The Rapture Squad

The Rapture Squad was, by all means, the most famous of all the scavenger groups. The squad consisted of four people, three men and one woman. Its leader, Emily Dyke, was a middle-aged ex-construction worker with a spirited heart and a strong body. It was she that was responsible for the success and continued survival of the entire squad.

In the beginning, the Rapture Squad started off just like any other scavenger group. They traded for oxygen masks, strapped their bags onto their backs, and set off for the surface. From there, they would analyze their surroundings and judge where they hoped the best loot would be found. Then, they would return home and trade in their findings for supplies and food. The Rapture Squad's methods were just like any other scavenger group, except for one critical difference.

The Rapture Squad worked like a team. Although the idea of digging through the surface appealed to a great many people, they weren't all trustworthy. Many groups suffered from thieves, deserters, and plain old murderers. On the surface, there was no law. There were no guards to enforce the law. There was, simply, nobody at all.

Because of such people, scavenger groups fell into a state of constant suspicion and distrust. Although they went in groups, the reality was that each scavenger worked solo. It simply didn't do to trust another individual to watch your back. Not when there was the possibility of him slitting your throat and taking the pretty gold watch you'd just found.

The Rapture Squad, however, trusted each other completely and would not hesitate to put their lives on the line to save a companion. As it turned out, this simple mentality would in time keep them all alive for the duration of the most perilous surface expedition in history.

For a time, the Rapture Squad was satisfied with minor expeditions that yielded little loot. They recognized the wisdom in starting off small and training their bodies against the deteriorating cities of the surface. Eventually, though, they grew tired of the slow progress they were making. The team wanted to do something big, something that would make their squad a household name. That was when the idea of scaling the Empire State Building surfaced.

The Rapture Squad, in the beginning, lived and worked out of New Philadelphia, a moderately-sized settlement that wasn't famous for anything in particular. However, it was situated relatively close to Harbor City, allowing the Rapture Squad to hot-wire a vehicle and make the journey in just over an hour.

For a team of such skill as the Rapture Squad, scaling the Empire State Building shouldn't have been that hard. However, the team overlooked one extremely important aspect of the scavenge that would almost cost them their lives.

Although it originally appeared so, the black smoke that forced humankind into a desperate struggle for survival did not only affect organic beings. As if to add insult to injury, the substance had a sort of corrosion-effect on steel. The result was a planet full of unstable cities. The Rapture Squad knew all about this phenomenon, of course, but after having looted small apartment buildings and supermarkets for so long, they had forgotten the danger. It was simply not a concern when you could easily escape to the streets at a moments notice.

The Empire State Building, however, was over 100 storeys tall and, without working elevators, it would be difficult to scale. When the Rapture Squad arrived at the site, they discovered that the lobby was easily accessible via a shattered window pane. Obviously, other groups had had similar plans to loot the building. However, within moments the Rapture Squad came across what had deterred all previous groups. The stairwell door was blocked. Whether it was locked, or simply held shut by a cave-in, it wouldn't be opening any time soon. It was there that the Rapture Squad decided to climb the outside.

The climb started off perfectly. The team was able to climb over a dozen storeys above the ground. From there, they smashed through one of the windows and entered the building. The building itself held few treasures to be looted, but the Rapture Squad had expected that. They had never intended to make this expedition for the reward. No, they wanted fame, pure and simple. All it took was a few snapshots of the squad against a backdrop of the building's interior and presto, they were ready to grab a few souvenirs and make the descent. Or rather, that's how it should have gone.

Before they could return to the building's exterior, the Empire State Building began to shudder. It took a few moments for Emily Dyke to figure out what was going on. For whatever reason - be it the squad's disturbance or simply the fact that over a year had passed since Impact - the Empire State Building was nearing the end of its life. The corrosion effect of the black smoke had finally done enough damage to the building's structure. It was coming down.

Acting quickly, Emily Dyke oversaw the construction of four crude rappelling harnesses. Working together, the team finished their endeavor in record time and was able to secure their ropes to the building. Then, without a moment's hesitation, they flung themselves out the window and began their rapid descent. About halfway down, one of the men kicked off too hard and went crashing through one of the windows. Instead of abandoning him, Emily Dyke stopped her descent and moved to extract her teammate from the shattered window. His leg was badly torn up, and it was unlikely that he would be able to put much pressure on it. However, this didn't dissuade Emily Dyke. Instead of giving up and leaving her teammate to die, she stuck by his side and aided him down the building.

The squad reached the bottom in the nick of time. Even as they were unfastening their makeshift harnesses, they heard a thunderous crash from above. Looking up, they watched as the Empire State Building began to collapse in on itself. By the time the building crashed to the ground, the Rapture Squad was long gone.

The Empire State Building would never stand tall again.