Hephaestus Central Control

For the level of BioShock, see Rapture Central Control.

Ryan's Trophy Room.

“You can taste it, can't you? Andrew Ryan!”

― Andrew Ryan

Central Control is a major area of Hephaestus in the city of Rapture. Jack must pass through here during the events of BioShock.

History

The building block leading to Hephaestus.

Hephaestus was created to be the heart of Rapture, and Central Control was its brainstem. While the workers in Harmonic Core #3 saw to the generation of power, maintenance of equipment, and processing of geothermal data, the technicians in Central Control oversaw all the progress and the distribution of the power throughout the city. The area also housed the central headquarters of Ryan Industries: Rapture Central Control.

Because the facility performed such an essential role in the city's survival, Central Control became a high valued target during the Rapture Civil War. Andrew Ryan witnessed his dream for Rapture fracture as warring factions fought just steps outside his office door. In the stress of this situation, Ryan turned violent and sadistic. In addition to the increased security, Central Control became the site of vicious reprisals.

BioShock

Inside Hephaestus' metro station.

Main article: BioShock

After his "evening with Sander Cohen," Jack departs Fort Frolic and sets sail for Hephaestus with his sights set on Andrew Ryan.

Rapture Metro Station

Jack steps out of the Bathysphere like so many employees did back in times of peace. In those days a worker could pause here to check the timetable, get a copy of the Rapture Tribune from the News Vendor, make a call on the Pay-phone, or pick up some supplies from the Circus of Values. The metro station is still a vision of heavy industry with large pistons pumping in the water, piping stretching up walls like tangled vines, and colossal art deco statues surrounding the perimeter. Atlas encourages him to move forward, but warns of the oncoming danger.

Glass Tunnel

The volcanic seafloor.

Exiting the metro, Jack finds himself in a winding glass tunnel connecting the station with Hephaestus proper. In the sooty, orange glow emanating from the nearby geothermal vents, Jack can make out the rocky seafloor and volcanic fields Hephaestus is nested amongst. There's not much to be found in the tunnels except for a couple of Pep Bars and cartons of Cigarettes by the trash cans, several drums of oil, and the corpse of a worker who took her own life with a shotgun. The sound of a pair of Splicers can be heard echoing up ahead through the confined space.

Entry

Heavy industry.

Beyond the tunnel is the entry point to Hephaestus. An antechamber is decorated with the Ryan Industries logo while magma flows through large transparent pipes. Down a short ramp is the doorway ahead. A large whistle at the door would sound at the start and conclusion to each workday.

An intimidating welcome wagon.

In the next room, another imposing Ryan Industries emblem is emblazoned on the front of a central wall beneath a "No gods or kings, only man" banner. A pair of turbine fans set up on the floor flank the propaganda creating an impressive visual; however, the eye is drawn to the blood-splattered corpse in the center of it all. It looks as though the victim, seen with a Chemical Thrower, was lined up against the wall and then gunned down. A pile of oil barrels to the right topple over just as Jack enters and attracts the attention of a Leadhead Splicer who walks down from the back of the room.

An impromptu incline and a surprise entry.

Further around the corner, a Machine Gun Turret guards the room from unwanted intruders. A Gene Bank is set up by a large control console. In the opposite corner, a pair of frag grenades, 3 dollars, and a storage crate can be found by a Circus of Values. A gigantic length of piping has come loose from the ceiling. Climbing the pipe, Jack comes across a small hiding place where some poor soul attempted to take refuge. A Spider Splicer enters the room shortly after Jack heads up the incline.

Machinery Room

Something suspicious about this.

The adjoining room is a cavernous chamber filled with heavy machinery. Two huge pieces of equipment dominate the space. They flank a large pipe stretching down from the ceiling. Beneath the pipe, a Grenade Launcher sits conspicuously atop a desk. Upon approaching the desk, an enigmatic voice encourages Jack to take the present. If he should do so, a frag grenade falls from the pipe, then a heat-seeking rocket. However, the next thing to drop are a trio of Spider Splicers who descend from the ceiling and ambush Jack.

In the northeast corner of the room is a Vita-Chamber, a Health Station, and another Circus of Values out of which a number of treats have fallen out. A U-Invent is in the southwest along with a money clip with 7 dollars while a Little Sister Vent is in the southeast. Several canisters of explosive materials litter the room and a Security Camera is set up over the doorway leading onward.

Ryan's Trophy Room

Ryan is watching you.

Jack passes through a small hallway containing a Health Station; there's a burst pipe spewing steam at the end of it. As he exits the mist, he enters a large skylighted hall and is greeted with a grisly sight. In the cathedral-like room a series of corpses are strung up on the columns surrounding a bust of Andrew Ryan in the center. This is Ryan's Trophy Room, where all who came up against him like Bill McDonagh and Anya Andersdotter were made an example of in a most public and gruesome fashion. Six victims are impaled on flagpoles jutting from the pillars, three on each side of the room, two of them charred to a crisp.

Extensive security.

Along the east wall, beneath a monument of the Great Chain, is the doorway leading to Andrew Ryan's office in Rapture Central Control. The only problem is that Ryan's advanced security system, a powerful electromagnetic lock, has the doors sealed shut. Jack tries the circuit breaker, but when that fails, he searches the area for clues on how to advance. He finds a lead on the corpse of Anya Andersdotter, but Ryan sends a posse of attackers who cut through a door with a torch to fight Jack.

Jack moves on toward the core to check Heat Loss Monitoring for more information. By the time he returns to the trophy hall, he's fashioned the Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb, set it off, and surged the core. He finds the place has gone dark and the last defense is a Leadhead with a pair of Security Bots. Jack flips the circuit breaker and overrides the lock opening the path to Rapture Central Control.

Security Room

The lock up.

The small adjoining room was clearly used by Ryan's security forces. The space is full of calf-deep water gushing out of a broken pipe against the wall and strewn with bodies. Before the war, the space was a simple security office where a welder or engineer might be taken to cool off after getting in an escalated argument with a coworker. However, it's clear that it was the site of more serious crimes as time went on.

A blood-splattered chair and sheet metal partition mark an obvious interrogation area; the instruments of persuasion (a pistol, hammer, saw, drill, and other tools) are still laid out on a desk. Half the room is divided into a holding cell where four bunkbeds are set up. For three poor prisoners, their confinement became a death sentence. Two other desks are located in the center of the room. A frag grenade, the Frozen Field 2 Gene Tonic, and an audio diary can be found on top while a small safe is located beneath. It holds 12 dollars, 100 Napalm, and 3 proximity grenades.

New Discoveries

New Plasmids and Tonics (Found)

1. Frozen Field 2 - Security Room, on the desk in the center of the room.

Audio Diaries

1. Bill McDonagh - Ryan Takes F Futuristics - Entry, In the crate next to the Circus of Values vending machine.
2. Kyburz - Scoping the Gate - Machinery Room, on the floor by the vending machine to the left of the entrance.
3. Bill McDonagh - Stopping Ryan - Ryan's Trophy Room, on Bill McDonagh's hanging corpse.
4. Anya Andersdotter - Going to Heat Loss - Ryan's Trophy Room, on Anya Andersdotter's hanging corpse.
5. Andrew Ryan - A Man or a Parasite - Security Room, on the desk in the center of the room.

Gallery

Going nowhere.

The winding way.

That's a lot of red.

The whistle.

Danger all around.

A warning for all who would cross Ryan.

Close up of the electromagnetic lock.

Cracking the lock.

The Rapture Metro after the blackout.

Behind the Scenes

Looking stylish.

• There's a pair of unusual corpses in Central Control; one is in the Machinery Room and the second is in Ryan's Trophy Room. Each is a typical Rosebud Splicer model, but with the Baby Jane model's hairpiece attached to their heads. These corpses appear in none of the other levels Rosebud models appear as Splicer enemies.