Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again. - Chapter 370

Chapter 370: Meeting other repairmen.
“Don’t ask.” Nimo told herself. “Just get out with your dignity intact.” She knew it would be the best thing for them both at that moment. But again, her mouth moved before her brain. Frustration flared, aching and loud. “Why not? What are you so afraid of? You are a good man, so I am sure she was a good woman. She would not have wanted you to spend the rest of your life alone.”

He pushed the car door open and stepped out but did not go any further. His eyes found hers, filled with conflict and sorrow. “We don’t know that. I don’t know what she would want.”

“And you, what do you want?” She blurted out.

He looked down. “I know what I want. And I also know that it feels wrong.”

Nimo looked up, exhaling loudly. “Wrong! I don’t know if I should praise you or scream at you.” Her voice shook, but her conviction did not. “I am not wrong Dwayne. It is not wrong to want me. It is wrong to punish yourself for a crime committed by another person. You must have said this much to many survivors during your time as a police officer.

It is not wrong to survive. What is wrong is becoming a prisoner to guilt. It is wrong because that is not love. That is not how she would want you to love or remember her.”

She gulped, not wanting to say that if he mistook guilt for love, he would wake up one day resenting his dead wife, perhaps. She controlled herself because she was worried that if she said everything on her mind, she would push him away.

Dwayne had his eyes closed, a giant ache in his heart where her words had pierced like arrows, striking at the old wounds which he thought had healed.

Nimo stepped out of the car and walked to her door. She stood there, her chest tight and her hands clenched at her sides as she watched him get into his truck and drive away. After watching him disappear, she went into her house, straight to the bedroom, fell on the bed and screamed into her pillow.

Her mind replayed the almost kiss which had been stolen from her. Desire and frustration tangled inside her, leaving her restless and angry. It took her a while to ease her heart and mind. And when she was calmer, she whispered aloud, “Why must love be this hard?”

She wondered if maybe that hardship was reserved for her and her brother. Both of them were in love with people that didn’t want them. “Bad time to be a Fawke.” She laughed sarcastically.

****

The frost stones were still falling in the morning, and the blizzard was still roaring. Residents of Fortress four were carrying on as if it was any other day, unbothered by the troubles they were safe from.

Sunshine did not leave the house after breakfast. She went into the space, having been given an urgent task by the mission. There was a job, and it was to join other repairmen in the task of repairing a stranded spaceship.

She was excited to take it on because she was going to meet her colleagues, finally.

“System, I am ready to go.” she said, pressing forward on the tips of her toes.

[Try not to get on anyone’s nerves.] The system cautioned.

Sunshine smiled. “Me…I am sweet, fun and harmless. They will like me.”

A door appeared in the space, and she stepped through it. She found herself in a place that had sand–only sand. Some sleeping, some piled like a mountain and all glittering red. On the sand was a spaceship that loomed like a thousand whales, combined together. Its hull shimmered faintly because of the green scales all over it.

“Holy…..” she whistled. If she saw something like that in the sky, she would easily assume that it was a mutated beast. Maybe a dragon. The vessel was not just abnormally big, but it was uniquely shaped. It had curves and veins. It almost seemed like a living creature, and she wondered if this had been the goal of the creators.

Foreign knowledge rushed into her mind, all notes on the spaceship. Pieces came together like a puzzle fitting perfectly, making the repair job seem like child’s play.

Another more fascinating thing to Sunshine were the other repairmen from other worlds. She had always pictured them as human or human like, but reality was different. She recognized them because they were wearing the same uniform as hers, pink overalls with a wrench and ship insignia on the back.

One repairman was reptilian, but he was walking on two feet, talking like any other person. Another was like an insect, and he had wings and mandibles that clicked every other second. Some were almost humanoid, some had fur, one had no nose, leaving Sunshine to wonder how he was breathing.

She went around, greeting and smiling at them but nobody seemed eager to make small talk.

“Where are all the women?” she muttered.

A tall orange feline like man pulled her aside and showed her to her area. “Fix the circuits.” He walked off after saying that.

Sunshine looked at the command console that had at least fifty fried circuits. She wondered how the spaceship had ended up in such a condition. The outside looked unharmed but the inside: it was like a tornado had ripped through!

She settled down to work, attempting to talk to her shadow-skinned neighbor who ignored her. So, covered her ears with headphones and blasted some pop music.

Sunshine hummed as she calibrated circuits, wiggled her feet and broke into song, much to the amusement of some and discomfort of other colleagues.

“We are the champions,” she crooned, climbing a ladder to fix a circuit on the spaceship roof. “Weeee…” she screeched.

Other repairmen winced.

The insectoid repairman launched into flight, mandibles clicking irritably. “I am going to kill it or throw it into a black hole. It is a distraction and a nuisance. This is why female repairmen are annoying; they just don’t shut up.”

The feline stopped him. “She has finished ninety eight percent of her work in one hour putting her ahead of half of the repairmen on this ship like you. Her vocalizations are disturbing but she has talent where it matters. Also, don’t refer to your colleague as an it.”

“Stop her or I will.” The insectoid warned.

Sunshine was launching into another “We…” when the feline tapped her on the leg. “Stop singing or your income will be docked.”

She blinked. “Is that legal?”

[Do not get on anyone’s nerves.] The system reminded her.

She nodded at the feline and turned off her music. Without the music, her speed tripled as she was in a hurry to go sightseeing. The sky was blue, the soil was red, it was like a painting on the wall of some billionaire like Jon who didn’t appreciate it.

Sunshine gasped when she noticed three suns joining a single one. “Look, there are four suns in the sky! Their rays are more gold than yellow. It is like we are working inside a painting. Isn’t it amazing?” She pointed out to the other repairmen.

They ignored her.

Sunshine scoffed. Did they hate her personally or was it just female repairman hate?

“Whatever.” she mumbled.