The excited voice struggled to steady its breathing. "I'm Martin Sorensen, from the Department of Biochemistry!
Howard, we used to drink that awful coffee together in the faculty cafeteria!
Do you remember that half-dead pepper plant on your office windowsill?
Weren't you retired? How did you end up there?
Where's Elena? Are you together? Are you safe?!"
That string of deeply personal, everyday details erased the last of their doubts.
No one but a real old colleague, an old friend, could have said all that so quickly.
Howard finally found his voice. Tears streaming down his face, he took the microphone. "Martin, it really is you!
I'm alive. Elena is here too. We're both fine, and we're somewhere very safe. What about you? How many people are still at the school? What about Caitlin? Benjamin?"
Just as the two old professors were about to start catching up over the radio, Calista gently pressed Professor Howard's wrist and shook her head.
Now was not the time for a long conversation.
Danny understood immediately and cut in. "Professor Sorensen, we're glad to have confirmed your identity. Professor Howard and Professor Elena are indeed with us, and they're safe.
We'll send a security team to your location for face-to-face contact. We'll also bring some basic supplies. Please make sure the meeting point is secure."
On the other end of the radio, Martin Sorensen finally pulled himself back from his excitement, though his voice was still badly choked. "Understood, understood. We agree!
God bless, this is wonderful! We'll get ready. We'll start packing now! As for the coordinates and details, please let us discuss them first. We'll transmit them shortly. Please, please come!"
The communication was temporarily cut off.
Professor Howard wiped his tears, and Elena's eyes were wet as well. Both of them were still caught up in the overwhelming joy of unexpectedly reconnecting with someone from the past.
"Identity confirmed beyond doubt," Calista said, breaking the silence. "The reconnaissance team will move out to meet them as soon as possible."
...
The pickup team led by Hank quietly arrived at the northwestern edge of UTK, following the safe route and coordinates provided by the UTK side.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, sat on a stretch of gently rolling hills along the Tennessee River.
Before the apocalypse, it had been a center of learning, where old brick buildings and modern glass-walled structures stood side by side.
Now, it was a silent, lifeless island.
Guided by Jason, Hank's team spent nearly a full day avoiding several known walker clusters and blocked roads.
Finally, by afternoon, they reached the outskirts of the campus.
The sight in front of them was bleak.
Most of the campus had been swallowed by weeds. Damaged vehicles sat abandoned on the roads, many buildings had broken doors and windows, and some areas bore signs of fires and fierce fighting.
Overall, though, there seemed to be fewer walkers here than in the commercial district, likely because the campus had been locked down and cleared relatively quickly in the early days.
Following the simple signal agreed upon over the radio, Hank's team found a large integrated teaching and laboratory building.
The building was sturdy, with few entrances and a broad view from the upper floors. It had clearly been chosen carefully as a stronghold.
Through his binoculars, Hank spotted a flag on the rooftop, made from a bedsheet and dye, bearing UTK's iconic "torch" emblem as it fluttered gently in the breeze.
"Bossie, Jenson, set up outer observation posts. Cover the main routes and that patch of woods."
Hank gave the order in a low voice. "Everyone else, stay alert. Convoy in defensive formation. Jason, come with me."
Hank brought only the local guide Jason and one National Guard soldier carrying a medical kit. The three of them approached the building on foot.
Their arrival had clearly been noticed long ago.
Behind several windows, tense figures could be seen watching them, but no one sounded an alarm.
Just as they neared the roadblock, a reinforced door on the building opened.
The man who stepped out was Professor Martin Sorensen.
He looked even more worn down than he had sounded over the radio. His graying hair was messy, and his eyes behind his glasses were bloodshot.
Several young people followed beside him, men and women alike. Though their faces were drawn and they gripped crude weapons tightly, there was far more curiosity and hope in their eyes than fear.
"Mr. Hank?" Professor Sorensen's voice trembled slightly.
"Professor Sorensen, good to meet you. I'm Hank." Hank stepped forward and solemnly shook the old professor's hand, then took two carefully wrapped items from his coat.
One was the old canvas pencil case Professor Howard often used. The other was Professor Elena's wristwatch, its strap already worn.
"Professor Howard and Professor Elena asked us to bring these. They said you and their old colleagues would recognize them right away."
Professor Sorensen took them, his fingers trembling slightly. He had to take several deep breaths before he calmed down.
"They're theirs! Yes, they're theirs! Thank you, thank you…" He turned to the young people behind him, his voice suddenly rising.
"It's true! They really are with Howard and Elena! Hurry, tell everyone in the building to get ready to gather! We're saved!"
Muffled cheers came faintly from inside the building.
Several young people turned and ran off to spread the good news they had waited far too long to hear.
"Professor, please show us everyone's condition. We need to determine the most effective evacuation plan," Hank said, guiding the conversation back on track at the right moment.
"Of course, of course. This way, please." Professor Sorensen hurriedly led the way. At this point, he held nothing back from Hank's group.
"We currently have sixty-seven people here. Their health is relatively stable, but a few older faculty members are malnourished, and one student injured his leg during a previous search. It hasn't healed well."
He spoke quickly as they walked. "Our supplies are concentrated in the basement of the main library and the adjacent engineering laboratory building. Those structures are the strongest.
We've done our best to preserve the books, journals, most of the important laboratory records and hard drives, as well as some portable instruments…
Oh, right. This is a detailed map of the campus. We marked every area where walkers have been active, recent observation points, and the locations of the traps and early-warning devices we set up…"
Professor Sorensen could hardly wait to push a hand-drawn, extremely detailed map into Hank's hands.
That initiative and honesty touched Hank slightly. He was used to seeing deception and backstabbing in the apocalypse.
The inside of the main building was better than expected. Although the lighting was dim, it had been cleaned and kept in good order.
The survivors had already gathered. There were men and women, young and old, all standing close together, their eyes fixed on Hank's group, filled with an almost reverent hope.
Several elderly professors even craned their necks, staring hard at the old pencil case in Hank's hand.
Hank raised the pencil case and the wristwatch, then said in a clear voice, "Everyone from UTK, on behalf of Rock Fortress, and entrusted by Professor Howard and Professor Elena, I've come to meet you.
They are both safe and waiting at our base to reunite with you. We've brought initial medical supplies and food, and we will do everything we can to ensure your safe evacuation!"