Stepping off the Bathysphere my radio crackles to life and Atlas speaks.

"Now you'll have the pleasure of Andrew Ryan's company. He's the one who built this place and the one who burnt it to the ground. Nobody knows what happened to him, maybe the pressure got to be too much, maybe he went mad, maybe he just decided he didn't like people! Whatever the reason a lot of good people died."

The hatred in Atlas's voice drips from every word and he goes on to tell me that Ryan has his family held hostage in a Submarine in an area called "Fontaine Fisheries". This then is my next goal, to reach Fontaine Fisheries and to reunite Atlas with his family.

In front of the Bathysphere a single long flight of steps reaches upward and at the top a large pillar extends from floor to domed ceiling and on it is the grizzly sight of a crucified body! With a deep breath I move upward, closer to this latest example of Andrew Ryan's handiwork.

I'm thinking Dead.... but you can never be to sure in this place!

The chamber itself seems huge! It's like stepping into a great glass cathedral right down to the crucified figure on the wall and it strikes me that while not a church, this whole city is still a resting place for many souls, some good and some... well, not so good.

Pipe work runs rampant across the walls and hangs suspended in areas above my head. Much of it looks shiny and new, but scattered jets of steam still claw the air from rents in the metal here and there.

The pillar itself is surrounded by scattered rubble and debris. A whole section of wall has fallen to one side blocking off one side of the hallway, a large board containing the remains of an electronic timetable lies at an angle atop it, though it looks as though it should be navigable.

Sorting through the wreckage I find a welcome supply of bandages as well as some ammunition and food. Climbing over the debris I discover a Vita Chamber standing out of sight against the back of the pillar.

The floor has now turned to a polished wood on which lies a corpse which I search for supplies. The body is dressed in a deep sea diving suit, but lacks the bulk of the goliath Big Daddy's I have seen. I think that this poor fellow might just have been an ordinary maintenance man, on route to a job that as it turned out he would never even start, let alone finish.

He had the suit, but I don't think he was a Big Daddy.

Against one wall stands a "Gene Bank" which I already know would allow me to change around my Plasmid powers if I wanted to. A little past it is a vending machine and I set about hacking it. At the back of the chamber a large ornate doorway opens upward with a sound like a chain portcullis and cautiously I move onward.

So can I not use this bank, if my name's not Gene?

Stepping through the doorway I find myself in a partially flooded domed walkway, similar to an extent to those I encountered in the Medical Pavilion. Refracted light filters in from the ocean surrounding me outside and casts dancing reflections on the surface of the ankle deep water through which I wade.

Up ahead where the walkway seems to turn a corner, I see the shadow of a Splicer caught in the dancing light on a wall. Its hands appear to be hooked and I realize with a shudder that the hooks will be scythes and that this is a "Spider Splicer". One of the same variety I encountered when I first arrived in Rapture, which disemboweled a man as I stood helplessly watching from the shadows in my Bathysphere.

Movement to my left catches my eye and turning I notice that floating in the ocean outside are a number of bodies! There are no diving suits or oxygen tanks to be seen and I can only assume that these unfortunate souls were caught in an area of the city which imploded. The pressure of the ocean outside presses on me all the more at this grim reminder that whatever man can create, nature can always reclaim.

Undersea excursions without oxygen are not recommended.

As I walk onward gun in hand, the shadow ahead suddenly stands still, appears to crane its neck and then a cackling voice floats through the air. "Do not cross my Garden", it says and the shadow leaps into the air and disappears from view.

As I round the corner and look up I see a number of holes in the ceiling through which the Spider Splicer evidently leapt. Plumes of dust fall into the air, marking the passage of somebody above and I realize that even now I am being watched by this creature just waiting for the right moment to pounce! Ahead is another ornate doorway which again rises on my approach and with a last nervous glance at the ceiling, I make my way through.

I now find myself in a small section of corridor, leading to another door ahead after only a few yards. On my left are three steps leading up to an alcoved area in which some kind of pumping machine whirs and turns, its pistons rising and falling in time with some unknown rhythm. A First Aid terminal stands in an alcove here and I set about hacking it before moving on. Overhead a metal catwalk is suspended which rings with the sound of an unseen footfall here and there, confirming my fears of being stalked from above.

The next doorway rises obediently and stepping through I find myself staring ahead at a huge expanse, easily the largest single area I've seen in Rapture so far. A nearby signpost identifies this as the "Lower Wharf" and points the way also to "McCracken Crabs" and "Fontaine Fisheries".

The whole area looks like a disused dock, almost like something you might see in a small fishing village in the world above. The floor beneath me has turned to rough loosely joined wooden planking forming a kind of wide jetty. This extends for a way ahead, finally ending with a drop of about ten feet onto what almost looks like the sea bed itself. Presumably there was once water in here but now it's gone leaving only pools and puddles and a blanket of mud and silt. Huge floor to ceiling windows line the left hand side of the chamber and lead directly out to sea, but as far as I can tell there is no direct access to the ocean beyond.

That's not fair! I always put others first!

A small set of stairs at the edge of the jetty leads downward into the basin and peering ahead I can see that a similar structure stands at the far end of this huge chamber though I struggle to imagine what the purpose of such a docking area might be, if it has no access to the ocean.

Ahead and to my right is a doorway marked "Fontaine Fisheries" and windows, balconies and roof areas belonging to the floors above can be seen extending all along the left hand side of the chamber.

My eyes are dragged to movement ahead and for the first time I see a Big Daddy plodding slowly across the basin between jetties. As I watch, a shadowy figure appears on one of the balconies above and opens fire on the creature with a revolver! The Big Daddy returns fire with a grenade launcher, causing a ream of deafening explosions overhead. As the battle rages I make my way through the doorway on my right, passing a flapping fish which dances on the floorboards, gasping out its last seconds in a vain attempt to breathe.

Once again I find myself in a corridor which turns to the right ahead. The wooden floors have given way to metal grills through which puddles of water can be seen. One of the grills here is raised and underneath lies a first aid kit which I scoop up gratefully. A stack of crates stands in the corner with a disused cargo dolly in front and a large harpoon with a coiled rope is suspended on the wall, placed as a signpost pointing to the right and "Fontaine Fisheries".

The corridor turns again to the left and opens out beyond into a wider platform area bordering a high drop on the right with stairs leading down to a much larger chamber below. As I move forward I can see that the entrance to "Fontaine Fisheries" is down there, but so are at least three Splicers and ducking down I decide to explore the platform before proceeding.

As my head bobs along the line of the platform an unseen rocket launcher unleashes a furious volley at me from across the chamber below. Although frightening, I am effectively out of the devices line of fire and the rockets either hit the rim of the platform to my right, or arc overhead to explode against the rooftop above. More dangerous though is that the Splicers who were previously ambling around down there without a goal, have now been alerted to movement up here and will doubtless be making their way up very soon.

In the middle of the platform is a central pillar and standing at its base is a Gathers Garden terminal. As I move to investigate I once again incur the ineffective wrath of the rocket launcher below, but doing my best to ignore it I step up and investigate the machine, eager to discover if it might offer additional firepower against my doubtless swiftly approaching visitors.

The list of available upgrades is substantial and my head spins around the possibilities of names such as "Target Dummy", "Winter Blast", "Armour Shell" and" Eve Link". But just as I wonder how best to choose, I notice that this machine is capable of increasing the number of Plasmids I can have ready to use at any given time and with a nod I choose "Plasmid Slot".

Now able to equip more than one power at once, I conjure up my inferno and leave it smoldering just below the surface ready in an instant should I need it.

Shuddering as another rocket screams above my head and explodes somewhere above, I walk around to investigate the opposite side of the pillar and next to a body on the floor I find a "Gene Bank" and beyond it another door off the platform.

Turning my back on it for the moment I decide to concentrate on the more immediate problem of how to get downstairs past the Splicers and that rocket launcher. Surprisingly the Splicers have not made the expected appearance and peering over the edge I can see two of the three I noticed earlier, wandering aimlessly about and seemingly ignoring the rocket launchers periodic attacks.

In a twist of fortunes I realize that to navigate the stairs safely past the rockets, I am going to have to lure the Splicers up here where I can fight them on my own terms and for a moment it almost strikes me as funny that it seems the hunted has now become the hunter.

The eerie sound of singing floats up from downstairs as one of the Splicers recites the words to "Jesus Loves Me". The irony is not lost on me here in this place of the damned and summoning up my courage I stand in the open at the top of the stairs and wave my arms to attract attention.

The Splicers see me just as I have to dodge back to avoid an incoming rocket which explodes furiously where I had been standing and an idea occurs to me. The pair ascend the stairs together, almost falling over themselves in their attempts to be the first to reach me. Now if I can just time this right.......

As the Splicers take the last turn in the stairway and head up the last flight to the platform, I once again leap out and wave my arms frantically! With a soulless "beep" the rocket launcher once again locks onto my position and unleashes its explosive fury! As before I leap back into cover and cover my ears against the ensuing explosion. Now all that remains is to search the bodies for useful supplies and grimly I set about doing just that.

Keeping an eye open for the remaining Splicer I know is down there somewhere, I start down the first flight of stairs at a run, reaching the first corner and hunkering into it as a rockets howls past me and explodes at the top of the stairs. Using the machines small reloading period to my advantage, I sprint downward again reaching more cover before the sentinel once again unleashes a volley.

From my new vantage point I can see that what I thought was the ground level, is actually another platform with the stairway continuing even further down into a flooded area below. I can hear cascading water somewhere out of sight, accompanied by talking voices and more singing. Nervously I realize that I have underestimated the numbers of Splicers down here.

Fontaine Fisheries is here on my level though and so ignoring the problem of being outnumbered for the moment, I return my attention instead to the waiting rocket launcher. If I can disable and hack it, then I would have a valuable ally to watch my back while I visit the Fisheries.

Peering around the corner of my cover, it is an easy matter to disable the launcher with an Electro Blast and then jumping up I pry open its panel and with practiced fingers I rewire the machine to do my bidding.

The rocket launcher was positioned on a large pile of crates and debris which blocks the way the Fontaine Fisheries entrance and picking my way through the rubble I begin to climb over it. Reaching the top of the crates I balance along a wooden plank to a small tin roof and then follow another plank back down the other side to the floor. Now out of sight of the stairs I turn and make my way through the doorway to the Fisheries.

The huge door closes behind me and with a solid click I realize that it has locked! Whatever awaits me here at Fontaine Fisheries, it seems I will have to resolve it in order to find an escape route.

A familiar voice from above jars me from my thoughts and I realize with a start that the Spider Splicer is still stalking me! Her soft voice calls to me through large holes in the ceiling and looking up I can see bodies suspended there, though of the stalker there is no sign beyond the vaguely poetic monologue drifting down to me.

The chamber I am in is fairly spacious. A large central pillar dominates the room and on the left hand wall a conveyor belt now idle stretches off into the darkness beyond iron bars. On my right a Vita Chamber stands on a raised area and ahead stands an imposing door with a closed steel shutter set in the middle. A table to the right of the door contains various supplies and glancing around me a grab anything useful.

Atlas has sent me here and so it seems logical that I must travel somehow beyond this door and it suddenly occurs to me that this might be an occasion when the thing to do is simply knock! So taking my wrench I pound solidly on the door three times.

Almost immediately the shutter springs open and beyond it I get the impression of a face peering out. "So you want to come in eh?" says a voice. "Yes, yes, Atlas said you were coming but I'm not about to let just anyone come through you know! In here is safe.... Out there is not!"

The hidden man goes on to introduce himself as "Peach Hawkins". He's the man I've come to see alright, but he's too paranoid to open the door and let me through even though Atlas has vouched for me! He's terrified of "Fontaine" and he refuses to believe that I am not working for the owner of the fisheries.

It seems I must prove my trustworthiness before Hawkins will let me in and he suggests that one way I might do this, would be to travel to the "Wharf Masters Office" and secure for him a research camera, which I should use to take pictures of various types of Splicer before returning it to him.

Before I can consider his request though, our conversation is interrupted by a scream from behind and I spin around barely in time to avoid the hurtling figure of the stalking Spider Splicer!

The creature is terrifyingly quick and acrobatic. The scythes in her clenched fists slice the air above my face as I duck backward before she cartwheels around me and attacks again from the opposite direction!

Grasping my pistol I fire point blank, but my rounds merely ricochet off the steel door as my target has already gone. Blinding pain across my shoulders signals another attack as in a blur of speed the Splicer is once again behind me! Spinning on my heel I fire again at the retreating figure who cackles as she dodges the shots in a series of athletic flick flacks backward across the room.

This time though I am one step ahead and as she comes to rest I unleash inferno and engulf my target in flame! Screaming the Splicer runs around the chamber insanely before collapsing on the floor moaning as the flames finally subside and cautiously I approach her twitching form for a closer look.

Suddenly with a shrill laugh the creature springs up again and her deadly twin scythes crisscross again in front of my face missing my throat by no more than a hairs breadth! Stumbling backward I fall over my feet and land with a crash on the floor at the mercy of the advancing Spider Splicer! My head spins and with a sick certainty I realize that this is where my journey is going to end!

The Splicer pauses for an instant and grins as she looks down at my helpless form over the top of her blades. I close my eyes and wait for the inevitable strike, but an instant later an explosion of gunfire and a howl of pain force them open again.

The Splicer is gone from my field of vision and as I sit up I see her cart wheeling across the floor being pursued by the rotor bladed form of a security drone! The creature takes at least three hits that I see, before with a scream she uses her scythes to dig into the wall and scurries back up into the ceiling space and out of sight with the drone in hot pursuit!

"Those creatures are tough to kill!" comes the voice of Hawkins from behind me. "So check the table and you'll find something which might help you." With that the shutter slams closed with steel finality and checking the table I find that it now contains a hefty portable Grenade Launcher together with a small supply of ammunition!

With an effort I pull the launcher from the table and sling it across my shoulder opposite the shotgun, before returning to the main door which as I suspected is now unlocked again.

Finding myself once again on the platform area outside Fontaine Fisheries, I pause before climbing the stairs to the upper level, my attention caught by the sound of voices from the area below which I ignored before.

Peering over the edge of this man made precipice I can see the source of the cascading water sounds I heard earlier. The area below me is separated into three large flooded alcoves and at the center of each a torrent of water splashes down from above in an unnatural waterfall.

In the first alcove three Splicers stand aimlessly. The first two are mumbling to each other as though deep in conversation, while the third is standing directly underneath the waterfall and staring blankly into space as the water tumbles over him.

Summoning "Enrage" I target the nearest of the three and a flash of balled red lightning springs from my hand and envelops the unsuspecting target. The result is immediate as with a scream of rage the Splicer turns his pistol on the other two and starts firing! The first of the two goes down quickly in surprise, while the second leaps out from the waterfall flailing a crowbar.

Moments later all three lie dead in the water and with a nod of grim satisfaction I make my way down the stairway and listening carefully of sounds of any other wandering enemies, I search the alcoved areas.

Realizing that the path doubles back on itself and travels to an area behind the stairway and unseen from above, I continue exploring and eventually come to a closed and locked grill through which I can see a hanging body suspended from a pillar. Wires are attached to the corpse and occasionally sparks flash from the still active equipment on a small table beyond. It seems clear that this was a scene of torture and I become doubly cautious as the grizzly scenes from Steinman's surgery return to my minds eye.

Ah poor Timmy, but did he talk?

A keypad lock sits on the wall next to the grill and turning my attention to it I find that it is easily hacked. Searching around the hanging corpse I find a recording device labeled "Timmy H: Interrogation." So I was right then, torture it was.

The recording is a harrowing soundtrack of a man names "Sullivan" torturing "Timmy" at the request of Andrew Ryan. The torture goes on for some time but the mans repeated questions and queries as to whether Timmy is "ready to talk yet", are met with only screams and then finally silence. Glancing at the hanging charred remains the outcome of the "conversation" is all too plain to see.

Beyond the torture scene is a second locked grill beyond which I can see some supplies. But this time no lock is visible to hack and as I currently don't have access to my telekinesis powers, I have to resign myself to leaving them where they are and with a shrug I turn and return through this semi flooded basement area and back up the stairs to the level above.

As I climb the stairs toward the top platform, the explosive fire of my rocket launcher and a scream from above betray the existence of a wandering Splicer I hadn't realized was there. Atlas crackles into life and warns me to be careful of Hawkins, who he suspects will try to stab me in the back once I have competed the task for him with the camera.

After stopping briefly to search the fresh body for any useful supplies, I skirt around the main pillar and head for the unexplored doorway beyond it. Another anchor converted to act as a sign hangs on the wall and points the way to "Upper Wharf" and "Wharf Master".

The walls in the corridor are corrugated and I pass through an open metal gateway before heading up some stairs. Spotting an Eve hypo hidden in amongst some rubble, I gratefully scoop it up and push it into my pocket. I am running a bit low of this precious commodity and I make a mental note that overuse of my plasmid powers will quickly leave me virtually defenseless in the face of goodness knows what!

The sound of pumping machinery throbs in the air and as the corridor turns to the right I find a bank of machinery with pistons busily punching back and forth in some unknown task. A first aid station sits beyond that and I quickly hack it before moving on. Any Splicers looking to find help here are in for a nasty surprise.

Once again I find myself climbing stairs and it seems that the higher I go, the more machinery, cogs and pipes are fixed to the walls around me.

Passing another sign for "McCracken Crabs" I reach the top of the stairs and a doorway. Beyond it is a small interconnecting corridor and on the floor I find some proximity mines, which it seems have been adapted for delivery via my portable grenade launcher.

Passing through the next doorway I find myself in a larger chamber and immediately hug the wall behind me as I see a Splicer with his back to me only a little way ahead. Beyond him a Big Daddy plods slowly along and fills the air with his low keening cry. A Little Sister walks a few steps behind him, looking this way and that for bodies from which to extract Adam.

At that moment the Splicer turns and sees me! With a cry of anger he immediately brings his pistol to bear and starts firing wildly! Ducking to avoid the bullets slamming into the wall around me, I summon Enrage and target the Big Daddy further into the chamber. The creature howls horribly and begins to charge and I quickly duck back into the doorway so as not to become the subject of his focus. After the roars and screams have subsided I emerge again and as expected I find only the broken body of my assailant.

You know the hat and gun are too big for you..right?

Being careful not to come to close to the Little Sister I search the chamber and find a recording from Dr Tenenbaum titled "Finding the Sea Slug". It tells the story of a man with a paralyzed arm being bitten by a "Sea Slug" and finding the next morning that he is paralyzed no longer! By the description of the Slug I have to assume that it and the parasite inhabiting the Little Sisters, are one and the same creature.

The right hand side of the chamber has no wall and opens out onto a high drop. Peering over the edge I realize that I am in fact over the mud flats I saw soon after I arrived in Neptune's Bounty and over to the left I can see the wooden Jetty on which I stood looking up at the very area where I am standing now!

In front of me and a little way to the right, a wooden beam extends across the width of the mud flats and attaches to the wall on the opposite side. A small tin rooftop seems to be accessible over there and on it I see the blue flash of an Eve hypo and so unable to pass up the opportunity of adding to my meager stocks, I carefully inch out across the beam, taking care not to make any undue noise and attract the unwanted attention of the Splicer I see wandering below. It is a tense balancing act but finally I reach the relative safety of the other side and quickly stuff my reward in my pocket before returning the way I came.

The Little Sister and her huge bodyguard are gone and so I search the rest of the chamber unmolested, finding some bandages, food and another recording device, this time from Sullivan, talking about having been ordered to find and interrogate Timmy H. I already know how that turned out of course and I place the device aside.

Narrowing at its far end the chamber opens out into a second smaller room with a large back of piping rising from the middle from floor to ceiling and partially blocking my view of what lies beyond although I can see that the exit is blocked by a closed grill.

As I move forward to investigate I hear the telltale whine of a grenade turret turning to lock in on my position and I hurl myself to the floor moments before the first projectile arcs above my head. Ending in a crouch I nimbly disable the launcher with an electro bolt before dashing forward and hacking the device. As I work I can't help but be amazed how quickly this is all becoming second nature.

The grill is secured by a large padlock but two solid blows of my wrench turn it to just so much scrap metal and I continue through to the other side. A narrow storage area lies before me, with crates and boxes piled clumsily on my right, a security alarm deactivation station in an alcove immediately ahead and a set of stairs leading up on my left.

Complacent after my success with the turret I ignore the telltale signs of a nearby security camera and as I move to climb the stairs the device catches me in full view of its patient electronic eye and a piercing alarm fills the air! Seconds later the whir of rotor blades is accompanied by the bark of machine gun fire as a security drone dispatched by the alarm hurtles into the room and opens fire on me!

Desperately lashing out with my electro bolt I manage to disable it before hurling myself into the alcove and silencing the alarm, before spinning on my hells and hacking the drone before its circuits have a chance to reactivate.

I'm barely finished before an explosion sounds in the chamber behind me, closely followed by a scream and the tell tale howl of a Big Daddy. Peering around the corner into the chamber where I stood only minutes before, the scene immediately tells the story.

My grenade turret is feverishly launching at the Big Daddy, who stands beyond the piping with his Little Sister cowering behind. A short way in front of him on the floor is the body of a Splicer who had obviously wandered in behind me and attracted an attack from the launcher! Possibly caught in splash damage, the Big Daddy reacted predictably enough by attacking the launcher and as I watch the battle between them continues.

Suddenly I realize that I am missing an opportunity here. With a launcher and a security drone to back me up, I have one of the creatures outgunned for possibly the first time and gritting my teeth I jump into the fight.

Dragging my own grenade launcher from across my shoulders I launch a barrage against my huge adversary and as I had hoped his attention is focused so much on the turret, that he barely seems to realize that he is now being attacked from two directions at once!

The bark of machine gun fore from overhead signals the arrival of my drone to the battle and suddenly the Big Daddy staggers significantly backward obviously hurt. The Little Sister screams and scurries out of the way on her hands and knees barely a moment too soon as the behemoth crashes to the floor raising a cloud of dust which momentarily obscures my view, but when it clears the creature is finished and lies still before its warped sobbing charge.

I almost punch the air in victory and perhaps only the tiredness of my aching limbs lends me restraint. Looking around I count the cost of the battle, the turret has been reduced to a smoldering pile of junk and the drone wavers in the air, trailing spark and a plume of smoke which I know from experience means it wouldn't have lasted very much longer.

The Little Sister continues to sob loudly and just for a moment I see a small lost child sat lonely and crying on the floor. But then I regain my senses and remember that this is no child, but a twisted creature whose continued existence depends on drinking the blood of corpses! Hardening my resolve I stride forward with no further hesitation..... I know what has to be done!