DATE: FEBRUARY 14 2015, SHIELD HELICARRIER, NEXT TO THE LOUD TOWER, 22H45M

"What do you mean, still nothing? Do you know what the director will say when he comes back from the tower?"

In the bridge, the agents were desperate. No one had heard of the missing kid for hours, and that had become a priority.

"Forget the director." Another agent replied. "It's the Louds I'm worried about."

A few hours ago, both the Helicarrier and Loud Tower received a broadcast from a mercenary organization known as the Hellfire Club, claiming to be working for Tombstone's associates. Immediately, Lynn Loud Sr. called his contacts at SHIELD, and arranged a search for the whole city, which now extended to the open sea.

In his private lab, Lynn Loud Sr. checks all the city's traffic cameras. He is in terrible condition, he has spent the last two nights awake and was wearing pajamas under his lab coat smelling sweat. Meanwhile, his partner, a muscular, tan-skinned man wearing the blue SHIELD uniform, waits impatiently for results.

"Come on, Lynn!" He said. "If it were that simple, my SHIELD agents would have discovered something!"

"With all due respect, Roberto, but I do not think any of your agents have three doctorates and a private billions of dollars building." Mr. Loud was also stressed.

At that moment, the door opens, and Lynn's four older daughters entered the lab.

"Girls, now is not a good time." His voice showed concern, while he tried to be gentle. "Mr. Santiago and I are trying to find your brother and Ronnie Anne."

"Dad, Lynn left the house and returned exhausted." Leni said, eyes starting to cry. "She said she was going to roll the whole city until she found them, but she only got tired."

Both Lynn Sr. and Director Santiago were perplexed. After the day they had, they now had another child to worry about.

"Dad, please tell us what you found out." Luan was also terribly sad. "We're very worried about them."

For a moment the two fathers looked at each other, then sighed, admitting defeat. The director Santiago decided to speak.

"As you know, your brother and my daughter went to Captain America's new museum, but they were apparently trapped."

The sisters were horrified. Knowing that his brother disappeared was one thing, but knowing that he was kidnapped was terrible.

"SHIELD did the criminal investigation, and I analyzed the information." Lynn Sr. continued. "Apparently, the museum would only really be opened on Monday due to a delay in exposure. However, it seems your brother did not know that, and when they arrived in the hall about Captain Rogers' death, they were trapped in a sleeping gas chamber."

The more the girls listened, the more worried they became. However, they could already see that the bad part was still going to get worse.

"Around five o'clock, some mercenaries sent a ransom order on behalf of Tombstone's henchmen.

"Wait, are they, like, in the graveyard?" Leni was confused and terrified.

Due to the current state of the family, no one wanted to correct Leni's thinking, but director Santiago decided to explain.

"No, Leni. We're talking about a criminal known as Tombstone. He is an organized crime boss who, just like us, has superhuman abilities, which he uses for crime. Or at least he wore."

"What do you mean?" Lori asked, intrigued.

"Roberto told me that six months ago he was arrested in a SHIELD operation because of involvement in a trade of weapons diverted from the military." Lynn Sr. continued. "Among the demands of the mercenaries was his release in exchange for the children. However, something went wrong."

Now the girls were terrified, afraid to think of the answer. Realizing that they startled them, the SHIELD director quickly clarified.

"It turns out that the police reported the occurrence of gunshots in an abandoned warehouse in Harlem, more precisely, one of Tombstone's properties. When they got there, they found nine strangely dressed and masked men, handcuffed and with signs of struggle."

"Wait, what does that mean?" Luna was confused by the unfolding of the facts. "Are they connected to the kidnapping?"

"That's the problem, girls." Lynn Sr. was embarrassed. "We do not know what happened. We only know they found your brother's hair and Ronnie Anne's blood, as well as two fallen chairs and ropes that were broken."

"So you mean they're all right?" Leni began to regain hope. "Some superhero saved them?"

"That's the trickiest part, Leni." The director was serious now. "SHIELD monitors superheroes in New York, as well as in the country, to look for potential recruits for the Ultimates. However, we did not identify any heroes in the area, so we can only assume they were kidnapped again."

"So you're saying they were kidnapped after being kidnapped?" "Luan was in an internal conflict. If it were not for the gravity of the situation, that would be hilarious.

Suddenly, the pocket of the lab coat vibrates, and Lynn realizes that his wife is calling.

"Rita, my dear, we are..."

"LYNN, COME INTO THE LIVING ROOM RIGHT NOW!" Rita was euphoric. "The receptionist just warned, our children entered the tower!"

They were all immobilized. The first to show signs of life was Lori, who rushed out of the lab. It was three stories down, but she did not care. Immediately afterwards, each of the sisters ran, joy taking charge of her features.

The two adults stayed there for a while. So shocked they were, they could only think of one thing.

'What?'

.

.

.

In the living room, the Loud children and their mother were surrounding Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, without having time to respond. On one of the sofas, Lynn Jr. was lying down, clearly exhausted. The commotion was so much that her snores were hardly heard.

As soon as Rita made everyone calm down, Leni noticed that both of them had bandages on their faces, and she became worried.

"Gee! Are you guys okay? What have they done to you?"

"Well, it's complicated." Lincoln had a forced smile on his face. "We kind of tried to react when some weird guys tried to kidnap us, and they did not get it nice."

That was all Leni needed to hear. She placed her left hand on Lincoln's face and her right hand on Ronnie's face, and then they began to glow. The two quickly removed the bandages, and there was no damage on their faces.

"Thank you, Leni." They both said, smiling.

"Wait a minute, children." Director Santiago was not very patient with the situation. "We spent the day looking for you. Lynn and I moved SHIELD units across the region to try to find you, not to mention divisions in the neighboring states."

"I agree with Roberto on that, children." Lynn Sr. was stern. "Where you've been. And more importantly, what happened in the warehouse?

Ronnie Anne looked at Lincoln with concern. She already knew she would stay with him, no matter what. He, on the other hand, seemed to be in doubt about what to tell.

"Sweeties, I agree with your dads." Rita, unlike the fathers, managed to keep herself amiable and patient as she spoke. "Tell us, what happened?"

Then Lincoln took courage, and began to speak

"We..."


EARLIER IN THE WAREHOUSE


The kids were perplexed, not only by the man before them, but also by what he had done. Their parents told stories of when they were members of the Ultimates, and they fought criminals and terrorists. They had also seen videos of heroes saving people, it was normal in New York.

But this time it was different. This time, they witnessed someone using his powers to save another person. Of course, Lincoln had knocked out most of them, but he was just a kid acting on impulse. This "Ant-Man", however, seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

Then Lincoln paused to think of something he said.

"Wait, what do you mean "finally"? Did you already know about us?"

"Well, it's a long story, but I just knew I should meet you today." He replied, scratching his helmet with his right hand. "But that may be for later. After all this noise, someone in the vicinity must have called the police, so how about you help me bind these guys for when they get here?"

They had no objection. After all, he had saved both of them, helping him secure the bad guys was the least they could do.

Before they could ask how they would arrest the criminals, he reached into another secret pocket, this time in his left glove, and picked up something that looked like a tiny block of wood. He pulled out a strange-looking gun and fired a ray into the small object, which turned into a chest. When he opened it, it was full of handcuffs.

"This is my size gun." He explained, smiling. "It's easier to take my things around when they're little."

"Wait, you mean you shrink?" Ronnie Anne was a bit disappointed. "With the Invisible Guy rumors, I was curious to know how his powers work, but now he seems a bit lame."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you." The hero was a little embarrassed now. "But technically, I do not have powers. I use equipment that shrinks, which includes my suit."

Both kids decided to put the subject aside. Even if he had no powers, they were not in a position to judge. They quickly began to cuff the masked men, leaving them attached to each other by both hands and feet, and then trapped in a support pillar of the warehouse.

"Listen, Ant-Man. What were those darts that you threw in those three?" Lincoln asked.

"Well, considering how hard you have tried to hide your powers, I thought it would be a good idea to use a drug that causes memory loss. As only these three realized that you had overthrown the others, I decided to erase their memories. They will still remember everything until yesterday, but everything that happened today is going to be just a blur."

Lincoln had the impression of seeing a brief smile when he said the last word, almost as if it were a joke.

"Wait, how do you know about my secret? And more importantly, why do you want to keep it?"

"All in good time, young man." He noticed the bump on Lincoln's head and Ronnie's swollen face. "Wow, they did not take it lightly with you. Well, let's go to my place and fix it." He put his index finger on his helmet. "Immediate transport to three, user A-01."

Before they could say anything, they were surrounded by light, and in an instant they were on a strange mirrored platform, somewhere else. Besides being perplexed, they were sick.

"Sorry for the bad, but it's like that on the first teleport. In time, you get used to it."

"Wait, teleport?" Lincoln was frightened. "Where did you take us?"

His host pointed to a window across the room.

Cautiously, the children went to the window, and were able to observe an elevated view of the Statue of Liberty.

"Where we are?" They both screamed in shock.

"You're in my custom Helicarrier, flying over New York."

First, they were speechless, but then realized something was not making sense.

"Wait, I thought SHIELD's Helicarrier was the only one assigned to that area." Ronnie Anne, being the daughter of a high-ranking agent, was sure to know what was happening in the city where she lived.

"Besides, my father helps make these things." Lincoln did not believe the story too much. "And I've never heard of anyone possessing one of those other than SHIELD."

"Well, I can tell you anything you want to know, but first let's go to my recreation room. I do not know if you noticed, but you both need first aid."

Cautiously, they followed the suspicious man around.

They might not have much experience in fighting someone like him, but they spent years with Lincoln“s sisters on the times the two families met. If he tried something, they would fight back as best they could.

Despite the suspicion, they could not help admiring the vehicle. They had been inside Helicarriers before, but they were developed in a military way, fit for the SHIELD agents. This, on the other hand, seemed like a center of science-fiction conventions.

From what they could judge of the internal geography, they should be going to the bridge of command, so they wondered what it would be like.

Even with everything they had seen, they could not be prepared for what they saw. The only thing that was equal to a normal helicarrier was the panoramic view in the front area of the ship.

Instead of the various monitors where the agents would stay, there was a mixed laboratory and game room. Tables with chemicals or gadgets on one side and on the other a leisure area with carpet, armchairs and even a mobile with a TV and a video game.

Obviously, he actually customized a helicarrier in a mixed area of work and housing.

"I must admit, I'm impressed." Lincoln felt like an amusement park. "Even considering my house, I think this is the coolest place in the world."

"Thank you. Now, please, sit in an armchair while my assistant brings first aid."

"You have an assistant?" Ronnie was curious. "Everything here seems so empty."

"Well, actually, it's just the two of us around here. Larry! A little help, please."

At that instant, a floating metal sphere enters the room, and then a green circle with a happy face appears.

"Greetings, sir. How can I help our guests?"

"This, kids, is Larry, an AI installed on a mobile anti-gravity device. Larry, would you kindly take the first aid kit, please?"

"In progress, sir."

From the sides of Larry appeared thin arms, and he picked up a crate that was almost three times bigger than him, and placed it in front of the seats where they sat.

The Ant-Man pressed a button on the side of his helmet, which turned into two metal discs on the sides of a mask he wore underneath. He pulled the mask, which was attached to the collar of his uniform, and revealed his face. He looked like an ordinary man, just under thirty, with blond hair. Lincoln could not help thinking he'd seen he before.

"Well, let's go to the introductions." He said, taking cotton and antiseptic to treat the wounds. "I'm Dr. Hank Pym, but you can call me Mark."

"Look, your name and your face are no strangers to me." Lincoln said, intrigued. "I'm pretty sure we've met before."

"I do not know your face, but I heard your name." Said Ronnie Anne.

"Well, no wonder. I may not be as famous as the great Dr. Lynn Loud Sr., but I have my contribution quota. The original design of this beauty, for example."

At that point, Larry triggered a hologram of a Helicarrier, a little smaller and more aerodynamic, and with smaller turbines than the accustomed ones.

"Wait, I thought my father had made the Helicarrier." Lincoln was both shocked and offended with Mark.

"Well, he has made the design that SHIELD has been using for the past 8 years, but that's my original design."

Now it was Ronnie Anne who was confused.

"Wait, so we're in on one of these?"

Mark nodded, and she was even more confused. That did not make sense.

"That one looks so much better. Not to mention what you did on the inside. Why SHIELD does not use this design?"

"When I presented the project and sold it to SHIELD, Dr. Loud said it was unnecessarily small and that there was no way the turbines could work if they were the way I designed it. Nick Fury, who was still the director at the time, gave more credit to the views of the scientist who had worked at SHIELD, and allowed him to alter my project."

"So, did my father take credit for your creation?" Lincoln was in total disbelief. His father had changed a lot since his hero days, but he could not believe he was a bad man.

"Not exactly. I already had this beauty when I introduced the project. That is, I already knew it was possible, although it was relatively more expensive. I said that I was not opposed to the changes, as long as your father took the credit."

"And why would you do that?"

"Your father already had a good contract with SHIELD, and plans to move to New York as soon as the Loud Tower was ready. I thought giving him another reason to come here would be good."

This pricked Ronnie's curiosity. This does not look like the attitude of a normal man.

"And why did you want him to come here?"

"Well, actually, I did not want him, but our friend Lincoln here." He exclaimed, patting the boy's shoulder.

"Me? But why?"

Mark waved at Larry, who handed him a glass ball.

"Believe it or not, this is an oracle. It shows an important moment in a person's life."

The two preteens were perplexed. They had seen strange things, but magic? That sounded way too much for the Loud weird level.

"And what did this show you, exactly?" Lincoln asked, a little skeptical.

"Why do not you take a look?"

Mark put his hands on the ball, then put his other hand on theirs.

They were transported to a blurry version of what had occurred earlier. Ronnie Anne tied and gagged in one chair and Lincoln tied in another, further away.

As soon as Mark took his hand, the vision was over.

"About 17 years ago, I received this oracle. An advanced-minded being handed over to me to find the one I should train to become the greatest hero this world has ever seen. That hero is you, Lincoln!"

They were shocked, not knowing whether they believed it or not. As much as Lincoln wanted to be a superhero, his parents were strictly against any of their children getting involved in that kind of life. Still, he knew, deep down, that this was what he wanted most in the world.

"Look, I'm not going to force you to anything." Mark began to store the medication. "Why do not we do it like this: you rest a little, think about it, and then I'll take you home? I still have to write down what I found out about your kidnappers."

"I'm not saying yes, but let's just i accept." Lincoln tried not to show his excitement. "How exactly would we do that? My father is totally against me or my sisters using our powers away from home. I do not see how I would hide something like that from him."

Mark paused for a moment to think. Everything was going well for him. He finally had the chance to recruit his key champion, he just had to play well to win the boy's trust. Soon, an idea occurred to him.

"What if we wait for the dust to settle down?"

The children looked at each other, confused by the proposal.

"What you mean?" Ronnie was intrigued.

Mark headed for one of the tables in the scientific part of the room, and picked up two red pens with ant pictures on them. Then he handed one to each.

"These pens have a microtransmitter in the spring. Quickly press five times and they'll send a signal, and I'll know you've agreed. You can push the button any day of the week, but I can only meet with you next Saturday because I have to solve some problems this week."

"What about our parents?" Ronnie asked.

"If you decide to end the secret and tell it to your families, then tell it. But if you want to be part of something bigger, and have help to keep your secret, just say that you were saved by my team, and that Dr. Pym sends his regards. This is going to make both Lynn and Roberto leave you alone and come to get satisfaction from me."

"Do they know where you are?" Lincoln was shocked.

"Your father does not, but Roberto, as SHIELD's director, needs to know about my Helicarrier camouflaged over New York. But that's a long story, which I'd rather leave for later. Now, make yourself at home. I have several games for the video game besides foosball, pool table, air hockey and darts game."

Before he could leave, Lincoln asked one last question.

"What's your team's name?"


BACK TO THE PRESENT


"We were saved by the Avengers." Lincoln exclaimed confidently. "Dr. Pym sends you his regards."

As it was said, both Lynn Sr. and director Santiago were speechless, until the directors's communicator called.

"What happened?"

Desperate, an agent found forces to say:

"Sir, we had problems. Secret base 1-15 was invaded. They took the prisoner."

Roberto Santiago was in shock. All the relief he felt to know that his daughter was safe left when he learned that the most dangerous man he had taken had been rescued.

"Lynn, we need to talk! NOW!"


TO BE CONTINUED...


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