Two helicopters circled over Atlanta, searching for a suitable place to land.
Calista looked down through the window on her right.
Before the post-apocalypse, Atlanta had been one of the ten largest cities in the United States. Now, all that remained was a wasteland of ruins, with walkers drifting slowly through the streets like sesame seeds scattered into cracks.
"Calista, see that building at eleven o'clock? The one with the blue glass exterior," Franklin asked.
Calista followed his direction.
It was an office tower roughly forty stories tall, its glass facade rising conspicuously above the surrounding low-rise buildings. The "West Tech" sign still hung from the side, though several letters had fallen off.
There was a standard helipad on the roof. The edges had suffered some damage, but the central area still looked intact.
More importantly, it stood northwest of Grady Memorial Hospital, roughly three kilometers away in a straight line. Several streets and clusters of buildings separated the two locations, far enough to avoid alerting anyone at the hospital while still being convenient for an operation.
"There's a standard helipad on the roof, and the structure looks sound enough. The surrounding blocks are fairly open, with relatively few walkers.
"There are taller buildings to the east and south that provide some cover, so anyone at the hospital shouldn't be able to see us land directly." Franklin paused. "Wind from the west is steady. Good conditions for an approach."
"We can't tell how many walkers are inside the building from here. Do we have alternatives?" Calista asked.
This time Kenny, the co-pilot, answered. "There's a twenty-story building eight hundred meters northwest of here. The roof is flat, but smaller, so landing would require more precision.
"There's also a school about one and a half kilometers southeast. The playground could work as an emergency landing zone, but it's completely exposed.
"I recommend West Tech as our primary choice. If anything goes wrong, we can use one of the other two."
Calista considered it for a moment. "We'll take the office building. Prepare to land."
"Understood! Everyone, prepare for landing. Check your restraints and secure your gear."
Franklin also contacted Robert and Lee, who were flying the Bell 407.
The cabin filled with the sounds of everyone making final preparations.
Calista gripped her seat and watched the rooftop grow steadily larger outside the window.
The helicopter began descending noticeably, bringing a brief sensation of weightlessness.
The rotor wash reached the rooftop first, whipping dust, empty cans, and unidentifiable debris into the air until a murky cloud swirled across the landing pad.
"One hundred feet... fifty... twenty... touchdown!"
The landing gear of both helicopters touched down lightly.
Engine speed dropped, but the rotors continued turning, ready for an emergency takeoff at any moment.
"Landing complete. Engines at idle," Franklin reported. "There's movement around the stairwell door on the east side of the roof. Could be the wind, could be walkers."
Calista unfastened her seatbelt. "Copy. Stay ready. We'll check how many walkers are inside first. We may need to pull out quickly."
"Understood. We'll keep watch."
Georgia had seen a lot of rain that spring.
The moment the cabin door slid open, the damp, musty smell of rainwater that had sat too long in concrete flooded inside.
Jonathan was the first out.
He landed with his knees slightly bent, rifle already shouldered.
He moved quickly to the left, aiming at the metal stairwell door Franklin had mentioned.
It was closed.
"Clear," Jonathan said quietly, though he kept his rifle raised.
Carver came out second, immediately turning right and crouching behind a ventilation unit where he could cover the western and southern edges of the roof.
Merle and Daryl jumped out almost at the same time and took up positions back-to-back. Merle watched the north side while Daryl swept the central rooftop with his crossbow.
Donald, Vance, Bessent, and Hegseth followed in quick succession, spreading out to secure the entire roof.
Calista stepped out last.
The rotor wash was still strong enough to make her squint.
She looked around.
The rooftop was roughly the size of a soccer field. Aside from scattered debris and several ventilation units, it was unnervingly empty.
"Jonathan, check that door."
Jonathan nodded and approached the metal door in a low stance.
He listened for a moment.
Nothing.
Then he tried the handle.
Locked.
But judging from the rust, the lock itself might already have deteriorated.
Jonathan signaled Carver over to cover him, braced himself, and yanked hard.
The door came open.
A stairwell descended behind it.
Nothing rushed out.
Jonathan switched on his flashlight.
Broken glass and garbage littered the steps, while dried, splattered black-brown stains covered parts of the walls.
He watched for more than ten seconds, then switched off his flashlight and backed away.
"Clear for now, but there could still be walkers farther down. The noise might draw them up. We should rig some kind of basic alarm behind the door."
"I've got a tripwire alarm. Give me a minute!"
Hegseth pulled a small box from his backpack and went over to the doorway to set it up.
Calista walked to the southeast corner of the roof, where the view was best.
She took a pair of binoculars from her backpack.
Grady Memorial Hospital lay three kilometers away.
From this height, she could make out the general shape of the building, but not enough detail to be useful.
They still needed reconnaissance.
"Hegseth, establish communications and contact Zhou's team," Calista said without looking back.
Hegseth had already finished setting up the alarm and returned to the equipment case.
He took out a radio, connected it to a portable battery, and began adjusting the frequency.
"Zhou Squad, Zhou Squad, this is Rock Fortress Main Team. Do you copy?"
After the third call, a reply finally came through, though the signal was broken by static.
"Rock Fortress... this is Zhou... location confirmed... moving to rendezvous..."
"How long?"
"Seven... eight minutes... vehicle... approaching under concealment..."
"Copy. Maintain radio silence. Once you arrive, come straight to the roof."
"Understood."
The transmission ended.
Calista lowered her binoculars and looked toward the team gathering around her.
Donald, Vance, and Bessent remained at their watch positions while the others came closer.
"What now?" Carver asked, tilting his head.
"We wait for Zhou's intelligence," Calista said. "Then we decide how we're getting inside."
"Fly straight over, rappel onto the roof, and shoot our way in!" Merle spat to the side. "Simple."
"And give them time to kill our people?" Daryl scoffed. "Or worse, put them in front as human shields?"
Merle shrugged. "Then it comes down to who's faster."
"No." Calista shook her head. "Not everyone in that hospital is an enemy. And not everyone in the Police Gang deserves to die. Some of them may simply be trapped by circumstance, or still have enough decency left to draw a line somewhere."
Jonathan looked up. "How do you know?"
"Because if every one of them were insane, Glenn and the others wouldn't have been taken prisoner. They would've had their supplies stolen and been killed on the spot."
Calista's voice turned cold.
"The fact that there's still some kind of order means rational people are keeping it in place.
"What we need to do is bring those rational people onto our side, or at least make sure they stay out of our way.
"Then we separate out the real scum and deal with them."
"Calista, let me grab a couple of them so we can ask some questions," Carver said eagerly.
Calista paused, lightly tapping her fingers against the binoculars.
Then she turned toward Carver and gave him a faint smile.
"All right. Once Zhou and the others get here, go invite two of them over for tea."
...
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