Life at the Sanctuary was perhaps mundane.
For a few hours spent here, Hayden observed and watched, soaking up as much information as his database could. If he wanted to make a name for himself here, he had to be useful, and he felt that knowledge was power in a place like this. People talked about Negan like he was a god that they respected and feared.
Negan was such a difficult man for Hayden to understand. Hayden had studied him in many ways possible during the first meeting; his posture, his mannerisms, the way he spoke. The man oozed confidence that no one dared to tangle with, and members of the Sanctuary got pulled to him like gravity.
Hayden had heard words being thrown around about Negan since the moment he arrived: ruthless, degrading, impressive, and "funny as shit" at times. The cyborg felt the terms were a bit contradicting, but he held his own opinions about Negan. To him, Negan was a bit mysterious coupled with a bit of a showoff, which again is somewhat opposing.
Hayden was sure that some of the horrors people spoke of were true. He had heard about him being in action more than once, and his brutal actions did make a lot of people cringe. Negan burned faces with irons, and many workers had seen the bloody end of Lucille as he strolls by on his way in from a run somewhere. For the most part, the inhabitants that worked and lived in the Sanctuary seemed to be appreciative of him. Some didn't speak either way, and Hayden thought that maybe they weren't as happy about their lives, but didn't say anything for fear of retribution.
The workers were the civilian class that keeps the Saviors operating around the Sanctuary. The bartering system was pretty straightforward. They perform regular jobs such as resource production and trade to earn points, which can become exchanged for other stocks. They're not allowed to move freely between Savior-controlled compounds unsupervised. Some of them do not have private rooms but instead sleep in bunks in a shared communal area. Exceptional workers become given the ability to rise to the rank of soldier, which grants them many perks. Even subjugated communities might fit alongside this class.
The first thing on Hayden's list was clothing, which will become used for concealing his cybernetic appearance. Hayden knew he would need to acquire more points, but he wasn't willing to do that. So, Hayden needed to find somewhere to work. The towering cyborg shifted through the marketplace with a few Saviors observing, clearly the largest area in the compound. There were stands for essentials, like toiletries and over-the-counter medication. A few women were selling herbal remedies, and fresh herbs and oils, which meant there was a distilling station somewhere, perhaps an apothecary.
There were even artisans.
A large corner slot in the marketplace featured a middle-aged couple with carpentry set up, making furniture but also wooden art pieces. A boy who couldn't be older than twelve was currently gaping at the cybernetic android walk past him with those chocolate eyes of his.
Hayden then stopped at the sight of a long table covered in neatly folded clothes, flanked by a dirty-looking female redhead pinning an extended length of silky black fabric. Hayden checked out the garments for sale, noting only functional gear.
"Bugger," the redhead cussed and pushed a jabbed thumb in her mouth, having cut herself from hastening her task.
"Excuse me, ma'am," Hayden asked, appraising the multitude of sewing machines set up with quite a bit of workspace. "I am sorry for interrupting your labor per se, but I was hoping that you would be interested in letting me help aid your toil here. I am not asking much for points, only in return for using your overlock machine so that I can makeshift my clothing."
"Heh, I'd be needing ten fucking hands for this. That is if you can keep them tuned up." Came an irritated reply from the redhead, in a thick English accent that sounded like she had been doing this for years.
And just as she was about to turn her head, "You know your way around sewing...machines...?"
The redhead gasped at Hayden's appearance before he held a hand up. "Don't be alarmed, miss. I am here so that I can perform better worth of myself here in the Sanctuary. Now then, would you like any assistance from me?"
The redhead soon breaks out from her surprise and puts her hands on her hips. "That depends, why haven't you been bloody assigned to me then?"
"Although I am still supervised by most of the members here, I want to-"
"Of fucking course you are." The seamstress waved him off as she huffed. "Get out of my workplace, whatever you are. Besides, if you're getting supervised, they won't give you shit. You can't just walk up to any old person and ask for a fucking job."
"No need to be aggravated, ma'am. My only objective of being here is to require attachable material on the clothing for my...appearance. To do that, I ask of you to let me make my cloak here. However, I perceive that you wouldn't want any freeloader here, so for that, I shall assist in helping you repair any clothing." explained Hayden, watching the redhead look at him curiously.
"So, you don't want me to sublet my points?"
Hayden sighed again, "Simply put: give me something to work on, and I will prove my usefulness to you."
"Usefulness, eh?" the seamstress motioned to the pile of garments on the workbench. "Fine then, here's the deal. Those need repair. Get 'em done and I'll reconsider my thoughts about it."
"Thank you very much, ma'am. I hope our cooperation will benefit us all." Hayden nodded, causing the seamstress to roll her eyes with annoyance.
"Just shut up and get to work, okay?" She said, walking away to go get a pack of cigarettes for herself.
Hayden began to kneel towards the table's height and strode around to examine the old serger on the back workbench.
It was time to work.
After what felt like almost 20 minutes, the seamstress, whose name turned out to be Nabby, was impressed yet surprised with all the neatly folded stack of pants and shirts that Hayden repaired.
Especially how fast it was for the towering android.
"You weren't kidding," The redhead examined the perfectly neat little stitches that Hayden had hand-sewn.
He had undoubtedly fixed all the gaping holes and missing buttons on the garments, and Nabby made noises of pleasure as she sorted through them. "Alrighty then, I gotta hand it to you tinman, you've done very well. Clean up the workplace, and you'll be on your way."
Right now, Hayden had been obtaining another discarded, severely damaged piece of clothing he could find at the marketplace and started adding it to his makeshift, hooded cloak. The thing looked almost terrifying, but it could pass as a cheap costume for a cape with a monstrous size, which was the angle the android was going for right now.
"Thank you again, Nabby. I look forward to our next meeting soon." Hayden said.
"Whatever. Simon will be around here sooner or later to check on you." Nabby scoffed and strode away.
The towering cyborg almost chuckled to himself, knowing that he had won this round. Hayden already knew he is staying here for now, and he will make sure of it. Besides, he needed to make sure he was useful while showing enough to people that he was masterful.
Hayden needed to impress Negan, and the trick was to figure out how much more after meeting the man himself. So, Hayden decided that key people who are close to Negan would be his ticket inside. He wasn't sure how far up this would go, but Hayden figured he was going to be well known.
After cleaning up the bits of thread and excess fabric from the workspace, Hayden bid farewell to Nabby as he made his exit out through the marketplace.
As Hayden looks around for Simon, he soon became lost in his thoughts about this whole place here. The worldwide network of the internet here was ceased, giving Hayden no other help around that point.
The alternate Earth here was much odder and outright absurd than he could've ever suspected. Plus, it ensured that no matter how unusual he might have seemed to the Saviors, he hardly did anything unheard of in this world. Which secretly included dimensional travel.
Something had been wondered.
Hayden definitely could use this world's technology, which can get linked with his expertise in physics and perhaps let him unite this world with his own. Though, Hayden concluded, that he wouldn't just retreat there if he gets a chance.
After all, this Earth was in a terrible state. It was shredded by war and internal quarrel, tormented by whatever was the case of some humans and spontaneously manifesting seemingly undead creatures. Not unlike those possessed by demons, terrorized by power-hungry maniacs, and the mindless hunger that these dead creatures had.
If Hayden ever managed to reach his world.
His base of power.
He would bring the UAC's vitality here to heal this Earth and its people. To install a more permanent social order. One which was not so clearly overlooked by individuals randomly granted supremacy over other humans, and to eliminate the walking dead.
After all, it was painfully obvious that the dead needed to perish. They, for all pure intents and purposes, wreaked havoc on humanity just like the demons did on his own Earth. And any other power-hungry human needed to meet the same end the dead met, especially since there could be particularly powerful adversaries.
Aside from that, the Saviors here seemed too out of place.
Too odd.
Too powerful.
Integrated and hell-bent on creating humanity with being just a group of randomly ruthless figures.
The Earth here, for all its power, can't match against the demons, nor could these humans kill the demons. However, Hayden had assisted develop a much higher, more dominant civilization once before already. And he was fully committed to achieving that again.
He still had the Crucible, after all.
Hayden could provide this Earth with infinite power, grant humans mass-producible developments that could put them on par with others. Hayden tried figuring out ways that people here could use them in more productive and logical ways so that he could use them to their full potential. The android had the power himself to change this world as he changed previously. To advance this humanity above the beastly threat of demons or humans in general. But there were more immediate concerns as well.
Negan, for example.
The figurehead.
The one who established the group, as well as its rules and systems.
In the form of paying taxes through different resources, Negan uses his position and workforce to subjugate other groups into doing that. Making heavily-handed rules to carry out brutal punishments of his own for violations, Negan remained away from the subservient districts, allowing his lieutenants and subordinates to appear on his behalf. As a result, some communities did not realize that Negan was a real person until he presented himself to Rick Grimes after the residents of that mentioned outpost got slain by Rick and his people.
The man seemed to have forgotten, or willfully determined to develop the Saviors on what his rules are worth, and he might believe Hayden is only going to get in his way. All Hayden gathered was that the Saviors' truce and anonymity were inviolable. More anxiety remained noiseless, concerning the thought if there ever becomes a demonic incursion on this Earth. Furthermore, Hayden couldn't determine whether or not those demons still were confined within Hell.
Or possibly the Crucible caused a more stable dimensional bridge to get opened, and he currently had no equipment to investigate further. Pretty much, all of these emotions inside outlined some clear short-term goals. Hayden will have to guarantee that no cultists could stretch the portal with blood sacrifices on this Earth; if there even is any. The cyborg will require infrastructure and technology for establishment.
Sure, the Sanctuary contained slight useful resources, but building up from that would take him literal decades to reach the height of his capacity. Though that's the only choice he's going to have to make. He needed the Saviors' resources and support, but they would undoubtedly not welcome the android with open arms, not without further examination.
Maybe, just maybe.
Hayden then decided that the most suitable course of action was to establish himself in their eyes by helping them with patrols and supply runs. No matter how wasteful and outright foolish the idea of patrolling would be, he will support them in their fights. With his course of action crafted, he then heard a sound from behind.
"Heh-Heh-Hey! Wow, and what is with the raggedy-looking dress, tinman? It's not like you're running late for church or something like so." A voice emerged beside Hayden as he turned around to examine a man coming over.
It was Negan's right-hand man Simon, who had dark-grey balding hair, a handlebar mustache, and a confident yet creepy grin. Walking behind the man were two more Savior members; Gary, a bald-looking black man with a short beard, and David, a dirty blonde-haired white man with a stubble beard as well. Each of the two male Saviors gazed at Hayden with uncertainty and an eerie vibe received from what he wore.
From what Hayden could reconvene, Simon was a part of Negan's inner circle composed of his top lieutenants forming the governing council of the Saviors. They are in charge of designated outposts and soldiers overseeing subjugated communities. Some of them may not work for points, and free access to assets and a higher quality of life are allowed. Hayden could see that Negan seems to have his group of intimates within every reach he could muster, but the cyborg did not go so far as to call them trusted confidants.
Not all of them can have faith in the likes of him, anyway. If anything, Hayden knew people like Negan would have to keep a wide variety of personalities around him. Especially if some of his lieutenants hold clear directions, making it simple for Hayden to understand why Negan has allowed them into his Circle of Trust.
Others, however, in terms of their intent, may not become as easy to comprehend, which leads one to ask why they have such revered positions in the elite sanctum of Negan. It is quite evident that Negan is a man who can both navigate the big picture and the smaller picture seamlessly. There is virtually no doubt that he has justification for keeping people alive, and Hayden can bet that much of it includes tactics.
"You must be the man Negan has mentioned to me about. Simon, is that correct?" Hayden asked, towering over Simon alongside David and Gary, who both stood back in wariness.
Simon chuckled softly, "The one and only, doc. Up until recently, I couldn't help but notice how you've accommodated Nabby's little dilemma without correctly becoming assigned to doing such. But I'll let that slide for now. Change of plans, doc. You're coming with me on a grand tour around our humble home."
"Hmm, I can see what you're affirming. Well, as long as I am allowed to ask questions throughout the tour, I don't see any problem as to what you or Negan fancily desire in the Sanctuary. After all, I am a guest of honor in this exploration that's worth remembering." Hayden said with a single nod, stepping aside to let Simon guide him forward. "Lead the way, Simon."
"Well, you must be so eager to start this tour. I can assure you, doc. The Sanctuary is one of a kind indeed. It will be an unforgettable experience." Simon spoke with a wink, escorting Hayden through the marketplace.
As Simon was busy explaining the Sanctuary's lifestyle, Hayden pondered about the high-ranking Savior and his unnerving sense of humor. Simon seems like a peril to the way of life at the Sanctuary. Because, unlike Negan, he doesn't look like he plays by clearly defined rules.
Hayden can probably see why men like Simon are what Negan troubles about sometimes.
Not so much for a right-hand man of Negan's troops, despite Simon's extreme loyalty to his leader. The most helpful thing to do around this group of Earth survivors would be on learning to know their advantages and disadvantages. Hayden was able to acquire information about Dr. Eugene Porter, a prized addition to the Bullet Factory Outpost located in an old machine shop.
Not only was he the one who made a bullet to kill Negan and unexpectedly resulted in striking Lucille, but he was also the one who made the bullet that almost killed Negan. Therefore, the obtained knowledge to make bullets in this environment is what preserved his life, becoming useful to Negan ever since.
Hayden knew that with the Savior leader's fascination, he could rely on Eugene and know how to play Eugene. Negan knows Eugene wants to survive, and he recognizes someone in Negan that will secure him.
That said, reminding Eugene of the precarious situation he is now in, Negan knows how to do away with intimidation. Eugene understands the scenario that is facing him. He'd become finished if he's not making progress.
But maybe Eugene, to Hayden, has been in some sticky moral predicaments, and he has found ways to navigate through them. Overall, since he is helpful and he is harmless, Negan keeps Eugene around. For anything, Eugene now realizes that if he is going to make it out alive, he must defend Negan at all costs.
Hayden was best known for investigating further information, perceiving more than he already does. He felt it will benefit him to understand this Earth and the Saviors around him. Though, some of the male/female Savior members hereabouts avoided his appearance. During the entire time, there had only been small flinches that were barely noticeable.
Most of them had become caused by the towering cyborg walking past them, and Hayden didn't just feel fear in these moments from the eyewitnesses, but he felt resentment. The people's divisiveness toward anybody was strange as Hayden continued to release itself. Only a few people recoiled from Hayden's monstrous height, making him still very much present and quite visible to all.
Hayden had an abstract yet unworldly display that made everybody's world turn upside down, and it made every day an odd day indeed. Although not one person could see Hayden's face underneath his makeshift hood clearly, most people could tell that this gargantuan cyborg was exchanging a fear inducement to some of the observers remarkably.
It felt too surreal for something like Hayden to be occurring in their sights since giving a glare didn't seem like an action that Hayden could take grievously, so he walked alongside Simon through the hallway into the rest of the grand tour. Again, more people here looked not very forgiving on Hayden, for they began murmuring in the shadows.
"Where the hell does this thing come from?"
"That thing scares the hell out of me."
"How does a freak like that manage to survive this hell hole?"
Noting the fact that people were whispering almost audibly, Simon whipped around with a gritty frown until he snapped, "Hey, knock it off."
"Pfft, Negan must be wasting his time with this scrapheap," David muttered with an unremorseful demeanor, to which Gary suppressed a sarcastic snort.
"Well, what do you think this junkpile's got what we don't?" Gary asked incredulously.
"Probably nothing more important to do than sit on his ass all day," David joked with a cynical smirk.
"I heard that you two. Go mess with the workers outside or something! I got to take Samuel here around our little neighborhood." Simon shouted, walking off in another direction with Hayden alongside him. "Seriously, though, don't take any notice of them. Those two knuckleheads are just funny around new pe-err, robots, I guess."
A thought came to Hayden. "Tell me something, Simon. How far has your organization been developing since the outbreak had begun?"
For once, Simon suddenly felt taken aback by such a sophisticated question to be asked. Hayden's inquiry became entreated so plainly that Simon had to consider it for a second.
Respectfully, his expression earned back his smile before he began to explain, "For starters, we weren't much until Negan came along and improve what our substandard ways of living are. Back then, we used to have multiple leaders, where one would be taking place after the other. Our past leader was clearly...an incompetent leader."
Hayden begins to listen intently about the other three communities; Alexandria, Hilltop Colony, and the Kingdom.
In Hayden's perspective, Alexandria felt more like an assembly of communalists. Rick Grimes and his company are the primary leaders, but mostly because their people recognize him as such, same at Hilltop. Ezekiel wields more official authorization over his people, but even then, he manages by permission of the governed.
Placed under the Saviors' control by threat of force, the subjugated community jobs are to produce or scavenge rations for the Saviors. Such materials would be gathered or transported to an outpost by soldiers, from which time the supplies will become transferred up the chain of command and distributed as Negan sees fit. Based on how much they tolerate the Saviors taking charge, the communities become given a differing degree of freedom.
Hayden discovers how smoothly the Kingdom falls in line and is allowed to possess firearms, but every week they still pay a small, varying tribute. That way, the Saviors don't come within the walls. Simon also mentioned how Alexandria wiped out a Saviour outpost before the Saviors knew about the community. As a result, their weapons and ammunition had gotten seized once Alexandria was under the rule of the Saviors, and Negan personally led a group to take whatever services he felt got deserved to him.
Mentally composing notes without any further pauses whatsoever, Hayden also got to apprehend more aspects about one of the Saviors' escapees, Daryl Dixon, who had brutally murdered Joseph, more commonly known as Fat Joey with a metal pipe. Many more stories began to arise as Hayden attentively listens to Simon's every word. Though, some of them were starting to become a bit senile as well.
For example, Negan killed his past doctor.
How idiotic can a man be?
It was almost stupidly inevitable in this world where you utterly execute doctors on the spot with weak evidence like that. Doctors are such a valuable commodity, even in a ruined world like this. And now, Negan is only letting his people get killed who might suffer from wounds or injuries that a doctor could have attended.
"Most of those communities have provided us a steady stream of food and so many other goods to follow along. We have kept our reputation very heedful to the other communities, yet also secretive in which we make our location as unknown. It'd be hard enough to have a bunch of jackasses on our tails, am I right?" explained Simon, who chuckled a bit as they go up the stairs into the hallway.
Simon had told Hayden that he was in charge of the Hilltop Colony, but he didn't seem to care about it at all.
They both gaze down through a wide outlook. "Look at that view, huh."
As Hayden began observing, it was weird inspecting the area he was in from this perspective. Lots of people kept walking, doing work, and queuing up for resources. It was only making Hayden a bit disapproving of Negan's character to the very least.
Nothing felt consistent here.
"I can see that they work for you, correct?" Hayden asked, earning a nod from Simon.
"We take them in, but for them to earn a living, they have to work for it. I mean, do we want people here to do nothing at all? No, sir. That's why they have to be here to help the Saviors grow stronger. Strengthened our community, you see." Simon grinned at the view.
"Do they take delight in it here?"
"Of course they would. They should be damn well grateful we saved their asses. Could have left them for dead, that's for sure. Let's go." Simon walked down as Hayden followed.
The android sensors picked up on a warm wave of air, and it suddenly became almost scorching. Hayden looked around, he and Simon strolled down a long, narrow corridor, where the door's either side as if it were a hotel before entering a titanic entrance. The cyborg glanced the hall of despair at sight. Furnaces, fires, and ovens were scattered around with people slaving away at them working. The people here seemed innocent and helpless. As Simon and Hayden walked by, a few onlookers stared curiously at the cybernetic appearance of Samuel Hayden, as if they have never seen a towering robot on the ground levels before.
"These are the commons," Simon told Hayden, "They work for us, and in return, we don't kill them or their families."
The cyborg's singular-lined eye flashed before the anxious workers, towering over them in a frightening gesture before walking off with Hayden through the hall. He took the chance to gaze at the people here, where some looked too venerable to strive, as others were much younger than regular adults. In poor clothes and their faces dirty and sweaty, they seemed scared and forced.
The prisoners exhibit people who got captured from rebellious communities and possibly people within the Saviors that break the rules. They perform dirty and hazardous jobs such as cleaning all kinds of waste and maintaining the Sanctuary's walker fence. Most have no freedom, forced to wear dirty clothes with large spray-painted letters identifying them as slaves. When some of them are not working, they get locked up in dark, unfurnished cells.
The android suddenly caught eye contact with a boy, around the age of twelve, who looked at me with nerve-wracking eyes. They told a story, a helpless miserable story, as Hayden felt remorseful for the youngster. He looked away from him, soon exhausted by the foul atmosphere. Once Hayden and Simon passed through the main hall, they went up some rattly metal stairs before trailing along with another hotel-like corridor.
"There's nothing much around here. Just our rooms." Simon continued onward until they both paused at one of the doors. "Now, this is one of Negan's finest parlors."
Simon brought Hayden to the doorway of another beautifully furnished room. Inside it looked like a cocktail lounge from a hotel. There were at least half a dozen women, all wearing little black dresses as if they were presenting at an auto expo.
"If you don't mind me asking, but who are they?" Hayden asked, turning over to look inside the room.
"Negan's wives." was Simon's only response.
Of course, married women would throw themselves at the leader, and any strong personality will be able to pull off what Negan has done, especially in a world overrun by the living dead. Hayden would believe that this is kind of how dictatorships happen. Looking back at the girls in the room, the cyborg couldn't help but see the misery on their faces. In a way for Hayden to figure out undoubtedly, they agreed to marry this man out of fear and survival.
Hayden looked back at Simon, "Wives? So, now polygamy is legal here as well?"
Simon glanced over at Hayden, expressing a look of agitation before rolling his eyes. "Yes, wives. And there's no such thing as legal terms around here. Jesus, you are new, doc. Negan has several wives, and they are spoiled rotten. But I guess the leader of the Saviors himself should have perks. Negan is fit, but it's unlikely enough that these ladies are up here for any reason other than not having to work like the rest of us."
Simon then nods to Hayden before entering the room. "Greetings, ladies."
They all gave him a dirty glare and looked away, causing the high-ranking Savior to chuckle innocently.
"Women; always in a foul mood. Ladies, I would like to introduce you to Negan's guest of honor," Simon's voice boomed in the small room. "Show him some tranquility, treat him with a matter of the utmost respect, because unlike the rest of you pretty things," he grinned with unyielding pride, "he is not even a human being anymore."
Just as the women were about to question Simon, they heard a forceful sound as Hayden cramped into the parlor. It caused quite a shock in their eyes upon the towering cyborg. Many of the women within the center scooted away in fright at what they saw of Dr. Samuel Hayden.
"W-What the hell is that thing?!" One of the wives, a dark-brown-haired woman named Tanya, squealed while witnessing an eyesore for how Hayden appeared.
"Woah-ho-ho! Don't worry, ladies. Hayden may not be from around here, despite his intimidating feature at most solid, he is as calm and gentle as a mere lamb." Simon reassured, holding his hands out in a defensive gesture.
Hayden stood straight with his craft-made cloak covering most of his body and then walked forward with a mechanical hand held out. "Please excuse the inconvenience of my cybernetic presence, ma'am. My name is Dr. Samuel Hayden, and it's a pleasure to meet you ladies in person." Hayden answered with a slight bow.
The women here did not have to work for points, became allowed free access to many resources, and can order soldiers around if needed, mostly because they do not have to engage in combat. Once they become married to Negan, they must not have close ties with anyone else. And they are seemingly suitable to leave the status of wife if they decide to, but they will have to return to work for points.
Hayden's behavior soon caused another wife, a ginger-haired woman named Frankie, to cringe at his voice synthesizer. It had a confident reassurance to it like people were able to trust him. The female group looked visibly worried, but Frankie smiled at the towering cyborg for being polite. Seconds later, she begins to relax as she casually walks up to Hayden.
"I'm Frankie," the woman reached out to shake his mechanical hand. There, his lanky fingers felt cold and surprisingly ominous that could shiver up Frankie's spine.
"The man seems to have a talent for finding elegant women, correct?" Hayden inquired, examining everyone who gazed at him.
Frankie nodded somberly, "Unfortunately. What stroke of bad luck brought you here?"
"Bad luck?" Hayden tilted his head as if confused, "Not necessarily, but I did get myself into a little mishap with one of the Savior Lieutenants' patrollers, but I've always managed to redirect the entire situation diplomatically. Two of the Savior members. Laura and Mark were both strangely curious about my origins. Please don't ask. It is a long story."
"Oh, please!" Tanya scoffed before asking Hayden, "We're all bored here already. So, we got the time, right? Where did you come from?"
Another wife, a young-looking blondie named Amber, sat up with a concerned look, "Mark? What was he doing out there?"
"Cool it, Amber," Frankie turned to her, "He's not your boyfriend anymore."
"But what-?"
"Now, now, ladies. Let's not be hasty to our guest of honor. Besides, your husband would want you to treat him with respect, right?" said Simon, putting hands on his hips.
A scared nod came from all the wives.
"We'll leave you, girls, to it," Simon said before he and Hayden were both off again, leaving a few wives to huddle in fear of the android.
As Hayden and Simon are walking along the hallway, they saw a scarred blond man with a crossbow.
"Dwight."
From the sound of Simon's voice, Dwight stops to observe Hayden with shock and surprise.
"What the hell!?" shouted Dwight.
"Dwight, lower your voice for God's sake." Simon rolled his eyes from all this unnecessary fear. "Meet Dr. Hayden. Hayden, meet Dwight."
"Greetings to you, Dwight." Hayden bends down to face in front of the blonde man.
Dwight frowns after eluding his state before asking, "Where did he come from?"
"Don't you already know, Dwight? He arrived earlier with Laura and the others from patrolling the area." Simon answered, narrowing his eyes. "And guess what? Negan has declared him as our guest now."
Dwight raises his eyebrow. "...Oh."
"Well, aren't you gonna say anything perhaps?" Simon asked, his eyebrow now raised.
"I...I gotta go." Dwight then hurried off.
As Hayden observed Dwight moving off in a hurry before departing, he couldn't help but tilt his head to the side about that strange behavior of the scarred man. Speaking of scars, Hayden could already recognize that Negan did a lot more corruption here than just outside the Sanctuary. Meanwhile, Simon rolled his eyes with boredom from Dwight's sudden departure.
Simon laughs a little. "Let's go outside."
Hayden then followed Simon as they went outside and Simon leaned on the balcony.
Down below was a hoard of zombies with workers chasing them and keeping them at the fence.
Understandable that different settlements may demand different things, but some of these make no sense whatsoever. It may seem a tactic to have a citadel surrounded by zombies on spikes and bounded in chains to ward off outsiders, but it feels fundamentally shallow in a way for defense. What if somehow there's a breach in the inner fence rather than the outer fence?
Hayden hummed before asking, "Tell me something, Simon. Laura told me about the fences keeping dead ones intact. But they are also getting prodded around by people in grimy sweaters that had orange symbols. Are you sure if that method is safe for their sakes?"
Simon followed Hayden's stare before putting his tongue between his teeth and chuckling. "You see, that right there is somewhere you don't want to end up inside."
Hayden hummed cynically, twisting to face Simon, who continued to stare in another direction, not acknowledging the cyborg.
"I've had a glimpse of this earlier. Laura and Dean told me these people help keep the security maintained." Hayden said, watching the view below.
"That's right, doc. Nice to see that you're catching onto what we stand for. That's why the Sanctuary is a secure area. No one would dare pass by these sons o' bitches." said Simon, looking back at Hayden.
"What about the workers, here? What if the dead attempt to gnaw at them?" asked Hayden.
"Oh, well then, RIP to them! They should have been more careful with themselves in the next afterlife. Come on, this way."
Simon leads Hayden back inside as they walk down the hallway. Not before long until Dean came over with his arms folded.
"Hey, you! Negan wants to talk with you again." Dean spoke to Hayden.
"I see..." Hayden uttered before gazing towards Simon, "I hope you don't mind that we discontinue this tour of ours, while I go see what Negan wants to discuss with me."
"Aw, it's cool. I gotta go do stuff myself, doc." Simon said, earning a handshake from Hayden.
"Thank you for the tour."
"No problem. Now, gotta' shoot."
"Goodbye for now," Hayden replied.
"Bye, Sam." Simon chuckles and then leaves in another direction.
Hayden observed the man as he walked away, before turning around to face Dean again. "We can go now."
"Come on." The man ordered, gesturing to the hallway as a signal to move it.
Hayden obeyed and went out to follow Dean, just as the beanie male Savior walked alongside him.
For what became associated with Negan and the Saviors, especially the nexus they have toward the other communities in this world, Hayden doubts the Savior leader will get any more expansion for the Sanctuary in the meantime. From a look at its history by what was explained by Simon, deranged people can get a large following on this broken Earth.
Negan would promise those who are in need and deliver things like safety and food. Although people would follow somebody like him, they do feel as if they aren't self-sufficient. It might represent a problem for not only Hayden but also Negan himself.
Everything here is a large organization and has reasons enough to convince Hayden that there are more survivors than just soldiers. The people here are working for points, who are honestly janitors, as well as the working class.
These people don't go out and exploit others.
They take care of things in the outposts that the soldiers don't want to take charge of doing. These likely make up the majority. The people Hayden has seen the most of, the soldiers ("I am Negan"), are the ones who do all this terrible deformation. Elevated from mere workers by declaring their allegiance to Negan, they become used as a military force to oppose humans and the undead, keeping subjugated communities in line by the threat of force. Much like the lieutenants, they do not work for points and are allowed free access to resources and a higher standard of living.
Hayden couldn't assume that every single person at the outposts is like them. From what else that Simon told Hayden, Negan offers this opportunity to people that he sees as potential, like Daryl Dixon, but they have to be willing to become Negan and do atrocious sins.
Negan isn't unfair, that is for sure, but he is just brutal. In return, they get to live like kings. Of course, this will attract certain kinds of people.
The good.
The bad.
And the ugly.
All of this would mean that the people in the warrior caste are more likely to be soulless bastards than the others in the working class. Hayden wouldn't call them mercenaries outright. Yes, some of the enforcers here fall into that category, but while they don't seem to have a uniquely self-sustaining establishment, what they do have are numbers.
People who can refine raw products into things like bread.
People that can go out and scavenge in large groups.
People that have know-how skills can become utilized.
And finally, people are willing to intimidate and kill to get supplies of whatever kind.
The likely scenario in Hayden's opinion is that they came upon the factory while they were still a relatively small group. All they had to do was fortify it, and make a couple of really lucky scores, like maybe a couple of big box stores, and clean them out, putting them in a position of strength that they then maintained by force when coming into contact with other survivors.
Much of this reminds Hayden of when a lot of people don't give credit to the UAC's armed forces, especially the Elite Guards.
They are selected individuals picked by UAC when shown that they are anything but incompetent. The Earth back in Hayden's dimension was equal to special forces or much better than previously. Plus, their attributes become augmented and given their armor to modify the categoric pieces and pattern, primary and secondary colors, dirt and scratches for the armor itself, and weathering for the coloring.
These men have seen serious havoc before they have gotten picked. Besides, the UAC is costly, and they won't hire fresh out of boot camp soldiers for their best. With the UAC, fighting and restraining demons is something they are used to, and they did so very successfully with tactics to thwart demons. It was only the expedition to save the Slayer that had them slaughtered in the end when the demons defended with extreme ferocity. Better yet, Olivia considered them to be serious enough of a threat to flip the kill switch with the Lazarus wave.
So, given the kind of scenario, Hayden believes they are not that implausible at all. They are extensive and not quite so dense, thankfully, willing to take in outsiders that may not have a lot to offer other than labor. For a man who adores bashing in skulls with a baseball bat, Negan is also someone who values life.
Hayden knows at this point that Negan is a challenging leader, and he appears to appreciate that nobody ever what he is going to do next. Negan is someone who supports conventional ideas, such as sheer determination. He likes people who are doing their duties to the greatest extent and those that do not feel his wrath.
Hayden knows the Saviors can still help aid in his plan of action for future events, but he would have to need Negan's trust for that to happen. Hopefully, Hayden's next meeting with Negan doesn't go anywhere south from here on out.
A/N: [DONE! Not much is going on here besides Hayden learning about the Sanctuary with the Saviors inside it. At least Hayden was able to make himself a cloak to cover up all those robot parts of his. I wonder how much Negan did to present himself as a dominant alpha male as much as possible because he was dealing with and keeping in check people like Simon? Please comment for thoughts and ideas.]