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, then a prominent U.S. politician who took great interest in her work. Comstock agreed to fund continued research into the Lutece Field in return for her help constructing a floating city 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 from an alternate reality. By manipulating a pair of quantumly 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. On October 15th, 1893, Rosalind successfully opened a Tear for the first time, bringing Robert through it into her universe. The two then created a contraption that allowed them to enter other realities via the Tears.

Comstock used 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 Booker DeWitt, and convinced him that they would wipe away his extensive gambling debts in exchange for his infant daughter, Anna. While the effort nearly ended in their separation, they were able to assist Comstock in procuring his daughter, Elizabeth.

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 once again.

BioShock Infinite
At the outset of Infinite, the Luteces pull Booker into their universe, letting him piece together a false memory as they take him 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.

Despite Comstock's apparent nullation of existence at the end of the main campaign, the two reappear in Rapture at the end of Burial at Sea Episode One, taunting Comstock for his inability to accept his faults. Their appearance suggests the events of Infinite allow them to continue to exist.

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?

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).
 * "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.