Hello, everyone! Welcome to my latest attempt at a BioShock story! This is a remake of a series of BioShock stories I had written about five to six years ago, but never finished due to losing interest in both them and the games themselves. However, I recently replayed the first game, which renewed my interest in the series, so I thought I'd give these stories another shot. Let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoy it! :)

DISCLAIMER: Only my OCs are mine. Everything else belongs to 2K/Irrational Games.

Nonno Tony's-New York, New York-July 20th, 1946

There was nothing to be nervous about tonight.

That was what Samuel Copeland kept telling himself as he finished preparing his signature appetizer of zucchini parmesan chips. He heard the timer on the oven go off as he reached for his glove and pulled the hot baking sheet out, and once he did that, he checked to make sure the chips had just the right amount of brown and crisp in them. After determining that they did, he delicately placed them on a white plate in a circular pattern and included a small bowl of his own homemade marinara sauce before passing it off to the waitress waiting for him, who just so happened to be his wife.

"Zucchini parmesan chips for table three," Samuel announced, and Wendy Copeland nodded as she went on her way. Samuel bit his lower lip as he watched the whole thing, his stomach tying itself up in knots once his plate made it to its destination. While he was always anxious about whether or not Nonno Tony's customers enjoyed the food he helped prepare, tonight was even more nerve-wracking due to the identities of the two patrons he had helped to just serve.

His pulse skyrocketed as business mogul Andrew Ryan used his fork to lift one of the chips off the plate, dip it in the bowl of sauce, and then place it in his mouth in one bite. The blonde woman he was with did the same thing, and time suddenly felt like it was crawling as Samuel searched their faces for any reactions.

"Copeland!"

Samuel snapped to attention as he whirled around to face Anthony Greco, the very face and owner of the restaurant. The young chef cringed at his boss' tone of voice, and he hoped that whatever he had to say would be quick.

"One glowing review of your cooking does not suddenly give you the right to slack off," Greco scolded him as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder towards the kitchen, "Get back to work!"

Samuel pulled his chef's hat slightly lower over his head and turned to glance at Ryan and his date again, watching as they continued to help themselves to his zucchini chips with gusto. "Yes, sir," he said, turning to head back to the kitchen as his boss continued to glare at him. Once he was back at his work station, he sighed and removed his cap, wiping his forehead with a towel as he heard a bell ring to his left.

"Honey, Mr. Ryan and Ms. Jolene just ordered your signature Italian Seafood Zucchini Pasta with Mussels and Calamari," Wendy announced as she waved the paper she had written their order on in front of him, "One plate to share between the two of them. And Mr. Ryan specifically stated that he only wants you to prepare it. Nobody else."

Samuel took the page from her, taking another deep breath as he glanced down at it. Great, he thought, Not too much pressure there. "Guess I better get to it, then," he said, "Or else Greco will be all over me again."

Wendy frowned at the sound of the restaurant owner's name, but she soon perked up again as she said, "Forget about him for now. Just focus on making sure your customers enjoy your food. Ring the bell when you're done." She moved to walk away, but suddenly turned around once more to say one last thing.

"They loved their appetizer, by the way."

Samuel couldn't help but grin as he watched his wife walk away for good this time, and with renewed fervor, he got to work pulling out the ingredients he needed to put the one dish he had to his name together. It was the same one that had landed him his very own article in the New York Times last month after a famous food critic had visited the restaurant and ordered it. Ever since the story had been published, business had boomed, and suddenly, it seemed like everyone was clamoring to eat at Nonno Tony's, a restaurant that had previously been relatively obscure. The fact that Andrew Ryan, one of the most powerful men in the city, had chosen to dine there was simply an added bonus.

Which was why he couldn't understand why Anthony Greco still treated him like he was a stain in the carpet sometimes. True, maybe Samuel had lost his focus for a split second while watching Ryan, but the boss didn't have to be so abrasive about it. If it wasn't for me, Wendy, the rest of the staff, and all the hard work we did in preparing that menu last month, nobody would even know this place existed, he thought as he took out the mussels and calamari and began to prepare them. Fortunately, he had already debearded the mussels earlier that day after purchasing them from the market, so he simply cleaned and drained them.

He wasn't quite sure when his love for cooking had started, but he knew it was from a fairly young age. Watching his parents cook large meals for his family at special gatherings and holidays had definitely fascinated him, and at times, it felt like the kitchen was his second home. He lived for the smells, the flavors, the different food combinations, and most of all, the joy on people's faces when they loved the finished product. The trellises on which his parents kept their prized zucchini plants had also helped, which meant that they didn't need to spend any money buying the squash when they could just grow it at home.

Samuel smiled again as he thought about his own mini zucchini farm at home. On his free time, he had been teaching his eight-year-old daughter, Amanda, how to care for and harvest them. In fact, she had been the one to prepare them to give to him before he shredded them into noodle-sized pieces. As he did the same thing now, he glanced up at a picture of him, Wendy, and Amanda that had been taken with the food critic, in which Samuel was holding his signature dish and wearing his chef's uniform. Wendy and Amanda both held zucchinis in their hands as they wore wide smiles on their faces, and Samuel's heart swelled with joy as he remembered one of the best nights of his life.

Now, if only I could just get out from under Greco's thumb, he thought, That would be perfect.

Not that he wasn't grateful for his job. He was. It was just that his New York Times article had fueled the desire for something...more. Not just for him, but for Wendy and Amanda as well. At twenty-nine, he wasn't getting any younger, and despite helping to bring some much needed business to his restaurant, he had been working there for ten years. It was time for a change.

Half an hour later, Samuel finally finished preparing Mr. Ryan and Ms. Jolene's dinner, and he rang the bell after bringing it over to the counter. Right on cue, Wendy appeared, taking the plate from him in order to bring it over to them, and he stopped to watch as she set it in between them. Although he couldn't hear the words, he could see the excited expressions on both Ryan's and Ms. Jolene's faces as they dug into their meal.

And all he could do was cross his fingers behind his back.

The buzz of conversations and silverware scraping plates was comforting to Wendy as she walked around the restaurant and picked up dirty dishes. The whole time she did that, though, she continued to keep an eye on Andrew Ryan's table, where he and Ms. Jolene were simply talking as they poked at their shared plate.

Andrew Ryan. Wendy remembered when he had first appeared on the New York City scene years ago. He had amassed a large fortune rather quickly and even founded his own company, Ryan Industries, and she remembered just how impressed she was when she realized he had done it all on his own. He had started with nothing when he had arrived, fresh out of the former Russian Empire, and suddenly, he was one of the richest men in the city! That sort of transformation was inspiring to her, and reminded her of her own life after she had moved to New York.

As she accepted another tip from a family getting ready to leave, Wendy glanced over at Ryan and Ms. Jolene again, and she smiled as she saw just how much they were enjoying each other's company. They reminded her so much of her and Samuel, and it brought back memories of when he had personally cooked a meal for her on their first date. She would never forget how excited he was for her to try his first attempt at zucchini pasta, and how he had real passion for everything he did. He had even been kind enough to help her find a job in order to support herself, and it was then that she knew that Samuel Copeland was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

"How's everything over here, you two?" she asked as she approached Ryan's table.

"Good!" Ms. Jolene replied immediately, "Real good, Mrs. Copeland! I've never had zucchini pasta before!"

"Yes, this was delicious," Ryan agreed as he beamed at Wendy, "I knew I could trust this restaurant after reading that article about your husband. Tell him that he has a real gift."

Wendy couldn't help it; she suddenly found herself fighting another large grin as she felt proud of her husband. "I will," she assured him, "Samuel will be very pleased to hear that. Thank you, Mr. Ryan."

Ryan simply smiled, turning away from her as he focused all of his attention on Ms. Jolene once more. Taking the hint, Wendy stepped away, bursting to tell her husband what Ryan had just said. Unfortunately, she knew it would have to wait until the end of their shift, for she suddenly looked up and saw Greco yelling at another waiter for taking too long with writing down another table's orders. Unbelievable, she thought, shaking her head as she passed by another empty table to collect her tip.

Greco had always been short-tempered, but his attitude had definitely taken a turn for the worse after her husband's article went out. It was getting to the point where she, like Samuel, was starting to feel suffocated by her boss. One good article, and now he thinks he can treat us any way he wants, she thought to herself, Where's the thank you in that?

The rest of the evening went by in a blur, and she suddenly found herself back at Ryan's table with the bill. All she could do was watch as Ryan counted out the money before handing it to her. "Keep the change," he told her.

"W-what?" Wendy stammered as she glanced down at the thick wad of cash in her hands, which was a lot more than the rest of the tips combined, "A-are you sure, Mr. Ryan?"

"Positive," Ryan assured her, "You and your husband have done a wonderful job tonight. And as an extra token of my gratitude for a delicious dinner..."

He trailed off as he reached into his coat pocket, producing a white envelope that he pressed into her hands. When Wendy ran her free hand across it, she could feel paper inside, and when she held it up to the light, she could see a faint outline of a handwritten letter.

"You're gonna like what's in there, Mrs. Copeland," Ms. Jolene assured her with a wink and a mischievous grin, "He brought it to give to you on the off chance that you ended up impressing him."

Wendy's heart pounded against her rib cage as a realization suddenly hit her. "So we were being tested?" she asked cautiously. Is that why he only wanted Samuel to prepare their dinner tonight? She thought as she watched both of their faces for any sign of confirmation or denial.

"Yes," Ryan eventually confirmed, "And you and your husband passed, which is why you are receiving this." He pointed at the mysterious envelope, which Wendy turned over and began to tear with her finger.

"Though it would not be in your best interest to open that here," Ryan added quickly upon noticing this, "Wait until you've returned home."

Wendy immediately stopped what she was doing and lowered the envelope. "Yes, Mr. Ryan," she said, though she was now extremely curious as to what was inside. Better yet, why did they have to wait until they were home?

Either way, she couldn't help but be excited at the same time. Their simple actions of cooking and waiting on tables with diligence and professionalism had impressed someone as powerful as Andrew Ryan! Wait until they told Amanda! Wendy couldn't wait to see the look on her and Samuel's parents' faces when they told them the news.

And whatever Andrew Ryan was trying to offer them, it had to be something big. She knew it.

TWO YEARS LATER…

Athena's Glory, Olympus Heights, Rapture- December 25th, 1948

"Sam! Let's go, we're going to be late!"

Samuel glanced up from the letter he was reading as he heard Wendy calling to him from the living room. He took a deep breath as he carefully placed it back on his nightstand, pushed his glasses further up his nose, and then proceeded to adjust his red tie. He couldn't remember another time that he had been so nervous, other than his wedding day, and even though he was currently starving, his stomach was churning far too much to eat. Tonight was either going to make or break him, and he hoped that it would be the former. He had been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time, and now that it was finally in reach, he refused to pass it up.

Just before leaving the bedroom, Samuel quickly glanced around before spotting his favorite toque blanche and snatching it up. He couldn't help but smile as he placed it over his short, brown hair, glancing at himself in the mirror as he took pride in donning part of his chef's uniform once more.

After adjusting the hat a little more, Samuel exited the room and met up with his wife, beaming at her as he went to give her a kiss. Wendy was still as beautiful as the day he met her, and it felt like her smile radiated the entire room. She was dressed in a lovely dark blue cocktail dress, black high heels, and a small black hat with a veil on it. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a bun, and she carried a small blue clutch bag in her hands.

"You look wonderful, darling," he complimented as he pulled away from the kiss and rested his hands on Wendy's waist.

"So do you, Chef Copeland," Wendy replied with a light laugh as she playfully flicked his toque, "The hat is a nice touch."

"Thank you," Samuel said, "I thought it might give me more of an edge tonight, you know? I just want to make sure everything is perfect."

Wendy sighed as she thought about her husband's words, and she realized that they couldn't be any truer. For the last two years, they had sacrificed so much just to make it to this evening; the last thing they needed was for their efforts to go to waste.

"And it will be," she assured Samuel as she gave him another light kiss, "Soon, we'll be seeing your name in lights, just like Mr. Ryan's. Everybody loved you in New York, and they'll love you here, too."

Samuel felt a familiar warmth run through him at his wife's words as he took her hand in his and guided her out of the apartment. The two of them remained silent as they took the short walk from Athena's Glory to the Rapture Metro that granted them access to the rest of the city. Fortunately, the bathysphere they needed was still in the station, and they climbed in as they waited for it to take off. Several other people also boarded at the same time, talking and laughing as they selected their destinations. For Samuel and Wendy, theirs was the Welcome Center, where their whole new dream had finally begun back in September.

"The time is 18:30," a female voice announced over the loudspeakers, "Please stand clear of the closing bathysphere door."

A few seconds later, the door slid shut, and Samuel felt his stomach lurch as the bathysphere descended into the frigid water and proceeded to glide between two tracks. While he didn't quite understand how the technology worked, it still fascinated him, just like it had the first time he and his family had descended into Rapture. While Wendy decided to sneak in a quick nap before they made it to their destination, Samuel glanced out the window, jumping and gasping as he spotted a jellyfish swimming past the bathysphere. Once it was gone, he sighed and shook his head. He doubted he would ever get used to that sight.

In the distance, he could see the shining lights of Fort Frolic, and when he took a closer look at some of the other buildings surrounding it, he realized how much the "skyline" reminded him of home. Of New York. So, this is Rapture, he thought, God, how did I ever get so lucky?

An underwater city. Even after a few months, he still couldn't believe that this place even existed, or that he had been given the opportunity to come here. All he could do was think back to the letter he had been reading earlier, the one Andrew Ryan had given him and Wendy two years ago on the night he and Ms. Jolene had eaten in their restaurant.

"Tired of taxes? Tired of bullying governments, business regulations, unions, people expecting a handout from you? Want a new start? Do you have a skill, an ambition to be a pioneer? If you're receiving this notice, you've already been considered and selected to fill out an application for a life in Rapture. This amazing new enterprise will require emigration. But it will cost you nothing except sweat and determination to come and take part in a new world. If our vetting team has done its job, you are not a trade unionist; you are a believer in a free enterprise, competition, and carving your own path through the wilderness of the world. There is room for up to twenty thousand pioneers to thrive in this new society. We ask that you show this letter to no one, whatever your decision."

The rest of the letter had been fairly straightforward; an envelope with a return address had been included, along with the application the original letter had talked about. All Samuel had to do was fill it out and accept his place in Rapture, and then he could start over.

As Wendy had predicted, Amanda and her grandparents had been thrilled when Samuel told them how the evening had gone. That was when he and his wife could no longer contain their curiosity over Ryan's letter and had opened it right then and there. Unfortunately, the mood had shifted once Samuel, Wendy, and Amanda realized that they were being invited to practically move to the other side of the Atlantic, away from the rest of their family. According to the coordinates listed for Rapture, it was a few miles off the coast of Iceland, which would require them to travel to Reykjavík first before boarding a ferry to take them to wherever they needed to go to get to Rapture.

The decision hadn't been an easy one to make. While Amanda had been happy for her father, she hadn't been thrilled with the idea of leaving her current school and friends behind, and her grandparents didn't like the idea of their son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter being so far away from them, especially with how hush hush Andrew Ryan was trying to keep all of this. He had sworn Samuel and Wendy to secrecy, yet they had already broken that rule by confiding in Evelyn and Roy Copeland. Samuel knew that as much as Ryan didn't want anybody to know about Rapture that didn't absolutely have to, he just couldn't keep his parents in the dark.

Several family gatherings and long discussions later, Samuel, Wendy, and Amanda had eventually decided that maybe a fresh start in Rapture wasn't such a bad idea after all. Again, Roy and Evelyn were disappointed, but their son's happiness had always been their number one priority, so for the next two years, they had relented and helped him and his family secure the funds they needed to get to the underwater city. Before saying goodbye on that fateful day in September, Roy and Evelyn had promised to keep Rapture a secret and never tell anybody that that was where Samuel, Wendy, and Amanda had moved. "And should you three ever decide to come back," they had added as they choked back sobs, "You are always welcome in our home."

Of course, nobody had mentioned the other elephant in the room: whether or not Evelyn and Roy would even still be alive by that time. It was something none of them wanted to think about.

Samuel felt himself return to the present as tears welled up in his eyes, though he wiped them away just as quickly. As the Welcome Center drew near, he couldn't help but wonder if he, Wendy, and Amanda had made the right decision to move to Rapture. Ryan had made it pretty clear that this was supposed to be a one way trip, and it made him sad that he may never see his parents again.

But Ryan had also promised him the opportunity of a lifetime here. All he had to do was hope that tonight would remove all doubt on his decision.