In mysterious fathoms below; Closed-ish Mingle 12/12

[expulsions]

[When Percy Jackson gets an idea, it's better just to let him do it even if it's probably a bad idea. Such an idea is how a large group of explorers wind up taking a submarine or two out toward the dunes, Percy swimming alongside them to lead them onward before diving down under the dunes. Let's do a little exploring where the water flows below, shall we?]

i.

[Deep under the dunes the group will find several waterfalls and caves to explore on their own. There's also the acid river he mentioned to a few people, all surrounded by tree-like plants in arches and pathways.

The eel is still there and even more agitated Percy brought friends this time. Do try to take care not to get electrocuted, okay?]

ii

[That's about where Percy stopped the first time, but with a crew now it's easier to keep going. Crew members may wish to follow the river northeast where they will all discover an unexpected and massive structure. It's easy to enter the docking area and check out the inside of the base through the dim lighting.

It's clear that it's different than anything else they've seen before. Crew members can explore the different floors but it's clear that every area has one thing in common. What will you do with these aquariums?]

iii

[Because really, the base itself has a lot to look at. Each aquarium houses weird little creatures suspended in a stasis mode. They're definitely not moving, but it appears the tanks can be moveable.

Aside from that, there are also some terminals that could use some attention. Any of our tech-inclined crew members can fiddle with it enough to bring up a video showing someone large tearing into the facility they're in, knocking in the walls until it settles to its current form.

But if you're not interested in weird aliens or weirder terminals, there's plenty to look at. An elevator-type opening appears to be the in-between of the floors. Be careful where you step though seeing how it'll flip you into Zero G.

Or you can explore to your heart's content. Who knows what else you'll find…?]

wildcard

[What it says on the tin! Here is more information about the mission in-question with other information available. Have fun!]

Comments

[checkoutmyttk]

ii

[As planned, Kon had ridden the Submarine until they'd reached the dunes, at which point he'd switched to swimming with the aid of a rebreather. Is it possible to exit the submarine mid trip without flooding it? Who knows, it is now because narrative purposes demand it. He comes to a full stop in the water when they reach the not at all ominous structure. Well that is. Certainly a thing.]

Whoa...uh... [Even without the telepathic link the unease in his words is clear.]

That's not creepy at all. Cripes.

iii

[Kon is standing in front of one of the things suspended in the pods with an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. After a second he puts a hand up to the glass and makes a snorting sound, shaking his head a moment later and letting his hand fall back to his side.

It's all a little too close for comfort.]

Just like home...what is it with every freaking universe and tossing aliens into pods to experiment on? Doesn't anyone just go up to aliens like 'hey, you guys play baseball? We love baseball.' They could totally be like, the first human-alien baseball team. It'd be great, real hit with tourists. Great for the local economy. Why's it always gotta be with the pods and the genetic experimentation, and the cloning. [He might have gotten a little off track with that last one but for all he knew, they could be doing something like that. Not like he'd be able to tell.

Whatever.]

Wildcard

[Gimme anything!]

[expulsions]

[Percy had been swimming along-side the sub by nature of being a Poseidon kid and knowing the way. He grins faintly when he sees Kon join him in the water but as they approach the structure his face probably matches about how Kon feels.]

Creepy is an understatement, dude. This wasn't what I expected to find when we followed the river. Think it's safe?

[Not that it matters seeing how Percy's already paddling toward it, but may as well ask out of politeness.]

[checkoutmyttk]

Definitely not. [But like Percy, that isn't about to stop him from approaching even if he can't shake off the feeling of impending doom. It's eerie enough swimming in the deep vast ocean, now the giant creepy structure in front of him makes him feel like he's in a horror movie.]

So...on the off chance there's a giantass sea monster with hundreds of teeth that wants us for lunch hiding inside that thing, would it listen to you, what with you being a fish god and all that? [The grin on his face probably makes it clear he knows that's not exactly Percy's title.]

iii

[bolin_rocks]

[Bolin wanders around with Superboy, an equally troubled expression adorned across his features as he looks back and forth in the area. Unlike the comfort of the Base, this place doesn't seem to resemble any of that.]

Is that common where you come from or something?

[He wasn't 'trying' to be curt with his question, but that sounded so ludicrous that he couldn't avoid the way he responded.]

Seriously though, what is going on with this place? Why is it so creepy? Why would anyone build something creepy?

[checkoutmyttk]

[Kon blinks at the voice in his head when he can hear people talking out loud and then realizes he hadn't stopped the whole telepathy thing. WHOOPS. Turning to face Bolin, he offers the guy a shrug and sheepish smile as he switches to speaking out loud.]

Wouldn't call it common but it is how I was...born? Made? Never been too sure 'bout the terminology on that one. Can't say it brings back warm fuzzy memories seeing things like that. [He motions to the tubes because if he's honest, the tubes are a hell of a lot creepier to him than the creatures inside of them. Even if they do look pretty gnarly.]

My guess is genetic experimentation. [His very personal, very biased guess.] Scientists just love to experiment with weird DNA.

[sniptuck]

i

[ after percy had told hajime about the acid river, she immediately decided to go find it just to check it out? it seemed interesting! she is taking care to not fall in because you can only die so many times in one month. ]

iii

[ or you can find her her exploring the base. specifically, she is looking at the elevator-type opening, her mouth open slightly in surprise. it's super cool?

she stands as close to the edge as possible and holds an arm out, as if testing it. whatever she finds seems to please hajime as she then just. fucking jumps?? it's cool she's just gonna kind of. bounce-float through this elevator thing. it's fine. ]

wildcard

[ or w/e idk ]

[expulsions]

[Hajime can you maybe not die???

In all seriousness he's going to approach her while she's at the acid river if only because he's still interested in that, too. He's keeping his distance of the river itself but still walking the edge because Percy Jackson isn't always the smartest boy.]

See what I mean? [He nods at the river.] I still don't know what's causing it.

[sniptuck]

I wonder if it's hurting the environment...

[ since, in theory, acid tends to not be good for most things? most people can agree that the list of things that acid helps is not a large one. ]

Did you see how far it goes?

[expulsions]

ii

[He hadn't come this far the first time, but now he's paddling in the docking pool and getting a better look at this new base. He treads water easily enough and his eyes linger back to the outside.]

How has nobody found this before...?

iii
[Percy can be found examining the creatures in the aquarium, poking at their tanks and seemingly trying to telepathically communicate with them but to no avail. He'll give it a few moments before he looks back to whomever happens to be nearby, gesturing to one of the free tanks.]

What do you think? I kind of want to take it back and show URSULA.

[Alternatively, he'll be watching the video of the sea dragon tearing into the facility with his eyebrows furrowed together in thought. He's playing it on repeat, watching the crash over and over again.]

Does anybody else think it's weird that a sea dragon crashed into this kind of facility?

wildcard

[Surprise me!]

iii

[ex_resound725]

[She watches the video with a frown on her face.]

Why would it be strange?

[expulsions]

I'm wondering if the dragon knew this place was here or if it was an accident. I don't really believe in coincidences though. [Not after everything.] This is pretty far off from where we came, isn't it? So how did the dragon find it?

ii

[bolin_rocks]

Well... It is a pretty big ocean.

[Bolin surfaces, looking around the area and swallowing rather visibly.]

Why can't this place look like ours?

[expulsions]

Probably because they don't have an Annabeth. [Sorry that's his default answer, Bo. Annabeth automatically makes things better, science has proven, etc etc.] How long do you think it's been abandoned?

iii

[checkoutmyttk]

Probably better to take it back then leave it here. Who knows how long they've been here. [Kon eyes a few of the creatures again, frowning. They're pretty creepy looking but.

But he has a Thing about aliens being locked up in pods.]

Maybe Ursula can tell us if they'r hostile or not.

[expulsions]

If they're in stasis mode right now they could activate if we remove them from this base. [By the sounds of it though that's a risk he's fine taking.] Between you and me we could take it on. But it makes you wonder why they're even locked up in the first place doesn't it?

iii

[imsorey]

[Sorey doesn't look too surprised at the video; more like it's confirmed some of his suspicions]

If this is the race that made the Dragon and the Sea Emperor immortal, then it would make sense that it would know where their facility is. It doesn't take too kindly to people messing with it; whatever they did must have been upsetting enough to retaliate like this.

[wises]

architecture i REFUSE to think up funny prompt titles

[ it's easy enough to find annabeth poking around. she's using some amount of caution, but she's also kind of interested in how weird everything looks, and how it's done. she is in particular interested in the elevator-type opening between the floors, and will spend some time learning how it operates.

hm. ]

Do you think one of these would be better than stairs back at the base?

[ it's faster... ]

terminals

[ her laptop had been stowed in a pocket, cellphone sized, but eventually she brings it out and resizes it, then plugs it into a terminal. her display is ancient greek still, and she's not quite sure how to force translate it, but she's browsing the data and downloading it anyway. ]

How many different alien races get shipwrecked here, anyway...?

architecture.

[guidance]

That depends on how efficiently it could be integrated into the existing structure.

[it certainly would be faster...]

If successful, it would allow for a 60% or higher ease of transportation for people and materials both.

[some stuff you just don't want to lug up stairs.]

As long as it could be proven to act reliably and consistently, I do not see any clear negatives to incorporating this into the base.

[expulsions]

[He'll approach and hover behind her, even hooking his chin over her shoulder to scan the screen. Unlike pretty much everybody else on this expedition at least he can read ancient greek??? But that doesn't mean shit when it's all data she's sorting through.]

More than we thought. Have we found anything like this before now?

architecture

[imsorey]

[he actually takes her question seriously; faster COULD be better?]

You'd know more about the design than me, but wouldn't it be bad if it got stuck? How do you get out of it?

[parodeity]

OPEN: dicking around

[ much like annabeth, dave has an interest in the elevators.

unlike annabeth, his interest is mostly recreational, as in he amuses himself jumping between floors in the zero-g, challenging himself not to use the power of flight.

this is a complete waste of time. good job, dave.

the rest of his time is hardly better spent, since he'll be found tilting his head and squinting in front of alien lifeform tanks... ]

Should we, like, wake them up?

CLOSED: dirk

[ presumably to stop dave messing with the terminals (which he very nearly did) dirk for SOME GODFORSAKEN REASON agreed to search for secret tunnels with dave. he hasn't hit the one that exists in the control room yet, so he's mostly just. wandering along halls hitting anything particularly glowy and poking at any decorative shit on doorways or anything else. ]

So, we should probably prep ourselves for some scooby doo shenanigans when one of us inevitably disappears into a secret passage. Do you wanna bring up the slapstick search playlist, or should I?

[splinten]

We both know the one that gets yanked off into the secret tunnel will be you.

[Don't fucking pretend? Dirk is clearly going to be walking down this path, turn around, and then not see his brother there. And will, idk, forget to turn his soul senses on, whatever. Clearly, the Scooby Doo-slash-Shaggy is Dave and Dirk is.

Velma probably.]

[oneandmikleonly]

poking around (aquariums)

The architecture here is absolutely fascinating...if the old base was a typical example of human extraterrestrial settlement, then who on earth lived here...?

[he's brought one of their bacterial scanners, running it down the walls and various structures; maybe he doesn't have the knowhow to program it for something new, but he should at least be able to do a sweep for disease they've already encountered and know to look for. when he tests the water in the tanks, it starts to beep repeatedly, and he winces at the readout]

...and what were they cultivating?

WHEEEEEEE

[yeah so he and Sorey were going to try rappelling down the connecting shaft -- they brought rope, they seem to be used to descending weird potentially dangerous pits in abandoned buildings -- but you might find him sort of bobbing gently downward past you in a very slow freefall, if you pass near one of the openings. his arms are folded and he looks bemused, capes drifting out behind him as he drifts through the air. it's ridiculous]

Well, this certainly makes getting through this place easier. What a fascinating means...

aquariums

[expulsions]

High-tech aliens, probably. [That seems to be the basic answer to Mikleo's first question but it isn't why he speaks up. His eyes are sweeping over the base they're currently in before they settle on the scanner in Mikleo's hands.]

I don't suppose the fact it's beeping a lot is a good sign, is it?

WHEEEEEEE

[imsorey]

[Sorey is still holding onto the rope and looking torn between disappointment and fascination--they missed out on an exciting opportunity to go rappelling down a giant alien tunnel which is a bummer, but the lack of falling to their deaths is new and worth investigation.]

It's kind of hard to stop though.