Summary: Jack Ryan, Eleanor Lamb, Subject Sigma, and Mark Meltzer return to Rapture on a mission with a single objective: To destroy Rapture and bury its secrets forever. Midquel to "A Chance." Full Summary Inside. Spoilers for all Bioshock games.

Summary (Full): Jack Ryan, his adopted foster daughter Eleanor Lamb, the former Alpha Series, Charles Milton "Subject Sigma" Porter, and former Rumbler, Mark Meltzer, return to Rapture on a mission with a single objective: To destroy Rapture and bury its secrets forever. But they quickly find themselves caught in the crossfire of the Second Rapture Civil War between "Alex the Great" and another faction. But what's more startling is that Atlas is the one leading the other faction. Does Atlas really live? Is he the one behind the start of this new civil war? Why do characters, once thought to be dead, keep reappearing alive? And who are these strange twins that keep appearing? Midquel to "A Chance." Spoilers for all Bioshock games.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bioshock or any of its associated characters. There might be one or two OCs which I own but we shall see.

Author's Advice: This story takes place a couple years after Bioshock 2. To find out the events leading up to this one, I advise you read my story "A Chance" to get an idea of what has happened to Jack since the end of Bioshock and the events leading up to and well after Bioshock 2.

A/N: The story takes place where Bioshock ended with Jack adopting the 5 Little Sisters, and Bioshock 2 with the best ending (Eleanor spares Sofia, rescues the Little Sisters, Stanley, Grace, and Gil are spared by Subject Delta.). Also expect to see the player characters from Bioshock 2 Multiplayer in the story.

That being said, enjoy the story…

Jack: "Alright, today is January first, nineteen seventy. This is Jonathan "Jack" Ryan…"

Eleanor: "…-Eleanor Lamb-…"

Porter: "…-Charles Milton Porter-…"

Mark: "…-Mark Meltzer-…"

Jack: "…-and this is our last message for those on the surface."

Eleanor: "In nineteen forty six, Andrew Ryan built the underwater city of Rapture, far beyond the sight of the world."

Porter: "He filled it with the best and brightest that the world had to offer with the intention of creating a completely capitalism based society, free from government and religion. But this vision was doomed from the start."

Jack: "With the discovery of a substance called ADAM, and Andrew Ryan's decline into despotism, Rapture's economy began to fall into fast decline."

Porter: "Following the rise of a criminal conman, Frank Fontaine, under the alias of a would-be liberator named "Atlas," the Rapture Civil War began on the eve of nineteen fifty nine, causing the entire society of Rapture to collapse."

Eleanor: "Then came one man, seemingly the sole survivor of a plane crash, who changed the entire future of Rapture."

Jack: "I was that man. I was fooled, nay controlled by Atlas using mental conditioning that had been programmed into my head since birth, to track down and eventually kill Andrew Ryan. I succeeded but was soon betrayed by Atlas, or Fontaine, who tried to take Rapture over for the sole purpose of selling its technological advancements for his own profit."

Porter: "But Fontaine also fell."

Mark: "The year was nineteen sixty. Eight years later, a string of kidnappings from across the coastlines of Europe and the eastern coastline of America, led to my discovery of Rapture. My daughter, Cindy, was among those kidnapped."

Eleanor: "My mother, Dr. Sofia Lamb, hoped to turn me into a total altruist through constant injections of ADAM into my system. ADAM that had been harvested from her followers. In fear for my own life, I reawakened my father, an Alpha Series Big Daddy, the protectors of the little girls who collected the ADAM from the bodies of dead Splicers, to come and rescue me."

Mark: "He succeeded in doing so, but at the cost of his own life. His sacrifice allowed Eleanor to escape to the surface, and allowed me to rescue my daughter but at the cost of my becoming a Big Daddy."

Porter: "But as we lived on the surface, we realized that the governments of the world each knew about Rapture but only lacked the knowledge of its location. Should so much as one government, be it America, Russia, or any other, it could bring about a war the likes of which the world has never seen before."

Jack: "So now, we return to Rapture. Our mission is to destroy the city, so that its secrets remain buried beneath the Atlantic Ocean. We each know this mission could cost us our very lives, but to us, the sacrifice would be worth it. To anyone who finds this message, whatever you do, do not come searching for us."

Jack Ryan, Eleanor Lamb, Charles Milton Porter, Mark Meltzer
"Dream's End."

Deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean, a Bathysphere locked into place into an empty Emergency Bathysphere station in the secret city of Rapture. The front doors to the bathysphere opened with a hiss, an eerie green glow emanating from within. From inside the bathysphere emerged four figures. The first was a Big Sister with a green hued diving suit and the Greek letter, Delta, inscribed on the back of its left hand and on the shoulder guards. She lacked the cage on the back but she still had the large sword-like syringes on her arms. The syringes had been modified so that they would retract into the metallic gauntlets, allowing her to use sheathe the syringes into the gauntlets and use her hands without the needles getting in her way. Behind her emerged an Alpha Series Big Daddy with the Greek letter Sigma on the back of its hands, and carrying an Ion Laser gun. Behind him was a figure in a modified Hard Hat Diving suit. The suit had been extensively modified to withstand the crushing depths of the ocean. The Hard Hat was carrying a fully upgraded Thompson submachine gun. Behind him emerged a Rumbler type Big Daddy who immediately started laying down modified mini-turrets.

"Alright, we're here." The one in the Hard Hat suit said with a droning voice like a Big Daddy. He reached for his helmet and removed it, revealing himself to be Jack Ryan. The others started removing their helmets. The Big Sister was Eleanor Lamb, the Alpha was Charles Milton Porter, or Subject Sigma, while the Rumbler was Mark Meltzer.

"Any idea where we are?" Mark asked as they each turned on flashlights on their wrists or helmets and started looking around.

"Not sure. There aren't any lights on, but we're obviously somewhere in Rapture." Porter said, shining his flashlight around. Finally Jack spotted a sign over an archway that read "Point Prometheus."

"Ah, I know where we are. Look." Jack said as they all followed the beam of his flashlight towards the sign.

"Show of hands. Who's been in this area?" Meltzer asked as Jack raised his hand.

"This is near where I killed Frank Fontaine." Jack said as he moved his flashlight around. They were in a large square shaped room with two walls that ran parallel down the center. In the dead center of the room was a damaged pedestal of some sort with a strange broken round frame. Jack then realized where they were.

"No way." He muttered as he hurried towards a door on the opposite wall, shining his flashlight at some strange form on the floor.

"What is it, Jack?" Porter asked. Jack silently pointed at the object on the floor and muttered only one word.

"Fontaine." Jack said as they gathered around. The form was actually a horrendously large and bulky human behemoth that was now a heavily decayed corpse. It was all that remained of Frank Fontaine.

"So that explains the smell." Eleanor sighed.

"Come on, we've got a job to do." Jack said as he headed for the elevator door but found that the door was open and the cable was snapped. The elevator was somewhere at the bottom of a water filled shaft.

"Well this is perfect. How do we get down?" Porter asked.

"We could try and find a new docking station for the Bathysphere. Maybe the smuggler's cave if it's still open." Jack suggested.

"Or you could just go down through this hole." Mark said from behind them. They all turned and saw a hole in the floor, leading to a staircase that spiraled down towards the bottom, but was filled with water.

"We could jump. Our suits will protect us and the water will slow our descent." Jack said as Porter and Eleanor started to place their helmets back on their heads. Jack followed suit and they gathered around the hole.

"Mark, are you going to be okay by yourself up here?" Jack asked as Mark nodded before putting his helmet on his head.

"I'll be fine. These new Mini-turrets that You, Porter, and Tenenbaum made should keep the Splicers out." Mark said as Eleanor jumped down the hole first.

"Remember, we're counting on you to keep the Bathysphere protected. We'll try and hurry back to you if you need us. Worst case scenario, you can move the bathysphere to another platform." Jack said as Porter jumped into the hole.

"You got it Jack." Mark said as he sat down in the doorway of the bathysphere. Jack then leapt into the hole, descending quickly down the water filled tower. After a moment of falling, he landed in a flooded room filled with debris. He saw Porter and Eleanor standing near a hole in the wall, leading outside, motioning for him to follow. Jack quickly started moving towards the hole, the three of them emerging outside and then jumping down a few stories to the ocean floor below. Once they landed, they turned around only to see the airlock leading into Point Prometheus was locked down so instead they turned back around and started following a makeshift pathway towards a lit neon sign that read "Heracles Hall." The walk underwater took them past a large glass window on the outside of one of the buildings. Porter happened to glance inside and what he saw made him pause.

"Hey, you might want to see this." Porter said through the suit radios. The other two stopped and walked back towards him. They peered through the windows to see a strange sight. It was a trio of security bots attacking a pair of Splicers. The bots had blue lights on them instead of the usual yellow, red, or green. The Splicers were thuggish by the fact that one had a lead pipe and the other had a frying pan.

"Odd. We best keep moving though." Jack said as they turned and walked away just as the two Splicers were gunned down by the bots. They soon reached an airlock leading into Heracles Hall.

"Okay, info on Heracles Hall?" Jack asked as they stepped into the airlock.

"Heracles Hall was where the major sporting events of Rapture took place. This is where all the football games were held." Porter said as Jack threw the switch, closing the door behind them and allowing the water to drain.

"Is it anywhere close to the Farmers Market?" Jack asked curiously.

"They have an access corridor that runs between them I believe. Why?" Porter asked as the door into the building opened, revealing a changing room for divers and Big Daddies.

"It explains why I kept running into Splicers dressed in football uniforms there, that's all." Jack said as they walked through the Big Daddy changing room and then through a door on the opposite end. When the door opened, it revealed a large, well-lit lobby with a domed glass ceiling that was leaking a small but steady stream of water. To their left was a large gold sign that read "Andrew Ryan Sports Arena." Beneath it were four passageways into the arena that had ticket booths in between. On the other side was a neon sign that read "Rapture Metro" and beneath it was a sealed bulkhead door.

"So we're in the city. What do we do now?" Eleanor asked as Jack held up the genetic key he had received from the Little Sisters upon killing Fontaine ten years ago.

"We get to Hephaestus and plug this into the central computer in my father's old office. Once we've done that, we can set the city to self-destruct." Jack said as he pocketed the key again.

"How do we get there?" Eleanor asked curiously.

"We should be able to take one of the Rapture Metro Bathysphere's there. Come on." Jack said as they started walking towards the Rapture Metro bulkhead. Before they could however, they heard the whirring of a security bot's rotors along with its usual chirping. They turned and saw a single security bot but with pink-purple lights and with a television screen attached to it. The screen then flashed on with a pink hued image of person staring at the screen with a single angry eye.

"What is this? An Alpha Series, a Big Sister, and…what's this? I'm not familiar with your model! Big Sister you're out of uniform!" A man's filtered voice hissed through the speakers on the bot.

"Gilbert Alexander!" Eleanor exclaimed, Subject Delta's memories of him surfacing in her mind. The bot turned and "glared" at her with two pink eyes on the screen.

"How dare you address me in such a common tone! Just for that, I'm docking your pay for a month! In future, I would like to remind you that I am to be addressed as Alex the Great!" Alex the Great ordered.

"It's the ADAM in him. He was the test subject for what I would become. I would be as insane as he is now had I not had the ADAM slug in me to begin with." Eleanor said.

"Sure explains why he's acting madder than a March hare." Jack mumbled.

"What was that? What was that!? Insolence! Your employee reviews will reflect poorly on this! Security, escort this, former employee, out of the building immediately!" Alex the Great ordered as the bot flew up and into the air just as the doors to the arena opened and out swarmed an entire football team's worth of Thuggish Splicers.

"Uh-oh! Here they come!" Jack shouted as he opened fire on the Splicers with his machine gun. Eleanor quickly teleported up and onto an overhead railing before diving into the sea of Splicers, cutting them down with the needle and literally incinerating them with her Plasmids. Porter didn't waste any time and just charged into them with his drill spinning at full speed. Jack had to quickly switch to his wrench when the Splicers started getting too close. They were beginning to lose ground when Alex the Great started talking again.

"Quit fooling around! I said to escort them out of the building-…" Alex yelled before the security bot suddenly exploded.

"What was that?" Porter asked as he hurled an Incinerate charge at a group of Splicers. Before either Jack or Eleanor could reply, they had their answer in the form of a swarm of security drones with blue lights firing machine guns. But strangely enough, the bots weren't firing at the three of them, but at the Splicers. From out of a previously unnoticed side access panel, a number of turrets appeared with their guns firing. One of them was also a rocket turret. What was even more baffling was that the turrets were actually moving out into room on various forms of motorized wheels beneath the turret's main body. Some of them had metal plating attached to them in various spots too. They had become robotic tanks. The Splicers immediately turned and started running when the tanks came out but were quickly put down by the machines, leaving none of them alive. Jack, Eleanor, and Porter were stunned by the sudden turn of events.

"What…just…happened?" Jack asked as the turrets and bots started to disperse. Then another bot flew in only this one was armed with an Ion Laser and with a service radio being held in a small claw. The radio then started flashing with a red light before a man's voice crackled through with a thick Irish accent.

"Hullo? Hullo there! Sorry about Alex the Great there. He's gone mad from all the ADAM in his system." The man on the other end said. Jack seemed to suddenly stiffen at the sound of his voice.

"We can see that. But where did all these security bots come from?" Porter asked as Jack started removing his helmet.

"Oh they're my only defense against Alex and his Splicers. I've modified as many of the bots and turrets as I can get my hands on and they seem to do well enough in keeping the Splicers back." The man said before Jack ripped the radio free from the bot and held it up close to his face.

"Who is this?" He asked with an angry snarl.

"Who me, boyo? Why the name's Atlas." The man replied, stunning Porter and Eleanor while Jack tightened his grip around the radio.

"Atlas? You mean Frank Fontaine?! I killed you! I saw you die! We all saw your rotting corpse just a few minutes ago!" Jack shouted into the radio.

"Frank Fontaine is dead. Atlas lives. I'm not the same Atlas you knew, boyo. Yeah I know who you are. You're the son of Andrew Ryan. I led you astray with the whole, Would-you-kindly act and I'm as sorry about that as I can be." Atlas replied.

"Atlas? But how can he…Vita-Chamber?" Eleanor asked.

"Impossible, we just saw his corpse!" Jack argued.

"Like I said, I'm not the same Atlas. I know who the rest of you are too. Miss Eleanor Lamb, daughter of Sofia Lamb. And Mister Charles Milton Porter, it's so good to see you again." Atlas said, causing Jack and Eleanor to turn and give Porter curious looks.

"I don't recall ever meeting you, Atlas. And I know I never met Frank Fontaine either." Porter said, confused.

"Perhaps not but regardless, I need your help. Alex is tryin' to take over Rapture. I don't know what his goal is but I'd rather see the city destroyed than fall into his hands." Atlas said.

"Why should we believe you?" Jack asked, still skeptical of Atlas and his motives.

"It's true. If Atlas, or rather Fontaine, is dead. Then who are you and why should we believe you?" Porter asked.

"Look, this isn't getting us anywhere and Alex is bound to send more Splicers after you now that he's lost contact with his Splicers out here. Head inside the arena and find your way to the arena security center, we'll talk more there. Oh and you can keep the radio, I've got plenty." Atlas said before the light on the radio dimmed out.

"How can Atlas be alive? He's dead!" Jack said, putting his helmet back on.

"He's also the one who saved our lives just now. Look, Atlas, or whoever he is, may be our only hope of getting to Hephaestus. We need to get to the security center in the arena." Porter said.

"Even though it could be a trap?" Jack asked.

"We don't really have much choice. If we're going to destroy Rapture, we might need his help." Eleanor said as she started walking towards the arena entrance. Porter started following after her. Jack attempted to head for the Rapture Metro but unfortunately the bulkhead was sealed shut and the opening mechanisms had been damaged in the fight. He sighed before turning and running after them. As soon as they passed the ticket booths, they found themselves in a long corridor that went either direction and lined with concessions stands filled with long spoiled food and carts filled with tattered and broken souvenirs. As they started walking through the abandoned hall, following the signs towards the Security Center, they heard the slow steady footsteps and the monster-like moans of a Big Daddy. They then saw it, emerging from one of the entrances to the arena stands, was a Big Daddy that looked similar to the Alpha Series only more advanced. The radio then crackled to life again…

"Watch it, that there's a Lancer. A newer Big Daddy model. It doesn't appear to have a Sister-bot with him so-…" Atlas said before getting interrupted…

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, what do you mean, Sister-bot?" Jack asked. Before Atlas could answer, they heard a mechanical whirring sound along with what sounded like hollow metal footsteps. Then out from the same hallway the Lancer had emerged from, followed what appeared to be a little girl with a strange glowing red pack slung over its left shoulder and holding a Little Sister syringe in its right hand. The ADAM jar on the back of the needle however, had a tube that ran to the pack. The girl's eyes glowed yellow like a Little Sister but her skin was a battleship grey and every move she made produced a mechanical sound while a small light over the left breast glowed blue. The girl was dressed in the same dirty smock like the Little Sisters wore too.

"Is that a child or a…or a machine?" Eleanor asked, startled. They watched the girl start following the Lancer. The Lancer even motioned for it to follow him.

"That's a Sister-bot. They were designed to collect larger quantities of ADAM and since they're machines, the ADAM doesn't affect them. However, attacking them will still get the attention of the Big Daddy." Atlas replied.

"I don't understand. Who built this thing?" Jack asked.

"I remember finding something similar to this before I left Rapture. It was a bunch of Robotic Little Sisters, only they couldn't get the Big Daddies to react to them. Apparently someone managed to fix the problem." Porter said as they started following the pair.

"When the Little Sisters all disappeared two years ago, someone found a way to continue the collection of ADAM through the Sister-bots, modifying them so that they emitted a pheromone signature the Big Daddies would react to. They can't produce ADAM but they can collect and store it. Would you kindly not attack it?" Atlas asked asthe Lancer unwittingly lead them towards a Little Sister Vent. Sitting on the ledge at the base of the vent was an empty glass container in what looked like a crudely repurposed bottled-milk carrying basket. The Sister-Bot immediately turned and approached the base of the vent, raised its left arm, causing a hose to extend from under its wrist and into the container. A second later, the ADAM in the tank on its back started draining out through the hose and into the empty container. After a moment, the tank on its back was empty and the container was filled to the brim with ADAM. The Sister-Bot proceeded to turn, the hose on its arm retracted, and started walking away with the Lancer in toe. As the pair continued down the hall, the four heard the sound of more security bots and sure enough they saw three bots fly in, two armed with grenade launchers and the other equipped with two mechanical arms, one of the arms carrying an empty ADAM container. It then proceeded to pick up the filled container and leave the empty one behind before flying off.

"That's weird." Jack muttered as they continued down the hall. They finally came to a doorway labeled "Security Center."

"Here's our stop." Eleanor said as they opened the door and walked into the pitch black office. As they did however, the door suddenly slammed shut behind them, plunging them into darkness.

"I don't like the looks of this." Porter said as they prepped their weapons and Plasmids. They then saw a bright grey flickering light on the wall against the door. They turned towards the front and saw a large television screen behind some windows. The screen was showing the basic "Please Stand By" message as it came into focus. Then it switched to an image of a silhouetted figure sitting behind a desk with his fingers interlocked.

"Well, it seems we have some vagrants, freebooters, vagabonds! In my city! Well, you can just forget about getting a share of the loot! Everything in this city, the machines, the ADAM, the city itself, is all mine. I've searched for this city for years and no one, is going to take it from me!" The man on the screen said with a laugh, his voice mechanically distorted.

"Who are you? Is it you, Atlas?" Jack asked but the man merely laughed.

"Please. Atlas is the least of your concern. Oh, and I think it's time you get acquainted with my new family. I hope you've enjoyed your time here in Rapture, since you're now about to be…ejected!" The man said just as they heard the yelling of a large horde of deranged Splicers outside the door as they pounded on it mercilessly, but the Splicers were the least of their worries as a blood curdling and animalistic shriek echoed deafeningly through the halls.

"It's a Big Sister!" Eleanor exclaimed as they heard another shriek.

"That one came from another direction! Lord Almighty there's two of them!" Porter exclaimed before a third shriek was heard.

"Uh oh!" Jack exclaimed as they saw the door to the security center start getting cut open by the Splicers with a cutting torch. They then heard the figure on the screen laugh menacingly.

"Well this day just keeps getting better and better!" The man said with a maniacal laugh before the screen suddenly went to static and a black-and-white image of one of the "Who is Atlas" posters appeared on the screen.

"It's Alexander! He's found ya! I've managed to override the controls to the doors leading into the security center atrium behind ya! There're three ways out! Choose one and run! I'm sendin' some help your way! Hang in there!" Atlas shouted through the screen as the windows in front of the television slid open like a sliding glass door. A long row of lights started switching on, illuminating two hallways that went around the Television and met back up behind it. The three wasted no time, turning and running down the hall as fast as they could. They heard the door sliding shut behind them followed by the sound of breaking glass less than a second later along with the shrieking of the Big Sisters. Eleanor quickly used Telekinesis to pick up a fallen Bouncer Big Daddy corpse and hurl it down the hall at the Big Sisters. Sadly it only hit one, dazing her before leaping free of the corpse and continuing the pursuit.

"They're gaining!" Eleanor shouted before they passed a pair of turrets with blue lights on them. The second they passed the turrets, the turrets opened fire on the Big Sisters, but they didn't fire bullets, they opened fire with Electric Gel. The gel stunned two of the Sisters but the third one used her telekinesis to rip the turrets to shreds. The two injured sisters then turned and stabbed two of the Splicers behind them with their syringes, draining their health to replenish their own before dropping the two lifeless corpses and continuing the pursuit. Jack, Porter, and Eleanor however reached a three way fork in the road. A sign above the middle road read "Farmers Market" while the one to the right read "Ryan Amusements," and the one to the left read "Rhea Suites."

"Which way do we go?" Jack asked as they skid to a halt outside the passageways. Their minds were made for them when the Big Sisters appeared behind them.

"Just run!" Eleanor shouted before the three of them started running down the different passageways, Porter taking the route to the Farmers Market, Eleanor to Rhea Suites, and Jack to Ryan Amusements. The Big Sisters gave pursuit, following them into the tunnels. Jack looked ahead and saw the bulkhead ahead of him starting to close. He quickly dove for the hole, just making it through before the door shut completely, trapping the Big Sister outside. He then heard what sounded like an explosion and then saw streams of water squirting out from between the cracks in the wall. There certainly wasn't any going back now. His radio then crackled to life again.

"Whew, well, I'd say that was an experience best left forgotten. Wouldn't ya say son?" A man's voice with a deep southern drawl asked.

"Who's this?" Jack asked.

"Why where are my manners? The name's Sinclair, Augustus Sinclair."

End Chapter 1…

Please R&R.