The New International Sealab

Roleplay Library
1

((http://z1.invisionfree.com/forums/The_East_Pacific/index.php?showtopic=7762))

Roughly ten years ago, nations in The East Pacific, in order to understand and study at previously unlivable depths, came together to build an International Sealab, a facility used to further education and development in the region, as well as strengthen bonds in the realm. They created labs in two locations - one in the “ring” region in the ocean, and one in the sea bordered by Infinite Loop, The Capital District, and Stromburg. This focuses on the latter sealab, which just finished construction roughly one year after the first one. Various underwater subs / diving equipment have been fashioned exclusively, donated by various nations, for the advancement of underwater exploration and discovery.

A map of the building is provided below. The building, which consists of various sections built and designed by different nations, is connected via a series of tubes (no pun intended) and, in some cases, is joined wall-to-wall. The facility is massive - larger than the first sealab - providing sufficient space for some 40-60 people to live comfortably for an extended period of time. Important points of the lab is a greenery where plants and vegetation can grow (as well as supply sufficient oxygen), and a cafeteria where all scientists may eat. Classrooms also exist for students wishing to learn more about the sea on a more personal basis, along with personal and communal labrooms. Sleeping quarters and living quarters are located in the central section and east wing. Docks for submarines are located on the west wing in addition to diving chambers capable of allowing divers to pressurize and explore the waters surrounding the facilities.

Map of the Facility

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/4789/sealabii.png

Key:
A - Main room / lounge room (two stories)
B - Cafeteria
C - Conservatory
D - Submarine docks
E - Exercise room
F - Restrooms (peoples rooms have bathrooms too)
I - Infirmary
J - Diving chambers
K - Library
L - Communal labs (labs everyone uses)
P - Private Labs (designated by countries, and no, I’m not going to have it so that someone claims a private lab. Just RP it if your nation has one)
O - Observation area
R - Residencies / scientist’s quarters
S - Service closet

Smaller rooms not pictured

Here’s some pictures:


Living quarters ( R), located on the Central Section.


Inside an occupant’s living quarters ( R).

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/06/17/gal_hotel_underwater.jpg
Cafeteria / eating location ( B)


View from a gathering room ( A), overlooking the living quarters.

((OOC: The plots from the old thread automatically carry over here. If you’re new, or want to create a character or characters for the lab, feel free to do so!))

2

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3152/elenasmall.jpg

After feeling sufficiently certain Lauren wasn’t going to wake up by her vocal requests alone, Elana Navinsku decided it was probably time to return to her field work outside. It would at least be calming. Out there she was in her own world, able to escape her pitfalls on land and really do what she did best: observe, discover, analyze, and of course swim. Heading out of the infirmary and into the hallway, she entered the main gathering room, knowing she had to change and gather her gear to ready herself for an afternoon of examining odd rock formations as demanded by her government, which was responsible for selecting her among hundreds of candidates and giving her this unique opportunity. If she were to complete her PhD under this current project, she knew she’d be a lock for basically any starting marine biologist job in Vekaiyu.

She couldn’t ignore those she worked with, however. What of this box of evil Verulo and Maksym were talking about? How could they as scientists try to get rid of it? Did they not understand how a scientist should never destroy something they could learn from?

Yet she had no reason to believe otherwise that there weren’t going to be people looking for the box, people from Allegheny who would try to find it and use it… for whatever purposes they could find. It would probably be best that they didn’t get their hands on it. But what could she do? As she pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her muzzle, she moved to a seat and stared out into the open waters. A frown crept onto her face when she recalled her problems over the past week - how she put everyone in danger when Decker came back to kill them all, how she nearly drowned when she went to fix the downed generators that had mysteriously glowed and turned back on. And when she wasn’t in the water, she was clumsy. Perhaps it’d be best to just let them all deal with the box and try to hide it as best they could.

Then again, she was crafty. And she could use her skills as a scientist to try and hide the box.

It couldn’t be hidden in the labs - it would be hard to hide it and would probably too dangerous to keep it around. It had to be set outside, out there somewhere. It wouldn’t be easy to move. If Maksym and Verulo were right, it had a very negative effect on a person’s emotions, as apparent from Lauren’s account, or lack of account for better reason. But what could they use to transport it?

Her ears perked up. “The diving sub! Of course! I could find a few people to get on that sub and I could go out there and try to find a good hiding spot for the box.” Her smile returned as she stood from her chair, looking around and shuffling her shoes on the floor, searching for those willing to help out.

3

Verulo was heading for the diving chamber to do some more work outside. That was when he saw Elana. “Oh good morning, Elana. Sleep well?” He no longer saw her as a love interest, but he now saw her as a friend. His heart belonged to Maks. “Well, I hope it stays that way. I know Maks said that he would figure out a way so we could stay together, but I probably should think of something myself.” He snapped back to Elana. Then, he remembered something. “I haven’t seen Kyle around lately. Is he…Oh. Oh!” Verulo smiled as he grinned at her. “Well, well. I see what’s going on now. I must congratulate you and Kyle. So what was he like?”

OOC: Yeah, he doesn’t know that Kyle left. Hey, scientists can’t be smart all of the time you know!

4

“I… what?”

Elana stopped in her tracks and looked up at Verulo. “Nothing happened. We’re scientists, not people who live in a soap opera.” She sighed as she shook her head. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m worried about people who might take a certain… box in the lab. Could you find someone who would be able to pilot a submarine? The Elvin with the grappling arms? If we could get someone to pilot that, I’d be able to find a good hiding spot for it while you all get it into the clamps and the pilot rendezvous at my location.”

She stepped to her left, but suddenly and abruptly stopped. “I’ll place a small position indicator next to the sub before I leave. Be careful using it - it does not take into account elevation. Just tell the pilot that so he knows how to look for me. I’ll be watching for the sub too, so hopefully that’ll be sufficient enough.” She stepped back, then ran toward the residents hall, nearly bumping into a coffee table in the process.

5

Verulo smiled as he listened to Elana. He followed her to ask her who aboard the lab knew how to pilot the sub when he nearly laughed his muzzle off when she ran straight into a coffee table. He lost it and just burst out laughing. “HAHAHA! Elana, you better be glad that your boyfriend, Kyle didn’t see this!”

6

Even if the worst of the emotional storm had passed for the moment, Maks’s mind remained troubled and overcast. The problems which had created the initial mental turmoil had of course not vanished or been resolved. They had just been momentarily displaced to the edges of his conscious mind and even there his thoughts could still take notice of them and be appropriately influenced. His internal malaise was reflected externally by the sluggishness with which he walked the short distance back to his room. A good thorough workout was something he usually enjoyed and would spring to indulge in, but the knowledge that he was going to do it now as nothing but a distraction from unpleasant thoughts seemed to have sucked all of the enjoyment right out of the activity.

When he did reach his quarters, Maks realized too late an important flaw with his self-prescribed therapeutic program. Unable to simply exercise dressed as he was, he had been forced to return to the epicenter of the entire muddled affair. The experience threatened for a moment to bring the storm back in full force, but at the very brink Maks managed to shake his head and take a step back. Stirred to action by the close call, he quickly changed, exchanging his T-shirt for an A-shirt and jeans for a pair of shorts, and hurried back out of the room before he went over the edge for a second time.

But before he had a chance to breath a sigh of relief at his narrow escape, the sound of intense laughter came echoing down the hall, which Maks immediately identified as Verulo’s with a twang of regret. When he looked, however, the first thing he saw was a somewhat flustered looking Elana headed his way. There was no way to get around her, and presumably Verulo somewhere behind her, and facing them for a few seconds would be better than retreating back into his room, so he approached.

“Elana, is everything okay?”

7

Elana ignored Verulo’s laughter, but was visibly vexed as her ears bent back slightly. She was so focused on the task at hand that she nearly bumped into Maksym. Had he not said anything, she probably would have just kept moving. Instead, she looked up and pushed her glasses back onto the bridge of her muzzle.

“Maksym!” she said as she stopped moving. “That box. I don’t think we should destroy that box. I think we can hide and run tests on it later! But this box, if you touch it, it makes the person act atypical, right?” She watched as he nodded. “Then we can’t touch it… I have an idea though. What if I got out there and tried to find a hiding spot for it while someone who can pilot the Elvin could contain the box in one of the grappling arms and meet me over a particular location for placement? I have a position indicator, so people should be able to find me!” She caught her breath after her thoughts spewed from her mouth. “Sorry. I don’t know how much time we have. Do you know anyone who can pilot that thing?”

8

Maksym responded by grimacing slightly and scratching his chin, a cover for the conflicted thoughts he was trying to work through. For starters, he was none to happy to have the issue of the box dumped on him out of the blue at a time like this. He wasn’t sure what to make of Elana’s suggestion that they preserve the device for study. The memories of his own close encounter with the device were still painfully fresh, but she had a point. And certainly, his own superiors wouldn’t be happy if they ever found out he’d willingly destroyed something like that.

Elana did an inadvertent kindness for him when she shifted the question slightly towards the benign, in and of itself at least, one of submarine pilots. “Well,” he began while shifting his scratching fingers to behind his ear. “I don’t think you want me piloting the thing, and even if I could I really don’t like it in those subs, it’s, well, very cramped for me in those things as you can imagine.” He grinned a touch out of mild embarrassment and automatically tried to make himself smaller with absolutely no success. “But how are you going to get it to the sub without touching it? Have you tried just like covering it up with something?”

9

Verulo listened to both Elana and Maks. “Well, I have some experience with piloting subs, I could pilot. However, let’s make sure that cube or whatever it is, is covered really good. Let’s secure it in a box, first before hiding it.”

10

Elana studied the body language of Maksym intently. Clearly he was bothered by the discussion of the box, but why would that supersede his duty as a scientist and not want to ensure the safety of this mysterious device?

She turned her head to Verulo. “But then how would we get it in the box in the first place. Maksym raises a valid point. I’m worried about how thorough these supposed governmental officials from Allegheny will search… we don’t even know if they have a tracking device for the box. And if they find out we’ve been hiding it, we’ll be in for some big trouble.” She looked to the ground. “But I don’t want to give it to them. Whatever it’s for, I don’t think it’s good.”

“I’d like for a good pilot to pilot the ship, but we don’t have much time…” She bit down on one of her fingers in thought. “As for the box… we should have tongs to grab it without touching it, right?”

11

Verulo nodded. “That’s sounds good. Maybe Kyle could help us? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Kyle in a while now. I know that this place is big, but still. Maks have you seen Kyle anywhere?”

Verulo’s initial thought was that Kyle and Elana had been spent some time with each other, just as he and Maks had done. Still, the fact that he hadn’t seen Kyle in a while was starting to put some doubt on that idea and it was starting to make him worried.

12

Roland Mason piloted the miniature sub with adept skill, his ocular implants allowing him to easily see obstructions coupled with a display HUD over his vision for better piloting allowed him to make good speed toward the sealab. He looked over his load out of weapons. One sub machine with buttstock removed, a knife, flashbangs and his pistol. The report of Decker’s death from the biosig chip implanted in his skin suggested that he was killed by the occupants of the sealab, hence why he was so heavily armed.

The sealab was in sight. Mason’s face was straight the entire time as he began to dock with the lab. Hopefully nobody would notice him coming in.

Laura woke from her drug induced sleep and stumbled off the bed. She stood for a moment propping herself up on the wall so that she could shake off the feeling of sleep and immobility. A mirror nearby showed that she still looked like a wreck, however some of the color had come back in her skin and her expressionless eyes did not seem as tired to her. Talking could be heard from the main room and she walked in unnoticed, only Verulo, Elana and Maksym seemed to be left, Kyle was nowhere to be seen and the strange women who had come earlier was not present either. She didn’t mind being the only human left on the lab but it did make her feel somewhat more lonely that she already had been.

They were talking about the box, cube whatever it was called now and how they could get it off. A pang of guilt surged through her as she remembered she basically dumped it on them when she drugged herself to sleep. “I can pilot the sub, I have been extensively trained for that.” The others turned around to see her as she leaned up against the door frame.

The sub surfaced into the docking bay and Roland Mason opened the hatch he examined the empty room carefully sweeping it with his sub machine gun. The sub Laura and Decker had taken here was already parked in one of the bays the cargo hatch open. “Maybe they already found it, that would mean its somewhere in the base. Shit.” All of a sudden an electronic voice sounded across the lab. “Sub dock complete, you may depart your vehicle.” Mason’s heart pounded as his entry was no longer secret. Jumping down onto the platform, he dashed toward one of the vents nearby and quickly opened it and hid back from the entrance of the vent, the cover itself neatly locking back into place making his dash for cover easier.

13

Elana’s ears perked up after she heard the affirmation from the docking room. It was faint, but the exclamation was one she remembered hearing before. Someone was coming. “I don’t know how much time we have left,” she said in a whispered voice.

She held her breath, afraid to say anything at first, but the silence was deafening. “I think Laura would be good to pilot the sub if someone isn’t readying it already, but… are you okay?” Despite Laura nodding in affirmation, it gave Elana little confidence that she was in a right state for piloting a sub. Still, the options they had at this point were limited at best. “Okay. And as for me…” she trailed off, remembering the last time an unwanted visitor appeared in the confines of the lab. “I think it’d be best if I just stuck to my plan. I won’t be useful if there’s a confrontation, but I can help if needed. I’ll be… near the generators where that outcropping of rocks is. I’ll prepare a good spot for it and some rocks and other debris to cover it completely. I know my way around that area now, so I should be able to work quickly.”

She moved forward, but then stopped to listen if there were footsteps coming their way. Aside from a slight commotion, there wasn’t anything too worrysome, but it was clear now more than ever that they were not alone. “We’re not alone,” she added with monotone disquiet. “I… it might be best to arm ourselves… just in case…” She quickly moved into the resident’s corridor to grab her gear and prepare for the chambers, trying to remember where she put her spear gun.

14

It was becoming a depressingly predictable routine by this point. As soon as Laura had shown up, still something of a mess but better than before and at least conscious, and then had gone on to say that she was capable of piloting a sub, Maks had instinctively felt deep down in his heart that it must be too good ot be true. On the sealab, the arrival of good news was always a harbinger of bad news which more than canceled it out. This time was no exception, as the announcement of a new and doubtlessly unwelcome guest plainly illustrated.

It was slightly depressing to see Elana beat him to the punch in suggesting the obvious. He had thought of her as one of the less jaded members of the crew. “Yeah, I have to agree with that,” was all he could think to grimly mumble as he watched her scurry off to her allotted task with an equally grim expression. It struck him as terribly symbolic of the life he seemed to be trapped in. He had just removed his holster when he had changed into his exercise clothing. He had been looking forward to a period under which he wouldn’t have to carry the burden. But no, fate it seemed was determined not to allow him such a happiness.

While these pseudo-philosophical thoughts ran through his weary mind he looked for a moment and Laura and Verulo. He immediately found himself wondering why he had done that. Had he been expecting to find some kind of hope in their eyes that he could borrow? There certainly wasn’t any and he realized how stupid the idea was. “I’m going to go back to my room and get my pistol, I won’t be gone for long.” Without wasting anymore time on another word, he turned and hurried off to his quarters at a brisk pace.

15

Verulo looked at Laura and said, “Laura, I’m sorry about saying that you had a fetish for canines. And…um…are feeling okay? Maks told me that you were hurt really bad, and I think of you as a friend.”

Verulo sighed as he added, “Also, it turns out my government is also interested in the so-called abandoned base. Can you tell me anything about it?”

16

Laura shook her head and frowned, “Verulo, now is not the time to explain. Somebody just docked with the lab did you not hear that?” Laura did not wait for him to answer. “Look, I am going to check on the device and see if there is a way we can get it back onto the sub easily.” Laura turned and walked toward the labs and left the others to their jobs.

No sound had come from anywhere in the base as Mason undid the vents and exited back out into the docking area. Intel told him there weren’t to many people so he felt he was overacting at this point. Shouldering the sub machine gun he exited the docks into hallway, a sign overhead pointing him to the labs. However he did not know where the device was specifically and sneaking around to try and find it would only get him caught in these small quarters.

Footsteps.

Mason hugged the wall as he heard footsteps coming from a perpendicular adjoining hallway. “A woman,” He thought to himself noting the feminine sound of the gait. As she came closer Mason took a chance and stepped out into the hallway. The woman ran right into him and faltered a few steps back before looking at him. “Dr. Fisher, what a pleasant surprise.” Laura did not get a chance to respond as his hand was soon around her neck squeezing, she let out a small yelp as he picked her up and brought her up to his level. “Were is the device?!” He asked expecting an answer out of her as he choked her. Laura wildly flailed her arms and legs as his grip tightened, he slammed her into a wall and let go. She fell to her knees. “Where is the device.” Laura stayed silent only yelling out when he stepped on her hand smashing it into the floor and grinding on it with the heel of his boat. She began to cry as the pain from her broken hand shot up her arm. He picked her up again and positioned her into a hold as he started choking her again. “Tell me where it is or I will kill you.” The barrel of his pistol now digging into the side of her head.

17

Verulo sighed as he watched Laura walked away. “Smooth move Verulo,” he thought. Then, he heard someone docked at the sealab. “Hm…” He turned around and his eyes widened in terror. “Oh God…You!”

“Hello, Doctor,” the stranger said.

The sound of a gunshot rang through the entire sealab as did Verulo’s screams.

OOC: This introduces my rogue DIEIS agent.

18

Once Elana entered back into the gathering room, she heard danger down two hallways. One appeared to be the hallway she was heading down, while the other was near the private labs area. It was hard to determine, though: her ears, while they were strong, had a hard time judging the acoustics as the sound waves bounced across the cylindrical room like coins in a tin can. She shook her head and set her gear down, wondering if the others heard that too.

What to do. Her mind raced as bushels of suggestions invaded her mind. Should she continue with what she told the others she would do? But how could she just leave them there while she was safe in the confines of the diving chamber? What if she got out there and no one followed her? Or if she came back and everyone was dead? Could she live with herself knowing that she ignored her comrades? Didn’t she go through all of this not too long ago?

All she had was a speargun. And judging by what had happened earlier, she wasn’t skilled at using it sans water at all. Her ears bent back as she picked up her equipment and moved to the wall that bordered the two hallways. Whatever she was going to do, it couldn’t be what she did before. At least not in the exact way she did it.

She contemplated maybe shutting the air off in the facility, but such a task would take hours before anyone really passed out. Didn’t the lab have any riot control devices, like if a handful of scientists flipped out? She didn’t know, and doubted anyone else would really know where they kept it. There didn’t seem to be any non-invasive ways of helping. Taking a large breath in to calm herself, she grabbed her spear gun, but then noticed her hands were still shaking when she gripped the handle. Sighing, she looked around her, breathed a few more times to calm down, then turned toward the hallway where the docking bay was located.

“Stop right there!” she said, her voice a little shaky but still loud. Her eyes widened when she noticed someone was beating up Laura pretty badly. When she pushed her glasses up to her face, she noticed the man at the end of the hallway had a gun. “I… said stop!”

19

Mason threw Laura to the side knowing full well she was incapable of doing anything to him after his quick strike on her. He smiled and looked at the trembling vulpine scientist. “Give it up. The Alleghenian government has come for it’s property, property which the residents of this lab have decided to keep away from us.” He spoke as he walked down the hallway slowly towards Elana. “Give me what I want and I will take the device and this traitor and leave you all alone. Fail to do that and I will kill all of you,” he finished stopping halfway the distance to Elana, staring at her in a menacing fashion, the glow of his eyes brighter in the dark hallway. A gunshot rang out from the other confines of the lab. “Seems we aren’t alone. Do the right thing. Don’t you care for your life? I could kill you with one hand.”

Laura propped herself up with her good hand. “I’ll tell you. I give up. It’s not worth it anymore.”

Mason’s face became deadly serious. “Drop your weapon. Listen to her, she’s smart,” Mason projected his voice so Laura could hear, “Maybe your intelligence will prevent you from being hanged, Fisher.”

20

Elana looked up at the Alleghenian as he approached, the glowing blue eyes practically staring into her very soul. Her nerves got the best of her as she shook for fear of what he would do next. This wasn’t a killer squid or an unruly shark. This was a thinking human being she had her gun pointed at. It was… different. While she loved animals and often felt she connected with the fish better than those who supposedly were more capable of emotions, she just couldn’t bring herself to kill someone unless it was the absolute last option.

But then there was Laura. And the box. It was her duty as a scientist to ensure it was protected. Depending on what it was capable of, maybe it was her duty to ensure no one misused it either. Seeing as he was willing to kill everyone for it, it had to be important, and probably in a bad way.

She cowered slightly as her ears bent back. “N-no!” she replied, trying to ignore the gunshot from the other hallway. “I can’t let you! I’m a scientist!” She swallowed hard.