"All team leads and scouts please report to the mess hall for a debriefing at oh eight hundred hours, thank you."

The tannoy crackled as Mal released the transmit button and Merryn staggered into wakefulness. She glanced at her wrist as she slapped the shower into action. "Bloody hell, fire and flames," she muttered. "Seven o'clock. I'm sure the man's a vampire."

Three-quarters of an hour later she found herself sitting at a table with Gareth, sipping a cup of tea and waiting for Captain Summers who strolled into the room with Mal and Lieutenant Sands in tow.

Summers gestured the Lieutenant to a seat then sat on the end of one of the mess tables. "Thank you for coming. I wanted to gather you here to run over recent events, but also talk about some information and orders we've had from the Isle."

He paused and smiled at Lieutenant Sands. "First I wanted to say thank you to the Lieutenant for her timely arrival yesterday, and for her assistance in bashing a few deadheads. Second, the Prime Minister has asked me to confirm the field promotion to the rank of Captain on Lieutenant Sands too. Congratulations Lily, well done. And with the change of title comes a change in orders, one the Captain and I have already discussed but something we now need to let you know about too.

"As of now, Captain Sands will be attached to this base as our new seafaring mobile unit. The Cruiser is far quicker than our poor old fishing boat, and since the loss of Dave we've been missing a deep knowledge of the sea, something Captain Sands and her team have. They also have considerable fire power.

"But, and of course there is always a but, that will only work for as long as we can keep the Cruiser fueled up and stocked with ammunition. And that brings us to the next topic of conversation. We need to raid the depot at Plymouth again. We didn't do too badly last time considering what was going on there but it's time for another visit. Scout 2, I'd like you to accompany Captain Sands. You know the area well, take Eddie with you, and see if Tom wants to join in too, but he is optional.

"Once there, we need to carry out a reconnaissance mission, see what's left of the local gangs, the deadheads, and the state of the depot. Captain Sands and her team, as well as some more soldiers from here, will raid as much as they can and stock up."

A few hands went up from the team and Summers held up a hand to stay their questions. "Stock up for what? I hear you say. Well, this brings me to the crux of things. The comms team on the Isle picked up a communication from an old air base in the north of the county. It was a distress call from a group of survivors at the nuclear power station on the north coast. They've managed to keep the main reactor going and safe, using the electricity to electrify the perimeter and keep the walkers out. There's about three hundred people there, but a great many more walkers, so they need help. The Prime Minister has decided this is the first step in reclaiming the mainland. A reliable power source would allow us to kickstart civilisation.

"So, we need to get people there, assess the situation, and work out what we can do to help. The PM is hoping this will be the first strategic strike against the walkers, the first of many that will lead to the clearance of the southwest of England, and eventually the whole of the UK. Questions?"

Lieutenant Osborne raised a hand and Summers nodded for him to continue. "Sir, you mention retaking the UK. That's great, and something we would like to do, but need more people to do that. We're not many here, and there are a couple of thousand on the Isle. Are we going looking for other survivors too?"

"Good question Lieutenant, and yes, we are. As well as supplies, weapons, and fuel, we'll be looking for people too. We've had some communications in the past with people on the Islands southwest of Cornwall, rumours of strongholds along the coast, and also communications with the Isle from further afield in the UK too whether it be oil rigs, other islands, old castles, even a few sports stadia, and more urban locations. There are tens of thousands of people still out there, clinging on. We have to try and band them together. It's not going to be quick or easy, but if we don't do this then over time the walkers will win."

Gareth raised a hand.

"Yes, Gareth?"

"Where would you like myself and Andrew?"

"I'd like you to scout the route between here and the power station, please. The majority of it is a motorway, then a decent A-road that was rebuilt when they put in the power station. I need to know how much we'd need to do to get that route operational, and whether there are any more hazards like that grey goop - Andrew's seen that before - groups of walkers, rogue humans, damaged roads or bridges, and so on. We can use the ship this time with Captain Sands, but in time we will need to get our electric vehicles running along that route so we can supply the power station and they can start to power the country with electricity. We have enough solar panels here to sustain ourselves, but the country will need more and the power station would supply a constant and reliable source of electricity."

Summers paused for a moment. "Gareth, perhaps you should take Tom with you rather than have him go with Merryn. You could benefit from a couple of extra pairs of eyes there and Tom and Andrew are a good team as they've already proven by getting themselves back here from the edge of the moor."

Gareth nodded and flashed a smile at Merryn who was also nodding her agreement.

"When do we move out?" asked Merryn.

Summers directed his gaze at her. "Tomorrow morning. Take the day to get your kit and teams together. Take a drone with you. As always, if you see any more drones or other useful kit when you're out and about we could always do with more, the tech team like playing with new equipment. If you can pick it up, take it. If you can't, make a note of the location and we'll get a team out to grab it."

"Any further questions?" Summers looked around the room. "You know your roles. We have the chance now to make a real difference to the future of this country. Captain Sands will take field command for this mission, we will support from here as best we can as always, and if necessary we can contact Command. Good luck everyone."

People drifted away from the mess hall as Captain Summers left, some discussing recent events in groups. Gareth gave Merryn a quick hug and wished her well, and she sat back down and stared into her cooling mug of tea.

"May I join you?"

Lily had found a mug of tea and was looking a little lost, so Merryn gestured to her to take a seat at her table. "So, Captain eh? Congratulations."

"Thank you," Lily inclined her head. "It's been on the cards for a while, but Captain Summers' rather glowing report in the aftermath of the swarm seemed to help. He seems like a good man."

"He is, and he cares too much sometimes. It can't be easy looking after us. I respect him, and he gave me a chance when I didn't deserve one." Lily looked like she was about to ask a question but Merryn changed the subject. "May I ask what happened to the previous captain of the cruiser?"

"He died," she said and took a sip of her tea. "It was my first day on the ship. I was on patrol, training up in the highlands of Scotland. I'd not long joined the Navy, only a couple of years in and I ended up on the Cruiser after falling out with my previous superior officer. Of course, being more junior, I was the one who got transferred. The new Captain was comparatively old by naval standards, on the verge of retirement and he'd seen action a few times. He knew his stuff, was a good teacher, and didn't tolerate insubordination, or any of the institutionalised sexism or racism that seemed to plague so many other parts of the forces.

"On the day everything kicked off, we were told to refuel at a depot down the coast to the south and make haste to the Isle of Wight. Only the Captain knew the full extent of the order. We went on full alert, weapons ready, and moved as fast as we could.

"At the refuel depot, we'd managed to get the boat filled up, checked over, and were casting off when all hell broke loose at the dock. Someone on the dockside went active and started biting everyone in a frenzy, and soon the place was carnage, a raging bloodbath. I was sent to get the last of the crew on board and told to cast off. The entire port side of the ship was lined with armed sailors. As the last man staggered on board, we cast off and watched people die as we floated away.

"It took us a couple of days to make our way to the Isle, by which time we realised our families and loved ones were probably dead. The Captain held us together through all of it. He died of a heart attack the day after we made the Isle and as one of the few officers left, I was given command of the ship.

"So what's your story?"

Merryn sighed. "Nothing quite so heroic I'm afraid. I suspect I'm one of the few people who the virus saved in some ways.

"I was at a low point in my life when everything kicked off. I wasn't really aware that some sort of mystery illness seemed to be spreading around the world, I was far more interested in knowing where my next fix was coming from. But, one morning, reality came in and bit me in the arse, before some walker bit me anywhere else.

"I was a mess. I'd been living in a cramped loft for six months with an on and off girlfriend, and I'd hit a new low: I'd started skipping work and began selling to support my own habit. I wasn't very good at it, and I'd overindulged in what I was meant to be selling. So I owed people money.

"The grubby bedsit I was living in was at the top of a three-story building. One morning I awoke to someone thumping on the door, and I thought the dealer's heavies had come to get me.

"Charlotte, my girlfriend, was out, but she came tooled up and ready. She'd been a dealer off and on for years, so was used to getting busted or beaten up on occasion, something she seemed to take in her stride as an occupational hazard.

"I knew it wasn't the police, they usually warned you first, so I grabbed her crossbow, and shaking like hell from fear and a drug comedown, I went to the door.

"It was rattling in its frame. I slipped off the safety catch on the bow, undid the bolts, and flung it wide open, pointing my crossbow at the hallway outside. It wasn't the gang. It wasn't Charlie either. It was something far worse.

"A dirty-looking man stood there in tattered clothes, staring right through me. Blood was crusted around his mouth and he sorta lurched towards me, moaning horribly. I reacted. I shot him in the head.

"As he keeled over, moaning started up from the stairwell, and more still from outside. I slammed the door, shot the bolts, and barricaded it with a chest of drawers. Then I looked out of the window.

"It was chaos, and reality hit. People were running around screaming, one poor old man was being torn apart by a group of five deadheads and people were dying.

"The banging on the door started again. I threw on some clothes, slipped on my leather jacket, and chucked anything useful I could lay my hands on into a pack. I picked up Charlie's sword and matching dagger from its holder on the wall - she'd decided she wanted to be a martial arts expert at some point in her past and had bought the blades. Then I grabbed her bike keys and helmet, got out the window, and went to the fire escape.

"I heard the crash of the door inside and the scraping of the chest as it was forced across the floorboards. A second later a grey-skinned hand dressed in the ragged edges of a shirt smashed through the window as I made it to the ladder. I made my way down to ground level as quickly as I could.

"I put on the helmet and ran towards the bike. I didn't make it.

"A walker had been behind the wall where the bike was parked. I couldn't hear much because of the helmet, so the first thing I knew about it was the damn thing grabbing me from behind. As I fell, I managed to twist so I landed on my back, but it fell on top of me, pinning me to the ground, the sword under me. It was old Mrs. Marjorie from over the road, or rather the Zombie version. The helmet saved me. Her teeth kept snapping at my face behind the plastic visor as I struggled to get free. My hand found the dagger I'd strapped to my hip, and I slammed it hilt deep into her eye.

"I ripped off a handful of her dress, wiped my visor, jumped on the bike, and rode like a woman possessed.

"The things I saw as I got out of Bristol, I will never forget. The motorbike allowed me to thread my way through the unending stream of refugees, their cars piled high with televisions and useless kitchen gadgets; barely moving snails who would end up feeding the walkers as they spread, a stationary food source stacked and ready to eat: mile after mile of food for the deadheads.

"I avoided most of the major routes and headed towards Exeter. It was near where I'd grown up and my twin brother was stationed at Calstone barracks. It seemed safe. I made it there, he didn't.

"The bike ran out of fuel about five miles outside Exeter. So I went cross country to the barracks. I was lucky, I only came across one group of walkers. There were three of them and I pretty much walked into them.

"I was not in the mood for company by that point. I was on a massive comedown from my normal habit. I was tired, scared, and angry. My so-called life was in tatters and now some moaning Zombie arsehats wanted to eat me. So I sorta lost it for a few minutes.

"I shot one with the crossbow, screaming abuse at them as I did. Then I went loopy samurai on them, and ended up breaking my sword on the last one's head: cheap steel I guess. There was more moaning as I finished them off, and I knew I didn't have long before I would have company again. So I ran. I was good at running, even used to run for my school before I decided it wasn't what the cool kids did anymore.

"I got to the barracks as the sun was starting to set in a beautiful glow of orange, my own personal holocaust of a sky. I got to the fence and cried my eyes out as the guards told me to stay where I was until I could be checked over by the medical staff. I was a blubbering wreck.

"The army sorted me out in the end. They made me strip behind a sheet at the side of the road so the army doctor could check me over, then I was given a clean bill of health, apart from the needle tracks, and told to get inside.

"They fed me, clothed me, and got me off drugs by making me go cold turkey. I spent days shivering and shaking in a grim come down and then I was allowed to join them and try and give something back to the shattered remains of the country."

Merryn sat back in her seat. "Sorry, that went on a bit. So there you go, that's me. It's been a long time since I told anyone all that. Seems like a lifetime ago now."

Lily reached across the table and held her hand for a moment. "Thank you for sharing. It's been a while since I enjoyed someone's company like this too."

Her fingers relaxed their grip, but Merryn kept hold for a moment longer, surprising Lily whose face looked puzzled for a moment and then altered to a shy smile.

Merryn blushed a little, and then stood, offering her arm like a Victorian gentleman. "Um... do you fancy a walk?"

"Is that normally how you ask someone out?" asked Lily, also standing.

"I don't know, I've never done it before. I'm not great at relationships." Merryn let her arm fall. "I mean, if you don't want to, it's not a problem."

Lily slipped her arm through Merryns and smiled at her. "I was just teasing. Come on, let's go for a wander."