Bioshock: The Story of Henry Walker

Chapter 33: Subject Delta

The bathysphere moved at a rather slow pace. Rapture was alive and bustling about as it always did, but traffic seemed to congest the channels throughout the city. Henry sat on the edge of the bench, gazing out one of the small circular windows, his eyes fixed on the neon lit buildings. As the minutes passed and the large metal submersible made it's way about the underwater skyscrapers, the large letters that spelled out FONTAINE FUTURISTICS, came into view. It had been over three months since Henry had helped Gil and William with the protector suit. He had been charged with creating the control modules and the wiring of electronics and circuitry. The modules would make it trivial for the suit's controller to remain mobile without too many limitations on movement speed. It had all been done within the first month. The first few prototype suits had been manufactured, copying the blueprints the three men had created. It was the act of finding candidates for the protector program that proved to be the source of the project being prolonged. Gil had been working tirelessly along with Doctor Suchong and Tenenbaum. They moved behind the scenes of Fontaine Futuristics, high end areas off limits to all but a few. Henry had been given the news a few days ago that they had made a breakthrough and asked he be at the grand revealing. When he had gone to tell William of the news he was told Rapture's celebrity explorer had returned to the surface two weeks ago. 

The bathysphere submerged, the sound of water splashing about, trickling down the domed exterior of the metal transport echoed across the entry room. One by one people stepped out. Most of them were workers, but a few new faces suggested they were here for the same reason Henry was. Walking onto the concrete platform, he noticed the bald man standing against the far wall smoking a cigar. It was rare to see Frank Fontaine around here. Especially in the morning. Noticing Henry, Fontaine raised a hand, motioning for him to come over. 

"Morning Frank. Guess you're here for the big reveal." Henry pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, sticking one in his mouth nonchalantly. 

Fontaine blew a large puff of smoke and grunted. "Yeah, bout time Gil got his shit together. Was beginning to think pumpin' money into this project was gonna blow up in my face. Glad to see it's paid off." He raised a golden lighter, igniting the cigarette. 

The two men stood near the entrance for a few minutes in silence, taking long drags and sending clouds of smoke floating down to the bathysphere. When each had finished their morning toke they headed inside the massive building that was Fontaine Futuristics. The place was bustling as usual. People coming and going. Carrying tonics and plasmids about. Sending packages of them through pneumo tubes, others off to the labs below. Making their way past reception and most of the offices, Henry couldn't help but notice some added security since he was last here. The addition of extra cameras and even a few stationary turrets seemed a tad over the top. 

"Stepped up on the safety measures, eh?"

Fontaine chuckled. "In my line of work, ya can never be too careful. We're dealin' with high quality items. Expensive items. Be damned if I let some pocket pinchers nick my goods."

If there was one thing Henry had learned working with Fontaine it was that he always put the business first. And he was not someone you wanted to upset. 

Entering the large room at the end of the building revealed two large staircases. Behind the stairs was another room, used to show off the latest products Fontaine Futuristics had to offer. A doorman had pulled back the red curtains, letting in the many guests who had been invited to witness the latest spectacle.  The two men walked through the arch, scanning the six long rows of red leather chairs. They took their seats on the left side of the front row. Henry noticed quite a few famous figures among the crowd. Yi Suchong and Brigid Tenenbaum, the head scientists leading the gatherer operations. Tenenbaum was one of the first to discover ADAM and harness it into the genetic drug it had become. The German was also responsible for bringing Little Sisters into the world. The ghoulish girls who consumed and produced mass quantities of ADAM. While Suchong assisted Tenenbaum with the Little Sisters, focusing more on their mental health, he had a much bigger role in helping invent and produce plasmids. There was Augustus Sinclair, head and founder of Sinclair Solutions, one of the biggest plasmid businesses and manufacturers in all of Rapture. He also owned numerous amounts of property and other companies. Sander Cohen had even turned up to view the newest advancements in science and technology. No doubt looking for inspiration for his latest artistic works.