This chapter's a bit of a lore dump, which I wasn't super keen on doing, but I felt like I needed to get this out of the way so I could go back to focusing on the fun stuff. I still tried to make it as entertaining as possible, regardless. Think I might have one more of these in me before I go back to Aces, the next chapter should be going back to the fun stuff.
dogspirit1: You're not alone. I wasn't intending to make the bad guys in this fic so...personable? But it kind of just happened, and at this point they're a lot more fun to write than the heroes are. I'm gonna have to figure out a way to even things out a bit in the future.
Mr. Perv: Glad you're enjoying the story. I think you had pitched me a different, vaguely similar idea in the past, which I liked, but I didn't want to be doing two superhero stories at the same time. I like that new idea of yours too, but again, I don't want to be writing two stories like that simultaneously. Definitely not while I've still got Aces going, which is pretty time consuming. Gigant is basically a fun story I use to recharge my batteries when I need to take a short break from Aces. Though if you want a good super powered sisters story, and you haven't already read it, I'm really enjoying Enter the Black Vortex, by Michael Ravencroft. That was recommended to me by another reader, and I got hooked pretty quickly.
JRC1700: Unlike Aces, I don't really have much planned out in advance for this story, so the future's pretty malleable. That said, I definitely want Lucy to join the team eventually, I just haven't figured out how its going to happen yet.
"Aaaaand, done!" Leni proudly announced, stepping back to admire her handiwork.
Lincoln had to admit, it looked great. Leni had already been remarkably skilled at woodworking, even before the superpowers. Now, with her enhanced physical abilities, it hadn't taken long at all for her take the pile of garbage that had once been his bed, and make it look brand new. She'd even worked her Leni magic on his mattress, which now looked considerably more comfy than it had been before.
"Just one thing left to do." Leni said, turning to her siblings. She reached out, plucked Lincoln from Lori's grasp ("Hey!" Shouted Lori), and gracefully leapt onto the bed, giggling, and pulling Lincoln close as they bounced from the impact. It warmed Lincoln's heart to see her so cheerful, the girl had been through a lot recently.
"Ahem." The pair looked up to see Lori staring down at them.
"Clear some room." She said, gesturing for Leni to move over. The younger girl complied, dutifully scooching over, though still dragging Lincoln along with her.
"And stop hogging Lincoln!" Lori growled, reaching out and yanking the pair back towards her. A minor scuffle ensued as the two girls jockeyed for positioning, Lincoln repeatedly being jerked from one soft, fleshy exterior to another.
Eventually, the trio settled into an arrangement that seemed agreeable to everyone. Lori laying flat on her back, Lincoln pulled up against her bosom, while Leni rest her head atop Lincoln's own chest, her arms wrapped comfortable, but securely around her siblings as best she could manage. Lincoln recognized, on some level, that it was unusual that this sort of thing had become his new norm, but at the same time he'd never felt more secure and comfortable than when he was sandwiched between his older sisters.
"So..." Lori prompted after a few moments had passed without anyone saying anything.
Lincoln glanced down at the blonde lump currently attached to his lower body, and saw Leni with heavily lidded eyes, seemingly in the process of nodding off.
"Leni." He nudged the older girl as best he was able, pinned as he was.
"Hmm?" Leni jerked back into alertness, her eyes rapidly blinking. "Oh, right. Story time."
Leni's beautiful features scrunched up as she concentrated on the task at hand.
"Linky?" She said at last. "Um. We found Seven on that trip we took, right?"
"Aloha Beach." He nodded in affirmation. "We went as a family not too long ago."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh, em, gosh, Linky! Isn't it great that we're at Aloha Beach?"
"Reasonably certain." He nodded again. "Remember? You were really excited about that..." He coughed in embarassment, reddening slightly, "...t-that new bikini you'd bought."
"Oh, em, gosh, Linky! Isn't it great that we're at Aloha Beach? I'm so excited that I get to wear my new bikini! It's totes cute and tiny!"
"Stop that!" Lori snapped in irritation. "Flashbacks are going to make this take all day. Just give me the important details."
"Oh." Leni paused to consider this, one finger placed contemplatively on her lips. Lincoln took advantage of the slight degree of freedom this afforded him, and wriggled one arm free of Leni's grasp. He reached up and began to gently stroke Lori's hair. He smiled to himself as he immediately felt the tension in the older girl's body begin to abate.
"Okay." Leni said at last. "So, like, we found Seven. And then I fought some mean girls. And then you did too. And now we're here." Her task seemingly complete, Leni once again adopted the cuddling position and began to nuzzle her face into her favorite pillow."
"...You want to take a crack at this, little brother?" Lori deadpanned, peering down at Lincoln, clearly nonplussed by her sister's willingness to abdicate her duties.
Perhaps I might assist Ms. Leni. Seven interjected.
"Take it away, Sev." Lincoln agreed, gesturing somewhat pointlessly at the device on his arm.
Seven. The machine corrected. His voice remained as monotone as ever, but something about the inflection of the word cause Lincoln to imagine one tiny eyebrow twitching in irritation.
As I understand the situation, your siblings had become separated from the rest of your family at some point.
"I lost my bikini top." Leni mumbled, refusing to budge from her perch. "Linky was helping me find it. And also, he was helping to keep me warm, because it was totes cold."
Lori looked down at her little brother once more, one eyebrow raised questioningly. Lincoln could only shrug in response.
That is when they found me, discarded like so much debris. And in doing so, they may have bought your entire planet a very slim hope of prevailing against the greatest threat the universe has ever faced.
"And that would be?" Lori prompted
A literal translation of his name in your language would sound like little more than pain filled screams of terror. However, I believe a more accurate approximation, conveying an appropriate degree of gravitas would be...'The Darkness'.
"You look happy." Darkness remarked as his minions took their seats.
"I don't feel happy." Fiona hissed, glaring at her employer.
"Good. Because you don't actually look it, either." The being remarked. "Well done, Maggie." He said, turning to the younger girl, and handing her another lollipop. Maggie simply shrugged and popped the treat in her mouth.
"Now then." Darkness said, clasping his hands in front of him. "I believe you have an origin story to share."
Fiona simply stared back at the creature, waiting for the other shoe to drop. A snide remark, a cutting jape, unwarranted praise for the new girl...but nothing was forthcoming.
"Fine." She grunted at last. "I guess it'll kill some time."
She stopped, suddenly contemplative. "Wait, am I hourly?"
Suddenly, a door appeared on the far side of the room, and a swarm of small creatures burst through. They were roughly three feet tall, each looking decidedly insect-like in nature, and wearing a tiny business suit and tie. Before Fiona could verbalize any sort of reaction, the swarm scurried over toward Darkness, and began to chitter at him in low, guttural tones. The fact that Darkness was paying rapt attention, and nodding on occasion, was the only indication Fiona could see that there was some sort of conversation taking place. After several minutes of this, Darkness gave one last decisive nod. Apparently taking this as their cue, the creatures bowed to him in unison, then scurried back out the door, which promptly vanished behind them.
"...What the hell was that?" Fiona asked once the show had ended.
"Have you not met the legal team?" Darkness asked rhetorically.
"They were tiny." Maggie interjected. "And cute."
"Indeed." Darkness replied blandly, before turning back to Fiona. "As to your question, it is acceptable that I nod in response. However you choose to interpret that nod is entirely up to you." With that, Darkness gave an extremely slow and deliberate nod in Fiona's direction.
"...Alright then." Fiona replied, rolling her eyes. "I used to work in a clothing store—"
"Hang on." Darkness interjected, holding up one hand. "What are you doing?"
"Telling the story?" Fiona asked, puzzled.
"Obviously." Darkness waved dismissively. "But I thought you people normally did this sort of thing with flashbacks."
"No." Fiona retorted, flatly. "We don't."
"I like flashbacks." Maggie opined. "Like that one time..."
"No." Fiona retorted, flatly. "We don't."
"I like flashbacks." Maggie opined. "Like that one time..."
"Don't you dare." Fiona hissed, swatting the younger girl on the head.
"Ow." Maggie dispassionately droned in response. Fiona considered delivering a followup smack for good measure, when a small gout of ebon black flame burst into existence between the two girls, causing her to jerk back in surprise.
"Don't hit the gloomy girl." Darkness waggled one finger at her in a scolding manner. "That's not conducive to a healthy work environment."
"Neither is world domination." Maggie pointed out.
"Can I tell the stupid story already?" Fiona growled in frustration.
"Fine, fine." Darkness motioned for her to proceed. "I've already forgotten why we're doing this anyway."
Fiona's eyes narrowed, but that little demonstration of her employer's otherworldly powers did wonders for keeping her temper in check.
"I used to work at a clothing store in the mall." Fiona began at last, through gritted teeth. "Reininger's."
"My mom drags me there sometimes." Maggie interjected, rolling her eyes. "I always have a hard time finding things in my size, but there's this really nice girl who always helps me."
Fiona's eyes involuntarily swept up and down Maggie form, noting curves that were entirely inappropriate for a girl her age. Yeah, accommodating her would definitely be a tall order.
"I'd heard the store got closed down. Again. Along with the rest of the mall, some kind of accident I guess." Maggie continued, suddenly looking contemplative. "I bet that girl needs a job. Maybe we can—"
"Yeeeeah, that's not gonna happen." Fiona cut in, glancing to Darkness for confirmation.
"I don't particularly care." The monstrosity replied, shrugging. "Get on with the story."
Fiona gnashed her teeth in protest, but complied. "So I was having the worst day of my life. I'd lost my favorite pair of shoes, my boyfriend broke up with me because he realized he was gay for my ex boyfriend—"
"That's nice." Maggie pipped up.
Fiona shot her a murderous glare before proceeding. "...And to top it all off, I got fired."
"Is being boring grounds for termination?"
"No!" Fiona growled, her eyes flashing with hatred. "But being caught with a locker full of unpaid-for product is!"
"Wait." Lori cut Leni off in the middle of her recitation. "Why did you shove all that stuff into Fiona's locker?"
"She told me to keep it safe until we could take inventory." Leni replied. "And Fiona's locker is like, supes safe. The locks she puts on it are really, really hard to pick."
Lincoln and Lori exchanged glances before shrugging in unison. Typical Leni logic, what harm could it do?
Fiona flinched as a sound not unlike breaking glass, fingernails on a chalkboard, and an alarm clock buzzer cut through her like a knife.
"Oh that's rich." Darkness chortled, slapping his knee. "And you say your friend did this? She sounds wonderful. Do you think she needs a job?"
"Pretty sure she doesn't!" Fiona shrieked, shaking with barely contained fury.
"Pity, that. So then what happened."
Fiona's perpetual frown deepened considerably as she fixed her gaze upon the creature. "That's when I met you."
"Alright, alright." Lori interrupted again. "Let me see if I understand this so far."
"You two." She pointed toward her siblings. "Stumbled across some kind of talking alien doodad that gives people superpowers?"
"Yup." Leni chirped.
"We didn't know about the superpowers thing, at the time." Lincoln corrected her. "But yes."
"And you somehow managed to keep this a secret from the rest of us?" Lori asked, one eyebrow arched in disbelief.
"It was totes hard." Leni replied, pouting. "But Linky didn't want to tell anybody."
"Can you blame me?" Lincoln asked. "It sounds nuts."
"I guess I can't." Lori murmured thoughtfully. "And you." She pointed in the general direction of Lincoln's arm. "Are some kind of alien superweapon tasked with fighting an evil monster...thing, hellbent on eradicating all life in the universe?"
That is an extremely succinct summation of events, yes.
"Huh." Lori pondered this. "Gotta say, little bro, I'm surprised you didn't jump at the chance to be a superhero yourself."
"I...couldn't." Lincoln's voice faltered slightly, and he averted his eyes. Seeing this, Leni reached out and pulled him into a reassuring hug. Lori's initial reaction was to growl at the pair for excluding her once again...but she managed to suppress the impulse. Sisterly intuition told her there was something more at work here.
The situation is highly unusual. Seven droned. Typically, upon finding a new world in need of defending, I would seek out a worthy champion to wield me. One who is of appropriate age, and preferably combat capable.
"And you picked these two?" Lori asked, incredulous, gesturing to her siblings. "No offense, guys."
"None taken." Said Lincoln, his voice muffled by the fact that Leni had chosen to give him one of her patented Leni Hugs. A perfect combination of softness and spine shattering affection.
My options were limited. Seven replied. For one, I usually have more time to prepare. The powers of a Gigant are not lightly given out.
"What happened this time?"
The Dark One came upon my transport unit during atmospheric entry. Without a host I was unable to defend myself. I managed to make landfall, but the unit was destroyed in the process, and I am incapable of locomotion on my own.
"So you were basically forced to settle for the first dope who happened to come across you?" Lori deadpanned.
Essentially. I had to make the best of a bad situation. The other complication was that your species is curiously incompatible with my functions.
"How so?" Lori furrowed her brow in confusion.
My primary function is to imbue my host with Gionic energy, the catalyst for your abilities. Based on my limited interactions with you and your siblings, the males of your species are capable of channeling the energy, but are unable to make use of it themselves. Where the females of the species seem to have the opposite problem. After considering the issue, I had theorized that a symbiotic relationship might have been the answer, a human male initially serving as a medium with which to empower a human female, and thereafter serving as a regulator for their power.
"I still don't really get it." Leni confessed. "But Seven said I'd get give Linky lots of hugs, so I said sure." Then her face fell slightly. "But Linky said no."
Lori looked to her little brother, questioningly.
"I-I didn't want Leni to get involved." He said, shifting uncomfortably. "Seven said she'd have to fight horrible monsters, and I couldn't put Leni through that. I thought we'd figure something out. That there had to be another way. But..."
"But?" Lori prompted.
"Then the first attack happened."
"This is starting to sound vaguely familiar." Darkness mused, stroking his nonexistent chin.
"You found me in the depths of despair and turned me into a rampaging monster." Fiona replied, incredulous. "How could you not remember this?"
"I corrupted so many humans before we started this new arrangement of ours." Darkness waved dismissively. "But now that I'm in the story, I assume things will finally get interesting. So what happened next?"
"Well, my memory gets kind of fuzzy at that point..."
"A common side effect of having your soul torn apart, then crammed full of incredibly unstable dark energies..."
"My WHAT was WHAT?"
"I didn't say anything. Continue."
"Fiona attacked the mall?" Lori asked. "Again?"
"No, this last time was the second time." Leni corrected her. "This was the first time."
"That seems needlessly confusing." Lori said, dryly.
"Life typically doesn't fit into a neat, convenient narrative structure." Lincoln replied, shrugging indifferently. "Though...she was different that time."
"Different how?" Lori pressed, curious.
"She was like, totes naked." Leni pipped up. "Or almost. Her clothes were all torn up. I don't think she picked out the right size."
"Fifty foot women tend to be hard to shop for." Lori replied sarcastically.
"That's why I'm stocking up on gift cards for us." Leni agreed, the sarcasm completely going over her head. "And I think Linky might have gotten hurt. He was bleeding a lot.
"It's not funny, Darkness!" Fiona roared.
"Your right."He chuckled darkly. "It's hysterical."
"I didn't realize you were an exhibitionist." said Maggie. The younger girl yelped, and just barely managed to dodge a haymaker aimed where her head had been only miliseconds prior.
"I meant", Lincoln huffed, his cheeks red with embarrassment, "Her attitude was different. When you fought her she was relatively normal."
"She was evil." Lori corrected him.
"She was Fiona." Leni corrected her in turn. "She's always like that."
"Right." Lincoln gave a short roll of his eyes. "But, coherent and stuff. This time she mostly just screamed a lot and stepped on stuff."
"Still sounds like Fiona." Leni opined.
Interesting. Seven murmured. I had not considered the change in temperament.
"Okay, whatever." Lori waved dismissively. "So then what happened."
Lincoln and Leni exchanged glances. "Well..." He began. "We had a crazy giant lady tearing up the place. If we'd waited for the army, or the police to get involved, people might have gotten hurt. So..."
"Leni! It's too dangerous!"
"You have to let me try, Linky! It's Fiona!"
"F-Fine. But promise me you'll be careful..."
"I promise...Linky..."
Energy transfer initiated...
"Leniiiiii Punch!"
Lori blinked in surprise. "Wow. That actually sounded really cool."
"Leni was the coolest." Lincoln agreed, giving the girl in question a kiss on the cheek. Leni blushed, both embarrassed and pleased. Then she snatched Lincoln up and pulled him close, pressing her lips against his. She moaned in delight as Lincoln responded in kind, the volume of her pleasure magnifying as Lincoln began to trace his fingers up her curvaceous body.
"Oh no you don't!" Lori growled, crawling towards her suddenly very occupied siblings. "I'm part of this too, dammit!"
"And I woke up with a black eye and my clothes ruined." Fiona concluded, grimacing. "Also, still unemployed."
"So, same as it ever was." Darkness chortled in amusement, wiping away an imaginary tear.
"I'm really happy you enjoyed that so much." Fiona retorted sarcastically.
"I did." Darkness' form heaved a few more times as he worked the last traces of laughter from his system. "That was a lovely way to kill some time."
"Now." Darkness folded his hands in front of him, suddenly serious. "As fun as that was, I think it's time you two got some actual work done today."
Fiona raised one hand, intending to ask what he meant, but was interrupted by Darkness snapping his fingers. Fiona's eyes widened as she found her hand clutching a familiar shape. Dark seeds. Two of them.
"I think it's time we see what the new girl can do."
"I think it's time we stop excluding Lori." Lincoln announced in a shaky voice. He was currently lying in a heap with his two sisters All three siblings exhausted and disheveled looking, their hair mussed and their clothing in disarray. And yet, all three looked extremely pleased with themselves.
"Totes." Leni murmured. She propped herself up unsteadily with her arms, leaned over, and planted a soft kiss on Lori's lips, signaling she was ready for more.
Lori smirked at her siblings, seemingly pleased with herself.
"You guys haven't seen anything yet..." She purred, wrapping one arm around Leni, while the other drifted down towards the zipper of Lincoln's jeans.
Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise resounded from Leni's pocket, startling the trio.
"Dang it!" They groaned in unison.
Leni reluctantly untangled herself from the group, and fished out her phone, pouting at the device as if it was the one at fault. In an instant, her face shifted from annoyed to shocked.
"Oh my gosh!" She squeaked, drawing looks of concern from her siblings. "Fiona's going to beat me up!"
The phone buzzed again, and Leni's expression turned to one of relief. "Oh, never mind. She says wrong number."
Lori opened her mouth to point out how strange that was, when she heard a buzzing from her own pocket. Sighing in annoyance, she fished out her own phone, half suspecting she knew what was coming.
Fiona: Come to the park. Imma beat u up.