As the memories faded, Abraham closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the pain was still churning inside him, but most of his murderous rage toward Eugene had disappeared, replaced by a bitter understanding.
"...He saved me." Abraham's voice was painfully hoarse. "When I was about to blow my own brains out. His lie gave me a reason to... not die. At least for a while."
He looked at Eugene, who was trembling on the floor, his expression impossibly complicated.
"It gave me a purpose too. Made me feel like I was still good for something instead of just some lunatic who terrified his own family and only knew how to kill."
Rosita gently rested a hand on his tense arm, offering silent support.
She had joined them later. She vaguely knew that Abraham had a past he would rather forget, and she knew he had never been able to let go of his wife. But only now did she truly understand how deep that wound ran.
Calista nodded, unsurprised by Abraham's confession.
"So what happened between the two of you is complicated, but it wasn't necessarily all deception.
"He used you, and you used the false sense of purpose he gave you to survive the moment when you most wanted to end your own life. Now that false purpose has been exposed for what it was..."
She gestured around them.
"But the real world and real challenges are right here. Rock Fortress needs warriors like you, and our research team needs people willing to take risks to uncover the truth behind the walker virus."
Calista had given Abraham a new choice, one that demanded just as much conviction and courage.
Abraham remained silent for a long while.
He looked at Calista, then slowly released the last of the pent-up breath in his chest with a long exhale.
"I'm joining the Rock Fortress Defense Force." His voice was still hoarse, but his decision was firm. "I'll follow orders. When I'm out on missions, if the route allows it, I'll keep an eye out for anything the lab might need."
Abraham paused before adding, almost as if speaking to himself, "As for him..."
His gaze shifted back to Eugene.
"I owed him his life from the moment he stopped me from killing myself. Now we're even."
Eugene jerked his head up and stared at Abraham in disbelief. Tears welled in his eyes again.
"A-Abraham... I... thank you... I'm sorry..."
Calista finally turned her attention back to Eugene, who looked both relieved and terrified.
She had scared him enough. It was time to give him a way forward.
"Eugene!"
Eugene jolted and immediately sat up straight on his knees, nervously awaiting judgment.
"Your lies wasted resources and deceived your companions. Under normal circumstances, that would warrant severe punishment."
Calista's tone was stern, and Eugene's face promptly went pale again.
"But considering what Abraham just said, along with the skills you mentioned earlier, crude as they may be, you've at least proven that you're not completely useless. And your ability to learn may actually be fairly good."
Eugene's heart leaped into his throat.
"The core research at Rock Fortress is not something you're qualified to touch right now. But the Industrial Park is enormous, and there are plenty of problems that need solving. Since you 'know a little about everything,' you'll report there."
A faint spark appeared in Eugene's eyes.
"Your position will rotate every two months. You'll start by assisting the communications department. If you have ideas for improvements, submit a report. After that, you'll move to the ammunition production line and familiarize yourself with the process. Any optimization proposals must likewise be submitted in writing and undergo strict testing.
"As for the chemical mixtures you mentioned..."
Calista considered it briefly.
"Several chemical production lines are already operating in the Industrial Park, though for now they only produce basic, safe products.
"You can work there and experiment with those formulas of yours, but everything you produce must be registered, labeled with its intended use, and subjected to toxicity and safety testing.
"If you cause an accident, you will bear full responsibility and deal with the consequences yourself."
She fixed Eugene with a sharp look.
"This is not an important position. You'll be doing grunt work. You're on probation. The point is to see whether you can turn 'I know a little about everything' into 'I have at least one skill that's genuinely useful.' Understand?"
Eugene nodded so rapidly his head seemed ready to come loose, too excited to speak coherently.
"I understand! I understand! Thank you, Commander! I'll work hard! I'll follow every rule! I..."
"Enough," Calista cut him off. "Guillermo will arrange your specific assignment and living quarters.
"Remember, this is your last chance. At Rock Fortress, you prove your worth through what you actually accomplish, not by talking."
She waved toward the Defense Force guards at the door, signaling them to take Eugene out.
Eugene followed them away, thanking Calista repeatedly. He still looked miserable and disheveled, but at least he finally had some direction.
Only Calista, Abraham, and Rosita remained in the conference room.
"You two should get some rest and familiarize yourselves with the place. Someone will notify you tomorrow about your specific Defense Force assignments and duties.
"Rock Fortress has rules, but it's also fair. Prove your worth, and there will be a place for you here."
Abraham and Rosita nodded solemnly before turning to leave.
Calista rolled her slightly stiff neck. Outside the window, Rock Fortress was completely immersed in darkness. She checked the time. It still wasn't particularly late.
Abraham and Rosita's placement needed to be settled as soon as possible.
Both were rare, experienced combatants whose character had already been thoroughly proven to countless viewers. The sooner they were formally integrated into the Defense Force, the sooner they could strengthen its ranks and develop a sense of belonging.
She needed to settle the details with Leah.
Her sister was the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Force. Personnel assignments, mission deployments, and pairing people with compatible partners all ultimately fell to her.
With that in mind, Calista stood and left the conference room.
Rock Fortress was much quieter at night, with guards stationed only at key points.
Out of habit, she avoided the brightly lit main road and took a shortcut through the warehouse district.
Just as Calista was about to pass through the final warehouse corridor, where large amounts of medical equipment were stacked, an extremely faint rustling whisper drifted from a junction ahead.
The corridor split there. One branch led toward headquarters, while the other went deeper into a storage area filled with nonstandard parts and large quantities of unsorted "miscellaneous" loot.
The voices were coming from the branch leading deeper into the storage area.
Calista paused, then lightened her footsteps and crept closer to the edge of the corridor.
For the record, she wasn't deliberately eavesdropping.
It was just an instinctive urge to gossip.
But when two extremely familiar voices reached her ears, Calista stopped without even realizing it.
Leah and Rickson.
"...We've got almost everything on the list... Have Ellie bypass the official process."
That was Leah. She was speaking a little faster than usual.
Rickson lowered his voice even further. "Got it. I'll come up with an excuse to have her take a look tomorrow. But Leah, even if this inventory isn't considered essential, we're using quite a lot of it. What if someone finds out..."
"It'll be fine!" Leah replied decisively. "If everything comes crashing down, I'll take the blame. She's my sister... Besides, she's been away so much lately, with her attention focused outside the base. She won't notice..."
"I understand what you mean." Rickson sighed. "I'm just worried..."
"If something goes wrong, I'll deal with it. You just take care of your part!" Leah seemed to chuckle softly before quickly composing herself.
"The important thing is that every step has to be clean. We can't leave anything anyone can use against us. Especially now that we have so many newcomers and so many eyes watching. We need to keep this hidden from a lot of people."
"Don't worry. I'll balance the inventory records. Every requisition will have a legitimate reason behind it and will stand up to a spot check. It's just..." Rickson paused. "Do you really think we can pull this off?"
...
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