7334/Come Call the Deep

Come Call the Deep
Date of Scene:	26 April 2019
Location:	Atlantic Ocean - Off the coast of NYC
Synopsis:	Shredder and Poseidon disagree about Shredder's use of sea wildlife in his experiments. To settle the disagreement...Shredder fights a shark?
Cast of Characters:	Shredder, Poseidon

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Shredder has posed:
    The science ship is not the smallest of vessels on the ocean as the generally gray sky gives a brisk chill to the air. The ocean is not massively turbulent, but it's waves are always something to be respected as the S.S. Cavalier remains just in sight of land, the hazy skyline of New York City only scarcely visible.
    The Shredder, despite his distance from land, wears his armor, and the shozoku mask. Not because he feels them necessary for combat today, but because his activities do not become his civilian identity. A ninja remains wary of his secrecy at all times, and 400 years have taught him that such a principle should never be neglected, regardless of the relative safety.

    Kitsune, his wife, stands on the deck of the boat, her Japanese eyes scanning the sea patiently, thoughtfully. She's aware of those who dwell in the ocean, even if her husband is not. As of yet, though, she's felt no need to caution him about them.

    Baxter Stockman and his assistant Lindsey Baker are inside, scanning the waters for the right specimen, the dark-skinned scientist looking over the woman's shoulder. "There," Baxter says, "That one, it's almost fifteen feet long. An excellent prospect. We should make our way north and see if we can get his... or her attention."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon was not too far from the coastline of New York city, contemplating the horrible state of the waters around that town and already thinking about how to send his message to the surface dwellers without having to resort to a heartquake. Being in water, he and the ocean are a single thing now, halmost if he was complete and had a body that stretched on two thirds of the planet. His senses, however, are of course focused on a deep scanning of the waters around his current position, and it doesn't take long to detect a ship on the surface, doing some scannings of its own.
For now, though, it's just a vessel, surely full of humans doing their thing, even if something aboard is nudging quite a bit his magical sense. No reason to get up there, yet, but maybe keeping an eye on the place would be useful

Shredder has posed:
    The ship changes course, and about fifteen minutes later, they arrive at the location. Shredder watches silently as the Foot diver prepares for the drop, and enters the shark cage. The young man has a tranq spear gun in hand, and attached to his hip is a large dead flounder.

    Moments later, he drops into the sea, and al that can smell the dead fish in the water are alerted as the particles disperse through the water, slowly calling to the predators of the deep. It gets the attention of the large shark. An alpha of sorts among his male bretheren, but if Poseidon knows Bludgeon, he's a shark that has never been at ease. This hammerhead often is unwanted by his bretheren. He's an outcast due to his relatively passive demeanor, and though none can challenge him directly, he takes a degree of abuse from all those under him. An alpha who does not know how to be an alpha. Intelligent, thoughtful, and patient.

    So as the other 4 male sharks in the area begin to circle and examine the diver, Bludgeon remains somewhat aloof, within visible range, but not engaging. The diver, however, seems uninterested in the sharks near him, unlike most researchers who enter the ocean, eager to take data on any shark they can get in contact with.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon swims closer, approaching the ship as soon as he notices someone diving with a gun in hand, but so far he remains out of sight. His body is ready, however, as is his mind, already attuned on the sharks.

Shredder has posed:
    Topside, Shredder watches the monitor along with Stockman and Baker, while Kitsune remains to herself. She senses Poseidon's presence, her eyes snapping open, and reaches out in a spiritual greeting to the other god.
    'Sea King.' The telepathic voice of another minor deity, one that is hardly native to North America. The youngest child of the ancient Great Dragon. Despite her fearsome reputation among mortals, she is not well revered among gods, often known to be chasing a pursuit that has in eight thousand years not produced much to bring about success. She wants to resurrect her Father and restore nature in the Earth. Her despisement of humans is not unknown, though she's often been found working with them in the ages past.

    Below, the diver waits, and speaks to those topside. "He isn't coming. He is staying on the outside," he reports, the closed head mask allowing him to communicate with those above. One of the other bulls decides to attack, mouth opening as he tries to chomp on the steel cage, then backs away, considering how to get at the meal inside.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon moves in a bit closer now, especially after earing the greeting of Kitsune, to which Poseidon answers in the same manner with a "greetings..." he however adds "what's that these people are trying to do with the sharks, now?" and he reaches out to said sharks with his mind, easily convincing them to just form around the cage doing nothing, to see what the man inside decides to do.

Shredder has posed:
    "My master is seeking a champion among your subjects," Kitsune says without reservation, though a god calling a human 'master' may seem rather bizarre. "He has located a hammerhead which he desires to induct to his offices."

    Another shark attempts to test the cage, while Bludgeon moves a little closer to observe the interaction. The spear gun comes up, and the diver waits for his opportunity. Bludgeon is still at a range that would make the shot unlikely.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon tilts his head, even if that probably can't be seen, then shrugs "and what's he to do with a champion, now? And since when, we started calling humans as masters, hm?" he asks Kitsune, then sighs "well, if the man in the cage shoots I'll have to do something umpleasant so he'd better hold his triggerfinger."
Poseidon propels himself upwards, breaking the surface of the ocean and flying in a small arch to land on the bridge of the ship, his boots impacting lightly on the deck of the vessel. The god of seas is dressed in a magnificent sea-green armour, with a golden cloak flowing down from his shoulders, and has the aspect of a man of undecipherable age with white hair and blue eyes at the moment, no trident so far though. "so now, why all this interest on sharks? What'd you do with them anyways?"

Shredder has posed:
    The diver catches a glimpse of Poseidon passing, "There's something else here-" he manages to get out just before the dramatic entrance. Kitsune remains rather unmoved, her hands folded within her kimono, hair up in a very old and traditional manner. She continues to communicate through her spirit instead of vocally, keeping the conversation between them.

    'I have made him a master,' she responds cooly. 'The Immortal Dragon Warrior.'

    The Shredder exits from within the ship, stepping out the side room and helmeted gaze turning to spot Poseidon. "Kitsune, what is this?" he says, his tone demanding.
    "Worry not, my love," she answers, turning back to face the Shredder, "It is Poseidon, king of the seas, god of the deep. I believe he wishes to know more about your undertaking in his ocean." She glances back to Poseidon and steps back so that she is not directly between the two.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon stands still, arms relaxed on his sides, eyes now directly on Shredder "correct..." he announces to the man "pointing a tranquilizer gun at a creature is not nice, especially if it is one of my creatures so, well... Kitsune here said you'e seeking a champion?"
he doesn't turn to look at the abovementioned woman, using his mind to speak with her again "he'd better be deserving, of such a fancy title..."

Shredder has posed:
    Shredder frowns behind the shozuko. "I find that most sea life is easier to transport sedated," he says calmly. "I would prefer not to damage him while I attain him." Apparently he plans to remove him from the ocean as well.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon shakes his head with a brief chuckle "well I'd prefer you didn't damage him either..." he answers, then asks again, calmly and patiently for now "but I really want to know, why is that you plan to transport him? Where, for what reason, do you want to get 15 feet of marvelous creature out of his rightful home, young man?"

Shredder has posed:
    Shredder doesn't answer immediately, but glances to Kitsune as if uncertain of something, then back. He doesn't engage the 'young man' comment, but does answer the question. "I plan to give him greater power," he says. "To enable him to think beyond his bestial mind and traverse both the land and sea as he desires so that he might be able to better serve me." There is a decided element that says the operation is more for the Shredder than for the shark, but the man in bladed armor seems uninterested in hiding that fact.

    Kitsune speaks up. "I can assure you, King Poseidon," she says, "Master Shredder's activities are of no risk to the shark." She smiles mildly. "My magics have helped ensure success in past similar endeavours."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon tilts his head to the side, moving his gaze from Shredder to Kitsune "so you give him the possibility to walk on land, thing that obviously doesn't enter within a shark capabilities, and even the possibility to think with his mind so that it can better, serve you? Give it a power he couldn't use for himself but he will very well use for you?" he glances at kitsune now, a small frown on his lips "Kitsune, do you know why sharks are in sea, and not walking on that beach, over there?" he asks in Kitsune's mind only, but points to the skyline of New York "because there's no way 15 feet of fins and teeth would mingle with umans up there. A shark such as the one your, master, would want to capture is already full of great power where it is, you know?"

Shredder has posed:
    Shredder answers rather than Kitsune. "Where he is does not suit my purposes," he answers bluntly. "Those humans he will interact with are accustomed to sights such as him, and it will be of no consequence." There's a slightly dismissive tone to the sea king's concern. "He will have his own mind, and he will be able to choose for himself whether to stay or to go."

    Kitsune, upon Shredder's command of the response, decidedly remains silent, both mentally and verbally, disengaging from the conversation to observe.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon peers at the shredder, raising an eyebrow slightly "you are, quite wrongly, assuming that it doesn't have a mind of his own right now." he starts, still speaking with a calm voice "and you are, quite wrongly, assuming that I will allow you to take him because it will what, better serve your purposes? And why would your purposes matter to me, or to the one you'd like to get from his home?" he crosses his arms on his chest, now, still looking at the helmeted man "and then you know, sharks are quite effective as intimidators, predators, killers, and a lot of other thing on that page, and I happen to be quite fond of those humans that happily live on the surface of the planet. So you know, you're not being very convincing to me, so far, and you'd better be because, you see, there's actually a thing standing between the shark and you, and that thing is me... That quite casually happen to be the lord of all there is currently below and around you."

Shredder has posed:
    The eyes behind the helmet and black fukumen over his face stare down Poseidon, either ignorant of the power he stands opposite, or so incredibly brazen as to be fearless despite his standing. But he seems to be considering several things, and doesn't speak quickly. When he does, his tone is measured.

    "I understand you have long watched these waters," he says, "Even longer than I have watched the land." He glances over the sea. "I have no desire to take purchase of your property or intrude on your sovereignty. But you know that many have. They drill your sea beds, they spoil your oceans with refuse." He looks back at the distant horizon that shows the city. "You certainly are aware, if you are king of the seas and can notice a single shark. Yet you are standing here more concerned with what I am doing than all of those pollutors of your land. If you are so concerned about this particular shark over the millions of fish that are taken daily from the oceans, it must be a rare creature indeed. Making it all the more desirable to me."

    He tilts his head to one side casually. He unfastens his tekko-negi claws, and carelessly lets them drop to the deck. He removes the helmet, revealing a scar over his left eye and shock of dark hair with a hint of gray, and a let it join the claws. "Then I propose a challenge. Rather than my diver take the shark by force. I will fight for him myself." He undoes the sharp shoulder pads, letting them join the armor pile, his red cape attached to them. His shin guards are unbladed, and he leaves them in place.

    "If I can take the shark in combat, then he is mine." Arrogant. Very arrogant. "If I cannot take the shark," he adds. "Then we already know the cost."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon peers calmly at the shredder, listening to his words and even tilting his head slightly to the side at their end. "of course I notice, and of course this creature is quite important. But the thing is that I simply can't stand people who just want to take what they want no matter what, you see?" he shrugs "those humans drilling, fishing, I'm not pleased with their actions at times but fishing is a thing humans have always done, to eat, just like they've always hunted. Like smaller fishes are eaten by larger ones, but you what, take things only because you want some more power?" he widens his arms, peering at Kitsune "no outside interference on this one... The man wants to take the shark, the shark will have a chance to defend itself." he shrugs slightly "and he'd better do that instead of just letting everyone beat him into submission..." he mumbles. Crossing his arms over his chest, Poseidon stares at Shredder "If you want me to grant you the ability to breathe underwater for this fight, I will, since it's just fair. Otherwise go and do your best."

Shredder has posed:
    "Stockman!" the ninja master calls out. An african american man exits. "The shark is staying outside of the diver's shot range," he announces. "I don't know if-"

    "Silence. Give me the injector," he tells the scientist.

    "Oh, you are going to go down yourself and inject it now?" Stockman arches an unamused eyebrow. "Of course, because that's how science is done in a properly controlled setting," his words drip sarcasm. "Just give the ninja a syringe so he can prove how amazing he is..."

    Shredder turns his head. "Stop your whimpering sarcasm and give me the syringe," he retorts impatiently, "You can be replaced."

    "No I can't," Stockman answers, unintimidated by the threat. Nonetheless, he returns back into the ship, returning with the requested syringe.

    He turns back to Poseidon. "To breathe water," he says curiously. "If you desire," he gives the assent casually. "I do not require assistance, though." He takes the capped syringe, and tucks it into the sash around his waist, tightening it so that it will stay in place as he moves to the edge of the deck.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon nods and shrugs "very well, if you do not require assistance, then I'll not give any..." he comments, then walks to the edge of the boat and jumps backward into the water, swimming downward to position himself in a good position to watch the fight between the shredder and the shark.

Shredder has posed:
    Hands come up before him, he takes a few deep breaths, and the ninja dives into the water head first. Of course, there are a few other sharks that are also in the water, far closer than the one that is his target, but the Shredder pays them little heed, making his way as he swims toward the killing machine of the deep that is his target.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon crosses his arms on his chest again, then commands the other sharks to just move in a circle around the shredder and the intended opponent for the ninja, doing nothing else so far to intervene in any way.

Shredder has posed:
    As Shredder grows close, the shark at first has little interest, until Shredder's gap closes to ten meters. It shifts, swimming toward him. If the human wants a fight, he'll give him a fight. A burst of the predator's speed launches him forward, teeth opening as he moves to try to chew into the flesh of a less elegant creature in the water.

    Shredder reaches out, catching the wide set eyes like bicycle handles. The beast's strenght propels them both backward, spinning them both as it tries to get a better angle, but the ninja only spins with the shark. Forward and up, as it might do with a normal fish prey, the shark doesn't understand that it gives him no advantage as they break the surface of the water, giving Saki a needed breath of air. As they splash into the water, it breaks the human's grip, and the shark zips away, coming back for another pass. This time it tucks under, coming up beneath and catching the Shredder by the bare arm, teeth digging into his flesh and clouding the water with dark red blood. The ninja does not flinch, however, his training is solid, and he wraps his legs around the body of the shark so that the shark cannot use the advantage to toss him about.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon watches the battle quietly, and even has to send a command to the other sharks to stay back because, well, who wouldn't get close to some fresh blood? But he himself moves in a bit closer, just floating peacefully out of the edge of the fight, studying Shredder's move and letting the shark be the force of nature that he should be.

Shredder has posed:
    Shredder's free left hand jabs the sensitive gills, causing a flinch, and then he jabs them again, breaking the hold of the predator, the saltwater certainly stinging the gashed wound.

    Shredder takes hold of the larger creature again with one arm as it thrashes to free him, like an underwater bronco. He holds his bleeding arm around the eye socket, the blood blinding the shark's sight, an expensive tactic.

    The other hand reaches to pull the injector from his waist. The shark tries to dive as the human pulls the cap from the syringe and plunges it into the side of the creature, pumping a green fluid into it's rough skin. The shark squirms from the pain, and the needle breaks off. Shredder releases the neutrally bouyant plastic syringe and grips the shark with both arms in a full nelson grip around the eye sockets as it thrashes violently. Surely by now he is starting to run low on air, and he's going deeper into the cold depths. Then the shark twitches, and stops fighting. Shredder takes his feet, planting them on the side of the beast, and kicking off, sending it sideways and deeper into the ocean, giving it an awkward need to reorient before it can re-approach. Shredder kicks straight to the surface, bursting free and taking a deep breath, tearing the fukumen free from his face to intake the air. He pulls it back over his face once he has, and dives back down into the water. The shark, writhes, and something begins to happen. It grows wider, and muscles bulge from the pectoral fins in ways that they naturally should not. Arms are sprouting, whatever concoction is in it seems designed to be changing its DNA. It is clearly in intense pain from the process, but the human gives it no reprieve, re-engaging to grip it once again by the nose. He stares into its eye, as if demanding submission. Demanding to be recognized as the alpha.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon watches the fight with a neutral expression, seemingly impartial to the resoults, but when the shark starts mutating it looks like the victory now belongs to the ninja. Moving in a bit closer, his cloak floating behind him, he peers at both human and shark, letting them do theyr game for another bit, a bit obvious now that the shark is not really into fighting that much anymore.

Shredder has posed:
     It's a full 90 seconds that the two continue their stare, the ninja unwilling to break his hold or gaze. Legs form, and suddenly the shark shoots them both straight to the top of the ocean, and bursts several feet higher than he would normally be able to.
    They land on the boat, Stockman and Kitsune backing away from the splashing impact. The shark stands over Shredder, a much larger mouth now attempting to end the fight through a chomp to remove his foe's head. A dodge to the left causes a miss, and Shredder hooks his foot around the muscled new leg that supports the beast, and uses it as an anchor to pull him to the rear of the shark, far too much weight involved for it to begin to trip the new mutant.

    He grabs the still present tail, heaving his weight to knock the creation to the ground, sprawling with it's unfamiliar limbs helplessly. It may be stronger and have more ability, but it does not understand how legs and arms work yet. He leaps up, feet planting on the eye sockets to pin him. The shark writhes, unable to understand that it can easily use its limbs to fix its situation. Afer a few more seconds, it lays still, breathing air for the first time, confused and stunned from the turn of events.

    The ninja steps off casually, blood still streaming from his right bicep. "You are mine," he declares between admittedly deep and desperate breaths. He may be a powerful fighter, but it clearly pushed his ability to take a predator of such fantastic size in its own territory.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon bursts out of the water himself, landing lightly on the ship's deck a few meters away from ninja and shark. "well, looks like you changed it, after all..." the god of seas stares at the shark for a few seconds, then shrugs "you managed to fight him and succeed, good... Be aware that you just got yourself a powerful creature, bringing it away from his world. I will let you keep it since you won it fairly, sort of..." he moves a step forward "just be careful, young man, not to cross some boundaries, in the future. Doing it once is, well, a thing. Taking it as an habit, is a ticket for complete and total annyilation. That said, well done, good fight." and maybe he feels even a bit generous, since he points his right index finger at the Shredder, channeling enough magical energy to heal the ninja's arm.

Shredder has posed:
    Shredder looks down at the injury as he is healed, nodding. Once it's finished, he wipes the excess blood away to reveal an uninjured arm.

    "He is a fight warrior already," Shredder confesses of the shark. "He will be treated with dignity as such." He still drips with sea water, but he catches his breath quickly. "Stockman, make certain that he is able to be accomodated," he instructs the scientist of the shark, though unnecessarily. The scientist is already busy checking the heart beat frantically, checking the flailing limbs carefully to see if they formed correctly.

    "You know, it would have been better just to go with a shark from an aquarium," he comments. "So I'd be able to properly monitor the change from a controlled environment." The annoyance is not hardly hidden.

    "It's been a pleasure," Shredder says dryly toward Poseidon. "I appreciate your honor in this exchange. It will not be forgotten." He gives a nod of respect. Apparently there's a certain gain in the human's eyes that Poseidon gained today.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon observes the scientist doing his job, then moves his gaze to the shredder, even chuckling a bit "I've been a honorable man for tousands of years, fair is fair..." he comments. Moving backwards until he is to the edge of the ship's deck, he offers a respectful nod in return to the human "take care of him, don't do stup, ahem, too stupid things, and I'm sure my next visit will be as peaceful as it can be." that said, he just lets himself fall backwards to land in water with a splash, sinking downwards for a few metres before moving forward at supersonic speed, heading who knows where.