Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 659: Formal Dinner Invitation.

It was like another bomb had been set off once again, and the people were yet to digest the news on the rifts in the sky. The room went cold. Sunshine’s head snapped toward the nun. "She does what now?"

"Holy shit!" Sheldon whispered.

Sister Anna didn’t flinch. She slammed her hand against her chest, right over her crucifix. "It is the right thing to do. These people are murderers and marauders, many of them are child killers. I do not believe they will reform while they have the power to kill. I am saving their souls by making them human again!"

"Oh, so you became a God?" Carson asked mockingly, stepping into her personal space. "I didn’t get the memo. Did you get the throne and the white robes too, or just the syringe?"

Father Nicodemus flinched.

Sheldon laughed loudly.

"Enough!" Sunshine’s voice wasn’t loud, but it had the weight of a falling mountain.

The siblings fell silent, though they continued to glare at each other with enough heat to melt the floor.

Sunshine looked at Sister Anna, a long, lingering look that promised a very uncomfortable conversation later. "We will discuss your ’medical’ practices in private, Anna. Right now, we have guests to attend to."

She turned back to the screen; the Walden guards were looking up at the fortress walls with a mixture of awe and greed.

"Hades, Carson, Father Nicodemus, Elio_ you’re with me," Sunshine commanded, checking the sidearm at her hip. "The rest, check on security."

***

The administrative heart of Kingsbridge was a hive of activity. On the helipad atop the gleaming new administration building, the rotors of the transport choppers slowed to a rhythmic whine.

Sunshine stepped off the pad, her boots clicking against the concrete. Behind her, Carson, Hades and Elio piled into a black armored SUV. The drive toward the main gate was short, but the tension inside the vehicles was thick enough to clog an air filter.

They pulled up a respectful, yet intimidating distance from the Kingsbridge gate. The gates opened like the mouth of a beast and the cars exited slowly. On the other side stood the Walden entourage. They looked like they had been standing out there for an hour too long_ dusty, sweating, and visibly annoyed at being kept waiting like door-to-door salesmen.

At the front of the pack was a man who looked like he had spent the last decade trying to sell used cars in a war zone. He wore a suit that might have been expensive a year ago, now frayed at the cuffs.

"Hades Quinn!" the man shouted, forcing a smile so wide it looked painful. "I am Mark Walden, leader of the_ well, the rest of Babel. Great to finally see the man whose name is on everyone’s lips. I must say that you have achieved some great things here."

Hades didn’t move. He stood next to Sunshine, his arms crossed over his iron shirt, looking about as friendly as a cornered rattlesnake. "You’ve got five minutes, Walden. What do you want? You are wasting your time by singing my praises because I am not the brains behind this operation. Not alone anyway." Credit went to Sunshine, the other Quinn’s who handled different departments, to the soldiers and superhumans too.

Mark let out a loud, theatrical sigh, wiping sweat from his brow. "Straight to the point! I like that. It appears, neighbor, that we got off on the wrong foot. A bit of a bumpy start, wouldn’t you say?"

Hades tilted his head, his eyes cold. "A bumpy start? Is that what we’re calling it? So, it wasn’t your men who tried to launch a hostile takeover of Ferry Island? Because last time I checked that’s our territory. And last time I checked, your ’men’ were trying to steal it."

Mark’s face went pale for a split second before he clamped a hand over his heart, looking genuinely offended. "I swear on my life, Hades, I had absolutely nothing to do with that unfortunate incident! Those mercenaries? Total rogues. Loose cannons. They went off the reservation, acted on their own. I am sorry about the innocent lives lost in the incident... well, let’s just say my men won’t be making that mistake again."

Sunshine and Hades exchanged a long, slow look. The lie was so big it practically had its own gravitational pull.

"Is that so?" Sunshine asked, her voice quiet but carrying across the gravel. "Because we do not regret killing your men."

"You did what you had to do, I understand." Mark continued, his enthusiasm turning dry and desperate. "Look, my people and I_ we don’t want any trouble with Fortress Four. In fact, we’ve been talking. We’ve seen what you’ve done here. The organization, the safety of the shield.... the sun!" He gestured wildly at the glowing orb hanging in the sky above them. "Who builds a sun? And a moon! It’s biblical, really. We also cannot thank you enough for fighting those mutants. Those lightning dragons almost fried us all for a minute there. You guys are the best, we’re even considering... well, we’d like to be under your leadership. Formal annexation."

Major Elio, standing behind Sunshine, let out a huff of disbelief. "Really? Just like that? You’re handing over your keys?"

Mark and his advisors nodded in unison, like a row of bobble heads. "There’s no winning against people who can do things like this," Mark said, bowing his head slightly. "We are humble survivors. We want to be on the winning team. We’re so grateful for the light you’ve given us_ it even reaches our borders. We bought some of that manure from your people and grew some crops. You have boosted our morale."

He took a step closer to the gate, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "To prove our sincerity, I’d like to invite you all to our territory tomorrow. A formal handover ceremony. We’ll share a meal, sign the papers, and cement this partnership properly. No guns, no stress. Just neighbors becoming family. Tomorrow at 4:00 PM. What do you say?"

He didn’t wait for an answer. He bowed one last time, "We have to run, can’t be out in the dark for long. We will be expecting you. Please come." He turned on his heel and marched his group back toward their rugged vehicles.

They departed as if something would show up and stop them and that could not happen.