Chapter Two: Enterprise
It's an early morning, the sun isn't up yet. But there are already a few people in the cemetery. Pastor Schindler stands next to a coffin made of fir wood. In front of the coffin is a framed photo of Lincoln with brown hair. The entire Loud family is present, Pop-pop and Myrtle, the Mcbrides, Bobby, Mr. Grouse and Lincoln's friends: Ronnie Anne, Stella, Liam, Zach, and Rusty. Then there were friends from the Loud sisters like Carol, Becky, Chaz, Haiku, Sam, and Chunk. And also parents' friends, Kotaro, Grant, and Doctor Feinstein. All wore black clothes. Pastor Schindler spoke.
"Dear relatives, dear mourners,
spring, summer and beyond
soon the autumn and soon the winter -
Ah, dearest Mamsell,
life goes fast!
This is how Wilhelm Busch once wrote about life and its course. They are gathered here today to bid farewell to Lincoln Loud, who left us three days ago, and commend him into the hands of God.
But also listen to the comfort of God's Word, now in the hour when we will say goodbye to the deceased with our prayer.
Jesus Christ is Lord of the living and the dead.
He once said:
«Behold, I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die but have eternal life.»
In this hope for the resurrection of the dead, Lincoln Loud is now included. Let us pray."
All the people who were present now said a prayer.
"Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be your name
Your kingdom comes
Your will be done
As in heaven, even so on earth
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our guilt
Just as we also forgive those who are guilty upon us
And lead us not in temptation
But save us from evil
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for eternity
Amen.
O Lord, give him and all the dead eternal rest.
And perpetual light shine on them.
let him rest in peace
Amen."
When they were done, someone said something no one expected, Clyde.
"I want to say something else, please."
"So come to the front, my son." said Pastor Schindler kindly.
Clyde stepped forward, in front of the people. He took a deep breath and began to speak.
"As you know, Lincoln was my best friend. So much will be missed without him. He was a wonderful person. For example, he had always accepted my fathers for who they are. He had loved his sisters. He was always sincere. Me I'm sad but I don't mourn, I celebrate, I celebrate the influences, the memories, the experiences and so much that I share with Lincoln And think of the impact Lincoln has had on you, especially on you Mr. Loud , Mrs. Loud, Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lola, Lana, Lisa, and Lily."
He looked at everyone in the Louds family.
"There's always something I can say, something I'm proud of, something you guys are proud of. You knew Lincoln Loud. Please never forget him."
"The coffin, please." said Pastor Schindler.
Lynn senior, Pop-pop, Mr. Grouse, and Bobby went to the coffin and lifted it. Luna took out a bagpipe and began playing the tune of Amazing Grace. They walked slowly with the coffin on their shoulders. Then they arrived at the tomb. They laid the coffin on ropes stretched over the grave, and then, beginning to loosen the ropes, held them so that the coffin slowly descended into the grave. Lily was in her mother's arms. Rita cried and Lily felt something warm on her cheek. She felt this warmth hitting her skin and biting deep inside her. She turned her head and saw the sun rise. The sun colored the sky and the clouds purple-orange. Lily wants her mother's attention.
"Mom."
Rita looked at Lily, who was reaching out to the sun. Rita was emotionally touched by this sight.
"Look at that."
People turn towards the sunrise, which captivated everyone with its beauty. Mr. Grouse took off his hat and held it to his stomach.
"I think Lincoln had given us that sight." said Pastor Schindler.
Luna kept playing. Lily watched the sunrise. She heard Luna's music harmonizing with the sunrise. That image stuck in her mind, and when asked, what her first memory is, she said, sunrise at Lincoln's funeral.
Lily walks through the cemetery. She walks along the path by the graves, holding two roses in her hands. The two roses were the reddest red known. She stopped in front of a grave. She looked at it.
"Hi Lincoln," she said quietly, "how are you? I know you can see us all, but I'll still tell you what happened."
Although she could suppress her emotions, she often spoke to the dead family members. She couldn't explain it, but it brought her some peace.
"Well, I'm now the first officer of the Enterprise. You've seen our predecessor, the enterprise CVN 65. Unfortunately, it was scrapped. I don't know if you'd be proud of me, but I suspect so. Take care. "
Lily laid the rose on Lincoln's grave. She put her hand on the tombstone. She saw many things with a cold logic. But no one knew anything about death, so anything was possible. Also, maybe Lincoln's soul was beside her now.
Now she got up and went to the grave which was to the right of Lincoln's. On the tombstone were the Greek letters Alpha, Beta, Gamma. It was Lisa's grave. Lily knelt in front of the grave.
"I don't have to tell you what I did, you know. Damn how could I? Damn, what happened on the Edison is bad, and now this thing that we tested there is also on the Enterprise. I have I've always spoken out against using it, but nobody listens. You know something about science, so you know why it's such a bad thing. And if it turns out that we have something like that, the peace with Russia is in jeopardy. Sintnkow, Archer and Secretary of State Mcbride worked so long? And that would be in danger. Because a group doesn't trust Russia, I may have to use this thing. The worst part is, I lied to Lori. I hope you don't think less of me."
Lily put the rose on Lisa's grave. She got up and headed for the exit. A voice that sounded familiar said her name. Lily turned and saw Lucy. She was 32 years old and her style of dress wasn't much different. Even her hair was still the same.
"You haven't been here for a long time." Lucy said.
"Yes. I was just at Lincoln and Lisa's grave."
"I have the feeling that the two were happy about your visit. How are you?"
"I don't feel anything, as you should know. My health is excellent."
"So what do you do in the navy?"
"I am first officer in command of Captain Lori Santiago on the flagship Enterprise. We are to participate in a maneuver exercise with Russia."
"For the peace. You're doing the right thing sister."
"I know. The Enterprise is in front of the port in New York. And tomorrow we will set course for the North Atlantic. That's why I have to go now. Bye Lucy."
"Bye Lily, good luck with the exercise."
Lily left the cemetery. She went to the train station and got on the train to New York.
It's loud in a helicopter. Very loud. That's why Lori and Lily were talking very loud to each other. Both wear their uniforms.
"So you have already radioed the enterprise to set the course. Why?" Lily asked.
"Because we get there faster that way."
"A logical argument. I've already familiarized myself with the systems of enterprise."
Lori looked out the window of the helicopter. She saw that they were now flying over the harbor and the naval dockyard.
"Look, down there. That's the Yamato."
She pointed to an aircraft carrier that was docked in the harbor and still under construction.
"Is it already known when it will go into service?"
"Yes. And she already has a captain, Carol Pingrey."
"Carol Pingrey? She's an officer in Nuclear Engineering. Is she captain of the Yamato yet?"
"Yes, she's a nuclear engineer, but she specializes in naval nuclear reactors."
"And she managed to rupture a steam line in reactor block one of the Royal Woods nuclear power plant."
"The accident was harmless."
"For Royal Woods yes. But the turbine hall was damaged and took them 3 weeks to fix the steam lines and the turbines. That was an INES level 1 incident."
"I don't know about that, was that bad?"
"Yes. But it was an accident so nobody was to blame."
The helicopter was now over the sea. He flew away from the coast towards the ocean.
"Who is in charge of the enterprise right now?" asked Lily.
"Lt. Commander Decker. He is a very capable officer. Stubborn at times, but very capable."
"I hope he's not too stubborn."
"We are here now." shouted the helicopter pilot.
Lori and Lily went forward and looked out of the cockpit. The Enterprise was in a battle against the waves of the Atlantic. The helicopter flew over the flight deck and adjusted its speed. He jerked a bit and finally landed. Lori and Lily disembarked and the sailors on the flight deck saluted. The two went to the bridge. They ran up stairs and finally they reached the bridge. There was an officer with blond hair, Decker. At the helm was a 24-year-old woman who held the rank of ensign. She had reddish hair. The two were the only ones on the bridge.
"Captain on the bridge." Decker said and he saluted. The woman also saluted.
"Decker, I hope you took good care of my ship." said Lori.
"As you ordered."
"What's your name?" Lily asked the woman.
"I'm Ensign Sybille Hawk. Commander." she said.
"Good. Captain, I will visit the reactor." said Lily.
"Do it." said Lori.
Lily leaves the bridge and goes down the stairs. She walks past sailors who salute her. She salutes back. When she got to the reactor area there was a thick steel door. She opened them with the push of a button and she entered the room where lab coats lay on a table. She took one and went into the dressing room. She put on the coat and left the cloakroom and stepped in front of another steel door, which she had to open with a code. The radiation warning sign was attached to the door and it said in bright red underneath: Warning: ionizing radiation and radioactive substances. She took a personal dosimeter and placed it in the breast pocket of her lab coat. She typed in the code and the door opened. She walked through and the door closed again. Now she walked down a corridor until she came to a control room, which was responsible for the nuclear reactor. There were a few scientists there. One walked towards Lily.
"Hello, Commander. I'm Doctor Zimmermann." Said the scientist. He was about 45 years old and sported a brown mustache. He made a friendly impression on everyone he met.
"Hello doctor. How is the condition of the reactor?" Lily asked.
"Stable and in excellent condition. I have rarely seen such a compact and powerful reactor."
"What type of fuel is in there?"
"Uranium Plutonium Mixed Oxide Fuel Elements. I'm glad I have these. Difficult to get these." said Doctor Zimmerman.
"Perfect."
"Tell me you're from Royal Woods, right?"y
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Because I trained as a reactor operator in unit one of the Royal Woods nuclear power plant. Frank Rivera had taught me how to operate a reactor."
"Frank Rivera retired 10 years ago. He was definitely a pretty capable operator." said Lily.
"In any case."
"If you'll excuse me, I have to continue examining parts of the ship."
Lily left the control room and walked back down the hall. She was in front of the exit lock. She pressed her body against a metal grate and pressed a button that was next to it. Then a female, unfriendly sounding voice came from the ship's computer.
"No contamination. Please turn around."
Lily turned and pressed her back against the metal grille.
"No contamination. Passage permitted."
The steel door opened and Lily walked through. She took a cord hanging on a wall in the cloakroom, took out her dosimeter and conectet it. Again the unfriendly voice of the computer sounded.
"Dose has been updated. Limits have not been exceeded."
Lily took the dosimeter and put it on the table. She went into the cloakroom and took off the lab coat, which she then put in a laundry bag. She went to the first steel door and pushed the button, and the door opened.
Lily walk up to the bridge. and reported the condition of the reactor to Lori. The Enterprise drove towards the North Atlantic.
The aircraft carrier Mikhail Gorbachev is docked in the port of Murmansk. On the bridge are Admiral Sintnikov and Captain 1st rank Yuvchenko. Pavel Sitnikov wears the Russian admirals uniform. He is 65 years old and has a white mustache. Yuvchenko wears the captain's uniform of Russia. He has gray hair and a gray mustache. He is 54 years old. The two discuss.
( Yuvchenko)
Вы уверены, что мы должны отправить линкор «Леонид Брежнев» с авианосцем «Михаил Горбачев»?
(Are you sure that we should send the battleship "Leonid Brezhnev" with the aircraft carrier "Mikhail Gorbachev"?)
(Sintnikov)
Да, потому что тогда мы сможем практически обучить больше людей. И адмирал Арчер соглашается. Нас бы все равно сопровождал эсминец Валерий Легасов.
(Yes, because then we can train more people practically. And Admiral Archer agrees. We would have been accompanied by the destroyer Valery Legasov anyway.)
( Yuvchenko)
Я уверен, что это будет интересный маневр адмирала.
(I'm sure that will be an interesting maneuver Admiral.)
(Sintnikov)
Командная готовность для всех колод. Бригада мостика должна прийти сюда. И отправить сообщение Леониду Брежневу.
(Command readiness for all decks. The bridge crew should come here. And send a message to the Leonid Brezhnev.)
Yuvchenko leaves the bridge. Admiral Sitnikov Takes a close look at the bridge. In the center at the back of the bridge was the bust of Mikhail Gorbachev. He walks past it and exits the bridge to ready the aircraft carrier.
Lori's bridge duty was over. She was supposed to put Lily in charge for the first part of the night. Lily reported over the comm system that she was in the hangar and Sybille Hawk to pass command until she was back on the bridge. Lori confirmed this and gave Hawk the command. She left the bridge and went to her living quarters. Lori, Lily, Decker, Doctor Davis, the ship's doctor, and Doctor Zimmermann were the only ones who had quarters to themselves. She entered her quarters, which was simply furnished, and found that someone was inside. A man in his mid sixties. He had white hair and thick glasses that made it difficult to see his eyes.
"Who are you?" asked Lori.
He spoke in an eerily calm voice.
"Johnson, from the CIA."
Lori asked more questions. But Johnson didn't answer her. He seemed to be waiting for something. Lori realized what he was waiting for, Lily. She entered Lori's quarters. Lori didn't know what was going on.
"Lily, do you know this man?"
"Yes, and he'll tell you why he's here in a moment."
"Captain Santiago, you must have noticed that the activities of the extremists in Greenland have increased." said Johnson.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with me?"
"Do you know what kind of nuclear warheads the nuclear weapons have on this ship?"
"Yes. Eight ICBMs with 100-kiloton thermal nuclear warheads. But if you are from the CIA, you already know that."
"We only have six 100-kiloton warheads on board." said Lily. "The other two were secretly swapped out. Neutron warheads are now attached to those two ICBMs."
"Lily? You know about it? Why is it only now that I'm being told that? And what are neuton warheads?" asked Lori.
"Because I worked with the CIA. The extremists pose a threat to peace with Russia. And to answer your other question, neutron weapons are a form of nuclear weapons. They are designed to produce a weak explosion, but a Strong neutron radiation, which immediately kills all life within a certain radius. The last ones were scrapped under President George Busch Sr. But the activities in Greenland made the UN Security Council decide that it would make sense to use this weapon on the camps of the extremists. Destruction without destruction ."
Lily said that in her emotionless way that gave Lori goosebumps.
"Did I understand correctly? The use of nuclear weapons was suddenly allowed?" Lori couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You got Lily right, Captain." said Johnson. "You know, I saw the conflicts between East and West back then, and I don't want that to happen again."
Johnson left Lori's quarters, leaving Lori and Lily behind.
"I've never seen it, but the reports I've read are enough for me. Death from ionizing radiation, you advocate that? Lily, do you know how brutal and torturous that is?"
Lily said nothing. Lori found the way Lily was looking at her creepy. But Lily knew all too well what ionizing radiation can do.
"I think you know what's at stake. You heard Johnson."
"Who is this man, Johnson?"
"All I know is that his name is Johnson and that he works for the CIA. I don't know if it's even his real name. You noticed he doesn't answer many questions."
"If we enter these codes, if these missiles take off, if these missiles explode, then we are mass murderers."
"I'm going to the bridge. You should go to sleep."
Lily walked out of Lori's quarters without saying another word. Lori didn't know what to believe anymore. She changed her clothes, got into her bed and fell asleep.
Lori is walking across a meadow, wearing her civilian clothes. Her hand is held by a boy with brown hair, it's Lincoln. They walk past rapeseed fields, past a pond and reached a weeping willow tree, which stood alone in a meadow and was slowly moving with the wind. The two sat down.
"I'm glad you're visiting me again." said Lori.
Lincoln nodded.
"I found out something bad, something about Lily. And I don't know if I can look her in the eye anymore."
Lincoln gave Lori a look. Lori understood immediately. She knew what he meant.
"I see. But you know how difficult it is."
Lincoln's smile vanished. Lori and Lincoln jumped when they heard a bang.
"What was that?"
Lori woke up. She looked around her room. She noticed that the light in her room was blinking red. She knew what was going on. She got up immediately.
"Computer, status."
"Explosion to port. Red Alert triggered by Lily Loud."
Lori put on her uniform and left her quarters. The sailors ran down the aisle. Some were still buttoning their uniforms. Alarm sounded all over the ship and red light flashed everywhere. Then she heard an announcement, it was Lily's voice.
"Red alert. All crew members to their posts."
Lori entered the bridge. Lily was there and an extremely tired looking decker was checking the ship's systems.
"What happened?" asked Lori.
"An explosion on the bow, port side. I don't know the extent of the damage. Rescue teams are on their way, sonar and radar are at maximum power, and the fighter planes are ready for take-off, the first squadron is just taking off."
Sybille Hawk approached Lori.
"Captain, we may have been hit by a torpedo."
"That would be possible. The sound of the explosion matched a torpedo." Said Lily.
"Zigzag course, Ensign Hawk, so the probability of another hit decreases."
"Flyer Squadron 5 is now in the air." said Decker.
"Are the damage reports there yet?"
"Yes, no damage to the whole ship." said Lily.
"How is that possible?" said Hawk.
"According to logic, it must have been an old mine from World War II that was still sharp. It could only have scratched the paintwork and made a dent."
"That sounds logical," Decker said. "The radar and sonar didn't spot any other ships or submarines."
"All right, Hawk, get back on course. Reduce our speed to 16 knots, I don't want any more damage from the high speed. Commander Loud, you'll assess the damage with me tomorrow. Decker, recall all squadrons, But leave radar and sonar on high. Cancel red alert and give yellow alert."
The red blinking stopped and a yellow light illuminated the bridge. Lori left the bridge. Lily followed her.
"I will inform Admiral Archer tomorrow." said Lily.
"Do it. Can you come with me?"
Lily follows Lori to her quarters. Lori sat on her bed, Lily sat next to her.
"You reacted correctly."
"I acted by book."
"I promised you I'd tell you how I got into the Navy. I'll tell you."
Lori leaves her room. It's been five days since Lincoln died, and two days since they buried him. Lori was never so sad in her life. It was as if she had lost the desire to live. She was about to go back to Lincoln's room, but when she heard Lynn talking, she stoped. It wasn't like Lynn never talked, but it was unusual because she was talking to herself. Lori pressed her ear to Lynn's door and listened.
"I can't listen to the lies. I just know it's not true." Lynn stopped speaking as if getting an answer, then continued. "You're right, what would I do without you?"
Lori walked away. She didn't know what that meant. She reached Lincoln's room and looked around. She looked around carefully. Then she left the room, went down the stairs, and left the house. She walked in the direction of the Santiago house. She knew that the two were with their grandparents in Grand Lake City, recovering from the grief. She walked through the residential area and after ten minutes reached the property of this man, who was drinking beer in his front yard again. Again he called something to Lori.
"Don't walk, run. You have to be in good shape if you want to join the army."
Lori walked towards the man. She stopped in front of him.
"Why do you think I'm training for the army?"
"Well you look like you took a hit, something really bad. I was no different. I was a walking skeleton. No wants and no needs. Then a friend came up to me and asked if I could go with him to the Marines. Oh am I being rude, sit down and take a beer." said the man in a friendly voice.
He took out a folding chair, unfolded it and placed it next to his folding chair. Then he pointed to a crate full of cheap canned beer.
"Here, this may be cheap dirty beer, but it does the job."
Lori grabbed a can and sat on the folding chair. She opened the beer can and started drinking.
"So where was I? Oh yeah, well I joined the Marines with my friend and I'll tell you, it gave my life meaning. I don't know, you're more of a Marine, an officer. Maybe even a commander or captain. What's your name?"
"Lori Loud."
Lori took another sip of beer, it was disgusting how the man said it was cheap dirty beer.
"Loud, that sounds familiar. There was something on TV last week. Now I remember, it was about a Lincoln Loud. Who has a brain tumor and that's why his sisters organized a farewell party. Are you one of the sisters?"
Lori said nothing, but nodded.
"I understand now. I've been through similar things. Where are my marnians, I'm Peter, Peter Hawk." Peter held out his hand to Lori. Lori shook his hand.
"I met Sybille Hawk's grandfather that day. Unfortunately, Peter died two years ago. But he told me a story that I will never forget."
"When I was in the Marines, I saw terrible things. I killed too. I was supposed to throw a hand grenade in a pit and I did it. I wasn't aware of the effects. I thought I'd never be the same again, but I was wrong the next day I woke up, like it never happened, then I realized, it was always me. I just didn't know.
When I got back home, I got flashbacks, I can still picture those men being hit by bullets and their screams. I started drinking. And as you can see, I still drink today. But that didn't stop me from getting married and having children. I don't know how my daughter feels about it, but I think I was a good father. When my daughter was ten years old, my wife died in a car accident. My daughter is pregnant, but she doesn't know from whom. And she has leukemia. She will die soon."
Peter had a tear running down his cheek.
"And I will have to raise this child. Me, my daughter and her child, we are the last of the Hawk family."
Lori put her arm on Peter's shoulder. He took a sip of beer.
"You heard what this Archer and this Sitnikov did? It is time that West and East work together and that peace will finally come. When I hear this news, I only think of my granddaughter. She will be born in a world, where peace reigns. I can only advise you to join the navy. It will stabilize your life."
Lori started thinking about it.
"Oh Lori, what's a good name for a girl?"
"Sybille." it was the first name that came to mind.
"Sybille Hawk. A lovely name."
"Are you in your front yard every day, drinking?"
"Yes."
"What did you do before you joined the Marines? So, your job?"
"I was a security guard at the nuclear power plant."
"Then you already had experience."
"Yes I did. I was in the control room of block two once, unbelievable I tell you."
Lori and Peter talked all afternoon. Lori only drank two beers, Peter drank seven beers. As it started to get dark, Lori got up.
"Peter, it was a pleasure to meet you."
She held out her hand to Peter and he shook it.
"The joy was all mine."
Lori left. Peter waved at her. She walked past the school again. When she was at the level crossing, it was closed. She waited and the tram passed. The level crossing opened and Lori walked on. She reached the park where she had seen the gray black tabby cat. She ran through the park. She heard the last birds chirping. She sat down again on a park bench. She pulled out her cell phone and looked at pictures of Lincoln. She became sad, but she laughed because she remembered this good time. After ten minutes she heard someone calling her name.
"Lori? What are you doing here?"
It was carol. She sat down next to Lori.
"I looked at pictures." Lori said and showed Carol a picture of the young Lori holding Lincoln in his arms, he was a baby.
Carol felt how painful it was for Lori.
The two sat quietly looking at pictures of Lincoln.
"He was so cute." said Carol.
"That was him."
"Would you like me to drive you home?"
"Yes gladly."
The two went to Carol's car. They got in and drove to the Louds' house. But they didn't get far. The police were in front of the level crossing, and also some people with cellphones and cameras. Lori and Carol got out and walked over to one of the police officers.
"What happened?" asked Lori.
"Was there an accident?" asked Carol.
"No, not an accident. Castors." said the policeman.
"Castors?" asked Carol.
"An extremely stable container for spent, highly radioactive fuel elements. They are being transported away and driven through here." said the policeman.
The level crossing closed.
"Watch out, they're coming."
Two four-axle railcars drove over the level crossing. They pulled three wagons that had a white cover. A dangerous goods label was attached to the wagons, which read: Caution, radioactive. When the train left the level crossing, the barriers opened. The cop turned to Lori and Carol.
"You can go through now, have a good trip."
Lori and Carol get back in the car. Carol started the engine and they drove on.
"I've never seen anything like this." said Lori.
"Neither do I."
Her thoughts were with Lincoln.
The two arrived at the Louds' house.
"Thank you Carol."
"For you, gladly."
Lori got out. Carol drove away. Lori walked towards the house. She opened the front door and entered the living room. She closed the door and saw Lola sitting on the sofa looking at her hand. Lori went to her and sat next to Lola.
"How is your hand?"
"She's almost healed."
Lola showed Lori her hand. The wound is almost healed.
"Where's Lana?"
"She's in our room."
Lori went upstairs.
"I felt like a captain inspecting the remains of his ship after the battle."
Lori entered Lola and Lana's room. Lana sat against the wall. She cried, Hops tried to comfort her, but he couldn't. Lori knelt down next to Lana. Lori wrapped her arms around Lana. She picked Lana up and sat on her bed. Lana curled up like a baby. She pressed herself to Lori, she felt safe. Lori hugged her more.
"Lori, it hurts so much." Lana cried.
Hop jumps on the bed. He lay down between Lori and Lana and quacked.
"Hops and I are here for you."
Lori felt Lana's tears soak her clothes. Lori noticed Lola coming over and sitting on the bed next to her. She hugged them both. Lana noticed the warmth and comfort her twin sister tried to give her. Lori looked out the window. Betelgeuse was back in the sky. Its red light was warm. Lori got up with Lana, she went to the window, Lola followed her.
"Lana, look." said Lori, pointing at betelgeuse.
Lana turned her face to the window. There was a dark stain on Lori's clothes. Lana's eyes were red because she didn't cry very often, her tears burned like acid in her eyes.
"See that red star?"
Lana nodded weakly. Through her tears she could just make out Betelgeuse.
"What about that star?" Lola asked in a low voice.
"Betelgeuse. A star that is far, far away. And each star is a person we love who has died. The star is far away, but someday, we'll see the light of Lincoln, who's a star upon us looks down."
Lana stirred, and Lori understood that she wanted to get on the floor. When Lana got back on the floor, she went to Lola and hugged her. Lori knelt down next to the two.
"Come on, let's go outside."
Lori led them out. They went down the stairs, through the kitchen, and into the garden. They felt the cool night air, heard the crickets chirping, and Lucy's bats flying through the darkness. It was new moon and therefore very dark. The stars were reflected in Lana's and Lola's eyes. Lola, who was very confident in her own beauty, was intimidated by the size and beauty of the night sky. The twins held hands. Lori stood behind them and held their shoulders. At night, the two were afraid to go outside, but with Lori behind them, they felt safe.
The wind turned. After a short while, the night sky was slightly obscured by the clouds from the cooling towers of the nuclear power plant. But that didn't bother the three. They watched the clouds slowly floating away. The stars and the clouds did not distract her from her thoughts. The three thought of Lincoln, they thought of him so hard, they felt his love.
Six miles from Royal Woods was someone, the family hadn't seen all day. Leni was on a tram going from Great Lake City to Royal Woods. The light in the passenger compartment was dimmed. She looked out the window, reflected in the pane of glass, but could see the landscape that passed her in the dark. But her thoughts were with Lincoln.
Leni was the only one not at home. Lucy, on the other hand, was very much at home. She hid in the air shafts. She wrote a poem. It didn't rhyme, but it spoke from her heart.
"Where are you, my brother?
I'm looking for you, but I can't find you.
When I saw you, you flew away.
You are an angel now.
Fly free, my beloved angel."
Everything hurts for Lucy.
"Please visit me. I miss you."
This night was painful for everyone.
Everyone was sleeping, but Lily wasn't. She stood in her bed and called for Lisa.
"Isa."
Lisa woke up. She reached for her glasses. She put them on and went to Lily.
"What's the matter with you Lily?" said Lisa in a low voice.
"Lincoln." said Lily.
Lisa didn't know what to say, Lily was a baby, if Lisa explained to her now what happened to Lincoln, she wouldn't remember it in two years. But Lily was her sister, she somehow had to explain to her that Lincoln was no longer alive. Lisa climbed over the railing of Lily's bed. Lily watched Lisa, showing no emotion. Lisa was confused, if not intimidated, by Lily's condition. Once in Lily's bed, she knelt in front of Lily. She took a deep breath.
"Lily, Lincoln went on a journey. He won't be coming back."
Lily gave Lisa a look that meant only one thing: Why?
"I do not know."
Lily kept her gaze. She wanted to understand something she couldn't understand.
"Lily, you're asking me something I don't quite understand myself."
Lily's expression was still the same. A tear ran down Lisa's cheek. Lily watched Lisa. Lily was fascinated because she rarely saw Lisa cry. But she didn't like it when someone cried. She walked over to Lisa and hugged her with her small, dainty arms. Lisa was surprised at first, but then she wrapped her arms around Lily.
"Sometimes I see parts of Lincoln in you." Lisa whispered in Lily's ear.
Lisa held Lily. Lisa felt so safe that she wished this moment would never end. She was crying, but somehow she felt good. This warmth that Lily radiated. But Lily was also cold, emotional. Lisa broke the hug. she looked at Lly.
"I love you Lily."
Lily looked at Lisa in confusion, as if she couldn't understand those words properly.
"I can't blame you, I don't understand love either."
Lily yawned.
"I think you should sleep. Do you want me to stay with you?"
Lily nodded slightly.
"Okay, lie down."
Lisa tapped Lily's pillow. Lily crawled to the pillow and Lisa followed. The two lay down. After five minutes they both fell asleep.
The morning was very sunny. It was the perfect weather for Lana to go out into nature. She watered the sapling she planted with Lincoln and went to the river. She found fishes interesting. Basically, she found every creature that lived in water interesting. She walked down the river, past the nuclear power plant. Anglers had told her that the fish love the warm water from the water cooling. And they were right, there were always trout, salmon and perch around. She liked that the power station was in Royal Woods because the fish thrived in the warm water. Lana sat on the rocky river bank and listened to the birds singing and the rushing of the river.
She looked at the river. Then she heard something next to her.
"Hi, who are you?" asked Lana
A small slowworm crawled out of the rocks. Their gray scales glistened in the sun. She tongued and crawled to Lana. She stretched out her hand and the slowworm crawled on it.
"You're cute."
The slowworm tongued again. Lana put her hand on the rock again and the slowworm disappeared. Lana was alone again, alone with her thoughts. What Lori had told her last night helped her a lot. Lana firmly believed that Lincoln was now a star. When Lincoln told them that time in the park, after she had a heated argument with Lola, and Lincoln taught them an important lesson, she realized how important her siblings were. Since then, she has not argued with Lola. But the 6 year old girl was still confused. Did it have to come to this? Did Lincoln have to die for them to learn that lesson with Lola? Lana got up again and ran back home.
"Lana, I haven't seen you for a long time." said a man with dark brown hair and glasses.
"Hello Mr. Miller. How are you?"
Miller held a fishing rod. He was an operator at the nuclear power plant, so he always knew when the river was warmest and the power plant attracted the most fish.
"I'm doing pretty well. I heard what happened. My condolences."
"Thanks. Have you caught anything yet?"
"No, I just got here. While block two is being overhauled, the power plant doesn't produce that much waste heat."
"Then good luck to you."
Lana kept walking. When she got home, she was looking for her twin sister. She wasn't in her room. She searched the kitchen, the garden, and even the other sisters' rooms for where she was. Then she heard a sob coming from Lincoln's room. She opened the door and saw Lola lying on the ground crying terribly. Lana immediately went to her. She knelt down next to Lola and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Lana, I miss Lincoln so much." cried Lola.
Lana didn't know what to do. Now both were helpless.
Lori was out this morning too. She was jogging. When she had the interview with Peter the day before, she knew what she should do, she wanted to join the navy. But she still needed someone to come with her. She arrived at Carol Pringrey's house and rang the bell. Carol opened the door.
"Hi Lori, what are you doing here?" asked Carol.
"I have an important question, can I come in first?"
"Yes of course."
Lori entered the house and Carol led her into the living room. The two sat down on the sofa that was in the middle of the living room.
"So what did you want to ask me?"
"Well, I had a conversation with an ex-Marine yesterday. And I thought we could both join the Navy after all?"
Carol looked at Lori confused.
"Please what? Both of us in the navy?"
"You don't like the idea?"
"No, it's just that we would be away from home and, I don't know what kind of job I want to study anyway. I don't know if it's the right thing to do."
"I don't know myself if it's the right thing. But from what I've heard it should bring stability to life."
"Of course that would be great. But what am I supposed to do? I mean, am I a sailor, an engineer, or a captain?"
"You were always good at physics. And the big ships have nuclear propulsion. So you could do something like that."
"That could work. You know what? Let's do it like this. We're going into the Navy." said Carol euphorically.
"Wonderful."
"And what we do?"
"First of all, we have to be fit. That means jogging every morning. I've already chosen a route."
Lori took out her cell phone and showed Carol a map with a path marked on it.
"Well, the route goes from our house to the main train station, then to the hospital, then along the river past the nuclear power plant and then back to our house."
"Lori, that's seven kilometers. Can we do it every morning?"
"If you want, you can do anything."
"Ok, shall we start now?"
"Yes."
"From then on, Carol and I jogged every day. As you know, you have to be fit as a recruit."
Carol and Lori jogged along the river. They had long since passed the nuclear power plant and were now covering the last stretch. When they arrived at the Louds' house, they were exhausted but proud of their accomplishment.
"Would you like to come in and have a drink?" asked Lori.
"Oh yes, I'd love to."
The two entered the house. They went into the kitchen and Lori searched the fridge.
"Would you like lemonade?" asked Lori.
"Yes."
Lori poured Carol a glass of lemonade. The two drank. They heard shouting from above. Lori and Carol went upstairs. Then they saw Lynn yelling at the two twins.
"I told you, Lincoln wants to be alone!"
"You're crazy Lynn. Lincoln is dead." said Lana.
"Fuck he ain't! Stop lying, he told me himself that when he tells you to get out of his room, you'll ignore him!"
"What the hell is going on in here?" said Lori.
"Lana and Lola ignore lincoln. He tells them to get out of his room and they don't listen to him!" Lynn said angrily.
"That was when the Year of Hell began."
"Tell me, do you have a screw loose? What nonsense are you talking about?" Lori asked in an aggressive tone.
"You, you ignore him too, tell me, what kind of sister are you that you ignore your own brother?"
Lola hid behind Lana. Normally, Lola radiated a certain authority and strength, but you didn't see that anymore. She was scared, she didn't know what was wrong with Lynn. Why was Lynn acting so weird like nothing happened.
"Stop it now, tell me, what's going wrong in your head. Do you think if you imagine enough that lincoln is still alive, will he come back? That's not how it works. He's dead!" shouted Lori to Lynn.
"He's not dead, he's standing next to me, can't you see that?" said Lynn desperately.
Lori turned to Carol.
"Carol, do you know what that means?" Lori whispered so Lynn wouldn't hear her.
"I think something is wrong with her." whispered Carol. "I think it's mental."
"Please go. I have to sort this out by myself."
"Good luck with it."
Carol left. Lori turned to the twins.
"You both go to your room. Please."
Lana and Lola didn't want to contradict Lori. They went to her room.
Lori now turned to Lynn, who was still very angry.
"Lynn, this is very important right now. Please answer all the questions I'm going to ask you, honestly, ok?"
"OK." Lynn said, still angry.
"What about Lincoln?"
"Everyone says he's dead. That's not true."
Lori started sweating.
"Where's Lincoln?"
"Right next to me. Don't you see him?"
"Lynn, are you sure, 100% sure Lincoln is standing next to you?"
"Yes, he's standing there."
"Ok."
Lori went to her room. She took out her cell phone and googled the number for the psychiatric emergency services. She dialed the number and called. This was very painful for Lori. The call was answered. A female voice, probably in her mid-20s, could be heard.
"Psychological Emergency Services, how can I help you?"
"H-hi, this is Lori L-loud." Lori's voice stuttered. "My sister, she, she thinks she sees our dead brother, I'm worried about her."
"Shall I send an ambulance to you?"
"Yes, p-please. To 1216 Franklin Avenue, Royal Woods. My sister should be helped."
Lori ended the call. She went into Lynn's room. Lynn wasn't there. She opened Lynn's closet and started packing clothes. She started to cry.
"This was a nightmare. It just couldn't be true, and yet it was true."
When Lori finished packing, she went into the living room. Lynn sat on the couch and watched TV. At the same time she talked. As if Lincoln were sitting next to her.
"It's unfair that everyone treats you like air." said Lynn.
Lori watched Lynn talk to herself for five minutes. Now she came closer and closer to the conviction that she had acted correctly.
"What can I say about that. I lost my brother and now one sister is repressing feelings and the other is talking to someone who wasn't there."
The doorbell rang. Lori opened the front door and two paramedics entered the house.
"Where is she?" asked one paramedic.
"She's on the couch." said Lori, fighting not to cry.
The paramedics approached Lynn.
"Lori, what are the men doing in our house?" Lynn asked confused.
"Help you." said Lori.
"I do not need any help."
"Yes, you need help." said Lori and started to cry.
"Come on girl. We won't hurt you." said the paramedic.
"I don't want to go with you!" shouted Lynn.
"Please do it." Lori cried. "Please, I'm worried about you."
The paramedic went to Lori. He gave her a document and a pen.
"You have to sign this for admission to the clinic." said the second paramedic.
Lori signed the document. Then she gave it to the paramedic and gave the bag with the clothes to Lynn.
"Please do it for me Lynn."
Lori almost couldn't talk anymore because she was crying so hard.
"Ok, I'll do it for you. Will you come with me with Lincoln?" Lynn spoke to the sofa as if Lincoln were sitting there.
The two paramedics led Lynn to the ambulance. They got in and drove away.
Lori cried. How should she tell her parents that Lynn has gone insane. And her parents are already devastated because of Lincoln. Lori went upstairs, went to her room and lied down on her bed. There she cried. She cried for a very long time. Eventually Luna came in.
"Is everything alright with you?" asked Luna.
"No, I had to have Lynn admitted to psychiatry."
"What?" screamed Luna, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You heard me right Luna."
"Why did you do that?"
"Because Lynn, because Lynn thinks Lincoln is alive and she also said that she sees him, that he is standing next to her and she even talks to him. As if he never died." Lori cried.
Luna goes to Lori. She sits down on Lori's bed, and put a hand on her shoulder.
"What is happening here?" Luna said quietly.
It was quiet now in Lily's quarter.
"You must have been very depressed at that moment." Lily said in her emotionally neutral stance.
"Of course, I put my own sister in a clinic." Lori said, in a low and sad tone.
"Understandable. I'll inform Admiral Archer about the incident with the mine tomorrow, and I'll tell Admiral Sintnikov that we might be late."
"Fine, I'll go to sleep."
"My duty on the bridge doesn't end for another 30 minutes. I'm going to the bridge. Good night, Captain."
"Lily, please call me Lori."
Lily opened the door of Lori's quarters.
"Good night, Lori."
Lily left the quarters and went onto the bridge. Lori put on her pajamas. She hoped that she could finally sleep in peace, and she did.
Lily woke up at 11:30 in the morning. She had a lot to do that day. She had to inspect the damage to the bow with Lori, report the incident to Admiral Archer, and report to Russian Admiral Pavel Sintnikov that the Enterprise might be late for the exercise. But Lily had to have breakfast first. She went to the canteen, lunch was cooked, but that wasn't a problem for Lily. Just as she entered the canteen, Sybille Hawk was behind her.
"Good morning Commander." said Sybille Hawk.
"Good morning Ensign. I hope you have recovered."
"Yes, but that was a turbulent night shift."
"Well, that was it. The probability of hitting a mine from World War II is very small."
"That's so."
Lily and Sybille went to the food counter and got a portion of spaghetti carbonara. They sat down at a table.
"Did you know that your sister, the captain, knew my grandfather?" asked Sybille.
"Yes, I knew that, Ensign. You grew up with him, I presume?"
"Commander, if that's okay with you, please call me Sybille."
"Well, if that's the case Sybille, call me Lily."
Lily stretched her hand across the table and Sybille grabbed her. The two shook hands.
"To my grandfather, yes I grew up with him. My mother died of leukemia 6 months after I was born. Then I came to my grandfather. Although he was an alcoholic, he raised me well. It was horrible when he died. I liked my grandfather. I share my fondest memories with him."
The two continue to eat.
"I had a brother, Lincoln. He died when I was 15 months old from a brain tumor."
Lily deliberately didn't talk about Lisa. When she talked about Lisa, terrible memories came up.
"The circle of life." said Sybille softly.
Sybille thought hard.
"Do you have hobbies?" asked Sybille.
"Yes, I build model railways. Mainly based on the Swiss model."
"Have you ever been to Switzerland?"
"Yes. At that time I traveled, among other things, with the regional train company Bern Soloturn, the central railway SBB Brünig, the Rhaetian Railway and the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. Several hundred kilometers on meter gauge."
"You've traveled a lot Lily."
In the middle of the conversation, a radio message came from Lori.
"Lori to Lily, please reply."
Lily pressed a button on the radio.
"Confirm, awaiting instruction."
"Come on deck 6, please. We'll go onto a dinghy and assess the damage."
"Understood, I'm on my way."
"See you soon Lily." said Sybille.
"Bye Sybille."
Lily went to deck 6. Lori was already waiting for her there. A gate was open, so you could see that you were five meters above the water. A rope ladder hung from the gate, which led to a tethered rowing boat.
"Well, Lily. Commanders first." said Lori.
Lily climbed the rope ladder and got into the rowboat. Lori followed Lily and when Lori sat in the rowboat, Lily untied the rope and started rowing. The enterprise stood still. Lily rowed along the Left Bow and then the two saw the spot where the mine had exploded. There were only scuffs and scratches in the protective coating. However, the place of the explosion was black. Lori started laughing.
"Look at that Lily. Just a few scratches and burn marks. It must have been like a mosquito bite for the Enterprise."
"The protective coating is damaged." Lily said pointing at the scratch.
Lily rowed closer to the spot. Lori got up and ran her hand over the blast site.
"You're right." she said in a serious tone. "The paint is damaged."
Lori lit a cigarette. Then she pointed to a scratch in the metal with the hand holding the cigarette.
"Anyway, that's a decent scratch."
Lily looked below the waterline. Then she pointed to a piece of metal stuck in the fuselage.
"Lori, look. That must be a piece of metal from the mine."
Lori looks at the piece of metal.
"Yeah right. I'll get it." Lori said, laying her cap on the boat.
"I have to advise against it lori."
"Don't worry, it's just one meter below the waterline."
Lori jumped into the water. The piece of metal was a meter under water. Lori held her breath. She pulled on the piece of metal with all her strength. You can't do it on the first try. She reappeared.
"It's pretty tight in there. But I'll manage it."
Before Lily could say anything, Lori was underwater again. Now she pulled it again and the piece of metal came loose. Then she appeared. She threw the piece of metal into the boat and climbed back in. Then she picked up the piece of metal again.
"The mine was from WWII, and guess who?" said Lori.
Lori turned the piece of metal over. A black swastika was visible.
"So the mine was from the Nazis." said Lily.
"Yes, these Germans are unbelievable. Their technology is perfect. Here, keep it as a souvenir." Lori gave Lily the metal piece.
"Well, this piece of metal definitely has historical value." said Lily.
"Lily, just think about what we experienced here. We came across a mine that is almost a hundred years old and was still functional. It was a mine that floated in the ocean for a long time and was built by the Nazis. Think think about it." said Lori.
"If you put it that way. Yes, that's impressive."
Lily backtracked. Once back on board the Enterprise, Lori ordered them to go back to full speed. Lily went onto the bridge and Lori went to her quarters, putting on a dry uniform. Sybille and Decker were on the bridge. She was fascinated by the piece of mine.
"And that was really a German mine that I hit?" said Sybille."
"Well, this symbol says it all." Lily said, pointing to the swastika.
"I can't believe I found a historical treasure."
"Well, it's actually Fascinating." When Lily said that, you could almost say she meant this words sarcastically, because she showed no trace of fascination. But she meant it.
"With all due respect, Commander. I think you should put that old piece of metal aside and take care of your command." said decker, with a slightly unfriendly tone.
Lily put the piece of metal aside and walked towards Decker.
"And I think you're a Lieutenant Commander and I'm a Commander. So I'm in charge."
"Aye, ma'am."
Lily went back to the middle of the bridge. She watched everything. Lori came onto the bridge. She wore a dry uniform.
"Everything is Ok." said Lily.
"Good. Ensign Hawk, set course for the North Atlantic. Let's meet Sintnikov." said Lori.
Lily left the bridge and went to her quarters. This was also simply furnished. Lily went to the phone and dialed a number.
"Admiral Daniel Archer, how may I help you?"
"Hello Admiral Archer. This is Commander Lily Loud."
"Why are you calling Commander?"
"Well, there was an incident last night. The Enterprise ran into a WWII mine."
"Then there's no damage. How do you know it's from WWII?"
"The explosive power was very low, and there was a black swastika on a piece of metal that belonged to the mine. It is undoubtedly a German mine."
"It's good that you informed me. I wish you the best of luck with the mission."
Archer hung up. Lily left her quarters and returned to the bridge. The Enterprise fought her way through the waves of the North Atlantic again, on a course towards the Russian ships.
End of the second chapter