Rapture Noir: Eye in the Darkness

        "Do you mind reminding me again, what are we doing right now?"

 

        Elizabeth only looked at me critically as we stood in a secluded part of Apollo, the murky green was visible above, with the twilight of the alley dispersed only a little by the light of the main square. In that darkness I saw her azure eyes that not so long ago shone with longing and desperation, now simply observing me. She tried to explain her plan how to save the little ones, but it was all too familiar of another place where she tried to explain to me the nature of the universe and all possibilities in existence. After yesterday's drinking, I was surprised my head didn't explode yet. It still made no goddamn sense.  

 

        "I'm trying to figure out if there is a singular moment that is an origin for the all possible Raptures," she said, with her patience unwavering, "which would allow us to take the girls away from here, before the worst happens."

       

        "If one exists," I interjected, my voice thick and low, my throat still dry after yesterday.  

 

        "In that case we will have to save at least the ones in this place."

 

        "And what about us?" I threw the question out there almost nonchalantly, but I knew it was the million dollar one. And neither one of us was interested in spelling out the possible alternatives. Still, life on the surface, in a world that was not ours, with a whole orphanage. If I didn't know her I would've thought the girl is trying to trap me. But Elizabeth could do anything to me. I was on her mercy as far as the mess in my head would let me recall.  

       

        However, her face was unyielding. "We will discuss those things once we get to them. For now, lets stick to our jobs. Find me here in 24 hours."

 

        She stretched her hands in front of her and pulled a bit before opening a tear, glowing with the fuzzy, grainy quality. We both looked around, making sure we were not followed. I took few steps back into the darkness of the alley, while Elizabeth stepped through. The tear closed soundlessly, disappearing almost like a pierced soap bubble. I was left alone and waited.

 

        I waited for a bastard with a camera and too much time on his hands. I leaned against a wall and pulled up my trenchcoat tighter around me. I still felt numb, even though I haven't touched a needle in a long while now. My plasmids all but deactivated, Yet I still felt ill at times. I guessed it wasn't the plasmids that had me feeling like this.

 

        I thought of us. It was getting tiresome by now, getting back to the same topic over and over again in your head, but as I sorted the memories, some things became clearer. The sequence of events in Columbia, my life in New York and yet, I still wondered how I found myself here. Something was still amiss. There were few people too that no matter how hard I tried, I could not recall. Someone was missing, and the only reminder was the brand on my hand.

 

        Elizabeth was right, it didn't take long to hear someone scurry and look into the alley. I only saw a silhouette of a man, carrying something in his hands and bringing it close to his face. after a moment I heard a shutter of the camera and a flash of light filled the dank alley, illuminating everything with its sterile light. I stood there in the alley as I was, leaning against a steel wall. I did not bother to move or flinch, I merely observed.

 

        "H-hello? anybody here?" I heard a meek, fearful voice. He saw me and now was shitting his pants, wondering whether he saw a splicer or not. He was probably halfway right. "I'.m a... t-technician, looking for leaks! You can come out now." So I did.

 

        I took few quick steps in the man's direction and grabbed him by his throat. His eyes bulged and I saw a face, betraying nothing but pure shock. He was not quite old, with a long, thin nose and small chin.

        I did not bother with any pleasantries, so I simply curled my hand into a fist and swung it. I rammed it in straight into his solar plexus and let go of his  throat. That appeared to be sufficient, since the man dropped the camera and instantly went to the floor, wrapping his arms around himself.

 

        I pulled out a cigarette and fished out matches out of the pocket while I waited for him to get his breath back. He gasped like a fish taken out of the water, it amused me slightly. As I lit the cigarette, I knelt beside him and and picked up the camera he dropped. It was an interesting thing, looking quite solid, familiar even... Wait, did Rock pawn his camera for cash? If so, I had the thing right in my hand. Or at least I thought it looked like his.

 

        I noticed the man staggering to his feet slowly, finally catching his breath. I grabbed him with my free hand by his coattails and slammed him into the wall, looking him straight in the eyes, barely visible in the dark alley.

 

        "I doubt you are a technician pal," I uttered, while setting the camera on a trash bin right next to us. I took the cigarette out of my mouth and seemingly waited on his response.

 

        "I'm just a repo..."

       

        "You aren't that either", I cut him off. "Listen pal, either you come honest with me or I beat the answer out of ya. If I'm feeling great, I might let you go, only taking that thing," I waved my cigarette at the camera. "And I haven't felt great recently."  

 

        I took another drag and waited for the man's cogs in his head to turn. Sometimes they froze up when you shoved a fist or a gun in their face, so I simply tightened my grip. He must have felt that, because words suddenly flowed.

 

        "I'm doing this on a contract, I'm not looking for any trouble. This is just a project, not mine, I was only told to observe and gather pictures."

       

        "For whom and how long?"       

       

        "I started in October, for a man at Fontaine Futuristics..."

 

        "Do you think I'm an idiot? Fontaine's business is gone, its all Ryan now." I squeezed on him just a little bit more.

 

        I Don't know who it was!" The man squirmed, clearly getting desperate. "They just told me to deal with the people in the lobby, I was given instructions in a sealed envelope by the receptionist. I don't know who wanted those."

 

        "What did you see? What were you after? Come on, there ain't a medal for bravery here."

 

        "I was told to look for 'phenomena' whatever that meant. All I ever saw was girl and some odd shimmers, that's all."

 

        I glared at the man, taking another puff and dropping the cigarette to my feet. I still held him when I swung my fist again to knock him out. He would wake up with a black eye and a sore head, but without the camera. I had to look at the film, find out who knew about Elizabeth. I knew just the place, a photo lab at Parisian Possibilities.