Chapter seven: killer instinct
Doctor Malach is a very capable psychiatrist. So it was the logical choice for Rita to take Lily to Doctor Malach to find out what was wrong with her. Four-year-old Lily is sitting at a table across from Doctor Malach. She wears a violet sweater and a violet skirt. She doesn't make eye contact with Malach. Lily doesn't make eye contact with anyone.
"Lily, how are you?" asked Mr. Malach.
Lily is silent. Then she speaks quietly. Her voice is very quiet, gentle, and unemotional.
"Good."
"That's not bad. And is kindergarten still messy?" asked Malach.
Lily nodded slightly.
"And what do you find so messy?"
"Everything."
"What do you find most messy?"
Lily looked at her hands. She said nothing.
"Lily? Are you listening to me?"
"Yes."
"What do you find most messy?"
"It's all so... unregulated."
"Unregulated. An interesting choice of words. And what would you like to have in kindergarten?"
Lily seemed to think for a moment.
"A sort of timetable. As the trains have." said Lily.
"You would like that?"
"Yes."
"But you know that not everyone can stick to a timetable?"
Lily was silent again.
"You understand that Lily?"
Lily's lip begins to tremble.
"That will not do!" said Lily.
"Why not?"
"Everything has to be regulated. There is no other way. Without order there is chaos. And I don't tolerate chaos. Chaos is... chaos."
"Is the chaos that bad for you?"
"Yes."
Lily was silent again. She continued to look at her hands. Then she started speaking again.
"I have to enforce order everywhere. Otherwise this world won't work."
New York Central Station. The hub of New York where trains travel to the continent. Lily walks through the hall with a small suitcase towards the ticket office. She waits, and then it's her turn.
"Hello. Single ticket? Day or tariff ticket?" asked the conductor.
"One single ticket to Royal Woods, Central Station." said Lily.
The conductor types into the computer, and shortly thereafter Lily a ticket. Lily holds her credit card up to a reader.
"We wish you a pleasant journey." said the conductor.
Lily walked to the platform she was about to depart from. She was waiting on the platform. Then someone spoke her name.
"Lily Loud? Are you Lily Loud, nicknamed Admiralloud86 from Teamroyalseas?" asked a man.
"Yes. That was almost more than eight years ago though." said Lily.
The man seems happy somehow.
"Oh my fucking god. It's such an honor to meet you. I watched every live stream from Teamroyalseas back then."
"So you've been a fan?" Lily said in her emotionless voice.
"Yes! I'm therealcap33."
"You were the player who sank seven ships in the tournament with his Vladivostok."
"Yes. I had the record for a short time. Until you did eight ships with the Chkalov and caused almost 550000 damage. You were the best CV player in World of Warships. It was such a shame that you left. What are you doing now?"
"I'm in the Real Navy."
"Not really? On what ship? Zumwalt? Dyson? Or the Montana?" asked the man excitedly.
"USS Enterprise." said Lily.
The man stops smiling.
"Oh my god. The Enterprise. That must have been horrible fighting the Gneisenau."
"The Gneisenau was an opponent to be taken seriously."
"But you won the battle. Defeated a battle cruiser alone with a crippled aircraft carrier. You confirmed the combat effectiveness of the Satan class."
"The Enterprise has proven her fighting power."
"Oh, that reminds me of something, do you know more about this?" he said and took out a newspaper.
The newspaper's front page carried the headline in large type.
"Nuuk Massacre! 2056 Deaths Confirmed!"
"May I read?" Lily asked.
"Yes. I hoped that such massacres would never happen again. You know, I'm not a historian, but the order and the action of the rough troops in this massacre reminds me a lot of the actions of the Waffen SS."
Lily begins to read.
"Nine days after the Nuuk massacre, the number of fatalities was confirmed for the first time. The use of the so-called neutron bomb claimed 10,000 fatalities, half of them civilians. The "clean-up order" increased the number of fatalities by 2056."
"Brutal, isn't it? How can you order something like that? At least the commander wasn't such a big monster, and spared the children." said the man.
Lily looked at the man. She considered what to say. She chose to lie.
"Well, the commander probably had to think twice about what to do." said Lily.
"Nevertheless, it is wrong to kill innocent people." he said.
"Killing in general is wrong. But in the Navy I've learned that some casualties are necessary."
"Yes, unfortunately. Well, my train is leaving soon. Have a nice trip. It was an honor for me."
The man walked on, gave Lily a quick wave, and disappeared. Lily waited. Their train pulled in and Lily got into one of the train cars. Lily looked around. It was a wagon that was built around the turn of the millennium. Lily sat down and looked out the window. She looked a little more at the platform. After five minutes there was a slight jolt and the train started moving.
Lori was walking through the park with Miranda. Lori wore civilian clothes for the first time in a long time. She wore a sky blue t-shirt and classic blue jeans. Miranda had missed her mother, which she also showed by hugging her the whole time. And Miranda talked about her hobby, astronomy.
"Today I want to observe Venus again."
Lori deliberately played dumb.
"Isn't that the planet with the rings?" Lori asked in a calm voice.
"No mom. That's Saturn. Venus is our neighboring planet. And on Venus it's so hot it's snowing metal."
"I can learn a lot from you Miranda." said Lori, smiling at Miranda.
"How about we go to a meadow today and look at Venus together?"
"We can do that."
"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" sate Miranda excited, and hugged Lori.
"And the moon? What about that?"
"The moon is in a phase where it forms a nice crescent in the sky. I need a telescope mom. So I can see everything better."
"A telescope is expensive. I have binoculars at home. They are not as good as a telescope, but you can see a little more."
Miranda seemed slightly disappointed.
"Maybe someday I'll have my own telescope." said Miranda hopefully.
"Sure. And then you will discover planets and stars." said Lori.
"It's going to be great."
"It is going to be."
"Maybe Lorraine wants to come with us."
"I don't think so. She's in her room all the time."
"True. She's waiting for Aunt Lily. Will she come back?"
Lori takes a short breath.
"Miranda, I don't know what Aunt Lily is going to do or if she's coming back."
Lori kneels and puts her hand on Miranda's shoulder.
"I think Lily has changed. Maybe she's different now." said Lori.
"Because of what happened on the ship?" asked Miranda shyly.
"Maybe. Because a lot of bad things happened on a ship. Because the bad man from Greenland attacked us."
"Didn't Aunt Lily go to Greenland?"
"Yes. And I think she saw the bad man."
"Did he do something to Aunt Lily?"
"No. The man has been arrested."
"What's happening to him?"
"He will be tried and imprisoned."
"Is that good if he goes in to prison?"
"Yes. That's good. And it's fair."
Lori got up and gently patted Miranda on the shoulder.
"Come with me. Let's go home." said Lori.
Miranda and Lori left the park and walked the streets. The crickets began to chirp and the sun was slowly on the horizon. The two walked along the tram route and went into the side street where Lori lived with her family. Bobby was waiting in front of the house on the driveway. There is a black car next to him.
"Get in Lori, we're late." said Bobby.
"What do you mean? What are we too late for?" asked Lori.
"The talkgroup you wanted to join." said bobby.
"Oh no. Oh Miranda, I'm so sorry. I don't have time for stargazing today."
Miranda's expression showed that she was very disappointed.
"It's okay mom." said Miranda softly.
"Come Miranda. Aunt Lana is waiting in the living room with Lorraine." said bobby.
Miranda ran to the front door and turned around.
"I'll just wait." said Miranda, and entered the house.
Bobby approaches Lori.
"Don't worry." said Bobby.
Lori and Bobby get in the car and drive off.
Lana was sitting on the couch with Lorraine. Lorraine looked in a bad mood. Lana tried to persuade Lorraine to play uno. But lana had no success. Miranda went to Lana.
"Aunt Lana, when it's dark, can we go stargazing?" asked Miranda.
"We can do that. But before we do that, we'll have dinner." said Lana.
"What is there to eat?" asked Miranda.
"There's spaghetti, with tomato sauce." said Lana.
"And I look forward." Lorraine said in a sarcastic voice.
"If you don't like it, Lorraine, you can go hunting in the woods." said Lana.
Lorraine growled softly.
"Don't let Miss Bad Mood distract you. This evening is going to be great." said Lana.
"I'd like to play uno with you." said Miranda.
"So Miranda, let's start playing." said Lana.
Lana began to shuffle the playing cards artfully. Miranda watched the whole thing closely as Lana did it. Even Lorraine seemed to forget her bad mood. She also watched Lana.
"How you do that?" Lorraine asked.
"Practice and skill." said Lana.
"Can you show us again?" asked Miranda.
"Of course."
Lana put the cards back in a pile and started shuffling again. Miranda was extremely happy about it.
"One more time please." said Miranda.
Lana repeated the shuffle.
"Can you teach me that?" Lorraine asked.
"I can. After dinner." said Lana.
Lori and Bobby pulled into the regional psychiatric parking lot. Lori and Bobby got out and entered psychiatry.
"Do you know which department the talk group is in?" asked Lori.
"Room seventeen in the outpatient psychiatric unit." said Bobby.
They walked down the hall and entered a room with a few chairs. Some men and a woman sat on the chairs. This woman in particular caught Lori's eye. She kept her eyes on the ground and had long, wavy, blond hair. There were a few chairs free. Lori and Bobby sat down. One of the men looked at his watch.
"So. Let's get started. Glad to see you. I hope you had a good trip here. As you can see we have a new member. Would you like to introduce yourself?" said the man.
"Yes. I'm Lori Santiago. And this is my husband Roberto." said Lori.
"Do you want to tell us where you are stationed?"
"USS Enterprise. CVN-79. Satan-Class Aircraft-Carrier. Rank captain"
"Oh I am sorry." said one of the men.
Lori looks at him. The man leading the group spoke again.
"This is Sebastian. He was a sailor on the USS Rhode Island. Lori, I think you saved his life, among other things."
"You came at the right time." said sebastian, and stood up.
Sebastian slowly walked up to Lori and hugged her. Lori sensed that he was grateful. Sebastian sat back down in his chair.
The woman spoke. She had a fine voice, which was pleasant to listen to.
"She used a nuclear weapon. We killed all the people in combat, but she used a weapon of mass destruction."
"Astrid, there is no judgment here." said Sebastian.
"She killed ten thousand people!" Astrid said.
"And there is no judgment here!" said Sebastian.
Astrid, who until that moment was only looking at the ground, looked Lori in the eye. Lori saw that Astrid had beautiful blue eyes.
"You know what, I'll tell you briefly how I first killed. In the first battle of Nuuk. A soldier from the CWP who jumped into our trench and shot two of my friends. I attacked him from behind, and threw away his gun." said Astrid.
Astrid raised both her hands and looked at them.
"I put my hands around his neck and strangled him. I looked him in the eye. I watched his life end. I can remember every detail. He had a brown spot in his eye, and a mole on his chin. He had killed two of my friends and i wanted him to feel my revenge he should feel my anger i squeezed his neck he looked me in the eyes and he knew it was over was him. I could feel him gasping for air, and after a while he stopped struggling. His eyes stayed open, staring into nothingness. Even after he was dead, I kept going."
Astrid put her hands on her legs.
"Lori, I'm sorry if I don't understand why you fired that nuclear weapon. But I want to ask you something. How did you first kill someone? How, who, when, and where?"
Lori continued to look into Astrid's eyes and began to talk.
The USS Edward Teller had received her new recruits and she shot like an arrow across the water. 21-year-old Lori was promoted to ensign along with Joker shortly before the training mission. Now she could give limited orders. She enjoyed that too. She ran to the bow, to the turret. She entered the turret. There were sailors assigned to the 127mm gun. She opened the breech-loading gun and looked inside. She looked closely at the artillery. She turned to the sailors.
"I gave orders for the artillery to be clean! Is that clean for you?" Lori said loudly.
"Ma'am, no, Ma'am!" said the sailor.
"Then clean up the artillery!"
"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!"
The sailor took the cleaning tool and began to clean the artillery. Lori watched him. When he was done, she looked through the artillery again. Lori turned back to the sailor.
"It's clean now. If you did your job right I wouldn't have to yell at you the whole time." said Lori.
Hartman radioed over Lori's radio.
"Captain Hartmann to Kitty and Joker. Join me in the briefing room immediately."
Lori left immediately. She exited the turret, and went to the briefing room, which was near the bridge. Joker was already there, sitting across from Hartman at a table. Hartman looked like she was about to throw a tantrum. Lori sat down next to Joker.
"I called you because you are both my best officers. And we will soon engage in a war against a sea power. In Chicago there was a terrorist attack in the subway with Zyklon-B." said Hartman.
"Zyklon-B?" asked Lori.
"A pesticide that is gaseous. The Nazis used it to murder the Jews in World War II." said Joker.
"Exactly. Zyklon-B causes cramping pains and you suffocate painfully. That's the worst way to die." said Hartman.
"This is terrible." said Lori shocked.
"That's the way it is. 273 dead, 1,698 injured. And more and more are dying. Six men were arrested and traces of Zyklon B could be detected. And each of them is a member of the CWP. This Danish party, which three months ago overthrew the government in Denmark." said Hartman.
"These are the ones who are hostile to Russia." said Lori.
Joker nodded.
"Exactly Kitty. The CWP terrorists also made it look like Russian terrorists. I don't know the details. And now the UN Security Council is debating whether to classify the CWP as a terrorist organization like Al Qaeda or Jihad. And when that happens you will both arrest two members of the CWP here on this ship. Joker, watch Jeremy Davis. And kitty, keep an eye on Robert Clinton. You two will carry handguns 24 hours a day now. And if either of you do anything suspicious, arrest them immediately or shoot them." said Hartman.
"Aye Ma'am." said Lori and Joker.
Go to the armory right now and get handguns and ammo." Hartman said.
Lori and Joker went to the armory and got the pistols.
A lot had changed at Royal Woods in three years. Leni and Luna now had their own apartments. Luan was now the eldest daughter who still lived at home with her parents. Lunch was on. The family sat down at the table. Lann senior now served the food. Spaghetti Bolongnese.
"And what are your plans for this Saturday?" asked Rita.
"I'm going to rehearse another comedy act." said Luan.
"And I'm going to the train station with Lily." said Lynn.
"We have to get there on time at exactly 3:12 p.m.." said Lily.
Lily put the first fork of spaghetti bolognese in her mouth. She spat it out.
"What's wrong Lily?" asked Rita.
"There's too much ground beef in the Bolognese. I can't eat it." said Lily.
"Lily. It's exactly the same amount of ground beef as it was last week." said Lisa.
"No. There's a little more ground beef in there than last week. I can feel it and taste it." said Lily.
"Lily. Does it have to be the same every time?" Lynn asked.
"Yes. It has to be the same. It has to be, otherwise it won't be the same, and that won't work." said Lily.
"Lily. I'm eating it too. It's the same as last week." said Lisa.
"I can't. It's not the same as last week. I can't. It's not possible. Otherwise the order and order would be disturbed."
"Lily, if you eat this, I'll take you to the Woods Hill tram stop." said Lynn.
Lily considered. Her face was still as emotionless as ever. She looked at Lynn's hands.
"That is acceptable." sat Lily, and put the fork in her mouth.
"Lily, I can't always cook exactly the same way. I can't. You have to adapt." said Lynn Sr.
"Your father is right. You have to adapt. People aren't all like that, that orderly and that special way of thinking like you." said Rita.
"Mom, I would call it a digital mindset, like a computer." said Lisa.
"Don't call Lily a computer! She just has her own way of thinking." said Rita angrily.
"It would be nice to be a computer." Lily said in her quiet voice.
"How do you mean that?" asked Lucy.
"If something isn't right, or something's wrong like now, I could just switch off." said Lily.
"Then you couldn't go watch trains with me." said Lynn.
Lily seemed to be thinking again.
"Lynn, can we catch the 3:24 tram?" Lily asked.
"Of course. Is there something special going on there again?" Lynn asked.
"Every Saturday at 3:24 p.m. an old tram leaves platform four."
"Okay, then we'll take the old tram." said Lynn.
Lily and Lynn finished eating. They got up and get ready for the train station.
Lori watched him. She never let him out of her sight and always had her gun ready. Robert Clinton was a man in his mid-twenties, older than Lori. He was bald, and eyebrows that were quite bushy. Lori followed him into the magazine, and continued to watch. Hartman came to Lori.
"Has he done anything suspicious yet?" whispered Hartman.
"No. But I don't feel comfortable with him." whispered Lori.
"Keep watching him Kitty."
"Aye Ma'am."
Lynn and Lily walked together to the main train station. Lynn held Lily's hand. Lily tolerated this from Lynn. The two walked through the beautiful waiting room and walked to platform four. There was already an old, olive-green, four-axle railcar ready to depart. The metal plaques on the cars said, Great Lake City-Non Stop to Creek Hill.
"Lily, the train goes to Creek Hill. We can't take that." said Lynn.
"I didn't mean this train. Ours leaves in ten minutes. But this one is fascinating." said Lily, looking up at the roof, where stood an old pantograph that was attached to the catenary.
The brakes hissed and the clutches creaked. The train drove off. Seven olive green wagons passed Lynn and Lily. Then platform four was empty. Lily looked at the tunnel, where the RWR trains always left. A modern articulated railcar pulled into platform four. He was red, and had a graphite gray streak. And on the front was the number 86 on the side in small white letters. Lynn felt it somehow familiar. Lily tugged on Lynn's hand.
"I want to get in the front." said Lily.
Lynn went with Lily. Lynn heard a hiss from the roof of the motorcar. She looked over there and saw the pantograph being lifted. Now she remembered. This railcar, this track. Here she wanted to take her own life. Lynn starred on the pantograph. Lily continued to tug on her arm.
"The tram is leaving in nine minutes. I want to get on." said Lily.
The voice in Lynn's head began to speak.
"If you had just touched the power line with your left hand, everyone would be better off. Because your heart is not worth beating."
Lynn continued to look at the pantograph. At this point she made her biggest mistake. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. It couldn't be Lily because she was too small. Lynn turned to look into the face of a man in his thirties who had brown hair and a mustache. It was Armin.
"Lynn! It's a pleasure to see you." said Armin.
"Armin!" said Lynn, hugging him.
Armin laughed.
"My daughter will get jealous."
Lynn released him. Lily hid behind Lynn.
"What are you doing here?" asked Armin.
"I'm here because of my sister Lily. She likes trains and trams." said Lynn.
Armin recognized Lily behind Lynn. He knelt and held out a hand.
"Hello Lily. I'm Armin. A train driver."
Lily didn't answer. Armin got up.
"Don't worry. She is very shy and doesn't like human contact that much." said Lynn.
"It's alright. But I think Lily will like something else. Come with me." said Armin, and the three went into the tram.
Armin went to the driver's cab door and opened it.
"So Lily. Come in. I'm driving the tram here."
Lily slowly stepped into the cab. She looked around. There were buttons everywhere.
"Sit in the driver's seat." said Armin.
Lily sat in the driver's seat. Something she had wanted for a long time was now coming true. Armin pointed to a lever.
"I can drive and brake with this lever. And I have to press the noble on the floor every thirty seconds. Otherwise the tram will stop." said Armin, pointing to a pedal on the floor.
Lynn walked into the cab and took a picture of Lily. On the controllpanel, Lily looked at one of the monitors in the cab. Armin looked at his watch.
"I have to drive now. I have to ask you to leave the driver's cab." said Armin friendly.
Lily got up and headed for the door. She turned around and looked at the floor as usual.
"Thank you." said Lily, sitting down next to Lynn.
"You're welcome. Train driver." said Armin with a smile and closed the door.
"That was something great." said Lynn.
"It was fascinating." said Lily.
The tram doors beeped and closed. Then it drove off gently. It drove into the tunnel, and then it drove alongside the gardens at Royal Woods. Lily looked out the window to see the railroad signals. After a while the tram arrived at Woods Hill. Lily and Lynn got out. Lily kept thinking about the driver's cab. She looked at the track.
"When I grow up, I want to be a train driver." Lily said in her soft voice.
"You'd be the greatest engine driver in all of Royal Woods." said Lynn.
"I will never be late. I will stick to the timetable."
"You will."
The two waited for the tram to go to Royal Woods and went back home.
She watched him like that all day long. When his shift ended, Lori followed him to his quarters. She was waiting ten meters away. Eventually another sailor came. He walked towards Lori. He whispered.
"Ensign Loud. I have to relieve you. Hartmann's orders were, and I quote, Kitty should rest and continue tomorrow."
"Good. Sailor, pay attention. And please, if anything happens, arrest him. I don't want unnecessary deaths." whispered Lori.
"Aye, ma'am." whispered the sailor, and saluted.
Lori saluted and walked onto the deck. It was dark and all Lori could hear was the sound of the water. The waves increased and the USS Edward Teller lurched and rocked more and more. Lightning and thunder began. The weather services reported a hurricane, and now it was here. Lightning flashed again and the thunder was deafening. The waves smashed the deck and Lori's boots got wet. She held on to the railing. The USS Edward Teller struck a wave and then the bow dropped. A huge wave hit the deck and Lori got all wet. She tasted the salt water on her lips. Again the bow rose out of the water, and lowered back into the water. Lori got even more wet. She ran back to her quarters, constantly having to hold on to the railing. Lori reached her quarters. It was bigger than what she had as a recruit. She only shared the quarters with Joker. Lori changed and hung up her uniform to dry. She noticed Joker lying in bed reading a book. Lori sat down in her bed. Lori picked up her book about warships, which she was given for Christmas three years ago. She read the section on Fletcher class destroyers. Then she read about a USS Spence that capsized in a typhoon. Lori thought about the hurricane the USS Edward Teller was in right now. Lori looked out the porthole of her quarters. The sky was black and lightning kept lighting up the Atlantic. A wave hit the Edward Teller, which rocked heavily.
"Joker. I've rarely seen such a storm." said Lori.
"The Arleigh-Burke class is designed to weather storms like this. I wouldn't worry." said Joker.
"I just read about a USS Spence that capsized in a typhoon. I'm worried."
Joker looks at Lori.
"Kitty, there's nothing to worry about. We're safer here on the Edward Teller."
"I know. But I still have concerns." said Lori.
"Would you like some advice from me?" asked joker.
Lori nodded.
"Just sleep. With a swell like this, I always imagine that the ship is my mother, who is rocking me to sleep. Just imagine your mother taking you in her arms and slowly rocking you to sleep."
"Okay. I'm trying." Lori said and lay down in her bed.
Lori covered herself up. The light was still on.
"Joker, can you turn off the light?" asked Lori.
Joker reached over to the light switch and turned off the light.
"Good night Joker." said Lori.
"Good night kitty." said Joker.
Lori closed her eyes, imagining her mother gently holding her hands. She used all her imagination and it almost seemed real. How she held and cradled her. It was warm under her blanket. And she almost thought her mother was here. Then she fell asleep. And Lori dreamed of her family when everything was still fine. Especially when Lincoln was still alive. In Lori's dream, Lincoln still had his tumor-related white hair. That's how she liked to remember him. As a happy little brother. She dreamed of the park where Lincoln would have almost died from his tumor had Lynn not unknowingly saved him. But Lori dreamed of Lincoln and Lynn playing ball together, and Lincoln finding a lizard by the rocks with Lana, laughing with Luan, taking selfies with Leni, practicing for beauty pageants with Lola, playing in the sandbox with Lily, rocking with Luna, Prepared chemicals with Lisa and wrote poetry with Lucy. And he hugged Lori. The next thing Lori dreamed was standing on a beach with Bobby. Then came the Edward Teller, and fired her artillery, and unleashed the rockets. This dream only lasted for a short time. Then she dreamed of the moment she saw Lincoln for the first time. From the man with the extremely thick glasses, the brown hair and the suit. As he said he would watch them all. Then at some point she woke up. The alarm rang. Joker was already awake and changed her clothes. She got up and looked out the porthole. The storm was light now, but the sky was still dark because of all the clouds. It was still thundering over the Edward Teller. Lori put on her spare uniform and holstered her gun. Lori and Joker were now ready for their service.
"Are you ready, Joker?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then let's go."
Lori and Joker left their quarters. Again Lori began to watch the sailor Robert Clinton. Lori observed nothing unusual. He appeared in the magazine on time for his duty, and did everything right. Lori even put him to the test, adding armor-piercing shells to the high-explosive shells. It was two hours before Clinton noticed. He took the two armor piercing shells and put them in the right place. Lori continued to watch him. When Clinton's shift ended that evening, he went to his friend Jeremy Davis. She followed him to Davis Quarters, where she met Joker. She stood unobtrusively near Davis quarters. When Clinton entered, Lori went to Joker.
"Something suspicious?" asked Lori.
Joker shook her head.
"I'm no longer sure if they are terrorists at all." said Lori.
Joker looked at Lori.
"If you don't want to be caught, you have to adapt." said Joker.
"How do you mean that?"
"The three men who distributed the poison gas in the subway never caught your eye either, did they? Like the men in the subway, these two are also terrorists."
"If you think."
"Kitty, please go to our quarters. I'll wait here for our relief."
"Okay. I'll see you later." Lori said and went to her quarters.
She sat down on her bed and changed her clothes again. She lay down and thought. What if these two men aren't terrorists, if these two are innocent? She knew she shouldn't think so much before she went to sleep. As she was about to fall asleep, she heard Joker sneak into the room. Lori was half asleep and started talking quietly.
"Joker?"
"Yes."
"Thank you for being so quiet."
"You're welcome."
All Lori hears is Joker changing and she falls asleep.
In Great Lake City, Luna and Sam were in a rock band competition. Its evening. Both are now 19 years old. The two stood at the entrance and waited. They did not participate but simply watched.
"I'm looking forward to the concert." said Luna excitedly.
"Me too. There will definitely be some talent among them." said Sam.
"Yes. Above all, I'm curious who will win."
At the entrance of the bands and artists was a band of three young men. One had long dark hair and several tattoos. The other was bald and muscular. The third was holding drumsticks, had short dark brown hair, and was wearing a baseball cap backwards. They talked and Sam listened.
"Now we're missing Walter. Where is he? We can't play without him." said the first man.
"He just called me, he's got the shit." said the man with the baseball cap.
"That's great. Now we have to play without the second guitarist? You can forget that!" said the bald man.
Sam thought for a moment. This was Luna's chance to become famous.
"Luna, wait here a minute." said Sam.
"Okay. But come back soon." said Luna.
Sam stepped towards the men and tapped the first man on the shoulder, and he turned.
"Yes?"
"Hello. I heard you're missing your second guitarist." said Sam.
"Yes. Did you overhear us and want to get acquainted with us?" asked the drummer in the baseball cap.
"No, not me. But my girlfriend Luna. She's the best guitarist I know."
"If I understand correctly, then you want your girlfriend to play the guitar with us so that we don't fail and she gets known?" asked the first man.
"Yes. I know it's silly to ask, but it would make her happy." said Sam.
The three thought for a moment.
"You know what, fuck it, she plays guitar with us." said the first man.
"Really? Thank you very much." said Sam.
Sam went back to Luna and took her hand.
"Come with me." said Sam.
"What? We're losing our places in the queue." said Luna.
"Just come with me."
Sam drew Luna to the band.
"Here. This is Luna." said Sam.
"So this is her." said the first man.
"Sam? What are you doing?" whispered Luna.
"Trust me."
"So, if I should introduce ourselves, I'm Tom." said the first man.
He pointed to the second man, the bald one.
"This is Terry and he in the baseball cap is Dwight."
"You have to be Luna. If you really rock, then you're in." said Dwight.
"What does that mean?" asked Luna.
"You play with us." said Tom.
"For real?"
"Yeah damn shit." said Terry.
"Okay. What should I do? I don't know your songs." said Luna.
"It's very simple. You stick to Terry and you'll get through this." said Dwight.
"Okay. I think I can do that." said Luna.
"Let's go backstage." said Tom.
Luna, Sam, Tom, Terry and Dwight go through the artists entrance. They rush to the backstage room and get ready. Tom gave Luna a guitar, and pulled out a bass. Luna was excited.
"When do we start?" asked Luna.
"We are number six." said Dwight.
"Another question, what's the name of your band?"
"Satan's slaves."
Luna nodded. Half an hour passed. Then Luna, Sam, Tom, Terry and Dwight ran onto the stage. Sam stayed behind the curtain by the side of the stage. Luna saw how many people there were. She turned to Sam. She showed the thumbs up. Luna went to her position. Tom walked towards her.
"Well, we'll play two songs. I hope you keep your promise." said Tom, and went to the microphone.
Luna looked at Sam who waved at her. She looked at Dwight, who was playing drums, and Terry, who was standing to Tom's left with the guitar. Tom turned on his microphone.
"Hello my beloved motherfuckers. I hope you brought a good mood with you. The Satans Slaves will rock noooooooooow!" shouted Tom into the microphone.
The song started slowly. Then Dave and Terry started playing powerfully. Luna adjusted to the two again. Terry, Dwight and Luna quickly started playing. Tom, playing his bass, began singing again in his powerful voice.
«Oppression is the holy law
In God I distrust
Italic monuments will fall
Like ashes to dust
It's war and creed the master plan
The battle's where it all began
It's propaganda shouts despair
And sends this virus everywhere
Religion is hate
Religion is fear
Religion is war
Religion is rape
Religion is obscene
Religion is a whore»
Luna listened to ton and only thought what she was doing here. She usually never played such provocative songs.
«The pestilence of Jesus Christ
There never was a sacrifice
No man who hung the crucifix
Beware the call for purity
Infections their facility
I've made my choice
666!»
Sam slowly shook her head.
"This satanic bullshit." said Sam.
«Carussa Green's a pedophile
No praying for the priest
Confession finds a lonely child
Now preys on the weak
You think your soul can still be saved
I think you're fucking miles away
Scream out loud, here's where you begin
Forgive me Father for I have sinned!»
"Oh my god, where did I end up here?" thought Luna.
«Religion is hate
Religion is fear
Religion is war
Religion is rape
Religion is obscene
Religion is a whore
The target's fucking Jesus Christ
The one I'd love to sacrifice
I'd nail him to the crucifix
Beware the call for purity
Infections their facility
I've made my choice
666!
Jesus is pain
Jesus is gore
Jesus is the blood that is spilled in war
He's everything
He's all things dead
He's pulling down the trigger pointed at your head!
The fear your shoulded to the front
Revelation, Revolution,
I see through your cracked illusion!
The war on terror just drags along
My holy god it's growing strong
It's propaganda shouts despair
And sends this virus everywhere
Religion is hate
Religion is fear
Religion is war
Religion is rape
Religion is obscene
Religion is a whore
There is no fucking Jesus Christ
There never was a sacrifice
No man upon the crucifix
Beware the call for purity
Infections their facility
I've made my choice
666!»
The song ended and tom made a short speech.
"Thank you motherfuckers. Thank you Luna here with the guitar for supporting us." said Tom.
Tom approaches Luna. Then he whispers.
"Can you sing?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I wonder why? You sing. You helped our band, so you sing."
"Thanks." said Luna, and went to the microphone.
Luna considered. Which song should she sing? she considered. Somehow she couldn't get the gas attack from the Chicago subway out of her head. She thought about it and came up with a song. And Luna began to play.
«Turmoil at the front
Wilhelms forces on the hunt
There's a thunder in the east
It's an attack of the deceased
They've been facing poison gas
7, 000 charge en masse
Turn the tide of the attack
And force the enemy to turn back
And that's when the dead men are marching again
Osowiec then and again
Attack of the dead, hundred men
Facing the lead once again
Hundred men
Charge again
Die again
Osowiec then and again
Attack of the dead, hundred men
Facing the lead once again
Hundred men
Charge again
Die again
Two combatants spar
Hindenburg against the Tsar
Move in 12 battalions large
Into a Russian counter-charge
They'll be fighting for their lives
As their enemy revives
Russians won't surrender, no
Striking fear into their foe
And that's when the dead men are marching again
Osowiec then and again
Attack of the dead, hundred men
Facing the lead once again
Hundred men
Charge again
Die again
Osowiec then and again
Attack of the dead, hundred men
Facing the lead once again
Hundred men
Charge again
Die again
And that's when the dead men are marching again
Osowiec then and again
Attack of the dead, hundred men
Facing the lead once again
Hundred men
Charge again
Die again
Osowiec then and again
Attack of the dead, hundred men
Facing the lead once again
Hundred men
Charge again
Die again
That's when the dead men are marching again and again
That's when the dead march again»
The crowd applauded. Luna looked at the audience. Then she saw a man she had seen before. A chill ran down her spine. It was the man she had met at the Railway tavern when Lincoln received his diagnosis. Luna remembered everything. She had an affair with this man. And with that she had betrayed Sam. Luna walked off the stage with the others. She looked at Sam and went to her.
"Sam. We have to go." said Luna.
"Why? The competition has just started." said Sam.
"Sam. We have to go." Luna said in a very serious voice.
"Okay. Let's go."
Luna gave Tom the guitar and the two walked out of the stadium. Sam was curious and worried. Luna quickly walked in the direction of their hotel.
"Luna, what's going on?"
Luna said nothing. They ran to the hotel and Luna ran up the stairs. Their room was on the fifth floor. Sam rode the elevator up. Luna and Sam reached the fifth floor at the same time. The two ran to her room and went inside. Luna sat down on the bed and buried her face in her hands. Sam sat down next to her.
"Luna, can you please tell me what's going on?"
"At the stadium in the audience I saw a man. And... And when Lincoln received his diagnosis four years ago I had been drinking in the Railway Tavern and I had a weak moment." said Luna, who was close to tears.
Luna wanted to take a moment to breathe and tell Sam what happened. But Sam knew what had happened.
"You banged him."
"Sam. I... I'm very sorry." said Luna.
"You banged him."
"Sam."
"You actually banged him."
"Sam I swear it was just the one time and it was horrible. I had a hard time reconciling this with my conscience. It will never happen again. I promise."
Sam considered what to say.
"I believe you're sorry. But it hurts me. I want to continue this relationship with you, but it's difficult to process that something like this happened." Sam said in a very calm and matter of fact voice.
Luna said nothing.
"I think the best thing is if we go to sleep first." said Sam.
Luna nodded. Sam went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. As she got into bed, Luna went to the bathroom and got ready for bed as well. She lay on the bed and tried to sleep. But neither of them could sleep. The two lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling. In the middle of the night, Luna didn't know when, Sam started to say something.
"I know you're awake. I've been thinking. I'll forgive you for this infidelity. I want to stay with you. Because even if such news is hurtful, I love you." said sam in a low voice.
Luna almost cried when she heard this. She could only manage four words.
"I love you too."
For Luna and Sam, this was to be the hardest night of their relationship. At the same moment it was dawning two hundred kilometers off the south-west coast of Africa. The sun slowly appeared behind the horizon. Lori woke up and looked out the porthole. Joker woke up too.
"Something spotted?" asked Joker.
"I think soon. We will definitely see the African continent tonight. The wild continent." said Lori.
"Possibly. We should get ready for duty."
Lori nodded. The two changed and armed themselves as usual. Lori and Joker went into service now. Lori went back to the ammo magazine. Clinton is back at work. But he was acting strange. He looked around frequently. Then Lori saw him hiding a propellant charge in his uniform. Lori knew it could be used to make a bomb. She continued to watch him. Then he took another propellant charge and hid it in his uniform. Lori picked up her gun. She took a deep breath. She ran towards Clinton, gun pointed.
"Don't move! You're under arrest! Drop the explosive charges!" shouted Lori.
Clinton turned around abruptly and Lori immediately saw that he was holding a pistol. Lori didn't think about it and pulled the trigger. There was a bang and Clinton's throat was pierced by a projectile. He fell to the ground. Lori heard him gasp, he crawled on the floor for a moment, and then he stopped moving. A puddle of blood spread across the floor. Lori looked at Clinton's dead body. She heard screams, calls, but they were far, far away. She had killed someone. She had shot a human, with a movement of reflex. Lori quickly aimed her gun at her lower jaw, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. The gun jammed. Lori realized she was pointing a gun at her and dropped it. When the gun hit the ground, a shot was fired that slammed into the wall. The voices from afar came closer. Lori was taken by the shoulder and carried out of the magazine. Lori was paralyzed. It was officers who wore them. They carried Lori to their quarters, laid her on the bed, and locked the door. Lori stared at the ceiling. She had killed someone. Lori could still feel the recoil from the gun, she could still see the projectile penetrating Clinton's neck. Lori remembered the recruitment. Lori was told they would fight with the ships at range. distances of kilometers. You wouldn't see anything. But Lori had been six feet away. She saw him die because she shot. Lori suddenly heard the door unlock. She didn't look who it was. Then she heard a voice. Hartman's voice.
"Well Loud. You did it. And you still show remorse that he was a terrorist. You're even more human than I am."
"I acted out of reflex. How is that possible? I've never done anything like that." said Lori.
Lori felt Hartman sit down on her bed.
"Because I made you a minister of death. As I said in my speech almost three years ago. Loud, I too shot someone on the job. You think you're a different person because you killed someone. You think you'll never be the same person again. Then you wake up the next morning and realize it was always you. You just didn't know."
"Does that mean you only strengthened what was in me for a long time?"
"Yes. Everyone kills. Everyone can. And when you recruit, we always ask one question, why do you want to join the Navy? Some say because of family tradition, some because of interest, and some say they want to serve our nation. But everyone Answer is wrong. There is only one right answer. To kill. The man said to me more than twenty years ago, Olivia why do you want to join the Navy? Then I said To kill. Then he said there never is Another reason. Loud, we're all here to kill. If you want to talk, you know where to find me."
Hartman got up and left Loris quarters. Lori was now lying on her bed. And think about Hartman's words.
Rita was sitting on the living room sofa next to Lynn Junior. The two talked.
"It's incredible that Luna won." said Lynn.
"Yes. With a satanic thrash metal band." said Rita and giggled.
"It's not Luna's style at all. But she seems to have rocked."
The telephone rang. Rta went there and picked up.
"Rita Loud. Who am I talking to?"
"Hi Mom. It's Lori." Lori said, stuttering slightly.
"You don't sound good. Has something happened?" asked Rita worried.
"No. I'm fine. I just wanted to say I love you mom. And it's been too long since I said that."
"Thank you. I love you too. I have something to tell you. Luna won first place in a rock and metal music competition with a band."
"That's great. That's great. I have to hang up. My friend Joker also wants to make a call."
"Okay. Bye. Come home soon."
"I will. Bye mom." Lori said and hung up.
Rita sat down next to Lynn. Lori only said words, but these words made Rita happier than she had in a long time.
Astrid was still looking at Lori. She had been listening to Lori all that hour.
"I think I understand you now." said Astrid.
Bobby puts his arm around Lori.
"I don't think we're all that different." said Astrid.
Lori remained silent. Then sebastian got up. The man leading the group also stood up.
"Well, our time is up. I hope to see you again next week."
Lori and Bobby got up and said goodbye to the others. They left the regional psychiatric ward and walked into the parking lot.
"May I drive?" asked Lori.
"Yes, of couse." said Bobby, and threw the key to Lori.
Lori and Bobby got in. Lori hasn't driven for a long time, and had to get used to such things as a car again. She started the engine and drove off. On the main road she stalled the engine.
"For fucks sake!" Lori cursed.
"Hey. This isn't an aircraft carrier. You gotta show love to the car." said Bobby.
"I love the Enterprise too. I bought the best bottle of champagne with my own money to christen her."
"Yeah, but drive carefully."
Lori restarted the engine.
"No Bobby, this car is sensitive. I'm telling you, the Enterprise lost thirty meters of her bow and suffered six toredo hits. She's still swimming. It's this car."
Lori drove on, back into Royal Woods. Bobby was slightly confused because Lori drove onto a different street.
"Where are you driving to?" asked Bobby.
"I have to visit someone." said Lori.
Lori drove down the street and stopped. It was the cemetery. Lori turned off the car and got out. Bobby followed her.
"You want to see Lincoln and Lisa?" asked Bobby.
"Among other things." Lori said, turning on the flashlight on her phone.
Lori ran to the cemetery with Bobby. She shone around. She saw Lincoln's and Lisa's grave. She ran towards it.
"Hello you two. Glad to see you. So much has happened. I think you know what it was. I have to visit someone else. I'll be back soon." said Lori.
Lori kept walking. She lit up every tombstone. Then she found two tombstones, each with a Hawk carved into it. They were the graves of Peter and Sybille Hawk. Lori looked at the two graves.
"I'm sorry Peter. I couldn't save Sybille. I hope you know I did my best. I failed."
Lori turned to Sybille's grave.
"You were the best helmsman I knew. You would have even brought us home with the rudder gear destroyed. I really wanted you on the Enterprise. You should be the helmsman on the Yamato. If I had known that, I would have you on the Yamato assigned. I'm sorry."
Lori felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Bobby.
"It wasn't your fault. It might have affected the Yamato as well." said Bobby.
"Maybe. But she died under my command."
Lori kept looking at Sybille's grave. Then she heard footsteps. She saw a figure walking towards her. Lori lit up the person. It was Lily. She walked towards Lori and Bobby and stopped in front of them.
"Lily? What are you doing here?" asked Lori.
"I have things to settle." said Lily.
"What kind of things?"
"This is private. I wanted to check on Sybille here."
"How are you?" asked Bobby.
"I feel the same as always." said Lily.
"Lily, what happened in Nuuk?" asked Lori.
"I have seen people suffer and have done the only humane thing to end the suffering." said Lily.
"A mass shooting." said bobby.
"Yes. People didn't have to suffer to death, and children and less severely exposed people could be taken on board the German hospital ship Willy Brandt." said Lily.
Lori thought about it. But now she has to ask Lily something else.
"It's almost midnight. Where are you going to sleep? Mom and Dad are already asleep by this time. You can sleep at our house if you want."
"No. I know where I sleep. Thanks for the offer." said Lily.
"Okay. We're going now. Goodnight Lily." said Lori.
"Thank you. Good night to you." said Lily.
"Good night." said Bobby.
Lori and Bobby left. Lily looked a little more at Sybille's gravestone.
"You were one of the few I could call a friend." said Lily, and left the cemetery.
Lily walked down the street. She knew exactly where to go. She sang a German song quietly to herself. It was an old German song that Nina Hagen had sung. It's about a woman and her boyfriend who are at the beach. But the friend forgot the color film. Lily kept singing this song to herself. She crossed the street and left Royal Woods. She walked down Radium street and saw the nuclear power plant's red plane lights. She walked on to a hilly edge of the forest, where there was a small hut with a garden. Lily swept the garden with a flashlight. In the garden were the tracks of a large model railway that Lily had built. She went to the door of the wood hut and took out a key. She opened the door and turned on the light. In the hut were showcases with model railways, a table with chairs, a wood stove, a fridge and a fuse box. On the table lay gray woolen blankets, which had a red stripe with Swiss crosses at each end. They were woolen blankets from the Swiss army. Lily put two on the floor and got one ready. Lily turned out the light, lay down, covered herself with the army blanket, and fell asleep. In the morning Lily woke up. At the window next to her she heard a scratching. The window has been opened. Someone broke in. Lily decided to surprise the burglar. She stayed down. Then someone jumped in, almost landing next to Lily. Lily immediately grabbed the burglar. But the burglar was Lorraine.
"Aunt Lily?" asked Lorraine, startled.
"The question is what are you doing here." said Lily.
"I come here sometimes and ride the model train. But I take my own trains."
"Even though you're my niece, I have to call the police. This is a burglary."
"No! No please don't!" Lorraine begged.
From her pocket, Lily took out a small railway signal, which was green with a white line. Lorraine was relieved and laughed.
"The joke signal. If it weren't for that, I'd never know if you were joking." said Lorraine.
"I'm sorry if I scared you." said Lily.
"It doesn't matter. I can never interpret your facial expressions. Sometimes I wish you would show emotions."
"I don't think that's going to happen. Do you want something to drink?"
"Yes. Gladly. What do you have here?"
Lily gets up and goes to the fridge. She opens it and looks inside.
"I have coke, apple juice and mineral water." said Lily.
"Apple juice please." said Lorraine.
Lily gave Lorraine a bottle of apple juice and closed the fridge. Lily opened the door and took two chairs in front of the hut. Lorraine got up too, and went outside to join Lily. She sat down next to Lily in the chair. The two said nothing. Lorraine opened her bottle and drank. They kept silent. Then Lorraine came up with a question she wanted to ask Lily.
"Lily, why did you kill those people in Greenland? I thought you considered every life important."
"These people had radiation sickness and sometimes the pain was so bad that not even morphine can help them anymore." said Lily.
"Nobody had answered my question. What happens when a neutron bomb explodes?"
Lily didn't answer. Lorraine looked at her. Her eyes moved quickly. Was she thinking? Lorraine snapped in front of her face. Lily looked at Lorraine.
"Didn't you hear me?" Lorraine asked.
"Sorry. My mind was elsewhere. What was your question?"
"What happens when a neutron bomb explodes?"
"The neutron bomb is a type of hydrogen bomb. However, it is designed not to create a large explosion, but to generate as many free neutrons as possible. The radiation is so strong that people die from radiation poisoning immediately to weeks afterwards. The goal is actually the immediate death of the population so that the infrastructure can be taken over."
"You mean killing people without destroying anything?"
"Exactly."
Lorraine recognizes a figure in the distance. It was Lori and Lynn. Lori seemed relieved and Lynn seemed aggressive.
"Lorraine. Say next time you go away." said Lori.
"And get away from that murderess immediately!" said Lynn slightly angry.
"Lily and I were just talking. She had good reasons I think." said Lorraine.
Lynn walked up to Lily and looked her aggressively in the eyes.
"That you still dare to come here! Lori, Lana, Lorraine and the others might forget what you did! But I won't! I will keep you away from this family!" Lynn yelled.
"Lynn calm down." said Lori.
"Calm me down? She should go to jail." yelled Lynn to Lori.
"I think you should listen to Lori." said Lily, standing up.
"Shut up!" Lynn yelled, pushing Lily back into the chair.
The voice in Lynn's head spoke again.
"Take lorraine away from Lily! She's dangerous!"
Lynn grabbed Lorraine's forearm and pulled her away from Lily.
"Lynn you hurt me!" said Lorraine.
"This is the best for you." said Lynn.
Lori blocked Lynn's way. Lily stood up and grabbed Lynn's arm.
"You can be mad at me, which is understandable. But leave Lorraine alone and don't hurt her." said Lily.
Lynn released Lorraine.
"May I talk to Lorraine alone, Lori?" Lily asked.
"Yes." said Lori.
"What? You can't be serious!" said Lynn.
Lorraine and Lily step a few meters to the side.
"Go home with your mother. Lynn will probably act like this for a while longer. I live here for the time being. You can always come if you want." whispered Lily.
"I will. Can I hug you goodbye?" Lorraine asked.
Lily thought for a moment.
"I don't like physical contact, but I allow it."
Lorraine hugged Lily. Lorraine let go. She walked over to Lori and Lynn, waved at Lily, and the three of them left. Lily went into the hut. She took out a stick from a closet with a sponge on the end. She wet the sponge and pressed it onto the track of the model railway. Then she started cleaning the track. She cleaned every inch of the plant in the garden. When Lily was done, she put down the stick with the sponge and went inside the hut. At the fuse box she switched on one of the circuit breakers and went to the display case. She took out a three-car tram that was blue on the bottom and white on the top. VBZ was written in white on the blue surface. Next to it was a blue and white coat of arms. Lily put the tram on the track. She selected the tram from an app on her cell phone. The tram drove off. It reached a stop and Lily stopped it. Her phone vibrated. It was a message from Lori.
"Sorry for Lynn's behavior. Please come by my house tomorrow. Have a nice day."
Lily continued to drive her tram. She thought about how she could resolve the situation with Lynn. Lynn had a very dynamic behavior in the past. She had to be forced to do certain things. Even Lily herself. Lily knew what to do.