Natalie hadn't gone far down the main road when she spotted a big three-story building with a sign saying "Base Office". There were plenty of cars parked outside. Two armed guards stood at the entrance, one on each side. She glanced at them and felt reassured. She parked at the front, locked the car, and walked inside the lobby with Cassian. Inside, a female staff member held a megaphone, directing the crowd. "New arrivals, line up to check in! No pushing, no cutting!" The lobby was bright and open. For a moment, Natalie felt like she'd stepped back into the world before the apocalypse. There were seven or eight service windows, each with a long line. But some people weren't waiting. Instead, they were heading straight up the stairs on the left side. Natalie's experience told her that hat less was better. Even in the apocalypse, the 80/20 rule still applied. 80% of the world's wealth and resources always ended up with the top 20% people. She didn't rush. Instead, she stopped and asked the staff member a question. "Excuse me, could I ask—" That woman, clearly stressed, barely glanced at her and waved her off. "Don't block the way! Go inside! Questions? Ask at the windows." Natalie wasn't in a hurry. She pulled out two mint candies and slipped them into that woman's hand. That finally got her attention. She put down the megaphone, looked Natalie over, and then glanced at Cassian.Seeing they were healthy and well-fed, she pocketed the candies and smiled. "Miss, what did you want to ask? Sorry, I'm afraid I missed it before." Natalie got straight to the point. "What's upstairs for?" That woman grinned. "You asked the right person! Upstairs is for renting or buying a place, but you need to have your funds checked first." "Funds checked?" She nodded. "Renting or buying takes a lot of food. To keep things running smoothly, someone checks if you have enough before you go upstairs." She patted the pocket where she had the candies. "But judging by you two, I can tell you're not short on food. If you want to rent, I can take you up right now!" Natalie looked at the long lines. "Those people are ... " That woman explained, "The first floor is for free housing. Anyone who comes here gets a bed in a shared room. But ... " She leaned in and lowered her voice. "You know how shared rooms are. Eight people squeeze into a tiny place, barely 200 square feet. It's not exactly great." Natalie thought it sounded like a college dorm. But those survivors weren't innocent students. Sharing a room meant her supplies weren't safe. For people with nothing, it was fine. They could move in, work for the base, and survive. But anyone with resources would be much safer and more comfortable in their own place. "We'll go upstairs. Thanks," Natalie said. That woman beamed and led them up. A guard blocked the stairs to the second floor, letting only ticket holders pass. After the woman said a few words, the guard waved Natalie and Cassian through. As they walked, Natalie whispered, "Security is pretty lax here. Just take the right word." Cassian teased, "Isn't it nice when someone pulls strings for you?" They reached the second-floor service windows, which had far fewer people than downstairs. A staff member handed them a price list. "Rent or buy?" Natalie glanced at it. There were two types of small, basic apartments. The first had one bedroom and a living room—about 400 square feet. The second had two bedrooms and a living room—around 600 square feet. No shared spaces. What they saw was what they would get. There were even pictures included. They called it a simple industrial style, but it just looked like bare concrete walls. Rent was eight or 13 pounds of food per month, for a three-month minimum. Buying cost 500 or 700 pounds of food. Natalie noticed most people at other windows were renting. Few could pay for much food at once. Other supplies could also be used, with conversion rates on the back of the list. She skimmed the list and said without hesitation, "We'll buy a house." Rent was a waste for her. She wasn't moving in right away, so rent would be like throwing money away. Buying was a better deal. Four or five years of rent would buy her a place outright. The prices were probably set low because they knew most survivors couldn't pay hundreds of pounds of food at once.