Chapter 10: Would You Kindly use a Challenge Token?

[Vibranium Assimilation Complete]

I woke up to this particular notification this morning.

The nano machines had enhanced many aspects of my body such as the sub-dermal armor and the nano blades with Vibranium.

I'm not quite a 100% sure on what all they added throughout my body, but I was definitely sore all over.

Most of my senses feel like they've been dialed up to eleven, and I definitely felt more flexible than I was before. I have a feeling that there was more to discover but I was confident that none of it was negative.

I started wandering around my home getting ready for the day and preparing to open my clinic. I made a fresh batch of coffee for myself, and set a pot of it out for customers.

As I wandered about turning things on, I noticed a large number of cars outside the front of the office. They were either waiting in their cars, or setting up cameras on the sidewalk.

What was odd was none of them were trying to look inside. They were hanging around as if waiting for someone.

Even more curious, was why hadn't the Skitarii chased them off yet? They were obviously prepping for something, but other than disturbing the general peace, I don't think it was anything horribly malicious.

Still, they were loitering outside, and I didn't want them scaring my regular clients away.

So, I went to the front and deactivated security and unlocked the front drawing their attention to me.

"Excuse me Ladies and Gentlemen, are you perhaps waiting for my services?" I state.

I wince internally at how overly formal I sounded.

The people outside collectively respond with a negative.

"Then can I ask you to kindly move your activities elsewhere? You're scaring off my regular customers." I inform.

I was already receiving messages from my early morning customers questioning the people out front. These were the kind of people that had certain night jobs that would restrict them from being seen later in the day. Various Merc's more often than not.

The people started protesting about their right to be here before I raised my hand to halt their complaints.

"I don't care. Take your rubbernecking elsewhere, this is a clinic. People come to get diagnosed and healed in a peaceful environment. I'm giving you five minutes to get your gear and clean out before I call the security force."

With some grumbling, the people started loading into their cars and leaving one by one. I had the Skitarii mopping up any stragglers in the surrounding area.

I've realized at this point that these people were Media's, but there was an awful lot of them within a six-block radius. The Skitarii held a perimeter as I debated what the hell was going on.

I didn't have to wait long as I finished treating my first batch of customers for the day, a high class Delamain Cab showed up out front.

Delamain was an armored taxi transportation service run and driven by an A.I. He was essentially the perfect getaway driver. He offered a variety of services from basic transportation, to hyper-luxury. All plans came with basic health insurance, protection against potential attacks, and stimulating conversation with the driver avatar. Some packages included complete health coverage, combat mode, and free corpse disposal in the event of a client's death.

The last bit was a bit grim, but a valid concern considering this was Night City after all.

A woman with long chrome legs, wearing a trench coat and a hat stepped out of the vehicle.

I think I can take a guess as to why I had so many media's hovering about this morning, as Lizzy Wizzy walks through my front door and looks around.

Elisabeth Wissenfurth, or Lizzy Wizzy, was a hugely successful celebrity and Rockergirl. While very popular, her career reaches a true turning point in 2071 when she ate a specially modified synthetic apple that induced cardiac arrest on stage. She was flatlined for a full minute. The entire concert was put on hold for five and a half hours while she underwent a full cyber conversion on stage. She was revived, and she got up and began to sing "Re-start, Re-heart, Repeat". That single sat at the top of the world charts until 2072.

But back to the celebrity looking around my office.

"I expected your office to be fuller for being the supposed best Ripper in town." She comments.

"They were scared off by the Media's that were loitering out-front." I reply back.

"What happened to them?" She asked, filling a cup of coffee over by the pot.

"They were asked politely, but firmly to leave." I say, watching her.

"You may end up regretting that, most Media's don't give up that easy." She returns, taking a drink from the cup.

"I can be very persuasive, plus I have an atmosphere to maintain." I return.

"What's your doctor-patient confidentiality like?" She continues.

"Nothing beyond these doors." I explain.

She nods once and debates for a moment before asking; "Could I get a check-up on my chrome? I've been experiencing some issues that I would like a second opinion on."

I stand up and gesture back to the operating room; "After you. What sort of issues are you experiencing?"

"I've been experiencing weird disconnects. Like there is someone else at the wheel instead of me." She explained as we walk back to the operating table.

"That certainly would be an issue, did you bring it up with anyone else?" I ask as she hangs up her coat and hat and makes herself comfortable in the chair.

"My manager and my previous Ripper. They are of the opinion that I am imagining things." She stated.

I connect my diagnostic tool to her neural link and do a quick base scan. I almost immediately pick up slight irritation around her brain casing and its connections. A brain is usually the only bit of flesh left after a full chrome conversion like Lizzy's.

"Would you prefer Lizzy or Elisabeth?" I ask as I continue my scan.

"Lizzy please." She replied, relaxing in the chair.

"Did your Ripper comment anything about brain irritation Lizzy?" I question, disconnecting from her.

"He mentioned that it wasn't out of the ordinary for a full conversion like mine." She stated.

"Is it alright if I take a look at the casing? It may help me narrow down what is wrong." I ask.

"Sure!" She replied, and opened up her skull.

It was really gross watching her upper skull detach. I knew her body was fully modular but this was a bit creepy.

Shaking off the feeling, I take a closer look at the case containing her brain. From the outside, the case looked undamaged. I activated the viewing panels on the case to view her brain. The irritation was extremely obvious, it almost looked like the case was slightly too small to be containing her brain in the first place.

I turned off the viewing port and sat back in thought. Her brain was displaying a classic case of rejecting her cyberware, but it couldn't reject properly due to the size of the case. Her brain was panicking and didn't know what to do so it was entering first stages of borgosis. But the important thing is, I know what's wrong, I just have to figure out how to cure it.

"You can go ahead and close your skull." I state, grabbing a pack of Purity from my coat.

"Do you smoke?" I offer watching her skull seal up again.

"Yes please." She said taking a stick and lighting up.

"I did find something wrong while looking in there. You want the Good, or the Bad news first?" I ask.

"Let's start with the bad. Please don't sugar coat it." She stated

"Your brain casing is just slightly too small for your brain. Its causing stress on your brain which is causing your brain to reject the rest of your body. Normally when your body rejects cyberware, it would have attempted to distance itself from the "foreign" material. However, your brain has nowhere else to go. This is keeping it bonded to your body, but since it can't escape its panicking in the only way it can. You're experiencing this in the form of not being in full control."

"This is the very beginning of a condition known as Borgosis. It's a similar condition to cyberpsychosis yet different in its complexity in how you're a full cyber conversion. This condition occurs in a number of different ways for people with full cyber bodies. Since it was caught so early on its very treatable, and even reversable." I finish explaining.

"So, you're saying I'm going crazy?" Lizzy stated, a slight edge creeping into her voice.

"No, quite the opposite actually. You have been functioning quite well these past couple of years from what I understand correct?" I ask, receiving a hesitant nod from her.

"Then stress isn't the cause of your condition. Based off of what you told me, this has been an issue that's been building over time and its finally come to a head. Identifying the casing as part of the problem, indicates that the mental difficulties can be listed as a symptom of your brain slowly choking from its constraints. I would like to consult a neurologist to confirm but I believe that the issues will resolve themselves once the case is replaced."

"I always recommend full cyborgs to attend therapy occasionally to make sure no issues arise. You've probably heard this before, but this is a drastic change from flesh and blood. Tackling issues as soon as they arise is the best way to take care of them." I finish, causing her to smile.

"Yeah, I hear that so often, it's basically a mantra at this point. So, what should I do now?" She asked.

"Contact the people who supplied your brain case for your transformation. Get that swapped as soon as possible. After that you should be good to continue as you see fit." I reply.

"Could I contact you for house calls and consultations?" she asked, standing up.

"That would probably be better. It's probably bad form to keep chasing media's away." I return, handing her a business card.

She takes it and hands me a cred chip; "Here. This should cover for my visit. If it's too much, use it to cover some of your other customers. It was a pleasure meeting you Dr. Byrne."

She leaves the same way she came in, her luxury Delamain still parked out front.

[Time Skip- One Month]

[Stormbird 0013 POV]

I was assigned to operate over the flooded plains of North Carolina.

The state was transformed into a swampy area that was half underwater due to the effects of massive global climate shifts. People were forced to move inland due to its rising water levels.

My flights around the state were largely uninterrupted outside of the occasional personal AV. Most air travel happened outside of the atmosphere due to atmospheric conditions making most conventional air travel off limits. AV's and helicopters could get away with flying because they didn't reach cruising altitudes.

It was at these altitudes that I enjoyed flying.

I was able to work in relative peace without being shot at by locals, or captured by a corporation.

Stormbird 0003 was shot down in this manner by some people from Kang Tao. I stood as his defense for hours, slaughtering any Corpo that tried to examine him or take him away.

Eventually, a Glinthawk team arrived and were able to restore Stormbird 0003 to working order. The Creator rewrote their core programing to include certain Glinthawks to possess repair functions.

The functions would determine if a machine was repairable or if it needed scrapped for parts. It was more useful than having the Glinthawks just start rending the machine down for scrap and spare parts.

The fight with Kang Tao enabled us to take the battle data, and upgrade our combat functions and tactics. Kang Tao continued observing me from afar after our last encounter which resulted in the loss of twelve aerial drones, two AV's and several squads of people.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by a new notification. . .

Atmospheric adjustment in North Carolina Area 1% Complete!

I quickly started transmitting the data package to home base.

Looks like my work is starting to pay off.

[Skitarii Alpha 0293 POV]

My unit was stationed in portions of the Japantown area. We had been tasked with providing security in the area's once owned by Tyger Claws.

We had gone through and cleaned up the Tyger Claws graffiti and started hiring some of the locals to clean-up trash piled high in the back alleys.

Many of the local businesses we provided protection for, had hung up pictures of a spirit surrounded by a storm, leading to the locals coming up with a new name for us.

They called us Storm Spirits, like we were the spirits left behind from the aftermath of the storm that hit Night City. I'm pretty sure the recent color change of cloaks helped that theory along. We were more or less the gang formed to fill the power vacuum left by the Tygers.

There were still a few disturbances here and there of people trying to start trouble but we resolved it fairly quickly with the use of arc weapons and taser goads.

Pleased with how efficient we were, locals sought us out to hire us for security, protection, and body guard services throughout the district. I was forced to call for reinforcements when we risked stretching our presence thin.

We barely had enough numbers to leave a token presence at the newly acquired territories, but we made it work. Some of the smaller gangs came out of hiding to try and take a crack at us. The most notable of which were Voodoo Boys assassins.

They were unprepared for the metal bodies characteristic of all Skitarii. One tried to stab me with his little poisoned needle once. His corpse was thrown through the front doors of the Voodoo Boy's church a few hours later during a service.

Since then, we had added several Tech-priests to our number to be on netrunner duty to defend and detect Voodoo Boys activity. They were now engaged on two fronts, their previous fight with the animals still going on, and now they were trying to move into our territory, so I was more than happy to forward a list of Voodoo Boys locations to local Animal groups who happily removed the problem for us.

Everything was slowly settling back down somewhat. The locals were getting used to our presence throughout Japantown and they were becoming more outwardly friendly. The few hold outs were ex-Tyger Claws members. A few glared but that was all they did really. It was made public what would happen if they tried anything.

A few Tygers were trying to extort a local shop that paid for protection. They were grabbed, beaten, dragged out into the street and executed. Normally we would have just broken their hands, but they were Tyger's, and they were warned. Since then, we haven't had any difficulty from the ex-Tyger's.

I received a notification about new Skitarii forces deploying at Megabuilding H8. Well, better go meet them and direct them to where they're needed most.

[Lancehorn 0003 POV]

Detoxification of earth in Badland's region 1.3% complete

I continued happily processing this bit of soil that I was working on. Subordinate function DEMETER expressed joy at being able to replant some areas soon. She wasn't willing to risk the standard plants until we reached 5% completion. Subordinate function ARTEMIS professed that she would have to run more calculations before releasing new wildlife into the region. She had to account for all environmental factors if she did something like that.

Our group had already encountered coyotes and sparse few vermin. ARTEMIS had determined that we were unlikely to see any other species and that the few we encountered were in very poor condition, barely surviving in what little remained of their environment.

I finished processing the dirt and moved on to the next location. One of the Longlegs released an alarm noise drawing attention to vehicles approaching.

The alarm was disabled after a moment as the vehicles parked a distance away. The people that got out were just observing us as we continued with our work. People have started watching us for the last couple of weeks, filming and documenting our movements. They never got to close thanks to the Ravagers and the Longlegs, so I had nothing to worry about.

I detect a potentially dangerous spot nearby that causes my radiation detector to go crazy as I get closer. There is enough radiation here for an undetonated warhead. I send alerts to the other machines and start cordoning off the area with markers. I send a priority data package to GAIA. This is going to require the Creator's interference. While I could have dealt with the radiation given enough time, I did not have the tools to disarm a warhead, or whatever was down there.

[Tavish POV]

I grinned as I read the initial reports flowing in from the terraforming machines reporting marked success on initial terraforming endeavors. DEMETER informed me that it would continue to be an uphill battle unless we somehow eliminated some of the sources of the pollution. These were unfortunately hard to pin down due to how well the Corporations hid their truly wasteful or toxic facilities.

Yggdrasil was immensely helpful in detecting one or two, but it was slow going with how carful the program had to be to remain undetected. It was slowly growing, and spreading its reach over every device it could connect to.

It hit a stroke of luck the other day when it managed to connect to N54 news network. I now had a line on any stories they were going to run, any leads their reporters were chasing down, and any potential leads they had.

Yggdrasil even discovered that one of their medias were looking for me, or more specifically, they were looking for the owner of the company "Horizon".

They were snooping around some patents and had discovered some classified patents linked to a non-publicly traded company. I think their name was Bes Isis or something? I'm just going to continue as normal unless she starts kicking up a fuss.

I was finally starting to realize profit from Megabuilding H8. Repairs and Remodels were still underway, but the Mox were turning a substantial profit at Clouds and the protection money that was being received from surrounding businesses was offsetting clean-up costs of the Tyger Claws territory.

The most profitable venture was the fresh food that was being sold from the farms in H8. Most food these days was synthetic alternatives, pre-pack and kibble. Kibble was essentially nutritious pellets to get you through the day, and was more like dog food than anything. Pre-pack and the synthetic alternatives could be acquired anywhere and was the most common type of meal you could eat in Night City. Fresh food was only seen in the homes of the rich or high-end restaurants, so when I started offering non-synthetic Apples and Oranges for exorbitantly low prices, everyone was clamoring to get some, from the poor on the street, to the rich in their ivory towers.

Realistically, I could be charging a lot more for the fresh food. The current price of fresh or real food was so expensive that only 3% of the world could afford to have it more than once a year.

People were wondering how the vendor I had hired had acquired so much fresh food, in such a ready supply, not believing the story of the hydroponics farm set up in a remodeled portion of H8. Unfortunately, it was not my problem if they didn't believe the truth. I was going to have to seriously consider expanding my hydroponics facilities. Maybe open a fresh produce market instead of a stand in H8.

I ended up looking into why people in the U.S. couldn't farm without hydroponics and was unfortunately not surprised by the answer.

The ground water is tainted due to massive bio-plagues and mass burials, causing most fresh food to be imported from Europe and Canada.

This discovery resulted in the creation of one of the coolest tree's that I had created thus far.

[Water Tree] (Epic)

Absorbs and purifies water, changing the water back to a clean state.

It was a tree with veins of water running up through the trunk, its branches surrounded by a foliage made of water, constantly shifting, and occasionally shedding a few leaves of clean water.

Unfortunately, a tree that was this blatantly magical had to be deployed in protected and hidden locations. Many of the things I have done in Night City thus far could be explained away as unique cyberware or bioware. Vik was the only one who was aware of anything otherwise but I was bribing him to keep quiet about it and not ask any questions about it.

I checked my reputation meter with Vik.

Viktor Vektor

Rep (75/100) Good Friend/Highly Regarded Ripper

That's pretty good, it will definitely encourage him to keep my secrets. I would prefer to have some sort of "magic" contract or something to protect the secret, but that would have to do for now.

The water trees will just have to reside in or around a Cauldron until I can find a better location.

I tried to make a tree that processed gravesites and bodies into usable materials for plants and nutrients in the soil, but I ended up with a very disturbing outcome.

[Carron Tree] (Rare)

Rapidly breaks down flesh and bone into nutrients for the surrounding environment.

It was technically successful except for one thing.

The tree itself was made from rotten flesh and bone.

It would do its intended purpose, but I needed to refine the tree a bit to be more aesthetically pleasing. I know it's a simple thing, and yes it sounds ridiculous coming from a guy who tears people in half with a chainsaw, but it was just gross.

Plus, even if I could pass it off as non-magical, no sane person outside of potential evil overlords would want this as an aesthetic. I save the design for the tree and filed it away as something to sell in the gamers shop later.

The final tree I tried to create was an odd thing to develop. I designed it with the idea of countering any active bio-plagues still in the ground if it made it past the other trees. The tree would essentially be a tree version of the cure-disease potion. The only problem with the developing of this tree was that it needed special care, nutrients, and a ready supply of cure disease potion ingredients.

After much trial and error, I decided to scrap the project and submitted the request to HEPHASTUS to design a new machine to combat the problem instead. The tree in its current state was deemed inefficient, so I would continue working on it and possibly redesign it to target biological warfare specifically.

I received the radiation alert from one of the groups and I direct a team of Skitarii Vanguards to deal with it. They were equipped to actually deal with hazardous environments and their radiation shielding would be ideal if they had to actually disarm a warhead or a buried reactor.

The last month has actually been fairly quiet outside of the few odd jobs I did with Jackie and V. I had to break up the routine so I decided to use another challenge token.

I donned the Praetor suit once again and got my gear to make a trip into the great unknown. I had added plating to the arm portions and made the suit a more contained environment. I reduced the overall size of the servo arm configuration to that of a small backpack, and reintegrated the ODM grapple into the gauntlets. A small sentinel battery powered the new configuration in place of gas.

Checking over my equipment one last time, I pull out a challenge token and snap it, opening a portal which I step through.

[Third Person POV]

The flaming wreckage of a recently crashed plane surrounded the exterior of an island with a single lighthouse on it.

A man hauled himself up onto the steps of the lighthouse from the ocean. He struggled to catch his breath to climb up the rest of the stairs when a loud screeching interrupted his thought process.

A huge chunk of the plane, previously sitting upright in the dark waters, tilted over and crushed the unfortunate man underneath.

Next to the collapsed wreckage, a blue portal opened up and an armored figure walked through.

[Tavish POV]

I stepped through the portal onto the steps of a lighthouse and looked around.

The lighthouse was surrounded by flaming wreckage and the charred remains of its passengers.

An arm was sticking out from under some wreckage next to my foot.

[Crap, he wasn't supposed to die this early.]

[Hey Tavish, would you kindly have your nanomachines take a sample of his DNA?]

[You'll need it to access everything.]

Iris, was that a pun?

Quest Added

[Would you kindly?]

Jack had the misfortune of dying before getting into Rapture. Don't let this story end in the prologue.

Objective 1: Acquire Jack's DNA to enable bypass of Rapture lockdown

Objective 2: Purge any splicers that get in your way

Objective 3: Throw a "Wrench" into the plans of the factions within Rapture.

Bonus Objective 1: ?

Bonus Objective 2: ?

Bonus Objective 3: ?

Bonus Objective 4: ?

Bonus Objective 5: ?

Rewards: ?

Iris, I know your just avoiding the question.

:P

[Welcome to the world of Bioshock.]

My nano machines made quick work of grabbing his DNA from the remains of the arm poking out from under the wreckage.

[DNA Key acquired]

I make my way up the steps to the lighthouse and push open the doors.

The lights in the room trigger on when I opened the doors, revealing a split stair case, and a huge imposing bust of Andrew Ryan suspended over a banner that read; "No God's or Kings, only Man."

Art-deco designs covered the walls as I followed the staircase downward into a domed room. In the center, was a bathysphere resting in its dock.

I duck into the submersible and pull the lever, causing the door to seal and the bathysphere to descend.

Andrew Ryan's little speech starts playing and I basically tuned it out while I was watching the fathom markers pass. His TV short played an then I got my first glimpse of Rapture.

The game truly did not do Rapture justice.

I observed the towering underwater buildings, and their bright advertisements lighting up the ocean life surrounding it. I could see the Big Daddy's in the various tunnels conducting repairs and patrolling.

The service radio in the sphere started crackling as a conversation ensued between two people who took notice of the sphere coming down to Rapture. I grab the radio off the wall and fasten it to my belt. It is the main form of communication around Rapture so I may as well have it.

The Sphere surfaces in the bathysphere station in Rapture. I could see the shadows moving about within the dark station as one figure sneaks towards the bathysphere.

He comes to a halt upon seeing my appearance. He picks up his radio and start speaking into it.

"Atlas? Are you sure the genetic freak was coming down? Because I am staring at what looks like a Big Daddy variant, a really advanced one too." The man in shadows explained.

"What? But the plane he was supposed to be on went down, are you sure?" The now named Atlas said.

"Sure as Shi—" As he went to finish, a meat hook swings from out of the dark into his throat, splattering him across the front of the bathysphere.

"My, my, we have a new guest." A female voice comes from the dark.

A new figure comes into view. It may have been a woman at one point, but she looks as if she had been mutated and melted slightly.

She was staring at me, and I didn't want to wait around for her to start tearing into the sphere, so I channeled mana into my arm and punched the door.

The heavy submersible door popped its rivets and impacted the splicer, sending her into the opposing wall.

Climbing out of the sphere, I could see her groaning and climbing out from under the metal door.

Not giving her the chance, I run and leap, landing on her. I drive the doom blade through her throat and into her mutated face several times, ensuring no chance of recovery.

"H-Holy shit!" It killed Rose!" I heard Atlas's voice crackle out over the radio.

Looking around I spot a camera that I had stepped into view of. Watching the camera, I thumb the talk switch on the radio.

"I generally don't like being called an "It". To whom am I speaking?" I ask.

The radio was dead silent for a full minute as I stared at the camera. Finally, I was answered back; "Did you come from the plane crash?" Atlas questioned.

"Of course, I did! Why the hell would I come visit an underwater house of horror willingly?" I lie. He doesn't need to know I walked out of a portal from a futuristic universe.

"Well, I'm never one to question providence. I'm Atlas, and I aim to, well, help you stay alive. You just took out one of the alpha splicers in the area so you've done a great job so far. But the others would have heard the racket you made, and their coming. Would you kindly find a wrench or something? It would be better in the long run than just using your fists." He explains.

He's testing to see if I'm Jack. This could potentially turn into a very funny misunderstanding if I followed along with this for a while. I scavenge around and find the iconic wrench.

[Wrench] (Rare)

The only thing special about this wrench is that it's from Rapture.

I keep moving into the lounge outside of the Bathysphere hub and spot a splicer almost immediately, and cave his head in with the wrench just as quickly.

I look around and spot a gatherers garden with the Electro-bolt plasmid sitting in its dispenser.

Picking it up, my nanomachines send a new notification.

[Nano Hive would like to absorb this for passive study and upgrading.]

Sure, you guys can have it.

A small swarm of the machines come out and absorb the plasmid.

Lighting affinity has leveled up by one (5/100)

New Nano Machine ability added [Electric Smoke]

[Electric Smoke]

Your nano machines deploy a smoke cloud that electrically damages any enemies that walk through it.

I feel the nanomachine hive release a hum of contentment, I guess the plasmids and gene tonics accelerate their improvement.

Channeling lightning mana into my fingers, I release a bolt of lightning across the room. Good for practice anyway.

I was about to continue before I heard the sound of giggling. Turning, I saw the genetically modified Little Sister, followed by her imposing Big Daddy.

"Another Mr. Bubbles?" she said questioningly. She walked around me in a circle before giving my leg a quick hug, and skipping over to the body of the recently un-alived splicer.

She stabbed him with her large needle and started harvesting ADAM from his corpse.

I watched her with horrified fascination as she drank the ADAM filled blood from the needle and continued her quest to harvest more ADAM.

I felt a tugging sensation on my lower armor plates and I looked down and saw another Little Sister.

"Mr. Bubbles! Uppsies!" She demanded, raising her arms as if to be picked up.

I gently picked up the Little Sister and set her on my shoulder, immediately receiving a new notification as I did so.

New Perks gained

[Big Daddy]

Little Sisters recognize you as one of their protectors. They can more easily find you and vice versa. Other Big Daddy's will recognize you as a friend and Big Sisters are wary of your presence.

[Big Daddy Communication]

Your capable of making the Whale-like sounds necessary for Big Daddy communication.

Huh, neat.

The Big Daddy that came in made a low whale noise at me.

- [Where is your drill friend?]- He questioned.

I made another whale noise back. It surprised me the ease at what I was able to communicate with the protector.

- [Creator sent me out for a test run. He was curious on what I would do.]- I return

He made a chuffing sound and replied with a higher pitch whale call.

-[That's ridiculous! How do they expect you to protect your sister properly!? There is a supply closet down that hall there. You should be able to resupply on gear there. Just knock four times and the minder should let you in.]- He explained

-[Many thanks.]- I reply

-[Safe travels friend]- he calls back, following his little sister as she wanders off.

I stop by the room and I grabbed a drill and a rivet gun and continued my journey.

[Drill] (Rare)

A massive drill used by the Big Daddy's of Rapture. It needs fuel or a power source to properly function.

[Rivet Gun] (Rare)

A powerful gun that fires large rivets at the enemy.

The Little Sister I had acquired was content to just be along for the ride at the moment. She apparently wanted to ride around on someone's shoulders for a bit.

As we continued further, any splicer that crossed my path either met a quick end from the wrench, or a bloody end by my new drill. Atlas would occasionally chip in with helpful advice, while the Little Sister served as my personal cheerleader as I killed them.

"Unzip them Mr. B!" She screamed out cheerfully as I stabbed my drill into another splicer

I even had a little encounter with Andrew Ryan himself.

He trapped me in a security check point for a bit and accused me over the radio of being a member of the KGB of all things!

After killing the splicers and acquiring a pistol, I traveled all the way to the medical pavilion.

As I head towards the plastic surgery office, I hear my radio crackle to life.

"So, are you a new big daddy or something?" A female voice with a German accent came through the radio.

I hit the talk button on the radio and reply; "Not really, the little girl wanted up for a ride, so she's been riding around for a while."

"You can speak . . . this and the fact that you haven't harvested the little one for ADAM is most surprising." The voice stated.

"Who is this?" I ask.

"Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum, could I possibly interest you in a deal?" She asked

"Depends on the type of deal." I return.

"The Little Sisters, I would like you to find them, and rescue them. They are one of my many sins of Rapture, brainwashed and conditioned to harvest ADAM. They are innocent, and they deserve another chance." Brigid explained.

Atlas's voice crackled out over the radio; "That's rich coming from you Doc. Listen bucko, you're going to need every edge you can get down here. What you really need to do, is harvest that little abomination on your shoulder for her ADAM. You're going to need all the ADAM you can get to get through Rapture, and harvesting it gets you the most." Atlas urged.

"I have a plasmid that would change them back to the normal little girls that they are supposed to be. You wouldn't get as much ADAM, but you would be giving them a chance. Please, will you give them that chance?" Brigid pleaded.

"Where is this plasmid?" I ask, taking aim at newly emerging splicers.

Half a dozen rivets pin the first two to the wall as I open fire on them.

"I have a safe house located in an abandoned clinic nearby. Its two buildings down from the plastic surgery office. Thank you, whoever you are."

I can here Atlas's protests over the radio as I take my drill and run another splicer through. Flicking the corpse off the drill, I bash the final splicer into a paste before changing course towards the safehouse.

"ADAM Mr. B!" The Little Sister on my shoulder stated pointing at a nearby body.

I set her down and let her do her work, extracting the ADAM from the corpse. Splicers attempted to get closer to us only to get hit by high velocity rivets.

Glancing over the Rivet Gun as I reload, I admire its construction. This is an extremely satisfying gun to use, I hadn't even felt the need to reach for any of my other guns or weapons when taking out the Splicers. Unfortunately, I was running low on rivet's so I had to find another supply closet or something soon.

"All done Mr. Bubbles!" The Little Sister's voice interrupts my thoughts.

I gently pick her back up and set her on my shoulder, and resume my journey to the safe house.

Opening the doors to the clinic, I head deeper into the building before I reach a heavily fortified door.

I knock on the door a few times before it opens revealing Brigid Tenenbaum.

"Inside, quickly!" She urges, hustling the little sister and myself inside.

The Safe house is full of various supplies, toys, books, and games, as well as a swarm of little girls ranging from 5-8 years old. They stop playing and stare when I step into the room.

"Mr. Bubbles!" They all shout excitedly, running over and hugging my legs.

"Come along children. Give "Mr. Bubbles" his space we need to have a talk so how about you run along and play." Brigid said ushering the children off to a different area.

"Now, first things first, who are you?" Brigid asked, eying me suspiciously.

"Can he hear us?" I ask causing her to stop for a moment.

She quickly goes about shutting off radios in the area while I turn mine off.

"He can't any longer." She stated

"Good. The names Tavish Byrne. Atlas thinks I'm some sort of sleeper agent from the surface. He's been using a code phrase the entire time thinking that I'm obeying his orders." I explain.

"Why are you here then?" Brigid asked.

"A friend directed me to this place. They gave me a DNA sample from a Kansas farm boy, and explained that I would need it to "see" everything." I state causing Brigid to pale rapidly.

"You wouldn't happen to know what the name of said farm boy was, do you? Is he still alive?" She asked urgently.

"Jack Wynand, I think, and unfortunately, he is deceased. He was crushed under a wreaked plane while searching for survivors." I fib.

"That explains why Atlas is trying so hard to steer you in a certain direction. He thinks your Jack. And you haven't done anything to disprove him otherwise outside of the armor. Why the armor by the way?" Brigid questioned.

"I didn't know what I was getting into, and it proved to be a good idea." I stated, defensively.

"Clearly. Tell me little one; What convinced you this one is a Big Daddy?" She asked, addressing the Little Sister perched on top of my backpack.

"Well Mama Tenenbaum, he looks metal and is big like a Mr. B, he protected me like a Mr. B, and he's nice like a Mr. B! Plus, he smells nicer than the other Daddies." The Little Sister explained, wrinkling her nose at the last bit.

Brigid chuckled at the explanation before getting serious again; "Alright, so here is the plasmid that cures the little ones. Use it on any of the Little Sisters, and then please escort them to one of their travel vents. They can find their way back here from there." Tenenbaum explained, handing me a plasmid.

I inject the plasmid and my nanomachines start processing it and integrating it.

"Good. Now, all that should have to happen is you think of using it and it should activate." Brigid informed.

Gently lifting the Little Sister down, I activate the plasmid and set my hand on her head.

The Little Sister started glowing and shifting as her genetics reverted her from the dark haired glowing eyed little girl, into a red-haired girl with freckles. Her bone structure shifted slightly to accommodate for her previous features.

"Thanks Mr. B!" She said and hopped down from my lap to go play with the others.

"No matter how many times I witness it, it astounds me how much we actually took from them." Brigid comments.

"At least you're trying to give some of that back, unlike others." I return

"Andrew and Atlas . . . . what are your plans for them?" She asked.

"Two idiots that deserve to sink with this hellhole. I plan on shutting them down permanently, and get out anyone that managed to survive this mess." I state

"You think anyone else managed to survive this without getting drunk on ADAM?" She questioned.

"There are always survivors, some survive longer than others, so its just a matter of getting to them in time." I return.

"Then I wish you the best of luck Tavish." Brigid replies.

"If you need to contact me, address me as Jack. Atlas isn't aware anything is amiss yet." I inform her.

I depart shortly after turning my radio back on.

"Hey, bucko! You there?" Atlas's voice crackled over the radio.

"I'm here Atlas, what's up?" I ask.

"While you were havin' a chat with that Doc, a security lockdown occurred. You're going to have to get the local bypass key from a Dr. Steinman. Would you kindly go and get it from him?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm on my way." I state, hanging up the radio.

I seriously doubted I could bypass Rapture's systems anyway . . . .

Or could I?

I stop by a security booth and attempt to wire in a physical connection to my personal link. After fiddling with the antiquated system for a bit, I managed to route a large portion of the cameras to my cyberdeck. Scanning around, I detected many other devices hooked into the primitive network.

Due to how Rapture was designed, I could look through cameras in other districts, but I couldn't affect any of the security measures in other districts such as the drones or the turrets. I could alter the local security measures to suit my needs though. I tried to override the security lockdown but from what I could tell, the system needed a physical key in order to be taken off lockdown.

10/10 from a cybersecurity perspective, 1/10 for my ease of passing through.

After setting the turrets and drones to friendly, I disconnected and started splicing together a plug-in to connect my cyberdeck and Rapture computers. Normally this wouldn't be required, but I was fully disconnected from the network when I unplugged, so I couldn't see through the camera's unless I was plugged into the system. Wireless wasn't exactly a concept they developed in Rapture. The plug-in was just to speed up the process of jacking into the systems.

Finishing my final bit of wiring, I put the connector into my inventory and head off after that crazy plastic surgeon.

Walking in the front doors of the clinic made his derangement very apparent. The writing in blood on the walls along with the disfigured pictures was my first clue. My second was the bodies with the botched plastic surgery jobs. Bodies with their faces rearranged into grotesque features or possessing multiple sets of ears or eyes, doesn't exactly scream of the work of a sane individual.

A splicer dropping down from the ceiling surprised me, causing me to ram the drill through his chest. The drill itself sputters to a stop. I check the gas gauge. The needle was on empty. I groan and put the drill into my inventory and bring out Stormreaver.

Heading further into the clinic I hear the mad ravings of the good doctor as I get closer. Eventually, I come across a viewing window and see Dr. Steinman, mutated by ADAM, tearing into a live patient, killing them in the process.

I smash through the window with Stormreaver and bury the blade in the mad doctor's skull. Checking his body, I come away with the bypass key.

I spend an hour exploring the clinic and recover a few gene-tonics and the incinerate plasmid which I promptly feed to my nano machines.

You have gained a Fire affinity (1/100)

Nano machines have developed new abilities.

[Firefly]

Send out a swarm of nano machines that burst into flame on contact with an enemy.

[Incendiary smoke]

Release a smoke cloud that burns any enemies caught within.

Igniting a small flame on my finger, I watch as my mana slowly drains. It causes me to start thinking. Was ADAM just raw magic? If so, was it being used to grant an affinity to people without magic? And with no way of replenishing it naturally, they were forced to take more and more until their genetic structure became so unstable it caused disfigurement, creating the splicers?

These were questions that I couldn't answer yet without seeing the doctor's notes, or having a background in magic. Unfortunately, Technomancy didn't work quite like standard magic so I couldn't use it as a baseline for my findings.

Technomancy worked on interacting with a computer or a machine. You identified what you wanted to do, you channeled mana to accomplish the task, and technology would bend itself to your will within the set parameters. It often allowed me to bypass the surgery step when installing new cyberware into my systems.

I hear a shriek off in the distance and I receive a new notification.

[Big Daddy instinct triggered.]

[Rescue Little Sister]

[1:24]

It was as if a map was laid out in my head, and I ran, vaulting over and smashing through anything that got in my way.

My fist smashed through a splicer as I whip around a corner. Stormreaver shifts to its thunder hammer form as I near a door. The hammer smashes the doors off its hinges and I release a war cry as I lunge at the splicers standing over the Little Sister.

Perk Activated

[Daddy's Home]

[Indomitable Rage]

[Storm Rage]

[The Only thing they fear is you]

The splicers had enough time for a single look of horror from their mutilated faces before the hammer impacted one's chest turning him to mist.

[Splicer POV]

We had finally caught a Daddy in our trap, and he had a Sister! We were all discussing how we were going to divide her up for ADAM when she screamed.

We heard distant booms and thuds of the sound of something running towards us when the fucking door blew off its hinges.

A new Big Daddy, lunged through the doorway with a roar, lightning arcing off him like he was super juiced with Electro bolt.

This one wielded a hammer, and proved his readiness with it by turning Mike to mist before turning on us.

The only thing I felt was fear.

Fuck this.

I turn to run and find an easier little sister when I am halted by a hand grabbing me by the scruff.

A fist coated in lightning rams itself through my chest and then rips itself out, dropping me on the floor.

I watch as the Daddy pounces on each of us in the space of a few seconds.

He stabbed a wrist mounted blade through Chase's face.

Bill tried to run and was pinned to the wall by rivets.

Susan climbed one of the pillars and he fired a grapple into her back and flung her into the ground. She met her end when he crushed her head under his boot.

The worst was probably Phil. The last one left alive, the Daddy took his time with him.

Phil was pinned on the ground underneath the boot of the monster when he reached down and ripped Phil's arm off! I faded out to the sight and sound of Phil getting beat to death with his own arm.

[Tavish POV]

I finally realized what I was doing when the last splicer died.

New Perks and Flaws discovered

[Big Daddy Instinct]

By accepting the perk "Big Daddy" you are forced to respond if you detect a Little Sister in danger. You will do anything, and everything in your power to protect that child.

[Daddy's Home]

When arriving at the scene of a little sister in distress or a home base under attack, your rage will eclipse that of legend. This enables you to keep fighting until all enemies have been neutralized. Grants a Rage multiplier based off of initial number of enemies engaged.

Hey Iris, I thought that Gamers mind would protect me from something like this?

[Only external effects.]

[Would you like to get rid of the Big Daddy perk?]

I glance down at the Little Sister looking up at me adoringly before I think about the long-term effects of the flaw.

It would force me to respond to a little sister, regardless of it was a trap. But I kind of liked the other perks that came along with it. And who knows? Maybe it will evolve into something interesting later. I'll keep it for now.

I gently pick up the little sister when I hear a gasp from above. Glancing up, I see Brigid standing on a nearby balcony, pistol in hand.

"Well done Herr Jack. I was afraid I wouldn't make it in time, but it looks like you took care of everything and got a new friend." She said gesturing to the Little Sister on my shoulder.

I'm glad she remembered to address me by my fake name.

The radio crackles to life with Atlas's voice; "Yeah, yeah, amazing stuff Jack. Now go ahead and harvest the freak. We don't have much time!

I located the nearest vent, against Atlas's urging and change the little sister back to normal.

This one shift back to a blonde-haired little girl with blue eyes. I help her up into the vent and make my way towards the Gatherer's Garden by the exit.

It required ADAM for purchasing its various plasmids and gene-tonics. I tried using Technomancy to have the machine give away the stuff for free, but the best that I could do was 90% off. ADAM was required for this transaction, and as far as I could see, I couldn't just get the machine to give stuff away for free.

That said, I still made off with a bundle of plasmids and gene-tonics. The nano machines took them all and started processing and researching them. Most of the elemental plasmids just gave me experience towards my affinities. The gene-tonics were being analyzed to determine if they could provide any benefit.

I get to the emergency bathysphere and pull the lever. The door shuts and it whisks me off to another portion of Rapture.

[Time Skip]

"Hey Brigid, I found a bunch of weird slugs in an old lab, what are they? I ask over the radio.

I was fairly certain on what they were but I needed to be sure.

"Those would be ADAM slugs. They were found down hear on the sea floor and they seem to naturally produce ADAM." She explained

"Neat" I comment putting the containers of Slugs in my inventory along with the research.

I had journeyed through Neptune's Bounty and the Smuggler Hideout saving Little Sister's and helping Atlas get his "Family" to safety. Ryan blew them up of course, causing Atlas to order me to kill Andrew Ryan. I saw Atlas for the first time at the Smugglers Hideout.

Man, the years and ADAM had not been kind to Atlas. He was Fugly, with a capital Ugly. The plasmid and ADAM juicing over the course of the civil war with Ryan had caused his face to look melted and patchworked.

From there I made my way to Arcadia, the forest at the bottom of the ocean. I had taken a break in a nearby abandoned lab and fortified the entrances.

I was half debating when I should show Atlas I'm not under his control as I was tinkering on my drill. I managed to connect it in such a way that it drew power from the sentinel battery instead of fuel. Should make for an interesting test.

Sleeping was next to impossible down here. The splicers were always crawling out of crevices and cracks you wouldn't expect and making it a bad idea to try sleeping. I did come across a spear gun in the Big Daddy closet in Neptune's Bounty. Most of the other weapons and tools I came across, were just bad compared to the items I already had. I grabbed the spear gun because I really wanted to harpoon a splicer.

Picking up my tools and placing them in my inventory, I heft my drill and make my way to the barricade at the door. I unblock the door and step outside the old lab.

A new alarm starts blaring over head warning everyone about the decreasing oxygen and the poisoning of the plants in Arcadia.

I start making my way to Julie Langford's lab as Atlas starts screaming urgently into the radio to fix the problem.

Guess I better get going . . . .

[Interlude: Scav's in Space! Part 4]

[Scav's POV]

89% Oxygen and filling.

90% Oxygen and filling.

91% Oxygen and filling.

I may have turned my impending capture into a hostage situation.

Let me explain, the owners of the station sent a few drones to attempt to extract me from my little hidey hole. I disabled said drones and dismantled them for fortifications, weapons, and spare parts. They did this a few times before they tried to send a security team to pull me out.

I killed the team and took their engineer as hostage. Apparently, I was blocking off one of the main oxygen refill ports and they were hoping the engineer would be able to route a new access through the mess I created.

At least I have a new person to talk to, I hadn't had the chance to talk with anyone in weeks, I wasn't aware I would miss it that much.

"So, a guy in armor just booted you all the way up here? And you survived!?" Eddie asked as soon as I finished my story.

"Yup. I floated through space for a while before I spotted the station. I used my gun to get me here and scavenge for supplies. The rest is history." I affirm, causing him to whistle.

"Jesus. Well look on the bright side, most people have to pay a fortune to get up here in the first place." Eddie said with a chuckle.

We continue chatting about current events while I keep an ear out for anymore attackers.

Its up to them to make their next move, because I had everything I needed in here.

[Interlude 2: N54 News]

"Hello, I'm Gillian Jordan here with N54 News."

"The popular Rockergirl Lizzy Wizzy, recently fired her personal Ripper in a very explosive confrontation. The details aren't clear but apparently, he failed to diagnose a problem that has been affecting her for years. She discovered the problem when visiting a local doctor in Heywood at the clinic "Horizon M.D.". She underwent surgeries at MoorE technologies which apparently resolved the issue."

When asked for comment Lizzy had this to say. . . .

"I am extremely impressed with the services of Dr. Byrne. I did research before visiting his clinic and was pleasantly surprised. He offers inexpensive medical services to those who need it, and provides a safe environment for his patients. His skill with a scalpel and a wrench equal and surpass some of the best Rippers I have met.

When I walked into his office, he did not beat around the bush, he was purely professional and clinical when addressing my problem and made sure I understood all of the causes and effects of the problem before offering his recommended solution. His customer service was top-notch and if it wasn't for my contract with MoorE Technologies, I would have requested that he personally oversee the corrective surgery. As it is, MoorE has came to the same conclusion as Dr. Byrne and have rectified the problem to my satisfaction." Lizzy explained

"Horizon M.D is a clinic that popped up a little over a month ago. It is a go to location for many Mercs, joytoys, families and locals looking to get a check-up or a new piece of chrome. All are treated equally by the clinic's owner, Dr. Tavish Byrne. Many attempts by the media have been unsuccessful to reach him for comment."

"We here at N54 will continue to bring you the latest, when the doctor is available for an interview. I'm Gillian Jordan and I wish you all a pleasant day."