Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 683: Blue prints of Cross town.

"You heard the boy, the man has manpower, Dominic," Sunshine countered, her voice low and steady. "Emmet just described a literal fortress. Granted, they are weaker than us but that does not mean we should just go in blindly. You go in there alone; you’re not a hero_ you’re a target.

A dozen superhumans on Strauss’s side will overwhelm you. You will die before even getting a whiff of Moon because I am sure she is protected more than a diamond right now because of her prophetess claims. Okay tell us what exactly is your plan? Do you have a way to bypass that bunker’s security?"

Dominic turned his gaze to his wife. "Leah. Tell her. Tell her we can’t just sit here and wait for Moon to move elsewhere. It has taken us months to receive this piece of usable information. If she moves again, we might not hear about her until another year has passed."

Leah looked at him, her eyes swimming with a mixture of sympathy and hard-won wisdom. She reached out, placing a hand on his chest, right over his racing heart. "Dom... look at me."

He didn’t want to, because she was using that voice of wisdom she used when she wanted to keep him calm, but he did.

She touched his cheek gently. "Since when have we approached our enemies on impulse? We win with a strategy.... Sunshine has a grudge with Moon too, but you do not see her making any rush decisions. We will get her," Leah promised. "We know where she is and who she is with. When the time is right, we will make her pay. But Sunshine is right. We have a bigger problem than one traitor and a madman with a bunker. Look up, Dominic."

She pointed toward the ceiling, though they all knew what was beyond it. The rifts. The tears in reality that were spitting out nightmares on a daily basis.

"If those rifts keep growing, it won’t matter if we kill Moon," Leah said softly. "There won’t be a home left for Ala to grow up in. We have to close the holes in the sky first. If we lose the base, we lose everything."

Dominic’s breath came in ragged hitches. He looked like a man trying to hold back a landslide with his bare hands. Suddenly, he spun around and slammed his fist into the wall. The thud was sickeningly heavy. If the walls hadn’t been reinforced with high-grade alloys, his hand would have gone straight through the drywall.

He leaned his forehead against the cold metal of the cell, his eyes shut tight. He was pushing it down_ the need for blood, the need for justice_ shoving it into a dark corner of his mind so he could focus on the survival of the many_ especially his wife and daughter.

"Fine," he rasped. "The rifts first. We close the rifts and then we go get Moon."

Sunshine exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. "Thank you. And speaking of the rifts... things are about to get weirder because it is dark out there.....those beasts will think that they have an advantage. Hades is leaving the base for New Eden briefly today. I might have to be absent too because I must concentrate on my research. I need to find a way to close the rifts." She needed to hit the repairman library or find a certain Xylas.

"What about the artificial sun?" Leah asked. "We are still bright over here."

"That will not stop them," Sunshine said grimly. "But it is not entirely useless because some of those creatures hate light entirely."

The Stewards, standing a few feet away, nodded solemnly.

Sunshine’s fondness for them grew even more. They were good people that knew when to put the greater good of others ahead of themselves. That was what made Dominic a great leader.

"I’m going to talk to Emmet a bit more," Sunshine said. "I want him to change for the better, the other kids will follow his example because they still see him as their leader. The sooner they adjust, the better for them. Maybe in a few months the kids’ squad will grow."

Dominic took a deep breath, straightened his jacket, and pulled the cell door open. Emmet didn’t even look up as the big man approached. He just handed over the tablet. "I sneaked into a lot of places while I was there, so I remember a lot. I was great at playing spy and studying people and places. That’s how I taught the lambs and wolves."

Dominic took the tab and looked at the screen. His eyebrows shot up. It wasn’t just a sketch; it was a tactical layout. Emmet had used different colors for guard patrols and even marked what he believed to be the blind spots where the underground traps had been laid out.

"They had cameras, but I had my father say they don’t work no more. No networks and all." He added. "The wall is always collapsing because mutants and mutated beasts are always attacking."

"Kid," Dominic said, his voice thick. He reached out and ruffled Emmet’s hair_ a gesture of pure, unadulterated fatherly instinct. "You did a good job. A really good job."

Emmet swatted his hand away with a small, grumpy scowl, but the hint of a blush crept up his neck. "Yeah, of course I did. I am Emmet Jotter."

Dominic looked at the map, then at the boy, then back at the map. "We’re going to get him, Emmet. I promise."

"I know," Emmet said, leaning back against the cold wall. "Just make sure when you do, you make Peter suffer for me. He is an evil and ruthless man that does not deserve to live. I am not saying I am not bad but at least I did not kill innocent people. I did rob them though, times are tough."

Dominic felt a grim smile tug at the corner of his mouth. "I will avenge your father’s death I promise, just focus on being a good kid. You have a gift in drawing you pour all your energy into that and if you need someone to talk to, I am here. Oh--I promise to bring evidence of Strauss’ death back for you when we get him."

A lump formed in Emmet’s throat, he sighed_ wondering why this place was making him soft and he did not like soft. Not after everything he had seen and been through.

As Dominic walked out with the blueprints, Sunshine sat down on the floor across from Emmet who was still on the bed. She didn’t look like a leader or a warrior right then. She just looked like a friend.

"So," Sunshine said. "Are you enjoying your stay in here or do you want to join your friends? They are already out there already adjusting to this place. If you stay here on your own for long, I am worried that you might hate the world even more and become a villain."