The final bell rang signaling the tsunami of students coming out of royal woods middle school. Groups getting together talking about cartoons or who's house who was going to play video games. Then there were interlopers and the two man groups hurrying away from the crowds because they already knew what they were going to do. Lincoln Loud and Clyde McBride were these interlopers, rushing off from school to escape the crowds. Letting out a breath when they were far enough away.

"Geez! Why do they text in groups?" Lincoln asked frustrated, as they slowly walked home.

"It's their way of being social." Clyde answered.

"But why do they have to block the front doors every day?"

"I don't know, maybe you can solve that?" Clyde asked, Lincoln rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah only if it really becomes a problem. They don't let me make up missions." Lincoln said annoyed.

"Too bad, you guys should really do something about Flip ripping off everybody."

"I know right! But no they won't let me do anything until I get approval." Lincoln finished with a grunt as Clyde parted ways with him to go home. Shortly after Lincoln arrived home and set his bookbag down by the front door. The house had a mellow tone to it, strummed along by a softer tone that Luna was playing in the living room while she watched Lily.

"Lincoln?" Luna called out, stopping mid chord.

"Yeah it's me." He said starting for the basement.

"Just checking bro, everyone else is down stairs." Luna said starting her song again, Lily letting out a giggle in approval.

"Thanks Luna." He said opening the door to the basement. Stepping down the stairs Lincoln heard the hum of the washing machine as he approached it. Reaching up he turned the knob on it once clockwise, then counter, and then back again before pressing the start button 5 times. With that the drier buzzed to life as it lifted itself off the ground to reveal a hole underneath. Lincoln jumped in without hesitation, the drier shortly covering the opening again after he left. He dropped down and into a shabby go kart, zooming off down a long corridor coated in colorful paint splats. Racing to the end, Lincoln pulled on the emergency brake making him fly out of his seat and land on a huge mound of pillows. Pulling himself up, and spitting out a feather or two, he walked over to a lone door next to the pillows and pressed a button. When the door opened, he stepped in and pressed another button clearly labeled 'up' and felt the elevator rise. Greeting him on the other side was an uproar of cartoons and a passing by sibling.

"Numbuh 24." Lisa greeted her brother as he stepped off the elevator.

"Numbuh 37." Lincoln greeted as he dusted off a feather on his shirt.

"Beat your record?" Lisa asked as Lincoln started walking alongside her.

"Didn't grab my stop watch. By the way you might want to check the emergency break."

"You broke it again didn't you?" Lisa asked unamused. Lincoln coyly smiling at her as he shrugged.

"Sorry can't resist." He said, Lisa rolling her eyes in response.

"One of these days I'm going to take those pillows away." She said unamused.

"No you aren't." He said taking the lead.

"Hey guys." Lincoln and Lisa jumped at Lucy's sudden arrival.

"Lucy!" Lincoln snapped.

"Numbuh 52." Lucy corrected.

"You know what I meant. Be more careful okay?" Lincoln told her. On repeated occasions Lincoln would get frustrated with Lucy for her sudden pop ups here. At home he didn't mind it but here he didn't want to have to stay on guard because of his sister. Especially when he needed to pay attention for big threats.

"Sorry, but there's a message for you from numbuh 8."

"Understood, great work Luce."

"Numbuh 52." She corrected again.

"Sorry, where's numbuhs 62 and 63?"

"Cartoons." Lucy answered "Lori was hogging the T.V so they came here."

"Tell them to lower down the volume please. I'll be in the lookout." Lincoln told them before splitting off. Finding his way to a tall wooden spiral staircase around a tree trunk, he walked his way up to his command lookout. It sat atop the branches like a crashed wooden U.F.O. with windows all around. The inside was decorated with various monitors and mismatched metals with a round table in the center with 5 individualized chairs around it. Lincoln sat in his bright white chair accented with black and a large ace symbol a top it. "Computer login, Numbuh 24, password savyronnie." Lincoln called out as a metal tube popped out of the round table.

"Please produce genetic material" the feminine computer voice announced. Pointing out his index finger, Lincoln picked his nose then put his finger in the hole receiving a ding in acceptance. "Login confirmed"

"Inbox, read messages."

"Commencing, first message" it said as the holoprojector activated showing a short kid with a blonde bowl cut in white pants and a orange hoodie with a blue shirt underneath. Speaking with an Australian accent the boy said.

"Hey there numbuh 24, sorry I don't have much good news to tell. No new missions at the moment."

"Oh come on!" Lincoln cried out in disappointment.

"I know you must be frustrated but recent adult and teenager activities have been rather low as of late. Trust me I could use a good thrashing that's not from a simulator."

"I hear that…" Lincoln said rather bored.

"Good news is that we got you approved to investigate Flip like you've been asking." He said, Lincoln perking up at the mention. "But the higher ups want me to emphasize that this is only reconnaissance. Nothing fancy and no heroics."

"And you lost me." Lincoln said disappointed as he slumped in his seat.

"That uh should be all… oh! One more thing." He said Lincoln half paying attention as he looked at the table. "Moon base decommission would like you to file a follow up report on numbuh 41." Lincoln let out a breath at the name. "Just routine. Yeah I'm going to be honest I really hate paper work junk too."

"You're rambling Joey." Lincoln said to himself.

"Well I'm probably going on about nothing. Sector prime V signing off, see you later Lincoln." He said with a salute, Lincoln doing a half salute back before the message ended. Letting out a long frustrated sigh he heard a knock at the entrance to the lookout.

"Hey Lincoln." Lucy said.

"Numbuh 24." He corrected as she walked over to him.

"If you're not going to call me by my number then I should do the same for you." She said sitting in the black leather Victorian style chair next to Lincoln's. Lincoln sat up straight as he spoke to her.

"I could always make you call me commander."

"So could numbuh 8 but I don't see either of you making me do that anytime soon."

"Right…" Lincoln said defeated as he slumped in his chair.

"You okay?"

"Just… still a little weird without her here you know?" Lincoln somberly said.

"It's a bit too quiet at times." Lucy admitted with the same somber tone as Lincoln. "But I think the twins more than make up for it. Besides if you really want to be her sparring partner still I don't think she'd mind." She joked, Lincoln shaking his head in response.

"Noooo that's actually something I don't miss." Lincoln said through a half smile. Lucy cracking one as well as she folded her arms in.

"So what was the message, commander?" Lucy asked with a mocking tone at the end that Lincoln playfully ignored.

"Nothing to special, no missions. But we're cleared for spying on Flip if you're up to it." Lincoln offered Lucy who kept her smile up.

"I may be." She said somewhat gleefully.

"Great I'll tell Numbuh 37 to get your spy gear ready and…" suddenly an alarm went off Loud with red flashing lights. Lincoln and Lucy took one panicked look at each other before they stormed out of the look out. Reaching back to the bulk of the tree house Lincoln opened a hatch in the wall that sucked him and Lucy in while closing itself. Quickly they were pulled through a long tube that pulled their hair back before exiting in their house's bathroom tub, Lisa and the twins there to greet them while they fixed their clothes.

"Ugh! Can you please fix that thing so it doesn't ruin my hair?" Lola growled at Lisa.

"It was designed for quick escape, not cosmetic needs." Lisa answered as Lincoln pulled himself up and helped Lucy out.

"Kids dinner!" Their father announced. Straightening their clothes and their hair the five ran down the stairs and to their table in the kitchen where their father set down their hot steaming dinner. "There you go kids." He said happily as his children started reaching for the potatoes and corn. "Wow you guys must be starving." He noted.

"Just got plans dad." Lincoln answered shoveling some chicken on his plate.

"Oh really what's up?"

"Just playing with the kids next door."