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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby Middy » 02/16/2015 11:46 PM

"Er-- it's nothing!" he said back to Steinman, making sure to cover the speaker of the radio so hide the fact that he was talking to someone else (other than Atlas). He made sure to whisper back to the speaker that he was fine, and there wasn't anything to worry about. Jack then turned it off, looking sheepishly back at the doctor.

Jack put the radio back, still yearning for some rest before he headed out. In his current state, he was both too exhausted and sore to do any fighting, especially if he ran into more Big Daddies or even Ryan himself. Hell, splicers would be too much! Besides, he needed rest for other reasons. He didn't get a single bit of rest and relaxation ever since he stepped foot into Rapture, hell, not even much rest while he was still on the plane.

The younger hauled himself back on the bed, snuggling close to Steinman again. Hopefully, he could get some shut eye without anymore interruptions. "Mmm... I'm here, I still want sleep anyway," it felt nice just cuddling, especially after sex. They didn't the last time since Jack was still in such a hurry to move on from the little clinic of horrors.  
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby BaalsBaby » 02/17/2015 12:47 AM

Jack was whispering something into the radio, it was not hard to see he was speaking to someone, but from here he could not discern a distinguishable voice. He waited for Jack to put the thing away, which he thankfully did before the man had to throw a fit and likely destroy the thing. Good boy.

He smirked as the other returned to him, still smelling of their deeds. Steinman drank the scent in, unable to help but curl his fingers through the other's hair much more gently, feeling the slight dampness to it.

"Mmm. Wonderful," he purred, letting his eyes slip closed. "But I must ask, godling. Who was it?" he quirked a brow, eyes refocusing back on the boy. "Are you truly working for someone from the surface? Is that why Ryan wants you dead?" Oh yes. He's seen the broadcasts to bring in this 'stranger' but honestly Steinman didn't much care for politics and civil duty as far as that was concerned. Besides. Jack was his.

[54]
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby Middy » 02/17/2015 1:55 AM

Jack purred when he felt the doctor's fingers thread through his sweat dampened hair, making him press up against him even more. He lazily rested his head back on his chest, running a hand down the other's chest which stopped at his waist. "It was---" he sighed, he just couldn't tell him it was Atlas. The guy had posters all over Rapture, a figure who opposed Ryan. Although, Steinman didn't seem like he really cared what happened to Ryan anyway. Would he even give a crap if he was working for Atlas?

"I have been... working under Atlas, at first it was just to escape Rapture and--- it soon became a mission to find and kill Ryan," he stiffened, knowing it was a bad idea to even tell him all of this. However, Cohen knew who he was talking to and working for, that is why he halted communications.

So if Steinman was indeed friends with the crazy artist, then he would have told him at some point. It was better to just let him know now, from him, instead of being told second hand. The last thing he wanted to do was lie to the surgeon again.
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby BaalsBaby » 02/17/2015 2:16 AM

The surgeon did not stop his small ministrations, talented fingers running against the boy's scalp as he waited for Jack's answer. And when it came, it both surprised him and did not.

Atlas. The name rang a bell-

-oh yes. He had been a different man entirely. Thanks to Jack's presence, his memories surfaced faster and so he remembered putting this Atlas -no- Fontaine under his knife. Steinman had made that iconic face that was on all of the posters, constantly assaulting him with his old work, not his finest and so only salt in his wounds He had done the job well enough though and Fontaine did whatever it was he did with that new face of his, rallying citizens against Ryan and paying the doctor handsomely enough so that he wouldn't speak anything of it.

It only seemed natural that Atlas would rally Jack into his civil war too but... why? "What stake do you even have in a city you do not even know?" Steinman had to hum, but he didn't seem to expect an answer this time. "... Do not get yourself killed for some trivial matter, my godling. Remember. We have more important work to do together instead. Whatever ill war sickens Rapture, do not breathe in the dust." It was his only warning.

[55]
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby Middy » 02/17/2015 5:00 AM

Fort Frolic had seemed like a distant memory. He had left, boarded the bathysphere to Hephaestus, fought off hoards of splicers, built a bomb... and then...

Jack opened his eyes, cold water trickling down on his face, a roaring fire keeping him warm beside him. So much had happened... his trip to Hephaestus and seeing Ryan face to face left him confused, shocked.. broken. His mind was a raging tempest, spinning around and around in his head, trying to recollect all that had happened. Was it just a dream?

No... no no no... it wasn't! That room, that phrase--- Would you kindly? The memories, he--- he lived on a farm... NO! They were fake, his life, his family, they were all fake! Lies implanted in his head! Ryan, no, his father... he was created to kill him, by Fontaine- no... Atlas?

All those audio diaries from before, about Jasmine, those things Suchong said, they all pertained to him. He was made solely to become a sleeper agent, an assassin. Using his own son to kill him, he--- he... Would you kindly... those words, they controlled him. Those words uttered with a command made him powerless to do anything. His body would react, ignoring his mind that was screaming at him to stop! He
was a slave, .... a slave obeys.

Ryan got away, he failed, he failed the VERY thing he was born to do! The splicers, there were too many, a golf club to the back of his head, the turret bots. How did he escape? Right, Tenenbaum, she had sent the Little Sisters to lead him to safety, to give him another chance.

Jack groaned, his wounds still grave despite the woman's attempts to fix him up. He didn't know why he left her care so soon, maybe it was due to his mind being so addled about the-- the truth. Now he laid in a heap on the ground, total silence around him except for the dripping of water and crackling of fire. He managed to lift his head, a bright neon sign catching his eye. 'Olympus Heights'.

Was he going to die there? He left the person who was caring for him, and she probably had no idea where he was now. Jack closed his eyes, accepting his fate now. No one would come by to help him, the only people around were the splicers, and he knew for sure that they would gladly take his life without a second thought.
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby BaalsBaby » 02/18/2015 12:42 AM

Olympus Heights. A place he hadn't gone to in a long, long time. His apartment was here, old memories were here back when he'd first started his life here in Rapture, back when it was golden and new and dry.

He didn't think he'd come here again but...

Steinman didn't trust it. He didn't trust Ryan and he didn't trust the feeling deep in his gut (strange that he could even feel it anymore). So here he was, dragging his boots through the grime and rubble of the Central Square Bistro, grunting as he shooed away other Splicers who hissed and left him alone. He kicked a bottle out of his way, grunting and feeling irritable. He hadn't had his dosage of ADAM yet, it had gone to Cohen and honestly he had been... too preoccupied... wondering what had happened to Jack.

... His Jack.

"He's not here. He can't be here, Goddess," the doctor was muttering to himself, with or without the ADAM in his veins. It was natural for him to speak to himself now, or in his case, Aphrodite. He was just thinking about turning home, thinking he might not find the damn boy (though honestly he had definitely seen signs of Jack here and there, dead Splicers litering Rapture like trash to waste away). Who knew where the boy had ended up though, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack when-

-he heard a groan down towards the entrance to Olympus Heights and there saw his little, broken Jack lying there in a heap. "Ah...! Godling?!" He said, dashing over faster than he would have liked to admit, stooping down to assess the other. "What happened to you? Oh, my sweet, sweet godling."

[56]
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby Middy » 02/18/2015 6:30 PM

He heard footsteps, quite sure that this would be the end of him. Any moment now, a splicer would shoot him through the head or cut him to ribbons. Jack, froze, anticipating his fate, wondering when things would go black for him. His body stiffened, his heart pumping... oh his end was near---

Then nothing. Only the sounds of a familiar voice calling to him, rubble being disturbed by someone crouching over to see him. Jack opened his eyes, revealing someone he knew, maybe someone who even cared about him, albeit in a strange obsessed sort of way.

"S-Steinman?" he asked, voice tired and ragged. He rolled on his back, gritting his teeth and sharp rocks and pebbles drove into his flesh. He didn't know what to say, what could he say after what happened to him just moments earlier? How he failed, how he found out the truth, how he...

Belonged in Rapture. He was never meant for the surface, was he? Those memories of it, they were all lies, but the beauty he saw in them from the world above was all too real, and now he longed even more to be up there, to experience all that life had to offer.

Alas, he had unfinished business with Ryan--no... his father down in Rapture, and Fontaine... he had a lot to answer for as well.
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby BaalsBaby » 02/18/2015 6:58 PM

Oh good. No brain damage then. It looked as though someone had already tried to tend to Jack, Steinman's hands lifting Jack's shirt to look over bandaged wounds and stitched flesh. Strange, considering he doubted many here even thought about helping another, let alone an outsider.

"Who did this to you?" the doctor said, his voice shuddering a little. Whether or not he meant who had hurt Jack or helped him wasn't clear. He did smile at the mention of his name though. "Yes, my godling. I came looking for you. And it is apparent that the Goddess was right, she spoke of you again. That you would need me." And here the boy was now, lying broken in the rubble, Steinman's hand moving to curl through the other's hair.

"Is anything broken, my godling?" he asked though he continued to prod until he decided it would be better off looking over the other where it was much safer. If Jack had failed to do what he had set out to do and Ryan still breathed this damp, salty air, then he would be looking for Jack. Steinman would rather not have to fight any vultures away, so instead he stooped to pluck Jack up in the same way he had done before, cradling him almost like a babe. "Come now, shh. Let us take you somewhere safer," he cooed and began to walk (even if Jack seemed a tad bit heavier), heading not for Fort Frolic or the Pavilion but instead further into Olympus Heights... and towards Mercury Suites he had once called home.

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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby Middy » 02/18/2015 7:22 PM

"T- a woman named Tenenbaum saved me after--- after I failed to kill Ryan," he said undoubtedly answering both questions of who helped him, and who hurt him. He had some confidence in Steinman that he wouldn't be mad at the woman who helped him, after all, without her saving him he would have been a goner. "Thanks for... finding me here, I thought for sure I was going to be killed."

He wanted to bat the doctor's hand away from him when he kept poking and prodding, wincing in pain when some of the more sore spots were touched. Thankfully, he stopped, which made Jack breathe a sigh of relief. "I don't know if anything is broken, no... all I know is that my body hurts like hell," but his mind hurt even more-so, but he couldn't tell Steinman, no, no yet. Not until he came to terms with it, if he ever did.

Jack snapped out of his day-dreaming state when he was scooped up off the ground and into the doctor's arms, feeling relieved that he was off the ground and away from the intruding debris. So where was he going to take him? He knew nothing of this strange new area, but they were indeed going in further. Is this the residential side of Rapture? Did Steinman have a place to call home here? "W-where are we going now?" he asked, glancing around at the unfamiliar sights of Olympus Heights.
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby BaalsBaby » 02/18/2015 8:03 PM

"I... see..." he said as he walked, listening to his poor godling. So then Ryan really was still alive and that wouldn't do well for Jack, no, not at all. "Dr. Tenenbaum. I wonder how it was that she finally grew a soft spot, the crazy dame, but it is luckier for me I suppose. She did a considerable job on you, your fight must have been one of legends, my godling," Steinman purred anyway, uncaring that Ryan was dead except for the fact that he was now a problem.

He carried his broken bundle along, moving past and down alleyways to avoid the heavier fortifications of Central Square, avoiding the turrets and the security bots. Had he enough time, he could reprogram them but as it was, his hands were busy and he itched to look over Jack and make sure nothing of his body was damaged beyond repair. Everything here seemed much more torn up than the rest of Rapture, having been one of the major areas concerning the civil war. Atlas's doing, Fontaine's doing. Steinman didn't care. Trivial matters over nothing.

He did manage to find the lobby for the esteemed residential building, the apartments soaring high into the sea. An elevator was called and Steinman waited patiently. "To... my flat, you see," he answered, unsure even what state it was in now. Things leaked, groaned, broke. Hopefully it was still there, even. "Just hush, my godling, you need to recover."

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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby Middy » 02/18/2015 8:57 PM

Tenenbaum would have done a better job fixing him up if he didn't freak out and run out of the safety of her care. He should have stayed, then at least he would be on his feet and fighting again, but alas he failed on that too. Now he had to rely on Steinman to take care of him. Granted he had medical training, but he was still a madman at his core. A madman that... did care about him though, even if he saw him as some lesser god to Aphrodite. He had to take that though, being protected by him would be more helpful in the long run, especially since splicers knew their place in his presence.

Jack began to doze off, the gentle movements in the doctor's arms as he strode through the decrepit halls of Olympus Heights. So, he had a flat here. Funny, he always assumed  that he just lived in the Medical Pavilion all this time-- unless he did and just abandoned his apartment for a time. Well, if he lived here then that meant he could recover in a warm place (maybe), if not, then it was a lot better than just lying on the ground somewhere.

"Is your apartment still intact? I mean... when was the last time you stepped foot in there?" he asked, waiting for the elevator to arrive.
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby BaalsBaby » 02/18/2015 10:51 PM

The elevator came and Steinman stepped into the beaten but still functioning thing. Inside was decorated gold and glass walls on either side of the door, intricate metal work and design. Something that sang of beauty and grandeur once upon a time. Steinman even remembered the little ditties that came on during the elevator ride but now it was silent as they rose up and up, windows showing off the wreckage and carnage that had taken place in the lobby. A war.

He didn't live at the very top, no, but it was close to, and the bell dinged at the second to last floor. "Hmm? I am not sure. It seems that the lower suites were all but decimated but up here it seems there's a chance that- shoo-" he said, hissing at a spider splicer in the way of the open walkway that faced the inner courtyard. The man tipped his rabbit-face sideways before he screamed and leapt over the railing, though Steinman guessed he would not die. "There is a good chance it is still here," he continued, unfazed.

The walkways were decorated with paintings and art, sculptures. Though the wallpaper sagged here and there and a few lights had blown their fuse, everything still seemed vaguely intact here. It was even a bit warmer up here. He avoided and ominous red stain leaking from beneath a door, heading down long hallway to where he remembered his room to be.

"I have not been here since... since. Hmm. I am not sure. It was most definitely not in such a state last time so I suppose it has been awhile. Time flies when you're doing the work of a goddess, when you're meant to do something great," he hummed before he adjusted Jack to try and reach for his pockets. Only he didn't remember in which pocket... "Key. Keykeykey, hmmmmm..." he tried to pat around his hips without dropping the damn boy.

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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby Middy » 02/19/2015 5:00 AM

Jack couldn't help but think it was comical how Steinman could just shoo any splicers that dared step in his way with a simple hand gesture or vocal command. Just another reason to stay on the doctor's good side. If the splicers started recognizing him as Steinman's lover of sorts, then they would be smart enough to stay out of his way.

Unless they were commanded by Ryan specifically. Those pheremones he used to control them, that would perhaps be the only way they would even think about laying a hand on Jack even after his relationship with the doctor was known. Hmm... what would Ryan think if he heard about it? Possibly best to keep it hidden from him.

"Well, I think things are intact enough. I have seen parts of Rapture that were in an even worse state than this," he clung onto him as the doctor began to search his pockets for the key. Again, the man amazed him by being able to hold onto him while doing something else. A man with many talents he would say. "Also, glad it's warmer up here. I'm so tired of being so cold, and having to rely on random bonfires for heat. A nice warm bed in somewhere a bit more tidy is just what I need," he lazily watched Steinman search, anticipating seeing where the surgeon called home-- or home away from home in his case.
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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby BaalsBaby » 02/19/2015 6:14 PM

Steinman clucked his tongue and shook his head as he searched his pockets, "A shame then. Rapture was meant to be a utopia. You, my godling, seemed to have found the worst sides of that utopia. Her dark underbelly. A pity." It seemed that, off of his drugs, Steinman was quite aware of the state of things, how ruined and decrepit everything was; all the more reason to dive right into another hit. And he had to say, he was jonesing for another dose, just... just not yet. Not until his godling was set and cared for.

He was not entirely heartless all the time.

"Ah! Here we are," the doctor delighted as he fished the key from an inner coat pocket (the same in which he had carried a certain key Jack had needed once upon a time) and opened the door into a suite that very well fit the bill of his work and reputation. It was a single story plan that first opened up into a large foyer, a large flat column of glass bisecting the view straight into the elegant living room. Chandelier in the foyer and over the dining room, an expansive open kitchen (which he had hardly used since his days here), and somewhere down a long hall were his bedroom and office room. Pearlescent tile and polished woods and plush carpet and glass. A fireplace. Whoever had designed it had definitely gone all out without the gaudy edge of gold and flare unlike many of the tenants here; it was rich enough in taste but contemporary. The walls were treated with medical posters made into art, but there were obvious signs that showed Steinman's slow descent into madness. Despite the fineries, there were also used needles littering glass tables, markings on the walls made in questionable substances, and even some of the art upon closer inspection. Seemed hand made; torn and reformed pictures of uneven women's faces  drawn over and painted with red, of the same ilk as those that had littered the Medical Pavilion.

Oh but it did offer such a lovely and ironic view of his place of work from the large pane window of the living room.

The doctor disregarded any sense of sentimentality in favor of heading for the bedroom and passing through the foyer and living space quickly. It was still warm in here in the room at the end of the hall, decorated similarly as the rest of the house. There were medical journals and newspaper articles strewn across the floor, and it wad obvious this was the sight in which Steinman had spent most of his earlier madness. A mannequin sat poised in the corner under a light, naked save for markings drawn along the porcelain body and the image of a woman's face plastered on its own. Along the breasts was written the word 'GOdDeSS".

Jack was set upon the sheets and the man moved to sit at the edge. "You must remove your shirt. I have to examine you before you may even think about sleeping, godling," Steinman said brusquely, doting over the boy.

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Re: .:Beyond the Sea:. [P: Baalsbaby, M:E]

Postby Middy » 02/19/2015 8:57 PM

The interior of Steinman's apartment actually surprised Jack, it wasn't like any other part of Rapture he had seen. Unlike other parts, it was spacious, lavish, and well kept. From what he could see, much of it was still intact and not falling to pieces like so many other rooms had been. Perhaps it was due to this being seldom used anymore, or was just one of the lucky buildings that remained untouched by water damage or intruding splicers. However, the walls were marred with familiar images of disturbing works that greatly reminded him of the posters he saw in the Medical Pavilion. This was Steinman's flat definitely... and what was with the needles on the tables? Did he want to know?

They were hastily moved from one room to the other, only giving Jack a few quick glances of the environment around him. He enjoyed the warmth in the room, but couldn't help but look around at the floor, curious to what each article had in it. He had to admit the room itself was a tad disturbing, especially the mannequin-- Aphrodite he assumed. Jack grimaced and looked away, just focusing now on his injuries.

Jack stared down at the floor when he was set on the bed, the soft cushioning giving him a sense of comfort. "Yeah I'm on it," he said, biting his lip to hold back any squeaks of pain as he removed his sweater. Damn thing was covered in blood, both from splicers and his own. It feels like I am always taking off my shirt for you, doctor."

The boy glanced down at his now visible injuries, then quickly turned his head away. It was bad, worse than he ever had been in Rapture. Damn... Ryan's men did a number on him didn't they? Tenenbaum had patched him up yes, but again... he just had to flee before he was fully recuperated. Idiot.
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