On the morning of December 29th, 1890, a
domestic massacre of several hundred Lakota Indians was performed by soldiers
of the United State s Army at the Wounded Knee Creek. At the age of 16, Booker
DeWitt a member of the 7th Cavalry Regiment was given the nickname, "The
White Injun", due to his gruesome actions against the Native Americans. A year
later, Booker attended a baptism in an attempt to ease his horrific memories
and wash away his sins from the Battle of Wounded Knee. In one timeline, Booker
rejects the baptism at the last moment, thinking that his sins could not be
washed away by a 'dunk in the river' while in another timeline, he accepts the
baptism and is born again, taking on the name Zachary Hale Comstock. After the
baptism, Comstock became a farmer and small-time preacher. At one point he
claimed that he had been visited by an archangel, Columbia, who had showed him a
vision of a floating city in the sky, and that it was his duty to build and uphold
Christian and American values within the city. In the alternate timeline, Booker had
got himself a job at a detective agency and had met a woman, Annabelle Watson. In
the Comstock timeline, Zachary had met with the US Congress with his idea to
build the city, which they agreed to fund, believing it could be a showcase of
American exceptionalism. They decided to name the city, Columbia. Later in 1893,
Zachary met Rosalind Lutece, a respected quantum-physicist who was able to
indefinitely suspend an atom mid-air. She dubbed it the Lutece Field. The two
then worked together using the Lutece Field to create Columbia, a floating city
in the sky. During this time in Booker's timeline, he
had become a father, although his wife, Annabelle, had died in childbirth.
He called his daughter Anna, in honour of her mother. The death of his wife
sends him into a depression, which turned him to alcohol and gambling, far into debt. Upon further experimentation with the Lutece Field, Rosalind discovered
that the quantum atom that she had been observing was also been observed by
someone from another dimension. She learns that this person happened to
be a male version of herself named Robert. They form a relationship and
communicate by Morse code by turning on and off the Lutece Field. Using her
research, she creates the Trans-Dimensional machine. A machine able
to open portals which she called 'Tears' across dimensions, time and space. With
the creation of the machine, Comstock began to use it to enhance his status
from 'Preacher' to 'Prophet', by using tears to look ahead in time at events. Due to
his repeated exposure to the machine, Comstock ages rapidly, while his genetic
traits dissipate, rendering him sterile. looking into a future tear, he discovers
that without an heir, Colombia will fall. Due to his inability to conceive with
his wife, Lady Annabelle Comstock, Rosalind proposes that they could simply take a
child of his from another dimension as it would technically still be his child.
Comstock agrees, and with the assistance of Rosalind male counterpart, Robert,
they discover that in Roberts universe, Comstock is still named Booker, and has a
daughter. They see that Booker is in a deep depression with a huge gambling debt.
Taking advantage of Booker's situation, Comstock sends Robert to Booker with the
offer to clear his gambling debt in exchange for his daughter, Anna. Booker
agrees and hands over Anna to Robert. Immediately regretting his decision, he
catches up with Robert as Anna is being passed through a tear into Columbia. Booker
unsuccessfully attempts to take Anna from Comstock as the tear closes,
severing part of her finger. After losing his daughter, Booker falls into a deeper
depression, later carving his daughter's initials "AD" into his hand. To explain the sudden appearance of his
new daughter, Comstock's tells Columbia that Lady Comstock had been pregnant for
only seven days, giving birth to a miracle child. A story elevating his status as
Prophet. He named her Elizabeth Comstock and refers to her as 'his seed' that will
one day take the throne of Columbia. Unaware of where Elizabeth actually came
from, Lady Comstock abides by her husband's claims. Upon viewing another
tear, he sees that Elizabeth is destined to destroy the surface world when she
becomes the ruler. A year later Columbia, starts a global tour of major cities.
Rosalind, Robert, and Comstock continue to improve
and build the city for years as it travels the globe. As Elizabeth grows
older, they discover that she has the ability to open windows to other worlds,
much like the Trans-Dimensional machine. They theorise that Elizabeth is able to
do this as her body exists across two dimensions, due to her finger being severed
at such a young age during her passing over.
After two years of compliance, Lady Comstock becomes suspicious of
Elizabeth's origins and accuses Rosalind of being her mother.
Rosalind denies the claim and explains where Elizabeth actually came, from which
Lady Comstock has trouble believing. Confused and angered, she threatens to
tell Columbia where Elizabeth came from. To stop his secret from coming out,
Comstock has her murdered and blames their servant, Daisy Fitzroy. Due to Elizabeth's
power and the Trans-Dimensional machine, tears begin to appear all around the
city. Jeremiah Fink, an inventor, realises that
profits could be made by stealing advanced technology from alternate universes
inside the tears. He begins working with a scientist from another universe, Dr. Suchong. In Suchong's universe, a man who created a city under the ocean. Around
the city, they had found a chemical substance that had the ability to
rewrite genetic material, allowing the user to change themselves. The people of
this city had called it ADAM. Fink ordered underwater expeditions to
where the city would be in his universe, and collected ADAM. From this, he created
Vigors; domestic aid tonics that gave the user extra-ordinary abilities after
consumption, such as lighting a fire and lifting heavy loads.
These vigors sell extremely well and he amasses an empire in his large district
of columbia, Finkton. After the false accusation of murdering Lady Comstock,
Daisy takes refuge in Finkton and inspires the formation of the Vox Populi.
A protest group against the founders of Columbia, and the demands rights for people
of colour, the foreign-born and labourers as Fink had begun using his workers like
cattle. While looking into a tear, Comstock
sees that Booker Dewitt will one day somehow enter Columbia and come for
Elizabeth. He also notices that he has the initials 'AD' carved on his hand.
Fearful of his heir being lost to his alternate self, he creates a prophecy for the
city that a 'False Shepherd' will one day come for Elizabeth, to lead her astray
from her destiny in becoming Columbia's leader and destroying the Sodom below,
using 'AD' as a signifier of the False Shepherd. Comstock imprisons Elizabeth in
a tower on Monument Island, both to protect her from the Vox Populi, who have
declared that they wanted to take down the founders of Columbia, and to protect
her from the False Shepard. To add an actual level of Defense for Elizabeth,
Fink tries to create a psychologically indoctrinated human and machine hybrid
based on designs from Dr. Suchong's universe, his issue being that he
couldn't get the creature to bond with Elizabeth. Frustrated, Fink abandons it in
an old laboratory. Still alive, the Songbird escapes the laboratory
accidentally crashing into Elizabeth's tower, where she repairs its breather
saving it's life. This creates the successful pair-bond
that Fink had originally wanted. Now Songbird would protect her fiercely.
By 1900, the Luteces have began measuring Elizabeth's power levels. The Vox Populi
founded as non-violent had begun stealing Fink's new guns and selling
them to the Black Market to fund their revolution. During work on a new fire
based vigor, a fire began to spread and so to avoid it from spreading into the city,
the area was detached and dropped from the city, killing numerous workers,
angering the Vox Populi more. While on its tour of the world, Columbia became
involved in an international incident, The Boxer Rebellion, an anti-imperialist
anti-foreign and anti-christian uprising. Columbia openly fired upon Chinese
citizens in Beijing revealing to the world that the flying city was heavily
armed. On July 6th 1902, the United States government formally disavowed
Columbia's involvement in the Boxer Rebellion and recalled the city. Outraged,
Comstock declared Columbia succession from the United States and the city
vanishes into the clouds. This date became a city-wide holiday,
celebrating Columbia's Independence. With it's independence, Columbia thrived. By
1906 the war between the Columbian police and the Vox Populi had escalated,
with Daisy revealing herself as the leader. Rosalind and Robert continued
their research and observation of Elizabeth. As she grew older, she found
interest in reading, learning the skill of lock-picking, singing and painting,
living a content life for Songbird. Elizabeth began using her special
abilities more as they grew in power and was able to view other worlds,
specifically taking an interest in the city of Paris. In time, Elizabeth came to
resent her captivity and Songbird, yearning for freedom. Her first
menstruation gave her an increase in power, which led the Luteces to create
the Siphon. A device which leached Elizabeth's quantum energy preventing
her from using her powers to their full potential,
while giving them the ability to harness it. In 1909,
Daisy Fitzroy is captured by the police. Before his scheduled lobotomy, she broke
free, the incident turning her non-violent protest group into a brutal militant
force against the city. Rosalind and Robert observe a tear which reveals the
truth about Comstock's prophecy. Elizabeth would abide by her father's
beliefs and become the city's ruler, after which she would lead Columbia to
wage war with the world below. The twins did not want to see this happen, so they
sought to change it. Robert proposed that they send Elizabeth back into his
reality with her original father. Comstock becomes aware of their plan and
has Fink tamper with their Lutece device. When the Lutece's attempt to
use the sabotaged machine, it malfunctions. While it does not kill them, it spreads
their atoms across all realities making them omnipotent.
With their newfound knowledge and abilities, the Lutece's plan to
bring Elizabeth's original father, Booker to Rosalind's reality, where Columbia is. The Lutece twins visit Booker DeWitt in his office and convince him to assist them
in getting his daughter back. They try this 122 times across multiple timelines.
In each one, Booker fails and dies. On the 123rd attempt Booker once again enters the tear to
Columbia's universe. When entering another reality, a person's former traits
and memories collide with those from the new one. The brain haemorrhages and false
memories are created to compensate for contradictions. Booker's mind confuses the
previous taking of his daughter with a new memory, where he must retrieve a girl
from the city of Columbia. The Luteces used this confusion to their
advantage, and demand that he bring Elizabeth back as a way to erase his
debt, forgetting that he is actually going to rescue his daughter. He wakes up
in a rowboat near a lighthouse on an island off the coast of Maine on July 6th
1912. After being rowed there by the twins, he enters the lighthouse and is
transported into the sky by shuttle rocket into the city of Columbia. Booker arrives in Columbia's Welcome
Center, a church dedicated to the founders and Father Comstock. He is then
forcibly baptised in order to enter the city. He discovers that he has entered
Columbia on the tenth anniversary of the city's succession from the United States
and makes his way to Monument Island, where he believes Elizabeth is. The
Luteces contact him, telling him not to pick number 77 at the city's raffle
as it will bring attention to himself. Arriving at the Raffle Park, he draws a
baseball numbered 77 at the raffle and wins. The raffle's host Jeremiah Fink,
notices the 'AD' carved on his hand and alerts the Columbian police to attack, as
he recognises Booker as the False Shepherd foretold by Father Comstock.
Booker escapes and makes his way to Monument Island, entering it. He comes
across various observational videos, photographs, vitals and charts of
Elizabeth realizing that this girl has been
observed her whole life, unaware that she is his daughter. He accidentally falls
through the ceiling into Elizabeth's library. While initially scared and
defensive, she is relieved for the presence of another person and expresses
her desire to leave. Elizabeth becomes fearful as a whistling signal blows and
the Songbird arrives at the tower. She and Booker escape from Monument
Island barely evading Songbird who destroys most of the building. They plan
to use a zeppelin, "The First Lady", that will take them out of Columbia. Booker
promises Elizabeth that he will take her to Paris, although he actually intends to
take her to New York to clear the debt he believes he has. To gain access to the
zeppelin, they realise that they have to get the Shock Jockey vigor, which is
located in the Hall of Heroes. A museum dedicated to Columbia and Comstock's
history. Booker discovers that Cornelius Slate, an old comrade from the Wounded
Knee Massacre, has joined the Vox Populi and taken refuge inside there. Fighting
through Slate's men, Booker and Elizabeth find an exhibit that covers the death of
Lady Comstock, and to her horror, Elizabeth discovers that she is the daughter of
Comstock and that he intends to make her follow in his footsteps,
becoming Columbia's leader. Booker finally neutralises Slate to his
request and recovers the bottle of Shock Jockey needed to power the gondola to
"The First Lady". As they leave on the zeppelin, Elizabeth notices that Booker
is steering towards New York instead of Paris. She questions this and Booker
reveals his true intentions that he needs to bring her to New York to a man who
can clear his debt. Elizabeth fakely breaks down in tears. As Booker comforts
her, she knocks him out with a wrench. Booker awakens to find Elizabeth gone, and The First Lady taken over by the Vox Populi and their leader
Daisy Fitzroy. In order to reclaim the First Lady, Daisy tells him that he must
first assist the Vox Populi by finding a gunsmith Chen Lin to resupply weapons
for the Vox Populi's cause. Booker finds Elizabeth and pursues her
but is attacked and thrown off the city by handy man. He is saved by a Zeppelin
summoned by Elizabeth who decides to help Booker despite not trusting him,
knowing he is her only means of reaching Paris. Booker and Elizabeth learn from
Chen Lin's wife that he was taken by the Founders for interrogation. Later
finding Chen Lin dead from extreme torture, the Lutece twins reveal
a tear to a universe in which Chen Lin remains alive and able to help their
cause prompting Elizabeth to bring them into a
reality where Chen Lin was never killed. Upon entering this reality, they discover
an automatic difference. Although Chen is alive, his tools for making the guns have
been confiscated and stashed in a nearby police station. Arriving there they find
that there are too many tools for them to carry all at once. Coincidentally, a
tear opens nearby where the tools aren't at the police station. Elizabeth once
again brings her and Booker to a new reality of Columbia where the
tools are gone, and back at Chen Lin's shop. In this reality, they find that Elizabeth
had been taken away from her tower before Booker could reach her, therefore he had
reunited with Cornelius Slate alone and the two had died burning down the Hall of
Heroes, becoming martyrs for the Vox Populi. Now reinforced by the gunsmith's
weapons, the Vox begin a massive violent uprising across Columbia, massacring
soldiers and supporters of the Founders. As Booker and Elizabeth head to reclaim
The First Lady, Daisy is perturbed to see him alive,
labelling him either an imposter or a ghost,
sending members of the Vox Populi after him. The Lutece's meet with Daisy and
explain that it's crucial for Elizabeth to kill her as it will lead to
Comstock's death. All Daisy has to do is threaten Fink's son and make it look
believable. Daisy accepts this as she believes that
her death will be good for her cause. Booker and Elizabeth soon catch up to Daisy.
After shooting and killing Fink, Daisy holds a gun to the head of Fink's son.
Booker distracts Daisy as Elizabeth comes from behind her, plunging a large pair of
scissors into her spine, killing her. This heavily traumatises Elizabeth who
retreats to The First Lady. Booker takes The First Lady's controls, but before he and
Elizabeth can leave Columbia, the Songbird reappears and they crash land
the ship. The two crash land in Emporia, where the Lutece twins inform them that
the only way to leave is to control Songbird. They begin to unravel a
conspiracy behind the founding of the city through tears around Emporia. They
learn about the Luteces, Lady Comstock's murder and that Elizabeth is
actually the adoptive daughter of Comstock. Arriving at Comstock house,
Songbird appears and takes Elizabeth. Booker chases after them only to find
himself suddenly in a snow-covered Columbia. He then enters Comstock house
after hearing Elizabeth's cries for help.
Travelling through the house he finds her and realises that he has been brought
forward 72 years. Here, Elizabeth has upheld her father's prophecy to use
Columbia to destroy New York City. The old Elizabeth explains that it was her loss
of hope that broke her and now regrets what she has become. She gives Booker
instructions on how to control the Songbird and sends him back to 1912 to
rescue her younger self. Returning to Comstock house,
Booker enters an operating room where he finds Comstock and his doctors torturing
Elizabeth. He deactivates a siphon that is reducing her powers and she opens a
tear to a field being ravaged by devastating tornado killing the doctors.
They fight their way through Comstock's forces and board his zeppelin, "Hand of
the Prophet" finding him in his cabin. Finally face-to-face with Comstock he
attempts to regain Elizabeth's trust by demanding that Booker tell her the truth
about her lost finger. As Booker doesn't remember, in a fit of rage he smashes
Comstock's head against the baptismal font multiple times before submerging
his face in the water, drowning him. To get access to Elizabeth's full abilities,
they plan to destroy the large siphon on Monument Island. At this point,
the Vox Populi have unleashed an all-out assault on the zeppelin. Tearing a
Whistler from inside a statue, Elizabeth plays the musical notes C.A.G.E, bringing
Songbird under her control defending the zeppelin from the Vox forces. With the
Vox Populi army eradicated Elizabeth hands the whistler to Booker,
who uses it to command Songbird to destroy what remains of the Monument
Island statue, and with it the siphon inside. The massive energy feedback that
results from the towers destruction disables the whistler, thus making Booker
lose control of the bird. Just as Songbird is charging at Booker, Elizabeth
now uses her full abilities to open a tear, transporting the three of them to
Rapture, a city in the future, built under the ocean. Inside of the underwater city's Welcome
Centre, Elizabeth and Booker watch as Songbird is crushed under the extreme
pressure of the ocean. Elizabeth comforts him as he sinks to
the seafloor below. Emerging on the surface using a bathysphere, Elizabeth is
now able to see all realities. She reveals to Booker that Columbia and
Rapture are connected via key elements. There's always a lighthouse, there's always a
man, there's always a city. She leads Booker to a realm between realities, "The
Sea of Doors", each realm displayed as one of many lighthouses. During the
traversing of realities, Elizabeth reveals the truth of Booker's
memory of events being flawed, that he had never agreed to retrieve her from
Columbia in exchange for eliminating his debt and that rather Booker gave his
infant daughter, Anna, to Robert Lutece for that same purpose. Booker then
realises that Elizabeth is Anna. Since Comstock is no more, Booker believes
that he and Elizabeth can go on with their lives, but this isn't the case as
Comstock lives in other realities. The one way to be rid of Comstock
permanently is to go to the point where he first came to be. Elizabeth takes him to
one final location, the riverside of Booker's baptism. Confused,
Elizabeth explains that he and Comstock are in fact the same person from
different realities, similar to Robert and Rosalind. Learning this, Booker allows
all the Elizabeths to drown him before he can accept or reject the baptism,
preventing his choice from being made, thus stopping Comstock from ever
existing. With the elimination of Comstock across all timelines, Columbia's
existence is erased and all of the events that had occurred over the past
20 years vanish along with it. One by one, the alternate versions of Elizabeth
begins to disappear until only the original remains, thus ending the cycle. Thank you so much for watching this
episode, this was just Part 1. There will be two other parts. This took about 5
months to make and so I'll make a few Fact and Sims videos before diving
back into the Bioshock universes. If there are any timelines you would like
to see me cover, then let me know. I want to say a huge thank you to Jonboygg and Dash for their support during the creation of this complex story.
Jon's Twitch link is in the description. I have also just set up a Patreon if
you'd like to help support this channel. Anything helps. If you want to stay up to
date with my content, then hit that SUBSCRIBE button. I'll see you next time,
bye.
Is it me or does Comstock look like a racist Santa Claus?
Excellent explanation, looking forward to part 3.
Honestly have given up on BS2 due to gamebreaking bugs on pc. Thought it seemed detached from 1 and infinite anyways so hoping to catch up through your vids.
good job friend