They were all tied up in a rooftop at that time, all scheduled for a brutal group execution. Luan and Lily were the only ones in complete shock and fear. Liby, Lacy and Lynn were still struggling to get out of their chains, but the dampeners on them said otherwise.
Liberty stood on standby, allowing Carol and DEREK to have all the fun.
"Lincoln... Didn't you say she said her last name was Loud?" Lynn asked.
He told them about what she told him. Her name did not add up at all. There was nothing about a fifth clone, so...
Luna brought up the alternate timeline, which Lincoln had no recollection of. They found it funny, but just assumed that he forgot because of Older Lynn's actions, since no one really had experience on this type of thing, except Lisa, who was dead already.
"Yeah, that's what I remember her saying," he answered, while studying Liberty's white hair. "Seven letters in her name, like mine. I feel like there's something I should know, but-"
"Enough talk!" Carol swung her hammer-hand at him, striking away at the side of his face.
"No, Carol. It's about time I told them, heh," Liberty sneered. "So, Linka, that's who I want. You're not wrong, I'm a Loud, too. I've met Lincoln before." She tapped his head repeatedly. "He just doesn't remember anymore. This was in the timeline he created, which I'm sure you're aware of by now."
"I don't follow..." Lynn commented.
"When I say it's complicated, I really mean that. Long story short, I'm Lincoln, in a sense. And I'm here for Linka because I've lost someone that was my own Linka."
"You're... What?" Luna was even more confused.
"Did I stutter?"
"And you," Luna tilted her head to Lori. "Why?" She and Lupa were angrily glaring at Lori, both of whom only saw her as a traitor to the family. She looked away, unable to face any of them. "Why, dude? Why?!"
"Do you a favor? Why should I, when I can just-" The next thing that happened was her rolling into the basement. She landed right in front of a mysterious wooden box. Riley, as she was still calling herself, appeared at her feet.
"Oh, I know you won't do if I'd ask. So..." She phased the two in, switching on the lights. Lori's son was sleeping in a twin bed, surrounded by many toys around. "I know about the baby, Lori. Your baby... Here he is, still growing."
Lori's eyes widened with surprise. She made a move forward, but Liberty didn't allow it. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. First, you work for me, or Lucky, as the orphanage named him, dies."
"No! Okay, okay... I'll- I'll do what you ask!"
"My son, Luna. I had to protect him-"
"Why didn't you...-" Luna spat at her feet. "Secrets, secrets, and more fucking secrets!"
"You... A son, Lori?" Lincoln had an eyebrow raised at her, skeptical at first of this likely lie. The look on Lori's face verified that this was the absolute truth. "I- I forgot?"
She nodded gracefully, sniffing visibly. "I didn't want to, guys. I didn't."
"And yet you did! This is it! This is where a new ending shall be written for you! I win, and you lose!" Liberty was claiming victory a bit too early, unaware that Lori had other plans.
The oldest Loud sibling moved behind the restraint Luna, removing the dampener that was latched onto her back. "Then make us understand, Lore," she pleaded. "Why are-" Lori punched her, which was part of an act.
"You're free," she whispered, pointing to Lynn with her eyes. "Find us at the place you've been held captive, that's where we'll be."
"D, Carol, go on. Kill them! I'll leave you to it." As soon as Liberty left in an orange zooming light, Luna was regaining her superhuman strength back. She snapped herself free of the chains and rushed to Lynn, ripping away at a piece of her jersey and crushing the chains on her.
"KILL THEM ALL!" Carol screamed, before being pushed off of the rooftop by Lynn, followed by DEREK. He dove off to save her, which was the window they needed.
"Go, break them free!" Luna told Lynn and Lori.
"Lynn, Linka's in that building in the opposite street!" Lincoln took ahold of Lola, "Hurry, get us down yhere!"
"Take it easy. You're not Ace Savvy, you know!"
Lincoln returned to the battlefield scene. Funny, there haven't been cops or choppers around the area...
Lana dropped Lynn off near him. "Where? This one?"
"Hurry, get her out!"
"On it!" Rather than simply going the easy way, Lynn began to climb her way up.
"Ah, shit, Lynn..."
"TIME FOR ROUND TWO, KIDDIES!" Carol hollered.
Lori took to the side, not sure which team to fight for. The Louds played the defense, working hard to distract the two while Lynn worked to rescue Linka. Lily and Luan remained on the rooftop, looking down on them. "They need our help!" Lily protested.
"No, we can't do anything! It's best to stay and hope for the best..."
Luna and the clones were throwing the android around in a game of hackey-sack. The twins sped around Carol by her arms long enough to make her dizzy. She fell on her ass, feeling queasy. "No!"
"We need a diversion!"
Lynn finally reached the room where Linka was. She hung on the window's ledge, yelling through the glass. "Linka! Li-"
Not only was she there, but Liberty was as well. She waved her fingers at Lynn, teasing her in the game. "Nice try!"
Liberty shattered the window, flinging another one of the round gadgets to her left.
"Linka, I'm coming!"
"Doubt it," Liberty punned, making off with the clone.
"Agh! Link-" The reflection of a falling object flashed on the broken glass. An incoming bus was scraping against the hotel. Lynn gasped for a second before giving in. "Motherfu-"
Carol and DEREK maintained some distance they now desperately needed. "Dang it! Where the fuck is-"
The bus crashed into the sidewalk, and flipped upside down, forming a barrier away from each other. Lynn was flat on her back, jersey and shorts cut up in various places. "I didn't sign up for this," she huffed.
"Where's she?" Lincoln demanded.
"The girl you took her," Lynn said, pointing up.
Lincoln climbed onto the bus. The two lackeys were gone, and what was more was that Lori had disappeared. "Damn it!" He kicked a wheel, seething into the air. "OH, DAMN IT!"
A small storm of falling cars made him jump away and break into the bus. Lynn and the clones were able to shield themselves, leaving Luna to scatter away. This was perfomed by Liberty, who dropped the last handful of her own teleporters underneath a small portion of traffic she passed through.
"Guys, be careful!" Lily screamed from above.
The twins were quick to avoid the incoming cars all around. Only about five or so exploded, but no one was harmed once the metallic carnage switched off. Their bodies, rather than just their hands, trembled like they had just been exposed to a cold rain. "I-i-issss it overrr?"
"They're all gone!" Lincoln exclaimed, looking down the now empty street where the two fiends were, moments ago. "Get those people outta the cars, damn it!'
"Luna?" Lynn looked to their new leader for ideas.
"Before Lori freed me, she- She said...-" Luna sighed, looking around the war torn scenery. "I-"
"Luna?"
"No... How could- How does she-"
Luna was powerless in her cell. They moved Sam's body away, and forever, too. She banged her hands on the bulletproof glass, crying out so hard, so heartbroken. The guy she identified as her cell mate on her left was really just an enforcer at the time. She sensed he was satisfied by this. Here, she made a dark promise she didn't know she was actually going to keep.
"Not there... Not again..."
"Where? You know where they're going?"
She nodded, eyes shut. "Where it started for me... Where we found each other..."
Lynn and Lincoln gave each other dark, serious looks once they knew where Luna meant.
"Well, we'd best be going..."
Later
The Vial Corp facility was converted into a vacant building after the shutdowns all around. This one, the same one that Lynn was sent to go to extract Luna, joined the outer area in being quiet and dark. Liberty and company roamed through the top floor, inhabiting it for God knows how long. They set up with only a couple of weapons left over, assorted in a pile of metal cases.
Lori was given the punching bag treatment, after her confession of letting Luna go. Carol wandered into a deeper level of rage, wanting to cut her into millions of pieces. "YOU RUINED MY CHANCE!"
Liberty was annoyed by another setback, and she too joined in hurting Lori. Linka begged the two to not hurt her anymore, and ended up crying. Her tears made them stop, and Lori fell into a fetal position once they let her drop. She bled from her nose and mouth, facing away from them in her shame.
"It's either you or the boy, Lori," Liberty hissed. "Kill you both if you pull another stunt like that again."
"Why the fuck does this keep happening? And... Don't we both deserve to know more about you? You look so much like that guy... And you and the girl are dressed the same."
"I said it already. What more do you need?"
"Damn it! You promised me vengeance on them! On Lisa Loud! We should have, by now!"
"Not my fault, you two bozos had them there. You weren't fast enough!" Liberty countered with a raised voice.
"I-"
"You're a natural blonde to talk, Carol. Just shut the hell up!"
"Hmph!"
"Ready up. They should be home by now, so, why not destroy it? Get the explosives, D."
The android then raised his hand towards the entrance. "We've got-!"
A familiar pink light cut through the room with him, smashing through the wall. Lori smiled briefly, happy to know Luna and the others announced for another rematch.
"It's them!" Carol formed her swords. Lincoln and Luna crashed the room. Linka cheered on, excited to see the rescue party. Lori backed away, rendering herself neutral. "Hey! Fight with us, damn you!"
DEREK was met with a kick to his helmet shaped head by Lynn after sending Lola out of commission in the dark grounds outside. The three clones were aiding her, and held him in the air. An dark blue beam emitted from his eyes, striking Lacy and Liby away.
"Hurry! I can't-" Lupa flew backwards upon being hit as well. Lynn was targeted next, but ducked his attacks. She circled him to draw his fire. Lupa and Liby took hold of him once more, stretching his limbs out.
"Now, Lana!"
The tomboy appeared and zoomed away from them. Lynn went on her knees and into a praying position before Lana came rushing back, causing friction with her hands. She made a leap on Lynn's back, giving her a quarter of the electric current she charged up.
"Oomph!"
Lana gave him her fully powered shock, which worked in short circuiting him. "Got him!"
"Lana! Trophy punch!"
"Red alert, red alert. Overload. Overlo-" DEREK fizzled with the electricity, twitching wildly while fighting it.
Lana took the sporty woman, reenacting her movements. She, like Lola, had already adjusted to carrying and lifting the heavier siblings. Lynn raised a fist, carried by the tomboy like a long narrow stick. She was launched at great speed, and aimed her fist to strike directly. "COME ON!"
She knocked his head off, which she expected to have shattered. The head rolled onto the grass, still functioning. "Abort! Abort! Mission failed!"
The silver body tripped over itself, crawling around like a lost baby. It moved its hands onto the ground, feeling around for the missing head. It slowled its movements the more it looked, until it stopped twitching.
"We got the metal mouth! Woohoo!" Lynn cheered.
Lori and Carol fought Luna and Lincoln, as Liberty saw DEREK get wrecked. "Take fucking care of them!" She raced down the side of the building, letting the two take care of her genderbent and lizard breath.
Lori blocked Luna's tail whip, and grabbed it. "I-I'm sorry!" Lori swung her from side to side, bashing her around the walls and white marble floor. Luna pulled her tail back once she hit the floor again, stumbling Lori forward right into her sharp claws. Luna moved them around Lori's guts, roaring right into her face. The yellow eyes intimidated her.
Carol sliced and diced the air, getting no succesful attack on the expert fighter. "Aw, what's wrong? Afraid of a little boo-boo?"
Lincoln was studying her moves. She had only an amateur pattern, who believed her arms could guarantee victories for her. There was a two second delay in between her swings; Lincoln jumped right into her face, punching her so hard she might've just had sense knocked into her.
Lori buried Luna's head into her bleeding stomach. "Stay out of this!" She elbowed the girl, rolled to her side and kicked her once she stood up. Luna did a couple of rolls across the room, and fell out through the window.
Carol jumped to the cases, desperately moving to even the clear odds. She took out a weapon, which closely resembled an XM-25, and centered it on Linka. "Don't move, or she goes!"
"D-da-d-" Linka ducked when Carol let off a warning shot near her. A quarter of the wall was gone, replaced by falling dust and crumbled pieces of concrete chunks. "LINCOLN!"
"Lori!" Carol tossed another one of the big weapons to Lori. "No funny shit!"
"Carol, Lori, I've taken these guys down? What's going on up there?!""
"We got things handled. Just caught the brother. How''s DEREK?" When Liberty didn't reply, Carol peeked down into the dark. "Hello? Ugh! Fuck it, kill this fucker!" Carol switched her sights to Lincoln.
"Lori, you don't wanna do this," Lincoln softly uttered. "Think about him, your son."
Lori dramatically raised the weapon at him.
"Let's kill him at the same time!" Carol suggested.
"Lori, please!" Linka developed puppy eyes, shaking her head. "Don't hurt him..."
"What are you waiting for?!"
Lori whimpered, trembling at the trigger. Of all the things she did against them, she didn't think she'd be actually killing one of her siblings. Apart from that, they lied to her, being told none of the siblings would be hurt. Maybe she misinterpreted; none of them would've been hurt at the time she was first needed.
She never signed up for this, and now, her decision was going to really be something.
"Lori!"
"Don't!"
"Please!"
The three overlapped each other. Carol then began to pull the trigger. "Whatever, then, I'll do it without you! Maybe we can kill Liberty together instead!"
Lincoln covered his face. The sound of the weapon going off rang out, making him grip his body tightly. He had never tested his strength against a bigger explosive, not after taking a grenade to the chest.
He felt no burn, or heating sensation on his clothes, however. Lincoln uncovered his face, and saw tbat it wasn't Carol who fired away, but Lori. The bloody chunks of Carol made a reddish mess around where she stood.
Lori dropped her weapon, now visibly torn. "L-Lincoln? You tell him... You tell him I love him," she squeaked in her broken voice.
Liberty cut in, disgusted at Lori's actions. "I warned you, didn't I?" In her hand was a handgun, fully loaded. "He'll grow up without a mother." She ended Lori's life with a bullet to the head. A small mist of red squirted from the exit wound, horrifying Linka. The lifeless body flopped backwards, much to Lincoln's dismay.
"The kid's in Carol's old house. I'm taking her, so... Don't follow me!" She shoved him out of the floor, waving with a smile on her face.
He crashed into the ground, finding himself alongside Luna. Lincoln pulled her close and shook her. "Are you hurt?"
"Depends," she wheezed painfully. "Did you win?"
He leaned up to see the other Louds were groaning in pain, downed from Liberty's severity. "There's only one left... But... Lori, she- She's gone."
"Oh, my god. No... It can't be-"
"It is! Lana! Lola! Get-"
"They can't help! Oh, God, oh!"
Lincoln tried to get up, putting his fists onto the ground to push himself. Liberty, carrying Linka, sped away into the forest.
"Ah, not her! Not her!" Lincoln pushed himself, with all his reserve strength, to move after them. "LINKA!"
"Wait, Lincoln!" Luna stretched a hand out towards his direction. "Lincoln, wait for-" She yelped in pain, muttering angrily.
Linka patted Liberty's shoulder viciously. "I have to pee! I'm gonna explode!"
Liberty slowed down, eager to set het down. "Aw, why didn't you tell me?"
"I-I'm sorry," she said fearfully, "You scare me."
"No, no, no. I- I don't want to scare you. You just remind me of my... Someone I lost and... They'll just hurt you. They can't stop fighting, Linka. All they know is violence. You and me, we can run away and I'll give you whatever you want! Doesn't that sound great?"
They gave each other looks that said they understood each other. "They've... It's been complicated, yes. It's alot... I don't want it."
"Of course you don't! No little girl should have to see that over and over again. Come here..." Liberty opened her arms, bending down on one knee. "This is what I want. Do you understand?"
Linka was welcomed into her hug, and cuddled up to her. "I do. Unfortunately..." She took out the gun Liberty had tucked on her back, shoved her and fired point blank on both legs.
"AGH! LINKA?!" Liberty wasn't able to even stand anymore. She tumbled down, crying out to the girl.
"My family... Have fought to rescue me. Sure..." Linka lectured, stepping on the shot up legs. "We may not be the best family but we care for each other. What do you have?"
The wounded genderbend dragged herself from Linka's feet. "It's not fair, it's not fucking fair!"
Linka looked around and spotted a big rock on her left. "Newsflash, life isn't fair." She turned Liberty over, raising the rock above her head.
"No, no, no! You're not gonna kill me," she shivered, before laughing once more. "You're not a killer! Ha, Linus- Linus didn't have the guts to-"
Linka caved in her skull in a gruesome manner, catching a wave of red coat of polkadots on her face.
"Linka! Li-" Lincoln finally caught up to them, to his own surprise. She turned to him, now with a different expression on her face. One he had seen many times over and over. "No..."
"I got her, Lincoln. I got the bitch," she stated with emptiness in her emotion. "Let's get out of here, I'm getting cold."
Lincoln only stared down at her, letting the failure of keeping the clone out of this dark and violent life sink in nice and slow. Luna was behind him, watching from a tree. She cupped a hand to her mouth, horrified at what Linka had just done. "Not you, too..."
Lincoln stared at the body of Linka's first kill before they headed back. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine..."
Luna stepped out from behind the tree. "That doesn't look fine to me. Did you have to-"
"Not now, Luna," Lincoln warned.
"Not now? Linka just-"
"I know what I did! She was hurting you!" Linka pushed Luna with all her strength, sending her down.
The punk rocker further ascended into pain, howling loudly. "Look at you! You're just like him!"
"Hey, I didn't want this for her, either!"
"Stay away from Lily, you hear me?! Both of you!"
"No," defied Linka. She helped Luna up, lifting her on her shoulders. "Get over it."
"Linka, that's enough."
"Lincoln, what about-"
"Let the maggots eat her," he scoffed. "Jesus fuck..."
Lynn dug her way out of the ground, having been phased through the dirt. "Why, that ugly snowflake haired bitch!" She brushed and spar away the dirt on her, scouting for the speedster. The clones and twins were withering near her, clearly having been beaten by the fiend. "Damn it! Lincoln? Luna?"
The three emerged from the treelines, relieving Lynn. She pounced onto Lincoln. "How did you- What happened? Where are they?"
"One question at a time, Lynnie. We won, yes, but there are some- Some prices for-" He looked back up to the old building. "Lori's gone..."
"W-what?! Lor-" Lynn sighed, looking down. "How? Don't tell me you-"
"She actually saved me, and they killed her for it..."
"How many more, Lincoln? How many more will-" Lynn held onto his arm, gripping it tightly. "Leni, Lucy, and now Lori? I- No, I don't want anyone to go, Lincoln."
"It's over, Lynn. We've overcomed them all. No one else will die on me, okay?" He sealed his word with a hug. Lynn rubbed her head against his chest in a snuggling manner. "Next step is her kid. Bitch told me to look in the blonde's house, but I don't know where that is. Linka?"
"I remember the house, but finding it is another thing." She tried hard to remember the route Liberty used to take her. "She's faster than the twins, so... I don't know."
"This'll take all night. There's gotta be a way-" Lincoln eyed the decapitated head of the android. "He might've been recording. Give it here, Lynn. We have anymore of the devices on us?"
"There was some up there," Linka pointed up, "They moved enough to hide there for awhile."
"You all go back to the house. Lynn, with me."
"Where are we going, Linc?"
"Getting the location," he answered, taking the helmet shaped head. "I'll see the rest of you back home. Cover up Lori's body, by the way. We'll come back for her later."
"Dudes..." Luna wheezed. "How long?"
"Just go, Luna..." Lynn softly said. "Linka, make sure they get back safely."
"Will do," the girl agreed. "Don't move too much, Lunes. Lana, Lola-"
"No, they look like they need rest. We'll throw you down the teleporters."
Linka nodded, setting Luna down gently. "Man, she's heavy."
Lincoln used Lynn as crutches, holding onto her with one hand around her neck. "God, my back is giving out on me. She threw me out, agh!"
"So, what are we going to do with the kid? Are we talking him in or-"
"I'm not sure, but that's Luna's call. We'll have to take him for now, and we'll see what happens."
"Even her... Who else can have a kid?"
"Lynn-"
"Sorry, Linc..."
"Head in the game, Lynnie." Lincoln rummaged through the metal cases. The fourth one he opened contained the necessary tools. "Here we go. How do these work?"
"Say the location. You can preset a location, too. They lectured me about some of the tech when I was with the Agency."
"Nice. Alright, then. Hammonton, New Jersey," he said to the round device, and threw it down to Linka. The clones moved into the portal first. Linka helped the twins go in, and then Luna lastly.
Lori's body was surrounded by a bigger dark red pool. Lynn gasped heavily, closing her eyes tightly. "Jesus... Oh, Lore..."
Lincoln took another device, whispering his destination into it. "Lynn, let's go."
The blue, bright portal opened up in between them. Lincoln tossed the robot head into it, before jumping in. Lynn followed, after looking back one last time at Lori. "I'm sorry."
AN: Yes! One Lori Loud has been checked off the list. This was a redemption for her, and the best one there's been as of yet.
As for Linka, she just took a big step into a much more darker persona. Which could mean alot of things for her and Lincoln. We are not too far from the ending now.