13983/TO the Scene of Previous Crimes...

TO the Scene of Previous Crimes...
Date of Scene:	25 November 2021
Location:	Off the Coast of Japan, Pacific Islands.
Synopsis:	A myriad of pacific campaign ruins on the ocean floor and a strange crevace in the pacific shelf off the coast of japan, deserved investigation. And it was weird. But then there was polynesian respite to be had.
Cast of Characters:	Sinister, Lucifer

Sinister has posed:
You cannot rush some processes, so no efforts were made to do so. However, diving back into problem solving and investigation is a thing that perhaps can be dealt with in stages. And reconnaissance begs to be had, from readings that were transmitted by an errant agent of Sinister's. Besides which, deserted islands in the pacific rim are fun places to visit, when you don't have to deal with more than a small fishing town on the opposite side.

Of course, there are more than one CHristmas island in the Pacific rim, because they tended to be found, guess when. Similarly, there's more than one Easter island. This however, is neither of them, but it does have an abundant population of robber crabs and local pigs, brought by the polynesians. It is otherwise quite idyllic, with white beaches, springs and streams, palm trees, sun, surf, reef, little fishes, sharks and a history.

It seems at least Sinister is aware of some of that history, as arrival there involved checking into the only hotel on the island, which is little more than a motel would be in other places -- ten or so rooms and only 2 or 3 stars if it had stars at all. THe biggest suite available and possibly staying a couple of days. Then to the north west point of the island, looking out into the ocean and the trenches that are further to the west. "I wonder if I've not been looking at things closely enough. You done much tripping across the rim?" is asked, whilst looking out into the water with binoculars.

Lucifer has posed:
More than one Pacific Island, more than one Easter Island, and likely several islands that have not even been discovered yet. The world is a mysterious place, and only seems to get smaller and smaller as more and more places are found. None the less, here they are! The motel is an interesting place, but it's the only place unless they want to go camping on the beach. (Which Lucifer might suggest at some point).

Aside from that, the island itself is gorgeous and as they walk to the north-west point, he tilts his head at what Nathaniel has to say. "What do you mean? What things and how closely do you think you need to look at them?" Asking this while looking out at the crystal blue waters beyond the sand. "Tripping across the rim? No?"

Sinister has posed:
"This area..." Sinister replies, with a bit of history for the context "...in Nineteen fourty five up until the nineteen fifties, the pacific rim became the site of a good many atomic testing sites. During the pacific campaign, there were quite a number of allied encampments out here, prior to the invasion of the phillipines and on toward mainland japan and there were several disasters. I am wondering now, given -this- areas history, whether there's a connection to the other sites. Not necessarily warfare issues, but concentrated events that may have catalyzed the rifts."

Turning on the spot to scan the horizon, he clucks his tongue and lowers the binoculars. "Can't see diddly squat from topside though," taking out a pocket GPS/PDA/supercomputer, he eyeballs a few readings. "It's out there though, about seventy five nautical miles. This is the closest island I could find with a base of operations. That says nothing for atols though." There's a glance about, then a wry chuckle. "Here we are in paradise and I'm downplaying it, mind."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer seems to consider this for a moment as he continues to look out towards the horizon that seems to stretch for eternity. "Well our site in the Savage Lands doesn't have any war history does it? Or the lighthouse that we were at when Constantine came to go rift closing?" He asks, as if trying to think on something. "So the only connection that each site has is, it shows signs of being a location of a rift, and each rift is for a different element. Unless I've missed something?"

He then gives a grin at that last bit that Nathaniel says and shakes his head. "We came out here so you could survey and we could look into this. Sure this may be a paradise, but we are here to work more than to play." A pause as he shrugs his shoulders. "Though I wouldn't mind maybe mixing a little play with work to be fairly honest. Go rub elbows with the locals perhaps?"

Sinister has posed:
"Easily done, later. Alright..." he takes his PDA thing, extends a probe from it and inserts it down into the sand by the water, crouching down to set it to record various things. "I'm talking more Cause and Effect, Luci. We know the effect -- that there's rifts. THe cause of them, may have an origin I hadn't considered. But to find out if that theory has any value, I'd have to look over the history of the lighthouse in Conneticut, also. I do know that that one was considered haunted, so for air, it may be a manifestation energy tied with apparitions or, as some suspect them to be, timeline repetition events. Causality at work. Something caused the rifts to appear where they're actually -at- after all."

Straightening up, he puts hands on hips, considers the placement of the sensor for surveillance, nods to himself and ambles back to the devil. "Are you up to going for a dive? Or more into the local flavour?"

Lucifer has posed:
"Ah that, well, that makes sense. Course isn't that also something we were going to bring in John on to help try and figure out the cause?" Lucifer asks, not trying to question Nathaniel so much, but just sort of making sense of everything. Making sure he's following along with it all rightly enough. "Ooh, that's an interesting thing. But then what's the cause in the Savage Lands? Alien activity? Happy accident?" He wonders and then looks to where the man is placing that PDA computer thing.

"I could go for a dive, sure. We can rub elbows and enjoy the local flavour later. We're here now, we might as well go for a swim and see what we can find." A pause then. "Unless I'm going alone so you can watch the thing you just buried in the sand?"

Sinister has posed:
"A little of that. Also, a lot of him being the only one of us that has any experience with -closing- rifts," Sinister reaches out, dusts imaginary sand off of Lucifer's shoulder and smiles. "This is simply me, thinking ahead, analyzing and making logical leaps." He considers, though. "Alien activity would make the most sense. I have a feeling it might be related to what they did in the terraforming event that created the Savageland. That though, we won't know until we actually get eyes on the source of the weird geode energies, that which brought forth the Skrits back into this plane of reality."

He dips in for a fleeting, but meaningful kiss then looks to the water with a smile. "The sensors will have to be here for several days to get an accurate reading, so a dive with you is on the cards. Recommendations on shape?" he nods to the water.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer nods his head, looking down at the device once more and then back to Nathaniel. Ah, yes, trying to piece everything together. Connect all the dots. That is you and your work in a nutshell. I'm just being a very unhelpful helper." Eyes sparkle as he says this and then he nods once more. "Closing these rifts might become necessary...but I fear closing some opens others as well.."

That kiss is met and returned, arms lifting for even the briefest moments of giving a hug. Once done, he seems to consider the next question and then shrugs. "Have I seen you as a merman? Surely I have... hmm... I honestly don't have any...and I'm not sure why.... Likely because I technically don't need a shape so it's not something i think about."

Sinister has posed:
"Playing the devil's advocate doesn't quite work when you don't need someone to speak for you. I guess devil on my shoulder? Right infront of my eyes?" the sparkle in eyes is noted, with a grin and a nod regardless. "You throw a doubt, to make me think more. I appreciate it, otherwise I would have only own council and whereas I -am- the smartest thing in most planetary hemispheres, I should always be testing a rule to prove its accuracy."

Hug returned, he walks to the edge of the water, shedding layers of clothing with simple reabsorption "No, but you've seen me as an orca-maiden," Sinister replies, wading up to his thighs into the water, butt glaringly white and lacking in tan, even if it is a nice shape. A shape that's rapidly altering, as he draws legs together, scales springing to life in a muscular tail, hands webbing inch by inch as he spreads fingers, then diving into the shallows. He surfaces with fins on back and underarm, ear ridges and spine, musculature denser in accordance with necessity. "I don't need to either, but it's helpful where physics are concerned." He calls back. He's silvery, which is nice. Silvery and black on top, like a shark.

Lucifer has posed:
Nothing more is said on being helpful or otherwise in the moment as there was then a kiss and a hug. As Nathaniel offers that he has taken the shape of an orca-maiden and not mer-man has Lucifer giving even more of a grin. Sure they don't need to shape themselves, but Nathaniel has a point. Making yourself like a creature of the sea allows one to traverse the sea more cleanly.

He follows, wading in to about knee deep waters - his own clothing flying off his form and neatly folding itself in a pile far up from high tide waters. The Devil is always tanned, and it shows, that gleaming almost-Adonis frame which is being covered more and more by water as he continues walking. To the point that soon he dives under the water and swims out a bit. When he surfaces, he's still humanoid male from the waist up, but then he has a mer-tail, scaley and black that shimmers like onyx in the sunlight. "Shall you lead the way?"

Sinister has posed:
Sinister can't resist a fleeting stroke across muscles on display. He laughs to himself, softly and nods, just sinking beneath, slowly. And of course, when you alter your shape to allow for easier movement, it's a simple thing to propel yourself as a dolphin might -- up and down movement, invisible from above, thanks to the camouflage and harder to see from beneath for the same reason. Seventy five nautical miles is nothing when you can move at a good clip, feel little fatigue and no ill effects from breathing water, or not as the case happens to be. The swim itself is pleasant, for the sake of warm waters, bountiful ocean life near the shore and many a shark in the currents away from it. Forests of kelp and coral line the ocean floor, but deeper and deeper below.

<<The trench tends to come up rather fast. More of a shelf, like someone took a knife and sliced the earth itself like it was cake.>> Essex thinks over, a pulse of light running down his sides from jawline to hip. He turns a little, another pulse zipping down the length and he reorients slightly more northward. Perhaps fifteen miles out, they start seeing wrecks on the bottom. Mind, without knowing what you were looking at, some of those wrecks are particularly gnarly looking, as the natural world reclaims steel, wood, fibreglass and bones.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer gives a smile at that brush to muscles, and of course returns the favor in kind before they're off swimming merrily towards their destination. Indeed, 75 nautical miles really is nothing and even though they have an intent and purpose of where they are going and what they are doing....Lucifer cannot help himself. He follows along a stream here, and a flow there, dipping and flipping as they go along. Swirling around the kelp, swims along with a shark for a moment and then shifts closer to Nathaniel at the end of it all.

<<Is it one of those places where, on maps, it looks like the ocean goes from one color to another? And the colors don't mix for some reason?>> He asks this within the mind. He watches as Nathaniel orients himself a bit and then follows more closely since they're getting nearer to their destination. Though when the ships begin to appear, he'll curiously begin to swim nearer to the wreckages unless stopped or otherwise warned against.

Sinister has posed:
<<Yes, precisely like that. Where there's a shelf system and it seems like the world forgot to get deeper by degrees.>> There is a pause as the devil dives deeper, halting forward progression to follow, but stay outside <<Be cautious. SOme of these wrecks still have live munitions and although that isn't dangerous to us, it might cause an unexpected side effect. If it looks like a torpedo or a bomb or could've been either, don't touch it.>> But then he slips down to the ocean floor, becoming eel-like as he gets a good view of one that looks like it was a pirate vessel of some ilk. Modern, rather than wooden, but there's a certain kind. It has a rusted harpoon on the front and a hole in the side that definitely looks as if it got blown through from the outside in. <<Curious. I wonder if that was hero caused.>>

ANd then they can feel it, the pulse in the water that is a techtonic action, vibrating through their waters.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer is surely cautious as he goes to inspect some of the wreckage at the bottom of the ocean, tilting his head one way and then the other. He touches nothing, because he surely does not want anything to go boom in his face. <> This said as he watches Nathaniel work around a pirate ship while he looks over a war-style bomber. <<Could have been. I'm sure heroes are the cause of all the things otherwise inexplicable.>>

When that pulse of tectonic action vibrates them, he pauses and glances towards where the waters collide. Floating up and away from the wreckages a bit before swimming closer to the slice of ocean generating such motions.

Sinister has posed:
And he is not alone. THis is NOT the sargaso sea, with its fleet of wreckage upon the ocean floor, but there are more wrecks then there ought to be, for sure. Turbulent and troubled waters will do such things though, sometimes naturally sometimes not. However, as the devil rises up gracefully and seemingly floating with no effort to peer into the dark, so too does Sinister, propelling himself with tail until they can peer into the fathomless deep beyond the shelf.

<<Ominous looking, isn't it?>> a cheerful comment. <<Can you see in pitch black? I can't. A source of light might be required, or the means to see without eyes. Do you want to take care of the light, or shall I?>>

Lucifer has posed:
<<It is. Quite ominous.>> Lucifer offers, just as cheerful as Nathaniel's spoken. Nothing hidden in the words either, <> He says this and then there's an exceptional change in the Devil-merman-fish person to become the Angel-merman-fish person. From there, he glows, like Nathaniel's own personal torch and then glances over to Sinister. <<Just let me know where to go.>>

Sinister has posed:
Sinister can't help but to giggle. His gills flare at his torso with it and it's otherwise silent, saving for the grin. <<You're an angel fish, now. But how the reality differs from the concept...>> Flicking fingers to the side, he manifests an illusion of a devil fish merman who's wings are the fans of a ray and lower bod all square and sting-ray ended, to ... well, angel fish look a bit silly when you make them a merman. <> to keep where it needs to be he simply takes Lucifer's hand and tugs downward over the edge into the deep. Occasionally the silvery line along his side pulses and he shifts direction. What's wierder than the lack of light is the oppressive silence of the deeps. Literally nothing can be heard, saving for the occasional keen of a distant whale. Or a weird creaking cracking sound, every so often. The pressure also builds, particularly in the sinus cavity.

A fathom, two fathoms, three fathoms down there is literally no light but that which Lucifer produces but the water is crystalline clear. And that's when they hit a shelf in the cliff-face, one that feels peculiarly warm to the touch. A drift of fingertips and another pulse of that silvery line and they progress a little further north west and just a little deeper off this ledge, to ... a chasm in the cliff-face. It really does look like someone impaled the side of the stone with a giant spear.

Lucifer has posed:
<> Lucifer quips with a mental chuckle. Then, he's following Sinister as the man takes him by the hand and leads him onwards. The deafening silence, that build of pressure, but also - aside from the occasional whale call - that creak cracking is an interesting thing to hear among the depths. Is that the water sloshing against the chasm? As 'still' as it seems, water is consistently moving.

When they finally reach their final looking place, Lucifer looks around a moment. <>

Sinister has posed:
<<Yes. Apparently inside the rock. The techtonic plate is technically...>> he points all the way down to the floor of the chasm. <<THis side is rising, the other side is sinking and the pacific ocean shrinks just a little where the two plates collide slowly. The atlantic is growing a tiny amount each year. But that? That appears to be the source. We should be exceptionally careful going into it. It may not be stable.>>

He looks about slowly, up and around and to the glowing angel-merman. <<My beautiful lightbringer...>> a grin, then it is tiny movements of the tail and using the current that is sucked -into- the chasm to bring them in. Getting out might be problematic, if it wasn't for the fact one of these two can teleport. Spelunking several fathoms beneath the ocean, is ... an adventure!

Lucifer has posed:
<<You want to remind me why we're going to the depth of a spot in the ocean where we're more likely to get crushed by moving plates?>> Lucifer offers as a quip, there's a sort of light hearted 'what the hell are we doing again?' jovial ring to it. He's not upset, or scared. Okay, he may be a LITTLE scared, but there's not a lot one can do when being crushed back to Hell between a rock and a hard place. Still, he's surely got enough of a sharp eye to be able to take them away from harm before it actually does anything harmful to them. He follows as Sinister leads further down. <<So the pulse we're after is NOT caused by the shifting plates, right?>>

Sinister has posed:
<<Correct. It would not be so rhythmic, if it was. WHereas some things in nature are predictable as clockwork, the movement of the continents isn't one of them.>> Sinister is probably trying not to think about being crushed between two halves of a rock and a hard place. It would put a severe dampner on their day. As the chasm gets narrower, more cracks that spider off of it can be seen. It's new enough that there aren't even any barnacles or limpets to be seen. Life has not yet colonized.

And then, just like that, they go from a water state to an air state. There did not seem to be any transition, either, it was water and they were going down this crack to perhaps a dead end, then where three cracks met... POOF. Air. It causes mer-Sinister to flounder for a moment, before flopping to the floor and letting the tail split and the gills close. There's still barely any light but that which Lucifer gives off.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer is about to make a comment when they hit that patch of cracks and suddenly there's no more water and air to breathe. Lucifer lands on the floor in grand angelic form, fluttering his wings to get them to dry off as much as possible. He glances up and tilts his head one way and then the other. "Interesting. There's nothing keeping the water from coming here and yet... it does not fall..." A glance around to take in their immediate surroundings and he presses a hand against the wall to form an orb of light that better illuminates the area.

He steps a bit one way, and then back, then to the side once more. Like he's dancing without a partner. Perhaps...immitating something? "Curious..."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister gets up onto hands and knees, then up slow to standing, in all his nekkid pride. A look is shot over his shoulder at the wall of liquid held back by... nothing, then at Lucifer. And more importantly, at Luci's feet. A brow is arched, then up to the face. "Wait... what?" something is a little surreal here and he looks to the orb on the wall, then along the chasm. Another pulse, a lesser one, makes the water behind them ripple like it was bumped up against a speaker.

As eyes adjust, it's less like a chasm here and more like it's been shaped and hewn. The way infront forks, with the tunnels on either side looking peculiarly rounded, like it was bored through by a giant worm. "Well. I'm... intrigued. And baffled. But intrigued."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer gives a few beat of his wings to lift off the ground and hover up where the water doesn't fall from. "Is it something to do with pressure? The air pressure here against the water pressure above? But... wouldn't that differ enough to pull the water down or the air up?" He reaches then, dipping his hand into the watter and begins to spin it as if to make a whirlpool effect. He then, swiftly, pulls his hand back and while a few droplets fall from his wet hand... the vortex sinks UPWARDS and immediately dissipates back to calm water.

He shifts to land back on his feet and looks down to where the tunnel continues and then motions. "Shall we explore a little deeper ourselves? Or do you think we should have back up. As in our dear friend who can close rifts...because I think ours is somewhere along this chasm and I also do not quite think we are alone..."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister considers, glancing about for a moment longer. "Do you think you can teleport back here, now that you've been here once? Or..." he considers a moment, then glances at the nearest rocky surface, just beneath the globe of light. His features take on that vampiric look, as he lifts a hand complete with steel claws upon the end and carves a symbol shallowly in the surface of the rock. An angelic symbol, one he's memorized of late; one that represents archangel of light. And that done, he nods, looking back with his eyes dimly reflecting the glow.

"Lets go back to the island. I think it might be wiser."

Lucifer has posed:
"I can. Going to a place once makes it a helluva lot easier because I have a direct reference point, but technically I can teleport anywhere so long as it's a real place." Lucifer offers, but does also watch as Sinister carves that symbol into rock. That just makes things even more easier, he suspects. "Alright. Back to the island. I can manage that..." He says this, steps closer, and wraps arms and wings around Nathaniel's form. They're enveloped in smoke and after a moment the smoke dissupates and they are back on the island where Sinister buried that device. "Here we are."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister doesn't surrender physical contact for a few measures though; arms had enfolded, palms and sharp nails digging in at the shoulders. Now they relax and slide down to the waist, his face turning aside to look at Lucifer from the corner of his eye. A smile hints. "It's so much easier when I have my angel around," murmured, he leans in, licks salt off the cheek, then with a sweeping roll of the arms brushes the primary feathers that curled around him as he steps back, stretching his neck and shoulders out.

A thought or two and he clothes himself in a hawaiian shirt and board shorts, glancing to where the device records the rhythm of the seismic pulses and then back toward the little village. "Shall we try their roast pig with pineapple and coconut rice?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer surely doesn't mind the grip that comes with them teleporting, and as it lingers to become a hold of his waist and brushing into his wings, he can't help but shiver. A soft chuckle given as the man licks salt from his cheek and then he nods. "I suppose I do make some things a little easier. I am glad for that." He offers this, ruffles his feathers once, and as soon as Nathaniel steps fully away from him - there's a soft of shimmer around him before he becomes the black haired, blue eyed man everyone is familiar with.

He even matches the clothing Sinister's chosen. Swim shorts, a hawaiian shirt, even flip flops! A glance in the same direction Nathaniel looks and he nods. "That sounds lovely. I believe we shall." And so he leads, to food and perhaps a bit more fun once they're hotel bound.

13983/TO the Scene of Previous Crimes...

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