Apocalypse Trade Monopoly
Chapter 96: : Smoke & Sparkle

Chapter 96: : Smoke & Sparkle

Lucas stepped over the twitching remains of the beast, slick with ichor, and turned toward Ava.

His coat was scorched at the hem. His shirt was shredded, exposing part of the biosuit underneath —which was smoking.

And his blade?

Cracked down the middle, half-melted, edge ruined.

He held it up and gave it a dramatic little twirl before it snapped with a soft metallic ping.

"So... good news: I’m still pretty." He looked at her expectantly. "Bad news: all my gear dead."

Ava didn’t react. She just walked up, scanning his gear with a practiced eye.

"Your suit just overheating on the left flank."

Lucas looked down at the rising curl of black.

"Yeah, I was hoping that was just flair."

She crouched to examine the exposed energy core node under his ribs, her fingers quick, already reaching into her pack.

"Look at the smoke. Your knife’s toast. Bracer’s holding but it’s twitchy. Core seal’s degraded. No wonder everything’s snapping."

"I use the good stuff."

Ava glanced up, unimpressed.

"While you away were off playing monster slayer, I learned something." She pulled out a small patch of refined alloy from her bag and held it up. "If the input material is high-grade, your gear’s not only stronger—it upgrades cleaner. Fewer failures. Less wear. Less... this." She motioned to the smoke leaking from his suit.

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"So you’re saying I’ve been cheap."

"I’m saying you’ve been careless, focusing on value."

He gave a mock-offended gasp and tossed what was left of his ruined knife into the dirt.

"Fine. I surrender to your wisdom. That little problem solve. Let’s go shopping."

Ava blinked.

"You’re serious?"

Lucas turned north, already walking.

"Five minutes from here. There’s an old mega-mall—collapsed on the west side." He gave her a look over his shoulder. "The fine jewelry east wing is especially well-built. Turns out diamonds and reinforced glass survive better than grocery stores."

Ava caught up, eyes narrowing.

"You’re going to loot rings while your biosuit is catching fire?"

"I multitask." He waved a hand, smoke trailing behind him. "Besides, I didn’t pack for you."

That stopped her.

"Excuse me?"

Lucas shot her a grin.

"Didn’t think you’d want to wear Angel’s clothing. Figured we’d find you something with actual taste."

Ava’s mouth opened, closed, then—

"You’re unbelievable."

Lucas just kept walking, smoke and all.

"And yet, here we are."

The mall loomed ahead like a monument to a dead world—glass walls still half-standing, the steel bones of its structure standing strong. A cracked sign overhead read "ANLOCK GALLERIA", the once-luxury shopping haven now silent and echoing with ghosts of wealth.

Lucas pushed through the shattered revolving door like he owned the place.

Ava followed, wary.

Inside, dust floated like ash in the still air. Jewelry counters displays glittering beneath grime. A place untouched because no one thought high fashion mattered anymore.

Except Lucas.

"Right this way, Beauty." He turned down a corridor lined with cracked marble tiles and soft instrumental music still playing from a half-broken speaker overhead. "The apocalypse can take our homes, but it cannot take... retail therapy."

He stepped behind a counter and—without hesitation—kicked in the security lock on a drawer. Inside: gleaming metal, untouched velvet boxes, folded silks sealed in old oxygen-wrap.

"Lucas," Ava said, arms crossed. "I don’t really need this. You know that, right?"

He looked up from a necklace display—gold woven like vines, tiny chips of gem embedded at each twist.

"You’ll thank me later."

"For a necklace?"

"For options." He straightened, holding the necklace up to the light. "We won’t be at ground zero forever. Sooner or later, things stabilize. Power shifts. Alliances form. And when that happens..." He moved toward her, holding the necklace out—not to put it on her, but to let her see it.

"...you’ll want something to wear that says you didn’t just survive. You built something."

Ava stared at it. At him. Then, reluctantly, took it.

"You’re ridiculous."

Lucas turned, holding up a midnight-blue blazer trimmed in subtle silver thread. He eyed her for a beat, then gave a satisfied nod.

"That looks like you."

He didn’t bother with boxes—just peeled the quality pieces straight from their hangers and displays, folding them with practiced efficiency. A tailored jacket here, a wrap dress there. Two sleek coats—one trimmed in wolf-grey faux fur, the other a deep crimson with reinforced stitching that still shimmered beneath a layer of dust.

No nonsense. No clutter.

Just nice things.

Lucas tossed them into an empty garment bag he’d yanked from a broken wall rack, zipping it up like this was any other shopping trip.

"Grab what you need—underwear, basics, whatever fits. Don’t waste time." He adjusted the strap on the bag over his shoulder, already turning toward the glinting section ahead. "I’ll be in fine jewelry picking out the best. Maybe even a set of wedding rings."

Ava paused mid-step.

"...You’re joking."

"Why would I joke about craftsmanship?" He shot her a grin over his shoulder. "I believe this place kept custom pieces in stock. Real rare stuff. Might as well look like we meant to end up married, right?"

Ava blinked, trying to tell if he was messing with her.

Lucas was already gone, strolling through a shattered crystal archway like a king returning to his vault.

And Ava—still holding a half-folded silk shirt—sighed.

"He’s impossible."

But she headed for the essentials aisle anyway.

Ava moved down a side corridor, past the racks of forgotten fashion—most of it useless, shredded, or warped from time. But toward the back, near a partially caved-in wall, her system pinged softly.

[STRUCTURE SCAN – SUB-FLOOR MATERIAL MATCH: NON-RETAIL COMPOSITE]

[DEEP SCAN ENGAGED]

[ITEM CLASSIFICATION: ATHLETIC / TACTICAL]

ORIGIN: UNREGISTERED SUPPLY NODE – TAGGED FOR COVERT MOBILITY]

Ava raised an eyebrow.

"...What the hell?"

She pushed through a half-collapsed fitting room and found it—a low-profile shelf hidden beneath a false panel, filled with sealed, ultra-light fabric bundles. They looked like standard athletic wear—compression gear, utility bras, performance leggings. But her system highlighted the stitching, the hidden mesh linings, the thermal balance layers.

[GRADE: MILITARY-LAB TESTED – INTENDED FOR COVERT OPERATIVES]

[PRODUCTION ORIGIN: UNDISCLOSED PRIVATE LAB]

Ava picked up one set. Light as air. Reinforced at the joints.

A tag stitched inside read only: Series 3 – Motion/Neutral.

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