Things have been chaotic for Lincoln lately. While he's happy that his latest enemy Klaue had been defeated, it wasn't as glorious as he expected.
Black Panther may have helped Lincoln, but the boy did not feel any respect in that matter. If anything he felt as if T'Challa looked down on him. Granted the King of Wakanda did not exactly mince words.
Lincoln strived to be a great superhero, one potentially worthy enough to be part of The Avengers. Being told off by a superhero like T'Challa did not bode well for his self confidence.
That wasn't the only thing that frustrated him. This mysterious being known as The Black Cat was on his mind.
Lincoln could not deny the physically attractive features on the girl. Yet he felt shame for allowing her to essentially seduce him. He knows she's up to no good, but no matter how strongly he feels, her quirky nature continues to nag at him.
The kiss the two shared was also on his mind. Part of him liked the kiss, but he was still not ready to move on after what happened to Christina.
This was made worse knowing that both Chloe and Emma were getting very infatuated with the boy. Lincoln did not need more drama in his life.
But for now, things were somewhat normal, at least in his own unique way. His family was making preparations for Thanksgiving, which was one day away. Lincoln was pleased knowing that his family would be together for a weekend, which included seeing his cousins again.
Lincoln went into the living room where everyone was frantically running around, each with their own chore to do.
Luan was vacuuming, Leni was dusting, the twins were folding laundry, it was a chaotic scene.
"Hey son, good to see you," Lynn Sr said.
"Getting an early starting Thanksgiving preparations?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, we're keeping the house as tidy as possible," Lynn Sr said. "We're also getting an early start on the food, this way it makes things so much simpler."
"Is Uncle Lance bringing anything?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes, but we compromised," Lynn Sr said. "He's bringing the dessert stuff, and I'm handling the main course meal."
"Do you have everything we need for the meal?" Lincoln asked.
"Almost, I just need some cranberry sauce," Lynn Sr said. "That's where you come in, son. I need you to run out and get some from the local mart."
"Sure, I can handle that," Lincoln said as he made his way to the door. Upon opening it, he came across a very pleasant surprise. "Lori?"
"Oh, hey Lincoln," Lori said. "Wow, you beat me to the door."
"I was on my way to the store, we need Cranberry Sauce," Lincoln said.
"Well don't let me stand in your way," Lori said as she stood aside. "By the way, I'm really sorry about Christina."
"Yeah..." Lincoln awkwardly rubbed his head. "It was a lot to deal with."
"Lori!" Lynn Sr called.
"Talk later, go and do what you need to do," Lori said as Lincoln ran off.
"Lori! My little girl!" Lynn Sr pulled the college student into a strong hug. "I've missed you so much!"
"Dad, I'm literally not a little girl!" Lori said while blushing in embarrassment.
"Right, sorry," Lynn Sr said as he pulled away. "You're a young woman, I need to remember that. "So...how's college?"
"Not bad, just a bit stressful," Lori said.
"Stressful!?" Lynn Sr pulled Lori inside. "You must be working too hard, come sit down and relax a bit!"
"Dad..." Lori lamented. Part of her did love her father for this, even if she mostly found it irritating.
Meanwhile Lincoln was making his way toward the store as planned, the boy with the simple task of getting the Cranberry Sauce.
On his way there however, he heard some police sirens in the distance. Despite his errands, he couldn't ignore danger.
"I gotta find somewhere to change," Lincoln looked around. "A trashcan? No way, too dirty." He looked again. "The bushes? Meh, every time I change there, I end up with leaves in my pants." He looked again. "A dark alley? Wait why did I word it like that?" He looked again, "A phonebooth! Perfect, all the greats use a phone booth!"
Lincoln rushed inside to quickly change, then came out fully donned in his hero gear.
"Alright evil doers, prepare to face the wrath of The Amazing Spider-Man and his trusty sidekick..." Lincoln shook his head. "Ugh, what am I thinking!? She's not here and I know it!"
Lincoln shook it off and swung around the city, hoping to find the source of the sirens.
"I hope this won't take long, I should call Stella and..." Lincoln stopped again to shake his head. "Right, she's not around either."
Lincoln started to feel out of place, doing this all alone just did not sit well with the boy.
"How did it even get to this?" As Lincoln sulked, he began to remember the main reason behind his sudden solo act. "Octavius...Don't think I forgot about you. When I find you, I'm going to fold you like a pile of laundry." Lincoln took a moment to think over what he said. "That is definitely not intimidating enough."
Shrugging it off, Lincoln continued swinging toward the direction of the bank robbers.
Meanwhile Luna was seen having taken out the garbage back home, the girl quick to place the lid over the can. "How'd we get so much junk?"
"It seems to be mostly beakers," Lucy said as she dragged some materials over. "Probably Lisa."
"Not just her, some of this came from Lincoln's room too," Luna said.
"He probably borrowed them for science class, he is a top student after all," Lucy said. "He's pretty handy with chemicals."
"Yeah, very handy," Luna said, then chuckled to herself. "It'd be funny if it turned out he was trying to give himself super powers."
"Given his fascination with superheroes and the fact that he dated a girl with powers, I wouldn't be surprised if he entertained the idea," Lucy said. "It'd be hard to imagine Lincoln as a superhero. He's too normal for that type of thing."
"Yeah, probably," Luna said. "I hope he's doing alright. He says he's fine, but after what happened with Christina and Stella, he must still be hurting."
"You know boys, they're not exactly eager to let others know when they're hurting," Lucy said.
"I'll never understand why guys can be so stubborn like that, Lincoln should know we won't look down on him for feeling sad," Luna said.
"Well this is the same family that said some horrid things about him for liking that Princess Pony book," Lucy said. "Obviously emotional vulnerability is a weakness here."
"We weren't that bad, we just poked fun at him," Luna said.
"Who's we? I didn't want any part of it," Lucy said.
"You know what I mean," Luna said. "Not like we said anything that bad, it wasn't anything he could handle. And we stopped within a few days anyway."
"That's because Lynn took it too far and referred to Lincoln as a certain word that I will not repeat, but one that might not go well with you or your girlfriend," Lucy said.
"Meh, not like it bothers me or Sam, if anything Sam's probably used it a couple of times herself," Luna said. "But still, even if Lynn hadn't gone that far, we would have stopped. Besides, Lincoln's got thick skin, he can handle a few insults."
"This is the same brother you yourself admitted is too secretive about his feelings," Lucy said.
"There's a difference between enduring a few insults and seeing his best friend and his girlfriend suffer from terrible injuries," Luna said. "Lincoln's lucky he wasn't there when Christina got shot. I don't think he could handle that type of trauma."
"It was definitely horrendous," Lucy said.
"Hey! You two done yapping?" Lynn asked as she came by with some bags. "We gotta get these leaves raked up."
"Chill Lynn, Lucy and I were just worried about Lincoln," Luna said.
"What it is about this time?" Lynn asked. "That his girlfriend nearly died or that Stella got her ribs all banged up?"
Luna glared at Lynn for her comments, "Well you certainly didn't sugarcoat it."
"What happened sucks but worrying about it ain't gonna help," Lynn said. "Lincoln will be fine, he's processing it like he should be. What he shouldn't be is dotted on by overprotective sisters who won't let him be a man."
"You're so obnoxious," Lucy said.
"Hey at least I'm willing to respect Lincoln's privacy on this matter," Lynn said. "Besides, it'll work out. Stella's a tough chick. She's got the body of a goalie and she'll recover like one too. When she does, she'll be even tougher."
"Well we know Stella will be fine, but what about Christina?" Luna asked.
"Leave that to the cops, and Spider-Man if he wants to," Lynn said. "Unless he found himself a new sidekick."
"You really gotta chill," Luna warned.
"Whatever, just get raking," Lynn said. "Uncle Lance will be here soon."
As Lynn left, Luna grumbled in annoyance as she slammed her fist on the can, "Lynn really ticks me off sometimes."
"She might be processing this herself," Lucy said. "Lynn's even more stubborn than Lincoln when it comes to her emotions."
"I guess, but she could stand to be a little less of a pain in the neck about it," Luna said. "Anyway, we probably should get raking."
"Sure, let me finish this recycling and I'll meet you," Lucy said. Once Luna left, Lucy was left with her own thoughts. "Really glad Spider-Man kept my little rendezvous a secret. Still, he did seem to be with a girl in a cat costume. But she might be more associated with The Black Panther. It does seem fitting."
Meanwhile Lincoln was still swinging through town until he neared a building not too far away from where he heard the police sirens.
From there he could see some cars being chased by cops. A potential getaway in progress.
"So these guys think they can escape huh? Well not on my watch!" Lincoln declared. He began swinging after the vehicle and landed on the roof, startling the men inside. "Surrender!"
"Crap, it's Spider-Man!" One guy shouted. He pulled out a gun and began firing, to which Lincoln quickly dodged out of the way.
"Oh a gun? How original!" Lincoln sarcastically commented. "Guns, guns, guns, always with the-!"
Suddenly one of the guys threw a grenade, to which the boy was quick to jump and kick it away, but it exploded before it had a chance to go far, sending Lincoln crashing through a building.
He pulled himself up and immediately began to chase after the crooks again, but was losing ground.
"Geez, that blast hit harder than I expected!" Lincoln struggled to keep up. He sprinted full speed at the car, hoping to catch up again.
One of the guys stuck his head out and fired a machine gun at the boy, prompting him to jump aside. He then swung over while still dodging the machine gun fire.
He then got enough distance to land in front of the car with his hands out. "Alright, this should-"
The car did a sharp turn that knocked into Lincoln in the progress, sending him crashing against a wall. Weakened and hut, Lincoln threw a type of tracking device on the car as it sped away.
The boy fell over, trying to catch his breath. "What's with me?" He attempted to pull up the data from the car, but struggled in doing so. "Hey come on! Show me the data!" He tried again, but something began to short-circuit and catch fire as the boy quickly tore off part of his suit. "Crap!"
The tracking device did not seem to work, leaving Lincoln feeling defeated. The boy leaned against a wall in defeat, feeling ashamed of what had happened.
"I can't even catch a group of generic robbers," Lincoln placed his hands over his eyes in shame. "I really goofed up."
Lincoln picked himself up, the boy quickly checking over himself.
"Is there something wrong with my suit? I gotta get home and figure this out!" Lincoln began limping away, the boy trying to shake it off. "Come on, just because there's something wrong with my suit, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with me!"
Despite his attempts at self motivation, Lincoln's anxiety began increasing as self doubt rushed through the boy's mind.
"Come on...don't start with this now..." Lincoln powered through it all as he kept running. The boy retreated into a nearby alley as he tried harder to keep moving. He then fell over while in a panic, the boy placing his hand across his chest as his heart started beating. "Don't fall apart..."
Memories of Christina began flashing through his mind as Lincoln tried shaking off the pain. But all he could remember was the first time he met Christina, to his reunion with her earlier in the year, to finding out about her powers, her time as his sidekick, and then the true love the two felt for each other.
All fo that fell apart the moment he remembered the gunshot that changed all that. Memories of a girl he loved seemingly dying in his arms. Seeing her blood on his hands as he desperately rushed her to the hospital, hoping to keep her safe. Then she went missing, and Lincoln couldn't do anything for her.
"Dammit, I can't...I can't let this...!" Lincoln took his mask off to breathe better as he made sure to hide somewhere no one could see him.
It wasn't just Christina though. Memories of Girl Jordan also flashed through his mind. From the first time he met her, to her flirty nature, and their very intimate interaction in her Jacuzzi.
Then things fell apart again, first when The Chameleon Showed up, then later with The Green Goblin's arrival. He remembered when Jordan was kidnapped. The look of fear in her eyes caused more panic for the boy.
"Jordan...I'm sorry..." Lincoln shook his head in denial of the pain.
Then came memories of Stella, one of his closest friends. He remembered the first time he spoke to her on the school bus. Then how he desperately tried to get her to notice him. Then all of their quirky adventures together with him and their mutual group of friends.
Stella was also the first of his friends, and even family to find out the truth regarding Spider-Man. Since then, Stella has been a very valuable ally, and always willing to help, to the point where it landed her in the hospital, courteous of Doctor Octopus.
Thinking about just how badly Stella has been hurt, to the point where he's seen her cough up blood and now going for surgery out of town really had Lincoln even more stressed out.
"I...I can't keep doing this!" Lincoln kicked over some garbage cans in frustration. He then quickly put on his mask and made a mad dash out of there.
Lincoln wasn't sure where he was going, he just needed to leave. On the way however, he switched out of his hero suit, as he did not feel right in it. He just kept walking and walking until he noticed a very familiar place.
"I'm home?" Lincoln scratched his head in confusion. "Guess it was instinct. Still, I can't help but wonder if there was a reason I left in the first place? Was it just patrolling?" Lincoln shook his head in annoyance, "I'm losing my mind."
He walked over to the entrance and through the front door. The moment he got in, he could hear Jameson on the TV.
"The recent burglaries from a mysterious cat creature have gone too far, the town of Royal Woods is no longer safe!" Jameson said. "And what is Spider-Man doing? Zilch! Nada! Nothing! Probably fraternizing with this mysterious vixen. Crime has gotten much worse lately too. If Spider-Man truly is a hero, why hasn't he been stopping this recent crime wave? Perhaps it is part of his grand scheme after all. Trick the public into thinking he cares, then BOOM! He robs them blind with all of his secret henchmen. How shameful."
"I swear I really hate that guy..." Lincoln clenched his fist in anger. Fortunately he wasn't the only one to feel this way.
"Ugh, turn that TV off already!" Lana called. "I'm so done with that guy's stupid opinions!"
"Sorry, much have left it on!" Luan called as she turned the TV off.
"Hey don't turn it off! Give me that!" Lola said as she turned it back on. "Since no one is watching TV, I'm putting on the Pageant Show."
"That's boring," Lily said. "Put on the Parade!"
"The Parade's Tomorrow, like it is every Thanksgiving," Lola said.
"Lola be nice, Lily didn't know that," Lincoln said.
"Linky!" Lola ran over to hug her brother. "You're back already!"
"Lincoln's back!?" Lynn Sr asked as he peeked his head from behind the kitchen wall. "Hey sport, did you get the Cranberry Sauce like I asked?"
"Dang it...I knew I was forgetting something," Lincoln awkwardly turned to his father. "Sorry, I couldn't because..."
"Seriously!?" Lori called from the kitchen. "Geez Lincoln, I'm back for one day and you're already screwing up!?"
"Lori!" Lynn Sr scolded.
"Lay off him, Lori!" Lana called.
"Yeah, be nice," Lily said.
"Ugh, you're all literally too soft," Lori said. "That's why Lincoln won't learn from his mistakes! How could he forget something as simple as Cranberry Sauce!? It's just one item!"
"I didn't forget on purpose!" Lincoln said. "I just...saw some trouble downtown and came home, that's all."
"Trouble?" Lynn Sr asked. "Must be those gosh darn ruffians running amok again."
"Look, I gotta go," Lincoln said as he pried away from Lily and ran upstairs.
"Linky?" Lily said in worry.
Lana had a feeling something bad happened, so she immediately went upstairs as well, "I'm going to check on him."
With Lana upstairs, Lynn Sr decided to grab his keys, "I guess I'll go."
"Dad, wait, what if it's dangerous?" Luan asked.
"I'm not letting a bunch of Neanderthals ruin my Thanksgiving plans," Lynn Sr said as he grabbed his coat. "Lori, you're in charge until I get back."
"Wait! Why her!?" Lola asked. "What about mom!?"
"Your mother is working late, and I'd rather pick this up before she gets home," Lynn Sr said. "Not a word about Lincoln forgetting to your mother. That includes you, Lori."
"Fine," Lori said.
"Kids, listen to Lori, and Lori, don't get carried away with your authority," Lynn Sr said as he left. "I'll be right back!"
Lori furrowed her brow in annoyance, "I don't get carried away with my authority!"
"To be fair Lori," Came Luna's voice as she walked into view. "You kind of you. Not as much since Lincoln helped us overthrow you that one time, but you can still be a pain."
"You're just saying that because I still think 10:00 at night is too late to be playing a guitar," Lori said.
"And I'm telling you that the right to rock should be 24/7!" Luna said.
"Alright, that's enough," Lola said. "While you two are bickering, I'm worried about Lincoln. He seemed really bothered by something."
"You think he's worried about Stella?" Luan asked. "We haven't heard about her in a while."
"I'm worried too," Luna said. "We should try to get into contact."
"Would that work?" Lola asked. "Her mother doesn't seem to like us very much."
"Who gives?" Luna asked. "Stella is Lincoln's friend!"
"And mine too!" Lynn said as she came crashing through the kitchen on roller skates. "I say we call her right now!"
"Lynn, did you break something?" Lori asked in concern.
"To the phone!" Lynn said as she skated toward the phone.
"Hold up! You get back here and clean this mess up!" Lori warned as she gave chase. "Lynn!'
"Wow, Lynn was in a Big Time Rush to get to the phone," Luna said, the rocker girl chuckling to herself. "Get it fam?"
"Wow, that's a good one, and it fits you," Luan said. "Almost as fitting as Lori's foot up Lynn's butt once she catches her."
"Yeah...we gotta help Lynn," Luna said.
"No we don't," Lola said.
"...Just come with me!" Luna said as she dragged Lola along with Luan following.
Lily looked upstairs briefly, the girl understandably worried about her brother.
"Be safe, Linky." She then went to join her sisters in helping Lynn.
Upstairs Lincoln is seen sitting in his room with his face buried between his legs as he sait against his bedroom frame.
Moments later, he heard a knock on the door, "Lincoln, it's me Lana! Can I come in!?"
"Sure," Lincoln said.
Lana came into the room and saw an unsettling sight. The moment she came into contact with Lincoln's face, she saw some tears in his eyes.
"Lincoln!" Lana ran over to hug her brother, hoping to soothe him. "Hey, don't worry, I'm here for you."
"Thanks, but it's no big deal," Lincoln said.
"It is a big deal," Lana said. "I almost never see you cry."
"It's nothing, really," Lincoln insisted as he wiped his eyes. "I'm just frustrated."
"Does it have to do with what happened when you were getting the sauce?" Lana asked.
"Kind of," Lincoln said. "There really was trouble out there, but I was so off my game today. It was one thing when I had to deal with a man named Klaue. I couldn't even stop the guy, Black Panther and that Cat Burglar had to help me."
"Oh yeah, Black Cat," Lana said. "I've been hearing about her."
"I've actually tried finding her again, but she keeps slipping through my fingers," Lincoln said. "Even worse, today when I tried stopping bank robbers, I couldn't even do that either! They actually got away from me!"
"Well, they probably just got lucky," Lana said. "It doesn't mean you're bad at what you do."
"I know you're just trying to make me feel better, but let's face it, I'm just no good at this," Lincoln said. "I thought the lowest point was letting Bill Buck die. Then Jordan got kidnapped and had to leave, then Stella got hurt, and now Christina..."
"It wasn't your fault that stuff happened," Lana said. "You did your best each time!"
"I couldn't even catch the villains that hurt Jordan and Stella," Lincoln said. "Christina got shot right in front of me! I shouldn't have allowed that, I should have seen what her father was doing!"
"Hey, no one would have guessed that he would shoot his own daughter," Lana said. "You've always done your best thought, don't think less of yourself."
"I don't know Lana," Lincoln spread himself across the top of his bed as he looked up. "I don't think I'm cut out to be a superhero. It was just some silly childhood dream that's turning into a nightmare. I think I should just put the suit away for good."
Lana felt incredibly terrible for her brother. Seeing his lack of confidence hurt inside. She then moved in to deepen the hug with her brother, pressing her ear against his chest. "Well, personally speaking, I think you're a great hero. And an even greater brother."
Lincoln had no words and just hugged his sister tighter. He had to wonder what was next for him, and for Spider-Man.
Meanwhile in New York City on the floating prison known as The Raft, Otto Octavius and Miles Warren were seen outside and ready to enact their plan.
Otto sent in some drones and flew them toward the prison's security system. Some guards spotted the drones, but were immediately tranquilized by some darts and put to sleep.
Once inside the room, the drones went to work and orchestrated a power outage that affected the whole prison.
As a result, several cell doors began to open, with a few notable crooks stepping out.
"What the hell!?" Came the voice of Herman Shultz. "Man, I don't know what's happening, but I'm out of here!"
Other prisoners began emerging from their cells and made a run for it with several guards going to stop them.
"Don't let the prisoners escape!" The Warden ordered.
Some guards surrounded Vic McGillicuddy, but the man used his electric powers to blast several of the guards.
La Tigressa was seen overpowering some guards as well while The Chameleon grabbed one guard to pull aside and impersonate him to allow an easier escape.
As Kraven fought off some guards, a drone had flown near him to get his attention. "With me!"
Cautious as Kraven was, he opted to follow the drone, with others doing the same.
Otto tore open the door leading to The Raft as some prisoners managed to make their mistake. As a result, helicopters were deployed to go after the criminals and apprehend them.
Meanwhile four in particular had run to the side while following the drones. They were led away from where the major cause for commotion was and toward a mysterious submarine where Otto was waiting.
"Greetings gentlemen, I've been expecting your arrival," Otto said.
"Do we know you?" Kraven asked.
"I certainly don't," Herman said as he stood alongside Adrian Toomes and Stan Stancko.
"But, you might know me," Warren said as he stepped into view.
Kraven and the others looked horrified by the sight, but at least one of them recognized his voice.
"Professor Warren?" Kraven asked. "Could that be you?"
"What's going on!?" Herman asked.
"You'll see soo," Otto then noticed something coming. "I see my drones have acquired your equipment."
"Huh?" Herman turned was given his gauntlets. "Oh sweet!"
Stancko stepped into his Rhino suit while Toomes placed his wings on and Kraven grabbed his weapons.
"Let us be off," Otto said as he and the others went into the submarine.
The break-out was a success, and Lincoln's ultimate test as a hero was soon upon him.