Sins in Twisters

by Blonkess

When Lincoln is destined to never have success like his family, after surviving the Royal Woods' Tornado, his future takes him on the path of becoming a famous storm chaser. But as a decade passes since that day, his family tries to hold together after freak disasters put a halt to the sisters' lives when Lisa discovers a past family secret that tells Lincoln's time is running out.

9. Let the Show Begin

Sins in Twisters

Chapter 9: Let the Show Begin

---

High School and Fridays; put the two together, and you get a picture that often involves the three o'clock bell ringing out and a literal wave of teens and young adults flooding out the front door, desperate to escape the facility and get to their desired places of interest for the next two and a half days.

Unfortunately for them, such freedom had yet to come. The clock was just minutes away from signaling lunchtime, the period telling everyone that half of the day stuck here was almost gone, and soon, another half would join it. The mood in the air even agreed with the heavy rain that had been going on for an hour, making the world outside darker, and the overhead lights inside almost feel like you were standing under spotlights. Most of those sitting in a classroom up on the second floor would collectively agree it was a crappy start to the weekend. Even the teacher seemed to have agreed, opting to put on 'educational material' on the smartboard to let it eat up whatever time there was still the next class cycled in.

In the second of five rows and third seat back, Lola sat at her desk with her books in front of her, ready to snatch and run when that bell rang. She didn't pay much attention to the video, or the clock, or anything, really. Resting her head on her hand as she glanced around for the umpteenth in the last half hour. The teacher looked ready to fall asleep at the computer from typing whatever he was working on; some of the students were already asleep or just a second away from joining. A few were like her, just waiting for the end, and an even small minority was actually paying attention to the video.

Taking a breath and sighing through her nose, trying to keep frustration and boredom from consuming her mind in a two-front war, she thought back to a question she once asked, 'Why can't we just do that online stuff like years ago?' Sure, she had a social status to maintain (mostly rebuild this year) and had to reclaim her spot on the cheerleader squad and start planning for her future return to the stage, all of that requiring her to be physically present to build up power with her allies and strike when the time was right, she didn't feel it in her anymore.

Call it a lack of motivation, determination, or inner fear of unwanted results; Lola had made much progress in either department since the school year started. Her friends had always been there trying to help her out of this trench her mind was stuck in, but even that was its own uphill battle. She didn't announce to the world that Lola Loud had returned to reclaim her former glory and prove the flames of hell itself couldn't stop her.

Yet since her wounds healed, leaving no scar in sight, her hair had spent the whole summer growing, brushing, and back to a sat that was somehow better than she originally had it. Last time it was as blonde as you could get, and now one asked if she was somehow blessed with hair like gold. Luan joked that while Lincoln was practically platinum white, Lola still came out with the gold in the contest of life. And part of her old self agreed. She survived losing 'herself' to the flame and had come out looking brand new.

But her pride that used to drive had decided it wasn't ready to return to that job. Not anytime soon. And now she looked just as enthusiastic as she felt. If it wasn't for the difference in hair, one might confuse her for Lana. A pair of white sneakers, blue jeans, and a red hoodie with her hair collected in the hat. It was known that she would wear 'commoner' clothing at times to hide something, but three straight months had told everyone this was her new look was to stay.

It was exactly all that bad when she really got down to it.

The time and effort she needed to put in every day to maintain her looks had massively decreased, and she found herself having a lot more 'free time' in the mornings and not having to worry over the course of the day. Sure, she still brushed her hair endlessly, but the makeup had been dialed back like her wardrobe to where it was the essentials, and she could look in the mirror after some touch-ups and smile confidently.

Natural beauty is what her parents had called it. Despite what the fire had done, it was possibly the one thing that had broken her out of a shell she didn't know she was in for so long. Even Lana agreed that this new look was like her acting like a modern princess that anyone could possibly have a fun time even speaking with. And in some ways, that did help make her feel somewhat more comfortable despite being out of her usual zone. Some of her higher-class friends didn't agree with the change, but if they knew what she was thinking, they would agree that sometimes it was a little nice to spice up life with something a bit less glamorous.

What wasn't glamorous was the fact the bell hadn't rung just yet. Knowing that it was pointless but yet to sate her curiosity, she glanced back up at the clock.

Two minutes to go.

With a groan, she snapped her attention back to the movie. Just in time to see a yellow countdown at the bottom slowly going down from five as another ad suddenly cut away from the movie's time. She and a few were a bit annoyed the teacher didn't click the obvious Skip Ad button; even in this day and age, they can operate what is basically a giant touchscreen but don't know how to play a video.

She stretched her legs out, turning just enough to move out of her set to be ready to book it. A hand grasped around books, slowly sliding closer to her as the video cut to the ad; the timer showing one minute. One last glance told her the moment the ad ended, the bell itself would ring. A small price to pay for salvation; watch someone trying to sell them something useless or stupid and, by the end, escape this prison braced herself for a minute of brain rot, but the appearances of familiar logos suddenly got her attention. A siren slowly winded up to speed as the sound of wind began to increase with… a heartbeat?

The logos and text faded away to reveal the sprawling landscapes of the Midwest. Moving rapidly past with the camera on a plane filming a massive line of cars on a highway. All shone brightly in the sun until a shadow cut through the light, and the camera moved up and away as rain consumed it.

"The National Weather Service in Witchita has issued a tornado warning for Kingman, County in central Kansas at…." The voice faded away before it could finish whatever it was saying.

A second heartbeat; the view of the strange semi truck Lincoln had bought stood on its legs up in the air with all its light flashing. Two more trucks, just like it were next it in blue and white, with dozens of cars and people around them, all looking off in the distance.

"Man, it's like this whole storm is alive..." Someone on a radar shouted in amazement as the camera turned to a giant dark mass that towered higher than any building or mountain on earth—twisting itself like someone was straining out a wet rag beyond its limit.

Another heartbeat, two more in quick succession like it was picking up. It cut to a line of cars racing towards the storm, driving under a massive cloud so close to the ground it looked like a miniature hurricane floating above the earth. But all around them, spouts of dust exploded from the ground as what she could only imagine as claws descended from the sky.

"We have multiple funnels touching down north of the town!"

Another set of beats, faster, as the sounds of panic over the radio and cars scrambling to turn around on a dirt road barely big enough for two to pass each other lead towards a black mass consuming the horizon.

"Everyone evacuate east!" Another radio voice shouted. The view of inside a car with camera equipment along the dashboard, watching rain curtains flying over the road, blocking out the light as it faded again.

The heartbeat was going at full speed. The kind of heavy thumping you would feel trying to burst out of your chest from running as fast as you can.

"Wind speeds are accelerating!" Yet another person shouted, showing yet another road full of cars with police blocking part of an intersection. For a moment, traffic stops, seconds before the gray mass of a tank comes flying through with its lights flashing and a dust cloud following closely behind. The camera followed it down the road, showing orange and blue lights flickering against a black sky.

"Lincoln!" She heard Clyde yell out but sounded like he was right there or far away. And slowly, with a ringing noise, the heartbeat thumping as fast as possible, and shallow breaths, the image faded in to reveal her brother in his turret with the camera in front of him at the ready.

But his face told the story. She knew he was acting when she saw it; he was trying to remain calm. Even without looking at the camera recording him, she could see so much fear in his eyes. More than she had ever seen him have in her life as he stared out over his camera.

"You need to abort the intercept! Abort!" Clyde's voice echoed again, and the heartbeat stopped. Lincoln took in a deep breath, and the video went black.

Faster than she could keep track of what was even happening, a house exploded onto shrapnel, the truck's tires screeching as they suddenly locked up from going backward, another big tornado forming in front of them, and but a brief moment of something huge flying in the air at the driver's side. And the moment just a fraction of a second it hit, the screen went black, and everything stopped.

Silence came out of the speakers as the title and time slowly faded in from black, but a single faint heartbeat could be heard fading with the screen. The video shifted back to the nature movie from the second it left off, but that immediately paused.

Lola felt herself snap back to reality when everyone around her was already standing up or moving out the door. She looked back at the clock to see it was already past the time the bell would have rung, yet she heard nothing. Had she been so focused on the screen she missed it? Probably, the ad had done its job in getting her attention and keeping it, but what it had offered was something she really didn't need right now.

Once almost everyone had left, she grabbed her books and bolted out the door. She needed to find Lana immediately.

---

Meanwhile, in a different part of the building, her twin had been waiting for the bell to go head down to grab a bite. Yet in the meantime, unlike her sister staring off into space, Lana kept herself busy by burning as much time as she could. Feeling it was better to keep her mind off the clock by doing something productive.

And thus, she was in the wood shop. Her form of a not-so-secret lair where she made magic happen so often that people considered her a wizard at construction. Give her the plans or a rough enough idea she could build it. If it weren't for her, the family house wouldn't have stood for the last 14 years. And even in school, the board had recognized her talent and smarts. Having a handywoman like her be able to fix anything that came up breaking with whatever she could find in the wood or auto shop or even the junkyard saved them thousands every year.

Don't get the wrong idea; she still tended to her classes as everyone else did in the shop. Most of her afternoon was in tending to her usual literature, math, and such. She didn't need any extra credit classes when most of that was all in four straight periods here.

With this year marking her entry into sophomore, it did feel a bit weird that it was only her and Lola left in this school now. With Lucy graduating, they really didn't have that feeling of 'older sibling shield' as the older sisters had. Lincoln was out of high school right now when Lucy was in her spot. It assured them that there was more family under the same roof in case anything happened.

Speaking of roofs, she was currently standing on top of scaffolding with her hard hat just inches away from touching the underside of a piece of sheet metal that separated the gymnasium from the cold downpour outside. A headlamp strapped around the top side, casting the section before her in light as she carefully eyed each panel, each bolt, and cross beam for any sign of something that shouldn't be.

Tapping the butt end of her screwdriver against any parts that could possibly be hiding- "Found one!" She called out as she flipped her tool around and jammed the flathead into a part of the metal.

Moving aside just in time, a cascade of dirty rainwater poured from the punctured. Splashing just a mist onto her pants and shoes as she watched the stream fall down to the gym floor below. Though with hindsight in mind to stop it from ruining the expensive floor, the water splashed into a large tarp spread across the room to keep it contained. There were at least a dozen buckets in various states of fill.

"Geez, Lana!" A voice called down from below the scaffolding, making Lana peer over the edge to see a girl dressed in a get-up similar to hers. However, she looked more like an old-style engineer with a red shirt, brown overalls, an orange hard hat like her, and oddly enough, only a single work glove over her right hand.

"I don't wanna test the new swimming pool you're trying to give the school!"

"Sorry, Irene!" Lana shouted down the nearly 30-foot drop. "Just trying to find the right spots." And she wasn't kidding. All over the room like an adult version of a jungle gym scaffolding was stacked up to the ceiling in various spots where she had found a leak.

"Anyways, it's a few minutes to the bell. We should head back to the shop. Next class is probably going to come in and try to get all this water out before there are any more holes." she said, taking her hat off, flicking a good sum of water off, and plopping it back on as she walked out of view.

Lana sighed, both in satisfaction that the lunch hour was at hand and disappointed that her time here was ending. Dropping her tool into the loom of her belt, she carefully approached the end of the walkway to an awaiting ladder. Throwing one leg over the side to begin her descent, conventional wisdom said to climb down like a normal person.

But who has time for that?

Making sure she had a tight enough grip, placing the inside of her boots to the sides, she slowly loosened her hold and slid down. Listening to the high pitch squealing as she looked over to make sure she was getting close enough to the floor that she pushed herself off. Landing the remaining gap with a splash leaving her ankle in water. Feeling her shoes get a bit wet inside she headed over to the gym doors that leaf around outside. Irene was already standing there with a door open, looking out into the wet landscape. Hearing the sound of sloshing water and then more squeaking against the hard floor, Irene saw her classmate approaching and stepped outside. Holding the door as Lana walked out, joining her under the cold rain.

One would ask, "Why not just walk through the school?" When the answer they would give is, it was faster and easier going around the outside to get supplies to and from the shop than all the turns and doorways that they'd have to go through.

Plus, the rain never really bothered her. During some of the hotter days of this summer, she felt it refreshing to sit on the porch and feel the cool air around her. Maybe go a little further and sit on the bottom step so she could feel herself getting drenched like now.

Sure this time of year, it was a bit cold for her taste. Stand in it for a couple of minutes till your back and shoulders are soaked, and you'd scream up at the clouds, telling them to go away.

Years ago, she'd loved to be running around in the rain as it came down. It was during those times the ground was practically all mud. She could go mud skiing around the house by hanging onto Charles' leash as he ran around, and she became dirtier than a coal miner. Cannonballing into puddles and watching it fly all around her, stream back to the hole and prepare itself for another go. And whenever she wasn't allowed back inside till she washed off, all she'd have to do is wait by the street for a passing car to splash her and she could be right through the doggie door and at the dinner table.

But even before life decided to take a dump on theirs, she could still fondly remember the times her brother seemed to get outdoors more and more. The times before he got his driver's license, and would stand outside waiting for storms to roll over them. Waiting till the very last second with his camera till the rain came down. Sometimes just standing there regardless of how soaked he was getting and recording it. Photos of those days she remembered so fondly whenever he did stop and enjoyed an afternoon with her running around. Even when claps of thunder right over them made her consider going back inside he stayed out there staring up at the sky like he was ready to take off like Superman.

She didn't think much about it back then. That in those moments, they would become the last real memories she had between just the two of them. Being young, laughing, and enjoying what the world had.

Just memories now…

But she didn't give up on making more.

She didn't know why Lincoln never came back to visit. Either for birthdays, holidays, or just randomly appearing at the front door like in old comedy shows. But with how determined Lisa seemed at finding him, believing tomorrow night would give them the answers they needed to find him. She believed in her. They were so close she could almost smell it.

And the smell of wet sawdust. And freshly cut lumber. They were close, alright. Coming around the corner, she could see garage doors open into the workshop to let the mass amounts of tools cool down with plenty of airflows and keep the dust from settling everywhere. The shop section of the school itself was a bit of a new addition before she came along. Three giant bay doors could all be opened up to the shop floor, where practically every tool you needed to build a whole house was present. Even one of those portable sawmills sat in one of the doors with a group of students loading in raw timber planks with one of the teachers at the controls. Elsewhere more students were busy working on projects, putting the final touches to some, sweeping up piles of sawdust to the overhead vacuum outlets, or packing up in anticipation of the bell.

In all honesty, it was truly music to Lana's ears.

The power tool motors whirling, the clanking of hammers, the sound that mill's belt saw slicing its way down a long piece of wood, and the sound of it hitting the floor when the last inch was cut.

'I could sleep for days just listening to this.' She thought with a smile as she saw four classmates standing at the side, waiting for her and Irene to step out of the rain. Armed with a set of leaf blowers at the ready, Irene broke away and headed to the other bay, standing just before the doorway. Facing the duo before her as she lifted up her arms and widened her stance. The two students then pulled their cords, starting up the motors as they looked over to her for the others to do the same.

"Alright," She stepped over to be in the middle of the doorway and held her arms out, "Hit me."

With a nod, her two classmates pulled the cords and aimed the blowers at her. Waiting momentarily for the motors to get up to speed, they unleashed a combined stream of air that sent water, sawdust, and any light loose object close by to fly out the door.

Making sure to keep her mouth closed to avoid anything from getting caught within, she couldn't see much as the air blasted the water on her goggles all over the place. One was going to blast it off the edge, only for the second blower to push it back the other way. Feeling that this side was dry enough, she slowly turned in place, feeling her side getting blasted as she turned to have her back next.

Facing the doorway, looking at how the outside world seemed so… gray.

With the rain like one of those weird filters on your phone to change photos, as far as she could see, was a fading landscape that eventually merged with itself. The rain has that filter to make it blur together. If she focused enough through the streaks on her goggles, she could clearly make out cars, trees, and whatnot, but everything else was mixed in with the gray.

And before she could notice, her blonde hair was whipping around in front of her. Some got stuck on her face, most blowing ahead of her like the main times she felt something blow up (often from Lisa's experiments), and she'd feel that rush of wind suddenly blow her hat off. Though, unlike the quick blast of air, this didn't end after a few seconds. It just kept going and going and going…

She didn't know exactly what happened. The moment the wind stopped, she felt herself snap out of her daze as she looked over to see her classmates switch off the leaf blowers. She still felt damp, some parts a bit soggy from the lack of consistent air, but overall a bit drier than she was walking in. She could have gone at it for a bit longer but noticed everyone was packing up or heading out the door.

"Guess it's time for some grub." She said, peeling her goggles off. Heading over to the shelves as she hung them with dozens of others. Pulling off a glove and using her bare hand to snatch her red hat off the top shelf. Pulling her hair back behind her and securing it down over her head, she did start to wonder…

Was it chicken or meatloaf for lunch today?

---

With her speed, Lola was the first to enter the lunchroom before even the main crowd had yet to pile into the hallways. Having ditched her books into her locker and snacked her lunch from the top shelf within the span of 32 seconds, she would have made Lynn proud at her hassle in they were opening the containers to serve food when she got in and found her seat. Not caring to tend to her meal, her fingers drummed across the table, and her shoe tapped on the floor like she was sending a morse code for her twin to hurry up.

"Sup, sis?" Lola nearly jumped from her seat when her sister appeared out of the corner of her vision—carrying a tray full of cafeteria food that, even after years, made prison food look better. It was an upgrade from the old stuff, and Lana found it was okay enough to eat, unlike when she dug in the garbage for whatever people didn't eat.

"Man, you seem jumpier today." Lana said as she went around the other side of the table opposite of her, "What happened?"

Trying to calm her nerves and not cause a scene by yelling at Lana for scaring her like that, Lola raised her hands, rubbing her temple. Trying to coax a headache from forming, she took a deep breath to speak. "Lana, have you ever wondered if our family is a bit… crazy?"

Lana didn't immediately answer when taking a big bite from her sandwich, "Of course." She said as crumbs came flying from her mouth. Taking just a few quick chews and pounding her chest twice to make sure it all went down and didn't stop. "I mean, look around all the crazy stuff we do for each other. Like remember the time-"

"I know all that!" Lola cut her off. Knowing full well that Loud and Crazy went together like peanut butter and jelly. "I'm talking about…"

Lana went to take another bite when she looked up from her meal to Lola. It wasn't that she wasn't listening; it was just a time to savor to eat when she was talking so that you don't have to worry later about cold food. She was ready to hear what her twin was ready to say. But she could see the flame in her eyes go from almost full fury to barely a candle. Like all the strength she had at the ready had just abandoned her at the moment she needed it.

"...about?" Lana asked, putting down her food.

"Lincoln and his hobby… job, passion, whatever you call it. Do you think he's… lost it?"

"I mean… maybe a little?" She shrugged.

"Lana, he built a tank." Lola stressed.

"And building a tank is a very American thing to do when you have a problem. Even though he ripped up that nice truck, Links has always been creative with his ideas. What's to say he didn't develop a tank that could survive fire as it can wind?"

Oh, those were some things that her brother got that, no matter how it was shown, Lola didn't like it.

It was nerve-racking whenever you saw him racing towards a tornado flattening a forest with trees in the air or standing in the middle of a deserted town during a hurricane with damage flying past him. But the events that involved more heated disasters made her blood cuddle—just seeing him standing there with his back to a camera facing a literal wall of fire consuming the landscape or sticking out of a helicopter next to an exploding volcano. If it were Lana or anyone else, she would call them outright insane to the very definition of the word for being in or next to such things. Hell, if this was some fantasy, she could imagine some idiot kicking a rock into a bubbling puddle at Yellowstone, and suddenly, that removes its cap and introduces itself to the world. And unlike the millions of people running away, Lincoln was one of the few that would be running towards it, ready to film it.

"Plus, we're not so far off from him. Remember when I was six and was wrestling alligators? Or when Lynn got into that routine of extreme sports when she was 15? And with all the times Lisa blew up the house? We've all gotten hurt before; it's what makes it have that risk. And deep down, I know Lincoln knows that too."

Lola sighed, shaking her head, "It just doesn't feel right… Everything that we know, it's like nothing could go wrong for him, and suddenly that giant storm happens, and its like it's all… different."

Lana paused mid-bite when a thought came to the forefront of her mind, "Yeah, Ronnie did act a bit strange after she came home. But who could blame her? After something like that, she probably wouldn't want to be anywhere near it."

"But we both know Lincoln enough and seen enough to know he wouldn't do something stupid like getting in trouble like that."

"It's just how the world is. Sometimes bad things can happen."

"How can you be so calm about this?!" Lola yelled, throwing any dignity she had to the wind.

Lana put her food back on its tray. Closing her eyes as she fought back the urge to get into a shouting match with her twin. It had been a long time since they truly duked it out, like in their younger years. Life lessons had told them that it was common for siblings like them to bicker, but it was far from the best way to settle things out. Lisa's little presentation on how it could lead to high levels of stress and health deterioration had been enough of a shot in the arm to make the two find it easier to work things out. But it didn't stop the occasional fight that had been brewing for some time from suddenly breaking out and resulting in a messy aftermath.

Lana chewed for a second more, then spoke, "Because I believe Lincoln's stronger than we give him. We've put him through crap knows how much trouble when he was home, and even when he was coming back and forth years ago, he knew it could get ugly. A decade ago, a storm killed guys that were considered the best out of them all because they were in the same position Link was in this year. I don't know how it turned out, but Link still came out alive. And I'm happy that he's at least still here."

'Though I wish he were here with us…'

Feeling Lana's words circulate around her mind for a minute, Lola sighed as she pushed her lunch bag away. Feeling her appetite vanish, she rested her head down on her hands. Combing through her golden hair, trying to calm the storm inside. "It just… It just doesn't feel right… Something is just… wrong."

"Like what?"

Lola slowly looked up to Lana with growing confusion in her eyes, "I don't know… I just… don't know…" She said with a hollow voice. She was lost for answers to what the feeling inside her was trying to say.

---

Friday Night was the time when clubs and theaters were packed and in full swing. Restaurants had rolled out special entertainment or deals. Or people heading to a friend's place to party or had just the afternoon driving to their destination to have all of tomorrow at their disposal.

Though the two local entertainers, they had spent the day mostly coupled up in their shared room and had very little reason to stop now. While the rain outside had long faded away with a cloudy sky making sure to tell people that this night was finished pouring down, the two of them had been 'busy' trying to come up with material for their respective careers. In the darkness that was barely broken by the lights coming from the edge of their door, a lamp on low, and a computer, the sisters were deep in thought of ways to get inspiration.

For Luan, laying flat on her bunk with the blankets all pushed to the far end, computer resting just above her stomach, the past week, this past month, had been a bit taxing in her efforts to come up with new inspiration for material. Usually, on a night like this, she'd be down at the comedy club at the very beginning of her sketch. She wasn't there every Friday; sometimes, it varied from two to three weeks. A way that she had plenty of time to come up with fresh material that was ready to go or needed more time to cook.

But like the others, she too was too distracted by what this weekend held in store. Twenty-four hours from now, she'll get to see what chaos Lincoln had gotten himself in the past three years. Being a comedian at heart, part of her job was to help people turn their minds away from sadness and to a place where they could shine and laugh. If for a moment to steer their minds away from the mess, then that was a moment that she could help them grow into something. When she walked off stage at an event or helped brighten someone's day at the grocery store, it made a light glow inside her, filling her with the kind of drive that had fueled her since the day she could laugh.

It was a bit ironic in a way; during the time she had no voice and had time to think of and write down ideas and even test some of the more physical elements that she could use down the line, it had been such a big success that in less than three months she had used every little bit of it and was now back to square one in building new content.

For Luna, it was more than what the past year had told her that she was in the same boat. While she was able to make some bank here and there at some music venues across the city, playing a few of her songs and some requests, like Luan, she was at the point where she couldn't keep reusing old material and that she needed to start building something new.

An odd problem, usually she had so many ideas for music that could be combined here and there or was a winner by itself. She would spend a whole afternoon on her guitar shredding different riffs, adding some keys and beats not to make it sound like string hell. While most of it was still a work in progress for years, some had become her biggest hits to date. When she suddenly woke up one day and had eureka, she would make a beeline to Sam's to tell or show what she had come up with.

She did wonder how Sam was doing.

She had remembered messaging her a few times over the summer and even calling when her hearing returned. Luna still could remember hearing her fellow rocker's excitement when they talked about getting the band back together. She had begun thinking of all of the ways they could make a helluva comeback and how they could get back on track.

Then a month in, they announced they were going their separate ways. It was the kind of gut punch that Luna had wished she had suddenly lost both her hearing and vision that day, so she didn't go to sleep that night cursing and crying that a dream had practically died out.

Their reasoning? Creative drive and a lack of direction.

The Moon Goats were dead, but the music wasn't.

She remembered seeing online what had become of everyone; Sully had gone to New York to flesh out his culinary skills and, with the money the band got from their music sales, was on track to start his own business. Mazzy had gone to Vegas, being picked up by another musical group that saw her talents with a saxophone really impress a couple of judges during a competition (and on a subway train). Chunk was a mystery to everyone. Even if he weren't really one for the online world, he would still update about big events. The last thing he posted was four weeks ago, with him dressed a lot more like a vacationer standing in front of a 'Welcome to Florida' sign, but even from talking with the others, they hadn't heard much from him.

And then there was Sam. When she said she had moved to Memphis, it turned out to be only for the summer at most when she was looking for more permanent residence. She had considered moving back up here to Michigan but felt her heart lead her a bit more south, and with a pretty penny, she managed to snag a nice little house near Music Valley in Nashville. Not precisely the extravagant party pad they had imagined a rocker like her living in, but Luna could tell that the power of rock was beginning to ease away from Sam whenever she released her own singles that were a different taste.

What she managed to accomplish after the breakup inspired Luna to do the same. Music still flowed in her veins, and she wasn't getting any younger; she had a lot of ground to recover and a whole world still waiting.

The only problem was where many people ask themselves when faced with rebuilding; where to start?

She was running more sole now than ever. At the very least, when she got into rock, she met Sam a short time later. But the years, losses, and wins have led her to this point where she has to make something on her own. Coming up with something familiar that didn't feel like a repeat from before, but not a copy of what's out there now, was making her mind more than trying to understand Lisa during one of her long science rants when she still had that lip issue.

Her source of inspiration wasn't any better than what Luan was searching through. There were plenty of songs about it raining, running in the rain, standing in the rain, loving in the rain, and dying in the rain. But they were usually all drama and romance stuff that lacked thunder like some she found. From how Lincoln and so many described it, mother nature is the true Queen of the world. Humanity's just a part of her sky, land, and sea. If she commands a hurricane to strike or a volcano to blow, it becomes something the whole world feels. She wanted to capture that kind of power into instruments and vocals that would blow the crowd away.

Luna laughed every time that thought came up when she sat somewhere with her notebook, trying to jot down ideas or small pieces of lyrics she could think of and not let vanish. She remembered watching a video of Lincoln being interviewed last year after a giant tornado in Minnesota got national attention, with him filming inside of it and the reporter asking outright if he considered himself insane.

He would brush it off, saying, "It's become human nature for people to go up to something considered an act of God on Earth and stand beside it posing for a picture. It can make you feel that much more alive." The way he described it was a lot like how they described her first time with McSwagger. You had to be there in the front row getting your face and ears blasted by light and sound to really get an understanding of what it can do.

And staring at her notebook, with but a single page even half filled with ideas and a new one staring right back at her, Luna debated internally if this was something she was either too inexperienced to try to gain from or she was pushing too hard to force herself to be creative.

With a sigh, she leaned back in her old bean bag chair that had long since become too small for her adult form; she stared up at the dark ceiling. Mentally told herself, if she stared at the abyss long enough, something would stare back and give her that motivation.

"Hey Luna," The Loud turned briefly away from the abyss towards her sister to acknowledge but did not look away or speak, "Come check this out."

Feeling that her train of thought wasn't getting over that hill anytime soon, Luna put her notebook to the side and hoisted herself off the chair. Stretching one leg out and spinning around to plop down beside her. "Whatcha find, Brah?"

Luan answered by shifting the computer so they both could see it better. Old unreliable Google greeted them, and it seemed Luan had Lincoln again on her mind. 'Lincoln Loud Storm Chaser' with the images page brought up, showing off the thousands of photos, cars, storms, and people they had all seen after raiding his social media.

But before them was a strange logo they hadn't really seen before. It was a cartoon-style house in bright orange with the text 'The Loud House Foundation' in white on top of it in a style Luan felt was similar to the old funnies you'd see in newspapers. Below it, outlined in red wedge supporting the house 'Disaster Recovery and Relief' in the less stylized text said in purple. Below that, several symbols of wind, fire, tornado, volcano, hurricane, flood, and snowflake all looked like it was burned, shredded, waterlogged, and frozen.

"They named a charity after us?" Luna questioned as Luan clicked on the link below. The page opened a new tab that revealed a tri-wheel background with the wind, fire, and water icons taking up the three dominant spots and the others mixed in between. Across the top held a surprise for both of them.

It was Lincoln and... Lincoln.

One of his usual self, like he was on the road. He was leaning up against the front end of his truck with his leg raised to rest against the tire. And on the other side was him again. But not like he was posing; it was like someone had made a cartoon version of his younger self with a big round head, lean torso, noodle arms and legs, and oversized shoes doing the same pose as his real-life counterpart.

"Holy moly…." Luan whispered, "Lincoln got himself tooned." She said with a smile in Luna's direction.

Rolling her eyes, the rocker scrolled the page down further. A large 'Help Donate Now' was just below it, and beyond that was a slideshow of images showing dozens to hundreds of people dressed in orange work shirts looking like construction workers, cooks, teachers, and more, all in various places where debris from disasters was still all around them. Below it had another version of the cartoon Lincoln dressed up like a construction worker sitting at the controls of a real forklift carrying a mix of animated and real pallets of building materials and boxes with symbols of food and clothes on them.

Below it, in a comic style speak bubble like the toon was talking, "Sometimes being a hero doesn't involve having the ability to fly or have super strength. Sometimes being a hero is being there for the people in need when nature becomes the villain and takes the livelihoods and homes of those caught in its path. And sometimes the biggest change anyone can do is to be there with them after the storm has passed and that when it looks like the world has ended, they're not alone to help rebuild it."

And below that, with another real image of Lincoln, his tank was instead done in like a cartoon with it towing a large trailer behind it, showing that several programs were already active. Many in helping towns impacted by all the twisters earlier this year, some from the hurricanes that hit the south and two more upcoming events for the winter.

At the bottom of the page was a large group photo showing what they could only assume was hundreds, maybe a thousand people, with Storm Shrieker in the middle painted in a half-white and silver color with the backside having a giant version of the logo. Lincoln, Clyde, Ronnie, and the others of his team all gathered around at the front with the sea of bodies briefly broken up by either a semi-truck with a load of wood, an excavator with a claw, catering trucks, buses, and a whole fleet of vehicles in the far back becoming blurred from a distance.

"Damn…" Luna breathed, "I… guess bro's been doing a lot more than we thought." she said with a smile. She felt a bubble of pride swell up inside her. A feel that only grew by the minute as Luan switched to a different link, and it showed their brother in various places helping out in clearing damage, giving clothing, and helping in a large field kitchen.

The part that really got her; it didn't make him look like it was all about him. Whoever took the pictures played a part in including Lincoln, either up close or from a distance, photographed a crowd. He looks at the camera barely five percent of the time; is focused on the task at hand. One series of photos, taken last year after a major wildfire out west destroyed a neighborhood, had him in his tank with the back door open, handing out bags and bags of clothing to people gathered in the burnt remains of a cul de sac. There were photos with kids, parents, and total strangers that neither party knew before that moment and day meeting for the first time. Possibly never to meet again, but to remember that day someone unknown had come to help them.

To that part, Luna felt that reality was now applied to them. With how much had changed in just a few short years, how much their lives had been wrecked, and he was there ready to help.

But something else felt… off.

The way that little paragraph was written, it spoke like it was more than just a statement that any group would advertise to tell the public of their 'mission'. Yet the more she kept rereading it, it was like she was developing a bitter taste in her mouth, and she couldn't think why.

"Well," Luan spoke, shaking Luna out of her thoughts, "I guess that'll be something we can show the others tomorrow. I'm sure they'll be interested somehow," she said, closing her laptop. Crawling forward to place it on her dresser at the end of the bed and pulled herself off to get ready. Though Luna moved off the bed to return to her chair, she waited on the edge, looking up at her sister in anticipation.

When Luan dropped her skirt and fished out a pair of sleeping shorts, right as she bent down to slide them on, she caught her sister staring. Though out of reflex, despite years of living in the same room and seeing each other even bare at times, she moved the shorts to cover herself.

"What?"

"Not gonna make a pun out of that? Figured you'd do something a bit more with the cartoon or the word foundation."

Luan shrugged, "I was thinking of it. Kinda along the line of 'I guess Lincoln went and really Tooned himself this time,' but… I didn't feel it." She went back down and slipped the shorts up, "Like… I've watched Twister 34 times in the last two months; I'm just trying to think of a joke or pun that might give me that next inspiration. But knowing what happens out there…" She went to pull her shirt drawer open but, halfway through, paused as she felt herself try to steer herself away from thoughts that would stop her from sleeping tonight.

"What happened to Lincoln, Ronnie, so many people everywhere… Sure, you can joke that 'Nature's a bitch to everyone' or 'They say it doesn't happen and won't happen, then surprise! It happened,' and their entire lives were destroyed." She looked towards Luna with shame in her eyes, "... Lincoln is doing something that's helping who knows how many people. How can I even joke about him when all I've done is make a joke out of him like years ago?"

Hearing the low tone of Luan's voice at become, Luna quickly moved from her spot and wrapped the comedian in a tight embrace. Though their 'assets' and differences in height had made it a bit awkward, like the many times they did hug, it didn't stop them from feeling the love pour between them that helped become that blanket they could share even before their lives had taken hits.

Though she didn't cry, Luna could feel the negative aura that had been around her sister for over a year now, festering like a bonfire slowly being to be fought back. Where this had come from, she felt Lucy was better off explaining how to get rid of it. But even when she did, the goth had answered that it wasn't just Luan that had it. What had caused this, Luna could think of a couple of ways; how to fix it, she felt, was an answer that she was still asking herself.

Feeling her sister begin to loosen her grip, Luna looked down, seeing the gloom in her eyes disappearing. "Better?"

Luan nodded, feeling her body call out to her mattress as the turn of events had given its toll, "I just need to get some sleep… Tomorrow is gonna be a long day."

"Yeah… You go ahead and crash; I'm gonna be up a bit longer." Luna said as she picked up a pair of headphones off the nightstand. Fishing out her phone to link the devices, she reached down, snatched her notebook off the floor, and spun around on her heel to fall into the chair.

Before she could put on any tunes, as Luan slipped into bed, she asked, "Luna?"

Luna pulled the left side of her headphones away, "Hmm?"

"You remember last month when looking for inspiration for songs, and you found that one song you said felt way too short?"

"You mean that one by Amanda Marshall?" Luan turned away for a second to think of the name and nodded, "Yeah?"

"Do you remember how that first part went?" She asked like she was trying to talk about an embarrassing topic.

Luna pulled her headphones around her neck as she leaned back in her chair to think. It had been a solid minute since she listened to that song. It wasn't particularly earth-shattering like her usual taste in music that would make houses move on their foundations and people's bones rattle. The song she found was more mellow yet packed that power in its brief and simple chorus. There weren't any instruments to give it that build-up in the beginning or middle, just the power of vocals.

Luna took a breath, moistened her lips, and began to sing in a tone that had surprised the comedian. When she wanted to, Luan knew that Luna could make her voice sound like the soothing harmony that she used when Lincoln had yet to come into the world and when he did. It was that very voice that she used whenever he was scared, sad, or confused, and she would be there to comfort him. And since the day the power of rock consumed her, that voice had rarely been heard for most of a decade.

It was the kind of sibling bond Luan had seen that she lacked with her brother. Despite all the 'good times' they had, they all lacked that connection between them.

"Hold on, hold my hand."

"Storm clouds are circling, hungry for barren land."

"It's eerie, yeah, it's much too still."

"Can you feel my body spin? Feel it, yeah, I know you will"

"Drama makes me comfortable; chaos calms me down."

Luna spun her head around when she heard a second voice sing in tandem with hers. Seeing Luan with her eyes closed and with a calm look, she was a bit surprised by how their combined voices had invoked the original song's power.

"Everything is clear when you're inside the tornado."

"Everything is quiet in the eye of the storm."

"I will give you wings if you hang onto my halo."

"Nothing is stable... inside the tornado."

There was silence in the bedroom. Both women were thinking over the song with Luna, honestly surprised by how just the two of them in a duet had made it sound so much more powerful than the original. Picking up her pencil, she jotted down a little note off to the side of her shortlist, reminding her to see what else they could do and to see what the others could add.

But for Luan, as she reached down to pull her blanket up and rest her head down facing the wall, the mixed feelings inside had begun to slowly fall back into murky waters as three words echoed in her mind.

'Nothing is stable…'

---

Saturday the 11th, night falling back upon the land, was a time that made the family's anticipation begin to leak out like a heavily cracked dam ready to split open like a pair of double doors. Though as a light drizzle fell inside the house, the Louds were 'busy' tending to their tasks at hand.

In the living room, Lynn Sr. was still battling their new TV. Though the device was on and worked as a TV fresh from the box would act, a problem he had was something that had been an issue for some time on 1226 Franklin Avenue was that when it came to something being brand spanking new with the plastic and bubble wrap still with it, it was a war to figure out how to work it and keep it in good condition.

Right now, he was stuck sitting on the coffee table hunched over with three different remotes by his side, trying to work out how to get to the place he wanted to. He signed up for what network had the show premiering in less than an hour and felt the frustration the past two days had been building to.

"I swear I'm going back to good old cable after this…" he mumbled, resting on his hand as he tried to confirm settings and bypass an ocean of ads and premium plans wanting his wallet.

Across the threshold of the walls, Lori was making the final rundown of all the items they would need for the show tonight. Making sure that they had enough snacks at the ready so that none of them would have to get up and miss the show or cause someone to miss something when leaving. It wasn't a necessary task, mainly something to keep herself occupied after how the entire week had gone. Did they really need snacks? Maybe for it just is there, but she knew that with what was coming, she would bet twenty dollars that most of her sisters would be too focused on the show to care that no one else was grabbing for the chips or drinks.

The others were mostly keeping themselves occupied upstairs. Either browsing on their personal device or just lying down to their thoughts. Of all of them, it wasn't a surprise Lisa was blazing away at her computer. Lori had gone up some time ago to ask the scientist what beverage of choice she would want when watching the show, and all she got was, "My thirst for knowledge that shall be revealed soon is enough." that made Lori close the door and return to her task in the kitchen.

But what was a surprise was how Lynn acted when she returned from her little walk two days ago. It wasn't hard for anyone to see that something was bugging her now that wasn't there before Thursday morning. She was gone maybe an hour max and looked like she was told or witnessed something that disturbed her to the point she was trying to hide it.

Glancing over her shoulder, Lori felt her thoughts direct her toward the doorway to the backyard. Looking up to that small section of the ceiling that was directly under Lynn and Lucy's room.

And if she could see it, she would see her 23-year-old sister sitting on her bed with her back pressed up against the headboard, pillow held against her chest, and legs tucked up with her feet just barely hidden by the blanket. This morning she woke up expecting to feel something more like the ever-present anticipation but latched onto it to help power through.

Not having what could be classified as being at the edge of an existential crisis. Sure, who doesn't go through one of those in their lives? It's the way of life to question whether everything you know about is real until just one moment of normalcy is obliterated into a thousand grains of dust. Let alone get a pep talk from a complete stranger, a kid of all people, in a way that made her wonder if what she experienced was real or if her stress was reaching a new threshold of her mind playing tricks. She had trouble telling if it was those words spoken were her speaking to herself or someone else to her.

When she came home, she went and sat on the couch alone with her thoughts. Her parents asked if she was okay, to which a simple "I'm fine" was given. When Lori and Luan came back from their little shopping adventure, Luan noticed her quietness and joked that she looked like she had seen a ghost. To which, she leaped from the couch and announced she was gonna go get a shower and be up in her room resting for tonight.

The moment she reached the top of the stairs, she went straight into her room, dressed in something more comfortable, and sat on her bed since then. Only three times in the past ten hours did she leave for two bathroom breaks and for dinner. The last one was nerve-racking in she was constantly asked if she was-

"Lynn."

The fifth sister jumped when she heard her name being called out. Clutching her pillow tightly, she moved into the corner of the wall only to see Lucy standing at her bedside.

"Geez, Luce, make some noise next time you come in."

"I've been in here with you for the past two hours, Lynn." The goth stated, making Lynn flinch a little at the fact that she had become oblivious to her sister sitting on her bed the whole time. Though being so quiet and motionless, minus the movement of pencil across the paper and the night making her blend in with the shadows and covers, who could blame her? "But I shall let it slide once more. However, I feel something troubles you."

"...What?"

"Since you returned home this morning, I can feel that there is something foreign bothering you. This past week you were the most active among us, and yet now you've become almost as closed off as I or Luna."

'Only difference is Luna didn't go through what I did….'

"I've… had a few things on my plate lately."

Lucy nodded, "Understandable." She remembered her talk with Haiku earlier and it's rather… strange direction it took on their way back home. "Though I've seen you handle it much more than the others. Yet today, something has done something to cause you distress." Lynn stayed silent. Part of her more expressive self wanted to rebut that Lucy was thinking a little too much into the situation but found that voice was being gagged and hogtied by others wanting actually to make something of the situation.

"...you believe in ghosts, right?" She looked away, unsure if she really just asked that. Though when she looked up to see Lucy's deadpan even more intensely, she was silently asking Lynn if she really did ask her of all people that question. "Right… stupid question…"

"...to what has brought upon this thinking?" She asked as she moved to sit at the end of the bed. Sitting cross-legged to give her attention to the sportswoman entirely. It wasn't just out of wanting to know what was bothering her sister; part of her was genuinely curious about why Lynn was suddenly talking about the spirit world.

Though part of her was worried, it might have been over a year since she last tried speaking with the other side, and for good reasons for doing so. But if the situation that she and Lisa knew was still present, it didn't mean the other side wasn't trying to call their side when they weren't.

Feeling embarrassed, Lynn quickly tried to think of an example of what she was trying to explain. "Okay, so… you remember that old Christmas movie Papa liked to watch. It's a Wonderful Life; I think it's called…?"

Lucy nodded once. A brief flash of memories back when they were younger, and their grandfather was still with them. It was during a year that he had stayed over, and that Christmas, they had been doing the whole movie marathon countdown to the day itself. While it wasn't her favorite time, movies that depicted the spiritual elements were ones that she did fondly look back on. You had the more wacky style like the dozens of Scrooge remakes, but then the more serious ones like the movie Lynn talked about. She didn't completely believe in some of its aspects, but the nature of its message was one she did understand. Though how this was related to Lynn's situation, she didn't know yet.

"Okay, so you remember how the guy jumped off the bridge and was saved by that old guy that, in the end, turned out the whole time he didn't actually jump yet? That the whole thing was like him trying to realize something but couldn't until the other guy kept telling him what it was until he figured it out."

Lucy didn't move an inch as she digested this info. Still unsure where Lynn was going with this. "...you didn't try to…?"

It was an honest question, one coming from an unfortunate experience. But when Lynn was explaining the part where the film's main character died by jumping off a bridge to end his troubles, she felt a spike of alarm and concern rocket down her spine.

Lynn felt panic at what Lucy meant, "What? NO! No! I wasn't trying to do that." Lucy sighed. Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding and let herself relax her heart for a moment. "I'm talking about the old guy! The one that kept following him and trying to talk to him."

"You mean a guardian angel?"

"Yeah. But, like the other one. Like they're dead and all but can still do things here."

"A spirit guide?"

"No-yeah! That one! You know anything about them?"

Lucy looked away for a moment. Combing her memories of every source of literature she has read and every story she was told in the past decade. She wasn't unfamiliar with both concepts, though one went a little more into the 'light side' of the spectrum she was part of. She knew that guardian angels fell into a couple of categories depending on what religion you truly believed in, that a being sent from the realm beyond this world was given the task to protect someone for whatever reason stands to give harm.

For the ideas of guiding spirits, she firmly believed that those of the past would still be present among them. Watching over to help protect and guide loved ones during unruly times. Though some argued it was an insult to the cycle of life, that they should not have to be bound to this world anymore and can exist peacefully, she believed they did have the voice and power to decide such actions.

Though only she and Lisa truly knew, they both felt that their great-grandmother Harriet had become a kind of spirit guide in their efforts to figure out the family curse. And after their grandfather Albert passed, Lucy held the hope that maybe, just maybe, he could be a guiding spirit for her brother. Though she couldn't find any way of knowing so, any past attempt to try to speak with him even a year after his passing had yielded no results, but that didn't dampen her hopes. If he did become one but couldn't answer, she hoped it was because he was too busy watching over Lincoln. If not, then she felt it was better to leave him be and let him enjoy his time reuniting with past friends and family that were all waiting to welcome him. It wouldn't be right to disturb his peace so soon.

Though how this tied to Lynn's predicament, she didn't understand, "I understand that the differences lie between a given and a chosen belief. A greater force gives one the task, the other is by the spirits themselves. Though to what do you wish to know about such forces?"

"Well… how do you know if there is one?"

"...it heavily depends on when it is best to show themselves to that person, either in their greatest time of need or darkest hour. When they are too confused and misguided or unsure of the path ahead, we will often never know if they are there or not. Other times they can appear like any other person like you and me, and we would never know even until after our time here has ended. Does that help your understanding?"

"Yeah…." Lynn slowly let out. "That does help a lot."

"Now, if I may ask, what has caused you to think of this?"

Lynn was a bit conflicted about if she should mention what happened in that park. But part of her was becoming louder and louder that she was already making herself look crazy enough in front of Lucy of all people, and any further, she might as well ask her to join a cult. "...call it sudden curiosity. I guess just something to take my mind off things…."

Back downstairs, if his back weren't so fragile now, Lynn Sr. would have jumped up in the celebration that he had emerged victorious in the technological war against the TV.

"FINALLY! I swear I was about to go ding-dong crazy if this didn't work." he sighed as he moved to head for the recliner to collapse in.

"Is it ready?" Rita asked as she came out of their bedroom. Moving around the couch to join his side in the second hair just as he fell down with a satisfying groan.

"Gosh, I hope so… or I swear I'm going up in the attic and bringing out the old rabbit ears if I have to!" He laughed but knew that he was serious about his promise. "Girls! The premiere's about to start!" He called out to through the house. And like rolling thunder the second after a strike of lightning, he heard multiple thuds from upstairs and doors swinging open against the walls.

Lori was the first to make it to the couch with her arms filled with snacks. Placing them across the coffee table just in time as the sound of clamoring feet, shouts of who's going to get the best spot, and a few 'ows' and 'oofs' along the stairs, the sisters poured into the living room. It was chaos but yet oddly organized; Lynn was unsurprisingly the first to stake her claim by taking the far-end armrest closest to the fireplace as she felt her legs get brushed off the space between her and Lori with Luna plopping down beside her.

Lola was the next to take her spot when Lana opted to take the space in front of her. Lori came next and hoisted Lily up on her lap as Luan and Leni took up the next seats and Lisa at the end. Sighing at seeing their new, super big couch already packed, Lucy took her spot on the floor with Lana between Lisa and Leni.

There was excitement, no doubt about it. They hadn't had a night like this in a long time. But after what they all felt this week, they all mentally agreed it would hopefully make them feel better by being more positive toward the situation at hand. It wasn't that often they got to cheer their brother on. Even if it was past events on television, that feeling of moral support was something that they felt they hadn't really given him as they should have.

When Lynn Sr. walked over and plopped down into his recliner, he raised the remote and switch the program to the main menu. Scrolling past dozens, hundreds, thousands of TV shows and movies of all types that held their variety of tastes. But with a quick search of just two words, a new list was brought up, with the first showing that it was ready for viewing.

Fifteen one-hour-long episodes were available to them to start with whatever episode they wanted to see first or just let it play one after another. The menu showed off the first seven episodes with "Gone With The Wind," "Everything's Louder in Texas," "Ozark Monsters," and "Chased by the Beast" as the first third of the season they could see as the others faded out. One by one, Senior scrolled down the list, each one giving the family a small paragraph and photo of what each episode was about. But when he came down to episode 9, any amusement he had was suddenly frozen when he and everyone else saw the name and description.

"Dedication to Home: As an early May storm front begins its march across the plains, Lincoln sits out a big chase day when he receives tragic news from his old home in Michigan. Risking the future of his chase career as his team attempts to intercept a rain-wrapped tornado in Arkansas."

It didn't exactly say what the 'tragic news' from home was. But it didn't take a genius to figure out what it meant, especially with the picture showing what looked like Lincoln writing something with a stack of paper beside him. And then, like a forgotten distant relative suddenly slamming open the front door and reintroducing themself to the family, the memories of the letters that now sat on top of the mantle right next to a photo of Lincoln just before he left were like a beacon that made them all turn to glance at the neatly placed envelop.

Though out of them all, Lisa was the one questioning just how big of a risk he was taking. She knew how this part of the story ended. They all had seen the video of what storms he had been in that she no doubt would be seen again in a more cinematic style. But after Kingman and what updates she's seen of him fixing the tank, she was still left wondering just what was the extent that risk went. He survived but had God knows what level of injuries Ronnie described to them. She question more of what state he was mentally in if he got the worse out of them all.

But there was another glaring fact before them. Down at the bottom of the list, just barely highlighted, was episode 15, 'Storm vs. Chaser.' Without even thinking about it, Lynn Sr. scrolled down to that very selection, and the icon changed to show a view from the turret, capturing the moment a massive tornado was forming over a town.

"All roads end in Kansas as the ultimate storm is unleashed upon the Earth, and the Chasers fight to intercept and escape the strongest storm ever recorded. Facing down what could be the last chase of the season and their lives." read the description. And it was then that she realized what this episode could potentially reveal to them. And it made her shiver, unease, unlike anything before to roll down her spine like liquid nitrogen.

It was one thing to hear the event unfolding live; it was another actually to see and hear it. To actually see how that day started and ended. What did they see that made them go racing into the storm and then try to get as far away as possible? What he experienced and how it had changed the people they knew.

"Everyone ready?" The Loud father asked his family as he held up the remote at the ready-to-click play.

"Before we begin," Lisa spoke up, taking their attention, "I request that, for several reasons, we only what the first and last segments of the program."

"But doesn't that defeat the point of watching each episode to know what happens next?" Lola asked.

"While it may be that the producers had put in some kind of 'story' element into the show for the sake of entertainment, given that each episode is approximately 55 minutes in length, we would still be sitting here till late morning upon the viewing of the fifteenth episode. For me personally, I wish to see if the beginning will reveal to us any new info we could use for later and to see what our brother's fate comes to be by the end of it."

There it was, that uneasy feeling again that made its presence again like a heavy blank of snow had just fallen on them. It didn't help that their parents were still out of the loop about what they found out with Ronnie, but the reality that the final episode could reveal the final moments of what was the last of their brother was something it was a split between five and five of wanting to see and know and never to know the truth.

"... and objections?" Lynn asked his rather unsettled daughters. Only getting a few nods was enough for him to aim the remote at the TV and press play on the first episode.

The screen switched from the menu to black for a moment before a sudden warning appeared; "This program depicts highly trained professionals engaging dangerous tornadoes. DO NOT ATTEMPT" before a music cue sounded and faded to black with thunder roaring out.

Suddenly a crack of lightning cut down the middle of the screen, showing a dark greenish-black landscape that looked more like it belonged in a horror movie hovering above a town. A large semi-truck-like vehicle sitting just in the bottom right corner with flickering orange lights sat raised in the air on five legs, with a tower slowly rising from the back of the cab and a large radar dish spinning back and forth at the storm.

"This season on Storm Chasers…" A narrator spoke out, cutting to another clip of what looked like a massive storm completely spinning above a line of cars as a small little funnel began to reach for the ground, "2025, The most costly and destructive tornado season seen in over 15 years. With over 30 billion dollars in damage, hundreds of towns flattened, six cities shredded, and almost 400 dead."

Faster than they could take in, tornado after tornado of all kinds of sizes went across the TV. Some from a giant white wedge that looked like it was as white as the clouds themselves, then to a thin but long funnel that seemed to loop on itself like a pretzel, to what could only be described as a rotating fog bank of rain and debris redecorating a portion of a city's downtown as flashes of light along the ground erupted as the lights of buildings flickered dark.

"Alright, LOCK IT DOWN!" They suddenly heard Lincoln's voice shout out. A brief shot of him suddenly ducking down into a vehicle as the camera changed to show the outside of Storm Shrieker being bombarded by debris.

"We're taking hits!" They heard Clyde's mature voice shout in panic.

*BAM* A mound of twisted metal came out of frame, slamming into the vehicle as it slid across the armor and sent a shower of sparks across the lens before they and the object were sucked away and out of sight.

Some of the family almost recoiled and jumped at the sudden blast of information and imagery. Almost all of the sisters were varying looks of horror at the reality of what had happened. They didn't follow the weather everywhere else, but when around the home, how could they remember a city or six being hit by a twister? Some memories from years ago of the Royal Woods Tornado sprung up in that what they got was just a taste of what could have been.

Compared to what the TV was showing, their town was extremely luckily. But that didn't ease their hearts in knowing that their brother was at times, literally sitting right in the middle of it.

"This year, we follow a man on a mission to cement his name into history. Intercepting some of the most destructive storms ever witness in tornado alley." A shot of Lincoln with his back to the camera appeared before quickly snapping around as he pulled the entire turret around with a heave.

"FOUR O'CLOCK! It's on the ground!" He shouted again as the dark silhouette of a tornado appeared from within a wall of rain.

While seeing him in a 'commanding' role wasn't something they had always looked into much in the past when he took charge, the tone and look that Lincoln held honestly felt far more 'aggressive' than any of them remembered him having. It wasn't, but yet was a surprise that he didn't look all that different from all the posters and promotional material that they had seen for the past few months. He looked even more mature on television, probable thanks to the editing than the images gave credit for.

He was almost balanced between youth and age; the little goatee on his chin definitely was something different. It wasn't completely formed like all they had seen before, and he looked like he had longer hair if the strains sticking out from the bottom of an impact helmet told them otherwise.

But it was still surprising; they all spoke about and dreamed of one day appearing on television, with Luna probably having been the closest during her concerts, and here was their brother on full display for anyone in the world to watch what he does.

Yet part of them felt an almost empty feeling. Having to remember that there was a big difference between doing what you're doing in front of the camera and doing it for the camera. Maybe they sprinkle in something to add drama, but from what they've seen with Ronnie and Clyde, this wasn't their brother just acting to a script.

"With his team of extreme chasers,"

"Shrieker, you got at least 20 seconds before that thing crosses the road!" A man stepping out of a black Chevy truck shouted into a radio as a massive wedge tornado barreled towards a highway with dozens of cars' brakes and hazard lights flashing.

"And armed with a custom-built 9-ton tank,"

"We're coming through now!" They heard what sounded like Ronnie's voice yell out over the radio. Though it didn't show her, it showed the tank itself flying down the road with its horn blaring in a cloud of mist getting kicked up from the back wheels as the camera moved to show the blurring blue and orange lights getting closer to the funnel.

"They head into the heart of hell on Earth to capture the greatest shots ever seen by mankind and to save every life they can in harm's way."

Sirens roared out from the speakers as a shot of a violent tornado, almost blacker than Lucy's clothing, was seen from a news helicopter. Moving so fast, its side was almost touching the ground as home after a home exploded into splinters and shrapnel.

The shot became even darker when it shifted to someone filling an old blue Ford utility truck, parked almost sideways across a road with the storm in the background, raining debris out of the sky like falling ghosts. "This is Knight One; we are on the northern edge taking heavy winds!"

"From superstorms threatening millions"

"A tornado emergency is now in effect for Mayridge, Ceena, Heronville and Oklahoma City," A newscaster reported, showing a view from the top of a tower or skyscraper like it was a live news broadcast. All over the place, the man himself, in one frame standing, began a desk sweating like he was in hell's basement. Another shows a radar screen pulse with a giant red, yellow and green blob over a white 'OKC' with scrolling text at the bottom displaying the warnings.

It changed to show the camera in the turret, rolling footage as it slowly moved to try and film the storm past the buildings. A crack of 'thunder' and a bright flash caused streetlights, signs, and buildings to flicker or go completely out.

"To the strongest tornado ever recorded in history."

"Man, this thing's a huge storm!" A woman shouted on the radio again.

Though not showing who, it showed Clyde opening the rear cab to the radar truck, fully deployed and surrounded by dozens of cars on the side of a road, looking at a tower of clouds that looked like it did connect up to heaven itself. Like an alien mothership just within touching distance of the planet itself, with the cell burning behind it in a beautiful orange glow that, for a second, was contrasted by a bolt of lightning striking the ground.

But the next scene was a lot less beautiful and more like witnessing a moment in history that they and millions of others had missed, the moment that nature gave birth to a monster.

Showing the underside of the 'ship' to look like the night was falling with just enough light to make out everything. Though there was a main funnel not touching the ground, dirt was exploding in several places as multiple little fingers snaked down and briefly tore up fields before disappearing just as fast.

"We got satellites!" Ronnie shouted, now in the cab of the tank with Lincoln, with a look of pure terror visible behind her goggles.

The camera switched to the one in the turret, facing a literal wall of rain, dirt, wind, and death consuming the road and land behind them as the truck tried to get away. A motor whirled, spinning the turret to the left as they briefly saw the edge of the funnel split the sky like day and night.

Everyone could see the twisting bands of clouds above the camera moving around like it was some unholy eldritch creature consuming the sky, reaching far out ahead of them as the camera aimed at the front of the truck. Catching the very moments, another massive funnel descended from the clouds in seconds. In a second, it appeared in the frame to touch the ground, bright power flashes and explosions of chunks of buildings and trees flying like feathers.

The truck violently jerked to the left, following a curve in the road onto dirt where a line of cars was trying to run for their lives. Faster than they expected, they saw the camera switch to a side view of the tank covered in mud and catch a brief glimpse of something flying across the road. Metal smashing into metal as the truck spun out and came to an abrupt halt.

"This is Storm Shrieker; we are locking back down and bracing for impact!" They heard Lincoln shout, briefly seeing him holding a radio with a camera behind him shaking as if the user was attempting not to go into full-on panic. Another shot showed the rear wheels spinning in place, barely moving the truck back. It cut to one of the side arms folding out, the edge of the tornado looking into view as it smashed the spike into the ground.

It went back into the cab; a forward shot of Ronnie holding a camera in her hands, looking back and forth through the windows trying to stay calm as the truck rocked. It went to Lincoln with one hand held tightly on the steering wheel and another on the controls. Leaning as far back into his seat to brace himself as he kept looking out his window before-

*BAM*

His window exploded inwards. The driver's door crumpled as it was suddenly ripped open. The cameras from before flew off the dashboard as the windshield and metal shards came straight at them. Ronnie dropped her camera moments later, screaming out in pain from something hitting her safety goggles as Lincoln pulled her down towards him. Pushing her as close to the floor as possible as he tried covering her from the wind as the storm bombarded his back.

"STAY DOWN!" He cried out. Almost barely audible over the roar as the music slowly built up in the background.

"Hey, I know this song! Blaze of Glory by Bon Jovi!" Luna said, pointing at the screen. Somehow forgetting what she was still seeing before the show decided to unleash the power.

It wasted little time, showing a top-down view of the US from space, zooming into a spinning cluster of clouds that looked like a hurricane in the middle of the country. As it was about to plunge through, all the clouds had some kind of beam pass through them, and from white fluffy blobs became what storms looked like on the radar as the camera went straight down into a storm with a giant hook shape at the bottom.

Thunder, lightning, and rain violently swirled around like one was looking down the throat of a twister, only for the camera to be 'spat out' and fall down towards a road before the tank came flying into the frame. The camera went down an open roof hatch and flipped forward. Showing the backs of two people, almost impossible to distinguish due to wearing helmets and matching shirts, with one driving and the other filming as the light went from sun and lightning to the cab lights as they punched through the wall of the tornado.

"We are inside the tornado!" Ronnie yelled, briefly seen to show her dropping her goggles as Lincoln's hand grasped the levers and yanked them down. Outside in the swirling maelstrom, the arms were already extended out, slamming their spikes into the ground.

"Hold on tight!" Lincoln yelled as it cut to the turret, spinning around and opening its hatch as a rush of heavy rain hit the camera. From there, the whole scene changed, showing Lincoln, Clyde, and Ronnie all standing on a dirt road flanked by grassy fields on either side, blowing in the breeze.

The tank sat in the middle with all its lights on and the side doors opened; Ronnie stood out of the driver's with her ponytail blowing, Clyde out of the passenger holding a camera, and Lincoln bursting out from the roof hatch. Their names appeared one by one in bold white as the camera slowly moved towards the front of the vehicle, its nameplate getting closer till a bolt of lightning suddenly illuminated the name 'STORM SHRIEKER' before it cut to another clip.

It was the blue Ford again, Knight One, flying down a backroad, slinging mud everywhere as it briefly began to slide and almost drive sideways. The ladder rack smacks away any branch low enough to dare be in its path, leaving a broke trail of sticks behind. It cut it rolling down another road, the landscape much darker with heavy rain making it have a more yellowish-brown tint against barren fields as its lights flashed a bright contrast.

"Any units behind us, this road is not safe. I repeat, not safe." They heard another woman say. Cutting to a brief cab shot of two men and a woman in the truck, all wearing rain gear and safety glasses, looking around in panic.

"We're in a bad spot here." The man in the back said, briefly shown almost sticking his whole body out of the rear passenger door with a camera aimed at the sky. "Tornado's touching down right on top of us." The camera filming the man snapped upwards, letting everyone see an unholy sight directly above them with the spinning gray tube of a funnel cloud reaching down towards the ground like it was coming straight at the camera.

It cut again to the same grassy fields and dirt road as Lincoln's group. The trio standing in front of their truck being backlit by its lights. The doors were wide open to show off the fading logos that Lynn could feel she hadn't seen at all when she first saw the truck.

'KNIGHTONE' appeared across the bottom, with the names Ben Gilbert, Daniel Gilbert, and Erin Smith appearing one by one. From the looks of it, it wasn't hard to see why the two guys coincidentally had the same last name. The two looked practically like identical twins if it wasn't for one almost being bald and having more of a beard and the other being clean-shaven. The third person, Erin Smith, resembled a lot more like a reporter with her hair in a bun and thick-rimmed glasses. Added on to the extra radio equipment hanging around her belt and the large headset around her neck, it fit the bill even further.

Lightning then cut the horizon, a dash camera in the other truck showing miniature icebergs falling out of the sky as it traveled down a desolate road. Heavy rain made it impossible to see a couple of hundred yards ahead as hailstones of unbelievable size smashed into the Earth, sending spouts of mud flying from the grass or shattering to pieces on the road. Several big stones made their mark as they banged against the hood, and a large screen stuck over the windshield.

"Christ, we've got grapefruits falling out of the sky!" A man wearing a steel-colored twill outback hat shouted excitedly as he accelerated the truck with glee.

It cut to a shot of the truck itself flying out from the curtain of rain, unknown if it was the same or not, with the Storm Shrieker and Knight One following right behind it. It showed yet another large tornado suddenly materialize from the clouds, briefly touching the ground before it lifted up and disappeared for a moment. But yet, a cloud of debris still spun around where it once was.

"Lincoln, if you're going for that, wind speeds are 160 plus!" Another woman shouted. Showing her briefly in a darkened cab holding the radio, she leaned to look out the driver's side. For a brief moment watching, Storm Shrieker suddenly came into view, passing them.

A quick shot of the truck rolling over the camera led into its own intro. 'KNIGHTTWO' appeared, with the 'two' being a bright red instead of what all the others had: Shay Edison, the woman who looked more like a college intern. Richard 'Rex' Dylans, a man who looked like he belonged more on a ranch handling aggressive cattle, and Patrick Lambert, dressed mostly casually like a few others. But with a bright orange vest around his torso, a black toolbox in one hand, and a white hard hat with the red cross in the other.

Then in rapid sequence, just as the music entered an instrumental moment, shot after shot flashed by. A small but strong tornado tore through the background of a town as sirens blared, Clyde yelling in amazement while holding a camera as a wall of dirt suddenly came up and flew across the windshield; another tornado tore across a road, ripping down power lines as Shrieker flew down the road after it. The Knights and several cars followed behind the radar truck through heavy rain as a dark figure of a giant tornado sat in the distance. Lincoln, Clyde, and two others with black and red toolboxes running through someone's front yard with fallen trees and damage everywhere, more sirens, lightning across the sky with a thunderous boom that sounded more like an actual explosion.

All came to the final shot of Lincoln pressing his eye against a large camera in his turret, being blasted by rain and sunlight, with one of the biggest smiles they had ever seen him have, cheering on as it cut to show his backside. He was standing tall with his hands grasping the camera as the turret bounced from the wind, but he didn't waver from his place. Even as they watched rain pelting him, his hair blowing wildly as it practically glowed in the sunlight pouring through the hatch and windows.

With a voice-over of him once again yelling out to lock it down, the scene changed to one that the sisters all felt like they had seen plenty of times before, but this time saw the 'whole' picture.

It showed the trucks all lined up; Knight One on the far left, up on a small embankment with its driver door open showing their logo, with Ben stepping out and Daniel leaning on the front past the headlight. The radar truck parked to its right, fully deployed, with Erin standing on the roof holding some kind of instrument with Shay stepping out of the driver's door.

To their right sat a fully deployed Storm Shrieker with its turret hatch flipped back and camera mounted. Like the other promos, Clyde was coming out holding a laptop, with Ronnie standing up holding onto the steering wheel. And to their right sat Knight Two with Rex leaning up against the side with arms and legs crossed and Patrick standing in the back with a camera.

Yet among them all, standing closer to the camera itself but far enough not to block the others, with his orange jacket and white hair gently fluttering in the wind and rain surrounding them all, stood Lincoln with that hard, determined look with a camera in hand. Above him, almost like it was really there, a tornado stood behind them like the devil's shadow with streaks of lightning on either side. In bold, shredded text, 'Storm Chasers' appeared above them briefly as the music gradually ended.

But the TV paused just before the scene changed, signaled by a blast of debris and wind moving so fast it was a blur. The house was so quiet that not even the sound of the refrigerator motor could be heard.

Like a rock, Lynn's occupied hand fell down to the armrest of his recliner as he had just lost all control of his body. In some part, it was true; he was as frozen as a stone with a heart and blood could be while staring at the television with his eyes wide open like every time something bad had happened. He didn't even look at his wife to know what she felt. He could feel it from her squeezing his other hand so tightly for comfort he heard several joints crack and pop.

His daughters were probably a tier above both of them, with some, like Lucy doing their best to hide their emotion that was flooding out uncontrollably if you looked into her eyes to Luna, who looked like she was two inches away from having a mental breakdown from what were only the first four minutes of the episode.

And yet one question echoed in all twelve of their minds.

'What the hell have you been up to, Lincoln?'

---

(Note: These AN notes are written before, during, and after hand to convey my thinking. Not based on what's changed, reviews, etc., and is borderline me ranting out loud my way of thinking.)

So this chapter… can't honestly say much about it really. Was expecting to finish it on July 15th but took a week longer to get the words in order. This was mainly to fill up the last of the sisters in the time before the main part which comprises the last third. I released it now as Chapter 10 is on the verge of breaking 25k words and hopefully expected to be completed within a week at its current rate with the last segment in being written at this time (and has officially broken 20k).

Though when beginning this, I did make me think over how Chapter 11 is going to have to be revamped to fit in with what Chapter 12 to 14 will be part of. By the end of 14 we will officially be into 2026 and moving away from all of the events in Royal Woods with characters tying up some loose ends and beginning the main focus of this story.

One thing that did get my attention was when reading some reviews of stories and how some commented that the addition of visible music (i.e. the lyrics of a song are placed in text of the chapter with the point the characters are singing it) being a hit or miss with how they are portrayed. I am surprised to suddenly feel the same, as music has been a bit motivator for how scenes and elements in this story are built up as.

This chapter was mainly as an extension to the last chapter so that every sister is covered. In the original plan it was to have Luan on Friday Night prior to the premiere with her affected by what the twins discovered earlier in the day with Luna having her part the day before. Instead, I opted to condense into one day to just get it out there. Both were together mainly in the fact that I've yet to master the style that Luan can think of comedy just yet.

The girl that briefly interacts with Lana is basically an oc/npc that I was searching through the show character list for who could possibly interact in this situation. Halfway through I said screw it and based them on dialogue and the appearance of the Engineer from Team Fortress 2, with Irene being a name that the Engineer often says in some of his voice lines.

'The Loud House Foundation' was an off idea I had that pictured Lincoln holding a cartoon cutout version of himself from the show. As this story is built more on the (extremely stretched) physics of real life, everyone in this is more humanly proportional than what they would be depicted in their cartoon form (They are NOT, however, based on 'The Really Loud House' cast, though that has given me a possible idea for later.)

From the image of 20-year-old Lincoln holding what he would imagine his 12-year-old self as a cartoon, I started thinking "With what else Lincoln has done out there in tornado alley, witnessing all these disasters and people losing their homes, he's making money off of filming their destruction. He's no hero, but it doesn't mean he can't find someway to help as many as possible." With the foundation acting as a sub-branch to another big organization (won't name one cause can't chose one) that helps in gathering resources for storm victims after tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and such has rocked the area.

And in some way, this is my kinda take of 4th dimensional mental twisting in that, to a degree, the Loud House cartoon exists in this universe, only in the form that the show logo and cartoon style Lincoln exist for a separate purpose. Things like cartoon Royal Woods, cartoon Loud Family, etc. don't actually exist.

The song at the end itself is only half of a real song that I've listened to for years and ironically in this story, actually speaks a lot of what is to come. Though at most, when referencing more music, it'll be more like it's playing in the background or characters announcing the song and band and then it playing in the background. If I was some animator god, I already envisioned how this thing would look in animated form with such issues not being issues, but that is just something to leave up to the imagination.

(Note: These AN notes are written before, during, and after hand to convey my thinking. Not based on what's changed, reviews, etc., and is borderline me ranting out loud my way of thinking.)