I watched Rarity and Fluttershy in silence as they patiently awaited for the lights to dim completely, leaving a level of darkness that was only broken by the lights of the city at the bottom of the sea. The glare from which was only slightly relaxing to me as I gripped my bandaged hands, Mill, in the meantime, content with simply resting in the train's control area, along with the supplies and an open can of orange slices.

I had still owed him a treat, after all.

Anyways, it had been over an hour since we had boarded the Atlantic Express again, journey-bound towards our next stop from Ryan Amusements, and it had been even less so of a time since I had rigged that projector up; though, it wasn't particularly running on the most reliable or safety prone of... 'Generators', comprised of the projector's spark plug cable, the power adapters I had found, and even my detached ESU.

Granted, I had made sure to keep the active and running electrical weapon out of pretty much anyone's reach and convenience, but I digress.

Anyways, the reason I had reconnected the projector again, or reasons as I should more appropriately put it, are because, one, its been... A while since Rarity and Fluttershy have seen their friends and family back home.

When I figured out that I could fix that issue, I of course jumped at the chance. I mean, after what's recently happened, there shouldn't really be anything wrong with trying to help lift their spirits, right? Even if only slightly.

As for the other reason...

"... Hello?" The voice of a familiar pony began to ring through as one of the walls to the dark passenger area was suddenly painted over by the white screen of the projector, initially displayed as nothing before slowly blurring into an image.

Despite not being able to see anything yet, both my charges immediately seemed to gleam at the sound of the voice, smiles appearing on their faces while I watched from the sidelines.

"Twilight! Darling, can you hear us?" Rarity called back to her friend, seeming to squint her eyes as the blurred image slowly came into a more clear and visible form, practically at a snail's rate.

"Oh, Rarity! Yes, we can hear you! Though, um, we can't exactly see you very well." Heh. I guess that went both ways then.

"I-it'll probably clear up. I think that it's just... Um... Warming up?" Fluttershy looked to me for confirmation at the statement, a tad bit unsure of her own word's truthfulness, before I replied with a reassuring nod. Truthfully, I had half guessed this would happen. What with the fact that the electrical stream going into the projector is a lot less consistent and efficient, since I had to lower my ESU's output to its absolute weakest just to keep it from frying the projector, and the fact that it had taken a few bumps and hits while we were out, it's practically a miracle that it worked whatsoever.

"Really? Hm, well, if you say so-" Before Twilight could finish her statement, the sound of a loud and drawn-out yawn cut her off, drawing a raised brow from both my charges and I.

"Ugh." I suddenly heard another familiar voice utter trough the projector line. "Yeesh, no offense, but couldn't you two have given us some sorta warning before you called? I mean, I'm all for the whole 'keeping us updated' thing but-" Yet another yawn, though this time shorter, cut her off. "It's the middle of the night."

I blinked at this, honestly surprised by... quite a good bit, considering the fact that, apparently, it was much later than it had seemed to be. Truthfully, I had thought we had only been out there for a few hours, but an entire day? And then some? Guess time flies by when you're trying to survive.

My charges seemed to share this surprise, though Fluttershy, in particular, gained more of a guilty expression.

"Oh, really? W-we're so sorry, we didn't know that-" Beforer she could continue any further with her timid apology, one of her other friends interuppted her through the transmission.

"Ah, dont put too much dern worry inta it, sugarcube. Rainbow's just bein grumpy, is all." Quickly recognizing the western tone of Applejack, I could barely overhear thhe sounds of grumbling in the background, likely belonging too that same certain 'grumpy pony'.

"Heheh. Yeah, Dashie's not very good with waking up this late at night. Though, I don't see why. After all, it's one of the funnest, bestest, chilliest times to have a party! Oooooh, can we do that Twi? Can we? Can we? Can we? Can we?"

... And my headache is coming back.

"Uh... Maybe next time, Pinkie." Don't even give her that chance, Twilight. I have the oddest feeling that's all she needs.

Despite the odd interuption on the hyperactive, though still currently blurry pink pony's part, the conversation continued to go on wihout a hitch.

"Well, nonetheless, it can't be pleasent to be woken up in such a time. Believe me, if there's anypony who knows about the importance of beauty sleep, it would be moi." I barely was able to surpress a chuckle as Rarity said this, both simply because of what she said, and how she had used that word, 'moi'... Now if only I knew what that meant...

"... Though, I have to ask, is SweetieBelle there as well?" Her sudden change in tone was clear to me, much like her expression as it shifted to one of concern. The others didn't seem to notice this, or, at the very least, looked over the fact.

"No, actually, she's asleep. Same with the princesses. In fact, the only reason we knew about the spell working again was because a guard on patrol had told us." Talk about your useful coincidences, eh?

At this, Rarity gave out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good, she needs to get her rest. She's still a filly, after all..." Rarity paused, her lips pursing before both she, and Fluttershy, looked towards me. This glance only went on for a moment, but I could already see what was behinnd them with the utmost clarity: Worry.

"... That, and I wouldn't want her to worry about any of this..." I know the feeling...

"Um, what do you mea-"

"Ooh, ooh, I think I can see them now!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the hyperactive party pony had indeed taken notice to, the blurred image of the spell began to clear at a much more rapid pace. At this, the four remaining Elements of Harmony smiled, though some more groggily than the others.

"Oh, great! Maybe now this can go a little mor-" Suddenly, Twilight felt herself freeze, words clogging in her throat and her smile, much like that of her friends, disappearing. Even PinkiePie, the one who almost always had a way to bring positivity into a room, had her chaotic mental train brought to a screeching and violent halt.

There, in front of them, were their friends; their coats and manes even filthier than last time, with stains comprised of faded, though still not completely irrecognizable... blood. Scrapes and bruises were visible as well, though thankfully not quantiful, with the worst seeming to be the one on Rarity's muzzle, which had required a bandage. Finally, thier eyes seemed absolutely paled with exhaustion, duller than the last time they had conversed.

It had only been two days--two--since they had last been able to talk... What had happened?

"Dears...? Are you quite alright?" Rarity asked, easily taking notice of their sudden change in expressions from those of cheer to shock.

The four were practically unable to speak, seeing their friends in such a condition, after such a relatively short period. Finally though, Rainbow Dash managed to swallow down this shock, if only barely, as she was the first to ultimately speak up.

"Uh... Woah... What did we miss...?" Every bit of that question, as poorly worded as even Dash had thought it to be, was laced with heavy concern. Raising a brow at her question, both Rarity and Fluttershy found themselves unsure of what she had meant.

"Hm?" Rarity questioned wordlessly.

"Well... Er..." She gestured vaguely towards the two, more specifically towards their overall current appearance. The two seemed to understand this time, eyes momentarily widening in realization before they gave themselves a quick once over.

To everypony's even greater surprise however, the two simply... chuckled. "Oh, heh, just a good bit of Lower Rapture..."

She had said this so very simply, it was offsetting. One of the two were, after all, the same pony who prized their appearance and hygiene atop a pedastel, and she had simply brushed off her current state as if it were nothing. The other was an incredibly shy and fearful pny, and, despite the remains of blood and the poor state she seemed to be in... she had joined her friend in laughing this off...

"D-... Dear Celestia... Are you two okay? You look-... Y-you look-"

"Positively awful? Yes, I thought so too. Unfortunately, we haven't exactly been able to find a very good way to clean ourselves up, save for a broken sink, let alone stay clean." As she said this, Rarity blew a stray hair from her partially frazzled mane away from her face. "My word, if ever there were a time for Fluttterhy's and I's weekly spa days, it would be now."

The butter-yellow pegasus nodded in return, another soft chuckle escaping her at the small joke; It did not hold up as well with those on the other end of the screen, unable to find any such humor in this situation.

"W-well," Fluttershy now chimed, "Omega did say it wouldn't be easy." Rarity gave her friend a nod, while, inadvertently, causing a slight surge of guilt to go through her friends. Granted, they hadn't exactly been the ones who made it so that they go to Lower Rapture... But at the same time, they werent the ones that tried to stop them. And now, more than ever, they wish they had, wether or not this was supposedly their last option.

"S-say ya'll, where is Omega anyhow?" Applejack questioned, taking note of their lack of his supervision. He was the one who was charged, if not just by them, but himself, with caring for them, so where was he?

At this qestion, Fluttershy and Rarity quickly grew silent; This time, the one who found themselves speaking the most was Fluttershy, as her friend silently pleaded for her to explain for them with a single glance.

"O-oh... Um, well, he's... with our guest..." The last part of her explanation had been near silent, but her friends were barely able to hear it nonetheless.

"G-... Guest?" Twilight asked. Little did she know, however, that she would quickly gain a response.

"Yes. Guest. And I do so appreciate you referring me to one." The girls gasped as they heard the sound of a new voice come from seemingly out of nowhere, not a one of them recognizing it whatsoever. Before they could question this though, both Fluttershy and Rarity silently stood from where they were seated and took several steps back, opening just enough room for this 'guest' in question to be... Escorted in front of the screen.

Again, the girls found themselves speechless as another metal being, much like Omega had initially been, walked before their view; many differences could be seen in his ones armor, all very significant, but they were put down towards the group of mare's lowest of priorities.

The being was currently restrained, with what looked like several metal girders holding its arms close to its body, each one bent to tightly fit around its torso. Shortly behind the retrained protector unit was Omega, who, with his rivet gun armed and ponted to the back of the being's large head, pushed and turned it so it would be facing both him, and the screen.

"... Another... Big Daddy...?" Twilight questioned, shock again barely enabling her speech.

The voice, which seemed to originate from this new Big Daddy, gave out a short laugh at this. "Hm, yes, and no. The one you see is a Big Daddy, yes, but I am simply speaking through his built-in communications systems... Speaking of which, I must ask, what sort of technology is it that you are using to enable this system of yours? Perhaps, some sort of spontaneous electrical impul-"

"ShUt. uP." Rather than do as asked, the man, from his place seated atop his chair, found his eyes widening as he looked through one of the many screens before him. With a flick of a button, he rewound the audio again, and again, and again, trying to ensure that he had heard correctly.

"Did... Did you just talk!?!" To him, this was absolutely flabbergasting! Not only had he, in the span of a single day, witnessed the reactivation of the anti-protocol and discovered the existence of a completely new intelectual species--of which he saw through what seemed like an impossibly generated screen--but now, apparently, he was witnessing a man without vocal cords speak! "H-how on Earth are you-"

"I SaID ShUT. Up." Omega's voice was much more forceful and agressive this time, and, paired with a swift shove from the barrel of his weapon to the BIg Daddy's helmet, alongside the equally as threatening glare he gave, the mares in Canterlot couldnt help but to momentarily recoil at the sight. They weren't used to seeing him so... Hostile...

Oddly enough, as the man quieted himself, finally taking note of the circumstances that forced him to do so, Omega's expression of hostility shifted to one of genuine apologeticness as he looked to the screen. "... NoW, I JuST WAnT tO Be pRomPt anD SAy thAt I ApoLoGIzE fOR ThIS. ThIS WaS THE OnLy WaY FOr mE tO EffeCTiveleY haVe a LitTle cHAt WiTH ThIS AssHolE... WhiCH Is WHy iM reaLly GlaD SweeTiE bEllE IsnT HerE FOr ThIs."

Though fairly impressed with Omega's sudden caring tone as he spoke to the other sentient equines, the man pursed his lips at the obvious insult Omega had decided to include. "Really? 'Asshole'? Is this how you plan on conversing with me from now on?"

Omega gave out a growl at this, his eyes narrowing as they returned to his opposite. "AnY MOre SniDe RemArks LikE ThaT aND I'lL GlaDly mAKe It SO wE canT taLk fOR a GooD WhiLE." His finger slowly and deliberately slipped over his weapon's trigger, giving it a light squeeze and ensuring that the man, alongside the Bouncer, could see.

"... Well, that's rather unkosher of you, isn't it?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Unkoshe'- What in the actual fuck? WHO SAYS THAT!?!

"OkAy, oNE, I HavE No IDea wHat THaT meaNs."

Well, it's true. Fucking human dictionary, and I had to deal with him?

"TwO, iF i DiD knOw, I haVE tHe OddeST FeelInG I WoUldN'T GiVe a FuCK." I continued, this time prompting a response from the man.

"Kosher means to-"

"AnD ThREe!" I interuppted, both in annoyance, and the fact that I did not need a lesson from this guy! "I'd SaY i HavE EverY RiGhT tO bE... Er-"

"Unkosher..."

"WhatEvEr tHe HeLL iT WaS! YoU, anD ThiS fuCkiNG BouNCer,' I yelled, accentuating it with another jab of my rivet gun, "tRieD To kIll mE... ThREe TimEs!"

Yeah, we're not gonna be getting off that subject for a good while. Technically, we have maybe an hour before the tansmission between my charges' world and ours ended, but I would definitely make use of every second I had, if only to chew out what I couldn't kill.

"In my defense, I was not responsible for his first attack-"

"In wHIcH hE aLmOSt tOoK mY hEaD ofF anD KiLLeD me."

"... Yes, well, I did stop him during that second fight, and have him tend to your wounds-"

"AftER hE aLmOSt KilLeD mE, anD i'D haRDlY CaLl DisLoCatIng My ArM anD ChaInIng mE dOWn 'TenDiNG tO My wOUnDs'." Again the man paused, though this time, for a longer period of time. Who knows, hopefully, he was beginning to see the pattern.

"... And... On the third occasion-" Okay, maybe not.

"YoU StrAIghT uP OrDereD hIm To kIlL Me..." Yet another pause from the moron on the losing side of the argument.

"Ahem, perhaps we... Got off on the wrong foot." Gee, you think?!

"I nEvER WouLd HaVe nOtiCED." I growled at him, anger and sarcasm positively dripping off of my voice as I did so. Nonetheless, the man, and the Bouncer, did not seem to flinch in even the slightest as I spoke, or as the rivet gun was continually pointed towards them.

"... Very well then. If that is the case, then let us begin anew, shall we?" That tone... That same 'polite' tone from before... God I hated it. It just sounded fake in absolutely every way, and yet, he managed to somehow make it seem otherwise at the same time! It was frustrating, to say the least.

"To start, I would say introductions are in order, are they not?" I only growled louder as he said this, adding to the statement even further as I grabbed one of the girders that kept the Bouncer restrained and pulled him closer to me.

"LIkE HeLl wE ArE! AfTEr EvERyThIng, yoU rEAllY exPeCt anY Of US tO-"

"F-Fluttershy."

... What?

Freezing for a moment as my mind went through a momentary reset, I turned my head to Fluttershy as she spoke up again.

"M-my name is Fluttershy..."

The Bouncer's head turned much like mine, and through his audio, I could hear the man chuckle. Hell, I could practically hear the smile that he probably had on.

"Ah, there we are! The first official introduction, and, might I add, it is nice to formally meet you, Miss Fluttershy."

... Seriously, what the fuck just happened?

"..." Taking notice of my bewildered expression, Fluttershy momentarily moved her gaze to the floor, half seeming to be out of a sort of shame, while the other half simply was a resurfacing of her timidity.

"W-well, its just that," she began to explain, though rather silently, "you let him on board so you could talk to him, right?"

Well, that's a sort of half-truth, but, yeah, I suppose so. I nodded.

"Right. Um, then, maybe, instead of, well..." She gestured towards my rivet gun, still held to the head of the Bouncer, and the grip I held him in. "M-maybe we can actually just... Talk to him? I-if that's okay, I mean."

"Yes, Omega," Rarity agreed, moving my attention towards her, "today's had quite enough... Violence, wouldn't you say? Perhaps we can try a more peaceful approach, just this once?"

Okay, no offense to them, but, this isn't their home. I can sorta get where they're coming from, considering the fact that, in their homes, it's likely normal to just talk through problems, and the fact that someone was apparently willing to talk probably seemed like a refreshing bit of civility from Equestria... But, this is Rapture. Civility is dead here. No matter what a person says, or how they say it, they always have some sort of alternative motive. Always. So, for me to just drop that, and give this one random guy, who tried to kill me, a chance, the answer was n-

"Please?"

Fuck!

"..." Hearing Rarity's plea, and glancing towards the two just in time to get a good view on a duo pair of puppy eyes, I gave out a sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose as I swallowed up as much of my anger as possible. Soon after, I nodded, though my neck practically refused to comply with me as I did so, following the stiff command of my annoyance and rage rather than that of my own force. "Thank you. Now, lets calm down now." As she spoke, her tone shifted to one of a more soothing and placid nature, likely to help her place me in a similar state.

"Take a deep breath; In, and out." As demeaning as this seemed, mostly because that man was probably laughing his ass off as he watched this play out, I followed Rarity's instruction, taking deep though partially heavy breaths. Ever so slowly, my overall stance lost tension bit by bit, but I still held my guard up nonetheless.

"Good. Now, I need you to lower your weapon, Omega." Like hell I will! No offense Rarity, but I am not taking the chance of putting my weapon with this guy here, even for a sec-

"Omega..." Fluttershy chimed in quietly, having apparently taken notice to my hesitance. Again, I sighed, forcing my weapon holstered arm away from the bastard before me, pointing it downwards to the ground by my side. The amount of effort this had taken from me was even greater than last, practically causing me stress pain as a result.

"Good..." Rarity commended, seemingly gleeful at her success so far... She was lucky that she and Fluttershy were so cute... That somehow sounded odd, didn't it? "Finally, give him a proper introduction. Believe it or not, simply doing something like saying your name to another is calming in its own right."

With grit teeth and narrowed eyes, I looked straight towards the Bouncer, and, in relation, the man likely hiding behind his screens. "OmeGa..." That still came out as a sort of growl, but, considering what I likely would have done otherwise, it was definitely an improvement.

Nonetheless, this seemed to satisfy Fluttershy and Rarity, the two offering small smiles at my relative complacency. Unfortunately though, the two were not the only ones that were satisfied by this.

"Hm, nice to see that you're so willing to be negotiable after all, Omega. Though, I suppose the circumstances are rather... Questionable." My grip on the Bouncer momentarily tightening as the man spoke, I barely withheld another growl as I gave the physical and audible pair a shove, staggering the Bouncer as he regained his footing shortly after.

"... DoNT puSH iT." I warned, crossing my arms as I continued to glower at him. Before I could go on any further with this though, Rarity cleared gave her throat a quick clear.

"Yes, well, on the note of introductions; my name is Rarity." Placing a hoof upon her chest, so as to likely add just a little bit more clarity to her self-reference, Rarity then moved her attention towards the projected image of her companions. They, even after the sizable amount of time they had been given, still didn't seem used to the situation, continuing to give odd looks towards us.

"And these are Fluttershy and I's dearest friends: Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and PinkiePie." At her introduction, the group began to speak up, though still warily so.

"Um... Hello?"

"Howdy."

"Er, sup."

"..."

Ironically, PinkiePie was the only silent one of the four, sporting a- wait, where the hell was she?

No, I'm serious, she's fucking gone, with all that's left of where she was being what looked like a small pile of confetti...

"Um... Excuse my question, but, were there not... Four of you?" At this, my charges and their companions all looked to the spot where the pink pony used to have been, all gaining questioning looks as they did so.

"Strange." Twilight remarked. "She was here just a second ago."

"Well, that's Pinkie for you." Rainbow Dash then quickly added in with a short laugh... Though, I didn't see anything funny with this. If anything, now I was worried.

"...Well, I must say, it is a pleasure to meet you all. I do so hope that we ca-" Right, I have to deal with this first...

Somehow, it feels as though my priorities are somehow in the wrong here; Pinkie's planning something, sure, but so is that man, and frankly, I have a feeling what he has in that mind of his is much more sinister...

I think...

"SaVe iT." I interupted. "YoU'rE nOT HeRE FoR fUn, aNd YOu kNoW iT." Crossing my arms, I watched as the Bouncer's yellow porthole light shifted between the projector image and I. Beyond the Bouncer's audio link, I could hear the man sigh.

"Yes, well... That does not mean I should not get to know those who are involved with this... Situation."

Interrogation is more like it. I'd make sure to it.

"ReALly? I ThINK iT ShoULd... BuT, coNSidErIng iT WaS a ReQUEsT fRoM mY ChArGes tO hOLd a MorE peACeFul nEGoTiatiOn wItH yOu, I sUppOse aN EXcEptiOn iS NecESSaRy..." I heard the man give out a soft chuckle, which, in of its own, annoyed me to no end.

"A Big Daddy through and through, aren't you--despite the lack of your suit, or the difference in species, you hold the interest of those you're 'responsible' for before your own... Noble..."

Was that supposed to be a compliment? If so, how did he actually make that sound insulting?

"YEaH, whAtEVer, noW cUT tHe CrAP aNd LetS gEt dOwN To BuSinESs. FiRsT oFF, whO iN tHe HelL Are YOu?!" There was a momentary pause after I said this; and already, I could hear the cogs of this mans mind grinding. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was trying to think through what he would say.

In theory, it wasn't a bad idea, considering I was already in a pretty bad mood anyway, but, in practice, it just served to annoy me even further. For all I knew, he was thinking of some sort of lie to make his way through all of this, and that was one of the last things I needed.

"Of course." Clearing his threat, I heard the man take a short breath inwards. "To begin, why not introduce you to my associate here? After all, you're likely dying to know what to refer to him as, correct?" As he spoke I gave him a look, and it took him all of a second to realize what he had just said. "... My mistake, that was a horrible choice of words."

Maybe he wasn't thinking through what he was saying after all...

"Ahem... Subject Omega, meet Subject Echo 2-5, Bouncer class, second generation."

"Subject..."

"EcHo?" I questioned, finishing my thought aloud as I mentally repeated that name over and over again. "YoU're jOkinG, riGhT? 'EcHO' iSnT a sUBjecT naMe."

Never once had I heard that name; once. From what I was made to remember, subject names were supposedly made out of some weird alphabet--'Greek', I think it was called. Hell, the Epsilon symbol was engraved into this Bouncer's drill! So, why in the hell is he saying that his name is Echo?!

"Unfortunately... I am indeed being serious..." For a moment, he seemed to lose his controlled and 'friendly' tone, instead gaining one of irritation. "Though he was supposed to be referred to as 'Epsilon', as you may likely be able to tell, there was a... mistake in his programming... and believe me, it irritates me to no end."

I rose a brow, alongside the ponies who watched with me, as the voice of the man began to gain more anger behind it. "An organized system, originally so perfect and structured, brought to a screeching, undeniable halt by a simple misplacement of a few binaries. It's as if someone began to count downwards from 100, only to skip a number as they did so; a single floor tile that was made to be vertical rather than horizontal; a misplaced book on a shelf; a-"

Taking note of the fact that he was practically shouting now, I cleared my throat, effectively interrupting and silencing him as he returned his attention towards me. The Bouncer, or 'Echo', had remained calmly in place as his puppeteer of a master had gone on a short tirade, with nothing more than an awkward silence escaping from him now as he watched us, and we all stared oddly back.

Nonetheless, with a clear of his own throat, the man soon spoke once more. "... Forgive me, I have a rather... Strong opinion towards the organization of things. A slight case of... Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you see..."

Obssessive Compulsive Disorder... I know Ive said this before, but, you must be joking me. Before I could even remark on this, or how ridiculous it sounded, Twilight made a comment of her own. "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm a bit of a neat freak too, so, I can see where you're coming from. Especially that 'misplaced book on a shelf' thing... Come to think of it," she then added as she put a hoof towards her chin, "did I remember to alphabetize the library before I left...?"

So... That's different... Still, that certainly seemed to gain the man's interest. "Oh? You work as a 'librarian' for your kind? Hm, seems our worlds are even more similar than I had originally thought." The man paused for another moment, seeming to hum in thought. "Back on subject, however... Subject Echo is, as you may have been able to tell, a custom-designed Big Daddy Bouncer. He was made to be a prototype-- an improvement into the Big Daddy line."

A... Prototype? I guess that would explain why he looks so different, but, it doesn't explain exactly how. Raising a brow, I gave the Bouncer another once over as I addressed the man.

"So, tHAt's wHy haVenT I evER SeeN AnY otHeR mODeLs lIkE hiM?" I questioned, receiving a prompt chuckle in return.

"How could you have? His model design was terminated before it could gain any true use, and he was given a different job instead." Crossing my arms, I pieced together the last of the man's story with ease, remembering all the occasions in which I'd caught sight of this... Role of his.

"... ThE aNTi-pRoTocOL." The man gave a short chuckle at this before promptly responding.

"Correct. The anti-protocol."

Ten points to me then. Still, before I could say another word, Rainbow Dash decided to go ahead and be the one to ask about the now more present elephant in the room...

On a side note, kinda wish I knew what an elephant was.

"What the heck is an 'anti-protocol'?" She blurted out questioningly, receiving a short scolding and scowl from both Rarity and Twilight in doing so.

The man gave another soft chuckle at this from amusement. "Now, now," he told the two, "no need for that. There's nothing wrong with a perfectly appropriate question."

Despite my continued annoyance with this guy, and pretty much my overall dislike of him, I nodded. "iF anYtHInG, sHe maNagED tO tAke tHE WoRDs rigHT ouT Of My mOuTH. WhAt eXAcTly iS 'aNtI-pRotOcol WyK'?"

Over the Bouncer's systems, I heard the man give a short hum in thought, before what sounded like an odd creaking in the background soon came through shortly afterwards. "Hm. Yes, I suppose you and your companions deserve an answer. You see, the anti-protocol is a sort of... Fail safe..."

A fail safe?

"A fAIL saFe tO wHAt?" I persisted. Yet again the man chuckled, which, honestly, was beginning to annoy me to no end. It was as if he was laughing at our ignorance, outrightly so at that.

"Think about it. For anyone that has survived in Rapture as long as you likely have, the term itself should be the very answer you seek."

Gee, thanks, because I definitely asked to be given a riddle, or some bullshit like that. Don't bother to give me a straight answer, by all means!

Sighing at this, I momentarily began to rack my mind, repeating how stupid this was as I mentally sounded out the protocol name again and again.

Anti-protocol WYK...

At first, it made no sense to me, seeming like nothing more than just a pair of words with a few random letters near the end... But then I focused on the letters...

WYK... 'Would you kindly'...

"It wAs mEaNt tO be UsEd aGAinST jaCK?!?" I suddenly exclaimed in realization, my outburst apparently having been so unexpected that Rarity, Fluttershy, and their three friends all recoiled in surprise.

"Ah, perfect answer; yes, the anti-protocol was made in order to stop Fontaine's 'ace in the hole'. A plot to use the most powerful beings in Rapture, Big Daddies, in order to do so." He explained, only causing me to raise a brow in confusion.

"BuT... DiDNt yoU sAy eChO wAS TeRmiNateD FrOm hiS eArlIeR dUtiES? WhY iS He A paRT oF tHIs?" I questioned. In all honesty, it that hole in his story was pretty damn noticeable. A little too much so, in fact, for me to just look over, and it seemed as though he was aware of this too.

"Yes, indeed, Echo was a deemed failure. In fact, many had suggested that he be rid of as soon as possible... But his status as a failure was exactly why he was placed in the anti-protocol."

Yeah... Still clueless...

"The idea was simple enough. On the day that Jack came, all one would have to do was release these members of the anti-protocol; protectors with unique weaponry, and a different set of mental programming."

Again, I narrowed my eyes at this. "WhiCh wAs...?" I asked warily, recalling the first occasion Echo and I had fought--how he had mentioned 'executing protocol' before attacking me.

"Hm. To put it frankly, there were two things they were made to understand, and only these two things. One, to serve as a sort of proxy for whomever would be given the title as the 'head' of the protocol; I assume you can add two and two to recognize who that might be by now."

I may be insane, hold the overall reading and writing level of a child, and hold no memory of my former life whatsoever... But I wasn't stupid. Anyone with a brain, ergo anything that wasn't a splicer, could clearly be able to tell that this jackass was the one in charge of this whole protocol crap.

"AnD tWo?" I pestered, rolling my eyes at his earlier statement. Infuriatingly and oddly enough though, this just made him chuckle once again. This was starting to feel like a bad cycle.

"Why, couldn't you tell by now? How he mercilessly fought and killed anything in his way, including you?" I stayed silent, just glaring at him. Bringing up the incident originally in question didn't exactly help the situation. "His other set of programming, the reason behind the protocol only being a last resort, was to wipe out whatever remained of Rapture upon activation; city, life, and all."

What?! My eyes widened at this, as that sentence echoed over and over in my head. Hell, I could just barely hear my charges gasp just as well in the background, holding seemingly just as much surprise as I did.

The anti-protocol, apparently made just in case Jack ever arrived, was made to destroy the entire goddamn city?! I knew most of the people down here were extreme, but Jesus Christ!

"W-wipe out... Rapture?" Fluttershy questioned, a short glance in her direction telling me all I needed. Her features showed nothing more than shock as she, and Rarity, looked towards Echo.

"Pardner, ain't that takin' things a little too far?" The added input from Applejack also showed that the other group of ponies shared a similar opinion as ours, furthering my case of 'crazy even by splicer standards'.

"As a matter of fact, it is. Nonetheless, this was created under Andrew Ryan's orders. 'Should the secrets of Rapture be endangered', he had said, 'I would rather it crumble than belong to any other'."

"AnD eCHo wAS sUppOsED tO Do ThaT?!"

"Not on his own, no, but he is certainly capable. After all, you've seen for yourself that Echo was designed to be the fastest ground-based Big Daddy, able to travel from one end of Rapture to the other within a matter of a few minutes, if he so wanted. He is especially fast in the water, his speed essentially able to reach levels just short of breaking the sound barrier. This is due to the third tank that he has on his back, consistently supplying him with a near infinite supply of EVE, mixed with sharp traces of a modified Aero Dash plasmid." This thing was splicing?! Ugh, no wonder it was so fast! Still, I've seen people with that Aero Dash plasmid, and not even they reached speeds close to what Echo had come to... Guess he isn't really joking when he said 'modified', as experience has so eagerly proven.

Looking glancing to the third tank on his back, I kept my focus on it as I continued in. Echo sounded as though he would have been the strongest Big Daddy in the city, able to take on even the Big Sisters, so, why was his role changed?

"... BUt...?"

"... As you know, he was deemed a failure, from the very beginning. As it had turned out, his programming needed to be absolutely perfect in order to keep him under control, and, well..."

"ThErE wAS a GliTcH, rIgHt?" I finished for the man, gaining an affirmative grunt in return. Big Daddy programming was almost never perfect, despite what those moronic scientists always claimed. Mine had let me keep my emotions, after all, despite the fact that I was supposed to be blank.

Bouncers, especially, were prone to glitches, if only because of the fact that their programming processes followed an inferior model. The original wasn't always better, I suppose.

"He was accidentally programmed to follow orders as 'Echo', not Epsilon. As a result, he never even gave them a hint of attention whenever he was assigned to do something under the alias of Epsilon, and soon after that, he was given his role as the first in the anti-protocol."

Rather than answer, I continued to look towards Echo and the man with narrowed eyes, my arms crossed as I silently urged for him to move on already.

"... AnD wHaT DoeS thAt mAkE yoU?" That same goddamn chuckle.

"... A man hoping to end the nightmare that is Rapture. To bring an end to this story, and begin a new one..." Bullshit.

"YOu knOw, LaMb sAiD thE SaMe tHinG..." I reminded him, referring to Rapture's last 'enlightenment'.

"Yes, I suppose she did... But I have a different idea on how to do so... Which is why I must ask, why are you heading through Lower Rapture in the first place?" Tch. This outta be fun.

"AnD wHy dO YoU wAnT tO knOW?" I interrogated.

"Well, its just that, I answered all of your questions, so what's to stop me from gaining answers of my own?"

How about the fact that I trust you just as far as I can throw you? Then again, by the sound of him, I can probably throw him pretty far, so... Scratch that.

Still, I guess he's not exactly wrong... Ugh...

"ThE EsCaPE pOdS In iNNeR pErSePhoNe." I answered plainly.

"Oh? You wish to leave Rapture?" I shook my head at this, gesturing to my charges with a bob of my head.

"NoT mE. ThEm. ThEY dOnT beLOng heRe, anD Im tRyIng tO GeT tHeM hOmE." Though I couldn't see it, I could almost feel the man's gaze shift from me to my charges, as he then momentarily held silence.

"... Hm. As curious as I am to your exact methods, considering..." He paused for a moment, Echo shifting his gaze towards the other ponies on screen before returning towards us. "But, I suppose that's a subject for another time. The issue at present, you see, is this: I have... A request to ask of you."

A request?

"This can't be good."

"Echo, as you may be able to infer, is not the only member of the anti-protocol. There are several more, each one spread throughout Lower Rapture, executing their protocols as designed... However, as of recent, I lost contact with them. Echo here is the only one who's signal still comes through, while the others simply give me nothing more than static."

"ANd... WhAT doEs tHaT hAvE tO Do wItH US?" I asked warily. I already had an idea as to what he was suggesting... But if he was honestly thinking it...

"I wish for you to go through Lower Rapture, just as you already have, but with one distinct difference. Echo will be accompanying you, and you will be seeking out the other members of the anti-protocol in your travels."

Okay, hell no. No. No, no. No!

"Oh, fUcK oFF! YoU pUt Us ThrOugH sOmE mAJoR cRAp, aND yOu waNt uS tO HeLP yoU?!"

"I understand that the request is rather bothersome to you, but you must believe me when I say-"

"AlL I haVe To bElIEvE iS tHaT YoU aNd EcHO tRiEd TO kIll Me ThREe TimEs!"

"Back on that, are we?"

"JuSt WhY In ThE HeLl sHouLd I dO AnYthIng fOr yoU oF AlL peoPlE?!"

... Silence... And then... That same, repetitive, double-toned chuckle for what must have been the umpteenth time, or some crap.

"Well... How about the fact that, if you do not do so, your trip will be made all the more difficult." His tone took a dangerous shift as he said this. One that, upon coming through Echo's speaker systems, caused both Fluttershy and Rarity to move themselves behind me.

Reaching for my rivet gun safety, I narrowed my eyes as I looked to the man.

"... Is thAT a ThrEaT?" I asked in a growl.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I have no intention of harming you, and neither does Echo, now that he has returned to my command... The other protector units, however, may not react just as kindly to your appearance. And besides that, there's also the matter of the mass area lockdown."

As he said this, my mind flashed to the trouble we had just getting through Ryan Amusement, including how far we had to get just to find that one console, and how it had seemingly been hidden away.

"You happened upon one of the protocol stations by pure fortune, so how swiftly do you think you would be able to find the next? Hours? Days? Years? Believe me, Omega, this is not a one-sided agreement. You return my communication link with the other protector units, and I assist you on your way through Lower Rapture. In fact, if you still don't believe this to be a fair agreement, I could always add to the agreement at a later time."

Almost as if on cue, Echo's eyes turned to a light shade of red as he suddenly began to struggle against the bindings that held him, giving out a groan as he did so. One that, because of the same spell that gave me a voice, turned into speech.

"... FrEeEeEEEe..." He had said, seemingly struggling just to speak as he did so.

Before I could even react, his drill revved on, grinding apart the girders that restrained him in one fell swoop, and causing the scrap to fall to the ground around him.

By the time he was free, I already had my rivet gun aimed at one of his portholes. Similarly so, he quickly closed whatever little distance held between us in a blur, pushing my rivet gun and arm slightly inwards as he placed his spinning drill inches away from my neck; just in case, I had grabbed the drill with my hand yet again, the bandaging that I had more recently placed upon it peeling off, along with some skin, as I halted the drills spinning.

The two of us stood like this for some time in silence, glaring at one another with equally threatening gazes, daring one another to make the next move... Surprisingly enough... That move never came...

Instead, the Bouncer's porthole lights just turned yellow once more, as he then moved himself off of me, blood partially dripping off his drill, and finally held his gloved hand out towards me.

"Hm... So Echo can talk as well now...? I suppose that's besides the point though isn't it? Omega, do we have a deal?"

... Four times... He tried to kill me four times, yet, he held his hand out to me through Echo, hoping for me to agree? This is either the most idiotic person I've ever met, or insane...

Crap. Even worse, I don't think I can say no, no matter how much I want to-- and believe me, I want to. He wasn't really wrong about that whole 'finding the other rooms' situation.

So, begrudgingly, I glared at Echo and the man once more, lifting my bloodied hand to meet Echo's gloved one, and shaking it; a small drip of blood hit against the floor, seeming to further emphasize the deal I had just made, likely foolishly.

With grit teeth, I spoke again. "GueSs I dOnT hAvE a chOiCe..."

"Splendi-" Before he could even finish that statement, I once again moved myself close to Echo, butting my head against his helmet with a loud clunk and glaring directly into the center porthole.

"BuT reAliZe thIs... YoU wErE alReaDY oN tHiN ICe wHeN EChO heRe tRiEd tO kiLl mE beFoRE... AnD nOW, YouRE dAMn wELl sUrE To Be WITh a fOoT iN tHe wATeR. CrOsS mE, oR My cHaRgEs, eVeN onCe, aNd I'lL cRusH yOu lIkE thE RaT yOu ArE..."

For once, the mans tone changed to something much more honest. A tone that seemed to hold glints of genuine fear to it as he spoke.

"Er... Um, yes, I'll... Leave you to get acquainted with your new friend here... Echo, as of now, you follow orders from Subject Omega, second-priority to mine..."

And with that, the sound of a short static-filled comm being shut down, before just as quickly returning on afterwards. "Oh, and you may call me 'Seidon'." Again the static, and this time, he thankfully didn't come back.

More interestingly enough, for the first time since I had encountered him, Echo's porthole lights turned green, like mine had used to, and he then spoke again.

"Fr... IEnd...?" I growled as he said this, pushing him off as I returned my rivet gun to my compact form and glanced at my bleeding and pained hand.

"... JuSt wAiT aT tHe FrOnt Of tHe tRaIn. AnD doN't gEt yOuR HoPeS Up..."

True to his obedient nature, Echo, now wordlessly, turned himself and left the room, sliding open and closing the door to the head of the train behind him, only leaving me and... The spectators to what had just occurred...

Taking in a breath to calm myself, as Rarity had told me to do, I gripped my torn hand as I turned myself to the screen of ponies before me, alongside Fluttershy and Rarity...

This was gonna be fun...

"..."

"... So, uH-"

"SURPRISE!"

"JESUS!!!" Before I could even get a word out, I found myself falling flat on my ass out of pure surprise as the sudden pink amalgamation of sugar and pony, Pinkie Pie, seemed to pop out of nowhere; she held what looked like a large cake balanced on her back, wore a bright red party hat, and had what looked like a party blower in her mouth.

"Hmhmhm, whoops!" She giggled. "Sorry, but I told you all that we'd have a party the next time we talked, and when I saw you, I suddenly remembered 'hey, Pinkie, aren't you supposed to throw a party now?' And I said, 'yes, Pinkie, I did!' So I rushed to the kitchen as fast as I could and got the cake I had made, along with my party supplies, and decided to put on this whole mini party! I mean, its probably gonna be a little hard for any of you to have any cake, but we can still-"

It was at this point that my mind thankfully hit its mute button, blocking out the pink piny to the best of its ability... Though, by then, the migraine was back again.

-------------------------------------

They... Had a lot to catch up on. Hell, we spent pretty much the entire rest of the transmission just recounting what had happened over the last two days--of which I hadn't even known it had already been.

The trip to Lower Rapture, the Atlantic Express, my splicing, Mill... Everything, though we spared them the details of the more violent and foreboding things we had seen and gone through.

Nonetheless, the entirety of the meeting seemed... God... Pinkie was the only one who felt truly happy, I could tell.

Everyone else was far too preoccupied with what had occurred... With Echo and Seidon, as his name was apparently.

It's my fault, I know. I brought them onboard, and I used the one way my charges had to communicate with their loved ones just to give the two a piece of my mind... Only to have the entire situation flipped over on me at the last second...

Damn it. Damn it! Damn it!!!

Selfishness is one thing, but unsuccessful selfishness...?

I ended up leaving a short while before the transmission could end... I felt terrible about this whole thing...

Even now, I stand at the head of the train, Mill resting peacefully in the far corner of the control panel with a now chubby stomach and an empty can of peaches next to him. I had no such comfort, having to give up a good half of the room I originally had here just to accommodate Echo.

The reason I had kept him in here, with me, was simple enough though. There was no way in hell I would let him, or Seidon, be alone with the girls.

Shoving him even further off to the side of the room, considering he had the tendency of wandering off from his side a bit, I sneered at him as I glanced down to my hand, still a mess, as it had previously been.

Fluttershy and Rarity had offered to help me with it, but I had already bothered them enough by now.

Besides... That just brought up the next point of my overall concern didn't it?

Reaching into my supply bag, which I had so haplessly left in the room here with Mill during my... 'Meeting' with Echo and Seidon, I pulled out a fresh strip of bandages, and a simple bottle of water.

Nothing else. No stitches, antioxidants...

Instead, I just opened the bottle and turned it over, spilling a bit onto my hand, which just as quickly then spilled onto the floor in a combination of misted, watery, and pure red. Instantly, that familiar feeling of coldness and refreshing bliss came over me, dulling whatever pain I felt to levels that seemed as though they were nothing... Before then just as quickly being nothing at all.

My eyes, which I had incidentally closed during my moment of bliss, opened to spot a now completely healed hand, with little more than a few scars left upon it... Again, I sneered, wrapping the bandages I had brought where the wound would have been.

Now, not only did I have to deal with this crap... But also some guy who's biggest goal is to destroy Rapture? Plus, after everything that he's already caused...

He'll pay... That's a promise.

Author's Notes:

Fucking WRITERS BLOCK!!!

Hit me like a goddamn truck this time... Loaded with Tnt... ON THE FREEWAY!

But, yeah, heres the next chapter. Sorry about the huuuuuuge delay, and I hope I can be better with my time management. But, for now, onto work with my other stories...

Oh, and, renewed inventory check time. :D

Inventory:
-Rivet Gun (4)
>Heavy Rivets (13)
-Remote Hack Tool (4)
>Auto Hack Dart (2)
-ESU
-EVE Hypo (4)
-First Aid Kits (1&1/2)
-Money (43)
Plasmids:
}Telekinesis 3
}Security Command 2
Gene Tonics:
}Armored Shell 2
}Fountain Of Youth (WHAT THE PLOT!?!!?)