Spider-Man: LOUD Season 3 Chapter 5
"Day by day"
Lincoln was sound asleep in his bed, having gotten home after failing to catch Black Cat last night. While sleeping he feels a sudden pressure fall on him. Slowly opening his eyes, he finds his sister Lola sitting on his lap, the girl wearing a short pink nightgown.
"Lola…what are you doing in my room this early?" The boy asks, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
"Just thanking my big brother for all his hard work!" She says sweetly, leaning down and placing her hands beside his head to prop herself up.
The teen gains a quizzical expression, "Thank me for my hard work? Why?"
The blonde girl giggles, "Because your hard work got us into a prestigious party!" She says, bouncing slightly.
"Oh, that." He says, smiling at the girl, "Yeah, it was definitely unexpected."
"It's where I belong, Lincy! Partying with the upper class while wearing my prettiest dress!" She says, leaning down and peppering his cheeks with kisses.
He chuckles, "Okay, okay! I get it." He says, lightly pushing her face away, "You've gotta chill with the physical affection there."
She pouts, "Aw, but why? I love giving my sweet big brother kisses! It's not like I'm kissing you on the lips!" She says, gaining a mischievous smirk.
Lincoln gains a shocked look, "I think that's enough of that." He says, grabbing Lola's waist and lifting her off him, getting up in the process.
"Ooh, so strong!" The girl gushes.
"Alright, I've gotta get ready for school. And so do you young lady." He says, lightly jabbing a finger into her chest.
She giggles, "Okay, see ya later big bro~" She says, blowing the boy a kiss, before sauntering out his bedroom, swaying her hips more than needed.
"What was that about?" The white haired teen asked himself before shaking it off and starting to grab his clothes to get ready for the day.
"The plan has been set in motion." Norman confirmed over a video call with one Mendel Stromm.
"You talked to the boy's parents?" Stromm asked, mixing chemicals in the video feed.
"Correct. Soon he'll be in my grasp." Norman claims, leaning back in the seat of his Limo.
Stromm turned to look at the video feed, "If you don't mind me asking sir, do you plan on killing the boy when you get the chance?"
Norman shook his head, "No. I'm going to slowly take everything he loves away from him. He's cost me so much money that it's become personal. Once he has nothing left, then I'll kill him."
Stromm looked away, furrowing his brows, "That's quite the plan sir." He looked back at the feed, "May I ask what tipped you off to this boy being Spider-Man?"
Norman leaned forward, folding his hands in front of his face, "I believe I can tell you, now that the plan has finally been set in motion."
Later that night, Lincoln, Stella, Zach, Rusty, Liam, and Clyde all hang out at Gus' Games and Grub. Lincoln having invited Max so she can hang out with the group more before the group goes to Jordan's party.
"So Max, what do you normally do for fun?" Stella asks before taking a bite out of a french fry.
The girl looked up from her plate, "Well…I like listening to music." She says, unsure in her answer.
"Ooh, what kinda music ya listen to? I'm a big fan of country music myself." Liam asked, proud of his tastes.
Rusty rolled his eyes, "Yeah because you hate good music." He said teasingly.
Liam turned to his right to look at the curly haired boy, "Says the guy who just listens to mumble rap all day." He says defensively.
Rusty gasps in shock, "How dare you! Mumble rap is art!"
"You can't even understand what they're sayin' half the dang time!" The redneck boy claimed, placing his hands on his hips.
Rusty scoffs, "Better than them just talking about dirt and beer and trucks all the time!" Rusty defends.
"At least it ain't talkin' bout drugs and money and crime." Liam says, turning his head to ignore Rusty.
"Boys, calm down. Music is subjective." Stella says, trying to break up the fight, "Besides, we're trying to get to know Max, not you two."
Both boys pouted, "He started it." Rusty says.
Max giggles, "It's fine, I don't mind. I think only friends could argue about something that specific."
"Well, to re-ask what Liam asked before you were interrupted, what kind of music do you listen to?" Stella asked, looking at her new friend.
Max placed a finger on her chin in thought, raising an eyebrow, after a moment, she started speaking, "I guess I've always had a soft spot for electro?"
"Isn't it called electronic?" Zach asks, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Nah, electro is a kind of electronic music. All electro music is electronic music, but not all electronic music is electro music, you know?" Lincoln explains.
"Wow, I've never met someone who actually knows that." Max says, a small smile on her face as she looks at the white haired boy.
Lincoln shrugs, "When you have a sister who plays music so good she sells out at Madison Square Garden, you pick up a thing or two."
Max's eyes widened, "Madison Square Garden? Who's your sister?"
"Luna Loud, lead guitarist and singer of the Moon Goats." Lincoln says with clear pride in his voice for his sister's accomplishments.
"Luna Loud?" Max thinks for a moment, "Oh! I have heard of her! I guess the Loud last name probably should've tipped that off sooner."
Lincoln shrugs, "Probably, but I'm not gonna hold it against you since you had to think for a moment about who my sister was."
Just then the door to the building opened, in walked Ronnie Anne and Sid. Ronnie Anne wearing her usual jean short shorts and purple thigh high socks with a baggy purple jacket, with Sid wearing a blue longsleeve shirt that was tight around her chest but baggy at her stomach, with black leggings. The two looked around for a moment before they spotted Lincoln waving them over.
"Hey Lincy!" Sid coos as she bounces over.
"Sup Lame-o." Ronnie Anne says as she walks over.
"Hey girls!" Lincoln said, motioning for his friends to scoot over a bit.
Ronnie Anne and Sid sat across the table from Lincoln, next to Stella and Liam, "Sorry if this is short notice guys, I wanted to spend some time with Ronnie Anne and Sid since I haven't gotten much of a chance since they got here." Lincoln explained, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"It's all good man," Rusty said, putting his hands up, "Besides, just means more ladies to talk to." He said, winking to the two new additions to the group.
"Rusty if you try anything on me or Sid I will personally make sure this breadstick never leaves the place where the sun don't shine." Ronnie Anne threatened, picking up a breadstick from the center of the table.
Rusty leans back in his seat slightly, covering himself with his arms, "Point taken!" He says nervously.
"So who's the new girl?" Ronnie Anne asks, gesturing to Max.
"This is Max," Lincoln says, patting the girl on the back, "We thought we'd show her a good time and let her into the group!"
"I wouldn't mind letting you show me a good time Lincy~" Sid whispered to herself.
Ronnie Anne jabbed her elbow into Sid's side, being the only one to hear the remark, "That's pretty nice of you, but I guess that isn't super off the table for you to invite someone new out."
Lincoln shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a giver." The teen stated, placing a hand on his chest, boasting in a joking manner.
"So Max, you have any friends? Other than this group of losers?" Ronnie Anne asks, smiling at the girl.
Max shakes her head, "No…in fact Lincoln was the first person to talk to me after I transferred to Royal Woods High School." She states, placing her hands between her thighs, "Even in my old home town I didn't have many friends."
"Dang, so you must think Lincy's quite the catch then?" Sid asks, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.
Max, leans back slightly, smiling at the girls attempt at playful banter, "Nah, I don't think of people that way." She says, brushing some hair out of her face, "I'm aromantic."
Sid's eyes widened, putting her hands up in defense, "Sorry! I didn't know!"
Max chuckles at the girls reaction, "It's fine, we did just meet after all."
Sid takes a sigh of relief, "Oh thank goodness." She says, placing a hand on her chest.
"Anyway," Lincoln begins, trying to ease back into a conversation, "We were all thinking of hitting downtown after this, not much is open this late, but it'll be fun to see the town."
"Sure, I don't see why not, could be nice to give Sid a tour." Ronnie Anne said, leaning back in her seat.
Sid's eyes lit up at the mention of a tour, "Yes! I'd love a tour!" The girl said, bouncing in her seat, "We could see that tree! We could see so many different food places! We could see arcades! We could see-"
"She's in." Ronnie Anne says, covering her friend's mouth.
"Great! The more the merrier!" Stella says, a smile on her face.
"We'll finish up here then head out soon." Lincoln said.
Eventually the group would head out, going into town to see the sights, only two days away from the party.
Meanwhile in the Loud house, Lola stands in her bedroom in front of her mirror, holding two different dresses, one in each hand as she moves one in front of her before moving the other in front of her, "Hmm…decisions decisions…" She says, pouting.
Lana looks over to her twin from across the room, "Need help with something sis?"
Lola turns around to face her twin, "Yes, I can't decide which dress to wear to that party next week…" She says, pulling the dress on the right, a sparkly pink dress with cutouts that would show off her legs, "Pretty pink or…" she moves the first dress aside before pulling the second one in front of her, a tight white dress that would show off her curves, "pristine white?"
Lana raised an eyebrow, "I know nowhere near enough about this topic to help you out here but uh…pink I guess."
Lola tossed the white dress away, "I was leaning more towards pink too, I mean…it is my color." She says, flipping her hair, "Plus it'll show off my legs pretty well."
Lana looked down for a moment before hesitantly meeting her sister's eyes, "Hey Lols…don't you think you're taking this whole…puberty thing a little too quickly?" She asks, putting her hands up in defense.
Lola raises an eyebrow, putting the pink dress on her bed, "What do you mean?"
Lana bites her lip, wondering if she should say what she wants to say, "I mean…it's great that you're proud of your body and all and it's cool that we're growing up…but don't you think you're taking it too far? I mean…we're only 11…we shouldn't be wearing stuff that shows off our legs."
Lola scoffs, waving a hand dismissively, "Please, it's not like you weren't into it either."
The girl crosses her arms, looking away, "Well yeah but…I don't think I'm into it as you are…I was excited at first yeah…it meant I was growing up but…I also still wanna be a kid too…I just feel like you're growing up too fast by trying to wear stuff like that." She says, looking her twin in the eyes once more, "I mean…why do they even make dresses like that in kids sizes anyway?"
Lola shrugs, "Don't know, don't care, plus even if they didn't I have contacts that could've made it custom for me."
Lana uncrosses her arms, "Lola, I feel like you should take this slower, we're still kids…and we only have 7 years until we're adults…don't you wanna take advantage of being a kid for a little longer? Staying up past your bedtime? Eating junk food without facing the consequences? Not having to deal with relationships?"
Lola turns away, smoothing out the dress on her bed, "I've already been a kid for 11 years…I think that's long enough." She says coldly.
Lana looks down, a conflicted look on her face, "Just…don't do anything too rash, okay?"
Lola shrugs, "Mhm, promise." She says, not even looking away from her dress.
Currently at Oscorp tower Norman Osborn stands at his office window, overlooking the city below, his buzzer going off, "Mr. Osborn, a Mac Gargan is looking for you?"
Norman turns around, pressing the button on his desk, "Send him in."
A few moments later the man enters Norman's office, wearing a baggy black jacket and some cargo shorts, "You wanted to see me Mr. Osborn?"
Norman takes in the man's casual appearance, brushing it off after a moment, "Yes, I was informed that you recently taught a boy named Lincoln Loud how to drive, yes?"
"That's private information, I can't tell any info on my students on behalf of the safety of them." Mac responds, placing his hands in his pockets.
"I see…" Norman says before walking over a safe on his wall, unlocking the safe he reveals stacks of cash, "$5,000, take it or leave it. Give me information on the boy."
Mac's eyes widened, "Yes, his name is Lincoln Loud, I taught him to drive." He says.
Norman nods, walking away from the safe, allowing Mac to grab the cash from inside, "Interesting…I have one more question for you…"
Mac finishes pocketing the cash, "Shoot." He says, looking over to the man.
"How do you feel about tight spaces?" He asks, a sinister smile growing on his face.
Mac raises an eyebrow, "Tight spaces?" He asks before getting hit across the head from behind by a blunt object, falling to the ground reveals another Norman Osborn behind him.
"Good work Dimitri." Norman says from behind the unconscious Mac.
The Norman behind the desk then shapeshifts into a different man with slicked back black hair tied into a small ponytail, a rough beard on his face with broad shoulders and a stern look on his face, "No problem Mr. Osborn." Dimitri says in a distinct Russian accent, walking out from behind the desk, picking up Mac with ease and slinging him over his shoulder.
"Take him to Sector 7, I'm not done talking to him." Norman commands, Dimitri walking over to a bookshelf and pulling a specific red book out, revealing a hidden door before walking into the hidden room, the bookshelf closing behind him.
Norman walks over to a bar cart, mixing himself a green cocktail, swirling the glass afterward, "And so it begins…" He says to himself before downing the alcoholic beverage.
Jordan wakes up in her bedroom, stretching before getting up, she walks over to her dresser, pulling out a pair of gray sweatpants, sliding them on to cover up her once exposed underwear, she walks out of her room and enters her kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee and pouring it into a plain black mug.
"Morning sweetie." Her mother says, walking into the kitchen, placing down her own mug full of coffee.
"Morning mom." The teen responds, sitting down at the table.
"So, how's your little party coming along? Got all your guests invited?" The older woman asks, sitting down across the table from her daughter.
Jordan nods, "Mhm, I didn't invite that many people, just gonna be my friends and some friends of friends." She says, taking a sip, "I invited Chloe, Emma, Cristina, Mollie, Cookie, Boy Jordan, and Lincoln, and then most of them probably invited some of their friends." She says, listing people off on her fingers.
"Lincoln? That cute white haired boy that had dinner with us?" Her mother asks, Lincoln's name standing out to her.
"Yeah him." Jordan says, before blushing slightly noticing she agreed with her mothers statement of him being cute, "The boy that had dinner with us! That's him!" She stammers.
Her mother giggles slightly, "He was pretty cute, he reminds me of when I was in high school…" She says, looking away and biting her lip, "If that boy was older I tell you…"
"Uh…mom?" Jordan says with a raised eyebrow, snapping her mother out of whatever fantasy she was having.
Jordan's mother shakes her head, "Sorry, lost in thought there for a moment." She says, looking at her daughter again, "What are you planning on doing during the party?"
"Well the typical party stuff, games, music, dancing, stuff like that." Jordan confirms, taking another sip of her coffee.
"Good, I don't want any funny business going down at this party, you hear me?" Her mother warns, a stern expression on her face.
Jordan raises an eyebrow, "Funny business?" She says, before realizing what her mother means, "Oh! No of course not! I wouldn't dream of it!" She says, waving her hands dismissively.
The older woman giggles again, "I'm just kidding honey, I don't care what you get up to in your spare time, as long as it's legal…and you don't get pregnant." She says, adding the last part in quickly.
Jordan blushes, "M-mom!" She says, embarrassed at her mothers suggestion.
Her mother stands up, placing her now empty mug in the sink, "Well, I'm off to work, have a good day at school sweetie." She says, walking out of the house.
Jordan releases a long breath, "Jeez…way to scare me mom…"
Lincoln hops out of bed, grateful that Ronnie Anne and Sid got moved to sleeping in the living room, so he doesn't have to worry about sneaking out anymore. He stretches, "Last day of school…for now." He says, jumping up and down slightly, looking over to his clock that reads 4 AM, "I got time to kill before school."
He quickly gets dressed, a pair of blue jeans, his classic white and red running shoes, and an orange button up that's been unbuttoned with a white undershirt, his Spider-Man costume underneath it all.
He sneaks downstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible, his father already at his restaurant to get prepped for the breakfast rush, his mother still sleeping. He sneaks past the still sleeping Ronnie Anne and Sid, the two still sprawled out on the pull out from the couch. He opens the door and steps out, closing it slowly behind him.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, "Alright. I have about 2 hours till everyone wakes up and about 3 hours before I have to drive everyone to school." He says to himself, "Which gives me approximately an hour and 58 minutes of hero time before I need to come back here and pretend I just woke up."
He quickly dashes to the side yard, looking around to make sure no one was watching, before slipping off his clothes and into his Spider-Man gear. Leaping into the air he swings into the greater part of town, looking around for any potential danger, "Pretty quiet for the most part." He says, taking in a deep inhale of the crisp morning summer air as he swings.
Just as he says this, he hears a loud horn blaring, turning his head to see what's up, he sees a large box truck barreling down the road, not stopping for any red lights or pedestrians, the ones in its path thankfully diving out of the way in time, "Uh oh, looks like someone isn't a morning person."
He dives down and lands on the roof of the truck, sticking his head down and knocking on the door window of the truck, the driver rolls it down, "Excuse me sir, but do you have a license to drive this recklessly?" He quips, his lenses forming a quizzical expression, "Hold that thought." He says quickly, leaping off the truck and swinging in front of it to move a stalled vehicle out of the way, and grab people out of the road and move them to the sidewalks, before getting back on the truck.
"It won't stop! The brakes have been cut! And it won't slow down!" The man exclaims, slamming on the brake pedal to show the hero he isn't lying.
"Interesting…" He looks out to the road ahead, seeing a run off that leads into a river, looking at the speedometer he sees they're going at around 60 miles per hour, "If we're traveling at 60 miles per hour and have about 5 miles till the run off that gives me about 5 minutes to stop the truck, but then equating for potential rescues…" He mutters to himself, a hand on his chin, before shrugging, "I got this." He says confidently.
He leaps in front of the truck and shoots two webs to each side, before the truck comes in and hits him, the hero placing his feet on the front grill, standing up with the web lines still attached to the ground, causing the truck to slow down, "Come on…" He grunts, looking up and seeing the run off closing in. He raising his arms to his sides, causing the truck to slow down more, "Shut it off!" He shouts to the driver, the driver ripping out the key to the truck, breaking the ignition port. The truck begins to slow down faster, before gently coming to a slow stop just shy of the cut off.
"Ugh…what a morning…I just woke up and I'm already sore and sweaty…" The teen laments.
Dropping off the front of the truck he lands on his feet, stretching upward, he then walks over to the driver side door as the driver steps out, "Tell me everything you know." Spider-Man says sternly.
"W-why do you assume I have anything to do with this?" The trucker asks nervously, holding his hands in the air defensively.
"I'm not saying you do, I just wanna know everything you know. Or would you rather talk to the cops?" He asks, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at the man.
"I don't know anything! The only thing I know is that this truck is headed to Oscorp." The trucker says, putting his arms down.
Spider-Man uncrosses his arms, "Oscorp…" He says before making his way to the back of the truck, grabbing the latch on the door.
"Hey you can't-" The trucker begins before Spider-Man breaks the lock, sliding the door open, "open that…"
Spider-Man steps up into the back of the truck, looking around, various different animals being kept in cages and glass boxes. Scorpions, bees, chameleons, there was even a large cage with a picture of a walrus attached to it. But the one that caught the hero's attention, was the glass case filled with spiders. He squinted his eyes at them, the label on the case reading, "failed copies."
"Failed copies?" He reads, turning to look at the driver that was still outside the truck, "What did Oscorp need with all these?"
The driver shrugs, "Beats me man. I'm just paid to deliver stuff with no questions asked."
Spider-Man thinks to himself for a moment, "Something doesn't seem right…" He steps out of the truck and swings off just as the cops arrive, swinging into the early morning sky, "What could those spiders have been copies of?" He thinks for a moment, his head starting to hurt, suddenly he gets a flashback, an image of a women he's never seen before setting him down on the couch in his living room, a man he's never seen before looking sternly at him. The sudden flash hurts him, causing him to stop swinging, he catches himself on the side of building, breathing heavily, clutching his chest.
"Wh-what…what the hell…" He looks out at the city, "What the hell was that?" He asks, his voice trembling.
Hey let's go of his chest, looking down at his hand, "Who…who was that?" He asks, his voice now steady, but still filled with confusion.
To be continued…