Continental turtle shift - catch-all

[oceantier]

All preparations over the last few weeks culminate into one day. Maps have been made and studied, plans set. The turtle has been awash in workers, both kedan and Foreigner alike, building off technological plans and testing magical means, the shell practically humming with the activity of its occupants.

Now everyone is in their places: The scouts in the waters in front by wing and by ship, keeping wary eyes on the horizon ahead, the movers and those who plan to help steer at the far rear of the shell edge. The two groups are separated by miles, but messengers between the two will do their best to convey and coordinate information.

In spite of the tension in the air, the atmosphere remains determinedly cheerful – hopeful that this will be the solution. Hopefully within a double handful of days, the idea of a sinking turtle will fade like the remnants of a nightmare.





((ooc: This is a catch-all for the grand turtle move! Please post to either the first thread to play something within the first five days before the fog hits, or to the second . . . where things start to go less than smoothly. Please read the relevant ooc post for details))

Comments

[lasergrenades]

Although the suit lights are still out, the brief flicker prompt Pepper to try rebooting the armor again. It doesn't fully respond, but a corner of the HUD blinks on - emergency power only for now, but it's enough for basic radio communication. Thank goodness for low amp technology.

"-per, can you... me?"

"Gene!" So her distress call worked. "I'm sinking and the suit won't boot up all the way!"

Had he seen the lights? Maybe she can get the armor to respond now, and she reroutes the available emergency power into lighting up the chest piece. Pepper still can't see around her, but she's pretty sure she's glowing under the waves, and hopefully there's enough power to make her visible.

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene swears. "Pepper, hold on, I'm going to try something." He holds his hand out and the blue ring lights up, and the water dips where the light in Pepper's chest piece is shining. Not enough to reveal her, but enough for her to try and swim to the surface.

Gene's a little bit shocked - the rings usually work better for him than this. What's going on?

[lasergrenades]

Pepper knows that Gene has control over water with the rings - or at least he should. She's expecting that he'll pull her out of the water in the same way he'd trapped Tony once, but nothing of the kind happens.

Whatever affected the suit in the first place seems to be wearing off, but far more slowly than she'd like. All she knows is that she doesn't want to be moving down, and the only way to safety is up.

The emergency power makes moving the suit a little easier, but the armor still weighs a lot more than she does, so it's slow going. It's also tiring, and her soon-to-be bruises are making themselves very much known.

It doesn't matter. She's not dying out here.

"I don't suppose you brought some rope?" she asks over the crackling radio, breathing heavily.

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene swears. "Let me try that again." He focuses, clenching his fists, and the light from the blue ring flickers - and momentarily sputters out.

His control of the water slips away from him, and he grits his teeth and focuses, and the ring glows again, stronger than before. Then the water dips again, and a globe - a wobbly globe - with Pepper inside rises up from the surface of the sea, hovering about five feet over it.

He hovers closer, trying to get to her.

[lasergrenades]

The sudden movement up is startling - her stomach feels like it's somewhere around her ankles - but it must mean that Gene managed to lift her out of the water. Pepper cuts the suit lights in favor of trying to get the HUD to work. She'd really like to be able to see what's going on right now.

It cooperates just enough to give her a flickering, stuttering view of the world outside the armor, which is apparently quite watery but also definitely not a hundred feet under the ocean. It doesn't really tell her anything, but it's enormously comforting.

"Alright!" she whoops. "Gene Khan to the rescue! You're stealing my moves," she teases.

Relief is starting to flood in now that she's no longer sinking. Assuming, of course, Gene can get them back to shore safely. Which shouldn't be a problem. She really hopes it won't be a problem.

[wrathfulkhan]

"I could always drop you, if you like," Gene teases right back, bringing the wavering globe of water hovering towards him.

"What happened?"

[lasergrenades]

"Don't you dare." It's said in jest, but there's real worry there - not that Pepper thinks he'd drop her, she'd just really rather not repeat this experience.

"I don't know. The suit's been acting up since we moved into this stupid fog and then it just sort of died. Mid-air. I barely had any warning to call for help before I hit the water. Hard. Ow, by the way." She sounds as much puzzled as irritated. "I guess this makes three times you've saved my life. Is there a gift you normally give someone when they do that? I don't think they make Hallmark cards for it."