Hidden in the shadows, Calista felt a stir of unease.
Leah was silent for a few seconds. "...It shouldn't be a problem. We're strong enough now. Just keep everything going as planned and be careful. As long as nothing gets exposed ahead of time, we'll be fine."
"All right. It's already mid-May, so we should still have enough time..."
Just then, the distinct sound of footsteps came from the other end of the passage. A patrol was changing shifts and passing along the main corridor.
Leah and Rickson immediately stopped whispering.
Calista knew she couldn't keep hiding.
She took a deep breath and quickly put on the exhausted expression of someone who had been working all day. Then she made her footsteps slightly heavier, stepped out of the shadows, and walked straight into the side passage.
At the end of the passage stood Leah and Rickson, about two or three meters apart. A hardcover folder lay open between them, apparently containing some kind of supply inventory.
At the sound of footsteps, both of them turned almost simultaneously.
The instant they saw Calista, she clearly caught the brief hesitation on their faces, along with a trace of panic so faint it was almost imperceptible.
Leah's pupils contracted slightly.
Rickson instinctively snapped the folder shut, just a fraction faster than usual, then casually tucked it under his arm.
It all happened in less than half a second.
Then a slightly surprised smile appeared on Leah's face.
"Cali? What are you doing here? You haven't gone to bed yet?"
As she spoke, she naturally walked toward Calista, as though she and Rickson had simply been discussing ordinary work matters.
Rickson also returned to his usual impassive expression.
"Calista."
Calista's gaze moved between the two of them before settling on her sister. She smiled as well, keeping her tone casual.
"I just finished dealing with a few things. I was going to find you and talk about arrangements for the two newcomers. I took a shortcut, heard voices over here, and came to see what was going on.
"It's this late and you're still checking inventory?"
Her eyes seemed to drift casually toward the folder tucked beneath Rickson's arm.
"Yeah," Leah replied quickly, almost without hesitation.
"Rickson was checking the classification list for a batch of metal and electronic components we brought back a while ago. I came over to see if there was anything we could prioritize for Defense Force equipment upgrades."
She gestured toward the cluttered supplies around them.
"You know how it is. Sometimes the good stuff gets buried under all this junk."
The explanation was perfectly reasonable.
As the person in charge of the Defense Force, there was nothing unusual about Leah taking an interest in equipment upgrades or personally searching the warehouses for useful parts.
And as Chief of Administration, Rickson was well within his responsibilities too.
The strange part was that they seemed intent on hiding what they were doing from Calista.
More precisely, ever since before she led the expedition to Atlanta, Calista had vaguely sensed that the two of them had become a little too... coordinated.
Leah was Calista's most trusted right hand, someone she could entrust her back to without hesitation.
The sisters had fought their way from the beginning of the apocalypse to building a base this large. Their bond ran deep, and they understood each other almost instinctively.
Rickson was also essential to keeping Rock Fortress's enormous system running efficiently. Every time Calista and Leah went out on missions, Rickson was the one holding the base together.
He was absolutely trustworthy as well.
"Yeah, we should keep an eye out for anything useful. The Defense Force is Rock Fortress's military backbone. Both its equipment and personnel need to keep improving."
Calista nodded, accepting Leah's explanation.
She didn't ask what exactly was in the folder.
She didn't ask why the two of them had been speaking in such low voices.
She chose to trust the explanation her sister gave her, just as Leah had always trusted her without question.
"You said you wanted to talk about two newcomers?" Leah smoothly shifted the subject as she came to Calista's side. "The two soldiers you brought back from the hospital?"
"Right. Abraham and Rosita."
Calista turned with her, and the two began walking side by side toward headquarters, as though the subtle tension from moments earlier had never existed.
"They both have plenty of combat experience and strong nerves. Abraham is exceptionally capable in a fight, and Rosita is a very steady shot.
"I'm inclined to put them directly into the regular Defense Force and skip the lengthy reserve period.
"You'll need to decide how to organize them and what assignments to give them so they can get used to working with everyone."
Leah listened carefully and quickly slipped back into work mode.
"Given Abraham's build and fighting style, he'd fit well with the Heavy Assault Squad. Rosita... could reinforce the Rapid Response Squad.
"But they're still newcomers. They should be paired with reliable veterans for a while. I'll meet with them tomorrow morning and make the arrangements afterward."
"That works, but they might not want to be split up."
"Oh?" Leah raised an eyebrow. "A couple?"
Calista nodded. "We'll see what they want. Just get them something to do as soon as possible."
"Got it."
By then, they had reached the junction.
Rickson had not followed them. He remained where he was, watching the two sisters leave before turning and heading deeper into the storage area, presumably to continue his unfinished "inventory check."
Leah accompanied Calista a little farther, stopping outside her room.
"Get some rest, Cali. Don't stay up too late."
"You too. Don't get so caught up hunting for 'treasure.'"
Calista smiled, and the sisters went their separate ways.
The moment Calista stepped into her room and turned away, the smile on her face slowly faded.
She poured herself a glass of water and stood by the window, gazing toward the distant horizon as darkness gradually settled over it.
Calista trusted Leah more than anyone else in the world.
That trust had been tested through blood, death, and countless desperate situations.
It was unshakable.
She absolutely refused to believe that Leah would ever do anything to harm her or Rock Fortress.
So what could possibly make Leah feel that she needed to keep something secret from her?
Maybe they had discovered something suspicious about one of the survivors or new recruits.
Or perhaps there was some hidden weakness somewhere in the base.
Maybe they were investigating quietly because they didn't want to alert anyone or make Calista worry before they knew more.
Calista's mind automatically searched for reasonable explanations for her sister's behavior.
Every possibility seemed plausible. Each one helped soothe the faint discomfort that came from being excluded, or perhaps even betrayed, by the person closest to her.
But what exactly could be so important that they needed to hide it from her and even bypass official procedures?
Calista shook her head and forced the swirling suspicions aside.
If she had chosen to trust them, there was no point feeding her doubts.
Rickson had said there should still be enough time. From the sound of it, whatever they were planning would happen soon.
When the time came, she would find out.
Besides, she had something else to deal with in the meantime.
What Calista didn't know was that shortly afterward, Leah left her room, circled around, and quietly slipped back into the warehouse.
By flashlight, she inspected several boxes of items that had just been sorted out from the "miscellaneous supplies."
Rickson stood beside her, rapidly making notes in a small notebook and occasionally adding a few quiet comments.
Both of them looked serious and focused.
There was even a faint sense of anticipation in their expressions.