A technomancer's journey in an apocalyptic world

Ryan sent an innocent smile towards Michalina with a pair of wires in his hand as he spoke, "Big sis if you would please."

Michalina huffed as she spoke, "You should have thought about how cold could discharge the batteries, now give it here, it is already late and I do not wish to be reprimanded for it by my mother."

With that Michalina sent a jolt of electricity as Ryan tried once again to start the vehicle which answered with a roar before giving a low rumble unlike that of a ferocious predator growling out loud.

With a wave of his hand, the wires disappeared as he changed the gear and the vehicle which weighed a few tons lurched forward with ferocious gusto.

The vehicle in question looked like a monstrous 6x6 armoured vehicle for transport that had a tad bit of sci-fi vibe to it while at the same time looking like a close cousin of Russian Punisher.

Michalina held on for dear life as did Jessica while Donna had a smile on her face just as Shakidra but Xuelong was having the time of her life.

"I love it, and I wish I could drive like you."

Ryuu flashed a smile at her as he spoke, "You are close Xuelong, a few more weeks and I believe you will learn to drive like me."

As Ryuu spoke the vehicle took a leap, because of uneven terrain, before it crashed into an unsuspecting rabbit-like creature before it moved forward leaving behind a broken carcass.

As Ryan drove night descended upon them making Ryan turn on the headlights of his car as he spoke with a grimace, "I wish not to make any pit stop as much as possible, and even then we would reach home way past mid night."

Xuelong waved off his concern as she spoke, "No problem, just try to drive faster."

A small smile etched on Ryan's face as he spoke, "Planning too."

With that, the vehicle lurched even faster while Michalina and Jessica had gained a look of horror on their faces.

Ciara looked out towards the wall, which could still be viewed from atop the newly constructed buildings, buildings that housed most of the thousands of occupants of what is being dubbed as the 'City of New Hope'.

'A bit of normalcy is good, with proper roof on their head and belly filled with something resembling as food, with works to keep them busy all day long, I hope we are not being lulled into a false sense of security, but more importantly where the hell are those two, they should have arrived sometime during the afternoon, but now it is night time why are they so late, do not tell me something happened with them.', as the thought about her children ran through her mind she pulled her fur coat even closer because of the sudden chill in the air.

"Do not worry they will be fine."

Ciara sent a small smile towards her long time friend as she spoke, "Pot calling the kettle back."

Zhan smiled back at her before her face turned to a frown, "Will you think low of me if I wish for this peace to continue forever."

"Not at all for I wish the same, but we both know that the such a wish would not be possible, the attack that happened all those nights ago proved to me how fictitious my wish is."

Zhan closed her eyes as she recalled the battle they had as she spoke again, "I thought for a moment I was going to lose you, when that creature let loose its breath."

"Me too, Michalina and I were directly in the path of its attack we should have been dead if not for my son's recklessness."

Zhan gained a small smile remembering the incident as she spoke with a nostalgic smile on her face, "What can I say but he is just like his mother."

Ciara squawked in indignation as she spoke, "Why I never?"

"Uh huh, I remember a certain squad captain drawing the attention of a squad of enemies and drew them away to save an orphanage, and almost died in the process."

Ciara huffed as Zhan spoke with a smile on her face, "As I can say an apple does not fall far from the tree."

Ciara closed her eyes for a moment before she spoke with a sigh, "But even so I never rode a Dragon trying to kill it while being in midst of large horde of other beasts."

"Well what can I say, but the younger generation will always surpass the older one."

Ciara deadpanned at her as she spoke, "You stole it from that cartoon."

Zhan shrugged as she spoke, "Of course but you should blame Ryan, he made me binge watch them with him, also it is an anime not a cartoon, do not think you would want him to give a lecture about how anime and cartoon are different."

Ciara grimaced at that as she spoke, "Thanks for the reminder though I never understood why they are different, they are for both meant to entertain children."

Zhan sighed as she spoke, "Whatever you do, please do not say that to him, I do not wish to suffer that torturous lecture again, boot camp was way simpler."

Ciara chuckled as her eyes fell on one of the unfinished buildings as she spoke, "The prefab buildings are so easier and faster to build."

Zhan nodded as she spoke, "That was ingenious idea from Chen, and after Ryan made those machines for the workers he is no free from working single handedly."

Ciara snorted at that as she spoke, "He was so happy that he was dancing with joy."

"Of course he would after all, he has a deadline to meet and it is coming up very soon, and being involved in all of this would chip away his time."

Ciara sighed as she spoke, "I do not like whatever this entity that has his attention on my son, I do not like it, forcing him like that not to mention whatever the task he is forcing him to do."

"So true, Ryan may not show it but he is extremely tensed as the deadline is approaching and the worst part is he does not even know what he will be ordered to do and he was just told to prepare or he will die, what kind of nonsense is this."

"So true Zhan so true, and from what I have been informed about his last rendezvous with that God, I can safely say that He is a raving lunatic."

"You took the words from my mouth Ciara, though please do not say that in front of him, Ryan tends to freak out a lot."

"I cannot blame him for that, after all who would not be afraid about someone, who can spy on them without anyone being the wiser, not to mention can punish others harshly with a single thought, Ryan told me whenever he meets with that God, that God can read his mind like an open book, Ryan can only speak move or do anything else when he is allowed to, so of course any sane person would be afraid."

Zhan simply shuddered as she spoke, "Just the thought that someone can control even how I move sends shiver down my spine and…", she frowned for a moment looking towards the gate before she spoke with a smile, "It seems they are back."

And true to her words the faint sound of claxon ringing came to their ears as Ciara spoke with a sigh, "I have to tell Ryan to tone down the sound a bit, with everything so quite around here I doubt people who are sleeping would mind that much noise."

Zhan scrunched up her face as she spoke, "Nah, let it be for now it is a problem but I doubt that it remain so after this turns into a bustling city, not to mention it is quite tamer than the warning siren, the last time I was near that thing, it almost turned me deaf."

"So true it is not a warning siren but a weapon that attacks allies and enemies without care."

Meanwhile, Ryan drove the car through as he approached Fort Genesis, he could see the large buildings slowly occupying the otherwise empty piece of land and he was sure that as time would pass by more and more such buildings would grow, even if the buildings were not crafted by his hands he had provided others with the means to do so, an unknown feeling swelled up within him.

"Is something wrong?"

Ryan looked towards Xuelong as he replied back with a bright smile on his face, "Nothing just admiring the view."

Xuelong looked at the buildings as she spoke, "I have seen the ruins of your great cities this are nowhere near as big as them but still impressive how fast they had build them, those machines you have made for them worked miracle."

"I cannot take the entire credit for it though, as everything was done under Mister Chen's supervision his idea of using prefab buildings worked well."

"Those buildings remind me of apartment blocks from the Soviet era."

Ryan nodded as he spoke, "So true Sis, and while they might not be as good as modern apartments but they were cheaper and easier to make but highly functional, and at the very least people have something above their head during the winter months."

Ryan stopped the car near Fort Genesis and as he climbed down from the driver's seat he was instantly rounded up by his mother.

"You are late."

Ryan gave a sheepish smile as he spoke, "Sorry mom, but we got caught in a rather fierce snow storm."

Ciara gained a look of concern as she spoke, "Are you alright?"

Ryan gave her a nod as he spoke, "Yes, we are after all we had managed to find shelter where we were able to lit fire and have hot food, so we were fine."

Ciara gave a nod, as the group slowly began to work their way into deep recesses of Genesis, only to be a stopped by a woman who looked to be in her late twenties.

"Excuse, Ryan may I speak with you?"

Ryan looked at the woman as Michalina spoke with a frown, "It was a tiring day and it is already past midnight, so can it not wait till tomorrow morning."

The woman sent an apologetic look towards Michalina while everyone including Ryan could see the look of fear as she desperately tried to avoid looking directly towards Michalina as she spoke, "Please it will not take more than a minute, I simply wish to apologize and then I will be on my way."

Ryan gained a confused look on his face as he spoke, "Excuse me but what do you wish to apologize for."

The woman suddenly looked embarrassed as she spoke, "You saved our lives, yet I tried to kill you even after that.", she bowed low as she spoke, "Please forgive this foolish woman, I do not know what came over me."

Ryan blinked owlishly before he spoke with a bright smile, "There is nothing to apologize for please raise your head, it happened in the past and from the looks of it you seem to be repentant, and from the red armband you are wearing you seem to be member of the militia right?"

The woman raised her head and spoke with a nod, "Yes I am."

"Then if you still feel guilty work hard alongside your new brother and sisters to protect everyone."

The woman gave him a small bow full of gratitude as she left hurriedly while sending a wary glance towards Michalina for the last time.

As the woman left, Ryan turned towards Ciara as he spoke with a confused look on his face, "Mom, who was that woman? And when did she try to kill me, also why is she so afraid of Michalina?"

Everyone from the group looked at him incredulously as Ciara spoke, "You did not recognize her."

Ryan titled his head as he spoke, "Should I?"

Ciara pinched the bridge of her nose as she spoke, "She tried to kill when you were unconscious from mana depletion.", seeing the still confused look on his face Ciara decided to elaborate even further, "She was from the group of woman you had rescued from the town near the cliff just after arriving in this place."

Ryan's eyes widen as he spoke with a gasp, "Ah, now I remember her.", he then frowned as he spoke, "As for not being able to recognize her, well forgive me for not visiting her in her prison.", his eyes then travelled towards Michalina as he spoke with deadpanned look on his face, "Though I can guess why that woman was afraid of you."

Michalina spoke with a snort, "As she should be."

Zhan simply smiled towards Michalina as she spoke, "Micha almost killed her for it."

Ryan chuckled as he spoke, "Big Sis can be a bit overprotective sometimes."

"That may be but can you please elaborate on why she acted in such a way, especially when you saved her."

Ryan looked towards Xuelong as his eyes gained a dangerous glint as he spoke, "The town near the cliff, was the base of operations for a deviant, he could control zombies."

Xuelong's eyes widen as she spoke, "You had a necromancer here."

Ryan gave a nod as he spoke with a pained look on his face, "That wretch had gathered every surviving female irrespective of their age and forced himself on them with the help of his zombies, even his own mother was not safe from him."

As he spoke, Ryan noticed the look of intense hatred and anger as well as revulsion in both Xuelong and Shakidra's face, as Xuelong spoke with intense anger in her voice, "I hope you made his suffering legendary, what kind of degenerate creature even rapes his own mother."

Ryan gave a nervous chuckle as he spoke, "Well sorry to disappoint you but we did not know about what he had done, when he attacked us Nigella took him out with a single shot, so he died fast."

Xuelong simply growled as Shakidra spoke with a frown on her face, "That woman after being rescued did not take kindly being near some male, and that was what caused her to retaliate against you."

Ciara gave a nod of agreement before she spoke with a sigh, "Yes, that is what had happened.", Ciara then looked towards Ryan as she spoke, "Also Ryan sometime after you left, the mother committed suicide by jumping into the gorge."

Ryan did not say anything except his face hardens for a brief moment before he spoke, "When you are leaving mom."

"Tomorrow just after breakfast.", Ciara's eyes narrowed as she spoke, "I hope you are not planning on following me."

Ryan waved his hand off as he spoke, "Of course not mom, I have so much work to do so I might not have enough time to escort you."

Ciara smiled at him as she spoke, "Just take some rest.", she looked towards Michalina as she spoke with a similar warm smile, "Both of you take some rest tomorrow."

Ryan was about to say something when a familiar chime followed by a familiar voice informed him about an emergency quest that caused him to trip and almost fall.

Jessica who was nearby quickly held him as she spoke with concern in her voice, "Are you alright Ryan?"

Ryan simply gave her a fake smile as he spoke, "It seems I am more tired than I originally thought, I would need some good rest."