A Gasp For The Surface

[Keanumoreira]

(Suggestions for improvement are welcome. STORY IS SUSPENDED AT THE MOMENT. PLEASE RETURN LATER.)

 

A Gasp For The Surface

 

Chapter one: Atlantis

 

What is Atlantis? A fabled city sunk by the Atlantian gods, a place of advancement, perhaps, but different from Plato's tale. And no one knows that better than Nathan miles.

 

Our story begins in the year 1976, with a twenty five year old, American man named Nathan. Nathan was a rather tall man some could say, measuring five feet ten. His height was followed by his crystal blue shade of eye color, which the women found most captivating, along with his dirty blonde hair, strickly keep above shoulder length. He was also a stubborn man, his look told it all. He took no for an answer, and when somebody insisted he should reconsider he would reply something like this.

 

"F**k you and the peasants that spawned you!"

 

Often getting him into brawls with other men, usually in a bar and drunk, typical Male behaviore one could say during those days.Nathan also had a taste for travel, and that insatiable will to leave his apartment in New York- One he owned- would cost him dearly.

 

On that November Morning of 76, Nathan packed his bags for a cruise to Britain, that would leave from his city of choice, and pass directly over Iceland.

 

Placing on his brown overcoat to conceal himself from the bitter bite of winter, he grabbed his suitcase and tipped his hat to the lobby man, saying,

 

"See ya Charles, be back in a few weeks."

 

Charles took a sip of his coffee as he returned the gesture, sending Nathan on his way to hail a taxi.

 

It was bright that morning, and no snow graced the Big apple. But that didn't dissuade the cheerful children from throwing snowballs, and making the occassional snowman. Some where good some were bad, Nathan thought to himself, but then again, a childs creativity could be recieved in any number of ways. Nathan found this a waste of time, as he worried that he would miss his boat.

 

"Taxi! Taxi!"

 

Nathan shouted, capturing the attention of one of the yellow automobiles wizzing past him.

 

"To the docks my good man" He said to the driver respectively as he slammed the door shut.

 

With the awkward silence of the driver, who didn't even thank Nathan for his kindness, Nathan turned to the window for a source of entertainment, common amoung bored passengers. He watched as pedestrians strolled by, as the cars gave that familair honk and hank, and as dogs and cats roamed the streets. Quite rare to see both in the same day.

 

When he reached the docks, Nathan payed the tight lipped man the fee he owed him, and headed over to the crowd waving at the cruise ship.

 

Nathan presented the woman at the entrance his ticket and other requirements, and took his place at the bow of the ship on the first deck with the others, waiting for his vacation to begin.

 

Within an hour, the behemoth was off, becoming showered with confeti and the cheers of the ones below.

 

The cruise ship was unlike anything Nathan had imagined since this was his first cruise, at least internationally. It had five decks, and an estimated ten thousand people, well in his mind anyway. Its outershell, including the hull were in mint condition in the way of cleaning, a true vessel worthy of seafare. Nathan could see clearly from his position, the captains quarters, which stood large and proud over everythingelse. Surely he thought that a ship as impressive as this must have a good helmsman, maybe a captain that served in the Navy, but it was just a thought.

 

With the open sea before him in every direction, and with the absence of the other passengers, he decided to head inside for a look at the lobby, after all it was meant to put him in awe. Upon entering, he found it most lavish, with vibrant colors running in every direction he dared looked, and the ceiling itself...was there even a ceiling he thought to himself jokingly, making him chuckle.

 

Nathan went on to seek his room, trying to find some peace and quiet for awhile alone in his rented sanctuary amoungst the sea of doors. He began reading each one, looking at his paper for his.

 

"302, 303, 304. This is the one."

 

He reached out for the gold pearled door knob, pushing the door open and closing it behind him.

 

Nathan shook his head with pleasure as he examined his cabin, which was quite to his liking. Already ready for him was a set of warm towels, a gift basket which contained various exotic fruits and oils, and a napkin in the shape of a goose sitting on the white sheets of his master bed. The bathroom was absoutley gorgous in his eyes, clean, open, and with a hint of vanilla to set the mood. It was all his to enjoy; the scenery, the smells, and along with it, a magnificent view of the Atlantic, to which he could step outside on a private balcony and smell that salty tang of the sea, all his.

 

After a lazy day to himself, Nathan settled down for his first night away from home, giving a sigh of relief as his aching bones unwinded, and his stiff back relaxed.

 

The the next two days were kind to Nathan, introducing him to various people from various places. Some were from Germany, others from Italy, and some from Argentina, all on the same voyage of lifes pleasures. He also got himself involved in different activities from time to time, unable to resist the urge for a tempting, evening dance, or the gourmet cuisine that was being served. Other times were much more solitary, times were Nathan would just watch the stars at night, or listen to the splash of the waves, or just take a nap on his balcony with nothing but a hamock and some club soda. These were the days Nathan was expecting, perfect, serine, bliss, and it would be only one more day before he reached the United Kingdom, and he knew it since they we're nearing Iceland. And with the fulfilling thought that he would be where he dreamed to go, he once again drifted off to that place of comfort.

 

It was a peaceful night, and all was content, all was silent, the perfect moment for an unexpected turn of events.

 

Nathan suddenly awoke from his slumber, shocked awake by a massive BANG comming from below. He could hear people leaving their rooms and chattering amoungst each other in worried tones, but as Nathan tried to ask what was happening, the ship tilted to the left violently, throwing him across the room and int othe door.

He could hear screams as dozens of people began to panick, running about in horror.

 

As the tilting progressed, Nathan became ever so bothered, fearing the worst has happened. The intercome roared over his ears, as the Captain gave an annoucement that caused Nathans heart to sink.

 

"Attention all staff and passengers the S.S Yarsfi has struck an iceberg, the ship is sinking, this is not a drill. I repeat the ship is sinking, this is not a drill!"

 

Nathan couldn't believe what he was hearing, an iceberg sinking a cruise liner? This wasn't the Titanic. But as bizzare as the statement sounded, the Captain, he knew, was right, the ship was going down and fast.

 

Stepping out of his room, and onto the deck, Nathan witnessed in disbelief as the alleged iceberg tumbled in front of him, burying hundreds of people fleeing to the lifeboats, sending them crashing into the sea below. With no way off the Yarsfi, he attempted to find a life perserver, anything that could help him float, but the lights had cut off, and it was pitch black, he couldn't even see his hand in his face, but he could hear clearly the hell around him. He picked up a random flashlight at his feet turned it on, illuminating the source of a creaking noise to his right. What he saw turned his face white. The Captains cabin was tipping over the edge, right towards him.

 

He couldn't run left or right because both were blocked with debris, some still falling, and obviously not forward unless he wanted an early grave. The only way was backwards, into the frigid waters of the North Atlantic, into certain doom. Faced with no other option, he leaped into the black waves below, trembling in fright as gigantic chunks of steel and glass bombarded the water all around him, facing the onslaught of the ship itself as it fell over him.

 

Nathan, thinking fast, swam through what he could make out was the hole in the bow that the iceberg had carved, swimming striaght through and watching as the remnants of the Yarsfi vanished from reality.

 

With his lungs exahuasted, and gasping for air, he scrambled to the surface, inhaling with great force. Nathan looked around nerviously. He was all alone, the only surviver of a cruel accident, and lost at sea where he would surley die of hypothermia in a matter of minutes, already was he shivering uncontrollably.

 

But then he saw something, thinking at first he was hallucinating from the cold, but when he swam closer, he realized it was real. A lighthouse.

 

"A lighthouse? In the middle of the Atlantic?" He wondered, "What the hell..." He inched closer to the beacon of hope, climbing onto a set of stairs that extended from the ocean itself. Nathan was puzzled.

 

"What on Earth?"

 

Then, one of the doors slowly opened, and a light flickered from within, urging him to enter, and so he did. Upon doing so, he saw a large statue of a man holding a dusty banner, and when we cleared it away he could read the words etched into it- NO LAW, NO GOD, ONLY MAN.

 

Leaving the statue be, he decended down ever more sets of stairs until he could hear ominous music echoing throughout the lighthouse- SOMEWHERE....BEYOND THE SEA...SOMEWHERE WATCHING FOR ME...

 

The song led him to a baphosphere, sitting all alone with its door wide open.

 

"What is this doing here?" Nathan asked, wandering in and pulling down the handle, surprised to find the door behind him sealed, and the baphosphere sinking. He pounded on the window, demanding to let him out, but the damage had been done, it was irreversable. He watched as blocks of stones indicated how far deep he was plunging- 10 Fathoms, 20 fathoms, 30, 40, 50, and then a screen came onboard, blocking the view outside of the tub.

 

The screen came online, revealing the voice of a overly excited woman, explaining things Nathan couldn't understand.

 

"Welcome to the oppertunity of a life time, your new home below the surface! When Ryan first developed his city, he made it in mind for you, a utopia designed to fit your needs, your pleasures. There's no law, no rule, and why not try our new discovery of plasmids? Why not blast lighting from your finger tips, or fire from a snap of the finger, or frost bite with the blow of your breath? It's all yours, and all for sale."

 

Nathan was confused, "What is a plasmid? And what life underwater, this is just a sphere, it's not even..."

 

He paused, his mouth half a gap, his eyes widened.

 

"Welcome to Rapture!" The voice greeted before departing.

 

And there it was, Rapture, the new Atlantis, the city beneath the waves.

 

He was shocked, words couldn't even describe it. There were skyscrapers, and bars, and restruants with neon lights, all there, all in the sea. The baphosphere continued on, passing a wide group of sea life exploring the town. He could see schools of fish, huge feilds of sea kelp that rose endlessly, giant squid, and even a passing whale.

 

Within minutes, he could see a tunnel of bars, indicating a landing zone. The baphosphere came to an immediate stop once it came to an underwater wall lined with advertising posters, carrying Nathan above and into the city. Once it came to a gentle rest, Nathan cautiously opened the door, and took his first steps in the city, the city known as Rapture.

 

(Yes this is a story based on bioshock, but it's only for fun. If you like it tune on in, there's more coming.)

[Maharg67]

I like it! Very good except, just maybe, more details of the character and less of his environment. Just an idea for you to chew on. I look forward to reading more.

[Keanumoreira]

I like it! Very good except, just maybe, more details of the character and less of his environment. Just an idea for you to chew on. I look forward to reading more.

 

Really? I tried to explain Nathan as best as I could. Perhaps I could of added the look on his face, or the feeling in his gut or something.

[Keanumoreira]

Nathan observed his first sights of the city around him, still dazed that such a place exsisted underwater. How this place got here, why, and by whom, he wasn't sure, but one thing was certain, it had long lost its touch of civility before Nathan arrived.

 

He could see the cracked wall tiles falling from their place, trash outside of their bins and strewn about the floor, and leaks of water spraying out from the windows.

 

Nathan began to play unrestlessly with his hands, his heart turned in its socket, and although he didn't want to admit it, even to himself, he was truly afraid for the first time. After all, he didn't know this place, he didn't know where he was going or if he would return to the surface again.

 

"This...this can't be happening, this can't be real, I must of hit my head or something." He said in denial

"Yeah, yeah I must be dreaming, thats all, I passed out and I'm dreaming."

 

But when Nathen put his hand to the Icy puddle caused by the failing window, he got a sensation that one couldn't feel in a dream, and thats when reality finally hit him. But who could blame him, who wouldn't be in the same state as him who's only knowledge of these events are totally unexpected? But what he did know was that he had to keep moving, and thats what he did.

 

Now Nathen wasn't stupid, he knew a dangerous situation when he saw one, and with the dark halls and chance of injury ahead of him, his primal instincts kicked in as he pushed himself to find something he could use for protection. What he found didn't exactly meet that need, but it satisfied the essentials: food, that being a regular bag of chips and a prep bar, and a full water bottle uncontaminated by the salty puddle beneath his shoes.

 

Nathan pressed on beyond the welcoming section of whatever part of Rapture he was in, exploring the dilapidated ruins around him, avoiding the constant invasion of water, soon comming to a collection of fallen columns where a woman sat on her knees, quietly weeping to a torn doll, who had one of its black button eyes missing.

 

"Shhh, shh it okay, mommies got you, mommies got you..." She wispered, "Mommy loves you."

 

Nathan slowly approached her as she carassed the dolls head, singing it a lullaby as if it were a child.

 

"Mommy loves you, mommy loves you yes she does, yes she does..."

 

Nathan, paying no attention to a wine bottle on the floor, spooked her as it shattered with the force of his foot. The woman looked at him bewildered, and slowly began to rise from the floor. He was in disgust of the her condition. Her hair was tangled, her face horribly misfigured, and two intimidating hooks under her hands, placed in the flesh to insure commitment to the user which appeared to have caused infection.

 

"What's wrong Daniel?" She said to Nathen in response to his reaction.

 

"Who?"

 

"Am I pretty Daniel? Am I pretty enough to be your wife now?"

 

He stepped back as the deranged woman advanced.

 

"You won't leave again like last time right?"

 

Nathan didn't answer.

 

"RIGHT!"

 

She lunged at him, lashing out at his face and striking him in the face with the doll.

 

"DO YOU SEE THE DAUGHTER THAT YOU ABANDONED? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH SHE HAS SUFFERED?"

 

He kicked her to the ground, running away as she chased after him.

 

"You will pay for your crimes Daniel! Your selfishness will be payed in your blood!"

 

"Leave me alone, I've done nothing wrong!" Nathan insisted, ducking as she threw a worn down T.V.

 

"Have you Daniel, have you? You left us to die, you left me to bear her alone, you screwed us!"

 

"My name isn't Daniel, it's Nathan! I don't know what your talking about!"

 

But she refused to listen to his pleas, continuing to hunt him in the ruins.

 

The two of them eventually came to a series of inactive sea tunnels, two of which that have colapsed, and three that weren't functioning. He searched around despreatly for a way out, for a place to escape, but the only way to go was up, but it was only a balcony. Nonetheless, he sprinted up and hid behind its bars where he could get a clean view of his homicidal follower.

 

She stepped in casually, laughing in disappointment.

 

"Heh, heh, heh. Oh Daniel, Daniel, Daniel, you know you can't hide from me. You know I'll find you."

 

She began toying with the chunks of stone on the ground, astounding Nathan as she lifted one that had to weigh at least two tons, throwing it towards the balcony. He darted out of the way as pieces of wood and railing was flung everywhere.

 

"How did she do that?" He mumbled under his breath, slowly poking his head out of his hiding place.

 

"Ah ha! There you are!"

 

Nathan retreated behind the wall, unable to move any further, watching in alarm as she stormed up the stairs. As she got closer, he did his best to get in a defensive position, lining his back against the wall.

 

"Don't worry "Nathan" this is going to hurt me a lot more than it's going to hurt you.

 

The walls became battered with the fists of the abnormal lunitic as Nathan dodged the swung of her fists, leaving behind deep holes and the spilling of plaster.

 

"Hold still Daniel, confront your death like a man!"

 

He crawled away swiftly from her assult, only to be thrown off the balcony to the ground below. Beside him, he noticed a metal pipe that seemed to have have came from hevean itself, and he wasted no time scurrying after it.

 

"That's right, that's right. Scurry! Scurry you rat!" The woman taunted.

 

He crawled after it even faster, pushing aside anything that didn't have the sheen of the blunt weapon. At last he weilded it, and quickly turned around and swung it, smashing into the womans skull. Nathan could hear the gruelsome collision as the back of her head met the concrete, yet she got up, as if unscaved. Nathan swung again, breaking eight of her teeth, but this simple action didn't even make her flench. He repeatly went at it, hitting her over and over and over again until finally, after a struck so hard and so accurate that the pipe became lodged in her head, she fell back paralyzed. The attack was so brutal that iron rich, black blood seeped from the back of her head and from her mouth into the puddles of the nearby seawater, completly overtaking it. Almost every inch of her face skin had been peeled from place, sagging in one large lump on the right of her face, exposing her mangled flesh and warm bones. Close to death, and choking on the red liquid, she uttered her final words.

 

"It's not fair you know...this life. It's not fair that everything we love, everyone we love, is taken away." She inhaled in a deep, scratchy sigh, trying to find enough air to speak to him.

 

"All I wanted Daniel...was for you to love me."

 

Nathan released the pipe gently from her head, placing her hands together on her chest, and shutting her eyes, giving her the sign of the cross.

 

Now most people would be traumatized by taking another human life, but Nathan wasn't, to him it felt as if she needed to be put to rest, let go from her position of agony. But he knew he was scared, he could feel as that drop of sweat grazed his cheek, as his chest tightened, and as his back felt threatened. He knew.

 

He looked around the room, and with his pipe in hand, tried to find a way out. He was startled by a machine from behind him that he hadn't noticed before, walking up to it as female, childish voice began to sing.

 

"In the Garden things are growing, many changes will be showing. If you want to be amazin, see the flowers re-a-raisen."

 

He looked over his shoulder in confusion, as he touched its chilly surface, running his hands down its grimy face. Then he noticed a mysterious, blue cocotion bubbling in a god like, glass container, equipped with a syringe. He witnessed in awe as streaks of it washed itself all over its glass home. Turning it around, he found a sticker on the side of it that read: PLASMID, USED TO CAST LIGHTINING.

 

Now Nathan understood what that short movie in the baphosphere was speaking of, yet he percieved it as a joke, and to prove it, he applied the syringe with the plasmid, and injected it into his left arm.

 

Almost instantly, his arm began to quiver in a seizure like manner. He watched in disbelief as streaks of lightening rushed up the veins of his arm, and jumped from finger to finger, bringing him much excruciation. Nathan simply couldn't stand the agonizing ordeal, as he stumbled about, worsening the effects of the plasmid ravagening his body. The lights began to dim, and burst as their electric charge became drawn to his body, feeding directly into the injection site.

 

As the transformation progressed, Nathan, as a result from the massive collection of electricty, fell back into one of the puddles of water, enraging his plasmid, and dealing him unconcious as his body was fried.

[Fifoo]

Another great story, Keanumoreira, nice to see that you are a fan of Rapture. I've never played the game but saw some trailers about it: simply mind-blowing.

 

In addition, a story emerged from the seabed, that's something that demands my attention. :woot:

[Keanumoreira]

Another great story, Keanumoreira, nice to see that you are a fan of Rapture. I've never played the game but saw some trailers about it: simply mind-blowing.

 

In addition, a story emerged from the seabed, that's something that demands my attention. :woot:

 

Thank you my friend, your encouragement continues to fuel my passion to write. It's going to be tough to juggle two stories, but the Race for Eden is drawing to a close anyway, and if I want to expand as a writer as a whole, I need to present myself with challenges.

 

Speaking of which, I hope you continue with the realm of Opal, good stuff lurkes in there. :thumbsup: :yes:

[Fifoo]

Speaking of which, I hope you continue with the realm of Opal, good stuff lurkes in there. :thumbsup: :yes:

Instantly, I just added the first chapter in the Druid's Garden. :wink:

[Keanumoreira]

Speaking of which, I hope you continue with the realm of Opal, good stuff lurkes in there. :thumbsup: :yes:

Instantly, I just added the first chapter in the Druid's Garden. :wink:

 

I know, just read it now. ;D

[Herculine]

This is another great work. When can we see more?

[Keanumoreira]

This is another great work. When can we see more?

 

Thank you little fairy, that's very kind of you. At the moment I'm having writers block so the story is going to have to be suspended for awhile. But rest assured it will be finished.