In another part of town, Lincoln had just delivered his first meal after switching out of his costume.
"Thank you, young man," the lady said as she paid Lincoln and even gave him a tip.
"It's no trouble, thank you for ordering from Lynn's Table. Have a nice day," Lincoln said as he turned around. He quickly counted the tip money. "Three dollars, not bad." He checked the food, "Alright, I should get this to Flip before he flips out." The boy began chuckling to himself, "Wow, that's almost as cheesy as one of Luan's quips."
The boy quickly switched back into his Spider-Man gear and swung off, with a lot still on his mind.
"Still no sign of whoever set those traps, I hope they're not going to be trouble for Christina," Lincoln said. Suddenly he started thinking hard about the girl, causing a minor blush to appear on his face. "I should check in on her later."
Meanwhile Christina was seen flying as fast as she could to Royal Woods University while speaking with Stella on the phone. "So, run that by me again. The place you're at is being attacked by a guy with metal arms?"
"Yes, he's got four of them," Stella said as Otto whacked away every security guard that came after him. "He's really doing some damage here." She looked over to the youngest Loud Sibling. "Also, Lisa seems really freaked out about this."
"Lisa?" Christina asked. "That name sounds familiar."
"She's one of Lincoln's sisters," Stella said. "The one with the glasses who loves science."
"Oh right, I remember her," Christina said. "Why is she freaked out?"
"I think she knows this guy, just get here soon," Stella said. "I'll call Lincoln and-"
"Wait, don't call him yet," Christina said. "He's helping his family out right now, isn't he? If I can handle this alone, that's one less burden for him. Plus I can't always rely on Lincoln, I gotta prove that I can protect this city too."
"Alright, just hurry over," Stella said.
"You got it," Christina said as she hung up. "Time to save the day."
As Lisa cowered under a desk, she heard her name being called, "Lisa."
"Stella?" Lisa turned her attention to the taller girl.
"Lisa, what's going on?" Stella asked.
"You remember that friend I mentioned? The one with the metal limbs?" Lisa asked. She gestured in Otto's direction, "That's him."
"That's your friend!?" Stella asked in disbelief. "But why is he terrorizing everyone here?"
"I'm not sure, this is very unlike Otto," Lisa said. "He's usually so calm, in fact he almost never speaks up, let alone shouts from across the room. He's also quite the pacifist."
A guard was thrown overhead, freaking Stella out momentarily, "I'm pretty sure a pacifist wouldn't do what Otto's doing right now!"
"Yes, I'll admit that this is quite a troubling situation," Lisa said.
"Lisa Loud!" Otto shouted. "Where are you!?"
"He sounds quite mad," Lisa said.
"Yeah, I don't like this," Stella said. "Maybe I can sneak you out of here."
"Lisa Loud!" Otto whacked some bystanders out of the way, "The longer you hide, the more people get hurt! Or does that mean nothing to a sociopath like yourself!?"
"That's crossing the line a bit," Stella said.
"...I should go and face him," Lisa said.
Just as she stood up to leave, Stella grabbed her by the arm. "Are you nuts!? What if he hurts you!?"
"He's clearly after me, and if I leave, more people will get hurt," Lisa said.
"It's too dangerous," Stella insisted. "I wouldn't know what to tell Lincoln if you got hurt. Worst yet, what if your sisters found out?"
"You're not obligated to watch over me, just don't tell my family that we spoke," Lisa said, then heard more crashes nearby. "I appreciate your worry, but I have to do this."
"But...what about Spider-Man? Or Firestar?" Stella asked. "I bet one of them on the way over and-"
"Stella!" Lisa pulled her arm away, "I can handle it."
"Lisa, wait...don't," Stella said as the young scientist went to make her presence known.
"Otto!" Lisa called, getting the man's attention.
"Ah, Lisa Loud, there you are," Otto said as he sinisterly walked over while holding some civilians. "I've been looking all over for you."
"Well, you found me, now do me a favor, and release those people," Lisa said.
"Still giving me orders? After what you've done to me!?" Otto aggressively flung his captives away. "Still the same as always."
"Otto, what's gotten into you? Why are you behaving like this?" Lisa asked. "This isn't the Otto I know."
"Let's just say, I've come to a few realizations," Otto said, then grabbed Lisa with one of his limbs, startling the nearby Stella. "A troublesome girl like you will do more harm for the science world than good."
"Otto, listen!" Lisa pleaded. "I know you're probably mad about your current condition, and I do dearly apologize for it."
"You really think an apology will fix this!?" Otto shouted as he held Lisa close, glaring right into the eyes of the now very frightened child. "Lisa, the fix for your sins far exceed that of a simple apology! You must suffer like I have!"
"Hey!" Stella shouted, running over to get Otto's attention. "She's just a little girl! Lay off!"
"Stella, what are you doing!?" Lisa shouted in worry.
"Aw, looks like you got yourself a little...FRIEND!" Otto grabbed Stella as well with another limp, holding the girl in mid air. "How nice."
"Otto! Don't!" Lisa pleaded. "She didn't do anything! It's me you want!"
"Don't worry, I don't have any real intention of hurting her," Otto glared at the girl. "So long as she minds her manners."
Suddenly Otto was blasted from behind, dropping both Stella and Lisa in the process. The man turned around and saw that Christina had arrived in her Firestar gear.
"That's far enough, you fiend!" Christina declared.
With Otto distracted, Stella was quick to pick Lisa up and make a quick escape with the younger girl while a showdown was about to commence.
"Firestar, what a surprise, though I suppose the superpowered child of Royal Woods would come for a nice game of pretend," Otto said.
"Pretend? You must be new pal," Christina said. "I've been doing this superhero gig for a few weeks now. I've helped Spider-Man defeat some dangerous foes."
"Most I've heard reports of was you losing somehow and Spider-Man handling most of the heavy lifting," Otto taunted. "Did you even do anything when that Rhino fellow came to town? Or Kraven? Or The Vulture?"
"Hey, The Vulture was from before I was a hero you smartass!" Christina declared. "And I don't need Spider-Man's help all the time to get things done! I can do just fine by myself!"
Christina blasted Otto with her heatwaves, the man easily blocking with his metallic limbs, spacing them apart to crack a sinister smile at the girl. "So close..."
"Huh?" Christina blasted again, and while the force did knock Otto back a little, he regained his composure and started flinging tables at the girl that she promptly destroyed.
"Why aren't her attacks doing anything!?" Stella asked in worry.
"Those metal limbs are immune to fire," Lisa explained. "So they're more than capable of enduring even Firestar's heat."
"You gotta be kidding me!" Stella said in disbelief. She turned toward her phone, contemplating calling the other hero. "We might need you for this one, Lincoln."
Christina flew over to attack again but Otto managed to whack her through a nearby window, cackling more at his destruction.
"I hope that's not all she had in her," Otto said, then spotted Christina angrily flying up. "Looks like she has a bit more fight left in her."
Christina flew in to attack some more with a few heat powered punches. Otto blocked her strikes with his limbs, then whacked her across the jaw and sent her flying again. He then grabbed some display cases and tried slamming them on the girl.
"Crap!" Christina blasted the cases, and took an opening to blast Otto across the room, skidding the mad scientist back.
"My, you have quite a bit of fight in you," Otto picked up a large podium and flung it at Christina, to which she blasted again as she got in close. However he managed to sidestep and grabbed Christina by her ankle to slam her a few times, then threw her against a wall, cracking it slightly upon impact.
"No! Ch-Firestar!" Stella shouted in worry.
Lisa looked around to see if she could spot any sort of advantage, then remembered one thing. "My own limbs! Perhaps if I..." Lisa was hesitant, fearing that if she tried out the limbs, or gave then to someone else, then the danger would be doubled.
"I hope you're done playing little girl," Otto taunted in Christina's direction. "If you give up now, I may consider ending this."
"Fat chance! Heroes don't quit!" Christina flew in to attack once again, but took a whack that knocked her aside.
"Children can be quite stubborn," Otto commented.
"...I don't have a choice!" Lisa ran toward her extra limbs, but found herself being lifted up by Otto. "Hey!"
"Not so fast, Lisa," Otto grabbed the extra limbs and crushed them with his own, terrifying Lisa.
"My work..." Lisa lamented. "That was hours of my life! Wasted!"
"Don't you talk to me about waste..." Otto warned as he pulled Lisa in close. "The fact that you have the audacity to act like you're in a poor situation shows just how much of a self-centered child you are. Remember, you're in this situation because of what YOU did! You have no one to blame but yourself."
"Otto, listen, I'm really sorry for what happened!" Lisa pleaded. "I'll do anything I can to help you! But you need to stop causing so much destruction!"
"..." Otto merely glared at Lisa, contemplating if whether or not he could even trust her.
"Please, Otto..." Lisa begged. "Let me make this up to you! I can put you back to normal!"
As Otto thought it over, one of the limbs leaned in close, seemingly whispering something to Otto. "You're right...she can't be trusted..." Otto squeezed Lisa even tighter. "She's a threat, and she must be dealt with!"
"Otto...wait!" Lisa fearfully pleaded, just as Otto looked ready to strike.
Suddenly he felt something whack him on the hindleg. He turned and saw Stella had just used a garbage can as a makeshift weapon.
"Uh...I don't think I thought this through," Stella said.
"You!" Otto grabbed the girl by her waist with his limbs. "Again, you come between me and my revenge!?"
"You're literally trying to hurt a six-year-old girl!" Stella shouted, then came face to face with one of the limbs.
"Don't push your luck," Otto warned, then took a ramming attack from Christina, once again freeing the girls.
"That guy's got issues!" Stella said.
"It's my fault," Lisa lamented, the girl almost in tears. "I did this to him!"
"Hey, don't beat yourself up," Stella said as she pat the girl on the back. "Right now, the best thing we can do is hope that Firestar beats that guy."
"She won't be able to, her powers are useless against those metal limbs," Lisa confirmed in a defeated tone.
"There's still Spider-Man at least..." Stella glanced at her phone, knowing what she must do.
Meanwhile, Lincoln had just delivered some food to Flip, the man checking everything over to ensure it looked okay.
"Hm...looks a bit messy," Flip said.
"It's not that bad," Lincoln said. "Nothing that makes it inedible."
"Still, it's not what I envisioned," Flip said, then gestured to his clock. "Also, I couldn't help but notice that you were a little late there."
"Hey, I checked the time before I left, don't even try to swindle your way into a free meal," Lincoln said. "Just pay me so I can leave!"
"Hm...how about half off?" Flip asked.
"...Twenty-five percent off, take it or leave it," Lincoln said.
"You drive a hard bargain," Flip paid Lincoln what he owed. "Oh, and here's a tip."
"A tip? Wow, that's really generous..." Lincoln saw that he offered a singular coin.
"Here you go, don't ever say that Flip was a cheap man," Flip said.
"Flip, that's not even a real coin, that's an arcade coin from Gus's Game and Grub," Lincoln pointed out.
"What? Don't you like games? Your next one is on Flip," the man said.
"This coin isn't even in good condition, it's..." Lincoln sighed in defeat. "Whatever, I'm out of here."
"Oh, before you leave, how's about a Flippie?" Flip asked. "I'm running a sale. Buy one, get the other one at ten percent more."
"No one's dumb enough to fall for that!" Lincoln said as he left.
Not too long later, Flat Tire and Poppa Wheelie came into the shop and immediately noticed the sigh.
"A Flippie Sale!" Poppa Wheelie said.
"Let's get ten!" Flat Tire said.
"Heh, and they say modern business practices are down in the dumps," Flip said.
Once outside, Lincoln checked his phone, Lincoln switched back into his suit and began swinging off. "Alright, I should head back to the restaurant and see if..." Suddenly his phone rang, to which he answered. "Yeah?"
"Lincoln, it's Stella!" the girl introduced. "No time to talk, just listen. There's trouble in the Royal Woods University and-AH!"
"Stella!?" Lincoln listened to hear what was happening, unaware that Stella was dragged away.
"Trying to call for help? It's futile," he heard Otto's voice said.
"Put her down!" Christina was heard saying as more of a scuffle was heard just as the dial tone was heard.
"Stella!? Crap, that doesn't sound good," Lincoln stopped on top of a roof as he thought things over. "The Royal Woods University, does that mean...?" Lincoln's eyes widened in worry when he remembered one important detail. "LISA!"
Lincoln quickly swung away, hoping to reunite with his sister and protect her from danger.
Meanwhile, the duo of Luna and Luan were on their way to the University, joined by their significant others of Sam and Benny.
"There it is, you ready to surprise Lisa?" Luna asked.
"Will it be much of a surprise?" Luan asked. "She's not one to get easily excited. She barely even likes surprise parties."
"You know what I mean," Luna said. "With Lincoln and most of the sisters helping either pops or with the restaurant, it'd be good if Lisa had at least some family here to keep her company. She'll definitely appreciate that."
"Plus I want to see all the cool science stuff they have," Sam said. "Imagine a machine that could play several instruments at once! It'd be a one-machine band! One that can be programed to play any song too! How's that for a revolutionary idea?"
"If that happens, wouldn't that mean there's more of a chance for robots to replace actual human musicians?" Benny asked.
Sam's excitement deflated as a sour look replaced her cheerful demeanor, "You suck, Benny."
"Huh? How do I suck, I'm just saying what would happen!" Benny insisted. "Given that machines can mimic voices, what's to stop it from using AI to replace musicians!?"
"He's got a point," Luna said. "Let's try to keep all science away from music."
"But, you need electricity for your amps," Benny said. "So you need some science to-"
"Benny, am I going to have to stuff you in a locker?" Sam asked.
"Seriously Benny, this talk of robots taking over doesn't settle well for me," Luan said. "They can just as easily take away comedy and theater."
"Robots aren't going to do that," Luna said. "They can't match the soul of an artist."
"I hope you're right," Benny said.
"Hey, it's all good Benny," Luna said as the group walked toward the door. "I promise you, machines are not here to take over our everyday lives."
As soon as they walked inside, they spotted Otto fending off attacks from Christina, just as the man whacked her away with his limb. He then slowly turned his attention to the new entries. "Ah, more guests."
"What the fuck am I seeing?" Sam asked in disbelief.
Suddenly all four of them were grabbed by Otto and hoisted into the air while struggling to escape. "Looks like we have new guests."
"What's the big idea, dude!?" Luna shouted in annoyance.
"Otto! Don't!" Lisa called. "Those are my sisters and their significant others!"
"Yes, I do believe I recognize them from an old picture you've shown me," Otto said as he focused on the two sisters in question. "How nice of you to come see Lisa, just in time for me to extract my revenge upon her."
"Revenge!?" Luna asked. "Lisa, what's this guy talking about!?"
"And why does he have Octopus arms!?" Luan asked.
"He's my old lab assistant," Lisa said. "An accident turned him into this!"
"An accident you caused, mind you," Otto said.
"Look pal, I'm sorry for whatever Lisa did, but it sounds like you want revenge on a little girl," Luna said. "That is so uncool."
"Be quiet!" Otto aggressively threw Luna through a nearby table.
"Hey, that's my girlfriend you jerk!" Sam shouted.
"Very well, you can join her!" Otto said as he aggressively threw Sam in Luna's direction, crashing the girl into her lover.
"This is out of control!" Benny said as he struggled to escape. "Why are there so many villains in Royal Woods lately!?"
"Yeah, it's becoming a royal pain," Luan said, nervously laughing afterwards. "Somehow I'm just not feeling it."
"Lisa did say your jokes were terrible," Otto said as he aggressively tossed Luan aside through another table. "Though I will admit, that one was clever."
"Hey pal! I don't care how strong you are!" Benny shouted. "No one does that to my girl-"
"Save it," Otto aggressively threw Benny in Luan's direction. He then focused on the front door. "Funny how kids just casually stroll in on a situation like this, young minds are too distracted these days."
"He might have a point," Benny slowly started to stand. "We probably should have noticed the broken windows."
"Now then..." Otto turned to face Lisa again, but took a kick from Christina, which further irritated the man. "You are quite the little nuisance, aren't you?"
"I'm not letting you hurt anyone else, you're going down!" Firestar blasted Otto again, to which he blocked with his tentacles. "Time to flank him!"
She immediately flew to his side, hoping to catch him off guard. but Otto was quick enough to whack her with his limb, sending her flying once again and crashing against a wall.
"I do believe I have dragged this out long enough," Otto said as he walked over to Christina as he readied his limbs to impale her. "Forgive me, I normally wouldn't want to hurt a child, but I can't let anyone get in my way."
"You're literally trying to take revenge against a child!" Sam called.
"Good point..." Otto glared at Christina. "And so ends you."
"Wait, don't!" Stella cried out in worry as Otto went for his strike.
Suddenly she was gone from his sights as his limb went only through the wall. "That's odd." He looked to the side and saw that another arrival had just shown up, the man smirking at the sight before him. "Well, what do we have here?"
Standing not too far away was Lincoln in his Spider-Man suit, holding Christina in his arms. Slowly the girl regained composure and looked up at her rescuer.
"Hey, are you okay Firestar?" Lincoln asked.
"Huh?" Christina then realized she was in Lincoln's arms, a large blush appearing on her face. "Uh..."
"Well now, who do we have here?" Otto taunted. "Looks like we have ourselves a very special guest."
"I'll go deal with this," Lincoln said as he gently set Christina down. "You stay here and rest, alright?"
Slowly but surely, Christina nodded in agreement, "Yeah, sure." As Lincoln left to fight, the blush on her face only became deeper in color. "He's so muscular."
"Well now, if it isn't Spider-Man?" Otto greeted. "I've heard so much about you."
"Wow, I'm flattered, Doc. Though you do seem familiar yourself. Did you break any world records for most mad scientist clichés and bad hair decisions?" Lincoln joked a bit.
"Cute, but to answer your question, I am Otto Octavius," the man introduced. "Scientist extraordinaire!"
"Wait, this is the guy Lisa was working with..." Lincoln mentally realized before speaking aloud. "Why are you here? What do you want from the citizens in town?"
"Oh I don't want them, I just want my revenge," Otto used his metal limb to point to Lisa. "Against her!"
"Lisa!?" Lincoln angrily clenched his fist as he glared hard at Otto. "She's a child! What revenge could you want against her!?"
"Don't be fooled by her appearance, she is a cunning and maniacal scientific genius who uses her smarts to torment those around her," Otto said.
"Hey, don't say things like that about Lisa!" Stella said as she knelt beside the girl. "She's a really nice girl, you just have some petty grudge against her!"
"If only you knew, this 'nice girl' as you call her did THIS to me!" Otto shouted as he gestured to his limbs. "No matter, it's working to my advantage. I have never felt such power! I can do anything!" He held his hand out to everyone, "If I so desired, I could have the power of the sun, in the palm of my hand."
"Wow...talk about dramatic," Lincoln said. "I guess you wouldn't be a supervillain if you didn't ham things up. Still, I'm not letting you harm that girl. I don't know what exactly she did, but I doubt she intentionally turned you into this."
"Lisa..." Otto turned to the girl. "Do me a favor, and explain to this nice young hero what a demon of a child you are?"
Lincoln immediately dashed in and punched Otto hard across his jaw, sending the man crashing through a column, with his limbs shielding most of the impact.
"Dang Spidey!" Luna said in disbelief.
Lincoln huffed in anger at the man for what he had said before taking a moment to calm himself, "I gotta dial it back. Can't let myself get too emotional..."
Otto pulled himself up, feeling a massive sting from the punch as he rubbed his jaw. Not too long later, he spit some blood out as he glared at the hero. "You know, it's quite rude to interrupt someone when that someone's asks a question."
"Oh, you know what? You're right! How uncivilized of me to hit a psychopath in the kisser for attacking a helpless and innocent little girl!" Lincoln said while hamming up the sarcasm. "Gee, where are my manners!?"
"Helpless!?" Otto shouted as he extended his limbs. "I must emphasize that she did THIS to me! She treats all she knows as science experiments! Just ask her family!"
"Hey it's not like she means any harm, she loves u...them!" Lincoln said, hoping he didn't give too much away.
"You speak as if you know her personally," Otto said.
"I've seen the Louds a few times, they're a bit dysfunctional, but they're a really nice family," Lincoln said.
"Can't argue with the dysfunctional thing," Luna admitted.
"At least he thinks your family's nice," Sam said.
"I'm not letting you hurt an innocent girl!" Lincoln said. "Now you have two choices. Surrender, or get beat up more!"
"Adamant on protecting Lisa Loud are you? Well, how about I let you in on a secret then?" Otto said. "I know you've run into some traps around the city. What if I told you that it was Lisa Loud who set those traps?"
"Huh?" Lincoln replied, which also earned a curious reaction from Stella and Christina.
"That's right, this girl you so desperately want to protect is the same one who wants to capture you in the name of science!" Otto said. "To her, you're nothing but a pawn in her little game! An experiment for her to research! I personally do not hold a grudge against you, but Lisa Loud, she wants you in her clutches. Rescue her, and you're just ensuring your own demise."
"There's no way. Lisa wouldn't do that...would she?" Lincoln glanced at the girl, who looked to be very remorseful of the situation. Her expression alone told the story, making Lincoln believe that Otto may not be wrong."
"Well? Do you still wish to get in my way? Or will you allow me my revenge?" Otto asked. "This could benefit us both."
Lincoln glanced once more at Lisa, given that the girl did not recognize her brother in suit, she could only feel some fear at this super-powered being hitting her with such a strong glare.
Stella could tell Lisa was worried, and pulled her into a reassuring embrace. Hesitant as she was, Lisa returned the embrace, wanting to feel some sense of comfort among the growing feeling of fear and regret emanating within her.
Lincoln focused back on Otto, the man still awaiting an answer. "Forget it creep! If I wanted to just harm anyone who gives me a hard time, I would have webbed that loudmouth from the Royal Woods Gazette to a flagpole a while back!"
"I'm sorry to hear that..." Otto said, then grabbed Lincoln by his neck with his limb. "That means, you are my enemy, and I will eliminate you!"
Lincoln pulled himself away and landed away just as Otto tried to crush him again, the boy saved by reacting to his Spider-Sense.
"Sorry pal, I'm not going down due to your creepy tentacles," Lincoln said. "Seriously, you seem like a cyborg from the future that seems to have a thing for tentacle hentai. But that would be original to say the least."
"Did he really say that!?" Stella thought to herself, the girl blushing at how lame that sounded. Christina felt similarly embarrassed though everyone else seemed to find it funny.
"Stella, what's hentai?" Lisa asked.
"Ask me again when you're older," Stella said. "Right now I'd rather focus on keeping you safe."
"Don't take any unnecessary risks for me," Lisa said.
"I'm not letting you get hurt, and that's final," Stella said as she held Lisa closer. "Besides, I owe it to Lincoln to keep his little sister safe."
"...I won't lie, I wish he were here right now," Lisa said. "Amazing how often I take his optimism for granted."
They weren't the only ones reacting to what was just heard.
"Looks like Spider-Man isn't above a little dirty humor," Benny said.
"Comedy like that takes work," Luan said. "But um...what's hentai?"
"...You don't know?" Benny asked.
"No, can't say I do," Luan said.
"It sounds familiar though," Luna said.
"My brother said he found it on the internet, I never paid much mind," Benny said.
"Uh...girls?" Benny brought them in to whisper, causing them to freak out upon realization.
"Well dang, I gotta have a few choice words with Simon," Sam said.
Otto allowed that moment of what he deemed cringe awkwardness to pass, still angry at the defiance he recieved from this hero.
"I gave you a chance to go free Spider-Man, but after today, you'll wish you were caught by one of Lisa Loud's traps!" Otto said.
"Just hearing your nonsense is worst than having been caught by Lisa Loud!" Lincoln said.
"You tell him Spidey!" Luan said. "Now teach this silly Doctor Octopus a lesson!"
"It's Octavius!" Otto corrected.
"I don't know...Doctor Octopus is a lot more fitting!" Lincoln commented. "Besides, you'd be the only sea creature I know who actually has a medical degree! So that title would be quite the accomplishment!"
"Ugh, call me what you will, in the end you will die anyway!" Otto shouted as he grabbed some objects. "Prepare to die, Spider-Man!"
Otto flung the objects at Lincoln, the boy dodging them at incredible speeds and flinging himself forward to kick Otto in the chest.
The villain used his limbs to bring himself to a stop and flung himself forward to attack, but Lincoln again dodged and jumped in with a kick to knock Otto aside.
"You got this Spider-Man!" Luan cheered. "Send that cephalopod back to the ocean! He's sure to be salty after his inevitable loss! This scientist is all washed up!"
"Will you be quiet!?" Otto aggressively flung some furniture at Luan.
Fortunately Lincoln was quick to web it and flung it right back at Otto, stunning him long enough to kick him through building wall.
Otto scurried away as he scaled a building, with Lincoln giving chase. Once at the top, Otto tried making use of the high ground by trying to impale Lincoln with the limbs, but the boy was quick enough to dodge to the side as he continued scurrying.
"Little pest!" Otto pulled a chimney off the roof and the moment Lincoln got to the top, he got whacked in the face and sent flying over the street and crashing through a window.
"AHH!"
"Uh, sorry ma'am!" Lincoln quickly pulled himself out, grateful to be wearing a mask as he web zipped to the top of another building and kept an eye out for his for. "Where is he?"
Suddenly he heard more screaming. He looked below and saw Otto grabbing a car with someone in it and flinging it in his direction.
"Oh crap!" Lincoln quickly caught the car and set it down. "There, you're safe!"
As Lincoln leapt off the roof, the guy took a moment to call to the hero, "Wait, how do I get down!?"
Otto had grabbed another car that had a driver, but Lincoln was quick to kick him in the chest and got him to release the car so the boy could catch it and gently set it down.
"You're trying my patience!" Otto shouted as he tried to impale Lincoln, with the boy quickly dodging.
"And you're going to drive up property tax and car insurance rates if you keep fighting so cowardly!" Lincoln leapt in and kicked the man across his jaw, stumbling him back.
Lisa ran toward where the wall's hole was, absolutely mortified by what was happening. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"
"Lisa!" Stella ran over to the young girl. "Hey, don't get too far away from me."
"Stella, don't you get it..." Lisa looked on with terror and regret in her eyes. "This was because of me. All because I was so desperate to win some contest, to etch my name in science history. I wanted so desperately to match geniuses like Tony Stark and Hank Pym but..."
"Lisa," Stella took the girl by her hand. "I know you're feeling bad, but you need to get to safety. With Otto gone, at least the cops can come and escort people home."
"I can't though!" Lisa pulled her hand away and ran into the streets. "I gotta put a stop to this myself!"
"Lisa, are you nuts!?" Stella ran after the girl.
"Lisa!" Luna had also run toward that same hole with her group, "That girl's out of her mind!"
"Quick, we gotta help her!" Luan said.
"No, I gotta help her," Christina said, having recovered and flew toward the hole. "The four of you need to wait for the police. I'll go save those two."
"Not a chance!" Luna said. "Lisa's my little sister! I can't just do nothing!"
"Actually, maybe you should let this girl save Lisa and Stella," Sam said. "She is a superhero."
"Yeah, let's leave it to the professionals, otherwise we'll get in their way," Benny said.
"Smart answer, now stay put," Christina said and flew off.
Luan turned her attention to her older sister, "So, what do you want to do?"
"...I still want to follow her," Luna said.
"But, you won't, because that would be foolish," Benny said.
"I'm with Benny no this," Sam said. "If we run out there, it's just going to give Spider-Man and Firestar more work."
As much as Luna hated to admit it, both Sam and Benny had a point that she couldn't disagree with. "Let's try to stay close by enough so so we can help, but we'll keep a distance if we need to."
"Alright, that sounds fair, I think," Benny said.
Meanwhile Otto is seen traversing through the streets, putting some distance between himself and Lincoln as the boy continued to follow.
"Hey! Come back and fight me like a man!" Lincoln said as he continued to close the gap. Suddenly his phone began ringing. "Huh!? Who could that be!?"
Meanwhile, Otto had grabbed a nearby hot dog cart and flung it at Lincoln, the boy dodging and webbing the cart to keep it from crashing anywhere.
He then swung in and kicked Otto in the chest, sending him flying into a pole as he answered his call. "Yeah?"
"Lincoln! It's Lori!" The girl called.
"Oh, hey Lori, what's up?" Lincoln asked as he ran across the rooftops.
"What's up? Lincoln, where are you!? We have more deliveries that need to go out!" Lori said.
"Oh um...I'm on my way, just ran into traffic," Lincoln said.
"Traffic!?" Lori asked.
"I'll call you back, bye!" Lincoln quickly hung up, much to the boy's worry. "Great, now I gotta worry about that."
Otto landed on a car, using his limbs to pull out the driver, "Spider-Man, catch!"
He threw them both, to which Lincoln was quick to grab them with his webbing, much to his annoyance, "Will you stop throwing people! What kind of..." He then noticed the woman he caught, "Is that Miss DiMartino?"
Indeed, the substitute French teacher of Royal Woods was seen stuck in some webs, "My...this is troubling."
"Bah...bah...bah..." Lincoln stood in disbelief, before his Spider-Sense warned him of danger. Unfortuantely he was too distracted and ended up taking a car to his ribs that sent him flying.
Lincoln was able to land on the streets, and held the car up from totally crashing, though the boy nearly lost his balance as a result.
"Whoa!" Lincoln was able to set the car down, though it was far from an easy feat. "Geez, this guy really does not play fair."
"Spider-Man!" Lisa called as she ran toward the hero.
"Lisa!? What in the world is she doing!?" Lincoln turned to the girl. "Hey, it's dangerous! Go home!"
"Listen, you must hear me out," Lisa said. "That man you're fighting, he's a friend of mine named Otto Octavius. I know he seems bad but he's really not as dangerous as he presents himself as!"
"Could have fooled me!" Lincoln said.
"If you allow me to, I bet I can reason with him!" Lisa said.
"He doesn't look to be in a talkative mood!" Lincoln said.
"You must let me try, I have to correct my mistake!" Lisa said.
"Lisa!" Stella had run over and took the girl by her hand. "Are you nuts!? We're leaving, now!"
"I told you, I can't go!" Lisa tried pulling away.
"Lisa, I'm not going to let you get hurt, now let's go!" Stella said. Unfortuantely danger came the moment Otto had landed nearby. "He's here!"
Lincoln went to attack but Otto had whacked him aside, knocking him through a truck. He then noticed the new company present.
"Lisa..." Otto sinisterly focused on the girl. "I see you've come to me this time."
"Otto, you need to-" Otto immediately grabbed the girl before she could explain.
"Hey!" Stella tried pulling Lisa away, but Otto punched Stella in the ribs with his limb, sending her flying into a mailbox.
"Stella!" Lisa cried out in worry as Otto brought her close.
"Shall we go for a stroll?" Otto began climbing a nearby building with Lisa still in his grasp.
Lincoln shook off Otto's cheapshot, then noticed Stella injured nearby with people checking on her, especially Christina who had flown over.
"Hey, are you alright!?" Christina helped Stella sit up, but the girl was in a daze.
"Firestar, take her to a doctor!" Lincoln called before tailing Otto. "I'll deal with Octavius!"
"Okay!" Christina helped Stella to her feet, whispering to the girl in the process. "Are you hurt badly?"
"I bet I can walk it off," Stella insisted, then keeled over in pain. "Never mind, it really, REALLY hurts!"
Stella started coughing a bit as Christina did her best to comfort her friend. "Don't worry, we'll fix this." Christina thought to herselr on how to handle this, "I could take her to the doctor myself, but I'm almost afraid to move her. Plus, my powers could leave her dehydrated or something."
She heard some more coughing, with Stella wiping her mouth. To Christina's horror, she saw some blood. Not wanting to wait any longer, she pulled out her phone to dial an emergency, "This is Firestar! Hurry up with that abmulance! A supervillain is causing trouble, and people are getting hurt! I already have an injured girl here! Could be critical!"
"It's just a little blood," Stella insisted.
"Don't argue with me on this!" Christina said as she continued to speak into the phone. "The girl's about thirteen years old. Black hair, asian, has a star design on her clothes."
As Christina continued to speak, Luna and her group shoved their way through the crowd, and spotted the injured girl. "Stella!"
"Huh?" Christina turned to face Luna. "Hey, didn't I tell you four to wait for the police!?"
"They were taking too long," Luna said as she knelt beside Stella. "Besides, we were worried."
"Yeah, this girl here is friends with my girlfriend's little brother," Sam said.
"And my girlfriend's as well," Benny said.
"Look, that villain is still a liability," Christina said. "He just took a hostage, we don't need more trouble. Just go where it's safe while Spider-Man and I handle the situation!"
"Fine, just tell us where our sister Lisa is so we can take her home," Luna said.
"...I'll bring your sister later, right now I need you to go!" Christina ordered.
"No way, I need to see my sister now," Luna said. "Just tell us where she is!"
"Don't worry about that!" Christina said.
"What do you mean 'Don't worry'!?" Luna asked in disbelief. "You can't tell me not to worry about my sister! Tell me where she is!"
"Luna, don't argue with a superhero," Benny scolded.
"I'm a concerned citizen, I have a right to know where my sister is!" Luna said, then got in Christina's face to speak in a low tone. "Remember, I'm holding onto your secret, so don't keep any from me."
Christina's eyes widened in worry for a quick second, before immediately furrowing her brow. "Fine..your sister is with Otto. Spider-Man went after him. If you want her to be safe, then let him handle it, and don't get in his way."
Luna barely paid any mind to the last part, and instead focused on her other sister, "Luan! That crummy Octopus has Lisa! We gotta save her!"
"Hey! Didn't you just hear me!?" Christina shouted.
"I heard, but I don't see a badge on you," Luna said as she walked off.
"Luna! Come on!" Luan said as she tried tending to Stella. "Firestar's just trying to help! I know you're worried about Lisa, but getting in Spider-Man's way is just going to put her in more danger!"
"Hey, we've faced danger before," Luna said.
"Yeah, and we got lucky before too, let's not push that luck!" Luan said. "Just help me with Stella, she's really hurt and needs attention."
"Dont' worry, I can totally handle a little pain," Stella said, trying to hold back some tears. "It's nothing."
"Oh stop trying to act so tough, kid," Sam said.
"Sam, be nice!" Benny scolded.
"Hey someone's gotta snap her out of this tough girl act," Sam said. "Seriously, I thought only guys did this crap."
"That's a negative stereotype," Benny said.
"It's still true," Sam said. "But then again, Stella does hang out with a bunch of boys, so maybe it's affecting her personality?"
"I have female friends too, Sam," Stella insisted. "And I'm not talking tough, I'm really-"
Stella coughed up some more blood, this worrying Luan, "Okay, no more talking. Let's just wait for the ambulance to come."
Luna looked to the distance, worried about her sister. "Bring her back, Spider-Man!"
Meanwhile Otto was traveling across the rooftops with Lisa in tow while Lincoln was trailing after the villain.
"You're not getting away from me!" Lincoln called.
"Am I really not?" Otto disloged a nearby air vent and flung it at Lincoln, the boy quickly punching through and getting closer.
"I truly admire your persistance!" Otto said as he continued to make his escape.
"Oh my persistance is nothing, what I'd really like for you to admire is my fists!" Lincoln got in clsoer. "I'll give you an up and close view!"
"Ah-ah," Otto held Lisa in front of the hero. "You wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, would you?"
"Oh you freaking coward!" Lincoln shouted. "Fight me like a man and stop hiding behind a little girl!"
"Mind your temper," Otto held Lisa over the edge of a tall building, the girl looking down in terror. "We wouldn't want an accident, would we?"
"Lisa!" Lincoln was about to move when Otto blocked him with another limb.
"Watch your step, one wrong move, and she will fall," Otto warned.
"Great, this is a tough spot. I can't risk Lisa falling, I gotta play it cool," Lincoln focused back on Otto. "Can we talk?"
"Oh, what's this, you want to talk? Right when I have this girl at my mercy?" Otto asked, glaring slightly at the frigthened child. "My, how convinient."
"To be fair, I was willing to talk before, but you were hellbent on revenge!" Lincoln said. "I really don't get it either. It seems like you two were close!"
"Oh we were," Otto said. "I had a lot of respect for Lisa. She's only in Elementary School, but her academic prowess surpasses even the college elite. Amazing that she had her PhD by age four, even I cannot claim that. Put simply, I found her skills to be quite amazing."
"She does sound amazing," Lincoln said. "But why target her? Was it really just your accident? What if she can fix you?"
"You don't seem to understand," Otto said. "It's not about the accident, it's the why. I showed her nothing but my complete respect, I basically bowed to a child. Me, a grown adult treating this little girl like a Goddess."
"Otto, you know I respected you too," Lisa insisted. "You're one of the most brilliant minds I've known! That's why I wanted to work with you, I needed someone who could match my intellect!"
"Yes, you did value me, but was it because of my intellect?" Otto asked. "Or, was I just another pushover for you? My whole life, people stepped all over me, and shamefully I did nothing! I figured working with a child would finally help me feel better about myself. To finally feel like I can work with someone who won't look down on me. Then...she makes me put these limbs on!"
"It wasn't out of a lack of respect!" Lisa said. "I asked you because I trusted you would be capable enough to handle it! I needed someone with a strong mind!"
"Oh, I am capable," Otto said as one of the limbs slithered next to his head. "I understand them, and they understand me. That accident may have been a blessing in disguise, for now I finally have the power I've always craved! Never again will I be looked down on! Soon, the world will know the true genius of Doctor Otto Octavius!"
"If you feel good about those limbs, why are you threatening that girl!?" Lincoln asked. "Why can't you just let go of your grudge!?"
"I already explained to you," Otto said. "I could forgive the accident, what I can't forgive is the lack of respect. Lisa is just as cold as anyone else I've met. She is a danger to the world of science. I'm just dealing with a problem before it potentially gets worse."
"Otto, this isn't you!" Lisa said. "You were never like this! You were always so kind!"
"And look where that got me!" Otto squeezed Lisa a bit harder, worrying Lincoln even more as the boy contemplated attacking. "That's the thing about you Lisa, you never listen! You only value your own input, that's why you are so eager to use anyone you can for your own gain! Be it your siblings, or myself! Well I'm not allowing this to continue!"
"Otto! Please!" Lincoln begged. "There's gotta be another way. Come on, would you really do this to a child!? She has so much room to grow, and I know she can be better! Just please, don't do anything bad to her!"
"Need I remind you that she tried to capture you for experimentation!?" Otto asked.
"I'm aware, and I don't like that she wanted to do that," Lincoln admitted. "But, I'm willing to forgive that. No matter what, I just can't be mad at Lisa. She's got great passion, she just needs to learn how to channel it better. I think she can, I just need you to give her that chance."
Otto glared briefly at Lisa, almost as if contemplating his actions.
"Please, I know you're not as bad as you're acting right now," Lincoln said. "I know you're better than this."
Otto still seemed conflicted, several throughts were running through his head as he glanced between Lincoln, Lisa and his limbs.
"Otto..." Lisa said. "Please...I will be better. I really don't want to lose your friendship. You're almost like that one uncle I've always wanted, one who shared my passion for science. I didn't mean to take you for granted, I promise I will do better to speak to you as an equal."
Otto seemed to let up, the man nodding his head. "I suppose so..."
"Great," Lincoln slowly made his way over toward the doctor, hoping that he would safely pull Lisa in. "Just give me the girl. You'll need to explain this to the police, but maybe I can help you lower your offense. Maybe you can blame in on these metal things."
The limbs began to react in a silent manner, almost as if glaring at Lincoln while Otto glanced at them in wonder.
"Now, I'm going to take Lisa," Lincoln said. "Just bring her in nice and slowly."
"Maybe not too slow, this height is quite bothersome to me," Lisa said.
"Sure...of course." Otto slowly brought Lisa to the edge of the building.
Lincoln got in close, hoping to grab the girl. "Almost there..." Just as she neared the edge however, she was suddenly dropped, much to Lincoln's worry. "NO!"
"Whoops...butterfingers," Otto said just as Lincoln leapt down to save the girl.
Fortunately, Lincoln was able to catch her with some of his webbing, though the force causing a bit of whiplash that hurt Lisa just as Lincoln pulled her toward him to land properly. Lincoln continued to hold Lisa close, even long after he landed, genuinely happy to have rescued the girl as his heart raced.
Lisa herself was terrified of what just happened. As she looked up, she could only see Spider-Man holding her close, almost as if he's still trying to shield her from danger. This feeling felt strangely familiar to Lisa, and this protective manner felt unusual, even for a superhero.
Realizing it was safe, Lincoln gently put Lisa down, hoping things weren't worse than they looked.
"Hey! Are you okay!?" Lincoln asked as he checked over the girl. "You're not hurt are you!?"
"I'm fine..." Lisa said as she rubbed her neck. "Next time you catch someone through, be careful how you use that webbing. The force of my sudden stop wasn't exactly pleasent."
"Right, I'm sorry, I just panicked," Lincoln admitted. "When I saw you in danger, my instincts just kicked in." He gently rubbed her head, genuinely happy to see his little sister safe. "More than anything, I wanted to keep you safe."
"That's...very admirable I'll admit," Lisa said, feeling flustered by the somehow familiar concern of Spider-Man. "I thank you for that, despite knowing what I did, you still came to rescue me."
"Of course Lisa, you know I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you," Lincoln said, forgetting for a moment that he was disguised.
"...You seem familiar somehow," Lisa said.
Lincoln's eyes widened in worry. He wasn't speaking as Spider-Man at this point, he was speaking as Lincoln Loud, and it was starting to show. "Well, of course I'm familiar. I'm the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man."
"No...the way you're speaking...it reminds me of my older brother," Lisa said.
Lincoln began to panic as thoughts ran through his head, "Lisa's catching on? I gotta go!" He then began to speak aloud, "Uh, I'm not sure what you mean. Anyway I gotta get going, see you later!"
The disguised boy immediately swung off, leaving Lisa to further ponder her realization, "There's no way it could be Lincoln, could it? Then again, he likes superheroes, and tends to emulate them. So maybe Spider-Man just fits that mold of superheroes he tries to emulate. Still, he seemed awfully protective, and the way he held me before..."
Lisa slowly started connecting some dots in her head. She thought about his voice, while he deepened it, she could detect some of Lincoln's vocal patterns. She could tell that Spider-Man was about the same height as her brother. The way he called her name, it held that familiarity to her. Even his final line of not letting anything bad happen to her.
"He sounded way to protective for a superhero, he even spoke like he knew me..." Lisa's eyes widened in realization. "He has to be Lincoln! But...can he really be a superhero? In hindsight, he had a tendacy to disappear whenever Spider-Man showed up. But they can't really be one in the same, can they? My brother, a superhero? He wouldn't be able to hide it from me this long. No, maybe I'm over thinking it. My brother is not a superhero."
Despite what she told herself, Lisa still felt conflicted as she pulled at her hair. If there's one thing she hates, it's being stumped.
"I am the smartest girl in Royal Woods,a genius progidy who graduated with a PhD before being fully potty trained!" Lisa shouted in annoyance. "So why is this causing me such a headache!? I...I have to know, I gotta find out who Spider-Man is! Because if he is my brother...oh sweet heavens above, I may have put him in so much danger..."
Lisa began wiping tears from her eyes, the fear of endangering her brother taking a toll on her emotionally. She did her best to hold it back however, she refused to let the emotions take over.
Meanwhile Lincoln had tried searching for Otto again, but unfortunately, the scientist had escaped. "Otto! Where the hell are you!?" Lincoln was furious, this coward of a man nearly killed his sister, and he was not in a forgiving mood. "OTTO!"
The man wasn't totally gone, as he was hiding behind a building while sinisterly glaring at Lincoln. "In time, Spider-Man. I will bring you to your knees. My goals extend far beyond you and that impudent child, and I will not let either of you stand in my way."
He then scurried off, leaving Lincoln searching for a few more minutes.
"He can't escape!" Lincoln desperately said. "I can't lose track of another villain! I gotta stop him!"
His phone rang again, he looked to see that Lori was once again calling him. Not wanting to deal with her, he sent her to voicemail, which further irritated the girl.
"Lincoln! So help me, if you don't return my call, I am literally going to turn you into a human pretzel!" Lori shouted. "Answer the God Damn phone!"
"Lori, mind your temper!" Leni scolded. "You don't want our guests hearing you scream like that, do you?"
"Lincoln has not been answering! He's supposed to be helping out at the restaurant today!" Lori said.
"I know, but if you get angry like this, you're going to cause tension," Leni said. "I bet Linky's on his way back, he probably got lost or something."
"He knows the way back to the restaurant," Lori said. "If he skipped out..."
"That's not Lincoln's style," Chloe spoke up. "He wouldn't ditch for no reason. Something probably happened."
"Clyde! Wait!" Came Rusty's voice from outside the kitchen. "You're not supposed to go back there without-"
The door then opened, with Clyde interrupted Rusty's warning, "Oh, there you are Chloe."
"Clyde?" Chloe said. "What are you doing here?"
"That's what I should be asking you," Clyde said. "I thought we were going to the museum today?"
"Didn't you get my text? I came here to help Lincoln's family while Mr. Loud is recovering from his injury," Chloe reminded.
"But we've been planning this for a week," Clyde said. "We were going to learn about French cuisines."
"Well, I am making French food," Chloe said. "Besides, Lincoln's your best friend, shouldn't you be happy that I'm helping him out?"
"I get that, but I am getting a little annoyed," Clyde said. "Between Lincoln blowing me off, and now you blowing me off, usually to hang out with Lincoln-"
"I am not blowing you off, Clyde McBride," Chloe sternly stated. "I sent you a text, so you know where I am. In that text, I even suggested that you help too. All of your other friends are here."
"Yeah, like me," Rusty said, getting Clyde's attention. "I don't know why you're here Clyde, but unless you're volunteering, you shouldn't be back here. Customers are to wait at the table."
"I just want to get my girlfriend so we can go to the museum," Clyde said.
"They're going to learn about French Cuisine," Leni said.
"Huh? What kind of museum are you going to?" Rusty asked.
"A culinary museum," Clyde said. "Funny enough, Mr. Loud's the one who told me about it, didn't expect him to be the reason we can't go."
"You can go on your own, Clyde," Chloe said. "Right now, I'm more worried about Lincoln's family."
"As you should be too," Rusty said. "Seriously, the least you could do is wash some dishes."
"Or you can handle deliveries," Lori said. "Lincoln was supposed to, but he's blowing us off right now."
"Lori!" Leni scolded.
"Wow, now he's blowing off his family's restaurant?" Clyde asked. "What's with him lately? This is not like Lincoln."
"No one has proof that Linky's blowing anyone off," Leni said. "He was here today, something must have happened!"
"Like what?" Lori asked, then recieved a phone call. She immediately answered and began yelling, "Where the hell have you been Lincoln!? We've been waiting-"
"Whoa! I thought I was dialing my sister, not a screaming banshee!" Luan said from the other line, then chuckled to herself. "Then again, I guess there isn't much of a difference."
"Real funny Luan, now what is it?" Lori asked. "Also, is Lincoln there!?"
"No, and if he is, I don't see him," Luan said. "Wait, isn't he volunteering at the restaurant today?"
"He's supposed to be, but he bailed after some deliveries," Lori said.
"Well maybe he heard about what's happening here," Luan said. "Some villain showed up at the science expo. He threatened Lisa."
"Lisa?" Lori asked in concern, her temper immediately fading away. "Wait, why was he after Lisa?"
"I think they were lab buddies and something went wrong," Luan said. "Spider-Man and Firestar came to stop him, but I think he got away. There's cops everywhere, it's pretty nuts."
"Lisa's okay though, isn't she?" Lori asked.
"She just got back, that guy took her hostage but Spider-Man rescued her," Luan said. "She looks hurt though, and she's pretty upset."
"That's terrible...we'll be there soon," Lori said.
"Just go to the hospital, the people who got hurt are being loaded up," Luan said. "That includes Stella by the way, she took a really bad hit and has some internal bleeding. I don't think it's fatal, but she's in a lot of pain."
"No..." Lori said in worry. "Okay...we'll close up and head to the hospital right away."
As she hung up, Leni immediately got her attention, "What's going on?"
"Some villain attacked the Expo and went after Lisa," Lori said. "She's safe now, but she was a little banged up."
"It's nothing serious, right?" Chloe asked.
"No, but Stella may have had something serious," Lori said. "She got hurt really badly."
"Stella!?" Rusty asked in worry.
"How bad? Will she be okay?" Clyde asked.
"It seems like it," Lori said. "She's being loaded into an ambulance."
"Lisa too?" Clyde asked.
"Sounds like it," Lori said. "This villain really had it out for her."
"Man, poor Lisa..." Clyde said. "Alright, no museum for me today, I'll come with you to check on her."
"Thanks Clyde, but you don't need to worry yoursel," Lori said.
"You know I gotta worry," Clyde said. "The Louds are like a second family to me after all."
"Wow, what a switch up," Rusty said. "You were just talking trash about Lincoln, and now you want to be the big brother for Lisa?"
"Rusty!" Lori scolded. "That's not appropriate."
"I'm just saying, but whatever," Rusty said. "I'll go too, I'm worried about Stella."
"Me too," Chloe said.
"Alright, I suppose you could come for Stella at least," Lori said. "I'll go get Lucy and your friends."
"Sounds good," Clyde said.
Chloe sighed in worry as her thoughts traced back to the Loud boy, "I hope you're okay yourself, Lincoln."
Meanwhile at the sight of the expo, Lincoln had given up his search for Otto, but at least relayed some information to the cops. With that done, he switched out of his superhero suit and into his civilian gear.
"I should be at the restaurant, but I can't ignore this," Lincoln said as he walked through the crowd.
"Yo! Lincoln!" Luna called. "Over here bro!"
"Luna!" Lincoln ran over to the girl. "Is everyone alright?"
"We're fine, but Lisa's a little banged up," Luna said.
"Stella had it worse," Luan said. "She's got some broken ribs but-"
"Wait, she does!?" Lincoln shouted in worry. "Are you sure!?"
"Dial it back, I know you're worried, but you need to try and keep a level head" Luan said. "Stella was checked over by a doctor, despite her injuries, she should be fine, she just needs to rest."
"Right...sure..." Lincoln worriedly rubbed his head. "Where is she?"
"In the ambulance, but the paramedics said not to bother her right now," Luan said. "We'll go see her in the hospital."
"Okay..." Lincoln said. The boy looked visibly upset. "Stella..."
"She'll be fine bro," Luna reassured. "Stella's one tough gal."
"Too tough, she acted like the bleeding was no big deal," Sam said.
"Bleeding!?" Lincoln shouted.
"Sam! Come on!" Benny scolded.
"Lincoln!" Christina ran over to the boy. "Hey, I gotta talk to you."
"I heard that Stella's hurt," Lincoln said.
"She is, that's why we need to talk," Christina pulled the boy away. "Come on."
"uh...okay?" Lincoln said.
Near the ambulance, Lisa was seen glancing in Stella's direction, "Excuse me, if I must go to the hospital, may I ride with her?"
"You know her?" A paramedic asked.
"Yes, she's my friend, Stella Zhau," Lisa said.
"Well, alright," The Paramedic said as he helped her on board. "Try not to make her talk too much."
"I won't," Lisa said as she sat next to Stella.
"Hey Lisa..." Stella waved as the door closed.
"Greetings Stella," Lisa said. "I'm...really sorry you got hurt."
"It happens," Stella said, trying to brush it off.
"This is my fault...if I had not been so blinded by my love of science..." Lisa began. "I know I can be a little unsympathetic at times, and I should try to be better. My whole life, I've seen others as nothing but potential lab rats, even my own family. Seeing all this destruction caused by my own selfishness, it's really eye opening."
"Lisa..." Stella took the girl by her hand. "Don't worry."
"Stella, you're injured in an ambulance because of my experimenting!" Lisa held Stella's hand tight. "I never wanted this, I never wanted you to get hurt. I should not have allowed it! I...earlier I was rescued by Spider-Man. He knew that I tried capturing him, and he still risked his life for me." Lisa sniffled a bit as she wiped her eyes, "I hate letting my emotions take over, but when I think about his selflessness, it just overwhelms me. How can someone be that caring?"
"He's a superhero..." Stella said, trying to speak through the pain. "They're like that."
"I've clearly underestimated Spider-Man and his compassion," Lisa said. "Then again, after recent realizations..." Lisa shook her head. "Never mind, this is crazy."
"What?" Stella asked.
"For whatever reason...I thought Spider-Man was actually my brother, Lincoln," Lisa said, this revelation worrying Stella. "Silly right? After all, you're friends with my brother, I think you'd know if he's a superhero."
"Right, totally..." Stella nervously said.
"I'm just speaking nonsense I suppose," Lisa said. "If my brother were Spider-Man though...well that would be Amazing."
"So...you would accept it?" Stella asked. "Hypothetically asking."
"Of course, I'd have to be a fool otherwise," Lisa said. "Still, my brother is amazing otherwise. I don't say it often, but I love him a lot. I just hope he won't be too mad about what I've done lately. More than that, I hope my sisters won't be mad either. My foolishness put Luna and Luan in danger as well, along with their significant others."
"They'll forgive you," Stella said while holding her ribs in pain. "They love you after all."
"The love of family, I take it for granted way too often," Lisa said. "I suppose I should call them soon; they're going to find out about today. Better that I call them and let them know that I'm safe. I should also call Darcy. If she doesn't hear from me, she might start crying."
"Oh geez...my parents are going to worry too," Stella lamented. "They're already so overprotective...not like Clyde's parents but-"
Stella began coughing a bit, to which Lisa soothed her, "Hey, don't talk too much."
"Sorry..." Stella said.
"Look, I'll cut the conversation short, but not without saying one thing," Lisa said. "Thank you for trying to protect me today. You didn't need to, but you did. It went beyond just protecting your brother's friend, it really felt like you cared a lot about my safety. You seem like a good friend to have. If you don't mind, I'd love to get together with you, maybe talk more science. I promise that I won't use you for experimentation, at least not without your consent. It's fine if you're not interested, I imagine teenagers have better things to do than hang out with girls my age, but would you consider it?"
"I'd like that..." Stella said. "I think you're really cool."
"Aw, thanks Stella," Lisa said. "I'd hug you, but I don't want to risk further aggravating your injury."
"Worth the pain," Stella pulled Lisa into a surprise hug. Lisa slowly accepted it, careful not to cause Stella any more pain than she was feeling as the two rode to the hospital together.
Meanwhile Christina had caught Lincoln up to speed about a lot of things, especially when it came to Luna.
"She did what!?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, Luna basically blackmailed me," Christina said. "Or at least threatened to."
"That's so unlike her, I honestly expected that from Lola!" Lincoln said.
"I'm kind of worried now, I don't want to think that she would tell anyone, but I can't just ignore what she said," Christina explained. "What if she really blabs one day?"
"She won't, I'll make sure of it," Lincoln said. "Still, I'm really disappointed in her."
"Sorry this is involving your family, and your sister," Christina said. "I don't want this to cause tension."
"Hey, don't apologize, alright?" Lincoln said. "You didn't do anything wrong. You were trying to keep my family safe. But they can be really ungrateful at times. But if I know Luna, she'll apologize. She just gets easily stressed out sometimes, especially when it comes to our sisters."
"I get that, maybe I should have been more empathetic," Christina said.
"Don't worry about that, regardless of how Luna felt, she should have listened to you," Lincoln said.
"Still, I'll try to be better," Christina said. "Thanks for hearing me out."
"Hey, I should be thanking you," Lincoln said as he placed his hand on Christina's shoulder. "You did everything you could to protect my sisters."
"It's nothing..." Christina said while blushing. In an instant, she leaned in and kissed Lincoln on the cheek. Feeling embarrassed, she stepped away from the boy. "Well, I should be off, Paige is probably worried about me. See ya!"
As Christina left, Lincoln stood there in disbelief. He hadn't felt this flustered by someone in a while. Granted he remembered how that ended, and worry began to flood his mind.
"After Emma and Jordan...do I even want to pursue these feelings?" Lincoln said to himself. He shook it off. "Never mind, I should get to the hospital...then deal with my family later."
All the while, Otto had put distance between himself and civilization while planning his next step.
"Those fools, they have no idea what I still have up my sleeves," Otto said. "Still, Spider-Man may be trouble, I have to find a way to defeat him."
"Perhaps I can help," came a voice.
"Who's there!?" Otto asked.
Stepping into the light was the same scientist who's been after Spider-Man himself, "I am Miles Warren. I have a proposition for you, Otto Octavius."
"A proposition?" Otto asked.
"We have something in common, both of us want Spider-Man out of the picture," Warren said. "I've helped others, but they usually let me down. You however, you held your own. Perhaps you show more potential."
Otto glared at Warren in suspicion, "Why should I trust you? The last person I trusted betrayed me. Everyone I trust turns on me sooner or later, what could you offer me?"
"I understand your reluctance, but I can provide you with plenty of valuable information," Warren said. "Including the spider that may have given Spider-Man his powers."
"What's this? You know how he gained his abilities?" Otto asked.
"I can provide you the information you desire," Warren said. "And I promise that you will receive full credit in Spider-Man's defeat. So, do we have a deal?"
"...You have my interest, for your sake, I hope you maintain it," Otto said.
"You have nothing to worry about," Warren said. "Let's talk."
The two evil scientists began making their preparations, as they planned for the future ahead.