Mundi ultra
Eugene and Stephanie were both assigned to technology; Stephanie was in communication and Eugene in innovation. They'd heard rumors, of something going on in the world outside. Rumors which Pamela Milton had moved quickly against, calling the talk dangerous and those who promulgated it treasonous in a big speech she gave during one of her random check-ins at the division.
That backlash had only fueled Stephanie's suspicions, and now she and Eugene believed they had proof. An eyes only series of cryptic messages Stephanie first stumbled upon when she noticed a pattern in their frequency and length.
The text was coded of course, so after she'd told Eugene of her discovery they covertly got to work decrypting what they could, late at night and in the privacy of their tiny apartment above the hardware store.
They relied on Stephanie's memory to transfer the series of letters, numbers and symbols to a small chalk board which was erased each time they finished the work, leaving no trace behind.
Stephanie narrated the communiques as she had found them, in no particular order
O-H give us your number
Big bird has left the coop, trouble in paradise
O-H come in. repeat - your number
Big bird has flown the cage
Operation mundi ultra has commenced
They made no obvious sense at first.
'...big bird...'so what or who is that. Like...the big boss?... head honcho...?' Negan ruminated out loud
'..and they said cage...not nest. Did someone escape?...Hmm...' pondered Connie
They threw around suggestions and ideas for a while
It was getting late. Daryl rubbed his eyes tiredly 'What was that O- H...?...OH..' he paused
'Wait. That's right here - Ohio, O-H. That could be us!' he said looking around, as understanding started to dawn
Aaron was pacing 'Where'd you say these were dispatched from?' he asked, turning to Stephanie
'Two different locations...' she started
'Deerfield and Jackson...' Eugene added.
'Deerfield...' Aaron repeated slowly. He'd stopped pacing and was scratching his head, a vague recognition in his expression
'The old outpost...!?' Mercer glanced at Aaron confirming what he also thought.
'If Pamela somehow recommissioned the abandoned station, God's knows when; it's definitely not been under standard military operation. Sounds like one more thing she's taken above my head...' Mercer sounded pissed off. He hadn't enjoyed being jerked around by Pamela Milton over the years, even as he'd served his people faithfully
'And if she kept it from us...from you, her Chief Officer...' Ezekiel's voice reflected the alarm bells set off by the realization
'Means she thinks...or knows she can't 'trust' me' Mercer's tone was rigid, 'I haven't always agreed with her methods...'
Princess was anxious to get back to the codes 'So, was there more?! There's gotta be more... we know big bird flew the coop. Okay- so someone took off. Then - what's our number...? number of what? GPS? ...what number? are there other communities out there like us we just don't know about? And what's operation mundo?... mondi!? she looked inquiringly to Eugene
'Mundi ultra' he said the words slowly, thoughtfully
'...Yes, there was one more thing' he continued
'May I...?' he asked with a nod to Connie, as he reached over and picked up her pad and pencil. He scribbled for a moment and held up the pad for them to see
'There was this...or my best rendition of what this emblem might have looked like before someone tried but failed, fortuitous for us, at an attempt to shred the document on which it was emblazoned, obliterating all evidence of its existence...'
'You mean you found it in the garbage?' Aaron asked. Eugene nodded.
'What is that?' Daryl asked, peering closer at the three interlocking circles Eugene had drawn on the pad.
Negan sucked is his breath, causing them all to turn to him. 'You know what it is?' Connie asked
Negan rubbed his forehead as if to spark the memory 'Yeah, I think I've seen that before. Thought I might've been hallucinating. A trick of light or something' he said
Negan explained how he'd seen a chopper with that same symbol on its tail, in the distance, hovering in the sky while he was tied up and about to have his face fed to an undead freak for lunch. At the time he'd been somewhat preocccupied bargaining with the garbage lady, known to Daryl and a few of the others as Jadis, for his life.
'Looks like the universal symbol for a biohazard, only it's complete...' Stephanie said
'So you think it means...a cure...' Yumi surmised
'Well, now we know it's connected. Just need to find out how' Daryl stated, picking up the pad 'All of it...and this Operation Mundi Ultra or whatever the hell it is'
'My Latin might be rusty but ..' Ezekiel started to say
'Yeah. .?'
'...I think in its simplest form it, mundi means world ...and ultra means...outside, no, no' he hesitated '...beyond' he concluded. Eugene nodded in confirmation.
In that moment they were all thinking the same thing. Hostile or friendly, a new world was coming; a world beyond. And they had to be ready to face it. Had to act quickly.