[i] "Good girls gather....gather...gather..."[/i]

The low, dull, ringing CLUMP, CLUMP of two massive metal-bound boots upon the tiled floor killed the conversation of the opulent Rapture citizens in Siren Alley. Tuxedo-clad men and women in long cocktail dresses shuffled warily out of the way of the massive, out-of-place beast that trudged across the halls of the reputably naughty area in complete silence. 

On the shoulder of this beast sat a small girl in a white pinafore, white socks and shoes clean and sparkling for a good presentation. Her face plastered in white facial make-up, that barely touched the neat and tidy brown hair that was tied back into an immaculate ponytail. The only thing unnerving about the child were her eyes, glowing a sickly yellow and devoid of irises or pupils. She gave the Big Daddy an affectionate pat on its cold, slimy metal helmet.

[i]"Mr B, I think there's an angel in the pipes. I can SMELL it. Are we going to get it?"[/i] urged the child, rising and falling with each heavy, burdened step of the Big Daddy - a Bouncer, clean and sparkling and devoid of blood or rust. Only the occasional barnacle and algae patch ruined his appearance, giving an unnerving appearing to the maintenance worker - as if the hulking muscles and power drill weren't unnerving enough. He, too, was wearing a white suit - something that would inevitably become ruined in time.

Her presence brought out some scantily-dressed people from the Pink Pearl, faces appeared in windows for fleeting moments like little flickering lights, men and women spoke in hushed, gossiping voices about the duo. The girl looked like a porcelain doll, the Big Daddy was like a white-clad submariner from the depths of the sea. No-one asked what their work consisted of, no-one got close to them. "My Phillip tried to kick one of the girls once," the whispers embracing Poppy's ears. "They couldn't find a piece big enough to bury..."

Of course, the voices slipped away when they reached Pumping Station 5. Poppy stirred restlessly on the shoulder of the Bouncer, and slipped off, skipping forward. [i]"Angel shining, angel shining..."[/i] sang the girl. The Bouncer let loose a groan, reverberating around the metal helmet, and paced after Poppy.

[i]"We're always so clean before I fall into the rosies, aren't we mr. B? I don't want to fall into the rosies again, though."[/i] idly commented Poppy. She took her white ADAM syringe off her back, approaching a filthy, rotted corpse. A couple of flies buzz around the puckered, rotting flesh that drooped off of the splicer's face like saggy leather. Clutched helplessly in his bony fingers was a half-empty plasmid bottle, and his clothes hung off the body pathetically as if they too want to fall off the splicer's form.

Poppy approaches the corpse, kneeling down. [i] "Hold my hand, Mr B...it's scary when I do this..."[/i] she whimpered. The Bouncer grunted and obliged, stomping forward and holding out a massive gloved palm. Poppy held on to his finger while the white cloth comfortingly enveloped her hand, and she plunged the ADAM needle into the body of the splicer.

Poppy let loose a choked gasp, looking around the pumping station in fear. What was she doing? Why was she here?! Why does that man look so ugly, she had to get out, she had to-...Poppy pulled out the syringe, filled with ADAM, and stood up again with a little peaceful smile on her face. [i]"Thanks mr B! That bit always scares me, but I don't know why..."[/i] chimed Poppy, wiping the needle off with a cloth. She stepped over the splicer corpse, getting picked up gently by the Bouncer.

[i]"I'll drink my ADAM in a minute, mr B! Don't rush me, I'm not that hungry yet..."[/i] whined Poppy, despite the Bouncer not saying anything. The residents of Siren Alley looked at her with wide, frightened eyes and tried to ignore the dark red on her knees. Perhaps she just tripped. Perhaps she just fell over and hurt her knee. Maybe it wasn't even blood at all.