Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.

Sunshine did not see Nimo and Alfred as she was driven to the command center. A lazy reminder wiggled around in her mind, bringing forth the fact that Nimo could not cook. She could try but she was not great at it.

Her mother Maya got this terrified look every time she saw Nimo lighting the gas or grabbing a knife in the kitchen. Since Nimo was living with her mother, there was no way she had forgotten the stove on.

Not on Maya's watch!

There was a possibility that she had been cooking while her mother was away but Sunshine doubted it. It was more likely that her friend had initiated the escape to keep Alfred from saying something.

They had been talking about the children. Did Alfred have something against them?

She frowned. Alfred had only seen the Quinn children from a distance whenever he dropped her off. He never interacted with them. What possible reason would he have to dislike them?

The car came to an abrupt stop and her body lunged forward. She shot her hand out and steadied herself. Her eyes naturally sought what had caused the little accident.

"Sorry boss, I bumped into a scooter," Corporal Day told her.

"Handle it. If it requires repairs, send it to my warehouse. If a replacement is needed, find Ariel and if anyone is injured, take them to the medic bay." Slowly, she pushed the car door open and stepped out.

The minor accident had occurred only ten steps away from the command center so Sunshine walked the rest with the way with quick steps that alerted nearby residents.

All morning, they had noticed the leaders of the base rushing with worried looks on their faces. This was followed by drone activity, angry watchers and an explosion.

And then tensions escalated even more and yet no communication was sent out. Residents were not even being allowed in communication centers.

It was obvious to everyone with eyes that something was very....very wrong.

When Sunshine entered the command center, her face was expressionless. The other core members that had gathered could not tell whether she had good or bad news to share,

But, the fact that she had asked them to gather was a sign that she had something important to communicate.

"It's good that you are all here." Her eyes swept across their faces, identifying each one as she made her way to the head of the table.

She stopped next to Hades, placed her hands set on the table and leaned slightly forward.

"I have good news," she began, her voice calm but charged. "And bad news."

Immediately murmurs rose. They had been hoping for nothing but good news. In the end, it was wishful thinking.

Hades brows furrowed as he waited to hear the bad news.

Sunshine tapped her fingers on the table impatiently, they all quietened down, sat rigidly in their chairs and clenched their jaws or fists.

"Good news first." Lisha suggested, most voices agreed with her.

Sunshine nodded. "Very well. The good news is that I have come up with solutions. She inserted a memory card into one of the portals of the screen. A slender rod, glowing faintly at the tip appeared on the screen. "What you see here is a sonic disruptor. Once planted in the ground it will emit a deep frequency that will destabilize the minds of the bombadier beetles. As the pressure applied by the disruptor increases, it will cause vibrations in the fire sacs of the beetles, making them explode prematurely...."

Carson raised one arm. "You mean that thing on the screen will make them self detonate?"

"Exactly." Sunshine answered. "By my calculations we need about fifteen of them to destroy the entire colony entirely at a minimum risk."

The room erupted with questions

"These sonic disruptors....where are we going to get them? We do not really have the time for professor Chloe and her team to make these weapons." Dwayne let out a long sigh. "And after making them, we would have to test if they really work. This must be the bad news."

Lisha's shoulders fell, disappointment etched deep into her face. "Sorry Suni but it seems like this solution may not work. We need something that is immediate."

One by one, their faces fell.

"Everyone needs to calm down," Hades told them. "My wife knows what she is doing."

Sunshine lifted her head and smiled at him. "Thank you for the vote of confidence babe." Her gaze shifted to the others. "These weapons are available and ready for use. All we need is a good strategy to kill off all the bugs at once without drawing their attention."

Warren spoke next. "We still have not heard the bad news."

Sunshine let the silence stretch, forcing each of them to meet her eyes. "Actually, you already heard it, the sonic disruptors have to be planted so that means that we have to go out there and do this manually."

Gasps and groans filled the room; Warren wanted the ground to swallow him. Not once had he ever desired to step out if Fortress four. "Is it the only way? This is a suicide mission. One ant fart and you are a piece of well done human meat dinner for the damn insects."

Some echoed his fear. A few slumped into silence, their imaginations running wild with all the things that could go wrong.

"We must do this! Either we kill the bugs or they make it here and kill us and our families." Sunshine told them.

Morris raised his hand. "I and some of my people will go."

Hades stepped forward. "I have already drawn up a list." He unfolded a sheet of paper. "Twenty names of some of our best men."

One by one, he read the names. Relief spread on some of the faces when theirs were absent. Others like Elio cursed under their breaths for not being chosen.

Morris scowled deeply. "What about me? I could crush those things with my bare hands."

Sunshine looked at him squarely. "Morris, your abilities best work for defense. This mission is about planting disruptors not fighting. You are much more useful here. If any bug makes it inside, crush it with your fists."

Then she took the paper from Hades, her eyes scanning the names. She made changes without hesitation, the pen scratching firmly. She added Nala and Lucia. They were two women that had proved themselves sharper and braver than many men. She crossed out Hades' name and replaced it with Hadrian.

Hades' let out a growl, then he pulled her gently to the side. "Suni what are you doing?" His voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear.

Sunshine gently touched one of his cheek. "If this mission fails, the children will need one of us. You stay, I go and do not argue. Do not forget that I have ice abilities which are needed. I cannot do my job if I am keeping an eye on you."

Letting out a sharp exhale, Hades shut his eyes and then nodded.

After the names had been agreed upon, Sunshine dismissed everyone. "Inform those that are not here, we leave tonight."