II - The Service

Lori and the group were escorted by the agents through a fence gate, walking on the sidewalks in the President's Park, observing the small trees and growing weeds in the grass. The South Lawn had freshly mowed grass, and flowers growing in random spots. A squirrel ran across the lawn, stopping as it stared at the group walking by.

"Stay, Kimi," said Benny.

Kimi panted as it passed by the squirrel, catching up to Hana who watched the government agents with suspicion. The group followed the agents around the White House, passing by the West Wing as they walked along a road. Clyde walked up to an agent and nudged him.

"So since you guys aren't about that secret lifestyle anymore… is it true that you guys have aliens hidden somewhere? I knew a friend who wondered whether you guys really hid them in Area 51– wait, silly me. What I really want to know is if the President ever met one of these aliens."

"Clyde, what are you doing?" asked Ronnie Anne.

"I'm sorry, I'm just getting a little excited. We're going to learn all these government secrets, you know!"

"In time," said one of the agents. "After we trust you, that is."

"They will trust us!" said Clyde. "Oh, I can't believe I'm going to meet Oba–"

"Clyde, don't set your expectations too high," said David. "We don't know anything about these people."

The group approached the Cadillac One and the North Portico of the White House.

"Did you guys know I was born in that?" said Lincoln. "The First Lady delivered me! Well– the former First Lady."

"Laura Bush delivered you?" asked Lisa. "That's not what I was told."

"'Cause it's not true," said Lynn. "But it's a great story."

"It's true, but I wasn't… supposed to… tell you guys," said Lincoln upon being hit with a realization as he turned towards the Service agents. "I can tell them about that secret safehouse you guys have in Royal Woods, right?"

"Uh… yeah, sure," said one of the agents. "It's not like anyone can do anything dangerous with that information anymore."

"Wait, if there was a secret safehouse in Royal Woods, why didn't we go there?" asked Ronnie Anne. "You're making this stuff up!"

"No, he isn't!" said Clyde. "His parents told us!"

"It's not like I know where this safehouse is in Royal Woods," scoffed Lincoln. "Whatever, you don't have to believe me."

The agents opened up the entrance door and allowed the group to walk in as a man stood inside, surrounded by other Service agents who wore casual clothing. They were all armed with either submachine guns or pistols, and they circled around the group as the agents closed the entrance door. The man in the suit walked towards the group and stopped in front of Lori. He had a serious expression on his face as he stared Lori in her eyes. Then, he smiled.

"You must be the leader," said the man. "Welcome to the Entrance Hall."

Lori nodded as she looked at every agent in the Entrance Hall. She looked at the lit chandeliers and shiny marble floor and the spotless red carpet in the ground. Then, she looked back at the man in the suit, who held out his badge.

"I'm Special Agent Edgar Flynn. But please, call me Eddie."

Eddie then reached out his hands, ready for a handshake. Lori lowered her eyebrows and gave him a reluctant handshake.

"I'm Lori Loud. So, about the deal."

Eddie let go of Lori's hands and smirked.

"Right, you want refuge. Did you guys not have your radio on? I mean, we were telling people to come here."

Lori looked at David who shrugged at Eddie's comment. She looked back at Eddie.

"We didn't have our radios on. But, even then, there would've been no way to respond. How were we supposed to let you guys know we were coming without being shot at? You could've killed us out there!"

"Allen, our sniper– he and I were extra paranoid today. Good thing we weren't extra accurate today!" chuckled Eddie.

The group members remained silent as some looked around at the bright and clean building while others looked at the agents.

"I'm sorry," said Eddie. "You guys must have gone through too much for me to be joking about that. Umm… follow me!"

Eddie and a group of agents surrounded the survivors as they walked down the Center Hall staircase leading to the Center Hall in the basement floor, or the ground floor. An agent flicked on the light switch, turning on the lamps in the hallway. Eddie continued to lead the group through the hall as the footstep noise coming from his dress shoes echoed.

"So, you guys have a lot of power," said Bobby.

"We got multiple generators– all extremely powerful," said Eddie. "Those babies can last for years, but we gotta be careful with how we use them. You know, conservation and all that."

Eddie stopped in front of a room as the agents opened up the door.

"Welcome to the Protection Area. This is where you people will stay until we can process you all. We might ask you questions, some a little personal and uncomfortable, but hey– it feels a hell of a lot better than out there. We do need something from you guys though. Your guns."

The survivors tossed their glares at Eddie.

"Woah, we definitely respect your Second Amendment rights here, but only after you become residents. But until then, we can't really risk you people running around, guns blazing. It's only temporary. It's just until we can get to really know you all. I'm sure you understand."

"We do," said David. "We're just upset about it, that's all."

Eddie looked at him as the group members started handing the agents their guns. His eyes caught the dog tags around his neck. He smiled slightly.

"Huh. You served in the military?" asked Eddie.

"Yes, sir. United States Marine Corps. Served two tours in Afghanistan."

"That's… that's great," said Eddie. "Thank you for doing your best."

David glared at Eddie before walking inside the Protection Area, which was a rectangular room with wooden tables and fancy chairs, unlit candles, and carpeting in the entire room. The lights were left off as the sunlight shone through a window.

"You know we're really vulnerable, right, Lori?" whispered Becky.

"Nothing we can do about it, now," Lori whispered back.

Eddie whispered at the agents. He nodded and motioned them to leave. They closed the door, leaving just Eddie and two other agents next to him.

"I know this feels uncomfortable and all, but you know– our primary goal is to protect and serve the President and his family. It's our duty and it's a good life. No place lasts long without a leader or some sort of government. 'Cause that'd be anarchy. And a life of anarchy ain't a good life. You've seen it, right? All around you, you see it. The infected in every street. Looters and raiders ransacking camps and buildings."

"You seem to know a lot about life out there," said Kotaro.

"Oh yeah, from what people tell me, I know a lot more than you might give me credit for," replied Eddie. "But that could end, right? You know, we have scientists working around the clock, making something so we can all deal with this. But nothing works. And we're losing a little bit of hope every day. But then… there's you guys. Someone brought up a cure. Who's the genius who thinks they have a chance to take on nature's worst disease?"

"That would be I. Lisa Loud. And I have the prototype of the cure for the Necrosis Influenza of the Rabid Type. NIRT cure, as I like to call it." I don't want to take all the credit though."

Eddie rubbed his chin as he stood up.

"Incredible. Girl genius."

"It wasn't just I," said Lisa. "There was a doctor. Unfortunately, he passed away due to unfortunate circumstances, but his work is to be notable in the prototype. He should take all the credit…"

"Hmm. Sounds like you don't feel that proud. C'mon, feel proud! You might've just saved humanity! I certainly need to feel as if you did. Lighten up. Everything that happened, everything that you did to make this cure…"

Lisa gulped and looked down as Eddie continued talking.

"...and I mean all of it. Don't regret a thing. It's unfortunate that this doctor passed away, but we have you. We all made sacrifices before, right?"

Lisa closed her eyes.

"I'm sure once we distribute this cure, your spirits will be lifted, right?" said Eddie.

"Right. Just nervous, is all," said Lisa.

"Perfect. I'm going to come back with questions. Stay tight. Lighten up, people! You're saved! Saved from the anarchy of the world!"

Eddie and his agents walked out of the room. Lori looked at David.

"Something's definitely fishy," she said.

David nodded as the group members looked around. The chandelier in the room flickered as some group members made themselves comfortable in the floor or on the chairs. Lisa continued to stand still in the same spot as she faced the entrance door.

"Hey, David," whispered Lori as she turned around. "There's a…"

Lori walked towards Lisa and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Lori.

Lisa stared at the door, hearing the crying of an infant in the distance. The cry grew louder and louder until it was all she heard. She turned around, with tears falling down her cheeks.

"Lis, what happened?" asked Lincoln, quickly walking to her.

Lisa cleared her throat as she wiped her tears away. She blinked rapidly and took off her glasses, wiping the lens with her sleeves.

"There's something I have to confess…" she said, her voice breaking.

The survivors all stared at her. Carol remained seated in a chair. Becky laid against the wall with her arms crossed. Lily sat on Lana's lap. Lincoln knelt down, rubbing Lisa's back.

"The current state of the cure was only made possible due to a sacrifice I made from juggling with calculated risks and limited options in a time of dire need and urgency. I made this sacrifice knowing that it would be for the benefit of humankind but I couldn't help but let the guilt of said choice wittle my conscience by the day. It's a burden I'm carrying and it weighs heavy."

"Lisa…" whispered Lori, "...what are you talking about?"

Lisa glanced at Carol before looking down at the floor, where a teardrop fell.

"I euthanized Zoey."

The atmosphere tensed up as silence filled the air. Lincoln stood up and flinched back. Lori stared at Lisa with shock, before facing Carol.

"N-No, you can't be serious, right?" asked Carol. "Please, be clear. You mean after she died, right?"

"She wasn't deceased… yet," said Lisa. "She was in pain. Her pain receptors flooding her brain with messages of an inevitable death. I had to spare her from this pain."

"She would've recovered…" said Carol, her eyes turning watery. "All you had to do was give her the quinine!"

"The chances the quinine would've saved the infant was too low to risk giving it to her. The NIRT cure was top priority."

"So you didn't take the risk?" cried Carol, standing up from her chair. "The cure was more important to you than my daughter?"

"The cure is more important for humanity," said Lisa.

"I don't care! You could've made another prototype of the cure! But I can never get back my baby!"

Carol stomped the floor as she walked towards Lisa.

"You killed my baby! And for what?"

Becky grabbed Carol and held her back.

"C'mon, relax, Carol," whispered Becky.

"For what?" sobbed Carol. "You don't even know if your cure works! You don't even fucking know!"

"Carol, please…"

"White gave his life for Luna! And you couldn't fucking use your cure to save my baby? You're a heartless coward! Spineless… piece of shit!"

Carol fell to her knees, covering her eyes as Becky tried to comfort her. Lisa looked away as she was unable to speak, tears washing over her cheeks. Lori placed her hands over her chin, shaking her head slightly. Lana stood up and cleared her throat.

"She's not the only one with a secret," said Lana.

Carol continued sobbing as the survivors turned towards Lana. Vonda placed her hands on her hips as she bit her lips. George rubbed his head as he glanced at Carol. Lori looked at her while slowly shaking her head.

"We all did things that we wish we didn't do," said Lana. "Lisa's not the only one."

Lincoln sighed and looked down. Lana gulped.

"I… I k-killed Weber…" stammered Lana. "I was just– I took Carol's gun. And I shot him. And it wasn't for no reason. He threatened my life and Lily's. But the way I handled it…"

Lana's voice quivered.

"I handled it wrong. And now…"

Lana broke into tears.

"I feel bad!" sobbed Lana as she ran up to Lori. "Lisa feels bad too! Please don't be mad at her! Please don't be mad at me!"

Lana pressed her face against Lori's stomach as she continued to cry. George and Vonda looked at each other as they grew concerned expressions. Carol seethed as Becky grew an angry look at her face. Lisa then walked up to Lori, snuggling up to her legs as she continued crying softly.

"Simon Weber wasn't a threat," said Vonda. "He was a bit of a loner. Lana, you must've pushed him somehow."

"I... I didn't mean to," sniffled Lana. "I thought I was going to save you guys from him… but all I did was make him afraid."

"He grabbed me 'cause he was scared…" said Lily. "He said Lana was gonna do bad things. He said Lori did nothing. He ran with me to save me. But Weber is being scary that time. Very scary."

George stepped into the conversation.

"Frank– the kid's father– said that his son had a mental condition that affected his behavior. According to him, the kid tends to lash out in extremely stressful conditions, which is what Frank tried to shield him from. This world? No shortage of stress-inducing triggers."

"Right, he told me," said Lori. "It was back in Houlton, but… he said as long as he was around, the kid would be kept in control."

"Until he wasn't," said Vonda. "You were supposed to protect every member of the group."

"We were all too busy…" said Lori, her voice trailing off.

"Right. And you're not mad at Lisa or Lana? Are you even going to punish them?"

"I-I just need to talk to them. I gotta figure something out."

"You would kill people for killing our own," said Becky. "What kinda message are you sending to us if you aren't going to do shit?"

"She has a soft spot for family," said Vonda. "I get it. I wouldn't mind, 'cept it kinda risks our lives."

"You gotta do something, Lori! Why are you still holding them like they're five years old?"

"Well… Lisa is a six-year-old," commented Lincoln.

"She has the maturity of a fucking adult!" shouted Becky. "She can cry all she wants– it's not going to stop us from getting justice for Carol and her child!"

"Please… I don't want you guys to hate Lisa," sobbed Lana. "We're sorry. Please, we're sorry!"

"Sorry won't bring back Weber or Zoey!" yelled Becky.

"Hey, Becky, just chill," said Jace, stepping into the debate. "She's just a kid. I had a strange feeling about Weber and I bet any of you guys would have too. Now, I do think that Lana can't just get off scot-free, but… c'mon, don't act like Lana did this for no reason. Weber killed my lizards. This kid was more of a danger to us than Lana is now."

Lincoln looked at Jace and opened his mouth slightly, before closing it. He looked away and exhaled, wondering why he stopped himself.

"Well, what are you going to do… Lori?" asked Vonda.

Lori looked down at Lana and Lisa, who clung at her legs. She sighed and closed her eyes before the door to the room opened.

"Mrs. Loud?" called out Eddie. "I would like to have a word with you, if you don't mind."

Lori nodded and walked out the door with Eddie. Lana and Lisa stood next to Jace, though he felt slightly uncomfortable catching a couple glares from the group.

Lori and Eddie walked through the halls of the White House.

"You okay there?" asked Eddie.

"Just feeling a bit conflicted," said Lori. "Being a leader can suck. Seems like everything's my fault."

"Right, the burden of leadership. Everything's your responsibility, even if the littlest mistakes weren't your fault."

"I can't help but feel as if I should've done something differently. I feel like I'm being too… negligent."

Eddie and Lori walked up the stairs.

"I know exactly how you feel," said Eddie, looking down at the steps. "Trust me, I've been there too. All you can do is learn from it. Try a different approach with your people. See something that works– stick with it. No leader's perfect. That goes for the President too."

"Thank you," whispered Lori. "I know telling me all this is just you being polite… but something tells me you didn't take me out the room just to hear me vent to you."

Eddie and Lori stepped on the carpet of the Entrance Hall, before walking towards the Blue Room, which looked out at the South Lawn.

"I want to talk to you because I believe your group is a special one," said Eddie. "This cure thing… I mean, what's it's status?"

"It's more like a treatment," said Lori. "It freezes the progress of the infection by disabling the enzymes involved in carrying it to the brain– I don't know, something like that. But it's only a temporary solution. Because it'll only be a matter of time before paralysis sets in… and the patient dies."

"Interesting…" said Eddie as he opened the door to the Blue Room. "And this cure… do you guys have it stored in a vial, tube, or is there some kind of recipe book or something?"

"We have it in a vial," replied Lori. "My sister Lisa has it with her."

Eddie closed the door as Lori looked around the Blue Room. The carpet, the curtains, the chairs, it was all blue. She looked out the window and saw the Washington Monument standing in the distance. Eddie pulled out a wooden chair from the table and motioned Lori to sit. She gave him a quick smile before sitting in the chair across Eddie's. He grabbed a bottle from the table and poured it out into a cup.

"Wine?" asked Eddie.

"No, thank you. I'm not… old enough."

"You were being quite the badass out there. I assume you killed people. Raiders, looters. You probably seen way too much death for someone your age. But you don't want to drink wine because you're not… old enough?"

Lori shrugged.

"I'm being rude. My deepest apologies. So there was a doctor," said Eddie.

"Dr. Steven White. Candian doctor. We met him in Houlton, Maine– it's right at the border next to Canada."

"You people came a really long way. Literally! Must've been exhausting coming all the way down here."

"Yeah. Literally. Like you wouldn't believe. You know, we're not the only people working on the cure. There's another organization. KHAN. It's much bigger than anything I imagined."

"Right," said Eddie. "The people that invaded the capital. I wasn't aware you knew about them."

"We actually faced off rogue soldiers from the U.S. Army. I think they were all Army– maybe Special Forces here and there. I was actually kinda hoping we would see the legit military. You know, the strength and honor type?"

"Unfortunately, many of our soldiers left in hopes of finding their families. They were good people. Honest. Loyal. But their morale was broken. Especially after what the KHAN did to them. Many of them were slaughtered like animals."

"They're monsters," said Lori. "Dr. White actually worked on this cure for quite a while. He was working on it for the rogues. Until we came into the picture. It's a long story."

Eddie took a sip of the wine.

"Well, we got time," he said.

There was a tense atmosphere in the Protection Area as cool air rumbled through the vents. Lisa held electrical wires connected to the camera in the corner of the room, messing with it using a screwdriver and wire cutters.

"Is anybody going to comment on how this place feels like a damn prison or will it just be me?" said Vonda.

"Yeah, definitely," agreed Ronnie Anne. "No water, no food. Just sit here and wait…"

"Look, I'm sure Lori's telling Eddie everything they need to know about us," said Bobby.

"Right," sarcastically replied Vonda. "That's totally what they're doing."

"What are you saying?" asked Luan.

"I can't be the only one that feels like something's going on between Lori and Eddie. He's a handsome guy and she's a beautiful gal. And she would do anything to make sure we stay here, right?"

"Ugh," groaned Luna.

"No…" sighed Luan.

"She wouldn't do anything," said Lynn.

George shook his head and laid against the wall.

"Jesus, Vee, you can't be making accusations like that," he scolded.

"Sorry, just pointing out that possibility," said Vonda. "I mean, she made it clear she would do anything to keep her family alive. She doesn't care about the rest of us. I mean, once again, I can't be the only one to notice that Lori didn't give a damn about Frank's death."

"We're still on that?" asked Jace.

"We were never off that topic," hissed Carol. "Lori being a whore isn't impossible."

"Carol!" exclaimed George.

"What! What are you gonna say? Huh? 'Cause nothing you say will make me stop being angry at my friend! She fought me because I took drugs to make me feel happy in this godforsaken world! Remember that? And she can't even get angry at her sisters who killed an autistic kid and my sick daughter!"

Lana leaned close to Lisa.

"What does that word mean? Autistic?" asked Lana. "Does it mean weird?"

"It's… don't worry about it," said Lisa.

"And also…!" shouted Carol. "...Lana is at fault for Reggie's death! If she hadn't made Weber scared, he would've never ran away, and you guys never would've had to chase him in the woods! And Reggie still would've been alive!"

David and George looked at each other, softly shaking their heads. Preston placed his hands over his forehead and sighed. Then, Lana rejoined the conversation.

"You know Weber watched you as you hanged yourself?" remarked Lana. "He just stared at you! He did nothing! He was going to let you die!"

"I wish I had died!" cried Carol.

Carol turned away from the group members and caused the entire room to go silent. Lana felt her heart beat faster. George then stepped up.

"I hope some of you didn't forget what she did for you guys," said George. "You know… she had a choice to leave you guys behind if she and her family left Houlton. That's right. General Black actually offered Lori a choice. He would've let her and her family leave Houtlon, and you all would've been stuck there, subjected to experiments. But she didn't because she sees you guys as family."

George turned towards Carol.

"After what you did back in Philadelphia, Lori was the one who made us stay in Wilmington so that you could rest and recover properly. I know you remember that. And the only reason why it didn't seem like she cared about Frank and Simon Weber was because she was mostly focused on caring for you. She wanted to be there for you."

George then turned towards Vonda.

"You know these people went to Ann Arbor to look for you. David told me all about it. By no way are you at fault, but two lives were lost. Lori might've not made the best decision, but it was one fueled by her empathy for good people. That goes for you too, Becky. She made sure those two important lives weren't lost in vain."

"I know Chaz would be grateful that you made it this far," said Bobby, smiling at Becky.

"Lori does have a soft spot for family," said George. "And she considers you guys family."

"You're defending her," said Becky.

"You're damn right I am. She isn't a perfect leader. She needs time to think about this. So give her some damn time. She doesn't want to let her emotions cloud her judgment."

"I cut the camera feedback," said Lisa.

George nodded as he looked out the door.

"I'll be back. Think about what I said."

"Where are you going?" asked Vonda.

"I'm going to do some investigating," said George. "I have a feeling Eddie's not a real agent."

George opened the door and left. The group members looked at each other. The tense atmosphere returned.