Zoe waited patiently while word spread of the offer and the meeting planned in the hall that was once a school gym. She sat on a hard plastic chair designed for a smaller person than her on the stage, watching people filter in. Anyone who wasn't actively working on something important was coming to the meeting, which suited Zoe better. The more people she could address, the more she could potentially sway. Tyson sat next to her, while Maddison lent against the front of the stage, standing on the same level as the majority of the seats in the hall. Avi had come in through big double doors too and Zoe had taken another small bag of fruit out, putting the bag on the podium for easy access.

She addressed the crowd after being introduced by Pat. She figured that he was the defacto Mayor of the town by the way people looked up at him and deferred to him, even the few who were clearly older than him.

Having set up a hologram projector, she used her link through her visor to display relevant images next to her, making more than a few people gasp in wonder. There were plenty of young people in the crowd who had never seen working tech, only been told of it by their parents, those who had survived the war. Her offer was met with sceptical ears, but seeing Tyson, a known person who was friendly to them and known to be a psychic who could detect falsehoods, did much to belay any suspicions. Zoe was once again thankful for the twins presence.

Finishing her plea, she scooped up the small bag of apples and handed a few out to some of the elders and a couple of parents. "I don't have many, so please share these. If you do come join our Community, I can promise many more fresh fruits, depending on harvests, of course."

She returned to the stage and sat on the edge of it next to Maddison. There was chattering amongst the elders, heads nodding and shaking. Within a few moments of Zoe sitting, Tyson stood and came up behind her. "Zoe will not force any choice on you," he said aloud and through thought so he was heard over the crowd. "Her offer is genuine and Maddison and myself are going with her."

Zoe looked up at Tyson, smiling appreciating the verbal support.

Marnie parted from the various people and approached Zoe. "Come with me child, we will wait for the town to make a decision."

Nodding, Zoe followed the older woman out and into the open air, Maddison following.

"You are very far from home little one," Marnie said warmly. "You have a lot of courage to attempt this task on your own."

Shaking her head, Zoe smiled back. "While this is the furthest I've been from home, I know support is nearby. I've always lived with a safety net and I want to help stretch that net to more people. We are stronger together."

Marnie reached out and squeezed Zoe's shoulder. "That we are. Pat and I will join you, for certain. My one request is that, if at all possible, for anyone staying back, you don't close the door on them and actively engage in trade."

"Oh! That's not a problem. Before I leave, I'll happily set up what I can using whatever tech you have so that we can remain in touch." Snapping her fingers, she continued. "I nearly forgot the reason we came this way. I'm looking for a trio of Talented. Maddison and Tyson have no idea of a specific trio, but they're apparently in this area."

Marnie nodded. "They might be. We've had two kids have their Talents awaken in the last month, one a shifter, the other has, uh, hair armour. Don't know about a third though. Maybe one that isn't obvious like those two. I'll ask around later."

"Thank you," Zoe replied, relieved that finding the trio, or at least two of them, wouldn't be too hard. If the third Talent was here, it was likely that they hadn't found what they needed to interact with to trigger it. Zoe's was relatively easy for her, as the military base had heaps of unused tech. But, if there was another technomancer around, they may not have the same access as she did.

Sitting on a bench, the trio waited for a while before being waved back into the hall by Pat. There was a happy, almost celebratory atmosphere in the hall. Zoe smiled reflexively, anticipating good news.

"After some debate, about half of us will join you," Pat said. "Those who don't are willing to accept assistance and agree with the trade agreement."

"Great! I'll set up an array for better satellite connection and see what I can do with whatever tech you have." She jumped up on the stage and addressed the crowd. "If anyone wishes to come with me straight away, I'll leave here tomorrow. Otherwise, I will put into motion a plan on the time scale you are all comfortable with. We usually say six months, but we can do the move within a month, if desired."

Happy faces smiled back at her.

~

Rummaging through the building used for storage of all the old tech that had been in the homes, Zoe found a few useful pieces. A satellite dish, several computer towers, many meters of cables and quite a number of cell phones. Quickly identifying what was useful or not, she plugged all the hard drives she found into a hub she had with her, making copies of everything and storing it for later. Anything encrypted took barely a moments thought to break into. Several of the younger people in the town had volunteered to help and they were carrying what she needed to the school's office. The wide desks had been cleared of debris and had recently been dusted so Zoe could set up.

Checking the power connections, Zoe linked a few power cables together and threw the bulk of them out the nearest window. She had no idea whether she would have to jury rig a power line connection to some of the solar panels she'd seen on various houses and on the office roof, but she at least knew the basics of electrical wiring. Enough not to kill herself and make her tech work. That was a drawback on her Talent, anything that wasn't something with chips, circuit boards and programming was basically immune to her Talent.

Zake, one of the two known Talents, had volunteered to help her. He was the one who had the "hair armour" and she could see why it was described like that. The short, young teen had really thick hair covering their body, leaving very little visible underneath, eyes, ears and nose the only things visible. Small items, a torch, a knife, a couple of rocks and an unlabeled can were wrapped up in the hair. Zoe pictured a messy, walking, shag pile carpet.

Zoe watched Zake offload various parts he'd found, several armfuls almost appearing from his hair. It seemed to Zoe that he was easily able to use his hair as extra appendages, which she was a little bit jealous of.

The young man smiled, white teeth showing up through the thick hair. "No wukkus miss," he said happily, his Australian accent thick enough it took Zoe a moment before she realised she had no idea what he'd said.

"Sorry, what?"

"No worries, no problem, miss," Zake replied nervously.

Zoe smiled warmly at the young man. "No need to be nervous around me, I'm just another Talented, like you. I already envy your talent, I wish I could hold as many things in my hands as you've just brought me"

"But miss, you make technology work again, that's grouse." Zoe tilted her head questioningly at Zake. "Oh, grouse, bonza, um, really good. Sorry never spoken to a person from far from here."

"That's ok, I'm quick to pick up on things. If I need help while I'm here, I'll be sure to ask you."

Zake beamed and ran off, saying he knew were more old stuff for Zoe could be.

~

It took a while for Zoe to track down the second Talented, the shifter. The young woman was sitting in a tree on the edge of town. Barely any bigger than Zake, the shifter had grey hair covering her arms. A second set of ears poked out from her hair, which was the same grey as her fur. An ear twitched visibly as Zoe approached and the woman's head turned to look over her shoulder. A eucalyptus leaf hung out of the corner of her mouth. "Danni?" Zoe asked as she stopped a couple of meters from the tree.

"Yeah, what of it?" Danni replied. "Who are you?"

Zoe tried to not show that she was a little taken aback by the abruptness. "My name is Zoe, I'm searching for people like yourself and your family to join my family. Did you hear the offer I made to your town?"

"No, I was out here."

"Well, we are offering a safer environment based on shared, mutual co-operation. Everyone who joins us all receive the same basics, food, clothing, accommodation, regardless of Talents or age. Anyone who can help out will receive pay in the form of extra luxuries, better accommodation, pick of assignments, etcetera. We always have need of Talents and Shifters like yourself are always welcomed. A lot of shifters in our Community take on solitary tasks, like border security or scouting and are handsomely rewarded for their dedication." Zoe smiled softly. "And, if you can turn into a koala, like I've been told, I know a little girl who would love to meet you and be your friend."

"I don't need friends," Danni scoffed.

"No wukkus," Zoe replied, "But in a few months, more than half your town will be coming with me and moving to my home. We don't want to leave people struggling alone here, so we will be also setting up trade. If you don't want to come with us, we would still like to maintain contact with you in the future. We would want plant samples and any information about this area in exchange for supplies."

Danni stared at Zoe as she chewed on the leaf slowly. "Okay, I'll think about it," she said, turning away from Zoe.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

~

That evening, Zoe finished the final links in her comms system she had built for the town, tenderly and almost lovingly letting code flow through the various devices, making them all talk to each other smoothly. The few screens lit up, lines of text scrolling by before the UI settled. Zoe had intentionally kept it as simple as possible, wiping all apps and operating systems on the various computers and phones. Knowing from her own experience, a simple system was easier to defend.

A satellite connection symbol showed up instantly and Zoe could feel the network widening, welcoming her back from this new access point. She sighed happily, not caring what the strangers around her thought of her. Eyes closed and immersed in her network, she was barely even aware of them anyway.

She requested the system to give her a link directly to the Community comms. The network leapt at her request like an eager dog for a master, the connection taking barely the span of a breath. Smiling as she felt the screen in front of her light up, she opened her eyes to see her mother's face greet her.

"Ah, bébé, comment vas-tu?"

"Bonjour mère," Zoe replied. "I'm well. I've set up a comms system here in Llandilo. Most of them have agree to come with us, working towards the six month schedule."

"Bien, good. How is ze twins you found?"

Tyson chose this moment to drop a seat next to Zoe and lean across her. "I'm well, thanks for asking. My sister and I are very happy with meeting your daughter. We may not be alive if it wasn't for her."

"Ah, le garçon est mignon," she replied to Zoe. "Bien, good. I look forward to meeting you and Maddison. If I may continue with Zoe?" Tyson grinned and waved at the screen as he stepped away. "Verification du système." Zoe placed her hand on the screen and closed her eyes in response to her mother's request. Zoe had learnt a lot from her mother, who was a computer engineer before the war. While her mother had the years of experience over her and was more refined in her techniques, it was in Zoe's entire being to be able to do what her mother had to learn. She strove to emulate her mother's coding and programs, seeing the elegance that she had.

"Bien, good," her mother said as she ran the checks she needed to from her end, while Zoe's system made sure everything was stable and running. "Energy consummation okay?"

"Yes," Zoe replied. "Solar panels are hooked up, I've rigged some batteries for longer term."

"Remote access répondant, bien, good." Zoe's mother smiled warmly as a job well done, proud her daughter was working quickly and efficiently. Zoe beamed back at her.

"You're done?" came a voice from off screen, one that made Zoe smile even more. Her mother moved from her chair as Hayden sat down. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied warmly. "Miss you."

"And I miss you," he replied. "Looks like the systems you've written there are responding perfectly. I wish I was half as good as you at doing that."

"But you're better at other things than me, so fair is fair," she replied, poking her tongue out. "Looking after Naomi for me?"

"Yeah, she's usually curled up on your bed whenever I go in. Doesn't seem to want to leave. She is an odd shifter, for sure."

"Leave her be," Zoe replied. The young shifter had been friends with Zoe all her life and Zoe had looked after her when she was a younger girl, so when Naomi had first shifted, she'd gone to Zoe over her own family. She now spent most of her time in her black cat form, following Zoe around whenever she was home. "I'll submit my report later tonight before I turn in. Expect it in an hour or so, it's already getting late here."

"I look forward to it, mon amour."

~

It wasn't until the following morning that the third Talented and Zoe basically stumbled into each other. Rounding a corner while muttering to herself, Zoe walked into a young man, barely a teen. After absentmindedly apologizing in French, the young man apologized back in perfectly fluent and accented French.

"Oh, you speak French?" Zoe asked, curious.

"Ah, I guess I do," he replied. "That's the first time I've done that." He stared at her, slightly confused.

"Vous pouvez comprendre ce que je dis?" she asked.

"Oui," he replied, eyes widening. "Je peux parler français? Sensationnel."

"That's interesting," Zoe said, pulling the young man aside to a pair of nearby chairs. "Sorry, I don't remember your name."

"Mathias," he said, confusion still etching his face. "I don't think I've ever heard French before today. How do I know French?"

Smiling gently, she took his hand. "I believe you may be Talented Mathias. Are you happy if I run some verbal tests with you to see what you can understand and speak?"

Nodding, he let her take him to the comms station, where Zoe linked to various people, each speaking a different language. It was clear to her after the first couple of tests that Mathias was instantly able to speak and understand any language he heard. Curious, she pulled up text on her tablet and asked if he could read it, but he shook his head at everything, including English and French. It hadn't been important enough for him to learn how to read, as he was a farmers son. Zoe promised to help teach him and expand his knowledge, promising that doing so would help his work too.

~

"The town is called Asquith," Pat was telling Zoe as she was finishing packing her buggy. "They're east and a touch north of here, a long days walk. They're friendly with us and very open about taking in Talented people. They've had issues with the Bloodless Pact. If you hurt the Bloodless, they may seek revenge on Asquith."

Nodding, Zoe promised to warn the town they were heading towards. She hadn't seen Danni again, but Zake was nearly always hovering around, hoping to help out. After weighing up the risks, she didn't think it would be safe enough to take the teen along, and he had been stroppy and avoiding her during the morning. He was now there, along with Mathias to see the trio off. Pat had talked to Zake's parents and everyone was in agreement with him staying in Llandilo, regardless of what he wanted. Mathias was happy to join the Community later, once he was able to go with his family.

"Zake was happy to learn how to use the comms system I set up, otherwise, think of it as a really simple phone. There are multiple people you can call already, myself and the Community comms centre are the top two. I've left a few phones working with links directly back here. Figured anyone in your comms centre would be able to respond to distress calls quicker than we could overseas."

"Logical, and, thanks again." Pat said, shaking Zoe's hand warmly. "We will be ready to leave within six months. I dare say a lot of us will be wanting to go in a few weeks."

"I'll do what I can to speed up the schedule from my end. I look forward to working with the Llandilo community more."

As Zoe finished, she swung up into her buggy using the roll bars. Maddison broke from Marnie's side and climbed into the back, swatting at Tyson's shoulder on the way past. Tyson had been lounging in the passengers seat after putting one small box into the trailer, leaving the rest to everyone else. Zoe made a mental note to herself to ask about the twins and Pat and Marnie. A sensation of warmth and happiness followed by wanderlust and betrayal floated through her mind. Glancing at Tyson, the young man nodded. Long and complicated, he said to her.

She nodded in reply, confident she would get the story eventually. Touching the buggy's console, she instructed Avi to start up and head off in the direction they were instructed to go. With the mid morning sun shining on them, Zoe left with happiness and hope for the future.

~

Going by buggy, it didn't take long for the group to get to Asquith, barely over an hour along open roads. Tyson commented to her along the lines of how quick it was for the group to travel by buggy and that it was no wonder there were so many wrecked cars around.

Asquith was similar to Llandilo, had a large wall around the town, but this one looked much sturdier, made almost of solid stone. There wasn't even a front gate, just a watch tower visible from the other side of the wall.

"WHO GOES THERE?" Boomed a voice loud enough that it echoed in Zoe's skull and made her wince.

"I got this,' Tyson said to her and stared directly at the lone figure in the watch tower. It was only a few seconds later when he broke his gaze and grinned broadly at Zoe. A moment later, a tunnel started to form in the wall, the stone seeming to melt away. As it slowed and stopped, Zoe saw a person on the other end of the tunnel, eyes closed in concentration, hands pressed against the stone. Smiling faintly, she saw herself in the person, sure that that was what she looked like when she was concentrating on technology. "Go ahead," Tyson said as the floor of the tunnel finished flattening.

Zoe took manual control of the buggy, driving into the tunnel. When it came down to it, the tunnel was barely twice the buggy's length and as the nose of the buggy came out the other side, the tail of the trailer entered the tunnel. As the trailer entered, the tunnel started to seal itself, the wall forming back to solid as Zoe parked to the side, in the shadow of the watch tower.

Maddison dropped off the back of the buggy and fist bumped the stone shifter, another slim woman, shorter than even Zoe. Maddison stood a head taller than her, but stood as if next to an equal. Tyson stretched as if just waking up and pulled himself up and out of the buggy as Zoe also exited. "Hey you," Tyson said, waving to the woman.

"Hey you," Yasmin replied, fist bumping Tyson. "Name's Yasmin," she said, extending a hand to Zoe, who shook it.

"Zoe, nice to meet you. You're a stone shaper?" After nodding, Zoe continued. "That's cool. I'm a technomancer, I can shape tech, sort of like how you shape stone."

A thud reached everyone's ears as a big man, easily close to seven foot tall, dropped from the last rungs of the ladder from the watch tower. "Hello troublesome twins," he said, voice loud enough to be called almost shouting. "What have you brought us today?"

"Far out, I forget how loud you are Joe," Maddison said, covering her ears. "Whisper man, some of us ain't used to your voice."

Joe grinned at Maddison and fist bumped the twins. "Joe," he said in a quieter tone, offering a hand easily twice the size of Zoe's, which she happily fist bumped.

"Zoe," she replied. "I'm travelling through this area, looking for people to join my Community in Europe."

"And you thought we might be interested?" Joe replied, intrigued. Yasmin moved under the man's arm and lent against his hip, her shoulder barely above it.

"And what makes you think we'd just up and move on the words of a stranger?" Yasmin asked. It appeared to Zoe that both of them were leaders, regardless of the size difference.

"Well, I'd like you to hear me out first, but I also hope that you trust that Tyson and Maddison are coming with me, of their own free will."

Both Yasmin and Joe almost jumped in surprise, staring at the twins in disbelief, who both grinned back at the mismatched pair. Joe looked down at Yasmin, who nodded to him.

"Cover your ears," Tyson said, doing so himself. Zoe quickly covered her ears, seeing Maddison and even Yasmin doing so too.

"Meeting. Midday. Fountain," Joe bellowed, loud enough that it hurt Zoe's head. Maddison hissed as Tyson said "ow,"

"I forget how loud you can get when you try," Tyson said, rubbing his head. "Even your thoughts are loud. Wish I could dampen you."

"I could bury your head in stone," Yasmin said, a pillar of stone rising up to her down facing palm.

"No thank you," Tyson replied quickly, waving away the offer as if slightly panicked by it. Maddison however, snickered at her brother.

"Everyone will gather shortly," Joe said, looking up at the sun, almost at it's peak already. "Let's go,"

Following the massive man, Zoe waved Avi to follow her. Yasmin watched in fascination as the vehicle started to follow, driving itself around obstacles and keeping pace with Zoe.

"Europe, huh?" Joe said, musing to himself. "You're a long way from home."

Zoe smiled warmly to him, silently thanking him for lowering his voice to a normal conversation tone. "Yes, my home is actually in France, though France as a country no longer exists. In it's place though, is the Community, We are a collection of towns who rely and support each other. We recognize that Talents are part of our world now and endeavour to make the world a better place, where everyone, regardless of age or if they're Talented or not, is supported and supports others." She waved at the twins. "I believe that Tyson and Maddison would be a serious boon in diplomacy and in defence. They've helped me and I them."

Maddison nodded at the raised eyebrows raised towards her. "We probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Zoe and another of her teams." The raised eyebrows turned to Zoe, who nodded.

Tyson took over from Maddison. "At the very least, we owe her our lives, and, so far, she's been truthful about everything she's said. Omitted details occasionally, but truthful."