Just around the corner, the duo can see a rock face that seems to occasionally fuzz with white noise as if it were a holographic projection. Just past it is a cave. But to the right of it is a path that leads up to some kind of building.

  "I could think of a few things, but I won't mention them for obvious reasons."

  He considers the Not Batcave, and Some Building.  "Lucky, you figure we should check the normal building normal survivors might be in, or the hidden cave people who think they are more important would be hiding in?"

Lucky's paranoia is in high gear, so when he considers Joe's question he imagines it a choice of which way he wants to die.  Enter a structure so it'll collapse on you?  Enter a cave so it'll collapse on you?  Or stay put and wait around to find out what horrific thing scared the badger to death?

"Windows!" he blurts out.

He desperately tries to organize his thoughts to communicate coherantly.

"Normal building.  Can look through windows for danger.  I'll cover you."

He turns his back to the house and will walk cautiously backward when he hears Joe moving, bow at the ready for anything that may try to sneak up on them from behind.

When the group make it to the building, it doesn't seem rickety at all. It's built of stone. The inside has a fancy office-like bedroom with a desk made of mahogany. The drawers are opened, though, and the place is a little bit of a mess, as if things were very quickly grabbed and packed. Consequently, there doesn't seem to be anything left here of note.

There is a groan, however, coming from under the nearby bed.

  Joe decides not to challenge Lucky to rock paper scissors over who gets to check under the bed.

  "If you're not a zombie, say something coherent."  Joe that's not much better.

Lucky may be scared out of his mind but he still has compunctionns about unreasonable demands from someone who may be dying.

"I don't think that test'll work."

That's telling him, Lucky!

"I've heard of at least two kinds of undead who speak perfectly clearly...  if maybe with an accent."

Welp.  Priorities.  Lucky is sure to open the nearest window to have a ready escape rout then readies his bow again.  "Please tell us what might have killed the badger outside."

The mumbling voice says, "Water... don't touch... the water..." Then, only a sigh as if the man's last breath.

  "Well, that was both informative as well as unfortunate." He looks to Lucky, "I know we live in the robot apocalypse and all, but sorry gotta see so many people dying so fast."

  Well, technically they didn't see either of them die.  Just after the fact or heard.

"No!  Don't die!" Lucky cries.

He drops his bow and hurries over to the bed to move it out of the way, hoping to find the person underneath still breathing.

"Don't die.  Don't die.  Don't die," he sobs.

All lucky finds underneath is another badger mobian. He isn't breathing and his eyes are completely blank white. Clutched in his hand is a piece of paper.

Should anyone grab it and look it over, it is a map of the area. Seems most of the area is inside the cave they saw earlier.

 If Lucky for some strange and shocking reason does not want to loot the recently deceased, he'll do it for the kid.  Otherwise, assumptions of Lucky looting.

  "Lucky, I'm not so huge a jerk to think you do not deserve some time to deal with people dying in front of you.  But unfortunately, I'm just enough of a jerk to point out that we're here looking for Emerald.  So following our only other lead now means more chance of finding her in good condition."

Tears streaming down his face, wild eyed and paranoid, Lucky wastes no time in recovering his bow.  He doesn't loot the corpse, but he does do a frantic search of the area for umbrellas, rain coats, scuba gear...  anything to help keep from getting wet.

"Y-yeah.  G-get Emerad.  Get outta here.  Fast.  Good plan."

He nocks an arrow and hurries for the exit, hunched over like he's expecting enemy fire.  He stops at the door and cautiously takes a quick peek outside before signaling Joe.

Once the two make it to the cave, it seems like a normal cave at first until they get about 30 feet into it. Then they find the stone pillars, carved into intricate, clearly man-made structures. The rest of the cave appears much like someone just took a cave and tamed it. There is evidence everywhere of this place having been lived in, but also evidence of this place having been quickly evacuated. Still, according to the map, there is some kind of underground port that looks to be the end of the cave. All the other places on the map are just rooms, rooms, more rooms. As the duo explore the cave, it is clear this was an entire city under the ground. Most rooms are like self-contained homes. Some are designed like meeting places. Others seem like commons areas where people just hung out; such as the center square where they had a water fountain.

But eventually, the duo makes it to the final room, where there is a huge underground pool of the liquid crystal and what look to be docks. The most noticeable thing, though, is Emerald, hunched over and seated against a nearby wall.

  Great, now Joe feels like a jerk... No, really, this is great.  I means he's not too far gone into cliche loner territory because he actually cares when children cry.

   He does hope to not need a reminder about being able to cry over things himself though, now that Emerald is in sight.  Joe hurries over as fast as his cartoon animal person legs can carry him.  Which is not as fast as he'd like despite despite lots of examples.

Lucky gasps!  "Emerald!"

He takes a step toward her then freezes.  To find Emerald alive so soon is just too good to be true.  His paranoia is in such overdrive several deadly scenarios race through his mind.  A pit trap opens up just as the boys reach Emerald.  A chunk of ceiling falls on their heads.  Or lands in the water to splash them with the deadly liquid.  Or Emmy's body bursts open when the tentacle monster within senses more victims to infest approaching.

Lucky draws back his bow, aiming everywhere as he cautiously follows Joe.

"B-b-be c-caref... c-c-careful, J-j-j-j-Joe..."

OOC: Reminder Lucky is young adult in this story.

Emerald is unconscious, it seems.

No Eldridge horrors appear.

  Ah yes, hold on.  Joe still cares when he makes big babies cry. See, Lucky isn't literally a baby but- okay moving on.

  "Feel free to say I told you so if forgetting my usual selfishness is a bad idea."  After checking Emerald for any 'bad idea to move them' injuries, he will attempt to pick up the fox so they can at least carry her someplace that isn't the freakin dock in a 'water BAD' situation.

Lucky is relieved nothing horrible has happened to Joe or himself just yet, but he remains convinced that something horrible is about to happen, so he remains on guard.  Obviously, something horrible has already happened to Emerald, so no sense in letting it happen again for lack of vigilance.  He totally agrees with the "get Emmy away from the deadly water" plan.

"One should not deride another for altruism if that's what you're getting at, even if the person literally asked for it.  I'm sure 'I told you so' would be the furthest thing from Emerald's mind if you got hurt with rescuing me...  Come to think of it...  what usual selfishness?  I can't recall even one example."

Emerald is thusly moved. She peeks an eye open at Joe. Then turns her head to look in Lucky's direction. "H...hello. Are you here for the evacuation?"

  "Well, we did come here for the purpose of getting you out of wherever it was, yeah.  Hard part looks like managing to get back home, or wherever counts as safe right now."

  He'll let Lucky field the obvious 'do you not recognize us?' questions.

Lucky wants to hug Emmy in a heartfelt, tearful reunion, but he's certain the moment he lets his guard down a monster will attack.  He barely allows himself a glance.  Anything more and he'll burst into tears.  Which will make him fail to notice the giant spider creeping closer on the ceiling.

"Good to see you alive, Emerald.  I was so worried you were dead.  Assuming you are the Emerald we know and not a look-alike.  You do recognize us, don't you?"

Emerald combs her fingers through her hair. "You are Joe and Lucky, right? Appologies if I seem hazy. Things have been a bit crazy here."

Emerald finally manages to stand on her own, but still leans on Joe. "The way out is... The way..." She points a direction that dead-ends into the water. "Power Word: Rise!"

Out of the water rises a submarine. The submarine then opens on the top. Which is level with the dock. "Step inside. Do not worry about the water on the submarine. You may experience a startle, but nothing more."

  "Just so we're clear, how come nobody else has used this to run off?  Unless it's your personal submarine."  Hey, there's crazier things the girls he has met own, even if restricted to this Bboard.

  He will carefully lead Emerald to the Sub, and asks Lucky "Make sure nothing horrible happens to us before you give it a shot."

Lucky is unsure about Joe's question.  They've only encountered to others, so is that who he meant by "nobody else?"  There must have been many others.  Oh.  Joe's assuming the voice-activated sub would not return after unloading refugees or that there wasn't a fleet of one-way subs.  But maybe there is another escape the others took.  Options are good.

Now how is he supposed to be able to prevent the sub from exploding on contact?  Or keep the giant monster in the water from crushing them?  Or several other things that race through his mind.  But he follows, eyes darting everywhere, occasionally turning to make sure they're not being followed.

"That's right, Emerald.  Try and take it easy.  We're here to help you."

Emerald looks at Joe. "Nobody else came down until now... the others got into the other subs."

The two are able to easily board the craft. No issues. Just the unnerving sound of the storms from outside and the occasional rubble falling from the ceiling.

Inside, it's just like a normal submarine... except a LOT more spacious. The sub can carry possibly 50 people comfortably. Emerald asks weakly, "Is there no one else?"

Once the duo confirm everyone else they saw was dead, she closes the hatch.