Spider Quinn 10 The New Heroes - Part 6

 

It wasn’t long before Joey, Quinn and Daria arrived, along with Jeffy, Jamie, Stacy and Jane.

 

“Even more teens,” Osborn murmured as Jane entered last.

 

“Daria has invited me along as moral support,” Jane added. “As well as to appraise any artworks you’re wishing to add.”

 

“I see,” Osborn said. “Now, as you can see, most of the work on the lobby has been done.”

 

“Good,” Stacy commented.

 

“Now, follow to the side rooms, and you’ll see that the café is also nearly complete,” Osborn said.

 

 

Brittany looked around the café area after she and Kevin entered. It certainly had an old style charm. “Wow,” she commented.

 

Osborn lead the group to a table. “Have you figured out a name yet?” he asked.

 

“The Old Theatre,” Robert said. “But then there are other old theatres in Lawndale.”

 

“We just called it that,” Joey said.

 

“What was it originally called?” Daria asked.

 

“According to the paperwork, the Global,” Osborn answered.

 

“Probably not that,” Quinn considered.

 

“You want a name that reflects the ideal you want it to be, right?” Daria asked.

 

“Of course,” Joey said.

 

“When I write a story, I choose a name based on the theme,” Daria said. “So, what theme are you after, other than the nostalgia?”

 

“The Past,” Joey mused, then shook his head.

 

“Historia?” Brittany asked, as she twirled a pigtail.

 

“Huh?” Kevin asked.

 

“Wait, say that again,” Daria responded.

 

“Historia. A place of history,” Brittany said.

 

“Sounds great!” Quinn said.

 

“Historia, a place that reflects history,” Daria said with a slight smile. “What do you think of that?” she asked Joey and Robert.

 

“Great, Ma’am,” Robert responded.

 

“Sounds better than ‘the Past’, or anything else I could have come up with,” Joey said.

 

“Historia, it is then,” Osborn said.

 

 

As the kitchen was already operational and Osborn had hired caterers for the day, they then had lunch. Brittany and Kevin sat across from each other, as did Angie and Robert, and Joey and Stacy, Quinn and Jamie sat next to each other, across from Daria and Jane.

 

 

“What’s wrong, Babe?” Kevin asked.

 

“Nothing,” Brittany said. She was thinking. Being Ninja Talon was taking up time she would otherwise spend on dates with Kevin. ‘But what excuses could he accept?’ she thought. She already knew that he would take a lot.

 

“OK,” Kevin said.

 

She continued eating and overheard Stacy saying that she would be going to an anime convention later in the year.

 

The rest of the lunch went well.

 

 

After the lunch, Brittany left the soon-to-be ‘Historia’ and headed to one of the town libraries. ‘If nothing else I’ll  be able to find something.’ She was soon confronted by the size of the library and the fact that she was unfamiliar with the Dewey Decimal System. As such, she spent most of the afternoon wandering around the library in confusion as she thought about each thing she read.

 

 

After dinner she headed out again, with a portable radio. She waited on Lincoln Street near Lisa Fisher’s house. She wanted to be sure that her fellow cheerleader wasn’t the new vigilante. It wasn’t long before a report came on the radio, that the new vigilante had been sighted downtown again. ‘It’s not Lisa,’ Ninja Talon concluded, as Lisa hadn’t left the house.

 

 

The new vigilante had just rescued a lady from a would-be mugger when Ninja Talon arrived on the scene at the north end of Main Street.

 

“Ninja Talon is it?” the new vigilante asked when Ninja Talon had approached.

 

“Yes,” she answered.

 

“SpiderGirl couldn’t catch me. What makes you think you can?”

 

“I have a different style to her!”

 

“That may be true,” the other vigilante said. “But something tells me you don’t have powers.”

 

“And you do?”

 

“I’m neither confirming nor denying,”

 

“Then tell me, why are you doing what you are doing?” Ninja Talon asked.

 

“I don’t have to tell you!”

 

“No, you don’t. But what is your goal?”

 

“I don’t have to tell you that either,” the new vigilante said, before somehow producing a fog and disappearing into it.

 

‘Oh great!’ Ninja Talon thought as she tried to go around the fog. The new vigilante had vanished into the night.

 

 

She looked for a while longer, but couldn’t find her again, so she went home disappointed.

 

 

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Sunday January 21, 2001

Old Global Theatre to reopen as Historia

Norman Osborn, along with Teens Robert Allan and Joseph Green announced that the theatre will reopen as a coffee bookshop next week.

 

SpiderGirl re-read the article. It was quite accurate. ‘Good, the Historia will be a good thing for Lawndale,’ she thought.

 

She put the paper back and went on patrol.

 

 

But it was a quiet day in Lawndale and Quinn went on a lunch date with Corey Bateman at a café. “You haven’t had a date with me since the dance,” Corey said.

 

“Well, you know about my father,” Quinn responded.

 

“Not since then, I meant,” Corey said, defensively. “Sorry.”

 

“Apology accepted,” Quinn said.

 

“Obviously…”

 

“Grieving, yes.”

 

Corey was then quiet, and the rest of the date was awkward.

 

 

SpiderGirl patrolled an area of the downtown after the date, thinking about how awkward it had been. ‘Not much I can do about it now,’ she thought.

 

 

SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon met later that evening, after both had had dinner.

 

“So, how are we going to do this?” Ninja Talon asked.

 

“We find out where she is and then approach from opposite directions.”

 

“Good idea.”

 

“I also remember when you came up with a strategy at that paintball excursion,” SpiderGirl said.

 

“It was something I was familiar with. I’m not as familiar with Lawndale’s rooftops.”

 

“So, you had been paintballing before?”

 

“Yes,” Ninja Talon answered.

 

“I see, anyway what I said, and I hope you can improvise.”

 

“I’ll try.”

 

 

It wasn’t long before they heard a news report.

 

“The new Vigilante has been sighted in Dega Street.”

 

“Dega Street,” SpiderGirl said. “That’s not helpful.”

 

“We could search from each end,” Ninja Talon suggested.

 

“No other idea, so we’ll do that.”

 

 

SpiderGirl went to the north end of the street, as that was further. They kept their radios on, so as the try to track where the other vigilante went.

 

 

It wasn’t long before there was another report.

 

“The new Vigilante has been sighted defending patrons leaving that Zon or Zen nightclub in Dega Street.”

 

Ninja Talon knew where that was. She headed in that direction.

 

 

SpiderGirl arrived above the Zon/Zen and found Ninja Talon and the new Vigilante.

 

“So, you’re confronting me together are you?” the latter asked.

 

“We just want to talk,” SpiderGirl said.

 

“Is that it?” the new vigilante asked.

 

“Yes,” Ninja Talon answered.

 

“About what I’m doing?”

 

“Exactly,” SpiderGirl said.

 

“I see. I don’t need to answer to you two!”

 

“Wait!” SpiderGirl called out.

 

“What?”

 

“We’d like to work together from time to time,” Ninja Talon said.

 

“Cooperate in our crime fighting from time to time?” the new vigilante asked.

 

“Yes,” SpiderGirl answered.

 

“I suppose I can do that.”

 

“But, what do you call yourself?” Ninja Talon asked.

 

“I haven’t come up with a name yet,” the other admitted. “I don’t think I need one for what I’m doing. Working in the shadows to protect people in Lawndale. Especially those who are alternative.”

 

“Shadows,” SpiderGirl mused. ‘If it can be used for something bad in that show Stacy told me about.’ “Maybe that could be your moniker. ‘The Shadow.’ What do you think?”

 

“Sounds good, Spidey,” the other responded. “I could use that.”

 

‘Spidey works in a pinch,’ SpiderGirl thought.

 

“The Shadow?” Ninja Talon asked. “I does sound good. Especially with the way you vanish into a fog.”

 

“Just a little theatricality,” the Shadow responded. “But that’s all I’m going to say. I’m not going to reveal something that would lead you to my secret identity. I hope you understand.”

 

“I do,” SpiderGirl said.

 

“Same,” Ninja Talon said.

 

“But you can trust me to help out if you find yourselves overwhelmed with whatever is going on.”

 

“And the other way around?” SpiderGirl asked.

 

“Of course,” the Shadow said.

 

“I have powers, but do you?” SpiderGirl said.

 

“I’m not saying one way or the other. I could be using the theatricality to cover that, or maybe I am not. I’m not going to say either way.”

 

“No problem,” Ninja Talon said.

 

SpiderGirl sighed. She knew that was all she was going to get.

 

“If anything else, it’s time go to,” the Shadow said.

 

“Wait!” SpiderGirl said.

 

“I’ll see you another time,” the Shadow said, before producing the fog and vanishing into the night.

 

“That’s it then,” Ninja Talon said.

 

“Yes. We can trust her,” SpiderGirl said.

 

“Yes. But…”

 

“There will another opportunity for that.”

 

“Of course. But I’m disappointed,” Ninja Talon said.

 

“I am too, but we can still trust her and work with her regardless. I’ll see you Monday,” SpiderGirl said before webswinging away.

 

 

Ninja Talon saw SpiderGirl swing away. She looked around but couldn’t see the Shadow anywhere. ‘Another night,’ she thought. ‘May as well head home.’

 

She patrolled an area between Dega Street and the Creek before heading home.

 

 

SpiderGirl arrived back at the Morgendorffers over an hour later. She saw that Daria was pacing in her room. ‘Something is up there,’ she thought.

 

 

Daria heard a knock at the door.

 

“I’m available,” she said.

 

Quinn opened the door. “Are you OK?”

 

“Why do you ask that?”

 

“I saw you pacing as I came home. You don’t usually do that.”

 

“How?” Daria asked.

 

“Your curtains are wide open.”

 

“Oh. It’s just that Jane has been busy lately.”

 

“So, she hasn’t been able to spend time with you?” Quinn asked, sitting at the computer.

 

Daria nodded. “I’m worried, but that doesn’t mean you have to worry.”

 

“Daria, of course I worry about you. I worry about Mom. I’m sure you worry about me as well as Mom,” Quinn said quietly. “And Mom about us. It’s part of being a grieving family.”

 

“Of course. It’s that Jane and I do seem to be drifting apart. We still interact at school, just not as much at each other’s place, the Pizza place or the Zon.”

 

“I don’t know to what to say there.”

 

“That you have come in and checked on me is enough,” Daria said.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“You have your friends, and the three mentees, who may become friends.”

 

“Four, including Angie,” Quinn said. “But she may become a friend also. But my grief hasn’t changed my outgoing nature. You’re still… you.”

 

“So, you want me to reach out to another?”

 

“If you want to.”

 

“I’ll think about it,” Daria said. “I could try to call Jane again tonight.”

 

“Or wait until you get to school tomorrow,” Quinn added with a shrug.

 

“You have a point there,” Daria said as Quinn stood.

 

“Thanks for hearing my concern.”

 

“Quinn, that you admit you’re worried about me is enough. Before what happened to Dad, that wouldn’t have happened. There was too much difference between us.”

 

“True,” Quinn admitted.

 

They hugged and Quinn left. ‘Jane, what are you doing?’

 

 

Casa Lane was quiet again after Trent and Jesse finished their practice session for the night. Jesse was in the kitchen when a black clad figure entered. “Not cool!” he said as he grabbed a rolling pin off the bench.

 

The figure took off her mask, revealing that it was Jane. “Relax, Jesse, it’s me.”

 

“Sorry, the crime has me on edge,” Jesse said.

 

“That’s fine,” Jane said.

 

Trent entered the kitchen. “How did it go tonight, Janie?” he asked.

 

“I had a discussion with SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon after they both confronted me above the Zon,” Jane said, for she was the Shadow!

 

“What about?” Trent asked with concern.

 

“About working together when the situation calls for it.”

 

“What does that mean?” Trent asked.

 

“Meaning that if I’m overwhelmed, I allow them to help and vice versa. They don’t know I’m me and I don’t know who they are. As far as I know SpiderGirl is the only one with powers. Ninja Talon could be what she appears to be. A teenager highly skilled in Martial Arts.”

 

“Sounds good,” Jesse said.

 

“Cool,” Trent said. “At least you’re not alone. But on that topic; Daria. She called earlier. She sounded down.”

 

“I know I have been neglecting her. I’ll catch up with her tomorrow.”