Location: City of Tears

Ghost was weaving around the city, trying to avoid detection. Hopping on platforms, dashing from one street corner to the other, oh they forgot how much they missed doing this. If it wasn't for the fact that their siblings may be in imminent danger, they may take their time there, just to enjoy it. However family comes first, and Ghost was excited to meet these new siblings, they were something new, and they always loved having more family.

Ghost was approaching the more affluent part of the city, this would be considerably harder. In order to get to the kingdom's edge, he would need to get through the sewer system that led there, and the only path there was through where the high class of society lived. He would need to be extra careful to avoid detection there.

However, as he got closer, he noticed that the void he sensed was getting closer, and closer, faster than they should have. Are they moving towards the city? But it wasn't all of them he could tell. Some of them split off to go somewhere else, Ghost took a guess and assumed the colosseum of fools.

Ghost picked up the pace, if the Pale King did lie to them, and kept some vessels for himself, then Ghost would need to catch them before they could get collected by the authorities and get sent somewhere he couldn't get them. They may resist, possibly being indoctrinated like Hollow was for a time, or had a spell put on them, but this was for their own good.

"I save siblings" Ghost sang in their head as they made their way towards King's Station.

Location: King's Station Cavern

Another shriek from one of those exploding birds was heard, and almost automatically, Lucas fired a 10mm round into it, causing it to detonate a safe distance away. The birds were not really dangerous, their blast only being strong enough to knock someone who is unprepared on their ass. Still, the group had some sensitive equipment on them that they would rather not be damaged. Wordlessly, Julia, Joshua, and Lucas made their way down the cavern.

They passed under a strange pink light from and opening in the ceiling, faint sounds being heard from it.

"I wonder what is up there"Joshua said curiously

"We probably shouldn't split ourselves apart again, if we do run into a civilization, I would rather we had as many bullets to defend ourselves as possible" Lucas replied

With that, the group continued down the cavern, some of it being flooded, so they were waist deep in water at times, and more of those suicide bombing bird things showed up as well.

"Hey, you hear that?" Julia asked

"Yea, it sounds like… a busy area" Joshua replied

"Alright you two" Julia said turning to both Lucas and Joshua

"This is a new civilization we are meeting, we will not be speaking the same language, so communication will be near impossible, have weapons ready, but do not under any circumstances discharge your weapons unless it is very clear they are acting violently towards us"

"Yes ma'am!" Joshua and Lucas replied in unison

With that Julia got on her stomach, her helmet being submerged in water, and began to pull herself through the whole in the wall. She barely had anytime to register the high velocity black blur headed right towards her.

Location: The Bunker

Henry was one of the engineers put into stasis at the Bunker. He was currently working on restoring the long range communication system so that they may be able to come into contact with other awakening sleepers from different parts of the country. His peer, Izabelle assisted him.

"When do you think they will defrost the children?" Izabelle asked as she examined a broken radio dish that didn't survive the 200 years they were asleep.

"Probably not until some outside settlements are set up, cause, well, we need to conserve as many resources as we can until we assure we can be self sufficient" Henry said in a thoughtful tone

Henry understood why she asked, her children were still in stasis, and she missed them dearly. However, there wasn't really much kids could do in these beginning stages, it all required technical work that they just wouldn't be capable of. It would be feasible to take care of 10'000 extra people that couldn't pull their weight yet, when the matter of resources was still uncertain.

Izabelle looked saddened by the news, she hadn't seen her kids, a daughter and a son since they first entered the Bunker, and she longed to see them again.

Henry, trying to take her mind off it, said "Did you hear we sent out a second Recon team? Beta I think it was called, made of three people?"

Izabelle took her eyes of the dish she was repairing "Yea, I heard they are more heavily armed this time, in response to Code Green"

It was true, the new recon team was armed with kit that made them more like light infantry, Henry recalled that they were sent topside to see if the bugs colonized the surface at all, and maybe even find a new entrance to scout.

"Let's hope they don't start a war, I think every human left alive has seen more then enough war for the rest of their lives" Henry said, with a hint of pessimism

Izabelle gave a small chuckle "Amen to that"

Location: Pathway to The Colosseum of Fools

Alex stretched, the climbing made him sore. When they finally got up to the opening in the cave all, they found more of those jumping things, they had to pay attention to how many rounds they fired. While they still had a little under half of their original magazines as well as the 4 extra they carried with them, who is to say how many possibly hostile bugs they may encounter. Oh, and more of those damned suicide birds, Alex was getting tired of them. Then, they saw what was the culprit of the noises, a strange building made out of what appeared to be a carcass.

"Are you sure we should go in?" Alex asked, wondering if lightly armed scouts should be the ones making first contact with this unknown civilization.

"If not us then who? No one speaks their language, and I'm fairly certain heavily armed gene troopers won't be making any good first impressions" Emily replied in a matter of fact tone.

Alex had to concede, really, who was fit to be first contact? We had not specialists for this, we didn't speak their language, and we would both look totally alien to each other. At the very least scouts were lightly armed enough to at least have a chance at not scaring the bugs into hostility.

Although, Alex seriously doubted that bugs with middle age level tech would know what a magnetic assault rifle was.

"Fair enough" was Alex's simple reply

Alex made sure to keep his gun at his side, ready, but not outwardly hostile looking, Emily did the same.

They entered the building and were met with what appeared to be an oversize bipedal pill bug hanging upside down in chains, that made weird noises at them. Alex had to struggle not to laugh, but it did confirm what they already knew, they were not going to be able to communicate with these bugs verbally, at least not yet.