Chapter 87

- Xenon -

The group was able to integrate rather well. There was no infighting which I count as a victory. There was still some tension, though the leaders of the project, Hershel and Shane, had the common sense to choose their words carefully when talking to them, as to not sound bossy. We don't know what kind of people they were, except for the big guy who was quick to jump to trouble from what I could see, so better safe than sorry.

Now, I already know they don't wish us harm, even the big guy (I don't know their names, so that's what I'm calling them for now). I felt no bloodlust from any of them, so we should be good as long as our interests align.

We the additional manpower, we managed to finish about an hour ahead of schedule. Not that the job was that difficult, mind you. We had already done all the preparations beforehand, so it was all about installing the already prepared wooden fences in place. They covered a significant area, focusing mainly on halting walker advances for now. It will still allow them to see inside, but it should be able to hold off a horde of hundreds of walkers until they are dealt with. Our policy against walkers was to keep the surroundings spot clean, so it will do its intended job impeccably, which is to buy us time to react. The project isn't exactly over, as you can probably tell. We intend to reinforce the place even more in the future, and maybe expand it.

**- An hour later -**

I was talking to the new arrivals one by one with Shane and Jim by my side. I trusted them with most of the prison's internal affairs, and they do give good unbiased advice. The reason why I didn't choose anyone else should be obvious, and I give them full permission to share details they judge everyone else should know about.

I was writing down all relevant information and organizing them in folders with the system's help. The speed at which I can write is phenomenal.

"Any history of diseases, special conditions within your family?" I asked him. "We ask to know what to expect for the future and make previsions accordingly. If there are any medications you require Et cetera."

"No, nothing out of the ordinary." He shook his head.

"If you remember anything in the future, make sure to notify us as soon as possible." I added because who knows. I won't blame him if he lies, so better keep that door open.

"How many walkers have you killed?" Shane asked him. Huh, that brings back some memories.

"I'm not sure." He shook his head. "We didn't have many meetings with them, that's how we're still alive. But I'd say about thirty?"

"Did you use firearms to deal with them?" He added.

"Of course. How else are you supposed to deal with them?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"So, you don't have experience dealing with walkers. Gotcha. Moving on. How many people have you killed?"

"We never had to kill anyone." He shook his head, almost offended at the question.

"Lucky you." Shane shook his head.

"What was your job before it all started, Jason?" I asked him.

"I was an electrician." He answered. "I fixed people's houses, installed equipment they needed. Cameras, Solar Panels..." My previous line of thought stopped, as my brain registered what he just told me, prompting the gears in my head to go into overdrive. Silence settled for a few seconds, as Shane and Jim turned to me with confusion.

"You've mounted solar panels before?" I asked calmly. Shane and Jim were finally catching up to what I was thinking about.

"Yeah, plenty of times." He nodded with pride.

"Then, if we get you the proper equipment, how confident are you to get electricity up and running here in the prison?"

"Very." He nodded confidently. "As long as I have the proper equipment, consider it done."

"Do you happen to know a place close by where we can get it?" He took some time to think about it first.

"Yeah, but it's probably overrun by now." Jason said uncertainly.

"Let us worry about that." I reassured him. We asked him a few more questions about him, the rest of his family (He had a wife and a child), and his current teammates, what they excel at, what they're bad at... to assign them a proper job in the future.

"The solar panels..." Shane remarked once the man left. "We need to get them as fast as possible. Then we need to find electric equipment. Chain Saws, stoves, light projectors... It would reduce our consumption by a lot. We're burning through fuel because of the construction project."

"I know." I nodded. "I've had that idea for a while but we never knew where to start. Now that the path ahead is clear... I see no reason to delay it any further. We make our preparations tomorrow and set out the next day."

- Xenon -

The additional day was mostly to give the group time to settle and rest from the time we spent working. They were reasonably exhausted, after all, so they might not perform at their best when I need them to. We prepared two trucks we'd be taking with us, as per Jason's estimations

"Theodore, Shane, Daryl, Maggie, Andrea, Amy, John, Richard, Otis, and Jason will be participating in tomorrow's operation." I informed them as we were all in the cafeteria. "The goal, as you already know by now, is to secure the necessary equipment to set up solar panels here at home. I don't need to explain to you how important that is, how easy it will make life for us. The place we will be visiting is at a high risk of being overrun, as it will be in the heart of the city. So, we need to be quick about it. Shane and I will be running diversion in case things get tricky, but we already have the countermeasure in hand, so we ought to be safe."

"Keep in mind, everyone, that as of right now, Jason is extremely valuable to the group, so his safety is paramount." I said seriously. "Jason will not be fighting and have permission to use his gun should he be attacked by walkers."

"I can fight. You don't have to risk your life for me." Jason shook his head, incensed at the very idea that he sits back and does nothing while we do all the work. "That's hardly fair to any of you. If you die for me, I'll have your life on your conscience."

"I'm afraid that's non-negotiable, Jason." I shook my head calmly. "We place the group's interest above the individuals, even at the cost of our life. You don't understand how important it is to have running electricity. As long as you follow our directions, nothing should happen to you, or to any of us for that matter. We can handle ourselves very well against walkers, as I'm sure you should've noticed by now."

"While I am away, Jim will be in charge of the affairs at home." I announced so that there would be no infighting, especially not from senile old men. The only two choices I had were Jim and Shane, but the latter was not the best at handling conflict, he tends to escalate them more than he should and that can be devastating for the group. Jim is calmer than he is, and he understands my vision and goal which makes him the perfect candidate.

"Furthermore, now that our numbers have increased, I'd like to appoint Glenn as part of the Scouting units. I have already discussed it with him and he agreed he is the best choice for the job." I added.

Maggie did not like the idea at first, but that was quickly dismissed when I said she could join him (after the mission), as long as they do the job correctly. While I wouldn't mind them enjoying their alone time to their heart's content, it should never cost the group anything, and Glenn will be extra motivated to keep those arrangements permanent. We have a rule in mother-base that forbids anyone from leaving without permission unless they wish to permanently leave the group, in which case special measures will be taken to ensure they never babble about us.