Snippet #1306168

[[Okay so this is half in Skip’s POV and half a starter for everything. You’re welcome to post about being in the bathysphere, if you’re part of the team but you don’t have to. If you don’t just start in Neptune's Bounty and go about your business.]]

Skip awoke slumped on a dusty cushion inside of a small room that reeked of polished metal. A wicked hammer was swinging madly on the inside of his skull making his eyes slowly go in and out of focus. He felt as if he were sinking. From what Skip could see so far there were bodies standing all around him. From what he could remember he had been with several people before a thick fog covered the rest of his memory, but he couldn’t tell if these were the same people. All the hazy figures in the room were moving around and he thought he could hear them talking to eachother. The whole lot of them sounded pretty upset. “What. . . What the hell. . . is going on. . .” Skip fumbled over the words , his bottom lip moist with what he assumed was drool at first. Reaching a chubby finger up to his mouth he touched the skin on his lips. Sharp pains raced through the puffy tissue and as he pulled back his hand Skip focused on the red liquid that coated his fingertips. He was bleeding.

Looking up from the blood he finally got a clear look at everyone. They were the same set of annoying scientists and his old friends that had come out to sea but none of them were focused on him. Most talked feverishly while a few sat in utter silence. No one had taken the time to answer his question. With his head still reeling Captain Skip turned slowly to survey the strange place around him. It was cramped, especially packed with all these people, and had an odd circular shape. Even the shining metallic ceiling above him was dome shaped. Across from where he was sitting was a large window showing what looked like a bleak night sky outside. Then a squid shot by, taking only a second to stop and peek inside the lighted sphere. Skip stared out the window clutching the left side of his head in disbelief. What the hell is going on? Last thing he remembered was being on the boat. Then someone had seen something in the distance. The lighthouse. . .

The images were flooding back in and the poor Captain could now recall going inside the peculiar watchtower and finding that old bathysphere. . . Oh god. Now he knew where they were but not how they had gotten there. He could only assume that his sinking feeling and the squid jetting past the porthole meant that they were diving and that they were probably already in deep water. Where was this thing headed? Standing slowly and holding onto anything in reach for support Skip pushed past the arguing crew members and stared at the glass. Beyond the gloom of the ocean he could see something he hardly believed. A city alive with neon signs and towering over the rocks around the ocean floor was gazing back at him. Mouth agape he pressed his sore head against the glass and felt the cold, smooth surface calm his headache. He had no idea what to do. He didn’t even know what was going on.

The vessel got closer and closer to the bright towers of the city. It seemed like it was guided by an invisible hand through the murky sea toward some predetermined destination. Maybe they were all dead and this was the afterlife? No, Skip took a second to think, that was just the concussion talking. They were still alive. Ghosts didn’t bleed. “What is this?” The submersible started to click and groan as they drew closer to one of the massive underwater buildings. A sign was coming toward them, half covered in algae but the words were still clearly visible. Neptune’s Bounty was the name inscribed on the filthy metal, whatever that meant. The bathysphere jerked and slowed sending everyone tossing around the clogged circle. Confused and still in pain Skip struggled to stand again. Now the sphere was slowly entering a tunnel that ended in an ancient brick wall.

Once the ship had reached the dead end it started to ascend. Skip could only imagine what they were going to see when this thing finally stopped. What in the world was an entire city doing under the ocean? And who or what had made it? Maybe when they stopped he could find someone and ask questions. As they climbed toward their uncertain future the team listened in silence. Suddenly the waters parted as the top of the sphere broke through. They had finally come to a stop. The port no longer displayed an array of sea creatures in cold waters but instead there was a old dock covered in suitcases. There was a single light on in the room beyond the glass. A bright pale light shone down from a pillar and beneath this luminous globe was a man. Mutilated and blood he hung on the wall and above him was something apparently written in his blood. Just as Skip stepped back in an attempt to make to demented image disappear the large metal door unlatched itself and creaked open slowly. . . “What the hell is going on. . .”