Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Kaley and I drove my eight-wheeler while Tatiana drove my Raptor with Cynthia and Rin. It was because we were told they brought a lot of items with them and they needed some help with transporting them. Micah was obviously driving her own civilian helicopter while Avalos was driving a medium-lift cargo helicopter.

I was kinda excited about the things they brought with them and a little bird told me we would be getting a little care package from the president himself.

I made a few of my people that were still awake board my eight-wheeler since we might do some heavy lifting. However, I didn't need to convince them much because just a quick mention of Micah and her group arriving was enough for them to almost come running. Furthermore, some of the patrols volunteered as well so we had a lot of people helping.

It was a short drive to get to the open court though most of the people living in the immediate vicinity were woken up by their landing. They stuck their heads outside to check who was coming but it didn't take long before they just waved it off and decided to see for themselves tomorrow. It was already late and sometimes sleep was a better choice.

'I wonder why they're late though… they should've arrived much earlier...'

The moment Micah jumped down from her aircraft vehicle and waved at us, Cynthia wasn't able to contain her excitement. She immediately ran up to her and gave her a tight hug while the rest of Micah's group went out one by one. They all looked very attractive compared to the common rabble and almost all of them were just a little over Cynthia's age.

Cynthia was so happy to be surrounded by her idols and we all just chuckled before walking up to them.

I took Micah's attention, "Took you long enough, heh. It's a shame you missed something fun earlier! You almost made it!"

Micah gave me a hug when she laid her eyes on me, "Sorry we're late! We kinda had a little trouble before leaving."

"Trouble?"

Micah waved us off, "I'll tell you later but it's not that important. We're super tired~ Can you make something for us? We could help with the preps and we brought some goods from Davao. Oh! Mae and Chloe could help you, remember them? They could cook as well but not as good as you."

The two immediately reacted, "Hey! Micah~ mean..."

Tatiana immediately answered for me as she nodded a few times, "Yes. Definitely. He'll make something for us."

Rin shook her head, "You're really something, kinda unfair you don't get fat."

That simple statement made Tatiana the center of attention for a little bit but it got kinda awkward when they discovered that she didn't know a single one of them.

I could remember almost half of them but I had no idea with the newer members. Furthermore, they brought six more soldiers and they came from Avalos' side. The thing was, they were also all female but what seemed to be their CO was a little older and mature than everyone present. She was wearing a stoic look but she did give me a small salute when our eyes met.

'Morales vibes… is every officer from Davao the same? Well, there's Jose too but let's see...'

Nevertheless, everyone seemed to be getting along and Micah introduced them one by one.

"You already know Mae and Chloe~ That's Yumi on the left with Claire, Amber, Lexi, and Mia..."

'The ones I know...'

Micah continued, "And they are Gabbie, Sara, Elsa, Emily, Jen, Christie, and Leah! Oh! That officer is Susan, she's the one in charge of watching them in Davao and the soldiers under her were Mila, Anya, and umm… a little help Susan? I'm not always at their quarters so..."

Susan walked forwards and introduced the rest of her team as she smiled, "Greetings Sir Ishiyama as Ma'am M said, they're Mila, Anya, Rose, Janice, and Alma. Pleasure to finally meet and work with you. We've heard great things and I hope we could offer enough help being only a group of six."

I smiled back, "Likewise. I welcome more people in my fold and I wouldn't turn away anyone that could help keep this place going. I'll introduce you to the other officers later but I'm sure you know that Morales and Jose are here with the others."

"Very aware."

I opted for just a handshake with everyone obviously, but the way Micah's girls were looking at me felt really different. They were smiling a little too much and they held my hand longer than I expected when we shook hands. On the other hand, Susan's soldiers were just cool and collected, and they were actually respectful when they gave me a short salute.

There was a little bit of 'tension' in the air but I just shook it off when I introduced Kaley, Tatiana, Rin, and Cynthia to everyone.

They all just exchanged pleasantries and it didn't take long before we drove them to my place to have some food. Their permanent address was already decided to be the residence of the late Luna family, and all of their luggage was easily transferred over. Micah and her girls would live in one of the two houses while Susan and her soldiers would live in the other.

"Ooh~ Nice place~"

They were all lounging in my living room while I started preparing something light and delicious. Kaley, Rin, and Cynthia decided to help me while Tatiana decided to help by tasting everything else. However, Mae and Chloe did offer their help and I handed them their aprons so we could start.

From what we had on hand, we could make some Okonomiyaki with bits and pieces of chicken on top.

Surprisingly enough, our two new helpers followed everything to the dot but they were shocked at how fast I moved. I easily butchered, deboned, and chopped up a whole chicken and shredded a few pieces of cabbage while they were helping with the batter, sauce, and chopping the other vegetables. I thanked them and just asked them to prepare some drinks because the final method of properly frying them I left to myself.

It took us faster to finish with more people, besides the last part and it didn't take long before I placed it all in front of them, "It's done! Sorry for the wait! Dig in!"

"Woah~"

"He cooked this?!"

"It looks so~ good!"

"Yummy!"

"How's the taste?"

"Lemme~"

"Tatiana! That's not for you! We left you one here-"

"Just one?! You guys hate me..."

"Your acting sucks!"

"Everybody shut up! I'm hungry too! Let's eat~!"

"Me too! It smells really good~"

"Thanks for the meal!"

"Thank you!"

"Dig in! Dig in! Oh my god! Hmm~ It's too good!"

It was nice to see everyone enjoy my cooking and even Susan's face faltered for a short moment as she smiled. She was kinda being uptight over everything but her soldiers were already goody-goody with everyone. Not to mention they requested a few bottles of beer which I immediately obliged.

Kaley and I with Cynthia and Rin just shared one with each other because we've already eaten but Tatiana had a full meal, the same as them. Susan was more comfortable with talking with her compared to Micah and her girls but it didn't take long before I made seconds for most of them. It was easy enough to do when all the ingredients were ready and they were all stuffed after eating heartily.

"So good~ I wanna eat more but..."

"I'm so full~"

"Sleepy..."

"I wanna have a hot bath though..."

"Ugh… me too..."

Micah walked over to Susan, "Your team could start whatever protocol you have on our place. You've brought a few things for extra security, right?"

Susan replied, "That sounds great. Shall we head back?"

Micah just smiled, "Oh… Umm, I think we'll be staying for a while but you're all free to take the night off. Don't worry, we're pretty safe here with them around and the guards outside. If it's too late, don't wait for us to come back since we'll just have a sleepover. You've seen how big this place is, we're covered."

"Alright, if you insist. However, I'll have to arrange a short briefing with you and Sir Ishiyama tomorrow. Is that okay?"

I chimed in, "We'll probably have a short meeting tomorrow morning if that'll work for you."

"Probably? You're not sure?"

"No, no. It's gonna happen but It could take longer than expected because we have other guests as well. It depends on the reports but it's fairly short usually."

"Then it's very acceptable. See you all tomorrow. Thank you very much for the food."

Susan and her team excused themselves though I gave them a portion of our leftovers and the keys to one of our available vehicles. They accepted it promptly and they eventually drove away. As soon as they left, I started clearing the plates but the atmosphere became very different.

The 'tension' I shook off earlier was back and I just caught Micah speaking privately with Kaley.

It looked like Micah was asking a very big favor but before I managed to listen in, their conversation was already over and the two were looking at me with devilish smiles. I was readying myself as to what was about to happen but Kaley's voice resounded in the living room.

"Hey Rin, can Micah and I bunk with you tonight? Tatiana and Cynthia will be there too, right?"

"U-Umm… okay? We'll be a little cramped b-but I mean… oh..." Rin's face started getting redder and redder.

The living room got too quiet but I wouldn't be playing ball just as easily. As soon as I finished washing the plates, I picked Kaley up like a sack of potatoes once more and I made my way back to our room. Much to her surprise, she struggled to wiggle away from me but I didn't lock the door behind me as we entered.

Kaley exclaimed, "C-C'mon! You'll have a great time with them!"

"You still don't get it, do you? Also, you're breaking one of our rules!"

"I-It's just a o-one time t-thing! You know how it is with new-"

"Eh~ Don't care. Here we are!"

"Huh? W-Why are we in your armory?!"

"You'll know soon enough."

The door to our room suddenly opened and Tatiana came barging in with everyone. They were quite confused as to why we were inside my armory when they arrived, but I locked the metal grate to keep them from joining us. Tatiana was already shaking her head when we met eyes but that was when I pushed Kaley against the wall.

Everyone's eyes were on us but I started kissing her like it was just us in the room.