Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 712: A Carnival.

Moon leaned forward, her voice dropping to a persuasive whisper. "I will help you take over Crosstown. I’ll give you the weak spots in the walls, and the timing of the guards. You can whisk in and take all the supplies you need. Superhumans follow strong leaders, with this fire army of yours, after you kill a few the rest will fall in line.

And even better than Crosstown, I will give you an even bigger empire on a silver platter. One that will make all of us live out the apocalypse like kings. All you have to do is follow my lead. I know what is coming after the darkness, it will be heat but not from the sun. Every sleeping volcanic mountain will erupt. Lava will flow like rivers." She rose and twirled, throwing her hands in the air like she was performing some kind of ritual.

"Air will be hot--too hot and uncomfortable to breathe without special herbs or oxygen masks. The soil will be ash. What better time for a pyrokinetic to dominate than that? If you want the whole world, that will be your season to take it." She lowered herself slowly, breathing in a hoarse way.

Garrison Holt looked at her, his heart hammering against his ribs. The idea of a real home, a bigger empire, and a prophetess at his side was too much to resist. He nodded, his eyes reflecting the ambition Moon had just ignited.

"I’m in," he whispered. "Tell me what to do."

Moon smiled, a predatory, beautiful expression. She had her puppet. Peter had been right about one thing; she had come here to make a deal for herself. And now, the man who thought he owned her was going to find out exactly what happens when you underestimate the woman who knows the future.

"Listen closely," she told Garrison. "This is how we proceed."

*******

As scheduled, the carnival at Fortress Four started quite early in the morning. The training grounds, usually a place of sweat, shouting drill sergeants, and the heavy thud of boots, had been transformed into colored wonderlands. It was as if someone had taken a drab gray canvas and splashed it with every color in a crayon box.

Residents from every base of the fortress poured into those grounds, shouting with excitement. There were towering Gravity-defying Swings that sent people looping into the air, and a Whack-A-Crawler booth where kids used padded mallets to bash robotic monster heads. The most popular attraction was the Octopus Ride, a massive mechanical beast with glowing purple arms that spun pods around so fast that the screams of joy could be heard from the next city.

The happy chatter was hard to miss, but the noise wasn’t just coming from the humans. High above, the watchers were hovering in record numbers. They were lounging on the invisible surface of the fortress’s protective bubble, some even bringing what looked like glowing blue fish as snacks.

There were so many that if there was a sun outside, they would have blocked it off.

"They are here for a reality show," Sunshine said, squinting up at the sky. She adjusted the collar of her jacket. "They aren’t just watching; they’ve invited guests. It’s a premiere day for them." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Lisha, standing nearby, tugged off her high-tech headphones and rubbed her ears. "From what I’m picking up on the frequency, the main event is arriving soon. The Acid Maw Crawlers will be here within the hour."

Sunshine didn’t flinch. She sighed. "Lisha, remind everyone_ and I mean everyone_ to keep their heat suits on. Hoods up, sealed tight. Tell them it’s a fashion statement if you have to but emphasize it’s for their safety. No mistakes."

While the carnival buzzed, a different kind of preparation was happening in the shadows of the armory. Hades was pacing in front of the defense squads. In their hands weren’t guns, but Heat Torches_ newly minted prototypes from the lab that looked like oversized hair dryers but packed the punch of a mini volcano.

"These aren’t toys," Hades told the squads, his voice gravelly and serious. "The mutants coming hate one thing: high temperatures. Today, we’re giving them a lot of that. Spread out. Take your positions. If you see them crawling anywhere, toast them."

Major Elio clapped his hands, the sound echoing like a gunshot. "You heard the boss! Move it, squads! Let’s give these monsters a hot welcome!"

Phillip chuckled. "Hot welcome, really!"

The squads spread out, laughing as if all was normal and they were just out to have fun like everyone else.

Hades took a deep breath and headed home. He found Sunshine and the kids already dressed in their sleek, silver-lined heat suits. His youngest, Castiel, was trying to eat a piece of toast through his hood, which wasn’t working well.

Hades felt a familiar knot of worry in his gut. "Suni, I still think one of us should stay in the command center. If things go south..."

Sunshine stepped forward and straightened his collar, her eyes softening. "Honey, we promised the kids. I left Carson in the command center; he knows the drill and he has no interest in the carnival. Besides," she winked, "I can teleport back there in a literal blink. Relax for once. Be a dad, not a general."

"We’re missing the fun!" Earl, shouted, pulling at Hades’s hand.

"Alright, alright," Hades chuckled, the worry lines on his face smoothing out just a bit. "Let’s go see this carnival."

The biggest stage was in Westbrook and that was where they went. The family was swept up in the magic of floats. One was even in the shape of watcher!

The creatures on the bubble seemed excited to see it.

They toured stalls selling Deep-Fried spice cakes that fizzed on the tongue and Liquid Nitrogen Slushies that turned their breath into dragon smoke. The kids dragged them to a game of "Ring the Bell," where Hades accidentally hit the striker so hard the bell flew off its mounting.

"Oops," Hades said, looking at the wide-eyed booth attendant. "My bad."

They watched the kids climb onto the Octopus Ride. As the giant mechanical arms began to whirl Earl and Castiel into the air, Sunshine and Hades sat on a bench, sharing a stick of blue candy floss. For four hours, games were played, songs were sung, faces were painted and hidden back in hoods.

Then, the sky changed.

A giant, dark sphere plummeted from the clouds, slamming into the top of the bubble shield with a dull thrum. The impact sent a ripple through the energy field.

In the command center, Carson zoomed in on the monitor. "Lisha, are you seeing this?"

Lisha leaned in, her eyes wide. "They’re dropping from the sky. Everyone thought they’d burrow through the ground!"

"Sunshine put electromagnetic nets in the ground," Carson cheered, pumping a fist. "The Watchers knew it, too and opted to use the sky like many other times."

At the carnival, the music died. The laughter turned into hushed whispers. People pointed up at the sphere, which looked like a charred moon sitting on their ceiling.

"It’s just a meteor!" someone yelled, their voice trembling. "No worries."