Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 604: Bad side of Ariel.

Sunshine walked into the Command Center; the tablet clutched in her hand like a precious treasure map. With a quick swipe, she mirrored the map onto the main screen and dimmed the lights. The room bathed in the ominous glow of dozens of red dots.

"What are we looking at?" Lisha sat up. She put her phone to the side after pausing a game. "Mutant beasts?"

"Beacons." Sunshine replied.

Lisha stared at the screen, her face twisting in pure frustration. "Is that freaking Kingsbridge? Are they actually kidding me? We gave them extra rations, medicine, and even free premium heat suits for those that delivered more than five beacons at once, and they still kept the beacons? It’s like they’re trying to win an award for being the most stubbornly stupid people on earth. A bunch of morons they are, truly stupid."

From a perch near the cooling fan, a voice cracked like dry wood. "The human brain is a fascinatingly low-performance organ. Honestly, I’m shocked they remember to breathe."

Sunshine and Lisha both turned to look at Zulu. The parrot was currently a frantic mess of feathers, her wings spread wide to catch the breeze of the fan, looking more like a disheveled duster than a majestic bird.

"Zulu? What are you even doing in here?" Sunshine snapped, wiping sweat from her brow. "This is a restricted zone. With your big beak, you’ll be broadcasting top-secret codes to the whole base by lunchtime."

Zulu scoffed, a sound that was impressively condescending for a creature that weighed less than a bag of flour. She waved a wing dismissively. "Oh, please. I’m the least of your problems. I can keep a secret. For instance, I haven’t told a soul that Ariel Quinn barged into Amber Harrington’s house_ pardon me, the former Mrs. Quinn_ and told her to get lost and leave his family alone. He slapped her. Can you believe it? Children beating on their parents. What has this world come to?"

Sunshine froze, her hand hovering over the console. "What?"

Lisha was so shocked that she knocked over a bucket of ice cubes resting near her feet. "What do you mean by Ariel went to see Amber and slapped her?"

Zulu let out a sharp, cackling laugh, clearly delighted by the look of pure shock on Sunshine’s face and the disbelief in Lisha’s eyes. She loved it even more that the other comms officers and soldiers who were standing guard in the room were clearly stretching to eavesdrop.

"Oh, yeah." she squawked. "I knew something was off when I saw him this morning. He did not respond to my greetings or laugh at my jokes. Then, he had one of your bodyguards drive him to Westbrook, so I sent someone to keep an eye on them. Apparently, as soon as he entered that door, he went full wrecking ball. Smashed a few things. There was yelling, that sketchy Amber tried to hug him and he smacked her. Dash said he heard kids crying in the background."

"Dash? Nimo’s dog?" Sunshine asked, her brain struggling to keep up. Was that the someone Zulu had sent?

"The very one," Zulu nodded, reaching for a melon seed in the small bag around her neck. She cracked it open with a satisfying pop. "So, tell me, purple... are you raising a budding little psychopath? Because traumatizing toddlers isn’t exactly on the ’Good Boy’ checklist. Santa is putting that one on his naughty list."

"Don’t you dare call my son that!" Sunshine roared. Her voice echoed off the metal walls, making the monitors rattle.

Zulu didn’t flinch. She mimicked zipping her beak with a claw, though her beady eyes were dancing with wicked amusement. She looked entirely too proud of herself.

Sunshine leaned against the desk, letting out a long, jagged sigh. The world felt like it was spinning too fast. Beacons, betrayal, and now her son playing the villain? He had left the house angry that morning_ very angry. She rubbed her temples, trying to find her center.

"Lisha," Sunshine said, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous calm. "Upload that map to every squad member’s device. Tell them to gear up and meet me at the training grounds. Now."

As she headed for the door, she threw one last scathing look over her shoulder at the parrot. Zulu didn’t care. She was already back to humming a jaunty tune and happily crunching on her melon seeds. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Sunshine didn’t even wait for the car to fully stop before she swung the door open. "Drive to the storage units Day," she commanded, her eyes fixed on her tablet as she confirmed that Ariel was there.

When they pulled up, the dusty air was filled with the rhythmic thump-thump of grain sacks being tossed from a truck. Standing atop a flatbed, looking every bit like the responsible leader he was supposed to be, was Ariel. He was checking off a list, his face a mask of focus_ until he spotted his mother’s vehicle.

The clipboard nearly slipped from his hand. Ariel’s shoulders slumped instantly. He looked like a someone who had just seen his life flash before his eyes, and the highlights weren’t great.

"Owen, take this," Ariel muttered, shoving the list at a confused assistant. "I... I need a minute. Or a year. I may be grounded for that long."

He climbed down and walked toward Sunshine with the heavy, dragging feet of a kid heading to the principal’s office. He expected a lecture. He expected a storm. But when he reached her, Sunshine didn’t look angry. She looked at him with a soft, aching pity that hurt worse than a scolding.

Sunshine had no idea where to start. Being the oldest was a heavy crown. Ariel remembered the past more than the others. He remembered the cold, the hunger, and the woman who had walked away.

Sunshine didn’t say a word. She just opened her arms.

The tough, stoic young man vanished. Ariel stepped into the hug, burying his face in her shoulder. His breath hitched, and then the quiet sobs started. "I’m sorry," he choked out, his voice thick with tears. "I’m just... I hate her, Mom. I am so scared she was going to break everything. We finally have a happy family. I can’t let her destroy it. She tried to hug me, and I lost it. I just reacted..."

Sunshine pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, her hands framing his face. "Listen to me, Ariel Quinn. That woman couldn’t destroy this family if she had a wrecking ball and a thousand years. We are unbreakable. Do you hear me?"

Ariel nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. They leaned against the car in silence for a few minutes, the sun beating down on the dusty lot.

"You know I have to say it, right?" Sunshine said eventually, her voice regaining a bit of its firm edge. "No matter how much your heart was hurting, what you did was wrong. Going to that house without telling me or your dad. Smashing things and scaring kids! That’s not who we are, it is not the Ariel I know." She hugged him again. "Tell me what I should do to make it better?"