32. Heroic Warfare(2)

Strong Suit hissed in pain as she held the spot. A red mark started to form around the affected area. "Cheap shot Stinkcoln!"

"You just took a couple bullets like it was nothing! What did you expect?" Ace retorted.

The brunette yelled as she charged at him again, with Ace pulling the same trick he did before. However, what he didn't expect was for Strong Suit to stop herself short and lunge at him just as he turned to face her. She slammed into him in a way that resembled a football player intercepting the receiver. The two rolled on the floor for a few seconds before Suit pinned him to the ground with a hand on his chest. Ace tried to pry it off as the teen raised a fist and started punching at his head. Ace cocked his head left and right to avoid the incoming blows, growing a bit unnerved each time Suit's fist hit the ground inches from his head. Strong Suit growled before correcting her aim, sending it right towards the boy's mouth. Widening his eyes, Ace removed his hands from Lynn's arm and fought to keep her fist held up.

Unexpected for Suit, Ace then twisted her hand in the direction it's not supposed to turn, making her yelp in pain. Grabbing her shirt collar, Ace pulled his sister to the right, making her roll until she was on her stomach. She tried getting to her feet, but Ace was quicker and jumped onto her back. Pressing his knees into her spine, he grabbed her arms and started bending them, increasing the pressure with each second.

Ace grunted as Strong Suit shifted beneath him, trying to escape his grasp. "Give up Strong Suit! I don't want to hurt you more than I need to!"

"That's funny." Suit grunted, kicking her legs a bit to try and buck him off. "You tried choking out High Card earlier!"

"She was about to kill Willy. I couldn't sit by and watch her do something all of us swore we'd never do!"

"And that's why you're an idiot for refusing to change!"

With her anger fueling her strength, Suit flipped herself over with Ace on her back. She slid along the floor to grind her brother out of his position, but in spite of the burns he was starting to feel, Ace held on like his life depended on it. The teen continued her assault, until she accidentally rammed them both headfirst into the base of a support beam. Both kids were dazed for a moment, but thanks to Lynn's thick skull, she came to her senses quicker. Feeling her brother's grip slacken, she wrestled herself out of the hold before glaring down at the dazed boy. Ace's vision had blurred out after receiving that impact to his head, but it sharpened rather quick when he felt a hand enclosed around his windpipe.

Staring back at those yellowish eyes, Ace could barely get a word out as Strong Suit started slamming him into the floor. Each time his body impacted the ground, the boy felt Suit ever so slightly tighten the grip she had on his neck. That pressure was lifted almost immediately when Suit threw him hard to floor, only to smash her feet squarely on his stomach. Ace wheezed heavily as his cries were near silent due to fighting to get oxygen in his lungs. He tried to stand but it seemed Strong Suit was done playing games. Straddling his stomach, she proceeded to beat him down, landing blow after blow to his face and chest. The 11 year old tried to shield himself with his arms, but this resulted in Suit nearly fracturing them both. The all too familiar sensation of fear began to grip the young boy as he realized he effectively lost this fight, and he didn't even have a chance to call for help despite having allies in the building. Ace's resistance slowly faded as his cries became louder with each savage blow Strong Suit dealt to him.

"P-Please, s-stop!" Ace begged before taking another hit to the nose.

"Crying will get you no where!" Strong Suit retorted before landing a hard blow directly to his eye.

Ace screamed loudly as he swore he felt his eye practically explode in its socket. His screams ceased as Suit landed a few more hits to his teeth and temple, before she smashed two fists hard onto his chest. Ace gagged a bit as he felt his ribs break on impact, feeling something foreign enter his lungs as he drew air into them.

Giving a few pants, Strong Suit stood up and kicked the boy onto his stomach. Ace coughed violently as he spat out fresh blood along with some of his teeth. He shifted his aching arms in an attempt to sit up, but could only move a few inches before he felt he couldn't push himself any further. The 11 year old let out a gasp as Strong Suit grabbed him by the back of his neck, only to cough even further due to drawing blood into his lungs.

The athletic hero checked over her brother as he hung limp in her hand, which was a tad bloody and cut due to hitting Ace's teeth. Damage to his suit was minimal, but his face was marred with bruises and specks of blood. His nose was slightly crumpled, one eye shut due to being nearly punched out with tears leaking out the other, and blood was continuously leaking from his mouth due to a combination of missing teeth as well as forcing out internal bleeding.

"You know, you look a lot like the way you did the day we beat you into paste," Suit looked down. "Except without your arms being broken. But, knowing you, you might come up with another stupid plan to get back at us." She tightened her other hand into a fist. "So, how about I just cut out the middle man and get rid of you, right here, right now? After all, you were always a failure as a leader, and a hero." The teen cocked a fist back with an evil grin taking form on her face. Her arm muscles tensed up for one last punch. "Any last words, Stinkcoln?"

Ace's body convulsed a bit as he gave choked sobs. Normally, he would've brushed off any comments about him being a failure at his duty to be a hero, but the evidence stacked against him was so strong that it was impossible to ignore. Failing to capture bad guys was one thing, but the Full House practically abandoned him and Lily over it, and in spite of gathering up new allies to try and even the odds in hopes of working something out with his other sisters, that blew up in his face too. All it did was let another villain get away and put all of Ace's friends in danger. Even they may not forgive him due to his poor choices, leaving the white-haired boy to fend for himself.

The thought of being alone and feeling that he was primarily responsible for everything that occurred bore into the boy's psyche, eliminating any willpower to put up what was now considered a pointless fight. "Lynn...please..." Ace choked out in a begging tone, weakly grasping her wrist with his hand. "Don't...please don't do it..."

"And why shouldn't I?" Suit eased her grip enough to let him talk.

Ace let out another cough, getting some blood onto the girl's wrist. "You were right..."

Suit raised a brow, lowering her fist a bit. "W-What?"

"You...you and our other sisters were right..." Ace sniffled, shutting his good eye as more tears started to fall down his face. "I failed you guys as a leader...and I got my other friends in trouble for something I thought was worth fighting for..." His mouth quivered. "I probably almost got them killed tonight because of me..." Ace paused as he choked back another sob. "I...I even managed to get Lily roped into all of this!" His tone began to change from being solemn to frantic. "B-But I don't want to die! I don't wanna go like Mom and Dad did! I couldn't ever think of doing that to anyone b-because I'm always reminded of them!" His body shook as more sobs left him. "I didn't want to hurt you guys, but I couldn't think of a way to avoid this!"

"Go ahead and finish him anyway. He's worth nothing to you now. After all, he admitted it was his fault." Spoke a voice that sounded much unlike Lynn's own voice. It repeated this phrase as the tomboy continued holding her fist at the ready, debating whether or not to just ignore Ace's pleas and finish the job.

However, the longer Lynn stared at the broken child in front of her, the more she was reminded of the time she was with Lincoln just a day after the mass shooting. There had never been any other time before now that Lynn had seen her brother so broken and lost. Physically of course, he was ok. Mentally...Lynn may not ever understand the true pain Lincoln felt outside of the fact they were now orphans, but unlike her brother, Lynn was spared the sight of watching your own caretakers being killed. None of the Louds were ever the same since, but Lynn knew her brother changed the most. He was more reclusive, barely talked, and just lacked any energy to do much of anything. As corny as it sounded, he was effectively a worse version of Lucy, and she was more closer to her siblings due to the mental pain being too much to bear.

All of the girls tried their best to get Lincoln back on his feet, but none of them tried more than Lynn did. Call her stubborn, competitive, or what have you, but that girl had a big heart on her shoulder when it was in the right place. In a way, you could say she was probably more motherly towards Lincoln during his depression than Lori or Leni were. This dialed back to sibling levels when Lincoln appeared to be getting better (which also happened to be the very first time he stopped a crime from happening before becoming Ace Savvy), but that feeling usually remained.

Lynn lowered her fist completely as that voice in her head was all but surely tossed out. She lowered Lincoln back onto the floor, who didn't even have the energy to stand as he collapsed. He instinctively curled up as his tears and blood stained the floor, and all Lynn could do was watch. The yellowish tint in her eyes had completely vanished, giving way to their normal, hazel color. As much as the 13 year old wanted to scoop up her brother and tell him it was going to be alright, her feet were frozen on the spot. She couldn't believe that she had just beat him into the floor, then salted the wounds further by telling him he was a total failure since day one. Yet, that proof was lying at her feet, crying out to a world that probably thinks he'd be better off alone.

As the guilt started to become too much to bear, Lynn felt she had to do something. "Lincoln...I-"

BOOM!

The teen squeezed her eyes shut as multiple explosions went off in parts of the factory. Turns out the compressor was leaking highly flammable air, which had spread around most of the building. Both kids watched in horror as the flames quickly began to spread, consuming anything in sight...

Back Up Top...

Unlike most of the fights that occurred that night, the one between Deuce and Card Counter felt more like a classic sibling fight than a serious bare-knuckle brawl. Lots of hair pulling and arm biting were involved as the two became nothing more than a couple of young kids having what would normally be a childish spat. Deuce tried to use her size to her advantage, giving Card Counter a wedgie once and even a hard noogie (before the prodigy got loose by biting her arm), but the 4 year old used the definition of 'Brains over Brawn' quite well. Even if Deuce managed to pin her down, Counter always manage to break free by going for a cheap shot.

Currently, Card Counter was slapping Deuce's face with her tiny hands whilst the 7 year old tried to keep a hold on her. Deuce growled before grabbing the child's hands and holding them down, only for the little genius to spit in her eyes. The blonde shrieked in disgust, dropping Card Counter to wipe her eyes clean. Upon opening them, her vision was covered once more as Card Counter latched onto her face and started beating her head like a drum. Deuce gave muffled screams as she stumbled about on the catwalk, pulling on the back of Counter's costume to pry her off. Along the way, she stumbled over her launcher, being forced to grab one of the handrails before she completely fell over.

Deuce gave one loud scream as she grabbed the 4 year old by the waste before finally tearing her off. She cringed a bit due to Counter pulling some hair before throwing her several feet away. Card Counter grunted as she tumbled down the pathway, managing to get to her feet but landed on her butt due to being disoriented and tripping over something. Her glasses sat askew on her head, but she was still able to see what caught her foot: her Tesla Gun. Shaking her head, Card Counter fixed her glasses before scrambling to her weapon. Setting it to medium, the 4 year old aimed her weapon at Deuce, only to find the rocketeer lining up a shot with her launcher.

No one knew who pulled the trigger first, but a gas-filled rocket and an arc of electricity were flying towards each other. They collided in the middle, with the electricity enveloping the rocket and forcing its warhead to detonate prematurely. A massive cloud of gas consumed both girls, making them gag for fresh air as tears filled their eyes. Card Counter stumbled about, coughing as she ran in the opposite direction before disappearing from Deuce's sight. The blonde frantically fished for her mask, strapping it on and letting the filters do their work.

The 7 year old took several deep breaths as she leaned against the railing. "So that's what those things smell like..." Deuce panted. "And I thought...my diapers were bad..."

Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the entire building, forcing Deuce to grip the railing for dear life. Two more explosions went off before a fire alarm blared. Looking down, Deuce's eyes widened as she could see various parts of the floor on fire. Then, part of the catwalk she was on shuddered as the fire started melting the support. Before Deuce could react, the catwalk started to give way. The 7 year old screamed in fear as she ran to a more stable part, the floor beginning to disappear beneath her feet. The immense weight of the path began to create a break where another support stood, the rails increasingly becoming more stressed as they couldn't handle the imbalance.

Just before Deuce could reach safety, the path caved beneath her feet, forcing her to grab what remained of the railing. Glancing down, the 7 year old watched as the pathway she was on disappear among the flaming wreckage below. She then felt a sudden dip as the rail she held onto began cracking, unable to support her weight. Giving a small cry, Deuce climbed as fast as she could, having just seconds before the rail detached itself.

The blonde felt herself dip again as the rail was on its last stem. Tears of fear began to leak out of her eyes as she started to think she wouldn't make it. Just as Deuce reached the end, the rail snapped off with her fingers just inches from the edge. The poor girl screamed as she started to fall freely, only to stop abruptly when she felt something grab her hand.

Looking up, Deuce could see Mad Bomber struggling to pull her up. "Don't worry!, I got ya!" He strained, gritting his teeth as he slowly wrestled her back onto solid ground. Once Deuce felt she could grab the ledge, she scrambled onto solid ground, practically hyperventilating underneath her mask while clutching her chest.

Deuce lifted her mask once she evened her breaths out. "T-Thanks..."

"Don't mention it..." Bomber panted.

"Ok...what the heck did you do?!" The blonde glared at her partner.

"I-It wasn't me! Your sister with those crystal things shot at me and made some of my mines drop!"

"Queeeeeen..." Deuce groaned. She let a gasp escape her upon a horrible realization. "Ace, Ace-sassin and Mirage were down there!" She hopped to her feet. "Come on! We gotta find them!"

On the ground floor, Night Club walked in to find a scene that almost resembled hell itself. The fires were beginning to spread quickly, incinerating anything they touched. Smoke started to fill the air, making it difficult to see or even breathe. Behind her, Wrangler, Jack, and Eight stood mouth's agape at the ensuing chaos, with the former two looking like they had been to a Running of the Bulls and got trampled on. Just minutes ago, Night Club was throwing down on the 2 boys, using her fists and occasionally her guitar to do the deed. It all stopped the moment they heard explosions and fire started creeping out the windows. Any hostility between them dissipated as they grew worried for their allies.

Hearing footsteps approaching, the group turned to see Card Counter leading Royal Flush past some fallen wreckage; both girls were covered in soot and coughing violently as they sought to clear their lungs.

Night Club ran over and guided them to the door. "Dudes! What happened?!"

"I-I don't know! I was being attacked by birds, then I managed to shoo them away. And then suddenly the whole place was on fire!"

"I know this facility has an adequate sprinkler system in the event a fire occurs, but it appears to have failed for some reason..." Card Counter added as she cleaned her glasses.

Royal Flush's pupils shrank as she recalled a particular water pipe she busted earlier to wash some grunts away. "R-Right..." She smiled nervously whilst trying to act natural.

Night Club, Eight, and Counter turned their heads to the six year old. "Dude...what did you do?..."

Flush bit her lip knowing she couldn't lie her way out of this. "O-Ok ok! I didn't know that pipe was that important!"

Card Counter slapped her forehead. "We'll discuss this later. Right now we need to evacuate the others-" She paused as a large machine toppled over. "Before this facility either collapses, or worse, explodes!"

"Not so fast dudette. You guys are in no shape to be walking in there!" She glanced behind her. "Especially you three..."

Wrangler looked at Night Club as if she grew a second head. "You expect us to just sit here an' do nothin'?! That's our friends in there!"

"This ain't up for talk man. I'm surprised you can even stand after what I did to you!" Night Club grabbed the bottom of her shirt and tore off a large section. As she wrapped the cloth around her nose and mouth, "If I'm not back here in 3, just get away from here as fast as you can..."

Before anyone else could voice their disapproval, the musician ran into the inferno, disappearing behind the billowing smoke. The 5 kids look amongst each other to see if anyone had a better solution, especially towards Card Counter since she had the biggest brain of the bunch. Sadly, even she was stumped. As they stared at the growing blaze, each of them silently started to pray for a miracle.

Night Club placed a hand over her eyes, looking past the flames to find any of the other heroes. The fires were mostly sticking to the machines and wood piles, but pieces were falling all over the place with fallen wreckage blocking paths that would have normally been accessible.

"Lori?...Leni?...Luan?..." Night Club called over the comms, not caring that she was using her sisters names in the open. "Lynn?! Is anyone there?!"

Static was her answer, making the brunette even more worried.

"Luna?...URG!" Came Lori's voice. It was nearly quiet and sounded like she was in extreme pain.

"Lori?! Where are you?!"

"To the right of the big boiler...I have Leni with me, but she's not waking up!..."

"Hang on sis, I'm comin'!" Luna stated firmly before looking around.

She spotted a two story boiler surrounded by flaming wreckage, and the boiler itself wasn't looking too well either. The brunette could see steam coming out parts of the siding, and there was a noticeable bulge around its center. Luna gave an audible gulp, knowing that thing was looking to blow from all the intense heat. She ran towards the right of the machine, sweat pouring down her forehead as the heat was becoming increasingly uncomfortable by the second.

"Lori?!" Luna called out, twisting her head left and right frantically. "Lori?!"

"Over here!" Another voice called out, followed by ravaged coughing.

Luna followed the sound until she was met with a horrid sight. Lori was propped against a concrete block, blood smeared across the front of her suit as she held her hand over her abdomen. Her face was paler than usual, and way she was breathing and how her body shook clued Luna in on how much pain she must be feeling right now. From what Luna could see, there were bloody holes in both her legs while more blood seemed to pour out from under her hand. Next to her, Leni lied on the ground unconscious, a large bruise covering her forehead with a trickle of blood running down her face.

Luna ran over, kneeling next to the blonde. "W-What happened to you?!"

Lori took a deep breath. "That girl...she's really dangerous with those guns." Her hand went slack a bit. Luna looked down and saw the real reason for all the blood: there were at least 5 holes in her stomach.

"D-Don't worry sis. I'll get you outta here." The musician replied, trying to fight back tears.

Lori shook her head. "No...t-take Leni. I literally can't move much..."

Luna knitted her brows together. "Don't go sayin' that! I'll drag your butt out of here if I have to!"

"Luna?" Another voice called out. Lori looked past Luna as the other turned, spotting Luan and some boy with curly red hair dressed in a tux. The tux itself was torn a bit and the boy sported a black eye. Otherwise, he still looked physically able. The comedian let out a gasp upon seeing the state her sisters were in.

"Thank God..." Luna muttered. "You two grab Leni! I'll help Lori."

"Wait, where's everybody else?!" Mirage asked.

"Two of your guys are outside, and so are most of my younger sisters." Luna bit her lip as more dread overcame her. "But I don't know where Lola or Lynn are!"

"What about Lincoln?!" Mirage spat as he glared daggers at the girls. "Don't you guys at least care about your brother?! Or your other sister for that matter?!" Static cut in on his receiver, but he could barely make out a voice. "On second thought, don't answer. You clearly don't after all you've done..." The redhead tapped his comms.

Luan opened her mouth as she pointed an accusing finger at Mirage, but Luna cut her off. "We'll settle this later, now shut up and help!"

"Anyone there?" Mirage whispered.

"Please don't tell me you're still in there Rusty..." Came Jack's worried voice.

"Wait, we stopped using our hero names?" Rusty asked as he grabbed Leni's legs while Luan grabbed her arms.

Luna helped Lori to her feet; the oldest Loud giving pained cries as she moved, small amounts of blood leaking out of her injuries.

"That ain't gonna matter if you're roasted like a turkey!" Liam shouted.

"Ok ok, yeah I'm still in here! The girl with the clown costume was chasing me, but then all this started and-" Rusty paused. "Oh crap...Lily? Zach?! Lincoln?!"

"We're fine..." Came Lily's muffled voice. "Found Ronnie Anne and Lola; I think both of them fought each other to a standstill since Ronnie has a shard in her leg and Lola has a bad shoulder..."

"We looked around but don't know where Lincoln is..." Zach added. A loud jolt of static cut through the line as something toppled over. "And I don't know if we have enough time to do a second check!"

"So no one knows where either of them are?!" A tense silence followed, giving Rusty the answered he dreaded. "Well that's just perfect!"

The group heard a metallic groan followed by something bursting open. They turned to the boiler, which now appeared to have swelled more in size and had a larger steam vent coming out from the bolt holes that kept a pipe in place.

"That things looks to blow its top!" Luan shuddered nervously.

"Come on, let's move!" Luna ordered, helping Lori limp back in the direction she came from.

"But what about-!" Rusty started.

"THERE'S NO TIME! GO!"

Luan and Rusty looked at one another before following the other two with haste, carrying an unconscious Leni between them. It took a bit longer to reach the exit since Luna's original path was blocked off by a falling support that was covered in flames. It was possibly closest any of them experienced walking through hell: extreme heat sucking them dry of moisture, air thick with so much smoke it was impossible to breathe, falling debris and machines exploding all around...

There was some sense of bliss seeing that the others managed to make it out alive, although it was becoming increasingly apparent that both teams did a number on each other; it still couldn't overcome the sinking feeling each and every one of them had: leaving a teammate to die. Despite their attempts to reach either Lynn or Lincoln over their radios, only silence was there to comfort them.

Fearing the worst, no one spoke a word as they watched the flames continue to consume the factory until it was clear they'd have to clear the area; there was little doubt that the police and fire department were already notified, especially when the faint sound of sirens could be heard. Besides, what was there to say? They can blame each other all they want, but at the end of the day, each of them bore some fault in what occurred tonight.

One by one, everyone started to leave. The oldest siblings went first as Lori needed urgent care and Leni needed to be looked at as she was likely comatose. Clyde and Liam had to help Ronnie Anne as she couldn't walk without support; the sharpshooter did her best to hide her tears, even though everyone could see her on the verge of crying. Lana could barely move as she felt she was the sole reason the fire was able to get out of control, and Lola had to tug her away from the burning building. Lisa checked Lucy's ears to see if they were fixable before tugging her along, with the emo being quieter than normal. She may not be able to hear much, but with a quick headcount, she knew what everyone else was feeling.

The only ones that remained were Lily, Zach, and Rusty. Lily looked on as the orange flames licked the top of the exit door, giving only a sparing glance at the wreckage on the inside before staring at the ground. The 7 year old took a shaky breath before biting her lower lip, hot tears leaking out of her eyes before eventually dropping to the ground. The only thing running through her mind was what her brother strived to do. All that Lincoln wanted was to do what's right and preserve justice, and now he's gone because of a family spat gone wrong. Not only that, one of her sisters likely died with him.

Zach placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, only for Lily to rudely brush him off. Understandable, since it was his bombs that started the fire. The two redheads felt it would be best to give her space, opting to head back to their hideout. Lily sniffled, wiping snot and tears off her face in spite of more coming out. As she started to leave, she gave one last look at what would become her brother and sister's grave; that is, until she spotted something coming out of the flames and running towards her.

Lily's mouth parted a little, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining things. "Lincoln?..."

As the figure got closer, Lily's eyes widened in both surprise and relief. Giving labored breaths, Lynn was hauling ass towards the exit, carrying Lincoln in her arms as if he was a baby. Both of them had some burns covering parts of their bodies, but Lincoln looked much better off than Lynn. Her headband was gone, her sleeves and pants were singed, and her arms were practically bathed in red. In comparison, Lincoln only had his cape missing along with parts of his hair burned. And that's without going into the numerous wounds Lynn herself inflicted on him.

Sadly, their escape became more complicated as the boiler near the center of the factory started going critical, its casing no longer able to hold back the building pressure. It exploded with a deafening sound, a massive fireball taking its place as it blew out the roof and several other support structures around it. Lily stumbled back as the shock wave hit her, with the sound attracting the attention of the others. Upon noticing the two missing Louds, they immediately about-faced and ran back to help.

Lynn momentarily fell to her knees immediately after the blast, making sure she didn't drop her brother before breaking into another sprint. Sections of the roof were starting to come down now, forcing Lynn to constantly change directions when a massive piece blocked her path. Once she was 70 yards from the exit, Lynn pushed herself to her limits, growling in frustration in spite of her tired state. She didn't come this far to die now, and Death couldn't have either of them.

Lincoln, who had been partially unconscious for much of the ride, was jostled awake after Lynn made a sharp turn. Looking towards their front, he saw the rest of the Full House and his team waiting for them just beyond the main door, ushering Lynn to hurry. Unfortunately, he also had to bear witness to a flaming section of the roof begin to collapse just above their only exit. Everyone started screaming in terror as the roof began to fall towards the duo, and Lincoln could only watch in horror as it was merely feet from crushing him and Lynn right as they reached safety...

Lincoln let out a sharp gasp as he bolted upright in the bed. A cold sweat drenched his entire body as he took several deep, loud breaths. Upon recognizing the nightstands, outline of the closet door and the one leading to the hallway, the Loud closed his mouth to steady his breathing before lying back on the mattress.

"What...what was that?..." Lincoln asked himself, his breathing filling up the otherwise silent room. "I know it was a dream...certainly wasn't a nightmare, or mostly...I don't even know what I could call that..." He twitched the fingers of his left hand, bringing his cast up slightly to glance at it. "I thought Lynn was gonna make it end how all the others did...but she didn't, just like how I thought she was gonna try something at lunch." Putting his cast down and staring at the ceiling, "She...she even tried to save me when she could've just left me behind..."

Lincoln glanced at the clock on the nightstand to his left. He gave a half-lidded stare. "Four in the morning...great..."

He shifted in the bed until he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Man, my head is acting crazy..." The boy yawned, swinging his feet over the edge before standing up. He stretched until he felt the joints in his arms and back give satisfying pops. "Mom and dad were...gone...even though I know they're fine and at home. I even talked with them yesterday when they called..." Lincoln shuffled to the door, opening it and glancing down both ends. Seems none of the McBrides had been awakened by his screaming. Well, he didn't scream when he woke up, but the Loud hoped he didn't in his sleep.

He walked past Clyde's room, hearing muffled sounds as the nerdy child talked in his sleep. Lincoln didn't pickup exactly what he was saying, but he could've swore he uttered a classmate's name in a heavenly tone. Lincoln made it to the living room, flopping on the couch and switched the TV on with the remote. Since he wouldn't go to sleep anytime soon, might as well pick something other than staring at the ceiling til 6.

The early morning news that was shown didn't interest Lincoln in the slightest, but the background noise did help him think. A frown dawned his face as he thought over everything that happened in his dream. In spite of the fact it didn't end with his death, it left his brain swimming in a sea of confusion that didn't seem to have an end in sight. Part of Lincoln wished he didn't wake up so soon, but at the same time, he was too scared to find out what happened next. It also didn't give much of an answer about how he could approach one of his siblings as he didn't wish to fight them, nor cause any trouble.

"I hope Dr. Lopez can explain this better when I talk to her next time...and I still don't know which sister to pick..." Lincoln scratched his hair. "Although..." He squinted his eyes in thought. "If Lynn didn't do anything last time...and I just dreamed about her saving me..." Lincoln raised a brow. "That dream may have been onto something..."

A/N: This is likely the longest chapter I've ever made, and served as a test for me to see if I can properly chain fighting scenes together. As you may have concluded, both teams just about fought each other to a stand still, with neither side completely wiped out. You might even say the Full House got away with fewer injuries, but key members were still taken out, which will blunt their effectiveness for a while. Here's a list of what happened to each hero:

Full House

Lori: Suffered multiple gunshot wounds to her legs and stomach

Leni: Likely comatose after sustaining a serious head injury

Luna: Unscathed

Luan: Unscathed

Lynn: Status unknown

Lucy: Hearing damage due to friendly fire

Lola: Bullet to the shoulder and crown broken

Lana: Minor injuries from birds

Lisa: Minor injuries

Ace's Gang

Lincoln: Status unknown

Lily: Minor injuries

Ronnie Anne: Shard in a leg and hand

Rusty: Relatively minor injuries

Clyde: Moderate injuries

Liam: Moderate injuries

Zach: Largely unscathed

This also goes to show just how destructive a team of heroes can be when fighting each other, as well as conflicts of ideals on what it truly means to be heroic. Both sides aren't wrong, cause sometimes it can be better off to kill a villain if they present that much of a threat to society. But at the same time, people can become untrusting of a hero if they resort to killing too often. It's a rather complicated game that I won't go further into. However, it was mentioned that two of the girls had a different shade of eye color. Before anyone asks, no, they aren't clones; it does hint that there's something else going on behind the scenes though.

Anyway, even though the dream was rather confusing for Lincoln and didn't provide an answer as to how he should go about interacting with his sisters, he is leaning towards Lynn due to her lack of hostility. But, the real question is, will he be able to find the courage to speak to her on his own? Or will he have to enlist the help of his therapist?