The morning sun filtered weakly through the cracks in the shelter's walls, casting a dull gray light over the group. The fire had long since died out, and the cold had crept back in, a biting chill that seemed to settle deep into their bones. Serena, Elara, and Nia stirred, their bodies stiff from the night spent on the hard floor.
Alex was already awake, sitting near the door, his mind still buzzing from the subtle energy rotation he had instructed the AI to maintain throughout the night. He could feel the difference—his body was more alert, his muscles looser, his mind sharper. But today, his thoughts weren't just on survival. He had a plan.
As the others sat up, rubbing the sleep from their eyes, Alex spoke, his voice calm but firm. "We're not going out to scavenge today."
Elara blinked, still groggy. "What do you mean? We need to. We don't have much left, and we can't afford to sit around."
Serena's eyes reflected the same confusion, though there was a quiet worry behind her gaze. "If we don't go out, how are we going to eat? The little we have isn't going to last more than a day."
Nia looked up at Alex, her small face pale and uncertain. She stayed quiet, clinging to her mother's side as the weight of their situation settled in.
Alex met their eyes, feeling the responsibility of his decision but also the confidence of his newfound abilities. "Don't worry. I'll take care of us. You don't need to scavenge anymore. I'll handle it from now on."
Elara frowned, crossing her arms. "And how are you planning on doing that, exactly? We can't just sit around waiting for food to magically show up."
Alex stood up, his voice steady. "I have a plan. Just trust me. I'll go into the market, find things that need repairing, and sell them for more than what I bought them for. We won't need to scavenge for scraps anymore."
Elara's expression shifted, a mix of skepticism and surprise. "You're serious? You think you can make enough from fixing junk to keep us going?"
"I don't think," Alex said with a faint smile, "I know."
Serena seemed less convinced, but the exhaustion in her eyes betrayed her weariness. She'd been through too much in the past few days—maybe trusting Alex wasn't such a bad idea. Nia, still wrapped up in Serena's coat, just watched quietly, clearly relieved at the prospect of not going out into the ruins again.
Elara exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "Fine. But if this doesn't work, we're back out there tomorrow."
Alex nodded, knowing she would need to see results before fully believing in his plan. "Give me a day. I'll make it work."
Without another word, Alex grabbed his coat and bag, securing the power storage unit he had found the day before. He gave them a reassuring look before heading out into the cold streets of the Rust Quarter.
The market was as lively as ever, despite the gray skies and falling snow. Vendors lined the streets, their stalls filled with all manner of scavenged goods—rusted tools, broken tech, scraps of food, and makeshift clothing. The air was thick with the sounds of haggling, the clinking of metal, and the distant hum of machinery being tinkered with.
Alex moved through the crowd, his eyes scanning the stalls for anything that looked promising. He wasn't looking for pristine tech—just the opposite. He needed things that were broken but fixable, items that could be repaired with a bit of effort and sold for more than what he paid.
His first stop was a small stall run by an old scavenger, the man's hands weathered and rough from years of picking through the ruins. His stall was filled with broken electronics—old radios, defunct power cells, and worn-down mechanical parts.
Alex picked up a broken radio, examining it carefully. The outer casing was cracked, and the internal wiring was frayed, but the core components were intact. It wouldn't take much to get it working again.
"How much for this?" Alex asked, holding up the radio.
The old man squinted, looking at Alex with suspicion. "That thing's busted. Five tokens."
Alex nodded, handing over the small, round tokens—the currency of the Rust Quarter. Five tokens was cheap enough, especially for something that could be fixed in an hour or less.
With the radio in hand, Alex moved away from the stall, finding a quiet corner of the market where he could work unnoticed. He crouched down, pulling out his tools, and began repairing the radio, his hands steady as he rewired the damaged circuits. The energy he had stored from the previous night hummed softly in his veins, keeping him alert and focused.
"AI, assist with the repair," Alex thought, letting the AI guide his movements as it scanned the device.
"Energy allocation optimized," the AI responded, helping him channel a small amount of energy to repair the damaged components.
Within half an hour, the radio was functional again, its internal components humming softly as Alex tested it. Satisfied, he wiped the dust from his hands and stood up, heading to a different vendor on the other side of the market.
This vendor, a woman with sharp eyes and quick hands, ran a stall filled with electronics—both working and broken. She glanced up as Alex approached, eyeing the radio in his hands.
"You selling that?" she asked, already assessing its value.
Alex nodded. "Yeah, it's working. How much will you give me for it?"
The woman inspected the radio, turning it over in her hands. After a moment, she looked back at Alex, a calculating glint in her eyes. "Fifteen tokens. Take it or leave it."
Alex smirked, knowing he could get more elsewhere, but he wasn't looking to waste time haggling over every sale. "Deal."
He exchanged the radio for the tokens, feeling a small surge of satisfaction as he pocketed the payment. It wasn't much, but it was a start. He had tripled what he paid for the broken radio, and there were plenty more items like it scattered throughout the market.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Alex moved on, searching for more broken devices to repair. He bought items one at a time, always choosing things that were easy to fix but valuable enough to sell for a decent profit. Radios, old battery cells, small power generators—all things that the people of the Rust Quarter needed, and all things Alex could repair with the help of his AI.
As the hours passed, Alex found himself slipping into a rhythm. Buy, repair, sell. The tokens began to pile up in his pockets, and with each sale, he felt his confidence grow. This was it—this was how he could take care of Serena, Nia, and Elara. He wouldn't need to rely on scavenging anymore. He could make a living off his skills, and as his energy reserves grew, so would his ability to repair more complex devices.
By the time the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows over the market, Alex had amassed more tokens than he had in weeks of scavenging. His hands were dirty, his body sore from crouching over broken tech, but the satisfaction of knowing he had a plan—and that it was working—kept him moving forward.
As he made his way back to the shelter, the weight of the tokens in his pocket felt like the first step toward something bigger. This was just the beginning. He had only scratched the surface of what he could do, and with time, he would expand his skills even further.
When he finally returned to the shelter, the others were waiting for him, their eyes filled with uncertainty. Elara was the first to speak.
"Well?"
Alex smiled and pulled out the small bag of tokens, setting them down in front of the fire. "We're going to be okay."