Log:Tranquility Lost, Scene 1

Tranquility Lost 2021/09/12  Artemis Engelicus Linda Kid Tengu Magda 1

It's a hot sunny late Friday afternoon. The kids have been released from school for the weekend, and in consequence the beaches are as packed as they get out of season, and largely with the young. The water, too, has a deal of swimmers, wind-surfers, people in boats, etc.

Released from school, Linda headed to the beach to enjoy the warm autumn afternoon. Wearing a red one piece swimsuit she almost but not quite besieged by younger kids wanting to chat and get autographs. Something she is visibly uncomfortable with as she isn't a hero, yet, just a junior Starguard Gamma agent.

Magda is one of the swimmers, enjoying the water and wearing a racerback tank swimsuit in silver. There's a big umbrella up on the beach, with a four-person beach blanket, a couple of towels, and a basket of goodies.

Engelicus is standing up on the boardwalk, looking down over the beach at the various humans absorbing the star's radiation. He shakes his head, not quite understanding it, as the heat doesn't really impact him much - as evidenced by the plate mail armor he wears nearly everywhere.

Having disappeared from work, Artemis has escaped the monotony of the legal offices to hit up the beach. She flies out over the boardwalk, still in full armor and cape, as that was the only change of clothes she had stored on the office building's rooftop.

This is Colonial Bay, and people in armour don't draw looks as much as one might expect - though most avoid getting too close to those dressed for a fight. Linda seems much more approachable.

KT is on the boardwalk, as the shape chosen for Travis Morgan's father when required by 'nups they encountered. He's putting up fliers with his missing human right in the center and an @ddress that goes straight to his PDA.

He ignores the various scents and sights at the beach, and is instead deeply focused on his task.

He glances back along his path to make sure he's got the right distance between fliers.

Linda and Magda notice a strange sudden new waves, as if the water at one spot had been suddenly displaced by a large object. Linda can make out that it seems too be an undersea creature. The other heroes don't spot the swell, but do hear a sudden piercing scream from a swimmer, followed by frantic splashing.

Linda tells the children around her to go to the parents and get off the beach. Then she lifts off and flies out toward the disturbance, arriving above the location and activating her x-ray vision to get a clearer view of what the creature is like.

Engelicus raises a brow, but does detect that the human in the water seems to be in distress. His fiery wings manifest from his back as he takes off, flying out toward where the swimmer is having difficulty.

Artemis focuses on the scream. She also flies out in that direction.

Kid Tengu tries to ignore everything but his search but the scream shakes him from his task.

The elder Morgan turns towards the scream while simultaneously stepping towards a shaded alcove where he shifts forms.

Now bridging the gap between arthropod & anthropoid he clambors up to the top of the boardwalk and leaps off of the peer, gliding towards the sound. As he gets airborn his form shifts some more to allow for true powered flight. From here he sees the Godflora already leading the charge. he unfortunately is not as fast but needs to get over the beachgoers quickly.

Linda shouts out in surprise, "It's a dinosaur!"

Linda sees also that the creature in heading, mouth open, for the panicked swimmer.

Linda's announcement of 'dinosaur' encourages other nearby swimmers to panic, too!

Kid Tengu gets over most of the crowd, and comes in for a landing just short of the goal so he can size up this 'dinosaur'. He thought they were extinct on this Earth! Imagine his surprise!

He gets a feral look on his face.

Linda swoops down to take hold of the swimmer calling out, "Grab my hand, lady." and if she gets a hold flies her and herself up out of reach of those open jaws. If she fails to get a food hold she'll end her movement between the creature and the swimmer. Presenting herself as an appitizing snack.

Linda grabs the proffered hand of the screaming swimmer and lifts her up and out of the ocean to a height of 20m.

Linda calls out, "There's some kind of device on the sea bed under where it appeared."

Artemis understands little of the meaning of this. "A dinosaur? I hope that be a fearsome beast to frighten the mortals so," she smiles, commenting to Engelicus as she draws near. "Whatever manner of creature this be, mayhaps I can inspect this primitive device whilst ye handle the beast!" She then completely abandons her Godfloran brother and flies down for the water, taking a deep breath before she shoots under the surface like a diver, attempting to find this device.

Artemis finds the box, about shoebox size. It isn't currently making and sound or showing lights.

Engelicus was intending to pull the swimmer out, but finds that another is quicker than he is. But at least he can see the large creature underwater. "I see it." He stops his flight and hovers. His wings flap slowly, keeping him aloft, while he generates flames around his hands...and unleashes it in the direction of the creature.

A swipe of her fingers at the hollow of her throat, and Magda exchanges silver for black. A fluid movement of her hands sends her through the water, closer to the sudden burst of energy; it is actually further than she normally flies. At times, manipulating the magnetic field is assisted by an increase in material -- and seawater is excellent for that.

Engelicus barely misses with the lance of flame. "It is a little quicker than I expected."

She's dressed in a metal breastplate of no earthly design, a dark red mid-thigh battle skirt with studded leather strips, light segmented pauldrons, armored leggings, and knee high boots with greaves strapped to them. A dark red cloak tied asymmetrically with a bronze clip is worn over her pauldrons. Over the knee boots with greaves to protect them. Her wrists are adorned with metal bracers. At her left hip is a sword that looks like a gladius.

The box Artemis is holding is partially disassembled, opening the inner workings to the water. One swimmer's expensive waterproof watch is completely trashed.

The plesiosaur's snack is snatched away from it! But it saw a big fish with shiny scales diving past it into the water. It dives after Artemis and tries to bite her!

Artemis's phone starts to come apart, seams opening up and water pouring into it. It's dead, Jim.

The plesiosaur is unpleasantly surprised by just how hard this fish's scales are!

Artemis is still inspecting the odd shoebox as she apparently breaks that without realizing her phone is also destroyed. She tries to hold it together when she senses movement. She turns her head and puts up her shield just as the beast chomps down on her. She smiles as though dealing with an overeager puppy.

Kid Tengu sees Engelicus miss- likely due to teh creature being under teh water. So, quite naturally, KT bulks up and begins trudging into the water to Abraxxian-handle the beast himself.

Two tentacles stretch out of his back with clawed hooks on each end.

He lunges at the beast, his tentcles launched in front of him to get a hold of the beast before it can dive too deep as it chases after Artemis.

The creature makes a sound which suggests it didn't like that...

Linda flies the rescued swimmer back to the shore and lets go of her hold, "You should be safe here. The heroes will stop it getting to shore."

Kid Tengu gets his hooked tentacles into the great beast and digs in.

His tentacles instinctively wrap around the limbs they've managed to catch, encircling both main fins along the left flank of the great, time-lost pleisosaurus and then he squeezes with all his might, hoping to stun o rat least istract the beast into finding other prey. He still needs Artemis to teach him archery!

Artemis is trying to keep the crumbling box safe to inspect. She struggles to figure out what it does.

Artemis can tell that the device is made with Earth technology, but it's built to a design unlike other tech she's seen on Earth. She could swear it's some sort of temporal manipulation tech she didn't thing the Earthers had. She also finds writing on what used to be the inside of the box: 'Property of the Timekeeper'

Engelicus remains where he is, hovering in the air...and he fires at the creature again, sending another blast of soulfire in its direction. Surely Kid Tengu will be fine.

With a shield and a box in hand, and watching a dinosaur while fiddling with a device, Artemis makes very little progress swimming to the surface. She's trying to not destroy the device more than she thinks she already has. She furrows her brow at what she discovers of the strange device. Primitive Earth components, but the design reveals some advanced skill. She reads the label within as it becomes revealed.

Engelicus misses...again. Clearly he needs to get closer...or to go underwater.

The plesiosaur, perhaps unused to things being able to grab it, does't try to break out as such - but just to hit its captor with its long tail.

Magda swoops theough the water like a seal to Artemis, tapping her on the shoulder and holding out her hand in a clear offer to take the gizmo away and let Artemis help out with what the scientist fears will be the Godflora's Newest Pet.

KT isn't as tough as his mentor, but he's working on it. Thanks to his tough hide he wears the blow, digging in further.

He sneers but doesn't let go or even shake it off, thinking this proves who is the apex predator here.

Kid Tengu attempts to reel his catch in to shore- hoping to beach it here, where the water is shallower.

He takes steps back for extra distance but not at teh risk of losing his prey.

He lets out a low rumble from deep in his chest.

The plesiosaur shows how strong a swimmer it is by resisting being moved, though Kid Tengu still has a hold on it.

Artemis tosses the box to Magda. It's a slow toss. It's broken, after all. What's the worst that could happen now. She swims alongside the plesiosaur. It's bite wasn't so bad. It must be playing, just like fluffy. She gives it's side a pat and strokes it as she tries to get closer to the head.

Given the gizmo, Magda zooms away through the water. Does she ... have a /grin/ on her face?!?

Artemis makes her first apprach to taming the plesiosaur, but it's rather distracted now playing tug-o'-war with KT.

Linda is confident that Kid Tengu and Artemis alone can handle the plesiosaur. But there;s the other guy, in plate mail already, and Magda. So hearing the sound of vehicle horns and at least one collision she heads toward Lowtown.

"Well holy buttercups!" Linda exclaims as she spots the cause of the horn blaring. She shouts back to the gathering of heroes, "Could do with some help here if you can manage it." Then contacts SGG via comms to alert them.

The plesiosaur tries to shake off Kid Tengu.

But KT's hold is too firm.

Things at the beach oddly seem to be getting calmer: with the monster below the waves, it seems the heroes have all in hand.

Kid Tengu let's out an unnatural trill as he struggles against the pleisosaur. He doesn't give up on pulling it to shore- that was jsut his first tug before. He gives it another yank towards him.

Magda emerges from the water like an overactive seal, soaring into the air and taking a look around to check on possible bystander danger.

Engelicus sees that the dinosaur seems to be well in hand, as far as he can tell. So he turns...and flies off toward where Linda is. Perhaps she spotted something that needs to be dealt with.

Linda speeds up a little less than she is capable of as she knows it will take her several more seconds to get into effective range, even for her. And there's clearly more than she can handle on her own. This allows her to flare heat beams into sky, hopefully to be taken as a signal something is amiss ahead of her.

Seeing that /of course/ John and Jane Q. Public of Colonial Bay, Virginia, are going to be blase about a sea monster once the heroes get there, Magda gestures towards where things are most likely to get dangerous should the dinosaur wriggle free. People undoubtedly protest as they are moved rapidly out of the danger zone, but at least they will be safer.

Artemis continues trying to swim to the surface, petting the dangerous dinosaur and scritching it affectionately. She's unaware of the alarm happening above the surface.

Maybe Artemis is beginning to get through to Plessie, now KY is no longer hurting it as such?

Crowd control duties concluded, Magda zooms off to get a line on what Linda sees -- and then do something about it.

Plessie once again tries to break free...

Once again, KT holds Plessie tight while Artemis pets it.

Magda pauses for the briefest of moments in mid air, blinking at the visual down range. "That is not something you see every day," she states conversationally, then flies off after the other two heroes, trying to figure out how they are going to corral a herd of triceratops.

Ahead of (some of) the heroes, the situation changes. Whether it's all the honking horns, or the annoying gawkers, or the police sirens, or something else it's hard to say, but one of the triceratops is spooked and starts running down Sea Breeze Blvd. And, like good herd animals, the others follow suit, and soon there is a stampede of two dozen, maybe three dozen of the dinosaurs, heading straight for the motorists...