What started off as a fun day turned into a complete disaster.
Lincoln spent the whole day in the Astonishing Quest with Clyde, effectively taking part in repairing the Friendship he had with the boy. Lincoln was certain that things were going to improve, especially considering they won first place.
Then came Doc Ock and The Jackal. Christina was able to temporarily fend them off, at the cost of her identity being revealed.
Even so, Lincoln helped drive them away, and regardless of her secret being exposed, Christina had no plans to retire from her superhero work. She would continue to be Firestar, and she would stay in Royal Woods.
Until that moment.
For all of Christina's work, enduring the villains and her secret being revealed, it was a gunshot that took her down. Specifically, a gunshot from her own father.
Angry as Lincoln was at the man, he had to rush Christina to the hospital, to keep her condition from getting worse.
If that wasn't enough, upon getting home, Lincoln found out that Stella was also hospitalized. Biking all the way from her house to the fight with her broken ribs took quite a toll on her. Even more when she too lashed out against Christina's father.
Lincoln could barely sleep that night, the boy only had worry on his mind for two girls who meant a lot to him.
Despite that, the exhaustion took over and Lincoln ended up falling asleep. The underlying guilt remained, but he would deal with that soon.
The following morning, The Loud Family wasted no time going back to the Hospital. Lincoln needed to know how Christina was doing. He was concerned about Stella too of course, and he needed to be sure she would be alright as well.
As soon as Lynn Sr parked Vanzilla, Lincoln bolted out and ran to the entrance.
"Lincoln, wait up!" Lynn Sr called.
"Whoa, he's fast," Lynn Jr said. "Think he's been working out?"
"Might be pure adrenaline," Lisa commented. "He is understandably worried about Christina and Stella."
"So am I," Lola said as she got out of the car. "Let's go everyone! Get your butts in gear!"
"Lola, I know you're worried, but please dial your tone back," Rita said.
Meanwhile Lincoln had rushed into the hospital and ran to the front desk, "I'm here to see Christina Valdez and Stella Zhau!"
"Stella Zhau's being checked out," the receptionist said. "Her parents arrived this morning and after a few tests, she will be free to leave. As such, she is not accepting any visitors."
"Well, that's good, I think," Lincoln said. "What about Christina?"
"Just sit tight, and we will get you a visitor's pass," the receptionist said.
"Not just me, my family's here too," Lincoln said. He heard the door open and saw them entering. "There they are."
"Hey kiddo, got a head start?" Lynn Sr asked.
"So, who are we seeing first? Christina or Stella?" Lana asked.
"Stella checked out," Lincoln said.
"Checked out?" Lola asked just as her eyes widened. "You mean...she's dead!?"
"Huh?" Lincoln turned to his dramatic little sister. "No! Not dead! She's checking out of the hospital! She's fine!"
"Oh...right," Lola began blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry about that."
"No, it's fine, I should have been clearer," Lincoln insisted. "Point is that her parents are here so Stella's not accepting any visitors."
"That's baloney! I came to see Stella, and I'm going to see her!" Lola said.
"Someone mention me?" Came Stella's voice. The girl was pushed up in a wheelchair, courtesy of her father. "Morning Louds."
"Stella!" Lola ran up and leapt onto Stella's lap to hug her. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
While Stella didn't mind a hug from Lola, it did cause her immense pain, "Lola...I'm happy to see you too...but my ribs...they're kind of-"
Lola was quick to realize what she was doing and pulled away while sheepishly smiling, "Sorry about that. Man, I am not having a good morning."
"It's fine, as long as I get to see your pretty face, it makes all the pain go away," Stella said.
Lola pressed her hands against her cheeks as her face turned red, "Stella, you're such a charmer."
"Stella," Lincoln went to check on the girl. "How are you feeling?"
"My ribs still really hurt," Stella said. "The doctor told me that I punctured a lung, so I might need surgery."
"When why are they letting you out of the hospital?" Lincoln asked.
"She's going to another hospital, out of state," Judy said.
Lincoln's eyes widened in disbelief, "Out of state!? Where!?"
"I'm just going back to my old hometown," Stella said. "It's in-"
"Stella, enough," Judy said. "Don't give this boy any ideas."
"Huh?" Lincoln asked in confusion.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but our daughter has trouble healing due to distractions, mainly focused on her friends," Ken said. "Which is great that she cares, but it is taking an effect on her personal health."
"Between sneaking off to that fair, then that big fight," Judy said. "This girl is out of control."
"I just want to spend time with my friends," Stella said. "I barely had any before I moved here."
"Well if you want to keep spending time with them, then I suggest you use this time to heal," Judy said. "I do not want you injuring yourself again, and if I must keep you separated from your friends, then it's a risk I must take."
"For how long exactly?" Lincoln asked.
"For a few short months," Judy said.
"Months!?" Stella shouted in disbelief. "The doctor told me I wouldn't need to recover for that long! What about school!? What about my friends!?"
"Stella, don't raise your voice, you're in a hospital," Judy warned.
"But this isn't what you promised me!" Stella shouted. "I can't be away from my friends! How could you-?" Stella began coughing a bit. "How could you do this-?" She coughed more, resulting in some blood coming out of her mouth.
"Oh no!" Lola shouted in worry.
"Stella! Enough!" Judy warned.
"Oh dear," Ken called for help. "My daughter needs a doctor, stat!"
Some doctors were quick to rush over as Lola leapt off of the wheelchair, worried for Stella's safety.
Judy grumbled in frustration, "This is why you need a break from these friends of yours! They make you irrational!"
"Judy, if I may say something," Lynn Sr interjected. "I know you're worried about your daughter, but you don't want to be too overprotective of her. Kids need freedom too. Plus her friends clearly mean a lot to her, do you really want to keep her isolated for so long?"
"It's for the best," Judy said. "I need to keep my daughter safe."
"Judy, if you want her to recover well, then her friends need to be part of the recovery process," Lynn Sr said. "Don't deprive her of people who care. My son's just as worried, and my daughter Lola adores Stella. All of my kids like her."
"Yeah, your daughter's a real badass," Lynn Jr said.
"I really do not want to discuss this right now!" Judy said as some doctors took Stella back to her room. "Just...give us a little space for the time being."
As Judy left, Lola angrily walked back to her family. "Why is she making it seem like it's our fault somehow that Stella's hurt?"
"It technically could be," Lisa said. "Reminder that Stella got injured trying to protect me from Otto."
"That's bogus, she should be seen as a hero," Lynn Jr said.
"Okay, let's not get into this," Rita said. "I know Judy seemed harsh, but Stella is her daughter. We need to respect her feelings on this matter."
"Pops is right," Luna said. "Let's just lay off a bit and wait until things calm down."
"Then we can reason with Stella's parents," Luan said.
"That's an excellent idea," Rita said.
"I'm down for that," Lincoln said. "But right now, I want to see Christina. I'm really worried about her."
"That might be a problem," Came the voice of a doctor, one with tan skin, glasses and brown hair.
"What now?" Lincoln asked, the boy's frustration seeping. "I don't suppose Christina's mother doesn't want me around her?"
"Lincoln, don't talk with that to the doctor," Rita said.
"It's fine ma'am," the doctor said. "You should know something. Christina Valdez is currently not in her room."
"Huh!?" Lincoln asked. "What do you mean she's not in her room!? Did she check out of the hospital too?"
"No, she was in critical condition, we would not have dismissed her," The Doctor said. "We can't say for sure, but it's likely she was kidnapped."
"KIDNAPPED!?" Lincoln leapt onto the table. "How!? When did this happen!?"
"Lincoln, calm yourself!" Rita ordered.
"I'm not calming myself, I want answers!" Lincoln faced the doctor. "Do you have any security tapes!? Where the hell is my girlfriend!?"
"Lincoln Albert Loud! Off the desk, now!" Rita ordered.
"Honey, easy," Lynn Sr urged. "He's justifiably upset, don't dismiss his feelings."
"I don't care if he's upset, no son of mine is going to behave like this in public!" Rita said.
"Look..." Lynn Sr turned to the doctor. "Sir, I need to know what's happening too. What happened to this girl?"
"We're not sure," The doctor said.
"Well did you notify the police?" Lynn Sr asked. "Better yet, did you notify her mother?"
"We're working on it," The doctor said. "We will make sure both her parents know about-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lynn Jr interrupted. "Her old man's the reason's she's in the hospital. He's the one who shot her. Right now, he should be in the police station, ready to be locked up for what he did."
"Ah...right, I overlooked the details of her injury," The doctor shamefully said.
"So, no clues? Nothing at all!?" Lincoln asked. "How did this even happen!? Doesn't this place have security!?"
"Lincoln, that's enough son," Lynn Sr said. "You're upset, as are we all. But right now, it's better that we leave this to the police."
"Dad, she's in critical condition," Lincoln said. "What if she dies!?"
"I'm sorry, but there isn't anything that anyone can do," Lynn Sr said.
Lincoln grumbled in annoyance and ran out of the hospital.
"Lincoln Loud, you get back here!" Rita called.
"Let him go," Lynn Sr said.
"Lynn, stop covering for him! And stop making excuses!" Rita scolded. "I don't like Lincolns behavior, and as his mother-"
"As his mother, you should be trying to sympathize with his feelings!" Lynn Sr said. "The poor boy found out that his girlfriend is not only a superhero with mutant powers, but that she was shot by her own father and sent to the hospital! Not to mention what we just saw with Stella and her relocating! He's going through a lot, and if he needs to go blow off some steam, then let him!"
"Very well..." Rita said. "But this discussion isn't over. I will make sure that boy straightens out."
"Kind of harsh, aren't you mom?" Lynn Jr asked. "Come on, you've let us get away with worse, what's the big deal if Lincoln wants to clear his head."
"You watch yourself, young lady, or you can kiss your Thursday Lacross good-bye," Rita warned. "Let's go home, and straighten everything out."
"Yes dear," Lynn Sr said, the man sighing in worry as Rita walked out of the hospital.
"Daddy...why is all of this bad stuff happening?" Lily asked.
"I don't know angel," Lynn Sr picked his youngest daughter up. "I wish I could give you an answer."
"So...should we go home?" Lana asked.
"Wait up!" Came the voice of Paige, the girl running over with her parents. "I had a feeling you'd all be here."
"Hey it's Paige," Leni said. "One of Linky's friends."
"That's the one he sent the love letter to," Lily said.
"Oh yeah, he did once," Paige awkwardly said. "I hated having to let him down, he's such an articulate writer too. I just wasn't ready for a boyfriend."
"It's cool, we all had busts," Lynn Jr said.
"Except me," Luna bragged.
"Same here," Luan said.
"Uh...wow, you all gave letters at the same time?" Paige asked.
"It's a long story, but yes," Lucy said.
"I will have to take partial responsibility for that," Lynn Sr said. "It's such a funny story too, you'd love it."
"I'd love to hear about it, but I came because I heard something unsettling about Christina," Paige said.
"You heard right," Lynn Jr said. "Who could have taken her?"
"Hard to say, but this town does have people who are anti-mutant," Paige said. "Someone might have found out."
"If someone did hurt Christina, I will bash his skull in," Lynn Jr said. "I have a really good baseball bat too."
"Look, we'll talk to the police about it," Lynn Sr said. "For now, let's leave. Your mother's waiting."
"What about Lincoln?" Lucy asked.
"I'll give him some time to clear his head," Lynn Sr said as he pulled out his phone. "But I'll let him know we're leaving. And I will pick him up if he needs it."
Lynn Sr's message went through, with Lincoln quickly checking while swinging through down. The boy donned his superhero gear and was already out looking for his girlfriend.
"I bet it was Octavius and that overgrown mutt who took Christina!" Lincoln hissed. "When I find those guys, I will make them regret everything they've done!"
A few hours had passed, with no sign of anyone or anything. No Christina, no Octavius, no one at all. Lincoln was getting frustrated, and very worried for Christina's safety.
Lincoln stopped on top of a building and sat near the edge. The boy grabbed his mask in frustration, feeling the urge to just tear it off.
"Should I even be Spider-Man!? How can I call myself a hero when I can't even keep any girl that I've dated safe!?" Lincoln was still considering it but ultimately decided against it. "I can't just quit, this town's counting on me. Still, I don't know what I should do."
Lincoln heard some glass break and a robber running nearby. The boy angrily clenched his fists.
"You picked the wrong day, you creep!" Lincoln swung in and unleashed on the robber.
Meanwhile in Great Lakes, Lori was seen on the phone, having just gotten an explanation from Leni. "Okay...thanks...I'll keep in touch."
She wasn't along, as Bobby, Ronnie Anne and Sid were also present, and waiting. With the feed interrupted, they hadn't gotten many updates since Christina's unmasking.
"So...how are things?" Bobby asked.
"How's Christina doing?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"And how's Lincoln handling all this?" Sid asked.
"It's...really bad," Lori said, the girl slowly putting her phone away. "After finding out about Christina's powers, her father ended up shooting her, and sent her to the hospital."
Bobby lowered his head in a somber way while Sid placed her hands over her mouth in shock with Ronnie Anne quickly turning to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Shot by her father?" Bobby asked in disbelief. "But she's in the hospital now. Does this mean she can be saved?"
"That's the thing, she went missing this morning," Lori said.
"...I gotta call Lincoln," Ronnie Anne quickly left the room.
"I'll go with her," Sid followed.
Bobby was still understandably upset, "This is terrible. How can someone do this to his own daughter?"
"I guess he was scared," Lori said. "She is a mutant after all."
"She's still a human being," Bobby said. "Parents are supposed to love their kids unconditionally! There had to be a better way."
"I agree, I don't wish harm on that girl," Lori said. "It's out of our control unfortunately."
"Is there anything we can do?" Bobby asked. "Anything at all?"
"Right now, I think all we can do is offer our support and our prayers for Christina and her family," Lori said. "As well as for Lincoln."
"I guess..." Bobby said. "Thanksgiving is soon, we can try doing something nice for Christina's family to ease them from the pain."
"We'll think of something," Lori said.
Meanwhile Ronnie Anne was dialing her phone in the secret room that she and Sid found long ago. "Come on Lincoln, pick up..."
"He might be in a bad mood, so maybe calling him isn't the best idea," Ronnie Anne said.
"He'll pick up, I'll make sure of that," Ronnie Anne said, then heard something. "Lincoln?"
"Ronnie Anne?" Lincoln asked as he sipped a Flippie, still in costume while on a rooftop.
"Oh good, I got you," Ronnie Anne said.
"Tell him I said 'hi'," Sid said.
"Uh, Sid says 'hi'," Ronnie Anne said.
"I appreciate that, I hope you're both doing okay," Lincoln said.
"We're fine, but I'm more worried about you," Ronnie Anne said. "I heard about Christina. I'm really sorry to hear that you went through that."
"The only one who should be sorry is me," Lincoln said. "I should have been able to protect her. Never did I imagine her own father would do something like that."
"I don't get it, why would he?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Why would he do that to his own daughter?"
"Because he's afraid of mutants," Lincoln said. "He's an anti-mutant bigot who would rather hurt his own kid than learn to accept her how she is."
"I know a thing or two about dealing with bigots," Ronnie Anne said. "Still, that's just seriously fucked up. What happened to the guy afterwards?"
"I think he went to jail," Lincoln said. "Or the hospital, I did slug him good."
"You punched him out?" Ronnie Anne asked. "That's so badass!"
"Honestly, I feel kind of bad about it," Lincoln admitted.
"What for? He deserved it, didn't he!?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Maybe, but I shouldn't have acted out like that," Lincoln said. "I'm a superhero, I have to set a better example. If I let my emotions get the better of me, it will become harder to keep anyone safe."
"Lincoln, you're a real one for that," Ronnie Anne said. "But face it, the jackass had it coming."
"Still, I gotta be mindful of my emotions," Lincoln said. "But that's not even the worst of it. Christina's been kidnapped. I gotta find her."
"I heard about that too," Ronnie Anne said. "How could this have happened!?"
"I'm willing to bet that Otto and that Jackal have something to do with it," Lincoln said.
"Otto? And what Jackal?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Have you heard about a man named Otto Octavius?" Lincoln asked. "Someone that Lisa knew."
"Oh yeah, I did hear about that," Ronnie Anne said.
"He and some guy who resembled a Jackal were the ones who attacked us yesterday," Lincoln said. "They might have kidnapped Christina to keep her as a hostage."
"Sounds like you made some bad enemies," Ronnie Anne said. "Still, a Jackal?"
"It's weird, I've come across so many strange instances of humans turning into animals," Lincoln said. "Between Doctor Connors and La Tigressa, I feel like there's a pattern going on here."
"That is a bit suspicious," Ronnie Anne said.
"I hate to ask, but do you think you can find anything out on your end?" Lincoln asked. "Can you visit Doctor Connors and ask him if he knew anyone this suspicious?"
"I'll give it a shot," Ronnie Anne said.
"Hey, ask him how Stella's doing," Sid said. "She got hurt before, didn't she? I want to know if she's feeling better."
"Oh yeah, Sid's worried about Stella," Ronnie Anne said. "I am too actually."
"Stella had to go to the hospital, she punctured her lung with her broken rib," Lincoln confirmed.
"She punctured her lung!?" Ronnie Anne asked in disbelief, with Sid looking pale from worry. "Oh my God, is she alright!?"
"She needs surgery," Lincoln said. "The thing is that her parents want Stella to move back to her old hometown while she recovers."
"Stella's moving?" Ronnie Anne asked, worrying Sid even more.
"It's too keep her from getting distracted from her healing, but I think her mom's just worried," Lincoln said. "Still, I am not letting Stella leave town. Jordan already left, and now Christina's missing. I am not going through this a third time."
"I hope you're successful," Ronnie Anne said. "I'd hate it if Stella moved."
"Me too, I need her someplace I know I can visit!" Sid said.
"I'll figure something out," Lincoln said, then heard a window break nearby. "There's a burglary, I gotta go."
"Give'em hell," Ronnie Anne said before hanging up.
"Things really went to hell for Lincoln, huh?" Sid asked.
"Seems like it," Ronnie Ane said. "Anyway, he needs our help. We got some snooping to do."
"I love me some good snooping," Sid said.
Back in Royal Woods, Lincoln angrily glared at the burglars. "I am really getting tired of seeing you guys today!" Lincoln went to show these crooks what happenes when you break the law.
Later at the Loud House, Rita is seen impatiently glaring out the window, "He's been gone all day, where is he!?"
"He's taking this harder than we expected him to," Lynn Sr said.
"I know this is a troubling situation, but Lincoln should not be away this long at this hour," Rita said. "This town isn't safe."
"I'll try to reach out to him," Lynn Sr said.
"Are you talking about Lincoln?" Lana asked. "I can contact him if you need me to."
"Good idea." Lynn Sr said.
Lana picked up her phone and dialed. Within moments she heard a response, "Yeah?"
"Hey Lincoln, it's Lana," The girl said. "Our folks are getting nervous, you gotta come back."
"I can't, not until I've found Christina," Lincoln said.
"Bro, I know you're worried, but you've been gone all day," Lana said. "They're going to get suspicious if you don't come home."
"Yeah but..." Lincoln grumbled in annoyance. "Fine, but let me stop off at one more place first."
"Make it fast," Lana said. "I can only cover for you for so long."
"I will," Lincoln said and hung up. He reached the house he was hoping to reach, that being the Zhau residence.
He carefully snuck around the property, crawling on the house until he reached the window to Stella's room. Inside he could see his friend laying in bed and playing her Snap.
"I didn't think she'd be allowed to play video games, but I guess her parents are trying to keep her calm," Lincoln carefully tapped the window. "Stella!"
"Huh?" Stella placed her handheld console down and noticed her friend by her window. "Lincoln?"
Lincoln opened the window himself, carefully as to not attracted attention, "Hey, mind if I come inside? I won't be long."
"Yeah, sure, come on in," Stella said as she sat up to the best of her ability. "What's up?"
"You say that so casually," Lincoln said as he took his mask off. "Stella, please tell me your mom's lightening up on the idea of you moving."
"Well, dad did point out that it would be very difficult for my mom to switch jobs," Stella said. "Plus dad likes it here, he says the commute's easier, and the Yoga Classes are fun."
"Hopefully my dad got through to your mom," Lincoln said. "I really don't want you to move."
"I don't want to move either," Stella said. "Don't worry too much, my mom's just being hysterical. She'll forget all of this by next week. Besides, my grandmother lives in the local retirement home. It wouldn't be in our best interest to leave town with her by herself."
"Sounds like you have everything covered here," Lincoln said.
"For the most part," Stella said. "I'll make sure I stick around. After everything with Christina, you're going to really need my help."
"Don't worry about me," Lincoln said. "I can manage."
"That's brave of you Lincoln, but you can't do everything on your own," Stella said.
"Even so, you're still hurt," Lincoln said. "To your parents' point, you do need to take time to recover. The more you overwork yourself, the more you delay your recovery. I don't want you risking a long-term injury for my sake. So it might be better if you just lay low and take time to heal."
"Lincoln, it's fine, I can handle a little work," Stella said. "I can just as easily work from home. I'll need to be discreet but-"
"Stella, please," Lincoln said. "Just take a break from your gadgets and get better."
"Lincoln, it's going to get much more dangerous from here on out," Stella said. "Otto's gotten away from you twice, and now he has a buddy."
"I can handle it," Lincoln said.
"Not alone!" Stella scolded. "Lincoln, maybe you forgot, but even you can't do everything by yourself! If it wasn't for me-!"
Stella started coughing a bit, the girl feeling pain in her stomach, to which Lincoln was quick to check on her, "Are you alright!?'
"I'm fine, it's nothing," Stella said, despite the pain in her voice.
"...This is no longer up for discussion," Lincoln said. "Stella, you're taking time off to heal."
Stella shook her head in disagreement, "I can't do that! Without my gadgets-"
"I don't care about your gadgets, Stella! I care about you!" Lincoln clarified, resulting in Stella's demeanor softening. "Stella, this goes beyond keeping my Girl in the Chair safe. This is about keeping my friend safe."
"I guess..." Stella tried thinking this over. She then felt Lincoln lifting her hand up and holding it in his own. This prompted a small blush from the girl.
"Stella, I care about you too much to risk your health," Lincoln said as he placed his remaining hand over her palm. "Please, for your sake and mine, take time to heal. You can come back when you're ready, but I need you to really heal."
"...Okay," Stella said. "Just promise me you'll be careful out there."
"I got this," Lincoln placed his mask back on. "I'll talk to you later."
"Sure," Stella said as Lincoln leapt out of the window. The girl laid back in bed as she stared at the ceiling, thinking about Lincoln's words to her. "That boy really has a way with words."
Lincoln had finally gotten home, the boy was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to just go inside and sit down to take his mind off of things.
He opened the door and called out to his family, "I'm home!"
"Linky!" Lily ran over to hug her big brother. "You're back!"
"Hey Lily, you're still up?" Lincoln asked.
"Of course, it's only dinner time," Lily said.
"Oh right...is dinner ready? I could use a bite to eat," Lincoln said.
"Hold on one second," Came Rita's voice as she entered the room alongside Lynn Sr. "You and I need to have a talk, young man."
"Oh boy..." Lincoln lamented.
"Now, don't worry, we're not mad," Lynn Sr said.
"Speak for yourself, Lynn!" Rita said. "I am quite furious. Lincoln has been out all day!"
"He's just processing a stressful situation," Lynn Sr said.
"I am so tired of you making excuses for him!" Rita said. "Now I have to scold him and look like the bad guy!"
Lincoln began to develop a headache, the boy feeling like his head was trapped in a vice as he struggled to maintain the last of his optimism. The more his parents argued, the louder the ringing in his head got, almost as if his spider-sense was going off.
"Mom, Pops, chill," Luna interjected. "Come on, Lincoln's already stressed, he doesn't need to hear you two fighting."
"Honey, I'm stressed too," Rita said. "I do feel for Lincoln but as his mother, I need to set some rules."
"If I may..." Lincoln spoke up. "Mom, I'm sorry I was gone all day. If you want to ground me, then go ahead. Right now I just want to eat and lie down."
"Honey, it's not about me grounding you," Rita said as she knelt before her son. "I understand how you're feeling, you experienced something a boy your age shouldn't have to experience. But this is why you need your family. I understand you needed to clear your head, but in the end, I need to know you're okay. This town isn't safe anymore, so I need to enforce stricter rules."
"Your mother is correct," Lynn Sr said. "In light of what happened, I believe it would be a good idea to enforce a curfew."
"Pops, we already have curfews," Luna said.
"Uh...well yeah, but I need to enforce stricter curfews," Lynn Sr said. "From now on, no one is to be out of the house after 5:30."
"Did you say 5:30!?" Lynn Jr asked as she came in with Luan, Lana and Lola behind her. "Dad, I have sports practice that goes up to six!"
"That might affect my band practice," Luna said.
"And my theater stuff," Luan said.
"Look kids, I know it's not a popular decision, I have things I need to give up to," Lynn said. "But, for your safety, I need to enforce this rule. Just for a little bit until things settle down."
"Settle down how?" Luan asked.
"Truth be told, the only reason I was lenient is because we at least had a pair of superheroes keeping everyone safe," Lynn Sr said. "There was danger, but Spider-Man and Firestar at least kept the danger down. But after what happened with Fire...I mean Christina, it might be better to just lay as low as possible."
"Truth be told, one thing does have me a little worried," Lola said. "What if the bad guys find out that Lincoln was dating Firestar?"
"It's not like they'll find his name out," Lana said. "Besides, what do they have to gain?"
"Well, that's just all the more reason to enforce this curfew for now," Lynn Sr said. "At least until after Thanksgiving."
"Speaking of which, are our cousins still coming over?" Luan asked.
"We hope so," Lynn Sr said.
"Same, I really want to see Shelby again," Lincoln said.
"They'll be here," Rita reassured. "I bet Shelby wants to see you too, Lincoln. That's why I want you to stay safe."
"Sure, okay mom," Lincoln said.
"Look, things are tense, so while we wait for dinner," Lynn Jr turned on the TV. "Let's take our minds off of things, with a little Boob Tube action."
Coming on was J Johah Jameson. "Last night was tragic. What should have been a fun day of Astonishing Quests turned into a disaster when the zoo of miscreants terrorized the city. Doctor Octopus, the Human Jackal, and of course, that menace Spider-Man. All of whom were causing unneeded stress for the good citizens of Royal Woods."
"Turn that junk off!" Lana demanded.
Lincoln facepalmed in annoyance, "Figures Jameson would spin it that way."
"However," Jameson continued. "In light of what happened with Firestar, I do have this to say. No child should ever have to go through what she went through. Being shot by her own father, well I suppose that makes James Valdez the real villain last night. Being a father is a gift that any man should be grateful for, yet so many take it for granted. It sickens me. No one, and I mean, no one, should ever be mistreated for being a mutant."
"Well this is a surprise," Lynn said. "Didn't expect Jameson to actually have a heart."
"Yeah..." Lincoln said. "I guess he's not so-"
"For Spider-Man to put young Chrisina Valdez in that situation is appalling," Jameson continued, much to Lincoln's annoyance as he stormed off. "With any luck, justice will be served, and troublemakers like Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus will be a thing of the past. This has been Just the Facts, with J Jonah Jameson."
The camera turned back to Katherine Mulligan, who was very annoyed with the recent broadcast, "Thank you Jameson, we can always rely on you for your...unbiased...perspective."
"Never mind, the dude's a dick," Lynn said.
"Lynn Loud Junior!" Rita scolded. "That is not appropriate language!"
"Ugh, fine," Lynn said. "Not like I care that much about Spider-Man anyway."
"I really hate the news these days, it's so negative," Lynn Sr said. "Good to know what's happening in town but my goodness, it just leaves such a sour taste in my mouth."
"It's unfortunate, but that's the world we live in," Rita said. "But it's fine, even if the world can be a bad place, we can always try to find some good in it."
"I'm with you," Lynn Sr said. "Amid this harmful chaos, I take comfort in knowing my children are safe and sound. Even more, I take comfort in knowing that I am lucky enough to still be here to see them grow."
"You're going to see me grow, right daddy?" Lily asked as she tugged at her father's leg.
"Of course hon," Lynn Sr picked up his youngest daughter. "Nothing will keep me away from you."
"You promise?" Lily asked.
"You bet I do," Lynn Sr held out his pinky. "I Pinky Promise that I will always be there for you, your sisters and your brother."
"Okay," Lily said as she held out her pinky as well. "Pinky Promise."
"That's my girl," Lynn Sr said as he kissed his daughter on the cheek. "You're such a bundle of joy."
Lily then gave her father as strong of a hug as she could, "I love you daddy."
This nearly brought Lynn Sr to tears as the man gently hugged his daughter back, "Love you too, ya rascal."
Lynn Jr rolled her eyes in annoyance, "God, it's so sappy."
"Lynn Junior..." Lynn Sr said in a warning tone, to which Lily laughed.
"Lynn's always getting into trouble," Lily said.
"Am not..." Lynn Jr insisted.
Upstairs, Lincoln had plopped face first onto his bed, looking more annoyed than ever. "What's it going to take for that sourpuss to get a freaking clue already?" He turned onto his back as he stared at the ceiling. "I gotta find Christina. But how? Should I call Nat? I could ask Stella since...no, I gotta let her rest."
Lincoln then felt his phone buzzing. He looked to see that he got a text from Chloe.
"Is everything okay?"
Lincoln responded to the text.
"I'm fine, I just have a headache."
He waited a bit before getting a response.
"Come see me tomorrow around lunchtime, just outside the cafeteria."
Lincoln responded to the text.
"Sure, if you want."
He got one more response.
"See you then. ;)"
Lincoln placed his phone away as he thought over that conversation, "Wonder what Chloe could want with me? Guess I'll find out tomorrow."
Meanwhile at the Royal Woods Art Gallery, some guards were seen doing their usual patrols to ensure the safety of the paintings.
Unknown to one of the guards, a mysterious figure was seen lowering from the ceiling and landing down without a sound.
The being carefully crawled over to an expensive piece of art, eyeing it with pure greed in her eyes.
"Purr-fect..." The girl whispered. She extended some claws to carefully slice the glass. With that out the way, she carefully pulled the piece of art out and scurried away before any of the guards could grow suspicious.
She eventually made it outside and stepped into the beam of a streetlight, the young teenager in a cat suit marveling at what she had nabbed
"This will look nice in my room."
She took a quick look around to ensure that the coast was clear. No celebration until she got away from the scene of the crime.
The girl made her way home, sneaking into her bedroom window. She placed the painting down somewhere safe.
"Well this was quite a successful night," The girl said, taking her mask off and revealing herself to be Maggie. "Nothing like a little heist to make a girl feel alive. Hehehe..."
Observing from nearby was a very familiar kitty, one that gazed at Maggie with a mysterious look in its eyes.
The following day in school was yet another somber day. Due to what had happened with Christina, a surprised assembly was held by Principal Ramirez that began the moment the bell rang.
"I'm sure by now, most if not all of you are aware of the tragedy surrounding Christina Valdez," Ramirez said. "Furthermore, you're all aware by now that she is in fact a mutant."
"I can't believe this is happening," Lincoln lamented.
"It was inevitable," Clyde said. "But I'm sure that The Principal has her reasons for doing this."
"Let this be a lesson to anyone who may be a mutant," Ramirez said. "This is why you don't hide the truth. Had we known Christina was a mutant, we would have done our part in protecting her and easing her into this new life. The Mutant Registration Act is important for this kind of reason. Had she cooperated, this tragedy could haveb been avoided."
"There's no way she's serious," Rusty said.
"Now it should be said that we in Royal Woods Middle School do not tolerate any form of discrimination, nor do we condone violence against mutants," Ramirez said. "But this is an important topic that none of us can afford to overlook. We must all do our part to keep our community safe."
Lincoln shook his head in annoyance, then noticed Paige walking off, the girl on her way out of the auditorium. Feeling worried, he went after her.
"Lincoln?" Clyde asked.
"Cover for me, I gotta check on Paige," Lincoln said as he left.
Clyde sighed in worry, "He's always running off somewhere. I can't blame him this time. I'd rather be anywhere but here too."
Nearby Paige had stormed outside of the assembly hall, with Lincoln not too far behind her. Paige angrily slammed her fist against a nearby locker while grumbling in frustration.
"Stupid principal...stupid assembly..." Paige mumbled.
"Paige?" Lincoln said, getting the girl's attention.
"Lincoln..." Paige pulled away from the locker. "You shouldn't be out here, you'll get in trouble."
"You're out here," Lincoln pointed out.
"Don't worry about me," Paige said. "I just needed some air, that's all."
"Paige...I know why you're upset," Lincoln said. "You know you don't have to hide anything from me. You're upset about Christina, and rightfully so. She's your best friend. As much as it hurts me to know what happened, I know it's eating at you more, because you know Christina a whole lot better than any of us. So whatever you need to get off your chest-"
Paige immediately pulled Lincoln into a hug, the girl quietly sobbing as she hugged the boy tight. Lincoln slowly returned the hug, hoping to bring comfort to his clearly distraught friend.
The two stood in the hallway for a good minute, with Paige no longer holding her feelings back and allowing the tears to flow as Lincoln gently rubbed her head. Deep down, he wanted to cry as well, the pain was still fresh in his mind. But he had to be strong for Paige, she needed a shoulder to cry on more than he did right now.
After a little bit, Paige pulled away while still rubbing her eyes. "Sorry you had to see me like that."
"Don't be, you had every reason to let the tears flow," Lincoln said as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm always here if you need someone to talk to, alright?"
"Heh...gotta say Lincoln, you're really strong," Paige said. "But you don't need to be. I know this is hurting you too. After all, you and Christina were a thing."
"Believe me Paige, I'm hurting a lot," Lincoln said. "I really felt something special. I don't know if it means much considering I had two other girlfriends, but I really did think I found something with Christina."
"You've been spending a lot of time with her, even before you officially hooked up," Paige said. "Somehow I had a feeling you two would hit it off. Even when you were with Jordan, I figured that wouldn't last. Uh, no disrespect of course, Jordan did not deserve what happened to her."
"It's fine," Lincoln said.
"Still, Christina was so happy any time she talked about you, and that brought a smile to my face," Paige's demeanor soured. "Especially since...well you know, how she wasn't exactly a normal human."
"She seemed normal to me," Lincoln said. "Having powers is just part of who she is. I fell in love with Christina Valdez, not Firestar."
"Yeah, to think she was a superhero," Paige said. "I knew, but now everyone else does. Anyway, I'm glad you loved her for her. It meant a lot to her, I can promise that."
"That just makes me even more frustrated," Lincoln said. "I should have been able to protect her. Had I known about Doc Ock..."
"Lincoln, he's a dangerous supervillain," Paige said. "Spider-Man struggled with him. Rusty nearly got killed when he tried going after him."
"She's still my girlfriend, I had to be there for her, but I wasn't," Lincoln said.
"I know you would have done anything you could have, but trust me when I say that Christina would not have wanted you to get hurt," Paige said.
"I would have gladly taken that chance," Lincoln admitted.
"Hey..." Paige gently caressed Lincoln's face. "Don't say that. Okay? I would have hated to see you get hurt."
"Alright fine," Lincoln said.
"Look, just leave it to Spider-Man, he'll fix this," Paige said.
"...He better," Lincoln said. "How else can he call himself a real hero?"
"Hey, no more of that," Paige said. "Christina speaks highly of Spider-Man, and I know this is bothering him too."
"He should have been able to save her," Lincoln said. "He was right there! He should have stopped her dad!"
"I can't speak for Spider-Man, but I don't think even he could have guessed that Mr. Valdez would do something that despicable," Paige said, the girl feeling disgusted. "I can't even believe it. The man's been to my house! He knows my parents! He hosted slumber parties! He seemed like the nicest person! To think he could even do such a thing! And to his own daughter too!?"
"Yeah, it's awful," Lincoln said.
"The worst part is that I feel like I lied to Christina," Paige said.
"Huh? How?" Lincoln asked.
"I told her that her family would always accept her, no matter what," Paige said, the girl shamefully looking aside. "What a load of crap that turned out to be."
"You had every reason to believe so," Lincoln said.
"But I knew that her father was like that," Paige said. "I know I said he was nice, and he genuinely seemed nice. I don't think being anti-mutant always means you're bad, I think it just means that you're just misunderstanding the situation. I really believed that if Christina's father found out she was a mutant, his love for her would triumph over his hatred."
Paige leaned against the lockers, placing her hands to her head in frustration as she slid down to the floor.
"Boy was I wrong, I really underestimated just how much prejudice can affect a person's heart," Paige said. "I shouldn't be surprised. Even today kids are too afraid to come out as gay or bisexual to their parents, and that stuff is nothing compared to being a mutant."
"You really think so?" Lincoln asked before thinking to himself. "Well Luna did have it fairly easy, even if mom and dad wants it to remain a secret from Lily for now. I get why though, and so does Luna."
"I feel like a fool for saying what I did," Paige said. "I'm worried Christina might be mad at me for that."
"I really doubt it would even cross her mind," Lincoln reassured.
"You think so?" Paige asked.
"Christina knows you well enough to know you just want best for her," Lincoln said. "Don't take the blame for something that isn't your fault."
"...Guess we both need to go easy on ourselves," Paige said. "You're a great guy, Lincoln. Thanks for coming to check on me."
"Are you feeling any better?" Lincoln asked.
"Honestly, it will take me a really long time to be completely over this," Paige said. "But thanks to you, I think I'm getting there."
"That's good," Lincoln said.
"...Do you think we'll see her again?" Paige asked.
"I hope so," Lincoln said. "Spider-Man will try. He has to."
"I have faith in him," Paige said. "I believe in him."
"He'll be happy to know that," Lincoln said. "I suppose we all should."
"Yeah. Well, anyway, we should probably head back inside before someone notices we're not in there," Paige said.
"Too late," Came the voice of Bolhofner, the man having spotted the two.
"Oh boy..." Lincoln said.
"Looks like we're busted," Paige said.
"Don't worry, I'm not writing either of you up," Bolhofner said. "Honestly, I don't blame you two. I know you are close to that girl."
"Yeah, she's my best friend," Paige said.
"And my girlfriend," Lincoln said.
"It's a shame what fear does to people," Bolhofner said. "Ater what Christina Valdez's father did, he better hope I never find him."
"Well, he's in jail," Paige said. "I heard Spider-Man knocked him out. He lost some of his teeth."
"Tch, that all? " Bolhofner said. "I would have done worse."
"I wish I could do worse," Paige admitted.
"I'm sure you do," Bolhofner said. "Still, enough talk, you two should get back inside before you land yourselves in trouble."
"Yes sir," Lincoln walked back inside with Christina right behind him.
Bolfhofner sighed in worry, the man feeling a sense of shame in knowing one of his students was critically injured and now missing.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Kraven were around," Bolhofner said. "He'd be able to track that girl down. But, no doubt he wants revenge. I can't risk something like that."
Eventually the assembly came to an end and classes resumed. For Lincoln, the boy felt a bit lonelier as it felt like everyone around him was disappearing.
He was still not too used to seeing Jordan not at her seat. Now Christina is no longer there too, same with Stella. At least Stella he believed would be temporary.
Lunch Time Came, and as promised, Lincoln would wait just outside for Chloe and Emma. The boy felt weird about this. Emma was a girl he had previously dated, and Chloe dated his best friend. He and Chloe have gotten much closer as of late, so Lincoln was not too surprised that she wanted to check on him. But it would still be unusual for him to deal with.
"Lincoln!" Came Emma's voice, this catching Lincoln's attention as she walked over to her ex.
"Hey Emma," Lincoln greeted. "What's-?"
Emma then brough Lincoln into a hug, the boy feeling quite lucky today, but also awkward.
"I'm so happy to see you!" Emma hugged Lincoln tighter. "I'm so sorry about everything that's happened!"
"It's fine, I'm fine," Lincoln insisted as Emma pulled away.
"Are you sure?" Emma gently stroked Lincoln's cheek. "You still look so sad."
"This is familiar pain, I can handle it," Lincoln insisted.
"Well someone's a tough guy," Came Chloe's voice as she walked over as well. "Clyde's always said you had thick skin thanks to growing up with so many sisters. Looks like he was right on the mark with that one."
"Hey Chloe," Lincoln said. "Good to see you."
"Yeah, it is..." Chloe said, then gave Lincoln a hug herself.
"Amazing how emotional and affectionate girls can be. I don't hate it of course," Lincoln thought to himself.
"You feel so tense," Chloe said as she maintained the hug. "I hope you're not bottling up too much."
"I try not to," Lincoln said.
"Well just remember, you have friends who will hear you out," Chloe said. "What happened the other day with Christina was terrible, and I know you're feeling down in the dumps about it."
"That seemed a bit too forward, Chloe," Emma said.
"I don't mean to be, but Lincoln needs to hear this," Chloe said, then focused back on Lincoln. "I know you're still recovering from Jordan too. That's twice a girl you dated ended up going through some type of tragedy."
"Yeah, with girls I guess I can be a bit unlucky," Lincoln said.
Emma felt awkward upon hearing that, as she too dated Lincoln once. "Hey Lincoln, are you still bothered by our breakup?"
"I was, but I moved on eventually," Lincoln said. "Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to keep dating you, but I couldn't just hold onto something I couldn't have."
"I know what you mean, and it's fine," Emma said. "It would be selfish of me to expect you to still yearn for me. I broke it off, so you had the right to move on and find new love."
"At least Lincoln handled break ups better than someone else I know," Chloe commented.
Lincoln could tell that was about Clyde, and it did bother the boy when he heard that. "Everyone handles it differently."
"I've noticed," Chloe said. "Still, the main reason I asked you to meet with us is because well, Emma and I were talking."
"And we'd like to invite you over to Chloe's place some time this week," Emma said. "She's told me how fun you were during your tutoring sessions, and I wanted to be part of that."
"Oh wow, really?" Lincoln asked. "That sounds like fun."
"Plus, even though the two of us aren't dating, I still miss your company," Emma said. "Dating might be too much for me right now, but I do at least want your friendship. If you don't mind."
"That's fine with me," Lincoln said. "I miss you too. Not just because of your pretty face, but you're just so fun to be around. Especially at Gus's."
Emma blushed at Lincoln's compliment, "Someone's flirty."
"Uh, sorry, that slipped out, force of habit," Lincoln said.
"It's fine, you're probably the only boy who finds me pretty, so I'll take it," Emma said. "I suppose that compliments like that can work."
"Well, it's only fair for you to know that I don't think I'm interested in dating anyone," Lincoln said. "I can't go through this again. Two of my girlfriends got involved in villain attacks resulting in them moving away in the span of a month. I'm not ready to date again."
"I get that," Emma said. "That's why I want to be part of this. I hope that if I can mend things between us, it will help you heal."
"You don't need to feel responsible," Lincoln said.
"Just...please let me do this," Emma said. "I really miss you, and I want us to be friends again."
"Well, sure," Lincoln said. "I'd be happy to."
"Great, oh and have you spoken to Stella?" Emma asked. "I heard about her passing out."
"I did, she needs surgery," Lincoln said. "Her mother's taking her to a hospital in her old hometown for it."
"Oh God...so it's that serious?" Chloe asked.
"So serious that her mother wants to move Stella there permanently," Lincoln said.
"Permanently!?" Emma asked. "She can't do that! We'll miss Stella!"
"She won't," Lincoln said. "I'll make sure of it, and my parents said they'll help too. Same with my sisters."
"Well you can count us in on that," Chloe said. "We're not letting Stella move."
"That's good, we need all the assistance we can get on that," Lincoln said, then noticed a bunch of kids heading into the cafeteria. "We should probably get a move on, otherwise we'll miss out on all the food."
"Emma, save us a spot in line, I got one more thing to tell Lincoln," Chloe said.
"Sure..." Emma said, then focused on the boy. "See you in line Lincoln..."
Surprisingly, she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek before running off in embarrassment.
Lincoln looked just as surprised, given what Emma just told him, he didn't expect her to do something like that.
"She's friendly..." Lincoln said.
"Why so embarrassed? It's just a kiss on the cheek," Chloe said. "Don't your sisters kiss you on the cheek?"
"Sometimes, some more than others," Lincoln said.
"Think of it like that, it's not romantic, just friendly," Chloe said. "It can even be a bit more than that too."
"What does that mean?" Lincoln asked.
"Dating can be fun, but it requires too much commitment," Chloe said. "So, what about a special kind of friendship that comes with the perks of dating? No string attached."
"Uh...huh?" Lincoln asked.
"I'm not saying do this with just anyone, just someone you trust," Chloe said, then leaned up to kiss Lincoln on the cheek. "And you can trust me. Maybe Emma too if she's interested."
"What's...going on?" Lincoln asked.
"I won't make you do something you don't want to do, I still really do just want to be your friend," Chloe said. "But you have me curious, so if you ever want to experiment anything with me, then don't hesitate to ask. I won't hold you accountable to anything."
Chloe then left as well, leaving Lincoln feeling very confused, and slightly bothered.
"I gotta fix this, as far as I'm concerned, I'm still with Christina," Lincoln said. "Maybe something's just bothering Emma and Chloe too, so they're being a little emotional. But how do I talk to them about this without hurting their feelings? Should I ask my sisters?" Upon realizing how they might react, Lincoln began having some second thoughts. "Eh...I'll worry about it later."
The boy stepped into the cafeteria to stand in line. As he looked around, he noticed Clyde calling him over.
"Hey Lincoln, over here," Clyde said. "I saved you a spot."
"Thanks," Lincoln said as he walked over.
"How are you feeling?" Clyde asked.
"I could be better," Lincoln said. "Sorry I ditched you without warning the other day."
"Hey that I can understand, you just saw your girlfriend fighting supervillains. I had some girlfriend troubles myself after all," Clyde said. "Still, that was dangerous! You could have gotten hurt like Rusty almost did."
"I panicked," Lincoln said. "I need better control over my emotions, but it's really hard sometimes."
"I get what you mean, that's why I see Doctor Lopez. She's helping me to this day, even recently after how bad things got between me and Chloe," Clyde said. "If you want, I think I can arrange for you two to meet."
"Me and Doctor Lopez?" Lincoln asked. "Are you sure that's okay?"
"She wouldn't mind," Clyde said. "She's very friendly. Plus you have been through a lot lately. That Rhino creature that attacked during the Father-Son Picnic event. That hunter guy attacking us in the mall. That strange Chameleon. That Goblin guy causing trouble twice, and making Jordan move away. Now this thing with that mad scientist and his dog, topping it off with what happened with Christina."
"Gee, when you put it that way, maybe I do need to see a shrink," Lincoln said. "But, I don't know if I'll have time. Besides this type of thing feels too complicated to talk about."
"Don't doubt Doctor Lopez," Clyde said. "The best part about her is that she's very confidential. She won't tell anyone about what you tell her."
"So we couldn't ask about each other?" Lincoln asked.
"No, but it's not like there needs to be secrets between us anyway," Clyde said.
"Right, no secrets," Lincoln said, the boy feeling ashamed knowing that he technically just lied.
"Just think about it at least," Clyde said. "Anyway, let's grab our food."
"What are they even serving?" Lincoln asked, then saw some slop landing on his tray. "Great..."
The two went to their usual table where everyone else was waiting. Obviously with less seats than before. Lincoln took note of where Christina usually say, with Paige nearby, the girl missing her friend just as much.
Lincoln sat close by, waving at Paige as Clyde took the seat next to him. He looked across and saw Zach, Rusty and Liam as well, with one less, that being Stella.
As Paige glanced at her food, she felt a hand on her back. She turned and saw Mollie.
"Hey, you doing alright?" Mollie asked.
"I could be worse," Paige said. "Actually, if it weren't for Lincoln cheering me up earlier, I'd probably feel like complete garbage."
"Lincoln's good at cheering others up," Mollie sat next to the girl. "Even his sister Lana picked up some tricks, she's very mature for her age."
"That's cute," Paige said, the girl still having some hurt in her voice.
"It's tough, I know," Mollie said. "I still miss Jordan."
"At least you know Jordan is safe," Paige said. "I don't even know where Christina is. I'm worried she might be...you know..."
"She's a superhero, she's tough," Mollie said. "But don't hold it in. I held in my feelings regarding Jordan, and it really messed with me. But I imagine you might have heard something like that from Lincoln."
"Sure did," Paige said. "I offered him the same advice."
"That's great, it's good to have guys like Lincoln around," Mollie said as she glanced over to the boy while he spoke with Clyde. "This has got to be eating at him."
"We gotta keep an eye out," Paige said. "If I know Christina, she would want me to make sure Lincoln's okay."
"Same, Jordan even told me to keep an eye out for Lincoln before she left," Mollie said. "I don't know if I did the best job but now more than ever, I should probably do so."
"Especially with Stella not here either," Paige said. "I heard that her parents want to move her away."
"Oh hell no, that can't happen," Mollie said.
"It won't, Lincoln's making sure of it," Paige said. "We just gotta help."
"Got that right," Mollie said.
Nearby, Lincoln was having a similar conversation with the guys, "Stella's parents may have her stay in her hometown after her surgery. She could move."
"No way!" Zach said. "She can't move!"
"We gotta talk some sense into her parents," Rusty said.
"That might be difficult," Liam said. "Mr. and Mrs. Zhau are a bit on the uptight side at times."
"They're not too bad," Clyde said. "I bet I can talk sense into them myself."
"We'll all make a case for Stella," Lincoln said as he pulled something out of his backpack. "I've already started on a few ideas, and I think if we all work together, we can make it happen."
"Think we should try to let Kara know about this?" Liam asked.
"I want to tell her, but I don't know how much she can help right now," Lincoln said. "Besides, this might worry her a lot, and I don't want her to be stressed out while she's away."
"But if we don't tell her, she might get mad that she was left out of this," Clyde said.
"Good point," Lincoln said. "I heard she might be back next week for Thanksgiving break. We can tell her then if we have a chance to. Something like this should be explained in person."
"Sounds like a plan," Clyde said. "But speaking of plans, share more of yours."
"Right, so here's what I was thinking..." Lincoln said as he mapped out his strategy.
Later at Royal Woods High School, class her let up and everyone was waiting for the bus or just relaxing a moment.
Luna sat by the stoop while strumming a guitar while Sam, Sully and Mazzy were nearby, the three overlooking their material.
"Sully, this guitar solo looks like it lasts for five minutes," Sam said.
"Yeah, see people love guitar solos, so I figured we'd do what's never been done before," Sully said. "A five minute long solo in between verses," Sully said.
"I can almost agree, but this..." Sam gestured to the notes. "It's nuts! Neither me nor Luna can rock out for that long with something this crazy. I don't even think Mick Swagger could do it."
"Hey, it gives us a chance to surpass him," Sully said.
"Tch, surpassing Mick Swagger?" Luna asked. "You got guts Sully, but you need a bit of logic to go with that. Mick Swagger's top guy for a reason."
"I don't know, I'm kind of with Sully," Mazzy said as she fed her spider. "We need something big for the next gig."
"I'm with you, but let's keep it reasonable," Luna said.
"Hey guys," Came Luan's voice as she passed by with Benny.
"Hey sis, sup Benny?" Luna said.
"Working on your next gig?" Benny asked.
"Yeah man, now tell me," Sully said. "Would you listen to a five-minute long guitar solo?"
"Probably, but it might get boring pretty fast," Benny said. "When entertaining an audience, you have to consider their time too. That's why when Luan and I try working on plays, we make sure they don't last for hours."
"Benny has had to talk us out of long plays," Luan said. "Though I still think we can pull off a six-hour Hamlet."
"Speaking of plays, got anything else that needs an original soundtrack?" Sam asked.
"Not right now, honestly after the last one I did, I'm not too sure if I should write anything else," Benny said.
"Why not Benny?" Mazzy asked. "Didn't you have fun?"
"Apparently some people trashed it, they called the writing appalling," Luan said.
"Who said that shit!?" Sam asked as she cracked her knuckles. "Point me to those jerks and I'll straighten them out!"
"Let's not get into any fights here," Luna said. "It would be bad publicity for our band."
"Like there's any such thing as bad publicity," Sam said.
"Hey, I'm not done talking to you!" Came an aggressive female voice from nearby.
"I'm done with you! Now get away from me!" Came a familiar voice to Luna and Luan.
"That's Leni!" Luan said.
"What's she doing here? Doesn't she go to college?" Sam asked.
"She didn't have any classes today and wanted to stop by to help with the wardrobe for a Thanksgiving themed Pep Rally," Luan said.
"Explain later! Come on! Quick!" Luna led everyone to where they heard Leni's voice.
Not too far away, Taylor was seen grabbing Leni by her shirt, "If you keep making this difficult, I'll just have to rearrange your pretty face!"
"I said get off!" Leni tried pulling away.
"Hey, what's going on!?" Came Mandee's voice as she and Jackie tried stepping in, before being blocked by Anderson and Pablo.
"Our girl has business with that dumb blonde you call a friend," Anderson said.
"But you ladies can spend time with us," Pablo said in a flirting manner.
"Buzz off," Jackie said.
Tayor tightened her grip on Leni's shirt, "That hat I told you I wanted the other day! You said you'd hold it, but you didn't and some other dumb bitch grabbed it! Who did you sell it to!?"
"First off, I never said I'd hold it, all you said was for me to keep an eye on it!" Leni said as he fully pulled away. "Second, I can't tell you who I sell things too! That's totally a violation of privacy!"
"Okay, if you want to make this hard, we'll make it hard," Taylor threatened as she cracked her knuckles. "Hope you find body casts fashionable."
"Yo!" Luna shouted as she walked over with Luan and both their friends. "Lay off my sister!"
"Or Luna will lay you out like a beach towel!" Luan said, then chuckled a bit. "Get it?"
"Anyone ever tell you that your jokes suck?" Taylor asked.
"Well you do look like an expert on sucking," Luan snapped back.
Taylor's eyes widened as she focused on Luan, "What the fuck did you just say to me!?"
"Sorry, let me explain it in your native language," Luan said, then started braying like a donkey. "Hee-Haw! Hee-Haw!"
The laughter of the nearby students further angered Taylor as she focused her rage on Luan, "I hope you kept your braces nice and shiny, because you're about to need them again!"
Taylor made a mad dash toward Luan, to which Luna blocked her back and held Tayor back, "I don't think so!"
"Hey you stupid bitch!" Anderson marched over to Luna. "Don't make me-" Sam then stood in his path, glaring up at the bully. "What the hell do you-?"
Sam then kicked Anderson between the legs, causing him to keel over in pain.
"Hey!" Pablo went after Sam but he took a surprise punch to the face, courtesy of Benny.
The boy couldn't believe what he just did, he stood there in shock while his hand throbbed in pain. "I can't believe I just did that!"
"Good on you," Sam said. "But he looks mad."
Pablo looked ready to make Benny hurt, when Lynn came out of nowhere with a tackle that knocked him over. "Score one for Lynn!"
Nearby, Mazzy helped Luna by showing her spider to Taylor's face, causing the girl to yelp in terror long enough for Luna to punch her in the jaw.
"I don't want to see your face, so you better disappear," Luna warned Taylor. "Now, beat it!"
"And don't ever mess with our sister again!" Luan warned.
Taylor scurried off while glaring at the louds, "This isn't over! You better hope I never run into your little brother, otherwise-"
"Go near my brother and you'll be the one in the cast," Luna warned.
"That goes for you assholes too," Lynn warned Anderson and Pablo as they scurried away as well.
"We'll get you for this!" Taylor warned. "Soon you'll be begging for mercy!"
With the bullies gone, Luna smirked in satisfaction, "Looks like Spider-Man ain't the only one who can lay into crooks."
Benny had gone to check on Leni, "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Leni said.
"Leni!" Jackie ran over to hug the girl. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Me too!" Mandee said as she joined in on the hug.
"Sorry this happened to you," Benny said.
"When I came back to Royal Woods High, I didn't expect to run into bullies again," Leni said. "But don't worry, I'm fine. That girl is nothing compared to the squabbles at home. Those can really toughen a girl up."
"What was that all about anyway?" Sam asked. "Why was that angry chick bugging you?"
"She wanted a hat but didn't have the money at the time," Leni said as her friends stepped back. "She thought I was holding it, but she really did not make that clear."
"Well we taught her a lesson," Lynn said. "Still, what she said about Lincoln."
"Last time Lincoln ran into those losers, he clobbered that Anderson guy," Luna said. "They're probably still mad about that."
"I hope we didn't make things worse," Luan said.
"Lincoln's going through a lot already, we don't need him worrying about other bullies," Lynn said.
"We'll keep an eye out for the little guy," Sam said.
"We should also warn Fiona and Miguel," Jackie said.
Suddenly they heard a whistle blow, courtesy of the assistant to the principal, Oliver, "I want the four Loud sisters and their accomplices with me, right now!"
"Oh that's bogus," Mazzy said.
"Come on, let's get this over with," Lynn said as she led the sisters away.
"The rest of you go on ahead, I gotta ask my sisters something," Luna said.
"Don't stay too long," Sully said as he left with the others.
With them gone, Luna turned to the others. "Should we tell Lincoln about this?"
"He should be aware," Lynn said.
"Yeah but, the poor guy's still bummed out about Christina," Luna said. "I don't wanna make it worse for him."
"Why don't we just use this chance to take to the Principal to make sure those bullies don't go near Lincoln," Luan said. "Like, they can tell their parents or something."
"Or we let mom and dad know," Leni said.
"Oh man, they're gonna be pissed that we got into a fight," Luna said.
"Those creeps started it," Lynn said.
"Well mom was not happy when Lincoln got detention for beating up Chandler," Luna said.
"Oh yeah...that's lame," Lynn said.
"Anyway, we should check on Lincoln later," Luan said. "This must have been a bad day for him. He's probably missing Christina like crazy."
"I still can't believe she was a mutant," Lynn said.
"Same," Leni said. "She didn't seem so scary."
"Because mutants are people too," Luan said. "They have powers, but they're still people."
"She seemed cool to me, powers or not," Lynn said. "Anyway, let's catch up before Ollie throws a fit."
"Yeah, of course," Leni said as she followed Lynn.
Luan turned her attention to Luna, "Christina was so scared about people finding out that she's a mutant. I can't believe her fears were that justified."
"It's a rough world," Luna said.
"Now she's missing too," Luan said. "You think she's still alive?"
"Wish I knew," Luna said. "Guess all we can do is pray."
"Might be tough, our family isn't exactly smiled upon in Church since we used to camp out in the parking lot," Luan said.
"Who cares? Not to sound preachy, but Church is God's house," Luna said. "He's cool enough to invite anyone to his digs, and has an awesome taste in music."
"Music?" Luan asked.
"Ever hear of Christian Rock?" Luna asked. "You just know that the Big Man upstairs has awesome taste in music."
"Might make for a good gig," Luan said.
"It would, but like I said, I'm not the preachy type," Luna said.
"That has me thinking...if we're made in God's image, does that mean mutants are part of that image?" Luan asked.
"You're asking the wrong girl," Luna said. "Anyway, let's hurry before we get into more trouble."
"Right behind you," Luan said as she followed Luna.
Not too far away, Maggie was seen glancing at the Loud Sisters, having overheard part of their conversation. "Never a boring moment with The Loud Family."
The girl continued about her day until she got home. She would head upstairs where her Kitty was waiting. The same Kitty she found on the set of the now cancelled Ace Savvy movie.
"Hey my precious, have you had a good day?" Maggie gently rubbed the cat's head. "Yeah, I know you did. You've been a happy kitty since I rescued you from those despicable people."
Maggie checked the internet for anything new in Royal Woods, specifically using the Dark Web for her research.
"Now, what's next to...oooh, what's this?" Maggie began reading up on something. "Vibranium Weapons? Exotic?" She looked more into it and read up on the details. "Weapons made of Authentic Materials found only in Wakanda."
The Kitty glanced at the screen as well, as if it too was curious.
"How about that, anything from Wakanda would be quite valuable," Maggie said as she looked up a name. "Deals courtesy of Ulysses Klaue." She turned to her kitty, smirking deviously to herself. "Looks like it's my lucky day."
With a sinister cackle, Maggie got to work on her next big mission.