Inside the Commander's Room, Hans sat across from the five survivor leaders while Evan remained near the end of the table. Dmitri and Adrian stayed by the wall.
"Welcome, dear survivors, to my small camp." Hans opened his hands with an awkward smile. "I'm Hans Flemmens, Commander of these soldiers. You've already been given temporary rooms, so first things first... is everyone settled?"
The survivors exchanged glances before the young nurse stepped forward.
"Commander Hans, we are very grateful that you've taken us in, but our people are starving. If we could have food first, we would be able to—"
"You must be Nurse Lira, yes?"
"I am, Commander."
"My soldiers will bring food and water to your group. You can be at ease."
"Thank you, Commander."
Hans checked Dmitri's report. "It says here your group managed to stay in that diner for quite a while. How did you deal with the zombies?"
Lira hesitated, but the broad-shouldered man beside her stepped forward instead.
"I killed the zombies," he said, clasping his calloused hands. "Been working hard labor most of my life. I volunteered and went outside. I punched them in the face. I didn't like how they looked."
Hans stared at him. "You must be Roger Tancredi."
"I am, sir."
"And you didn't get bitten?"
"No. My punches are quick. They will never have the chance."
Hans rubbed his forehead. "Right. How did you end up at the diner?"
"My boss sent me there to transfer materials. My buddy came too, but he died. Good friend."
"My condolences."
"Need not to. I avenged him already. Punched the zombies who bit him to death."
Is punching the only thing in this man's head?
"Yeah, I... you can step back now."
Roger did, apparently satisfied with the conversation.
Hans looked at Lira instead. "You treated some of the survivors before?"
"Yes, Commander. I also saw how the infection takes over the body. The symptoms are flu-like and they mature in less than an hour. One survivor was scratched. The wound was small, but they still turned."
Her voice broke near the end, and Cody moved closer to her.
"It's okay, Lira. That wasn't your fault."
"I know. It's just... hard watching someone die in front of me."
Hans looked away for a moment, thinking about the infection suppressants in his own kit. Less than an hour was a miserable window. If somebody was injured outside the base, a large part of that time could disappear before they even reached him.
"Why did the Commander ask?" Lira wiped her eyes. "Was one of your soldiers scratched?"
"No, no." Hans raised a hand. "I hadn't seen the infection happen from the beginning, so I asked in case you knew. Sorry if that brought something back."
"It's fine, Commander."
"All right. Tend to your people first. If something happens to one of my soldiers, I'll call you."
"I will assist when the time comes."
Hans turned toward the middle-aged man who had been frowning through most of the meeting.
"You look like you want to say something."
Marco straightened. "The Commander has taken us in, given us food and shelter, but every saving grace comes with a price. I want to know what work and duties you expect from us."
"Oh, you're smart. Are you a teacher?"
"I am. Or I was. School life is gone now, and I doubt teaching you anything will do much good."
"I see." Hans almost laughed. "No wonder you're already asking about rules."
Marco's face remained serious. "I also hope the Commander does not intend to treat us poorly."
That sounded less like a threat than a warning from someone who had already seen enough desperate groups fall apart.
"Work well and you'll be compensated well," Hans said. "Breakfast and water are provided, but anything beyond the basic ration has to come from work. Cleaning, repairs, cooking, carrying supplies, helping the soldiers with things that don't involve fighting."
He tapped the notebook beside him.
"For now, one meal ticket for every four hours worked. Important jobs can earn another, major contributions more than that. I'm still figuring out the exact rules, so don't expect a perfect government office out of me."
"Is one meal ticket enough?" Roger asked. "How big is the serving?"
"Big enough that nobody doing their part should starve. Food is still limited, so I'm not promising buffets."
Marco folded his arms. "And if we choose to find food ourselves?"
"You're welcome to try, but the zombies outside are quite unreasonable." Hans gestured toward the window. "I'm not sending civilians into infected buildings just so I can claim everyone earned dinner. Work here, help keep the place running, and my soldiers handle the dangerous parts."
Marco did not look completely satisfied, but he accepted the answer.
Hans shifted to the brunette woman beside Lira. "You're Elena, right? The cook?"
"Yes, Commander sir."
"You'll handle food for the survivor group. Pick one assistant if you need one, and both of you eat from the kitchen allocation without using meal tickets."
"I'll give you the name after this."
"Good."
Hans checked the report again. "And Cody. Electrical engineering?"
The bespectacled young man stepped forward. "Uhm, hello, sir. Commander. Yes, I'm the undergraduate student."
"The manager's office still has a power problem. Can you restore it?"
Cody scratched his head. "I can diagnose it, Commander, but restoring electricity might need more people and materials. Wires, tape, replacement parts... depends on what's broken."
That was not the miracle answer Hans had hoped for, but it was still more than he knew.
"Write down what you need once you've checked the place. The maintenance workers can go with you, and my soldiers can search for whatever materials we're missing."
"The Commander doesn't have to be courteous... with me..."
Hans stared at him. "I'm asking you to fix electricity, not marry into the family. Just make the list."
Cody turned red while Roger coughed into his fist.
"Does anyone else have something to say?"
Nobody did.
The meeting had given both sides enough to think about. The survivors now knew food and shelter came with work, while Hans had a nurse, a cook, a teacher, a nervous engineering student, and a man whose solution to the apocalypse apparently involved punching it.
"All right. You may leave for now. We'll post the work assignments once I finish them."
The civilians filed out, leaving Hans with Dmitri and Adrian.
"What do you think?"
"Acceptable," Dmitri said. "They still need watching until we know them better."
Adrian nodded toward the closed door. "Marco will complain the most."
"Probably. Complaining isn't a crime." Hans leaned back. "As long as he works and doesn't start trouble, he can complain all day."
He stood and pushed the cabinet away from the window.
"It's time to finish securing this complex. The six new Army Soldiers should be done training by now, so let Adam and Ryan distribute them between patrols, cleanup, and Building Two."
"Understood."
Hans looked at Adrian. "And you have one more thing waiting outside."
A bark sounded from the hallway.
Adrian's expression changed at once. He opened the door and found a German Shepherd standing there with a silver System tag on its collar.
"So you're Vex, huh?" Adrian crouched and rubbed both hands through the dog's fur. "Good boy. Come here and I'll show you what a good handler I am."
Vex barked and leaned into him while Dmitri watched with visible amusement.
Hans coughed. "You can introduce yourself properly later. Pass down my orders first, then you, Dmitri, Rex, and Vex are coming with me."
Adrian stood. "Where to, Commander?"
Hans looked through the window toward Building Three.
"The third apartment building. Let's deal with those meteorite shards before they become somebody else's problem."