2020-09-05: Sealab2020 2B A Long Walk Off a Short Pier
| A Long Walk Off a Short Pier 2B | |
|---|---|
| Voidship Integrity is in a bad way: upside down at bottom of the sea, heavily damaged, and flooded. Fortunately, help from the nearby Technocracy Construct Deepwater is on its way. The crew split up, some staying on ship and some going to Deepwater. This is the outside the ship log. | |
| IC Date | August 30th, 2020 |
| Players | Albright, Eden Huxley (ST), Winters, Vivian Starr (as NPC_Angela) |
| Location | Ocean Floor, outside VEC Integrity; near the Technocracy Construct Deepwater |
| Prp/Tp | Sealab2020 |
| Spheres | Weaver |
Outside the airlock in the dark depths of the ocean; four men stand around two red large open water vehicles, which have no doors but seem sturdy enough. They have giant treads on both sides of the body, reminding an individual of CAT underwater drills or bulldozers with bucket seats. Obviously utility vehicles the men guarding them have underwater weapons; harpoon and spear guns with explosives tipped charges. Most of them wear light scuba like gear, their bodies genetically modified to handle the depths and cold.
Each one a bit similar to Frank, but slightly different in appearance and cultural ethnicity, Jakob greeting them over comms. <Alright, these rovers aren't fast by any means possible. But they're quicker and safer than swimming. Hop on board and we will drive you to Deepwater. It should take about two hours.>, turning back around and clambering onto the first vehicle. <Once their on. Kill the lights.>
Dr Albright has her scuba gear on, even if the nanobots would let her hold her breath for hours. She heads over the rover and gets on before she turns out her own light.
Thank goodness for Enlightened technology! Angela holds her breath as the airlock begins to pour water inside, putting on a small rebreather mask once the airlock is full. Yeah, she could just keep holding her breath, but actually being able to breathe is a bit of a comfort. Besides, this way she can speak.
"Nanomachines look like they're doing good work, doc," Angela says, giving a thumbs up to Albright, "Pressure's fine and the water just feels like a cold bath." Stepping out of the airlock, Angela stares around the ocean floor in wonder, eyes wide. Of course, then the lights are killed and the place is plunged into near complete darkness, but it was nice while it lasted. A few deep sea animals with bio-luminescence provide weak green pinpoints of light in the depths; not much to see by, but enough for the brown haired woman to get some sort of bearings. With some difficulty, she manages to step carefully over the sea floor towards the nearby rover. "This feels a bit weird to walk in. Like microgravity training."
Space suits double as wet suits! Right? RIGHT! Winters has one of those and he'll just close his eyes and wait. Then realize its working out actually. He'll plod after Angela and the Doctor before pulling himself into the rover to be ready for traversing things. "Well....at least we're not drowning and things."
Once everyone loads up onboard, to include Eden who is relatively quiet. Looking back at the upside down ship and killing her lights. The large rovers begin to lurch forward, the treads catching and pushing them forward. It seems like it will be a quiet ride in the darkness as a radio station is tuned on and pushed through comms. It was... country; Eden tries not to groan but not everyone had the same musical tastes as each other. Jakob then calls out, <Everyone ok. The ride might get bumpy. Just hold on tight!>
Dr Albright looks off into the black void. She would probably be looking at some of her equipment and stuff but she can't see anything so just waits for them to get where they are going, and she holds on tightly when she is warned it about to get bumpy.
"Yes, drowning would suck," Angela agrees with Winters, "Get through all of that and then drown on the way to rescue." She looks over at the man and offers a sympathetic smile leaning over to whisper in a low voice, "You holding out okay? We'll be at Deepwater before you know it and then we can all just relax."
Once on board, Angela does take one last look through the door at the upside down Integrity, barely visible in the black before it closes and seals. Settling into a long ride, Angela isn't nearly as diplomatic as Eden and groans audibly as country music comes on. She does brace herself when Jakob tells everyone to hold on tight.
( <a href="https://youtu.be/MRnNEl-eHwY">https://youtu.be/MRnNEl-eHwY</a> ) Horrible Country on the radio
<S.O.N.G.S.> Zelazny says, "This is Zelazny on the Integrity. I have removed all the water. Starting work on the life support systems. Comms will turn off in two minutes. Zelazny out."
"I think everyone will end up fine. See? Ship is empty of water now just like we need." Winters will lean sideways toward Angela to wink. Which....doesn't translate well at all in the dark. But getting to Deepwater will definitely take the edge off of things. And they probably have some food.
<Hold on tight, short fall!>, Jakob calls as the red treaded vehicles grind over the edge off a small shelf and fall three feet. It feels like a small roller coaster as the vehicles pick up speed; but go nowhere fast as they enter a mud bank. The red glow of a billowing plume of fire seen from a distance. It's the third rover off on the horizon, Jakob hails them a few times but no response.
Dr Albright looks over to the plume of fire, that is never a good sign, especially underwater. "That didn't look very good?"
Angela breathes a sigh of relief as the news comes down that the Integrity is water free. She looks over to where Winters voice speaks and grins (even though he probably can't see it). "Yup. Everything is comin' up Integrity!" She giggles again and quiets for several minutes before the silence gets to her and she suddenly speaks again.
"Hey! What do you get when you play a country song backwards?" She pauses for several beats before speaking again, "You get your wife back, your house back, your dog back, and your truck back!" Her giggles again peal forth. It's just so great to be alive after all that!
So, of course Fate takes that as an opportunity for a gut-punch and the sudden jostling of the rover causes Angela to let out a small shriek. She gasps as the plume of fire is seen out of the viewports, her eyes growing worried and gnawing on her lower lip. She nods in agreement with Albright. "U-uhm... w-what just happened?"
<Nobody is responding. That's the rover that slipped a tread and got stuck in the mud. We are taking a small detour to go investigate, since it's on our way to Deepwater.>, the vehicles rattling and grinding over the mud bank as they slowly draw near to the underwater flare. The red chemical reaction sending a plume into the ocean sky that's too tall to focus on.
Minutes dilate and feel extended as finally the rovers approach. The genetically modified fishmen working on the vehicle are all dead or missing. The driver still in the vehicle as he was bitten in half by something large. Only hands with forearms and pieces of lower limbs reside by those attempting to push on the giant tread that slipped in the mud.
Words like 'short fall' should not be a thing in a dangerous environment like....the bottom of the ocean. But it is said, it happens and Winters snaps his hands onto his seat to hold on tighhhttt. "Of course we are. Why wouldn't we. This is the time to do it." But there isn't any help to give, not anymore. They might need help as Winter's eyes skate over dead bodies.
Angela doesn't say anything, just swallowing visibly and nodding as the statement comes down that they're going to investigate. She still can't help but gasp in mild horror as she sees the remains of the Deepwater personnel strewn in half-eaten states around the machine. "Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no," she whispers, her face pale against the red light of the flare filtering in through the viewing port. Then her eyes flicker down to the sea bed itself and she screams out suddenly, "STOP THE ROVER!" Breathing heavily she speaks in a quick staccato beat, "There's something wrong with the mud! There's like tunnels or something in it! With crabs! Crab legs -everywhere-! And it's not a buffet!" There's a note of panic in her voice.
Winters leans forward in his chair towards the mud flats. Eyes narrowing as he calls out. "Someone is in there? Stuck I think? Anyone else seeing the trapped dude?" Seatbelt gets undone and he is standing up in the rover to peer out towards what he sees. "Someone is definitely trapped!"
Dr Albright is focused on the flare, which is really the only thing she can see anyway, given how bad her eyesight can be at times. Though she did notice the giant squid that one time but that was a really big object.
As Angela calls out the crab legs in the mud banks; that's when the ambush triggers. Two gigantic size crabs about the size of human crushing boulders unfurl from the mud and skitter at the slower of not parked aquatic rovers. Their forces are enough to topple over both treaded vehicles and knock them over completely - sending mosts their occupants into the thick mud that's hard to wade through. Numerous GENE soldiers fall out or pull their spear guns ready to engage in combat. However, the two cars are completely surrounded. Giant crabs unlike anything one has seen before emerge from the mud, surrounding the vehicles for a feast. To the spiritual aware these are Drattosi; living banes that look like giant crustaceans with terrible powers of illusion. They only surface from their dark pits to feed.
Dr. Albright and Angela successfully tumble out of the vehicle with Winters not even stuck in the mud. Eden in her giant exoskeleton suit can only scream as she pinned and crushed beneath the rover she was just riding in. The crabs moving in closer to rip and tear the party apart.
To Be Continued!
