Chapter six… Wait, I changed my mind. This is chapter two-hundred, thirty-seven and a third

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The energy surrounding the nightclub, The Organic Crescendo, was different during the day, but Lincoln supposed that wasn't surprising, especially considering the events of the previous night.

"Cameron Climber, here," A reporter spoke to camera, standing on the sidewalk across the street from the building. "Bringing you the latest, after the events of last night. For those of you who don't know…" They continued, but Lincoln began tuning them out.

Slipping between the smattering of people surrounding the club, he couldn't help but be struck by the contrast though. If nothing else, the difference in volume was eerie. And not just sound either… It was all just less than it was before… Part of that was definitely the police tape covering everything, and the few officer's patrolling the perimeter. Despite the people clearly inhabiting the space, it felt a bit dead… If a building could be described that way. It was dead, and the police were here to draw a line of chalk around the body.

"See if you can find anything inside." He glanced at Lori over his shoulder, and nodded to the front door.

"Eh…" A breathy whine whispered from the back of her throat as her eyes darted back and forth between him and the building, before she took a steadying breath and-

Lincoln blinked, feeling slightly off. Wasn't he just talking to someone? Looking around, he couldn't see who it would have been. He just spaced out than? Exhaling heavily, he quieted his thoughts and centered himself.

He didn't really have a lot of time to do this; it would look suspicious to the cops if he hung around all day, and he didn't have Lori's ability to disappear. On top of that, the nature of the event meant that a lot of potential evidence got destroyed. They hadn't really had the time to check anything thoroughly the previous night either; it was frustrating, but… But there was nothing he could do about it. So today was just about getting in and out. Not that speed was necessarily important, but staying for a long time wouldn't be useful.

All that in mind, the best thing he could do would be to talk to as many informed people as possible.

Rehearsal take one:

Casually walking up to one of the officers guarding the area, he stopped a few feet away, a line of police tape separating them.

"So, what actually happened here?" He just came out and asked.

"I'm going to need you to take a few steps back from the tape, please." The officer responded curtly.

"O-oh, okay." Stepping back another foot, he tried again. "It's just… I don't know, I'm curious."

"We're not at liberty to discuss anything with the public, until we have all the information."

Lincoln closed the simulation without bothering to respond. Should he try a different cop this time, or just a different approach?

Rehearsal take two:

Scanning the few officers patrolling the area, he picked out another one and shuffled up to her.

"So…" He hunched in on himself and nervously glanced around. "I've been hearing some things…" Pausing, he took a breath for effect. "And it's been really freaking me out, is this dangerous? What's going on?"

"Oh, no Sir." She spoke calmly, smiling at him reassuringly. "I wouldn't be worried, if I were you. We have this fully under control."

Scuffing his foot, he looking down and to the side. "Are you sure?" He tried fishing for more.

"Positive."

He closed the simulation. While he was happy to have found someone open to his questions, he knew when a conversation wasn't going in the direction he wanted it to. Under normal circumstances, he might have been able to talk her back around to the subject, but he didn't have that much time inside his simulations.

Rehearsal take three:

Walking back up to the same officer, he snagged her attention again. "So… Hey."

"Good Afternoon, Sir. How can I help you?"

Turning his head, he stared out over the heads of the people milling about for a few silent seconds, before addressing her again. "I've been hearing about a lot of parties going… wrong, recently. I have an older sister, who likes to party a lot, and I just…" Sighing, he met her gaze with every ounce of sincerity he could muster. "I just don't want her to get hurt…"

"We're…" She hesitated. "We're not supposed to talk about the details of the current investigation, but…" She chewed on her bottom lip. "There's other stuff I can tell you."

"Oh my god, thank you!"

"It's been mentioned in the news a few times, but you might not have heard of it." Glancing around, she inched closer. "There's a new drug, called Smoke, going around. It's clear and oily, it evaporates slowly in the air, and it smells sweet." Her expression firmed. "Tell your sister not to touch it."

"Of course!" He gushed, flashing her a smile in gratitude.

Closing in out, he considered the new information, what little of it there was. He'd functionally just learned what to look out for during his own investigation. A sweet smelling, clear and oily, liquid, that slowly evaporated…

You have to remember that this IS actually an origin story. They may be smart, but they're also inexperienced.

Her nose itched. Absentmindedly reaching up to scratch it, Lisa was startled from her thoughts when she missed and the pad of her finger pressed agains the lens of her glasses, leaving a smudge mark. Okay… She exhaled heavily, removing her glasses and scratching the itch that had nagged her.

Reaching across her work top, she winced at the aching of muscles forced to move after being still for an extended period of time. Seizing a bottle of lens cleaner solution, she sat back and pulled a microfiber cloth from a drawer. What time was it? She couldn't remember the last time she'd looked at the clock, but she must have been working for a while.

She glanced at the time and her eyes widened a bit. Eight AM?… Huh… yeah, now that she was paying attention, a weariness hung about her shoulders like a… Like something particularly heavy… She was more tired than she thought… But she couldn't just go to bed, that would throw off her sleeping schedule. No, it was best if she simply made a concerted effort to stay awake until that night. She hadn't stayed up all night working in a while. She usually tried to avoid it; it wasn't good for productivity, and it worried her family. Neither were desirable outcomes.

Okay, well she wasn't going to get anymore work done. She needed to find something to do that would engage her enough to keep her stimulated, without tiring her out too much. Instead of closing her eyes, she picked a spot on her desk and stared at it, while she thought… A snack seemed to be in order, whatever the case. Other than that… Was anyone using the tv?

Pushing her seat back, she rose to her feet and twisted in place, feeling her spine crack a few times. Then, lacing her fingers together, she extended her arms out in front of her, and heard the staccato pops of her knuckles. It almost sent a burst of energy through her, but Lisa was aware that it was mostly a placebo effect. Still, it took the edge off and she was grateful for that, even if it wouldn't last long.

Better to proceed with her plan than, rather than wait around until she fell asleep standing up. Stepping out into the hall, the door clicked shut behind her, and she tread to the top of the stairs. She went down them at a languid pace, not willing to put more energy into it than she absolutely had to.

A quick stop in the kitchen had her acquiring a soda and a granola bar, one for quick energy, the other for long term, before she made her way back into the living room and hopped up onto the couch. The remote wasn't visible from her spot, but she didn't want to get up and turn the tv on manually. Maybe it was… She shoved her hand down between the cushions and fished around until she felt something long and solid. Ah! There is was.

Clicking the power button, she quickly cycled through the channels until she had the local news; better to watch something educational, than let her brain rot away on soap opera's or cartoons. Her preferences set, Lisa dropped the remote beside her, fully cognizant that putting it there meant that it would probably slip between the pillows again. The wrapper crinkled, and the can hissed, as she opened her chosen refreshments and sank back into the cushion behind her to let the news wash over her awareness.

Then. "Cameron Climber, here." She ignored the new anchor as a head of white hair wandered into camera view. "Bringing you the latest, after the events of last night." Blinking rapidly to wake herself up, Lisa sat up in her seat and took a closer look. Was that Lincoln?

Rounded head, white hair, physically fit… It was that last one that really gave it away. While white hair wasn't exactly a unique feature, given the number of senior citizens around, it combined with his rather defined silhouette to make identifying him in a crowd exceptionally easy. What was he doing? As he walked further into frame, she saw Lori following behind. Or, at the very least, a tall girl with short blonde hair. But, honestly, who else was it supposed to be?

Keeping an eye on them, she tuned back into the report, hoping to get more information.

"And this-" She came back in mid sentence. "Is just the latest in that chain. The Great Lakes City police haven't released a statement about it yet-" Wait! Her attention was yanked from the reporter again, as she saw Lori break away from their brother and walk into the building… Just… Straight through the front door… Past the officer guarding it, and everything!

…Honestly, while she definitely wanted to ask Lori why she went in, Lisa was more concerned for what it meant that nobody stopped her. It didn't speak well of the cities police, if nothing else. Though, thankfully, her face wasn't visible to the camera.

"Yesterday, The Organic Crescendo," Cameron gestured to the destroyed building behind him. "Was getting ready for another normal night of business, or so they thought."

The Organic Crescendo… Lisa had heard of it, though only in passing as she had no reason to go there herself. She knew the basics though. The fact that Lincoln and Lori were there… It brought uncomfortable suspicions back to the fore of her mind.

At the moment, it felt like her brain was just struggling to maintain altitude, despite the food she'd consumed, and she was regretting pulling an all nighter even more. Her thoughts were sluggish compared to what she was used to, moving through her mind at the speed of molasses… A comparison between her, and an old computer being asked to process a modern level of data, came to mind. Sure, she could calculate complicated equations, it would just take her four hours.

Ideally she'd find a way to simplify the problem and get more information first, so it was quite serendipitous that the pair chose that moment to walk through the front door.

"Hey, Lisa." Her sole brother nodded to her upon crossing the threshold.

"Hi, Lisa." Lori waved shortly, coming inside after their brother.

Picking up the remote once more, Lisa was silently grateful for having installed this before, she pressed a button and paused the screen.

"Please, wait a moment." She stopped them before they wandered out of her sight.

"Oh man," Lisa blinked as Lincoln appeared in her space. "You look really tired, are you okay? I'm sorry I didn't notice before." Slapping his concerned hands aside, she skittered back a little.

"Did you forget to sleep again?" Lori asked, joining their brother in examining her.

"Yes…" It wasn't that she didn't appreciate their concern, she did. It was throwing off her thought process though. She could hardly be expected to think clearly if she was both exhausted, and being doted upon by her elder siblings. She waited for the residual warm and fuzzies to go away before she continued talking again. "But that's not what's important right now."

"No?" Lori tilted her head curiously.

"No." Lisa reaffirmed, turning back towards the television. Plucking up the remote, she rewound the scene on screen until the images of Lori and Lincoln were back together. Unpausing it, she stayed silent until the Lori on screen had disappeared back inside the building. "While I might normally take the time to articulate my concerns more clearly… What was that?"

"Uh…" The eldest Loud sister stared at the screen, her eyes wide and… Was it just Lisa's imagination, or did Lori's face pale a bit too?

Flicking her gaze over to their brother, she was slightly taken aback at his almost glazed, thousand yard stare, before he seemed to snap back to himself and catch her eye. "We were just curious."

"About that nightclub?" A prickling ache was beginning to form behind her eyes. "You've never been there before, have you?"

"No, Lori took me there last night." He spoke confidently. "That's why we were curious enough to come back today… It's just a bit surreal, is all."

"Lori took you there last night?" She worked to keep her tone even, rather than pause to show her incredulity. "Do you even know what it's called?" It sounded like she didn't believe him, like she was testing him… That wasn't why she asked.

"Yeah?" He lifted a single, white, brow. "The Organic Crescendo."

"Okay…" He couldn't possibly know what he'd just said, despite his confidence in saying it. Certain certainties were solidifying even as she worked the problem over in her head. The Organic Crescendo, what did a name like that imply? That there was going to be a lot of music and dancing certainly, but what is an Organic Crescendo? In music, a crescendo referred to a climax in music… And what an appropriate thought, a climax of music indeed. So what was a crescendo of the body, but an overloading of the senses through whatever means available, whether that be drugs or… Sex… The name of the club was apt. The question then became, why would Lori take their brother to a place like that? "That is all I wished to talk about."

You're imaginary, Charley Brown.

"Excuse me!" Grinning, Derek waved at the human refuse crowding around the entrance to a dilapidated bar. "I think I'm supposed to meet a friend here, but I only remember the name Daniels." He cast out a line. "Does anyone know where I can find him?"

"You might be mistaken." A hooded figure spoke the next line of the passphrase, breaking away from the rest. "Daniels is the name of a street near here. I can show you where it is, if you want."

"I'd very much appreciate it!" He enthused, following the figure away from the crowd.

Leaving, he couldn't help but look back at the bar longingly. What would people in a place like that do if they all lost control of their senses? The kids at the parties all attacked each other, or destroyed their surroundings, and they were presumably good people… These guys though? The scum of society, thrown away for being useless or damaging? Derek couldn't help the smile that turned up the corners of his mouth. The thought promised to be entertaining, at the very least.

He couldn't hit it though. Not so soon after the nightclub anyway. If too many places were torn apart by chaos in too short a time, the public was much more likely to feel the pressure and do something about it. The Bitch made a comparison to boiling a lobster, as if he was an idiot.

God, she pissed him off so god damn much! Always talking down to him, always making him look bad. He wasn't a fucking idiot! Would an idiot have been able to do what he did, and get as far as he was able?

Shaking his head, Derek focused his gaze on the back of the figure ahead of them. Taking a few calming breaths, he pushed the distracting thoughts from his mind. Turning down a side alley, they kept walking until they were out of sight from the road, then the figure turned back to him.

"Alright, let's get this over with, before anyone comes down this way." The hooded man spoke. "You have the goods and the cash?"

"Absolutely." Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a stack of bills and a see through plastic tube, filled with a clear liquid. Handing them over, his gaze remained on the tube until it disappeared into the hooded man's jacket. "Be careful with that. It's potent." Though he almost wished they wouldn't be careful with it. It would be a waste of the stuff, but he could make as much as he wanted, and he was curious to see how that much of it would effect a single target.

"Still can't say I understand why you all," The other man gestured at Derek, in reference to his entire organization. "Would pay people like me to give out drugs for free, but I also can't say that I care enough to jeopardize my paycheck. If you guys want to bankrupt yourself, that's your business." He chuckled.

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Chapter notes:

Like, the fact that this story is an origin story isn't actually that important to the… I'm going to start over; It's not thematically relevant. I don't focus on that particular detail a lot, because doing so doesn't match the tone I'm attempting to set.