Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1 

The clocked chimed as it did every hour and Rosalind sighed. It was only 10 am but she felt as if she'd been there all day. She shouldn't have been surprised, she was used to the feeling. Each day was as unproductive as the last. Droning on for hours with nothing but her subject to keep her interest. Her subject of course being a girl who did absolutely nothing all day.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Rosalind felt guilty for storming off as she did. She knew Robert had meant know harm by his questions. He liked to speculate just as much as she did but she wasn't in the mood. Her brother was able to find something interesting in most things but it only got in the way when she was trying to focus.

She stopped walking as she realized that she had reached the lobby of the building. As Robert had said, there was a large portrait of her right beside the portrait of Comstock. All the founders of the building had a portrait but none as large as Comstock's. She was pleased to see that her own portrait was larger then the rest.

“Nice to see you out of your cage.” a young man said.

“Mr. Flambeau.” she greeted with little enthusiasm. The young man was Jeremiah Fink's assistant and yet, he seemed to think he was far more important then that.

“Madame Lutece.” he gave a nod, “Will we be seeing you at the meeting this afternoon?” Rosalind hadn't attended a meeting in 5 years. Maybe that's why she was so behind on everything. She was spending most of her time with Elizabeth and although she knew she wouldn't miss anything by leaving and going to a meeting, she had nothing to show. The meetings were used to show progress on multiple developments around the company but the only project she was working on, was Elizabeth.

“Not this time.” she said as she walked off. She made her way to Robert's office, no one would look for her there and she knew his office would be warm enough for a nap. She yawned as she thought about it. His office was always warm and cozy. Often times he would complain about the fact that she kept her office at such a cool temperature but she only did it so she wouldn't fall asleep.

She found his office and opened the door. To her left was a couch and a blanket. She knew he'd only placed them there for her, she was the only one that ever slept in his office. On long days where she spent the night at work, his office was always available should she need a break.

She curled up on the couch and covered herself with the blanket. If she could, she would spend all day there. But that would mean Robert would stay in her office, continuing her work and research. She couldn't put him through that, she'd just take a short nap and head back…

0.o.0.o.0

Robert knew he'd been irritating her but he'd never expected her to storm off like that. She was stressed, he knew that. He hadn't seen her as calm as usual in a few weeks. Almost everything he did or said caused her to snap at him. She was tired, hungry, and stuck doing this mind numbing job.

He glanced down at her clipboard. It held the last month worth of notes in it. Most entries were the same, but they were scarce. She used to create a detailed report on the girls daily activities but it must not have been necessary to her anymore. Although if she wasn't creating reports, what was she doing all day?

Robert knew his sister worked hard. While he had to be at work by 7, she started her work day at 5am and it didn't end until usually 7pm. He usually stayed with her until it was time to go home but he really just kept her company as she focused on whatever it was she was writing or reading. It had to be tiring, 9 years of the same thing would make anyone go mad and he knew she wanted to quit. He just couldn't understand why she didn't.

When they were younger; only 17, she'd come to the facility as an intern. They had always been smart, but Rosalind had been much more ambitious then he was. She'd had to be. No one had wanted to take her seriously at the time. Maybe that was how Comstock had convinced her to work there. She was young and while she wasn't naive, she hadn't experienced enough in life to see past every trick in the book. She'd hoped with the older mans funding and patience that she'd be hired and allowed to start her own projects. But after 9 years, he wondered if there had ever been a chance for her.

He'd begun working here when he was 22, a full 5 years after Rosalind had started. Everyone had spoken highly of her when he arrived and judging by their eagerness, he knew that she had done the same for him. The company had experienced a growth in sales once they'd hired her and the same was expected of him. But it was Rosalind that had a portrait in the lobby. And a large portrait at that, second in size only to the portrait of Comstock. She'd apparently helped the company so much that she was now considered a founder…

With all that, how had she ended up with the job she had now? A job that someone with half the intelligence of Rosalind could do. If Comstock was smart, he'd find someone else to do this and Rosalind could focus on other things.

Elizabeth coughed and he glanced up, her drawing was almost complete. He parted his lips, had she drawn the Eiffel tower? Rosalind had mentioned that she only saw a select few videos, and none of them included Paris…

The clocked chimed as it did every hour and Robert decided that he would give Rosalind an hour. She had most likely gone to his office to rest, it was the only other private place he knew off. In an hour, he would find a way to apologize to her.

But time seemed to drag in the office. There was nothing to keep him occupied and whenever he glanced at the clock, it seemed as if no time had passed. He took a piece of paper and began to draw. A simple picture of Rosalind reading at her desk. “Just 50 more minutes.” he sighed.

Elizabeth's scheduled recording began to play and he noticed the girl perk up. He was shocked to hear Rosalind's voice instead of Comstock. He remembered the recording, he'd helped her set up the recorder that day.

She'd spoken of an idea she had, something that they had researched together during their college years. An 'infusion' that would increase health and enhance several basic senses. Rosalind had been eager, her voice holding a confident tone that he didn't hear much anymore. It was odd, Rosalind was in no way insecure but her voice had become… blank.

He recalled her excitement when her application had been chosen. She'd bounced and laughed and even come close to crying. She'd told their father, who up until then had been supportive of her education. She planned to move closer to the facility and he'd said no. Rosalind was his only daughter and there was no way he was going to allow her to leave at such a young age. Not by herself at least. That's why Robert had decided to accompany her. He was behind on his studies but once he finished he'd planned to put an application in so he could join her at the facility. Of course things hadn't worked out that way.

He stood up and took his drawing to the window. The recording ended and Elizabeth picked up her sketchbook again. Robert glanced back at the door and slipped the paper into the slot. Elizabeth heard the lock and immediately checked to see what had been left for her.

The girl picked up the paper and stared at it. She touched the paper, tracing her fingers over the lines. She propped it up against her mirror and immediately began to replicate the picture.

“Has anything changed?” he turned and saw Rosalind walking in.

“I thought you'd be asleep by now.” he said.

“Me too.” she mumbled as she picked up her clipboard, “I couldn't sleep, your office is too close to Fink's lab.” Robert nodded, he wasn't sure what type of experiments Fink ran over there but the noise was unbearable.

Rosalind gestured to the window and sighed. Robert glanced at Elizabeth again, she had begun to color the picture. The colors were accurate… Which was odd. He'd given her a pencil sketch with no color.

“Can she see us?” he asked.

“No.” Rosalind answered. So how did she know what colors to use? Rosalind moved next to him and gasped as she saw the picture Elizabeth was drawing.

“Did you give her that?” she asked.

“I might have given her a form of it...” he said slowly. He wasn't sure how she would feel about that.

“Meaning?” Rosalind pressed.

“I drew a sketch and gave it to her, she's attempting to replicate it now.” Robert said.

“Why?” Rosalind asked. She didn't seem angry about it, more curious then anything.

“I don't know, I figured she was tired of drawing pictures of Comstock all day.” Robert shrugged, “I should add, however, the picture I gave her was black and white.”

“No color?” Rosalind asked.

“None at all.” Robert said.

“Interesting.” Rosalind went to her desk and sat down, “Maybe she can see us… If she can, she's doing a good job at hiding it.” Rosalind began to write a few notes. Robert continued to watch her draw, how much joy was she actually getting from it? Was it just something she did because it was all she knew? He wondered what she'd drawn before in the multiple sketchbooks lined up against the wall. What would she do if she ever ran out of paper? Rosalind had been pretty good with giving her a new sketchbook before she ran out of pages but what if?

“She's seen the Eiffel tower somehow… and she's seen me.” Rosalind said.

“She's seen the Eiffel tower enough to draw it without reference.” Robert added, “But she could only draw you after being given a reference picture.” He turned to his sister as she continued to write. He could never tell when she was thinking, she had the ability to keep her face blank at all times, unlike him. “Could there be a fault in the mirror?” he suggested.

“Possibly… but that doesn't explain the Eiffel tower...” Rosalind sighed and set her pen down, “This is all very strange.” The phone on her desk rang and she sighed, there was only one person who ever called. She gave him a look and answered the phone. Robert watched as her face grew more displeased with every second that passed before she hung up the phone.

“And what does his majesty want now?” he asked.

“A private meeting in his office.” she said, “Although he wouldn't tell me about what.” She stood up and walked back over to him, “Do you mind?” she held out the clipboard and he took it.

“Perhaps after your meeting we can get lunch?” he suggested, “It won't hurt at all.”

“Yes, lunch sounds nice.” she nodded and left the room. Robert had fully expected her to say no, but this was great. Maybe he could get her to leave her office more during the workday. Maybe she would even begin her research again if he could convince her that Elizabeth didn't need to be watched as much as she did before.

He sat down in front of the window and watched Elizabeth marvel at her work. Yes, things were beginning to change.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Rosalind left her office for the second time that day and she had to admit, it was relaxing. There was something about her office that left her feeling on edge. Maybe it was the girl who lived there, maybe it was the lighting. She didn't dwell too much on it.

People greeted her as she passed by as if she was someone they were excited to see. A few junior scientists reacted in shock but she brushed it off. She had no idea she was so well known in the facility. She hadn't exactly been active in any developments recently.

She reached Comstock office and let herself inside. There, at his desk sat Comstock staring intently at her. “It's nice to see you again.” he said.

“Of course, I’m usually very busy with your daughter.” she said.

“Ah yes, my sweet Elizabeth.” Comstock said, “How is she?” Rosalind kept her face neutral. How could he call her that yet in the 9 years she'd been watching, he'd never gone to see her.

“The same as usual.” Rosalind said, “One can't really expect a change with someone who doesn't interact with people.” She took a seat.

“I can assume you've told no one about her, correct?” he asked.

“I haven't.” she said. But she had no idea if anyone knew about it, her office wasn't exactly hidden but no one had ever stopped by. She always made sure to close the curtain and dim the window and on top of that she kept her door locked when she went home for the day.

“Good to hear.” Comstock nodded, “But we aren't here to talk about all that.” Then what were they going to talk about? Comstock stood up and walked around the desk, “I was looking over the contract you signed when you first began here. Your time here is almost up.”

“Is it now?” she couldn't recall there being a time limit on her contract but then again, she had barely been 18 when she signed it. She hadn't actually read through the entire thing.

“I've drafted another one for you to sign.” he pushed a stack of papers towards her. Rosalind glanced at it before looking back to him. What made him think she would sign another contract?

Comstock sensed her hesitation and cleared his throat, “I understand working here isn't what you thought it would be.” he started, “But that will all change very soon. You were the only person I trusted with Elizabeth but she's getting older now. You can move on to bigger and better things.”

“Like what?” he had her interest now.

“Whatever you like.” Comstock said, “I don't expect you to sign anything without reading it but I’m sure that once you do, you'll sign.” He smiled as if he had already convinced her. Rosalind picked up the stack of papers and stood up.

“I'll bring this back tomorrow.” she said. After she had read through it and discussed it with her brother. She wasn't sure what was in the terms that he was so confident about but she would check.

“Take all the time you need.” Comstock said, “I'll be stopping by in a few days to check on Elizabeth.” She gave a nod and left his office. She had already spent so much time with this company, perhaps it was time for her to find something new. But what would become of Elizabeth? As much as she tried to keep a professional opinion on the girl, she couldn't imagine just handing her off to someone else.

She made it back to her office and found Robert nodding off in front of the window, “Robert.” she tapped his shoulder lightly, “How about lunch?” she asked.

He blinked and stood up, “We should feed Elizabeth first.” he said, “She eats at the same time everyday right?” Rosalind glanced at the clock, it was still another hour before Elizabeth had to eat.

“Yes, it'll just be-” her phone rang again and she rolled her eyes. What did he want now? She set the papers on her desk and answered the phone.

“Rosalind, send Robert to me if you happen to see him. I called his office and he wasn't there.” Perhaps Roberts contract was up as well, all though he'd only worked there for 4 years.

“Of course sir.” she said and Comstock hung up. She turned to her brother, “He wants to see you now.”

“Me?” Robert frowned. She knew how much her brother had begun to dislike the man and it had all started once he saw Elizabeth. Robert did not agree with how he was treating her but so far he'd kept his thoughts to himself. “For what?”

“I don't know.” Rosalind said, “Just get it over with. We'll get lunch when you get back.” Comstock usually kept his visits short and sweet when he wasn't ranting about something. She had been lucky enough not to have to sit through his meetings every quarter. Robert, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. Comstock always spoke about religion at his meetings and in a room full of scientists, he had to know that no one believed what he was saying.

“Okay.” Robert said, “I'll be back.” he left the room slowly, no doubt taking his time.

Rosalind looked to Elizabeth, she had put away her sketchbook and was focusing on something on the wall. A fly… Now that was new. The room was sealed tight, the only place anything could get in through was the air filter. But even that was monitored closely. In the 9 years that Rosalind had been watching her there had never been a single insect in the room.

Maybe that's why Elizabeth was so shocked? Rosalind moved closer and watched as the girl stood and walked over to the fly. There was curiosity in her face, but not the type that came with seeing something new. She'd seen a fly before, just not in her room. Maybe she knew how it had gotten there.

Rosalind took a seat, if Elizabeth was somehow leaving the room, then she was doing it after she left for the day. “hmm...” Rosalind hummed. She scheduled the lights to go off every night at 9:30 pm, maybe the girl was doing things then. But how?

Rosalind made a note of it, things were finally getting interesting. Now, what would the girl do with the fly? It was the only thing that acted on its own besides herself if that room and Rosalind was curious to see how Elizabeth would respond to it.

0.o.0.o.0

“There's this beautiful Chinese restaurant right down the street.” Robert said as they left the building. Rosalind took a breath and nodded.

“Have you been there before?” she asked.

“No, but it never hurts to try something new.” Robert shrugged. He led her down the street, watching her closely. She was deep in thought obviously but at least she was outside. He wondered if her meeting with Comstock was anything like his.

“These places never have good tea.” she murmured.

“This one might.” Robert said, “You'll give it a chance right?” Only because he asked her too, he thought. They reached the restaurant and were seated immediately. They had arrived just before the lunch rush apparently. “You know tea comes from China, originally.”

“Yes, but this isn't China.” she said, “This is a small restaurant in America.”

The servers were polite and gave them menus and Robert watched Rosalind look it over. Her eyes flitted over the descriptions and pictures but she looked neither disgusted or pleased. He hoped she liked it, what would happen if she hated the first place he invited her too in 9 years? She probably wouldn't waste her time with lunch anymore.

“Are you going to look at the menu?” she asked.

“Huh?” he blinked.

“You've been watching me since we left work.” Rosalind set her menu down, “Is something on your mind?”

“Well, yes.” he nodded. She'd probably just write it off but he'd tell her anyway, he always told her everything, “I'm worried about you.”

“Robert...” she rolled her eyes.

“No, you neglect yourself.” he said, “One meal a day isn't healthy.” He watched her for a response, her lips twitched slightly downward before returning to it usual straight line.

“You know there's no need.” she said, “I was eating the same way during college.”

“But you were at home,” he said. They're mother cooked very large meals and had made sure that both he and Rosalind had snacks and took breaks during the day. But she wasn't there, she was back in London. Robert himself had tried to take her place but even he lost himself to his work.

Maybe he was being hypocritical. When he had a project her threw his entire being into it. Research and experiments all day and night with very little breaks.

“And?” Rosalind asked.

“I just-” what exactly was he getting at?

“Robert.” Rosalind sighed but gave him a small smile, “I'm fine.” She reminded him of their mother sometimes. She spoke softly and her eyes were sincere, it was comforting, “Work has been stressful.” she admitted, “I suppose 9 years of this has begun to take it's toll, but I assure you that it's nothing to worry about.”

“I thought that maybe we could start our own project.” he suggested. He just needed the go ahead from Comstock, although he wasn't sure if he'd get it. “The infusion we first thought of.”

“Perhaps.” she said, “But for now, lets eat.” The waitress took they're order and Rosalind ate a lot surprisingly. Most likely to calm his nerves but he was glad she was eating something. The rest of the day was uneventful.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Rosalind felt off when she awoke. Her stomach churned and when she tried to sit up, it hurt. She felt hot, despite the fact that she hadn't slept with a blanket. To top it off, she had a headache.

Rolling to her side, she saw the clock, it was 8:43am. It took her longer then it should have for her to realize that she was almost 4 hours late to work. She hurried out of bed and felt nauseous. Covering her mouth she ran to the bathroom and emptied her stomach into the toilet. How did she end up so sick? She wasn't sure but she felt too weak to stand.

Time passed as she sat hunched against the bathtub. She didn't want to get up at all but she had too.

Her head pounded as she stood slowly, making sure to stay hunched over to avoid causing her stomach too much pain. She turned on the sink and splashed her face with cold water. She looked in the mirror and was surprised to see how pale she looked. She shook her head and went back to her room. She got dressed quickly, tying her hair up into a messy bun before leaving. Robert was already gone, maybe he'd thought she already went to work. Either way, she wasn't looking forward to the walk to work.

She made sure she had her bags and headed out. The usual 10 minute journey took almost 30 as she continuously stopped to take a break. It was pushing 10 by the time she made it to work. She wondered if Robert noticed her absence. She wasn't sure of his schedule for the day but she hoped that he had at least fed Elizabeth.

Rosalind entered her office and saw Robert sitting in front of the window. “Robert.” she was shocked at her voice. It came out hoarse and quiet. Robert turned and stood up, coming to her side immediately.

“You should have stayed home.” he walked her into the office and closed the door, “Didn't you get my note?” She shook her head. Robert supported her as they walked over to her couch. She sat down and sighed. “I left it on the coffee table.”

“How long have you been here?” she asked, “Did she eat?”

“Yes, she's had her food.” Robert said, “I'll stay here today, you can go back home.” she shook her head, she wasn't up to it. Her feet hurt and her head was pounding. Robert must have sensed it because he immediately backtracked, “Actually, you can rest here and then we can go home together.”

“How is she?” she asked.

“The same as always.” Robert sighed, “Wait here.” Of course she wasn't going anywhere but she nodded anyway. He returned quickly with the blanket and pillows from his office, “Just rest, I’ll make sure Elizabeth is okay.” She didn't protest as he laid her down and covered her with the blanket. Her couch wasn't as comfortable as his but she didn't care.

“I think I ate too much.” she said.

“Perhaps,” he said, “Did you throw up?” she nodded. He pulled a garbage can over to the couch, “I'll be right here, if you need anything.” he hesitated but eventually went back to the window. She tried to stay awake but fell asleep a few minutes later.

She was in and out all day, sometimes asking questions that didn't make sense. But she was alert to know that Robert never left the room. She saw him taking notes, she saw him preparing Elizabeth's food and even saw him wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“Are you hungry?” he asked at one point.

“No.” she shivered. She had thrown up multiple times and there was nothing in her to throw up anymore, but if she couldn't keep down stomach acid then she certainly wouldn't be able to keep down food.

“Drink some water.” he held a glass to her lips and she drank, “The days almost over. We're leaving right after she finishes dinner.” Rosalind didn't have the strength to protest, not that she would have if she did. She wished she hadn't gotten out of bed that morning. Never in her life had she ever been as sick as she was at the moment.

0.o.0.o.0

Robert stood by the window, keeping an eye on his sister as she shivered on the couch. He'd never seen her this sick before. He had been sick several times but Rosalind was different. Maybe it was all the food she'd eaten. Whatever it was had caused her to throw up 3 times.

“No...” she was talking in her sleep and that worried him as well. She must have been having nightmares. He wanted to leave right then but it would only make her upset if Elizabeth didn't get dinner and he definitely couldn't deprive the girl of a meal.

“It's almost time.” he said as he eyed the clock. Rosalind shifted and took a breath, “I guess all this work has finally caught up to you.” he sighed and looked at her notes. They were far more interesting then usual. From the pictures she had made yesterday to the insect that had found its way inside her room. He was curious to see if Elizabeth was getting out somehow.

He heard the slot open and turned back to the window. Elizabeth had placed something inside of it and waited patiently for it to be taken. Robert set the clipboard down and retrieved Elizabeth's gift. Her drawing of Rosalind from yesterday. He wondered if Elizabeth knew that there were people outside of her room. He looked back to Elizabeth as she sat and waited. Was she expecting something in return? He didn't think so but he wanted to give her something anyway. A piece of candy seemed fair but he wasn't sure how Rosalind would feel about that.

Maybe another drawing of something different. He found himself drawing her another picture of Rosalind. He glanced up occasionally to see what Elizabeth was doing and found her holding a sketchbook and waiting it seemed. “Can you see me?” he asked. The girl didn't respond but the way she tapped her pencil against the paper made it seem as if she knew what he was drawing. She had already gathered the colors she would need. A variety of reds and oranges and few blues. It was strange, but maybe she had seen Rosalind enough to know what she looked like.

With the drawing done, he slipped it into the slot and watched her take it out. A smile appeared on the girls face and Robert realized he'd never really seen her happy before. She immediately worked to draw another picture. This one wasn't a replica of the one he'd given her but it was still of Rosalind…

Her hands worked quickly as she outlined the sketch, only stopping to glance back at the picture he gave her. Robert watched her for over an hour as she drew her picture. She drew this picture a lot faster then any he'd ever seen her draw. Maybe pictures of Comstock were only drawn because that was all she knew of. But with the introduction of Rosalind, maybe she was actually enjoying herself. Perhaps after a few weeks the novelty would wear down and she'd be just as bored with his sister.

He made a note of Elizabeth's response to getting the picture and went back to check on Rosalind. She was still asleep but she was no longer shivering. He had been making sure she got enough water but she couldn't really keep anything in her stomach for long. With Elizabeth's next meal coming up soon, he'd just wait until after they got home. And how would he get her home like this?

While they only lived a short distance away, neither of them had taken their car to work and Rosalind didn't seem to be well enough to walk anywhere. Elizabeth's alarm went off and he hurried to the fridge. The prepackaged meal waited there just as it always and he wasted no time in heating the soup for her. “Dinner at last.” he said to no one. Although he had a feeling that Elizabeth could hear him.

He heard Rosalind shift on the couch and realized that the alarm had woken her up. “Is it time to leave yet?” she asked quietly.

“We just have to wait for her to finish.” Robert slid the food into the room and watched as the girl ate it slowly. “Then we'll start walking.” Rosalind frowned and sat up.

“I'm going to use the bathroom.” she said. She stood slowly and left the room, leaving Robert alone to watch Elizabeth. She stared at the picture he'd given her as she ate the tasteless food. She must have known that there was someone outside of her room. Comstock's videos showed a world full of faceless people, but people none the less. They interacted and danced and lived while she was in the room. It didn't seem fair to show her everything yet never let her experience it.

But what would happen if Rosalind opened the window? He knew the code to get into the room, but he'd never overstep his boundaries and open the window himself. But if he could just talk to her… No, this wasn't his project. He wasn't even supposed to know Elizabeth existed. Boundaries were always pushed when it came to he and his sister. People would be honored to work with either of them and because of that, he was always able to sneak in on whatever Rosalind was working on without any complaint and if she chose so, she could do the same.

But he would couldn't make decisions when it came to this case, no matter how curious he was about it. Elizabeth finished eating and placed the tray back into the slot. She held the door open, as if waiting to see someone take the tray, to prove to her that someone was waiting on the other side. But the room was designed to prevent that. Only one end could be opened at a time “Someday.” Robert murmured as she let the door fall. He took the tray and disposed of it before waiting for Rosalind to return.

He left the picture Elizabeth had given him on top of her clipboard and locked up the office. Hopefully Rosalind was well enough tomorrow to work because he wasn't sure if he could continue to watch Elizabeth any longer.

“Are you ready?' Rosalind asked quietly. He took her arm and nodded, “Good.” she sighed and they left together.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Robert had been distant with her all morning, answering her with nothing but nods and shrugs. She hoped she hadn't done something while she'd been sick to cause it. She still felt a little sick but she would push through Robert didn't have to do her job for her.

“Comstock is stopping by.” she said as she looked through the contract he'd given her.

“For what?” Robert tore his eyes from Elizabeth and looked at her.

“He wants to talk about the girl.” Rosalind sighed. Robert looked back to Elizabeth, adopting the same distant stare he'd had all day. She knew he didn't agree with her being in the room, but he hadn't mentioned it in a long time. The situation wasn't as heartless as he thought it was. He was only thinking of it as bad because he wouldn't have wanted to be in her position. But Elizabeth had never seen anything outside of those walls… or maybe she had. Rosalind had only designed the room when she first arrived and the girl was already 6 years old at that point.

“When is he coming?” Robert asked, “I'll make sure to be gone by then.” Comstock didn't know that Robert knew about the girl and she wasn't how he would react to it. She had told him just 2 days ago that she hadn't told anyone about it.

“He didn't-”

“Good morning.” Comstock entered the room suddenly, closing the door behind him and smiling. “Robert? What a surprise it is to see you here.” Rosalind could tell that her brother was holding back what he wanted to say. Hopefully today wasn't the day he decided to tell Comstock how he really felt.

“I was only visiting my sister.” Robert said, “She was very sick yesterday.”

“Ah,” Comstock looked to Rosalind, “Good to see you're well enough to work.” The man walked forward, “I believe its time.” he stopped and looked between them.

“Time for what?” Rosalind urged.

“Time,” he said slowly, “To open this window.” She didn't miss the noise that Robert had made and neither did Comstock.

“Are you sure?” she asked, “I'm not entirely sure how she would react.”

“She will still live in there, but you'll interact with her.” Comstock said, “And only you.” Which she was sure he realized meant that the girl would interact with Robert as well. “Teach her to read and speak properly.” Comstock said, “I'll supply you with the learning materials you need.”

Rosalind was not a teacher and the idea of teaching someone the basic skills that she'd learned as a child didn't appeal to her. The thought of finally speaking to someone she'd watched for 9 years, however, was something she looked forward too.

“I'll come by occasionally to have a talk with her myself. In those moments I want to be left completely alone.” Comstock said. And what was she supposed to do then? Perhaps she could do her own research in that time. That would prove to be interesting.

Comstock moved to the window standing close enough to fog up the glass, “If she's doing well enough, we'll try to take her outside.” He moved his hand to the glass and Rosalind grimaced. The entire display was odd. “My lamb...” he said softly, “It's almost time for you to come home.” Rosalind didn't know what he meant by home but she couldn't imagine Elizabeth actually living with him. “Have you signed the contract yet?” he asked suddenly, never looking away from Elizabeth.

“Not yet.” she answered. Robert looked to her curiously and she shrugged, “I'm still thinking about my options.”

“Jeremiah Fink.” Comstock said, “He can help you with whatever you need.” But she couldn't stand the man at all and would never go to him for any kind of assistance.

“I don't think I'll be needing any help from him.” she said.

“And I assume you've already spoken to your brother?” he asked. Comstock had a habit of speaking about people as if they weren't in the same room and he seemed to dial it up an extra notch when it came to Robert, “I'm sure he'd like to help.”

“Not yet.” she had meant to, but she had been too sick the day before and he hadn't really been speaking to her today. Comstock finally moved away from the window and started towards the door.

“This all starts today, I expect to see full reports weekly on her status.” he said.

“You won't be staying to see her?” Rosalind asked, “Or at least speak to her?” The display he put on made it seem as if he cared for her, after all she was his daughter. It would seem right that he was there to greet her as one of the first people she saw.

“No, I’m afraid she isn't ready for that yet.” Comstock said, “I'll give her time.” He left the room and Rosalind rolled her eyes.

“She isn't ready for what?” Robert asked, “Him?”

“Is anyone really ready for Comstock?” she sighed.

“You have a point.” Robert smiled as he stood.

“Will you be staying?” she asked.

“Excuse me?”

“You don't seem to be in the mood for any of this today.” Rosalind walked over to a keypad on the wall next to the window.

He moved in front of the window, “Of course I'll be staying. I'd like to see what we'll be dealing with.”

“We?” she asked. He'd never shown much interest in this unless it was to tell her how wrong the entire thing seemed.

“Yes.” he nodded, “Unless you'd like me to leave.”

“Of course not,” she said quickly, “But you have your own job, I’m sure.” He had spent a long time with her the past week, she hoped she wasn't distracting him from something. A look flashed over his eyes and he shook his head.

“I'd rather be here right now.” she smiled and finished entering the code.

There was a click and the window began to slide open. Elizabeth stopped what she was doing and watched. Her eyes went wide as she realized what was happening. She clutched her sketchbook almost as hard as Rosalind was clutching her clipboard. The window finally opened completely and Rosalind let out a breath.

“Hello.” she said, “My name is-”

“Rosalind...” Elizabeth said.

“Yes!” she said, “How did you know that?” Elizabeth gestured to the pictures she had drawn, as if that explained anything.

“She can talk.” Robert whispered. Perhaps she had picked up language from the videos she watched everyday, perhaps she had always known how to talk but had no one to talk to. Rosalind made a note of it and moved on.

“Elizabeth, this is my brother.” Rosalind said, “His name is Robert.”

“I'm the one who gave you the pictures.” Robert said. Elizabeth smiled and nodded, perhaps finally happy to know who'd given her the gift. “Can you say anything else?” Elizabeth nodded but didn't speak. Robert took the clip board from her and began to write, which was good because she was far too wrapped up to do it herself.

“Have you seen me at all before today?” she asked. Elizabeth's eyes flickered and she looked away, “What is it?” It was an answer in itself. The girl had seen her, but she also seemed aware of the fact that she shouldn't have been able to. “It's okay, we just want to know.” Elizabeth shook her head and Rosalind looked to Robert.

“Do you think...” he paused, “Do you think he still wants her to eat that paste?” Rosalind blinked.

“I don't suppose it really matters.” she said. She was unsure how Elizabeth's stomach would respond to anything else.

“I'm going to get lunch for us.” he said, “Maybe we can mix her soup with something else.” She nodded and took her clipboard back. She looked over the notes and sighed, he'd shorthanded it all and she couldn't make out most of it.

“Elizabeth, is there anything you want to talk about?” she asked.

“Me?” she asked quietly.

“There's no one else here.” Rosalind said, “You've lived alone for a long time. I'm sure you have questions.” Elizabeth shook her head and looked back to her sketchbook. “May I see your drawings?” she asked. Elizabeth hesitated but eventually handed her the sketchbook. The objects were of the same few things in her room. Her bed, her TV, herself. Then there were multiple pictures of Comstock dressed as he was in the videos she watched.

There was a drawing of teddy bear, but Rosalind was sure that she'd never seen one in the video. “Was this yours?” she asked. Elizabeth nodded, “What happened to it?”

“They took it.” she mumbled.

“Who?” Rosalind asked. Elizabeth shook her head and looked to her lap. Had she seen the scientists from before? It was starting to seem very likely that she hadn't always been locked away like this. Her brother had been right to feel sorry for her.

Rosalind turned the pages and saw the picture of her that Robert had given her. It was strange, the picture Elizabeth had given back was far more detailed. The next picture shocked her. A picture of her standing with a clipboard. “How did you know how I looked?” she asked.

Elizabeth played with her shirt and glanced up, “I...” she started.

“There's no need to be intimidated.” Rosalind tried but Elizabeth had moved to sit on her bed. Rosalind placed the sketchbook back into the room and sighed. “We'll be doing this a lot from now on.” she said, “Everyday we'll talk to you, and you can ask whatever you want.” Elizabeth didn't respond but Rosalind knew that it wasn't because she couldn't. She just didn't want to. She seemed afraid as if she would be punished. Something she shouldn't be afraid of as someone who'd been locked away her entire life.

The lunch alarm went off and Elizabeth jumped. “It's just a reminder.” Rosalind said, “I used it to remind me to prepare your food. Are you hungry.” Elizabeth blinked and shrugged. Maybe she didn't know what that word meant. It was possible but based on her behavior, it would be impossible to know for sure how much the girl actually knew.

She herself was getting hungry but Robert had only just left. She attempted to pass the time by asking Elizabeth questions and watching more for a physical response. Elizabeth's eyes betrayed her for the most part. She always looked away when she was lying and she blinked when she was confused. Her perception of most things was minimal and Rosalind stayed away from questions that would make her retreat back to her bed.

It was a relief when Robert returned with their lunch. “I've got a surprise for you.” Robert placed a bruised peach on her desk, “I don't suggest eating it, I dropped it and it tumbled down the steps of the market.” He began to prepare Elizabeth's food, “But it will make the room smell nice for a little bit.”

“What did you get for her?” she asked.

“Tomato soup.” He answered, “It's the same consistency as her usual soup.” He frowned as he mixed the two soups together, “She can have half now and the rest for dinner.” The soup was an ugly brown color now but Rosalind knew Elizabeth wouldn't mind. She'd probably enjoy seeing something other then the gray soup she usually ate. “And for us I got chicken fried rice.”

Rosalind's stomach churned at the thought, she was still sick from the last time she ate Chinese food. Robert noticed and bit his lip. “You're feeling better right?” he asked.

“Well enough to work.” she sighed.

“I can get you something else.” he suggested.

“Nonsense, you're already here.” she would eat what he brought if only because she didn't want to be alone with Elizabeth again, “Did you get her anything to drink?” she asked. Robert nodded as he finished up preparing Elizabeth's lunch. He set it down on the girls desk and watched as Elizabeth sat down and picked up her spoon.

Rosalind pulled her chair closer to the window and picked up her clipboard, she was curious to know Elizabeth would react to the new food. Rosalind had only ever tasted Elizabeth's food once and it had been bland and chalky. It left a bad taste in her mouth, but she hadn't thought much about it. “Rosalind, try to eat something.” Robert said. Rosalind nodded but made no move to eat.

Elizabeth's eyebrows rose as she tasted the soup. “Do you like it?” Rosalind asked.

Elizabeth took a few more bites, eating much faster then usual before nodding. “Slow down, you'll make yourself sick.” Robert said. He took the clipboard and pushed a bowl into Rosalind's hands. She glanced at him in annoyance but he didn't falter, he wanted her to eat.

“What is this?” Elizabeth asked once she'd eaten a good amount of it.

“It's tomato soup, mixed with what you normally eat.” Robert explained. Elizabeth nodded and continued to eat. Rosalind ate enough to get rid of her hunger but found anything more then that made her feel sick. She set about cleaning up while Robert spoke to Elizabeth. He seemed to be getting a better reaction out of her then she had been.

Robert had always been better with children, maybe because he smiled more, she wasn't sure. Whatever the case, they had a sensible amount of information recorded by the time their shift was over. “I'm afraid we have to call it a day.” Robert said, “We'll be leaving soon.”

“Will you come back?” Elizabeth asked.

“Of course,” Rosalind answered, “We'll return when you wake up.” Elizabeth frowned and nodded. Robert opened his mouth but said nothing as the window began to close. The last thing they needed was for Elizabeth to wander the building in their absence. That would come eventually, but only after Rosalind was sure she was ready for it.

Rosalind watched Elizabeth for a minute after the window closed. It must have been different knowing that someone was standing on the other side watching. “It doesn't seem right to leave her here now.” Robert said.

“No,” she agreed, “It does not. But are you prepared to stay here with her tonight?” Robert shook his head, “Perhaps in the future.” Rosalind said, “But for now let's get some rest and continue in the morning.” Rosalind began to pack her suitcase when there was a loud screech, and then the power went out.

0.o.0.o.0

Flambeau scrambled to the backup generators and began to turn them on. This was the second time in a week where they had blown the power trying to contain the bird. Something was riling it up and if they didn't figure out what, they would be in trouble.

“Hurry!” a scientist shouted into his ear. Flambeau worked as fast as he could and managed to get his generator started. The lights flickered back on and the bird sat in the center of its “cage” calmly. He sighed in relief and looked around. The scientists were all still in a frenzy to make sure the bird stayed calm.

He watched the bird intently and wondered if it even knew what it was doing. It seemed as if it had just thrown a fit because it wanted to see everyone panic. It was unsettling and if he were to be honest with himself, it wasn't even close to what he'd agreed to do when he was hired.

He was to be an assistant to Jeremiah Fink, working part time so he could also go to college. He'd only worked there for 3 months but he got the feeling that after all he'd seen, they wouldn't let him leave. And he'd seen a lot.

He'd originally thought that this was a normal science lab, his original tour of the place had shown him a wing for genetics, a wing for physics, and a wing for… religion? It didn't seem to fit in a building for the sciences but Zachary Comstock was a religious nut and since he funded everyone's projects, no one went against him.

Fink worked in manufacturing and in the beginning, Flambeau had only been allowed to see the small things. Tonics that could give people abilities like he'd never seen. He never believed a man could shoot fire from his fingers but he'd seen it! It was the one thing that had gone right since he'd been there. Of course the victory had been short lived since the formula used to create the tonic had gone “missing”.

And he used that word loosely, it was a well known fact that there was a rivalry between the two heads of the depart meant. Jeremiah Fink and Yi Suchong had never gotten along. They stole from each other and occasionally worked together. Suchong denied having stolen anything and although it was obvious that he had, no one could prove a thing.

“What a week this has been.” Fink grabbed his shoulder, “What do you think?”

“I'm not sure what we've achieved.” he said honestly. All he'd seen was the bird, and that couldn't have been considered a victory by anyone.

“Of course not.” Fink laughed, “But I’ve created another vigor! With the help of Marlowe, of course.”

“What is it?” he asked. Although he didn't really want to know.

“It allows you to call birds to do your bidding.” he said. Why someone would need such a thing was beyond him. “It hasn't been tested yet, but I’ve lined up a few people who are willing to try it.”

“Would this new vigor allow for control over the bird?” he asked.

“Hmmm.” Fink turned to look at the bird, “I knew there was a reason I hired you. I'm going to give it a shot and if it doesn't work, I know just the person who can get it to work.” Fink left him then and Flambeau followed, his shift was over and he didn't want to spend another minute in the building.

He rushed to the door, tossing a glance back at the lab. He didn’t want to be around when the power went out again and he had already stayed hours past his shift. He ran into a person and stopped. “My apologies.” he said, “Lutece!”

“If you're going to run around like this, you should at least watch where you're going.” Robert Lutece bent over to pick up his papers.

“I...” he was at a loss for words. This was the second time he'd seen one of them outside of their office. He'd heard that Robert was the nicer twin but the man looked nothing but irritated while his sister looked on calmly. Maybe because he hadn't bumped into her, “It won't happen again.”

“Let's hope it won't.” Robert handed him his papers and walked around him with Rosalind following behind. Flambeau watched them as they left. They walked in step, each holding a suitcase. He hadn't noticed before but their clothes were matching. Was it done on purpose? He shook his head and went back on his way. He had a lot of homework to do.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Comstock's contract had promised her a lot. He wanted to see her create things and had offered her as a position as the head of the physics department. The current head was getting ready for retirement and would need a replacement. There were several people qualified to run the department but at least Comstock knew that she was the most qualified.

He wanted her to take control and had even given her the task of appointing two people to work immediately under her. She looked through her options and knew she'd ask Robert if she could. Once Elizabeth was released they could go back to working on what they wanted to. She'd seen his notes scattered about the apartment and knew that he probably had as many ideas as she did.

“That went well.” Robert said, “She seemed happy.”

“She was.” Rosalind said, “And confused. She only knows what has been taught in those videos.” Which was nothing of relevance.

“And what you've recorded. I'm sure listening to you speak has taught her a lot.” Robert said. Rosalind hummed in agreement. She wasn't sure how much Elizabeth understood of it but it was something. “I wonder why the girl was never allowed any books.”

“She wasn't meant to have anything.” Rosalind said, “I went against orders when I gave her the sketchbook.” And Comstock hadn't been happy but it had been too late at that point. She hadn't been intimidated in the least by Comstock though, he knew firing her would mean he would lose the most intelligent person in his entire staff. There was a part of her that assumed that his favor of her would die down once Robert came to work there. But the man hated Robert and Robert hated him.

She was very surprised that Comstock hadn't thrown a fit about Robert's involvement with the project. Usually when Robert spoke up about something he was given a tedious project that would keep him busy for a short amount of time. Robert was too smart for whatever it was that Comstock threw at him. He was able to find solutions to any problem they had and without him, a lot of projects would have failed. But Comstock didn't really see that and it was only a matter of time before he gave Robert another set of projects to keep him away from Elizabeth.

She always grew too comfortable with his company during work. When they had attended college together they had spent every waking moment together studying and creating theories. It was comforting to have him there with her making sure she didn't die of boredom. He brought her lunch and helped her record data and now that the project was picking up, she knew he wanted to stay too.

“Something on your mind?” Robert asked. He had begun to walk closer to her as they got outside. The sun had set and the streets were empty.

“Just Elizabeth.” she lied, “And… the contract that Comstock was speaking about earlier.”

“I was wondering when you would tell me about that.” he said.

“It's promising a lot.” she said, “but it requires another 10 years of obligated service.”

“10 years?” Robert repeated.

“I think I might sign it.” she admitted. Robert didn't respond, “But I’d like it if you read it over and gave me your input of it.” Robert gave a short nod but didn't say anything. He might understand why she'd sign once he read it but until then she wouldn't bring it up again. “It's still early enough for dinner.” she said.

“Oh!” Robert smiled, “Don't I owe you a nice dinner?” She was surprised at how much his mood could change with the conversation. Perhaps she was the same, although she didn't show it. “You can take a bath and I’ll read through the contract and make dinner.

“What will you be making?”

“It's a surprise.” he said as the reached the apartment building. He opened the door for her and she entered. Robert wasn't exactly a good cook, but out of the both of them, he was the better one. They entered their home and she immediately went to bathe.

0.o.0.o.0

The smell of cheese brought her out of her slumber and a knock on the door woke her completely. “Dinner is served!” The door cracked and he peeked in to make sure she was fully dressed.

“You can come in.” she sighed.

“Were you asleep?” he asked as he entered the room, “I made you're favorite meal.” He handed her a plate and she rolled her eyes.

“This isn't my favorite,” she sighed, “It's yours.” Her brother had a simple palate when it came to food. He didn't require anything too fancy to keep him satisfied.

“I worked hard on it.” he sat at her desk and she noticed that he had the contract in his hands, “I even cut it into neat little triangles.”

“And I would be impressed, if I were 5 and not 26.” She took a bite and set it back down on the plate. Her stomach still didn't seem to like her eating. Surely she'd be able to keep something as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich down.

“Now,” Robert found a seat at her desk, “This contract seems a little too good to be true.”

“I know.” she nibbled at the sandwich.

“But unlimited funding is exactly what you need.” he said slowly.

“It seems good on paper, but how much time will I really have for my own research if I’m to watch over everyone else?” she sighed.

“That's where the team comes in handy.” Robert said, “You don't have to look over everything, you can easily delegate the work to someone else.”

“True.” she said.

“And if you'd allow me to be a part of the team, we'd get twice as much done.” he said.

“Of course I’d allow you. We'd finally put these degrees to use.” Rosalind said with a smile. She had double majored in physics and chemistry when she was a teenager. Of course the only time she'd gotten to use it would have been when she was proving herself to Comstock. He'd made it seem as if he'd only wanted the best but all he'd done is taken her ideas and made them his own. He wouldn't be able to do that this time, she wasn't going to let him.

“I think you should sign it.” Robert said, “And once Elizabeth is ready, you can move on to bigger things.” She ate half of her sandwich before her stomach began to revolt. “The only intimidating thing is the 10 year obligation.”

“Alright, I suppose I’ll have a talk with him tomorrow.” she said, “I think I can get him to remove it.” She was sure she could, but sometimes Comstock wasn't willing to listen.

“I'm off to bed then.” he said with a yawn, “I'll even wake up early and make you breakfast before going to work.”

“You?” she raised an eyebrow. The only time Robert had woken up before her was when she was sick. Any other time he slept in at least an hour after she left with barely enough time to shower and shave.

“Does that seem too ambitious?” he asked, “Maybe I can draw you a picture of breakfast.” They shared a laugh before Robert took their dishes and left the room. He came back moments later to utter a quick goodnight before closing the door.

Rosalind changed into her nightgown before going to sleep, her last thoughts were once again about Elizabeth.

0.o.0.o.0

Rosalind didn't open the window as soon as they got there as he'd hoped. Instead she looked over her notes, copying down important things and building a report. “I'm sure she wants to see us again.” he said.

“Yes, she's already drawn a few more pictures.” she said.

“So why keep her waiting?” Robert asked.

“So I can get this done, once I open the window I’ll forget all about this.” she said. She never took her eyes away from her papers, “Why don't you get something ready to teach her?”

“Teach her?” he asked.

“We're going to see how well she can read and write, then we'll start to help her improve.” Rosalind said, “The sooner we do, the sooner Comstock will let her outside.” Robert nodded and began to prepare a few sentences for her to read. They were simple grade school things. Each sentence getting harder and harder. If she knew one they could move on to the next. If she didn't know any of them… well they could always start with the alphabet.

“What if she already knows how to read?” Robert said, “Maybe she's learned before...” She'd shared with him the idea that she hadn't always been locked away, maybe they could ask her more about that when they opened the window.

“Then that's less work for us.” Rosalind said. Robert rolled his eyes as he waited, she was writing so slow. He'd grown used to her scribbling brief notes and now that she had gone back to her normal form of reports, he was growing restless.

He didn't understand why Rosalind wasn't as excited about this as he was. Or maybe she was, he honestly couldn't tell. Her reactions were usually so subtle nowadays. He paced the room, watching Elizabeth through the window as she frantically drew something on the paper. He hoped their encounter left her inspired enough to create more pictures. “We forgot to ask about the Eiffel Tower.” he said.

“I didn't forget, she seems to grow weary whenever I mention things that she shouldn't know about.” Rosalind said, “I just didn't want her to stop responding to me again.”

“Maybe she saw it as a child.” he suggested, although that wouldn't explain why she just now began to draw pictures of it. Maybe someone else was coming into the room while Rosalind was gone. The only people who had keys were the janitors but they had been told that they should never come into this room. Then again, they seemed to replace the entire staff every few weeks, maybe someone forgot.

“Why don't you get her something for breakfast.” Rosalind suggested.

“Is my pacing about bothering you that much?” he asked.

“Yes.” she said, “We'll open it soon enough, Just let me finish this. Comstock will expect more then the usual now that we're actually interacting with her.”

Robert sighed quietly before walking up to the window. Elizabeth had drawn 4 pictures since they left. Almost all of them were of Rosalind and one unfinished one was of him. She was currently working on a 5^th picture but he couldn't tell who she was drawing. He stood on his toes and leaned forward to get a better look.

“What are you doing?” Rosalind's voice startled him and he stepped back. “Really, you're terribly impatient.” she stood up and walked over to him. “I suppose now is good time to open the window.”

He smiled as she walked over to the keypad. She began to type in the code.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

They're names were Robert and Rosalind Lutece. They were siblings and they'd been on the other side of her mirror for a long time. She was a little angry, why hadn't they spoken to her before? She wouldn't tell them that she was angry, they might stop talking to her if she did.

She also wouldn't tell them about the little windows. The ones that appeared after the lights went off. That's how she'd first seen Rosalind. The lady had been asleep and the window had closed before she could really see much. The windows opened randomly and she didn't know what would happen if someone else noticed that she could see outside.

They would probably find a way to stop them since they didn't like her seeing outside. She picked up her sketchbook and waited. Rosalind had said that they'd return when she woke up and that had been a while ago. Maybe they were already there and they were just watching… she didn't like that. Maybe they had decided that they didn't want to talk to her anymore.

Elizabeth opened her sketchbook to her latest drawing. It was for Robert since he had been so nice to her. Not that Rosalind hadn't been nice… it's just that she'd never given her a present like Robert had. Or maybe she had, Robert told her that it was Rosalind who made sure she received all of her meals. That she had been the one to replace her pencils when they began to get run down. Would she be mad that she didn't receive a picture too? Maybe she should draw one…

There was a click, she recognized as the same from yesterday that she'd heard before the window opened. She closed the sketchbook quickly and waited while the window opened.

“Good morning, Elizabeth.” Rosalind greeted. Her smile was small but Robert's was big, did that mean he was happier?

“Good morning.” she responded.

“We have a lot of things to go over today.” Rosalind said. She picked up the clipboard, “And my brother has a few questions for you.”

“Hello, Elizabeth! Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“I think so.” she nodded, “I went to sleep after the lights went out.” Usually she went to bed as soon as they went out, but this time she'd waited and waited. She’d been curious to see if they came back. They didn't…. It was a mistake because all she wanted to do now was go back to sleep. “I drew you a picture...” she suddenly didn't want to give it to him. What if he didn't like it?

“Can I see?” Robert stepped closer and she shook her head. His smile fell a little, “Come on, I’d like to see it.”

She felt her cheeks getting hot and Rosalind's pencil moved, was she drawing too? “It's not that good.” she said as she handed him the sketchbook. Her heart pounded as he turned to the page with the drawing. His eyes widened and he said something to his sister that she couldn't hear. Was he telling her how upset he was?

“Elizabeth, would you like to come out here?” Rosalind asked as she looked at the picture. The woman gave a small smile and took the picture out of the sketch book.

“I...” why was she asking that? “Yes, I would.”

“Then you should try to learn as much as possible so we can make that happen.” she said, “Starting with reading and writing.” Reading, she'd heard that term before when she was younger but trying to remember where just made her head hurt.

“I've put together a few things to test your knowledge.” Robert said, “Once we know what you know then we can get started.”

“Okay.” she gave a short nod, hopefully she knew a lot. She didn't want to stay in the room forever.

Robert held up a sheet of paper and she stared at it. “Do you know what it says?” he asked.

“No...” she said slowly. He held up a few more but she understood none of it. Robert spoke to Rosalind again and Elizabeth felt her face heating up, “Is this bad?”

“No,” Rosalind turned to her, “It's exactly as expected, we have a lot to teach you.” Yet she felt as if it was bad. Like she should have known more. Maybe she should have used those windows to learn instead of watching people.

“It's nothing to be embarrassed about.” Robert said softly, “We'll help you as much as we can.”

“It won't be hard to learn.” Rosalind said, “And we'll start small.” Elizabeth nodded and Robert handed her a book. “That will help you learn. Open it to the first page.” She did as she was told, “That, is the letter A.” Rosalind said, “It's the very first letter of the alphabet.”

“A.” she said.

“Exactly, the next page is the letter B.” Robert said. They went through every letter in the alphabet before asking her to repeat them all without looking. She didn't remember them all but they didn't seem to mind. “You're doing well. Once we're sure you understand the basics we'll help you learn to read.” Rosalind continued to draw on her paper, she wondered what she was drawing. Maybe she could ask, No… she needed to focus on this.

“But first,” Rosalind handed her sketchbook back, “Do you think you can write the letters?”

“I don't know...” she said.

“I think you can, you've already shown us that you can draw. Writing is like that, in a way.” Robert said. She turned to a blank page and picked up a pencil, “Remember when I gave you the picture of Rosalind?” she nodded, “You copied it perfectly, I want you to do that with the alphabet. Just copy the entire thing.”

“Okay.” she said. She looked at every letter and copied them while Rosalind and Robert spoke to each other. She hoped she was doing well enough for them, maybe then they would let her come with them. She wondered what it was like out there. She'd seen Rosalind's room but it was just like her own. Maybe there was more. Like the place with the pointy thing… she'd drawn a picture of it because none of the windows ever opened to that place again and she didn't want to forget it.

She wondered if Rosalind would let her live with her… maybe if she was smart enough. Then she wouldn't have to wait for them to return everyday, because she would live with them. “Am I doing okay?” she asked. She just needed to know.

Rosalind walked closer to the window, leaning inside to glance at her letters. She was close enough that Elizabeth could touch her if she tried. And she wanted to… she hadn't felt another person. At least she didn't remember it if she had.

Elizabeth reached for her face and Rosalind glanced at her hand… she said nothing as Elizabeth moved forward and touched her face. It was warm… and soft. Maybe this was what most people felt like. She moved her hand to her hair, it didn't feel the same way as her own. “You're doing well.” Rosalind said softly.

“You have dots on your face.” Elizabeth said.

“Freckles,” Rosalind moved away, “They're called freckles.” Elizabeth watched as Rosalind went to draw-no write- something at her desk and Robert stepped forward.

“We're going to take a break.” Robert said, “I'm going to leave and get food for us and you can ask Rosalind anything you want.” Elizabeth nodded. She didn't want him to leave but she knew she couldn't stop him.

Rosalind came back and sat down while Robert left the room. “Most people learn to write when they are much younger.” she said, “But because you've been in here, you didn't have the chance.”

“Why do I live here?” she asked. She briefly remembered being placed in the room by a man…

“I don't exactly know.” Rosalind said and she seemed upset that she didn't. “But none of that matters, what matters is getting you out of there.” Rosalind yawned and sighed.

“You're sleepy.” she said.

“Sort of.” Rosalind nodded, “I'm a tad bit sick at the moment. A bad case of food poisoning.” She didn't know what that was, but it didn't seem good. “It's nothing to worry about, i'll be fine.”

“Are there other people out there?” she hadn't seen any in the windows but maybe…

“There are.” Rosalind said, “People your age and people my age. People younger and people older.” She'd like to meet them, but they probably wouldn't feel the same way. They could probably read…

The door opened and she looked for Robert, she was shocked to see another man enter the room. Rosalind turned and watched as well. A sense of dread washed over her as the man stepped up to the window. “Hello, my child.” he said.

“Father Comstock.” Elizabeth mumbled. That was what he called himself in those videos she watched.

“I've come to have a conversation with you.” Comstock turned and look at Rosalind, “Alone.”

“Right now?” Rosalind spoke up, “You couldn't call first?”

“I don't need to.” he said, “This is my daughter and I'll see her whenever I please.” No, this man was not her father. Elizabeth looked to Rosalind for some sort of answer but the woman never looked at her “As I said before, I would be taking an hour every now and then to speak with her.”

Rosalind frowned but Comstock didn't notice as he had already turned back to Elizabeth. “Alright then.” she said, “I'll return in an hour.” She was leaving… Leaving her alone with this strange man. She took a breath and waited, all the while wishing Rosalind had never left her alone with this man.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Robert returned just as Rosalind was getting back to her office. He'd purchased a few books as well as their lunch. “Comstock wanted to speak with her.” she said as she opened the door. She didn't care if the man was done or not. She entered the room and gasped, “She's gone...”

Robert entered behind her, setting everything on her desk. “Do you think she wandered off on her own?” he asked.

“No...” Elizabeth seemed to think she needed their permission to leave the room and Rosalind had done nothing to correct that thought. “Comstock must have taken her.” but she'd seen the girl's response to the man. She wouldn't have willingly left with him.

Rosalind walked up to the window and looked inside, Elizabeth's drawings were scattered on the floor, perhaps knock off of the table when she had been taken out of the room. “You're right about that.” Robert said as he came to her side, “Look at this.” It was a note.

I have taken the girl to get treatment. I talked to Dr. Pettifog and we have decided that she needs her vaccinations. She will be back soon.

~Comstock~

“She's never experienced pain… at least not the type that comes with vaccinations.” Rosalind murmured, “They shouldn't have done this.” She already knew how this would go. Elizabeth would throw a fit and resist and they would drug her before bringing her back.

“This might be a good thing.” Robert said, “This means she'll be ready to go outside of this building soon. Maybe she'll even live outside of her room.”

“And live where?” she asked, “With him?” It was strange to find herself more worried then Robert was about the girl. She'd been able to keep herself emotionally uninvented when the girl did nothing but stare blankly at the mirror, but now… she'd seen her differently.

“Let's hope for her sake that she doesn't.” Robert led her to the couch, “You look like you're still sick.”

“I am.” she sighed, “But that doesn't matter.”

“There's nothing we can do now.” Robert said, “You can get some rest while she's gone and I’ll think up her second lesson.” Rosalind rolled her eyes and grabbed the blanket, “Maybe we can play some music for her when she gets back.” Robert sat at her desk and began separating the things he'd purchased. He rambled on about how they could teach Elizabeth how to read and she found herself drifting off again.

Just as her eyes closed, she heard the door open. Comstock came back into the room and she stood up, walking over to him. “Ah, Rosalind.” Comstock took a breath, “I've decided to help you create a lesson plan for her.”

“I don't exactly need help with that.” she already knew that he wanted her to feed the girl propaganda for his company. She hated false information.

“Of course you don't.” he smiled, “But I want this to go faster then it has been going, I expected her to be further along by now.”

“It hasn't even been 2 days.” she said, “What more can you expect?”

“I expected someone as smart as you to be able to teach her something.” Comstock sighed, “I need her ready soon.” Comstock stepped closer, closer then he had any right to be. “You see, I’m not well.” he took her hand, “I've told no one about my diagnosis but I won't be here much longer. Elizabeth needs to be placed as vice president soon. She needs to be ready should anything happen.”

“Do you really expect her to get an entire 12 years of education in 2 days?” Robert asked, “It would take at least a year to get her to understand the basics of running a facility like this.” Rosalind pulled away from Comstock and found herself up against her desk, “If your plan had been to raise her as an heir to the company, you shouldn't have locked her away like this.”

“Robert, you just don't understand.” Comstock said, “When her mother died… I was broken. I needed to make sure she was safe so that she didn't fall victim to the same thing as her mother.” Rosalind wasn't sure how his wife had died but she was sure that Elizabeth would have been fine outside of the room. There was a thing in the world called a babysitter or a nanny. Locking her away and depriving her of all physical contact should have never crossed his mind. “The scientists were very rough with her when they took her out, but I expect you'll take care of her.”

Rosalind waited for him to leave before turning to Robert, “The only option?” she fumed, “What logic is that for a child?”

“Comstock… he has a way of thinking and no one's opinion seems to matter.” Robert said, “And he didn't seem to mind getting close to you.”

“He never does.” Rosalind looked towards Elizabeth's empty room. Comstock was a touchy feely kind of man. He must have known the discomfort he caused when his handshakes lasted a little too long or his unwanted hugs caused people to pull away from him. Still she had to admit that all he'd done this time was violate her personal space.

“Well why not?” Robert asked.

“I don't know.” Rosalind could tell Robert was getting angry about it. He was protective over her and didn't like when she faced unwanted advances from anyone. This was nothing like that of course, Comstock wasn't attracted to her. At least she assumed he wasn't. She'd dealt with her fair share of grabby men in this facility but she wouldn't tell Robert that.

“Has he done this before?” Robert questioned, “How often does he do that?”

“Drop it.” she rolled her eyes, “It isn't important.” Not at the moment. She needed to prepare for when Elizabeth returned.

“Fine.” Robert sighed, “What about the girl. What happened to her mother?”

“She died.” Rosalind said with a shrug. She wasn't sure how, it had happened years before she arrived.

“Do you think any of it is true?” he asked, “What if Elizabeth isn't his actual child.” It didn't seem to be a far stretch to think that Comstock had stolen someone's child.

“We'll never know.” she yawned. Robert searched the bag of food and sighed, “What is it?”

“They forgot the soup.” he said, “I don't think her stomach is ready for anything else yet.” Rosalind sat back down on the couch, “I'll go back out and get it.”

“You're going all the way back there?” she yawned again.

“There's nothing else to do.” he said, “And a walk will clear my mind after all that.” She curled up on the couch, wrapping herself in the blanket. She could feel another headache coming on and she squeezed her eyes shut, “Or maybe I should stay here.” she heard Robert walking over and felt him place his hand against her forehead, “You're burning up.”

“I know, Robert.” she said, “I'm going to take a nap, do wake me up when Elizabeth gets back.”

“Of course.” he said. She listened to him move about her office before falling asleep.

0.o.0.o.0

He wasn't gone for long, maybe 30 minutes at the most. The person who had taken his order before had gone home and he had a little trouble convincing them that he wasn't just trying to get free food. But when he returned, he saw an entire crowd outside the building. Security had set themselves up outside and were keeping people away. “They evacuated?” he asked aloud.

“Yeah...” someone answered, “Something's escaped from Fink's lab… Or maybe Suchong's?”

“The bird?” Robert asked. He remembered the screeching from before, maybe it had finally gotten out.

“No!” The scientist said quickly, “It had been subdued long before this, but with the power out… If it awakes, whoever is still in there won't make it.” The scientist shook his head, “I'm just glad I got out before the Comstock locked the doors.” Robert frowned, if the bird woke up, it would rampage. He recalled seeing it once. The large bird had been relatively calm as it stood in the middle its cage. If it wanted to, it could break out of the building, and what was to stop it from rampaging through town?

“Wait,” he turned to the scientist, “He locked people in there?”

“Just a few!” The scientist put his hands up, “They've been ordered to stay in their offices until a team is assembled to go contain it.” The scientist shook his head, “Honestly, we did a role call and there are only 4 people stuck inside. And there's no guarantee that any of those people were ever at work to begin with. Like that Lutece lady, I heard that she hasn't been to work in weeks. Her brother is a different story but he didn't answer during role call either.”

“Rosalind goes to work everyday.” Robert said to himself. And if she hadn't answered during the role call… that meant that she was still inside. His heart skipped a beat as the scientist walked off. She had been asleep when he left. Whatever was ailing her had left her exhausted and she hadn't even stirred when he knocked over the pile of books he purchased. She was inside with whatever had escaped and Fink's bird…

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

The lights in the building continued to go in and out for a few minutes. Sometimes they stayed on for over 10 minutes and sometimes they only flickered before plunging her into darkness. Rosalind sat by her desk, eying the door as she waited. Something was out there…

She's slept longer then anticipated and when she had awoken, she'd discovered the building was on lock down. The alarm had been sounding but with her door closed, she hadn't heard it. A call from Comstock let her know that Elizabeth was still down in Dr. Pettifog's exam room despite the fact that the Doctor himself had apparently evacuated. Rosalind had been prepared to go down and get the girl but as she stumbled around her office, she heard a noise.

Someone walking outside her room and mumbling. She considered opening the door and seeing who it was, but the thought of coming face to face with whatever had escape convinced her not to. So she waited, eyes fixed on the door. Her door wasn't locked but hopefully whatever escaped couldn't open the door.

There was silence on the other side of the door and Rosalind breathed a sigh of relieve and stood up. She needed to find Elizabeth and get out of there. Hopefully, the girl would stay put and make finding her easier.

The phone on her desk rang and she jumped and answered it, hopefully no one had heard the ringing. “Hello?” she whispered.

“Rosalind!” Robert shouted on the other end of the phone.

“Stop shouting.” she said quietly.

“You… You're still inside...” he said. And by the sounds she could hear, he was outside. That was good, she supposed, at least one of them was safe, “Stay in your office.” he said, “Until they send in the search party.”

“I can't,” she said with a sigh, “Elizabeth is still down in the exam room.”

“How can you be sure?” Robert asked.

“Because after they locked the doors Comstock made sure to call and tell me I needed to make sure she was safe.” Rosalind recalled the fuss he'd made about Elizabeth being his daughter, yet when the time came for him to be a father, he'd left her alone. “I'm going to get her.”

“Rosalind...” Robert started but didn't finish. He already knew that he wouldn't be able to stop her. She'd watched Elizabeth grow for 9 years. She'd documented every emotion and development the girl had gone through. She knew the girl better then her own father did and she was not going to let the last 9 years go down the drain. “You have to be careful.” he said, “I'm… I'll try to find a way inside.”

“That doesn't seem safe.” she said, “There's no reason for the both of us to be trapped in here.” Although she would admit that having her brother by her side would be better then being alone. “I'll find Elizabeth and bring her back here. If you find a way out, from the outside, you can tell me when I call you back.”

“Alright.” he said. She'd expected an argument as usual, but she had a feeling he was lying.

“I mean it, Robert.” she said.

“I understand,” he said, “And I’m sure you understand that I can't just sit back while my sister is trapped with some deranged lab experiment.” She smiled to herself, there would be no changing his mind just as there was no changing hers when she'd made a decision.

“I understand completely.” she said, “Now, if you're done ignoring my warnings, I have a girl to find.”

“And I have an exit to find.” he said. She could hear the smirk in his voice as he said goodbye and hung up. Rosalind set the phone down and looked towards the door again. The calm Robert had brought had begun to fade as she thought about the long journey to Dr. Pettifogs exam room. He worked in the same hall as Fink which meant going there could place her directly in the path of whatever had escaped.

And what was it that had escaped anyway? She never bothered to worry about what everyone else was doing in their offices. She heard from Robert that Fink had been trying to co-produce some sort of tonic with Suchong. They had gotten pretty far before a disagreement caused them to go separate ways. Perhaps the escaped experiment was a result of those tonics. If it was anything like the bird, then she had a lot to worry about.

But at least she didn't need to worry about the bird itself. It was a rather large and loud creature and she'd hear it coming before it would even notice her. And, assuming she could hide in time, she would be able to avoid it easily.

Rosalind stepped out into the hallway, the lights were still on thankfully and she began to make her way down the hall. The emptiness was eerie but that was only because she knew something was lurking in the building. There were papers all over the floors, as if people had dropped them in their scramble to get out. How had she missed an entire evacuation? She couldn't have been asleep for more then an hour.

She shivered as she passed Fink's office. It was far from where they kept the bird but she had a feeling that whatever had escaped, would have wanted revenge on the man that had created it. And because Fink had most likely evacuated, she'd be the next best thing.

The lights flickered off again and this time they didn't come back on. Rosalind stopped and tried to wait for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She blinked rapidly and leaned against the wall. It was too dark for her to see the room numbers. How would she know when she reached Dr. Pettifog's exam room? She felt her way along the hall, fingers brushing the numbers and letters on the door. Each tiny sound she heard made her heart beat faster.

“It's nothing.” she whispered. But even her whisper seemed loud when she was surrounded by silence. This wouldn't work, she couldn't keep getting scared of nothing. So far she'd seen nothing to suggest that anything was there yet here she was worrying about how loud her voice was.

Her heels were loud too, and that was more of a problem then anything. She couldn't take them off, the ground was littered with papers and broken glass. The last thing she needed was to cut her feet, she was weak enough as it was. The lights flickered on and off and she thought she saw a bird in the distance. Not too surprising, as she'd seen birds get into the building before.

She moved as fast as she could but she found herself getting tired quickly. She was sick, she had to remember that and be smart about it. Although she felt much better then before, she was still weak and she didn't need to over exert herself before she found Elizabeth.

Rosalind heard the bird now. In fact she heard several of them around her. Her eyes had adjust a little and she noticed the thin outline of several birds around the hall. They were all over the floor and perched on the light fixtures. Their eyes seemed to glow in the darkness and Rosalind took a breath as they all turned to her. How had so many birds gotten inside? Maybe they were attracted to Fink's bird. That was certainly a possibility.

She ignored them as she walked, noticing the floor had become wet. Bird poop. She was stepping in bird poop. She shuddered as she continued down the hall. She was almost to the exam room, she noticed, but the amount of birds she was seeing was unnatural. Was there a door open somewhere? That didn't seem possible. There were no widows in the hall at all and she would have noticed if there was any source of light.

A noise behind her made her pause. It seemed as if someone had coughed. But surely she would have noticed if someone was behind her by now… right? She continued moving, listening intently for any signs of someone or something following her. She could see the exam room now, she just had to make it there and everything would be fine. Even if she couldn't get back to her office, as long as she was able to close the door, she would be fine.

Another audible cough made her pick up speed. She was only a few doors away from safety. Of course she was only assuming that the door was unlocked. Assuming that Elizabeth was even there. She reached the door and grabbed the door knob, she felt relief as it turned in her hands and she entered the room, slamming the door behind her and looking it. She stepped back, eying it as she heard the birds outside cawing. It seemed as if they were all flying into the door in an attempt to open it.

There was more coughing as she heard whoever was following her come up to the door. “I know you're in there!” it was a man. Was this the escaped experiment? She hadn't seen him, but maybe it was. It was just her luck to run into him too.

Rosalind looked around and found the desk. She curled up underneath it and waited for the man to stop pounding on the door. Of course he knew she was in there and probably would not leave until he got to her. What was she supposed to do? She wanted to call Robert but she couldn't. She had no idea what number he had called from earlier and the only number he had to contact her with was her office phone.

She closed her eyes, focusing on staying calm as the man continued to scream outside her door. The pounding died down and the birds seemed to stop as well. She listened closely as whoever had been outside stalked away. Maybe this was good, she wasn't sure. If anything, she was still trapped inside this office… Office.

It was only now occurring to her that this wasn't the exam room. It was just a normal office. She thought over the route she had take again… It was the quickest way to get to the exam room. Perhaps she had been a door off or maybe… The route she recalled hadn't been to the exam room at all, but to Dr. Pettifogs office.

0.o.0.o.0

He'd wanted to wait until the morning before he went in. Surely the security would have at least made up a search party by then. But at the same time, the very thought of waiting that long put him on edge. Whatever was loose in the building could find his sister at anytime.

He lingered across the street as the crowd began to build up. Someone had called them all back for an announcement. Zachary Comstock was standing in front of the building, the two security guards standing behind him. “Please, gather around.” he beckoned everyone closer, “I'm sure rumors have been flying for a while now. I've heard them with my own ears and I have to say that I’m appalled at it all.” Robert made his way to the front of the crowd, “To say that we would stoop so low and create life in an unnatural way, to say that we would try to alter what god has already given us...” he sighed and shook his head, “It's offensive. Comstock House labs were created to innovate change in the world, to make this town better. But too many of you have fallen prey to gossip.”

“Why were we evacuated?” a young secretary spoke up from the back. There was silence as Comstock attempted to find the girl who'd dared to question him.

“A chemical leak.” he said, “Nothing too serious, but the health of my workers comes before anything. I didn't want to take any chances.” Robert kept a straight face, did Comstock really think that anyone would believe this? They'd all worked there for a long time. If anyone had an office close to the genetics department, a department that blew holes in his lies, then they already knew that they were doing some ungodly things.

But maybe the people who did nothing but paperwork could be fooled. “What about the people locked inside?” another worker asked.

“They've already been contacted and secured to an unaffected part of the building.” Comstock said, “When I locked the doors I mistakenly locked them all, but we're remedying the situation. For now, I want you all to take a few days off. And no worries, your pay will not be affected.” There was a murmur of excitement as the crowd began to disperse. Paid time off might have been enough for everyone else, but he wasn't going to stand for it.

“When are you sending someone to get them?” he asked.

“Get who?” Comstock asked.

“You know who.” Robert kept himself calm, he wouldn't get any answers if he angered the man, “My sister and your daughter.” Comstock's face twitched and he sighed.

“Robert, there are things that are beyond even my control.” he said quietly. He looked around to make sure everyone had gotten far enough away, “If I could have saved them, I would have.”

“They aren't dead yet.” Robert said, “You still have a chance.”

“Oh, Robert my boy,” Comstock put a hand on his shoulder, “If you knew what had been released, you wouldn't be saying that. Opening those doors would mean releasing them into the world.”

“Am I supposed to wait out here while something in there kills my sister?” He asked.

“If your sister is as smart as she used to be, then she'll hide out until we can safely send someone inside to help her.” Comstock said, “And if she isn't the heartless woman I know, she'll make sure Elizabeth is safe too.” Robert ignored the blatant insult to his sister. Rosalind had never in her life been heartless to anyone.

“I'm going to find them.” he said. He didn't care that his sister was smart enough to hide. She could protect herself and he knew it, but it wouldn't hurt if she had him to there as well. Comstock held up a key.

“This is the master key.” he said, “I will not be responsible for releasing deadly creatures into town.” Robert reached for the key, “If anything escapes, it will be your fault. People will die, most likely. It might take days for the police to realize what they're dealing with. Are you truly willing to sacrifice all these lives for two people who may already be dead?”

Robert didn't hesitate. He knew Rosalind wasn't dead and he was going to get her out. He would have to be cautious, no one needed to die but he wouldn't sit around while his sister faced danger. He took the key and shoved it into his pocket. Comstock smiled at him but said nothing as he rushed off towards his apartment

Perhaps Comstock cared a little about his own child, maybe he had wanted this in the first place or maybe he was trying to get rid of anybody who would stand against him when the official report of the incident came out.

Whatever the case, it didn't matter. He was going in and he would not be going in unprepared. He'd noticed the power flickering in the building. He would need a source of light and maybe even a weapon to defend himself should it come down to it.

He shuddered at the thought. They owned a gun, but they had never used it. He recalled a time when his father had taught him to shoot, he'd hated the entire experience but looking back now, he was glad his father had decided to teach him. Still, he hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

Robert packed a small bag of supplies before heading back out. Comstock was long gone by the time he returned and the security guards were still posted at the front entrance. They eyed him as he made his way to the back of the building, hopefully there weren't any posted in the back.

As he rounded the corners, he realized exactly how far from Rosalind's office he was going. If he did find an unguarded entrance, he'd me on the opposite side of the building. His eyes were drawn to a stairwell that led into the basement. He'd never been down there before but it was unguarded, he would be able to get in from there.

He hesitated as he tried the door, just as expected, it was locked. He held the key in his hands but he didn't immediately use it. He wasn't sure what he would find on the other side. He reached into his bag and pulled out the gun. Hopefully he wouldn't need to shoot anything at all, but he wanted to be ready. He held the gun and unlocked the door, using his foot to kick it open. There was nothing there so far… He made sure to grab the key and close the door, the thought of letting something out made him lock the door behind him. As long as he didn't lose the key, he would be fine.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

Robert put the gun up as he turned on his flashlight. So far there were only boxes of supplies down there. There was one box that was open. Several glass bottles and crow heads littered the floor around it as if someone had searched for a full bottle but had only found empty ones.

He ignored it and kept moving. The stairs were to his right, hopefully the doors weren't locked again.

In the hall he tried to figure out where he was. He pointed his flashlight towards the first door he saw and sighed when only the numbers of the room showed up. This obviously wasn't a place occupied by staff. Most likely a corner of the building that handled supplies. He'd never been down there before but it had to be close to the main areas of the building.

Surely, there was a map somewhere right? Every hall had a fire escape plan plastered on the walls and he could use that to figure out where he was.

For now, all he could do is pick a direction and start walking. The lights flickered for a moment and he thought that maybe they would turn back on. But he still wasn't surprised when they didn't. He wondered if Rosalind had found Elizabeth yet, hopefully they would be in her office… but maybe it would be safer for her to stay in the exam room.

Hopefully, Rosalind had realized that as well. Maybe he should find his way there. He decided and hurried down the hall, the faster he found the map, the faster he would find Rosalind. And then he'd lead them back to safety.

There was the sound of someone running and he stopped. Someone was on the floor above him running about. Maybe it was whatever had escaped… He couldn't be sure, but if he recalled he needed to go to the 2^nd floor to reach the exam room. The first floor was nothing but offices and the cafeteria.

The lights came back on and whoever was running stopped. Robert took the opportunity to rush to the end of the hall. Right where he expected was the building map. He was in the loading dock on the opposite side of the building…

“Who designed this place?” he sighed. The building was a mess of twists and turns. He would have to navigate through 2 hallways before he reached a set of stairs that could take him up and even then he would still have a great distance to walk.

If he remembered correctly, the exam rooms were close to Suchong's lab. That didn't leave him feeling any better, it was possible that with the power malfunctioning as it was, something could escape from there too.

Robert only knew of the bird but he'd heard the screams many times over, people were being experimented on down there. He didn't know the specifics of what was being done, and honestly, he didn't want to know. He'd found the experiments with Elizabeth to be bad enough despite the fact that she wasn't being physically harmed.

A loud moan echoed from behind him and he decided that he'd stayed in one spot for too long. He tightened his grip on the gun, it only had 5 bullets in it so hopefully he wouldn't have to use it too much. Hopefully he wouldn't have to use it at all.

He walked down the hall, finding himself in an admin hall. Probably people who managed financing or funding. There were a few offices with tinted windows, probably so whoever was in charge could watch the workers without them knowing. There were several cubicles arranged around the place with papers left the way they were during the evacuation. He walked through cautiously, he didn't know if whatever had escaped was lurking in one of them. The moaning from earlier meant someone or something was nearby but he didn't know if it was a person who needed help or an experiment roaming the halls.

Robert heard the moaning again, the thing from before was following him. Without a thought, he slipped into one of the offices and waited. He watched out of the window for something to come by and after a minute, a man finally came stumbling by.

A worker it seemed was injured, “How much harm could he be?” Robert said quietlyto himself. The man stopped and turned back to speak to someone.

“Please, I don't know...” he said, “I just… I just do paperwork!” The man stepped back and Robert found himself moving closer to the glass. “Please!” The was a pause before several birds seemed to manifest and attack the man. Robert gasped as the man screamed and struggled against the birds.

He quickly glanced at the gun in his hands but it would be useless, there were far too many birds for him to actually help. Sure, he could shoot the man so he didn't have to be pecked to death by birds but… Then that would leave him wide open to the birds himself.

Robert turned away and waited for the screaming to stop. He couldn't go back out there, not yet. He didn't even know what had caused the birds to attack the man. Once the screaming stopped, he worked up the courage to turn back. He was shocked to find a man with a mask standing directly in front of the window. He covered his mouth and waited.

He couldn't tell if the man was staring at him but he was unsettled none the less. “Aye, do you think they have one in there?” he asked aloud.

“Nah, that was Jenny's office she ain't got nothing but corn in there.” he answered his own question, turning his head slightly as if he were speaking to someone else.

“Do we need corn?” the man asked himself. He reached up and Robert noticed his hand was covered n bandages. He scratched the side of his head and Robert gagged as the blister popped and mucus began to ooze.

“Nah… not today.” the man poked at the blister and stalked off. He was still mumbling to himself as he walked off and Robert waited until he couldn't hear anything else before allowing himself to relax even a little.

He sat down on the floor, weighing his options, if he went back out, that man could find him and he didn't want to know what would happen then. The birds could also attack him, but he wasn't sure how. They'd manifested out of nothing and it was more then possible that he could be attacked by them while he was hiding.

He gathered himself and took a deep breath, he needed to find Rosalind and Elizabeth before that man or the birds found them. He had the master key and he had a way out, he just needed to be careful.

Standing up, Robert walked to the door. The lights had gone off again but he didn't turn his flashlight on, he didn't want to draw any attention to himself. He exited the room, and looked around. There was no sign of the man and he had gone off in the opposite direction.

He hesitated for a moment, eying the dead man on the floor before rushing off into the next dark hallway.

0.o.0.o.0

Flambeau hid underneath a table in the kitchen. How he'd managed to be locked inside, he didn't know. Maybe he had spent too many minutes attempting to help everyone else out. He knew that with the power malfunctioning as it was, most people would get lost.

But then he himself had gotten lost. And while the bird was his main concern, he'd seen some people wandering about that made him second guess that. People had come rushing from Suchong's lab once the power went out and originally, they'd ignored him. Choosing to run by him in search of something else. Now, however, they were angry. They hadn’t found what they were looking for and they were beginning to destroy things.

He'd managed to stay hidden as they stormed the kitchen and he could hear them outside smashing plates and breaking things. He wasn't safe, it was only a matter of time before one of them decided to check the kitchen and when they did, they would find him…

He could try to fight them off, he wasn't much of a fighter but he could hold his own in a fight. There were just so many of them roaming about, he wouldn't b able to take them all.

“They make stuff in there?” one woman said. He almost jumped out of his skin as he heard someone walking towards the kitchen.

“Maybe this is where they're keeping it...” A man responded. Flambeau had to think quickly, he rose from his spot underneath the table and grabbed the biggest knife he could find. He would fight back if they tried to harm him and if they didn't, he would simply find a new hiding place in the building.

He heard the door creak and he crouched down behind the table. “This is where they make food...” Footsteps entered the kitchen and he held his breath. Slowly moving out of vision as they circled the table. He wasn't sure how many people were outside but it was better for him to be able to escape. They'd just corner him if too many got inside.

“He thinks we can't see him.” the woman laughed.

“We see ya down there.” he ignored them, choosing instead to continue moving. “Hey… You work with him!” He glanced up, gasping as he saw the man's face. It was covered in lumps and dry flaky skin. “I know you!”

“I assure you, you don't.” he responded. Flambeau stood up, taking in the other woman in the room. She was still in her work uniform. A janitor it seemed. Had Suchong been using workers as subjects. “I'm only trying to get outside.”

“But you work with him!” the woman came closer and he backed towards the door.

“I work with Fink.” he said. He was up against the door now but he wasn't sure what he'd find when he left the kitchen.

“He's trying to run.” the man laughed, “You can't run! We know this building!” Of course they did, they were workers there. The workers that no one noticed had gone missing…

They were getting closer and he couldn't wait any longer. He turned and ran as fast as he could. He could hear the people following behind but he didn't stop, he knew exactly where to hide. Now if only he could make it there.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11
Rosalind hadn't made as big of a mistake as she thought. Pettifog's office was only a short distance away from the exam rooms. She closed her eyes, trying to think. He had several exam rooms, all of them used for psychological evaluations. Would Elizabeth even be in one of them?
Dr. pettifog was a psychologist, why had he been chosen to give Elizabeth vaccinations? Surely there was someone here that was more qualified to administer shots then Pettifog? Never mind that, she thought, it didn't matter now. She was realizing that she would need to check multiple rooms before she even found her, and with the man wandering outside, it could take all night.
She stayed seated on the ground as she tried to gather enough energy to go back outside. She had been listening for a few minutes now and she heard nothing. Not the birds and not the man. This must have meant something good.
Rosalind pulled herself up and looked at the papers on the desk. There were notes, notes on Elizabeth's psychological development. They matched hers mainly, it was easy to see that Elizabeth was a little delayed but that was to be expected given the circumstances. Pettifog, however, didn't seem to think so. He didn't seem to think Elizabeth was capable of talking in full sentences. According to him the girl never spoken more then a few words at a time.
Rosalind, of course, knew that Elizabeth was capable of so much more. She'd spoken just fine when they'd first met. She didn't understand some things, but she learned fast. She'd had the entire alphabet memorized in 2 hours and had even begun to write before Comstock interrupted. Pettifog didn't seem to realize that the girl probably hadn't wanted to speak to him at all.
Another page revealed the list of vaccinations that Elizabeth had received before going into the room. She wouldn't need too many and if she were to be honest, she'd gotten the more necessary part of her shots already. They had only needed an excuse to examine her.
Rosalind picked up the reports, they held information that Comstock hadn't allowed her to see and when this was all over, she would look through them.
She exited the office and looked down the hall. No sign of the man and his birds. She sighed in relief and started walking towards the stairwell. She wanted to take the elevator, but the noise it made would only attract the man again. The exam rooms would be the first 6 to her left as soon as she headed up the stairs. She would only have to check 6 rooms for Elizabeth.
Then maybe they would go back to her office… That's where Robert would look for her right? Although she wasn't sure how she would get back there. It was safer for her to stay in the exam room but the thought of Robert searching the building for her didn't sit well with her. If only she could call him.
She started up the stairs, noting how heavy her body felt as she moved. She was only getting weaker as the day went by and if she didn't find Elizabeth soon, she probably never would.
Once she reached the top of the stairs she stopped to rest. There were no signs that the bird man had even come up here. That was good, unless there was some other thing she had to worry about, she would be fine. With that in mind, she began checking the rooms.
The first room was empty. There was no sign that anyone had ever been in it at all. The second room looked as if it had been abandoned mid procedure. A notepad left on the table and the exam bed's thin thins paper cover was ruffled. She walked over to the table and read the notes. They weren't for Elizabeth. Just some employee who had begun to have nightmares because of the things he'd seen.
The 3rd room was locked and when she knocked she received no answer. As she neared the 4th room, she began to think of an outcome where she didn't find Elizabeth. What if the girl hadn't stayed put in all the commotion? She could be anywhere in the building if that had happened.
Entering the 4th room, she found Elizabeth. The girl was strapped down to the exam table. Rosalind entered the room and closed the door, locking it behind her. She hurried over to the girl and looked her over. The restraints seemed easy to remove, she set away on undoing them when she noticed the needles on the bedside. They had attempted to give her a shot, but judging by the amount of blood, they'd missed the intended spot and hit an artery.
Maybe she had moved too much and that's why they had tied her down. Rosalind looked to her shoulder and noticed the area was slightly swollen and a little warm. She touched it and Elizabeth flinched away but didn't wake up.
Rosalind finished untying the girl and gently shook her, “Elizabeth...” she whispered. She didn't want to attract anyone. “Wake up.” she said a little louder.
A quiet whimper escaped from the girls lips but she didn't wake up. She didn't know how long the girl had been sedated, but she was awake enough to at least respond to things. This complicated things, Elizabeth probably wouldn't come out of this haze until long for a few hours.
Elizabeth blinked and looked at her, “Stay quiet.” Rosalind said. She helped the girl sit up and looked her over. The dress she had been wearing had been replaced with a thin hospital gown.
“Rosalind...” Elizabeth took a breath but said no more. She closed her eyes and almost laid back down.
“What is it?” Rosalind asked. She didn't seem to have any other injuries. Just the one on her arm and while she was sure it hurt, it wasn't life threatening.
“I...” Elizabeth paused before leaning forward. She raised a hand slowly and touched her face like she had down in her office. She stared into her eyes, as if determining of she were real or not, before sliding off the table and embracing her.
“What happened?” she asked quietly as she returned the hug. Elizabeth began to sob, it fell like an eternity before she stopped and even then, Rosalind received no answer. “It'll be okay.” she said. Although she wasn't sure. They were still trapped inside of the building.
“I want to go back to my room.” she said quietly. Rosalind shook her head, even if they did manage to escape this all unharmed, there would be no going back to her room.
“You're outside now, there's no going back.” she said.
“I don't like outside.” Elizabeth said, “I don't like the people.” Her experience with Comstock and Pettifog probably did her no favors. The two men were nothing but insensitive to her. Negative emotions were a part of life, but they were new to Elizabeth. She shouldn't have been forced to deal with any of them all at once. Sadness, fear, pain, it just didn't seem right.
She let the girl calm down before she pulled away. Elizabeth was reluctant to let go but Rosalind looked at her, “We need to find Robert now.” she said, “Then we can get out of here.” Easier said then done of course. Elizabeth had no idea what was lurking in the building.
“Robert's down the stairs.” she mumbled. Elizabeth's knees buckled and Rosalind struggled to keep her standing.
“How do you know?” Rosalind asked. She managed to get Elizabeth back into a sitting position on the table. Elizabeth kept her arms tightly around her, keeping her as close as possible.
“I saw it.” Elizabeth said but didn't elaborate. Rosalind moved away from the girl. She didn't miss Elizabeth's attempt to pull her back before she dropped her arms to her sides.
“Robert will either come here to find us, or he'll go down to my office.” she said, “It's much safer for us to wait here for him.” She could tell Elizabeth liked that idea. The girl was half asleep and wanted to be held but Rosalind wasn't one for all that. She had allowed the girl to touch her and even held her for a few minutes but that was all. It made sense that Elizabeth was so desperate for human contact and as of now, Rosalind was the only one who had given her what she wanted. Everyone else had just hurt her. “But that would mean that my brother will roam these halls alone.”
“Is that bad?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yes, indeed it is.” Rosalind said. She gestured for Elizabeth to lie back on the bed, “Just rest for now, I’ll figure out what to do.” Rosalind found a seat and sat down, she figured they could wait for Robert for at least an hour. If he didn't show up, they would go and look for him.
“Rosalind?” Elizabeth called out quietly, “How will we know when to eat if we don't have the bell?”
“We don't need a bell,” Rosalind said, “Not out here.”
“Is it time to eat?” Elizabeth asked. Rosalind looked at her watch… she had already missed 2 meals. While this could be considered normal for herself, Elizabeth had always eaten at the same exact times for the last 9 years. She doubted that Comstock of Pettifog had bothered to feed her.
“It is… technically.” she murmured, “But given the circumstances, we won't be able to.” She had nothing to give the girl. The only thing she'd brought with her were the notes from Pettifog's office.
“There's no food?” Elizabeth asked.
“Not here.” Rosalind said. Of course there was an abundance of it in her office, but she didn't want to risk the journey just for food. Maybe Robert would bring something with him.
0.o.0.o.0
Elizabeth curled up on her side. She had never felt this bad before. Her head hurt, her throat was dry, and her stomach kept making noises. She just wanted it all to stop. She wanted to go back to her room, it was warm there and she had a comfortable bed. She never felt this way in her room.
But Rosalind didn't want to go back there. She wanted to wait for Robert but she didn't know when he would come. She'd seen Robert through a window, he was just a floor below them but there was someone else there too. Maybe that's why Rosalind hadn't wanted to leave.
But Rosalind couldn't see the windows right? Maybe she had seen the strange man herself. “Rosalind?” she looked towards the woman, she was asleep in the chair and didn't answer. She was tired too, but she didn't want to sleep in this room. She sat up, still feeling dizzy as she slowly climbed off of the bed. She shuffled over to Rosalind and sat down next to her.
She wanted to hug her again, but she couldn't. She would instead settle with leaning against her legs while the older woman slept. It was cold in the room but Rosalind was warm. Elizabeth remembered the feeling of being in her arms. It had felt nice. Rosalind had held her tightly while she cried. When she'd begun to cry with Comstock in the room, she'd received no such support. Just the man gazing down at her.
She shivered and pressed herself closer to Rosalind, why was it so cold now? She heard footsteps and sat up, someone was there. Maybe it was Robert? She quickly stood and almost fell back down, she couldn't move too fast or she'd fall. She put her hands on Rosalind's shoulder and shook gently, “Wake up.” she said, “I think Robert is here.”
“Robert?” Rosalind opened her eyes, “Did he try to get in?”
“No, but I can hear him walking.” Elizabeth said. Rosalind stood up and pointed at the chair. Elizabeth stared but didn't see what it was she was pointing at.
“Sit down,” Rosalind sighed, “You look like you're about to pass out.” Elizabeth nodded and sat down while Rosalind went to the door. The older woman pressed her ear to the door and listened. “I hear it.” she said quietly before stepping back and pulling her to her feet, “I need you to be very quiet.” Rosalind pulled her to the desk and they sat down behind it. She curled as close to Rosalind as possible and closed her eyes. Was something coming to get them? She heard a noise and tensed up. “It's a bird.” Rosalind whispered.
“Are we hiding from the bird?” Elizabeth asked. Surely, Rosalind wasn't afraid of a tiny animal. She'd only ever seen birds in her room. When the stories began to play, they were always flying in the sky. They were nice and in the stories, Comstock fed them bread.
Rosalind wrapped an arm around her, “Not another word.” she whispered. Elizabeth nodded and waited. She could hear a lot of birds outside. She almost wanted to get up and see them for herself. She'd never seen a bird outside of the stories. But Rosalind didn't want to… She glanced up at the woman, she was staring at the door and waiting. But for what?
How long were they going to stay like this? She didn't mind it, she wished Rosalind would hold her forever, but she knew that it wouldn't happen. Eventually Rosalind would let her go again and she would go back to feeling cold and alone. She wondered if Rosalind felt the same way, obviously not or she would never let go.
“Smell that?” a voice shouted in the hall and she jumped. Who was that?
“Somebody… in there?” the person slapped the door, “Yeah, I can here 'em breathin'.” She was suddenly afraid as she realized that Rosalind hadn't been afraid of the birds.
“My birds saw them.” another man said, “Saw a lady going inside.”
“You talkin' to the birds?” the first man said, “Because birds don't have mouths.” She looked to Rosalind once more but the woman was too focused on the door. She had so many questions, but she didn't want the men to hear her. She didn't know what they would do.
“Yeah, they do.” the man responded, “You just can't speak the language.”
The door knob rattled Rosalind pulled her closer. Elizabeth closed her eyes and waited. The men outside continued to try to get into the room. She wondered if things would have been different if she were back in her room. She'd never heard a sound from people outside until Rosalind opened the window.
“Come on out!” the man shouted, “We just want to-”
“Aye, look at that...” the second man said.
“What?”
“My birds… they're seeing something else.” he said, “Something better.”
“What about the lady?” the first man slapped the door for emphasis, “We just going to leave her in there?”
“We can come back, she won't be going anywhere.” he said, “And we can find something to open that door with.” The lights shut off once more and Elizabeth let out a whimper. She felt Rosalind's hand on her cheek. “She'll be right here when we get back.” the man began to walk off.
“It's dark.” the first said.
“My birds can't see well in the dark.” he said, “But I know where we're going.” The men grew quiet and Rosalind stood suddenly, leaving her on the floor.
“We can't stay here anymore.” she said. Elizabeth stood up and leaned on the desk for support, where were they supposed to go? “They'll certainly return with a way inside, we must move now while they can't see us.”
“What happens if they do see us?” she asked. Rosalind didn't answer, instead she began searching the room for something. “Rosalind?” she watched the woman search every corner of the room before sighing and coming back over to her.
“You must do whatever I say, alright?” she asked.
Elizabeth could only nod, “We have to find a safe place, one where Robert will be able to find us.” And where those men outside couldn't find them. “Stay close to me, and if I tell you to run, you need to run. Do you understand what I’m saying?” she knew what running was, she used to do so before she got into the room… but she was still feeling dizzy and could barely walk.
“You'll stay with me right?” she asked.
Rosalind nodded, “That's the goal.” she took her hand and lead her to the door. Rosalind hesitated before placing her hand on the doorknob, “Here we go.” she said quietly as she opened the door and they walked out into the darkness.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

Robert had somehow ended up in the Fink's lab, the last place he wanted to be. He knew that there were creatures here that he wouldn't want to run into. Maybe if he took a look around he could figure out exactly what had escaped.

The lights had gone out again and he slipped into the first office that he saw. It was the office of Fink's young assistant, Flambeau. Robert remembered the young man from a previous night when he had run into him. He was sure Flambeau was a pleasant young man, but he didn't belong in this place. Maybe after today, he'd turn and run as fast as he could.

Searching the desk, he found nothing of note. Just short notes on the bird, or the Songbird, as the notes called it. A funny name, considering that he'd never heard the bird sing. Based on the notes, the bird had been pretty unsettled and the scientists couldn't figure out what was causing it. Flambeau likened it to the fact that the bird was an abominable hybrid of human and animal that was forced into a “cage”.

Robert left the office, glancing around for any signs of someone else in the hall. He kept his flashlight off, he could see well enough. He made his way to the next office. This one belonged to someone a little more connected to the projects in the hall. There were two file cabinets, one left unlocked and another sealed tight.

He began to shift through the files, taking the one about the songbird out. The songbird had apparently been commissioned by Comstock, “No surprise there.” Robert mumbled. The man had given no reason but Fink had wanted to test something that he'd seen.

But he hadn't been able to get the human parts to splice correctly with the animal parts. It wouldn't listen, which was why they needed the cage until they could find a way to control it.

Robert flipped through the files until he found a paper on the inspiration of it. A creature that Dr. Suchong had created. A “big daddy” he called it. In short, it was a man grafted into a diver suit. This man could be used as a body guard but it seemed to have little use. They needed a special tonic to function and producing it was too costly for the company. Which was why they had attempted to use the idea for the Songbird.

There was a photo attached, it showed a young girl in front of the bird with a small note at the bottom. “Success...” Robert read. He looked closely at the picture. He recognized them… “Elizabeth?” she had been outside of the room! And apparently she'd bonded with the bird. There was no indication that she remembered it at all.

“Comstock has taken to bringing his daughter to our sessions. The young girl is beautiful, the spitting image of her mother. But the labs are no place for her. Naturally the girl is curious, she wants to touch everything and Comstock was ready to let her. It was no surprise to anyone that she managed to find her way into the room with the Songbird.

It screeched and clawed at the air, but turning on the pressure would mean killing the child… We were prepared for the worst. The girl was surely to die, one way or another. But the creature didn't attack her. In fact, it relaxed. All it's vitals went to normal as it stared at the girl.

I thought it a miracle, there was something about the girl that made it calm down. I think it has something to do with the human used for parts. But Comstock… he didn't like it. He took the girl and we haven't seen her since.” Robert stuffed the papers into his bag, Rosalind would want to see this.

He made his way back out into the hall, noting the fact that he was getting closer to the Songbirds cage. With no power, the creature could easily attack him. If it hadn't already escaped that was. The file had put the songbird as a large creature, too large to quietly walk down the halls without someone hearing.

He entered another office and saw a pile of the same bottles from the basement. He looked closer this time, noting the crow shaped cap. “Murder of crows.” he read. The bottle still had a small amount of liquid in it. He picked it up and looked it over. He knew what it was. Both Fink and Suchong had been working to create these new tonics to give people unusual abilities. Fink had called his version “Vigors” while Suchong had dubbed them Plasmids.

Robert remembered seeing someone react badly to a certain Vigor used for projecting fire. What a man would do with this one, he couldn't figure it out. But nothing done here seemed to be practical. Robert sighed and set it down. He was getting off track, all he needed to do was get to the exam room. The rooms were one level above him. Just get to the stairwell at the end of the hall and the exam rooms were on the second floor.

As he walked, he noticed the door to Dr Pettifogs office was open. He turned on his flashlight and examined the marks. It looked as if someone had thrown things at it. He noticed the feathers littering the ground and thought back to the Murder of Crows bottle he'd seen. Someone had probably drank it…

Robert proceeded down the hall carefully, if he was lucky, he wouldn't come in contact with whoever had drank the vigor. He would find Rosalind and they could figure out they're escape plan together.

As he reached the stairs, he was suddenly attacked by a flock of birds. They flew by quickly, a few making contact and causing him to fall back. “I knew it !” a man came rushing down the steps. Robert blinked and tried to sit up, “Whatcha doin' here?” he asked.

He recognized the man immediately, “Charles… you feed birds during your lunch break.” he said. The man nodded but didn't say a word. Robert noticed his clothes were covered in bird poop. “Did they trap you in here too?”

“No… I stayed here on my own.” Charles answered. A bird perched on his shoulder and eyed Robert. A figure came up behind Charles.

“He looks like that lady.” the second figure said. Robert gasped upon seeing his face, “Yeah, I’m ugly now right?”

“No...” Robert shook his head, “I just wasn't expecting it. You've seen my sister?” The man bent down and growled. Robert blinked in surprise, what on earth was going on?

“Does he have some, Charlie?” the man kicked Robert in the side, “Tell me and i'll get it out of 'em.”

“No… but he knows someone who does.” Charles said. A few more birds landed beside him. Robert shook his head quickly. There was an uneasy feeling growing in his stomach.

“I'm only looking for my sister.” He managed to get to his knees, “I don't know anything else.”

“You do.” the deformed man shouted, “You know!” He delivered another kick and Robert fell back again.

“I assure you.” he cleared his throat, “I don't know anything.” He didn't know how to react, he didn't want the man to get anymore violent then he already was.

“We'll use him to get her down here.” Charles smirked and stood up straight. Surely they weren't talking about Rosalind? Why did they want her? Or maybe there was some other person trapped. There had been 4 people trapped inside…

“Just tell me what you want, I can help you.” he tried.

“I need more...” Charles said, “But they didn't leave me any! She knows how to make it...”

It took a moment before it clicked, “The vigor?” he asked, “You drank the Murder of Crows?” It made sense, he'd always seen Charles in the courtyard, feeding the birds. They seemed attracted to him, all different types would flock to him. It wasn't much of a stretch to think he would volunteer to test something that could bring him closer to the birds…

“And she knows how to make it!” the deformed man said. He grabbed Robert by the collar and lifted him up, “She knows.”

“I assure you, Rosalind does not know how to make a vigor.” he said. But he could find out, they were already in the labs, maybe he could convince them to let him look for the formula. “But maybe I-”

The man let him go and shoved him back, “We don't want the lady.” he said, “We want the little one that she hid from us.” Elizabeth? It was even more of a stretch to assume that Elizabeth knew anything about the vigors and plasmids. The deformed man raised his hand and Robert noticed the wrench.

“Let's be reasonable.” he said slowly, holding up his hands. Charles had moved behind him, the birds all landed on the ground in front of him. His heart raced as he realized that he couldn't avoid what was about to happen. The deformed man brought the wrench down on his head and he fell down. He blinked and felt himself get hit again. His vision blurred and he hoped that Rosalind would find her way out with out him. The man hit him again and everything was dark.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

Rosalind ducked into an open room, pulling Elizabeth with her. The lights had flickered back on and she didn't want to risk being found. It seemed far too easy to get lost in the building despite the fact that she had worked there for years.

They were still relatively close to he exam rooms, something that Rosalind didn't like. One wrong turn could leave her face to face with the men she was hiding from. She wasn't sure entirely what the looked like, she'd only caught a glance at one of them.

“Why are you the only one here?” Elizabeth asked quietly. The girl had no concept of personal space. Any time they spent hiding was also time spent with Elizabeth pressed against her. Right now was no different. As Rosalind pressed her ear against the door, Elizabeth moved closer.

“What do you mean?” Rosalind asked. There were no sounds in the hall, hopefully the lights would go out again so they could travel without worrying about the birds.

“There were a lot of people when I came here.” she said, “Now there's no one.”

“They were all supposed to have evacuated… They all left.” she simplified her statement, “Only a few people were trapped inside.” She hadn't seen those people yet. Maybe the two men from before were among those trapped but she would never know.

Elizabeth's fingers brushed her arm, “What time do we get to eat?” she asked. The clocks were all inaccurate and she had no idea what time it was. She'd taken a nap before and hopefully she hadn't slept too long, but she was getting hungry as well.

“I don't know.” she sighed. She could try to search for something to eat, but it wasn't likely that they'd find anything without going to the cafeteria or her office. Her office was closer, that was the second place Robert would look. “We'll go to my office.” The lights flickered and Rosalind took a breath, maybe they would stay off for good.

“Rosalind,” Elizabeth started, “i don't like feeling like this.” Rosalind knew the girl was probably getting sick. All the stress of the day wasn't good for her. Not to mention she was only wearing a paper thin gown. It had already caught on something and ripped. Her hands were cold and Rosalind found that no matter how long she held them, they stayed that way.

“When we reach my office, you can eat and rest.” she said, “We'll wait for Robert there.” It was only a matter of making it there unseen. Both she and the girl desperately needed rest, they're movements were slow and she wasn't sure if they could make it across the building.

Together they walked back into the hall, Elizabeth made a noise and Rosalind looked back. The girl had stepped in something. Rosalind realized that she was not wearing shoes… She needed to find the girl something else to wear. They were alone for now, no sign of the birds at all. Which meant that the man had no idea where they were.

Rosalind relaxed a little but kept her guard up. She entered the next room she came upon and closed the door. They would get no where taking breaks like this but she couldn't keep moving. She made sure the door was locked and sighed. Where were they? There were several desks and a large glass window. She motioned for Elizabeth to sit and began to look around. One thing about the sudden evacuation was the fact that everyone had left their notes scattered about.

The notes she found were all about the bird, or “The Songbird”, as they called it. She's never seen it herself but she had heard it. In her early days, Fink used to brag about it. As if the genetic experiment was something to be proud of.

Unlike her brother, she knew the origins of the bird. The Songbird was a man, a drunk gambler that Comstock assured everyone had volunteered for the experiment. She remembered the screeching in the beginning. When she was just an intern, the bird used to scream all day. It had the ability to speak then. Calling out for one person day and night.

She hadn't gotten to see it ever as she had been given her very first project around the same time. The cries of the man had been easy to ignore as she set about designing a room that could keep a specimen isolated. She'd though herself clever then, creating a room that could be an observation room. She had stood inside the room, marveling at it as they finished painting the walls.

She hadn't felt so clever when she'd returned to work and found the room had already been sealed. A specimen already placed. She'd been briefed by Comstock before even being allowed to see it. She'd thought it was an it. After hearing the man screech for days, she'd assumed that she would have to watch over some deformed specimen. But all she'd seen was a girl.

Elizabeth had been young, apparently moved from another isolation room in her sleep. She'd expressed confusion, but in the end she must have been happy with the change. Rosalind had been unsure of it, but Comstock assured her that it would only be temporary.

She chuckled and continued to look through the files. Everything from how they'd designed the bird apparatus to the creation of the wings. She read it all, taking it in. The Songbird was a tragic tale to her. A man who had most likely been forced into it. They'd grafted him into a bird suit. He was a mess of scars and pain and apparently just wanted to be reunited with some girl named Anna.

She looked over the sketches and shivered. It seemed so unnatural to do this to a person and she wondered how she had come to work for 9 years, knowing that someone had been suffering so close.

The Songbird could only scream now, it could only thrash about and lash out at its captors. She remembered helping them implement a new pressure system into the room… the large room that held the Songbird chained in the center as they researched a way to subdue and control it. The old system hadn't been working for them and she'd received a hefty bonus to find a solution for it.

They were in the observation room, she realized suddenly. She turned her face to the window and stared at the empty space. Elizabeth poked her arm and she looked up. The girl had found a box of granola bars in a desk. She held one up, “Can we eat these?” she asked.

Rosalind nodded and Elizabeth didn't hesitate to start eating. She pushed 2 bars into Rosalind's hands but the older woman was not hungry anymore.

They were in the observation room but the Songbird was not in its cage…

“Rosalind?” Elizabeth whispered, sensing her distress and coming back to her side, “What is it?”

“It seems as if we have another thing to worry about.” she said quietly. Was it a good idea to tell her? Elizabeth was afraid, although she was doing a good job of toughing through it. But Rosalind noticed every whimper and gasp that came from her mouth. She didn't need to know about the bird hybrid running around the building.

“The Songbird.” Elizabeth nodded, “He won't hurt us.”

“How can- How do you know about the Songbird?” Rosalind asked.

“I met him, he was nice to me.” Elizabeth said. Rosalind blinked, she was aware that the girl hadn't always been in her room. Although the scope of what she remembered was still up for debate.

“How did you meet him?” Rosalind asked. Elizabeth pointed at the empty observation room but didn't explain any further. “You can tell me.” Rosalind sighed, “I won't get angry.”

Elizabeth bit her lip and shook her head, “You won't like me after I tell you.”

“Why not?” Rosalind pressed. Elizabeth looked away and didn't say a word. She fell into a silence and wandered back over to the chair she had been sitting in. Rosalind watched her and sighed. It wasn't top priority now, she had much bigger things to worry about.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

She could have told Rosalind about the windows… Maybe she would have found them interesting. But she knew that she wasn't supposed to see outside of her room, they'd put her in there for a reason.

But now Rosalind was mad… she wasn't speaking to her anymore and wouldn't hold her hand. “I'm sorry.” she aid quietly as they traveled down the hall.

Rosalind glanced back but didn't say anything. Elizabeth frowned, she didn't like this at all… “We're going down the stairs.” Rosalind said, “If you see a bird, tell me.” Rosalind led her down the stairs, pausing and listening on occasion. The floor was covered in more and more of the sticky stuff and she almost fell trying to avoid it. Rosalind caught her and didn't let go until she'd steadied herself, “Careful.” the older woman whispered.

They made it down the stairs and Rosalind gasped. “Robert!” she rushed forward and Elizabeth stayed behind, frozen in place. She couldn't see at first, it was so dark. But when she saw it, she gasped. Robert was pinned to the wall and covered in scratches. There were words above him on wall. Elizabeth knew the letters but couldn't understand them.

“Who did this to you?” Rosalind asked as she attempted to help him down. A groan escaped from Roberts lips and Elizabeth slowly moved forward. Had the man from before done this?

Rosalind attempted to wake Robert up and Elizabeth looked away. She didn't like what she was seeing and didn't know how to help. Robert was even more hurt then she was and he wouldn't wake up. What would happen if he never woke up? People did that, she knew it. Her mother had gone to sleep and never woken up. That's what Comstock had told her… What if Robert didn't wake up?

“Run...” Robert managed to whisper. Rosalind freed one of his arms and began to work on the second one, “Please...”

“You're almost free.” she said. Elizabeth heard a noise and looked around. She saw what had made the noise. A large black bird sat on a small table…

“Rosalind...” she said quietly. The bird was watching them and as she shuffled closed to Rosalind, another landed by it. “Rosalind.” she tried to get the older woman’s attention. “There's a bird...”

“What?” Rosalind freed Roberts other arm and helped him sit on the floor.

“A bird.” she pointed, “Right there.” Rosalind's eyes widened as she looked between Robert and the bird. Robert began mumbling a few words and Rosalind sighed.

“Help me with him, we need to go.” she said. Elizabeth rushed forward and did as she was told. Robert draped an arm over her shoulder and they started walking. Rosalind was leading the way and Elizabeth tried to keep up. Robert was so heavy and he kept stumbling.

“They're following us.” Rosalind picked up her pace and Elizabeth struggled to keep up. How much further were they going to go? The birds stayed behind but Rosalind didn't stop. She was carrying most of the weight by herself and Robert continued to mumbled words to himself.

“My office isn't much further.” Rosalind said quietly. Elizabeth nodded and kept moving. She could hear the birds behind her and wondered where the 2 men were. They always came when the birds did. Robert stumbled again but this time he knocked Rosalind off balance and they both fell.

“Not...” Robert coughed.

“We're almost there.” Rosalind looked to her, “Let's go.” Robert shook his head and pulled away when Rosalind tried to help him up., “Robert, I'm not leaving you here.” she hissed, “Now get up, this would be a lot easier if you gave some assistance.” Elizabeth thought she saw Robert smile but she couldn't be sure. They helped him to his feet and continued down the hall.

“What happened to him?” she whispered to Rosalind. He had been fine the last time she saw him. It seemed like forever ago when he had left to get them food and never returned. Maybe the men had attacked them. This must have been why they were hiding from them. She had been afraid before, but this was different. They would hurt her even more then anyone else had…

They picked up the pace as they neared her office. Robert had gone all but limp in their arms and they were left with dragging him into the office. Rosalind shut the door and locked it before moving back to Robert. “Elizabeth, can you get me a towel from your room?” Rosalind asked.

Elizabeth turned back towards the window. She remembered when Comstock had first reached his hand inside of the window. She had wanted to take it so bad, but she didn't like the way he was staring at her. It made her feel nervous. “Be quick about it, Elizabeth.” Rosalind said.

“Sorry.” she mumbled as she walked over to the window and climbed through. It felt much safer inside of her room and she found herself wishing that Rosalind had never opened it to begin with. She found the dresser and opened it, she didn't have any towels left… Just one more dress. She grabbed it and gave it to Rosalind.

“This isn't a towel.” Rosalind sighed but used it anyway. She bunched it up and began dabbing the blood from Robert's forehead, “I think he might have a concussion.” she said quietly. Robert flinched away from the towel, “He doesn't seem to have any other injuries.”

“The man from before did this?” she asked.

“They must have.” Rosalind said, “They're the only other people here.” Besides the Songbird but Elizabeth didn't mention that. The songbird was nice… at least to her. But everyone else was afraid. When the window opened the first time, she had been afraid too. But then it sang her a song. She understood why they called it the songbird. But it had been after the lights went off then, no one else had been around. At least no one that she had seen.

“Charles.” Robert mumbled. His eyes flickered open and he looked around, “He wants Elizabeth.” Robert strained to sit up but Rosalind put a hand on his chest.

“He wants me?” Elizabeth shivered.

“Why does he want her?” Rosalind asked. Robert's eyes had fallen shut again, “Robert?”

“He… He wants...” Robert moved his hand to his head and lightly prodded at the lump on his head, “My apologies… he hit me with a wrench.”

“Why?” Elizabeth moved to his side.

“I wish I could understand why mad men did the things that they did.” Robert sighed. Elizabeth let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

“Can you move?” Rosalind asked.

“I don't think so, I feel like jelly.” he sighed, “If I could have walked here, I would have.” he added.

“It certainly would have helped.” Rosalind said, “What exactly are you eating that has you weighing so much?”

“I eat normally, 3 meals a day.” he said, “I'm sure you'd weigh a normal amount if you did so as well.”

Elizabeth reached out and touched his hand, “Will you be okay?” she asked. If he couldn't walk, how would they escape the men and the birds?

“Your hands are freezing.” Robert commented. He closed his hand around hers, “But i'll be fine.” Robert's touch was like Rosalind's gentle yet firm. His hands were a lot bigger and warmer though. “I just need a moment, we should be able to rest for a few hours before we find an exit. I do have to say, I lost the master key that Comstock gave me.”

“Master key?” Rosalind repeated.

“Yes, after telling me that no one would be coming to save you, he gave me a key. I was using it to search the rooms but… I think they might have taken it.” Robert sighed, “I'm sure they won't use it though.”

“Why wouldn't they use a key that can let them into any room?” Rosalind asked.

“Oh, you know...” Robert closed his eyes and said nothing. Rosalind sighed and looked to her.

“He has a head injury,” she said, “And I don't believe he's thinking correctly.”

Elizabeth yawned and realized how tired she was. She couldn't remember the last time she slept, not in a bed at least. Every time she and Rosalind had stopped to rest, all she really did was sit and close her eyes. “Right,” Rosalind looked to her, “Can you help me get him onto the couch?”

“I'll rest right here.” Robert protested, “You can take the couch.”

Rosalind ignored him and began to lift him up, Elizabeth help her get him onto the couch. She took the blanket and draped it over him before sitting beside him. “Why does the man want me?” she asked.

“He thinks you know how to make vigors.” Robert opened his eyes and looked at her.

“Do I?” she asked. She was sure she didn't, or maybe she did. Maybe it was something she'd always done but didn't know what it was called. Like the drawings she'd made.

“I'm sure you don't.” Robert coughed, “He's addicted to them, I think.”

“Vigors...” Rosalind blinked, “What Fink was creating, he's testing that on people already?”

“It wouldn't be the first time. I don't think any of his tests have gone well.” Robert said, “But Charles seems fine, just a little unhinged. He had a man with him… he looked, uh, burned.”

“Burned...” Rosalind said, “By a test here?”

“He wanted a vigor too, so I would assume that he's addicted as well.” Robert said, “The affects of the vigors must not be permanent if they need someone to make them more.”

“But I can't make them...” Elizabeth said. But maybe if she learned, she could get the men to leave them alone.

“Neither can we.” Rosalind said, “But if the vigor is wearing off, maybe that will keep him form using the birds to track us.” Elizabeth shrank back and let the two discuss. She snuck back to her room and climbed back inside. She found her sketchbook and sat down with it. Maybe she could draw again. There was so much going on now and it was making her head hurt, but drawing was easy.

She started to draw, letting her mind focus on the lines instead of the bad people looking for her. She was drawing Robert this time. It was strange, even though both he and Rosalind looked similar, it was much easier to draw Rosalind. Maybe because Robert moved to much for her to really get a good look at him. Rosalind was more still, she could sit for hours.

When they'd first talked, Rosalind had been sitting down and writing the entire time, Robert had walked back in forth across the room. “Elizabeth.” Rosalind's voice caused her o look up, “You need to rest.” she said.

“I...” She didn't think she'd be able to sleep, not while Robert was hurt and the person who did it was looking for her. “I'm not tired.”

“Yes, you are.” Rosalind climbed into the room and took a breath, “I'll stay in here with you and make sure no one comes for you.” How had she known what she was worrying about? Rosalind began to search the dresser for more clothes. “Did you give me your last dress?” she asked.

“I didn't have any towels left...” they'd always replenished themselves when she had begun to run low. Maybe it was Rosalind who had made sure they were replaced. It didn't matter, she would rather it be used for Robert anyway.

“Alright then, we won't worry about it.” Rosalind said, “I just want you warm, but the blankets will have to do.” Rosalind motioned for her to lie down in bed, “Are you still hungry?” she asked as she tucked her in.

“No...” Rosalind sat on the floor beside her. They sat quietly for a long time before she reached out slowly, “Rosalind?”

“Yes?”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Why would be?” she asked. Rosalind turned to look at her.

“The songbird… I wouldn't tell you how I met him...” she said, “Because I don't want you to hate me.” Rosalind's eyes were really blue, yet not the same color blue as her own.

“That's not important.” Rosalind sighed, “It's just been a rather long day.” Rosalind must have been tired too.

“You can sleep in my bed...” she said, “If you want. I know you need to sleep too.”

Rosalind shook her head, “Robert is already asleep, and you need to sleep as well.” she said, “We can't all rest at the same time.” Rosalind reached out and grabbed her hand, “Once Robert is well enough to walk, we'll be leaving.”

“Outside of the building?” she asked.

“Yes.” Rosalind nodded. She was curious, what was out there? More people? Were they good people like Rosalind and Robert? Or would they just hurt her like the two men who had hurt Robert? Or maybe they would be like Comstock, who just made her want to hide. She didn't really want to find out, but as long as Rosalind stayed with her, she would be fine.

They were silent again, this time for a long time before Rosalind began to hum. She did so softly, maybe she thought that she'd gone to sleep. The combination of Rosalind running her fingers through her hair and humming started to affect her, she found herself closing her eyes more and more. She would let her self fall asleep, and hopefully everything would still be okay when she woke up.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

He wasn't paralyzed, he knew that much. But he was weak. His legs felt like jelly and he could only stand for so long.

When he first woke up, Rosalind was gone. He panicked for a moment before getting up and stumbling to the window. He found her sitting beside Elizabeth's bed. It looked as if Rosalind had attempted to stay awake but she had fallen asleep. It was actually a nice scene.

Elizabeth was curled up in the bed, she must have been exhausted. Her life had been flipped upside down in just a few hours. He noticed she was still wearing a thin hospital gown, she needed more clothes.

He could go find her some, someone had to have clothes around here… He made up his mind and walked over to the door. His vision blurred and he paused, maybe he should wait until he felt better to go out… But once he felt better, they wouldn't have the time to stop and get anything. They would have to leave right away.

But if he went now, he could be back before they even woke up and Elizabeth wouldn't have to walk around like she was.

0.o.0.o.0

A window had appeared over Rosalind. Elizabeth didn't move, she didn't want Rosalind to wake up and see it. It was different, usually she only saw different places but now… she was seeing something that wasn't possible. Robert and Rosalind were in their home eating. But Rosalind was here with her, it didn't make sense.

She watched them interact before Robert handed something to someone. She leaned closer, careful not to wake Rosalind. The person he handed it to was… it was her! They were outside together. But what did it mean? She'd never seen herself in one of the windows before. Was this something that was going to happen?

“What...is that?” Rosalind lifted her head.

Elizabeth sat up quickly and took a breath, what would she think? Would she be angry? “They're… windows...” she said quietly, “They always appeared after the lights went out...”

“You've seen this before?” Rosalind didn't look away from the scene.

“Yes...” she admitted, “It's how I met the songbird.” She remembered the day. The songbird had been screaming and then the window open. There had been no one else there… She was a lot younger too. The Songbird had stopped it's screaming. The red eyes stared at her and then changed to green. That had been the first time she'd heard music before… And the last time as well. She had hoped that the window would open again soon and it did a few more times. After the first time something changed, Songbird never sang to her again.

The window closed suddenly and she waited. Rosalind stood up and looked at her, “That's how you saw me, isn't it?” she asked.

“Yes.” Elizabeth nodded.

“But where did they come from?” Rosalind said to herself. Elizabeth felt relieved, Rosalind didn't seem mad about it. “Are these things that are going to happen?” she asked, “Or things that might happen?” Rosalind began to pace the small room, “Is there a significance to when they appear? How is it that I’ve never seen this until now?”

“It only happens when it's time to sleep.” Elizabeth said. When the lights went out, one would appear. It didn't happen every night but it happened enough for her.

“Yes,” Rosalind said quietly, “Of course...” They were silent for a moment before Rosalind turned ad walked to the window, “Where's Robert?” she asked. Elizabeth got out of bed, shivering as the blanket fell from her shoulders. She hadn't noticed that he was no longer there.

“They didn't come here did they?” she asked. Robert had said that they wanted her… so they couldn't have been here.

“No, we would have known.” Rosalind climbed outside of the window and walked to the door. “He has a head injury, it's possible that he isn't in his right mind. He might have left on his own.” Elizabeth climbed out of the room as well.

“We should go get him.” Elizabeth said. If Robert wasn't thinking right, then he could get himself into trouble. “Maybe he didn't go to far.”

“No.” Rosalind shook her head, “We'll stay here. If he doesn't return in 30 minutes, we'll go to find him.” Rosalind sat on the couch and Elizabeth walked over to the desk. The papers from their lessons were still there. She wondered if Rosalind would continue to teach her once it was all over.

Another window appeared and she blinked. There was nothing but a desk this time. It was the same desk she was looking at now. “Rosalind… A key!” it had o be the key that Robert had lost. If they could get it, then everything would be okay. She lifted her arm and reached into the window.

Her entire arm tingled and she began to feel sick, “Get your hand out of there.” Rosalind snapped. Elizabeth grabbed the key and started to pull back. She was almost out when the window closed suddenly. There was a moment before she felt pain. “Oh no...” Rosalind was at her side holing her hand before she even realized what had happened. All she knew was that she was bleeding.

The tingling was spreading to her entire body and she was having a hard time staying on her feet. “I g-got...” she had the key. She had pulled it through… but now she felt really bad. And sleepy, she was sleepy again.

She could hear Rosalind speaking but she didn't know what she was saying. Her vision blurred and she dropped the key, “R-rosa...” she could barely speak. What was happening? Everything was cold and the tingling had changed into pain. She gasped in pain as her vision went away completely. Rosalind’s voice was urgent and she could feel the older woman holding her.

She tried to speak again but nothing came out but a scream. She tried to stop herself, she didn't want to attract the men from before. But she couldn't control herself. Her scream died down and she gasped for air. She was crying, she could tell that much and she had stopped screaming finally. Her heart thudded in her chest and she felt herself passing out. She was very relieved, she just wanted it all to end… And finally it did.

0.o.0.o.0

Rosalind used Elizabeth's dress to wrap the wound. It was only her pinky that had been severed, yet the reaction was disproportionate. Maybe losing part of herself through the tear had caused it. Either way, she needed to get the girl some type of medical care. She was cold and pale, having lost a good amount of blood. But she was breathing still, and that was important.

She placed Elizabeth on the couch and waited. She needed to find Robert, but she had planned to take Elizabeth with her. It would be too dangerous to carry her and leaving her alone seemed dangerous as well. She had a key now, assuming this was the same master key that Robert had lost was a stretch but maybe…

Rosalind stood up and walked back over to the desk. The key was still there, covered in blood now but it was there. She picked it up and looked towards the door. She couldn't let Robert wander the halls with his head injury.

She want back to Elizabeth's side and sighed, “I'll be back.” she said quietly. Elizabeth whimpered in response but didn't wake up. She just hoped that Elizabeth wouldn't wake up and try to find her. She heard the doorknob rattle and she looked around for something she could use to defend herself. Her office was bare, the only things occupying it being a desk, some chairs and the couch.

The door opened and the man stepped through, “Robert?” he was wearing a hat now and held a large bag in his hands, Robert closed the door and looked to her.

“It's morning out there!” he said loudly.

“Quiet.” she hissed as she went to lock the door. Robert set his bag down and began to look through it.

“I found more clothes for Elizabeth.' he said, “And some disguises for us.”

“What good would a disguise do?” she asked.

“So Charles can't find us.” Robert said, “You just need to dress like a man, and he won't suspect a thing.” Rosalind sighed and shook her head.

“Robert,” she started, “He won't care, he's looking for vigors and he'll use anyone to get them.”

“And I found clothes for Elizabeth! They're small.” Robert handed her a folded outfit. A school uniform from the elementary school down the road. They looked as if they would have been too small. The shoes he found seemed to match Elizabeth's feet, but the girl had never actually worn shoes for as long as she could remember. “Now, just wake her up and we can be on our way.”

“No… not yet.” she said, “Elizabeth needs rest, and so do you.” And the didn't know where the two men were, it was too big of a risk right now. But Robert wouldn't get better until he saw a doctor, he would continue making bad judgments and no amount of sleep would stop that. Elizabeth needed to recover from whatever had just happened to her.

Rosalind sat down in her chair, she wasn't thinking at full capacity either. She was still sick and no matter how much she slept, she only woke up more tired then she was before. “Oh, by the way.” Robert said, “There are more people out there. They're just like the one who attacked me!”

“Don't sound so happy about that...” she sighed. They wouldn't be able to fight them off even if they tried.

“I believe they were all down in Suchong's labs, Charles must have let them out.” he explained, “They were mostly fighting each other and they didn't notice me. And I found information on Elizabeth and the Songbird!” He walked over to her, pulling a think folder from his bag and handing it to her. “You'll never believe what's in there.”

She opened and began to red, the first page was about Elizabeth… Born Anna Dewitt. Her mother's name was Annabelle Watson, the lady who would later marry Zachary Comstock. She had never met Comstock's wife but according to the file, she had been murdered by one of the workers there.

Elizabeth had only been 2 years old then and just a year later Comstock decided to put her in isolation. At first, just a room in the building where she slept and only interacted with scientists. Then, at the age of 6, she had been placed in the room. She had lived outside of that room for 6 whole years before Comstock decided to lock her away. And she… well she had been a baby sitter. There was no reason listed for locking her up besides one entry describing her contact with the songbird.

She had met the songbird a few days before Comstock started the isolation. When she was 3 years old she wandered into its holding cell. That seemed to be the catalyst, Comstock hadn't wanted her to interact with the songbird again.

But why? She flipped through the pages and found the first entry about the songbird. Or, about the man who would later become the songbird. Booker Dewitt and alcoholic and a gambler…. Elizabeth's father. The songbird had been made from her father. Maybe that was why it didn't hurt her and instead sang to her. The creature had screamed for Anna until it couldn't anymore.

“After Annabelle was murdered, her husband came looking for his daughter, but that would ruin all my plans. I've worked so hard for this and this little girl is the piece that finishes the puzzle. I've tasked Fink with taking care of him, he needs someone for his latest creation anyway…”

“Comstock never married Elizabeth's mother?” she blinked. She had been “murdered” and Comstock had simply taken her child. “He kidnapped a child and I willingly watched that child for 9 years.” and her father had been a hall away lashing out and trying to find her.

“You didn't know all of this.” Robert said, “And even if you did, what would you have done?” Booker had already been turned into the songbird by the time she started watching Elizabeth. She could have located the girls relatives and made sure she went to a normal home. Instead she watched her for 9 years. She should have assumed something was wrong with the story she was told but instead she listened and allowed a girl to lose her entire childhood locked away like this.

“The Songbird is probably looking for Elizabeth as well.” she said. If Booker Dewitt still had any shred of sanity left, he would use it to find his little girl. She glanced at the girl sleeping on the couch, “And it'll kill us if it has to.”

“Which is why we need to leave now!” Robert said, “I know where the exit is.” He walked over to Elizabeth and attempted to wake her up.

“She won't wake up, I think she's in shock.” Rosalind said, “She stuck her hand through one of the tears and it closed on her.”

“The what?”

“They're little windows to alternate realities, I believe. Sometimes even the same reality but at a different time.” Rosalind explained, “Elizabeth has been seeing them for a while now.” She wasn't sure how long exactly, though.

“And she could go through them” Robert asked, “Why would she stay in the room if she could go through them?”

“Perhaps they were never big enough to fit through.” Rosalind shrugged, “And judging on the results of what happened this time, I'm glad she never tried.” The thought of the tear closing on any part other then her pinky finger sent a shiver up her spine.

“What do you think will happen to her now? If these tears are windows to another reality does that mean her finger is lost in another one?” Robert asked.

It was a god question, one that they would have explored more if they weren't in their current situation. “Who knows what it means.” she said, “We can think more on it once we get out.” Elizabeth stirred on the couch.

“Rosalind?” she said softly.

“Yes?” Rosalind went to her side. The girl said no more but at least she was awake now. “Elizabeth you need to change into the clothes Robert got for you, we'll be leaving soon.” Elizabeth blinked at her and nodded. She was still a little pale but she didn't seem sick anymore. “Robert, look the other way.” she said.

Her brother blinked before nodding and shuffling to the other side of the room. He stood in the corner and Rosalind began to help Elizabeth into the clothes. The shirt fit surprisingly well, although the sleeves were a bit short. It was the same with the pants, the only reached her calf but they weren't too tight or too lose. She slipped the socks onto her feet and then helped her with the shoes. She looked a mess but at least now she would be shivering in a paper thin lab dress.

“Are we leaving now?” Rosalind helped Elizabeth to her feet and nodded. The young girl took her hand and looked to Robert, “And you have the key?” Rosalind nodded, holding up the key for her to see. Robert came to stand by them and they stood quietly. The feeling of apprehension rose in her chest as Robert walked to the door and reached for the doorknob. Elizabeth held on to her as the moved to join him.

“The closest exit is in the basement, its just a few hallways away.” he said. Rosalind nodded and Robert opened the door. The hallway was dark, the lights weren't flickering anymore. “It seems as if the power has finally cut off.” Robert said.

The walked out into the hallway, Robert leading the way to the exit.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

They didn't speak to each other at all, a simple look was enough to convey any messages between them. Whenever they heard a noise, they would slip into a room, locking the door behind them and waiting. It was tedious and Rosalind knew that they would have made it to the basement a long time ago if they hadn't stopped so much.

They sat in an office and waited out a noise they had heard, a set of footsteps from down the hall. It had been too dark to see what it was they were hiding from, but the problem moved by them soon enough. One of Suchong's experiments had found its way to their hall and was walking around mumbling about a circus.

They waited for the footsteps and the voice to fade away before deciding it was safe to go back out. They walked quietly along the halls and for a long time, they didn't find any reason to hide away. Relief flooded her chest as they made it to the basement. Robert led the way and the hurried to the door.

He opened it and gasped. A barricade had been built outside of the door. Piles of bricks, sand bags and wood stood between them and the exit. Robert pushed on the barricade but it didn't budge. He attempted to pull one of the bags away but it didn't work, “It's packed too tight.” he sighed.

“This isn't the only exit.” she said, “This is just the way you got in, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he nodded, “But the other exits would be surrounded by these men from the labs. Charles would be near them and he has a gun, who knows what he'll do with that.”

“Where… where did he get a gun?” Rosalind shivered, if the man looking for Elizabeth had a gun, what could they really do to fight him off? They might have had a chance before, but not anymore.

“He took it from me.” Robert said, “I… I brought it along with me just in case but they must have taken it when they knocked me out.” Rosalind closed her eyes, they couldn't stay there forever. They wouldn't be sending anyone to help them out.

“We have to try anyway.” she said, “It's either that or stay in this building to...” to be hunted and killed Charles had gone mad and wanted Elizabeth to make a vigor for him. Why he had chosen her out of the 3 of them was a mystery. Maybe he knew something that they didn't, either way, if he found them, he would shoot them.

Robert sighed, placing his hand on the barricade before drawing back and punching it. “Damn it!” he held his hand and turned away from them.

“We need to go now.” Elizabeth spoke up, “Because they'll find us if we stay in one place for too long.”

“She's right.” Rosalind agreed. Robert didn't say a word, choosing instead to walk out of the basement. They followed in silence but it was clear, that getting out wouldn't be as easy as they'd thought.

0.o.0.o.0

Robert and Rosalind were nervous, she could tell. They shared glances as they navigated the halls, occasionally hiding in a room. She hadn't seen anything to be afraid of yet. No people or birds. There were signs that they'd been there before, maybe they had already passed through but she was hopeful that they could escape.

“We've been walking for a while now.” she said quietly.

Robert looked back at her but didn't say anything. She looked to Rosalind but the older woman didn't look back at her. Her feet were aching in the shoes and her hand still felt numb. She just wanted to go back to sleep.

They continued before she slipped and fell. She let out a yelp as she hit the ground. “Are you alright?” Robert asked. Rosalind helped her up and she nodded. “We can rest once we find-”

“Do you hear that?” Rosalind interrupted him. They listened together before Robert grabbed her and ushered her into a room, she didn't hear a thing but as Robert attempted to close the door, someone burst through.

“Elizabeth!” he shouted.

She screamed as the man grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Rosalind. “Let me go!” she squirmed but the man's grip was too strong.

“Let her go.” Robert attempted to fight the man off but stopped when the man pointed something at him. “Just… think about this...” Robert said slowly, “She can't help you, Charles.”

“How do you know?” he pulled her closer and Elizabeth let out a whimper.

“She's been locked away her entire life...” Robert looked to Rosalind, “She doesn't know what you're looking for.”

“She will.” Charles said. He began to back away and Elizabeth began to panic. She didn't want to go with him, he was only going to hurt her. His arm was already wrapped around her neck and she was finding it hard to breath.

“Stop!” Rosalind spoke up, “You can't take her.” Charles pointed the gun at her instead of Robert.

“I can, and you're not going to stop me.” he said. Elizabeth wasn't sure how guns worked, she'd never seen one before. But it made a lot of noise. Charles fired the gun wildly at both Robert and Rosalind before taking off and dragging her along.

“Let me go.” she gasped. She could hear Robert calling out but she couldn't see them. They were moving too fast.

0.o.0.o.0

Robert took his sister into his arms and held her close. Charles had shot her twice and she was bleeding out fast. “Please… Rosalind stay with me.” he tried. She was still awake but hadn't said a word. “Rosalind?”

“Elizabeth...” she said finally, “You have to go get her.”

“And leave you here?” he shook his head, “You're going to bleed to death if we don't stop the bleeding.”

“I can.. I can d-do it.” she brought her hands to her abdomen, placing pressure on the wound herself. She let out a gasp as she did so. He knew she wasn't applying enough and she would be better off if he did it himself.

“I'm not leaving you here.” he said firmly. He had moved down there with her to keep her safe. Sure, it was a bonus that he'd be able to pursue his dreams along side her but really, he'd only come along to make sure she wouldn't get hurt. And now here she was bleeding out in his arms and she wanted him to leave her there?

“She… she's just a child.” Rosalind said quietly, “And I think we owe it to her...” Of course they did, they had been bystanders while her life had faded away slowly, while her father had lost his sanity a few halls down but… what if he left and Rosalind died while he was gone. Cold and alone on the floor. “Robert, I’ll be here when you get back, just take the key and go find her.” Rosalind looked at him, “Go!”

Robert stood slowly and nodded, “I'll be right back.” he said, “And you better still be here when I come back with her.”

“I'm not going anywhere.” she said quietly, “The sooner you go, the sooner you can get back here.” Robert left the room, closing the door and locking it so that no one would find her.

“I'll be back.” he said and a quiet hum from the room let him know that she had heard him. He took a breath before going towards the lab. Charles still had a gun but he was going to kill him when he found him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

He had never moved so fats in his life. He ignored the thundering headache and rushed to the lab. Several crows littered the halls and he even saw the corpse of the man who had knocked him out. He could still hear Rosalind’s shout in his mind as he traveled the halls. He remembered her eyes widening as the first bullet hit her shoulder and he remembered her falling once the second hit her abdomen. HE hadn't taken the time to examine the wound but he assumed she'd been hit around her appendix.

A cry from Elizabeth brought him out of his thoughts and back to where he was. He could see them in the lab, Charles hadn't closed the door. Quietly he made his way to the door.

Charles was still holding his gun tight and he was pointing it at Elizabeth. “Just get the ingredients and make it for me!” he slammed his hand down on a table and Elizabeth flinched away.

“I don't know the ingredients.” she cried. Robert crouched down and waited, “I don't know what a vigor is.” Elizabeth was crying and Charles continued to bang on the tables demanding she find the ingredients.

Charles lowers the gun slightly, “You have to.” he said, “I saw the papers in Fink's office.”

“I don't know who that is.” Robert watched as a light appeared behind Elizabeth. An imaged appeared in grainy black and white and floated next to Elizabeth. Charles lowered his gun and watched the image. He was transfixed and Robert took his chance. He rushed into the room and tackled Charles. The gun flew from the man's grasp and slid across the room.

Charles growled and threw a punch at his shoulder. Put him in a choke hold as the man attempted to crawl towards the gun. “You shot my sister.” he shouted. Charles rolled out of his grip and moved for the gun. Robert stood quickly, kicking Charles in the stomach. He kicked again and again and Charles crumpled to the floor. “You… You shot her for no reason!” he bent down and punched the man.

Charles didn't move and Robert stood up, he turned to Elizabeth. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Elizabeth nodded and he sighed. “We have to-” He was tackled from behind and fell to the ground. Charles climbed on top of him.

“I can't hear my friends anymore.” he said, “And she's gonna help me!” He punched him. “She can make the vigor and give me back my power!” Charles continued to punch him and he heard the crows begin to screech. He fought back as hard as he could but Charles didn't relent.

It wasn't until his vision began to blur that Charles finally stopped and stood up. Robert coughed and gasped, it felt like his ribs were broken. He felt pathetic, he'd rushed in so angry but he never had a plan to begin with. “Now the ingredients.” Robert heard the click of a gun, “We can find them together.”

“B-but I don't know what they are...” Elizabeth said.

“You do.” Charles said, “I know you do.”

“No...” Elizabeth sniffled.

“I'll gt my friends… They want some too.” Charles said, “Not the birds, but the others.” Robert groaned from the floor. If he could distract the man, maybe Elizabeth could get away… “After I take care of him...”

“Please don't hurt him anymore.” Elizabeth pleaded, “He can help us.”

“No he can't.” Charles moved closer to him and pointed the gun at him, “He's just trying to stop me.”

“No!” Elizabeth said, “He isn't. He… He's my friend and he just wants me safe.” Robert kept his eyes on Charles. The man stared at him as he considered it. Robert waited, there wasn't anything he could do now. He couldn't sit up, not fast enough to dodge a bullet.

“He's not in the papers I read.” Charles said, “he knows.”

“I can help. I studied these things, I know mire about this then she does.” Robert said, “Just put the gun down.”

“You're mad at me.” Charles said, “And I’m not stupid. You'll kill me as soon as I get the chance!” Charles was shaking as he stepped closer, “Do you know how much it hurts?” he asked, “do you?”

“No...” Robert said slowly, “It's withdrawal from the vigor isn't it?”

“I can feel it leaving my body… I don't want it to.” Charles said. Robert glanced to where he'd seen Elizabeth and saw that she wasn't there. Hopefully she'd taken the chance to run. Maybe she'd go back to Rosalind and help her somehow.

“Just put the gun down.” he tried.

“No.” Charles said, “I’m done listening to what you have to say.” Charles pulled the trigger and Robert shut his eyes.

0.o.0.o.0

Rosalind knew she wasn't applying enough pressure to the wound. She could feel the blood running down her sides and pooling beneath her on the floor. Her mind attempted to come up with a solution to the problem but she knew that there wasn't one. She needed a doctor and it didn't seem as if they'd find one anytime soon.

So she would probably die down here by herself. Hopefully Robert would have found Elizabeth and he would get her away from all this. The guilt she was feeling for being involved in the young girls isolation was eating her alive now.

She spent so much time focused on herself and her own experiments that she never even tried to figure out anything about the girl… “I'm sorry...” she spoke out loud as if Elizabeth would hear it.

She wanted her to know that she regretted it all. If they had gotten out of there together, she would have made sure she had a good life. She would have taught her everything she could but that didn't seem likely. Elizabeth didn't hate her, although she should have.

Her mind traveled to Robert… her twin brother. He would take care of Elizabeth, she was sure of that. He was always the nicer of the two of them. He'd wanted to spend her last moments together and part of her wished that he had… she didn't want to die alone like this.

A shiver raced through her body and she found herself crying. She felt pathetic and cold and weak. She wanted to sleep and wake up back in her small room in her apartment. She wanted to come to work and act as if they'd never been locked in here like they were now.

But of course that wouldn't happen. She was already feeling like her time was up, she wanted to see her brother before she died but that didn't seem like it was going to happen. Her vision was blurry and it had been for a while now, but it was getting dark now. She closed her eyes and let the darkness overtake her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18

It had all happened so fast, one minute he'd been waiting for death and the next minute Charles's body was falling on top of him. The man had grabbed his shoulders and let out a gasp before collapsing. Robert rolled his body away and looked up.

“Elizabeth...” she was standing there with a pair of scissors in her hands. There was blood on her clothing and it wasn't hard to guess why. Robert stood up and rubbed his head, “That was...” he didn't know what to say. He took a step towards her and she stepped away, raising the scissors defensively, “Elizabeth,” he put his hands up, “I'm not here to hurt you. You know that...”

She shook her head before turning and running into the hallway. “Wait!” he called after her. He followed as fast as she could but with his injuries he was losing sight of her. “Please!” she finally stopped at the end of the hall. She collapsed onto the ground and he ran up to her.

“I didn't want to do that.” she gasped.

“Hey,” Robert bent down beside her, “It's okay.” Elizabeth was hyperventilating now, “Deep breaths.” he said as he took her into his arms.

“He… was going to kill you too...” Elizabeth said. He wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but once Elizabeth calmed down, he pulled away. “What do we do now?”

“We need to get back to Rosalind.” he said, “She isn't dead.” He hoped she wasn't at least. Either way, they would check and if she was dead… they'd cross that bridge when they got to it. Elizabeth took his hand and they stood together. She stayed close to him as he lead the way back to the hall they were in before. To where Rosalind was bleeding out alone on the floor.

0.o..o.0.0

Robert's hands were a lot bigger then Rosalind's. They seemed to swallow hers as they walked along the hallway. He held onto her tight, but not the same way Rosalind did. HE\e was afraid of what wold happen if he let her go, maybe he thought that she would hurt him if he didn't hold on.

She didn't want him to let go either. She knew there were still people looking for her roaming the halls. They wanted a vigor and she couldn't give them one… or maybe she could. She hadn't brought it up yet but she could open the windows now. She wasn't sure how but when Charles had been yelling at her, she'd opened one. One to Rosalind's room…

She recognized the bed and the desk immediately and while Robert struggled with Charles, she'd thought of going through. She wanted to run away but she couldn't. She didn't want to leave Robert there and she'd been afraid that the window would close on her like it had before. But maybe they'd be able to use it to their advantage. She would bring it up again once they got back to Rosalind.

“She's in here.” Robert said. He unlocked the door and they went inside. Elizabeth paused as he went to her side. Charles was the only dead person she'd ever seen and Rosalind didn't look much better then he did. She was covered in blood, the only indication that she was still alive was the rise and fall of her chest.

She slowly made her way over to them and sat down next to Rosalind. She took her hand, surprised at how cold it was. “Rosalind?” The older woman's eyes flooded open and she blinked up at her.

“I… I'm sorry...” she said. Elizabeth had no idea what she was apologizing for. None of this was her fault.

“I'm going to help you wrap this wound okay?” Robert said, “And the one on your shoulder.”

“There's no point.” Rosalind said quietly, “I've-” She stopped and let out of cry of pain. Robert had placed a ball of cloth onto the wound, “Robert...”

“I know it hurts, but it will help.” Robert said. He turned to her, “Elizabeth, put as much pressure as you can here.” He moved his hands from the cloth and she took his place. “I need you to keep doing this until I get back.”

“You're leaving?” she shook her head, “You're hurt!” And there were bad people out there. What if someone tried to hurt him? “I want to come with you.”

“No, someone needs to stay with her.” Robert attempted to wipe the sweat from Rosalind's forehead, “And I wouldn't want someone hurting you.”

“But what about you?” Robert had already been hurt too much. She'd left him while Charles had been hitting him and he couldn't even walk straight anymore. If someone attacked him, he wouldn't make it.

“It's a risk that must be taken.” Robert said, “And Rosalind needs you here with her.” She didn't argue with him as he got up and left the room. She heard him locking the door and sniffled. She felt like crying, why was all this happening?

She looked down at Rosalind, she had tears running down her face. “Please don't cry, I'm sorry.” she said, “I didn't know… If I knew the ingredients...” Maybe she shouldn't have tried to fight Charles in the beginning. If she had gone with him, then Rosalind wouldn't be like this.

“No...” Rosalind said. Her eyes opened again and she brought her hand up to her cheek, “It isn't your fault.” But Elizabeth didn't believe her, if Rosalind hadn't come to find her then they would have gotten out of there already.

“I'm scared.” she admitted. And she'd never felt this scared before. Robert was gone and Rosalind was dying in front of her. The blood was soaking through the cloth and onto her hands, how much blood could Rosalind lose before she died? It hadn't taken Charles long to die, but Rosalind had been bleeding for a long time. “Please say something...” She kept her hands in place like Robert instructed her to but she wanted to curl up beside her like they had before. “Rosalind...” she was crying again.

“Shhh.” Rosalind said, “Robert will be back...”

“When?” she asked

“He'll be back...” Rosalind said. She must have passed out because Elizabeth felt her body go limp underneath her hands. Hopefully that meant that she wasn't in pain anymore. But that also meant that Elizabeth was alone with her thoughts.

0.o.0.o.0

It was just this luck that he ended up around the mad men from Suchong's lab. He was hiding behind a lunch cart in the cafeteria and the men were sitting at a table towards the center of the room. He could sneak around easily enough when it was dark like this. But they all had weapons.

The first man had a brown paper bag over his head. He sat with a strange hook in his hands. He twirled it as he spoke to the second man. This man didn't hide his face, he was deformed, much like the man he'd seen with Charles. He was missing patched of hair as well. “The bird man's gonna win.” the hook man said.

“No he's not.” The other one said, “He's just as crazy as we are!”

“No he's gonna get that girl and we're gonna get out of here.”

Robert slowly made his way towards the doors, he knew there had to be some sort of first aid kit in the kitchen. Just in case the staff hurt themselves, but what was waiting for him in the kitchen? There could be a group of them there…

He clutched the wrench he'd found tightly and made his way to the doors. They didn't make a noise as he pushed through and found himself in a dimly lit space. The kitchen was small but he found what he was looking for immediately. A large kit with a red cross on it. Of course next to the cross was Fink's logo. He wasn't sure if he wanted to risk using any of the supplies on his sister, but it was better then nothing.

He slowly made his way to the table, noticing the body of what must have been a cook underneath the table. He looked away from it, the man had most likely killed himself after the initial shut down of the building. On top of the table was the health kit, it was open and Robert figured out why. The cook had taken out the pills inside and had taken most of them. There were only a few left but hopefully that was all they would need.

He closed the kit and made sure it was latched correctly before picking it up. As he grabbed the kit, his hand bumped the radio on the table and it sprang to life.

“-And as of now, no one is left inside but if what we are hearing is correct, it's a good thing that they plan to demolish the building! The horrors of Comstock Inc. must not be let lose onto the streets! Tomorrow when the sun rises, they will tear down the building.” Robert blinked, they planned to destroy the building? “It's been 3 days now and it is unlikely that the ungodly experiments of the place will be alive anymore.”

“In there!” Robert cursed as the two men from before burst through the doors. He scrambled away as the man with the hook jumped at him. He dropped the kit and held up the wrench, if he ran, he would only lead them back to Rosalind and Elizabeth.

The splicer swung the hook again and Robert swung the wrench. He connected with the splicer's hand before the other one hit him on the shoulder. “What're ya doin in here?” it asked as it attempted to hit him again. Robert didn't answer, there was no negotiating with the splicer's most of them were too far gone to even see reason.

Instead he swung the wrench, connecting with the splicer's head and shuddering when he noticed that the wrench had become lodged in its head. “Rude.” the splicer said as Robert yanked it out, stumbling as he did. Both splicer's came at him and he swung wildly, hitting them over and over.

It didn't seem to matter how hard he hit them, they continued to come at him. The splicer with the hook sank it into his shoulder and pulled. He let out a cry and fell back. It came at him again, but this time he hit back as hard as he could. The splicer let out a garbled noise before falling. The other went down easier and Robert sat down.

He wouldn't be able to fight anymore if any more showed up. His shoulder wasn't bad, the hook was still lodge in it, but it hadn't gone deep enough to cause any real damage. Of course, he couldn't keep it in.

“Of course...” he set the wrench down and grabbed hold of the hook. He took a breath and closed his eyes before yanking it free. He smothered a cry of pain before collapsing against the floor. He took a deep breath, ready to stay like that for a while, but the thought of his sister dying across the building was enough to get him back onto his feet. He grabbed the medical kit and the wrench, hopefully he wouldn't have to fight anymore but he would be prepared if he did.

He stayed low to the ground as he left the kitchen. The sound of the radio would certainly draw the attention of the splicers that were lurking about and he wanted to be as far away as possible when they arrived.

He continued down the hall that he came through before, he hadn't seen any splicers on his way to the kitchen and he was hoping it stayed that way. Walking as fast as possible Robert ended up in the lobby of the building. He paused, taking a moment to stare up at the large portrait of Comstock. Anger boiled in his chest as he thought about everything he'd learned in the 2 days he'd been trapped there. If he ever saw Comstock again, then he would make sure the man suffered.

Robert's eyes shifted to the smaller portrait of his sister. When the government officials did their investigations, would they see that and think she had something to do with it all? Or would they just destroy the building before anything like that could happen.

Of course, none of that would matter if he didn't get back to Rosalind. He wasn't sure if anything in the kit would be able to help her at all, maybe there would be pain killers to at least quell some of the pain she was in. He rushed off down the hall, ignoring the growing headache and before long, he found himself outside of the room they were in. He unlocked the door and went inside. Elizabeth was still where he'd left her and Rosalind wasn't awake anymore.

“Robert...” Elizabeth had been crying and he was sure that this was all too much for her.

“It's okay, I've got the kit.” he opened it up and began to look through it. There were bandages, creams, pills and gauze. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to use to patch her up but he started with her shoulder.

Rosalind squirmed and whimpered as he wrapped the wound tightly. “It's okay, I'm almost done.” he said quietly. He knew the one in her abdomen would hurt a lot more, “Elizabeth, when I tell you to, I need you to remove your hands from her okay?”

The young girl nodded and he picked up the next roll of bandages. It was stretchier and thicker then the last. He looked down at the clothe pressed to her stomach, it was already soaked through with blood but removing it now would remove any of the clot that had formed. He sighed and picked up all the gauze he could before taking a breath. “Alright, move.” Elizabeth moved away and he packed on more of the gauze before beginning to wrap her up. “Elizabeth, I need you to help me lift her up okay.” The younger girl did as she was told and Rosalind cried out as he began to wrap her up.

“Stop...” she attempted to punch him away but she was too weak.

“Rosalind, I'm almost done.” he said. He had wrapped her as tightly as possible and sighed, “Look, I have pills here… I think it'll help your pain.” He got up and looked around, trying to find something he could put water in for her. “We'll give it 30 minutes before we start for a way out.”

“We can't fight those guys.” Elizabeth said.

“We can.”

“I can't.” she said, “And Rosalind can't either.”

“I know but… Look, please don't worry.” he said, “I can handle it.”

Elizabeth stared at him before nodding and running her fingers through Rosalind's hair. They sat quietly for a few minutes before they heard a screech ad a crash. “The songbird...” Elizabeth said quietly.

“That was the basement.” Robert stood up. It was a long stretch but he believed that the songbird had probably crashed into the barricade. Maybe that was their way out. That is, of course, if it didn't kill them on the way out. “Let's go.” he picked Rosalind up, “We have to go now.”

They weren't far from the basement, “Where are we going?” Elizabeth followed him closely. Robert looked at Elizabeth, she was afraid and he didn't know how to help her.

“Just stay close, we're going home.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 19

He almost didn't believe it, the barricade had been crushed by the Songbird. He could see the sky. The moon was out and a gentle rain was falling. He almost cried when he felt a gust of wind.

“Let's go.” Robert stepped forward but stopped as something outside began to move toward the hole in the wall. A red light focused on him and his blood ran cold. The songbird of course was still there… It screeched and ran forward stopping only to examine them. It's red eyes turned yellow as it looked them over. “We aren't a threat...” he tried. He wasn't sure if it could understand him.

It stood above him and he clutched Rosalind to his chest. “Wait...” Rosalind spoke up, “He just wants… Anna...” the name caused the songbird screech again and it raised its hand.

“Wait!” Elizabeth stepped forward before the songbird could strike. It froze immediately, it's eyes turning green, “Remember me? Y-you sang me that song...” she reached out a shaking hand and touched the leather beak.

Robert remembered the notes he'd read before. Booker Dewitt was the man inside of the suit and he was Elizabeth's father. “We didn't know what they'd done to you.” he said quietly.

“They aren't bad people.” Elizabeth said, “They helped me.” The Songbird made a few clicking noises before bringing it's hand down to rest on her back. The hand seemed so much bigger than Elizabeth.

“We're sorry for what Comstock did. Sorry that he took your daughter form you… But you can see now, she's okay.” he said. Although Elizabeth looked far from okay, The Songbird drew her into a hug, a light hum coming from it. “Elizabeth, the man inside your suit… It's your father. Your real father.” he explained, “Comstock took him and turned him into this...”

“And he can't come with us.” Elizabeth pulled away from the Songbird, “Even if he wants to.”

“There's no way we can fix him.” Robert said. The songbird looked to him and Robert could feel some sort of understanding pass between them, “We'll take care of her...” he said, “My sister and I promise you that.”

Rosalind hummed in agreement and the songbird backed away from them. It raised its hand and pointed at it's head. “What?” Robert blinked. The Songbirds eyes went to the gun in his hands. “This… This wouldn't… You want me to...” He shook his head, he didn't even know if the gun would subdue it or not.

“The gun can't kill you.” Elizabeth spoke up for him, “That suit is too strong for that, right?” She looked to him and Robert nodded, “But that tube...”

The breathing tube that went from his mask to a spot in his abdomen. The Songbird stepped closer to her, kneeling down in front of her. “You want me to do it?” she said quietly, “I can't...” She was crying again. “Robert… I can't do it.”

He stepped forward but stopped when the songbirds eyes changed to yellow, a warning. “He doesn't want me to do it.” a strange request for a father to ask his own daughter to finish him off. Maybe it was what he thought he deserved. Robert would never know. But Elizabeth cried as she took hold of the tube. She ripped it from his mask and he immediately backed away, flailing as he suffocated.

“Shhh, I'm sorry.” the Songbird stopped its flailing and turned to her as it fell. Robert shuddered at the sound of it wheezing and whimpering. But Elizabeth was comforting it, “Thank you, for singing to me.” she said.

Robert didn't know what she meant but surely it could be explained later. For now, he watched as Elizabeth hummed a tune to her dying father. The songbird stopped its wheezing and Elizabeth stopped her humming. “That was the song he sang to me.” Elizabeth said.

“Robert...” Rosalind gasped in his arms and he sighed.

“Elizabeth, we have to go now.” he said, “Before the Splicers find us.” Elizabeth stood up, making her way back to him without a word. Together they walked out of the building, the cold rain touching his skin and soaking his clothes. He didn't look back at the building as he walked. He had one goal and that was the hospital.

It wasn't far from where they were and once he walked through the doors, they were helped immediately. They took Rosalind and rushed her to surgery and they took both he and Elizabeth to get help for their own injuries. With the assurance that everything would be okay, he let himself fall asleep in the hospital bed.

Chapter Text

1 year later
She walked by the empty lot that had once been her home. The building that had caused her so much pain and suffering. She still had nightmares from what had happened there but things were getting better.
“How do you like your new school?” Robert asked her.
“Well the teachers are nice.” she said. She'd only just started school a few months ago and she had a lot of catching up to do. The other students seemed to think she was stupid, but they'd had 16 years to learn what she'd only had a few months to learn.
“Are you making friends?” he asked.
“Yes, a few of the girls are nice.” she didn't want to talk about school and Robert knew that. “Do you think we could ever leave this place?” she glanced at the empty lot.
“And go where?” Robert asked, “On vacation.”
“Sure, Rosalind said that the world was a big place.” Elizabeth said, “I want to go to Paris.”
“Paris?” he asked.
“Yes.” she remembered seeing the building through one of her windows. She'd fallen in love then but she'd only recently learned what the place had been called. “Just for a little.”
“Maybe, we can make that happen.” Robert was so optimistic. He was always certain that things would get better even when it seemed like things were bad. When Rosalind was in the hospital, it had taken weeks for her to wake up and she'd been afraid that she never would. She'd stayed by her side the entire time and Robert made sure to tell her every day that things would be alright. And they were.
Rosalind had gotten better. Robert had begun to teach at a college down the road and she had started school. Rosalind was teaching her more and helped her with her homework everyday and they'd even gone to visit her mothers grave once.
“Robert?” she looked to him as they walked.
“Yes?”
“What happened to Comstock?” she asked. She hadn't seen the man at all since their first encounter but she wondered what happened. He had been the one to lock them in the building and it made her angry to think that he was living somewhere and not being punished for his actions.
“That's not important.” Robert said, “He won't be showing his face around here again.” Which was true. A day after they escaped, the government stormed the building, subduing most of the experiments and issuing several warrants for Comstock.
They made it to their apartment and Elizabeth smelled the food before she even opened the door. When she did, Rosalind was there in the kitchen standing over a pot. “Before you speak, I did not make this.” she said.
“Good, you had me worried for a second.” Elizabeth chuckled. It was no secret that Rosalind couldn't cook.
“Did you finish that book I told you about?” Rosalind asked. Elizabeth nodded. Rosalind didn't think she was stupid, she gave her books that the teachers thought she couldn't handle and they talked out any confusing things together.
“Good.”
“Dinner's ready whenever you are.” Robert spoke up.
“Go clean yourself up.” Rosalind nudged her towards the bathroom. She nodded and set her schoolbag down before going to clean herself up. She cleaned up quickly and headed back out to the dining area. Robert had already set out a few bowls of stew.
She sat down and smiled. She was never going to forget what she'd gone through back inside that building. All those years she spent alone and the 3 nights she'd spent running for her life. But as long as Robert and Rosalind were here, it didn't matter. This was the life she wanted, the life she'd seen through the window that day…

THE END

Chapter Text

Hello! I just wanted to let everyone know that the rewrite of this is finally starting to be posted. It has more chapters, more background, and it ties up loose ends. I think you will all enjoy it and I would love it if you all went over and read it. :)