Raging Sister, Hidden Threat
As Lori drove through the dark night, Leni covertly pulled out the instructions to find L the Chief had handed her and looked them over. She nodded and looked up. "Oh! Here's where I have to get off, Lori." She declared, pointing at the street ahead. Lori blinked as she stopped by the street sign and looked up at it. She then gave her sister a very weird look.
"...are you sure, Leni?" The kindly teen nodded as she got out of Vanzilla.
"I'll see you back at home." She told her before she looked up at the sign: Franklin Avenue. She then started walking down the sidewalk, looking at the paper in her hand. Her older sister was starting to wonder about her as she drove slowly along the street. The fashionista didn't notice, focused purely on finding L. "Let's see...I just need to find...1216! Here it is!" She said as she spotted the mailbox. She ran up in front of the house...and noticed Vanzilla parked in the driveway. "Huh. I wonder what Lori's doing here?" She wondered aloud, but then she shrugged. "She's probably waiting for me to finish, so we can all go home." She decided as she walked to the front door, her older sister more confused than ever. She knocked on the door and, after a minute's wait, Lincoln answered the door. "Linky? What are you doing here?"
"...This is our house, Leni." He replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh yeah!" The sweet but aloof realized as she looked around at the inside for a moment, giggling a bit to herself. "Well, anyway, I'd like to talk to Lisa."
"Uh...sure thing. She's up in her room." He told her, nudging his head toward the stairs.
"Thanks!" She chirped as he stepped aside, the teen girl strolling happily along as she scaled the stairs. Lincoln just watched her head to the second floor, Lori joining him at the door way.
"Is Leni alright?" He asked her quietly.
"The hospital said she is...but I'm starting to wonder…"
"Understood, Chief Ester." Lisa said, nodding to the video image of the chief before her. She was surrounded by a dark metal shell at least three times her size, with a little circular window with a window shade that was currently pulled down. Once upon a time, this was a prototype time machine. However, after a few failed experiments, she had converted it into a personal video phone, for private conversations. "I will be ready to outfit the agent when they arrive."
"Thank you, L. Now, she isn't one of our usual agents, just as a heads up." Polly warned the toddler genius. "In fact, she's a little out there."
"Nothing I am not used to, Chief." She responded, unconcerned. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Pardon me. That must be the agent. I will update you after I have given her the essentials. L, Out." She hung up on the chief and started to emerge from the pod as Leni opened the door. "Ah. Elder sister. I suppose I have a guest?" The four year old scientist inquired.
"Actually…" She leaned in to whisper her next sentence. "...I'm here to see L." Lisa blinked, before raising an eyebrow at her older sister. Then, her eyes sprang wide open, then narrowed in a scowl of pure, cold, calm fury.
"Come in, Elder Sister...if you would excuse me a moment...I need to make a call real quick." The angered genius said as she reentered the pod. "Please do not touch anything."
"Ok." Leni said simply, stepping into Lisa and Lily's room and closing the door behind her. The mini mastermind quickly sealed the opening and nearly punched the number for the chief back in.
"Finished already, L? That was-" The stern faced woman started to say.
"What in heaven's name are you thinking!?" Lisa snapped furiously. Seeing the usually stoic child so furious was very startling to the chief. "Of all the people you could have thought to choose, you selected my older, dim witted sibling!?"
'Sibling? Oh good grief…' Polly thought, her thoughts showing in her face. "L, I understand your anger-"
"No. I don't think you do." Lisa interrupted her. "In which case, I will explain it to you. First and foremost, she is barely mentally competent, outside of a narrow array of skills...and you want to send her on a mission in which the safety of the world is on the line."
"I...admit I noticed a certain...lack of book smarts about her…" Chief Ester confessed, trying to retain her composure.
"Second…" Lisa continued. "...this is an incredibly dangerous undertaking. You know as well as I that is the Gilded Swan wouldn't shy away from ending the lives of others. What happened to Agent Silk should be evidence enough of that. And you expect me to send my own sister on such a task."
"Again, I won't deny-"
"Third, even if we ignored all of that, she is a minor." The little genius stormed on.
"So are you, but you still aid us in our endeavors…" The chief attempted to counter her argument, her expression one of anger.
"Indeed. However, my aid comes in the form of my genius level intellect and my inventions. What you are asking of my sister is to travel overseas, to meet with an unknown enemy agent, without adult supervision. Can you even fathom the level of trouble the CIA, and especially you, could get into should she get hurt, or worse!?" Lisa slammed her little hands onto the keyboard before her as she went on her tirade.
"...I see your points, L…" Polly said calmly, her own temper at an all time high. "...however, with Agent Silk incapacitated, and our only chance to catching the Gilded Swan entirely reliant on Silk meeting with this agent, we need to do what is necessary."
"I could easily create a device to change one's appearance to match Agent Silk's…"
"We don't have that kind of time, L. If we did, we could wait for Silk to recover."
"...Miss Ester…" Lisa said, her face red as she got right up to the video screen. "...there is no way in any interpretation of the realm of Hades that I will allow Leni to be sent on this mission...you will need to find another method of accomplishing this task…" The chief was so close to exploding on this child, not just for outright refusing in this vitally important matter, but not referring to her by her title. The disrespect was absolutely galling. However, she barely managed to keep her cool, taking a deep breath before trying a different tactic.
"L, I understand your concern for your sister. I really do." Polly said, forcing herself to keep calm. "And if it were any other situation, I would seek other options. However, as this is the Gilded Swan we are talking about, and given how close they appear to be to accomplishing their goals…" She sent Lisa one of the images of the Swan's virus program. Seeing even this little bit of coding was enough to make the mini genius go pale. "...desperate times call for desperate measures. We need your sister to act as Agent Silk to speak with this other agent and find out what he knows about the Swan. It should be straightforward and, hopefully, quick. Done properly, there should be minimal risk to Miss Loud." Lisa adjusted her specs as she thoroughly considered the issue in her own head. A part of her still wanted to tell the CIA to go pound salt with their faces, but she couldn't deny it was a dire situation. She couldn't, in good conscience, allow the Gilded Swan's plot to go unimpeded.
"...very well." The second youngest said after a few moments silence. "I am NOT happy with this...but I concede that it is unfortunately necessary in the given circumstances. However, I trust you will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure her safety…"
"Of course, L."
"Good. Good...because if she is hurt during this escapade, and I feel it resulted from your failure…" Lisa narrowed her eyes at her as she put on her most threatening voice. "...I will ruin you in every conceivable way possible…"
Chief Ester gulped when she heard that. While the little brainiac was on their side, she knew what the child was capable of, and knew she wasn't one for making idle threats. "I...understand, L." She replied in a shaky voice. "I promise you I will do anything in my power to ensure Miss Loud's safety before, during and after the meeting."
"See that you do." Lisa told her sharply before ending the call. Polly sighed as she placed her head on her desk in front of her laptop's keyboard.
"What did I get myself into…?" She asked in a groan, shaking her head. "Between Agent Silk's critical injury, needing to enlist a civilian for an important mission, and now have our best inventor on my case…" She slowly looked back up as she sat back up in her seat. "...but, if it means we can bring one of the most ingenious, villainous criminals currently in operation to justice...it will be worth it." She quietly convinced herself. She then grabbed her phone and started to dial a number. She had a lot she needed to do before Leni left for France, and she didn't have a lot of time to get it done.
The fashion centered sister was sitting on Lisa's work stool as she waited patiently, humming to herself as her little sister emerged from the pod. She was calmer, but still looked irate. "Thank you for waiting, elder sister...or should I say, Agent Silk." She said quietly, so their siblings couldn't hear.
"Huh? How do you know that?" Leni asked in surprise.
"Allow me to re-introduce myself. I am L." The young scientist said with a slightly proud smile. The second oldest of the Loud siblings just sat there with her mouth hanging open upon hearing that news. "Is it really that surprising? With my intelligence, inventing skills and government connections?"
"I...guess not." The innocent minded teen responded.
"At any rate, we have a lot to do, so let's get down to brass tacks." The toddler with the large brain said, walking toward her computer. Then, before Leni could say anything, she added. "It does not require either of us to have actual brass tacks…"
"Oh...right." Leni said with a giggle. Lisa rolled her eyes a little as she typed on her keyboard for a few seconds. When she finished, a secret panel opened in her wall, revealing a large peg board loaded with various household items.
"First off, as you are headed into an intelligence gathering mission, I've prepared a special recording device for you." The four year old egghead said, pulling a little barrette with a tiny metal ladybug upon it from the board.
"Aww. That's the cutest little barrette." The gal with an eye for fashion said, her eyes big, just like her smile.
"I am pleased to hear you find it aesthetically pleasing." Lisa said with a little smile. "However, it is no ordinary accessory." She tapped on the ladybug. It sprang to life, looking up at them.
"Good day, Creator, Agent Silk." The little robot insect said in an intellectual's voice. "Project 700, at your service."
"It talks?"
"Oh, more than that, agent." L replied with a prideful smile. "Seven hundred is quite intelligent. Practically capable of independent thought and emotion, with its advanced AI. However, its primary task is recording audio and video."
"That is incredible!...But can I call him Sven? It's easier to remember." Leni requested.
"If it pleases you, Silk." The robot bug replied politely. "Should you require my services, simply tap me on the head and I will do what I can. A second tap will send me into rest mode, where I will return to the guise of a simple accessory."
"Indeed." Lisa interjected, deactivating the recorder with a light touch. "Now, you'll need a few more things...purely for your safety, of course…" She proceeded to lend unto Leni: a mosquito spray that could turn any outfit bulletproof, a wrist communicator so she could talk to the Chief and Lisa at any time, a mascara tube that could throw up a smokescreen, and finally, a few tiny spheres that looked like stress balls.
"What do these do?" The dim, but kind teen inquired, just about the squeeze one of them.
"Don't do that!" The brilliant young girl cried, pulling the ball from her hand. "Squeezing it will activate the device. A little something in case your plane experiences difficulty and you are required to bail out. Simply apply pressure to it, then hurl it to the ground to create an air cushion to break your fall, instead of your neck."
"Oh! How clever!"
"Thank you. Just one last thing." The little genius pulled a seafoam belt from the board. "While you share many physical similarities with Agent Silk, you don't share her wardrobe. This belt will remedy that: it will create a holographic simulacrum of one of her usual outfits over top your own."
"That's amazing. And it matches my dress!" The second oldest sister chirped, taking hold of the belt.
"I believe that is the best I can do, short of outfitting you with actual weaponry." The young inventor said. "But you wouldn't even get past airport security if I did."
"Awww, that's fine, Lisa. You were a big help!" The overly sweet teen told her, giving her a big hug.
"Ahem. Thank you, Leni." The brilliant toddler deadpanned.
"Oh! I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad that Lori and I are going to France!" Leni squealed before she ran out of Lisa's room.
"Mother and Father? Oh dear. This could be an issue…" Lisa said with a frown, getting out her phone and hastily sending a message to the Chief.
"So let me get this straight-" Lynn Sr said, looking quite puzzled, just like his wife and their children. While Leni was meeting with L, Lori was relating to her family what had transpired at the hospital and on the trip back home. "-the hospital said Leni was fine, which of course is good…"
"Yes." The authoritative sister responded with a single nod.
"...but on the way home, she started acting peculiarly?"
"Yes. She asked me to drop her off at the end of our block and walked the rest of the way home, then asked Lincoln to talk to Lisa."
"I dunno. That seems like normal Leni to me." Luan commented with a shrug.
"Did anything else happen, Lori?" Rita asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No...oh, wait! One really exciting thing happened...but I think Leni would want to tell you herself." She said, just as they hear footsteps down the stairs. "That must be her now."
"Guys! You'll never believe what happened earlier!" The second oldest sister said, still holding Lisa's special belt.
"You found your favorite belt?" Lincoln guessed, pointing at the belt.
"Huh? Oh no. This came from Lisa." The fashionista said, putting the hologram belt into her pocket. "No. My clothing designs are going to be featured in a fashion show in Paris!"
"Really!? That's wonderful, Leni." The Loud Mother told her with a smile.
"A fashion show in Paris!" Lola nearly screamed, her eyes big and sparkly. "It's like a dream!"
"That's rocking news, sis." Luna commented with a big grin.
"And that's not all!" Lori interjected, motioning her younger sister to continue.
"I got tickets to go to Paris too! Can Lori and I go, Mom and Dad!? Canwecanwecanwecanwe!?" The sweet teen asked, bouncing on her heels in excitement.
"Whoa whoa, wait a minute…" Rita said, looking suddenly alarmed as she motioned her second oldest daughter to calm down. "Just the two of you?" She inquired cautiously. Leni nodded with a bright smile, while Lori's face started to fall. She knew what was coming. "...I'm sorry, dear, but you can't just go galavanting off to a foreign country without an adult with you."
"But Lori's coming with me." The somewhat airheaded young lady countered, pointing a thumb to her oldest sister.
"Leni...I'm not legally an adult yet…" Her older sister explained sadly, saving her mother the trouble.
"Exactly. And without a responsible, legal adult to accompany you, I'm afraid the answer is no." Their mother told them firmly. Now it was Leni's face that fell into sadness. She only had two tickets and she already told her older sister she could go to. The ditzy fashionista slowly looked to their phone obsessed teen, who had a defeated look on her face. It really broke Leni's heart; she knew how excited Lori was to possibly go to Paris. However, before she could say anything, Lisa toddled her way down the stairs, something in her hand.
"Pardon me, Leni, but I think you dropped this in my room." The micro mastermind said calmly, handing a piece of paper to her dimmer sister: a third airline pass.
"I did?" She asked in surprise, looking at her purse. "...there must be a hole in my purse somewhere."
"You had a third ticket, Leni?" Her older sister asked in surprise. She could have swore Leni only had two passes, but she knew that her sister didn't have the best memory. It probably got lost in her bag and she forgot about it.
"I guess I did. Hehe." She chirped, shrugging sheepishly before turning to her parents. "Would one of you like to come with us?"
"I'd love to, dear, but I don't have a sous chef who can watch things at the restaurant before." The Loud father said apologetically. Meanwhile, Rita was mulling it over for a moment, trying to contain her excitement so she could consider the matter logically.
"Well, I have built up a little vacation time at the office…" She finally spoke up. "I think I should be able to accompany you two." The moment they heard that, Lori and Leni burst out cheering, the two teens embracing and dancing about in a very Lola/Lana like way. Their siblings swarmed around them, congratulating Leni on her good fortune while Rita and Lynn Sr rose from their chairs, the blonde haired woman calmly walking to their room in the guise of calling her boss to ask for some vacation time, her husband right behind her. The moment she was in her room and out of sight and earshot, Rita started giggling and clapping herself, giddy as a schoolgirl at the prospect of going to Paris.
A few days later, at the Detroit Airport, Allie and Bruno had just finished going through security and were about to wait for their flight back to Europe. The duo were feeling quite pleased with themselves, as they believed they had dealt with a major thorn in their side. "We have it made, my mighty comrade." The shorter woman said quietly, lounging about in one of the many seats in the departure lounge. The area was very crowded, so they had to keep their voices down to avoid being overheard.
"Very right. Our boss will reward us handsomely for handling that Silk." He whispered back, speaking in a kind of code. "I just wish we didn't have to lose our tools…" He said somewhat glumly. The two had to ditch almost all of their weapons before they came to the airport, only able to smuggle a few in their car as they shipped it across the ocean.
"A shame to be certain, but in the long run, it's not a problem. With our pay for this job, we can get even better tools." She comforted him, patting him on the back. "And even after that, we'd live the life of luxury."
"Yes, I suppose you're right." Bruno responded, with a slight smile. "All we have to do now is sit back and-" He started to say, but he froze mid sentence as he stared toward the security station. His eyes were locked on Leni as she passed through the metal detector, which triggered when she tried. She had already put almost everything in her pockets into the little tray, but kept forgetting to remove her sunglasses from her head. Her mother was waiting patiently on the other side, while Lori looked utterly annoyed. "-kiss our tails goodbye…"
"Huh? What do you mean?" The smaller woman asked with a tilted head. Rather than answer, the larger man put his hand on her head and forced her head toward the security gate. Her face went pale and her pupils shrank to near non-existence. "I...I don't believe it…"
"We saw her get buried in the rocks...but she doesn't have a scratch on her." The red haired man said in awe.
"Never mind that...if the boss sees her like that, we'll have a lot worse than scratches on us…"
"I'll fix that…" Bruno said with a serious glare on his face, reaching into his coat to draw a glass knife.
"Whoa, wait a second…" Allie quickly pushed the weapon back out of sigh, looking around in a panic. "...in an American airport? Are you nuts?"
"...oh. You're right, Allie...the boss wouldn't be happy if she had to bail us out of prison…" He admitted, leaving the blade in its hidden sheath. "...but what do we do about Silk?"
"Let's just watch her for the time being." The green haired lady responded quietly. "And maybe follow her to wherever she's going. We should be able to find an opportunity to take her out."
"Right. Good thinking." He said in return. Eventually, Leni figured out what was wrong and made her way through the metal detector, closely followed by Lori. The Swan's two goons simply watched them as they made their way to the across the departure lounge and to the desk. They weren't the only ones either: going through the checkpoint right behind the Louds was a grown man with a thick black mustache like paint brush bristles, and parted hair to match. He was wearing a fine brown suit and carrying a newspaper under his arm. Once he was through and sat in the row of seats opposite Allie and Bruno, he opened his newspaper, pretending to read it as he kept his eyes on Leni.
"Ok, we're all set, girls." Rita said, smiling at the excited Leni and still somewhat irked Lori. "Our flight should be arriving in a little less than an hour."
"Thank goodness…" Her oldest daughter commented, flopping down onto the nearest seat. "After that debacle back there, I don't have much patience left."
"I understand your frustration, dear, but soon, we'll be on our way to Paris." Mrs Loud said, sitting beside Lori.
"...yeah, that's true." She replied, a small smile returning to her face. "And first class too."
"You hear that, Bruno?" Allie whispered to her much larger associate with a smirk. "She's going our way."
"Good. We may get out of this with our skin intact after all." He responded quietly, looking quite relieved himself. Meanwhile, the man with the mustache, still hidden behind his paper, reached a hand up to his ear.
"Agent Silk is currently in the airport…" He muttered quietly, seemingly to himself. "...She should be on her way to France soon enough...Roger that. I will continue to monitor her.. Over and out." He lowered his hand from his ear, continuing to fake reading the paper while Leni, Lori and their mother patiently waited for their plane to arrive, unaware that they were being watched.
