JOSH.
The rain had stopped. The kind of stop that doesn't mean it's over, just that the sky's catching its breath.
I found Boris near the coop, crouched with a stethoscope to Dolly's side, murmuring something to her in Russian-sounding nonsense. She blinked at him with passive judgment.
Jessi was tugging weeds from the greenhouse edge like she knew what she was doing. She didn't — but I appreciated the effort.
"You know that's basil, right?" I said as I walked up.
"...Shit." She dropped it. "The purple threw me off."
"That's literally why it's called purple basil."
"Whatever. It looked smug."
Boris stood, brushing straw from his knees.
"She's healthy. The cow. Good weight, calm. Chickens too. I'm impressed."
He looked around, lips twitching with restrained amusement.
"This is insane, you know."
"Thank you," I replied.
"I mean that kindly. It's organized. Efficient. Thought through. But still—crazy."
"We prefer 'visionary,'" Jessi said, straightening up beside the greenhouse door.
She turned toward me, arms crossed, squinting up at the solar glaze.
"It's a good way to ride out the storm. Whatever kind of storm this turns out to be."
The words sat between us for a second too long — just enough to acknowledge that we all knew this wasn't just weather.
Boris exhaled slowly and looked around.
"How long could this run self-sustained?"
"A year, if we ration," I said. "More, if we add a vertical aquaponic stack and can manage to produce enough power in the winter."
"And you built this all in… what, weeks?"
"I had a head start."
He didn't ask. He didn't need to.
Jessi moved closer, nudging my arm with her shoulder.
"I'm not saying I believe everything you're not telling me," she murmured. "But I believe you think it's true."
I looked down at her — blonde hair pulled back, hazel eyes sharper than I remembered.
"It's enough," I said.
Behind us, Houdini barked once, and Luna came running with half a glove in her mouth.
Jessi burst out laughing. Boris smiled, actually smiled, like maybe this was more than just his weird new client gig.
For a minute, it felt like a home.
Even if the world was still ticking toward something terrible.
Boris brushed his hands off on his jeans and glanced toward the far side of the rooftop, where the small gated stall stood apart from the others — its frame reinforced with an extra row of vertical steel bars and a double-locking gate.
"I checked the bull and the rooster," he said casually, like he was reviewing a grocery list instead of two potentially explosive personalities.
Jessi blinked.
"Wait. You have a bull?"
"Miniature," I said. "For breeding. And because I thought if things got really bad, he might help with load-bearing."
"You built a doomsday farm," she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I built a buffer between me and starvation."
Boris gave a quiet chuckle and nodded toward the stall.
"He's young. Testy, but manageable. Still — it's prudent to keep him separate for now, until we can work on gradual integration. Same with the rooster. Too much posturing with the hens already. One wrong move and you'll have a feathery murder scene."
"Sounds like law school," Jessi muttered.
"Sounds like Rosie's brothers," I said, too quietly.
They both looked at me.
"What?"
"Nothing," I said, and forced a thin smile. "It's just—instinct's a funny thing. Even animals know when something's not safe to mix."
Boris tilted his head slightly, like he wanted to say something more, but thought better of it. Instead, he clapped his hands and turned toward the greenhouse.
"Anyway. I'll monitor them daily, and we'll start transition trials in a week. Slow exposure. One fence between. Let them adjust."
"Thanks," I said. "I don't want anything in this place turning on itself."
"Good," he said. "Because out there—" he nodded to the city skyline, smeared in dusky gold and smoke, "—things already are."
We stood there for a minute longer, watching the wind carry dried petals down the terrace like tiny warnings.
Inside, the airlock door clicked shut with a soft mechanical hiss.
And somewhere below, the storm found its voice again. I was glad that things were heated and sealed on the roof as things picked up. Hopefully it would be enough.