Disclaimer: I do not own anything, I make no money or profit from this.
Chapter 1: Homecoming
[Loud Residents]
It had been a whole year, summer vacation came once again. It had been a long and stressful year for the Loud family. Many people had asked the family about the absence of the only boy of the family, none more than his best friends Clyde McBride and Ronnie Anne Santiago. The story the family came up with was that Lincoln won a raffle and the prize was a trip to exotic country to learn about their culture and history. While not a complete lie, it was better than telling people that their 4 year old sent him to another world. Both Clyde and Ronnie Anne were skeptical about the story and tried many times to make one of the Loud sisters slip up. However they were unsuccessful everytime and were forced to accept the story. Many people were happily waiting for the young boy to return to hear what he had experienced. This helped the family hide how they were really feeling.
Inside the Loud house was much different than what was seen on the outside. Outside the house the family was the same loud, crazy, chaotic family. Inside behind closed doors however, people wouldn't think this was the same family. Lynn Sr. and Rita had become stricter and would punish the girls more when they misbehaved outside of the house. After what happened to Lincoln they realized they were too lenient on their children and gave them too much freedom.
Lori became more involved around the house since she was the oldest and she should have been looking after her siblings instead of always on her phone. Bobby and her were still in a relationship, but she wasn't constantly on the phone with him. She focused more on her school work and looking forward to colleges or university, whatever one she chooses. She also stopped having her siblings do chores for her to give them rides somewhere.
Leni was happy and ditzy outside the house, but inside she was depressed. She had become smarter and was no longer an airhead, but knew she kept up the appearance to not rouse suspicion. She spent her days in her and Lori's room making clothes, it would change every now and then but most of them were designed for a 12 year old boy. She would still socialize, but her family could tell it was hard for her to do so.
Luna had distanced herself from her band and her crush Sam Sharp. She couldn't enjoy playing music and having fun while her brother was god knows where. She tried to support her sisters more and be there for them. She still played music but it was either slow and saddening, or fast and angry. While Sam tried to support her as her friend, Luna kept pushing her away. She couldn't lie to her crush and be happy while not knowing if her brother was okay.
Luan continued doing her comedy business Funny Business Inc., but stopped making puns or jokes at home. Her family just ignored any jokes, puns, or pranks she did and was just punished by her parents. With Lincoln gone she was able to pull more small pranks, but all it did was get her family mad at her and punished. She realized with Lincoln missing, she couldn't bring herself to make people or her family laugh. So while she did the same routines for her comedy business, at home she focused more on school work and helping her family.
Lynn Jr. continued to be a star athlete, but she had changed over the last year. With Lincoln gone she noticed just how much her sisters didn't want to help her train in any sports. It didn't help that their parents had become more involved and would punish Lynn if she got too physical or crazy. Lana was the only one who would occasionally train with her, but she had to hold back immensely when training with her. She noticed how much she relied on her younger brother, as well as how much bullying she put him through. She would occasionally stare at his empty spot in the trophy case and think of ways to make it up to him when he returns.
Lucy kept her gothic ways, but stopped being so dark and morbid. After experiencing the personal loss of her brother vanishing, she couldn't continue on how she was. The things she wrote about in the past weren't even close to how she felt. While she still wrote dark and morbid poems, she came to realize that her life wasn't as bad as she thought. She just never tried that hard to reach out to others and her parents didn't help with not being involved with them.
Lana and Lola hadn't changed that much at first, but did a bit after seeing what was happening to their family. They stopped getting into as many arguments since now their parents were punishing them instead of just giving them a stern talking to. Lola had to stop blackmailing her family and others, as well focus more on school than her pageants so no homeschooling. Lana had to stop dumpsters diving, eating from the trash and floor, and stop bringing any animals she found home. Both girls complained and threw a fit, but came to see their parents were serious about this and wouldn't change their minds.
Lisa wasn't allowed to do anything science related unless it involved bringing Lincoln home. She didn't mind this, Lincoln would still send data from time to time so she knew he was okay. That or someone else had the device and was pushing the button at random times. After her parents made her remove the tracking chips from them and her siblings. Remove any hidden cameras and they had several long discussions with her about morals and ethics. While she argued with them about how what she did was for science, as well as claimed she wasn't bound by human emotions. They eventually broke through to her and made her see that what she did to her siblings was wrong, as well as illegal.
Lily was the only one who was taking Lincoln missing the best. While she did cry and call out for her brother, one of her sisters or parents would calm her down and soothe her. She did notice that her brother wasn't around, but the rest of the family always gave her attention so she stopped crying when she couldn't find him. However, part of her knew he was missing from the house. However, being so young she still tried to make those around her smile.
The entire family had gathered in Lisa's and Lily's room, the reason for why was because Lisa claimed to have finished the machine to bring Lincoln home. The machine was large as a portable toilet, looked similar to an old England phone booth, had no door, and was covered in panels with wires and cables.
"Are you sure this hunk of metal will bring Lincoln back?" Lynn Jr. asked with a questionable gaze.
"If my calculations are correct and he is still wearing the device, then yes" Lisa replied while checking everything over for the 3rd time.
"What if he's not or someone else is?" Lori asked while raising an eyebrow.
"That is why I have this" she answered while grabbing an odd gun from the top of her desk. "This is a modified tranquilizer gun, with a tranquilizer of my own creation. It's guaranteed to put anyone or anything to sleep within seconds. Once asleep, we can make sure they're secured and safely locked up before inquiring about where our brother is."
"Lisa we told you that you weren't allowed to invent or experiment on anything unless it involved finding your brother" Lynn Sr. told his second youngest with a disapproving look.
"In my defense farther, that's the reason I did make this" Lisa argued. Over the year she had stopped referring to them all as either sibling, mother, father, parental unit. This was because she stopped seeing them as test subjects or authority figures, but as the family they were. "While I, like most of you, believe Lincoln is okay. We can't rule out the possibility of something else having the device. This gun is just for protection, as well as potentially to obtain information."
"Lisa, be honest with us, what are the chances Lincoln still has the device?" Rita asked nervously.
"I say the chances are good, considering the time and type of data I have been receiving," the young genius replied with a small smile. "If someone else had it then they would have pushed the blue button, heard what it said and maybe used it as some sort of watch. However the data I received suggested something isn't using it like that. The data is sent after long periods of time and is different each time, suggesting that it is being moved to different locations."
"So that means our bro is okay," Luna said cheerfully.
"Not quite, but odds are that he is" Lisa rebuttal.
"Well hurry up then and bring Linky back" Leni stated happily. Lisa gave her family a nod before starting up the machine. As it roared to life and the inside began to be filled with light, the family watched on with hope and anticipation. Lisa grabbed the modified weapon and was ready to use it, should the situation call for it. As the light dies down, the family starts to see a figure emerge from it.
[With Lincoln]
Lincoln, who was now 13 years old, was sitting at a desk looking over paperwork in a room of an unknown building. He wore a sleeveless blue shirt with a silver vest over it, a black belt, silver pants and black boots. The vest had a red R on the front, his belt had several small balls attached to it, and he wore black beret hat. He let out a sigh before rubbing his face.
"This paperwork never ends," he said tiredly. "Why do I have to do all this?" Just then someone started knocking on the door to the room. "Enter" he said, already suspecting who it was.
The door opened and a 20 year old woman walked in. She had short pine green hair and maroon eyes. She wore a simple black skirt, belt, black long sleeve shirt with a large R on the front, black knee-length boots, and black gloves that go up to the forearm. She had a neutral expression and was carrying a stack of papers. "Here is the next stack of paperwork," she said calmly.
"Just put them on the desk," Lincoln told her while stretching. "Why am I doing all this? I'm an Elite Officer, shouldn't someone else be handling this?"
"It's because you're an Elite Officer you have to do this" she replied to him professionally, putting the stack on the desk. "How you became one, I'll never understand" she muttered quietly to herself.
"Don't tell me you're still mad because I'm a higher rank than you Wendy," he said in an exhausted tone, hearing her last comment. "You do remember I was originally kidnapped by you guys, before Admin Archer noticed I have a talent for training Pokemon. I'm sorry I'm not incompetent like those trio of idiots who keep losing to a ten year old. Or weak like that duo, Cassidy and Biff."
"The fact I have to take orders from someone seven years younger than me is humiliating!" Wendy said to him with a sneer. "You never went through training like the rest of us! You just showed up one day and started rising through the rankings and became an Elite Officer in two years! How am I not supposed to be mad?!"
Just as Lincoln was able to get a lazy reply, his body started to glow. Wendy took a few steps back and looked at him with worry, while Lincoln just smiled at what was happening. "Well you won't have to worry about that anymore" Lincoln told her with a smile. "Looks like I'm going home."
"Going home?!" She shouted with confusion. "What do you mean going home?!" She asked him, not understanding what was happening. His only reply was a smile and a wave. The glow intensified to blinding brightness, before fading away, taking the 13 year old with it.
"Hey! Sir, where are you?!" Wendy started to shout, looking around the room. As she continued shouting and looking for her missing superior, someone heard her and walked in.
He was a 26 year old man with spiky aquamarine hair, and teal eyes. He wore a long white sleeve shirt with a black undershirt and a R emblem printed near his right sleeve. He also wears a black belt, white pants, and white shoes. "What is going on here?" He asked the panicking woman. "I could hear your shouting from down the hall."
"Admin Archer!" Wendy said with fear. "Well you see…" she then explained everything that just happened. "...Then he was gone sir. I swear I didn't do anything to him."
"It's alright, I believe you" Archer told the frightened woman. "Perhaps he was telling the truth…" he said quietly to himself, before focusing on the grunt before him. "You are not to speak a word of this to anyone, am I clear?" he told her threateningly. Wendy nodded fearfully, understanding the threat. "Good, take this paperwork to someone else on my orders. If anyone asks, I sent Lincoln on a special mission and I'm the only one who will have contact with him. Now get a move on." Wendy quickly gathered all the paperwork and left in a hurry. Archer meanwhile took one last look around the room, before going to inform his boss about what happened.
[Royal Woods, Michigan]
The family held their breath as they watched the figure walk out of the machine. Soon they saw a familiar face. "Lincoln!" The family shouted, running to give the missing boy a hug. They crashed into him, knocking him to the ground. They all cried while hugging him, Lincoln simply smiled and tried to return the hugs. They eventually let him go and let him get up. It was then they noticed his clothing.
"I guess I have a lot to explain," he said with a sheepish smile.
