Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 716: Shopping sprees.

Sunshine woke up in the night. Her eyes snapped open, her mind already racing with the repairs she needed to do later and her meeting with the council. If all went well, the apocalypse could end within a month. She didn’t linger in bed; there was no time for luxury lounging when everyone relied on you.

She headed straight for her training space to begin her storm-binding practice. It was grueling work, like trying to wrestle a dangerous hurricane into a Mason jar. Her muscles ached, and her hair was a frizzy mess of static electricity, but she had an audience.

Nine and Vortan were leaning against a pillar, looking entirely too relaxed. They were eating anything that they could get their hands on, as long as it caught their eyes. Sunshine started to think that perhaps that was the reason they were really there.

And they didn’t just eat, whenever it was time to go, they left with bags, like shoppers coming from a mall. They were like annoying brothers she couldn’t stop and had to endure because they were family.

"You missed the timeline to make the last knot," Nine teased, pointing to a stray cloud that wasn’t swirling quite right. "A little more ’boom,’ a little less ’pfft,’ maybe?"

Sunshine wiped sweat from her forehead, giving him a look that could melt iron. "If you’re so bored, you’re welcome to come in here to let me practice my lightning strikes on you."

"I’ll pass," Nine chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender. "I’m just here for the moral support and the snacks. I don’t know who invented Cheetos, but they have my thanks. Pringles too, my wife loves them. I am going to need ten more cans today, different types. She can’t choose a favorite right now."

Sunshine shook her head. Anytime now, Nine was going to bring his wife along for a shopping spree.

Vortan’s face, however, was more serious. He stepped forward as Sunshine took a breather. "We need to talk about the Council hearing. I’ve been busy, Sunshine. I pulled a lot of strings_ half of which were probably attached to very important people’s dignity_ to move you up the request line. It would have taken you at least ten months to get into number 10."

Sunshine felt a knot tighten in her stomach. "Thanks, Vortan. I know that wasn’t easy." She would have to look the other way when he was shopping in her space. It was the cost of doing business.

"It wasn’t," Vortan emphasized, his voice dropping an octave. "Use the opportunity well because I worked hard for it. Those Council members have the attention spans of goldfish and the egos of emperors. If you lose them in the first five minutes, then the strings I pulled will have been wasted."

"No pressure," Sunshine muttered, turning back to her storm.

For three hours, she pushed herself until her lungs burned and the air in the space hummed with power. When she finally stepped out of the space, she found Hades walking through the bedroom door. He looked exhausted in a way that sleep couldn’t fix. He had just returned from dropping the kids off at their great-grandparents’ house.

The kids wanted to visit the old man, craving every second they could get. They felt the heaviness in the air_ the sense that their great grandfather was living on borrowed time. They wanted to give him some last good memories.

"How was it?" She asked him. "Are they crying? I hope they are not tiring him out."

"Grandpa loves being with them," Hades said, his voice soft. He walked over and squeezed Sunshine’s hand. "He asked if you’d come visit soon. He has something to give you. I told him you were busy saving the world."

Sunshine leaned her head against his shoulder for a brief second. "I will make time and pass by."

"We do what we must, he understands the burden you carry so don’t worry." Hades whispered. "Now, go. Wash the sweat off your hot body. I will join you in there as soon as I finish getting Tank to prepare breakfast. The robot has too many construction projects lately. We should get him help in the form of more robots." He looked at his watch. "The committee is already buzzing like a disturbed beehive in the command center, we should hurry."

After a fast shower and a breakfast she barely tasted, Sunshine and Hades hopped into the vehicle. The drive was short, and soon they had arrived. The moment they stepped into the command room, the chaotic roar of voices died down instantly. It was like someone had flipped a mute switch. Dozens of eyes turned toward Sunshine.

"I don’t have a lot of time," Sunshine started, skipping the pleasantries. "But we have a situation. Actually, we have several situations, but let’s start with the one that requires manpower."

She scanned the room. "I need ’electrokinetics.’ As many as we can find. Poach from other cities if you must. Round them up, vet them, and get them ready. We’re closing the rifts soon, and I need their power to do it."

"I do not know what the gig is, but it must be dangerous, a few people will volunteer," Nimo called out from the back.

"That is right, that is why we’re going to offer them the best incentives this fortress has ever seen," Sunshine replied. "Better rations, top-tier housing, and cash or gold whatever they choose. Who’s leading this?"

"I’m in," Warren said, stepping forward with a determined nod.

"Me too," Morris added.

"Don’t forget me," Vicente chimed in, cracking his knuckles.

"Good," Sunshine said. "You three are the recruitment team. Print flyers, broadcast on every frequency, scream it from the rooftops if you have to. Spread the word. Remember that the watchers are listening so in the mix of electrokinetics, add other superhumans. We have to confuse the enemy all the time." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Then, her expression shifted. The slight spark of energy left her face, replaced by a grim, stony seriousness. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"We need to clean the toxic river." She announced. "Vicente, you are in charge of that."

The superhuman waved from the screen.

"Now, on the apocalypse front. In four months, another disaster is hitting. And it’s going to be hot." She looked around.

"Hot? Like a heatwave?" Dominic asked, crossing his arms. "We’ve dealt with the sun before, Sunshine."

"No," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper that carried to every corner of the room. "Not the sun. A volcanic storm. Every volcano on this planet_ whether it’s been dormant for a thousand years or was bubbling yesterday_ is going to erupt. Simultaneously."