Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.
Chapter 69: Arrival of meteorites.

Chapter 69: Arrival of meteorites.

The moment they returned home, Sunshine officially lost control of her lower limbs. Two children latched onto her legs like determined monkeys, refusing to let go. She dragged her feet forward, one at a time while pretending that she had not noticed them.

"Oh my, I wonder why my legs are so heavy." She asked herself very loudly, speaking to the air like she could not see a single person around.

The two kids giggled like little villains.

"What creatures could be clinging to my legs? Perhaps two monkeys."

"No monkey mommy!" Castiel shouted, wrapping his arms around her right leg like a seasoned koala. "I am a a fierce tiger....roooooar."

His roar was as fierce as a kitten’s meow.

Sunshine took one drastic step, dragging both children on the floor. They continued to squeal in delight, and she groaned theatrically.

"We are squirrels." Earl declared. "And you are our tree. Tress don’t move mommy." He turned to Ariel and asked, "Ariel, am I correct?"

Hades had made a beeline for the kitchen when they arrived. Suddenly, he popped out with a spoon in his hands which he was wielding as a sword and self-declared. "I am Sir Daddy, mommy’s knight. I am here to rescue her from clingy squirrels and toothless tigers."

As he approached them, Earl let go and run away screaming, leaping onto a couch. Castiel did not get away, he was captured and tortured by tickling which resulted in more squeals and giggling.

Sunshine used the chance to sit down and do her own tickling on the bottom of Earl’s feet. He squealed and gave up, "I surrender, I surrender mommy."

Sunshine let go of the feet. "Next time, I will eat your toes." she threatened playfully.

Ariel cleared his throat and walked to the middle of the living room. He lowered the volume of the television which was showing cartoons. "I hate to be the party pooper but there are some cases of wastage that we must discuss. If the adults will give me their undivided attention for a minute."

Sunshine flexed her fingers. "Ariel, do you want some tickles?"

Ariel gave her one unimpressed stare. "I would rather not."

Hades roared and took him down. Everyone took the opportunity to surround him, tickling him all over as he screamed for his life.

"This is highly inappropriate." He argued.

"I bet you don’t know what inappropriate means." Sunshine said as she finally backed away. With Ariel, you could only play so much before he threatened to sue or unleashed his taekwondo skills.

Castiel crawled into Sunshine’s arms and Earl stayed with Hades. Ariel sat in the middle but ahead, like the patriarch of the family.

As he righted his clothing, he said in a serious voice. "Inappropriate means not suitable or proper in a particular situation. It also means something is out of place, someone is disrespectful or refer to something potentially offensive. Tickling me against my wishes is not proper and it is an abuse of my freedom."

"As the president, I strip you of that freedom." Sunshine replied.

Ariel looked at his father with exhausted eyes. With his expression, he was asking his father how many times they needed to have the conversation about Sunshine’s determination to turn him into an average, playful child!

Ariel took a calming breath and cleared his throat. "Like I was saying, I have noticed some wastage that needs to be put to a stop. Some parents....." He looked at Sunshine and Hades, "are using the gel and bubbles as toys for their children." He looked at Castiel.

Sunshine buried her eyes in her hand. It was one tube of gel and some bubbles!! Ariel was the gatekeeper from hell; nothing escaped his watch.

"I have confiscated them, and I have also taken it upon myself to ask Aunt Lisha to send out a communication to all parents on the base not to waste these things." Ariel added.

"I am hungry." Earl said.

Sunshine jumped up eagerly and carried Castiel. "Dinner, let’s have dinner." Before leaving, she turned around and ruffled Ariel’s hair. "Thank you for your hard work kid, if we did not have you, we would be lost in the wheel of inefficiency."

Ariel ducked away and closed his notebook. He nodded, acknowledging the thanks he had received.

Earl picked up his toy car and followed Sunshine.

Hades roared again and swept Ariel off his feet. "Time to get off work kid."

***

The first single meteor tore across the sky at 6:05am. A scorching slash of red fire that turned the early morning dawn into bruised day light for five full seconds.

It was quickly followed by smaller ones; they pierced the red sky like falling stars.

"Mummy look a shooting star!" Castiel who was taking a poop, pointed at the window. His words jolted Sunshine awake.

She looked out of the bathroom window and saw the red sky.

"Crap!" She pulled Castiel off the toilet and pulled up his night trouser.

Castiel however protested. "Mummy I need to wipe bum-bum." He reminded her but Sunshine’s mind was preoccupied with saving their lives. "Hades, wake the kids." She screamed.

Inside Fortress Four, the emergency alarms were sounded, their pulses echoing off the thick stone walls like a heartbeat of war. People run out of their houses or into them, confused.

Even though they were aware of the arrival of the meteors and the bunker and bubble shield, fear was a great emotion that clouded logic.

Military vehicles traveled through the housing sectors, picking people up. In one, Nimo was shouting for people to move as quickly as people. "Those supposed to be in the bunkers, now is the time." Nimo’s terrified eyes remained glued upon the sky.

Lisha barked into the public address system. "Good morning! Oh, wait it isn’t, this is not a drill, I repeat this is not a drill people, the meteor rain has arrived. Find safety and apply that gel." She announced.

In the watch tower, Commander Grayson gripped the edge of the wall as the meteors started to fall to the ground. A small one hit the bubble shield, and they heard a loud popping explosion.

"May God save us all." He mumbled, the Sergent with him made the sign of the cross even though until now he was an atheist.

A very huge meteorite appeared in the skies, almost darkening them. It was not a streak of light but a roaring, flaming ball of fire that split into three before slamming into the capital city.

Its impact was felt even in Westbrook Mountain. The residents could only imagine what the fate of those in the city was.

Sunshine had seen this before, so she was less terrified or mesmerized unlike others and concentrated on making sure that everyone was safe. "Hades’ focus, apply gel. The shield has to remain strong." She shouted at her husband whose jaw was on the floor with his hands on the back of his head. He was not the only resident of Fortress Four to be standing in that position.

On television, some news channels were covering the meteor rain as breaking news, and one showed a plane being hit and falling out of the sky.

Some residents were watching this news in their homes. Others had been locked away in bunkers and they had no idea what was going on outside. Those that were a bit brave remained outside, they wanted to witness the end of the world even if it was the last thing they did before dying.

Nimo was among the soldiers that were standing frozen outside, watching the skies like last witnesses.

"Nimo let us meet again in another life." Siegfried winked at her.

She did not hear or see him because more meteors were coming directly towards them. Burning orbs of black hot rocks on fire howling down in packs like starving wolves. There smoke tails clawing through the air like serpents.

Dash ran away from Nimo, betraying her master in the final hour.

Inside their home, Hades, Sunshine and the children embraced. Ariel was usually brave but his small hands clenched Sunshine’s. Castiel was clinging on to her neck and Earl was buried in Hades’s chest, holding his toy truck.

Hades suddenly pulled Sunshine’s head and kissed her on the top of her right ear. "If we are going to die then I should tell you that I am glad that we are here together and we tried."

Sunshine nodded. Her right leg tapped the floor nervously. They had to live. They had to!

There was nothing more anyone could do now, all that was left to do was close their eyes and wait for death or hope that the bubble shield performed a miracle.