ic I Sea Dead People

[trollthumper]

Temperance did not wish to step between the angry Atlantean noble and the Marine who seemed to know little about the depths of the situation but could likely do hideous things with his rifle. She saw Thaelia heading out towards the pressure hatch. The one where she'd been told she could stick the evil horror water. And then the one where Captain Sparrow had ordered the Atlanteans to be stored.

She turned to Sparrow. "I know how this is going to sound coming from a teenaged civilian with ice on her face," she said, "but we have entered the remit of things that dance on the borders of unreality. In short, 'weird ****.' Understandably, we are turning on a dime as new problems present. But it doesn't help if our plans keep turning on a dime and others are left in the dark. So. We need to sketch out a plan. We need to understand all the parts and places of this vessel. We need to understand all the possible points of ingress. And we need to understand where anything else might be lurking. Also, if the pressure hatch is going to be turned into a medical bay --" She gestured towards the water she'd dragged out of the Atlanteans, which still hung between her hands. "--I may need somewhere else to put this."

[Thevshi]

Giang was not particularly surprised that the Marine captain seemed reluctant to listen to her or any of the other teenage girls present on the vessel, regardless of whether they were superheroes or not. The Asian teen had to wonder given this bias why the Navy had bothered to even request their assistance if they were not going to listen to what they had to say. But regardless, they needed to be moving, for the longer they delayed, the more likely that whom or whatever was controlling this vessel and the Atlanteans would discover their presence.

"We should get them secured and then get moving to the bridge." She stated to the others. "The longer we delay, the more likely whomever is in control of this vessel will realize something is going on and make preparations for us."

[Supercape]

GM

 

A quick securing later...

 

Whatever else the Deep Walker had, a lock up it did not. The best that could be done was an airlock on the strange vessel. This was not as bad as it sounded; said airlock also functioned as a depressurisation chamber. It was secure, and tight. 

 

Creeping around the walker was a dark affair. Lights flickered, and a few inches of water were everywhere along the steel corridors. It had the feeling of a cold, dark, cave. Something ominous and claustrophobic about it. The multitude of doors everywhere did not help one bit, each one thick and heavy, able to withstand flooding. 

 

But, thankfully, large as the Walker was, it was far from gigantuan. It was a small walk to the Bridge, and all roads seemed to lead to it, a large room, at the "front" of the Walker, with thick maxi glass peering out to the desolate ocean depths. Floodlights illuminated the path of the walker ahead. 

 

Flickering lights and semi functioning controls were littered more liberally here. It was empty though, bar the captains chair. A man sat their, in shadow first of all, muttering to himself. 

 

Then, the chair spun round. 

 

Tsunami recognised him at once. 

 

 

He looked up, fear in his eyes, his face haggard. He was an man approaching his later years, white haired, experienced eyes, and a scar or two. A lean man, but leaner now, almost emaciated, with a hollow terror in his eyes. 

 

"Don't come closer!" he muttered to the group of heroes and marines. "This all wrong, so terribly, terribly wrong..."

[Thevshi]

Giang had moved carefully through the walker, staying close with Myrmidon and the others as they went. She wished the Marines had remained back with the submersible, but they were insistent on continuing to search the walker. At least keeping them close would allow her and the others to keep an eye on them, and keep them safe. As she went, the Asian teen kept a look out for any sign the dark water she and Temperance had pulled from the Atlanteans.

When they reached the bridge, Giang focused on the figure in the center chair, recognizing the man as the Admiral that she had helped to stop along with Creys and Mali over a year ago. The man looked in much worse shape than when she had seen him previously. Causing the teen to focus on the man, looking for any signs of the dark water within him as well.

"What is so wrong Adrmial?" She asked, taking a few steps forward ahead of the others.

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia had absolutely no idea who the man Giang was talking to was.  Judging by her concerned steps as to his condition rather than immediately flailing of water she assumed he was an ally.  Which was more than she could say of her view of the marines at this point.  Then came the matter of his appearance.
 
Admiral, as Giang suggested his name or rank was looked careworn and sounded crazed.  The Atlanteans they met earlier were a little on edge for sure, but they weren't out of it for sure.  The liquid subjugation hadn't made them stand out from any other Atlantean as far as the undersea princess was concerned.  Which stood to reason that either it had something to do with their physiological differences, or this man had been going through something entirely different.
 
Fear. Thaelia's skill for deductive reasoning was downright nonexistent. Believing that the simplest solution must be the truest. She simply reasoned that Giang's 'ally' must have been frightened by something.  Unaware of their true history, she did not make any motions for an aggressive posture.  No more so than usual that was.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Look around you!" commanded the Admiral, standing up. He looked like he had been up for a week without sleep or food, but he still had a military discipline to him. 

 

"You stopped me before. But you can't stop this..." he gestured about the bridge of the walker. 

 

"There is someone, someone far worse than I, someone dark, deep, and cold. I came to him for help after you crushed my plans. I told him of this. This weapon of war, created, in secret, as a weapon against Atlantis. Not even the government knows of this. Off the books. But I knew. I was party to its creation...and I told him...."

 

"Atlantis may be an ally, but a fragile one. We had no response to them, on a military level. We needed a response, and this is it. The deep walker...able to create underwater earthquakes, tsunamis...a nuclear powered spider with sonic disruptors. A weapon of deterence...not to be used..."

 

He collapsed back into the captains chair. 

 

"And now...he has it. Everything that drowns is his..." he said in despair. 

[Thevshi]

Giang could detect no sign that the Admiral was under the influence as the same water that the Atlanteans had been under, meaning he was here, if not completely, at least somewhat willingly. The Asian teen considered the man’s words, frowning slightly as he explained the purpose of this vehicle, and what it was designed to do.

"You underestimated me and my friends once Admiral, and we stopped your plans then." She finally replied. "And I believe you are underestimating us once again. We can stop this thing, and we will. What’s more, you seem to regret informing this unknown individual about this weapon. With your assistance, we are sure to be able to stop it."

[Semi-Autogyro]

Myrmidon grimaced underneath his helmet as the pieces came into place. Deterrence only worked if the other side knew bout your capabilities. No this was a first strike weapon. Nuclear powered so that a scuttling charge that would atomically scour an area the size of the small city-state off the map if the vessel was ever in danger of capture or on the brink of destruction.

 

He turned to Captain Sparrow. "I need demo charges. You had to bring some if at least to keep this from Atlantean hands per your 'unofficial' orders." Myrmidon faced the group and the Admiral.  "Whoever wants this will be the owner of an irradiated pile of scrap metal, irregardless of what happens. I am not leaving a working super weapon for anyone to use or salvage."

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia walked past her comrades without saying a word.  Remaining silent for a faint moment before her hand shot out to try and grasp the Admiral by the collar of his shirt.  Which if successful would allow her to tightly hoist him into the air.  "Weapons are never armed without the intention of use."

 

She then measured her next words carefully.  Beneath the ball of rage standing before the Admiral was still a princess of Atlantis.  She had her own share of training in proper etiquette.  "I cannot speak for your fate once the surface dwellers learn of this failure most grand.  If this foe is so fearsome as to try your conviction, leave it to a princess of Atlantis.  I speak on behalf of the sovereign of the seven seas himself.  If you assist us, the Atlantean blood spilled today will not be on your hands.  No further reprisal beyond the destruction of this monstrosity"

 

She was speaking of the Atlantean soldiers whom had been tainted by the strange water earlier.  She could have mentioned what would occur if he didn't choose to assist.  But, she wasn't threatening.  She was trying to offer him the image of a lesser outcome.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The admiral just laughed at Thaelia as he was hoisted from the ground by the Princess. 

 

"It..doesn't matter...what you do to me. On another day, I may have sided with you. I am a soldier, and sworn to defend my country. This machine in the hands of him...will spell the end of civilisation..." he gasped. 

 

"But you cannot stop the inevitable...you cannot kill what is already dead...do you even know of whom I speak?" he demanded. 

 

"The drowned man! at first, I thought he was just a myth, a ghost. But he is all too real. Whomever drowns, he commands. Do you know how many people have drowned over the centuries? over the millenia? and now...this machine can cause Tsunamis to swell his army still further. 

 

He pointed to the Maxi-glass view screen, and the powerful lights shining ahead. 

 

"Look!"

 

Outside, marching, shambling, even crawling, a horde of decaying skeletal bodies, waterlogged zombies, an army of rotting flesh. 

 

And then, the walls of the Walker started to beat, as fists and spears and rocks smashed on the outer hull. 

 

"What say you now? There is no hope, not for Atlantis, not for America, not for the world"

[Thevshi]

Giang frowned slightly as the Admiral mentioned the Drowned Man. This was the second time she had heard the name mentioned, the first had been by the ghost pirate, Captain Blood, who had been trying to sink a passenger ship, claiming he had promised the lives of those aboard to this Drowned Man. Clearly that was a direct attempt to further swell the ranks this Drowned Man had to command.

Looking out at the army of undead walking along the bottom of the ocean, she did not really fell fear, but certainly there was much to be concerned about given this Drowned Man's apparent goals. "That is where you are wrong, there is always hope." She began, turning back to the Admiral. "The first step is to deny him this vessel, after that, we can pursue other avenues to deal with this Drowned Man."

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia had heard second hand accounts of the >last undead army to march upon Atlantis' waters. The Drowned had not learned the song of Dagon.  Nor had he embraced the Hydra.  The dark element of Deep One's ancestors did not seem immediately apparent.   He was somehow different.  But, his dark magicks were still worth being wary over.  From his control over the spectral pirate to a full-fledged army.
 
The Drowned Man controlled the drowned appropriately enough.  And the walker could be used to create more dead.  Really, it seemed as if Tsunami had the right of it.  Or more accurately, Myrmidon did.  They were going to have to blow up the contraption.  Sneering she bit out between her teeth  "I have no words for cowards.  The Daughter of the Seas fears no single army. The Glamazon shall offer you quarter one last time. Stand with us, or fall with the Drowned Man. Rest assured he will fall."

Thaelia assumed the banging meant more Atlantean soldiers were attacking the vessel. There...was likely no good way to explain the situation to them.  Accounting for the fact they may already be possessed by the strange water.

[trollthumper]

None of this sounded good to Temperance's ears. She had a good idea how many had drowned, the side effect of growing up with an ear towards the world of the water - and well aware that some of the people in her dad's company had jobs based entirely around finding new ways to drown. So many dead, and all of them on the march. And now they were banging on the sphere.

But some of them did look decayed and barely held together. And they were surrounded by water...

"They're coming after us in force," she said, "but they are also in our medium. How do we want to divide the offensive? Do we set up a perimeter outside of the Walker, or do we defend it from within?"

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Divide? Defend?" laughed the Admiral, but it was a hollow laugh. "This vessel is your only hope! The Drowned Man has an ever growing army, but it is still flesh and bone, at least, of a sorts...this weapon can defeat them!"

 

As the banging and clanging grew louder, he sat back in his Captains Chair. 

 

"He cannot be stopped, but mayhap he can be slowed. And if I must die, I will die fighting, even if it is futile..." he swore, and pressed some buttons on the chair. 

 

The dead outside did not cease their clamour, but now a grumbling engine noise started to overpower their sound, a noise indicating that the Deep Walker was firing up...

[Semi-Autogyro]

"Stop. Step away from the controls. Now, Sir."  The words were directed at the admiral, and judging from his tone clone soldier was deadly serious. He looked over to Marine Captain  "Secure him here, and have your men set the charges once that is done disengage your vessel from the walker to provide additional fire support. If they breach the walker, I will scuttle it."

 

He stepped forward past his teammates and stood in front of the admiral, blocking out the horrors outside the window with his body. "I will operate this vessel. You will assist me in an advisory fashion. To be perfectly clear, I do not trust your mental and physical competence at this point. Sir." The faceplate of his helmet reflected the muted glowing of the cockpit controls as focused his attention on his teammates. "Go on outside. I can provide support with this vehicle more efficiently than I could by myself."

[Thevshi]

Giang tensed slightly as the Admiral took the command chair and apparently started powering up the walker's weapon. But John stepped in first, ordering the Admiral away from the command chair and then the Marines to set the chargers and get the Sinkers detached and ready to help against the army of drowned zombies.

When he turned to her and the others, telling them to get outside while he provided support from the walker, the Asian teen gave a small nod. She then moved so she passed close, whispering, "be careful with him, he can be a devious one, and driven by his desire for revenge." She then gave the clone hero a small smile, and moved past and back towards the hallway that would lead back to an airlock.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Very well" answered the Admiral stiffly, perhaps even slyly. Slinking out of the captains chair he showed Myrmidon the controls. Something did appear broken, his will snapped. His face was gaunt, his back was broken. But perhaps not completely. He was a hard man to fathom. 

 

The Walker turned, on command, its mechanical legs crushing corpses as it moved. As far as could be seen, precious few dead men where Atlanteans. Most seemed skeletons of sailors and fishermen. 

 

The Sonic weaponry was impressive, to say the least, Even at a fraction of its power, it cut a rumbling wave of force through the ground, with brittle bones exploding and splintering. The hundreds of dead outside, in the cold dark sea, were no match for the walker. Myrmidon knew war, and knew how to handle it, almost instinctively. With a minute the sea was dark and still, and around the walker, a garden of fractured corpses. 

[Brown Dynamite]

Glamazon made her way to the hallway after Tsunami.  "The question has been answered thusly.  A perimeter it is."  Her statement was a belated response to Temperance's contemplation of their course of action.  With Myrmidon 'volunteering' the admiral's services in an advisory function.  They were free to defend the Walker from the outside.  While facing an undead scourge.

 

"Who wants the hundred on the left?"  Like Temperance said, the army though massive was in their element.  And they had a giant mechanical monstrosity temporarily on their side.  The odds didn't exactly swing in the favor of the Drowned Man just because he massively outnumbered them.  To Thaelia odds meant nothing.  Not when there was heroing to be done.