Bertrand Thetherby stood in the grand hall of golden grace and majesty, yet he felt like he was in the outside looking in.

He wasn't used to the delicacies served, years had passed since he had last felt the fragrance in his nose. He wished it would stay, but it left. It always left.

He looked up, as he was used to, and somehow the attic felt as tall as it did when he was young. When he dared be foolish enough to imagine he'd see that attic a thousand times more.

He didn't look too out of place, truth be told. He dressed as he ever did, as sharply as he could. But at the same time, he didn't belong. Perhaps that was because he felt so.

Here, surrounding him, were people of similar class and repute, but they kept on feasting, blissfully unaware of what was coming, like cows in a slaughter house, too busy gorging on their splendor to notice something far more dangerous was twinkling in the shadows.

"Only I can see it. Only I can see judgement day.", Bertrand reminded himself, and for a moment, he felt sadness. What was coming would not just wipe these people out, but everyone, everyone who could not measure up. The city was surrounded by chaos only he knew of, mad scientists, visionaries, and now a god forsaken vigilante in a hood.

Royal Woods, nay, the world, was about to turn into a mad house. And he only trusted one man with the keys.

"Still… This is a harder step than most.", Bertrand breathed to regain composure. It was almost funny. He had taken some drastic means to an end before: Forcing Fenrisulfer to be a monster under his command, hiring that mad man E, even treating his own son like a blunt weapon.

Yet, talking to his brother after all these years felt like it was the hardest step yet.

His footsteps accidentally echoed, as he approached the older gentleman with a beard and monocle. He looked cartoonish in that sense, Lord Tetherby, and Bertrand felt a headache kicking in already. Could he not have heeded his advice, even a little bit?

Lord Tetherby turned around, feeling a presence before him, and, eyes widening with amused glee, let out a haughty laugh. "Well, I'll be! Bertrand Tetherby!"

The room, that had so far ignored the small, unattractive man, found themselves having to look now, their wealthy host greeting the previous eyesore.

A hearty handshake, and Bertrand was already having second thoughts. Perhaps he could weasel his way in through text? "Why, yes, little brother, it is I. It's been… A while."

"It has? 42 years, and it felt like nothing!", Lord Tetherby joked, snapping his fingers.

Bertrand pretended that didn't hurt. "Yes. Quite."

Lord Tetherby put his arm around his brother, and gave him a questioning look, as he fetched another glass of champagne with his other. "And what brings you here after all this time? I must warn you, you need to be this tall to mooch off of me.", he laughed haughty again, and Bertrand hated how much he had longed to hear that stupid sound again.

"Why, I would never dream of such, dear brother. No, I've just been thinking that I should have heeded YOUR advice all these years ago."

Lord Tetherby was genuinely surprised by this. "Are you sure you're my brother?"

"Yes, I am aware how out of character this may seem, but as you say, it's been years. I've had time to clear my head of my… Ramblings.", Bertrand choked out, a fake smile etched on his face. He grabbed a glass of champagne too and downed it. "Perhaps it is time I enjoyed the gold we have, rather than worried about it."

"Now, that's more like it, big brother!", Lord Tehterby said proudly, slapping Bertrand's back. "Hey, get this, Melanie! "Raven" here is ready to let loose!"

Bertrand's heart began pounding. What was she doing here?!

"Really? What an unforeseen development!", a rich voice, one with multiple planet layers to it, edged closer to Bertrand and his brother. With a perfectly poised purple dress, Melanie Pingrey smiled a curious smile, and stared Bertrand dead in the eye. "It is fortunate you've come to your senses. It's the best time for it."

"Would you… Excuse us, brother? I have more catching up to do, besides you.", Bertrand asked, eyeing his brother authoritatively.

"Even after all these years, ever the bossy one! But I'll let you have this one, seeing as it's been so long!", Lord Tetherby said with a wild grin. He had even missed that characteristic of Bertrand.

Walking off to the shrimp cocktails, he left the two opposing forces alone, staring each other down.

"How dare you come here. You have some gall, Pingrey.", Bertrand reprimanded with silent rage.

"Why, I'm the CEO of the top tech and medicine institute in this state! Why would I not be present to soak in the atmosphere, "Raven"?", Melanie asked, sounding so innocent, so in control. She didn't even bother to lower her volume.

Bertrand struggled to keep his anger down though. "Call me "Raven" all you want. I know what you plan to do to this city. I know the chaos that's sprung from your actions already. I know what you're trying to make."

"And I know that you've yet to found the how, the why, and the where.", She whispered, almost gleefully.

"I won't let you destroy this city, and this world.", Bertrand's clenched fist shook in determination.

"You and I have VERY different interpretations of destroying and saving. You seem to think you can organize chaos. I know you'll go far. I'm not concerned. You'll fail eventually. And when you do, I'll be happy to show you how it's done.", Melanie calmly replied, and began to turn around.

"And what of The Guardian?", Bertrand suddenly asked, and to his joy, he saw it, a moment of uncertainty, a glimmer of fear in her steady gaze.

"...She is nothing more than a distraction. The moment she will become an obstacle, she will know, like you, that crossing a Pingrey is a deadly mistake."

"I haven't crossed you yet, dearie. You'll find me far more challenging than you think.", Bertrand grinned evilly.

"You want to hear a warning yourself, "Raven"? Heed my words. One day… You'll fly on the right side of this war."

And with that, Melanie left, greeting one of her research team members from Belize with the same confident expression she had worn before. Her posture never wavered.

Bertrand sighed, and looked at the hall of splendor, at the lights that nearly blinded, shimmering in the air, sparkling with wonder.

"One day… You can enjoy them. One day.", he vowed, as his stress ridden thoughts returned to the tracker he had placed on The Guardian.

Just another step towards saving the city.


"Lori, you're not listening!"

Lori was shaken from her paranoid backwards stare, and faced Lincoln again, the boy trying not to vibrate too much in his room. She was frustrated at the statement, and stared at him with that feeling.

"Lincoln, I am literally trying to make sure we're alone! There's no privacy in this house, and if anyone else finds out, my superhero days are over!"

Lincoln, unfortunately, was struggling with the excitement. Who could blame him? Just yesterday, he had learned his big sister was a real life superhero, fighting crime and protecting the city. And best of all, HE was being entrusted with her secret, and given a chance to help!

But things were clearly not off to a great start, the two sitting on Lincoln's bed opposing each other in more than one way.

"Okay, but you didn't hear my plan!", Lincoln protested, crossing his arms and pouting. He had spent all night thinking of how they could extract info from Pingrey Enterprises, and he felt he deserved a chance to explain his thoughts before they were shot down.

Lori sighed, rolling her eyes. "Lincoln, wait with the plans. You just started helping me. You don't know how this works like I do."

"Um, hello? Who read all the comics and watched all the movies?", Lincoln gave her a raised eyebrow, unamused by her statement.

"And who's been out there, doing it for real? What we need is to survey the area. Once I'm there, then I'll come up with something.", Lori retorted, getting off the bed so she could pace (as much as she could in the tiny room) and think.

"You mean we."

"Shh.", Lori hushed him, as she tried to solve another important piece of the puzzle.

Lincoln sighed. Seemed like Lori still had some bossy parts to fix. Still, he didn't want to fight with her after the recent progress from the two of them. He'd try and keep quiet.

"Now, since you can't come with me, we need a way for you to see what I see, as if you had a camera on my forehead or something. The device I got from Mr. Stone…"

"Awesome villain name."

"He's not a villain, he's just working for some bad boss of his that has plans that are bad.", Lori corrected.

"So a villain and a henchman!", Lincoln shot back, barely holding his excitement back. "What's their name? Professor Peril? Doctor Destruction? Condiment Commander?"

"Lincoln, it's… Wait, what?", Lori asked, puzzled.

"He uses ketchup and mustard as weapons.", Lincoln explained matter of factly.

"I thought you said comics weren't stupid.", Lori scoffed, and Lincoln groaned. "It's only one guy, geez!"

"Look, let's move on, okay? We have far more important things to discuss."

Lori whipped out the deceive she got from Mr. Stone. She stared at it and felt a shake in her bones as she remembered the fateful day her life changed. "This will help me know why Pingrey Enterprises had the lab they had. Why I got these powers in the first place. Why would they have such a thing? What does it all mean?"

"If your villain had this, it must mean he wants to find the lab too.", Lincoln added thoughtfully. Lori guessed as much, thanks to things she had heard Mr. Stone and Mr. E say before. What could that mystery man want? Whatever it was, it was bound to hurt people along the way.

She clenched her fist. "Which is why we have to get going. No more distractions. How do we get you to see my point of view?"

Lincoln raised his hand to suggest. "Maybe we can ask Lis…"

"We need someone smart. Someone who could build something like that. Someone who could do it, and believe a lie…"

"Lisa? Lisa? Lisa?", Lincoln repeated over and over, getting more and more annoyed.

"Oh, that's it!", Lori snapped her fingers, totally ignoring Lincoln. "Lisa!"

"Guess super hearing isn't one of your powers.", Lincoln remarked sarcastically, and Lori rolled her eyes. "Lincoln, just trust me."

"Why aren't you trusting me? You said I could help!"

"And you can! But I'm leading this mission. When I need your geeky insight, I will tell you.", she shut him down, and he couldn't help but feel a little bad. She wasn't wrong, really, but it would still have been nice to have a chance to get a word in edgeways. Especially when he was about to embark on his most exciting operation yet.

"Okay, now, if you don't mind, I'm going to ask Lisa…"

"Ask me what, eldest sibling unit?"

Lori and Lincoln both gasped, clutching their hearts, as Lisa appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Lisa, you can't do that!", Lori yelled in fright, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, that's Lucy's thing!", Lincoln reminded. "You know how she is with copyright infringement."

"Yes.", Lucy suddenly said, making Lori, Lincoln, and Lisa jump. "See you in court, sister. I accept fake blood as compensation."

Lucy then left, and Lisa muttered. "It was going to be used for science. That girl is a blood hog."

Straightening her glasses, Lisa reverted her attention to Lori and Lincoln. "Anywho, what did you want from me?"

"Oh, um…", Both Lori and Lincoln seemed a little startled now, lost for words thanks to the suddenness of Lisa's entry to the situation. Lori began to panic, realizing she hadn't come up with a cover story for why she'd even need such a camera/video feed for Lincoln.

"Oh, so, you see… The thing is… What I'm trying to say… Say, as in tell… Tell, as in, talk… Talk, as in ask… Ask, as in request… Request, as in propose… Propose, as in beseech…", Lori rambled on, reading from a thesaurus.

"I don't have all day, woman!", Lisa cried, making Lori drop the book.

"Lori wants you to make me a camera that will let me see what she sees because…", Lincoln started, but was cut off.

"Because I am going to…", Lori started, but was cut off in return by Lincoln.

"Hang out with Carol at the…"

"Gus' Games and Grub!", Lori blurted.

"At the landscaped gardens. You know. Where I can't go with my wheelchair. Fuck those places.", Lincoln complained, and Lori glared at him for the curse word.

"Oh, sorry. Fuck those places, ma'am."

Lincoln and Lisa snickered, while Lori crossed her arms. "Can we get back to the matter at hand?"

"Oh, right! Well, that's very thoughtful of you, Lori.", Lisa said.

"Why, thank you! I mean, that's not what matters right now, just tell me how long it will take. It would mean a lot if you could get it done soon though so I won't have to delay…", Lori started, only to find a camera in front of her. Well, she assumed it was a camera. It was in fact an earring, with two tiny bunny ears, the same color as Lincoln's beloved plush rabbit, Bun-Bun.

"How did you… But I just…", Lori stammered. Lincoln too was lost for words.

"It's a secret.", Lisa waved her hands in the air, eerie like, then walked off, not saying another word.

"Wow." Lori exclaimed.

"Yeah.", Lincoln added.

"...So… I should go.", Lori said.

"Oh, yeah, totally!", Lincoln replied, and Lori climbed out the window so she could fetch her costume.

Lincoln, meanwhile, connected his laptop to the camera wirelessly, so he could test if it was working.

"See anything?", Lori asked into the camera.

"See and hear. And thankfully, not smell.", Lincoln added, as Lori took out her costume, and held her nose.

"Yeah, I need a better way to wash this thing then spray it with deodorant.", Lori nodded, as she sprayed. "Who would have thought crime fighting would be so smelly?"


The sky was grey, and the clouds stormy, seemingly about to hurl thunderbolts down at any given moment, as Lori, costume hiding inside her "Boyz Will Be Boyz" backpack, gulped at the large Pingrey Enterprises building, it's stature towering over her.

This was not just the biggest tech conglomerate in the state, this was not just her best friend's house, this was where she became someone else.

Someone she hoped was better, though she was still unsure.

Having a constant reminder of her guilt wasn't helping either.

"I still think we should come up with a plan, before we find that super duper awesome secret lab.", Lincoln reiterated from Lori's earring camera.

Lori whispered back harshly. "Lincoln, the plan is simple, we just go into the lab and get our info. We need to be fast right now, not delicate."

"Okay, but what if something goes wrong?", Lincoln asked, and Lori cringed. She was tired of that. As she found the wall she had fallen through, she began knocking on it from all different angles, with her fists and legs.

"Lincoln, I'm the eldest sibling. You know I know what I'm doing, right?", she said, half paying attention to him, half to the wall. The entrance still not found, she thought back to that fateful day, and she ran back up a bit, and prepared to fall onto the wall like she did the first time.

"I didn't say that, I just meant, what if we hit a snag? I feel like if I had a secret lab, for example, I would…", Lincoln tried to talk, but was interrupted by the sound of Lori smacking onto the wall, and falling down onto the floor, dizzy.

"So many evil henchman. Don't you just wanna stan them on ?", Lori mumbled out, as she hallucinated tiny evil men she had fought bouncing over her head.

"Lori, did your brain fall off? Should I call a neurosurgeon or an ear doctor?", Lincoln asked, concerned, but then he saw something far more alarming. "LORI, SNAG AT 3 O'CLOCK! SNAG AT 3'OCLOCK!"

"But it's quarter past six.", Lori replied, still dazed.

"Lori, why did you throw yourself at my mother's wall? I mean, I'm sure that's a trend I missed on, since you're so up to date, but doesn't it hurt?", asked a weirdly genuine voice, and Lori suddenly realized what Lincoln meant.

"CAROL!", Lori cried out, standing up, still dizzy, but not hurt. "Oh, it doesn't hurt because… Um…"

"Your nose is just that strong! I should have known! Mine gets all puffy so easily when I hit a wall.", Carol bemoaned herself while praising Lori, and Lori found herself unsure of what to say.

"...Okay?"

"Psst. Lori. If she's already found you, maybe you can ask her for help?", Lincoln offered, his arms slapping the sides of his bed as his only way to stimm. "It IS her mom's company, and I'm pretty sure you told me she was there when you fell into the secret lab!"

"Lincoln, that's a terrible idea! Carol will suspect me for sure!", Lori hissed back at her earring.

Carol tilted her head in confusion. "Who are you talking to?"

Lori froze. "Shit!", she thought. Now Carol was gonna think she was…

"Ah, never mind, I get it, you were talking to yourself! I do that too, like, all the time!", Carol reassured.

Lori wasn't sure she was reassured though. Carol seemed a little off now, and a bit shaky. She wanted to ask if she was okay, but the lab had to be found first.

"I'm telling you, ask her where's the lab!", Lincoln tried again, getting frustrated.

"What lab?", Carol suddenly asked. Lori and Lincoln both gasped, realizing that a fragment of the audio from the earring somehow sounded out. "Great. Now I have to ask her.", Lori thought, grumbling.

Sighing, she put a finger to her temple. "I was just wondering, well, remember back when we had the field trip here and I fell through that wall?"

"Oh, yeah, where one of my mother's labs used to be? They moved it!", Carol replied cheerfully, as if that wasn't an insane revelation.

Lori's eyes widened. Carol knew where the lab was. Lincoln tried not to brag and say "told you so".

"Where is it?", Lori asked, a little too loudly. She grabbed Carol, and stared her in the eyes, making Carol blush a dark crimson.

"Why do you need to know?"

"I… Well… I just wanted to check it out! Cause it looked… Cool?", Lori tried weakly, with a pathetic smile.

"Girl, you gotta get better at lying.", Lincoln remarked, giving her a raised eyebrow look from his room.

Carol, thankfully, was too much of a simp to say no. "Eheheheh, oh, um, okay! I can do that! I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind!", Carol gushed, as she felt Lori's hand on her. Heart pounding, she imagined how happy Lori would be with her. She would be a true friend to take her somewhere her mother wouldn't like. Maybe even, Lori would realize she liked her more than Bobby. Maybe she would see her like she dreamed of being seen.

But wait… There was a problem.

"Mother. She would be so mad at me. I can only fail her so many times. What with my grades, something like this could really ruin my chances of earning my place in the family."

Carol grimaced as she stared back at Lori, who was already anticipating the trip. "All right then, let's go!", she said, speedwalking her way there before realizing she didn't know what direction it was. She pointed back at Carol. "Lead me there, bestie?"

Carol felt her nails dig into her palms. How she wished she could. She'd have to find an excuse that wouldn't make Lori hate her and leave forever. "Oh, well, you know, first I… Um… Really could use a snack! Let's get something in the employee kitchen first, then I'll find a way to sneak you in, I mean take you there! Yeah! Good plan, Carol!", Carol blurted out, and she zoomed out of there to their next location.

"Still think this was a good plan?", Lori replied sarcastically, as she followed the dust trail, annoyed.

"I'm sure it will work out eventually.", Lincoln retorted, but he was starting to wonder if he had misjudged the situation. The tropes said he would be right, but this was not shaping the way he intended.


Lori had been anticipating a quiet, covert operation, sneaking around the secret lab to uncover its secrets, to find out why her enemies wanted it so badly.

She hadn't anticipated sitting at a lunch table, surrounded by scientists who she was planning to avoid, and striking up conversations.

But it was shaping up to be one of those days.

"So then I told him 'Covalent bond'? I hardly know you!", one male scientist joked, and Carol laughed uproariously, milk nearly coming out her nose. Lori chewed on a carrot stick, almost probing the man's mind for the info she needed with her impatient eyes, when she wasn't staring for an escape from the white, too clean to be comforting lunch room walls.

"Oh, that's rich, Richie! I guess you and Kevin really struck it out, huh? I was rooting for you two since day one!", Carol gosspied back, and Richie nodded. "Oh, quite, Madam Pingrey!"

"That's my mother, Richie, I'm just Carol.", Carol reminded him. "Like, pfft, what do I do around here? She's YOUR boss!"

"Yeah, that's um, so funny, say, Carol, I don't wanna be a nag, but we kinda wanted to do something.", Lori whispered, trying not to hurt Richie's feelings.

"When do you ever try not to be a nag?", Lincoln couldn't help but banter, as he was bored out of his mind. "When can you punch someone?" Lori attempted to scoff silently.

"Shut it.", she practically sing songed.

Carol bit her lip. She needed more time to think. "Oh, um, soon, don't worry! I just need to finish my sandwich." She took a small, cartoonish bite that barely scraped the bread. "I always need a lot of time to think. Not very efficient of me.", she added apologetically.

"Now, Carol, I'm sure you will be one day!", Richie added.

"Yeah! You did remember my birthday after all, that was efficient!", one scientist, Mike, called out.

"And you reminded me that a broken arm means I get to take a day off!", Hannah, a third scientist, shouted, waving her broken arm before fainting from the pain.

"You need to leave, Hannah!", Lori called out.

"And you always stay to walk me out after closing time. It's quite dear of you, dear.", A familiar looking doctor, small, with even smaller glasses, mousy hair, and a coffee stained lab coat, greeted Carol with a small bow. Lori felt like she knew him, but she wasn't sure why.

"Oh, hi, Dr. Nevio!", Carol waved warmly, blushing from all the positive feedback. "You guys can stop, please, it's really undeserved!"

Lori suddenly realized who it was, and let out a worried honk. Everyone at the room stared at her, Nevio in particular looking puzzled. "Do I know you?". She laughed from embarrassment. "Oh, um, I think I need to go for just a moment, will you excuse me?", she asked.

"Oh, sure, Lor…", Carol started.

Suddenly, Lori bolted out, running down the hall, frantically searching for the lab, her eyes rolling around like marbles.

Carol, whose hair was a mess now, looked confused. "Was it something I said?"

Nevio then bolted out too.

"Oh, wow, it must be then, shoot.", Carol said out loud, looking worried. Then she saw everyone was gone too, as lunch was over.

"Oh, okay, I'll just… Wait then, I guess."

Lori, meanwhile, continued running around, opening door after door to find something, a staircase, an elevator, a secret passage, anything.

"What is going on, Lori? Why did you run?", Lincoln asked, confused. He was also getting motion sickness from all the shaking of Lori's camera. "Also, can you slow down, before my room gets a puke wallpaper?"

Lori, feeling bad, slowed down to a halt, barely breaking a sweat. She leaned on a wall that almost looked like an alleyway, and whispered. "I'm sorry, little bro, but I know that guy! I saved him from Mr. Stone once!"

"And?", Lincoln asked, not following, as he breathed through a paper bag, before gagging. "Gross, old egg salad!"

"Lincoln, he could recognize me! He looked right at me, and my first costume wasn't, well, super hiding of my identity… ish.", Lori explained, or well, tried to, as she couldn't find the right word and her words stumbled to a halt.

"Oh, I would agree.", Dr. Nevio nodded politely.

"See, he gets it.", Lori said, putting her fist up for a fist bump, before jumping up in fright. "I gotta distract him!"

Throwing her arms around wildly, Lori babbled out "Ajeega mono sabalaba bing bang!"

"...My dear, has your brain fallen out? Should I contact a neurosurgeon, or an ear doctor?", Dr. Nevio asked, visibly concerned, as he held out his hand to check her forehead for a fever.

"See, THAT'S what I was wondering! Cause the ear doctor would know if the problem was with that!", Lincoln said.

Lori felt flushed and tired. It had been a long day of failure, something she feared was becoming a regular occurrence.

"Look, Doctor, whoever you think I am…", Lori started, but she knew it was a lost cause, and her suspicions were confirmed.

"The Guardian, oh, a pleasure to be reacquainted!", Nevio practically bounced with joy, shaking Lori's hand, and by extension Lori herself, quite wildly.

"Geez, you've got a good grip!", Lori commented. "Most people can't do that to me on account of my, well, powers, I guess you know that now, hip hip hooray.", she waved her arms in the air in mock celebration. Why wasn't she better at this superhero stuff by now? She was the eldest sibling!

"Oh, don't fret, child!", Nevio reassured her, trying to pat her head, but failing to reach. Lori sat down so he could, smiling comfortingly at him. "Why, it took a high level of I.Q to recognize you!"

"I guess that's something.", Lori muttered.

"Well, that's nice and all, but we should probably get going, Lori. Carol's gonna wonder why you left, we need a good excuse…", Lincoln started, but once again was brushed off by Lori.

"Can you give me a moment to think?", she snapped, a little too harshly, and Lincoln, a little hurt, backed off.

"Who are you talking to?", Nevio asked. Lori groaned.

"God, today stinks! Look, Doctor, to put it as simply as possible, yes, I am The Guardian. Yes, I am talking to an associate on a radio of sorts? And I…"

Suddenly, Lori had a realization. Her eyes sparkled and she had a big toothy smile. "OMG, YES! You were nearly killed!"

Lincoln and Nevio both blinked curiously. "Pardon my language but you're fucking weird, child.", Nevio said.

Lori shook her head quickly, too excited to care right now. "No, what I mean is, the guys who tried to kill you, cause you, like, didn't wanna rat about the lab and stuff!"

"Why would that interest you?", Nevio asked.

"Lori, are you sure this is a good idea?", Lincoln asked, concerned. "He works here, surely he wouldn't want to help! Hear me out!"

Lori bit her lip. She knew Lincoln had a point, but…

"I know what I'm talking about.", she put her foot down.

Lincoln sighed. "I hope you're right."

Taking a deep breath, she looked Nevio with her most serious and honest stare. "There was some hidden lab inside one of the walls, near the entrance to the building. I fell in there, and there were all these weird devices, and basically, that's how I got my powers! And Carol said the lab was moved! I need to know what was in there, because I think someone very bad wants to use it to do… Bad things."

Nevio wasn't sure how to respond. "My dear, that lab is off limits, even to most of our employees, even to Carol Pingrey! Not only would I get in trouble, so would you! I hate to say it, but your secret could be revealed!"

Lori gulped. So did Lincoln. That was dangerous. Very dangerous. And Lori hesitated for a moment. But her true self reminded her why she was on this mission.

"So be it. I'd rather that happened than risk that man hurting another innocent person."

Lincoln tried not to geek out as he heard her say that with such conviction. For all the frustrations he had with Lori ignoring him, hearing her say that reminded him of all his favorite heroes, and he let himself smile at that.

Nevio, moved by her statement, nodded affirmatively. "I see. Well, it's risky, but… You did save my life. It's the least I can do."

"And I promise, if things go south, I will make sure to tell the truth. I forced you to do this. You are innocent.", Lori reassured Nevio, and Nevio saluted with gratitude.

And with that, they set off, Lori following the doctor who scuttled his way towards the secret passageway hidden deep inside the building.


Carol, meanwhile, was still sitting in the lunchroom, completely and utterly alone.

"Caroline."

Carol had tried to somehow pretend she hadn't heard her voice. But she knew that would only make her inevitable lecture even more scolding. Sighing, she swiveled her head in her mother's direction.

"Sit up straight. Your posture is all wrong. I've told you before, a Pingrey is poised, prim, and proper."

Melanie Pingrie was now in a sharp business suit, ocean blue jacket, forest green jeans. An odd look, perhaps, but she made it look natural, as if she was molded like Aphrodite.

It only made Carol feel worse, however. Her mother always seemed to make the right decisions, and follow the standards everyone else did. But she seemed to be behind at everything, no matter how hard she tried.

"And what are you doing here all alone? How many times must I tell you…", Melanie started her usual sermon, and Carol eyes glazed over. She wanted her mother's approval, but even she was prone to finding her droning voice boring.

"That our family is the target of constant media coverage and espionage, and there's probably some crazy person out to get me, I know, Mother, but my insta bio doesn't say I was kidnapped once for a reason.", Carol finished her mom's sentence, and Melanie sighed, a finger to her temple.

"It's not just that, daughter. I'm talking about the grades, I'm talking about you forgetting your piano lessons, and you're slouching again!", Melanie made her daughter sit straight, and put her hands on her hips, dissatisfied.

Carol muttered sadly, almost apologetically so. "I have been for a week. I only missed out today, and my grade slippage is recent. You didn't say anything when it was going well."

"Because I expect more from you, and you should too! You're so much better than this!", Melanie reprimanded, trying to in a gentle voice. Carol may have noticed, but it made no effect on the golden haired girl's mood.

Melanie, to her credit, noticed, and tried to be more obvious, taking on a less stiff and strict pose, and placing a hand on her daughter's hair, though it was didn't look natural as her other moves, almost like she was touching something alien. "Look… I know you think I'm impossible to please."

Carol tried not to raise an eyebrow. For as annoyed as she was, she felt fear as well of her mother's response, despite the kind tone she was using now.

"It's just… Ever since…", Melanie paused. She bit her lip, and looked back, instinctually. Confidence disappearing, like, she heard something. Something she heard once. Something she swore never to hear again.

But it was just her imagination once more.

Looking at her daughter again, Melanie continued. "What I'm trying to say is, is that I just want you to live up to your clear potential! You can be so special!"

Carol didn't say anything. She just nodded. "Yes, mother."

"Now you're just saying that to get me to stop talking.", Melanie said, with a half smile.

"No, I mean it.", Carol replied coldly, she couldn't change her tone, as much as she wanted to.

Melanie closed her eyes, and as always, saw her target. What she was aiming for. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself it would take time. She had plenty of it. Whatever Tetherby was planning to do to steal her serum, he would fail. She'd evaded him this long.

Soon, she'd have the garden she dreamed of, and her little Caroline would flower like she was meant to.

She would finally fix the cracks.

"...Just… Just keep trying, okay?", Melanie asked, and Carol, hearing her mother's small desperation, allowed herself to feel bad.

"I will, mother. You'll see.", she said, but she didn't believe it.

Suddenly, Melanie saw out of the corner of her eye that a guard was signalling her, and she moved a few paces away from Carol to talk to the guard. She didn't notice Carol bow her head down in shame, and in guilt.

"But I don't know what's the point of trying, Mother, when I will never be perfect for you. When you won't let me."

A single tear drop blotted the floor, showing Carol's imperfect, misshapen face. Carol squinted, and for a second, she could see Lori's face.

How she wished that was no trick of the light.

How she wished she could be anything like her.

But Carol's train of thought was derailed by a sharp call from her mother.

"Caroline, come with me."

Melanie looked different now, her eyes as clear as crystal and her stature that impossible level Carol could never reach. It was one thing Carol hoped she could live up to. Her mother, when on the job, was 100% every time.

"Your friend has made a big mistake."


When one looked around Pingrey Enterprises, one felt a strange sort of feeling, a chill down your spine.

That may seem odd to consider. After all, it's just a building full of scientists, advancing technology and medicine. What could be weird about that?

But it was that very nature that felt off. The white on the walls, not a spec of dirt or dust to be found. The reflecting floors, shining a light that showed off your face. There was no music, and no real sounds. Work was quiet and unless Carol was present, people were quiet too. There was no laughter at a joke everyone had heard before, no humming of an old song, with a few bars missing. No food stains from the alarm of arriving late from lunch break, no chairs squeaking because the manufacturer had fallen asleep for a moment while constructing it.

Everything… Was just right.

And because of that, everything felt wrong.

Lori observed all this, her arms trying to warm her weirdly cold feeling body. Air conditioning was a bit too perfect too, it seemed. She stared at the cubicles she was passing, at the blank expressions of hard work and functionality, and felt even more alarmed when she realized she found the dark corner they were reaching far more welcoming.

Doctor Nevio had led her to a filing room, as white as the rest of the building, but appearing much greyer with the lights off. There was a large, chocolate brown closet, reminiscent of a grandfather clock in its stature, that held some of the pictures Melanie had taken over the years with the rich and famous.

"Lord Tetherby. Katherine Mulligan. Rip Hardcore?", Lori raised an eyebrow at that last one, Melanie "at awe" by the TV star's muscles.

"Something to do with animal conservation, ironically. Bald Eagles, I recall.", Nevio filled her in, as he crouched down and fiddled with a hidden switch.

The closet began shifting, air shooting out as it moved to reveal a large, metal door, almost looking like the door to a space shuttle. It had a passcode box, and no slit or window as to what was lying therein.

Lori, closing the door behind them, whispered "Any idea what the code is?"

Nevio, taking out an abacus, pointed at himself proudly. "Oh, I was mind wiped of the code two days ago, I won't be able to recall it until the effects wear off around Friday. But I hang up every Math Club award I won for a reason, I can crack the code in…"

CLANG!

Suddenly, the door fell down with an oddly quiet yet effective bang, and Nevio looked in surprise as Lori, her hand not even in a fist, motioned for him to come along.

"Guess the only thing that needs cracking here are these.", Lori quipped, cracking her knuckles.

"Boo.", Lincoln jokingly mocked her attempt at humor, and Lori playfully jabbed back "As if you wouldn't have said it."

"Still…", Lincoln started. "I don't know about all this. No alarms, no security system? Even then, people will surely notice you and Nevio gone, and there's gotta be camera's somewhere, and…"

"Lincoln, t…trust me, okay?", Lori replied, but there was clear uncertainty in her voice. He had raised some good points.

"Truly fascinating!", Nevio remarked, preoccupied with her feat of strength as they stood at the edge of the entrance. He examined her arms and torso. "Your strength seems to have grown since our first meeting, yet not a sign of muscle!"

"With all the fighting, you'd think it would.", Lori remarked. "I do get tired often after fights. Maybe I should start some warm ups and exercise plans."

"Maybe.", Lincoln agreed.

The hero and the scientist finally took a daunting step forwards into the lab, the lights of the lab beckoning them from the end of the hall beyond them.

Every footstep was like another chord in a horror movie theme, warning them to cease, lest they be punished for their actions. But they had to ignore it.

There were more sounds, however, adding to the terrifying chorus: beeps and buzzes from computers were barely heard, whirring of gears seemed to come from inside their minds, and there was a disgusting sound of liquid tapping tapping onto the floor like from a water tap.

As if that all wasn't horrible, it was also pitch black, outside of the lab lights that called for them like a siren's song. It was like night had fallen just for them, and the moon hadn't had the heart to shield them even a little.

Squinting, Lori opened up her flashlight, and light colored the halls a little, oddly looking like the building it was hiding in, a clean and eerie white.

"It's so spooky in here. And mysterious. And… Okay, are you humming the Scooby Doo music?", Lori asked Nevio, giving him an odd look.

"You have a Boyz Will Be Boyz backpack. Come back when you get some culture.", Nevio shot back.

Lori rolled her eyes, but moved on.

Finally, they reached it. The lab.

"Thanks to the memory wipe, I fear I won't be as useful, child. I barely remember what we house in here that must be kept secret. Apparently..", Nevio professed, fiddling with his glasses, but then he stopped as he saw Lori, frozen and enraptured.

"...Are you all right?", Nevio asked, a little worried.

Lori couldn't reply. She failed to find the words.

It hadn't been so long since she received her powers, truth be told, only a few weeks. But thanks to all the things that had happened, Lincoln's injury, Mr. E, Agent Wolf, Mr. Stone, well, Lori hadn't really had much time to reflect on that day.

But now she did. And it was all there, coming back to her like a tidal wave.

The dark green walls, sickly almost, where she had seen Agent Wolf for the first time, the snarling creature still sending her into heavy breathing. The robotic arms that had restrained her so she could be given her powers had come from those walls too, cold, metallic, practically forcing her to become what she was now.

She took a tentative step forwards, and it echoed, unlike Nevio's. Her strength. She could probably destroy this place if she wanted to, and feel nothing. Or perhaps she would, her powers so oddly on and off, just like she was.

The computer screens that had once showcased an assortment of animals were still doing that, but now different ones, though the banshee remained, it seemed. The screens were still beeping monotonously, unlike that day. All she had heard was a horrible alarm, and it still pierced her ears, as she shouted to be let go of. Her start hadn't been nice, but rather terrifying.

And so had been the rest of it. Lincoln getting hurt, all the evil people she had faced, with plans she had to find out, but had no idea how she could, except a device that had helped lead her here in the first place, or well, that's what she had been told. She had forgotten to check it, though it was flashing green now.

Of course she had forgotten. It seemed like her powers, her efforts to be a hero and a better person kept bouncing all over the place. Just when it seemed like she was getting better at one thing, she had to improve another. Every time she seemed to have full hold of the crashing building, another thing had to be lifted.

She then saw him. The man swimming in a large glass tube, light blue, with one eye open. He looked the exact same as he did when she first saw him and felt sorry for his plight, only for the first time she noticed what looked like a cape hanging off his unitard.

What was his part in all this? In her powers? In this lab?

She stepped closer, and saw her face reflected on the tube, the dark blue lights of the lab shimmering off of her, making it almost look like she had her costume on.

"...It feels like I just keep getting this wrong. I haven't even been listening to Lincoln, after I promised him I would. I'm supposed to know better, I'm supposed to so I can be a good big sister. But… Why do I feel like I'm about to make another mistake?", Lori thought to herself, as she found herself back in reality again, but feeling once again like a failure.

"My… Memory is coming back. Did it hurt, getting your powers?", Nevio asked, curious for the info.

"A little, yes. There had been some injection thing, and something about animal DNA, as you can see. And I still feel like this guy has something to do with it.", Lori thought out loud, as she looked around with her flash light, but found nothing else.

"Wow, I… I never thought about that, Lori.", Lincoln said on the voice link, and Lori reassured him. "It doesn't hurt anymore. In some ways, I guess, it was necessary. This opened my eyes to certain things."

"Yeah…", Lincoln agreed, but Lori could tell he still felt bad about not being listened to. She wished she could, but she felt almost afraid too, which was so stupid, yet… Yet felt like it had to be done in the long term. Maybe. God, she didn't know, and she hated that she didn't.

Nevio, jotting down something in a notebook, scratched his chin. "So any idea what your enemy could want?"

"Sadly, nothing that I didn't know before.", Lori grumbled, leaning on a wall, her shadow barely visible. "I mean, let's be honest, whoever they are, they want powers like mine, duh. Anyone could have guessed that."

"True.", Nevio nodded.

"My question is what are they going to do with it? World domination seems a little too simplistic for who and what I've been fighting. No, it's gotta be something else, something far more detailed.", Lori deduced, but she was stumped. "But I have no idea what."

"Hmm…", Nevio hummed thoughtfully, as he went to lean on the wall beside her, almost level to her. "I remember him, sort of. Mind wipe and all that. It's a bit fuzzy, but he said something about a horrible thing he wanted to prevent, and that he would have to take control, but I don't know what."

"It could be anything, really. This building, all crime, the state!", Lincoln proposed, half worried, half excited.

"Well, then, what do we do?", Lori asked, before backtracking. "Wait, duh, no, I know what to do, just… Give me a moment."

"Ooh, I know, we could…", Lincoln started suggesting.

"Lincoln, not now, let me think.", Lori cut him off.

"Lori, come on, you can't just keep ignoring me!", Lincoln complained.

"Lincoln, please, I can't be wrong again, or it will drive me crazy! I cannot fuck up anymore! I mean, come on, I can't be so dumb and so bad that I can't ever get better, right?! That would mean there's no hope for me!", Lori sounded scared almost. Lincoln got concerned, and softened his voice.

"Lori, are… Is everything okay?", he asked, sounding more like a little boy suddenly.

"Um, child?", Nevio started, a panicked yelp out of him, as footsteps thundered, but Lori didn't hear him or the sounds.

"Yes, because I'm your big sister, I don't need help!", Lori suddenly cried out in frustration, trying to convince herself more than Lincoln.

"Oh, I think you're going to need a lot of help once we're done here."

Lori and Lincoln gasped, and turned around in shock, for standing before Lori and Nevio, with a bunch of scary looking armed guards, was none other than Melanie Pingrey, Carol in tow.

For a woman who looked so pleasant in the photos in the closet, so classy at any social gathering, and so composed with her daughter, Melanie looked downright monstrous now. She wasn't exactly baring her teeth or snarling by any means, but her eyes, oh, her eyes, were fiery orbs of discontent, and her oddly tall poise dropped a shadow of danger over Lori and Nevio. She didn't even lift a finger, but one felt like she could strike them as hard as a god's thunderclap.

"Ms. Loud. This laboratory is off limits. What on earth are you doing in here?", she asked, her voice steady, yet betraying a certain inflection. Her eyes darted for one moment at the man in the tube, and the project stamp "Metamorphosis".

Lori bit her bottom lip, and felt that awful stomach turning feeling when a parent got mad at you in a way they never had been before. She had to come up with some sort of excuse, lie, anything, as long as it didn't incriminate Nevio and hopefully, not reveal her secret.

But the words were failing to escape her stuttering mouth, as if the hesitation was glue that trapped her further in the belly of the beast. She lifted her hands to ennounciate, but they shook like rattling teeth. "I… I… Um… I…"

Melanie huffed, and everyone in the room felt a little more on edge. "Well? Have you NOTHING to say for yourself?"

That sudden shout, echoing in the forbidden hull, made Lori jump a bit, and she almost felt like she could start floating, which would be disastrous. She stepped on one of her feet, and tried not to hiss from pain. "I… Well, you see…". She felt horrible, out of ideas, a total failure. Lincoln must have been so ashamed that she was his big sister.

"It's all my fault!", Nevio suddenly shouted up, and Lori's eyes widened. Suddenly, it was like a weight had been lifted from her fears, replaced by something far stronger: Her decency.

"No, it's MY fault!", she piped up, giving Nevio a sharp look, before staring Melanie Pingrey in the eyes, which startled everyone else. "I… I had fallen into this lab through some weird wall, back in the field trip we have a few weeks ago! I was curious, and stupid, and I wanted to know what it was all about, so I told this guy I'd… I'd turn him into a human pretzel if he didn't let me in!"

Carol, who had been deadly silent thanks to feeling she had let both Lori and her mom down, mouthed a "You did?". Lori, while Melanie looked away for a second, mouthed "No.". Carol, reassured to hear that, offered an apologetic smile. She'd have to really make it up for Lori later.

"Really?", Melanie asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Seeing his track record with outside forces, I wouldn't necessarily doubt it."

Suddenly, one of the guards, a blonde woman of a thin, athletic physique, coughed, and Melanie berated her. "What did I say about coming in sick to this lab? Put on a face mask this instant, before you contaminate the area!"

The guard did so, and Nevio was able to continue talking.

"She just wanted to know what was inside the lab.", Nevio was quick to defend, trying to stand tall, though it looked like he hadn't changed size at all. "I had, um, never been here before anyway, so I hadn't thought it would be so bad, why would we keep a lab that secret anyway?"

Lori was a little confused at first, until she realized. Nevio was showing his trust to her. He knew she could stop the bad guys, but Melanie… Well, why she even had this lab in the first place was a tad suspicious. He was siding with justice, even if it meant lying to his boss. She offered a grateful smile.

Melanie seemed unfazed, nodding quickly at his defense. "Yes, yes, I know all that. You're not in trouble, Doctor, though I would advise you to come to me when asked for intel in the future."

She then looked at Lori, with a curious, almost creepy glance. Her eyes gleamed, and her movement was robotic, yet, something betrayed a hidden emotion, perhaps something… Hopeful, in her voice? "As for you, Ms. Loud? There's one thing I would like from you."

"Oh, that can't be good.", Lincoln, who had been listening to all this while biting his nails in tension, suddenly spoke up. Lori agreed silently.

Melanie, out of nowhere, whipped out a strange measuring device, a barometer of sorts. It was beige in color, almost like military gear, and it made a staticy sound that hurt Lori's ears. "This lab has… Many dangerous things. Why, as I said before, even a simple cough could shake up the balance of this place. You may have been affected by it. Have you felt any strange feelings? New sensations? Burnings, pains… Abilities?"

The last part was asked with a little too much enthusiasm, near desperation, and hidden only to herself and Lori, was a slight, sinister smile. "You would understand that I have to check, for medical reasons. I wouldn't want you hurt."

"OMG, she's right, Lori, you should do it!", Carol called out, worried for her friend.

Lori gulped, and began backing up a bit, her mind racing for an exit but finding none. "Oh, um, I'm okay! Totally! I feel super!", she blurted, before wincing at how stupid that was.

"Ah, but it can go unnoticed! I should really do the responsible thing, and investigate. Why don't you let me test?", she asked, in a cold, "nice" voice, and she edged it closer to Lori's nose, Lori feeling shivers at the woman's presence..

Lori, almost crying, was begging for an idea. Flying out? Of course not. Running? Somehow worse. Fainting? Wouldn't do a thing.

She had nothing. Nothing. Just like she feared, she had failed once more, but there was no millionth second chance here, no, she would fail, be outed, probably jailed, and that evil boss man, and maybe even Melanie would hurt everyone she loves, all because once more she found another flaw she couldn't solve…

"Lori, I have an idea!", Lincoln, who had been wracking his brain for an idea ever since Melanie started moving towards Lori, cried out, but Lori didn't even know what to say, she was too busy being scared.

"I gotta do it now! But, what if I hurt her feelings?", he hesitated, before getting determined. "No. I can't let Lori down. I'll explain later."

Rousing up courage, he began to shout into her ear.

"Lori, you're… You're the worst sister ever!"

"What?", Lori whispered, feeling her heart sink and her tears flow. No… Not this. Just not this. It couldn't be. It… It couldn't be!

"You're… You're so selfish, and stupid! I thought you were going to be better! And instead, you were as bossy as ever, and now look what it's done!", Lincoln kept shouting, hard as it was, trying to make himself sound as angry as he could, trying to build on his frustrations from that day.

Lori felt herself almost freeze, as Melanie finally got up close to her. She felt heavy, and light headed, and it felt like she was almost having a panic attack.

Lincoln then finished up with the killing blow. "You don't deserve your powers! And you don't deserve me!"

Lori felt her heart shatter at that, and trying not to cry a river next to everyone, nodded in failure. "I don't."

She had no choice now, Melanie had the device in her nose, and she could not escape. She prayed that maybe, maybe she could make things right after she got arrested, and find a way to keep her promise to protect others, when…

BEEP!

A red light flashed.

"No effects?", Melanie practically asked, confused. No, it couldn't be true. Yet, there it was.

Lori felt even more shocked. But how?

"I'll explain later.", Lincoln replied. "Just make with the nice and go."

Lori had to agree, hard as it was to ignore her pain. This was a miracle, she would not waste it.

"So, guess I can go then?", Lori asked, still shaken, but trying to sound innocent, her heart in her throat.

"I… Guess.", Melanie replied, clearly disappointed, but keeping an air of control about her. She motioned for the guards to follow them to the exit.

"Oh, great, because I wanted to take you to some frozen yogurt, my treat!", Carol offered, before blushing again, and rubbing the back of her neck. "I, um, wanted to apologize to you about something."

"Oh, okay!", Lori replied, confused but glad. For as bad as some things went, she had to admit: Things were looking…

"We interrupt this broadcast for a special announcement!"

Everyone swiveled their heads at where the voice had come from. It was the coughing guard, who suddenly grinned manaicaly, and hid her eyes under her security guard hat.

"What did you say?", Melanie asked, eyes seering at the guard, calculating every word. She could sense… Something sinister afoot.

Lori and Lincoln both looked confused too, and Lori squinted to that effect. "She sounded… Inhuman."

"War… Has begun. So let's have some fun.", the guard nearly giggled, before tearing off her face, a disgusting mask of flesh and rubber coming off slowly to reveal a…

Screen.

An HD TV screen, on top of a head that didn't look human, that belonged to the still blonde haired woman wearing a yin yang colored outfit and wielding a bow and arrow. She held a still pose, almost like she wasn't afraid, nervous, or excited at all. She was just ready to do what she had to do.

"It seems she has cybernetic enhancements.", Nevio commented, and Lori nodded, connecting it to the voice.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?", Melanie asked in disgust, though she already had a sneaking suspicion of what was afoot.

"The only way to protect a city under siege. Call me…"

"Organized Chaos."

The woman grinned a wide smile, and aimed the arrow at the man in the tube.

"Now, nobody move… Or the dead man gets it."

Carol, who was shaking from fear, hid behind Lori. Lori, instinctually, raised her fists to shield Carol and Nevio, who was also hiding. The other guard took a step forwards, and was flung backwards with a karate kick to the torso, smashing into one of the computers.

Melanie, meanwhile, took command, and didn't shrink at the woman's sight. "Be reasonable. Whatever you want, your quarrel is obviously with me. Let the children, Doctor Nevio, and the guard go."

Organized Chaos tilted her head, as if she was scanning something, and slowly nodded, still pointing her arrow at the soon to be fleeing hostages. "That's fair enough. They can go. This won't take long anyway."

"Mom, don't!", Carol cried out in fear for her mother's safety.

"Caroline. I know what I'm doing. Now, get out, and stay strong.", Melanie ordered, and Carol nodded sadly, looking back as the four left.

Lori looked back too, knowing she could not just let this happen. No, she had to stop it, and save Mrs. Pingrey.

But for that, she'd have to create an excuse.

"Carol, Doctor Nevio, and, um, sorry, what's your name?", Lori asked, scratching her head.

"Kevin Ricardo Armando Django Lucas Renzetti Bananna Fo…", the guard started, and Lori interrupted.

"Bananna, take these two somewhere safe, I'm going to get the police!"

"Why not just call them?", Carol asked, and Lori stuttered, only for Nevio to come to the save.

"Oh, that woman could probably trace the call, and hurt your mother! It is best Ms. Loud runs there!", Nevio offered helpfully.

"Right! T…Thanks!", Lori said, and dashed off. Carol waved goodbye, but was still concerned for her friend.

"Damn, that was a good one by Doctor Nevio! That should give you time to get your costume on and kick villain butt!", Lincoln commented giddily, as Lori exited the building and went to a nearby alleyway, just in case a camera would catch her in the act.

But Lori sounded far less enthusiastic, as she zipped open her backpack. "Yeah…"

Lincoln had a sad frown on his face, and twiddled his thumbs in guilt. "Lori, if you're sad about what I sad, I didn't mean it."

"What?", Lori exclaimed, as she put on her trousers over her cargo shorts, and her hoodie over her shirt.

"I noticed your powers seem to falter when you're low on confidence and self belief. I thought if I could say something that would upset you, Mrs. Pingrey wouldn't be able to detect that you're The Guardian.", Lincoln offered, sounding profound.

"That's… Really smart.", Lori voiced, impressed and proud, before sighing. "And here I was, once again being a bossy jerk and not listening to you. I promised you I'd be better, and here I am, being just as bad as you said."

She got her gloves and boots on, but she felt low energy and down, and tears began building up again. "It's like every time I think I'm getting better, I find a new problem I'm causing."

"Well… I WAS being overly enthusiastic.", Lincoln tried, but Lori rejected that.

"A little. I was refusing to listen, because… Because I'm your big sister! I'm supposed to know better, to be the one you need help from, not the other way!"

Lincoln smiled reassuringly at her, happy to see her admit to such things. "Lori, everyone needs help from time to time. You HAVE been a better sister recently, but I know that BOTH of us are gonna need to keep working on things. Yeah, you messed up, but what matters is that now you know that what you're doing is wrong, and you're willing to admit to that, and, hopefully, work on it!"

Lori felt a warmth inside that could only be felt through the love of a person you care for more than anyone. She let herself smile a bit, as she applied her eye shadow in 5 seconds flat. "You're… You're right, Lincoln. Thanks for helping me see that."

"You're welcome!"

Lori stood up, feeling determined, fists clenching, as her cape now hung off her shoulders proudly. "I got two new problems to deal with, crazy robot lady, and accepting help. But unlike in the past, I'm ready to take them on. So what do you say, Lincoln? Ready to kick some villain butt?"

Lincoln woo hoo'd and cheered. "LET'S GOOOOOOOO!"

And so, Lori smiled in determination, and with a woosh, The Guardian flew up into the air for a confrontation with Organized Chaos.


Meanwhile, back in the lab, Organized Chaos was still aiming her bow at Melanie Pingrey, who was unamused at the show she was witnessing.

"You've been holding me up here for 2 whole minutes. I could do a lot at that time. Like crush every bone in your body.", Melanie quietly phrased her feelings. Her eyes did not phase.

"Oh, I'm made of stronger stuff. We all have to, if we want to keep this city out of your cuffs.", Organized Chaos sing songed, her unphasing screen slowly revealing her face.

Melanie saw right through her, though. "I bet old "Raven" thinks you're actually loyal to him. I know your type. Once you can fearmonger and control people's thoughts, you're in there like a parasite."

"Oh, but there's a difference. I'm a parasite with standards. He wants power. You… Want something far worse.", the cyborg sounded a lot more serious suddenly, and angry.

"Keep telling that to yourself. Maybe it will help you sleep at night.", Melanie shot back.

"Oh, don't worry, I will, once she arrives.", Organized Chaos corrected, looking at the floor beneath them.

"Ah. So you're not trying to steal the serum?", Melanie raised an eyebrow.

"Perish the thought. No, we have better methods.", Organized Chaos stated.

"You realize I'll just move the lab?", Melanie pointed out.

"Unless I left a tracker. Or perhaps I have photographic memory. Perhaps I can detect the heat signature a million miles away. Perhaps I have a million ways of finding this place, no matter what you do.", Organized Chaos grinned, and Melanie realized that Raven had truly upped the ante.

And then, with that…

CRASH!

A hole formed on the floor, and floating above the two of them was none other than…

"The Guardian!", Organized Chaos and Melanie cried.

"Sorry about the floor, Mrs. Pingry! SOMEONE told me it would be a good idea.", Guardian said with an annoyed tone.

"Okay, not my bed idea, but it looked so frikin cool!", Lincoln gushed, trying to hold back his geek out.

"Finally! You really took your time! But I doubt you can stop my justified crime!", Organized Chaos crowed, shooting an arrow that The Guardian dodged, her cape swooshing in the air.

"Okay, any insight, Lincoln?", she asked, trying to think of weakness points as well.

"Hmm…", Lincoln pondered, as The Guardian swooped down to face the black and white colored villain. "She seems mostly adept at long range attacks. Her bow and arrow, and her legs. Not to mention she's taller than you. My suggestion? Keep moving. Stay out of reach. Annoy her, until she makes a mistake."

"Got it.", Guardian nodded, and she stayed up in the air, out of reach. "You're so strong, come and get me!"

Organized Chaos cursed inwardly. She had to get the tracking device back, and that would require getting up close and personal. She'd have to be faster and more accurate than ever.

"My target is strong and true. You're just a distraction in the way, you don't know what best for them or you.", she called out, shooting another three arrows, all of which narrowly missed, and nearly destroyed parts of the lab.

"I swear to god if you destroy any parts of this lab!", Melanie cried out in rage, and Organized Chaos cursed again. Raven wouldn't want that either.

"Maybe I can knock her out with one of my special arrows, grab the device, and bail.", she thought, and she put her arms up in the air. "I won't destroy any parts of this lab. If I must for the mission, then I shall pay the tab."

"Wow, that rhyming thing doesn't get any less weird.", The Guardian pointed out, surprised at how… Easy that was.

"Too easy.", she whispered, and Lincoln heard her. "You're right. There's no way it goes that quickly. Keep your eyes peeled."

"Roger that."

The Guardian landed down on the ground, and slowly, slowly stepped forwards. Melanie too seemed suspicious, and kept her distance.

"Okay, I'm going to take you to the police station, then.", The Guardian said aloud, but all the while she stayed focused on being just the right distance from Organized Chaos while still walking towards her. The moment she tried any funny business, she'd back up.

But Organized Chaos was no slouch in the speed department. The moment she judged Guardian close enough, she fired one of her "special" arrows, a 1000 volt arrow that would kill anyone who got even near it.

"And down goes the false hero! If only she was on the right side.", Organized Chaos announced in mock sympathy, as The Guardian got shocked, and felt her life flash before her eyes. Even Melanie looked horrified.

"LORI!", Lincoln screamed, afraid.

"No… I can't…", The Guardian already felt herself get heavy, she would die any minute.

No…

She couldn't die.

SOMEONE had to help.

SOMEONE had to be there for Lincoln.

SOMEONE had to stop selfish people like that, who thought they knew better.

She couldn't just give up like that, no.

No.

"NO!", she thought, eyes opening wide, as she absorbed the elctrictity, and clenched her fists and feet.

"W…What?", Organized Chaos voiced, a little worried now.

Melanie, meanwhile, looked overjoyed. "Impossible…", she smiled.

Guardian grunted, almost like an anime protagonist, as she let the pain flow through her, and thought of how everyone else in the city who did not agree with this woman and her boss' plans would suffer like she was now.

"And I won't stand for that."

Removing the arrow from her torso, she snapped it in half, and sighed in relief, as the electricity ended up just tickling her when it should have killed her.

"Not even a burn. You should be dead!", Organized Chaos gulped.

The Guardian stared at her, and smiled a heroic, determined smile.

"Oh, I don't think so."

Lincoln, who was wiping happy tears, screamed. "STOP BEING SO COOL!"

The Guardian walked slowly up to Organized Chaos, who tried smashing her bow on the hero, but Guardian simply karate chopped it, breaking it in half. The cyborg reached for her arrows, but Guardian took the quiver and tossed it aside. She tried to kick her, but Guardian grabbed the leg, and smashed her down to the ground.

"I think we're done here.", The Guardian stated with finality.

"Oh, we're only beginning!", Organized Chaos hissed, and she snatched the tracker. "Yoink!"

Guardian gasped, and then saw Organized Chaos reach for a smoke bomb.

"This war has just begun, hero. This city will be under the control of the only one who knows. "The Raven" sends his regards."

And with that, she was gone.


"Well, that could have gone better.", Lincoln said, as Lori tucked him in. It was nighttime, and thankfully, Lori had managed not to stir anymore suspicion from Carol and Melanie Pingrey.

"Yeah, but no one got hurt, we know that there's another villain to be wary of, and I finally know who I'm… That is, we're, after. Whoever this "Raven" is, we're gonna stop him from taking over.", Lori explained, sounding a little wiser and a little kinder.

Lincoln smiled at her. "You know, I'm proud of you."

"For what?"

"You never give up. You're trying so hard to be the best you you can be. I think you're gonna do a great job. Also, like, you're so awesome, stop being so awesome, my heart can't take it!", Lincoln said, and Lori, touched, kissed him on the forehead.

"Eww, gross, don't do that!", Lincoln laughed, and Lori sighed. "Gotta ruin the heartwarming moment, huh?"

Laughing, they then had a small sibling hug, and Lori wished him goodnight.

Outside his room, she took a heavy breath, and inside her room, she looked outside the window at the city she had to protect.

"Another problem. And I must solve it."

She clenched her fist.

"I will solve it. I'll be good enough, for Lincoln, and the city."

But, as Lori said, new problems keep seeming to pop up.

This latest… Was far worse than she could have expected.


"Well, "Organized Chaos", I see you have brought the tracker back.", The Raven grinned, and Organized Chaos bowed.

"Anything for the new world order, boss."

"Excellent. Now, we can track down that serum, and do what must be done. Destroy it."

"And then, we can use your technology to make more people like me, to protect the citizens?", Organized Chaos asked.

Raven, imagining it in his head, the people obeying what was best for them, and an army of enhanced people, people through science, not the madness of Pingrey, making sure they stayed in line, smiled at his utopia.

"Yes, my dear. We shall save the world."

The Raven then turned around, and pressed a button on his remote, that flashed a video tape of a blonde girl getting into a costume in an alleyway.

"And even better… Now we know who we need to stop from ruining it all."

At the same time as he said it, another person spoke up. A little girl, in a green tinted room, checking on a camera she had given her brother and sister, in order to confirm her suspicions.

"The Guardian…", The Raven spoke up, about to reveal her name.

"Lori Loud.", Lisa Loud exclaimed, in a sort of quiet surprise, yet enlightenment.

And she was planning what to do next.


So things are heating up! Raven's plans are becoming clearer, new villains arriving, and Lisa knows the secret! Next time, a bit of a change of pace, as Lori is the subplot, with an important side character headlining next chapter! Wonder if you can guess who she is!