After a long bus ride that took him into the evening time, Lincoln finally arrived at his destination of Great Lakes City. The boy stepped out to take in the sights.
"I don't think I've been here since I got bitten by that spider, wonder if I can look into that?" Lincoln shook his head. "No, I'm here to stop a villain, that needs to take priority. I gotta do it before the end of the weekend."
Lincoln quickly latched onto a building and started swinging around the city, somehow this felt so much nicer to him than usual.
"Wow, swinging around this city just feels more natural than it did in Royal Woods," Lincoln noted. "There's so much more space."
Lincoln moved from building to building, trying to keep an eye out for his new foe, though his presence did not go unnoticed by the citizens around.
"Is that Spider-Man?"
"No way, what's he doing in Great Lakes!?"
"Maybe he heard about the lizard creature and came to save us!"
Lincoln landed on the corner of a roof, looking down below, "Looks like everyone's noticed I'm here, wonder what they think of this?" Suddenly he heard his phone ringing, quickly answering it, "Hello?"
"Lincoln, it's me, Lori," the oldest Loud girl greeted.
"Oh, hey Lori, what is it?" Lincoln asked.
"I just wanted to let you know that I won't be home this weekend, I'm going to stay with Bobby and his family to make sure they're safe from this lizard creature," Lori explained.
"Wait, Lori's here in the city? She can't be!" Lincoln frantically shook his head. "That doesn't sound like a good idea Lori."
"I know it sounds dangerous, but I want to make sure Bobby's safe," Lori said. "I'll be fine though, it'll take more than some crummy lizard to scare me off."
"Lori, that monster is dangerous," Lincoln said. "You're really better off going home."
"Sorry, but my mind is made up," Lori said. "I'll be fine, I mean we've faced danger before. Anyway I'll talk to you later, bye Lincoln."
Lori had hung up, leaving Lincoln concerned. "Great, now I have Lori's safety to worry about."
He then got another phone call, this one from Stella, "Lincoln, have you made it to the city yet?"
"Yeah, I just got here and began looking," Lincoln said. "Though I just found out that Lori's staying here with Bobby and his family."
"Lori's gonna be there? Wow, that girl has guts," Stella said. "Hey if anything just stop by where they live and make sure it's safe. Who knows, you could even visit Sid and Ronnie Anne."
"Stella, if I do that, they're gonna wonder why I'm in Great Lakes in the first place," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, I'm only joking, I don't want you blowing your cover," Stella said. "Still, it would have been nice to actually be able to see them in the city without anyone risking getting into trouble. They did sneak away from school to visit us a few weeks back."
"Oh right, the day I got my powers too," Lincoln recalled. "That's when everything changed."
"Imagine if they knew your secret," Stella said.
"I wish I could tell them, but it's better that a lot of people don't know," Lincoln said. "I didn't even want you knowing."
"Well what can you do," Stella said. "Even if you're disguised though, you can still take the opportunity to check up on them to make sure they're safe. Just make sure they only see Spider-Man."
"Yeah, I'll definitely keep a close watch, catch you later," Lincoln said, hanging up. "Time to swing."
As he continued traveling through the city, he heard people below screaming, "It's the monster!"
Lincoln's eyes widened, immediately going towards the sound of the screaming. He came across The Lizard as he was chasing after a local streamer, Cindy Tran, the girl running with a selfie stick with her phone attached to it.
"So, as you can all see, I found the lizard creature," Cindy said as she ran. "But it found me too! Now I'm running for my life!"
"I gotta save that girl!" Lincoln swung in and grabbed Cindy just moments before The Lizard managed to grab her, bringing her safely to a nearby roof. "That was close."
"Huh? I'm still alive?" Cindy looked around and took note of her savior. "OMG! Are you Spider-Man!? Like THE Spider-Man!?"
"Yeah, I am," Lincoln said.
Cindy held her phone up, "Big news, I just got rescued by The Amazing Spider-Man!" She turned her phone to the boy. "Do you have anything to say for our viewers?"
"Uh...brush your teeth after every meal," Lincoln said, then saw The Lizard retreating into the subway. "Id love to stay and chat, but I gotta go!"
Lincoln quickly dived down as Cindy was quick to catch it on film, "This is so going viral!"
Down below, Lincoln had gone down into the Subway entrance, keeping an eye out for The Lizard, "He couldn't have gone too far, I should-"
Suddenly he got kicked from the side, falling into the tracks as a train came rushing in. With his spider sense going nuts, Lincoln jumped back onto the platform just as the train passed by.
"That was-" Suddenly Lincoln was grabbed by the neck by The Lizard's tail, the monster holding him close to his face, hissing at the boy. "Get off me!"
Lincoln kicked the monster under his chin and jumped in to attack with a punch that knocked him against a pillar.
"Weirdo," Lincoln looked around and spotted a few civilians remaining, "Hey! This isn't a show! Get somewhere safe!"
Lizard immediately rushed in with a punch but Lincoln's sense went off, the boy blocking before a blow landed and jumped to kick the monster in the face once more. He rushed in to attack but Lizard had whacked him against a pillar.
He then picked a trash can up and tossed it, Lincoln dodging to the side but leaving himself open to be kicked through the window of a boarding train, scaring away all the passengers. Lizard crawled through, grabbed Lincoln and slammed him around the car a few times before sending him flying out.
"This guy's almost as bad as Sabretooth," Lincoln struggled to stand as The Lizard scurried back over to attack, Lincoln kicking him back as he jumped away. "Where did this freak even come from?"
Lizard rushed to attack, though just before seemingly landing a blow, he leapt overhead onto a nearby train and jumped back to kick Lincoln across the ground, then as Lincoln stood, he took a blow from his tail, sending him flying down the platform.
Lincoln skidded to a stop and rushed in while grabbing a garbage can and flinging it at The Lizard's head, knocking the monster for a loop and then nailed a kick to knock him further back.
"Monsters like you belong as far away from humans as possible," Lincoln said.
"...But you don't seem human," Lizard said, this spooking Lincoln a bit.
"Wait, you can talk?" Lincoln asked, then took another punch from the monster. Lincoln was quick to use his webbing to fling himself back at The Lizard, landing a blow to his stomach, sending him flying back.
Just as Lincoln was about to strike again, The Lizard jumped onto a leaving train, swiftly exiting the fight, much to Lincoln's annoyance.
"Dang it," Lincoln held his ribs, reeling from the pain. "That monster really hits hard. Still, what is he?"
"And there he is fans, the hero himself," Cindy said, her presence not being what Lincoln wanted right now. "I'm about to conduct an interview with Spider-Man himself, now-" She looked again to see that he was gone. "Where'd he go?"
Back above, Lincoln had retreated to a rooftop, still reeling from the pain, "Everything hurts."
"Lincoln?" Came Stella's voice from his phone. "Lincoln are you there?"
"Hey Stella..." Lincoln said, pain evident in his voice.
"Lincoln, what's wrong?" Stella asked. "Did you find that creature?"
"Yeah, but he got away," Lincoln said. "He hits really hard too."
"Well that sounds troubling. Is this something you can handle on your own?" Stella asked.
"I mean, who else is going to fight him?" Lincoln asked.
"There's Wolverine, maybe I can find him," Stella suggested.
"Wolverine left town, I doubt he'd be easy to find," Lincoln said.
"What about Christina?" Stella asked.
"She's not a superhero, plus getting her to the city won't be an easy feat," Lincoln said. "I'll be fine for now, I just have to plan the next fight better."
"Well, if you say so," Stella said. "Just be careful, but be mindful of the time. I don't have to remind you that if you're not done by Sunday, then you have to come back home."
"If I'm still alive," Lincoln knew he could not say that out loud, otherwise he'd make Stella even more worried. "I'm aware."
"...Try to get some rest, maybe you're just a little jet lagged from the ride over there," Stella said.
"I took a bus," Lincoln reminded.
"Fine, you're bus lagged," Stella said. "You know what I mean. Just rest up."
"Sure, talk to you later," Lincoln said. Just as he was about to lay down, he remembered one thing. "Crap...I forgot to bring something to sleep on. Guess I'm winging it on the roof."
Meanwhile at the Casagrandes Apartment building, Rosa is seen gathering all of the tenants together, in addition to her own family as well as Lori.
"Okay, so as everyone knows, there is a monster roaming the streets, mostly showing up at night," Rosa said. "Until this situation is resolved, I am mandating a curfew. No one is to be out after six o'clock."
"Six? Kind of early?" Carlos said.
"Better safe than sorry, mijo," Rosa said. "And until this who thing is resolved, all the stores must close early. We do not want anyone out there for this monster to take."
"Isn't there any information on who or what this creature is?" Stanley Chang asked.
"Sorry, everyone is just as stumped as you are," Rosa said.
"So no one even knows how it can be stopped?" Mrs. Flores asked.
"I don't think the police know how to stop a monster like that," Miranda said.
"Can't someone call The Avengers or something?" Corey Nakamura asked. "I mean, this is why they exist, don't they?"
"They live all the way in New York," Miranda said.
"So? They have jets don't they?" Corey asked.
"The Avengers would be nice, but we have the next best thing," Carlota said, showing off her phone. "Check it out."
From her video feed, everyone could see Cindy Tran's post from earlier.
"Big news, I just got rescued by The Amazing Spider-Man!"
From there everyone could see that the real Spider-Man was indeed in Great Lakes.
"We got a superhero here already to help us out, so we don't need to worry," Carlota said, then furrowed her brow at her phone. "Though it really ticks me off that Cindy got footage of Spider-Man before I did."
"Seriously, that's your biggest concern right now, cuz?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Whatever, at least we got someone to help."
"Oh yeah, this is awesome! Spider-Man's in Great Lakes!" Carl said. "He can handle that monster with no problem."
"Spider-Man is not a guaranteed win," Lori said. "He ran into some trouble with mutants the other day, and one of them escaped."
"To be fair, he was outnumbered at the time," Ronnie Anne said.
"Yeah, plus he still caught one of them, that's something," Sid said.
"And we need someone to fight that monster," Bobby said. "Besides babe, shouldn't you be happy that Spider-Man at least kept your sisters safe?"
"Yeah, didn't one of those mutants go to your house?" Sid asked.
"My point is that Spider-Man isn't exactly invincible," Lori said.
"Well not to worry, because in the event that Spider-Man fails, there is a backup," Mr. Nakamura said. "I hear that the legendary hunter, Kraven is coming to Great Lakes to fight this monster himself."
"Kraven?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Sounds familiar."
"I know who he is," Becca said, a hint of venom in her voice. "I can tell you that he is not nature friendly. He doesn't hunt animals for food like most decent hunters would, he hunts them down for the glory, just to prove his own strength. To him, animals are nothing but trophies."
"I know he's...aggressive, but he had to survive the jungles of Africa," Mr. Nakamura said. "Plus he is coming to help stop a monster that is rightfully deserving of his aggression."
"Pfft, fine, so long as he stays away from my zoo," Becca said. "I don't want him practicing on my animals."
Adelaide looked very concerned upon hearing that, the girl turning to her sister, "None of our animals are going to get hurt, are they?"
"Not likely, I mean that lizard guy hasn't even targeted animals yet," Sid said.
"Only people, over the last few days I've seen eighteen people come in due to injury," Maria said. "Unfortunately we couldn't save them all."
"Some are even missing," Carlos said. "At the very least, Curt still is. His wife hasn't heard from him in a while, and she's fearing the worst."
"We'll get through this, nothing keeps us down," Ronnie Anne said.
"Exactly, just follow the curfews and you will all be safe," Rosa said. "And try to stay in groups, protect each other like if you were all one big familia, because in a way, we are. We are neighbors and like good neighbors, we're there to help."
"Right you are Rosa," Mrs. Kernickey said.
"Yeah, nothing will happen if we work together," Mr. Nakamura said.
"Not a scary creature like that," Georgia said.
"No monster is gonna scare us," Bobby said. "But...maybe we should stock up on defense supplies, just to be safe."
"Good idea," Hector said, grabbing some materials. "Let's monster-proof this building!"
As Bobby was about to leave, Lori took his hand. "Lets go check on your apartment first, and preferably...catch up."
"Oh, totally," Bobby said, excitedly leading his girlfriend off.
Back at the Loud House, Luna is seeing laying in her bed, a lot on the girl's mind as she recalled the information she got earlier. Lori would be staying in Great Lakes with her boyfriend Bobby, the same city that has a monster roaming around.
"You look troubled," came the voice of Sam, the girl laying next to her girlfriend. "Is it about Lori?"
"Yeah, I can't stop thinking about it," Luna said. "I get why she feels like she has to go but it still feels risky. After that close call we had with that other mutant, I'm not too fond of Lori just walking into danger."
"Lori's a smart girl, she'll be fine," Sam said. "And she did promise constant updates."
"Things were just so much simpler back years ago," Luna said. "Then things took a strange turn the moment dragons were shown to be real. Then aliens showed up, superheroes, all this stuff that you'd only see on TV. I kind of miss the simpler times, they were less risky."
"Well sometimes in life, you just gotta go with the beat," Sam said. "Things are changing, but it doesn't have to be for the worst. I mean it's thanks to Spider-Man that you created your best hit."
"Oh yeah, I put that song up for download and it went like crazy," Luna said. "Got me a nice little check too. If Spidey had some type of donation thing or something, I'd definitely give him a cut, dude deserves a nice penny for all he's done."
"For superheroes, safety is its own reward," Sam said.
"He's a really nice guy I gotta say, he's saved me and my family a few times already," Luna said. "So yeah, something good came out of this. I just wish Great Lakes had their own superhero."
"Hey you never know, Spider-Man could be a good influence," Sam said. "I mean, he was probably inspired by The Avengers, so that chain can continue. Might happen sooner than we think."
"Maybe," Luna said.
Sam turned over, gently turning Luna to face her as she affectionately stroked her cheek. "Lori will be fine, and that monster will be dealt with. Justice will always be served."
"Sounds like something Lincoln would say," Luna said. "He went camping this weekend, I hope it's somewhere safe."
"He's a smart boy too, and brave," Sam said. "I know he'll be fine too."
"I really appreciate you helping me feel less stressed out," Luna said. "Of course a sister always worries."
"That's a good thing, shows that you love your family," Sam said, the girl beginning to blush. "Makes me think of our future, and the family we could have."
"Wow, you're really considering this, aren't you?" Luna asked.
"We're both in our final year of High School, we're close to being adults, so there are a lot of choices I want to consider," Sam said. "I'm not saying we need to get married right away, or have kids right away, but I do like entertaining the thought."
"Well if we want kids, we're gonna need to find a place to adopt, since biology won't let us make one naturally," Luna said.
"Ha, that sounded a bit dorky," Sam said. "There's also the possibility of a donor of sorts to help us out."
"Like Lincoln?" Luna asked.
"That's an option, though he'd need to be a fair bit older," Sam said. "I mean, I know he's physically mature, but not mentally mature. Given what we would have to do to make that baby, it would be a lot for his age."
"Weird for me to think about, but you're right about the mental maturity thing," Luna said. "Truth be told, he's been feeling strange around his girlfriend and I think it's worrying him."
"Strange huh? Like sexual desires?" Sam asked.
"Probably..." Luna said. "I mean...I don't want to say too much, he did trust me with this but, given our own relationship, I thought I'd run it by you, maybe you can help me think of something to help him feel better."
"Well, I don't think I can, Lincoln needs to figure this out himself," Sam said, adjusting her arms to bring Luna closer to her. "It may not be easy though, I mean I don't know how it is for boys but...well we've seen a bit with Sully and how awkward he gets, plus Benny with Luan. I think it depends on the boy."
"Yeah, maybe," Luna said. "This stuff, these feelings, they're still relatively new to Lincoln and I don't want him to get overwhelmed. I know there isn't much I can do aside from some pep talks though, but I still wish I could do more."
"Some things Lincoln will have to figure out on his own," Sam said. "I mean, at least puberty is all he has to worry about, he's not developing into a mutant or anything."
"Oh yeah, like that girl from the woods," Luna said.
"I haven't heard from her lately, wonder what she's up to?" Sam asked.
"Well...Spider-Man came into contact with her recently, and he says she's good, just trying to figure out her powers so she doesn't hurt anyone," Luna said, hoping this would put a damper on any worry Sam would have.
"Well, that's good to know, and I like to think she's a nice girl who just doesn't want the attention," Sam said. "I can't blame her. If I had powers, I'd be shy about it too."
"If you did have powers, what type of powers would you like?" Luna asked.
"Probably electric, I'd never have to worry about bringing an amp with me," Sam joked.
"Clever," Luna said. "Plus, you don't have to pay the electric bill."
"Ha, funny, guess Luan isn't the only sister with comedy," Sam said, bringing Luna in for a kiss. "So, your brother is worried about his virginity?"
"Weird way to put it, but yeah," Luna said.
"Well he shouldn't, I have a feeling that when the day comes, he'll pick the right girl to experience his first time, and I just know she's going to enjoy it, because your brother has that caring nature to him that would make any girl swoon," Sam said, positioning herself over Luna. "The same type of vibe that you give off."
"Uh...Sam," Luna said, feeling weird. It got weirder when Sam took her shirt off, leaving her only in her bra.
"That feels nicer," Sam said, tossing her shirt away. "Doesn't it look nicer too?"
"Whoa Sam, uh, where is this coming from?" Luna asked.
"I've just been thinking about us lately and...I feel like our relationship might be missing one thing," Sam said, lowering down a bit. "And I think you can figure out what."
"But, I thought we weren't ready for this part of our relationship," Luna said, the girl's face turning bright. "I don't think I can-"
"Shh..." Sam placed her finger on Luna's mouth. "We'll take it as slow as you want." She began to unhook her bra. "But I guarantee that within five minutes, you'll be more than ready."
"Still...I don't..." Luna's eyes widened when she saw Sam's bra hitting the floor. "Whoa..."
Seconds later however, Luan was seen coming through the door with Benny, "So where should we go for our date tonight?"
"Depends, do you want something fancy or..." The moment Benny looked to the side, his eyes widened and became immediately speechless.
"Uh, Benny?" Luan said, surprised by his sudden silence. That silence was interrupted by the sound of kissing, so she turned to see what could have spooked him, and it slowly dawned on her. "Holy moly!"
"Luan!?" Came the voice of a now topless Luna, the girl immediately covering up with her arms.
"Oh, Luna, Benny, didn't expect to see either of you," Sam nervously said, the girl also covering herself up. "Uh...nice evening we're having."
"Yeah, looks like you two were ready for a sleepover, only without the sleeping," Luan said. "I mean, Sam, when did you turn into an astronaut?"
"Astronaut?" Sam asked.
"Because you were about to explore the moon," Luan said, laughing to herself. "Get it, because Luna's name means moon?"
"Oh, right, haha, yeah," Sam nervously said.
"Guess for you I have quite the 'Sharpe' wit," Luan said, chuckling to herself.
"Oh, clever use of my last name," Sam nervously agreed, now pulling a blanket over herself.
"Luan, maybe we should leave, I think they were having a moment," Benny said, trying not to look.
"Right, I guess seeing two cute girls in this situation is quite, 'hard' for a boy," Luan said.
"Was that a pun, because I don't think I-" Benny suddenly got it. "LUAN!"
"Oh it's nothing for a boy to be ashamed off, I mean you're seeing a pair of topless girls, it's alright if it put a 'spring' in your step," Luan said.
"I am not springy, or anything like that!" Benny said.
Suddenly Luan pressed her body against his, the boy's face turning even redder as Luan grinned at her now awkwardly shy boyfriend. "You sure about that?"
"Wow, lucky Benny," Sam said.
"Lucky how?" Luna asked, getting an embarrassed reaction from Sam.
"Not that I want your sister to do that to me, I'm just saying he's lucky," Sam said. "Hey Benny, remember you're dating who many call the cutest girl in High School, so you have nothing to feel ashamed about right now.
"You look a little low on energy Benny, maybe you need to charge, and fortunately I know the perfect outlet," Luan teased, then turned her attention to Luna and Sam. "Listen, we're not gonna tell anyone what you two were doing or were about to do, but you did get a nice little 'rise' out of Benny, I don't suppose you can help him out some more."
"Do we look like we're into voyeurism!?" Luna shouted.
"I don't know Luna, something about this has me pretty excited," Sam said.
"You can't be serious," Luna said. "My family's still in the house, and these walls are paper thin. Lori had to move out and wait for Bobby to move out before she did this kind of thing with him. I don't want our other sisters hearing us."
"Most of our sisters are not even home," Luan said. "Only Lisa, and she's not going to pay attention, she's too busy with her science. Leni's out shopping with Lily and Lucy, Lola went to a sleepover with Meli and Cricket, Lynn's doing some late-night roller derby thing and Lincoln's out camping. Mom and dad are working late too, so this is a perfect night for us."
"The stars have aligned," Sam said.
"Plus given all the stressful things that have happened to us, and the dangers we faced, I think this will do us some good," Luan said. "Relieve tension and all that, plus given all the dangerous stuff we've encountered, and the glorious risks we took, I'm feeling brave and I don't want to pass this up."
"Luan, were you planning this at all?" Benny asked.
"The dinner tonight was to get you in the mood, but thanks to Sam and Luna, that happened faster than I expected," Luan said. "But...I'll try to dial it back, I know I'm asking for a lot, and this isn't how I planned to discuss this. Guess the sexy atmosphere got to me."
"It happens," Sam said, she herself feeling a little less risky and more considerate. "I guess it happened to me too. When I heard about Luna being in danger, I guess I felt the need to do this for safety and security. Like she's still here and I have physical proof of that."
"Exactly," Luan said, then turned to Benny. "Sorry I got a little hasty there. I still want do this, but I'll leave it up to you if you want to and how you want to."
"Same here," Sam said. "Luna, I'm sorry I got carried away, we don't have to do this now, especially not in front of Luan and Benny, fun as that might have been."
"It's cool," Luna said. "And...well I kind of want to but..."
"What about you Benny?" Luan asked. "Do you want to?"
Benny could not come up with a straight answer, "Well...I..."
"At least I'm not the only one nervous," Luna noted. "Benny, why don't you and Luan go talk in Lincoln's room since he's not there for the night."
"Yeah, of course," Benny said, leaving the room with Luan.
"Benny has quite a choice to make," Sam said, then turned to Luna. "How about you? If you're not ready, I'll put my shirt back on. If you are though...we're already halfway there."
"Yeah, guess I gotta make a choice right now…" Luna said, almost ready to make her answer.
The following morning in Great Lakes, Lincoln had woken up from his terrible night of sleep, hearing commotion down below. "Is that lizard creature back again?"
He peeked his head over the building and saw that a new person had arrived.
"Do not fear, Great Lakes, for I, Kraven the Hunter have arrived," the man said, greeting everyone that surrounded him.
"Huh? Kraven?" Lincoln said, lowering down.
"I understand you are all dealing with an unfortunate situation regarding a human sized lizard," Kraven said. "With my skills, I shall rid this city of that foul monster."
"This is great! A hero has come to save us!" a guy said.
"Thank you so much Kraven! We owe you our lives!" a woman said.
"It is no trouble at all," Kraven said, making his exit. "I will return, and the beast shall no longer be your concern."
Lincoln rubbed his chin, that guy getting some gears turning. "That guy looks familiar..." It didn't take long for him to remember, "Oh yeah, he's Rip Hardcore's rival in wilderness survival. Figures they'd get someone like that over here, especially someone that aggressive."
Suddenly he got a call from Stella, "Lincoln, you awake?"
"Hey Stella, I'm awake," Lincoln said. "Really crappy night sleep though, I didn't have a sleeping bag or anything."
"It couldn't have been that bad," Stella said.
"It was," Lincoln said. "But that's not important right now. I just saw Kraven the Hunter."
"Huh? Kraven the Hunter?" Stella asked. "Wait, isn't he the only other guy who can compete with Rip Hardcore in wilderness training?"
"Yeah, looks like he's here to find that lizard creature too," Lincoln said.
"Well, isn't that a good thing? That means you have help," Stella said.
"I just don't know about this," Lincoln said.
"Well not much you can do, focus on finding that reptile," Stella said. "You should start at the beginning. One of the first things he did was kidnap a man named Curt Connors. I'm texting the address now."
"Got it," Lincoln said, getting the information he needed. "Alright, I'm ready to get a move on."
"I'll be on standby," Stella said as Lincoln went swinging. "Oh, and could you be sure that Doctor Connors is alright? I've always admired his work, I'd hate it if something bad happened to him."
"I'll do my best," Lincoln said.
It took a few minutes before Lincoln arrived at the Connors residence, the lady of the home opening up. "Spider-Man!?"
"Hello ma'am," Lincoln said. "I know this is very unexpected but could I come inside? I want to see if I can find any clues about your husband's disappearence."
"Oh…of course!" Martha said. "Please, come inside."
"Thanks," Lincoln said, going inside as Martha began showing Lincoln around.
"This is where my husband was last seen," a very worried Martha said. "I don't know what happened, one minute he's here, the next he's at the mercy of that monster."
"Do not worry ma'am, I will personally ensure that your husband is found, safe and sound," Lincoln said.
"Thank you, Spider-Man, oh I hope he's alright," Martha said.
"Just leave it to me," Lincoln said, Martha leaving him to investigate.
"Lincoln?" Stella chimed in. "Are you there?"
"Yeah, I'm at Doctor Connors's room," Lincoln said. "Looks like the place got cleaned up since the lizard creature attacked, though I can see some claw marks around."
"I still don't get why Doctor Connors would be captured while everyone else it attacked were just left to their injuries," Stella said.
"Maybe he wants to get stronger or something," Lincoln said. "Or he's working with someone who needed the doctor."
"Well given what I'm researching, I'm not surprised they want his smarts," Stella said. "Doctor Connors has done amazing research over the last few years, including animal biology studies, he's recently began work on learning more about reptiles."
"Think that monster knows and that's why he wanted Connors?" Lincoln asked. "Maybe this really is an opportunity for him to get stronger if he thinks a doctor could give him some type of power boost."
"This is getting weirder and weirder," Stella said. "This monster may very well just be one dangerous mutant on a quest for destruction and power."
"Sure seems like it...wait hold on," Lincoln noticed a name on a document that was on Curt's desk. "Carlos Casagrande?"
"Casagrande? As in Ronnie Anne's extended family?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, he's her tio," Lincoln said.
"Tio?" Stella asked.
"It means uncle," Lincoln said. "Don't you know Spanish?"
"Lincoln, I'm Filipina-American, I'm not expected to know Spanish," Stella pointed out.
"Still, it's a common Spanish word," Lincoln said. "Like Abuela and Abuelo. I've been practicing a bit of Spanish actually."
"To flirt with Ronnie Anne?" Stella muttered.
"Huh?" Lincoln replied, Stella nervously catching herself.
"Never mind, look it's nice you want to learn Spanish, and learning a second language is important, but not if you're gonna flex it like you're better than us," Stella said.
"I'm not flexing, I'm just saying that Carlos is Ronnie Anne's tio," Lincoln explained.
"And all this could have been avoided if you said 'uncle' like a normal English Speaking pair of friends would!" Stella shouted.
"Wow...alright," Lincoln said, a bit surprised by this retaliation. "Well, point is that if Mr. Casagrande knows Doctor Connors, then there's a strong possibility that he might know why this lizard creature attacked Doctor Connors."
"Guess you'll be able to visit Ronnie Anne after all," Stella said in a less than enthusiastic tone.
"What's with you? Just yesterday you were telling me to check on them and now you sound bitter about me actually doing it," Lincoln said. "You're not jealous are you."
"Don't be stupid! What would I have to be jealous about!?" Stella shouted, startling Lincoln.
"It's just a theory," Lincoln said.
"The only theories that should be on your mind is anything related to Doctor Connors and that Lizard," Stella said. "Now get your butt in gear and do what you went to Great Lakes to do."
"Fine..." Lincoln frustratingly muttered. "She's so bossy sometimes."
Stella frustratingly rubbed her temple, "What's wrong with me? Why am I acting so hostile? I'm not really jealous, am I? I should be happy that Lincoln can check up on Ronnie Anne, she's a friend of ours after all. Maybe it's my lack of sleep, I've been too worried about Lincoln all night."
Meanwhile in front of the Casagrandes Apartment, Ronnie Anne and Sid are chatting with Casey, Sameer and Nikki on the front steps while Adelaide plays with her dolls and Carl is seen waiting anxiously nearby.
"Any sign on him yet?" Carl asked.
"Any sign of who?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Spider-Man of course!" Carl said. "You heard Carlota, he's in town!"
"Yeah? And?" Ronnie Anne said. "What you think he's just going to show up out of the blue?"
"No way we'll be that lucky for him to just show up in front of our apartment for no reason," Sid said.
Within seconds, Lincoln had landed in front of the apartment building, "Uh, hello kids."
Everyone was immediately speechless upon seeing the popular superhero right in front of them.
"Ho...ly...smokes..." Sid said. "The real Spider-Man!?"
"No freaking way," Ronnie Anne said.
"So awesome..." an astonished Adelaide said.
"YES!" Carl shouted, leaping in front of a now startled Lincoln. "It's really you! You're actually here! Oh man, I have so many questions, but first thing's first...do you need a sidekick!?"
"Huh?" Lincoln was obviously confused. "Uh, sorry I'm flying solo, kind of a one-man gig here."
"Ahem!" Stella shouted.
Lincoln turned away from earshot, "Hey I can't exactly tell them about you, now can I?"
"Yeah whatever," Stella said.
"Uh, Spider-Man?" Carl asked, getting Lincoln's attention.
"Uh, sorry, I thought I heard danger, but it was just a squirrel," Lincoln said, hoping they'd buy it.
"Cool...so about that sidekick thing," Carl said.
"Listen, you seem like a nice kid but, I kind of have a reason for being here," Lincoln said. "I'm looking for a man named Carlos Casagrande."
"He wants to see your tio Carlos, Ronnie Anne," Adelaide said.
"Wait really?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Yes, I need to speak with him, if that's alright with you," Lincoln said.
"Wow, this is so cool," Sid said. "Say how'd you know Mr. Carlos even lived here?"
"Uh..." Lincoln didn't think that far ahead.
"Tell them you got it from some nearby University," Stella said.
"Oh um, from the nearby University," Lincoln said. "I was at the apartment of Curt Connors today, I saw that he and your uncle were friends and I figured he might know something."
"Well he did go by the apartment last night," Ronnie Anne said. "He didn't find much of use but I suppose I can bring you to see him."
"Wait, hold on," Casey said. "Who exactly is this guy supposed to be again?"
"Casey I told you, he's Spider-Man, a superhero from Royal Woods," Ronnie Anne said.
"Seems suspicious though," Casey said. "I mean, a Royal Woods hero showing up here? Sounds random, wouldn't you say?"
"Hardly," Ronnie Anne said. "It just sounds like he heard about what's happening."
"Yeah, I heard it on TV," Lincoln said. "Plus a bunch of rumors circulating through Royal Woods."
"If you really have powers, prove it," Casey said.
"Yeah, show us your powers," Sameer said.
"Oh, start with the wall crawling!" Carl said.
"Is this necessary?" Lincoln asked.
"Do it once, it'll shut everyone up if you do," Sid said.
"Ugh, fine, I'll do it quickly then," Lincoln said. He then leapt onto a nearby wall, sticking to it with ease. "See?"
"Not bad...but how do we know it's not sticky stuff?" Casey said.
"Seriously?" Lincoln asked.
"Show them your super strength too!" Sid said.
"This is ridiculous," Lincoln leapt off the wall and picked up a nearby car. "There, see?"
"Can you fly?" Sameer asked.
"I'm a spider, and spiders don't fly," Lincoln said.
"Aw come on, aren't all superheroes able to fly?" Sameer asked.
"Captain America doesn't fly, and neither does The Hulk," Lincoln said.
"Huh? Casey you told me that Captain America flies!" Sameer said.
"Thought he did, maybe I got him confused with another hero with red and blue," Casey said.
"Look, I really need to speak to Carlos Casagrande, it's kind of urgent since it could help me stop that monster," Lincoln said.
"I heard it beat you up," Nikki said.
"Thanks for the reminder," an annoyed Lincoln said.
"Uh, Nikki, maybe don't upset the hero that's trying to save us, I mean who else is gonna stop that monster?" Sid asked.
"Isn't that Kraven guy coming?" Nikki asked.
"He already did, a crowd was swarming him as he vowed to hunt the monster," Lincoln said. "Honestly I'd rather not leave it up to him."
"Is he your rival?" Nikki asked.
"I mean I don't even know him that well, but I would feel better if I stopped this creature myself," Lincoln said.
"Sounds fair to me," Ronnie Anne said. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the family."
"Alright, one step closer to getting some answers," Lincoln said.
Once upstairs, Ronnie Anne had brought Lincoln into her grandmother's apartment, "This is where I l stay. My uncle usually stays across the hall in his own apartment but he comes her a lot since this is where his parents live."
"What a great family dynamic," Lincoln said.
"I live right above here, I'm one fire escape away from my best buddy," Sid said.
"Lucky, wish I could be that close to my best friend," Lincoln said.
"You have a best friend?" Carl asked. "Who? Does he or she have powers too?"
"Uh...just someone I know, and no, he doesn't have powers," Lincoln said.
"So I don't count as a best friend?" Stella teased, much to Lincoln's annoyance.
"Not...helping," Lincoln muttered, not sure if it was even loud enough for Stella to hear. "So is Carlos around?"
"Someone looking for my son?" Came the voice of Rosa as she came in from the kitchen. "Who needs to see-"
To her surprise, she immediately spotted Lincoln in his Spider-Man gear, the boy awkwardly waving. "Hola señora, nice day huh?"
"Oh my, are you that Spider-Man boy?" Rosa asked.
"That's me, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," Lincoln introduced.
"Oh my, this is such a surprise, oh and I don't even have any food for you yet," Rosa said. "Though I could pop back into the kitchen for a quick moment."
"It's fine ma'am, there's another way you could be of help," Lincoln said. "Is your son around?"
"He's in his apartment working on some notes, and trying to figure out what happened to a friend of his that got taken away," Rosa said.
"That's why I'm here, I needed any information he had so I could find Doctor Connors," Lincoln said.
"I'll go fetch him," Rosa said as she made her way out.
"Seems like my grandma's got this under control," Ronnie Anne said. "Hopefully my uncle can help you out."
"Doesn't Ronnie Anne usually say 'abuela' and 'tio'?" Lincoln wondered. "Eh, she does tend to flip-flop, guess it depends on who she talks to."
Within minutes, the rest of the Casagrande Family came through the door to the small apartment, amazed by the sight before them.
"OMG, it's actually Spider-Man!" Carlota said, grabbing her phone. "I'm so getting one over on Cindy now!"
"Spider-Man, please allow me the privilege of painting you!" Frieda said.
"Painting?" Lincoln asked, then found himself face to face with Carlota.
"So could you quickly answer some questions about yourself?" Carlota asked, holding out her phone.
"Wait, I want to talk to him first," CJ said. "I want to see if he needs a sidekick."
"Hey no way! I called dibs on that!" Carl said.
"Beat it twerps, I'm working here!" Carlota said.
"Spider-Man!" Came the voice of Carlitos, the young boy eager to speak to Lincoln.
Lincoln quickly placed his hands on his ears, "Geez, they're so loud!"
"Kids, please, Mr. Spider-Man had a reason for being here," Carlos said.
"It's just 'Spider-Man' sir," Lincoln said, finally lowering his hands. "I just needed to ask you a few questions about Curt Connors. I went to his home earlier to find out clues about his disappearance."
"Ah, and from there you must have learned about me and him being lab partners," Carlos said.
"Yes, I know your niece mentioned that you went last night and didn't find anything," Lincoln said.
"Well I don't have a keen eye for this detective work, but with your experience, this can work," Carlos said. "Just allow me to finish up something I was working on, don't want to put off unpleasant tasks, plus it'd give us a chance to have some thinking room."
"Thank you, sir," Lincoln said as Carlos left.
"So...about that interview," Carlota said.
"Hey that's enough, lay off him a bit," Ronnie Anne said.
"It's fine, fans come with the territory," Lincoln said.
"You heard the boy prima, now step aside," Carlota said.
"Sorry Carlota," Carl said, stepping in front of Lincoln. "But any questions about Spider-Man must pass through his sidekick first."
"Sidekick!?" Lincoln said. "Kid, I told you earlier-"
"Move Carl, you're no sidekick," Carlota said, accidentally interrupting.
"Uh, please don't argue," Lincoln said, then noticed Sid intently staring at him. "Can I help you?"
"Did you know you have muscles?" Sid asked.
"Huh?" Lincoln said, too surprised to notice Stella laughing over the phone.
"You have nice, strong, sturdy looking muscles," Sid said, mesmerized by the physique of the hero.
"Looks like someone has a crush on a superhero," Stella teased, further annoying Lincoln.
"Hey, um, thanks for the compliment and all," Lincoln said. "But dial back on the...passionate feelings you're probably going through."
"Sure, I will...for now," Sid said, seductively winking at Lincoln. "I got my eye on you."
"Good grief..." Lincoln lamented.
"Pardon Sid, she gets boy crazy," Ronnie Anne said.
"Uh, sure, it's no big deal," Lincoln said.
"You know, it's weird, but something about you feels so familiar," Ronnie Anne said.
"Uh...well we did meet at the Royal Woods Block Party," Lincoln said. "Sort of."
"Wow, you actually remember me?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Kind of flattered, but it goes beyond that. I just feel like I've known you for a long time."
"Is she gonna figure out my secret?" Lincoln worried.
"Sounds like Ronnie Anne might be onto you, better cover it up," Stella said.
"Well...do you know anyone who likes superheroes?" Lincoln asked. "Maybe that person talks about heroes a lot."
"There is Carl, and his obsession with El Falcon," Ronnie Anne said.
"It's not an obsession, it's respect," Carl said.
"Truthfully, there is one friend who admires heroes, comic book ones like Ace Savvy and real ones like The Avengers," Ronnie Anne said. "His name's Lincoln Loud, he's my best friend from Royal Woods."
"It's reassuring to know I still have that 'Best Friend' title," Lincoln felt.
"He's a bit of a dork sometimes but he's still a sweet guy," Ronnie Anne said. "Have you ever met him?"
"Uh...once or twice, he usually kept his distance since I was fighting crime," Lincoln said.
"Smart, I mean after that concert incident, and that scare everyone had when he disappeared, better he does stay away from the danger," Ronnie Anne said.
"Oh yeah, I was so worried for him," Sid said. "Lincoln's really nice, he's my favorite person from Royal Woods."
"That's nice of Sid to say," Lincoln thought to himself.
"He's also super cute too," Sid said.
"And there you have it," Stella commented.
"Hey you could have asked him out when you had the chance, but now he's with Emma," Ronnie Anne said.
"I know, and it sucks," Sid said. "But what about you?"
"I told you before, I don't like Lincoln that way, he's just a friend," Ronnie Anne said. "Plus it might be weird dating the little brother of my own brother's girlfriend."
"Seems like a big missed opportunity though," Carlota said.
"What missed opportunity, Lincoln and I might be in-laws one day, I can't date an in-law," Ronnie Anne said.
"Says who?" Carlota asked. "Look prima, you can deny it all you want, but I know you like Lincoln, it's written all over your face."
"You get that from your teen magazines or something?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Lincoln is always on your mind, you're always asking about him, you always check up on him, it's love prima, pure love," Carlota said.
"Or I'm just asking about a friend, not everything needs to be romantic," Ronnie Anne said. "I'm the same way with Sid, does that mean I'm in love with her."
"Do you like girls that way?" Carlota asked. "Honestly if you did then you and Sid are a perfect match."
"Uh, that's not gonna happen, like Lincoln, Sid's just a friend," Ronnie Anne turned to the girl. "Right Sid?"
"What would it be like if I married Ronnie Anne? Do I become Sid Santiago? Or does she become Ronnie Anne Chang?" Sid wondered.
"...Sid?" Ronnie Anne said, snapping Sid out of her thoughts.
"Oh sorry, yeah me and Ronnie are just friends, nothing more," Sid said.
Ronnie Anne had her eyebrow raised for a moment before turning back to Carlota, "Look, no more of this matchmaking stuff, Lincoln's already got a girlfriend anyway."
"Well if they break up, you have your chance," Carlota said. "Just watch out for that Stella girl, she's definitely got the hots for him too, and like you, doesn't know it yet."
"EXCUSE ME!?" Stella shouted, causing Lincoln to wince.
"Did someone hear something?" Carlota asked.
"Uh...so question, you mentioned a brother, is he here?" Lincoln asked.
"My brother Bobby? He's in his apartment with his girlfriend," Ronnie Anne asked. "Any reason?"
"Oh I just want to be sure your family is safe," Lincoln said. "You all seem like very nice people and I'd like it if you were all unharmed."
"Aw, that's sweet of you," Carlota said. "Bobby's fine, he and his girlfriend are keeping each other company. Probably very good company, if you know what I mean."
"Way too much information," Stella commented.
"Yeah, sure..." Lincoln said, a bit bothered. "This girlfriend is one of the Loud sisters, right?"
"Sure is, and you've met the whole family before, right?" Carlota asked.
"Yeah, really nice kids," Lincoln said.
"Eh, that one girl Lola's a total brat," Carl said, surprising Lincoln. "Like, she thinks she's all cool and stuff but she's really self-centered. She also thinks she's really pretty, honestly she has a face like garbage, I mean who could find that piece of trash attractive."
"Excuse me, maybe don't say mean things about that girl, she's actually really nice," Lincoln said, trying to hold back some frustration.
"Nice? Probably just a front, she's spoiled rotten and hideous inside and out," Carl said.
"Carl!" Ronnie Anne scolded.
"I...really think you should lay off a tiny bit," Lincoln said, his eye now angrily twitching. "I mean, do you even know her on a personal level?"
"Pfft, why would I want to? The only thing appealing about her is that butt she's developing," Carl said.
"I really want to hurt this kid now but if I do, I might blow my cover...oh, and I guess it'd be bad to hurt a kid, no matter how annoying," Lincoln took a breath, trying to calm himself. "Please kid, that's enough slander."
"He's right, you're being a jerk right now," Ronnie Anne said.
"So not cool," Carlota said. "There's nothing wrong with Lola, I mean she does come off as a little vain, but she is only eight years old, plus she does do some volunteer work from what I've heard."
"She does," Lincoln said. "I heard it from her sisters, and they seem really reliable."
"Plus, she is Lana's twin," Came Adelaide's voice. "And Lana is my best friend. Plus calling her ugly is like calling Lana ugly, and Lana is anything but ugly. She's really pretty, like me and her sister."
"Ugh fine, I still don't like her much but I'll lay off," Carl said.
Lincoln had calmed himself, relieved that this situation got resolved. "Good."
"If you want to talk about pretty girls, how about Stella? I bet I can make her my girlfriend if I tried hard enough," Carl said.
"He's kidding, right?" Stella commented.
"Again with this?" Carlota asked. "I told you that you don't have a chance with Stella."
"Yeah, Stella's really pretty, she can have any guy she wants so you have a lot of competition," Sid said.
"Aw, Sid's so sweet," Stella said.
"I don't know, she might be desperate enough for a boyfriend, especially if she really did have a crush on Lincoln," Carl said.
"...That little brat!" Stella shouted.
"Move on Carl, you're not gonna get Stella," Ronnie Anne said. "Now go play with your toys."
"Fine, I'd rather be with my trains instead," Carl said, making his exit.
"Sorry about my little cousin, he can be a real dorkwad," Ronnie Anne said.
"It's fine, so long as he eventually grows out of it," Lincoln said.
"He really got interested in girls at too young of an age," Carlota said.
"Adelaide, has he tried flirting with you?" Sid asked.
"Sometimes, but I'm not interested in him, I'd much rather wait till I'm older so I can date Lincoln," Adelaide said, surprising the boy.
"Wow, you were very straightforward on that one," Lincoln said.
"Well what can I say? He's super dreamy," Adelaide said, earning a stifled laugh from Sid, Ronnie Anne, Carlota and even Stella while Lincoln just stood there awkwardly.
"Someone mention my brother?" Came the voice of Lori, the girl having arrived in the apartment with Bobby, and immediately spotting Lincoln in his hero gear. "Oh, it's you."
"Uh, hello there," Lincoln nervously greeted.
"So, you are here, just like Carlota said," Lori stated, clearly not in the best mood.
"I came to stop that lizard creature," Lincoln said.
"Well, good luck with that then, I guess," Lori said.
"Come on babe, you gotta be a little nicer to him," Bobby said. "He did come all the way from Royal Woods after all. Plus he's really strong and really good at what he does."
"One of my sister got hurt under his watch," Lori said.
Lincoln flinched a bit, recalling that Lynn took a kick from Toad the other day. She was fine but it was still a bad situation. "I won't let that happen again."
"Sure you won't," Lori said.
Fortunately the awkward tension wouldn't last, as Carlos would come back in. "Alright, to my home office then."
"Right, let's hurry," Lincoln said, leaving with Carlos.
"Good luck Spider-Man," Adelaide said, then checked the time. "Oh, I have to feed the animals."
Adelaide quickly ran upstairs to her apartment, leaving everyone else wondering what was next.
"I hope Spider-Man's successful," Ronnie Anne said.
"We all do," Sid said. "We just gotta trust him."
"I trust him," Ronnie Anne said. "I just feel so...oddly secure around him."
Lori quickly raised her eyebrow at the Santiago girl, "That was strange, don't tell me she likes Spider-Man.Like it's not bad enough Lincoln's still with that Emma girl."
"I feel pretty safe around Spider-Man too, so weird, but he just gives off that friendly aura," Sid said.
"Sid can like Spider-Man for all I care, maybe keep Ronnie Anne distracted while I make things work in my favor," Lori said. "You know, all this talk of monsters and superheroes seems a bit draining. We really should try to find a way to take our mind off things. Bobby, maybe you and I can go on a picnic sometime soon."
"Yeah, that'd be great," Bobby said. "Just us?"
"Why don't you bring Ronnie Anne? I'll bring Lincoln," Lori said. "He might be worried about her. It can put both their minds at ease to be able to talk to each other after so long."
"Lincoln and I talk to each other regularly, through video chat and on the phone," Ronnie Anne said. "Plus I saw him in person not too long ago."
"Well he might need more," Lori said. "After all, seeing a friend from the city is always a treat."
"She's right, it'd be great to see Lincoln again," Sid said. "Maybe I can bring some of my family's recipes, I know Lincoln likes those dumplings that my dad makes."
"Uh Sid, this is just the four of us, not you," Lori said.
"Huh? But I miss Lincoln's presence too," Sid said. "I also like picnics, and I don't think Lincoln would mind seeing me."
"I just...think it's better for the four of us," Lori said.
"Aw come on babe, Sid should come along," Bobby said. "We can bring Adelaide too, and Lincoln can bring Lana and Lola."
"Bobby, I don't want this picnic getting too crowded," Lori said. "Four's enough."
"Aw...guess no picnic for me," a now very sad Sid said.
"Babe...come on, Sid's like a little sister to me too, and she's close to Lincoln as well. I don't feel right leaving her behind," Bobby said.
"Hey I'm leaving behind all my little sisters too," Lori said, earning a look of disapproval from Bobby. "Ugh, fine, I'll figure something out."
"Sweet! Time for Lincoln to once again experience some of Asia's finest cuisines," Sid said.
Ronnie Anne suspiciously rubbed her chin, curious as to what Lori was up to, and why she was so adamant on the four of them.
Carlota on the other hand knew what Lori was planning, "Just be careful girl, much as I want what you want, it's not worth it if someone ends up getting hurt."
At his office, Lincoln and Carlos were talking the situation over.
"So, we know that this lizard creature attacked several people," Lincoln said. "And that after each attack, the person was left there."
"Yes, my sister had to tend to them," Carlos said.
"But Curt is the only one he fully captured," Lincoln said. "My theory is that he needs someone to help him get stronger or something."
"Stronger? For what?" Carlos asked.
"I don't know, I don't understand his motives," Lincoln said. "He could be a solider for a stronger mutant, or he could be on his own conquest."
"Lizards by nature are predatory animals, it could just be instinct to attack," Carlos said. "I mean it still doesn't explain Doctor Connors. Perhaps he wasn't captured though, he likely went after the creature himself to see if he could find a weakness."
"Or, maybe he knows the doctor could find a weakness and is keeping him hostage," Lincoln said, then thought it over. "But, by that logic, he'd just do away with him."
"I just can't imagine why he'd want Curt," Carlos said. "Well, at the very least, we could figure out ways to track that monster down, and then figure out how to get answers from there."
"The monster is capable of speaking human language, he spoke to me yesterday," Lincoln said. "Just a short sentence though."
"Interesting, if he's capable of speech then that might help in our search," Carlos said. "I just hope Curt's alright, I'd hate to lose a friend."
"Poor Mr. Casagrande, he sounds so worried," Stella commented.
"Do you know what he was last working on that this lizard creature might be interested in?" Lincoln asked.
"Last I heard, he was working on a formula to regrow lost limbs," Carlos said. "He lost his hand a year ago during the alien invasion in New York. He's been trying to grow it back; he even experimented it on one of the Changs' pet rats. It seems to have worked but I can't imagine why that lizard is interested in something like that. They already regrow lost limbs."
"That's actually very curious," Stella said. "I wonder..."
"We'll find him sir," Lincoln said. "Just tell me anything else you think might-"
Suddenly they heard some screaming, the two immediately looking around in worry.
"What in the world was that?" Carlos asked.
"I think it was...that little girl, Adelaide," Lincoln said.
"Oh no, is she in danger!?" Carlos and Lincoln immediately ran out of the apartment and could spot a crying Adelaide running downstairs.
"Sid!" Adelaide rushed past the two and back into the apartment, immediately wrapping her arms around her now surprised sister. "It's terrible! Really terrible!"
"Whoa, slow down Adelaide, what's wrong?" Sid asked.
"You remember that rat Doctor Connors cured?" Adelaide asked.
"Yeah, why?" Sid asked. "Is it sick?"
"I don't know, it was acting really weird and very wild!" Adelaide said.
"Show us," Sid said, the girl along with Ronnie Anne, Carl, Carlota, Lori, Bobby, Lincoln and Carlos rushing upstairs to the Changs' apartment.
Inside they could hear some rattling, Lincoln put his arm up to signal everyone to wait as he slowly checked inside the apartment. He peeked around and found that the rat had turned into a lizard and had attacked the other animals, a sight not too pleasant on Lincoln's eyes.
"Oh boy..." Lincoln commented.
"What's wrong?" Stella asked.
"I might know what happened to Doctor Connors," Lincoln said.
"Spider-Man!?" Sid called. "How is it in there?"
"Don't come inside!" Lincoln warned, stepping back out and closing the door behind him. "It's not safe."
"How's my rat? What about the other animals, are they sick too?" Adelaide asked.
"I'm sorry...but it's really bad in there, your animals are gone," Lincoln said.
Adelaide's eyes began to water, "No...you don't mean..."
"I'm sorry, but that rat...it's not even a rat, it turned into a lizard creature and...it kind of got hungry," Lincoln awkwardly said, this upsetting Adelaide more. "I'm sorry."
"No...NO!" Adelaide began crying, Lincoln instinctively bringing her in for a hug. "It can't be!"
"I'm sorry, I wish I could have helped them," Lincoln said, rubbing the girl's head.
"Wait, that rat turned into a lizard?" Sid asked. "How?"
"The formula must have done it," Lincoln said. "Whatever Doctor Connors invented doesn't just regrow limbs, it causes a transformation."
"Wait...but he used it on himself," Carlos said. "You don't think...I mean, could this mean...?"
"I'm afraid so," Lincoln said. "Doctor Connors wasn't captured by that lizard, Doctor Connors is The Lizard."
This revelation surprised everyone, both present as well as Stella, who herself already had a hunch but didn't want it to be true. Lincoln had a lot to prepare for now, to not only capture The Lizard, but to do it fast, not wanting his new rival to beat him to it.
Lincoln mentally prepared for an upcoming quest, "I gotta act fast."