Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 50

Chapter 50 Custom Combat Armor

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Finished

Joanna then turned her full attention back to Raven, her expression softening. “And there’s something else we need to preserve. After the apocalypse, the internet will crash, satellites will fail, and all the digital movies, music, and books we take for granted will be lost forever. We’re going to need a way to keep our sanity during the dark nights.”

With a sudden wave of her hand, a large, heavy plastic storage bin materialized right on top of the kitchen table with a dull thud. Jake and Raven both leaned closer as Joanna popped the heavy latches and opened the lid. Inside sat dozens of new, high-capacity portable solid-state drives and external storage networks.

“I bought these right before we left Felton,” Joanna explained. “Raven, I want you and Jolie to spend your evenings working on a data heist. Start downloading everything you can get your hands on. Fill these drives with classic movies, every season of your favorite TV shows, cartoons, and a massive library of digital books and encyclopedias.”

Jake leaned over the back of the couch, looking at the mountain of hardware with an appreciative nod. “That’s a smart tactical move. Hand me a few and I will download as many off-grid survival videos and instructional tutorials from online as possible. First aid demonstrations, mechanical repair guides, engine maintenance, and wilderness foraging. When the grid dies, we won’t have a search engine to double-check our work.”

“Consider me the chief digital archivist,” Jolie said, pulling a drive from the box and plugging it straight into her high-speed laptop. “We’ll build the ultimate post-apocalyptic library.”

She shifted her gaze to Jake, her expression sharpening into business mode. “Let’s talk capital. After the property buys and the off-grid fabrication contractors, I have about six million dollars left in my primary accounts. That doesn’t count whatever you managed to pull from Felton.”

Jake leaned back, resting his muscular forearms on his knees. “My inheritance accounts are officially liquidated, scrubbed by your lawyer, and sitting safely in the new shell trust. We have a little over thirty million dollars in pure, untraceable liquidity.”

Joanna’s chest tightened with a sudden wave of strategic ambition. Thirty-six million dollars total. “With that kind of cash, we don’t need to rely solely on silent makeshift weapons. Jake, during your elite military deployment, did you make any black-market or supply contacts who can move heavy military hardware?”

A slow, calculating smirk played on Jake’s sharp features. “I know a guy. A quartermaster specialist who retired to the private sector. He can source almost anything if the price is right and the tracking numbers are filed away.”

“Call him,” Joanna ordered without a second of hesitation. “Use the trust funds. I want you to buy as many tactical firearms, military-grade grenades, and crates of raw ammunition as he can physically procure before the shipping lanes freeze. If we can build an armory, we do it.”

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11:28 Sat, Oct 3

Chapter 50 Custom Combat Armor

Finished

She turned back to Jolie, nodding toward her notebook. “Jolie, I want you to immediately source custom, high-end tactical gear for all four of us. Reinforced plates, weather-proof cargo uniforms, combat boots, and utility rigs. Order two complete outfits for each person. We have the money to buy premium protection, so don’t cut a single corner.”

“Two sets of custom combat armor, coming right up,” Jolie said, her pen flying across the page with fierce satisfaction. “Jake, can you send your recommendations and sizes for you and Raven?” Jake nodded quietly.

The pieces were locking into place perfectly. With an expanding armory, an automated food supply, and a fortress of container shelters waiting to be buried, their odds of surviving the collapse were skyrocketing by the hour.

Later that afternoon, Jake and Jolie piled into the truck and made the forty-minute drive one town over to Blackwood. Unlike the sleepy agricultural vibe of Aurora, Blackwood was a rugged mountain hub, making it the perfect breeding ground for extreme outdoor enthusiasts and hard-core survivalists.

According to local forums Jolie had scraped, the town was home to a newly opened, highly classified showroom called Aegis Defense Solutions.

When they pulled up, the storefront looked like an unassuming concrete block. But once Jake flashed his old military ID card at the heavy steel door, they were buzzed into a prepper’s absolute paradise.

The interior of Aegis was immaculate, smelling of fresh polymer, oiled steel, and heavy-duty nylon. It didn’t just have tactical gear; it had the exact bleeding-edge equipment Jake had only seen in specialized military units.

Tier-1 Plate Carriers: Lightweight, breathable Crye Precision vests with integrated quick- release systems and ceramic Level IV ballistic plates capable of stopping armor-piercing

rounds.

Optics & Night Vision: Rows of L3Harris quad-eye panoramic night-vision goggles (GPNVGs) and military-grade thermal imaging scopes.

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