I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.
Chapter 31
Lisa readied the machine and placed a few devices on Lincoln's temple and a few on his chest. Once the machine and her computer were connected, the screens lit up with numbers, scales, and a 3D display of Lincoln's brain with different colors while showing ripples of light of the brain's synapses. Some sisters sat around and watched while others stood up and paced through the room. Luan was keeping watching through the door's window.
"All right, everything's functioning properly. Now, Lincoln, if memory serves, you said summoning a vision orb or light orb that's already unlocked is easy, right?"
Lincoln nodded.
"It's unlocking new visions of the future during the day is what's hard, correct?" Lisa questioned.
Lincoln nodded again, "Yeah, that's what hurts my head."
"Okay," Lisa wrote that down, "Let's try summoning a light orb that's already unlocked."
Lincoln glanced at the others, and they gave reassuring nods. He summoned one of the light orbs of a vision that was unlocked. Even though the girls had all seen it before, it was still impressive. The light orbs shined fairly bright and made ever the slightest humming sound.
Lisa squinted her eyes at the screen as the brain showed different waves of color and barely any change in the levels and scales.
"Interesting," Lisa noted, "Okay, now let's try unlocking a future vision. You don't have to unlock it completely. I just need to see what goes on in your head when this happens and why it causes you pain."
Lincoln gulped and looked back at his sisters. Lynn, who sat right next to him, held his hand tight.
"We're right here, Lincoln. Right here with you," Lynn assured.
"We're not going anyway," Luna promised.
Lincoln inhaled deeply while holding out his free hand. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He tried to unlock the changed vision of his sisters defending him from his parents. As predicted, only the image hovered before them, followed by a sharp and pounding pain in Lincoln's head. Lisa's machine started beeping and flashed red. The scales and levels skyrocketed, and Lincoln's brain showed all red.
Lincoln groaned and let out soft cries of pain. He had to stop as he held his head. The sisters all gave worried looks. Lori put an ice pack on her brother's head while Lynn massaged the sides of his head as he laid back down.
"I think I see the problem. For some reason, your brain is working too hard to push so much energy into your future vision powers. With a few modifications, I can level the synapsis's brain levels. That way, you can use your powers without stressing your brain," Lisa explained.
"Great," Lincoln said, rubbing his head, keeping his eyes closed.
"But first, let's do something about that pain," Lisa said, pulling out the syringe.
Lynn immediately wrapped her arms around Lincoln and held him close as Lisa approached Lincoln with the needle – even Lincoln looked a little nervous.
Lori stopped her, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's in this syringe specifically?"
"You would not know nor pronounce the primary ingredients and elements that are within this. However, rest assured, there are no negative side effects to worry about," Lisa said.
"Are you sure? Because some of your experiments have done some totes damage in the past," Leni stated.
"If there were any negative side effects, I would not give this to our brotherly sibling unit. Besides, he's in a hospital. If something goes wrong, help will come within less than a minute," Lisa promised.
The girls glanced at each other before letting Lisa proceed.
"What's in that syringe will help Lincoln with his head pains, right?" Lucy asked.
"Correct. Not only will it eliminate pain and trauma in his brain, but it will also increase healthy blood flow and electrical connections, allowing a smoother and more productive thinking process. In layman's terms, Lincoln will be sharper and healthier, thus increasing healthy longevity in the brain," Lisa explained as she wiped her brother's arm with an alcoholic wipe.
Lincoln gave a soft groan as the needle punctured his arm, and Lynn looked away, hugging her brother tight as their ears brushed each other – a soft whimper escaped her lips. Lisa gently pressed the syringe's plunger, and the light green liquid slowly entered Lincoln's veins. Lisa pulled it out once it was all inside him and placed a band-aid on his arm.
"Now that the serum is in Lincoln's system, I can deduce that while there are no negative side effects, there will still be side effects," Lisa confessed.
Everyone turned to her wide-eyed. Lori hoisted her up by grabbing her shirt, and like her sisters, her teeth were grinding with a furious face.
"Lisa! You little liar!" Luna shouted.
"You said there were no side effects!" Lori yelled.
"Calm yourselves, my sibling units! I said there were no negative side effects, not any at all. For any serum you put into someone's system, there's always an effect," Lisa explained.
"Well, what side effects PERIOD are there?" Luan demanded in an angry tone.
"Yeah, what's going to happen to our Linky?" Leni scowled.
Lisa sighed while adjusting her glasses, "The serum is currently making its way to Lincoln's heart and then to his brain. The heart pumps blood throughout the whole body, anywhere from 60 to 100 times a minute. So, with the serum entering his arm, it'll take about one minute to go from the heart to the brain. When it reaches his brain, the serum will significantly reduce pain at a rapid pace. So, Lincoln will first experience a great wave of calm euphoria. In layman's terms, he will feel really good with the pain vanishing."
As she said that, Lincoln experienced just that. It happened so fast and so effectively that Lincoln's balance was lost. Fortunately, he was lying in a bed, so there was no risk of him falling.
"Yep, felt that," Lincoln said, his head wobbled around a little.
The sisters all raised their eyebrows with confusion, except Lisa.
"With the pain leaving, it will cause Lincoln to feel dizzy, and his equilibrium will be unbalanced," Lisa added.
Lincoln's head was wobbling around in a circle as the room was spinning. Lynn and Luna held him to make sure he wouldn't fall off the bed.
"What follows next is a state of distortion, befuddlement, or bewilderment, as it were," Lisa said.
"What are you talking about?" Lori questioned.
"As the serum is healing Lincoln's brain, it disrupts Lincoln's thinking. Once the serum is done, Lincoln will regain control of his brain. Until then, he's gonna be . . . loopy."
"Loopy?" Leni asked, confused.
Lincoln stopped wobbling and sat still for a while with tired, half-closed eyes. Then he slowly turned to Lynn and looked at her for a while before laughing softly. This confused everyone.
"Lynn," Lincoln smiled.
"Yes? Lincoln?" Lynn replied.
Lincoln wrapped his arms around his athletic sister and started kissing her face. Lynn smiled, "Oh, okay. Okay, wow, that's . . . that's real sweet. Oh, you. Lincoln!"
Lincoln brushed his face against hers and giggled. Then he turned to Luna with the same look he gave Lynn and purred, "Luuuuuuunnnnnnaaaaaa."
"Oh boy," Luna spoke.
Then, just like Lynn, Lincoln hugged her and showered her face with kisses.
"Lincoln! Okay, I'm loving this, but what's gotten into you, little bro?" Luna asked with a soft laugh as she hugged him back.
"Lisa? Care to explain?" Lori asked, setting Lisa down.
"Sometimes, while in a deduced state, one's inner self is revealed. In this sense, our brother is a sweet lover," Lisa stated while patting Lincoln's head.
"Okay, now that makes total sense," Leni agreed, "I mean, this is Lincoln we're talking about here. He's the sweetest brother ever."
"Totally," the twins agreed in unison.
Lincoln turned to the rest of his sisters, "Girls!" Lincoln rolled on the bed until he looked at them upside down with a funny smile, "Hi, how are you doing?"
"We're good . . . we're enjoying the show," Luan smirked.
She was about to pull out her camera, but Lori slapped her hand while giving her a look.
Still upside down, Lincoln turned to Lucy, "Yoo-hoo, Lucy. Heya."
Lucy, remaining devoid of showing emotion like her usual self, responded, "Hi, Lincoln."
Lincoln scooted closer to the edge of the bed and pulled Lucy to him until the top of his head was pressed against her belly. Lucy looked down at Lincoln with her chin pressed against her chest, seeing Lincoln smiling that goofy smile.
Lincoln giggled and said in a funny tone, "Luuuuuccccyyy, my duchess of darkness and vampire princess. I'm on your tummy."
"Yes. Yes, you are," Lucy said before giving Lincoln head scratches, "You big goofy weirdo."
Lincoln closed his eyes while smiling with his tongue out to the side.
"That serum is really making Lincoln loopy," Lola said with her hands on her hips.
"He's a loopy goofball," Lana added.
"How long will this serum last?" Lori asked.
"It'll wear off within 24 hours," Lisa answered.
Lori rolled her eyes, "Just great."
"So, Lincoln's gonna be goofy and weird for 24 hours?" Leni asked.
"Unlikely, but most of it, yes. At some point, he'll sleep it off," Lisa answered.
"Well, we can't let anyone see him like this," Luan said.
"We'll just keep him here and let the serum do its thing, and eventually, he'll be all tuckered out and fall asleep," Lynn said as Lincoln played with her arms.
"We can do that. Besides, this might be fun. When's the last time any of us saw Lincoln this silly?" Lana asked with a smile.
"Good point," Lola answered.
"Yeah, it's been a while," Lori said.
"Totally. I miss that smile of his," Leni stated.
"Hey girls, guess what?" Lincoln asked.
"Chicken butt?" Luan guessed.
"No. Well, yes, but something else. Two things. One: I love you guys."
"Aww," Leni said with a warm smile.
"Did you know that?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, dude, but we'll never get tired of hearing it," Luna said.
"Cool, and you ladies love me, right?" Lincoln asked, giving a cute face.
Lori's eyes slightly widened with a slightly worried and somewhat sad face.
Lori answered seriously, "Yes, Lincoln, we do," she stroked Lincoln's hair, "We love you so much . . . with all our hearts."
The other sisters felt the pain and sadness in her voice as they looked at her. Leni and Luan placed their hands on Lori's shoulder. Lincoln, still loopy, hugged Lori's arm. Lori bent down and planted several kisses on Lincoln's face – Lincoln giggled as her hair tickled him.
"It's true, Linky. Never forget that. We'll always love you," Leni said before kissing Lincoln's face.
"Forever and ever," Lola added while kissing her brother as well.
"What they said," Lana said, following the latter of her sisters with kisses.
"Ditto," Lucy said, planting a gentle kiss as well.
"We all love you, Lincoln," Luan stated before kissing his face.
Lynn kissed his face, "You're very precious to us, Lincoln. You're very loved. We will make things right. We will be the sisters you deserve. I promise."
Lincoln smiled and squeezed Lynn a hug. Lynn lay on the bed with her brother, hugging him back. It took her a lot of strength not to cry as she nuzzled her face against the side of his head.
"What's the second thing?" Lori asked.
"Huh?" Lincoln replied.
"You said two things you wanted to tell us. One was that you love us. What was the second thing, Lincoln?" Lori asked.
Lincoln rolled from his side onto his back. Lynn lay on her side while resting on her elbow.
"Umm . . . oh yeah! One: I love you guys. And two: I have a belly button!" Lincoln said as he lifted his shirt to show his belly, followed by a goofy laugh.
His sisters all raised an eyebrow with an expression that said, 'Really? For real?'
"What about you girls? Do you have belly buttons like me?" Lincoln asked in a funny tone.
"Um, I don't think so," Leni answered.
All the sisters looked at her, baffled, with tiny pupils. Leni glanced around, "What? Lincoln's belly button is an innie. Some of ours are outies like the twins, Lisa and mine."
"Wait, your belly button is an outie? I thought it was innie like mine," Lori said while lifting her shirt up to reveal her belly button.
"Nope, it's an outie."
"Mine's an innie," Luna said.
"So's mine," Lynn said, lifting her shirt.
"Mine's an outie," Luan stated.
"Mine too," Lucy added.
"Wee! Belly button party! Belly buttons in the house!" Lincoln cheered before chuckling.
The girls watched as Lincoln laughed while lying in bed.
"This is gonna be a long and weird day," Luna said.
Meanwhile
Lynn Sr. got a call from his friend and co-worker Grant. Since Lori drove her and her sisters to the hospital to see Lincoln, Kotaro picked up Lynn Sr. and Rita in his car. They didn't say why they needed to come – it was better they see it for themselves.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Lynn Sr. and Rita's eyes were wide open, and their jaws dropped. The front of the sign of 'Lynn's Table Restaurant' was spray painted black at the lower half. Below the word 'Lynn's' was spray painted in big orange words 'A COWARD!' Kotaro showed the other side of the sign as well. On the other side, it was all painted black with orange-painted words, 'JUSTICE FOR LINCOLN!' Those words not only broke the parents' hearts but also confused them.
"Justice for Lincoln?" Lynn Sr. spoke.
"What does that mean?" Rita questioned.
"You don't know?" Kotaro asked.
"Know what?"
"Come inside. Grant's on his laptop watching the news now."
They went inside and sat down on a table. Grant pulled up the news video. A man and woman were sitting in a newsroom. Behind them was a picture of Lincoln and the viral video of him killing an alligator to save Lana.
Female newscaster: "Local hero Lincoln Loud has gone viral across social media. Lincoln is widely known for saving two of his sisters. He first made headlines after saving his older sister Leni from a runaway truck outside of Royal Woods Mall, and second, saving his younger sister Lana at an alligator wrestling match when a big bull gator broke out and almost killed her. Lincoln heroically saved her by killing the alligator attacking her and then killed another gator before it killed him."
Male newscaster: "Lincoln Loud is currently resting at the Royals Woods General Hospital after attempting to run away from home. According to the FBI of children's crimes, Lincoln was trying to get away from his sisters after they engaged in what they call the 'Sister Fight Protocol.' A system that the Loud sisters developed when two or more of them are in a serious fight. Lincoln stated that he fled so he wouldn't get caught in the crossfire of his sisters' hostility."
The camera then showed a dark-haired woman dressed in dark slacks and a black dress blazer jacket. She had her FBI tag clipped to her chest. She was standing in front of several microphones on a podium. A man in a suit and tie and a woman dressed similarly to the FBI with several police officers stood behind her – the man and woman must have been CPS.
"We interviewed Lincoln Loud this morning, and according to him, this 'Sister Fight Protocol' is something his sisters developed without him being informed or aware. He said he found out on his own a few years back. When it happens, his sisters' fights get more aggressive, and over the years, they've become more violent," the FBI woman stated.
"Why didn't he go to his parents when his sisters were fighting?" a reporter questioned.
The FBI agent explained, "Lincoln said that during the protocol, his parents only do one thing, and that's take the baby of the family and lock themselves inside their bedroom and wait it out. They don't do anything to intervene or stop the fighting. So, Lincoln didn't go to them because he couldn't, which is why he ran away from home."
That caused a lot of commotion among the reporters – many gasped with commentary and more questions.
"How and why did Lincoln end up in the hospital?" a reporter asked.
"Did his sisters have something to do with that?" another reporter questioned.
"Lincoln's plan was to stay at a friend's place and wait until things calmed down at his house since all his house. However, his friends in Royal Woods were out of town. The closest friend he had was in Great Lake City. So, he bought a bus ticket to go see her, but his sisters found out about the bus ticket and confronted him about it. Lincoln was scared they'd get angry with him, so he ran. When he got to the bus station after cutting through the park, he got hit by a car after trying to cross the street," the FBI woman answered.
The reporters talked all at once again, and then the agent spoke again.
"We're still investigating to get all the facts straight. Whether or not Mr. & Mrs. Loud will face any criminal charges and Social Services to be involved remains unclear at this time. We will answer more of your questions when more information is gathered with evidence," the FBI woman stated.
The parents were stunned. Below the video was a storm of comments calling for the arrest and lock up of Rita and Lynn Sr. for child neglect and endangering their children. There were dozens of harsh comments expressing how reckless and irresponsible they were as parents.
"Investigation?" Lynn Sr. asked.
"Lincoln talked to the police and the CPS?" Rita questioned.
"I guess so," Grant shrugged.
Rita and Lynn Sr. sat there taking slow but steady breaths. Kotaro brought them some water, and they drank it.
"Wha-what are we going to do, Rita?" Lynn Sr. asked with a worried look.
Rita let out a deep sigh before answering, "I think . . . I think we should look for a lawyer, Lynn."
To be continued in Loud Visions 2