Seaside 2: Rising Tides

[Lost_Deep]

Lonely Island

"Yeah, it might be a lingering divine aura," Bella says, "If I had to guess... might be connected to the tides? Or... hm. Most lingering auras are very slight and static..."

Kate, for her part, tries to find a place neither historical or artistic to sit down and rest. She isn't the fittest person.

[Fenric]

Lonely Island

There are quite a few benches scattered around just inside the temple along with informational displays and a map of the known temple. What little is known of the craftsmen who built this place is displayed, but there's really not all that much substance to the info-graphics.

The morning light pours into the room, and the sort-of-divine presence continues to build. A gentle feeling that "you should really be somewhere" should now be felt: nothing upsetting, and rather unhelpful as to the "where" of the thing, but certainly noticeable.

[Deathkeeper]

Lonely Island

Ben quickly memorizes the map, and heads inside with Kate.
"Would you like a ride, Kate? I should really probably get inside and make sure I see whatever it is that I'm supposed to, but I can't leave you behind!" he insists, fairly sure he'd be more tired than Kate if he didn't have his divine reserves.

[Lost_Deep]

Lonely Island

"Nah, I just need a minute or two," Kate says. And, in fact, she does just need a minute or two before she gets up and is ready to head in.

[Deathkeeper]

Lonely Island

"Oh. Okay." says Ben, who'll just shrug and curl around the bench for a minute or two with Kate, because friends don't leave friends behind!
Then they'll hopefully head in together. Ben had been hoping to be the first ones in, but he can wait. It isn't a big deal.

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean]

If you find a falling star, what do you use to pick it up?

Surely, anyone who came here with a star must have solved that question. But without a star to pick up, the protective equipment gets pretty heavy. And was already large. Maybe better to do without it. A waste of mass, a waste of space, that no one would ever get a chance to use. So, after much debate, it went over the side. It sunk.

And it's still there.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean

A decent-sized craft pulls up near the spot, coincidentally, and drops a small little capsule after an hour or two of fuss.
The tiny little sub sinks at a controlled rate, with its one occupant. Always a mystery, the ocean. And so people make tools, and hire test pilots for said tools.
Wonder what'll be down there this time?

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean]

Water. Water everywhere, closing over the sub, blotting out the light more and more. Fish, going here and there. Curiously coming in, fleeing from the submarine's path in terror. Both are happening.

And a curiously regular shape of barnacle-covered metal, nestled in a bed of seaweed.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean

Ah, metal. He must be at the bottom already. Good, not as deep as they thought. Sonar must have gotten messed up from something. The tiny sub extends a pair of little probes, and begin poking at the metal, trying to get a look with a camera, and getting a sample of it.

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean]

The whole structure begins to vibrate. Shakes off the sea creatures that have grown over it. Starts putting out a high-pitched whine that shrieks out through the water, soon rising above the range of human perception.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean

The sub immediately backs up about five feet, turning to audio and seismic instruments, trying to figure out what it's doing.
This is unlikely, given that all it can really do is analyze basic signals like sound waves and radio waves. But it's certainly better than sitting there doing nothing.

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean]

The thing is...definitely making a sound!
It's also shaking itself out of the sand, a point extending from the mass and then unfolding into a dish...
It tilts this way and that, and then settles on pointing in the general direction of the sun.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean

Well, as deep as it is, it really just looks like Up. There's not much light.
Except the lights from the sub, which swivel a bit trying to get a view of the activity. Its occupant scribbles some notes, while also backing up a bit to get a better shot for the camera. And also raising up a bit. It isn't safe to make a wild rise to the surface, but it can't hurt to get started on that now.
Maybe it's some sort of alien craft? Or some lost civilization? It's certainly mechanical in some way...

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean]

A light! Bright and close by!
It swivels to face the sub, and rings at its base begin to swirl. One clockwise, one widdershins, repeating six times.

The ocean shakes. In an arc described by the curve of the dish, water starts to rush in as everything has its scale altered. The sub might not notice if it starts shrinking, since everything around it is shrinking too.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean

The sub isn't equipped to read such reality-altering signals, nor is it equipped to notice its size being altered, though that might be apparent just from looking at the metal structure as the sub is shrunk.

The sub attempts to fight against the current rushing towards the dish, though as it gets smaller that becomes more and more unlikely to succeed.

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean]

The current is not a lot stronger, proportionately, than a normal little current. As long as they aren't trying to climb out of the bowl, the sub makes progress towards the surface.
Six ports at the base of the dish open up, more machinery sliding out, and -
water!? In the machine's works? That won't do at all.
Gold warning lights flicker on in various places, and the shrinking stops. Doesn't reverse. Just stops, with things in the field reduced to a good 1:20 scale.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean

Well that was certainly odd. The dish must have sucked the sub in, since it's ever so much closer now. Most of the sensors seem to be going haywire, though. Anything keeping a measure of distance is putting out very strange results.
The sub tries to zip around the structure to the other side, away from this dish thing with its blinking lights and strange currents. Its lights aren't shining as far it seems, and it doesn't want to be caught in anything else as it tries to rise at a safe rate (read: slow).

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean]

There's a lot of turbulence in the water, but the little sub can probably make it around to the far side of the machine. It looks pretty symmetrical.

Slowly, everything settles down.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean

Fairly symmetrical, but no crazy light-up bowl on this side. Hopefully.
The sub checks for anything on the machine that looks like it might be easily probed, delved into, or otherwise interesting for science. Its occupant supposes that it might want to get a sample of whatever it is that's glowing, but that'll be a last resort since it seems to be doing strange things.

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean]

The bowl is facing away, yes.
The things that are interesting to science are likely to be on the inside, under the dish. But those rings, slowing down, the markings and bearings might be interesting to someone.

And that giant shark, it might be interesting to marine biologists.
Of course, it isn't a giant shark. Just a normal sized shark that wasn't in the area of effect, and was drawn by all the electrical activity of the machine.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean

Oh, dear. Oh, no.
Overly large sea creatures are not something that the sub's occupant wishes to take part in. He was told that these waters usually lack the over-Terra sizes of animals, but there's always outliers. Either way, the metal sub shouldn't seem appetizing, but it can't afford to even have the shark get curious at that size.
The sub tries to scurry under the dish and into the metal object to use it as cover. Better hide for now.
Boy it takes a bit though. It seemed so close before...

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean]

The big blue rounded sea creature swims lazily in the direction of the sub. What's that? It's moving. But it doesn't smell much like food.
After a few moments it turns away and swims towards the point of the dish.

The sub should have little problem other than time to make it within the now towering structure. The six ports at the bottom, now flooded, make an easy entrance to a cramped dark space full of dangling cables and massive grinding gears.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean

The tiny sub shines its equally tiny lights around in the ports, trying to figure out what exactly it is that these things are here for. And maybe find a way inside that doesn't involve dying from giant grinding gears.

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean Machine]

It's not immediately clear what they're for. There are lots of lights, or there were supposed to be lots of lights, since they're not shining right now. Lasers. Maybe all converging on a point impossibly far overhead. The gears, from how they're slowing down, seem to be about rotating those six rings. Somehow. Without touching them.
There's lots of spaces too small even for the tiny sub to get into, like at the base of the lights.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean Machine

No no no, there must be a way deeper inside. A machine like this must still have air pockets inside, or it couldn't possibly still be operating this way. And since the sub's instruments are going insane right now, it seems too dangerous to try simply surfacing at this point. Especially with kaiju-sized animals wandering nearby.
The sub tries to get past the slow gears and into the areas beyond. There has to be some explanation for this machine.

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean Machine]

The sub might be looking for answers in the wrong places.
After all, people usually put instructions and controls on the outside of their machinery.
But it can get past the gears at a particularly large gap where a piece is missing. A number of cables lead to what appears to be a giant-scaled circuit board that takes up a whole wall, sealed behind some sort of reinforced glass.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean Machine

But what if it's a giant alien craft? Then there would be space for people on the inside!
The sub pokes at the glass with its probes, and shines its lights here and there. How is it supposed to get past this? This was one of the only openings it could find, but without a way to pierce the glass it's a dead end...

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean Machine]

Well, I suppose the sub might be able to twist the giant screws at the corners that hold it together...? Then the glass would fall away (careful not to get squished by it) and the circuits might too.

If it can somehow get enough leverage.
Or it could look around outside. This certainly doesn't seem like a way in.

[Deathkeeper]

Deep Ocean Machine

Blast it. The air supply's down to 50% of the mission length. The sub's pilot cruises out of the machine and tries desperately to look for some hatch or similar way he can interact or enter the device. He has to come up with something.

[Recaiden]

[Deep Ocean Machine]

He has to.
But he doesn't.

The light through the troubled water above should indicate that his little sub is no further down than it should be. But by that measure, he's barely moving.