A few minutes passed in the underground hydroponics farm before a group of four women, including Darlene's daughter Cindy, entered the room, their arms full of bags. Each bag was labeled with writing like beans, soybeans, and wheat seeds. As they began to plant the seeds in square plant beds that were prepared prior to the water and power being turned back on.
Raven stood in the background, her eyes narrowing slightly as she observed the hand motions of their fingers pushing seeds into the dark soil. Raven did not even entertain the thought of using her plant growing powers to force the rapid growth of the crops. A display like that would only draw more unwanted attention to her, mark her as someone who is a priority target for capturing to experiment on.
Nearby, Darlene set her clipboard aside with a quiet sigh, her shoulders dropping as she stepped forward to help in order to speed up the planting process. Kneeling on the ground, she plunged her fingers into the soil without hesitation, assisting the girls in planting. Her gesture is both practical and symbolic as a base leader she is not above hard labor, and her willingness to join in without orders uplifted the mood throughout the room.
Momma Jean stood beside Raven and Alara, her eyes watching the planting progress with a fascinating look. The faint scent of fresh earth mixed with the sterile scent of cement and old unventalated air, adding a heavy, dirt smell to the air. Raven turned her head slightly towards Momma Jean as she said.
"Momma Jean make sure that anyone you accept into this base is not a bum. We only accept skilled women and the occasional man, if you decide their worth it. But if I don't like who I see, I will kill them immediately." Raven said, then she continued saying, "Momma Jean you can take in any children you find too, especially if Light House somehow misses any. Keep your eyes open up above ground. Don't rely solely on cameras you need actual people stationed as guards around the bunker entrance, twenty-four seven."
Raven paused for a moment, letting the weight of her words settle. Momma Jean's eyes moved towards her clipboard, her pen moving quickly to take notes. Raven continued, her tone dropping lower, and becoming more serious.
"Check in with every guard by radio every ten minutes. If you don't get a response, send an armed team immediately to check on the situation. As soon as this place is fully operational, others will try to trick you to get inside, or to lure you out, in order to pick you off slowly one by one. If you see someone you don't recognize, kill them on sight no questions asked no quarter given."
Momma Jean nodded, though her lips tightened with tension. The idea of such rigorous oversight and lethal response was harsh even by her standards but she would follow orders.
"You also need to create an underground entrance into the sewers. Using the surface entrance is too risky. By moving through the subway and sewer tunnels near here, your teams can emerge miles away to scavenge for survivors and supplies. No one will ever be able locate the true underground entrance back to here. The tunnel network beneath New York is a maze if managed properly, no one will ever find your trail as for new recruits blindfold and muffle their ears also tie up their the hands they can still walk though there is no need to carry them here.
Momma Jean let out a small breath, jotting down her last note. Internally, she questioned the frequency of the check-ins, thinking ten minutes seemed extreme, but she held her tongue. Raven is the boss, and her judgment would determine every layer of this bunker's survival.
With her instructions delivered, Raven turned her attention away from the planting. Alara moved closer to Raven. Together, they turned and began walking out of the room as they left Momma Jean behind to oversee the final stages of planting the bunkers' first crops.
Raven and Alara walked through the halls, moving deeper underground into the bunkers heart, passing through steel doors and storage rooms filled with stacked crates and old shit. As they descended lower underground, the air became colder and heavier. As Alara looked at Raven and asked.
"What are we doing all the way down here, Raven?" Alara asked, her voice edged with curiosity. "I thought Momma Jean is going to handle the tunnel entrance."
Raven's expression barely changed. She nodded once before responding to Alara.
"Alara that's true. But one of the first rules when setting up your own force is to always have a backup plan," Raven said, her steps steady as they moved even deeper underground. "For me and you, that means an emergency entry point into the bunker and, more importantly, a means of escape. Everyone in this base is expendable… except for you and me."
Alara's steps slowed for a moment, her head looking down as she absorbed the weight behind Raven's words. Raven continued, her tone turning cold as she said.
"Even though we can hide in Sanctuary, we always reappear in the same place we enter from. We can't just teleport to random spots and leave Sanctuary. If enemies are waiting for us outside, we'll be cornered. That's why we need another way out. Another exit no one else knows about. Just remember, Alara… everyone and everything in this world is expendable to me, except for you."
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