T'was a fine day to get out there and risk one's life for the greater good. Or was it for profit? Honestly with Zephyr it was difficult to tell, though today they'd be supplying the transportation for this expedition. The transport in question was an old Wrangler Rubicon with a missing roof and no windows. Still, the old thing was in good condition and did have a windshield. Sand-blasted and mud-caked flaps were telling of its previous use, and to some it may even seem familiar.

At their rendezvous point, right at the edge of the bubble upon the runed road amidst a sun-blasted desert plane, where naught but beige terrain and the occasional tumbleweed were present, would be a familiar fennec sitting on the bonnet of their transport, noisily slurping from a juice box while his free hand was busy playing some sort of strange videogame. He'd kick his legs to and fro, his attire befitting the truly arid and scorching weather, just a shirt and some shorts, both red in color and slightly stained with motor oil.

"Ah, it's you," Nena says, upon seeing the fennec. Though she's not her otter or raccoon self today, she's still got the fluffy tail. Just a different kind. "Figures you would have a hand in this, somehow." She drops a large crate at her feet and dusts her hands off on her apron. "I'm not sure what 'unconventional weaponry' implies, but... Hopefully what I've got will suffice."

Approaching the meeting point, a shiny looking snow leopard and a slightly shorter and fluffier figure approach. They're both wearing light armour and are accompanied by a couple of drones hovering by their shoulders. As they draw closer, the snow leopard calls a greeting to the two already present. "Hey there, we're not too late I see". Nodding to the fox, she adds "Hi Magnus. Not sure if you've met my daughter, Lux. We thought we could both do with getting back on the horse, so to speak, after recent events".

Reports of a goo-like entity out of the normal weirdness of the bubble... to Ebreus that'd bring back memories, nasty ones, and so the winged Hellhound would soar off to the rendezvous point. After all if it isn't nightmare fuel than he can relax... and if it is then his help'll likely be appreciated. Gliding to a landing as the nanites thin in the air around him he comes to a jogging landing and stops not too far from the jeep. "Hey Magnus." he says, "Back to helping Zephyr for the greater profit I see." Then looking over tot he others arriving he looks them over, "Hey Kamryn, nice to see you again."

Another figure approaches the impromptu rendevous in the desert, this one... human? No, not quite. As they approach, it's clear that they haven't been avoiding the nanites. Their skin is flawless, and they're testing the edges of some retractable arm-blades on their fingertips, which heal shut before they can bleed. He's got a weird-looking rifle contraption slung over his shoulder and some belted-together armor made in a Prommie style. "Oh, hey Magnus! Haven't seen you since... jeez, March, at least." He looks around at the gathering. "I was told to expect four people. We're all here from what I can see. What're we doing out in the desert in June?"

Catching the squirrel girl's words with one of those massive ears, the fennec raises a finger in the "one moment" gesture, his juicebox dangling by its straw as he unhands it. With a yip of victory he raises his hands up moments later, having conquered his virtual enemy it seems. "Nena! Nice to see ya, girl. How's it goin'?" he'd wink and give her a light punch on the shoulder once he'd approached. "Dunno about the weapons, long as it ain't just bullits'. I'd wager you got the right stuff though. Maybe enough to pass around if anyone else is lacking?" the fox shrugs so deeply that his head levels with his shoulders.

Once Kamryn approaches, the fennec struggles for a moment to pin her name. "You... shit I am awful with names sometimes. You were uhhh... Zen's, right?" To be fair, the fennec barely knew either Kamryn or Zen themselves. "OH! Now I remember, the whole feral attack debacle. Glad you're up for some adventurin'!" he'd swing an arm and chuckle. "Lux, hello hello. Nice meetin' ya. Looks like it's... five, then? Well, alright. Room for one more works I guess. Gonna be a tight squeeze in the car though. Might wanna shrink down a little if'n ya don't wanna be packed in like sardines."

Once Ebreus arrives, the fennec listens to his words and shakes his head. "Greater good my fuzzy wuzzy ass. There's a big cash score for me in this and I got my own shit going on. The salvage we're expecting to find there is due to assist that... power... suit... armor thing." his hand wobbles and a sharp raspberry parts his muzzle. "I call it plate-jamas. Not interested either. Shit's heavy, I travel light." With that, he'd hop onto the bonnet of their car once more, and leap over the windshield, then turn the ignition key to rev the engine up.

His wee fist smacks the horn and he calls out "COME ON, THEN! We're losing daylight and all that! Chop chop and all those things!" Once the human approaches however, he'd kick the door of the jeep open and wave. "Come on, Richard! We're off spellunking the wastelands, ofcourse! I got water and so on already, it's in the trunk." before opping back into the driver's seat. Seems he was eager to get going, but then that was the fennec as always a zoomy little bundle of secrets.

"Afraid I don't have enough to share," Nena says with a faint smirk. She kicks the lid off the crate and pulls out the one weapon the took up the entire thing. Which isn't very impressive in its own right, just a flamethrower. She takes a moment to get it sorted out and equipped, tail flicking behind her before straightening back out. "Hi, Magnus," she says when it is done. "I'm doing alright. Busy, busy... And hello to the rest of you, as well." She finds a spot out of the way to stuff the crate, before climbing into the jeep. "Geez, this form makes me feel so small now." Because she is smaller.

Nodding to the demonic hound, Kamryn greets him warmly. "Hey there, it's been a while". She looks around and puts her arm around the other girl with her with a slight chuckle. "Don't worry Lux, he's not that scary really". Addressing Magnus again, she says "Yeah, we're back on our feet again and raring to get out and about". As the final member of the group arrives and Magnus explains their mission, she adds "Power armour eh? That's my kind of thing. Research has been stalled for a while now too, last I checked. Be good to get it on track again". Noticing how keen he is to get going, she stows her and her companion's gear in the trunk then climbs into the vehicle to join the squirrel. "Come on Lux, I'm sure we can all squeeze in somewhere" she says pulling the girl in beside her.

Ebreus smirks a bit as it seems their driver misheard him, didn't really matter as the 'hound climbed into the truck. "If anyone's lacking in firepower I've got a spare shotgun." he says, "If my suspicions about the scouting reports are correct we'll need all the shotties we can get our paws on." Trying not to take up /too/ much space he says, "Yeah... probably would've gone a bit faster but it seems like somewhere along the line there was a miscommunication between the development and marketing teams."

Richard shrugs at the hellhound's words. "Take it from a guy who's been in the human enclave for the last ten years: just knowing that there are people working on stuff like this gives me hope. 'end of the world' my tail-less ass," he says, glancing around to find a spot to sit in the car. The seats are all taken, and a flamethrower is draped through the middle of the passenger compartment "Uhh... crap. Nena, can you put the flamer in the back? I'll stand on the console and be the lookout." He pauses for a moment, then realizes something. "Magnus, what's the terrain like ahead? This is my first time out of the bubble since there WAS a bubble. I've had worse than car crashes, but that was all the way back there," he adds, hooking a thumb over his shoulder at the distant city.

"Misco-money-cation, rather!" he'd scoff and shake his head, then slap the dashboard and chyme out! "Dudes check this out! I had this thing fitted with a proper sound system and snagged a memory card to slam a few old tracks onto! I don't even know where these came from but they're siiiiick!" he'd let off a jovial yip on that last word as his index finger hastily presses one of the keys on the dashboard. Before long, the system lights up and the sounds of energetic synth starts to resonate around them. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EVQPiRmZuU) which Magnus happily starts to bob and bounce to. "What's that Rich? Oh, it's gonna be a wild one!" he'd cackle "Relaaaaax. You're in good hands!" he'd wink as he leans back to assist in shuffling things around and helping the human get in.

Once everyone was inside, the fennec adjusts his rear-view mirrors, though it seems to be pointed towards the faces of the folks in the back seats. "Gooooooooood afternoon dear passangers, thank you for flying air Fennec, today's trip is looking to be a quick trek through the wastelands, please strap in tight as we may be experiencing some turbulence along the way. Also please enjoy our complimentary meal package and free dessert..." He'd then suddenly step down on the gas pedal. The engine ROARS like a mighty beast and dust kicks up wildly behind them, the vehicle darting off, though not quite. Turning for a sharp right, the fox yells out "DOUGHNUTS!" as their transport swirls several times in place, kicking up enough dust to be seen from miles around, before he straightens out their path and fires off into the vast empty desert with his crew onboard.

The squirrel maid kicks her heels up as well as she's able, before frowning. Then, Nena leans forward and sits up in an effort to see over the dashboard. "This sucks. I feel like I'm a kid again," she grumbles. At least she didn't take up much space! "Yeah, I dropped the flamer in the back. I don't want to carry it in my lap anyway for the ride."

Kamryn grimaces a little as Magnus fires up his sound system, the music not exactly being to her tastes. The jeep's sudden acceleration gives her some cover though as everyone hangs on while Magnus exuberantly drives them in circles. "Glad I brought my medkit..." she murmurs quietly to herself, shuffling around to get herself comfortable for the ride.

Ebreus grabs ahold of the back of the drivers seat as Magnus spins them. A moment after they actually get under way traveling to the objective he releases the drivers seat and leans back, "Ideally this'll be a simple salvage operation... if not who else brought explosives?" he asks, "Anyone read the report about a goo creature encountered out of bubble sometime ago?"

Wiping dust from the doughnuts off his sweaty skin, Richard pivots as much as he can in his seat towards the huge demon-dog. "That'd be a no on both counts. I've got a garage project of an energy rifle and the standard issue laser pistol. No bombs." He looks down for a moment at his armament, bobbing his head to the music and brushing dust away from the more sensitive bit- Is that a dental X-ray machine on the end of a laser rifle? Does that thing even work? "What's the deal with the other goo thing?"

As they drive along, the group would pass by what appeared to be a long abandoned farmhouse or a ranch of some sort. Several glass bottles remained lined up on the fence some fifty or so feet away, so the fox pulls a pistol out of the glove compartment and offers it to his crew. "Alright, who's a good marksman! Pop the bottle, earn a prize!" he'd smirk and waggle the device around. "No cheating now. I know you folks and your ooga booga nanite tech. You gonna use this simple as fuck handgun. As for the prize, how's a million creds sound?" It'd be a hell of a shot to pull off, especially with the limited time and rocky ride. "Tick tock tick tock!" the fox chymes as they get closer and closer to their target, soon to pass it right by.

"Pass," Nena says without hesitation. "I'm more of a hands on kind of girl." She lifts her hands and flexes her fingers for emphasis, before throwing a punch into her palm. "But, good luck to whoever wants to try, I guess. And yea, I heard about the goo creature. Not sure what to make of it."

"Yeah, I saw the reports" Kamryn says as Ebreus raises the subject. "I didn't think goo forms were that stable with a decent nanite field. Could be interesting to see, if it's not too hostile", adding "And if it is, then I don't exactly have explosives but I have some grenades that should make it think twice".

As the farmhouse approaches and Magnus sets his challenge, she grins, considering herself a bit of a marksman. "Well I'm more used to using energy based rifles, but I'll give it a crack" she says, leaning forwards to take the gun from Magnus. Briefly looking it over as she stands up she braces against the front seat, getting Lux to hold her steady. She takes aim and holds her breath, sighting along the barrel, and lets off a single shot at her target.

Ebreus smiles as Richard seems interested in hearing about a potential enemy up ahead, "Monstrous thing, super-heated and aggressive... was able to make almost humanoid constructs to attack us, enough of 'em a team of the best field-agents still alive, at least in my estimation, had to cut and run or be overwhelmed." he explains. Taking out his pistol as Magnus puts a million credit prize on the shot he rises to a crouched position in the moving truck, aims, and pulls the trigger... after seeing the result he seats himself and resumes, "Anyway in our fightin' as we retreated from the monster we found it's weak to thermal nanomagic, shotguns, and explosives."

Richard watches the two other shooters' attempts and listens to Ebreus with interest. "If the same applies to this blob, we might have a good chance. Pass the gun, please? I want a try." Ebreus gives him the pistol, having already taken a shot, and Richard braces himself on the frame of the jeep to steady his aim for a shot at the bottles...

Richard impeccably says, "Hot damn!"

"Pfsh, suit yerself!" the fennec snerks as he then hands off the gun to Kamryn. She makes her shot, a valiant attempt, but the bullet swishes past its target. "Oof, well to be fair it was a hell of a crack shot." When Ebreus takes the pistol, he'd watch closely and blow a soft raspberry, "Tough luck mate." the fox shrugs and observes as Richard takes the pistol. When the bottle shatters, the fox's eyes widen. He turns around and gives the human a slap on the shoulder. "GOOD AIM, MATE! I'll take that." he then retrieves his pistol and reaches into his pocket to hand the human a platimum chip. "That'll net ya a million back in town. Good work, lad. Good try everyone else. Sometimes luck's not with ya I guess."

Soon, the group would see in the far distance what was the remnants of an industrial settlement still in the making. "Alright fellas. There's our mark! We'll be hopping in there, most of it's rubble but the construction site is untouched... well no. UnLOOTed because something else made its home there." The group would drive up to the edge of it all. There, Magnus pulls the handbrake but doesn't get out of the vehicle, or even turn off the engine. "Right, here's the thing. I gotta guard the jeep. I'll be in the area and will listen in for the sounds of gunfire. If I hear commotion I'll circle around this spot specifically. Your jobs? Get in there, smack whatever gets in yer way, snag the valuables and haul em' here. Careful though... last time we dealt with this crud it was under the ground itself. Ebreus here has some sort of magical sense or whatever that helps with that I remember. Anywho, off ya go now!"

"I have no thermal nanomagic, but hopefully the flamethrower will work as a substitute. Fire is fire, I'd hope." Nena carefully props her tail up against the seat and uses it as a pillow to rest her head against for the duration of the ride. When they arrive, though, she heaves a little sigh and hops out of the jeep, pulling out the flamethrower. "Right, let's see what awaits us, then. Hopefully we can handle it."

Having seen her shot go wide and take a chunk out of the farmhouse wall, Kamryn sighs as she sits down again. "Bugger. Well, I'm better from a stationary position" she says with a shrug, hiding her slightly hurt pride as she hands the gun to Ebreus. "Could have done with those freecred too" she says, eventually looking somewhat crestfallen as the human member of the group successfully shatters one of the bottles. "Congratulations" she says, patting him on the shoulder in an attempt to be magnanimous in defeat.

Eventually arriving at the target location, she listens to Magnus's briefing. "Underground? Maybe I can rig up some sensors as a detection grid..." she says thoughtfully as she gets out of the vehicle and retrieves her and Lux's gear from the trunk. Handing Lux her pistol and checking her own rifle over, she asks "Depends how well your 'magical senses' work Ebreus. Think it'd be worth it?"

Ebreus smiles, "I can see heat." he says as he blinks his thermal vision on, "This thing is a real fireball... I'm bettin' at least second degree burns if it touches you. Makes it easy to know where it is 'cause I can see the warm spots it makes in the floor when it's close to the surface." With the explanation out of the way he takes a few steps forward and scans the area, "Last time we saw this thing it couldn't quickly burst out of the ground anywhere it wasn't already fairly close to the surface... oh and if you see any corpses leave them. It had a predisposition for using bone as the structural support for its constructs corpses could very well be traps."

Richard follows closely behind the hound, frowning at what he hears. "It's already hot enough to burn us? Great. The weapons we've got had better be a lot hotter than that if it's adapted to heat." The mostly-human looks around at the abandoned girder and concrete buildings. "Let's not spend too long inside the buildings or go up too high. If this thing needs structure, it's not lacking any."

The vast expanse before the team was oddly enough as full as it was barren. The sharp edges of rubble rendered into each other, pallets of grey and white rocks melded with the sandstone below, the only salvation from this sensory deprivation being bars of rebarb and unfinished plumping installation. Cranes were oddly enough still standing tall, albeit rusty and unkept, likely unstable and ready to fall over at a moment's notice.

Such machinery however was guaranteed to carry within it valuable components... but there's something to be said about reaching for the low-hanging fruit. All they would hear was the sound of the wind howling amidst the rubble, a depressing sight to behold, what would once have become a bustling trade and manufacturing centre was now a crumbling memory of mankind's decay. Dread hung low in the air, like a veil of choking fog, invisible and intangible... something was very wrong here. Now, where was that salvage...

"What a mess this place is," Nena says, brow knitting. "If it's as warm as you say, I'm not sure if I brought the right kind of equipment for this. I'm a little out of my element, maybe. Hard to punch something if it'll burn me for doing it. I suppose I do have a shotgun if the fire won't do the work, though. Do you want to take the lead?" She asks of Ebreus. "If you can potentially see it before it hits, you'd probably be the best for it."

Kamryn nods. "Fair enough, sounds like you've got it covered then". She taps her comm, sending one of her drones flying high to get an aerial overview of the site with its sensors. Limited by the absence of a nanite field, the results are not as detailed as she'd hoped. "Hmm... my drone's not exactly running at peak efficiency out here, but it looks like there's a bunch of tools over there a way, along with some intact pipework" she says, studying her comm display as the drone returns to nearer ground level. Looking around at the rest of the group, she asks "So, should we split up and cover more ground, or stay together in case that goo-thing turns up?"

Ebreus nods to Nina, "Sure, I'll take point." he says, "Can anyone put up a Regulation bubble? It'd make this all easier." Taking a moment to examine the thermal image of the ruins, "Fuck." he says quietly before raising his voice, "Listen up: The napalm ooze has infested this place." he says, heavy emphasis on infested, "I'm not seeing hotspots. Instead I see a spider's web just beneath the surface." He takes a breath and looks over the salvage, "Okay now... I see a path to the crane. Anyone following me he VERY careful. If you step on one of these tendrils... which I realize you can't see, it will attack." he says and carefully makes his way to the crane. Long strides and short hops to carefully chosen spots bring the large 'hound to the crane in short order and opening it up he looks it over before looking back to the team, "This one's in bad condition... at least this part. Going to check the upper components."

"I am *not* liking this," Richard says. "Dammit. Sticking together seems like the only good plan. Nobody go anywhere that Eb doesn't." He follows as precisely as he can in the big dog's footsteps though the metaphorical minefield, joining him at the bottom of the crane. "Go on up. I'll say a few steps above the bottom to keep off of the ground," he says, hooking an arm through the rungs of the crane's ladder. "Any way we can get over that way safely? I think I saw a set of welding gear in that building."

Nena follows along as she can! For once, her new height comes in handy. It's easier for a small person to follow in the steps of a large person, than the other way around. "Up?" She sets her free hand on her hip and looks up at the crane. "If we worry about stability, let me know. I'd hazard a guess that I'm the lightest person here..."

Ebreus smiles as Richard follows up to him and then reaches up to grab ahold and climb... the sound of metal bending dissuades him, "Yeah, somebody else should probably climb... it's not my forte and sounds like my weight will be working against me should I try. If you find somethin' I might be able to walk you through out to dismantle it from down here." He looks out to the ruins again,

"Nanomagic's not really my thing, sorry" Kamryn says, looking around the area. Watching Ebreus dance across the sandy ground, she raises an eyebrow. "Don't step on the invisible undetectable web of superheated hostile sentient goo... right... Let's hope my cat-like grace is better than my aim". Turning to her daughter, she says "Maybe you should stay here with Magnus and the jeep Lux, in case we need medical support". Looking disappointed and a little anxious, the kitsune girl replies "OK mum. Just... don't get into too much trouble, and shout if you need backup" and climbs back into the jeep, taking a seat and preparing her medkit in case it's needed.

Kamryn smiles at her daughter, then turns to bounce and twirl across the sand after Ebreus, ending up at the base of the crane. "It's a little further to the tools, but we're headed in the right direction"

Ebreus smiles as Richard follows up to him and then reaches up to grab ahold and climb... the sound of metal bending dissuades him, "Yeah, somebody else should probably climb... it's not my forte and sounds like my weight will be working against me should I try. If you find somethin' I might be able to walk you through out to dismantle it from down here." He looks out to the ruins again, "I'll keep watch for any changes in the ooze."

Nena stares up at the crane for another few seconds before shaking her head and starting up it. At least form instincts help a little, there, even if she's not much of a natural climber. Climbing in a dress isn't her idea of a good time, but her tail flicks down to balance her and thwart looks both.

Kamryn glances up as Nena begins climbing, quickly looking back down and blushing as she realises what she could see from this angle. "Any sign of valuables up there?" she calls out, watching for any movement on the horizon.

Ebreus takes a step away from the crane as he watches out, "Kamryn, which way was it to the tools? If she doesn't need help I'm thinkin' we should plan our way forward." he says.

Richard pulls a bottle of power gator out and takes a few sips while he waits. "Hang on... we didn't take any of the water with us, did we? I can spare a bit of this if anyone's thirsty." Gesturing down to Kamryn, he asks "Are those tools in the same place as the welding set? I'm all for covering as little ground as we can, here."