Bioshock: The Story of Henry Walker

Chapter 30: Radio Check

It was another bustling day in the city of Rapture. People walked to and from workplaces, shops and markets. It had been quite a while since Henry had taken a day to wander the halls of the submerged metropolis.

"Where to first..."

Henry scanned the bathysphere hub. A few pods were going out to Fort Frolic. One to Arcadia. Three to the Medical Pavilion. His eyes homed in on a green light signaling an incoming transit to Apollo Square.

"Might as well stretch my legs." he chuckled.

The iron sphere emerged from the pool of water as steam cleared away. The door of the bathyphere swung open and a wave of people poured out. Henry quickly took to the interior of the underwater transportation as did seven others. The trip was more or less quiet, that was until Henry's stomach rumbled an echo that nearly shook the thick glass windows. A few people laughed, others stared awkwardly.

"Excuse me. Skipped breakfast."

Henry grinned. He knew where to head first.

The Timmin's Diner was bustling as usual. People came from all corners of Rapture to get a taste of the southern style cuisine. The large cook in the back kitchen had been cooking up a storm all morning. Beads of sweat rolled down his dark skin. Louis Timmins quickly dabbed his forehead with a soft handkerchief. The shifts were non-stop and customers came in droves. But he had already found when the biggest rushes peaked. Breakfast was the worst, but thankfully that had ended an hour ago. Now the lunch wave would be starting at any moment. Hungry blue-collared workers would pour into the diner, shouting out orders of burgers, battered fish, cajun shrimp, hot sandwiches, and a lot of coffee.

Louis had finally made his dream a reality. Not only did he own the diner, it was one of the most successful food joints in the entire city. But he couldn't have done it without the help from his best friend. The big man gave a hard sigh and stretched. It had been nearly two months since the accident at Hephaestus. It was never easy, going to the Medical Pavilion to see Henry all wrapped in bandages. The doctors said he would pull through. Louis knew how tough Hank was. But it was more worrisome thinking about the ones closest to him. Elizabeth and Jenny had been staying with Annabelle since the incident. They went to see him almost every day. Everyone was taking it hard, but Liz was there when it happened. She told Louis how Henry had shielded her from the steam. Gave her just enough time to get out of the trench. Now she was hold up in her own little corner of the world. Louis took a moment to gander at the small device sitting still over the far side of the kitchen counter. Recently Elizabeth had made radios for him and Annabelle. One very similar to the kind Henry made. Maybe even better. She was working hard, he knew. Trying to get her mind on something else. But the worries were still held in his gut. The girl didn't talk much these days, and ate even less.

"Hey Louis, two orders of the southern shrimp and a big heap of gumbo." one of the waitresses hollered, passing by with a steaming pot of coffee in hand.

"Lisa, get another pot of joe going, next group hits in five minutes!"

He fired up the stove, placing a huge black pot on one of the burners. This had all become so natural. Ingredients came and went as they were chopped, diced, mashed, baked and stewed in a blur of motions. Plates of shrimp and bowls of gumbo were enchanged from cook to waitress to customer and then to said customers starving gullet. Just another day in Rapture.

"We need three burgers, two slabs of cajun chicken and a mound of slaw, hun!" another waitress called back.

Louis fired up the grill and grabbed his spatula. He was in his element now. No time for hesitation. Order after order came, the next wave already beginning. Hours past as he worked over the stove, grill, pan and pot. Flipping over another burger on to a thick bun, he slid it into the hand of the near woman waiting to walk it over to the starved recipient. The young waitress quickly came back, reaching into her apron she pulled out a folded napkin.