CHAPTER 24: STOLEN THUNDER, PART 4

Every era of pop culture has its one-hit wonders; a group of has-beens that had their 15 minutes of fame, always trying to obtain that one moment of fame once again, but never finding it again. From the likes of Vanilla Ice, James Blunt, Vanessa Carlton, Crazy Town, Kris Kross, Trapt, and Psy; all go through the same fate. One minute, you're the talk of the town; being the number 1 single and pop culture phenomenon of the whole country in seconds. The second, no one gives a shit and they forget about you.

Such is the case with Lincoln Loud, known to the city of Royal Woods as Ace Savvy. After a spectacular fight against the cybernetically enhanced maniac known as Lars Rodriguez, Ace Savvy became the town celebrity and official superhero; reinvigorating the dormant Ace Savvy franchise and bringing protection to the city. After suffering many losses against actually competent supervillains, however, his 15 minutes of fame were up as well; leaving him forgotten and in the dust.

With the placement of a superhero being left as a power vacuum, that empty space was quickly filled with a superior and more powerful being: A man known only as the Silver Sentinel. For all the hours and training Ace Savvy had spent to better himself and prove himself worthy to the people of Royal Woods again, they were all for naught after having this new hero steal his spotlight. With defeats of the Third Wave and The Nudist, Silver Sentinel made it clear he was here to stay.

This was not an acceptable answer for Ace Savvy. Despite the man of silver telling the spade-spannered boy to quit at every meeting the two faced, Ace Savvy let none of these words reach his head; continuing his caped crusades to further his quest for justice. Young boys may be lacking in experience within life, but one thing that they never lack is enthusiasm, and this drives Ace Savvy onwards on his quest.

For this particular moment, however, Lincoln Loud takes a break from his duties as Ace Savvy, needing to concentrate on the other portion of his superhero career. Protection of the people of Royal Woods was one of the more important aspects, but his particular case left him with another task to fulfill. Needing to complete a summer school project to move on to 8th grade, this was one of two forces that drove him to gain his powers and don his costume.

Just like the last time he attempted this task, Lincoln finds himself within a fit of writer's block. Not being the strongest in the field of literary works, a feat that his mother did hold, his troubles were clear and present here. Worse yet, with less than two months to complete this paper, his goal of completing the paper in time to pass this assignment seems to be further and further away.

In the midst of his frustration and annoyance, Lincoln soon found an unexpected visitor enter his room. This visitor was one of the people responsible for putting his entire prospect as a superhero to a start, and the most intelligent of all his sisters: Lisa Loud.

"Greetingsh, shibling. How goesh the literary porshtion of your shuperhero career?" Lisa asked.

"Ugh, not good, Lisa. I've been at this for over a month now, and I've got no idea what I'm supposed to write." Lincoln said.

"You've been at your coshtumed crimefighting for over a month and you've shtill learned nothing on what to write on your paper?"

"No, nothing. I don't get it. I've been trying to ask about why these supervillains were all coming after me, but none of them have an answer for me. You'd think it'd be as simple as just asking them, but they've got nothing. How do they all come after me specifically, but have no idea why?"

"A driving queshtion to the approach of the Hillwood Effect. Your job ish to anshwer that pshychological inquiry."

"Well, you're supposed to be the smart one, haven't you any ideas or theories?"

"Negatory. I may be the first pershon to create time travel at 4 yearsh old, but, unfortunately, I am not ash vershed in human behavior."

"Crap. I thought- Wait, when you'd invent time travel?"

"It wash in an alternate timeline that began lasht year, back when that schienshce inshtitute offered me a poshititshion. In that particular timeline, I accshepted the offer to attend the inshtitute, then, after a few weeksh of shtay, I grew tired of it and altered time to come back."

"Okay, but why'd you leave? Oh, wait, I know, was it because you missed us? Was it because you realized how much you needed us as a family?"

"No. The food tashted like shit."

Dissapointed by Lisa's apparent lack of learning a moral lesson about family, one of the main points of the show itself, Lincoln sported a face without impression or happiness.

"Of course. I should have guessed that you wouldn't have learned anything." Lincoln said.

"I and should have guesshed that you wouldn't learn that I care not for your fickle human emoshtionsh." Lisa said.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go out and fight some crime, or at least try to before Silver Stupidhead steals my credit. Back me up on the radio."

"Uh, don't you have a paper to write firsht?"

"I can't think of what to write. Maybe I can clear my head a little if I go out and fight a little."

"You've been fighting shinshce the beginning of your crushadesh, and you've not accomplished a shingle word on your paper."

"I know, Lis, okay? Just let me work it out, okay?"

"Fine, if you inshisht."

Exiting the house and placing his Ace Savvy costume on, Lincoln Loud let himself go to give way to his alter-ego; ready to face against whatever strange and bizarre supervillain that would come his way in Royal Woods. Having been burdened with many troubles on his mind, Ace Savvy once again turns to you, the viewer/reader, to find a listening ear.

"I don't get it. I still haven't figured out this whole Hillwood Effect crap. Why is it that all these weird and dumb bad guys all feel the need to come to me? I mean, it's bad enough that I have an annoying silver guy hogging my fame, but I can't even finish the school project I'm supposed to be working on. If I fail, I'll never see my friends again. Okay, okay, that's a little melodramatic, but they certainly won't hang with me as much. I mean, nobody wants to hang with a kid that was held back. Look at me, about to fail a whole grade because of one stupid class, and I go to some extreme length to try to fix it. Only instead of going time travelling in a phone booth with George Carlin, I'm going off fighting poop monsters and naked terrorists. What kind of crackhead comes up with this stuff?" Ace Savvy asked.

Still not feeling vented from his many misadventures on this story, Ace Savvy took his frustration to the sky, venting at the writer as if he were a desperate man cursing his god for his misfortunes; not unlike what is actually occurring now.

"I MEAN, FOR GOD'S SAKES, YOU HAD A GROWN MAN'S BALLS SHOVED IN MY MOUTH! IS THIS FUNNY TO YOU?! IS THIS FUNNY TO YOU?!" Ace Savvy shouted.

Why, yes, it is, thank you for asking.

Anyways, in the midst of his angered rant, Lisa Loud contacted the agitated Ace Savvy, giving him updates on a recent super-crime occuring in the city.

"Pardon me for interrupting your argument with your shchizophrenic hallucinashtion, Lincoln, but I've got a report of a shupervillain in the shcity. If you hurry, you can beat Shilver Shentinel to the punch." Lisa said.

"Good. I'm gonna show Silver Sentinel, I'm gonna show Royal Woods, and I'm gonna show the writer himself that Ace Savvy will not be stopped by inane writing and gross-out humor. Ace Savvy will not be stopped by a silver douchebag and career-stealer. Ace Savvy will not-" Ace Savvy began to say.

"Ashce Shavvy will not make it in time if he doeshn't move his poshterior to the bad guy before Shilver Shentinel doesh."

"Uh, right. Thanks, Lis."

Moving himself faster to downtown Royal Woods, Ace Savvy prepared himself for the next battle to be held, readying himself both physically and mentally for the fight to come; whatever the threat may be.

[Soundtrack Cue: The Offspring - Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)]

Moving his way into town to face the next supervillain to be fought, Ace Savvy's next place of battle was placed at a hardware store, more specifically, in its toilet aisles. Within this hall of thrones was a maniac known as the Tyrannical Toilet; a man dressed with a toilet on his head, and armed with a toilet plunger and toilet brush, his utility belt holding bleach, a bowl cleaner, and a pornographic magazine.

The villain's goal was to claim the aisle to be an independent country known as Lavatoria, a city-state completely populated by toilets, vowing to no longer take any shit, but deal it out instead. This goal was to be thwarted by Ace Savvy, promptly arriving on the scene, but his appearance was upstaged once again by the Silver Sentinel.

Within seconds, the Tyrannical Toilet was put down, with his declaration of Lavatoria being declined and left unrecognized. Similarly, Ace Savvy's credit was left unrecognized as well, with Silver Sentinel taking all credit and brushing him to the side. Nonetheless, Ace Savvy swore never to give up, and he stays true to this promise now.

The next day led Ace Savvy to a local grocery store, dealing with the supervillain known as the Cereal Killer; dressed in various cut-up cardboard cereal boxes. A man born with an innate hatred for cereals of any kind, the goal of the Cereal Killer was a simple but bold one: To destroy every form of cereal that existed, and eradicate the food from the face of the Earth.

Ace Savvy, once again arriving to save the day, prepared himself for his chance to stop the villain; preserving the cereal for the customers who might buy it and feed themselves and their family with. Where the Cereal Killer continued stomping on a box of Zombie Bran, Ace Savvy prepared a set of cards, ready to defeat the villain in one short attack.

Before the spade-spannered hero could make his attack against the man smashing the pile of corn flakes, the Silver Sentinel appeared before any attack could be made by the boy; making some attacks of his own. Downing the Cereal Killer in mere seconds, the Silver Sentinel once again stood tall to take in the praise of the press and the people. Having faced yet another upstage, Ace Savvy made his departure, making plans for his next comeback.

The following day led him to a meat packing warehouse; specializing in poultry. Here, the warehouse was under siege by a pair of supervillains named the Turkey Twins; a tag team of two twin brothers with uncooked turkeys as masks. Taking over the meat packing warehouse for themselves, their goal was to take control of all markets of turkey for themselves.

Ready once again to save the day, Ace Savvy readied his baton, extending it to its staff form. Placing some energy within the staff, the metal weapon began heating itself up, charged with the intention of cooking the turkeys right off his foe's faces. Just as with his last two attempts, however, Ace Savvy was once again upstaged by Silver Sentinel; the man of silver taking his own battle for himself.

Using his heat vision to cook the raw turkeys on the Turkey Twins' heads, Silver Sentinel forced the duo to abandon their masks, revealing their true faces and taking away all sense of pride and honor within themselves. Scoring yet another win away from Ace Savvy, the Silver Sentinel had left the spade-spannered hero to sulk in an anger and annoyance; having his honor taken away once again.

And, so, this vicious cycle continued itself on for quite some time. For every fight Ace Savvy would take on himself to battle, just as he was about to fight these villains, Silver Sentinel would appear and steal the glory for himself. No matter whether these villains would pose as semi-serious threats to just minor inconveniences, the Silver Sentinel would receive untold amounts of praise for even the smallest of wins.

Facing off against many foolish foes from every corner of the city like Dirty Willy, The Masochist, The Ass-Ass-In, Fapjack, The Cow Sodomizer, Tampon-And-On, and The Diabetic Dildo, each and every interaction followed this path, all ending with the same result. Despite the persistent nature of Ace Savvy, the constant opposition from Silver Sentinel began taking its toll on the boy, leaving him more and more angered and frustrated with each win.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

Taking his time to recuperate after a number of heavy losses against his rivalry with Silver Sentinel, Ace Savvy decided to take some time to bide away his troubles, heading back to his own home base to build back his morale. This very home base was Flip's Food and Fuel, a fortress far from solitude. As the many customers made their way in and out of the store and gas pumps, Ace Savvy sipped away at a Flippee, washing his troubles away with the ice-cold taste of blue raspberry.

In the midst of his relaxation, one customer of Flip's pulled his car beside the hero, sharing one last exchange before departing.

"Hey, pal, you need a ride? I was just on my way to Loserville." The customer said.

"You were on your way to Loserville?" Ace Savvy asked.

"Uh... No! I... ...Loser!"

Driving off in anger of his own insult falling apart on itself, the customer stormed off to his intended destination. While the customer may have been out of Ace Savvy's sight, he was far from out of his mind. Having faced much vilification from so many others like that one customer, the goal of restoring his honor once again would seem like a task he would never achieve, let alone finishing his school project.

In the midst of trying to place his thoughts away from the Silver Sentinel, the aforementioned superhero had made his appearance before Ace Savvy himself; having flown into the area. Not at all impressed to see his competition arrive at his one place of peace, Ace Savvy gave an unwelcoming scowl towards the hero, hoping that his expression would be enough to signal him to leave.

Unfortunately, it seemed this would not be the case. Silver Sentinel was not planning on leaving, at least not yet, until his piece was shared.

"Hi, son. Got a moment?" Silver Sentinel asked.

"My dad calls me 'son'. You call me 'Ace Savvy'. Of course, knowing you, you probably want people to forget my name too, right?" Ace Savvy asked.

"Look, I didn't come here to fight you."

"Yeah, because I'd easily beat you without a problem."

"I seriously doubt that. ...Listen, I know you probably don't like me that much."

"Am I that transparent?"

"C'mon, Ace, I want the same thing as you: To keep the people of Royal Woods safe. We're both superheroes, our job is to protect the innocent."

"Then why are you trying to get rid of me? If you have to fight crime here, then why can't we work together? We could easily sweep up everything in the city and pretty much take care of every bad guy here. Of course, that's assuming you actually mean you consider me a superhero."

"But that's my point. You've got great powers and a lot of spirit, don't get me wrong. I wish I was half as enthusiastic as you are when I was your age. But the fact of the matter is that you're just a kid."

"So what? Since when was there some kind of age limit on doing the right thing and using your powers for good? I got these powers to defend people, so wouldn't it be wrong of me not to use them to help others? Whatever happened to 'With great power comes great responsibility'?"

With his approach not seeming to reach the young Ace Savvy, Silver Sentinel let out a heavy sigh, preparing himself for a different approach to his topic.

"Look, Ace, just answer me this. What's something that kids your age do?" Silver Sentinel asked.

"Well... I mean, we play video games, we read comic books, we watch movies and TV, we hang out; a lot of stuff." Ace Savvy said.

"Right. And do you know what makes all that special?"

"What?"

"It's the fact that you don't have to care about anything but just being yourself. You probably hear everywhere about kids that wanted to be adults already, and that adults wished they were kids for a little longer. Ever think about why they say those things?"

"Not really."

"Being an adult is hard business. People have responsibilities; duties and tasks that they have to carry out for the betterment of society. There's people who fill the role of construction workers, cooks and waiters, firemen, and a lot of other jobs we don't think about. And, on rare occasions, you'll have somebody like me; someone with powers that very few people have, and meant to be used for good and to protect people. In the end, we all serve a greater purpose: The sustenance and betterment of society."

"And where does that fit into you talking about kids and adults?"

"Kids don't have to worry about that yet. That's a long ways off, and you don't want to think about stuff like that for a while."

"So what if I want to grow up faster than other people? I'm having the time of my life being a superhero, or at least I was until you started ruining it all. All my life, I've been looking for something I can call my own, something I can have some identity with, and you came in and stole it from me. Why can't you just let me live my life?"

"Because I don't want you to live the same mistakes I have, Ace."

Not understanding Silver Sentinel's last statement, Ace Savvy inquired further into his words, looking for the meaning behind them.

"What do you mean, 'the same mistakes'?" Ace Savvy asked.

"You think I got these powers from some freak accident or they were given to me by some alien being? They weren't. I've always had these powers for as long as I can remember. Since the beginning, I was forced to save other people, no matter the cost. Because of it, I started to really lose focus on myself, and forget who I was as a person. That's a horrible thing to go through, and I don't want anyone else to have that." Silver Sentinel said.

"But heroes are supposed to put away all those things and help people. It's the sacrifice of being a hero in the first place, isn't it?"

"But you have a choice, Ace. I'm giving you that option. All my life, I wanted to have a childhood of my own, something I never got to experience. Please, just live your life. That's all I ask."

Where he once looked upon this superhero as a bitter rival, a change of opinion came over the young Ace Savvy. On the surface, Silver Sentinel seemed like a brash and haughty man; focused only on praise and fame, but there seemed to be much more to the eye than him now. A child may lack many of qualities that adults do, but empathy is not one of them; perhaps one of the few important traits lost during growth.

As such, Silver Sentinel's argument began to reach him, prompting him to change his ways as a superhero. He was not ready to quit his career altogether, but he did find a way he could make a deal with this rival.

"I'll tell you what. How about I just take a break? If you want to take on all the crime in the city, it's all yours, but only for a week. I'll take some time to think over what you said and see if I can find some enjoyment of not having responsibility. If I never show up after that week, then you can consider me having quit. If I do show up, however... Well, you and I are gonna have another talk about taking care of crime in Royal Woods." Ace Savvy said.

Accepting this deal from the boy wonder, Silver Sentinel extended his hand out for a handshake, aiming to make this deal official.

"Sounds like a deal to me, Ace Savvy, but I guarantee you'll be seeing it my way by the end of the week." Silver Sentinel said.

"Oh, we'll see about that." Ace Savvy said.

"Yes, I suppose we will. In any case, I wish you a good week. Good day."

With his task completed, Silver Sentinel flew off to find another citizen to save, continuing his neverending quest to protect the people of Royal Woods. Having made his deal with the man of silver, Ace Savvy now had a part of his own to carry out. For one whole week, he would abstain from crimefighting; leaving such duties to Silver Sentinel.

Where Silver Sentinel would fight the many supervillains of Royal Woods, Ace Savvy would have to take a sabbatical; rethinking his life further and trying to realize if this path of dressing up and fighting crime was truly what he wanted in place of his chance to live a normal childhood. After all, after fighting numerous eccentric fools in imbecilic costumes, anyone could use a break.

"Okay, I know what you're thinking: 'Lincoln, there's no way you can just give up being a superhero! You've come so far and finally fulfilled your purpose in life!' Don't worry, if you've been keeping up with the show, then you know that I'm the man with the plan. All I have to do is take it easy for a whole week, and I get to relax. Plus, he's bound to slip up and screw up a fight somewhere, then people'll stop caring about him. Then, that's when I come back and take back my glory, and that silver stupor will get a taste of his own medicine." Ace Savvy said.

"Hey, Lincoln! You talking to your imaginary friends again?" Flip called.

"What? My name's Ace Savvy, who's Lincoln?"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, can you tell your imaginary friends to make themselves useful and buy a Flippee©?"

And, so, as the week began to fly by, Lincoln Loud, putting his persona of Ace Savvy to a temporary rest, put his own plan into action; making the most of his week by making it a melding of a vacation and a stakeout. Having his best friend Clyde McBride by his side, this new stakeout would be far more easier than he had anticipated.

"So, tell me the plan again?" Clyde asked.

"Simple. Silver Sentinel's been capitalizing on my screw-ups, so I'll capitalize on his. That way, we get our places as Royal Woods' official heroes back, and people start loving us again." Lincoln said.

"But are you sure this is gonna work? I mean, no offense, but people hate your guts right now."

"Ace Savvy's guts, Clyde."

"You know what I mean. But are you sure that they're gonna turn back to you that easy?"

"They turned away from me in the first place just as easy, right? I shouldn't have any problem if that pendulum swings the other way."

"Huh. I guess you got a point. But what about the summer school project? I mean, I don't want you to fail that whole thing and get held back."

"This is all in the name of the school project, Clyde. If I'm not a superhero, then I can't write about myself being a superhero."

"Oh, good point."

"Right. Now, without further ado, time to put Operation Wait-For-Silver-Sentinel-To-Screw-Up-And-Steal-His-Win-And-Get-My-Popularity-Back-So-I-Can-Be-Cool-Again-And-Also-Think-Of-A-Shorter-Name-For-This-Operation into action."

"Okay, what's step one of the operation?"

"Step one: Last one in buys lunch."

Rushing to the nearby Gus' Games and Grub, Lincoln sought to be the first one in, looking to spend his week by waiting out his opponent to make a mistake which he could exploit. Realizing that his best friend had a new, unquenchable appetite, Clyde hurried along as well to avoid having to fit a large bill.

"Wait, man! I can't afford to feed you anymore!" Clyde shouted.

So, their week off consisted mainly of such ordeals; Lincoln and Clyde would spend some much-needed off time during the summer, with Lisa watching the events surrounding Silver Sentinel closely. Most days went by very much the same: Lincoln and Clyde would spend their days relaxing and playing video games, eating pizza and breadsticks together.

On occasion throughout the days, Lisa would report a crime in the city, making special note of the presence of any supervillains. Rather than rush out to the scene in a haste, Lincoln and Clyde would let the crime go solved by Silver Sentinel, technically upholding his end of the deal. This cycle had continued on for quite a few days; the end of the week reaching soon.

Another occasion would have the day end with Lincoln going on another date with Stella; the two continuing to build their relationship with one another. Still on his mind was Ronnie Anne, the thought occasionally returning to bring with him some guilt. Not having heard from her in quite some time, part of him wished to think that perhaps his troubles were finally over, but his intelligence forbid that safety. Instead, he took advantage of this relief to keep his mind on Stella during his time with her.

On the 6th day, Lincoln and Clyde began to take a stroll down the streets of Royal Woods, looking to exercise their legs more and give their minds a break from endless electronic stimulation. Watching the streets appear more clean and far more safer under the control of Silver Sentinel, the two took note of the hero's effects on the city; never before having stopped to see the effects of a hero on the streets of the city. Without any sign of a threat on the streets, the two found no care in their hearts for caution.

"You know, Linc, I gotta say, this Silver Sentinel guy's doing a decent job of keeping Royal Woods clean. Are you sure you really want to keep at the superhero stuff?" Clyde asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you not concerned with me completing my summer school project?" Lincoln asked.

"Well, of course I am, but you could always find something else to write it on, right?"

"After all the work and trouble I put myself through to get where I am now? No way. That'd just be a huge waste."

"Yeah, but you really have to admit that it might be easier to just leave it to him."

"A hero never takes the easy way out of doing the right thing, Clyde. I was hoping that you, of all people, would know that. Or are you suddenly having second thoughts about everything?"

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just saying that you might want to keep your head in the game."

"'The game'? Lincoln, I thought the whole thing behind us being superheroes was to help people, you know?"

"Yeah, but I still wanted this to find my belonging. This guy's not gonna take it from me, and neither is anybody else."

With the entrance of an unexpected event unfolding to their right, the minor fight going on between the two came to a temporary pause; the talking at its end, but the emotions not having their resolve yet. In the midst of their stroll, a convenience store was under attack by a pair of supervillains, drawing the attention of a crowd and a selection of cops.

"Clyde, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lincoln asked.

"But what about waiting for Silver Sentinel to show up?" Clyde asked.

"Exactly, but we're going to wait in-costume. Once the people realize that he's not showing up, then we get to handle the problem ourselves."

"Oh, I see. Okay."

"Got your costume ready underneath your clothes?"

"As always."

"Good. Then let's get ready for step 2."

After a subsequent visit to a back alley and change to their superhero uniforms, Lincoln Loud and Clyde McBride put their civilian alter-egos away to give place to Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack, ready for action. However, they would not simply rush into the action haphazardly; but instead decide to sit out and wait, taking their time to see what these new threats were.

Taking a spot among the observing civilians, Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack continued to observe the affair going on, inquiring to the police what was unfolding.

"So, what's going on in there?" Ace Savvy asked.

"You again?! Look, kid, we can handle this, and Silver Sentinel's gonna be here any second, so how about you just sit back?" The policeman asked.

"Actually, that's the exact plan I had. I was just a little curious."

"Well, from what we can see, it's a pair of guys calling themselves Tommy Gunn and Killer Crab. They've had us at bay for at least a full half-hour."

"A full half-hour, huh? Excuse me for a second."

Moving to his earbud, Ace Savvy contacted Lisa Loud back at home, seeking more information on the affair.

"Lisa, I'm at the front of a convenience store on Dean and Palmer being held up by a couple of supervillains named Tommy Gunn and Killer Crab. Any sign of Silver Sentinel showing up soon?" Ace Savvy asked.

"Negatory. I've alsho got reportsh that thish shtandoff hash been going on for at leasht half an hour."

"That's what one of these cops were telling me. So, I take it that S.S. isn't coming?"

"It appearsh not. Perhapsh you can make your way back with thish battle after all."

"Oh, I know, but I'm not stepping in just yet."

"What? Why not?"

"Need I remind you that these people still hate me? I have to make these people realize that Silver Sentinel's not coming. So, I'm going to sit here, in-costume, and have them actually want me to solve the problem."

"Lincoln, do you have any idea how dangeroush that ish? What if shomeone getsh themshelves hurt?"

"Since when did you start caring about other people's welfare? You experiment on me and the whole family for fun."

"Well... I... Uh... Damn it. Fine, do whatever you want."

Hanging up his conversation with Lisa, Ace Savvy continued on his course of relaxing, waiting for his moment to come and fight the supervillains within the convenience store. Where the cops and the civilians would let out worried mutters or frightful yelps, Ace Savvy would continue to sit back and await the moment for him to step in.

"Uh, Ace, are you really sure we should be standing by like this?" One-Eyed Jack asked.

"Well, these people have made it clear that they don't want us helping. So, we have to leave the decision to help up to them." Ace Savvy said.

"But isn't a hero supposed to help people, no matter what?"

"Who's the sidekick here, Jack?"

Angered once again by Ace Savvy's dismissive attitude, One-Eyed Jack held back his frustration and emotions once again, placing his focus back on the task at hand.

"Okay, fine. But how are we gonna know when to jump in?" One-Eyed Jack asked.

Coming from the convenience store was a barrage of bullets landing straight into the cop cars, sending all the policemen behind cover and all civilians ducking for some form of cover for themselves. Still continuing to act nonchalant, Ace Savvy still stood against the car, not paying any mind to the bullets. By way of relaxing, he finally managed to catch a glimpse of one of the two supervillains within, stepping out to make his appearance.

The first of the two villains that revealed themselves was Tommy Gunn; a man dressed in a classic 1930's gangster zoot suit and cigar in mouth, wielding a M1928A1 Thompson Submachine Gun, better known to many as the 'Tommy Gun'.

"Alright, ya damn dirty coppers, if none of ya wanna spend ya retirements in a Chicago Overcoat, I suggest ya just keep yourselves back. We ain't leavin' till we got the cabbage, ya got that?" Tommy Gunn asked.

Behind Tommy Gunn was the other half of the supervillain duo terrorizing the store, Killer Crab; a man in a giant crab suit with large, razor sharp claws in place of his hands.

"If you try anything funny, you're gonna be sleepin' with tha fishes, with my buddy Killer Crab sending ya there personally." Tommy Gunn said.

Giving a demonstration that the two meant business, Killer Crab grabbed two cop cars and flipped them upside-down, sending them flying towards the nearby populace. No one was harmed, fortunately enough, but tensions were flying much higher than ever before. With Silver Sentinel never arriving, it was clear that the man of silver would never arrive, and their only option at this point was Ace Savvy.

Ace Savvy, still awaiting the public to give him the signal, continued to relax and sit out the affair. While One-Eyed Jack saw his partner's logic in handling the affair, he could hardly agree with the tactics behind it, growing more frustrated by the second from inactivity. Soon, he grew tired of standing by and waiting, proceeding to jump in himself.

"I can't take this anymore! I gotta stop them!" One-Eyed Jack said.

One-Eyed Jack attempted to jump into action, but Ace Savvy grabbed him by the cape, preventing him from heading inside.

"Not just yet, Jack. We've still got to wait for our moment." Ace Savvy said.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Ace?! People are in danger here!" One-Eyed Jack shouted.

"Well, yeah, and I would love nothing more than to save them, but they just don't like it when we do."

Finally, the moment that Ace Savvy had been waiting for had arrived: Unable to handle the affair themselves, one of the policemen ran up to the spade-spannered hero, begging him to assist them in the fight.

"Ace Savvy! You gotta help us! We can't take this guy by ourselves!" The policeman said.

"Oh, but what happened to 'Look, kid, we can handle this, and Silver Sentinel's gonna be here any second, so how about you just sit back'?" Ace Savvy asked.

"He ain't comin', man! You're all we got!"

"Well, I don't know if you've heard lately, but people are really starting to not like it when we help. After all, isn't fighting these guys your job?"

"Are you nuts, man?! I can't defend the public, I'm a police officer! My job is to beat up nig-"

Taking notice of One-Eyed Jack and the other many bystanders with darker skin color, as well as their raised eyebrows and unamused facial expressions, the policeman quickly retracted his statement.

"Uh... I mean, we're not qualified to handle these sorts of people. You guys are." The policeman said.

"Oh, well, in that case, I suppose we can give you a hand." Ace Savvy said.

"So, does that mean-" One-Eyed Jack began to say.

"Yes, Jack, it's about that time to deal out some justice."

Preparing to face off against the two supervillains, Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack readied themselves against their opponents; both facing one-on-one with their selected villain. Tommy Gunn and Killer Crab, not expecting the presence of the two heroes, were both taken by surprise by their appearances.

"What the- Ace Savvy and his sidekick? Didn't that Silver Sentinel guy run you outta town?" Tommy Gunn asked.

"This is my town, I'm not going anywhere. You two, on the other hand, are going straight to jail." Ace Savvy said.

"Yeah, don't be too sure. Killer Crab, you take the mulignan, I'll take Ace."

"With pleasure." Killer Crab said.

Tommy Gunn proceeded to retreat into the convenience store, firing at Ace Savvy as he backed in. Taking the gunfire on his super-suit and absorbing the impact of the bullets, Ace Savvy began heading into the store after his target, ready to fight against him and put a stop to his holdup.

As Ace Savvy went off to fight Tommy Gunn, One-Eyed Jack was stuck with Killer Crab, having his own battle to play out with him. Having only dealt with mainly lesser supervillains before and only one serious supervillain previously, One-Eyed Jack did not know which of the two to make of Killer Crab, not finding the fear factor of a crab.

"Quick question. Exactly why, of all animals would you base your outfit off a crab?" One-Eyed Jack asked.

"Simple, kid. A crab's claw can crush 90 times their own body weight. Allow me to demonstrate." Killer Crab said.

Killer Crab reached to a nearby car, placing his pincers over the roof. Upon closing his claw around the roof, the edges of the claw cut through the car's metal build like butter, tearing through it as if it were never there. Understandably, where One-Eyed Jack had some skepticism about the competency of the supervillain, all doubts instantly swept themselves away after this.

"Oh... I see now. Uh... I think I just peed myself a little." One-Eyed Jack said.

Meanwhile, the policeman who begged the heroes to aid him found some shelter to himself behind another car, hoping to wait out the affair until it all ended. In the midst of his fear, there was still one more concern on his mind from the interaction with Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack.

"I don't get why people look at me funny before I can finish the word. Why don't people call robbers 'nightwalkers' anymore? Does no one read a dictionary?" The policeman asked.