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

Sunshine’s team was subtly preparing for the next rift repair, and they continued to act as if it was all business as usual to confuse the watchers. But if one looked keenly at some of the residents on the mountain base, they would notice that they seemed tense.

Even the air in the corridors felt heavy, like the static before a lightning strike. A scout team of four had just returned from an up-close inspection in Mockland city, which was where the next rift to be fixed was. Immediately after returning, Sunshine had called for a meeting.

The core committee members were now nervously gathered in the command center. It was never a good thing when Sunshine called for a random meeting and most especially now that she had just returned from a rift inspection.

For many, the worry now was that she was about to give them bad news and cripple their budding hope.

"What do you think she saw out there?" Vicente whispered, his fingers drumming a frantic rhythm on the metal table. "This second rift... it has to be a problem. Maybe it’s more dangerous than we assumed."

"It’s Mockland in the apocalypse, Vicente. It was marked as a red zone." Nimo replied, her voice tight. "There is no way it was not a problem."

"Maybe they found zombies there." Sister Anna made the sign.

As soon as she finished speaking, Carson grabbed her arm, dragging her out. "You are not supposed to be here. Who keeps adding you to the messaging list?"

"I am useful, Vicente. I am a voice of reason and kindness...." She argued.

"We have the priest for that." Carson snapped. "You are supposed to be leading a choir of kids in song and worship for the Watcher’s entertainment. We all have our roles, Anna. Focus on yours."

Not a single person blinked at his actions. None of them had invited Anna, and they didn’t think Sunshine had done it either.

"Maybe its mutated beasts." Nimo whispered to Vicente.

Vicente leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial low. "I doubt, I bet the Watchers were there. Standing guard like gargoyles. With one rift closed, they have to guard the rest."

The doors hissed open. Sunshine walked in, her face an unreadable mask of determination. Behind her loomed Hades, silent and imposing, moving like her personal bodyguard_ or a shadow that had learned how to scowl once upon a time and forgotten how to undo it.

Sunshine didn’t waste time with pleasantries. She leaned over the map of Mockland on the screen, her eyes reflecting the flickering blue light. "I’ve seen the Mockland rift," she began, her voice steady but grave. "It’s wider than the first one I repaired in Crayon Howl city. And that is not a good thing."

Nimo’s face went pale. "Wider means more energy, Sunshine. It means it’s more difficult to repair."

Sunshine nodded slowly. "That’s a technical hurdle, Nimo. We can clear that. The biggest challenge, however, isn’t the rift itself. It’s the welcoming committee. There are too many Watchers stationed there, and mutant beasts stationed around the air space like guards."

The room collectively gasped. It was a sound born of a cocktail of worry and genuine fear. No one wanted to put Sunshine and her team in danger.

"Then forget fixing it. What if something happens to you? I mean god damn it," Warren cursed, his voice cracking slightly.

"He’s right." Hadrian said, "What if the mutants get a jump on you while at it? Our aircraft’s will probably be detected within seconds of arrival."

Dominic, usually the most stoic of the group, cleared his throat. "I advise a bigger team this time. Full tactical support. For your protection, Sunshine, and the rest of the team."

Hades winced at the suggestion of a "bigger team," his hand twitching toward the hilt of his blade. The room went silent. Everyone looked at Sunshine, waiting for the verdict.

Sunshine leaned back, crossing her arms. "A bigger team just gives them more targets to aim at. But we can use a distraction. This plan will involve our invincible team and a clone of me."

A murmur went around the table. What plan was that?

"The Watchers are obsessed with Sunshine," Hades added, his voice like grinding stones. "They track her every move. If she happens to be in the area, they will drop whatever they are doing to follow her."

Father Nicodemus, who had been quietly observing from the corner, nodded in approval. "So, the new plan is a shepherd’s tactic. All the clone has to do is lead the wolves away from the rift, and the true Shepherd can do her work in peace."

"Exactly," Sunshine said. "But for that to work, a team has to be with the clone. It can’t look like a mindless decoy; it has to look like we are searching for something or on our way to do some kind of trading."

Nimo’s hand shot up before Sunshine could even finish the sentence. "I’m in. I’ll lead the decoy team. I know the terrain layouts better than anyone. The army used to use the Mockland forest as a training ground. Of course, the forest is gone now, but I am a superhuman so...."

Dwayne’s hand went up a split second later, his expression grimly protective. "I’m going too. I’m not about to let my wife go out there and play bait alone. If Nimo’s in the line of fire, I’m the shield and that terrain must have changed."

Nimo rolled her eyes, but a small, grateful smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I can handle myself, babe."

"I know you can, honey. I’d just prefer it if you didn’t have to," he muttered. Then he added in a whisper, "We have kids now."

Nimo rolled her eyes. Sunshine had kids too, and she was always on missions.

Lisha, ever the optimist, clapped her hands together. "Enough with the love display! Now that we know what the problem is and how to play the watchers, let’s talk about a good reason that explains our presence in Mockland. What are we going to pretend to be looking for. The Watchers are smart; they won’t follow a decoy that’s just running in circles. It will get boring."

She pulled up the images Sunshine’s team had captured. The screen filled with jagged, ash-colored peaks and valleys choked with a yellowish haze.

Sheldon let out a long, theatrical sigh. "Well, look at the bright side. At least there’s no lava flowing there. No matter how strong our vehicles are, they do not need that stress."

Everyone turned their heads his way, frowning or sneering. They had bigger things to worry about, and he was thinking about cars!