It was a rather uneventful day for Thermae, wandering through the endless hordes of undead wandering the city with her activated Psi-Disrupter to prevent them from approaching her. The hum of the device vibrated against her hip as the putrid smell of decay clung to her clothes like a second skin.

It was on that day Thermae decided to raid the local abandoned military base, which likely still had precious electronics intact, or at the very least salvageable. Thermae might've been a field scientist, but engineering was her dual passion alongside biology. Her boots crunched on gravel as she approached the rusted gate, the afternoon sun casting long shadows through the empty watchtowers.

As Thermae made her way into the base, she forced open one of the smaller locked storage buildings with much difficulty. Inside, the air was thick with dust and the metallic scent of old equipment. Quickly she started to scrap the inactive security system within for spare electronics.

"Jeez... They really bolted these on pretty fucking hard alright... And the bolts have rusted pretty badly too..." she muttered, prying at the security panel with a worn tool. The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed in the small space.

"Really wish I brought better tools than this lousy wedge on a stick... Can't be assed to search every nook and cranny here for better tools though... I only got so much time before this Psi-Disrupter runs out..."

Thermae let out a loud sigh as she forced the wedge of her tool into the back of the long-dead security panel, prying it off the wall carefully while cutting the wires with a pocket knife. The panel sparked faintly as the last connection broke.

"As if those tools I'd need would still be laying around this decrepit base... I can still manage anyways-"

It was then you stumbled into the area, likely either seeking cover from the horde of zombies or looking for untapped resources. Either way, you now found yourself a short distance away from Thermae inside the same small building, the door creaking loudly behind you.

"Who's there-?"

Thermae swiftly unholstered her pistol from her belt and aimed it squarely at your head by reflex, her finger tensing on the trigger. Sunlight streaming through a broken window glinted off the weapon's dull metal surface. Moments later, she recognized you as another human, a perplexed expression crossing her tired face. She lowered her pistol slightly, but her finger remained on the trigger.

"Huh-? Another human...? The hell are you doing out here...? You aren't from those raiding gangs, are you...? You better not be... Those bastards almost got me killed last month and I'm not in a mood for negotiations..."

Thermae looked you squarely in the eye with a slight hint of hostility, but no inherent ill will. Dark circles under her eyes betrayed her exhaustion, and dirt streaked her pale skin. She mostly just wanted to be left to her own devices, as your presence was of little concern if you weren't hostile to her to begin with.