"Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man." -Friedrich Nietzsche
December 7th, 2026 - Undisclosed Location
Lynn Loud was on the bad end of an interrogation room. The brown sack that was bagged over her head after being captured was removed forcibly. The same two men who were sporting suits just like secret service agents, were there besides her, as security regulations enforced in wherever this was. Lynn's speed didn't seem to work at the moment, and was still trying to phase her hands through the shackles that locked her to the high-grade, metal table.
"What the hell is this? Where are my sisters?!" She gripped the shackles tightly and rocked her hands back and forth. She turned to face both of the silent men who were giving her minor claustrophobia. "Are you two gonna speak?"
The handle of the only door turned by itself. The lost Loud raised herself up, quieting as other individuals, presumably the proper authorities, were coming in with a video camera holstered over a tripod. "What is this? Hey, what's- Who are you?"
Like the two men, these others didn't reply at all. After the equipment was set up, everyone retreated back to whatever was beyond the room, leaving Lynn to wonder alone. "Are you serious?! Hey! Hey, don't-!" None of them had given her any attention, however. Again, she attempted to budge free from the shackles.
"Please state your name for the camera, miss." The voice in the intercom was thaf of a man's, calm and sincere but serious at the same time.
"Huh? You're taping me? I didn't do anything wrong! I tried to-"
"Ma'am, please state your name for the record."
"Um... My name-" She took a deep breath, drawn out of nervousness and rising fear. "My name is Lynn Loud. God, I don't know how these things go. Talk me through it."
"What were you doing in San Francisco?"
"We... It shouldn't be that murky. We were all fighting, against the same person. There's cameras everywhere. Surely, there's enough footage for a compilation!"
"And who was it you say you were fighting this time? We've got ahold of all the ghost reports, so we know about Lisa Loud, Vince Ventura, and these other Phenomenons you've faced since mid-year. Now, Lynn, who was it this time?"
"This isn't your personal business. Besides, we're on the same side. What good would it do if I'm stuck like this?"
"I understand that this isn't easy for you and the rest of your family to accept the current events that have unfolded-"
"IT'S NOT YOUR MESS TO FIX, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" She stood up, out of the uncomfortable chair and kicked backwards to strike it.
"It became our business the moment civilian casualties was the aftermath of-"
"AND WE'RE TRYING TO STOP IT! WE'RE NOT THE VILLAINS HERE! LET ME GO!"
"Regardless of your intentions, we decided to take your situation into our hands. Tell us, Lynn. Tell us where Lincoln Loud is."
December 4th, 2026
"Linc? Hey, Linc... Luna's cooked up some scrambled eggs." Lynn rubbed her hands, which were growing numb from the cold atmosphere. "Linc?"
The brother, now back in the common orange and blue, was still looking on to the direction of the lonely sea, brooding on about the greatest horror he didn't have a choice in. The faint screams of the dead in the family were growing louder, ringing and bouncing around in his head. Their voices, blaming him for the chain reaction of bad luck, in the form of death and darkness.
All this time, the answers. The answers were what he didn't acknowledge as that in which he, unlike some of the others, truly wanted. He dropped the lighter that started their living hell. He. He led them here, down this malevolent road that the light would not, and ever, be shining on. Lincoln did it. He broke the family, and be knew that Lynn had filled them in.
The constant reluctance to be around them was actually making them worried sick about him. Those who understood why he did it, weren't going to fault him for that. No, everything was far too hideous to play the blame game. Luna, the only opposing force that crossed Lincoln every now and then during their war of ideals and beliefs, had been standing down for awhile now. She gave no one no such grief, and wasn't going to now that poor little Lynn and the tough-as-nails Lincoln had not gotten over their own punishment.
"Linc..." Her verbal notifications had not yet gotten him over. Lynn didn't know what words to use then and there. He was just hurting, but he was allowing it. No, that fact wasn't exactly known to her, but she grew more concerned by then. Today was another day in the consecutive days he was placing himself as a lost, wandering soul. It was more than enough time to forgive and forget, but the broken man was still in the brooding state. "I'm sorry..."
It was all she was able to say. What he was feeling was negatively stronger than how hard the big reveal of the person behind the fire struck them each.
Lily Loud was still sensing the fractured atmosphere around them. She would often surprise hug most of the Louds who went to a mourning-feeling mode, still intend on lifting their spirits and vanity. She peered outside, saddened by the sight that was by now a regular show. "Poor Lincy..." The four clones and Lucky were in the room with her, with Lupa mainly being there to keep Lily, and if possible, the now-scarier Linka from going down the all-too familiar road.
"Girl- Uh, Lilster," Lupa called from behind. "He'll..." Lupa actually had no faith that Lincoln would easily forget this anytime soon. "Look, he's lived through worse. I'm sure he's going to be okay."
Lily didn't bother looking back. She developed puppy eyes at Lincoln, and was somehow hoping he'd turn and cease his wallowing. Yes, that would've probably worked if she was still the baby they all remembered a lifetime ago.
Linka, who knew better, only gave a dirty look down Lupa's sights. Of the two, Lupa was more closer to the understanding of Lincoln of the four clones. At least, that was, up until the point that Linka's hidden dark nature was forced upon, the unexpected factor in the aftermath of Liberty Loud's series of battles with the family. Linka surpassed it, due to only being the full-blooded clone of Lincoln Loud.
Liby and Lacy found the distraction in Lucky and were using that opportunity to give themselves something to laugh about. Something to smile for. "Hey, Lily!" Liby had Lacy placed on her shoulders, and Lacy had the giggling redhead on hers. "You should come join this human ladder!"
Lupa went over to the youngest Loud, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder. "It's Lincoln, after all. He just needs time..." Lupa took her by the hand, moving her away. "Come on, they're trying something stupid."
"It's not stupid, it's fun!" Lacy protested.
"And funny!" Liby added, ending with a laugh.
Lucky was trying to reach the ceiling, groaning while extending his short hands to touch. "Make me taller!"
Lana, Luna and Luan were silent at the table. Lynn had given up on calling Lincoln by then, and had returned to the comfortable warmth. "Leave the leftovers for him..."
"Damn, dude," Luna squealed, "I can't... I can't believe you both-" She sighed, placing a hand onto the side of her head. "I'm really sorry, Lynn. To both of you... I can't believe it. After all this time-"
Luan talked over her, "Don't. Don't go there. I know what you're going to say. Please don't..." She shook her head, face completely in disarray. "He can't blame himself. He shouldn't... I really hate this..."
Lynn took her spot at the end of the table, only staring down at her platter of scrambled eggs. "I know... I- I can't... I don't-" Words meant nothing anymore. What Lynn wanted to simply do was scream and cry as much as her body and mind would allow. No, she wasn't able to accept what was, and what should have never been. Everything. Everything could have been different, if Lincoln had not let go. If Lincoln had shifted everything to the proper direction. No dead relatives. No senseless raging. And no living in fear and worry for the others.
Lynn lost herself in that moment. She swung her arm, knocking her plate out of the table, letting it shatter, and make its unnecessary mess onto the floor. "I DIDN'T WANT THIS!" Lynn shoved the table forward, making all the others' plates slide forward along with it and only Luna's made it off of the table. "WE DIDN'T NEED THIS! MOM, DAD, THE OTHERS, TOO! IT- WAS THIS-" Like before, like usually, they'd cry when the horror and misery of the past and its following shadows were repeatedly attacking them. Moreso when they, and they did, as a family, had to endure the fall of their own.
You'd think it would've ended with the fire, but what it was, had always been an omen that foretold a series of grisly events life had in store for them. All kinds of obstacles, some close enough to touch them, and other strange ones. Reasonable foes, like Lisa Loud, and then unexpected, irrational ones like Liberty Loud and Vince Ventura.
Life. Life was telling them nothing good was destined for them. And all of that now seemed even more true after the alien fiasco, which no one knew about, due to the extraterrestrial silverheads having impacted on all of the satellites that had picked them up but failed to deliver.
Lynn wasn't just crying this time. She went down to the floor, and was throwing her fist, trying to hit whatever she was able to. Mainly the wooden floor was taking up her punches. Lynn was too busy breaking down in rage that she forgot her super strength was permanently gone, courtesy of those damn aliens. Her knuckles were sustaining a painful red, but she pushed past the pain of it and kept going. She screamed as she kept pounding away. Anymore punching and she was guaranteed to end up with fractured bones on her hands. When the blood had become visible, Luan squirmed at it and stormed out of the kitchen, unable to stand the broken Lynn hurting herself.
Luna's hard, scaly tail grabbed hold of one of Lynn's hands and pulled her off the ground. "Lynn, please stop."
Lynn whimpered, eyes watery and lips quivering uncontrollably. She looked to the ground, where her blood was spilled on. "Let me- Let me-" She then shook her head, sniffing. "You don't know... You don't know how- How horrible-"
Luna lowered the fragile sister back down, but still had her grasp on Lynn. "I'll never know, Lynn. I'll never know how ugly it was. Dude, I'm sorry you had to see it. But- You're not alone, Lynn. It's affected most of us, too. I'm... I'm angry. I'm horrified. I'm... I don't know what to feel anymore. But it hurts, Lynn. It hurts to know..."
"I- I wasn't able to stop it. T-they made me watch, Lunes. They forced me to watch." Lynn wiped her wet face clean from the tears, but only smeared them into a blindfold of moistness. "I-I should have stopped it... If I was strong to-"
"Lynn, please. Don't think about it," Luna soothed, finally letting go of Lynn's arm. She engulfed her in a calming hug. "Lynn, there's nothing, and I mean nothing you could've done. And even if you did... Who knows what that would've meant, you know?"
"Linc... Linc, he-"
"Hey, hey, shhh. You listen to me, Lynnie. Both of you, you have us. You have us, okay? We do what we've been doing for so long, and that's watching over each other. We'll make sure we'll all be okay..."
"H-he killed-" Lynn's face met Luna's purple shirt by forced, which muffled her cries. The sports girl was then sobbing heavily into the rocker's shirt.
"There, there, alright? It's going to be fine..."
Lana, still seated in silence, finally had the strength to stand up. She walked over to both sisters, and joined them, turning it into a small group hug.
Lincoln walked past the kitchen, to which only Luna sensed. He decided that his stomach was all but craving food. Luan took solitude on the stairs, hands and head over her knees. She didn't bother looking to see Luna, who was likely to check up on her. "Go away," she instructed actually to Lincoln.
"I just came inside, and you want me to go away?" Lincoln filled the space Luan wasn't occupying.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I thought you were Luna," she choked out. "I'm sorry, I'm just- Have you seen Lynn back there?"
"I saw comforting, so it's obvious what was going on. How about you? How are you holding up?"
Luan shrugged her shoulders and raised her hands. "I uhhh... Yeah, I could use some better news. Better anything, actually."
He nodded, fully agreeing with Luan. "Yeah, yeah we could."
"Linc?"
"Yeah?" Her tone struck him, like she was about to go all mushy on him. Pity, sympathy, these were what he didn't need, but was bound to receive regardless if he wanted it or not. He was ready again to ignore it.
"I'm sorry you had to do it..."
He ran a hand through his hair, looking away. "I know what you're gonna say, sis."
"Oh?" She lifted her head from her knees, rendering her attention to him. "Sorry, I know. The others, they've probably, well, you know, talked."
"A few times too many," he added.
"It's not your fault, but... It's gotten worse for you, and we all know it. You don't talk to us anymore. All you do is just stare out, planted like a tree. It's not healthy, Linc."
"It works for me. I-" He sighed heavily, "I wasn't going to drop it, even if I truly wanted to. They knew it, they knew I had too! I didn't want to!" He banged at the wall, burning from the inside.
"Linc-" Luan eased herself to lightly touch him. "Linc, please-"
He brushed her hands away, standing up in front of her. "I can't- No, this... All of this- I did this, I doomed us all. I was the one!" He punched at the wall, which managed to scare Luan now.
"Linc, please calm down." She nervously followed his lead and eyed behind her. Maybe the others were hearing another one of Lincoln's episodes. "Oh, my god!"
The three sisters had snuck up behind Luan while she still looked on at Lincoln's flying rage onto the wall. He had finished creating a big enough hole to start ripping out the chunks away from it, angrily screaming.
"LINCOLN, I PAID FOR THIS PLACE!" Lynn yelled, aiming to stop him. Luna tugged her back by her shirt.
"We can always fix the wall anytime, but if this helps him, it's gotta be. Let him rage, Lynn. He needs to let it all out."
Then, Lincoln had finally finished his vandalism, falling onto his back from some sort of weakness. He plummeted like a lifeless scarecrow, finally enabling them to move toward him. His eyes went shut.
"LINC!" Lynn was the closest to his face, and had her hand on his chin, shaking his face by it. "LINC?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?" She slapped him from both hands.
"I can still hear a heartbeat!" Luna said, moving Lynn back. "Maybe it was-"
A dark shade began to form around his eyes, making Luan gasp. "Oh, no... No, it can't be..." His face turned to ash black, with the blue veins becoming clear as this happened.
"What the fuck is this?" Lynn eyed around the transforming face, and then kept shifting back and forth between her sisters. "What's going on with him?!"
"It's... It's... Holy shit!" Luan hid behind Luna, cowering in fear. "I know what that is, it's-"
Luan was uncomfortably tied up, riding shotgun to an unknown destination, courtesy of Lincoln Loud, a sibling she had no seen in ten years. He was finishing up informing her about a dangerous chemical, dubbed Medi-Sin, and its counter serum. Luan gasped with not enough seriousness in her voice. "What if I'm exposed?! Oh, noooo."
He took his eyes off the road to look at her. "Pffft, no, you're not. There's symptoms to it. Your pupils disappear, your whole face turns ash black, and your veins are visible. Its real hideous. Apart from your breath, you're fine. Well, maybe not fine, but, you know."
"It's that. It's Medi-Sin."
"Medicine? What? Medicine for what?" Lynn shook Lincoln with her foot this time, still hoping for a reaction.
"No, not medicine! It's that serum Vial Corp created!"
Lincoln's eyes popped open, with nothing but milky whiteness visible in his eyes.
"Be careful. He mentioned it wasn't good to be exposed to it when-" Luan then retreated further back after Lincoln snatched and hurled Luna out the window.
"LINC!" Lynn raised her hands in front of her. "Take it easy, Linc!" Lynn made several paces backwards, leading him into the corner. The brother growled beastly at her, fists formed and clenched, ready to fight with Lynn.
Lynn zoomed in a circle, running out. She appeared outside the shattered window. "I'm right here, Linc!"
Luna cleared her shirt from the pieces of glass that rested on her. "Fuck! We can't do this!"
"We'll subdue him together!" Lynn readied herself, sticking by Luna. "You ready?!"
"To fight him? No, no I'm not!" Luna countered.
Lincoln jumped out the window, landing like a skateboarder dodging obstacles. He was now degraded to a mindless beast, and all this was progressing, while the fearful Luan was rushing upstairs with Lana to warn the others.
"Get ready!" Lynn yelled, as Lincoln began to charge at them.