Upon using an emergency exit they found security
waiting for them. Ninja Talon slammed it closed and SpiderGirl webbed it shut.
“OK, up to the roof,” SpiderGirl directed.
“Are you sure?” the professor asked.
“Of course,” SpiderGirl responded. “We’ll have more
options than on the ground level.”
“It’s just that, I’m afraid of heights.”
“We can work with that,” Ninja Talon responded.
They soon found a stairwell to the roof.
SpiderGirl opened the roof door to only find two
guards on either side. She quickly webbed up both of them before turning back
to the others. “The coast is clear to the south, but that could change
quickly.”
She turned back and swung so that she landed on top
of the exit.
She saw that agents were already climbing onto the
roof at the northern end. “Move, move, move!” she said.
The silent vigilante brought the professor out,
while Ninja Talon swung up next to SpiderGirl.
“We can hold them off more than long enough,” she
said.
“Into the fray; responsibility calls,” SpiderGirl
confirmed.
The two then targeted the agents and started
shooting webs and throwing shuriken and smoke pellets to delay them.
The silent vigilante got to a southern fire escape
with the professor and looked down. The ground at the base of the building was
free of security. ‘But that could be deceiving.’ But they had to take the risk.
She looked back and signalled the other two.
Soon, they were a block away. “The question now is,
where to go now?” Ninja Talon asked. “It’s probably not a good idea to take him
back to the hospital.”
“The Story Oak is out. Joey is suspicious enough
already,” SpiderGirl added. “And probably Larissa too.”
The Hospital would seem to be
the better choice, the silent vigilante said.
“The Hospital. I guess there would be more police
there, even if Oscorp would expect us to take him back there,” SpiderGirl
mused. She turned to the silent vigilante. “Do you know all the ways in?”
Most of them, the
silent vigilante responded.
“That will have to do,” SpiderGirl said.
One of the rear entrances might
be the best idea the silent vigilante decided.
Back at the Story Oak, Daria Morgendorffer and
Sandi Griffin arrived. “It looks similar to the Historia,” Sandi commented.
“They are both Art Deco.”
“It’s more than that.”
“They were probably built at the same time from similar
plans,” Daria said as she led the way into the café. “And Larissa was inspired
by us to do the restoration.”
“I guess so,” Sandi mused.
Larissa saw Daria and another girl enter. “Hi, Daria. I
know Quinn called you earlier, but I didn’t think you’d come,” she said when
she had gone over.
“She said there was something she was investigating,”
Daria said as she and Sandi sat.
“Yes. You have to ask Joey about that,” Larissa said.
“I will,” Daria said. “Where is he.”
“In the apartment,” Larissa answered.
“Go get him,” Sandi said as she went up to the counter.
“I will,” Larissa said.
Joey was concerned. He was sure that Quinn was poking her
head into something that would overwhelm her.
There was a knock at the door.
“Larissa?” he asked as he opened it.
“Daria is here,” Larissa said. “She and another girl want
to know what happened at that mound.”
“I’ll be right down.”
Daria took in what Joey said as she sipped her tea.
“Oscorp is being quite brazen,” she commented. “But I got
that from Quinn’s call.”
“What did she say?” Joey asked.
“Just that the attack had happened,” Daria answered.
“So, what now?” Sandi asked. “We go after her?”
Daria gave her a brief look. ‘Not yet as Dafoanairi and
the Enigma,’ she thought, thinking of their alter egos as two of Lawndale’s
hero vigilantes. “Not yet.”
Sandi understood the look and nodded.
“So, we wait for her to come back?” Joey asked.
“About half an hour,” Daria said. She turned to Larissa.
“You have maps of Oakwood here?”
“Of course,” Larissa said. “Of Lawndale, Middlebury and
Cumberland too.”
“I doubt we’d need to look at those,” Sandi said.
“Of course, but it’s good to know,” Daria said.
SpiderGirl, Ninja Talon, the professor and the silent
vigilante approached the hospital. ‘We have to call her something,’ Ninja Talon
thought as she looked at the silent vigilante before refocusing on the hospital
ahead of her.
Most of the squad cars that had been present earlier were
still there. It was obvious that the Oakwood PD wanted to be seen as being on
top of the situation.
The silent vigilante signed something.
“She says that we need to go around,” SpiderGirl
interpreted.
“That should be easy,” Ninja Talon said.
The silent vigilante signed in an exasperated manner.
“And now she’s saying that we could be reckless,”
SpiderGirl said.
“Of course this is reckless. But I have been doing this
for nearly two months, and Spidey for two months longer. I know what I’m
doing!”
The silent vigilante signed again.
“She says that this isn’t Lawndale, that we’re not
familiar. But we improvise, you can help with that,” SpiderGirl said.
“As Spidey said,” Ninja Talon said with frustration.
The silent vigilante visibly relaxed, and then signed
again.
“Lead the way,” SpiderGirl interpreted.
Five minutes later, they were on the roof.
“We should let the staff know we have rescued him,”
SpiderGirl said.
We’ll go down to the Emergency Room, the silent
vigilante signed.
“Of course,” SpiderGirl said.
The lead nurse on duty was surprised to see the
vigilantes leading the professor into the ER. “You brought him here?” she
asked.
“Yes,” SpiderGirl said. “I’m sure the doctors would be
wanting to keep watching him.”
“No, I meant, I thought you would have taken him to
Lawndale after rescuing him,” the nurse said.
“This is still closer,” Ninja Talon said.
“I mean, Lawndale isn’t far,” the nurse said.
“We’re here now,” SpiderGirl said.
“It’s just that I have to tell the police he’s back so
they can interview him again,” the nurse said.
“That’s fine,” the professor responded. “Let it be on the
record that Oscorp is clearly involved in kidnapping.”
“But I’m sure Osborn would deny everything,” SpiderGirl
said.
The police then arrived. One of them went up to
SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon. “I’m Officer Nathaniel Vale. I have been in contact
with Officer Peterson at the LDPD. She speaks highly of you.”
“Yes. She’s open minded,” SpiderGirl responded. She was
wondering what else Peterson had said.
“She didn’t say much else,” Vale added.
‘Good,’ SpiderGirl thought.
“But you have to fill us in on the rescue,” Vale said.
“Can it be quick? I have to get back somewhere,”
SpiderGirl said.
“I can do it,” Ninja Talon said.
“You can go, SpiderGirl,” Vale said. “But I will want to
talk to you another time.”
“Of course,” SpiderGirl said before exchanging a look
with Ninja Talon and waving to the silent vigilante.
After returning to the roof, SpiderGirl headed back to
the Story Oak.
Daria and Sandi were still looking at the map of Oakwood
when Quinn entered the café.
“Quinn!” Joey called out.
Daria looked, as Sandi continued looking at the map. “What
have you been doing?” she asked with concern.
“Looking into things,” Quinn said in a careful manner.
‘She doesn’t want to tell us everything,’ Daria
considered. ‘But she did find something.’
“You went back to the hospital, didn’t you?” Joey asked.
“I did. A couple of Lawndale’s heroes had rescued the
Professor from Oscorp,” Quinn responded. “Along with one from Oakwood.”
“The silent one?” Larissa asked from nearby,
Quinn nodded.
“Which ones?” Daria asked.
“SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon,” Quinn answered carefully,
sure not to give anything away.
“So, the professor was taken from the hospital to the
Oscorp facility,” Daria said as she turned back to the map. “And then was
rescued.”
“Osborn must be livid,” Sandi commented from behind
Daria.
Daria turned to Sandi. “No more than is usual,” she said.
“So, what now?” Joey asked.
“We keep listening to the radio. Oscorp might make
another move tonight,” Daria answered.
“What can you do?” Larissa asked incredulously.
“Not much here, I admit,” Daria said.
Daria thought about what Larissa had asked. She couldn’t
really answer any other way without revealing to everyone in the room that she
and Sandi were two more of Lawndale’s heroes. ‘I did come here in response to
Quinn’s call, but Sandi didn’t have to come,’ she thought. In fact she was sure
that Quinn and Sandi being in the same room wasn’t conducive to good planning
either. “But I wasn’t here earlier when I probably should have,” she added. She
looked at Quinn, who was fidgeting. “Anything else you can add?”
“That what looks like most of the Oakwood PD is still
around the hospital,” Quinn answered. “Oscorp might be planning something
else.”
“Or they might not,” Sandi said.
“Or they still might,” Daria said. “Either here in
Oakwood, or back in Lawndale with two of heroes known to be absent.”
“We could go around in circles about this,” Quinn said.
“Absolutely,” Daria said with a sigh.
Quinn went to the counter. “We’ll keep listening to the
radio and be prepared.”
