Alara stayed close to Raven as they left the corpse of Trent behind. As they made their way back toward the Ironhowl X4, they summoned before speaking to Trent. Raven continued speaking, her voice steady, every word opening old wounds.
"Yes… after my mother Dawn died and my father remarried Victoria, everything fell apart," Raven said, her fingers curling slightly at her sides as she continued speaking. "My brother Brandon changed completely, becoming cruel, petty, and violent. And then the unthinkable happened: my stepmother Victoria had her daughter, Clarissa… marry my brother. You heard me right, Alara. Clarissa sister in law is actually Victoria's biological daughter. Their last name was Hedges before marriage into my family. Victoria and Clarissa Hedges. It's the most disgusting social ladder climbing maneuver I could imagine."
Raven paused, exhaling slowly, then continued talking about her past.
"By marrying into the Salvatore family and having Jasom my fat nephew. They secured control over everything my real mother, Dawn Salvatore, and my father built together. Much of it with my help after my mother passed away. And my father? He knew. He let it all happen, like some inbred Beverly Hills experiment for degenerate socialites."
Alara stepped forward without hesitation wrapping her arms around Raven, holding her tight in a hug. Her head rested against Raven's shoulder for a moment, her breath warm and steady. Then she pulled back, her eyes glowing with a quiet, deadly purpose.
"Raven, my love… don't let your past drag you down," she said softly. "Everything they have, they owe to you. They can only survive now because they have sold you out. And you know what? We'll make them pay the price for that. We'll make them fail, one by one. As we do, I will be by your side every step of the way. Their lives stripped bare as their so-called pride crumbles beneath beneath our feet. I promise you that."
Hearing this, Raven felt a surprising warmth bloom in her chest, something she has almost forgotten how to feel until she met Alara. Raven turned away for a moment, needing to steady herself, and her gaze fell on Trent's chrome-plated Desert Eagle lying on the street. She bent down and picked it up, her fingers running thoughtfully along the polished chrome surface.
"This is a good hand gun," Raven said, turning the gun in her hand with a critical eye. "If I can upgrade it to a .50 caliber round… there might be some interesting possibilities in the future."
She stored the Desert Eagle into her system space with a mental command. Then Raven turned back to Alara, her focus hardening again like steel.
"Alara we have made enough detours," Raven said, her voice regaining that crisp, decisive edge. "It's time we meet up with Momma Jean at the NYS Civil Defense Communications Center Bunker just outside New York. I'm curious to see what she's managed to do with the place."
Raven began listing out their next steps in a tone that was both casual and authoritative, as though she were reciting a grocery list rather than a campaign of future blood and poison.
"Alara we will set up the generators and water systems for her using the supplies I've stored away in the system space," she continued. "Once she's set up, we can help her start recruiting new members to manage the base. It'll be good to have minions fetching supplies for us, scouts, and soldiers to take out threats to us so we don't have to do everything ourselves."
A small, thoughtful smile showed at the corner of Raven's lips as she added, "Perhaps we'll even send out a radio signal to invite women looking for safety to join our base, maybe a few men if they're useful enough. But our main forces… they'll be composed of women. Strong, loyal, and reliable."
Alara tilted her head, an impish thought sparking in her eyes as she teased, "What, are you trying to create some kind of 'Sisterhood of the Apocalypse' now? You promised me no cults. And if there's going to be a cult, it better be robots only, because I'm not sharing you with anyone, Raven."
Raven let out a small laugh, waving her hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about the cult thing," she said, her voice turning playful. "I have no plans to be worshiped or to build shrines to us. I just need capable helpers to do the dirty work. We still have to deal with the Yellow Fish Raiders and the Red Blood Raiders. And trust me… I have a big surprise waiting for the Red Blood Raiders at the New York Public Library. Once we get Momma Jean established, they will be our next target. Then, we will go to Epsilon base to see my father and the rest of his degenerate family. And finally, the Yellow Fish Raider gang who dared to shoot at you. So many things to do… but that's the beauty of the apocalypse Alara. You have all the time in the world to do something if no one beats you to it first."
Alara nodded slowly, her face brightening with a mix of love and resolve.
"Yes," she said quietly. "We'll do it all. Together."
Raven got into the Ironhowl X4 along with Alara. Raven sliding into the driver's seat.
As they began to drive away from Fabulous Fabrics, driving through the shattered remains of Times Square, Alara shifted in her seat, her bright blue eyes fixated on Raven.
"Raven… can I get a driver's license?" Alara asked suddenly, her voice soft and genuinely hopeful.
Raven's eyes widened so fast it was as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her hands jerked on the wheel, causing the Ironhowl X4 to swerve sharply to the side, crashing through several abandoned cars and sending them flying into ditches like broken toys. She got the vehicle back under control, her face pale, eyes wild as she asked Alara.
"What did you just say?"
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