• Nemo: I fled to the depths of the great flowing sea
    In a vessel made of iron, in order to be free
    From a world that was corrupt, uncivil, and unfair,
    From losses and atrocities I could no longer bear.
    My companions, like me, were done with that world;
    On the surface, nothing good was before us unfurled,
    So we left the vices and evils of land,
    And took the waves of the ocean over the beaches of sand/

    Ryan: My friend, my goals were exactly the same.
    I was sick of being a dollar bill, another pawn, a name.
    Up there, a man’s sweat, and blood, and tears
    Were not his, taken away by threats and leers.
    Washington, the Vatican, Moscow, all were like this,
    And the parasites, the leeches, preyed on whatever they missed.
    I was disgusted, and like you, I took my vast wealth,
    To restore to existence a semblance of health;
    I created a haven, built deep under the waves,
    Where the brightest of men could achieve what they craved,
    Where the greedy fingers of the government could not grasp,
    And where the parasites were shunned and persecuted like asps.

    Nemo: Ah, but you realize that society always hosts sin;
    For man always possesses corruption within.
    Such a haven would not last if humans occupied it;
    In their hands, progress and perfection would soon bring the opposite.

    Ryan: Yes, yes, I realize all that now!
    My vision was impossible, because man’s desires would not allow!
    Perhaps I was misguided, but you made a similar mistake;
    The great sea is beholden to nothing, not even for freedom’s sake.

    Nemo: The tragedies of my journey came at a lesser price than yours,
    But yes, you are right, sir; the sea obeys no lords.
    I found freedom from what I escaped, and found a sense of peace,
    Amid the South Pole, the proud Pacific, and the resolute shores of Greece;

    Ryan: And I enjoyed my reign on the thrones
    Of a city whose virtues were solely my own;

    Nemo: The bounty of the sea provided all that I needed,
    And I sailed, unrestricted, with all laws unheeded;

    Ryan: Likewise, I lived an autonomous and better life-or so I thought,
    For the great city crumbled, and its greatness came to naught.

    Nemo: Inevitably! And yet for me, the peaceful waves soon showed their cruelty;
    Several of my loyal companions were harshly consumed by the sea,
    And for all its iron coating, my vessel did not protect me long;
    The cunning waves tortured me with ice, teeth, and maelstrom.

    Ryan: It seems to me, captain, that what we suffered we did earn,
    And that from all of this, we both have lessons to learn.

    Nemo: You speak truly, sir, we must know perfect havens cannot exist;
    Know also that wherever we flee, certain problems will still persist.

    Ryan: Precisely; the pursuit of utopia is a totally pointless lust,
    As Man and Sea are both beings who are harsh, crafty, and unjust.

    Nemo: And yet, for all the tragedy, I feel very little regret;
    In my Nautilus I would gladly sail once again into the sunset.

    Ryan: And I will always prefer my city in the sea over those on the dry, high ground;
    If I could, I would return to Rapture as my domain and burial mound.