.

“I’ve got enough Eve to last me for a while. I will need to find a new um…” I hum quietly, pulling up what was left of the rolling pin. During the fights, it had lost a handle and began to splinter badly. It would break soon, and then I would have to find something new anyway.


I have to apologize again. I'm sorry about all of this. I hope that next week will slow down a little bit and I won't be so swamped. I'm sad I missed the meet and greet T_T Hopefully there will be another one I can attend.

"The fewer Splicers we come across the better if you ask me. I'd rather not make as much noise as we did yesterday..even with how well that went for the both of us." I said with a nod of my head as I looked over at Mira. She was right of course. The number of Splicers in one area changed every day depending on who was passing through and where they chose to hunker down for the night. There was never any set pattern which made journeys like this even more dangerous. You never knew what you were going to come across. Especially not in the Drop.
Although I had never seen or come across one, I had even heard that there were massive Splicers four times the size of normal ones, pumped full of strength tonics. Just the thought made me shudder.

Mira brought me out of my thoughts when she mentioned the fact that if I needed her help she was going to be there. I briefly wondered whether she really meant that. Was she going to stick around? Or was she going to disappear the moment we got my record player back and her debt to me was paid off? I wished for the former but knew that the truth was leaning more towards the latter. She wasn't the type to stick around for too long. Heck, she wasn't very enthusiastic when following me here in the first place. I doubted she was going to want to hang around.
All the same I nodded my head in response and gave her a small smile. It was a warming thought regardless of the truth behind it.

Something told me the moment I asked that she was going to decline my offer of Eve. It seemed like there was very little Mira was going to actually accept in the way of useful items. I wasn't about to pressure her any further. If she felt that she had enough Eve to get through the journey and beyond once we got the record player back to the hideout..then I could do nothing but accept that judgment.
However at the same time I made a mental note to bring one more Eve Hypo than usual just in case either of us needed some extra juice for a Plasmid. Which, if we stumbled upon too much trouble, was very likely going to be the case.

When she instead mentioned that she was going to need a new weapon to replace her rolling pin with I glanced around. By saying that she had reminded me that I was probably going to need to carry my weapon with me this trip too.
"We'll find you a weapon at some point. There is so much scattered all over the place we'll be bound to find something.. I'll try my best to fend of anything until then." I said this while standing up and moving towards the storage room.
Coming back only a second later with the weapon many Big Sisters carried around with them on a day to day basis. Only mine was a bit different in design compared to the one others carried.

Instead of the giant needle many other protectors carried, my weapon looked more like the barrel of a gun with a large bladed bayonet attached to the end that gave me the ability to use it as a melee weapon. It was a prototype to the needle weapon that they developed after running tests with me, though I didn't have any clue about that.
While fixing the weapon to my arm I glanced up at Mira and gave her a bit of a half-smile. I guess in a way this was a moment of truth as, despite being a prototype, my weapon was also where a capsule of the red liquid known as Adam was kept. It was only half-full at this point but the stuff was visible.
If she was going to attack me for it, it was going to be right now.

There wasn’t much really around the room that you could use to fight with. If I was lucky, I could step out into the rooms below and find something. Really, it just depended. I had enough ammunition to keep myself going for a while, but really, I didn’t like using it. It was quieter to just bash in someone’s skull. Really, having a shotgun wasn’t the best weapon. There wasn’t much in the way of silencing such a machine and some splicers came running at the noise. I would use it if I had to, but really, I hoped that it would never come to that.

I nod slowly. Her words are the truth. There is equipment scattered everywhere. If you had an imagination, you could use almost anything to kill someone. There were enough blunt objects. Parts of business signs, scattered rubble, and if I was lucky, I would find something like a frying pan or a wrench. That would surely do me a lot of good.

The last of her quiet words catches me wrong though. I’m not sure why, but this sickening feeling falls into the pit of my stomach. She would fend off anything until then? Did she think I had to rely on such weapons to kill someone? I could freeze someone and kick them. That didn’t cause any real disturbance. It wasn’t like I had nothing without my rolling pin. I had plasmids. Hell, I could kill with my bare hands if I needed too. Maybe I was getting a little big-headed. Maybe I was too confident in myself. I mean, really, I wasn’t invincible. No one down here could live forever. Everyone died. At the same time though, she could die too. She wasn’t invincible as much as she probably thought. She wasn’t as untouched as the stupid splicers thought she was. All beings, large and small, have a weakness. It just takes a while to find it.

By the time I have really gotten myself out of my unsettling thoughts, the girl was out of the room. It takes her a little less than a minute before she returns to the silence of the room she left me in. It takes me awhile to realize what she went to get. The weapon that she is now attaching to her arm gleams in the dull lighting. It’s not like the others. They carry needles like the little ones. This one is like a bayonet almost. It’s long and threatening. My eyes fall down the length of the blade before stopping a moment at the base. My breathing catches a moment. I look to the girls face quickly and quietly. A small smile falls on my lips in return the one she offered me. She is watching me, waiting to see what I’ll do. My jaw has tightened, my teeth clenching together in an almost painful manner. Adam. That smooth liquid that everyone wanted; everyone craved it. I had to continue to remind myself that I could find Adam later. Just because I didn’t have it now didn’t mean I wasn’t going to find some.

It was tempting though, and more than just a little. I had my mind fighting over what to do. My stomach had curled up into a knot. Kill her. She is weak. She deserves to die. Take the Adam and end her life. My thoughts urge me on. Even though it was just a little Adam, you could not deny that addiction, and if you did, you wouldn’t be denying it for long. I feel the deep frost of my plasmid, crawling up my arm. It almost seems as if it’s chilling my blood. I don’t move for a moment. All is silent around us. It takes me a moment before a quiet burst of air escapes my lips. It’s almost as if I’m giving out a silenced chuckle. Your mind could make you do stupid things. Even if she was human on the inside, I wasn’t about to go up against no Big Sister for that little bit of Adam. I shake my head quietly, looking away from her and her Adam.

“The longer we wait, the more chance there is of Splicer’s catching up with us” I speak simply, quietly. My voice was practically gone, just a quiet, scratchy sound. It wasn’t much, but it could be heard. I turn quietly, kneeling and looking through the pack that I had taken off my back. I needed to get my mind of her; I needed to get my hands moving.

As much as I hated the prospect of fighting, I knew that we were going to have to protect ourselves the moment we came up against any kind of opposition. I was very well aware of the fact that she could use her plasmids as a primary weapon but I felt as though it was going to be important for her to conserve her Eve as best as she possibly could. Especially if she was going to be parting ways with me the moment we got back from the journey we were just about to embark on. The less Eve she used on our run the better it was going to be for her in the future. For that reason, until she found some kind of melee weapon, I considered myself to be the one who was going to do the majority of the physical engaging.

When I returned to the room with my weapon immediately her eyes were drawn to the strange but deadly looking contraption. There was what felt like a very long pause between her examining the weapon I was strapping to my arm and the next time that she moved or said anything at all. I could almost feel the seconds as they ticked by. Each one longer than the last. Mira's gaze was mainly fixed on the red liquid I had stored in the capsule at the base. The one substance that could turn best friends against one another in a matter of seconds and turn even the most peaceful of people into blood thirsty maniacs; Adam.
I was almost waiting for her to do the same to me.

It was not so much that I didn't trust her..it was more the way that she was looking at the stuff that led me to believe that it was a possibility. A scary one at that. Despite the fact that I was a Big Sister and as such genetically stronger, faster, and more durable than her. Mira was experienced in the ways of combat and as such probably could have killed me in a matter of seconds if she wanted to.
When the tension reached its very highest I could almost imagine the way that she would reach out to grab my neck or hit me with one of her plasmids, stunning me just long enough for her to finish me off one way or another.
Hell, I probably wouldn't have even put up a fight if it came to that. Death was probably ten times better than continuing to survive in this dystopia.

Finally Mira let out a breath and broke the silence with her voice or at least what was left of her voice after a very clear internal struggle. Her sigh almost echoed my own as I felt the hairs at the back of my neck come back down to rest against the skin. For now the danger was over, from her in any case, and all I needed to worry about was getting to wherever it was she was leading me.
"Y-Yes, let's get going." I muttered as I pulled myself up from where I was crouched and walked over to where I had set down my helmet.
I took one last deep breath and slid the sphere over my head and into place, latching the metal tightly to my neckpiece. Once again I was back to being the very image that terrified Splicers across the whole city.

I made my way over to the whole in the wall and pulled aside the cloth to peer out into the alleyway. First I made sure there were no Splicers in the alley before glancing out further to make sure there were no Splicers on the street outside the building. It was clear.
I glanced over my shoulder at Mira and then dropped down from the hole onto the ground with a soft crunch as my boots hit the concrete. Immediately I turned to look up for when she passed through so I could point out the best way for her to climb down. Such a jump would at the very least sprain her ankles if not worse.
There was a dumpster just below the hole that she could climb down onto and then jump to the ground from there.

I was still swimming in thoughts. I was everywhere. My hands were shaking and my breathing was a little louder than I wanted. It seemed like everything had stopped. All time ceased as I fought with myself. Part of me still wanted to kill her. It was a blood thirsty fight, and there could be very few outcomes. I either got Adam soon, or I went crazy. I wouldn’t let myself go crazy like the others had. I would fight.

Really, I was over-reacting. Adam was scarce, but I could go a few more days before I really needed it. I didn’t like the idea of going crazy. If we got back before sun down, I could sneak away from this girl. It was easier to find Adam if you didn’t have someone following you around. I was still over-reacting though. It was crazy to think that someone could get so desperate for something. It was greed, but at the same time, I needed it. Small doses would keep me from becoming one of those freaks, but soon, the Adam would take its toll on my body and mind. How long depended on the person and the different plasmids you had inside you.

I small breath escapes my lips. The talking would stop now. The girl walks over to the helmet, picking it up and placing it on her head. There would be little more than hand gestures between us now. She could possibly hear me, but I had no idea what words passed her lips behind that thick metal.

She wasn’t Echo anymore. She wasn’t no Doll anymore. She was a sister. She was a killing machine. She wasn’t human when she was behind that helmet. Not to me and not to the rest of them. She was a guardian and a protector. Right now, I guess she was protecting me.

She makes her way back to the hole in the wall. She stops a moment, making sure that nothing is there, watching us. It wouldn’t be a good thing if we started out this journey by dropping in on a fight. She doesn’t take long before deeming that it is clear. With a silent jump, landing harshly on the ground, she is out of sight for a moment. I take quiet steps forwards, towards the hole. She points to a few places where I can put my feet. I nod slowly, turning around and slowly letting myself ease down. It wouldn’t be good to hurt myself before even heading out. If you got hurt, you were a goner out here.

I feel thick metal beneath my feet. I still hold tightly onto the ledge above me. It takes a moment, but I get my footing and slowly drop down onto the cool metal. I am far quieter than she was, but it is understandable seeing as she has so much armor on her. I pause a moment before I jump, my feet meeting the concrete beneath me. My heels make a quiet, dull, tap on the ground before I look up to the dull red glow of the sister beside me. I should probably lead the way, since only I know where I am going.

I give her a slight flick of my wrist, motioning for her to follow me down the street. It was a straightforward journey, if no tunnels had collapsed or been obstructed. I was just praying for a simple trek. I wasn’t sure how my home-place would be. Really, Pauper’s Drop was pretty rough before the Civil Wars. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like now.

What was going to happen in the future if the journey took us more than just one day? How was she going to deal with being so close to someone who could supply her with enough Adam to last the rest of her life? Sure if they were together for only a day or so there was very little danger but the longer they were together..the bigger the chance became of Mira snapping under the ever so inviting opportunity of a life full of the addictive liquid.
This was not something I worried about now though. I couldn't allow myself to worry. If I worried too much, about this subject especially, my first instincts would be to kill before being killed. That was not a thought I would not be able to forgive myself for having, even if only for a few seconds.

This Mira girl, insane or not, had not tried to kill me yet. That was more than enough of a reason for me to trust her as much as a person could trust another down here. The way I saw it; if she was going to kill me then she would have done so while I was sleeping or while my back was turned and I was unarmored. That would have been the perfect moment to attack.
Any person, even a non-splicer, would have taken the opportunity. When otherwise would they come across a Big Sister who has taken off their armor? Never.
The fact that this woman had not taken advantage of my vulnerable state led me to trust her even more than before. In fact I couldn't remember the last time I instilled as much trust in a person as I did in her right now.

When we were both on the ground there was a moment of pause before she took her place in the lead. Of the two of us she was the one who knew where she was going. I was following along behind her like a sheep follows a shepherd. I knew that all I could do was try to keep up with her, stay as quiet as possible, and keep my eyes open for any possible signs of an ambush of some kind.
The journey was probably going to be long and slow but at least we were getting an early enough start. If everything went perfectly we were going to get back to the restaurant before 'night' fell and all of the Splicers truly came out of hiding.

The ground was uneven and cracked with every step. The streets were empty with nothing but darkness surrounding every turn. The only places with light were the areas where the streetlights hadn't been shot out or simply stopped working overtime and even then most of those that worked flickered rapidly, resulting in an eerie atmosphere.
Every shadow looked as though something was waiting to jump out of it yet nothing ever did. Paupers Drop had never been a beautiful part of the city but it was even worse than ever now. I never would have wanted to come here even before the revolution happened.