The idea of the L-ementals was originally collectively created by AxelGripp, Khalalat, juribelit, Bry-Guy-1996, and Syfyman2xxx.
The cover image belongs to AxelGripp on DeviantArt and is used with permission.
This story was co-written with dubb1.
Chapter Eleven
Away from the Orchard, the Louds and escaped prisoners made it past the surrounding forest and into open field. They looked back and saw that they weren't being pursued,
"Alright!" Luna and Sam cheered, jumping a little.
"Don't celebrate just yet. We should put a little more distance between-" Luan advised, but she was cut off by one of the prisoners trying to attack her. And some of them began attacking the others.
"What the hell?" Lana protested, melting into the ground when a ground man more than twice her side came at her like a wrestler. Fortunately this made him miss and land face first in a part of the ground that wasn't her.
"What are you doing?" Lincoln asked, coming between two people trying to gang up on Clyde and Darcy. "We saved you!"
"You're Louds! You're terrorists! You're monsters!" The prisoners screamed, trying to fight them now that they were away from the Millers.
"Fine, if this is your idea of gratitude then go off on your own! There's a big world out there, go find somewhere to be then!" Lincoln roared, expelling some wind to knock them away but not hurt any of them.
Most of the prisoners looked willing to take him up on that offer, while a few looked more determined to keep up the fight. But Luan and Clyde got by Lincoln's side, followed by Luna, Lola, and Lana. So naturally Sam, Benny, and Darcy joined in too, creating a united elemental front.
"If you don't trust us, why did you help us fight the Millers?" Lincoln asked.
The prisoners didn't answer.
"They probably saw an opportunity to escape and decided that for a moment we were the lesser evil. Now, we're the greater evil." Sam commented.
"You want to fight us? Go ahead! Give your best shot!" Luna dared them, but none took the bait. "Or you can go off and find somewhere else to be! Out there with the infected and however many of Chandler's goons are out there looking for escaped prisoners like you!"
"It doesn't matter, nowhere is safe anymore." One of the prisoners lamented.
"So why look for more enemies?" Lincoln asked. "You guys don't really want to fight us, what you want is somewhere to be safe in. I know that there are safe zones out there, surely you can find one."
"Oh yeah? Then where is one?" Another prisoner demanded to know.
"Would you seriously believe us if we told you?" Lola remarked.
The prisoners were silent, and one by one they all sort of just started to walk away. No words were said, but distrusting ugly looks were thrown the way of the elementals, until nothing but their backs were shown to them.
"There. Now let's get out of here too." Luna claimed.
"Can we all fit in Vanzilla?" Clyde asked.
"I can fly so I don't need to." Lincoln noted.
"Hold on, we didn't say we were going with you guys." Sam pointed out.
"What?" Lincoln asked.
"Hold on Sam." Luna interjected. "I just got my brother back. We're not separating again just like that."
Sam just sighed, looking unhappy but she nodded.
"Am I missing something?" Lincoln asked.
"I'm assuming you've seen the bunker, right?" Luna asked.
"Yes."
"We don't really like spending too much time there."
"Why?"
Luna fidgeted. "It's cramped, it's too quiet, there's nothing to do, and I don't like seeing Mom and Dad the way they are."
Lincoln's eyes widened. "What's wrong with Mom and Dad?"
Luna looked surprised then turned to Luan. "You didn't tell him?"
Luan frowned. "I was going to, but you guys weren't responding to our signal. So we had to get you out of trouble. Lynn's group should be back there now, seeing Ronnie Anne and waiting to see Lincoln too."
"It's not our fault. We were trapped." Darcy argued.
"Oh I know. I'm not blaming you. But saving your rocky rumps was more important than telling him what happened to our parents."
"What happened?" Lincoln insisted.
There was some hesitation, as if no one wanted to admit this to him.
"Lincoln, Mom and Dad… got infected." Luan told him.
Lincoln gasped and he went pale, which as an air elemental meant he became barely visible. Still visible, but not so much anymore.
"It happened when the infection first started and began to spread. They fought it at first, but Lisa had to cryogenically freeze them to keep them from getting worse. Or reaching what we feared was the point of no return. I assume you've seen it when a sick person becomes covered in their own filth?"
Lincoln nodded. "It's like a zombie covered in puss and other fluids."
"Lisa has spent every day since then trying to find a cure to the L-Virus. But last year, we were betrayed and Chandler's forces raided our last hideout. We escaped with the pods to another bunker, but Lisa got captured."
"So did we." Lana added, and Lola nodded.
"But now we have a bigger problem." Luna claimed.
"Which is?" Lincoln asked, becoming more visible.
"Their pods are starting to fail, and without Lisa we don't know how to fix them."
Lincoln gulped. "So unless we get Lisa free too, as fast as possible, Mom and Dad… will die?"
Luna, Luan, Lola, and Lana all nodded. The others in the group looked crestfallen.
"Last year you said." Lincoln mused. "Last year, in the place where Ronnie Anne and I ended up, I had a way to try and come back. It didn't work, but I could hear Lisa's voice from the other side. And one of the infected came through. Was that the day this all happened?"
"I don't know for certain, but it could have been." Luan claimed.
"Where have you been Lincoln? What happened to you?" Lola asked.
Everyone looked at the air elemental expectedly.
"Let's get to the van, away from the Millers. Then I'll tell you guys everything."
It was late at night and in the bunker everyone was asleep except for Ronnie Anne. She was restless and worried.
'I'm not used to being away from Lincoln for this long. I can't help but worry.'
With Leslie asleep and Sid in the same room, Ronnie Anne felt comfortable enough to burn off some stress with a walk. She wondered where Lily was and found her asleep atop a solar panel, glowing like a star so the panel could absorb light all night long. Not wanting to bother her, Ronnie Anne went out the way she came in and after some effort reached the outside of the silo that stood as the bunker's cover.
"It's nice to see a normal night sky again." She whispered to herself, staring up at the stars.
"Was that not there where you were?"
Ronnie Anne jolted and out of reflex shot out a poison ball at what snuck up on her. Standing there was Lucy, and of course being a shadow the poison did nothing to her. Next to her there was a young girl, roughly twelve or so judging from the height and build, and she too was an elemental. But it was hard to say what she was made out of. Like Lincoln, she wasn't solid or liquid, but she didn't appear to be a gas. Rather she looked… kind of like a purple ghost that was out of focus.
"Sorry Lucy."
"It's alright. No harm, no foul."
"Why are the two of you up? And I'm sorry, but who are you?" Ronnie Anne asked, looking at the new girl.
"Sheesh, have you forgotten me already Lady Loca?"
The voice brought back memories, making Ronnie Anne smile. "Adelaide?"
"In the element."
"Wow, you've gotten so tall. What element are you? And why didn't I see you earlier?"
"Well, second question first, I prefer to sleep during the day now. My powers work best at night if I need to use them, just like Lucy. As for the first, I think I'm a soul or dream elemental. At least something along those lines."
"So you're just a soul right now? Wait, does that mean you're like that Nickelodeon show about the boy who could turn into a ghost?"
Adelaide laughed. "Me like Danny Phantom? I wish. I could have ended this war years ago if I was."
"So what can you do?" Ronnie Anne, curious.
"Not much. I can sort of sense thoughts and feelings. I can possess a person and control them, it's easier when they're asleep. I can read minds, but I have to touch them to do that. Right now, I can sort of sense your emotions. From you I'm getting… a little happy, but also afraid."
Ronnie Anne nodded and looked towards the horizon. "I'll feel better when Lincoln is back. For five years, he's been all I've had. I'm not going to lose him now if I can help it."
"It's okay, there's no way Leslie is going to grow up without her daddy." Lucy assured the poison elemental.
All of a sudden, Adelaide froze and looked west. "Someone's coming. More than one, I think… six. They're… curious? And I think a little annoyed? Oh wait, I recognize them now. It's Team Metal."
"Good, it took them long enough." Lucy remarked.
Given how dark it was, Ronnie Anne didn't get that good a look at them until they were closer. She did see six figures, three girls and three boys. One of the girls was made out of silvery metal that reflected the moonlight. Another girl looked to be made out of sand. And the third girl was made out of some black liquid that almost made her impossible to see in the dark were it not for the fact she was somewhat reflective as well. For the boys, all three were gemstones. One was green, one was blue, and one was red. Emerald, sapphire, and ruby if Ronnie Anne had to guess.
"Team Metal reporting back, Lucy." The metal girl said, stepping forward. She was clearly the leader of the group and the oldest one.
"Who's the new girl?" The boy made out of emerald asked.
"Guys, I have great news." Lucy said, smiling though it was hard to see. "Lincoln and Ronnie Anne are finally back."
There was a gasp before all eyes were on Ronnie Anne.
"Lincoln?" The girl made of black liquid asked.
"So close, but no. I'm the other one."
"Ronnie Anne?" The metal girl asked, stepping closer to try and see her better. "Oh wow, it is you. What kind of element did you become?"
"Poisons, acids, and apparently bases. I'm basically a walking chemistry set. You're Lynn, right?"
Lynn smiled and gave her a fist bump. "So where's my brother?"
"Saving Luna's group. They didn't respond to the message so he and Luan had to go see what's wrong. Hopefully they'll be back tomorrow."
"Crap." Lynn groaned, then looked to her teammates. "Well guys, we might as well bunk here for the night then."
"No complaints here." The girl made out of sand said.
"So wanna meet your niece?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"No way, you and Stinkin?"
"Yeah."
The girl made out of black liquid looked surprised and slightly hurt, but this was overlooked as Lynn insisted on getting inside the bunker.
"Be quiet. It's late at night and she's asleep." Ronnie Anne warned, following the metal girl.
Soon everyone went back inside, except for Lucy and Adelaide who remained outside to keep watch. Once inside, Ronnie Anne quietly led them to the room where Leslie slept, guarded by a sleeping Sid.
Right away, Lynn had to suppress a squee. Being one of the older Loud siblings, seeing a new baby wasn't exactly new to her, but she hadn't been old enough to remember seeing Lincoln brought home after his birth. This child, obviously not a newborn, still reminded her of how she did remember a very young Lincoln and it was triggering some old joy she hadn't felt in a long time.
"What's her name again?" Lynn asked, her voice almost strained due to forcing herself to whisper.
"Leslie. Leslie Marie Loud."
"She's adorable, she looks like you but has Lincoln's hair."
"How old is she?" The girl made of black liquid asked. In the better lighting of the bunker, Ronnie Anne got the impression that said liquid was some kind of ink or paint.
"Just a little over a year. She can say a few simple words, and no she doesn't keep saying poo-poo over and over again."
Lynn snickered a little. "We have to bring her to your family. They're going to want to see her too."
"Oh I intend to."
Morning came and everyone in Lincoln's group woke up. Vanzilla could only go so far during the night so they did what they could to get further away from the Orchard, but they could not complete the journey. As a result, they had to camp in the van for the night. It was uncomfortable, but the only option.
Lincoln, Lana, and Lola had slept outside. Lincoln so he could keep watch in case the Millers caught up to them, and the twins because their elements felt more comfortable in the open rather than in the vehicle. Fortunately they had been left alone for the night and woke up without a problem.
"Alright, let's give the old girl some time to charge up, and we'll get the heck outta here." Luan said as she stretched her limbs. Everyone was outside the van right now.
"I still find it hard to believe that all this time, you were in some other dimension bro." Luna said, rotating her sore shoulder.
"It makes about as much sense as everything else that happened to us." Sam remarked.
"I'm hungry." Benny claimed.
"There's a backpack in the van with food." Clyde told him.
"Hold it. I've got a better idea." Lola said, moving away from the others. She closed her eyes and then her feet dug into the ground like she was sprouting roots. After that she spread out her arms and faced the sun, basking in its warm rays. Within moments her arms extended in length and from the underside sprouted all sorts of fruits. Apples, oranges, cherries, grapes, and even some plums and pomegranates. Vines came out of the ground around her and grew tomatoes, carrots, snap peas, and even watermelons.
"Holy cow." Lincoln said.
"Now you see why the Millers came for me and her specifically." Lana commented, heading towards the van. The others however came towards Lola and picked the fruits and vegetables right off her.
"Ow! Ouch! Dammit! Be careful!"
"Stop!" Lincoln shouted. "You're hurting her!"
"It's okay Lincoln." Lola assured him, one eye open and her teeth grit. "Yes it hurts, but it's like tweezing my eyebrows. It's not going to be painless no matter how careful they are."
Lincoln didn't like it, but at least the others made quick work of it and harvested all of Lola's offerings. Lana came out with the backpack and a blanket which they gathered everything on. Lola uprooted herself and retracted her arms and vines, breathing heavily.
"Here you go sis." Lana said, offering her some potato chips and wheat crackers.
"Can't she eat this?" Lincoln asked, taking a handful of cherries.
Lola shook her head. "No, I can't eat my own fruit. It's like eating air… I mean, not like how you eat air, obviously."
"Oh, I think I get it." Lincoln stated. "In Nowhere Ronnie Anne and I did some experimenting. I think our powers work sort of like a combination of One Piece and Fairy Tail."
"Huh?" The twins asked.
"We can turn our bodies into our elements and produce those elements from our body. And we get power and health from eating our element, but we can't eat anything that comes from our bodies. It's like a weird combination of a logia fruit and dragon slayer magic."
"I don't know what you're talking about bro, but it sounds like what we've figured out ourselves." Luna stated, munching on some rocks from the ground. Lana did the same with the dirt. But everyone except Lola was eating the fruits and veggies too. Lola was helping herself to what was in the backpack, and she was scarfing it all down.
"Wow, Lola. I don't think I've ever seen you eat like that. You always said it wasn't ladylike and too fattening." Lincoln claimed. At that moment he noticed that Lola wasn't exactly thin either. She wasn't fat, but she sure as heck wasn't lean. If anything she was somewhat pudgier than most girls her age.
Lola frowned. "Pageants don't exist anymore, designer clothes are useless to a plant girl, and the whole damn world thinks we're terrorist monsters. Food is the one luxury I have these days. Let me enjoy it."
"Go ahead."
Everyone continued to eat. Luna and Lana ate some rocks and dirt while they were at it, and Lincoln of course helped himself to some air.
"Alright, so everyone, what should we focus on next? Finding Lori and Leni, or rescuing Lisa?" He asked.
Everyone looked at him like they weren't expecting that. But his sisters went from surprised to annoyed.
"Why should we go look for Lori and Leni?" Luna asked, bitterly.
"Guys, I get it. You're angry that they left you. But we can't just leave them out there for Chandler to find."
"How do we know they didn't betray us too?" Lola asked.
"I don't, but it's better to have them with us than Chandler finding a way to use them against us."
Nobody wanted to admit that, but Lincoln had a point.
"Alright, we'll look for them. But we'll wait until we get back to the bunker before deciding if they're a bigger priority than saving Lisa." Luna proclaimed.
Everyone nodded and resumed eating. After they were done, they decided to get Vanzilla going and drove back.
In the afternoon, Vanzilla made its way back to the bunker. It couldn't take the direct route in case of pursuers, so that ate up some time. The silo had been part of a farm, so apparently they hid the van in the abandoned barn on the property. Once that was done, they went to the silo and got inside the bunker.
"We're back!" Luan called out.
Right away Ronnie Anne came running into the main room, and of course she hugged Lincoln when she saw him. He naturally hugged her back.
"Where's Leslie?" He asked.
"Spending time with some of her self-appointed aunts and uncles."
As if summoned, several other people, now in flesh form, came out to greet everyone.
"Lincoln!" Several called out happily.
"Guys!" He said back, seeing the Action News Team. There was Zach, Rusty, Liam, and Stella. They all got into a group hug, though Clyde was out of it. Judging from the fact that he was being hugged by Sid, he didn't seem to mind.
"Welcome back, man."
"We're so glad you're alive."
"And uninfected too."
"It's good to see you all too." Lincoln said to his old friends. He made eye contact with Stella and he felt awkward, old memories and feelings coming to him. Judging from her eyes, she felt the same way. So neither looked at each other for long.
"Lincoln?" Lily asked, standing back a little since he was crowded.
The white-haired boy looked to the youngest Loud sister, then he smiled. "Lily? Oh wow, you've gotten so big since the last time I saw you."
"Yeah, well five years can do that to a girl."
Lincoln separated from his friends and came over to her, kneeling down and pulling her into a hug. She stiffened for a moment before comfort swept over her and she relaxed.
"You were the one I missed the most." He whispered.
That made Lily cry a little and return the hug.
"Papa?" Leslie asked, not understanding what was going on but she could tell her father was quite emotional.
"It's okay sweetie." Ronnie Anne assured her daughter.
"Alright everyone, we do have some more good news." Clyde stated, drawing all attention to him. He then gagged and coughed up the thumbdrive that he had been given earlier, having to store it inside himself all this time. "From what I've been told, Chandler has a lead on the whereabouts of Lori, Leni, and Bobby, and this can tell us where they are."
There was some surprise, but also some displeasure.
"Why should we go looking for those three? Let them stay lost for all I care." Lynn griped.
"Because I think this proves that they're not traitors. I mean, why would Chandler go looking for them if they're with him. Maybe they found something we can use against him. Or at the very least, we can get to them before he does." Clyde told her.
Lynn crossed her arms, still not convinced.
"Look, if nothing else, Lori and Leni still have the right to know I'm back and Bobby has the right to know Ronnie Anne is back." Lincoln added, standing up and letting go of Lily.
"Can't really argue with that." Luna noted.
"But what about Lisa? Shouldn't freeing her be a bigger priority? This place is basically held together with duct tape at this point. We need her back like… the day before yesterday." Stella claimed.
"We should split our efforts. Some of us go back to Great Lake, sneak in-" Ronnie Anne suggested.
"No!" Luna, Luan, Lynn, and Lucy said together.
"Great Lake is a lot more fortified than the Orchard was. With more elementals in there to sneak around or fight. They also have anti-elemental weapons and there are civilians there not afraid to fight for their supposed protector." Rusty explained.
"Lucy got in."
"I'm one person. One person can get in, but isn't enough to fight off the danger inside." Lucy clarified.
"If anyone is going to go in there, they're going to need all the help they can get once they are inside. And once we try to get everyone inside, there goes any el-" A brunette girl that Lincoln didn't recognize proclaimed.
"Hold it, let me say it!" Luan jumped in. "Once we go in, there goes the element of surprise."
She laughed a little, but no one else did.
"Jordan's right." Lynn said with a nod. "We can't do anything worth doing by moving like ninjas or using a Trojan Horse. The only thing we can do is a full on siege attack. So we're not going into that city unless it's everyone we have to use for that siege."
"Then let's go get Lori, Leni, and Bobby and we'll have three more." Lincoln recommended.
"He has a point." Liam said.
"And they are powerful elementals. We were a whole lot stronger when they were around." Zach added.
"But they abandoned us." Lynn reminded them.
"And I want to know why." Lincoln said firmly. "I didn't have a choice in leaving you guys. Maybe they didn't either."
"He's right." Ronnie Anne said, moving beside him while holding Leslie. "I know my brother, and there's no way in hell he'd just abandon everyone he knew. Not even for Lori."
"You knew your brother. Five years ago. We've all changed in that time, not just you." Luan reminded the Hispanic girl.
"You still love telling jokes. Luna still likes to make music. Lucy still likes to avoid the spotlight. The Action News Team is still friends. Five years doesn't change someone completely." Lincoln replied.
"Five years ago we were 100% human kids who had no bigger worries than school or what toppings would be on our pizza. Rest assured little bro, half a decade can make you become someone that even family doesn't recognize anymore." Luna said, almost sounding mournful.
Lincoln frowned and took the thumbdrive from Clyde. "Be that as it may, I'm going to find them before Chandler does. Then we can go get Lisa. We know she's not going anywhere. Is anyone going to go with me?"
"I am." Ronnie Anne said, just so there'd be no confusion over her involvement in all this.
No one else said anything, making the air and poison elemental unhappy.
"Bro, before I, or anyone here, say yes or no to this, let me ask you something first." Lynn said, stepping up to her brother. She didn't look or sound confrontational, instead she presented herself as caring.
"Yeah?"
"What are you going to do if you do find Lori and Leni, and it turns out that they didn't want to be found?"
Lincoln glanced around, seeing that everyone in the room, even Clyde and Sid, were in agreement with his athletic sister. This made him grit his teeth and make a fist.
"Was that what you all were thinking when Ronnie Anne and I were gone? That we
didn't want to be found?"
"Lincoln, we thought you were dead. After four years it was hard to believe anything else. It wasn't until Lisa told us she made contact with you that we had some hope of seeing you again." Lynn defended
"You had no choice in being away, but Lori and Leni? They walked away when we needed them. Mom and Dad needed them, and they still walked away." Luna added.
"If you really need to see them, we're not going to stop you. But what if they don't want to come back?" Lola asked.
"Yeah. Are you going to chain them up and drag them back here?" Lana added.
"And what if they do want to come back? Will you guys let them?" Lincoln asked back.
There was no response.
"Will you guys let them come back if they do want to come back?" Lincoln repeated, much more insistent this time.
"They abandoned us. A mere apology isn't going to cut it." Lily declared, and everyone nodded.
Lincoln looked around, seeing everyone was in agreement.
"Ronnie Anne, let's go visit your family." He said, and she nodded.
"Lincoln, what are you doing?" Clyde asked.
"I'm not the only one who was separated from family all this time. And Leslie deserves to meet her other relatives, too."
"Oh, so you're going to abandon us too?" Lily remarked, sounding angered.
"No, I'll be back. But whether or not I'm welcome back, that's up to all of you."
"Lincoln!" Everyone started, but he turned to air and headed to the exit. Ronnie Anne was quick to follow, bringing Leslie along. Everyone was surprised and didn't know what to do, but Lily did. She turned to light and immediately got between her brother and the door.
"Lincoln, please don't leave us, I'm sorry I got mad." Lily asked. There was no more anger in her, just fear and sadness.
"Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, we can't lose you guys too." Luna added.
"Lil, guys, I understand you all are mad, I do." Lincoln said, looking at them all. "But I have to try this. I have to at least try to bring us all back together. I promise after we go to see Ronnie Anne's family, we will be back. With or without Lori, Leni, and Bobby. And when I come back, I need you guys to be ready."
"Ready for what?" Lucy asked.
Lincoln grinned. "We're making a move to rescue Lisa when I get back."
"You actually have a plan?" Luan asked.
"It's me; when don't I have one? But by my count, including me there's only 19 of us here right now. We'll have a better chance of getting past Chandler's defenses and getting Lisa out of there with all our elements."
"Fine, dude, if it means saving Lisa and Mom and Dad, I'm willing to work with them. If you can get them to come back, that is." Luna told him.
"Give us a few days."
"We're coming with you." Clyde said, holding Sid's hand who nodded.
"Clyde-"
"You've got a kid and right now you don't know where you're going. And if anything happens, you don't have a way to contact anyone else. You will need some help with this."
"He's got a point." Ronnie Anne agreed.
Lincoln nodded. "Then let's get going."
"Stay safe." Lily warned, hoping that her brother would come back.
Clyde handed the thumbdrive to Stella. "Find out what's on this. Radio us when you have a location to tell us."
"No problem."
With that, everyone wished them well and thus Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, Clyde, Sid, and Leslie went back to the surface. Before they closed the door, a ray of light shot out and joined them.
"Lily?" Lincoln asked.
"I want to go along too. I never get to do anything anymore. I want to tag along on a mission for once."
"But what about-?" Ronnie Anne started.
"I'm light. As in super duper stupid fast, you know? I can be back here to recharge the panels in less than a nanosecond if I want. In fact…"
There was a momentarily flare, but nothing changed.
"There, I just flew around the entire planet. Satisfied?"
"Well… it's not like we can prove you wrong. Alright, you can come along, but I'm still your older brother so you listen to what I say, got it?" Lincoln told her.
Lily grinned. "Has that ever worked on anyone?"
"Let's just go."
And so with Lincoln as a cloud that Ronnie Anne rode on, and with Clyde and Sid bouncing along and Lily flying by them at a much slower pace, they headed off to the Casagrande's safezone.
"Do you actually have a plan?" Ronnie Anne whispered.
"Of course I have a plan." Lincoln assured her. 'I just wish I knew what it was.'