Log:Spill Cleanup at Monkey Island

2020/01/21 Cade Baker Rangel Grimm 1

The middle of the island is a dense jungle of plantlife and echoes with sounds of wildlife at hunt and play. Perched high among the treetops are dozens of huts made from broken branches, vines, mud-bricks, and woven grass.

On the far east curve, stands a small Star Guard research station, its one story above-ground facade made of thick concrete with tall narrow windows protected by steel shutters. The roof of the station displays an impressive array of sensors and communications equipment. The rest of the station lies deep below ground at the bottom of a quarter-mile deep elevator shaft.

"We should be there shortly- report said the issue was on the North side. Can you radio the research station and let them know we're maybe 2 minutes out?" He asks as he manuevers them ever closer to the wilds ahead.

"Okay, so we're going to head directly to the spot we vaguely know something is happening and then use our detective skills to understand what we're doing there," Rangel muses. "You guys get that? We're on the case! Whatever that may be!" She grins, lounging in the bubble. "I wouldn't worry too much about me with the indiginouses. Indigini? Indigos? Wendigos. Probably very few wendigos. I'll tell you if I see any!"

Baker also received the announcement and, due to its priority and others being busy, is likewise sent out to investigate. It may wind up routine, but it is better than safety and procedure briefings. He isn't flying, nor swimming, rather skimming over the surface of the water on his board.

Grimm was supposed to be on break from using her powers. But the emergency situation called for backup, and she was one of the few available who could get there on her own. She teleports out and above Monkey Island, hovering as she orients herself.

From above the island, the mysterious slick is plainly visible and seems to be coming from a point offshore and being brought to shore by the lapping waves. There is nothing at the surface- but since Grimm's perceptions are far beyond those of mortal men, she will likely be able to sense more if she gets closer. Still, even from here its clear the substance is coming from beneath the waves.

His eyes are immedaitely set on the slick and analyzing what's happening, leaving Rangel to watch the wild woods behind him.

Rangel leaps to the highest non-sentient surface she can reach as lookout point, landing on the tip of a radio tower with bow snapped into ready position. A wave is sent, one of the non-wet kinds, to Grimm, and to Baker, albeit with less familiarity. Slightly less. "Two from the brain squad, one from the arrow brigade and uh... you know I never checked an initial thought but you aren't the type to eat brains, are you? Not that I'm judging just the first impression I got back a few months and never checked. But if you did would that put you on the brain squad too?"

Grimm spots some familiar metahumans and teleports down to the beach, giving some clear space between her and them. She waves to them, and raises at Rangel's brain question. "Maybe."

Grimm looks back out over the water and points in a direction. "There's a shipwrecked submersible that way. Damaged, but no mayday calls yet, at least as far as Starguard's picked up."

His eyes scan the slick surface of the sea and he furrows his brow.

Rangel can smell the chemicals. Its an awfuly acrid smell with a hint of priopropalithanol - a stasis inducing solution that halts biological processes immediately, but kills the organism as well. A smell that she might recognize from her time with NextGen.

A few glints of light that don't match the waves proves some fish are already going belly up after exposure.

"Jokes aside, that stuff is extremely toxic," Rangel informs. "Those fish are dead, You might also be dead if it says hello to your body with a handshake. We should probably call in a top priority hazmat team. Also that vessel might belong to Next Generation. If that's the case I do not want to speculate what they're up to here other than a plot to murder every indigine. If it is them I'll speculate a lot more."

Better late than never? Baker is quick to respond, just not especially quick to arrive. In his defense, he lacks hypersonic flight or instantaneous teleportation. As well, the water is a bit choppy.

He finally arrives at the beach, spotting several, familiar, peers and drifts to them across the sand. "What's the situation?"

Grimm looks to Rangel. "Guess that explains why there's no distress call."

It doesn't take but a few secnds for Cade's form to disappear beneath the waves.

"Baker- we've got a cracked submersible, well what we think is a cracked submersible. Could be a boat I guess. Either way, its leaking something toxic. I'm going to try to see if I can halt the leaking. The research crew on the island have reported a few of the indigenous islanders approaching but besides ape-prints int he sand I haven't seen any thing of the sort. Still- you guys keep an eye out. I'm keeping my comms on, updates pending more information." He says over their StarGuard commlines.

Of course, Rangel, Grimm & Baker's extraordinary senses can see/hear/smell/feel movement in the treeline beyond. LOTS of movement.

Grimm radios quietly over the comms, "I think we have company already."

"Good news," Rangel speaks into the comms. "They're not currently trying to make us dead. Bad news! I can't count that many in short order but that number is high. Not sure when they're planning to come out and begin with the violence. How wide an area can you take down?"

"Also bad news, they're armed," Grimm adds quietly to the comms. "The apes are sanctioned to be here. We can defend ourselves, but we shouldn't hurt them if we can help it."

"Indigenous islanders..." Baker hmms as 'ape prints' are mentioned in the same sentence. "Are we talking lei and luau islanders or lost cannibal tribe ...nevermind." While, technically, they're not mutually exclusive, he and Cade already voiced their negative opinions on cannibalism. Specifically on playing the entree.

"I can feel them moving around, but that's all." That doesn't stop him from eyeing the treeline anxiously.

"Hyper-intelligent apes," Grimm clarifies for Baker.

"That's not ideal- but our Lancer (Grimm) is right." Cade says over comms, sounding as if he were in a perfectly silent room as he moves beneath the waves as easily as he does above them. "You guys should hold your ground and hopefully they keep their distance. I can see the shi--- actually. It is a submersible. Not a model I recognize but its not really my forte. Either way, I've got eyes on. I'm going in for a closer look."

Birds take to the air as soon as the beat begins.

"Just because it's not moving does not make it safe to approach," Rangel informs over comm. "Not asking you to hurt them, just wondering-- oh we may very soon find out the answer to what I asked. Shot limit of twelve here."

Baker frowns at the calls and beating drums. "I see. They don't sound like the chess-playing or tea and crumpets sort of hyper-intelligent. I'm guessing a picnic or friendly game of beach volleyball is out of the question, so.. don't get hurt, don't hurt them. Got it. Anyone have any ideas on a plan?"

Grimm looks to Baker, then to Rangel, then shrugs and takes two steps forward, hands up in the air. She calls out, "We come in peace!" That's her plan? Yeah...

The beat stops as soon as Grimm calls out, then a wave of softer beats and calls emanates outward but clearly starts with just one- still dead in front of the heroes, just hidden in the canopy. It seems to bounce and roll back towards the center- its tones shifted into a higher octave but otherwise the same.

That lone ape is the only voice heard amongst the many, but his words- whatever they are, are spread by others running down the line.

Grimm will know while the others reasonably suspect that the movement out of their sight has halted completely besides the beat players and the speakers. Grimm will see one- the one that happened to have the best seat in the house to see the heroes, begins to make his way down the massive jungle trunk.

"Hazmat's not what I'm talking about," Rangel informs over comms. "The contents of that vessel may include one or more agents of Next Generation and those are not generally predictable. We got a situation brewing up here. If either of you presently dry types are capable of telepathy this might be a good time to try to open communication before they try a universal action based language." She snaps her bow into a collapsed state in a manner that can be easily seen, lowering it to her side.

"I can try," Baker offers, "though it might provoke them further." Then again, he did ask for suggestions, and this does potentially resemble a plan. At the very least, an addendum to Grimm's efforts. So he focuses on the original lone voice, or that vicinity, while extending his mind's eye outward.

He frowns.

The rest of the warparty literally fall out of their perches and charge to follow. The beat resumes but quickens.

About 5 seconds later a tide of apes emerges behind him, charging as well. They move to encircle the heroes.

Baker frowns, though more in concentration and focus than annoyance. Mostly. "Ok, got him. He's ... oh shi- Incoming!" He warns the others and then attempts to calm himself before sharing with the one contacted. <>

"Situation updated," Rangel updates. "We are being surrounded. They do not look friendly." She is on alert, ready to move and make herself a very difficult target.

"I'm working on it..." Baker adds to Rangel's update, while he keeps eyes on the point man who emerged first.

"Is that 'getting' him?" Grimm smirks as she readies herself. She prepares to throw a wall up around them if needed.

Cade replies, "I don't think we're supposed to get into with the natives, Baker. I've got eyes on the contaminants- but i need time to steal and transport. Do you require backup? Over."

All the while, the Speaker stands and watches the Heroes.

He reaches two fingers into a small pouch hung around his waist. Removing them its clear there is some kind of pigment inside. Bright blue, likely made of seashells and other materials accessible from the island.

He repeats himself again, but locking eyes on Baker.

Baker finaly looks away from the Speaker and to the others. "I told him we're here for clean up, and not to steal away his people, or poison the water, like the 'Hunters' have been doing." He nods towards the water. "Of course, thanks to them, he doesn't trust us... but he's giving us a chance to prove we're not lying. By cleaning up the mess."

Grimm nods slowly "Okay. So...we clean up the mess." She hopes somebody knows how. "We stop the source first, then we can clean."

"So did they happen to break the vessel?" Rangel asks. "'cause if so I have an idea as to who's responsible for the takings. So we're supposed to earn trust by cleaning up?" She begins to climb down. She lifts the collapsed bow. "Weapon." She puts it into her quiver. Subvocally, she adds in comms, "I'm not equipped to do cleanup of toxic substances. Nor do I know how. What I am is a tracker. Also I kind of used to do pickup jobs for Next Gen."

"I wouldn't suggest you advertise that to this group," Baker offers and nods to Grimm. "We stop the leak, and get that thing out of here. Then we can get the water detoxified. With any luck, the Hazmat team will be here by then for that." He calls to Cade on comms. "Is that thing a wreck? Or can we get it out of here?"

Grimm sighs and looks to the other Starguard agents. "It'll take time to clean a mess this big."

The Speaker feels their connection sever. He moves towards Baker and attempts to rub the pigment from the center of his forehead to the tip of his nose. The Warparty continue their circling.

"That's not awful- that is what we're here to do! Tell them we found the source of the mess, and will be bringing it to the surface so it stops leaking into the water." Cade replies cheerfully. "Well, its a wreck for sure. But that's good news because ther eis no way this stuff is legal. And- we might have some 'Hunter's' too. Its dark in there, but maybe their accident caused a power loss or something. Either way. I think between all of us, we can bring the sub to shore too. If it wasn't so deep I might be able to do it myself but the displacement required is... well its well past my ability to fly solo."

Rangel raises her hand again and steps toward the Speaker, pulling her collapsed bow out into hand, carefully changing its shape to be the bow. "I hunt. Protect. Our tribe protect. Another tribe steal from you. They steal me twice."

Grimm raises a brow. "I might be able to," she says uncertainly. "Just not sure if I can get close enough to it safely."

"The one underwater's a T-K specialist. You alone could. You and he probably more than enough to do it safely. Don't know if the new guy can chip in but if so, that's three." Rangel rambles. "If this is Next Gen we have a big job ahead of us. They kidnap for two reasons, extracting meta DNA and imbuing meta DNA. Guess which they'd come here for."