Zachary walked through the streets of Sovereign, searching for parts for his latest invention. The streets had chunks of rubble scattered around them, but not nearly as much as one would expect. The flood which had raged through the city during the cataclysm had washed a lot of the stuff in the streets away, carrying it either out of the city or banking it up against the Wall or in low-lying areas. Large debris like chunks of buildings mostly remained in place, but lighter things like vehicles were washed away. Mostly intact buildings could also be searched and possibly give good yields if you go to the right places, but they are generally rather dangerous as intact buildings make good bases and lairs, which means they are quite likely occupied. In searching the streets one inevitably comes across other people who have also braved the streets, but the majority of people in these ruins are sensible and avoid strangers so Zachary didn't have a hard time walking.

After just short of an hour of searching Zachary found something on his list: a skyway unit. It had fallen from the building above, which was now little more than a pile of concrete chunks and mangled steel, and was sticking out from the rubble. Not seeing anyone else around, Zachary approached the machine. He strained against a slab of concrete on top of it and slid it off with the sound of rocks grinding, more fully revealing the machine. He laid a hand on it and an image of it assembled itself in his mind's eye. Skyway units are heavy-duty devices, housing enough polarity cores to hold heavy traffic in mid-air continuously for weeks. They are also sophisticated machines, capable of projecting a stable winding energy-based road. Overall they are extraordinary devices, however in this form they are also much too powerful for a single carriage. What Zachary wanted was a few key components which he would modify. The magnetic attraction part is the main feature he needed. He would also need some of the projection. He also needed the polarity cores from it. Through his mind, he analysed the machine and found all that he needed to be there and intact, and accessible by plasma cutter. He just needed a way to carry those parts home, as even taking just that would be much more than can be carried by hand.

[b][i]I say kill a kage, take their spirit and use that power to carry everything home as if it were light as a feather,[/i][/b] Kaa'is suggested sarcastically, receiving dismissal from Zachary. "We need something with wheels. If we had something with wheels we could just put them in it and roll it home. But of course everything floats in our age, or at least they did until they all broke." Zachary racked his brain for something with wheels that he could use, and he lit up like a metaphorical light-bulb when he remembered. "Shopping trolleys! They're perfect. A simple machine designed for carrying loads, they are reasonably sturdy so they wouldn't have all gone bust and if they have then they can be easily fixed, and there are lots of them in known locations."

[b][i]So we're off to the shops, are we? I think it's past five, so they'll probably be closed,[/i][/b] Kaa'is joked. Zachary laughed a little, which was a rare response from him towards Kaa'is' words. He then nodded, found his bearings, tried to remember which way the shops were, and then began walking towards that part of town.