A few blocks away, the police had finally come to check on the robbers, who felt extremely hot, thanks to Christina.
"Oh good, you're finally here," Christina greeted.
"Thanks for the help, Firestar," the policeman said. "Say, where's Spider-Man? Wasn't he here too?"
"One of the robbers slipped away, so Spider-Man started to chase after him," Christina said.
"Why don't you join him?" the policeman said. "We can handle the rest from here."
"Sounds like a good idea," Christina said, taking off into the air. "We'll bring the last guy to justice!"
As she left, a crook felt relieved, "Finally, that girl raised the temperature by like 100 degrees."
"Quiet, scum!" The policeman ordered.
Christina flew around, hoping to find Lincoln as soon as she could. "Wonder where Lincoln could be? Hope that guy wasn't too slippery for him. Oh well, Lincoln can handle it, my help probably isn't even needed."
Meanwhile at the factory, Lincoln was facing off against his foes. He knew it'd be a tough fight but he was determined to get through it. To stop the Enforcers, and for a little redemption. Not to mention rescuing his mother, who found herself at the mercy of The Enforcers.
"Hang tight ma'am, I'll be sure to save you!" Lincoln called, keeping his voice disguised.
"Just be careful," Rita said.
"I'm a superhero, this is nothing I can't handle," Lincoln reassured.
"You know, she ain't too bad of a looker," Ox said. "Maybe after we're done, we can get in a little action with this lady."
"Excuse me!?" Rita shouted.
Lincoln had to resist the urge to freak out, though hearing what he did was not exactly pleasant on his ears. "That...is uncalled for."
"Also she ain't my type," Hammer said. "Too middle aged, and kind of out of shape."
"And her chin's too big," Dan said.
"Hey pal! I'm very fit for my age! Also my chin is perfectly normal!" Rita called. "Not that it matters, I'm happily married."
"Well, one thing I can honestly say is this..." Lincoln began. clearing his throat before continuing. "You guys are a bunch of dicks."
Ox charged in to throw a punch, one that Lincoln was quick to block, but unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of a follow up kick that sent him against a wall. Lincoln rebounded and kicked Ox into a stack of boxes, but nearly took a kick from Dan, to which Lincoln hit him with a kick of his own.
Hammer ran over, throwing some punches at Lincoln, the boy doing his best to block and parry the strikes, throwing a kick to the man's face. Snake attempted to strike but Lincoln leapt away, keeping out of reach.
"Get the runt!" Dan said, his men grabbing some nearby crates and throwing them at Lincoln.
"Not okay guys!" Lincoln said knocking the crates away and jumping down with a kick to Snake, then following up with a punch to Hammer's stomach to send him flying.
Ox grabbed Lincoln into a type of bear hug and began to squeeze. "Gonna crush this puny spider!"
"Agh! Get off!" Lincoln managed to headbutt Ox in the nose, stunning him long enough to break free and land on his shoulder, using his position to punch the big man in the face a few times and then kicked him away, the big man stumbling and Lincoln landing on his feet.
"This guy can make Lynn look as cuddly as a teddy bear," Lincoln thought to himself.
"Oh you're really asking for it, kid," Dan ran to whack Lincoln with a cane, but the boy deflected and then kicked Dan across the room.
"Wow, using a cane to whack a spider? Most people use a rolled up newspaper," Lincoln taunted. Hammer took the opportunity to punch Lincoln, stumbling him for a second. "Cheap shot!" Lincoln webbed Hammer toward him and went for a kick that knocked him aside.
Snake lunged at Lincoln, going for some strikes that the boy was quick to avoid. "You cannot dodge forever!"
"Wasn't planning to!" Lincoln hit Snake with an uppercut that sent him flying. "Next time, try attacking from a good hiding place. I suggest a cardboard box." Just then the boy narrowly avoided a barrel that was tossed at him, courtesy of Ox. "Freaking Gorilla."
"I'm not a gorilla! I'm an Ox!" the man shouted, throwing another barrel that Lincoln avoided.
"Well call me a plumber, because I'm about to unclog you like a drain!" Lincoln said. More barrels were thrown, Lincoln effortlessly jumping over them, making his way toward Ox and jumping once more to land on his head with a stomp. "Wahoo!"
Lincoln landed, narrowly avoiding a punch from Hammer, "Hold still punk!"
"I never understood why bad guys say 'hold still', like am I supposed to allow myself to get hit?" Lincoln then hit a somersault kick, then rushed in with a high speed spinning kick that knocked Hammer away. "Fast as a Hurricane. Or is that more of a Tornado? Either way is fine."
Dan tried to attack Lincoln, the boy leaping and landing on top of a crate, coyly wagging his finger, "Almost." Dan went to attack again but Lincoln sped in and kicked the gangster in the chest, sending him flying. "Piece of cake."
Ox tried slamming down on Lincoln but the boy leapt away, much to the big man's irritation. "Little runt!"
"We'll get him!" Hammer said as Lincoln landed pretty far from the villains.
"So far so good, I just gotta...wait?" Lincoln began to count. "One, two, three, four...wasn't there a fifth guy last time? Some wannabe cowboy with a lasso?"
"Montana's got something else to do," Dan said. "Right now, it's just us."
"Bummer, I would have liked payback against all five of you, but I guess it's just not meant to be," Lincoln said.
"What makes you think you'se even got a chance against us!?" Dan shouted.
"I'm not the same kid you met weeks back, I've been against some tough enemies, and I've only gotten stronger," Lincoln said. "When you Level Up like I have, you tend to have a few Limit Breaks."
"You're really getting on our nerves, kid!" Hammer warned.
"Join the club," Lincoln taunted. Granted the lack of Montana did have him a bit worried. "Could that cowboy guy be in town or something? I gotta hurry up and find out."
Meanwhile as Christina looked for Lincoln, Montana was seen coming out of a nearby ally, keeping an eye on the girl while holding his rope. "Gotta keep this little lady out of the picture."
Christina looked around in annoyance, unable to find Lincoln or the robber, "This is so weird, where could he have-"
Suddenly the lasso wrapped around her, taking the hero by surprise as Montana made himself known, "Got ya! Like a cow in a rodeo!"
"Hey! Who the hell are you calling a 'cow' you jerk!" Christina shouted, angrily flying toward Montana.
"Aw dang," Montana took a strong hit from Christina, back into the alley as a skirmish was heard.
Back in the warehouse, Dan and Hammer attempted to double team Lincoln, one attacking with his cane and the other going with his fists.
"Wow, teamwork, bonus points for you guys," Lincoln taunted.
"Oh shut up!" Dan again tried hitting Lincoln, the boy dodging by leaping onto some crates.
"Got you now!" Hammer went for a punch, but Lincoln dodged and he ended up accidentally punching Snake as he got in close. "Ah shit!"
"You guys would make a lousy squad in an online multiplayer game," Lincoln taunted, then barely dodged another strike from Hammer. "I swear it's like old people can't take a joke these days."
"Who the hell are you calling 'old'?" Hammer went for a few more punches, Lincoln dodging each one before kicking the man against a support beam.
"Someone's sensitive about his age," Lincoln said. His Spider-Sense warned him of an oncoming attack from Ox, the boy quickly leaping out the way. "Cheap move!"
"Whatever gets the job done!" Ox slammed his fists down, Lincoln narrowly avoiding and rebounding off a wall to punch Ox clean across his jaw.
Lincoln rushed in and started throwing piston speed punches to Ox's stomach and then leapt up with a kick to his face that sent him flying.
"Take that!" Lincoln boasted, then heard his phone ring. "Huh? Is that Stella?" He answered the girl, keeping his voice low. "Yeah?"
"Lincoln, it's me, Stella," the girl greeted.
"Hey, Stella," Lincoln dodged an attack from Dan. "I'm kind of busy fighting for my life here."
"That's what I was calling about, what's going on?" Stella asked.
"Remember those Enforcer guys I told you about?" Lincoln dodged a strike from Hammer. "Yeah, they're here trying to kill me."
"The Enforcers?" Stella asked. "The ones from when you first fought Shocker?"
"Yeah, turns out they're the ones supplying those Chitauri weapons," Lincoln said, leaping away from Ox. "I'm fighting them in a warehouse. Four at least, there's a fifth guy who's known to dress like a cowboy, but he's not here."
"I'll keep an eye out for him," Stella said.
"Quit muttering to yourself!" Dan went to attack again, trying to take Lincoln down.
"Gotta go!" Lincoln hung up and fought away Dan.
At her base, Stella quickly checked all that she could to see what's happening. "There was a robbery, more aliens. Guess Lincoln and Christina tracked it down to it's original source. Wait, where is Christina? Wonder if she's had luck too?"
Back in the warehouse, Lincoln continued fending off The Enforcers, trying to take them down as quickly as he could.
Rita, still trapped in the web, was amazed by what she saw. At least what she could see. "So strange seeing a superhero fight up close. He moves so fast too, it's nearly hard to keep up."
Lincoln kicked away an oncoming Hammer, though took a whack from Dan's cane. Lincoln reacted by turning around and immediately punching the gangster in the gut to knock the wind out of him.
"Enough with the cane, it's not going to do anything against me," Lincoln said. Suddenly he found himself being restrained by Snake, the boy struggling to escape. "Let go of me!" He slammed his head against Snake's face, knocking the gangster for a loop before spinning and kicking him against some crates.
Ox finally nailed Lincoln with a kick, sending him flying and smashing against a wall. Ox then charged in and punched Lincoln even further threw to the other side.
"Dang," Lincoln said, the boy in a slight daze. Ox then barged through and grabbed Lincoln to aggressively through him back inside, sending the boy crashing through several beams.
"Ease up on the support, otherwise this whole place might come tumbling down!" Hammer warned.
Lincoln dusted himself off, the boy looking a bit more irritated, "These guys are out of control, I gotta end this already." He looked up where his mother was. "I especially need to get mom out of here, geez this is concerning."
Snake and Hammer dashed in to attack, with Lincoln leaping over and webbing the two to flip them over and slam them.
Ox grabbed Lincoln by the head, the boy immediately webbing his face, leaving the big man stumbling. "What's this stuff even made of!?"
"Justice!" Lincoln swept kick Ox's leg to get him stumbling, then leapt up and kicked the big man in his face to send him crashing against some more barrels. "Okay, now I just gotta-"
Lincoln heard the click of a gun, the boy turning to see Dan a weapon aimed at him. "Don't do anything stupid now."
Unfazed, Lincoln effortlessly webbed the gun away and leapt in with a strong punch to Dan's face, knocking the man across the room.
"Is that it? Was that even an alien gun or did you think some regular weapon would take me down?" Lincoln looked to see that all of the Enforcers were laid out, and barely moving. "I might have gotten them, I should probably find some way to alert the police."
"Excuse me? Spider-Man?" Rita called.
"After I get mom somewhere safe," Lincoln thought to himself before calling to the woman, once again disguising his voice. "I'm coming ma'am!"
Rita waited for a second as Lincoln leapt up to where she was. "I'm so glad you're okay. That fight looked intense."
"I've had worse," Lincoln insisted, heading toward the woman. "I should be able to free you, I made a spray just in case something like this happened."
"Thank you for your help," Rita said as Lincoln pulled out the spray. "Oh, does that stain clothes?"
"Uh...I don't think it will," Lincoln said. "But I don't have to fully spray you, just enough that you can walk out of it and then let the rest come off normally. They don't leave anything permanent."
"Well, it's not the worst thing in the world if these clothes are stained, I have plenty more," Rita said. "Besides, it's a little better than being a hostage."
"I can imagine," Lincoln said, applying the spray.
Meanwhile Hammer had helped Dan up, "Come on boss."
Dan snapped out of it, glaring up at Lincoln in an angry daze, "Stupid kid, I'll make you regret messing with us."
He pulled out a Molotov Cocktail and lit it before throwing it against some boxes, lighting part of the factory on fire.
"Huh!?" Lincoln looked to see the fire starting, then quickly dodged a second Molotov that was thrown at him.
"Have fun getting burned, Spider-Man!" Dan called as he and his team stumbled out of the factory.
"Not good!" Lincoln said. The boy grew even more worried when he saw the fire heading toward what looked like a Boiler. "We gotta go!"
The Enforcers had run out of the factory just before an explosion went off, taking out part of the building.
The group seemed satisfied with their work, and were ready to bail just before Christina showed up, holding an injured Montana.
"Where do you punks think you're going?" Christina asked, ready to keep fighting.
"It's that other one," Ox said. "Let's get her!"
Suddenly some cops had shown up behind Christina, many of them exiting their cars and aiming their guns at the villains.
"This is the Royal Woods Police Department! Put your hands in the air!"
"Crap...well at least we got Spider-Man," Ox said.
Suddenly Lincoln had burst through a wall, with Rita right beside him, the boy keeping his mother safe from any debris.
"Are you hurt ma'am!?" Lincoln asked.
"No dear, I'm fine," Rita reassured.
"Oh good," Lincoln said, then noticed the cops had arrived and had The Enforcers cornered. "Just in time."
"Great..." Dan lamented.
Within seconds, each of the Enforcers were handcuffed and placed in the police vehicles while the lead cop spoke to Spider-Man.
"So these guys were the ones supplying those freakish alien weapons?" the cop asked.
"That's what they claim," Lincoln said. "They came all the way from New York to supply those weapons."
"Alright, we'll look into it," the cop said. "Might contact the NYPD in the process. Thanks for your help again, Spider-Man."
"Nothing me and Firestar can't handle," Lincoln said.
"Just another day for us," Firestar said.
"We're lucky to have heroes like you," The cop said, then turned to his fellow officers. "Alright, let's haul these boys to the precinct."
"Oh wait, mind if I tagged along?" Rita asked. "This could do wonders for my scoop."
"Scoop? Who are you with?" The cop asked.
"I work for the Royal Woods Gazette," Rita said. "My boss would want this story covered."
"Um, any chance he can lighten up on the slander?" Lincoln asked. "My partner and I work pretty hard and we don't appreciate being put down."
"I'll do what I can," Rita said, then rubbed the head of the hero, unaware that it was her own son. "Thanks again dear, you make for a great superhero. I can see why my son admires you."
"It's no trouble," Lincoln said.
"I don't suppose you can sign an autograph for him, could you?" Rita asked. "My son really likes superheroes, probably why he's such a good kid."
"Huh?" Lincoln wondered. "I take it he's really nice?"
"Oh yes, he's very responsible for his age, and does a great job looking after his little sisters," Rita said. "Sometimes his older sisters too. He could stand to be a little less mischievous, and I do wish he'd do more than read comics in his spare time, but he's a hard working student at least, and always gets Straight As."
"Straight As, huh?" Lincoln asked. "You know, a kid like that probably deserves a Season Pass to DairyLand."
Rita looked confused for a moment, before breaking out in laughter. "Oh you're such a kidder. I could probably get him a ticket now and again, but a Season Pass may be too rich for my blood."
"What if you get a raise?" Lincoln asked.
"Spider-Man, I know you like looking out for your fans, but maybe let the nice lady here decide what's best for her son," Christina said, her interruption irritating Lincoln.
"Right, sorry, guess it's my own bias toward Dairy Land," Lincoln said.
"I'm with you there," Christina admitted.
"Interesting, looks like powers or not, kids will still still be kids," Rita said. "I hope you two aren't doing too much, you both sound so young."
"Don't worry, it's nothing we can't handle," Lincoln said. "Now, I need to save the city some more, you go home and think of ways to further reward your son for his tireless work."
"Just make sure you keep him in line, otherwise the praise will go to his head," Christina said.
Lincoln cleared his throat, "I think she's aware of that, Firestar."
"Just putting my two cents," Christina said, ready to take off. "Until next time."
Lincoln swung away while Christina flew off, leaving Rita behind for the moment, the woman having some interesting thoughts.
"Something about Spider-Man feels so familiar," Rita said. "Maybe he just reminds me of my son. But...why do I feel like I'm missing something?"
Lincoln and Christina had returned to the secret base in the park, just right outside the front door. The two were satisfied with their recent and successful heroic outing.
"Well that's one less problem in Royal Woods," Christina said. "Good job out there, Lincoln."
"You too, glad you found that fifth guy," Lincoln said. "I was a bit worried when I didn't see him with the others."
"At least now we don't have to worry about those alien weapons again," Christina said. "To think they could be sold so easily like that."
"Yeah, this world's getting...oh crap," Lincoln lamented.
"What's wrong?" Christina asked.
"I meant to see if those guys are in any way connected to The Green Goblin," Lincoln said. "Then again, they seemed pretty tight lipped."
"Maybe the police can interrogate the answers out of them?" Christina theorized.
"That's possible, but they may not talk so easily," Lincoln said. "They seem like a really stubborn bunch."
"You think you would have a better job getting them to talk?" Christina asked.
"...It's possible," Lincoln believed. "I am pretty intimidating."
"...Right" Christina commented.
"Hey, I am!" Lincoln insisted. "Like, for real, have you seen my costume? Some say it looks creepy."
"Not really, way too colorful to be creepy," Christina said.
"Hey, colorful can be creepy too," Lincoln insisted.
Christina offered Lincoln only a dead panned glare, "Seriously? Like how?"
"Like...well, what if it was a clown!?" Lincoln asked.
"...A clown?" Christina asked.
"Yeah, clowns can be creepy," Lincoln said. "And they're usually colorful."
"Right, gee, better hope you don't run into a clown then," Christina said. "Hey, maybe those Enforcer guys know a clown that's secretly part of their gang."
"Ha, a gangster clown, what are the odds of seeing something like that?" Lincoln joked. "What's he gonna do? Make us laugh to death?"
"Hey you brought it up," Christina said. "If you want to be intimidating, try dressing like a scarier animal. You know, like a bat."
"A bat? That sounds more like a vampire thing," Lincoln said. "I can't imagine running around dressed like a bat, it might look goofy."
"And running around dressed like a spider isn't?" Christina asked.
"Spiders are cooler," Lincoln said. "But if Lucy ever becomes my sidekick, maybe she can be a bat."
"Yeah, and maybe she'll fight the gangster clown," Christina said.
"Oh real funny, who wants to see a Bat fight a Clown?" Lincoln asked.
"Honestly, I'd find it interesting," Christina said.
"That's because you have poor tastes," Lincoln said, irritating the girl. "Let's stick to idolizing better heroes, like Captain America, and Iron Man."
"You know, it's weird there isn't a major female superhero," Christina said.
"Uh, Black Widow?" Lincoln said.
"But no one talks about her, just the four main Avengers," Christina said. "Seems kind of sexist. We need more female superheroes."
"First, I don't think gender matters, those four guys are literally risking their lives, just like Black Widow," Lincoln said. "Second, people talk about Natasha."
"Yeah, they talk about how cute she is," Christina said. "Not her heroic qualities."
"So? That's how boys are," Lincoln said. "At least two of my sisters have a crush on Thor, and there's probably a lot of girls who feel the same way."
"I just wish female superheroes could be taken more seriously," Christina said.
"They can be, it starts with dropping that elitist attitude, no one wants a female superhero that brags about being a female superhero," Lincoln said. "I think you're on your way to being a great hero. You can be a great role model for young girls, just make sure you show everyone equal respect, otherwise you'll lose a lot of credibility."
In spite of how many things Lincoln said, Christina felt laser focused on the first thing that came from his mouth, "You...really think I can be a great hero?"
"Well yeah, that's why you're my sidekick," Lincoln said. "I want both of us to be top heroes one day. They'll make comic books out of us. The Adventures of Spider-Man and Firestar. We'll be legends!"
"...I'd like that," Christina said. "Uh, sorry about what I said regarding female heroes. Sometimes I just worry that my efforts don't mean as much as yours at times."
"Don't worry about that, I'll make sure everyone knows Firestar is a big name," Lincoln said, the boy suddenly feeling concerned about something. "Then, maybe one day you can branch off by yourself. I'd hate to break up the team but, if you have a chance to be a great solo hero then-"
"No, I don't think I want to," Christina said. "I only feel confident when I'm with you, otherwise I feel like I'll mess up."
Lincoln took the girl by her hand, enticing a blush from her, "Hey, don't say stuff like that. You've got amazing potential. You do a great job patrolling whenever I can't make it after all."
"Aw, thanks..." Christina said, her blush deepening.
Lincoln took a second to realize that he was holding her hand, and quickly pulled away, "Let's just head inside and change."
The two had gone through the door, spotting Stella on the computer, taking notes of the situation. The girl immediately took note of her friends arriving, waving them over. "Hey, you two made it! I trust things went well?"
"Yeah, we took down the Enforcers, no trouble," Lincoln said.
"Lincoln handled most of them alone, I just took down one," Christina said.
"It was the cowboy one that wasn't there," Lincoln clarified. "Still, team effort. We stopped the Enforcers, and I managed to protect my mom in the process."
"Your mom?" Stella asked. "Wait, what's this about your mom?"
"Come to think of it, I did see your mother there, she seemed to want a story or something," Christina said.
"Yeah, turns out my mom's been following the Enforcers around, trying to get a scoop of her own for the Gazette," Lincoln said. "As such, she ended up being taken hostage. She's fine though, the worst thing that happened was that she got covered in webbing."
"At least she's safe," Stella said, feeling relieved for the woman. "Still, that's pretty brave of her to go out and find those guys. They could have really hurt her."
"Mom's been in dangerous situations before, she handled this one surprisingly well," Lincoln said. "She's not easy to startle, and she's got incredible determination to boot."
"That's great and all, but I am worried about one thing," Stella said. "There's a chance your mother caught on to your secret identity, did she?"
"I doubt it, I disguise my voice," Lincoln said.
"How exactly? Was it that silly deep voice you do?" Stella asked.
"It's not silly!" Lincoln defended. "Also, what was I supposed to do? So long as my mother doesn't figure out my identity then that's all that matters!"
"I'm just saying, you can do a little better than just a deep voice," Stella said. "Try an accent."
"What accent? Should I speak like I'm Scottish or something? I do have Scottish ancestors" Lincoln asked, then made his best attempt at the accent. "Look at me lass, tis I, your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!"
Stella and Christina glanced quickly at each other, then back at Lincoln before falling into laughter.
"Wow Lincoln, no offense, but that kind of sucked," Stella said.
"Good attempt though," Christina said.
Lincoln shrugged it off, "Look, I get what you mean about disguising my voice, but I'm not exactly talented with that. Besides no one's caught on yet anyway."
"Didn't Lana figure it out because of your voice though?" Christina asked.
"That was more the perfume than my voice," Lincoln said. "But honestly, what are the odds that my voice gives it away? It's not exactly a distinct voice. I sound like a typical thirteen year old boy."
"He's not wrong," Christina said. "I don't have a distinct voice either, I'll keep it disguised to protect my own identity, but this isn't much to worry about."
"Okay, if you think so," Stella said, still unsure but deciding to trust Lincoln. "Speaking of identities, regarding what you said about Clyde..."
"Oh, yeah..." Lincoln said. "Honestly, given how worried I was today about my mom, it might be better if I just kept this Spider-Man thing to myself for now. If Clyde knew, he'd want to be part of this and might end up in my mom's situation. Only he wouldn't be able to handle it as well."
"I think that's a good idea," Stella said. "I know keeping it from Clyde won't be easy, but it's for his own safety."
"I can understand why you want to tell him," Christina said. "I don't have to go through this exactly since Paige knows who I am, the only thing I'm hiding is your identity and Stella's involvement. But I would hate keeping this from her."
"Maybe I just need to hang out with Clyde a bit more, so he stops being suspicious," Lincoln said.
"How about you do that?" Paige said. "Maybe tomorrow or something, you and him can just hang out for the afternoon. I can patrol Royal Woods alone."
"Are you sure?" Lincoln asked.
"I've done it before, and it's easy when it's only potential robbers and muggers," Christina said.
"Alright, and I promise that if things start to get bad, I will be there in an instant," Lincoln reassured.
"Don't worry, I know," Christina said, tugging at her suit as she turned around. "We should get changed."
"Uh, right," Lincoln said, turning around as well, hoping to hide his blush. "We might need some new dressing rooms soon."
"I'll consider installing some," Stella said, turning around herself.
Lincoln stripped down, resisting the urge to turn around and see a half-naked Christina again. She didn't have much of a figure, but his curiosity still remained.
Christina had the same urge as she too stripped, but did not want to betray Lincoln's trust. Oddly enough, she didn't feel too embarrassed changing near the boy. Likely out of the bond the two built.
Stella took a moment to glance at Christina, somewhat jealous of her normal looking body. The tall girl looked down at her chest, still seeing just how developed she is compared to her friend. Fortunately she recalled Natasha's words.
"It's normal to develop like this, I have nothing to be ashamed of," Stella thought to herself.
It wasn't long before Lincoln had finished up, "Okay, I'm fully changed."
"Me too," Christina said, now back in her dress. "Guess we're all done for now, we should get home."
"Yeah we should," Lincoln said. "Maybe I can get back to looking for The Green Goblin."
"Just keep it discreet," Stella said.
"No one from S.H.I.E.L.D. will find out, especially not Natasha," Lincoln said. "At least not until after we catch him. Then she'll consider us the most awesome superhero group in the world!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Stella said. "I'll settle for her not being mad at us."
"I doubt Natasha could be mad at you," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, you're precious to her after all," Christina said.
"Precious might be a strong word, but I do have a lot of respect for her," Stella said. "She's not someone I want to let down."
"If anything happens, I'll take most of the blame," Lincoln said. "But I'm feeling super confident that she'll be happy with us."
"Me too," Christina said. "Besides, after stopping The Enforcers, S.H.I.E.L.D. might appreciate us more for putting a stop to a Black Market for alien devices."
"I hope so," Stella said. "Anyway, if you two need to go home, that's fine. I'm gonna stay here a bit longer. I want to finish up some schoolwork, and I could use a bit of quiet. Mom's been frantic at work lately and she's been freaking out a bit."
"Nothing bad, right?" Christina asked.
"No, mom's just so anxious sometimes," Stella said.
"Well, so long as everything's alright," Christina said.
"I should probably get home too then, hopefully my family isn't going to freak out themselves," Lincoln said, the boy grabbing his bag and making his leave. "Bye girls."
"Bye Lincoln," Christina said, the girl grabbing her own things to leave with.
"See you at school tomorrow," Stella said.
As Lincoln walked home, and reflected on what happened today, his phone began to ring. "Hm? Is it one of my sisters?" The boy answered his call. "Yeah?"
"Lincoln, it's me, Chloe," the girl said.
"Hey Chloe, need something?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, you know that reading assignment for our English class?" Chloe asked. "I don't suppose you have a spare sheet? Mine got damaged."
"Damaged?" Lincoln asked.
"I sat down to eat and study, then I knocked over a cup and spilt some juice on my paper," Chloe said, the girl feeling a bit embarrassed. "I know it's late, so if you want you can just take a photo of the sheet, and I can just send it to my printer."
"I'm actually out right now, and I have my backpack, so I can just swing by," Lincoln said.
"I don't want you to go out of your way," Chloe said.
"It's fine, I'm not too far away from your house," Lincoln insisted. "Just give me five minutes."
"You're the best, Lincoln," Chloe said. "See you in a few."
Lincoln hung up, took a quick look around and leapt on top of a pole, "Hm...Chloe's house is...that way!"
He leapt across the rooftops toward his friend's house, ready to drop off the goods.
Meanwhile in New York, Hammerhead was checking the Royal Woods News Station when he heard a report from Katherine Mulligan.
"Spider-Man has done it again, with the help of his sidekick, five dangerous New York gangsters were taken into custody," Katherine said. "Led by a crook who calls himself 'Fancy Dan', these five will face charges for weapons dealerships, ones of alien origin."
Hammerhead angrily slammed down on the table, "Damn, the punks got themselves caught." He turned to a nearby monitor. "Warren! We got a problem!"
From his lab, Miles Warren was seen working on his next experiment, when he got a call from Hammerhead, "What is it?"
"My boys just got caught," Hammerhead said. "Damn Spider and that glowing Night Light got the drop on them!"
"That's quite surprising, didn't they use their Chitauri equipment?" Warren said.
"I don't know the story, all I know is they got caught," Hammerhead said.
"Well figure out a way to free them, can't risk them spilling any secrets," Warren said.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Hammerhead asked.
"You figure it out, and make sure it's someone good who knows how to properly do infiltration. I need that lizard formula from Doctor Connors," Warren said. "Right now I have an event to get ready for, so call me later."
"Wait!" Hammerhead called before the video feed cut off. "That guy pisses me off sometimes. Oh well, better call the Big Man and see if he has any ideas."
Back in Royal Woods, Lincoln was using a scanning machine at Chloe's house to make a new copy of the sheet. "There, that should give you a nice, clean copy. Just try not to spill any drinks and you're all set."
"Thank you so much, Lincoln," Chloe said, hugging the boy. "You didn't have to go out of your way like this, but I really appreciate the effort."
"Like I said, it wasn't inconvenient," Lincoln said as Chloe let go. "Doing this is just easier."
"I am curious as to what you could have been doing out by yourself this late," Chloe said. "It doesn't seem safe."
"It's not that late, there's still light out," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, but that doesn't make it less dangerous," Chloe said. "I heard earlier today that there was another robbery with alien tech."
"Oh that's been taken care of by Spider-Man and Firestar," Lincoln insisted. "The robbers got taken down and The Enforcers were taken into custody."
"Yeah, I heard that but...wait, The Enforcers?" Chloe asked. "Is that what they're called?"
Lincoln grew worried for a second, "Uh...yeah."
"I didn't hear that," Chloe said.
"I, uh...heard it from somewhere," Lincoln nervously insisted. "Or maybe I'm just spit balling. Point is that Spider-Man handled everything, so there's no reason to worry."
"I guess..." Chloe said, then gently placed her hand on Lincoln's shoulder. "Still, just be careful, I don't want you getting hurt."
"Hey, it will take a lot more than some thugs to put a scare into Lincoln Loud," the boy proudly said.
"I guess so," Chloe replied, taking the sheet. "Thanks again."
"No problem, now I need to get home," Lincoln said.
"Oh wait, don't leave yet," Chloe said. "You came all this way and did a favor. At least stay for a snack."
"Well...I probably shouldn't have snacks close to dinner time," Lincoln said.
"I have some brownies," Chloe said.
"...But, it would be rude to turn down such a kind offer," Lincoln said.
"Awesome, let's go grab a few," Chloe said, leading Lincoln into the kitchen, giving the two a chance to have a snack and talk for a bit.
It wasn't long before everyone was home. Stella had finished her schoolwork and had gone back to her house, relieved that the situation was handled, but worried for anything else to come.
Christina had also returned home, the girl worn out from the day, but relieved to have stopped the villains. The only thing on her mind was Lincoln, and the kind words he had for her. She of course appreciated how he would always motivate her in one way or another, and today was definitely no different.
Lincoln had gone back home, the boy unlocking his door and calling out. "I'm back!"
"Linky!" Lola ran over and hugged the boy. She pulled away a second later, looking very irritated. "You're late, mister!"
"Sorry, I had to help a friend out and she wanted me to stay a bit longer," Lincoln said.
Lola's disappointment turned into curiosity. "A girl huh? Is she pretty?"
"Yes, and she's taken," Lincoln said. "It's Chloe, Clyde's girlfriend."
"Oh...well I always believed that she could do better," Lola said.
Lincoln furrowed his brow, "Please don't start."
"Well, it's fine, but daddy was really worried," Lola said. "Mom was in a bad situation today, all because of that lousy Spider-Man."
"Of course..." Lincoln mentally lamented.
"But she's safe, and daddy's happy," Lola said. "But..."
"Lincoln!" Lynn Sr called, the man running over to his only son. "It's about time you got home. It's late!"
"Sorry dad, I needed to help a friend out with something," Lincoln said.
"It was a girl," Lola clarified.
"A girl?" Lynn Sr's worry turned into paternal pride. "Well I suppose it makes sense for you to see a little lady. She probably needed a bit of that Loud Charisma after the big ordeal in town today."
"It's Chloe dad, Clyde's girlfriend," Lincoln said.
"Oh...wow, the power of the Loud Charisma is stronger than even I expected," Lynn Sr said, then snapped out of it. "Still, you need to call us and let everyone know where you are so we know you're safe. Your mother went through a very frightening ordeal today, she's still a bit traumatized from it."
"Lynn, we've been over this!" Rita called from the living room; the woman joined by the rest of the Loud Daughters. "I'm fine! Little shaken up, but fine!"
"Okay honey!" Lynn Sr called, then focused on Lincoln. "Your mother's such a brave soul."
Lincoln made his way into the living room to join his family, everyone currently watching Katherine Mulligan's newsfeed.
"Thanks to Spider-Man and his sidekick, Royal Woods no longer has to worry about robberies with Alien Tech," Katherine said. "With the gangsters selling these brought to justice, Royal Woods is a safer place. But how did they get this tech? Why sell it in Royal Woods? That is what this reporter wants to know."
"And you'll get those answers soon!" Came the voice of J Jonah Jameson. "My colleague, Rita Loud, had just finished a very detailed investigation of the matter. With her help, we will bring to light all of this injustice, including those despicable gangsters, and their arachnid friend!"
"...You mean the same arachnid friend that fought and helped detain them?" Katherine asked.
"Yeah, the very same, I bet he took the cash and sold them out!" Jameson said. "There truly is no honor among thieves."
"Son of a..." Lincoln rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Right, well so long as those crooks are detained, that's all that matters to me personally," Katherine said. "This story is still developing however, and-"
"You can be the first to see it in the Royal Woods Gazette!" Jameson interrupted. "We're running a special! If you buy four, you'll get the fifth one for a whole penny less!"
"Wow, one penny..." Lola said. "How generous."
"Right...well in other news, now is a great time to be a fan of Lucha Libra wrestling," Katherine said. "Pretty soon-"
"Wait, Lucha Libra? Where they wear masks?" Jameson asked.
"Uh, yeah?" Katherine responded. "Why are you still here? The Spider-Man story is-"
"Those cowards! Why don't they wrestle without their masks!?" Jameson shouted. "What are they hiding?"
"Sir, it's a cultural tradition in Mexico to wear a mask while you wrestle," Katherine said. "It's perfectly normal."
"Normal my foot! Why can't they be men like American wrestlers!?" Jameson shouted.
"Sir, let's not get into this live on the air!" Katherine warned.
"All I'm saying is that if you're a real man, you'll show your face!" Jameson shouted. "Whether it's Spider-Man, or any in Lucha Libra, don't be a bunch of cowards! Just show your face and-"
"Katherine Mulligan is singing off!" The woman pulled the show off the air before things got worse.
"Wow, that guy does not have a filter," Lynn said, then turned to her mother. "And he's your boss? Really sucks to be you, mom."
Rita glared deadpanned at her daughter, "Lynn, please mind your choice of words."
"Kind of a scummy thing for him to say about Lucha Libra though," Lana said.
"Like for real!" Lynn said. "The mask represents their honor, and maintaining your honor is the mark of a true man."
"Or woman," Lincoln said. "One of Ronnie Anne's favorite Lucha Libra wrestlers is a woman named La Tormenta."
"Oh yeah, she rules," Lynn said. "Can't wait to see her at the upcoming fight in Royal Woods, after she has her fight tomorrow."
"From what I heard, she's going against La Tigressa tomorrow," Lincoln said.
"La Tigressa? Again?" Lynn asked. "How many times does that woman need to get her butt kicked before she realizes she just can't handle La Tormenta?"
"You gotta respect the persistence," Lincoln said. "You should understand that, right? You were a wrestler too briefly."
"Yeah, it wasn't as exciting as I hoped it would be. Mainly since I just went against a bunch of amateurs. Lucha Libre might give me a real challenge," Lynn then tapped her chin in curiosity. "Maybe I should go after La Tormenta sometime? Put an end to her reign of dominance."
"I'd love to see that," Lincoln said, gesturing to the TV. "Way more entertaining than this nonsense."
"I agree, that's enough of the TV news," Rita said, changing the channel. "Let's watch some actual entertaining television."
The channel she landed on was airing Dream Boat, exciting the family.
"Oooh! That's right, new episode," Leni grabbed her phone. "I totes gotta text Lori!"
While everyone was watching, Lana patted Lincoln on the shoulder to get his attention, "Let's talk in your room later."
"Sure, alright," Lincoln said as he sat back and watched the Dream Boat episode with his family.
Later on, Lana had met with Lincoln in his room, the girl plopping herself on her brother's bed, and going straight to the point.
"So, what exactly happened today?" Lana asked.
"Well, Christina and I ran into some robbers who had more Chitauri tech," Lincoln began. "Then we ran into The Enforcers, who were selling the tech. I fought four and Christina handled one, mainly since they split up. We stopped them and now, no more illegal alien tech is being sold."
"What about mom?" Lana asked. "Was she really there?"
"Yeah, she got herself caught by these guys, but I kept her safe," Lincoln said.
"They didn't hurt her, did they?" Lana asked. "She looks fine but-"
"Don't worry, they didn't hurt her," Lincoln said. "One of them did find her attractive though."
Lana's face grimaced, "Ew, what?"
"Yeah, he was kind of a creep about it," Lincoln said. "So I made sure he got some extra fists in his face."
"Good, because...yuck," Lana said, sticking her tongue out in disgust.
"Point is, those guys are done, I just need to get some more answers, like how they got that alien tech in the first place," Lincoln said.
"You said once that you think The Green Goblin got that tech," Lana said.
"Yeah, I hoped to ask them but obviously that didn't happen," Lincoln said. "I'll keep trying though."
"You'll figure something out, you are the Man with a Plan after all," Lana said.
"Yeah, the Spider-Man with a Plan," Lincoln clarified.
"Ha, good one," Lana said. She then hopped off the bed and hugged her brother. "More importantly, I'm glad you're safe."
"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle," Lincoln said as the boy returned the hug. "But I appreciate the concern nonetheless."
Lana pulled away, glaring up at her brother, "Just try not to come home so late, not without texting me at least."
"Sorry, I just needed to help a friend out with her homework," Lincoln said.
"Her?" Lana asked, Lincoln now mentally berating himself for revealing the gender. "So, a girl kept you out late?"
"It was Chloe, a girl who's already taken," Lincoln said. "All I did was let her borrow my worksheet."
"Oh, that's nice of you," Lana said. "Glad you're looking after Clyde's girlfriend."
Lincoln sighed in relief, "Finally, everyone else I talk to acts like there's a secret affair going on between me and her."
"Just ignore that," Lana said. "Besides, you have plenty of other options. I know you still miss Jordan but, try not to let that hold you back."
"I won't," Lincoln said. The boy felt his stomach grumble. "Did I miss dinner by any chance?"
"Dad was too upset to cook, so we had to eat leftovers," Lana said. "I saved you some Chicken Nuggets in my section of the fridge. I know they're one of your favorites."
"Thanks Lana, you're the best," Lincoln said, rubbing the girl on the head.
"It's nothing," Lana said, blushing a bit. "Come on, let's make sure the rules weren't violated and no one took my stuff, or yours."
"They better not be, we had an agreement," Lincoln said, following his sister.
The following day at school, once again the hot topic was Spider-Man. After each win, many of the students get together to talk about how cool the story was, even if not many people were there to see the fight, leading them to question what could have actually gone down.
As Lincoln walked through the halls, he spotted a locker all too familiar to him. It was Jordan's locker, and it reminded him even more of the girl he affectionately called his girlfriend, even if it was for a short time.
While the title was only there for a bit, the two had quite the interesting relationship. From Jordan's recent flirting, to each time he saved her as Spider-Man, to even the kiss the two shared while he wore the mask.
Lincoln of course remembered what sparked their romance, the two having spent that time in the Jacuzzi, getting very intimate with one another, intimacy that went beyond simple kissing.
"Geez, I can still remember how her body felt, it feels wrong to think about but..." Lincoln didn't think of the situation as scandalous. To him, it was his passion. "Anything Jordan and I did in that tub, I did it because I cared about her. She needed someone in that moment to show her affection. I don't know what's really happening with her family, but after what happened with her uncle, and some things she said about her father, I'm glad I gave her that one special memory. Still, if anyone found out what we did in there, boy that would be the talk of town. Even worse if my sisters found out."
"Lincoln?" Came Mollie's voice, the girl getting his attention.
"Oh, hey Mollie, what's up?" Lincoln asked.
"Nothing really, just passing by," Mollie said, glancing at Jordan's locker. "Probably for the same reason as you."
"I just...I really miss Jordan," Lincoln admitted. "Sometimes I feel like I should have done more as her boyfriend."
"What happened wasn't your fault, it involved Spider-Man and The Green Goblin, they're the ones responsible." Mollie said, unknowingly making Lincoln feel worse. "Jordan got caught up in their dumb fight, nothing you could have done."
"I know you're trying to help, but I just don't feel that way," Lincoln said. "I really wanted to save her from her troubles. It seems things were really tough for her, especially when her uncle turned out to be a super villain. That's probably not counting any family drama she had. I don't know if I did a good job in trying to pull her away."
"Don't feel like that, if anything she was happy whenever she was around you," Mollie said. "Just being near you made her smile, and when she would talk to me about you, I could almost hear her heart racing. It sounds like you two really had something special, a good friendship before you hooked up, and a great relationship that got cut too short."
"I liked seeing her smile," Lincoln said, recalling instances of the girl's smile, be it genuine or flirty, he loved her gaze. "It was beautiful."
"Whoa, didn't expect this much sappiness out of you," Mollie said, startling Lincoln.
"Right, sorry," Lincoln said, awkwardly rubbing his head. "I don't know what came over me."
"It's alright, I think it's sweet," Mollie said. She then placed her arm around Lincoln's neck. "But seriously, what happened wasn't your fault. I know you love your superheroes, and you wanted to be the one to rescue her. But life isn't always like that. You did your best, if anything this falls on me."
"Huh?" Lincoln turned to the girl.
"Jordan's my best friend, I should have done more on my end to help her out, because honestly, she's always had issues, she just hid them well," Mollie said. "She tried hiding them from me because she didn't want me to worry but, I can see through her. It didn't matter, I could barely help her, I just did my best to comfort and reassure her but, maybe that wasn't enough."
"No one cared about Jordan more than you, Mollie," Lincoln said. "I'm sure you did your best too."
"High praise coming from the boyfriend she deeply cherished," Mollie said. The girl felt a tear coming to her eye. "It sucks, I know she was really looking forward to dating you. She wanted you to be happy too."
"I guess it just wasn't meant to be," Lincoln solemnly said.
"Maybe..." Mollie regretfully agreed.
"Ahem..." Came Ramirez's voice. "Class is starting!"
"Oh, sorry," Lincoln said.
"We were just remembering our friend through her locker," Mollie said.
"What friend?" Ramirez asked.
"...Jordan?" Mollie said. "Jordan Rosato."
"Oh right, she moved," Ramirez said.
"Yeah...after that incident with the Goblin King," Lincoln reminded.
"I know what happened, Loud," Ramirez said. "Nonetheless, this isn't a spot to remember someone, this is still a locker, and soon it will be inhabited by another student."
"What for?" Mollie asked. "What if she comes back?"
"No locker belongs to any student, these are property of Royal Woods Middle School," Ramirez said. "I decide what's done with them."
"Wow, that's just cold of you to say," Mollie replied.
"Just get to class before I give you both detention," Ramirez warned.
"Are you serious!?" Mollie asked.
"Mollie, easy," Lincoln urged. "Come on, let's just go."
"...Fine," Mollie begrudgingly agreed, leaving with Lincoln. "This is bogus though."
Ramirez shook her head in annoyance and made her leave.
The day went on, Lincoln went through his classes as per normal, and had a rather lackluster lunch. One thing he noticed is that Clyde wasn't in the best mood, Lincoln understanding why, and knowing what he must do.
Come the end of the day, as the school buses were lined up to take the kids home. Lincoln made his way outside, looking for his best friend.
"Where could Clyde be?" Lincoln wondered aloud.
"Lincoln!" Chloe came running over, taking the boy by surprise with a hug. "Thanks again for your help last night. I even told Mrs. Salter that you helped me and she was really impressed by your kindness."
"It was really nothing," Lincoln said.
"Hardly, she says my grades have improved, a lot of our teachers think so," Chloe said. "It's all thanks to you. I really owe you big time."
"Helping a friend out is more than enough," Lincoln said.
"Well, if you ever want more brownies, feel free to come over," Chloe said.
"Those brownies were good," Lincoln admitted. "Still, it's really nothing."
"Chloe? Lincoln?" Clyde said, getting their attention.
"Oh hey Clyde, I was just talking to Lincoln about my progress thanks to his tutoring," Chloe said. "You have a really kind friend here."
"Yeah, really kind," Clyde said, the boy feeling mixed in his feelings.
Chloe furrowed her brow, worried that Clyde was still upset about the tutoring thing, even more that he probably didn't trust Lincoln. "Well, that's all I had to say. I should get going then."
"Wait, are you coming over later?" Clyde asked. "My parents are making lasagna."
"Oh sure, I'll see if I can," Chloe said. "I just have to make sure I don't have too much homework to worry about."
"You can bring it over, I can even tutor you a bit," Clyde said. "I am very qualified. I'm a Straight A Student with Perfect Attendance."
"That could work, if it's alright with Lincoln," Chloe said.
Clyde looked notably irritated, "I don't think we need Lincoln's permission to hang out, Chloe. We're dating, we can hang out whenever we want."
Chloe's disappointment turned into annoyance, feeling irritated by Clyde's choice of words. "I know we don't need permission, but considering that Lincoln was tutoring me first, I need to be sure that it won't interfere in the future. He has a routine in how he tutors me to make sure it stays consistent enough for me to remember."
"Hey, Lincoln's fine with breaking routines, he's done so before," Clyde said. "He can handle it."
"Right..." Lincoln said. "Anyway Chloe, don't worry about letting Clyde tutor you, I can adjust if need be."
"There, it's settled, not that it matters," Clyde said, about to make his leave.
"Clyde wait, I wanted to ask you something," Lincoln said.
"Sorry, I'm busy," Clyde said. "You know what that's like, right? You wanna talk to someone, but that someone is too busy to give you the time of day? Yeah, I think you know exactly what that's like."
"Huh?" Lincoln replied.
"Catch you later," Clyde said as he walked off, leaving Lincoln confused.
"What was that about?" Lincoln commented.
"I'm sorry, this is my fault," Chloe said. "I shouldn't have talked to you."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Chloe, you were just talking to me about homework," Lincoln said.
"Clyde's just been so jealous lately, I don't think I respected his feelings enough," Chloe said. "I shouldn't have kept that tutoring thing a secret from him. I was just so ashamed that I didn't want anyone to know."
"That's understandable," Lincoln said. "But if anything, it's my fault too, I should have advocated for Clyde to know."
"You were just respecting my wishes, it's not your problem," Chloe said. "I need to be more conscious of how Clyde feels, I don't want to be insensitive to how he feels. And I definitely don't want to come between you two."
"You won't," Lincoln reassured. "Look, I've known Clyde for about six years now, he and I are close enough to be brothers. He's not one to hold onto a grudge. And if he does, he feels too guilty to maintain it for too long. He'll come around, he just needs time."
"I hope you're right. I know if it were me, I'd hate to be in a situation like this with Emma. But, you sound confident, so I should be too," Chloe said. She turned her attention back to Lincoln. "I should be going now, hopefully tonight I can try to reason with Clyde a bit."
"I'll do what I can too, once I get the chance," Lincoln said. "And I'm going to, I'm not letting things go down the drain."
"Okay, good luck Lincoln," Chloe said, making her leave.
Despite his confidence, Lincoln did seem concerned about the situation. "One reason this is happening is because I have yet to tell Clyde about me being Spider-Man. I know I told Stella and Christina that I wouldn't reveal my identity, but if things really get bad between me and Clyde, I may not have a choice."
"Lincoln?" Came Emma's voice, the girl's presence surprising her ex-boyfriend.
"Emma?" Lincoln turned to greet the girl he once dated. "Wow, this is a surprise."
"Yeah...I saw you talking with Chloe a second ago, it seems like you and her had something to say regarding Clyde," Emma said.
"Yeah, things are a little tense, but it's nothing I can't handle," Lincoln said. "I know Clyde really well, and this isn't the first time he and I had a disagreement over something. We always work it out in the end."
"I hope things work out, I'd hate to be in a situation like this with Chloe," Emma said.
"Funny, Chloe said the same thing. These two really are best friends, it's really cute," Lincoln thought to himself before speaking aloud. "We'll be fine. But Chloe might need some comforting."
"Yeah, I should do that for her," Emma said. "It was...um, really nice to talk to you again."
"Same here," Lincoln said. "See you later Emma."
"Bye Lincoln," Emma said before departing.
"Wow, talking with her wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be," Lincoln thought to himself. "Hopefully soon we can be friends again. Even if she's not ready to have a boyfriend, I do like hanging out with her."
"Hey Lincoln," Stella said, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. "Christina and I are off for hero work."
"Was that Emma just now?" Christina asked.
"Yeah, she was asking me about Chloe and Clyde, nothing major," Lincoln said.
"Speaking of Clyde, you're going to hang out with him, right?" Stella asked.
"I was, but he didn't seem interested," Lincoln said. "So, I guess since my afternoon is free, I should just join you girls."
"Wait, what happened with Clyde?" Stella asked. "Why wasn't he interested in hanging out?"
"He just wasn't in the mood," Lincoln said, hoping to keep it vague. "It's fine, we'll hang out another time."
"Well...sorry to hear," Stella said. "But you don't have to patrol."
"Yeah, you can still take the afternoon off, you deserve a break," Christina said. "I can handle it by myself."
"It's fine, patrolling will take my mind off of some things," Lincoln said. "Plus, I do enjoy spending time with you girls, so it's not a hassle."
"Uh...wow. thanks," Stella said, blushing a bit.
"Yeah, thanks," Christina said. "Glad you like being around us."
"What's there not to like?" Lincoln asked. "Christina, you're a great friend and a great partner. People may not appreciate you, but I know you're a great hero."
"Aw, Lincoln..." Christina's face turned redder. "Geez, you flatter me too much."
"Stella, you're bluntly honest sometimes, but I guess I need that," Lincoln said. "Especially in work as serious as this."
"Honesty is the best policy," Stella said. "Still, even I had to learn to be honest."
"You can say that again, Yodel Boy," Lincoln said.
Stela giggled to herself, "I had that coming."
"Ha, Yodel Boy, you two seemed to have had a lot of wacky adventures before hero life took over," Christina said.
"There's a lot we could tell you, Stella is quite good with disguises," Lincoln said.
"Oh really? Maybe she can be a spy," Christina said. "Just like Black Widow."
"I wish..." Stella said. "I'm not that good with disguises."
"That so? I beg to differ, Astrid," Lincoln said.
"Don't you start with that either," Stella said.
"Alright fine," Lincoln said, about to leave. "Come on, let's go do what we gotta do."
"Right!" Stella and Christina said, following Lincoln.
Meanwhile a bus had pulled into Royal Woods, bringing in passengers from out of town. One such passenger was a middle-aged man with a brown coat and some glasses. As he stepped out, a rude pedestrian shoves past him, knocking the man over and causing him to drop his briefcase, which opened and scattered about his papers.
"Oh dear, this isn't good," the man said, scrambling to get his papers back as the other pedestrians just passed him by, some even stepping on the papers as he was picking them up. One paper got taken by the wind and blew away. "No! Wait!"
Fortunately the paper was caught by Lisa, the girl having been waiting nearby. "Don't worry Otto, I got it."
"Oh Lisa, thank goodness you were there," Otto said, the man taking the paper and standing back up. "I must apologize for my clumsiness."
"I would not call it clumsiness," Lisa said, glaring at the other passengers. "Some people can be downright inept in the social department."
"Oh they were probably just in a hurry, these things happen, especially in New York," Otto said.
"Yes well, that aside, I am happy to see you here, I trust some of these papers are related to our research?" Lisa asked.
"Oh yes, with these notes, your mechanical arms should have a remarkable improvement," Otto said. "I've been working on using a form of telekinesis to activate them, and I have several theories to make that work."
"You sure do go above and beyond Professor Octavius," Lisa said. "Come, allow me to escort you to your temporary living quarters."
"That would be most kind of you," Otto said as he followed Lisa.
Meanwhile in Great Lakes, while Ronnie Anne was watching Lucha Libra on TV, she heard the door to the apartment getting kicked open.
"Ronnie Anne!" Sid shouted in excitement. "Are you ready for-!?"
"Sid! Please do not kick our door in!" Maria scolded.
"Uh, sorry Mrs. Santiago," Sid sheepishly apologized, then quickly dashed to her friend. "For real, are you ready for what's coming?"
"You mean the big wrestling show with La Tormenta?" Ronnie Anne asked. "You bet I am! She's looking better than ever!"
"I'm so excited to see La Tormenta wrestling up close!" Sid said. "She and Princess Valentina are going to have a great match."
"Hopefully it will be better than what's happening now," Ronnie Anne said, seeing La Tormenta having just defeated La Tigressa.
"Geez, how many times does La Tigressa have to get her butt kicked?" Sid asked. "She always loses to La Tormenta."
"I do respect her determination," Ronnie Anne said. "But no one is better than La Tormenta. That show in Royal Woods is going to be awesome, really glad it's close by"
"Great Lakes would have been better, but Royal Woods is just as good too. Just a few more days, it's going to be awesome!" Sid then sat down next to Ronnie Anne. "You think you and I could be wrestlers one day?"
"We tried, remember? You got too easily distracted," Ronnie Anne said.
"Oh, right," Sid sheepishly said. "That's fine, I don't think I can handle wrestling. It's too intense."
"It's not for everyone," Ronnie Anne said.
"You know, I bet Spider-Man would make a great Lucha Libra athlete," Sid said. "He has the mask and the skills."
"I'd love to see Spider-Man wrestling," Ronnie Anne said. "Maybe he'll make a guest appearance one day."
"Ha, imagine," Sid said. "Wonder how things are for him?"
"I heard he stopped some New York gangsters," Ronnie Anne said. "They were selling alien weapons too."
"Wow...I know that's dangerous but that's also kind of cool," Sid said. "As long as Spider-Man won at least."
"Things sure are getting nuts," Ronnie Anne suddenly felt worried. "I really hope Lincoln's doing alright."
"I'm sure he is," Sid said, gently placing her hand on Ronnie Anne's. "He's a tough one after all."
"Yeah, he is," Ronnie Anne said, happily thinking about her friend. "It's been way too long since I've seen you Lincoln, I'll see you in Royal Woods really soon."
Meanwhile, outside of a Lucha Libre event, La Tigress was seen angrily walking toward her trailer, feeling humiliated by her loss.
"I had her...I was so close! That dirty cheat!" La Tigressa lamented as she approached her trailer. "One day, I will be on top. I will-"
"My, someone sounds irritable," Came the voice of Miles Warren, the man getting La Tigressa's attention. "Bad fight today?"
"If you're looking for an autograph, then tough luck, I'm not in the mood," La Tigressa said.
"My, is that how you talk to all your fans?" Warren sarcastically asked. "If you even have any, you've been pretty down on your luck."
"Buzz off, I still got enough left in me to take you on," La Tigressa warned.
"Oh believe me, I know that I would not have a chance against you," Warren said. "But I do admire your capabilities, perhaps you and I can come to an agreement."
"Like what?" La Tigressa asked.
"I can help you become stronger," Warren said, holding out a vial. "All you have to do is a favor for me."
"What is this? Some type of talent enhancing drug?" La Tigressa asked.
"In a way, it can bring out an animalistic side to you, and give you an advantage," Warren said.
"That's awfully generous," La Tigressa cautiously stated. "Why are you being so nice? Did you bet on me or something or are you just a good fan? Or, perhaps you just want quick cash."
"I do expect payment, but not in money," Warren said. "I have a proposition. I will give you the power you desire, if you do me a favor."
"And that would be?" La Tigressa asked.
"I need you to bring me Spider-Man," Warren said.
"Spider-Man? You mean that hero I keep hearing about?" La Tigressa asked. "Sorry señor, I'm not getting involved with that crap."
"At least consider it," Warren said. "I will be in Royal Woods for your next competition. You can sit on the sidelines while La Tormenta and Princess Valentina take all the glory, or you can be the Star of the Show that you were meant to be."
As Warren left, La Tigressa did think it over a bit, but for the most part, just wanted some rest. Time would tell what could happen.