(no subject)

[runningred]

[from here}

The view behind the door is one of desolation. Windswept and bleak. If there was ever vegetation here, it is long gone. The air is thin and cold, acrid with smoke. Jay reached into his belt and pulls out a small rebreather and goggles, offering a set to Gav.

Stock shudders on Jay's shoulder, making soft sounds of distress. "It's okay, darling. You're safe with us."

Comments

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche puts them on, looking out over the landscape with sadness.

"~Was all the life here mechanical?~" he asks Stock. "~Like you?~"

[runningred]

She shudders a negative. ~Much life, many beings - organic and mechanical. All dead now~

She drifts a little ahead of them as if pointing. ~the city lies ahead~

Jay gets the hint and starts walking, looking to Gav for conformation.

[street_sparrow]

He nods. "She says this is the way to their city. I'd like to know what did all this..."

And why.

[runningred]

"You and me both." Jay's goggles scan the horizon, taking it all in and recording the scene for later analysis. "I'm not getting any life signs at all. No EM fields either."

The walk is flat and the gravity light so they make good time.

[street_sparrow]

"~Stock, we'll need you as a guide~", Gavroche says gently. "~Where in the city do you think we should go?~"

[runningred]

She bobs again, giving them the easiest path to the city. ~The hive. The haven but it was attacked early~

In the distance, towers rises out of the smoke and darkness. Some of them are broken, others stand but look damaged. There's a dome at the centre, cracked and crumbling.

[street_sparrow]

"~Of course it was~", he mutters. "~They knew where you'd be, wanted to leave you no shelter.~" He studies the buildings through his goggles. "~We'll have to be careful how we go, walking in those buildings might just bring them down.~"

[runningred]

"I can scan ahead and find up a stable path." Jay assures, cycling through the sensors in his heads-up display.

Stock shudders as they enter the city, just as desolate. Here and there, the bones of long dead things crunch under foot.

Jay swears softly and bitterly, pointing to the left. "There's a solid passageway down that way. If it's not blocked, it should get us into the central dome."

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche reaches out to touch Stock, trying to comfort her.

"If it is, we'll figure something out."

[runningred]

She vibrates under the touch, radiating tension. She sees something in the dust and darts ahead to look.

It is a shattered shell like her own, delicate parts scattered by the wind. "Stock-" Jay crouches down nest to her, looking at the broken little body. "I'm sorry, babe. There's nothing we can do."

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche joins them, reaching out with a spell to try and feel if there's any sign of the little robot's spirit, then shakes his head sadly.

"We could put the parts back together, but she's gone."

[runningred]

Stock bobs sadly, her colours rippling with sorrow. She flies to Jay, who cups her and holds her against his chest. "We don't have to go on, babe. We can go back."

She beeps a negative and pushed off to fly on.

[street_sparrow]

"She's determined", Gavroche says, pitched low for Jay's ears. "I just hope we can find someone here alive to bring back."

[runningred]

"You and me both." Jay answers darkly.

The way leads up a dark hallway, half collapsed so they have to clamber and crawl through the gaps.

Stock races ahead, slipping through the gaps. Jay tries to call her back but she darts off into the gloom.

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche follows as quickly as he can, for once thankful for his small stature, and not caring what the rubble does to his hands.

[runningred]

Jay takes it a little slower, his broad shoulders a little harder to slide through the gaps.

So Gav will get to the Hive first. The large, open space is honeycomed up the walls and across the roof with little niches, about the right size for a drone.

Some niches seem to contain drones but the floor is littered with broken shells and shattered bodies.

[street_sparrow]

"Stock?" Gavroche calls out. "Where are you?"

[runningred]

There's a soft, keening sound from the centre of the floor and a low blue glow.

Jay makes his way to Gav, taking in the scene. "Oh hell!" He scans the room. "Can you feel any of them? Are their any survivors?" He hopes desperately that some of the survivors made it here and shut down in grief. Maybe some in the niches.

[street_sparrow]

"I think Stock might have found someone." Carefully, picking his way through the sad little robot remains, he makes his way to her.

[runningred]

Jay makes his way over, shuffling his feet with care so he doesn't crash the bodies of any of the fallen drones.

He scoops Stock up and passes her to Gav. "I'll do everything I can, babe. You and Gav search for other survivors."

She shudders in Gav's hands, rippling with distress. ~so many dead. So many broken~

[street_sparrow]

"Don't look at them", Gavroche says, infinitely gentle as he cuddles her close to his chest. "Can you sense survivors?"

[runningred]

~others, in the combs. But the core is dead and they are cold. There is so little power left. They may die if we move them~

Jay focuses on carefully scooping the suvivor into a bag, using expanding foam to keep fragile parts from shifting when moved.

[street_sparrow]

"We won't let that happen. Jay brought things to help, maybe he can even feed them more power. Or I can."

He thinks he can convert his energy into the kind they need.

[runningred]

"What do you need?" Jay calls, stowing the survivor carefully in his pack.

~power. Or they will never warm~

[street_sparrow]

"Take us to them", Gavroche says briskly. "I can lend them some of mine."