The morning came with a metallic chill, one that wrapped the ruined city like a death shroud. Ren stood by the subway entrance, his breath fogging in the air. His mind was already deep in calculations—routes, fallback points, nearby scavenging zones. The awakening had changed everything. Ayaka wasn't just a companion now; she was a variable. A powerful one.
Behind him, Ayaka stirred, wincing as she sat up. Her body ached from the awakening—every fiber strained like it had been rewired. But beneath the pain, something pulsed in her chest. Power.
"You were watching me all night?" she asked, her voice rough.
Ren didn't turn. "Yes. Your energy spiked twice while you slept. You'll need to learn to suppress it."
She rubbed her arms. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"None of us did," he replied.
---
They traveled light—Ren insisted on mobility until their stronghold was ready. He led Ayaka through the skeletal remains of Shibuya's outskirts, weaving through alleyways and broken storefronts. The map he'd memorized in his last life served as a guide.
"We're heading to the old Omura Distribution Facility," Ren said. "Back in the day, it stored emergency rations and tools for disaster relief. It was never looted because its access node requires a biometric key."
Ayaka raised an eyebrow. "And you happen to know how to get in?"
He smirked faintly. "I do now."
---
Two hours later, they arrived. The building was a squat, concrete giant with reinforced steel doors and cracked solar panels along the roof. Ivy choked the walls. A sign lay half-buried in rubble: OMURA EMERGENCY WAREHOUSE – GOV DESIGNATION: BETA-12
Ren knelt before the biometric scanner, his fingers moving quickly as he opened a concealed panel beneath it. Inside was a dead security node—and a backup port.
"Cover me," he said. Ayaka stepped behind him, scanning the quiet street with sharp eyes.
Ren connected a salvaged tablet to the node and began tapping in rapid bursts. He'd done this before, a lifetime ago. The sequence clicked.
[Manual Override Accepted. Vault Access Granted.]
The door creaked open.
Inside was silence.
---
Dust danced in shafts of light from the broken ceiling. Steel shelves stood like skeletons, and racks of sealed crates lined the walls. Ren opened one: nutrient-dense ration bricks, still sealed.
He handed one to Ayaka. "They taste like chalk, but they'll keep you alive."
She took a bite and gagged. "You weren't kidding."
By noon, they had three large bags filled—medical kits, water tablets, canned fuel, thermal blankets. Ren moved with urgency, but precision.
Ayaka watched him work. "You're not just surviving—you're preparing. Like you've done this before."
Ren didn't answer. He stared at a sealed crate marked 'Classified: Prototype Tools'.
"Help me with this."
Together, they pried it open. Inside: modular steel plates, old security drones, and a tactical planning board. Ren's eyes lit up.
"This... This is how it starts."
Ayaka tilted her head. "Starts?"
He turned to her, voice low and serious. "The fortress. A haven. One that can outlast the fall. And repel anything that comes."
---
That evening, they hauled their loot back to the subway station. Ren began mapping out the interior, turning it from temporary shelter into a semi-permanent base.
"Tomorrow, we reinforce the entrance," he said, jotting notes onto the wall with charcoal. "Tripwires. Early warning. We'll set up a relay for passive sonar—basic detection grid."
Ayaka sat by the fire, studying her hands. They still trembled faintly from the awakening. "You really think we can make this place safe?"
Ren looked at her. "Not just safe. Untouchable."
She nodded slowly. "Then I'll fight for it."
He smiled. "That's all I needed to hear."
Outside, thunder rumbled over the distant mountains.
Something was coming.
And Ren Kurozawa was ready to meet it head-on