2020-08-30: Sealab2020 1B Bottoms Up
| Bottoms Up 1B | |
|---|---|
| While on a simple cruse, the Voidship Integrity is attacked and dragged to the bottom of the sea. The crew split up; half to go out side and try to repair communications, half to remain inside to try and stop the flooding. This is the outside log. | |
| IC Date | August 30th, 2020 |
| Players | Albright, Eden (ST), Midge, Winters, Vivian (as NPC_Angela), Zelazny |
| Location | Outside the VEC Integrity, near the Mariana Trench |
| Prp/Tp | Sealab2020 |
| Spheres | Weaver |
<S.O.N.G.S.> Eden says, "... Albright...Dr... flooding..."
Eden is wearing her 9 ft tall exoskeleton as she waits for Alice and Midge in the airlock to the outside. "Alright, I'm not expecting this to be a fancy job out there. Just slapping metal up and welding it in place to hold the ship together. Midge, if you can focus on trying to get the antenna repaired. Me and Alice will focus on the damage to the hull. See what the fuck happened.", looking them over. "This is ocean bottom. Be careful. We can easily die out here.", the giant Myrmidon moving and picking up a few sheets of metal. "Alice you know how to use a blow torch or weld under water?"
<S.O.N.G.S.> Zelazny says, "Boss!... taking on... am... the... We're losing... though. Can't be..."
Midge suits up, running her hands over every inch of the welding torch before moving out to the airlock with the others. "I got the antenna, yes. I'll come help you two if I get done first." She tests the flame just briefly before pulling her mask and gloves on.
Dr Albright checks her scuba gear to make sure it is all working properly as she gets it on. Safety is important after all. She nods to Eden, "I think I can handle a blow torch. How deep down do you think we are? If we are far enough down to crush the ship then it might be far enough down to squish people. So we should take precautions."
Midge looks horrified. "We dont have suits reasonable for this depth? If the pressure doesnt kill us we'll freeze to death out there!"
Dr Albright opens her medical bag and takes out a disinfecting swap and wipes a spot on her arm, then gets out a syringe and draws some of her own blood. She then injects the blood into a small vial with a cloudy white substance in it. She then shakes the vial, causing it to all mix up. She then draws the liquid from the vial back into the syringe and injects it back into her arm. She then looks to Midge as she draws out another swap, syringe and vial. "These nanobots will help protect you from the dangers of being so far underwater." She then repeats the process with Midge as well.
Midge grimaces but complies. She pulls up her wet suit to receive the shot. "Your sure this will work? Nevermind we dont have time for that. Hit me. If we die who will drink that coffee back at SONGS?" She smiles trying to help keep Dr. Albright calm even if she is freaking out inside.
Eden watches Alice, she wasn't critiquing more nervous about the possibilities of those machines didn't work. "Pray to Heaven that those machines can handle the workload.", leaning against the airlock and ready to push it open when ready to flood the room as water began seeping through the floor to equalize. They were about hip deep as it only went higher. Bone cold, as it reached their necks and passed on to the ceiling.
<S.O.N.G.S.> Eden says, "Stepping out."
<S.O.N.G.S.> Winters says, ""... Where... needed?""
Dr Albright nods, "Of course it will work. There are millions of tiny nanobits in there. It is expected that perhaps thousands of them will fail to work but because there is so many, many of them will work. You don't actually need that many to provide benefit. Over the long term more will fail until eventually they are flushed out of the body, but over the short term there shouldn't be any issues. If you experience any unusual symptoms however, please let me know and I can provide a booster shot."
Midge nods and looks toward the opening airlock. She hits the flashlight on her chest as the water fills up around her, when she moves out into the deep she stays very close to the ship. Getting lost would be a nightmare. She moves along the hull to where the antenna is based on memory.
<S.O.N.G.S.> Midge says, "... traveling along... starboard... the top.... like the ship is... left."
It's freezing cold, and feels like your wrapped up in a sheet of death pressing down on you. The abyss of the ocean is fully dark, even your little flashlights whimper in comparison to the black out depths around you. The ship is upside down as Eden jumps out with her heavy exoskeleton and begins circling it for damage. Midge you might have to go underneath the upside down ship and hope it's stable enough to not suddenly crush you. It's like walking through jello, the water is stiff and unreal. It brings back flashes of your prison, Midge. What if your trapped here again, the void is everywhere and inescapable and you have to venture to the antenna alone.
Midge is trying to keep it together. She still isnt sure who she is, not really. Neith Reborn, something else, an anomaly as Agent Eden and others in the heirarchy say? But she remembers the emptiness, the faint glimmers of a prayer or a scream and the maddening solitude. She starts to hyperventilate but takes a deep breath, cleansing her mind to focus on her task. She has to succeed. The others are counting on her not to be a gibbering sobbing wreck. She goes.
Dr Albright stays close to the ship and she follows after Eden. She was trained in using scuba gear and has used it many times, though this is perhaps the deepest she has ever been. Just take one step at a time. She isn't the most perceptive of people but with everything being so dark, she is able to focus on the one thing she can see, even if it only appears for a second. She sticks close to the ship as she reports it.
Midge says, "I just saw something really big, with large tentacles."
<S.O.N.G.S.> Dr Albright says, "... just saw something really..."
Eden leads the way in a clockwise circle along the ship, until they find the damage. It looks like a colossal creature took a bite out of the void ship, chewing into it and searching for food. It really looks like sheering and teeth marks ruptured the hull and crushed into a few compartments. It was a lucky to dog into, the ballast tank exposed and destroyed sending the ship to the bottom of the ocean. It was more evidence that they weren't alone in the waters. "Fuck me...", turning to Alice. "We got be careful."
<S.O.N.G.S.> Midge says, ".. something... here!... are not alone...."
Midge swims for all shes worth toward the antenna. She is terrified but she realizes she cant go back yet, she has to hope she doesnt look like food.
Midge works feverishly to restore the antenna, she wants so badly to look for danger that she might be able to get away from but logic says shell never see it coming anyway. Without that antenna the navigation system will be useless in pitch dark. She tries for all she's worth.
Dr Albright lights up the underwater blow torch and as the metal is put into place by Eden with her big robot she starts to weld it to the ship. They don't have to fly through space right away, so just stopping the leaking is priority as she works on the repairs.
Eden flattens or bends the metal with her suit, it's a bit awkward and slow to use underwater but she pilots it as best she can. Even using the fingers to bolt and crimp where it might be difficult to weld or hold places in piece. "Your doing fantastic. Just keep going.", the light from the blowtorch attracting movement from outside their field of vision.
By Midge underneath the ship and alone, a giant tentacle slithers besides her. Grasping in the darkness, not sure where the snack was exactly. But no less than 15 feet away, thudding the ocean floor a bit.
The ship groans and rocks a bit, the monster latching back on.
Midge makes a strangled noise but she fixes the antenna and then swims swiftly back to where she thinks the hull repair crew is.
Eden continues to help Alice as best she can, it's difficult as without a ladder she has trouble climbing or holding onto the side of the ship, it's all very make shift and sketchy. Finally something goes right as comms are restored, the channels clearing up and freeing communication hiccups. However, she was yet unaware of Midge trying to escape the monster beneath the ship.
It's giant tentacle wrapping around her leg and calf, pulling her to its maw.
<S.O.N.G.S.> Midge says, "Its got... its... me Oh God... got... leg!"
Comms have now been restored!
Dr Albright is doing her best to continue welding but then the ship starts to shake a bit and it becomes even more difficult, making it hard to make a lot of progress, but then she hears Midge crying out for help. "Is it that thing I saw before? That thing was big, this isn't good."
<S.O.N.G.S.> Midge says, "Its got me, top side, get over here!"
<S.O.N.G.S.> Eden says, "Fuck, we're coming, Midge! Integrity... come in Integrity. We got a giant RD down here. Use the energy cannons or something and shoot it off us. It thinks we are a meal!"
The ship jostles as it's dragged across the ocean floor... nearly crushing Midge as she is brought closer to its Maw.
Eden tanks it towards the front of the ship, kicking up a trail of watery dust and debris. Near the front of the Integrity was a impossibly giant squid, a living Kraken. It was attempting to drag the Integrity into the Mariana Trench to eat it and enjoy its meal. Midge was just the first portion as its bloody beak and maw had been partially destroyed by the ballast tank exploding in its mouth. Midge screaming and trying to swim away as she was brought further to the jaws of destruction.
<S.O.N.G.S.> Eden says, "Integrity we have a living Kraken trying to drag us into the Mariana trench for a meal. Please remove it - it also has Midge!"
<S.O.N.G.S.> Zelazny says, "Talk to me guys! Boss? Midge? Whats going on!"
Dr Albright sees things are quickly getting out of hand! She carefully opens her medical bag and gets out another syringe and fills it with more of the white liquid that seems to be nanobots. This time however she also fills the syringe with a couple of other seemingly random chemicals as she speaks, "Nanoswarm 17b, activate deconstruction sequence alpha." She then turns and swims as quickly as she can over to where Midge and the giant tentacle is and jabs the syringe into it.
Midge writhes desperately to break free, she calls upon her power to weaken the creature since its already satisfied the contact for her with its hideous suckers.
The Kraken rumbles as the Integrity begins shoot particle beams at it. A non-stop stream of electrical and plasmic fire burns and sizzles into its flesh - distracting it a bit from Dr. Albright's procedure. The nanomachines going to town and paralyzing the arm as it's constricting grasp let's go of Midge. Eventually it falls backwards into the trench, likely not dead but wounded. Ready to strike out and retaliate once recovered.
Dr Albright checks to make sure Midge is alright. "Did we do enough repairs to keep the ship from flooding?" Looks like it isn't too safe to be out here." She also reports back to the ship.
<S.O.N.G.S.> Dr Albright says, "It released her and seems to be retreating for the moment."
Midge is unconscious, the welding torch still tethered to her left arm.
Eden grabs Midge and carries her back towards the ship. "Let's get her back inside. Me and you will finish the exterior repairs and hopefully the crew on the inside is doing alright.", slowly walking back in her 3/4 ton suit.
<S.O.N.G.S.> Eden says, "Midge is safe, unconscious though. Going to be bringing her back. Me and Dr. Albright will fix the rest of the hull. Someone stay on the guns for look out and hopefully all is well inside."
<S.O.N.G.S.> Eden says, "Also call for help, S.O.S. - Lets get additional assistance with comms now working."
Dr Albright is soon back to the welding point, sticking more metal sheets to the hull of the ship to keep the water out. Soon she is getting into the groove it and working even faster, though it is still a lot of work to get the ship water tight.
