The Lost Love Above | Elizabeth x (m) Reader!

"The False Shepard"

A cloud escapes my mouth as I regard the newspaper in my hands. "MORE THAN 1,500 PERISH AS THE GREAT TITANIC SINKS."

The headline for the New York Tribune reads. I feel cold when I read this, but I continue to read. "ONLY 675 SURVIVORS, MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN, ARE KNOWN TO BE RESCUED"

My eyes move to the rest of the newspaper, but the ink for everything else becomes smudged, and I shiver. I look down at myself and see that I'm soaked head-to-toe. I gasp and find that I cannot breathe. The rest of the room starts to fill with frigid water. I thrash and try to scream, but all that escapes my mouth are air bubbles and—

—I shoot straight out of the water, gasping for air. My hair is dripping, and my clothes are once again soaked. After climbing a flight of stone stairs, I flop down on some grass like a dying animal and curse the priest and his goons for "baptizing" me.

When I return to my senses, I discover I'm not alone. Despite being his partner or "backup," I completely forgot about Booker DeWitt. He's drenched too. "That idiot priest needs to learn the difference between baptizing a man and drowning one!"

"I thought I was dead," I gasp.

Booker looks at me. "We need to find a landmark and figure out where the hell we are."

"What do you mean?" I sputter. "It doesn't matter if we find a landmark! We've never been here before, so what difference does it make?!"

"What else do you figure to do, huh?" He stands up and walks away. Not wanting to be alone, I roll off my back and follow him.

Booker DeWitt plucks a few coins and goes through some bags. Amazingly, no one stops him despite it being so blatant. When we leave the garden, we are greeted by more of the floating city. It's nothing short of incredible. I had heard of this place before, but seeing it with my own two eyes made it seem...surreal.

Some kind of tram system above us lets two massive crates roll by. Brand names are painted on the side, and the design contrasts against the blue sky but is also deafened by the stone skyscrapers that glide into view, but somehow, even those are outdone by a statue in the middle of everything. It could be mistaken for God Almighty, but when I get a closer look...it's Comstock.

"Go figure," I mutter, looking up at the looming stone figure with other bystanders that praise this shaped rock. Besides them are playing children and stands offering nicknacks, as well as food. I'm tempted, but unlike Booker, I haven't stolen any money and don't dare beg him to lend me any of it.

We poke around some of the stores but find nothing useful, so we just continue to press onward until we are briefly stopped by a parade, also gliding through... a man on a loudspeaker announces that the angel "Columbia" showed herself to Comstock after the victory at "Wounded Knee."

More propaganda-like posters pass in this parade, which feeds into a crowd clapping and cheering. DeWitt watches in silence but still shows some kind of interest. Finally, at the tail end of the show, the man on the loudspeaker says there is a miracle child or the lamb that is the city's future; it's said that she'll lead the Sodom below to "righteousness."

The posters pass, and a bridge lowers. An officer gives us the all-clear and tells us good luck with a raffle. Some of the people crossing the bridge make a comment about the raffle. Beyond the bridge is a sign highlighting the raffle.

"Columbia raffle and fair, huh." Booker reads, somewhat amused by this.

We watch some short films, which seem to litter every corner and random wall imaginable, but we have nothing to say about them. A woman running a stand of flowers offers Booker and me a boutonniere. Even though DeWitt declines, I take one and pin it to my lapel. For a moment, I'm worried about payment, but the woman flashes me a wink. A quartet slowly drifts into view on a floating boat and gathers some attention, but Booker goes on further into town.