The next morning was a bit somber for the Louds. Many of them did not have an easy time going to sleep. It wasn't so much the big showdown that scared them, mainly since they enjoyed seeing La Tormenta teaming up with Spider-Man, most of them at least, for the siblings, they were worried about their father.
Lynn had come home late last night with her mother Rita, and relayed to everyone that the Loud Patriarch is recovering just fine, but he had some broken ribs that needed to be healed, including a punctured lung.
While they're happy the injuries weren't fatal, it concerned the kids that their father was even in that type of danger in the first place.
Lincoln especially felt guilty, feeling like he should have been able to prevent this much sooner than he did. What worried him was not only his father getting hurt, but that it nearly happened to his immediate older sister too.
Despite that, many pressed on, mainly Lori as she believed she had an example to set as the eldest Loud Sibling.
Since Lynn Sr wasn't present, that means none of his breakfast for the kids. Many opted to either eat some leftovers, or have a bowl of cereal.
Lincoln opted to at least make food for Lily and Lisa, since Lily was too young to make her own food and Lisa was surprisingly bad at making anything basic.
With everyone fed, Lincoln sat at the table with his own bowl of cereal, one since he didn't feel like cooking anything for himself, and two, it's what his guests were having.
Sid and Ronnie Anne sat beside the boy at the table, both still surprised by what they heard. Knowing that their friend is Spider-Man was mind blowing for the two. While they still had some things they wanted to address about it, they knew it wasn't wise to do so with the Louds still around.
In the living room, Lola and Lana had the TV to themselves, mainly using the excuse that since Adelaide was around, they got top priority for the TV.
"The Friend Card still works," Lola proudly stated. "Thanks Adelaide."
"Happy to help," Adelaide said. She looked to the side and saw how depressed Lana looked. She gently took her friend by her hand to get her attention. "Are you doing okay?"
"I'm fine, don't worry about it," Lana said.
"You're still worried about your dad, aren't you?" Adelaide asked.
"What's there to worry about?" Lana replied, not facing Adelaide. "Mom says he'll be fine. Doctors can't be wrong, can they? Even Ronnie Anne's mother said he'll pull through, she's a doctor too."
"I know you're trying to be tough, but there's no shame in worrying," Adelaide said. "When Sid got kidnapped by The Lizard, I was worried too. The idea of a reptile hurting someone in my family was way too conflicting for me."
"Addy, I'm fine, just drop it already," Lana demanded.
"Okay...but if you do have something to say, then talk to me," Adelaide turned Lana's face toward her. "That's what friends are for."
Lana still refused to show much emotion, instead just briefly rubbing Adelaide's head and focused back on the TV.
Adelaide scooted over to Lola, whispering to the younger twin, "Will Lana be alright?"
"She'll be fine, she just needs to process this," Lola said.
"Given how you're reacting, I take it that you processed this already?" Adelaide asked.
"Sort of," Lola said. She too rubbed Adelaide's head, "Don't worry about it, hon. Just focus on the cartoons."
"Uh...okay," Adelaide said as she continued to worry about Lana.
In time, the Casagrande family needed to leave. An early start was a must to return to the city in good time, and preferably before traffic hit.
Lori and Bobby were talking at the moment, the eldest Loud sibling making a decision that she felt she had to confer with Bobby on first.
"So, you're really okay with me staying here for a bit?" Lori asked.
"Of course, given what happened to your father, I'd be surprised if you didn't," Bobby said. "Your family needs you more than I do right now, besides what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't take your feelings into account."
"You're the best, Boo-Boo Bear," Lori said and gave Bobby a quick kiss. "I'll update you on anything regarding my dad."
"Sounds good, babe," Bobby said.
Meanwhile, Lincoln was outside and saying his good-byes to Ronnie Anne and Sid in private.
"Let us know how your dad is doing," Ronnie Anne said "And if you see Stella, give her my regards for her aunt and uncle."
"Same here," Sid said. "Shame we couldn't hang out with her more."
"Maybe next time," Lincoln said. "Thanksgiving is coming soon, maybe we can do another Loud and Casagrande meet-up. With the Changs of course."
"I'll run that by my grandmother," Ronnie Anne said. "But I think the family will like it."
"Totally, and Ronnie Anne," Lincoln began. "I'm really sorry you're feeling the way you are regarding your family and your heritage. It should go without saying, but I never just saw you as Mexican-American. I just saw you as another one of my friends."
"It's good dude, I never suspected otherwise," Ronnie Anne said. "I appreciate it though."
"That applies to you as well, Sid," Lincoln said. "You're not just a Chinese friend of mine."
"Oh don't worry, I'm not having the same existential crisis that Ronnie Anne is having," Sid casually stated, earning a curious glare from Ronnie Anne.
Within moments, Ronnie Anne's expression softened as a smile etched onto her face. "Never change, Sid." Upon getting a smile from her friend, Ronnie Anne focused back on Lincoln. "Just so we're even, I never saw you as some Scottish kid, mainly since I didn't even know you were when I first met you."
"I didn't know until last year," Lincoln said. "Still, have you considered talking to your family about this? It sounds kind of serious."
"Even if I did, the problem lies with my Great Grandmother," Ronnie Anne said. "She's very stubborn and won't change. The best I can do is just do things my way."
"Well try not to put this off for too long," Lincoln said.
"I got this, don't worry about me," Ronnie Anne said.
"I'll be there with her to make sure things are alright," Sid said.
"Honestly, I'm more worried about you," Ronnie Anne said. "Especially after finding out your little secret."
"You don't need to worry," Lincoln said. "I got Christina and Stella, we can do our thing here."
"Well now you have us as backup," Sid said. "Granted there isn't a lot we can do since we don't live in Royal Woods."
"And we don't have superpowers," Ronnie Anne said.
"Right...because a certain SOMEBODY!" Sid glared at Lincoln. "Crushed the only spider capable of giving us powers."
"Don't hold that over my head..." Lincoln lamented.
"She's joking, not like Sid can make it as a superhero anyway," Ronnie Anne said.
"Hey! That really hurt my feelings," Sid said.
"Oh man up," Ronnie Anne said.
"...I'm pretty sure that was sexist," Sid pointed out.
"Also, if I did get powers, I wouldn't want spider powers," Ronnie Anne said. "No offense to you Lincoln, but I'd want something flashy."
"And spider powers aren't?" Lincoln asked.
"I meant something mind opening," Ronnie Anne said. "Like maybe fire powers."
"Oh, that sounds great!" Sid said. "Ronnie Anne can have fire powers, and I can have ice powers! We'd be a Fire and Ice duo, so unique!"
"Sid, considering mutants exist, you're likely going to find a few with fire abilities and ice abilities," Lincoln pointed out.
"Just let the girl dream," Ronnie Anne said.
"And to be fair, Christina technically has fire powers," Lincoln said. "They're microwave based, but still close."
"There you have it, and I'd rather not take Christina's spot either," Ronnie Anne said. "No superhero stuff for me, I'd rather be on the less dangerous side of things."
"Well, if you do want to help, when you get back to Royal Woods, could you check in on Doctor Connors?" Lincoln asked. "I feel like the thing with La Tigressa might be connected to The Lizard."
"That's doable," Ronnie Anne said. "Uncle Carlos already checks in on Curt's wife and son. Sid and I can tag along too."
"We'd be doing super awesome detective work," Sid said, using her fingers a makeshift magnifying glass. "Nothing gets by Ronnie and Sid!"
Lincoln glanced curiously at Sid, then focused on Ronnie Anne, "Make sure Sid isn't too conspicuous."
"Does that mean awesome?" Sid asked.
"Sid, why would he...?" Ronnie Anne shook her head in annoyance. "Never mind."
"Ronnie Anne! Sid!" Maria called. "It's time to leave?"
"We'll talk more on video chat later," Lincoln said.
"Bye Lincoln," Ronnie Anne said, bringing the boy into a quick hug, taking him by surprise.
"Uh...bye Ronnie Anne," Lincoln said as she broke off.
"Bye Lincoln!" Sid took her opportunity to hug Lincoln, taking him by surprise as well.
"Yeah, bye Sid," Lincoln said.
"By the way," Sid pulled back while glancing affectionately at Lincoln. "Some kids in school think we kissed..."
"Uh, you really shouldn't keep your ride waiting," Lincoln nervously said as he took a few steps back.
"Alright, I'll see you later then, Spidey," Sid said with a wink before leaving.
Lincoln seemed relieved to know that Sid and Ronnie Anne were handling the reveal of his secret well, and only hoped it stayed that way.
"I should let Stella and Christina know about Ronnie Anne and Sid," Lincoln said. "Maybe later though, I don't want to bother Stella about that right now."
Lincoln went back inside, opting to relax for a bit before heading out to patrol.
The next day came. Due to Lynn Sr still recovering at the hospital, many of the Loud Kids did their part to keep things moving in the house and beyond it.
Luna and Luan had gone to help Kotaro and Grant at the family restaurant, Lynn's table. In addition, Sam and Benny had also come to the restaurant to volunteer their time to help.
Kotaro handled most of the cooking, but not without some assistance from Luan, who proved to handle herself well in the kitchen.
"You're doing great, Luan!" Kotaro said.
"Thanks to dad and his cooking lessons," Luan said as she cut some vegetables. "He made for a great tutor, despite a few ups and downs."
"Well you're a great student," Kotaro said as he hit a bell. "Two Lynn-Sangas for Table Six!"
Sam, playing the role of a waitress, grabbed the tray and walked it over to the customers, "Here you go, enjoy."
Benny was seen writing down orders at a nearby table himself, the boy taking the role of a waiter, "So an order of Goulash, good choice, that is a Lynn Loud specialty. I will be right back."
Luna was near the kitchen, trying to keep tabs of everything, "Good thing it's not the weekend, but business is really going to pick up around six o'clock."
"Hey Luna," Benny handed over a ticket, "Some customers ordered a goulash."
"Oooh, I don't know how much experience Luan has with that," Luna said.
"It's fine, we have Kotaro," Benny said.
"Yeah, that's what's really keeping us afloat right now," Luna said as she looked around. "Sometimes I forget how hard dad works."
"Don't you come here a lot?" Benny asked.
"I used to, then I put it off to focus on my music," Luna said. "Same with Luan, she almost blew this place off completely once after a misunderstanding with our pops."
"That I know all about," Benny said. "Luan talks to me about a lot of her problems, I worry about her sometimes."
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her at home," Luna said. "I appreciate you looking after her as well, and I know she appreciates you being here to help our pops."
"Hey, it's the least I can do for Luan," Benny said.
Sam whistled at the two, "Yo, Benny, some customers are waiting for you to take their order!"
"Oh dang, I'm on my way!" Benny said as he ran over to the customer.
"I should get this ticket to Luan," Luna said.
"Let me handle it," Sam said as she took the ticket. "Another order looks just about ready, so I'll be able to grab it."
"Thanks love," Luna said as she went back to her Maitre'd role. "Just a bit more of this."
Sam went to the back to get the attention of the cooks, "Luan, looks like you got some Gulash to make."
"Piece of cake, dad taught me how to make it," Luan said as she laid out some ingredients. "But, I'll admit, it may not be as tasty as his."
"Hey, what happened to your pops is public knowledge by now, and the customers are aware that there's new cooks," Sam said. "Yet they're still happy, you got this under control."
"Thanks, it helps that you're here too," Luan said. "Thanks for volunteering your time, not many would do this job for free."
"Well I am getting tips," Sam said as she pulled out some cash. "So I'm not totally working for free."
"Wow, your green might make Benny turn green, with envy," Luan chuckled after her joke. "Get it?"
"Yeah, I get you, girl," Sam said. "And don't worry, I'll split this with Benny. Dude's working hard too, it seems only fair."
"You're really nice, I'm really happy you're dating my sister," Luan said.
"Wait...you're gay?" Grant asked, getting Sam's attention.
"Uh...yeah?" Sam asked. "That's not a problem, is it?"
"I thought you and I had a chance..." Grant lamented as he sadly walked away.
"Well that was awkward," Luan said.
"Eh, not the first time I broke a guy's heart," Sam said. "I feel kind of bad, but it can't be helped."
"I've had to break a few hearts as well," Luan said. "Ever since I got my braces off, boys have been hitting on me more often. I think it's making Benny jealous too."
"I don't blame him, you're definitely cute," Sam said. "I really like Luna, and I think Benny's a great guy for you, but if I'm being honest, you're a girl I would totally date."
"Aw, thanks," Luan said. "Even if I was single, I'm still straight, but I appreciate the compliment nonetheless."
"Sorry to interrupt Luan," Kotaro said as he worked on some soup. "But make sure you work and talk."
"Sorry, I'll get that done," Luan said.
"Sam, take this soup to table eight," Kotaro said. "Be careful, it's hot."
"I got it," Sam said as she left the kitchen. "Yo! Table eight! Get ready to eat!"
Things were running smoothly at Lynn's Table for the time being.
Meanwhile Rita was typing up another story for the Gazette. It hadn't been easy being at work recently, given how much coverage her husband's injury was getting.
"Get those papers out there!" Jameson ordered. "That wrestling event was a huge story, we gotta cover as much about it as possible!"
"I suppose you want us to, once again, pin the blame on Spider-Man?" Jesse Hiller asked.
"Well yeah, this is clearly his fault," Jameson said.
Rita rolled her eyes in annoyance, fed up with her boss's comments. She looked at the headlines again, and saw the accompanying pictures. One had La Tigressa standing in an intimidating fashion and the other showed Lynn injured and on a stretcher.
Rita couldn't bear to look, she instead tried to focus on something else, but her mind kept drifting back to her husband.
"Rita..." Jameson said, getting the woman's attention.
"Yes sir?" Rita asked.
"I just wanted to say that...I'm sorry about what happened to your husband," Jameson said. "I hope he's doing alright."
"Oh, yeah, he's recovering," Rita said. It surprised her in the fact that she didn't expect Jameson to show her any sympathy.
"If there's anything I can do to help, please, don't hesitate to let me know," Jameson said.
"Sure, I'll keep that in mind," Rita said.
"And if covering this story is stressful, feel free to take an extra break or two," Jameson said. "I'll see if I can place you elsewhere."
"Thank you sir, I would appreciate that," Rita said. She placed the pics aside and thought back to her husband. "Make a full recovery soon, hon."
In the hospital, Lynn Sr was resting on his bed, thinking heavily about his wife and his eleven kids.
"Hope you're doing alright family," Lynn Sr said as he glanced out the window.
At the base, Lincoln had just switched into his Spider-Man gear while Christina switched into her Firestar gear. Stella was accessing the hidden cameras around the city to keep an eye on the progress of Lincoln and Christina.
"Stella, are you sure you're up to this?" Christina asked. "It's alright if you need a break."
"If this is about my aunt and uncle, then don't worry," Stella said. "They're recovering just fine. They're really strong after all."
"Makes sense, they are wrestlers after all," Christina said.
"If anything, I'm more worried about Lincoln's father," Stella said as she turned to the boy. "How is he doing anyway?"
"Mom told me this morning that he's going to spend another night at the hospital, he should be home by tomorrow," Lincoln said. "But he will be in bed for quite a while."
"Makes sense, he's got broken bones. But I'm glad he'll be home soon," Stella said. "Oh, and by the way Lincoln, I don't know if she told you, but I hung out a bit with Lynn that night. She's a lot nicer than I expected."
"Lynn huh? I think she mentioned it in passing," Lincoln said. "But yeah, Lynn is really nice. She can be a pain sometimes, and she does take her roughhousing too far and does that too much for my liking, but deep down, she's a great sister."
"Did you talk to her a lot?" Christina asked.
"Well she did most of the talking," Stella said. "While eating pizza, she would mostly brag about her athletic achievements. I personally know how great of an athlete Lynn can be."
"Guess you've been to a few of her games," Christina said.
"That and she has asked me to be a goalie for her soccer team," Stella said.
"Oh yeah, you were great," Lincoln said. "You should have stuck with it. Even Lynn mentioned once that you had potential."
"Soccer's just not my thing, I did have fun but I'm too much of a tech girl to maintain that goalie life," Stella said. "Though I wouldn't mind playing dodgeball with her. Or even against her."
"Maybe not against her, she might knock your teeth out by accident," Lincoln said. "Still, I'm glad you and Lynn had fun."
"Yeah, she did a good job of taking my mind off of my aunt and uncle," Stella said.
"Hey, believe it or not, you probably took her mind off of our dad," Lincoln said. "Lynn acts tough but she worries a lot, so she needed that distraction as much as you did."
"Well, I'm glad to be of help then," Stella said. "Still, are you up to this? You seemed so down today. You barely talked to anyone at lunch, I think they're all worried about you."
"I'll be fine," Lincoln said.
"If you say so," Stella said. "I guess a little patrolling will help take your mind off of things anyway."
"Sure, I..." Lincoln's phone began to ring. "Oh, give me a second." He pulled it out to answer. "This is Lincoln."
"Lincoln, it's Ronnie Anne," the girl said.
"And Sid!" the second girl could be heard shouting in the background. "Tell him that I'm here too!"
"Not now Sid!" Ronnie Anne scolded before speaking on the phone again. "Hey Lincoln, I just got some of my uncle's notes on Connors, wanna see them?"
"You already got the notes?" Lincoln asked. "That was fast."
"Not a lot, but it's something," Ronnie Anne said.
"I definitely want to check them out later, I can't do it now because I'm with Stella and Christina," Lincoln said.
"They can check it out too, if anything Stella's smart enough to decipher some of this stuff," Ronnie Anne said.
"Yeah, you're right about that," Lincoln said.
"Hey, Lincoln?" Stella said. "What's going on?"
"It's Ronnie Anne," Lincoln said. "She found some stuff on Doctor Connors, and she wants to share it with us. It might be related to La Tigressa."
"Oh really? That sounds..." Stella took a moment to realize something. "Wait, why is Ronnie Anne telling you about this? Better yet, why is she even contacting us?"
"Right, I never told you, did I?" Lincoln asked.
"Told me what?" Stella replied.
"Here's the thing," Lincoln began. "Ronnie Anne and Sid, they kind of found out that I'm Spider-Man, so since they knew I figured they could help-"
"Whoa, back up!" Stella interrupted. "Repeat that last part!"
"That Ronnie Anne and Sid found out I was Spider-Man?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes, that part!" Stella said. "What do you mean they figured it out!?"
"Funny story," Lincoln said. "Right after the La Tigressa fight, I went outside to take my mask off, just for a bit of fresh air. Ronnie Anne and Sid just happened to be outside right around that time."
Stella looked absolutely stupefied and amazed that Lincoln could make such a mistake, and treat it like a simple problem. "You...took your mask off, and they saw you?"
"Yes," Lincoln said.
Stella raised her eyebrow in confusion, "That's it? That's how they found out?"
"Pretty much," Lincoln said.
Stella was speechless, she could not believe how foolish Lincoln was. Christina sensed a bit of tension and tried to ease the situation. "Hey, look. Lincoln made a mistake, but it's fine, it happens."
"Christina...we're talking about a secret identity!" Stella said. "That's a big deal for a superhero!"
"It's just Ronnie Anne and Sid, they're not gonna tell anyone," Christina turned to Lincoln. "Isn't that right?"
"Yeah, they said they'll keep it to themselves," Lincoln said. "And I do trust them."
"That's not what bothers me, Lincoln," Stella said. "What bothers me is how careless you were. Suppose a supervillain saw you without your mask? Or any stranger who would sell that type of information to one of your enemies?"
"Yeah, I can't make excuses for what I did," Lincoln admitted. "I guess I'm just lucky that it was only Ronnie Anne and Sid. But I'll try to be more careful next time."
"My advice, if you want to take your mask off for some fresh air, go somewhere a person is not likely to find you," Stella said. "Sorry to say, but that was really dumb of you to do. Please do not make a stupid mistake like that again."
"Noted," Lincoln said.
"Also, do they know about Christina?" Stella asked.
"You did mention my name," Christina said. "Do they know I'm Firestar?"
"Uh...kind of," Lincoln admitted.
"Ugh, Lincoln!" Stella scolded. "That's her secret to tell!"
"Well, it's fine, they're friends of Lincoln after all," Christina said.
"Christina!" Stella shouted. "You should be angry too! Lincoln told them your secret."
"Hey I didn't tell them!" Lincoln said.
"Then how did they find out?" Stella asked.
"Uh...they just put two and two together, that's all," Lincoln said.
"Two and two?" Stella asked. "Why would they pin it down to Christina?"
"Well, Jordan can't be Firestar because she left..." Lincoln felt a sharp pain in his chest from having to admit that. "It's not you because you're too tall."
"Hey!" Stella shouted.
"That's a compliment, I swear!" Lincoln nervously insisted, reeling back from Stella's glare.
"Girls don't like being called 'tall', Lincoln," Christina reminded in a hushed voice.
"I realize that now..." Lincoln replied, also in a hushed voice.
"Uh...hello?" Ronnie Anne's voice came from the phone.
"Oh crap!" Lincoln raised the phone and spoke to it. "Sorry about that, Ronnie Anne."
"Put me on speaker," Ronnie Anne said.
"Uh, sure," Lincoln pressed the button. "You're on speaker."
"Stella, if you can hear me, I'm sorry things turned out like this," Ronnie Anne began. "Lincoln was just in a big fight, so he wasn't thinking clearly. But I do understand your concern, and you're right, he should have been careful. But the past is the past, and Lincoln will not only learn from this mistake, it will be beneficial. I have potential access to big secrets in Great Lakes, and I can use for your advantage."
"We're like your own personal taskforce," Sid said.
"Yeah, what she said, I think," Ronnie Anne said. "Point is, we're in this together now, and you can trust us."
"I know I can trust you, I just need to trust that Lincoln won't make this mistake again," Stella said.
"I think this was his big reminder to be more careful," Ronnie Anne said. "So go easy on the Lame-O."
"...Yeah, you're right, he is a Lame-O," Stella said.
"Hey!" Lincoln shouted in annoyance.
"But I also think he's learned his lesson," Stella said. "I should be grateful that things didn't turn out worse. And hey, having more allies could work out well for us."
"Got that right, we're all Team Spidey now," Sid said. "You, me, Ronnie, Lincoln and Christina."
"By the way, how did you find out I was Firestar?" Christina asked.
"Lana told us," Sid replied.
"SID!" Lincoln and Ronnie Anne shouted.
"Hey we want them to trust us, we shouldn't keep secrets," Sid said.
"So Lana spilt the beans?" Stella asked.
"She didn't mean to, honest," Lincoln said. "She only assumed because she found out they knew. She didn't fully understand the situation."
"Well that being said, I think we need to have a talk with Lana," Stella said.
"It's fine, she didn't mean to," Christina said.
"Christina, seriously, if Lana made a mistake, hold her accountable," Stella said. "I'm not saying to be mad at her, but make sure she understands that she messed up. I know she didn't mean any harm but if you really value your secret, you need to enforce it. Lana might slip up again and she needs to know now to be more careful."
"Man, the Louds are one careless family," Sid joked.
"Oh shut up, Sid," Lincoln said.
"That being said, if you have any secrets to share, then I'd be happy to hear them," Stella said.
"You got it," Ronnie Anne said. "Do any of you have a laptop? We can do a video chat."
"Sure, Lincoln, you can use my computer to set it up, I'll talk with the girls while you and Christina patrol," Stella said.
"Sounds good to me," Lincoln said. "Ronnie Anne, I'm going to hang up for now, I'll see you in a few minutes."
"You got it," Ronnie Anne said.
After Lincoln hung up, Ronnie Anne immediately pulled out her laptop, and awaited the necessary email as she readied her video chat app.
While she worked, Sid got her friend's attention, "Hey, speaking of secrets, should we tell Lincoln that we're the ones who freed the spider that bit him?"
"What for?" Ronnie Anne asked. "I don't think it's necessary for him to know."
"But, we did kind of inadvertently change his life forever," Sid said. "I think he deserves to know."
"Given all the crap he's gone through, if he found out we're responsible, he might flip out, and I'd really rather not be a source of his stress," Ronnie Anne said. "Maybe we can tell him one day, but right now, let's focus on just being his friend, and showing we can help him be a superhero."
"Right, of course," Sid said, the girl still feeling nervous deep down. "I hope he doesn't hate us when he finds out..."
Meanwhile at a laboratory at a local University, Lisa was seen testing the results of her metallic arm, trying to maneuver it with her mind.
"This is much more tricker than I would have hoped it would be," Lisa said as she continued. Slowly the arm began moving, much to her delight, "There we go. I just need to maintain the frequencies of my brain."
"Still hard at work my friend?" Came the familiar voice of Otto Octavius as he walked beside Lisa.
"Quite so, this contraption of ours is making slow progress, but it's progress nonetheless," Lisa said. "This device will certainly do wonders at the Annual Science Fair."
"Well if anyone can pull it off, it's you and your incredible genius," Otto said.
"You flatter me," Lisa said. "I will admit however, I have been slacking on this device, as recently, I developed another goal, one that is sure to shape my future as a scientist."
"Really? And what would that be?" Otto asked.
"I am going to capture Spider-Man," Lisa confirmed.
Otto stood there in disbelief, the man slowly removing his glasses in curiosity. "Come again?"
"I wish to capture Spider-Man," Lisa said. "As of late, I've been creating traps to place around Royal Woods, and in time, that spider will be under my grasp. Soon I will achieve my greatest goal. A chance to study that arachnid mystery."
"Pardon my doubt for your plan Lisa, but is that a wise move?" Otto asked. "Spider-Man is a very beloved hero. Why would you want to capture him?"
"It's nothing personal," Lisa said. "But his existence is a big scientific mystery. I do not wish to harm him however, I just wish to run some tests. He can leave me with a sample of his blood if need be, maybe even his hair."
"Couldn't you just ask him?" Otto said.
"If it were that simple, I would have done so," Lisa said. "Besides, the last time I was near Spider-Man, he looked at me funny. I get the feeling he doesn't trust me. What superhero doesn't trust a six-year-old girl?"
"You want to experiment on him though," Otto said.
"Yeah, but he doesn't know that," Lisa said. "The way he reacts, it's like he's heard of me."
"You're the youngest genius in Royal Woods," Otto said. "A child prodigy like I've never seen. I did not come to be known as a prodigy until I was a bit older than you, and I still was not as appreciated. You were a prodigy at age four."
"Technically younger," Lisa said. "Even as an infant I was solving quadratic formulas. My intelligence is so advanced, a few of my school chums have made jokes saying it was a mutant ability of mine."
"Oh, is it not then?" Otto asked.
"Well, I don't think it is, I never ran tests on myself," Lisa said. "I do not believe that I have the X-Gene, I feel like my parents would have found out first."
"Were all of you tested for it?" Otto asked.
"I...wait," Lisa rubbed her chin. "Come to think of it, I don't think we were. Perhaps I should look into that? Then again, this world is cruel to mutants sometimes, I do not know if it would be the best idea to even test it out."
"Oh I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad," Otto said.
"I would rather not take the chance," Lisa said. "Be that as it may, my intelligence is still something I worked hard to obtain, I will not dismiss it as a simple mutation on my end."
"That is quite understandable," Otto said. "No scientist wants to diminish hard work in such a way."
"To your earlier point though," Lisa continued. "Even if I am known as the child prodigy of Royal Woods, I still find it strange that Spider-Man was so distrusting of me. Would he expect a child my age to be of any inconvenience to him?"
"That I cannot explain," Otto said.
"Well, time will tell," Lisa said as she pulled out a monitor. "I had just placed my traps all around Royal Woods. Getting these in place was difficult."
"Traversing a city like this may be a lot for a young girl like you," Otto said.
"That was not my plight," Lisa said. "My drones placed the traps, I merely hacked the cameras. But City Hall may not be too keen on me doing such a thing, they've taken issue with my methods before. Especially Mayor Davis."
"Perhaps it wouldn't be wise to do this then," Otto said.
"You worry too much," Lisa said. "This will be our little secret, is that understood Otto?"
"Far be it from me to sell out a fellow scientist," Otto said.
"Smart man," Lisa replied as she checked her cameras. "Arachnids such as spiders are adept at catching prey, but let's see what happens when the proverbial shoe is on the other foot."
Across the city, Lincoln was swinging through town, keeping an eye on everyone and everything.
"Good thing some days are slower compared to others," Lincoln said to himself. "Guess the supervillain adrenaline wore off once actual dangerous villains showed up."
Christina flew overhead as well, keeping a sharp eye on the town below. "Nothing major...ugh, aside from Chandler being a show off as usual."
Down below, Chandler was seen streaming with some friends of his, "This is your boy Chandler, and we're out Spider Watching. In moments, the Amazing Spider-Man will be swinging by, and I will be the first to get it on film! With luck, we can even get him for a good old fashioned interview!"
"What a loser," Christina lamented as she kept flying.
Lincoln kept swinging around the city, taking a moment to land on top of a perch and overlooked a chunk of the town. "Still quiet...wait..."
Lincoln swung over to a nearby parking lot and spotted someone trying to hotwire a car.
"Something tells me that ain't your car, pal," Lincoln said. As he landed on a house nearby, he unknowingly landed on an invisible laser line. Suddenly two mounted guns emerged from opposite sides and aimed at the boy. His Spider Sense went off and he lept above the firing goo. "What in the!?"
The perp noticed Spider-Man and immediately ran off, leaving Lincoln a bit worried.
"Get back here!" Lincoln swung after the guy. Thinking fast, the guy ducked into some alleyways to give Lincoln the runaround. The boy was quick to call his sidekick. "Firestar! I found a carjacker escaping on foot!"
"Wait, if he's a carjacker, wouldn't he escape in a car?" Christina asked.
"I caught him before he could steal the car!" Lincoln explained. "Point is he's escaping and...WHOA!"
A net nearly caught Lincoln but he propelled over it and kept swinging.
"Spider-Man, what just happened!?" Christina asked.
"I nearly got caught by a net!" Lincoln said as he swung back onto the streets. "And just earlier, some guns fired gooey pellets at me!"
"That's weird, it sounds like someone's trying to trap you," Christina said.
"What for though!?" Lincoln asked. "Why is someone trying to trap me!?"
"Uh, no offense Spidey, but that's kind of a dumb question," Christina said.
"Uh...yeah, I guess it was," Lincoln sheepishly admitted as he looked around. "Not the point, we gotta find that crook!"
"I'll fly over to where you are and..." Christina passed by something that set off a stun grenade, which disoriented her. "GAH!"
"Firestar!?" Lincoln landed on a roof, which immediately showed off another gun that fired a dart. He barely caught it, but this caused him to grow concerned. "Who's setting these traps anyway!? This feels like someone's trying to capture a wild..." Lincoln's eyes widened in worry, "Oh no...don't tell me Kraven's back."
"Lincoln!" Stella called. "What's going on out there!?"
"I have no idea," Lincoln said. "I keep getting ambushed by a bunch of stupid traps! I'm worried that this is Kraven's doing."
"Kraven? But he should be in jail," Stella said as she searched through the web. "There's nothing reporting that he escaped or anything."
"He probably covered his traps," Lincoln said. "Fortunately I'm able to counter these traps but it's starting to become really inconvenient for me."
"Don't worry, there might be a way to figure this out," Stella said. "Just try to stay clear of the traps."
"Easier said than done," Lincoln said as he traversed the rooftops. "It feels like a trap can launch from anywhere like-" Lincoln stepped on something, immediately triggering his Spider-Sense as he backflipped off of a catapult. "Huh!? How was that supposed to trap me!? What was it going to do? Send me flying into a giant jar!?"
At the University while Lisa observed, the girl wrote something down, "Note to self, find alternative use for giant jar."
Back with Lincoln, he carefully looked around for traps, hoping not to trigger any more of them.
"This is ridiculous, if I'm not careful, I'm going to get myself into a really bad situation, or worse, Christina might..." Lincoln's eyes widened. "Crap! Christina!"
Near where she was the girl had stumbled into a cage, locking her inside, "Huh? What's going on?"
From her lab, Lisa looked quite disappointed. "Not the hero I wanted, but perhaps I can get a sample from her. Once I catch Spider-Man, I'll pick both up."
"How would you go about it?" Otto asked.
"My drones could fly in and assist them both toward my location," Lisa explained.
"Ah yes, your drones," Otto said. "Speaking of which, have you considered creating replicas of Iron Man's armor?"
Lisa sheepishly rubbed her head as she confessed something she was not keen on confessing, "As much as I hate to admit it, my intellect is not on par with that of Tony Stark. His intelligence far exceeds my own."
"That must be quite the humbling realization," Otto said.
"It is a bitter pill to swallow," Lisa said. "But I do have the utmost respect for his genius. Perhaps one day I can achieve what he is capable of. Until then, I shall make due with what I have."
Back in Royal Woods, Lincoln had swung around, using Stella's help to find Christina via her phone that had a GPS which Stella followed.
"Turn right," Stella ordered.
Lincoln swung and landed on the roof where his sidekick was, "Christina!?"
"Over here!" Christina called from within the cage. "Hey, can you get me out?"
"Sure I..." Lincoln waited a second. "Wait, I gotta make sure there aren't any traps."
He stepped carefully, taking a quick look around each time. He also kept his web shooters aimed so he could web up anything that might cause trouble.
"So far, so good," Lincoln said as he carefully stepped again.
"You look so goofy," Christina teased, much to Lincoln's annoyance.
"Don't make me leave you behind!" Lincoln warned.
Christina giggled at Lincoln's response, "Sorry, I don't mean to tease."
Lincoln grabbed the cage, then felt himself get electrocuted. "Yeouch!"
"Is the cage a booby trap too?" Christina asked.
"Feels like it," Lincoln said. "Hey, can you melt the bars or something?"
"I think so, stand back," Christina focused her power and blasted the bars, though nothing happened. "That's weird."
"Keep trying," Lincoln said. Christina obliged and continued blasting the cage while Lincoln thought over the situation. "This cage has quite the electric shock, almost like whoever designed it really did not want me escaping. Wait, touching it with my hands might be bad, but my webs..."
Lincoln took a step back and used his webbing to pull at the cage, "Brace yourself!" With Christina preparing herself for anything, Lincoln hit a mighty tug on the cage and pulled the bars clean off.
"It worked!" Christina said.
Lisa grumbled in annoyance, "Drat, I did not take his webbing into account. I don't even know what the stuff is made of, so it's difficult to plan for that."
Back with Lincoln, he took Christina's hand and helped Christina out of the cage, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, don't worry," Christina said. She noticed that Lincoln was holding her hand, causing her to blush. "Thanks for coming back for me. Did you find that thief?"
Lincoln remembered that he was chasing after a carjacker, the boy now grumbling in annoyance, "Dammit! I forgot about him! These stupid traps got me distracted and he probably escaped."
"Who set these traps?" Christina asked.
"I don't know, right now my main guess is that Kraven the Hunter had something to do with this," Lincoln said.
"Sounds like he wants revenge," Christina said. "Well regardless, we'll try to be ready for next time. Right now I suggest we try to find that thief, maybe it's not too late."
"Worth a shot, come on," Lincoln said as he swung off with Christina.
Back with Lisa, the girl had irritably gotten off her chair, "Of all the bad luck. Perhaps next time."
"Lisa, perhaps this is a sign to quit," Otto suggested.
"Pfft, I don't know the meaning of the word quit," Lisa said. "Well, I do, but I am speaking metaphorically."
"I figured," Otto said. "Still, are you sure you want to continue this?"
"Of course, one thing you need to know when it comes to my family, is that we Louds are a stubborn bunch," Lisa said as she walked off. "And I am no exception."
"Very well then..." Otto glanced back at the monitors, observing Lincoln and his traveling. "Such an interesting boy." He turned his attention to the mechanical limbs. "Well, while I have the time, perhaps I can work on this myself. See how far Lisa has come."
A few hours later, back in the base, Lincoln and Christina had returned, neither in the best mood at the moment.
"Welcome back," Stella said. "Patrol certainly was interesting today."
"Interesting is not the word I would use, more like frustrating," Lincoln said. "Those stupid traps let the perp get away! I was so close to catching him too!"
"He'll probably turn up again," Christina said.
"Yeah, but what if this time he actually does something?" Lincoln asked. "Because of this scare, he's going to be more cautious."
"It's not all bad, you did at least let a cop know what he looked like," Christina said.
"Even so, I should have been able to catch him," Lincoln said. "He might commit worse crimes too!"
"Easy Lincoln, don't stress over the what-ifs," Stella said. "What happened today was beyond your control, the best thing you can do is just trust the police to handle this. Everything will be fine, just have a little faith."
"Right, of course," Lincoln said, the boy still looking a bit fidgety. "Still, it might be better if I get home, and fast."
Without much warning, Lincoln began to disrobe, taking the girls by surprise as they turned away.
"Hey, a little warning next time," Stella said.
"Sorry, I just need to hurry," Lincoln said as he grabbed his pants and started putting them on.
Christina couldn't help but peek a little, catching a glimpse of Lincoln's toned muscles, "I shouldn't look but, wow..."
At this point, Christina decided to disrobe as well as Stella placed her clothes nearby.
Lincoln had fully dressed himself, and stuffed his suit into his backpack before putting it on. "I'll see you girls later."
"Take care, Lincoln," Stella said as the boy left. She turned to Christina, who was back in her dress. "I get the feeling he's really worried."
"Yeah, last time we changed in the same room, he was so awkward and tense," Christina said. "This time, he was on a mission."
"There's definitely something bothering him. If there's one thing Lincoln hates, is letting someone get away," Stella said. "It stays on his mind and it distracts him."
"Hey I worry about that stuff too," Christina said. "Like, I'm afraid of not being fast enough to get to a dangerous situation where someone needs a hero."
"Sounds like a real burden. I wonder if The Avengers go through that?" Stella wondered, then recalled one in particular. "Especially Natasha. Gee, I wonder how she's doing?"
"She should be fine, she's a trained professional," Christina said.
"I know, but I still worry," Stella said. "I hope she contacts me soon, I kind of miss having her around. Honestly, I hope she hasn't forgotten about us."
"I doubt it, she spent weeks in Royal Woods and helped us in a huge battle against The Green Goblin," Christina said. "She won't forget about us that easily."
"Yeah, you're right," Stella said. "Well, we should head home as well."
"I'll walk you, it's safer that way," Christina said.
"Aw, thanks, I really appreciate that," Stella said as she left with Christina.
Lincoln eventually arrived at home, the boy quickly making his way inside. "I'm home!"
"Hi Linky!" Lola greeted. The girl was currently in the living room with Lana and Lucy, each of them watching TV.
"Hey, is everyone home?" Lincoln asked.
"Lori and Leni are still at dad's restaurant," Lucy confirmed. "Everyone else is here."
"Okay, that's good," Lincoln said, the boy feeling a little relieved. "Any update on dad?"
"He'll be home tomorrow, that's all we know," Lana said. "But he's going to be bedridden. So that means waiting on him."
"I don't mind, but I really hope he doesn't get carried away," Lola said. "You know how dramatic daddy could be."
"You're one to talk," Lana said, earning a glare from her twin. "Also, Lisa's not home yet either."
"Wait, why isn't she home?" Lincoln asked.
"She's at the University, working on some weird experiment," Lana explained.
"She should be back soon," Lola said.
"How soon?" Lincoln asked, then heard the door open.
"We're home!" Rita called as she walked in with Lisa.
"Oh good, you're back," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, sorry we're a little late, I had to stop and get some groceries along the way," Rita said.
"Don't expect a luxurious meal tonight, instead we're eating TV Dinners," Lisa said.
"Better than nothing," Lana said.
"Yeah, at least we're eating," Lincoln said. "But why TV Dinners? We have leftovers. Didn't seem worth it to go to the grocery store."
"I needed some milk and eggs, along with some stuff for your father's restaurant," Rita said. "The TV Dinners were just a bonus."
"Still, it might be better to do this during the day, where there's more light out," Lincoln said. "Or call for delivery, even safer."
"Safer? Lincoln, we just went to a grocery store," Lisa said. "The odds of anything dangerous happening there are nothing to consider."
"Better safe than sorry," Lincoln said.
Rita had a feeling that something was bothering her son, so she knelt down to speak to him. "Lincoln, I know you're still upset about what happened to your father. It hasn't been easy for this family. But you can't let that worry cloud your judgment, okay?"
"I know, but Royal Woods has gotten so dangerous lately," Lincoln said.
"It has, but that's when we need to be our strongest," Rita said. "If we let fear of the unknown take over, it will keep us from truly living. I can handle myself, and if things get bad, well we know at least two superheroes who will be there to answer the call."
Lincoln grew even more worried, knowing that this was his responsibility regardless. His mother couldn't know though, the only one who really understood his fear was Lana. But he did his best to put on a brave face. "Okay mom."
"I will admit, it's sweet to see how much you care," Rita rubbed her son's head. "You take good care of your sisters."
"Well with daddy not here, Linky is Man of the House," Lola said. "And he always does a good job of taking care of us."
"I'm happy to hear," Rita said as she stood back up. "I should take these groceries into the kitchen. Dinner will be made once Lori and Leni get home."
"I will be going upstairs, I have work to do," Lisa said as she also left.
"I should go and finish up whatever schoolwork I still have left," Lincoln said as he also left.
"Everyone's so busy," Lola commented.
"...I should check on Lincoln," Lana said, also going upstairs.
"Fine, that means I get the Living Room to myself," Lola said.
"I'm still here," Lucy reminded.
"Oh right," Lola said.
Upstairs Lincoln threw his backpack aside. He checked his phone and saw that he got some text messages.
"My friends tried to contact me?" Lincoln read through each message.
Liam: Howdy Lincoln, hope your pa is doing great. If you need help at the restaurant, just let me know. Meemaw is quite the pro in the kitchen. She'll be there in a snap if you need her.
"I'll have to consider that," Lincoln said as he kept reading.
Rusty: Yo Lincoln! That event was wild. I've been worried about you in school today, you were not very talkative. I know things are tough but don't let it get to you bro. Things will be fine. That's a Rusty Spokes guarantee.
"Guess Stella was right about everyone being worried," Lincoln said, recalling his school day. "I do admire Rusty's optimism."
Mollie: Hey Lincoln, I know the last few days have been a drag for you. Remember, don't shut anyone out. If you need help, just ask. You're there for us after all, especially me when it came to Jordan. Let me return the favor.
"Jordan, just the reminder I needed," Lincoln said as he continued to miss his old girlfriend.
Paige: Hey Lincoln, Christina and I were just talking. We know things are tough with your dad and all. Remember, we got your back. If you need a break from the drama, let me know. I'll treat you to a day at the Arcade. I'd love to play a few rounds of Air Hockey with you.
"I wonder how Paige feels about Christina being a hero? I almost never hear her opinion," Lincoln said. "I hope she's not hiding her worries too. I should probably take her up on the arcade offer."
Clyde: Sorry about your dad btw.
"Uh...wow, I kind of expected more from Clyde," Lincoln said. "I hope he's not still mad. Eh, it's Clyde, he's not always good with this stuff. I gotta talk things out with him, but this hero schedule is a pain in the butt."
Bobby: Hey Little Bro, it's me, Bobby. But you obviously already have my number. I just want to remind you that if things ever get bad, you still have me and my family to back you up. My grandma even said she's willing to take time off as a landlady and work at your dad's restaurant for a bit. I'm not sure if she actually can, but if worse comes to worse, my grandpa can cover for her. Mr. Chang's great in the kitchen too. Still, we got your back, buddy.
"Wow, long one, but I shouldn't be surprised, Bobby is practically family at this point," Lincoln said, then thought back to what Ronnie Anne said. "I think he's going through the same troubles regarding his Great Grandmother. I hope they work it out."
Sam: Linc, my main man! Working at your dad's restaurant was rough, but worth it. Hope your pops recovers soon, mainly for your sake, and Luna's. And the rest of your family too of course. I'm always down to help in any way I can. Benny said so too, and we both wish your dad a speedy recovery.
"Sam's so cool," Lincoln said, then spotted a message he didn't quite expect. "No way!"
Emma: Hey Lincoln, it's me, Emma. I don't know if I'm still in your contacts, I never removed you from mine though. It's fine if you don't want to talk to me, but I really do hope things are well with your father. If you do want to talk, I'm here. It's fair to warn you that I'm not ready to get back together, so I won't lead you on. Despite that, I still want to be your friend."
Lincoln felt some lingering heartache, but it wasn't as strong as it used to be, "I gotta talk things out with Emma. Even if we're not dating, she's cool to be around. I wonder if...huh?" One more text took the boy by surprise. "Whoa..."
Chloe: Hi Lincoln, sorry I didn't really get to talk to you much lately, especially in school today. Seeing what happened to your father was horrifying. I heard he's recovering though, so that's good. Still, I'm here if you need support. Maybe you can find time to come by my place, we can just hang out for a bit. I will understand if you don't want to, especially given certain troubles recently, but the offer is there regardless.
"Chloe really poured her heart out," Lincoln said. He began thinking about his best friend, and the struggles he was facing. "I gotta fix things with Clyde somehow. Between the stuff with Chloe and my thing with Spider-Man, I feel like he's becoming distant." Lincoln rubbed his head in worry. "I really want to tell him that I'm Spider-Man, but I don't want to overwhelm him with that worry. Then again, given that Stella, Christina, Lana, Ronnie Anne and Sid all know, I feel like I should let him in on this. It's only fair."
As Lincoln thought things over, he heard a light knock on his door.
"Come in," Lincoln said. He turned around and saw that it was the only sister who knew his secret, "Lana?"
"Hey bro, I came up to check on you, though it sounded like you were having a bit of a crisis," Lana said. "I hope you're calmer now."
"Crisis is too strong of a word, but I'm fine," Lincoln said.
Lana went inside the room, keeping the door closed to ensure a bit of extra privacy, "You seemed stressed earlier, is it about dad?"
"A little, I still hate that I let him get hurt," Lincoln admitted.
"You didn't let anything happen, it just did," Lana said. "At least you saved Lynn. We both know that dad would rather get hurt himself than see any of us get hurt."
"I won't argue that," Lincoln said. "That's not the only thing that bugged me today though."
"Why? What happened?" Lana asked.
"Today, I tried catching a car thief, but he managed to get away," Lincoln said. "Mainly because someone placed traps all around the city, but it still bugged me that he got away."
"Someone placed traps?" Lana asked. "Who?"
"I'm not sure, my main suspect on that is Kraven," Lincoln said. "I don't have a lot of proof though. I will say, this person used some highly advanced tech. Kraven seems more old fashioned, so whoever this mystery person is, he, or she, has a thing for science."
"Didn't you run into a gang that sold high tech weapons?" Lana asked.
"You mean The Enforcers? They're in jail," Lincoln said.
"So's Kraven, but he might be a suspect," Lana said. "Also, what if they're working for someone? Didn't La Tigressa have help to become powerful?"
"...Good point," Lincoln said. "Someone's definitely out to get me."
"For all you know, it could be The Green Goblin," Lana said.
"Right...he got away too," Lincoln lamented.
"Also, don't worry about that car thief," Lana said. "Maybe the cops will catch him. Did you tell them about him?"
"I did, but I hate letting perps escape," Lincoln said. "One time when I ignored danger, you and Lily ended up getting kidnapped."
"Yeah, then you came to save us," Lana said. "In fact, by doing that, you managed to save other kids too. So something good came out of it."
"But Bill Buck ended up dying," Lincoln sadly recalled. "I just should have done better."
"Lincoln, it's fine," Lana said before embracing Lincoln with a hug. "You always do your best, if it wasn't for you, so many people would be hurt, or probably dead. You've saved lives, never forget that."
This put Lincoln a little bit at ease as he rubbed Lana's head, "I'll try not to."
"Good," Lana pulled away as she continued to glance up at Lincoln. "By the way, Adelaide was worried about you. She asked me to tell you that if you need a hug, she'll be on the first train back to Royal Woods."
"I appreciate that," Lincoln said.
"Cricket and Meli were worried about you too, according to Lola at least," Lana said. "Seems like you're popular among the friends that Lola and I have."
"Yeah, it seems like it," Lincoln said. "Not sure what to say about that."
"Well, consider yourself lucky," Lana said. "You really know how to get a girl's attention."
"Seems like it," Lincoln said. "Still, I gotta figure out those traps. Oh, and I gotta check in with Ronnie Anne and Sid."
"Sweet? Mind if I stick around?" Lana asked.
"That's good with me," Lincoln said as he opened his laptop. "Alright, let's see what we've got here."
Meanwhile at his lab, Otto was still experimenting with the metal limbs, making some progress on Lisa's behalf. "This is working out wonderfully. It just needs an extra kick." While he worked, his phone rang. He was quick to answer. "Hello?"
"Otto, it's Lisa," the girl said as she worked on some notes from her end.
"Ah Lisa, perfect timing," Otto said. "I think I'm close to figuring out how these limbs work. Soon I believe they will not only be ready for the Science Fair, but make quite an impact."
"That's great, I look forward to that, and perhaps you'd like to be the first to use them," Lisa said.
"Use them?" Otto asked.
"Yes, put them on and demonstrate its prowess," Lisa said. "That is what they were designed for."
"Uh..." Otto thought this over, with a terrible reminder running through his head as he placed the phone down for a second. "Doesn't she regularly experiment on her siblings? I do not know if I want to be a potential guinea pig. Still..."
"Otto?" Lisa asked. "Are you there?"
"I am..." Otto said. "Listen, this sounds like a great idea, but I don't know if this will work. I need a bit more time to tinker on them."
"Nonsense, the best way to test them out is through field study," Lisa said. "There is no field in this particular situation, but you know what I mean."
Much as Otto didn't want to, eventually he gave in to Lisa's request. "Very well, I will put on a video feed and try the arms out."
"Much appreciated," Lisa said as she readied her laptop.
Otto sent the feed, to Lisa, connecting her within seconds, "Is your video clear?"
"Yes," Lisa said. "Go ahead and show me the fruits of our labor."
Reluctant as he was, Otto didn't have it in him to deny this. He placed the limbs on his person as they slowly but surely began to connect to him. It was a strange feeling for him as radio waves rushed through his spine and into his mind.
Lisa just sat and observed, curious by the development, and hoping for something amazing to happen.
With the limbs attached, Otto began trying to move the arms. "Come on...move..."
The limbs did start twitching a bit, causing a bit of excitement for Lisa as she was on the edge of her seat. "Come on...so close..."
As Otto continued trying to move the limbs, a spark went off. This concerned him as more sparks started popping on the machine, causing some frequent shocks to Otto's nerve system.
"Otto?" Lisa asked.
Bad as the situation seemed, Otto was determined to try and move the arms, but he was unable to mentally link with the arms, causing them to spiral.
"No!" Otto struggled to gain control, though with his arms frantically maneuvering out of control, he accidentally whacked a nearby device, causing a minor explosion that knocked him back.
"Otto!" Lisa shouted in worry. Suddenly the feed disconnected, causing some dread and anxiety within Lisa. "Oh no..." She quickly grabbed the phone and dialed the emergency number, "I need an ambulance to Royal Woods University! Stat!"
At the University, Otto was seen unconscious on the ground, hardly moving an inch. The only things active were the limbs, that slowly but surely continued to further attach to Otto, and become one with him.
Lisa's experiment was either a massive failure, or an unexpected success.