It was a good day for swinging in Lincoln's new suit. The teen boy swung through Royal Woods feeling good as new. He felt like he leveled up in a video game and got better skills for himself.
"This suit feels so much nicer than before, really aerodynamic," Lincoln said, swinging from is webs. "I'm also leaving behind less of a mess with my webs, that should reduce some complains, at least that Jameson guy can't say I'm polluting or something."
Lincoln took high to the air and began to glide with his new web wings, feeling a flying sensation that filled him with excitement.
"I feel like a brand new hero! There probably isn't anything I can't do!" Lincoln said, landing on a nearby roof, away from anyone in the general area. "Stella really outdid herself. With this talent, she's going to do well at Stark Industries, just like Principal Ramirez said. That is, if she gets the chance to work there at least. I hope things work out for her in that department."
"Spider-Man!" Called Lori's friend Dana. "There's a robbery down the street!"
"I'm on it!" Lincoln said, swinging off. "It's hero time!"
Hours went by, Lincoln's schedule notably less busy. The more he stopped the bad guys, the less they started coming out, for the time being at least. There was plenty for him to do but at least this meant he was keeping the town safe.
"Weird, no sign of that bird guy," Lincoln said, munching on a churro that he was given. "Did he give up already? Eh, sounds way too good to be true, but still, it'd be great if he did. My mere presence is probably going to scare away all the bad guys, I'd be top tier."
There was more concern from the boy, he just couldn't dismiss the situation that easily. Despite how simple it was.
"Even if he left town though, what if he goes somewhere else to cause trouble?" Lincoln began to worry. "What if he goes to Great Lakes? Sid and Ronnie Anne might be in danger. Wish I could patrol there but even with my speed, it would take me a while reach Great Lakes. I hope they'll be safe."
After checking his phone, he could see a missed call from Emma, seemed his girlfriend was hoping to catch his attention once again.
"Oh yeah, she said she wanted to see a movie, not sure what's playing now," Lincoln began to theorize. "Maybe I can rent an old David Steele movie or something. I think she'd like that."
Meanwhile at Sunset Canyon, Stella was seen making her way to the front doors of the complex with a bag of cookies she planned to share.
As she neared it, she heard a familiar voice, "Stella!"
"Huh?" She then took note of Albert swinging a golfclub nearby, no ball. "Oh, hello Sir!"
"You can call me 'Albert' dear," the old man said. "Or Pop-Pop if you'd like."
"Alright, Pop-Pop," Stella said. "Are you a golfer?"
"I try out different sports, keeps me in shape," Albert said. "I mean, where do you think Lynn got her athleticism from?"
"Makes sense," Stella said.
"So, here to see your grandma then?" Albert asked.
"I made her some cookies," Stella said. "Would you like to try one?"
"I'm good thanks, Myrtle wants me to watch my sugar intake, though I do worry that she's overreacting to my health concerns," Albert said.
"She just wants you to be healthy, so she can enjoy your company as long as she can," Stella said. "That's really sweet of her."
"She's a great lady, made one lousy first impression on the grandkids though," Albert said.
"Really? Why? She seems nice," Stella said.
"She was a little...too nice. I mean, it's something I love about her, but I know to others, it can be overbearing," Albert said. "The kids lightened up eventually, once we found a compromise."
"I can understand that 'too nice' and 'overbearing' thing," Stella said. "My grandma means well but she can talk without thinking."
"It happens," Albert said. "Sorry you had to go through that, my daughter Rita went through similar troubles when she was your age."
"Lincoln's mom developed young?" Stella asked.
"Oh yeah, seems she passed it on to some of my grandkids," Albert said. "I always warned Lynn Sr to keep an eye on the boys the way I had to when it came to my daughter, no doubt they have their hormones in a bunch. I tell you this, any guy who eyed my little Rita the wrong way would be at the receiving end of my fist."
"Mrs. Loud is lucky, my dad would do that, but he's kind of on the scrawny side," Stella said. "Though he takes Yoga so hopefully that helps."
"Well all jokes aside, hopefully it doesn't come to that," Albert said, then knelt down to the girl. "Listen if any boy starts oogling you just ignore him. If it gets really bothersome, tell an adult. I'll tell you something I told Rita. Your body doesn't define you, your mind and actions do. Just keep being yourself kid."
"Thank you, Pop-Pop," Stella said. "You're such a nice guy, it's no wonder Lincoln looks up to you, same with your granddaughters."
"I do what I can," Pop-Pop said, standing up. "Life may be tough, but it builds character. You're gonna need it if you want to pursue working at Stark Industries. Very impressive goal by the way."
"It's a dream of mine, Stark Industries is way at the top when it comes to tech, plus it'd give me a chance to really put my skills to use," Stella said. "I've been disassembling and reassembling tech my whole life, it's just so fascinating to me, like one big puzzle."
"Lincoln says you have a natural talent for that type of thing," Albert said.
"It's alright, I still need work though," Stella said, sheepishly rubbing her head.
"Always keep working to be the best, never rest on your laurels," Albert said. "Even Tony Stark continues to invent, just like his old man."
"You've met his dad, have you met Tony himself?" Stella asked.
"I've seen him once or twice in my life, I've never really spoken with him," Albert said. "After his dad died, he just distanced himself for a bit and focused entirely on being an inventor."
"That must have been hard for him, I can't imagine losing a parent," Stella said.
"It's not pleasant, I know how hard it was on Rita when her mother passed, and while I love Myrtle dearly, I too feel that sting," Albert said. "You never forget your first love."
"...Question, how do you know when you're in love?" Stella asked.
"Eh, hard to describe, it's like when you have that terrible pain in your chest, like you really want to be with the person you have feelings for and it pains you to be apart from that person," Albert said.
"Is that how you felt with Myrtle? Or your old wife?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, both times," Albert said. "Why, are you feeling that way?"
"I...really don't know, maybe it's my imagination, but..." Stella shook her head. "Forget it, it's nothing."
"I can tell something's bothering her, but it might not be my place to say it at the moment," Albert thought to himself. "Still, she's a really nice girl. Shame she and Lincoln aren't together, I know he has a girlfriend, and she seems really nice too, but this Stella girl just has that personality to her. Strong sense of desire, but in need of good moral support, something Lincoln's good at. Eh, guess he can make it work from the Friend Zone too, but I just can't help but feel like Lincoln would be perfect for her, then again I'm a bit biased."
"By the way, how are the seniors doing? Especially after that big scare last weekend," Stella said, snapping Albert out of his thoughts.
"They're fine, we wouldn't be vets if we weren't tough as nails," Albert said. "Good on that Spider-Man guy for showing up."
"I'm just worried, there's been no sign of that bird man," Stella said. "Why was he so angry at the vets anyway?"
"Not a clue, I mean for all we know, he's just an old Hydra agent with a grudge," Albert theorized. "Hopefully we can figure it out soon, once Spider-Man catches him."
"Also, how's your friend Adrian? I'm surprised he wasn't at the veteran gathering," Stella said.
"He mentioned back problems, and couldn't move," Albert said. "But I get the feeling he just wasn't comfortable being there. He just quit so suddenly, shame too, he was a very intelligent guy, an engineer just like Tony Stark. I think he wanted to take flying to the next level."
"I'd love to pick his brain some more," Stella said, then noticed the man in question coming around the back. "Oh, I see him now."
"Huh?" Albert turned to Adrian, the man quickly scurrying off somewhere. "Now where could he be off to?"
"Is that a Pilot's Uniform he's wearing too?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, seems like it," Albert said, suspiciously rubbing his chin. "I'm gonna go check it out, why don't you-"
"Wait, I want to see if I can talk to him first," Stella said, running ahead.
"Stella, wait!" Albert said, grumbling to himself as he followed her. "Kids can be so excitable."
The young girl pursued the old pilot, hoping to catch up with him and see if she can talk to him some more. However to her surprise as she got closer, he activated something, his wings flying in on a remote control device as they latched onto him out while he placed a helmet on.
Stella quickly backed up to the point where she tripped and fell, the girl in shock at what she was seeing. The villain she saw the previous weekend was standing right near her, that villain being none other than Albert's friend Adrian.
"Maybe it's a coincidence? Maybe he just used his skills to build the suit because he thought it was fascinating?" Stella quickly scurried behind a bush, hoping this was not as bad as she thought.
Adrian quickly turned around to make sure no one was nearby, Stella remaining hidden to avoid detection from the older pilot. Once he felt he was in the clear, he began focusing on what was next. "The next gathering of old veterans is soon, my revenge is upon me, and no one, not even that Spider boy will stop me," Adrian said, taking off into the air.
"Ho...ly...smokes!" Stella could not believe her eyes, and she wasn't alone.
Albert spotted this from his hiding spot as well, the older man at a loss for words, "Adrian...don't tell me."
"Pop-Pop!" Stella said, the older man seeing the girl hiding.
"Stella!" He checked on the young girl, "You're not hurt, are you kid?"
"I'm fine, but...what just happened?" Stella asked. "Why was Mr. Toomes wearing that!?"
"I might know...but dang it Adrian, how could you stop so low!?" Albert said. "I gotta go warn someone."
"I'll go with you!" Stella said.
"No Stella, it's dangerous! You stay here with your grandmother, call your parents to pick you up but do NOT go out there alone!" Albert warned. "I'm going to call the cops, and with luck give Spider-Man a warning."
Albert dashed off, leaving Stella behind, the girl very much confused, "Something just doesn't add up here. I can't just sit around, I have to figure this out."
A bit later, Lincoln had just brought a cat down from a tree for the young Pam Fox, the girl super happy for this moment.
"Thanks Spidey, my cat just keeps running away from me for some reason," Pam said.
"That's strange, can you think of a reason why?" Lincoln said. "Though if I know this girl, she's probably scaring it off herself by her and her brothers' antics."
"Can't think of a reason," Pam said. "So...when are you taking me on that date?"
"Uh, listen, you seem like a nice girl..." Lincoln began, wondering where to go with this.
"Yeah, and?" Pam asked, her interest piquing.
Lincoln had to figure out how to word this and not potentially upset this girl, especially given her bad temper and her eratic behavior.
Suddenly his sense went off, the boy sensing danger nearby, "There's trouble somewhere, gotta swing!"
Pam huffed in annoyance as Lincoln made his exit, "You'll be mine soon enough, Spidey."
The boy perched on a nearby roof, relieved that he managed to avoid Pam for the time being, "Least I managed to come up with a decent excuse, hope she bought it. Of course this is real danger coming up ahead."
He looked around for what could have set it off, then saw Adrian flying overhead, surprising Lincoln.
"It's that bird guy! So he's still in town huh?" Lincoln began to give chase. "Not for long! You're going down!"
It was another gathering of veterans, which was once again hosted by Girl Jordan's family, the girl wondering why she had to sit through another event.
"Daddy, seriously, why am I here? I could be hanging out with my friends, plus last time I was around, my life was endangered by some creep in a bird suit," Jordan lamented.
"Don't worry dear, I hired some security guards to keep us safe, plus it's important for our whole family to be part of this, it makes us all look good," her dad said.
"Wow, talk about shallow," Girl Jordan said. "Bet you don't even care about these guys risking their lives and junk."
"Dear, don't talk like that to your father," her mother said. "Come on, smiles now."
Jordan rolled her eyes, doing her best to smile for the crowd.
"Thank you Royal Woods for once again gathering to pay respects to our fine veterans, who's actions have kept our nation safe from those who wish to topple us," Mayor Davis said. "We also thank you for your bravery in coming after the last unfortunate situation regarding that troublesome bird person."
"Did Spider-Man catch him!?" asked Mandee.
"Uh, not to my knowledge," Davis said.
"Well what about the police?" asked Mrs. Johnson.
"They haven't said anything either, but I'm sure everything will work out," Mayor Davis said. "At least I really hope so."
Nearby was the news team, "This is Katherine Mulligan, reporting live from downtown where once again, veterans are being honored. There does seem to be quite a worry among the crowd, regarding an appearance from the bird creatures from last week, as no report has been made of his capture."
This of course was being broadcast to many places, such as The Loud House, Sunset Canyon, The Royal Woods Gazette, even within Stark Industries as Mayor Davis continued to be pestered about Adrian.
Lincoln continued to follow Adrian from the distance, hoping to catch up soon. Suddenly he got a phone call, the quickly answering. "Yeah?"
"Lincoln, it's Stella!" the girl said, currently on her bike and riding into town.
"Stella? Can this wait? I'm tracking down that bird guy!" Lincoln said.
"I know who he is though!" Stella said, surprising Lincoln as he came to a stop.
"Huh? How?" Lincoln asked.
"I saw him changing into his gear," Stella said. "Lincoln, that bird guy, he's your grandfather's Airforce friend. Adrian Toomes."
"Adrian!?" Lincoln asked. "Wait, he's that bird guy!? Are you sure about that!?"
"Your grandfather can confirm that, he saw him changing too," Stella said. "It seems like he still wants revenge against the veterans."
"But why? Isn't he a veteran too!?" Lincoln asked.
"Pop-Pop seemed confused as well, but he did mention that Adrian may have some beef with his old army buddies," Stella said. "Something must have happened to make him turn out like this. You gotta put a stop to him before anyone gets hurt.
"I will, catch you later," Lincoln said, continuing his pursuit. "I think I know where he's heading then."
Stella put her phone away too, riding faster into town, "I know Pop-Pop wanted me to go home but I have to see this for myself."
Meanwhile Mayor Davis had just about enough of the questioning she was getting.
"Look, I know everyone's worried about the recent villain uprising, between that Shocker fellow a couple of weeks back, and now this new bird man, but I assure you that we are taking a lot of extra precaution this time around," Mayor Davis reassured.
"That so, Miss Mayor?" Came Adrian's voice, the villain flying overhead. "Yes, it looks like you might have things well in hand, at least for now."
"Whoa!" Luna said from her couch, watching alongside her sisters, aside from Lola and Lisa. "That bird guy's back!"
"Yeah, looks like there's danger in the air..." Luan chuckled to herself. "Get it?"
"Are you serious right now?" Luna said.
Lily eagerly watched in anticipation, "I hope Spider-Man comes soon."
A cop at the event got ready for action, "It's the bird man!" he then grabbed his gun. "Everyone, ready your aim!"
Within seconds, Adrian sent several mechanical feathers at the guns, knocking them off the hands of the cops. "Too slow."
"I freaking knew this would happen," Girl Jordan said, getting off the stage. "I am not risking my life over this."
Suddenly she was lifted off the ground by Adrian, "Going somewhere dearie?"
"HEY! Let me go!" Girl Jordan struggled, trying to break free of the villain.
"Jordan!" Her mother shouted in worry.
"Release my daughter, this instant!" her father said.
"In a bit, perhaps," Adrian said. "After all, you two have soured your graces with me as well. Holding these ceremonies for a bunch of puppets."
"Puppets!?" Mayor Davis said. "Sir, these fine men and women have risked their lives for others! How could you say such a thing!?"
"Because I know just how secretive and manipulative the Government can be!" Adrian said. "You think you're safe because they have S.H.I.E.L.D. and all these other programs, including The Avengers. Meanwhile that same group are thieves themselves, using stolen tech for one of their little stooges! Your so-called heroes are a bunch of frauds, whose sole purpose is to feign care to the world while they keep you all under their control!"
"Hey bird brain, I don't know what your deal is but leave me the hell out of this!" Girl Jordan shouted.
"Such sass from a girl so young, back in my day, kids knew how to show respect," Adrian said, preparing to ascend higher. "I'll teach it to you myself then."
"How exactly?" Jordan worriedly asked, that worry increasing the moment Adrian started taking flight. "Hey! Come on, this isn't funny!"
"Jordan!" her parents shouted.
Just then a gob of web hit Adrian in the face, forcing him to let go of Jordan, the girl falling from the air, startling the entire crowd as she began to panic. Fortunately Lincoln swung in and safely caught her, the girl getting the breath knocked out of her in the process. Though she didn't mind too much, especially since she found herself in the strong arms of a superhero.
Lincoln landed on a nearby roof, letting Jordan down, "Hey, are you feeling alright? You're not hurt, are you?"
"The catch was a bit rough but I'm fine, thanks," Girl Jordan said, blushing a bit from being around this hero. "He has such a caring vibe to him, plus he's got nice muscle."
"Spider-Man! So you decided to come back for more, did you!?" Adrian shouted. "Time to put you down for good!"
"I don't think so!" Lincoln leapt in to kick Adrian back, then latched on with his webs and flung him a few miles away from the gathering with Lincoln giving chase through his gliders.
"Quick, follow after them!" Katherine ordered, sending her news team to find the showdown between the hero and the villain.
Nearby Girl Jordan just stood around in confusion, "Uh, wait, I'm still stuck on the roof though!" Sighing, she grabbed her cellphone and made a call. "Daddy, I'm stuck on a roof, call the Fire Department or something and get me down from here!"
Meanwhile Lincoln continued to give chase to Adrian, knocking him on top of another roof, the older man looking frustrated. "You pest!"
"Why are you even attacking veterans anyway? Especially considering your own veteran status," Lincoln said.
Adrian's eyes widened in surprise, "How did you know?"
"I know who you are, you're a former member of the United States Airforce!" Lincoln said. "Adrian Toomes!"
Adrian couldn't believe his ears, somehow this hero found out his true identity, he's much more clever than he gave him credit for. "So, you've figured me out have you?" Adrian flew back up. "Well then, you should know that I do go by one other name. You may call me, The Vulture!"
"Right, that was his old call sign," Lincoln recalled. "Well whatever you want to call yourself, it doesn't matter, I'm bringing you down here and now!"
"I beat you once before Spider-Man," Adrian said. "Time to beat you again."
"Not gonna happen Vulture!" Lincoln said, leaping into battle.
Adrian tried to swipe at Lincoln but the boy maneuvered out of the way and webbed Adrian in the face, rebounding off another roof and shoulder ramming him, nearly knocking him out of the sky.
"Little brat!" Adrian said as Lincoln landed on another roof. He flew in to attack again but Lincoln sidestepped and leapt in with a kick to send Adrian flying backwards.
"Brat's fast, but he's nothing against me in the air!" Adrian tried flying upwards, but Lincoln had latched onto him with his webbing. "Big mistake kid!"
Adrian took to the air, hoping to use the high altitude to his advantage yet again. However, as he flew up, he noticed that Lincoln had not let go, confusing the old villain as last time he started to lose his grip.
"Just gotta hold out longer then," Adrian flew higher, however Lincoln had webbed his face, disrupting his flight pattern as Adrian began to swerve a bit with Lincoln latching on again and flinging him towards a rooftop.
Adrian skidded to a halt, pulling the webbing off his face as Lincoln latched himself onto the building's corner. "Just give up already!"
"I won't let you stop me! Not until they all pay!" Adrian said. "It was my tech that they stole! I'm the reason The Avengers even have The Falcon! The gear he uses is gear I invented!"
"I'm sorry that happened, but don't you think you're overreacting?" Lincoln said. "Can't you do things the right way?"
"You think I haven't tried that? I never set out to be a villain kid, but sometimes in life, you have to fight for what you believe in, laws be damned!" Adrian said. "Imagine if someone took something you created like they owned it while treating you like dirt"
"I actually can relate," Lincoln recalled the time his sisters got a lot of attention at a convention for the alter egos he created while he himself got ignored and mistreated by the heads of the Ace Savvy movie. "Look Mr. Toomes, I know it sucks to have your ideas taken like that, but...just take it from me, screwing people over like this isn't the way to go. Don't stop using your voice, eventually you're bound to have someone on your side."
"You hear that from your superheroes?" Adrian asked. "You naive little boy, one day you'll realize that the only one in life you should look after, is yourself."
Adrian then sent some feathers at Lincoln, which the boy dodged as he immediately took to the skies once again, Lincoln giving chase.
"Looks like I'm going to have to skip town for a bit, that brat knows who I am, no doubt he'll tell the officers," Adrain tried flying away but Lincoln was hot on his trail, using his own gliders to keep up with him. "Are those gliders!? You're stealing my ideas too!"
"What!? No! These gliders are unique to me!" Lincoln said. "Also you don't own flying!"
"Just get away you little punk!" Adrian said, still trying to escape. Before he did a boost, Lincoln tossed some trackers onto The Vulture just as he sped off.
"You won't get away from me that easily," Lincoln said, swinging through town.
Adrian continued flying, hoping to clear out of the city, though he did have to figure out where to go. "One nearby city is Detroit; I could relocate there. Flint is another option. Actually, it might be smart to leave Michigan all together, maybe go back to my old home in New York."
As he was about to leave town, Lincoln had caught up landing on his back, "Leaving already, Vulture!?"
"You!" Vulture tried spinning around. "You're really getting on my nerves little boy!"
"I'm not little, I'm thir-a teenager!" Lincoln shouted, preferring to keep his actual age a secret as he hung on tight.
"Don't you know to respect your elders!?" Adrian shouted.
"What kind of elder would endanger people like this!?" Lincoln pointed out. "Being an elder doesn't give you the right to be a jerk!"
Adrian began crashing through a few buildings, trying to shake Lincoln off, even crashing back first against a building, then doing so a few more times until Lincoln's grasp loosened.
"Finally," Adrian flew off again, this time heading to the ground and deactivating his wings for a moment as he removed his helmet. "Might be better to stick to the ground, but I should move fast, kid knows who I am."
As he walked forward, he spotted Pam Fox with her cat, the little girl glaring up at Adrian. "You're old..."
"Cute...just remember that this is going to happen to you one day," Adrian said, walking past the girl as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Maybe I can take a bus out of here, at least until I leave town, then I can try to make my escape from there!"
As he approached a bus stop, he found himself being lifted off the ground by some webbing from a nearby Lincoln, "Thought you could get away that easily?"
"YOU! How are you finding me!?" Adrian used his remote to call his wings back, though he aimed them to attack Lincoln, which he quickly dodged as they then latched back onto Adrian. "You're making this more difficult than it needs to be! Foolish child!"
"You're the one making this hard!" Lincoln shouted, jumping in to kick Adrian again. The villain tried sending feathers towards Lincoln, but he quickly evaded and webbed his face a few more times before dashing in for a punch to his stomach and then hitting an uppercut.
Adrian flipped backwards and tried to fly off again but this time, Lincoln latched onto his wings and pulled them off, Adrian quickly grabbing onto a nearby streetlight to avoid a fall as Lincoln slammed the wings to the ground, effectively destroying them.
"That was my property! Kids have no respect these days," Adrian said.
"You're the one using these to terrorize people! Don't you lecture me!" Lincoln said. He then used his webbing to pull Adrian down into another web, then continued webbing until he was all tied up. "Now, you're going to stay put while I call the authorities! No more flying off for you."
"Pesky kid...this isn't over!" Adrian warned.
"Sure looks like it to me," Lincoln said as he made the call.
Within the hour, police had arrived to take Adrian away, the press already on the scene, ready to cover the aftermath of this showdown.
"This is Katherine Mulligan reporting live from midtown Royal Woods where once again, Spider-Man has defeated a dastardly villain," Katherine showed the result. "Unfortunately, Spider-Man isn't here, having fled the scene after calling police to apprehend the villain."
"Ugh, really hate this web," A cop said, trying to cut Adrian out of it.
"You think you have it bad? I'm stuck in here! Little punk," Adrian said.
"This is Adrian Toomes, former Airforce pilot who has gone by a new villain persona, The Vulture," Katherine said, then turned to the villain. "Sir, why have you terrorized your fellow veterans? Your former comrades on top of that?"
"Pfft, comrades, they're all selfish punks who look out only for themselves," Adrian said. "I may not be that different, but at least I'm man enough to admit it. Unfortunately in life, humans like me are only good until we're not. Once my usefulness was at an end, I was cast aside by S.H.I.E.L.D. You should be thanking me because if not for my genius, there would be no Falcon, but you'd never hear that from Nick Fury. So mark my words, this isn't over, I will be back to rule the skies once more, and make those who crossed me regret their decisions!"
"Deep words from this former Airforce pilot, with a grudge against the top security force on the planet," Katherine said. "What does the future hold for Royal Woods now? What new villain will try to top all this drama? This is Katherine Mulligan, signing off."
Lincoln was relieved to have stopped Adrian, but he couldn't help but feel some sympathy for this villain. It sounded like he was put in a bad position himself due to terrible corruption. Of course that didn't make what Adrian did right, in the end he was still breaking the law. But regardless, it did make Lincoln a bit cautious of the world.
"Looks like the cops have this under control, I should find Girl Jordan and make sure she's safe," Lincoln then swung off in the direction of the Veterans meeting.
Not too far off as Adrian was being placed in a police car, Albert had spotted the commotion as he was on his way to the veterans assembly. He could see his old friend being carted off like the villain he turned out to be.
"Adrian, you used to be such a good man, how could this have happened to you?" Albert rested his head against the steering wheel. "I gotta get to the bottom of this, for his sake."
Albert eventually turned around and drove back to the retirement home.
At the location in question, Jordan was being tended to by paramedics to make sure she wasn't hurt in her capture. Thankfully she was alright but it was still an unpleasant experience for her to go through.
At least she wasn't alone, Stella had finally arrived at the scene, making sure her friend was alright, "How are you feeling right now?"
"Considering my life was in danger due to some bird guy, pretty alright I guess," Girl Jordan said. "I'm just glad Spider-Man was there to save me."
"He's quite the reliable hero, isn't he?" Stella said.
"No doubt about that," Jordan said. "I hope he absolutely thrashed that villain."
"I don't doubt that," Stella said.
It was at this point Lincoln arrived, having switched out of his hero suit and making his way to the girls. "Stella! Jordan!"
"Lincoln?" Girl Jordan stood up to face her friend.
"Hey, I heard a villain came by," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, that same bird guy from before," Jordan said. "He decided to call himself 'The Vulture'."
"The Vulture?" Stella said. "Why does that name sound familiar?"
Lincoln knew but it was best not to say anything just yet, otherwise he'd risk revealing his identity to Girl Jordan. "That's an interesting name."
"He tried capturing me too, holding me high in the air," Jordan said, her voice almost sounding like a panic. "I thought I was gonna die today!"
"She's really freaked out," Lincoln thought to himself. "I'm sorry you went through that, I'm just glad you're safe. If something bad happened to you, I'd be pretty depressed about it."
"Huh?" Girl Jordan glanced at Lincoln. "Depressed?"
"Well you are one of my friends, and I care about you just the same," Lincoln said. "So that's why I'm happy you're safe because-" Jordan then wrapped herself in a hug with Lincoln, taking the boy by surprise. "Uh..."
"That's so nice of you to say, thanks," Jordan said, pulling back. "Emma's lucky to have such a strong and caring boy like you. I hope when I get a boyfriend, he's your level of kindness."
"I do my best," Lincoln awkwardly said. "This is normal right? She just needs a hug, I can hug another girl, can't I?"
For some reason, Lincoln felt like this was wrong, even though he did want Jordan to feel comforted. He could only imagine how some of his sisters would react though, especially Lori.
Stella almost felt a bit jealous of this interaction, but given Jordan's prior situation, it only makes sense that she'd need safety and comfort.
In time Jordan left with her family, leaving Lincoln and Stella to themselves, both amazed at the crazy day so far.
"So sounds like you managed to defeat Mr. Toomes," Stella said. "Or, The Vulture as he's apparently called now."
"That was his call sign when he was in The Airforce," Lincoln reminded. "It's not surprising that he'd use that as his villain name."
"Oh right, I remember that actually," Stella said. "I knew it sounded familiar."
"Still, I'm surprised you managed to discover his identity," Lincoln said.
"Well he was changing out in the open, pretty gusty move," Stella said. "Probably figured all the residents were occupied or something. Your grandfather did not take it too well."
"I'm not surprised, I mean, if one of my friends turned evil like that, I'd be upset too," Lincoln said. "I mean, The Vulture turned evil because he said he got screwed over by the higher ups in the military, he said they stole his tech, which is how they gave Falcon his wings."
"That's terrible," Stella said, the girl mowing the situation over. "You don't think I would ever turn into a villain, do you?"
"Huh? What makes you think you'd turn into a villain?" Lincoln asked.
"If it could happen to one of your grandfather's friends, who served in The Airforce, what if it happens to me?" Stella worried. "He designs equipment just like I do, he's into tinkering just like I am. What if I just give into the temptation like he did?"
"Stella, you're way too nice of a girl to come remotely close to being evil," Lincoln said.
"Are you sure?" Stella asked.
"The Vulture made his equipment to help himself, your equipment is made for justice," Lincoln said. "Thanks to your upgrades to my suit, I was able to keep up during the fight and eventually defeat him. So you're just as responsible for keeping Royal Woods safe. I mean, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead."
"Oh...right," Stella said, that terrible situation dawning on her.
"You saved my life that day, I don't think you have any reason to worry about turning evil," Lincoln said. "I really appreciate you helping me out in more ways than one."
"You're my friend, and I care a lot about you," Stella said, turning to hide a blush. "It's my pleasure to keep you safe."
"Just like it's my pleasure to keep Royal Woods safe," Lincoln said. "You know, there's an saying that Bill Buck taught me the night before he died."
"Really? What is it?" Stella asked.
"That with Great Power, there must also come Great Responsibility," Lincoln said
"Oh, that's...actually a really cool saying," Stella said.
"For what it's worth, I'm really happy that you know I'm Spider-Man, it's nice being able to tell someone, especially someone I can trust," Lincoln said.
"I'm glad you can trust me," Stella said.
"Anyway, it's getting a bit late," Lincoln noted. "I should be heading back home, and so should you."
"Yeah we should...say, do you think you can help me get home faster?" Stella asked.
"Huh? How?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, how about you swing me home?" Stella said.
"Swing you?" Lincoln asked. "Stella, I move pretty fast and I go really high, I don't think you can handle swinging."
"Oh yeah? Try me," Stella said. "Show me what it's like to be Spider-Man."
"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you," Lincoln said.
After switching to his hero gear, Lincoln swung through Royal Woods with Stella on his back, holding on for dear life.
"THIS IS CRAZY!" Stella shouted.
"I told you it's intense!" Lincoln said. "Do you want to get off!?"
"No! I'm getting used to it!" Stella said. "Actually, this is really cool! It's like a Roller Coaster!"
"Please, this is waaaay better," Lincoln said, heading upwards, spinning a bit and swinging again, bringing more of a thrill to Stella.
It wasn't long before he dropped her off at home, the girl still catching her breath, "Wow, I can't believe you do that on a daily basis."
"It took a lot of getting used to," Lincoln said. "Now I should go before people see us together and start connecting dots."
"Oh yeah, good idea," Stella said as Lincoln made his leave. "I'll call you later!"
"Sure thing!" Lincoln said, swinging back home.
"Wow...I almost want web shooters myself, wonder if I could make some?" Stella said, scratching her head. "Though, I'm not even sure if I know how to make the web fluids...plus if something happens, I can really get hurt, I might leave the swinging to Lincoln."
Eventually Lincoln had arrived home, quickly changing out of his suit and going inside, "I'm back!"
"Hey bro! There was another villain attack!" Luna called. "It was that bird guy!"
"But Spider-Man beat him!" Lana said. "He's just that cool!"
"I am pretty cool," Lincoln mentally boasted. "Well, that's another bad guy defeated at least." Lincoln sat on the couch with his sisters. "Lets see what that Jameson guy has to say about that!"
"Spider-Man's a menace!" Jameson shouted from the TV. "He and a flying man just terrorized the streets of Royal Woods, Michigan in a shameless display of power."
"Are you freaking kidding me!?" Lincoln shouted.
"Adrian Toomes is a man who turned against his Airforce buddies in an attempt to right some wrongs, or so he says, then he and Spider-Man decide to destroy the town together!" Jameson said. "How disgraceful."
"Sir, Adrian Toomes endangered many lives, Spider-Man did the right thing by fighting him," Katherine Mulligan said.
"That's the other thing, Spider-Man beat up an old man!" Jameson shouted.
"How does mom put up working with this guy?" Luna wondered. "Like what the crap, dude?"
"Is he being paid to insult Spider-Man?" Lana asked. "I mean, he is but I mean paid by someone outside his company."
"Seems like no matter what Spider-Man does, it's not good enough for this guy," Lincoln said. "Like, does he hate Superheroes? Does he even hate The Avengers?"
"He'd need to have a lot of guts to admit something like that," Luna said. "It would probably run him out of business though."
"Yeah, he's only picking on Spider-Man because it's easier," Lana said. "He's like a bully!"
"Got that right, what's worse is that there's probably people who buy into his nonsense," Luna said.
"Like some of our sisters," Lana said. "You know, even that girl Lacey St Claire says that Spider-Man is a waste of time."
"Lacey? Isn't she the girl who picks on you?" Lincoln asked.
"I don't let her get to me, she's not worth my time," Lana said. "Plus knowing that Spider-Man proves her wrong by beating up bad guys is enough for me, especially when I see that look of annoyance on her face."
"Bet that's satisfying," Luna said.
"I am a bit worried though," Lincoln said. "That Vulture guy is a friend of Pop-Pop's. I saw him at the retirement home the other day."
"Oh dang, must suck for Pop-Pop," Lana said. "We should call him later, see how he's doing."
"So weird how he can just turn evil like that, what could have happened?" Luna wondered.
"From what I hear, he's jealous because his work was stolen," Lincoln said. "Amazing what can turn someone into a villain."
"Like with Herman Shultz, to think I probably could have ended up down his path if I put all my eggs in one basket," Luna said.
"Funny, I think Stella said something similar, but I don't think you'd ever turn evil Luna, you're too nice of a girl, all you girls are" Lincoln said. "That's why I created the Full House gang."
"Oh right, I got turned into a comic character, then I got to star in a movie, one that got scrapped," Luna said, lamenting that choice. "Eh, they were gonna cut my cameo. So, I call that karma."
"Clyde and I still want to make our own Ace Savvy movie, maybe you girls can be in that," Lincoln said.
"I'll take your creativity over those so-called Hollywood elites," Luna said. "Anyway bro, you weren't close to the fight today, were you?"
"Sort of..." Lincoln said, trying to make his story believable. "I saw The Vulture at that place with the veterans, then I left."
"Smart," Luna said.
"Funny that I'm technically being honest, I did leave after I saw The Vulture, but that's because we were fighting outside the area," Lincoln mentally relaxed knowing he could still work around this. "I did go back because my friend, Girl Jordan, she had a big scare, so I wanted to make sure she was alright."
"Classic move, you're a little gentleman, aren't ya?" Luna said, rubbing his hair.
"It's not weird right? Even though I have a girlfriend?" Lincoln asked.
"Are you still thinking about how Lori reacted when that girl hugged you last weekend?" Luna asked. "Honestly that was low of her, like it was somehow a bad thing that Jordan was afraid for your safety, honestly I'm happy seeing someone outside this family caring that much about you, shows you're a great guy."
"So, you were cool with that," Lincoln said. "And it wasn't bad that I went to check on her again, and she hugged me again."
"Of course it wasn't, it just means you care about your friends," Luna said. "Look, some of our sisters seem to think being in a relationship means avoiding others. The girls avoid the other guys, you avoiding other girls, me avoiding guys and girls...which is hard because then I'd have no one to hang out with. You're allowed to be friends with other girls and be there for them if they need you."
"And as long as Emma isn't the jealous type, it should be all good," Lana said.
"If you start kissing these other girls, then that's cheating," Luna said. "Comforting them when they're scared just means you're being their friend."
"I figured that, but sometimes, I can't get Lori out of my head, and I just feel like I'm messing something up," Lincoln said.
"Lori thinks she's an expert because she's had a boyfriend for the longest time," Luna said. "She doesn't know everything, you gotta stop worrying about what she says. You're a smart kid, you can figure it out. You like Emma, don't you?"
"Yeah, I like Emma a lot, she makes me happy," Lincoln said.
"And you would never want to hurt her, would you?" Luna asked.
"Not in a million years," Lincoln said.
"Then that's all that matters," Luna said. "Look, I hang out with Sully and Mazzy, even without Sam. Somedays Mazzy and I are chilling out or shopping, some days Sully and I are writing music together, and Sam's been cool because she built up trust with me. Lori still gets jealous whenever Bobby talks to another girl, even if it's a friend of there. She gets jealous even when he's with Leni, she still has trust issues and it's amazing Bobby's still with her."
"He just loves her despite the flaws," Lana said. "That's how you know you got a good guy."
"Hey good on Bobby for being that caring, but still, my point stands," Luna said. "Lincoln did good by checking in on his classmate."
"She did the same for you after all," Lana said.
"Hypothetically though, let's say she does start to develop feelings for me," Lincoln said. "How do I handle that."
"Just be honest, remind her you're spoken for," Luna said. "A good friend understands that, and honestly, I don't think she'd even ask. She cares enough about you not to get in the middle of you two."
"Guess you're right, I'm probably overreacting," Lincoln said. "I mean, Stella and Ronnie Anne are good platonic friends, I don't see why Jordan can't be too."
"Pfft, don't call Ronnie Anne platonic around Lori," Luna joked. "Actually I kind of want to hear you say that, just to see how mad she gets."
"Where is Lori? Isn't she around?" Lincoln asked.
"She went to the mall with Carol Pingrey, the two wanted to catch up a bit," Luna said. "Mom and dad were worried because of all the rise in crime, but Lori and Carol can take care of themselves."
"Glad to know people aren't too afraid," Lincoln said.
"It's because of Spider-Man, he keeps people safe," Luna said. "I know Lori doesn't like Spider-Man, but I think deep down she feels safe with him around, she just won't admit it."
"Lori and her stubbornness," Lana said.
"As long as Spider-Man keeps her safe," Lincoln said. "Should I go down there now? Couldn't hurt to double check on Lori."
Suddenly Lincoln's phone started ringing, which alerted Lana, "Incoming call bro."
Lincoln snapped out of his thoughts and answered his phone, "You have Lincoln."
"Hey Linky, it's Emma," the girl said.
"Hi Emma," Lincoln said, getting off the couch. "How's it going?"
Lana chuckled to herself as Lincoln went upstairs, "It's oddly satisfying to see Lincoln with a girlfriend."
"Little bro is growing up, plus it's nice knowing that there's a girl who makes him happy," Luna said.
"Think they make out a lot?" Lana asked.
"They probably do a right amount but Lincoln's more on being more romantic than just through kissing," Luna said.
"I mean, I don't care much about kissing, but I am rooting for Lincoln to get all the smooches he can," Lana said.
"You got a boy you like, Lana?" Luna asked. "What about that kid you gave that love letter to?"
"I still see Skippy, but I don't know if he's ready for a relationship," Lana said. "I mean, we're both only eight so we definitely got time. Who knows, I might find someone else instead. But I don't really talk about this a lot. Lola brings it up sometimes, Adelaide barely talks about it.
"Well you definitely do have time, don't rush life," Luna said.
"Plus, part of me wants to end up with Spider-Man," Lana said. "He looks like he's a few years older but I'd still love to ask him out."
"Even though you don't know who he is, or what he looks like?" Luna asked.
"Well, he sounds handsome, strangely familiar but still handsome," Lana said. "He's probably cute under that mask, but I just like that he's a nice guy. I bet he'd be an even better boyfriend."
"Well watch out for Lucy, she thinks the same way," Luna said. "Even Mazzy's interested in Spider-Man, something me, Sam and Sully joke with her about."
"How are things with you and Sam?" Lana asked. "Gonna stay together long term? Gonna get married?"
"We're both only seventeen, too young to want to get married," Luna said. "I mean, I hope we get that far, but we're still growing together. Who knows, we might get married one day and start a family."
"You know, that has me wondering," Lana said. "If you two get married, will you be Luna Sharp, or would she be Sam Loud?"
"Uh...I don't know actually," Luna said.
"And how would you two have a baby? How does that work anyway?" Lana asked. "Like with animals, they only have babies if a boy and a girl do some strange movements with each other. But what about two girls?"
Luna's face immediately turned red, hearing her sister describe this stuff at her age was very awkward, "Uh, have you tried asking mom or dad?"
"Well, I did ask dad recently, he started screaming and ran off," Lana said. "Mom just got really awkward and said something about love creating babies."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Luna said.
"I even tried asking Lori once, you know what she said?" Lana then attempted her impression of her oldest sister. "You're literally too young to be asking me this stuff."
"Sounds about right," Luna said. "Sam and I will figure the baby stuff out when the time comes, right now I'm nowhere near ready to be a mom. Honestly, I thought about waiting til I was like thirty before I considered being a parent, I don't think I'll be fully grown by the time I'm done with college."
"Wonder if Lori would wait that long?" Lana said.
"I hope she has a kid when she's ready, same with Luan," Luna said. "But it's up to them, I just hope they make the right call."
Back at her home, Stella is seen watching TV, specifically Jameson's so-called analysis of the situation, alongside hearing what Vulture had to say about his ideas being stolen. That had Stella worried, if she would possibly get screwed over like that herself. Her fears of villainy once again coming to light.
The following day, Lincoln was in the living room, having invited Emma over to his house while they played a Muscle Fish fighting game together.
"You've really gotten better, haven't you," Lincoln said, trying to get his combos down.
"Well I have a good teacher, and a great sparring partner," Emma said.
"Well talented as you are," Lincoln hit the final blow. "You're still not my level."
"I'm getting there, with each round too," Emma said. "But since you won, you deserve a reward."
Emma pulled Lincoln into a kiss, the boy gladly returning and pulling Emma into an embrace as he laid against the arm of the couch, the two holding the kiss a bit longer before breaking apart, but still in each other's embrace.
"Video games are fun when the person I'm playing with is your level of beauty," Lincoln said.
"You're such a flirt," Emma said. "I'm glad I get to spend time with you, sometimes it feels like we don't see each other much. You're usually so busy after school."
"Oh...right," Lincoln said. A lot of his patrols meant he couldn't take Emma on a lot of dates, despite his desire to do so. "I'm sorry about that. Things just come up."
"It's fine, maybe I'm just too lonely without you," Emma said. "You're my first boyfriend and I'm still learning how to be a girlfriend, so I don't know if this is normal or not."
"I'm out of practice with the whole girlfriend thing too," Lincoln said, gently stroking Emma's hair. "Closest I once had was Ronnie Anne, but we weren't actually dating, just hanging out a lot. My sisters just treated it like we were dating."
"Does that include when you kissed her at the restaurant," Emma said.
"That was to make up for insulting her, even though she deserved it for bullying me, but I probably should have been the better person in the first place," Lincoln said. "A guy should never treat a girl like scum."
"You're such a pure guy," Emma said, gently stroking his face. "I really hope I can hold onto you for as long as I can."
"Emma, I will do everything in my power to make sure I'm there for you," Lincoln said, rubbing his hand down her back. "But, I should warn you, I do have...responsibilities...to attend to. But, I'll make up for lost time, I swear on that."
"Well, I appreciate that, but don't push yourself too hard, you're not superhuman," Emma said. "Though I have to say, you do feel firm."
"Huh? Do I?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, have you been working out? It's like..." suddenly Emma began blushing a bit. "Uh...Lincoln. Are you aware that your hand is on my butt?"
"Huh!?" Lincoln looked down and immediately pulled away once he saw where his hand landed. "Sorry, I don't know how that happened. I hope you're not bothered."
"It's fine, I was just surprised, I mean..." Emma started blushing again. "Lincoln."
Upon pointing down, Lincoln realized something else that was happening against his will, and immediately fell off the couch, much to Emma's concern.
"Oh my Gosh! Are you alright!?" Emma asked.
"I'm fine," Lincoln said, nervously getting back on the couch, Emma putting some distance now. Upon noticing, Lincoln started feeling ashamed, "I'm really sorry about this."
Emma then saw Lincoln looking just as awkward and very ashamed of what just happened. Now she worried that she might have given him the wrong impression just now. "You know...this is normal."
"Huh?" Lincoln asked.
"What you just felt, it's perfectly normal for a boy," Emma said. "Boys like a girl's body, he likes her butt, and her boobs. He feels excited and just wants to be close to that girl. I'm not mad, it's normal."
"Well, I guess," Lincoln nervously admitted. "Sorry, I like you but, this feels a bit too much. I don't want you thinking I just want your body, I haven't even though about...do that thing people do in bed."
"Oh no, I get that, we're too young anyway," Emma said. "I mean, we're only thirteen years old, there's no rush."
"I just couldn't help myself I guess, I mean, you're a really beautiful girl and sometimes I do wonder but, I want to wait before we do anything like that," Lincoln said. "I just want to treat you like a person, not an outlet for...sex."
Emma found it adorable how awkward Lincoln was about that word, and even more flattering that Lincoln again complimented her appearance. "It's fine Linky, like I said, it's normal to feel that way. I know you respect me enough to want more than that."
"Thanks for being understanding, you're a great girlfriend," Lincoln said.
"And you're an amazing boyfriend," Emma said, the two leaning in to kiss one another yet again, only this time, less intimately and more casually.
Upon breaking the kiss, Lincoln spoke up once again, "You know, I have been wanting to take you on a date, how about we-" Suddenly his phone rang, much to his annoyance. "Hold on a second please."
"Take your time," Emma said.
Lincoln answered the phone, clearly annoyed, "What is it?"
"Uh, what's with the tone?" Stella asked.
"Stella, I'm with Emma, is it important?" Lincoln asked.
"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your make out time," Stella said. "Just thought you should know that something's going on downtown...something spider related."
Lincoln turned away to make sure Emma didn't hear, "How big is it?"
As Lincoln got the details, Emma twiddled her fingers, wondering how long this would take. While she did tell Lincoln not to rush, deep down she just wanted him to herself again, like she's been waiting for.
Once the call ended, Lincoln shamefully turned to Emma, "Stella needs me to do something, I'm sorry."
"It's fine, it sounds important," Emma said.
"I'll call you later, I'm not giving up on that date," Lincoln said, getting off the couch. "If you're hungry now, I have some snacks in the fridge. Make sure you take it from an orange lit section."
"Sure thing Linky," Emma said as Lincoln made his way out the house. She felt a bit disappointed but she respected that Lincoln had to get this done. From the sounds of things, he seemed just as bummed out, so she wasn't going to act like she's the only one getting the poor end of a deal.
Outside Lincoln swung through town to find the situation Stella called him about, "So much for my date with Emma. But I gotta find that big crash sight. Hope no one got hurt, especially anyone I might know."
Meanwhile with Curt Connors, the scientist is once again doing his lab experiments, this time trying it on himself. Not too long ago, he got a rat's arm to grow back, now he wanted to see if he had the same luck.
He injected himself with the needle, awaiting the results of his work. Suddenly his arm started to twitch, the scientist worried at first that his experiment might fail, but within seconds, his arm began to grow back, akin to that of a lizard's tail regenerating.
After a few seconds of pain and twitching, the doctor fell on the floor, having accidentally knocked his desk materials all around. He tried standing back up and that's when he realized, his arm had fully grown in, the scientist was thrilled to see his experiment worked.
At the Casagrande residence, the phone in Carlos's apartment began ringing, to which the father of four answered, "Salutations."
"Carlos, it's Doctor Connors! I've done it!" Curt declared.
"You've done it!? Oh that's great news sir!" Carlos said. "Wait, what have you done?"
"My experiment, the one that started with Mrs. Chang's rat," Curt said. "I was able to regenerate my lost arm!"
"You regenerated your arm!?" Carlos shouted in surprise. "That's fantastic! We should celebrate. I'll let my mom know! She'll throw you a feast in your honor! Maybe you can bring your family too!"
"That sounds great, and maybe we can invite the Changs since they contributed to my success as well. We'll work out the details," Curt said. "I will see you later, my friend."
"Of course!" Carlos said, hanging up.
In the other apartment where the rest of the family was, Carlos had burst through, "Mama! Papa! Frieda! Kids! Everyone! Listen up!"
"Ay, what's with the shouting, Carlos?" Rosa asked.
"Did something happen, dear?" Frieda asked.
"It's Doctor Connors, his arm grew back!" Carlos said.
"His arm?" Ronnie Anne said, the girl in the middle of a card game with Sid, Carl and CJ. "How?"
"Can humans regrow limbs now?" Sid asked.
"It's part of an experiment of his," Carlos said. "He used his science and technology to regrow his arm. This can be a breakthrough for those who may have lost a part of themselves! We wouldn't have any need for prosthetic arms or legs!"
"That must suck for their businesses," Sid said, earning a confused glare from Ronnie Anne.
"Mama, I invited Doctor Connors and his family, would it be possible to celebrate with them?" Hector asked.
"Sí, mijo, that sounds great," Rosa said. "A good chance for our families to bond."
"Sid, he wants to see your parents too," Carlos said.
"So a triple family bonding," Sid said. "Casagrandes, Changs and Connorses."
"That sounds pretty neat, actually," Ronnie Anne said.
"Oh you bet it does," Carlos said. "Also Sid, Doctor Connors helped your pet rat grow it's limb back."
"Wow really!? That's awesome!" Sid said. "Whoa, amazing how far science has come! I knew anything was possible with The Avengers around! Those guys are living proof of scientific awesomeness!"
"Got that right, the future is looking brighter than before now," Carlos said.
Back with Curt, as he was cleaning up his mess, he felt a strange twitch in his arm again, and in the middle of some pain, he could have sworn that it was changing color, even getting a bit scaly, if at least for a brief moment. "A side effect? I should look into it before things get worse."
Lincoln back home had just finished clearing up the accident, unaware of what else to expect in the future. He only hoped to be ready for it.