Author's Note: Hey-ho, this is the author here, warning you that from this chapter onwards, the fic will start to get serious, or at least try to. Just thought I'd let you know.
Also, sorry about the delay. I'm not a lawyer or a police officer, so I had to do some research. (I've also been busy with other stuff.) If I made any mistakes here, I apologize.
Anyways, I really appreciate all the support you guys have been giving, and as always, constructive criticism is welcome.
I'm Captain Dodge – thank you, and have a nice day!
~~~BREAKING NEWS~~~
"Welcome back to Channel 3 News at 9, with me, Thom Teller. If you're just joining us now, the quiet town of Royal Woods was shocked today by a brutal display of sexual violence, in broad daylight, at a public park. Rhea Porter with Channel 3 News is live at the scene. Rhea?"
"Thom, I'm here at Ketcham Park where families gathered this afternoon for family-friendly fun – but what they found was anything but family-friendly. It was here, just an hour ago, that a horrific gang-rape occurred. One witness captured the shocking scene on his cellular phone."
(CAPTION: RECORDED FOOTAGE OF INCIDENT)
MAN: Is that…? Are they –?!
WOMAN: Oh… my God!
MAN: What the [BLEEP]?!
(Zoom in on the fountain, heavily pixelated, among other similar cries of shock and disgust from onlookers)
LORI: Come on! [BLEEP] me, Lincoln! [BLEEP] me hard!
LINCOLN: Someone! Please hel – MMPH!?
LUNA: Less talking, more licking, bro!
CHILD: Mommy, what are they doing?
WOMAN: Don't look, sweetie!
"While some bystanders contacted the authorities, others sprang into action."
MAN: Someone call 9-1-1!
MAN: Forget THAT! We've gotta stop this! Come on!
LISA: NO! SHTAY BACK! The pheromone… it'sh TOO SHTRONG!
MAN: What? What "pheromone"? What is she talking about?
MAN: Forget it, she's crazy! They're ALL crazy! Just get in there!
LISA: No…! G-GIRLSH! THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE LINCOLN AWAY!
GIRLS: WHAT?!
(As the men climb into the fountain, the girls attack them.)
LENI: GET AWAY FROM MY LINCOLN!
LYNN: BACK OFF! HE'S MINE! MINE!
MAN: Ahh! [BLEEP]! What the [BLEEP]?!
MAN: Jesus [BLEEP]!
"The would-be heroes retreated back into the crowd bruised and bloodied, but their ordeal wasn't over just yet…"
WOMAN: Honey! Are you all right?
MAN: I'm fine… God, those girls are like animals! What the [BLEEP] is going on?!
WOMAN: I… I don't know… Ah…
MAN: Jeez… Well, are the police coming? ...Honey? Honey, what's the – Hey?!
(The woman falls to her knees, and starts tugging at her husband's pants.)
WOMAN: Oh, baby… I love you…
MAN: Marie, what are you doing?! We're –
WOMAN: I NEED you…
(The man backs away, and another woman grabs him.)
WOMAN: I need him MORE!
MAN: Hey! Who – get off of me!
(Other bystanders pull the women off of the man, kicking and screaming. Camera pans out, zooming in on the two men who also stepped in the fountain, having the same problem.)
LISA: Pleashe, everyone! SHTAY OUT OF THE WATER!
"When the police arrived, bystanders informed them of the danger. After verbal commands garnered no results, and after reviewing the situation, the officers were forced to call in riot control. One witness describes the harrowing ordeal."
(CAPTION: WHITNEY SULLIVAN, 28)
"I just… we didn't know what to do, we saw what happened to those guys who tried… The police came, and they didn't know what to do, they thought the same thing might happen to them, and then… We couldn't do anything, all we could do was sit, and wait, and watch as that poor boy cried and begged for help, and the girls just kept taking turns…"
"Riot police flushed the assailants and victim out of the fountain with tear gas, then moved in to arrest them. Some, temporarily incapacitated by the gas, were subdued immediately; others fought back, and were subdued with batons; one managed to grab hold of the victim."
(Luan, surrounded by riot control officers wearing gas masks, holds a limp and traumatized Lincoln by the neck.)
POLICE OFFICER: Miss, let the boy go, and put your hands on your head, or we will be authorized to use non-lethal force!
LUAN: NO! NEVER! He's MINE! MINE! You'll never take him from me! If I can't have him, you can't EITHER!
POLICE OFFICER: Alright, we warned you! DROP HER!
(A police officer fires a Taser at Luan from behind, causing her to release Lincoln and collapse to the ground, convulsing in pain.)
"As if this incident were not shocking enough, both the assailants and the victim have been identified as part of the local Loud family – the unfortunate victim is eleven-year-old Lincoln Loud, and the assailants are nine of his ten sisters, all of whom are underage. As the Loud sisters were arrested, the youngest, four-year-old Junior Nobel laureate Lisa Loud, had this to say."
(Lisa and her sisters are being led to a police van, some of them still struggling. As a police officer reads them their Miranda rights, Lisa turns to yell at the camera (a news camera this time).)
LISA: No, WAIT! You don't undershtand! It'sh not our fault! The pheromone! EROSh Indushtriesh! Check the shewer linesh! It'sh not ush! IT'SH THE WATER –!
(The police throw Lisa in the police van with the rest of her sisters, and slam the door on her.)
"The police are currently investigating the matter of EROS Industries and their connection to this case, and sewer workers are inspecting the pipelines below the park. In the meantime, the park has been closed down, and the Loud children are in police custody until it can be determined whether or not they can be held responsible for their actions. Reporting live from Ketcham Park, I'm Rhea Porter, Channel 3 News. Back to you, Thom."
"Thank you, Rhea, and let's hope we can get to the bottom of this mystery soon. Speaking of mysteries, a senior citizen was found apparently beaten to death on a city street today – no witnesses or suspects in sight. Film at 11."
(…)
"A-Are we almost there?" Mrs. Loud asked.
"Almost," Mr. Loud replied. They had started driving as soon as they heard what happened, but it was a three-hour drive, and their car, "Vanzilla", had seen better days.
"Well, can't you go any faster?" Mrs. Loud asked for the hundredth time.
Mr. Loud sighed and turned to his wife. "Honey, I'm going as fast as I can. Wh-What do you want, I can't go over the speed limit! Do you want us to be in prison, too?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mr. Loud knew it was the wrong thing to say, but it was too late. Mrs. Loud broke down crying. "Oh, no, no, no…" he said. "L-Look, Rita? I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… I'm sorry, I'm… I'm just on edge, you know?"
Mrs. Loud sniffled, wiping her eyes. "I… I just can't believe this is happening…"
Although she had said that a hundred times earlier as well, Mr. Loud still hung his head. "Me either, honey. Me either."
Finally, they came to the police station. Mr. and Mrs. Loud jumped out of the van and rushed inside, anxious to see their children. The clerk at the front desk directed them to the back, where a balding, nervous-looking man in a business suit and a young but stern-looking detective were arguing.
"…How can you say that? Do you have any idea what this family must be going through?!"
"Well, I'm sure it's not easy for them, but that's not my main concern right now."
You know, people like you are the reason that no-one likes lawyers."
"Excuse me, sir, but it's my job to work in the best interests of my employers–"
"Yeah, yeah, can it, already," the detective said, seeing Mr. and Mrs. Loud approaching. "I assume you're Mr. and Mrs. Loud?"
"Yes, that's us!" Mr. Loud answered. "Now where are –"
The man in the suit stepped forward, cutting him off. "Excuse me, Mr. Loud," he said, shaking his hand, "I'm Peter van Zandt. I represent EROS Industries."
"Uh… okay?" Mr. Loud said.
Mr. van Zandt stopped shaking his hand, and adjusted his glasses. "I just want to let you know, Mr. Loud, that EROS Industries claims no responsibility for this incident, and we hope –"
Disgusted, the detective roughly shoved Mr. van Zandt aside. "Yeah, well, you can 'claim' whatever you want, but whether or not it's true remains to be seen." He looked at Mr. and Mrs. Loud, and cleared his throat. "I'm Detective Patrick Flanagan… the Fifth," he added reluctantly. "I'm in charge of this case. I'm gonna need you to answer a few questions."
"What questions? Please, officer, we just want to see our children…" Mrs. Loud said.
"All in good time, Mrs. Loud. Don't worry," Detective Flanagan reassured her. "Follow me, please."
Detective Flanagan led the parents through the police station, Mr. van Zandt following closely behind. "So, tell me, do any of your girls have any, ah… mental health issues that you're aware of?" he asked.
"What? No!" Mr. Loud said indignantly. Sure, Leni might be a bit slow, but he was sick of people assuming that that was because she was mentally disabled.
Mr. van Zandt pressed forward. "Then," he said, "they were fully aware of what they were doing?"
Detective Flanagan waved his hand through the air, cutting him off. "Pardon me, Mr. van Zandt, but I'm asking the questions, here." He turned back to Mr. and Mrs. Loud. "Then, you have no idea what might have brought, ah… all this on?"
"No, not at all!" Mrs. Loud said.
"I see. Well then, whatever it is, it didn't originate from them," the detective said.
"N-Now, Detective, we can't be sure about that," Mr. van Zandt said. "I mean, they are the girls' parents, after all – of course their information would be biased –"
"Would you kindly shut up, already?!" Detective Flanagan said to him. "And you know, for your information, Mr. van Zandt, whatever came over them, came over other women at the scene, too. One of the girls claimed that it was the water – until we can verify the truth of that claim, or at least what was meant by it, let's not jump to any conclusions, okay?"
The group came to the holding cells. Detective Flanagan took four gas masks from the guard, handed three to Mr. van Zandt and the Louds, and said, "Now, everyone, before we go in there, I'm going to need you to wear these."
"What? Why?" Mr. Loud asked.
"Well, whatever is causing the girls', ah… agitated states, it appears to be airborne. So, until we can figure out exactly what it is, we have to protect ourselves." After everyone had put on their masks, the detective added, "Oh, and one more thing… Mr. and Mrs. Loud? I'd ask you to prepare yourself. You're… probably not going to like what you see in there."
Mrs. Loud looked to be on the verge of crying. Mr. Loud comforted her. "There, there, honey… it's alright." He nodded at Detective Flanagan. "We're as ready as we'll ever be."
Detective Flanagan nodded back, and opened the door.
He was right – the two senior Louds didn't like what they saw.
The sisters had been crowded into a closely-guarded large cell at the far end of the room – and they were acting like rabid animals. They were completely naked, yelling and screaming, crowding against the bars and reaching through them, shaking them, tugging on them, even gnawing on them in a desperate attempt at freedom. The guards reprimanded them harshly, whacked the bars with batons, and brandished stun guns threateningly to make the girls back off – but they just kept coming back to try again.
And all of them were demanding to know where Lincoln was.
Mrs. Loud nearly collapsed to her knees. "Oh… God…"
Mr. Loud supported her, though he was just as appalled at what he saw. Turning to Detective Flanagan, he asked, "Where are their clothes?"
"We gave them some, but they refused to wear them," Detective Flanagan answered. "They're just, ah, too intent on getting out and finding their brother, I guess."
Mrs. Loud stood up straight and rushed out of her husband's arms towards her daughters. Though Detective Flanagan tried to warn her how dangerous it was, she removed her mask and came close to the girls' grasping arms, trying to speak to them.
"Girls, what – Oh… G-Girls? It's alright, Mommy's here," Mrs. Loud said. "Girls? Girls, calm down. Girls, it's me, your mother! Leni, sweetie, don't you remem – AH!"
Mrs. Loud had gotten close enough to the cell for Leni to grab hold of her. Yanking her into the bars, Leni – sweet, innocent Leni – glared at her mother with crazed eyes.
"WHERE'S LINCOLN?!" she snarled. "I KNOW HE'S HERE! WHERE IS HE!?"
The guards intervened, pulling a screaming Mrs. Loud away from Leni and beating her arms with a baton until she let go. Sobbing, Mrs. Loud returned to her husband, who cradled her in his arms.
"My God…" Mr. Loud said. He stared at his daughters despairingly for a long time, then took a deep breath. "Please tell me, Detective, are… are my daughters going to go to jail?"
Mr. van Zandt spoke up again. "If I may be frank, Mr. Loud… in all likelihood, yes."
As Mrs. Loud sobbed even harder, Detective Flanagan sharply added, "Unless it can be proven that they were all unable to reason when they committed the crime."
"'Unable to reason'…?! Look at them! They are completely out of their minds!" Mr. Loud shouted.
"W-Well, but…" Mr. van Zandt stammered. He pointed at Lori, who, unlike the others, was leaning against the wall. "W-What about her? She doesn't look like she's out of her mind!"
As Mr. and Mrs. Loud looked at their eldest daughter, a secretary poked her head in through the door. "Detective Flanagan," she said, "we have an update from Forensics."
"Be right there," he said. "Mr. and Mrs. Loud, I'm sure you must want to talk to your daughter. Please, if she says anything that sounds important, would you let me know?" As he left the room, he added, "And Zandt, at least try to show a little sensitivity, hm?"
The lawyer arrogantly fixed his tie. "It's van Zandt," he muttered.
Mr. and Mrs. Loud carefully moved towards the cell, avoiding the others.
"Um… Lori?" Mrs. Loud said.
Lori looked up, unabashed at her own immodesty. "Hey, Mom and Dad."
"Don't… Don't 'hey' us, young lady!" Mr. Loud said. "Lori, you… I thought you said we could count on you while we were gone! Th-That you would keep everything under control! But-But-But, we get a call from the police, and you… and you all…" He looked at Lori, tears in his eyes. "You… You were just as much a part of it as everyone else…"
Lori shrugged. "Hey, sorry, it's not like I could help myself."
"Lori…" Mrs. Loud wiped her eyes. "What… What happened?!"
"Oh, there was something about a pheromone in the water," Lori said. "Something about it leaking into the fountain through the pipes in the sewers? Lisa figured it out – she could tell you more, but…" She pointed at Lisa, who was battering her small body against the cell door.
"Miss Loud," Mr. van Zandt said, "back at the park, did you hear your brother telling you to stop?"
"Um, yeah, he was literally screaming it."
"But you continued anyway?"
"Yeah, I mean, it's not like I cared."
Mr. van Zandt smugly adjusted his glasses. "Well, Mr. and Mrs. Loud, as you can see, your daughter is clearly of sound mind, and she has just admitted that she had committed rape. I'd say that, at least, is quite damning."
"What?! W-Wait, how do you know she's of sound mind?" Mr. Loud asked.
"Well, as you can see, she isn't trying to break free, like the others…"
"Who, me?" Lori said. "Oh, no, I'm just taking a break." She stopped leaning against the wall, and quickly joined her sisters in furiously pulling at the bars, yelling for Lincoln. Her parents turned to glare at Mr. van Zandt, and he went right back to fidgeting.
Detective Flanagan re-entered the room. As the commotion assaulted his ears again, he shook his head. "Sheesh, you put up with this every day?" he shouted to Mr. and Mrs. Loud.
"It's not always this bad!" Mr. Loud shouted back.
"Maybe you should've considered condoms… Well, if you're done here, I'd like to ask you some more questions!"
Knowing there was nothing they could do to help them, Mr. and Mrs. Loud reluctantly left their daughters in their cage, with Mr. van Zandt following closely behind. Detective Flanagan led them through the station to the other side, reading the updated case file.
"So," he said, "did any of the girls tell you anything?"
"Yes," Mrs. Loud said, and repeated what Lori had told them. Detective Flanagan slowly looked up from the file and at Mrs. Loud, in wonderment.
"…Really..." he whispered.
"What? What is it?" Mr. Loud asked.
"Well… it's just that, that matches up astonishingly well with our latest report from the lab," the detective said. He flipped back through the case file. "…Wait. You say it was 'Lisa' that figured this out?"
Mrs. Loud nodded. "Yes… why?"
"Son of a bitch…" Detective Flanagan chuckled to himself. "Smart girl… you beat us to it…" He looked at Mrs. Loud. "Now, Lisa is the little one, with brown hair, smart for her age, yes?"
"Y-Yes – please, detective, what are you getting at?" Mrs. Loud asked.
"Well, Lisa was the one who gave us the formula for a reagent that tests for androstenone, a male human sex pheromone that causes sexual attraction in females," the detective explained.
"Wait, wait," Mr. van Zandt interrupted. "She gave you the formula? As in, shared it with you, verbally?"
Detective Flanagan sighed. "Yes, Zandt, she did."
"Well, th-that means she must be reasonable, then! To be able to do something as complicated as that…"
"'Reasonable'? Mr. van Zandt, you saw Lisa back there! You know she was acting just as crazy as the others!" Mrs. Loud exclaimed.
"That's right – I saw it, too," Detective Flanagan said. "She's just as affected as the rest of them, Zandt – her mind just happens to still have some semblance of clarity. More than the others, at least…"
Mr. Loud nodded. "That sounds like Lisa…"
"Anyways, like I was saying, she told us how to cook up the reagent, and as it so happens – oh, wait, there's something I forgot to tell you. The sewer workers just got back to us, and they said that there is indeed a leak in the pipe that pumps water to the park fountain. In addition, they reported that some of the female officers became attracted to them suddenly – despite, ah, you know… coming out of the sewers."
"And… so?" Mrs. Loud asked.
"So, they collected some sewage samples, and sent them to the lab. The Forensics guys mixed up your daughter's reagent and tested it on the samples – and lo and behold, they reacted. Basically, Mr. and Mrs. Loud, your four-year-old daughter cracked the case long before we did." He chuckled again. "Maybe she should start a career in law enforcement… The kicker, here, is that that sewer line connected to a chemical factory downtown – owned by EROS Industries." Detective Flanagan stared right at Mr. van Zandt.
Mr. van Zandt tugged at his collar, sweating profusely. "S-S-So, what?" he stuttered. "W-W-W-What are you implying?!"
"Oh, I think you and I both know what I'm 'implying', Zandt. Stop trying to squirm your way out of this." The detective closed his eyes, frowning. "You know… you haven't even seen the boy, yet."
"The boy…?" Mr. and Mrs. Loud went wide-eyed, and looked at each other. They had completely forgotten…!
"Lincoln!"
Mr. Loud, feeling immensely guilty, rushed up to Detective Flanagan. "Please, detective, where is he?"
They had come to a dark hallway at the other end of the station, which the detective gestured towards. "He's down there," he said. Before Lincoln's parents could rush down to see him, though, he stopped them. "Ah, ah, ah… I know you're worried, but you both need to put your masks back on before you see him. I know the lab boys said the pheromone doesn't affect males, but I say better safe than sorry."
They quickly put their masks on, and ran to the end of the hall, where Lincoln was sitting in an isolated, barren cell, guarded by two officers in masks. He was sitting on the floor, knees pulled in to his chest. His face was buried in his lap, and despite being wrapped in a blanket, he was still shivering.
Mr. and Mrs. Loud approached slowly. "L… Lincoln?" Mr. Loud said.
Lincoln flinched at the sound of his voice, and curled up tighter, shivering harder.
"Lincoln, sweetie, it's us, Mom and Dad," Mrs. Loud said tenderly.
Slowly, Lincoln lifted his head, and looked at his parents. He stared at them almost lifelessly, his eyes dull.
"M… Mom…? Dad…?"
"That's right, sweetie, we're here now. Everything's all right…" Mrs. Loud reassured him. Suddenly, she turned to Detective Flanagan in a rage. "Why is HE in a cell?!" she demanded.
Detective Flanagan cleared his throat. "Well, we sat him in the chief's office," he explained, "but the female officers started trying to, ah… get to him, so for his safety, we put him in a holding cell. We put him as far away from his sisters as we could, but just seeing him drove them even crazier than before. One of them, one of the tall blonde ones, used a bobby pin she'd hidden in her hair to pick the lock to the cell, and they all broke loose. They almost got to him before we were able to take them down and lock them back up. So now, he's here, in solitary."
Lincoln shut his eyes. He remembered it more clearly than he wanted to – his sisters at the door to his cell, looking at him with those same predatory eyes; and him trapped inside, with no way out… He was grateful that the cops had stopped them, and moved him away from them, but the quiet, lonely cell, with no-one around but the two faceless guards, wasn't much of an improvement.
Mr. Loud looked at Detective Flanagan. "…What's going to happen to him?" he asked.
The detective scratched his head. "Well, I can't say for sure, but I imagine he'll be placed in quarantine until the pheromone wears off."
"'Wears off'…? Why can't you just hose him off, or scrub him down, or…?"
"Oh, we've tried. Three times." Detective Flanagan jerked his head back the way he had come, towards the main holding cells. "They can still smell him from across the station. Now, I'm not an expert, but I'd say that's because the pheromone has saturated his skin, what with him, ah… bathing in it for over half an hour. So, he'll probably have to be quarantined until it leaves his system."
"How long will that take?"
"Oh, I don't know – about a month-and-a-half would be my guess."
"A month-and-a-half?!"
"Well, given that that's more or less the length of time it takes for a layer of skin to completely shed, yes. It's just to be safe." When Detective Flanagan caught Mr. Loud staring at him, wondering how he knew this, he smiled and added, "I wanted to be a biology teacher, but, ah… policing is kind of the family business."
Mr. Loud shook his head. "We're not going to leave him alone," he said. "Not now – when he needs us the most. He can't be cooped up in some sterilized chamber, all alone – he needs to be someplace familiar – someplace he feels safe, with people who can take proper care of him; people that he trusts."
"Really? Because…" The detective jerked his thumb back. "He trusted them."
"W-Well…" Mrs. Loud shook her head. "Th-This is different! We're his parents – we would never hurt him like that!" She took her mask off – she needed Lincoln to know it was her, his mother. Mr. Loud, seeing this, removed his mask as well.
"Sir?! Ma'am?! I-I'm going to need you to put your masks back on!" Detective Flanagan said.
But Mrs. Loud didn't listen. She beckoned to Lincoln. "Lincoln, come here, sweetie…"
Lincoln stared at her, not moving an inch.
"Come on, honey, it's me. It's Mommy. I won't hurt you. Come here…"
Lincoln took a deep breath, and slowly stood up. He took one shaky step toward his parents.
Mrs. Loud gingerly reached through the bars, beckoning him closer. "Do you want to go home, Lincoln?"
"H…Home…?" Lincoln took another step forward.
"That's right. We can go home, and this bad day will all be over."
Lincoln liked the sound of that. He took another step.
Mrs. Loud blinked. Something strange was coming over her. "And… And if you're still feeling scared, you can sleep with Mommy and Daddy, in our room…"
Another step forward. Lincoln was just within reach.
Mrs. Loud began to look at her son in a new way – somehow, he was just overpowering. "Or… Or maybe…" She reached out to her son…
…And pulled him hard, slamming him into the bars. She brought her face uncomfortably close to his, wearing a manic grin. "Maybe Mommy can sleep with you, in your room tonight. Doesn't that sound like fun, sweetie?"
Lincoln realized immediately what was happening, and screamed. "No! NO! Nonononononono…."
Lincoln's guards jumped forward and, along with Mr. Loud, forced Mrs. Loud to let go of him. Lincoln scrambled backwards, into the farthest corner of his cell, and curled back into a tight ball while the officers restrained his mother.
"Mommy loves you, Lincoln," Mrs. Loud said. "Mommy loves you very, VERY much…"
Mr. Loud turned to Detective Flanagan. "Sir, could you do me a favor, and lock up my wife, too?"
Detective Flanagan nodded. "Can do."
He walked over to Mrs. Loud, still struggling with the guards, and cuffed her hands behind her back.
"What are you DOING?!" Mrs. Loud protested. "I didn't do anything wrong!"
"We know you didn't, Mrs. Loud, but this is for your own good, and for the good of your son." Detective Flanagan turned to the guards. "Put her with the others."
As the guards dragged a screaming Mrs. Loud away, Mr. Loud turned back to his son. "Okay, Lincoln," he said, "your mother is gone. You can come with me, now."
Lincoln remained where he was, still curled up, determined not to fall for that trick again.
"Lincoln, the pheromone isn't affecting me. It's safe. I promise you, you can trust me."
Lincoln didn't budge.
Mr. Loud sighed, and changed tactics. "Well, it's your choice, son. You can come home with me… or you can stay here with them."
Lincoln's head shot up. He scrambled to his feet, ran up, and shook the cell door, whimpering.
Mr. Loud nodded at Detective Flanagan. "Let him out."
Detective Flanagan opened the door, but Lincoln stood in the doorway, uncertain.
Mr. Loud beckoned gently. "Come on, son," he said. "Let's go home."
Slowly, Lincoln stepped out of his cell, and joined his father, who hugged him gently. Detective Flanagan walked up to the two of them.
"Now, Mr. Loud," he said, "if you are going to take Lincoln home, then I must insist that he does not have any contact with females, whatsoever. Also, keep your doors and windows closed and locked at all times."
"Why?" Mr. Loud asked.
"Well, it's just a hunch I have. Given how, ah… persistent these girls are, I wouldn't be surprised if one or more of them escaped and tracked Lincoln back to their home, so… he might not be completely safe there."
Before Lincoln could run back to the safety of his cage, Mr. Loud held the boy's shoulders. "Will do. Let's go, Lincoln."
As father and son walked down the dark hallway, Mr. van Zandt – who up until this point had been watching the entire scene play out in the background, growing more and more nervous by the minute – ran up to Mr. Loud. "E-E-E-Excuse me, Mr. Loud!" he said, laughing nervously. "Ah… s-s-surely we can reach a settlement? I-I-I mean, w-we don't have to take this to trial, now, do we…?"
"A settlement?" Mr. Loud's voice dropped dangerously low. "Are you trying to buy me off?"
"N-N-N-N-Now, tha-that's not the polite term per se, but –"
"Look at my son, Mr. van Zandt! LOOK AT HIM!" Lincoln jumped – he had never heard his father this angry before. "And did you see my wife and daughters?! Your employers' negligence allowed this to happen to them! NO amount of money can change that!" Mr. Loud got right up in Mr. van Zandt's face. "You'd better believe I'm taking this to trial. I'll see you in court."
Mr. Loud left Mr. van Zandt standing in the hall, desperately trying of form a coherent sentence, and led Lincoln towards the exit.
"Alright, the boy's coming out, people!" Detective Flanagan shouted ahead. "Masks on!"
(…)
Time passed. The days went by. Lincoln spent most of his time in his room, just lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling blankly. It took his father a while to convince him to come out, and even when he did, most of the time he would sit on the couch, watching TV, but not really watching.
Time passed. The days went by. The trial came and went. Lincoln hated every part of that trial – everyone, for staring at him; the judge, for summoning him; the jury, for finding his sisters not guilty due to temporary insanity; the defense, for trying to blame him for everything; but most of all the prosecutor, for using him. A female executive of EROS Industries who claimed to be of sound mind was brought before Lincoln, and all he could do was cry helplessly and be quickly escorted out of the courtroom as she went into a frenzy and lunged at him, only barely being restrained by the bailiff. The fact that EROS Industries was forced to pay huge fines and reparations not only to the Loud family, but also to the city and the state (among others) did nothing to comfort him – nor did the fact that the new company executives were discovered to have been cutting corners in various ways (such as saving money by simply dumping chemicals down the drain) and pocketing the difference, and were later tried and imprisoned for corruption. At least he didn't have to be around when his sisters were brought in to testify.
Time passed. The days went by. Lincoln didn't have to go to school, but he couldn't enjoy it much. His classmates sent him their condolences in the forms of cards, balloons, and sweets. He threw them all away, finding them empty and hollow. He didn't talk to Clyde over the walkie-talkie, anymore. And Ronnie Anne…
Lincoln didn't want to think about what happened with Ronnie Anne.
Time passed. The days went by. And then the day came. Lincoln froze when his father told him.
It had been a month-and-a-half. The pheromone was out of his system.
His sisters were coming home.