25. Bumps In The Road
A/N: As of the posting of this chapter, it has been one year since this story was first published. I really didn't expect this story to catch on as quick as it did, but I guess I struck when the iron was hot (even though Brawl had premiered about a month earlier). So today, to celebrate Synniversary, I bring to you an extra long chapter (by my standards) that will pave the way for what everyone had been expecting since the end of chapter 21. Thank you guys for your continued support, and this story is still far from over.
It's growing closer to the moment where Ms. Lopez will find out just what is making Lincoln so fearful of his siblings. However, such an event still remains days away. In the mean time, Linc's friends and sisters are secretly conspiring to keep him calm as the week drags on. However, like I said before, not every plan will go smoothly.
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.
Shortly after Lily made her way into the dining room, Luan came back downstairs with another ice pack. "Ronnie Anne, it's time to switch your-" The 14 year old paused on the steps, noting the two tomboys busily texting on their phones. "Well, you both sure work fast. Didn't think you'd be exchanging numbers already."
"You could say that." Lynn acknowledged, not taking her focus away from the screen.
"Well you guys are typing like clockwork. Any faster and those phones might- " Luan stopped herself before she could make a pun. Not being able to do anything related to comedy was rather difficult, especially since she wasn't as sorrowful as she used to be for the last few weeks. "Break." The comedian half joked, giving a small frown at how dumb that sounded. She got off the steps and sauntered over to the younger girls, casually tossing the ice pack in her hand. "So, you two planning a date or something?"
Both girls gave a quick glare at the tall brunette. "No, Luan. We're working something out for Linc's sake..." Lynn responded.
Now, Luan's curiosity had peaked. "Like what?" She leaned over Lynn's shoulder. On the sports lover's phone, the contact list was pulled up and had a few new names added on there. Aside from Ronnie Anne's number, Rusty, Clyde, and Liam's numbers were set, and Zach's was just a few strokes away from being complete. "Wait, aren't those all of Lincoln's friends?"
Ronnie Anne nodded. "We figured it'd be best if we try to stay in contact so Lincoln has an easier time not peeing his pants at school. By the way, I still need your number."
Luan brought a hand to her hip. "How is this going to work out? Don't Lincoln's friends hate us?"
The 11 year old gave a small shrug. "Yeah, they do. Heck, even I do, kinda...but it's not gonna matter if a certain someone is all panicky."
"Fair point, but I hope the rest of us get a say in how things go. Sorry if I sound rude, but this is just so sudden." Luan sidestepped to Ronnie Anne and started undoing her bandages.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, we're gonna be doing a group chat about this tonight. You know, just to make sure we're square and all." Lynn stated, pressing a few buttons on her phone. "Alright, I got all of them. I think the only person in your group that's not pissed at us too much is Clyde."
"He has been over to our house many times, so he's used to us." Luan took the partially melted ice pack and put it in position on the Hispanic girl's forehead. "Heh, you know, I'm surprised you haven't gotten brain freeze yet."
"Aren't you banned from making puns?" The sporty sister glanced at the comedian.
Luan nodded. "But, that doesn't mean I can't make a small joke here and there."
"But dad said you can't do anything related to comedy. What if he thinks that you were trying to make a pun?..."
"..." Luan felt a pool of nervousness swelling in her stomach as she tightened Ronnie Anne's bandages. Lynn Sr.'s terms were quite clear when it came to their punishments, and she definitely didn't want to live with the stinging pain of butt welts. Then again, he took away Lucy's poem book, only to return it to her after finding out that writing was an outlet for the emo's depression. She doubted she could use that as an excuse, and if she did, she'd be in more trouble than she already was. The 14 year old was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't notice the amount of force she was applying to Ronnie Anne's injury.
"Too tight...too tight, too tight!" Ronnie Anne cried out, swatting the teen's hands away. "Geez, are you trying to cut the blood flow to my head?"
Luan shook her head before glancing at the tomboy, who was fidgeting with the strap. "O-Oh, sorry. Let me-"
Ronalda put a hand up. "Don't. I got it." She undid the strap, releasing some of the pressure from her head before tying it back up.
Luan gave a dejected frown before heading back up the stairs.
Lynn watched Luan ascend the stairs out of the corner of her eye. "What a fun night this'll be." She turned back to the Hispanic girl. "You got everyone?"
Ronnie Anne picked up her phone, glossing over the contact list. "Yeah."
"Good," Lynn got up from her seat. "Now go home before your mom starts worrying or something." The jock began to ascend the stairs.
Ronnie Anne folded her arms. "And how am I supposed to explain this?" She pointed at her forehead. "My mom is a nurse for crying out loud!"
"Are you sure you ran into a light post sweetie?" Ms. Santiago questioned, slightly turning her daughter's head as she inspected the wound.
"Y-Yeah. I uh...was going too fast on my skateboard and didn't see where I was going." The 11 year old smiled sheepishly.
"Uh huh...I'm a tad surprised you don't have any bruises on the rest of your face or anything." Maria stared her daughter in the eyes. Ronalda felt like her mom was looking directly at her soul. "You didn't get into another fight, did you?..."
Ronnie Anne pursed her lips, a bead of sweat sliding down her forehead. "Uh..."
"Ronalda..."
"Look mom, it was just a skating accident ok? I just..." She rubbed her arm. "I don't want anyone else to know about it. Everyone's gonna laugh at me if they find out I had a stupid accident like this."
Maria studied the girl's face for any signs of misdirection; the 11 year old doing her best to keep up her poker face to hide the truth. After a few tense seconds, Maria gave a small chortle. It was quite humorous and hypocritical how Ronnie Anne claimed to not care about her appearance, but was self-conscious at how people viewed her. "Honey, you shouldn't care if people laugh at you. Besides, it's not like they can be better at doing what you do. All that matters, is that you be yourself. Now, keep that ice pack on for another day, but next time...please be more aware of your surroundings. Last thing I want is mi bebe especial to be bed-ridden." The mother said in a cooing tone while gently pinching her daughter's cheek.
Ronnie Anne growled as her cheeks reddened. "Mooom!"
Maria giggled at her childish antics before standing up. "Now get ready for bed dear."
Ronalda rolled her eyes before stomping off to her room. She closed the door, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "At least that worked..." The girl muttered. She had hoped Bobby would've been home, as he'd be easier to trick. Sadly, he was out delivering pizzas again. The 11 year old almost flew into a panic when she saw her mom was home and not working a late shift this evening. Being that Maria was a nurse, the older woman had experience in dealing with injuries on both ends of the severity chart. She was certain the light post idea wouldn't work, as her mother could tell the difference between a bruise caused by an inanimate object and that from another human being. However...perhaps Ronnie Anne gave her mother too much credit. That, or the bruise had eased up enough to make it look like an accident.
Glancing at her clock, it was almost time to start the group chat. Ronnie Anne slipped off her hoodie, revealing a plain white tank top and flopped onto the bed. Rubbing her feet against each other, she kicked off her shoes as she fished her phone out of her pocket. Scrolling through the contact list, she started adding in the names of Lincoln's friends and sisters; she made special care to not accidentally add the white-headed boy to the list. The Hispanic girl debated on whether or not she should do a voice chat. Texting wasn't really her thing, and it was annoying how the touch keyboard was rather fickle along with the auto-correct being a pain in the ass. However, Ronalda shot that idea down as Lincoln might overhear Clyde talking. Once everyone was added, she started typing.
Anyone still awake? - R.A.
I'm still alive. - Liam
Wazzup dudes?! - Rusty
Well, I was about to sleep. What's up? - Zach
...The sky. - Luan
Wait...whose Luan? - Liam
Isn't she the funny one? - Rusty
She is. Not that she's allowed to make any jokes right now. - Lucy
LUCY?! How did you all get these numbers?! - Rusty
And the crying already started. "Perfect..." Ronnie Anne groaned. Her phone gave small ticks with each key stroke.
I gave them your numbers. And are you done crying?... - R.A.
Um, no?! I thought the whole reason for us doing this Protocol was so we wouldn't have to talk to them! - Rusty
He's got a point. - Zach
Well, your so-called 'protocol' almost let our brother spot us earlier! - Lola
That was BEFORE we made this up. Can't exactly pin that on us. - Liam
Look, we didn't start this to argue. We just want to talk. - Lynn
About what? How you crushed your brother into paste? - Zach
Yeah. Why should we talk to a bunch of brother-haters? - Rusty
Watch your tone Rusty. You don't want something bad to happen to you tomorrow :/ ... - Lola. The princess was practically seething behind her phone.
This is getting pointless...I think I'm gonna go back to my coffin - Lucy
And how about you stay in there? - Zach
Don't talk to my roommate like that! - Lynn
I'm not scared of you, especially after Ronnie Anne kicked your butt! I bet she can do it again! - Zach
Ronnie Anne and the Loud sisters knew that was highly doubtful at this point. But, that shouldn't be the focus of their discussion. They were burning moonlight arguing back and forth like the children they were, not even bothering to address the real reason for the conference call. Ronnie Anne was just about to call everyone to order, when a new reply showed up.
Just got out the bathroom and saw my phone buzzing like crazy. What's going on? - Clyde
Clyde! Can you back us up here? Lincoln's sisters managed to get our numbers! - Rusty
And like Ronnie Anne said, she gave us your numbers! - Lana
More like you probably forced her to. - Liam
Clyde took a moment to read back on the earlier texts, trying to figure out how all of this fighting started. He got pulled back to the bottom when Ronnie Anne sent a scathing message.
WILL ALL OF YOU JUST STFU FOR 1 MINUTE?! - R.A.
When no one sent another text for ten seconds, Ronnie Anne took the opportunity to voice her opinion. She typed as fast as she could, giving a small growl when she mistyped a word or autocorrect thought she was trying to spell a different word altogether.
Look, I know you boys aren't happy with the Louds. I'm not either, but I started this stupid group chat for a good reason. Clyde, what's Lincoln doing right now? - R.A.
He's about to head to sleep. I just hope he doesn't wake up screaming again... - Clyde
Sigh...he's still getting night terrors about us then... - Lucy
Hold on a chicken second...you guys know he's afraid of you? - Liam
Uh, duh! I had to hide in icky garbage to avoid being seen by him today. AND my beautiful hair was compromised! - Lola
Our last visit to the hospital made that very clear. I'm still wondering how that even came about. - Luan
Probably because you beat the fear into him?... - Rusty
Actually, we thought he'd be super mad at us. - Lynn
Wouldn't be surprised if he was angrier than my cousin Murial's bull. - Liam
Well he definitely isn't, so here we are. - Lola
That's the thing. We're trying to keep Lincoln from seeing you girls, and you five are trying to avoid being seen by him. So, can you Lame-Os do the math and see the problem here? - R.A.
The solution was so simple that even Lily could figure it out. But, it depended on whether or not everyone wanted to be on board. Ronnie Anne and Lynn already knew what their opinions on the matter were. Clyde figured that bridging the two groups would be useful in the long run, but wanted to see what everyone else thought first. The African-American suspected that the Loud sisters would agree to this idea as well, seeing as they had little choice. The only issues would be Rusty, Liam, and Zach; they were quite vocal and quick to insult the girls. In the twins room, they remained glued to their phones as they waited for someone else to voice their opinion. Lana heard Lola's phone giving off small ticks, catching the heated glare on her twin's face as she typed.
"Lola, I know what you're thinking right now, but insulting them back isn't going to help."
"I'd rather stick my head in garbage than work with those ever-so-rude boys. How did Lincoln even become friends with the likes of those philistines?"
Lana folded her arms. "Do you really mean that? Cause I'm not going to do your hair a second time."
Lola glared at the tomboy for a few seconds before giving a low growl. She deleted the insult-riddled text and slammed her phone on the bed. "Fine, but I'm waiting to see what they have to say first!"
Clyde twisted the knob of the guest room door and pushed it open a crack, wincing a little as it creaked in protest. As he peeked his head through, the nerdy child could make out the dark shape that was Lincoln lying on his right side, giving small snores every few seconds. Cleopawtra was curled up next to him, the feline uttering a small meow as she caught sight of her owner. It was rather odd how such a vicious feline had developed a soft spot for the white-haired child, especially when Clyde recalled how she used to leave scratch marks on their faces when either one of them tried to pet her. Judging from the look on his face, Lincoln didn't appear to be having any night terrors this time. Closing the door, Clyde went back to his room and picked up the phone.
I'm up for us working together, but there's one thing that worries me. I know Lincoln probably doesn't trust you girls at all right now, but what if he finds out we're doing this? Wouldn't we end up losing his trust too? - Clyde
Yeah, can't risk that... - Rusty
If he does, whose he gonna turn to? Don't want Linc to think we're trying to hurt him or anythin'. - Liam
We already know how that feels...but it's not gonna come to that as long as we're sneaky about it. - Lynn
A pregnant pause captured the group once more.
...I miss him... - Lucy
Same... - Luan
Ever since I got my journal back...I've been filling it with poems to describe our situation perfectly. It was already bad enough that Lincoln had to stay in that hospital for weeks, but now he can't even return to us because he thinks we're demons. If it were other circumstances, I'd take that as a compliment; but now...I just want him to come home... - Lucy
Shortly after her text, the 8 year old posted a picture that was recently taken with the phone's camera. It was a rather elegant paper drawing of Lucy on her knees, hugging the legs of her brother as if she was begging for his love again. Parts of the paper itself were saturated with small, damp spots; a possible indication that the artist had been crying while making it. Each of the kids gave a sad frown at the drawing, and Rusty, Zach, and Liam were reconsidering their comments from earlier. While they weren't fond of the Loud sisters, they could at least acknowledge that their opinions about the girls were a tad off base.
Hang on, Lucy's starting to cry again. Give me a min. - Lynn
So, unless it wasn't obvious, all of us want Lincoln to get better. I don't really like the girls myself-and I was initially hesitant to even do this-but if Linc isn't taken care of any time soon, it might not even matter. So, are we doing this or not? - R.A.
Shoot. After seein' a picture like that, I can't say no. - Liam
I think everyone already knows my feelings about it. - Clyde
Can we make jackets? - Lana
Are we sure about this? - Rusty
Uhm...can we think it over tomorrow? - Zach
Ronnie Anne growled in frustration. Leave it to the two idiots to keep making it complicated. At least Liam actually has a brain.
If both of you say no in your next text, there's a couple toilets that are perfect for your heads. - R.A.
Ok, point taken. Guess we have new members to add to our Lincoln protocol. - Rusty
Sorry, I meant to say yes.^^U - Zach
The Hispanic tomboy smirked. "That's what I thought."
Ok, if we're gonna be working together, can we please name it something else?... - Luan
I don't want to hear the word 'protocol' for as long as I live. - Lola
We'll talk about this in the morning when we meet up in front of the school. If you got anything else to say, save it for tomorrow. I'm going to bed. - R.A.
Yeah. All this thinking is making me tired. - Rusty
Not like you were using your head anyways. - R.A.
Wait...who put you in charge? - Lola
Since me and Lynn came up with this, I'd say both of us are. Now go to sleep. - R.A.
Lola was about to make a retort, but Lana threw her pillow at her before the younger twin could send it. Giving off feigned anger, the princess grabbed her own pillow and the twins started engaging in a pillow fight. Everyone else started to bid each other goodnight before the texts stopped completely. Ronnie Anne placed her phone on her new nightstand before slipping off her day clothes. After putting on her pajamas, she pulled her scrunchie off; her hair flowing down to her mid-back after being freed from its ponytail. Just as she was about to get comfortable in bed, the Hispanic girl heard her nightstand vibrate as a new text came in.
"For God's sake, what now?..." She growled. Grabbing the device, she saw it was a personal message from Clyde.
You still awake? - Clyde
What McBride? I'm about to sleep... - R.A.
So, how did your meeting with the girls go? It seemed rather odd how you guys just swapped numbers, and earlier you sounded like you weren't really going to ask them 'nicely'. - Clyde
Ronalda breathed a heavy sigh. "Of course he'd ask that..."
Look...don't tell this to anyone, but you were right... - R.A.
Huh? - Clyde
Let's just say that Lynn would've floored me if she felt like it 2 weeks ago. Now go to sleep. - R.A.
Clyde didn't send another text afterwards. He didn't want to make Ronnie Anne irritated even further, and it was half past his bedtime. All 10 kids drifted off into an uneasy sleep, well aware of what kind of tensions awaited them in just 12 hours.
That Tuesday morning, both parties met in front of the school to discuss their approach to dealing with Lincoln's behavior. The only one absent was Clyde, as he was taking Lincoln on an alternate path to school that would buy them 20 minutes. The meeting only lasted half that amount, and it almost ended on a sour note. Lola kept glaring daggers at Rusty and Zach, while Liam tried to pretend he wasn't shrinking under the 6 year old's predatory gaze. Ronnie Anne held an indifferent look as she, Lynn, and Luan discussed the terms of their agreement. As per the Louds' wish, their name of the plan was changed to Sibling Avoidance System. Lincoln's friends would continue to keep tabs on the 11 year old's whereabouts, with the added bonus of relaying this information to the girls. The sisters would keep their distance as usual, with the aid of the other's notifications so they know what areas of the school to avoid. When it came to lunch periods, Lynn suggested that the girls eat outside like she did the previous day. When asked if Lincoln decided to eat out in the playground, Lynn responded with, "Then just sit your butt inside, well away from the windows." Lola also added her own rule: under no circumstance should anyone give false info about Lincoln's position. If anyone was caught doing it, not only would the princess go after them, but Lynn and Ronnie Anne would get sloppy seconds. That last bit was mostly directed at Lincoln's 3 classmates than Ronalda and Clyde.
For the next two days, the Sibling Avoidance System worked well. While Lincoln was still a little jumpy at being in school, the lack of appearances from his sisters helped keep his anxiety down to manageable levels. Clyde can still see him occasionally looking around for any sign of the girls, but he never got irritated at reassuring his friend that everything would be fine. On Wednesday, Lincoln opted to eat outside for lunch this time around. While he couldn't really do anything physical with his injured arm, the boy still wanted to enjoy the fresh, spring air. Luan sat in the cafeteria that day, occasionally glancing at his happy face through the window. The comedian felt her heart lift a little seeing her brother look anything but depressed, but it pained her knowing that she couldn't be the one to make him happy. Ever since Lincoln was admitted to the hospital, Luan wanted nothing more than to give him the biggest dosage of the best kind of medicine: laughter. However, that proved to be complicated considering the rules of her personal punishment, which became enforced even further upon seeing Lincoln curl into a ball of misery at the sight of herself and her sisters. Never before had such a goal seemed so far away now, which made Luan's appetite decrease the more she thought about it. The comedian wound up spending that period picking at her food instead of eating, something that hadn't gone unnoticed by a certain emo around her age.
By the time Thursday rolled in though...the kids' avoidance protocol was about to be tested...
"Attention students and teachers, please make your way to the gymnasium for the school-wide mandatory assembly. Thank you." Spoke Secretary Cheryl Reese as her voice was carried through the P.A. system.
"There was supposed to be a school assembly today?" Lincoln asked.
"Why yes. All of the faculty talked about it this past Tuesday, but apparently someone didn't get the message out before then." Agnes replied, putting the chalk in the holder at the bottom of the board. "We'll continue with our multiplication problems when we get back." Half the class groaned, as they expected it to be a free-pass out of math.
Lincoln turned to Clyde as the students started getting up from their seats. "So, what do you think it's about?"
"Not sure, but it might be due to some fights that had been occurring around the school lately." Clyde stated.
Lincoln raised a brow. "What fighting?"
"Oh, you weren't here when it happened. There's been at least 3 of em' while you were still strapped to bed." Liam answered. "Even Ronnie Anne got into a fight with-" The farm boy stopped when Clyde nudged him.
"Ixneigh on the name-eh!" Clyde whispered. Their class joined the sea of students as they made their way towards the gym.
Lincoln rubbed his chin as he recalled Ronnie Anne missing a tooth when she first visited him. "Now that you mention it...her face did look a little bruised when she came to me in the hospital, and she had a tooth missing..."
Clyde and Liam felt their phones vibrate in their pockets. Pulling them out, they saw that there was a text in their group chat.
Did she say it was a school-wide assembly? - Lucy
This isn't good! Lincoln will definitely see us! - Luan
How are we supposed to hide?! - Lana
Lincoln looked in confusion as Clyde and Liam were busy on their phones. "Something wrong guys?"
Clyde bit his lower lip as he tried to think of something. "Keep him distracted!" He whispered to Liam.
The farm boy nodded and put his phone away, doing his best to ignore the constant texting that was going on in the group chat. "It's nothin'. So, how's the arm holdin' up?"
The white-headed child gazed at his broken wing. "I know I'm right handed and all, but I think I'm starting to miss using both my arms."
Liam chuckled. "Huh, at least you didn't lose it entirely like my distant cousin Ellis. I ever tell you about the time he tried wrestlin' gators in the swamp?"
As Liam started to ramble on with his story, Clyde did his best to calm everyone's nerves.
Don't panic! We can think this through...so whose in the gym right now? - Clyde
Me and Lola are sitting on the first row of bleachers. - Lana
Just got in. Sitting on the 3rd row opposite of the twins. - Lucy
Still making my way over there. - Lynn
Same. - Luan
That's what she said lol. - Rusty
Shut up Rusty... - R.A.
"Dang it... " Clyde groaned in frustration. If the girls were gonna be sitting on opposite sides of the gym, Lincoln was sure to spot at least one of them. Taking his eyes off his phone, the nerdy child saw that Liam still had Lincoln's attention. The white-haired child only shifted his focus to avoid bumping into any of the students around him. Clyde's eyes widened as an idea hatched in his head.
If we can keep Lincoln distracted, he probably won't notice anyone else. - Clyde
And how do you propose we do that? - R.A.
Liam's doing a good job keeping him occupied. I might help if Lincoln starts to get bored. - Clyde
Maybe you can talk to him about Ace Savvy, or whatever it is you guys do. - Lynn
As the boys' class entered the gym, the could see it was nearly packed; students and teachers were still entering the room from both exits on each side. The school principal stood with the head guidance counselor in the center of the basketball court, casually watching the crowd gather. As luck would have it, the twins happened to be sitting on the side Ms. Johnson led her class to. Both blondes ducked down after noticing the 5th grade class, hoping to not stick out among the other younger kids. Unlike them, Lucy would have an easier time since few people are actually aware of her presence. Liam and Clyde couldn't see Lynn or Luan anywhere; they likely hadn't reached the gym yet. The boys sat down in one of the middle rows, and were soon joined by Ronnie Anne who sat in the row directly above them. Rusty and Zach were a bit more spread out, but within eyesight.
A couple minutes later, Lynn and Luan's classes came in. They were stuck trying to get up to the higher rows where the last few seats were available. Lincoln took a moment to glance around. Not that Liam's stories weren't interesting, but his neck felt a little uncomfortable from looking to one side after a while. Clyde, Ronnie Anne, and Liam grew nervous as Lincoln shifted his attention elsewhere. Liam tried to get him to look at him once more by retelling a memory about how he and his cousin almost got bombed by the army after accidentally wandering into a testing range during a camping trip. The chip-tooth boy was listening, but he kept looking around. Luan nearly froze in place when the 11 year old looked in her direction, but she used her classmates as cover at the last second. In spite of the weird looks a few were giving the braced girl, Lincoln failed to spot her. Lynn was seated high up on the opposite side, silently praying that her brother wouldn't think to look up. It was one of those few instances she wished she had Lucy's ability to just disappear.
"And it wasn't just any regular bombs neither. They were using shrapnel bombs, cluster bombs, nerve gas bombs, those little bombs that broke into even smaller bombs, and Ellis ended up-"
"Liam." Ronnie Anne said with a false smile, her left eye twitching a little. "Can you please stop?"
The farm boy frowned. "But I was gettin' to the good part..."
The Hispanic girl deadpanned. "I think the main point of the story is, your cousin is crazy."
Liam folded his arms. "Ain't that the truth."
Principal Walker saw that the last few people walked in, so he started testing the mic. "Check one..." The students began to quiet down after hearing his voice. "Ok this works. Good morning students. Sorry to pull you away from your classes, but myself and the staff have scheduled this little assembly today so we can address a particular issue that's been plaguing our school the last few weeks. As you may have known, several students have been involved in at least 3 separate fights. I won't give any names, but they know who they are." Lynn and Ronnie Anne subconsciously shrank in their seats. "I'm pretty certain it goes without question that fighting is not tolerated in or on school grounds. In the past, everyone whose been involved in some conflict had been temporarily suspended. It was thought that after the first time it occurred, no one else would think to try and instigate a fight. But then we've had to suspend 5 more students for the same thing. So now, I'm going to install a new punishment: any students that happen to be caught fighting around the school will not only be given a 3 day suspension, but you will also spend a week doing in-school suspension as well."
A chorus of groans and complaints erupted from the students, prompting the teachers to silence them. At that point, the guidance counselor took over. "Yes, we all know you hate ISS, but at this point, it was either that or extending your out-of-school suspensions. You may not like it, but we believe that it would be beneficial for all students in the future. One of the most common things about ISS is that it allows teachers to find out what is the problem a student is facing and how we can help them avoid this problem in the future."
The counselor continued to talk about the advantages of being stuck in ISS, which started to bore a good amount of the student body. Some were questioning why they didn't just send everyone a letter explaining the new rules and be done with it. Sitting through a lecture on 'why it's bad to fight in school' was definitely much more sleep-inducing than sitting through whatever classes the students had left. Even so, the whole issue was subjective as one student might have a good reason to start a fight. Ronnie Anne certainly thought so as she recalled her and Lynn's initial confrontation that one Monday.
Lincoln was starting to grow dreary as the guidance counselor continued. Since he wasn't one to get into fights or anything violent, he felt it didn't concern him much. Deciding to take his mind off the subject at hand, he breathed a low sigh before giving a casual glance at the students sitting on the opposite side of the gym. Most seemed to share his sentiments, preferring to look at their phone, whisper to their friends, read a book, or even take a short nap. Lincoln was about to ask Liam if he had any more crazy stories about his cousin, when he spotted a familiar looking set of black hair sitting around the middle rows of the bleachers. The boy's eyes widened before he sat up straight, the familiar feeling of dread swelling in his core. Only one person came to mind with hair like that: Lincoln's dark-loving sister.
"L-Lucy?..." Lincoln's voice was so light that it almost wasn't there.
However, to his surprise and relief, the student in question wasn't Lucy, but a close friend of hers. Haiku was giving the same monotonous expression she always did. Lincoln deduced she hadn't really changed since the Sadie Hawkins Dance, not that he'd expect her too. The goth looked up by chance and matched his gaze. Upon seeing Lincoln, the 8 year old gave him a rare smile. Well, it was more of a slight upward movement of her lips than a full smile, but Lincoln knew what she meant. Yet, this didn't sit well with Lincoln. He knew that Haiku and Lucy probably shared the same class, so if his old 'date' was here...then his sister was as well. Now that he thought about it, the entire student body was informed to come to the gym, and considering that 5 of his sisters attended the same school as himself...
A cold sweat ran down the side of Lincoln's face, his widened eyes locked in a trance. That sense of dread was slowly turning into sheer panic with his sisters literally being in the same room as himself. Despite being surrounded by many different people, including his friends, Lincoln felt like he was being singled out. He could feel ten pairs of eyes stalking him from afar, just waiting for the opportunity to strike. Or, if the girls felt confident, they'd try to take him out for the whole school to see. To make it worse, Lincoln realized he might be surrounded already. They could be sitting to his front, below, above, or even directly behind him. The boy's breath began to hitch as he shook uncontrollably, his eyes rapidly scanning the crowd for any of his sisters; each failed spot check making him more antsy by the second.
Lincoln let out a short yelp when a hand placed itself on his shoulder. The gesture wasn't in hostility, as it was soft to the touch. Daring a peek to his left, the Loud could see Ronnie Anne's fingers lightly grasping his shirt.
"Lincoln..." The Hispanic tomboy spoke. The boy turned to meet her concerned gaze. "You need to calm down. No one is going to hurt you as long as we're here..."
"B-But..."
"Just stop thinking about it Lame-O." Ronnie Anne patted his shoulder.
Liam gave a small frown before taking out his phone. He gave an annoyed scowl at how many unread texts his message box had. Taking a moment to read past them, the farm boy typed his own message.
Welp girls, he knows yer in here now... - Liam
A moment later, an angry reply came back.
WHAT?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP HIM OCCUPIED! - Lola
Sorry. We...kinda got distracted ourselves. - Liam
I wouldn't blame you. This speech is so boring, I could use it as a sleep aid. - Luan
If there's a God, can we please get out of here now? - Rusty
As if his prayers were answered, the counselor concluded his message, and shortly after, the students were dismissed to go to their next classes.
Well, Hallelujah. - Rusty
The teachers kept their students in line as they began to clear out of the gym. Lincoln calmed down a little, seeing as he had a chance to escape the deathtrap that was the gym and make it to the safety of Ms. Johnson's classroom. Once the lower rows were cleared enough, the class started to head back. Ronnie Anne understandably couldn't join them, but she promised to meet them at recess. Liam and Clyde frowned a little, hoping they could keep Lincoln from blitzing into another panic.
Unfortunately for the boys, whatever order there was in the gym quickly disappeared in the halls. Students from all grades were moving about, idling, or just chatting it up until they had to be ordered to move onto class. At times, the three 5th graders were rudely shoved by the larger kids, almost knocking them to the floor. Clyde and Liam did their best to lead Lincoln through the chaos like a lighthouse in thick fog.
However, just as they were crossing another hallway, they got bumped hard by 2 large 8th graders of similar build. "Watch where you're walking nerds!" The older, fat boy stated irritably before continuing on. More students from the gym began to crowd the halls in the few seconds that followed.
"Well, that was rude..." Liam glared at the direction the boys went.
"Yeah..." Clyde groaned, adjusting his glasses. Doing a quick spot check, he noted a certain someone was missing. "Um...where's Lincoln?"
Liam pointed to his right. "Oh he's right-" He stopped when he realized he was pointing at an empty space. "Uh oh..."
Immediately, the two boys started calling out for Lincoln, only to get drowned out by the noise generated from the combination of talking students and footsteps. Lincoln himself was just several feet from his friends, but couldn't see or hear them. Realizing he was alone, a sense of dread washed over him once again. Knowing his sisters were probably roaming the halls, Lincoln was unsure of what direction he should move in. Sadly, he wouldn't be able to make his own choice as the five minute warning bell rang. All students stopped what they were doing and began stampeding towards their classes. Lincoln was forced to join the sudden rush as a couple students ended up pushing him forward. Since he wasn't running at his own will, the 11 year old ended up tripping over his feet when he tried to push under his own power. The white-headed boy was put in a small daze as his face hit the floor, his left arm throbbed in pain a bit due to it cushioning his fall. Shaking his head, Lincoln began to push himself back up, only to be forced back down as someone stepped on his back. The boy gave a small cry of pain as it happened a few more times, even as students were beginning to swerve around his body to avoid the obstacle he presented.
Luan was among the crowd rushing back to class. The fact she sat on the top row, and several people were blocking the flow of traffic in the hall, meant she'd probably be late getting back to class. At least her teacher would be understandable since she sat them up there in the first place. Staying against the wall, she moved forward at a steady pace. Upon reaching a certain part of the hallway, her ears were drawn to a sharp cry of pain being produced by a younger student. Looking towards her left, she could just make out a student lying on the ground as others attempted to circumvent them. Between the sea of feet, Luan identified an orange shirt and a head full of white hair. Before she could question the identity of the student, another cry of pain confirmed to her that it was indeed Lincoln.
Luan stopped dead in her tracks, students continuing to rush past her. She knew Lincoln needed help, but was hesitant on approaching him knowing his fear towards her. Even if Lincoln became aware of their presence, he still hadn't seen them yet. She could've let Lincoln be and continue on like nothing happened, and hate herself afterward for not helping her brother when he needed it; or she could let her sisterly instinct take over and aid him, possibly making Lincoln even more terrified in the process. Hearing Lincoln give off another small cry made that decision much easier. Pushing away from the wall, Luan shoved her way through the crowd, knocking down anyone unfortunate enough to be caught between herself and her brother. When another student was about to step on Lincoln, she gave the person a hard shove to the floor. The boy she pushed glared at her, but Luan gave the downed student a glare so fierce that her teeth appeared to have temporarily looked like that of a shark. The 8th grader immediately got back up and took off running. Gripping Lincoln by the shoulders, she helped him to his feet before guiding him out of the stampede.
The crowd began to thin out as Luan checked the 11 year old. Aside from some footprints on the back of his shirt and a little dirt on his face, he didn't look too bad. "You ok Linc?"
"Yeah...thanks-" Lincoln stopped upon realizing who he was talking to. His pupils shrank to the size of peas as his eyes became the size of dinner plates. "L...Lu...L-Luan?!..." He finally stammered out.
Luan bit her lip, slowly clasping her hands together near her waist. That look her brother was giving her...she remembered seeing it back in the hospital, filling her heart with immense regret. Seeing it again this close made her quite unnerved as she took a half step back. Lincoln stood stock still, his body refusing to respond to his mind as it told him to run like hell. To him, the boy felt he was staring under the heated gaze of a lion as it was contemplating the right moment to strike. The halls began to quiet down, allowing the comedian to hear the uneasy breaths her brother was giving. The boy heard his heartbeat fill his ears along with his panicked breaths, his body fidgeting ever so slightly as it was trying to work up the courage to flee. Luan didn't dare utter a single word, for fear that she might cause him to scream again. Their tense standoff was soon interrupted, as Clyde and Liam came onto the scene shortly after getting past the dispersing crowd. The two boys took Lincoln away, trying to give him some encouragement to ignore Luan the best he could. As they ran back to class, Lincoln stole a glance at his older sister. She remained standing where she was, and while he was unsure of it, he could've swore he saw a few tears streaming down her cheeks.
Once the dust settled, and after finding out that Luan came into contact with Lincoln, the group chat was alive with texts going back and forth on who was to blame for the incident. A few of the sisters pointed fingers at Clyde and Liam for their failure to keep a close eye on Lincoln, while the boys argued that Luan shouldn't have approached him and let them help. In anger, Luan gave a fiery comment on how she wasn't about to let her little brother be sent to the hospital again. It was possibly the first time anyone saw the comedian letting off a string of swears; the twins were still trying to figure out what half those words even meant. After the blame-fest was dealt with, everyone finally shifted their concern to how Lincoln was feeling. The boy's fidgety state was quite obvious, though instead of outright anxiety, Lincoln appeared to be confused or lost on something.
The white-headed boy was still shaken from running into his sister, and she had the perfect opportunity to try and harm him. It would've been just like the last nightmare he had, except it was in the hallway and not the classroom. He waited for her to do something, anything so he could have a valid reason to run away...but Luan just stood there with a concerned look on her face. When Clyde and Liam came to bail him out, Luan's eyes looked a little glassy when he dared to steal a peek at her. If Luan really was crying, why? Why didn't she attack him? And on that note...why did she save him from being trampled to death? Lincoln wasn't sure whether it was genuine, or another ruse to let his guard down for a prank later on. After all, Luan had a habit of launching a prank on him when he least expected it. She probably even recorded him getting stepped on for her own amusement. But...he couldn't shake that look she gave him as he ran off. Lincoln's mind was telling him it was a hoax, but his heart was saying something else...
These conflicted feelings plagued him for the rest of the day, even after Lincoln and Clyde made it back to the McBride residence. The kids put their Sibling Avoidance System back to work, making a note to think of a solution when it comes to situations where the whole school needed to attend. Clyde had repeatedly asked Lincoln if he'd be ok, especially as bed time approached. Lincoln stated he'd be fine despite growing nervous about sleeping again. Once the boys settled into their respective rooms, Lincoln lied on the bed, picking up an issue of Ace Savvy to read. Like usual, he stripped out of most of his clothing, leaving only his undies and shirt on. He would've removed the shirt, but the strap to his arm would begin to chafe his shoulder if left on his skin for too long. The issue the Loud boy read wasn't new by any means, seeing as the date was almost a month ago. Lincoln just felt he needed to take his mind off the day by indulging in his favorite series. As he read through the pages, his tiredness finally made itself known. It wasn't long before Lincoln placed the issue on top of his eyes to darken the view before promptly falling asleep. His mind began to wonder, building up yet another dreamscape to play in.
Once it was finished, Lincoln found himself standing at the edge of a tall building, looking at the dark city streets with interest. A black mask was covering his eyes, the younger boy wearing nothing but a red suit with black boots, a yellow belt, and a navy colored cape that swayed in the wind. The front of said cape had an 'A' etched on the front of the collarbone area. To the public, he was known as Lincoln Loud, the only other male in a family of 13, with 10 sisters of various ages. At least, that's what he was during the day. At night...he was known as Ace Savvy, the savviest crime fighter that lived in the city of Royal Woods. He wasn't alone either.
Next to him, sat a girl that appeared to be at least 7 or 8 in age, with light blonde hair that was tied in a bun to the back of her head. This little girl was dressed as a purple commando, equipped with spiked combat boots, BDU camo shorts, knee and elbow pads, a plain light colored shirt, and a BDU camo patrol cap with the number 2 etched on the sides. Like Ace, she had her own eye-mask and cape, along with a grenade bandolier on her chest and a four-tubed rocket launcher strapped to her back. Lily, or Deuce as she's known, was not only the one member of the Full House Gang that packed a potent smell, but she used to be the youngest member of the team. After some concerns from High Card and Eleven of Hearts about taking a baby into the crime fighting game, Card Counter decided to produce an aging serum to ease their worries. While it was only in the prototype stage, Deuce went from being a baby in diapers to being between Lucy and the twins in terms of age. Aside from having to learn everything that came with being as old as she was, one main consequence was that Lily lost the ability to produce her main weapons: stinky diapers. To remedy this, Card Counter made specialized stink bombs with the aforementioned launcher. Granted, Deuce still made some of the foulest smells anyone had the displeasure of taking a whiff of if she had to use the bathroom, but a launcher was a lot better than a 7 year old slinging her own poo around. Two things that didn't change with the sudden age-up was the one tooth that stuck out of her mouth, and her bubbly personality.
"Do you think we'll get action tonight Lincoln?" Deuce asked, her legs swinging back and forth as they dangled over the edge. Her voice sounded much like Lola's, but with more compassion and less snark.
Ace gave a short laugh, turning his head towards the little girl. "You really should stop calling me that when were patrolling Deuce."
"It's the truth though, and you didn't answer my question."
"We might." Ace looked back at the streets, giving a small frown. "If the girls don't need help that is..."
Deuce frowned as well, bringing her knees to her chest. "It's not fair..."
Ace glanced back at her. "Huh?"
"It's not fair Ace!" She spoke heatedly. "You do your best to find these bad guys, and all they do is just say bad things about you! It's not like they haven't been trying to find Card Countess or Old Maid lately! I swear...sometimes..." Looking down at her bandolier, she unhooked one of her grenades, tossing and catching it in a threatening manner. "Sometimes I just want to shove one of my grenades in their mouths."
Ace gave a sigh, looking up at the starry night sky. "I wouldn't blame you if you did. Yeah, we had a bad streak lately. It's not the end of the world." He turned back to Deuce. "At least we keep thwarting their plans, right?"
The blonde nodded. "I just don't get why they don't see it..."
Lately, there's been a bit of tension between the rest of the gang and Ace. The team had been unable to catch certain villains due to Ace's strategies not always working, and they grew especially frustrated when the team got very close to taking a villain down, only for something to interfere at the last moment and allow the antagonist to escape. The frustration from these failed captures even spread to their home life. Whenever Lincoln wanted to offer help, their sisters would make up some excuse that Lincoln didn't need to help, or in a few cases, rudely tell him to butt out.
Only reason the two were by themselves currently was due to the others being out on a mission. They had been on the trail of The Card Shark for a while, and the girls jumped at the opportunity to bring him in. When Ace offered to come, the gang confirmed they had things covered. Deuce hadn't gotten the message as she had been on the can, and no one was willing to get within 30 feet of the restroom.
"Well..." Ace started. "They probably just need time to realize that things aren't as bad as they seem." The boy sat down next to his sister. "It's very funny though."
"What is?" Deuce asked, glancing at him.
"Card Counter might be the smartest member of the team, but she sure is clueless when it comes to figuring out the whole picture."
Deuce gave a cute giggle. "That is funny, especially since she's my roommate."
A sudden ringing in their ears brought the two out of their little laugh fest. Both put a hand to their ears. "This is Ace."
"Ace! We need backup here, like now!" It was Strong Suit.
"Why, what's going on?" The boy stood up.
"We found Card Shark, but it turns out he's working with Card Countess and Black Jack! It's a little too much for us to handle-" The line cut out.
"Strong Suit?...Strong Suit?!" Ace called over the comm, but got no response back.
Ace and Deuce looked at each other in worry. A villain team-up spelt bad news no matter how you pronounced it. Only God knows what those fiends could cook up when they were together. "Well Deuce, guess you got your wish..."
The grenadier bit her lip. "I think I'm starting to regret it..."
After getting a fix on the gang's location, the duo made their way towards some shipping facilities on the coast. They spotted Vanzilla perched a ways away, hidden from view to the casual observer. After infiltrating the area, Ace and Deuce went into a prone position as they cautiously edged closer to the side of a roof. The 11 year old took out a pair of binoculars, scanning the area for threats. "Typical villain hideout in a spot that's well away from public eyes, and secured. The fact it's by the pier means this is probably Card Shark's territory..."
"You see anything?" Deuce whispered.
Ace shook his head. "Nope...no guards, nothing. They're probably expecting us..."
"So what are we gonna do?"
Ace put his binoculars away. "I'll go in first and cause a distraction to try and lure them out, while you find the girls and free them."
Deuce frowned. "But...can't I help you? I mean, this is three of our arch enemies we're talking about!"
The older hero put a hand on Deuce's shoulder. "Don't worry Deuce. They might be three, but I always got an Ace up my sleeve. Plus, if things get hairy, I got a few more tricks to play."
The blonde hummed in thought for a moment. She shook her head in compliance. "Ok...just be safe Lincoln..."
"I will Lily."
The two hugged before beginning their plan. They stayed glued to the roofs before splitting up to cover more ground. Ace found it pretty odd on how not a single guard was in sight, and he was practically near the center of the complex. Either they set up a trap on the inside, or something else was going on. His instincts were telling him that clearly something was amiss, but he just couldn't figure out what it was. Looking off to the side, Ace noticed a couple sparks emitting off the corner of a building. Squinting his eyes, it looked as if something was torn off its mount. Glancing at the ground, bits and pieces of metal were scattered about. The hero jumped off the roof to get a closer look, trying to make as little noise as possible when he landed. Walking over to the scene, Ace knelt down, trailing his fingers along the ground until he touched something of interest. A piece of glass stood out among the metal. Tapping it, Ace confirmed it was the lens of a camera. The boy then shifted his attention to the sides of the building, noticing that many other cameras were broken off. Those that weren't broken appeared to be offline.
"Card Counter and Strong Suit's work...Night Club would've smashed these lens to pieces with her amp..."
Ace spotted a large warehouse that seemed to have some activity going on inside. Making his way over, he found a ventilation shaft before popping the hatch open and sneaking inside. Besides the sound of machinery going on, it was eerily quiet. After a few minutes of crawling through the dusty shaft, Ace spotted a large form on the ground floor of the darkened room. He popped the grate open, dropping 5 stories onto the floor and rolling to reduce the pain he felt in his feet. When he got out of his roll, the boy was surprised to come face to face with Card Shark himself. But, that wasn't the only thing that was wrong. The villain himself was out cold, and so were his henchmen. All of them had been tied up with colorful straps, no doubt the work of a certain member of the gang.
"Eleven...but...where are the other-" Ace stopped short when he felt something wrap around his body tightly before being pulled back by a large force. Ace barely got a scream in before he was slammed into one of the massive containers, a large ringing noise emitting from the impact. He was then hoisted into the air and left dangling from the ceiling. "Ugh..." Looking down at himself, the boy saw it was the same colorful strap used to tie up the villains. He gawked in surprise before the lights suddenly kicked on, temporarily blinding the hero.
"It seems my calculations were a little off when it came to the timing." A familiar, intelligent voice stated.
"Card Counter?" Ace blinked twice to adjust to the brightness before turning his head towards the voice. What he found wasn't just Card Counter, but the rest of the missing gang. Eleven of Hearts kept a hold on the sash that kept him bounded. "W-What's going on?"
"Easy." Queen of Diamonds stated. "This is a little coup, 'Ace'." She flashed a toothy grin to go with her mockery.
"A coup? I knew you guys were-" Ace stopped himself as a thought came to him. "Wait a minute...you guys can't be real. There's no way my real team would actually do something so crazy. You're all just a bunch of fakes!" He claimed with a smug grin.
The girls looked at themselves before giving a haughty laugh, making the 11 year old form a scowl.
"You would wish that were true, wouldn't you twerp?" High Card spoke between giggles.
"Sorry Lame-O, but we're the real deal. I mean, could a fake of me do this?" Strong Suit stated as she picked up a large piece of piping and threw it at Ace. The boy's eyes bulged out before swinging himself backward, narrowly avoiding possible impalement. The pipe stuck itself into the roof, making a loud clang.
"Need anymore encouragement Ace? I could always play a tune loud enough to make ya lose your hearing." Night Club stated with a sinister grin.
"Alright, fine...you guys are real. But why are you girls doing this?"
"Well, there's a certain ace of a zero hanging up there for a reason." Joker laughed, making everyone else roll their eyes.
"What she means is, we're literally tired Ace." High Card folded her arms. "Your constant failures as a leader have shown that you're incapable of leading this team, or capturing villains for that matter. As you saw upon getting here, we already rounded up Card Shark without your help. At this point, I think it's safe to say we literally don't need you anymore."
Ace gave a deadpanned look. "So, you lured me here just to gloat?"
"There's more to it than that actually." Eight of Spades answered. "We felt you probably wouldn't agree with the changes, so we believe we'd have to change your mind a different way."
"Well of course I wouldn't agree with it!" Ace shouted, rocking back and forth slightly from his position. "Look, I know you guys are mad about a streak of bad luck, but I'm trying ok! It's not easy when you're the only person on the team whose good at tracking others!"
"I disagree." Card Counter stated, pulling up a small computer. "After studying the traffic routes of a suspiciously large number of shipments heading to this facility, as well as tracing some of our adversary's goons after they were spotted on camera a couple days ago, I deduced that Card Shark was based somewhere within this area. And now, here we are. One captured villain, and one fool who claims to be a hero."
"Hey! I was in the hero game long before you guys started it!" Ace retorted.
"And it seems the student became the master." Card Counter fired back. "For all we know, you might be working with our enemies."
Ace let a frustrated growl escape him. "I would never do such a thing for as long as I live! I'd rather be dealing justice than getting served it."
"Well, you might do that. But what would everyone else think?" Royal Flush bemused, leaning on her trusty pipe wrench.
The boy narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?..."
"Just think on it for a sec. We all know the general public looks up to you. But...what if we were to change their opinion about you?" Queen of Diamonds chuckled darkly. "It would be easy to make everyone believe you were leading them on this whole time."
"It'd be the word of 11 against 1, Ace." Hearts quipped.
Card Counter slapped her forehead. "Nine, Eleven..."
"Wait, it's the anniversary of that day already?" Hearts asked in confusion.
High Card gave an exasperated sigh. Eleven could be so ditzy that it was amazing how she was able to use that sash so well. "Anyways...that's what will happen if you don't agree to our terms."
"Let me guess." Ace deadpanned. "You'll want me to quit being a hero, or else you're gonna ruin my reputation and come after me?"
"Huh. Guess the 'Savvy' part of your name rings true then." The oldest member gave a smug grin at the younger hero. "So what's it going to be?"
Ace glared at the girls below him before looking up at where Eleven's sash kept him suspended. The young hero rocked himself back and forth before doing a few twists and turns in the air. Then, he performed a downward push that caught Eleven of Hearts off-guard. She gripped the sash to regain control, but it was too late. Ace unraveled himself from the bindings and landed on the floor.
The 11 year old had his eyes closed as he loosened his joints a bit. "Deuce was right. You girls are nothing but petty and selfish, all because you can't handle the fact we failed to bring our enemies any real justice lately. How do you think I felt after each battle we did? Was I upset? Yes. Was I angry? Yes...but I would never think to place blame on anyone on my team, because I knew there would be another chance at finally bringing some peace to our city." He curled his hands into fists. "You can mock me, back me up against the wall, and threaten me all you want...but there's one thing you won't ever be able to take from me," Ace glared his former team. "My love for heroism..."
Strong Suit chuckled, cracking her knuckles. "That could be arranged."
Each of the girls spread out to surround the lone hero on all sides. "Last chance Ace. Back out now and you'll save yourself a life time of pain and misery. If you refuse...well, I'll be sure to give you a decent funeral." Spades ordered.
At this point, Ace was done talking. There wasn't anything more that could be said that wouldn't lead to physical conflict. Taking up a fighting stance, the girls knew that they were going to have to get the message across the hard way. The running machinery took over as the primary source of noise as the Full House Gang stood in a tense stand off. Ace darted his eyes at each of the girls to his front and sides, silently daring any of them to make the first move. His ears were training on those behind him, listening for any sudden movements. Strong Suit curled and uncurled her fingers, Royal Flush tightened her grip on her wrench, Eleven of Hearts stretched her sash like a small whip, making a small popping sound; Night Club got her amp set up, High Card fixed her eye mask, Joker got her personal Jack in the box ready whilst Spades, and Queen readied their own weapons. Within a split second, eight of the heroines attacked at once.
Now, there was a reason why Ace Savvy was the leader of the group. Aside from having an inate ability to summon his allies at will from his deck of cards, he was an excellent fighter as well. Despite going in at the same time, the heroines were coming at him one after another. Ace side-stepped a punch from High Card before using her forward momentum to sling to the ground. Night Club swung her guitar at his head, forcing him to lean back to avoid a potential concussion. Ace rolled out of the way when she swung it down on him, before using the guitar as a platform to deliver a solid kick to her midsection. As Night Club stumbled back, Joker's Jack in a Box popped out with a large mallet. Not having enough time to dodge it, Ace took Night Club's axe and used it to block the hit. The toy kept trying to pound him before Ace finally managed to get a solid hit to knock it off balance. Joker had to move so she wouldn't get crushed herself.
"Get your hands off my axe dude!" Night Club yelled as she charged at him.
"You want it back so bad? Here!" Ace replied before cutting the charging musician off by throwing the guitar at her chest. The 15 year old was knocked back to the floor in a daze from the impact.
Ace turned as a familiar roar sounded. Strong Suit was running at him with one of her signature head charges. He knew better than to try and stop something like that, since Strong Suit was like a car running at 40mph when she was charging. However, she couldn't steer herself well when running at full speed, nor brake very quickly unless she hit something. Hearing a small noise behind him, the 11 year old saw Eight of Spades about to attack with her shovel. Ace smirked, seeing the opportunity to take both out at the same time. He stood still until Strong Suit got close enough. Right as she lunged at him, the hero ducked under her attack before launching a kick to her stomach. Eight of Spades stopped her attack as her teammate was sailing right towards her. She tried to avoid it, but Suit slammed into her like a train.
"Ow..." She wheezed.
"Sorry..." Strong Suit replied.
Another yell was heard as Royal Flush jumped at the hero, wrench at the ready. Behind her, Queen of Diamonds was summoning several card shaped gems. Being more experienced than the two, Ace knew how to subdue them without injury. When Flush got close, he grabbed the wrench and wrestled it from her hands before shoving the 6 year old to the ground. As she was getting up, Ace put a foot on her torso to hold her down. By then, Queen finished her summoning and flung over a dozen gems at the 11 year old. This proved to be a mistake as Ace used the wrench to deflect shots all around the room. Royal Flush covered her face due to the sparks each deflection produced.
Gem shards were sent in every which way. Some impacted the ceiling lights, causing to rain down to the color. Since Royal Flush was still on the floor, Ace protected her from any shards that might hit her. The rest of the heroines were forced to protect or dodge the incoming projectiles. High Card, Strong Suit, and Joker got cuts on their arms and legs from the assault. Eleven of Hearts got cuts into her sash, while Eight of Spades and Night Club used their respective weapons as shields. The rocker was none too pleased seeing that the strings got cut, giving a murderous glare at the lone hero. As for Queen of Diamonds, she protected her face from her own attack; but one of the shards nailed her right in the tiara, causing it to shatter.
The girly twin looked in horror at her trademark head piece. Without it, she was unable to manipulate any gems within her reach. It also happened to be her favorite fashion accessory. She gripped the broken pieces in anger, not caring if her hands started to bleed. "You. Ruined. MY. TIARA!"
"MY SASH!" Eleven of Hearts screamed in both fear and anger.
High Card examined the damage done to her suit. It was probably the greatest fashion statement Leni made for her, and the rest of her team. And now, Ace just damaged it. The 17 year old pulled out a small piece of glass that got stuck in her forearm. "Oh...you just made this a whole lot easier little bro..."
As the girls started to reorganize and retaliate, only one heroine hadn't engaged Ace at all. Card Counter stayed off to the side, observing the battle to find any potential weaknesses they could exploit. She knew she couldn't hope to match her brother in physical combat, seeing as Ace was handling himself well despite being outnumbered. However, part of the reason was due to the girls not coordinating their attacks. It seems she would have to fix that.
Reaching up to her ear, "Night Club."
"What dude?..." Growled the 15 year old as she was hastily re-stringing her guitar.
"Do you have your amp set up?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I think you know why." The 4 year old gave a small smile.
Deuce gave a frustrated growl as she checked yet another empty building. She figured that, if her sisters were captured, they'd be hidden among the outer buildings of the complex. So far, it was like trying to find the needle in a hay stack. No guards, no traps, nothing that could give an indication on where the girls would be. The grenadier wished she was as good at finding clues like Ace was, maybe then she'd have an easier time. Speaking of Ace, the 7 year old hoped he was doing ok. It was a little weird how a large facility like this with 3 of their arch enemies didn't have a single grunt walking around to keep watch. But, Deuce just took this as a sign that maybe things would be easier than expected. She couldn't be more wrong...
The grenadier sat down on the roof, rapping her fingers against her arm as she tried to figure out how to solve this little dilemma. At that moment, loud music reached her ears, making Deuce look behind her. It was coming from a warehouse near the water, and there was only one person Deuce knew of that played loud rock music like there was no tomorrow. "Night Club..." She uttered, a small smile crossing her lips.
Vaulting over rooftops, she reached the warehouse the music was originating from. All of the windows had been blown out from constant bass tones being played, and Deuce felt her insides vibrating a little.
"Leave it to Luna to think she's always playing for an audience..." Lily thought to herself.
She slipped in through one of the broken windows, making sure to avoid cutting herself. When she got to one of the upper walkways and looked below, whatever confidence she had quickly melted into confusion and horror. Night Clubs was indeed playing a jam session, but seemed to be focusing all that energy directly on Ace. The 11 year old was on his knees, eyes shut tight and gritting his teeth in frustrating as he tried blocking out the sounds with his hands. It was proving to be futile, seeing as he continued to squirm in agony. The rest of the heroines were smugly watching, making sure he couldn't retaliate for the next attack. Strong Suit charged at him with her signature move. Ace managed to get an eye open and saw the attack coming, but couldn't muster a proper defense.
Right as he tried moving out of the way, Strong Suit slammed into the left side of his upper body. Ace screamed as he swore he felt the bones in his left arm break in several places. He tumbled across the floor several times before coming to a stop on his back. The boy gave a small hitched breath as he sat up. His arm was shooting with constant pain whenever he tried to move it.
"Guess that really cost you an arm, huh?" Joker laughed.
Strong Suit cracked her neck joints. "Got any tricks now Ace?"
Ace grimaced. It was difficult fighting his own teammates all at once, but if they were going to start working together, he wouldn't stand a chance with one of his arms broken. He was gonna have to call for help, now. Reaching for his belt, he felt around for his stacked deck, only to feel emptiness. The surprise on his face was clear as day.
"Looking for this?" A chilling voice spoke behind him. Looking back, Ace saw that Eight of Spades was in possession of his belt, and with it, his entire deck. "You won't need this anymore. Trust me." The 8 year old dropped it to the ground before smashing it to pieces.
"He won't be needing that suit much longer either, and maybe breathing." Queen of Diamonds claimed.
The girls surrounded him once again, fists at the ready with a few with close combat weapons having them brandished. Ace gave an audible gulp, fearing beginning to replace his anger. He heard stories about how heroic teams sometimes had a falling out and fought each other, but he believed his team was so close together that they wouldn't have to go through that issue. Seems he was wrong on that end. No one was going to come help him now that his deck was compromised, leaving him at the full mercy of his teammates. He couldn't even contact Deuce, who was probably still looking for her sisters. At this point, he just hoped she wouldn't have to witness what was about to happen.
The grenadier watched in complete shock as her own teammates jumped their leader and started beating him into the floor; she had to cover her mouth to suppress the whimpers she emitted from watching the scene unfold. Several parts of her brain were arguing with what to do, leaving her frozen on the spot. Aside from being shocked and confused, she was angry and heartbroken at the same time. She was angry that the girls were beating on her older brother while he had little chance of fighting back, assuming they might be mad about his leadership as of late. But even then, she had to ask herself, why? They were family for crying out loud. Families were supposed to love and care for each other, even in the hardest of times. Were the girls that petty that they'd take it out on Ace?
Deuce involuntarily winced as each hard blow to her leader echoed across the room. Hot tears began to stream out her eyes as she could clearly hear her brother's pleas for the girls to stop fall on deaf ears. Her body shivered with each breath she took. If Deuce was strapped to a chair and forced to watch torturous TV programs, this would definitely be at the top of the list. Finally, after 5 agonizing minutes, the heroines let up. Ace was sprawled out on the floor, and to Lily, he looked as if he just got mauled by a lion. His costume was torn in various places, his eye mask was practically torn in two, one of his eyes was swollen shut along with his nose and mouth being bloody, his face had numerous bruises and cuts, and his chipped-tooth was jagged with a large piece missing off the right side. She wouldn't doubt it if her sisters broke a couple ribs.
The only thing Ace could do was let out small whimpers as he lied on the floor, the girls admiring their handy work. "If you just agreed with us Ace, it wouldn't have had to come to this." High Card stated. "We may not even need to blackmail you. Hopefully this will be a reminder that you shouldn't ever try being a hero from now on."
"Unless you want a repeat of your last beatdown." Night Club chuckled.
"So, what do we tell Deuce?" Lana asked.
"Fear not my plumbing companion. I'm sure she'll understand." Card Counter replied.
Deuce gritted her teeth, a fire burning in her eyes at what she just heard. Her hands curled into fists as she shook like a volcano about to blow its top. "Oh...I understand alright..." She muttered, putting on her gas mask.
It was quite obvious she'd need one for her line of work, or else she wouldn't be effective. Loading in four rounds, the 7 year old aimed at her sisters and pulled the trigger. The 9 heroines twisted their heads at the sound of something being fired, only to come face to face with a volley of green-colored rockets flying towards them. The RPGs exploded at their feet, releasing a green cloud that covered an area of 20 square feet. The girls gagged from the smell, their eyes watering as they their faces in an attempt to block out the smell. Ace was having a hard time breathing at this point. It was bad enough that he felt one of his ribs poking his lungs, and he certainly didn't want to breathe in crap air. Thankfully, someone put a mask on him, filtering out the toxic air.
"D...Deuce?..." Ace muttered.
"I got you big brother..." The grenadier stated.
Deuce had dropped down during the distraction and started to drag her brother to safety. One of the girls caught her leaving, but the 7 year old fired a second volley at them. With so much green gas filling the air, it provided the perfect cover to escape. Spotting a couple cards on the floor, Deuce grabbed them before taking her brother to the exit. It was rather slow going since Ace could barely walk, and the grenadier was barely strong enough to carry him. After clearing the entire shipping complex, Deuce found a small alley to hide in. Ace collapsed to his hands and knees as he removed the mask. His breaths were ragged as he fought to get clean air into his lungs. Deuce removed her mask and hugged her brother, only easing up a little when he started to groan in pain.
"I saw...I saw everything..." The blonde started. "I-I should've jumped in earlier to help, b-but I froze!..." Tears were creeping in her eyes again.
"H-Hey..." Ace replied weakly, wiping a tear from her face. "It's not your fault. If I-I was in your place, I might have..." He paused, a terrible feeling stirring in his chest. "I-I might-" He stopped as he started a massive coughing fit, spitting out blood in the process. Ace fell to his side, no longer having the energy to sit up.
Deuce scrambled to him quickly, growing fearful as his eyes began to close. "Ace?!" She shook him. "Lincoln?! Lincoln!" The boy heard her cry as he started losing consciousness.
"Lincoln?" A male voice replaced Lily's. Lincoln shot his eyes open, seeing nothing but the darkened pages of the Ace Savvy comic he was reading earlier. Moving the issue from his face, the boy squinted his eyes as the sunlight from the window made itself known.
"Clyde?" He looked up at the opened door.
"Hey, just checking on you. Looks like you fell asleep reading Ace Savvy."
"Yeah." Lincoln scratched his head. It wasn't the first time he fell asleep in that fashion. As his brain was wiring itself awake, he registered one question his best friend asked.
"So, you ready to speak with Dr. Lopez today?"
A/N: Once again, I'd like to thank you guys for your continued support. I wanted Lincoln's therapy session to occur on the anniversary of the story, but it's clear that it won't happen. But, that didn't mean I could make a super long chapter. I hope you guys enjoy the Ace Savvy dream Lincoln has. I think you can already tell it's probably going to be a reoccurring thing for him. A bit of a change from his usual nightmares, but I find the concept very interesting. So next time I update, we'll see what the good doctor can do to alleviate Lincoln's paranoia.