"It always starts with one person."

~ Father Gabriel Stokes

Glenn could barely stomach the sight that laid in front of his sickened and widened eyes. 

His friends-

His family-

Strapped to operating tables, being pricked and prodded on.  

Sasha being injected and drained of her blood.

Michonne being mutilated and dissected.

Dwight being marked and sliced.

The others, like Sherry, Abraham, Rick, Carl, and Rosita, were hidden from view, and the mere thought of what might have happened to them angered Glenn even more. 

"I didn't want to believe it..." Glenn started quietly. "I thought- I wanted to believe not even you would cross this line."

"They-They killed our people, Glenn! I didn't want to do this either. I said that many times before, but they kept attacking! They hurt you! They destroyed our garden! They-" Maiya defended loudly, causing the medics to suddenly turn and stop their grisly work.

Glenn let out a maniacal laugh at his sister's justification, interrupting her. "What was that you told me? Awhile back? I'm sorry about what I did to your friend. Trust me, if I would have known, I wouldn't have!"  He spat, walking over gradually to the stations to examine his friends.

"Or was it that you have become selfish?!"  Glenn pulled back Dillon roughly from Dwight. "I call bullshit like you did when I first walked into this damned lab! How did you think I'd react?! Is that why you sent me away?! Because you knew!!"

"I-I sent you because Oceanside was coming- They had made a deal with me-  And I didn't know how they'd react if they saw you!" Maiya struggled to say as she approached her brother desperately. "But yes! I knew you would try and stop us from-"

"From torturing my friends?!" Glenn went to the next station and shoved Cora. "For someone who enjoys killing, you can't even look at what you're part of!" He turned back to sister and grabbed her hand, tugging her to the patients.

"LOOK HERE! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE A PART OF!" Glenn screamed, pointing at his weakened friends. 

"NO!" Maiya gasped, turning her head away. "You-You said it thrilled you too... You even helped us. Why draw the line there?" She cried, breaking out of her brother's grasp. "Why draw the line with people who mistreated you?!"

"Don't you dare- Don't you try to even turn this on me! I know what I've done unlike you!! I know what kind of person I am! And I don't try to give some bullshit justification!!" Glenn turned away, hiding the hot tears in his eyes.

That was when he saw Michonne fully, and what had been done to her.

"What... happened.. to her... arm.." Glenn seethed as he stared at the woman. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?!" He grabbed Dante by the wrist, pulling him forward with a surprising amount of force. 

"I-I amputated it," Dante gulped, raising his hand up in defense. "It-It's-" He used his free hand to point to the counter where her severed arm lay; already peeled of its skin. 

"You sick bastard..." Glenn hissed as he immediately let go of Dante, walking over to the counter. "Is this a trophy for you?!"

"Of course not. It's a model to show how the nervous system works." Dante brushed himself off of the scuffle confidently. "I think we should have all the body systems on display for reference." 

"Commander, do we continue?" Dante turned his attention to Maiya, stepping up to her. 

"I can't put you before humanity, Glenn. I love you, but this is what has kept me alive. It's been my purpose," She said as she gave the order. However, Glenn with his back still turned to the pair, rasped:

"You... don't love me."

"Not as much as your work. You just acted like I was the thing you loved the most because you knew what I would do for you just to keep you in my life. You knew you were the last thing I had left. But I should have known.." Glenn's voice cracked as this realization came to pass. "This would always be more important to you. Despite you telling me how we were raised to love and protect.."

"Glenn... I love you... Finding you again was one of the happiest moments in my life. I protected you and considered starting a war for you," Maiya explained patiently as if to compose herself.

"But you don't deny it?" Glenn sadly asked, ignoring Maiya's response.

She shut her eyes and lowered her head, unable to look at him. Even from where Glenn stood, he could see tears spilling down her cheeks, sparkling in the light.

Glenn knew he was right at that moment, but he so desperately wished he was wrong. He wished she would blurt out how wrong he was and confirm she did truly love him. 

That she didn't just tell him what he needed to hear so he would work for her.

That he was the most important thing in her life.

But she did not nor would she.

"I won't let you stop me," Maiya declared, pushing past Dante. "This is for the good of human-"

"I'm not going to. But do you really believe what you're doing is for humanity? Or is it for the benefit of yourself?" Glenn interrupted, catching his sister by her shoulders.

"Wha- What?" Maiya's composure began to crack, which Glenn wanted. It was his last card to play, and she would end up hating him for this. But this is what she left him with, she forced his hand.

She had made him do this.

"Your experiments, they're built on a lie, aren't they? This castle, these justifications, even your leadership is all a lie," Glenn struggled to say, knowing how much this would hurt Maiya. "The closest thing you've been to a 'commander' is working as a fitness trainer for law enforcement."

"You think these people don't know that?! You think I've- I've been lying to them?!" Maiya demanded. 

"I think you've been lying to yourself. I think- I think you've convinced yourself doing all this was worthwhile; was for some greater purpose. But really, it was for yourself." It felt cathartic for Glenn to say this like his conscience had been waiting a long time for this moment.

As if the words he spoke were meant for himself.

"And this- this Commander Rhee isn't you. My sister would not stand back and use people as a means to an end. She would take responsibility for her actions and be disgusted by what she's enabled."

Everyone in the room remained stunned at Glenn's sudden calmness, staring at him in silence. However, Dante's voice soon broke that silence.

"We called her a commander because of how she led. Because of how she could command and unite us. How many other leaders could do that?! That takes strength... Strength I could never have, but always admired.." Dante trailed off. "It's what made us respect her."

Maiya let out a cry when she heard Dante's words, bringing her gloved hands to stifle her sobs. "Dante? I always thought you would be a much better leader. You were- You are so much smarter than me! Around you- All of you," She addressed the medics around the room. "I felt so damn inferior. I thought constantly how there was nothing stopping you from taking over. You probably would do a much better job," She chuckled in spite of her tears.

"I always wanted to be a scientist..." She sighed sadly, slumping down in a nearby stool.

The medics slowly took off their masks to look at their leader as Dante approached her and took hold of her hands. 

"Since I've known you, I envied your strength and resilience. Even with that stupid chain, I was still a weakling" Dante tiredly smiled. 

"Why did you all really do this then?" Glenn pressed on, interrupting their tender moment.

"... I was never happy!" Maiya snapped up from her stool. "I wasn't happy with myself! I knew I would never amount to anything in the old world! How could I?! Everyone around me, seemed to be going somewhere. Gale was already a doctor! Wren a dancer in New York! And Dahlia was on the brink of becoming a famous model! And where did that leave me?! The family failure!" 

"I was just living day by day without any purpose..." Maiya sighed once again. "But then it was the end of the world and that was the best thing to ever happen to me. I could finally do something! For once, it was me who had a 'scientific idea.' It was me who thought to be innovative! I gave everyone a purpose besides surviving! If we found a cure..." She grinned madly. "I would finally be important..."

Glenn could only watch his sister in pity as she collapsed to the floor in sobs. He made no move to comfort her as did no one else. They just waited until she picked herself back up again to continue.

"But not only that... I suppose I did lie to you all." Maiya looked at her medics. "I wasn't as strong or brave as you thought. I was scared of this new world. At every turn, there was only death. I couldn't die without accomplishing this idea! I didn't want to be forgotten... I wanted to leave a legacy... How many times were the people like us forgotten about and the men like Negan given all the credit?! How many times was our history erased?! How many times were people like us erased from our own history?!" Maiya fumed.

"Exactly," Dante agreed angrily. "That was what was wrong with the old world. And we weren't going to let that happen again. That was our purpose."

Maiya crawled over to her brother, grabbing onto his shirt and crying onto him. 

"I just wanted to be significant..."

"Even if it meant," Glenn murmured. "Becoming the very people you hated."

Maiya gave an inhumane howl as she pushed Glenn away, running out of the lab and back into the dark of the corridor.

All Glenn could do was follow the sound of her wails.

~

Carl woke to a dull pain stinging his whole body, groaning as moved to sit upright.

"Shhh. Just lay back down, Carl," A voice said from nearby. "The medics will be here soon."

"Jeffrey, you motherfuc-" 

"Carl, is that any way to talk to your uncle? I know you're upset, but you and your dad are safe," Jeffrey reassured, leaning forward on the chair beside the foot of the bed.

"Dad!" Carl turned to the left, seeing Rick unconscious on the next bed. He tried to move closer to him only to find he was handcuffed to the bed. "What the hell?! As if it wasn't enough to electrocute me!"

"I am related to a sheriff after all. I have to take precautions," Jeffrey smirked; a gun revealed to be in his hand.

"YOU BETRAYED YOUR FAMILY!!!" Carl lurched forward, but was jerked back from the handcuffs.

"I kept my family alive! You and Rick will get to live!" Jeffrey exclaimed. 

"But not the others? Not our friends?" Carl glared; his chest heaving in pure rage. 

"It wasn't easy to convince Maiya!" Jeffrey protested, getting up from his chair and leaning on his cane. "But what matters is that we'll be together now."

"As prisoners?" Carl grimaced, struggling with his cuffed hand.

"For a while." Jeffrey walked over to Carl's bedside with his cane. "But we can finally be a family again."

"...I see. You're right," Carl returned Jeffrey's smile. "It's been so long since we've been that. It's been so long since I've felt that."

"It'll take some time getting used to, but we'll be okay," Jeffrey patted his nephew's hair. "I never told you this, but me and Rick were never close. Not like brothers should be because of the age gap... I am more of your brother than your uncle."

"You're not that much older than me," Carl agreed. "We were raised together like brothers."

"And now that you're here with me, I'll make sure nothing bad ever happens to you again. I'll protect you," Jeffrey firmly stated.

"Jeff?" Carl looked at his uncle deeply.

"Yeah? What is it?" Jeffrey asked earnestly.

"Will my dad understand?"

"When he wakes up, which should be soon, I'll explain everything. You'll have to help me convince him. He'll listen to you-"

As Jeffrey talked, Carl had slipped his wrist free of the handcuff, keeping up with the conversation as a distraction and as a way to buy more time. And before Jeffrey could finish his sentence, Carl kicked him off the bed and onto the hard floor below.

Jeffrey groaned as he hit the cold floor roughly. Immediately, he stretched out his hand to grab onto the edge of the bed. He shakily lifted himself up only to see Carl standing beside him with his cane.

"Carl!" Jeffrey reached out for his nephew, who only threw the cane across the room.

"NO!!!" Jeffrey fell back onto the ground, yelping out in pain as he did so.

"I'm related to a sheriff after all. I have to take precautions. And since you won't be needing this," Carl took the gun Jeffrey had left behind on the chair. "I don't even know why you have this. I doubt you would have pulled the trigger."

"I should have!" Jeffrey snarled.

"I don't think you even know how to use this," Carl mocked. "Well, have fun explaining to my dad what you told me. And don't leave out the part where-"

Sudden wails from outside interrupted the boy, forcing him to be silent and listen.

Instantly, Jeffrey recognized the wailing, calling out: 

"Maiya!"

Carl's eyes darkened upon hearing these words, cocking his gun in response. He left without another word to his uncle, following the sound of her cries instead.

~

The smell of cookies baking greeted Rick as he found himself in a familiar house in Alexandria.

"Forget about me, sunshine?" A distant voice asked.

"...Carol? Is that you?"  Rick called out, trying to pinpoint where she was.

"Who else?" A figure began to emerge, taking the form of Carol. "It's good to see you even though I've seen you in better shape."

Rick could not help but weep as he saw his friend once again even if it was just a dream. "I'm just glad to see you. I could never forget about you."

"Well, that's a relief to hear." Carol took a tray of cookies out of the oven. "God, you really do look like a mess."

"I'm sure I do..." Rick sighed. "But I'm in an even bigger mess right now."

"And why are you telling me this?" Carol took a bite of a cookie.

"Be-Because it's what's happening!"

"I know. So why are you here talking to me instead of doing something about it? The Rick Grimes I knew was a doer. Not a talker.... mostly," Carol laughed.

"I don't even know where to begin. Everyone's probably dead now... Or will be soon," Rick lamented.

"After everything's that's happened, don't tell me you're back to being beaten-down Rick." Carol rolled her eyes disappointedly. "I know the apocalypse is a depressing place, but this is ridiculous."

"Is the after-life better then?" Rick wondered.

"Depends on where you go," Carol shrugged. "But nothing is better than actual life. At least you're guaranteed something."

"And yet I've never been more uncertain," Rick confessed.

"Alright. Enough is enough. Your friends- Your son is trapped in this castle and you're going waste time talking with me? I understand we haven't seen each other in a long time, but that can wait. I'm not going anywhere," Carol assured.

"We didn't even get to tell each other goodbye.." Rick lowered his head in remembrance. 

"...Goodbye, Rick," Carol smiled regretfully.

"Wait! I'm not- I'm not ready. Like I said, I don't know what to do. Please, Carol. Tell me what I need to do to fix this!"  Rick pleaded frantically.

"First, you gotta wake up, sunshine."

~

Rick's blue eyes opened instantly, gleaming brightly unlike before where they had turned dull. But just as suddenly as they opened, they narrowed in determination.

A/N: Only 2 chapters left of plot, readers!! I need to hear some predictions, theories, and/or feedback!