Chapter seventeen: Plutonium 239

The bus stopped with a lurch. The whole class got out now, and it was clearly audible how the suspension of the bus was relieved. Lori and Carol got out.

"Finally. My legs hurt." said Carol.

"Yeah. Im happy that I can stand and not have to sit anymore." Lori said.

Both fetched their luggage.

"And what are you gonna do with her?"

"Who?" "You and Natasha."

"I think we start our friendship new."

"I hope it works. And that reminds me, where is she?"

Lori and Carol saw Natasha standing to the side.

"There she is. Let's go to her." said Lori.

They went to her.

"Well Natasha? Are you okay?" asked Lori.

"My father said he would pick me up. But he is not here."

"Im sure he is right here. Maybe in just a few minutes." Lori said.

"Yes. You are right. I'll wait."

Lori and Carol stayed with her. Fifteen minutes later, Mike was still not there. "Is that normal?" asked Carol.

"No. That's not normal."

"You should call him." Lori said.

"Good idea."

Natasha took Out her Phone, and dialed Mike's number. When the call got answered, Natasha got Happy.

"Hello Natasha?" Natasha got annoyed. Because it wasn't Mike who answered, it was Claire.

"Why, why are you on the phone of my father?" "Your father is sleeping right now."

"He should Pick me up. Why is He sleeping?"

"He's in the hospital."

Natasha clenched a fist, swung it around in the air, and yelled angrily into her phone.

"And why the fuck didn't tell me this? He is my father!"

Natasha ended the call.

"My god, I hate this woman!"

"Calm down. What's going on?" asked Lori.

"My father is in the hospital and nobody told me!"

"Oh my god." Carol said.

"What happened?"

"I do not know!"

"Didn't he tell you that?"

"No! Because his goddamn Girlfriend answered the call!"

Lori considered. She saw Rita, Leni, Luna and Luan waiting in Vanzilla. And the solution was obvious to Lori.

"We can bring you to the Hospital." Lori said.

"Really?"

"Yes. But get a drivers license."

Lori said goodbye to Carol. Lori and Natasha boarded Vanzilla with their luggage. Rita greeted the two warmly.

"Hi girls. How was it?" Rita asked.

"Sometimes good, sometimes shit. Could you Drive to the Hospital? Natasha's father is there." Lori said.

"Oh dear. Im sorry to hear That Natasha. What happend?"

"I don't know. But im sure it has something to do with his radiation sickness."

"Its long ago since the accident. How long does he need to recover?"

"He can't recover. If you get irradiated, you keep the damage you received, and never recover."

Rita said nothing. She started the engine and drove off. Ten minutes later they reached the hospital.

"Thank you. Lori, Mrs Loud. That was very nice that you drove me here." said Natasha.

"No problem. I hope you spend a bit of time with Lori again." Rita said.

"I want for sure."

"Bye Tasha."

"Bye."

Natasha got out with her luggage and went to the hospital. There she walked down the aisles. She asked a nurse where he was and she answered in room number 122. Natasha went there and when she entered the room she saw Mike sitting in bed safe and sound. Natasha ran to him, pushing Claire out of the way, who was between them. Claire fell on the ground.

"Ouch!"

"Dad! Im so happy to see you." Natasha said.

"Why did you push Claire?"

"Thats not importand. She is not importand. You are importand. How are you dad?"

Claire stood up and held her wrist.

"Besides, he's supposed to be released today. My wrist hurts."

"Natasha, Apologize!" Mike Said sternly.

Natasha great her eyes, and turned to Claire.

"I'm sorry, that you where in my way."

Natasha turned to Mike again.

"But now I have to ask. Why did Claire answer the call? I mean, you are fine. In some way."

"I was taking a nap. So she answered."

"Oh. Okay that's good."

Mike got up.

"I Go to the doctor, and say that I want to Go Home. And be nice to Claire!" Mike said.

"Yes." Mike left the room.

"How was the camp?" Claire asked.

"Shut up Claire!" Natasha said.

"Okay."

Mike came back a few minutes later.

"I can go home. I just have to take a hell amount of pills."

Natasha cheered and hugged her father.

"That's good." said Claire.

Meanwhile, Vanzilla drove down Franklin Avenue. They didn't talk much on the drive. Lori in particular was silent.

"You look worried. Is everything alright?" Leni asked.

"Im worried about Mike. I mean, Natasha explained a lot about that what happened to him. I mean, He looked like a dead person after the accident in the Nuclear Power Plant. And he will never recover." said Lori.

"Poor Mike." Leni said.

"I don't want to imagine what he went through." Luna said.

"Is there something you can do to help him?" Rita asked.

"I don't know. I really don't know." Lori said.

They reached the Louds' house. Lori immediately went to her room and left the door ajar. Then she did what everyone did with responsibility. She took out her Karabiner 31, and took out the magazine. Six shots were loaded. A full magazine. Then she unlocked the Karabiner 31 and opened the bolt. The chamber was empty. Lori put the Karabiner 31 in the closet with the magazine and ammo, and put clothes on top. Then she heard something. Lily crawled inside. She looked at Lori in surprise.

"Aww my little angel. I missed you so much." said Lori.

Lori opened her arms and walked towards Lily. Lily crawled towards Lori. Then Lori picked Lily up and hugged her.

"I missed you."

Lori gave her a kiss on the cheek. Lily hugged Lori's face quite tightly.

"Lily. Yeah I missed you too."

Lori closed the door.

"Lily, I have to show you something. But its a secret between you and me. Okay?"

Lily nodded. Lori used one arm to pull out the envelope Jack had given her. The envelope with 25,000 in it. She put Lily on her bed, and put the 25,000 on her bed.

"So, very Bad guys tried to take my and Natasha's life. Some other Bad guys paid them to do that. But other Bad guys helped us, and took their life."

Lily widened her eyes.

"Ohhh."

"But ad far as I know, you are not in danger. And as your big sister, I will protect you with my life."

Lily crawled over to Lori and hugged her arm. Lori picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"Lily, if you are here with me, you don't need to be scared."

Meanwhile, Natasha sat in the back seat of Mike's VW Golf. Natasha talked to Mike and was happy that he was feeling better.

"Thats great. I knew you will be friends again." Mike said.

"That's great Natasha." Claire said.

"I was talking to my father!"

Natasha looked again at Mike.

"And how did it go with you?"

"You know, I got the flu, but im fine now. Nothing else happened."

Then they reached the Stevensons' house. Natasha took her luggage and ran to her room. Claire and Mike walked into the living room holding hands, and also sat down on the couch.

"I wish you lived here." said Mike.

"I would like to move in here."

"We could think about it. But Natasha won't think it's great."

"I know."

The two kissed. Then they heard footsteps and Natasha stared at Claire with a look best seen in aggressive cats. Claire got uncomfortable.

"Mike, I will call you later. Okay?"

"Okay."

Mike amd Claire kissed each other in the lips, and Claire left the house.

"Dad, you have to help me in the lab."

"I would like to do that, but it would be bad for me. You have to do this alone."

"I tried that before the camp and it didn't work. We build this Lab for three persons."

"Yeah I forgot that. Get Lori to help you."

"Lori helped me a lot the last days. I can't call her and say, 'Please Lori help me with the Uranium.' Even that we are Friends again, she wants to spend time with her Family."

"She's your best friend again. I'm sure she'll help you."

"Well, it won't work without help."

Natasha started dialing Lori's number on the phone. Lori played with Lily, throwing her in the air and catching her again. When the phone rang, she laid Lily on her bed and answered the call.

"Yeah Natasha?"

"Hi Lori. I hope you are not Mad at me, but we need your help at the lab."

"What? Why... Okay. I'll be right there."

Lori hung up and put on her shoes. As she was about to leave, Lily anxiously crawled after her. Lori turned around and spoke softly to her.

"Don't worry Lily. I'll be fine, and back in a few hours."

Lori got in her car and drove to the Stevensons. She entered the house and went into the living room.

"Hi." Lori said, and waved at them.

"Yeah yeah. You remember how the lab worked?" Natasha asked.

"Yes. Why are you in this mood?" Lori asked.

"Because my father can't work in the lab, because we need to keep His dose low."

"Dose? You mean, radiation dose, right?"

"Yes. I mean, He got a dose like a Liquidator, who cleaned the roof of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. And He can't get more. Its... I can't allow that."

"Okay. I'll help you."

"Perfect. Remember how to operate the gamma spectroscope?"

"Yes. I remember. I Had a good teacher."

"Thank you. Come on. We have to work."

The two went into the basement and entered the lab in the lead box. Lori turned on the gauge and began calibrating it. Natasha took a uranium pellet with tongs from the yellow barrel for low-level radioactive waste. She put it on the gamma spectroscope.

"So. Now we have to wait." said Natasha.

Lori nodded and they both went to the bathroom and washed their hands. Then they went to Mike in the living room. Lori sat down on the armchair, and Natasha on the sofa next to Mike. They rested on the seats. Both caught their breath. Then Mike asked them how they were doing.

"How are you both?"

"Could be better." Lori said.

"It only could be better." Natasha said.

"Why?" Lori wondered how to say it. But before she could answer, Natasha started talking. "During the camp, we were both followed by Russian killers. I killed one and we both almost got shot. But then the neo-Nazis, from whom we got the laboratory equipment, came and killed the killers with Hitler's buzzsaw."

Mike startled and clutched his left breast, like he'd had a heart attack.

"You... y... y... y... what?"

"Yeah dad. Yeah. I killed someone. Someone who was hired to kill us."

Mike covered his face with his hands and began to sob. Natasha knelt in front of him. Mike slumped to the floor. Natasha started crying.

"Please dad. Forgive me for that. Please I beg you."

Mike so remainedbbing.

"Mike. You have to forgive her. She is your daughter. And you are Happy that she still lives." Lori said.

"Yes dad. Please."

Mike wiped the tears from his eyes. Then he hugged Natasha.

"I can't lose you Tasha. I don't think that I want to Live in a world without you."

As Lori saw this, she felt bad. Nothing of this would have happened if she didn't meet Natasha. This is just because they met each other and got Friends. That's why they work with Stolen Nuclear fuel. Thats why they are criminals. Thats why Natasha killed someone. Lori was now kneeling on the floor as well.

"It's all my fault! It's my fault that four men are dead!"

"It's not... not your fault. Come here." said Natasha crying.

All three hugged each other crying and sitting on the floor. They cried and cried for hours. And eventually they didn't have the strength to cry anymore. Lori especially thought of the one man in the woods who was murdered by the Russians. And to the Russians who were killed by Natascha and Jack's gang. At one point, Lori went to the lab with Natasha. Her eyes burned and were red. Lori had the results printed.

"Here. You understand that."

She gave the printed document to Natasha. you leave it.

"Yes. Even this production. We have to show it my father."

The two went upstairs to the bathroom and washed their hands again. Then they went back to Mike. Natasha gave him the document. Mike let it, and looked at Natasha.

"Well. At least I had a reason to steal the nuclear fuel."

"So, what did we find Out?"

Lori asked. Mike and Natasha looked at each other, and then Mike starts to explain.

"The fuel Elements have a way to High amount of Plutonium 239. A Isotope which is able to fission. Normaly there is some Plutonium in MOX fuel Elements. But Not Like this. Besides, these should be Plutonium free."

"Okay. That means?"

"Lakeatom, the manufacturer of the fuel Elements, produces in an illegal way Nuclear bombs." Lori was shocked like hell.

"Wait... Nuclear bombs? You mean, Nuclear bombs? Like those in Japan? Like, everyone dies If one explodes?"

"Yes. Exactly." Natasha said.

"But why are they doing this? This is terrible."

"I don't know. Maybe they want to sell it. Russia. China. India. Or Israel. Or they Want to do something really bad." Mike said.

"You mean like a terrorist Attack... with a Nuclear bomb?" Lori and Natasha got both goosebumps.

"Oh fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What are we gonna do?" Natasha asked in panic.

"We have to get an evidence. plans, photos. Wait, girls, did you read the document from the man in the woods? The worker from lakeatom?" Mike asked.

"No. We haven't read the document." Lori said.

"Natasha, get the document. We need as much information as possible."

Natasha ran to her room and came back with the document. She pointed to the document.

"Here it is. The cores are plutonium-239 cores, with beryllium reflectors. Estimated yield of 100 kilotons. There are seven in existence. None have been delivered. None of the cores are numbered, and are illegally manufactured Fifteen years ago, the first batch of affected fuel assemblies arrived at Three Mile Island. The ones you measured dad. All seven cores were supposed to be smuggled to Russia. None have come to Russia yet. All seem to be in storage near by Great Lake City."

Lori panicked as soon as she heard that. "Bobby lives in Great Lake City! Is he in danger!?"

"Wait wait! It stood there to, right. Yes, here. Its only the cores. No live bombs. So, No danger."

"But the core is the thing that explodes, right?" Lori asked.

"Yes." Mike said, "But it needs much to trigger that kind of bomb."

"Exactly. You must detonate over a hundred explosive lenses just right. so that the core is sufficiently compressed. These are cores from implosion bombs. They could fall out of a plane, or the bomb wouldn't detonate all the explosive lenses and nothing would happen. As it stands, the document says, "The cores are in boron and lead lined containers." These are good conditions." Natasha said.

"Oh my god! My boo-boo-bear is safe!" Lori said relieved. Natasha looked at Lori in confusion.

"What?"

"Forget that cute name of her Boyfriend. What we need now are evidence's. We need as much as possible." Mike Said.

"What kind of evidence's?" Lori asked.

"Every. We need all."

"And more research." Natasha said.

"Yes, more Research. Thats clear. But, aren't the bombs also evidence's?"

"Yes." Mike said.

"And does that mean, we have to get a nuclear bomb?"

"I think so." Lori touches her forehead sadly.

"How did we get here?"

"You know if we manage this situation right, we will be heroes." Mike said.

"But we aren't heroes." Natasha said.

"Right. We are good criminals." Lori said.

"We need to find more evidence." said Natasha.

Lori and Natasha went back to the basement and started a new analysis process. Once they started this, they went back upstairs to the bathroom and washed their hands. Lori said goodbye to Natasha and Mike and when she left the house she noticed that it was already dark.

"Oh great. Lily must be asleep."

Lori got in her car and drove home. When she arrived and entered the house, she saw her parents sitting on the couch. And both were very angry.

"Lori Loud! Why are you so late? We were really worried!" Rita said.

"Im. Uhm..."

"Explain it!" Lynn Senior said sternly.

"I was with Natasha... I..."

"You have to tell us where you Go. You are still our daughter."

In a split second, Lori had all of her confidence on her, and countered.

"I had something very important and personal to do! Something that only concerns me!"

"Hey! Please watch your tone." said Rita.

Lori slapped Rita's face at that moment. Then she ran to her room, collapsed onto her bed, and cried. Between the sobs she heard Leni snoring. Then she heard a crawl.

"Loi?" It was Lily. Lily crawled over to Lori. Lori sat up and picked her up.

"Lily? How did you get out of your crib?" Lori looked at Lily. Lily looked back.

"Never mind. You always find a way, smart girl."

"C'ying?" Lily asked.

"I Just Had a Fight with Mom... And I think I hurt her."

Lily widened her eyes and gasped. For Lori it was clear what this reaction means.

"I know. What kind of person am I to hurt my own mother?"

Lily hugged Lori's waist.

"I don't deserve that Lily."

Lily wasn't listening. She continued to hug Lori.

"Well, you don't accept a no."

Lori put her left hand on Lily's back and stroked her head. Lily starts yawning. Lori got up and carefully carried her to her room and put her in her crib. Then she sang her a lullaby. When she was done, Lori covered Lily with her purple comforter.

"Good night Lily. Have sweet dreams. And stay sweet in your dreams too."

Lori stroked her head and walked to the door, leaving it ajar.