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Sullivan

Hanging now, is it? That's what we've come to? Now look, I don't make the laws here, I just enforce them. But I didn't come to Rapture to string men up for running contraband. If Ryan and his crew have their law, then they can have my badge.
― Sullivan[src]

Sullivan (first name unknown) was the Head of Security for Andrew Ryan's Private Forces in Rapture.

History[]

On the surface, Sullivan (first name unknown) was a New York law enforcement officer who worked the "meatball beat" in Little Italy,[1] before he became the Head of Security for Andrew Ryan.

Bookicon
The following is based on the BioShock: Rapture novel and has not been confirmed by canon sources.

Sullivan claimed to have been an honest police officer who was fired from the force after being framed for accepting bribes. Sullivan took to gambling and then his wife ran off with the last of his money. He was about to commit suicide until he met Andrew Ryan, who believed in his honesty and integrity and hired him as his private security chief, an act for which Sullivan was very grateful. Working for Ryan from at least 1944, he was the one who supplied Ryan with news, regarding things such as the end of World War II.[2] When Ryan wanted to hire Bill McDonagh as his general contractor, Sullivan contacted McDonagh's employer, Bud Chinowski, to get McDonagh's number.  After Chinowski refused to give it up, Sullivan got McDonagh's number through the phone company instead, managing to hire him.[3]

Bookicon
End of information based on the BioShock: Rapture novel.
Sullivan's Office

The interrogation room in Neptune's Bounty also serves as Sullivan's office.

In Rapture, he continued his job as an officer of the law, keeping order in the city. He was appointed chief of Ryan Security, the city's principal police force. He also did Ryan's dirty work,[4] although he was loyal to Ryan in the beginning, eventually his allegiance faded, with him questioning more and more the morality of his orders.[5] He was put in charge of searching for evidence connecting Frank Fontaine to the smuggling ring, and was unsuccessful at first.[6] Sullivan resorted to torture during interrogation sessions to obtain information, but this proved unproductive as most of Fontaine's men were more afraid of Fontaine than they were of Ryan.[4]

After the Civil War was ignited and Rapture society began to collapse, Sullivan was assigned to "take care" of those who Ryan saw as a threat, one of them being Anna Culpepper, an artist who had openly criticized both Ryan's policies and Sander Cohen by ridiculing the artist's role as a propaganda mill.[7] Sullivan was ordered to have her 'bumped,'[8] and killed her in her Mercury Suites apartment while she was taking a bath. Disturbed with what he did, he took a half finished red and black knitted blanket from Culpepper's flat to remind himself of his awful deed.[9]

When Ryan introduced the death penalty for Smuggling, Sullivan threatened to hand in his badge and it is implied that he did.[10] It is possible that he took his own life out of remorse for his deeds.

BioShock 2 Multiplayer[]

Main article: BioShock 2 Multiplayer

According to one of the BioShock 2 Multiplayer Loading Screen Quotes, Sullivan was the one who discovered Dr. Suchong's corpse after the scientist was killed by a Big Daddy. It implies also that his body was never removed since its discovery due to the danger of being attacked in Apollo Square.

Burial at Sea - Episode 1[]

Main article: Burial at Sea - Episode 1

Sullivan is mentioned by Booker DeWitt to be "a cop friend" of his. It was Sullivan who told him that Sally had been found dead. Later Elizabeth reveals that Sally is alive, which is why Sullivan didn't show Booker her corpse, as he was lying.

Audio Diaries[]

BioShock[]

Quotes[]

Bookicon
The following is based on the BioShock: Rapture novel and has not been confirmed by canon sources.
Don't think you'll see me alive again, sir. I plan a quick get-together with a bullet. Can't live with what I done. She had the cutest little red and black blanket. Here's a tape, might clue you in on why Jasmine Jolene moved out. Why she's been ducking you. Owe you that, I guess, Great Man. Now I owe myself something else. A little drinky, a little bye bye.

Bye bye, Great Man!

—Sullivan, in a note sent to Andrew Ryan shortly before his presumed suicide[11]

Bookicon
End of information based on the BioShock: Rapture novel.

Behind the Scenes[]

Spoilers


References[]

  1. Sullivan's Audio Diary: Artist's Feud
  2. BioShock: Rapture, Prologue
  3. BioShock: Rapture, Chapter 1
  4. 4.0 4.1 Sullivan's Audio Diary: Timmy H. Interrogation
  5. Sullivan's Audio Diaries: Smuggling Ring & Artist Woman
  6. Sullivan's Audio Diary: Smuggling Ring
  7. Anna Culpepper's Audio Diary: Ryan's Stableboy
  8. Sullivan's Audio Diary: Bump Culpepper?
  9. Sullivan's Audio Diary: Artist Woman
  10. Sullivan's Audio Diary: Have My Badge
  11. BioShock: Rapture, Chapter 18
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