The following day, after another crime stopped, Lincoln had gotten home, hoping to relax a bit. He stayed up late the previous night while patrolling, and after a long day, he had to ditch his friends when he overheard about a car being stolen.
The moment he walked inside; Luna had gotten his attention in her usual Loud way. "Hey bro!"
Lincoln winced, not in the mood for any shouting, but persevered, "Yeah Luna? Need something?"
"Nothing from you, but you're home pretty late," Luna said. "Where have you been all afternoon?"
"Uh..." Lincoln had to think of something. "I heard there was a crime nearby, I went to see if I could see Spider-Man up close."
"Bro, I know you like superheroes, but don't go finding trouble just to see one, you're gonna get hurt," Luna warned.
"Yeah, you're right, sorry for making you worry," Lincoln said.
"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters to me," Luna said. "I'm glad you're home though, there's something I wanted to tell you about."
"What would that be?" Lincoln asked, his question being almost immediately answered by a flyer.
"Check it out, Royal Woods Block Party, my band's playing, this Saturday at 10:00 am," Luna said. "You totally gotta come, bring your friends too, especially the girls. We can totally play a love ballad."
"Come on Luna, don't make this awkward," Lincoln said, earning a chuckle from Luna.
"Sorry, couldn't resist," Luna said. "Seriously, bring your friends, it'll be fun."
"That would be neat, are any other bands playing?" Lincoln asked.
"Totally, might even get some stars too," Luna said.
"Like Smooch!?" Lincoln asked.
"Probably, I think Mick Swagger will be there too," Luna said. "It's gonna be a big party though, like mondo big."
"Well, yeah that sounds like it'll be fun," Lincoln said. "I'll totally let my friends know."
"Sweet, the more the merrier," Luna said. "I'm gonna start writing a list of songs, this might finally get us on tour!"
"Tour?" Came Lynn Sr.'s voice as he and Rita had made their way into the living room.
"Lincoln, you're home late," Rita said.
"Uh, sorry, I was..." Lincoln had to think of something quick.
"Little bro stayed after school to broaden his education a bit," Luna said, covering for her brother.
"Uh, yeah, that," Lincoln agreed, going along with it. "What Luna said."
"Well that's sweet, but remember Lincoln, it's not safe out there, try not to be home too late," Rita said.
"At least he's taking his education seriously," Lynn Sr said. "Speaking of which Luna, we need to talk, it's about college."
"Not this again, I told you I haven't decided if I wanted to go or not," Luna said.
"It's not a topic of whether you want to go, it's the matter of what college to pick, because you are going," Rita said.
"What for? Once I turn eighteen, I'm an adult, I can make my own choices," Luna said.
"This looks personal, I'll give you all some space," Lincoln said, about to leave.
"Actually Lincoln, maybe you can convince your sister," Rita said. "You already decided on what college you wanted to go to."
"Yeah, you mentioned New York University, that's quite the ambition son," Lynn Sr said.
"It's nothing really, I just thought it looked like a nice school, but that's years away, who knows if I can even qualify," Lincoln said.
"You're a Straight A student, you can probably get a scholarship to any college in the world," Lynn Sr said. "Or at least the country."
"Maybe..." Lincoln said. "Still, I doubt my reasons could help Luna, she has different goals than me. She's gonna be a Rockstar, and I'm hoping to be an Astronaut or something. I need school to be an astronaut, but Luna already knows how to rock."
"True that little bro," Luna said.
"Luna, please take this seriously, like your brother's been doing," Rita said, gesturing to the more awkward boy.
"I'm gonna go now, good luck," Lincoln said, quickly making his way upstairs.
"Look, I don't know why you're trying to use Lincoln as an example, we all know he just wants to go to New York to see The Avengers up close," Luna said. "Which honestly is dangerous and not worth the education."
"Even so, he still wants to go to college at least," Rita said.
"Probably because you told him he has to, maybe he'll change his mind too, he's a smart kid, he doesn't need college," Luna said. "It's possible to be successful without college."
"She's not wrong," Lynn Sr said.
"Lynn!" Rita scolded, startling her husband.
"But, it's good to have the option Luna," Lynn Sr said.
"Don't you think I can make it as a Rockstar?" Luna asked. "You gotta have faith in me, pops."
"I do honey, I think you and your band can be the best thing since The Beets," Lynn Sr said. "But, I also want you to have something to fall back on, think of college as a safety net. You can still be a Rockstar, but life is unpredictable. A lot can go wrong and I just want you to be safe in the future."
"I don't know, I mean, school's just not for me," Luna said. "I'm getting by, but music is my calling."
"And it's a great calling, at least consider it," Lynn Sr said. "It doesn't have to be a big college either, you can go local like Leni does, look up the classes, pick which ones might interest you. At least give it a chance, you might get something out of it."
Luna sighed in frustration, she really didn't want to go to college, but it almost seemed like her parents weren't gonna let up. She had to avoid it somehow, that was gonna be her next plan, "Alright, I'll consider my future."
"Atta girl," Lynn Sr said. "Now, I gotta call the other dads up for some band practice, that Block Party is gonna be amazing!"
"Got that right, me and my band's gonna rock hard," Luna said. "I gotta get ready, maybe call Sam over."
"Remember our rule if you bring Sam," Lynn Sr said, much to Luna's annoyance.
"I know, I know, keep the door open," Luna said. "Do you tell Luan this too?"
"Yes, and we've asked Lori as well," Rita said.
"We trust you, but sometimes hormones can be controlling," Lynn Sr said. "We're just looking out for you and Sam, you understand that don't you?"
"Yeah, I understand," Luna said.
"Of course you do, because you're a smart young lady," Lynn Sr said. "Now, go on and do what you have to do to give Royal Woods a good show."
"You got it Pop Star," Luna said, quickly making her way upstairs.
"You really think we can convince her Lynn?" Rita asked. "The college stuff I mean."
"Give it time," Lynn Sr said.
"She's a High School Senior, she should have decided by now," Rita said.
"Well Luna has always been a bit of a free spirit, plus she's been really busy chasing her dream, that's admirable," Lynn Sr said.
"I'm not saying it isn't Lynn, but she needs to value her education too," Rita said. "Lori figured out really quickly where she wanted to go, Leni had trouble but at least she settled locally. Even Lincoln and Lisa have their preferred choices."
"Well it's hard to compare our kids, they all think differently," Lynn Sr said.
"Lynn, please, I really need you to take a firmer approach on this," Rita said.
"I am, but I have to look at it objectively, the best way to convince Luna is to play to her personality," Lynn Sr said. "Convince too hard, she'll just reject it more, it takes a methodical approach. She has time, her senior year just started after all, maybe in that time she'll figure out her future."
"I hope so, I don't want her banking everything on being a musician," Rita said. "If I banked everything on being a writer, and you banked everything on your restaurant, who knows where either of us would be?"
"Well, you don't need a degree to wash dishes, am I right?" Lynn Sr said, earning a glare from his wife. "But seriously, I know you have a point. Luna should have something to fall back on. Though, I really do hope her dreams come true."
"We both do," Rita said.
In his room, Lincoln had unloaded his bookbag, he had a lot of homework to catch up on and hoped to get on it before another crime happened. Recently he has been cutting it close on assignments, and he'd rather not upset his teachers, or his parents.
"Alright, I can start with Math, that isn't too bad, then read up for my English assignment..." Lincoln muddled around until he came across his science textbook. "Oh right, Stella and I might be doing another assignment together soon, so I gotta brainstorm that." He thought back to earlier today, while he and his friends were walking home, his sense alerted him to a nearby robbery. He came up with the excuse to pick up flowers for Lola's nonexistent garden and bolted.
"Ever since being a superhero, a lot of my free time has been spent fighting crime, so I don't have a lot of time for myself. Luckily I do have a few breaks, but how long before my second life catches up to me? Maybe the answer lies in an Ace Savvy comic."
Suddenly Lincoln's phone began to ring, the boy quickly answering, "You have Lincoln."
"Hey Lincoln, it's Stella," greeted his friend.
"Oh, hi Stella," Lincoln said. "Sorry I had to leave so suddenly; my sister really needed those flowers."
"That's fine, I just wanted to be sure you got home safe, I heard there was another robbery, and I got worried," Stella said.
"Oh yeah, I'm just fine, Spider-Man saved the day, as usual," Lincoln said, almost boasting, careful enough not to draw suspicion.
"You saw Spider-Man? Did you get in close?" Stella asked. "Did you check out his suit? It looked really cool, wonder what it's made of?"
"At least she likes it," Lincoln felt relieved to know. "Well...sort of. Nothing to endanger myself at least."
"Yeah, wouldn't want you getting hurt," Stella said. "I just thought if you saw him, maybe you can recognize his voice or something."
"His voice?" Lincoln said.
"Yeah, there's rumors that Spider-Man is a kid at our school, mostly due to his age," Stella said. "He can easily be from another school, but some kids have seen him swinging by our area."
"Hope they don't get suspicious," Lincoln shook off his worry. "Well it could be anyone, but as long as he's protecting us, then that's enough for me."
"Same here, but it would be cool knowing who he is," Stella said. "I know Jordan's really interested. Just to see if he is as cute as she hopes he is."
"Sounds like Jordan," Lincoln nervously agreed. "Oh, by the way, Luna's playing a gig at a Royal Woods Block Party, you should come, and invite the whole gang."
"A Block Party? Wow that sounds fun," Stella said. "I'd love to go, and so would everyone else."
"I'll text the information to all of you, hopefully everyone can make it," Lincoln said.
"I'll do my best," Stella said. "See you tomorrow Lincoln."
"See ya," Lincoln said, hanging up and getting ready to send out a group text. He had Stella, Clyde, Rusty, Liam, Zach, Mollie and Jordan ready for some texting, then remembered two other girls. "I should invite Chloe and Emma too." Lincoln got everyone ready for it and pressed the send button. "Thinking about it, since Lori's coming back this weekend, I should call and see if she can bring Ronnie Anne and Sid."
At Fairway, while Lori was working on an assignment, she saw the call that came from her brother. The girl immediately answered in a panic, "Lincoln? What's wrong? Is everything alright?"
"Huh? Everything's fine," Lincoln said.
"Oh good," Lori said. "Sorry, I just worry too easily nowadays, especially after the danger that Lana and Lily were in."
"Everything's fine here Lori, we have a superhero in town, remember?" Lincoln said.
"Oh yeah, that weird freaky spider hero," Lori said, a look of disgust on her face. "Becky, Joey and Chaz won't shut up about him, even my roommate keeps talking about him now because she overheard our conversation, super annoying."
"Lori still has a negative opinion it seems," Lincoln theorized. "Well I called because there's a Block Party on Saturday, and since you're coming by this weekend, I thought maybe you can give Ronnie Anne and Sid a ride. I'd need to ask first if they want to go though."
"That's fine, I can ask them, if they say 'yes', I'll tell them to let you know and I'll give them a ride down to Royal Woods," Lori said.
"Great," Lincoln said. "Oh, but just so you know, they seem to be big fans of Spider-Man, so-"
"Ugh, so I gotta listen to that for like three hours?" Lori lamented.
"I can ask them now to say anything, Ronnie Anne might listen, but you've seen how excitable Sid gets about things," Lincoln said.
"It's fine, I can handle it," Lori said. "Anyway, I gotta finish up some work, please be safe down there, superhero or not, I know there's been a rise in crime, and I don't want you getting hurt. Truthfully, I'm worried one day a super villain might show up too."
"You have nothing to worry about, bye Lori," Lincoln said.
"Bye Lincoln, I love you," Lori said, hanging up the phone.
"Huh? That's weird, Lori almost never says 'I love you'," Lincoln put the phone away. "Things really have changed over the last year, especially the past few weeks. Lori did bring up a good point, how long before a supervillain shows up? Would I be ready for that?" Lincoln flexed his muscles, "I think I'll be fine."
The next day at the Royal Woods Gazette, the boss Jameson was making a few phone calls, mostly business related.
"Come on, get these articles through! On the double!" Jameson ordered. He then heard a knock on his door, much to his annoyance, "What is it! It better be work related!"
"It's me, sir," Rita said, coming in with some papers. "I just wanted to know if you got word on the upcoming Block Party."
"Block party?" Jameson asked. "I don't have time to celebrate blocks!"
"Uh, no sir, a Block Party is a big party on a street in a neighborhood," Rita said. "My daughter's performing, and I think some famous bands might appear, it deserves publicity."
"You know what else deserves publicity?" Jameson asked. "Spreading the truth about Spider-Man!"
Rita groaned in annoyance, this was like clockwork with Jameson. Times like this, she really missed Jesse Hiller as her boss. "Sir, I know Spider-Man is a big deal but-"
"No buts, I will not rest until the truth is exposed!" Jameson said. "Can't have someone like that running around, sets a bad example for the kids! As a mother surely you would be worried about your kids taking influence."
"They won't, any ideas they had were squashed when I laid down the law," Rita said.
"Good parenting, unfortunately most parents are lazy bums, and while we shouldn't parent for them, we still have the power to make life less chaotic for this town," Jameson said.
"I mean, I could give out some parenting advice in my blog if you'd like, help out any parents who need a bit of guidance," Rita suggested.
"I like how you think Rita, we will protect the children from the terrible influence of Spider-Man!" Jameson said.
"Sure thing sir, whatever you say," Rita said, making her way out the room, still a bit disappointed by her boss.
That day in Royal Woods High School, Luna was sitting at the lunch table with Sam, Mazzy, Sully, Luan, Benny, Lynn and Margo, all of them taking time to catch up on their day and look forward to the future.
"Block Party is coming soon, I'm ready to rock!" Luna said.
"Think we'll be ready to go by Saturday?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, I got a list of songs to perform, and we're totally gonna pull it off," Luna said. "Especially with the legends there."
"Like Mick Swagger?" Mazzy said. "Still can't believe he's gonna be part of this."
"Smooch too, can't wait to tell Lincoln, he'll be so excited!" Luna said. "I just hope he enjoys himself, he's been looking exhausted lately."
"Lincoln has been quite busy, hasn't he?" Luan asked. "Think he's alright?"
"I hope so, I asked him what's wrong and he just said he's catching up on homework and stuff," Luna said. "Considering he's gone most of the afternoon, I'm not surprised."
"I bet he's got a secret girlfriend that he's been seeing," Mazzy said.
"Lola mentioned that there was a girl Clyde tried setting him up with, so maybe," Luna said. "Hopefully he invites her to the Block Party."
"He's inviting all of his friends, isn't he? And three of them are girls," Luan said. "This could be his chance for one of them to like him in a romantic sense."
"I've asked Lincoln about it a million times, he keeps insisting, 'They're just friends' or some crap like that," Lynn said. "He should have asked one of them out a long time ago."
"To be fair, he did ask out Stella when he first met her, she just wasn't interested," Luan said. "So he respected that and settled on being a friend."
"Which was smart of him," Luna said.
"Maybe he's better off asking out another girl, he has a really nice friendship with the girls he knows now, especially Stella, asking a friend out can be super awkward," Luan said.
"Worked for me and Sam," Luna said.
"Still, even though I like Stella, I think Lincoln should pick another girl," Luan said.
"I still say he should ask out Polly," Lynn said, earning a chuckle from her friend.
"Polly? No way, that wouldn't last," Margo insisted.
"It totally would, she's a tough girl, Lincoln needs a tough girl since Ronnie Anne's out living in Great Lakes," Lynn said.
"I don't think Lori's given up on Ronnie Anne," Luan said. "Maybe he can ask out the girl he thought gave him a love letter."
"He tried, she wasn't interested," Luna said. "Face it, aside from you and me, that love letter thing was a dead end."
"Real shame, I thought your letter was really nice," Benny said.
"Same, but I guess some things don't work out," Sam said.
"The guy I sent my letter too totally wussed out," Lynn said. "Not like I liked him anyway, I was just dehydrated."
"Yeah, sure you were," Luna teased, Lynn angrily looking away. "Anyway, I'd say Lincoln's best bet is Tabby. Things went to hell the first time, but I think he could have better luck now."
"Tabby would be super cute with Lincoln," Sam said.
"Oh yeah, she's got that rocking style, and your brother has a love for rock, given his excellent taste in Smooch," Mazzy said.
Sully shook his head in confusion, "Tabby's nice, but does it matter? Like, you talk about pairing your brother a lot, doesn't the idea get boring?" It was at that moment a stunned silence took over the table. "What? What did I say?"
"Sully my friend, never downplay the importance of the Loud Sisters and romance, especially when it comes to their brother," Benny said.
"Even Lynn here goes girl crazy over the idea," Margo teased.
"Ugh, can it Margo!" Lynn shouted, trying to hide her blush.
"I know we worry too much Sully, but Lincoln's a really great guy and we just want to be sure he finds the right girl in life," Luna said.
"Or a good girl for now, he's only thirteen, no guarantee that it'll be a life thing," Sam said.
"True, they do say first relationships don't last," Lynn said, earning a glare from her sisters.
"Can you not say that while I'm with my girlfriend?" Luna asked.
"Or my boyfriend," Luan said.
"Hey at least you two have someone, I'm still single!" Lynn said. "I was so desperate once I considered dating some kid that was nerdier than Lincoln."
"Sorry if our team made you feel that way," Margo said.
"Well I'm sorry most of your relationships didn't work out," Lynn said. "Like I said, first relationships-"
"Are you seriously gonna repeat that!?" Luna asked. "Don't jinx it for me and Luan."
"Lunes, chill, we're gonna be fine," Sam said. "I mean we're doing well despite a rocky start."
"Yeah, same with you and me Luan, I can't imagine dating another girl beside you," Benny said.
"Aw, thanks," Luan said, blushing from the compliment.
"Benny and I are going to stick by you girls for a good long time, hopefully forever," Sam said.
"I'd like that, for sure," Luna said.
"Same here" Luan said.
"Lincoln will be fine too, seems like a lot of girls like him," Sam said. "I don't blame them, he's a really cute boy, plus he's great with kids, even being a kid himself."
"I can't think of a single girl who doesn't like Lincoln," Benny said.
"Except that one," Mazzy said, gesturing to Taylor, the girl alongside Anderson and Pablo, the three of them trying to intimidate a classmate.
"Don't those losers have anything better to do than throw their weight around?" Sam said.
"They have to do something, no one takes them seriously nowadays, especially after their leader got his butt kicked by Lincoln," Lynn said.
"I still can't believe that happened," Benny said. "Not that I don't think Lincoln is tough but he seems so pacifistic."
"The 'rents were definitely surprised, especially the next day when he nearly beat up a bully at his school," Luna said. "But it's great that he's fighting back, little bro gets picked on a lot either at school or at home."
"At least at home he's picked on by people who care about him, better than these chumps," Lynn said. "Like Lori once said, only we get to mess with our brother."
"You!" Came Anderson's voice upon noticing the Loud sisters.
"And here they come," Lynn said, turning to face the three bullies.
"I know you; I know you're related to that punk Lincoln Loud," Anderson said.
"You mean the punk who whooped your ass not too long ago?" Lynn asked. "Yeah that's me, and you can thank me for that because I'm the one who toughened him up."
"Don't get cute with us, we just have a message for your puny little brother," Taylor said.
"Tell him to watch his back, because I'm ready for some payback," Anderson said, cracking his knuckles. "And it's gonna hurt."
"Go anywhere near by brother and I'll leave your head ringing," Luna warned.
"Pfft, you don't look so tough," Anderson said. "Bet I could take you."
"Go ahead and try," Sam warned, raising her sleeve.
"Go be intimidating somewhere else, if you can," Sully said.
"Yeah, you're nothing to us," Mazzy insisted.
"You three have overstayed your welcome, so kindly take a hike," Luan said.
"Or what!" Pablo said, leaning over in an attempt to intimidate the girl, though Benny was quick to stare the bully down.
"Get away from my girlfriend," the normally passive boy warned.
"In fact, all of you need to buzz off," Margo said. "How dumb are you to pick a fight with eight people when there's only three of you?"
"No wonder it took you so long to get to High School," Lynn commented.
"Why you-" Anderson was about to go for Lynn when Taylor held him back.
"Ignore her, she's just baiting you in," Taylor said. "As for you, Loud sisters. You better hope we don't find your little brother."
"The only one who better hope is you," Luna warned, eyeing the trio as they walked away.
"What a bunch of turds," Lynn said. "I almost wish that guy threw a punch, I would have broken his arm."
"Hey if that guy wants to be miserable, let him," Luna said. "Still, not too thrilled with that threat they made toward Lincoln."
"He kicked their butts once, he can do it again," Lynn said. "Well two butts he can kick, the third butt he can have to himself if Taylor ever gets interested."
"Ew, Lynn!" Luna said.
"Come on, Lincoln can be better than her!" Luan said.
"Eh, gotta make some use out of that body of hers, that girl sure ain't doing much in the head," Lynn said.
"Speaking of which," Luna turned to her band. "Any of your parents bugging you about college?"
"Mine a little, I told my mom I'd at least consider going local," Sam said.
"I'm blowing it off, such a waste of money," Mazzy said.
"I'm aiming to get a bachelor's degree," Sully said, earning some curious glances. "What, I can't have ambitions?"
"My folks want me to go, but I'm just not feeling it, I know I want to be a Rockstar, why do I need college?" Luna asked.
"There's nothing wrong with having a backup plan sis," Luan said. "You might even find something you like there."
"Of course you'd say that, you have a goal in life, Clown College," Luna said. "Which is weird because being a clown doesn't seem that hard."
"Excuse me, but being a clown is serious business," Luan said. "I doubt you could handle the amount of birthday parties I've gone to."
"Well too bad there's no Rockstar College," Luna said.
"There could be, try looking," Lynn said. "Me...I'm sticking with sports but I know the folks will want me to go. At least I can get a scholarship."
"I can't, but I still have plans of my own, like Acting, or being a Mime," Benny said.
"A mime? Come on dude, mimes are creepy," Luna said.
"It's a sophisticated art!" Benny insisted. "One Luan and I bond over."
"Lincoln makes a great mime too, he really showed it at a birthday party we performed at once," Luan said.
"Oh yeah, you did it for a bunch of emo teenagers," Benny said.
"I think one of them is in my class," Lynn said. "She mentioned Mimes and Funny Business once. Her name's Maggie I think."
"Maggie...I think that was the birthday girl's name," Luan said. "She's appeared at some mime performances that me and Benny have done, I think she's a fan."
"Gee Luan, you should probably make sure she doesn't fall in love with your boyfriend then," Sam teased.
"Actually, she seems more interested in Luan than myself," Benny said.
"Oh, well, make sure she doesn't fall in love with your girlfriend there Benny," Mazzy teased.
"Oh my, I hope that's not the case, I don't swing that way," Luan said. "No offense to Luna or Sam."
"Why would that offend us? You didn't say anything mean, you're allowed to be straight, Luan," Sam said.
"Yeah, you're right, thanks for setting that 'straight' for me Sam," Luan said, getting a laugh from herself, Benny and even a chuckle from Sam.
"You're too adorable sometimes, Luan," Sam said. "Kind of wish you were my sister."
"Eh, her jokes get old fast if you bunk with her," Luna said.
"Still, she's full of energy, I respect that in a person," Sam said.
"Well we Louds are known for our energy, raising it to the max," Luna said.
"Got that right," Lynn said. "Kicking it to the extreme."
"On another topic...anyone been keeping up with Spider-Man?" Mazzy asked.
"Oh here we go," Sully said, earning a glare from his bandmate.
"What do you mean 'Here we go'?" Mazzy asked.
"Look, I think Spider-Man's cool too, but you really need to dial back this obsession," Sully said.
"Give me a break, I like spiders, I even have one for a pet!" Mazzy said. "Spider-Man is really cool, finally a superhero that gives respect to spiders!"
"Spider-Man's all my sister Lucy talks about too, she's totally obsessed," Lynn said.
"My bro's pretty interested as well, makes sense given his love for superheroes," Luna said. "But it is nice that there's a hero in town watch out for us, especially with this sudden rise in crime."
"That is a bit suspicious," Margo said. "I mean, I don't want to sound like that Jameson guy but, Spider-Man did show up at a curious time."
"I don't blame Spider-Man, villain activity has been popping up in a lot of places," Mazzy said. "The difference for Royal Woods is that we have a superhero to protect us."
"I hear mutants have been causing trouble in other places too," Sully said. "Imagine that happens here?"
"Then Spider-Man will defeat them, I mean he seems really strong and all," Mazzy said. "If mutants in Royal Woods were that strong, wouldn't we have seen them by now?"
"According to what Lisa says, the gene can pop up between adolescence and early adulthood, so if a mutant hasn't caused trouble, it's because none of them are strong enough to," Luan said.
"Or, we're lucky that most the mutants in Royal Woods are good people who probably don't want to cause trouble," Benny said.
"Does anyone here know a mutant personally?" Sully asked.
"Haven't seen one," Luna said.
"Me neither," Luan added.
"I think I saw one the other day, out near some woods," Sam said.
"Wait, you think you saw one?" Lynn asked.
"About a week ago, I went with my brother to the park, and the little runt ran off," Sam said. "When I went to find him, I saw a young girl covered in flames. When she noticed me, she immediately began flying off. I found my brother shortly after and went home."
"Hope she's not dangerous," Luan said.
"She's probably harmless, I mean, she didn't do anything bad, right Sam?" Benny asked.
"Quite the opposite, I think she was crying," Sam said. "I wasn't sure if the flames actually hurt her, or..."
"Maybe she was ashamed," Luan said. "She might have gotten those powers recently and was worried that people would call her a 'freak'."
"People can be such jerks to other people sometimes," Luna said. "So that girl can catch fire, as long as she doesn't do anything bad then it's alright. She shouldn't have to be ashamed of herself."
"Well, with all that power, she could easily cause the destruction of the town, so I don't blame people for worrying," Lynn said.
"Lynn!" Luna scolded.
"I'm not saying she would, I'm just thinking logically here," Lynn said. "People are afraid of mutants for a reason after all."
"It's because of that fear that most mutants are ashamed of themselves, and that could lead to resentment," Luna said. "We're the ones causing the problem by not accepting them for how they are, that's a totally bogus thing to do."
"Luna's right, mutants are people too, they have feelings like us," Benny said. "And if they're anything like Spider-Man, they can do just as much good if they wanted to, we should bring out that nurturing nature to them, not treat them like a disease."
"Spot on, Benny," Luna said. "Sam, if you see that girl, maybe you can check up on her, if you're not too nervous."
"I kind of wanted to, she looked younger than me, so she's probably even more afraid," Sam said. "Actually, she looked like she was Lincoln's age, maybe he can be her friend or something. A kindhearted kid like him would make her feel normal."
"Got that right," Luna said. "If there's one thing Lincoln knows about, is being outcasted for something he can't control."
"So, this Block Party, will there be games to show off my sick sporting skills?" Lynn asked.
"Probably, just don't get overly competitive," Luan said. "Last thing you want is the town mad at you again."
"Not my fault they're sore losers," Lynn said.
Later that day at the Burpin' Burger, all of Lincoln's friends had gathered, with the boy in question just arriving. "Hey everyone, sorry I'm late."
"Lincoln, I saved you a seat, right next to me," Girl Jordan said, winking at the boy.
"Hehe, thanks Jordan," Lincoln said, blushing as he sat next to the girl bearing a flirty look on her face.
"You're late Linky, usually you're more punctual than this," Jordan said, batting her eyes while Stella looked away, feeling a bit jealous.
"Sorry, something came up," Lincoln said.
"Another something? You said that yesterday, and the day before," Rusty said. "Is there something you're hiding from us?"
"No, I'm not hiding anything, I've just been extra busy lately," Lincoln said.
"Schoolwork?" Liam asked.
"Something like that..." Lincoln said.
"Well remember, we have our own work to do for science class," Stella said. "Whatever you're busy with, just be sure you leave room for us to work together."
"Of course, I wouldn't leave you doing everything by yourself," Lincoln said. "So, what were you all talking about?"
"We were discussing plans for the weekend," Rusty said.
"Weekend plans? Oh like the big Block Party?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, like that," Clyde said. "Is Luna performing?"
"Yeah, it's gonna be songs her band made but I think she's trying to make some new stuff." Lincoln explained. "Mick Swagger is going to be there, and she wants it to be as perfect as possible."
"Your sister will do fine, she's really talented," Girl Jordan said. "What about you though? Got any musical talent?"
"He's a great singer, remember how well he did in the glee club?" Liam asked.
"Yeah, I remember," Clyde awkwardly agreed.
"I do my best," Lincoln said. "But Luna's the true musician of the family, that's her talent. Mine is...uh..."
"Comic book artist," Girl Jordan said.
"Magician," Stella said.
"A total whiz in astronomy," Zach said.
"Right, that stuff," Lincoln said. "I just gotta work on them a bit more, then decide in the end which to focus on."
"Why pick one? Go for all three," Mollie said.
"Be an Astronaut Magician who Writes Comics," Girl Jordan said, taking a moment to think that over. "Bit of a mouthful."
"You're Royal Woods' Number One Junior Magician, that's an achievement" Clyde said. "You can be multi-talented too."
"That might be something you have over your sisters, I mean don't most of them excel in only one thing?" Rusty asked.
"Not quite, Luan does comedy but she's also into theater, she's really good at acting and directing," Lincoln said. "Plus Lynn can play tons of sports from Soccer, to Basketball to Baseball, the latter Liam knows pretty well."
"Sure do," Liam said, rotating his arm. "Kind of miss being on Lynn's team full time, she's a great coach. But when there's an opening, she lets me come to her non-school games. Think she's been trying to find a loophole fer me to attend all her games as her pitcher."
"I don't see why you can't, Royal Woods Middle School should want to support the High School," Girl Jordan said.
"Though it's only a year away, not like you're in any rush," Stella said. "I think Lynn will be fine."
"A year feels like too long, the moment Lynn enters a losing streak, she's gonna flip out," Lincoln said.
"Hasn't she learned how to manage her anger?" Rusty asked.
"She tries but she is not good when it comes to managing her emotions," Lincoln said. "The same could be said about most of my sisters."
"I say the greatest talent you have is being able to put up with so many crazy sisters," Rusty said.
"They're not that crazy, most of them are just really expressive so to say," Lincoln said. "I admire that about them, even if it can drive me nuts."
"Siblings will do that sometimes," Liam said.
"Got that right," Rusty said.
"So, what's everyone wearing for the party?" Girl Jordan asked.
"I thought about wearing my Smooch getup," Lincoln said.
"Are you sure you want to?" Stella asked. "No offense Lincoln, but that look does not do you justice. Why don't you try wearing that hipster gear."
"Hipster gear?" Lincoln asked.
"Two years ago, you were trying to look and be different, so you showed up wearing clothes, and one of the first things you wore was a blue shirt with a red hat with some jeans?" Stella said. "You should try that, it looked nice on you."
"Oh, really?" Lincoln said, blushing a bit. "Thanks, that's nice of you to say. Honestly it's just some old clothes Luna used to wear when she was my age. I'm not sure if it'll fit me now though, but I can probably go shopping to finds something similar to my size."
"Wow, so Lincoln has a look that interests you, huh Stella?" Girl Jordan teased. "Want him looking nice and handsome, do you?"
Stella sheepishly turned away, "I'm just trying to look out for him, like a good friend would."
"Well, it's sweet of you," Girl Jordan said. "I might need to do a little shopping myself."
"Didn't you and Mollie already do shopping? Rusty asked.
"Well a bit more couldn't hurt," Girl Jordan said.
"Well anyway, my dad can hook me up with something cool," Rusty said. "I can probably put a good word for all of you. In fact Linc, he might have the look you're going for."
"That would be helpful," Lincoln said.
"Whoa, Lincoln Loud? That you mate?" Came a voice familiar to Lincoln.
"Tabby?" Lincoln turned to see Luna's friend, the girl making her way over to the group of kids.
"Wow, it's been a while since I've seen you," Tabby said.
"You saw me a couple months ago at one of Luna's concerts," Lincoln said.
"Well yeah, but we didn't really get to talk much," Tabby said, then took note of the farm boy. "Hey Liam, good to see ya too."
"Same here," Liam said.
"What brings you here, Tabby?" Lincoln asked.
"Aside from a burger, I was helping your sister out by trying to come up with song ideas," Tabby said. "Couldn't think much on an empty stomach so I decided to get some grub here. Running into you was a surprise."
"Yeah, we're usually at Gus's Game and Grub, but he had to close today for some cleaning," Lincoln said.
"That Thor hammer still eludes me," Rusty said.
"Well, it's great running into you, I'll leave you to your friends, I gotta get back to writing," Tabby said.
"Hey, you can join us if you want, we have room for one more," Lincoln said.
"Is there?" Rusty asked.
"These seats once fit me and all of my sisters, I think it can handle a ninth kid," Lincoln said. "Just try scooching over."
Lincoln moved right while Girl Jordan followed suit, same with Mollie, then Stella, then Liam, then Rusty, then Zach, then Clyde, who fell out by mistake.
"Whoa, you alright Clyde?" Tabby said, helping the boy up.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Clyde said.
"Ha! Nice fall McBride!" Came the unpleasant voice of Chandler, the boy having just came into the restaurant.
"Crap, why is he here?" Girl Jordan asked.
"Don't mind me losers, I'm here to grab and go," Chandler said. "Though, I suppose I could let the girls keep me company, especially you Stella."
"Get lost," Stella said.
"You'll come to your senses eventually, I'm more of a man than after all," Chandler said, suddenly slipping on a piece of hamburger wrapper.
"A clumsy man," Liam said, earning a round of laughter from his friends, much to Chandler's annoyance.
"I know that kid, doesn't he throw parties in the sewer?" Tabby asked.
"They're surprisingly popular," Rusty said.
"Hey that guy stole my bike!" came a voice from outside. The kids all looked out to see a random bike thief making his getaway.
"This used to be such a nice town," Liam said.
"Back to work..." Lincoln lamented as he quickly backed away, leaving his friends behind while they were distracted.
"Maybe we should go home, it might not be safe," Stella said, looking around and noticing the sole missing friend. "Where's Lincoln?"
"I saw him bailing, probably got scared over a little biker thief," Chandler mocked.
"Wouldn't you be worried knowing there's crime rising?" Clyde asked.
"Pfft, I'm not worried, especially with my main man, Spider-Man taking care of things," Chandler said.
"You like Spider-Man!?" Girl Jordan asked.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Chandler said.
"Because he's a hero and you're an asshole," Girl Jordan said, earning some cheer from her friends.
"You know what, I don't have to put up with you losers, I'm going to see Spider-Man go to work," Chandler said, making his exit.
"What a scumbag," Tabby said. "Seriously, where did Lincoln go?"
"He seems to slip away a lot, claiming to be busy with something," Zach said.
"Think he's, you know, off getting high somewhere?" Rusty asked, much to the annoyance of the others.
"Rusty, why would you even suggest that!?" Stella shouted. "Lincoln is not that type of guy."
"Hey it's just a thought, he does seem rather nervous and he's way too sneaky," Rusty said.
"Still a bold conclusion to jump to," Liam said. "But I am a bit worried, don't want him out there and potentially getting hurt."
"I'll call him," Stella said, immediately dialing his number.
Elsewhere, Lincoln had quickly changed into his Spider-Man gear, hearing his phone ringing and seeing that it's Stella. "I hate to ignore this but I gotta stay focused."
He sped through the town, hoping to find the bicycle thief, swinging around the buildings and keeping an eye, or his sense, out for danger.
"Spider-Man! The thief went that way!" a citizen said.
"Thanks for the tip!" Lincoln said, thwipping away to find the bike thief. He finally locates him near an old warehouse and lands down to stop him in his path. "Halt!"
"Halt?" the thief said.
"Uh, yeah I guess that was a weird way to...Hey don't distract me with my own cringe!" Lincoln webbed the guy in the face and jumped in to punch him out, leaving him out could. "Jerk."
This was indeed frustrating for Lincoln, while he did want to be a superhero, one thing he forgot to consider was the normal life/hero balance. With the sudden rise in crime within Royal Woods, that certainly did not make things any easier.
Lincoln figured to take the bike back to whoever it got stolen from, then saw a group of suspicious men heading into the nearby warehouse. Lincoln remembered that the last time he ignored that suspicion, his sisters had been kidnapped, and his mentor had died, he could not take another chance.
He left the bike aside, with a note that said, 'Is this your bike? If not, don't steal. Spider-Man'. He then followed the men into the warehouse.
The young boy peeked inside and saw that there seemed to be a type of meet-up between this suspicious group and an unknown guy. The group in question were men in suits, a guy in a pink suit and derby hat, a guy with a green suit, a rope and a cowboy hat, a guy with a blue jacket and jeans, a man in a tight black suit and a large muscular guy with a yellow shirt, khakis and a black vest.
"You got the stuff?" the guy in pink said.
"Sure do," a man in a suit said. "The Sound Vibrators you need for that concert of yours."
"Excellent," the first guy said. "The boss is gonna like this."
"Wait, is this for a concert? Why are they doing such a shady deal in an old warehouse? Something's gotta be up." Lincoln kept a close eye on this group.
"This is the finest material my friend, came all the way from New York too, so it's gonna cost you a pretty penny," the pink suit guy said.
"Always the tough businessman, aren't you Fancy Dan?" the guy said, revealing to be a Shockers band member.
"It's how we Enforcers make the money," Dan said. "By any means."
"So, they're from New York, that explains the Brooklyn accent," Lincoln got in close, careful not to get their attention.
"So, New York, you must have seen The Avengers a few times," The band member asked.
"Yeah, I try not to mingle with them too much," Dan said. "Especially since Ox here don't like The Hulk much."
"I still say I can take him," the big muscular guy said. "Don't you think so Hammer?"
Hammer Harrison merely shrugged it off, "If you believe in yourself that much."
"Let's not dally, Dan get the deal going," the cowboy guy said.
"Oh sure thing Montana, it won't be long," Dan said, focusing back on Jackson. "So, what'll it be?"
"On one hand, this seems really shady, but if they're just selling stuff for music, can I really do much about this?" Lincoln wondered.
"Anything for the boss to do what he has to do for our band, and help him get revenge," The Band member said.
"Revenge!?" Lincoln quickly snuck around, to which the last guy, Snake Martson, began to get a funny feeling.
"Oh right, you want revenge on that Rockstar," Dan said. "What, did he not pay you enough?"
"It's not me, it's the boss. He used to be one of Micky's guitarists, he had real great talent too, could have been a big star," the band member said. "But the old bastard let him go for no reason, probably out of jealousy. He didn't want to get upstaged by one of his 'extras'. What a jerk, get that old man out of the way and let the new blood take the top spot. Soon we're gonna be rolling in the riches, and the fame that comes with it, and that washed up old man can be a thing of the past."
"Not on my watch!" Lincoln said, jumping in and getting everyone's attention.
"Who the hell's this?" Dan asked.
"Your worst nightmare pal!" Lincoln declared, striking a pose. "For I am Royal Woods' fastest rising hero!"
"Uh..." Dan scratched his head in confusion. "What's this little girl doing here?"
Lincoln's eyes widened under his mask, glaring daggers at Fancy Dan, "I'm a boy! Come on, I went through puberty, my voice should be deep enough!"
"Hey partner, who's this?" Montana asked.
"I think I've heard of this kid, calls himself Spider-Man," the band member said.
"That's right, I am the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and I want you criminal scum out of my fair city!" Lincoln said.
This did very little to intimidate anyone, if anything they just felt some secondhand embarrassment for the boy.
"Go home son, this ain't no place for kids," Montana said.
"Hey, I'll have you know I'm the real deal!" Lincoln said.
"He might be right," the band member said. "This kid's been busting crime all over town, he even rescued a bunch of kidnapped children from a gang who intended to, 'start a business' with them. Kind of weird but some people gotta make money somehow."
"Point is, this kid needs to hit the road," Dan said. "Now, I'm a reasonable man, so I'm gonna let you make the right call here kid, turn around, leave, and we'll pretend like this never happened."
"No way, last time I did nothing when I saw punks like you, something terrible happened," Lincoln got into stance. "I'm not letting this happen again."
"Suit yourself," Dan said, then turned to Ox. "Escort this kid out."
"Gonna mess you up good kid," Ox said, cracking his knuckles.
"Just try," Lincoln taunted.
Ox threw down a punch but Lincoln was able to dodge, running in for a couple of punches, briefly stunning the big man.
"Little punk!" Ox whacked Lincoln away, knocking him against a wall. At this point, Hammer equipped himself with some armor on his hands rushed in for a punch of his own that Lincoln dodged, though barely.
"Hold still!" Hammer threw some more punches that Lincoln continuously dodged, trying to find the proper opening.
"He's not just throwing punches at random, he's actually using boxing techniques," Lincoln managed to find an opening and judo flip the gangster. Suddenly he found himself bound up by Montana's lasso, though between his strength and experience involving lassos, thanks to Lana, Lincoln was able to break free. "Gonna had to do better than that!"
"Oh we can," Montana turned to his teammate in black. "Get him Snake!"
Snake Martson began slithering across the ground toward Lincoln, freaking him out. "That doesn't look natural!" He immediately leapt to the roof of the warehouse. "Very ironic of me to say."
"Take this!" Ox threw a barrel at Lincoln, the boy falling off the roof. Snake had tried attacking from behind but Lincoln managed to dodge, then quickly dodged out of the way from one of Hammer's punches.
"This is too much," Lincoln said, trying to keep an eye on everyone at once. His spider sense was almost useless since he had trouble managing it, the sense seemed to be on all at once. Eventually he took a kick to the head, courtesy of Fancy Dan.
"We warned you kid," Dan said.
Lincoln stood back up, going for a punch but Dan side-stepped and hit a roundhouse kick to the hero's back, leaving him open enough for a punch from Hammer to briefly faze him, then a kick from Ox to knock him against a wall.
"Guess all that tough talk was just that, mere talk," Montana taunted. "This ain't a kiddie pool boy, you're swimming with sharks, and you ain't got no cage."
Lincoln stumbled back to The Enforcers, "I'm not done yet."
"Can't tell if you're brave or just plain stupid," Dan said.
Lincoln was about to go for Dan when Montana grabbed a vibration machine and blasted it in his direction, the sound hurting Lincoln's ears, "What in the world!?"
Fancy Dan took the advantage ran in with a knee attack to Lincoln, Montana then lassoing him again and pulling him in for Hammer to get a few punches, a kick from Snake and a huge blow from Ox, knocking Lincoln through some machines.
"I...don't think I can win this...I gotta find a way out," Lincoln pulled himself out, still bruised from the attack and noticed The Enforcers menacingly approaching, ready to finish the job. Lincoln immediately webbed a nearby barrel and flung it at them, Ox punching it but the dust from the barrel did briefly blind them, allowing Lincoln a chance to escape by thwipping to a nearby window.
Once the dust cleared, Ox took a look around, "Where'd the brat go!?"
"Damn, he got away," Montana said.
"That kid better not rat me out," Jackson said.
"He never got your name, plus I don't think he understands the full story," Dan said. "But, I would keep an eye out just in case."
"Yeah, it'll be fine, the boss had a contingency plan for this type of stuff," Jackson said. "He knew Spider-Man could be trouble, but with these vibrators, I don't think we have anything to worry about."
"Those stupid things are a pain in the ear," Ox said, picking his right ear.
"You can bet Mick Swagger's gonna feel the same, if not worse," Jackson said. "Won't be long before The Shockers take their spot as the top band in the world."
"Good luck to you, now about the payment," Dan said.
In the distance, Lincoln had finally put some distance between himself and The Enforcers, the boy mentally berating himself, "I can't believe I let those guys get the better of me! Ace makes it look so easy, especially against thugs like that. He takes them out like it's nothing, but...Ace is just a comic book character, and things aren't as easy as they are in comics." He checked his phone, it was nearly dinner time, "I gotta hurry home."
After switching back into his civilian gear, Lincoln had thwipped his way home, making his way inside and hoping no one would take too much notice of his entry.
"There you are!" Came Leni's voice, this startling Lincoln.
"Oh, hi Leni," Lincoln greeted. "What's up?"
"That's what I want to know," Leni said. "I got a call from Stella earlier, she said you left Burpin' Burger abruptly, right around the time a guy's bike got stolen. Lincoln, you need to be careful when these things happen."
"It's fine, I heard Spider-Man got the bike back," Lincoln said.
"Ugh, don't even talk to me about that creep, I don't trust him to keep you safe," Leni said. "Lincoln, you really had me worried, and you had Stella worried too, that's not ok!"
Lincoln winced a bit, Leni usually never got angry, let alone at him, but he also knew she was just really worried, "Sorry Leni, you know I wouldn't do anything to intentionally worry you, or anyone else."
"I know you wouldn't, but...I just need you to be careful," Leni said, gently stroking Lincoln's head. "I was so scared when Lana and Lily got taken, I don't want that happening top you next. I don't want anything bad happening to my baby brother."
"I'll be fine Leni, I'm the man with a plan, if I find myself in trouble, I'll get myself out of it," Lincoln said. He suddenly found himself embraced by Leni in a warm hug.
"You're one brave boy, Linky, that much even I know," Leni said. "But, I'm not that brave, which is why I need you to promise you'll be safe, because I don't want my fear of losing you or any of our sisters to come true."
Times like these, Lincoln wishes he could just tell his sisters he has powers, so they'd be less worried. But, if there's one thing he learned from comics, anyone who knows his identity is in danger, plus he was afraid of how Leni would react if he was the hero she despised so much.
"I'll do my best, Leni," Lincoln said, returning his sister's hug. Suddenly his stomach began rumbling, making him feel awkward.
"Ooh, that was a big one," Leni said. "You must be hungry, luckily dad made macaroni bites."
"Oh sweet, that's my favorite!" Lincoln said.
"Hurry, the sisters are almost downstairs," Leni said, taking Lincoln into the kitchen with her.
One by one, the sisters began coming downstairs, Luna joined by Luan, the two talking about upcoming gigs in music and comedy. Lisa was joined by Lily, the former checking over her Spider-Man trapping notes while the latter side eyed her sister for wanting to catch a superhero. Then came Lynn and Lucy, the former telling the latter about the mutant encounter Sam saw, and wondering Lucy's had similar encounters, which she denied.
Finally were the twins, Lana and Lola. The pageant girl came down as normal but seemed annoyed by her sister yammering on the phone.
"Yeah, he's still swinging around Royal Woods," Lana said. "I heard he stopped a bike thief earlier, then he just disappeared."
"That's so cool!" Came the voice of Adelaide, the girl calling her friend all the way from Great Lakes. "Have you seen him in person since he saved you?"
"No, not yet, hope I do," Lana said. "He's super cool, I know he was dorky at first but I really like him now, plus he actually looks like a hero with that new and improved suit, it looks amazing. He's got a good heart and I really do want to thank him properly for saving me."
"No one knows who he is either, right?" Adelaide asked. "Like, does anyone know if he's a mutant? Or an alien? Or some type of government experiment?"
"You get all this from Carl?" Lana asked, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, waiting a bit before going in the kitchen, unlike Lola who just went inside.
"I hear some things from Carl, mainly since he won't shut up about it. But my sister has her own ideas on what Spider-Man is," Lana said. "She thinks he could be an android, or at least a cyborg."
"That'd totally be neat," Lana said.
"Lana! It's dinner time!" Lynn Sr called.
"Oh, that's my pops, I'll call you later Addy," Lana said.
"You got it Lana," Adelaide said, the two girls hanging up.
"Don't tell me I have to constantly listen to you two gawking it up about Spider-Man," Lola said.
"Hey, she gets curious," Lana said. "She lives out in the city where there aren't any superheroes, and she thinks Spider-Man's cool. At least she appreciates the hero who rescued me, unlike you."
"Hey I respect that he saved you but I still have my doubts about him," Lola said.
"Alright, that's enough girls, no more Spider-Man talk," Rita said. "Somehow just mentioning him raises so much tension and drama."
"Let's focus on the Block Party," Lincoln suggested.
"Oh yeah...think Spider-Man will be there?" Lana asked, earning an annoyed glare from Lincoln, her parents and her sisters.
"What did I just say?" Rita said.
"Well you can't blame me, he's the talk of the town, everyone with common sense loves Spider-Man," Lana said.
"Excuse me!?" Lynn said.
"Rude much?" Leni said.
"Wow Lana, if you like Spider-Man so much, then why don't you marry him?" Lola teased.
"Maybe I will," Lana said, causing Lincoln to gag. "I bet he's single, he can even turn me into a spider and we can patrol together."
"How would he turn you into a spider?" Lola asked.
"Uh, I don't know, maybe he could bite me or something?" Lana said.
"I could what now!?" Lincoln had to be careful not to react too suspiciously, but this was very strange for him,
"There's no way I'm sharing a room with you if you turn into a spider," Lola said. "Also, you can't date Spider-Man."
"Y-yeah, Lola's right," Lincoln said. "He's clearly a teenager, you should crush on someone your age Lana."
"Besides, if anyone's getting together with Spider-Man, it's me," Lucy said, Lincoln's face turning pale.
"Oh man, if only Lana and Lucy knew," Lincoln shuddered away any impure thoughts involving either of his sisters. "Uh, Luna, how's your song writing going?"
"Well, I did come up with one that sounds really cool, but I'll wait until the show to play it," Luna said. "Oh, by the way bro, I heard Smooch is gonna be there, you got your wish."
"Oh sweet, I just gotta wear something cool," Lincoln said.
"What about your Smooch gear?" Luna asked.
"I was going to, but Stella told me it looked weird, she said it doesn't suit my style," Lincoln said.
"I think you work it just fine, but maybe Stella's not too far off in saying you can look better," Luna said.
"She did like how I looked when wearing an old shirt of yours," Lincoln said.
"You mean that blue one? Oh yeah, good memories," Luna said. "I'm with Stella, you pulled that look off pretty well."
"And if she likes it, go for it," Lynn said. "Make her fall for you."
"Lynn, come on..." Lincoln said. "I just want to go and have fun."
"It will be fun bro, don't worry about hooking up, just enjoy the show," Luna said.
It was then that Luna remembered something Sam said, about the mysterious mutant girl who seemed to have fire abilities. She wanted to talk to Lincoln about it, but she'd need to find the right time and place, the moment she even mentions a girl, her sisters would not stop bugging her or Lincoln about it. She had to play it cool.
That night at another seemingly abandoned warehouse, the Shockers leader Herman Shultz was mapping out his plan, and working on the gear that Jackson got for him earlier.
"Yeah, this should work nicely, now to test it out," Herman said, aiming his new gauntlet at a practice dummy and blasting it. "Incredible! One step closer to my revenge." As he sat back down, he saw a picture at the corner of his desk, from an article about the local superhero. "Spider-Man, heard you tried putting a halt on my plans. Just try showing your face this weekend, the results will be Shocking!"
He continued to work hard on his project, ready to show the world the power and intelligence he had to offer.