User blog:Zeagoth/Nautilus Fan-Made Judgment

This is my fan-made judgment for Nautilus. The concept of Nautilus means a lot to me, since I have such an affection for the ocean, especially at night. This is why I enjoy BioShock, as well. Nautilus will always have a place in my heart and I'm sad he has no official judgment so I felt like making one myself. So, yeah, I'm finally putting it out. If you catch any typos, let me know, please! The format is a little weird since I had written it on my phone and posted it on a friend's facebook page and yeah, ha ha.

The heavy footsteps echoed in the halls. Evidence of his trek through the hall was in the form of wet boot-prints and puddles of black ooze here and there. The onlookers maintained an uneasy silence, not wanting to interfere with this beast. He knew that they judged him in their minds, but he disregarded them. My goals do not concern you, he whispered in a grave voice to himself. He lumbered through the pristine and clean halls, leaving his traces on the polished marble floor. At last the titanic doors confronted him. He stared intently at the inscription on the panel adjacent to the doors, "The truest opponent lies within". He did not move for what seemed ages to him. Within... There is no opponent within, he thought. There is nothing but a dark abyss within my heart. The doors slowly opened, beckoning him to enter the maw. He shouldered his anchor again and slowly entered. Nautilus reached the center of the chamber. Only two blood-red lights could be seen. They scanned his surroundings. He felt no fear but he did not trust what was around him. He trusted nothing. Betrayal does that to people...

"Welcome, Nautilus." A woman was present and she stepped forth into a light that suddenly appeared.

Nautilus turned to the figure in the robe. Only half his height, she spoke to him without any signs of fear.

"I shall be administering your judgment for entry into the League", she declared.

"Judgment? You..." Nautilus whispered in his watery hollow voice. He knew of the judgments in the League, but he could not let go of the sting of being "judged". It was like a pain that one prepared for, but which one would not be able to handle when it occurred. "You!" He lifted his anchor and drove the hook into the floor that shattered with a foul crack. "You dare judge me?!" The titan began his rasp breathing. Labored. Painful. His anger had gotten hold of him. He could not help it. The robed woman merely looked at where the anchor had merged with the floor.

"Your anger is hurting you. You might believe it is strength, but you are sorely mistaken." she said, with an almost clinical tone.

"You know nothing of my pain. Of my torture." he harshly growled. "You dare attempt to judge me, a victim of betrayal. I have been condemned." He made an attempt to take hold of his beloved anchor when suddenly his breathing became clear. He felt lighter and... warm. He blinked and saw his wife. How beautiful she was. He lost all sense of dread. No anger. No pain. No hatred. He ran his fingers through her hair. She smiled.

"Oh, my sweet Maria." he whispered gently.

Maria buried her face in his chest.

"Nathaniel. Please, don't go today." she begged.

"Maria, today is an exceptional day for the Institute. They received word of an unknown entity in the ocean and this could be a great discovery. This is important to me." He held her against him. His heartbeats always soothed her.

"I worry about you. I am afraid of what might happen to you out there. They always send you and the crew into the unknown. Why can't they go look themselves!" she cried as tears flowed and moistened Nathaniel's shirt.

"Maria" he said. He took her head in his hands and looked into her watery eyes. Her beautiful turquoise eyes never failed to make him fall in love with her constantly. "I will return. I promise." He smiled with his own tears revealing themselves. "Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"Never..." she whispered. She passionately kissed her husband. He never lied to her. He was always true to her. He will come back, she assured herself.

They broke their passionate embrace and Nathaniel took one last look at the love of his life before departing their home.

Nathaniel suddenly found himself smelling the sea and tasting the salty air. The rocking of the ship soothed him in a way a mother rocking a crib for her child lulls the child to sleep. The sea, he felt, was his true home. He would construct a ship with a little home in it for him and his wife. Their child would be born out at sea. But, that would be in due time. The sound of the ship's horn awakened him from his day dream.

"Captain!" one of the crew cried in a panicked tone. "Captain! What the hell is this?"

Nathaniel bolted to the side of the ship. He knew his crew. What worried them was what worried him. And it was black. All black. A coat of darkness was gripping onto the skin of the sea. Nathaniel studied the darkness. This was nothing he had ever seen before, in all of his years. The Institute must be notified of this.

"We are to report this to the Institute at once!" he declared to his nervous crew. He walked to his quarters and jotted down the coordinates and description of the material. Whatever this was, it had no right to cling onto the sea. This is his beautiful sea. He must protect it.

"Captain!" another panicked cry.

Nathaniel quickly ran to the sailor. He stopped in terror at what the sailor was pointing to. The black ooze was slowly grabbing hold of the ship. Nathaniel ordered the ship to move. The ship jerked forward and ripped the tendrils off the hull with snaps like tree branches breaking off in an empty forest. Nathaniel ordered the ship to halt.

"We cannot leave this alone here. Suit up, we are going to explore it." Nathaniel ordered.

The crew members mumbled their protests. Such cowards, Nathaniel thought to himself. Willing to leave such a threat out at sea for others to encounter. He, alone, will discover the source of this. Nathaniel donned the hulking diver suit with no fear in his heart. He made his way to the edge of the ship and waited for the diving cable to be hooked to him. No use in exploring the unknown if you can't find your way back. Suddenly, the unthinkable occurred. Inky tendrils snapped at his suit and took a violent grip. Nathaniel's heart jumped. All he could see was the sky as he was pulled back.

"Captain!"

Nathaniel grabbed onto the railing of the ship with a deathly grip. Fear leaked into his soul and he cried for help. The ooze did not relent. His struggle only fueled its strength.

"Help me!" he cried out

The ship started to slowly tilt. The diver suit allowed enhanced strength in the wearer. In their minds... If he held on too long... The ship...

"Please!" he cried again

The ship threatened to capsize. The crew made a hasty decision. It was a decision no one should be forced to make. It was a decision Nathaniel never wanted. They forced his grip free. The suit plunged into the muck. Terrified eyes inside the visor were swallowed by the darkness. An open hand begging for help swallowed. Nothing but darkness. His hand still searching, he grabbed onto the anchor. It, too, offered no help. It sank with him. Both were condemned to the murky liquid. He felt himself drift. His mind raced. Then her face entered his troubled thoughts. He would never see her again.

"Mariaaa!" Nathaniel screamed in his prison. A cry only he would hear.

"Mariaaa!" Nautilus cried in his deep voice. He fell to his knees, staring at the marble floor and rubble that his anchor gave birth to.

The robed woman could only look at this hulking figure, now in a weakened position. His breathing became strained and more hoarse.

"They... took everything from me..." he tearfully whispered. "She has been taken from me. I made a promise to her... And I never kept it". Nautilus grabbed his helmet and moaned in agony. "Dear god, why?! Why me?!" he cried to no one.

"You have been betrayed, Nautilus. But this betrayal was made out of fear. They did not know what to do. Their instinct for survival made them act that way. Can you forgive them?" the woman asked.

Nautilus was silent. He thought back to his wife. They were going to have their first child together after the journey. He would name the girl Pearl or the boy Morgan. They would live so happily as a family. Nautilus shed tears. He whimpered and slammed his armored fist into the floor with a loud clang. He knew his answer. He could not forgive them. They stole his life. They denied him a family. He doesn't exist.

"Never..." he whispered.

"Then that is your answer. However, to forgive is to allow your heart to heal, Nautilus. Please know that."

Nautilus remained silent. He can't let go. He knows that and the woman knows that. It is impossible to not feel the desire for revenge, as far as Nautilus was concerned.

"I cannot. My heart is an abyss. I do not feel happiness." he warned. "Trust is non-existent to me. I fight to have my revenge. I want my life back, more than anything else. But, that will not happen. I offer my service to the League thereafter. I have no other purpose beyond vengeance." With that statement, he grabbed the handle of the anchor and lifted it up like it could be the lightest object in existence. The anchor was now perched on his shoulder again, ready to serve Nautilus.

"How does it feel, exposing your mind?" the woman asked. She did sound slightly disappointed. No doubt she did. She had hoped that he would allow his heart to recover and try to start a new life. But, it was out of her jurisdiction to make him change his mind.

"My entire life and story both belong to the sea. If you want the details, you may take your own dive. What you have seen is my previous life. This new life... Is yours to behold now."

The woman nodded.

"With your dedicated service to the League, we will reward you. We can help you begin a new life, Nautilus. The prison you wear, the anger you suffer from, and the happiness you want. We can assist you in addressing those. Please keep that in mind". And she vanished.

Nautilus stood his ground, alone. Again. Alone. He wondered what she meant. He did not trust her or the League but he had no choice. He could only hope to end this nightmare and move on. If what she promised was true, he could have a life. The League was famous for granting many things. He slowly entered the League, with a tiny glimmer of hope in his aching heart.