BioShock
The fall of Rapture

Chapter 1



As I walked through the dim, flooded hallway, I still could not believe what happened down here in Rapture. I couldn't stop myself from crying as I remembered each horrible event.

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"Daddy, wake up!" a little girl's voice spoke in my ear. I turned over on my bed to see my daughter, Susie. "Daddy, the mailman brought you something. I think it's a letter." Susie said sweetly as she waved the envelope in her hand. "I see. Can daddy have his letter now?" I asked her. "Yes Daddy." Susie said as she handed me the letter. She then ran off giggling as I started to open the envelope marked with a golden "R". Inside was a letter that said the following:



Dear Mr. Martin Reilly Jr.,
Are you tired of the government controlling your life? Tired off paying outrageous taxes? Tired of the unfair censorship of art? If you answered "yes" to any the questions above, then you are ready to become a citizen of Rapture. In the city of Rapture, a man is free from the control of the parasites and can create whatever he wishes. If you wish to be a citizen of Rapture, go to the Boston Harbor at 8 o'clock sharp on July 13, 1948. Find the boat called the "Narwhal" and ask for a ticket to board. Remember, Rapture awaits!



From the desk of Mr. Andrew Ryan




I was intrigued by the letter from Andrew Ryan, and also worried.  How did this guy know my name and address? What was this "Rapture" he talked about? And if this was all true, what would a billionaire want to do with me? "Maybe it's a joke from one of our neighbors?" My wife suggested to me after I had showed the letter to her. "I don't know Marie. It does sound like something the Johnsons family would do, but they hardly ever bother us." I replied to her while staring at the letter. Marie and I spent a small a portion of the morning asking everyone on our street about the letter, but not a single one of them had heard of the letter.


"Well, the 13th is about a week away. Maybe we could see if there really is this "Narwhal" boat." I said to Marie once we were back in our home. "Martin, that's crazy talk. It's all just a silly prank, and you know it." Marie replied though I heard a hint of curiosity in her voice.


Once the 13th of July came, my family packed our bag for a long trip. "Where are we going again, Daddy?" Susie asked me as Marie combed my daughter's long, dark hair. "We're going on a boat to a brand new city." I answered her as I fixed the buttons on my shirt. "Neat, but when will we be back?" She asked me, "Well, we don't know, Sweetie." Marie answered Susie. Marie then started to comb her short length, blond hair. We arrived at the Boston Harbor at 7:52 AM, so we had a few minutes to find our boat, if it was even real. We then found a short line in front of a boat; at least 30 were seen there.  By the time we got to the front, I saw the words "S.S. Narwhal" in faded black paint on the side of the boat. I felt like we were the luckiest family in the world! Sadly, I was mistaken…


After two weeks on the boat, the ship's captain said that we were getting close to our destination, and with good fortune. Through the whole trip, I spent it hanging over a railing and feeding the fish my all ready eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner and poor little Susie caught a nasty case of the cold.  But when my family and the other passengers looked for a city, all we found was a light house surrounded by ocean. Confused, I asked the ship's captain "Where's Rapture? I thought we were heading for a city, not the middle of nowhere."  The captain chuckled to himself and simply said "You'll see soon enough."

The "Narwhal" docked next to the marble steps of the light house. It was enormous in size, probably taller than the Empire States Building in New York. In fact, I couldn't even see the top of the tower anymore. Suddenly, two baggage takers came out of the tall, golden doors of the lighthouse. They told us to follow them inside the beautiful marble and golden tower.

Inside was a large statue of a mustached man's head with a plaque under it saying "In what country is there a place for people like me? -Andrew Ryan". The room was decorated with silk banners saying "No Gods or Kings. Only Man." A violin version of "Beyond the Sea" began to play as the lights literally clicked on. The people following behind us murmured with excitement, confusion and awe. Even I couldn't help to "Oooh" and "Ahh" at the golden art that filled the inside of the lighthouse.


The baggage takers took us down a small flight of stairs. On the walls, I noticed three circular plagues dedicated to Art, Industry and Science. In the center of the room was this bubble shaped elevator floating in water. A woman behind me asked the one of the baggage takers "What is that strange thing, sitting over there?" He said to her "That is a bathysphere, ma'am. It's going take you folks to the city." Marie asked me confusingly, "What's he talking about? Just where is this city?"

One of the baggage boys asked my family and some other people to squeeze into the Bathysphere with him. After everyone was seated, the man pulled a lever at the back of the sphere. The small, glass door shut automatically and the bathysphere began to sink into the water. After a few seconds, a wall slide in front of the door and a small, slide projector turned on. It started with a poster saying "Ryan Industries-Paving the way of the future today". The poster was then switched to a man sitting in an armchair. The man then began to speak, even though his lips didn't move. "I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question." The picture changes to a farmer after a hard day's work. "Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?" says Mr. Ryan. I looked over at Marie, who has a confused look on her face as the clip changes to the farmer being chased by a bald eagle in front of the Capital Building. "No says the man in Washington, it belongs to the poor." continues the strange man speaking as the clip changes to the farmer cowering in front of a pair of hands near a temple. "No says the man in Vatican, it belongs to God."

"Just who is this guy?" A man sitting next to me asks the baggage man. "Sir, all questions will be answered after once the Bathysphere has landed in Rapture." the man replies as the clip changes to the farmer running from a palace as a hammer and sickle chase after him.  "No says the name in Moscow, it belongs to everyone" says our strange host. "So…this guy hates Communism?" I say to the man next to me. "…And Capitalism. So, what government does this "Rapture" place have, any way?"  He replies as the clip changes back to Ryan sitting in his study. "I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose…" the screen slides down, revealing a large city deep below the sea. "Rapture!" Ryan continues his opening speech, "A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can be your city as well."

As the bathysphere continued to descend into the "modern Atlantis", I saw a small pod of whales swimming through the city without any confusion. "Just how long has this place been down here?" I thought to myself. Finally, we reached this tunnel like structure that I assumed was a port. The words "All good things flow into this city" were placed in neon on the tunnel.

The bathysphere then began to rise up, like an elevator. As we continued upward, I started to think to myself. "How was this place even started? Are we the first ones here? What is this place like?"

I guess soon I'll find out.