Church notes - 7th December 2025

 7th

Isaiah 61

Proverbs 3:34

Humility

Depending on the LORD's mercy.

Unconcern for power, prestige

Isaiah 61

Proclaim the Good News

Proclaimation of the the year of the LORD's favour.

Announce the day of judgement.

Comfort all who mourn.

A window of opportunity.

Worldly Christmas priorities.

- Food

- Presents and Gifts

- Decorations and Celebration

- Holidays

- Singing Carols

- Sport

We should do as Jesus would do

Philippians 2:3 - 8

Spider Quinn 19 Making the News Amidst the Storms Part 9

 

Daria then made her play. “I have compiled newspaper reports of SpiderGirl’s activities from November, through to just before Groundhog Day. There are also excerpts from interviews I have conducted with some of Lawndale High’s seniors over the past few weeks. They paint a picture of a rather confident young lady who isn’t afraid to talk to people. What I saw when I watched last night’s interview was not that.” She handed a binder over to Leonard. “These are copies of many of those articles, including of the report covering the time she and Ninja Talon responded to a thief in the Mall.”

 

“Thanks, Ms. Morgendorffer,” Leonard said as he leafed through the binder.

 

“And that’s my mother’s impression,” Tori added.

 

“Jericho. You’re Penelope’s daughter, aren’t you?” Leonard asked.

 

“That’s right,” Tori said. “And I will tell her everything.”

 

‘That’s what I expected,’ Helen thought.

 

Leonard took the binder from Daria, and skimmed it. “I see.”

 

“So, you see that this is not the hysterical outburst of a few teens who only thought that they saw something wrong,” Helen said.

 

 

Twenty minutes went by, as Leonard looked through the evidence the Morgendorffers and the others had brought. Anders was stressing the entire time. ‘Anders’ didn’t expect something like this to occur,’ Daria thought.

 

“I see from the Mall incident that SpiderGirl was confident when she said that she and Ninja Talon were colleagues rather than rivals,” Leonard said. “That can easily be corroborated.”

 

“I would think so,” Brittany commented.

 

“But that will take time,” Leonard said.

 

“I expect that it will,” her mother said.

 

 

“I have examined enough,” Leonard said.

 

“Meaning?” Helen asked.

 

“That I’m convinced that this needs to be investigated,” Leonard said. He turned to Anders. “Pending investigation, you are suspended from your duties until further notice.”

 

“What?” Anders asked.

 

“You heard me, and Mrs. Morgendorffer. These accusations are serious. Go to your office and clear out any personal items.”

 

“Yes, sir,” Anders said in a contrite tone.

 

 

Anders stormed out of the small meeting room. ‘I shouldn’t have listened to Osborn! It’s his fault!’ She thought as she held back tears. ‘What will he do when he finds out?’

 

 

Daria watched as Anders stormed out. “I have a feeling that we haven’t seen the last of her.”

 

“Well, this is just the beginning,” her mother said.

 

“Of course,” Daria responded.

 

Her mother turned back to the executive. “Thanks for your time, Mr. Leonard.”

 

“Your welcome. And now I must begin the investigation.”

 

“Then we won’t keep you.”

 

 

The group emerged from the studio.

 

“We did it!” Brittany said, as she hugged both Quinn and Daria.

 

“We certainly did,” Quinn said.

 

“But as Mom said, it’s just the beginning,” Daria said.

 

 

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Historia.

“I’ll see you later,” Helen said. “But be prepared if whoever put Anders up to it reacts.”

 

“I have some ideas,” Daria said.

 

“I know, but there is no proof. If Oscorp, for example, wants to sue for defamation, I wouldn’t be able to get you off.”

 

“I’ll find proof,” Daria said. “Although I know it will take time.”

 

“You have a lot on your plate,” Helen said.

 

Daria nodded as she got out of the car.

 

 

Daria found Sandi in the bookstore looking through books on journalism.

 

“Like, a good collection here,” Sandi said.

 

“Thanks. I wanted a broad selection.”

 

“How did it go?”

 

“Anders has been suspended,” Daria answered. “Pending further investigation.”

 

“That’s good news.”

 

“But the investigation will take time. Who knows what might happen in the meantime.”

 

Sandi shrugged. “Anything. But at least she won’t be trying to interview the vigilantes while she’s under investigation.”

 

“There’s that at least.”

 

“Now, like, we go back to the other concerns.”

 

“Like who was controlling that robo-dactyl,” Daria mused.

 

“Maybe we could look at the Mall later.”

 

“You can. I’ll look into the reports.”

 

“Are you sure it’s because you don’t like shopping?” Sandi asked playfully.

 

“Not when there’s something better to do.”

 

 

Quinn and Brittany went up to the roof.

 

Quinn breathed a sigh of relief as she looked towards the studio. “It might not be over, but at least people know it was a fake. Like it was the last thing I thought I needed.”

 

“But we did it, didn’t we?” Brittany asked.

 

Quinn brightened up. “We did. Daria was meticulous in the presentation of her research.”

 

“As she usually is.”

 

“But.”

 

“But?” Brittany asked.

 

“The robot pterodactyl. Who was responsible for it?”

 

“And was it even Oscorp?”

 

“That is one thing we need to know,” Quinn said.

 

 

Jane found Trent and Jesse waiting in a corner of the café.

 

“How did it go?” Trent asked.

 

“Anders was suspended,” Jane answered quietly as she sat.

 

“Sounds like good news,” Jesse responded.

 

“It does, but Mrs. Morgendorffer said that it was just the beginning.”

 

“I guess so, but at least it’s a start,” Trent said.

 

“But what if Osborn had put her up to it?” Jane asked.

 

“Then he might have succeeded at something. Removing Anders from her job,” Trent answered.

 

“But what would he get out of that?” Jane wondered.

 

“No idea. But it does give me inspiration,” Trent said.

 

 

Quinn changed to SpiderGirl and went on patrol, and to think about what might be next. Brittany went down to the theater, where Andrea was waiting inside.

 

“I heard about the fake interview from a few people,” Andrea said.

 

“We exposed Anders’ role in it,” Brittany said.

 

“But?”

 

“But she wasn’t alone, and I’m sure the studio’s internal investigation will focus on what happened there.”

 

“Are you saying someone, like possibly a certain tycoon, put her up to it?” Andrea asked.

 

Brittany nodded. “But no proof.”

 

“There wouldn’t be. But the investigation might reveal it.”

 

“Might. But, back to the robo-dactyl.”

 

“Certainly,” Andrea said. “I haven’t been able to get a hold of Tania Ashworth.”

 

“She was at the Morgendorffers last night after the play.”

 

“And she wasn’t at home this morning.”

 

“She wasn’t?” Brittany asked.

 

“She was probably doing something.”

 

“But there are others that have siblings at Lawndale State.”

 

“I sent out a message to the Programming Club mailing list,” Andrea said, as she took out her PDA. “Some of them may come here this morning.”

 

“I’ll be waiting.”

 

 

It was late morning when Fields arrived back in Osborn’s hospital room.

 

“I suppose you have heard?” he asked.

 

“Heard what? About Anders being suspended? I thought that is unconfirmed.”

 

“It isn’t,” Osborn said. He clicked something on his laptop.

 

“It has been confirmed that Lynn Anders has been suspended from her duties at WSBC pending an investigation into the interview with SpiderGirl that has allegedly been faked.”

 

“I knew it wasn’t a good idea, asking me to do it.”

 

“You didn’t project the confidence that the real SpiderGirl has.”

 

“I couldn’t have!” Fields projected.

 

“I know. But it has been exposed rather quickly.”

 

“It must have been the real SpiderGirl.”

 

“She may have set things in motion,” Osborn said. “But, according to my sources it was Helen Morgendorffer who contacted the studio.”

 

“Isn’t she the one who drew up the agreement with the Historia?”

 

“The very same. She must have seen the broadcast, or obtained a taped copy.”

 

Fields was then quiet. She had interacted with Helen briefly when the Morgendorffers and the other two teens had approached Osborn with the business proposal for the Historia. The impression was that she was very capable. ‘If she thinks she has a case, I’m sure that Anders will be let go. But will she find out my involvement?’

 

 

Osborn watched Fields. He knew what she was thinking; that Helen Morgendorffer would likely find out that she was involved in the fake interview. ‘That’s a risk I’m willing to take,’ he thought.

 

Fields breathed heavily. “But were you expecting something else?”

 

“I knew that Helen would get involved at some point, but not so quickly.”

 

“I should have guessed.”

 

“Besides, I know who the fourth vigilante and her mentor are,” Osborn said with a hardness in his voice. “That is an angle I can use.”

 

“And the alias she uses?”

 

“Naturally, Ms. Fields, but I’m not revealing that to you yet.”

 

 

As the morning passed, Brittany remained at the Historia to wait for the Programming Club members to reply to Andrea’s message. She walked through the bookstore looking at various items.

 

“Are you looking for something in particular, or are you just killing time?” Daria asked as she came up.

 

“Maybe the latter,” Brittany admitted as she twirled a pigtail.

 

“You may as well find something you would like.”

 

“I guess I was also thinking about recent events.”

 

“It does seem that events in Lawndale are spiralling,” Daria said. “But we need to remind ourselves that it could be worse, that our town isn’t absolutely riven in crime, and that there haven’t been attacks like Groundhog Day again.”

 

“That’s true, but the robo-dacytl could have caused a lot more damage than it did.”

 

“True, but Dafoanairi and Ninja Talon showing up when they did, rather than SpiderGirl a while later stopped that situation escalating.”

 

‘If you knew….’ Brittany shook her head. It was enough that Quinn and Andrea knew that she was Talon. She smiled. “I agree. I was just wondering something.”

 

“I have started to investigate that, but the interview took precedence.”

 

 

Daria could tell Brittany was after something, but she wasn’t sure what. “Maybe a book would help?” she asked.

 

“Something on this kind of situation?”

 

“There are superhero novels here, some even in towns similar to Lawndale.”

 

“Really?” Brittany asked. “I haven’t read any. And I was more interested in games than comics when I was younger.”

 

“Never too late to start.”

 

“That’s true. What do you recommend?”

 

Daria lead her to the shelf with the superhero novels. “There is a wide selection. You would just have to pick whichever piques your interest.”

 

 

Quinn arrived back at the Historia shortly after noon. She looked at a clock as she walked down the stairs. “A little early for lunch,” she considered. “But I’ll catch up with Brit first.”

 

She found Brittany reading one of the superhero novels in the café while drinking a tea. “Daria recommended it, didn’t she?” she asked.

 

“Yes. I wanted to see if our reality is stranger than fiction,” Brittany answered quietly.

 

“I also read one of those books a while ago, shortly after Groundhog Day,” Quinn said, in a reassuring tone.

 

“What did you think of it?”

 

“It was a good story, but there were only a few similarities.”

 

“Right,” Brittany said she put the book aside. “Anyway, Andrea is looking for others who may allow her to search for the Mall security footage.”

 

“That’s good,” Quinn said. But then there was an interruption.

 

“Quinn!”

 

 

Brittany winced at Kevin’s voice. She didn’t expect that he would be in the Historia that day. She glared at him.

 

“Kevin, I told you. I’m not interested,” Quinn said.

 

“I know what you said,” Kevin said.

 

“Like, how Anders didn’t actually interview SpiderGirl, Jamie mostly made up what he wrote,” Quinn said with annoyance.

 

“Oh!” Kevin said. “So, you are saying that Jamie lied?”

 

“More like exaggerated,” Quinn clarified.

 

“So, he did lie, or not?” Kevin asked.

 

“Unlike Anders, he did think he was telling the truth, but he embellished it.”

 

“Got it,” Kevin said as he went.

 

 

“I don’t think he got it,” Brittany said with annoyance when Quinn had sat down again.

 

“Clearly not,” Quinn groused. “But he has to think about it more.”

 

“It will take him a while.”

 

 

Lynn Anders arrived back at her apartment on the southern edge of the downtown. She slammed the door closed. “I shouldn’t have listened to Osborn!” she groused to herself loudly, scaring her cat. ‘If I’m fired, I won’t be able to afford this place!’

 

She went to the living room and switched on the radio.

 

“What do you think of the Lynn Anders, fake SpiderGirl situation?”

 

‘Ugh! Of course Z93 would be talking about that!’ She thought as she turned the tuning nob. She soon found WLND. But they were also talking about it. ‘Fine! Oakwood, or Middlebury, or even Cumberland!’

 

WOKW.

 

“…Lawndale is again in the middle of controversy with an airing of a fake interview last night.’

 

‘Not Oakwood!’

 

WMBY.

 

With music playing, Lynn tried to relax, despite the spiral of self-recrimination and guilt occupying her mind.

 

 

Back at the Historia, Andrea found Brittany and Quinn, along with Stacy and Angie, having lunch. “Brit?” she asked.

 

“Andy, did someone get back to you?” Brittany asked.

 

“Yes,” Andrea said.

 

“I’ll be right back,” Brittany said.

 

 

They entered the stairwell. “Dewey Rogers’ sister is a sophomore. He said that she might allow me to use her account,” Andrea said.

 

“Dewey Rogers,” Brittany said as she twirled a pigtail. “He moved to Lawndale the year before, the same time as the Morgendorffers, right?”

 

“He did,” Andrea said. “I might be able to do it tonight while the play is on.”

 

“That would be great.”

 

“If Dewey is able to get hold of her.”

 

“I hope so,” Brittany said.

 

 

It was mid afternoon when Fields knocked on Lynn Anders’ door. Osborn had sent her to ask her to meet him in the hospital again. He wouldn’t say what for. ‘He’s keeping it close to his chest,’ she thought again.

 

Anders answered it and Fields could see that she had been crying, and also drinking. The latter was going to make things difficult. She doubted that the hospital would admit her if she was in an inebriated state (and that Osborn wouldn’t be able to pull strings to allow her to be admitted anyway). “Have you been drinking?” she asked.

Artifact in Lawndale - Part 2

 

In the air

“So what is in common between the Lawndale Artefacts?” Myka asked.

“Good Question,” Artie replied. “Actually, there is little in common, other than the details I told Claudia earlier.”

“So, the locality, the fact that they need to be brought in to the warehouse in a short period of time, and the requirement of four agents,” Myka said.

“Correct. There is nothing else.”

“What about the geographical extent of where the artefacts have been found?”

“Another good question.”

“And?” Myka prompted.

“And the extent has grown with the town. No Lawndale artefact has been found beyond the urban limit of the settlement, and none were found in the area before the settlement was established.”

“So, there may be something in the town, an artefact created by the founding ceremony?” Myka asked.

“That has been proposed before,” Artie said.

“By me, in fact,” H.G. interjected.

“And by others,” Artie continued.

“Right,” Myka said.

“However, you are to only snag, bag and tag the artefact that set off the ping. Don't go looking for the hypothetical founding artefact. Once you have the artefact, return to the Warehouse,” Artie ordered.

“Understood,” Myka said.

“Of course,” H.G. said.

“Only get the artefact we were sent for, got it,” Pete said.

“Certainly,” Claudia added.

Lawndale, MD

While the Warehouse agents were still in the air above South Dakota, artefact related chaos was occurring at Lawndale High.

Principal Angela Li was very annoyed. Something was happening in the school. She had called two students to her office.

“Can you explain what it is that was happening?” she asked, as calmly as possible.

“I'm not sure!” Stacy Rowe said.

“Please, try!” the principal said.

“Sure!” Quinn Morgendorffer said. “Let's see. Mr. DeMartino was holding the class in the library for some reason.”

“I already know that, Ms. Morgendorffer. Skip to what happened.”

“Sure, Sandi found a weird book in one of the back shelves.”

“What does that have to do with it?” the Principal asked with impatience.

“It's what happened when she opened it,” Quinn said.

“Go on,” Li asked when Quinn had paused.

“Well, there was this glow when the book was opened, and some light hit Sandi in the face,” Quinn explained rapidly.

The Principal now knew what was going on, although not the specifics. It was another of those 'oddities' that cropped up in Lawndale from time to time. It had been some years since the last incident. “What happened next?” She asked in all seriousness.

“Sandi then started chanting some strange words. Her eyes looked strange,” Quinn then paused for breath.

“Go on,” the Principal encouraged.

“Then a lot of the books came out of the shelves and started moving about!” Stacy said hysterically. She started hyperventilating.

“Stacy?” Quinn asked in concern.

Stacy calmed down. “I'm okay, Quinn. You can continue.”

“Tiffany then asked Sandi what she was doing.”

“Go on,” the principal prodded.

“Sandi then somehow produced wind and blew the shelves over,” Quinn continued.

“That's when I ran,” Stacy murmured.

“I see,” Ms. Li said.

“Then I went over and tried to close the book. It was then that Sandi hit me with it.”

“I see,” the Principal said. “Thanks for filling me in. You can now go to your next class!”

The agents landed at Lawndale Municipal Airport a few hours later. Upon leaving the arrivals area Myka took out a map of Lawndale. “The High School is north of the town centre, but still near the river,” she pointed out.

“We should be there in ten minutes,” Claudia said.

“Good.”

“Visitors, Ms. Li,” the assistant said.

“Send then in!” the Principal groused.

Four people entered.

“How may I help you?”

“We're investigating an altercation that was at this school earlier today,” one of the women said.

“And you are?”

“Agent Myka Bering, with the Secret Service,” she said, holding out her badge. “There was a report of a strange occurrence at this school earlier today.”

“I don't think the Secret Service has jurisdiction here!” Angela said.

“The School District will beg to differ,” Agent Bering said, just before the phone rang.

Li picked it up. “Hello?”

“Ms. Li. We have received a request from the Secret Service to investigate today's strange events at your school. You are ordered to cooperate.”

“I will get to the bottom of this!” the principal exclaimed.

“Bye.”

She slammed the receiver down.

“And?” Agent Bering asked.

“Investigate! But I will be keeping tabs on you.”

Myka wondered what the Principal had to hide. She was certain that it was more than a juristictional issue. Nevertheless it wasn't her concern. She needed to focus on making sure that the artefact didn't affect too many students. “You notice how the Prinicpal was on edge?” she asked the others.

“Definitely,” Claudia agreed.

“Do you think she'll interfere with the investigation?” Pete asked.

“We can't ignore the possibility,” Myka said.

“But we need to find the students,” HG said.

“Of course,” Claudia said, with an edge in her tone.

They found two of the students near the Hall. “Hello, I am with the Secret Service,” Myka said.

“Quinn Morgendorffer,” the one with the long red hair said.

“Stacy Rowe,” the one with the brown hair in braids said nervously.

“And you are?” Quinn asked.

“Agent Myka Bering. We're here to ask about the incident earlier today.”

Quinn thought about it for a moment. She wasn't sure that she could trust this Agent Myka Bering, or whether she should call her mother first. “Can I call someone?”

“You mean, a lawyer?” Myka asked. “It's not that sort of issue.”

“It's my Mom, she's a lawyer,” Quinn said.

“You can call her,” Myka said.

“Myka?” Pete asked.

“I'm sure her mother would agree, Pete.”

“It's Quinn, Helen,” Marianne said.

“Quinn?” Helen asked. “Put her through.”

“Yes, Helen.”

Helen listened as Quinn explained about what had happened and the Secret Service agents showing up. “I see,” she said once her daughter had finished.

“So, you believe me about what happened?” Quinn asked.

“Yes, Quinn. I have heard about many strange things. And I saw strange things at Middleton and afterwards on the Commune. I seem to remember that the Secret Service was involved then too.”

“So, it's OK to tell them?”

“Yes, but do you have a recorder on you?”

“I do. I usually use it for Fashion Club Meetings, as you said.”

“Good. You can use it now to, just remember...”

“I remember,” Quinn said.

“Good.”

Quinn hung up. Myka had heard Quinn's side of the conversation. She guessed that Quinn's mother had asked her to take notes. A good idea all things considered. If Quinn was going to take notes, then so was she. “So you're taking notes?” she asked.

“Um... Of course,” Quinn responded.

“OK, let's go somewhere where we can talk.”

While Myka was interviewing Quinn, Claudia interviewed Stacy. She found the other girl's fretting rather annoying.

“Stacy!” Claudia admonished.

“Sorry, it's just that...”

“On topic please.”

“Right!” Stacy said with deep breath.

“So, there was this book!”

“Yes. Sandi picked it up and something happened!”

“What happened, Stacy?” Claudia prompted.

“There was this unusual book and Sandi opened it and some sort of glow hit her in the face!” Stacy said.

“Go on,” Claudia prompted.

“Right. She started changing and her eyes started glowing. Then many of the other books in the shelves came out and a wind came up.”

‘That’s certainly indicative of an artefact.’

“She then ran off,” Stacy added.

“So, where would she go?”

“Down by the Creek, near the Dock. She likes to go there when she’s upset.”

Church notes - 30th November 2025

 Baptism Sunday

Acts 16:11 - 15

The message that transforms.

Lydia

Baptism: The visible sign of an invisible work.

A transformed heart leads to a transformed life.

Zephaniah 3:19

Spider Quinn 19 Making the News Amidst the Storms Part 8

 

Sandi hung up from the third member of the AV Club she had called. “No one,” she murmured. Then the phone rang again.

 

“Hi, this Sandi.”

 

“Samara Collins here. I’m letting you know that I did tape the interview, and I’m heading to the Historia now and will give it to Daria after the performance finishes.”

 

“Thanks for letting me know.”

 

 

There was chatter amongst those in the café when Samara arrived at the Historia. She looked at the clock. “Another hour. May as well have supper.”

 

As she had her supper, she thought about the changes in Lawndale in the past few months.

 

 

After the play had ended for the night, Samara found Daria backstage talking to Brittany.

 

“You did very well,’ Daria said.

 

“Thanks,” Brittany said. “Tomorrow night should be slightly better.”

 

“Good. But now I have to deal with this fake SpiderGirl business,” Daria said.

 

Brittany nodded. “I want it to be dealt with too.”

 

“Daria?” Samara asked.

 

“Yes?” Daria responded.

 

“Samara Collins, in the AV Club.”

 

“You have the tape?” Daria asked.

 

“Yes,” Samara answered as she handed it over. “But it’s after a lot of other stuff.”

 

“That’s fine. I’ll make a copy and give this back to you later,” Daria said.

 

“Thanks.”

 

 

“I’ll come over later,” Daria said to said to Sandi. “We can analyse it together then.”

 

“Just as well it’s Friday night,” Sandi said as she looked at the clock. ‘Already after 9:30,’ she thought. “Mother won’t complain too much.”

 

“Just make sure Sam’s already in bed. I’m sure he already knows too much.”

 

“Oh, he’s already asleep,” Sandi responded.

 

“Good to hear. It’ll be the usual time.”

 

 

It was after 10:00 when a group including Daria, Quinn, Jane, Stacy, Tori, Brittany, Jennifer and Tania met at Schloss Morgendorffer to examine the interview.

 

Helen looked on in bemusement at the eclectic group as Daria put the tape in the VCR. “I hope you’ll be able to prove that Anders was being irresponsible,” she said.

 

“I’m sure that we will, Mrs. Morgendorffer,” Jane said.

 

“OK, Samara said to fast forward,” Daria said as she handled the remote. “But she didn’t say how far.”

 

 

Daria soon found footage. She turned to Jane. “I’m sure that you’re the only one here that has seen her.”

 

“I have too,” Brittany piped up.

 

“You too?” Daria asked.

 

“Yes. She carried me home one night, in early December,” Brittany said. “And she took me to the hospital when I slipped earlier this week.”

 

“OK,” Daria said. There was something, careful, about how Brittany said that. She shook her head. That wasn’t what she wanted to think about, but she did recall that one of the early newspaper articles mentioned a cheerleader being carried by SpiderGirl one night, and that Brittany had told her soon after Groundhog Day that she had met SpiderGirl around the time DeMartino had been arrested. “So, you’ll be able to tell as well?”

 

“Yes,” Brittany answered.

 

“That will help with the proof,” Daria said. “OK, we’re at the beginning of the interview.”

 

 

Quinn wasn’t surprised that Brittany had spoken up. ‘She knows how to keep our secret,’ she thought.

 

She watched the interview again.

 

“Pause!” Jane said.

 

“Almost right away,” Daria said as she paused.

 

“She’s too rigid. SpiderGirl’s more animated that that!” Jane explained.

 

‘She’s right,’ Quinn thought.

 

“Like, she moves about more,” Brittany added.

 

“That’s not proof in of itself,” Daria said.

 

“Exactly, we can’t just go with, she’s too stiff,” Quinn added.

 

 

Daria pressed play again.

 

She took notes and Jane sketched as she commented on some things the fake SpiderGirl said in response to Ander’s questions.

 

They went through it twice; the second time as Daria copied it, using an older VCR that she had found in the attic.

 

“What do you think?” Daria asked her mother.

 

“You have plenty of proof with both Jane and Brittany’s recollections. That is enough for Anders to not to have a leg to stand on.”

 

“But someone must have put her up to it,” Quinn said.

 

“True, but there is no proof,” her mother said.

 

“There isn’t,” Quinn said.

 

 

“Another thing,” Tania said.

 

“What is that?” Helen asked.

 

“Whoever was the fake SpiderGirl is not an actor,” Tania answered.

 

“I agree,” Brittany said. “An actor would have been more convincing.”

 

“Like she was chosen at random?” Daria asked. “Or known to Anders or whoever put her up to it?”

 

“That seems likely,” Tori said.

 

“That’s a good point,” Helen said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that there is only evidence against Lynn Anders and whoever else was at the studio who knew that the woman behind the mask is not the real SpiderGirl.”

 

The girls all nodded.

 

“We’ll tell the studio in the morning,” Daria decided.

 

 

They then had a late snack before most of them headed home.

 

 

“…I heard about the fake SpiderGirl thing,” Trent said when Jane had come in. “A few called to inform either you or myself about it. Another called asking if I had taped it.”

 

“Daria managed to find a tape.”

 

“Cool.”

 

“But it’s not cool that someone impersonated SpiderGirl,” Jane said. “What if it was a fake Shadow?”

 

“I see your point. But how are you going to prove it.”

 

“Given that I was rescued by SpiderGirl, alongside the critics last week…”

 

“Got it,” Trent said with a slight smile.”

 

“And Brittany was carried by SpiderGirl sometime late last year, so it won’t just be me.”

 

 

The flurry of calls throughout Lawndale petered out by midnight. Shortly afterwards, Dafoanairi arrived at the Griffin’s and climbed in through Sandi’s bedroom window.

 

“You don’t have to do that here,” Sandi said.

 

“I figure that If you’re doing it at my place…” Daria said as she doffed the cloak and propped the quarterstaff against a wall.

 

“Got it, but what have you figured out.”

 

“It’s definitely a fake,” Daria said before launching into a description of what she and the others had found.

 

 

“I’m certain that Anders will be in serious trouble,” Sandi said when Daria had finished.

 

“Mom, Quinn, Jane, Brittany and I will present our findings to the studio in the morning.”

 

“But Anders was certainly set up.”

 

“I have thought about that, including the fact that others in the studio must have known that it was a fake,” Daria said.

 

“At least a producer, and one or two assistants,” Sandi mused.

 

“And their heads may roll as well as Anders’.”

 

Sandi nodded.

 

 

In the early hours, Ninja Talon arrived on the Morgendorffers’ roof where SpiderGirl had been listening to the town as she usually did. “Hey, Spidey.”

 

“Hey, Talon. Lawndale sounds, pensive.”

 

“Amazing how you seem to pick up on that.”

 

“I just get the general mood,” SpiderGirl explained. “And it’s centered around this neighborhood, which is why I sometimes choose other places to listen from from time to time.”

 

“Anyway…”

 

“I’m sure that Jane’s perspective, as well as yours, will be enough to convince them that Anders did wrong.”

 

“I hope so. But someone else obviously put Anders up to it,” Ninja Talon said.

 

“Norman Osborn. It’s no secret that he’s awake now. But of course, there’s no proof.”

 

“There’s also the person who was the fake SpiderGirl.”

 

“She may have been forced into it,” SpiderGirl said. “Could be some hapless Oscorp employee as far as we know.”

 

“Most likely.”

 

 

At the same time, Fields was unable to sleep. She was pacing the lounge room of her apartment after drinking some cocoa. ‘I’ll go to Osborn early in the morning,’ she thought. But what she would talk to him about, she still wasn’t sure.

 

 

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Saturday, March 3, 2001

Lynn Anders Interviews SpiderGirl, or Does She?

 

SpiderGirl read the article. It was Melinda Parris’s usual speculative style. ‘I guess Mrs. Jericho is waiting on what we find out,’ she thought. She sighed, a lot was riding on how the studio executives would respond. If it ended up as being Anders’ word against the students of Lawndale High who agreed that the interview was fake, she was sure that the tension in Lawndale would continue to increase. She put the paper back and continued her early morning patrol. ‘I hope there won’t be another trap.’

 

 

Fields arrived at a nearby convenience store as the Sun started to rise. She picked up the paper. ‘People were already questioning it last night?’ she asked herself before reading further. “Phones rang hot last night as teenagers who had actually seen SpiderGirl in action questioned whether the person on screen was actually the superheroine that has been the talk of Lawndale for the past several months…”

For the first time since she was in the studio her regret and shame faded a little. ‘I hope that they would see the truth,’ she thought. ‘But what will Osborn’s reaction be?’

 

 

Osborn was awake soon after the sun rose. As soon as the nurse had checked his vitals, he asked her to turn on the television.

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Controversy in Lawndale this morning. Did Lynn Anders conduct an interview with a fake SpiderGirl?”

 

“They’re already speculating. Good.”

 

 

“Yes, Eric, this is serious!” Helen said as she saw Quinn enter the kitchen for breakfast. “I can’t let this misinformation stand.”

 

“I don’t want it to blow back on the firm if you’re wrong,” Eric Schecter said.

 

“I know I’m not wrong, something seemed off about SpiderGirl in that interview, and I trust Jane Lane.”

 

“I think you are taking a risk, that’s all. But the Senior Partner has thrown his weight.”

 

“Good,” Helen said. ‘But why would Vitale support me on this?’ she wondered. She shook her head. That wasn’t what she wanted to dwell on. She wanted to continue preparing her case in case the studio wasn’t reasonable.

 

“Thus you can take time to deal with it next week if it’s not dealt with this weekend.’

 

“Thanks. But I’m sure the executives will listen to us.”

 

“Good luck.”

 

 

Tori arrived at the Morgendorffers at the same time as Jane, who clearly looked tired. “Burning the midnight oil?” she asked.

 

“Yes,” Jane answered. “I had to go on a run to clear my mind. And inspiration struck for my streetscape project.”

 

“I see,” Tori said, as she opened the door. She saw that Daria and Quinn were rewatching the video, while their mother was taking notes.

 

“Morning, Tori,” Quinn said.

 

“I see you are making sure you have everything in order,” Tori said.

 

“Absolutely,” Daria said.

 

“We’ll be ready to go soon,” Helen said as she closed as she closed a briefcase.

 

 

It was a busy morning at the Historia. Angie and Stacy could barely keep up with the orders as the café was full of students talking about the fake interview.

 

Sandi was also there, with Harry.

 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Harry asked as she took a slow sip from her cappuccino.

 

“Thinking about Anders’ reason again.”

 

“For staging a fake interview?”

 

“From my brief talk with her on Thursday, I thought she would, like, just be persistently chasing interviews with the vigilantes,” Sandi responded.

 

“So, you’re thinking that someone pushed her, like my father?”

 

“The thought has passed my mind. I’m certain that Daria has thought about it too.”

 

“But he’s still in the hospital,” Harry said uncertainly.

 

“I doubt that would stop him.”

 

“True. He is running Oscorp again, even if it’s part time.”

 

Sandi looked out the window. The usual Saturday morning foot traffic was there, but it seemed a little subdued.

 

 

Brittany was waiting with Ashley-Amber outside the studio when the Morgendorffers, Jane and Tori arrived.

 

“Ashley-Amber?” Helen asked, when she got out of the car.

 

“Hi, Helen. Brittany told me about it,” Ashley-Amber said. “And I got calls from some of the other parents last night.”

 

“Sure,” Helen said.

 

 

“Hey,” Brittany said as she came up between the sisters. “I see that you’re ready.”

 

“As I’ll ever be,” Daria said.

 

“We have to succeed,” Quinn said.

 

“I’m certain we will,” Brittany said in her usual cheerful tone.

 

Quinn smiled. “I know we will.”

 

“That’s the spirit,” Mrs. Morgendorffer said. “But it will take determination.”

 

 

“Do you have an appointment?” the young lady behind the desk asked.

 

“Yes. Morgendorffer at 9:00,” Helen said.

 

“A yes, the complaint about Lynn Anders’ show last night. Lynn Anders is here, as is one of the executives.”

 

“Good.”

 

“Is everyone coming in?” the assistant asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“It might a tight squeeze in the meeting room.”

 

“I’m sure we can handle it,” Helen said. “Although I might insist on a larger room.”

 

 

Anders hadn’t expected to be called into the studio on a Saturday, as she had the weekends off. She had figured out that people were onto the fake right away. She didn’t expect those against her to be a pair of sisters, their lawyer mother and some of their friends.

 

“Welcome, Mrs. Morgendorffer,” the executive, Leonard, said. “These are very serious accusations you and your clients are bringing against Ms. Anders, so let’s get to the point.”

 

“Very, good,” Mrs. Morgendorffer said. “Because misinforming the public about a public figure, even an elusive one like SpiderGirl, is immoral.”

 

 

‘What is right is one thing, and what’s legal is another,’ Tori thought. She had said it before, regarding rumors of SpiderGirl and the others investigating Oscorp, but she felt it applied to the current situation. ‘But I’m sure that Anders did is also illegal.”

 

“Let’s get to it,” Mrs. Morgendorffer said.

 

“What proof can you provide, besides Ms. Lane’s affidavit from her rescue from Quentin Beck.”

 

“It should be enough,” Jane said with slight annoyance.

 

“Jane, your turn will come,” Mrs. Morgendorffer said.

 

“There’s my experience,” Brittany added.

 

“We’ll need more than your unsubstantiated experience from December last year, Ms. Taylor,” Leonard said. “But Ms. Lane’s evidence is rather compelling.”

 

“Changing your mind?” Mrs. Morgendorffer asked.

 

“I’m considering things,” Leonard said.