Yes, when the new recruits arrive at the feast

A/N: Making up for lost time, guys, so I hope you enjoy this quick update. And if so, please remember to review.

Michael's POV

The echoes of your speech still seemed to hang in the air, a tangible energy of purpose threading through the low murmur of conversation. The rich, greasy scent of venison and the earthy smell of roasted roots were a comforting blanket over the room. You watched your people discussing and planning, their postures less hunched, their eyes holding a flicker of something that had been buried under dread since this nightmare started: hope.

You had to admit, it felt good to be a big part of the reason for reigniting that feeling within them.

A few minutes later, however, they heard voices chattering through the echoes coming from the stairway, and soon you blinked when you saw Walter Cooper and Zachary Stafford finally arrive to round up the original residents that they were expecting for the feast, since Allen was still patrolling the perimeter with Karlsson under Lieutenant Mills' watch and Natasha still hadn't returned from whatever self-imposed mission she decided was worth setting out on by herself hours ago. The reason you raised an eyebrow, though, was because they had been talking energetically with two of the women you had claimed and rescued from the gang along with the Parker lesbian married couple, Kayla Choi and Camilla Bennet. You realized that unless they had met before, this was probably the first time they were even talking, so you were wondering what they had learned from the new members of the group that had gotten them so interested.

Eventually, though, the smell guides their faces in the direction of the feast, and after a look of relief, they approach you. Out of the corner of your eye, you also noticed that Sophia's sister Laurel and her own lover Kira had also just walked through the door alongside the Bennet married couple, but the 4 additional newcomers seemed as curious as you were and remained where they were as the others approached you.

Walter, his bald head gleaming under the LED light, was beaming. "Boss," he began, his voice underpinned by interest. "Just finished stowing those solar drones with Zachary. Good little birds. And he helped me muscle the new gas tanks and tools down to the maintenance closet. That’s going to make my life a hell of a lot easier keeping the generator happy."

He then gestured with a thumb towards Camilla, who stood with a quiet confidence beside Kayla. "Met these two on the way up, showed 'em the way. Getting to know each other, and well, Camilla here tells me she’s an electrical engineer by trade." He rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture of mild embarrassment. "My old bones and this old brain, they know plumbing and pipes and enough to work and maintain the generator, but some of the newer wiring in the higher floors... let's just say they spook me more than a shambler. I was hoping, Boss, you might consider letting her lend me a hand when the work gets...sparky."

Your eyes widen at the pleasant surprise, and you turn your focus to Camilla. "Is that true?"

She nods, a small, sure smile on her face. "Yes. Master's in electrical engineering from State. Worked on grid infrastructure for two years before...all this."

You exchange a swift, significant glance with Nicholas Barnes, who had been listening intently. The plan the two of you brainstormed less than 2 hours ago suddenly felt real and within their grasp. "Walter, that’s perfect timing," you say, your voice low but carrying. "We’re planning a run to Nicholas’s old company at the earliest opportunity. The goal is to strip it clean of solar panels, wiring, batteries, the whole setup. We’re going to make this building self-sufficient. No more relying solely on the generator and our fuel reserves. We need redundancy." You look back at Camilla. "Would you be willing to work with Walter and Nicholas on that project? It’s a priority."

Camilla's eyes widen at the news, the scale of the ambition clearly hitting her. But the surprise quickly morphs into determination. "That sounds...that sounds like a game-changer. A permanent solution. Of course, I'll contribute. However I can."

With that settled, Zachary then guides Kayla Choi closer to Alicia Sanchez, which made you tilt your head in curiosity after he introduced them to each other. Zachary, usually so reserved, seemed almost animated. "Master Michael," he explains, "Kayla told me she’s a botanist. Specializes in medicinal plants." He gestures to Alicia. "I just thought, with Alicia’s work in hydroponics and vertical farming... maybe they should talk. Compare notes. We’ve got a lot of medicine, but it won’t last forever. It expires. Or we trade it. Growing our own when we have the chance...that’s more sustainable."

You feel a slow smile spread across your face. The pieces were falling into place with an almost eerie synchronicity. The four friends from the firearms club—Camilla, Kayla, Clara, and Jane—their real value wasn't just in their ability to handle a gun or to handcraft single-bullet-use guns with easy-to-find materials. It was in this, the deep, professional knowledge, they carried. It was the arsenal you had just spoken of.

The whole time you are thinking that, Alicia looks at Kayla with growing interest as she shakes her hand with a smile and asks her to sit next to her and her sister Gabrielle when she gets food on her plate, so they can talk some more. Kayla grinned at that and agreed before looking back at her new master. You chuckled and waved a hand across the gathered group before saying, "Didn't I just say a few minutes ago that our past lives are not liabilities but our arsenal, especially if we reflect on our skills and get creative?"

A wave of merry laughter follows, warm and genuine, washing over the Social Area. The truth of your words, made manifest right before their eyes, solidified the feeling of momentum.

You turn your attention back to the two women. "Kayla, Alicia, I’m sure you can do great things together. Your assignment for tomorrow is to examine everything we have to work with. Everything from space across the building, seeds, equipment...whatever we have that would help, really. Be sure to check Sergeant Foreman's detailed inventory list to have a better picture of our supplies, if that helps. Once you’ve assessed it, I’ll need another list, one for what you will need to scale this up. Both for food and for medicine."

They both nod, their expressions serious and committed. "We won't let you down," Alicia says, and Kayla echoes the sentiment.

You reply that you trust they won't before raising the can yet again and giving another brief toast, saying that this one was for their new recruits and that you hope the rest of them make them feel welcomed. They cheered at that, and then you told the new arrivals to dig into their food before it got cold.

As the group dispersed, the new alliances already forming, you leaned back against the wall. Sophia pressed her shoulder against yours, a silent communication of solidarity, while her sister's smile grew slowly as she looked at her action while being so relaxed around you. You watched Walter clap Nicholas on the back, already drawing Camilla into a conversation, their heads focused on the possibilities and what they would need to see them materialize. At another table, Alicia, Gabriella, and Kayla had their heads together, their voices a low, excited hum about nutrient solutions and germination times.

You smiled as you realized your morale-raising feast appeared to have fulfilled its purpose of becoming more than just a delicious meal. It had become a revitalized nexus. One where seeds of a future, more resilient and self-sufficient than you had dared to hope just yesterday, were being planted right here, in the dim light of the Social Area, surrounded by the ghosts of a collapsed societal order.

"But then," you thought to yourself slowly, "that doesn't mean we cannot carve out and expand our own orderly corner of civilization over time. Power abhors a vacuum after all. And I owe it to these people to accumulate enough power and resources to secure their safety in any meaningful way."

Then you took a deep breath and drank the last sip of your beer as you looked beyond the balcony ahead to the darkened city...and for a moment of distraction, allowed yourself to daydream.