Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 672: Memory of Fortslide.

The drive to King’s Bridge was fast. It was almost like Day was so eager to meet the man that had declared himself president in this new world. When Sunshine and Hades arrived at the gate, the scene was exactly as Raydon had described.

Caesar Rommel was there and he was still shouting at the gate guards, gesturing wildly with his hands. Desperation was reeking off him like a bad odor.

As their vehicle screeched to a halt, the dust settled around Rommel’s feet. Sunshine stepped out first, followed by the looming shadow of Hades and the rest of the Fortress Four team that had returned with them.

Sunshine ordered for the gates to be opened for their vehicles and in the meantime, she turned to their guest.

"Ceaser Rommel," Sunshine said, crossing her arms as she approached him. "You’re making a lot of noise for someone standing on my doorstep uninvited."

Ceaser turned, puffing out his chest. "You must be Sunshine Quinn! Finally. I demand entry immediately into this fortress. As the Acting President of this great country, I have the authority to oversee all territorial security and resource management."

A sound like laughter came from the bubble. Watchers were relaxed high above, watching the drama like a daily episode of their favorite soap. While fortress four was used to this, Ceasar was not.

In fact, he was tense. His last close encounter with a watcher had left him scarred and half a man. Or...no man at all. It was another reason why he wanted inside the base as quickly as possible.

"Acting President?" Carson asked loudly, leaning against the jeep with a smirk. "Did you win an election we missed while we were busy fighting, or did you just find a nice suit and decide you were the boss?"

"Carson? Cars...Carson Warnock?" Ceaser’s eyes widened from shock. He had long given up on searching for the man, but he wondered about what had happened to him once in a while. To date, he believed Carson was one of the reasons for his suffering. If the man had not escaped, things would have gone differently for him.

His private parts would certainly have been saved in time. Nevertheless, it was not too late. Now, that Carson was here, there was hope.

Carson didn’t offer a warning. He didn’t even offer a curse. He just crossed the ground in three heavy strides and launched a fist that connected with Caesar’s jaw with a sickening crack.

Caesar spun, stumbling over a stone before hitting the ground.

"You are the epitome of evil!" Carson roared, his voice cracking with years of suppressed rage. "You absolute monster! I should just kill you right now." He stood over Caesar, his chest heaving. Behind his eyes, he wasn’t at fortress four; he was back at fort slide, watching his brothers-in-arms_ men he’d bled with_ being marched into the swirling, grey hunger of the Mist.

"My comrades," Carson whispered, the fury turning into a jagged edge of grief. "You forced them to walk into the mist like they were scrap metal. Just to see if they’d come out changed. You killed them because you were greedy for its power!"

Caesar scrambled backward on his elbows, wiping a smear of blood from his lip. He looked less like a mastermind and more like a cornered rat. "It wasn’t me!" He shouted, his voice hitting a frantic, unconvincing pitch. "It was Finch! I was a tool, Carson, just like you. It was a government project_ top secret, black budget, the whole deal. I had orders to follow. I was equally sickened and that’s why I overthrew Finch. I wanted to put an end to the mist experiments."

More laughter came from the bubble, thought it went ignored by mostly everyone.

Emmet, who usually had a sarcastic comment for everything, just stared at Caesar with pure revulsion. Even for a world gone to hell, this felt like a new low. Adults were really disgusting.

Carson scoffed. "And you think anyone here believes that!"

"I’m telling the truth!" Caesar insisted, his eyes darting around, as if begging for anyone to believe him.

"Bull," a voice piped up from the corner. It was Nusra, who was currently leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "I can hear your chest from here, Caesar. Your heart is thumping like a drum kit in a dryer. You’re lying through your teeth."

Sunshine stepped forward, her usual warmth replaced by a cold, hard light. She looked at Caesar as if he were a stain on a clean rug. "Why are you even here?" she asked.

"I need... I need sanctuary," Caesar stammered, trying to regain some dignity. "You will be rewarded heavily after I rebuild this country again. I thought you...."

"You thought wrong," Sunshine interrupted. She pointed toward the heavy reinforced gate. "I’ve spent more than a year building this place as a haven for people who lost everything. I’m not turning it into some political center for your greedy politics."

"You can’t be serious," Caesar gasped. "It’s a death sentence out there! You cannot send me back out there. Those things...." he looked up at the bubble. "They kill people. Do you even know that?"

"Then I guess you’ll have a lot of time to find out what is in the mist personally," Carson growled, stepping forward again. This time, with his mind made up to deliver Ceasar to the mist in Ferry Island.

Sunshine held up a hand to steady Carson, then looked back at Caesar. "There’s another settlement three territories 200 meters from here. Maybe they will take you up on that offer. Just leave."

Craydon gladly walked over to escort Ceaser off the fortress property. "You heard the boss, just leave."

Caesar, still nursing his bruised jaw, saw a desperate opening and took it. "But... what about the kids and your father, Sunshine?" Caesar shouted, his voice cracking. "I saved them by bringing them here! Doesn’t that count for something? You should reward me and not treat me like a stray cat."

Sunshine froze. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The name hit her like a physical blow. "My... my father?" she whispered, her eyelashes fluttering in rapid confusion. Her gaze darted around the surroundings, searching the shadows. "One, my father is dead and two, what kids? Caesar, what are you talking about?"

"Your father Dustin Raine, he is around here somewhere. Ask the kid." Ceaser answered.

For a moment, there was only the sound of the wind whistling through the girders. Then, a movement caught her eye. Behind a massive, gate pillar, a teenage boy stepped into the light. He wasn’t trembling; he was wearing a grin that Sunshine could only describe as purely, chillingly evil. One she would never forget.

"Emmet Jotter?" Sunshine gasped.