Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 560: Lab rat.

For the adults in the room, the words said by the little girl were chilling. It could not have been clearer what had been done by her grandfather.

Hades let out a snarl of a curse word that made Leah nudge him with her elbow.

"That old man," Hades growled, his face twisting in fury. "He turned his own granddaughter into a walking, talking lab rat for an unknown mineral." He looked at Ala, his expression softening into something uncharacteristically tender. "You poor thing. Now I feel bad for the way I talked to you. If your grandfather was here with us, I would put one between his eyes for you."

"One what?" Ala asked, eyes as wide as a baby owl.

Sunshine reached over and rubbed Ala’s back.

While she did, she silently signaled the System. "Scan her. Now. Find out if she is a walking time bomb."

Meanwhile, she smiled gently at Hades, apologized for pushing her too hard.

A second later, the System’s voice echoed in Sunshine’s head.

[Scan completed. Physical vitals stable for a superhuman, it also looks like she is awakening.

The girl’s energy signature matches that of the prime core. She could be an asset or a liability; I need to study her more to understand what was done to her. It could help if you get your hands on the blue liquid she talked about.]

"Awakening?" Sunshine quietly asked herself. The girl already had more than one ability and yet she was still awakening. Was this because of the prime core in her system?

Ala looked at Sunshine and said slowly. "There are other weapons my grandfather gave me to keep. Much bigger. Much more dangerous. He said they could destroy planets and make us rulers of a single universe."

Hades froze.

"Windows, I will close the windows." Leah shouted in a panic, before doing as she said by blasting the windows with wind. "This never leaves this room. Do you both understand me?" She hissed at Hades and Sunshine.

Sunshine nodded quickly. "I agree. Let’s keep those ones tucked away for now. I know somewhere safe where we can store them." She took a breath, trying to pivot to something productive. "Ala, would you be willing to go to the lab?"

Ala froze.

Leah raised her hands.

Hades’ jaw dropped.

Sunshine defended herself swiftly. "Not for testing. Professor Chloe is working on some new defense tech, and honestly, she’s kind of stuck. I think you could help her."

Ala’s face lit up for the first time. "I can help. Like a grown-up?"

"Exactly like a grown-up," Sunshine said. "You will get your own office, a white lab coat and beautiful shiny badge."

Ala stood up straight, sensing a moment of leverage. "Okay. I’ll help. But... only if you take back the suspension on the Kid’s Squad. It wasn’t their fault! They were just following me. If you discourage them from protecting their home and loved ones, what message will you be sending?"

The three adults looked at each other. There was a long, heavy silence. Hades looked at Leah. Leah looked at Sunshine. Then, with the synchronized precision of a firing squad, they all shook their heads.

"Nice try, kiddo," Leah said with a wry smile. "But the punishment stands. And you’re still grounded for a fortnight."

Ala’s jaw dropped. "But how will I work in the tech lab then?"

"Oh, you can still go, you just cannot enjoy hanging out with your friends after work or school." Sunshine said, standing up and dusting off her skirt.

Ala lowered her head. "That’s not fair." She whined. "Ariel and Earl promised to take me bowling in Silverdale on Sunday." It was the only town with a still standing bowling alley and ice rink. Ala had never been there, and she had been looking forward to it.

Hades let out a short sigh. "I am sure they are as disappointed as you."

Ala stomped her foot and ran off to her bedroom.

Leah laughed. "No teleporting young lady or I will have Suni suppress your powers."

The door was closed with a slam.

Leah sighed. "Now that is the Ala I know. I am going to have to coax her in thirty minutes. I will probably take her to the bowling alley with Dominic." She walked Hades and Sunshine to the door.

They stepped out and shed leaned against the frame with a tired but relieved sigh. "Well," she said, crossing her arms. "That went significantly better than I expected. No one got frozen to ice, and I only heard about one threat. I’m calling that a win."

Sunshine gave a small, weary nod. "I hope you didn’t take anything personal, i was just doing what i had to do."

Leah gave her a knowing look. "I know Suni. No hard feelings. I am actually glad this talk happened. At least now, I understand her better. Now leave before my husband gets home and learns that you threatened to send his daughter back to Boulder Creek."

Hades shuddered. With a final wave, the Quinns stepped out into the walkway.

They didn’t get far before Hades’ phone buzzed. He pulled it out, frowning at the screen. "It’s Carson," he muttered. "He says he’s got a lead on the smugglers. Apparently, one of them started singing like a bird the second an acid grenade was taped around his hands."

"Go," Sunshine said, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. "I have a lot on my plate too anyway. I will see you at home."

He flew up using his robot leg and vanished within seconds.

Sunshine entered the car and Day drove her to the medic bay in the first wall. Outside the main ward, she spotted two familiar figures, Hadrian and Nimo. They looked like they were deep in a debate about something.

"Hey Suni!" Nimo waved.

When Hadrian saw Sunshine, his eyebrows shot up. He excused himself from Nimo and marched over, gesturing toward a quiet corner where the ventilation fans hummed loudly enough to drown out their voices.

"Alright, Sunshine Quinn," Hadrian said, skipping the pleasantries. He crossed his arms and looked her up and down. "I saw you yesterday. One second, you’re here, the next you were gone. No flash, no smoke, just... poof. You have teleportation abilities, don’t you?"

Sunshine didn’t even blink. She looked him dead in the eye and lied with the practiced grace of a politician. "Yes," she said simply. "Teleportation."

In reality, it was her System’s teleportation abilities, but she was not going to tell him that.

Hadrian scoffed, a short, amused sound. He shook his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything you can’t do. Are you going to tell me next you can turn copper into gold?"

"Only on Fridays," Sunshine joked. "Anyway, how are the kids? Please tell me they are getting better." It was the rescued kids from Ferry Island. They had been brought to the mountain fortress directly.

Hadrian’s expression softened instantly. "Dr. Choi wants to discharge them. Physically, they’re stable. Their vitals are better than those of many"

"But?" Sunshine prodded.

"But they’re traumatized and hollow," Hadrian said, his voice dropping. "They’ve been through hell. They have put them on a specialized diet. High-protein, nutrient-dense, and honestly? a lot of soup. Every other second, one of them takes a trip to the bathroom. Thank God we are not using water in there or else, we would have one empty tank by the end of the day."

Sunshine smiled. "That is good news. Actually, I have a job for you and Nimo. When the discharge papers are signed, I want you two to be the ones to deliver them back to their parents."

Hadrian went quiet for a moment, then nodded seriously. "We’ll get them home, Sunshine. Safe and sound."

"In person Hadrian and only to real parents or recognized caretakers the children want to live with." She emphasized. Untrustworthy caretakers would just sell the children later, or worse.