The Bell 407 light helicopter was already parked in the open area in front of the hospital, its rotors turning slowly and the cabin door open. Robert and Lee were making their final pre-flight checks.
Glenn, Maggie, and Dr. Caleb would be the first group to return to Rock Fortress.
Calista walked over and checked on Glenn. "Glenn, how are you feeling?"
"Better than I did in this lousy hospital, Calista." Glenn tried to smile, but the movement pulled at the wound at the corner of his mouth, making him suck in a sharp breath. "Everything just hurts!"
"Get some proper treatment when you get back. Rock Fortress has better medical facilities than this place." Calista nodded to Dr. Caleb. "Caleb, I'm counting on you to look after Glenn on the way back and after you arrive. Maggie will assist you."
Dr. Caleb quickly replied, "Don't worry, Commander. I'll do everything I can. There were still some supplies left in the hospital pharmacy, and I brought them all with me."
"Good. Maggie." Calista looked at Maggie, whose eyes were slightly red. "Take care of him, and take care of yourself too. Once you get back, let Glenn rest. You can give me a full report after I return."
"Mm-hmm!" Maggie nodded firmly.
After confirming that everyone and everything was secured, Lee gave Calista a hand signal.
Calista stepped back several paces and watched the helicopter's rotors pick up speed. The aircraft rose lightly from the ground, adjusted its heading, then accelerated toward Rock Fortress. Before long, it was nothing more than a black speck in the sky.
With the wounded and the doctor safely on their way, Calista turned her attention back to the ground.
The main force had finished assembling.
The most important supplies, including several crates of medicine, some precision medical equipment that was still usable, and a number of well-sealed cans of food, had already been loaded onto the Black Hawk helicopter.
Everything else would travel overland with the convoy transporting the police prisoners and survivors.
Calista called Merle, Daryl, Donald, Vance, Bessent, and Hegseth over. "I'm leaving the escort mission to you. Take the same route we used before, keep communications open, and call for help immediately if you run into danger."
She paused, then looked at Abraham and Rosita, who were waiting nearby. "Abraham, Rosita, the two of you will assist them. Focus on the survivors. They're physically weak and more likely to run into problems.
"You've only just joined us, so this mission is also a chance for us to get to know each other. Remember, no matter what happens, the safety of the group as a whole comes first."
Abraham and Rosita nodded without hesitation.
"Understood. We'll get everyone back safely."
"Good." Calista was reasonably satisfied with their attitude. "You may run into small groups of walkers or other trouble along the way. Use your judgment. Move out."
Merle grinned and waved his intimidating mechanical arm. "Don't worry, Calista. I'll make sure every last one of them gets home."
The escort convoy pulled away, gradually disappearing around the corner.
Calista turned to Carver and Jonathan, who had stayed behind with her. "We should get moving too. Do one last sweep and make sure nothing valuable gets left behind."
Carver patted Jonathan on the shoulder and exchanged a knowing look with Calista. Then the two of them entered Grady Memorial Hospital to carry out the final cleanup and preparations.
About half an hour later, they returned to report.
"Calista, we set up simple tripwire booby traps along the key passages, just as you asked.
"We used the explosives Jonathan was carrying. If any of the traps are triggered, the blast and the resulting fire will consume the entire place."
Calista nodded.
The hospital was being abandoned completely, with nothing left to chance. She had no intention of letting a sturdy building in such a good location become an easy base for the next small-time villain to take root.
"Let's go."
Calista wasted no more time. She boarded the Black Hawk helicopter that had been waiting nearby with Jonathan and Carver.
The cabin door closed, and the Black Hawk lifted into the air. Through the window, Calista watched the hospital below shrink until it became nothing more than an insignificant speck.
She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.
The hospital police gang had only been the beginning. The leader of Rock Fortress had no time to rest.
...
A day after Calista returned to Rock Fortress, the main convoy transporting the survivors and prisoners finally arrived at the Knoxville Industrial Park.
When the gates of the Knoxville Industrial Park opened, both the police prisoners and the survivors felt as though they could barely breathe.
The sight before them completely overturned everything they thought they knew.
For the past twenty-four hours, they had traveled along desolate roads, but what awaited them at the end of the journey was nothing like an ordinary survivor camp.
The industrial complex was enormous. There were clearly no walkers inside, the roads were clean, and the production lines were operating as though the apocalypse had never happened.
Firing platforms and lookout posts stood atop the high walls. Well-equipped members of the Defense Force watched the exhausted newcomers with sharp, vigilant eyes.
Along with the dusty smell that had become common in the apocalypse, the complex carried something they had almost forgotten. The scent of metal and machine oil from the industrial age.
Abraham was too stunned to speak.
"OMG..." Rosita breathed, instinctively tightening her grip on the sling of her rifle.
Eugene, meanwhile, looked like a country boy seeing the city for the first time. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, and his entire body was rigid with nerves. He looked almost ready to hide behind Abraham's broad back.
All those stories he had made up about "Washington's top post-apocalyptic laboratory" suddenly seemed painfully hollow in the face of the enormous, fully functioning industrial complex before him.
A crushing sense of guilt and unease rose inside him.
Along with the prisoners and survivors, the three of them were guided to a separate area at the edge of the industrial park, enclosed by barbed wire.
Gwendolyn and Oak were already waiting there.
The six police prisoners were placed under centralized guard, making them neighbors of Tara and the others.
The survivors were divided into groups and taken away for more detailed registration and preliminary medical examinations.
Abraham noticed that the staff showed little surprise or sympathy at the sight of so many unfamiliar faces. They simply went about their work with calm, professional focus, as though receiving and integrating outsiders were a routine part of their daily lives.
That alone was a silent demonstration of just how powerful Rock Fortress had become.
Abraham and his two companions did not remain in the industrial zone for long. Merle and the others were returning to Rock Fortress, and under Calista's instructions, they brought the trio along with them.
The scenery outside the windows kept changing. By the time they passed through Blackberry Ranch, Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene had gone from astonishment to numbness.
Eventually, the vehicle stopped at Rock Fortress.
They were escorted into a spacious conference room, where Calista was already waiting.
She sat at one end of a long table with a cup of coffee in hand. When she saw them enter, she set the cup down and gestured toward the chairs opposite her.
"Sit."
Abraham and Rosita took their seats as instructed. Eugene practically slid into his chair, keeping his head down while his fingers twisted nervously together. He did not dare look at Calista.
"Long trip." Calista smiled. "You've seen our industrial zone and agricultural zone for yourselves. That's the foundation of Rock Fortress.
"Now, let's deal with the last little issue between us that still needs to be cleared up."