The Adventures of Logan Loud Chapter 14: Arresting a Creep & Really Loud Music, a loud house fanfic

Chapter XIV: Arresting a Creep/Really Loud Music

Logan pulled his car into the parking lot of Agnes' old apartment building, wearing the watch and goggles that Lisa and Geoff had completed three duplicates of. After exiting his vehicle, he twisted the face of the watch and tapped the nosepiece of the goggles, donning his new disguise.

"Mic check. Can you hear me, Geoff?" he asked into his mask's built-in communicator.

"Loud and clear, Logan. Scanning building for possible traps," Geoff replied into Logan's earpiece. "All clear. Proceed to southeastern ground-floor window." The advanced night-vision and scanning technology in the goggles made the indicated window light up in pale blue. The window was unlocked and didn't have an alarm, so Logan slid it open and slipped inside. "Be careful, Logan. The hall is lined with several closed-circuit security monitors."

"Copy that, Geoff. Jamming the signal now," Logan said and tapped the touchscreen on his left armguard. If his target was watching the TVs connected to the cameras, all he'd be able to see was static. Logan crept silently down the empty hallway, his goggles alerting him to the doors on either side of him that led to occupied apartments. It was inevitable that Melman would resist arrest, so great care would need to be taken in order to not arouse the residents from their slumber. Logan reached the door to Melman's apartment and slipped a slender pin-like tool from his belt to pick the lock.

The lock opened with a soft click, and Logan entered the apartment. A wave of revulsion hit him when he saw the pictures plastered to each and every wall: young women and underage girls in various stages of undress, some not wearing clothes at all. Logan was even startled to recognize his sisters Lola and Leni, with Lola's picture belonging to a newspaper clipping about one of her many pageant triumphs while Leni's had clearly been taken from the tree outside her and Lori's bedroom window. Leni had her back turned and was brushing her hair with a towel around her body, seemingly having just taken a shower.

"That does it! This sicko's going down!" Logan growled, clenching his teeth and fists in anger.

"Atta boy, Logan! Knock that Peeping Tom down a few pegs!" Geoff encouraged. "Sensors indicate that the walls have been soundproofed. You are free to engage!" Logan stormed around the apartment until he found Melman's bedroom, Melman himself snoring like a chainsaw while lying on his stomach. Logan ripped the covers off, grabbed Melman's ankle, and flung him across the room like he weighed as much as a pillow. The impact jarred Melman from his slumber, and he burbled in confusion when Logan attacked again. He kicked Melman's solar plexus as the man lay on his side, sending ripples across his ample stomach. He then grabbed Melman by what little hair he had left and punched his face repeatedly, blackening one eye and breaking his nose and three of his teeth. His target having been stunned, Logan dragged Melman to the living room and handcuffed him in only a pair of gym shorts to the ceiling fan.

"That's for peeping on my sisters, you filthy pedo!" Logan spat. Just then, his communicator made a repeated chirping noise. "Geoff, what does that sound mean?"

"It means there's someone else in the apartment. They may be hiding, so I suggest activating the infrared vision feature." Now able to see heat signatures, Logan drew one of his firearms and slowly inspected the apartment. According to his goggles, the other party was hiding in Melman's closet. Turning off the infrared vision, Logan steeled himself for an attack and flung open the doors. The attack never came; where one would normally hang clothes, a small girl dangled from a rope tied to both wrists, a patch of duct tape secured over her mouth. She had been stripped of all clothing and showed clear signs of abuse, and her long red hair was limp and greasy, so she had been held captive for a while. She had been struggling before Logan opened the closet, but once she saw him, she struggled even harder.

"Hey, hey, take it easy! I'm the good guy, see?" Logan said and deactivated his facemask after lowering his hood. This had the desired effect, as the girl stopped struggling altogether. "I'm gonna get you down from there. Would you like that?" She nodded vigorously. Logan untied her, set her down on the ground, and carefully removed the duct tape. "What's your name, kid?" The girl let out a croak and mimed taking a drink, so Logan slipped one of Melman's T-shirts over her head and got her a glass of water.

"M-my n-n-name's L-Lindsay Sweetwater, sir," the girl nervously stated once her parched throat had been soothed. Logan recognized her name; for nearly a week, she had a picture in the newspaper reporting her missing and offering a substantial reward for her safe return.

"Okay, Lindsay, here's what I want you to do. Once I leave, I want you to call nine-one-one. Tell them who you are, where you are, and everything that man did to you. When the police get here, give them this note," Logan told her, writing a note on a piece of paper he found lying around and setting her up next to the landline telephone in the living room. Lindsay conveyed her fears about Melman getting free, so Logan sprayed a sedative in his face that would keep him unconscious for the next several hours. Logan climbed out Melman's bedroom window, got into his car, and drove away.

...

That weekend, Logan was visiting his family when Luna ran down from upstairs, excitedly screaming, "I'm in! I'm in! I'm in!"

"In what? In what? In what?" Leni asked.

"America's Next Hitmaker, dude! I sent my application, and my song made it to the top five!"

"The song you've been working on all week?" asked Lincoln.

"Play it loud! Play it loud! I got no time for turnin' it down!" some of the sisters recited slightly out-of-tune.

"Actually, I submitted a different one. I wanted to make sure it was a song the whole world would love!" said Luna. Just then, Logan's phone chimed. It was a notification that his superiors had approved his request to investigate Doug Rockwell and Michelle Lewis, the hosts of the very show Luna had applied for. Logan's face didn't show it, but he became very nervous. If the rumors about Doug and Michelle were true, then Luna could very well end up in a boatload of trouble.

"When will your interview be?" he asked Luna.

"This afternoon, actually. Why?"

"Mind if I drop you off? I need to do some shopping anyway, since I have two extra people living with me now." Agnes and Cristina were currently having some mother/daughter bonding time at a nearby spa (Logan's treat, of course).

"Sure, I guess. Let's leave now so I can get my place in line." A few minutes later, Logan pulled up to the Royal Woods Amphitheater with Luna in the passenger seat.

"Now, Luna, I've been hearing certain rumors about those hosts and the kinds of deals they make with the contestants. If you see anything suspicious or if anything makes you uncomfortable, tell either our parents or me. Got it?" Logan asked his sister before she could get out of the car.

"No worries, bro, I can handle anything they throw at me. Louds never quit!" Luna exclaimed. Right as she finished speaking, a girl slightly older than her burst through the door and ran away sobbing, leaving Logan and Luna to stare after her. "Yep, totally got this." Logan made sure Luna was safely indoors before driving to the grocery store.

...

When Logan returned to his house after an hour, he noticed a faint trail of pink glitter leading to his family's front door. He didn't think much of it (since Lola was known to go overboard with her makeup on occasion) and stepped into his own house to put his newly acquired groceries away. With nothing better to do, Logan went back next door to his family and saw an unfamiliar teenage girl with long pink hair, a pink dress, and lots of glittery pink-and-purple makeup.

"Oh, hello! And who might you be?" he asked.

"Really, dude? You too?" the teen responded with Luna's voice in a deadpan tone, causing Logan's eyes to bug out in surprise.

"WHAT THE...!?" he shouted and almost fell backwards.

"Chill, dude, sheesh. Doug and Michelle said I look too much like a metalhead to play Bubblegum Pop, so they gave me these new duds," Luna explained. "I'm cool with it, though. Sometimes you have to play the game to get the fame."

"That's a terrible mantra. You know that, right?" Logan asked her.

"Oh, you're a fine one to talk! You've been playing the government's game for the last ten years!" Luna shot back, then clapped her hands over her mouth. Logan stood there in shocked silence before frowning.

"How did you find out?" It was Lori who answered him.

"There are two things you need to know about our family, Logan: one, Lisa doesn't have any room in that egghead of hers for anyone's secrets except her own, and two, apply enough pressure and Lincoln will eventually crack. We've known ever since the two of you came back from your bonding time. You really should've told us sooner, bro, so why didn't you?"

"Because I didn't want you to worry. If all of you found out the truth of my job all at once, there was a chance someone might've raised a stink about me risking my life. As worried as you older girls got every time I came home from school hurt in some way, I don't know if I can handle twice the number of people fretting over me."

"Seriously? That's it?" Lynn Jr. asked with a scoff.

"Sweetie, you're a man now. If this is what you want to do for a living, none of us are gonna stop you," said Rita. "Just try not to do anything dangerous too often, okay? After all, my grandkids will need someone to be their father!"

"Mooooom! I'm not even dating!" Logan griped, rolling his eyes.

"Yet your stunningly attractive female roommate just happens to be your childhood crush," Lisa pointed out and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Can we go back to the subject of Luna's potential bad choices, please?" Logan pleaded.

"Logan does have a point, Luna. You know how much you and your sisters hate being taken out of your comfort zones," said Lynn Sr.

"Look, dudes, doing gigs with my band isn't cutting it. If I wanna get my name out there, this is the way to go!" Luna argued before storming to her room. Everyone else was silent for several moments.

"Maybe I should've told her that Doug and Michelle are the subjects of my current investigation," Logan finally said, leaving his family shocked.

...

A few days went by, and the night of Luna's performance came. The performers' families got in for free, so Logan only had to buy tickets for Agnes and Cristina. While the rest of the crowd watched the other contestants, Logan was busy using a camera drone to spy on Doug and Michelle, who stood just out of sight on the left side of the stage unless introducing or dismissing a contestant. Luna was scheduled as the very last act, and her turn finally came.

"And now, for our final contestant, a Royal Woods native! Give a big round of applause for...Lulu!" Doug announced over the microphone, and a spotlight moved to where Luna stood on the stage in her new pink-and-purple outfit. She looked ashamed and was holding a white guitar with a pink neck and bold pink letters spelling out her new stage name.

"LULU?!" Logan and his family shouted.

"What kind of a name is that?!" Lincoln demanded.

"Her guitar doesn't even have any strings!" exclaimed Logan, who had the best eyesight out of all of them.

Luna stepped up to the microphone, and the silent crowd looked at her expectantly.

"Sorry, I made a huge mistake," Luna said. "This isn't who I am. I'm not Lulu! I...am LUNA LOUD!" Luna tore off the pink wig and used it to wipe off her hideous makeup. She then ripped off her costume, revealing her regular clothes underneath. "Chunk, axe me!" A heavyset man with a nose ring tossed Luna a bright purple electric guitar before climbing onto the stage and taking a seat behind the drum set. Luna started a guitar riff, and the audience cheered. The cheering increased once Luna started singing.

Rock n' Roll is running through my veins (Hey! Hey!)
Electric soul like wires to my brain (Hey! Hey!)
Can't be wrong, don't need direction
I can find my way...

Play it Loud!
Play it Loud!
I got no time for turnin' it down!
Play it Loud!
Play it Proud!
I live it
I breathe it
Don't tell me I don't need it now!
Play it Loud!
Sorry, I'm not sorry for being proud!
Play it Loud!
Turn it up until the speakers blow out!

"YOU'RE DISQUALIFIED!" Michelle screamed angrily from the side of the stage, but Luna just gave a defiant grin and continued to play.

First things first, I ain't no second place (Hey! Hey!)
Rules are meant for bendin' 'til they break (Hey! Hey!)
Right or wrong with no exceptions
Rockin' out my way...

Luna raised her fists in triumph in front of the screaming crowd, whose furious applause reverberated through the theater for nearly two minutes.

When everyone calmed down some, Luna asked over the microphone, "These two fools to my right say I'm disqualified. What do you say, Royal Woods?!"

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the crowd jeered angrily, but not at Luna.

"Do you know what you've just given up?!" Doug demanded from the ground, having been blasted off of his feet by a shockwave from the amplifiers.

"Yeah, but I know what I'm keeping: the real Luna Loud!" Luna replied.

"Funny you should mention that," Michelle said with a hostile smile. "According to the fine print of the contract you willingly signed, what you claim to be the 'real Luna Loud' no longer exists. You, your name, and your music all belong solely to US now!"

"What?! Bogus, dude!" Luna cried in disbelief. Doug and Michelle both pulled guns on her.

"Let's go, Lulu. Dressing room, now!" Doug demanded. "First we'll get you a new costume, then we'll make sure you never play Rock n' Roll ever again!" Luna could only stare in fear until a fully costumed Logan swung down on a rope, sending his sturdy boots into Doug and Michelle's chests and knocking them over.

As the two hosts struggled to pull air into their lungs, Logan announced, "Doug Rockwell and Michelle Lewis, you're under arrest for extortion, blackmail, and the abuse of legally binding contracts. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. I strongly advise you not to make this more difficult than it needs to be." A modulator built into his brassy facemask disguised his voice for good measure.

"SECURITY!" Michelle screamed, and Logan was quickly surrounded by uniformed men with pistols. A brief scan with his goggles revealed that every single one of them were wanted for various crimes. He sighed.

"Looks like I'll have to add 'hiring illegally armed thugs' to your list of crimes," he said and drew the sword on his back. Less than a minute later, all of the security guards were disarmed and unconscious. However, that was more than enough time for Doug and Michell to recover and hold Luna hostage, their own pistols pointed at both of her temples.

"Drop the sword, or the girl gets it!" Michelle threatened. Logan laid his sword on the ground, but in a surprise move, pulled a shiny brass orb with blinking purple lights from somewhere in his coat and tossed it at Luna's feet. The lights turned blue, and the grenade exploded, spraying all four with the same knockout gas Logan had used on Melman Greene earlier in the week. Logan was unaffected because of his respirator, but the other three passed out instantly. After checking his sister's vitals, Logan set to work, subduing all but Luna with handcuffs borrowed from the fake security guards.

Police soon arrived, and Logan showed them his CIA badge before explaining the situation. He then found a secure place to remove his costume and assisted his family by carrying Luna to the van. Once she was safe at home, she'd be able to sleep off the effects of the gas in peace.

This installment was one that I was excited to do, hence why it's almost three times as long as I usually make individual chapters. We get to see Logan make his first two arrests after returning to his hometown, and we get to see him use a few of his gadgets! Here are some things to expect in the future:

*Logan and Agnes trying to figure out their feelings for each other, with Logan's siblings attempting to meddle.

*Some more bonding time between Logan and his individual family members.

*Conflict with Logan's superiors in the CIA.

*Logan battling and arresting more villains, some being hated characters of the show and a few being of my own creation.

Please note that these events won't necessarily happen in the order I presented them in. Until next time!