Rapture Central Control

Rapture Central Control, the ninth level of BioShock preceded by Hephaestus, is the headquarters of Andrew Ryan. From this unbreachable fortress Ryan has controlled all of Rapture for years.

BioShock
After activating Kyburz' EMP bomb, Jack overloads Harmonic Core #3, deactivates the magnetic locks on Ryan's door, and enters Ryan's central command. As Jack passes the airlock, Ryan activates Rapture's self-destruct sequence, swearing that Atlas will never take the city. The objective is now to find and kill Ryan and deactivate the self-destruct using his Key to Rapture. Ryan then speaks to Jack:

''And now that I see you flesh-to-flesh and blood-to-blood, I know I cannot raise my hand against you. But know this: you are my greatest disappointment...Come now, my child, there is one final thing to discuss.''

Jack is told he is Ryan's "greatest disappointment" because what Ryan valued above all was free will, and his own son was made into a slave by the nefarious Frank Fontaine. The door to Ryan's office is disabled by the Self-Destructs tremors, but Jack can access an adjoining room through an air vent up on the catwalk. In this room he finds himself facing a wall on which there are pictures of Frank Fontaine, Brigid Tenenbaum, Yi Suchong, Jasmine Jolene, and Andrew Ryan all linked to a picture of Jack. Security photos of Jack are scattered across a table, along with many other papers and a couple of audio diaries. But perhaps the most shocking discovery about the room are the words "Would you kindly" written in red ink across the wall.

Jack continues on and finally finds Andrew Ryan casually playing golf in his office. Throughout the previous level, Ryan had hinted over the PA that he had deduced Jack's identity and origins, and here Ryan proves it. He reveals that Jack never had a family and tells Jack that he is being used by Atlas, by means of the conditioned phrase "Would you kindly". Jack remembers all of the times that Atlas has controlled him via the "Would you kindly" command phrase. At this time Ryan says his famous speech about how a man chooses and a slave obeys.

After this, Ryan leaves his room and begins to toy with Jack, commanding him (by use of the command phrase) to sit, stand, run, and stop. Then, Ryan hands Jack his golf club and commands Jack to kill him. As Jack beats Ryan to death with the club, Ryan yells, "A man chooses, a slave obeys." After Ryan dies, Atlas commands Jack to grab the self-destruct key and deactivate the city's self-destruct timer. As soon as Jack does so, Atlas reveals his true identity: the supposedly dead former mobster Frank Fontaine. Fontaine leaves Jack in the locked room and activates the security systems. Security Bots swarm the room, but a Little Sister leads Jack into a vent to escape. While fleeing, Jack falls down a vertical shaft and is knocked unconscious. The level ends here.

Map
'This map is interactive. Click on an icon to find out more about it, or choose a tab to see a different map.' Rapture Central Control/Map|Normal Map||true Rapture Central Control/ADMap|Audio Diaries

Audio Diaries

 * 1) Yi Suchong - The Vita Chamber
 * 2) Yi Suchong - Mind Control Test
 * 3) Yi Suchong - Baby Status

Walkthrough
{{Sp|width=100%|Extended Walkthrough|

Rapture Central Control

 * All kinds of loot in the room. Recording: The Vita Chamber.
 * Go up the stairs by the Circus of Values, then up the stairs to the right.
 * At top of stairs, turn right to see a crawl space entry.
 * Room has EVE, First Aid Kit, a Health Station, Frag Grenade, ammo.
 * Recordings: Mind Control Test and Baby Status.

Ryan's Office
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 * Two cutscenes ensue.
 * Check Ryan's desk for cash.
 * After following the instructions, bots are sent after Jack.
 * Either set a Target Dummy, or just ignore them and run.
 * On Hard, a Turret has also been set up outside the room.
 * Follow the Little Sister to a crawl space.
 * If maxed on EVE but one's EVE bar is not full, fill it now.
 * The player will not be able to pick up EVE at the next stop if maxed out.
 * On to Olympus Heights.

Behind the Scenes

 * It is impossible to return to this location after passing through it. This makes it the only location the player cannot return to, other than the "Welcome to Rapture" introduction.
 * On the wall to the left of the "Would You Kindly" board is a calendar from 1959 open to the month of January. Australia Day is circled on the calendar, and the top part contains a picture of sailboats labeled "The Calm Before the Storm, 1940 Mauricio Tejerina." Mauricio Tejerina was a member of the BioShock development team.
 * Some circuitry boards in Ryan's office were constructed by Fontaine Futuristics. One bears a plaque stating that it was last inspected 12/20/1941. This was before the founding of Rapture. Also, the latest inspection was performed by J. Yang. This is likely referring to Joseph Yang, who worked on BioShock as a modeler and provided some additional concept art.
 * Several machines with typewriter like parts in Ryan's office, including the machine that accepts Ryan's genetic key to stop the self-destruct, are labeled "BELOWTREE." This may be a reference to Underwood, a real-life company which made typewriters in the 1900s.
 * If the player explores Ryan's office, they will find a Vita-Chamber hidden by the wall opposite the entry door, intentionally deactivated by Ryan himself. The player can choose to reactivate the device, from which they will resurrect if they die within the level. However, this Vita-Chamber will actually function normally regardless of whether the player activates it, and it will revive Jack if the player is killed by Fontaine's Security Bots.

Glitches

 * Sometimes, by playing the Audio Diary The Vita Chamber just before Atlas speaks, the two Audio Diary pictures will get mixed up.