December 7th, 2026 - Undisclosed Location
"I spend the that day looking for him. I did, and I fought him, I had to! I didn't wanna believe it. I didn't want him to be... But I thought, I really though he was-" Lynn turned to her side, then tilted her head down. "Cure... He's... Yeah, after that, between then, and hours ago, you found me. And now I'm here... Can't you idiots track him on your satellites?!"
"So, you punched him to God knows where, and you believed he was dead?"
"I do... I was sure he was... I woke up after the evacuation. He was still alive, causing havoc..."
"Okay, Lynn. Here's what we're gonna do..."
December 5th, 2026
"So, you've always known where we've been after our falling out with the Agency? Is that right?" Luna, Lupa and Linka were part of the debriefing of the facility once a Vial Corp one. They sat in the top floor office, renovated to look more like a precinct. Their unnamed advisor was there, like he had been when they were recruited for the Agency, informing the trio.
"Well, yes. After the latest New York incident, we've caught you on radar. Of course, I do know of your intentions, and I know you mean well, so I've looked past it. Unfortunately, not everyone will, so-"
"The Agency is back?" Lupa was the only one not sitting in a chair. She was leaning against the doorway, puffing on a cigarette. "I could've sworn you'd come after us."
"Oh, indeed. You all involuntarily leaving had complicated things for us. Then, you handed our target to us... And, well, all of this happened."
"So, the way this sounds, this is us being captured. You showed up as soon as you sensed trouble."
"Correct. We're aware of what's going on with Lincoln. You see, all of you, you're to be contained. This isn't prison. But you'll have to remain here. We can accommodate, yes. I only ask that for the safety of the innocent, non-powered people, that you don't leave for awhile. I'm doing you a favor here. We will do our best to find Lynn and Lincoln."
"Right, yeah. Ugh..." Luna crossed her arms, standing up and paced like an impatient, upset mother. "Only, she should have stopped trying, and should've come right back. I..." She put a hand on her forehead and rubbed. "I can't believe he actually went and killed some civilians. That's not the Lincoln I know."
"Which is why we're here, developing the proper antidote. We've been given kill orders for such hostoles, but I know Lincoln Loud. I know what lines he does and doesn't cross, so I'm gonna bend the rules here, as subtlety as I can."
"You're... Not going to hurt him?" LinkaLinka's mouth went agape.
"No, not at all. But it's top priority that we find him before anyone else does."
"Huh? Why's that?" Luna rose from the chair, alarmed.
"Because we're not the only ones looking for him at this very second."
San Francisco
Lynn spend the past day snoozing to regain all of her strength. It was midnight when she woke up screaming. The last thing she remembered was Lincoln nearly killing her, and that was terrifying for her. The darkness of the night made it hard for her to look around. Then, she also remembered she was on a rooftop. "Damn it..."
The blood on her hand was dry and felt weird on it. The sporty girl peered down upon hearing some chatters and static down below. The streets where she encountered Lincoln, were closed off as a crime scene. But it didn't just look like a normal one, however.
There were tents, several military grade vehicles, and soldiers all walking in and out of the tents.
"What the-?" Lynn was dumbfounded by this. Damn it, Lincoln!
This had now turned into more than any of them could chew. The army, sent in by the higher-ups no doubt, were here to likely kill the menace that was once her brother. If he was still alive that was.
Wherever the others were, she hoped they were all far from here. They had to be, right? Pity no one had bothered to get phones yet, otherwise she would have been far from here at the moment. Lynn kept staring down, until a red dot met her chest. She didn't even notice it after the first shot rang out.
Lynn fell from the rooftop, back landing on a parked car. "Ugh!" Her back ached with too much pain to pay attention to her surroundings. "FUCK!" She rolled off of the car, falling on the hard road.
"Hold it! Stop right there!"
Lynn looked up to see herself surrounded by several soldiers. "Ah! No, don't shoot!" She folded her arms behind her back. "I'm complying! Don't shoot!"
The next few minutes saw to it that she was given some blue injection after being tied up and seated at one of the tents. "What did you give me?!"
No one was giving her that attention anymore. Only one soldier seemed to be staring at her while speaking through a walkie-talkie. It was obvious he was notifying someone serious about her.
"Hey, you! What are you doing?!"
She went on a shouting marathon, unsuccessful at escaping with her powers. "Bastards! You've suppressed them!"
Elsewhere
Luna and the clones prepped up, waiting at the hangar they weren't familiar with, waiting for further orders. "So... Liby, Lacy, you understand how serious this is?"
The two nodded, and were given a tight hand squeezing from Lupa. "Remember," she told them, "Lincoln will attack us once we do. It's not gonna be safe."
"And especially since we can't use any of their weapons," Linka added, "Their fine print says we never teamed up with these losers again. This is it. We have once chance, and we can't get caught."
The mission was all but simple. The whole city was now under searchlights by a tactical U.S. Marine Corps placement. The excessive response after the white-haired Phenomenon, sighed in New York months ago, had caused death and destruction in his wake.
"Say your prayers now, or never," Lupa sassed. The group were then cleared for an Osprey bird at the end of the hangar. "Pity Lynn isn't here. We really need those legs on our side."
"Fuck it, dude. She made her choice," Luna coldly stated. "Don't expect her to be coming back."
"Lynn..." Lacy whsipered with a hint of pain. They boarded, sitting in the back. Linka was the only one who decided to stand, built with a stone face.
"Where's the pilot?" Liby asked. "Oh, don't tell me he's winging it! Haha, get it?"
"Knock it the fuck off," Lupa spat. "We can joke when it's not a serious time."
San Francisco
Lincoln's body went disturbed by an incoming military humvee. The driver applied the brakes just in time, with the screeching noise actually waking up the sleeping Lincoln.
"Sir? Sir, get out of the-"
Lincoln's face went revealed in the headlights, alerting the soldier. "Delta Bravo, this is-!"
Lincoln ripped the driver's door off of its hinges, and pulled the soldier away from his comms. A gun was pulled from his side, but Lincoln snapped the bone from his arm. The gun fell, and Lincoln then went to suffocate the soldier.
"Gahhhhh!" Lincoln searched the body, finding two grenades. He picked up the gun, and took off in the humvee. There was satisfaction that he met when he found an M4 sitting in the back. "Fuuuhhhnn..."
He wasn't two blocks away before another humvee showed up and was tailing him. Lincoln wasn't remotely scared or freaked out in any sense. He came to a stop after passing the third block, and grabbed the rifle from behind. "Raaaaahhh!"
"Come out with your hands up!" Another voice boomed.
Lincoln burst through the roof, firing upon the second humvee. "Dahhhh!" He forced the bottom half of his body through, and charged at it. He had wounded the second soldier by then, and dragged him out in front of the vehicle.
"Puh- please! Don't-" He was already bleeding out, having taken too many bullets to the chest. "Help me-" Lincoln had no intention of being merciful at all. The maniac ran him over, speeding off as fast as he could, away from both scenes.
Lynn was rocking the chair she was stuck in, up until she managed to fall on her side. "Why are you detaining me?! Let me the fuck go! I mean you no harm!" She closed her eyes, shivering in the coldness of the ground. "Please, I-"
She flinched at the sound of sudden gunfire from behind. "Wha-?"
"We've got a hostile, north side! North side!"
The clatter of footsteps followed after. "Hey, untie me! Come on! I can help!"
The firefight of Lincoln versus them was going fast just as it started. He spotted his fallen sister through the hordes of incoming enemies. "LYNN LOOWWWWD!"
"LINCOLN, LINCOLN, DONT HURT ANYONE!" Lynn was now pushing herself away, using her legs to scathe along the ground. "UNTIE ME!"
Above
"I'm hearing all this chatter coming from below. There's a fight going on, its gotta be him," the advisor spoke through the intercom.
"Lincoln?" Linka coughed, hiding her faint smile.
"It may very well be. I'm flying you over. Ready up!"
The hatch opened up, letting the rushing airs in. "Oh, I remember now."
"What, you all done this before? Heh, I forget you all had adventures before we met." Lupa chuckled, stand up with Liby and Lacy. "We don't need parachutes, so we'll land first, and we'll catch you." Lupa walked past the parachutes, intent on a freefall.
"What? No parachutes?" Liby gulped nervously. "I don't know if I can do that..."
"Liby, you can. You've beaten that Pingrey girl once, didn't you? This isn't hard, alright?" Lupa lifted her hands, going into a cross position. She walked backwards until she stood firmly on the edge, and then fell back.
"Holy-" Liby started, before Lacy went full sprint out of the ship, making a dive into the night skies. "Oh, I can't do this!"
Linka placed a parachute on, and then squeezed a specific part of Liby's neck, which quickly put her to nap. "I'll be taking her with me," she told Luna, before heading out with the sleeping clone.
"Bloody hell..." Luna was the last to jump, and did so without a parachute. She passed Linka, who had already opened her chute before reaching halfway. "Don't be slow!"
Luna saw a center of lights, with a couple of them flashing out. This must be the war zone! Luna's falling slowed down right before she came to pass through the buildings. Lupa and Lacy had already reached the ground, one block away from the ongoing firefight. Lupa was guiding Luna safely to them, while Lacy observed the battle.
"I see him! Lincoln's over there!"
The second Luna made her safe step back on lovely mother earth, she ran towards the fight. "So is Lynn, I can hear her screams! Wait for Linka and Liby here!"
"Lincoln, no!" Lynn lay witness to Lincoln going through all the soldiers, who was ignoring the bullets he was taking to his body. They hit but not entered his body at all. If anything, nothing was able to slow him down. Nothing humane, actually.
"GODDAMN YOU! LINCOLN, STOP THIS!"
Lynn was too busy watching Lincoln take down the last of the soldiers that she didn't notice Luna running out from the darkness behind her.
"Lynn, hey! We're here, we can stop him!" Luna lifted Lynn back up, slashing the tight rope with her claws. "Let's go!"
"Agh! They surpressed my speed! I can't help!" Lynn pointed to Lincoln. "I've tried to actually kill him, but he's still alive!"
"What?! No, don't! A cure is being developed!" Luna looked back, waving to the clones to get in the fight immediately. "The clones are with me. Everyone else is back with the newly rebuilt Agency."
"What, those guys are back?" Lynn questioned, as Lincoln had just finished up. "I'm staying out of this one..."
"The Agency figured you might've been captured, so here's this," Luna pulled out a red glass vial, and handed it to Lynn. "They counted on suppressing vials around here, so they gave me this. It cancels out the suppressors."
Lynn pulled the corkscrew off, and chugged down the red formula. "Ugh, it tastes like shit!"
Lincoln moved his attention toward them. His clothes were shredded up by the barrage of bullets he had received. "Lyyyyyyhhhnnn... Loooooonuhhh!"
"He looks like a zombie, dude!"
Luna and Lynn, now backed by Lupa and Linka, began hustling towards the beastly Lincoln. Lacy had to stay with the unconscious Liby, putting her on her back and blowing air into her face.
"Lincoln, it's us! We don't have to fight!" Lynn called out.
"I think we do. He just moped the floor with these men!"
Lupa then had an idea. "Wait, both of you!" She froze Lynn and Lupa both in their tracks, and pulled them back to her and Linka. "Remember earlier, how Linka calmed him?"
Indeed, they had all but remembered that at this point. Luna slapped a hand on her forehead, feeling stupid. "How could I forget about that?!"
Lupa turned to Linka, shifting her eyes to her and then to Lincoln. "Calm that Hulk down, will you?"
"Right!" Linka went ahead to try that while Lupa moved the two sisters into the tent. "We'll stay here, and she'll put him to a nice happy nappy, and then it's mission accomplished."
Linka ran up to him, and made a joyful leap onto him. "Hey, where's the fire?" Poor choice of words. "Father, I know you're in there..."
He huffed and snorted like an animal, looking at her curiously.
"We're making an antidote. Lily is worried about you. Lily, your youngest sister, you know?"
He growled, making her get off of him.
"F- Dad, it's Bun-Bun. That's what you used to call me... You don't anymore... I don't, I mean, I didn't know if I liked it. But... I kinda miss it. I miss..." Linka then grabbed his hand, lockingit gently with hers. "I miss you... Please come back to me..."
The expression on his face had gone to a soft, guilt-ridden one. She had assumed she had done it, and pulled him out of his monstrous form. How could she have been so wrong?
"Nooohhhht meeee..." He kicked her so hard that she went soaring backwards, striking against a car. She was bleeding from her head, which slumped over before she lifelessly fell onto the ground.
"LINKA!" Luna and Lynn sprang into action, while Lupa dragged Linka into the tent.
"You had your shot, Linc!" Luna screamed, jumping onto him. She buried her claws onto him multiple times, slicing away at his flesh. His blood got onto her face, but she didn't flinch at all. "You just hurt Linka! Monster!"
Lynn kept Lincoln's hands from grabbing the lizard on his chest. "Lincoln, I can't believe you!"
Lincoln growled, leaning up and bit Luna's neck. "OW, FUCK!" She shrieked. Lincoln let go, and headbutted her quickly after.
Lynn let go of Lincoln's hands, pulling Luna away to safety. "Are you okay?"
"By nothe! By thucking notheee!"
"It's over. He's down, wounded!" Lynn screamed. Lacy, carrying Liby, headed safely towards Lupa, who was attending to Linka's aid.
"She's knocked out!" Lupa informed.
"Jesus, Luna, you oughtta be-" Lynn actually slipped, stumbling back at the sound of gunshots. "LINC!"
Lincoln had pulled out the handgun he took, firing away at Lupa, Lacy and Liby. "Duhhhhhieeeee!"
Lynn moved back up, running across him to snatch up the gun. "NO, LINC!" She tossed the gun as far as her arm allowed, and she kicked at his bleeding chest, keeping him pinned down.
Lupa looked to her body, trying to spot the entry holes. "F-f...-" Her eyes then went to Liby and Lacy. Both of them were on the floor, motionless. "Oh, no... No!"
Her scream finally woke up the late Liby. "Ugh, don't do that again on me!" She rubbed her head, then turned to the side to see the dead Lacy, mouth agape, eyes wide, and the fresh hole the bullet that killed her right on her forehead. "L-Lace? Lacy?"
Lupa and Lynn met each other's eyes, both pairs showing pain at losing yet another Loud. This time, it was a clone to meet her end.
"Lacy!" Liby picked up the body, cradling it like a baby. "Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" Her cries further added to Lupa's igniting rage.
"Dude, whatever you're thinking-" Luna was pushed away by Lupa as she neared Lynn and Lincoln.
"He just murdered my sister!"
"I... I know, I'm sorry. But this isn't him, and you know it! He doesn't have to die!"
"Stay the fuck out of my way!" Lupa sent Lynn upwards.
"LUPA, NO! DON'T-" Lynn coughed. She had screamed more than enough already, feeling like she was going to throw her voice.
Lincoln shut his eyes, while still bleeding. "Guhh..." His voice lowered while the chaos in between tensed up.
"Lupa, don't!" The scathed Luna, holding a hand to her neck, moved carefully to her. "We've captured him! We got him, and we can fix this!"
"For God's sake, he's not himself," Lynn added, still dangling in the air. "Lupa, put me down."
And Lupa waa looking back at the crying Liby, and then at Lacy's murderer. She could've done it. She could've killed him. She wanted it. A craving of brutal vengeance. "Ugh!" But this, no, this wasn't the Lincoln she knew. "FUCK!"
Lynn returned safely to the ground, giving out a relieved sigh, as did Luna. Lupa, on the other hand, began to break all the windows, by spinning around and pointing all over the damn place.
Lincoln seemed to have given out, and was marked safe to approach by Lynn. She and Luna inspected him. "It looks like he tired himself out," Luna commented. "I'll let them know he's ready for pick-up."
"Whoa, wait. What now? I'm..." Lynn laughed. "I'm not going back with you guys."
"What? What do you mean? They're gonna want to talk with you..."
Lynn crossed her arms, challenged. "Don't you think we're done with all of that? We've stayed in the dark for this long, and now-"
"Oh, come on, it's just a few questions! I'm sure we'd all be free to go, by the sound of things! This isn't a forced thing!"
"There you go, I don't have to go! You take him, and you fix him! But bring him back to me-"
"You don't own him, Lynn..."
"And neither do you, but we've been living perfectly! This'll just... It's gonna circle back!"
As they argued, Linka sat up, rising from unconsciousness. "Whoa, wait? Where is he?!" She noticed the crying Liby right outside. "Hey, what's-" It didn't take her long to figure out that someone had died. "Damn it!"
"No, it's not! This is all over now! We're not going back into a team! It's not even what they plan to do this time. We- Lynn, we really are free!"
"No..." She stepped back, looking at Lincoln still. "As long as we're alive, we'll never be free."
"What... What do you mean by that? Lynn..."
"I'm... The antidote, where is it?"
"I told you, it's not ready..."
Lynn shook her head. "Okay, then..." She bend down, putting both hands on Lincoln. "Tell me when its ready..."
"What? Wait, Lynn, what are you-" Luna was cut off by the following gust of air. Linka and Lupa silently watch Lynn take Lincoln away. "LYNN!"
"Where the fuck is she going with him?! I should've killed Lincoln!"
Both Luna and Linka turned to Lupa, saying in unison, "Would you shut the fuck up?"
She crossed her arms, mumbling angrily. "Pair of fuckheads."
"Well, what now?" Linka asked.
"This... This is kind of a bust. We just need that damn cure, fuck."
"Looks like we have to retreat, right?" They all looked around, noticing the carnage for what it was.
Lynn rested him on a catwalk in a warehouse at a pier. "Rest here, Lincoln... I'm gonna have to tie you up and keep you here..." She kissed his forehead, and then stroked his head gently. "We're gonna get that cure, and you'll finally be back to normal. But... What's normal mean to us now?"
Lynn then raced away, making sure there were no nearby offenders headinf around the pier. Just a little longer until it's ready. Then we can finally go back to my house...