RECON BASE. LOCATED IN WASHINGTON, DC. SEVEN DAYS AGO
Inside the military agency of the building called The Freedom, a young woman with blonde hair, blue body armor covered with a long jacket reaching her legs, black combat boots, and a mask that has a sleek design.
"Ah, Miss Loud. Finally you came after the whole 'beeping' in your mask, right?" middle-aged man said, with a beard, and wearing an appropriate military director's attire. "I'm quite fond by you early comings."
"Don't thank me, Director, thank time that brought me here."' Miss Loud said. "Even the annoying beeping that's literally keeping my ears ringing."
Lori Loud: Strike Commander.
"We'll have the sound lowered if you wish." The middle-aged director said.
"Well, you're literally a hologram, why can't they just design some holographic watch or a built-in communication hologram on my tactical mask." The eldest of the family, now a Public Hero like her other sisters, sighed. "Anyway, what's the situation?"
"Well, as you can see." the director's table summon a holographic schematics. "There are reports about criminals and thugs being caught defenselessly on the sidewalks and alleyways. That was the two years back. Now, the numbers are getting higher, and all of them are happening mostly around the globe."
"So, you call me in here just to listen some reports about thugs getting beaten up mysteriously?" Lori explained. "Director, RECON is not a police force or that kind of sort. It's a military agency that deals with bigger threats. And this whole news thing about that now doesn't seem to affect me. Besides, the only thing that could have dealt that are vigilantes."
"Exactly. Vigilantes are always doing the same thing: Stopping any villain attacks by blending the shadows." he stated, "In fact, there's one now in your hometown, Royal Woods."
Lori's eyes widened by what he said. "W-W-What? A vigilante? In Royal Woods?"
"Yes. He even stopped multiple crimes already all by himself. Mostly on nights and afternoons. He even stopped one just now."
"How did he look like."
"Well, he's wearing a ski mask with some googles, and a pair of gloves that looked bulky."
Lori wasn't sure who he was was, but she's eager to find out who he is in that mask.
"Director. Don't mind if I take a week vacation? Maybe two if you'll agree."
Later, in the present, at the same building in Royal Woods, Lincoln is facing his only idol that he admired so much from his childhood. Axis Fighter.
"Can I be a hero... a hero who's fighting in the shadows?" Lincoln said, which made the Heroic Fighter in The World stunned by his question.
THE ACING HEROES
CHAPTER 2
ACT FAST
Back on top of the building, Lincoln and Axis Fighter is still on top of the building, after the whole incident at the alley way. Knowing what's going to happen next, he asked the question to him.
Axis Fighter is still on a stunned look after he witnessed a blaster wielding vigilante teen in front of him, knowing if her can be a hero just like him.
Hesitating to answer, he said with a mix of confusion. "You're that vigilante, correct?"
He nodded in response.
"Well, you see kid..." he was interrupted when part of his mask broke, revealing himself as a middle-aged man with graying hair, wrinkles on his face, and eyebags. And let's not forget that his eyes are different from the human eye.
Of course, this made the vigilante Loud scared, shocked and part of his fanboy side started to burst out.
"GAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Lincoln panicked when he saw his number one hero's face. "Uh, w-w-who are you?! You're not Axis Fighter! You're an imposter! You don't look exactly like him! Where is he?!" he started to panic in fear, and not in anger.
"Calm yourself, young man." the maskless Axis Fighter. "I can assure you that I'm really the true Axis Fighter in the flesh. Because... justice is her-" and he started to cough really bad, with blood.
"You're bleeding!" Lincoln screamed in fear again, as he saw Axis Fighter drip some on the ground.
"It's not the first time, kid." Axis Fighter commented.
"B-But how?! H-H-How are you like this? I thought Axis Fighter was supposed to be a strong hero who never had any problems." Lincoln stated.
"I'm starting to notice that you don't know yet." Axis Fighter started. "You still remember that incident with a black ops militia that I dealt with myself, right? You know, the ones that's starting their own world war?"
"Yeah. I remember that." Lincoln answered. "You stopped the entire Dark Bullets all by yourself without any help. That's so cool!" he let out his inner fanboy, in front of the Heroic Fighter in The World. "You took them all singlehandedly without breaking a sweat!"
"Well, you see, after that incident, I still fought every crime I encounter with my full strength. But then, I suffered a terrible injury on my back." he explained. "The doctors told me that I need to rely more on using my powers wisely. The surgeries almost saved me, but it didn't really patch up my powers anymore. If I go further, it might make it even worse." he said. "So that's why I need to keep making a better way to stop my opponents and be more responsible with my powers."
"But, why did you go any further?" Lincoln asked, with worry on his tone.
"Because the responsibilities on being a hero is that you need to protect the people that needs saving. Taking the risk is the responsibility of being a hero." Axis Fighter explained when he added.
"Even getting injuries?" Lincoln asked, still concerned.
"Sometimes, that's the price you pay for this. Nobody asks to get or be in trouble. We try to prevent others from getting hurt or worse." Axis Fighter said, as if they're wise words.
"What about healing?" asked Lincoln.
"It takes time to heal, physically speaking. As for emotionally, it takes a more than just time." Axis Fighter stated.
"I see." Lincoln responded.
"Anyway, I can tell that you have holsters beside your pants and that mask of yours, that you're a vigilante." Axis Fighter started. "You can keep this up, but you might be in jail if they caught you. I heard that vigilantes are getting caught once in a month. But it's a fine profession, as long as you're doing the right thing." he explained. "It's not bad to have a dream young man, just... make sure your dreams are obtainable, realistic, understand? Now, I need to take this to the police station." he said as he starts to walk away.
"Wait! Axis Fighter! I still haven-"
"You already wasted your five minutes in asking me one question and you're gonna keep going. Geez, kids these days..." Axis Fighter muttered that last part in disappointment. "Look, you need to leave, young man. I hope you can understand, but my job is important. Good day." He left afterwards, not without another word.
Lincoln stares out at Axis Fighter. Not even given a chance to ask a question after what he just discovered from his childhood hero, and his sudden appearance… or current appearance. Lincoln could just do what must be done: Go home and don't tell anyone about what he just saw. Who knows? Maybe they'll harass the World's Heroic Fighter for looking old and being a sign that he might die.
"Now that's over, I can finally take this back to– " he suddenly felt his pockets flat. "Wait. What? Where is it?" Axis Fighter searched his pockets, only to loose the only captured villain he caught. "Oh, no!"
Somewhere in Hoth Capital City...
In a giant four wheeled, gun filled, APV driving in Detroit Street, Lori is inside the front seat with a woman with blonde hair and looked a bit much older after four years, along with some soldiers at the back.
"Thanks for taking me back to Royal Woods, Carol. But you don't have to ride the APV just to get me home." Lori said, still bummed out about her being inside a RECON military vehicle. "You could have just used the teleporter to bring me back in... I don't know, the mall maybe?"
"Sorry Lori, but my car broke down after that little black insect did with it. And of course, the teleporter is still on repairs after a test jump failure." she growled. "But what could be better after riding this? My copy powers almost beat up Houston in a blink of an eye. Besides, I told him about it."
Carol Pingrey AKA Copycat. Powers: Copying
"Well, that's really something." Lori said.
"Yeah. What can you do?" Carol asked, in a typical teenager tone. Ever since they graduated in college for only like four years for a bachelor's degree, they both suddenly ended up together in their first of day Rational Enforcement Covert force Observing the Nation, or better known as RECON for short. Eventually, after some training, exams, and some more training to learn for a year, the two best friends eventually end up as partners in case if they were given a task.
"Nothing. It… doesn't matter." Lori said, sighing afterwards.
Carol can tell that her sigh was a more of a cry for help or something worrying her. "Is something bothering you?"
"Yeah. It's this vigilante... he's been here in Royal Woods, protecting everyone in his own terms." Lori said in worry and mixed with some irritation. "I mean, of all my siblings, neither of them aren't vigilantes who wanted to go to jail that early."
"What about your brother?" Carol said. "I mean, maybe he could be that vigilante guy. I don't know that, but it could be him."
"Oh, come on, don't jump to conclusions. Lincoln can't be a hero like me and my other sisters." she stated. "Plus, he doesn't know how the world works. It's just gonna get him killed, and I can't risk that."
"Safety does come first especially for family." Carol stated, which is somehow a fact.
"The only time he almost got hurt was when he was trying to get cookies from the cookie jar on the top of the kitchen's shelf." Lori recalled a memory from the past.
"Almost?" Carol asked.
"Yeah, but we found him hanging by his pants on the cupboard." Lori responded. Carol snickered after what she said.
"At least his pants saved him." Carol joked.
"Me and my other sisters walked in the kitchen and saw him asking for help. We tried not to laugh as I helped unhook his pants and set him down. I also got the cookies as I shared them out with Lincoln and the rest of my siblings." Lori added.
"Aww that's sweet like the cookies you ate." Carol cooed, jokingly.
"Yeah, it was. But that's not all." Lori stated, continuing to tell more about her younger brother. "Lincoln's... more of an inexperience person. He usually gets himself into trouble and problems. And it's not like it's a big deal or anything. It's just that... I don't want to see him get hurt. I want him to go on a safer path. And not... this. The society now we all live in. I just wish he was proud about what he has."
Carol understood what she meant. After all, she's Lori's BFF since senior high. "I get what you mean, Lori. But at least try to support his dreams for a chance. But after understanding what you said, I guess it's best if he chose a better path than this."
"Thanks, Carol." Lori said, after getting interrupted by a beeping on navigation computer. "Huh. Looks like there's a long, heavy traffic at highway. I bet there's another for a short cut."
"Actually, there is a short cut in the highway." Carol stated. "If only there aren't any cars in that road, then we can be able to pass right there and keep the road going."
As Carol started to drive straight to the short cut, it was somehow cut off when she made a hard stop, all to a speeding car, which made an impact straight to a traffic barrier.
"What was that?" Carol asked, who was somehow scared after the crash. She stared at the side of her window, and noticed something with trouble. "What the…?"
A crowd of people, even some leaving their cars behind, started to run away from the street, smoke is even seen from where they are. But for sure and knowing themselves they're RECON agents, the problem can get much, much worse for the two of them.
"What's going in their?" Lori asked. "We didn't even get any reports about smoke coming from this part of town."
"I even don't know about it, but it looks serious." Carol wondered. "Squad Leader, take the lead and scout on the zone for any possible threats. And report back if you can make it."
"Roger that, Agent Pingrey." A RECON Squad Leader, along with the other troopers, head out from the opening doors of the APV and began to investigate.
As the troops began to take the lead, Lori got up from her seat and prepared her gear. She just put on a bandolier which could be equipped with explosives or maybe RECON made gadgets, and her rifle. "What do you think that could've caused that?" she asked.
"Who knows, that's why we're gonna take a look at it." Carol dialed in some numbers on a communication device that doesn't look like your everyday cellphone. Again, RECON made. "But I've already called back up in case if it gets any-"
Then, crashing can be heard at the crime scene. Followed by some random car crashing and a couple of audible screams that sounded like it was in despair, or in great pain.
"Sounded like it's getting much worse." Carol commented, grabbing a pair of gloves as she put them on.
"It does sound like it, but we need to—"
Carol cut her off as she rushed her way out of the APV with her gear. "Let's check it out." She said, and started to rush out.
"Carol! Wait, you- Ugh. She does this all the time." Lori said, following her with her Pulse Assault Rifle.
Brief history with that rifle of hers, it shoots pulse bolts instead of normal bullets, but it does make a lot of damage. It's styled after the main weapon of every soldier in the military, the M16 modern type. They just made some customizations and reverse engineering to it, making it a rapid-firing, pulse weapon for Strike Commander. Another to add about Carol's habit in rushing at a sudden villain attack, as if she was eager enough to take care the people around her. But she only did it when necessary, and Lori was different from her.
Lori and Carol kept running and running to the scene while many people started to run away. Then, a RECON Trooper was thrown off straight to a car. Lori approached to him quickly.
"What happened? Are you alright?" Lori asked in concern. "What did you saw?"
"Commander... It's a threat level red." he said in a weak tone. Followed by a painful coughing
"What kind?" Carol asked.
"Right… there." He said, pointing to the front.
A debris was thrown almost right at them, but luckily, they ducked and they weren't caught by it. Lori glance as she saw what he said was right. A cockroach beast of a monster that's terrorizing the street. And it's the same one that Lincoln and Axis Fighter encountered.
"Carol. Call back up quick. And let it be Public Heroes this time. We can't let our troops get killed." Lori commanded with a proper tone.
"I did both just in case back in the APV." Carol said, readying herself to fight the thing. "Ready when you are."
"Okay. Let's go!" said Lori.
They make their way towards the cockroach monster who is currently eating through some garbage cans. Aside from enjoying his meal, he starts to cause some damage on the area and some government property. Lori and Carol both hide behind the cars, and luckily, they are a like far away from it.
Carol peeked her head behind the car they are at. "Well, this looks really bad in my opinion." Carol stated. "That monster's distracted by eating some garbage and wrecking the whole place."
"Then we'll just use what usually sometimes do; The element of surprise." Lori grabs a handful of micro bombs from her pocket. Gripping her hands, the micro bombs started to glow red, handing them to Carol. Lori made a blank shot with her rifle, just to distract the cockroach monster. "Remember back in training? Let's use that." Lori recalled, to which Carol nodded.
Not without another word, Lori popped out and opened fired her rifle, distracting the cockroach villain. Carol dashed her way at the beast and brought out a pair of micro bombs from her hand, which she threw right away.
"Lori, now!"
Lori fired the bombs placed in the beast with her tactical mask's targeting system, which she shot said bombs with perfect accuracy. Causing it to explode. The explosion of course created a smoke which surrounded the area. The two partners were caught in the smoke, only find out that the cockroach villain survived, using the smoke as it's advantage to escape.
Lori shouted in disbelief. "It's still alive?!"
"Here. Let me try." Carol jumped towards at the cockroach villain, and reached out her hand to the beast.
"Carol, hold on-"
Too late, Carol landed near it and placed her hand on to the cockroach villain's body, and there's no effect nor nothing happened at all. It just went through it's body. After a short pause, the cockroach villain grabbed Carol from the waistline, and started to secrete her with its cockroach venom, but it was stopped when Lori took out the tendrils with her gun.
"Come on!" Lori grabbed her hand, and lift her up. "What the hell was that?! I thought your powers work by just touching them?!"
"I know, but I didn't know it would be ineffective with that thing! Plus, it's an insect monster, I can't copy it's powers!" Carol shouted back.
Lori calmed down. "Okay, looks like your powers aren't gonna work here or at him at all." Lori said. "We just have to keep on distracting it until it goes away or something."
"Well, backup hasn't arrived yet, so we're basically gonna die." Carol guessed. "Right?"
As everyone watches the fight, Axis Fighter, with his mask on his right arm, was somehow shocked that he is watching two Public Heroes fighting against the cockroach villain that he fought with.
"No, this can't be." Axis Fighter said in his mind, as if he's trying to say he's blaming himself. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have talked to that boy that I met. If only I didn't wasted much time, I wouldn't have to be here in this mess. But I can't use my powers now. I already used much all of it."
Meanwhile, in the other side of town, Lincoln is seen walking without his vigilante attire, and decided to head back home after receiving a message from her sisters about where he is. Lincoln sighed and just kept walking back home, but he did remember the words from Axis Fighter.
"It didn't really patch up my powers anymore. If I go further, it might make it even worse."
"Sometimes, that's the price you pay for this. Nobody asks to get or be in trouble. We try to prevent others from getting hurt or worse."
"It's not bad to have a dream young man, just... make sure your dreams are obtainable, realistic, understand?"
"Maybe he's right." Lincoln said to himself. "What if I'm just going to make it even worse. Or more importantly…" he chocked on his own words. "… what if I put myself to get killed."
As Lincoln began to keep walking, he noticed some flames and smoke coming from the place from afar. Lincoln hesitated to check it out. And there it was, his eyes widen of what he saw. His sister, her best friend, and the cockroach beast fighting them. But more importantly, he saw his own sister fighting that thing by herself.
No back up, no reinforcements, no Public Hero, and no Axis Fighter to help them out, Lincoln can only run back and do something about it. I mean, what is he gonna do? Ask the cops to help them? That's just gonna get them twice the killing.
Lincoln found a safe spot somewhere in the order side of the town. He grabbed his blaster pistols, only to see a spark coming out of it. "That doesn't look right." He said in a worried tone. "But they need my help. Damaged or not, I gotta act." He turned his head and saw an abandoned costume room full of costumes, helmets, and kid related toys.
He realized that his mask was damaged and one more hit, or scratch on it, will expose his face. He grabbed one helmet, and takes a look at it.
Carol was thrown off to a car, seemingly knocking her out. Lori on the other hand fought that thing with both her Pulse Assault Rifle and her military combat. She excelled in both. Overmatched by the tendrils that wanted to secrete her to death, Lori just went guns-a-blazing with her rifle, only to be met with a swing of a tendril, sending her to another car.
Feeling weak and unconscious, Lori tried to stand on her ground, but she can't due to how much pain she suffered from the impact. As the cockroach villain approached her, Lori tried to draw out a grenade, but her hand was grabbed by its hand.
"You really think you can kill me with your explosives?! They don't work!" The cockroach beast asked, shouting. "I thought you're a clever commander of RECON."
Lori was suddenly pinned by a tendril launching at her. The villain makes her let go of the explosive as it falls to the ground and near the sidewalk.
"Let's see if you can survive this with an honorable death, Commander!" the cockroach villain prepares himself to hit Lori with a dose of a poison tendril. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blast of energy was shot at the cockroach, confusing both him and the commander of RECON. The cockroach villain turned to his right, only to stop after what he saw.
So did Lori. "I-It can't be..."
The shot came from a figure standing on his ground, with an expensive looking helmet that he took, a toy costume armor, normal pants and shoes, and familiar looking blaster pistols on his arms.
It was Lincoln. How? The blaster pistols. It was a good thing that his older sister doesn't even recognized his real identity, but for sure, she does recognize a vigilante that she was noted about.
"You..." Lori tried to speak, "You..."
"Grrraaahhh!" The cockroach villain yelled. "You should be minding someone else's business!"
"Sorry, but I came here for a rematch!" Lincoln said, gripping his blasters, hard.
Wasting no time, he aimed with his two blasters at the cockroach villain, and pulling the trigger to release a big shot after holding much energy from his weapons, knocking out the cockroach villain to the other side of the wall. Lincoln rushed to Lori's aid. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked in concern.
"I'm… Look out!"
"Huh?"
Lincoln turned around, only to meet a flying fist punched him to the road. He dodged his two fists from impact, and proceeded to kept on dodging after all his vigilante training. He grabbed his pistol from his left and right, and draw them out as he started to open fire non-lethal blasts that won't even injure the insect, but acts like fire.
"Grr..." the cockroach villain observed his arm, which is regenerating slowly. "I see, he's using fire-generating pistols to keep me from regenerating, or probably a wild guess." He thought on his head. "Let's see if he can handle a new technique."
Lincoln stopped shooting his blasters, and grabbed a sphere-shaped bomb from his pocket as he threw it at him, causing him to get caught by the explosion. Believing that the explosion killed it, Lincoln widened his eyes from his helmet, only to see four copies of the cockroach villain, charging at him at ease from the smoke.
"What the?!" Lincoln yelled and was cut off when he gets caught by a kick, a punch, and another punch from each copy. All copies form back into one body, and charged at a seemingly-weak Lincoln, who gut-punched him hard.
Lincoln yelped in pain. He was thrown off to the ground once more, and was met with punches. He was then grabbed, and then thrown on the ground.
It hurt. Really bad.
Lincoln couldn't even move, not a single inch. He tried to stand on his ground, but he can't. All he can feel now is his aching body right now. His helmet is almost cracked to be broken and his body armor feels like it's just a toy manufactured one, and he felt stupid about it.
"If I can't stop you if you come back, then I'll just have to kill you instead!" The monster said, forming a sharp object from his right hand.
Back to Lincoln, he held his gun at him, but he can feel his arm getting weak and failing on taking a perfect shot without shaking his arm. Despite to the aching body he's in now, he still tried to get a shot. Plus, he can feel his eyes almost fading, but still tried regain his conscience together–
"Hey!" Lori yelled, and which caught the attention of the cockroach villain. "Over here!" she cocked her rifle, and started shooting bolts of energy to the villain.
Despite the villain dashing at Lori like a normal human being would do, Carol was secretly hiding behind the villain to use a weapon that traps it. Carol blasts the weapon at the villain as special powered chains wrap the beast around. It attempts to break free but gets shocked for doing so.
But of course, there was a timer, there's a beeping sound. The chains turned off, and it attacked both women again like earlier. Back to Lincoln, he struggles to get back to his feet, but it wasn't that easy as the concussion running on his head makes him dizzy.
"It's not bad to have a dream young man... "
He focused and tried.
"Lincoln wanting be a hero? Please, it's just gonna kill him."
Despite some people putting his dreams down.
"Never fear, because justice is here!"
Remembering his childhood hero's motto, Lincoln regained conscience, and tried standing on his ground. Despite feeling like his bones are broken and bruises aching his body, he pulled the hammer mechanism of his blasters, extending the barrel of the blaster and the handle forming in a straight line, forming it into its baton form. Lincoln charged at it and started to damage the cockroach villain's body with his batons and with a unnecessary scream pain and somehow of a war cry. The villain pushed of the white-haired vigilante and started to strike him with his multiple tendrils, but Lincoln easily dodged and hit some, while he got almost scratched.
Back to the crowd, Axis Fighter watched what he saw. A blast of energy that wasn't normal to the human eye. With that said, "That young boy, really did go on his own. If he's going to fight him alone, he needs another with the same strength like mine!" he clenched his fist.
Axis Fighter put on his mask and flew off after waiting for some time to recharge after his fight with the cockroach beast. Luckily, he's not that far from Detroit Street, so he went straight to Lincoln's position, before he could get killed this time.
Of course, Lincoln was proud to see him save his life.
"Young man, though I'm not proud of what you just did," Axis Fighter said in a stern tone, but had a calm and proud expression "I am somehow was inspired by your bravery. You showed me something. Now to end this cockroach beast to its grave: Windfire... Strike!"
With a straight punch, the cockroach beast started to disappear into bits as it died, not even a word before death took him from the World's Heroic Fighter.
Later, the authorities arrived, tending on the RECON Troopers, Lori and Carol. And of course, the Public Heroes came, but came in late after the authorities came after like three seconds. Lori and Carol were given the credit that they stopped the beast with their bravery, and Axis Fighter was also given credit for saving them. Lincoln was nowhere to be seen after that. Axis Fighter's face had a bit of worry on it, after what he saw from Lincoln.
"I never knew that boy had it in him. I always wonder if he can be one alright." Axis Fighter pondered from the question that Lincoln asked him back at the building earlier. "I have to find that boy."
Above the rooftops of the street, a man - wearing an office-looking suit, followed by darker red pants. The sleeves on his polo are actually rolled up until to his forearms. And his body is covered by his black trench coat - observed the scene as only his lips curled a smile at the incident, before walking away.
Later, at sundown, Lincoln is walking back and possibly near to Royal Woods. He stared at the midnight sky as he observed his blasters, which was now almost damaged from the mysterious powers he got. Followed by his right hand, which was covered by the redness of the heat. He grabbed his hand, but almost flinched from the pain.
He took a stare again from his blasters. "Man, I wish she doesn't get mad about the blaster getting busted. I mean, she's the Gunsmith after all." Lincoln said in worry, as he kept on walking.
He looked at his phone, and saw a message from Lola. There were two: One is that he needs to get back before sundown, and another is a video about the incident earlier. He groaned as he watched a few of it. It did feature about an interview on Lori and Carol, followed by a reminder to the public about the 'mysterious vigilante'.
Lincoln sighed at that part. "It's a price to pay, I guess. But they should be thanking vigilantes for their part." he turned off his phone. "Even me." he sighed. "Maybe I should just stick—"
Suddenly, he was greeted by a public civilian wearing Axis Fighter, who's wearing a white t-shirt, cargo pants, black shoes, and his elderly face is can be barely recognizable. His hair may be greying due to the fact of his age, but he is still the same hero he is.
Young man!" the World's Heroic Fighter said in the top of his lungs, with excitement.
"Gah! A-A-Axis Fighter, w-what are you doing here?!" Lincoln asked in static shock, "How did you get passed those reporters? I-"
He was then cut off by the laugh of the man in front of him. "I thought you'd be wondering that!" Axis Fighter asked. "Not only I tried to convince them about Punk Rock's career, but I also convinced them about with the one thing in me: My super speed! After all, it takes skill, it takes wits. And most of all, I. Am-" he then felt a great pain, followed by blood from his mouth and a screaming Loud boy.
"Anyway." Axis Fighter started. "Young man, I came here to thank you for what you did. Normally, if a vigilante was present, they would be sure to get questioned and just fly off for somewhere that they won't be seen."
"T-Thank me?" Lincoln stuttered in confusion. "Sir, I didn't really did that much, all I did is help my si... Strike Commander, who was in trouble." he stated. "Besides, it was my fault. I got in your way back at the building, and all I did is waste your energy and time. So, I have a reason to say all this."
"I'm not done."
The words caught Lincoln's head with full attention.
"Not only I saw a powerless young vigilante, risking his life to save another, all I can see is a young powerless boy wearing a mask, who had a power all along, made me inspired to act to as well."
Lincoln was fully paying attention.
"There are stories about heroes, who became great." Axis Fighter continued. "Most have one thing in common..." A flashback on Lincoln in his vigilante attire and fighting his best to stop the cockroach beast. "They move before they could even think in order to save another life from danger."
Inspired by those words, Lincoln started to tear up, after what he just did. He did almost risk his life to save another, and he didn't care if the public were against heroes in the shadows. All what Lincoln can do is that he wanted to cry after being said with such words.
Remembering his childhood from being bullied, questioned, and made fun of for his dreams of becoming a hero in the future, Lincoln was now on his knees as he started to grip his side of his chest, still affected by the words of wisdom from Axis Fighter. Another came out from his mouth, but... those are the words of encouragement.
"Young man... you two can become a hero."
Dreams can become a reality. Not even a word slipped out, Lincoln cried out his heart, as he was given a chance at something, something that he always wanted to be when he was just a kid, and until now.
His path of being a hero, is just the beginning.
THE END
Next Chapter: Train for It.