Spider Quinn 12 Rise of the Green Goblin - Part 3

 While Quinn was looking at the Schloss Morgendorffer architectural blueprints, Norman Osborn was looking at the engineering blueprints for the prototype glider. It was perfect for his needs.

 

 

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Sunday 28 January 2001

Historia Opening is a Great Success

 

SpiderGirl emerged from the house in the early hours after about four hours of sleep. She did what usually did, sat on the roof, closed her eyes and listened to Lawndale. ‘Of course, I realise that I’m mostly listening to the part of town on the west side of the Creek,’ she thought as she did so. ‘Anything in Lawndale Flats would have to be particularly loud.’ She paused, opened her eyes and walked to the edge of the roof and looked in that direction. The downtown area hid that neighborhood from view.

She went back to her previous position and closed her eyes again and listened.

 

Half an hour later, she heard a cry for help a few streets to north. Opening her eyes, she swung into action.

 

 

Quinn arrived at the Historia, ready to start her first shift, at 11:00. She had spent most of the morning either on patrol, copying the blueprints or designing the mask. She saw Stacy there, ready to start. “Stacy!”

 

“Hi, Quinn!” Stacy said enthusiastically. “I’m ready for my first day.”

 

“That’s great!”

 

 

Sandi was at home, in the backyard, which still bore the scars of her frustrated use of her powers following the Fashion Club’s dissolution. She was wondering whether she could use her powers in a way that would be helpful. ‘But I’m not like SpiderGirl,’ she thought again. She was tempted to try to find SpiderGirl’s secret identity using an aspect of her powers, but her mother had warned her against that when she had broached the subject the night before.

 

“Sandi, I told you before if you try to locate someone not in Lawndale, you’ll get knocked out by the sensory overload of perceiving all of Lawndale at once.”

 

“But SpiderGirl is in Lawndale.”

 

“If she’s her secret identity at the time, you may not locate her.”

 

“So, I risk getting knocked out if I try to find a random girl in Lawndale?”

 

“I would not suggest going through the yearbook and trying to locate every girl. That would be exhausting.”

 

 

Sandi blinked and brought her mind back to the present. ‘Of course, I would need a disguise,’ she thought. With that, she went back to her room to see if she had anything that could hide her identity.

 

 

Anna Coultard entered the Historia. She wanted to see if the bookshop had books on Welsh folkflore. Quinn came over to her. “Would you like something, Anna?” she asked.

 

“I’m just browsing for now,” Anna answered. “Seeing if there are books on what I’m looking for?”

 

“What the High School library doesn’t have?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Let me know if you find anything,” Quinn said playfully, “either today or tomorrow.”

 

“Of course,” Anna said.

 

“What about Ben?”

 

“He might visit here at some point, after the fuss has died down.”

 

“When there aren’t that many people,” Quinn surmised.

 

“Exactly,” Anna said.

 

 

Meanwhile, Brittany was at home musing on changes to the Ninja Talon suit. She was still wondering how to use flames in a way that wasn’t dangerous. ‘How did the Shadow come up with those paint bombs anyway?’ she wasn’t sure. She continued to design the changes.

 

 

After her shift at the Historia ended, SpiderGirl headed to Cedars of Lawndale.

 

 

Sarah Robyn saw the superheroine enter her room. You’re here! She wrote.

 

“Sorry, I was carried away designing a new mask this morning,” SpiderGirl said. “Also thinking of ways to modify my house without the rest of the family noticing.”

 

Why?

 

“So, I can have a secret place for my superhero stuff. It will help me keep my secret identity better.”

 

OK.

 

“Then I was at work.”

 

SpiderGirl spent another hour there before heading out to patrol.

 

 

Later that night, Quinn looked at her copy of the house blueprints in her room. She noticed something that could be useful. ‘A laundry chute down from my closet to the basement?’ she realised. She hadn’t noticed anything in her closet that could indicate that, but then she didn’t really look at it other than to sort her ever growing wardrobe. She went over and started putting most of her clothes onto her bed.

 

She looked at the floor of the closet. She saw that it was a couple of boards of wood. ‘But is there anywhere to lift it if it’s not nailed down?’ she wondered. She looked at the one on the right and saw that there was an indent near the corner. She webbed the board near the indent and pulled. It came up and she grabbed her flashlight and looked down. She saw the disused laundry chute. ‘It’s fairly large,’ she thought. Perfect for storing the SpiderGirl suits and useful as a quick way to leave the room unseen.

‘But I have to look at the other end before I decide anything further.’

 

 

Back down in the basement, Quinn found that the other end had a large counterweighted hatch. She pushed it open and saw the light coming down from her room two stories above. ‘Good!’ she thought. ‘I can use it.’ She went back up to her room thinking of ways to use the chute.

 

 

‘Some kind of pully system to store the suit and to lower myself down the chute,’ Quinn wrote on a piece of paper. ‘And an inconspicuous locking mechanism for the closet floor and the hatch, that would allow both of them to be opened and closed from either end.’ That was a start. She looked at the time. ‘Time for a patrol,’ she thought as she put the copy of the blueprints and the notes away. But first she put the board in the closet back where it was and put her clothes back.

 

 

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Monday January 29, 2001

SpiderGirl seen in Lawndale Flats

 

The talk of most of the students as the school day began was of the opening of the Historia. Quinn found herself congratulated more for her win at the Spelling Bee. But only a few students saw Norman Osborn park instead of merely dropping off Harry. Hardly anyone saw him make a beeline for Ms. Li’s office.

 

 

“Good Morning Mr. Osborn,” Ms. Li said. “What can I do for you?”

 

“The question is, what can I do for Lawndale High in exchange for something.”

 

“It would depend on what that something is, wouldn’t it?”

 

“Access to your surveillance system. Specifically, your CCTV cameras,” Osborn answered.

 

“Out of the question!” the Principal said.

 

“I am aware that SpiderGirl has been sighted on school grounds from time to time.”

 

“So, you want to find her secret identity?”

 

“Yes,” Osborn answered.

 

 

Angela reconsidered. “I too want to know which of my students is that vigilante.”

 

“Good,” Osborn said. “What can I do for Lawndale High? I have looked into the records. You have outlaid vast sums on security improvements. However, early last year, the Library roof fell in due to lack of maintenance. Then there was a hastily planned medieval fair to raise funds for repairs.”

 

“So, improvements to the buildings. I can work with that,” Li considered.

 

“And my company can also improve your security systems, making it more likely that SpiderGirl, and possibly Ninja Talon and the Shadow, get caught.

 

“I doubt the latter two are students here, Mr. Osborn.”

 

“But they might be. If it comes out, think of the reputational damage,” Osborn said.

 

‘He can’t blackmail me!’ Angela thought. “I will handle whatever issues come up, Mr. Osborn. Lawndale High will survive any scandal.”

 

“So, your answer is no?”

 

“My answer is ‘Maybe.’ I have to think about it. I’ll get back to you later in the week,” she sat down. “Good Day, Mr. Osborn.”

 

 

Osborn left Lawndale High and headed towards City Hall to get the Mayor’s answer.

 

 

In the meantime, the principal tried to get the conversation out of her mind as she tried to focus on her paperwork.

 

 

“Mr. Osborn to see you sir,” the secretary said.

 

“Send him in,” Mayor Lawson said in a resigned tone.

 

 

“Good Morning, Mr. Lawson,” Osborn said as the door closed behind him.

 

“Morning, Osborn,” Lawson said in a tired tone.

 

“I’ll get straight to the point. What is your answer?”

 

“Yes. I will provide access to Lawndale’s CCTV network, but not right away. I’ll have to negotiate with the Council first. They might vote against it.”

 

“Are you trying to stall me?”

 

“Maybe. But I still need to inform the Council that I have been approached in some manner. I won’t say who.”

 

“And how soon will you call this vote?” Osborn asked.

 

“Tomorrow. I’ll let you know as soon as I know the answer.”

 

“Then I’ll be back tomorrow!”

 

 

Quinn met Anna, Ben and Gerald in the library after school. “So, you found a Welsh folklore book at the Historia?” Quinn asked.

 

“Yes,” Anna answered. “I haven’t bought it here, but it’s great!”

 

“That’s good. Maybe we could see those standing stones you mentioned,” Quinn suggested.

 

“Remember what Ms. Li said,” Gerald said.

 

“That any field trip has to be outside school hours,” Quinn responded. “I remember.”

 

“So, how far are these standing stones anyway?” Ben asked.

 

“Not far, only a third of the way to Oakwood,” Anna answered.

 

“I see where this is going,” Gerald said.

 

“Not right away,” Quinn said.

 

“But soon, within the next couple of weeks?” Gerald asked.

 

“Yes, but we could do it around sunset. Think of how bright the stars would be outside Lawndale,” Quinn said.

 

“There would still be the light pollution,” Gerald said.

 

“Probably,” Quinn considered.

 

“Sunset at the standing stones would be great!” Anna said with wonder in her eyes.

 

“Why am I getting the feeling that something is going to happen there too,” Gerald murmured. “Maybe we could wait until the equinox.”

 

“But that is two months away,” Quinn objected.

 

“Fine!” Gerald said.

 

“Thanks, Quinn,” Anna said.

 

They then continued their session, with Quinn reading from her design book first.

 

 

After the mentoring session, Quinn changed to SpiderGirl on the school roof and headed downtown. It wasn’t long before she reached her destination.

 

 

As her usual self, albeit with oversized sunglasses, Quinn entered the hardware store. She had to see what was available before she started designing the locking mechanisms for the chute. ‘It’s not like I can just intuit it, right?’ she pondered as she looked around at the large selection of merchandise. It was both like, and unlike, any other shopping experience in her life.

 

She looked around taking note of various tools, and other items, before realising that she need to do more research to find what she needed, so she grabbed a brochure and approached one of the staff members.

 

“How may I help you?”

 

“I’m looking at some locking mechanisms for a school project,” Quinn answered.

 

“What kind of locking mechanisms?”

 

“Something complex, possibly involving electronics with a manual backup.”

 

“I’ll see what we have.”

 

“Sure.”

 

 

The salesman soon came back. “We have many different locks, including pinpads.”

 

“Also, I would like some tools, mostly screwdrivers and hammers.”

 

“Sounds like you’d need a drill set too.”

 

“Then I’ll take two,” Quinn said.

 

“That will be expensive.”

 

“Then I’ll just have one,” Quinn decided. She could come back for another one later. She didn’t want her mother to be questioning her about unusual purchases on the credit card if she could help it.

 

 

Quinn headed home from the hardware store and placed the tools beneath the table where the blueprints were still laid out. She looked at the blueprints again. She knew where to start, but there were other ways she could use the house for her superheroic purposes. She looked at the attic. Could she create a discrete opening from her closet into the attic? She knew that the attic windows opened, especially the ones facing into the back yard. ‘But there is another way,’ she considered. There were stairs up from the basement to a hatch in the back yard also.

‘Two ways,’ she thought. It would be best to have two routes rather than just one in case she needed to leave in a hurry. She decided to have a look in the attic.

 

 

Quinn looked around the attic. There was a lot of stuff stored up there, including a lot of her father’s belongings that they hadn’t given away. The grief intensified as she looked around. ‘With great power comes great responsibility,’ she thought. She located the spot above her closet and saw that the floor was a simple masonite slab. ‘It should be relatively simple to modify.’

 

 

However, she then heard Daria calling for her downstairs.

 

 

“Why were you in the attic?” Daria asked as Quinn pushed the stairs into their closed position.

 

“Just looking for something,” Quinn answered.

 

“OK,” Daria said.

 

“Anything else?”

 

“I was just curious,” Daria answered.

 

“OK. Wait…”

 

“What?”

 

“I’ve just noticed, your hair is growing,” Quinn said.

 

Daria grabbed some strands of her hair, where it reached where it hadn’t reached before. “Well, I haven’t been to a salon since before Dad died.”

 

“Whereas I’ve been twice.”

 

“I haven’t thought about it, but I guess I’m growing it out now.”

 

“It looks good on you, Daria.”

 

“That wouldn’t be the reason.”

 

“Of course not.”

 

 

Quinn went into her room. ‘I have to be more careful,’ she thought as she closed the door. ‘As far as Daria growing her hair goes, I meant what I said’.

She went over to the closet and looked at the ceiling as she pushed clothes aside. ‘Looks like a false ceiling.’ It would probably be easier to make the modifications than she thought. ‘But I’ll start with the chute first.’ She went over to her desk and looked at the copy of the blueprints again.

 

But then there was a knock and Quinn hastily pushed the page aside. “Come in,” she said.

 

Daria came in with a thoughtful expression on her face. “I’m thinking on what we just talked about.”

 

“Your hair?”

 

“Yes. I’m not sure I want to go to a salon, but I also know there would be split ends.”

 

“I can help you with that,” Quinn said.

 

“You can?” Daria asked in surprise.

 

“Yes, I have experience, helping those who had a terrible cut, or didn’t want to wait. Both here and in Texas.”

 

“Oh,” Daria said. “Let’s do it then.”