EV: Steaming up the Thames!

[Aoiroo]

Carrie sat inside the metal men trying to pull at the wires even more when she heard the splashing of water.

"Ohh sh.."

She was more or less drained out by the splashing and started to panic just a bit, until she pushed out a panel and saw that the Thames wasn't deep enough to submerge the metal man up to where she was. So she was getting a ride across the river, but for what purpose? Probably nothing good, so she started to work harder to get things in non functional order, or at least nonmoving.

[Supercape]

GM

With the panel open, Carrie got a pretty good view of where she was going. Up the Thames... the scenery was swaying this way and that, along with her stomach.

Tower Bridge Loomed into view, presenting an obstacle for the Iron Giant, until two massive fists came crashing down, crumpling the bridge. The giant arms tore away a the debris until a path had been cleared, and the Iron Giant continued.

Carrie's pulling of levers and jamming of gearboxes seemed to have achieved something at least - by pulling on a select few wires, she seemed to be able to control the things left arm now!

Meanwhile, steam hissing off its shoulders, Chun-Su's creation marched on down the Thames...

[Aoiroo]

Working away on the wires Carrie couldn't help but notice herself get a bit, dizzy.

Freaking motion sickness.

She continued away at the wires when she heard a crash. Looking out she saw the thing pretty much bulldoze through the bridge.

"Ewh, I hope the agency can cover that."

As she did so she pulled a wire and found that the left arm reacted with it. Her eyebrows raised as she worked it and found that she had gained control. That was something.

[Supercape]

GM

The Iron Giant continued to press ahead down the Thames, pushing aside various tug boats and steamers, although only with its right arm now. That slowed it down slightly, but not by much.

Another flurry of experimentation by Carrie, and it started dragging its right leg a little, limping slightly. But it still plowed on, relentless.

And now, it seemed, it was making headway towards its target...

THE HOUSES OF PARLIMENT!!!!

[Aoiroo]

Tearing and pulling everything she could Carrie watched as the steam boats were pushed aside while trying to keep in the roast beef sandwiches from earlier. As she leaned over she caught a glance at the building they were headed too. The large regal looking building was unmistakable,

"Ohh heeellll no!"

Working even faster she started to just tear things out from the chest with all her strengh trying to gain control or at least stop this thing before it got to shore.

[Supercape]

GM

The Iron Giant was limping badly now, but it still crawled up towards the houses, its one good arm swinging like a mace.

As Carrie fought of her nausea, her wrestling and sabotage of the controls started to paid off. The Iron giant started to wobble, and keel over, to one side.

Like a felled tree, it slowly toppled, staggering, one arm spinning wildly. With a mighty crash, it fell backwards into the Thames, crushing a passing barge beneath it.

Carrie could feel water seeping up through the Iron Giant, and the panicked screams of the passengers on the barge, which was clearly sinking...

[Aoiroo]

There was nothing quite like the sensation of falling. Regular falls you didn't get to really grasp it since most the time you are relatively close to the ground, giant robots falling however, they take there time and you get the entire bulk of it if you happen to be hitching a ride chest side. Carrie couldn't get out in time for avoiding the fall, but she didn't hit her head, that was something. The filling up water made her less then comfortable, but she knew where up was so she kicked out a panel and climbed out of the sinking robots side climbing to it's top as it went downward with the unfortunate vessel.

Climbing onto it she interogatted the people quickly, or rather they were screaming at her what the heck was that thing and who the heck was supposed to save the people in the bottom part of the ship. Then there was the person in the rope, well that was an easy fix. She watched over and cut though it with her thumb and forefinger, they probably thought she had a knife the way she was doing it and the tied up person was too distracted to bother noticing it either. Than she started looking over to where the robot had pierced the hull.

"There any other way down there?"

[Supercape]

"There any other way down there?"

The captain of the ship, a burly man with a great big bushy beard, gave her a toothy grin. "Thanks fer ye help, missy! Ye a' dab 'and at ropecraft 'an no mistake" he said in a thick accent.

He pointed down below.

"The chef and the first mate, they got 'stuck down below, when them there that Eyeron man fell 'onno uss". It was fairly clear from his direction that one of the Iron Giants flailing arm had almost split the barge in two. "Barge be sinking missy, we ain't got long. We need to cut through from outside, or inside, to get to 'em..."

The man was right. The barge was sinking, slowly, but with purpose. It looked like the way down below to the two men was cut off by twisted metal. Carrie would have no problem creeping through of course, but it was getting the other men out.

"...I dunno what shape 'engines are in' of course, may still be working, may not. Can't reach the engine room. Can't reach anything down below. The ships a right orf... 'awl I care about is getting my men oota davy jone's locker!"

[Aoiroo]

"Okie dokie, what's the best place to get a banging so we can get those two out? You're the captian you should know right?"

Carrie tried her best to keep a business like tone, however, robot to sinking boat just wasn't doing well for her sickness and she was almost visibly turning green as she grabbed the edge and steadied herself while she started to look around. Maybe there was something she could use to break through the hull since it might be a bit strange if she did so with her bare hands.

[Supercape]

GM

"Well" replied the Cap'n, wobbling slightly as the barge keeled slightly. "The easiest place is from the outside, break one of the portholes, but t'problem is, 'tis underwater rights abouts nows" he said, pointing at the back of the ship that was half submerged. "So I hopes you can holds your breath, missy..."

He flipped open a wooden lid on the deck, and brought out a sturdy steel axe. "Then's we gots this... should's do the tricks. Looks a bits heavy for a small girl likes you, though missy. Can you swim?"

Meanwhile...

From the direction Carrie had come, another ship was arriving, considerably smaller, slightly faster, but also steam powered. Carrie could not see who was on it from this distance, but she could hear the distant voice coming from it, from a megaphone.

"Who felled my creation? Chun-Su kill you! Chun-Su have revenge!"

[Aoiroo]

Carrie wasn't exactly there to here it because she was wading with an axe in her mouth in the waters. Swimming down the the port hole, it was already cracked from the impacted on the freighter. It only took a few swings before it broke open and the water started pouring in. It only took a few more swings before she could fit her head and arm through to the other side glancing over at the two trapped sailors. She took in a breath of air before looking over,

"Oi, help me peel this hull while there's still air in here."

[Supercape]

GM

It wasn't long before Carrie, with the help of the Chef and the First Mate (who, both most keen to remain amongst the living, were possessed of a most remarkable determination and strength) had peeled open more of the hull from the first incision. The water did pour in faster, but by that time it was easy enough to get the two men out to the surface.

Chun-Su's smaller steam power ship had pulled aside the three figures as they hit the surface of the water, and a hopping mad Chun-Su greeted them. He literally danced from one foot to another. Two of his smaller automatons drove the ship. He held a megaphone (of curious copper design) in one hand, and a curiously designed pistol (also of copper, with various coils and tubes) in the other.

"Stupid girl! ruined plans! nobody take Chun-Su seriously! Stupid universities, stupid England, need passport, need recommendation, need qualification, pfahh! Chun-Su a genius, Chun-Su told them, they no listen, Chun-Su has to work with boss man instead, but Chun-Su not forget! he make big Iron man to make them listen, teach them lesson... and now stupid little girl ruined plans!!!"

[Aoiroo]

Carrie looked over at the tiny Asian man branding a pistol at her and rolled her eyes as she took a breath and dived. The river wasn't clear but she could tell where light was, and wherever it wasn't was where his boat was. She swam quietly before slipping on the other side of the hull completely flat as she rose out of the water as she climbed the side of the boats hull quieter than a whisper.

[Supercape]

GM

"Where you go? Where you go?" yelled Chun-Su as Carrie's head bobbed beneath the Thames. He screamed in frustration and fired some his strange looking gun at the river. A bolt of direct current hit the sea, and electricity coursed through the water.

"Damn you, little girl! I get you! I get you! I get all of you!"

He pulled out another device from his belt, some kind of remote control, full of levers and dials.

"Fortunately Chun-Su have one last trick up sleeve..." he cackled.

"Self destruct boom mechanism go boom!!!!"

[Aoiroo]

Carrie slipped around the back and past the robots. They weren't that smart so they hardly noticed, and neither was the engineer as he was leaning over the edge. She just sort of walked from behind him, took her foot and booted him in the bum so that he went overboard. Walking over she looked at the crew on the other ship for a second and said,

"Well don't just stand there, get your butts over here. We need to blow before that thing does."

[Supercape]

GM

"Where is little girl! where is she!" screamed Chun Su, firing into the water.

"Whoaaaa!" he yelped, as he was tipped overboard into the Thames, diving headlong into the river. He emerged a few seconds later, all scrabbling hands and feet, his fizzing gun briefly surfacing before belching smoke and sinking to the bottom of the river.

"Help! Help! Chun-Su no swim! Chun-Su not want to die! Help! Help! Iron Man about to explode! Press big yellow button twice on control pad. Emergency stop. Help! Help! Quick! Before explode and Chun Su Die! Help Help!"

The man certainly seemed desperate, and actually looked in danger of drowning, the way he was flailing about and his head kept momentarily bobbing under the surface of the water.

[Aoiroo]

Carrie seemed less than amused, but she walked over to the control panel and double tapped the button before picking up a lengh of rope and cutting it in half, the first half she tied to the bow and tossed to the other boat the other she grabbed the end and tossed to the little annoying Asian man. She braced herself against the edge while she pulled him up than gave the other crew the okay to pull the Asian man's boat closer to the sinking barge so they can could cross. The whole process took only a few minutes and ended most promptly with Carrie tieing and gagging the little Asian man so he could give no more orders to his robots. He was reluctant, but she gave him clear cut options that he was either tied on the boat or untied in the Thames.

[Supercape]

GM

Later, back at the Ministry of Extraordinary Affairs...

The Iron Giant had been defused, thanks to Chun-Su's instructions, and was gathering a very impressive crowd on the streets of the Thames. M watched it from his window with Carrie by his side.

"Thank Victoria we are safe!" he said, mopping his brow. "That was a close one. Whoever would have guessed that madman had the brains and the resources to build such a thing"

He turned and sat down, helping himself to a cup of tea and offering Carrie one.

"I know I said things keep things quiet. And under normal circumstances I would be rather underwhelmed with the outcome. A few destroyed bridges, a giant Iron statue sitting just outside our seat of government... not to mention a broken warehouse full of smaller automatons and all hell broken loose down at Deptford. But seeing as you have just stopped a modern day Guy-Fawkes, and delivered a certifiable genius into out hands, I would say you are in line for another medal..."

[Aoiroo]

Carrie leaned on the edge in her nice warm change of cloths provided by the agency as she looked over the town.

"Meh, I've done more for less. Plus where I'm from this is hardly that impressive, I know someone who could of stop the robot ten times faster with just a stray thought, and another someone who could of plucked the thing from the river and dropped it in the sea."

Straightening up with a yawn she grabbed her plastic watch out of her purse than stopped for a second and pulled out the camera taking a couple of pictures of the view.

"No metal, I'll take the fee promised but no metal. Happy to be of service, even if it got quite a bit messy along the way."

[Supercape]

GM

"Your efforts in this dimension are, of course, greatfully appreciated" replied M "greatly appreciated. There is always a place for you here in the Ministry of Extraordinary Affairs, should you tire of your home dimension. In the mean time, I am very impressed! I hope to be able to employ you again as freelance agent for our agency, if that would be satisfactory. "

"But for now, your fee, and your trip back home. And you can keep an eye on that rascal Lord Lockwood for me, eh? I'll pay you a little something on the side for that..."

[Aoiroo]

"Heh, as much as this dimension gives me a good idea of what it might be like to be a Doctor Who companion, you guys are missing a ton of luxuries I really can't live without. Like television."

She let out a light laugh as she wondered how much time this little trip had cost her Freedom City time, an hour? A day, geez she hoped someone was going to figure out the exactly dialation thing.

She glanced over when she heard the name Lockwood,

"I can keep an eye on him, but I doubt I can really talk him out of anything that isn't blatantly illegal. By the way, you might of wanted to make him study up a bit on private investigations on my homeworld cause the laws there are way different across the dimensional pond and I don't know how much dimensional diplomacy is going to protect him from if he starts accidently stepping over other people's civil rights."

[Supercape]

GM

M smiled.

"My dear, I swear half the time I have no idea what on earth you are on about. But do give physician Hoo my best regards. Chinese chap, is he?"

"I can keep an eye on him, but I doubt I can really talk him out of anything that isn't blatantly illegal. By the way, you might of wanted to make him study up a bit on private investigations on my homeworld cause the laws there are way different across the dimensional pond and I don't know how much dimensional diplomacy is going to protect him from if he starts accidently stepping over other people's civil rights."

M stifled a chuckle, forcing his tea down.

"Wha..hmmm?" he asked innocently. "Lord Lockwood doing stuff that's Illegal? why, we can't have that! no, no, no. Terrible business. There was no way I could have possibly anticipated that..." he said with a grin on his face.

With that, and another slurp of tea, he lead Carrie out, with a generous helping of gold sovereigns and a ticket back to Earth Prime, with the normal distortion through time, space, and other dimensions.

[Aoiroo]

It wasn't much past one when she returned. The dimensional machine left the same way it came, loudly while knocking something over on it's way out. Didn't matter, wasn't anything importantly. Taking a few steps Carrie walked over and flopped onto her bed with her purse, the gold pieces clanking loudly as they fell and the contents falling in such a way that the metal half fell out of the purse. Looking at it sideways as she pulled herself up against the pillow on the headboard and looked at it and laughed long and hard,

"Ohh, the greatest story never told."

She slumped under the covers and let the purse fall on the floor next to her as she started to get back to her morning's sleep she missed out by dimensional travel,

Well maybe I'll tell Mona.