The route was rough.
The once-paved roads had collapsed into broken slabs and were tangled with creeping vines and collapsed skyscrapers. The truck groaned over rubble, the wheels reinforced by Gwen's quick mechanics.
Along the way, they passed ancient billboards faded into ghosts. A rusted satellite dish lay half-buried in mud. High above, mutated birds with glowing feathers flew in lazy circles.
Charles guided from the front seat, pointing out landmarks no longer recognizable.
"We'll need to cut through what's left of Sector Twelve. Used to be a clean-energy plant. Then it blew. Now it's radioactive and overrun with scavenger gangs."
Annabelle frowned. "Do we have to go through it?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Unless you want to backtrack thirty miles through sinkholes."
Anna reached out, pressing her palm to the window. "We'll be okay. I'll clear the path."
Her space magic shimmered faintly on her skin.
They reached the edge of Sector Twelve by noon. Tall fences bent under the weight of mutated moss. Buildings leaned on each other like dying titans. The air shimmered faintly with leftover radiation—visible only due to Anna's spatial perception.
She rolled down the window and focused.
A wave of energy rippled outward.
The radiation receded like a tide, opening a safe corridor.
"Go," she said.
The truck moved forward.
The Ambush
They were halfway through the sector when a net shot down from above—snapping over the hood and halting the truck instantly.
Before anyone could react, a squad of masked scavengers leapt from the ruins, armed with makeshift weapons glowing with salvaged tech. They surrounded the vehicle with wolfish grins.
"Well, well," the leader said. "What do we have here? A classic Ford, fully modded, supplies, and…" His eyes landed on Marcel, who growled lowly. "A bloody tiger."
Anna stepped out of the vehicle, hands raised.
"We don't want trouble."
The leader grinned. "Good. Then it won't hurt as much."
Before he could finish the sentence, Charles moved.
BOOM—lightning surged from his fingertips, striking the nearest scavenger in the chest and sending him flying into the rubble. The air sizzled with ozone.
Then the fight began.
The Second Epic Fight
Charles danced through the battlefield like a storm come to life, electricity arcing from his body in controlled waves. Each bolt was precise—non-lethal, but powerful enough to take down their enemies.
Annabelle launched vine traps to ensnare attackers from behind cover.
Gwen blurred through the chaos, disarming foes and redirecting their momentum with her incredible speed.
Arthur anchored their backline, blocking plasma shots with his kinetic shield and slamming the ground to create shockwaves that knocked scavengers off their feet.
Penelope froze the battlefield's edges, forming slippery terrain that sent multiple enemies sprawling.
Anna floated above the truck, her space barriers forming an impenetrable dome around Marcel and Percy. She sent razor-thin slices of compressed space through enemy weapons, severing rifles in half and disarming tech-based gear.
One of the scavengers, seeing the tide turning, fired a missile at the truck.
Anna extended her hand.
Time and space bent.
The missile stopped mid-air, turned around, and flew back—exploding behind enemy lines.
Marcel leapt from the flatbed, landing beside Charles with a roar and pouncing on the remaining enemies. He didn't kill. Just pinned, roared, and scared them into fleeing.
By the end of it, the scavengers were scattered, unconscious, or crawling away in fear.
Anna floated back to the ground.
Charles wiped a smear of dirt from his cheek. "Remind me to never piss any of you off."
Arrival at the Military Hospital
They reached the outer perimeter by nightfall. The hospital loomed like a sleeping beast—partially collapsed, its glass façade shattered. Metal doors, rusted but sealed, stood like a final challenge.
"It's still locked?" Arthur asked.
Charles nodded. "It had fail-safes. Probably went into stasis mode. But there's an old access panel. Might be able to force it open."
Anna placed her palm against the surface.
The door shuddered.
Spatial magic flowed through the cracks, turning rust back into pristine metal. The lock gave a soft click.
"Or we could do that," Charles said, blinking.
Inside, dust blanketed everything, but the power flickered back to life as Anna touched the central console. Faint lights glowed overhead.
Rows of stasis pods lined the corridor. Some were shattered. Others still hummed faintly.
Annabelle stepped forward, voice soft. "They're still here... the Rested."
Anna reached for the terminal, her heart pounding.
A screen came to life. A list of names scrolled.
"Start searching," she whispered. "Our parents might be in here."