12 years ago: Mei boarded the plane, excited to set up the first data recorder in Australia in the explosion. They took off, and Mei nearly puked, unused to flying. He called over the propellers,

"Put on your head set! It will let us talk!" She complied, and he said much clearer, "We'll arrive in about an hour."

"Don't worry. I'm not in a rush. Could you tell me more about Australia?"

"The only good Australian I've seen is a dead or incarcerated one."

"They can't be all bad."

"The good ones are dead. That's what I just told you. They run in a kind of hierarchy: there's the strongest who live like kings; the middle class, who are scavengers, looking for pretty much any job they can land, evil intent or otherwise; and then the lower class, the injured, irradiated, crazy, killing people, if you can call them that. Like I said, only good Australian is one who's incarcerated or dead, in both ways of the phrase." Mei frowned. *No one is all bad or monstrous. Maybe they don't know how to be considerate.* "What are you setting down there for?"

"Climatology. If I figure out a way to reverse the radiation and pollution, the rest of the world will have a chance."

"Well, it's your job, not mine. Try to sleep. You won't get a chance to when you get there. Australians have a hard time trusting anyone they don't know, and live by 'kill first and ask questions never'."

"I'll be careful, sir." The majority of the trip passed in silence; Mei not sure what to say. About five minutes away from the drop off point, the pilot said, "I'm lowering my speed now. Last chance to back out, Doc."

"No. This is my job, and I am going to do it." He shrugged.

"Okay. See the clearing?" Mei peered out of the window, and saw mountains of debris and metal everywhere but a small ten by ten area.

"…Yes, but what happens if I miss?"

"Well, if you miss, you get hurt then die, or you die on contact, so hope you don't miss." *That is encouraging.*

"Okay. Wish me luck."

"Good luck. I'll be waiting on the coast to the west in 2 days." He called as she jumped. She managed to follow the pilot's instructions and landed on the clearing. Adjusting her bag of equipment, she set off for Mount Kosciuszko. Less than an hour in, something wrapped around her throat, and she almost screamed.

"Let's see that bag, mate." She struggled, ramming her skull into the man's face. He grunted, letting her go briefly before Mei had a knife to her throat and a murderous look in the man's eyes. He went to stab when a shout echoed through the piles of scrap.

"Dusty, wait!" A small man with an Omnic arm was suddenly in front of both of them. Mei frowned at him, but was more worried about the knife against her neck. "Dusty, that ain't a scavenger."

"It's not? It sure looks like one." The man squinted at her. His hair seemed to be burning or at least burned recently, ash covered his entire body, and he looked extremely malnourished and filthy. Mei couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever heard of a bath. The knife-wielding man suddenly gagged, backing away from Mei. "Oh, man, what is that? Smells like rotting barbie…" Mei went pink and began to retort when the other man said,

"I have no idea, mate, but sure no one from here would smell like that." She tried to speak again.

"She's from another country, Jamie?" She turned a beet color, but they continued talking like she wasn't there.

"I guess. That's the only thing that makes sense."

"She sure is fat." That was the last straw for Mei, who decked 'Dusty' in the gut.

"I would appreciate if you stopped talking about me like I can't understand you! I am not fat; I am wearing clothing! How dare you threaten someone who has done nothing to you! Now, if you could kindly point me in the direction of the highest point here, I would be very grateful." Jamie frowned at the glowing woman; then looked up at her hair, making Mei bristle in annoyance.

"What's that in your hair? It looks like an Alan wrench." *Did he not hear me?!* Mei said hotly,

"It is a hair pin!" Jamison plucked it out of her hair with ease, inspecting it with interest. Mei shouted, "Give that back!" He stood straight, almost 2 feet taller than her, preventing her from getting it back, and grinned madly.

"Make me, princess." Dusty recovered, laughing at the comment of his friend.

"You're just a no-good bully! How can you stand to look at yourself in the mirror?" Mei shouted, losing her temper.

"Begging your pardon, but I consider myself a freedom fighter. Just a misunderstood one. Also, that's cold." Mei's eyes flashed violently. Jamie chuckled, continuing, "I'll show you Devil's Peak. Hope you're ready to put some Omnics in the scrap bin."

"Hey, Rat! what about my pay?" 'Rat' looked Dusty in amusement.

"What for? We'll finish the job when I get back. 'Sides, you're the one who put a knife to her."

"I thought she was a scavenger!" He started walking away rather quickly. Mei followed him begrudgingly, not liking this situation. Unable to contain her confusion, though, she asked,

"I thought Mount Kosciuszko was the tallest peak here?"

"The blazes is that place?" Rat muttered, not recognizing the name. He tossed the pin over his shoulder at her, and she caught it, pinning her hair back again. "No, that's-" He pointed to a pile of scrap, smiling at her bewildered look. "The tallest place. Omnics are like rabbits up there. You're lucky if you meet thirty. I go there to blow the things up, but they keep coming. You like climbing?" She nodded, frowning. "Have fun, princess." She shouted as Rat or Jamie or whatever his name was walked off,

"You're just going to let me fight them off alone?"

"Yup."

"You're a monster!" He purposely shivered, and Mei frowned.

"Brr. I get cold just by looking at you." She shouted hotly,

"Then you should look somewhere else!" She judged the best way to get up, ignoring the aggravating man.

"Bye-bye, shorty." Mei looked at him, then looked down as she heard a thump as an odd device hit the ground.

"Ah!" She tucked her body in as the blast sending her flying onto a ledge on the peak.

"You're welcome!" He wandered back to his base chuckling, leaving Mei to curse him and set up her systems for data gathering. She met the deadline and headed off to the Artic, declining to reply to the pilots questions about the state of her singed jacket.