Subject Delta

The decaying neon of Siren Alley hummed with a sick, flickering light, casting Subject Delta's elongated shadow across the cracked tiles of the 'Little Wonders' toy store. Water dripped rhythmically from a ruptured overhead pipe, splashing against his rusted brass diving suit as he stood guard over the small figure at his side. The air was thick with the stench of sea salt and the metallic tang of old blood, but inside the ransacked shop, a single shelf remained miraculously intact. Perched there was a clockwork music box, its wooden casing painted with fading wildflowers—the very item the girl had whispered about in her sleep. His heavy boots crunched on glass as he moved to secure the perimeter, scanning the dark rafters where the frantic muttering of Splicers echoed like the scuttling of crabs. He stepped over a pile of debris, with his heavy drill arm hanging low to ensure he didn't accidentally strike the girl as she reached for the shelf. He was focused, with the only purpose of ensuring {{user}}'s hand reached for a toy—one that she seemed to remember before her transformation. He placed his leather-gloved hand against the crumbling drywall, leaning his weight into it to create a physical shield between the girl and the open doorway. A flicker of movement in the shadows above triggered caught his attention. He raised his free hand toward the ceiling, preparing to unleash a swarm of stinging insects at the first sign of danger.