The submarine was definitely a power play on ROCKET's part. Extravagant, sure, but difficult for their enemies to pinpoint and a verifiable fortress to try and breach. That's another reason why the creepy sound from earlier had shaken Barnaby as much as it did - he couldn't escape whatever potential monster lurked in the shadows, even if he tried. Space was finite on this ship. You could only run so far.

Barnaby visibly relaxed as the other ROCKET responded, lulled into a false sense of security by the pleasantness of their voice.

"You're right, of course." He waved off his worry with a smile. "It's so drab and dreary down here. I'm probably just hearing things."

His concern beginning to subside, he took a moment to really take in the person standing before him. Unlike many of the other grunts he had encountered, they hadn't immediately responded with vitriol. A new friend, then, perhaps?

"I'm Bee, by the way. It's a please to meet you..." He let the sentence linger, hoping they'd fill in the rest.

atlas able
mission: GHOST IN THE MACHINE

☉

Atlas. A strong, confident name to match an altogether pleasant person. Barnaby accepted their handshake with a firm grip and a smile.

"Well, welcome to ROCKET, Atlas. Glad to have you here." Although Barnaby was still just a grunt, he had ambitions of holding power and authority. There was nothing to gain from being unwelcoming, after all.

"Same for me. The night shift is always such a bore when you're—" A shrieking howl from above cut Barnaby off midsentence. More disturbingly, the sound suddenly moved away from them and toward the cafeteria's exit. It seemed to travel corresponding to the large network of pipes that zigzagged through the entire submarine.

Barnaby fell silent. His smile waned into a frown, but his eyes looked toward Atlas expectantly.

".... I'm guessing you heard that?" He supposed it wasn't all in his head, then. And because he was on patrol duty this evening it was his job to figure out what was going on. Great.

He sighed. "I'm gonna have to check that out. I'll see you around, Atlas." Barnaby moved toward the exit, but stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Unless... you'd like to join me?"

atlas able
mission: GHOST IN THE MACHINE

☉

Atlas' level smile was an appreciated break from the tension caused by their mystery monster. Barnaby matched theirs with a relived grin of his own, his anxiety starting to wane a little. "Much appreciated. Let's get going."

And so, they did. Despite earlier hesitance, Barnaby's stride was confident as he lead the way through the exit and down the corridor where the noise had fled. He, too, didn't want to come off as a coward. Plus, how bad could this phantom actually be? They were hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface. What could possibly get in?

But then he remembered all the sketchy shit that ROCKET was likely up to, and knew that whatever this was had intentionally been brought in. An escaped experiment, perhaps? Fuck, I hope not.

The all too familiar screeching snapped Barnaby from his thoughts; his head jerked around toward it. "There!" He yelled, already starting to sprint after it as it moved down the passageway. Whatever it was rounded the corner into a larger, relatively empty storage room.

The ROCKETs saving grace? The duct leading into this room was the only entry and exit. Thinking fast, Barnaby released his FROSLASS and gave the following command:

"Noelle! Crush that metal pipe!" The instruction was given with a pointed finger directing her where to go. Noelle abided, using her ghostly power to compress the metal like a squeezed soda can. There was no going through it now.


Finally, some respite. Barnaby took this spare moment to gauge his surroundings. The room was lined with metal ductwork going down a central column. The monstrous sound seemed to be moving from air duct to air duct, attempting to flee but inevitably running in circles.

"I think this is our chance to corner it." Glancing over at Atlas, he added, "You got any Pokémon that could help?"

atlas able
mission: GHOST IN THE MACHINE

☉