2017.12.09: NOC+10 Mystery on the Internet Part 2

NOC+10 Mystery on the Internet Part 1
Brooke leads her team to try to solve the mystery of the NOC+10 on the Internet in a deep ocean canyon where the signal is coming from.
IC Date	December 9th, 2018
IC Time	Morning
Players	BillyST, Brooke, Dragomir, Halona, Neil, Sergei
Location	16°07'32.3"N, 147°40'53.8"E
Prp/Tp	NOC+10 Mystery on the Internet [[1]]
Spheres	Gaian Garou

It takes a boat to get the sub that Neil and Brooke built (okay, Neil built it and Brooke programmed it, but you know, team effort) and that was probably put together by Michael, while Montana provided some plane support, giving people their pick in how exactly they want to get out to the middle of the friggin Pacific ocean, eventually regrouping here in yon boat in preparation to launch the sub. It should be noted that it's not hugely big, it's gonna be a tight fit and there's probably gonna be some lap sitting. Good news though, Billy installed a bacon cooker. So... There's that. Look it's a long trip and those are some close quarters, think of it as pulling double duty providing lunch and acting as an air freshener in there.

Right here and now, it very much seems like the middle of nowhere. The nearest land seems like a vague bumpy line out on the horizon, leaving nothing but flat blue in all directions with the boat and probably plane just kinda bobbing along at anchor. At least the weather's calm! The sub's probably pretty much ready, supplies are had, and everyone's had a chance to gear up with whatever they probably think will be necessary in the crushing black depths of the ocean. Now all you have to do is, you know. Not die. No pressure!

Sergei doesn't have much in the way of gear and for travel purposes will probably be in lupus form. Puppy piles are a thing after all. For now though he's standing in human form on the deck, eyeing the water suspiciously.

Brooke has her tablet in her hand, making all the last minute checks on the sub's programming, and to see if she can get any further signals from whatever is below that is sending out the signals she has been receiving.

Neil's being fussy. Building a sub capable of getting to the deepest point in the ocean isn't a small feat, not at all, and they've only got one chance to get it right, or else everyone's going to get completely crushed by the weight of the ocean above. No pressure! He doesn't really -socialize-, but as he fusses, he says, "If any of you have any further questions for Brooke or me, now's the time, I think." A pause. "Also my payment..."

Like the wind isn't REAL happy about being in boat, or a helicopter or a sub. Aren't those sandwiches? She stays in her lupus form, first to be more comfortable, but also tight squeeze. She isn't happy about THAT either, really. So that kind of sucks.

Dragomir being one of the larger individuals here, is doubtlessly a chair for someone(s). That doesn't seem to concern the pack Alpha though, he's more bothered by the idea of being on a floating weaver contraption in the middle of the Pacific Ocean after all. Not to mention being locked in a tight metal container with multiple entities of rage. That couldn't possibly go wrong, right? "You get paid after my pack in its entirety is returned to the Sept." which is Philodox speak, for no negotiations.

Damn those wiley Garou, right Neil? Way out there a ways there's a 'fwoosh!' when a whale comes up for a new breath. A fuckin whale, hoss.

Sergei blinks out at the whale and ponders how hard it would be to take town prey that big. And how long it would take to eat.

Like the wind tries not to stomp on Drago's family jewels then.

Brooke shakes her head. "I got no signal. Still nothing since right before we left." The whale obviously catches her eye, and she watches in awe. "Never seen that up close. Cool."

Neil's not buying that for one minute. "No way. If you or your pack mates do something to get themselves killed or injured that isn't any fault of mine or my build, I still expect payment. That's fair," the Ratkin figures. "I want the tech that's down there." He can't help but pause to look up, though. "That is cool," he agrees.

Dragomir considers and says, "Let's get as close as we can, and figure it out once we're on our feet then." He turns to look towards Neil and says, "I'm not sure how things are done in rat-land, but we make sure everyone gets home when I'm in charge. So act like that's important to you." he growls lightly.

And then it's gone again, off to whale-work, probably, takin the calf-kids off to school. Ha, get it. Cause fish.

Brooke looks to Neil, "If we can salvage anything and learn from it down there, great. I'm sure we can learn something. But life first. If it does not work out, I'll get you more tech myself." She checks on her readings. "I was hoping the signal would pop up again. All I can do is get us to where the signal originated."

Sergei looks back to his alpha when the whale swims away. Listening quietly.

Neil doesn't even -understand- why Dragomir's getting worked up. Killer? No. Hero for the greater good? Also no. "I didn't mean to make you angry." Then, as Brooke peace keeps, he turns to her, "The tech down there is important to me. I'll have a machine with you, that I can control. And I've brought extra oxygen, too, for the flooded area, if you need it. And cutting tools. The humans trapped down there, I don't know what condition they're in besides being hooked to dying life support, and mentally stuck in a machine. Well, presuming, this isn't a just trap. But I don't think you'll have any trouble taking care of -them-. Security is another matter."

Like the wind doesn't like any of this ANY better than she did a few minutes ago, but she stays quietly. She makes an unhappy little sound and squirms around a little more. She's listening though, ready to do.. something. Anything.

Brooke nods to Neil. "If this isn't just a trap, which from the last messages I received, I do not think it is, then we will get the humans out and we will stop the machine. That is what it is asking for. Death. We will get what we can techwise so we can learn from it and see if we can figure what started this thing so we can stop it from coming again. Whatever security was setup, that could be quite an issue. We will simply have to take this step by step."

Whatever kin deck hands are doing helpful Stuff and Things then hoist the sub and get it overboard, hovering there in the water, ready to rock and roll. Or get squished flat. Whichever.

Dragomir says confidently, "Terminal Velocity will handle the security.. just get us inside, and get us home afterwards and we'll be fine. How are we transporting these people if there are people to be saved?"

Sergei ponders his Alpha's question "Ferry them back to the surface ship in the sub if we have the luxury of time? Or there might be other resources we can salvage down there."

Brooke shrugs, "We can see if by chance there is another underwater vehicle at the station, or escape pods?" She nods to Sergei, "Or that."

"This isn't a transport mission. They want to die. If you think they can be saved, can live without all their life support, put them in there," Neil instructs, looking over at his submersible, with a nod to Sergei, "two at a time. There's enough oxygen for the return trip for two, so that'll take time, yes. I have a bad feeling Dr. Helen took off with the escape pods, but if you find any--" Neil shrugs.

Like the wind seems confident in that too.. long as she doesn't pee on her alpha when her ears pop, really.

Dragomir is clearly uncomfortable, not just cause Like the Wind has puppy gas either. "Let's get there already, and figure it out when we're on solid ground again." this is not the half-moon's best moon for keeping his shit together. He wants off this tub.

Without further questions, Neil waves at the group, and lets them load in!

It's not particularly roomy in the sub, but there's at least *some* room, theoretically no one's going to get down there with a severe butt cramp or anything. Neil's on coms, probably navigation duty from the boat, and Brooke's can handle the steering, and then they're off! You'd think the view would be more spectacular, but the ocean's a big god damned place and there's basically nothing out there but just.. blue. Just... boring... boring... blue, which rapidly loses its novelty. The light dims pretty quickly as the pack descends into the ocean, fading away like an oncoming twilight, and then night. The sub's lights illuminate nothing, because there's just nothing to see. Sadly, there is no in-flight movie to watch, so hopefully someone packed a joke book. This.. takes a while for the pack (and a drone). But, eventually, there's a scenery change! In the glow of the sub lights the sea floor comes into view, and the edge of a massive, yawning chasm in the earth's crust. Strange plant life, even weirder deep sea life, finally some shit to *look* at! WOO! Descending into the Trench, the sub makes some alarming sounds as the pressure around them becomes steadily more immense. But no one's flattened yet, so that has to be a good sign, right? Down further, one of the lights pops from the pressure, but the research station should be coming up any minute now. Assuming no one has an epic freak out in the tin can.

Brooke has her tech around her, as she focuses on steering the vessel to the destination. Thank God these Glass Walkers love their tech, and Brooke especially is apt to it.

Guess where the Philodox doesn't want to be?.. Yep, in a cramped submarine, in the bottom of the ocean, in the middle of nowhere, under a lot of pressure, and packed like a sardine. This little under-water tug fest better end quick, as Dragomir isn't enjoying it. A panting growl emits from the man, as he closes his eyes and tries to focus his rage to prevent it from unleashing in this space. He's stopped talking.

Neil's copiloting with Brooke, doing his job as navigator, but remotely. The sub, if Brooke examines it, was originally designed to be a remote vehicle, and while a lot of that design was scrapped to accommodate a Garou pack. And the coms also allow them to call in to the kin, if needed. "Okay, the outer hull is holding. You might need that cutting tool soon, to get inside. Brooke, you got it?" he asks, of controlling the bathyscaphe's arms.

Like the wind isn't all that crazy about this. Wasn't from the beginning. Now that they're actually IN it? Yeah. Halona might piddle a little. But not at the moment. Right now, with all the blue around and nothing else and her Alpha ALSO trying not to freak out, she edges over in his direction and plops her nose on his foot and tries to NOT chew it off.. or poop

Howling-Wind does not like being in vehicles. Does not like being underwater. Is so very not a fan of being both. The beta's calm is astonishing to him but mostly he's laying there trying to not chew on the scenery.

Brooke responds back to Neil, "Yeah, I got it. Hopefully we are about there. The others are none too happy in here, as expected really." She keeps her hands on her tech - otherwise, bad things. yeah.

The sub really is making some worrisome sounds from the pressure at this depth, and you guys would be setting a world record if someone hadn't gone and built a station down here. Not that anyone knows about the place... And there it is. The map coordinates given by NOC+10 were pretty spot on, the sub's lights suddenly bringing into view a collection of metal, spherical structures clustered together and sitting on a ledge against the Trench's wall. Not quite all the way down, there's still a pretty good distance down past that cliff's edge. In the lamp lit darkness, 'NOCTURNE' can be seen printed in huge letters along the side of the structure.

It looks like it's in pretty good shape, although.. Now that you're able to see the ledge it's on, there's definitely something wrong here. One of the spheres, marked with a mangled number 6, has been flattened like a pancake. Another with a large 4 looks partially crushed with several large holes puncturing its side and there's a far amount of external damage to some of the rest without it being breeched. And nearby a mostly empty array of docking stations with hatches under one of the spheres. One small submarine still appears to be there, but badly damaged, and lodged halfway into a dust covered.. is that a rock? Or a whale or.. no, that's the body of a huge, I mean ridiculously large shark. For some of you, it may bring to mind old Discovery Channel programs about ancient Megalodons, and it has several very *large* holes in its carcass peppered with bits of metal scrap. Someone caught a torpedo or five. But, worry not freaking out werefolk, there is docking space! It's a little fucked up, requires a touch of zapping with the cutting tool to get un stuck, but then it's totally serviceable, hooray! <OOC> Billy says, "Size reference: https://www.fossilera.com/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTcvMDMvMTQvMDFfMDhfNDVfMzczX21lZ2Fsb2Rvbl9zaXplLmpwZyJdXQ/megalodon-size.jpg"

Brooke keeps herself together, focused on the task at hand. She cannot hardly believe what she sees, but she pushes past it to take stock of it all. "I'll get the dock fixed, and then get us on out of here. Obviously, we need to be cautious. I cannot tell yet what is going on, although I have my tablet searching to see what I signals I can get from the station systems." She pulls out the cutting tool and does the work needed.

Dragomir on the other hand is looking towards the massive creature. He doesn't like this situation, and it's getting worse a whole lot faster than its getting better it seems. His gaze shifts over towards the sight of the dock, then towards Brooke and he nods. "We stay close, keep track of each other, and make sure no one gets left out in the water with that thing." he's never seen anything that size before, so he senses for the presence of the Wyrm.

Like the wind peeks up, then her ears go flat and she growls softly. Do not like. No, no she doesn't. She gets up a little higher and smooshes her face against the window, hoping for a better look

It's so huge, and so dead, and oh god eew there's little pancake crabs crawling around in those holes nibbling on really old shark sushi!

Howling-Wind would normally be about trying to eat whatever if it's made of meat but that shark thing looks too big to even try. When his alpha mentions staying close scootching closer is done.

Neil tries to warn them, his com crackling, before he speaks "-Whatever- happens, do -not- go out in the water. Do not leave the vehicle, except when you're docked on the Nocturne. Under any circumstances." And then, because of the shark, they can hear him cursing, perhaps unaware he's still broadcasting through the depths, "I'd get so many awards from this footage. Damn it..." But no, he can never, ever show anyone what they're seeing. Oh well. Static crackle!

Brooke goes to work and gets the sub in place with Neil's help surely, and gets to the dock. She gets it sealed and ready, and the uses the tool to fix the hatch so that they can open it and get inside - not getting in the water at all. That would be a bad idea she knows - not just because of what Neil has said. "Ok, friends, Welcome to the Nocturne. Now let's stop the Wyrm, and get this finished."

The party is able to emerge, when they're ready, one at a time up into a large, darkened room in disarray. The quiet echo of dripping water, tables over turned, various tools of maintenance and repair scattered everywhere, strange gouges here or there in the walls and wet floor there's a distinctly abandoned, almost haunted feeling to the place. Unique molds have begun to grow here and there in the moisture rich environment, the space lit a weird yellowish color from flickering security lights, the main over head lights seeming quite dead. Once the party is fully emerged from the sub and into this waaaaay less cramped environment, strains of distorted music crackle forth from wall mounted speakers likely meant for station-wide announcements and the like, as well as from Brooke's tablet and Neil's coms. (What a wonderful world, by Louis Armstrong - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3yCcXgbKrE) There's only one exit here (not counting the sub hatches), the sliding door pulling itself open with some difficulty to invite the pack into its creepily flickering depths that smell sort of like an old pond combined with a dead squirrel.

Dragomir shakes his head, confused and says, "There is no sign of the Wyrm's taint here..." he looks about, trying to discern things. "Plenty signs of the Weaver though. The Weaver is just as dangerous." he looks towards Brooke and says, "This is your quest Hushed Blaze, we follow your lead." though no doubt he will take over if things get hairy. He trusts his Beta's leadership skills. Good thing Dragomir has never seen any of the Jaws movies, this might be infinitely more terrifying.

Still better than being in the sub. Windy is SURE of that. She 'patiently' waits her turn and exits, then does a full circle and stretches out, nose down, booty up, tail streeetching out briefly. She makes that awwwwwr sound wolves do when they stretch, then she's ALL business. Eyes peeled, nose peeled, ears peeled. All the peelings.

Howling-Wind also does the lupus stretch on exit, then mimics Windy's alert posture. He's not sure what exactly to do but anything that jumps out is gonna get jumped on.

Neil's little drone suddenly comes to life. He must be using the sub as a jump point to broadcast the signal to control it. It's not a the largest of 'robots,' but it does have a holding compartment and a manipulation arm. No weapons, though. At least, none that are visible or obvious. Static crackle. "You guys can still hear me?" he asks, through the drone, now.

Brooke is listens and looks about. She taps on her tablet, looking to see what she is picking up, now that obviously the station has found a way into her tablet. She smirks at the drone. "Yeah, we can hear you. What are you picking up from there?"

As eyes adjust to the gloom, there appears to be someone down at the end of that newly available hallway, just sort of standing there with a hand raised as if in a hailing gesture.

"Schematics, any of Dr. Helen's notes regarding the construction of the machine. Pictures of its inner workings." There's an almost pained pause, as Neil has to say the word, "Hard drives." Ugh. Weaver word. However, he gets very distracted by the figure. "That's a corpse? Shit. Did the Rokea breach this place?"

Dragomir transforms into a horrifying silvery white wolf. Dragomir shifts forward, dropping down onto all fours and growing into his Hispo form to get a better scent and idea of the area. <<Death.>> he confirms the suspicion of that being a corpse. The wolf's head swivels to Howling, as though to suggest he flank him, before it swivels back and the large white direwolf begins moving forward to investigate. <<We shouldn't linger here.. >> perhaps a suggestion to Brooke.

Howling-Wind wrinkles his nose and gives a little sneeze >>How long ago did this all happen?<<

Brooke nods. "Let's move ahead to see if we can find a control room or something. I need to keep on my system here, and be ready to do my tech thing. Neil, I'll look for whatever I can, but I'm thinking that control room will be the best bet for it." She studies what she can. "This seems to have been like this for quite awhile. If anything is still alive - I'd be surprised, really. This is not the matrix..."

The music crackles and plays, echoing through the wet hallway as though from a warped record, "The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky.. And also on the faces of people going by.." Although the dead guy looks less smiley and rainbowy than it does disgusting and maybe frozen screaming in terror. Several long, barbed, harpoon-like stakes made of some booked, natural material nail the dead guy to the wall. It looks like it used to be male, and is dressed in an old fashioned uniform with marking and accessories suggesting security personnel of some sort.

"I see friends shaking hands, saying 'how do you do?'", and oh hey look, a lonely, rather rotted hand is just laying there in the hallway without a body. "They're really saying, I, love you.." As the party passes along the available route into a new sphere, they're greeted by the decaying corpses of a large shark tangled up with a human body. Well.. Most of a human body, part of its halfway down the greasy, collapsing shark's gullet, but the nearly skeletal human did manage to jam what looks like a baseball bat jacked up with tech through its gills. You're in a laboratory environment now, banks of large, obsolete computers, many of them broken, all sorts of weird lab equipment, old rusty looking stains splattered all over the walls, and lumpy shapes draped in white lab coats.

Howling-Wind stays close with the rest of the pack, watching vigilantly for threats. He pauses to take a look at the guy who died fighting the shark and nods in respect. Go out swinging.

"I want to say years," Neil says, inferring the question, by Brooke's response and adding to it. "Maybe decades? I think they're alive though. Unless they were completely uploaded, and never actually realized." The drone heads forward, too, as the Alpha wolf does, with the, well, droning hum of servos. Its camera searches the place as it does, and clearly the Engineer's assumptions were correct. The place had been breached.

As soon as it sees computers, though? The drone is going to get to work. "Maybe the fish didn't know exactly what parts to break to completely make it lose data..."

Brooke continues inside with drone Neil to check out the computers. "Yeah, I'd agree from the age of the systems. Although, perhaps they went with such ancient tech due to the depth. Even the Space Shuttles had less than the calculator I had in College." She does not like what she is seeing around - especially all the death, but time to get to work. "I wonder if there were any logs left, and what we can access. Keep me posted Neil on what you find. The rest of you, keep looking to see what you can find."

Silvery White Wolf pads slowly through the area, heckles risen and body alert as he searches for danger and lets the nerds do what they do. He motions for Howling-Wind to mirror his movements on the other side of the chamber and for Like-the-Wind (What's with all the wind in this group?) to search around as well. He is clearly outside of his element here, so he's relying on Brooke and Neil to lead it seems.

Howling-Wind does as instructed, not sure what matters in this environment but looking mostly for movement, noise, or any lights that blink or flicker.

NeilBot and Brooke work a little magic and there's some awful grating and binging sounds from one of the terminals as he wrestles the thing into activity, so to speak. Its old curved screen and green on black text coming to life and flickering about. The drone types soooo slooooow and might need to be taken over by the Glass Walker. It bears fruit though and gives them directions to 'Biolab Memory Core', unlocking a door that screeches and grinds its way open like an Enterprise ship door in severe need of maintenance. In here, a red emergency light still spins and spins, bathing a killing field in an oscillating crimson glow.

The walls are bathed in old blood and rot fills the air, the floor heaped with fish and human bodies. Rents in the walls and blackened patches where high heat seared them, odd weapons that look a bit like something from an older sci-fi flick litter the ground, they're bit mangled but there's likely some scavengable pieces. Most of the attacking force was not Homid, but by the occasional nekkid, hair lipped or otherwise slightly off-appearance human, there were a couple-few Homids in the group. This last stand may well have ended the Rokea school that attacked the lab, defending forces preventing the sharks from breeching the door labeled NOC+10, but then again the defenders didn't live to enjoy any sort of victory. And oh *god* it stinks. Neil is the only one spared the amazing waft of pent up rotting meat and fish stink that wafts out of there.

"...Helen..." comes a muffled, Stephen Hawking style voice from within NOC+10's door. "..Hel...len.."

Brooke works on the computers with NeilBot, and takes over some of the typing for him. They make it over to this Biolab and it is just nasty and not at all what she hoped to find. "This is where it is coming from. The signal. I have to go in and find it...shut this down."

Like the wind searches. She does try not to breathe TOO much with those super sensitive nose hairs she's got, but she's alert, on point, focused carefully and looking for every little thing

Neil stays behind for the moment, to collect the computer parts he'd been looking for. Now that Brooke's found her objective, they probably won't need the old computers anymore. And there are probably computers on the killing floor, too, to control the machine. On the boat, Neil is very glad he can't smell!

Within NOC+10's room is another horror show, possibly made better (or worse?) with the sudden ceasing of the cheerful music. Old fashioned monitors line the walls, mostly inactive save a few with flickering, out of focus moving video, with ancient control boards. The stench of rotting meat and burned plastic fouls the long contained air. In the center of the room is a circular array of what look like hospital beds attached to a central core of machinery woven through bare, rotting.. meat? Ten beds, to be exact, each of them with a desiccated corpse lying atop, shriveled, discolored bodies stuck with wires in their heads and tubes in their bodies, and nearly every one of them displaying some form of injury. A missing leg or arm, some kind of heavy disfigurement, but they seem to have been like that to begin with, not as a result of.. whatever this is. Nine out of ten beds have blank black monitors and quiet machinery, but the tenth is a different story.

His status monitor still flickers with life, his chest forced to rise and fall ever so slightly, tubes still sluggishly transferring what little nutrients this aged system has left. The body is emaciated and frail though, riddled with sores, though a rickety, rusty old auto-doc system seems to be tending them, keeping infection at bay at any rate. A beard has grown long and patchy, the test subject's nails long yellow claws that haven't been cut in who knows how long, and a little bit of its tube and wire connection has become fused to the man's skin through osmosis over long years of lying here alone in the dark.

"Helen" flickers across every working monitor, "Shut down me"

Silvery White Wolf pads through, looking about and obviously not fond of this place at all. <<What happened here?>> he finally asks, this place is disgusting. He sniffs the area intently, trying to determine what happened. A low growl emits at the sight of the tubed figure.

Brooke shakes her head. "This is just wrong on so many levels. The question is, do we end this poor soul's life, or try to bring him back with us. And what of the change of pressure if he's been here so long. I do not have the skills with human anatomy." She moves to see what she can find out with from the monitors and any tech around them.

Like the wind follows along as well, really, REALLY trying not to breathe more than she has to. When she spots the LIVE corpse, her head tips to the side and she frowns as much as a wolf can and she whimpers. >>Should I heal it? If it wants to die, we can do that too. But how will we know for sure until we talk to it?<<

Neil's not worried with the human lab rat. Not till he's got all the hard drives he can salvage, and his drone makes its way through the gore to go join the others, probably late to the possible euthanasia party.

There is a slightly delayed response to the question of what the hell happened here. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pOMFhF8LmY note: be wary of your sound towards the end, there's some saw blade sounds)

Youtubeless Transcript: Dear friend, You have given your best to preserve the integrity of this structure. And now, the nation is asking you to donate something even more valuable. What a huge gesture, giving your life to the cause and making your country proud of you! Nationwide, thank you, and I assure you that your ultimate sacrifice will make it certain to defeat the enemy. God bless you and assure you serenity, and the- TRY TO STAY CALM, and take position composed! Soon, it will be over! (Strange unintelligible voice interrupts and is cut off) Listen to my voice. Relax! And try to think of all the good you have done for this nation. Sacrificing your life, you have made the world a better place.

A snippet of What a Wonderful World is then followed by the sounds of a saw blade, and then an echoing, knocking, underwater sort of sound. The sound then jumps to a cacophony of voices each trying to yell over one another, it's *very* difficult to make out what any of them are saying, but the phrase 'too many' keeps popping up. The monitors flash at Brooke and NeilBot, "All the memories"

Brooke walks up to the person in the bed. "Do you want to us to shut you down, and all of this? Do you want us to try to save you? Let us know what you want. If you can." She sees this video play and just sighs. "These poor delusional people. This was a monstrous experiment. To what end..."

Howling-Wind watches the message and then frowns as he looks over at the 'survivor' and all he says is >>Suffer not thy people to tend to thy sickness.<<

"I think he's been very clear," comes the static crackle of Neil's com, but he does wait a moment, in case there's anything to the contrary from the dying man. The servos are quiet, as the drone sits, stationary for a moment.

Silvery White Wolf growls, <<You will have to decide.>> he makes the grave announcement to Brooke, no doubt this is a test for a leader to have to make. He isn't going to help her with this decision, this is an important part of leading. The wolf looks around, continuing to watch and ready to do what needs to be done.

To kill or not to kill, that is the question, and not one that this storyteller can answer. This strange construct of wire and flesh, of memories downloaded from the neural networks of corpses, it's made its plea, but does it speak for itself or for the single survivor left in this tortured place? Are they one and the same, or separate? Even NOC+10 doesn't seem to know, flickering decades of captured memories across the monitors that still work. No, this decision is one for the party alone. Which is right? Which is merciful? With no certain proof of either, the decision is yours. Kill the survivor, or rescue him, kill the machine...?

Brooke does not take this lightly. She thinks over it for quite awhile. She looks to each in the party, and back to the survivor. "I do not rightly think this one will be able to live a life if we can get him out of here. I think we get what we can. If his mind is in the systems, we take that with us and give him peace that way. His body is nearly gone. Let's show him mercy, and end his obvious suffering. If anything, this whole place needs to be blown so no one else gets sent any signals mistakenly by anything that tries to survive."

"I agree. Take what we need and destroy this place," Neil says, and before anyone might raise objections, "Leave the corpses. Burial at sea isn't dishonorable." He hopes. He really has no real idea. "I think they were soldiers, anyway." The 'arm' of the drone points to one of the amputated test subjects, that he assumes to be a combat vet or something. "I'll start dismantling this," he says of the machine, his own voice broadcast over one. He lets Brooke do the unplugging. He really hasn't got it in him.

Howling-Wind ripples back to his human shape and draws his fang dagger and looking over to Brooke with a quirked eyebrow.

Silvery White Wolf paces around, waiting for the order on what Brooke wants done. None the less, he remains watchful for a threat at the moment.

Brooke speaks to the NeilBot. "Ok so best way to do his is to get whatever collected back to the sub, with all of us. We need to pull the plug and find a way to send a cascade effect to make this place die. But enough time for us to get back to the sub, get out from the dock, and get far enough away." She looks at Howling-Wind. "I'll pull the plug, you make sure this guy is put out of his misery. In case pulling the plug does not do it." She looks at the others. "Be ready to get back to the sub with nothing coming after us." She taps on her tablet, and then prepares to pull the wires. She looks at them a bit, says a prayer under breath, and then shuts it down.

Like the wind just shakes her wolfy little head and stalks back to the entrance, stepping out just a little bit. ALERT. WATCHING.

With some tap tap tapping on keys, some particular wires being snipped here and there, some hardware stolen away and some software copied, the lights begin to flicker and the survivor's life support systems begin to fail, breathing apparatus first. Expected or not, it's still awful to watch a weak old man twitch and convulse lightly as he suffocates. It's not like watching a Wyrm creature die, that's for sure.

"...Helen..." flashes across the last remaining working monitor, "...Run..." From somewhere deeper in the facility there's a BOOM! sound, and a blaring emergency alarm begins to go off. Water begins to pour steadily into the room as various ventilation and atmospheric systems collapse, sea water rising to your ankles and above rather rapidly. Or to mid tire, in regards to NeilBot. BOOM! That one was closer.

NeilBot curses again, probably not even aware he was holding the com button, before the crackle dies. And Neil takes off, or at least the drone he's controlling from miles away does. The rat the first to flee when the ship's sinking? Yeah, it's kind of like that.

Brooke hears the boom, and looks to the others. "Run! Back to the sub!!" She points to the door and walks just outside of it waiting for them to exit.

Sergei grabs whatever stuff Brooke might need him to haul and proceeds to beat feet out of the exploding base.

Like the wind isn't a Homid. Hasn't seen those movies. Has probably never even HEARD of those movies, but she knew it. She just goddamn well knew it. She moves, expecting to shift. When she doesn't, she doesn't SO hard that she actually stumbles a step or two and snorts, shaking her head. That'll hurt later. When Neil takes off, briefly she considers whether or not this was HIS fault, but that's a worry for later. >>GO!<< she growls, but she actually steps back, inside, and clears the way for people to get through and then noses the hell out of Brooke. >>Go!<<

Brooke showed Sergei what to take, and then hits GO when Like the Wind noses her. She heads for it, hoping the rest of them are making good time.

As the party flees, they're forced to scramble over the rotting corpses of men and sharks on their way back to the lab area. Being less careful this time, yeah, y'all's is gettin some stank on ya. The lab space beyond it is rapidly beginning to flood as well, and it's surprising how fast, the water's nearly to your knees by the time you hit the hallway back to the sub. Less bodies to have to run over though, and now you're home free-- Oh shit. The door that NOC+10 opened for you is shut. And stuck. BOOM! That one was *really* close!

Silvery White Wolf will move swiftly, making sure everyone is getting back to the sub and will follow behind in the rear to nip at bums for anyone who's too slow.

Howling-Wind doesn't miss a step, he lets the bag hang off his wrist and he ripples effortlessly into Crinos form. He jams his claws into the seam of the heavy door and proceeds to apply the Ahroun signature solve. Brute Force. The door is heavy and unpowered but the heavy corded muscles of one of Gaia's chosen prove eventually equal to the task and he peels it open at least wide enough for the pack to squeak through.

With no time to talk, just time to run, Brooke gets through that door that Howling-Wind has opened up, and heads for the sub. Hopefully nothing else shuts before they get there.

NeilBot's servos whine, before its forced to come to a dead stop for a moment, when it reaches the blocked door. Hell, the water might actually be getting too deep for it, which makes Neil worry, but he tries to keep going. The explosions were to close for anything else.

Howling-Wind will heft the bot through the hole he put in the door, when his Alpha said everyone was making it out that was apparently taken seriously. Howling-Wind may also not be sure if the bot is actually part of Neil or not.

Like the wind slides on through and keeps on trucking. She's in lupus, and stuck there. She isn't going to slow down. She's already struggling to stay up

There's the sub! NeilBot is starting to slow down due to the water levels overwhelming his wheels until that door opens and releases the building sea water into the hanger room. It's still flowing even while the group wolf/bot piles into the sub, even beginning to drain down into the hatch port while they descend into the sub one by one (which is gonna suck for lupus girl when she has to just drop down in there like that). As the last person is getting in there there's a colossal BOOOOOOM! as the sphere they were just in with the lab and etc us suddenly crushed like a grape underfoot, an immense tidal wave of water rushing towards the hatch! It's shut *just* in the nick of time, although whoever shut it is totally getting a salt water money shot for their efforts. The entire sub rocks as the hangar is crushed.

Sergei sputters and spits as he wipes off his face after securing the hatch "That water tastes spoiled." Sergei would have sized down to Homid to climb into the sub.

Brooke slips into the seat to steer this thing out of here. She hopes they all have found a good place to hang on, as she gets the sub going as fast as possible to get back up to the surface.

Like the wind flops into the sub and scootches over against the wall. She resists the urge to SHAKEASHAKEASHAKEA!!!!!!!! For a minute. Then does it anyway. >>Sorry<<

Neil lets Brooke get them out like as much of a bat out of hell as she can manage, while he takes care of secondary concerns like checking the hull, and life support systems. Oxygen levels. Perhaps running in the background whatever diagnostics Brooke had programmed into the sub. The NeilBot seems to completely shut off, as soon as it's loaded inside with the cargo that, for whatever reason, was preciously important to the Engineer. Perhaps the water was too much for it.

Out the view ports, the last of the Nocturne Research Station can be seen going down in the beam of the sub's lights, the boom's muffled by water as spheres and sectors begin to collapse with a surprising ease as if they were made of wet paper instead of thick steel. Brooke speeds them away and like a speeding car on a dark country road, she very nearly slams into a deer! I mean a shark. That was a fuckin shark. A really big grey-white shark, and it looked inside at you with its cold, predator's black eye, mouth partially open with its rows of huge, pointy teeth. It's gone an instant later though and lost to the blackness of the Trench. HOPEfully it's watching the show and not chasing you guys. There's those worrying sounds of metal stress again, and a few alarms about rapid ascent but.. It's either that or get squished, and Neil can probably compensate various systems just fine while Brooke steers like a racecar driver.

Brooke gives it all she has got and warns Neil to keep a close eye on his readings and do everything he can to be sure they get back to the surface intact.

Sergei finds something to hang on to and does his best to stay out of the way.

Neil tries to keep Brooke right on the cusp of what the submersible can handle, and not go over. Every now and then, he gives an ETA for the rest of the team, perhaps to soothe their minds a little. Or maybe he's a sadist? "At least you don't have to worry about running out of oxygen," he says, looking at the bright side of Brooke's speedy getaway. Oxygen was good. Power? Well, he'll, uh, keep an eye on that!

Once the gang's out of the o/~ Danger Zoooooone! o/~ and hasn't been devoured by a shark... they're safe to slow down and take things easy if they like, or not, till eventually actual light begins to come through the view ports as the surface draws near. And hey look, it's the bottom of the boat! WOO! Soon enough, they're breeching the surface and into the fading light of day.

Brooke puts that call to Neil. "Get us out of here. The others are troopers but we need all out of the sub."