The SUV door had barely opened, and before Calista could steady herself, a deafening wave of noise nearly shoved her back inside.
"Miss Norton is incredible!"
"Wow! Rock Fortress is damn strong!"
A sea of people filled the open ground.
Almost everyone who had been working on fortifications at Blackberry Ranch that day had gathered here, their faces lit with near-frenzied excitement and admiration.
Cheers, whistles, and applause crashed over her, loud enough to make the ground seem to tremble.
The new survivors shouted the loudest, faces flushed with excitement.
Not long ago, they had been on the brink of despair. Now, they had joined a powerful base with military aircraft.
That surge of belonging and pride erased any lingering fear about the future.
Several National Guard soldiers stood straighter, pride written all over their faces.
For a moment, Calista was stunned by the overwhelming atmosphere. Then a rush of emotion surged through her, washing away the fatigue and tension of the past few days.
She looked at the four steel giants, then at the crowd placing all their hope and future in her.
Something fierce rose in her chest.
We did it. I did it.
From today on, Rock Fortress has land, people, and air superiority.
Let's see who still dares to underestimate us.
Let's see who dares to come after us.
Calista raised her hand and waved sharply toward the crowd.
That single gesture pushed the atmosphere to another peak.
"Rock Fortress! Victory!"
The cheers surged louder and louder.
Calista stood at the center of it all, her long golden hair swaying in the evening wind. Her face, smeared with blood and dust, shone with a striking brilliance.
At that moment, she was more than just the leader of a survivor base.
She had become a symbol.
A leader who had dragged her people out of the mud of the apocalypse and was about to lead them into the open sky.
The road ahead was still long, but right now, the glory belonged to her.
To Rock Fortress.
To everyone fighting to survive here.
Calista wanted to shout just to release it all.
It felt so damn good.
Leah watched her younger sister, cheeks flushed with excitement, and shook her head with a soft laugh.
In the end, she was still just a girl under eighteen.
After the excitement settled, Calista regained her focus.
She found Kenny, Lee, and Robert, who were still excitedly running their hands along the F-16.
"The aircraft are in your hands," Calista said seriously. "List everything needed for maintenance.
Rickson, assign a team to assist them. Set up a temporary hangar and fuel storage here at Blackberry Ranch."
She then turned to Carver, Mike, and the others who had taken part in the mission.
"You all stay here tonight. First shift on guard duty. These are our most valuable assets. Nothing can go wrong."
"Don't worry, Calista." Carver's eyes shone as he thumped his chest. "I'll sleep right under the wing. Let's see who dares to come near it."
"Understood," the others replied in unison.
...
After bringing the aircraft back, both Calista and Rock Fortress reached the peak of their reputation.
For two days, she experienced what it felt like to be the center of attention.
Everywhere she went, people greeted her, whether she knew them or not. She smiled so much her face nearly stiffened.
Rock Fortress and Blackberry Ranch below the mountain were full of life.
Outside the main fortress, the final section of barbed wire had finally been sealed.
The tall, reinforced fencing followed the terrain, enclosing the core area securely, with simple watchtowers and lights installed along it.
Ancheta was leading a team to carry out final reinforcement checks.
Blackberry Ranch was changing just as quickly.
On what had once been empty land, rows of simple housing and warehouses had sprung up around the original hotel and commercial buildings.
The farmland had been cleared. Howard, Joey, and Morgan were leading people to measure plots, preparing for the next round of planting.
In the livestock pens, the dairy cows looked well-fed and healthy. The number of goats and chickens had also grown. Little Jimmy and Duane were kept busy taking care of them.
Even more striking was the water diversion project from Black Bear Creek, now officially underway under Elena's direction.
Maya's search team had delivered beyond expectations.
They brought back the large pipes and valves that were urgently needed, along with several small excavators and even a secondhand prototype hydroelectric generator.
Although work was still in the early stages of digging channels and laying main pipelines, the site was orderly and full of promise.
Their latest run had also brought two unexpected gains.
Two full truckloads of solar panels from an abandoned solar equipment warehouse.
And more than a dozen usable large-capacity washing machines from a supermarket.
Right now, Tom was leading a team installing the deep blue panels on the roofs of Rock Fortress and the new warehouses at Blackberry Ranch.
They could not replace diesel generators yet, but during sunny hours they would significantly reduce fuel use and provide more stable power.
Martha was overjoyed.
The washing machines had eased the burden on the logistics team, freeing up manpower.
At Rickson's strong request, Mrs. Howard created two warehouse manager positions and one administrative assistant role.
They were responsible for inventory management at Blackberry Ranch and Rock Fortress, as well as helping Rickson with administrative duties.
All of this had previously fallen on Rickson alone, on top of coordinating field reports and tracking progress across every team.
Now, with everyone focused on construction, kids were working like adults, women like men, and men like beasts of burden.
As for Rickson, who oversaw everything, he was working harder than any of them. Good thing he was already bald.
Among the women recruited into logistics, aside from a few homemakers, the rest had previous careers.
One had been an office administrator. She had been looking for a higher-point position before but found nothing suitable. Now she finally got her chance and quickly applied for the assistant role.
Two others, formerly an accountant and an interior designer, applied for the warehouse manager positions at Blackberry Ranch and Rock Fortress.
Facing those who had missed out, Mrs. Howard wiped her forehead.
"Don't worry. Once the outer defenses at Blackberry Ranch are finished, more positions will open up. Just keep an eye out."
She glanced at a thin man in the crowd.
He had originally taken a construction job for the higher points, but clearly was not used to physical labor and could not keep up. He had privately asked her about easier work.
"There's an opening in logistics now. Cooking, cleaning, or general tasks. The points are lower than your previous job."
The man looked embarrassed but, seeing no judgment in her expression, nodded quickly.
"Cleaning is fine. As long as I can get by. I really can't handle construction work."
As the base grew safer and more stable, people had more choices.
Calista even found time to visit the greenhouse to check on the seedlings Howard was tending, or stop by the pens to pet the increasingly well-fed cows raised by Little Jimmy and Duane.
That day, she stood on the rooftop of the main building with a cup of coffee Maya had found, looking out over the growing base and the busy construction below.
She rubbed her chin.
Something still felt missing.
The defenses were stronger. The fences were up. The farmland was well organized.
Everything was improving.
But her brow remained furrowed as an image surfaced in her mind.
A warrior with dreadlocks, a blade on her back, leading two armless walkers.
And the outer defenses of Negan's stronghold.
A bold idea slowly took shape.
So that was what was missing.
...
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