It was Saturday morning when Lincoln Loud rose out of bed with a painful groan; he was not in the best condition, especially after last night's events. Standing at 6'1 with a lean, muscular physique, Lincoln had grown a lot from the young boy he was.

"Damn, my ribs are still hurting, lousy jerk, but it was worth it to make that asshole pay for what he did to Stella,"

Last night was the Senior Prom for Lincoln and his friends; he had invited Ronnie Anne as his date. It was great at first, and everyone was having a great time until a jerk named Tony McCann ruined it. Tony McCann is Chandler's cousin who came to live with him for his senior year. He immediately charmed everyone as he seemed like the polar opposite of Chandler. Despite being a rich kid, he was often sweet and humble. His personality and looks endeared him to many high school girls, including Stella, who started dating him.

All seemed well at first, but everyone started noticing a change in Stella's behavior. First, she began to lose interest in her passions like journalism, and then she started flaking on Lincoln and the others, even when it was a significant event; finally, she began actively avoiding them, even quitting the action news team. By the time senior prom was around the corner, Stella was not who she used to be, spending most of her time with Tony.

Worried, Lincoln asked his girlfriend, Ronnie Anne, for advice. However, to his surprise, she was also dealing with a similar situation with her friend Nikki. Nikki also had a new boyfriend and gave up a lot of things she loved for him. Sid and Ronnie Anne tried talking to her, but it ended in a heated argument. About to give up, Ronnie Anne, and Lincoln noticed Nikki walking with someone they assumed was her boyfriend. Deciding to spy on them, they discovered, to their shock, that Nikki's secret boyfriend was Tony McCann. After getting a few incriminating shots, Ronnie Anne wanted to confront him, but Lincoln had a much better idea. Getting their friends on board, they decided to expose him on prom night. After recruiting Chandler, he revealed that Tony is a womanizer who wants to build his harem. He was sent to Royal Woods because he was caught dating multiple girls at once and had to leave after their fathers and brothers threatened to kill him.

On prom night, Lincoln confronted Tony, who denied everything even after he revealed the photos, claiming they were doctored photos—however, his attempts to save face ended when Sid and the others showed up with Nikki. The two women realized they were both played by him and in a fit of rage, they slapped him hard before walking away, humiliating him. To add insult to injury, Chandler had recorded the incident and secretly posted it on the internet, eradicating his plans for a harem. Angered and humiliated, Tony lashed out, attacking Lincoln. Tony proved a competent fighter; however, Lincoln's training from his sister Lynn and Myrtle's spy/martial arts training helped him even the playing field. By the time Lincoln won, most of the party was destroyed by their fight, and Lincoln and Tony were arrested after being taken to the hospital to treat their injuries. However, Lincoln's parents bailed him out an hour later.

"I'll kick that jerk's ass again for that sucker punch!" Growled Lincoln, rubbing his swollen cheek.

Despite the pain, Lincoln was still hungry as he left his room and headed to the dining room, where his younger sisters and his parents were eating.

"Morning everyone," said Lincoln.

"Geez, Lincoln, you look terrible," said Lola.

"You should see the other guy," joked Lincoln before high-fiving Lana.

Lincoln ate slowly at the table to avoid agitating his sore mouth. Lynn Sr. and Rita gave each other a worried look before turning to Lincoln, who instantly knew something was wrong.

"Okay, guys, what's up?"

"We got a few phone calls while you were asleep, and we have bad and worse news," said Rita.

"What's the bad news?"

"Because of the fight last night, you've been suspended, and there's even talk of barring you from the graduation ceremony at the end of the month,"

"Hey, I didn't start that fight; I was defending myself against that jerk,"

"We know, son," replied Lynn Sr.

Lincoln takes a deep breath. "Okay, what's the worse news?"

"We got a call from a lawyer," said Rita.

"A lawyer?"

"Tony's father is threatening to sue you for attacking his son,"

"WHAT!" Yelled Lincoln before wincing in pain. "That jerk attacked me, and I'm being called the attacker!?" he quietly screamed.

"We know sweetie,"

"What about everyone at the prom, like Clyde, Stella, or Ronnie Anne? They saw everything that happened or the video Chandler uploaded on the Internet?"

"The lawyer argued that since they're your friends, their statements cannot be used as they would naturally lie to protect you, and the video was taken down claiming it could've been doctored,"

"Did he even get suspended?"

The look on his parents' faces told Lincoln everything, causing him to sigh.

"I assume Vic had something to do with that,"

"Ever since Vic became mayor, it became easier for jerks to do whatever they want," complained Lola.

After Mayor Theresa Davis' terms were up, her former campaign manager, Vic McGillicuddy, ran and somehow became mayor. It didn't take long for him to show how corrupt he was, normally taking bribes and allowing businesses that weren't allowed to open up in Royal Woods before were now allowed. Although the townspeople knew he was taking bribes, no one could prove it since he covered his tracks. One particular business was The Royal Woods Spa; an unknown wealthy person had bought it and turned it into a hotel/ casino/ strip club. The townspeople, including the Louds, protested this; however, Vic claimed it would bring in more tourists and revenue for the town, asking people to keep an open mind. This did bring people in, the wrong kind, as there was a steady rise in crime, though Vic claimed the data was unfounded.

"Does anybody have any good news? I'll take anything,"

"Well, if you must know, my nanites project is flourishing," informed Lisa

"Nanites?"

"I've been working on a new medical procedure with microscopic robots called nanites," Lisa said. "Think of it: male sibling, once injected, they can analyze the patient's sickness and cure it. No more chemo; they'll eliminate the cancer cells and tumors, mend broken bones in minutes instead of weeks or months, fix damaged organs, and so much more,"

"Sweetie, I'm happy you're trying to better the world, but I do hope you've worked out the bugs," cautioned Rita.

"One miscalculation with my anti-flatulence medicine and everybody overreacts,"

"Lisa, your sister Lori had multicolored flaming farts for a month," informed Lynn Sr.

"That was awesome; you could tell what Lori ate from the color of her farts," cheered Lana.

"I appreciate everyone's concerns, but I've learned from my mistakes; I'm not Jimmy Neutron, for Pete's sake," Lisa said. "I still need to run a few more simulations before I test them in the field, but for now, they are stored in my lab at the institute,"

Lincoln seemed genuinely interested in Lisa's project; however, Lincoln realized he had somewhere he needed to be.

"I'll see you guys later

"Where are you going, Lincoln?" asked Lucy.

"Stella called last night and asked if we all could meet up, so the guys and I are heading to Gus,"

"Sweetie, I know you want to clear things with Stella, but you should focus on healing,"

"I'll be fine, Mom; a few bruised ribs and a sore cheek aren't going to stop me. besides, Lola hits harder than that jerk,"

"Damn straight I do!"

"Lola," berated Lynn Sr.

"Sorry,"

"Oh, and Dad, I'll be at the restaurant for the closing shift at one,"

"Okay, son, but please take it easy,"

…Later…

After getting changed, Lincoln headed to Gus's; he called Ronnie Anne along the way, who had a similar intervention with Nikki. After arriving at Gus's, to his surprise, he was the last one there. Clyde, Zach, Rusty, Liam, and Stella were already there. Sitting down, the table was silent before Stella came out and apologized.

"Guys, I'm sorry for how I've been acting,"

"It's not your fault, Stella," said Rusty.

"It's that asshole's," said Zach.

"No, I let him manipulate me; he had me believing he was all I needed, and I turned my back on the people who really cared," Stella cried. "I wasted my whole senior year on that bastard!"

"Stella, he was manipulating Nikki too; I'm just happy you both realized the truth," assured Clyde.

"It's easier to see the truth when you're not looking at him through rose-tinted glasses, but there's something else I need to tell you guys; he called me last night,"

"That sick sac of fertilizer has a lot of nerve!" Growled Liam.

"What did he say?" Asked Rusty.

"He said the mayor personally came down and bailed him out,"

"Well, obviously, he's trying to kiss Tony's Rich Daddy's ass," said Lincoln.

"Well, that's not all; he tried to convince me his relationship with Nikki meant nothing, and when I didn't buy it, he became angry and demanded I take him back and apologize or else,"

"Or else what?"

"He said his dad will make sure Lincoln gets up to a year in prison for assault and make life miserable for the rest of you guys and your families,"

"Guess there's no need to keep up the nice guy act anymore," said Lincoln.

"You're not considering taking that self-entitled Rich jerk back, are you?" Asked Rusty.

"Maybe I should. It's my fault all this happened to begin with, and the thought of all of your lives being ruined because of me feels like too much to bear,"

"No way we won't let you do it; I'm not afraid of that jerk or Vic. I think it's finally time for the action news team to expose Vic. Are you guys in?"

Everyone smiled before talking about how to take down their corrupt mayor. To Lincoln, it felt like his friend group was finally whole again. Later, he headed to work at Lynn's Table. he knew Luan would be working there today since Saturdays were their dad's day off, and she usually substituted as head chef during the weekend when she's not on tour.

"Hey Luan, give me a minute, and I'll go get changed and start waiting tables,"

"Hold on, Lincoln, Mom and Dad told me about what's going on,"

"Okay,"

"I just want to make sure you're okay,"

"Relax, Luan, I'm fine. I'm not afraid of that jerk; you're more terrifying than he is on April Fool's Day," Lincoln joked.

"If you want, I can do the cleanup tonight,"

"No way. I know you and Benny have a date in Great Lake City, and I won't let you miss it, so I'll take over the kitchen at 6:00, clean up once we close for the day at 10:00, and be home by midnight. I'll even check in with you,"

"Well, I also spoke with Leni, Luna, and Lynn, and they both said that they're going to take some time off from work to see you,"

Leni, Luna, and Lynn lived in Great Lake City when they weren't traveling; Luan was the only older sister who still lived in Royal Woods, although she and Benny regularly did shows in Great Lake City.

"Tell them I'll see them at my and Ronnie Anne's graduation party at the end of the month, don't worry about me. I'm fine,"

"Okay,"

"Geez, you guys are acting like I can't take care of myself. Don't forget I won that fight,"

"I know, but you're still our little brother even though you're taller than all of us,"

"Luan, I'm fine. I appreciate everyone's concern, but you don't have to worry about me. I'm not going anywhere,"

The rest of the day went smoothly until closing. Luan had already left, and Lincoln was doing the cleanup.

"There, done, Dad should hire a cleaning staff,"

Stepping out of the restaurant to lock it down, Lincoln found himself struggling with the lock.

"Dang it, I thought Dad fixed this thing,"

Caught up in trying to lock the door, Lincoln failed to notice someone coming up behind him.

…3 hours later…

Lynn Sr. and Rita were pacing the floor, wondering where Lincoln was. It was 3:00 in the morning, and they hadn't heard anything; every time they called his phone, it went straight to voicemail. It wasn't uncommon for Lincoln to stay out late, especially if he had something to do, but he would at least call to let everyone know he was fine.

"Lynn, we need to head down to the restaurant and see what's going on," said Rita.

"You're right; Lucy can watch the girls while we find out what's going on,"

Before they could leave, they received a phone call from, to their shock, the police telling them to come to the restaurant. Quickly arriving, they discovered that Lynn's Table had been broken into, robbed, and vandalized. The dining area was trashed, the tables were flipped and broken, and the chairs were slashed. The kitchen was no better as all the appliances were smashed, Lynn Sr.'s office had also been broken into, and all the money stored in the vault was gone. Despite seeing his dream destroyed, Lynn Sr. didn't have time to mourn; his primary focus was on something more important. Lynn Sr. and Rita rushed to a detective in charge of the investigation, frantic with questions.

"Our son, where is our son!?" Said Rita.

"Huh?"

"Our son was locking up for the night, and he didn't come home,"

"This sounds like an inside job to me," whispered a beat cop to another.

Unfortunately for them, Rita heard this and was about to lunge at the cops but was stopped by Lynn Sr. and the detective.

"Ma'am, I understand you're upset, but as police officers, it's our job to assess any possible outcome," said the detective. "Although openly discussing it within an earshot of the potential victim's family is against the rules, criticized the detective, sending the two cops outside.

Rita cooled down, and her anger turned to sadness, full of worry for her son, and Lynn Sr. tried his best to comfort her.

"Mr. and Mrs Loud, I can't give you all the facts yet, but from what I can summarize, there was a struggle, meaning your son fought back. Beyond that, I'm not sure, but the moment I find out, I will notify you immediately,"

The detective tried his best to assure them that Lincoln was okay without giving false hope. However, this night was far from over. Suddenly, Rita got a phone call from Lori; the only thing she could hear was Lori screaming and crying along with Ronnie Anne. Rita tried to get Lori to calm down enough to tell her what was wrong, but only what she could make out was "Lincoln."

"Lori, slow down; what about Lincoln?"

Eventually, the phone was taken by a distraught Bobby, who then explained everything. Rita's skin turned white, and her pupils shrunk, hearing every word as she looked at her husband.

"Lincoln was found beaten half to death outside the Great Lake City hospital!" Said a horrified Rita. "They don't think he's going to make it,"

Lynn Sr.'s life felt like it was crashing down; somehow, he managed to keep from breaking down as he called Lucy.

"Lucy, get your sisters up and dress now; we're heading to Great Lake City now!"

…Later…

What usually took 3 hours to get to Great Lake City was done in half the time as Lynn Sr. drove like a madman. Upon arriving, they found Lori, Leni, Luan, and Lynn Jr. in the waiting room with the Casagrandes. Luna was the only one not there since she and the other Moon Goats were on tour; however, she and Sam were looking into flights. Lori and Leni immediately ran to their parents while Lynn Jr. continued to punch the wall she had been hitting for hours, leaving a dent in it. Ronnie Anne was being comforted by Hector and Rosa.

"Mom, Dad, who could've done this and why?" Asked Leni.

"It was that bastard Tony, the guy Lincoln fought at prom; he had to be behind this!" Roared Ronnie Anne.

"If that's true, I will castrate him personally!" Threatened Lynn Jr.

"I was right there…I shouldn't have left him," muttered a distraught Luan.

Everyone turned to Luan, who had broken down, blaming herself while Benny tried to comfort her.

"I left him alone, and look what happened, I'm a terrible sister," cried Luan.

Before anyone could talk, Maria Santiago walked in with a grim look on her face.

"Mom?"

"He's stable for now, but he's still in horrible shape; both his arms and legs are broken, so are his ribs, his back broken, there's trauma to his skull, and the doctors fear there could be more. This wasn't just a beating; Lincoln was tortured; the pain was so bad he had to be put in a medically induced coma; it's a miracle he was still alive when they found him," explained Maria. "The doctors said even if by some miracle he recovers, he won't be the same physically; there's a high chance he'll be paralyzed from the neck down,"

"Oh God, Lynn," cried Rita.

"I'm gonna rip that bastard's spine out through his ass!" Yelled Ronnie Anne.

"And then I'll shove it down his throat!" Finished Lynn Jr.

"Enough! I understand we are all upset, but violence will not help Lincoln; the best we can do now is hope for the best," said Rosa.

Everyone agreed, but Lynn Sr. and Rita wanted to see Lincoln. Maria decided only to let them in, but they didn't stay long. Seeing their son wrapped up head to toe in bandages and on life support was too much, as they walked out crying. Rosa offered the Louds to stay with them, but no one wanted to leave, and they got permission to sleep in the waiting area. As the Louds and Ronnie Anne slept or tried to, Lisa was pacing outside the hospital as if she were waiting for something or someone.

"I refuse to leave my brother's fate up to hope, not when I can save him!"

Suddenly, a portal opened, with Todd falling through.

"There you are, Todd. Did you bring it?"

Todd got up before presenting a syringe filled with blue liquid inside. The liquid was actually Lisa's nanites; she had Todd load a large amount into a syringe and bring it to her, hoping it could heal Lincoln.

"Excellent, good work,"

"I do not think this is ethical; you said yourself your nanites need more simulation training before field testing,"

"I know, but I can't lose my brother, and this may be his only chance now; c'mon, sunrise is in an hour,"

Running back inside, Lisa crept past her family into the ICU; after a few moments, she found Lincoln's room. Seeing Lincoln's state nearly floored the usually stoic child, but it also increased her determination to save her brother. Checking his charts and his vitals, showed his condition was worse than what Maria had said; Lisa knew this was his only chance

"Okay, we inject the nanites into intravenous and let them take over,"

As Lisa was about to inject the nanites, Ronnie Anne immediately stopped her; she had woken up to see Lisa sneaking into the ICU and followed her. Before Lisa could inject her nanites, Ronnie Anne snatched the syringe.

"Give that back!"

"Lisa, what are you doing!?"

"I don't have time to explain; just let me inject my nanites and save my brother,"

"Lisa, you can't just do that,"

"Ronnie Anne, look at him. Do you think he can recover from that?"

Ronnie Anne turned and looked at Lincoln; this was the first time seeing him like this. Maria ensured Ronnie Anne didn't see Lincoln, afraid of the mental stress it might cause her. Seeing her boyfriend in that state made Ronnie Anne sick, so much so that she almost dropped the syringe. Ronnie Anne wanted to believe Lincoln would recover, but seeing his state, the only thing happening was that he was dying slowly.

"Please, Ronnie Anne, this is his only chance,"

"Are you sure this is the only way?"

Lisa nodded, her eyes tearing up; this caught Ronnie Anne off guard, seeing the ordinarily stoic girl plead.

"Okay,"

Ronnie Anne took the syringe and injected the nanites into the I-V bag herself. They watched as the nanites and the fluid mixed and began flowing into Lincoln.

"What do we do now?" Asked Ronnie Anne.

"We wait,"

They snuck back into the waiting room while Lisa sent Todd home. The two sat there praying that what they did would save Lincoln. A few hours later, Luna finally arrived with Sam; everyone updated her on the situation.

"Dudes, this isn't right how can someone do this to him?" cried Luna while Sam hugged her.

Suddenly, Maria walked in, causing everyone to focus on her as they all wanted to see Lincoln.

"Okay, I've gotten the okay from the doctor, but you can only go to at a time,"

Everyone agreed, and Lori and Leni were allowed to go first since their parents saw him last night. Leni trembled in fear, but Lori comforted her as Maria led them in the back.

"Mom, Dad, what are we gonna do?" asked Luna.

"I don't know, sweetie; I don't even know what to tell the police when they come this afternoon,"

Everyone stayed silent while Luna and Luan got ready for their turn. Suddenly, everyone heard Leni yell, followed by Lori's scream, "Oh My God, Lincoln." Fearing the worst, everyone ran in without a second thought, but when they entered, everyone froze next to a shocked Lori, Leni, and Maria. Everyone was shocked to see Lincoln not only standing, but his wounds were healed. Everyone couldn't understand how this happened, considering the horrible shape he was in last night.

"Hey guys," said Lincoln.

"Son, how is this possible? Are you okay!?" asked Lynn Sr.

"I'm great, Dad, in fact, I feel better than I've had before,"

End of Ch. 1