Bioshock: The Story of Henry Walker

Chapter 6: A.R.

The curtains drew back. Henry moved to the edge of his seat, awaiting the arrival of the man behind this so called ‘project’. The curtains were wide open now. A stand with a microphone was placed in the middle of the stage. People looked around confused, what was going on? Where was they man they had all awaited to meet, their so-called ‘employer’? A PA system crackled, then Henry heard it.

A man has a dream. A dream where there is no greed, no conflict, where a man can create his world, can live his own life, free from the clutches of Government control, where he works for himself and only himself. He tells others of his dream. They say his dream is flawed, foolish, that there is no such thing, and word spreads of this mans dream, others wonder if perhaps the man is right, could there be such a place? Yet, before the man can respond, he is thrown into a prison cell, locked away from the world for his openly thinking, by his country’s leaders. And then the dream is no more. There are two things in this world, ladies and gentlemen. Humans and parasites. Humans believe that work is their wage, that with the sweat of their brow, they can accomplish anything, that they are limitless in their abilities, that the world is free and open to them. The parasite is quite the opposite, the parasite demands order, they demand that humans give them an equal share of their profits, the parasite tells the humans that their science is too immoral, that their art is too exposed. A man will build and a parasite will ask, Where is my share? A man invents and the parasite says, What will the neighbors think? A man creates, a parasite says, Careful or you may tread on the toes of God. You are probably wondering who I am and why I say this, you wonder what I plan on doing with this project and why I need your help in making it reality.

 The PA system crackled and a drum roll ensued. A spotlight appeared and turned itself towards the podium. The drum roll seized, smoke and confetti exploded from the ground. Sounds of amusement could be heard through out the crowd. Henry squinted to see through the smoke. As the smoke disappeared, a shadowy figure stepped through the smoke and onto the podium. It was indeed a man, no taller than Henry. He had slick black hair with a neatly trimmed moustache, dark eyes and wore a neatly cut, grey business suit. Henry heard the crowd gasp in awe. ‘So, this was the man behind it all, the employer.’ The man looked around the theatre into the crowd. He smiled and spoke into the microphone.

 Hello ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have all enjoyed your stay on the Odyssey, I assure you there will be much more awe inspiring sights to behold later on during our voyage of industry. I hope the means of getting here were not too challenging. I made the corridor maze to be somewhat of a test. Only talented individuals can find their way through the maze. Since all of you are here, it means you all possess such talents that will be extremely useful in this endeavor. Congratulations. My name is Andrew Ryan, and I’m here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? Some would say it belongs to the poor, many would say it belongs to God, and some would even say it belongs to everyone! I rejected those answers, I believe that through a man’s hard labor and with the sweat of his brow, he will take it for himself and create something, something he earned through industry and hard work to create a paradise, free from the parasites of the world, and he will prosper. Ladies and gentlemen, I have a dream, , this project is a plan to build paradise, a utopia, free from the parasites of the surface, I am going to build a city you see, a city at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. This ocean liner is anchored to the bottom of the ocean and below is where I plan on building this city. The city will be called Rapture. It will be a city of freedom and opportunity, a city free from the parasites of the surface, a paradise for the honest, hard working humans of the world. But I cannot create this city without the help from talented individuals such as your selves. You see, I have enough money to fund for everything I need to build the city, money and materials are of no problem, but I need hard working individuals to help me perfect Rapture. Everyone here will have a vital role to play in it’s creation. Already, many individuals have lent their hand for Rapture. Ms. Atkins has flown all of you in from all over the world so you could be here today, Mr. Wilkins has joined his crewmembers with mine to help navigate and find the location of which we will build Rapture, and Mr. Walker has generously donated his inventions to Rapture’s cause.

 The spotlight turned to the row in which Henry was sitting in. An applause followed, Peach smiled, Naledi waved, Henry sat there puzzled. Gil looked at Henry, “You look confused Henry, is there something wrong?” Henry looked up at Gil, “The only thing is Gil, I don’t ever remember donating any of my inventions to this cause!” Gil looked troubled, “I’m sure Mr. Ryan will explain everything!” he assured Henry. Henry sat back in his chair. He was very interested in hearing what else Andrew Ryan had to say. The applauding died down and the theatre became silent again. Andrew Ryan’s face turned serious.

 However, I must be very clear on this next subject. Many of you are wondering if you will be the only individuals who will reside in Rapture. When Rapture is born, and the city is thriving, it will need people to help keep the city alive. Forty talented individuals cannot run an entire city by themselves. I have made sure that this ships entire crew is ready to do the impossible, to build Rapture, and after it is built, they will also reside in the city, and through their hard work, they reserve a spot for themselves in Rapture. And many more will come. Many hard working humans will join us in Rapture. Many of these humans however, will be disguised, for many humans who seek Rapture are actually parasites disguised in a cruel visage. Be warned, the parasite will spread like a cancer and latch itself to Rapture, and once it is attached, it will never stop feeding off the body of the city. That is why I have also found the top security forces through out the world, men that are still clean from the filth of the parasite. Be warned, the parasite is everywhere in this world, and Rapture will be the only means of escape. Of course, you will all be paid quite a handsome salary for your services, as well as accommodations and your very own place in Rapture.

 The crowd burst into conversations. Peach grinned, “I’m liking this project already!” Naledi beamed, “I knew this was going to be big, but I had no idea it was going be this big!” Gil shook his head in disbelief, “A city at the bottom of the Atlantic, the very thought is absurd, and yet, it seems possible” Henry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘An entire city, hidden away from the world, away from war and greed, from the constant toils of the surface, away from the Government…’ Henry liked the idea. Yet, he still had many question for Andrew Ryan. The business put his hand up to calm the crowd. Everything grew silent once again as Andrew Ryan continued his speech.

Remember ladies and gentlemen, only through hard work and with the sweat of your brow, will Rapture become a reality. That is something the parasite will never understand. We begin construction on the city tomorrow morning at nine sharp. I will be arriving at each of your cabins to explain the role each of you will have in creating Rapture. Most of you here are not engineers and will not be participating in the manual manifestation of the city but in time, each and every one of you will have put something into Rapture, and the people of Rapture will know, that through your hardships, you created the impossible. There is a great chain, ladies and gentlemen. A chain of industry, we pull and are pulled by this chain, each one of you is a link in the great chain of industry and with it, we will achieve anything and everything. This concludes my speech. Thank you.

 The crowd roared in applause. Many people stood to give Andrew Ryan a standing ovation. Naledi and Peach were some of those people. The man at the podium nodded at the crowd in appreciation then disappeared as the curtains closed. “Well I must say, that was a quite an impressive speech!” Gil said as he stood. Henry nodded, “You’d think he had prepared for that!” They laughed and exited the auditorium.