Rosalind Lutece

"When I was a girl, I dreamt of standing in a room looking at a girl who was and was not myself, who stood looking at another girl, who also was and was not myself. My mother took this for a nightmare. I saw it as the beginning of a career in physics."

- Rosalind Lutece

Rosalind Lutece is a quantum physicist in BioShock Infinite, who wrote books about scientific studies on alternate universes. She guides Booker DeWitt through his adventures in Columbia to retrieve Elizabeth along with her "twin brother," Robert.

History
From a young age, Rosalind was curious about the possibility of multiple realities, and decided she wanted to be a physicist. Many years later, in the course of experimentation with atoms, she was able to indefinitely suspend an atom in midair. Her colleagues referred to the process as "quantum levitation," while Rosalind herself dubbed it the "Lutece Field." She began to wonder about the possibility of suspending larger objects, up to and including a city.

At an indeterminate time, Rosalind met Zachary Hale Comstock, an influential religious figure who took great interest in her work. Comstock agreed to fund Rosalind's continued research into the Lutece Field in return for her help constructing a floating city which he had seen in a premonition.

Continued experimentation with the Lutece Field led to Rosalind's first interaction with Robert Lutece, a male version of herself in an alternate reality. By manipulating a pair of quantum entangled atoms, the two were able to communicate across space-time barriers through Morse Code. When she reported this information to Comstock, he instructed her to find a way of accessing such alternate realities, which he believed would act as windows into prophecy. She and Robert then collaborated to make a contraption that allowed them to enter other realities via the Tears.

Comstock would use the device extensively to see other realities and predict future happenings. He also provided access to the Fink brothers, who used the Tears to advance technology and music in Columbia by decades. However, the device had an adverse affect on Comstock, aging him rapidly and rendering him sterile.



Believing Columbia would only prosper if one of his bloodline sat the throne, Comstock approached Rosalind and Robert for a solution. The Luteces then sought out using their tear machine for a daughter for Comstock, and they were ultimately able to assist Comstock in procuring him a daughter, Elizabeth. On October 8th, 1893, Rosalind brought Robert and Elizabeth into her universe for the first time.

As Elizabeth grew older, it was discovered that she had the power to open Tears; Rosalind hypothesized this was due to her finger remaining in her home universe, as it was cut off when the Tear they brought her through closed too soon. Robert and Rosalind then discovered that, through the use of her powers, Elizabeth would fulfill Comstock's prophecy, leading to the destruction of New York City in 1983. Robert, wishing to undo their mistake, issued Rosalind an ultimatum: join him in sending Elizabeth back to her original universe, or he would part ways with her. Unwilling to separate from her "brother," Rosalind agreed to assist him, though she was not optimistic about their chances for success.

Discovering this plan, Comstock ordered Jeremiah Fink to sabotage the machine they used to access Tears. The deed was carried out, and they were declared dead on October 31st, 1909. However, they were not truly killed; instead, they were scattered across time and space, able to appear wherever and whenever they wanted. While Rosalind was satisfied with this state, as she would be able to remain with her brother indefinitely, Robert was dissatisfied with the way they left matters in Columbia. Therefore, they continued their plan in this state, and went on to find Booker DeWitt.

BioShock Infinite
At the outset of Infinite, the Luteces take Booker from his own universe to Comstock's and then to a Lighthouse off the coast of Maine. They leave him with a box of his belongings, a pistol, and other possessions to help him on his mission.

Shortly after Booker enters the city, he receives a telegram from Rosalind, warning him not to pick #77 at the raffle. Later on, he meets Rosalind and Robert at the Columbia Raffle and Fair, where they ask him to call a coin toss (which always results in heads). They continue to guide Booker through his adventure in Columbia, offering advice, suggestions, and supplies as they are able. They also set up several experiments for Booker and Elizabeth, to gauge their results and determine variability between universes.

Rosalind's books also feature in parts of Columbia, some of which are found in Elizabeth's room.



After Booker and Elizabeth destroy the Siphon, the two realize the Luteces' role in Elizabeth's discovery: Robert had sought out Booker DeWitt to give up his daughter, Anna, to Father Comstock in exchange for covering his debts. Booker initially agreed, but changed his mind and tried to get her back. The Luteces made it through the portal, but Elizabeth's pinky finger was caught, severing it.

Burial at Sea - Episode 1
After the fight with the Big Daddy, Comstock remembers everything from his past life: In one universe, when Comstock tries to kidnap Anna Dewitt through a tear with the help of the Lutece's, Anna loses her head instead of her little finger. This event caused Comstock to fall in to a deep depression, to the point where he asked the Luteces to open a tear to a place where Anna Dewitt never existed, that place was Rapture. As Elizabeth confronts him, the Luteces reappear again, taunting him about his choices, just before Comstock was impaled by a drill.

Burial at Sea - Episode 2
Directly after Comstock is killed, the raging Big Daddy turns its attention to Elizabeth. With no time to react, Elizabeth is killed by the Bouncer. Due to her unique abilities, Elizabeth is given a choice to return to Rapture, to save the little girl Sally. She is is transported to the Lighthouse, where she will continues her journey, in a row boat by the Lutece "twins." They warn her about what's going to happen. As the drop her off, they drift away in to the darkness, singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

It is unknown what happened to the Luteces after this and the end of Burial at Sea, they ether stopped existing or they are still somewhere out there, exploring the universe.

Publications

 * The Principles of Quantum Mechanics - This book is found in Elizabeth's tower, and is one of the books she attacks Booker with.
 * Barriers to Trans-Dimensional Travel - A quote from this text is shown at the start of the game, and credited to R. Lutece. It was published in 1889.

Voxophones

 * Monument Island
 * The Source of Her Power


 * Soldier's Field
 * Viewing the Infinite


 * Emporia
 * Whispers Through the Walls
 * A Window
 * One and the Same


 * Downtown Emporia
 * A City, Suspended
 * Child of Science
 * On the Entropy of Genes
 * A Theory on Our "Death"


 * Hand of the Prophet
 * An Ultimatum
 * What's Done is Done
 * The Prophet is Dying


 * Clash in the Clouds
 * A Better Father
 * No Cell Will Hold Them
 * Playing Prophet
 * The Constrancy of Music
 * Unde Vigores?


 * Burial at Sea - Episode 2
 * The Lazarus Project

Behind the Scenes

 * Shooting either of the twins in The Blue Ribbon restaurant will result in Rosalind saying "You missed," several times before ultimately stating, "We can afford to do this all day, but the question is, can you?"
 * If Booker stays near the Luteces after the coin-flipping scene, Rosalind will tell him to leave several times, before saying, "If you don't go, I'll be forced to start repeating myself;" after which she does so. This is a prod at a common game mechanic wherein NPCs are given only a limited amount of recorded lines, which they must repeat after a while.
 * If Booker stares at the twins without looking at Chen Lin's body as told to do so by Elizabeth, Rosalind will comment, "This is starting to become rather awkward."
 * The Luteces' role is very similar to Brigid Tenenbaum from BioShock. Both were scientists and both also go through great lengths to assist the protagonist for their own reasons (such as Tenenbaum assisting Jack and the Luteces' assisting Booker). Both Lutece and Tenenbaum made a scientific breakthrough (Tears and ADAM) for good purpose but in the end brought both cities to the ground.
 * "Lutèce" is the French word for Lutetia, the name of an ancient Roman city that stood where modern day Paris stands now. Paris is mentioned several times in BioShock Infinite, as the city that Elizabeth desperately wishes to go to after escaping Columbia.
 * The name "Rosalind" may be a reference to the character of the same name from Shakespeare's As You Like It. Just as Rosalind Lutece exists in two alternate versions, one male and one female, Shakespeare's heroine invents a male alter-ego by disguising herself as the youth "Ganymede".