[X-World] Rock Around the Clock

[Brigid Plunder]

Brigid finally manages to clear a reasonable amount of spider silk off, shaking it aside with a snarl.

"I don't trust her."

[Vertie Easley]

"I think she's been alone too long. It happens." She gave Brigid a small smile. "Shall we see what she's got?"

[Narrator]

As they continue to climb the path eventually leads in between the roots. They enter what appears like a tangle of vegetation and broken offices as they make their way through what must be the remains of Portcullis House near the edge of the river. They finally make their way through the maze-like interior and out through the front doors and the forest seems to open up. To the left of them a huge canopy of mangrove trees that extend far into the river forms a natural barrier. To the right the dense forest continues. Ahead of them is Big Ben and the courtyard of the House of Commons. Westminster Abbey and Parliament appear surprisingly intact though vegetation still covers a lot of the rooftops.

On the edges of the area swarms of bugs are flying around, one of them buzzes past them and settles on vegetation that has grown too far out of the building, beginning to eat away at it to keep it at bay. In the area nestled between the buildings and the looming forest are small fields of crops and at least a dozen people tending to them. There is a small group of little kids running around, apparently playing some kind of game. Teri is 50 yards ahead of Brigid and Vertie, having shed the remains of her swarm. The kids wave at her and shout cheerful greetings while the adults seem more reserved, respectful, maybe even a little bit frightened. But they don't seem like they are being kept by force. In fact everyone here appears surprisingly healthy. There even seems to be a water pump of some kind set up to let people water the plants or to drink themselves. Big Ben rings again and everyone present, Teri included, stop for a moment and look towards the tower before going back to what they were doing.

[Vertie Easley]

"You know, you could have just told us. Would have saved us a lot of trouble and me from wasting my kindling." She said as she came to stand beside Teri.

[Teri Napliotis]

"We did. The bell brings people and they stay. Not very many lately though. More looters and crooks. Those don't get to leave either. Lately everyone who goes into the Scar has been a threat."

[Brigid Plunder]

"She meant instead of sending the swarm after us."

[Vertie Easley]

"Survivors are getting desperate. After we figure out the clock, I'm planning on heading across the river to Battersea Park. There's a children's zoo there, I can bring you the less exotic and more useful animals. There's also the Bugs exhibit from Regents and I still need to figure a way to get to the Sealife Aquarium."

[Teri Napliotis]

"We didn't harm you when we easily could have." she points out to Brigid as she leads them over to what from the distance looked like a tent but turns out to be a big canopy made from spider-silk. There's lawn chairs and a slightly crooked table underneath. "People with power are dangerous. Even here one who manifested thought they could be selfish and take from the rest of us. You were aggressive."

She perks up some at what Vertie is saying. "We can take you to Sealife from here in exchange for the Regent terrariums. Transport may be difficult, but given time we could create a bridge just north of the Scar. Anything within a block of the jungle is empty. No one will bother you. But we're not sure if we can show you the inside of the tower. People have to vow to stay before we let them know what sustains us here. You're asking for a lot."

[Vertie Easley]

"I do appreciate you avoiding my face with the bees, but we are all that's left of the X-men as far as we know. We took the oath, or at least truly wanted to take that oath. I can't speak for Brig, but I still hold to that oath. You are doing a good thing here, as of right now I see no reason why that should change. If what is up there is really safe, I see no reason why it can't stay here."

[Teri Napliotis]

"If you betray us we will find you." she simply says and motions towards the tower. The ascend is unspectacular, though thick cables are running down through the staircase. As they get higher a faint hum can be heard as well as the faint sounds of the clock's mechanism. At the door to the top of the tower she stops briefly, glancing at Vertie and Brigid before unlocking the door and leading them inside.

Most of the room inside is taken up by the large bell and the mechanism for clock but in the middle the cables converge on at first glance looks like a pale person but at closer inspection looks more like a flayed mannequin. Panels are pulled open and cables are hooked into it, piston and hydraulics seem to be connected to the clock's inner workings and click and whir in tune with the rest of the machinery. Inside the robot's frame, nestled among all the cables is what looks like a round core with a panel that's glowing faintly with electricity. It's one of ASHLIE's drones, it's internal power source exposed. The robot's face is blank, it's eyes flickering faintly.

"We found it guarding the Parliament when it suddenly froze. People were gathering and wanted to smash it open but we chased them off. After a while it lurched again and dragged itself here and started connecting itself to the tower. Then it just sat there, ticking and humming. People who knew how to do electrical work arrived and now it powers our water pumps and heaters when we need them. We think it's dead."

[Brigid Plunder]

"This doesn't bode well for the school..."

[Vertie Easley]

"Oh, ASHLIE." She said softly. "You're lucky you found one in tact. I've come across one or two as I headed south, I saved what I could of them. If you got someone with the skill, I can bring you the parts I have. I can even set up a standing request for my friends to bring any other if they come across them."

[Teri Napliotis]

"We don't know enough about how it works. The power was still on, we just connected some cables to it." she shrugs at the mention of more parts.

[Brigid Plunder]

"It'll never be whole without a signal from the school."

[Vertie Easley]

"I don't think anyone ever knew exactly how she worked, but the spare parts will help keep this one running. As soon as we can, I think the school should be added to the list of places to go."

[Teri Napliotis]

"Why?" Teri asks. "Why are you roaming around like this?" She seems almost nervous or at least kind of skittish.

[Brigid Plunder]

"Because there are still problems out there."

"I came to Britain to find a friend. I found her, but I can't ignore things."

[Vertie Easley]

"People all over the island are cut off, unprepared for a life without tech, disconnected. There are also nearly fifty wildlife parks and zoos out there without power."

[Teri Napliotis]

"You want to bring them together?"

[Vertie Easley]

"The dangerous and special needs exotics, yes, to Regent's park. The more domestic animals I have no problem with giving them to survivor communities. I was actually hoping to find an intact drone in my travels." She smiled. "You and I both have eyes out there. Yours proves that there may still be more intact ones out there. Having one would help keep the specialized environments up and running. There are panda's and koala's in England, you can't just hand them a bale of hay and say 'Enjoy!'."

[Teri Napliotis]

"We can't move too far from this place. The insects and spiders here would descend on the crops and the people."

[Vertie Easley]

"That's why my first stop was the zoo. No one needs half starved tigers roaming the Thames. My range is pretty good, crossing the river will be a stretch for me, but everyone in the park has been well fed and has their own places, spotty contact doesn't worry me too much. If you need anything, to help with balance, just let me know and if you need to stay here then please, stay. We protect the helpless and each other. Ashlie is, was, one of us. We'll protect her too."

[Teri Napliotis]

"We can reach just about past Buckingham and across the river from here. We can accompany you to the aquarium but not much further. And if you are ever in trouble, anything that might chase you close enough to the Scar we will dispose of."

[Brigid Plunder]

"...that's not her," Brigid mutters, but lets Vertie do the diplomacy.

[Vertie Easley]

"I know Brig, but it's a piece of her. That's good enough for me." She lightly touched a cable. "You secret and your people are safe, Teri."

[Teri Napliotis]

Teri just nods curtly and heads back towards the door.

[Brigid Plunder]

Brigid grits her teeth and goes to follow.

[Vertie Easley]

"Do you want to go back to Theresa?" She asked once she caught up with Brigid.

[Brigid Plunder]

"I'm fine. Let's just... get out of here."

[Vertie Easley]

"Sure thing."

[Brigid Plunder]

There's a great deal of tension in Brigid as she continues to follow Teri out, and every so often what sounds like a snarl comes from her.

[Teri Napliotis]

Either Teri doesn't notice or she's ignoring it for the sake of not provoking Brigid. She only starts talking again when they reach the outside.

"We don't have much fresh food to spare at the moment, but you're welcome to our water and electricity if you need it. People will see you leave. They are already talking. They are excited about what your arrival might mean. There haven't been new faces in a while. We worry we won't stay hidden much longer, but if you think you might find more refugees to send this way we'll set our termites and locust to expand further into the growth." she relents, though she doesn't seem entirely happy about it.

[Vertie Easley]

"You'll be getting the domestic animals, chickens, rabbits, pigs if you can handle them. I even have some squirrels making runs into home and garden shops for seeds. I'll send some by. If you would prefer to stay small we can arrange that. We'll keep an eye out for skilled survivors to send to you. Keep you small but strong."

[Teri Napliotis]

"No. We're plenty strong here. You haven't seen a fraction of the army that lives in the growth. Send the weak, the ones that need the most help. We survived here, maybe it's time to try and thrive. If you'll be our scouts we'll provide the hive." she says, then instantly corrects herself. "Home."

[Brigid Plunder]

"We'll let you know," Brigid says with a clipped nod.

[Vertie Easley]

"We'll do what we can for you."

[Teri Napliotis]

Teri leads them out from the tower and around the corner towards the mangroves growing near and in the water. Many of the trees have huge spiderwebs hanging in them, some of them filled with huge cocoons. No actual spiders seem to be present though. "The water is treacherous here. Too much underwater growth to get tangled in. Stick to the trees until we're clear of the swamp. You can swim the rest of the way."

[Vertie Easley]

"Thanks for letting us come and go. We've made it this far, we'll figure it out. We'll keep in contact."

[Brigid Plunder]

Brigid by now has already taken to the trees, eager to leave.

[Teri Napliotis]

"Oh. Here." she says and a pair of large moths settles on Vertie's and Brigid's shoulders. "If you talk slowly and clearly to them we should be able to understand as long as we're in range."