(Welp, here we go again...)
I was standing in front of one of the many Hub littering of the Nexus, the structure towering over the constantly shifting landscape around it. The time for my second expedition had come, and I had spent the lead-up recovering from exhaustion while directing preparations through the hive mind.
Some of those preparations included getting emergency underwater equipment ready for my human and Yautja followers, something Eno and I insisted on since we were heading to an underwater city. Of course, this was mostly only for traversing flooded areas mind you, if someone actually got knocked into the open depths of the ocean, they would probably die almost instantly because of the sheer pressure. Additionally, once I was up for it I had to get ready in my own way, mainly by practising swimming underwater as a xenomorph, a task that proved both easier and harder than I expected.
Overall, we were ready for what was to come, although there were still a lot of potential dangers we would need to deal with in the moment. Despite all my preparation however, there was one unexpected variable I hadn't seen coming.
"So, you sure you want to tag along?" I asked, turning slightly to look at the person next to me.
Said person was Sapphire, my friend, who was shifting uncomfortably from side to side. "Y-yes I am... at least I think I a-am anyway..."
(She looks like she's about to have a panic attack.) I thought sympathetically.
"You can back out if you want," I suggested, but she shook her head, steadying herself somewhat. "Alright, just make sure to breathe and relax, don't stress yourself out too much. You'll be fine."
"I'll try..."
I'm sure that you're wondering how the hell things had gotten to this point, huh? Well, simply put, it wasn't planned on my part; it just kind of happened. You see, about three days ago I had told everyone I was planning an expedition to the world of BioShock. It turns out Lucius had recognised the name and immediately began telling everyone about the games. It was when he started talking about the fact that Rapture was an underwater city that Sapphire took interest.
_ _ _ _ _Flashback_ _ _ _ _
"So, Rapture is like this underwater city created by a guy called Andrew Ryan who had a major problem with authority and governments to say the least," Lucius explained enthusiastically.
"Sounds like you're quite passionate about this game. I'm assuming you enjoyed it?" Yennora chuckled as we all listened.
"I did!" he replied with a grin before immediately getting back to the explanation. "Anyway, it was meant to be a place where the world's best and brightest could be free from both restrictive and moral societal norms as well as the decaying political situation on the surface. Unfortunately for him, things quickly started spiralling out of control thanks to the discovery of the ADAM slugs as well as a man named..."
As Lucius continued his rant I noticed that Sapphire was muttering to herself. "An underwater city..."
"You alright? You look pretty deep in thought there," I asked, tapping her lightly on the shoulder.
"Y-yeah, it's nothing," she stuttered, so I shrugged and turned my attention back to the conversation at hand.
Although as the conversation went on, I noticed that Sapphire continued glancing at me. (Is she really okay? Why does she keep glancing at me?) I was about to come out and ask again when she finally spoke up.
"C-Carmen... could... I ask you something...?"
"Sure, what is it?" I asked as everyone's attention turned to us.
"I... I was wondering... if... if I could I come w-with you?" She blurted out, her face clearly flustered.
"Huh?"
For a moment I just stared at her rather taken aback; I truly hadn't seen this coming. Not to say I was against the idea, but still. My silence seemed to only make her more nervous, so she quickly began waving her hands in front of me while trying to explain.
"It's just that... that... I'm quite suited for un-underwater environments... s-so I thought... that m-maybe..." Her voice grew quieter and quieter until she finally went completely silent.
"It's fine, it's not that I'm going to reject you or anything, it's just..." I paused, trying to think of the best way to word this.
Eventually, I just decided to come out and say it. "Are you sure? Not to sound rude, but the BioShock universe isn't exactly for the faint of heart."
"Yeah, it can be pretty grim and brutal at times, and that's just when where talking about the games, it'll probably be way worse in real life." Lucius nodded in agreement.
"That's... I'm not afraid of those kinds of situations... I'm not..." she muttered under her breath, barely loud enough for me to hear. "I've dealt with that kind of stuff before... back in my trial..."
"Still, why not go somewhere less stressful?" Anna suggested while scratching one of her ears with a paw.
"Because..." Sapphire went to speak but paused as she seemed to steady herself. "Because I need to try. I'm not ready to go on an expedition by myself just yet, but I can't afford to just sit around and wait forever. I have my quota to meet after all, and I need to get used to things sooner or later."
"Hey, you didn't stutter that time," Iris chuckled, causing Sapphire to turn bright crimson.
"S-shut up!"
(Well then, this is an unexpected turn of events.) I thought with a sigh.
_ _ _ _ _Flashback Over_ _ _ _ _
What followed was simple: I filled her in on the lore and story of BioShock 1 and 2, making sure she knew exactly what she was getting into. I didn't ask about what she experienced in her trial; it was none of my business after all. However, I couldn't afford for her to hesitate or break down when things got hectic.
I didn't belittle her, though; after all, I had no idea what she was capable of. In fact, I knew people from my past who were timid in most situations but could quickly take control when it counted. So, instead of rejecting her proposal I was incredibly blunt as I described the various threats in Rapture, like the psychopathic splicers.
"Come along, you two," Malice, Sapphire's mentor, said from several feet ahead of us.
"Pick up the damn paste," Decker growled in annoyance.
(Why is it that her mentor is so much nicer than mine?) I thought, following after them.
"S-sorry, we're coming now," my companion for this little adventure hummed as she picked up the paste.
(Welp, here we go, I guess.) I thought as I followed along.
The following events were pretty much exactly like how they had been during my previous time in the Hub, without much changed at all. The only differences were that Malice and Sapphire were tagging along this time, and the fact that I was already used to this place's layout for the most part.
"Thanks for guiding us to a free spot," I said to the helper that had brought us to this available transport, or whatever you wanted to call it.
"You're welcome. Now then, if you don't mind me, I'll be dying now," they said happily before evaporating into light.
"I'm never going to get used to them," I muttered under my breath, and Sapphire seemed to agree with me.
"Y-yeah... they're rather unsettling..."
(A part of me wonders what goes through their minds for them to want to die so badly; however, another part of me just doesn't want to know.) I thought as the rift began to open up for us.
"Have fun, I suppose," Decker yawned, unbothered.
I just rolled my head at him as I stepped forward. "Thanks for the concern." I said sarcastically.
I was about to head into the rift when Malice stopped me. "Keep an eye on Sapphire, won't you?" she asked, sounding slightly concerned.
"I'll do my best," I nodded; after all, I did owe Malice for saving my life a while back. She then thanked me, allowing me to turn and look back at the girl in question. "Come on, let's get going."
"O-okay," I heard her say as I walked into the rift.
(Well, this should be an interesting trip...)