2851/Atlantis Needs Help

Atlantis Needs Help
Date of Scene:	09 August 2020
Location:	Mission Center
Synopsis:	Namor and Lorna address the X-men about the threat to Atlantis and the surface world and ask for help.
Cast of Characters:	Lorna Dane, Henry McCoy, Hope Summers, Clarice Ferguson, Julio Richter, Piotr Rasputin, Gabby Kinney, Betsy Braddock, Namor

---

Lorna Dane has posed:
The X-men were still dealing with various issues across the board, so the sprinkling of them that came to the briefing regarding the troubles Atlantis was facing was a scattering of various skills and teams. But it was still going to happen, Lorna figured she'd work on just grabbing people individually to talk to them outside of the meeting anyways.

Still, it was something that she'd promised to discuss officially so here she was.

The green haired woman stood at the front of the little meeting room, a tablet in front of her as she typed away on it. She wore a simple button down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up and pair of jeans. She paused as various people filed into the room and settled. "Thanks for popping in guys, I know you're busy so I'll get right to the point. Atlantis is in danger, and possibly coastal regions all around the world." She paused and reached out to the table to pick up a mug of coffee and sipped at it.

"And there's a ton of details, so we'll cover what we know and what we don't."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Henry McCoy had settled in on one of the chairs, taking on the same liquid relaxation poses that cats are famous for. His yellow eyes watch Lorna as she begins the briefing, canting his head to the side. "Well, what is endangering our neighbors in the sea? What is the intel on them?" He wonders.

He idly glances over at the others as they find their seats or standing spots. "Will we need wetsuits?" He grins.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope has the advantage of being something of a free agent, mostly by choice. She's hard to pin down like that. But she's up for a mission right now, and this was the first one that she heard about. Lucky Lorna. She leans back in her chair, twisting it slightly from one side to the other with restless energy. Still, there's an intensity in the way she watches and listens.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
Pop in was the right word. A portal had opened earlier and a Clarice had slipped out from it, clearly dressed for a more tropical region than actual New York. Shorts, a t-shirt, large hat on her head.. Her feet were encased by sandals, some note of sand visible on them. But then again it was no secret that her time was spent mostly on Genosha now, protecting the bottles that had been retrieved when she wasn't doing her own duties of protecting Lorna.

She made her way in and was currently relaxing against one of the walls of the room, back to it, one arm folded over her front and the other holding a mug of coffee, expression darkened. Jetlag. It was a real thing for someone that could teleport around the world.

"I am all ears." she replies to Lorna, waiting on the details. When Hank mentions wetsuits she looks across to him with an amused look though.

Julio Richter has posed:
Standing, Julio lurks off to one side of the group, wearing jeans and a light blue shirt with the top and bottom couple of buttons undone. It's not an especially 'official' X-men look, but it's only a meeting. Plus, this is probably the /least/ embarrassing way he has presented himself, where Atlantis is concerned.

On the other hand, he's probably got a little more to go on than a lot of people here, thanks to his impromptu underwater vacation late last month. "So... this is about the ancient king and the disaster monster, si?" he asks, firing a questioning glance across the room at Namor. "Did anyone ever figure out what that scepter was a key to?"

He smiles at Hank and tells him, "When I went down there, I just wore trunks. I'm thinking wetsuit and fur, not a great combination..."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr had gotten the memo a little late, so his arrival was a tad delayed, and he had been painting so his cargo shorts and t-shirt had a couple of fresh paint stains on them. He takes up a post by the wall, best to avoid blocking people's view, but otherwise the Russian giant stays silent, content to hear what the others have to say.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney was the smollest one here of course. Was she even allowed here? Oh well, here she was regardless and currently she had a milkshake she was sipping on through a straw. Lunch was skipped okay? She's making up her caloric loss with... oh whatever, she wanted a milkshake.

Her eyes dart from face to face of everyone here listening in while being quiet for once. Mostly. She'd already heard the heads up if not the actual intel so now was a time to pay attention. Julio's assessment though earns a little look his way. "To be fair I think a dive suit would keep the fur dry... But that's up to the Doc."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy is settled in a chair near the back, keeping her mouth shut for once. She's more interested in getting the broad strokes of the situation before she starts asking questions about something she has no prior knowledge about. Her brow arches, though, as Julio mentions an ancient king and a monster. The psionic ninja lets out a chuff of air, smiling some at the banter. That's maybe the best part about the team -- the comraderie.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shrugged once, "Atlantis is offering to supply us with breathing apparatus and other necessities that we don't already have." She glanced at Namor, and gestured at the Sea King as if he could take over the explanation on the whole for her. After all it was his people, even if she was just the link to the X-men.

"He can tell you more in depth about what we're facing, though our knowledge is limited.. You will be expected fight. This isn't an easy mission by any means. This is a volunteer mission. I understand if you're not interested by the end of all this."

Namor has posed:
"I'm glad you find the danger my people face amusing."

Of course Namor was going to be here. There was no way he would allow something as important to his Empire to be handled by anyone other than himself, not even Lorna. Stepping out of the corner he claimed in the front of the room to stand at the Genoshan Queen's side when she gestures to him, he folds his arms over his bare chest and frowns at Hank, flicking his gaze from him to the rest of the assembled mutants. Not even a mission briefing will get Namor to put on a shirt, it seems, but he's still a bit more dressed up than usual. His legs are covered by the usual skin-tight, green-and-gold leggings reminiscent of the high-end swim suits worn by Olympic level athletes, but his thighs and calves are further protected by spiky, black armor of Atlantean design. The same armor covers his shoulders and arms, strapped to his body with ornamented bindings sparsely covered in shells. He holds in one hand a golden Trident, but he's forgone the matching circlet for today.

"We have already lost numerous patrols to this threat, and soon I fear some of the outlying settlements of my Empire. If Atlantis falls, the surface world will drown within the month."

After opening up his presentation with a bit of doom and gloom, he nods to Julio and gestures absently through the air with the head of his trident, suddenly drawing out a ball of churning water from a pouch bound to his hip that proceeds to spin and churn in the air in front of him before it forms into the rough appearance of a tablet and scepter. "Almost a month ago, we... 'recovered' two Atlantean artifacts from a small museum in one of your fishing towns. This was shortly after the first of our patrols disappeared. We quickly learned that the tablet was inscribed with pre-Cataclysm writing, a language even our best historians and linguists have trouble reading. Sensing a connection between this discovery and the problems at the border of my Kingdom, I..." He pauses and flicks another glance to Julio, then Lorna, "Invited... One of your team members to come to Atlantis and aid me in deciphering it. He brought several companions with him, and there we learned the story of an Ancient Atlantean King who fought a monster from the depths of the sea that nearly wiped out my people."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
Talks about scepters, ancient kings.., monsters. That's enough for Clarice's unnatural green gaze to rest upon Julio, questioning in with a bit of teasing in her tone. "I thought you had seen enough of the sea after those small adventures with the jetski." a brief grin breaking through the more dour facade that had been framing her expression. That coffee was doing miracles for her.

When Namor then finally steps forward to begin explaining the situation she quirks a brow, listening.. And it's worrying enough what she hears.. It makes her frown return, another drink from her coffee, and once the explanation is done she looks at Lorna.

"Will you be going on this venture?"

Hope Summers has posed:
"And I'm guessing this thing is waking up slash coming looking for its artifacts?" Hope surmises, looking between Namor and Lorna. And then she turns, looking around the room in a completely different manner - like a general surveying troops. In the back of her mind, she catalogs abilities and powers, rates their probable success underwater, and starts to piece them together.

"What stopped it the last time?"

Henry McCoy has posed:
If Hank is concerned over the frown, it's well hidden. His yellow eyes meet those of Namor's, unflinching. "Your Highness, I know I didn't say any of this was amusing. I asked after wetsuits, for a my personal clarification. Water doesn't always do too well with fur." He remains in his chair, relaxed as only a cat can be. Side-effects of the whole resort stay with Sinister.

The Beast nods. "I'd heard that some of my friends and team-mates were... guests of yours for that." He uses the same deliberate hesitation that was used with the word invited by the lord of the Sea. "Hopefully the translations helped with a plan of action?"

Julio Richter has posed:
There's a rueful smirk at Namor's reference to an invitation, but Julio doesn't seem to hold any hard feelings about the somewhat forceful framing of the summons. He glances over at Hope and explains, "We also restored a scepter that I could feel had ancient magic in it," he tells her. "The tablet made it sound like it's not something the monster wants, it's a key to something we can use to fight it. We just don't know what that thing is -- or at least, we didn't, last I heard."

He looks suitably embarrassed when Clarice brings up the jetski incident, and shrugs, staring wide-eyed at the floor. "I, uh... I don't always learn my lesson so great the first time," he admits.

Moving on from /that/ topic, he smiles over at Gabby and Hank and gives them a little shrug. "I wasn't thinking about getting wet, really." The first time he saw Dr. McCoy, he was leaping out of a swimming pool, so he assumed that wasn't an issue. "I was just thinking pulling a wetsuit on and off over fur..." He winces sympathetically. "That might be painful. It's not great even with regular leg hair."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney rolls her shoulders in a small shrug at the mention of this being laughable. Another sip of her milkshake is taken before she flashes Namor a tired grin. "Nah, we're listening and paying attention. Just sometimes you've got to find something to laugh about so it doesn't all get you down. Especially if you've been through a lot already." She hadn't much thought about it, but... She'd been kidnapped and tortured. Recently to Limbo... hell? And now this. Maybe she was getting tired.

The thought is shaken off as she flashes a grin toward Julio and Hank again. Then she catches Hope's expression. One that she was begining to recognize. With a little sigh she puts her milkshake down to re-refocus on the matter. "Okay. Tablet explains the sitch, monster bad, scepter leads to some kind of weapon. Does the tablet give a hint to where that is?" She asks with that hopeful tone that knows the answer may be 'no.'

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr is still surprised to see a non-X-man, let alone a sovereign head of state present in the base, but it seems things are in place for it, at least. The notions that are brought up though cause the large man to be concerned. He rubs his chin, his golden armband visible, but he nods as the others, looking down as Gabby asks, but then looks to Namor, "Indeed, as the Doctor said, perhaps we can find something to help deal with this threat?"

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna stepped in as Namor shot Hank a look, her hand rising to settle on his arm and she glanced at the gathered X-men and friends. She smiled, "Hey, we're all working together here. It's a stressful situation, but everyone in this room so far is here to help." Her voice was gentle.

Her gaze swung to Julio as Namor course corrected the way he phrased the demand he'd made of Doug and the others to visit Atlantis, and she exhaled a breath, as she withheld her smile of amusement at that. It wasn't worth it. Instead she reached for her coffee again, and took a sip, watching as the water swished into being and Namor continued on with his explanation.

"I believe no one is entirely sure what the spectre does or doesn't do, nor what this thing that it sealed away or dealt with is either. We do know for certain that the lurkers.. these swarming type deep sea creatures, have fled or been forced out of their natural habitat.. where we can assume this thing is. I asked Namor to come along with me while I presented this because can answer most of your questions better than I can." Not that he'd been allowed to wander the rest of the sub-basement or Mansion at large. Clarice had portals at least to help technically... And Lorna glanced at said teleporter.

"I plan to be there, yes. Genosha is an island nation, and if these things attack coastal regions.. well.. it's a threat to Genosha. Never mind the alliance we've worked on." She murmured.

Namor has posed:
"This monster somehow unleashed disaster after disaster on my ancestors," Namor continues, momentarily -- and pointedly -- ignoring any questions or comments that come his way. As he casts his gaze about the room and speaks, the water-formed scepter and tablet morph and change to depict a city that, if he had the capability to do so with a mere half-gallon of water, would no doubt be a shining utopia. As it is, it's largely passable as a pretty swell place to live, at least until something that looks like a hurricane mated with a tornado comes through and destroys a quarter of it. "The King sent out nine of our greatest heroes to find the cause of these attacks when it became clear it was not a punishment from the gods. None returned," he explains as nine indistinct figures leave the ruins of the city and form back into droplets of water that spin back into the whole. Let none claim Namor the Sub-Mariner doesn't have a flair for the dramatic. Next, the scene shifts and churns and morphs into a very stately looking close-up of a King that then pans back to show the rough figure of the King commanding an army. "The King then took his ten best legions and ventured out into the world to try and end this threat to his people. When he returned, nine of the legions had been utterly destroyed, and the tenth was in shambles. The King however, reported victory. He told the story of a great battle between his armies and a terrible creature from the depths of the sea. In the end, though it cost them dearly and required the intervention of Neptune himself, they drove the creature back into the ocean and sealed it away. When he returned, he told his story to his scribe who recorded it on the tablet. The scepter is apparently the key to defeating this monster should it ever return."

The scene devolved halfway through into a series of rough images of a battle and a large, important looking man throwing a trident down towards the ground before the King apparently lost all taste for maintaining his water-puppet show. With a wave of his trident, the water reforms into a flat plane, apparently waiting further commands from the King while he looks around. "We don't yet know what the scepter unlocks, but there's a more tangible threat than stories. After the artifacts were recovered, I personally went to investigate the disappearance of my patrols. What I found was... disturbing." And look, Namor's already found a use for the water again as it helpfully forms into something that can only be described as a creature out of Lovecraft's worst nightmares. Tentacles, snapping crab pincers, and a squid-like beak thrash menacingly at the air. This creature then fades away and is replaced by another, one more like a lean, angry creature from the black lagoon. That disappears and then another shows up, closer to the first but with a different configuration of terrible sea creature parts. "Lurkers in the Deep," Namor explains, "Or Lurkers for short. Beasts that live in the darkest parts of the ocean, feasting on whatever scraps of meat drift down to them. They're driven only by their hunger and will shred any thing that comes near them like large, angry piranhas. Normally they're not much of a problem. They stay in the areas of the sea even Atlanteans rarely tread. Until recently, it seems, when they came close enough to the surface that when they ambushed me, I was fighting them off on a beach." He pauses and looks around, "They should not be this close to the surface. Something is driving them up and out of their nesting grounds in great numbers."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy focusses her attention on the aquatic king, arching a brow again at his acerbicness. The hint of another smile plays at her lips. On some level? Yeah, guy after her own heart.

But she's not got the snark on much today. Her head cants, instead, as she listens. "So... are we looking at further investigation, here, or going straight into a fight?" Likely both, but one might be more revealing than the other.

"Sounds to me like it's a two-fold problem: Keep these Lurkers away from the surface, and find a way to put down a monster previously defeated by a god." She glances to Namor, raising a forestalling hand. "Meaning no offense, your majesty, of course. But if it took Neptune to ultimately put the thing down the last time... that doesn't bode well, now."

The only 'god' she knows is that Asgardian fellow that hangs out with Storm.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope grimaces, watching the water shift through the images. "Neptune himself," she echoes. "And I'm guessing he hasn't made an appearance lately." What? It's not like there aren't enough random gods and godlings wandering around as it is. It's not impossible.

Nodding to Betsy's summary, she sets her mind to the Lurkers first. "If they're adapted to ocean depths, I'm assuming they've got increased strength and density, but don't do well in bright light or dry climates?"

Julio Richter has posed:
"Which sounds like our monster," Julio points out, referencing the 'something' that is driving the Lurkers toward the surface. He gives a little shrug and says, "I don't mind dealing with a monster like that, even if I didn't have friends who lived on islands. I actually think it's something I'm /supposed/ to be doing, now that I'm, uh... a druid, I guess?" He lifts his hands to about cheek level and waggles his fingers as if he's about to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Much magic. Very nature.

"I don't know about Neptune, but I can definitely do some monster-scale damage, especially if I'm close to that rift again. A little too easily, de verdad -- if I'm on these missions, they should be far, far away from any underwater cities." He pauses, rocks back and forth, then adds, "I ... do know a god, though. He's just a baby, and I don't think he should be fighting monsters just yet."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
Gabby's words bring a look of understanding from Clarice. Yes, indeed sometimes a smile or a laugh was what one needed to get through certain things. She smiles at the young x-member, offering a nod before she is back to listening. Creatures from the deep. Oh joy! And Neptune...

Though she focuses on what she can control right now, and that is whether to go or not. Eyes rest on Lorna and she nods sharply. "Very well, I shall assist in this." she didn't really need to know much of the details to be in. With Genosha and Royalty being in danger that was pretty much all she had to know.

"When do we leave?" She then asks. Woman of action!!!

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr is a little dumbfounded by the creature. "This is certainly beyond the skills of many." He grumbles and ponders, "Betsy is correct, it is no easy task by any measure, and neither option is good. Though eventually what drives them may drive you away, as well, so perhaps dealing with the root is the better option, in the long run?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Eeeew... Yeah they're not winning any beauty contests," Gabby decides at the various demonstrations of what these Lurkers looked like. Her eyes narrow a bit contemplating and she lets out a small huff of breath. A glance is cast around the room before returning to Lorna and Namor. "So, uh... I'm guessing we'd need to split up some. Defenders, and searchers for this ... thingie." A gesture is made vaguely indicating the shape of the scepter. "I mean if we had enough I'd suggest trying to lure the Lurkers away from the habitable areas, but if they're just running scared that wouldn't work anyway." The milkshake comes up for a sip. "But then I'm not a tactician."

Henry McCoy has posed:
The Beast is thinking on this - tapping a claw against his chin. "So, we can get down there - sure. The other reason I asked after suits, was due to the pressure that will be present at depth." He offers, nodding to Namor. "His Majesty is born of that world, the rest of us may not be able to circumvent such atmospheric conditions. I am more than willing to offer aid, I just need to make sure we're going to be able to be effective down there."

A the mention of Gods, he nods. "We've run up against all sorts of problems in the past - with various deities. Perhaps this once, we can have one on our side?" He grins. "Is Neptune one who can be contacted for this situation? I don't know the protocol for requesting divine assistance."

Namor has posed:
Namor lets the water-puppets twist back into a ball of churning water that hangs near the pouch on his waist as if its waiting to be put away again while he looks to Betsy. "Your assessment is accurate," he offers, holding up two fingers to match her 'two-fold' plan, "The Lurkers are a plague. They will devour everything in their way, Atlantean or Surface Dweller. My armies are doing what they can to contain the threat, but there's simply too many to handle. I imagine within the next few days, the Lurkers will reach the shore and begin to hunt. Still, we /must/ find what this scepter unlocks. If the story is right, it could be our best and only hope to ending this threat for good." Or at least another handful of Millenia.

Hope gets his attention next, though for her he has a very imperial looking shrug which conveys the same exact same lack of information that a commoner's shrug might. "We don't know. There are no records of the Lurkers ever coming out of the deeps. If their biology is anything like Atlantean biology however, even on a base level... I would say that is a fair guess." When he's finished, he pauses and looks at her for a few seconds, eyes squinting in concentration before he finally looks away and moves on to Hank again.

"Atlantis has ways of allowing Surface Dwellers to breathe, but outside of our cities and vehicles, I can do nothing to alleviate the crushing weight of the oceans. I will have my scientists work with you to integrate Atlantean air-breathing technology into your suits if you decide to develop counter-measures, otherwise it might be best to split your team into those on the surface and those who can survive the ocean depths." As he speaks, he gestures to Gabby, agreeing with her suggestion of splitting up.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna glanced side long at Namor as he spoke of working with the wetsuits and the alike that they had. "We do have a few people that can handle the depths, and don't need to breathe. But most of us do need to worry about that." She glanced at Hank. "Any chance we can retro-fit some of the tech we have to make this work?" She sipped at her coffee.

"Because I have a feeling we're going to need all hands on deck for the big one, or at least as many as we can get." She murmured and nodded to Julio as he spoke of magic and things. He'd do well there.

"This is new territory for us, and I'm sure Scott will want to run some deep sea training programs after it's over.. but for now.. we've just gotta work with what we've got. Limited as it is."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy nods as well. A two-proned problem requires a two-pronged solution. "I'm happy to help play lifeguard up here," she notes. "My skills are best adpated to land. But, if you think I can be helpful elsewhere, just point the way." Yeah, she's being a team player.

But, really? Salt water plays merry havoc with her hair and skin. Her career *cannot* afford that.

Of course, the world can't afford global flooding, either. So, you know... prorities.

She'll help.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Not just survive the depths," Hope says slowly, considering again. "If that was all it took, it wouldn't have needed nine and a half legions of Atlantean armies and you wouldn't need our help anyhow. You need people who can survive the depths and bring something different to the table. Something that can interfere with a giant underwater monster. TK, light, things that can disrupt whatever it uses for senses, things that can penetrate an incredibly dense hide."

She pulls her chair closer to the table, tucking one leg beneath herself and setting her elbows on the table. "Magic?" Brows rising, she pauses. "I mean. How well do you think a giant underwater monster would fare if it fell through a portal into Limbo?"

Henry McCoy has posed:
There's another scratch of his chin as Henry considers. "Depending on the suits we have, it could be possible. If we have any of thos Shi'ar suits still? Those could be modified, I am sure." He says, sitting up. "I'll be glad to help where ever needed, above or below. It's just the solving of the being below that I need to work on."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna flashed the others assorted in the room a smile. "All of these thoughts were why I told Namor we should ask here first and foremost for support. Beyond the fact that I am horribly biased in my belief that I think with our skills we can help." She nodded to Hank as she sipped at her coffee still.

"I'll leave such things in your hands." She turned her gaze back to Hope and she nodded.

"It's worth seeing what Illyana can do for us there, certainly." She mused, and set her mug back down.

"Doug saw the tablet with the script on it, if we need to review anything written he's the guy to ask. I can get into contact with his majesty here, and help coordinate our efforts if needed."