Beyond The Sea (A Bioshock Story)

Chapter 2: Twisted and Turned Around

"Ugh.. There was another cave in. The water pressure is building like all hell in this place"
Camille flips through the pages of maps and sighs to herself in frustration

"Where was it?", her companion asks, looking over her shoulder

"That's what I'm trying to figure out Dimitri"

Camille sighs again and examines the collapse site in reference to the maps, this place was a maze, it was a wonder people used to find their way around down here, let alone LIVE here. It was sheer madness in her eyes. She tucks a stray piece of her brunette hair behind her ear.

"I think it was... here," She points to the hallway that looks closest to what she guesses is their location "near 'Neptune's Bounty'"

"Y'know, people back at base talked about what a 'marvel of architecture' this place is and how they 'wish they could've been on this assignment' but I'd bet my left boot that if they were down here right now they would eat their words"

Camille smiles a little, a rare thing since her father died but Dimitri somehow knew how to bring it out of her. "Well, it's still held up for this long, which is fairly incredible, but you're right, those stuffy old suits at the base wouldn't know what hit em"

Dimitri laughs, a low rumbling sound that resonates deep in his barrel chest.
"Don't get me wrong, the fact that this place is still mostly standing is a miracle. It's really amazing. But with all the wreckage that's befallen this place, it feels like we were only picked cause we're not afraid of getting our hands dirty"

He was right, they were the youngest, the most unafraid and the easiest people to choose. Of course they were qualified, Dimitri being one of the largest, strongest people at the base, and her being the smallest and quickest. It also helped that they had the highest rates of mission success. They were both smart and had worked their asses off to get where they are now. Though, she couldn't shake this weird sinking feeling in her chest, an odd sense of dread that didn't quite make sense. This place felt..wrong somehow. Like they shouldn't be here...
"Camille.... Camille!"
She looks up at him, startled
"Hm?"
"You were zoning out, I was asking if you were ready to continue"
"Oh! Yes I'm ready."
She quickly straightens out the maps and prepares herself to continue on through this wretched labyrinth. Dimitri smiles at her and nudges her gently
"Hey, relax. We're gonna be fine. We're here to explore and bring up whatever tech has managed to survive this hellhole. Easy in, easy out. I don't know what's got you so tense today, we've done it a million times before"
Camille shrugs
"I don't know... I know we're the best people for this mission but.. I just have a bad feeling about this place, like a twisted sense of deja vu"
She considers the maps again, some are incredibly legible and had clearly been well preserved, while others were a disorganized, jumbled mess. Like the writer had been in the middle of a mental breakdown. The real kicker was that it was all supposedly from the same person.
She lets out a small huff of frustration and looks up at Dimitri, the folks back at base will be getting strong words from her.
"Let's do this"
He grins and they carry on through the hallways, being very careful to avoid the collapsed sector.