The military base is a mighty structure design to hold any form of attack , but now its—silent, brooding, and overrun by time. Cracks split some of the old concrete buildings like veins, and the scent of rust, damp earth, and old oil lingered in the air. Thick vines twisted up the sides of the old buildings, trying to reclaim what man had built. Broken glass glittered beneath their boots, crunching softly as they moved through the open courtyard.
The outer walls—is a solid barriers of reinforced concrete—still stood, and could serve as protection from the outside world. Steel shutters clung to their hinges, and high watchtowers at each corner leaned slightly from years of coastal winds and neglect. Despite the decay, the base had bones, and bones could be rebuilt.
The main compound held a series of connected structures: the command center with its long-silent radios and rusted lockers, an armory stripped nearly bare but still promising with a few secured crates of ammunition and outdated rifles, and barracks with row upon row of bunks draped in tattered sheets. An underground tunnel led to a storage bay and a sealed laboratory—ominous in its silence.
"This place was made to hold out," Lucian said, running a hand along a wall streaked with old blood and grime. "We just have to breathe life back into it."
Egwene took point, organizing the others into teams. "We clear each building. We take inventory. We reinforce the gate, by electrifying it , as the Walls were electricfied and set traps outside the perimeter."
Theron and Leo began on looking for wires and any material that could aid in electrifying the gate with scavenged sheet metal, rigging a basic alarm system using tin cans and tripwires. Aurora and Sharon took over the infirmary, clearing out debris and salvaging whatever supplies hadn't been ruined. Michael and Elektra explored the underground storage areas, dragging up generators and sealing off weaker corridors.
Liam found a the power source for the base which is fully functional and wasn't damaged . then he found another control room , but this one was more like a survey room with some of it's security functions still intact. "If we can fix the cameras, we'll see them coming before they get close," he said, more to himself than anyone else, already elbow-deep in dusty wires.
They chose the tallest tower as their lookout post. Lucian and one of the others began boarding up its broken windows and setting up a rotation schedule. The armory—still had a lot of weapons, . Aurora cleaned, and arranged all the weapons in the armory, while Egwene made plans to secure nearby ammo caches they'd passed earlier in the forest.
---
Theron hoisted a heavy steel panel against the cracked gate while Liam hammered in a bent nail, both of them slick with sweat and grime. The afternoon sun was unforgiving, cutting through the haze that clung to the base like a second skin.
"i pray electric work on those things ," Liam muttered, stepping back to eye their makeshift repairs. "But it'll slow them down."
Theron nodded, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "That's all we can ask for right now."
They worked in silence for a moment. Around them, the others moved like gears in a machine—Aurora barking orders across the yard, Elektra dragging a pallet of sandbags toward the side of the wall, Lucian perched on a ledge reinforcing the upper window slits. The base was coming together, slowly. But the weight of everything they'd been through still hung in the air—death, fear, running, surviving.
Theron glanced toward the far end of the yard, where Egwene stood with Leo, checking the perimeter. Her hair was pulled back, face streaked with dirt, but her posture was still strong—like she carried the burden of all of them on her back. She always did.
"I think I'm in love with her," Theron said, voice low.
Liam paused, hammer mid-swing. He looked over with one brow raised. "Egwene?"
Theron gave a half-shrug. "Yeah."
"Well… damn." Liam leaned against the metal frame and offered a crooked smile. "Took you long enough to say it."
Theron let out a dry laugh, but there was no humor behind it. "I've felt it for a while now. Since before the first collapse. She's always... just there. Holding everything together. Like if she broke, the rest of us would fall apart too."
Liam was quiet for a moment, watching Egwene in the distance. "You thinking about telling her?"
"I don't know." Theron picked up another sheet of metal and handed it over. "Now doesn't exactly feel like the time. We're surrounded by monsters, half the world's dead, and we're one an island away from becoming food."
"Yeah," Liam agreed, "but maybe that's why you should tell her. If tomorrow isn't promised, what are you waiting for?"
Theron looked at him, jaw clenched, then back at Egwene. She had just turned, catching his eyes across the courtyard. She gave a brief nod—stern, purposeful—but her gaze lingered a second too long before she turned away.
"I'll figure it out," he murmured.
Liam took a look at the gate again. "You'd better. She's worth the risk." well go up there and turn on the ignition switch let's see if this thing actually works he said as he looked at Theron, he went up the stairs and turned it on , shouting from inside the watch house which also serve as a control room, it's on now try it, Theron said walking down the stairs, what do you mean try it , said Liam as he looked at Theron , why don't you try it I don't have a death wish yet .
Theron came down the stairs and slightly put he's hands on the gate not fully touching it but enough to know if the gate is electrified, and spark there came the shock , you see you won't die , he said looking at Liam . yeah whatever now we know it works.
As night fell, the lights of the base was turned on . it didn't feel like home to them,But it was shelter. It was defendable. And for now, that made it home
---