All Sakurako sees is a wave luminesecent quantum suround her. In a few brief moments beforehand, she was by all intent and purpose, dead. Totem, someone she didn't expect to even be in the middle of a raging, and probably Nova created thunderstorm, had both her and Samhra dead to rights.

All Sakurako wanted to do, was help with relief efforts, and relay what little she could glean in info to the proper authorities. She hd no intent of actually fighting. No way, no how...

But that moment... She had to make a decision... She had with full intent, fired what should by all rights have been a fatal shot.

Why... What the hell is up with totem for him to be such a raging beast? is the thought that creeps through her mind.

Just as that happens, she's spat out of whatever sort of thing she was in. The teleport that Apep had set up has finally completed. Sakurako stands in front of WCK headquarters in Chicago....

"What the... Chicago?" Sakurako says, before puking her actually well-made lunch she had had earlier on the Chicago sidewalk. The stresses of the battle, and the shock of teleporting rattle Sakurako hard.

She looks at herself after vomiting, and looks at Samhra. "Are you alright?" Sakurako says, after straightening out, still sopping wet from the rainstorm they had just been in, and getting a few looks from the passers by on the sidewalk...

Samhra skids to a halt on the pavement and flaps her wings without regard for the passing baselines. "Apart from being drained, exhausted and forcibly teleported back to where I came from, I'm fine," she answers flatly. "If you translate fine as 'Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional'. I just unleashed the Dolorous Cry for the second time against Totem, and he laughed it off."

The blonde turns towards Sakurako, virtually mantling with anger, her opalescent glow arcing around her body with a primarily vermillion light. "I think it's the Taint, Goddess help him," she says quietly, her feral yellow eyes almost fully dilated. "I think it's the Taint."

Sakurako turns away from Samhra for a moment. "I would figure as much. Either that or whatever he's been getting in his head regarding the Teragen has... corrupted him in a different way.

I don't see how my shot would have just made him angrier... I saw my shot connect yet... Dammit Totem. What's running through your head..."

She straightens herself out.

"I have my sec-pass for some of the more inner parts of WCK headquarters. Alchemist gave it to me before he went silent for a bit... Care to come inside? I gotta dry off, and you look like you need to sit down.

We just had alot happen to us.

That, and I gotta figure out a way to get back to my ship... I left a book open, but I gotta see if they got it here. It's a common OpNet Terminal manual. Leo LaPorte's 2015 almanac. That man is still writing them even today.

I'm SO sure DigiGeist has a copy lying around somewhere..."

Sakurako takes the first step up the staircase towards the WCK's austentatious Headquarters. Her poncho shifts in the light breeze of a warm summer day.

"That, and I gotta meet whoever's here in any case. I gotta see if anyone can help with the Conduit matter."

"I will help you with Conduit. I owe him because he saved your butt," Samhra replies as she tightens her wings against her body. "As for Totem, I think the only people who can help him are the Teragen. Say what you will about creatures like Charr, but they are certainly... sane, I guess. They may be sociopathic by baseline standards, but they are also in control of themselves. Totem needs that."

She chuckles weakly. "Give me an hour or so and I can teleport us to my place, and then onto yours a little while after that. You can sunbake while you're there."

"Auh... but I wanted to say Hi to the gang... Oh well, returning to your place sounds much better anyways... Hey, perhaps we can talk further over a bite to eat here in Chicago. Intercepter introduced me to this VERY awesome hot dog place. Their coneys are to DIE FOR." Sakurako says.

"I so need to clear my head after that little... encounter, and... I'm starting to get hungry. I liked that sushi lunch I made for myself that I just upchucked. And... you're right about Charr and people like him, but really... those that revel in destruction like they do I on't think are in control of their faculties one iota..."

She walks back towards Samhra. "So, You game for teh best dogs on the planet? Or are we eating at your place?"

Regan shrugs slightly. "I could eat some hot dogs," she answers. "I haven't had good junk food for ages now."

"Coolness. I managed to get some American Dollars to use. I'm buyin." She says putting an arm over Samhra's shoulders. "Thing is... I still am trying to figure out why Totem was flipping out, and why Apep of all people saved us... Not to mention who was causing that storm. Too many questions that need to be answered..."

Cat-slit amber-golden eyes slide towards Sakurako. "I have my suspicions, but I'd rather not air them out just yet," she answered quietly, "And perhaps Apep was just getting us out of the way so she could help Totem."

"Interesting..." Sakurako say to herself. "Perhaps we should just grab the dogs, then dissapear to your place to converse privately on the matter. I'll need to readjust this gear and get back to my ship after we're done with our meal. I might take you up on some beach time later this summer." Sakurako says, her thoughts drifting towards the fate of Conduit... "You think... you think we'll find him alive, Samhra?"

"Conduit? Yeah. I don't believe any nova's dead 'til I see the corpse," the winged nova replies wryly. "And sure. Mi casa is your casa, or something like that."