2974/Mission: Bermuda Triangle

Mission: Bermuda Triangle
Date of Scene:	06 September 2015
Location:	Great Ocean - Western Loop
Synopsis:	What started out as an ocean recon mission goes off the rails in the most spectacular way possible.
Cast of Characters:	165, Tomoyo Daidouji, 830

---

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
Welcome to the SS Skipjack research probe, currently underwater off the coast of Florida- one of them, at least, off the strait of the americas. The fact that many americas have merged together also means that many areas adjacent to america have also merged into this part of the superplanet, and the recently unified America-2897 coastguard association has requested the aid of a skilled pathfinder and explorer.

    Ren is that explorer. He invited Tomoyo, and then Mamimi invited herself.

    The SS Skipjack is an experimental miniature submarine, scarcely the size of a minivan, which is being used to explore some recently identified submerged ruins on a sunken island ... in the Bermuda Triangle (dun dun dun).

    The three of them are communicating with Officer Miles Clark over the radio. Outside the ship, two small masses of land can be seen- one peaks slightly above the sea, whereas the other is entirely underwater. Ren is whistling the spongebob squarepants theme.

    "Please don't do that, Mr. Tanaka."
    "Why, does it interfere with the signal?"
    "No, I just hate that song."

Mamimi Samejima (830) has posed:
It is an important distinction.
Mamimi inviting herself, that is.
Of couse, Mamimi isn't particularly helpful.

"It's kind of cramped." Mamimi declares, as she presses against Tomoyo, draping against her as she yawns. Eyes are half lidded, her attention on the things going on more or less restrained - if she actually even is paying attention to what's going on, that is. Of course, such small comments would only be so helpful. About as helpful as she would be, in the case.

Moving away from Tomoyo slightly without even making a note of it, Mamimi plants her face against one of the sub-windows. "Do you think we can crack a window for some air? It's kind of stuffy, too." She taps the glass a few times before breathing on it - fogging it up compared to the likely cooler water on the outside.

Then, she begins to draw on it. In Mamimi's lap, or nearby, is a block with wings and little feet. It sits there like an anchor.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    When Tomoyo had received the invitation to go on another trip with Ren, she was eager to accept! The last one was lovely, if a bit tiring, so why wouldn't she be? The fact they were getting to ride a little submarine only sweetened the deal. She would be much more able to get some amazing undersea shots from there!

    And the Mamimi came along. One could actually see Tomoyo's enthusiasm pop like a balloon.

    To that end, she's been sitting quietly in her yellow waterproof jacket with the white fur collar, on top of the black shirt and purple jeans. Her camera hangs around her neck, untouched since the docks and she seems to be pointedly looking everywhere expect in Mamimi's direction, even as the girl drapes herself on her.

    "It's a submarine Mamimi, the windows don't go down," she says in a rather clipped tone of voice. Her hands rest in her lap, wringing themselves now and again.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
"Ma'am, please do not attempt to damage the windows." Officer Clark sounds like a rather nebbish and sheldon-esque sort of person, who has been communicating with the group since they took off. He is a man of science, and was the inventor of the SS Skipjack, which is supposedly an experimental design.

    "Well, look on the bright side!" Ren says over his shoulder to the two of them. "If we can find a way into some underwater caves, this thing's small /enough/ that we could probably disembark and explore them. We had a lot of luck last time we went in some caves, didn't we Tomoyo?"

    "That may not be very likely," replies another voice on the radio. Officer Robert Tandish is the superior of Clark, and his voice practically oozes bull-neck humorless I-wanted-to-be-in-the-army-but-no-I-could-only-make-coastguard-but-by-thunder-I'm-gonna-act-like-I'm-a-general-for-the-rest-of-my-career. He can't see it, but Ren is sticking his tongue out at him right now. "We're only doing a final sweep of the area around these sunken islands for posterity before the predicted volcano eruptions blow anything interesting to kingdom come. If you went snooping around inside those things, you'd probably get fried."

    "Come on, captain! We've got two teenage girls along here," Ren says gloomily. "I'm trying to appeal to the sense of wonder and adventure."

    "Adventure may be a dangerous thing in the bermuda triangle," says a female voice. Elizabeth Klein is the third person on the other side of the radio.

"Well," the undersea traveller replies with a shrug. "At least we should be able to take some rather nice pictures."

Mamimi Samejima (830) has posed:
Not looking at Tomoyo, Mamimi asks a question.
"Well, do you?" Pointedly, she asks. What.
"Do you go under the sea often? You know alot about subs."

With the comments about not damaging the windows, Mamimi looks over and rolls her eyes a bit, "I'm making the windows better." She claims, as she continues to draw with the tip of her finger. It's quite bad, but it just reads <ta-kun3, but with more heart surrounding the Ta-kun. Tomoyo doesn't even make it on there!

"Oh? we could be explorers?" Mamimi doesn't so much perk up as she grasps the Ta-kun rock and hefts it onto her lap. Interestingly enough, the rock flaps its wings as if it seems to protest - or like - that. "Well, if Tomo-chan gets a few pictures of what it looks like to be fried, we'd go down in history books, especially if we end up like the town that was covered by a volcano. you know, Persia."

After being incredibly wrong, she leans towards Tomoyo, kicking her feet a bit. "Well, how about it Tomo-chan? Are you going to take any good pictures? I'll let you take some of me, too~." She notes, "And Ta-kun!"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo is only half listening to the discussion between Ren and the people on the other end of the radio. Her eyes glance over at Mamimi as she draws on the fogged-up window and her cheeks become coloured pink for a moment before looking away. "It's common sense. If they could be rolled down, this thing could flood after diving."

    Slowly, she takes a deep breath through her nostrils and out her mouth, a basic example of meditative breathing to clear her mind. This is supposed to be a fun trip, and even if the company is... concerning, she shouldn't let that keep her down! She gets up and leans over Ren's shoulder to speak into the radio. "Officers Clark and Tandish. Remember, you're the ones that hired Ren. Maybe you should trust his expertise a little more~?"

    The third voice has a fair point. "Adventure is always dangerous. If it isn't, it's just an outing," she says in a tone of voice that suggests she is used to danger for the sake of fun. Mamimi's morbid comment draws a slightly concerned glance from the tailor, but she manages a smile. "You mean Pompeii, and I don't think this camera will work at such temperatures... but I'll still take pictures!"

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
("Who's Ta-kun?") Ren asks Tomoyo.

    "We /are/ explorers," Ren says to Mamimi, trying his best to ignore the morbid, strange ramblings.
     "That's right," says Clark, over the radio. "This is an area of the bermuda triangle which has never been explored up-close by such a small vehicle. You'll be able to get closer than ever before to this underwater landmass."

    "Well, still," Ren replies, shrugging and operating some of the controls. "Water's nice and clear, bearing's fine... I'm going to search for a possible cave entrance. Like Tomoyo said, that's why you hired me!"

    So, the Skipjack moves deep, and begins to move towards the craggy, deep red rock of the sunken island.

    https://gyazo.com/f55990bcb27cd60e83679c4c88b36c72

    "...well, would you look at that? There's some sort of statue," Ren says. "Everyone, get your cameras? I'm going to put the sub in a stationary position so the others can get a good shot."

    ...despite that statement, the sub... keeps moving.

    "...a /stationary/ position..."
    "Full power," Tandish says, as the sub continues to move closer to the island. "Give it full power."
    "...I'm trying, captain, but it's not working..."

Mamimi Samejima (830) has posed:
"Oh." Mamimi responds, sitting back as she kicks her feet a bit.
Well, Tomoyo was pretty smart.
Maybe she was a bit of a nerd, too!? Oh no!

"We could die in an embrace, it'd be romantic, I guess. A little. I'd rather not, though." Die, that is. But if she had to! She knew. Clasping the core still, she looks out. "The fish look pretty funny this far down. Way different from what I usually eat sometimes. I wonder how they taste." Nothing, notably, has been said of value yet. It is unlikely if Mamimi can add anything like that. However - they ARE explorers?!

Well, two of them are!

"I'm a wanderer." She corrects. Before there's a problem with the submarine. "Huh? Are you joking around?" It's unlikely, though.

At which point Mamimi does the /only thing she can think of/. Curl up and close her eyes as hard as possible, "It's not very funny..."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo shrugs helplessly at Ren. ("A boy she has back home or that rock creature. Or both?") It really is very unclear. Unless the rock thing is actually both of those? Tomoyo has heard weirder romances.

    Already she's started to bounce back, getting excited about the trip again. She lifts the camera and points it out the window, taking some shots of the fish to make sure the calibrations are correct (and also to hide her blush at the 'romantic' comment from Mamimi).

    But then the statue comes into view! "It's... certainly something," she murmurs, peering at the creepy thing using the zoom on the camera. As the sub continues to move despite Ren's efforts to the contrary, Tomoyo's face grows concerned. "Is there something down here?..." Clearly, she's much more used to weirdness than Mamimi.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    A girl and her brick robot. True wuv...

    "I think she's hitting on you," Ren comments to Tomoyo, perhaps as a distraction from their sudden and seemingly inevitable movement towards an underwater rock face. "Well, in any case, this /has/ just got a lot more interesting, and /hang on a second there is something funny about that fish/."

    He gets up on the submarine seat, this time being the one to press his face against the glass of the window to peer at what Mamimi pointed out. They're still on their inevitable approach, mind you.

    "That's interesting. That jellyfish has no tendrils. And /that/ fish seems to have an oddly segmented body. In fact, Tomoyo! Front and centre! Maximum zoom!"

    "Sir, you're heading right towards the statue!" Clark shouts over the radio.
    "Everything happens for a reason, Clark, we're sort of occupied by something else right now!" Ren replies, trying to point out that curious fish to Tomoyo. "Hurry now, we may be about to crash!"

    The sub approaches the statue at an uninterrupted pace!
    ...
    ...
    ...

    Mamimi may feel someone poking her in the shoulder.

    "Oi, Mamimi. You can open your eyes now."

Mamimi Samejima (830) has posed:
It's not a robot.
/Not yet/.
Or ever, possibly.

As she clings to it still, eyes closed, Mamimi hopes that it all goes away. It would be the best, after all. Maybe she'd wake up - it's not like pretend or anything, and forehead robots are not exactly commonplace either, but those she has seen before! With Tomoyo taking a picture, Mamimi is silent. She might almost be holding her breath as well. Except there's a POKE. Almost leaping out of her seat, Mamimi puffs her cheeks up in annoyance to Ren poking her and telling her to open her eyes! "... So it was just a joke. Like I said, it's not funny..."

However, there are still a lot of weird fish around.

"Ta-kun, can you swim, if we had to?" The block wiggles around in her grasp. "Ah. Is there a lifevest for Ta-kun? He's a bit upset now since you've joked around a bit..." Still, she places him down for a moment as she leans over Tomoyo's shoulder. That doesn't mean she does this in a very space-respecting way. Instead, it's the least from. Body pressed against her back, breath against her ear as she asks something.

"...I wonder if we'll see a mermaid."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo shoots Ren a look. A look that maybe looks like it's trying to be a glare? Except for the fact that it looks nothing like one. More like a huffy pout. "She's just messing around," she says firmly.

    Her mouth gapes a little as Ren just abandons the control to stare at a fish. "A-Are you sure you should be standing up?" she asks, staring at him. But he's being so insistent, so it might be for the best to accommodate him. Another meditative breath to steady her hands, and she snaps several photos of the fish!

    Just in time too, as the mouth of the statue opens up and swallows them! Something Mamimi might have seen if she hadn't closed her eyes, the baby. "We're safe Mamimi, it's okay," she says comfortingly as she looks out the window, trying to see where they've ended up now. And trying even harder to ignore Mamimi's proximity.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    "...probably not, actually. I got over-excited," Ren replies, crestfallen.

    Looking at the pictures taken of the fish... that is a /robotic/ fish.

    "This is amusing, in a strange, bizarre sort of way," Klein says, her voice cutting through the radio static that's been reigning ever since... well.

    Since the statue opened up its mouth and sucked the submarine in, in fact.
    "We lost audio and video for a moment there, but it's restored. Am I seeing this correctly?" asks Clark.

    The submarine is currently sailing along a canal of sorts- it's only half in the water, moving along a carved tunnel wall. A large cave seems to be up ahead.

    "I apologize, coastguard, I stood up while the vehicle was in motion," Ren says quietly. "Also, we have absolutely no control of the Skipjack. And we haven't seen any mermaids."

    He does give Ta-kun a lifevest.

    "I'm glad some of you think this is a joke," Tandish replies, frustrated. "This just turned into a blasted science fiction movie."
    "Be careful," Klein chimes in, somewhat redundantly. "You have no idea what lies ahead."
    "And I assume you do? I want them out of there, and that's an order!"
    "I think it might be a little late for that, captain," Ren replies, sitting back in his chair. "So, what do you two think of this so far? Fun times?"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo giggles at Ren. She can't really blame him, she's had similar moments in her time. A giggle that dies in her throat when she looks at the photo on the screen. "This is... I suppose that robot fish aren't native to these waters? Ehehe..."

    She fishes a penlight from the pocket of her jacket and points the light out of the window to get a better view. "I think you are seeing this right... These walls are carved by hand," she says in the appraising tone of a tailor looking over a new fashion line. Is that really the weirdest thing she takes from all this?

    "Sorry sir, but Ren already tried, remember? I think we're along for the ride no matter what~" she says to the radio, before looking to Ren. "Well... I guess so!" Again, her eyes flick towards Mamimi for a moment, but doesn't add anything more.

Mamimi Samejima (830) has posed:
"It's okay, I mean, you all aren't upset... so I guess it is okay."
Mamimi claims, at least.
So with Tomoyo says they're safe...

Mamimi latches on tight with her hug, squeezing a bit more than she should be - it's more like a hug or a hold than anything else! Not exactly a way to do things! Still, Mamimi stays pressed far too close against Tomoyo. Far too close. Did that right hand just try to sneak a squeeze at her side? Mamimi would never tell, at least, since she gets off Tomoyo and stands up. "Oh! Here, Ta-kun, fit yourself in this! You'll be safe!" And so the rock with wings has a lifevest on it. As she looks around, Mamimi peers, eyes nearly closing they are peering so closely, as she watches the walls go by. "It's like an amusement park ride!" She helpfully chimes in to the radio voices, but otherwise offering no assistance. "If it was a Science-fiction movie there would be aliens." She also corrects Tandish, as she sways a bit in the cramped quarters.

"Tomo-chan, if there were aliens, do you think they'd be the friendly ones or the ones that want to test on you and stuff? If they are, I hope the tests aren't too weird."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
"This is definitely a lot more interesting than just taking some pictures. No offense," Ren replies, picking his fingernail with his teeth. If anything, the enthused attitude of the two of them should help give Mamimi some courage even as things seem quite bleak and confusing. For example, they're still trapped inside the Skipjack, which is not under their control.

     "Robot fish... surely someone would have spotted them before. So they're not native, no... they must be moving around outside for some purpose..."

    A green light passes over the ship as it passes into the yawning cave before them.

    "Hmm. I think something just scanned us," Ren remarks. "So where are they taking us?"
    "There's your answer up ahead," replies Klein.

    The cave is... well. Full of things. Missing things!
    https://gyazo.com/683c08ac0992244eb170dc951339c79d

     There are various large planes here, for example. They all seem to be from quite some time ago- the 1940s, to be precise. They're all in various stages of disassembly, and some are being moved around on cranes that extend up into the shadows of the roofing. And missiles, too- and--

    "Oh my."

    https://gyazo.com/13e3f0e74e66e00577dbcbf58dafb0dc

    Working on those missiles seem to be ... well. They're small, the size of children in fact, with plasticky bodies and rail-thin limbs, but unmistakeably organic brains attached to those intimidating-looking red opticals.

    The Skipjack shakes a little, and stalls in the water.

    "I just tried to give the anti-gravitron engine a jolt," Clark says. "It was creating a gravity wave to move the ship, but overcharging it seems to have broken whatever was dragging you along."

"Well," Ren says, looking at the busily working... well. "Shall we go outside and see what kind of aliens they are?"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo lets out a tiny yelp at Mamimi's busy hands. "It'll be okay Mamimi... so could you please not do that?" she stammers. Finally she managed to get a reaction that isn't 'ignore it!'

     "W-Well, I would hope that they are friendly... but if the tests weren't too bad, I wouldn't mind," she murmurs, having spotted the objects outside the sub! Her finger blurs as she snaps photo after photo, documenting it all! No doubt governments will want to catalogue everything and compare it to missing plane records.

    But then she spots one of the... /things/ crawling around on them, and the camera slips from her hand. Good thing it was still around her neck! "... I can't believe you were right," she mutters to Mamimi, grabbing the camera again and snapping a photo of it.

    She staggers as the sub comes to a sudden stop! "Oh, go out and meet them? Well... o-okay!" Her hand drifts into a coat pocket, grasping the handle of a certain mirror to soothe her concerns.

Mamimi Samejima (830) has posed:
"Do you think they turned the fish into robots?"
Mamimi of course, questions this out loud.
"Are we next?"

And then SCANNING. "Huh? ... That was less intrusive than I thought it would have been." Mamimi quips, as there's so much junk around! She doesn't understand the old stuff at all! She doesn't have much grasp on history. "Did we find someone's secret junkyard?" She asks no one in particular, until her eyes widen as she sees a missile. That shuts her up for a bit, at least, staring at it.

Of course, please not do that? "I am?" She pipes up, as she glances around. Oh! Oh. ALIENS. With a grin, Mamimi squeezes Tomoyo like a toy slightly before immediately...

ends up hanging out of the sub at the top. "Wow, aliens! Since you kidnapped us, do you want us to be taken to your leader, or do we have to produce our leader... or is this like that other movie..."

"Tomo-chan's volunteered for your tests firsts!" She also adds. "But go easy on her, because she's kinda cute!"

At least Mamimi has attracted attention to herself.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
Welcome to the Machine - Ecco the Dolphin

    The sub can be opened up and exited.

    "This DOES seem a lot like a junkyard. Why do you think they're disassembling everything?" Clark wonders, echoing Mamimi as the cameras on the outside of the Skipjack move around rapidly.
    "Good point," Ren replies. "They must have had these things for years. But it looks like they've only just started taking these all to pieces."

    Actually, considering they're taking things to pieces, considering what Mamimi just speculated on, perhaps this isn't as good an idea as-
    "Soon, these caves will be flooded by the volcanic eruptions," explains Klein. "They have to be moved, or they'll be destroyed."
    "When did you become so knowledgeable, anyway?" Tandish grumbles.

    Ren cracks his knuckles. This is actually, he's decided, a lot more dangerous a situation than he was previously giving it credit, and Mamimi's being... weird, so he moves behind the two of them and climbs out first.

    "Would you mind explaining a few things to us, chums? We're all rather confused about the purpose of all of this here, and uh--"

    The aliens look at the Traveller, cocking their heads and beeping to one another in binary of some sort.

Then, all of a sudden they RUSH past Ren, a group of a dozen or so of them climbing over planes and missiles to leap onto the Skipjack- and start rapidly tearing and disassembling it!

    "Because I am one of them," Klein's voice replies on the radio. "Sorry, Captain. But from here on, I'm taking control."
    "Klein, as your captain, I command you to stop-!"

    *CLANG* *ZAP* *SIZZLE* *TEAR*

    "Tomoyo!" Ren shouts. "Mamimi!"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo bites her lower lip as Mamimi ignores her request on the way to climbing out to yell at the aliens. She rubs the back of her neck and signs gently. "Sorry about her, she's... odd," she whispers to Ren. And coming from Tomoyo, that means a whole lot.

    But, since Mamimi is making first contact, they may as well do the same. She squeezes past Mamimi to stand on the top of the submarine, waving politely to the aliens. "Hello~ I'm Tomoyo Daidouji, it's a pleasure to meet you all," she says with a gentle smile. She's an ambassador for mankind, so she has to be on her best behaviour! Even if Mamimi is trying to throw her under the bus.

    But, with sudden revelations, it's clear that they have no intention of returning the favour, as they star ripping apart the submarine! "W-Wait, what did Officer Klein say?" she gasps, stumbling as the plate she's standing on starts to buckle!

    Her mind flashes back to how Mamimi froze up when they were being dragged towards the statue. They can't afford a repeat of that! So, she wraps her arms around the other girl's waist as she runs towards the edge of their crumbling craft. Drawing on every ounce of strength she's built up, she jumps! Trying to take the other girl and her Ta-kun with her as she leaps to the edge of the scrap heap!

Mamimi Samejima (830) has posed:
Gasp!
Traitorous intentions!
"Tomo-chan! Are you an alien also?"

Of course, she must peer at Ren as well - and as the ship beneath them begins to be disassembled, Mamimi suddenly panics! "Ah... ah....T-Takun!" The rock flies for her and then... lands before her. "Oh good, you're safe. Ren-sen is safe too..." She thinks. Is she .. forgetting someone? To do something? /TO MOVE/? Yes. Mamimi stands on the rapidly deteriorating ship as she stares at the odd creatures as they tear apart the ship! "..Ah....ah!?"

That's about when Tomoyo wraps her arms about Mamimi's waist and leaps! Mamimi goes limp in her grasp, eyes wide as she looks at Tomoyo - she can what? She is able to what?! There's no peep from Mamimi as she stays there in Tomoyo's grip, arm wrapped about her waist, with Ta-kun coming with her also.

Finally, she does speak... "Ah... Tomo-chan saved me?"

"Does that make me a maiden?" She asks, "Are you my prince?" It's so confusing!

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
"Well," Ren says apologetically to Tomoyo. "It was a good first impression, anyway."
    "I appreciated it," Klein's voice says, although it's growing staticky and distorted. "As Bermudan central Take-Ouyan," whatever that means, "You have my word that your positive attitude will not go unnoticed."

    And then there's a screech as someone pulls out a rather relevant radio component, and the others begin tearing out the glowing anti-gravitron engine with apparently triumphant beeping.

    http://imgur.com/a/9T1gr

    We need to move! Once Tomoyo carries Mamimi and Ta-kun free of the scrum, Ren waves them on, and they've no choice but to head in deeper...

    Moving past the shipyard- or scrapyard- or whatever it is in a hurry, the three of them will quickly find themselves moving into what seems to be some sort of vast underwater... well, what is this, even? A base? A city? A laboratory?

    Water runs in canals and streams around various mechanical-cum-grecian-architectural features, with mechanical fish swimming in the streams and lights running and blinking on almost every other flat surface.

    "I think," Ren says, as a belated reply to Mamimi, "Much like other people who only just kind of knew one another, we've been thrown together as allies by a crisis. That makes us 'comrades'," presumably rather than maidens and princes.

    "Okay," he says, apparently a little perturbed as he runs his hand along a wall, pacing. "Okay. We're underwater, with no submarine, a hostile takeover of home comand, possibly hostile but rather small aliens, underwater volcanos probably going to blow within twenty-four hours, and we've got a couple cameras and a little brick with a life vest. What do you think we should do? Crying isn't an option. Keeping moving, probably a better option. Better than crying, anyway."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    With a deep exhale, Tomoyo places her hands on Mamimi's shoulders, stares deep in her eyes... and firmly says, "We're friends, I couldn't just leave you there to freeze up and get hurt." Ouch, friendzoned...

    But yes, best to get away from the robots that have proven themselves very good at taking things apart. She sticks close to Ren and keeps a close eye on Mamimi, just in case she decides to wander off, the space cadet. She raises her camera and snaps a photo of the eerie surroundings... more to keep herself calm than anything.

    "It's a grim situation..." she mutters, nodding along with Ren's words. Another meditative breath, and she channels the 'unbeatable spell' of her best friend. "But, everything will absolutely be all right," she says with a soft smile. "So I'm not going to cry. Honestly, what do you take me for Ren?"

Mamimi Samejima (830) has posed:
"But comrades isn't as romantic..."
Mamimi moves, but is always lagging a bit behind Ren and Tomoyo!
It's because she isn't quite a mover and shaker.

"Are you sure.... they were that bad? Maybe all this running is .... unnecessary..." Mamimi remarks, clearly winded as she keeps up with them - following them into the vast underwater plot of land that can hold quite a bit, and then some. "...Do you think this area is safe though from the volcano? They're alins, they could..." But her wondering is interrupted!

Ren is trying to make her /think/. But the word 'friends' echoes in her mind.

"Surrender?" She offers. "...We can try to see if Ta-kun will save us! He's the lord of time... well a part of him." So she would hold out the odd rock with wings, "Ta-kun! Can you help?" It wiggles its wings and legs, Mamimi paying rapt attention. As Ren and Tomoyo talk, Mamimi studies Ta-kun intently. "I think he wants to surrender too."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
"Oh, I have complete confidence in you," Ren replies. "It was entirely for her benefit. Mamimi, she's just not into you, girl, face it. Hard but true."

    Ren digs his hands into his pockets. "Honestly, I don't know. They pulled us in here and took out our only way of getting out. We don't know enough about their intentions, but I ... sort of reacted on impulse to get the two of you away from harm. From the sound of things, Klein wasn't doing pleasant things to the other two."

    "We can't communicate with them, I don't think. The translation effect didn't do anything to their language. Yes, we could surrender, but we've got no way of knowing what they'd do to us. I mean, they could turn us into robot fish. I mean, can Ta-kun talk binary? Serious question."

    There's a light from a large chamber up ahead. "Although... Tomoyo, you're better at ... people than I am. You have that air. Do you think you could think of a way to communicate with them without the... words?"

    ...this is bad stuff, to say the least. In this room, there seem to be various capsules lining the wall...

    https://gyazo.com/70fefdbd1d686da78b21a67630275c35

    Almost all of them have a human occupant; seemingly standing frozen in place, eyes open, there are various occupants male and female from all manner of time periods. Pilots, soldiers, civilians- all of them various people who have gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle over human history.

    There are more aliens here working on a command console. And coming up behind them, aliens. And over on one side... four empty capsules.

    "...well at least our options are pretty clear-cut..."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo focuses more on navigating the slippery, wet landscape than she does on the matter of who she is and is not 'into.' Though when Ren asks her if she can negotiate, she just quietly shakes her head. "I don't think they would care about us or what we have to say... they just took apart the submarine with no regard to us."

    But, as they approach the light, Tomoyo shields her eyes some so they can adjust. What they behold once they do makes her put her hands over her mouth in horror. "A-Are these all the people who vanished?..." Her eyes slowly go along the faces of each person, taking in their style of dress and matching them with the various time periods they sprung from.

    But, the four empty capsules make her heart plummet. And the sound of the robots coming up from behind make her spring into action! Dashing back, she yanks that jade mirror out and confronts them before one of those streams. As they try to cross, she dips the mirror in it, and mutters something in ancient Chinese, that the translation effect claims means 'activate.' Lightning crackles around the frame, conducting into the water - and hopefully, the robots!

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
Well, that was surprising.

    Ren honestly didn't expect Tomoyo to do that, but he's not complaining exactly! The Bermudan robots- or cyborgs, or whatever they really are- make all sorts of high-pitched chattering as they get unpleasant electrical shocks. When the light clears, the the zaps have bounced off of each of them and shorted them out with surprising ease, leaving most of them unconcious. Take a note: WEAK to electricity, apparently.

    Ren blinks to try and clear his eyes. "...impressive."

    There aren't any blown fuses, but neither are any of the machines necessarily damaged enough to have shut down and let everyone out. He steps gingerly over one of the robots, looking first at one of the tubes, then at the control console.

    "It seems very strange that there's four of us and exactly four tubes left over," he says. "It's almost as if they were expecting us."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    As the robots chitter and shut down, Tomoyo lifts the mirror and stares into it, a small smile on her face. She uses the reflection to brush some hair from her face and goes back to the group. "I'm surprised it worked~ You would think that robots in an underwater base would be better insulated."

    She walks among the tubes, still a little creeped out, putting her hand against one of the empty ones. "Mmm... if it was two, I wouldn't be surprised. That would mean that Klein prepared for us. But Mamimi and Takkun just showed up, and they were ready for them too..."

    She walks over to the console, gently nudging the deactivated robots away with her toe, and examines it. Hopefully it's user-friendly!

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    "...yes. That is a strange thing, isn't it? Something about this doesn't add up."

    Ren moves to the side so that Tomoyo can look at the console as well. It doesn't seem completely intuitive, but there are pictograms and something similar to greek letters.

    However, before Ren can free any of the people, a rumble shakes the room.
    "Blast it. Or rather, don't- sounds like volcano day's come early," he says, typing faster. He hasn't got far though before the entire keyboard turns red.

    "There will be time for that later," comes a voice from all around the four of them. Ren frowns and draws Mamimi closer over, as a large panel on the wall changes in color- and -

    https://gyazo.com/31e74ba9f5449fc2ac8228ab7ad7e01a

    A face appears on the screen.

    "Officer Klein, I presume," Ren says tersely. "Or Take-Ouyan Klein, whatever that means."
    "Correct. In both respects."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo looks at the keyboard a little awkwardly. What English she knows is throwing her off as she examines the Greek letters that resemble English ones. As such, she's happy to let Ren take over, looking around with fear in her eyes as the whole place rumbles.

    But, the face appearing on the screen draws her attention, and she stares hard at the face that appears. "You're the one who did this?..." She gestures at the people in tubes, in the direction of the junkyard...

    An angered expression crosses her face... maybe? It's hard to tell with Tomoyo, she rarely pulls such faces. And she marches over to the screen and jabs at it with her finger. "You let them out right now!"

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
"That would be much more of a complication than a good idea, I'm afraid," Klein replies. The screen feels like stone as Tomoyo pokes it.

    Ren, still behind them, continues to try and type, while also keeping an eye on Ta-Kun.

    "You have not been placed in storage... that is unfortunate," she says, looking past Tomoyo to the rows of cylinders. "I can't understand why you would not have ceded your rights to the others. I thought that you were going to agree to it," glancing at Mamimi.

    "This place is going to be destroyed very soon. Even with the ultra-gravitron, we will only be able to take so much given the time we have. Four storage chambers, to be precise."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo takes a meditative breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth, to calm herself down. She's dealing with an alien here, different patterns of logic... Klein clearly feels that getting into the capsules would have been for the best. Maybe...

    "Miss Klein," she begins. "You suddenly cut us off from our support team, have robots tear apart our vessel, strand us in a dangerous place... these are not actions that make people want to trust you." She glances back at Ren, as if checking to see that she did a good job explaining that.

    "W-Wait, what do you mean? Are you trying to evacuate?" She looks across all the capsules, a dawning look of horror on her face. "Are you saying that only four of these can make it?"

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
Ren Tanaka looks dismayed. He can't figure out how to do this. He's locked out.

    "I didn't need you to trust me," Klein fires back at Tomoyo. "You were just the delivery system, and I hardly had confidence in you to even do that properly given your tourist-trap picture-snapping. All you needed to do was leave it to my fellowmen. You do realize I'm not even going to be able to save all of them, don't you?"

Perhaps she's more human than she's been given credit?

    "I was willing for 'the four of them' to be you. Yes, listen- I thought I would have more time than this. The underwater quakes have already heavily damaged the super-replicators we would have used to produce more ultra-gravitron engines. The electrical surges have already overwhelmed that part of this base."

"We only have time to load some of the dangerous human weapons and some of our best and brightest onto one of our flying objects. I've budgeted space for four of those cylinders, as well. Now, will the four of you submit to being rescued, or are you suggesting you pick another four?"

Ren looks dismayed. "Nobody ever tries to talk things through. You just resorted to subversion and theft and implications of violence. What did you even do to Tandish and Clark?"
"They're fine! We don't have time to worry about every little person!"
"I'd say you don't spend enough time worrying about every little person!"
"You didn't seem to hesitate in knocking so many of them out!"
"Yes, because of subversion and violence! Would you just stop for a minute and consider that the three of us might have some good ideas, perhaps?"

    Apologetic look at Ta-Kun.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo puffs out her cheeks a bit. "If you had explained, maybe you wouldn't have had to worry about getting us out..." She sighs, and shakes her head. "No point in arguing now..." As Ren and Klein bicker, she rubs her chin and thinks. She had planned to replicate the engines to make sure they have enough power to get everything out, but now she can't...

    "Then, you can send us to fix the replicators!" she says, simple as that. "If we do that, will you be able to get everyone out?" she adds, placing her hands against the screen and looking up at the woman.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
Klein... looks skeptical.

    "Exactly what I was going to say," Ren adds. "And-- maybe what she was going to say?" looking at Mamimi. "Let's assume yes. I mean, you could have tried asking."

    Klein still looks skeptical. "Oh, well, if all three of you came up with the same idea at once, it must be better than what I've been spending months trying to organize. I suppose, at the least, you will be more resistant to electrical shocks. As you found out, they're very weak to that sort of thing. Thanks for that, by the way."

    "Go on. Prove me wrong. I'm going to continue loading things onto one ship, and if nothing else there'll be a little more space if you get disintegrated."

    So... we've got a mission. It's a good thing Tomoyo did mention it first, because given the arguing between her and Ren she would have refused out of spite if he suggested it first. Plus she really hates Spongebob, too, so.


    The next destination is elsewhere, deeper in the base. The area where things were fabricated and replicated is a winding area, very dark and illuminated only by constant sparkles of lightning. The Bermudan robots can't even step in this area without being zapped.

    Somewhere amidst this area, which resembles the main floor of a power plant- albeit with floating platforms and swinging mechanised arms and electrified floors- there are three failsafe switches which should shut down all of the circuits that are damaged, purging damaged machinery and rearranging things that work into a new configuration.

    "Why are so many factories and machine bases in the multiverse like something out of a video game?" Ren shouts, exasperated as he looks at the platform gaming action in front of him.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    "Thank you, Miss Klein!" Tomoyo says, radiating sincerity at being given a chance at saving everyone. She steps back from the screen to bow to it, before turning back to the party. Her heart is racing from fear, but there's no time to show hesitation. Too many lives are on the line! "We better make it fast. Let's go!"

    The new environment doesn't draw any comments from Tomoyo. She's not much of a gamer, after all! Her real life is far more exciting~ She takes care to stay away from sparking areas, her current outfit made to deal with cold, not electricity. "I'll take your word for it~" she says to Ren, examining the area to find the best way to the switches.

    "Alright... I'll get that one!" And with that, she starts clambering her away across platforms and arms towards one of the switches.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    Thank goodness there aren't four switches. Ta-kun might have difficulty with this. But no, it's three- one for Ren, one for Tomoyo, one for Mamimi.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQUw9Nv2Two

    So, we're the only hope to rescue every person lost in the Bermuda Triangle and a small civilization of sentient robots. And all we've got to do - thus far- is navigatate a nest of live wires and malfunctioning machinery.

    Easy.

    These platforms probably were used before to move heavy loads and UFO parts, but now they're just going back and forth in simple repeating patterns. Some are going to need to be jumped to and from, and whereas some of the mechanical arms can be useful if you cling onto one, others could knock any of the three of them into electrified water or onto a sharp piece of broken machinery if you're not careful.

    And that's to say nothing of the electrical arcs. So many voltages, so much danger, and you never know if one's going to just be a sting, a jolt or something that will set your hair on end...

    Ren's feet clap against a metal walkway as he steps between mech arms pinwheeling so fast they could be a windmill. Soon there'll be ladders to climb.

    "At least we're not stuck inside the submarine, any more, eh?" he shouts, optimistic. "Yes, get the old blood pumping, who needs a quiet picture-taking expedition anyway..."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    It's just a hop, a skip and a jump, right? Don't think of breaking anything by falling at this crucial juncture. Just like the long jump at school. Just think of the arcing electricity as... motivators. Yeah, that's it.

    With those cheerful thoughts in mind, Tomoyo begins hopping across platforms, carefully timing her run through whirling mechanical appendages... her hair gets singed a few times by bolts that come a little too close, her outfit torn here and there by the arms. She clambers up a ladder, reaching her lever!

    "I made it!" she calls, so relieved that she forgets the switch for a moment. But she snaps out of it, and gives it a firm pull!

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    And just in time, too, perhaps!

    Because there's another rumble as the entire assemblage shakes- and this time, it doesn't stop, the first one giving way to a constant chattering underfoot.

    A blast door begins to rise up- and stops half way in front of Ren, who desperately leaps over it in time. It's just a huge field of lightning bolts between him and his switch.

    He's bound to be shocked at least once, but at least neither of their switches were electrified itself. Who knows if the same can be said for Mamimi's, but as things begin to click and slide it becomes obvious that they've succeeded.

    Electricity that was surrounding all of them at the last minute- bolts close enough and big enough to cause damage to be sure- dwindle and peter out as the whole machine assortment moves simultaneously, damaged parts being purged to drop into the black depths below or sliding into the walls as things reconfigure around them. "Hold on!"

    Because the shaking isn't stopping....


    As the strange Bermudan machines pull nanomaterial from huge hoppers of silver sand and rapidly clone and copy the ultra-gravitron engine from the Skipjack, already the walls are beginning to crack and spray water, and outside of a huge porthole the underwater volcano that makes up the second island is visibly erupting.

    Bermudan robots desperately carry plane parts onto UFOs, and newly-unfrozen people are in quite a panic about everything going on around them.

    "Must be how Pompeii felt. Except we're going to make it," Ren insists, firmly.

    "I hope you've all had your fill?"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    "Ren!" Tomoyo calls out in horror as the man leaps past the blast door, taking shocks as he goes. As all the switches are pulled, she looks around at the building sparks, shrinking away as one gets too close. Her sigh of relief is probably audible over the sounds of things going back to normal, the replicators starting back up!

    Slowly, she makes her way back down to meet the others, smiling with pride. A smile that swiftly fades as the rumbling intensifies! "We need to escape, quickly!" She grabs at Mamimi's wrist and drags the spacey girl along as they head for the UFO, ushering the revived people on board first.

    "Yes, more than enough Ren. Next time, let me choose the outing," she says, managing a slightly awkward laugh.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    "I'll be fine!" was Ren's shout as he disappeared halfway behind the door. And he was!

    In fact, once the three of them were reunited he was far more concerned about the fact that her hair was singed than the fact that he had an electrical burn or two.

    Many of the screens on the control consoles are displaying static, and have been abandoned. There's a dangerous glow from every bank of buttons.

    "The ships cannot transport themselves by teleportation due to the speed I had to construct them," Klein explains, as they make their way on board. This is a true 'flying saucer of the Adamski sort, and they're going to be moving as soon as they get on.

    "All of you, man the sections of the console I have highlighted. I will guide you through how to operate the vehicle."

    "Ah, but will you choose one where we get to pilot a UFO?" Ren asks wryly, then pauses. "On second thoughts please /do/ choose next time, piloting a UFO is something I don't think I ever wanted to do."

Klein's voice is in Tomoyo's ear as she faces the intimidating assortment of levers and buttons. She'll have to learn fast, because the pillars are collapsing and the flowing waters are becoming river-rapids--

    And then the entire UFO shakes massively. "The other volcano has begun to erupt," Klein says. "The exit path I was going to use has collapsed."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo looks about at the UFO's interior, eyes shining with delight. Just like something out of a low-budget sci-fi movie! If she weren't in life-threatening situation right now, she would totally be snapping photos. "A-Ah, very well!" She runs to one of the highlighted areas, staring at the controls with concern.

    "I can do this... no more complicated than a loom, or a sewing machine!" She puts her hands on the dash, and starts following Klein's orders to the letter! Her brow is sweating a little, eyes narrowed a little in concentration.

    "I never really wanted to be a pilot..." she mutters in response to Ren. And then Klein delivers the good news. "Does this thing have weapons? Can we blast our way out?" Now she's really nervous!

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
    "I won't allow it!" Klein insists. But it should be obvious- there's a part of the controls that Tomoyo hasn't touched, a section that for all of the instructions Klein hasn't mentioned at all.

    And it has a grip and a trigger and a dial with settings on it reading all the way up to a brain-and-crossbones.

    "Well, you're getting one important lesson already, Tomoyo- there's nothing worse than a back-seat driver!" Ren shouts, working over the controls he recognizes from the Skipjack.

    "I'm going to turn the gravity envelope from the ultra-gravitron into a wedge. We'll smash our way through and cut a path for the other UFOs!"

    Indeed, a convoy of them is splashing behind theirs now, all of them going down a river channel - this is more of a river-rapid-ride than a submarine journey now.

    "Knock down the walls! Blast the boulders! We're going to go right into the magma flow and head out the same direction it is!"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo starts making staticy sounds with her mouth. "Sorry Miss Klein, you're breaking up~ We will make it, don't worry!" And with that, she reaches over to take the grip in her hand. Even though she's never handled such things, she's still sure to maintain trigger discipline! She also turns up the dial just short of 'skull and crossbones.'

    In a tone of voice that is far too giddy for the circumstances - maybe the fear is getting to her? - she agrees with Ren. "Here we go!" And with that, she blasts forward, finger holding the trigger down! Hoping that this thing has some degree of auto-targeting.

    "We're going to make it everyone! Everything will definitely be all right!" she calls to the capsule people, who are likely freaking out right now.

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
Ren blinks sweat out of his eyes. The heat is bleeding through the gravity envelope, even as he gets Mamimi's assistance in merging the fields together so that the others can follow them...

    Klein might think it was impossible, but Tomoyo's got the power in her hands.

    And so--

    With all of those lives on the line--

    The UFO train ROARS its way into the conduit! The ship is surrounded on all sides by magma as it rushes to the surface, rocks and crags all around them.

    Ren grapples with the controls! "Vent exit coming up in twenty seconds! Fifteen! Ten! Seven! Three! Two! ONE!"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo frantically mashes at the trigger, blowing up obstructions and falling obstacles as the UFO hurtles onwards, constantly an inch from certain doom. Ren's counting down doesn't help much, only serving to make the tension mount, to the point where she can't even bring herself to tell him off.

    But, finally, they make it! Tomoyo fights the urge to flop with relief, not wanting to crash land at the finish line. "We're safe!" she calls, bringing a hand up to wipe at her forehead. "Oh, that was the scariest thing yet..."

Ren Tanaka (165) has posed:
and I won't stop 'cuz I got to make a difference in this life
with my once voice, one heart, two hands, WE*CAN

    In the history of the multiverse, a lot of volcanos have erupted. Many of these have involved lava, many have involved rock and smoke. Some of them have involved chocolate, but that's a story for next week.

    None of them have involved UFOs before, so this is a first, as the dozens of ships packed with aliens, technology and missing Bermuda Triangle ships and people fountain out of the volcano and splashdown in the Great Ocean en masse.

    "It was!" Ren whoops, sat on the floor himself. "Oh, wow. Wow. Tomoyo Daidouji, Mamimi Samejima, civilizations saved: one."

    He smiles at her. "/And counting./"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Once the UFO is safely bobbing in the surf, Tomoyo's knees finally give out, the girl slumping to the floor in relief. "Oh thank goodness... everyone is safe..." She's barely listening as Ren starts to hand out the congratulations, but her face is the picture of quiet pride as she smiles up at the roof.