Quinn
arrived at school not long after. She began hearing rumors of Jamie’s claim as
she headed to Homeroom. ‘What is Jamie doing?’ she groused to herself. ‘He
wouldn’t have found the off switch or the Solarium itself if he hadn’t joined
me on the search!’ She wasn’t sure what to do about his bragging other than to
insist on the truth.
Conflicting
claims would spread through the school as the day went on.
At
lunch, Jamie was eating with Elly and Freya. Joey saw that and turned to Jeffy
Brown-Mercer. “We need to do something about this?”
“But
how?” Jeffy asked.
“We’ll
go to Quinn,” Joey said.
“Or
Daria?” Jeffy asked.
“Quinn
first,” Joey decided.
“Sure.”
“And
so, it’s annoying,” Quinn said. “But I have been insisting on the truth. That I
was there at the Solarium and he wouldn’t have been there if he hadn’t come
with me.”
“That’s
all you can do,” Tori Jericho said.
“I
know,” Quinn said.
“Quinn?”
Joey said as he approached.
“Jeffy?”
Stacy Rowe asked.
“It’s
about Jamie,” Joey said.
“He’s
bragging that he was the teen investigator that stopped the brownouts,” Jeffy
said.
“I
know,” Quinn said with annoyance.
“But
what can we do about it?” Joey asked.
“Also,
it seems he’s going after Elly,” Jeffy said.
“I’d
say let him,” Stacy said.
“What?”
Tiffany Blum-Deckler asked.
“So,
he wouldn’t annoy Quinn,” Stacy said.
“He hasn’t
been doing that lately,” Quinn pointed out.
“Nor
have I,” Joey said. “I mean we have gone on dates, but it’s been more as
friends, especially given we’re partners in the Historia.”
“That’s
a good point,” Stacy said.
“But
Jamie?” Jeffy asked.
“I
guess you can ask Daria,” Quinn said. “I’m at a wits end.”
Daria
was slightly annoyed that Tania Ashworth seemed to be joining her and Jane,
along with Harry and Sandi, for lunch more often. ‘What about her friends?’ she
wondered.
“….And
so, we toilet papered the building,” Sandi concluded, having told Harry, Jane
and Tania the previous night’s activities with Philippa.
Harry
Osborn shrugged. “It’s fine that you did that,” he said. “But I would be
annoyed if you did it to the mansion.”
“I
wouldn’t,” Sandi said. “But I doubt it would stop Philippa.”
“But
was it Quinn or Jamie who actually stopped the brownouts?” Tania asked.
“Both,”
Daria answered. “But it was Quinn who was investigating, and Jamie was tagging
along.”
“Is
that right?” Jeffy asked as he and Joey came up.
“Hi,
Jeffy,” Daria said. “Yes. It was mostly Quinn.”
“But
Jamie is bragging that he is the one who did it,” Joey said.
Daria
sighed. “Of course he is. I’m sure Quinn said she doesn’t know what to do?”
“Other
than insisting on the truth,” Joey said.
“Then
I would wait for the truth to come out,” Daria said.
“But
he’s also trying to impress Elly Aitkin,” Jeffy said.
“Then
let him. I’m sure she’ll find out the truth at some point,” Daria said.
It
was 2PM when Sam returned to the Solarium after college classes and lunch.
“You’re
here early,” his grandfather said, when he entered.
“I
thought I would be here early,” Sam responded.
“That’s
fine, but I know you were here this morning.”
“I
may have been.”
“I
know that you’re up to something,” Mr. Elders said.
At
2:20, Sam saw that his grandfather was in the office. He then locked him in
there, and blocked the door.
“There
it is,” he said as he found the switch to the furnace. He switched it on and
then turned the thermostat up to maximum.
The
brownouts started again almost immediately.
“…Here,”
Elisabeth said as she served a customer. Then the lights started flickering
again. “Uh oh!”
“The
brownouts?” the customer asked.
“Yes,
they’re back!”
“The
brownout problem has returned in downtown Lawndale, but they are worse than
before…”
At
2:30, Lawndale High was hit by the new brownouts.
“Oh
no!” Li said as her office blacked out.
Quinn
noticed straight away, as did Stacy. “Not again!” Stacy said.
“I
guess It’s the owner’s grandson,” Quinn said.
“What
makes you say that?” Stacy asked.
“Attention
students! Due to power disruptions, school will end early today!” Ms.
Li announced. “Please leave carefully.”
“I
didn’t tell you something. Jamie compared the Solarium to a lair,” Quinn said,
answering Stacy’s question, as they left the Language Arts classroom.
“Why
did he do that?” Stacy asked.
“You
didn’t see inside that building. It was old. The owner brushed it aside, but
the grandson may have overheard.”
“So,
what do we do now?”
“You
go to the Historia. I’ll go to the Solarium, see what I can do,” Quinn
answered.
Daria
and Jane left the History classroom. “Do you know where the Solarium is?” Jane
asked.
“I
think jumping to conclusions is a bad idea,” Daria said. “But I have no other
idea what’s going on.”
“But…”
“It’s
on Third Street,” Daria answered. “But what are you going to do?”
“At
least sketch the situation,” Jane answered.
Daria
smirked. ‘But what can I do as Dafaonairi if one of the other vigilantes
doesn’t respond first.’
“What
are you going to do?” Jane asked.
“I’m
not sure.”
Brittany
wasn’t far behind. “I’ll have a look at the Solarium myself,” she said quietly.
“What
Solarium?” Kevin asked. “You want a tan?”
“No,
I mean the Solarium behind the brownouts,” Brittany clarified. “See you later,
Kevie.”
“Oh.”
Sandi
changed to the Enigma on the school roof and looked in the direction of the
Solarium. ‘I will do whatever it takes to end this disruption to Lawndale!’
SpiderGirl
arrived at the Solarium and saw that Peterson and a few other officers were on
the scene. She swung down.
“We
just got here,” Peterson said. “The traffic signals are also messed up.”
“Another
thing,” SpiderGirl groused. “I’m going to try to find the power box.”
Peterson
nodded. “Go ahead. We haven’t been able to get through to the power company.”
“Incompetence
again.”
“Yes.”
However,
it wasn’t as easy as that. SpiderGirl soon found that the power box was
somewhere inside. “Inside?” Peterson asked rhetorically. “That’s risky. We
don’t know what’s in there. All that we know is that the owner is stuck in his
office.”
“Got
it,” SpiderGirl said. “I’ll try to find Ninja Talon, we’ll be back.” She swung
away, heading towards the Jefferson Bridge.
Peterson
picked the bullhorn again. “This is the Lawndale Police Department. Come out
with your hands up! If this continues we may be forced to storm the building.”
Sam
heard the announcement. He was sure that they would eventually do that, but he had
plans to escape.
The
Enigma arrived on the roof of the Solarium and saw the police presence in
front. ‘Peterson is there,’ she thought. ‘Could we both infiltrate from up
here?’ she wondered.
Peterson
saw the Enigma emerge from an alley next to the Solarium. “SpiderGirl found
that the power box is inside,” she said.
“I
see,” the Enigma said with an annoyed tone. “Where is she now?”
“She
went somewhere, but she’ll be back.”
“I
see. I thought that we could infiltrate from the roof.”
“This
isn’t like when we rescued Beresfield. It’s a completely different situation,”
Peterson said.
“It
is the same. We can rescue the owner first.”
“We
have talked to him. He’s safe for now.”
“Then
I guess I have to go in on my own,” the Enigma said, with a determined look in
her eyes.
“I’m
not going to stop you, but you’ll be on your own until SpiderGirl gets back. I
know you want to be her rival…”
“I’ll
try to solve it before she gets here.”
The
Enigma went back up to the roof and opened a vent.
Ninja
Talon found that SpiderGirl was already at the Bridge. “So, you came here
first?” she asked.
“No,
I couldn’t find the power box on the outside of the building. It has to be
somewhere inside.”
“So,
you wanted backup?”
“Yes,
and a better plan than just going in and finding out that Sam has trapped the
place,” SpiderGirl said.
“That’s
his name?”
“Yes.
He might be at Lawndale State, although I didn’t ask.”
“Right.
But we just have to risk it,” Ninja Talon said. “We won’t know until we get in
there.”
“I
knew it would be something like that. Let’s go.”
The
Enigma emerged from the ventilation system in the office and saw that the owner
was shocked. “You’re not SpiderGirl,” he said.
“No,
I’m the Enigma, the fourth vigilante who’s more than a rumor.”
“Got
it. I admit I was sceptical of there being superheroes in a town like this, but
after Groundhog Day…”
“We
have to get moving, your grandson may be listening,” the Enigma said.
“Of
course.”
SpiderGirl
and Ninja Talon arrived at the Solarium.
“The
Enigma is in there,” Peterson said.
“I’ll
be careful,” SpiderGirl said.
“I’ll
keep an eye out for her,” Ninja Talon added.
“She
went in by the roof,” Peterson explained.
“Then
we’ll go in a side window,” SpiderGirl decided.
The
Enigma and Mr. Elders climbed out of a vent onto the roof. “That was
difficult,” Mr. Elders said.
“Not
that difficult,” the Enigma said. “But then I’m, like, still a teen.”
“Not
just that, your power, what ever it is, makes it easier.”
“Telekinesis.”
“Whatever,”
Elders said. “But how are we going to get down.”
“How
are you with ropes?”
“Maybe
tell the cops to call the fire department?”
“Give
it a try first,” the Enigma said.
“Why
did it have to be a three story building?”
SpiderGirl
found a window ajar on the second story. “Here we go,” she said as she webbed
it open.
Ninja
Talon shone a flashlight through it. “No one in that room,” she said.
“So
far, so good.”
Dafoanairi
emerged from the rear of the Historia, having changed from the usual Daria in
her apartment. ‘I didn’t think I would use it for that.’
The
Enigma and Mr. Elders made it to the ground. “Finally!” he said.
“Very
good,” Peterson said, with evident relief in her voice.
“Now,
I’ll go back in,” the Enigma said.
“SpiderGirl
and Ninja Talon showed up,” Peterson said.
“I
see,” the Enigma responded.
“They
entered through a side window,” Peterson added.
“Then
I’ll go back through the roof.”
Elders
watched the Enigma climb back up. “What was that about?” he asked.
“Let’s
just say that the Enigma doesn’t like SpiderGirl for some reason,” Peterson
explained.
“I
hope they won’t fight in there.”
“SpiderGirl
knows how to handle herself.”
SpiderGirl
and Ninja Talon emerged into a corridor. “Looks like this floor was
apartments,” SpiderGirl commented.
“What
about the lower levels?”
“Those
were the areas Jamie thought was a lair.”
“You
did say that,” Ninja Talon said.
“I
should have realised that Sam overheard him.”
“You
can’t blame yourself for that.”
“I
know,” SpiderGirl responded. They then found the stairs down.
They
crept down the stairs…
Peterson
saw a cloaked figure approach. “Who’s there?” she asked.
“Dafoanairi,
you know my secret identity,” she said quietly but with sarcasm.
‘Oh,
Daria! What are you doing?’ Peterson thought. “Why are you here?”
“I’m
going in and restoring the power.”
“But
SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon are already doing that. And the Enigma has gone back
in after rescuing the owner.”
“Oh.
But maybe I can do something they can’t. And maybe I can stop the Enigma from
fighting SpiderGirl,” Dafoanairi responded.
“I
suppose so,” Peterson allowed.
“So,
I’ll look for an open window.”
“That
would probably be the way SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon entered.”
“Got
it,” Dafoanairi responded.
SpiderGirl
and Ninja Talon emerged onto the ground floor. “Uh oh!” the former said.
“Something
wrong?”
“He
has done something. He has put up screens or something.”
“Good
guess, SpiderGirl!”
The
two heroes went back to back and looked around. “We know you’re there,” Ninja
Talon said.
“And
Ninja Talon too, of course. It seems you now team up whenever something major
happens,” Sam said.
“Can’t
quite pick where you are,” SpiderGirl said. “Are you throwing your voice?”
“Very
perceptive,” Sam commented.
“We
have to keep moving,” Ninja Talon whispered.
SpiderGirl
nodded and pointed right past the screen.
“A
good talent for a theatre student to have. Wouldn’t you agree? Also, I wouldn’t
bother going to the basement. There are traps there.”
“We
can outwit those,” Ninja Talon said.
The
Enigma entered the ducts above the first floor and overheard Sam’s conversation
with SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon. ‘He doesn’t know I’m here, but the problem is,
I don’t think this goes to the basement.’
Dafoanairi
found an open window on the second story. Once she had clambered in, she looked
around and saw that the room was unused. “I guess the Solarium is just on the
first floor.” She then carefully left the room.
SpiderGirl
carefully looked around the screen. She didn’t see Sam anywhere, but she saw
that he had moved some of the tanning beds around. ‘I bet he remembers me
saying that I burn easily,’ she thought. ‘But I designed this suit for winter
conditions, so that shouldn’t be a problem.’ But the problem was that with the
furnace up to maximum it was getting hot inside.
“Is
it getting hotter?” Ninja Talon.
“He
must have turned up the furnace. That is why the brownouts are worse.”
“We
have to do this quicky, then.”
“What
else is new,” SpiderGirl commented.
Dafoanairi
also noticed the heat. ‘This isn’t good.’ She ran along the corridor.
The
Enigma noticed it too as she climbed out of the ducts into an empty room. ‘This
isn’t good. But I can’t just tear at wires telekinetically. I don’t know what
that would cause.’ And she was sure that the locate ability only worked on
people, rather than objects, given its limitations. ‘But where is Sam? I’ll
forgo searching for SpiderGirl’s identity tonight, like when I searched for
Beresfield.’ She didn’t have an energy drink on her, but that was fine. She
took a few deep breaths. “Findu mann sem heiter: Sam Elders!”
She
found Sam, but not without perceiving the rest of the inside of the Solarium.
She knew where the power box, and the furnace switch, were. The Enigma then
took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Spidey?”
Ninja Talon asked as her friend seemed slightly out of it for a few seconds.
“Another
of those tingles,” SpiderGirl explained.
“Now?”
“It
might be the Enigma, somehow. But I’m not sure.”
“Now’s
not the time…” Ninja Talon said.
“I
know.”
“Something
distracted you,” Sam said, from somewhere nearby. “But what?”
“Something
you don’t understand,” SpiderGirl said. She shot a web somewhere nearby and
pulled, knocking one of the screens over. “Lawndale is complex.”
“That’s
obvious,” Sam said. “Any town is complex.”
“I
wasn’t finished. The vigilantes aren’t united. We all have different origin
stories,” SpiderGirl said.
“This
isn’t a comic book either,” Sam said
“Meaning,
we aren’t all working together! The fourth vigilante is an antihero who wants
to be my rival!”
“There!”
Ninja Talon said. “The fourth vigilante!”
SpiderGirl
ducked, just in case.
The
Enigma heard Ninja Talon, but didn’t look.
She
continued to go towards where the power box was.
