June 9th, 2026 - Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Guerrero, Mexico
He mercilessly crushed the scorpion before it reached the four year old child. Bobby scraped the remains around the concrete floor. "Ronalda! Ten cuidado!"
He buckled up his cargo pants, returning through his room, which had curtains instead of doors. He placed on a nice blue shirt that screamed "Hawaii, here I come!" to the world. Buttoning it up was slow progress.
The child, his nephew, and son of Ronnie Anne, noticed him heading off again. "Tio? Donde vas?" He took his toy truck from the ground, looking at him with a glimmer of hurt in his eyes. The boy took after his mother, inheriting the physical traits, which Bobby saw in Ronnie Anne too far long ago.
At the moment, Ronnie Anne was still sleeping, unbeknownst to her that Bobby was leaving them alone once more. Perhaps he had done so every often, that little Javier had begun to miss his uncle, while the father was anywhere but around. Bobby was the father figure to him. He felt bad about gping away again, but he has his reasons. He knew what he was doing, for he had been in this game for a good while.
"Regresare. Deje dinero, alcansara por un mes de comida."
Bobby rushed out, before something else could penetrate through his emotions.
His custom red 1995 Nissan Hardbody was dusty again, parked right outside. He entered in the driver's seat, tuning to Los Tigres del Norte. His phone was pulled out from the glove compartment, finding four messages only. The first three, recieved consecutively, since four days ago, read the same thing;
No contratos disponible.
The last one, received yesterday, said something different. Not only that, but it struck him as something like a jackpot right in his hands. This one read;
Familia de Americanos querido muerto por contrator. $11,000 por cada uno. Suppuestamente, ahi mas que cinco en la familia. Acceptar?
He snickered, smiling at a lucky break here. More money to move the three of them up. A better life. He agreed to it, sending the reply to his contact. The picture of the family came. The Louds were all huddled in a group, seen at some restaurant.
June 13th, 2026 - Now
"JESUS FUCK, LUNA! CALM DOWN!"
"DON'T YOU IDIOTS GET IT?! HE WAS DEAD! HE WAS GONE!" There she was, at it again with that rage. Lynn and Lori held back the enraged rocker.
Linka still clutched onto him, pausing her crying. She developed a skeptical look. "No, you lie!" She accused at Luna. "He'd never-"
Lincoln pressed a finger to her lips. "No, it's... It's true. I did... I don't think I earned another chance. Who pulled me out?"
All eyes went on Lupa. "Oh, yeah, blame me, you fucks. You all screamed at me to bring Lucy back! I didn't know Lincoln would come out!"
"Why, Lincoln? Why did you do it?"
He turned to Lily, who sat down next to him while he was still reeling about. "I thought he killed her. I couldn't fail. I'm... I wasn't supposed to fail her. I couldn't... So-"
"Well, geez, that's... Ouch..."
Lincoln pulled in both girls close. "I'm so glad you're both fine. Lily..." He kissed her forehead, making her smile with great and relieved content. "And Linka, I'm... I can never apologize enough for leaving you..."
Luna pulled back her arms, snapping away from Lori and Lynn's grips. "I don't buy his act. He's not really this-"
"Luna, he's nice to Linka. He's been this nice to her. This isn't a play."
"And he saved-"
"I don't need to hear it again. I'm going to bed."
"Hey, Luan?" Lincoln looked past the others. Luan grew closer, treading cautiously. "Uh, what is it, Lincoln?"
He looked onto her, almost like he was looking at something within her. "You got it wrong. The saying. Its, 'What goes around, comes around', Luan." He continued to laugh. Then, Luan caught on to what he meant.
"Oh, that!" She giggled with him, while the others were only puzzled at this, not knowing the significance of this reference. "I remember that, sadly."
"How long have I been gone?" Lincoln asked.
"Nearly a month, Linc. You've been... Dead for that long," Lori answered.
"Oh, well... Is she really gone?" Lincoln looked behind him, still hoping the black gate to the otherworldly realm was still there. But it wasn't, and Lincoln remained silent along with the others. Lincoln let go of the two innocent girls, placing both hands on their backs. "I'd like to get some sleep, if it's alright with you."
"But- Wait, what about-?"
"DON'T YOU GET IT? SHE'S GONE FOREVER!" Lupa screamed. She exhaled, peering down. "Sorry, but there's no happy ending her. There's no rescue to plan. I'm going to sleep now." Lupa pushed through them, mercilessly. Liby and Lacy were pulled away by her, not resisting at all.
"Seriously? Is no one going to even-"
"There's nothing to say, Lori. Words have been over for a long time... Come on, you two." He led the happy girls away, leaving Lori, Lynn and Luan alone, staring at the end of the kitchen. No one moved the table back where it belonged, so Lori was on it. Lynn sighed in welp at the loss of her old roommate.
It was Lynn herself who was the last one standing there. Lori left, when most of them deserted Lucy's death place, not saying any peace. It was too dark to go over again, and maybe that's why thry wandered off back to sleep. Lori herself could not find comforting words to say for the fallen goth.
Luan waited for Lynn to return back to her room, but she remained there for over a flat out two minutes. She slowly ascended topside, still having her eyes on the gloomy sports fan. No way she didn't know what Lynn was feeling. Luan wondered if Lincoln had that feeling, too. He did kind of show it. Then she reminded herself.
Lincoln Loud was back, and that could mean anything, and all things familiar. What awaited down the line for the family? Lincoln grew up to be the coldest sibling among them. But it wasn't Luan who had this realization.
A couple of room transfers had happened. Lincoln took up with the twins, making Luan move with Lori and Lynn. Lily traded with her, feeling comfortable with Lincoln rather than them. Linka and Lily clinged onto him as if he was Justin Bieber.
Lincoln felt slight discomfort, but had to allow the duo's wish to be there with him.
Lynn returned to her and Lori's room; surprised to see Luan and Luna there. "I thought you were taking up the couch, Luna," Lynn started, "Don't tell me you're sleeping here?"
"We're talking about Lincoln, actually. Me and Luan are worried he could lead us down... It's best we don't tell him about our new problem. We don't need his... Necessary help. Anyways..."
"I think Luna's right. He's kinda proven to be... I don't know, a bit... Edgy? Excessively violent, angry," Lori added, "I mean I knew he was like that but I'm just now seeing it's too constant to let be ignored."
"But, no- Lincoln had the right idea-" Lynn crossed her arms, clearly disgusted by Lori, who seemed to now take a side. "Lori, I thought-"
"I know what I've said before, but... It's something we can't ignore now. He's no longer the leader anymore, we'll make that clear. I'm the oldest, so it should be me. But Luna, she knew it before we saw it. And you defied him successfully. I think it should be you to lead us. No, I know it."
Luan was on board with this. "Yeah, yeah! You had all the better options here. It has to be you."
Lynn was agitated, still preferring the returned Lincoln to lead them to victory by the any-means-necessary strategies. "Not fair. Shouldn't everyone vote?"
"No, we're literally the adults here. If you think otherwise, you have more growing up to do, Lynn."
"Whatever," Lynn sulked, "At least he's back, I suppose."
"Alright, Luna. We're crashing, so-"
"Alright, dudes," Luna left to her couch, "I'll see you all in the morning."
"Goodnight, Luna," Lori and Luan said. Lynn wordlessly crashed on hers, annoyed by the decision that they had just put into effect, officially.
Morning
Breakfast was quiet, right to the point it felt something taken out of a silent film. Linka and Lily were still left in the dark, but knew something was up. Lupa told them both that Lucy had gone away, and was likely to not come back.
They were rendered a step closer to the depressing tones around the older ones. Lincoln had no desire to eat. He did a sweep around the rooms, noticing something was off when he saw the window frame had been not-so-stealthily replaced. What did I miss?
Silly of him to hold off camera installations and wire taps around with all his hideouts.
Lupa, apart from him, was alone in her room, eating away, being given the silent treatment from Liby and Lacy when she told them what really happened to Lucy. She didn't want to feel alone, so she transferred to the room at the end of the hall.
Lincoln was still in covers when Lupa made her entrance. "Something you need?"
"You came from there. You came from the Deadworlds, right?"
"Oh, right. You knew all along, and hid it."
"It was her secret to reveal. She did, but..."
"Yeah, I know. It's painful to even speak of it."
"So, whaddya want?"
"You didn't go to hell, so... How was it there? What did you see?"
His stone face was still intact, turning to eye her. "I saw nothing", he simply said, "The Deadworlds is the nothing you'd not want to spend eternity in."
"I see..." She moved to the spot right next to him. "You know what this means right? They'll talk amongst each other, and decide where your place will be. The twins have been looking all over for you, you know. Linka and Lily just stopped crying for you recently."
"I fucked up, but I don't need to hear it from you."
"Well, alright then. Anyways, while you were gone, we've made a new enemy, could use your help."
Lincoln found motivation to get off of his ass. "When?"
"It's been past a week since that. Come on, you and me. The others don't wanna do anything about it. They'd rather be holed up here."
"So, what? Going around looking?" He asked that like it wasn't already developing in his mind.
"Yeah, just us. I could use the air. It starts to reek like a dead corpse. And man, I know how that smells."
"Alright then, let's go."
Lupa opened the window, intending to sneak out rather than go out formally.
"I like the way you think, girl," Lincoln laughed.
"I'm you, after all. Get a move on, I can float you down."
Lincoln took his time. "Do we know what we're doing?"
"We're taking a look around the town, seeing if something throws a bone our way."
"Blood drunk, are we? Be my guest."
Not three blocks away when Lynn and Lana gave the pair a spook. "What are you guys up to?" Lana asked. No longer was Lana out of her white lab suit, but her clothes had similarily returned to her usual preference. Her longer hair made her look goofy through her red hat. It, like Lola's, grew into a straight-down style.
"What does it matter?" Lupa retorted coldly.
"We're just heading out? Go back home, both of you," Lincoln added, "We won't be back long."
"No! We're both coming. I know you, you're scouting. I bet pale hair here filled you in about a blonde, hasn't she?"
"Not everything," Lincoln sighed, "Who else is behind you?"
"It's just me and Lana, we want to join you. Noticed you gone when I came to give you breakfast. I've stuck by you up to here. Don't turn us away, we can help. Lana's speed is the advantage."
"You're not wrong there. Hmmm, alright. No funny games, you got it?"
They both nodded, going giddy after accepting his condition. "We'll work our way from New York to below. Lana, take us now. Saves us the trip."
Manhattan
Bobby was setup with the currents. He knew who they were, he knew what they were capable of. Lynn Loud, the super-powered girl with an indestructible body. Lincoln Loud, gifts almost as high as hers. Luna Loud, the chick who could turn into a monstrosity of a natural cold-blooded predator. The list went on, but there was no specifics on how they moved.
He reached Lori's name, and that's when it all came crashing back to him. Lori Loud, an old flame from his teenage years. The very same one, whom he was hired to kill. He laughed a bit at the irony, thinking of how small this world seemed to be. They were the beings he had heard about in the global media.
A room on the sixth floor of the Quin is where he was, with a good enough visual on 6th Ave, south. Trap was set, and it was likely the twins would get there before cops. The bomb was a mere diversion, and there was no way it could be ignored. He clicked away at the trigger, and waited.
"Hey, over there! Lana, check that out!" Lincoln ordered.
They felt the shaking of the blast, smoke rising more and more. Lincoln gave chase, while Lynn and Lupa were still figuring out what was going on. The gang rushed quickly to the scene, running from Madison Ave.
Lana stopped in range of Bobby's Barrett .50 Cal. He aimed for her head, holding his breath. He began his prayers in Spanish once more, before squeezing the trigger. The sound of the bullet killed the reforming silence down below. Lincoln heard it, after crossing one street.
Damn it! Lana!
AN: El ha vuelto.