Before you guys begin reading, I'd like to apologize in advance due to the length of the story.
Chapter 6.
Zed and Lincoln peeked out from a broken wall where the former had found his way out moments prior. They looked around to make sure none of those creatures were prowling about and gave the signal to the others as they moved out.
They found themselves taking cover under and behind some things that could work as hiding spots for them with every few steps taken.
Lincoln had been asked to help Zed out being the main scouts and so far, he had been taking his job quite seriously and has upheld his task quite well. Perhaps this was due to him being reminded of his favorite comic book hero, Ace Savvy, and took this opportunity to imagine himself being in the hero's shoes.
He was rolling around from cover to cover like he usually would when he role-plays as the savviest crime fighter. But another strange tingle down his neck stopped him in his tracks.
"Whoa."
"I felt that too." Zed told him from behind.
Right after that, something from beyond the horizon came into view as it headed towards the group. Landing on the ground between Lincoln and Zed, the two walked up to it.
It took a moment before Zed could finally see what it was, "Oh, shoot! Get away!" He shouted, which sent everyone running quickly from the strange object as far as possible.
He too had gotten away from it and jumped away to push himself further from the blast radius as the device, went off.
"What was that!?" Lincoln shouted, clearly surprised from the stray object making its' arrival.
"Yep, that was a bomb," Zed got up while rubbing his neck after having landed hard on the ground, "But this thing is different, this one has a molecular disruption effect." He added while brushing off the dust from his suit.
"What does that mean?" Clyde chimed in between the two.
"He means that whoever is hit by the blast will be disassembled on a molecular level should they take the full brunt of the explosion's force." Lisa explained.
"Just imagine what will happen when you drop yourself in a ball pit." Zed simplified.
"May I inquire how you know this?" Lisa quirked an eyebrow at the man.
"Let's just say I have knowledge that's best if it's not shared." Zed smiled at the young Loud.
"This is very educational and all but how about we move on? We need to get these students to safety first" Principal Huggins interrupted the two, showing his concern for the kids.
"Of course." Zed nodded and walked back to the front of the group, leaving Lisa behind, who showed suspicions about the man.
Zed and Lincoln then began leading the group again and were coming to one edge of the school. Just like before, the two peeked out from behind it and saw, nothing, fortunately.
They slowly made their way around to the school's front yard where the damage on the town was much more visible. The sight was an intimidating one to look at. Zed tried to calm the younger ones who were sobbing audibly in nothing else but fear of what could have happened.
While they tried taking in what they had just seen, a car pulled up on the road, or a van to be exact. Out came several girls aging around the early teens til the mid. They all ran around the front yard, trying to search for certain people.
"Lincoln!" A voice came from the other side, belonging to that of Luna Loud.
"Lola! Lana?" Another one shouted, although it sounded much lighter in comparison to the first, this was Leni.
"Lisa? Come on now, we don't have time to play hide-n-seek." Shouted the family joker, Luan, in an effort to light up the situation.
"Where are they? They better be alright." Lori said in frustration.
The first few calls had already gotten the group's attention. It was only then that the five older Loud sisters came into view when they came around the wall.
"Lincoln!" They all shouted, happy now that they've found their only brother.
"Lori!"
"Leni!"
"Luna! Luan!"
"Lynn."
Lola, Lana, Lisa and Lucy called out the Loud sisters' names in that respective order and ran over to their older siblings to give them a hug in which Lincoln was caught in.
Meanwhile, Zed simply stood there, wide-eyed from the shock upon hearing their names. No wonder the names sounded familiar.
"Girls?" He finally spoke up, getting the attention of the Loud siblings, who were just as surprised to see him.
"Mr. Abraham!?" Lori broke herself from the hug.
"I didn't know you guys know each other." Lincoln remarked on the situation.
"Of course we do, Lincoln. Mr. Abraham used to teach at our school for a good 3 weeks before he left around last week."
"So, you girls are related to this boy huh?" Zed scratched his head before adding, "Anyway, I'd love to hear more about your family but for now, we're going to need to get you guys to safety."
"Yeah! Come on Lincoln!" The twins said to the Loud boy.
"We're going to need to pack some stuff up. There's been numerous shelter set up on the outskirts of the town." Lori informed them.
"Okay, we'll meet up there then?" Zed proposed.
"Wait, are you gonna be okay?"
"I'll be alright." Zed gave the boy a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.
"Don't worry Lincoln, you've seen what he can do." Clyde also tried to reassure the worried Loud.
Still feeling heavyhearted over having to leave behind the group he had been sticking with for quite a good amount of time, Lincoln went ahead with his sisters into the family van, Vanzilla.
"Hey wait, can Clyde come with us?" He asked his sisters.
"What for?" Lori sighed.
"C'mon, it can't be that bad." The others interjected, much to Clyde's excitement.
"Fine." Lori groaned.
Just as Lincoln was about to get into the passenger seat, he was thrown aside by Clyde, who enthusiastically got in first, forcing Lincoln to join up with the others in the back.
Lori got into the car and closed the door before frowning at Clyde, who was just staring at her, while putting on her seat belts. He glanced at the boy for a bit before speaking up.
"Seat belts." She ordered him, and he happily complied.
The teen sighed before starting up the van again and drove away. The groups behind then moved out once they were out of sight.
Along the road, the ring tone on Lincoln's phone sounded. He quickly picked it up to answer.
"Hello?" He asked before the news from the caller shocked him, "Mom? Dad?" This also got the attention of his sisters.
"Oh my gosh, are you guys okay? Is Lily safe?" He questioned away anxiously. He breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing that the three of them are safe at least.
"Yeah, yeah, okay. We'll see you soon, love you mom." He put away his phone and placed his hand on his head.
"What's wrong? Are they okay?" Lynn asked him.
"They're alright, they made it to the shelter with Lily." He slumped back on the car seat to try and ease his mind.
"Hey Lynn? Mind if I call Lincoln over? There's something I need to talk to him about, in private." Lisa said from the back seat.
"Not really." The sporty Loud replied.
Lincoln then carefully moved to the back seat, with Lola and Lana moving to the front. The others were focused on their journey, and on what to do. The boy then sat down next to the young genius.
"What is it, Lisa?"
"It's about the belt." Lincoln gasped at the topic she brought up.
"Right, what about it?"
"Have you told anyone else about it?"
"Not really, I've only told Clyde about it but other than him, no one else."
"Good, because I have a sneaking suspicion that your teacher might have some knowledge regarding it. And I don't think he is as good-natured as you think he is."
"What? Why would you say that?"
"Connect the dots, Lincoln! Him knowing what the bomb was, fighting on equal grounds with that creature! Not to mention, reacting to something that didn't even appear yet! What if he had something to do with all of this!?" Lisa shouted, but still quiet enough for her to not attract any unwanted attention.
"Come on, Lisa! Sure he's abnormally strong, and fast, and… " Lincoln paused.
"Something else crawled into your mind?"
"One thing that might be relevant. When I shook his hand this morning when class began, I felt this strange sensation like a chill down my spine!" From that onwards, he went wide-eyed due to a realization, "And he wasn't even bothered by how I reacted. He didn't even ask me what was wrong."
"I told you, just what if?"
"But that's not a reason to blame him!" Lincoln tried ignoring his sister's accusations.
"Didn't all of this happen not too long after that announcement was made?" Lisa threw in, what is according to her, one last evidence.
"Come on, I really don't want to talk about this anymore. How could you say that this was all his fault?"
"Alright! We're almost there! I can see our house!" Lori happily spoke up.
The Loud house was strange, not that its' been changed or anything. It was, intact. This fact had gotten the Loud siblings and the lone McBride staring at it. Lori quickly brought it onto the driveway.
"What?" Lincoln uttered.
The van was entering the driveway when they saw a light that looked like what would happen if it was directed on a reflective surface. Having been taken by surprise by that, the 11 people in the van screamed as Vanzilla was still moving towards whatever this thing is. Despite having stepped on the brakes, the momentum kept them moving forward still, albeit slower.
The van was expected to at least bump into this strange thing, but instead, they just went through it. The areas around the front of the family car glowed brightly in light blue. It looked like a barrier of some sort.
"What is this thing?" Clyde looked up in amazement, seeing a circular glow of the same color. He understood that the one above was the top.
"If I was a vampire, I'd probably die by now." Lucy spoke up, referring to the bright light, dragging away the others from their amazement at the weird construct.
"O…Kay… Right, let's get inside!" Lincoln suggested. The others nodded.
They all quickly headed inside since the door wasn't locked, indicating that their parents may have came back to get their own stuffs and left hurriedly without knowing that the house is protected. Granted, given their situation.
While all the other sisters followed each other into their own rooms, Lisa and by extension for knowing about Lincoln's secret, Clyde, followed the Loud boy into his room to find something that might prove to be one thing that may hold the answer to their situation.
Once they got inside, they closed the door to prevent anyone from seeing them. Lincoln slowly walked to his bed and crouched down, and unlike before, he hoped the belt was still there. Sure enough, it is.
He reached out his hand to grab it and received an electrical shock upon contact. He reeled back at the sudden reaction and reached out again, now prepared should the belt try the same trick again. It didn't. He safely grabbed it an took it out from under his bed.
"Whoa." Clyde looked awestruck the moment he set his eyes on the gadget.
"Don't you suppose that this thing is what's holding up that dome?" Lisa asked.
"Huh?"
"Look at this." She pointed at the now different buckle. It looked like it's transformed into a bigger rectangle with curved edges. It now have what seemed to be a display screen showing a a glowing dome.
"Well, would you look at that."
"Lincoln, hurry up! We're leaving! We need to get to Mom and Dad!" Lori shouted while knocking on the door.
"Just a moment!" Lincoln said while trying to look around for his bag.
"Huh, where's my bag?"
"Uhh, we left it at school when the attack started." Clyde reminded him.
"Oh, that's right."
"How are we going to get this thing out now?"
"Leave it to me." Lisa said.
The family, including the one McBride child finally left the house after gathering all they needed. Lagging behind was Lisa who decided to bring many of her scientific equipment. A ruse, she planned to mix the belt into her collection of apparatuses in hope that it would blend in well.
"Ugh, Lisa, do you really need to bring that much?" Lori stood in front of her, trying to prevent the young genius from cramming in too much of her stuff inside.
"Unfortunately, yes. There are many ways I could be needed in the shelter. For example, there might be people who are sick, insufficient ingredients needed for medicine-"
"Stop right there," Lori halted her before she could ramble on and on, "Fine, get in."
"Thank you." Lisa smiled confidently, happy knowing that her plan worked.
"Yes!" Lincoln and Clyde both silently celebrated. The latter had decided to stick with both Lincoln and Lisa for now at the back seat.
The group once again took off, leaving behind the Loud house. While they were looking outside, Lincoln and Clyde watched as the protective dome disappeared.
After a relatively safer journey than when the sisters first moved out, they finally arrived on the outskirts of the town where police officers had medical camps set up. Thankfully, they also happened to have emergency shelters.
Hearing the sound of a van pulling up, Rita and Lynn Loud Sr. Looked to see that their children, have arrived safely.
They quickly ran over to the family car, relieved by the sight of their 10 other children made it to them.
"Oh, I'm so glad you guys made it here!" Rita hugged the two oldest Loud kids.
"Hah ha! That's our children, alright!" Lynn Sr. laughed heartily.
"Goo goo!" Lily made the only sounds she could, expressing her happiness in seeing her older siblings again.
"Aww, sorry Lily. Did you miss us?" Lori took hold of the baby, "Sorry we made you feel worried."
"Didn't think you'd actually make it here without losing a limb or so." Came the voice of a familiar man.
"Mr. Abe!" Lincoln and Clyde ran up to him.
"Glad you guys could make it."
"Yeah. Say, where's the principal? And the others?" Lincoln asked.
"Oh yeah, they're safe now, don't worry."
"Clyde!"
"Dad!?" The lone McBride kid ran up to his fathers.
"Oh son! We're glad to have you back! Isn't that right Hare-Bear?" Howard brought their child into a big hug.
Zed smiled at the sight, it reminded him of his own childhood. How great it is to have loving parents to come back to.
However, their moments of happiness was cut short by the questionably, unexpected, arrival of the strange creatures.
"Whoa, whoa!" Zed ushered the others to move while the officers fired their guns at the small group of creatures, only for the bullets to either be deflected by their abnormally superhuman reflexes or them easily side-stepping the bullets.
One of them managed to get past through and was headed for the civilians. Thankfully, Zed managed to step up and take it by surprise by tackling it.
"Mr. Abe!" Shouted the Loud siblings.
"Go! I got this!" He said, receiving multiple kicks to his back while he restrained it.
"Watch out!" Lisa warned them when one of the grenades from before came into sight.
They were far enough from the fatal blast radius but they were all still thrown away by the less lethal but just as dangerous shock wave.
Lincoln slowly opened up his eyes, all he could hear was a loud ringing. He felt extremely dizzy for having taken the blast. He wanted and tried to get up but his legs gave up on him. His eyes darted to and fro, and saw chaos everywhere. His parents were knocked out, Lori was holding on tightly to Lily, who was crying. The others too have suffered grievous damage. Turning again, he saw Zed, who was barely holding against the creature while the officers kept shooting and failing. Some were getting slaughtered. He felt only disappointment, he could hear thoughts about how he was pathetic and couldn't even save his family. Those weren't his.
He turned to look at Lisa, where the belt was and saw it lying just next to the young genius. The thoughts intensified when he set his eyes on it, he could hear how it was berating him. He never expected this, he only thought that he's gone mad because of its' effects.
"Wake up, it's not even over yet." He heard a voice.
"Who… ?" He weakly forced out a reply.
"Why don't you get up and stop that?"
For some reason, he could gather enough strength to get up again after hearing those words. He found himself crawling towards the belt as fast as he could with his damaged limbs.
"Was that… You?" He held up the belt. But from it, no reply came.
"I'd expect as much…" He chuckled.
When he was about to put it back down, he heard a loud pulsating noise. Very similar to the one from before. With that, he felt the urge to strap it onto his waist… And does so.
He felt a powerful energy building up within him. His body felt like it was being heated up, possibly the belt's attempt in pulling him away from death's embrace?
Thankfully no one was close enough, or conscious, to witness the following events. Lincoln was surrounded by a bright, orange pillar of light. In it, he could see his body being covered by these strange orange things that looks like clothes of some sort. It replaced his clothes with what seemed to be a tight suit which left his hands and feet free. White gloves and boots began to form there. His head was covered in a ball of light which then takes a more defined form, making his helmet.
The visor then appeared soon after, it looked like a thick, double-pointed oval that curved upwards on both sides. On his chest, a marking appeared, taking the form of a diamond with a downwards pointing arrow starting from the middle contained in a gray-colored rectangle. White triangular markings then appeared on both his shoulders.
Then, the light dissipated, revealing Lincoln in his new form. He looked on through his visor, surprised at what just happened. He held his hands up and then checked his body to see that he was all different now. Not only that, his height too had been slightly increased, rivaling that of Lori's.
He then let out a scream that made him the target of every one of those creatures.
"Prepare yourself." Was all he could hear in his head. All he could do now was get ready for the incoming creatures.
Chapter End.
I'm very sorry that it took this long for the form to be introduced.
This was dragged out longer than I thought possible, even for me. Good-A-Lord. I am especially sorry over the fact that this may feel like a chore to read, or intimidating.
Anyway, Chapter 7. will come out not too long after this.
Early notice: After Chapter 8 is out, I will be putting the story on a hiatus. I've been lagging behind and I thought I wouldn't be able to catch up in time and leave the story hanging once that happens.