Subject Delta

Subject Delta (a.k.a. the First Big Daddy or Prototype Big Daddy) is the protagonist of BioShock 2. Delta was the first successful Big Daddy subject bonded to a Little Sister. Although there is much speculation regarding his name, origin and relationship with the antagonists, his identity prior to his transformation is currently unknown. Eleanor Lamb was the Little Sister he was bonded to, and is also rumored to be his daughter. His whereabouts prior to his awakening in BioShock 2 is unknown, however, something happened and he was put into hibernation, hidden well away from the citizens of Rapture. Brigid Tenenbaum awakened him from his slumber. The presence of flashback sequences scattered throughout the campaign will show how Delta came to be and why he was absent from the events of BioShock.

Features


Delta is shown to have many features of a production Big Daddy, such as the vocal cord modulatory surgery they must all go through. However, unlike his brethren he retains a large degree of free will, in which he is not forced into a protection bond with the Little Sisters. Nevertheless, In order to obtain ADAM, Little Sisters are still the key. To do this, he must kill his Big Daddy brethren, at which point he is given the option to either "harvest" or "adopt" the Little Sister that the Big Daddy was protecting. Harvesting functions the same as it did in BioShock, whereas with the new "adopt" option, Delta puts the Little Sister on his shoulders, forming a temporary bond with the girl. He protects her as she extracts ADAM, and the Little Sister will give him some of the ADAM she harvests from Splicer corpses as a reward. After she has finished, Delta can send her to Tenenbaum through a Little Sister Vent, or he can "harvest" her, gaining an even greater amount of ADAM upon the Little Sister's death. Later on in the game, Delta will be given the option to save the Little Sisters himself.

Being a prototype, Delta is granted use of the Bouncer's Drill (which goes over the hand, not replacing it), in addition to other weapons. These include the Rosie's Rivet Gun, and a Hack Tool that allows him to remotely hack from a distance. He also has the ability to use Plasmids, and can wield them simultaneously with his weapons. Being less bulky than the production models gives Delta greater speed and agility than other Big Daddies, at the sacrifice of some of the raw strength and endurance they possess. Also, judging from the concept art (see right), First Aid Kits and EVE are fed intravenously to Delta, meaning he can continue fighting while replenishing his EVE reserves.

First Appearance
In a demo of the game, soon after he is awoken, Delta first confronts a Big Sister, and is eventually stuck in a flooded Kashmir Restaurant. While walking to a nearby waterlock, Tenenbaum explains the nature of the Big Sister. Soon after, the player encounters a Little Sister being attacked by a Splicer and saves her; she is hesitant at first, but quickly trusts him, due to her mental conditioning (Little Sisters are programmed to see Big Daddies as a whole and seem to be unaware that there is more than one of them). After battling waves of Splicers while the Little Sister extracts ADAM, the lights and electronics in Fontaine Futuristics dim and short out. The Little Sister sings in a worried tone and a Big Sister appears.

Trivia

 * Delta is the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet, following the letters Alpha, Beta and Gamma. This could mean that Delta was the fourth (and the first successful) attempt at creating the Big Daddy.
 * There is a camera on top of Subject Delta's helmet that allows Tenenbaum to watch through his eyes.

Le Premier Protecteur