DATE: MARCH 23 2015, LOUD TOWER, 07H33M
The Loud house is in a complete frenzy.
Except for Lincoln and Lily, who are sitting on the couch, all the other siblings are in a hurry to get to school.
"Monday morning! It sure is something similar in many places, but in a house with super children, ends up being a great confusion." Lincoln speaks to the reader, seemingly ignored by his sisters. "My sisters spent a good part of the weekend having fun, and now they are rushing like crazy to get things to school. I mean, with one exception."
While the younger sisters run to get ready, Lori is already properly dressed. She is wearing a light blue suit with a skirt that comes just above her knees, high heels and a purple purse.
"See you later, guys." She says, taking the elevator.
"You're probably wondering where she's going." Lincoln lies down on the couch and folds his arms behind his head. "About a year and a half ago, Lori took an internship at a real estate agency, and once she graduated, they hired her full time. My mother tried to persuade her to work with her in the Tower, but she wants to have her independence or something like that."
Suddenly, he is taken away from his monologue by his mother.
"Kids, you're going to be late for school. Get your backpacks and go to the car.
Frowning, the girls go to the elevator.
Lincoln, on the other hand, is excited.
After the events of last Friday, he is looking forward to a normal day at school. Not that he's tired of being Marvel Boy, but with everything that has happened on the last weeks, it was good to have a place without shrinking superheroes or armored mercenaries, just the good old school.
Upon arriving at the ground floor, they proceeded to a hallway leading to a staircase that led them into the garage.
Among the various employees cars, there were a black minivan, with doors open. Except for Lily, who was in Rita's arms, they all got into the minivan.
"Have fun at school, kids."
"Bye, Mom!" They shouted in chorus.
The driver took them to school, which was not too far away.
They soon arrived at 890 Fifth Avenue, where several students were entering the institution. The place had a beautiful hedge with a few blooming flowers, in contrast to the somewhat old-fashioned three-story building. It looked more like a coutry club than a school, having even a soccer field, swimming pool in a separate building, and even a huge playground at the back of the school.
"Welcome to my school." Lincoln says excited, while entering the school. "This is the Simon Kirby-Lieber School, the only one in the state properly equipped for students with superpowers. Although mine's a secret, every super student needs to use a power seal provided by SHIELD to make sure we are not using powers during class.
"Hey, Lincoln!"
He comes back to reality when he comes across his best friend.
"Oh, good morning, Ronnie."
"You're almost late again. Even knowing your sisters, I can't understand how you guys can do it every Monday."
"It's a matter of organization. Although, if I could fly to school like other guys, I would surely come right in time." Smirking, he gave her a fast wink.
The girl let a little chuckle, and followed him into the classroom.
With all the students seated, the teacher soon entered the room, carrying a pile of paper sheets.
He was a young man, about 26 years old. He had brown hair and hazel eyes, and wore glasses.
"Good morning guys." He said, smiling with energy.
"Good morning, Mr. Parker." The students said in chorus, sincerely greeting their teacher.
"Well, I have good and bad news for you. The good news is you will not have any classes after lunch. Instead, all students from third grade onward must attend the auditorium for a surprise lecture with a special guest."
The students were excited.
Even if they had to listen to a lecture, three hours sitting listening to someone talk was more interesting than doing the lesson."
"Excuse me, Mr. Parker." A girl raised her hand, timidly. "What's the bad news?"
"Well, actually, it's only bad for you." He handed the sheets to the students. "Surprise test!"
All the students, except for Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, groans in frustration.
It was too good to be true.
.
"How did he know?" Ronnie Anne said, somewhat intrigued.
"What?" Lincoln was surprised, almost stopping in the middle of the hall.
"Dr. Pym. How did he find out that Mr. Parker was going to give a surprise test today?"
Lincoln paused for a moment to think.
Actually, that was out of his thoughts after the time travel, but that was a good question. After all, even if he was a scientist hero of another dimension, he should not know so much.
A sudden thought flashed through Lincoln's mind, but he decided to let it go.
"We can ask him. Do not forget we have a training session this week."
The girl nodded, and they headed off to the next class.
The morning went quiet, and it was already lunchtime.
After picking up their trays, the two of them followed to a table at the end of the cafeteria, where they sat with Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn and Lisa.
"What's up, guys?" Luna greeted them cheerfully. "How is the day?"
"Great!" Ronnie replied cheerfully. "Mr. Parker gave a surprise test in the first period, but I'm sure I've nailed it."
"Oh, really? And you Linc?" Lynn spoke with her mouth full, but she was interested.
"It was not difficult." He replied modestly. "I spent the weekend studying, so I did not have to think hard."
"Congratulations, Lincoln." Lisa complimented him, then looked at Lynn with a cocky grin. "That proves that if students apply to their studies instead of futile social activities, they will have no problems with their academic performance."
"Come on!" Lynn fumed, and glared at the girl. "You only say that because you've never been invited to a party, even being with the seniors."
Lincoln could not help but smile.
Something that really bothered the older sisters was that Lisa was almost graduating, as well as already assessing some colleges. It made them feel diminished, and a little frightened that the little girl might be as obsessed with science as their father.
"Are you going to our house today, Ronnie?" Leni asked with a kind tone.
"Of course. Lincoln and I are going to break some records in the new fighting game that came out last week."
"After that, can you go to my room?" The fashionista asked, very excitedly. "I've had some new ideas for dresses, and you and Lucy are perfect models."
As Ronnie Anne blushed thinking in a answer, everyone else began to laugh, trying to imagine Leni putting dresses on Ronnie Anne and Lucy.
However, one thing caught Lincoln's attention.
As the group seemed to laugh happily, he saw that Luan was a little thoughtful, which was not normal for her.
"Uh, Luan? Is something bothering you?"
The girl was embarrassed with all the eyes facing her, and ended up venting.
"Well, it's just... I'm a little nervous about this special lecture."
"That is not logical." Lisa adjusted her glasses, and stared at her older sister. "Even if we miss some classes, it's still a chance to learn something new, though I doubt the speaker's ability to give me some new information."
"That's not it, I think I know who the speaker is." She motioned for the others to approach, and began to whisper. "I went to the teachers' room to deliver a note from Mrs. Rider, when I heard the teachers commenting on the lecture, and that a Pentagon consultant was going to be the speaker."
This made them all shocked.
What kind of lecture could they expect from someone who works with such important people?
Before any of them could say anything else, they heard the bell signaling the end of lunch.
"Well, it looks like we're going to find out now." Lincoln pretended to be calm, but he had a bad feeling.
The siblings and Ronnie Anne decided to sit together, and on the way to the auditorium they met Lucy, who seemed to be interested in meeting the mysterious speaker.
After a few minutes, the place was full of students staring at the stage, where there was a speech podium, and a white screen over the red curtains.
It did not take long, and a thin man with gray hair and wearing glasses stood in front of the microphone.
"Students, today we will have the honor to receive a very special speaker, who arrived early to prepare to talk with you about some changes that we will have in our school curriculum. Without further ado, I introduce you to Dr. Hank Pym."
The Loud family was shocked, but not as shocked as Lincoln and Ronnie Anne.
Entering the stage quietly, he stood, looking at the students with a modest smile. He was wearing dark jeans and a red polo shirt, with a white lab coat on top, and his hair was well combed.
"Hello kids. I'm happy to be here today." He tried to sound calm, but he was very anxious. "As your principal said, I am Dr. Hank Pym, a scientist who advises on superhuman issues for SHIELD and the Pentagon, although Dr. Lynn Loud is almost always their first choice."
At that moment, some students glanced toward Lincoln and his sisters, wondering if they knew the scientist.
"You must be thinking, "What can this guy be doing at our school? "And I'll be honored to respond."
He took a small remote control in his pocket, and the projector placed some images on the white screen.
The images showed pictures of Captain America, but in addition, there was a photo of a young man who vaguely remembered the famous hero. He looked pale, and absurdly thin, as well as a look of who could die if they put a needle in his arm.
"If you're unfamiliar, this guy in the picture is Steven Grant Rogers, better known as Captain America. As is public knowledge, he was part of a government project to create super soldiers, although he was the only one. But what really matters is how he reflects a question that science has done in the last few decades: Why?"
The students were confused.
This was clearly a vague question that could be applied to practically anything. But what would that have to do with them?
"During World War II, many soldiers on both sides possessed what we call superpowers, thus balancing the war. This was in a period when such cases were common, being about a 3% chance of being born with such abilities. However, nowadays, the odds seem to have fallen to about 0.000009%, though we still have this growing number of heroes and villains. Does anyone risk to say why?"
Everyone just stared at him, still not understanding what was happening.
Even Lisa seemed to be confused by the scientist's odd speech.
"That's what I thought. Although science can not explain what is happening, we still have a more urgent question." He smiled and pressed the button again, making new images appear on the screen, showing some superheroes helping people. "We like it when these heroes fight against outlaws, act as firefighters, or take kittens out of trees. But then, what happens when they fight against a super-villain?" He pressed the button again, causing images of destruction and people being taken to ambulances. "Although they have good intentions, they have no control over what other people are going to do, so the result is often very destructive, and innocent people get hurt."
As the students became pensive at the scientist's words, Lincoln could not help but remember how was his first meeting with him.
In fact, his method for dealing with criminals was practically professional, without causing any collateral damage. He then remembered the training sessions he and Ronnie Anne were having. It was obvious that they were being trained to avoid such damages as well.
"Excuse me, what have they to do with us?" Lisa said aloud, making all eyes turn to her and her siblings.
"Well, that's a good question, little girl." He tried to look like he did not know her, though he was not very successful. "The government's concern is that somehow you end up being influenced by them.."
He pressed the button again, showing pictures of Marvel Boy and Miss Marvel.
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne felt betrayed, while Lisa and the others were completely astonished to see him show his pupils in the lecture.
"Recently there have been an alarming number of inconsequential "heroes", and recently even kids seem to have decided to fight crime." He took a serious tone, as if he were totally against it. "Because of this, I proposed to the President to let me start a new program, of which your school will be, so to speak, a guinea pig. After your spring break, during the last period, I will be here every day until the end of the semester, thus beginning a course on awareness of superpowers. Any student can enroll, and this will have no influence on your other subjects, besides you will not get extra credit. Consider this as contributing to science and posterity without receiving anything in return, as well as spending an entire period with me every day."
The students were shocked by this statement.
As if it were not bad enough that the government was planning to do something about super-powered minors, Dr. Pym made it clear that they would not receive anything for volunteering, other than the fact that he did not inspire confidence.
However, no reaction could be worse than what Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were having.
How was it possible that the man who accepted them in his team was using them as an example of juvenile inconsequence?
Once they had a chance, they would demand satisfaction from the scientist.
After what seemed like an eternity to the students, the bell rang, indicating that the school day was over, and they could return home.
Many were still perplexed by the lecture, though a few were considering signing up, just to see what it would be like. Some of these, of course, were the students with powers, with the exception of certain girls.
The Loud sisters met with the twins after school, and they prepared to go to the car, until Lana made an observation.
"Hey, where's Lincoln?"
.
"What did you think, Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne asked, feeling slightly hurt.
"Honestly, I do not know what to think." He answered with a lost look as he tried to understand what was going on in his life. "In one moment, it seems we're best friends, and in the other it seems we do not know him."
They were in the playground at the back of the school, seated on swings.
Generally, it was the quietest place in the school at this time, since practically every student was either leaving the building or in a club.
"Hey, Ronnie."
Unfortunately, today was not going to be like this.
"I was really upset when I found out you were not at my party."
They looked to the side, and they saw the person they abominate most in school. Before them was a fair-skinned redhead boy with freckles, wearing dark jeans and a green shirt, with a black jacket on top.
"Chandler..." Lincoln and Ronnie said together in complete annoyance.
"Oh, you're here too, puny Loud? I didn't even realize you was here." He replied with an air of superiority. "But back to the point, the gang and I would like to know why you did not went to my party."
Ronnie looked behind Chandler, and saw 6 other boys and 2 girls, some of them wearing power seals.
It was no mystery that he attracted people because of the money of his father, one of the major shareholders of Roxxon Corporation, a company with such a bad reputation that some even said they worked with sewage. Still, these "friends" apparently did not bother with Chandler's "dirty money."
"I think I made it very clear the last time I went to one of your parties." She looked at him with complete disdain. "I'm not going to go to a place where they make fun on my best friend behind his back."
"I do not understand you, Ronnie Anne." He pretended to be offended, as if she had broken his heart. "How could you prefer to spend your time with a ridiculous weirdo when you could have fun with me and my gang?"
"We already had fun without needing your gang." Lincoln said, rising from the swing. "If you'll excuse us, my sisters are waiting for us to go home."
The answer seemed to anger the boy, who approached Lincoln, looking at him as if he were something disgusting.
They stared at each other for a moment, until Chandler decided to break the silence.
"You think you're very special, do not you?"
"I do not think I'm special." Lincoln answered, narrowing his eyes. "I just do not think I'm superior than the others, unlike you."
"Hahaha!" Chandler decided to intimidate Lincoln, and began to speak out loud to try to diminish him. "And you think you're the one to give me a moral lesson? You're useless, and you know it! Even your little sisters are better than you! In a family where everyone is special, the only thing that makes you different from normal people is your ridiculous hair!"
"At least I have those who like me for who I am, and not for what my father has in his wallet!"
Chandler was speechless, while his "friends" and Ronnie Anne were perplexed, though they knew it would not end well.
On impulse, Chandler clenched his fist and punched with all his might, knocking over Lincoln.
Though the boy had no powers, the sudden hit caught Lincoln by surprise, though he had not felt any pain.
Lincoln was holding on to not show the boy what he really was capable of, while Ronnie Anne seemed to be in doubt whether or not to intervene.
"You think you're very funny Loud. I'll teach you to respect me."
He stepped up against Lincoln, who was still sitting on the floor. But before he could do anything, a strong wind passed, and he found himself without his jacket and with a finger in his mouth, as if he were a baby.
"I think you have to learn to respect others." Lynn, clad in Chandler's jacket, was standing right next to him, her arms crossed and her eyes angry.
"How dare you!?" Chandler took his finger from his mouth and glared at the girl. "This is between me and your useless brother! Why do not you go back to your second-rate team and take care of your life?"
Lincoln was angry at Chandler, but now he was worried about Lynn. Knowing his sister's temper, he knew it would not end well.
"Take that back." She said, the anger building inside her.
"What?"
"Take. That. Back. NOW!"
"Or what? Are you going to run to call Mommy?" Chandler made a final mockery, not considering that he was offending a superhuman.
In a blink of an eye, Chandler and Lynn disappeared, leaving behind the boy's clothes.
Lincoln got up, and ran to the entrance of the school, already imagining what happened.
As soon as he arrived, he heard Chandler screaming profanity, hanging on the flagpole by his underwear, with all the remaining students laughing at him.
In front of the scene, arms crossed and with a victorious smile, was Lynn.
"Before I forget, your party was lame!" She said with a smug face. "From what I've heard about your parties, I've expected it to be better!"
"Lynn! Do you know what you did?" Lincoln said, looking at her in despair.
"Sure. I've put an idiot in his place, duh."
Lincoln facepalmed, while the principal and some of the teachers arrived, with stern looks.
"Who's responsible for that?" The principal asked angrily.
Immediately, all the students pointed to the siblings, who could only say one thing.
"Dang it!"
.
After a reprimand from the principal, the Loud siblings left with a warning, since neither parent was able to attend and Chandler was known to constantly humiliate the other students. Apparently, the teachers, like Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, despised the boy's attitude.
As soon as they got home, they were grounded, so Ronnie Anne became a victim of Leni's fashion creations, while Lucy wisely disappeared.
Lincoln was confined to his room, wondering if it would have been better for him to solve the problem with Chandler himself, since one way or another he would be grounded.
He decided to go bathe when he noticed a vibration in his wallet. He opened a secret pocket, and found his Avenger card, and entered the bathroom.
"Answer call."
"Hey Linc, I've heard about your little problem." The Ant-Man looked worried, though Lincoln was not sure he could trust him. "How are things?"
"Could be worse." He tried to smile, though he could find no reason. "Although, knowing my mother, she may free us after dinner."
"I'm glad to hear this." He took on a more serious tone as he searched for the right words to speak. "Listen, I know it must have been weird seeing me at your school today, even more so with what I've said, but I want you to know that I did not want to refer to you or Ronnie Anne as inconsequential. You are making a lot of progress, but I needed to use an argument from someone who does not know you, to expose a point of view that is really growing among people."
"What do you mean?" Lincoln was intrigued.
"Although there are people like you and your family, who are born with powers, there have been several cases of people acquiring powers through scientific experiments, exposure to radiation and even magic. The world is changing, and I have a feeling something really big is about to happen."
Lincoln paused a moment to think, and realized he was right. With a growing number of ways to get superpowers, it was no wonder that the President approved a measure to prevent children from getting involved in this mess.
"I think I know what you mean. Is the training session still going to happen?"
"Sure. Now, rest, and if possible bring Leni with you, I have the impression she will like to see what I've been working on. Bye."
Lincoln was thoughtful, and put the tub to fill. He could not help but think of the conversation he had just had.
If the Ant-Man came from another universe, why does he care so much about what happens in this universe?
Besides, what other things would be happening without him knowing?
LUXURY APARTMENT IN NEW YORK, 19H47M
Chandler is sitting on the couch, arms crossed and in a bad mood.
"That bitch! How dare she humiliate me in front of the whole school?"
He was so angry that he sent the employees away, staying alone in his apartment. His father was on a business trip with other shareholders of Roxxon, so he would be out of town for a while.
In the solitude of his home, he kept thinking about how he would get his revenge.
Although he had his "friends", and some of them had powers, none of them was able to stop Lynn from humiliating him. He wanted to solve the situation with his own hands, but the truth was that he himself was as useless as he said Lincoln was. Worse yet, Lynn was part of a superhuman family that would surely get involved in the fight. He needed a way to fight the whole Loud family, but even spending all his allowance, he'll never find anyone willing to help him.
"You seem to be in need of a friend."
The boy get frightened, and fell to the ground.
When he got up, he noticed that a strange man was leaning against the kitchen door, staring at him.
He seemed to be wearing a black tuxedo, as if he had come from some high society event. He had some scars on his face and black hair, and he was grinning disturbingly.
But what really was sinister was his resemblance to the man who had gone to school today.
"W-Who are you? How did you get in here?"
The man approached, and sat on the couch, pulling something that looked like a small golden mirror from his pocket.
"I am the Black Knight. I have a proposal for you."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Sorry for the delay, but I had to get the house ready to greet some relatives tomorrow during Mother's Day.
Just to clarify, I do not like Chandler, but I thought that because of his personality, he would be a great villain.
In other words, next week will be another issue of Masters of Evil.
