The Deserts

**The Deserts** is the third installment of the *Well Versed* series on *Another Bad Side Quest.* Shae-0004 and Buldere meet in a strange desert where they must fight to survive and discover a powerful orb.

## The Desserts

### **Synopsis**

Last we saw of Shae-0004, she was piloting her pod ship to a nightclub on her night off, while alternating between her different clothes choices with the intent of getting attention the moment she entered and listening to her favorite music. Shae soon noticed something strange when her scanner started beeping and her ship started to shake, alerting her that something was wrong. She also saw a bright light flash outside before a piece of metal popped off and knocked her unconscious. She started to dream of being fanned by guys and being fed grapes on the beach, but slowly the dream filled with screams as a volcano erupted and meteors started to crash, causing her to wake. Shae immediately noticed the sky was getting brighter and bluer and a desert landscape was approaching her rapidly.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Buldere was travelling the hot, barren, desert wastelands of earth while dragging his hammer. Buldere soon noticed something falling from the sky that crashed in the distant sand dunes, walked towards it and found a smoking spaceship, completely destroyed and burst wide open. Buldere sifted through the wreckage and soon found Shae inside and slowly coming back to consciousness. Buldered picked her up from the ship and confirmed she was ok before setting her back down and the two soon noticed her dress was flashing red before Shae explained her modifier to change her outfit. Buldere showed confusion on her words and when Shae asked if there were mods there just pointed out the sands around them. Shae asked if there was a night club around and Buldere said she was really lost before noting he had been hit by a club in the night. Shae pointed out that wasn't what she meant and explained what kind of building a club was and Buldere countered that most things there were open air. Shae asked where he was headed originally and Buldere told her he was wandering and saw her coming through the clouds and came to check. Shae thanked him before asking what a nearby leaning building was and Buldere assured there would be nothing there. Shae insisted there was only one way to be sure before her outfit glitched again. Shae tried to explain it wasn't working and what her mod was designed for and attempted to change it to a different outfit before it changed to a biker attire.

Shae pointed out she was a synthetic being before asking if he was just wandering aimlessly to go to the building regardless and Buldere just said why not. Shae also asked if everyone else looked as muscly as him and when he noted there were people with muscles said she was glad to hear it. The two walked, with Shae having difficulty in her heels, and soon noticed an aircraft above them heading in the direction of the downed ship. The two noted they were likely scavengers before Buldere explained there was a bigwig group, which he knew as Sanctus, trying to make themselves a cushy life as they couldn't scavenge like real scavengers. Shae asked if they should go to them and Buldere noted they weren't so friendly. Shae suggested they should continue to the building or follow the aircrafts and Buldere noted they wouldn't find anything in the building, but said they would be fine to do both. After the two came up with a password for Buldere to be more "persuasive", the two checked out the building up-close and started to head back to the ship.

The duo found the crew, wearing bright red armor, were searching around the crashed ship and Shae asked what they were looking for. Buldere said likely scrap or tech and when Shae said the tech was likely damaged, citing her mod, noted anything like that would still sell for some money. Shae noted the place was even more desperate then her own before the crew pointed out the duo and approached them on motorcycles. Shae observed that their guns were a little behind her's technologically wise, but still pretty advanced. One of the men ordered them to halt and identify themselves and as they did Shae pointed out that was her ship. The men notified that the 'package' was found before a group came up with their weapons pointed at them. Buldere warned Shae to cover her ears before he slammed his hammer into the ground, causing a thunderwave to deafen the crew, along with her as well. Shae noticed some of the bikes were discarded and asked Buldere if he could drive she headed to one. As she managed to activate it Buldere likewise headed to another and realizing he wouldn't be able to figure out how to use it opted to run instead, while swinging his hammer at those near by. They went on as best as they could, but came to a halt when they realized they were outnumbered and were eventually knocked out by their weaponry and left on the ground. Buldere soon dreamed of his bakery he wished to open and sharing them with the Sanctus guards peacefully, while Shae dreamed of being fanned again this time by the Sanctus guards serenading her.

The two eventually woke, with Buldere's hammer missing, in a bright white cell, with clear glass walls allowing them to see in the high tech hallway. The two wondered where they were and a guy in the nearby cell, who physically reminded Shae of her other crewmate D0C, cackled as he told them they were in the Sanctus lab and would have stuff done to them all like them. Shae asked if there was a way out of the box they we're in right and as the man exclaimed the door and started to smack it noticed there was no handle on it. Shae formally introduced herself to Buldere before asking if he could break the glass and Buldere, despite an incredible punch, managed to only cause a tiny crack in it. The two eventually saw a group of soldiers taking notes arrived, slid the door open and took the crazy gentleman with them. Buldere pointed out and one of the crew notified someone on the their walky talky before leaving. Five minutes later a solider in yellow, presumably a technician, flanked by more crew with rifles and opened their door. They ordered Buldere to stand against the wall and pulled out some tech to repair the glass. Shae managed to distract them long for enough Buldere to subdue some, while intimidating the remaining one to open their door, take off their armor and remain in the cell. They also had him point out the way for them to leave before Shae took one of their guns, used her mod to take the form of their armor, which was a slight shade darker then the usual, and pretended to lead Buldere away.

They made their way through the building, eventually found a centre map and saw they were on the third floor out of five total, along with boxes they presumed were emergency stairs or an elevator. They followed the direction and soon noticed cameras along the hallway. Buldere punched one of them on Shae's request, but an alarm immediately went off along with footsteps heading in their direction. They started to run, with Shae attempting to put some of the guards down with her gun on the way, and eventually found multiple elevators. As some of the elevators opened revealing more guards Buldere opened a nearby door into a stairwell but heard more guys coming up the stairwell. Buldere curled into a ball and rolled down the stairs to take them out, but when Shae headed up the stairs followed her. The guards chased them as they did, but eventually they reached the top floor, opened the door to another white hallway. Buldere attempted to slam the door shut and accidentally broke it, while Shae tried the elevators again and was greeted by more guards once again. The two ran down the hallway, noticed Buldere's hammer surrounded by more technicians and Buldere, angered by the nerds near his hammer, charged through them to retrieve it, but accidentally threw it outside the building.

The duo also noticed a floating flashing metal orb and when Buldere touched the ball turned the power of the room. Buldere dug his nails into the ball to open it and saw a bunch of swirling bright lights inside. Meanwhile Shae noticed more guards were coming in the room towards the ball as it was the only light source. Buldere, noticing the ball was shaking in his hands and assuming it was a bomb, warned Shae before he hurled it to the men and as it bounced off the ground started to float in the air, glowed with electricity and lights and let off a wave of energy, knocking Shae and Buldere back. The energy continued to swirl around the ball until it vanished, along with half the building, causing fires to go off and the building to lean. As Shae found a fridge to hide inside as the building toppled, Buldere used the incline to try and get back to his hammer and fell to the desert next to his hammer, but was immediately covered in rubble and left hurting.

Shae emerged from the fridge, realised her mod was more damaged and set to only lederhosen and cursed Sven and Hans for making her program that into it. Meanwhile, Buldere noticed his left arm was gone and right leg was mangled, but managed to get through the rubble. Shae found the damaged Buldere, pointed out his damage and noted she couldn't do anything much for him. Buldere asked her to help him up and after removing the rubble eventually managed to do. The two soon noticed there was a fire, with people running away, and a crater where the bulding once was. Shae bemoaned that they should have just gone to the leaning building at the start.