Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 641: Zoo In The House.

She looked at the Fortress walls, then back to Paula. "I don’t have a problem giving your people asylum, but I’m not a dictator. I have to talk to the Committee first. We have to take the Drift Lands, but we have to do it strategically. We can’t just knock on the front door and ask for Arwin back.....or the grain."

Paula let out a long, pent-up breath, a shaky smile finally breaking through the gloom. "If it helps... I told him I was on his side. I told him I’d be his spy here."

Sunshine’s eyebrows shot up, and then she let out a short, genuine laugh. She leaned in, a spark of appreciation in her eyes. "You did good, Paula. Really good." She patted Paula’s shoulder one last time. "Don’t worry. We’ll get your brother. We’ll get the grain. And as for your father well..."

Paula exhaled. "I do not care what happens to him." She declared. "Actually, it would be best to throw him in the prison. He spent his whole life trying to control me and despising me because I was born a girl. If he is in prison, I will be the one to control him."

Sunshine smiled. "Have you considered therapy?"

Paula laughed. "Not even a thousand shrinks can fix my daddy issues." She looked in the direction of the prison and hurried off.

Sunshine climbed into her car, the engine’s rumble the only thing she wanted to hear. She drove straight home, eyes fixed on the road, refusing to entertain any more catastrophes until the sun came up, her brain was officially at capacity.

Thankfully all was calm at home because the kids were already sleeping.

"Thank you Rori, for everything." Sunshine told the older woman who had once again played the role of a babysitter. Sometimes, she wondered what they would do without her mother-in-law.

Rori placed the cleaning cloth on the table. "Of course, it is the least I can do. You work harder than everyone on this base. Helping you in small ways like this makes me feel useful."

"You have always been useful." Sunshine told Rori woman, giving her a hug. "If you see Hades, please tell him not to wake me up unless the watchers rip the bubble part."

Rori nodded.

Sunshine moved to her bedroom, stripped off the dirty grit and stood under a shower until the tension eased. Clean and utterly spent, she dove into bed. The sheets were cool, the room was silent, and for the first time in days, the weight of the world felt light enough to sleep through.

****

The next morning did not begin with the smell of coffee or the harsh rays of the harsh sun. Instead, it began with a sound like a hundred tiny hammers hitting glass.

Scritch-scratch, flutter, tap.

Sunshine groaned, pulling the pillow over her head. She had promised herself a week of sleep, but apparently, the universe considered ten hours a generous settlement.

She squinted one eye open to see Hades standing by the window. He looked like he was negotiating a hostage situation with a flock of pigeons.

"Go on, get out of here! Shoo!" Hades hissed, waving his arms. The birds didn’t budge; they just stared at him with unblinking, judgmental kind of eyes.

Hades sighed, reaching into a small jar on the sill. "Fine. Look, seeds. High-quality stuff. Take the bribe and fly to someone else’s window. Please. Don’t make me pluck your feathers and roast you."

The moment he cracked the latch to offer the peace treaty; the entire flock erupted into a whirlwind of feathers and escaped into the sky.

Sunshine rubbed the sleep from her eyes, sitting up. "Hades? Why are you talking to the birds at six in the morning?"

Before he could answer, a streak of bright feathers zoomed through the open window. It was Zulu, and the parrot looked like she had just survived a crash landing. She was squawking so loudly her chest was puffing out. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"PROBLEM! BIG PROBLEM! HUGE!" Zulu screamed, circling the ceiling fan.

Sunshine’s heart hammered against her ribs. She didn’t even wait for the details; she vaulted out of bed and began pulling on her boots, her mind racing through a checklist of disasters. Is the Fortress under attack? Did Heath Burton show up early? Or had the Walden’s marched to their gates?

"Zulu, breathe!" Sunshine commanded as she picked up her hammer. "What is the problem? Speak, hurry up!"

"Worse!" Zulu shouted, landing on the bedpost. "It is Earl Quinn! He’s done something to the animals! He’s started a cult! This is treasonous to me! I was legally voted as head of the animal kingdom."

Sunshine paused, one boot half-on. "Earl? My Earl? What has he done?"

Hades looked at the parrot, his expression darkening. "Explain, bird. Now."

Zulu scoffed, preening a ruffled wing with an air of immense insulted dignity. "How rude! Don’t ask me. Go into your living room. See for yourselves. I’ve lost control! My authority is being undermined by a child who still needs help tying his laces!"

Hades and Sunshine exchanged a look of pure dread and rushed out of the bedroom. They expected to see Earl playing with a doctor set or reading a science book. They were not prepared for what was actually waiting in their living room.

It looked like a nature documentary had exploded in their house!

There were birds perched on the lampshades_ everything from tiny sparrows to a hawk that looked entirely too comfortable on the curtain rod. Ten dogs were sitting obediently on the rug. A line of frogs sat on the coffee table like they were waiting for a lecture, and a very confused-looking cat was curled up near the fireplace.

In the center of it all sat Earl. He looked perfectly calm, his small face lit with a serene, focused energy. All the animals were facing him, silent and expectant, as if he were about to deliver a State of the Union address.

White, was the only one not enjoying the party. He let out a low, vibrating growl, his hackles raised. He was pacing the perimeter of the room, looking at a particularly fat toad with deep suspicion.