Benji cleared his throat and got up to stand beside Mike. “We may have everything we need, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. We need people to cook, clean, pull watch shifts, and people to try to make contact with other survivors. And people to plan for what the future may bring. The world may be dead, but life goes on and so does work.
“Now that we’re not on the run anymore, we need a better assessment of just what everyone is capable of and what duties they would like to take on in our new home. I’ll be meeting with each one of you over the next day or so to see where everyone can be the greatest help, then we’ll come up with a duty roster so everyone knows where they stand and exactly what they’re responsible for. Each of us will pull our own weight from now on.”
Mike motioned Benji to silence. “With that said, if you have any questions, you’re welcome to approach Benji or myself at anytime, and we’ll do our best to address them.”
As the meeting broke up, Mike judged that most people seemed not just hopeful but happy. He was sure eventually there would be complaints and disputes over everything from assignments to living quarters, but as a whole, things were going well and the group was on its way to a real future.
Mike followed Benji out of the breaking crowd and into the base’s control center, where Darren was working in one of the terminals.
“How did the meeting go?” he asked.
Mike smiled. “As well as could be hoped for. How are things going here?”
Darren shrugged. “I know you picked me to help out with this because, other than you, I’m the only person in this group with any computer skills…” he smiled and shook his head, “but I just ran a geek squad for an electronics store. This shit here…” he gestured at the room around them, “this is some hardcore stuff. I’m doing the best I can, but it’s way beyond me. Without the pass codes you had, I doubt I’d even be in the system yet.”
Mike nodded. “I know what you mean. Computers were never my specialty either. I used to just take this stuff for granted when I was a researcher, and when I took over as an administrator…” Mike sighed. “Well, let’s just say delegation is a wonderful thing.” He slid a chair over to where Darren was working and sat down. “I think between my casual understanding of the system here and your knowledge of hardware, we should be able to get everything online, given time. We did get the lights on,” he said, trying to ease the tension with a joke. “So what’s still not operational at this point?”
“Most of the internal and external security measures. I haven’t been able to gain access to the security camera feeds, or whatever the hell the more advanced system is that overlaps them in the programming.”
“That would be the base’s bio-scanners, I think.”
“Bio-scanners, right. This whole damn base is like something out of Torchwood.”
“What?”
“Torchwood? You didn’t watch a lot of sci-fi, did you?” Darren laughed. “Forget it. Doesn’t matter. Anyway, we do have power. I have control over all of the base’s doors except the ones that I think lead into the high-clearance labs and a few of the more scientific supply areas. I have gotten the communications array working, including the intercom system. One thing scares me though. If this base’s bio-scanners, or whatever you called them, were ever triggered to a threat, there’s no way in hell I’d be able to override them. We’d be trapped down here.”
“I don’t see how that’s a problem,” Benji chimed in. “Have you read Warren’s report on the armory? We could just blast our way out if it came to that.”
Mike and Darren looked at him as if he were an idiot.
“Benji, do you really think they’d build this place to where someone down here could get out if something went wrong inside of it?”
“Darren’s right,” Mike agreed. “I doubt a point-blank nuke could rupture this structure. If it goes into lockdown, we’re finished… but at least it won’t be the rats that get us.”
“You got that right,” Warren said, making them all jump as he appeared in the doorway.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Mike asked.
“Not much to do around here, in case you hadn’t noticed. Besides, I had something I wanted to ask you. But if you’re busy, I can come back.”
“No. No, not really. We’re still just trying to figure things out in here. What was it you wanted to ask?”
“Just something I’ve been wondering about since we got here and found the main outer doors open. I can’t believe no else has asked it yet.”
“Well?” Mike prompted.
“Where the hell is everyone, Mike? You don’t build something like this and leave it unmanned. I don’t care if the F-ing world is falling into Hell; even if people were called out and some abandoned their duties to try to reach their families, someone would have stayed. Shit, Mike, we haven’t found a single corpse.”
Mike stared at Warren as the soldier’s words sank in. “My God… You’re right. How in the hell have we been so stupid? There should have been a skeleton crew at least to keep the base operational. This place is too much for the government to just write off.” Mike whirled on Darren. “We need the security systems online now! We have to know if we’re alone, or if there are others in the base with us.”
“Be my guest,” Darren said, getting up and offering his tools to Mike.
“Shit!” Mike plopped into Darren’s seat and ripped open a panel on the console. Darren moved out of his way. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Mike snapped at him. “Get back here and help me!”
Benji glanced at Warren and caught what appeared to be a quick smile pass over the man’s rough features. “I’ll get us some coffee,” Warren said and turned to leave the room.
As Warren left, Benji found the nerve to speak up again. “But wouldn’t we have seen anyone by now if they were here?”
“This base is huge, Benji,” Mike answered without looking up from his work. “And they’d know it better than we do. For all we know, they could be holed up in a safe room somewhere, biding their time.”
“Biding their time for what?”
“A chance to take back the base,” Mike said.
Warren returned minutes later with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. He took a sip as he watched Darren and Mike fighting with the base’s systems. They’d long since given up any fix short of manually bypassing the security protocols.
“Damn it!” Mike shouted. “This is taking too long!”
“Uhh… Mike,” Warren said, trying to get his attention. He didn’t look up. “Mike.”
“What?”
“There’s no army hidden in the base to try to kill us,” Warren said calmly.
Mike almost ignored Warren and went to throw himself back into his work, but he caught a glint of humor on Warren’s face. He stopped and glared at him. “How can you know that?” he asked carefully.
“The armory,” Warren informed him. “When Brent and I were cataloging it, we noticed a few things missing from what should have been there. Two rifles, a handful of pistols, some ammo. Just a bit here and there. The other inventory reports you had for the meeting showed similar things, just a bit missing here and there. The way I see it, there were likely one or two people living in this place when got here—maybe three if someone was injured. They likely saw us coming but for some reason couldn’t close the main doors in time, so they grabbed what they could, locked down the labs, and tucked themselves away when they realized there were too many of us for them to fight. Right now, I bet they’re tucked away, scared shitless, waiting on us to leave.”