Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

"What quote?" Jessica asked though I saw Mauricio look back as well.

"There's a bit of controversy if it was real or not because the letter couldn't be found or didn't exist but one of the quotes that were always repeated was, 'You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.' and so and so from what I've read. I aim to have every single one of my people trained to use guns because, in every fight, a gun is always the equalizer." I replied.

"So, every person here has one?" Cathy asked.

"We already armed each household with at least one gun but their skill level is something I want to increase a bit more. I have a select few that could use them well aside from the soldiers but there's still a huge disparity between the ones that could use them from the ones that could really~ use them well. More training is the solution but there's still the issue of how much ammo we could distribute whether for training, runs, and defending this place. We need to achieve the sweet spot so we could run this place smoothly." I explained.

"I still can't believe it. How many places have you looted to achieve this much equipment? Even the military vehicles here are several times more than what I have at home. Granted you're in the NCR but this is too much." Jessica was shaking her head.

"Let's just say that I already have a few tucked away just in case this thing happened. It gave me and my group a great headstart so we're doing better than most places. But yeah, we've looted a few places since that added greatly to our military strength. The equipment we have here is great in number but I wanted to acquire more. A tank or two would be great but we need to go deeper into the city to maybe snatch one." I replied.

They were all just staring at me and the look on their faces told me that they wanted to ask more questions but they couldn't figure out what to ask first. They discovered a few of my cards but their reactions told me that their situation wasn't good as ours. I initially have no idea how much power they could wield even in the case of Mauricio.

Mauricio had some sway in the Intercity but he does not have full command of everyone.

"I just need to find out more from Jessica later..." I thought to myself.

It took a few minutes before we met with Dr. Amante our ophthalmologist because she was residing in a house from Woodlands with her husband. I thought they were still in the DDR Camp so we made a call and she said that she would be coming soon.

Jessica and her people were being checked by another doctor so I left a soldier to accompany them for a short moment.

"Sorry for the urgent call, we just wanted to get our friend checked as fast as possible to see if surgery is still possible." I said to Dr. Amante.

"Oh, no worries. That's why I am here. Is she? Can I take a closer look?" Dr. Amante replied as she turned to Cathy.

Mauricio and I were silently watching what she was doing as she was running a few tests. We told her the full story after and she couldn't believe such a thing happened. The two of us couldn't remember how much time had passed because the two of us were deep in thought. I didn't know what Mauricio was thinking but I just had a thought regarding this type of surgery.

The cornea that was always used for a corneal transplant would always come from a dead donor.

I had no fucking clue how any of this works but there was one thing I was thinking of what might happen, Dr. Amante would have to get the fresh cornea from a living donor. Acquiring one from the dead, even from someone that died recently was out of the question and too much risk was involved.

It didn't take long before Dr. Amante herself brought it up.

"You know, this type of surgery… we need a donor. We have no idea how this virus works completely but-" then Mauricio interrupted her and it seemed that both of us were thinking the same thing.

"I already have one and she's more than happy to donate everything she could just to atone for what she did. Whatever you have to do, please do it for the sake of my wife. I know it's ethically and morally wrong for you to do it the way we are all thinking of but that's the only way we could proceed now. This is literally an eye for an eye." Mauricio stated with a firm tone. His eyes were cold as I would have expected but the words that came out of his mouth were genuine.

"Maui..." Cathy seemed uneasy but her face wasn't showing unwillingness.

"Wait a sec, if you're looking for a donor, does that mean that it's still possible?" I tried to confirm.

"Yes, the burns didn't reach deep enough to the deeper parts of her eye so surgery is entirely possible. However, are you aware of some of the risks involved?" Dr. Amante replied.

"Yes, we do. Mr. Goodman already informed us of it and we'll be happy to follow through with it." Mauricio and Cathy replied.

"I understand. The surgery itself would only last for an hour at most but I need to do more tests with my husband. We'd also need to check on your donor if she's eligible because we couldn't simply just take it from her and transfer it to you. Also..." Dr. Amante said a few more things.

"In any case, we need to be here for a while, right?" Mauricio took a deep breath.

"Well, to be specific, we just need to run a few more tests on her. I understand you're here for her support and that's important as well. You said something that you two live a few hours away from here so I recommend at least Mrs. Cathy here stay in this place before and after the surgery. There's also aftercare involved so please do understand my worries." Dr. Amante explained.

"I understand. Thank you very much." Mauricio breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you too." Cathy turned to me and gave me a small bow.

"No problem." I replied.

I looked at the door and I saw one of Jessica's people leaning over the glass pane, trying to check in on us. His name was Eric and he was immediately pulled by Jessica and disappeared. Dr. Amante was explaining a few more things to the two so I briefly excused myself to check on Jessica and the people she came with.

"You guys done?" I asked them as I waved the soldier next to them that I could handle it.

"Yeah, they were really… thorough." Jessica replied.

"Hey, question." Eric interjected.

"Yeah?" I noticed that he was standing weird.

"Is… Is… Is the colonoscopy really necessary? The last time I had that done was when I went to work abroad..." Eric said.

"Eric… don't even complain. At least we know that we're completely healthy!" Jane, the other one that came with Jessica said.

"Then all's well that ends well. Sorry, our doctor here never does much of their work so they get a little excited when they get to do their real job. I remember telling you that they're studying other trades while they don't have any work here." I explained, slightly embarrassed.

"So, those two got sorted out?" Jessica asked with a solemn expression.

"Yeah, they'll be taking some risks but it's for the better in the long run. What's your opinion on their donor?" I replied.

Eric and Jane went quiet though Jessica just looked on the ground briefly before looking back at me.

"I'd be against it in the past but we've done shitty things as well. How about you? Well, you did bring him here and all but there could be other motives surrounding that. No offense, but Mauricio now owes you big time for doing that. He would give you half of what he owns in the Intercity just for Cathy." Jessica replied.

"Hmm, let's just say we think on the same spectrum a little bit but he's more abrupt- or should I say decisive, in his decision-making process." I said as I leaned on the wall.

"I don't know, you give me a different vibe. Anyway, I don't know the right time to tell you but I very much would like to take home a few dozen guns you could spare with the corresponding ammo. I doubt the 'few' that you tucked away was literal." Jessica was staring at me.

"Heh, like I told you earlier, if you have something nice to offer, I'll give you something better than what we were selling in the Intercity." I replied.

"Isn't guns just guns? How could something be better than that?" Eric interjected.

"If I have to tell you why, I'm speaking to the wrong people. We're all traders, I'm sure you know the answer yourself." I faintly smiled.

"Umm- ah, sure. I understand, I'm j-just testing you. A-Anyway, the term 'something nice' is too vague for me. Can you give me something specific that you want?" Eric fidgeted.

"I'll take anything of value but information is something I value the most." I replied.

"How about an airport?" Jessica said.