January 8th. 12:05 PM.
Raven stared at her phone screen for a long moment before locking it and slipping it into her pocket. She rolled her shoulders once, loosening the tension that no longer had a right to be there. Her awakening was done. Her body, her powers, her mind—everything was sharper, stronger, ready to face a glorious future.
It was time to wrap things up.
She stepped into the Ironhowl X4 and backed out of her Sanctuary clearing, slipping through the dimensional veil with a single command. Moments later, she was back in the real world, her SUV running steadily as she pulled onto a side road and headed towards the upper end of Manhattan.
Ten minutes later, she parked outside a glass-front boutique draped in velvet signage. Inside: lingerie, wall to wall. Hundreds of shelves, mannequins in satin, lace, cotton, and silk. Bras, panties, camisoles, robes. Comfort and temptation stitched into fabric.
Raven walked through the automatic doors without hesitation.
The saleswoman at the counter blinked at her.
"I'll take the entire store," Raven said.
The woman opened her mouth, closed it, then smiled slowly, a little nervously.
"That'll be… about three million dollars."
Raven didn't blink. She reached into her coat and slid out her father's black credit card, the one she'd stolen the day her new life began. She held it out, wordlessly.
The woman took it, swiped it, and waited. Approved. No questions asked.
"How would you like it delivered?"
Raven looked toward the street, then turned and walked out the door without answering.
Down the side alley, hidden from view, she stopped and reached into her System Space. A soft shimmer of red light marked the appearance of a freight truck—one of several she'd stolen days ago and stored for moments exactly like this.
With a thought, she activated her Technomancer powers. Circuits flared to life inside the truck's systems, obeying her command. The engine rumbled. The headlights blinked. The vehicle backed up, turned, and drove itself to the boutique entrance.
Raven walked back inside.
"Load it up." she said.
The saleswoman peered out the window, stunned. Then she called for her staff to land the freight truck.
Over the next fifteen minutes, the freight truck was filled with every scrap of inventory the store had. Vacuum-sealed bras, bagged pajamas, satin-lined boxes, display garments—all of it packed and stacked.
Raven climbed back into the Ironhowl and turned the wheel. The truck followed behind her like a dog on a leash.
She drove out toward a surveillance dead zone she'd mapped out long ago—an old concrete underpass covered by dead cameras and rusted streetlamps. Once there, she parked both vehicles and exhaled.
Time to test it.
She closed her eyes and willed it—the truck, contents and all, were recalled into her System Space.
And the truck vanished.
A second later, a System Notification flashed in her mind.
[Apocalypse Ascendancy System Notification:]
"Clothing Module Activated."
"All stored apparel is now categorized and accessible for rapid retrieval."
Raven let out a breath of pure satisfaction.
"Saves me a lot of closet space."
Everything she'd just bought—years of comfort, style, and practicality—now lived inside her system. One command, and she could change clothes anywhere, anytime. Battle lingerie included.
Her next stop was waiting.
She drove east, toward a quiet gated neighborhood where the security systems had long since been deactivated. No guards. No residents. Just empty luxury homes waiting to be claimed by whoever had the strength to do so.
Rose Manor.
A sprawling villa with black wrought-iron gates, stone walkways, and a forest of overgrown hedges. Inside: a private gym, Olympic-sized pool, tennis court, home theater, central AI automation and air conditioning. It was everything she needed and more.
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