The 'Coral' was a 100 feet yacht that silently cut through the frigid Atlantic. A Ten-year-old Leonard Dietrich pressed his nose against the cool porthole of the ship as his breath fogged the glass. Above, the sky was golden as the sun slowly set on another boring day at sea, his father had said that it was symbolic of how their life on the surface had come to an end and their new one under the sea was just about to begin.
Leonard still remembered the newsreels of mushroom clouds blooming over test sites, grim-faced politicians, maps of Europe and Asia crisscrossed with angry red arrows. His parents would often whisper words that made him feel nervous at time, even though he didn't understand the context behind them.
Sino-American War.
Nuclear exchange.
The End.
But one day that suddenly changed, they looked happier than they've ever been in months. This time whispers of war and nukes turned into whispers of an invitation. They talked about this place called Rapture and of this man named Andrew Ryan.
When Leo asked them about what this Rapture was, his father described it as 'Atlantis but only for smart people.' But Leo expression his concern about leaving his friends behind, they said that he'll make new friends in Rapture.
"You make new friends Leo, better friends who are far more worthy of you. You won't have to be slowed down by those dumb kids anymore; you will surround yourself with your intellectual equals."
In truth Leo only understood about half of what his father said but he just nodded along. As the yacht can to a halt Leo was drawn back to reality as he looked once again through the porthole and saw a…
A lighthouse?
"We've arrived" His mother sighed as she stood from her seat and put aside her magazine. "You father is probably waiting for us on the deck."
She beckoned him to follow as they made their way through the corridors of the 'Coral.'
"Mom?" Leo hesitantly looked up at his mother as he trailed behind.
"Yes?"
"Can I keep my Pip-Boy"
"Why wouldn't you keep your Pip-Boy? It was a birthday gift." Leo owned a Pip-Boy 3000, he had gotten it as a birthday gift from one of his father's friends, but the man himself had never shown up, he had just sent a package.
Leo was pretty sure that it was only exclusive to Vault-Tec, so he got his hands on one was a question he didn't want to answer.
"Because you never want me to use it." Leonard sent an accusing glance at his mother who noticed but just rolled her eyes.
"That's different Leo, back then you were surrounded with leeches that wouldn't hesitate to steal from you just because they couldn't get their own." She sneered ad she spoke as her grip on his hand tightened.
"My friends wouldn't do that," Leo said with a wince as his hand started to ache.
His mother sighed, "Leo, your friend were just selfish monsters that wanted to take advantage of you because you were wealthy, and they were not."
He kept silent for the rest of the walk to the deck, his parents always said mean things about his friends but in truth Leonard suspected that they just didn't like the fact that they were poor.
Once they reached the deck, they found his father talking with one of the crew members. His blonde hair was neatly combed back, and his beard was neatly trimmed. That coupled with his tree piece black suit and blue tie painted the image of the stern man that was Sebastian Dietrich.
His father.
Leonard momentarily froze when his father's grey eyes reached him, they still carried that weight of authority in them that made Leo feel like his was being judged.
"Natalie," His father greeted as he turned his attention to the small stony island they stopped at.
"Sebastian." His mother nodded as she made her way to his side. "Our luggage is being prepared," Leonard kept silent as the two exchanged words. There was always this atmosphere that he didn't know how to properly describe but he knew that he hated it.
His father hummed in approval, "The crew have their instructions, are far as the rest of the world will know we went on vacation. I paid them double to keep quiet. Upon arrival our housing will be prepared, and I've already transferred our important assets into Rapture. I have everything I need to open the business"
A lot of what they said flew over Leonard's head, but he did understand that Rapture was not at this lighthouse, so why were they here?
Why couldn't they head straight for Rapture?
"We'll be off sir," A crew man said once he finished offloading the last of their bags. Leo grimaced once he realized that they needed to carry all of it to the lighthouse. He knew that they shouldn't have packed so much but his mother insisted taking pretty much everything.
'This is going to be a long walk.' Leo grumbled, he was promised an Atlantis for smart people and all he's been given was a worn-down lighthouse.
There was nothing remarkable about this place.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
'Perhaps, I was quick to judge' Leonard though in amazement as he stared as the giant bronze statue of a scowling man looking down at him, beneath it was a red banner with words written in bold.
NO GODS OR KINGS, ONLY MAN
At his side his mother scoffed as she also stared up at the statue, "He's putting his face in the entrance, the man thinks highly of himself."
His father hummed in agreement, "That's Andrew Ryan, no matter what he tells you, the man thinks himself a King and Rapture his Kingdom."
"Are you guys' friends?" Leonard asked, sensing the unspoken history between the man and his father.
His father's frown deepened as he stared intensely at the statue, "Something like that." He then picked up his bags and began walking deeper into the lighthouse while Leo and his mother followed close behind.
Then they reached it
"What is this?" His mother opened her mouth to ask the question that had been on Leo's mind the moment they found this thing.
"It's a submersible, they call it a Bathysphere." His father answered.
"Bathyspheres don't look like that, "Leonard was quick to retort.
"They look similar enough to be called that."
Leo tilted his head, "I don't see it."
"Just get in that damn thing Leo," His father walked over and hesitantly entered the machine.
Leo smiled as he hopped over and was the second to enter, leaving his mother who seemed to be questioning her life choices.
As they waited for his mother to gather the courage to enter, Leo turned to his father and smiled, "You know I can't swim right?"
"Doesn't matter, the pressure will kill you before you could even try."
"Oh God," His mother screamed once she overheard that.
Leo smiled as he offered his hand to his panicking mother, "Don't worry mom, I'll hold your hand that way we can die together."
The cheer in his voice made the woman flinch but the annoyed glare his father sent that seemed to say 'We don't have all day' got the woman to finally enter.
Once his father pulled the lever and the bathysphere closed, Leo pulled out his Pip-Boy from a nearby bag and began playing with it. He didn't notice how the lights eventually dimmed down or the sound of a projector reel playing.
But he did hear the voice of the man would change the course of his life.
"I am Andrew Ryan, and I am here to ask you a question …."