Mathias and Zachary-
It had not taken long for Zachary to collect what belongs he had thought he would need. All he had to do was gather them, all his tools as well as his trusty engineering reference book, in a pile and then store them in one of his trap cores, which he placed inside his bag. The trap core made travelling so much lighter, able to compact many, many kilograms of equipment into a small ball weighing much less than a kilogram. Zachary left most of the amenities which make up living quarters, as he assumed that he would be able to access similar facilities at Mr Winter's property. He took as much of the spare parts heap as he could in that trap core as well, just so he could have parts on hand to work with if necessary. If he stayed at Winter's place for a long period of time he would go out and retrieve the rest of his stuff, but for now he only needed the essentials.
A few minutes after entering his temporary workshop Zachary drove out of it again, barrelling down the streets and heading up over the skyway. Why take the hazard of navigating the streets full of people and debris when he could skip most of the journey and take the pristine skyways? Not only was it safer and easier, it was also much quicker. In no time at all Zachary had spotted the dark low-lying storm clouds and descended off the nearest functioning off-ramp. Over the short distance which remained there was, among other things, a road to go down. As he drove down this road, he spotted a military patrol out the side of his eye down a side street as he passed it, and they spotted him to as there were shouts and movements. However, by the time they had gotten onto the road and their fancy plasma machine guns had spun up Zachary was already at the end of the road and only a few plasma bolts streaked past his carriage, missing it comfortably, before he rounded the corner and was out of the line of fire. Zachary laughed. The lightness of this carriage allowed him greater speed and mobility than larger carriages, meaning he could easily outrun the pesky military. He had left that patrol far behind already.
As Zachary approached the snow-covered area he slowed down, despite the fact that he had the same level of grip regardless of ground cover. This perpetual snowstorm in a localised area was a strange sight. I'm betting it's a kage's doing, and I'm also betting that this kage belongs to a particular Mathias Winters, commented Kaa'is. Zachary merely nodded. The cold was creeping into his skin, and he wished that he still had his jacket. This wish triggered memories of how he had lost his jacket and the events connected to it, putting him into a somber mood. Soon the mansion was in view, and it definitely played the part. It had a foreboding air about it, although not entirely menacing. More men in black uniforms and blue berets patrolled the gate, but once they saw who he was they swiftly opened the gate and let him pass. Parking his carriage on a patch of snow-covered lawn beside the main path leading to the entrance, Zachary got out and took his bag with him. He trudged through the snow until he made it up the steps and to the door. He hesitated for a moment, realising that this could be the last chance he had to turn back, but then pushed those thoughts aside as he opened the door and stepped inside.
As if opposing the log fire that burnt heartily a cold wind crept across Mathias' shoulder. He had expected Zachary's arrival slightly later, but it made little difference.
"I'm just through here in the lounge, close the main door Mister Mason, would you kindly?"
Zachary did not need telling to close the door. The warmth of the room greeted him, as opposed to the freezing temperatures outside, so he shut the door behind him so he would be able to warm up properly.
Mathias was surprised by Zachary's youthfulness and healthy complexion, he had expected the engineering prodigy to have turned sickly, withered and worn by the events of the year. He rose from his chair and shook his guests hand before gesturing for him to sit and strolling toward the drinks cabinet.
"Whiskey? I've just opened a classic, 50 year old import from a distillery in Wintra."
Zachary politely shook his head. "No thank you. I prefer to keep my mind sharp."
"Suit yourself." Pouring himself a glass he seats himself back in the wing-back chair before the fireplace.
"They filter it you see, the whiskey. They have it trickle, like a waterfall, down a gigantic lump of ice...what's the word...an iceberg? No, no not an iceberg, but something like that...Anyway, whatever they do to it, it sure makes the difference."
Piercing into Zachary's eyes, Mathias paused for a moment. Silence was held back by the roaring of the fire, until Mathias finally smiled and spoke.
"I'm sorry to drag you here Mister Mason. I trust my agents briefed you on my proposal? I need to loan that marvellous brain of yours, I need a solution to a very daunting problem...I need your help and for it, you shall be greatly rewarded."
Turning his white-gold ring around his finger, he became transfixed by the glowing flames that bounced off the rings onyx setting. Zachary, meanwhile, was quiet. He was slightly nervous, and could not yet find suitable words with which to respond to this man of authority and status, so he let his silence be a signal for Mathias to continue.
"Dante's Inferno, are you familiar with the text? It follows the aforementioned protagonist as he descends hell. Level by level he travels, seeing such...unimaginable horrors,until he reaches the bottom-most level, the pit, the Devil's home..."
"You see Zachary, may I call you Zachary? You see, were all going to get out of here soon and that's just great! But you see the thing is, we aren't civilians anymore. To the outside world were monsters, terrible, mutated and violent monsters. What I'm trying to say Mister Mason, is that amid all this excitement everyone's forgotten the bigger picture, the question that needs to been pondered...What happens when we escape? Are we escaping the devils home...or will we be entering it?"
Mathias allowed silence to once more attempt its approach, suspense to accompany his monologue. Even now, after all this time, Mathias held a flare for the dramatics. While Zachary was unfamiliar with Dante's Inferno, he could picture what Mathias was getting at. His silence continued, but now it was evidently a thoughtful silence.
Once Zachary had digested the message, Mathias withdrew two suitcases from the corner of the room, having handed one to his guest, he sat and placed the other on his lap.
"Inside is everything you'll need, schematics, possible component locations and so on." He instructed gesturing toward Zachary's case.
Opening his own, he revealed neatly layed stacks of currency packs.
"Work for me and all this is yours. The world outside will not be the world we once knew, my financing can help you start afresh. Think about it Zachary, think it over well, this could be the best decision you ever make...or the worst."