4678/Another You: Gar, You're a Star(fish)

Another You: Gar, You're a Star(fish)
Date of Scene:	10 January 2021
Location:	Boardwalk - St Martin's Island
Synopsis:	Terry and Kori take the T-Sub out to search for Beast Boy, hoping for the best. Harley Quinn joins them, looking to call in a favor from Aquaman. Instead, they get an assist from Tempest. Kori told you so, Terry.
Cast of Characters:	Gar Logan, Terry O'Neil, Koriand'r, Harley Quinn

---

Gar Logan has posed:
It started with Harley Quinn mentioning Aquaman owed her a favor.

No, actually, it really started with a world-hopping doppelganger of Garfield Logan ambushing his own counterpart, viciously decimating him before leaving him for dead in the ocean.

After Wonder Woman and Vorpal encountered that twisted version of the Beast Boy they knew, they saw confirmation that what the doppelganger said, at least about the attack, was true. While it looked terrible, some in Titans Tower chose to hold out hope.

Aquaman had the ability to communicate with the creatures of the sea, but whether Harley was able to reach him or not, someone else has joined in as a backup plan: the Titan Garth, formerly known as Aqualad, now known as Tempest. He has not fully returned to the Titans since they came back together, but he has occasionally been around and he responded to the call to help search for any sign of the Beast Boy they knew, whether it was to confirm the worst or find a happier result.

The T-Sub has also been brought out for those who gathered to assist, and they are currently not far from the scene of the attack, the pier itself that was damaged a few days ago still taped off.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Thank goodness I don't suffer from claustrophobia," Terry comments to Koriand'r. He is one of the Titans who has yet not received full training on how to operate the T-Sub, what with Vic having taken it out for a ride through the Caribbean and whatnot. It was lucky that Kori, as one of the older Titans, had had plenty of previous experience with the submersible in the past.

He wasn't in his feline form. He had planned to be, and still might assume it if the situation merited it, but he had unfortunately been shot in the shoulder by his Doppelganger the evening before, and slings and wetsuits were not really compatible. He was clad in a standard black wetsuit with yellow piping, and his scuba gear and flippers were on hand in case he needed to join in.

"Copy, Garth," he says into the comm, sitting next to Koriand'r Sub Pilot Extraordinaire, "Keep us posted on any pings..."

The Amazon-drug-induced-sleep had proven immensely restorative and Terry no longer looked like the walking dead, but now he looked more like the walking dread. The next few hours would be nerve-wracking, as they could confirm everything or surprise him. It was the hope that was the worst, because it lifted him up a little despite himself, but also had the danger of bringing everything down again if the worst was confirmed. And that made it all the worse, somehow.

"Harl's covering some good ground," he looks at the screens, "If the search perimeter opens some more, though, I'm going to jump in so we can cover more of it. Unlike fish-people, we normal humans can only cover so much territory..."

He taps his comm. "Sorry, Garth. You're right. Atlanteans, not fish-people."

Koriand'r has posed:
Koriand'r had insisted to come along!

Because Garfield Logan was one of her very best and oldest friends!

Also because she was the only one around when the news came in that maybe she would get to say I told you so that could pilot the T-Sub! It's kind of double edged sword though... If Kori is there and Kori is driving, that means Kori gets to pick the radio station.

She's chosen something... different.

Bobbing her head to the Toothorns and Omni box mix.

"Oh Jabba... Oh Jabba...

No bata tu tu muni, muni... No bata tu tu muni, muni.. Oh Jabba.."

You see what happens?

She has a 10 hour loop playing.

Piloting the sub through the merky depths!

"Do not worry, there is only a very small chance of hull rupture." Said helpfully to Terry, bright smile! Big jade green eyes. Sweeping the sub out of the way of some deep water rock formations! She absolutely did not do that on purpose, promise!

"And if it should happen I will do my very best to return you to the surface where you will surely suffer from decompression sickness." Maybe a little bit on purpose. "Thank you best friend Garth!"

Gar Logan has posed:
There are reasons Tempest chose not to ride in the T-Sub with the others. For one, he doesn't need to. For another, he doesn't have to listen to any music, or question the decision to play anything at all. If it's a coping mechanism for others, or just a way to try to treat things like they're normal, so be it.

He is mostly silent, though he let the rest know that after asking the marine life in the area if they saw anything, a couple fish did indicate a body entered the water and it attracted a shiver of sharks. That last part, Garth kept to himself for now. If there were sharks here and they picked up on all the blood, chances weren't very good for survival. The fact nobody had heard from their Beast Boy in a week also did not bode well, but Gar has been resourceful before. There could be a reason for the silence.

Based on the usual currents, Tempest led the T-Sub further out to sea, not too far, but enough distance from the shoreline that it would be a bit of a swim back.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"That sleazy hobo..." Yes, Harley has been complaining on comms. About Aquaman. "I mean, I get him a burgah, because yea, he looked like this hobo with big doe eyes. And he owes me one. But then ya know, I call him foh it and wheah is he?! Some dolphin crisis or somethin!" Because dolphins are very dangerous sea creatures.

Harley is on her scuba gear, scouring the bottom of the sea outside the T-Sub, a lamp on her shoulder to light the way and there she goes, hoping that at least this LAD will be a bit better than the MAN. At least where Aquas are concerned...

"Also, I am hopin' these guys don't need no money to give out info." She continues on over comms. Because why shut up? "Or whateva they use foh bribes undah the sea. I wondah if theah's any kinda underworld in heah. Some fishy fishes and all that..."

Someone is clearly too used to Gotham still. And it's not like Brooklyn is any better with all the gangs.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"That's... okay," Terry says to Kori, trying to hide his discomfort at the thought of a hull breach, "I can use the Rabbit Hole to get us out." As with magical things, the Rabbit Hole had a mysterious mechanism that managed to spare those who traveled through from things such as sudden decompression... to a certain extent. Rabbit Holing out into space without a protective suit was going to have the expected outcome, magic or no magic, but it did make other types of jump much safer.

Glancing at the multiple screens, Terry frowns. "You know... finding things would be so much easier if colors were a little bit more... vivid. A whole bunch of stuff looks green. It's like looking for a pine needle in a grass stack." He is not impatient. Merely concerned. Alright, perhaps he /is/ impatient. He tells himself that jumping out right now to look for himself isn't going to be any more effective until the perimeter actually necessitates more.

There were people back at the docks, too, searching in case something washed afloat. But they were also watching in case a shape-shifter approached the ocean from the opposite direction. There was no telling if DoppelGar knew of this. And if he did, there was no telling if he would try to ambush the T-sub as a giant squid, or something of the like.

At Harley's banter, Terry smirks a little, "You mean there might be literal loan sharks down there, hanging out at the clam bars and seeling reefers to coral?"

Koriand'r has posed:
"That sounds like the beginnings of a very engaging disney cartoon." Kori points out about loan sharks hanging at clam bars. "Under the sea... doot doo... under the sea.. Money's just numbers, for a cucumber, take it from meeee... Up on the shore they look for pay, cash in hand for bribary wage.. while fish are promoting, taking no bank notes'n.. under the sea.."

She drums her fingers on the pilot yolk, steering it in Garth's wake, humming happily to herself. Unphased by impatience or disdain for the aquatic nature of their current mission given the objective is finding Gar.

Gar Logan has posed:
The greenish-blue tint to everything does make it more difficult to find something of a similar color that stands out from the rest. Thus far, there have been signs of junk that popped up on the T-Sub's video feed directed toward the ocean floor, but nothing remarkable beyond the usual mixture of fish and various bottom feeders. This is not exactly a tropical paradise.

Tempest is silent for a time, leaving it to the others to have their discussions about this or that. He has never felt like he truly fit in anywhere, so keeping things to himself is on brand. It also allows him to concentrate further on the task at hand.

"I'm going to try something," he informs them, without explaining what. Before, he sent out a call to the local marine life to see if they could help answer some questions. Now, he tightens the net.

. o O (Beast Boy, if you're out there and can hear this, just think something back to me. It's Tempest. Garth.) O o .

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Right?!" This about the possibility of actual loan sharks down here. "And besides.., ya even heard about all that conflict between Namor and Aquaman and who is screwin' who..., and don't even get me started on the princesses.. I mean, this is some game of thrones level right heah with the atlanteans. No offense Garth.." She says, "But I hope ya get a good contract ta not get backstabbed out o' nowheah in the middle o' an episode!"

Singing little mermaid songs though? That's enough for Harley to accompany on as choir and instruments while keeping a keen eye out...

Is that a squid looking at her weird from behind a rock? And ugh, she finds a plastic bag, peeking in it. Just more plastic trash. "Ya know, this place is filthy.."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"I try not to think about what goes on down there too much." He answers Harley, "What goes on up here is a lot already, and it's not like we can't help much because most of us can't breathe underwater." He glances at Kori, "You can survive out in space, right? Does that mean you could just swim around here without needing this T-Sub?"

He frowns, "Let me know if you get anything, Garth," he says. He bounces his right leg without realizing he's doing it. Another sign of nervous energy.

Koriand'r has posed:
"Mhm." Kori says of breathing underwater. At least in short term... "The pressure would not bother me, but I would eventually require oxygen. Likely the same situation as any whale or dolphin." She explains, without going into the scientific details of the thing for the sake of everyone's sani-

"Essentially my lungs do not compress as rapidly nor do my cells require as much oxygen as other beings of Earth. It allows me to sustain short trips into the vacuum of space or beneath the sea.." Okay that wasn't so ba-

"I do not see in the dark though. I am uncertain how my fire work either.. I suppose I will just have to punch things!" Which is just as well to her!

She's heard both Garth and Harley. One assuring them that he's got a plan, ala Dutch Van Der Linde, the other encouraging going green to save the ocean! She's rambling because... she rambles. But she is paying attention. Don't want to run the T-sub into a freaking pod of whales or something.

Gar Logan has posed:
While they've traveled a fair distance into the depths of the ocean, they remain close enough to land that it isn't a massive dropoff. Light from the surface still filters down, though it's more of a twilight effect by now. The sub's cameras make it easier for them to see what's around, especially with the exterior lights turned on.

"Yeah, sure," he answers Harley, doing his best to stay on target with the distractions going on. It's a curt response, no question there.

. o O (If you can hear me, if you can respond, I can find you.) O o .

Finally, he shares with the crew that's come along, "I'm reaching out to him mentally. If he's around, I'm hoping he can say something."

Then, Gar does. It's more of a faint sense that he's near, followed by just a single word in the thought. . o O (Garth..?) O o .

In an instant, Tempest shoots off in another direction, as if he was a torpedo. "I got something! It's him!"

Harley Quinn has posed:
Ok, that squid is really eyeballing her now. No doubt about it... Harley will just have to go and do something about this--

And then Garth is swimming out after whatever he has sensed. Truly the fish whisperer! Even if noone can be as suave as Robert Redford... But Harley is quick to react, swimming up to reach the T-sub!

She reaches to hold on to one of the little handle-thingies poking out. Look, she doesn't know the technical name ok? And then she taps on the side of the sub, as if it was some getaway car or somethin from Gotham and she was signaling they should step on it! "Aftah him!"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Perhaps his name should be Thomas*, because Terry is clearly doubting. Yes, his hands at the console panel start to shake. And yes, his eyes open up a lot more and his breath catches just as his heart accelerates a little, adrenaline kicks in. But he also shields himself with a heavy dose of caution. "Proceed with care, Garth."

His voice is nowhere near as calm and as steady as he'd like it to be, but he tries again after taking a breath, "Remember that the doppelganger is exactly like Garfield in most respects and we could be swimming into a trap."

How /likely/ is that? It was unlikely, but still within the realm of possiblity. DoppelGar was still out there, and clearly obsessed with tracking Terry. Now Terry's own doppelganger was out there, and for all they know the two may be working together. If word got out of this search, or if the double happened to be swimming in the area while looking for means to approach the tower...

That is how he would capture himself, if he had to- string him up with hope and then close the jaws. "Kori, if that isn't our Gar... be prepared to shoot. Not to kill."


*footnote: But then he would be a Tomcat, and that would be a pun too far.

Koriand'r has posed:
Tap tap tap important piloting sub buttons, adjust speed, and Kori glances at Terry.

Beaming like the cat who got the canary.

"Told you so."

The Sub turns in the direction Garth adjusted and picks up speed to keep pace (as best it can) with Tempest. BIG THUMBS UP for Harley when she grabs hold of one of the HANDLES, all over exagerated smiles, and then the T-Sub WOOO LUBLUBLUBLUBs after Garth!

"I will be prepared to hug." Kori says to Terry with the full weight of her optimism untempered by caution. It's the blessing and a curse... if, and she cannot think it, this isn't Gar? It will absolutely destroy her... And since she doesn't want to be destroyed! It must therefore be him! It's simple logic.

At least for Koriand'r!

Gar Logan has posed:
Of course, Tempest was verified safe before any of this happened. He can be trusted.

"He recognized me, so that means either he knew me in his world, or he's the right one here." And while Garth may not be Aquaman, he is powerful in his own right and can also call on the inhabitants of the sea if he must. He also remembers that Beast Boy has done PSAs including promotion of sea conservation, and that counts for something. It's more than most surface-dwellers have thought of.

. o O (We're coming. Just stay where you are.) O o . Tempest sends out.

. o O (..easy..) O o . comes Beast Boy's answer in return, progressing from a one-syllable thought to two.

The Atlantean, with the T-Sub in pursuit, slows to a stop before beginning to circle a specific area. In the vicinity are a few starfish, mainly the types native to the region: the Atlantic Starfish and the Northern Sea Star. While there are others that look much more exotic, not all can survive the particular ocean climate they're in.

Soon, Tempest calls their attention to one in particular. It's green, clear even in the color-tinted surroundings, and it is missing part of a limb. "There. We must be careful with it...him."

Harley Quinn has posed:
Yay, fast as heck travel through the seas holding on to a sub! Harley holds on tight as they go, beaming wide. She is quite optimistic too. A trap? Nah, this feels like the real one! Besides, it was about time they got a win for the good guys right?

"What a showoff! Even in heah he turns himself into a STAR?" Harley says of Gar's choice of transformation. If it's indeed him. But she starts swimming out to the place to take a better look, turning the lights on her shoulders to point directly at the green starfish.

She eyes Garth a moment, to see if he wants to take point but then eh, "So do we take him up to the sub?" she already ready to dig her hands into the sand to start getting StarGar out. Though she does speak to comms, "The star is missin' a limb, so expectin' he is real hurt. How do you wanna do this, Terry?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
For someone for whom painting a picture with words came as effortlessly as a dream, Terry O'Neil had no words to describe how he felt at that particular moment, only that he would remember it as long as he had memory. He slumps for a moment over his console, his face scrunching up with emotion of... what? Relief? Joy? Release of everything that he had been holding in? A little of all columns, really. He felt his eyes begin to burn even as the weight was lifted off his chest.

And then the drill Sergeant in his head, which sounded rather like Lois, barked into his mind: O'Neil, what are you doing? You have a job to do!

He sits bolt upright, and all emotion is pushed back, far back, because right now he is a Titan recovering a missing family member. Later, he can be Terry, re-uniting with Gar. Shakiness and histrionics would only get in the way right now. "Sea stars are very delicate, as Garth will tell you. Let me get out there. Kori, can you... park this thing?" he has no idea how subs work, "You can come out too and help. We can bring the container out there, fill it with some silt and deposit Gar on it carefully, and make sure we seal enough saltwater in for the trip back. I'll signal the lab right now to let them know we need a saltwater aquarium tank prepped for a starfish and we can take Gar there..."

His fingers fly across the keyboard, conveing the text message. Then, he springs out of his seat to gather his flippers and scuba gear.

"You told me," he tells Kori, which is the only acknowledgement to the emotions right now as he starts putting his gear on. He's a Good Little Soldier right now, because he needs to keep himself focused.

The container that was brought aboard was big enough to carry Gar's body. It had been a grim reality, and Terry insisted more that it was likely to be needed than his team-mates. He ended up being both right and wrong, and he was glad for it.

Exiting the sub, he floats down gingerly, trailing the container behind, looking over his shoulder to see if Kori will follow, before heading over to Garh and Harl.

Koriand'r has posed:
Without the need for gear, Kori is wearing her regular old costume with a small respirator that she periodically must breath through... not at all unlike any aquatic based mammal! She waits for Terry to get properly dressed, pulls the sub into a floating pattern, and follows him to the chamber to release them out into the ocean where they can potentially be eaten by a whale for another great adventure!

Just like another disney movie.

Surely Kori would find a way to see the bright side.

"Starfish are a form of asteroidea.. commonly known to regenerate lost appendages. I am not an expert on Garfield physiology, but I suspect that as long as he remains in this particular form, he will be able to grow back his lost limb."

Swimming after Terry to assist in any way General Vorpal indicates. "That or we will get him an exceptionally bedazzled hook hand." Positive, always.

Gar Logan has posed:
Tempest gives space for the others to gather around, quick to reiterate what Terry has already indicated. "Starfish can take a very long time to regrow a limb. If he needs to remain like this, you need to be sure the tank's conditions are kept consistent. He is still weakened. Here.."

Manipulating the water and sand, he sections off a portion of the area the starfish is in, depositing it gently into the large tank they brought with them. He makes no comment about the size of it, and what it might have been needed for. In fact, he remains more quiet than not. This is a moment he tries not to distract from.

Once everything is in the tank, there is just a slight shifting of one of those good limbs. Did Gar just 'wave' at them? What kind of focus must it have taken to turn into this while near death, and hold the form as long as he has?

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry nods, laser-focused on the entire procedure and making sure he pays attention to any warnings. This cargo is more precious to him than gold. "Understood. We will get him back and I'll personally make sure the transfer to the tank is done correctly." Clinical Terry is in charge. There's going to be plenty of time for emotions after the task is done. But right now he has not forgotten that there is a doppelganger with a mission to kill Gar. He is not safe until he is back at the tower, and transferred into his tank. "Thank you, Garth. Are you coming back with us or do you need to assist Aquaman?" coordinating with Kori and Harley, they start moving the container after sealing it. Since they were on comms, they could bring Gar aboard the sub while Garth told them what to do.

It's not as if the Atlantean would need to come with them in the sub. Terry was sure the brunet could /swim/ faster than the sub. Maybe they could put that to the test someday. Not now.

Koriand'r has posed:
With GarStar deposit into the tank, Kori does the logical then and presses her face right up against the glass! "Hello Gar!" She doesn't shout, she just stresses the words, then she swims backwards to give the pair of Gar and Terry some private alone time stuff. Swimming circles around Garth, even if she's not even a third of the swimmer he is! "Garth! You look great! Have you lost very much weight? I cannot wait for you to return to the Tower."

Whirling around with fiery red hair waving out around her as she back/forth strokes and scissor kicks in place. ... But when Terry stays all stoic and serious, Kori's mouth quirks slightly... Supposing she can understand, she does return to assist in getting Gar-tank into the Sub. "Yes! You should come with us, unless you cannot come with us, then you should just say you wish you could come with us and then not do so. We will understand it is a code."

Gar Logan has posed:
Garth assists where needed, but he does not rejoin them at this time. "I wish I could come with you but there are things I have to see to. By the time you're back in the Tower, I'll see that you have information on how to take care of him for now, but unless the regrowth process can be accelerated or unless he can shift back in between recovering, it's hard to say how long it will take. It was good to see you again, though." He wastes little time in departing, doing it quickly. If you don't stay for goodbyes, you don't have to say them.

There are no words from the starfish, though Beast Boy is known to be capable of speaking in just about any form. Trying to talk underwater is usually difficult to make out anyway, but he moves just enough that it might be an acknowledgement of the greeting. Maybe he's just hungry. It would be a normal thing. Most importantly, he has been found, and he is alive. The rest can be figured out in due time.