We spent the next week mostly focused on training. The two groups got together every other day to practice with either their abilities, or their shooting. Some of the younger members and people with less lethal oddities decided to join June and Trevor’s group once they heard they could learn to shoot and just be around to protect the base. It seemed easier and far less scary to them than forming combat teams. Meanwhile the combat teams were coming together nicely. Everyone was fighting together well. They knew the limits of everyone's abilities and how to function fluidly as a group, shifting their tactics from ranged to close quarters smoothly. Everything was coming together nicely, and we were starting to look like a true force to be reckoned with.

When we weren’t busy training I made more time to get to know those around me and bond with them. Knowing how June was feeling bothered me, and I wanted to make sure those around me knew that I valued them as people too. We’d been running the facility for long enough that things had gotten much more efficient, and everyone had a lot more free time. I made time to spend with Alex as a couple and Isabelle, June, and Lucas as close friends. As well as getting to know Cam better, along with the other people who had been imprisoned there.

I made way more time for Jake too. He was one of the exceptions as far as free time went, since his group kept themselves focused most of the time for our safety. Any time he was free I made myself available to catch up with him. He was overjoyed for Alex and I. He said he always knew I liked him by the way I acted when he was around. We talked briefly about when I was dating Drew. He told me he always wished I’d realized sooner I liked Alex, So I wouldn’t have had to go through the awful things I did. We talked about that night, and how grateful he was that I’d called Alex while they were together. He was younger, and way smaller than Drew. He knew he wouldn’t have been able to stop Drew on his own, and he privately thanked Alex after the fact for saving me.

We’d often speak about our parents. We wondered how they were doing, if they worried about us often, or if they wondered whether we were even alive. It made us sad to talk about, but we knew they were safe from developing Oddities due to their age, and reaching out would only put them in danger. Once it was all over we could reunite with them, and tell them about everything we’d been through. I knew everyone here probably had similar concerns, loved ones left behind in the dark to the ugly truth we were living.

I was making my rounds after dinner one night, collecting brief updates from each group’s leader, when the house crew came to me with an issue. We were running low on essentials like toiletries. After realizing this they checked with some other departments and found that we needed more than just that. Over the counter medications like Excedrin, feminine products, some cooking ingredients, and more.

It saddened me to realize that the only reason the supplies were diminishing so quickly was because we were all living equally now. Before they were living as prisoners. They were barely fed or allowed to shower, and had access to only the basic supplies. The vast majority of the stock was devoted to the guards and researchers, and would’ve been enough to last much longer than it had when divided fairly. The girl who brought it to my attention cautioned me that within a week we’d start having to ration some things, or resort to MRE’s for nutrition if things weren’t restocked. It would cause a serious hit to morale to go back to living like that, so I knew we’d have to find a way to get everything we needed.

I called an emergency meeting for our main group, Lucas, Alex, Isabelle, June, and I, so we could make a plan. I waited in the lab with Isabelle for everyone to file in. Isabelle dismissed her helpers for the night and made some small talk with me. She asked how the training was going, and I told her about various groupings, and how they fought. She seemed to recall most of the abilities I mentioned from her initial log of everyone, and nodded along. I asked her about her research, and she told me that she’d gone through all of the official reports and communications by that point. Now she shifted her focus to going over the more complicated lab notes left behind by the researchers. She was trying to understand the actual science behind our condition, and why the abilities were so varied. She also kept an eye on the email that was open from previous communications, but nothing new had come in yet.

While we were busy talking Lucas and June strolled in, hand in hand, with Alex following shortly behind. They looked at me confused, it was the first time I’d called a meeting like this. I walked to close the door behind Alex, and gestured for everyone to take a seat. Once they were seated I cleared my throat to speak.

“We have some major supply issues, and not much time to fix them. From the team's best counts we need at a minimum: ammo, toiletries, feminine products, food and cooking supplies, and medicine. We’re here to figure out how to get everything safely and quickly. I’d prefer if we could go tomorrow, so word doesn’t get out and start a panic.” I slid a sheet across the table with a list detailing the specifics of all the supplies we needed. It was broken down by type and store. We needed a grocery store, drug store, and gun store.

“The first issue I see is money. We need a lot of supplies, and it won’t be cheap. Anyone have a solution for that?” I asked, looking around the room.

Isabelle raised her hand, then lowered it while shaking her head. “Sorry I felt like I was in school for a second,” she laughed, then continued on, “From the email communication with the governor’s office I found out that an approved card was sent to stock up the facility before. They authorized any future stocking to go on that card. It was in the desk here.” She swiftly opened a drawer and pulled out a black credit card. She smacked the thick metal card down on the desk.

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“Problem one solved, what’s next?” Isabelle smiled.

“Next is transport and crew. Ideas?” I asked.

“My turn,” Lucas grinned. “As far as the crew goes it needs to be a team of three like all the other units they have around. It'll be less suspicious that way if we run into another group patrolling the area. I need to be one since I know how to buy ammo without being weird about it. Plus people really don’t like arguing with me,” he said with a smirk while flexing his arms. June rolled her eyes and smiled.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard, but I’m more comfortable at the base, so count me out of this one,” June said softly, still sounding embarrassed.

“That’s totally fine,” Alex and I said almost in sync.

“I’m out too. I’m monitoring the emails for any surprise inspections or anything like that. Besides, I don't think I’ll be useful for something like that,” Isabelle said.

Alex cleared his throat, “Right then, I’ll stay here to handle daily business, Let’s send Angel, Lucas, and Cam. Cam needs to be included so she doesn’t get restless. Strong fighters in case anything goes wrong, and you have the list and know what we need. Does that sound good?” Alex paused and looked at us. Lucas and I nodded in agreement, and Alex continued, “As for transport, there are military vehicles outside, and they still have gas in them. I had someone check after we got here, so we’re all good there.”

“Perfect. Just one more thing then. Where do we go?” I asked.

Isabelle pulled her chair closer to the computer on the far end of the desk and brought up a map of the area. She pulled a copy of Alex’s paper map marking the quarantine zones out of the desk and compared the two. She scanned the screen for a moment then zoomed in on a town near us that was a safe distance away from either quarantine zone. She typed in the town’s name and searched for the types of stores we needed. After confirming it had everything we needed she pulled out a blank piece of paper and a pen and jotted down directions, as well as highlighting the route on the paper map. Simple things like driving to an unknown town were much more difficult without phones, but that’s how it had to be.

Isabelle finished the directions and slid the map and paper across the desk to me, placing the credit card on top of it. “Oh as far as identification for driving and buying ammo I had the house crew put military ID’s in the nightstands of a few rooms along with the military uniforms. There weren’t enough for everyone, just from the bodies of the soldiers that were already stationed here. You all have one in your nightstands though. I tried to match how they looked to you as closely as I could,” Isabelle said, while whipping out an ID that had a similar look to her, but was clearly much older.

“Maybe just don’t let them get a good look,” Alex said with a nervous chuckle.

“Okay I think that’s everything then. Let’s get Cam in here and brief her on the plan. We’ll head out early tomorrow morning,” I said while looking around the room, admiring how well we worked together. When I called the meeting initially I was terrified, feeling like there would be too many issues for this to go smoothly, but collectively we were able to solve everything in such a short amount of time.

“It’s late so she’s probably already downstairs. I’ll go get her before I go back to our room,” June said to Lucas. She smiled and headed out of the room, giving us an awkward wave goodbye as she left.

We went over the list of supplies while we waited. We ironed out the exact numbers of everything we needed, and which order to visit the stores in. Alex left to get the keys for the Military truck while we worked on the list with Isabelle’s help. We decided Lucas would drive and I’d guide us with the map and directions from the passenger seat. Cam would sit in the back of the transport truck and keep an eye out for anyone following us from the window, as well as keeping all the supplies safe once we got them. Provided she agreed to the plan.

After a while Alex came back, spinning the keys around his finger. Cam was with him. She had already changed for bed. She had wet hair and looked confused and annoyed.

“What’s going on?” She asked groggily as she rubbed at her eyes.

Alex closed the door behind her and we relayed the situation to her. We told her of our abrupt task and her role in it if she would agree. It would be her first mission with us. She listened intently to the details of the mission as we explained the plan to her.

“Feels great to be left out of the meeting after you said I was on your team you know?” She mumbled and crossed her arms as she looked around at the four of us.

She was right. She was supposed to be the fifth member of our team now but we’d completely left her out of the meeting. I guess on some level I still didn’t quite trust her to the same extent that I did the others, but this was her chance to prove herself. I apologized to her for leaving her out, and the others followed suit.

“Fine fine, no need to grovel. I’m in,” she sighed.

We agreed on the time to meet in the morning and went our separate ways. Alex and I went back to our room, chatting quietly about the mission. He made me promise to keep an eye on Cam, and stay safe. I promised I would and checked the nightstands. Sure enough we both had military ID’s that bared some resemblance to us. It took hours to fall asleep that night. The anxiety of our task in the morning had me lying awake in my thoughts until I was too exhausted to stay awake any longer.