Oops! All Radiation Poisoning!

The nuclear power plant. Long left decaying, all its contents seeping pure toxic radiation. No animal dared to go near it, much less inside it.

Well, aside from two Spacecats and one Cirrocanius.

Tempest looked at the smaller animals and handed them strange looking masks. “Put these on now. They should protect you from most of the radiation while we’re in. As long as we’re quick.” 

That sounds very comforting. Proxy left that thought unspoken as they equipped the mask. Very stiff, hopefully they wouldn't be in the plant for too long. 

“Ewwww, this is so smelly! Do you ever wash these?”

Proxy looked to the complaining Rebel. “Would you rather be dead? Or slowly dying of radiation in your lungs?”

That made her silent. Tempest gave a small smile to Proxy. The two were getting along fine, better since their personalities were similar. Proxy hoped they could get to know each other more once they were all safe on Port Borealis.

Shaking away the thought for later, the trio then stepped into the plant. As soon as they did, they were hit with a wave of uncomfortable heat. The entire building was full of visible gas. The gas didn’t look friendly in the slightest. There were also puddles of weird substance all over the place. They also did not look friendly. Overall, the entire place screamed “Turn back now, you will absolutely die here.” 

But they had no choice. The Cirrocanius needed to get off the planet. And to get off the planet, the ship needed fuel. And to get fuel, they needed plutonium. And they needed to get the plutonium and get out.

Tempest stepped ahead of the cats. “I know where the safest place to gather the contents is. Stay close behind me, and don’t touch anything.” 

As the trio headed deeper into the plant, Rebel became chatty. 

“So, what exactly happened to this place, Mr. Tempest?”

Tempest stiffened a bit, then relaxed. “Well…the planet’s snowy exterior ended up not mixing well with the heat of the plant. It caused an explosion. The explosion caused our city to fall into ruin, with no way to repair it or the plant.”

“Didn’t you say the planet wasn’t always snowy?”

“Yes. It used to be quite tropical, in fact. Many decades ago. But our galaxy’s sun got weaker. So our temperatures dropped. Our once beautiful sunny skies became gray with blizzards. That was when our kind fled underground. They then found Plutonium, made the plants, and the rest is history.”

“That’s horrible! I hope our planet’s temperatures are better for you guys.”
Proxy chimed in. “The Space Station is home to many biomes and climates. I’m sure all the Cirros can find a place to call home. Moonbeam and the other staff can help too.”

“Yes, I hope so too. I’ve heard fine things about this Moonbeam. I can only hope they are true. Trust is harder to gain after years of isolation.” Tempest spoke.

You have no idea. “I felt the same way before I found Firefly and Ocha. But I promise that if we find the fuel, Port Borealis will do all it can to assist your kind.”

Tempest gave a thoughtful look. “Thank you for your kind words. I do believe we are close to our destination. Look up ahead.” He then pointed to a room that was labeled “Extraction”. “There should be tools inside. Make sure to wear gloves. And look out for any Squees.”
Proxy looked at Tempest confused. “You’re not coming in?”

“...No. Too many bad memories. And I trust you and your friend to handle the job. If you need assistance, I can try to call in some Cirros, but try your best.”

“Got it. Wait, what are ‘Squees?’”

“You’ll find out.”

Great. “Ok, Rebel, lets go.” The two Spacecats entered the extraction room. Upon finding gloves, Proxy read the instructions on the wall. Seemed simple enough. The process began. According to the instructions, it would take 5 minutes to complete. Now it was time to wait. 

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Proxy and Rebel jumped. What the hell was that?!

Just then, a bird-like creature flew into the room. Its screech was bloodcurdling loud. Proxy was about to cover their ears when they heard a new scream. 

“AAAAAA!! GET IT OFF ME!!”

Rebel!

Proxy ran over to where the pink cat was being pecked at by the Squee. Without thinking, they pounced on it, tackling it into the wall. A loud thud boomed through the room as the cat and beast fell onto the floor. After some struggling, Proxy managed to snap the Squee’s neck. 

Panting, they turned to Rebel, who was cowering.
“A-Are you alright?!”

“I’m O-Ok. You s-saved me! You’re pretty cool after all!”

“It didn’t seem like you were scared of anything. I'm shocked.”

“Heh, loud noises can get to me. Sorry”

“Don’t be, I can get the same way. Let’s make sure the extraction is ok.”

Luckily it was. After gathering the plutonium, they headed out of the room to meet Tempest. 

“Good job you two. I’m hoping that’s enough to get us home?”

Proxy nodded “It should be. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

Rebel and Tempest both laughed at that.