Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 513: Ice Moon.

As soon as they got into bed at night, Sunshine introduced the idea of the ice moon to her husband. "Ariel told me that he received news of asphalt melting near Busker. A quarter of the new road will have to be rebuilt."

Hades sighed, keeping his eye closed. The air conditioner above their bed was working overtime to keep them cool out of the solar suits. Sunshine had placed big icicles in the corners of the room to help as well.

"I gave walkies-talkies to some of the wealthy traders from the neighboring towns. They want more solar suits. Everyone outside the bubble is being baked like a cupcake in the oven." He yawned. "Its 49 degrees and the temperature is still rising. The medic bay has reported an increase in heatstroke’s and dehydration among the survivors that are coming to us for aid lately."

"I have a plan that is insane." Sunshine lifted her head from his chest. "An ice moon."

Hades opened his eyes, "An ice moon? Is this something else you discovered on your adventures in the alien worlds?"

"No." she laughed. "It is my plan, which is why I called it insane. I want to make a moon that is made of ice. I have already proposed the idea to Tank, and he thinks we could make it.... theoretically. Shaping it is easy but generating enough power to keep it cold and stable could be our biggest challenge. And there is the issue of the materials. Some things like steel scaffolding and carbon-fiber nets can be sourced here from earth. But the core.... earth is useless on that front. It must come from elsewhere."

Hades groaned softly. "I sense another trip to an alien world coming."

"It cannot be helped. The trouble is that I have not been to a world cold enough to provide such a core. I mean an ice-cold world where everything is frozen forever." She sighed sadly. "Even one small crystal or mineral from such a world could fix it. If added to the moon, it would ensure that the ice I place inside will never melt no matter how hot the weather becomes."

Hades closed his eyes again. "Don’t you have a mall? Ask the system to look around. You even mentioned an alien black market. And the alien traders you do business with from other worlds." His eyes popped open. "Maybe Ala knows something."

Sunshine laughed. "Ala!"

Hades shrugged. "Hey, she carried herself like she knows all the knowledge in the world about everything. She knows about the despair prism. Who is to say she does not know about another prism that keeps things cold?"

Sunshine nodded. All the ideas he proposed were not bad at all.

"I am beginning to like this Ala, the alien consultant." He said, with a smile. "I am also beginning to regret why we handed her to Dominic and Leah."

Sunshine recalled how he thought the girl would be trouble in the beginning. He had come a long way since then.

"On your next trip, choose me." He suddenly said, in a soft voice. "I know that I am not a superhuman. Maybe I will be a burden to you...I don’t know. But I have been taking my training very seriously. I beat O’Toole yesterday, without the help of my robot leg." He paused. "Mostly."

Sunshine chuckled.

"Honestly, I did." He insisted. "The soldiers even gave me a standing ovation. I think I am strong enough to follow you now. So, I am throwing my name in the hat, and I will keep my fingers crossed. Whatever rabbit hole you go down, I will follow you."

"Okay." She replied. At worst, she would spend money to get him an extra ticket. The kids too, and their grandparents.

They lay in silence, a mix of impossible dreams for the future swimming in their minds. If the ice moon could be created, it would change the world. They could have winter in summer!

"If we make an ice moon, we should call it something else." Hades pulled her closer. "Something that is not moon. Your nutty sister could claim credit for it otherwise."

Suddenly, Sunshine kissed Hades’ forehead.

He turned his head and smiled at her. "What was that for?"

"For following me down my insane rabbit holes. For being my support. For everything." She smiled softly.

He held her tighter. "If the ice ball falls from the sky, we will make Sheldon take the blame. Him and all the other billionaires and their stupid club."

Sunshine giggled. Her petty husband struck again!

****

Illegal trade was becoming an up-and-coming business in Fortress four. It was not much of a surprise, considering the time they lived in. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

While others slept, Major Elio and Father Nicodemus prowled the streets of Westbrook, in the corners that were less occupied. It was not rare to see the two men patrolling the dark corners of the base together. Not as soldiers or superhuman--more like guardians who stopped people from making mistakes that were irreversible.

Silently, they approached a house that should have been empty but seemed to be occupied. A dim lantern flickered by the window.

"Illegal supplies." The Major said.

Father Nicodemus sighed. "Let me guess, coolant gels, ice packs, water, oxygen tanks, combustible gas tanks, drugs.... not the good kind."

Father Nicodemus pushed the window open and flew inside. Major Elio used his exo suit to levitate and follow him. They stepped forward, voices cutting through the murmurs.

"Everyone down on the floor. The trade is over."

The smugglers froze. Some raced for the door, and they were stopped by guards that had been notified by Major Elio. One man tried to shut a crate, but Major Elio kicked it open. Inside was raw unprocessed gold. In another, sealed Levias morrow IV hydration packs from the labs. These things were worth more than twelve million dollars in total.

Father Nicodemus shook his head. "Oh boy, Sunshine is going to flatten someone for this."

The smugglers scrambled, some reaching for makeshift weapons. One even had a dragonoid. But men they were up against moved with practiced precision. Within minutes, the smugglers were bound, their contraband stacked and confiscated.

Major Elio crouched beside the raw gold stones. "If this is from where I think it is from, we have a serious security breach."

The priest thought the sealed Levias morrow hydration packs were more important. They were saved for the use of soldiers and superhumans in combat. They were not meant for ordinary humans to consume. "This is a bigger breach. We need to call in Carson and figure out the buyers, sellers and where these things were going to end up."

Major Elio could not agree more.