Utropolis

Utropolis is the fictional version of Rapture created by Lex Harlan, editor of Visionary Wonder Stories, when editing the writings of RØd Killian Quain (otherwise known as Orrin Oscar Lutwidge).
The story describes a technologically advanced city at the bottom of the ocean which Harlan called Utropolis. Other changes to Quain's writing include: Changing Splicers to "Juicers", ADAM to "Transformula", Big Daddies to "Patri-Arkhs", Apollo Square to Mithra Square, and most interestingly, Little Sisters were changed to small, chipmunk-like creatures.
Lex Harlan would always leave hints to the readers that these were true stories, edited to give them a Visionary Wonder effect. Phil Isidore was the contact who first alerted Mark Meltzer to the existence of these stories. Phil said that in the UFO community there had something called "The Quain question;" a debate about the veracity of these stories and of the eventual fate of Quain, who had mysteriously disappeared. Mark initially dismissed this as nonsense, but over the course of There's Something in the Sea came to realize that the stories were actually rooted in truth.
== Transcript ==
To Our Readers:
::Every once in a while a tale comes across our desk that's so raw - so real - so shocking -
::that we wonder if it might not contain a "grain of truth." Is it possible that there's a lost
::city of futuristic science - right beneath our noses? You'll ask yourself that question as
::you feast your eyes upon the electrifying thrill-fest from our newest author!
::- Lex Harlan, Ed. -
BEHOLD, UTROPOLIS! 	BEHOLD, UTROPOLIS!
by R. Killian Quain	by R. Killian Quain
CHAPTER 1. PARADISE CROSSED!
I weighed the cold iron of the dented,
aluminum bat in my hand as I lurked in
the darkness - waiting, watching. The
steel archways of the plaza, once bustling
with life, had fallen curiously silent.
Shattered neon tubes sparkled on the
pavement like glittering jewels; dark
shadows swallowed the facades of the
once lively storefronts. In the all-consum-
ing quiet, a small figure, almost ghostly,
wandered through the square. It took a
beat for my eyes to focus on the tiny, furry
figure - almost the size and shape of a
chipmunk with wide, vacant eyes. It
sought the elusive elixir; Transformula.
Cocking its head slightly, as if catching
a scent of something sickly sweet, the
chipmunk creature scampered to a corner
and began digging in a pile of rubble
humming in sing-song way. But it didn't	find the Transformula. Instead - lurking
death!
From a shattered window leapt a Juicer!
His angular arms and spindly legs did a
grotesque spastic dance as it closed in
on its prey. He slathered his chalky
sunken cheeks with saliva as he antici-
pated an end to his pangs of thirst. He
reached out his spidery fingers towards
that furry pile of shivering fear and the
little chipmunk gave an ululating scream
that echoed through the rafters.
And in response, something metallic
whirred and clanked. The Juicer stopped
in his tracks - jerking his head around to
see the only thing he feared: a Patri-
Arkh unit! The dull grey of its armor
glistened damply . The crimson lenses
mounted on its steel forged skull shifted
to focus on its target. It lifted its fearsome
right fist - which was not a fist at all.
Instead, it was a massive hydraulic drill!
The floor shook as the Patri-Arkh built
momentum, charging its opponent like a
living ironclad!
:I couldn't bear to watch what happened
next. Instead, I huddled in the wreckage -
my ineffectual weapon cold solace clutched
in my sweat-drenched hand.
Finally, it was over. The Patri-Arkh lumbered
away - the small furry beast trailing in its
wake. I emerged from my hiding place to
examine the aftermath, and for a moment
swore I caught some sort of knowledge in
those glassy grey eyes of the tiny beast.
he shattered corpse of the Juicer stared
at me coldly - and I had to look away. For
I knew that face. It had once been a face I
knew well - a warm and lively face, the face	of a friend...
For the Juicer had once been human!
I looked out towards the inspiring pin-
acles of Utropolis, recalling my mission.
Once they stood for human achievement,
but now they crumbled in despair. I
remembered arriving in this city when it
sparkled with possibility, and the promise
of a man-made Paradise. And that promise
had been betrayed!
CHAPTER 2
SCIENCE IS A TWO EDGED SWORD!
My mind traveled, back, back... to a time
when Mithras Square was yet in its full glory.
As the streamlined metro trains rocketed to
their destinations, the station was bathed
in the golden light of a false dawn -
== Behind the Scenes ==
thumb|200px|A preliminary concept art of the "Little Sister".
*The appearance in this story of Little Sisters as chipmunks and Big Daddies as robots is a reference to early concept art from the original BioShock game.BioShock: Breaking the Mold at The Cult of Rapture
== References ==
Category:There's Something in the Sea
Category:Pages with written transcripts