Chapter 21

Scharff and Lisi entered the briefing room still damp from their shower. Jon looked up from the papers in front of him to see the pair sit down in their respective chairs.

Both appeared to be masking their smiles and all in all 'good mood.'

Jon raised a brow, smirked and lowered his attention back to the papers.

The briefing room was packed with civilians all wanting to put in their two cents for the terms of their living arrangements with the Enclave. It took several hours for the group to come up with the conditions they assumed the Enclave would agree with. Scharff turned out to be more of an asset then any of them could have expected.

Lisi remained silent, listening to the chatter of the group. She had no idea what rule they had been living under before. It seemed almost pointless for her to even be here. It took a few hours but the list was created and everyone seemed pleased with how it turned out.

It seemed fitting that Jon presented the list this afternoon with a few of the other respected members of the group. Everyone consented to the notion that Lisi and Scharff remain as far away from the negotiation room as possible despite Lisi insisting she'd be on her best behaviour.

When the meeting was over, the group dispersed and everyone went back to their respective business.

"Can I talk to you two," Jon asked indicating Lisi and Scharff to stay.

They turned to face the older man.

"I want you two to be there," Jon indicated.

Both Lisi and Scharff exchanged stunned looks.

"But I thought…" Scharff began.

"Let me finish," Jon went on. "I want you two to watch my back. Set up an observation near the base. Once I am inside you wont be able to have eyes on me but make sure the Enclave doesn't pull a fast one on us," he told them.

"Jon, what if this plan doesn't work?" Lisi questioned. "What if they reject the terms and com after us?"

Jon sighed and scratched his head. In the last few weeks his hair had a lot more grey in it.

"I honestly don't know. I suppose our only other option may be to flee the city and try and get as many people East as possible. Maybe try for Ronto. It may be full of Ghouls but it's the only city still remotely Canadian," he replied feeling like they were dancing on eggshells.

"We'll set up an observation post in the large apartments a bock away. We should have a good vantage spot," Scharff suddenly spoke up trying to get them subject back on the task at hand.

"If things don't go well, don't come after me," Jon ordered looking directly at Lisi. "Do you hear me? You run. Scharff. You get her the hell out of there and don't draw attention to yourselves."

Scharff nodded. Lisi rolled her eyes.

Jon unexpectedly grabbed Lisi and pulled her into a large bear hug.

"We'll have dinner on me tonight if I get back in one piece," Jon told them with an unsettled grin.

It was the early evening when Jon approached the main base of the Enclave in the city of Vancouver holding the white flag. A block away, high in the twentieth story window of a derelict apartment complex, Scharff and Lisi anxiously from their supine position near a window, watched as Enclave soldiers rushed him with weapons drawn.

They pushed Jon to the ground and placed him in flexy cuffs. The soldiers put him on his feet and carried him into the main base.

All Scharff and Lisi could do was wait nervously for Jon to emerge. Minutes dragged on to hours.

"This is taking too long. He should have been out by now," Lisi said getting increasingly worried. "The list wasn't that long. He should have come out."

"Things take a long time in the military. Everyone needs to approve something like this. Just be patient," Scharff tried to assure her. He went to reach for her hand but she pulled away.

"Not now," she spat.

Scharff grunted and peered back out the window. Within minutes Jon could be seen walking across the large airstrip towards the main gate under guard from a couple soldiers. When they were at the gate, the soldiers released him, turned, and headed back inside the base.

Jon continued to walk unchallenged till he was out of sight in a nearby alley. Lisi and Scharff rushed down to meet him.

"How did it go!?" Lisi demanded.

Jon was smiling.

"They accepted all the terms. They want peace just as much as we do. Nothing was contested. As a sign of good faith, they are going to park a truck full of supplies in the main square for us to take. We just need to pick it up first thing in the morning. In exchange, we go back to work that afternoon with paid wages," Jon said as his eyes filled with tears. "Can you believe it?! We won!" he cheered and took both Lisi and Scharff in his massive arms and squeezed them tight. "Come on, let's head back and share the news!"

When they got back to the police station, Jon couldn't wait to spread the word to all. Scharff and Lisi disappeared amongst the cheers and hugs that overwhelmed everyone inside.

In their back room, Lisi seemed unusually quiet despite the outcome of recent events.

"What's wrong?" Scharff asked leaning up against the wall of the large room.

"I don't know. I should be celebrating just like everyone else and yet I don't feel this was my victory," she explained.

Scharff approached her, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and held her in his arms.

"Cause this isn't your victory. The issues in this city weren't your issues. Your grudge with the Enclave is personal and no one is going to understand that but you. Honestly Lisi, I'm not sure you'll ever get peace of mind for what happened to your parents and the life you led because of it. That's not to say I think you should linger on the subject. If you continue to dwell on such issues, you're never going to be happy," Scharff tried to rationalize.

That wasn't the ideal feel better speech but Scharff had a point. Perhaps she was looking too much at the smaller picture. Things in Vancouver would finally be settled. If they so chose, Lisi and Scharff could make a life for themselves here.

Lisi forced a smile but she couldn't match the feelings to go with it. She slipped from Scharff's arms and kissed him on the cheek.

"I just want to be alone for a bit, ok?" she asked.

Scharff understood her need and nodded. "I'll be here, ok?" he told her.

She smiled halfheartedly and left the room. She left the police station for a change of scenery and a chance to clear her head. Just a few blocks away, a park in shambles seemed like the ideal place to gather thoughts. She sat on the only seesaw that wasn't a threat to her life with rust and missing bolts.

As she sat bending her legs to push off the ground something came to her. She knew this place. She'd been here before. Her mother and father, her real mother and father used to take her here. She remembered playing with the other children and having ice cream on a park bench over looking the playground that no longer remained.

In that moment, she began to cry.

No matter how hard she wanted to, she would never be able to come to terms with what happened. The chance for a normal, happy life with parents who loved her was stolen away. Instead, she was locked in and underground hellhole where she never fit in with a step mother who viewed her as a burden and an adoptive father who had been the catalyst for it all.

Haynes – the man who was responsible. Could she really hate him? After all, she had found some happiness. She had Jon and his family for support. Haynes had helped her escape the Enclave and had even allowed her to find some one else who she found herself surprisingly needing. Scharff was perhaps the best thing to come out of it all.

The emotions she felt were conflicting beyond reasonable logic and she found herself trapped between hostility and serenity.

The sun was beginning to set but Lisi didn't feel like going back, not tonight. Instead, she made her way through the city to her family home. She made sure to cut through back yards so not to see Abbey's place across the street and be tempted to finish the old bitch off.

She pushed through the fence where some boards were missing and entered her backyard. The graves of her parents were prominent in the Earth side by side one another. She lay down on the ground between the two graves and closed her eyes picturing she was in their arms once again.

The sun was high in the sky when Lisi woke up.

Shit! How long had she been asleep for?! Surely everyone was worried sick about her and she wondered if the entire peace treaty had been compromised due to her absence. Surely it would have roused panic amongst Jon and the others.

She hurried back to the police station to see Scharff standing outside with what appeared to be a semi automatic assault rifle.

"There you are!" he shouted at her as she came running up to him. "Where the hell were you?! I was out all night looking!" he snapped growing increasingly angry. "I thought you'd been taken! Jon's inside about to send out a task force to look for you!"

"I'm sorry! I feel asleep" Lisi tried.

"You fell asleep?! Out there?! At this time?! Do you have any idea how stupid that was!? The most pinnacle moment in these people's lives and you nearly cause it all to come crashing down!" he yelled.

"Don't act like any of this means anything to you! You couldn't care less what happens to these people!" Lisi snapped back defensively.

Lisi saw Scharff's face turn a shade of red she never saw in a man's face before. She braced thinking he was going to strike her.

"I gave up everything to be here with you! To help you reclaim these people's lives. I was a Major. I had every slut in that place spreading her legs for me! I was a decorated hero in the eyes of every soldier in there. I've lost my friends, my home and my sense of belonging. I disgraced my name. All of it for you, and you think I don't care?!" he hollered visibly shaking with rage.

"So go back! I am sure your 'family' would love to welcome back a traitor. I bet you don't get within a hundred meters before they fill you with bullets. Men you called your friends now taking up arms against you. That's what you feel proud to belong to?"

Scharff had put up with enough, turned and stormed away back inside the police station. Lisi followed a few seconds later but rather than try and catch him, she looked for Jon to ease his mind about her overnight absence.

When Jon saw her, his expression was similar to that of Scharff's. Before he could even shout at her, Lisi explained where she had been and why. Jon's face was torn between wanting to yell at her and understanding. He chose to let it go.

"I'm just glad you're safe," he finished with. "Now, where's Scharff? We're suppose to be heading out to get the supplies in five minutes."

Lisi's gaze fell.

"I don't think he'll be coming with us," she mumbled starting to feel some regret over what she had said to him.

"You two get into a fight?" Jon asked. Lisi nodded.

"I may have gone too far with this one," she added. Jon raised a brow.

"Oh?" he asked intrigued. Lisi explained the altercation to him. Jon smiled.

"You know, that man's a mystery to me. Haven't you ever wondered why he gave it all up for you? Why you were so special? I don't think you give him enough credit. Maybe you'd benefit from taking a bit of the spotlight off yourself and tried to understand him a bit better," Jon suggested.

Lisi had never thought about this before. Jon was absolutely right. Scharff knew about her fucked up past and yet, she knew nothing of his. Perhaps he too had some dark secrets. Now, Lisi truly felt ashamed that she never once bothered to get to know Scharff. Everything had been about her.

"You know, you really let your age show when you come up with tuff like this," Lisi teased.

"Marriage and years will do that to you my dear," Jon laughed. "Stay behind. Work things out with him. We'll go get the supplies," Jon told her. Lisi smiled.

"You sure you don't need our help?" she asked

"We'll be just fine. We wont be longer than a few hours."

Lisi nodded and watched as the Police stationed emptied of people all bound for the square to retrieve their goodie bag.

It was time to set things right. She walked to the back room and knocked before letting herself in. It was funny how the roles were reversed. Lisi found herself needing to play the sympathetic card. That may not have been her strong suite but she had to try.

Scharff was leaning over the desk pushed into the back corner of their room. He looked over his shoulder at her with eyes that felt like they could burn her from the inside out.

"What?" he snapped angrily.

"I'm sorry," Lisi spoke softly.

"Why?" he replied with no change in his attitude.

"I've put myself and my issues above everything else. I don't think if every dawned on me … just how much you must care about me to be here," she said as she moved towards him.

He stood his ground, his expression unwavering. It was clear he wasn't convinced.

"You were right. You gave up everything you've had and done to be with me and I've never appreciated that. Truth is, I can't imagine where I'd be without you. We may not have gotten off on the right foot," she said with a slight laugh. "But it's clear I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. We may really suck at trying to kill one another, but we seem to be descent at keeping each other alive," she told him hoping this would be good enough to just get him to talk to her.

His blank expression lingered for several seconds. He stood straight remaining in place. The seconds went on. Finally a weak smile grew on his face.

"I was starting to worry that the soul of yours would never thaw," he teased and extended his arms out to her.

Lisi placed herself in his hold.

"And about those sluts," she began. "You…"

Scharff laughed and turned her chin up so he could kiss her. It was short but it gave them both piece of mind that they had moved on.

"Have the others left already?" he asked.

"Yeah, should we go and help out?" she asked. Scharff nodded.

They left the police station heading for the square. As they rounded a corner, they could see the large truck parked with everyone gathered around it divvying out supplies. Jon stood with his family supervising the exchange of goods. When he saw the pair, he waved them over.

Just as he did there was a blinding white light and everything went black.

The ground felt hot. Everything felt hot. Her ears were ringing. The world was spinning and after a few seconds of lying on the ground, she knew what had just occurred. It stung to open her eyes but she forced them just a crack. Everything was fuzzy and everything looked to be on fire. She tried to call out to Scharff but she couldn't find her voice. Her throat burned. That's when she felt a hand slip into hers and squeeze it tightly. She painfully lifted her head to see Scharff lying beside her. Neither of them was able to move for what seemed like an eternity.

Something had exploded, but what? When Lisi was able to lift her head a little bit more her eyes took to focus on the carnage before her. The place where the truck had been was nothing but a flaming crater. People lay scattered all over. The entire square was filled with bodies. Some couldn't even be recognized from the amount of burns or lack of limbs. Men. Women. Children. No one was moving. No one was screaming. They all just lay still.

"Scharff…." Lisi choked.

"I got…..you," he gasped back to her.

Scharff was able to get his bearings quicker than she. He got to his feet and helped her to hers. They had been significantly further from the truck when it detonated.

"Jon!" Lisi groaned scouring the scene for any sign of Jon and his family.

Bodies were so disfigured, any recognition was impossible, but luck to some extent was on her side cause she found her friend in a sea of bodies.

"JON!" she screamed falling to her knees at his side. He was missing both arms at the shoulders. Despite the gruesome wound, there was very little blood coming from them. Some how, he opened his eyes and looked her in the face. In the next second, Scharff was beside her trying to look for anything he could treat Jon's wounds with but he knew it was pointless.

"Make it right…." Jon groaned looking at Lisi with deeply saddened eyes.

Tears streaked down Lisi's face. Only one word could describe how she felt just now and that was despair. It was over. It was all over. They had lost.

"I'm so sorry. I should have been here," she cried.

Jon just smiled and she felt his body go limp.

"Jon! … JON!" Lisi screamed but she knew he was gone.