Time to see how this goes.
Before we go to the main chapter, I want to apologize for not updating much recently. Not only am I focusing more on Archive of our Own recently, but I got my injection for protection against the pandemic and I've been trying to rest as best as I can.
That's also why this chapter is super short; I don't want to risk my arm falling off because I write a giant chapter-not that these chapters tend to be long anyway-and I didn't wanna leave you guys in the dark.
So, without further ado, let's go to the chapter.
Last night was kind of a mess.
Once Lincoln got home, the sisters all took turns comforting him over the news of his demotion, at least before Luna arrived and delivered some… unnerving news.
"So the reason I became a Protagonist was because of Lisa's meddling," Lincoln recapped. "And Lisa said that if you decided to mess with her or the system, she'd turn you into a Maverick?"
Luna nodded. "She also had this weird weapon she used on me. Some kind of energy sword that didn't hurt at all, but it canceled my powers."
"You mean there's something out there that can nullify Cliches?!" Luan exclaimed. "Though, to be honest, if anybody was gonna make such a thing, it would be Lisa."
"She's always been too smart for her own good," Luna sighed.
Lincoln hummed as he tried to process the information, followed by him facing his Hacker of a sister.
"Leni, you're a Hacker. I don't wanna insinuate anything, but that means you know a lot of stuff, right?"
"Yeah?"
"And you've also dealt with the Index System before?"
Leni wordlessly nodded.
"Do you know what a Maverick is?"
Everybody faced Leni, who winced and tried to regain her composure.
"Mavericks… are, like… criminals-"
"Criminals?" Lola repeated. "Isn't that the job of an Antagonist?"
"Yeah, but that's the difference; in the case of Antagonists, that's their job," Leni lowered her head. "A Maverick is seen as a totes lowlife who'd be better off dead."
Luna gulped and clutched her chest, Luan and Lucy comforting her as Leni continued:
"To put things in, like, simpler terms; Protagonists are good people, Antagonists are bad people, Neutrals are just there, Outsiders mind their own business, and Mavericks… have to die."
Lincoln frowned. "And can somebody upgrade from a Maverick to something else?"
Leni shook her head. "Once someone's marked as a Maverick, that's the end of the line. No more promotions or demotions, the only thing that awaits them is a world that wants them dead."
"And Lisa has the power to mark anybody as a Maverick whenever she wants…" Lori sighed. "I literally have to tell your friends about this."
"Please do."
It took Lincoln a second to realize what he said, but by the time he did, Lori had already teleported out of the room.
Meanwhile, at the Royal Woods Public Park, Ronnie and Cristina stood with the Ynovation girls and the former Antagonists, the groups trying to remain calm as Ronnie Anne played with a ball, throwing it and catching it when it bounced back.
"This doesn't feel right," Cristina said.
"I know, but what can we do?" Ronnie Anne asked, grabbing her ball before looking at the redhead. "After Lincoln's demotion, I'm the only one of us who's a Protagonist. And even with all the advantages and privileges that a Protagonist gets, getting away with screwing with the Index System isn't one of them!"
Stella shot a glare at her group, who quickly diverted eye contact elsewhere. And just in time to see Lori teleport with Clyde by her side.
"Oh, you're with friends, Ronnie Anne?" Lori remarked casually. "And not the literally ones from Great Lakes City."
"Lori?" Ronnie Anne stood up. "What are you doing here?"
"She told me that if anybody would like to know more about Lincoln becoming an Outsider, it'd be his childhood friends," Clyde frowned. "She already told me and… it's a pretty shocking, yet logical answer-"
"Lisa did it, didn't she?" Ronnie Anne shook her head. "That girl's always planning something and we can never figure out what."
"Join the club," Stella sighed as she began to remember…
"What's the Head of Designation doing here?" Stella growled as her friends stood behind her.
"I came here to request for your assistance," Lisa answered plainly. "I need the attention of my fellow Council Heads to be distracted. And the best way to do that is messing with the Index System."
Girl Jordan stepped forward. "You're not saying you want us to go mess with the Index System, are you?"
"You're the one with the Cyberspace Cliche," Lisa shrugged. "I'm not asking you to glitch the system beyond repair; I just want you to play with it for a bit so the Council Heads have something to focus on."
"And what about you?" Mollie asked. "Won't you have to focus on it too?"
"I'm the Head of Designation, not of Indexing."
Stella narrowed her eyes. "And what's in it for us?"
"A promotion to Neutrals."
The girls winced and took a step back, Stella looking the most shocked as Lisa continued:
"That's what you want, right? A promotion to anything else to escape from this bad hand that life has given you? I can do that. As soon as I desire it, you'll be promoted to Neutrals in an instant. All I ask, is that you help me distract my co-workers long enough to figure out how to cover my tracks."
So, will you do it or not?
Stella lowered her eyelids… right before Lori flicked her forehead.
"Ow!"
"Pay attention when I'm talking to you," Lori chided. "I need to ask all of you a request and I want you to be honest with me."
Stella groaned. "Another request?"
Lori raised an eyebrow, prompting Stella to flinch and correct herself. "I mean, what's the request?"
"It's simple: I take it you're all friends with my brother, so I'd literally appreciate it if you could help him earn a promotion to Protagonist."
Stella hummed and nodded. "He helped us before. Guess it's time to repay the favor."
And everybody else nodded in agreement soon after.
"Glad to hear that. But I got my eyes on you regardless," Lori replied. "Anyway, I should get going. Goodbye."
And so Lori teleported out of the place, leaving the group to consider their new objective.
As they did, the Ynovation girls looked at Lincoln's childhood friends, and Tabby approached them.
"Think we could speak in private at school tomorrow?"
